Balmoral, Oxford
Set on the banks of the Taw River as it winds its way down from the Amethyst Mountains, Balmoral is the center of Braeland’s academia. King Hugh University and Oxford College are the two most prestigious centers of higher education on the island. Belying its staid outward appearance though, the Balmoral Student Games is an immensely popular event held every year since 1911. While rowing, football and track events have long dominated, a new sport, baseball, is quickly taking precedence. In fact, the annual matchup between the King Hugh Kingfishers and the Oxford Duck-Bills is followed with keen interest across the island.
Balmoral’s professional ball club, the Giants, will play at Foster Field, named for Andrew Rube Foster, the “father of Black Baseball”.
1937 Training Camp Record: 17-11, 1st place in WL.
1937-38 Projected Finish: 73-81, 28 GB, 5th place in WL.
Minor League System Ranking: 6th.
What the pundits are saying:
Quote:
“If there’s any team that will be riding its pitching staff to success, it will be the Balmoral Giants. Projected to finish 2nd overall in runs allowed/ ERA (689/3.82), the pitching will have to carry the day, as the offence is projected to finish dead last in runs scored (638). RHP Noriaki Ito (78/78), LHP David Cooling (67/67) and LHP Ethan Umbleby (60/60) will be the top three starters and RHP Bradley Cowell (74/75) will be their top relief man. Cooling is projected to have a Top-10 performance (14-15, 2.90) that may be indicative of the team’s offensive struggles. Offensive talent is just not very generous on the club, as 39-year old 3B Hector Gonzáles (68/68) and SS Vince Bailey (46/75) are the only threats in the lineup. That could spell trouble if the Giants don’t find other quality players to back them up. They do have an intriguing prospect in C Neil Voigt (21/77), but at 18 years of age, he is still a few years away and not nearly enough to inject some badly needed firepower into what looks like a rather anemic offense.”
- Milton Weber, Balmoral Tribune
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Balmoral Giants Uniform Timeline:
