Virtual Yankees Win First World Series Title

A rocky start for the Highlanders to kick off the decade

1910

Preseason prediction

The Highlanders are expected to finish .500 on the season — after a decade of mediocrity, they begin the next one in the same place. Players of note include outfielder Birdie Cree who exploded onto the scene in 1909, finishing third in Rookie of the Year voting. ‘Slow’ Joe Doyle was the other player OOTP highlighted in its preseason report. In reality, good ol’ Joe’s career would end in 1909.

The Highlanders did end Spring Training in first place. For what it’s worth.

Regular season

Well, the Highlanders quickly found themselves out of the playoff picture thanks to a brutal showing from their pitching staff. New York was second-to-last in team ERA (3.68) and walks allowed (539) and dead last in opponents’ batting average (.272).

New York’s offense was middle of the road, but without any star pitchers, New York continues to falter in the American League. This marks the third straight season the Highlanders finished under .500.

In reality, New York finished second in the AL, albeit 14.5 games behind the 102-win Philadelphia Athletics.

Final record: 70-84

Performances of note

At the plate, Cree yet again carried New York. He led the team in OPS (.870), RBI (78) and WAR (7.5). Hal Chase also had a bounce-back season. After mustering a .225 average in 1909, he posted a .295/.341/.378 slash line. Leading New York with a whopping five home runs (love the Deadball Era).

On the mount, Russ Ford was New York’s best pitcher, although virtual Ford was way worse than real-life Ford, who went 26-6 with a 1.65 ERA. In our OOTP sim, Ford posted a 3+ERA and led the team in wins, strikeouts and innings pitched.

1911

1910: 70-84

Preseason Prediction

OOTP expects New York to finally right the ship with an 81-73 record and a second-place finish. Again, this era of “Yankees” history isn’t one most fans will discuss, as the organization doesn’t turn into a juggernaut until the 1920s, but this would be one of the organization’s best seasons to date.

Veteran third baseman Frank LaPorte, outfielder Birdie Kree and pitcher Russ Ford were the players of note prior to the 1911 campaign.

Regular season

Another brutal season for New York. There’s no team aspect to necessarily highlight in a 65-win season. One player was able to make history, however.

Final record: 65-89

Performances of note

Birdie Cree was able to take home the first AL Batting Title in Highlanders (Yankees) history! He hit an otherworldly .388 and led the league in on-base percentage (.472). Cree fell behind Doc Miller of the Boston Braves, who took the MLB crown with a .395 average. Cree ended in the top three of MVP voting.

1912

1910: 70-84

1911: 65-89

Preseason prediction

This decade has gone horribly wrong for New York thus far and OOTP’s preseason prediction report sees another brutal season for the Highlanders, with a 66-88 record. To no one’s surprise, Cree was the only player of note.

Regular season

The New York Highlanders were the worst team in Major League Baseball in 1913.

Final record: 51-103

Performances of note

I have standards. No players deserve recognition after this season. That was rough.