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FuzzyRussianHat · 01-20-2025, 08:12 AM

Defending National Association champ Cincinnati once again was the top seed, winning their fourth consecutive Lower Midwest Division title at 107-55. The Reds led the NA in runs scored (739) and allowed the fewest runs in all of Major League Baseball (530). The next best records battled for the Upper Midwest Division crown with Detroit (101-61) edging out last year’s NACS runner-up Chicago (99-63). The Tigers have 14 playoff berths since 2001, while the Cubs as the first wild card grew their streak to four years.

Washington won their second East Division title in three years with a 98-64 finish, while Toronto claimed the Northeast Division at 95-67. The Timberwolves ended a six-year playoff drought with the result. The three Northeast teams that made the 2022 playoff field fell below .500 in 2023 with Boston (79-83), Quebec City (80-82), and Ottawa (77-85) each dropping off. The Elks notably had won 102 games the prior season. The Admirals’ pitching allowed 239 walks with a 1.45 BB/9, both setting all-time MLB records.

The remaining two wild cards came out of the East with Brooklyn (91-71) and Virginia Beach (89-73). Missing the cut were Philadelphia (86-76), Omaha (86-76), Minneapolis (85-77), Winnipeg (84-78), Halifax (84-78), and Louisville (84-78). The Dodgers ended a five-year playoff drought, while the Vikings earned back-to-back berths.

National Association MVP was a Cincinnati Red for the fourth consecutive year, but Mike Rojas’ didn’t make it a four-peat. Teammate Don Jolves took it in his sixth season, leading in runs (121), and WAR (9.4). The 26-year old French right fielder had 204 hits, 31 doubles, 14 triples, 24 home runs, 84 RBI, 40 stolen bases, .912 OPS, and 180 wRC+.

For the second time in three years, Minneapolis lefty Kipp Semykin earned Pitcher of the Year. The 27-year old from Springfield, Missouri won the ERA title (2.04) and led in WAR (8.7), quality starts (28), and innings (274). Nicknamed “Snake,” Semykin had an 18-9 record, 236 strikeouts, and 168 ERA+.

Detroit was the lone division champ to advance out of the first round, defeating Virginia Beach 3-1. Chicago upset Toronto 3-1 and Brooklyn outlasted Washington 3-2 in the other matchups. The top two seeds cruised in round two though with the Tigers sweeping the Cubs 3-0 and Cincinnati sweeping the Dodgers 3-0. This guaranteed four National Association pennants in four years split between the two. The Reds won in 2020 and 2022, while Detroit took it in 2021. Despite the recent successes, this was their first clash in the National Association Championship Series. However, the Tigers did edge the Reds 3-2 in the second round back in 2021.

Cincinnati got revenge for that break in their success, winning the 2023 NACS 4-2 over Detroit. The Reds became the fifth franchise in NA history to win three pennants in four years, joining Kansas City (2016-19), Philadelphia (2010-13, and 1941-47 seven-peat), Winnipeg (2004-07), and St. Louis (1908-10). It was Cincy’s sixth title overall (1919, 2008, 2009, 2020, 2022, 2023)

The American Association had a fairly competitive field with five times finishing within only six games of the top seed. The top two records both came out of the Northwest Division as Seattle (101-61) outraced Anchorage (98-64). The Grizzlies earned their second playoff berth in three years, although it was their first division title since 2007. For the Avalanche as the first wild card, they’re the first of the 2021 expansion teams to make the playoffs, an impressive feat for a third-year franchise. Anchorage allowed the fewest runs in the AA at 555.

Defending World Series champ Denver’s historic 13-year Northwest Division title streak ended as the Dragons missed the playoffs at 85-77. During the run, Denver had four World Series titles, eight AACS berths, and two Baseball Grand Championship wins. 13 years remains the longest playoff streak in MLB history as of 2037, although Seattle would give it a run in the upcoming years.

