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FuzzyRussianHat

11-23-2024 09:55 AM

2019 World Baseball Championship

FuzzyRussianHat

11-23-2024 07:19 PM

2019 in A2L

FuzzyRussianHat

11-24-2024 05:35 AM

2019 in E2L

FuzzyRussianHat

11-24-2024 10:45 AM

2019 in AAB

https://i.imgur.com/5ReRO5c.jpeg

Johannesburg took first again in the Southern Conference standings at 104-58, giving the reigning SC champ their fifth first place finish in six years. The Jackalopes had 522 earned runs allowed and a 1.084 team WHIP, which both were the third-best in conference history. They also led all teams offensively with 785 runs.

Luanda earned their third straight wild card at 95-67, fending off a 93-69 Dar es Salaam. The Landsharks had a 3.15 team ERA and 505 earned runs allowed which remain conference records as of 2037. They also allowed the second-fewest hits (1131) and third-fewest runs (522) in SC history. Maputo was a distant fourth at 86-76, but notably broke their own conference record with 553 stolen bases. That remains the high mark as of 2037.

Lilongwe was fifth at 84-78, but they had the Southern Conference MVP Lubomir Javorsky. The 28-year old Slovak DH ended up traded as a prospect to Africa after starting his developmental career in Europe. In his fifth season as a full-timer for the Lightning, Javorsky led in home runs (58), RBI (134), and total bases (386). He added a 1.022 OPS, 181 wRC+, and 6.5 WAR.

Johannesburg’s Vally Nzamba earned Pitcher of the Year in his fifth season as a starter. The 28-year old Angolan righty led in wins (25-5), ERA (2.05), innings (263.1), quality starts (27), complete games (15), shutouts (6), FIP- (56), and WAR (10.1). Nzamba also had 302 strikeouts and a 191 ERA+ and was only the fourth in AAB history with 25+ wins. He also fell just short of the AAB WAR record by a pitcher set by Mobutu Kandol (10.17) in 2001. As of 2037, Nzamba’s ERA ranks seventh among qualifying starters.

Also of note, Luanda’s Abiy Mutukum repeated as Reliever of the Year and became the fourth AAB closer to win the award four times. He came to the Landsharks in a 2017 deadline trade from Lilongwe. In 2019, Mutukum led in saves (40) and had a 1.73 ERA, 83 innings, 157 strikeouts, and 5.4 WAR.

https://i.imgur.com/TANwWyN.jpeg

The Central Conference was very top heavy with last year’s wild card Brazzaville grabbing first place at 107-55. Although it was their fourth playoff berth in five years and they’ve won two Africa Series titles, this was the first time that the Blowfish took first in the standings. Bujumbura was a close second at 104-58, earning their second wild card in three years. This also tied the Bighorns franchise record for wins set in 1997.

Kampala was the reigning Africa Series champion having won 111 games in 2018. The Peacocks were still strong in 2019, but their drop to 96-66 left them in third place. Lubumbashi (91-71) and Mogadishu (88-74) were the other squads above .500. The Loggerheads had an impressive turnaround from a 67-win campaign the prior year, getting their first winning season in a decade.

Bujumbura 3B Warren Biloa repeated as Central Conference MVP. The 27-year old Central African led in runs (126), homers (56), RBI (146), total bases (406), slugging (.710), OPS (1.132), wRC+ (190), and WAR (10.4). His .348 batting average fell only five points shy of earning a repeat Triple Crown. This season would have career highs for Biloa in all of the stats noted above except for wRC+.

Pitcher of the Year was Brazzaville righty Teo Tokala. The 27-year old Congolese righty led in wins (21-9), and quality starts (22). Tokala saw a 2.79 ERA over 248 innings, 222 strikeouts, 146 ERA+, and 6.3 WAR. The Blowfish would sign him to a five-year, $36,320,000 extension the following spring.

In the Southern Conference Championship rematch, Luanda upset Johannesburg 4-2 to give the Landsharks their second-ever pennant (2009). The Jackalopes were now 8-4 all-time in the conference final, second only to Kinshasa (13) for appearances. Top seed Brazzaville won their third Central Conference pennant in five years, defeating Bujumbura 4-2.

https://i.imgur.com/9HZ9GUp.png

In the 25th Africa Series, Lunada surprised many by defeating the Blowfish 5-2. The Landsharks earned their first AAB title, becoming the 13th of AAB’s original 20 franchises to win it all. Veteran CF Ronny Safari was Africa Series MVP in his 20th pro season and only run with Luanda. The 39-year old Kinshasa native only started 38 games in the regular season. In the playoffs, Safari had 10 games and 6 starts with 9 hits, 6 runs, 2 homers, and 5 RBI.

https://i.imgur.com/yorrUdS.png

Other notes: Mwarami Tale became AAB’s all-time home run king, as the 38-year old Tanzanian passed Felix Chaula’s 925 and finished the year at 933. He became the tenth in all of pro baseball history to join the 900 homer club. Tale also finished the season with 1898 runs, passing Chaula’s 1874 for the top mark. He also was AAB’s all-time leader in RBI, WAR, and total bases; marks Tale still holds as of 2037.

Playing for Johannesburg in 2019, Tale won his 14th Silver Slugger in center field, tying Chaula for the most by any AAB player. This also tied him with MLB’s Morgan Short for the most Silver Sluggers in center field by any player in world history. Catcher Steven Isaac won his tenth Silver Slugger, growing his AAB position record. RF Rusty Tchite won his eighth Gold Glove and CF Q.F. Aziz won his seventh.

Less than a decade removed from a historic dynasty, Addis Ababa posted AAB’s worst-ever record in 2019 at 48-114. Only one team would eventually fare worse with the Brahmas lucky that relegation wasn’t in effect yet. AA’s 495 runs scored remains the AAB all-time worst as of 2037. Their .284 OBP is the second worst in conference history and their .346 slugging ranks third worst. Brahmas pitcher Kodion Ahmat recorded 23 losses, tying the AAB record.

For the 2010s, the African Association of Baseball’s league average ERA was around 4.06, the second highest of any of the world leagues. Despite this, the league batting average was around .244, which was slightly below average relatively. AAB’s high walk rate and home run numbers helped make it a higher scoring league. These numbers were in line with the prior decades, as AAB had remained remarkably consistent. Like many leagues though, AAB would see a noticeable spike and reach very high offense numbers in the 2020s.

FuzzyRussianHat

11-24-2024 06:22 PM

2019 in ALB

Although the Arab League already had above average offensive numbers relative to other world leagues, officials wanted to see offense spike even further. This would be the worldwide trend in the coming decades with higher offense between rule adjustments and with increasing temperatures worldwide. Rule changes were introduced to increase scoring starting in 2019. The league’s ERA went from around 3.77 in 2018 to around 4.29 in 2019, while the batting average grew from around .250 to .269. By the 2020s, ALB’s offensive output would be very high relative to historical averages.

For the 2010s, ALB had a league ERA around 3.90 and batting average around .252, which were both generally above average. This was essentially the same as the 2000s. Notably despite no rules differences between conferences, the Eastern Conference had a higher ERA for the decade (3.99) compared to the Western Conference (3.83).

https://i.imgur.com/ttMisn4.jpeg

The Western Conference’s top seed again went to Cairo, winning their third straight Nile Division. The Pharaohs were 111-51, setting a franchise record and matching the second-most wins in conference history. Cairo led all teams with 908 runs. Giza had a good season at 92-70, but was a distant second. The Goats have six straight winning seasons, but only one playoff berth.

Defending conference champ Tripoli also set a franchise record, repeating in the Mediterranean Division at 107-55. Casablanca was the distant second there at 89-73. Damascus secured a sixth straight Levant Division at 98-64, which is the longest playoff streak in conference history. Jerusalem was the closest of the second place teams, but still far away 12 back at 86-76. The Dusters had the fewest runs allowed in the conference at 616.

Western Conference MVP went to Cairo RF Abdul Jaleel Aboud in only his second season as a starter. The 26-year old Iraqi lefty led in total bases (440), OBP (.412), slugging (.739), OPS (1.152), wRC+ (193), and WAR (8.5). Aboud added 58 home runs, 142 RBI, 119 runs, and a .360 average. The Pharaohs gave Aboud an eight-year, $28,660,000 prior to the season.

Damascus had the Pitcher of the Year in Tunisian righty Ahmed Essa. In his third season, the 24-year old led in wins (21-6), innings (255.1), strikeouts (367), and WAR (8.1). Essa had a 2.93 ERA and 145 ERA+. Unfortunately for the Dusters, a late season strained abdominal muscle kept him out of the playoffs. Damascus would lock Essa up the following spring at six years and $45,400,000.

Tripoli swept Damascus 2-0 in the first round to set up a rematch in the Western Conference Final. Despite again being the top seed, Cairo was swept 3-0 by the Privateers, giving Tripoli the repeat and its fourth pennant overall (1991, 2012, 2018, 2019). The Pharaohs have been the runner-up three straight years and have lost their last five WCF appearances.

https://i.imgur.com/8g4gKtu.jpeg

The Eastern Conference’s Saudi Division was absurdly stacked with the top three records, however only one could advance with the no wild card setup of the ALB playoffs. Reigning Arab League and Baseball Grand Champion Jeddah finished 104-58 to extend their playoff streak to nine seasons, one shy of Basra’s record. The Jackals had to fight off 100-62 Riyadh and 91-71 Mecca. Jeddah guaranteed its fifth Eastern Conference Final appearance in seven years.

At 100 wins, the Rats set the ALB record for most wins by a team to miss the playoffs. The previous high was 99-63, which Riyadh themselves hit in 2007. Their playoff drought grew to 17 seasons, the longest active one in the conference. The Rats offense notably hit 414 doubles, which remains the ALB team record as of 2037. They had the most runs in the EC (905), but Jeddah prevailed with the fewest runs allowed at 572.

Basra was the next best division winner at 88-74 atop the Mesopotamia Division, beating out Mosul by six games. In the Gulf Division, Doha (86-76) edged Muscat (85-77) by one game. Both the Bulldogs and Dash repeated as division winners. The Threshers became the first of the 2015 expansion teams to post a winning season.

Mecca DH Omar Abdel Rahman repeated as Eastern Conference MVP. The new offensive rules served him well as he posted ALB’s sixth 70+ home run season and the ninth 150+ home run season. The only player to achieve both in the same year was Nordine Soule in 2005. The 24-year old Egyptian led in runs (138), homers (71), RBI (157), total bases (474), slugging (.775), OPS (1.115), wRC+ (199), and WAR (9.5).

Jeddah’s Herdi Wahib won his third Pitcher of the Year, having previously taken it in 2011 and 2014. The 32-year old Palestinian lefty led in wins (21-4), strikeouts (312), quality starts (24), FIP- (62), and WAR (8.3). Wahib tossed 236.1 innings and was second in ERA at 2.70, posting a 160 ERA+. He seemed to be on pace to set some all-time pitching records in ALB, but Wahib would suffer a torn UCL the next fall. He would come back in 2022 and still look strong, but that season, and his career, was ended by a torn rotator cuff.

Also worth a note, Nasser Al-Jarrah won his third Reliever of the Year. It was his first with Basra, as he was traded there in the winter after seven seasons with Giza. Al-Jarrah had a career best 5.1 WAR with 154 strikeouts and 38 saves over 91.1 innings with a 1.28 ERA. He would bounce around between MLB and ALB and play for eight different teams in the next nine seasons.

Basra swept Doha in the first round for their first Eastern Conference Final appearance since 2012. The Bulldogs were the heavy underdog and gave Jeddah a tough fight. However, the Jackals survived 3-2 to repeat and win their fourth pennant in seven years (2013, 14, 18, 19). The series had a dramatic end with the Jackals scoring a tenth inning walkoff to win game five by a 2-1 final.

https://i.imgur.com/SzoAoaL.png

The 30th Arab League Championship was only the second-ever rematch, joining the Casablanca versus Medina trilogy from 1992-94. The 2019 ALB final between Tripoli and Jeddah had an even more dramatic end than the ECF. Not only did the series need all seven games, but the finale was a marathon 17 innings. It was the first-ever extra innings game seven in ALB history and set a world record for the longest-ever championship clincher. The previous high was 15 innings, which happened in the CABA Championship in both 1930 and 1966.

Tripoli survived the war of attrition 4-3 over the reigning Grand Champion Jeddah to deny the Jackals repeat and claim their second-ever title (1991). Rookie 3B Malik Zoaauoi only played 92 games and started 47 in the regular season, but he was the playoff hero. The 22-year old Tunisian won ALB Championship and conference finals MVP with 20 hits, 15 runs, 4 doubles, 6 home runs, and 14 RBI over 12 playoff games. He tied the ALB playoff record for runs scored. Notably his teammate Samir Ben Brahim also set a playoff record with 11 doubles.

https://i.imgur.com/GCLHOGp.png

Other notes: 2019 was the final season for Farouk Adam, who retired at 3266 hits, only behind his longtime Basra teammate Nordine Soule’s 3339. Adam was ALB’s stolen bases king at retirement at 1386, although two would pass him in later years. He also retired second to Soule with 1817 runs scored and third in doubles at 689. Adam was the tenth to reach 1500 career RBI in 2019. As of 2037, Adam is third in hits, fifth in runs, and ninth in doubles in ALB. He also ranks 30th in all of pro baseball history in steals.

Cairo’s Ismail Yusuf had a 19-1 record, setting the ALB single-season mark for win percentage (.950). Jeddah’s Zach Aubin had a 30-game hitting streak, four short of the then-ALB record. Both Yahya bin Hakam and Ali Jassem reached 600 career home runs, making that an eight-player club. Jassem also won his eighth Silver Slugger and seventh at first base. LF Adnan Al-Hija won his seventh Gold Glove.

Hazen El-Morsy became the fifth pitcher to 200 wins. Herdi Wahib was the 13th pitcher to reach 3000 strikeouts. Nour Al-Haj became the first reliever to 400 saves. He pitched three more years and retired ALB’s leader with 465, holding the top mark for about a decade. As of 2037, he ranks 25th in world history.

