Week in Review - National League (May 6-12, 1929)

 

The story of the last week: the Chicago Cubs taking over the top spot in the standings.  Honestly, no team in the league really lit it on fire this week, but the Cubs played better than the Giants and now find themselves with a slight lead.  With the Phillies offense, it is no surprise that they are making a push as well.  The real underperformers in the National League are, still, the Pittsburgh Pirates.  Although, while the Pirates did end up finishing second in the NL in 1929, they were only .500 at this point in the season, so there is still time for them to turn it around.  Here is the link to Baseball-Reference with the actual standings on 5/12/29.

***NOTE: It was pointed out to me by Cyrus, the developer of Skeetersoft, that there are a few games that were called as ties up to this point in the season.  I have chosen to go ahead and finish those games, primarily because my games in those situations were not tied at the end of 9 innings.  Thus, you will notice that teams like the Cardinals and the Pirates have more games played in my replay than they actually did at this point in 1929.  This seems the easiest way to handle it, but I thought I would point it out.

NL Batting Leaders

 

 

 

As in the American League, the offensive numbers seem a bit high for the top performers, but I have no statistical analysis to back that up - hopefully things start to even out as we progress.

National League - Top 10 Hitters

Rogers Hornsby (CHC)

1. Rogers Hornsby, Chicago Cubs (Prev: 1) (.473/..524/.879, OPS: 1.403; Other highlights: 8 HRs, 38 RBI, 20 runs, 43 hits) - As spectacular a season Lefty O'Doul is having (and just look below, it is indeed spectacular), there isn't even a plausible case that can be made for him to be ranked above The Raja.  Hornsby is currently trending toward a Triple Crown, while also leading the American League (and all of baseball) in slugging and OPS.  His 38 RBI dwarf Al Simmons' American League-leading total of 23.  If he were to maintain his 1.403 OPS, it would break Babe Ruth's 1920 record.  This is currently the best baseball player on the planet and honestly, there's really not an argument about that.

2. Lefty O'Doul, Philadelphia Phillies (Prev: 2) (.452/.524/.726, OPS: 1.250; Other highlights: 5 HRs, 23 RBI, 18 runs, 33 hits) - Lefty continues to hit and get on base at a dazzling pace - in virtually any other season, in any other league, he'd be at the top of a list like this.  The Phillies offense, as a whole, remains potent and Lefty has led the Phillies to 2 games over .500 and only one game out of first place.

3. Jim Bottomley, St. Louis Cardinals (Prev: 3) (.369/.429/.679, OPS: 1.108, Other highlights: 7 HRs, 26 RBI, 17 runs, 31 hits) - Bottomley's numbers have dropped slightly from last week, but that's more an indication of how ridiculously hot he was to start the season.  His 7 home runs and 26 RBI trail only the outlandish stats that Hornsby is putting up.  Plus, the Cardinals have gotten hot and climbed out of the National League cellar, getting back to .500 and seeming poised to keep things righted for the remainder of the season.

Kiki Cuyler (CHC)

4. Kiki Cuyler, Chicago Cubs (Prev: 7) (.398/.486/.591, OPS: 1.077; Other highlights: 21 runs, 35 hits, 15 BB, 6 SB) - Cuyler hits in front of Rogers Hornsby, so he is obviously going to see pitches to hit and he is clearly making the most of it.  With Hornsby knocking him in at record pace, Cuyler leads the league in runs scored - and with his near .400 batting average, he's on base a lot for Hornsby to knock him.  His 6 stolen bases also ensure that he ends up in scoring position often.

5. George Harper, Boston Braves (Prev: 5) (.462/.568/.554, OPS: 1.122; Other highlights: 30 hits, 16 BB) - The league leader in walks and on-base percentage, Harper is also hitting  an absurd .462.  He doesn't have great power numbers, but he gets on base more often than not, which is all that can really be asked of him.  There's a strong case for him to be ranked even higher than this.

6. Bill Terry, New York Giants (Prev: 4) (.385/.452/.544, OPS: 1.006; Other highlights: 17 RBI) - Another guy whose numbers may have gone down slightly, but that is more having to do with his white hot start.  The Giants have fallen out of first place thanks to the surging Cubs, but Terry continues to deliver, along with teammates Travis Jackson and Freddy Lindstrom.

7. Chuck Klein, Philadelphia Phillies (Prev: 9) (.319/.415/.580, OPS: .995; Other highlights: 5 HRs) - Another power hitter in the explosive Phillies lineup, Klein continues to slug at a high rate and knock balls over the fence.

Lloyd Waner (PIT)

8. Lloyd Waner, Pittsburgh Pirates (Prev: NR) (.381/.441/..536, OPS: .977; Other highlights: 17 RBI, 32 hits, 4 SB) - There is no question that the Pirates are underachieving, but Lloyd Waner has started to put together a great all around season.

9. Travis Jackson, New York Giants (Prev: 6) (.322/.403/.542, OPS: .945) - Like teammate Bill Terry, the numbers for Jackson have dropped a bit, as the entire Giants offense cooled somewhat, but he is still a formidable obstacle at the plate.

10. Babe Herman, Brooklyn Robins (Prev: NR) (.333/.384/.513, OPS: .897; Other highlights: 10 SB) - His slashes may not be as flashy as others on this list, but Herman is super hot right now and is doing a little bit of everything.  His 10 stolen bases lead the National League and all of baseball.

NL Pitching Leaders

 

 

National League - Top 5 Pitchers

Dazzy Vance (BRO)

1. Dazzy Vance, Brooklyn Robins (5 games, 5 starts, 3-1, 0.82 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 20 Ks) (Other highlights: 1 CG, 43.2 IP) - Dazz is still the main in the National League, but look down this list and see a number of pitchers right on his heels - this is not like the American League, where Lefty Grove is far and away the best pitcher in the league.

2. Red Lucas, Cincinnati Reds (5 games, 4 starts, 3-1, 2.13 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 10 Ks) (Other highlights: 3 CG, 38 IP) - The Reds are in a tailspin, but Lucas continues to deliver with every trip to the mound (and he can hit a bit, too).

Charlie Root (CHC)

3. Charlie Root, Chicago Cubs (5 games, 5 starts, 3-1, 3.07 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 16 Ks; Other highlights: 3 CGs, 41 IP) - Oh, now I see why the Cubs have rocketed to the top of the standings.

4. Sheriff Blake, Chicago Cubs (8 games, 5 starts, 4-1, 3.73 ERA, 1.63 WHIP, 9 Ks; Other highlights: 3 CGs, 1 shutout, 41 IP) - Wait...another Cub?

5. Guy Bush, Chicago Cubs (5 games, 4 starts, 2-2, 4.33 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 4 Ks; Other highlights: 2 CGs, 2 shutouts) - And a third Cubs pitcher?!  They have quite the rotation, and the best hitter in the game putting up runs for them.