Mains: Measuring team turnover in the 1910s

From SABR member Rob Mains at Baseball Prospectus on January 14, 2019:

I’m analyzing team roster turnover from year to year. In the last article, I examined the years 1901-1910. Now, it’s on to 1910-1920, the second decade since the formation of the American League.

Technical note: Yes, I know, 1901-1910 and 1910-1920 has an overlap in 1910. That’s by design. We’re looking at year-to-year change. The first report analyzed nine pairs of team seasons: 1901-02, 1902-03, 1903-04, … , 1909-1910. The year 1910 is the endpoint for teams that played in the 1900s. Similarly, 1910 is the beginning point for teams playing in the 1910s.

Going into this research, I expected the 1910s to contain a lot of turnover due to two events: U.S involvement in World War I in 1917 and 1918, which resulted in ballplayers in the military, and competition from the Federal League in 1914 and 1915. Let’s see whether that was borne out.

Read the full article here: https://www.baseballprospectus.com/news/article/46208/flu-like-symptoms-change-agents-1910-1920/



Originally published: January 14, 2019. Last Updated: January 14, 2019.