1926 AL Preseason Predictions
The Athletics are coming off a dominant World Series victory and they will field nearly the same team in 1926 that they did last year.
Lefty Grove (19-6, 2.51 ERA) heads up a much-improved pitching rotation which may actually be one of the best in the AL now. Their bullpen is still a potential issue though, and their defense is a big concern. Their lineup is as good - perhaps better - than New York's and far better than most other AL teams.
The Yankees scored more runs than anyone in the AL last season, and they should continue to excel in that department. They added slugging second baseman
Tony Lazzeri (7-7-7-7-3 ratings), who will hit plenty of home runs but will also strike out a lot. As we have come to expect though, their pitching rotation is probably the worst in the AL, although their bullpen is pretty solid. Their defense is below average too, so they will need to score plenty of runs again this year if they hope to win their first pennant.
The A's and Yankees have the best shot at winning the pennant this year, but several other teams hope to be players in that race. The Tigers' offense has declined recently and 39-year-old
Ty Cobb (.278, 14 HR, 57 RBI, 88 R, 74 SB) will not be playing every day due to his much-decreased outfield range. With that change, the Tigers may have one of the best defenses in the AL and their pitching has improved, so they may make a run. The Twins are solid all around, but they and the Tigers may not have enough offense to keep up with Oakland and New York.
The rest of the AL will be fun to watch. Cleveland has a superb starting rotation, Baltimore has an excellent bullpen and Chicago pitches well and plays great defense but none of those teams have enough offense. Boston may even make some noise, but they are below average in most areas and will likely finish last in a tough AL race.
Predicted Standings
(Scale of 1-12)
| Rank | Team | Rotation | Bullpen | Offense | Bench | Speed | Defense | Totals | Grade | Predicted Record |
| 1 | Oakland Athletics | 9 | 6 | 12 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 8.3 | A- | 102 | 60 |
| 2 | New York Yankees | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 8.0 | B+ | 98 | 64 |
| 3 | Detroit Tigers | 7 | 5 | 5 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 6.6 | B- | 81 | 81 |
| 4 | Minnesota Twins | 7 | 7 | 5 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 6.5 | B- | 80 | 82 |
| 5 | Cleveland Indians | 9 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 6.1 | C | 75 | 87 |
| 6 | Chicago White Sox | 7 | 7 | 1 | 8 | 8 | 11 | 6.0 | C | 73 | 89 |
| 7 | Baltimore Orioles | 7 | 10 | 2 | 4 | 9 | 7 | 5.9 | C | 72 | 90 |
| 8 | Boston Red Sox | 7 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 5.4 | C- | 66 | 96 |
MLB results for the AL in 1926
Champs: New York Yankees, (91-63, .591)
World Series: Cardinals defeated Yankees 4-3
For players who appear below on a team they are not playing with in MLHR, their MLHR team is listed in parenthesis
Combined WAR: Babe Ruth, Yankees (Red Sox), 11.5
Offensive WAR: Babe Ruth, Yankees (Red Sox), 11.0
Defensive WAR: Willie Kamm, White Sox, 1.9
Batting Title: Heinie Manush, Tigers, .378
On-Base%: Babe Ruth, Yankees (Red Sox), .516
Slugging%: Babe Ruth, Yankees (Red Sox), .737
Runs: Babe Ruth, Yankees (Red Sox), 139
RBI: Babe Ruth, Yankees (Red Sox), 153
SB: Johnny Mostil, White Sox, 35
OPS+: Babe Ruth, Yankees (Red Sox), 225
AB/HR: Babe Ruth, Yankees (Red Sox), 10.5
Pitching WAR: George Uhle, Indians, 8.4
Win%: George Uhle, Indians, .711
WHIP: Herb Pennock, Yankees (Athletics), 1.265
K/9: Lefty Grove, Athletics, 6.767
Innings: George Uhle, Indians, 318.1
K/BB: Lefty Grove, Athletics, 1.921
ERA+: Lefty Grove, Athletics, 165
FIP: Lefty Grove, Athletics, 2.96
MLHR Milestone Watch
3883 Hits (This will move him past the former record into 2nd all-time behind only Ty Cobb)
Joe Jackson, OAK, Age 38, 3752 H
600 Home Runs
Jack Fournier, CHW, Age 37, 596 HR
2000 RBI
Ty Cobb, DET, Age 39, 1984 RBI
1500 RBI
Irish Meusel, MIN, Age 32, 1463 RBI
2500 Runs (He will be the first player to ever reach this mark!)
Ty Cobb, DET, Age 39, 2425 R
1500 Runs
Babe Ruth, BOS, Age 31, 1426 R
1000 Walks
Johnny Bassler, CLE, Age 30, 970 BB
Harry Heilmann, DET, Age 31, 951 BB
1310 Stolen Bases (This will set a new all-time record!)
Ty Cobb, DET, Age 39, 1297 SB
800 Games Pitched
Red Hoff, NYY, Age 34, 785 G
Mellie Wolfgang, CHW, Age 36, 771 G
300 Wins
Walter Johnson, MIN, Age 38, 299 W
Joe Wood, BOS, Age 36, 183 W
200 Wins
Reb Russell, CHW, Age 37, 193 W
464 Saves (This will be a new all-time record!)
Red Hoff, NYY, Age 34, 447 Sv
3000 Innings Pitched
Lefty Williams, DET, Age 33, 2934.1 IP
Reb Russell, CHW, Age 37, 2933.1 IP
4500 Strikeouts (Both pitchers should also break the all-time mark of 4418!)
Joe Wood, BOS, Age 36, 4378 K
Walter Johnson, MIN, Age 38, 4337 K