Yankees: An Alternate History, an OOTP Experiment

A look at the origins of the New York Yankees.

Before we take a look at the results of the simulation, let’s take a brief look at the origins of the Yankees.

Prior to moving to New York, the organization that would become the Yankees played in Baltimore for two seasons with the National League’s New York Giants blocking any potential moves to New York. The franchise was purchased and moved to Manhattan and named the New York Highlanders in 1903.

According to the Yankees team website, the Highlanders’ name came from the location of the team’s ballpark which was located at one of the highest points in Manhattan. The Highlanders would be the name of the franchise until 1913 when the team moved to the Polo Grounds and officially changed its name to the Yankees.

In the early years, New York was led by Hall of Famers pitcher Jack Chesbro, player-manager Clark Griffith and outfielder Willie Keeler. The franchise finished over .500 in its first season, and while the Yankees would never reach the World Series, they came just shy of winning the pennant twice in the 1900s.

In 1904, Chesbro set an American League record with 41 wins, a mark that may never be broken. Despite the historic season, New York’s 92 wins would not match Boston’s 95-59 record, a team led by Cy Young. The Highlanders’ other second-place finish would come in 1906.

Aside from those two seasons, the Highlanders weren’t much of a threat at the dawn of the 20th century. Griffith would be fired during the 1908 season and the Yankees would be without a pennant until 1921.

Up next, OOTP will take us on a trip through Highlanders baseball during the first decade of the 20th Century.

The Yankees Alternate History simulation begins in 1903

1903

Preseason prediction

OOTP doesn’t expect much from the Highlanders in their inaugural season. The preseason prediction report has the Highlanders finishing the season with a 62-78 record, 24 games back of the Boston Americans.

New York doesn’t have a pitcher or hitter of note in the “Top Hitters/Pitchers” section of the report, even with multiple future Hall of Famers on the roster.

In reality, New York defied expectations and finished with a 72-62 record behind a consistent pitching staff of Chesbro, Griffith and Jesse Tannehill. OOTP’s algorithm doesn’t see the Highlanders even sniffing that success.

Regular season

All was going right for the Highlanders for the first four games of the season. New York made easy work of the Washington Senators, sweeping them in a four-game series to kick off the 1903 season.

Then, the wheels fell off. The Highlanders would lose their next nine games. The season was a wrap after that.

New York’s rotation was one of the worst in all of baseball. They ranked last in the American league in staff ERA (3.56) and in the bottom half of the league in walks allowed (333), hits allowed (1344) and opponent batting average (.276).

New York would also bow out of the season by losing 10 straight. Overall it was a disappointing inaugural season for New York City’s newest attraction. Let me rephrase: “Attraction” probably isn’t the right word to describe the 1903 OOTP Highlanders.

The lone bright spot? The Highlanders led the league in stolen bases. Look at this Yankees fan accepting moral victories. This truly is a bizarro world.

Final record: 56-84

Performances of note

A pair of National League defectors before the 1903 season, Chesbro and Tannehill are the two players of note and for opposite reasons.

Chesbro had his worst professional season in New York. He posted a 4.25 ERA with a brutal 11-21 record. Without Chesbro at his best, the Highlanders would have no shot at success. With him at his worst, the team found themselves at the bottom of the league.

Tannehill, on the other hand, was New York’s best pitcher this season. He led the team in wins (19), ERA (2.83) and WAR (8.0). For those interested in advanced analytics for the 1903 season, he was also the team-leader in FIP and ERA+.

1904

1903:  56-84

Preseason prediction

OOTP expects the Yankees to finish with a 69-85 record in 1904, which would be a notable 13-win improvement from a season ago. Jack Chesbro was also noted as one of the league’s top pitchers after having a horrid 1903 campaign.

An important note, 1904 was the season real-life Chesbro broke the AL wins record with 41.

Regular season

The difference a year can make. One year after the Highlanders were one of the worst teams in the sport, they witnessed a 20-win improvement, finishing the season with a 76-78 record. New York was still a distant 21 games from the pennant, but after a disastrous first season in the Big Apple, the team bounced back in a big way.

Virtual baseball saw a noticeable drop off in hitting statistics, with Nap Lajoie leading the league with a .319 average. He hit .387 the year prior. Still, the Highlanders rotation was much improved, posting a 2.48 team ERA.

Final record: 76-78

Performances of note

After struggling in his first season in New York, Chesbro answered with a phenomenal 1904 campaign. He posted a 1.96 ERA while leading the league with 50 appearances, 43 starts and 390 innings pitched. It may be the Dead Ball Era, but Chesbro didn’t give up a single home run on the year as well.

