Posted by BDoof  3/30/2024 1:18 pm | #41 |
2108 Season
April:
May:In the second game of the season, Huron’s Adam Minke threw the 6th no-hitter in league history, and the first for Huron. Galveston’s Paolo Barreau would throw a 2-hitter the next day, showcasing why Galveston may be one of the best teams in the league. On the same day, Eureka’s Antonio Madrigal and Baton Rouge’s Patrick Moreau would throw it down in what some say is the fight of the decade, with helmets and hats flying everywhere. Even some of the coaches got involved. After the scuffle, journalists were left scratching their heads as no one could figure out what caused the incident. By the end of the month the standings would’ve been impossible to predict. Galveston, after a strong start, would be in 2nd with Baton Rouge in first thanks to an 8 game winning streak and all-around great play by their offense. While the Atlantic would see the Gryphons in second and Flamingos in first. Both teams have been exciting to watch but both are known for their huge collapses in the second half of seasons. Interestingly, Trois is below .500, will they not even get a shot at a 3-peat?
Hitters of the Month:
PC: Jake Herold, .344avg, 11HRs, 34RBIs (BR)
AC: Fernando Criado, .383, 4HRs, 24RBIs (HUR)
Pitchers of the Month:
PC: Nick Lambert, 4-1, 1.65ERA, 46Ks (GAL)
AC: Adam Minke, 5-1, 2.32ERA, 37Ks (HUR) (no-hitter)
Rookies of the Month:
PC: Scott Szczur, 2-0, 1.99ERA, 21Ks (DAK)
AC: Bill Clark, 3-1, 2.95ERA, 10Ks (HUR)
June:I might be calling it a bit early, but this may be one of the most interesting playoff races in NABF history. 8 teams are above .500 plus Trois not far behind struggling with injuries. Granted it’s only 1 month into the season and anything could and will happen. In May Dakota would also make strides, overcoming Eureka for 4th in the Conference. Cheyenne would propel themselves into first, but during the final game of May, Cheyenne catcher Eric Titus would fracture his arm after a collision at home plate. Team doctors announced he will miss the rest of the season, if the beginning of last season showed anything, it was that Titus is the lifeblood of the team and they really struggle without him. While in the Atlantic Florida had pulled away, but did fall a bit at the end of the month. While Trois surprisingly is still below .500. Germantown, Huron, and Plymouth are separated by only 1.5 games for the Atlantic Wild Card spot.
Hitters of the Month:
PC: Bob Heath, .373avg, 7HRs, 31RBIs (AST)
AC: George Powers, .335avg, 7HRs, 29RBIs, 9SBs (GER)
Pitchers of the Month:
PC: Fritz Bresson, 5-1, 2.03ERA, 30Ks (DAK)
AC: Mike Kulbeth, 4-0, 1.74ERA, 50Ks (PLY)
Rookies of the Month:
PC: Angelo Vega, 2.93ERA in 27.2 innings (AK)
AC: Hao Huan, 2-1, 3.55ERA, 19Ks (HUR)
July:Rome had a surprising month of June. While they are still nowhere near a playoff spot, they finished with one of the best records in the month led by outstanding performances by Tyler Kilbarger and rookie sensation Jonathon Carrethers. Carrethers was called up in mid-April but got the starting 1B job in May. Since then he has led the NABF in home runs (in that time frame). Rome also signed veteran 2B Juan Torres, who had not been signed yet. These factored into a nice month for a struggling expansion team. One of the top stories in the first half had been Baton Rouge’s surging dominance. Whatever had lit the spark beneath them decided to fiddle out in June. The Cajuns only won 4 games during the month, they now sit below .500 and out of the immediate playoff hunt. Cheyenne would deal with another injury as ace Ahmed Mathis would go down for at least a month with an elbow injury. This is the 3rd major injury, yet they still are ahead in the playoff hunt.
Hitters of the Month:
PC: Kyle Thompson, .358avg, 9HRs, 25RBIs (EUR)
AC: Joe Delli Santi, .316avg 10HRs, 31RBIs (TR)
Pitchers of the Month:
PC: Luis Hernández, 4-2, 2.04ERA, 28Ks (CHY)
AC: Anton Latorre, 4 Saves, 1 earned run, 28Ks in 14.2 innings (GER)
Rookies of the Month:
PC: Scott Szczur, 4-2, 4.30ERA, 28Ks (DAK) x2
AC: Philippe Lemaître, 3-0, 3.38ERA, 12Ks (TR)
August:Galveston would truly show out in July, showing that they truly mean business this season. Normally known for their offensive power, now showcasing their pitching talent. With Nick Lambert being a potential Taylor candidate. With veteran Brian Van Winkle and young phenom Paolo Barreau working sub 3 ERAs. Plus rookie Nelson Encarnación being above average. Their youth are uniting under the motto “Launch it”, with their mascot lighting off a bottle rocket for every home run they hit. Eureka would also come under a sort of resurgence after a rough first few months. Mostly led by star Kyle Thompson finally waking up in June, as well as Taylor worthy first halves by Tillmam Tamayo and Ben Denman. Plymouth’s Mike Kulbeth would also throw a no-hitter in his first outing after the all-star break, he would set the record with 14Ks in such a performance.
Standings as of the All-Star Break
Pacific Conference:
Galveston Launch 55-34
Cheyenne Buffalo 49-39
Dakota Eagles 46-42
Eureka Redwoods 46-44
Baton Rouge Cajuns 42-48
Astoria Osprey 40-49
Alaska Avalanche 36-51
Atlantic Conference
Germantown Pretzels 51-37
Huron Gryphons 50-38
Florida Flamingos 47-42
Trois Rivieres Harfang 47-42
Plymouth Pilgrims 46-43
Rome Gladiators 35-56
Chesapeake Admirals 32-57
The Pacific Conference would win the All-Star game 4-3. With Baton Rouge’s Nick Parsons getting MVP.
Hitters of the Month:
PC: Kyle Thompson, .333avg, 10HRs, 25RBIs (EUR) x2
AC: George Powers, .319avg, 9HRs, 24RBIs (GER)
Pitchers of the Month:
PC: Paolo Barreau, 5-0, 3.01ERA, 21Ks (GAL)
AC: Vince Benbow, 5-0, 2.14ERA, 30Ks (GER)
Rookies of the Month:
PC: Orlando Lazzarini, .362avg, 5 extra base hits, 13 runs in 16 games (EUR)
AC: Tim Troke, 3-1, 1.16ERA, 29Ks (PLY)
September:With 2 months left and a record number of potential playoff teams, this is a good time to go into each team. Starting with Galveston who are currently leading in the Pacific. The Launch hosts the 3rd best offense and 2nd best pitching in the Pacific. Led offensively by veterans Canio, Moran, and Brinley. A surprising lack of power amongst the squad. Instead the breakout seasons from Lambert, Barreau and a career year from Van Winkle pull the slack. Their main weakness is offensive depth and their mid-game bullpen. Cone is a great closer but the rest are risky to use. Cheyenne is currently second in the standings, 1st in pitching and 6th in offense. They are pretty much unbeatable if they have a late lead due to their incredible bullpen. But an extreme lack of offense and with injuries on both sides, it’s a wonder they’ve kept up this far. Dakota sits not far behind, led by a plethora of veterans having career years on offense. Their pitching has had many ups and downs throughout the season, and their consistency is their main weakness going into the final stretch. Tied with them are Eureka. Led by none other than Kyle Thompson and Ismael Méndez. Similar to Cheyenne they have dealt with a number of injuries this season. Including Kachmar, Sykes, Haskins, and now their ace, Tillmam Tamayo. Their main issue is depth, as outside of the aforementioned Thompson and Méndez their offense is incredibly weak this season. Pitching depth is also an issue, Denman is still elite but Cloud and Madrigal have struggled throughout the season. As for Baton Rouge, they fell off quite a bit and likely won’t have a chance.
In the Atlantic, Germantown leads it with George Powers having a career year, already matching his career home run total. Mott and Kurtz are also doing well for their age. The veteran Benbow has been a surprise this year, filling in as their ace while Dorsey recovered from an early injury. Closer Latorre has had an all-time season, he went 3 months without allowing a single run. The bullpen in general has been second to only Cheyenne. After a poor opening few months, Trois is back and ready to go all out. Currently led by a murderers row of Dubois, Delli Santi, Barthélémy, and Phelan. On the pitching side of things, Hamilton, Franco, and rookie Lemaître have been excellent. While their bullpen has been a bit of a struggle, with Patterson and Juarez having some of their worst seasons yet. Tied with the Harfang and on pace for their first ever above .500 season is Florida. The Flamingos showcase plenty of stars, including not just their big free agents but also several homegrown talents such as Beyer, Castillo, and newly promoted closer Manny Julia. To be honest, they have the least amount of holes of any team. I would say it's a lack of experience, but between López, Santa Cruz, and Jason Martin they have plenty of championship experience (with 5 total rings between them). A half game back of Florida and Trois lies Huron. In the pre-season preview I know I clowned pretty harshly on Huron, and did OOTP. But pretty much every hitter has finally put it together or at least is still contributing, as is the case with Wagoner who is having some horrible BABIP luck but is still able to lead the team in homers. Also youth Jared Myers, whom they acquired off waivers in the off-season, has been phenomenal. Near .300avg while leading the entire NABF in stolen bases. Even their pitchers are putting in work, Hodge was a Taylor contender early on, while Minke and Vedder are putting together solid years. Main weakness is they have no lock down closers. Ramírez and rookie Clark are both good but compared to every other team, easily the worst 8-9 tandem. Plymouth is the last team to talk about in the Atlantic, but that doesn’t rule them out. They are only 2 games back of Trois and Florida. Their main struggle is the stars that got them to the Atlantic Series last year (Simai, Pettaway, and Alonzo) are all struggling mightily. Simai at least put together a nice July. Instead their depth pieces (Parsons, Novak, Bentz) and rookie Justyn Cox have been pulling their offense along. Kulbeth is still easily the best pitcher in the league. With Matt Kenney a solid number 2. Dan Richard came back from injury last month and along with rookie Tim Troke have put together an insane couple of months for the back of the rotation. But their main issue is their bullpen, after a bunch of reshuffling around, they now have Phil Palmer as the closer who has a 4.44ERA. Luckily their starters and offense should be enough to give them a sizable lead late into games. With 2 months left it looks like it will be a bloodbath until the end.
Hitters of the Month:
PC: Trevor Reardon, .430avg, 5HRs, 26Runs, (DAK)
AC: Hervé Barthélémy, .324avg, 7HRs, 28RBIs (TR)
Pitchers of the Month:
PC: Scott Szczur, 5-1, 2.28ERA, 46Ks (DAK)
AC: Anton Latorre, 4 Saves, 1 earned run, 21Ks in 12 innings (GER) x2
Rookies of the Month:
PC: Scott Szczur, 5-1, 2.28ERA, 46Ks (DAK) x3
AC: Heath Victory, 4-0, 3.70ERA, 25Ks (GER)
2108 Season Standings:Eureka has fallen below .500 and likely out of the playoff hunt. Dakota sits 3.5 games behind Cheyenne at the start of the month. Germantown and Trois sit with half a game between them, while Plymouth, Florida, and Huron have 2.5 between them but sit 6 games back. Plymouth has a much easier schedule than every other team while Trois and Cheyenne both have more difficult schedules ahead of them. Riding momentum from a 6 game winning streak Dakota would surpass Cheyenne mid September. However, they would fall back after being swept by Galveston who were in the middle of a 10 game winning streak.Plymouth would go on their own 6 game winning streak but still out of reach of Trois and Germantown. Despite being well out of contention, Eureka would have a 3 game period of having 3 bench clearing brawls. 1 against Huron and 2 against Cheyenne. That has to be a record. With a week left, Trois and Germantown would clinch the playoffs, ending the hopes of Plymouth, Florida, and Huron. In good news, Florida would clinch their first winning season ever. At the same time, Dakota and Cheyenne are tied. With Dakota having to play all road games. Many Eagles players and fans were rallying over Larry Adair, a long time veteran who is likely playing in his final season. With fans traveling to their games waiving posters saying “Do it for Larry!”. Their penultimate series would be against Astoria, which they unfortunately would get swept. Despite winning their final series it wouldn’t be enough as Cheyenne would win 4 of their last 5 to get the edge. As of the conclusion of the season, Adair had not announced his decision.
Hitters of the Month:
PC: Nick Parsons, .346avg, 6HRs, 24RBIs (BR)
AC: Adam Beyer, .433avg, 28RBIs (FLA)
Pitchers of the Month:
PC: Nick Lambert, 5-0, 2.49ERA, 41Ks (GAL) x2
AC: Steven Dorsey, 5-1, 3.15ERA, 23Ks (GER)
Rookies of the Month:
PC: Talbot Boulet, .308avg, 20RBIs (AK)
AC: Philippe Lemaître, 2-0, 2.87ERA, 21Ks (TR) x2
2108 Stat Leaders:
Batting Average
PC: GAL Katsumi Canio .349, BR Jake Herold .338, DAK Trevor Reardon .330
AC: FLA Adam Beyer .345, TR Christian Dubois .333, TR Tom Phelan .333
Home Runs
PC: BR Jake Herold 47, EUR Kyle Thompson 46, AST Antonio Garza 34 (first time Thompson doesn’t lead his conference)
AC: TR Hervé Barthélémy 47, ROM Jonathan Carrethers 42, TR Joe Delli Santi 39 (Carrethers shatters the rookie record that was set last year)
Runs Batted In
PC: BR Jake Herold 138, EUR Kyle Thompson 129, DAK José Zarate 112
AC: TR Joe Delli Santi 145, GER George Powers 120, TR Hervé Barthélémy 116
On-Base + Slugging %
PC: BR Jake Herold 1.078, DAK Trevor Reardon .937, EUR Kyle Thompson .934
AC: TR Hervé Barthélémy 1.040, GER George Powers 1.013, FLA Adam Beyer .973
Stolen Bases
PC: GAL Katsumi Canio 75, CHY Yekuno-Amlak Mshangama 56, GAL Melvin Navarrete 56
AC: HUR Jared Myers 63, TR Jon Buckley 61, ROM Jonathan Humphrey 58
Batter WAR
PC: GAL Katsumi Canio 8.5, BR Jake Herold 7.4, GAL Ian Brinley 7.1
AC: TR Hervé Barthélémy 7.8, TR Christian Dubois 7.4, GER George Powers 7.0
ERA
PC: GAL Nick Lambert 2.70, GAL Paolo Barreau 3.26, CHY Luis Hernández 3.37
AC: PLY Mike Kulbeth 2.78, HUR Marty Hodge 2.85, CHS Keith Badey 3.08
Wins
PC: GAL Nick Lambert 20, GAL Paolo Barreau 20, CHY Luis Hernández 19
AC: GER Vince Benbow 21, FLA Rafael Santa Cruz 19, PLY Mike Kulbeth 16
Strikeouts
PC: GAL Nick Lambert 233 (triple crown), DAK Fritz Bresson 225, GAL Nelson Encarnación 220
AC: PLY Mike Kulbeth 362 (record), FLA Leon López 288, FLA Cyrille Vincent 249
Saves
PC: GAL Greg Cone 39, BR Adam Gibson 33, CHY Mike Hilger 32
AC: GER Anton Latorre 43, HUR Ivan Ramírez 35, TR Dale Patterson 34
Pitcher WAR
PC: GAL Nick Lambert 7.1, DAK Fritz Bresson 6.8, AST Andrew Redepenning 6.5
AC: PLY Mike Kulbeth 12.2 (surprisingly not the record), FLA Leon López 8.4, FLA Cyrille Vincent 7.8
Runs the highly unsuccessful PSC project featuring the Premier Soccer League and National Baseball Federation
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Posted by BDoof 4/13/2024 5:15 pm | #42 |
2108 Playoffs
Pacific Series
v 
This is Galveston’s first official playoff appearance, however, if you remember in 2101 Galveston played Cheyenne in a game 163, which sort of is like a playoff game. This time they are heavy favorites. Not just because they won 14 more games, but Cheyenne is still dealing with major injuries. C Eric Titus and 2 starters (Jose Serrano and Chris Keon). But Cheyenne also has a lot more experience having been in this situation multiple times before. Limping into the playoffs before pulling magical upsets to get a ring. It’s almost a yearly tradition in the Rockies. Galveston won the season series but with a close 11-9 record, giving extra reason for a potential new Pacific rivalry.
