Retroactive Awards 1901

We're going to catch you up on who should be regarded as the best player at each position for each season starting with 1901.
American League Catcher of the Year:
1. Mike Grady
2. Boileryard Clarke
3. Ossee Schrekengost
Notes: Not the strongest year for catchers. Grady gets the nod for first place despite playing only 30 games at catcher for the season because his offensive stats completely dwarf any other catcher for that year. There were only 4 players who had more than 100 plate appearances at catcher who were better than league average at offense.

National League Catcher of the Year:
1. Heinie Peitz
2. Deacon McGuire
3. Klondike Douglass
Notes: Douglass would have ranked 2nd but McGuire had 140 more plate appearances as catcher so I think he was slightly more valuable than Douglass.  Peitz far and away was the best catcher in the National League that year.

American League First Baseman:
1. Buck Freeman
2. Mike Donlin
3. John Anderson
Notes: Donlin has a higher WAR because of his superior defensive numbers. I thnk Freeman had a slightly superior offensive season so I'll put Freeman 1st.

National League First Baseman:
1. Ed Delahanty
2. Joe Kelley
3. Jake Beckley
Notes: Ed D. was pretty clearly the best first baseman in the league that season.

American League Second Baseman:
1. Nap Lajoie
2. Jimmy Williams
3. Sam Mertes
Notes: Lajoie had 9.5 fWAR nearly double what Jimmy Williams had. There were only three above average offensive second baseman in the league that year.

National League Second Baseman:
1. Tom Daly
2. Sammy Strang
3. Claude Ritchey
Notes: Heinie Peitz was in consideration for the top 3 in this spot, as well.  I have Strang over Ritchey despite their fWAR's because Strang had a better wOBA, wRC+, and OBP.  Again, I don't know how accurate defensive rankings are from that long ago.

American League Shortstop:
1. Kid Elberfeld
2. Freddy Parent
3. Bill Keister
Notes: Keister would rank higher but he was apparently a terrible defensive shortstop. Elberfeld wasn't fantastic either but his offensive season was much better than Parent's.

National League Shortstop:
1. Honus Wagner
2. Bobby Wallace
3. George Davis
Notes: Wallace was apparently a fantastic defensive shortstop, but his offensive season was nothing to sneeze at either.  Davis and Wallace's season were almost equal 126 to 122 in wRC+.  My heart's not in it but I'll put Wallace over Davis.

American League Third Baseman:
1. Jimmy Collins
2. John McGraw
3. Lave Cross or Fred Hartman
Notes: John McGraw's offensive season was so good that it doesn't matter that he only played 73 games.  Cross and Hartman are tied in my opinion for third, I can't decide between the two.

National League Third Baseman:
1. Tommy Leach
2. Sammy Strang
3. Harry Wolverton
Notes: Strang was the 2nd best second baseman according to me, too. This was the closest one so far. Leach's fWAR: 3.0 Strang: 2.5 Wolverton: 2.6. Batting average: Leach: .305 Wolverton: .309 Strang:.282. OBP: Leach: .347. Wolverton: .356. Strang: .364. SLG%: Leach: .422 Wolverton: .369. Strang: .341.  wOBA: Leach: .360. Wolverton: .346. Strang: .353. wRC+: Leach: 117 Wolverton: 112 Strang: 115. You couldn't go wrong with either of those three.

American League Left Fielder:
1. Mike Donlin
2. Herm McFarland
3. Jack McCarthy
Notes: Donlin almost won for best first baseman, too. Left field not a strong position for the American League that year. Besides McFarland and Donlin.
National League Left Fielder:
1.Jesse Burkett
2. Jimmy Sheckard
3. Topsy Hartsel
Notes: Would be even tougher if Delahanty hadn't won for best first baseman already. I should probably make a rule that you can only compete at one position. Delahanty probably would have been the best left fielder, too.
American League Centerfielder:
1. Dummy Hoy
2. Chick Stahl
3. Ollie Pickering
Notes: It's a close one but Hoy beats Stahl in the important categories of OBP, wOBA, and wRC+.
National League Centerfielder:
1. Roy Thomas
2. Emmet Heidrick
3. Ginger Beaumont
Notes: Sometimes my rankings are just the fWAR leaderboard, sorry. But George Van Haltren probably deserves to be in the top 3.
American League Right Fielder:
1. Socks Seybold
2. Fielder Jones
3. Ducky Holmes
Notes: Jones might be a better fielder but Seybold was a much better hitter.
National League Right Fielder:
1. Elmer Flick
2. Sam Crawford
3. Lefty Davis
Notes: Flick, by far, the best right fielder in the National League that year. I have Davis over Keeler because of his edge in wOBA and wRC+.

American League Pitcher of the Year:
1. Cy Young
2. Clark Griffith
3. Roscoe Miller
4. Eddie Plank
5. Joe McGinnity
Notes: Cy Young was the best pitcher by far. 2-5 could almost be in any order depending on what you were looking for. Griffith had the highest ERA+ of the four left.

National League Pitcher of the Year:
1.Vic Willis
2. Christy Mathewson
3. Al Orth
4. Noodles Hahn
5. Jack Chesbro
Notes: Mathewson has a slight edge in rWAR but Willis beats him in ERA+ and adjusted pitching wins. Hahn threw a lot of innings and struck out a lot of batters but I can't in good conscience place him above Al Orth, much less Mathewson and Willis.