1917 AL Preseason Predictions
For the second straight year, the White Sox are coming off a World Series appearance and are predicted to finish in second place. Eventually, people should learn to not underestimate the Pale Hose. One thing is for sure, no bullpen is better. They posted an ERA below 2.00 last year, setup man
Mellie Wolfgang (8-2, 0.99 ERA in 118.1 IP) won the Fireman Award and closer
Harry Suter (4-7, 48 Sv, 2.55 ERA) finished 3rd in the Fireman Award voting after setting a new MLHR record for saves.
However, Boston can't help but feel like they have underperformed the past two years and I believe they are poised to recapture the pennant this season.
Ray Collins (13-11, 4.11 ERA) regressed after winning the PoY Award in 1915. He is bound to bounce back. They also expect big things from 25-year-old
Carl Mays (14-7, 2.49 ERA in 162.1 IP) who should pitch his first complete season in the starting rotation.
Oakland has lost a step in recent years due to some aging players. However, they still have a great core of talent, especially in the lineup and starting rotation. Their biggest weakness will be the bullpen, so they will need strong seasons from the starting rotation. However, four of their five starters performed below league average last year. They will need to do much better this year if they plan to compete for the pennant.
Detroit has one of the top offenses in the league, but as usual, their pitching is one of the poorest groups in the league. It begs the question, will they ever address this need and will they address it while core players like
Ty Cobb (.335, 38 HR, 120 RBI, 131 R, 61 SB) and
Harry Heilmann (.334, 42 HR, 144 RBI) are still in their prime? In an attempt to further boost their offense, Heilmann was moved from his more familiar right field position to second base. This allows Cobb, now age 30, to move to right field and 26-year-old
Baby Doll Jacobson (.296, 8 HR, 36 RBI in 250 AB) to take his superb range into center field.
Predicted Standings
(Scale of 1-12)
| Rank | Team | Rotation | Bullpen | Offense | Bench | Speed | Defense | Totals | Grade | Predicted Record |
| 1 | Boston Red Sox | 9 | 8 | 12 | 8 | 5 | 9 | 8.8 | A | 102 | 60 |
| 2 | Chicago White Sox | 8 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 8.0 | A- | 93 | 69 |
| 3 | Oakland Athletics | 7 | 6 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7.7 | B+ | 89 | 73 |
| 4 | Detroit Tigers | 6 | 6 | 10 | 12 | 7 | 6 | 7.4 | B | 87 | 75 |
| 5 | New York Yankees | 7 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 6.5 | C+ | 76 | 86 |
| 6 | Minnesota Twins | 8 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 6.2 | C+ | 72 | 90 |
| 7 | Cleveland Indians | 6 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 5.9 | C | 68 | 94 |
| 8 | Baltimore Orioles | 6 | 8 | 1 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 5.2 | C- | 61 | 101 |
MLB results for the AL in 1917
Champs: Chicago White Sox, (100-54, .649)
World Series: White Sox defeated Giants 4-2
For players who appear below on a team they are not playing with in MLHR, their MLHR team is listed in parenthesis
Combined WAR: Ty Cobb, Tigers, 11.3
Offensive WAR: Ty Cobb, Tigers, 10.6
Defensive WAR: Everett Scott, Red Sox, 2.4
Batting Title: Ty Cobb, Tigers, .383
On-Base%: Ty Cobb, Tigers, .444
Slugging%: Ty Cobb, Tigers, .570
Runs: Donie Bush, Tigers, 112
RBI: Bobby Veach, Tigers, 103
SB: Ty Cobb, Tigers, 55
OPS+: Ty Cobb, Tigers, 209
AB/HR: Wally Pipp, Yankees (Tigers), 65.2
Pitching WAR: Eddie Cicotte, White Sox (Tigers), 11.4
Win%: Ed Klepfer, Indians (Yankees), .778
WHIP: Eddie Cicotte, White Sox (Tigers), 0.912
K/9: Walter Johnson, Twins, 5.190
Innings: Eddie Cicotte, White Sox (Tigers), 346.2
K/BB: Walter Johnson, Twins, 2.765
ERA+: Eddie Cicotte, White Sox (Tigers), 174
FIP: Walter Johnson, Twins, 1.98
MLHR Milestone Watch
100 Triples
Ty Cobb, DET, Age 30, 95 Triples
500 Home Runs
Gavvy Cravath, BOS, Age 34, 490 HR
1500 Runs
Ty Cobb, DET, Age 30, 1497 Runs
1000 Walks
Ty Cobb, DET, Age 30, 929 Walks
200 Wins
Jimmy Dygert, OAK, Age 32, 193 W
3000 Innings Pitched
Eddie Cicotte, DET, Age 32, 2922.1 IP