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FuzzyRussianHat · 02-02-2025, 02:20 PM

Since 2009, Beisbol Sudamerica players required ten years of service time before being eligible for free agency, which was the most restrictive of all world leagues along with Eurasian Professional Baseball. Players were finally able to fight back against that and got the requirement lowered to nine years starting with 2024. It was still quite restrictive, but still a win. BSA’s requirements had been as low as seven years from 1968-77, but had gradually grown more restrictive.

The Bolivar League’s Colombia-Ecuador Division was absolutely stacked, led by Quito with a franchise-record 112-50. The Thunderbolts allowed the fewest runs at 585 and won plenty of tight games, tying the BSA record for team saves with 62. Quito ended a three-year playoff drought with the result. Barranquilla was 11 back in second place despite their own excellent 101-61 season. The Blues grew their playoff streak to three years, as did second wild card Cali at 94-68.

As BSA doesn’t give division champs seeding preference, the top three seeds ended up being Quito, Barranquilla, and Cali; meaning the other two division champs were relegated to the first round series. Peru-Bolivia Division champ Santa Cruz finished 94-68, but lost the seeding tiebreaker with the Cyclones. The Crawfish ended a three-way playoff drought, besting both Callao and Lima by nine games and Arequipa by ten. Santa Cruz was the BL’s top scoring team with 853 runs.

Two-time defending Copa Sudamerica champion Caracas had their three-peat bid thwarted. The Colts’ seven-year reign atop the Venezuela Division ended in 2024 by the thinnest margin. Caracas and Valencia tied for first at 89-73, but the Velocity prevailed in the tiebreaker game to advance. Although it was Valencia’s first division title since 2012, they earned their third playoff trip in four years.

Leading Valencia’s efforts was Bolivar League MVP Santino Garza. The 28-year old Venezuelan designated hitter led in hits (235), doubles (49), home runs (61), RBI (161), total bases (479), slugging (.731), and WAR (9.7). Garza’s .359 average fell one point short of a Triple Crown season and his RBI tally was the fifth-best single season in BSA history. He also had 1.126 OPS, 187 wRC+, and 123 runs. In the winter, the Velocity gave Garza an eight-year, $105,400,000 extension.

Santa Cruz righty Bartolo Flores won his second Pitcher of the Year, having also earned the honor in 2021. For 2024, the 26-year old Ecuadoran led in wins (21-4), strikeouts (330), WHIP (0.88), and WAR (7.8). Flores’ 2.68 ERA was second in the league to Arequipa’s Geraldo Garcia’s 2.47. Flores had 155 ERA+ over 245 innings.

The Crawfish beat Valencia 2-0 in the first round, then lost 3-1 to Quito in the Divisional Series. On the other side, Barranquilla topped Cali 3-1 to send the top two seeds to the Bolivar League Championship Series. It was the first BLCS since 2006 for the Thunderbolts and the first ever for the 2009 expansion Blues. #1 seed Quito clobbered Barranquilla with a sweep to end a 29-year pennant drought. The Thunderbolts became seven-time Bolivar League champs (1963, 1964, 1965, 1981, 1983, 1994, 2024).

At 103-59, Santiago was the Southern Cone League’s top seed for the third consecutive season. The Saints won their fifth straight South Central Division title and earned their ninth playoff trip in ten years. Santiago was the league’s top scoring team with 809 runs. Defending league champ Concepcion was second at 93-69, which grabbed them the first wild card. The Chiefs earned their third consecutive playoff berth and their 12^th playoff appearance since 2011.

The #2 seed went to Southeast Division champ Sao Paulo at 97-65, who allowed the league’s fewest runs at 583. The Padres picked up their second division title in three years. Porto Alegre was a distant second at 85-77 and ended up one game short in the wild card race. Last year, both Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro were playoff teams out of the Southeast, but both posted losing marks in 2024.