Game 1: CHY Ahmed Mathis (12-9, 4.00) vs GAL Nick Lambert (20-7, 2.70)
In the Launch’s first ever real playoff game, they went off for 10 runs, thanks to home runs from Moran and Caron. While Lambert holds the Buffalo to only 1 run. Taking an easy 1-0 series lead.
CHY 1 - 10 GAL
Game 2: CHY Luis Hernández 19-10, 3.37) vs GAL Rich Platte (16-15, 4.48)
Galveston would take the lead early, but Cheyenne would claw back with a clutch 2 run inning in the 8th to tie the game. But a Jose Orozco 2-run go ahead home run would close out game 2 easily for Galveston.
CHY 3 - 5 GAL
Game 3: GAL Nelson Encarnación (16-14, 3.88) vs CHY Jeffrey Simon (19-12, 3.67)
Back in the rocky mountain air would prove to be what the doctor ordered for the Buffalo. As their offense would ‘explode’ (score more than 3 runs). While the veteran Simon would dominate, giving up only 5 hits in a complete game. Simon is easily the least talked about ace amongst all the great pitchers Cheyenne has had so far. He’s really only had 2 semi-major injuries but has pitched every season and in each of the Buffalo’s playoff appearances (while all their other stars were often too injured to play). A borderline hall of famer that truly deserves more praise.
GAL 1 - 7 CHY
Game 4: GAL Paolo Barreau (20-8, 3.26) vs CHY Mike Tijerina (3-2, 3.63)
A battle of rookies (well, Barreau isn’t a rookie but this is his first full season). Barreau has been touted as one of the top prospects ever since he joined the squad in 2101. While Tijerina was a supplemental round draft pick in 2106 and has been considered a top 30 prospect since. Naturally, these prospects would have a pitching duel. Both would only allow 2 runs through 8. But the Launch manager would make a gutsy decision letting Barreau stay out for the 9th, this would prove a bad decision as Hisato Horio would hit a lead-off triple and easily be scored 2 batters later by Meyer for a walk-off win to tie the series.
GAL 2 - 3 CHY
Game 5: GAL Nick Lambert (20-7, 2.70) vs CHY Ahmed Mathis (12-9, 4.00)
Mshangama would hit a 2-run home run in the first to set the stage. The Buffalo would use their classic small-ball techniques to score 2 more later on. While their bullpen would lock things down, making a 1 run ballgame feel insurmountable.
GAL 3 - 4 CHY
Game 6: CHY Luis Hernández 19-10, 3.37) vs GAL Rich Platte (16-15, 4.48)
Back in Texas with the series on the line. Outside of Brinley, none of the Launch players truly knew what to expect. While even the banged up Buffalo had done this multiple times before. Cheyenne would score 5 in the first 3, Galveston would eventually be able to pull in 1. But once McMurphy and Hilger came in, there was nothing they could do. Going hitless in the final 3 innings. Leaving the Buffalo to go back to the Championship Series to rematch the Harfang.
CHY 5 - 4 GAL. The Buffalo win the series 4-2, Dan Harbin wins MVP.
Atlantic Series
v 
The more things change, the more things stay the same. Despite 5 teams being in playoff contention going into the last month, we end up with the same 2 that have faced each other in 4 of the 8 NABF seasons. Germantown won the first matchup, which was the only one that they had home field advantage. Which they have again this time. Will it be the difference maker? The Pretzels also won the season series 12-8, with George Powers absolutely lambashing them, with an 1.178OPS and 6 home runs in those 20 games. This doesn’t faze Harfang fans who continue to believe they own the Atlantic and especially the Pretzels, who have not been able to best them since 2101.
Game 1: TR Gary Hamilton (9-6, 3.81) vs GER Steven Dorsey (9-6, 3.38)
The game would be high scoring but quite close throughout. But a 5 run 5th inning from Trois would be insurmountable for the Pretzels who would lose game 1.
TR 8 - 6 GER
Game 2: TR Jorge Franco (15-13, 3.29) vs Vince Benbow (21-7, 3.88)
Franco would dominate for the entire game, Germantown would struggle to get anything going. But were only down 3 as Reed and Latorre would lock down the final 4 innings. In the 8th, Cooper would be on base with 2 outs. Then back-to-back-to-back singles from Ammann, Huseinovic, and Kurtz would score 2 before rookie pinch hitter Jimmy Tellman would launch a 2RBI double to score both pinch runners to take the late lead. Latorre would be out again (pitched the 8th) and would not give up a base runner in either inning to tie the series.
TR 3 - 4 GER
Game 3: GER Bernie Rosado (12-13, 3.95) vs TR Tim Jackson (15-12, 4.63)
A pitching duel, which was not expected of this matchup. Trois’ only runs would come from solo home runs from Delli Santi, Barthélémy, and Lemon. While Germantown were able to generate 2 runs off of Lamm’s 2 triples. But unfortunately that was all they could muster, as the Quebec squad takes the series lead.
GER 2 - 3 TR
Game 4: GER Sean Gentry (15-12, 5.05) vs TR Julio Sánchez (10-10, 5.12)
Another strange matchup that would turn into a pitching duel as no one could muster any traction throughout the game. All the runs would score on smart base running and small ball. It would end up being the Harfang would stand atop the close game.
GER 2 - 3 TR
Game 5: GER Steven Dorsey (9-6, 3.38) vs TR Gary Hamilton (9-6, 3.81)
Germantown felt the pressure early as Harfang fans were lined out the stadium and crowded the streets 5 blocks down. The team bus would take over an hour to wade through the fans. Quebec natives Mott and Powers were heckled and had to practice in the changing room as fans were throwing debris on them prior to the game. Once the game started things only got worse, as Dorsey would load the bases and walk in a run in each of the first 2 innings. Everything culminated in an absolutely crushing defeat for the Pretzels. Fans shouting “nous possédons l'Atlantique” (we own the Atlantic) was heard throughout the entire nation as the team would soon play in their 7th straight Championship Series.
GER 4 - 12 TR. The Harfang win the series 4-1, Barthélémy winning MVP.
Championship Series
A rematch of last season, and the 3rd time these 2 meet in the championship. With Trois winning both previous matchups. Both teams split the season series 3-3 and feature essentially the opposite teams. Cheyenne, amazing pitching and bullpen with a weak offense. Trois with a monster of an offense but a weak pitching core. Both teams have also dealt with injuries throughout the season. But the main story would not just be the rematch, but the chance of Trois having the first ever ‘three-peat’ in the championship. The entire continent would be cheering for Cheyenne, even their rivals in Dakota, Galveston, and Eureka chimed in for support. Every game will be sold out with people on the streets just to listen to the crack of the bat.
Game 1: CHY Jeffrey Simon (19-12, 3.67) vs TR Jorge Franco (15-13, 3.29)
Both teams would score 2 early. But both pitchers would lock it down from there. Simon would come back into the 8th, giving up a lead-off double and a single. Manager Roland Griffin would keep the veteran Simon in against Andy Rico, who has struggled the last few seasons. But Rico would come out on top with a 2-run double to give the Harfang the lead and lead to their game 1 win.
CHY 2 - 4 TR
Game 2: CHY Ahmed Mathis (12-9, 4.00) vs TR Gary Hamilton (9-6, 3.81)
Barthélémy and Nickolaus would hit solo home runs, while Cheyenne would use small-ball to tie the game in the 8th. In the 9th, Trois would bring in closer Dale Patterson, who would lock down the first 2 batters, but Kevin Meyer would hit a solo home run to give Buffalo the lead. Cheyenne’s Mike Hilger would come in and strike out 2 and ground out the final out to tie up the series.
CHY 3 - 2 TR
Game 3: TR Tim Jackson (15-12, 4.63) vs CHY Luis Hernández (19-10, 3.37)
AGame 3 would be a cold and windy night, with a feels like below freezing which would cause outcry from fans and media critiquing the decision to play the game as scheduled. Perhaps due to the cold, not much offense would get going. Trois would have to resort to the Buffalo strategy of small-ball, getting 2 stolen bases and sacrifice hits to score 2, while Cheyenne could only get 1.
TR 2 - 1 CHY
Game 4: TR Julio Sánchez (10-10, 5.12) vs CHY Mike Tijerina (3-2, 3.63)
Due to some of the complaints, Game 4 would be moved up to start at 5pm rather than the usual 7pm. It would also be a slightly warmer day, which was showcased by a 3-run 1st inning from Trois. Highlighted by home runs from Dubois and Delli Santi. Cheyenne would be scoreless until the 6th when Mshangama would hit a 2-run triple. In the 7th Dan Harbin would score off of good base running after an error after 1B Delli Santi would throw an erratic ball attempting a double play. The game would go into extras, both teams switching in their closers hoping to have a quick answer. Hilger would strike out the side in the top, while Juarez would get an early out before Fraser hitting a first pitch single. Romain Larcher (Eric Titus’ replacement) would rocket a single in the gap moving Fraser to third. 3B John Hunter would walk on a full count leaving the bases loaded. Up for the Buffalo would be Hisato Horio, who seems to always be up in the clutch counts. The stress would get to Dale Patterson and would throw 4 straight balls to walk in the winning run for the Buffalo to tie the series again. The fourth straight 1-run game in this series.
TR 5 - 4 CHY
Game 5: TR Jorge Franco (15-13, 3.29) vs CHY Jeffrey Simon (19-12, 3.67)
A close, extra-inning pitching duel would follow the previous close, extra-inning pitching duel. Except this time it would go 14 innings! The longest NABF playoff game. Both teams would have to go deep into their bullpen. Cheyenne would go from Simon, to Hilger, McMurphy, then Burford who combine for 7 Gervais awards. While Harfang would go from Franco to Juarez (a very underrated closer) but then have to rely on pitchers I have not actually heard of yet. Surprisingly both teams would lock down their opponents. Cheyenne’s bullpen went 6 innings with only 1 hit. While the Harfang would go 5 with only 2 hits. Unfortunately for the Harfang, one of those hits would be a solo home run by hometown hero, Kevin Meyer. The hit goes down as the biggest play in Cheyenne history-and one of the most famous hits in NABF history.
TR 1 - 2 CHY
Game 6: CHY Ahmed Mathis (12-9, 4.00) vs TR Gary Hamilton (9-6, 3.81)
A third extra inning game? Sure, why the hell not. This is clearly shaping up to be one of the greatest Championship Series of all time. Cheyenne’s Jon Magallanes would hit a 3-run homer in the first to give them one of their rare early leads in the series. Trois would be on the back foot-eventually being behind by 1 in the bottom of the 9th. Mike Hilger would be on the mound. It wouldn’t take long for Trois to tie the game as Barthélémy would hit a lead-off home-run to send the game into extras. The Buffalo offense would be held out in the top half. Hilger would be out again in the bottom half. Some small-ball would leave runners on the corners with 1 out. Barthélémy would be up to bat again. And he would do it again! A game tying homer in the 9th and a game winner in the 10th. No one could believe what they saw.
CHY 4 - 7 TR
Game 7: CHY Luis Hernández (19-10, 3.37) vs TR Tim Jackson (15-12, 4.63)
I’m at a loss for words for this series. Every game decided by 1-run or the final out, 3 straight extra innings, and multiple all-time moments. So how about some more? Cheyenne would score 2 in the 5th. Trois would take the lead after another Barthélémy home run. In the 9th the Buffalo would tie thanks to a Sheridan double. Now into extras for the 4th time in a row. Both teams would have several men stranded in scoring positions for 3 straight innings. It wasn’t until the 13th when someone finally scored. A man named Pelfrey who came on as a replacement for the aforementioned pinch hitting Sheridan, would hit an RBI game leading double to take the lead! Fraser would score 2 more on a double of his own. Giving reliever Burford a 3-run cushion for the bottom of the 13th. Almost immediately looked to be in jeopardy. Phelan and Buckley would both get singles. But some clutch groundouts from defensive replacements Louis and L’Amour would get it down to the final out. With catcher Josh Lemon to the plate. Lemon would ground a ball to second base for an easy out. The juggernauts have finally been dethroned! The Buffalo win an absolutely insane Championship Series. The commentators and all the home Harfang fans were left speechless. During the trophy ceremony, the Buffalo would bring out the injured Serrano, Titus, and Keon to each get a touch with the trophy as the Buffalo claim their 2nd title in team history.
CHY 6 - 3 TR. The Buffalo win the series 4-3, with Barthélémy winning MVP despite being on the losing end.
Last edited by BDoof (5/15/2024 12:25 pm)
Runs the highly unsuccessful PSC project featuring the Premier Soccer League and National Baseball Federation
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Posted by BDoof 4/20/2024 4:15 pm | #43 |
2109 Halifax and Durango expansion
Well, first I would like to announce that along with this expansion I will be updating several team nameplates prior to the next season. As well as a full on jersey update for all teams (while not featuring full concepts I will be making player nameplates similar to the Dubois one in the World Cup to help visualize them). Also will be changing Trois’ to reflect the French spelling of the city (i.e.. Trois-Rivières).
Now onto the new teams. First up the Halifax Voyageurs. 
In this timeline Halifax never suffered the devastating 1917 explosion disaster. Meaning it has stayed as the premier port between the Americas and Europe. Even since the arctic trade route has opened it has stayed the primary port for ships prior to leaving for their voyage. Due to this influx of money, much of the Maritimes have experienced a sort of luxury feel they never got in the real world. The main attraction is outside of Halifax called Haliwood. Basically a whole industry based around independent filmmakers. While they mostly focus on smaller scale features, they rent out their facilities to anyone with the cash. Voyageurs owner, Jonathan Hultberg, was one of the founding members of the Halifax Cult Studios, which is the largest of these studios. Despite this success, Halifax, and the Maritimes in general are one of the smallest nations in the NABF but have one of the highest GDPs (tied for 4th with Louisiana, though have much less disparity than them).
Jerseys: Home jerseys are yellow with purple pinstripes and a purple hat. The roads also feature purple pinstripes on a classic gray uniform. Both feature a purple hat. They also have ‘cream’ colored alternates with thick purple trim harkening back to some 80s designs. This one features a yellow hat with some purple piping and trim along it. Quite a unique set, just like the national team.
Notable players received in the expansion draft:
LHP Steve Francen, the 41-year old has a career 3.29ERA and 125ERA+, but spent 2108 in the minors.
3B Andy Rico, the 34-year old has one of the worst contracts in the NABF. 3 more years with $190k each. He hasn’t been a full time starter in several seasons, but has continued to be a relatively average hitter.
OF Ernest Mott, once a top prospect, has been the 4th outfielder for the last 3 years with 2108 being his first season as a starter. Played average, but is still young.
C Ryan Croston, won the Deshayes award and had signed a 5 year extension with Galveston, but they still left him available.
3B Adam Moore, a big part of Astoria’s championship run a few years ago and was rewarded with a big extension… but hasn’t performed accordingly.
RHP Jose Guerrero, a knuckleballer who has been used as a starter and a closer in Cheyenne.
SS Eric Gilbo, a disaster offensively, but one of the best fielders and speed threats (when he can get on base)
And the second team, the Durango Escorpiones (scorpions). Mexico in this timeline had a similar but quite different outcome than in real life. After gaining independence from Spain, they attempted to be quite expansionistic, but failed horribly as they lost 2 civil wars to Texas and California (both of which gained independence). A few years later they allowed the Rocky Mountains to leave without a fight. This struggle culminated with England attempting a full-scale takeover in the mid-1800s. Which succeeded, but after only a decade the English decided they didn’t care anymore and gave them back their independence. However, many in the nation wanted more regional independence and after a vicious civil war split into 4 nations. This lasted about a century until Vicente Cervantes came to power in the southwest Pacifica nation. Cervantes realized the strategic position of Mexico and was able to rally enough support to reunify the southern states and eventually even got El Norte to rejoin in a fully reunified Mexican state. Once unified, he was able to construct a massive series of canals, rivers, and railroads to finally connect the Pacific and Atlantic (through the gulf). As without the backing of the US the Panama canal was never built. This propelled Mexico into a regional superpower. After Cervantes there was a horrible power struggle between Leo Hernández and Santiago Reyes, as Hernández wanted to reunify ALL of previous Mexican states (including California, Rocky Mountains, Texas, and much of Central America as well) while Reyes wanted to continue Cervantes’ “Friend of All Nations” strategy. Hernández’ northern coalition would be squashed in a quick combined effort of various North American nations and ever since Mexico has been one of the largest regional powers in North America. With Durango being the capital as it was Cervantes’ hometown and capital of the Pacifica nation. A bit of controversy also follows the Escorpiones. Often expansion teams will garner some local collegiate talent, just as Alaska, Rome, and Halifax have done. But Durango has also grabbed several high school talent through players who essentially dodged the draft. Namely pitchers Jon Pascual and Javy Alvarez, outfielder Nick Llamas, and catcher Marco Diez. The NABF says they are looking into the situation and some experts are saying they could be fined with the potential of losing a draft pick.
