1911 Season Preview: American League

The 1911 Philadelphia Athletics look very similar to their champion squad of 1910. This spells bad news for the rest of the AL.

Boston Red Sox: The Red Sox are, by far, the youngest team in the AL. The average age of Boston batters last season weighted for every at bat was 25.5. The next youngest was Chicago at 27.1, who were closer to the two oldest teams of Cleveland and St. Louis at 28.2. Similarly, the Red Sox also had the youngest pitching staff by innings pitched. Star center fielder Tris Speaker turns 23 just a week before Opening Day, but already hit .340 last season. Cleanup hitter Duffy Lewis tied for second in the league with eight homers in his first ever season and is exactly two weeks Speaker's junior. Rounding out one of the top outfields in baseball is Harry Hooper, the old man of the group at 23 and a half years of age. He led the majors in plate appearances and sacrifice hits last season.

On the mound, the Red Sox have several excellent starters. The best of the bunch is Joe Wood. Wood actually went 12-13 last season, but his ERA of 1.69 suggests better luck in the future. He also struck out 145 batters in less than 200 innings of work last season. Expect greatness from Wood, who is only 21 years old and one of the youngest players in the entire league.

Verdict: Expect the Red Sox to have a winning record and compete for second or third in the league. Unfortunately, the pennant looks to be out of reach with a weak infield and a lot of inexperience. But this team could very well be competing for titles in 1912 and beyond.

Future Hall of Famers: Harry Hooper, Tris Speaker

Chicago White Sox: Chicago's anemic offense scored just two runs more than last place St. Louis in 1910. They were dead last in doubles and home runs, but slightly better at triples where they were second-to-last. Not only did they lack power, but their average of .211 was also worst in the league. The best hitter would be Harry Lord, who hit .267 on the season between Chicago and Boston, from whom he was acquired mid-season.

Two years ago, he won 40 games. Yet, his ERA was lower in 1910 at 1.27. Unfortunately, playing on the sixth place team was therefore the reason Ed Walsh went 18-20 last season. Walsh is usually good for somewhere around 400 innings in a season, which Chicago will need all of if they wish to compete.

Verdict: The team moved into White Sox Park mid-season last year, but the change could not help their offense. The White Sox will need to either make some trades or have some young players step up to compete for a spot in the first division since Walsh can't pitch every game.

Future Hall of Famers: Ed Walsh

Cleveland Naps: There is a reason Cleveland is the only team whose nickname is based on one of its players. Nap Lajoie started his third decade in the majors nearly taking the batting title, which would have been his fifth in ten years. Lajoie resigned as manager the year before that, which seemed to revitalize him in 1910. Lajoie will be joined in the lineup by Joe Jackson, who also came to Cleveland from the Athletics. Their loss could be Cleveland's gain as the rookie hit .387 in his limited playing time last season.

Cleveland was devastated by the death of Addie Joss at the start of April during spring training. He had not been a factor in 1910, but the 30-year-old was one of the top pitchers in the AL the previous decade. His loss hangs sadly over the heads of Cleveland. Last year, the Naps allowed the second most runs in the AL, of course only trailing St. Louis in that category. They hope to change that in 1911 with a couple of rookies moving into the rotation, Vean Gregg and Gene Krapp. Neither Gregg nor Krapp have ever made a start in the majors, but they can't be much worse than what Cleveland already had. The Naps will also bring back the oldest player still active, Cy Young. After winning 19 games in his first season in Cleveland the year before, Young struggled in 1910 in going 7-10 with just 21 starts. This season may just be a final victory lap before he heads off into the sunset as the greatest pitcher the game has seen.

Verdict: There's a lot of uncertainty in Cleveland, where the team will turn to rookies to try and improve on a losing campaign last season. The Naps nearly put it together in 1908, finishing a half game back in the pennant race, but have taken steps backwards since then. Luckily, the presence of Lajoie on the team ensures they will at least finish around .500 even if nothing else goes right.

Future Hall of Famers: Nap Lajoie, Cy Young

Detroit Tigers: The 3-4-5 hitters of Ty Cobb, Sam Crawford, and Jim Delahanty are the reason Detroit scored more runs than anyone else last year and will once again have the Tigers near the top. Really, it's all about Cobb, who is the best hitter in baseball already at age 24. Crawford and Delahanty provide insurance pitchers still throw to Cobb since they would love to come to the plate with one of the fastest men in the league already on base. Last season, Crawford ended Cobb's own three-year streak of winning the RBI title and finished five off of the all-time AL record with 120 thanks to batting behind Cobb on a daily basis. Delahanty did not do as well in his first full season with the Tigers, but he is capable of hitting .300 and can be counted on to finish off what Cobb and Crawford start. Batting ahead of all of them will be Donie Bush, one of the best fielding shortstops in the game and a master at getting on base despite a mediocre bat as he has led the AL in walks during both of his two full seasons in the majors.

The Tigers' pitching staff is the obvious weak link in the team. George Mullin won 21 games, but most of that is thanks to the high-powered offense behind him as he gave up the most earned runs in the league without even reaching 300 innings. Detroit will depend on a pair of Ed's, Ed Willett and Ed Lafitte, to try and not lose games so Cobb and company can win them.

