The Stars Align! (Integrated MLB 1921-1922)

Thanks a ton to the endless possibilities of Out of the Park Baseball 19, I can integrate Negro League stars into the Major Leagues.

I plan to do an in-depth blog story to further illustrate the magic of a what-if world where the greatest players of the Negro Leagues and some of their minor stars got a chance to play along with MLB superstars and stars.

When I originally did my Negro League Selection Draft, I was basing the draft order off of the 1919 MLB records, the worse teams got the best picks... I must have read it wrong, we were starting with the 1921 season.

1921 Negro League Draft

1. SP - Bullet Joe Rogan (Philadelphia Athletics)
2. SP - Dave 'Lefty' Brown (Philadelphia Phillies)
3. OF - Oscar Charleston (St Louis Cardinals)
4. SS - Dick Lundy (Washington Senators)
5. SP - Dick 'Cannonball' Redding (Boston Braves)
6. SP - Jose 'The Black Diamond' Mendez (St Louis Browns)
7. SS/3B/C - John Beckwith (Boston Red Sox)
8. C/2B/3B - Biz Mackey (Brooklyn Dodgers)
9. CF - Cristobal Torriente (Pittsburgh Pirates)
10. SP - Andy Cooper (Detroit Tigers)
11. OF - Bernardo Baro (Chicago Cubs)
12. P/1B - John Donaldson (New York Yankees)
13. 1B - Edgar Wesley (Cleveland / Boston Braves)*
14. 2B/SS - Dobie Moore (New York Giants)
15. RF/1B - Ben Taylor (Chicago White Sox)
16. SS - John Henry 'Pop' Lloyd (Cincinnati Reds)
17. 1B/RF - George 'Tank' Carr (Philadelphia Athletics)
18. C/OF - Dan Kannard (Philadelphia Phillies)
19. 2B/OF- Clint Thomas (St. Louis Cardinals)
20. C/OF/2B- Elias 'Country' Brown (Washington Senators)
21. OF - Charlie Blackwell (Boston Braves)
22. OF - Clarence Smith (St. Louis Browns)
23. OF - Fred Long (Brooklyn Dodgers)
24. RP - Bill Force (Pittsburgh Pirates)
25. OF/1B - Pete Hill (Detroit Tigers)
26. 1B/OF - Bill Pierce (New York Yankees)

Some players are long done like catcher Louis Santop, while 'Pop' Lloyd and Pete Hill are in their twilight years. Players were picked due to team needs and potential left in the tank, some players like Clint Thomas and Edgar Wesley are going to enjoy it as long as it lasts, even though it most likely will be brief.

* Edgar Wesley was traded to the Boston Braves in exchange for OF Roy Powell, RP Ira Townsend & a 1922 1st Rd Negro League Draft Slot. 

1921 Negro Leaguer Highlights

• The Boston Braves' Charlie Blackwell and Edgar Wesley each tied for the National League lead in home runs at season's end with 19 each.

• The Philadelphia Athletics' Bullet Joe Rogan, the league's 1st Overall Negro League Pick, wins the American League Cy Young & A.L. Rookie-of-the-Year Award; Rogan led the league in wins (23), WHIP (1.12) & Innings Pitched (338.1), with a 2.53 ERA & 295 strikeouts.

• Dave 'Lefty' Brown of the Philadelphia Phillies, wins the N.L. Cy Young & N.L. Rookie of the Year Award; Brown had a 17-12 record with a 2.57 ERA, 1.15 WHIP & 250 K in 322.1 innings.

• Oscar Charleston (.290, 8 HR, 59 RBI / .755 OPS) & Clint Thomas of the St Louis Cardinals are the first Negro Leaguers along with John Donaldson (New York Yankees), to play in the World Series (Yankees won series, 5-2). Charleston led the N.L. in triples (22) and stolen bases (48).

• The Chicago American Giants won the 1921 Negro League World Series, 4-1 over the Indianapolis ABC's.

• Doc Dudley of the Indianapolis ABC's led the league in HR (21) & RBI; Announced his entry into the 1922 Negro League Draft.

1922 Negro League Draft

1. CF - Cool Papa Bell (Boston Red Sox)
2. LF/3B- Jud Wilson (Philadelphia Athletics)
3. 2B/3B - Newt Joseph (Brooklyn Dodgers)
4. OF/C - Lewis Hampton (Philadelphia Phillies)
5. 3B - Tubby Scales (Chicago White Sox)
6. SP - Jose LeBlanc (St Louis Browns)
7. LF - Doc Dudley (Boston Braves)
8. 2B - John Henry 'Pop' Lloyd (Detroit Tigers) - was released by Cincinnati Reds following the 1921 MLB Season.
9. C/3B - Buck Ewing (Chicago Cubs)
10. 1B/OF - Robert Hudspeth (Pittsburgh Pirates)
11. 2B/OF - Clint Thomas (Cincinnati Reds) - was released by the St Louis Cardinals following the 1921 MLB Season.
12. OF - Clarence Smith (New York Giants) - was released by the St. Louis Browns following the 1921 MLB Season.
13.  RP - John Donaldson (Cleveland Indians) - was released by the New York Yankees following the 1921 MLB Season.

RF Ben Taylor signed with the Indianapolis ABC's while OF/1B Pete Hill signed with the St Louis Stars prior to the 1922 MLB Season.

1922 Negro Leaguers Highlights

• 1st mid-season trade that involved a Negro League star: The Philadelphia Athletics traded SP Bullet Joe Rogan to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for 1B Stuffy McInnis, RP Harry Hulihan, SP George Abrams & a 1st Rd 1923 Negro League Draft Slot. 

• John Beckwith of the Boston Red Sox has been consistently good his first two seasons for Boston: .296 BA, 21 HR & 150 RBI (.796 OPS) total.

• Cool Papa Bell led the A.L. with 71 steals, while hitting .277 with 6 HR & 44 RBI (99 runs) for the Red Sox... Oh... and he won a A.L. Gold Glove as well.

• Jud Wilson showed tons of power in brief playing time for the Philadelphia Athletics, hitting .302 with 6 HR & 16 RBI (1.089 OPS) in only 86 at-bats.

• George 'Tubby' Scales was huge for the Chicago White Sox (.269 BA, 20 HR & 105 RBI / .822 OPS).

The Boston Red Sox were nipping on the heels of the New York Yankees when they pulled off the trade for Rogan, but the team suddenly went south & had the 2nd overall pick in the upcoming 1923 MLB Draft.