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FuzzyRussianHat · Yesterday, 03:29 PM

The Central American Baseball Association surprised many by lowering their active roster size to only 22 players beginning with 2029. CABA had begun with 25, but lowered to 24 in 1973 and 23 in 1998. While teams had their reserve roster to keep inactive players, a 22-man active roster made every spot precious. While a few leagues had gone as low as 23, CABA was the only world league to try out a 22-man roster.

Defending Mexican League champ Leon took the South Division and the top seed at 104-58. It was the third consecutive division title for the Lions and grew their playoff streak to five seasons. Leon allowed the ML’s fewest runs at 484. The division was top heavy with Ecatepec (100-62) and Puebla (99-63) close behind. The rest of the division finished below .500, including Cancun who went from back-to-back playoff berths down to a last place 65-97.

As wild cards, the Explosion ended a six-year playoff drought and the Pumas snapped a three-year skid. Ecatepec was the top scoring team with 711 runs and since division champs didn’t get seeding preference, they the Explosion had the #2 seed and a bye. Tijuana won their third North Division title in four years at 95-67, but was the #4 seed.

The remaining two wild cards went to Culiacan (91-71) and Monterrey (87-75). The Cocks were the first of the 2025 expansion teams to make the playoffs. The Matadors earned their second berth in four years. San Luis Potosi (85-77) and Juarez (83-79) were the first teams out. Last year’s MLCS runner-up Mexicali notably dropped to 75-89 and 2027 league champ Guadalajara fell to 71-91. Leon was the only Mexican League team to make it back from the 2028 playoff field.

Monterrey LF Julio Ortega won Mexican League MVP in his first full-time season as a starter. The 22-year old lefty led in doubles (41), triple slash (.367/.425/.686), OPS (1.112), and wRC+ (231). Ortega had 8.7 WAR, 179 hits, 85 runs, 37 home runs, and 94 RBI. The Matadors had picked Ortega #6 in the 2025 CABA Draft. He suffered a fractured knee in 2030 and would be plagued with major injuries for much of his 20s.

Tijuana’s Richard Wright joined the legendary Junior Vergara as the only nine-time Pitcher of the Year winners in CABA history. Only three other pitchers in all of pro baseball history had won the honor 9+ times. All of Wrights wins came in the 2020s with his lone miss in 2023, despite still leading in ERA that year. In 2029, the 31-year old posted a 1.44 ERA for an unprecedented ninth ERA title.

Wright also led in strikeouts (376) and WAR (12.4) for the eighth time. The Jamaican lefty also led again in K/BB (12.1), shutouts (8), FIP- (34), and WHIP (0.74). Wright had a 19-4 record and 10 saves over 243 innings, missing a Triple Crown by two wins. His strikeout tally, WHIP, and WAR were career bests to that point, placing Wright second in MVP voting as well. In 2029, Wright became CABA’s 56^th pitcher with 200 wins, the 30^th with 3500 strikeouts, and the 9^th with 100+ WAR.

In the first round of the playoffs, Tijuana ousted Culiacan and Puebla topped Monterrey, both 2-0. Leon rolled Tijuana 3-0 to keep their repeat hope alive, while Ecatepec outlasted Puebla 3-2. The Explosion made the Mexican League Championship Series in 2022, but their most recent pennant was back in 2010. Ecatepec ended that 18-year drought and upset the defending champ Lions in a seven-game thriller. The Explosion became 15-time Mexican League champions, third most behind Monterrey and Juarez at 18 apiece.

Reigning CABA champ Honduras took the Caribbean League’s top seed at 107-55 atop the Central Division. It was their seventh consecutive playoff berth and third division title. Bahamas won the West Division and the #2 seed at 100-62 to grow the Buccaneers’ playoff streak to five. Trinidad took the East Division at 96-66, which was their first postseason berth or winning season since 2020. The Trail Blazers allowed the fewest runs at 524.

Salvador was 12 back in the Central at 95-67, but got the first wild card to end an 11-year playoff drought. Haiti was seven back in the West at 93-69 and got the second wild card and their third in-a-row. Guatemala at 89-73 got the final spot to extend their streak to nine years. Missing the cut were Puerto Rico (88-74), Curacao (87-75), Santiago (84-78), and Santo Domingo (84-78).

It was only the second playoff miss in eight years for the Dolphins, but they did post a winning season each year of the 2020s. The Sailfish led in scoring with 862 runs, but also allowed the most at 829. The Chaos were the first of the 2025 expansion teams in the Caribbean League with a winning season.

