It began in 1925.
The Sporting News issued its first post-season all-star team that year.
The publication has changed in many ways over the decades since it began handing out post-season awards, but today it still is honoring baseball’s top performers.
Josh Donaldson of the Toronto Blue Jays was the Sporting News Player of the Year in 2015.
There were 11 players on that first all-star team from both leagues 90 years ago. Of the eight position players and three pitchers, nine of them are members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
This series of three posts begins with the infielders. The outfielders will be next followed by the pitchers and catcher.
First Base: Jim Bottomley of the St. Louis Cardinals. Bottomley hit 21 homers and knocked in 128 runs with a .367 batting average. He led the league in hits with 227 and doubles with 44.
The Cardinals would finish fourth in 1925, but the following year Bottomley would help the Cardinals to a World Series win over the New York Yankees.
In 1928, he was the National League Most Valuable Player. Bottomley played 16 seasons with the Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Browns. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1974.
Second Base: Rogers Hornsby of the St. Louis Cardinals. Hornsby was named the NL MVP after winning the second triple crown of his career with 39 homers, 143 RBI and a .406 batting average. He was also named the manager of the Cardinals early in the season as the replacement for Branch Rickey.
Hornsby would later win a second MVP award with the Chicago Cubs in 1929. In his 23-year career, Hornsby played for the Cardinals, Cubs, New York Giants, Boston Braves and St. Louis Browns. He was voted into the Hall of Fame in 1942.
Third Base: Pie Traynor of the Pittsburgh Pirates. In 1925, Traynor averaged .320 as he hit six homers and had 106 RBI to help the Pirates win the World Series. Against the Washington Senators in the Fall Classic, he batted .347 and hit a home run off Hall of Fame pitcher Walter Johnson.
Traynor was considered for a long time to be the best at his position as he was featured on the 1976 Topps card as baseball’s all-time third baseman.
A two-time all-star near the end of his 17-year career, the lifetime Pirate was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1948.
Glenn Wright
Shortstop: Glenn Wright of the Pittsburgh Pirates. In just his second season in the majors, Wright was one of the top performers on the Pirates world championship team as he finished fourth in the NL MVP voting.
He led Pittsburgh with 121 RBI and tied with Kiki Cuyler with a team-high 18 homers, while batting .308.
Wright would play 11 seasons in the big leagues with the Pirates, Brooklyn Dodgers and Chicago White Sox. Perhaps his best season was in 1930 with Brooklyn as he posted career-high numbers with 26 homers with 126 RBI and a .321 batting average.
Next up in the series will be outfielders Cuyler, Max Carey of the Pirates and Goose Goslin of the Washington Senators.