MLHR: Major League Historical Replay... what if?

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NL Mid-Season Report

After getting off to a sluggish 10-11 start in April, the Cardinals have gone 37-19 and now lead the National League standings. Surprisingly, they are doing this while their offense ranks just 4th in the league. That is quite low for a team that is typically 1st or 2nd in the league in offense for the past decade. They are still 3rd in the NL with 98 team home runs, but the main culprit to their lower offensive output has been their .310 team OBP, which ranks 6th. While some players, such as first baseman Jim Bottomley (.258, 13 HR, 46 RBI), have seen a slight dip in production, shortstop Charlie Gelbert (.160, 18 RBI over 219 AB) has been the main source of decline. Gelbert's decline has been unexpected at age 25, but the team believes he will eventually come around. He will likely lose playing time until then, but he is actually playing even better defense than he did last season, so at least he is contributing in other ways.

The Cardinals starting rotation has been superb. Among the five of them, the highest ERA is 3.17! Unfortunately, the bullpen has still been somewhat of an issue. The problems are coming from the front end of the bullpen with relievers who pitch infrequently, so the team hopes to minimize the effects of those struggles.

The Giants are currently two games behind St. Louis. They lead the NL in offense. Bill Terry (.323, 10 HR, 41 RBI) is second in the batting race and Mel Ott (.264, 20 HR, 52 RBI) leads the NL in runs scored and led the league in WAR for most of the first half. The truly good news is that the Giants defense is ranked 3rd, which benefits the pitching staff. Their bullpen ERA of 3.12 leads the NL. However, their starting rotation ERA ranks 5th in the NL and ace Carl Hubbell (5-6, 4.09 ERA) is a primary reason.

Meanwhile, the Cubs are in third place. They rank 3rd in pitching and 6th in offense. Pat Malone (12-2, 2.33 ERA) has pitched like a true ace this season. The Phillies are hanging above .500 thanks to their 3rd ranked offense that is led by Chuck Klein (.291, 27 HR, 56 RBI), who moved to left field this season to make room for rookie Buzz Arlett (.258, 15 HR, 42 RBI). Dutch Ulrich (11-3, 2.93 ERA) is having a fine season, but the rest of the pitching staff stinks, and they are dead last in the NL in that category. The Pirates were actually in first place before a miserable 13-28 stretch that began on May 9th with a loss in Atlanta and lasted until June 23rd when they beat Cincinnati 5-0 and went on a 6-game winning streak that is still active entering July. The Pirates rank 2nd in offense but just 6th in pitching.


Standings




Batting Leaders




Pitching Leaders

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AL Mid-Season Report

The Yankees have slugged their way to an early lead in the AL pennant race. They have scored more runs than any other team in MLHR. We have known for many years that they can score runs with the long ball, but this season they have added more speed thanks to Billy Werber (.313, 7 HR, 26 RBI, 54 R, 53 SB) getting the everyday job at second base. Werber is on pace to set a new single-season record for steals, and the Yankees team has already stolen 133 bags. Unfortunately, the Yankees have allowed the second most runs in the AL too, thanks to a 7th ranked defense and 6th ranked pitching staff. Even the bullpen has struggled to the tune of a combined 3.95 ERA.

Could that weakness open the door for Cleveland, who sits just three games back? After all, the Indians rank 2nd in runs scored to New York but they are playing superior defense (ranked 3rd) and they are #1 in pitching, having allowed the fewest runs of any AL team. They don't have the power, nor the speed, in their lineup that New York does, but perhaps scraping out runs for a top notch pitching staff can continue to be a viable formula for the Tribe. Watty Clark (8-4, 2.31 ERA) has recently become the team's ace, and he currently leads the AL in ERA, HR/9, K/BB, FIP and WAR.

Detroit is just a half game behind the Indians. They have a 4th ranked offense and are ranked 3rd in pitching despite a starting rotation that continues to disappoint with a combined ERA of 3.80, which ranks them next to last among all American League rotations. Fortunately, Detroit's bullpen is having a great season, and the team is playing much better defense than last year. Tommy Bridges (9-3, 2.76 ERA) has been the lone bright spot in the rotation, and rookie Art Herring (2-3, 21 Sv, 2.61 ERA) has performed nicely as the team's new closer. In order to win the pennant, Detroit's offense needs to improve a little, but I believe they have enough talent in their pitching rotation to make a surge.