A tight North Division had Belo Horizonte (87-75) edge out Fortaleza (86-76), and Recife (85-77). The Hogs ended a 17-year playoff drought, which had been the league’s second-longest active drought. The Foxes managed to get the second wild card by one game over both the Retrievers and Armadillos. Montevideo (82-80), Salvador (81-81), Asuncion (81-81), and Cordoba (81-81) were all in the mix. Fortaleza’s playoff streak grew to four years as they set a new Southern Cone League record for team hits with 1678.

Santiago CF R.J. Cardenas won MVP in his eighth season with the Saints. The 27-year old Chilean led in runs (119), RBI (120), and stolen bases (82). Cardenas had 201 hits, 21 doubles, 39 home runs, .942 OPS, 174 wRC+, and 8.6 WAR. He remained committed to Santiago and signed a seven-year, $77,100,000 extension after the 2026 season.

Sao Paulo’s Café Vicente won Pitcher of the Year, leading in wins (19-8), innings (267.2), and complete games (14). The 26-year old Brazilian righty had a 2.52 ERA, 224 strikeouts, 143 ERA+, and 3.2 WAR. Vicente has the dubious distinction of being tied for the lowest WAR by a POTY winner in any world league ever along with Indian League winner Gandhalata Green from 2001.

Only four pitchers have ever won the honor with less than 4 WAR. Vicente was a footnote with only 11.2 WAR for his entire career. He was third in ERA in 2024, so that plus innings and wins made him jump out for traditionalist voters even if the advanced metrics were very underwhelmed.

Fortaleza edged Belo Horizonte 2-1 in the first round, then pulled off the 3-2 upset of Santiago in the Divisional Series. For the third straight year, the Saints didn’t win the pennant despite being the top seed. Although Santiago won Copa Sudamerica in 2020, they’ve largely struggled recently with the one title and only two LCS trips in the decade despite nine playoff berths. The Foxes had the inverse luck, earning their third Southern Cone League Championship trip in four years.

Sao Paulo defeated Concepcion 3-1 on the other side of the bracket, earning their first LCS trip since 2016. The Padres pounded the Foxes 4-1 to end a 30-year pennant drought going back to their 1993 cup win. Even with the lengthy drought, Sao Paulo still comfortably leads all Southern Cone League teams with 15 pennants.

The 94^th Copa Sudamerica was an all-time classic that needed all seven games and came down to the final frame. In the bottom of the ninth inning, 3B Garo Amaro had a two RBI single to give Quito a 5-4 walk-off win in game seven over Sao Paulo. It was the third time in Copa Sudamerica history that the series ended with a walk-off, joining the 1995 and 2003 finales.

Finals MVP went to CF Bruno Batista, who joined Quito as a free agent the prior year after nine years with Mendoza. In Batista’s seven playoff starts, he had 10 hits, 4 runs, 1 double, 1 triple, 3 RBI, and 3 steals. It was the third cup win for the Thunderbolts (1965, 1994, 2024) and the first by an Ecuadoran team since their 1994 win. The defeat moved Sao Paulo to 6-9 all-time in the finals, tying them with Caracas for the most runner-up finishes.

Other notes: Brasilia’s Zane Garbarino hit four home runs on May 9 against Buenos Aires, becoming the eighth in BSA history with a four homer day. Niccolo Coelho became the 3^rd to reach 2000 career RBI, joining Milton Becker (2226) and Arsenio Araujo (2056). Carlos Ulibarri and Raul Reis became the 71^st and 72^nd to reach 2500 hits. Sebastian Marquez was the 66^th pitcher to 200 wins.

