ItDoesntMatter wrote:

ooh, I like these new article-style writeups! helps that the first one was basically "boston good". hopefully they can sustain that success all the way to a championship!*

*user is delusional

Thanks for the kind words! I regret to inform you that this next story might put a damper on your hopes, but we'll see how it goes after the all-star break.

Tales from the MABL:

Excerpt from June 16, 1949
Brooklyn Beacon

SOME BREATHING ROOM 
Shutout Victory Over Capital City Gives Brooklyn 4-game Lead in East

It’s been a minute since the Jays have looked like themselves, but skipper Kevin Denton’s squad seems to be finally turning a corner. Since their May series loss against Baltimore’s MABL team, the boys have put together mollywhompings of every other team in the Eastern League thanks to resurgent pitching and the end of slumps abound.

The middle infield has struggled mightily this year, as both Riley and Quentin have yet to crack the .300 barrier. The lack of production has been a concern for Denton as of late, who asked the question to the team about the need for a spark plug in the clubhouse. Yesterday, it was Riley who seemed to turn the corner with a 3-run blast off of Capital City’s Enrique Stone, but everyone has seemed to step up. Atlantic life seems to be treating Jason Hughes well, as the former Emerald threw a shutout gem to lower his ERA to just below 3.00, while Danny Ibarra is the ace the team needs with a grasp on the earned-runs title with just 2.07 per nine innings. After a slow start for reigning MVP David Dillard, the Big Heifer slipped a switch and has gone yard 9 times in the last month and change.

It’s because of these performances that the Jays now hold a four game lead on the pesky Boston Bees, and their recent series victory over Athletic put the team across the river 6 games back of the lead. The most important portion of the season is yet to come, as the squad needs to fill in a rotation spot as Bradford Ivany’s ERA has ballooned to 6.59. The Baby Jays have three promising players in their lineup, including two-way sensations Noah Knight and the second to last pick in 1947, Allen Mawn. Perhaps a call-up will free up movement in the field, but Denton’s approach is going to ask them to be potent on the basepaths and be willing to work out of tough spots. 

For a team that saw so much turmoil in the offseason, the birds are finally sitting in the crow’s nest and look to hold that lead when they head into Baltimore to play the Hacks.

Last edited by H-Town1141 (5/31/2024 4:51 pm)

1949 All-Star Break



As it turns out, there’s not one but two really exciting pennant races that look to heat up as the MABL heads into July. 

Despite all the hawing about in the offseason, Brooklyn’s squad has been brought down to earth. This isn’t necessarily because of the pitching or management decisions, Kevin Denton has been trying to keep a positive atmosphere despite a considerable drop in performance from his middle infield. David Dillard, Brandon Sutton, and Jon Gibbs are putting up numbers similar to last season, the pitching staff has four great arms in “Pacific Jim” Hughes, the forbidden signing Danny Ibarra, Roy Woodward, and Jonah Lucas. The first three mentioned have combined for an ERA under 3.00, but the fifth starter in their rotation, Bradford Ivany, has been a dismal 2-4 with an average of over seven runs-per-nine. After some anticipation, Noah Knight looks to be the likely midseason replacement at the end of the rotation, and with his skills as a two-way player, Bobby Lee will move into a backup role for when Knight is on the mound. Surprisingly, Riley made the all-star game thanks to his stellar defensive performances and some surprising power, while it was Elliot DeAngelo that had to make way for a new Eastern starter. 

That would go to Mike Turner, one of a slew of regional pickups this offseason to see serious playing time. He and fellow EPL pickup Raul Hernandez have led the charge for the Hacks, as both start the all-star game in the East. It’s been a down year for Blaise Perez, only batting .308 at the break, but a shift towards power hitting has him with 11 dingers, and Steve Saunders isn’t far behind with a .358 average and 9 home runs. Danny Stewart has emerged as the Hacks’ ace, going 8-3 with a sub-4.00 ERA, while the other Montreal hurler Greg Read has seen a rude awakening with a 5.38 ERA. The offense has carried them to just 5 games back of the league leaders, but they sit in fourth thanks to a surprise squad.

