1900's Wrap-up
(The Decade, not the Century!)
National League Pennants
Cardinals - 3 in MLHR (3-0 in WS), 0 in MLB
Cubs - 3 in MLHR (2-1 in WS), 4 in MLB
Pirates - 2 in MLHR (1-1 in WS), 4 in MLB
Phillies - 1 in MLHR (1-0 in WS), 0 in MLB
Reds - 1 in MLHR (0-1 in WS), 0 in MLB
Giants - 0 in MLHR, 2 in MLB
The Cardinals were the most successful MLHR team this decade when compared to their MLB results. They won three MLHR pennants and went 3-0 in those World Series while they were a bottom-dwelling team in MLB. However, that MLB lack of talent is beginning to show it's face as the Cards decline in MLHR with their 19th Century stars now retiring.
The Cubs had similar success in MLHR. They are still a force going into the coming decade. Not only did they win the most recent pennant with the best offense in the NL, they added more top talent this offseason (to be revealed in a later post!).
The Reds and Phillies each won a MLHR pennant while their MLB counterparts did not. The Pirates and Giants failed to live up to their MLB success. Honestly, the Pirates should have been more dominant but they were just so inconsistent. The Giants, on the other hand, did not have much talent throughout the 1890's and the first half of the 1900's. That tells me that their MLB pennant winners were likely not home-grown, but the MLHR Giants are finally coming into their own and should be a dominant force for many years to come.
American League Pennants
Athletics - 6 in MLHR (3-3 in WS), 3 in MLB
Tigers - 2 in MLHR (0-2 in WS), 3 in MLB
Twins - 1 in MLHR, 0 in MLB
Indians - 1 in MLHR, 0 in MLB
White Sox - 0 in MLHR, 2 in MLB
Red Sox - 0 in MLHR, 2 in MLB
The early years of the American League are nearly impossible to compare to the actual MLB teams because the MLB teams were comprised of many stars that jumped from the NL. That did not happen in MLHR, so I partially dismiss the pennants won by the Twins, Indians and Tigers. That said, they clearly had the best home-grown talent at that time.
The White Sox and Red Sox have not lived up to their MLB expectations. The White Sox have been pitiful in MLHR and have only recently begun adding some significant talent. The Red Sox really don't have an excuse. They had some talent for over half the decade and have so far failed to win a pennant.
On the other hand, the Athletics have been the most dominant franchise we've seen so far. It almost feels unfair to the rest of the American League, but this team is loaded. I wonder how many more pennants they will win before this dynasty ends. I also wonder how long it will be until they are unseated. They have currently won the last five consecutive pennants.
Franchises