FuzzyRussianHat

11-25-2024 05:08 AM

2019 in ABF

https://i.imgur.com/Y0MBKZ0.jpeg

Dushanbe had the ABF East League’s top record at 96-66, repeating as North Division champ. The Dynamo also grew their playoff streak to seven seasons and led the EL with 671 runs. Two-time defending EL champ was a close second at 93-69, snagging the first wild card. The Alphas grew their playoff streak to four seasons.

Faisalabad took the South Division at 90-72 to end a three-year playoff drought. Multan was a close second at 88-74 to get the second wild card, ending a 13-year playoff skid. Falling short in the wild card race were 86-76 Bishkek, 84-74 Kabul, and 83-79 Rawalpindi. The Black Sox fell despite setting an ABF pitching team record with 2002 strikeouts and an 11.97 K/9, marks that still hold as of 2037. Bishkek allowed the fewest runs at 462, but still only had a +43 differential.

East League MVP went to Multan SS Nawaz Kurnaz in his fourth season. The 24-year old Pakistani righty led in hits (185) and WAR (10.9). Kurnaz added 88 runs, 18 home runs, a .308/.363/.468 slash, and 168 wRC+. The #1 overall draft pick in 2013, Kurnaz singed an eight-year, $63,120,000 extension with the Mighty Cocks in the winter.

Bishkek’s Sijad Khaleel won his second Pitcher of the Year, having previously taken it in 2015. The 29-year old Afghan led in ERA (1.96), strikeouts (354), WHIP (0.77), K/BB (11.4), quality starts (27), FIP- (48), and WAR (10.0). He pitched 248 innings with poor run support for a 14-11 record despite a 155 ERA+. Khaleel won his fourth ERA title and received a fat seven-year, $85,900,000 extension in the offseason.

Both division winners won in the first round of the playoffs, but needed all five games to survive with Dushanbe over Multan and Faisalabad over the defending champ Asgabat. The Dynamo earned their fifth East League Championship Series appearance in seven years, while the Fire got their first since their 2014 pennant. In a seven game classic, Dushanbe defeated Faisalabad for their fifth ABF pennant (2001, 2004, 2015, 2016, 2019). It is the eighth overall for the Dynamo counting their three from Eurasian Professional Baseball.

https://i.imgur.com/yNecHly.jpeg

Tabriz again had the West League’s top seed and beat their own franchise best from the prior year, finishing 107-55 in 2019 atop the Central Division. The Tiger Sharks earned their fourth consecutive playoff berth, leading in both runs (697) and fewest allowed (488). Izmir earned the Turkish Division narrowly at 91-71. Although the Ice Caps got repeat playoff berths, they hadn’t been a division champ since 1993. Istanbul was two back in the division race at 89-73.

Tehran earned the first wild card at 91-71, while the Ironmen got the second spot and Isfahan at 88-74 fell one game short. The Tarpons grew their playoff streak to nine seasons, tying Bursa (1997-05) and the Imperials (1995-03) for the longest streak in Asian Baseball Federation history. The defending ABF champ Ankara was a non-factor, struggling to 72-90.

Izmir 3B Hakan Mocuk won West League MVP. The 25-year old Turkish righty had 51 home runs, 121 RBI, a .292/.332/.639 slash, 185 wRC+, and 8.5 WAR. The Ice Caps signed Mocuk to an eight-year, $65,640,000 extension during the summer. He beat out Baku DH Fakhri Rajavi for the top spot despite the latter’s league-best 59 home runs and 132 RBI.

Tabriz’s Hafez Farzani won Pitcher of the Year with only the second-ever Triple Crown pitching season in ABF history, joining Ziad Khan’s 1986 effort. The 25-year old Iranian righty had a 20-4 record, 1.72 ERA, and 412 strikeouts over 246.1 innings. He posted the seventh-highest strikeout total in ABF history to that point. Farzani also led in WHIP (0.73), K/BB (10.8), quality starts (25), and WAR (9.4) while posting a 195 ERA+ and 54 FIP-. The Tiger Sharks secured their ace for the long haul right after the season with a seven-year, $46,180,000 extension.

Division champs won in the first round in the WL as well with Tabriz sweeping Istanbul and Izmir surviving 3-2 against Tehran. The Tiger Sharks earned repeat West League Championship Series berths, while the Ice Caps hadn’t been there since 1993. Tabriz defeated Izmir 4-2 to win their first pennant. The Tiger Sharks had been the only of ABF’s original 18 franchises still without one entering the year. This left the expansion Kabul and Gaziantep squads, along with EPB defector Almaty, as the teams without a pennant in ABF.

https://i.imgur.com/07pWJn8.png

In the 35th Asian Baseball Federation Championship, Tabriz dropped Dushanbe 4-2 to become the 20th franchise to win it all in ABF. 2016 league MVP Shadi Alam was finals MVP in his 12th season for the Tiger Sharks. In 15 playoff starts, Alam had 17 hits, 7 runs, 4 doubles, 3 homers, and 7 RBI.

Tabriz also had a record setting effort by closer Ananthakrishnan Khan, who tossed 16.1 scoreless innings in nine appearances with 25 strikeouts, 3 walks, and 3 hits allowed. Khan set ABF playoff records for H/9 (1.65), opponent’s average (.059) and opponent’s slugging (.078) among pitchers with 15 innings. The 37-year old was in his first year with the Tiger Sharks, returning the prior season to ABF after a nine-year MLB stint. Khan had won five Reliever of the Year awards in his first ABF run between Peshawar and Istanbul.

https://i.imgur.com/JChsrQv.png

Other notes: Ali Sungu became the third to reach 600 career home runs. He finished the season with 632, one away from passing Radi Umar as ABF’s home run king. Hossein Hatami became the 10th pitcher to 3500 career strikeouts. Kabul set an EL team record with 78 triples. Multan’s Yaman Muhammad stole 118 bases, falling three short of the ABF record 121 set by Abdul Rahman Karwan in 1993.

3B Eser Haspolatli won his 11th straight Gold Glove, joining fellow 3B Shaheed Abbas as the only 11-time winners at any position in ABF. CF Marat Gadmaliyev won his eighth Gold Glove and RF Hana Zuhair won his seventh. 2B Mehrdad Javadi won his ninth Silver Slugger, a position record. DH Fakhri Rajavi won his seventh Slugger.

For the 2010s, the West League (with a DH) saw a league ERA around 3.32 and batting average around .235. The East League (sans DH) had an ERA around 3.17 and average around .227. On the greater historical scale, this graded as a low offense environment, although not as low as the likes of CLB or APB. ABF stayed in roughly the same range as the prior decade. Like many other leagues, ABF would have a bump in offense in the 2020s with the leagues separating more notably offensively.

FuzzyRussianHat

11-25-2024 10:47 AM

2019 in SAB

https://i.imgur.com/qQBhY0b.jpeg

Nagpur was the only team in the Indian League in 2019 with 90+ wins, winning the South Division at 96-66. The 2004 expansion Patriots earned repeat playoff berths and their first-ever division title, leading the league in both runs scored (729) and fewest allowed (563). Hyderabad, the ILCS runner-up in back-to-back years, was a distant second at 85-77. That ended a three-year division title streak for the Hippos.

Fellow 2004 expansion squad Lucknow earned their first-ever playoff berth by winning the Central Division at 89-73. Reigning South Asia Baseball champ and two-time defending IL champ Kanpur was next at 84-78, which ended their four-year playoff streak. Delhi was also in the division mix at 83-79, an impressive bounce-back from an abysmal 54-win 2018.

Ahmedabad won a tight West Division at 89-73, finishing only one game ahead of both Pune and Mumbai. The Purple Knights defeated the Meteors in a one-game playoff to snag the wild card spot. The Animals ended a five-year playoff drought, while Pune snapped an eight-year skid. For the Meteors, their playoff streak ended at five years. However, Mumbai did still post a 19th consecutive winning season.

Repeating as Indian League MVP was Ahmedabad first baseman Abhiji Srivas. The 24-year old Indian lefty led in home runs (54), total bases (414), slugging (.753), OPS (1.173), wRC+ (229), and WAR (10.7). Srivas added 105 runs, 121 RBI, 60 stolen bases, and a .358 batting average. In the spring, Srivas had a 35-game hitting streak, breaking the previous SAB record of 31 games. Srivas’ mark held until passed in 2031.

Pitcher of the Year was also a repeat with Lucknow righty Charan Asoka. The 30-year old again won the ERA title, this time at 2.44. He also led in WHIP (0.80), K/BB (11.0), and FIP- (52). Asoka had a 12-11 record, 276 strikeouts, 195.2 innings, 154 ERA+, and 7.2 WAR. This was Asoka’s final year with the Larks, as he’d leave for Da Nang in free agency on a five-year, $52,000,000 deal.

Pune upset top seed Nagpur 3-2 in the first round of the playoffs, while Lucknow ousted Ahmedabad 3-1. The Purple Knights hadn’t been in the Indian League Championship Series since 2010, while it was the first-ever berth for the expansion Larks. Pune prevailed 4-2 over Lucknow to earn their fourth pennant, but first since the 1980s (1981, 83, 84).

https://i.imgur.com/cd6oA8A.jpeg

Yangon officially established the longest playoff streak in professional baseball history at 25 years, passing EPB’s Minsk. The Green Dragons had the Southeast Asia League’s best record at 104-58 and won South Division for the third consecutive year. It was Yangon’s eighth division title in nine years and their eighth 100+ win season in that same stretch.

Both wild cards also came out of the South Division with Colombo (91-71) and Vientiane (90-72). The Catfish earned repeat wild cards and the Vampires extended their playoff streak to four seasons. Vientiane also got a seventh playoff appearance in eight years. Phnom Penh in the division was also in the hunt, but fell short at 84-78.

In a tight North Division, defending SEAL champ Mandalay narrowly repeated at 88-74. The Mammoths grew their playoff streak to three seasons, fending off Dhaka (86-76), Hai Phong (84-78), and Khulna (84-78). The Dobermans were four away from the second wild card. The Claws posted their first winning season since joining in the 2004 expansion. Also of note was Hanoi falling to 77-85, the first losing record by the Hounds since 2002.

Hai Phong LF Rahul Anand repeated as Southeast Asia League MVP. The 24-year old Indian lefty led in home runs (48), RBI (128), slugging (.682), OPS (1.081), wRC+ (194), and WAR (9.2). Anand added 109 runs and a .335 average. In late July, the Prowlers gave Anand an eight-year, $95,800,000 extension. He would have three more good years, but regressed sharply in 2023 after suffering a fractured hand.

Mandalay’s Quang Thinh Phan won Pitcher of the Year in his fifth year as a full-time starter. It was the breakout year for the 27-year old Vietnamese righty, leading in strikeouts (308), WHIP (0.95), and quality starts (23). Phan posted a 2.57 ERA over 227.1 innings, 13-9 record, 149 ERA+, and 6.2 WAR. The Mammoths signed him to a three-year extension in the offseason, but ultimately traded Phan in June 2021 to Kolkata.

Vientiane shocked Yangon with a 3-2 first round upset, while Mandalay swept Colombo to set up a rematch in the Southeast Asia League Championship. The Vampires got their revenge in a seven-game classic to claim their first-ever pennant. Vientiane had gone 0-4 in their previous LCS tries.

https://i.imgur.com/ZGGrQGu.png

In the 40th South Asia Baseball Championship, Pune defeated Vientiane 4-2 to become three-time champs, having previously won in 1983 and 1984. Finals MVP went to 1B Jyotin Nayyar in his seventh year with the Purple Knights. In 17 playoff starts, Nayyar had 23 hits, 16 runs, 3 doubles, 2 triples, 8 home runs, and 20 RBI. He was one run shy of the SAB playoff record.

https://i.imgur.com/UD7jZI2.png

Other notes: SAB home run king Majed Darwish became the second in pro baseball history to reach 1000 homers. The 36-year old Bahraini DH finished the year with 1011, 62 away from the world record 1073 set by ALB’s Nordine Soule. The Hanoi slugger lost six weeks to a strained groin and hit only 37 home runs in 2019, which ended a 14-year streak of 50+ homer seasons. It was also his first time since 2004 missing 100+ RBI. Darwish did also become SAB’s fourth member of the 3000 hit club.

Kolkata’s Asim Anuha became the seventh member of the 700 home run club. Lwin Swe Ko became the 13th to 600 homers and the 18th to 1500 RBI. Three batters crossed 2500 hits, making 21 to do so thus far in SAB. Tamim Hasan was the 11th pitcher to 3500 strikeouts and Baladhya Jain was the 12th closer to 300 saves. 3B Yasir Malkawi won his ninth Silver Slugger and 2B Nyi Moe Win won his seventh. C Anjana Ratnasbapathi and RF Bobby Pacubas both became seven-time Gold Glove winners.

Three SAB playoff records were set in 2019 that still hold in 2037. Vientiane RF Wai Chi Dway had six triples. Yangon’s Veasna Sok had a .636 batting average (minimum 20 plate appearances required), and Lucknow’s Charan Asoka didn’t allow a single walk (minimum 15 innings required).

For the 2010s, the Indian League’s ERA was around 3.61 with a .248 batting average, both of which grading around average on the historical scale. With the DH, the Southeast Asia League’s ERA was 3.88 and batting average was .255, giving them above average offensive stats. SAB was generally in the middle compared to other world leagues in the 2010s. The IL’s scoring was up from the prior decade, while SEAL’s was about the same. Like many other world leagues, the 2020s would see a boost in offense.

FuzzyRussianHat

11-25-2024 05:21 PM

2019 in WAB

https://i.imgur.com/b7YZmaz.jpeg

It was an intense battle for the WAB Western League’s top spot between Bamako and Abidjan. The Bullfrogs narrowly took it at 109-53, matching their franchise record from two years prior. The Athletes were one back at 108-54 to earn repeat 100+ win seasons. Bamako’s playoff streak grew to five seasons. The Bullfrogs had the most runs (949) and second fewest allowed (635), while Abidjan was the inverse at 931 scored and 619 allowed. The Athletes also set a new WL team record with 395 doubles.

