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What's worse than making a baseball series and abandoning it? doing it twice and hoping that the third time is different. Yep, its me again. This time I'm bringing back the NABF... well sort of. The old NABF i ended up simulating nearly 200 seasons of the most satisfying lore ever and even manually created each team's All-Time Team for MLB The Show (multiple times). However, like I mentioned while posting it years ago... a lot of the early bits are so far in the past that I can't even see parts of it (I believe i initially made the first NABF in 2017 and have over 3,000 hours on just that save....). I've been wanting to get back into the fictional sports history for so long but could never find the time or energy. However, I'm back. Originally I thought of ways to bring the NABF to you all but couldn't settle on an idea i was all in for. But that's when I remembered, back in 2017, that NABF i created was never meant to be a huge save, but merely a test of what OOTP has to offer. Thus, here it is, my second (and a half) attempt at bringing the NABF but this time all new and ALL different. Hopefully i won't abandon this one after 2 weeks...
So what's the main difference between this NABF and the old one? Well, for starters, the USA does not exist. Nor Canada. This doubles as an "alternate history" as in their places are 16 new independent nations. Which will all partake in a World Cup after a few seasons. Not only that, but this series will feature cities that in our world either don't have a professional team or are quite small. In this post we'll take a quick glance at the nations while the next will be team overviews. (oh, i also don't own any of the flag designs in this series, I still haven't learned graphic design after all these years)
Arctic Circle Federation. Capital, Anchorage. Situated along the Arctic Circle sits a small federation of Alaska, Yukon, Nunavut, and the Northwest Territory. While it may have more population than in real life, it isn't quite the futuristic marvel that many of us dream. However, that will not stop them from being powerhouses in baseball.
Current Teams: None actually, i decided to start with 12 teams so a few of the nations will not receive a team to start
Top Players: 2B, Larry Adair. SS, Bill Ashton. C, Danny Lemon
California Republic. Capital, Stockton. There really isn't much to say for this one, its just California and Nevada. They also have the most players currently in the NABF.
Current Teams: Eureka Redwoods
Top Players: RF, Jake Herold. CL, Jake Pawlowski. 1B, Kyle Thompson. 2B, Fernando Criado
Cascadia Union. Capital, Astoria. The Cascade range protects this nation against its Rocky neighbors. Encompassing Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, and part of Idaho, Cascadian players are certain to be a mainstay on many NABF rosters
Current Teams: Astoria Osprey
Top Players: CL, Mike Kohn. CL, Ryan Nixon. CF, Tom Paddock. 3B, Ray Tolbert.
The Dakotas. Capital, Bismarck. The biggest difference from real world is how populated the great prairies have become in this world. A technological and industrial powerhouse on the world scale. The Dakotas are also the largest nation out of these new nations. Featuring: Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and of course, North and South Dakota.
Current Teams: Dakota Eagles (located in the capital, Bismarck)
Top Players: CL, Nick Hartle. LF, Trevor Reardon. SP, Jeffrey Simon. SP, Lee Ray
Republic of Florida. Capital, Kissimmee. My former home, the Nation of Eternal Sunshine offers limitless off-seasons due to their climate and are expected to be one of the world powerhouses.
Current Teams: Florida Flamingos (located in Pensacola)
Top Players: SP, Rafael Santa Cruz. SP, Ben Denman. 2B, Juan Torres.
Confederation of Georgia. Capital, Rome. One of the more interesting new nations. Despite the name, Georgia also features South Carolina, Alabama and Mississippi. Despite the straight northern border, Georgia looks to offer a curveball to anyone who challenges them
Current Teams: none
Top Players: CL, Ryan Sumner. C, Kyle Blount. SP, Walker Green
Great Lakes Empire. Capital, Gary. The nation with the most potential and interesting border. It encompasses: Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Ontario. They are also LA Lakers fans as their official demonym is "Laker"
Current Teams: Huron Gryphons (located between Port Huron and Sarnia)
Top Players: SP, Josh Newcomer. 3B, Chris Shepherd. RF, Matthew Wagoner
Hawai'i. Capital, Honolulu. Not much has changed besides Hawai'i being an independent nation as it should be. Currently no teams and the least amount of players but that is sure to change as the story progresses.
Current Teams: None
Top Players: SP, Rich Lowder. LF, Dennis Sears. RF, Ray Toth
Empire of Louisiana. Capital, Baton Rouge. Despite the name, they are not a true empire, but rather gained that name after receiving independence from France. They easily have the weirdest border but i may eventually make a detailed map to explain it a bit better. Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri make up their claim.
Current Teams: Baton Rouge Cajuns
Top Players: RP, Jason Walker. LF, Nick Parsons. 1B, Tony Cummings
Republic of the Maritime's. Capital, Halifax. Honestly not a lot to say here either. They don't have a team to start but will easily receive one of the first expansion teams. Nova Scotia, PEI, Newfoundland and Labrador all make up the Maritimes.
Current Teams: None
Top Players: SP, Ross Whitehead. SP, Jeff Brennan. 2B, Dave Chatwin
New England. Capital, Plymouth. This one's a bit obvious, i shouldn't even have to explain the states that make it up. In real life this area is notorious for its sports culture, curious if it will continue as all my fictional New England teams end up having near-century long curses.
Current Teams: Plymouth Pilgrims
Top Players: RF, Bobby Clark. 3B, Rio Carr. 2B, Steve Coffman
République du Québec. Capital, Trois Rivieres. One of the most unique provinces gets to be its own nation, pretty expected in a world like this.
Current Teams: Trois Rivieres Harfang
Top Players: LF, George Powers. 2B, Justin Adler. RF, Hervé Barthélémy
Rocky Mountain Federation. Capital, Cheyenne. Easily my favorite and nation i am most interested in. With potential for many teams, all with high altitudes i am sure they will produce many home run champions. Incorporates Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming
Current Teams: Cheyenne Buffalo
Top Players: LF, Brad Fenimore. CL, Kyle McMurphy. SP, Ahmed Mathis. SP, Mario Olmedo
The United Nation of Susquehanna. Capital, Germantown. My birth and home nation. With a large German population in Pennsylvania sprouts a German-ish culture throughout the region, reaching Maryland, Delaware, New York, and New Jersey. And yes, their demonym is Sussy
Current Team: Germantown Pretzels
Top Players: CF, Gary Urbanczyk. CF, Tyler Kilbarger. SP, Adam Minke. 2B, Ritter Ammann
Republic of Texas. Capital, Waco. I mean come on... its Texas. Do I even have to explain?
Current Teams: Galveston Launch
Top Players: SP, Roberto Gomez. SS, Mike McClary. SP, Brian Van Winkle. SS, Ian Brinley
Kingdom of Virginia. Capital, Chesapeake. This one may need a bit of explaining. You know how originally each of the colonies had borders than ran indefinitely to the west coast? That is my thinking with this nation, though with a bit of a empirical twist. Incorporating Virginia and West Virginia as one would expect, however they also rule over Kentucky, Tennessee, and North Carolina. The only monarchy in the new North America
Current Teams: Chesapeake Admirals
Top Players: RP, Ken Laubach. SP, Andrew Redepenning. CL, Alex Schepers.
List of NABF Champions
2101: Cheyenne Buffalo
2102: Dakota Eagles
2103: Eureka Redwoods
2104: Trois Rivieres Harfang
2105 Eureka Redwoods x2
2106 Trois Rivieres Harfang x2
2107 Trois Rivieres Harfang x3
2108 Cheyenne Buffalo x2
2109 Trois-Rivières Harfang x4
2110 Eureka Redwoods x3
2111 Cheyenne Buffalo x3
2112 Eureka Redwoods x4
2113 Sioux City Spiders x1
Last edited by BDoof (7/04/2024 12:03 am)
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2101 Inaugural NABF season team introductions. Do note that I have a foreign player limit of 16 players and due to the way I had to have player creation some nations have less players so their teams may lack some domestic players (plus OOTP AI likes to focus on foreign players in the draft for whatever reason)
Astoria Osprey. Situated along the Columbia river and the capital of Cascadia. The Osprey feature a medium blue and seafoam green colors to represent all of Cascadia. Playing in First Port Ballpark which is a relatively balanced stadium. Owner Cory Zin likes to win and spend money.
Jerseys: Primary white jerseys with Expo style hats, mixing blue and seafoam green. Basic grey away jerseys. They have an alternate that is head-to-toe seafoam green.
Lineup: (since this is the first season I will be using the traditional 20-80 scouting scale instead of their stats)
C, Armando Garcia, 50, SUS
1B, Mike Harding, 40, CAS
2B, Matt Worden, 45, CAS
3B, Angelo Alonzo, 80, MEX
SS, Mario Hernandez, 45, VEN
LF, Hervé Barthélémy, 50, QUE
CF, Tyler Kilbarger, 75, SUS
RF, Josh Hernandez, 40, CAS
DH, Brad Fenimore, 80, RCK
Pitchers:
1 Andrew Redepenning, 70, VRG
2 Adam Minke, 70, SUS
3 Bernie Rosado, 65, SUS
4 Dusty Moore, 45, CAS
5 Chris Andrus, 40, CAL
CL Angelo Juarez, 65, DOM
Overall a fairly balanced approach with 2 aces and 2 great sluggers. However they do appear to lack lineup and bullpen depth which may impact them through the season. OOTP predicts them to finish 85-77 and second in the Pacific Conference.
Baton Rouge Cajuns. Capital of Louisiana but also one of the smallest markets in the NABF. They hope that their spice can influence their play and bring a powerhouse to the bayou. They play at Cajuns Coliseum which is very slightly hitter friendly for righties but a large outfield wall in right helps keep balls inside.
Jerseys: Read jerseys with white pants at home, basic grey road jerseys. They also have alternates with an off-white jersey and a yellow hat. They have multiple hats they can wear with their home/away jerseys, from all red, to all white, too yellow trim, as well as the alternate one mentioned.
Lineup:
C, Casey Parks, 45, CAS
1B, Tony Cummings, 45, LOU
2B, Bobby Pelletier, 50, GL
3B, Jon Arias, 50, DOM
SS, Emilio Rodriguez, 75, PUR
LF, Antonio Garza, 80, DOM
CF, Bob Beals, 50, QUE
RF, Matthew Wagoner, 75, GL
DH, David Ortiz, 40, LOU
Pitching
1 Ruberto Ticao, 80, VEN
2 Ahmed Mathis, 70, RCK
3 Brent Wilson, 50, NEG
4 Ben Dobert, 35, LOU
5 Masaaki Takahashi, 35, JPN
CL Ken Laubach, 75, VRG
Similar to Astoria, they are fairly balanced however they sport an amazing bullpen with Rogelio Rodriguez, Jason Walker, and Mike Musick supporting Laubach. They are relatively young as well so I assume that they will be difficult to deal with for years to come. OOTP predictions 78-84, 5th in the Pacific Conference
Cheyenne Buffalo. Possibly the team I am most interested in. Cheyenne is the aeronautics and radio capital of the world due to its prime location. It is also the highest elevated team sitting at nearly 6,000ft above sea level (higher than Denver). Despite this, Rocky Exchange Bank Park is only slightly hitter friendly. Owner, Steven Ybarra hopes to grow a winner team in one of the largest markets in the NABF.
Jerseys: sand-colored primaries with black trim, similarly colored hats and pants. Basic road greys and an all black road jersey and hat.
Lineups:
C, Eric Titus, 70,GL
1B, Eric Hughes, 50, NEG
2B, Sergio Arias, 50, DOM
3B, Franklin Hernandez, 45, CAL
SS, Mike McClary, 80, TEX
LF, Bobby Clark, 60, NEG
CF, Jim Lammers, 55, RCK
RF, Jedrick Zelasko, 45, POL
DH, Juan Lopez, 40, RCK
Pitching:
1 Marty Hodge, 65, AUS
2 Jeffrey Simon, 65, DAK
3 Lee Ray, 55, DAK
4 Ismael Nieves, 45, DOM
5 Jesus Ochoa, 45, RCK
CL, Rogelio Victoria, 60, DOM (out for 2 months)
A lineup mixed with young talent and veterans alike. I’m honestly not sure why the OOTP predicts them last in the Pacific (75-87). Though it could be because their 2 best pitchers are going to be starting the season in the minors. Rafael Santa Cruz and Jose Serrano appear ready to pitch but the team officials must see something different.
Dakota Eagles. Another team located in the capital of their nation (Bismarck to be specific). Dakota looks to show why the Great Plains Metropolis is the best in baseball. Dakota National Fairgrounds is the largest retractable roof stadium in the NABF currently. Slightly batter favored as well.
Jerseys: White home jerseys with a mix of yellow and green trim, with green hats and yellow numbers (with green trim). Pretty basic grey roads but with green numbers for visibility. They have a special alternate they ware for their Independence Day which is a darker green jersey with yellow wheat-like stripes and gold numbers.
Lineups:
C, Scott Vander Ark, 40, DAK
1B, Gregg Gibson, 45, LOU
2B, Larry Adair, 80, ACF (Arctic Circle Federation)
3B, Carlos Ruiz, 55, PUR
SS, Ian Brinley, 75, TEX
LF, Jon Magallanes, 45, RCK
CF, Richard Kriegel, 45, RCK
RF, Scott Purkis, 50, DAK
DH, Wayne Moran, 40, DAK
Pitching:
1 Felix Hernandez, 80, DOM
2 Ben Denman, 70, FLA
3 Steve Fortman, 55, FLA
4 Adam Harless, 50, GL
5 Steven Crossman, 45, CAL
CL Mike Kohn, 80, CAS
OOTP predicts them at 90-72, which to me seems way too high. Yes they are comparable to the other Pacific teams, but they have only 4 bullpen arms, the rest of their team is a bunch of below-average hitters to help at the weaker positions. Unless I am crazy I don't see them breaking 90 wins
Eureka Redwoods. Originally I wanted to call them the Giants but SF exists. Either way they are settled in one of the largest ports in the California Republic, surrounded by one of the largest natural redwood forests in the world. One of the few pitcher friendly parks in the Pacific. Despite being in one of the larger markets their owner, Stephen Huckabee, seems more into making a profit than winning.
Jerseys: white jerseys without much design, besides a thick burgundy stripe that goes down the side onto the pants. Their greys are slightly darker than normal and have burgundy numbers. Their hats are burgundy and a black-ish-grey brim. Their alternate is a burgundy jersey with white numbers and black pants.
Lineups:
C, Ernie Chavez, 45, DOM
1B, Mel Velez, 55, GUA
2B, Fernando Criado, 65, CAL
3B, Bobby Tippett, 45, CAL
SS, Fernando Solis, 50, DOM
LF, Nigel Cowell, 55, AUS
CF, Kevin Meyer, 60, RCK
RF, Rhett Aberle, 45, CAL
DH, Angel Rojas, 50, PUR
Pitching:
1 Raul Crespo, 55, PUR
2 Jay Bloodworth, 40, NEG
3 Alfredo Valencia, 20, DOM
4 Ian Strauss, 40, SUS
5 Cheng-gong Bu, 50, TPE
CL David Pugh, 60, DAK
Overall pretty underwhelming though much of that has to do with their 3 best pitchers (Justin Loeser, Damian Cresswell, and Josh Newcomer) all coming down with injuries prior to the season starting. Depending on how severe their injuries are will determine how good the Redwoods will be this year (though I still doubt they would be above .500 even with all 3)
Galveston Launch. The last team in the Pacific and one with possibly the most upside with #1 prospect Katsumi Canio, a Japanese-Brazilian contact-speed outfielder looking to potentially make a splash towards the end of the season which would create possibly the best outfields in the NABF. Galveston also plays in a hitter friendly ballpark, though paired with one of the scrooge-yest owners in the league.
Jerseys: Yellow home jersey and hat, with white pants. Away jersey is a basic grey but has some dark blue accents rather than yellow. Alternate jersey is a Texas Republic jersey which is white with a red hem-stripe and hat, with blue pants.
