As far my pick for last place it really comes down to if you trust Haydon SP Jerald Thorne or Trent Manager Ken O’Shea more. Both teams are pretty young and relatively untalented. Because of the failures of O’Shea’s Voyagers teams in recent years, I’ll take Jerald Thorne and the younger Aeros.

Haydon Aeros
Unlike Trent one of the struggles for the Aeros this year will be the lack of really solid “you know what you’re going to get” managing. Haydon hired manager Jimmy Caulfield over from the Rochester Red Wings, but in Silveria it’s a name that’s widely unknown. Much like the other stars coming into the league, SP Jerald Thorne will have 2 years left on his contract including this year. He’s expected to leave for a contender, so keep eye for a possible trade. 25-30 wins this year for Haydon.

Stars: SP Jerald Thorne (29/2)
Starters: SP Griffin McGill (31), SP Todd Graves (20), SP Winslow Bourne (30), SP Greg Kavannah (23), C Sonny Mathers (29), 1B Ji-Woo Gim (24), 2B Harry Heath (21), 3B Vernon Murdoch (37), SS Pal Hopper (36), LF Brady Gladwyn (23), CF Gustavo Melendez (35), RF Blair Hogan (20)
Bench: RP Aoi Ikeda (26), RP Harley Neil (34), RP Roy Wootton (23), RP Ed Pressley (39), 3B Rodrigo Del Omo (25), SS Merv Traylor (35), LF Dale McGregor (21)
Management: Manager Jimmy Caulfield (55/5),GM Micheil Castle (54/5), Owner Cleve Bartalotti (65)

Stadium: Cleve’s Park (10,000)
Founded: 1958 (Cleve Bartalotti)
Before SBL: played in RBL, 1-time champion

Trent Blues
The Blues will be the only team this season without a star-level type talent. While, Ken O’Shea should be able to keep the team competitive, it’s hard to see them winning when it counts. Regardless of the fact that they didn’t get a Jerald Thorne-type player, they will still be the older team between them and Haydon. More experience could drive them ahead of the Aeros, but no more than that, 25-30 wins.

Stars:
Starters: SP Eddie Pearson (30), SP Chris Senior (35), SP Takeshi Saito (27), SP John Wakefield (39), C Colby Farnham (27), 1B Alfonso Cuesta (30), 2B Zac Coughlin (22), 3B Dale Townsend (32), SS Keelen Bruce (27), LF Melvin Toller (20), CF Landon Drummond (21), RF Evander Norwood (36)
Bench: RP Waldo Abbey (23), RP Duane Neville (20), RP Archibald Hawking (38), RP Brian Peter (36), C Ferdinand Wynne (36), 2B Finnegan Teague (40), 3B Preston Boatwright (36), LF Iban Guerrero (22)
Management: Manager Ken O’Shea (68/3), GM Everitt Prescott (51/5), Owner Billy Hogan (61)

Stadium: Heron Stadium (12,000)
Founded: 1952
Before SBL: played in SPBL, 4-time champ

1963 SBL Regular Season

*Top Four

1963 Standings
St. Patrick Gaels 50-20
Stratford Condors 42-28
Hamstead Ranchers 37-33
Silver Point Voyagers 35-35

St. Patrick Gaels
-SP Lenny Royston’s game slides back a little bit, production more than replaced by SP Reynaldo Vasquez
-CF Ned Mathers and LF Courtney Smythe make a dynamic duo, possibly best combined OF in SBL
-Rumors of RF Francis Nye talking to agent/Stratford about potential move
-Gaels look into trade options to move Nye, find a sweet deal for Mathers
-CF Ned Mathers traded for “in his prime” STC C Chris Dodge who could provide more assistance in bringing the first Silverian Series title to St. Patrick
-Another great Regular Season from the Gaels, but will they disappoint again?

Stratford Condors
-C Chris Dodge carries the Condors through the first 1/4 of the season to a solid record
-small tweak to Dodge’s hand keeps him out of next 10 games
-LF Syd “The Barbarian” Braxton fails to inspire the same play, Stratford goes 2-8 during this stretch
-It seems Braxton has lost a step as his AVG remains respectable at .280 during the first half, but HRs and RBIs down considerably
-With Chris Dodge back and a ultra-young IF improving the Condors bounce back, answering with a 8-2 record in the next 10
-Syd Braxton beats Bangor single-handedly with an SBL Record 7 RBIs in one game, Braxton may be back in form just in time for the Playoffs
-C Chris Dodge traded for the significantly younger and hugely promising St. Patrick CF Ned Mathers
-Without a decent Catcher, Pitching lags behind even more
-Former starting CF Gordon Penny leaves the team a week after the trade citing his age at 30 and unwillingness to wait any longer for a starting spot
-Ned Mathers leads a decent finish, but although the Condors finished 2nd in the Regular Season, they’re widely expected to not make it to the Silverian Series

Hamstead Ranchers
-RF Daisuke Hayashi starts the year out slow
-SP Gary Bull emerges as star player
-hitting lags behind, team fails to gain same form from last year
-OF comes back into form, but IF competes for worst in the SBL
-CF Franklin Layton becomes de facto 2nd best hitter
-Ranchers could struggle to re-sign Hayashi this offseason and Layton next offseason, may have to make a choice between the two based off their postseason performances
-Ranchers finish the season on a high note defeating the 50-win Gaels and going 10-5 in the last 15
-Can the Ranchers replicate their postseason success from last year, even without former SP Jerald Thorne?

Silver Point Voyagers
-Youngster SP Teddy Tracey and C Bert Bowmen start the year out strong
-Shutouts become the norm as they grind their way to a slight winning record in the first 20 games, 16-14
-Mid-Season dismay strikes as #2 SP Leonard Hartell get injured hurting the depth of the staff, hitters continue to struggle to hit runs in
-Voyagers power themselves back through stellar managing from the relatively unknown Robin Gray
-Hartell threatens not to comeback to the team if his bonus is not paid in full after the Stratford and Gordon Penny saga is rumored to have inspired him due to his contract being up at the end of the year
-Voyagers pay Harrell’s bonus, but almost as a sign of karma, backup C and infield utility man Ray Woodman injures his elbow after being rushed back on the field by the medical staff
-Even without Woodman, the Rotation flourishes and Bert Bowmen carries the lineup, allowing a strong finish to reach a
.500 record
-With so little hitting to work with Robin Gray is praised for his small ball techniques
-The Voyagers have been an above average team at times, but can they stay healthy and are the experiences enough to make the best of their potential?