The Bees are 3 games back. Higareda and Pineda have kept up their amazing paces, while Keith Holton is an all-star snub with a .328 average and 7 home runs. The offense just keeps producing despite lackluster performances from Brian Lane, Orlando Berrios, and Lucas Bennett at the plate. Bennett’s strength lies on the mound, as the rookie has an 3.95 ERA, good for 3rd behind the two relievers Gavin Wooden and all-star David Flynn. Chris Linen and Victor Castro have been good enough to hand it off to their relievers, but the back of the rotation’s poor performance has led Dan Bell to call on Wooden to start down the stretch. The Moles have had few such problems, however, the offense has taken a turn for the worse in New York. All three of their stars are struggling, batting just around .300, while new additions Donald Ciman and Duke Dunear are solid bats without the pop necessary to drive in runs. Shane Hall has been a major disappointment, but the pitching staff has helped this team stay competitive. Joe Merza has been lights-out this year, getting an all-star nod in the process, while mainstays Bill Cox and Segioviano are the only things stopping this team from falling off the rails completely.

With so many teams at the top, it’s no surprise that many teams at the bottom of the East have been floundering. Manhattan has seen their top pitchers perform without much luck in the win column, as Jared Putnam’s league-leading 19 home runs and Bo Rosendale’s consistent play are the only major offensive outputs seen from the team this year. Capital City’s pitching has been weak all season, as their offseason moves to shore up their staff has seen only Wes Turner produce effectively, while rookie Joe Russell, Omari Jenkins, and a resurgent Jared Kaplan are the driving force behind a stagnant offense. Centennial’s trade of Jermaine Holmes in the offseason was supposed to bring in some decent prospects, but their development system hasn’t helped them develop so far this season. Tom Clark went down early with a season-ending elbow injury, rendering their most potent offensive weapon neutralized, while rookie two-way star Ted Walsh has been adjusting to getting shelled with a weak defense behind him. Pittsburgh, of course, rounds out the bottom of the East yet again, as manager Dirk Spencer is on the hot seat heading into the stretch.

TL;DR: Brooklyn started to wake up in May and push surprise contenders out of the top of the table, while Boston and Baltimore are punching above their weight early into rebuilds. The Boroughers are so close, yet so far, from contention, while Manhattan has found a true star in Jared Putnam. Capital City, Centennial, and Pittsburgh are all on the verge of collapse, but the Eagles’ farm system has a chance of providing reinforcements for next season.

The West has a new giant. The Reds added to last year's dominant pitching staff with Randy Midkiff, and the team has provided no off-days to their opponents. Regional acquisitions Bornlow, Inscoe and Matney join rookie Chris Barnard as first-time All-Stars, while Carlos Reyes receives his second nod. Transitioning to first base, Graham O’Brien is still performing well despite a knee injury, and no one is batting below .300 in the lineup. However, their hopes of winning the West are superseded by the team in front of them at the moment.

The Republics are a game up in a tight Western divisional race, thanks to a 9-3 record in one-score games. Despite an elbow injury to fifth starter Melvin Dominguez, the pitching staff has been humming along. Ryan Griffin has a bonafid offensive star teammate in 1948-callup Eric Libby, while offseason acquisitions Brady Trujillo (.338/.431/.506) and Danny Jimeno (.328/ .408/.497) are arguable all-star snubs. With last year’s Western crown still lingering in the air, Chicago’s top club will have a tough battle ahead of them.

Without much movement in the offseason, the Lakers are in a tough bind. Their pitching staff has a new ace in Bobby Montgomery, whose fastball has proved unhittable en route to his first all-star game, while Oscar Fuentes looks even better than his Rogers Award season in 1947. The offense has proved to be a liability, however, as Lubanski’s knee injury has force Mike Niehenke into the lineup, batting just .233. The rest of the offense outside of Joe Wells and Lance Byrd haven’t fared much better, but even Wells has seen his offensive production slip with just 8 home runs at the all-star break. For the Lakers to get back to the Roosevelt Cup Series, the offense has to take a leap forward. Same goes for Milwaukee, as the “Oxen” iron-men have yet to produce a game where they’ve scored 10 runs in MABL play. Their winning record is a testament to their pitching staff, which has been helped along tremendously by the addition of Martin Sproul and a stellar year from Mario Pereira. Jeremy Maddox has helped the “human torch” cool down a bit, keeping the locker room focused on the task at hand, but the offense has yet to see the intended production from anyone outside of all-star snub Sebastian Michaels (.352/.446/.613, 9 home runs).Moises Provencio and Brent Rodgers have both been hitting above .375 for most of the season, but that’s about it for consistent production.