Lineups:
C, Simon Krug, 45, GER
1B David Moran, 50, TEX
2B, D.W. Manning, 40, GRG (Georgia)
3B, Dave Rhein, 50, GL
SS, Ryan Irvin, 45, TEX
LF, Paul Butler, 60, RCK
CF, Dan Britton, 50, SUS
RF, Jake Herold, 70, CAL
DH, Philippe Thomas, 50, QUE
Pitching
1 Juan Solis, 55, RCK
2 Walker Green, 50, GRG
3 Juan Manjarrez, 40, TEX
4 Antonio Castillo, 30, CUB
5 Aaron Chambers, 25, SUS
CL Kyle McMurphy, 70, RCK
Overall they have one of the better offenses in the league, and that's not counting players on their reserve roster who could all be starters on other teams (Katsumi Canio, Ian Mosher, Jose Orozco, Avery Gibson). However, it's the pitching that may struggle against the highly balanced teams within the Pacific. Personally I believe they will make an interesting case for 2nd place along with Astoria and Baton Rouge while Dakota will most likely take the top spot in the Pacific.
Now for the Atlantic Conference teams
Chesapeake Admirals, situated in the large Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Chesapeake Metropolis which now hosts the capital of Virginia ever since the War of the Delaware razed down Richmond. The Admirals have some of the deepest pockets and deepest outfields in the NABF. Due to this they intend to overwhelm teams with their standout pitching rotation.
Jerseys: greenish/blue homes with a white chest stripe, reminiscent of Montreal Canadiens or Denver Grizzlies jerseys, with a sweeping "Chesapeake" wordmark in the stripe. With a similarly colored hat to go with. Relatively basic gray road uniforms.
Lineup:
C, Alex Respighi, 40, VEN (only catcher in entire organization)
1B, Ray Tolbert, 60, CAS
2B, Jose Montes De Oca, 55, CAL
3B, Brian Sky, 45, VRG
SS, Dave Gonzales, 55, PUR
LF, David Westland, 45, CAS
CF, Gary Urbanczyk, 75, SUS
RF, Tom Mackey, 55, GL
DH, Danny Hill, 45, SUS
Pitching:
1 Roberto Gomez, 65, TEX
2 Brian Van Winkle, 55, TEX
3 Matt Richardson, 55, SUS
4 Julio Sanchez, 45, DOM
5 Nathaniel Dawson, 45, AUS
CL Jason Seals, 55,VRG
Easily the most thorough pitching rotation and a lineup that is not half bad. Gary Urbanczyk at age 23 looks to be an easy MVP candidate at seasons end. OOTP predicts only 83-79 but I see them making a run at the Atlantic Crown.
Florida Flamingos. I was going to mention something about “Florida Man” however this team took such a weird approach to team building. Instead of easily padding out depth, Florida instead features 5 primary Catchers and 4 primary 1st Basemen, each other position only hosts 1 at each. Despite that, I wouldn't call either of those positions strong for them. Also unlike what would make sense, their primary color is orange with pink left as a secondary. They are located in Tallahassee. Despite the capital being in Kissimmee, there are 3 cities larger than it in Florida: Tallahassee, Daytona, and Naples.
Jerseys: Primary orange jersey with orange hat and white pants. Road is fairly basic. They also feature 2 alternates, 1 is a white jersey which is used more as a clash or just whenever. The other is an all pink and black uniform used for occasional home games.
Lineup:
C, David Tyson, 40, FLA
1B, Dan Sabella, 45, GRG
2B, Justin Adler, 50, QUE
3B, Chris Shepherd, 65, GL
SS, Jerome Shackelford, 35, FLA
LF, Doug Wasielewski, 45, CAS
CF, Jesse Haskins, 50, CAL
RF, Oscar Morales, 55, PUR
DH, Ashton Smith, 45, GRG
Pitching:
1 Ross Whitehead, 60, MRT
2 Alejandro Escarcega, 55, DOM
3 Jose Orozco, 40, DOM
4 Joel Acrsio, 45, VEN
5 Craig LeBlanc, 40, FLA
CL Ryan Sumner, 60, GRG
OOTP has them losing 100+ games this season, the only team predicted to lose more than 87… I can see why. They have some decent prospects, mostly 1B Tyler Hammerich, so I assume they are entering the inaugural season looking to build from scratch for future seasons, definitely not what I expected a Florida team to do.
Germantown Pretzels. The capital of the Susquehanna and one of the largest cities in the NABF. They also feature the most hitter friendly park in the league. Along with the most average owner, hopefully that is enough to capture some league titles.
Jerseys: Basic whites and greys, with green hats with black trim. Their alternates are an off-white with green pinstriped vest over a black shirt. Goes along with an off-white hat with black trim.
Lineups:
C, Keith Lopes, 50, CAL
1B, Oscar Fandino, 45, NEG
2B, David Millan, 50, MEX
3B, Jorge Martinez, 50, DOM
SS, Bobby Russell, 35, SUS
LF, George Powers, 65, QUE
CF, Ron Young, 50, DAK
RF, Sam Boyd, 45, GL
DH, Jesse Lund, 40, SUS
Pitching:
1 Jose Lopez, 60, CAL
2 Rich Lowder, 50, HAW
3 Josh Dorshorst, 45, SUS
4 Doug McFarland, 45, DAK
5 Eddie Melanson, 40, CAL
CL Anton Latorre, 80, DOM
Germantown picked last in the inaugural draft and that clearly impacted their picks. It appears they went for pitching depth and quick prospects to help out in seasons 2 and 3 rather than 1. RHP Jeremy Phillips, SUS, appears to become a future ace as well as SS, Ben Cintron from California both rank in the top 5 NABF prospects and will both have some starts sprinkled throughout this first season
Huron Gryphons. Situated in the combined metro of Port Huron and Sarnia sits the team named after the first ship to sail on the Great Lakes. Along with owner Jamari Simmons who is up for one of the largest wallets in the NABF. Duryea Motors Field is also slightly batter favored, just like the majority of the NABF stadiums.
Jerseys: White vests with blue numbers and word-font, but appearing on the lower-right front of the jerseys is an almost gold-yellow number (akin to the Dodgers). Road greys emulate the same. Hats are blue. No alternate at the moment.
Lineups:
C, Kevin Magid, 45, RCK
1B, Bill Miller, 45, LOU
2B, Alexis Hernandez, 55, CUB
3B, Rio Carr, 50, NEG
SS Tom Phelan, 55, QUE
LF, Trevor Reardon, 65, DAK
CF, Robby Roberto, 50, TEX
RF, Ray Toth, 45, HAW
DH, Neal Sharman, 35, GL
Pitching:
1 Mario Olmedo, 80, RCK (1st overall pick in the inaugural draft)
2 Jake Hale, 60, CAL
3 Francisco Chavez, 45, VRG
4 Beau Schulte, 40, CAS
5 Todd Luquette, 45, CAL
CL Jake Pawlowski, 75, CAL
While only having 2 above-average starters, Huron bolsters one of the best bullpens and youth of any team. OOTP Predictions have them in the huge fight for 2nd place in the Atlantic. While i don’t see them quite up there yet, they definitely have a case for a bright future
Plymouth Pilgrims. The birthplace of New England. The Pilgrims begin with one of the most ravenous fanbases in the league, mostly due to their soccer and football success which they hope bleeds into baseball. They also look to end the curse of New England teams having massive droughts in every simulation (96 years, and 60+ for my main 2). Their stadium, Inaugural Grounds is also quite unique, it features the nearest left and right field poles coupled with a further than average CF. But large walls that begin at the poles which then thin out towards center leaving it to be a fairly balanced park.
Jerseys: As cursed as it may be, they wear red pinstripes on their home whites. They also wear what I like to call "dirty pinstripes" on the road, with dark blue pinstripes on grey. Both uniforms come with a blue hat. Their alternate is a white vest that features both "PLYMOUTH" and "PILGRIMS" wordmarks on it, along with a red hat.
Lineup:
C, William Roehm, 35, NEG
1B, Edwin Reyes, 45, CUB
2B, Juan Garcia, 50, VEN
3B, David Young, 50, GL
SS, Luis Rico, 45, VEN
LF, Nick Parsons, 60, LOU
CF, Tom Paddock, 65, CAS
RF, Callum Blake, 45, AUS
DH, Brent Gomer, 50, NEG
Pitching:
1 Vince Benbow, 70, AUS
2 Matt Mauck, 50, TEX
3 Juan Donate, 45, MEX
4 William Robertson, 45, NEG (oldest player in NABF at 42 years old)
5 Mike Adams, 35, NEG
CL Nick Hartle, 75, DAK
Honestly, I see them as easily the second worst team in the league (behind only Florida), yet OOTP has them in the 2nd place fight. The Atlantic is shaping out to be much more chaotic than the Pacific this season
Trois Rivières Harfang. The capital of Quebec and named after the national bird (well sort of, technically it's “Harfang des neiges” but that is too long so I shortened it to Harfang which technically still means owl, but French has like 10 names for owls apparently). Either way, Trois features one of the few stadiums which heavily favors one side of the plate, this being lefties while righties tend to struggle. Quebec got hit the hardest by the weird way i had to generate players and have the least out of the starting nations, despite this they are seen as one of the favorites.
Jerseys: basically exactly as you'd expect a Quebec team to wear. White with bright blue hat and accents. Their road jerseys are a more powder-y blue with white and black accents. It's hard to see, but they have small sublimated fleur-de-lis patterns hidden in their fabric along the jersey striping. They also have a Quebec specialty jersey which features a slightly darker blue with a fleur-de-lis on the bottom-left front of the jersey.
Lineups:
C, Brian Warner, 45, FLA
1B, Kyle Thompson, 70, CAL (OOTP predicts him to hit 56HRs with the short porch in right)
2B, Valentin Martinez, 35, QUE
3B, Andy Rico, 55, VEN
SS, Jason Martin, 50, SUS
LF, Nelson Ruiz, 60, CUB
CF, Raul Arancibia, 50, TEX
RF, Franklin Boucher, 45, QUE
DH, Michael Lahaye, 45, QUE
Pitching:
1 Steve Francen, 60, RCK
2 Leon Lopez, 60, PUR
3 Danny Avila, 50, COL
4 Omar Saldana, 45, VEN
5 Jesse Conway, 45, QUE
CL, Ryan Nixon, 60, CAS
With the most balanced rotation, and a monster bullpen featuring Graham Lawlor, Melvin Perez, Johan Mathiue, and Jaylin Wallace all graded at 55s, plus an average offense that is bolstered by the MVP favorite Kyle Thompson, it’s safe to say i understand why OOTP seems to favor Trois as the winners of the Atlantic.
The full 2101 OOTP pre-season predictions:
Pacific Conference:
1 Dakota Eagles 90-72
2 Astoria Osprey 85-77
3 Galveston Launch 85-78
4 Eureka Redwoods 82-80
5 Baton Rouge Cajuns 78-84
6 Cheyenne Buffalo 75-87
Atlantic Conference
1 Trois Rivières Harfang 95-67
2 Huron Gryphons 87-75
3 Plymouth Pilgrims 87-75
4 Chesapeake Admirals 83-79
5 Germantown Pretzels 75-87
6 Florida Flamingos 54-108
Last edited by BDoof (5/15/2024 12:31 pm)
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April:
After dropping the first game of the season Astoria took the league by storm by winning their next 11 games. Cheyenne and Eureka followed closely behind, then Galveston won 8 of their last 10 with stellar play from both their stars and role players. Dakota has had a slow start due to an offensive implosion , with only Larry Adair doing anything of note. Pitching-wise, Dakota leads the league with the least runs against however. Baton Rouge is last in the Pacific mostly due to injuries, SS Emilio Rodriguez out 2 months with a hamstring and starter Brent Wilson out for 12 months with a torn flexor tendon. In the Atlantic its been a much more back in forth battle up top. Germantown, Plymouth, Huron, and Trois Rivieres all within 1.5 games of each other. With the latter of whom picking up their pace after an abysmal first week. Florida is last overall, which was expected, however Chesapeake is only 1 game ahead of them. A player to note, Germantown’s closer, Anton Latorre started the season with 6 straight appearances where he struck out every batter faced, for a 27.0 K/9 ratio. While he has slowed down a bit, there’s a chance he could finish top 15 in strikeouts in the Atlantic Conference as a closer, definitely a story to keep tabs on throughout the year. While unlikely, Trois’ Kyle Thompson and Galveston’s Jake Herold are both on pace to hit over 60 home runs.
Batters of the Month:
PC, Jake Herold .315avg, 10HRs, 22RBIs. (GAL)
AC, Kyle Thompson .322avg, 14HRs, 23RBIs (TR)
Pitchers of the Month:
PC, Juan Solis 4-0, 2.11ERA, 25Ks (GAL)
AC, Vince Benbow 3-1, 1.82ERA, 31Ks (PLY)
Rookies of the Month:
PC, Nick Ashley 3-0, 7Ks in 11.1innings and 1.59ERA (AST)
AC, Neal Sharman .247avg, 5HRs, 11runs (HUR)
May:
Absolute chaos at the top of each table. The top 4 teams in the Pacific are separated by 2.5 games, and the 2 other teams (Dakota and Baton Rouge) are making strides. While the top 3 teams in the Atlantic are separated by just 2, with Huron not too far behind. Chesapeake continues being the world’s largest disappointment, especially since their best player, Gary Urbanczyk will be out with injury until August. Chesapeake’s catcher (and only catcher in their organization btw) Alex Respighi is hitting only .098, he has an OPS+ of -31 and is on pace to finish the season with -8.4WAR. I don’t think he's even that bad, just tired. Cheyenne’s recent success is rather surprising as they’ve been hit pretty hard with injuries, they had called up SP Rafael Santa Cruz just for him to get injured twice, and injuries to 2 of their bullpen arms. But are getting MVP performances from SS Mike McClary, C Eric Titus, 3B Franklin Hernandez, and SP Marty Hodge.
Batters of the Month:
PC, Brad Fenimore .371avg, 15HRs, 40RBIs (AST)
AC, Oscar Morales, .363avg, 10HRs, 27RBIs (FLA)
Pitchers of the Month:
PC, Ben Denman 5-1 2.17era, 28Ks (DAK)
AC, Vince Benbow 5-0 1.34era, 37Ks, and only 7 walks (PLY) x2
Rookies of the Month:
PC, Jose Serrano 9 saves, 22Ks, 1.35era (CHY)
AC, Ben Cintron, .314avg, 10SBs, 15Runs (GER)
June:
To start the month of June, first place Galveston calls up #1 prospect Katsumi Canio. Canio was hitting .437 and had a 31 game hitting streak in the minors. He will also be their leadoff hitter. While their pitching is below-average, they have become my favorite to win the NABF crown this year. Dakota would rise from the bottom of the table to an above .500 team, which while only good for 5th place in the Pacific, it would be good for 3rd place in the Atlantic. Trois would fall from 1st in the Atlantic to below .500, which culminated in releasing OF Nelson Ruiz who was 2nd on the team in OBS. He was also leading the 3rd in the NABF in stolen bases. Weirdly enough, he would not be signed by anyone during the course of the season. Despite this, Trois would follow this with an 8 game winning streak to put them right in the mix at the top of the AC. On June 14th, the Cheyenne’s Lee Ray threw the first no-hitter in NABF history. Unsurprisingly, it would be against Florida, who continues to be the worst team in the league.
Batters of the Month:
PC: David Moran .386avg, 28RBIs, 10HRs, 1.214OPS (GAL)
AC: Tom Paddock .402avg, 19RBIs, 1.167OPS (PLY)
Pitchers of the Month:
PC: Jaivin Cano 4-0, 2.53ERA, (BR)
AC: Jake Hale 4-0, 2.40ERA, 36Ks (HUR)
Rookies of the Month:
PC: Jose Serrano 4Saves, 1.64ERA, .167OBA (CHY) x2
AC: Philip Cordrey .353avg, 3HRs (PLY)
July:
Huron opens up the month on a 12-3 streak, which brings them back into the playoff hunt. On July 24th, the second ever no-hitter would be thrown by Dakota’s Ben Denman, he only walked 1 in a near perfect game against Trois Rivieres. This would leave Dakota with the 3 lowest ERAs in the Pacific (Denman, Fortman, and Hernandez). By the end of the month, the weekly team power rankings have every Pacific Conference team (besides Baton Rouge) above all of the Atlantic Conference teams. Other than that, not much else besides the All-Star Break
Here are the standings as of the All-Star break.
