When the OSA published their annual preseason predictions, most Brewers fans raised their eyebrows: Bottom last of the division with a 49-71 record. But it was strange that they were almost correct in their assumption.
The Preseason
October 1907 had two significant events for the Brewers. Outfielder Arnold Hill signed a contract worth nearly $67,000. A week later, Philadelphia traded superstar Enrique Johnson to Cleveland for elite SS Caesar Scott and their first-round draft pick.
The city was ecstatic because Scott would finally fill the crucial shortstop position. 1906 when he played for Boston and Cleveland, he started in 114 games and only allowed 39 errors.
A Tight Race
Philadelphia was by no means as harmless as the OSA predicted. It looked like a duel between Richmond and Philadelphia for April and May. By the end of May, the Brewers were up one game.
In June, the Baltimore Clippers joined in for a tight race for the Liberty Division. On June 13, Baltimore and Richmond led the division, and the Brewers were a half-game behind. Finally, the Eastern League had an exciting division with three teams battling it out.
The excitement got too much for one team, and some Philadelphians suspect it involved black money.
Injury-struck Brewers
On June 14, in the second inning of the Bakers-Brewers game, Robert Batkin tossed a fastball way too inside and struck Caesar Scott. The shortstop held his hand and immediately signaled Troy Bujak to substitute him. Scott was later diagnosed with a fractured finger and would miss four weeks.
Despite the loss of an elite glove, Bujak remained calm. He moved Alfred Gilling to shortstop, but on June 25, Lemuel Aldersley of the Providence Angels slid into second base with no intention of touching the base. Instead, he dug his spikes into Gilling’s leg. Diagnose broken fibula. Now Gilling was out for the rest of the season.
Because Robert Dibb broke his hand in a match against the Washington Senators (Baltimore), it left Bujak with the least favorable option: Charles Greenhall.
After Aldersley’s slide, Bujak complained to the league that rivaling teams would purposely attempt to cripple the team and the crucial positions. The league’s prompt response was a $50 fine. The Angels’ response came just a few days later. When Stephen Millington eased into third base after a long line drive to left-centerfield, Isadore Dumphey shoved him aside. Millington stumbled, fell, crawled back to third base, and held his knee. Later, Aaron Bender reported a strained knee and that Millington would miss six weeks.
A similar situation happened on July 18, when the Brewers faced the Banshees. Ray Faulkner hurried to third base, and just before he reached the base, Elisha Ward raised his foot and stomped on Faulkner’s ankle. Faulkner left the game with torn ankle ligaments, out for five weeks.
After Faulkner’s diagnosis, Martin Pitsch stated that it seemed to be a crude coincidence that all of Philadelphia’s shortstops landed on the injury list, along with a veteran starting pitcher and one of the strongest outfielders of the Eastern League.
“I’m certainly not saying that it all benefited Richmond because I’m trying to avoid a penalty. But I hope the league investigates this conduct.”
– Martin Pitsch, Philadelphia Brewers GM
Conclusion
1908 was a disappointment in the eyes of many Brewers faithful. The team played well despite the intense competition. The mysterious series of injuries ended the playoff dreams way too soon.
And yet, the team needs more quality to compete with teams such as Brooklyn. Nobody doubts that with a healthy squad, the Brewers may have reached the postseason just so the Whales would humiliate them in the League Cup.
The biggest weakness remains the rotation. Wilfried Clark is a fan favorite, but his 10-19 record is the worst in franchise history, and in the past five seasons, only Stephen Millington had a worse ERA. His slim arsenal makes him predictable. Lambert Holmes is 37 and struggles to reconnect to his 1905 and 1906 performances. Reinhold Rogers and Stephen Millington did well but are definitely no aces.
Since the draft pool only offered a little pitching talent for teams picking in the bottom half of the first round, Pitsch tried to trade both first-round draft picks and prospects for an elite pitcher of another Eastern League team. Unsuccessfully.
Leo McKenzie also shows first signs of his advanced age. The 37-year-old’s 1908 batting average was a new career low. Although a .253 BA isn’t bad, it’s far from McKenzie’s standard.
Ray Faulkner led the few upsides of the 1908 season. The outfielder led the Eastern League’s OF Golden Bat ranking despite missing almost 40 games and successfully replaced Enrique Johnson.
Paul Butler’s first full season at 3B proved a big success. 111 games with three home runs, 46 RBI, and a modest .245 BA. He was the Brewers’ leadoff hitter for most games and stole 62 bases. Although he occasionally lacked the arm, he played a decent season on third base. The Brewers’ even promoted a capable young prospect for Butler’s position, should he help out elsewhere. Cletus Stanbridge is a traditional third-baseman who had a promising season in AAA. He was 9-for-33 in his few stints in the majors.
Before the season, Troy Bujak demoted Leonard Kindall to Langhorn and promoted Arthur Haddow as the team’s new closer. Haddow ended the season with a 7-4 record, collecting three saves and a 1.14 ERA in 63 IP. He pitched 18 games (34.2 innings) in June and July with no earned runs.
It will take a lot of work to bounce back next season. If Scott stays healthy and provides a solid glove, the Philadelphians can hope for another tight race. Pitsch will have to break down and sacrifice players or draft picks to improve his current rotation and the Brewers’ minor league rotations.