San Diego earned the #2 seed at 97-65, edging out both Phoenix (95-67) and Las Vegas (93-69) in a tough Southwest Division. The Seals were the top scoring team at 829 runs, ending a 12-year playoff drought. The Firebirds and Vipers took the remaining wild card spots, making it back in the playoffs after brief absences. Los Angeles, who had won the division with back-to-back 100+ seasons, missed out at 87-75. The 2022 AACS runner-up San Francisco also missed a third straight playoff berth with their 86-76 finish.

New Orleans at 96-66 was the South Central Division winner for the third time in four years and the fifth time in eight years. Dallas at 92-70 missed the division by four games and was one behind Las Vegas for the second wild card. Austin was in the mix at 89-73 and last year’s division winner Houston was 87-75.

The Southwest Division went to 89-73 Atlanta for their third playoff berth in four years. The Aces narrowly bested Jacksonville (87-75) and Miami (82-80). Nashville, the division winner the prior two years, dropped to 79-83. The Gators posted a seventh consecutive winning season, although their playoff drought grew to six. Albeit narrowly, the historically hapless Mallards posted back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since the early 1930s. Miami’s playoff drought is now 51 seasons, approaching the all-time worst of 54 seasons by 1901-54 Oklahoma City.

For the second time in three years, American Association MVP went to San Diego LF Ben Conlee. The 29-year old Californian led in RBI (132) while adding 108 runs, 43 homers, .339/.389/.619 slash, 1.008 OPS, and 8.7 WAR. Notably second in MVP voting was Oklahoma City LF Neil Hollinger, who earned Rookie of the Year honors. The #2 overall pick led in total bases (378) and had 48 homers, 127 RBI, 1.054 OPS, and 8.5 WAR. Hollinger was the sixth ROTY winner in AA history to debut with an 8+ WAR effort.

Pitcher of the Year was Anchorage lefty Terry Bowles in his third season. The 22-year old from Oak Park, Illinois had a 20-9 record, 2.50 ERA, 263 innings, 259 strikeouts, 150 ERA+, and 6.8 WAR. Bowles had a no-hitter on September 3 against Nashville with nine strikeouts and three walks. He remained the top ace in Alaska for the long haul, signing a seven-year, $154,700,000 extension after the 2025 campaign.

Also worth a mention was veteran reliever Stevie Ray Thornton winning his fourth Reliever of the Year, becoming only the third in MLB history to win the award four times. It was an impressive return to form for the 39-year old, who won in 2007 and 2010 with Philadelphia and in 2015 for Brooklyn. With Denver in 2023, Thornton had a 1.01 ERA over 71.1 innings, 21 saves, 92 strikeouts, and 3.9 WAR. He would start 2024 on a strong pace with Denver, but would suffer a career-ending torn rotator cuff in late May.

It was all division champ victories in the first round with Atlanta over Anchorage 3-1, plus sweeps with New Orleans over Phoenix and San Diego over Las Vegas. Top seed Seattle ousted the Aces 3-1 in round two, while the Seals defeated the Mudcats 3-1. The Grizzlies hadn’t gotten to the American Association Championship Series since 2007, which saw a defeat against San Diego. The Seals won pennants in 2007, 2008, and 2010; but hadn’t made into the playoffs since.

Like in 2007, the 2023 AACS needed all seven games but the result was the same. San Diego defeated Seattle to give the Seals their fourth pennant of the 21^st Century and their tenth overall (1936, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1966, 1967, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2023). Ten pennants ties San Diego with both Houston and Denver for the second-most, while Phoenix holds the lead at 13.

The 123^rd World Series was a rematch of the 2008 Fall Classic, which saw Cincinnati defeat San Diego 4-1. After losing the 2020 and 2022 World Series, the Reds took it in 2023 with a 4-2 victory over the Seals. Cincy secured its third title, joining the 1919 and 2008 wins. This also ended a four-year streak of titles by National Association teams. National Association MVP Don Jolves had a huge postseason run for the Reds, taking World Series MVP and NACS MVP. In 15 playoff starts, Jolves had 25 hits, 14 runs, 4 doubles, 1 triple, 5 home runs, 13 RBI, 1.103 OPS, and 1.4 WAR.