Standings




Batting Leaders




Pitching Leaders

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NL Season Wrap-up

At end of August, St. Louis held a 6 1/2-game lead over Chicago, with San Francisco another game behind the Cubs. The Cubs opened the month of September by winning 2-of-3 games at home against the Cardinals. St. Louis then dropped 2-of-3 to the Pirates while Chicago took 2-of-3 in San Francisco to narrow the lead to 4 1/2 games. The two clubs spent most of the next three weeks playing the bottom teams in the league, but knowing they were set to face off in the season's final week.

After those three weeks had passed, the lead had shrunk by another game to 3 1/2 games. There was just a single week left to play and it began with the Cubs playing a huge 3-game set in St. Louis. The first game of the series saw Cardinals pitcher Dizzy Dean collect his 13th win against a struggling Ed Morris (7-15, 4.03 ERA) in a 7-3 victory. That reduced the Cardinals' magic number to just two, and they could clinch with a win in either of the remaining games of the series.

The following day's game was postponed due to rain, so on September 30th, the two teams had to play a double-header. The first game was a heated pitching duel. St. Louis ace Bill Hallahan came out on top of Chicago's Bob Osborn by a 2-1 score, clinching the pennant for the Cardinals.

While Dizzy Dean (13-15, 2.62 ERA) had a losing record this season, he posted the 3rd best ERA in the NL and led all of MLHR with 320 strikeouts. In fact, that was the 6th highest strikeout total in MLHR history. In addition, Dodgers rookie Van Mungo (14-13, 2.79 ERA) recorded 303 K's, which was just the 17th time in history that a pitcher passed 300 K's in a season. Those 17 seasons were achieved by just eight pitchers, including Mungo and Dean for the first time. This comes just one year after Mungo's teammate Bobo Newsom (14-12, 2.68 ERA) led the NL with exactly 300.


Standings




Batting Leaders




Pitching Leaders




National League Rosters

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AL Season Wrap-up

On August 31st, the Yankees held a 6 game lead over Detroit. Over the next two weeks, the Tigers whittled the lead down to 5 1/2 games and then took another game when they opened a series at home against the Yankees with a 7-6 win. However, the Yanks won the final two games in the series to push their lead back out to 6 1/2 games. Both teams played basically .500 ball against other top AL teams Oakland and Cleveland the next week. Then New York went on a roll and swept Chicago in New York before traveling to Minnesota and sweeping the Twins. At the same time, Detroit dropped one game against the Red Sox and two in Baltimore. That meant that after winning the final game of their series in Minnesota, New York clinched the pennant with a week left to play and set up a third meeting with the Cardinals in the World Series.

In addition to scoring 823 runs, the Yankees allowed 712 runs, which was the second most in the AL. But because of their great offense, #5 starter Ivy Andrews, a rookie, was able to lead the AL with 19 wins despite posting a 5.32 ERA! The team hit 222 home runs, good enough for 2nd in the AL but they actually stole 239 bases! In his second season, but first as a starter, second baseman Billy Werber had an impressive .363 OBP. And when a guy that fast gets on base that often, well, he steals 104 bases - the second highest total in MLHR history.

Speaking of personal success, Cleveland pitcher Wes Ferrell (16-12, 2.85 ERA) tossed six shutouts this season! Of those shutouts, he allowed four hits once, three hits twice, and just two hits on three occasions! But the masterpiece was a 1-hit, no walk performance against the Red Sox on August 28th in Cleveland. On that day, Ferrell had a perfect game going until Boston first baseman Ray Grimes led off the 8th inning with a single. It was the only baserunner Boston would get that day.


Standings




Batting Leaders




Pitching Leaders




American League Rosters

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1931 World Series

Game 1

This was a thrilling game, and if it is any indication, we can expect a great series. The Yankees jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning thanks to a solo home run from an unlikely source - second baseman Billy Werber. In the 2nd inning, St. Louis took a 2-1 lead when pitcher Al Grabowski singled in a run off opposing pitcher Milt Gaston with two outs and later scored on a double from centerfielder Taylor Douthit. The Yankees retook the lead in the 3rd when Werber and Lou Gehrig hit back-to-back doubles off Grabowski, and then Lefty O'Doul singled Gehrig home.

