Baseball Graphs is dedicated to the better use and communication of baseball statistics. Below, you'll find excerpts from, and links to, some of the best baseball writers on the Internet. Follow the links above to read my own intermittent attempts at wisdom (the Baseball Graphs blog), and the heart of this site, historical graphs of every season dating back to 1900.
There are also two special sections you might want to check out. One is the graphical review of the 2003 season, which informed our work at The Hardball Times. The other is the Batted Balls Library, which includes a unique look at batters and pitchers from 2002 through 2005.
In 1900, Ban Johnson’s Western League, a minor league feeder to the National League, changed its name to the American League and added a franchise in Chicago (the White Stockings). That was just a warmup for 1901, when the League dropped its minor league status with the National, added franchises in major cities and basically announced it would sign National League players who didn’t have fresh contracts with their teams.
With Charles Comiskey, Connie Mack, Clark Griffith and John McGraw in his camp, as well as a willingness to pay players a decent salary, it didn’t take long for the junior league to acquire a major league glow. In that first year, almost two-thirds of the AL’s players were former National Leaguers, including the biggest name of all, Nap Lajoie. The AL attracted 1.7 million fans to its games, trailing the National by only 200 thousand. The National League’s monopoly was at an end.
On the field, Philadelphia’s Lajoie led the league with a .422 average, 14 home runs and 42 Win Shares. Boston’s Cy Young was 33-10 with a 1.62 ERA and 41 Win Shares. But it was Chicago that took the pennant, led by Clark Griffiths’ 24-7 record and 2.67 ERA (27 Win Shares), and 39-year-old Dummy Hoy (25 Win Shares). The White Sox were first for most of the year, though Young’s Boston Americans/Somersets (they wouldn’t be called the Red Sox until 1907) tied for first place in late August.
As you can see in the graphs, the difference between Chicago and Boston was offense, particularly On Base Percentage. Hoy led the league in walks and being hit by pitches. Fielder Jones also contributed a .412 OBP, second in the league to Lajoie.