At the plate, future Hall of Famer Willie Keeler set a Major League record with a six-hit game and finished second in the AL with a .303 batting average. Meanwhile, mid-season trade acquisition Patsy Dougherty hit .296, the fourth-best AL mark, mashed 9 home runs (how times have changed) and finished second in the AL with 77 RBI.

The virtual Yankees made quite a run at the 1905 AL Pennant.

1905

1903:  56-84

1904: 76-78

Preseason prediction

The prediction report has high expectations for the Highlanders. The team is expected to go 83-81, landing above .500 for the first time in franchise history.

The Highlanders farm system, if we can even describe it as such, seems to have two players ready to produce at the Major League level. In OOTP’s Top Prospects Report, Highlanders right-hander Bill Hogg as the best prospect in the sport. He played just four seasons in real life.

OOTP also noted first baseman Hal Chase as a top 10 prospect in baseball. In reality, Chase played nine seasons for New York. He would later win a batting title with Cincinnati in 1916. We will keep an eye on both prospects’ long-term development as we continue.

Regular season

The Highlanders were contenders all season long. New York started off hot and managed to sit atop the American League on multiple occasions. However, the Highlanders fell apart down the stretch.

With the Detroit Tigers in the first place by only 1.5 games, and with six games left on the schedule, the Highlanders were swept in a three-game series, thanks in part to 18-year-old Ty Cobb. New York would fall painfully short of its first pennant.

New York featured the best lineup in the league. Patsy Dougherty took home the batting title with a .349 average, which was one of the biggest accomplishments back in the early 20th century. Rookie Hal Chase (.317/.322./.396) also had a strong year, taking home multiple Rookie of the Month Awards.

The Highlanders’ pitching was another story. In nearly every statistical category they were again in the bottom half of the league. Chesbro and Hogg had fine seasons, but the duo didn’t get much support.

Final record: 89-65 4GB of the AL Pennant

Performances of note

Although the Rookie of the Year Award wasn’t introduced until 1947 in reality, Hogg took home the honors. Hogg posted a team-best 2.20 ERA, and a 14-10 record in 24 starts.

OOTP had a good reason to name Hogg and Chase as top prospects because they were key to the Highlanders’ impressive season.

1906

1903:  56-84

1904: 76-78

1905: 89-65 (4 GB of AL Pennant)

Preseason prediction

OOTP sees the Highlanders’ strong 1905 campaign as a fluke. The preseason prediction report has New York falling back to Earth with an 82-72 record, 15 games out of first place.

The Highlanders did have a few featured hitters, including reigning batting champion Patsy Dougherty, reliable second baseman Jimmy Williams (led the team in WAR multiple times so far) and prospect Frank LaPorte.

Oh, and the Highlanders finished in first place in spring training, for what it’s worth.

Regular season

It looks like the preseason predictions were onto something. The Highlanders didn’t sniff the pennant in 1906, finishing 18 games out of first place. Although the New York offense continued to produce, the pitching staff yet again let the team down.

Final record: 80-74

Performances of note

The Highlanders seem to find some of the best young talent in baseball, as third baseman Frank LaPorte took home the Rookie of the Year Award, the second year in a row a Highlander won the Award.

Chesbro was his usual self with an impressive 1.99 ERA, leading the league with 38 (!) complete games in 361.1 innings.

Willie Keeler also made history notching his 2,500 career hit in April.

The Highlanders wrap up the 1900s

1907

1903:  56-84

1904: 76-78

1905: 89-65 (4 GB of AL Pennant)

1906: 80-74

Preseason prediction

The Highlanders are expected to take another step back in 1907. After one season in contention, New York is expected to post a subpar 72-82 record.

Still, the club features a litany of notable players including Willie Keeler, Hal Chase, Jimmy Williams, Kid Elberfeld and Danny Hoffman. My personal favorite is the team’s lone pitcher of note, Slow Joe Doyle. He received his nickname for the slow pace he played with, something the Yankees radio broadcast crew of Suzyn Waldman and John Sterling would most certainly hate.

Anyway, let’s hope talent can persevere and bring the Highlanders to the World Series.

Regular season

Another middle of the pack season for a middle of the pack team. The Highlanders offense was once again the best in the American League, boasting the best team batting average (.272) and on-base percentage (.318).

Unfortunately, New York’s pitching staff was yet again on the opposite end of the spectrum, finishing with the worst team ERA in the league.

Final record: 78-76

Performances of note

Hal Chase is quickly developing into the most dangerous hitter on the team. He finished second in the batting title race (behind Ty Cobb) and ended up with a top-three finish in OPS (.838), RBI (81) and stolen bases (40).

Three Yankees would trail Cobb for the batting title, with Chase in second (.355), Keeler following him at third (.333), and LaPorte fourth (.324).

