Yankees: An Alternate History, an OOTP Experiment

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.