For those of you embarking this trolley along the route, the premise of the exercise can be found HERE.
OVERVIEW
No franchise changes for the 1921 season.
OFFSEASON / PRESEASON
Five modded NeLers entering in 1921, making 67 currently active:
- P Sam Streeter (20); Black Sox SABR BIO
- SS Walter Cannady (19); Black Barons
- P Nip Winters (21); ABCs SABR BIO
- C Larry Brown (19); Monarchs SABR BIO
- P Willis Flournoy (25); Monarchs
Five unmodded players also get allocated to the NeL clubs.
Notable 1921 rookies include Gabby Hartnett and Charley Root (Cubs); Red Lucas (Reds); Riggs Stephenson (Buckeyes); Travis Jackson (Giants); Lou Gehrig and Mark Koenig (Yankees); George Grantham and Kiki Cuyler (Pirates).
The Phillies take Hack Wilson first overall in this year’s Rookie Draft.
My Dodgers send a passel of players to the Tigers for Burleigh Grimes.
Orchestrated moves: Red Oldham and Dutch Leonard to the Tigers; Dana Fillingim and Joe Oeschger to the Braves; Bill Wambsganss to the Buckeyes; Babe Adams to the Pirates; Mike Menosky and Shano Collins to the Red Sox; Jimmy Ring to the Phillies; Harry Hooper and Amos Strunk to the White Sox; Jack Bentley to the Giants.
Game-generated moves: include Tim Hendryx and Jimmie Lyons (Black Sox); Duffy Lewis (Black Barons); Sam Crawford and Carmen Hill (White Sox); Jack Quinn (Cubs); Pete Hill (Reds); Frank Ellerbe (Monarchs); Tom Johnson and Frank Wickware (Blackbirds); Candy Jim Taylor (Jays); Jose Mendez (Browns); Elmer Smith, Muddy Ruel, and Slim Sallee (Senators).
No HoF action this year, with Hugh Duffy (64%) the nearest.
OPENING DAY PREVIEW
The top-ranked position player is Red Sox OF Babe Ruth.
The top-ranked pitcher is Washington’s Walter Johnson.
The top-rated prospect is age-20 IF John Beckwith of the Black Barons, ahead of A’s pitcher Lefty Grove.
The top-ranked farm system belongs to the Bears.
BNN sees the races looking like this:
- AL East: 98-64 Yankees 7 clear of the Red Sox, with the 67-95 Jays in the cellar
- AL North: 97-65 Buckeyes 21 clear of the Tigers, with the 69-93 Athletics in the cellar
- AL South: 97-65 Browns 8 clear of the Monarchs, with the 69-93 Senators and Bears in the cellar
- NL East: 102-60 Giants 12 clear of the Dodgers, with the 69-93 Grays in the cellar
- NL Central: 93-69 Pirates 9 clear of the ABCs, with the 66-96 Reds in the cellar
- NL South: 110-52 Cardinals 29 clear of the Braves, with the 66-96 Black Barons in the cellar
Some surprising signs of regression for the NeL clubs according to BNN, with a couple second-place finishes predicted but no more and a major fall from grace for the Grays.
Good to see no club is expected to lose 100+.
Fun fact: The 1921 Indianapolis ABCs in this timeline feature both Dave Brown, who is Black, and Dave Black, who is not.
REGULAR SEASON HIGHLIGHTS
04/09: While brother Bob suffers a hip injury that will keep him out of action for up to four months, Irish Meusel hits safely in 27 straight games.
04/30: A first no-hitter for the New Orleans franchise by Lefty Tyler against Philly, and we get another one the very next day from Cleveland’s George Uhle against the Monarchs.
05/05: The Babe Ruth question is answered emphatically, as the Red Sox extend the big slugger through 1929—although he does have an opt-out at the end of 1924. However it pans out, I’m very much looking forward to seeing both how Boston goes with him at the club and the Yankess fare without him at theirs.
05/15: Detroit’s Harry Heilmann is hitting a staggering .475 with 13 HR thru his first 140 AB, including a consecutive hit streak of 32 games.
05/20: Ken Williams of the Browns becomes the first player in this timeline with 4 HR in a single game, doing so while driving in 8 against Cleveland.
06/07: Walton Cruise collects the cycle as the White Sox beat Memphis 8-4.
07/02: Frank Baker has very much lived up to his historical nickname, one which has in posterity come to be viewed somewhat ironically, putting three over the fence against Cleveland to become the second player in this timeline to reach 300. He and stat leader Gavvy Cravath, who sits just two clear of him on 304 at the time of posting, look set to battle it out for “clubhouse leader” until Ruth (currently on 167), Hornsby (162), et al come a-hunting. I wonder which of the NeLers will be among their number?
07/31: At the Deadline, the Tigers trade pitcher Don Songer to the Grays for catcher Jim Brown, while the Browns acquire SS Charlie Hollocher from the Cubs for infielders Gene Robertson and Oscar Melillo. My Dodgers also ship Jeff Pfeffer, Harry Heitmann, and depth piece Ollie Voigt to Indy for Dutch Ruether.
