1916 NL Preseason Predictions
Once again, there is no truly dominant team in the NL this season. However, the Giants have won three straight pennants and are the odds-on favorite to win a fourth. They have a very good combination of offense and pitching, although their defense is a bit of a question. Centerfielder
Fred Snodgrass (.192 AVG, .272 OBP, 70 R, 43 SB) had a lousy 1915 season and will be replaced in center by sophomore
George "High Pockets" Kelly (.254, 26 HR, 63 RBI in 331 AB). Kelly is a downgrade defensively and does not have anywhere near the speed Snodgrass has, but the team wants Kelly's bat in the lineup every day. Left fielder
George Burns (.271 AVG, .357 OBP, 12 HR, 61 RBI, 34 SB) will take over as the team's primary leadoff hitter. After taking over as closer in the middle of last season,
Louis Drucke (8-8, 24 Sv, 2.92 ERA) will be the team's primary closer this year.
The Cubs are again expected to be San Francisco's top competition. They still have the best offense around, but their pitching is perhaps the worst in the league. However, they do have 2-time PoY
Fred Toney (13-8, 2.90 ERA) atop the rotation. It is the rest of the rotation that is an issue. 25-year-old
Zip Zabel (3-8, 25 SV, 5.34 ERA), the 1914 Fireman Award winner, blew up last season. This year may be his last shot to straighten things out and keep his job as closer.
The Pirates, Reds and Cardinals are all considered to be 2nd tier teams. Any of those teams could be a legitimate contender this season, but any of them could also face a losing season. The Pirates have the most to prove after posting a losing record last year at 80-82. This team still has the best overall pitching around, but they need their offense to be much more productive. The Reds are good all around but not really great anywhere. If their pitching staff can step up and perform at their best, I believe that their offense has enough talent to win games, especially with center fielder
Bob Bescher (.245 AVG, .333 OBP, 90 R, 63 SB) setting the table and sophomore left fielder
Ken Williams (.315, 49 HR, 107 RBI) and veteran third baseman
Jim Doyle (.269, 25 HR, 94 RBI) driving in runs. As for St. Louis, they have the most upside of any of these three teams. They have a powerful offense led by BoY
Rogers Hornsby (.344, 52 HR, 139 RBI). They just need their pitching staff to improve and they could easily move up to the Cubs' level as a serious challenger to the Giants' throne.
Predicted Standings
(Scale of 1-12)
| Rank | Team | Rotation | Bullpen | Offense | Bench | Speed | Defense | Totals | Grade | Predicted Wins |
| 1 | San Francisco Giants | 9 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 8.1 | A- | 92 | 70 |
| 2 | Chicago Cubs | 6 | 5 | 12 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7.9 | B+ | 90 | 72 |
| 3 | Pittsburgh Pirates | 10 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 7.6 | B | 86 | 76 |
| 4 | Cincinnati Reds | 7 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 7.5 | B | 85 | 77 |
| 5 | St. Louis Cardinals | 7 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 7.2 | B | 82 | 80 |
| 6 | Atlanta Braves | 7 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 10 | 6.9 | B- | 79 | 83 |
| 7 | Los Angeles Dodgers | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 6.5 | C+ | 74 | 88 |
| 8 | Philadelphia Phillies | 9 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 8 | 5.3 | C- | 60 | 102 |
MLB results for the NL in 1916
Champs: Brooklyn Robins (Dodgers), (94-60, .610)
World Series: Red Sox defeated Robins 4-1
Combined WAR: Art Fletcher, Giants, 6.3
Offensive WAR: Rogers Hornsby, Cardinals, 5.6
Defensive WAR: Rabbit Maranville, Braves, 3.2
Batting Title: Hal Chase, Reds, .339
On-Base%: Gavvy Cravath, Phillies, .379
Runs: George Burns, Giants, 105
RBI: Heinie Zimmerman, Cubs and Giants, 83
SB: Max Carey, Pirates, 63
OPS+: Hal Chase, Reds, 155
AB/HR: Cy Williams, Cubs, 33.8
Pitching WAR: Grover Cleveland Alexander, Phillies, 10.6
Win%: Tom Hughes, Braves, .842
WHIP: Grover Cleveland Alexander, Phillies, 0.959
K/9: Larry Cheney, Robins (Dodgers), 5.905
Innings: Grover Cleveland Alexander, Phillies, 389.0
K/BB: Dick Rudolph, Braves, 3.500
ERA+: Grover Cleveland Alexander, Phillies, 172
FIP: Rube Marquard, Robins (Dodgers), 1.96
MLHR Milestone Watch
3500 Hits
Mike Donlin, STL, Age 37, 3380 Hits
700 Home Runs
Buck Freeman, ATL, Age 35, 691 HR
500 Home Runs
Mike Donlin, STL, Age 37, 498 HR
1000 Walks
Miller Huggins, CIN, Age 37, 991 BB
600 Stolen Bases
Bob Bescher, CIN, Age 32, 558 SB
800 Games Pitched
Martin Glendon, CIN, Age 39, 763 G
200 Wins
Mordecai Brown, STL, Age 37, 186 W
4000 Innings Pitched
Noodles Hahn, CIN, Age 36, 3973.2 IP
3000 Innings Pitched
Mordecai Brown, STL, Age 37, 2929.1 IP
3000 Strikeouts
Doc White, PHI, Age 36, 2846 IP