1920
The Kansas City Monarchs inaugural season in the Negro National League saw Kansas City place third with a record of 44-33-2. Owner J. L. Wilkinson’s team ended the year 7.5 games behind the Chicago American Giants.
Shortstop Dobie Moore (.332/2/31) led the team with a .332 batting average. First Baseman George Carr (.315/4/51) topped the Monarchs in RBIs with fifty-one. Center fielder John Donaldson (.295/5/45) hit five home runs to pace the Monarchs and led the league in sacrifice hits with seventeen. Third baseman Bartolo Portuondo (.306/0/23) led the N.N.L. in thievery with 27 stolen bags.
N.N.L. Stolen Base Leader (27)
The Monarchs pitching staff featured four main starters: Rube Curry (10/2.81/101), Sam Crawford (14/2.78/106), Bullet Rogan (7/3.12/89) and John Donaldson (6/3.78/54). Curry and Donaldson both topped the league in home runs allowed per 9 innings (0.0) while Donaldson led the league fielding independent pitching (2.49). Rogan led the league in strikeouts per 9 innings at 6.6. Crawford topped the league in strikeouts with 106.
N.N.L. Strikeout Leader (106)
1921
The Monarchs moved up to second place in the Negro National League in their sophomore season. Kansas City finished with a 54-41 record which left them 4.5 games behind the Chicago American Giants.
The Monarchs twirlers performed well posting a team ERA of 3.40 and allowing 467 runs for the year. Bullet Rogan (16/1.72/124) recorded a 16-8 record and led the N.N.L. in ERA (1.72) and ERA+ (223).
N.N.L. ERA Leader (1.72)
Rube Curry (14/3.17/102), Sam Crawford (9/4.12/91), Cliff Bell (9/3.95/39) and Zack Foreman (7/4.23/16) rounded out the Monarch’s starting five.
Left fielder Hurley McNair (.344/10/78) topped the Monarch’s offense in batting average and RBIs. First baseman George Carr (.323/14/73) paced the squad with fourteen home runs. Dual-threat pitcher/outfielder Bullet Rogan hit .305 with six home runs and forty-seven runs batted in. Shortstop Dobie Moore hit .324 with eight long balls and fifty-six runs plated.
1922
The 1922 edition of the Kansas City Monarchs remained in second place in the Negro Nationals League finishing mere percentage points behind the Chicago American Giants. The Monarchs ended the season with a 47-31-2 record, but the uneven scheduling of the league cost them the title.
Left fielder Hurley McNair (.374/8/69) led the league in walks (50) and on-base percentage (.466). Right fielder Heavy Johnson (.406/11/64) topped the N.N.L. in batting average (.406), slugging percentage (.715), OPS (1.165) and OPS+ (212).
N.N.L. Batting Champion (.406)
Shortstop Dobie Moore contributed a .386 batting average along with seven home runs and 63 runs batted in. Catcher Frank Duncan (.235/1/23) topped the league in sacrifice hits with twenty-two.
The Monarchs pitching staff dazzled to a team ERA of 3.59 for the year. Bullet Rogan (14/2.83/118) led the league in WAR (4.6), games started (21), complete games (20), saves (2) and fielding independent pitching (2.91). Rube Curry (12/3.74/107) posted a 12-7 record while leading the league in games started (21) and hits allowed (204). Lefty Willie Gisentaner (6/4.12/51) posted a 6-2 mark in thirteen starts.
1923
The Kansas City Monarchs would play their final season at Association Park in 1923. The Monarchs ended their stay in style as they finally overtook the Chicago American Giants by 3.5 games and winning the Negro National League title.
Bullet Rogan (16/2.94/151) once again led the Monarchs staff and led the league in WAR (6.0), wins (16), games started (24), complete games (20), shutouts (4), innings pitched (248.1), walks (77), strikeouts (151), wild pitches (9), batters faced (1013), fielding independent pitching (3.02) and hits allowed per nine innings (7.7).
N.N.L. Wins Leader (16)
N.N.L. Strikeout Leader (151)
Rube Curry (15/3.24/119) notched a 15-9 mark for the year despite topping the league in hits allowed (229). Bill Drake (12/3.84/69) won twelve of twenty-two decisions and sported a 3.84 ERA. Jose Mendez (12/3.18/60) posted a 12-4 mark and paced the league in walks allowed per nine innings (1.9).
Right fielder Heavy Johnson (.406/20/120) was the best player in the league. Johnson set high marks in WAR (5.8), games played (98), runs scored (91), hits (152), doubles (32), home runs (20), RBIs (120), batting average (.406), slugging percentage (.722), OPS (1.193), OPS+ (207), total bases (200) and hit by pitch (8).
N.N.L. Batting Champion (.406)
N.N.L. Doubles Leader (32)
N.N.L. Home Run Leader (20)
N.N.L. RBI Leader (120)
Left fielder Hurley McNair (.327/8/65) led the league in games played (98), plate appearances (439) and walks (49) while swiping a team high twenty-three bases. Shortstop Dobie Moore hit .365 with eight home runs and seventy-nine RBIs while leading the league in at-bats (378).
After the 1923 season the Monarchs would move to Muehlebach Field in Kansas City.
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