Pacific Conference:
Astoria Osprey 49-40
Galveston Launch 49-40
Dakota Eagles 48-40
Eureka Redwoods 48-40
Cheyenne Buffalo 48-41
Baton Rouge Cajuns 38-52
Atlantic Conference
Germantown Pretzels 48-39
Huron Gryphons 47-41
Plymouth Pilgrims 47-41
Trois Rivieres Harfang 48-42 (.001% behind PLY and HUR)
Chesapeake Admirals 35-54
Florida Flamingos 27-62
In the HR Derby, Baton Rouge’s Antonio Garza would take the crown, barely edging out Kyle Thompson in the final round.
Mr. Lone Star, David Moran, would win All-Star game MVP honors by hitting the only home run in a Pacific Conference 5-2 victory.
Batters of the Month:
PC: Jake Herold .347avg, 11HRs, 29RBIs (GAL) x2
AC: David Westland .360avg, 4HRs, 22RBIs (CHS)
Pitchers of the Month:
PC: Felix Hernandez 4-0, 1.04ERA, 47Ks (DAK)
AC: Matt Mauck 3-2 1.74ERA, 24Ks (PLY)
Rookies of the Month:
PC: Rafael Santa Cruz 2-1 2.11ERA, 28Ks (CHY)
AC: Ben Cintron .255avg, 5HRs, 13RBIs (GER) x2
August:
Germantown starts the month with a 4 game sweep over Galveston where they never gave up more than 4 runs. This leaves 5 Pacific teams separated by 1.5 games going into the final 2 months of the season. Despite a 1-9 streak, Galveston is able to stay with the pack in the Pacific. Baton Rouge, currently on a 14-2 streak to not just make them .500 but put them in the playoff faces off Dakota who are currently on a 9 game winning streak. Dakota not just wins the series, but sweep the Cajuns giving up only 2 runs combined in the 3 games. This seemingly gives Dakota the advantage going into the final month of the season. In the Atlantic, Huron goes on a 9 game losing streak, leaving them at .500. While Trois fashions a good month overall, but is overshadowed by MVP front-runner Kyle Thompson going down for the rest of the season with a broken elbow.
Batters of the Month:
PC: Matthew Wagoner .336avg, 8HRs, 27RBIs (BR)
AC: Kyle Thompson .303avg, 13HRs, 25RBIs only 21 Games (TR)
Pitchers of the Month:
PC: Felix Hernandez 5-0 1.94ERA, 50Ks 15BBs (DAK) x2
AC: Vince Benbow 5-1 1.48ERA, 33Ks (PLY) x3
Rookies of the Month:
PC: Katsumi Canio .322avg, 19Runs, 11SBs (GAL)
AC: Jerome Shackelford .263avg, 4HRs, 13Runs (FLA)
September:
With 1 month left, the standings are finally starting to fall into shape. Dakota holds a 2.5 game lead in the Pacific. With Astoria and Galveston separated by 1. Cheyenne and Eureka are still realistically able to challenge but are over 3 games behind Galveston. The Cajuns have fallen, but do have a 0.2% chance, and they will take anything. In the Atlantic, Florida and Chesapeake have long since been no contenders. Despite Thompson’s injury, Trois currently sits above the table by 1.5. Germantown and Plymouth are tied in 2nd with the streaky Huron 3 games behind. There really isn’t anything guaranteed yet. Galveston’s ace Walker Green tore his ACL and will be out until next August, a crushing blow for a team that already has a weak pitching staff. In other news, Plymouth’s Vince Benbow has voluntarily left the team to care for his daughter who has cancer. Plymouth is currently 1 game behind Germantown for the wild card spot, will this selfless act turn the harsh New England fans against him? Following last month's 12 game winning streak, Dakota won 11 more in a row, making them 25-5 in their last 30. That stretch essentially guarantees a playoff spot and possibly the conference. The aforementioned 3rd place Pilgrims would grind to a halt, going 1-9, leaving them 7 games out with only a dozen left to go. This would essentially guarantee Trois Rivieres and Germantown playoffs, however who would get home field advantage would still be up for grabs… until Germantown went on a 12-1 streak to give themselves the Conference lead. The second spot in the Pacific continued to be a 4 team race all the way until a week left in the season. Cheyenne would go on a 7-game win streak, eliminating Astoria and Eureka. Galveston would just barely hang on, 1 game separates them as they face each other in the final series of the season. Cheyenne would win the first game, 3-5. Galveston would have to sweep, then beat them in a game 163. The Launch dominated game 2, 18-8. In game 3, an 8th inning rally by Galveston would be just enough to win 4-2. It's game 163, baby. Unfortunately for Galveston, Cheyenne’s ace, Lee Ray, would throw a complete game shutout to send the Buffalo to the playoffs.
Batters of the Month:
PC: Antonio Garza .352avg, 12HRs, 28RBIs (BR)
AC: Tom Mackey .354avg, 5HRs, 25RBHis (CHS)
Pitchers of the Month:
PC: Adam Harless 5-0 3.80ERA, 25Ks (DAK)
AC: Anton Latorre 7Saves 0Blown Saves, 23Ks in 13.2 innings (GER)
Rookies of the Month:
PC: Jose Serrano 3.55ERA 5Saves, 14Ks in 12.2 innings (CHY) x3
AC: Ben Cintron .234avg, 18Runs (GER) x3
Final Season Standings
Pacific Conference:
x-Dakota Eagles 94-68
z-Cheyenne Buffalo 88-75
Galveston Launch 87-76
Eureka Redwoods 84-78
Astoria Osprey 83-79
Baton Rouge Cajuns 77-85
Atlantic Conference:
x-Germantown Pretzels 91-71
z-Trois Rivieres Harfang 87-75
Plymouth Pilgrims 79-83
Huron Gryphons 78-84
Chesapeake Admirals 68-94
Florida Flamingos 57-105
League Stat Leaders
Batting Average
PC: (CHY) Mike McClary .354, (GAL) David Moran .340, (CHY) Bobby Clark .317
AC: (HUR) Tom Phelan .343, (PLY) Tom Paddock .334, (PLY) Nick Parsons .320
Home Runs
PC: (BR) Antonio Garza 54, (GAL) Jake Herold 53, (AST) Brad Fenimore 43
AC: (TR) Kyle Thompson 54, (GER) George Powers 31, (GER) Oscar Fandino 25
RBIs
PC: (BR) Antonio Garza 141, (GAL) Jake Herold 137, (GAL) David Moran 120
AC: (TR) Kyle Thompson 113, (PLY) Nick Parsons 108, (GER) George Powers 104
On-Base + Slugging
PC: (GAL) Jake Herold 1.042, (BR) Antonio Garza 1.039, (GAL) David Moran .987
AC: (TR) Kyle Thompson 1.081, (GER) George Powers .950, (CHS) Ray Tolbert .925
Stolen Bases
PC: (EUR) Kevin Meyer 53, (DAK) Larry Adair 38, (GAL) Katsumi Canio 32
AC: (HUR) Trevor Reardon 71, (FLA) Jesse Haskins 42, (PLY) Tom Paddock 37
Batting WAR
PC: (CHY) Mike McClary 9.4, (AST) Hervé Barthélémy 7.7, (GAL) Jake Herold 7.0
AC: (PLY) Tom Paddock 6.4, (TR) Kyle Thompson 6.2, (CHS) Ray Tolbert 6.2
Wins
PC: (DAK) Felix Hernandez 19, (AST) Adam Minke 18, (CHY) Lee Ray 18
AC: (PLY) Vince Benbow 21, (GER) Eddie Melanson 18, (HUR) Jake Hale 15
Strikeouts
PC: (DAK) Felix Hernandez 270, (AST) Adam Minke 194, (AST) Andrew Redepenning 181
AC: (TR) Leon Lopez 240, (PLY) Vince Benbow 212, (PLY) Matt Mauck 211
ERA
PC: (DAK) Felix Hernandez 2.34, (DAK) Ben Denman 2.52, (CHY) Lee Ray 2.76
AC: (PLY) Vince Benbow 2.25, (HUR) Mario Olmedo 2.53, (PLY) Matt Mauck 2.84
Saves
PC: (EUR) David Pugh 41, (BR) Ken Laubach 36, (AST) Angelo Juarez 32
AC: (GER) Anton Latorre 37, (TR) Roy Nixon 32, (HUR) Jake Pawlowski 32
Pitcher WAR
PC: (DAK) Felix Hernandez 8.3, (BR) Ruberto Ticaro 7.3, (DAK) Ben Denman 7.2
AC: (PLY) Vince Benbow 10.3, (GER) Anton Latorre 7.5, (HUR) Mario Olmedo 7.2
also wanted to add that Chesapeake catcher, Alex Respighi had one of the absolute worst seasons I've ever laid eyes on. Clearly due to overwork, as he's the only catcher in the organization. He slashed .109/.153/.121 with league leading 296 strikeouts, -25OPS+ and a -7.7 WAR. He did however get a walk-off hit against Trois in June. Just absolutely horrid, now lets see Chesapeake not sign anyone else.
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Pacific Conference Championship Series
vs
Dakota has had an outstanding year, leading in pretty much every pitching category, but have struggled offensively, with no players hitting over .800OBS. Their 3rd starter, Steve Fortman (12-9, 3.14ERA) will also be out for this series, but may be able to play in the finals. Cheyenne has had one roller coaster of a season, with major and minor injuries to almost every player. However, they are mostly healthy in time for this series (only major injury being reliever Christian Love). Cheyenne is second in most pitching categories, but bolster one of the fastest and contact-est (is that a word?) offenses in the league. But don’t have a single hitter with over 20 home runs. I’m expecting a major pitching duel this series.
Game 1:
CHY 2
DAK 3
Game 2:
CHY 8
DAK 7 (3B C. Ruiz hit 2 home runs in the loss)
Game 3:
DAK 4
CHY 5
Game 4:
DAK 2
CHY 5 (Bobby Clark had 4RBI)
Game 5:
DAK 6 (Felix Hernandez 10 strikeout 2-hit complete game)
CHY 0
Game 6
CHY 4
DAK 3
Cheyenne takes a 4-2 series that felt way closer. With 4 games decided by 1 run. Series MVP goes to Bobby Clark who hit .417, scored 5 runs and 4RBIs.
Atlantic Conference Championship Series
vs
The Hardang might be the best all-round team left in the playoffs, but are missing potential league MVP Kyle Thompson. The hole left by Thompson is especially felt as he had well more than double the home runs as their next highest (54 compared to 21). However, they have 4 starters with an ERA in the 3s, along with one of the best set-up/closer pairings with Graham Lawlor and Melvin Perez with closer Ryan Nixon. Only potentially beat by Germantown’s own bullpen with too many players to name, headlined mostly by Anton Latorre with his 18.3K/9 and 2nd highest WAR in the league. Batting wise, the Pretzels have a lot more pop and depth, leading in every offensive category, but struggle with contact as no one is hitting over .300. This series will most likely come down to whoever can score first as they will have the advantage in the bullpen battle.
Game 1:
TR 1
GER 8
Game 2:
TR 1
GER 2 (10th inning, walk-off double by Dave Millan who was knocked in to tie it in the 9th)
Game 3:
GER 8
TR 2
Game 4:
GER 1
TR 6
Game 5:
GER 3
TR 2
Pretzels take the series in a relatively easy gentleman sweep. C Keith Lopes took series MVP hitting .450, 2 homers, and 6 RBI.
2101 NABF Championship Series
vs
During the regular season, Cheyenne won 8-7. During the last series, Germantown’s pitcher, Jose Lopez, reaggravated a knee injury and will keep him out of the finals. He didn’t pitch enough to qualify but would be leading the team in ERA and is considered one of their best starters. Personally, not sure if their rotation will be enough to match Cheyenne’s offense.
Game 1:
CHY 8
GER 6
A 5 run 3rd inning gave Cheyenne a lead they would never relinquish. C Eric Titus would go 4-6 with 2 doubles to continue his great postseason.
Game 2:
CHY 2
GER 3
The Pretzels played small ball and after giving the ball to Latorre in the 8th, would only allow 1 baserunner for the rest of the game.
Game 3:
GER 2
CHY 0
A classic pitching duel between Lee Ray and Eddie Melanson, both would only surrender 4 hits. Ray just happened to surrender them all in the same inning.
Game 4:
GER 3
CHY 5
Cheyenne’s rotation depth helped them out as Germantown’s 4th just couldn’t compare. Serrano got his 6th save of the playoffs.
Game 5:
GER 5
CHY 0
After a solo home run by Oscar Fandino in the first inning, Germantown looked to have control. However, in the 4th, Pretzel pitcher, Rich Lowder would come down with an injury and be replaced by Philip Auricchio, for the next 4.2 innings, only 1 Buffalo would get on base as he and Latorre shut them down.
Game 6:
CHY 2
GER 0
Rafael Santa Cruz would throw a 3 hit gem, in order to force a Game 7 in the first ever Championship Series.
Game 7 would see Cheyenne’s ace Lee Ray put against a rough and banged up Eddie Melanson, the 35 year-old has been dealing with the flu for the last few games, but would be penciled in to start regardless. Melanson would do his best, giving up 3 runs through 5 before manager John Lebeavois would take him out for Benjamin Platt, who despite being a top reliever in the regular season has had an ERA north of 5 in the post-season. Unsurprisingly, Platt would give up 3 in 2 innings before switching to Herbert before Latorre. Though, it likely wouldn’t have mattered as Lee Ray pitched a complete game, giving up only 1 run. Series MVP would go to C Eric Titus, who hit .300 with a home run and 3 doubles in the last 2 games, leading Cheyenne to be the first ever NABF Champions.
CHY 6
GER 1
Last edited by BDoof (5/15/2024 12:31 pm)
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Awards:
Jean Frey Award Winners: (silver slugger equivalent)
Pacific Conference:
C: Eric Titus - .316/.377/.483, 12HRs, 132wRC+, 4.0WAR (CHY)
1B: David Moran - .340/.419/.568, 27HRs, 120RBIs, 7.0WAR (GAL)
2B: Fernando Criado - .287/.372/.516, 33HRs, 102Rs, 143wRC+, 6.7WAR (EUR)
3B: Dave Rhein - .255/.376/.393, 18HRs, 113R, 118wRC+, 3.5WAR (GAL)
SS: Mike McClary - .354/.435/.500, 13HRs, 20SBs, 9.4WAR (CHY)
LF: Hervé Barthélémy - .307/.407/.570, 34HRs, 24SBs, 123Rs, 7.7WAR (AST)
CF: Tyler Kilbarger - .305/.362/.469, 17HRs, 32SBs, 127wRC+, 6.0WAR (AST)
RF: Jake Herold - .308/.392/.650, 53HRs, 137RBIs, 7.0WAR (GAL)
DH: Antonio Garza - .300/.404/.634, 54HRs, 141RBIs, 7.9WAR (BR)
Atlantic Conference:
C: Keith Lopes - .298/.346/.479, 17HRs, 124wRC+, 3.7 (GER)
1B: Kyle Thompson - .291/.381/.700, 54HRs, 113RBIs, 6.2 (TR)
2B: Juan Torres - .308/.357/.394, 29SBs, 2.7WAR (PLY)
3B: Chris Shepherd - .288/.404/.447, 14HRs, 134wRC+, 4.0WAR (FLA)
SS: Tom Phelan - .343/.403/.453, 77Rs, 138wRC+, 5.6 (HUR)
LF: George Powers - .293/.426/.524, 31HRs, 104RBI, 5.4WAR (GER)
CF: Tom Paddock - .334/.417/.496, 18HRs, 37SBs, 153wRC+, 6.4WAR (PLY)
RF: Tom Mackey - .328/.389/.576, 22HRs, 160wRC+, 4.2WAR (CHS)
DH: Oscar Fandino - .272/.330/.475, 25HRs, 118wRC+, 1.8WAR (GER)
Laurent Gervais Award Winners: (reliever of the year equivalent)
Pacific Conference: David Pugh - 7-4, 41Saves, 2.38ERA, 94.2Innings, 90Ks (EUR)
Atlantic Conference: Anton Latorre - 6-7, 37Saves, 1.47ERA, 92Innings, 187Ks (GER) Unanimous winner
Sidney Ross Award Winners: (manager award)
Pacific Conference: Cameron Wellman of Dakota, best record in Conference with a 94-68.
