1897 Preseason Predictions
So far, age has not played a factor with the Phillies. As long as that remains true, they will be heavily favored to win their 5th straight pennant. Three of their five starting pitchers and four of their eight regular position players are aged 30 and up. However, they added another young arm to their increasingly strong bullpen in 22-year-old
Tully Sparks (7-6-6 ratings).
If anyone can unseat the Phillies, it is St. Louis. They have the potential for the best pitching staff in the game. If they can get great seasons from all five of their talented pitchers, they could be hard for Philadelphia to beat. Their offense tied Atlanta for 3rd best last season. There's no reason to expect any less from them this season. The team is still quite young, but after consecutive second place finishes, the time for claiming their first pennant since 1879 could be now.
The Cubs had the #2 offense and #3 pitching staff in the game last season. No one doubts their offense but the biggest question is whether or not their pitching staff can repeat last year's strong performance.
Clark Griffith (14-11, 3.19 ERA) and
Gus Krock (13-10, 3.52 ERA) both had career years, so some regression in performance is to be expected.
The Dodgers were unhappy with last season's 4th place performance. They expect more from both their offense and pitching staff. If key players, such as leadoff man
Hughie Jennings (.244, 75 R, 34 SB) and ace
Sadie McMahon (12-11, 3.90 ERA) produce results more in line with what the team is accustomed to seeing, the Dodgers could be a serious pennant challenger.
The truly interesting teams to watch this season could very well be Atlanta and Pittsburgh. The Braves made some big strides last season, and they added first baseman
Charlie Hickman (7-8-8-4-5 ratings) in the offseason. He will be their first true slugger in over a decade, taking them back to when
John O'Rourke (.270 career average, 424 HR, 1203 RBI) was in his prime. They expect a bounce-back season from ace
Kid Nichols (16-10, 3.81 ERA), but the true test will be whether or not the rest of the rotation can carry its weight.
As for the Pirates, they made a big splash this offseason by adding HOF'ers
Honus Wagner and
Rube Waddell. Wagner will bat 3rd in the lineup and instantly make their offense one to fear. Waddell becomes their ace and can potentially lead that unit to new heights.
Predicted Standings
| Rank | Team | Rotation | Bullpen | Offense | Bench | Speed | Defense | Totals | Grade |
| 1 | Philadelphia Phillies | 10 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 9.1 | A- |
| 2 | St. Louis Cardinals | 10 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8.8 | A- |
| 3 | Chicago Cubs | 7 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8.2 | B+ |
| 4 | Pittsburgh Pirates | 8 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8.0 | B+ |
| 5 | Los Angeles Dodgers | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 7.7 | B+ |
| 6 | Atlanta Braves | 7 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 7.1 | B |
| 7 | Cincinnati Reds | 6 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 4 | 8 | 6.5 | B- |
| 8 | San Francisco Giants | 6 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 5.5 | C+ |
MLB results for 1897
Champs: Boston Beaneaters (Braves), (93-39, .705)
Batting Title: Willie Keeler, BLN, .424
OPS+: Fred Clarke, LOU, 166
AB/HR: Mike Grady, PHI/STL, 42.4
RBI: George Davis, NYG, 135
Runs: Billy Hamilton, BSN, 152
SB: Bill Lange, CHC, 73
ERA+: Kid Nichols, BSN, 168
Win%: Fred Klobedanz, BSN, .788
WHIP: Kid Nichols, BSN, 1.168
K/9: Cy Seymour, CHC, 4.898
MLHR Milestone Watch
600 Home Runs
Roger Connor, SFG, Age 40, 589 HR
Dan Brouthers, SFG, Age 39, 584 HR
1000 Walks
Pete Browning, PIT, Age 36, 956 BB
Denny Lyons, LAD, Age 32, 946 BB
Billy Hamilton, PHI, Age 32, 919 BB
Cupid Childs, PHI, Age 30, 914 BB
700 Stolen Bases
Billy Hamilton, PHI, Age 32, 631 SB
200 Wins
Bill Vinton, PHI, Age 32, 198 wins
Ed Morris, PIT, Age 35, 184 wins
3000 Strikeouts
Charlie Ferguson, PHI, Age 34, 2997 K's
John Ewing, SFG, Age 34, 2820 K's