1908

1903:  56-84

1904: 76-78

1905: 89-65 (4 GB of AL Pennant)

1906: 80-74

1907: 78-76

Preseason prediction

OOTP expects more mediocrity for the New York Highlanders, projecting them to finish with an 82-72 record. New York’s notable players include Jake Stahl — the outfielder/first baseman would spend just half a season in pinstripes in reality.

A pair of pitchers were also included in the preseason report including Slow Joe Doyle and veteran Jack Chesbro. OOTP projects the duo to combine for 89 starts, a 46-40 record and 773 innings pitched.

If Doyle and Chesbro can carry the rotation, New York might have a chance to find themselves in contention.

Regular season

Much like their real-life counterparts, the virtual Highlanders were awful in 1908. There really isn’t anything to highlight, as the Highlanders sat near the bottom of the league for the entire season.

Clark Griffith, the manager since the team’s inception, was fired at the end of the season. This mimicked reality — he was let go in the middle of the same season.

This was the worst performance since the team’s inaugural campaign.

Final record: 66-88

Performances of note

Yet again, Hal Chase was the best hitter on the roster. However, he had the worst season of his career. Chase’s .295/.321/.393 line were all career-lows.

Sadly, Doyle’s season went off the rails. He was projected to pitch over 300 innings and win 20 games, but he won just 11 games and threw only 187 innings on the season. Chesbro, on the other hand, was the Highlanders’ best starter, despite a brutal 9-18 record. The 34-year-old is set to spend his last season in the Big Apple.

However, Bill Hogg was back in top form and set the Highlanders ERA record with a 1.93 ERA. However, Hogg’s career would end after this season at only 26 years old.

1909

1903:  56-84

1904: 76-78

1905: 89-65 (4 GB of AL Pennant)

1906: 80-74

1907: 78-76

1908: 66-88

Preseason prediction

The Highlanders hired Hall of Fame manager Frank Selee prior to the 1909 season. Selee is regarded as one of the first great talent evaluators. Oddly enough, in real life he died in 1909 due to tuberculosis, so New York will likely benefit in this video game world.

New York is expected to yet again finish near the bottom of the AL and 36-year-old veteran Willie Keeler was the lone player of note. He is just 22 hits away from the 3000 hit milestone.

Regular season

At the end of June, New York was in the mix with a 39-30 record. Rookie Birdie Cree and the pitching trio of Russ Ford, Tom Hughes and Joe Lake had the Highlanders soaring above expectations.

The wheels quickly fell off in July, with the Highlanders’ 9-19 record and essentially pushing them out of contention. New York would never recover, and fell under .500 by the end of the season.

Final record: 75-79

Performances of note

Cree came out of nowhere in 1909. The 5-foot-6 outfielder led the Highlanders with a .289 average, .363 OBP and a 7.3 WAR. Throw in 14  triples and the scrappy Penn State alum was the team’s best offensive weapon and would finish third in Rookie of the Year voting.

On the mound, Ford finished sixth in the AL with a 2.04 ERA in 291.2 innings.

Keeler also managed to earn his 3000th hit on July 14 as a pinch-hitter, thanks to an infield hit. He should be on his way to OOTP Cooperstown soon.

Decade Recap

Well, that will do it for the New York Highlanders in their first seven years of existence. They put together one impressive season, but it wasn’t enough to win the pennant.

Overall, the Highlanders sat in the middle of the pack. Without the star power of a Cy Young or Ty Cobb, New York was unable to take the next step.

Throughout the decade, star pitcher Jack Chesbro provided stability to what was typically a subpar pitching staff. Chesbro would finish with an 89-98 record in New York, with a 2.58 ERA and a handful of some of the organization’s best seasons to date.

Willie ‘Willie Wee’ Keeler remains one of the faces of the Highlanders through 1909 and will likely be one of the first players that are inducted into Cooperstown (OOTP has the Hall of Fame operating in 1909) in a Highlander ballcap.

He led the league in hits in ’04 and ’05 and was in the battling title race a handful of times. Unfortunately, OOTP combines his stats with his time in Baltimore before the Highlanders were created, but he was a key cog in the lineup in his virtual career.

Jimmy Williams is the next batter who deserves recognition. He currently sits as the career WAR leader for New York (48.1). One of the best second basemen in this virtual league, Williams won a Gold Glove and a pair of Silver Slugger Awards (I know, these awards are implemented way ahead of time) from 1903-1907.

Lastly, young Hal Chase developed into one of the franchise’s premier players. Chase led the league in RBI in his rookie season in 1905. He had a down year in 1909, but Chase was a perennial .300 hitter. He is projected to have a few solid years left before his time in New York is over.

Next up, we break down the years leading up to the Great Bambino’s arrival in New York, and the organization changing its name from the Highlanders to the Yankees. Be sure to check back soon.