Verdict: After winning three pennants in a row, winning just 86 games and finishing third was a big disappointment. Detroit did not need any revolutionary changes in the offseason and maintains stability. Better pitching will be the key to catching back up to Philadelphia for the pennant.

Future Hall of Famers: Ty Cobb, Sam Crawford

New York Highlanders: The Highlanders don't have any sluggers, but but they still had the fourth most runs last season. Second baseman John Knight hit .312 with a team-high 25 doubles, though his glove can still be a liability. Luckily, most throws he makes to first baseman Hal Chase will be caught anyway as Chase is an excellent fielder at the position, a rarity. He also hit .290, stole 40 bases, and drove in 73 runs last year. The last batter of note is Birdie Cree, who hit 16 triples and batted .287 in a surprising breakout season at age 27.

Last year's top rookie was, without a doubt, Russ Ford. Ford went 26-6 with an ERA of 1.65, struck out 209, and was one out short of pitching 300 innings. Possibly the second best rookie campaign came from number two pitcher Hippo Vaughn, who had an ERA of 1.83, joins Ford to make a formidable one-two punch.

Verdict: New York notched its first winning season in four years with a surprising second place finish. On paper, it doesn't seem like they should be competing, and beating, Detroit, but they may be able to do it again if they can just repeat 1910 with mostly the same personnel.

Future Hall of Famers: none

Philadelphia Athletics: There is no finer infield in baseball than the four men manning the bases in Philadelphia. Second baseman Eddie Collins is off to an amazing start for his bright career, hitting .324 (actually down from his average in 1909) and stealing a league-high 81 bases in 1910. Cleanup hitter Frank Baker is also hitting his stride over at third base. Baker was one of three Athletics players with at least 40 extra base hits, the others patrolling the otherwise overlooked outfield in Rube Oldring and Danny Murphy. The big change coming on offense is at first base, where 37-year-old Harry Davis will start the season. However, Stuffy McInnis looks eager to replace him as one of the first players born in the 1890s to make the majors.

Jack Coombs matched his win total from his first four seasons in Philadelphia with 31 wins last year. He also matched his career shutouts with 13, both of which were best in the majors. The best winning percentage, however, went to Chief Bender, who will get the nod on Opening Day. Bender went 23-5 and may still be considered the ace despite Coombs' amazing campaign. The Athletics also have veteran Eddie Plank, who surpassed 200 wins last season in his tenth season with the team.

Verdict: Philadelphia is the heavy favorite to repeat and will probably be favored in the World Series should they make it. They have no glaring weaknesses. Last year, they became the first American League club to ever win 100 games in a season. Now they will be expected to do it again.

Future Hall of Famers: Frank Baker, Chief Bender, Eddie Collins, Eddie Plank

St. Louis Browns: A constant in St. Louis since 1899, first with the Cardinals before joining the Browns in 1902, Bobby Wallace remains the star player on the team. Unfortunately, he is a 37-year-old shortstop who is on the decline in the field and at the plate. The Browns brought in Frank LaPorte and Jimmy Austin to join him at second and third base, respectively, through a trade with the Highlanders in February. Austin can field well and LaPorte immediately becomes the top hitter on the club, but neither can perform well in the opposite discipline. Expect an assortment of first basemen to round out the infield as they try to find someone who can hit better than Patrick Newnam's .216 last season.

Jack Powell and Joe Lake combined for 18 wins last season, but each could be 20-game winners on a better team. A pair of rookies who have never played in the majors will join them in the rotation as the other starters returning from 1910 could not earn their spot again.

Verdict: The embarrassment from the Chalmers Award controversy last season led to the firing of old manager Jack O'Connor, who is now replaced by Wallace. He has the impossible task ahead of him with the players under his management in just finishing outside of last place.

Future Hall of Famers: Bobby Wallace

Washington Senators: Clyde Milan hit .279 in center field and also drew 71 walks, making him possibly the best leadoff man in the league. Outside of Milan, the lineup is unspectacular, though not nearly as bad as St. Louis or Chicago. Rookie Bill Cunningham will start the year batting cleanup after hitting .297 in 21 games last year. If he can do that again over a full season, Washington has a chance to improve.

He had already established himself as the staff ace going into 1910, but last season cemented Walter Johnson as one of the best pitchers in the game. Johnson had never had a winning record nor led the lead in any category in his first three seasons. But in 1910, Johnson went 25-17 and led the league in games, games started, complete games, innings pitched, and strikeouts. He also led in hits, though that was inevitable with the workload he amassed. Expect to see Johnson log 300+ innings for years to come as the Senators will need his arm to be competitive. The next pitcher may on the team may be Dolly Gray, who has totaled 38 losses over the last two seasons as another regular starter in the rotation.

Verdict: Washington is clearly in another league from St. Louis, but they will have to put up a fight to jump Chicago or whoever else seems destined for sixth place in the AL. Johnson and Milan can be the centerpieces of a team competing for a pennant, but Washington needs better supporting players just to reach the first division before that.

Future Hall of Famers: Walter Johnson

Finishing Order Prediction

1. Philadelphia Athletics

2. Detroit Tigers

3. Boston Red Sox

4. New York Highlanders

5. Cleveland Naps

6. Chicago White Sox

7. Washington Senators

8. St. Louis Browns