1972 MLB Season Preview

Baseball fans could see more of the same at the top of the standings as Oakland, Pittsburgh and Baltimore are expected to dominate.

Editor’s note: This is a fictional account of this history of Major League Baseball beginning in 1968. This narrative was created by playing Out of the Park Baseball 19. For an introduction to this dynasty, visit: https://medium.com/historical-sports-gaming/re-writing-mlb-history-an-introduction-5800441d7e3

1972 MLB Season Preview

REGULAR SEASON FORMAT: The big change this offseason is the Washington Senators move to the Dallas-Ft. Worth area. The new team, named the Texas Rangers, will play out of Arlington Stadium. With the move comes a small alignment change in the A.L. as the Rangers will shift to the West and the Milwaukee Brewers will head to the East as that division’s only Central Time Zone team. The National League sees no changes.

PLAYOFF FORMAT: No changes.

Editor’s note: The following predictions were published by OOTP19.

AL East Division Finish Predictions

1. Baltimore — The aging Orioles are expected to win another AL East title, but they’re running out of time. The lineup is aging and the O’s could struggle to score runs this season. Their pitching, led by Jim Palmer, should keep them afloat.
2. Boston — The Red Sox have improved in each of the past three seasons, winning 87 games last year. If the Orioles regress, Boston may have a shot to steal away the division crown. Carlton Fish should anchor one of the A.L.’s best offenses.
3. Detroit —This is one of the more surprising picks, as the game has the Tigers earning their first winning season in three years. Mickey Lolich is a solid ace for Detroit, but its unknown where most their offense will come from.
4. NY Yankees — It’s Groundhog Day in the Bronx and the Yankees look like they won’t climb out of their mid-80s win total this year. New York has won between 84 and 88 games each of the last four years. They may make it five.
5. Cleveland — Lacking in both star players and depth, Cleveland has been the definition of mediocrity in the last few seasons. Their pitching staff, after Sam McDowell, is expected to be a mess again this year.
6. Milwaukee— The new division is not expected to be kind to the Brewers. The team’s offense looks as though it could be historically bad this year and Pat Dobson and Don Gullet on the mound won’t be able to save them.

AL West Division Finish Predictions

1. Oakland — Is this the year the A’s finally get it done? With their core reaching its prime and Baltimore and Pittsburgh aging, it appears the time is now for Oakland to finally bring a World Series to the Bay Area. The pressure is on.
2. CHI White Sox — The White Sox are again expected to finish a distant second to Oakland in the West. Chicago is developing a balanced club, with Bill Melton developing into a star and Wilbur Wood now one of the A.L.’s best pitchers.
3. California — Andy Messersmith has the potential to be a Cy Young contender again for the Angels, but just like last year, the offense is looking hideous out in Anaheim. The good news is the Angels may at least score more runs than the two teams below them.
4. Texas — Big news for the Rangers: they are expected to set a franchise record for wins in a season this year! The bad news? The franchise record for wins is only 77 — they are predicted for 78. No stars, no depth, no hope in Texas.
5. Kansas City — The Royals remain the best of the awful 1969 expansion bunch thanks to a solid pitching duo of Al Downing and Fred Norman. Unfortunately, OK pitching is about all Kansas City has.
6. Minnesota — After a shockingly bad 1971 season, the Twins window of contention appears to be gone. Minnesota still features good bats such as Rod Caren and Harmon Killebrew, but their pitching may be the worst in baseball.

Statistical Leader Predictions

Batting Average — .354 —Rod Carew, Minnesota

Home Runs — 32 — Reggie Jackson, Oakland

RBIs — 104 —Lee May, Oakland

Wins — 19— Vida Blue, Oakland and Catfish Hunter, Oakland

ERA — 2.08— Jim Palmer, Baltimore and Wilbur Wood, CHI White Sox

Strikeouts — 218 — Vida Blue, Oakland

NL East Division Finish Predictions

1. Pittsburgh — The Pirates are trying to become the first non-Yankee team to win four straight World Series. Pittsburgh’s roster isn’t getting any younger and the Mets will challenge them, but a fourth straight NL East title appears to be in the cards.
2. NY Mets — There is no better starting pitching duo in baseball than the Mets’ Tom Seaver and Nolan Ryan. Add in Jerry Koosman as a №3 and New York’s pitching is set. The same old question remains: do they have enough offense?
3. St. Louis — The Cardinals are still led by an outstanding pitching staff anchored by ace Steve Carlton and future Hall of Famer Bob Gibson. However, St. Louis lacks any semblance of offense after Ted Simmons.
4. Philadelphia — The surprise of 1971, the Phillies had their first winning record in five years and were in the NL East race most of the year. This season, Philadelphia and they’re upstart pitching is expected to take a step back.
5. CHI Cubs — A brutal pitching staff has been the primary cause of back-to-back 95-loss seasons for the Cubs. Now with Billy Williams and Ron Santo on the wrong side of 30, the offense could take a dive as well.
6. Montreal — Same script, different year for the Expos as they are again projected to be the worst team in baseball. However, there is a glimmer of hope on the horizon: Montreal has been ranked as the best farm system in the majors.

NL West Division Finish Predictions

1. San Francisco— Coming off their first-ever NL West title, the Giants are surprisingly expected to repeat as division champions by a significant margin thanks to a well-bounced lineup and a deep pitching staff.
2. Los Angeles — The Dodgers have a solid pitching staff, but appear to be a piece or two away on offense from really challenging the rival Giants for the division. Bobby Murcer will try to lead L.A. with his bat in the middle of the order.
3. Cincinnati— Disappointed with the team’s finish the last two seasons, Reds’ management made several moves in the offseason to shuffle the lineup and give Cincinnati a boost just as their young rotation is coming of age. Cincy is almost there.
4. Houston— The Astros were a massive disappointment last year, falling way down the standings early and finishing with their worst record since 1965. The Astros should be a bit better this year, but not as good as the back-to-back NL West champions from 1969 and 1970.
5. Atlanta — The stunning offseason retirement of Phil Niekro has left the Braves without any ace to speak of. With the pitching staff in tatters, Atlanta could be in for a rough seasons even with a dynamic offense led by Hank Aaron.
6. San Diego — The bad news is San Diego is projected to finish in last place once again this year. The good news is the Padres’ predicted record is 78–84, significantly better than 58–104 from a year ago. San Diego’s crazy deep farm system should begin bearing fruit.

Statistical Leader Predictions

Batting Average — .334 —Ralph Garr, Atlanta

Home Runs — 37 — Hank Aaron, Atlanta

RBIs — 111— Bobby Bonds, San Francisco

Wins — 20 — Gary Nolan, Cincinnati

ERA —1.83 — Tom Seaver, NY Mets

Strikeouts — 279 — Nolan Ryan, NY Mets