JIGGS McGEE's 1929 PREDICTIONS
FEDERAL ASSOCIATION
I am thinking we are in for an outstanding battle between the top three teams in the Federal Association and I can easily see any of the three winning the title. It could quite likely come down to either a key injury or an unexpected breakout star. I need to pick a winner and I took the Philadelphia Keystones last year based on their dominating offense. I was wrong about the Keystones last season, but if I keep picking them I am sure I will be right eventually. My guess is I am right this time.
PHILADELPHIA KEYSTONES - Prediction 1st
CHANGES - just rule V pickups Turkey Powell and Earl Farrar
A year ago when the then defending champion Philadelphia Keystones added outfielders Phil Sandman and Jimmy Endler from Montreal to an already dominating offense many, myself included, wanted to give the Keystones the pennant before the season even started. Well the offense did it's job but the pitching was awful. I am not sure the returning pitchers will be any better this year but I think highly touted prospect Ed Baker is ready for a breakout season at age 23 and there is a good chance 22 year old Art Myers also gets called up at some point in the season. If those two prospects come through and 24 year old Dick Miller can cut down on the walks as he follows up a 15-10 season the Keystones pitching might just be okay, and okay is plenty good enough with the offense they have.
PITTSBURGH MINERS - Prediction 2nd (edited to 3rd with late news of Bill Morrill's season ending injury
CHANGES - Traded 1B George Simpson to Cleveland for young SS Pete Asher and added P Luke Smith from the NY Stars.
Because of their cavernous ballpark the Miners play much differently then the rest of the Federal League. Righthanded power hitters hate playing here and the Miners, more than any other FA club rely on their pitching. It is the best in the FA and will keep them in contention. The Miners need a big year out of Hank Swenson, a 23 year old who replaces Simpson at first base. Swenson, a lefthanded bat, hit 20 homers in St Paul a year ago. I was close to picking Pittsburgh over Philadelphia (and Detroit is right there too) but the absence of Jim Renfroe for 2-3 months is the tipping point that drops the Miners to second. They could still win, especially if someone like Frank Lightbody, who had a nice stint in Pittsburgh late last year and a good camp, makes an impact but I think the Miners are still a year away.
DETROIT DYNAMOS - Prediction 3rd (edited to 2nd due to Pittsburgh injury to Morrill)
CHANGES - Added 2B Paul McLean from Boston and C Dave Armstrong from Brooklyn
The Dynamos are good and are going to be good for quite some time with a core group led by 26 year old Frank Vance and 21 year old Al Wheeler. They have finished second each of the past two years, including a playoff loss to the Keystones two years ago. Detroit's management was active in adding McLean and Armstrong to shore up two positions of need. The downside is they emptied the cupboard a bit in dealing 3 pitching prospects and a 2nd round pick to get them but with no everyday player over the age of 27 they should be okay while they restock. Roy Caffee won the Allen Award and heads a veteran staff that might be just a little short on depth but as long as the key arms stay healthy they will be okay. I certainly don't want to rule out the Dynamos breaking through and winning a pennant as any of the top three teams are capable. A key injury or surprising breakthrough performance will likely determine which of the 3 claims the crown.
CHICAGO CHIEFS - Prediction 4th
CHANGES - None
The Chiefs stood pat with their championship roster from a year ago. It was a great team but the Federal Association has had 5 different pennant winners in the past five seasons. Remember how high everyone was on the Keystones and their mighty offense to repeat last year and they slid all the way to 6th. I don't see Chicago dropping that far but I think Joe Masters and Jim Hampton will both be good this year, but not as dominating as they were a year ago. What scares me most is the pitching. Chicago had 4 starters win at least 19 games a year ago but there could be a big drop off here. I like Norm Austin but both he and Lou Felkel were the beneficiaries of incredible run support (6.0 per game tops in either league). Felkel is also 35 years old and Al Wood is 36. Ruben Reyes was a 30 year old in his first season as a big league starter and won 19 games but I think that was a career year for him. Even if I am wrong on just 2 of the 4 doom and gloom predictions about the Chiefs staff it will be enough to knock them out of first, and with improvements made by Detroit and Pittsburgh, plus a bounce back by Philadelphia I would say 4th is where the Chiefs will end up.