Jerseys: home whites with teal sleeves and orange piping. Roads are teal with orange piping and gray pants. Alternates are similar but in orange. All feature teal hats with an orange brim.
Notable players selected in the expansion draft:
RHP Bernie Rosado. Has been at the top of Germantown’s rotation for the past 6 seasons. In which he posted a 116ERA+. Rosado has 1 year + 1 more option. He is mostly known as an inning eater.
SS Tom Helms, was the Flamingos starter for 4 years before being waived to Trois as a back-up infielder for 2108. Still has several years of control.
RHP Oscar Noriega, once a top 10 prospect but has taken more years to develop than expected, though still surprising Florida left him unprotected.
IF Justin Driscoll, has been an odd man out in Baton Rouge despite high potential early on. Still has 2 years of control.
RHP Bill Van Auken, an above average reliever throughout a long year (also was released and re-signed by Germantown 10 times last season despite never pitching for them)
RHP Jose Serrano, easily the biggest name left unprotected. While Serrano has been elite, he cannot stay healthy, with only 2 seasons above 150 innings and none over 182 innings. He also will miss several months next season.
Last edited by BDoof (4/20/2024 5:44 pm)
Runs the highly unsuccessful PSC project featuring the Premier Soccer League and National Baseball Federation
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Posted by BDoof 4/20/2024 6:08 pm | #44 |
2108 Off-Season Summary
I’ve also introduced a Rule 5 Draft, though I will likely not highlight it during the off-season summary.
Awards:
2108 Rookie Draft: (only first round)Jean Frey Awards (silver slugger equivalent)
Pacific:
C EUR Ismael Méndez, .298/.371/.419, 9HRs, 121wRC+
1B BR Jake Herold, .338/.417/.662, 47HRs, 138RBIs, 3rd in career
2B GAL Ian Brinley, .299/.412/.492, 22HRs, 105RBIs, 4th in career
3B BR Jayden Royal, .300/.366/.442, 14HRs, 25SBs, 123wRC+, 2nd consecutive
SS AK Leland Abbott, .259/.334/.335, 21SBs, 86wRC+
LF DAK Trevor Reardon, .330/.444/.492, 39SBs, 135Runs, 158wRC+, 4th in career
CF GAL Katsumi Canio, .349/.389/.480, 75SBs, 139wRC+, 7th consecutive
RF BR Ben Black, .309/.378/.444, 12HRs, 48SBs, 124wRC+
DH AK Paul Butler, .287/.399/.467, 24HRs, 135wRC+, 3rd in career
Atlantic:
C GER Bernward Kurtz, .266/.370/.462, 14HRs, 124wRC+, 2nd in career
1B FLA Oscar Morales, .306/.408/.530, 29HRs, 112RBIs, 2nd in career
2B HUR Fernando Criado, .295/.401/.488, 20HRs, 146wRC+, 3rd in career
3B TR Christian Dubois, .333/.403/.498, 21HRs, 23SBs, 140wRC+, 2nd consecutive
SS HUR Mike McClary, .296/.360/.394, 24SBs, 109wRC+, 6th in career, 3rd consecutive
LF TR Hervé Barthélémy, .297/.411/.629, 47HRs, 116RBIs, 7th in career, 2nd consecutive
CF PLY Jonathan Parsons, .291/.372/.393, 44SBs, 112wRC+
RF FLA Adam Beyer, .345/.432/.542, 15HRs, 164wRC+, 2nd consecutive
DH GER George Powers, .309/.426/.587, 38HRs, 120RBI, 4th in career
Laurent Gervais Award (reliever award)
Pacific: GAL Greg Cone, 39 of 43 Saves, 1.57ERA, 10.4K/9, 271ERA+, 11 first place votes
CHY Mike Hilger, 32 of 36 Saves, 1.85ERA, 13.1K/9, 230ERA+, 2 first place votes
DAK Pat Dow, 29 of 33 Saves, 2.38ERA, 13.4K/9, 179ERA+, 3 first place votes
Atlantic: GER Anton Latorre, 43 of 45 Saves, 0.86ERA, 17.1K/9, 489ERA+, Unanimous, 4th Gervais of career
Dimitri Deshayes Awards (gold glove equivalent)
Pacific
P Bobby Brooks DAK
C Ryan Croston GAL
1B Bob Heath AST
2B Patrick Moreau BR
3B Jayden Royal BR 4th consecutive
SS Dean Monahan CHY 5th consecutive
LF Joseph Wallace BR 2nd in career
CF Katsumi Canio GAL 8th consecutive
RF Yekuna-Amlak Mshangama CHY 2nd consecutive
Atlantic:
P Bernie Rosado GER 3rd consecutive
C Bernward Kurtz GER 3rd consecutive
1B Ray Tolbert ROM 4th in career
2B Jason Martin FLA 4th consecutive
3B Christian Dubois TR 3rd in career
SS Douggie Clarke CHS 4th consecutive
LF Aaron Ruggiero CHS 4th consecutive
CF Gary Urbanczyk CHS 6th in career
RF Jeremy Cooper GER 3rd consecutive
Raul Hernandez Award (platinum glove award)
Pacific: CHY SS Dean Monahan, 5th consecutive award, still the only player to win multiple
Atlantic: TR C Josh Lemon, first catcher to win the award
Pedro Castaneda Award (rookie award)
Pacific: EUR Orlando Lazzarini, .344/.406/.467, 141OPS+ in 72 games, 15 first place votes
DAK Scott Szczur, 16-11, 4.06ERA, 175Ks, 105ERA+, 1 first place vote
Atlantic: PLY Masashi Miyahara, .271/.320/.371, 17SBs, 90OPS+, 9 first place votes
TR Philippe Lemaître, 10-2, 2.66ERA, 125 innings, 76Ks, 161ERA+, 7 first place votes
Matt Taylor Award (pitcher award)
Pacific:
1 GAL Nick Lambert, 20-7, 2.70ERA, 233Ks, 1.08WHIP, 157ERA+, triple crown, unanimous
2 DAK Fritz Bresson, 18-8, 3.46ERA, 225Ks, 1.31WHIP, 123ERA+
3 GAL Paolo Barreau, 20-8, 3.26ERA, 188Ks, 1.11WHIP, 130ERA+
Atlantic:
1 PLY Mike Kulbeth, 16-13, 2.78ERA, 362Ks (record), 0.97WHIP, 11.3K/BB, 153ERA+, 12.2WAR, 11 first place votes
2 GER Anton Latorre, 43 of 45 Saves, 0.86ERA, 17.1K/9, 489ERA+, won Gervais award, 5 first place votes
3 FLA Leon López, 16-11, 3.27ERA, 288Ks, 1.17WHIP, 131ERA+
Willie Baxter Award (hitter award)
Pacific:
1 BR Jake Herold, .338/.417/.662, 47HRs, 114Runs, 138RBIs, 195OPS+, 7.4WAR, 8 first place votes, 2nd in career, won the 2101 Baxter
2 GAL Katsumi Canio, .349/.389/.480, 114Runs, 222Hits, 75SBs, 139OPS+, 8.5WAR, 8 first place votes
3 GAL Ian Brinley, .299/.412/.492, 105RBI, 22HRs, 150OPS+, 7.1WAR
(1 point separated Herold and Canio)
Atlantic:
1 TR Hervé Barthélémy, .297/.411/.629, 47HRs, 113Runs, 116RBIs, 183OPS+, 7.8WAR, 12 first place votes, 2nd in career, won the 2103 Baxter
2 TR Christian Dubois, .333/.403/.498, 126Runs, 210Hits, 21HRs, 23SBs, 147OPS+, 7.4WAR, 4 first place votes
3 GER George Powers, .309/.426/.587, 38HRs, 114Runs, 120RBIs, 180OPS+, 7.0WAR
2108 International Rookie Signings: (just top 7)1st Overall, Rome Gladiators select SS Nikolaus Wallauer, from Susquehanna out of high school. Scout Grade of 65.
2nd Overall, Alaska Avalanche select RHP Bryen Beckstrom, from Arctic Circle out of college.
3rd Overall, Chesapeake Admirals select CF Jake Rogers, from Virginia out of college. Scout Grade of 60.
4th Overall, Astoria Osprey select RHP Jeremy Miron, from The Dakotas out of college. Scout Grade of 60.
5th Overall, Baton Rouge Cajuns select SS Mennac Shamakani, from Georgia out of college. Scout Grade of 60.
6th Overall, Eureka Redwoods select LHP Ben Ford, from Great Lakes out of college. Scout Grade of 55.
7th Overall, Huron Gryphons select C Charlie Baldwin, from Maritimes out of high school. Scout Grade of 55.
8th Overall, Florida Flamingos select C Greg Llyod, from Quebec out of college. Scout Grade of 55.
9th Overall, Plymouth Pilgrims select CF Pete Ranes, from Louisiana out of college. Scout Grade of 50.
10th Overall, Dakota Eagles select RF Nicolas Gérard, from Quebec out of college. Scout Grade of 45.
11th Overall, Cheyenne Buffalo select UT Jason Weissman, from Rocky Mountains out of college. Scout Grade of 50.
12th Overall, Harfang de Trois-Rivières select SS Njoroge Holway, from Gabon/Georgia, out of college. Scout Grade of 45.
13th Overall, Germantown Pretzels select OF Phil Propst from Rocky Mountains out of college. Scout Grade of 50.
14th Overall, Galveston Launch select IF Ben Medina from Texas out of high school. Scout Grade of 50.
15th Overall, Escorpiones de Durango select RHP Scott Craig, from Maritimes out of high school. Scout Grade of 60.
16th Overall, Halifax Voyageurs select SS Billy Griffin from Rocky Mountains out of college. Scout Grade of 50.
1B Conceição Arruda, from Brazil. Scout Grade of 60. Signs with Trois-Rivières
OF Juan Balladares, from Cuba. Scout Grade of 55. Signs with Cheyenne
C Luis Aguilera, from Dominican Republic. Scout Grade of 50. Signs with Alaska
C Kazunori Hirabayashi, from Japan. Scout Grade of 50. Signs with Plymouth
SS Eddie Martínez, from Cuba. Scout Grade of 50. Signs with Cheyenne
SS Jose Sánchez, from Colombia. Scout Grade of 50. Signs with Cheyenne
1B Xiao-yan Hsieh, from Taiwan. Scout Grade of 50. Signs with Durango
Roster Moves:
"Short List" of biggest FAs: RF Ben Black, SP Matt Kenney, and LF Trevor Reardon.
Losses: none of importance
Trades ace LHP Josh Newcomer to Germantown for #70 prospect IF Mark Murphy and unranked RHP T.J. Stevenson. Newcomer had struggled since he came to Alaska 3 seasons ago.
Biggest news in Alaska was that they would be getting a new owner already. They were bought out by Bill Murray, who was the potential owner attempting to lure a team to Juneau. Murray is one of the co-owners of the main BioSphere company, simply called BioSphere. He is known for his vast money and being extremely harsh and impatient. However, his first change (being the Newcomer trade) I say really wasn’t that bad. The team was going nowhere and they got Mark Murphy who is part of the new prototype infielder that is dominating the minor leagues. Plus a great draft with 2 good prospects acquired including 2 domestic pitchers. Still a long way to go for the Avs.
Losses: SP Jose Orozco 3.7, SP Ricky McDonald 2.4
Extends OF David Westfall, 4 years with AAV of $56k. Westfall has shown flashes but hasn’t put it all together yet.
Extends OF Dave Sharpes, 3 years with AAV of $137k. Sharpes has had a great last 2 seasons and this buys out 2 years of free agency.
Trades reliever Tyler D’Orio to Germantown for prospects RHP Eddie Castillo, RHP Manny Heredia, and OF Joey Keller, all unranked.
Not a lot to say, Asstoria is in full swing.
Losses: RF Ben Black 4.3, RP Jason Walker 0.9
Extended OF Joseph Wallace, 3 years with AAV of $168k. Wallace is a big part of the young core they built and has been the most consistent player out of them.
Extended 3B Jayden Royal, 1 year $190k. While it’s only 1 year, it shows that both are talking and may sign long term.
They saved at least 1 of their big 3 and are holding out hope for a big extension with Royal next year. What they really need is pitching, but this was a pretty lackluster pitching market this year.
Losses: none of importance
This season was so utterly disappointing there aren’t even words. Good news is it was mostly injuries and the team is still extremely young and likely can turn around… not sure if a full runback is the right call though.
Losses: LF Hisato Horio 1.0 and RHP Jose Serrano (did not play last season, 3.1WAR in 2107)
Extends SP Luis Hernández, 4 years with AAV of $90k. After a horrible start to his career, the 34-year old broke out with his best season yet.
Extends RF Yekuno-Amlak Mshangama, 5 years with AAV of $257k. The Zambian has been quite the surprise since getting a starting job as he wasn’t a highly touted prospect. But has put up some incredible seasons, posting a 122OPS+ with 2 Frey and Deshayes awards.
Signs RHP Matt Kenney, 4 years with AAV of $198k. Former 2nd overall pick, was rushed to the majors by Plymouth and struggled mightily, but over the last 2 seasons has seemingly put things together.
Extends RHP Jeffrey Simon, 4 years with AAV of $222k. Simon has been the rock in Cheyenne rotation for 8 years. 122-71 record, 3.26ERA, and 127ERA+ and likely a Buffalo for life.
Best pitcher on the market and extended several players? Another dub for the champions.
Losses: LF Trevor Reardon 6.6, IF Jose Zarate 4.4, C Mike Wautlet 1.0
Re-signs LF Trevor Reardon, 4 years with AAV of $236k. It just wouldn’t look right to see him anywhere else (though he did play the inaugural season with Huron). Currently leads the NABF in career stolen bases.
Trades IF Carlos Dominguez to Rome for 1B Ray Tolbert. Tolbert is 12 years older than Dominguez and only has 1 year of control compared to 3.
The Tolbert trade is strange since they’re supposed to be in a rebuild yet they trade for a 38-year old veteran who only has 1 year left? Veteran Larry Adair also decided not to retire, despite the huge push the team did last season. However, Adair has not been signed to any team yet.
Losses: CF Ryan Lowery 1.9, RP Rogelio Victoria 0.7
Trades SS Jamie Tipton to Galveston for prospects OF Jim Rivers and RHP Julio Gonzalez, both unranked.
Tipton makes room for McClean at short… but he’s just a few years younger, really don’t see a big difference there. They did suffer from many injuries last year so they are hoping for an easy runback. With extended playoffs it should be easier as well.
Losses: 1B Tyler Hammerich 1.3, CF Savion Jones 0.9
Hammerich was one of my favorite lowkey players, sucks that he is still unsigned. Many reporters in Florida say the team is waiting for 3B Royal in next year's Free Agency.
Losses: C Ryan Croston 3.0, CL Greg Cone 2.7, SS Eric Gilbo 2.5, SP Brian Van Winkle 1.8
Extends C Ryan Croston, 5 years with AAV of $112k. Croston won the starting job in Galveston shortly after arriving last season and put up his best season. 108OPS+ while being great defensively. Should be a good return on investment for the Launch. Except they left him unprotected in the expansion draft and he was selected by Halifax.
Extends SP Paolo Barreau, 6 years with AAV of $130k. Had a breakout year and is looking to be a true ace, buys out 3 years of free agency.
Extends 2B Josh Peppers, 4 years with AAV of $80k. While not a house-hold name, Peppers has had an OPS over 100 in 3 of his first 4 seasons.
