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FuzzyRussianHat · 04-11-2024, 04:22 AM

The National Association’s first round byes went to Philadelphia and Quebec City, who both finished 98-64. The Phillies ended a three-year playoff drought by winning the East Division. The Nordiques ended a five-year playoff drop to top a very strong Northeast Division. Both wild cards came from the Northeast with Montreal at 96-66 and Ottawa at 93-69. The Maples earned a third straight playoff berth, while the Elks ended a two-year drought. Defending National Association Toronto finished 90-72, narrowly keeping them from the postseason field. Washington fell seven short of Philly in the East Division with their 91-71 being two behind Ottawa for the last wild card.

The Lower Midwest Division came down to the final week with Indianapolis (91-71) edging Columbus (90-72). The Racers extended their playoff streak to four years, tied for the longest active streak in MLB. The Chargers were also three shy of the wild card, missing the postseason for only the second time in six years. The Upper Midwest had Cleveland end a three-year playoff drought, taking it at 90-72. Last year’s NACS runner-up Chicago and Detroit were tied for second at 86-76. Pennant winners only two years prior, Minneapolis plummeted to 69-93.

National Association MVP was Montreal RF Suhail Abou. He was a native of the United Arab Emirates that went undrafted, but he caught the attention of a Maples’ scout somehow and put it all together. In his second season at age 25, he led the NA in WAR (8.4), total bases (336), slugging (.577), OPS (.953), and wRC+ (197). Abou added 41 home runs and 105 RBI.

Chicago’s Qazi Khwaja won Pitcher of the Year in his sixth season with the Cubs. He had won the award in his previous stint with Karachi of the Asian Baseball Federation. The 31-year old Pakistani righty led in quality starts (28) and posted a 19-8 record, 2.08 ERA, 268.2 innings, 216 strikeouts, and 7.2 WAR. Khwaja would leave for Houston in the offseason on a massive six-year, $48,600,000 deal.

Montreal topped Cleveland 2-0 and Indianapolis edged Ottawa 2-1 in the first round of the playoffs. Quebec City survived 3-2 against the neighboring Maples in round two, while the Racers upset Philadelphia 3-1. This was the Nordiques’ first-ever appearance in the National Association Championship Series since joining in the 1982 expansion. Indy was making their second appearance in four years. In six games, the Racers prevailed over QC, making Indianapolis nine-time pennant winners. This tied them with Philadelphia and Montreal for the second-most NA pennants, one behind Ottawa’s ten.

After just missing the postseason in the two years since their 1996 World Series win, Edmonton re-emerged as a top contender. The Eels set a franchise record at 108-54, winning the Northwest Division and posting the American Association’s best mark. The other bye was Atlanta at 102-60 atop the Southeast Division. The Aces earned their second division title in three years. San Francisco ended their own two-year playoff drought, winning the Southwest Division at 96-66. Houston claimed a weak South Central Division at 86-76 for their third division title in five years.

San Diego finished 94-68, two games behind the Gold Rush for the division. This was still plenty to give the Seals their fourth consecutive playoff berth. Seattle repeated as a wild card, taking the other slot at 92-70. Also in the mix but falling short were Las Vegas (90-72), Charlotte (88-74), and Nashville (88-74). Defending World Series champion Vancouver came up short at 85-77. Their AACS foe in 1998 Los Angeles fell to 79-83. That was only the second losing season of the 1990s for the Angels.

American Association MVP went to San Francisco LF Leegan Shea. The Modesto, California native had won the Rookie of the Year the prior season, debuting with a 53 home run season. The 22-year old lefty saw an AA-best 56 dingers in his sophomore campaign, along with the top mark in slugging (.628), OPS (.980), and wRC+ (162). Shea added 8,0 WAR, 116 runs, and 131 RBI with a .293 average. Sadly, Shea’s career peaked here. Although he played another 15 seasons, various injuries severely limited what many thought could be a Hall of Fame career. These first two seasons helped him get paid as the Gold Rush signed him after the 2002 season to an eight-year, $74,500,000 deal.