There was a 17-game drop from second place to third place, but the other two playoff spots went decisively to 91-71 Conakry and 87-75 Nouakchott. The Coyotes grabbed repeat wild cards and the Night Riders got their second in three years. Reigning WL champ Banjul dropped to a tie for fifth at 80-82 with Kumasi. Dakar also notably struggled to 68-94, their first losing season since 2008.

Conakry LF Ibrahim Sani repeated as Western League MVP and won the award for the third time, having also grabbed it with Cape Verde in 2014. In his third year with the Coyotes, the 31-year old Nigerien lefty led in home runs (56) and slugging (.710). Sani added 125 runs, 136 RBI, a 1.108 OPS, 178 wRC+, and 8.3 WAR. He also earned his seventh Silver Slugger.

Bamako lefty Minusu Ekong won Pitcher of the Year. The 28-year old Nigerian lefty joined the Bullfrogs the prior year in a trade with Nouakchott. In 2019, Ekong led with 23 quality starts and posted a 21-3 record, 2.47 ERA, 301 strikeouts, 6.2 WAR, and 182 ERA+ over 237 innings. Ekong entered free agency in the winter and signed a six-year, $72,400,000 deal with Conakry.

Conakry topped Nouakchott 2-0 in the first round, then shocked Abidjan 2-1 in the second round. The Coyotes hadn’t been to the Western League Championship Series since 2005. They couldn’t keep the magic going as top seed Bamako rolled to a 3-0 sweep. The Bullfrogs won their third pennant in five years and their seventh overall (1976, 1983, 1986, 2003, 2015, 2017, 2019).

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Kano claimed the Eastern League’s top spot at 106-56, growing their playoff streak to four seasons. The Condors had the fewest runs allowed in the EL at 650 and surrendered 240 walks, the second-fewest in EL history. Reigning West African Champion Yaounde was second at 98-66 with an explosive 999 runs scored. To that point, WAB’s runs record was 1012 by Cotonou in 2014.

The other playoff spots went to Ouagadougou at 91-71 and Niamey at 88-74. The Osprey got repeat wild cards and the Atomics had their second in three years. Missing the cut were 85-77 Libreville and 83-79 Cotonou. That ended a nine-year playoff streak by the Copperheads, although their run of winning seasons grew to 11. Lome was terrible at 65-97, but they were fast. The Lasers stole 441 bases as a team, setting an Eastern League record that still stands in 2037.

Yaounde DH Fares Belaid repeated as Eastern League MVP and joined the legendary Darwin Morris as WAB’s only players with 5+ MVP wins. Belaid had won in 2012, 2014, and 2016 with Cotonou. In his second season for the Yellowbirds, the 30-year old Tunisian led in runs (134), hits (248), and WAR (7.5). Belaid added 39 doubles, 20 triples, 16 homers, 92 stolen bases, a .981 OPS, .379 average, and 150 wRC+. He led in hits for the eighth time, although was down from his prior record-breaking seasons. Belaid did become the 13th member of the 2500 hit club and posted a career-best 34-game hit streak.

Niamey lefty Sabado Balde won Pitcher of the Year with an ERA title at 2.93. The Bissau-Guinean also was the WARlord at 7.6. Balde posted a 17-7 record over 230.1 innings with 282 strikeouts and a 163 ERA+. The prior winter, the Atomics signed him to a five-year, $29,600,000 extension.

In the first round of the playoffs, Niamey outlasted Ouagadougou 2-1. The Atomics gave Yaounde a fight, but lost 2-1 in the second round. This set up a rematch in the Eastern League Championship Series with the defending champ Yellowbirds and Kano. The Condors were making their fourth consecutive ELCS appearance. Kano got revenge for their 2018 defeat with the top seed cruising to a 3-0 sweep. The Condors grabbed their second pennant in three years and their WAB-record 15th overall.

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The 45th West African Championship continued the finals rivalry between Kano and Bamako. The Bullfrogs had been denied their first-ever title multiple times by the Condors, most recently two years prior. Kano also defeated Bamako in the 2003, 1986, and 1976 finales. The 2019 encounter was a seven game classic for the first time between the two, but the end result was ultimately the same with Kano coming out on top.

The win made the Condors 12-time WAB champs (1975, 76, 86, 97, 98, 99, 2001, 02, 03, 05, 17, 19). That matched South Asia Baseball’s Ahmedabad for the second-most titles in any world league and was only behind Minsk’s 13 Eurasian Professional Baseball titles.

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Leading the way for Kano was 40-year old LF Diego Carmona, who was finals and ELCS MVP. The Mexican righty had seen quite the eclectic career, beginning with an 11-year run and MVP with Chihuahua of the Mexican League. He spent the next five years in MLB for Indianapolis before coming to WAB with Nouakchott for 2017-18. Carmona joined the Condors for 2019 and in 10 playoff starts had 14 hits, 9 runs, 2 doubles, 6 home runs, and 10 RBI.

Bamako again couldn’t win the big one, falling to 0-7 in their championship appearances. Only one team in world history to that point had lost that many finals without winning at least once, as Major League Baseball’s Indianapolis Racers were 0-9 in the World Series.

Other notes: Lawrence Nassif and Lamin Sowe became the third and fourth to reach 1500 career runs scored. Christopher Larbi was the 17th pitcher to 3000 strikeouts. LF Julius Ayuba joined RF Jacob Jamil as the only 12-time Gold Glove winners in WAB history. 3B Seidath Boni won his eighth Gold Glove. Bright Abubakar won his 10th Silver Slugger. It was his eighth at 2B with two others as a DH.

In the 2010s, West Africa Baseball had the highest scoring environment in world baseball history to that point. WAB had a big jump from the prior two decades with a league ERA around 4.46 and batting average around .272. The Western League specifically had a bonkers .285 batting average in 2013, which is the highest season in any subleague ever as of 2037. WAB remained the highest scoring league in baseball and even saw the already very high numbers go up a bit the next decade.

FuzzyRussianHat

11-26-2024 04:23 AM

2019 in CLB

Chinese League Baseball increased the service time required to reach free agency from eight years to nine years. This made CLB among the most restrictive of the world leagues. CLB hadn’t adjusted this rule prior to 2019 and remained at nine years through the 2037 season.

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Shijiazhuang took the top spot in the Northern League at 97-65 for back-to-back playoff berths and their third in four years. This was the first time the Serpents had finished first place since joining in the 2009 expansion. Shenyang, the NL runner-up in the last two seasons, was a close second at 94-68. There were then five teams within three games of third place fighting for the final two playoff spots.

Advancing was Changchun (89-73) and Harbin (88-74), while falling short was defending China Series winner Nanjing (87-75), Shanghai (86-76), and Xi’an (86-76). The 2016-17 champ Camels bounced back after their surprisingly awful 68-94 in 2018. The Hellcats earned repeat wild cards. The Attack scored the most runs in the NL at 583, while Harbin allowed the fewest at 438.

Nanjing’s Kenny Sang repeated as Northern League MVP. Still in only his third season, the 25-year old second baseman led in runs (101), home runs (60), slugging (.698), and WAR (13.2). It was only the 11th time that a CLB position player had 13+ WAR in a season and was one of only four 60+ home run seasons. Sang also had a 1.041 OPS and 253 wRC+.

Changchun’s Ta Choi won Pitcher of the Year and posted only the sixth-ever pitching Triple Crown in CLB history. The 27-year old Hongkonger had a 20-6 record, 1.39 ERA, and 346 strikeouts. Choi also led in WHIP (0.77) and posted a 199 ERA+ and 8.4 WAR over 233.1 innings. He had a few more good seasons, but would shockingly regress and be out of the game by age 32 due to the yips.

In the Round Robin, Changchun (5-1) took top honors, advancing to the semifinal along with 3-3 Shenyang. Top seed Shijiazhuang and Harbin both were ousted at 2-4. This set up a rematch of the 2017 semifinal between the Camels and Swans. The series went all seven games and ended in dramatic fashion with a 3-1 walkoff Changchun win. The Camels have earned three finals berths in four years, while Shenyang has lost in three straight semifinal tries.

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For the third consecutive season, Shantou took first in the Southern League standings at 99-63. The Scorpions earned their fourth straight playoff berth and fifth in six years. Tying for second at 96-66 was defending SL champ Hong Kong and Wenzhou. The Wild earned their first-ever playoff berth and were the last of the 2009 expansion teams to earn a berth. The Champions led in scoring at 642 and Shenzhen allowed the fewest at 475.

There was a 12 game gap from third to fourth place. 84-78 Foshan took the final playoff spot with eight other teams within seven games of them. Dongguan (82-80), Guangzhou (82-80), and Chengdu (81-81) were the closest foes. The Flyers earned repeat wild card berths. Wuhan, who took second last year at 96-66, tied for ninth at 79-83.

Shantou 1B Xugang Zheng won his second Southern League MVP in three years and again earned a Triple Crown. It was the seventh Triple Crown hitting season in CLB history, joining Cheng Kang as the only players to do it multiple times. Zheng led in homers (61), RBI (134), runs (114), hits (201), total bases (419), triple slash (.336/.381/.699), OPS (1.080), wRC+ (233), and WAR (10.8). His 61 homers were the third-most in CLB history. Zheng played one more year for the Scorpions, then left CLB for a six-year, $65,400,000 deal with Port Harcourt of West African Baseball.

The Pitcher of the Year also came from Shantou in 30-year old Mark Luo. In his seventh season, Luo led in WHIP (0.71), K/BB (14.4), and shutouts (6). He added a 1.65 ERA over 212.2 innings, 230 strikeouts, 12-7 record, 13 saves, 175 ERA+, and 6.1 WAR. The Scorpions also would be able to lock Luo up long-term, leaving for the 2022 season for Omsk of Eurasian Professional Baseball.

Despite being by far the weakest playoff team, Foshan was the top team in the Round Robin at 4-2 to earn repeat semifinal berths. Hong Kong and Wenzhou were both 3-3, while top-seed Shantou was 2-4. The Champions advanced on the tiebreaker to set up the semifinal rematch with the Flyers. Hong Kong earned the repeat, rolling 4-1 over Foshan for their sixth China Series berth.

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In the 50th China Series, Hong Kong handled Changchun 4-1 to give the Champions their third CLB title (1982, 2007, 2019). Pitcher Min-Yen Fu was finals MVP, posting a 1.24 ERA over 36.1 playoff innings with 50 strikeouts, 21 hits, 8 walks, and a 229 ERA+. In the series, the 27-year old Taiwanese lefty had a three-hit shutout with 11 strikeouts.

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Other notes: Changchun’s Zhifeng Gao set a playoff record with a 16.82 K/9, fanning 38 over 20.1 innings. Nanjing’s Youzu Linn broke his own strikeout record with 279 whiffs, which remains the CLB all-time worst as of 2037. Linn is the only CLB batter to strike out 250+ times in a season, am unfortunate feat he’d reach ten times. Linn retired after the 2020 season with 3090 strikeouts, making him CLB’s bigger whiffer by a healthy margin. As of 2037, he’s one of 29 batters in world history with 3000+ career strikeouts. OF Cheng Kang won his eighth Silver Slugger.

Chinese League Baseball in the 2010s was again the lowest-scoring league in the world with a batting average around .215 and ERA around 2.54. Both marks grade as extremely low in the historical scale, although it was about the same as the prior decade. 2015 had all-time CLB lows in batting average with the NL at .205 and the SL at .203. The NL also had a 2.28 ERA in 2015, which is tied for the lowest-ever season in baseball history. Like most leagues in the 2020s, CLB would change rules to increase offense, bringing them to merely very low scoring as opposed to extremely low.

FuzzyRussianHat

11-26-2024 09:23 AM

CLB After 50 Years

FuzzyRussianHat

11-26-2024 06:26 PM

2019 in APB

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For the sixth time in seven years, the top teams from the Taiwan-Philippine Association were Zamboanga and Taipei. The reigning Austronesia Professional Baseball champ Zebras were 107-55 atop the Philippine League yet again with their fourth 100+ win season in five years. Zamboanga matched their franchise-record mark from two years prior. Manila gave them a strong challenge but fell short at 99-63.

Taipei had their most competitive field in the Taiwan League in some time. The 97-65 Tigercats outlasted 94-68 Hsinchu and 91-71 Tainan. Taipei set the longest playoff streak in APB history at eight seasons and earned their tenth TL title in eleven years. The Tigercats also posted a 12th straight winning season, also the longest APB streak. For the 2007 expansion Sweathogs, they had their best season in franchise history.

Repeating as Taiwan-Philippine Association MVP was Taiwan CF Sheng-Chie Wu. The 36-year old righty was the WARlord at 9.1 and posted a 171 wRC+, .841 OPS, 81 runs, 27 home runs, and .295 batting average. The veteran played another two years and dropped off, ending a 19-year career between APB and EAB with 95.6 WAR.

Zamboanga ace Ching-Chen Yao won his fifth straight Pitcher of the Year and joined Afiq Parker as the only seven-time winners in APB history. The 31-year old lefty led in WAR (10.3), strikeouts (316), WHIP (0.66), K/BB (11.7), and FIP- (22). Yao had a 1.64 ERA over 191.2 innings, 164 ERA+ and a 13-3 record. He led in WHIP for the eighth consecutive year and led in both WAR and strikeouts for the seventh time. The Zebras gave him a six-year, $105,400,000 extension the prior year.

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While the TPA was more of the same, the Sundaland Association showed some notably parity. The two-time defending SA champ Johor Bahru limped to 73-89, which opened up the door for new contenders. There were five teams within six games of the #1 seed, although only two could advance. The top three records were in the Java Sea League.

Palembang narrowly repeated there at 94-68, holding off 92-90 Semarang and 91-71 Bandung. The Malacca League saw Singapore prevail at 89-73, edging Batam by one game. The Sharks ended a nine-year playoff drought and led the SA in scoring at 522. The Blackhawks allowed the fewest runs at 366.

Singapore LF Masperi Setyo picked up Sundaland Association MVP in his fifth year starting. The 27-year old Indonesian switch hitter led in runs (90), and WAR (10.3). Setyo added 35 home runs, 85 RBI, and a 197 wRC+. His Sharks teammate Wil Tabaldo was in the MVP mix with 45 home runs and 96 RBI, leading in both stats for the ninth consecutive season. Tabaldo committed to another five years with Singapore in the winter at $77,000,000.

