The Pensacola journal., 1920-04-09
HOW AMERICAN LEAGUE TEAMS
COMPARE.
Final Dope Figures.


At last; after. five of the most crush
fered the Cleveland Indians rank high
enough in the dope to win the Ameri-
can League pennant, even should the ill
luck that has followed them ever siace
they entered the league. run againct
them this season.
The Indians figure 373 points ahead of
the Yankees, who dope second in the
race-so far ahead in fact that the
Yankees must. either through luck or
some development of the team, over
come a three per cent handicap to beat
the Orators, or Speakers, out of the
pennant.
Three per cent superiority in the
dope is a big thing in baseball and it is
an unusual one.
I can remember only two teams which
at this season of the year doped that
much ahead of the other teams. In fact
the excitement in Cleveland over the pen
nant prospects appears to be justified.
not only because the percentages favor
the team but because the superiority ex-
lists in every department of the dope. ex-
cepting sheer slugging and much of the
figure superiority of Cleveland is due to
pitching strength.
winner among the Eastern students of
the game. has not developed the strength
claimed for the outfit. In fact consid-
cradle part of the strength claimed has
been shown to be falacious.
The fact that the Yankees rank second
in the dope is due to their hard hit
ting rather long hitting, and to the gen.
eral excellence of the pitching staff The
team is heavily handicapped by its ex-
cessive slowness of foot, which is diff
cult to overcome. 1t is faster than it
has been in the last two years, but still
slow.
The team does not figure as wen in
these closing days of the spring training
as it did three weeks ago. The injury
of Fewster, a brilliant, brainy lad with
lots of speed and nerve, hurt the infield
terribly. It probably will result in
bringing Frank Baker to the rescue of
his team, for while Baker determined to
retire. he probably would sacrifice his
own desires to help the club. He must
start late and work into condition, which
hurts Pratt. too, has slowed terribly.
The loss of Bodie clips few points off
the team strength. Bodie is not a good
bah player, but during the first two
months of any season is extremely VAL
liable, rs he hits hard until the pitching
gets steady and fast.
The chances of the Yanks, Boston and
/ Detroit of finishing second are extremely
close The Red Sox sustained by the
remnants of strength of the old cham
pionship machine, still figure fourth and
there are signs that, while the team is
not strong in stars this year as last, 1t
will play and is playing better ball and
working together better. Detroits gain
is almost entirely in pitching. The at
tacking strength always has been there.
It is not much augmented, but there is
no need to increase the attacking
strength if the defensive holds up. The
weak spot of the team has been catch
ing and pitching, and under the leader
ship of Coombs the pitchers appear to be
working better. Besides that Jennings
has added promising material
In the next bunch we find the Browns
and White Sox practically tied in the
figures. The White Sox still have spotty
strength scattered around, but the ma
chine is badly wrecked and reports from
the training camps indicate that the
worst has not been told. The White
Sox are clearly out of it as pennant
proposition and would have TO have a
lot of luck to get into the first division
The Browns, on the other hand, lave
possibilities. The team figures sixth
now. 1t has more speed than any team
In the league, but needs consistent
pitching and the attack is spotty and not
sustained.
Washington and Philadelphia both pre-
sent stronger clubs than they had last
year, but neither is a serious PROPOSE
ton as far as a championship is con-
eerned The Athletics have a hustling
aggressive bunch, and Washington is