Cicero Lugo became the 21^st BSA player to 1500 runs scored. Lugo was notably the first catcher in any world league to reach the mark. He won his 16^th and final Silver Slugger, becoming only the fourth at any position in any league to do so. Lugo joined OBA/MLB SS/2B Jimmy Caliw (17), CABA SS Emmanuel Zavala (16) and CABA/MLB 1B/DH Prometheo Garcia (16)

02-02-2025, 02:20 PM	#2032
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,613	2024 in BSA Since 2009, Beisbol Sudamerica players required ten years of service time before being eligible for free agency, which was the most restrictive of all world leagues along with Eurasian Professional Baseball. Players were finally able to fight back against that and got the requirement lowered to nine years starting with 2024. It was still quite restrictive, but still a win. BSA’s requirements had been as low as seven years from 1968-77, but had gradually grown more restrictive. The Bolivar League’s Colombia-Ecuador Division was absolutely stacked, led by Quito with a franchise-record 112-50. The Thunderbolts allowed the fewest runs at 585 and won plenty of tight games, tying the BSA record for team saves with 62. Quito ended a three-year playoff drought with the result. Barranquilla was 11 back in second place despite their own excellent 101-61 season. The Blues grew their playoff streak to three years, as did second wild card Cali at 94-68. As BSA doesn’t give division champs seeding preference, the top three seeds ended up being Quito, Barranquilla, and Cali; meaning the other two division champs were relegated to the first round series. Peru-Bolivia Division champ Santa Cruz finished 94-68, but lost the seeding tiebreaker with the Cyclones. The Crawfish ended a three-way playoff drought, besting both Callao and Lima by nine games and Arequipa by ten. Santa Cruz was the BL’s top scoring team with 853 runs. Two-time defending Copa Sudamerica champion Caracas had their three-peat bid thwarted. The Colts’ seven-year reign atop the Venezuela Division ended in 2024 by the thinnest margin. Caracas and Valencia tied for first at 89-73, but the Velocity prevailed in the tiebreaker game to advance. Although it was Valencia’s first division title since 2012, they earned their third playoff trip in four years. Leading Valencia’s efforts was Bolivar League MVP Santino Garza. The 28-year old Venezuelan designated hitter led in hits (235), doubles (49), home runs (61), RBI (161), total bases (479), slugging (.731), and WAR (9.7). Garza’s .359 average fell one point short of a Triple Crown season and his RBI tally was the fifth-best single season in BSA history. He also had 1.126 OPS, 187 wRC+, and 123 runs. In the winter, the Velocity gave Garza an eight-year, $105,400,000 extension. Santa Cruz righty Bartolo Flores won his second Pitcher of the Year, having also earned the honor in 2021. For 2024, the 26-year old Ecuadoran led in wins (21-4), strikeouts (330), WHIP (0.88), and WAR (7.8). Flores’ 2.68 ERA was second in the league to Arequipa’s Geraldo Garcia’s 2.47. Flores had 155 ERA+ over 245 innings. The Crawfish beat Valencia 2-0 in the first round, then lost 3-1 to Quito in the Divisional Series. On the other side, Barranquilla topped Cali 3-1 to send the top two seeds to the Bolivar League Championship Series. It was the first BLCS since 2006 for the Thunderbolts and the first ever for the 2009 expansion Blues. #1 seed Quito clobbered Barranquilla with a sweep to end a 29-year pennant drought. The Thunderbolts became seven-time Bolivar League champs (1963, 1964, 1965, 1981, 1983, 1994, 2024). At 103-59, Santiago was the Southern Cone League’s top seed for the third consecutive season. The Saints won their fifth straight South Central Division title and earned their ninth playoff trip in ten years. Santiago was the league’s top scoring team with 809 runs. Defending league champ Concepcion was second at 93-69, which grabbed them the first wild card. The Chiefs earned their third consecutive playoff berth and their 12^th playoff appearance since 2011. The #2 seed went to Southeast Division champ Sao Paulo at 97-65, who allowed the league’s fewest runs at 583. The Padres picked up their second division