Although Depok struggled to 70-92, they had the Pitcher of the Year Uttam D’Souza. The 29-year old Singaporean righty led in WAR (7.3) and FIP- (60), while adding a 1.64 ERA over 241.2 innings, 321 strikeouts, 12-11 record, and 150 ERA+. This was a contract year for D’Souza and it allowed him to cash in big time, leaving for MLB on a six-year, $124,400,000 deal with Winnipeg.

Taipei had gone 0-5 in their Taiwan-Philippine Association battles with Zamboanga and 1-9 overall since 2009, getting their lone win in 2016 over Davao. The Tigercats were the heavy underdog as well against the reigning APB champ Zebras, but the series finally went Taipei’s way in a seven-game classic. The Tigercats earned their sixth pennant overall (1968, 1988, 1989, 1993, 2016, 2019). Palembang downed Singapore 4-2 in the Sundaland Association Championship, giving the Panthers their fifth pennant (1974, 1976, 1978, 2005, 2019).

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The 55th Austronesia Championship had the seventh different champ in as many years as Palembang cruised 4-1 over Taipei. This was the first overall title for the Panthers, which left only Tainan, Depok, and Singapore as original APB teams without a ring. Palembang is now 1-4 all-time in the finals, while the Tigercats are 2-6 and had their title drought extended to 31 seasons.

Leading the way in the playoffs was 1B Nazer Fairusshi in his seventh season with the Panthers. The Indonesian lefty won MVP of both the Austronesia Championship and the Sundaland Association final. In 11 playoff starts, Fairusshi had 17 hits, 10 runs, 3 doubles, 5 home runs, 9 RBI, a 1.283 OPS, and 1.5 WAR.

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Other notes: 2019 saw APB’s 42nd and 43rd perfect games. The first came on June 8 from Singapore’s Fahrudin Ramli, striking out seven against Pekanbaru. Then on August 2, Manila’s Troy Caluag did it with eight Ks over Taoyuan. Raja Kamal became the 30th pitcher to reach 3500 strikeouts. Hendrawan Aririsana was the 23rd to join the 200 win club.

Metta Adam became APB’s career saves leader, leading the league with 40 in his final APB season with Semarang. He got to 437, becoming the second to 400 and passing Evan Yanizar’s previous high mark of 417. Adam held the APB record until passed in 2036. He finished out his career between EBF and MLB and got to 500 career saves for his entire pro career, becoming only the eighth to do so. Also in 2019, Achmad Albaar became the 12th to reach 300 saves in APB.

Iqbal Safari became the eighth batter to 2500 career hits. Paolo Baptista became the eighth to 500 career homers and retired after the 2019 season with 506. Wil Tabaldo and Suparman Sena both crossed 1000 runs scored, making 23 APB players to reach that mark. RF Shih-Chieh Tseng won his 11th Gold Glove, becoming only the third in APB at any position to do so. 1B Widodo Megawati won his ninth straight Gold Glove.

3B Nicky Abizar won his tenth Silver Slugger, becoming the eighth to win 10+ Sluggers. This was also notably the first full season as a starter for Hsinchu’s Binh Tang, although he had debuted with 46 games the prior year at only age 18. Tang would very shortly establish himself in the eyes of most as APB’s all-time greatest player.

For the 2010s, the Taiwan-Philippine Association had very low scoring with a .222 batting average and 2.74 league ERA. They had the DH, while the DH-less Sundaland Association had extremely low offense with a 2.50 ERA and .215 batting average. These stats were slightly down from the prior decade, but remained generally consistent with APB’s historical profile. APB wouldn’t change much in the 2020s despite many other world leagues opting for rules changes to increase offense.

FuzzyRussianHat

11-27-2024 06:15 AM

2019 in OBA

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After winning their first-ever Oceania Championship in 2018, Sydney repeated atop the Australasia League standings in 2019. The Snakes finished 99-63 and led the AL in scoring with 814 runs. Sydney had a .289 team batting average, setting an AL record that still holds as of 2037. Brisbane (96-66) was a close second with Auckland (93-69) in the mix as well. The Avengers allowed the fewest runs at 650. Notably Perth saw a big collapse, going from second place and 93 wins the prior year to 66-96 in 2019. That was their first losing season since 2012.

Brisbane RF Merlin Megson won his seventh Australasia League MVP, joining Jimmy Caliw, Sione Hala, and Vavao Brighouse as OBA’s only seven-time MVP winners. It was his second in three years since joining the Black Bears, having won his previous five with Canberra. For the third straight season, Megson led in both home runs (52), and RBI (135). He has led the league in both stats seven times.

Megson also led in total bases (436), slugging (.722), OPS (1.090), and wRC+ (194). The 33-year old Englishman added 115 runs, a .328 average, and 7.7 WAR. This marked the end of an illustrious OBA career for Megson, as he opted out of the remaining three seasons on his Brisbane deal. He cashed in on an MLB deal at $81,800,000 over four years in Atlanta.

Fans would speculate if Megson could’ve taken the top spot on some leaderboards if he stayed, since he played seven more years in MLB and had a nice run there. In his final OBA season, he became 8th member of the 600 home run and the 10th to reach 1500 RBI. Megson also won ten Silver Sluggers in OBA, although they were split by position with six in right field, one in left, one as a DH, and two at first base.

Steve Stringer repeated as AL Pitcher of the Year in an impactful debut for Auckland. He signed as a free agent for $66,100,000 over six years in the winter after starting with Hobart. The 27-year old Australian righty led in wins (24-12), innings (333.1), WHIP (0.96), and complete games (17). Stringer added a 2.62 ERA, 321 strikeouts, 145 ERA+, and 9.0 WAR.

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Reigning Pacific League champ Samoa struggled to 71-91, opening up the field for a new champ. For the first time since 1996, Honolulu claimed that top spot. The Honu won it at 99-63, edging Guam (95-67) and Vanuatu (94-68). Honolulu led all PL teams in scoring with 777 runs and won their 14th pennant. That tied them with Melbourne for the most of all OBA teams despite their 22-year drought. The 2006 expansion Wizards matched their franchise best record from 2015.

Securing Pacific League MVP was Honolulu LF Suliano Nadruku. It was the second MVP for the 34-year old Fijian, who won way back in 2010 with Port Moresby. Nadruku had spent the prior five years with Perth before signing with the Honu for 2019 on a five-year, $61,000,000 deal. Nadruku led in total bases (368) and posted 35 home runs, 111 RBI, a .986 OPS, 183 wRC+, and 7.6 WAR.

Fiji’s Akira Brady won his historic seventh Pitcher of the Year award, a mark no others have reached in OBA. The 32-year old New Zealander led in ERA (2.09), innings (340), strikeouts (462), WHIP (0.80), K/BB (11.0), quality starts (29), complete games (30), shutouts (10), FIP- (48), and WAR (15.0). Brady added a 22-12 record and 174 ERA+.

It was his tenth straight year leading in strikeouts and getting 440+ Ks, matching a feat only achieved by world strikeout king Mohamed Ramos of Beisbol Sudamerica. Brady also became the sixth OBA pitcher to 5000 career strikeouts and as of 2037, is one of only 44 in world history to reach the 5K club. Brady also earned his sixth ERA title and led in WAR for the ninth time. The 15.01 WAR was the second-best of his career and fourth-highest in OBA history. As of 2037, this is one of only 48 seasons by any player in any world league worth 15+ WAR and one of only 22 purely from pitching.

His 2019 was also historic as he tossed two no-hitters in the same season, which had only been done twice before in OBA history. On May 21, he had 12 Ks and 2 walks against Vanuatu. Then on June 16, he no-hit Timor with 15 Ks. This gave Brady three no-hitters, as he threw a perfect game back in 2009. Fiji obviously wanted to keep things rolling with their superstar ace, signing Brady to a six-year, $75,600,000 extension in April.

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In the 60th Oceania Championship, Sydney earned the repeat in a seven-game classic over Honolulu. The Snakes have gone from no playoff berths in 58 years to back-to-back titles. The Honu are now 8-6 all-time in their finals tries. In his ninth year with the Snakes, LF William Bucholz won finals MVP, going 10-25 with 5 runs, 2 doubles, 1 triple, 2 homers, and 6 RBI.

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Other notes: Christchurch’s Naldo Soto had 56 doubles, breaking the previous OBA single-season record of 54 set in 1996 by Russ Horn. Soto’s mark still holds as of 2037. Adrian Kali became the 15th member of the 500 home run club and the 9th to 1500 RBI. Ashton Hughes and Samson Gould both reached 2500 hits, a mark achieved by 18 OBA batters. Isaac Tague became the 8th pitcher to record 4500 strikeouts. SS Romeo Acas won his eighth Gold Glove. Roe Kaupa won his ninth Silver Slugger. It was his fourth as a first baseman with five wins as a designated hitter.

For the 2010s, the Australasia League’s batting average was around .253 with an ERA around 3.83, which grades as just above average compared to other leagues on the historical scale. The Pacific League’s ERA was 3.65 and batting average was .246, grading as average overall. OBA was very mid-grade compared to other leagues in the 2010s. The output was basically unchanged from the 2000s, while the decades prior saw low scoring. OBA’s output in the 2020s would continue on the same pace as the 2010s.

FuzzyRussianHat

11-27-2024 11:36 AM

2019 in EPB

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Voronezh dominated the European League at 108-54 for their second playoff berth in three years and a new best record by any Eurasian Professional Baseball expansion team. The Zephyrs had 786 runs, scoring 100+ more than any other EPB team. Their record was the best by any EL team in the last 20 years. Voronezh pulled it off even with one of the few payrolls below $100 million. Second place Moscow meanwhile had the largest payroll in EPB at over $271 million.

The Mules allowed the fewest runs at 487 and easily took the #2 spot at 94-68. Their closest foes were more double-digits behind with Kazan (84-78), Rostov (83-79), and Volgograd (82-80). Moscow earned repeat wild cards and their fifth playoff berth in six years. The Mules also extended its streak of winning seasons to 21 years. Krasnodar, the two-time defending EL champ, fell off a cliff at 68-94.

Moscow’s Yuriy Isakov repeated as European League MVP and won his third overall. The 29-year old Azeri outfielder led in hits (212), batting average (.383), on-base percentage (.453), OPS (1.073), wRC+ (199), and WAR (10.0). Isakov added 99 runs, 31 doubles, 14 triples, 24 home runs, and 107 stolen bases. Isakov’s batting average and OBP were both the second-best in EPB history to that point, only behind his own .410/.476 marks from 2012. He was in his 11th season with the Mules and would spend another five years in the Russian capital.

Pitcher of the Year was Volgograd’s Svyatoslav Tyahnybok. The 25-year old Ukrainian righty was in his fourth season and led in ERA (2.12), wins (21-6), complete games (15), and shutouts (6). Tyahnybok posted 322 strikeouts over 254.1 innings with a 160 ERA+ and 9.0 WAR. He also tossed a no-hitter on September 11 with nine strikeouts and one walk versus Samara.

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The Asian League had a lot of party with most of the league still in the fight entering September. Defending EPB champ Krasnoyarsk took first place at 90-72. Even though it was the Cossacks’ third playoff berth in four years, it was their first time atop the standings since 2009. Chelyabinsk was a close second at 87-75, ending a 21-year playoff drought for the Cadets. They had the second-longest active drought in EPB with Novosibirsk one season worse.

Perm at 86-76 fell one game short of the wild card slot. Omsk (82-80), Irkutsk (81-81), Ulaanbaatar (80-82), Novosibirsk (79-83), Ufa (79-83), and Vladivostok (78-84) all had genuine playoff hopes at some point. The Fiends notably missed the playoffs for only the second time in six years and had their first losing season since 2011.

The Pitbulls almost earned their first-ever playoff berth with the strength of the Asian League’s MVP and Pitcher of the Year. MVP was designated hitter Talgat Nurgaliev, who led in runs (104), home runs (55), RBI (140), slugging (.620), OPS (.972), wRC+ (191), and WAR (8.0). The 25-year old Tajik fell one RBI short of Dzmitry Kuliev’s EPB record of 141 from 2019. Nurgaliev was third in batting average at .305, falling .025 short of a Triple Crown season. He would sign a five-year, $28,500,000 extension the following summer with Perm.

His Perm teammate Yaroslav Alalykin meanwhile did earn the Triple Crown, posting the 12th-ever TC season by an EPB pitcher. The 26-year old Russian righty had a 20-6 record, 1.93 ERA, and 309 strikeouts over 247.1 innings. Alalykin also led in WHIP (0.78), K/BB (20.6), and quality starts (26). He added a 164 ERA+ and 8.2 WAR. The Pitbulls also extended Alalykin after the 2020 season at $30,280,000 over five years, keeping a strong core intact for Perm into the 2020s.

Also of note, Omsk’s Julian Wrzesniak won his third consecutive Reliever of the Year, posting a 1.02 ERA, 35 saves, and 7.3 WAR with 171 strikeouts over 96.2 innings. Unfortunately, his career would be derailed by injuries soon after, missing all of 2020 to shoulder inflammation.

Despite Voronezh being the heavy favorite in the European League Championship Series, Moscow rolled them 4-1 with pitching for their third pennant in five years. The Mules became 11-time EL champs, tied for second-most with the departed Kyiv. The top seed also fell in the Asian League Championship Series as Chelyabinsk stunned defending champ Krasnoyarsk with a sweep. This was the Cadets’ fourth pennant, ending a 27-year drought.

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The 65th EPB Championship went all seven games with Chelyabinsk outlasting Moscow, giving the Cadets their second-ever title (1978). This continued a remarkable run with nine different champs in nine years, despite multiple repeat appearances in that stretch.

Finals MVP went to 2B Gleb Korelin in his sixth season with Chelyabinsk. In 11 playoff starts, the 26-year old Kazakh had 13 hits, 6 runs, 2 doubles, 3 triples, 3 RBI, and 6 stolen bases. This helped raise Korelin’s stock entering a contract year. Incidentally, the Cadets would trade him at the deadline in 2020 to Moscow, where he’d spend the following five seasons.