The score remained the same for three innings, but in the bottom of the 6th, Gaston allowed a leadoff single followed by a walk. The Yankees replaced him on the mound with setup man Al Shealy, who began the season as a closer but lost the job due to inconsistency. The first batter Shealy faced was pinch hitter Ripper Collins, who grounded into a 1-6-3 double play. With a runner now on 3rd and two outs, Tyler Douthit stepped to the plate and laced the first pitch he saw into the hole between third base and shortstop, tying the game at 3-3. In the following inning, Cardinals left fielder Chick Hafey hit a 2-run homer off reliever Rip Collins (yes, both Rip and Ripper Collins are playing in this series!). The St. Louis bullpen pitched three scoreless innings and the Cardinals won Game 1 by a 5-3 score.




Game 2

With both teams sending young fireballers to the mound, I expected this to be a pitching duel. Instead, the Yankees shocked the St. Louis crowd by tagging Dizzy Dean with four runs in the first inning, highlighted by a 3-run dinger from catcher Bill Dickey. The Cardinals got two runners on in the first inning against Lefty Gomez and they loaded the bases in the second, but they were unable to score both times. The Yankees added two more runs off Dean in the 5th and finally chased him from the game. Despite walking seven batters, Gomez actually had a shutout until pinch hitter Gus Mancuso hit a solo home run off of him as part of a 2-run 7th inning, which ended Gomez's day. Despite some late inning fireworks, the Cardinals still fell 8-4.




Game 3

Both teams sent their young studs to the mound in the last game but they sent their seasoned veterans, their staff leaders, to the mound in this contest. The game see-sawed back and forth in the early innings, but by the time the 4th inning was complete, St. Louis' Bill Hallahan and New York's George Pipgras had battled to a 2-2 tie. Hallahan was removed for a pinch hitter in the top of the 7th, and in the bottom of that inning, his replacement, rookie reliever Allyn Stout, gave up a leadoff single to pinch hitter Earle Combs. On the next pitch, Stout balked pinch runner Tony Lazerri to second. After recording the first out, Stout gave up an RBI double to Billy Werber. After an intentional walk of Lou Gehrig, Werber unsurprisingly stole 3rd with Gehrig advancing as well. The Cards were then forced to intentionally walk Lefty O'Doul to keep a force in play. Stout then walked Bill Dickey to force in a run before striking out the next two batters. That was all New York needed as the Yankee bullpen sealed the win.




Game 4

Both pitchers, rookie Paul Derringer of St. Louis and Roy Sherid of New York, pitched well on this day. Derringer went eight innings, allowing two runs on just five hits and two walks while striking out eight Yankees. However, Sherid was even better. He pitched eight shutout innings in which he allowed just two hits and no walks while striking out nine Cardinals. Wilcy Moore struck out the side in the 9th for the save as New York took a 3-1 series lead. No one could have expected Sherid to pitch this well. I personally thought the Cardinals would score 4-5 runs off of him, but instead he picked a fine day to toss possibly the game of his life.




Game 5

In a rematch of Game 1, the Yankees got to Al Grabowski again. Lou Gehrig hit a 2-run homer in the first inning. Then after St. Louis scored three runs in the top of the 5th, Gehrig hit another 2-run bomb in the bottom of that same inning to put New York back on top 4-3. New York added a run in the 6th and St. Louis scored in the 7th and 8th to tie the score at 5-5. In the bottom of the 8th, St. Louis setup man Flint Rhem entered the game, but he could not record an out against four straight batters. In desperation, the Cardinals brought in closer Hi Bell but he walked his first opponent. After a sac bunt gave St. Louis their first out, Bell gave up a 2-run double to Ben Chapman, which broke the Cardinals backs as they went on to lose the final game 10-5.




Recap

Let's hand it to the Yankees. They were firing on all cylinders. Their offense performed well, and their entire pitching staff, which was perceived as a big weakness, performed well too. As for the Cardinals, they flat out did not perform up to their potential. Their offense struggled, but their pitching staff - particularly a rotation that is considered to be the most talented in MLHR - simply did not get it done.

Series MVP

Billy Werber, 2B, NYY: .421 AVG, 1.191 OPS, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 7 R, 6 SB

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1931 Season Awards


NL Batter of the Year




NL Pitcher of the Year




NL Rookie of the Year




NL Fireman Award




NL Gold Gloves
P - Earl Caldwell, PHI
C - Ernie Lombardi, LAD (rookie!)
1B - Lew Fonseca, CIN (5th overall)
2B - Tony Cuccinello, CIN (2nd consecutive)
3B - Mel Ott, SFG
SS - Joe Stripp, CIN (3rd consecutive)
LF - Mandy Brooks, CHN (2nd consecutive)
CF - Lloyd Waner, PIT
RF - Buzz Arlett, PHI (rookie!)