Atlantic Conference: John Lebeavois of Germantown, won Conference with a 91-71 record.
Dimitri Deshayes Award Winners: (gold glove equivalent)
Pacific Conference:
Pitcher: Ben Denman (DAK)
C: Ernie Chavez (EUR)
1B: Tony Cummings (BR)
2B: Fernando Criado (EUR)
3B: Bobby Tippett (EUR)
SS: Ryan Irvin (GAL)
LF: Jon Magallanes (DAK)
CF: Katsumi Canio (GAL)
RF: Rhett Aberle (EUR)
Atlantic Conference:
Pitcher: Brian Van Winkle (CHS)
C: David Tyson (FLA)
1B: Ray Tolbert (CHS)
2B: David Millan (GER)
3B: Rio Carr (HUR)
SS: Dave Gonzales (CHS)
LF: Doug Wasielewski (FLA)
CF: Gary Urbanczyk (CHS)
RF: Sam Boyd (GER)
Raul Hernandez Award Winners: (platinum glove equivalent)
Pacific Conference: SS Ryan Irvin (GAL)
Atlantic Conference: 2B David Millan (GER)
Pedro Castaneda Award Winners: (rookie of the year equivalent)
Pacific Conference: Katsumi Canio - .313/.339/.451, 14Triples, 32SBs, 115OPS+, 4.0WAR (GAL)
(Cheyenne’s Rafael Santa Cruz and Jose Serrano each got 1 first place vote)
Atlantic Conference: Ben Cintron - .241/.305/.362, 15HRs, 93Runs, 3.1WAR (GER) Unanimous, mostly due to lack of competition
Matt Taylor Award Winners: (Cy Young equivalent)
Pacific Conference:
1st Felix Hernandez - 19-5, 270Ks, 2.34ERA, opponents hit .190 against him. 182ERA+ (DAK) 11 first place votes. Also won the Triple Crown
2nd Ben Denman - 18-9, 146Ks, 2.52ERA, 0.4HR/9, 169ERA+ (DAK) 1 first place vote
3rd Lee Ray - 18-10, 137Ks, 2.76ERA, lead PC with 4 shutouts (CHY) 0 first place votes
Atlantic Conference:
1st Vince Benbow - 21-8, 212Ks, 2.25ERA, 212Ks, 0.1HR/9, 189ERA+, 10.3WAR (PLY) unanimous
2nd Anton Latorre - 37 of 42 Saves, 187Ks, 18.3K/9, 287ERA+, 7.5WAR, 1.47ERA (GER) won the Gervais
3rd Matt Mauck - 14-11, 2.84ERA, 211Ks, 150ERA+ (PLY)
Willie Baxter Award Winners: (Hank Aaron equivalent)
Pacific Conference:
1st RF Jake Herold - .308/.392/.650, 53HRs, 94XBHs, 137RBIs, 181OPS+ (GAL) 6 first place votes
2nd SS Mike McClary - .354/.435/.500, 210Hits, 103Runs, 20SBs, 9.4WAR (CHY) 3 first place votes
3rd LF/DH Antonio Garza - .300/.404/.634, 54HRs, 141RBIs, 13IBBs, 180OPS+ (BR) 2 first place votes
(Galveston’s David Moran also received a 1st place vote)
Atlantic Conference:
1st 1B Kyle Thompson - .291/.381/.700, 54HRs, 113RBIs, 189OPS+ (TR) Unanimous, despite only playing 125 games
2nd LF George Powers - .293/.426/.524, 31HRs, 106Runs, 123BBs/31Ks (GER)
3rd CF Tom Paddock - .334/.417/.496, 18HRs, 197Hits, 37SBs, 6.4WAR (led AC) (PLY)
Draft: (will just cover the first round)
1st Overall, Florida Flamingos select, RHP Steven Dorsey from Susquehanna out of college
2nd Overall, Chesapeake Admirals select, RHP Matt Frizzell from Cascadia out of high school
3rd Overall, Baton Rouge Cajuns select, CF Ben Black from Georgia, out of high school
4th Overall, Huron Gryphons select, CF Melvin Navarrete from California, out of high school
5th Overall, Plymouth Pilgrims select, 3B Matt Bentz from Virginia, out of college
6th Overall, Astoria Osprey select, SS Kevin Jones from The Dakotas, out of college
7th Overall, Eureka Redwoods select, RHP Trent Pullin from Florida, out of high school
8th Overall, Galveston Launch select, LHP Bobby Crocitto from Louisiana, out of high school
9th Overall, Trois Rivieres Harfang select, RF Ron Peterson from Arctic Circle Federation, out of college
10th Overall, Cheyenne Buffalo select, SS Dan Harbin from New England, out of college
11th Overall, Germantown Pretzels select, RF Peter Keith from Florida, out of college
12th Overall, Dakota Eagles select, CF Ryan Leonard from Great Lakes, out of high school
International FAs: (currently the usual nations, but will go to nations without teams once expansion happens)
1 Cuban - SP Mario Anguiano, signs with Florida
2 Mexican - CF David Ayala, signs with Baton Rouge
3 Aruban - 2B Cor John, signs with Eureka
4 Gabonese - LF Matunde Simai, signs with Plymouth
5 Puerto Rican - SS Enrique Deramos, signs with Trois Rivieres
Roster Moves: As an added note, there is a salary cap of $2,500,000, though no team is going to be close to it during the first few seasons.
Losses in FA: LF Barthélémy 7.7WAR, SP Adam Minke 6.6WAR, 2B Ritter Ammann 3.2WAR, SS Mario Hernandez 2.2WAR
Resigned RHP Andrew Redepenning, 5 years AAV of $120k, entering his prime
Signs reliever Bill Van Auken, 3 years with AAV of $71k. The Sussy posted 1.88ERA over 71 innings for Germantown.
Overview: Astoria really didn’t do that bad last year, but losing their 3 best players and their only major signing being a reliever is not inspiring a lot of confidence.
Losses in FA: LF Antonio Garza 6.9WAR, CF Bob Beals 3.2WAR, 2B Bobby Pelletier 1.6WAR
Signs reliever Alex Schepers 3 years with AAV of $60k. The Virgin posted a 2.21ERA over 40 innings for Huron
Signs reliever Graham Lawlor, 2 years with AAV of $49k. The Quebecois posted a 0.52ERA over 34 innings in Trois last season.
Overview: losing Garza was inevitable, however building a powerhouse bullpen is a very interesting idea.
Losses in FA: SP Julio Sanchez 3.2WAR, SS Dave Gonzalez 3.2WAR
Signs RHP Lee Ray, 6 years with AAV of $240k. The Dakotan threw the first no-hitter and was 3rd in the Taylor award last year in Cheyenne.
Overview: after a frustrating year they easily lost the least, and signed an ace. But will it be enough to change their fortunes? (they did draft a catcher, so Respighi will at least get some help finally)
Losses in FA: SP Lee Ray 6.7WAR, CF Jim Lammers 3.0WAR, 2B Sergio Arias 2.6WAR, 3B Franklin Hernandez 2.5WAR
Resigns RHP Jeffrey Simon to 4-years with an AAV of $100k. He’s their 5th starter but would be an easy #2 on most other teams
Resigned SS Mike McClary, 1 year, $176k, led the league in WAR last year.
Resigned RHP Marty Hodge, 5 years, with an AAV of $118k. Locks up the 24 year old with ace potential
Signs Rocky native SP Steve Francen, 4 years with an AAV of $184k. The 34 year old had a 5.8WAR for Trois last season.
Signs Rocky native CF Kevin Meyer, 5 years with AAV of $232k. The 30-year-old led the PC with 53SBs last season.
Signs OF Richard Kriegel, 4 years with AAV of $150k. A bit of an overpay for defensive outfielder, but is a Rocky Mountain native.
Overview: Cheyenne is looking like they could potentially be a dynasty, especially since signing so many natives allow them to sign more foreigners.
Losses in FA: SP Steve Fortman 3.0WAR, 3B Carlos Ruiz 3.0WAR, CF Richard Kriegel 2.8WAR
Resigned LF Jon Magallanes, 3 years with an AAV of $92k. One of their best hitters last year
Resigned LHP Ben Denman, 1 year $150k.
Signs LF Trevor Reardon, 7 years with AAV of $214k. The speedy Dakotan outfielder led the NABF with 71SBs and 16 triples while hitting a .862OPS in Huron.
Signs CL David Pugh, 1 year $55k. Pugh won the Gervais award last year with Eureka.
Overview: Signed the Gervais winner, extended your best hitter (Magallanes), and signed a long-term contract with a native player? Dakota is potentially a dynasty of their own.
Losses in FA: CF Kevin Meyer 6.7WAR, 2B Fernando Criado 6.7WAR, CL David Pugh 3.2WAR, SP Josh Newcomer (didn’t play due to injuries but could’ve been their ace), SP Damian Cresswell 2.0, SP Jose Cervantes 1.8WAR
Sign 2B Ritter Ammann, 3 years with an AAV of $102k. The 26-year-old Susquehanna native was highly underrated last year, the best replacement for Criado.
Signs RHP Jake Hale, 5 years, with AAV of $172k. The California native posted a 4.2WAR with Huron last season
Sign reliever Christian Love, 1 year 66k. Love was the closer for Cheyenne before an injury shortened his season.
Signs reliever Mel Leiva, 3 years with AAV of $60k. The Mexican was part of the Eagles ridiculous bullpen last season.
Signs LF/DH Antonio Garza, 7 years with AAV of $290k. The Dominican led the league with 54HRs, 141RBIs, while walking more than he struck out. Garza becomes the highest paid player in the league.
Overview: When I first saw what they lost I felt so bad for them. But they were almost able to find an equal or near equal replacement to everybody. Which is honestly impressive on its own.
Losses in FA: SP Ross Whitehead 6.0WAR
Signs 2B Juan Torres, 5 years with AAV of $173k. The Floridian won a Frey Award last season with Plymouth.
Signs RHP Steve Fortman, 3 years with AAV of $162k. The 36 year old Floridian played 4th fiddle in Dakota last season posting a 3.14ERA.
Overview: The rebuild continues, they were able to not just draft #1 but signed the best IFA as well.
Losses in FA: C Simon Krug 3.4WAR, RP Alex Garcia 1.7, 20 year-old 2B D.W. Manning
Resigned LF Paul Butler, 1 year $82k, a very underrated 5-tool outfielder.
Resigned RF Jake Herold, 1 year $152k, looking to a long extension during the season.
Resigned SS Ryan Irvin, 3 year with AAV of $130k. While the young Texan is below-average with the bat, he won the Hernandez award for best defender in the league last year.
Overview: They essentially just kept the team the same, with Manning and Krug still not signing they could legitimately bring back everyone.
Losses in FA: 3B Jorge Martinez 3.6WAR, SP Eddie Melanson 2.2WAR, CF Ron Young 1.9WAR, RP Bill Van Auken 1.5WAR, 2B David Millan 0.7WAR but won the Hernandez Award
Resigned RF Sam Boyd, 5 years with AAV of $78k, a rather cheap contract for his above average productivity.
Resigned George Powers, 8 years with AAV of $157k. He’s only 24 and looks to be a Pretzel forever.
Trades #11 Prospect SP Pete Durica to PLY for 2B Brent Gomer
Signs LHP Adam Minke, 5 years with AAV of $210k. The Susquehanna native looks to be the ace that Germantown was missing, had a WAR of 6.6 last year with Astoria.
Signs reliver Melvin Perez, 3 years with AAV of $69k. Perez had a 2.96ERA over 70 innings, looks to replace Van Auken in the pen.
Overview: Locked up Powers and Boyd, signed an ace which was missing. OOTP has not been favorable of them, but I could see them make another run next year.
Losses in FA: LF Trevor Reardon 5.3WAR, SP Jake Hale 4.2WAR, SP Francisco Chavez 1.5WAR
Resigned 3B Rio Carr, 5 years with an AAV of $78k. A defensive minded third baseman.
Resigned CL Jake Pawlowski to a 1 year $124k contract
Resigned SS Tom Phelan, 1 year $93k. Got him really cheap.
Signs 2B Fernando Criado, 8 years with an AAV of $267k. The 26 year-old won a Frey and Deshayes last year, easily the best 2B in the league. 6.7WAR last year for Eureka
Signs SP Jaylin Wallace, 1 year $48k. The Great Lake native is potentially playing his final season, had a 131ERA+ in Trois last season.
Signs LHP Josh Newcomer to a 1 year prove it year. Newcomer was highly sought-after during the inaugural draft but missed the entire season due to a torn flexor tendon.
Overview: if they can lock of Phelan they might have the best double-play tandem in history. Taking chances on Wallace and Newcomer may also pay dividends.
Losses in FA: 2B Juan Torres 2.7WAR, SP Lance Ragas 2.1WAR
Resigned RHP Matt Mauck, 4 years with an AAV of $159k. Had a sub-3 ERA and is entering his prime
Trades 2B Brent Gomer to GER for SP prospect Pete Durica
Signs 2B David Millan for 1 year $60k. Millan won the Hernandez Award last year for his defense, but is a poor hitter.
Overview: Not a lot changed in New England. They lost mostly depth pieces, and made almost no effort to replace any.
Losses in FA: SP Steve Francen 5.8WAR, SP Jaylin Wallace 3.7WAR, RP Graham Lawlor 1.3WAR
Resigned 3B Andy Rico, 4 year with an AAV of $104k. A slight underperformance but has 5 tool potential.
Resigned SS Jason Martin, 4 years with an AAV of $95k. A mostly defensive young shortstop
Signs arguably the highest touted FA this year due to his youth. The Quebec native Hervé Barthélémy. 8 years with an AAV of $280k and an opt-out after year 2. The 25 year old left fielder won a Frey award and led the league with 123Runs with an 164OPS+ and 7.7WAR. Also had 24SBs and an above-average defensive fielder. He will pair well with the short right-field porch.
Overview: What do you do when your pitching takes a hit? Just sign potentially the best batter in FA and quality depth pieces.
Unsigned FA at the start of the season (unsure why they still aren't signed but there's enough to make a list this year)
RHP Alex Garcia, 2.35ERA in the Galveston bullpen
RHP Ross Whitehead, may have led the NABF in losses but the Maritimer can't be that bad
2B D.W. Manning, the 20 year old isn't fully developed yet put up decent enough numbers
C Simon Krug, the German was easily the 2nd or 3rd best catcher in the NABF last season
2B Sergio Arias, won the championship with Cheyenne and was one of their better batters
RHP Damian Cresswell, 3.19ERA for Eureka
2B Bobby Pelletier, .280/.368/.386 for Baton Rouge
Almost enough to make a whole new team (foreshadowing?)
____________ _ _ _
also since the inagural season is fully over now. Is there anything I should add? More details or stats on players/nations? Or a better way to post the in-season monthly update (i thought about doing a post for each month but that seems needlessly a lot, but could reconsider).
Last edited by BDoof (5/15/2024 12:31 pm)
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With the inaugural season out the way and clear paths that each team is taking allows for the always interesting sophomore season.
