Chicago Cubs: The All-Time Tournament
Semi-finals
1906 Cubs vs. 1929 Cubs
If ever there was a battle of offense vs. defense, this would be it. The only knock on the 1906 Chicago Cubs is their failure to win the World Series – they lost a stunning six-game upset to the cross-town White Sox. But the 1929 Cubs also lost the World Series – to the Athletics in five games.
In the end, the adage that good pitching beats good hitting gives the nod to the 1906 team. As solid as Hornsby, Wilson, Cuyler and that gang were with the bat, they never faced an opposing staff with the talent and depth the 1906 Cubs could throw at them.
Brown, Reulbach, Pfeister and the rest would have frustrated those sluggers.
Winner: 1906 Cubs in four.
2016 Cubs vs. 1907 Cubs
Only three Cubs teams in history have won a World Series banner, and this series pits two of them.
The 1907 team had both the better regular season and post-season records. It also had the superior ERA+. The 2016 champions win in Team OPS+, WAR and defense.
That reduces the question to Hall of Famers. The 1907 Cubs had four: Chance, Evers, Tinker, and Brown. As good as the 2016 Cubs were, it’s hard to project four future Hall of Famers off that roster. Some projections give Bryant a chance, some like Aroldis Chapman, and a few think Rizzo might make it. Jon Lester’s comparables include Dwight Gooden, Jimmy Key, Dave McNally, and Cole Hamels, all good pitchers who fall just short.
Winner: 1907 Cubs in seven.