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Other notes: Yekaterinburg pitcher Konstantin Ostapenko set a bad record, walking 160 batters. That remains the EPB all-time worst as of 2037. Voronezh’s Vladyslav Chychykov had a 32-game hitting streak, falling one short of Wolfgang Lind’s EPB record 33 from 2006. Chychykov also won his tenth Silver Slugger at third base, joining Boxuan Long as the only 10+ winners at 3B. C Nicat Kazimov and 2B Pavel Khuzin both won their seventh Silver Sluggers. 1B Artur Sagdatullin won his tenth consecutive Gold Glove.

Eurasian Professional Baseball’s league ERA for the 2010s was around 3.26 with a batting average around .245. Both marks were below average relative to other leagues on the historical scale. This was still a notable bump up from the prior few decades in EPB, putting them back in line with averages from the 1960s. The ERAs had been low in the upper twos from the 1970s-2000s. EPB’s scoring would dip back down in the 2020s.

FuzzyRussianHat

11-27-2024 07:28 PM

2019 in EBF

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Four teams were within three games of the top seed in EBF’s Northern Conference. Hamburg narrowly took it at 99-63 atop the North Central Division, earning their third straight division title and fourth in five years. The #2 seed and second bye went to last year’s conference runner-up Frankfurt at 98-64, winning the Northwest Division. Amsterdam was only two back in the division at 96-66, earning the first wild card. The Anacondas earned their sixth playoff appearance in seven years; all wild card berths.

Warsaw won the Northeast Division at 97-65, forced to play in the first round despite being two games away from the #1 spot. This was the Wildcats’ first playoff berth in a decade despite never finishing worse than 78-84 in that run. Edinburgh took the British Isles Division at 92-70 for their first-ever playoff berth in their ten season run among the European Baseball Federation’s Elite tier. Manchester was four games back at 88-74.

Last year’s European Second League champ Berlin was second in the Northeast at 91-71, earning the second wild card. The Barons had been stuck in E2L the prior eight years and hadn’t been a playoff team among the Elite since 2004. Falling short in the wild card race were Cologne (89-73), Manchester (88-74), Brussels (86-76), and Rotterdam (85-77).

Notably, the reigning European Champion Birmingham was a complete non-factor at 74-88. Getting relegated was Belfast at 60-102. The Brewers were only in their second season back in the EBF Elite after winning the Second League in 2017. Paris and Copenhagen were both 65-97, escaping the 100+ loss demotion threshold by three games each.

Kharkiv was near .500, but had the Northern Conference MVP in CF Dawid Paderewski. The 28-year old Polish righty was the WARlord at 10.4, adding 51 home runs, 125 RBI, 202 hits, 116 runs, a 1.082 OPS, and 196 wRC+. The Killer Bees gave Paderewski a seven-year, $109,000,000 extension after the 2020 season, although he would opt out after the 2023 campaign and leave for MLB.

Brussels lefty Oscar Dissard repeated as Pitcher of the Year and won for the third time. He posted the 15th Triple Crown season for an EBF pitcher and first since 2007. The 28-year old Frenchman had a 24-4 record, 2.33 ERA, and 325 strikeouts. Dissard also led in WAR (10.5), FIP- (50), and complete games (20), while posting a 169 ERA+ over 254.2 innings. He had two more seasons with the Beavers, but would opt out after Brussels suffered relegation in 2021.

Amsterdam won 2-1 on the road over Edinburgh and Warsaw edged Berlin 2-1 in the first round. The Wildcats then got the road victory 3-1 over Frankfurt in the second round, sending Warsaw to the Northern Conference Final for the second time (2003) since joining EBF in the 2000 EPB exodus. Top seed Hamburg rolled to a sweep of the Anacondas for the Hammers’ first conference final since 2015. Hamburg defeated Warsaw 4-2 to become five-time conference champs (1964, 1979, 1990, 1999, 2019).

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All eyes were on the loaded South Central Division as Palermo and Zurich batted for the division title, the Southern Conference’s top seed, and EBF’s best overall record. They ended up tied at 105-57 to end the regular season, but the Priests defeated the Mountaineers in the tiebreaker game for the #1 spot. This was Palermo’s second playoff berth in their three years among the EBF Elite.

Although stuck as a wild card, Zurich’s playoff streak grew to four years. Almost quietly, third place in the division was 97-65 Naples, who easily took the second wild card. The Nobles had just gotten promoted back to the EBF Elite after six year tenure in the Second League. This was Naples’ first playoff berth in the top tier since 2006. They were seven wins better than the next closest team in the wild card race. Meanwhile fifth in the division was defending conference champ Munich at 83-79, missing the playoffs.

The #2 seed and second bye was Southeast Division champ Thessaloniki at 97-65, giving them three straight division titles. The Tritons allowed the fewest runs in all of EBF at 529, while Zurich led all teams at 836 runs scored. Bucharest was second at 90-72, seven short of the division and last wild card. Meanwhile, the other two division titles were intense battles. Ultimately, three of the four division crowns needed a tiebreaker game to decide the champ.

Four teams fought in the East Central Division with Belgrade and Budapest tying for first at 89-73, while Brno and Zagreb were both one back at 88-74. The Bruisers bested the Bombers in the tiebreaker for Belgrade’s first berth since 2015. Madrid and last year’s conference runner-up Lisbon tied at 87-75 atop the Southwest Division. The Conquistadors ousted the Clippers in the tiebreaker game for Madrid’s fourth playoff berth in a row. The Spanish capital hadn’t won a division title since 2008. Zaragoza dropped to 72-90, notably their first losing season since joining the EBF Elite in 2013.

Both Yerevan (54-108) and Lviv (55-107) were relegated for losing 100+ games, while Varna narrowly escaped demotion at 64-98. The Valiants were relegated for the first time in franchise history. For the Lunkers, 2019 was their first-ever season outside of the Second League. Lviv had been one of the winningest E2L teams previously, but hadn’t been able to make the jump.

Leading Palermo to the top seed was Jean-Paul Lafontaine, winning his second Southern Conference MVP in three years. The 29-year old French first baseman scored 145 runs, breaking the EBF record of 144 set by Sean Houston in 1984 and Henrique Nunes in 1993. Lafontaine’s mark remains the EBF single-season record as of 2037.

Lafontaine also led the conference in hits (235), slugging (.755), OPS (1.177), and wRC+ (226). He finished second in home runs (54), batting average (.381), and WAR (11.7). Zagreb’s Aleksandr Parts beat him narrowly in average (.386) and WAR (12.0) and posted 43 triples, falling two short of Blaise Combes’ EBF and world record of 45 from 1962. It was the third-best in world history with EBF’s Franco Gilbert getting 44 in 1987.

Pitcher of the Year was Naples righty Benjamin Johnson, who led in ERA (2.13), complete games (14), and shutouts (6). The 30-year old American ended up in Italy in 2010 after failing to make the cut in MLB, finding his footing in EBF for the Nobles. Johnson had a 16-8 record over 232 innings, 235 strikeouts, 180 ERA+, and 6.6 WAR.

The first round had 2-0 sweeps with Zurich over Madrid and Belgrade over Naples. With division champs getting preferential seeding, this stuck the 105-win wild card Mountaineers against 106-win Palermo in the second round. While Zurich may have lost the division to the Priests, they had the last laugh with a 3-1 series win in the second round. This was the Mountaineers’ second Southern Conference Championship berth in four years.

On the other side of the bracket, Belgrade won 3-2 in an upset over Thessaloniki. The Bruisers had gotten to the conference final in 2015, but their pennant drought was all the way back to 1974. That skid continued as Zurich prevailed 4-2 against Belgrade, giving the Mountaineers their third conference pennant of the decade (2010, 2016, 2019). It was the 11th conference crown for Zurich, which led all EBF teams.

Both Zurich and Hamburg had historically had troubles in the European Championship. Although the Mountaineers had been there more than anyone else, they had an uninspiring 3-7 record, only winning in 1965, 1993, and 2016. The Hammers had never won it all with an 0-4 record in their previous tries. It was the first finals meeting between the two squads.

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In the 70th European Championship, it was Hamburg on top 4-2 over Zurich to become the 28th different franchise with a title. The Hammers were the eighth different champ in eight years and the first German champ since Cologne in 2012. Finals MVP went to 1B Max Gerlach in his ninth year with Hamburg. In 15 playoff starts, the 29-year old German had 18 hits, 14 runs, 9 home runs, and 13 RBI with a 1.482 OPS. He was only the fifth player in EBF history to hit nine or more homers in a playoff run.

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Other notes: Jiri Lebr became the fourth member of the 3500 hit club, finishing the season with 3603. That placed him third behind Francisco Cruz’s 3720 and Carsten Dal’s 3633. 2019 was Cruz’s final year, getting 40 hits in 56 games. Lebr also became the 17th to reach 1500 runs scored. Gianfranco Marinis became the eighth pitcher to 250 wins and Gustav Rosengren became the 36th to 200 wins. For the first time since 2008, EBF didn’t have a single no-hitter.

Harvey Coyle became the 25th to reach 1500 RBI. Coyle won his 12th straight Gold Glove at shortstop and earned his 11th Silver Slugger. He was the first EBF player at any position with 12 Gold Gloves and became the third player at any position with 11 Sluggers, joining legendary right fielders Sean Houston and Jacob Ronnberg.

The incredible Oslo superstar was only 32 years old still and had amassed 152.4 WAR, one of 28 position players in all of pro baseball history at any position with 150+ career WAR. After the 2019 campaign, Coyle was fourth on EBF’s WARlord chart among all players, behind only Ronnberg (169.2), SS Christophoros Zarkadis (164.0), and two-way player Edgar Miranda (157.6).

Promotion/Relegation: Belfast, Yerevan, and Lviv were the relegated teams, while the two Second League finalists (Cluj-Napoca and Glasgow) were promoted along with the best conference runner-up Bratislava. The Valiants and Lunkers easily filled the two spots in the E2L Eastern Conference with the Brewers into the Western Conference.

The EBF Elite would change its league structure starting in 2020 from four divisions of six teams to three divisions of eight teams. More details about that re-alignment to come in a future post. The Paladins and Blue Falcons filled the two voids in the Eastern Conference while the Highlanders returned to the Western Conference.

In the 2010s, the European Baseball Federation’s Elite Tier saw a league ERA around 3.79 and batting average around .260 with slightly more scoring from the Southern Conference. This ranked just between average and above average both on the historical scale and compared to other world leagues in the 2010s. EBF’s stats held remarkably firm compared to the prior three decades. There would be a slight bump up in scoring in the 2020s.

FuzzyRussianHat

11-28-2024 05:09 AM

2019 in BSA

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Caracas dominated the Bolivar League competition with a staggering 117-45 record, which was tied for the fourth-best in Beisbol Sudamerica history. No team had won 117+ games in BSA since 1956. The Colts earned their third straight Venezuela Division title and third straight 100+ win season. Caracas allowed the fewest runs in all of BSA (546) and scored the second most (860).

The only team that scored more was Trujillo (879), who dominated the Peru-Bolivia Division at 102-60. The Thoroughbreds earned repeat playoff berths and their first-ever division title. They dethroned Callao, who had a run of four straight division titles. The Cats fell to 71-91, their first losing season since 2007 and only the third time in 12 years that they missed the playoffs altogether.

The Colombia-Ecuador Division was the only competitive one with Medellin (95-67) edging Quito (94-68). The Mutiny repeated as division champs and extended their playoff streak to nine years, winning their eighth division title of that run. For the Thunderbolts as the first wild card, this snapped a 12-year postseason drought. Elsewhere in the division Guayaquil struggled to 69-93 only two years removed from a 101-win season. This was the Golds worst effort since 1997.

Defending Bolivar League champ Maturin very narrowly secured the second wild card spot. The Makos finished 88-74, beating Bogota by one game, Maracaibo by two, Santa Cruz by six, and La Paz by seven. Notably for the Bats, they posted their first winning season since 2008.

Trujillo shortstop Tajo Rios earned Bolivar League MVP in his seventh season. The 28-year old Peruvian led in runs (120), hits (232), total bases (394), batting average (.392), slugging (.666), OPS (1.092), wRC+ (185), and WAR (12.0). He technically fell just short of 12 WAR at 11.99, but it ranks as the 14th best season by a BSA position player. The last BSA position player with a 12+ WAR season came in 1979. Rios also had 37 home runs, 113 RBI, 52 stolen bases, and a 31-game hitting streak. Before the 2019 season, the Thoroughbreds extended Rios at $86,740,000 over eight years.

For the second time in three years, Caracas righty Julio Arias won Pitcher of the Year. In only his fourth full season, the 26-year old Colombian got his first ERA title (2.49) and led in WHIP (0.92) and FIP- (66). Arias added a 19-3 record over 213 innings, 244 strikeouts, and 157 ERA+.

Defending champ Maturin’s hope for another Cinderella run as the #5 seed was thwarted, ousted 2-1 in the first round by Quito. The Thunderbolts then fell 3-1 in the Divisional Series to top seed Caracas, while Trujillo swept Medellin. The Colts earned back-to-back Bolivar League Championship Series tries, while this was the deepest run for the Thoroughbreds. Trujillo would shock 117-win Caracas 4-2 to snag their first-ever pennant. This makes back-to-back BL pennants by a 2009 expansion team.

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It was a close race for the Southern Cone League’s #1 seed but it went to last year’s league runner-up Asuncion at 104-58. This was the first South Central Division title for the Archers since 2010, allowing the fewest runs in the league at 565. North Division champ Fortaleza scored the most at 820 and took the #2 seed at 102-60. The Foxes ended a three year playoff drought.

Recife was six behind in the division at 96-66, securing the first wild card. The Retrievers playoff streak grew to seven seasons with their tenth berth in eleven years. Buenos Aires at 92-70 repeated as Southeast Division champs, beating Rio de Janeiro by three games.

For the second wild card, reigning Copa Sudamerica champ and two-time defending Southern Cone champ Concepcion kept their repeat dreams alive at 92-70. The Chiefs’ playoff streak grew to four years with their eighth berth in nine years. Rio at 89-73 was two games back and Santiago was six away.