Trades for SS Jamie Tipton from Eureka for 2 unranked prospects. Tipton has 1 year left on his contract.
Re-signs RHP Brian Van Winkle, 3 years with AAV of $162k. While hasn’t always been sunny in Texas, the Texan did put together a solid 2108.
They nearly lost both Croston and Peppers in the expansion draft despite extending them. I have no idea what they are thinking anymore. The Barreau signing is a huge discount, I doubt Lambert will go for that cheap. They finally tasted some success and are likely to continue that success for several seasons.
Losses: SP Bernie Rosado 3.6, SP Vince Benbow 2.2, OF Ernest Mott 1.4, RP Nick Hartle 0.9
Trades 3 unranked prospects to Astoria for reliever Tyler D’Orio. D’Orio only has 1 year guaranteed left on his contract.
Trades #70 prospects IF Mark Murphy and unranked RHP T.J. Stevenson to Alaska for LHP Josh Newcomer. Newcomer has 2 more years on his contract and has a 124ERA+ in his career.
Extends OF/DH George Powers, 5 years with AAV of $280k. Has been the face of the Pretzels franchise since the beginning. Still in the middle of his prime.
Newcomer becomes their new ace. Losing Mott sucks but they needed space in the outfield. They also signed a bunch of more relievers on top of the D’Orio trade. Definitely surprising that they’d let Rosado and Mott both be taken, but so far their GM hasn’t been wrong.
Signs CL Roberto Cruz out of Cuba from the Caribbean League to a 3 years $80k offer.
Signs 1B Rodolfo Valentín from Guatemala. The 31-year old posted a 135OPS+ in the South American League last season.
Personally I like the team that Halifax built, I know they will suck but still with many underrated and overlooked players
Losses: RF Tom Mackey 1.0
Extends RF Jeremy Richey, 5 years with AAV of $72k. While it only voids 2 years of free agency, Richey has shown great promise already.
This must be the year of the runback. Granted it was a relatively small free agent class.
Losses: SP Matt Kenney 5.0
Year of the runback. Many experts were saying they would be fine with Kenney due to the prospects of Tim Troke and Dan Richard having great, but short, seasons last year. But Richard has already been ruled out of all of 2109
Losses: CF Jonathan Humphrey 2.9, 3B Chris Bachert 2.5, 2B Juan Torres 2.1, RP Benjamin Platt 0.7
Extended SS Kyle Belew, 8 years with AAV of $94k. A huge deal, buys out several years of free agency for quite cheap. If Belew develops as he should this could go down as one of Rome’s best signings.
Trades 1B Ray Tolbert to Dakota for 2B Carlos Dominguez. Dominguez is 12 years younger and has 2 more years of control, a great trade for Rome.
Signs RF Ben Black, 6 years with AAV of $214k. While he is a Georgia native, I actually was not expecting him to sign here. Is considered the biggest free agent this year.
This may be a bit presumptuous. But if all things work out they will have an infield of Carrethers, Belew, Sparrowhawk, and Wallauer. Plus Black and Kilbarger in the outfield. Granted Sparrowhawk and Wallauer need another season or two to marinate in the minors. But the Belew contract guarantees he will be around until then. That could easily turn into the greatest infield of all time if they fully develop. If only they could actually acquire some pitching.
RetirementsLosses: SP Danny Avila 1.0, RP Angelo Juarez 0.9
Extends 2-way Gary Hamilton, 5 years with AAV of $104k. So far as a 2-way he’s been quite iffy. He’s at least an above average pitcher and has shown signs of being great offensively, just hasn’t put them both together.
I’m not even going to doubt Trois’ management. 8 straight playoffs, 7 straight Championship appearances, just played in the greatest Championship Series of all time, signed the biggest International Rookie, and have won 7 of the 8 Baxter awards. They still look poised to continue their hot streak for many years.
Last edited by BDoof (4/20/2024 7:25 pm)
Runs the highly unsuccessful PSC project featuring the Premier Soccer League and National Baseball Federation
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Posted by BDoof 5/15/2024 11:59 pm | #45 |
Prior to the 10th NABF season I wanted to do a sort of encompassing update on various things. Mainly the jerseys. Following the 10th season I also plan on doing a "decade in review" of the 16 teams, which hopefully can be a recurring thing.
Jerseys. Since I can’t make designs, I don’t plan on continuously updating them however, I wanted to at least have them elaborated upon better than I did on the initial post as I have updated most of them. Each team will also receive an alternate jersey and some updated nameplates. Also included will be number plaques to help visualize colors and some designs. While not included, in the lore each player also has their national flag located above the nameplate where the MLB logo used to be located on jerseys. (and dual-citizen players just have 2).
Alaska Avalanche. White home jerseys with light blue piping and black player names. Features a white hat with a blue brim. Roads are relatively standard grays featuring black piping and a black hat. Alternates are aurora borealis themed, being a near black jersey with wordmarks and colors full of greens, reds, and blues commonly found in auroras as well as featuring designs inspired by various local cultures (like the ‘Devil Rays’ wordmark).
Astoria Osprey. Slightly updated the hues of the blue and green. They continue to have a fairly traditional aesthetic with basic piping on both the home and roads. Both also feature a blue hat with green trim. Pants match accordingly. The interesting part is when it comes to their alternate. It's not worn super often, but it's a full blue shirt with green outlined numbers, wordmark, hat, and although the pants are white, they feature green stripes.
Baton Rouge Cajuns. Firstly, both the red and yellow are updated to be more vibrant with the latter being more gold-like akin to the national team colors. They ditch the red homes for white threads. With red stripes on the sleeves and collar. Between the stripes and end of the sleeves are a unique gold stripe design. The wordmark is a red “Cajuns” with the dot of the j being a gold fleur-de-lis. Pants are surprisingly basic white. Red player numbers with gold nameplates. Roads are similar but in gray. Alternates bring back the previous red jerseys but in the new shade. These feature gold seam stripes interrupting the “Baton Rouge” wordmark. These pants have a gold and red stripe going up both sides towards the jerseys. All 3 sets have a white/red/gold tricolor hat.
Chesapeake Admirals. They continue to have this blue/green color, not actually sure what to call it. Home’s are white jerseys with a bisecting blue/green stripe in the middle (akin to the Canadiens or the old White Sox) with the wordmark inside of said lines. The stripe does not continue onto the back where the player numbers are. The hat is the same blue/green color. Road uniforms are a simple gray with the blue/green color used as trim. They don’t have a true alternate (which they say is ‘traditional’) but they do wear a uniform that is the same style as their homes but with the national blue and red colors on their independence day, July 17th.
Cheyenne Buffalo. Sand-colored home jerseys with black piping, numbers, and names. Along with black pants (which can be substituted for a white option on hot days). The pants also feature player numbers on them (like the 80s White Sox). The road grays are surprisingly plain, though the player number on the pants does continue. Both feature sand-colored hats with a black brim. As for alternates, it’s a blackout. From the hat to the player numbers, everything is black with sand-colored outlines for readability.
Dakota Eagles. Home jerseys are now white, with traditional green and yellow stripes on the sleeves and pants. Their green jersey is now worn on the road, though with the wordmark replaced with a stylized ‘D’ over the heart. Along with gray pants. Alternates are similar to the home jerseys but in yellow with green pants and borrow the national team’s ‘DAKOTAS’ wordmark instead of the Eagles. All 3 feature interchangeable green and yellow hats.
Durango Escorpiones. Home whites with teal sleeves and orange piping. Roads are teal with orange piping and gray pants. Alternates are similar but in orange. All feature teal hats with an orange brim. The piping on the roads and alternates is also slightly unique as the lines are ‘broken up’ kind of like the Orlando Magic stripes, but less of them on the jersey.
Eureka Redwoods. No changes to their colors but wanted to rename them as burgundy and charcoal as it’s hard to notice on the nameplate. Homes are a slight off-white with 80s Mets style piping with the burgundy and charcoal. Their roads copy the same design, but in gray. Both have a burgundy hat with a charcoal brim. Alternates are burgundy with white numbers and designs with charcoal pants.
Florida Flamingos. They ditch the pink that I kept trying to force in. Home jerseys are white with orange pinstripes. Hats, numbers, and everything in orange. Roads are a pretty basic gray with orange numbers and names. Both have an orange hat. Alternates (which they wear quite often despite being considered ugly by most) are completely orange head-to-toe (except the player names are in white). It’s similar to the powder-blue jerseys, just orange.
Galveston Launch. The team with the biggest changes. Dark blue replaces the black and takes over as the primary, which the team likes to refer to as “space blue”. Home jerseys are white with dark blue piping, hat, and player names with yellow numbers. The pants are also white but feature a rocket ship ‘launching off’ on each side as homage to the great Texan space program. Said design also is on the road jerseys which are essentially the same but in gray. As for the alternates, they feature “space blue” jerseys and pants with a more star themed wordmark along with sublimated stars featured along the uniforms with yellow numbers and names.
Germantown Pretzels. Basic whites with green piping and numbers with black wordmarks and player names. Roads are similar but gray. Both feature a green hat with a black bill. Their alternates are highly popular and are often worn in the playoffs. They are white with black pinstripes on a sleeveless vest and green undershirt. With the wordmark being changed to “Deitschschtadt” (the PA German name for the city, which remains a regional language in various parts of the nation).
Halifax Voyageurs. Home jerseys are yellow with purple pinstripes. The roads also feature purple pinstripes on a classic gray uniform. Both feature a purple hat. They also have ‘cream’ colored alternates with thick purple trim harkening back to some 80s designs. This one features a yellow hat with some purple piping and trim along it. Quite a unique set, just like the national team.
Huron Gryphons. The yellowish/gold becomes a tertiary as silver takes its place. The home jerseys are white sleeveless pullovers with a blue undershirt. Blue numbers and names plus Dodgers-like stomach numbers in silver. Roads are a similar style jersey but in silver rather than gray with the yellow/gold taking over the front numbers while blue is used elsewhere. Alternates are a standard blue jersey with thick silver piping and yellow/gold stomach numbers and silver back numbers.
Plymouth Pilgrims. Red pinstripes on white uniforms at home. Along with blue pinstripes on gray uniforms on the road. Both feature a blue hat. As for their alternate, its a full red jersey with a border of New England over the heart with the Pilgrims ‘P’ logo inside it. It can be worn with white or gray pants and comes with a red hat.
Rome Gladiators. A few minor hue changes on their colors as well as an addition of blue as a tertiary (though is not used on the nameplate as it clashes with the red too much). Home uniforms are white with red piping and gold player numbers. The red piping “forks” towards the end of the sleeves and pants to form a trident-like design. A red cap rounds out the set. Roads are a slightly darker gray with blue piping, player names, and numbers. The cap is red but with a blue bill. (the road set sort of pays homage to the national teams jerseys). They like to call their alternates their “battle set” which feature a red jersey with black sleeves and gold accents. Both the player names and numbers are black and the hat stays red but with a black bill. This set also comes with black pants.
Trois-Rivières Harfang. Not much has changed jersey wise for the perennial contenders. White homes with light blue piping and cap (also have a white-cap version for “white outs” during some rivalries). Roads are full blue not dissimilar to the powder blue 80s uniforms. Both have small fleur-de-lis sublimated into the fabric that don’t show up during broadcasts. They continue to have a Quebec alternate that is white with darker blue stripes and a fleur-de-lis on the right of the stomach (where the Dodgers numbers are).
Runs the highly unsuccessful PSC project featuring the Premier Soccer League and National Baseball Federation
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Posted by BDoof 5/16/2024 12:20 am | #46 |
2109 Pre-Season Preview
Along with the new expansion teams in Halifax and Durango, the playoffs will also be expanded now with 2 wild card teams in each Conference which will play in a best of 5 wild card series to make it to the Conference Series.
last season 65-97, 7th in the Pacific.
8th ranked farm system (RHP Bryen Beckstrom #6, 1B Carlo Ramírez #17, RHP Dana Dorey #42)
Payroll $1,136,521 - 14th
Lineup and Pitching
C 23, Czar Artemenko, Arctic Circle, .229/.294/.343, 75OPS+
1B 25, T.J. Nasta, Texas, .256/.315/.340, 29SBs, 81OPS+
2B 24, Jose Álvarez, Rocky Mountains, .260/.289/.319, 68OPS+
3B 27, Ryan Storch, Arctic Circle, .251/.343/.347, 91OPS+
SS 26, Leland Abbott, Quebec, .259/.334/.335, 21SBs, 85OPS+ won Frey award
LF 27, Tim Brown, Georgia, .241/.323/.306, 44SBs, 75OPS+
CF 24, Oscar Solís, Florida, .241/.284/.319, 66OPS+ in 67 games
RF 25, Kyle Miller, Susquehanna, .245/.307/.321, 22SBs, 73OPS+
DH 34, Paul Butler, Rocky Mountains, .287/.399/.467, 24HRs, 138OPS+ won Frey award
1 26, John Gillingham, Arctic Circle, 7-9, 3.70ERA, 115ERA+
2 24, Zane Dubos, Quebec, 3-12, 5.29ERA, 81ERA+
3 25, Angelo Vega, Puerto Rico, 6-6, 3.24ERA, 132ERA+
4 23, Victor Martínez, Rocky Mountains, 2.21ERA in 20 innings last year
5 22, Roth Reiter, Germany, Rule 5 pick from Baton Rouge
CL 24, John Sweet, The Dakotas/Arctic Circle, 9 Saves, 2.28ERA, 188ERA+
Other notable bullpen arms: Jonathan Masden and prospect Luc Villain
The expansion woes continue, though I find it interesting that they are building more towards pitching while other expansion and rebuilding teams tend to go after batters. They will also now have to compete with Halifax and Durango in the tank.
last season 71-91, 6th in Pacific10th ranked farm system (RHP Brad Winters #23, LF Jeremy Miron #41, LHP Kelan McPherson #47)
Payroll $1,667,877 - 10th
Lineup and Pitching
C 28, Joaquin Nuñez, Susquehanna, .237/.345/.351, 93OPS+
1B 26, Bob Heath, Quebec, .306/.357/.477, 129OPS+ won Deshayes award
2B 22, David Stephens, Georgia, made 9 appearances last year
3B 25, Fred Randolph, Texas, .266/.330/.380, 96OPS+
SS 30, Kevin Jones, The Dakotas, .249/.325/.352, 87OPS+
LF 27, Dustin Coghill, Virginia, .243/.349/.342, 92OPS+
CF 23, David Westfall, Texas, .293/.321/.388, 34SBs, 96OPS+
RF 28, Dave Sharpes, Great Lakes, .281/.376/.382, 40SBs, 110OPS+
DH 36, Antonio Garza, Dominican Republic, .278/.377/.520, 34HRs, 147OPS+
1 33, Andrew Redepenning, Virginia, 16-15, 4.30ERA, 220Ks, 99ERA+ (will miss at least 1 month due to injury)
2 23, Josh Detamore, New England, 5-6, 4.95ERA, 86ERA+
3 24, Justin Morris, Susquehanna, 1-5, 7.83ERA, 54ERA+
4 30, Dusty McCord, Cascadia, 7-15, 6.85ERA, 62ERA+
5 24, Kieron Dale, New England, rookie season, no stats. 2107 2nd overall pick. But currently an unranked prospect.
CL 39, Ryan Nixon, Cascadia, 2.51ERA in 28.2 innings with Germantown
Other notable bullpen arms: Mitch Null, Nick Ashley, and prospects Brad Winters and Jorge Urrutia.
