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FuzzyRussianHat · 11-11-2024, 07:57 PM

The Asian Baseball Federation’s North Division was incredibly top heavy in 2018. Dushanbe and Bishkek tied at 103-59 with the tiebreaker for the division and the East League’s top seed going to the Dynamo. Dushanbe extended their playoff streak to six seasons, while the Black Sox ended a seven-year postseason drought. The Dynamo had by far the top offense with 746 runs scored, the only team in ABF with 700+. Bishkek’s pitching meanwhile had 1938 strikeouts and a 11.63 K/9, setting new ABF single-season records.

Defending EL champ Asgabat got the second wild card at 97-65, growing their playoff streak to three. Almaty’s playoff streak ended at three at 86-76. The South Division was quite tight with four teams ultimately fighting for one playoff spot. Lahore (90-72) edged out defending Faisalabad (89-73), Rawalpindi (89-73) and Gujranwala (88-74). This ended a five-year playoff drought for the Longhorns, who hadn’t won the division since 2005.

Nizami Aghazade’s chance for a sixth straight East League MVP was thwarted in 2017 by a fractured finger that knocked him out from June onward. The incredible Kazakh 2B/SS was back in 2018 to earn his sixth MVP and his fifth Triple Crown. Aghazade joined CABA legend Prometheo Garcia as the only batters in pro baseball history with five Triple Crowns. He also earned his third Gold Glove and sixth Silver Slugger.

Aghazade led in runs (112), hits (205), home runs (48), RBI (122), walks (73), total bases (382), triple slash (.365/.444/.680), OPS (1.124), wRC+ (244), and WAR (15.2). It was his sixth time with 13+ WAR, a feat only achieved previously in world history by one other position player (WAB Darwin Morris). The WAR total was the second-most in ABF history behind his own 15.99 in 2015. Among all seasons in world history among all players as of 2037, Aghazade’s 2018 is the 42^nd best WAR. However, he suffered a huge setback with a torn ACL in the playoffs, keeping him out until fall 2019.

Pitcher of the Year was Asgabat’s Nayif Elmi. The 26-year old Afghani righty led in wins (22-6), ERA (1.62), WHIP (0.74), quality starts (28), FIP- (55), and WAR (8.3). Elmi had 335 strikeouts and a 186 ERA+ over 234 innings, falling five Ks shy of a Triple Crown. In April 2019, the Alphas would give him a six-year, $70,600,000 extension. Also notable was Gujranwala’s Raghid Yazdani winning his third straight Reliever of the Year.

Nizami Aghazade’s ACL tear ultimately sank Dushanbe in the first round of the playoffs, upset 3-2 by Asgabat. Lahore had home field as a division champ and swept Bishkek despite winning 13 fewer games. This was the Longhorns first East League Championship Series berth since their 2012 pennant. The defending champ Alphas kept rolling on the road, taking the ELCS 4-2 for the repeat.

After wild cards the prior two years, Tabriz took the top seed at 103-59 in the West League and won the Central Division. Two-time defending ABF champ Tehran dropped down to 93-69, which was still good enough to get the first wild card. The Tarpons streak of 100+ win seasons ended at five years, but their playoff streak grew to eight seasons.

Ankara repeated as Turkish Division champ at 96-66. The Alouettes pitching staff had 1860 strikeouts, the second-most in WL history. Izmir was their closest foe at 88-74, taking the second wild card over Baku (86-76) and Isfahan (88-74). This was a big turnaround for the Ice Caps, who hadn’t been a playoff team since 2002 and hadn’t posted a winning season since 2006. Izmir had just finished an abysmal 60-102 the prior year, which had been their seventh straight sub-70 win season.

Baku DH Fakhri Rajavi won his second West League MVP. The 31-year old Iranian lefty led in home runs (54), RBI (112), slugging (.715), OPS (1.094), and wRC+ (235). Rajavi added 9.5 WAR and a .310 average, winning his sixth Silver Slugger.