title in three years. Porto Alegre was a distant second at 85-77 and ended up one game short in the wild card race. Last year, both Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro were playoff teams out of the Southeast, but both posted losing marks in 2024. A tight North Division had Belo Horizonte (87-75) edge out Fortaleza (86-76), and Recife (85-77). The Hogs ended a 17-year playoff drought, which had been the league’s second-longest active drought. The Foxes managed to get the second wild card by one game over both the Retrievers and Armadillos. Montevideo (82-80), Salvador (81-81), Asuncion (81-81), and Cordoba (81-81) were all in the mix. Fortaleza’s playoff streak grew to four years as they set a new Southern Cone League record for team hits with 1678. Santiago CF R.J. Cardenas won MVP in his eighth season with the Saints. The 27-year old Chilean led in runs (119), RBI (120), and stolen bases (82). Cardenas had 201 hits, 21 doubles, 39 home runs, .942 OPS, 174 wRC+, and 8.6 WAR. He remained committed to Santiago and signed a seven-year, $77,100,000 extension after the 2026 season. Sao Paulo’s Café Vicente won Pitcher of the Year, leading in wins (19-8), innings (267.2), and complete games (14). The 26-year old Brazilian righty had a 2.52 ERA, 224 strikeouts, 143 ERA+, and 3.2 WAR. Vicente has the dubious distinction of being tied for the lowest WAR by a POTY winner in any world league ever along with Indian League winner Gandhalata Green from 2001. Only four pitchers have ever won the honor with less than 4 WAR. Vicente was a footnote with only 11.2 WAR for his entire career. He was third in ERA in 2024, so that plus innings and wins made him jump out for traditionalist voters even if the advanced metrics were very underwhelmed. Fortaleza edged Belo Horizonte 2-1 in the first round, then pulled off the 3-2 upset of Santiago in the Divisional Series. For the third straight year, the Saints didn’t win the pennant despite being the top seed. Although Santiago won Copa Sudamerica in 2020, they’ve largely struggled recently with the one title and only two LCS trips in the decade despite nine playoff berths. The Foxes had the inverse luck, earning their third Southern Cone League Championship trip in four years. Sao Paulo defeated Concepcion 3-1 on the other side of the bracket, earning their first LCS trip since 2016. The Padres pounded the Foxes 4-1 to end a 30-year pennant drought going back to their 1993 cup win. Even with the lengthy drought, Sao Paulo still comfortably leads all Southern Cone League teams with 15 pennants. The 94^th Copa Sudamerica was an all-time classic that needed all seven games and came down to the final frame. In the bottom of the ninth inning, 3B Garo Amaro had a two RBI single to give Quito a 5-4 walk-off win in game seven over Sao Paulo. It was the third time in Copa Sudamerica history that the series ended with a walk-off, joining the 1995 and 2003 finales. Finals MVP went to CF Bruno Batista, who joined Quito as a free agent the prior year after nine years with Mendoza. In Batista’s seven playoff starts, he had 10 hits, 4 runs, 1 double, 1 triple, 3 RBI, and 3 steals. It was the third cup win for the Thunderbolts (1965, 1994, 2024) and the first by an Ecuadoran team since their 1994 win. The defeat moved Sao Paulo to 6-9 all-time in the finals, tying them with Caracas for the most runner-up finishes. Other notes: Brasilia’s Zane Garbarino hit four home runs on May 9 against Buenos Aires, becoming the eighth in BSA history with a four homer day. Niccolo Coelho became the 3^rd to reach 2000 career RBI, joining Milton Becker (2226) and Arsenio Araujo (2056). Carlos Ulibarri and Raul Reis became the 71^st and 72^nd to reach 2500 hits. Sebastian Marquez was the 66^th pitcher to 200 wins. Cicero Lugo became the 21^st BSA player to 1500 runs scored. Lugo was notably the first catcher in any world league to reach the mark. He won his 16^th and final Silver Slugger, becoming only the fourth at any position in any league to do so. Lugo joined OBA/MLB SS/2B Jimmy Caliw (17), CABA SS Emmanuel Zavala (16) and CABA/MLB 1B/DH Prometheo Garcia (16) __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)