Pitcher of the Year came in another sophomore season from Calgary’s Daniel Grondin. He had posted his own awesome 8.1 WAR season the prior year as a rookie. The Abbotsford, British Colombia native was the WARlord at 12.59, posting the second-highest total by a MLB pitcher ever. He was narrowly behind TJ Nakabayashi’s 12.64 in 1991. Grondin led in quality starts (26), complete games (24), and FIP- (53). He added a 22-9 record over 304.1 innings with a 2.57 ERA and 323 strikeouts.

San Diego went on the road and swept Houston in the first round, while San Francisco survived 2-1 against Seattle. The Gold Rush upset Atlanta 3-2 in the second round, while Edmonton outlasted a fierce challenge by the Seals in five. This was SF’s first American Association Championship Series appearance since winning the 1994 World Series. The top seeded Eels would take the series 4-2, winning their third pennant in only 18 seasons of existence (1988, 1996, 1999).

Despite their newness, Edmonton was gunning for their second World Series ring in four years. For Indianapolis, they hoped the ninth time would be the charm, as they were 0-8 previously in the Fall Classic. The Racers continued to be snake bitten as the Eels won the 99^th World Series 4-2. 2B Keith Brunet was World Series MVP. In 17 playoff starts, the 25-year old Canadian had 19 hits, 11 runs, 4 doubles, 2 home runs, and 13 RBI.

With Indy falling to 0-9, no team in any world league has made more championships without winning at least once. Meanwhile, Edmonton’s 108-54 was the best record by a World Series winner since Calgary’s 1987 title, The 1999 Eels make a case for the top MLB team of the decade.

Other notes: Chris Greer became the 40^th MLB pitcher to 250 career wins. Ambrose Heidinger was the 66^th to reach 500 home runs. CF Jonathan Valenzuela won his ninth Gold Glove. SS Matteo Canetti won his seventh Silver Slugger.

Major League Baseball’s 1990s were technically the lowest scoring in its 99-year history. However, it was only slightly down from prior years, as MLB had maintained an impressive consistency in its history. The National Association’s ERA was 3.44 with a .247 batting average; both grading out as just below average on the greater historical scale. The American Association had a .258 average and 3.98 ERA. This was above average on the historical scale, but among the highest of any league in the 1990s. MLB’s stats would slightly drop in the next 20 years before rule changes would boost it up in the 2020s.