Tabriz righty Ali Mehrjui won Pitcher of the Year, winning the ERA title at 1.93. The 27-year old Iranian also led in complete games (18), and shutouts (8). Mehrjui posted 5.6 WAR and a 167 ERA+ over 261 innings, striking out 305 with a 16-8 record. This effort got him a five-year, $31,200,000 extension during the summer.

The Tiger Sharks cruised to a first round sweep of Izmir, while Ankara ousted the defending champ Tehran 3-1. Tabriz’s only other LCS appearance was back in the inaugural 1985 season, while it was the Alouettes’ first since winning the 2009 pennant. In a seven game classic, Ankara claimed the West League Championship Series over the Tiger Sharks, earning their third pennant (2003, 2009, 2018).

The 34^th ABF Championship was guaranteed to crown the 19^th unique champ in ABF history. Ankara clobbered Asgabat, leaving the Alphas as runner-up in back-to-back years. The Alouettes also became the first Turkish champ since Istanbul’s 2007-08 repeat. RF Bagus Tri Yusuk won finals MVP in his third season with Ankara. The 34-year old Indonesian in 15 playoff starts had 17 hits, 7 runs, 3 homers, and 8 RBI.

Other notes: 2018 was the final ABF season for 1B Petri Viskari, although he had two more pro seasons in Russia. He left as ABF’s leader in hits (2795), runs scored (1446), doubles (728), RBI (1685), and WAR (114.5). Viskari also ranked third in home runs at 595. He would fall down the leaderboards in later years, but does still hold the doubles record as of 2037. His two EPB seasons would get him to 783 doubles for his combined pro career, which is 6^th in world history as of 2037.

In other milestones, Ali Massoudi became the ninth pitcher to 3500 strikeouts. Dushanbe’s Muhammed Ayvazoglu had a no-hitter against Tashkent, giving him a no-hitter in back-to-back seasons. Bursa’s H.A. Rahman had a 31-game hit streak, only the sixth-time in ABF history that a player had a 30+ streak. 3B Eser Haspolatli won his tenth Gold Glove, joining fellow 3B Shaheed Abbas as the only 10+ GG winners in ABF history so far. Gaziantep’s offense had a .256 team on-base percentage, setting an all-time WL worst.