The back half of the West has been extremely weak. Detroit’s offense has been propped up from Rock Adams and Chris Erwin, as the powerful dual-cylinder engine has combined for 40 home runs and outstanding metrics both in the field and at the plate. Tim Outing and German Arellano have yet to prove themselves as breakout stars, however, and Jeff Oxford has regressed to just a .258 average in the Motor City. The pitching staff has remained weak, as their offseason acquisitions Bruce Gulley and Jake Van Camp both have an ERA above 5.00 heading into the break. The consistent Edwin Trevino has played well with a 3.68 ERA and is likely an all-star snub, but that’s the only nice thing to be said about them defensively. In a year expected to finish in the middle of the pack, it looks like Union will do just that. Travellers haven’t seen the expected results from their massive offseason shakeup. Of their six regional player buyouts, only Cameron barker and Todd Aybar were able to make the all-star roster. Tim Mayer’s 2.36 ERA in just four starts looks promising, but the sparing use of their ace is cause for concern. Everyone, even the reliable Harry Pigg, is batting below .300 outside of Aybar, but Jay Wolf’s 16 home runs are a positive for a team starved of offense yet again. Louisville’s squad is abysmal, but hopefully that can change soon. Chris Graff’s offensive regression still has him batting .330 with 6 home runs, but that simply can’t be your best offensive player if there’s an expectation to win games. Eric Corbitt just isn't the same this season, but still has the lowest ERA on the team at 5.36. It’s a miracle that either them or the Packers have even won a game this season. Roger Doblado is the token Stock Yards all-star, and just two days ago the team purchased a Rochester pitcher, Jason Miller, to be their new ace. 

TL;DR: The Republics and Cincinnati are the major players for the division, yet again. Cincinnati’s offseason acquisitions are making for an incredible offensive season, and Cleveland’s Bobby Montgomery is helping the Lakers stay in the race. Lack of offense from Milwaukee and the Lakers might prove to be their main obstacles, while a lack of pitching might do the same to Detroit. St. Louis’s club needs their offseason pickups to be productive in 1950, or the regional acquisitions might become a liability in the future. Louisville and Stock Yards are in freefall, one as an accident and the other a byproduct of cost-cutting.

Trade Deadline:



The 1949 Trade Deadline didn’t see much action, but mostly worked in the Reds’ favor as they began to gear up for a real playoff push. In mid-June, Cincinnati sent away a right fielding prospect to Centennial to acquire emergency starter Jeremy Mims. While nowhere near as productive this season compared to last season with Dominion Sporting in Toronto or his 1947 in Baltimore, having gone 2-5  with just 32 strikeouts, he still provides the Reds with a veteran arm.

Cleveland, needing to reorganize their roster following Lubanski’s injury, sent away prospects and a second round pick to Louisville to re-acquire Hector Alvarez. Although not a premier third baseman, he knows the organization well and the Lakers didn’t have to give up the world for him.

New York City was in the market for a first baseman, and they got him in Billy Stein. The prospect from Union is expected to make his MABL debut in New York this season, and Detroit’s return has a piece expected to do the same for them. James Melvin is a replacement-level player who might have a chance in a utility role this season, and prospect Jak Godman gets shipped for the second time this year as his journey from St. Louis has now brought him to Detroit.

The final trade this season comes from Cincinnati, who has to find a spot catcher now that Graham O’Brien is in too much pain to play the position. They shipped off a pitcher, Matt Berry, to Pittsburgh in exchange for the aging Ken Peterson, who has the ability to provide mediocre offensive production if all goes well.

All-Star Game



The 1949 MABL All-Star game was held in the beautiful Ballpark of the Republic, whose intense winds blowing in from Lake Michigan didn’t stop the Eastern stars from hanging 14 runs on the West. The squads felt mostly correct this season, but the most surprising was Cameron Barker from St. Louis, whose poor ERA was tossed aside by fans in favor of his 69 strikeouts.

Tales from the MABL:

Excerpt from August 1st, 1949
Boston Daily Dispatch

You Already Know…
Bees Collapse Takes Boston All but Out of Contention

This was not supposed to be a breakthrough year for the Bees, but for the first half of the season, it looked like Boston was going to make a run at the great powers of the East. The offense was clicking and the pitching staff was doing well with new faces. Gacin Wooden was supposed to take a leap forward after the all-star break and become another top arm in the starting rotation, but the wheels fell off on the team riding high.