Heath was a massive surprise last season. He was really the only bright spot on the team as many players, especially pitchers regressed. Also they have possibly the worst drafting record ever. Out of just their first round picks (not counting Miron this off-season). 2 have not reached the majors and are unranked, plus Dale is unranked. Reichert and Pettaway are doing pretty good in Plymouth. Kevin Jones is a below-average shortstop. Westfall still has some years left but hasn’t posted a season with above 100OPS+. I have no hope for Miron.
last season 78-84, 5th in Pacific2nd ranked farm system (RHP Sergio Montes #4, RHP Mike Belcher #9, LF Juan Castillo #16, SS Mennac Shamakani #26, RHP Igone Sánchez #37)
Payroll $1,614,311 - 12th
Lineup and Pitching
C 30, Andrew Vandivier, California, 2 games played last season
1B 35, Jake Herold, California, .338/.417/.662, 47HRs, 196OPS+ won Baxter award
2B 26, Patrick Moreau, Quebec, .218/.293/.298, 26SBs, 64OPS+, won Deshayes award
3B 26, Jayden Royal, Florida, .300/.366/.442, 25SBs, 124OPS+, won Deshayes and Frey awards
SS 24, Arthur Ducklow, Quebec, .210/.239/.292, 47OPS+
LF 25, Kyle Weber, Great Lakes, only played 37 games last season
CF 29, Joseph Wallace, Rocky Mountains, .249/.330/.383, 53SBs, 97OPS+ won Deshayes award
RF 27, Milt Scovell, Great Lakes, .240/.345/.390, 37Sbs, 104OPS+
DH 36, Nick Parsons, Louisiana, .285/.388/.440, 130OPS+
1 25, Wayne Hamel, Arctic Circle, 10-12, 3.93ERA, 108ERA+
2 23, Ruben Cabrales, Mexico, 8-11, 5.29ERA, 80ERA+
3 23, Daniel Ojeda, Mexico, 3.80ERA in 42.2 innings
4 25, David Stone, Texas, 11-18, 5.02ERA, 85ERA+
5 25, Jim Vogel, Susquehanna, 16-15, 5.33ERA, 80ERA+
CL 24, Adam Gibson, Virginia, 33 Saves, 3.76ERA, 113ERA+
Other notable bullpen arms: Jason Walker, Ryan Hoskins, Léo Marie, and Dennis Quintal
After an amazing start to the season last year the Cajuns sputtered and ended up finishing below .500. They lost Ben Black and a few depth pieces so I don’t see them particularly finishing well, but the main questions lie in Jayden Royal and Jake Herold. Both are free agents after this season and fan interest has waned incredibly poorly. While it hasn’t dipped to as bad as it was a few years ago, there is talk that the Royal Mississippi River Company may leave the ownership. The RMRC has made up the majority of their backing over the years (and paid for their state of the art stadium). Even if that happens, there aren’t many other cities in Louisiana to move to. The only larger cities in Louisiana are Springfield and Little Rock (Cahokia is marginally smaller). Is there a chance they straight up leave the country? Sioux City, Oceanside, and Albuquerque are the largest cities in the Pacific without a team, as well as plenty in the Atlantic.
last season 67-95, 6th in the Atlantic, their first losing season since 2103 despite never making the playoffs. 12th ranked farm system (CF Jake Rogers #21, LHP Bobby Merryman #29, LHP Teruo Onoda #34)
Payroll $1,806,378 - 9th
Lineup and Pitching
C 29, Mike Wautlet, Virginia, .251/.339/.312, 82OPS+ with Dakota
1B 30, Chris Conway, Virginia, .243/.329/.338, 82OPS+
2B 24, Jason Gibson, Texas, no stats, rookie season, unranked prospect
3B 23, Dan Nichols, The Dakotas, .198/.290/.274, 55OPS+
SS 27, Douggie Clarke, Virginia, .298/.356/.408, 108OPS+ won Deshayes award
LF 27, Aaron Ruggiero, Cascadia, .204/.308/.299, 26SBs, 66OPS+ won Deshayes award
CF 31, Gary Urbanczyk, Susquehanna, .195/.323/.374, 24HRs, 90OPS+ won Deshayes award
RF 29, Kevin Campeau, Maritimes, .254/.346/.386, 100OPS+
DH 22, Benjamin Whitford, Australia, no stats, rookie season, formerly #34 prospect (not sure why he isn’t considered a rookie this year)
1 26, Nick Grueneich, Virginia, 15-16, 3.43ERA, 125ERA+
2 27, Keith Badey, Great Lakes, 12-14, 3.08ERA, 139ERA+
3 26, Matt Frizzell, Cascadia, 13-15, 3.98ERA, 108ERA+
4 26, Thomas Legros, Quebec, 8-15, 4.42ERA, 97ERA+
5 24, Carlos Flores, Dominican Republic, 85ERA+ in 68 innings
CL 23, Chris McCready, Rocky Mountains, 81ERA+ in 57.2 innings
Other notable bullpen arms: Geoff Bolen, Jeremy Peerenboom, C.J. Clymer, Jonathan Latham, and Rodolfo Rodriquez
Despite a lot of promise, their 2108 was absolutely awful. Everyone played well below what was expected, especially their offense and Gary Urbanczyk in particular. The center fielder posted his single season lowest home run and steal total (first time not having at least a 20-20 since 2101 where he was injured). Pitching wise they just keep getting better. They may have one of the best bullpens in the league and all of their pitchers are extremely young and ready to prove themselves. If the offense can get things running again they could easily make the playoffs for the first time.
last season 89-73, 2nd in Pacific and won NABF Championship Series6th ranked farm system (RHP Tim Cote #5, LF Nassir Sheikh #35, C Eddie Marrero #43)
Payroll $2,358,121 - 3rd
Lineup and Pitching
C 31, Eric Titus, Great Lakes, only 40 games due to injury
1B 23, Valentin Pernot, Louisiana, .271/.318/.354, 36SBs, 86OPS+
2B 28, Dan Harbin, New England, .270/.345/.363, 97OPS+
3B 25, Nick Fraser, Susquehanna, .242/.351/.322, 87OPS+
SS 27, Dean Monahan, Cascadia, .226/.337/.263, 68OPS+ won Hernandez and Deshayes award
LF 25, Eddie Sheridan, Virginia, only played 38 games
CF 21, Bill Bonjour, Rocky Mountains, only played 32 games
RF 24, Yekuno-Amlak Mshangama, Zambia, .291/.384/.424, 56SBs, 124OPS+ won Deshayes award
DH 37, Kevin Meyer, Rocky Mountains, .265/.380/.456, 43SBs, 131OPS+
1 27, Matt Kenney, Rocky Mountains, 14-12, 3.47ERA, 123ERA+ with Plymouth
2 23, Chris Keon, Cascadia, 9-9, 3.48ERA, 122ERA+
3 33, Jeffrey Simon, 19-12, 3.67ERA, 116ERA+
4 23, Carlos Padilla, Mexico, 4-4, 5.09ERA, 84ERA+
5 22, Tim Cote, Maritimes, no stats, rookie season. #5 ranked prospect
CL 33, Mike Hilger, Rocky Mountains, 32 Saves, 1.85ERA, 230ERA+
Other notable bullpen arms: Kyle McMurphy, Mike Kohn, Ahmed Mathis, Alex García, and prospect Mike Tijerina
Despite winning the Championship the Buffalo sport a few new faces, mainly youth getting starting jobs such as Sheridan, Bonjour, Keon, Padilla, and Cote. While Mathis was moved to the bullpen in a surprisingly move. The 2107 Taylor winner had an off 2108 but still appeared to be reliable. But a horrid spring training and a potential ligament injury is likely to keep him out of the rotation. Eric Titus is also hoping for a healthy season as he has spent much of the last 2 seasons injured. I still expect them to be one of the top teams in the Pacific and potentially make another run if they can stay healthy.
last season 86-76, 3rd in Pacific. 1st ranked farm system (LHP Alex Fortin #3, 3B Rüdiger Martin #8, LF Yin-reng Fa #14, RHP John Lacoste #40)
Payroll $1,998,092 - 7th
Lineup and Pitching
C 25, Danny May, Louisiana, played 10 games last season
1B 39, Ray Tolbert, Cascadia, .270/.399/.366, 109OPS+ with Rome
2B 27, D.W. Manning, Georgia, .327/.450/.445, 149OPS+
3B 24, Phil Butler, Florida, .292/.370/.421, 119OPS+
SS 24, René Gaultier, Louisiana, .222/.301/.285, 63OPS+
LF 25, Brian McCrary, Susquehanna, only played 15 games last season
CF 36, Ron Young, The Dakotas, .254/.324/.369, 92OPS+
RF 38, Scott Purkis, The Dakotas, .278/.359/.397 110OPS+
DH 34, Trevor Reardon, The Dakotas, .330/.444/.492, 39SBs, 160OPS+ won Frey award
1 26, Fritz Bresson, Quebec, 18-8, 3.46ERA, 225Ks, 123ERA+
2 23, Scott Szczur, Cascadia, 16-11, 4.06ERA, 105ERA+
3 28, Bobby Brooks, Texas, 14-13, 4.89ERA, 87ERA+
4 22, Ryan Reimann, New England, 12-7, 5.38ERA, 79ERA+
5 27, Wiley McFayden, Arctic Circle, 83ERA+ in 52.2 innings
CL 28, Greg Cone, The Dakotas, 39 Saves, 1.57ERA, 172ERA+ won Gervais award
Other notable bullpen arms: Nick Hartle, Pat Dow, Aaron Odle, and Ben Keddy
A somewhat surprise run last season ended a few games shy of a playoff spot. OOTP continues to think poorly of them but I could easily see another above .500 season for the Eagles and with the extended playoffs they could easily snag their first playoff appearance since 2103. Despite being a ‘rebuilding’ team they can easily still put up quite the fight for the playoffs which is quite unique.
last season did not exist11th ranked farm system (LHP Scott Craif #20, RHP Jon Pascual #27, RHP Javy Alvarez #33)
Payroll $1,075,974 - 15th
Lineup and Pitching
C 27, Greg Stout, Florida, 46 games with Chesapeake
1B 26, Phil Irizarry, Rocky Mountains, 97OPS+ with Huron’s AAA team
2B 24, Gherardo Chili, Venezuela, from the South American League
3B 29, Jose Pera, Mexico, from the Caribbean League
SS 27, Tom Helms, Rocky Mountains, 46 games with Trois-Rivières
LF 27, D.J. McDougal, Georgia, 101OPS+ with Baton Rouge’s AAA team
CF 26, Jose Pérez, Venezuela, from the South American League
RF 26, Manny Guzman, Puerto Rico, .211/.302/.314, 71OPS+ with Dakota
DH 27, Justin Driscoll, 29 games with Baton Rouge
1 29, Jose Serrano, Dominican Republic, did not play last season injured, will miss 2-3 months this season.
2 36, Bernie Rosado, Susquehanna, 12-13, 3.95ERA, 107ERA+ with Germantown
3 26, Alex Carrillo, Mexico, 3-4, 3.66ERA, 117ERA+ with Alaska
4 26, Justin Loeser, California, 10-13, 5.77ERA, 74ERA+ with Eureka
5 26, Lee Kowalchuk, Maritimes, from Caribbean League
CL 36, Bill Van Auken, Susquehanna, 182OPS+ in South American League
Other notable bullpen arms: prospects Cesar Romo, Oscar Noriega, and Kelalani Aloiki
Classic expansion team struggles. Easily the worst offense I have ever seen. A few years ago their rotation would’ve been considered quite good, plus Van Auken is a great reliever. Noriega could easily take over a starting job as during his “cup of coffee” last season with Florida he had a 286ERA+. Still not sure why they didn’t protect him in the expansion draft.
last season 78-84, 4th in Pacific3rd ranked farm system (LHP Ben Ford #10, CF Bart Gallagher #12, LHP Jorge Peña #22, RF Bill Sutherland #31, SS William García #38, RHP Pedro Campos #49)
Payroll $2,064,779 - 5th
Lineup and Pitching
C 23, Ismael Méndez, Puerto Rico, .298/.371/.419, 119OPS+ won Frey award
1B 36, Kyle Thompson, California, .273/.370/.564, 46HRs, 156OPS+
2B 32, Jorge Rodríguez, Dominican Republic, .227/.321/.394, 98OPS+
3B 21, Orlando Lazzarini, Venezuela, .344/.406/.467, 141OPS+ in 71 games, won Castaneda award
SS 24, Tyler McClean, Great Lakes, .224/.295/.294, 33SBs, 64OPS+
LF 34, Jesse Haskins, California, .258/.378/.390, 113OPS+
CF 24, Jim Rivers, Susquehanna, played 27 games with Galveston
RF 29, Ken Kachmar, Maritimers, only 38 games due to injury
DH 28, Savion Jones, Louisiana, .239/.289/.384, 45SBs, 82OPS+ with Florida
1 24, Tillmam Tamayo, Brazil, 6-6, 3.00ERA, 142ERA+
2 36, Ben Denman, Florida, 14-13, 3.63ERA, 117ERA+
3 27, Dustin Cloud, The Dakotas, 14-18, 5.10ERA, 83ERA+
4 33, Antonio Madrigal, Colombia, 12-9, 4.28ERA, 100ERA+
5 24, Dave Valencia, Spain/Florida, 6.26ERA in 27.1 innings
CL 33, Jake Pawlowski, 28Saves, 2.06ERA, 207ERA+
Other notable bullpen arms: Trent Pullin and Harold Sykes
A complete collapse towards the end of last season. Though they did deal with some injury issues that may have hampered them. With the expanded playoffs I could easily see them bouncing back, but they have possibly the least amount of depth of the playoff candidates. There’s really not a lot to say about them.
last season 84-78, 3rd in Atlantic15th ranked farm system (C Greg Lloyd #32)
Payroll $1,815,650 - 8th
Lineup and Pitching
C 25, Tadao Aono, California, 53 games last season
1B 35, Oscar Morales, Florida/Puerto Rico, .306/.408/.530, 29HRs, 154OPS+, won Frey award
2B 33, Jason Martin, Susquehanna, .304/.366/.411, 112OPS+, won Deshayes award
3B 24, Nelson Cabrera, Mexico, .251/.279/.319, 63OPS+
SS 23, Max Smith, Georgia, 28OPS+ in 71 games
LF 26, David Castillo, Texas, .321/.396/.524, 149OPS+ (2-way)
CF 24, Philippe Lefebvre, Quebec, no stats, rookie season. 22nd overall pick in 2106
RF 27, Adam Beyer, Florida, .345/.432/.542, 164OPS+, won Frey award
DH 24, Ezequiel Gomes, Brazil, .282/.373/.405, 112OPS+
1 31, Leon López, Puerto Rico, 16-11, 3.27ERA, 288Ks, 131ERA+
2 31, Rafael Santa Cruz, Florida, 19-10, 3.55ERA, 121ERA+
3 24, Dan Miles, Texas, 6-5, 4.88ERA, 88ERA+
4 27, Cyrille Vincent, Quebec, 15-12, 4.08ERA, 249Ks, 105ERA+
5 26, David Castillo, Texas, 14-16, 4.56ERA, 94ERA+ (2-way)
CL 24, Manny Julia, Florida, 16 Saves, 2.17ERA, 198ERA+
Other notable bullpen arms: Bill Mowry
Biggest change for the Flamingos came in the middle of last season when they promoted Julia to the closer. After they appointed him the closer he only allowed 4 runs in the last 2 months. The rest of the bullpen has some interesting names, mostly from unproven youths like Ted Bass and Ikuo sh-t. But the rotation is devastating, 5 Taylors between López and Santa Cruz, plus former #1 prospect Dan Miles and Vincent who is slowly becoming a strikeout leader. Offensively they have a few gaps, however they filled them perfectly with top defenders in Aono, Smith, and Cabrera. With the latter of those being perhaps the best defender I’ve seen (possibly better than Royal and Monahan???). If there was ever a year for the Flamingos, it is 2109.
last season 103-59, 1st in Pacific but lost Pacific Series to Cheyenne9th ranked farm system (2B Thierry Charles #24, LHP Jalen Wilson #28, 1B Humphrey Grant #44)
Payroll $2,047,415 - 6th
Lineup and Pitching
C 28, John Allinger, New England, minor league deal, was backup for Baton Rouge in 2107
1B 37, David Moran, Texas, .290/.371/.443, 125OPS+
2B 38, Ian Brinley, Texas, .299/.412/.492, 22HRs, 151OPS+ won Frey award
3B 28, Jose Orozco, Dominican Republic, .261/.311/.451, 21HRs, 110OPS+
SS 28, Jamie Tipton, California, .229/.311/.313, 40SBs, 73OPS+ with Eureka
LF 27, Matt Gilroy, Quebec, .269/.347/.349, 31SBs, 94OPS+
CF 29, Katsumi Canio, Japan/Brazil, .349/.389/.480, 75SBs, 140OPS+, won Deshayes and Frey awards
RF 25, Melvin Navarrete, California, .277/.353/.408, 56SBs, 111OPS+
DH 26, Chris Caron, Texas, .262/.375/.474, 23HRs, 135OPS+
1 27, Nick Lambert, Georgia, 20-7, 2.70ERA, 233Ks, 157ERA+ won Taylor and triple crown
2 24, Paolo Barreau, Quebec, 20-8, 3.26ERA, 130ERA+
3 28, Rich Platte, New England, 16-15, 4.48ERA, 95ERA+
4 25, Nelson Encarnación, Rocky Mountains, 16-14, 3.88ERA, 220Ks, 109ERA+
5 36, Brian Van Winkle, Texas, 12-15, 3.26ERA, 130ERA+
CL 28, Alain Thomas, Quebec, 6.12ERA in 25 innings
Other bullpen arms: Johnny Martínez and Joey Nuttle
After a dominant 2108 and a playoff run that was cut short, the Launch continue to repeat their dominance. 1 year deals for Tipton as well as Martínez and Nuttle to bolster the bullpen in expectation of a playoff push. Plus potential debuts of top prospects Charles, Wilson and Cryer (ranked 66th) could add more fuel to the fire. This off-season will also be interesting as Platte, Moran and the aforementioned Tipton become free agents as well as Brinley has a player option. Leaving several potential question marks.