AL Batter of the Year




AL Pitcher of the Year




AL Rookie of the Year




AL Fireman Award




AL Gold Gloves
P - Mel Harder, CLE
C - Bill Dickey, NYY (3rd consecutive)
1B - Johnny Hodapp, CLE
2B - Billy Rogell, BOS
3B - Red Rolfe, NYY
SS - Luke Appling, CHW
LF - Al Simmons, OAK (3rd overall)
CF - Sam West, MIN (3rd consecutive)
RF - Harry Rice, BAL

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1932 National League Rookies


Tex Carleton, SP, Age 24, Cardinals

As if the Cardinals did not already have the best rotation in baseball, they erased any doubt by adding Carleton as their 5th - yes, 5th - starter. Last year, St. Louis bumped former starter Flint Rhem (10-3, 3.87 ERA in 95.1 innings) to the bullpen. This year, the addition of Carleton allows them to move Fred Frankhouse (11-9, 3.83 ERA), the 1927 ROY and a 3-time Gold Glover, to the pen. This is great news for the Cardinals, because the bullpen was their primary weakness.




Stan Hack, 3B, Age 22, Cubs

Hack is talented at getting on base and he has the speed to steal 20+ bases per season. He also plays some fantastic defense at third base. He will bat leadoff for Chicago as they try to generate more offense this season.




Joe "Ducky" Medwick, LF, Age 20, Cardinals

Not only did St. Louis beef up their rotation to an incredible level, but in Medwick they added the last MLB player to win the Triple Crown in the National League to what was already a superb lineup. Despite having 20+ home run power, "Ducky" will actually bat leadoff for this juggernaught of a team. He should be a perennial contender for the batting crown, and he plays above average defense in left field.




Hal Smith, SP, Age 24 and Bill Swift, SP, Age 23, Pirates

This offseason, Pittsburgh did a fine job of addressing their biggest need - top notch talent for a pitching rotation that had wasted away over the past five years. Swift is the key pick up and he could be a staff ace some day. Smith is more of a finesse pitcher. He will not blow anyone away, but he has great control and he knows how to pitch.







Bud Tinning, SP, Age 24, Cubs

Bud Tinning has a fine arm and may crack the talented Chicago rotation some day. For now, he begins his career as a setup man to closer Jumbo Brown (4-4, 42 Sv, 2.38 ERA). Tinning will get a lot of innings in this role and can still have a very positive impact on the team.




Arky Vaughan, SS, Age 19, Pirates

Just as I was beginning to worry that the Pirates offense was aging quickly, they made a big move by adding MLB HOF'er Arky Vaughan to their lineup. He is a good all around batter and he plays above average defense. With Joe Cronin (.259, 20 HR, 88 RBI) entrenched at shortstop, Vaughan will begin his career at third base where he displaces 33-year-old Pie Traynor (.239, 6 HR, 24 RBI in 309 AB), who has struggled the past two seasons.

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1932 American League Rookies


Johnny Allen, SP, Age 24 and Johnny Murphy, SP, Age 23, Yankees

For more than a decade, everyone has known that New York's big weakness was pitching. They did a great job this offseason of addressing that issue. Allen is a legitimate top-of-the-rotation starter who pitches with a chip on his shoulder. Murphy is a hard-throwing reliever who improves the Yankees middle relief corps significantly. Now, if only the team could play better defense in support of these new arms.






Monte Pearson, SP, Age 23, Indians

The Indians had the best pitching staff in the AL last season and a much improved offense. Now, the addition of Pearson makes them stronger. Although he should one day be a fine starting pitcher, the Indians may be making an even shrewder move that could help them win the pennant this season - they are making Pearson their closer. And I can tell you, as a closer he looks very formidable. He has an upper-90's fastball and nasty curve that should be devastating in the 9th inning. Kudos to the Indians for making this move.

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removed

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1932 Key Retirees - Batters


Sparky Adams, 3B, Cubs

Won three Gold Gloves in the 1920's. He also finished in the Top 10 in stolen bases three times.