Once it took them extra innings to defeat a lowly second-tier Fall River on independence Day, it was all but a sign from the heavens about what would happen to this team. A series sweep at the hands of the Jays, including a ninth-inning collapse from Mikey Parko, sent the team into freefall as their opponents went the other way in the standings. Vic Higareda’s power stroke is nowhere to be found, as despite a .362 average this month, he was without a single home run in July. Jesus Pineda has only sort of come to life since the all-star game, but he too has seen his bat flounder when it should be flourishing. Gavin Wooden’s production has been good, not great, but left July with 4 straight losses after the offense was unable to come up with run support.

At the helm is former EPL-winning manager Dan Bell, for whom their park is named after. The Bees have been coming up with excuses for 2 years to keep Bell around as the team has squandered talent and mismanaged games, and prospects continue to languish without development at the lower levels. The Bees board of Directors, having spent as much energy as they can to secure the Boston market for the MABL, have to be looking for a roster, and manager, that can do what the New York teams have been able to consistently produce: Wins.

The Jays, for all their structural faults and scandal over the last few seasons, went 11-1 this month and turned their star prospect, Noah Knight, into a two-way star with a 4-0 record and .350 batting average. Meanwhile, Lucas Bennett’s promise has yet to materialize, as his struggles at the plate continue and he’s yet to hit .250. Keith Holton,selected in the 1947 draft, has the opportunity to be a star, but he has yet to take the next step to turn his production into the can't-miss talent that he was projected to be. The question on the minds of Bees fans is how much longer will we have to take this uninspiring play for the board to realize that it’s time to move on from Bell’s role as manager and director of personnel? When will prospect development become a vital portion of the team? Harbor Athletic seems to understand this well, as their series victory over the Bees that stretched through the break shows. Even without Pat Roszell, they acquired strong pitching talent through regional acquisitions and have productive players from their development system in Saunders and Wallace Dunn. They had a winning record in July and now sit nine games back of the Jays, but their collective improvement over the season looks to be pointing them in a more positive direction than Boston’s MABL outfit.

Perhaps this is too harsh, as Boston’s major prospects are still young and have time to turn into stars. Lucas Bennett is only 19, and still has the rest of the season to get his batting average up and ERA down. The Eastern Open might offer up some redemption, but if last season is any indication, they have had a tendency to fall flat on their faces. After the Erwin trade, and after the poor performance from them after the break, it might be time to consider the future of the club without the manager who built them to where they are.

Last edited by H-Town1141 (6/07/2024 5:47 pm)

1949 End-Of-Season


The period right after the all-star break separated the haves and have-nots in the East. Driven by call up Noah Knight joining a pitching staff on fire and tremendous offensive output, the Jays stacked wins in July and August to put some distance between themselves and the other burgeoning teams in the league. Harbor Athletic stayed hot behind Mike Turner and Raul Gonzalez, but even their addition to the team couldn’t save them from finishing 15 games back. New York City and Boston found different ways to end up with the same record as the Boroughers played close to .500 ball for the rest of the season, while the Bees collapsed in July and couldn’t find their way back into contention. Omari Jenkins cooled off big time as Capital City’s offense became led by Wes Turner, Jared Kaplan, and Matt Dale down the stretch, but it wasn’t enough to keep pace. Manhattan, Centennial, and Pittsburgh found themselves languishing at the bottom of the league yet again, although Manhattan might have found some offensive cornerstones in Stone Fleming and Jared Putnam. 

Brooklyn

After the Jays had returned from the all-star break, things got serious. The squad was done with their flailing around and got to work, thanks in large part to their newest spark. Noah Knight was the headline as the season came to a close, finishing his 8 pitching starts unbeaten, with four shutouts and a 1.58 ERA. The incredible start to his career would’ve given him the Lisiewicz award if it weren’t for Danny Ibarra, who proved he was worth the rule-breaking with an all-time low 2.36 ERA. Knight’s prowess at the plate left him at first base in place of Bobby Lee, but even his .391 batting average wasn’t the main story of Brooklyn’s offense. David Dillard’s causally dropped a back-to-back greatest season ever with 32 home runs and 130 RBI, surely helped by Brandon Sutton and Jon Gibbs each swiping over 75 bags. Zach Riley and Travis Quentin bounced back to finish the season over .300, while Elliot DeAngelo has quietly proven himself to be an underrated great for his hometown team. Jonah Lucas and Jason Hughes will keep their spots in the starting rotation for the upcoming Roosevelt Cup Series, where the Jays look as dominant as ever. 

