NCA #2 Fort Hagen Silver Shroud (66-42) vs SCA #3 Diamond City Swatters (61-47)
Fort Hagen Team Stats
Diamond City Team Stats
Game 1 Matchup
Analysis
These two clubs can now consider themselves familiar as we have the first ever rematch in the Sole Survivor Series when the Fort Hagen Silver Shroud host the Diamond City Swatters in Sole Survivor Series V.
The home team struggled in 2299, with the Shroud taking the first two games in Diamond City and the Swatters sweeping all three games in Fort Hagen. Game 6 broke the mold, though, when the Swatters claimed the championship with a 6-1 victory. Diamond City's 3B Allen Bishop claimed the Sole Survivor Series MVP award, but he has not parlayed that success into a huge 2300 season with his batting average dropping 65 points this season (.363 in 2299 vs .298 in 2300). On the other hand, the Game 6 winner, Tyler Powers, has been better in 2300 with an identical 15-4 record but a much better ERA (3.53 in 2299 vs 3.09 in 2300).
The Shroud looked to be off to a great start in the 2299 SSS with Brent Hooker dominating in Game 1. The blow came in Game 2 when staff ace in 2300, Derek Green, went down with an injury. Like Powers, he has been even better in 2300, improving his ERA by 52 points (3.25 in 2299 vs 2.73 in 2300). The first two pitchers match up evenly with the Swatters but win the battle when looking at the third pitcher in the rotation: Matt Hope (14-7, 3.51) vs Tim Fusion (8-16, 4.82). Fusion's struggles have been mysterious, and some speculate he suffered an injury at some point. Still, Diamond City manager Bucky Bachelor has defended his decision to start Fusion over City Moore (16-9, 3.88) who joined the Swatters in a mid-season trade with Starlight.
The similarity in this season's Sole Survivor Series is the pitching, but the difference is the offensive production of each team, giving the Shroud a definitive advantage. Fort Hagen led seven categories in the NCA, including runs scored (590), batting average (.287), OBP (.345), WAR (20.7), and extra-base hits (368). While they only finished 5th in home runs (113), they are good at getting on base and moving runners around. In fact, injured (and unavailable) 2B Mark Miller (.347/0/31) has the lowest number of RBI in the starting eight, but his ability to get on base and score will be missed. Howard Miracleman (no regular-season at-bats) replaces Miller in the lineup (.273/0/1 in 2300 playoffs).
Diamond City has also had a lot of players produce at least 30 RBI, but they produced 58 fewer runs (532) or about a half run fewer per game than the Silver Shroud. Really, two players have carried the Swatters offense in 2300: 1B Oren Gep (.333/37/87) and SS Wally Warwick (.335/26/81). Gep led the CBO in homers and finished 9th in RBI.
When it comes to the 2300 Sole Survivor Series, it looks to be a low-scoring matchup. That could mean either team just needs a small string of hits to win this one. Gep is most likely to be the difference-maker, but the Silver Shroud have several guys, including emerging star CF Ben Pawlak (.318/23/82) and LF Andrew Nuka (.295/27/90), who can match Gep's production. In the end, the 1-2-3 Starting Rotation for each team appears to be the true X-factor in the series. The team that pitches better will win this one.
Prediction
Diamond City was hands down the best team in the 2299 season. In 2300, they seem to have flaws, but not that many. Fort Hagen is a stronger team than it was last season and should be the favorite in this season's series. We will agree and pick the Silver Shroud to hoist the Sole Survivor Cup in 2300, 4 games to 3.