Johnny Bassler, C, Indians

Was a mainstay in the Indians lineup for most of his 19-year career. Won three Gold Gloves. Collected most games, at-bats, hits and walks all-time for a catcher. He finished in the Top 10 in walks nine times, batting average three times and OBP nine times. He played in one World Series for Cleveland in 1924 which they lost to the Giants.




Ray Blades, RF, Cardinals

Blades was a key offensive contributor for the Cardinals before losing his starting job due to the wealth of talent in the organization. He finished in the Top 10 in doubles twice, runs five times, walks four times and OBP three times. He appeared in four World Series for the Cardinals, winning one.




Ike Boone, LF, Giants

Boone had a short career, but he would have had a longer one were it not for the impressive amount of talent on San Francisco's roster. Boone won the 1923 batting title. He also finished in the Top 10 in OBP four times, slugging twice and OPS twice. He played in four World Series for the Giants, winning three.




Hod Ford, SS, Braves

Won the 1924 Gold Glove at shortstop.




Bernie Friberg, SS/2B, Cubs

Won two Gold Gloves at second base, then the team moved him to shortstop where he played the majority of his career. He finished in the Top 10 in walks and OBP three times each.




George Sisler, 1B/LF, Orioles

Sisler was the 1915 AL Rookie of the Year. He later won two Gold Gloves at first base and another Gold Glove in left field. He also won two batting titles, and he led the AL in hits three times, triples five times and stolen bases five times. His 106 steals in 1927 is the MLHR single-season record. His 1,081 career steals is 6th all-time. He also recorded 3,263 hits and a lifetime .303 average.

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1932 Key Retirees - Pitchers


Rip Collins, Yankees

Won one Gold Glove. Led the AL with 19 wins in 1929 and finished second in 1923. Finished in the Top 10 in winning percentage four times, innings four times, walks allowed four times, fewest HR/9 three times and quality starts three times. Played in three World Series with the Yankees, winning two.




Eddie Dyer, Cardinals

Led the NL with 100 games pitched and also won an impressive 16 games as a setup reliever in 1925. He was pushed into a starting role the next two seasons with mixed results before returning to the bullpen where he had less success than at the beginning of his career. Finished in the Top 10 in games pitched five times and holds seven times, including two times when he led the NL. Pitched in four World Series with the Cardinals, winning one.




Whitey Glazner, Pirates

Glazner was a key member of a strong Pirates pitching rotation for 11 of his 12 seasons. He finished in the Top 10 in wins four times, strikeouts five times, WHIP four times, K/9 ratio five times and quality starts five times. Pitched in three World Series with Pirates, but never won one.




Roy Moore, Athletics

Moore led the AL with the most walks but also the lowest HR/9 ratio in his rookie season of 1920. He was then moved to the bullpen where he eventually won two Fireman Awards as the best reliever in the league. He pitched in four World Series, winning two.




Herman Pillette, Reds

Won two Gold Gloves. Finished in the Top 10 in wins four times, ERA six times, WHIP three times, fewest HR/9 five times, fewest H/9 four times, FIP five times and quality starts three times.




Charlie Robertson, White Sox

Named the 1922 AL Rookie of the Year. Finished in the Top 10 in wins three times, ERA twice and quality starts three times.




Earl Whitehill, Tigers

Finished in the Top 10 in wins three times, innings three times, home runs allowed five times, K/9 ratio four times and quality starts four times.

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1932 Hall of Fame Induction

There were several highly qualified players making the ballot for the first time. Among them, outfielders Ken Williams (CIN) and Edd Roush (CHW) and pitcher Reb Russell (CHW) made the cut and have been inducted into the Hall of Fame. Other first timers like Irish Meusel and Red Hoff performed well on the ballot. Both Gavvy Cravath and Eddie Cicotte were close to election for most of the 10 years they were on the ballot, but they fell short again in their final opportunity. Perhaps one day I will organize a Veteran's Committee to review some of the older players again.