Harbor Athletic

Through no fault of their own, Harbor finds themselves on the outside-looking-in on the Roosevelt Cup. This isn’t the fault of their offseason acquisitions, however, as Mike Turner and Raul Hernandez join Steve Saunders, Wallace Dunn, and Blaise Perez as one of the best young offensive cores in baseball. The pitching left much to be desired this season outside of Danny Stewart, as fellow Montreal teammate Greg Read ended the year with an ERA over 5.00. It will be interesting if Harbor sees the 15-game difference in the standings as a lack of depth at the position, but hopefully their prospects can add some more offensive firepower next season. 

Boston

Boston really could’ve used Chris Erwin in a year where everyday-second-baseman Orlando Berrios hit .211. Their hot start couldn’t be sustained as Vic Higareda and Jesus Pineda both finished with just 13 home runs despite strong clips at the plate, while Jeff Morrow’s .319 average was ranked third behind both Boston stars. Keith Holton’s .298 clip is running out of time to improve at 25 years old. His 10 home runs and 55 stolen bases were a spark for a largely lifeless offense, especially since year-one of the Lucas Bennett experiment saw him get his average up to .276 without any bombs. Catcher Ryan Bowman looks to be a consistent producer on the team with 12 home runs as the offense hopefully has a collective bounce-back next season. The pitching staff saw three of the four newcomers look solid in their debuts in the starting rotation, as Gavin Wooden and Lucas Bennett each finished top-10 in ERA. Chris Linen and Victor Castro joined them with sub-5.00 ERAs, and all are 25 or younger. If Linen and Bennett can progress to a 1-2 in the rotation, Boston has a real chance to compete, but it all comes down to development. Dan Bell is on the hot seat this offseason, and the most important thing to fans is ensuring prospects develop.

New York City Athletic

For the Moles, their 1947 pennant feels like it’s far in the rear view mirror. The hitting core of Sandoval, McPherson and Gonzalez received few reinforcements from their new acquisitions, as Nate LaCaze went .244 as an everyday starter and supposed power-hitting catcher Jon Dunear only hit 7 home runs. Shane Hall was a definite score for NYCA, as he left the season with a .420 on-base percentage and 18 home runs. Their pitching still hasn’t recovered from the loss of Eric Follett, but Joe Merza was a welcome addition after finishing second in ERA. Bill Segoviano was third in strikeouts while poor average of balls in play hurt addition Sean Hogan. With such a strong offensive core still in tow, Moles manager Greg King has no choice but to retool his roster to compete in 1950, despite obvious roadblocks. 

Capital City

Capital City, expected to falter early on, climbed to some respectability thanks to surprise contributors. Wes Turner evolved into a vital two-way sensation with a 4.04 ERA and 9 home runs at the plate, showcasing his ability on both sides of the ball and proving himself worthy of his second round selection in last year’s draft. Jared Kaplan’s return to elite status for a year saw him finish with top-10 finishes in average and OPS. Rookies backstop Stan Snow and center fielder Joe Russell made up for lackluster offense with elite defensive flourish. Mike Schad’s home run total nearly halved itself to 8, but Matt Dale kept his party going with 14 dingers and averages that equalled his 1948 campaign. Enrique Stone put up numbers that were nearly identical to his 1948 season while Jermaine Holmes and Tony Trageser both fell off a cliff compared to their previous campaigns, dooming the squad to middle of the pack. 

Manhattan

Manhattan has found their guys, but the question is if they can put together a solid team around them. Stone Fleming and Jared Putnam both finished top-10 in home runs, while Bo Rosendale continued with his power bat and 18 bombs. The squad dumped Victor Badilla’s massive salary to reload this coming offseason, where they’re willing to spend to fix the poor pitching performances of Luis Hernandez (5.15 ERA) and Bill Billiter (7-10, 6.52 ERA). Even Joe Berg finished with a losing record as the Giants still can’t stack up against the best in the East, much to the dismay of Ted Newsome. Manager Chris Wood could be on the hot seat if the squad isn’t able to make a deep run in the Eastern Open, where Newsome expects to make serious noise to compensate for their lack of success in the MABL.

