1920's Preview
National League Pennants
Giants - 4
Cardinals - 3
Pirates - 2
Cubs - 1
In MLB, the Giants won the first four pennants of the 1920's, but did not win another one over the final six years of the decade. That could potentially happen in MLHR because the Giants are still one of the most balanced and talented teams in the NL.
The Cardinals and Pirates were competitive throughout the MLB decade and combined to win half the pennants. Both teams are talented in MLHR as well. The Pirates won the last pennant of the previous decade in MLHR, so perhaps they can do better than the two pennants they won in MLB. The MLHR Cardinals currently have a nice offense led by Rogers Hornsby and Austin McHenry. In 1922, they will add slugging first baseman Jim Bottomley. Now, if they can improve their pitching, I think they could be the dominant National League team of the MLHR 1920's.
American League Pennants
Yankees - 6
Twins - 2
Athletics - 2
The 1920's is when the MLB Yankees began their run of dominance with the duo of Ruth and Gehrig. Well, they won't have Ruth but the Iron Horse is on his way soon, as are Tony Lazerri, Earle Combs and Bill Dickey. Interestingly enough, even without Ruth the Yankees had the top offense in MLHR's 1920 season. More so than the addition of Gehrig, Dickey and company, I want to see what kind of pitching talent the Yankees can add. Winning six pennants will be a mighty challenge for the MLHR Yankees to undertake.
The Senators (Twins) won the 1924 and 1925 AL pennants in MLB. The MLHR version of the team has assembled a nice offense, despite their poor results last season. Now, if they can add some pitching talent in the rotation alongside Walter Johnson, they may have a chance. However, there are still other AL teams that are very talented, so winning a pennant will be a challenge for the MLHR Twins.
The MLB Athletics won the final two pennants of the real 1920's as Connie Mack assembled his second - and perhaps better - dynasty. I think that these A's will be quite dominant in the MLHR 1930's as well, because unlike other MLB teams like the Yankees, the Athletics were known for signing most of their key stars themselves. Look for players like Mickey Cochrane, Jimmie Foxx, Al Simmons and Lefty Grove. These are some of my all-time favorite players, so I will be very excited to see them join the league, even if it means rooting for the Athletics again.