Starting, as always, with the Pacific Conference
last season 83-79, 5th in the Pacific
8th ranked farm system (SS Kevin Jones #20, 3B Adam Moore #37, RHP Kazue Tojo #42)
Payroll $1,866,192 - 3rd
Lineups and Pitching
last season 77-85, 6th in the PacificC Armando Garcia, Susquehanna, .236/.295/.306, 60OPS+ (last seasons stats and awards)
1B Mike Harding, Cascadia, .195/.288/.341, 66OPS+ in 86 games
2B Juan Garcia, Venezuela, .221/.333/.265, 71OPS+ in 33 games with Plymouth
3B Angelo Alonzo, Mexico, .293/.381/.446, 118OPS+
SS Kevin Jones, The Dakotas, no stats, #6 overall draft pick last year
LF Doug Wasielewski, Cascadia, .208/.268/.302, 59OPS+, Deshayes award with Florida
CF Tyler Kilbarger, Susquehanna, .305/.362/.469, 118OPS+, won Frey award
RF Alex Estrada, Mexico, .347/.407/.612, only 19 games
DH Brad Fenimore, Rocky Mountains, .271/.378/.558 43HRs
1 Andrew Redepenning, Virginia, 16-8, 3.47ERA, 124ERA+
2 Bernie Rosado, Susquehanna, 17-8, 3.58ERA, 120ERA+
3 Beau Schulte, Cascadia, 5-13, 4.86ERA, 86ERA+ with Huron
4 Dusty Moore, Cascadia, 3-13, 5.83ERA, 74ERA+
5 sh-t Otani, Cascadia, 6.74ERA in 26.2 innings
CL - Angelo Juarez, Dominican Republic, 32Saves, 3.87ERA
Other bullpen arms of note: Rogelio Rodriguez, Bill Van Auken, Nick Ashley, Rogelio Victoria
Overall, they are a solidly above average team. They saw what Dakota and Germantown could do with a bullpen and completely overhauled it. However, they still have almost no offensive depth. I agree with OOTP and think they will be an above .500 team but not much of a playoff threat.
last season 88-75, 2nd in Pacific and won the NABF ChampionshipC Kevin Edwards, Georgia, no stats, rookie season
1B Jose Pineda, Louisiana, no stats, rookie season
2B Emilio Rodriguez, Puerto Rico, .271/.394/.442, 122OPS+ in 90 games
3B Jon Arias, Dominican Republic, .275/.335/.461, 20HRs
SS Philip Fievet, Quebec, .194/.281/.259, defensive keystone
LF Dave Chatwin, Maritimes, .247/.314/.441 only 31 games
CF Mark Chapman, Quebec, .265/.311/.371 18SBs
RF Matthew Wagoner, Great Lakes, .266/.335/.508 34HRs, 121OPS+
DH Bill Miller, Louisiana, .198/.309/.344, 17HRs with Huron
1 Ruberto Ticao, Venezuela, 15-12, 3.53ERA, 7.9WAR
2 Joel Acrsio, Venezuela, 7-22, 5.02ERA (torn UCL, out entire season)
3 Ahmed Mathis, Rocky Mountains, 6-11, 4.94ERA (torn UCL, will miss first month)
4 Ryan Sumner, Georgia, 4.91ERA in 22 innings in Florida
5 Jason Skelly, Cascadia, no stats, rookie season
CL - Ken Laubach, Virginia, 36Saves, 1.89ERA, 227ERA+
Other bullpen arms of note: Graham Lawlor, Alex Schepers, Jason Walker)
Baton Rouge is… well unfortunate. Along with Acrsio and Mathis, bullpen arms Mike Musick, Nick Flynn, and Jim Vogel will all miss significant time. That bullpen though, Laubach, Lawlor, Schepers, Walker, and Musick combined for a sub 2.50 ERA… but with only Ticao being above league-average for a starter means pitching will be a struggle all season. Especially with their relatively weak offense. Wagoner and Laubach both have 2 seasons before they reach free agency, it may be in their best interest to trade both of them for prospects. While I expect them to be bad… I don’t know what crack OOTP is snorting to think they will only win 12 games.
last season 94-68, 1st in the Pacific, lost to Cheyenne in the Conference SeriesC Eric Titus, Great Lakes, .316/.377/.483, 127OPS+, won Frey award
1B Bobby Clark, New England, .317/.386/.454, 122OPS+ (out for first month with thumb injury)
2B Dan Harbin, New England, no stats, rookie season
3B Tim Norris, Rocky Mountains, .180/.291/.192, in 66 games
SS Mike McClary, Texas, .354/.435/.500, led league in hits. Won Frey award, 2nd in Hernandez, and 3rd in Baxter
LF Ken Jones, Rocky Mountains, .174/.307/.210, in 58 games
CF Kevin Meyer, Rocky Mountains, .293/.385/.461, 53SBs, with Eureka
RF Richard Kriegel, Rocky Mountains, .237/.328/.381, 88OPS+ with Dakota
DH Jedrick Zelasko, Poland, .245/.334/.375, 88OPS+
1 Rafael Santa Cruz, Florida, 9-6, 3.04ERA, 142ERA+
2 Marty Hodge, Australia, 14-11, 3.65ERA, 180Ks
3 Steve Francen, Rocky Mountains, 14-12, 3.61ERA, 117ERA+ with Trois Rivieres
4 Jose Serrano, Dominican Republic, 25Saves, 2.60ERA
5 Jeffrey Simon, The Dakotas, 15-11, 3.83ERA, 0.2HR/9s
CL - Ben Nickel, Rocky Mountains, 12-13, 4.58ERA with Huron
Essentially the same team, CF Keyer replaces Lammers and SP Francen replaces Lee Ray. A full year of Santa Cruz and Serrano should make the scariest rotation in baseball. Only downsides are their lack of power (Sergio Arias led the team with 18, and he is no longer on the team) and their below average bullpen. I wouldn’t be surprised if they put Serrano back as their closer after a few months.
last season 84-78, 4th in PacificC Scott Vander Ark, The Dakotas, .302/.374/.410, in 86 games
1B Greg Gibson, Louisiana, .239/.347/.402, 98OPS+
2B Larry Adair, Arctic Circle, .311/.405/.389, 38SBs (will miss first month due to thumb injury)
3B Ji-hu Seol, California, .232/.336/.358, in 40 games with Eureka
SS Ian Brinley, Texas, .265/.350/.403, 4.0WAR
LF Jon Magallanes, Rocky Mountains, .289/.349/.420, 103OPS+ won Deshayes award
CF Ron Young, The Dakotas, .252/.310/.386, 97OPS+ with Germantown
RF Scott Purkis, The Dakotas, .274/.334/.393, 92OPS+
DH Trevor Reardon, The Dakotas, .293/.403/.460, 71SBs, 143OPS+ with Huron
1 Felix Hernandez, Dominican Republic, 19-5, 2.34ERA, 270Ks, 184ERA+ won Taylor award
2 Ben Denman, Florida, 18-9, 2.52ERA, 171ERA+, 2nd in Taylor award, won Deshayes
3 Adam Harless, Great Lakes, 12-13, 4.62ERA
4 Lance Ragas, The Dakotas, 8-15, 4.19ERA with Plymouth
5 Craig Lablanc, Florida, 6-15, 6.06ERA with Florida
CL - David Pugh, The Dakotas, 41Saves, 2.38ERA won Gervais award with Eureka
Other notable bullpen arms: Mike Kohn, Joel Martin
After finishing best in the Pacific, they continue to be heavy favorites. With the addition of Reardon, their average offense should finally have enough to threaten any team. Pugh and Kohn make a potent 1-2 at the end of games that should save them from the weak end of their rotation. Barring major injuries, I see them appearing in the Conference Series again.
last season 87-76, 3rd in Pacific (lost game 163 to Cheyenne)C Gilbert Cove, The Dakotas, .269/.361/.331, in 52 games with Dakota
1B Mel Velez, Guatemala, .295/.373/.479, 26HRs
2B Jorge Rodriguez, Dominican Republic, played 1 game last season
3B Bobby Tippett, California, .201/.307/.397, 23HRs won Deshayes award
SS Fernando Solis, Dominican Republic, .261/.353/.414, 103OPS+
LF Antonio Garza, Dominican Republic, .300/.404/.634, 54HRs, 141RBIs won Frey award with Baton Rouge
CF Bob Beals, Quebec, .236/.316/.343, 23SBs with Baton Rouge
RF J.D. Linde, Louisiana, .276/.356/.433, 24SBs 109OPS+
DH Ritter Ammann, Susquehanna, .314/.374/.449, 117OPS+ with Astoria
1 Raul Crespo, Puerto Rico, 5-4 3.05ERA, only started 12 games due to injury
2 Jake Hale, California, 15-10, 3.72ERA, 137Ks with Huron
3 Ian Strauss, Susquehanna, 12-9, 5.55ERA
4 Steven Crossman, California, 16-6, 4.68ERA with Dakota
5 Eddie Melanson, California, 18-4, 3.39ERA with Germantown
CL - Cheng-gong Bu, Taiwan, 2Saves, 3.72ERA, 116ERA+
Other notable bullpen arms: Christian Love and Mel Leiva
Despite losing almost all their main talent, Eureka ended up building a solid core and a solid farm system. I don’t think they can challenge Dakota and Cheyenne, but with that farm system they will be ready shortly.
C Justin Harris, Texas, .270/.352/.365 in 46 games
1B Dave Rhein, Great Lakes, .255/.376/.393, won Frey award at third base
2B Bryce Cleveland, Texas, .292/.370/.349 in 40 games
3B Conor Rosenzeig, Texas, .273/.377/.429, 114OPS+ in 76 games
SS Ryan Irvin, Texas, .208/.294/.330, 66OPS+ but won Deshayes and Hernandez for defensive skill
LF Paul Butler, Rocky Mountain, .276/.361/.505, 31HRs
CF Katsumi Canio, Japan/Brazil, .313/.339/.451, 32SBs won Deshayes and the Castaneda
RF Jake Herold, California, .308/.392/.650, 53HRs, 172OPS+ won the Willie Baxter award
DH David Moran, Texas, .340/.419/.568, 53Doubles, 160OPS+ won Frey award at 1st
1 Walker Green, Georgia, 8-6, 3.51ERA (torn UCL, out 5 months)
2 Johnny Martinez, Texas, 4-2, 2.90ERA in 83 innings (torn flexor tendon, out 2 months)
3 Juan Manjarrez, Texas, 16-15, 4.30ERA
4 Jason Seals, Virginia, 3.15ERA in 74 innings with Chesapeake
5 Jeremy Kiely, Susquehanna, no stats, rookie season
CL - Kyle McMurphy, Rocky Mountains, 32Saves, 2.51ERA
Overview, the Boomsquad is back, with easily the most potent offense in the league. Even without Krug and Manning (who are still FAs somehow) they look to impose their offense. Naturally, their pitching is quite weak, especially since their 2 top arms are injured and their bullpen is also having issues. They might have to look for a trade in order to compete (maybe Ticao or one of Baton Rouge’s many bullpen arms?)
57-105, last in the AtlanticC Alex Respighi, Venezuela, .109/.153/.121, 296Ks, -22OPS+
1B Ray Tolbert, Cascadia, .292/.452/.473, 128BBs, won Deshayes award
2B Chris Conway, Virginia, .312/.364/.484 in 50 games
3B Brian Sky, Virginia, .230/.326/.329, 84OPS+
SS Dusty Hopp, Georgia, no stats, rookie season
LF David Westland, Cascadia, .3128.403/.460, 142OPS+
CF Gary Urbanczyk, Susquehanna, .248/.353/.510, 140OPS+ in 78 games, won Deshayes award
RF Tom Mackey, Great Lakers, .328/.389/.576, 22HRs in 108 games. Won Frey award
DH Randy Golden, Virginia, .237/.315/.367 91OPS+
1 Lee Ray, The Dakotas, 18-10, 2.76ERA, 7.4WAR with Cheyenne
2 Roberto Gomez, Texas, 10-15, 4.56ERA
3 Brian Van Winkle, Texas, 12-16, 4.51ERA, won Deshayes award
4 Matt Richardson, Susquehanna, 12-15, 4.55ERA
5 Danny Loyola, Dominican Republic, no stats, rookie season
CL - Josh Burford, Susquehanna, 24Saves, 3.44ERA
After a devastatingly disappointing season (mostly due to injuries and overworking C Respighi), the Admirals look to rewrite the ship with ace Lee Ray, with a healthy season their lineup could be the best in the Atlantic… but staying healthy is the hard part.
last season 91-71, first in Atlantic (lost NABF Championship Series)C David Tyson, Florida, .251/.343/.325, 2.3WAR won Deshayes award
1B Jose Aragon, Mexico, .238/.284/.381 in 24 games with Baton Rouge
2B Juan Torres, Florida, .308/.357.394, won Frey award with Plymouth
3B Chris Shepherd, Great Lakes, .288/.404/.447, 138OPS+, won Frey award
SS Luis Rico, Venezuela, .202/.280/.291, great defense, with Plymouth
LF Jesse Haskins, California, .237/.334/.381 100OPS+
CF Jerome Shackelford, Florida, .223/.311/.321 2nd in Castaneda
RF Oscar Morales, Puerto Rico, .269/.362/.464m 130OPS+
DH Tyler Hammerich, Florida, only 3 at-bats last season
1 Steve Fortman, Florida, 12-9, 3.14ERA, 137ERA+ with Dakota
2 Alejandro Escarcega, Dominican Republic, 9-18, 4.22ERA, 1.4BB/9 (led conference)
3 Jose Orozco, Dominican Republic, 13-18, 4.80ERA
4 Omar Saldana, Venezuela, 13-10, 5.00ERA with Trois Rivieres
5 Luke Rush, New England, no stats, rookie season
CL - Mike Hilger, 20Saves, 1.19ERA, 356ERA+
Other notable bullpen arms: Steven Dorsey, was the #1 Overall draft pick last year
If everything comes together this year, they could be great. But that likely won’t happen, but they shouldn’t lose 105 games this year at least.
last season 78-84, 4th in AtlanticC Keith Lopes, California, .298/.346/.479, 133OPS+ won Frey award
1B Bobby Russell, Susquehanna, .250/.351/.413, 117OPS+
2B Brent Gomer, New England, .236/.321/.305, 78OPS+ with Plymouth
3B Daniel Burks, Susquehanna, no stats, rookie season
SS Ben Cintron, California, .241/.305/.362, 32SBs won Castaneda award
LF George Powers, Quebec, .293/.426/.524, 31HRs, 169OPS+ won Frey award
CF Lance Carter, Susquehanna, less than a dozen at–bats with Eureka
RF Sam Boyd, Great Lakes, .272/.357/.450, 129OPS+ won Deshayes award
DH Oscar Fandino, New England, .272/.330/.475, 38Doubles, won Frey award
1 Adam Minke, Susquehanna, 16-9, 3.16ERA, 1.09WHIP, 7.2WAR with Astoria
2 Jose Lopez, California, 5-2, 2.52ERA in 64 innings
3 Rich Lowder, Hawaii, 7-0, 3.67ERA, in injury shortened season
4 Jaivin Cano, Louisiana, 10-6, 4.97ERA with Baton Rouge
5 Josh Dorshorst, Susquehanna, 12-12, 5.05ERA
CL - Anton Latorre, Dominican Republic, 37Saves, 1.47ERA, 18.3K/9, won Gervais and 2nd in Taylor award
Other notable bullpen arms: Benjamin Platt, Melvin Perez, Philip Auricchio
For the second time, OOTP thinks very low of the Pretzels, honestly, with the addition of Minke I see them being able to win the Atlantic again this year. Their only weakness is contact, but they make up for it with baserunning and on-base. Maybe I’m just biased as they are my home-town team.