ST LOUIS PIONEERS - Prediction 5th
CHANGES - none unless you count Max Morris healthy to start the season
The Pioneers won 90 games in 1926 but dropped below .500 each of the past two seasons, spending a good chunk of each without an injured Max Morris. Morris is back and appears to be as good as ever at age 34 but the team suffered another devastating injury just a week ago when 36 year old pitcher Bill Hathaway suffered a season, and perhaps career ending injury. Hathaway is not the pitcher he was a few years ago but teamed with fellow veterans Jimmy Clinch and Rolla Puckett to give the Pioneers three solid starters. Challenging was difficult with Hathaway, now it is downright impossible. Fifth might be too high to rank the Pioneers but I am giving them the benefit of the doubt because of Morris. If he gets hurt then the Pioneers might be challenging Washington for the basement.
NEW YORK GOTHAMS - Prediction 6th
CHANGES - nothing other than the addition of rule V draft pick Chuck Calvert and pitcher Charlie Johnson is hurt again, but that's not really a change as he had a strong 1926 season but the 28 year old has been hit with 2 serious injuries since then.
Perhaps Jim Lonardo duplicates his strong rookie season on the mound. It's possible 33 year old John Reay and 34 year old Steve Castellini, both of whom missed significant time in the past couple of seasons, are injury free this year. Maybe Calvert or someone else in the system has a breakout year on the mound. A few too many questions and what if's for the Gothams, who had the worst ERA in the FA a year ago and will likely struggle again this season.
There are a lot of questions on offense as well with the big ones being how quickly will Bud Jameson get back to form when he returns in a couple of weeks from a serious knee injury that cost him half of last season but also was the 26 homers Carlos Cano hit a year ago while batting .342 something that will happen again. If Cano comes up big, Jameson returns to form and some of the pitching comes through the Gothams may challenge for the first division but anything beyond that seems out of reach.
BOSTON MINUTEMEN - Prediction 7th
CHANGES- 2B Paul McLain was traded to Detroit
Boston is looking to the future with the trade of the veteran McLain for a draft pick and a pair of minor league arms. The Minutemen are hoping Chuck Carr is ready to step in at 2B and the youngster has enjoyed a pretty good spring. A lack of offense was an issue last year and will likely continue to be so this season. They will need big seasons from veterans Charlie Berry (.359,15,95), Homer Krajewski (.276,10,82) and Jake Duke (.325,6,87) just to stay out of the basement. The Minutemen have a veteran offense aside from Carr and there are always fears of taking a step back due to that age. Likewise, the pitching staff that was strong a year ago has a couple of starters in their mid-thirties.
WASHINGTON EAGLES - Prediction 8th
CHANGES- dealt pitcher Skinny Foster to the Stars, added 3B Hank Bullock in same deal
The Eagles had a rough season last year and things won't get any easier this time around. Bullock is a nice piece for the future and they had a good draft this season as well as several decent prospects but the big league club will once again be looking up at the rest of the Federal Association.
CONTINENTAL ASSOCIATION
It is hard to repeat. Everyone plays just a little harder when they meet the defending champs and many times a team wins the title because several players all have career years at the same time. No team in the Continental not named the New York Stars has won back-to-back pennants since 1914-15 when Baltimore, still known as the Clippers back then, accomplished it. The Philadelphia Sailors are good, scary good, but I love what Cleveland has done and think the Sailors will have just enough of a World Championship Series hangover to prevent them from repeating.
CLEVELAND FORESTERS - Prediction 1st
CHANGES - added Pitcher Max Wilder from Montreal, 1B George Simpson from Pittsburgh and P Jack Gunderson from Toronto. Lost OF Felix Bradfield to Montreal.
There is always a breakout star on a pennant winner. Look at Tom Taylor of the Keystones and Joe Masters big year with the Cougars last season as proof. This time around I believe that player will be Cleveland outfielder Moxie Pidgeon. The 22 year old outfielder hit .354 with 35 homers a year ago at three levels including a brief stint with the Foresters. He has had a great spring and will combine with Joe Perret and Bobby Allen to give the Foresters a terrific young outfield. George Simpson should see a bit of a production increase now that he is away from Pittsburgh's Fitzpatrick Park and will join SS Russ Combs at the top of the order as ideal table setters for the young slugging outfielders. I also really like the acquisition of Max Wilder from Toronto to add to an already strong pitching staff.
PHILADELPHIA SAILORS - Prediction 2nd
CHANGES - nothing other than addition of rule V pickup P Bill Knapp but they didn't need to change much.