Brasilia was nine games short of the wild card at 83-79 despite having the MVP Eddy Corunha. He had an impressive Rookie of the Year campaign in 2018 and topped it in his sophomore season, leading the league in runs (120), homers (58), total bases (430), slugging (.708), OPS (1.112), wRC+ (210), and WAR (10.6). The 24-year old Brazilian shortstop also had 213 hits, 132 RBI, and a .351 batting average.

Recife’s Yuangdong Wang won his second Pitcher of the Year in three years. Counting his trophies from his prior stint in China with Zhengzhou, Wang is now a seven-time POTY recipient overall. The 32-year old lefty led in wins (22-9), innings (275.1), strikeouts (340), quality starts (29), and WAR (7.5). Wang had a 151 ERA+ and 2.35 ERA, finishing second and only falling 14 points from a Triple Crown. Wang joined a very short list of those with multiple Pitcher of the Year awards in multiple world leagues.

Buenos Aires ousted the defending champ Concepcion 2-0 in the first round, then rolled on to a shocking Divisional Series sweep of top seed Asuncion. The Atlantics earned their first Southern Cone Championship appearance since 2003. Recife stunned divisional foe Fortaleza with a road sweep, sending the Retrievers to their eighth LCS since 2009. BA’s magic ran out as Recife prevailed 4-1 for their fourth pennant of the decade. The Retrievers became seven-time Southern Cone champs, an impressive haul for a 1974 expansion team.

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The 89th Copa Sudamerica saw a 4-1 series victory for Recife over Trujillo, giving the Retrievers their fourth cup win (1995, 1996, 2015, 2019). 1B Sebastian Nazario earned finals MVP, having come to Recife in a 2016 deadline trade with Ciudad Guayana. The 29-year old Venezuelan in 13 playoff starts had 20 hits, 14 runs, 1 double, 3 triples, 5 homers, and 12 RBI.

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Other notes: Medellin’s Mateo Salinas became the first player in Beisbol Sudamerica history with a seven hit game, going 7-7 on April 13 against Quito. He was only the 12 in all of pro baseball history to achieve the feat. Asuncion’s Vito Mendiero threw BSA’s 48th Perfect Game on August 25, striking out eight against Sao Paulo. Recife’s Edgardo Mandujano had a 36-game hitting streak in the summer, tying the fifth-longest streak in BSA history.

Antonio Arceo became the sixth member of the 700 home run club and Niccolo Coelho became the 21st member of the 600 homer club. Coelho, Rodrigo Aguilar, and Manuel Marquez each reached 1500 RBI in 2019, making 30 batters to do so. Coelho won his 10th Silver Slugger at 3B and Arceo won his 9th at 2B. Alex Salinas was the 17th to reach 1500 runs scored. Filipe Loureno became the 31st reliever to record 300 saves.

Catcher Cicero Lugo won his 12th consecutive Silver Slugger, becoming the fifth player at any position in BSA with 12+ Sluggers. Lugo also became the first catcher in any world league to achieve 12+ Sluggers. SS Merkin Najera won his tenth Gold Glove, becoming the third shortstop to win the award 10+ times.

No world league in the 2010s had a higher league batting average than the Bolivar League at .274, narrowly edging West African Baseball’s high tallies. The Southern Cone League without the DH was at .265, still firmly above average on the historical scale. Despite the higher batting averages relative to other world leagues in the 2010s, Beisbol Sudamerica’s ERA titles weren’t quite as inflated.

For the 2010s, the Bolivar League’s ERA was 4.01, grading as above average. The Southern Cone’s 3.70 ERA was very average both on the historical scale and compared to other 2010 leagues. BSA’s 2010s were similar to the 2000s, which had seen a spike compared to the below average to low prior decades. The BL’s ERA actually slightly dipped from the 2000s to the 2010s, while LCS’s went slightly up. BSA would maintain a similar environment for the 2020s.

FuzzyRussianHat

11-28-2024 09:52 AM

2019 in EAB

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Three teams fought for the Japan League’s top seed in 2019. All three of those teams repeated as division champs and won their division by double digits. North Division champ Sapporo narrowly claimed the pole position at 99-63. Their division was the tightest amongst the top three seeds, but the Swordfish were still ten games ahead of Saitama and 13 better than Sendai.

Reigning East Asia Baseball champ Osaka at 98-64 fell one short of the top seed. The Orange Sox grew their Central Division streak to five seasons. Kawasaki cruised in the Capital Division at 95-67. Osaka led the JL in scoring with 710 runs, while the Killer Whales allowed the fewest runs at 475.

Meanwhile the remaining West Division had a tie at the top between Kitakyushu and Fukuoka at 87-75. The Kodiaks won the tiebreaker game to end their 21-year playoff drought, which had been the longest active skid in Japan. Hiroshima dropped to 79-83, ending their seven-year playoff streak. It was the first losing season since 2009 for the Hammerheads.

Osaka right fielder Shigeyori Suzuki repeated as Japan League MVP. The 27-year old lefty led in runs (109), home runs (57), RBI (125), total bases (403), slugging (.680), OPS (1.035), wRC+ (224), and WAR (9.8). This was Suzuki’s final year with the Orange Sox, who were unable to lock him up long term. He left for MLB and inked an eight-year, $156,600,000 deal with Seattle. While Suzuki never won MVP in MLB, he would post a solid 11 years in the United States.

Fukuoka lefty Toshikuni Naikai won his third Pitcher of the Year in four years. He wasn’t as absurdly dominant as his 17.4 WAR, 1.05 ERA mark from 20187, but the 26-year old was still a beast. Naikai led in ERA (1.93), strikeouts (397), WHIP (0.66), FIP- (34), and WAR (10.3). He tossed 218.2 innings with a 169 ERA+ and 16-5 record. The 397 Ks was tied for the sixth-best single-season effort in EAB to that point.

Naikai threw his second no-hitter of his career with a 21 strikeout, one walk effort against Chiba on August 5. That broke the EAB record for most Ks in a no-no and was only the fourth no-hitter in pro baseball history with 21 strikeouts. It was the seventh 21K game of any kind in EAB. The Frogs locked up their historic ace long-term in the offseason with a seven-year, $140,000,000 extension. Fukuoka would be immediately rewarded when Naikai posted the greatest pitching season ever in 2020.

Kitakyushu upset Sapporo 3-2 in the first round of the playoffs, while Kawasaki ousted the reigning champ Osaka 3-1. The Killer Whales earned repeat berths in the Japan League Championship Series, while the Kodiaks hadn’t gotten that far since 1997. In a seven-game classic, Kawasaki outlasted Kitakyushu for their first pennant since the 1999-2001 three-peat. It was the eighth Japan League title overall for the Killer Whales.

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The Korea League had solid parity in 2019 with only eight wins separating the top record from the seventh-best. Changwon again was the top seed, although they narrowly secured it at 97-65 for their fourth straight South Division title. Reigning KL champ Seongnam won the North Division at 96-66, growing their playoff streak to three seasons. The Spiders also secured their fifth playoff berth in six years. The Crabs led the league in scoring (781) and Seongnam allowed the fewest runs (606).

Daegu was only two behind Changwon for the South Division title, but 95-67 got them the first wild card and their first playoff spot since winning it all in 2013. Goyang at 91-71 finished one game ahead of both Jeonju and Seoul at 90-72 for the second wild card. Yongin (89-73), Hamhung (86-76), and Ulsan (85-77) were also in the mix. The Green Sox had repeat playoff berths while the Seahawks had their three-year streak snapped.

Changwon 2B Dae-Eui Ha won his second Korea League MVP in three years. The 27-year old led in runs (119), hits (223), stolen bases (123), and batting average (.361). The 123 steals were the fifth-most in an EAB season. Ha also had 38 doubles, 20 triples, 12 home runs, a .938 OPS, 158 wRC+, and 9.5 WAR. The following spring, the Crabs gave Ha an eight-year, $176,000,000 extension. Ha edged out Gwangju’s Kunihiko Ishiguro for the MVP despite the latter’s 64 home run effort. It was Ishiguro’s fourth time smacking 60+ dingers. Hamhung’s Ye-Joon Ki, notably had 152 RBI, only the 12th to cross 150+ in EAB.

Soon-Jung Lee denied Do-Kyun Lee’s bid for a sixth Pitcher of the Year. Soon-Jung was a 27-year old lefty for Yongin who led in wins (25-3), ERA (1.96), and quality starts (28). He added 227 strikeouts over 262 innings, a 194 ERA+, and 6.5 WAR. Do-Kyun was still a strikeout machine for Seoul with 417 Ks, plus a 2.35 ERA over 257 innings and 10.1 WAR. Do-Kyun’s mark was the fourth most Ks in an EAB season. He played one more year in the South Korean capital before bolting for MLB’s Detroit Tigers. The Seahawks missed the playoffs, but Do-Kyun led them to a team 9.89 K/9, breaking a KL record that held since 1928.

Defending champ Seongnam rolled to a first round sweep of Daegu and Goyang upset top seed Changwon 3-1. For the Green Sox, this was their first Korea League Championship Series try since 2012. The Spiders would prevail 4-2 over Goyang for the repeat and their third pennant in six years. Seongnam became seven-time Korean champs with the result.

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The 99th East Asian Championship was not the first finals meeting between Kawasaki and Seongnam, as the Killer Whales beat the Spiders back in 1982. Seongnam got revenge in a barnburner in 2019, taking the series in seven games. The Spiders became four-time EAB champs (1983, 1990, 2003, 2019).

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CF Sung-Man Song was finals MVP in his fifth season for Seongnam, starting 16 playoff games with 22 hits, 10 runs, 1 double, 3 triples, 2 homers, and 11 RBI. Teammate Shigeo Horie was also a key contributor as KLCS MVP, getting 23 hits, 10 runs, 6 home runs, and 22 RBI. The 22 RBI broke the previous EAB playoff record of 21 by Zhanchong Li from 2002. Horie’s mark remains #1 in EAB as of 2037.

Other notes: Kawasaki’s Kazumasa Fujii threw EAB’s 37th Perfect Game on April 21, striking out six against Kumamoto. Hitoshi Kubota became the 13th member of the 700 home run club. Kubota and Sang-Jun Gang both reached 1500 runs scored, a mark reached by 32 EAB players. Kaneo Kuroda was the 17th pitcher to record 4000 strikeouts. Sadaharu Chiba was the 30th reliever to 300 saves. SS Shingen Matsumara won his eighth Silver Slugger.

For the 2010s, the Japan League had an ERA around 3.37 and .245 batting average, which both graded as below average scoring on the historical scale. The Korea League with the DH was on the upper-end of average with a 3.78 ERA and .260 batting average. These numbers were slightly down from the 2000s, but more or less in line with EAB’s stats since the 1960s. EAB remained consistent into the 2020s.

FuzzyRussianHat

11-28-2024 05:53 PM

2019 in CABA

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For the fifth year in a row, Juarez won the Mexican League’s North Division and took the top seed. The Jesters finished 109-53, ending their playoff streak and 100+ win season streak both to six years. Juarez had a tough challenge in the division with 103-59 Hermosillo. The Hyenas easily got repeat wild cards, posting their winningest season since 1989. The Jesters led all of Mexico in both runs scored (814) and fewest allowed (560).

In the South Division, Puebla had an impressive turnaround from only 67 wins the prior year. The Pumas won the division at 92-70 to end a 23-year playoff drought, which was the second-longest active skid in the ML. Merida was five back at 87-75, which was just enough for the second wild card over Torreon (86-76), Tijuana (85-77), and San Luis Potosi (82-80). The Mean Green snapped an 11-year postseason drought. Although they just missed the playoffs again, the Tomahawks grew their run of winning seasons to 20 years. The defending Mexican League champ Leon limped to 75-87.

Juarez right fielder Loyd Wayne won Mexican League MVP with a record-breaking fourth season. The 25-year old Jamaican led in runs (139), walks (118), triple slash (.381/.490/.755), OPS (1.245), wRC+ (235), and WAR (12.6). Wayne’s .490 on-base percentage set a new world pro baseball record, beating the previous best of .489 by Mwarami Tale of the African Association of Baseball in 2009. Wayne’s 2019 effort ranks second in world history as of 2037, as he himself would top it in 2023.

Wayne’s 1.245 OPS was a CABA single-season record, beating Amazado Matos’ 1.229 from 1968. He had the 19th-best OPS in any world league to that point. Wayne’s 118 walks were the second-most in CABA history, behind his own 126 from the prior year. Wayne added 53 home runs, 126 RBI, and 45 stolen bases. His WAR mark was the 18th-best by a CABA position player. The Jesters wisely negotiated an eight-year, $108,500,000 extension signed in late August.

Hermosillo’s Jamarca Akim repeated as Pitcher of the Year and became the sixth in CABA history to win the award five times. The 30-year old Jamaican lefty had a 17-5 record, 2.64 ERA, and 254 strikeouts over 235.2 innings with a 147 ERA+ and 6.0 WAR. The only stats he led in were complete games (13), and shutouts (4). Akim had signed a new six-year, $82,800,000 deal with the Hyenas prior to the season.

Both first round playoff battles went 3-1 to the division champs with Juarez over Merida and Puebla over Hermosillo. The Jesters earned their fifth Mexican League Championship Series appearance in six years, while the Pumas hadn’t been there since 1996. Juarez was the heavy favorite, but was denied the pennant in back-to-back years. Puebla shocked them with a sweep for their first pennant in 70 years. The Pumas became four-time Mexican League champs (1915, 1928, 1949, 2019).

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The top two teams in the Caribbean League fought over the Island Division title. Havana (97-65) narrowly claimed it over Jamaica (96-66), giving the Hurricanes back-to-back division titles and #1 seeds. Havana’s playoff streak grew to four years with the Jazz extending their run to six as the first wild card. Reigning CABA Champion Guyana repeated as Continental Division champ at 89-73. The Golden Knights had four teams within five games of them.

Those four teams and one from the Island Division were in a tight battle for the second wild card. Costa Rica snagged it at 87-75, fending off Panama (85-77), Puerto Rico (85-77), Honduras (84-78), and Salvador (84-78). It was the Rays’ first time in the playoffs in 30 years, ending the second-longest active drought in the Caribbean. The longest in all of CABA is Bahamas at 32 seasons. Haiti finished 81-81, missing the playoffs for only the third time in 23 years. This was the first time since 1993 that the Herons didn’t have a winning record, ending their CL-record streak at 25 years.