Other notes: Killian Fruechte, Isaac Cox, and Graham Gregor each reached 700 career home runs, a mark now reached by nine in MLB. They all hoped to catch Cody Lim’s record of 758, set only two years prior. The now 39-year old Fruechte hit 34 in his second year with New Orleans, ending the season with 730. Cox was only 36-years old, having signed with Detroit in 2023 after 15 years with Denver. He socked 37 dingers in 2023 to get to 722 homers, placing him fifth all-time behind Lim, Elijah Cashman (750), Kaby Silva (731), and Fruechte (730).

The 44-year old Gregor hit 13 with Atlanta to get to 703, which ranked him ninth with R.J. Clinton (712), Sebastian Lunde (712), and Ryan Skramesto (710) next in line. The ageless Gregor also became the 12^th member of the 3500 hit club. He planned to return for a 25^th season in 2024 with the Aces, his eighth team. Lorenzen Campbell became the 30^th member of the 600 home run club. Wei Wang was the 64^th to reach 3000 hits. In pitching milestones, Vincent Lepp and Sunny Williams became the 27^th and 28^th to earn 3500 strikeouts. The Reds’ Rowney Simpson threw his second career no-hitter, doing it with 9 Ks and 2 BB over Kansas City on August 23.

SS Ledell Pinnock and LF Max Baldwin both won their 7^th Gold Gloves. SS Fritz Louissi won his 11^th Silver Slugger, joining CF Morgan Short and P Khaled Scott as the only 11-time winners at any spot in MLB history. 1B Jason Perazzo won his 7^th Silver Slugger and his 6^th specifically at 1B.

