The 1871 season was a pretty dismal failure for Harry Wright's boys in my simulation. The team won only 12 of 30 games, and they had little to no success in stopping other teams from scoring. This was primarily due to their poor defense, a problem they hope has been rectified for the 1872 campaign. Unlike some of the other established teams, Boston made little attempt to hire any of the players from the disbanding teams in Fort Wayne, Chicago or Rockford.
P - Al Spalding - The future sporting goods millionaire had a solid season in 1871. Historically, he pitched for Boston all five years of the National Association, and was by far its best pitcher. In the simulation, he is likewise remaining with the Bostons. In contrast to most players of the day, Spalding frowned upon drinking and gambling.
C - Cal McVey - He had been an outstanding player with Harry Wright's Cincinnati club, and was one of the best catchers in the National Association in 1871.
1B - Charlie Gould - There has been a perception for several years now that Gould does not pull his weight adequately. (He was, though a good fielder, probably the worst hitter on the Cincinnati Red Stocking team.) He hit poorly in the simulation in 1871.
2B - George Wright - Like Spalding, he would live long enough to become rich selling sporting goods after his base ball career. (Indeed, Wright would actually live long enough to see himself elected to the new Baseball Hall of Fame when he was in his eighties.) He was considered one of the best players of the late 1860s and early 1870s and was playing for the top teams in the country by the time he was in his mid-teens. He hit a comparatively weak .276 in 1871, so he'll be looking to bounce back.
3B - Harry Schafer - Not a lot seems to be known about his life outside of base ball, but he was a decent fielder and hitter historically, and one of the most durable players of the National Association. He hit .314 for the club in 1871, which was better than expected. (Historically, he never hit .300 for an entire season.)
SS - Ross Barnes - He was Harry Wright's big acquisition for 1871, and while his hitting was as advertised (.320), he was a weak fielder at shortstop. A lot of observers seem to think it would be wise to switch Barnes and George Wright, but Harry Wright claims to be sticking with the plan.
LF - Fred Cone - Again, not much information available on Cone. Historically, he only played in the National Association for one season, but in the simulation he's back for another year after hitting a solid .318 for Boston.
CF - Frank Barrows - The big story of the offseason was Harry Wright's decision to stop playing every day and focus on managing the club. To replace him, they plan on using Barrows, who hit .200 in the simulation for 1871, which was actually 49 points better than he did in his only historical big league season.
RF - Fraley Rogers - He was a big league rookie in 1872, and it was his only full professional season. Not much else is known about him except for the fact that died after shooting himself in 1881 at the age of 31.
On the whole, this club looks much like they did last season. If they can get the runs allowed under control they have the hitting to be a very good team. However, it's not clear how doing the same thing they did last year is going to help when they couldn't stop teams from scoring then.
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