last season 79-83, 3rd in Atlantic ConferenceC Kevin Magid, Rocky Mountains, .230/.317/.341
1B Tony Cummings, Louisiana, .235/.331/.389, won Deshayes award
2B Fernando Criado, California, .287/.372/.516, 33HRs won Frey and Deshayes awards with Eureka
3B Rio Carr, New England, .241/.326/.342, won Deshayes award
SS Tom Phelan, Quebec, .343/.403/.453, 142OPS+ won Frey award
LF Alexis Hernandez, Cuba, .275/.347/.366, 17SBs
CF Robby Roberto, Texas, .228/.305/.384, great defender
RF Ray Toth, Hawaii, .240/.342/.386
DH Oscar Diaz, Dominican Republic, .233/.327/.321 with Dakota
1 Mario Olmedo, Rocky Mountains, 13-4, 2.53ERA, 1.08WHIP
2 Jaylin Wallace, Great Lakes, 14-8, 3.22ERA, 131ERA+ with Trois Rivieres
3 Josh Newcomer, Great Lakes, missed last season due to injury (with Eureka)
4 Todd Luquette, California, 9-12, 4.10ERA,
5 John Howard, Rocky Mountains, no stats, rookie season
CL - Jake Pawlowski, California, 32Saves, 1.36ERA, 309ERA+
Other notable bullpen arms: Mike Anderson and Oscar Torrez
The 2102 Huron Gryphons are a mystery, just like Josh Newcomer. Last year they did poorly despite being a great team on paper. Regardless of this season's outcome, they need to resign Pawlowski and Phelan who have 1 and 2 years of arbitration left respectively. With Olmedo and Wallace near the end of their careers, this could be their last chance for a while.
last season 87-75, 2nd in Atlantic, lost to Germantown in Conference SeriesC Philip Cordrey, Great Lakes, .262/.336/.408 in 61 games
1B Eric Hughes, New England, .222/.338/.337 with Cheyenne
2B David Millan, Mexico, .211/.257/.324, won Deshayes and Hernandez with Germantown
3B Fabrice Jean, Quebec, .225/.336/.325, in 46 games with Trois Rivieres
SS Alex Perez, Dominican Republic, only 2 games with Galveston
LF Nick Parsons, Louisiana, .320/.426/.488, 158OPS+
CF Tom Paddock, Cascadia, .334/.417/.496, 37SBs, 157OPS+ won Frey award
RF William Barberena, New England, no stats, rookie season (undrafted)
DH Clive Ward, New England, .226/.288/.395 in 78 games
1 Vince Benbow, Australia, 21-8, 2.25ERA, 212Ks, 9.5WAR, won Matt Taylor award
2 Matt Mauck, Texas, 14-11, 2.84ERA, 211Ks, 3rd in Taylor voting
3 Jay Bloodworth, New England, 6-5, 4.48ERA in 88 innings with Eureka
4 Juan Donate, Mexico, 10-18, 5.54ERA
5 Matt Prunier, Georgia, 2.23ERA in 48 innings
CL - Nick Hartle, The Dakotas, 28Saves, 2.17ERA, 193ERA+
Lots of new faces this season, Cordrey won the starting job after an impressive rookie season. Millan and Jean are both wizards with the glove while maintaining the speed that Plymouth has made themselves known for. However, this probably isn’t their season. The good news, Benbow, Mauck, Paddock, Parsons, and Cordrey are locked in until 2105, and with that farm system they will likely be a terror by then.
Full OOTP Pre-Season PredictionsC David Gonzales, Venezuela, .300/.339/.350 in 39 games
1B Kyle Thompson, California, .291/.381/.700, 54HRs, 199OPS+ won Frey and Baxter
2B Justin Adler, Quebec, .241/.322/.330 with Florida
3B Andy Rico, Venezuela, .249/.335/.410, 21HRs
SS Jason Martin, Susquehanna, .271/.338/.393, 4.0WAR
LF Hervé Barthélémy, Quebec, .307/.407/.570, 34HRs, 123Runs, won Frey with Astoria
CF Gilberto Moreno, Venezuela, .234/.322/.407, 104OPS+ in 97 games
RF Franklin Boucher, Quebec, .321/.375/.392, 116OPS+ in 93 games
DH Dan Sabella, Georgia, .228/.342/.355, with Florida
1 Leon Lopez, Puerto Rico, 15-10, 3.38ERA 240Ks
2 Danny Avila, Colombia, 10-18, 4.73ERA
3 Jesse Conway, Quebec, 4.46ERA in 42 innings
4 Ricky Hernandez, 4.08ERA in 35 innings
5 Billy Jones, Rocky Mountains, no stats, rookie season
CL - Ryan Nixon, Cascadia, 32Saves, 2.62ERA
Headlined by the 2-headed beast of Thompson and Barthélémy, but good performances by underrated players like Gonzales, Rico, Moreno, Boucher, and Avila could help propel them to the playoffs for their second straight year. Similar to Plymouth, they have their 2-headed beast locked up for the next 7-8 years. Personally I would trade prospect Ron Peterson for some bullpen help as Peterson is NABF ready and has no spots to play in.
Last edited by BDoof (5/15/2024 12:32 pm)
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2102 Regular Season
April:
Within the first week; Galveston lost 6 straight, Germantown is worst in the Atlantic, Florida is the best team in the NABF averaging 7 runs a game, and Huron loses 2B Criado for 2-3 months. Huron bounces back by signing reliever Alex Garcia, starter Ross Whitehead, and 2B D.W. Manning to 1 year contracts. Later in the month, Eureka 2B Ritter Ammann hits for the first cycle in NABF history. Germantown would lose 11 of their first 13 while Trois Rivieres after losing their first game would win 11 straight. In possibly the best debut in NABF history, Trois Rivieres starter Sal Gomez would throw a 9 strikeout no-hitter against none other than Baton Rouge. Due to several injuries Eureka would finish the month with a 11 game losing streak. Huron’s ace, Mario Olmedo would go down with a torn labrum, will miss 5 months. However, it looks like the chance they took on Josh Newcomer is paying off as the southpaw has a 2.02ERA through April. Baton Rouge would end the month with 14 wins, 2 more than OOTP predicted they’d win all season.
Hitters of the Month:
PC: Antonio Garza, .310avg, 8HRs, 17RBIs (EUR)
AC: Kyle Thompson, .416avgm 9HRs, 27RBIs (TR)
Pitchers of the Month:
PC: Ben Denman 5-0, 2.21ERA, 27Ks (DAK)
AC: Vince Benbow 5-1, 1.28ERA, 43Ks (PLY)
Rookies of the Month:
PC: Jason Skelly, 3-3, 3.24ERA, 27Ks (BR)
AC: Jeremy Phillips, 2.25ERA, 13Ks in 20 innings (GER)
May:
Trois continued utter domination, with Chesapeake being the only Atlantic team in a similar stratosphere. Led mostly by an offense ranked higher than the Harfang. Huron, despite the injuries, continue to power through, the risks they took on Newcomer, Whitehead, and Manning are coming through as they lead the team in most categories. Germantown continues to attempt a comeback after a putrid first month, ironically it was their ironclad bullpen that fell apart, with only Auricchio posting a sub-3ERA. Despite a loaded 1-4 in their lineup and a decent pitching staff, Eureka has fallen apart, currently tied with an equally disappointing Astoria. In a surprising twist, the Pacific only has 1 team over .500, unsurprisingly it is Dakota. The Screamin’ Eagles are leading the league in offense and 2nd in both rotation and bullpen ERA. Galveston would go on a small winning streak to close out the month in sole possession of 2nd place.
Hitters of the Month:
PC: Antonio Garza, .376avg, 10HRs, 24RBIs (EUR) x2
AC: Kyle Thompson, .365avg, 12HRs, 34RBIs (TR) x2
Pitchers of the Month:
PC: Felix Hernandez, 3-2, 1.96ERA, 45Ks (DAK)
AC: Vince Benbow, 4-0, 2.49ERA, 49Ks (PLY) x2
Rookies of the Month:
PC: Joel Martin 1.50ERA in 18 innings (DAK)
AC: Matt Bentz, .276avg, 8extra base hits, 12RBIs
June:
Dakota has had standout performances this year by natives C Scott Vander Ark and CF Ron Young, so both were signed to 4 year extensions with the club. Florida would begin their expected fall down the standings while Baton Rouge continued to rise, all the way to 2nd place in the Pacific no less. By the end of the month, the standings in the Atlantic became pretty clear as Trois and Chesapeake were tied atop, with Huron 3 games behind. Those 3 were leagues better than the rest. Similarly in the Pacific, Dakota is miles ahead of everyone else, but that second place is beyond prediction. Galveston, Baton Rouge, and Cheyenne have traded it around all season, but now Galveston has fallen to be tied with Astoria and Eureka at the bottom of the table. While not as crazy as 5 teams all fighting for 2 spots like last year, it’s still just as interesting.
Hitters of the Month:
PC: Brad Fenimore, .302avg, 8HRs, 23RBIs (AST)
AC: Hervé Barthélémy, .307avg, 14HRs, 32RBIs (TR)
Pitchers of the Month:
PC: Steve Francen, 4-1, 2.70ERA, 38Ks (CHY)
AC: Leon Lopez, 5-0 1.06ERA, 43Ks (TR)
Rookies of the Month:
PC: Jason Skelly, 4-0, 4.43ERA, 29Ks (BR) x2
AC: Matt Bentz, .222avg, 8 doubles (PLY)
July:
Terrible news to start the month, Chesapeake CF Gary Urbanczyk, who has been the only player to rival Thompson and Barthélémy, will miss 3 months with a hamstring strain. He should be back by the start of the playoffs. Aside from that… another season goes by without a single deadline trade.
Here are the standings as of the All-Star Break
Pacific:
Dakota Eagles 55-34
Cheyenne Buffalo 44-44
Baton Rouge Cajuns 44-45
Eureka Redwoods 42-48
Astoria Osprey 41-47
Galveston Launch 37-52
Atlantic:
Trois Rivieres Harfang 52-36
Huron Gryphons 49-40
Chesapeake Admirals 48-41
Plymouth Pilgrims 42-46
Florida Flamingos 39-48
Germantown Pretzels 39-51
In the HR Derby, Kyle Thompson would get his first win, against Germantown’s Oscar Fandino.
Baton Rouge 2B Jon Arias would get the game MVP for another win for the Pacific. Game was hosted in Bismarck, Dakota (capital of the nation)
Hitters of the Month:
PC: Shigochiyo Higashi, .375avg, 6HRs, 17RBIs (CHY)
AC: Kyle Thompson, .295, 10HRs, 23RBIs (TR) x3
Pitchers of the Month:
PC: David Pugh, 6 Saves, gave up no runs and struck out 17 in 13 innings (DAK)
AC: Steven Dorsey, 5-1, 2.70ERA, 21Ks (FLA)
Rookies of the Month:
PC: Dan Harbin, .288avg, 3HRs (CHY)
AC: Steven Dorsey, 5-1, 2.70ERA, 21Ks (FLA)
August:
The month would begin with a bang, a frustrated 6’2 David Moran would take it out by challenging 6’7 Huron pitcher Ross Whitehead. Suffice to say the bigger man won. In a game against the Cajuns, Eagles ace Felix Hernandez would set the single game strikeout record with 16. This would coincide with Baton Rouge finally coming back down to earth. Now a comfortable margin of 7 games between them and Cheyenne.
Hitters of the Month:
PC: Mel Velez, .377avg, 5HRs, 21RBIs (EUR)
AC: Kyle Thompson, .257avg, 8HRs, 29RBIs (TR) x4
Pitchers of the Month:
PC: Felix Hernandez, 3-3, 2.00ERA, 64Ks (DAK) x2
AC: Ross Whitehead, 5-0, 2.34ERA, 28Ks (HUR)
Rookies of the Month:
PC: Sebastien Moore, 1.54ERA in 11.2 innings (CHY)
AC: Ron Peterson, .313avg, 5HRs, 21RBIs (TR)
September:
For the final month, the playoff race was essentially already over. Dakota was 10.5 games ahead of Cheyenne, who were 9 games ahead of Baton Rouge. Trois was only 3 above Huron, but they were 9 games up on Chesapeake. So barring a collapse, the playoffs looked set. Only things to watch were Kyle Thompson hitting his 100 career NABF home run. As well as a pair of hitting streaks by Katsumi Canio (GAL) and Scott Purkis (DAK) which were both in the 20s. Purkis’ would fall quickly at 21, but Canio’s would continue onwards. The 22-year-old would encounter a day-to-day injury, which could hinder his streak. Canio would also set the single-season hit record with 232. Eventually would be lost after 29 safe games to the Redwoods. The Harfang beast duo-Kyle Thompson and Hervé Barthélémy, would become the first duo to each hit over 150RBIs in a season (169 and 157 respectively), an insane task considering the next best player is Ian Brinley with 122. They would also combine for over 100 home runs (61 and 48 respectively). Despite the clear superiority by the playoff teams this season, it was still a very interesting season with Baton Rouge and Chesapeake finishing around .500 which was not expected by either after last season. Florida also started very strong and showed flashes of potential. Several strong rookie showings by most teams. Galveston is up with a tough decision as numerous players are either retiring or entering FAs. And Germantown went from domination to essentially dying. With a poor farm system they might not want to rebuild already, but may be forced too.
Hitters of the Month:
PC: Matthew Wagoner, .347avg, 8HRs, 23Runs (BR)
AC: Kyle Thompson, .369avg, 13HRs, 32RBIs (TR) x5
Pitchers of the Month:
PC: Ryan Sumner, 5-0, 0.85ERA (BR)
AC: Vince Benbow, 4-1, 1.44ERA, 30Ks (PLY) x3
Rookies of the Month:
PC: Jeremy Kiely, 5-0, 3.10ERA (GAL)
AC: Ron Peterson, .278avg, 9RBIs (TR) x2
Final Season Standings
Pacific:
x-Dakota Eagles 102-60
z-Cheyenne Buffalo 87-75
Baton Rouge Cajuns 81-81
Eureka Redwoods 78-84
Astoria Osprey 73-89
Galveston Launch 71-91
Atlantic:
x-Trois Rivieres Harfang 99-63
z-Huron Gryphons 90-72
Chesapeake Admirals 80-82
Florida Flamingos 79-83
Plymouth Pilgrims 69-993
Germantown Pretzels 63-99
League Stat Leaders:
Batting Average
PC: (DAK) Larry Adair .351, (GAL) Katsumi Canio .344, (CHY) Eric Titus .337
AC: (TR) Kyle Thompson .322, (CHS) Tom Mackey .316, (PLY) Nick Parsons .313
Home Runs
PC: (EUR) Antonio Garza 50, (AST) Brad Fenimore 39, (BR) Matthew Wagoner 33
AC: (TR) Kyle Thompson 61, (TR) Hervé Barthélémy 48, (GER) Oscar Fandino 42
RBIs
PC: (DAK) Ian Brinley 122, (EUR) Antonio Garza 115, (AST) Brad Fenimore 114
AC: (TR) Kyle Thompson 169, (TR) Hervé Barthélémy 157, (FLA) Oscar Morales 110
On-Base+Slugging
PC: (EUR) Antonio Garza 1.084, (CHY) Eric Titus .934, (DAK) Larry Adair .931
AC: (TR) Kyle Thompson 1.101, (TR) Hervé Barthélémy 1.036, (FLA) Oscar Morales .922
Stolen Bases
PC: (DAK) Treavor Reardon 74, (GAL) Katsumi Canio 73, (AST) Ryan Lowery 68
AC: (FLA) Jesse Haskins 37, (CHS) Gary Urbanczyk 25, (GER) Ben Cintron 23
Batting War
PC: (GAL) Katsumi Canio 10.1, (EUR) Antonio Garza 7.6, (DAK) Ian Brinley 6.9
AC: (TR) Kyle Thompson 9.8, (TR) Hervé Barthélémy 8.7, (CHS) Ray Tolbert 6.8
Wins
PC: (DAK) Ben Denman 21, (CHY) Steve Francen 17, (EUR) Jake Hale 17
AC: (TR) Danny Avila 21, (HUR) Ross Whitehead 20, (PLY) Vince Benbow 18
Strikeouts
PC: (DAK) Felix Hernandez 277, (CHY) Marty Hodge 197, (AST) Andrew Redepenning 176
AC: (TR) Leon Lopez 240, (PLY) Matt Mauck 200, (GER) Adam Minke 195
ERA
PC: (DAK) Felix Hernandez 2.22, (DAK) Ben Denman 2.81, (CHY) Marty Hodge 2.90
AC: (PLY) Vince Benbow 2.50, (HUR) Julio Sanchez 2.75, (TR) Leon Lopez 2.91
Saves
PC: (AST) Angelo Juarez 32, (EUR) Dave Meisel 31, (BR) Ken Laubach 25
AC: (HUR) Jake Pawlowski 40, (TR) Ryan Nixon 40, (FLA) Mike Hilger 35
Pitching WAR
PC: (DAK) Felix Hernandez 7.5, (CHY) Marty Hodge 7.5, (DAK) Ben Denman 6.7
AC: (PLY) Vince Benbow 9.0, (TR) Danny Avila 7.0, (TR) Leon Lopez 6.5
Last edited by BDoof (1/21/2024 2:47 am)
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2102 Playoffs (this time I reworked how I write them… meaning I’m doing them the way I should’ve done last year as this is how I did it in my last series)
Pacific Conference Championship Series
vs
Despite Dakota winning 102 games, they actually lost the season series 8-7. This is their second meeting in a row, and looks to be a major rivalry for the future of the NABF. Dakota ranks 1st in offense and defense while Cheyenne ranks 2nd in each. Both teams are suffering from injuries, Dakota pitchers Mike Kohn and Adam Harless will be out until partway through 2102. While Cheyenne is down pitcher Jose Serrano and RF Jedrick Zelasko, pitcher Rafael Santa Cruz also came down with an elbow reconstruction surgery that may have him miss all of next season as well. Both teams still have enough to win it all, but I believe Dakota’s bullpen will help them move on.