08/30: Two big injury outs, with Ty Cobb and Rogers Hornsby both done for the year.
09/08: Dodger Tommy Griffith collects the cycle against the Giants in a losing cause.
REGULAR SEASON RECAP
A season full of odd twists and turns sees its fair share of late drama.
AL
Another fascinating Yanks-Sox tussle in the AL East sees Boston lead early but then cool off markedly. The Yankees overtake them in midseason but never run away with it. All the same, they lock down the division with a week to spare and the defending champion Red Sox ultimately miss the playoffs for just the second time in the past six seasons.
The Buckeyes start the season in red-hot form and at one point lead the group by as much as 15. However, their form from that point is patchy and Detroit inches their way back into the race. With a week to go, the Tigers have narrowed the deficit to just two games but just can’t make up the rest as Cleveland falls over the line for their third straight AL North crown.
The Browns look set to run away with the AL South once again but – just like the Buckeyes – lose their way a bit in the middle section and then the Monarchs make it even more interesting with a 22-7 August including 12 straight wins, putting them within striking distance. They get as close as six before the Browns steady and go on to make it four straight division titles.
For most of the stretch run, the Monarchs are seemingly in control of the Wild Card and appear set to make their first post-season appearance. However, they get a bit leaky in September and that, combined with the Tigers’ charge, makes a real race of it over the final weeks. Sadly for Detroit fans, however, they narrowly miss out here as well with KC getting home by two.
NL
Any joy the Cardinals and their fans might feel about being the first club into this year’s playoffs would be greatly tempered by the fact that they’ll be doing so not just without superstar Rogers Hornsby as described above, but also Aaron Ward after he fractures his hand.
The ABCs comfortably take the North.
After Philly and Homestead threaten to run away with the NL East in the early stages, July sees a quantum shift as both completely hit the wall and the division completely changes in complexion. It stays pretty tight from that point on as the Phillies and Giants flip-flop to the very end. New York leads by a couple as the two clubs settle in for a four-game final series, meaning Philly needs to win three to force a ‘breaker. They win two of the first three to keep the dream alive and then earn the tie with a dramatic 7-6 walkoff win courtesy of a 10th-inning sac fly by unheralded Henry Gigliardi, who never made it to the bigs IRL.
In a game that I would have given anything to be present at, Joe Williams and Grover Cleveland Alexander face off in the tiebreaker, with neither giving an inch as the contest remains scoreless going into spares. George Burns finally breaks the deadlock with a clutch two-out solo shot in the top 10th and Smoky Joe sends them down in order to complete a 2-hit shutout that will only serve to enhance his legend and give the Jints a third-straight division win. Outrageous.
The Phillies find themselves in a sort of limbo down the stretch—battling the Giants in the division while a couple ahead of the Braves in the WC. That can often prove a tricky situation to manage, so intensely focused on the former that you can readily get caught out in the latter. They manage to avoid that trap on this occasion, locking down a guaranteed playoff spot a few days in advance of all the divisional drama.
Despite a a 31-game hitting streak right at the end of the season, “Gorgeous” George Sisler just misses hitting .400 for what would have been his third time, going 263-for-661 to finish at .3979 with 24 homers and 142 RBI, good for more than 10 WAR by current calculations.
Babe Ruth swats a league-high 50 homers and improves his own SLG record by a few pips to .7383, finishing with more than 13 WAR.
NeLER NOTES
Another stellar campaign from the NeLers, both modded and even a few of the unmodded “raw” guys.
Among the modded crew, Oscar Charleston and Dick Lundy lead the way with 10.7 WAR. Charlie is really hitting his straps now, pounding pitchers for a .364 AVG with 29 homers and 121 batted in, while King Richard hits .344 with 22 jacks. Each is among the league’s best defenders at their respective position.
Another Charlie – namely, Blackwell – leads the group with 35 homers ahead of Cristo Torriente and Edgar Wesley’s 31.
Joe Williams leads the modded pitchers with north of 9 rWAR and finishes the year just 7 Wins shy of 300, while John Donaldson’s final season in the game in this timeline is a good one. So many quality young pitchers already excelling and I’ll be fascinated to see if guys like Rube Curry, Nip Winters, Bill Holland, Andy Cooper, and Dave Brown can maintain the high levels they have shown this season.
Bullet Rogan, by now a bona fide superstar, contributes roughly 6 WAR with both bat and ball and leads all among this bunch with 22 Wins.
Mainly on the pitching side again, 1921 also get some excellent performances from the non-modded crew. Bill Force’s 9.3 rWAR and MLB-low 2.23 ERA should make him a virtual lock for the NL RoY and earn him some down-ballot love in the CYA as well. George Britt, Lucas Boada, Jose Leblanc, and John Taylor also do very nicely for themselves.
Three modded NeLers, all pitchers, exiting the game in 1921.
