For the first time (and with some trepidation) I’m going to post a full compilation of one of my projects, the 1916 Negro Leagues. It’s not finished, not by a mile, but I’ve decided that, as long as what I have is as scrupulously accurate as I can possibly make it, there’s nothing wrong with publishing partial results—as long as I make it clear they are partial. In fact, what I want to do is
As somebody who has:
1) waited for years (and years) for definitive Negro League statistics to appear;
2) is tired of hearing about all this great unpublished research sitting around gathering dust somewhere (and I don’t just mean on the Negro Leagues);
and 3) has studied published materials closely enough, and done enough research myself, that I know that what’s out there in many cases barely scratches the surface, and in the worst cases is actually badly misleading--
--I’m not all that sympathetic anymore to the notion that nothing should be made public until every last stone has been unturned.
Eventually, of course, we will get the results of the Hall of Fame-funded “Out of the Shadows” project, which will be revolutionary, the “Big Mac” of Negro Leagues baseball. But that project does not (yet) cover statistics from before the league era began (1920).
So, here are some points to keep in mind:
--This project, as I said, is far from finished; thus far, I have consulted only six newspapers: the Chicago Defender, Indianapolis Freeman, Chicago Tribune, Cincinnati Enquirer, St. Louis Globe-Democrat, and the Indianapolis Star (through July 31). This pales in comparison to, say, 1921, for which I have consulted at least 27 newspapers (so far).
--This, however, is not as much of a handicap as it might seem, as in the Midwest, games between top black teams were concentrated in Chicago, Indianapolis, and St. Louis, with a few played at neutral sites. I’ve found scores for 132 western games, and have box scores for 107 of them.
--I only include statistics for games that have box scores. Thus, I don’t (as do other compilers of Negro League stats) add a home run to a player’s totals if it’s merely mentioned in a game account—unless there’s a full box score for the game. Likewise, I don’t add wins and losses or other information to a pitcher’s statistics based solely on line scores or game stories.
--I have included what I’ve been able to collect on eastern teams, but it amounts to less than half of known games (17 of 38). And there weren’t very many games between the best teams in the east, anyway.
--I have considered the east and west (really Midwest) as separate “leagues,” as only one team played in both regions. The Lincoln Stars (of New York) are thus represented twice, once in each “league,” plus I have included a combined version of the team’s stats at the bottom of the first batting, fielding, and pitching tabs.
--Keep in mind that because in 1916 there were no organized leagues, schedules are extremely unbalanced. The Cuban Stars (W) were a traveling team, and played the most games, plus the Lincoln Stars toured the west, while none of the western teams went east—so the American Giants, the Indianapolis ABCs, and the St. Louis Giants all played many more games at home than on the road.
--I have balanced these totals to within an inch of their lives. This is something that has probably never been done for the Negro Leagues: I’ve balanced hitting and pitching, of course, but also fielding and pitching (making sure double play totals match, for example).
--I will post four Excel files: Standings, Batting, Fielding, and Pitching. When I post each, I’ll discuss issues particular to that file.
--I’ve never posted files in this fashion before, so we’ll see if it works. Let me if you have any trouble downloading them, and I can email them to you.
--Be sure to let me know if you see any inconsistencies or mistakes!
Next up: 1916 Standings.
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