Santo Domingo stunk at 71-91, but their right fielder Jarek Wilson-Smith was Caribbean League MVP. The 24-year old Belizean lefty led in runs (124), hits (237), triples (34), total bases (438), triple slash (.379/.406/.700), OPS (1.105), wRC+ (192), and WAR (9.9). Wilson-Smith added 28 doubles, 35 homers, 114 RBI, and 74 stolen bases. It would be his only MVP in an excellent 18-year career with the Dolphins.

Guyana again had Pitcher of the Year, but this time it was Jhon Banuelos. The 26-year old Cuban lefty was the WARlord (6.9) and led with a 65 FIP-. Banuelos saw a 2.86 ERA and 17-9 record in 226.1 innings with 274 strikeouts and a 140 ERA+. Banuelos was the #1 overall draft pick in 2013 by the Golden Knights.

Division champs earned first round sweeps with Havana over Costa Rica and Guyana over Jamaica. The Golden Knights had a shot at repeat Caribbean League titles, while the Hurricanes were going for their second in four years. The CLCS ended up being a dud as Havana swept Guyana to become eight-time Caribbean Champs (1911, 1912, 1913, 1949, 1975, 2009, 2016, 2019).

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It was the first time in CABA’s 109 year history that both the MLCS and CLCS ended in sweeps. The 109th Central American Baseball Association Championship continued that trend with Havana sweeping Puebla, making the Hurricanes five-time CABA champs (1912, 1949, 1975, 2009, 2019). The only other time in all of pro baseball history where a league’s semifinals and championship all ended in sweeps was the inaugural 1931 Beisbol Sudamerica campaign.

Havana was a perfect 11-0 in the postseason, becoming the first CABA champ to run the table since the expansion to three rounds. 1924 Mexico City and 1920 Guadalajara were the only other champs to go unbeaten in the playoffs, both at 8-0. Finals MVP was platoon 1B Alberto Perez who had only six playoff games and five starts, but posted 11 hits, 4 runs, 2 homers, and 8 RBI.

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Other notes: Diego Conception became the 16th CABA reliever to reach 300 career saves. C Luis Moran won his tenth Silver Slugger, becoming the third catcher in CABA history with 10+ (Mar Pavia, Chip Perez). 2B Timmy Asher won his eighth consecutive Silver Slugger.

In the 2010s, the Mexican League’s ERA was around 3.83 with a .262 batting average. The Caribbean League with the DH was only slightly higher with a 3.96 ERA and .265 batting average. Both of these graded as above average scoring on the historical scale and compared to other world leagues in the 2010s.

For the Mexican League, this was the highest ever ERA for a decade, while the Caribbean League dropped nine points from the 2000s. Specifically in 2018, the ML had a 4.02 ERA, which remains a league record as of 2037. Overall, the numbers for the last 30 years were fairly consistent for CABA. Things would continue on the same pace for the 2020s.

FuzzyRussianHat

11-29-2024 04:57 AM

2019 in MLB

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Defending World Series champ Kansas City dominated the competition in the National Association at 107-55, breaking their own franchise record from the prior year by two wins. The Cougars were 11 wins ahead of the next best NA team and earned their fourth consecutive Lower Midwest Division title. It was historically strong pitching that propelled KC to success.

Kansas City allowed 442 runs and 394 earned runs, both setting MLB all-time single-season records that still stand as of 2037. KC’s 2.41 ERA was the second-lowest in MLB history only behind Wichita’s 2.37 from 2004. The 04 Wasps had the previous earned run low (397), while 2005 Cleveland had the prior runs low of 450. The Cougars also had a 0.987 team WHIP, which was the third-best in MLB history.

The #2 seed and second bye went to Northeast Division champ Boston at 96-66. The Red Sox earned their third straight division title, although Quebec City at 93-69 gave them a run for it. The Nordiques earned the first wild card and ended an eight-year playoff drought.

Detroit and Winnipeg finished even at 89-73 atop the Upper Midwest Division. The Tigers won the tiebreaker game for a third consecutive division title and their eighth of the decade. Detroit had the most runs in the NA at 750. The Wolves were a surprising contender having gone 59-103 in both the prior two seasons. Despite a -13 run differential, they narrowly got the second wild card to end an 11-year playoff drought.

Missing the cut in for the second wild card by two wins were Hartford and Cincinnati at 87-75. Chicago (85-77), St. Louis (84-78), and Toronto (83-79) were also in the mix. Philadelphia at 89-73 repeated as East Division champ and earned their 15th playoff berth in 20 years. The Phillies’ streak of winning seasons grew to 13 years. Their closest competitors were 83-79 New York and 82-80 Baltimore.

National Association MVP was Quebec City’s Alex Mills in his third full season. The 24-year old second baseman from Georgetown, Ontario led in slugging (.609), and wRC+ (199). Mills added 187 hits, 103 runs, 44 home runs, 99 RBI, a .992 OPS, and 8.1 WAR. Mills would go on to have a 15-year Hall of Pretty Good career for the Nordiques.

Winnipeg’s Luke Harrison secured Pitcher of the Year in his ninth season for the Wolves. The 29-year old Albertan righty led in ERA (2.01), quality starts (28), and shutouts (7). Harrison posted 9.2 WAR and a 173 ERA+ over 264.1 innings with a 20-9 record and 265 strikeouts. He also tossed a no-hitter on April 24 with seven strikeouts and one walk versus Cleveland. Harrison inked another five-year extension at $113,000,000 after the 2020 season.

Also worth a mention was Columbus closer J.J. Fuller, who won Reliever of the Year in only his second season. He posted a dominant 6.6 WAR over 74.1 innings, setting an MLB record for WAR by a ROTY winner. Fuller struck out 143 with a 0.97 ERA, 364 ERA+, and NA-best 40 saves.

Winning the division on the one-game tiebreaker gave Detroit home field against Winnipeg in the first round rematch, which they needed to survive 2-1. Quebec City went on the road to upset Philadelphia 2-1 on the other side. Both were ousted 3-1 by the top seeds with Kansas City beating the Nordiques and Boston besting the Tigers.

This set up a rematch in the National Association Championship Series, which hadn’t happened since Chicago versus Montreal in 1979-80. For the first time since 1982, the NACS ended in a sweep with Kansas City clobbering Boston. The Cougars won their third pennant in four years and their eighth overall (1937, 1961, 1962, 1976, 1991, 2016, 2018, 2019). They joined Philadelphia (1941-47 seven-peat and 2010-13), Winnipeg (2004-07), and St. Louis (1908-10) as the only National Association franchises to win three pennants in a four year stretch.

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In the American Association, it was Denver doing the dominating with historic pitching. The Dragons finished ten ahead of the next closest team at 106-56, earning a third straight 100+ win season and tenth consecutive Northwest Division title. Denver joined Ottawa (1932-41) as the only teams in MLB history with a ten-year playoff streak.

The Dragons allowed 505 runs, 438 earned runs, and had a 2.71 team ERA. Each of these was all-time single-season bests in the American Association, which has higher scoring than the National Association thanks to the designated hitter. Denver’s records remain AA bests as of 2037, beating the 2.84 ERA and 461 earned runs by 1972 Albuquerque and the 521 runs allowed by 2012 Oakland. The Dragons also posted a 1.038 team WHIP, which is the third-lowest in AA history. Denver actually underperformed their expected win/loss by ten games. They were second in runs (839) for a +334 run differential.

The three other division winners were within two games of each other, making for a fierce fight for the #2 seed and bye. Reigning AA champ Las Vegas narrowly got it at 96-66 atop the Southwest Division. The Vipers grew their playoff streak to three, although it was their first division title since 2009. Vegas had to fend off a tough division, beating Oakland by five games, San Diego by six, and Los Angeles by seven.

The #3 seed was Oklahoma City at 95-67 atop the South Central Division. It ended a nine-year playoff drought for the Outlaws and was an impressive recovery from an abysmal 62-100 the prior year. Houston was right behind them at 93-69, while New Orleans (87-75) and Austin (86-76) were competitive. Nashville got the #4 seed to repeat atop the Southeast Division at 94-68. Their lone competitor was an 87-75 Jacksonville.

Salt Lake City was the most distant second place finisher at 11 games behind Denver, but their 95-67 record earned a repeat wild card for the Loons. The Hornets at 93-69 got the second spot for their second berth in three years. Houston beat out Oakland by two games, San Diego by three, Los Angeles by four, New Orleans and Jacksonville by six, Austin by seven, and Dallas by eight. The Seals had by far the most runs in MLB at 917. Last year’s runner-up and the 2017 AA champ San Francisco was a non-factor, falling to 78-84.

Leading Oklahoma City’s turnaround was 3B Albert Gardiner, the American Association MVP. In his fourth season, the 24-year old Texan led in home runs (63), total bases (409), slugging (.691), and wRC+ (185). Gardiner added 8.9 WAR, 1.068 OPS, 118 runs, and 129 RBI. He fell four short of the MLB single-season home run record, but got paid for his efforts with an eight-year, $159,700,000 extension at season’s end from the Outlaws.

Gardiner had to fend off a very solid challenge for MVP by Houston RF Ric Ransom, who led in batting average (.334) and RBI (160) while taking second in WAR (9.3) and third in homers (55). Ransom was only the fifth in MLB history to reach 160+ RBI and the first to do it since 1978.

In his MLB debut, Las Vegas righty Daniel Newqvist won Pitcher of the Year. The 30-year old from Sweden came over on a seven-year, $145,800,000 deal with the Vipers after pitching nine years in EBF’s Stockholm. Newqvist led in WHIP (0.88), quality starts (27), and complete games (25). He added a 22-6 record, 2.45 ERA, 275.2 innings, 289 strikeouts, 158 ERA+, and 9.1 WAR.

Nashville swept Salt Lake City and Houston swept Oklahoma City in the first round of the playoffs. The Hornets then shocked top seed Denver 3-1 in the second round, marking back-to-back years that the Dragons went one-and-done despite the #1 seed. Houston earned its first American Association Championship Series berth since 2008.

On the other side, Nashville got the 3-1 road win over Las Vegas, giving the Knights their second AACS in four years. In a seven game classic, the Hornets stung Nashville, giving the pennant to the #6 seed for back-to-back seasons. This was Houston’s tenth pennant, but it was their first in 67 years. The Hornets had made the AACS eight times since their 1952 title, but had gone 0-8 in that stretch.

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Kansas City was aiming to be the first repeat World Series champion since Phoenix in 2003-04. They were the heavy favorite for the 119th World Series, but the magic continued for Houston, who won a seven game thriller over the Cougars. This tied the Hornets with Denver for the most MLB titles at eight, although they didn’t expect to wait two generations to get #8. Houston’s prior wins were 1908, 1910, 1911, 1912, 1920, 1922, and 1952.

It was RBI leader Ric Ransom who won World Series MVP. The Beaumont, Texas native had 20 playoff starts with 26 hits, 12 runs, 2 doubles, 2 triples, 5 home runs, and 17 RBI. Houston joined 2011 Tampa, 1953 Phoenix, 1982 St. Louis, 1988 and 1990 Virginia Beach, and 2012 Philadelphia as the World Series champs to come from the #6 seed.

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Other notes: Cody Lim became only the fifth member of the 700 home run club. In his 15th and final year with Oklahoma City, Lim smacked 53 homers to get to 722, ranking third behind Elijah Cashman’s 750 and Kaby Silva’s 731. The 35-year old Malaysian had the MLB record for 50+ homer seasons with nine, but almost quietly climbed the ranks with only four Silver Sluggers and no MVPs.

Graham Gregor meanwhile became the 27th to reach 600 home runs and the 62nd to 3000 hits. Both Joran Mallery and Ryan Skramesto got to 1500 RBI. Killian Fruechte won his ninth Silver Slugger and his eighth in left field. SS Fritz Louissi won his eighth Silver Slugger. Easton MacGregor and Omari Green became the 81st and 82nd pitchers to 3000 strikeouts. Montreal’s offense drew only 274 walks all season, an MLB all-time worst.

For the 2010s, the National Association had a 3.41 league ERA and .240 batting average, both of which graded as below average scoring on the historical scale. This was the lowest batting average for a decade in NA history and was one point ahead of the 2000s for lowest ERA. The NA did set single season lows with a .237 batting average in 2013 and a 3.28 ERA in 2012.

The American Association had a .251 batting average and 3.84 ERA, which were both average to above average relative to other world leagues and historical averages. However, these were both all-time low marks for the AA. The AA set a single-season low ERA of 3.77 in 2012.

MLB’s numbers overall were very consistent from the 2010s back through the 1990s. However, these 30 years were down relative to the years prior with a 3.68 ERA in the NA from the 1900s-80s and a 4.11 ERA for the AA. Like many other world leagues, MLB officials would opt for rule changes in the 2020s to increase scoring.

FuzzyRussianHat

11-29-2024 10:10 AM

2019 Baseball Grand Championship

FuzzyRussianHat

11-29-2024 06:46 PM

2020 MLB Hall of Fame

Major League Baseball’s 2020 Hall of Fame class saw two first ballot inductees, although neither breached 80%. OF Lukas Warrell led the way at 76.8% with 2B Cole Becenti close behind at 73.8%. SS Robert Hightower barely missed the 66% requirement with 64.8% for his seventh ballot. This was the closest Hightower has gotten and his third time above 50%.

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Five other players were above 50%, led by RF Renaldo Anastasio debuting at 59.6%. C Sebastian Van Velzen got 59.2% for his fourth ballot. 3B Jeanpaul Vick debuted with 57.3%. SP Bob Gallagher earned 56.2% in his tenth and final try, while SP Victor Burke picked up 50.6% for his second chance.

For Gallagher, he peaked at 61.1% in 2018 and had a low of 43.6% in 2017. He spent most of his 15-year MLB run with Cleveland and posted a 226-181 record, 3.22 ERA, 3934.1 innings, 3394 strikeouts, 892 walks, 160 complete games, 111 ERA+, and 79.0 WAR. However, Gallagher lacked black ink and awards and was dismissed as an above average compiler. He also played his final three years in EBF and those extra accumulations might have just gotten him in. But instead, Gallagher fell to the Hall of Pretty Good.

