The Giants won the pennant, edging out the Cubs; they then lost the World Series to the Athletics. Both teams had some great hitters; the Cubs led the National League in runs, scoring one more than the Giants.

         Frank "Wildfire" Schulte has one of my all-time favourite nicknames. I don't know how he got the name Wildfire; maybe he was a crazy baserunner, or maybe he had bright red hair. As you can see, he was an outstanding power hitter for his time; this year, he became the first of five players in baseball history to have 20+ doubles, triples, and home runs in the same season. He was the Cub's best player, and is my MVP choice for this year. He was also winner of the Chalmers Award.
        Jimmy Sheckard was one of Schulte's teammates in the Cubs' outfield. Sheckard had been a good player for years, but at age 33 his career was fading. Faced with three straight years of steadily deteriorating batting averages, Sheckard apparently decided to stop swinging the bat altogether. The result was 147 walks, almost twice his previous high, and at the time a major league record. It worked, as Sheckard also had a solid batting average, and led the league in runs scored.
        Schulte's career faded after this season. Though he always had terrific power, his batting average plummeted the next few years, and he was never again a formidable hitter. Sheckard also declined rapidly; he led the league in walks again in 1912, but his batting average was poor. He was out of the league by 1914.
        The Cubs were led by their outstanding outfielders, Schulte and Sheckard. The Giants won the pennant, though, and their best player was Larry Doyle. Doyle did everything well on offense, and had great power numbers. An argument can be made for Doyle as MVP, but I'll stick with Schulte.