{"id":2800,"date":"2026-03-19T08:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-19T08:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/?p=2101"},"modified":"2026-03-14T21:28:31","modified_gmt":"2026-03-14T21:28:31","slug":"mlb_team_rankings_1920s_05_01","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/2026\/03\/19\/mlb_team_rankings_1920s_05_01\/","title":{"rendered":"1920s MLB Team Rankings Countdown: 5 through 1"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Welcome to the next countdown post in our series of 1920s MLB Team Rankings. As a reminder, the teams are ranked from #20 through #1 based on aggregate WAR162. For the 1920s (1920-1929), a total of 160 teams were eligible (16 teams x 10 seasons), so the top 20 teams are a fairly exclusive group. We&#8217;ll summarize each team, including portions of their team dashboard, and explain how they attained their ranking. So, without further ado, here are the teams ranked #5 through #1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here&#8217;s the interactive dashboard at Tableau Public: <a href=\"https:\/\/public.tableau.com\/views\/Top20MLBTeams1910-1919\/Dashboard1?:language=en-US&amp;publish=yes&amp;:sid=&amp;:redirect=auth&amp;:display_count=n&amp;:origin=viz_share_link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">1920s Top 20 MLB Teams Dashboard<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-f9a7fc9b164652aa2e46565e58626af1\" style=\"color:#2a35ff\">#5: 1920 Cleveland Indians, 55.8 WAR162<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The 1920 Indians prevailed in a hotly contested AL pennant race, topping the White Sox by two games and the Yankees by four games. The team wound up a single game ahead of their projected 97-57 record, and would go on to defeat the Brooklyn Robins 5 games to 2 in a best-of-9 World Series.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"713\" height=\"187\" src=\"https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-46.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2871\" srcset=\"https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-46.png 713w, https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-46-300x79.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 713px) 100vw, 713px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The Indians had a prolific offense that produced an AL-best 856 runs. They also led the league in doubles (301), OBP (.376), and OPS (.793), while placing second in BA and triples. The pitching performance was also strong, starting with a 3.41 ERA, trailing only the Yankees. They finished a close second in WHIP, and led the AL in strikeout-to-walk rate.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"719\" height=\"410\" src=\"https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-57.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2885\" srcset=\"https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-57.png 719w, https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-57-300x171.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 719px) 100vw, 719px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Center fielder <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/s\/speaktr01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-03-14_br\">Tris Speaker<\/a> provided the offensive spark to go with his defensive prowess. Speaker batted .388, scored 137 runs, had 107 RBI, a 1.045 OPS, and led the AL with 50 doubles. Catcher <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/o\/o'neist01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-03-14_br\">Steve O&#8217;Neill<\/a> batted .321 with 39 doubles, and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/search\/search.fcgi?pid=smithel02,smithel01&amp;search=Elmer+Smith&amp;utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-03-14_br\">Elmer Smith<\/a> led the team with 12 homers while batting .316. <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/c\/chapmra01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-03-14_br\">Ray Chapman<\/a> (.303 BA) and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/g\/gardnla01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-03-14_br\">Larry Gardner<\/a> (.310 BA, 118 RBI) round out the offensive production for the Indians. <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/c\/covelst01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-03-14_br\">Stan Coveleski<\/a> (24-14, 2.49 ERA) and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/search\/search.fcgi?pid=bagbyji02,bagbyji01&amp;search=Jim+Bagby&amp;utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-03-14_br\">Jim Bagby<\/a> (31-12, 2.89 ERA) formed a formidable duo at the top of the Indians rotation. Bagby led the AL in wins and innings pitched, while Coveleski led the league in hits per 9 innings, WHIP, and strikeouts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-508da9e8ef831f129d941dbb963e2271\" style=\"color:#2a35ff\">#4: 1928 Philadelphia Athletics, 56.2 WAR162<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><mark style=\"background-color:#ffffff\" class=\"has-inline-color\">The 1928 version of the Athletics <\/mark>finished  2.5 games behind the pennant-winning Yankees, largely due to some exceptional luck on the Yankees&#8217; end. Pythagorean projections had the A&#8217;s 2.5 games better than the Yankees, but they would have to wait a year for the standings to reflect that outcome.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"713\" height=\"186\" src=\"https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-48.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2873\" srcset=\"https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-48.png 713w, https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-48-300x78.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 713px) 100vw, 713px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The A&#8217;s finished behind the Yankees across numerous offensive categories &#8211; runs, BA, OBP, and OPS, although the margins were often slim. They were a very good offensive squad, overshadowed by a slightly better Yankees unit. The Athletics possessed the top pitching staff across multiple measures &#8211; ERA (3.36), WHIP (1.296), hits per 9 innings, strikeouts per 9 innings, and strikeout-to-walk rate. The A&#8217;s staff was clearly the most effective group in the AL in 1928.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"716\" height=\"418\" src=\"https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-64.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2895\" srcset=\"https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-64.png 716w, https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-64-300x175.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 716px) 100vw, 716px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The A&#8217;s offense was a balanced group without any major stars in 1928, although some would emerge as stars in the following seasons. <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/b\/bishoma01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-03-14_br\">Max Bishop<\/a> led the way, batting .316 with a .438 OBP, courtesy of 100 walks. The 20-year-old <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/f\/foxxji01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-03-14_br\">Jimmie Foxx<\/a> batted .328 with a .964 OPS, and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/s\/simmoal01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-03-14_br\">Al Simmons<\/a> batted .351 with 107 RBI. <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/c\/cochrmi01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-03-14_br\">Mickey Cochrane<\/a> posted a .395 OBP from his catcher spot, and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/m\/millebi02.