last season 95-67, 1st in Atlantic but lost Atlantic Series4th ranked farm system (RHP Fepiku Nekeare #11, C Han-seung Park #13, RHP Julio Then #18, RHP Adelbert Miller #19, 3B Luis Laboy)
Payroll $2,385,292 - 2nd
Lineup and Pitching
C 26, Bernward Kurtz, Susquehanna, .266/.370/.462, 130OPS+, won Frey and Deshayes
1B 25, Roger Huseinovic, Louisiana, .202/.304/.335, 77OPS+ in 41 starts
2B 33, Ritter Ammann, Susquehanna, .293/.375/.394, 114OPS+
3B 24, Craig Lamm, Susquehanna, .262/.319/.362, 55SBs, 89OPS+
SS 31, Ben Cintron, California, .243/.291/.373, 24SBs, 83OPS+
LF 24, Ivan Nájera, Dominican Republic, .231/.306/.314, 47SBs, 72OPS+
CF 27, Jeremy Cooper, Georgia, .267/.386/.444, 27SBs, 130OPS+ won Deshayes award
RF 23, David Brito, Rocky Mountains, made 1 start last year, unranked prospect
DH 31, George Powers, Quebec, .309/.426/.587, 38HRs, 179OPS+ won Frey award
1 31, Josh Newcomer, Great Lakes, 10-14, 3.72ERA, 115ERA+ with Alaska
2 29, Steven Dorsey, Susquehanna, 9-6, 3.38ERA, 125ERA+
3 22, Heath Victory, Arctic Circle, 9-10, 5.64ERA, 75ERA+
4 23, Sean Gentry, Louisiana, 15-12, 5.05ERA, 84ERA+
5 30, Charlie Symmonds, Susquehanna, 7-5, 5.20ERA, 82ERA+ with Plymouth
CL 35, Anton Latorre, Dominican Republic, 43 Saves, 0.86ERA, 178Ks, 489ERA+, won Gervais award
Other notable bullpen arms: Eric Reed, Kevin Taylor, Josh Burford, Tyler D’Orio, and Benjamin Platt
They finally won the Atlantic for the first time since 2101 but got demolished in the Atlantic Series against Trois. This time they redo much of their rotation, trading for Newcomer and promoting prospects Victory and Gentry to full-time starters. (also Symmonds). Their bullpen is as good as ever and their offense continues to develop with Kurtz, Cooper, and Lamm all continuing to show great signs. Plus top prospects Park and Miller could make their debuts and immediately be impact players. Other news is Kurtz showed up to spring training with at least 30 pounds of added weight, he stated that it was all muscle but many questioned if it truly was. Some were saying if he can’t shed the weight that he should be moved to first base (as it would also make room for Park at catcher).
last season did not exist. 16th ranked farm system (RHP Evan Peterson #50)
Payroll $1,074,569 - 16th
Lineup and Pitching
C 28, Ryan Croston, California, .259/.374/.376, 109OPS+, won Frey
1B 33, Dave Chatwin, Maritimes, last time in NABF, 111OPS+ with Alaska in 2106
2B 23, Corey Shufelt, Great Lakes, no stats, rookie season.
3B 26, Pascal Roux, Quebec, no stats, rookie season.
SS 27, Eric Gilbo, Cascadia, .198/.292/.329, 34SBs, 72OPS+ with Galveston
LF 27, Ernest Mott, Quebec, .257/.352/.372, 30SBs, 101OPS+ with Germantown
CF 30, Jonathan Humphrey, California, .238/.341/.330, 58SBs, 83OPS+ with Rome
RF 25, Mat Romo, Texas, no stats, rookie season.
DH 31, Rodolfo Valentín, Guatemala, 135OPS+ in the South American League
1 28, Jose Guerrero, Florida, 5.12ERA in 89.2 innings with Cheyenne (knuckleballer)
2 22, Evan Peterson, Susquehanna, no stats rookie season.
3 22, Matt Thurston, Cascadia, no stats, rookie season.
4 23, Bobby Whitener, Cascadia, no stats, rookie season.
5 26, Matt French, New England, no stats, rookie season.
CL 29, Roberto Cruz, Cuba, no stats, rookie season.
Other notable bullpen arms: Steve Francen
Their offense has some interesting pieces, Croston and Mott have both had great pasts with good potential, Humphrey and Gilbo have great defense and speed but lack contact, Andy Rico was once the best third baseman in the league (and has one of the worst contracts), while Dave Chatwin makes his triumphant return to the NABF. But the pitching is awful, Guerrero in classic knuckleball fashion cannot tie together good seasons in a row and Cruz was the only true FA signing by Halifax as he came from the Caribbean League. Other than that, really not much going. If Rome and Alaska are any indication, it will take them quite a bit before becoming competitive.
last season 80-82, 5th in Atlantic7th ranked farm system (LHP Mike Cervantes #15, C Charlie Baldwin #36, OF/1B Danny Thomas #46, RHP Alex Baltierrez #48)
Payroll $2,324,272 - 4th
Lineup and Pitching
C 25, John Alcock, Quebec, .299/.381/.370, 108OPS+
1B 26, Charlie Winningham, Virginia, only started 35 games
2B 33, Fernando Criado, California, .295/.401/.488, 20HRs, 144OPS+, won Frey award
3B 24, Julio Manzo, Dominican Republic, played only 50 games
SS 26, Philip Brawner, Arctic Circle, .288/.355/.431, 21SBs, 116OPS+
LF 31, Matthew Wagoner, Great Lakes, .248/.347/.453, 24HRs, 119OPS+
CF 26, Jared Myers, Susquehanna, .266/.346/.338, 63SBs, 89OPS+
RF 24, Jeremy Richey, Arctic Circle, .259/.312/.427, 37SBs, 102OPS+
DH 34, Mike McClary, Texas, .296/.360/.394, 24SBs, 108OPS+, won Frey award
1 32, Marty Hodge, Australia, 15-6, 2.85ERA, 149ERA+
2 35, Adam Minke, Susquehanna, 13-15, 3.42ERA, 124ERA+
3 27, Brad Vedder, Great Lakes, 16-11, 4.35ERA, 221Ks, 98ERA+
4 31, Ricky McDonald, Great Lakes, 11-15, 4.43ERA, 96ERA+ with Astoria
5 24, Hao Huan, California, 7-15, 5.84ERA, 73ERA+
CL 25, Ivan Ramírez, Virginia, 35 Saves, 3.70ERA, 115ERA+
Other notable bullpen arms: Bill Clark and Marty Díaz
Huron has consistently had some of the best teams on paper… yet they haven’t finished above .500 since 2104. This time they are essentially running it back hoping that their young talent can develop in order for the Gryphons to succeed. Which could work, Myers and Alcock were surprises last year, Clark and Díaz had good seasons in the bullpen and could likely take over Huan or McDonald’s spots. Plus the Arctic duo of Brawner and Richey who make a great lead off pair. Let alone future Hall of Famers Criado, Wagoner, McClary, and Hodge. But that’s basically what they had last year and the year before that…
84-78, 4th in Atlantic14th ranked farm system (3B Joseph Bruns #39 and C Kazunori Hirabayashi #45)
Payroll $1,616,632 - 11th
Lineup and Pitching
C 31, Isaac Gettingby, Australia, .260/.318/.392, 95OPS+
1B 23, Matunde Simai, Gabon, .264/.405/.481, 23HRs, 143OPS+
2B 23, Victor Cabral, Brazil, only 35 games played
3B 28, Matt Bentz, Virginia, .303/.375/.453, 127OPS+
SS 20, Masashi Miyahara, Japan, .271/.320/.371, 90OPS+
LF 24, Justyn Cox, New England, .294/.347/.397, 105OS+
CF 28, Jonathan Parsons, Great Lakes, .291/.372/.393, 44SBs, 111OPS+, won Frey award
RF 25, Russ Pettaway, Georgia, .212/.299/.351, 79OPS+
DH 25, Aaron Novak, The Dakotas, .312/.359/.372, 101OPS+ in 68 games
1 27, Mike Kulbeth, Louisiana, 16-13, 2.78ERA, 362Ks, 153ERA+, won Taylor award
2 26, Chad Reichert, Cascadia, 12-11, 5.16ERA, 83ERA+
3 22, Tim Troke, Arctic Circle, 9-9, 3.77ERA, 113ERA+
4 22, Felike Ipo, Hawaii, 6.55ERA in 44 innings, 65ERA
5 35, Jake Hale, California, 5.09ERA in 23 innings
CL 28, Roberto Corral, Curaçao, 7-7, 4.58ERA, 93ERA+ (first time in closer role)
Other notable bullpen arms: Phil Palmer, Nick Christiana, and Sebastian Moore
Extremely young and mostly unproven team (well, outside of Kulbeth and Bentz). The expanded playoffs help them the most. While they probably can’t compete year in and year out with Trois and Germantown (as seen as they couldn’t replicate their success last year). But they can contend with Huron, Florida, and Chesapeake. And of course, once in the playoffs, anything can happen. Though should trade for a closer during the trade deadline.
last season 61-101, 7th in Atlantic (4th consecutive 100 loss season)5th ranked farm system (3B Jimmy Sparrowhawk #1 and SS Nikolaus Wallauer #2)
Payroll $1,339,362 - 13th
Lineup and Pitching
C 26, Kun Niu, Cascadia, only 49 games started
1B 26, Harry Reader, Maritimes, only 11 games started
2B 27, Carlos Dominguez, Louisiana, only 38 games started with Dakota
3B 23, Ed Shea, New England, no stats, rookie season. Unranked prospect
SS 25, Kyle Belew, Susquehanna, .260/.347/.367, 94OPS+
LF 26, Samuel Binns, Australia, .273/.334/.418, 24SBs, 104OPS+
CF 35, Tyler Kilbarger, Susquehanna, .320/.363/.453, 121OPS+ in injury shortened season
RF 26, Ben Black, Georgia, .309/.378/.444, 48SBs, 128OPS+ won Frey award with Baton Rouge
DH 24, Jonathan Carrethers, Georgia, .284/.372/.597, 42HRs, 160OPS+
1 27, Tomas Pereda, California, 10-17, 4.88ERA, 88ERA+
2 25, Matt Atkinson, Georgia, 11-16, 5.32ERA, 81ERA+
3 27, Alfredo Jimenez, Cuba, 10-14, 7.43ERA, 58ERA+
4 27, Jacob Wood, New England, 8-11, 6.01ERA, 72ERA+
5 27, Mike Barton, Susquehanna, 5.32ERA in 88 innings
CL 26, Kyle Magnani, Georgia, 26 Saves, 5.80ERA, 74ERA+
Other notable bullpen arms; Marshall Elkan and Bob Molina
A promising offensive core with Georgia natives Black and Carrethers along with veteran Kilbarger and youths Belew, Binns, and Dominguez (let alone studs Sparrowhawk and Wallauer once they make the show). However, they lack basically any semblance of pitching... Magnani isn’t as bad as he seems, but is still on the bottom of the list of closers. Elkan and Molina are good set-up men but they can’t even be used effectively as their franchise record for lowest ERA in a season was Pereda’s 4.88 last year… and with only 1 pitching prospect ranked in the top 100 (Brian Gurley sitting at #92) it will likely stay horrible in Rome.
last season 93-69, 2nd in Atlantic, lost in Championship Series to Cheyenne13th ranked farm system (C Hairama Nalanie #7 and 1B Conceição Arruda #30)
Payroll $2,408,143 - 1st
Lineup and Pitching
OOTP PredictionsC 29, Josh Lemon, Great Lakes, .295/.360/.410, 111OPS+, won Hernandez award
1B 29, Joe Delli Santi, Virginia, .264/.361/.501, 39HRs, 134OPS+
2B 33, Tom Phelan, Quebec, .333/.390/.415, 121OPS+
3B 29, Christian Dubois, Quebec, .333/.403/.498, 21HRs, 23SBs, 146OPS+, won Frey and Deshayes awards
SS 26, Jimmy Nickolaus, Virginia, .251/.342/.344, 24SBs, 88OPS+
LF 32, Hervé Barthélémy, Quebec, .297/.411/.629, 47HRs, 182OPS+, won Frey and Baxter awards
CF 28, Jon Buckley, Great Lakes, .212/.287/.359, 61SBs, 76OPS+
RF 26, Gary Hamilton, Quebec, 74OPS+ in 49 games started (2-way player)
DH 30, Ron Peterson, Arctic Circle, only 48 games started due to injury (137 career OPS+ but only started more than 75 games once)
1 29, Jorge Franco, Panama, 15-13, 3.29ERA, 130ERA+
2 26, Gary Hamilton, Quebec, 9-6, 3.81ERA, 112ERA+ (2-way player)
3 28, Tim Jackson, Great Lakes, 15-12, 4.63ERA, 92ERA+
4 22, Philippe Lemaître, Quebec, 10-2, 2.66ERA, 161ERA+
5 34, Julio Sánchez, Dominican Republic, 10-10, 5.12ERA, 83ERA+
CL 27, Dale Patterson, Florida, 34 Saves, 3.20ERA, 133ERA+
Other notable bullpen arms: Warren Bourdon, Juan Huitz, and prospects Brian Gray, Ryan Hyde, and Eddie Salazar
2108 was the first time finishing below 100 wins since 2102 (including the shortened 2105 where they managed a 100-38 record). While they lack a true ace since López left, they instead feature a devastating lineup and overall balanced pitching rotation and bullpen (really no holes besides Sánchez and Jackson who are fluky). The main story this season is about how some ‘experts’ saw last season as a failure simply because Germantown won more games than them in the regular season (despite Trois beating them in the Atlantic Series). With plenty of expectations to get above the 100 win mark again. Which I see as highly likely as their team really has no holes besides the lack of an ace.
Pacific:
Eureka Redwoods 102-60
Galveston Launch 98-64
Cheyenne Buffalo 96-66
Alaska Avalanche 77-85
Dakota Eagles 76-86
Baton Rouge Cajuns 75-87
Astoria Osprey 63-99
Durango Escorpiones 51-111
Atlantic:
Trois-Rivières Harfang 103-59
Florida Flamingos 93-69
Germantown Pretzels 91-71
Chesapeake Admirals 90-72
Plymouth Pilgrims 84-78
Huron Gryphons 83-79
Rome Gladiators 68-94
Halifax Voyageurs 50-112
Runs the highly unsuccessful PSC project featuring the Premier Soccer League and National Baseball Federation
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Posted by BDoof 5/16/2024 12:33 pm | #47 |
2109 Season
April:
May:Cheyenne would start strong, sweeping their opening series against Baton Rouge, allowing only 2 runs and Simon throwing a no-hitter in the final match. Rome would get off to a hot start, solely off of offense. By the end of the month they would fall to third, but still hanging in quite well. They were last in the Atlantic for runs against but first in the NABF in runs scored. Second in the Atlantic only to Germantown who would win 9 straight to open the season. Plenty of young arms would have breakout months, Cheyenne’s Carlos Padilla, Plymouth’s Felike Ipo, Florida’s Dan Miles, and Alaska’s Zane Dubos would all have ERA’s under 3. Let alone several young relievers also showing out.