11-11-2024, 07:57 PM	#1785
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,939	2018 in ABF The Asian Baseball Federation’s North Division was incredibly top heavy in 2018. Dushanbe and Bishkek tied at 103-59 with the tiebreaker for the division and the East League’s top seed going to the Dynamo. Dushanbe extended their playoff streak to six seasons, while the Black Sox ended a seven-year postseason drought. The Dynamo had by far the top offense with 746 runs scored, the only team in ABF with 700+. Bishkek’s pitching meanwhile had 1938 strikeouts and a 11.63 K/9, setting new ABF single-season records. Defending EL champ Asgabat got the second wild card at 97-65, growing their playoff streak to three. Almaty’s playoff streak ended at three at 86-76. The South Division was quite tight with four teams ultimately fighting for one playoff spot. Lahore (90-72) edged out defending Faisalabad (89-73), Rawalpindi (89-73) and Gujranwala (88-74). This ended a five-year playoff drought for the Longhorns, who hadn’t won the division since 2005. Nizami Aghazade’s chance for a sixth straight East League MVP was thwarted in 2017 by a fractured finger that knocked him out from June onward. The incredible Kazakh 2B/SS was back in 2018 to earn his sixth MVP and his fifth Triple Crown. Aghazade joined CABA legend Prometheo Garcia as the only batters in pro baseball history with five Triple Crowns. He also earned his third Gold Glove and sixth Silver Slugger. Aghazade led in runs (112), hits (205), home runs (48), RBI (122), walks (73), total bases (382), triple slash (.365/.444/.680), OPS (1.124), wRC+ (244), and WAR (15.2). It was his sixth time with 13+ WAR, a feat only achieved previously in world history by one other position player (WAB Darwin Morris). The WAR total was the second-most in ABF history behind his own 15.99 in 2015. Among all seasons in world history among all players as of 2037, Aghazade’s 2018 is the 42^nd best WAR. However, he suffered a huge setback with a torn ACL in the playoffs, keeping him out until fall 2019. Pitcher of the Year was Asgabat’s Nayif Elmi. The 26-year old Afghani righty led in wins (22-6), ERA (1.62), WHIP (0.74), quality starts (28), FIP- (55), and WAR (8.3). Elmi had 335 strikeouts and a 186 ERA+ over 234 innings, falling five Ks shy of a Triple Crown. In April 2019, the Alphas would give him a six-year, $70,600,000 extension. Also notable was Gujranwala’s Raghid Yazdani winning his third straight Reliever of the Year. Nizami Aghazade’s ACL tear ultimately sank Dushanbe in the first round of the playoffs, upset 3-2 by Asgabat. Lahore had home field as a division champ and swept Bishkek despite winning 13 fewer games. This was the Longhorns first East League Championship Series berth since their 2012 pennant. The defending champ Alphas kept rolling on the road, taking the ELCS 4-2 for the repeat. After wild cards the prior two years, Tabriz took the top seed at 103-59 in the West League and won the Central Division. Two-time defending ABF champ Tehran dropped down to 93-69, which was still good enough to get the first wild card. The Tarpons streak of 100+ win seasons ended at five years, but their playoff streak grew to eight seasons. Ankara repeated as Turkish Division champ at 96-66. The Alouettes pitching staff had 1860 strikeouts, the second-most in WL history. Izmir was their closest foe at 88-74, taking the second wild card over Baku (86-76) and Isfahan (88-74). This was a big turnaround for the Ice Caps, who hadn’t been a playoff team since 2002 and hadn’t posted a winning season since 2006. Izmir had just finished an abysmal 60-102 the prior year, which had been their seventh straight sub-70 win season. Baku DH Fakhri Rajavi won his second West League MVP. The 31-year old Iranian lefty led in home runs (54), RBI (112), slugging (.715), OPS (1.094), and wRC+ (235). Rajavi added 9.5 WAR and a .310 average, winning his sixth Silver Slugger. Tabriz righty Ali Mehrjui won Pitcher of the Year, winning the ERA title at 1.93. The 27-year old Iranian also led in complete games (18), and shutouts (8). Mehrjui posted 5.6 WAR and a 167 ERA+ over 261 innings, striking out 305 with a 16-8 record. This effort got him a five-year, $31,200,000 extension during the summer. The Tiger Sharks cruised to a first round sweep of Izmir, while Ankara ousted the defending champ Tehran 3-1. Tabriz’s only other LCS appearance was back in the inaugural 1985 season, while it was the Alouettes’ first since winning the 2009 pennant. In a seven game classic, Ankara claimed the West League Championship Series over the Tiger Sharks, earning their third pennant (2003, 2009, 2018). The 34^th ABF Championship was guaranteed to crown the 19^th unique champ in ABF history. Ankara clobbered Asgabat, leaving the Alphas as runner-up in back-to-back years. The Alouettes also became the first Turkish champ since Istanbul’s 2007-08 repeat. RF Bagus Tri Yusuk won finals MVP in his third season with Ankara. The 34-year old Indonesian in 15 playoff starts had 17 hits, 7 runs, 3 homers, and 8 RBI. Other notes: 2018 was the final ABF season for 1B Petri Viskari, although he had two more pro seasons in Russia. He left as ABF’s leader in hits (2795), runs scored (1446), doubles (728), RBI (1685), and WAR (114.5). Viskari also ranked third in home runs at 595. He would fall down the leaderboards in later years, but does still hold the doubles record as of 2037. His two EPB seasons would get him to 783 doubles for his combined pro career, which is 6^th in world history as of 2037. In other milestones, Ali Massoudi became the ninth pitcher to 3500 strikeouts. Dushanbe’s Muhammed Ayvazoglu had a no-hitter against Tashkent, giving him a no-hitter in back-to-back seasons. Bursa’s H.A. Rahman had a 31-game hit streak, only the sixth-time in ABF history that a player had a 30+ streak. 3B Eser Haspolatli won his tenth Gold Glove, joining fellow 3B Shaheed Abbas as the only 10+ GG winners in ABF history so far. Gaziantep’s offense had a .256 team on-base percentage, setting an all-time WL worst. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)