Ken Williams - 82%, Year 1
Edd Roush - 78%, Year 1
Reb Russell - 77%, Year 1
Irish Meusel - 72%, Year 1
X - Gavvy Cravath - 68%, Year 10
Red Hoff - 64%, Year 1
X - Eddie Cicotte - 59%, Year 10
Billy Southworth - 47%, Year 3
Tillie Walker - 45%, Year 8
Fred Toney - 38%, Year 6
X - Rube Marquard - 30%, Year 10
Claude Hendrix - 27%, Year 6
Mellie Wolfgang - 22%, Year 2
Heinie Zimmerman - 21%, Year 8
Hank Severeid - 21%, Year 1
George Burns - 19%, Year 3
G.C. Alexander - 17%, Year 5
Jakie May - 17%, Year 1
Hack Miller - 16%, Year 1
Dixie Davis - 15%, Year 4
Rube Foster - 14%, Year 6
Carl Mays - 13%, Year 3
Harry Krause - 11%, Year 9
Hippo Vaughn - 11%, Year 6
X - Harry Suter - 10%, Year 10
Elmer Steele - 10%, Year 9
Elmer Ponder - 10%, Year 3
Vic Saier - 9%, Year 5
George Kelly - 9%, Year 3
X - Bob Bescher - 8%, Year 10
Elmer Smith - 8%, Year 2
Dave Robertson - 7%, Year 8
Ray Collins - 7%, Year 7
Jake Daubert - 6%, Year 9
Ben Paschal - 6%, Year 1
Bill Sherdel - 5%, Year 3
[i]Zip Zabel - 4%, Year 7
Dutch Ruether - 4%, Year 5
Dickey Kerr - 4%, Year 1
Joe Harris - 3%, Year 1
Virgil Barnes - 2%, Year 1
Hal Haid - 1%, Year 1

X = Last year on the ballot


Ken Williams

2663 H, 415 doubles, 59 triples, 735 HR, 1535 R, 1787 RBI, 1084 BB, 1685 K, 98 SB, .283 AVG, .357 OBP, .575 SLG, .932 OPS, 167 OPS+, 9394 AB, 2500 G

2 Batter of the Year
3 Gold Gloves

All-time leaderboards Top 20: SLG (2nd), OPS (3rd), Home Runs (5th), WAR (13th), RBI (17th)


Edd Roush

2975 H, 590 doubles, 74 triples, 288 HR, 1326 R, 1317 RBI, 673 BB, 1213 K, 145 SB, .293 AVG, .338 OBP, .451 SLG, .788 OPS, 123 OPS+, 10159 AB, 2742 G

9 Gold Gloves
4 Pennants
3-1 in World Series

All-time leaderboards Top 20: Doubles (15th), AVG (16th)


Reb Russell

260-185, 58.4 Win%, 589 G, 589 GS, 3951.0 IP, 39 CG, 13 SHO, 65.9 QS%, 939 BB, 2.1 BB/9, 2946 K, 6.7 K/9, 3613 HA, 357 HRA, 3.18 ERA, 119 ERA+, 3.40 FIP, 1.15 WHIP

2 Pitcher of the Year
2 Gold Gloves
4 Pennants
3-1 in World Series

All-time leaderboards Top 20: Wins (8th), ERA (10th among starters), Games Started (11th), FIP (13th among starters), Innings (18th), WAR (20th)

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1932 NL Preseason Predictions

The Cardinals are coming off their 3rd NL pennant over the past four seasons. During the offseason, they added pitcher Tex Carleton (9-7-6 ratings) and left fielder Ducky Medwick (9-8-6-4-7 ratings) to their roster. With all the talent on this team and the fact that the Giants have not been keeping up in terms of adding new, young players, you would think that the Cardinals are an easy pick to win the pennant again this season. While I personally think they will pull it out, the rankings below say otherwise. Those numbers say that the Giants are favored to win the pennant.

The main reason for this is a St. Louis defense that is expected to struggle. 3-time BOY Chick Hafey (.295, 52 HR, 128 RBI) is being forced to move to centerfield in order to get Medwick in the lineup in left. This significantly reduces their outfield range as Hafey has not played centerfield regularly during his MLHR career and because former centerfielder Taylor Douthit (.273, 11 HR, 36 RBI, 69 R) is a 4-time Gold Glover with a ton of range. The team hopes that Medwick's offense makes up for the loss in range that Hafey's move to center will produce. The Cardinals also have a lack of range across the infield. All of these defensive issues may hurt their pitching staff. Fortunately for them, their pitching staff is incredibly talented and should be able to handle the added stress.

As for the Giants, they had the top offense in the NL last season, and their pitching staff is still solid. Rookie Jim Faulkner (9-11, 4.57 ERA) did not pan out as the team's 5th starting pitcher last season. He will move to the bullpen and a new rookie, Ben Cantwell (4-7-8 ratings) will take a stab at the starting rotation. Some stability at the bottom of the rotation would likely be enough to propel the Giants into the front-runner position this season. Their offense is aging, but it is still very good. In fact, they scored the most runs in the NL last season and they hope to do so again this year.