JOHN DONALDSON: A tricky one to cater for, as his IRL career stopped and started and he barnstormed for years. Still, his modded avatar did well over a relatively short career in this timeline, nudging past 50 rWAR with a fine farewell season at our club.
JOHNNY TAYLOR: The original “Steel Arm” started off promisingly but then kind of drifted aimlessly at a barely replacement level over the remainder of his career here.
FRANK WICKWARE: The man known as the “Red Ant” spent almost his entire career in this timeline with the ABCs, and was a member of their famous 1917 Championship squad. Turned out to be pretty handy, with 140 Wins and close to 40 rWAR all told.
FINAL MLB STANDINGS
AL STAT LEADERS
NL STAT LEADERS
PLAYOFFS
DCS
The Monarchs enjoy their first-ever playoff game, taking down the Browns 6-4 with Oscar Charleston settling the nerves with a 2-run homer off Urban Shocker in the 1st inning. They enjoy their next one far less, as the Browns carve them up 8-1 behind a fine outing from Frank Miller, but go back ahead with an 8-5 Game 3 victory thanks in a large part to Frank Ellerbe’s 5 ribbies and upset the Browns in four with a gritty 3-2 win.
The Yankees get a 4-2 Game 1 victory in Cleveland behind Waite Hoyt and those poor old Buckeyes fans brace for the impact of another futile playoff run as the visitors double their lead the next day with a hard-fought 7-5 result. Sure enough, Frank Baker has 3 hits and 4 RBI as the Yanks finish the sweep off with a 14-6 thumping.
Jack Scott leads the Giants to a confidence-boosting 5-2 road win against Indy in Game 1 but Nip Winters replies in kind as the ABCs bounce back the next day with a 4-2 victory. A walkoff 12th-inning 4-3 win in Game 3 on another clutch hit by George Burns puts the New Yorkers back in front and Game 4 is something special, as the ABCs blow a 3-run lead in the 9th but then manage to win it 8-7 in 10 to force a decisive Game 5. Ultimately, however, the Giants prevail with a commanding 10-3 win.
No Rogers Hornsby, no worries as the Cards win two from two at home against the Phillies, although they do look shaky late in each. Austin McHenry picks up a lot of the slack for the Redbirds, going 5-for-5 with a pair of jacks in the second of those wins. The Phils stay alive with a resounding 12-2 win at home a couple days later but are eliminated when they find themselves on the short end of a 2-1 final in Game 4, with series MVP McHenry going deep again.
LCS
We are now guaranteed a first-time winner. The Yanks and Cards have had five unsuccessful cracks at the World Series, while this is as far as the Giants have ever got in seven attempts.
A serious bout of stagefright sees the Monarchs thumped 11-2 by the Yankees in Game 1, with Wally Pipp belting a couple dingers, and while they are better the next day they nevertheless go 0-2 down as the hosts hang on for a 7-5 final. The Yanks keep their unbeaten playoff run going with another 8-3 win in KC a couple days later and close out another sweep with a disciplined 5-2 win behind Jesse Petty.
The Giants destroy the Cardinals 8-0 in the opener, with Art Nehf hurling a 3-hitter, but the Cards steady to even the series with a 4-2 victory. Once again, the Giants blow them out 10-2 in St. Louis a couple days later as Joe Williams goes the distance and another comfortable win in G4 puts them on the cusp of that long-awaited WS berth and the Cards finish off a dreadful series with the worst of the lot, a 14-2 capitulation that gives us our first-ever Subway Series in this timeline!
WORLD SERIES
And so, despite this being a Ruth-less (see what I did there…) Yankees group, we get the IRL World Series matchup in this timeline as well.
Game 1 at Yankee Stadium is a low-scoring affair until the Yanks blow it open with 4 in the top 8th and they need all of them as the Giants nearly nick it off them with the final score 5-4. They double their advantage with another tough one-run win the next day as Bob Shawkey outduels Joe Williams.
The arm-wrestling continues as the series heads across town to the Polo Grounds, with the Giants getting a 3-2 win in Game 3 as Norm McMillan walks it off with a one-out single and the Yanks squaring the series again with a 5-3 extra-inning win in Game 4. The Giants win their final home game of the year 8-4 in a see-sawing contest, with Art Nehf good for them once again.
This really competitive series ends in somewhat anticlimactic fashion, as the Giants claim their maiden World Championship with a blowout 10-2 win.
George Kelly AKA “High Pockets” takes MVP honours.
1921 RECAP
A fourth MVP to the Babe, a second for Bullet, with Carl Mays and Jesse Haines each taking home their first CYA.
Unanimous RoYs to Riggs Stephenson and Ray Grimes, while Dodger Clarence Mitchell and fictional Mel Mendoza are maiden relief award winners.
Joe Tinker is the only one among this year’s retirees likely to get any serious HoF consideration.
NeL-obsessed member from Sydney, Australia who spends an inordinate amount of my free time running simulations of various natures on Out of the Park Baseball.