Hitters of the Month:
PC: David Moran, .417avg, 6HRs, 20RBIs (GAL)
AC: Ben Black, .364avg, 4HRs, 28RBIs (ROM)
Pitchers of the Month:
PC: Rich Platte, 4-1, 2.16ERA, 40Ks (GAL) (also received large 5 year extension)
AC: Dan Miles, 4-0, 2.31ERA, 45Ks (FLA)
Rookies of the Month:
PC: Lee Kowalchuk, 2-2, 4.42ERA, 21Ks (DUR)
AC: Mat Romo, .364avg, 2HRs, 10RBIs (HFX)
June:Trois would extend Ron Peterson after a terrific start of the year, 4 years with $220k a year which is quite a lot for a guy who only started over 100 games once (and would get injured a week later). Trois would take first place in the Atlantic with an explosion of talent from Barthélémy who is currently on pace for 76 home runs. Plymouth, despite having multiple players with good starts to the year, would be the only Atlantic team (besides Halifax) under .500 and would begin changing around their rotation and bullpen to help make something happen. This would bolster them to get 1 game below .500 by the end of the month, making for an intense Atlantic race where 7 of the 8 teams are .500 or above (plus Plymouth). Compared to the Pacific where only Cheyenne and Galveston would be above .500 (though both Eureka and Dakota are only 1 game under).
Hitters of the Month:
PC: Katsumi Canio, .443avg, 25Runs, 13SBs (GAL)
AC: Hervé Barthélémy, .380avg, 16HRs, 32RBIs (TR)
Pitchers of the Month:
PC: Jeffrey Simon, 5-0, 1.79ERA, 26Ks (CHY)
AC: Cyrille Vincent, 5-1, 1.85ERA, 47Ks (FLA)
Rookies of the Month:
PC: Jeremy Miron, 1.17ERA in 23 innings with 14Ks (AST) (2-way player, though hasn’t done well offensively)
AC: Rodolfo Valentín, .250avg, 5HRs, 18RBIs (HFX)
July:Rome would make headlines as #1 ranked prospect and easily the most hyped prospect ever, Jimmy Sparrowhawk would make his debut. While he would only be slightly above league average, his influence helped propel Rome back into 2nd place in the Atlantic. As previously mentioned, the 3rd wildcard in the Pacific would be between Dakota and Eureka. In June both have gotten above .500, with Eureka sitting a few games ahead, mostly from a resurgence from veteran Ben Denman as well as Cor John, former #1 prospect who has been riding the bench for years has finally broken the starting lineup. He has hit over .300 with 21 doubles in just 2 months of play.
Hitters of the Month:
PC: Jake Herold, .384avg, 12HRs, 28RBIs (BR)
AC: Joe Delli Santi, .326avg, 10HRs, 32RBIs (TR)
Pitchers of the Month:
PC: Nick Lambert, 5-1, 1.03ERA, 44Ks (GAL)
AC: Alfredo Jimenez, 5-1, 2.86ERA, 23Ks (ROM)
Rookies of the Month:
PC: Tim Cote, 3-2, 3.70ERA, 29Ks (CHY)
AC: Rodolfo Valentín, .256avg, 9HRs, 24RBIs (HFX)
August:After a bad start to the season, Baton Rouge would begin climbing the standings. While still below .500, they have had great showings from 2nd year prospects Ruben Cabrales and Daniel Ojeda, both pitching under 3.50ERAs. However, attendance is falling even lower this year due to rising ticket prices. Despite the Atlantic being the more competitive conference this year, the Pacific would win the All-Star Game once again. I don’t normally talk about the minor leagues, but wanted to call attention to Nassir Sheikh, an outfielder in Cheyenne’s system. He just accomplished a 56 game hitting streak. The 19-year old is currently the #33 prospect in the league and is likely to make Cheyenne roster in the coming years.
Hitters of the Month:
PC: Kyle Thompson, .329avg, 7HRs, 23RBIs (EUR)
AC: Hervé Barthélémy, .321avg, 6HRs, 21RBIs (TR) x2
Pitchers of the Month:
PC: Nick Lambert, 5-0, 0.62ERA, 33Ks (GAL) x2
AC: Leon López, 5-0, 0.67ERA, 37Ks (FLA)
Rookies of the Month:
PC: Tim Cote, 1.53ERA in 17.2 innings (CHY) x2
AC: Evan Peterson, 3-2, 2.61ERA, 23Ks (HFX)
Standings at the All-Star Break:
Pacific:
Cheyenne Buffalo 60-30
Galveston Launch 58-32
Eureka Redwoods 48-40
Dakota Eagles 46-42
Baton Rouge Cajuns 39-49
Alaska Avalanche 36-53
Astoria Osprey 33-55
Durango Escorpiones 25-66
Atlantic:
Trois-Rivières Harfang 57-32
Huron Gryphons 52-37
Rome Gladiators 50-39
Germantown Pretzels 49-40
Florida Flamingos 45-45
Chesapeake Admirals 45-46
Plymouth Pilgrims 43-45
Halifax Voyageurs 27-62
September:Bad news for Germantown as SP Newcomer would tear his rotator cuff and will miss the rest of the season. The Pretzels are already ‘struggling’ with their rotation in an extremely tight Atlantic Conference. Eureka would pull away from Dakota thanks to an 11-game winning streak.
Hitters of the Month:
PC: Paul Butler, .317avg, 6HRs, 23RBIs (AK)
AC: Matthew Wagoner, .283avg, 11HRs, 24RBIs (HUR)
Pitchers of the Month:
PC: Quan Hang, 5-0, 3.32ERA, 43Ks (DAK)
AC: Mike Kulbeth, 4-2, 1.35ERA, 55Ks (PLY)
Rookies of the Month:
PC: Jalen Wilson, 2-0, 3.57ERA, 16Ks (GAL)
AC: Jimmy Sparrowhawk, .339avg, 3HRs, 28Runs (ROM)
2109 Season StandingsTo start the final month, the Pacific playoff spots seemed to be already figured out between Galveston, Cheyenne, and Eureka. As Dakota now sat 9 games behind and less than a 1% chance to make the playoffs. However, which team would get the #1 spot would not be as all 3 of them were separated by only 3 games. The Atlantic was quite different. Trois easily claims the top spot, 13 wins above second. Then Huron, Rome and Florida would all be within 1.5 games of each other for the last 2 spots. While Germantown and Chesapeake were 5 and 7 games out, but have easier schedules and could always make a run. With half the month gone, Dakota would go on a big win streak and pull within 5 of Eureka. While the 3-team race in the Atlantic got even closer as now all 3 of them are within .5 game of each other. Jake Pawlowski’s 300th save would send Eureka to the playoffs, eliminating the Eagles who came up just a few games shy once again. Now with 1 series left, Huron faces Halifax for 4 games while Florida and Rome play in a final 3 game series. Florida currently has a 2 game lead over Rome and Huron. Rome is also coming into this series on a 6 game losing streak. Rome would win the first 2 games against Florida to tie them in the standings. While Huron would sweep Halifax to guarantee themselves a playoff spot (and homefield in the Wild Card Series). Thus, both Rome and Florida’s season would come down to the final game. The matchup would be Dan Miles vs Joe Jones, both young arms who have been used primarily as spot starters this season. With Miles showing some promise while Jones looks to be more of an innings eater. The Gladiators would rally in the 8th with 4 runs to tie the game. Neither could score in the 9th and it would be sent to extra innings. In the 10th Florida would have 1 out and a runner on third, Tyler Hammerich (who rejoined the team mid-way through the season), would hit a ball to center and Tyler Kilbarger would make an amazing throw to catch the runner at home and save Rome’s season. Hammerich would step up again, in the 13th to hit a solo home run to take the lead. Rome would battle to have runners on the corners with 2 outs, but pinch hitter Sean Curtin would strike out on 3 pitches. Allowing Florida to advance to their first ever postseason. Rome would become the first expansion team with an above .500 season and led the league in runs scored with 888.
Hitters of the Month:
PC: Katsumi Canio, .356avg, 21Runs, 15SBs (GAL) x2
AC: George Powers, .315avg, 7HRs, 26RBIs (GER)
Pitchers of the Month:
PC: Fritz Bresson, 6-0, 1.36ERA, 44Ks (DAK)
AC: Tim Jackson, 4-0, 2.02ERA, 24Ks (TR)
Rookies of the Month:
PC: Jalen Wilson, 2-0, 1.99ERA, 22Ks (GAL) x2
AC: Evan Peterson, 3-1, 0.96ERA, 35Ks (HFX) x2
2109 Season Stat Leaders:
Batting Average
PC: GAL Katsumi Canio .371, CHY Eric Titus .340, GAL David Moran .331
AC: TR Tom Phelan .357, PLY Aaron Novak .356, ROM Ben Black .342
Home Runs
PC: BR Jake Harold 41, EUR Kyle Thompson 39, GAL Ian Brinley 26
AC: TR Hervé Barthélémy 54, CHS Gary Urbanczyk 41, ROM Jonathan Carrethers 40
RBIs
PC: BR Jake Herold 127, AK Paul Butlers 105, EUR Kyle Thompson 104
AC: TR Hervé Barthélémy 135, ROM Ben Black 131, ROM Jonathan Carrethers 129
On-Base + Slugging%
PC: GAL David Moran .958, EUR Kyle Thompson .951, BR Jake Herold .949
AC: TR Hervé Barthélémy 1.104, FLA Adam Beyer .934, ROM Jonathan Carrethers .930
Stolen Bases
PC: GAL Katsumi Canio 88 (record), GAL Melvin Navarrete 65, BR Joseph Wallace 58
AC: HUR Jared Meyers 55, HFX Ernest Mott 52, HFX Mat Romo 52
Batting WAR
PC: GAL Katsumi Canio 9.1, CHY Eric Titus 6.5, GAL Ian Brinley 6.3
AC: TR Hervé Barthélémy 9.7, TR Tom Phelan 7.1, ROM Ben Black 6.9
ERA
PC: CHY Matt Kenney 2.52, DAK Fritz Bresson 2.59, GAL Nick Lambert 2.69
AC: TR Tim Jackson 2.82, HUR Marty Hodge 2.87, PLY Mike Kulbeth 2.98
Wins
PC: GAL Nick Lambert 21, CHY Carlos Padilla 20, DAK Fritz Bresson 19
AC: PLY Mike Kulbeth 20, TR Tim Jackson 19, ROM Alfredo Jimenez 18
Strikeouts
PC: DAK Fritz Bresson 241, GAL Nick Lambert 227, AST Josh Detamore 213
AC: PLY Mike Kulbeth 284, FLA Leon López 277, FLA Cyrille Vincent 236
Saves
PC: CHY Mike Hilger 40, EUR Jake Pawlowski 40, AK John Sweet 33
AC: TR Dale Patterson 41, FLA Manny Julia 38, HUR Ivan Ramírez 35
Pitching WAR
PC: DAK Fritz Bresson 8.2, GAL Nick Lambert 7.4, GAL Rich Platte 5.8
AC: PLY Mike Kulbeth 9.7, FLA Leon López 8.4, FLA Rafael Santa Cruz 6.3
Runs the highly unsuccessful PSC project featuring the Premier Soccer League and National Baseball Federation
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Posted by ItDoesntMatter 5/16/2024 9:51 pm | #48 |
not a lot of action here, but I will say I really like the little uniform pogs. definitely a lot better at presenting the identity than just a wall of text lol. one question: is the font a league standard, or was that just something you did for the presentation?
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Posted by BDoof 5/17/2024 12:07 am | #49 |
ItDoesntMatter wrote:
not a lot of action here, but I will say I really like the little uniform pogs. definitely a lot better at presenting the identity than just a wall of text lol. one question: is the font a league standard, or was that just something you did for the presentation?
Thanks. I just used it just for the presentation. While I am a big font guy, I didn't want to comb for hours for each team and each jersey so I chose what I felt was the best option. But yes, every team would have their own number and name fonts.
I'm still debating how much and when to include the "jerseys" since they're kind of big and can be very tedious (I spent several days on every World Cup team but never posted them. Pin-stripes are the biggest time waster). I know for sure that I will include them in the next world cup as well as for jersey retirements.
Runs the highly unsuccessful PSC project featuring the Premier Soccer League and National Baseball Federation
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Posted by BDoof 5/18/2024 8:20 pm | #50 |
2109 Playoffs
Wild Card Series' (First time for the WCS, these will be best of 5 game series similar to the Division Series’ in MLB)
Pacific Series
A classic playoff rivalry. Cheyenne comes in with their devastating pitching core. Led by Matt Kenney, Jeffrey Simon, and Carlos Padilla who have been strong all season. They also continue to have one of the strongest bullpens ever with Mike Kohn, Kyle McMurphy, and Mike Hilger who have 8 Gervais awards between them. Plus plenty of young arms with Chris Keon, Time Cote, Jesus Ortega, and Mike Tijerina. They do struggle offensively with C Eric Titus being the only players to have an OPS above .740. Though 1B Valentin Pernot and RF Yekuno-Amlak Mshangama still put up decent numbers throughout the season. They will be without star CF Kevin Meyer for the series as he is still on the IL from a broken rib he suffered a few weeks ago. Eureka is almost the opposite. With a strong offense, led by 1B Kyle Thompson, C Ismael Méndez, and recently promoted DH Cor John. With good surrounding players with LF David Ruíz, CF Tyler Noble, RF Savion Jones, and last year’s Castaneda winner, 3B Orlando Lazzarini. Pitching has been a little rough for the Redwoods this year. As the aging Ben Denman seemed to regress while both Tillmam Tamayo and Dustiin Cloud put up numbers below their standard. Closer Jake Pawlowski in the bullpen continued to dominate, but Trent Pullin and Dave Meisel could not keep up, leading to the 4th ranked pitching in the Pacific. But with a huge gap between them and Cheyenne who is first. In the season series Cheyenne came out on top 10-7.
Game 1: EUR Tillmam Tamayo (15-11, 3.87ERA) vs CHY Matt Kenney (19-10, 2.52)
1B Pernot would hit a leadoff home run for the Buffalo. They would slowly tack on 2 more throughout the game but none of it would be needed as Matt Kenney threw the game of his life, a complete game shutout giving up only 4 hits and no walks.
EUR 0 - 3 CHY
Game 2: EUR Jeff Caron (9-4, 3.65) vs CHY Carlos Padilla (20-7, 3.39)
Despite having a down year, RF Mshangama would personally take game 2 into his hands, with a 3-run home run in the first and a 2-run single in the second. He would get another hit and a stolen base enroute to an all-time performance. The rest of Cheyenne’s lineup would also do well, highlighted by multi-hit games from 1B Pernot, LF Magallanes, and 3B Sheridan. Eureka would score 4 in the loss off of 11 hits (compared to Cheyenne’s 12) but outside of a 2B Rodríguez home run could not get much moving.
EUR 4 - 9 CHY
Game 3: CHY Jeffrey Simon (17-8, 3.19) vs EUR Dustin Cloud (16-14, 4.16)
Game 3 appeared initially to be a pitching duel as only 1 run was scored a piece through 8. Then in the 9th both would score another run (by way of RF Mshangama double for Cheyenne and a DH Cor John double for Eureka). Heading into extra innings, Cheyenne called for Mike Hilger matched by Jake Pawlowski for Eureka. Easily 2 of the greatest closers in the sport, 5 Gervais awards between the 2. However, today both would have terrible performances as both teams would score 3 runs to go back and forth with the lead until the 13th where 1B Kyle Thompson would hit a walk-off RBI double to win game 3.
CHY 5 - 6 EUR
Game 4: CHY Chris Keon (16-17, 4.54) vs EUR Ben Denman (12-10, 4.48)
Keon despite a horrible end to the season, was considered a Taylor candidate early in the season. And in game 4 he showed why. Going 8 scoreless innings allowing only 4 hits. But the Buffalo only scored 1 throughout those innings. Veteran and future Hall of Famer Ben Denman would still be on the mound. But the Buffalo would finally get to him as both RF Mshangama and SS Monahan would get RBIs off of him in a big 9th inning. Cheyenne would call on McMurphy (another Gervais winner in the bullpen). He would shut the Redwoods down with 3 strikeouts on 10 pitches. The Buffalo advance to the Pacific Series for a rematch against Galveston. RF Yekuno-Amlak Mshangama would win Series MVP for his great series.