The Cubs have a fair shot at capturing the pennant too. They have a very good pitching staff that finished third behind St. Louis and Atlanta last season in runs allowed. Their offense scored just the 5th most runs last year, so they have improved the top of their lineup with rookie third baseman Stan Hack (7-6-3-7-7 ratings) and second baseman Billy Herman (8-7-2-6-8 ratings), who hit .282 with a .317 OBP in 206 plate appearances as a rookie last season.

The Pirates are a dark horse candidate this season. They feel like they have made a big upgrade to their pitching rotation with the addition of rookies Bill Swift (7-7-8 ratings) and Hal Smith (5-8-8 ratings). They also feel that the presence of those new starters has allowed them to upgrade their bullpen by moving two former starting pitchers into relief roles. They have also replaced veteran Pie Traynor (.239, 6 HR, 24 RBI in 309 AB) at third base with rookie Arky Vaughan (8-7-4-7-9 ratings). The Pirates expect Vaughan to improve the on-base percentage at the hot corner, although his defensive skills are not equal to Traynor's.


Predicted Standings
(Scale of 1-12)

Rank	Team	Rotation	Bullpen	Offense	Bench	Speed	Defense	Totals	Grade	Predicted Record
1	San Francisco Giants	7	9	12	11	8	7	8.9	A	102	60
2	St. Louis Cardinals	12	8	10	12	6	3	8.7	A	99	63
3	Chicago Cubs	8	9	7	8	8	10	8.0	B+	91	71
4	Pittsburgh Pirates	7	7	6	9	9	9	7.5	B	86	76
5	Philadelphia Phillies	4	5	8	7	6	10	6.6	C+	75	87
6	Los Angeles Dodgers	8	6	6	5	5	7	6.2	C+	71	91
7	Atlanta Braves	8	7	3	4	6	9	5.9	C	68	94
8	Cincinnati Reds	6	7	2	3	8	6	4.8	D+	55	107

MLB results for the NL in 1932

Champs: Chicago Cubs, (90-64, .584)
World Series: Yankees defeated Cubs 4-0
MVP: Chuck Klein, Phillies

For players who appear below on a team they are not playing with in MLHR, their MLHR team is listed in parenthesis

Combined WAR: Mel Ott, Giants, 7.9
Offensive WAR: Mel Ott, Giants, 7.5
Defensive WAR: Billy Jurges, Cubs, 2.7
Batting Title: Lefty O'Doul, Dodgers (Yankees), .368
On-Base%: Mel Ott, Giants, .424
Slugging%: Chuck Klein, Phillies, .646
Runs: Chuck Klein, Phillies, 152
RBI: Don Hurst, Phillies, 143
SB: Chuck Klein, Phillies, 20
OPS+: Mel Ott, Giants, 174
AB/HR: Mel Ott, Giants, 14.9

Pitching WAR: Lon Warneke, Cubs, 6.9
Win%: Lon Warneke, Cubs, .786
WHIP: Carl Hubbell, Giants, 1.056
K/9: Dizzy Dean, Cardinals, 6.011
Innings: Dizzy Dean, Cardinals, 286.0
K/BB: Carl Hubbell, Giants, 3.425
ERA+: Lon Warneke, Cubs, 160
FIP: Watty Clark, Dodgers (Indians), 3.35


MLHR Milestone Watch

2000 RBI
Rogers Hornsby, STL, Age 35, 1934 RBI

2000 Runs
Rogers Hornsby, STL, Age 35, 1959 Runs

750 Games Pitched
Moses Yellow Horse, PIT, Age 34, 718 G
Sheriff Blake, PIT, Age 32, 713 G

500 Saves
Rosy Ryan, SFG, Age 34, 499 Sv

[darnoff]

1932 AL Preseason Predictions

Like St. Louis in the National League, the New York Yankees have won three of the past four pennants. They have faced the Cardinals in the World Series each time, and the Yankees have won the last two meetings. The Yankees are again favored to win the AL pennant this season. They have gotten stronger with the additions of rookies Johnny Allen (10-7-5 ratings) in the starting rotation and Johnny Murphy (8-8-5 ratings) in the bullpen. That should make the Yankees even more formidable since their offense already scored more runs last season than any other team in MLHR, and they show no signs of slowing down this year.