Salvador 1B Fernando Silva won his second MVP in three years. The 26-year old Guatemalan lefty led in runs (119), hits (223), home runs (55), RBI (147), and total bases (431). Silva had a .359/.384/.694 slash, falling only two points short of a Triple Crown. He also had 8.6 WAR and 188 wRC+. The Stallions eventually signed Silva to a seven-year, $244,100,000 extension in July 2031.

Bahamas ace Carlos Montes won his second Pitcher of the Year, having also taken it in 2026. The 28-year old Puerto Rican righty led in wins (20-8), ERA (2.20), FIP- (50), and WAR (10.0). Montes struck out 324 over 245.1 innings with 181 ERA+. He was 26 Ks shy of a Triple Crown behind Israel Montague’s 350 strikeouts. Prior to the 2029 campaign, the Buccaneers gave Montes a seven-year, $186,700,000 extension.

The first round saw Salvador over Haiti 2-0 and Guatemala over Trinidad 2-1. The Stallions stunned Bahamas 3-2 in the second round for their first Caribbean League Championship Series trip since their 2017 pennant. Reigning champ Honduras survived a five-game war with the Ghosts. The Horsemen successfully repeated with a 4-2 CLCS victory over Salvador, leading all teams as 19-time Caribbean champs.

The 119^th CABA Championship was the third time that Honduras and Ecatepec met in the finals. The Horsemen got a sweep in the first meeting in 2003, followed by a 4-3 Explosion win the following year. The rubber match was a 4-1 Ecatepec win in 2029, denying Honduras’ repeat hope. It was the seventh different champ in as many years for CABA.

Ecatepec ended an 18-year title drought and became nine-time CABA champs (1929, 31, 32, 43, 99, 2000, 04, 10, 29), tying with the Horsemen for the second-most. Only Mexico City has more with 11 rings. Finals MVP was RF Alfredo Escobedo, who only played 38 games in the regular season and started 16. The 25-year old started 17 playoff games with 15 hits, 8 runs, 2 doubles, 1 triple, 3 homers, and 9 RBI.

Other notes: Guadeloupe’s Cristiano Rizo had 37 triples, tying the CABA single-season record set by Iwan Valen in 2001 and Altificio Hernandez in 2029. Barbados struck out 1586 times as a team, setting a new Caribbean League worst. Voodoo Leyva was the 63^rd batter to 2500 hits. Ruben Cabrera became the 65^th member of the 500 home run club,

Quirino Brito became the 13^th pitcher to reach 4000 strikeouts and Angel Brea was the 31^st to 3500 Ks. Brea and Rodney Louis both got to 200 wins, making 56 pitchers to reach the mark in CABA through 2029. SS Ferdinand Varela won his 8^th Silver Slugger.

The Central American Baseball Association’s scoring environment stayed roughly in the same range in the 2020s as it has been since the 1990s. The Mexican League’s ERA went down slightly from 3.83 in the 2010s to 3.67 in the 2020s. The Caribbean League was higher as usual with the DH and actually went up from 3.96 to 4.01.

For batting averages, the ML dropped from .262 to .259, while the CL went up from .265 to .267. The Caribbean League graded as above average scoring on the historical scale and relative to other leagues in the 2020s, while the ML was in the average range.