04-11-2024, 04:22 AM	#1143
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,816	1999 in MLB The National Association’s first round byes went to Philadelphia and Quebec City, who both finished 98-64. The Phillies ended a three-year playoff drought by winning the East Division. The Nordiques ended a five-year playoff drop to top a very strong Northeast Division. Both wild cards came from the Northeast with Montreal at 96-66 and Ottawa at 93-69. The Maples earned a third straight playoff berth, while the Elks ended a two-year drought. Defending National Association Toronto finished 90-72, narrowly keeping them from the postseason field. Washington fell seven short of Philly in the East Division with their 91-71 being two behind Ottawa for the last wild card. The Lower Midwest Division came down to the final week with Indianapolis (91-71) edging Columbus (90-72). The Racers extended their playoff streak to four years, tied for the longest active streak in MLB. The Chargers were also three shy of the wild card, missing the postseason for only the second time in six years. The Upper Midwest had Cleveland end a three-year playoff drought, taking it at 90-72. Last year’s NACS runner-up Chicago and Detroit were tied for second at 86-76. Pennant winners only two years prior, Minneapolis plummeted to 69-93. National Association MVP was Montreal RF Suhail Abou. He was a native of the United Arab Emirates that went undrafted, but he caught the attention of a Maples’ scout somehow and put it all together. In his second season at age 25, he led the NA in WAR (8.4), total bases (336), slugging (.577), OPS (.953), and wRC+ (197). Abou added 41 home runs and 105 RBI. Chicago’s Qazi Khwaja won Pitcher of the Year in his sixth season with the Cubs. He had won the award in his previous stint with Karachi of the Asian Baseball Federation. The 31-year old Pakistani righty led in quality starts (28) and posted a 19-8 record, 2.08 ERA, 268.2 innings, 216 strikeouts, and 7.2 WAR. Khwaja would leave for Houston in the offseason on a massive six-year, $48,600,000 deal. Montreal topped Cleveland 2-0 and Indianapolis edged Ottawa 2-1 in the first round of the playoffs. Quebec City survived 3-2 against the neighboring Maples in round two, while the Racers upset Philadelphia 3-1. This was the Nordiques’ first-ever appearance in the National Association Championship Series since joining in the 1982 expansion. Indy was making their second appearance in four years. In six games, the Racers prevailed over QC, making Indianapolis nine-time pennant winners. This tied them with Philadelphia and Montreal for the second-most NA pennants, one behind Ottawa’s ten. After just missing the postseason in the two years since their 1996 World Series win, Edmonton re-emerged as a top contender. The Eels set a franchise record at 108-54, winning the Northwest Division and posting the American Association’s best mark. The other bye was Atlanta at 102-60 atop the Southeast Division. The Aces earned their second division title in three years. San Francisco ended their own two-year playoff drought, winning the Southwest Division at 96-66. Houston claimed a weak South Central Division at 86-76 for their third division title in five years. San Diego finished 94-68, two games behind the Gold Rush for the division. This was still plenty to give the Seals their fourth consecutive playoff berth. Seattle repeated as a wild card, taking the other slot at 92-70. Also in the mix but falling short were Las Vegas (90-72), Charlotte (88-74), and Nashville (88-74). Defending World Series champion Vancouver came up short at 85-77. Their AACS foe in 1998 Los Angeles fell to 79-83. That was only the second losing season of the 1990s for the Angels. American Association MVP went to San Francisco LF Leegan Shea. The Modesto, California native had won the Rookie of the Year the prior season, debuting with a 53 home run season. The 22-year old lefty saw an AA-best 56 dingers in his sophomore campaign, along with the top mark in slugging (.628), OPS (.980), and wRC+ (162). Shea added 8,0 WAR, 116 runs, and 131 RBI with a .293 average. Sadly, Shea’s career peaked here. Although he played another 15 seasons, various injuries severely limited what many thought could be a Hall of Fame career. These first two seasons helped him get paid as the Gold Rush signed him after the 2002 season to an eight-year, $74,500,000 deal. Pitcher of the Year came in another sophomore season from Calgary’s Daniel Grondin. He had posted his own awesome 8.1 WAR season the prior year as a rookie. The Abbotsford, British Colombia native was the WARlord at 12.59, posting the second-highest total by a MLB pitcher ever. He was narrowly behind TJ Nakabayashi’s 12.64 in 1991. Grondin led in quality starts (26), complete games (24), and FIP- (53). He added a 22-9 record over 304.1 innings with a 2.57 ERA and 323 strikeouts. San Diego went on the road and swept Houston in the first round, while San Francisco survived 2-1 against Seattle. The Gold Rush upset Atlanta 3-2 in the second round, while Edmonton outlasted a fierce challenge by the Seals in five. This was SF’s first American Association Championship Series appearance since winning the 1994 World Series. The top seeded Eels would take the series 4-2, winning their third pennant in only 18 seasons of existence (1988, 1996, 1999). Despite their newness, Edmonton was gunning for their second World Series ring in four years. For Indianapolis, they hoped the ninth time would be the charm, as they were 0-8 previously in the Fall Classic. The Racers continued to be snake bitten as the Eels won the 99^th World Series 4-2. 2B Keith Brunet was World Series MVP. In 17 playoff starts, the 25-year old Canadian had 19 hits, 11 runs, 4 doubles, 2 home runs, and 13 RBI. With Indy falling to 0-9, no team in any world league has made more championships without winning at least once. Meanwhile, Edmonton’s 108-54 was the best record by a World Series winner since Calgary’s 1987 title, The 1999 Eels make a case for the top MLB team of the decade. Other notes: Chris Greer became the 40^th MLB pitcher to 250 career wins. Ambrose Heidinger was the 66^th to reach 500 home runs. CF Jonathan Valenzuela won his ninth Gold Glove. SS Matteo Canetti won his seventh Silver Slugger. Major League Baseball’s 1990s were technically the lowest scoring in its 99-year history. However, it was only slightly down from prior years, as MLB had maintained an impressive consistency in its history. The National Association’s ERA was 3.44 with a .247 batting average; both grading out as just below average on the greater historical scale. The American Association had a .258 average and 3.98 ERA. This was above average on the historical scale, but among the highest of any league in the 1990s. MLB’s stats would slightly drop in the next 20 years before rule changes would boost it up in the 2020s. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)