CHY 3 - 0 EUR. The Buffalo win the series 3-1, and advance to the Pacific Series.
One is making their first postseason appearance ever and the other the first time after a disappointing drought. Florida showed out last year posting their first above .500 season before going off for much of this year as well. Their starting duo of Leon López and Rafael Santa Cruz get most of the spotlight but starters Cyrille Vincent and David Castillo are no slouches either, even putting up similar numbers. Offensively, led by 2B Jason Martin, LF David Castillo, RF Adam Beyer, and DH Tyler Hammerich, who was let go by Florida last season but signed a minor league deal part-way through 2109 and finished as one of their best hitters and even got a nice 4-year extension. The main issue will be their bullpen as closer Manny Julia is day-to-day and likely won’t pitch in the wild card series (as well as 1st baseman Oscar Morales will miss all of the playoffs). Huron is a similarly balanced team. Making their first playoff appearance since 2103. They will be without ace Marty Hodge, but still have a solid rotation with Adam Minke, Hao Huan, and Brad Vedder. Which will be relied on heavily as their bullpen is quite lackluster. Their main strength lies on their offense. Or at least, it should be on paper. Despite fielding SS Mike McClary, RF Jeremy Richey, LF Matthew Wagoner, 2B Fernando Criado, and 3B Philip Brawner. However, none of them can play up to their hall of fame potential and is a big part of why they haven’t been able to be back to the postseason since 2103. As said core only finished with the 5th best offense in the Atlantic (behind Florida’s, which is worse on paper).
Game 1: FLA Cyrille Vincent (16-8, 3.78ERA) vs HUR Brad Vedder (15-12, 3.77)
Florida would start the series with homegrown talent of Vincent, and more homegrown talent would show off as DH Tyler Hammerich hit a 2-run home run in the first inning. Vincent would cruise until the 6th where RF Brawner and rookie 1B Danny Thomas would hit run scoring doubles to tie the game. Florida would then substitute Vincent for Mowry. The next batter, CF Jared Meyers, would hit a weak ground ball out to Mowry who would throw wide, allowing 1B Thomas to score. The Flamingos couldn’t answer back in the 9th as the Gryphons take game 1.
FLA 2 - 3 HUR
Game 2: FLA Rafael Santa Cruz (13-15, 3.70) vs HUR Adam Minke (12-13, 4.35)
Both would score in the first, while Huron would tack on another via a rbi single from 1B Charlie Winningham in the second. Florida would immediately answer back with a 7-run third inning and a 5-run fourth. Every Flamingo would get a hit while Santa Cruz would throw a complete game. A great showing to tie the series before heading back to Florida.
FLA 14 - 2 HUR
Game 3: HUR Hao Huan (13-10, 3.27) vs FLA Leon López (16-14, 3.20)
The young Huan would do the opposite of Minke and pitch a great game. 7 innings only allowing 1 run. López would match (albeit with 10Ks compared to 2). Ivan Ramírez and Dan Miles would take it into extra innings. Wherein, hometown hero RF Adam Beyer would launch a first pitch nuke in the bottom of the 10th for a huge walk-off home run for Florida as they take the series lead.
HUR 1 - 2 FLA
Game 4: HUR Brad Vedder (15-12, 3.77) vs FLA David Castillo (12-11, 3.60)
Huron, in an elimination game would rely on Vedder who was off only 4 days rest to tie up the series. The short rest would turn out to be awful as Florida would put up 5 in the first, Huron would sub him out for Nick Preston who could not contain the Flamingos as DH Hammerich hit a home run in the second to take a commanding lead. The Gryphons attempted a comeback with 2 home runs by RF Jeremy Richey but could not muster any more offense. RF Adam Beyer would win series MVP
HUR 3 - 9 FLA. Flamingos win the series 3-1, advance to their first Atlantic Series.
Atlantic Series
Rematch of last year’s Pacific Series. This time, Cheyenne is fully healthy along with ace Matt Kenney. Instead Galveston is the one with the injuries as pitchers Nelson Encarnación and Paolo Barreau will be out along with 1B David Moran. Luckily they have many youth players that have stepped up like pitcher Jalen Wilson and 1B Chris Caron. During the regular season Galveston controlled the matchup winning 12-5 in their games against Cheyenne. Despite this, Cheyenne is considered the odds on favorite due to their historic dominance and health.
Game 1: CHY Matt Kenney (19-10, 2.52) vs GAL Nick Lambert (21-6, 2.69)
Many were suspecting that this matchup would also decide the Taylor award as both starters were ‘tied’ amongst fan votes. It appeared early to belong to Lambert and Galveston as Cheyenne could not touch him. However in the 7th, he began to fall apart after a throwing error by himself caused the bases to be loaded. Maru Kalamka and Johnny Metzler (both pinch hitters) would hit 2-run singles to turn into a big 6-run inning for the Buffalo. Following this the infamous Cheyenne bullpen would come on and only allow 1 base runner for the final 2 innings.
CHY 6 - 4 GAL
Game 2: CHY Carlos Padilla (20-7, 3.39) vs GAL Rich Platte (18-12, 3.40)
Both would take turns scoring in the first 5 innings, then great base-running from CF Bonjour would allow Cheyenne to tie the game up. Nothing would be going in the 9th to force extra innings. In the 11th, DH Hisato Horio, now a member of Galveston, would hit a pinch-hit lead–off double. 3B Peppers would ground out before LF Gilroy would fly out to advance Horio to third. With 2 outs, 2B Orozco would come up and barely get a blooper past 2B Harbin at second to score the game winning run to tie the series.
CHY 6 - 7 GAL
Game 3: GAL Brian Van Winkle (16-9, 4.29) vs CHY Jeffrey Simon (17-8, 3.19)
Cheyenne’s C Eric Titus would hit a home run in the first and the Buffalo would keep the lead the entire game thanks to home runs from LF Magallanes and CF Bonjour. Galveston would only score in the 9th, which was too little too late as they could only get 4 hits off of Simon.
GAL 2 - 5 CHY
Game 4: GAL (6-4, 4.15) vs CHY Chris Keon (16-17, 4.54)
I can’t say anything about this game except complete domination. Keon would throw a complete game shutout. While the usually low-scoring Buffalo offense would go off for 12 runs (without hitting a home run). Galveston now sits 1 loss away from being eliminated by Cheyenne for the second straight season.
GAL 0 - 12 CHY
Game 5: GAL Nick Lambert (21-6, 2.69) vs CHY Matt Kenney (19-10, 2.52)
Galveston would immediately score a run in the first, with Cheyenne following them up in the 2nd. Then the Taylor candidates would lock things down as no more runs were scored until the 12th inning. Wherein, the Buffalo bullpen once again came in clutch as they have seemingly endless options while the Launch could only stick with Alain Thomas. He would quickly get 2 outs to start the twelfth before 1B Pernot got a single. He would immediately attempt a steal but C R.J. Pope would throw into center allowing 1B Pernot to get to third. Then he intentionally walked McShane to face Fraser, both pinch hitters. The veteran Fraser would make him pay as he would hit a ball right above second to win the series for the Buffalo!
GAL 1 - 2 CHY. The Buffalo win the series 4-1 with 2B Dan Harbin winning series MVP
2109 Championship Series
Florida’s first Atlantic Series after a decade of incompetence. And basically all NABF fans are cheering for them to take down Trois. The Harfang not only won 21 more games than Florida, but also beat them 11-6 in their matchups. They are looking for their 8th straight Championship appearance, which would be such an insane record. This year they tied their record for most wins (108) and led the entire NABF in runs against while being 2nd in runs scored. Truly a matchup of David and Goliath.
Game 1: FLA Rafael Santa Cruz (13-15, 3.70) vs TR Jorge Franco (17-15, 3.75)
The Harfang would jump out to an early lead thanks to a 2-run single from RF Peterson. But Florida would come back with a 2-run homer by 1B Newman. The game would stay tied at 3 until the 8th when Florida closer Manny Julia would completely capitulate, giving up 7 runs in only 2/3rds of an inning. Giving Trois a dominating game 1 victory.
FLA 3 - 11 TR
Game 2: FLA Cyrille Vincent (16-8, 3.78) vs TR Gary Hamilton (17-8, 3.80)
Florida would actually score first thanks to big hits from DH Hammerich and CF Toman. But Trois would take it back thanks to a 3-run homer from rookie CF Luis de Anda. Then in the 6th, Vincent and reliever Groh would give up a combined 8 runs, ending the game with a nearly identical score to game 1.
FLA 2 - 12 TR
Game 3: TR Philippe Lemaître (16-11, 3.00) vs FLA Leon López (16-14, 3.20)
Back in Florida, the Flamingos offense would finally get going scoring 5 runs in the first (the same amount as they scored in the first 2 games combined). The Flamingos would tack on 2 more with RBIs from DH Hammerich and RF Beyer in the 5th. López would struggle a bit in his matchup against his old team, but was able to keep the Harfang to only 4 runs. Julia would give up 1 in the 9th, but would lock it down after that to give Florida their first win.
TR 5 - 7 FLA
Game 4: TR Tim Jackson (19-7, 2.82) vs FLA David Castillo (12-11, 3.60)
2B Phelan would go off for 5 hits and a triple shy of a cycle, along with RBIs from LF Barthélémy would make up most of the Harfang’s offense. However, Florida would match them through 7 thanks to a home run from C Ethan King to tie the game. However, once again Florida’s bullpen would fail them as Dan Miles would walk the bases loaded and give up 4 runs in the 8th, leaving the Flamingos 1 loss away from elimination.
TR 8 - 4 FLA
Game 5: TR Jorge Franco (17-15, 3.75) vs FLA Rafael Santa Cruz (13-15, 3.70)
Santa Cruz would be hit around the first 2 innings as Trois batters later revealed that he was tipping his pitches. The Florida bullpen would only allow 2 runs in the following 6 innings. But regardless none of it would matter as DH Hammerich’s double in the 5th would be the only hit and only baserunner all game as Franco would pitch the greatest game of his career to send the Harfang to their 8th straight Championship Series!
TR 7 - 0 FLA. Harfang win the series 4-1, 2B Tom Phelan wins series MVP
This will be their 3rd consecutive time facing each other in the Championship Series and the 4th time overall. It's hard to even describe this matchup between 2 goliaths. The incredible pitching and defense of Cheyenne vs the incredible depth and power of Trois meeting for the 3rd time. Both have won 1 of the previous matchups, making this a sort of tie-breaker of sorts. In the regular season, Trois won the series 5-1, but many are expecting this to go down to the wire just like the previous season.
Game 1: CHY Carlos Padilla (20-7, 3.39) vs TR Gary Hamilton (17-8, 3.80)
Homeruns from 3B Dubois and 1B Delli Santi would give the Harfang a lead and easily allow closer Dale Patterson to collect the save for game 1.
CHY 2 - 4 TR
Game 2: CHY Jeffrey Simon (17-8, 3.19) vs TR Philippe Lemaître (16-11, 3.00)
Cheyenne would take the lead in the first, but 2-run home runs from RF Hamilton and 1B Delli Santi in the 6th and 7th would swap leaders. Once again, Patterson would come in the 9th for the save. However, he would load the bases after hitting 2 batters. He would work to get it to 2 outs before walking RF Mshangama. Then CF Bonjour would score 1 from a single before star C Eric Titus would launch a 3-run double to take the lead. LF Magallanes would score C Titus for insurance as 4-time Gervais winner, Mike Hilger would take the mound and not give Trois a chance, tying the series.
CHY 8 - 5 TR
Game 3: TR Jorge Franco (17-15, 3.75) vs CHY Matt Kenney (19-10, 2.52)
There would be nothing doing through 5 as both pitchers were putting on clinics. In the 7th both would score 2 off of smart baserunning. No one else would score as relievers came out leading the game to extra innings. In the bottom of the 10th, Trois’ Cameron Broome who has been having a great rookie season would face LF Eddie Sheridan, who like many of the Buffalo is not considered a great hitter. But he’d take the first pitch he sees deep to straight center field for an extra inning walk off home run for the Cheyenne crowd.
TR 2 - 3 CHY
Game 4: TR Tim Jackson (19-7, 2.82) vs CHY Chris Keon (16-17, 4.54)
In 2 previous post-seaosn starts, Keon has not allowed a run through 17 innings. While his streak would end in the first inning, he would keep the runs manageable only allowing 3 runs. But the story of the game would be the Harfang’s control issues as they would hit 4 batters. Despite that, they would be in the lead 3-2 in the 9th with Patterson once again on the mound. He would get 3B Fraser and PH McShane out to start. But RF Mshangama would get an easy single up the middle. CF Bonjour would hit an easy roller to third that should’ve ended the game but former Hernandez winning 3B Christian Dubois would lose the ball in transition allowing Baxter winning C Eric Titus to once again get a potential game winning at-bat. Titus would hit the ball hard down the first base line, getting past 1B Delli Santi and RF Mshangama would easily score while the speedy CF Bonjour would get sent home. Trois RF Michael Baxter is known for his arm and would take a chance by not hitting the cut-off and it would be just wide as catcher Lemon could not get back to tag CF Bonjour before he would cross the plate and win a close game.
TR 3 - 4 CHY
Game 5: TR Gary Hamilton (17-8, 3.80) vs CHY Carlos Padilla (20-7, 3.39)
After 3 straight chokes, Trois would not give Cheyenne a chance with LF Barthélémy hitting 2 home rubs for 4RBIs on the day while C Lemon and 2B Phelan would have multiple hits and RBIs as Padilla could not contain the Harfang batters. Cheyenne would score 4, with a home run from C Titus, who missed their 2 previous Championship matchups due to injuries.
TR 9 - 4 CHY
Game 6: CHY Jeffrey Simon (17-8, 3.19) vs TR Philippe Lemaître (16-11, 3.00)
The series would head back to Quebec where Trois looks to win the final 2 games in order to overcome a 3-1 deficit. They held a lead in every game and have only lost due to chokes from their relievers or fielding errors. Many of their diehard fans would be very vocal leading up to the game, however, many more pointed their frustration and passion towards heckling the Buffalo players on their way to the park, with nearly an entire police envoy needed to get the team bus to the park. The heckling seemingly worked as they would score 5 through the first 3 innings thanks to RBIs from CF de Anda, 1B Delli Santi, and SS Nickolaus. Cheyenne would answer back as SS Monahan would get a 2RBI double to pull within 2. The Harfang bullpen would call upon Brian Gray, Juan Huitz, and Dale Patterson. Who would combine to only give up 1 hit as the Harfang would comeback to force a game 7.
CHY 3 - 5 TR
Game 7: CHY Matt Kenney (19-10, 2.52) vs TR Jorge Franco (17-15, 3.75)
If you thought game 6’s pre-game was bad, game 7 took the cake. First pitch would be delayed almost an hour after fans broke through a gate and poured out onto the field during batting practice. Quebec natives Hamilton, Dubois, and Barthélémy would be needed to calm down the crowds. It would be announced after the game that the city would create a special police force just for home playoff games as events had gotten too out of hand the past few seasons. In the first Cheyenne’s LF Kevin Meyer would hit a 2-run home run to the dismay of the crowd as the Buffalo scored 3 in the inning. Meyer would appear to say something to the pitcher Franco as he touched home plate, which would lead him to get hit by a pitch each of his next 2 at-bats in the game until the umpires stepped in. Trois would get back as CF de Anda would hit a home run, along with a RF Hamilton RBI double would tie the game. In the 6th, 1B Delli Santi would get his 3rd home run of the series to take the lead. Patterson would come out to pitch in the 9th, as every Trois fan held their breath. SS Monahan would reach base after SS Nickolaus would bobble the catch and would be ruled an error. 3B Fraser would strike out after a long at-bat. Pinch hitter, Romain Larcher would hit a double but Monahan would be held up at third. CF Bonjour would strike out, leaving C Eric Titus to once again come up to bat in a game deciding situation. He would turn over a grounder to SS Nickolaus who would make the throw this time to get the out and win the series after being down in the series 3-1! This is the 4th Championship for the Harfang de Trois-Rivières.
CHY 3 - 6 TR. Harfang win the series 4-3, 1B Joe Delli Santi wins series MVP.
Runs the highly unsuccessful PSC project featuring the Premier Soccer League and National Baseball Federation
