CINCINNATI - Much is made about expectations. Sometimes, they are justified. Other times, they are unrealistic. To predict Pittsburgh and New York, the runners-up for 1935, as champions for this season makes sense. Likewise, the expectations that Henry Greenberg, reigning American League MVP and batting champion, will once again excel is perfectly reasonable.
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| Traynor |
However, the weight of expectations can also be crushing. Ask Harold "Pie" Traynor, formerly the manager and third baseman of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Last season, the Bucs were also favorites to take the Senior Circuit pennant. However, they failed to live up to that mark, and Traynor was dismissed as manager and traded, to San Diego. Following a dismal season on the Coronado Coast, the Padres removed Henry Cox as manager, and signed on...Traynor. This season, the experts think Traynor will turn San Diego's 73-81 record around to 81-73, and have the Padres pegged for third place in the PCL. Will the expectations prove too much for Traynor again? Time will tell.
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| DiMaggio |
Being a rookie can be tough in the best of circumstances, but when you are installed as the Big Club's starting center fielder and clean-up hitter in December, before even having played a major league game, the pressure can really mount. Such is the situation that young Joe DiMaggio finds himself in - signed to a contract in the off-season, the San Francisco player was informed by manager Gerard Ford that he will play straight away, without a trip to Denver. Privately, sources in and around Seals Stadium say that the 21-year-old DiMaggio is focused and mature enough to handle the pressure, and the scribes agree, naming him amongst the favorites to be Pacific Coast MVP.
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| Mize |
Other times, a player can come into spring training and, by virtue of his performance, either serve notice that he is one to be reckoned with, or increase the expectations on his ability. When Johnny Mize arrived in Cardinals camp, he knew that he would be given an opportunity, but that there were no guarantees. Mize proceeded to hit at a .419 clip, with 25 runs batted in and a phenomenal 9 home runs in 24 games. Now, Mize has a very real chance of supplanting Ripper Collins at first base for the Redbirds, a prospect seemingly unthinkable at the start of the spring. Could Mize be the next great Cardinals slugger? Or will he be the latest in a long line of flashes in the pan, buoyed by false hope in the spring, and ultimately done in by the weight of expectations?
1936 pre-season predictions:
National League
1. Pittsburgh
2. St. Louis
3. Cincinnati
4. Chicago
5. New York
6. Brooklyn
7. Philadephia
8. Boston
American League
1. New York
2. Detroit
3. Cleveland
4. Philadelphia
5. Boston
6. Washington
7. St. Louis
8. Chicago
International League
1. Rochester
2. Newark
3. Syracuse
4. Montreal
5. Buffalo
6. Toronto
7. Jersey City
8. Baltimore
Pacific Coast League
1. San Francisco
2. Seattle
3. San Diego
4. Oakland
5. Los Angeles
6. Mission
7. Sacramento
8. Portland
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