Game 1: CHY Steve Francen (17-9, 2.91) vs DAK Felix Hernandez (16-11, 2.22)
In the bottom of the first, Dakota would jump to an early lead after back-to-back hits by Purkis and Adair to lead off the inning. However, Francen would lock it down and not give up a single hit for the rest of the game. Cheyenne’s Kevin Jones would hit 2 RBIs singles in the 6th and 8th to give the Buffalos a lead and win the opening match.
CHY 2 - 1 DAK
Game 2: CHY Marty Hodge (17-9, 2.90) vs DAK Ben Denman (21-5, 2.81)
A 4-run 6th innings by Dakota, led by a 2 run blast by CF Ron Young. Despite an effort by the Buffalo they couldn’t mount a comeback after that. Dakota would win alongside a complete game by Denman,
DAK 7-2 CHY
Game 3: DAK Brent Wilson (13-4, 2.65) vs CHY Jeffrey Simon (12-10, 3.30)
Dakota would score 5 through the first 3 innings, from base clearing doubles from Reardon and Magallanes. Cheyenne would battle back with the help of a 3-run homer by C Titus. In the 8th, Cheyenne would bring in closer Ben Nickel, who would give up a run that same inning. Dakota would bring in Pugh who struck out 2 in the 9th to barely win the game.
DAK 6 - 5 CHY
Game 4: DAK Craig LeBlanc (10-9, 3.84) vs CHY Jose Cervantes (5-5, 5.77)
In a crucial game 4 bullpen game for Cheyenne, they would choke it all away. Dakota’s LeBlanc, Gonzalez, Ragas, and Martin would combine for 3 hits, 0 walks, and 10 strikeouts. While the Eagles batters would dominate Cervantes, 4 batters having multiple hits. Dakota is now 1 win away.
DAK 6 - 0 CHY.
Game 5: DAK Felix Hernandez (16-11, 2.22) vs CHY Steve Francen (17-9, 2.91)
A rematch of game 1 on the mound. Dakota would strike first but Cheyenne clapped back with a bases loaded double by RF Zona. Both teams would then trade scores but the Buffalo would always be on top.
Dakota 2 - 5 Cheyenne
Game 6: CHY Marty Hodge (17-9, 2.90) vs DAK Ben Denman (21-5, 2.81)
The series would return to the Great Plains and to the largest crowd ever recorded in the NABF. Unfortunately, the hometown fans would not be witnessing a win. Despite giving up 5 runs, Denman stayed in until 1 out in the 9th. RF Scott Purkis would sprain his wrist running into the outfield wall. Purkis has been one of Dakota’s unsung heroes this season.
Cheyenne 5 - 1 Dakota
Game 7: CHY Jeffrey Simon (12-10, 3.30) vs DAK Brent Wilson (13-4, 2.65)
Eagles look to escape embarrassment as not only have they relinquished a 3-1 series lead, this could be the second straight time they won the Conference but lost to a “weaker” Buffalo squad.
1-0, Eagles, going into the 5th when Magallanes would score 2 on a double. Cheyenne RF Zona would hit another clutch 2 run shot in the 8th to close the gap, but it wouldn’t matter as the weak Buffalo bullpen would allow 3 runs in the 8th. Dakota would finally trounce their rivals and make it to their first NABF Championship Series. 2B Larry Adair with his 3 hits and 2 steals in game 7. would win series MVP
Dakota 7 - Cheyenne 2. (Dakota wins series 4-3)
Atlantic Conference Championship Series
vs
Both teams are down a few depth pieces but all the big hitters are here. Huron ranks 4th in offense and 1st in pitching. The Harfang are 1st in offense (by a lot) and 3rd in pitching. The latter has also won the season series 9-6. While it may not be an easy series, I expect the Harfang to make it to their first championship series easily.
Game 1: HUR Mario Olmedo (2-2, 2.23) vs TR Leon Lopez (18-6, 2.91)
Lopez would throw 8 scoreless innings with 9 strikeouts. Olmedo was able to silence the 2-Headed Beast of Trois, not allowing them to get a single hit… but Kyle Thompson still was able to hit a sac fly to give the Harfang a lead.
HUR 0 - 3 TR
Game 2: HUR Josh Newcomer (16-11, 3.25) vs TR Danny Avila (21-8, 3.06)
Huron’s Tom Phelan would lead off with a double and come around to score. In the second Trois’ Andy Rico would hit a 2-run blast. Huron’s mid-season signing of D.W. Manning would come around to tie it up in the 6th. Heading into the 9th tied, both teams would elect to use their closers. Huron’s Jake Pawlowski and Trois’ Roy Nixon. With 2-outs in the top of the 9th, Huron’s Alexis Hernandez would drop a dribbler that would be handled and wildly miss-thrown by C Josh Lemon, allowing pinch runner Nate Cook to score. Going to the bottom of the frame, Pawlowski who is likely to win the Gervais award this year came to close it out. He started off by giving up a single to 2B Adler, then walked CF Moreno on 5 pitches. This left C Lemon to pay his dues… well Lemon did nothing. But now with 1 out the lineup turns over. Rookie RF Peterson steps up and barely beats out a single, but Huron’s defense kept the runners from scoring. Bases loaded with 1 out. Quebec native DH Franklin Boucher would smoke a ball deep into the CF/RF gap… it would barely get between Hernandez and Roberto and 2 would score leaving the hometown hero with a walkoff. What a thriller.
Trois Rivieres 4 - 3 Huron
Game 3: TR Jesse Conway (15-12, 4.81) vs HUR Ross Whitehead (20-10, 3.35)
Whitehead, who has been a touching story all season, after leading the league in losses last year was unsigned to start the season. After an early season injury to Olmedo, Huron took the chance on the 6’7 pitcher from the Maritimes. With a rough style and multiple scuffles through the season, he has become a favorite in Huron. However, it wouldn’t matter as Trois put up 5 runs in the first and never even had to try after that. The Snow Owls are 1 win away from the Championship series.
TR 5 - 1 HUR
Game 4: TR Josh Eastman (8-12, 5.74) vs HUR Julio Sanchez (16-11, 2.75)
The Harfang are willing to take the risk on a bullpen game in a potential clinch. While Huron is using one of their unsung heroes throughout the season. At first it seemed to backfire, Kyle Thompson hit a 3-run bomb in the first, followed by 2 more for the birds. However, starting in the second, the Gryphons would score 8 runs in 5 innings to take a 6-5 lead. Bad defense on both sides would be the story as both would have 3 errors a piece. In the 8th, Gryphon Hernandez would double to score 2 more to close out the game. Gryphons stay alive,
HUR 8-5 TR
Game 5: TR Leon Lopez (18-6, 2.91) vs HUR Mario Olmedo (2-2, 2.23)
Prior to the game, Harfang manager Rob Noble was overheard telling his players that if they can’t beat these $!@% that they should all shave their heads in shame. The media and fans took this in many ways. Fans at the park held signs saying “We them $!@%ers”. The energy would help the Gryphons score a run in the first. But slowly quieted down as Trois would score 3 with the help of rookie and series MVP Ron Peterson. Both Peterson and Adair (Pacific Series MVP) are both from the Arctic Circle, just a neat coincidence as there are only a few in the NABF. Trois would win the game 3-1 and advance to their first championship series with heads full of hair.
TR 3 - 1 HUR (Harfang win series 4-1)
2102 NABF Championship Series
vs
Truly a matchup of an unstoppable object against an immovable force. Though, the 2-Headed Beast of Thompson and Barthélémy have been relatively quiet this off-season, with only 1 total home run between them. In the season series Dakota won 8-6, in those 14 games, Thompson hit 11 home runs, something Eagles fans don’t want to think about going into the series.
Game 1: TR Leon Lopez (18-6, 2.91) vs DAK Felix Hernandez (16-11, 2.22)
Larry Adair would open the series with a run-scoring triple before being batted in himself. It looked to be a pitching duel until the 5th when the SnowBirds would mount a comeback, a solo-shot by Peterson and an RBI triple from SS Martin. However, 4 consecutive hits for the Eagles in the bottom of the inning would gain them the lead, 5-4. From then on both teams reached into their bullpen and no runners would even get on base until the game ended.
Dakota 5 - 4 Trois
Game 2: TR Danny Avila (21-8, 3.06) vs DAK Craig LeBlanc (10-9, 3.84)
Due to the length of the Pacific Series, Dakota would have to risk a game 2 bullpen game, at first it looked to be paying off as they had a 2-run lead after 4. But then Thompson, Rico, and Adler would each hit home runs, the Harfang would take game 2
TR 6-3 DAK
Game 3: DAK Ben Denman (21-5, 2.81) vs TR Jesse Conway (15-12, 4.81)
Thompson would finally wake up, he would have 5 hits and 7 RBIs plus a 9th innings 421ft home run in a career game. Tack on multi-hit performances from Peterson and Boucher and it should be an easy win for the SnowBirds… except the Eagles tee’d up Trois’ pitching staff. Conway didn’t even last the first inning. Relievers Kang and Shirk gave up 3 each in a massive scoring explosion by both teams.
Dakota 12 - 8 Trois Rivieres
Game 4: DAK Brent Wilson (13-4, 2.65) vs TR Josh Eastman (8-12, 5.74)
Thompson would once again hit a home run. But once again, Dakota would have the ball rolling from the start with blasts by Adair and Brinley in the first and another by Young in the 6th. Brent Wilson would throw a complete game with his only mistake being the solo-shot by Thompson. Dakota is 1 win away from a championship.
DAK 7 - 1 TR
Game 5: DAK Felix Hernandez (16-11, 2.22) vs TR Leon Lopez (18-6, 2.91)
To open the game, hometown hero, Hervé Barthélémy would reportedly receive flack from manager Rob Noble as he’s hitting .105 in the playoffs. Hervé reportedly said he would keep his head bald for the duration of his contract in Trois Rivieres if they lost this series. A big bet considering they are down 3-1 and he has 7 years left. While Barthélémmy would strike out 3 times and go hitless again, that doesn’t mean it was all over for the SnowBirds. Trois would score 3 in the first, and would be matched when SS Ian Brinley hit a 3-run shot in the 3rd. Both teams would trade runs until the 9th. Both closers would come into a tied game. TR Nixon would blow the tie after allowing pinch hitter Young-jin Kim to score after a lead-off double. Dakota looked like they would take the series before their own David Pugh would allow a solo-shot by 3B Andy Rico to tie the game in the 9th. Somehow, both Pugh and Nixon would stay out there until the 12th. RF Purkis, who had sprained his wrist roughly a week prior, would get a lead-off double. Two batters later, Trevor Reardon would smash a double to score Purkis to take a go-ahead lead. 2 more would score in the 12th to make it a 8-5 ballgame. Smartly, Dakota would replace Pugh, who had pitched 4 innings, with a well rested Eddie Hall. Hall had been a solid middle-relief man throughout the season and has pitched 4 scoreless innings in the playoffs so far (and 4 last year as well). The righty would have to face a trio of lefties from Trois. Boucher, Thompson, and Barthélémy in fact. Boucher would hit a weak grounder to third. Thompson would fly out to the catcher on the first pitch. And well, you probably know where this is going, Barthélémy would strikeout to end the series.
Dakota 8 - 5 Trois Rivieres. (Dakota wins series 4-1)
Dakota wins their first NABF Championship Crown, with Larry Adair winning series MVP.
Last edited by BDoof (5/15/2024 12:32 pm)
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NABF Possible Expansion Vote!!!
With multiple seasons now with many unsigned FA going into the season, the NABF has decided to expand earlier than initially planned. Originally I had been planning on doing a 4 team expansion around 2110 as well as starting the World Cup, but this issue has been annoying me as I am a few seasons ahead of what I have posted. Thus, I will be doing 2 separate 2 team expansions, much like what MLB did in the 1990s. Of this first phase, which will begin play in 2105, I already have 1 team 100% decided, the other will be a fan vote.... that is if anyone even reads this lol
Anyway, the team is to be located within the Arctic Circle Federation. Which I haven't really covered much in this series. The ACF was formed in 2048 after a successful referendum to leave The Dakotas which had controlled the most of the territories for about 150 years to that point. However, their history begins just before that. In 2003, a plan went out to create a Biodome City in the polar regions of North America. It was an international effort, and after a decade one was successfully built in Whitehorse. This not only gave them controllable weather to help with agriculture but also turned the tundra into a land rife with a blossoming culture and tourism. By 2048 over 23 Biodome Cities were constructed and began a wildly different sociocultural environment than The Dakotas, thus leading to the referendum for independence. Since then the ACF has become an international cultural power with Allywood movies premiering all over the world. Of course, since The Dakotas are a baseball powerhouse, the ACF also has its share of baseball fans. Thus, they are one of the nations getting their own NABF team. However, due to the way the nation is structured, there are many cities that could host a team, that is where you come in to vote. Below will be a detailed list of cities as well as a link to a Google Form to vote for which team you want to see join the NABF in 2105.
Fairbanks: Population, 1,100,000. Fairbanks sits nestled along the Chena river between the White Mountains and the Alaska Range. It was the 7th city to receive a Biodome, the newest of the groups, but grew rapidly in size as the Biodome incorporated new technologies to make it nearly 3 times the size than a normal Biodome. Due to this and its unique "white night" phenomenon made it an instant tourist and economic destination, featuring more Fortune 1,000NA companies than any other ACF city.
Potential team name: Fairbanks Foxes
Anchorage: population 1,800,000. The capital of the ACF. Anchorage received the second Biodome in what would become the ACF. However, shortly after Fairbanks received its Biodome, a second Biodome was built over the previous one, nearly 4 times larger than the original had been. Nicknamed the Multi-Dome. Anchorage is the largest city in the ACF and also is home to Allywood, the ACF's version of Hollywood. It is generally the favorite among newspapers to receive an expansion team.
Potential team name: Anchorage Huskies
Juneau: population 600,000. The smallest city on the block, but has a prospective owner with the deepest pockets. Part of Juneau's lack of population is it's size. It still is really only an island. Even with the Biodome creating one of the most picturesque cities in the world. Some call it the North American Venice due to its tourist appeal.