Philadelphia seems like the safe pick to repeat. Tom Taylor and Johnny Davis both look like the real deal although both have struggled this spring, Jet Cleaves is a rising star and the pitching staff is strong. I might have had some questions about Denny Wren at 39 years of age but he has had a very strong spring. The Sailors will still be very good and right there at the end. I just think this is Cleveland's year.
NEW YORK STARS - Prediction 3rd
CHANGES - added P Skinny Foster in a trade with Washington but lost P Luke Smith to Pittsburgh. Also picked 4 guys in the rule V draft which really scares me if all stick on the team.
The Stars have proven in the past couple of seasons when they are hot they are a dominant team. They have had some huge streaks but they also seem to start slow. Infielders Pete Layton, John Loften and Dave Trowbridge carry the offense but a wildcard could be outfielder Bud Rodgers, acquired at the deadline last year from Brooklyn. Rodgers had a down year last season but enjoyed a strong spring and has a recent history of success. The Stars have 5 pitchers who won at least 11 games a year ago but several had a rough spring. They should be okay but their combination of offense and pitching leaves them just short of the big two in the Continental Association.
BALTIMORE CANNONS - Prediction 4th
CHANGES - None of note
The Cannons have Joe Welch, Lou Kelly and a pair of good young arms in Rabbit Day and Dutch Leverett. There is also more talent on the way led by recent draft pick Ken Curry and some good, but still very young pitchers. There are still some holes in the roster, most notably at second base, but this is a team on the rise. The Cannons have been a second division club for 4 straight years but that trend ends this season. I don't think they have the tools to stick with the top three teams, at least not yet, but they are improving.
MONTREAL SAINTS - Prediction 5th
CHANGES - dealt P Max Wilder to Cleveland for OF Felix Bradfield. Added pitcher Harvey Rodgers from Brooklyn and a pair of rule V arms.
There have been some lean years in Montreal since their 1921 pennant winning season but the Saints have been rewarded for their struggles with some high draft picks that netted them several young talents including outfielder Cliff Moss and Allan Allen. Much of their success this season pins on the health of Allen, who's rookie season was cut short by an arm injury. He looked good in spring but fellow starters Charlie Steadman and Jack Barnet looked even better. This is a good young club that like Baltimore still has some holes but is on the rise.
BROOKLYN KINGS - Prediction 6th
CHANGES - Most veterans were jettisoned at the deadline last year but also traded P's Harvey Rodgers and Jack Gunderson over the winter. Added free agent veteran Bob Schmid and rule V pickup Jim Langley.
Brooklyn has possibly the most explosive offense from top to bottom in either league. There is a ton of potential but it is also very young with OF Herb Smiddy the latest sensation. This club produces a ton of quality young outfielders like Doug Lightbody,Ab Thomas and the Powell's in addition to a number that are playing elsewhere now. However, the Brooklyn pitching staff is, and always has been a mess. The team added what it hopes is it's saviour on the mound in Liberty College legend Tommy Wilcox but he is still a year or so away. Wilcox heads a good group of young pitchers but none seem ready for the big leagues yet so the Kings will make do with a makeshift staff. Brooklyn could quite conceivably lead the CA in both runs scored and runs allowed this year. If a pitcher or two surprises perhaps they can stay in the race and finish in the upper division, but things could also go south very quickly as well.
CHICAGO COUGARS - Prediction 7th
CHANGES - just added 5 more rule V draft picks.
It seems like forever ago when the Cougars won he 1922 pennant and finished just a game out in 1923. Since then the Cougars have gone 333-436 and finished an average of 25 games out of first place including a disaster last year when they won just 59 games and trailed the Sailors by 43. Add to the suffering they felt watching their cross-town rivals win a pennant and these are sad times on the north side of Chicago. There is some hope for the future with rising star Bill Ashbaugh and highly touted rookies in catcher Fred Barrell and 3B Mack Deal but the Cougars still have a ways to go to be competitive.
TORONTO WOLVES - Prediction 8th
CHANGES - Nothing besides retirement of a backup infielder
The Wolves followed up very good 1926 and 1927 seasons with their worst winning percentage since 1896 a year ago when they went 60-94. The Wolves have a couple of good young pitchers in the system but neither are ready to contribute at the big league level and the same can be said for promising 20 year old shortstop Frank Huddleston. There is some hope for the future but Toronto may be in for a couple of more very lean years and this season could be as bad, or perhaps even worse than last year.