01-20-2025, 08:12 AM	#1993
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,201	2023 in MLB Defending National Association champ Cincinnati once again was the top seed, winning their fourth consecutive Lower Midwest Division title at 107-55. The Reds led the NA in runs scored (739) and allowed the fewest runs in all of Major League Baseball (530). The next best records battled for the Upper Midwest Division crown with Detroit (101-61) edging out last year’s NACS runner-up Chicago (99-63). The Tigers have 14 playoff berths since 2001, while the Cubs as the first wild card grew their streak to four years. Washington won their second East Division title in three years with a 98-64 finish, while Toronto claimed the Northeast Division at 95-67. The Timberwolves ended a six-year playoff drought with the result. The three Northeast teams that made the 2022 playoff field fell below .500 in 2023 with Boston (79-83), Quebec City (80-82), and Ottawa (77-85) each dropping off. The Elks notably had won 102 games the prior season. The Admirals’ pitching allowed 239 walks with a 1.45 BB/9, both setting all-time MLB records. The remaining two wild cards came out of the East with Brooklyn (91-71) and Virginia Beach (89-73). Missing the cut were Philadelphia (86-76), Omaha (86-76), Minneapolis (85-77), Winnipeg (84-78), Halifax (84-78), and Louisville (84-78). The Dodgers ended a five-year playoff drought, while the Vikings earned back-to-back berths. National Association MVP was a Cincinnati Red for the fourth consecutive year, but Mike Rojas’ didn’t make it a four-peat. Teammate Don Jolves took it in his sixth season, leading in runs (121), and WAR (9.4). The 26-year old French right fielder had 204 hits, 31 doubles, 14 triples, 24 home runs, 84 RBI, 40 stolen bases, .912 OPS, and 180 wRC+. For the second time in three years, Minneapolis lefty Kipp Semykin earned Pitcher of the Year. The 27-year old from Springfield, Missouri won the ERA title (2.04) and led in WAR (8.7), quality starts (28), and innings (274). Nicknamed “Snake,” Semykin had an 18-9 record, 236 strikeouts, and 168 ERA+. Detroit was the lone division champ to advance out of the first round, defeating Virginia Beach 3-1. Chicago upset Toronto 3-1 and Brooklyn outlasted Washington 3-2 in the other matchups. The top two seeds cruised in round two though with the Tigers sweeping the Cubs 3-0 and Cincinnati sweeping the Dodgers 3-0. This guaranteed four National Association pennants in four years split between the two. The Reds won in 2020 and 2022, while Detroit took it in 2021. Despite the recent successes, this was their first clash in the National Association Championship Series. However, the Tigers did edge the Reds 3-2 in the second round back in 2021. Cincinnati got revenge for that break in their success, winning the 2023 NACS 4-2 over Detroit. The Reds became the fifth franchise in NA history to win three pennants in four years, joining Kansas City (2016-19), Philadelphia (2010-13, and 1941-47 seven-peat), Winnipeg (2004-07), and St. Louis (1908-10). It was Cincy’s sixth title overall (1919, 2008, 2009, 2020, 2022, 2023) The American Association had a fairly competitive field with five times finishing within only six games of the top seed. The top two records both came out of the Northwest Division as Seattle (101-61) outraced Anchorage (98-64). The Grizzlies earned their second playoff berth in three years, although it was their first division title since 2007. For the Avalanche as the first wild card, they’re the first of the 2021 expansion teams to make the playoffs, an impressive feat for a third-year franchise. Anchorage allowed the fewest runs in the AA at 555. Defending World Series champ Denver’s historic 13-year Northwest Division title streak ended as the Dragons missed the playoffs at 85-77. During the run, Denver had four World Series titles, eight AACS berths, and two Baseball Grand Championship wins. 13 years remains the longest playoff streak in MLB history as of 2037, although Seattle would give it a run in the upcoming years. San Diego earned the #2 seed at 97-65, edging out both Phoenix (95-67) and Las Vegas (93-69) in a tough Southwest Division. The Seals were the top scoring team at 829 runs, ending a 12-year playoff drought. The Firebirds and Vipers took the remaining wild card spots, making it back in the playoffs after brief absences. Los Angeles, who had won the division with back-to-back 100+ seasons, missed out at 87-75. The 2022 AACS runner-up San Francisco also missed a third straight playoff berth with their 86-76 finish. New Orleans at 96-66 was the South Central Division winner for the third time in four years and the fifth time in eight years. Dallas at 92-70 missed the division by four games and was one behind Las Vegas for the second wild card. Austin was in the mix at 89-73 and last year’s division winner Houston was 87-75. The Southwest Division went to 89-73 Atlanta for their third playoff berth in four years. The Aces narrowly bested Jacksonville (87-75) and Miami (82-80). Nashville, the division winner the prior two years, dropped to 79-83. The Gators posted a seventh consecutive winning season, although their playoff drought grew to six. Albeit narrowly, the historically hapless Mallards posted back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since the early 1930s. Miami’s playoff drought is now 51 seasons, approaching the all-time worst of 54 seasons by 1901-54 Oklahoma City. For the second time in three years, American Association MVP went to San Diego LF Ben Conlee. The 29-year old Californian led in RBI (132) while adding 108 runs, 43 homers, .339/.389/.619 slash, 1.008 OPS, and 8.7 WAR. Notably second in MVP voting was Oklahoma City LF Neil Hollinger, who earned Rookie of the Year honors. The #2 overall pick led in total bases (378) and had 48 homers, 127 RBI, 1.054 OPS, and 8.5 WAR. Hollinger was the sixth ROTY winner in AA history to debut with an 8+ WAR effort. Pitcher of the Year was Anchorage lefty Terry Bowles in his third season. The 22-year old from Oak Park, Illinois had a 20-9 record, 2.50 ERA, 263 innings, 259 strikeouts, 150 ERA+, and 6.8 WAR. Bowles had a no-hitter on September 3 against Nashville with nine strikeouts and three walks. He remained the top ace in Alaska for the long haul, signing a seven-year, $154,700,000 extension after the 2025 campaign. Also worth a mention was veteran reliever Stevie Ray Thornton winning his fourth Reliever of the Year, becoming only the third in MLB history to win the award four times. It was an impressive return to form for the 39-year old, who won in 2007 and 2010 with Philadelphia and in 2015 for Brooklyn. With Denver in 2023, Thornton had a 1.01 ERA over 71.1 innings, 21 saves, 92 strikeouts, and 3.9 WAR. He would start 2024 on a strong pace with Denver, but would suffer a career-ending torn rotator cuff in late May. It was all division champ victories in the first round with Atlanta over Anchorage 3-1, plus sweeps with New Orleans over Phoenix and San Diego over Las Vegas. Top seed Seattle ousted the Aces 3-1 in round two, while the Seals defeated the Mudcats 3-1. The Grizzlies hadn’t gotten to the American Association Championship Series since 2007, which saw a defeat against San Diego. The Seals won pennants in 2007, 2008, and 2010; but hadn’t made into the playoffs since. Like in 2007, the 2023 AACS needed all seven games but the result was the same. San Diego defeated Seattle to give the Seals their fourth pennant of the 21^st Century and their tenth overall (1936, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1966, 1967, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2023). Ten pennants ties San Diego with both Houston and Denver for the second-most, while Phoenix holds the lead at 13. The 123^rd World Series was a rematch of the 2008 Fall Classic, which saw Cincinnati defeat San Diego 4-1. After losing the 2020 and 2022 World Series, the Reds took it in 2023 with a 4-2 victory over the Seals. Cincy secured its third title, joining the 1919 and 2008 wins. This also ended a four-year streak of titles by National Association teams. National Association MVP Don Jolves had a huge postseason run for the Reds, taking World Series MVP and NACS MVP. In 15 playoff starts, Jolves had 25 hits, 14 runs, 4 doubles, 1 triple, 5 home runs, 13 RBI, 1.103 OPS, and 1.4 WAR. Other notes: Killian Fruechte, Isaac Cox, and Graham Gregor each reached 700 career home runs, a mark now reached by nine in MLB. They all hoped to catch Cody Lim’s record of 758, set only two years prior. The now 39-year old Fruechte hit 34 in his second year with New Orleans, ending the season with 730. Cox was only 36-years old, having signed with Detroit in 2023 after 15 years with Denver. He socked 37 dingers in 2023 to get to 722 homers, placing him fifth all-time behind Lim, Elijah Cashman (750), Kaby Silva (731), and Fruechte (730). The 44-year old Gregor hit 13 with Atlanta to get to 703, which ranked him ninth with R.J. Clinton (712), Sebastian Lunde (712), and Ryan Skramesto (710) next in line. The ageless Gregor also became the 12^th member of the 3500 hit club. He planned to return for a 25^th season in 2024 with the Aces, his eighth team. Lorenzen Campbell became the 30^th member of the 600 home run club. Wei Wang was the 64^th to reach 3000 hits. In pitching milestones, Vincent Lepp and Sunny Williams became the 27^th and 28^th to earn 3500 strikeouts. The Reds’ Rowney Simpson threw his second career no-hitter, doing it with 9 Ks and 2 BB over Kansas City on August 23. SS Ledell Pinnock and LF Max Baldwin both won their 7^th Gold Gloves. SS Fritz Louissi won his 11^th Silver Slugger, joining CF Morgan Short and P Khaled Scott as the only 11-time winners at any spot in MLB history. 1B Jason Perazzo won his 7^th Silver Slugger and his 6^th specifically at 1B. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports The Level Playing Field: Alternate MLB History From 1884-Onward Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)