Potential team name: Juneau Chinook
Whitehorse: population 800,000. Despite being larger than Juneau, it would still be the smallest city in the NABF (just barely smaller than Baton Rouge). Due to it receiving the first ever Biodome, it has historical importance as well as continues to be considered the "cultural" capital of the ACF. Straddling the Yukon River and framed by Grey Mountain, Mount Sumanik, and Golden Horn Mountain, the potential ballpark is confirmed to allow viewing of all the vast beauty of the polar regions. It would also be the closest to the rest of the NABF (closest team would be Astoria in Cascadia)
Potential team name: Yukon Gold Sox
I also included the team name Alaska Avalanche, but they could potentially play in any of the 3 Alaska cities up for vote. Also I included a write-in answer as this is fictional history and I'm rather loose on the details as long as it sounds good.
here is the link to the Google Form to vote
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Awards: (decided to start putting things in spoilers to save space and help with readability while scrolling)
2102 Draft (will cover just 1st round)Jean Frey Awards (silver slugger equivalent)
Pacific:
C - Eric Titus, .337/.415/.519, 14HRs, 101RBIs, 6.6WAR (CHY) 2nd in career
1B - Larry Adair, .351/.45.475, 44SBs, 168wRC+ (DAK)
2B - Angelo Alonzo, .310/.394/.487, 21HRs, 6.5WAR (AST)
3B - Ji-hu Seol, .274/.356/.386, 107wRC+ 2.2WAR (DAK)
SS - Mike McClary, .311/.384/.414, 110Runs, 122wRC+ (CHY) 2nd in career
LF - Antonio Garza, .327/.424/.660, 50HRs, 115RBIs, 7.6WAR (EUR) 2nd in career
CF - Katsumi Canio, .344/.387/.481, 73SBs, 140wRC+, 10.1WAR (GAL)
RF - Matthew Wagoner, .294/.362/.534, 33HRs, 5.6WAR (BR)
DH - Trevor Reardon, .286/.398/.422, 74SBs, 124Runs (DAK)
Atlantic:
C - Keith Lopes, .289/.351/.464, 18HRs, 128wRC+ (GER) 2nd in career
1B - Kyle Thompson, .322/.416/.684, 61HRs, 149Runs, 169RBIs, 202OPS+ (TR) 2nd in career
2B - Tom Phelan, .290/.341/.385, 7HRs, 16SBs (HUR) 2nd in career
3B - Andy Rico, .292/.373/.470, 21HRs, 138wRC+ (TR)
SS - Jason Martin, .280/.358/.422, 15Triples, 92Runs (TR)
LF - Hervé Barthélémy, .305/.415/.621, 48HRs, 157RBIs, 8.7WAR (TR) 2nd in career
CF - Tom Paddock, .298/.375/.460, 17HRs, 133wRC+ (PLY) 2nd in career
RF - Oscar Morales, .298/.375/.547, 37HRs, 110RBIs (FLA)
DH - Oscar Fandino, .250/.330/.496, 42HRs, 131wRC+ (GER) 2nd in career
Laurent Gervais Award (reliever award)
Pacific - GAL Kyle McMurphy - 25 of 31 Saves, 1.30ERA, 8.7K/9, 1 home run against.
David Pugh was 2nd with 2 votes
Atlantic - HUR Jake Pawlowski - 40 of 43 Saves, 1.60ERA, 13.1K/9, 249ERA+. Unanimous win
Sidney Ross Award (manager award)
PC - Cameron Wellman of Dakota, best in Conference and won NABF Championship Series, 2nd win for Wellman.
AC - Rob Noble of Trois Rivieres, best in Conference and won the pennant.
Dimitri Deshayes Awards (gold glove equivalent)
Pacific Conference:
P - Jeff Caron (Eureka)
C - Kevin Edwards (Baton Rouge)
1B - Dave Rhein (Galveston)
2B - Jorge Rodriguez (Eureka)
3B - Bobby Tippett (Eureka) 2nd of career
SS - Ian Brinley (Dakota)
LF - Jon Magallanes (Dakota) 2nd of career
CF - Kastumi Canio (Galveston) 2nd of career
RF - Tyler Kilbarger (Astoria)
Atlantic Conference:
P - Brian Van Winkle (Chesapeake) 2nd of career
C - David Tyson (Florida) 2nd of career
1B - Tony Cummings (Huron) 2nd of career
2B - David Millan (Plymouth) 2nd of career
3B - Rio Carr (Huron) 2nd of career
SS - Luis Rico (Florida)
LF - Jesse Haskins (Florida)
CF - Robby Roberto (Huron)
RF - Sam Boyd (Germantown) 2nd of career
Raul Hernandez Award (platinum glove)
Pacific - SS Ian Brinley, Dakota
Atlantic - SS Luis Rico, Florida
Pedro Castaneda Award (rookie award)
PC - Baton Rouge, C Kevin Edwards .223/.293/.299 and won Deshayes award. 6 1st votes
Galveston’s Jeremy Kiely 4 1st votes
Baton Rouge’s Jason Skelly 2 1st votes
AC - Florida, RHP Steven Dorsey, 9-12, 3.32ERA, 109Ks in 200 innings. Unanimous
Matt Taylor Award (Cy Young equivalent)
Pacific:
1st - Felix Hernandez, 16-11, 2.22ERA, 277Ks (record), opponents hit .163 against (DAK) 2nd straight Taylor award, unanimous
2nd - Ben Denman, 21-5, 2.81ERA, 3 shutouts, 154Ks (DAK) 2nd straight 2nd place
3rd - Marty Hodge, 17-9, 2.90ERA, 197Ks, 1.08WHIP (CHY)
Atlantic:
1st - Danny Avila, 21-8, 3.06ERA, 178Ks, 7.0WAR (TR) 9 1st votes
2nd - Vince Benbow, 18-6, 2.50ERA, 188Ks, 9.0WAR (PLY) 3 1st votes (idk how he didn’t win)
3rd - Leon Lopez, 18-6, 2.91ERA, 240Ks, 6.5WAR (TR) (honestly, Lopez was better than Avila)
Willie Baxter Award (Hank Aaron equivalent)
Pacific:
1st - Katsumi Canio, .344/.387/.481, 232Hits (record), 73SBs, 10.1WAR (GAL) 6 first place votes
2nd - Antonio Garza, .327/.424/.660, 50HRs, 200OPS+, 7.6WAR (EUR) 5 first place votes
3rd - Eric Titus, .337/.415/.519, 14HRs, 48Doubles, 160OPS+, 6.6WAR (CHY) 1 first place vote
(only 2 points separated Canio and Garza)
Atlantic:
1st - Kyle Thompson, .322/.416/.684, 61HRs (record), 169RBIs, 9.8WAR, triple crown (TR) unanimous, 2nd in career
2nd - Hervé Barthélémy, .305/.415/.621, 48HRs, 157RBIs, 8.7WAR (TR)
3rd - Ray Tolbert, .302/.432/.488, 23HRs, 119BBs, 6.8WAR (CHS)
2102 International Signings1st Overall, Germantown Pretzels select, CF Jeremy Cooper from Georgia out of college
2nd Overall, Plymouth Pilgrims select, RHP Matt Kenney from Rocky Mountains out of college
3rd Overall, Galveston Launch select, RHP Rich Platte from New England out of college
4th Overall, Astoria Osprey select, RF Russ Pettaway from Georgia out of high school
5th Overall, Eureka Redwoods select, LHP Brian Shupe from Texas out of high school
6th Overall, Florida Flamingos select, CF Savion Jones from Louisiana out of college
7th Overall, Chesapeake Admirals select, RHP Keith Badey from Great Lakes out of college
8th Overall, Baton Rouge Cajuns select, 3B Jayden Royal from Florida out of high school
9th Overall, Cheyenne Buffalo select, RHP Jose Guerrero from Florida out of college (knuckleball pitcher)
10th Overall, Huron Gryphons select, SS Ron Mudd from Florida out of college
11th Overall, Trois Rivieres Harfang select, CF Jon Buckley from Great Lakes out of college
12th Overall, Dakota Eagles select, LHP Bobby Brooks from Texas out of college
Losses: RHP Bernie Rosado 4.0WAR, LF/DH Brad Fenimore 3.6WAR
Waived 2B Angelo Alonzo, 6.5WAR, for some reason. Honestly really confused by this move, as the Osprey aren’t rebuilding nor are they in need of budget cuts.
Overall, I'm really unsure what GM was thinking this off-season. It looks like they were trying to start a rebuild but were also scared to rebuild so instead they did less than nothing? And with the worst farm system too.
Losses: CF Mark Chapman 3.5WAR, 1B Jose Pineda 2.0WAR, 3B Jon Arias 1.8WAR, RHP Chris Andrus 1.7WAR
Extended RF Matthew Wagoner, 3 years with AAV of $128k. The Laker has really grown into one of the leaders for this young Cajuns team.
Signs LF/RF Jake Herold, 8 years with AAV of $284k. The Californian won the 2101 Baxter award with Galveston, a huge splash for a small market team.
Waived reliever Alex Schepers, another weird waiver move, Schepers has been one of the best relievers in the league.
For a small market team, extending your star and signing the biggest free agent is a win any off-season. Waiving Schepers is weird, but the Cajuns still have one of the best bullpens in the game.
Losses: CL Josh Burford 3.8WAR, RHP Mike Anderson 1.1WAR
Extended CF Gary Urbanczyk, 3 years with AAV of $167k. Despite only playing in 79 games in each of the last 2 seasons, the Susquehanna native has put up MVP numbers while healthy.
They did the bare minimum… really not much else to say.
Losses: SS Mike McClary 6.9WAR, 1B Shigochiyo Higashi 3.0WAR, OF/1B Jedrick Zelasko 1.5WAR
Traded 2 prospects (#80 and unranked) to Trois Rivieres for 2B Justin Adler had 2.0WAR last season with 1 more year under contract.
Signs DH Brad Fenimore, 1 year $158k. The 39-year-old hit 82 home runs in his time with Astoria.
Tough losses, while Fenimore and Adler are good, I really don’t see them fixing their holes, especially with both of them only signed for 1 year.
Losses: LHP Ben Denman 6.7WAR, RF Scott Purkis 3.4WAR, RHP Brent Wilson 2.8WAR, LHP Craig LeBlanc 2.3WAR
Resigned 2B/1B Larry Adair, 2 years with AAV of $222k. Has been one of the best hitters in the league when healthy, but will be 38 next season.
Traded backup C Ogai Hara and #45 prospect SS Marquis Kaba to Eureka for 2B Jose Zarate, Zarate played well as a backup but had no room in Eureka.
Resigned RF Scott Purkis, 3 years with AAV of $184k. The Dakota native was a key part of their championship run.
They lost quite a lot, but were able to resign almost all of them (not mentioned were Pugh, Ragas, and Hall). But now they sit at the Salary Cap, this could either be the start of the dynasty or just another regular team.
Losses: RHP Steven Crossman 1.6WAR, RF J.D. Linde 1.3WAR, RHP Eddie Melanson 1.2WAR
Traded backup 2B Jose Zarate to Dakota for C Ogai Hara and #45 prospect SS Marquis Kaba.
Signs RHP Ben Denman, 7 years, with AAV of $260k. The Floridian has placed 2nd in the Taylor 2 years in a row.
Signs CL Jake Pawlowski, 1 year $63k. The Cali native won the Gervais last year in Huron
Minimum losses, maximum gains. Redwoods needed an ace and a closer and got both. I wouldn’t be crazy to expect big things out of them next season.
Losses: RF Oscar Morales 5.2WAR, RHP Omar Saldana 3.0WAR, C David Tyson 2.1WAR, SS Luis Rico 2.0WAR
Signs RHP Philip Auricchio, 2 years with AAV of $90k. Auricchio has been one of the best relievers over the last 2 years
Signs LHP Craig LeBlanc, 1 years $92k. The Floridian southpaw won the Championship with Dakota last year, but has been an average starter.
I thought the rebuild might be over, but huge losses this season. Tyson and Rico were amazing defenders in premium positions that will be hard to fill.
Losses: RF Jake Herold 4.2WAR, LHP Jorge Garcia 1.1WAR
Claimed 2B Angelo Alonzo off waivers, the 31-year-old has totaled 11.3 career WAR with Astoria and has 2 years left on his contract.
Claimed LHP Alex Schepers off waivers. The southpaw has 2 more years on his contract and will slot in easily into their bullpen.
Signed 2B David Millan to a minor league deal. Millan won the Hernandez award in 2101 but has always been poor with the bat.
Trades 1B Philippe Thomas to Huron for 2 prospects-CF Melvin Navarrete #2 and 3B Cameron Bean unranked. Thomas has potential of his own but wasn’t getting playing time due to Rhein and Johnston. Though, Navarrete will have just as hard of a time finding a spot in the crowded outfield with Moran, Canio, and Butler who combined for 18.4WAR last season.
After a season to forget, the Launch come back with 2 waiver steals and a trade for a NABF-ready top prospect. Though their starting pitching could’ve used a look.
Losses: 1B/DH Oscar Fandino 3.4WAR, LF Danny Rubio 3.3WAR, RHP Jose Lopez 2.3WAR, 3B Franklin Hernandez 1.4WAR, RHP Philip Auricchio 1.4WAR
Signs RHP Bernie Rosado, 6 years with AAV of $164k. Rosado is native to Susquehanna and looks to be a solid middle rotation guy for a long time
Signs RHP Ross Whitehead, 1 year $82k. The Maritimer still can’t get a long term contract.
Stuck between a rock and a hard place. Despite having so many stars locked up they still can’t seem to get it together. Rosado is good but that's a lot of commitment for a guy who’s career ERA is 3.82.
Losses: RHP Ross Whitehead 5.3WAR, CL Jake Pawlowski 5.0WAR, LHP Josh Newcomer 4.9WAR, LHP Jaylin Wallace 3.6WAR, 2B/SS D.W. Manning 3.3WAR, 1B Tony Cummings 0.9WAR
Resigned SS Tom Phelan, 3 years with AAV of $148k. Had a tough season but is still one of the best hitters in the league.
Resigned LHP Josh Newcomer, 4 years with AAV of $186k. The Great Lakes native looks to return after a great outing.
Resigns LHP Jaylin Wallace, 1 year $166k. The 38-year old Laker comes back for another season.
Extends C Kevin Magid, 3 years with AAV of $158k. Magid has a career OPS+ of 92, which is good for catchers.
Signs SS Mike McClary, 8 years, with AAV of $288k. The Texan has been one of the best hitters and defenders in the league. Gryphons look to use Criado as DH next season.
Trades 2 prospects (CF Melvin Navarrete #2 and 3B Cameron Bean unranked) to Galveston for 1B Philippe Thomas. Thomas looks to add some power to a rather contact/speed lineup.
Gryphons brought back almost every pitcher and signed one of the biggest stars to a long deal. This could be the Gryphons big year finally.
Losses: 2B David Millan 4.2WAR
Signs RF Oscar Morales, 4 years with AAV of $210k. Morales has been extremely underrated in Florida and is in the middle of his prime. Adds power the Pilgrims severely lack.
Signs 2B D.W. Manning, 5 years with AAV of $238k. The 21-year-old had a comeback season and helped fuel the Gryphons to a playoffs.
Their biggest issue has been power, the most home runs a Pilgrim has hit has been 18. Morales put up 37 last year. I would not be surprised if he breaks an RBI record with Parsons, Paddock, and Manning hitting in front of him.
Just like last year a few FAs remain unsigned going into 2103.Losses: LF Franklin Boucher 2.0WAR
Resigned LHP Jesse Conway, 2 years with AAV of $84k. He is a 35 year old Quebec native, hasn’t put up outstanding numbers but having native talent is always a blessing.
Traded Quebec native 2B Justin Adler to Cheyenne for prospects: 2B Omar Ramos #80 and unranked C Ryan Woodrow
Signs CF Mark Chapman, 5 years with AAV of $180k. The Quebec native put of decent numbers in Baton Rouge last season.
Chapman is a solid piece to help cope with the Boucher loss. Though, the Adler trade I’m not sure about. Trading a native player for a box of scraps with no real backup is odd. The team continues to be very left-handed with 5 of their first 6 batters being lefties.
Last edited by BDoof (5/15/2024 12:33 pm)