Centennial

Centennial’s season saw everything go wrong for them. Luis Soto came back down to a relatively calm 4.87 ERA, but his was the best on the team as 18-year-old rookie Ducky Walsh was adjusting to MABL talent. His 5.19 ERA and .271 batting average  showed that even at a young age, Walsh was at least replacement level, but his occasional flashes of brilliance weren;t enough to carry a team still reeling from Tom Clark’s season-ending injury. Ryan Mowry’s full-time starting spot in right showed that he could be a strong long-term replacement (.313, 11 HR) and Chris Charles continued to play well, but Centennial’s road to contention might have to start by axing president Shuster before next season.

Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh is bad, so I’m going to take this final portion of the East to talk about Israel Magana and Travis Soloman. The two pitchers went a combined 4-31 for Centennial and Pittsburgh, respectively, and Solomon finished 1-16 with a 10.05 ERA. I feel as though I have nothing else to say on the matter.

The Western league that promised a tight race until the end was all but wrapped-up by mid-August. Cincinnati had a unicorn and a plethora of power hitters to blow past the rest of the league down the stretch, as Lakers BC and the Republics couldn’t find offensive footing. Milwaukee’s prized acquisition Martin Sproul has only one defect: he can’t hit. He led the stable of Oxen pitchers who had the benefit of an elite bullpen, but the offense’s bats went silent when it mattered most. Travellers BC is still a few pieces away from putting it together, but it was their disappointing pitching acquisitions that hampered their opportunity to compete this year. I could say the same for Detroit Union, but the offense was led by the mighty two-cylinder engine of Chris Erwin and Rock Adams. While Erwin’s power faltered down the stretch Adams put up an ungodly 40 home runs to finish with a serious case as unanimous MVP. Louisville and Stock Yards are at the bottom of the table yet again, but there is doubt that USY’s owner has plans of getting out of the basement until his stadium deal is finalized.

Cincinnati

Cincinnati’s season was marked by an absolute thrashing of opponents throughout the west. Howard Townsley shifted into another gear entirely after not starting the 1949 All-Star game, as the Unicorn tossed a perfect game and three other complete game shutouts before the season was over. Danny Hernandez and Randy Midkiff would be aces anywhere else outside of Cleveland, as the two were lights-out to close out the season. The bats kept mashing, as five separate players hit double digit home runs, including newcomers Ben Matney, Jon Brownlow, and Chris Barnard all hitting 20 or more. President Josh Check has worked in lockstep with skipper Frank Cameron to create a bulldozer of a team , hoping to create a true Western counterpart to Brooklyn’s goliath in the East.

Cleveland

Lakers Baseball Club continues to confound many. Rookie sensation Bobby Montgomery paired with Oscar Fuentes to create one of the pairs of aces of best all-time, as each notched over 15 wins. The rest of the squad, outside of Lance Byrd and Joe Wells’ offense, was a major weakness for a team that continues to make incremental moves in the offseason. The Juan Escalante trade only moved middling prospects out of the organization, but he’s already regressing hard at 36 years old. With J.J. Lubanski still out until January but signed through 1951, the Lakers offense rests on adding back a 34 year old with a career batting average of .247.

Chicago RBC

The Western League hangover looks to be real. The Republics had a rough go of things after the all-star break, as the team took until early August to win their first series in the back half of the season. Their pitching performances fell from career-defining to mediocre, but having 5 mediocre starters is still better than a top-heavy rotation with major weak links. The almost completely-revamped offense was strong but missing power generated in their ‘48 lineup. Ryan Griffin wasn’t hitting .400 this season, nor did he get close to replicating his 25 home runs, but the clubhouse captain still tried to right the ship. Unfortunately for Republics fans, it was too little, too late.

Milwaukee

Much of what was said for Republics applies to Milwaukee. The incredible pitching talents of Martin Sproul and Mario Pereira look like they’ll be wasted long-term if skipper Brian Stacker can’t find the right guys to fit the small ball-centric style of play that he intends, as no pitcher on the staff could reach 15 wins despite two top-10 ERAs. The iron men were ineffective at the plate and couldn't draw walks to save their lives, and outside of Sebastian Michaels and Efrain morales, no one on the team hit double digit home runs. For a lineup that looks mostly the same as it did in 1947, Milwaukee is betting high on its ability to develop top-end talent out of prospects who have already proven themselves big-league ready.

