Offseason Report: 1930 UA & NPL Awards

October 27, 1930

The Offseason is here and the awards have been presented in both the UA and the upstart NPL.

The UA have named their new Regular Season Championship trophy after Mark Davis, the now-retired manager of the Roland Stags, who led them to the league’s best record in both of his seasons with the team. Davis had this to say after joking earlier this year about the perceived disrespect of beginning to award the trophy only after he retired: “And now they’ve gone and named the thing after me?! They are determined to make a fool of me. But seriously, it’s an absolute honor. Thank you to [commissioner] Jim [Windsor] and everyone who made this happen. I’m really very honored.”

Players have filed for free agency. RP Pedro Pultudos, RP Jeff Tardif, and 3B Peter Feliz are the top names looking for a good contract on a good team.

News:

LF David Singleton moves over to the NPL, signing with the Tiny Sea Metros after a middling season with the Rivals in 1930. (10/2)
Herders star LF John Bunce will be out of action for 6-7 months with a torn knee ligament he sustained against Taawa on 9/11. He should be able to return around the beginning of next season. (10/3)
The Salvation Brothers are under new ownership today. George Hader has sold the team for a huge sum, dwarfing the deal that Micah Thurman made to buy the lowly Taawa Chargers last offseason. For those hopeful that the new ownership might take the team away from its close ties to the Harmonyc Brotherhood church, the outlook is not hopeful. Jon Walsh is the new owner. He is one of the richest men in Uplantica, an outspoken proponent of the HB, and one of the church’s largest donors. He is also the son of Brent Walsh, one of the original creators of the HB’s national public athletic outreach program in 1909. He will surely not shake up the team’s name or image. Many baseball fans have been critical of the team and the league for its perceived glorification of the church’s violent history, as well as its use of Tiny Sea City’s religious moniker, “Salvation.” For now, it seems the team will remain a proud representative of the Harmonyc Brotherhood despite its detractors. Jon Walsh has promised to make the Brothers the best team in baseball, and he doesn’t have far to go, as they are the only team to make the playoffs in all three UA seasons so far. (10/4)
The Rivals release manager Colin Thompson. Thompson admits that the split is “probably for the best” and believes he still has a future managing in professional baseball. The Rivals finished 2 games below .500 in 1930, 12 games out of a playoff appearance. They hovered around .500 in each of their 3 seasons under Colin Thompson, with 1928 being his best year at 51-49, good enough for third place in the East. (10/4)
Left-handed reliever Pedro Pultudos is rumored to be in talks with both Salvation and Platte after two stellar seasons out of the bullpen in Deerborn. (10/12)
The White Sox are the latest team to be rumored in on LHP Pedro Pultudos. (10/17)
The Canaries retain RHP Ricardo Kandelria from their 1930 championship squad. They’ll pay him $3.8 million over the next 2 years. Kandelria was masterful out of the bullpen for Carver in 1930 with 48 Ks and a 2.02 ERA. (10/23)
Eligible players file for free agency in the UA. RP Pedro Pultudos, RP Jeff Tardif, and 3B Peter Feliz are the top names looking for a good contract on a good team. (10/24)