Virtual Yankees Win First World Series Title

The Yankees take one step forward and two steps back

1913

1910: 70-84

1911: 65-89

1912: 51-103

Preseason prediction

Expectations remain low for the newly-named New York Yankees. Yes! After a decade as the Highlanders, New York officially changed the team name to the Yankees in 1913. Hopefully, it can help change the fortunes of the struggling franchise.

OOTP expects another 60-win season, and the only player of note is scrappy outfielder Birdie Cree. He looks to be the first star Yankee to be stuck on bad teams. Fun fact: in reality, Cree took a fastball to the head from Walter Johnson — he would be knocked unconscious but would suit up the next day.

Regular season

The Yankees had a 29-win improvement from the previous season. Frankly, it was a major surprise considering how the team has performed in recent years. Cree was yet again one of the best offensive players in the American League. He drove in 94 runs, the fourth-best mark in the AL.

Final record: 80-74

Performances of note

Aside from Cree, no other Yankees hitter was very effective. No players who reached the qualified plate appearances threshold hit above .270.

The pitching staff was led by Al Schulz, a 24-year-old who made his big league debut in 1912. Schulz posted an 18-14 record with a 2.89 ERA. He also led the team with 311.1 innings pitched. Solid starter Russ Ford also made his presence felt during the year.

Although managers handled pitchers completely differently than they do today, Yankees reliever Red Hoff won the “Reliever of the Year Award.”

In reality, Hoff only threw 83 career innings, so this performance was out of left field to say the least.

1914

1910: 70-84

1911: 65-89

1912: 51-103

1913: 80-74

Preseason prediction

OOTP thinks 1913 was a fluke as the Yankees are expected to…yup, you guessed it, finish well below .500. New York had no notable position players or pitchers. Also, New York hasn’t had a notable prospect in a while, something the franchise had plenty of in the previous decade.

Regular season

Once again, OOTP’s preseason prediction was right on the money. The lowly Yankees finished with the third-worst record in the entire league. Name an offensive category and the Yankees were likely last in the American League. The team’s pitching wasn’t much better. At this point, the franchise is just awaiting the arrival of Babe Ruth.

Final record: 56-98

Performances of note

With a team as dreadful as the 1914 OOTP Yankees, the only performance of note is catcher Jeff Sweeney, who broke the MLB record for most strikeouts in a season (160) and hit a putrid .156 batting average in 124 games. Hard to believe that even in 1914 there wasn’t a better option on the roster. That may go down as one of the worst seasons in the history of baseball.

1915

1910: 70-84

1911: 65-89

1912: 51-103

1913: 80-74

1914: 56-98

Preseason prediction

Another 60-win season incoming if OOTP predicts correctly again. Also, it’s been two years since a Yankee was highlighted. Frankly, this virtual world has been brutal to see play out so far.

Regular season

By the end of May, New York was eight games over .500 and sat atop the American League. Unfortunately, the team would fade as the season wore on and finished a few games under .500. Still, this is a positive season for the franchise. New York just needs to find its groove. Let’s dive into some of the performances of the year.

Final record: 73-80

Performances of note

Birdie Cree is probably the best player in franchise history to this point. He posted another .300 season and his career numbers are pretty impressive. This will be Cree’s last season in pinstripes, but in eight seasons with the Yankees, he tallied 1103 hits and a .325/.381/.410 slash line. However, a new star emerged: Wally Pipp. While in reality his fame is well-documented for allowing Lou Gehrig to hold down first base, he could hold off the Iron Horse if health is on his side.

In his first big league season, Pipp drove in 89 runs with a .282 batting average at first base.

On the mound, Ray Fisher posted his third straight season with a sub-3 ERA. Fishers’ OOTP numbers look pretty similar to reality as well. Fisher was a reliable arm during the 1910s for New York.