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-03-14_br\">Bing Miller<\/a> hit .329 with 85 RBI. The pitching staff was led by <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/g\/grovele01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-03-14_br\">Lefty Grove<\/a> and his 24-8 mark with a 2.58 ERA. Grove also topped the AL with 183 strikeouts. <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/search\/search.fcgi?pid=quinnja01,quinn-004jac,quinn-003jac&amp;search=Jack+Quinn&amp;utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-03-14_br\">Jack Quinn<\/a> posted a nifty 18-4 record with a 2.90 ERA, and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/w\/walberu01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-03-14_br\">Rube Walberg<\/a> notched 17 wins from the second spot in the rotation. <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/r\/rommeed01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-03-14_br\">Eddie Rommel<\/a> went 13-5, largely in relief, finishing 18 games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-f8e3f7a29036cd7fbfd0d7cf92e5d09b\" style=\"color:#2a35ff\">#3: 1929 Philadelphia Athletics, 58.0 WAR162<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The 1929 Athletics picked up where the 1928 club left off, winning the pennant this time by a remarkable 18 games over the Yankees. While they benefited from some good luck on their side, the A&#8217;s were still projected as a 100-win team. The A&#8217;s followed the pennant with a decisive 5-game triumph over the Cubs in the World Series.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"716\" height=\"185\" src=\"https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-50.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2875\" srcset=\"https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-50.png 716w, https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-50-300x78.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 716px) 100vw, 716px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>On a per-game basis, the A&#8217;s were dead even in runs scored with the Tigers. They also finished second in home runs, first in OBP and OPS, and third in BA. The team had a ridiculous 57-16 home record, and also excelled in one-run games (24-14). While the offense was very good, the pitching was even better. Their 3.44 ERA was far ahead of all rivals, as was their WHIP, strikeouts, and strikeout-to-walk rate. <\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"711\" height=\"417\" src=\"https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-61.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2891\" srcset=\"https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-61.png 711w, https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-61-300x176.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 711px) 100vw, 711px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The offense was spearheaded by Jimmie Foxx and Al Simmons, who each put together huge seasons. Foxx (age 21) swatted 33 homers, batted .354, had an AL-best .463 OBP, and a 1.088 OPS. Simmons hit .365 with 34 homers and a league-best 157 RBI, plus a 1.040 OPS.  Catcher Mickey Cochrane batted .331 with 113 runs scored, and Jimmie Dykes batted .327 while playing multiple infield positions. Bing Miller batted .331 with 93 RBI to round out a potent top five. On the mound, Lefty Grove went 20-6 with an AL-best 2.81 ERA and 170 strikeouts. Rube Walberg won 18 games, and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/e\/earnsge01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-03-14_br\">George Earnshaw<\/a> led the league with 24 wins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-fa5a2f590c8957b80af9eb955cd6950f\" style=\"color:#2a35ff\">#2: 1922 St. Louis Browns, 61.3 WAR<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The 1922 Browns are a surprise in the #2 spot in the rankings for a couple of reasons. First, they are the Browns, a franchise that had very little success until they became the Baltimore Orioles. They also finished in second place in 1922, a single game behind the Yankees. In true Browns fashion, their win projection was 7 games better than the Yankees&#8217;, but a combination of bad luck and some good luck for the Yankees relegated them to second place.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"711\" height=\"184\" src=\"https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-52.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2877\" srcset=\"https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-52.png 711w, https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-52-300x78.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 711px) 100vw, 711px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The Browns had a terrific offense in 1922, leading the AL in runs scored, 40 ahead of the Tigers. They ranked second in doubles, first in triples, second in homers, and easily led the league in stolen bases. They also paced the AL in BA and OPS; in short, they were a very potent offense, even given the high-scoring environment of 1922. The Browns&#8217; pitching was also effective &#8211; their 3.38 ERA nosed out the Yankees to top the AL. The  Browns ranked second in WHIP, and topped the league in both strikeouts and strikeout-to-walk rate.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"713\" height=\"417\" src=\"https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-62.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2892\" srcset=\"https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-62.png 713w, https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-62-300x175.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 713px) 100vw, 713px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The 1922 Browns had three players with WAR162 values above 8, including two positional players. Star first baseman <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/s\/sislege01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-03-14_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">George Sisler<\/a> led the AL with a .420 BA, 134 runs scored, 18 triples, 246 hits, and 51 stolen bases. His OPS of 1.061 was among the best in the AL. Teammate <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/search\/search.fcgi?pid=willike01,willike02&amp;search=Ken+Williams&amp;utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-03-14_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Ken Williams<\/a> mashed 39 homers and added 155 RBI, both tops in the league, while batting .332 with a 1.040 OPS. Further support came from second baseman <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/m\/mcmanma01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-03-14_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Marty McManus<\/a>, who batted .312 with 109 RBI, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/j\/jacobba01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-03-14_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Baby Doll Jacobson<\/a>, who paired 102 RBI with a .317 BA. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/s\/shockur01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-03-14_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Urban Shocker<\/a> was the third high-WAR player, authoring a 24-17 record with a 2.97 ERA and league-best 149 strikeouts in 348 innings. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/v\/vangiel01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-03-14_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Elam Vangilder<\/a> was a strong second starter with 19 wins and a solid 3.42 ERA. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/k\/kolpra01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-03-14_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Ray Kolp<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/search\/search.fcgi?pid=wrighra01,wrighra02&amp;search=Rasty+Wright&amp;utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-03-14_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Rasty Wright<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/p\/pruethu01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-03-14_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Hub Pruett<\/a> combined for 30 wins; Pruett finished 23 games and earned 7 saves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-fd68f6c7a1607c07419513cbb5ddf733\" style=\"color:#2a35ff\">#1: 1927 New York Yankees, 73.7 WAR<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The 1927 Yankees are a legendary team in MLB history &#8211; peak <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/r\/ruthba01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-03-14_br\">Babe Ruth<\/a>, emerging star <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/g\/gehrilo01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-03-14_br\">Lou Gehrig<\/a>, career years from the likes of <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/c\/combsea01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-03-14_br\">Earle Combs<\/a>, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/l\/lazzeto01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-03-14_br\">Tony Lazzeri<\/a>, and more. They steamrolled the American League, topping a good Athletics team by 19 games, and then swept the Pirates in the World Series.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"714\" height=\"186\" src=\"https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-54.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2879\" srcset=\"https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-54.png 714w, https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-54-300x78.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 714px) 100vw, 714px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The Yankees were a dominant offensive team, piling up 976 runs, 131 more than the Tigers. They also led the league in home runs, swatting 102 more than any other team. Their .307 BA, .384 OBP, and .872 OPS all topped the league. As if the Yankees&#8217; offense wasn&#8217;t enough, they also boasted the league&#8217;s best pitching staff, with a 3.20 ERA versus the next best 3.91 posted by the White Sox. The Yankees&#8217; WHIP and hits per 9 innings were also far ahead of any rivals.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"713\" height=\"416\" src=\"https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-63.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2893\" srcset=\"https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-63.png 713w, https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-63-300x175.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 713px) 100vw, 713px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Ruth and Gehrig combined for a remarkable 26.0 WAR162 value, combining to lead the league in many offensive categories. Ruth led in home runs (60), walks (137), OBP (.486), OPS (1.258), and runs (158). Gehrig led in doubles (52) and RBI (173), while batting .373, posting a 1.240 OPS, and scoring 149 runs. Together, they formed the most intimidating two-man punch in MLB history. Earle Combs also had a fine year, leading the AL in hits (231) and triples (23), while batting .356, and Tony Lazzeri batted .309 with 102 RBI. <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/m\/meusebo01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-03-14_br\">Bob Meusel<\/a> chipped in with a .337 BA and 103 RBI. <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/h\/hoytwa01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-03-14_br\">Waite Hoyt<\/a> led the pitching staff with a 22-7 record and 2.63 ERA, aided by <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/m\/moorewi01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-03-14_br\">Wilcy Moore<\/a> (19-7, 2.28 ERA, 13 saves), and Urban Shocker (18-6, 2.84 ERA). Veteran <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/p\/pennohe01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-03-14_br\">Herb Pennock<\/a> posted a 19-8 mark at age 33.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Summary<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><mark style=\"background-color:#ffffff\" class=\"has-inline-color\">That&#8217;s it for this entry in our MLB Team Rankings for the 1920s decade! <strong>Here&#8217;s a quick summary of which franchises dominated the decade:<\/strong><\/mark><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"855\" height=\"474\" src=\"https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-56.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2883\" srcset=\"https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-56.png 855w, https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-56-300x166.png 300w, https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-56-768x426.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 855px) 100vw, 855px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>We&#8217;ll start visiting the 1930s next week. As always, thanks for reading!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Welcome to the next countdown post in our series of 1920s MLB Team Rankings. As a reminder, the teams are ranked from #20 through #1 based on aggregate WAR162. For the 1920s (1920-1929), a total of 160 teams were eligible (16 teams x 10 seasons), so the top 20 teams are a fairly exclusive group. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[51],"tags":[69,41,66,47,64],"class_list":["post-2800","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-dashboards","tag-1920s","tag-mlb-statistics","tag-rankings","tag-team-war","tag-war162"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>1920s MLB Team Rankings Countdown: 5 through 1 - Visual-Baseball<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"View a countdown through the 1920s MLB Team Rankings for the 1920-1929 decade, with teams 5-1 featured in this post\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/2026\/03\/19\/mlb_team_rankings_1920s_05_01\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"1920s MLB Team Rankings Countdown: 5 through 1 - 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