The one big change for the New York offense was the decision to award the primary right field job to 21-year-old Dixie Walker (.273, 4 HR, 22 RBI in 154 AB) instead of 35-year-old veteran Bob Meusel (.280, 39 HR, 100 RBI). We will see if that move pays off. They have also moved shortstop Lyn Lary (.195, 72 R, 36 SB) to the bench, moved Billy Werber (.292, 14 HR, 59 RBI, 104 R, 104 SB) from second base to shortstop and given the second base job back to Tony Lazzeri (.245, 9 HR, 34 RBI in 208 AB) after a year in a backup role. The team has also officially named Ben Chapman (.300, 7 HR, 38 RBI, 50 R, 53 SB in 220 AB) their starting centerfielder and leadoff hitter, moving 32-year-old Earle Combs (.243, 38 RBI, 50 R in 470 AB) to the bench.

Detroit, Cleveland and Oakland should again be New York's primary competition this season, but it is hard to see anyone being better than the Yankees. The Tigers have a good offense and they play very good defense as a team, but they need their pitching staff to step up and pitch up to it's capabilities. The Indians already have one of the best pitching rotations in the AL and their offense has been very good the past two seasons. Now, their bullpen should be much better with rookie Monte Pearson (11-7-5 ratings) closing out games. As for Oakland, they still have the #2 offense in the league and last season, their pitching was much better. This season, they are moving Slim Harriss (13-12, 4.46 ERA), a 12-year veteran of the Oakland rotation, to the bullpen as the new closer. They are moving rookie Joe Bowman (6-7-6 ratings) into the 5th starter's role. The A's hope that the move will help solidify a wobbly bullpen.


Predicted Standings
(Scale of 1-12)

Rank	Team	Rotation	Bullpen	Offense	Bench	Speed	Defense	Totals	Grade	Predicted Record
1	New York Yankees	7	7	12	11	10	5	8.6	A	103	59
2	Detroit Tigers	7	7	6	12	8	10	8.0	B+	95	67
3	Cleveland Indians	8	9	8	5	6	9	7.8	B+	93	69
4	Oakland Athletics	7	8	10	8	5	4	7.6	B+	91	71
5	Minnesota Twins	7	8	4	6	7	7	6.3	C+	75	87
6	Baltimore Orioles	7	7	4	6	7	8	6.0	C	71	91
7	Chicago White Sox	5	6	3	8	9	6	5.5	C-	66	96
8	Boston Red Sox	6	5	2	2	6	8	4.6	D	54	108

MLB results for the AL in 1932

Champs: New York Yankees, (107-47, .695)
World Series: Yankees defeated Cubs 4-0
MVP: Jimmie Foxx, Athletics

For players who appear below on a team they are not playing with in MLHR, their MLHR team is listed in parenthesis

Combined WAR: Jimmie Foxx, Athletics, 10.5
Offensive WAR: Jimmie Foxx, Athletics, 10.0
Defensive WAR: Joe Cronin, Twins (Pirates), 1.5
Batting Title: Dale Alexander, Tigers/Red Sox (Tigers), .367
On-Base%: Babe Ruth, Yankees (Red Sox), .489
Slugging%: Jimmie Foxx, Athletics, .749
Runs: Jimmie Foxx, Athletics, 151
RBI: Jimmie Foxx, Athletics, 169
SB: Ben Chapman, Yankees, 38
OPS+: Jimmie Foxx, Athletics, 202
AB/HR: Jimmie Foxx, Athletics, 10.1

Pitching WAR: Lefty Grove, Athletics, 9.0
Win%: Johnny Allen, Yankees, .810 (rookie!)
WHIP: Lefty Grove, Athletics, 1.193
K/9: Red Ruffing, Yankees (Red Sox), 6.602
Innings: General Crowder, Twins, 327.0
K/BB: Lefty Grove, Athletics, 2.380
ERA+: Lefty Grove, Athletics, 160
FIP: Lefty Grove, Athletics, 3.13


MLHR Milestone Watch

750 Doubles
Harry Heilmann, DET, Age 37, 729 Doubles

500 Home Runs
Joe Hauser, OAK, Age 33, 453 HR

2500 Walks
Babe Ruth, BOS, Age 37, 2412 BB

750 Stolen Bases
Johnny Mostil, CHW, Age 35, 733 SB