Expectations
Best team in the league adds the best free agent? Anything short of competing for a second consecutive championship would be a disappointment.
Best Case
The pitching is even better, supported by the return of the injured arms (most of all, Ned Garvin and Sean Marshall) and the offense runs even deeper with the addition of Gavvy Cravath.
Worst Case
The pitching reverts to mediocre and both Cravath and Dan McGann show their age while other key parts of the offense–Curt Blefary especially–regress.
Key Changes
- Cravath, clearly.
- Closer Joe Beggs may be converted into a starter, with Buddy Groom and John Wetteland taking over the end of games. At the end of Spring Training, he was still in the bullpen, but the move looms.
This is part of why they start the season as the favorites: the only changes have been a clear improvement in talent with Cravath and a few changes at the end of the roster (Tom Haller beating out Ramón Hernández behind Blefary, Miller Huggins beating out Brian Roberts as a reserve infielder, John Tudor making the team, stuff like that). The team has some flaws, but those same flaws existed last season, and that ended with a championship.
Trade Bait
Not a lot. There is a little excess in the OF and some spare SP, but the team also doesn’t have a lot of glaring need.
Roster Evaluation
| POS | Elite | Strong | Solid | Meh | Weak | Unknown |
| C | Blefary | Haller | ||||
| 1B | McGann | |||||
| 2B | Gardner | Huggins | ||||
| 3B | Machado | |||||
| SS | Wallace | |||||
| LF/ RF | Cravath Robinson | Harper Singleton | ||||
| CF | Blair | Jacobsen | ||||
| SP | Byrd Martínez | Johnson | Mussina | Palmer Sain | ||
| End | Beggs Groom | Wetteland | ||||
| RP | Bessent | Olson | Tudor |
Seems about right: most of the roster is firmly towards the left side of the scale, with more unknowns with upside than actual weaknesses.
Talent Ratings
| WBL | Minors | |
| Raw Power | OF Gavvy Cravath | 1B Eddie Murray |
| Batting Eye | IF Miller Huggins | IF Piggy Ward |
| Contact | 1B Dan McGann | OF Steve Brodie |
| Running Speed | IF Miller Huggins | OF Billy Hulen |
| Base Stealing | 2B Larry Gardner | OF Dave Altizer |
| IF Defense | IF Miller Huggins | 3B Brooks Robinson |
| OF Defense | CF Paul Blair | CF Sam West |
| Stuff | SP Ned Garvin | SP Mark Baldwin |
| Control | SP Mike Mussina | SP Ken Johnson |
| Velocity | RP John Wetteland | RP Rafael Betancourt |
Best In The Minors
| Rank | Age | POS | Name |
| 1 (12) | 22 | 2B | Chino Smith |
| 2 (34) | 22 | 1B | Eddie Murray |
| 3 (44) | 22 | SS | Cal Ripken, Jr |
| 4 (52) | 19 | P | Jack Kramer |
| 5 (67) | 20 | OF | Steve Brodie |
| 6 (78) | 16 | 3B | Piggy Ward |
| 7 (88) | 21 | P | Joe Dobson |
| 8 (115) | 19 | 1B | Willie Montañez |
| 9 (149) | 22 | OF | Bruce Bochte |
| 10 (172) | 23 | P | Frank Francisco |
Chino Smith was drafted in the 8th round by Memphis, then inexplicably released. The Black Sox snapped him up, hoping he may be part of the answer to what comes after Wallace and Gardner in the middle infield. Murray and Ripken are expected in the WBL this season, although when Murray takes over for McGann remains unclear.
| Most | Least | |
| Age | P RA Dickey, 42 | 3B Piggy Ward, 16 |
| Height | P Kameron Loe, 6’8″ | P Bobby Mathews, 5’5″ |
| OPS | OF Chick Stahl, .958 (AAA/WBL) | C George Gibson, .597 (AAA/AA) |
| HR | OF Frank Robinson, 37 (WBL) | OF Phil Bradley, 1 (WBL/AAA) OF Burt Shotton, 1 (AAA/AA) |
| SB | SS Cliff Pennington, 22 (—) | Many with 0 |
| WAR | C Curt Blefary, 4.7 (WBL) | OF Gene Clines, -1.0 (—) |
| W | Bill Byrd, 14 (WBL) Dennis Martínez, 14 (WBL) | Phil Ortega, 2 (AA) |
| SV | Craig Stammen, 21 (—) | |
| ERA | Ned Garvin, 2.80 (WBL) | Cristhian Martínez, 8.34 (—) |
| WAR | Ken Johnson, 4.8 (—) | RA Dickey, -1.7 (—) |