Catcher Jacob Gibson was dropped after ten failed ballots as well, peaking at 46.3% in 2012 and ending at only 10.1%. He had a 21-year career with Edmonton and posted one Gold Glove and one Silver Slugger, 2182 hits, 1142 runs, 393 doubles, 247 home runs, 1081 RBI, 1143 walks, a .254/.345/.391 slash, 107 wRC+, and 66.6 WAR. Among catchers, he ranks 16th in WAR. Gibson had impressive longevity, but he was generally not considered elite. With the trouble even top-tier catchers can have getting inducted, longevity was never going to be enough for Gibson.

Also dropped was reliever Christian Yates, who got as high as 38.4% in 2012 but ended at only 3.7%. He had a 13-year career with 303 saves, 2.30 ERA, 820.1 innings, 885 strikeouts, 252 walks, 159 ERA+, and 29.5 WAR. Yates never won Reliever of the Year and was far less dominant than what was needed for a closer to earn the nod. Still, Yates deserves credit for lasting ten years on the ballot.

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Lukas Warrell – Left/Right Field – Albuquerque Isotopes – 76.8% First Ballot

Lukas Warrell was a 6’0’’, 200 pound outfielder from Tucson, Arizona; the state’s second-largest city with just over one million in the metropolitan area. Warrell had an unusual hitting profile as he was incredible at drawing walks, yet terrible at avoiding strikeouts. Against right-handed pitching, he had strong power with above average contact skills, posting a career 145 wRC+ and .914 OPS. Warrell struggled against lefties often with a career 92 wRC+ and .691 OPS.

Warrell’s power was reliable in the middle of the lineup, getting 32 home runs, 22 doubles, and 7 triples per his 162 game average. He had solid speed along with outstanding baserunning and stealing instincts. Warrell was a corner outfielder with about half of his career starts in left field, 1/3 in right field, and the rest as a designated hitter. He graded as a strong RF and above average LF. Warrell’s work ethic and loyalty made him a popular and well respected player. He also showed solid durability over a 22-year career.

From 1990-92, Warrell played college baseball at Clemson, winning an NCAA Gold Glove in 1991 and both a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger in 1992. For his college career, Warrell had 148 games, 124 hits, 99 runs, 20 doubles, 45 home runs, 94 RBI, 111 walks, 121 strikeouts, a .256/.402/.593 slash, 176 wRC+, and 8.0 WAR. In the 1992 MLB Draft, Warrell was picked 24th overall by Albuquerque, making his return to the southwest.

Warrell was a part-time starter with 4.8 WAR in his debut season in 98 starts and 120 games, finishing third in Rookie of the Year voting. He then started all 162 games as a DH in 1994 and won a Silver Slugger, scoring an incredible 150 runs. This not only set a new MLB single-season record, but it was a world record at the time. Warrell’s mark remained the MLB record until 2036 and ranks as the 13th-best season in world history as of 2037. He also led the American Association in walks (102) and had his first of three 40+ home runs seasons. Warrell also posted his first of eight seasons worth 5+ WAR.

Albuquerque ended a six-year playoff drought and got the #2 seed in 1994, but lost in the second round to Atlanta. The Isotopes would be stuck mostly below average in the next six seasons, averaging 76.8 wins. Warrell played well, but was outside of awards conversations or league leading stats. 1998 had a big setback as a severely strained hip muscle knocked him out five months. However, Albuquerque still gave Warrell an eight-year, $40,800,000 extension in the winter.

In 2001, Warrell led the AA in runs (120), walks (102), and WAR (8.9), while getting 41 home runs and 101 RBI, winning a Silver Slugger in LF and taking second in MVP voting. This started a six-year playoff streak for Albuquerque, although they again went one-and-done despite having the first round bye. Warrell did even better in 2002, winning his lone MVP and third Silver Slugger. He led in runs (124), walks (109), OPS (1.044), and WAR (9.6). Warrell’s WAR and OPS were career highs as was were his 46 home runs and 125 RBI.

Albuquerque was a wild card in 2002, but went on a playoff tear for their first American Association pennant since 1975. Warrell was AACS MVP as they ousted Nashville, but the Isotopes did lose to Milwaukee in the World Series. In the playoff run, Warrell had 19 starts, 18 runs, 28 hits, 5 doubles, 2 triples, 4 home runs, 14 RBI, 13 walks, and a 1.133 OPS. The Isotopes had first round losses in 2003, 2004, and 2006. They got back to the AACS in 2005, but fell to top seed Seattle.

Warrell was also a regular during his peak in the World Baseball Championship for the United States, starting 223 games from 1994-2004. He posted 169 hits, 164 runs, 32 doubles, 11 triples, 55 home runs, 55 home runs, 144 RBI, 185 walks, 326 strikeouts, 117 stolen bases, a .220/.382/.506 slash, 157 wRC+, and 11.2 WAR. As of 2037, Warrell has the third most walks and strikeouts in WBC history. He also ranks 15th in runs scored.

In 1996, Warrell was WBC MVP, leading all players in homers (12), RBI (27), walks (17), total bases (70), and WAR (2.2). He led in walks drawn five times, runs twice, strikeouts thrice, and steals twice. Warrell was third in WBC MVP voting in both 1994 and 2002. He was a key part of six world champion American teams (1996, 97, 98, 2000, 01, 03).

After his 2002 MVP season for Albuquerque, Warrell was never quite as dominant again. He was still good enough and well liked to stick around. Warrell declined his contract option after the 2005 season, but inked a new three-year, $30 million deal with the Isotopes. 2006 would be a disaster though with a ruptured Achilles tendon in late June, knocking him out 14 months. Warrell did come back for two more solid seasons to conclude a 16-year run in New Mexico.

The Isotopes got the #1 seed in 2008 at 104-58, but again went one-and-done despite the bye. Warrell’s playoff stats overall weren’t bad over 44 starts, 45 hits, 29 runs, 7 doubles, 4 triples, 8 homers, 26 RBI, 29 walks, 15 steals, a .281/.387/.525 slash, and 142 wRC+. While some critics noted that Albuquerque underperformed in this era, Warrell still helped them to their first pennant in 25 years.

With Albuquerque, Warrell had 2007 hits, 1453 runs, 320 doubles, 107 triples, 447 home runs, 1284 RBI, 1265 walks, 1754 strikeouts, 500 stolen bases, a .266/.376/.515 slash, 139 wRC+, and 84.3 WAR. The Isotopes would eventually retire Warrell’s #14 uniform. He was a free agent for the first time at age 37 and signed a three-year, $35,400,000 deal with Charlotte.

Warrell had a career best 114 walks in his Charlotte debut and got 112 walks two years later. In total, he had 353 hits, 232 runs, 52 doubles, 11 triples, 74 home runs, 219 RBI, 295 walks, .230/.359/.423 slash, 116 wRC+, and 9.7 WAR. The Canaries took the #2 seed in 2011, but went one-and-done. While in Charlotte, Warrell reached the 1500 runs scored and 1500 walks drawn milestones.

Now 40-years old, Warrell signed a three-year, $39,100,000 deal with Calgary. He was merely okay starting in 2012, but trouble struck in August with a broken kneecap. A setback required surgery, putting him out almost all of 2013. Warrell returned as a part-time starter in 2014, but stunk with -0.8 WAR over 86 games. In total for the Cheetahs, he played 212 games for 1.7 WAR, a .697 OPS, and 96 wRC+. Warrell retired after the 2014 season just after his 43rd birthday.

Warrell finished with 2824 games, 2517 hits, 1815 runs, 389 doubles, 123 triples, 557 home runs, 1586 RBI, 1656 walks, 2330 strikeouts, 597 stolen bases, a .256/.368/.491 slash, 132 wRC+, and 95.6 WAR. As of 2037, Warrell ranks 24th in runs, 85th in home runs, 99th in RBI, 6th in walks, 15th in strikeouts, and 70th in WAR among position players. In all of pro baseball history, Warrell sits 14th in walks drawn.

He had a unique skillset with impressive longevity. Warrell’s outstanding 150 run effort in 1994 earned him a significant place in MLB history. He didn’t have the raw dominance of some other Hall of Fame hopefuls, but Warrell hit enough milestones to secure the first ballot nod. He wasn’t an inner-circle guy at 76.8%, but this got him in to lead the two-player 2020 class.

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Cole “Buddha” Becenti – Second Base – Orlando Orcas – 73.8% First Ballot

Cole Becenti was a 6’2’’, 200 pound right-handed second baseman from Louisville, Kentucky. He would become the first Kentuckian to earn induction and the first player representing the Orlando Orcas. At his peak, Becenti was a well-rounded hitter that was good to occasionally great in terms of both contact and power. His eye for walks and avoiding strikeouts were both average to slightly below average. Becenti was notably better against left-handed pitching (152 wRC+, .915 OPS) but wasn’t bad against righties (135 wRC+, .843 OPS).

Becenti’s reliable power set him apart from many batters, getting 39 home runs and 30 doubles per his 162 game average. His baserunning skills were alright, but his speed was lousy. Despite that, Becenti’s range was respectable and he graded as reliably average defensively at second base. He started about ¾ of his games at 2B with the rest either at first base or as a designated hitter. Becenti ran into some knee troubles, but still held up for an 18-year pro career. He emerged as the first star player with Orlando, who joined MLB in the 1982 expansion.

It was a rough start for the Orcas, who were the last of those expansion teams to earn a playoff spot. Becenti caught their eye as he put up big numbers at Vanderbilt, winning a Silver Slugger his freshman year in 1996. He took second in NCAA MVP voting that year and third in 1997. As a Commodore, Becenti played 149 games with 174 hits, 110 runs, 33 doubles, 54 home runs, 110 RBI, 79 walks, .316/.406/.670 slash, 215 wRC+, and 11.2 WAR. In the 1998 MLB Draft, Orlando picked him with the #3 overall pick.

Becenti started most of his rookie year with okay results with 2.5 WAR in 131 games, taking third in Rookie of the Year voting. He broke out in his sophomore campaign, leading the American Association in both home runs (48) and WAR (9.9). Becenti won his first Silver Slugger and took second in MVP voting. He posted 6+ WAR each year from 2000-2005 and topped 9+ WAR in 2000, 2003, 2004, and 2005. Becenti won Silver Sluggers in 2002-05 at second base, then again in 2007 as a DH for the Orcas.

In 2003, Becenti won MVP, which was a rare feat for a second baseman. He led again in WAR (9.7) and home runs (50), getting career bests in homers, RBI (124), and hits (203). Orlando earned their first-ever playoff berth and division title, but went one-and-done. Despite Becenti’s best efforts, the Orcas would stay stuck at or below .500 for the rest of his run. Orlando wouldn’t make the playoffs again until 2024.

Becenti led in wRC+ (184) in 2004, although he wasn’t a league leader after that. He would smack 49 home runs in 2007 and breach 35+ dingers in four other seasons. Becenti finished third in 2004 and 2005’s MVP voting. Orlando gave him an eight-year, $61,340,000 extension after the 2002 season. 2006 would be his first major injury setback, missing most of the season to a torn meniscus in his right knee.

He would post three more solid years with the Orcas after that. Becenti also played 71 games from 2001-07 in the World Baseball Championship for the United States with 52 hits, 33 runs, 7 doubles, 17 home runs, 44 RBI, a .843 OPS, 145 wRC+, and 1.9 WAR. Becenti was part of world champion American teams in 2001, 2003, 2005, and 2007.

In total for Orlando, Becenti had 1778 hits, 923 runs, 295 doubles, 399 home runs, 1049 RBI, a .297/.345/.558 slash, 150 wRC+, and 74.0 WAR. His #2 uniform would later be the first number retired by the Orcas. Becenti’s run in central Florida ended after the 2009 season as he declined his contract option, becoming a free agent at age 32. He earned a big paycheck with San Francisco worth $72 million over five years.

Becenti’s Gold Rush debut was his best year, winning his seventh Silver Slugger. However, he tore his right knee meniscus again in 2011, missing most of the year. Becenti would struggle in the next two years in the Bay with only 1.8 WAR over 258 starts. San Francisco wouldn’t make the playoffs during his four year tenure, which saw 447 games, 447 hits, 202 runs, 59 doubles, 91 home runs, 252 RBI, a .262/.306/.461 slash, 116 wRC+, and 9.2 WAR. SF bought out the final year of Becenti’s contract, making him a free agent for 2014 at age 36.

He signed a one-year deal with Omaha and showed some of his old ability, posting 4.5 WAR, a 142 wRC+, .779 OPS, and 30 home runs with the Hawks. However, this was Becenti’s final MLB season. After struggling to find a suitor stateside, he opened up his search worldwide. Becenti ended up in West African Baseball and Burkina Faso on a three-year, $24,000,000 deal with Ouagadougou.

Becenti couldn’t carry over his 2014 momentum to WAB. He was average-at-best over 105 games in 2016 and below average in 2016, missing part of the year to elbow tendinitis. In 217 games for the Osprey, Becenti had 2.9 WAR and 100 wRC+. He didn’t meet the criteria for his deal, becoming a free agent again at age 39. Becenti hoped to catch on somewhere in 2017, but was unsigned and later retired at age 40.

For his MLB career, Becenti ended with 2381 hits, 1196 runs, 379 doubles, 520 home runs, 1383 RBI, a .288/.335/.532 slash, 143 wRC+, and 87.7 WAR. As of 2037, he doesn’t crack the top 100 in any major statistic. However, Becenti does rank 14th in WAR, 5th in home runs, and 18th in RBI accrued at second base. For his era, supporters noted that he was the American Association’s best second baseman.

There were detractors who felt Becenti’s raw numbers weren’t strong enough. Others held his lack of team success as a mark against him. Becenti wasn’t an inner-circle level guy, but in the 2000s you would have been hard pressed to find a better second baseman in MLB. At 73.8%, Becenti got enough for the first ballot induction with MLB’s 2020 Hall of Fame class

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