1907 AL Preseason Predictions
Despite a brief scare late in the season, the Athletics were dominant in 1906 and had the best regular season of any AL team yet. Nothing has really changed this season except for the fact that
Eddie Plank (15-9, 2.32 ERA), a two-time AL PoY and the very first AL RoY, has become the first AL superstar to turn 30. He still sits atop the best rotation in the league and arguably the best in the MLHR. However, Plank and the A's are beginning the see the offensive production of the AL steadily improve, and while the A's made some major offensive upgrades last season, they could have used another bat or two to really round them off and put them on par with any NL team they might face in the World Series.
But that did not happen. Instead, the consistently under-producing Red Sox made some major upgrades with the addition of
Elmer Steele (6-6-8 ratings) to the rotation and centerfielder
Tris Speaker (9-10-7-7-9 ratings) and third baseman
Harry Lord (6-5-3-5-7 ratings) to the offense. The team hopes that Speaker's presence can transform the team into a pennant favorite the way that
Ty Cobb's addition did for the Tigers in 1905 and
Eddie Collins' addition did for the A's in 1906. Speaker and Lord are upgrading two of the weakest offensive positions for the Red Sox, as well.
Boston has been consistently ranked much higher in the preseason than they finish in the real season. Therefore, I am very hesitant to proclaim them as pennant favorites, as my ratings below suggest, especially when you consider how dominant Oakland was last year. In my opinion, the Red Sox should finally become a true pennant contender this season but they will most likely be battling Detroit - and perhaps Minnesota - for second place to the A's.
Speaking of Detroit, they failed to address a mediocre pitching rotation and their overall team defense is still negatively affecting an already shaking pitching staff. However, they should continue to boost their offense with the addition of slugging rookie catcher
Tex Erwin (5-3-7-6-7 ratings) this winter. That also allows them to move second baseman
Harry Arndt (.248, 14 HR, 94 RBI) from 5th in the lineup to 2nd, which better suits his skill set.
Not to be forgotten, the Twins added perhaps the best pitcher in MLHR history - or at least they hope he will be - in "The Big Train"
Walter Johnson (8-8-8 ratings). While the rest of the Twins rotation is mediocre, Johnson alone raised the preseason rating of the rotation from 4 to 6 (on a scale of 1-12). That's a pretty big impact for a single player to make. Of course, Twins fans hope that Johnson can carry the team to the pennant much like Red Sox fans hope that Speaker can do for them. No pressure, right! Well, the Twins have long had one of the more productive offenses in the league so it will be fun to watch what they can do when Johnson's on the mound.
While the Indians surprised many with a 82-80 season last year, it is unlikely that they can do that again when you consider that they have yet again made no upgrades to their offense or defense while so many other teams are improving around them. On the other hand, I was very surprised to see the Yankees struggle with 90 losses last season after upgrading their pitching staff just a year after upgrading their offense. Well, they've done it again this season with the addition of rookie
Bobby Keefe (6-6-6 ratings) to the pitching rotation and fellow rookies
Tacks Neuer (8-6-5 ratings),
Rube Manning (6-6-6 ratings) and
Roy Castleton (5-6-6 ratings) to the bullpen. The Yankees are believed to have the best bullpen in the AL now. Neuer would be a closer candidate on many other AL teams, but in New York he is 3rd in line behind current closer
Walter Clarkson (5-3, 37 Sv, 2.28 ERA) and setup man
Ambrose Puttman (9-5, 2.31 ERA). If they could add just a little more offense, they might find themselves on the right side of .500 for the first time ever.
Predicted Standings
(Scale of 1-12)
| Rank | Team | Rotation | Bullpen | Offense | Bench | Speed | Defense | Totals | Grade |
| 1 | Boston Red Sox | 7 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 11 | 8.4 | B+ |
| 2 | Oakland Athletics | 8 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 10 | 8.3 | B+ |
| 3 | Minnesota Twins | 6 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 11 | 7.2 | B- |
| 4 | Detroit Tigers | 6 | 7 | 11 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 6.9 | B- |
| 5 | New York Yankees | 7 | 8 | 4 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 6.7 | C+ |
| 6 | Baltimore Orioles | 6 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 6.0 | C |
| 7 | Cleveland Indians | 8 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 5.3 | C- |
| 8 | Chicago White Sox | 6 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 4.5 | D |
MLB results for the AL in 1908
Champs: Detroit Tigers, (92-58, .613)
World Series: Cubs defeated Tigers 4-0
Combined WAR: Nap Lajoie, Naps (Indians), 7.6
Offensive WAR: Ty Cobb, Tigers, 6.5
Defensive WAR: Nap Lajoie, Naps (Indians), 3.3
Batting Title: Ty Cobb, Tigers, .350
Runs: Sam Crawford, Tigers, 102
RBI: Ty Cobb, Tigers, 119
SB: Ty Cobb, Tigers, 53
OPS+: Ty Cobb, Tigers, 167
AB/HR: Harry Davis, Athletics, 72.8
Pitching WAR: Ed Walsh, White Sox, 7.7
Win%: Bill Donovan, Tigers, .862
WHIP: Cy Young, Red Sox, 0.982
K/9: Rube Waddell, Athletics, 7.335
Innings: Ed Walsh, White Sox, 422.1
Shutouts: Eddie Plank, Athletics, 8
K/BB: Doc White, White Sox, 3.711
ERA+: Ed Walsh, White Sox, 150
FIP: K/BB: Rube Waddell, Athletics, 1.57