Travellers

Travellers saw the potential on display for their young core, but the “half-a-million” core couldn’t find a way to put it together. Perhaps it was the adjustment to a new caliber of opponent, but their three new pitchers all looked lost for most of the year, while the rest of the rotation floundered with subpar defense behind them. On the bright side, their offense was helped along by strong power numbers from regional purchases Todd Aybar and Jay Wolf. Harry Pigg was the most visible sign of where this team seems to be, as the usually locked-in catcher was all out of sorts at the plate, batting a league-average .280. The team feels like they’re just one more piece away, and hopefully two-way prospect Tyler Joseph and a major offseason move can vault the Travellers out of their aimless wandering.

Detroit Union

Rock Adams put on a clinic. As his supposed top-level cast continued to crash and burn down the stretch, Adams often single-handedly dragged his team back from the brink with moonshots into Detroit’s busy streets. Mid-way through the season, Union had to add temporary seating in the outfield so that they could satiate the home-run fever that gripped the motor city. Chris Erwin’s slowdown at the end of the season looks worrisome, as the two-cylinder engine was the only thing giving the squad any offensive life, and Bob Ripple’s lineup bungling remained a sore subject for a team that could’ve desperately used an improvement over Ryan Homan. Some conversations will be had with Union’s top brass in hopes of finding an answer to their woes, as the squad still needs to find better answers behind Edwin Trevino on the mound.

Louisville

Louisville exists. Just about everything went wrong for the Indians this year, as their prospects failed to develop and their most reliable player, Chris Graff, has been silently talking to owner Brian Carter about finding a way out of town. Eric Corbitt turned into a mortal this season, albeit a pretty good one, but the lack of improvement over the past few years has seen Louisville prove themselves as possibly a non-MABL-caliber town. Brian Munger and Nick Dodd, the team’s two top prospects, are hoping to prove that isn’t the case long-term, and a top-4 draft pick should help this team find their way to the top after a little while, but something needs to change for the Indians in the next few seasons before things become truly embarrassing.

Union Stock Yards

Speaking of embarrassing, how about the Packers! Stock Yards has become the laughingstock to the MABL nearly overnight with absolutely terrible results from Dave Perrin’s gambit to finance a new stadium project. The payroll has been slashed to one of the lowest in the MABL, being on-par with Dominion Sporting Club in the Eastern Premiership. As a result, players like the recently-released Darren Price of Milwaukee had a second chance with the Packers, where he was able to make the most of his opportunity and finished the season as the only pitcher on the team with a winning record. Midseason acquisition Jason Miller from the third tier in the East, came in and went winless. The offense saw production from Ryan Miller and rookie sensation Hank Cuberson, but that was about it outside of the occasional Roger Doblado home run. Gavin Barringer regressed to a negative-WAR player in limited playing time, while former Republics all-star Nate Hardesty has looked miserable on the other side of town. Woof.

Last edited by H-Town1141 (6/10/2024 6:29 pm)

Tales from the MABL

October 3rd, 1949
Excerpt from the Brooklyn Beacon

FIRST TELEVISED FINALS
The 1949 Roosevelt Cup will be Broadcasted live on AHS

The Major American Baseball League will see its first ever fully broadcasted Roosevelt Cup Series between the Brooklyn Jays and Cincinnati Reds live on American Home Syndication, league commissioner Nathaneal Hayes announced Monday. The league has seen its popularity grow ever larger over the past few seasons, as MABL regional broadcasts have taken over radio networks in their local metropolitan areas. 

Restricted from televising nationally during the regular season, however, the MABL has found an opportunity to grow its exposure through the national broadcasting network AHS. They have partnered with their local stations to clear the airwaves on Tuesday night [June 11th, 2024, 8:00 ET/7:00 PM CST] to show live coverage of the series. Brooklyn Jays radio announcer Ty Irwin [Me, H-Town] will take over televised commentary in what is sure to be one of the most anticipated matchups ever seen in the history of the baseball. Be sure to tune in to watch the hometown Jays take on the Reds in a star-studded showdown on local AHS station WYLM [The AHSylum discord server] if possible or tune into the radio station in your area to catch the game.

Last edited by H-Town1141 (6/10/2024 9:51 pm)