1922 NL Preseason Predictions
The Pirates are coming off two consecutive pennants, but also two consecutive disappointments in the World Series. They are still favored to win the NL pennant this season, but by a much slimmer margin because the Cubs and Giants made major additions to their already-talented rosters. In fact, depending on who you ask, the Cubs or Giants would be favored to win this year's pennant. As for Pittsburgh, they still have the best pitching staff in the NL with five starters that any team would love to have and a young closer in
Moses Yellow Horse (2-4, 49 Sv, 2.09 ERA) who had a breakout rookie season. At age 30, ace
Dazzy Vance (20-6, 2.57 ERA) won his fourth PoY Award. Offensively, the Pirates are less productive than the Cubs and Giants but their offense is still a good one. However, both Chicago and San Francisco upgraded their offense this winter, so it remains to be seen if the Pirates can keep up.
The changes made over the winter in Chicago impressed me the most. They improved their pitching staff, which has needed some work for years, and now they could have one of the best staff's in the NL. If that is true, and their offense is as dominant as it usually is, the Cubs could actually run away with the pennant. The Giants also made some big additions, but their starting rotation is still suspect. If that unit does not improve from last season, you can expect the Giants to be battling the Cardinals for 3rd place instead of competing for first place.
If there's a darkhorse this season, it is the Cardinals. They also made two big additions to their offense this winter. They expect to be among the best - if not
the best - offenses in the league. Pitching is the big question for this team, especially their bullpen which was weak last year.
Predicted Standings
(Scale of 1-12)
| Rank | Team | Rotation | Bullpen | Offense | Bench | Speed | Defense | Totals | Grade | Predicted Wins |
| 1 | Pittsburgh Pirates | 9 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 6 | 8.8 | A | 100 | 62 |
| 2a | San Francisco Giants | 6 | 8 | 11 | 11 | 7 | 9 | 8.7 | A | 99 | 63 |
| 2b | Chicago Cubs | 8 | 8 | 12 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 8.7 | A | 99 | 63 |
| 4 | St. Louis Cardinals | 7 | 5 | 12 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 7.8 | B+ | 90 | 72 |
| 5 | Cincinnati Reds | 9 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 8 | 6.5 | C+ | 74 | 88 |
| 6 | Los Angeles Dodgers | 4 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 5.9 | C | 68 | 94 |
| 7 | Atlanta Braves | 7 | 9 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 9 | 5.4 | C- | 62 | 100 |
| 8 | Philadelphia Phillies | 6 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 8 | 4.9 | D+ | 55 | 107 |
MLB results for the NL in 1922
Champs: New York Giants, (93-61, .604)
World Series: Giants defeated Yankees 4-0
For players who appear below on a team they are not playing with in MLHR, their MLHR team is listed in parenthesis
Combined WAR: Rogers Hornsby, Cardinals, 10.0
Offensive WAR: Rogers Hornsby, Cardinals, 11.2
Defensive WAR: Dave Bancroft, Giants (Phillies), 2.7
Batting Title: Rogers Hornsby, Cardinals, .401
On-Base%: Rogers Hornsby, Cardinals, .459
Slugging%: Rogers Hornsby, Cardinals, .722
Runs: Rogers Hornsby, Cardinals, 141
RBI: Rogers Hornsby, Cardinals, 152
SB: Max Carey, Pirates, 51
OPS+: Rogers Hornsby, Cardinals, 207
AB/HR: Rogers Hornsby, Cardinals, 14.8
Pitching WAR: Wilbur Cooper, Pirates, 6.4
Win%: Pete Donohue, Reds, .667
WHIP: Phil Douglas, Giants (White Sox), 1.199
K/9: Dazzy Vance, Dodgers (Pirates), 4.909
Innings: Eppa Rixey, Reds (Phillies), 313.1
K/BB: Babe Adams, Pirates (Cardinals), 2.600
ERA+: Phil Douglas, Giants (White Sox), 153
FIP: Babe Adams, Pirates (Cardinals), 2.96
MLHR Milestone Watch
600 Home Runs
Cy Williams, CHN, Age 34, 576 HR