Yesterday, 03:29 PM	#2229
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,607	2029 in CABA The Central American Baseball Association surprised many by lowering their active roster size to only 22 players beginning with 2029. CABA had begun with 25, but lowered to 24 in 1973 and 23 in 1998. While teams had their reserve roster to keep inactive players, a 22-man active roster made every spot precious. While a few leagues had gone as low as 23, CABA was the only world league to try out a 22-man roster. Defending Mexican League champ Leon took the South Division and the top seed at 104-58. It was the third consecutive division title for the Lions and grew their playoff streak to five seasons. Leon allowed the ML’s fewest runs at 484. The division was top heavy with Ecatepec (100-62) and Puebla (99-63) close behind. The rest of the division finished below .500, including Cancun who went from back-to-back playoff berths down to a last place 65-97. As wild cards, the Explosion ended a six-year playoff drought and the Pumas snapped a three-year skid. Ecatepec was the top scoring team with 711 runs and since division champs didn’t get seeding preference, they the Explosion had the #2 seed and a bye. Tijuana won their third North Division title in four years at 95-67, but was the #4 seed. The remaining two wild cards went to Culiacan (91-71) and Monterrey (87-75). The Cocks were the first of the 2025 expansion teams to make the playoffs. The Matadors earned their second berth in four years. San Luis Potosi (85-77) and Juarez (83-79) were the first teams out. Last year’s MLCS runner-up Mexicali notably dropped to 75-89 and 2027 league champ Guadalajara fell to 71-91. Leon was the only Mexican League team to make it back from the 2028 playoff field. Monterrey LF Julio Ortega won Mexican League MVP in his first full-time season as a starter. The 22-year old lefty led in doubles (41), triple slash (.367/.425/.686), OPS (1.112), and wRC+ (231). Ortega had 8.7 WAR, 179 hits, 85 runs, 37 home runs, and 94 RBI. The Matadors had picked Ortega #6 in the 2025 CABA Draft. He suffered a fractured knee in 2030 and would be plagued with major injuries for much of his 20s. Tijuana’s Richard Wright joined the legendary Junior Vergara as the only nine-time Pitcher of the Year winners in CABA history. Only three other pitchers in all of pro baseball history had won the honor 9+ times. All of Wrights wins came in the 2020s with his lone miss in 2023, despite still leading in ERA that year. In 2029, the 31-year old posted a 1.44 ERA for an unprecedented ninth ERA title. Wright also led in strikeouts (376) and WAR (12.4) for the eighth time. The Jamaican lefty also led again in K/BB (12.1), shutouts (8), FIP- (34), and WHIP (0.74). Wright had a 19-4 record and 10 saves over 243 innings, missing a Triple Crown by two wins. His strikeout tally, WHIP, and WAR were career bests to that point, placing Wright second in MVP voting as well. In 2029, Wright became CABA’s 56^th pitcher with 200 wins, the 30^th with 3500 strikeouts, and the 9^th with 100+ WAR. In the first round of the playoffs, Tijuana ousted Culiacan and Puebla topped Monterrey, both 2-0. Leon rolled Tijuana 3-0 to keep their repeat hope alive, while Ecatepec outlasted Puebla 3-2. The Explosion made the Mexican League Championship Series in 2022, but their most recent pennant was back in 2010. Ecatepec ended that 18-year drought and upset the defending champ Lions in a seven-game thriller. The Explosion became 15-time Mexican League champions, third most behind Monterrey and Juarez at 18 apiece. Reigning CABA champ Honduras took the Caribbean League’s top seed at 107-55 atop the Central Division. It was their seventh consecutive playoff berth and third division title. Bahamas won the West Division and the #2 seed at 100-62 to grow the Buccaneers’ playoff streak to five. Trinidad took the East Division at 96-66, which was their first postseason berth or winning season since 2020. The Trail Blazers allowed the fewest runs at 524. Salvador was 12 back in the Central at 95-67, but got the first wild card to end an 11-year playoff drought. Haiti was seven back in the West at 93-69 and got the second wild card and their third in-a-row. Guatemala at 89-73 got the final spot to extend their streak to nine years. Missing the cut were Puerto Rico (88-74), Curacao (87-75), Santiago (84-78), and Santo Domingo (84-78). It was only the second playoff miss in eight years for the Dolphins, but they did post a winning season each year of the 2020s. The Sailfish led in scoring with 862 runs, but also allowed the most at 829. The Chaos were the first of the 2025 expansion teams in the Caribbean League with a winning season. Salvador 1B Fernando Silva won his second MVP in three years. The 26-year old Guatemalan lefty led in runs (119), hits (223), home runs (55), RBI (147), and total bases (431). Silva had a .359/.384/.694 slash, falling only two points short of a Triple Crown. He also had 8.6 WAR and 188 wRC+. The Stallions eventually signed Silva to a seven-year, $244,100,000 extension in July 2031. Bahamas ace Carlos Montes won his second Pitcher of the Year, having also taken it in 2026. The 28-year old Puerto Rican righty led in wins (20-8), ERA (2.20), FIP- (50), and WAR (10.0). Montes struck out 324 over 245.1 innings with 181 ERA+. He was 26 Ks shy of a Triple Crown behind Israel Montague’s 350 strikeouts. Prior to the 2029 campaign, the Buccaneers gave Montes a seven-year, $186,700,000 extension. The first round saw Salvador over Haiti 2-0 and Guatemala over Trinidad 2-1. The Stallions stunned Bahamas 3-2 in the second round for their first Caribbean League Championship Series trip since their 2017 pennant. Reigning champ Honduras survived a five-game war with the Ghosts. The Horsemen successfully repeated with a 4-2 CLCS victory over Salvador, leading all teams as 19-time Caribbean champs. The 119^th CABA Championship was the third time that Honduras and Ecatepec met in the finals. The Horsemen got a sweep in the first meeting in 2003, followed by a 4-3 Explosion win the following year. The rubber match was a 4-1 Ecatepec win in 2029, denying Honduras’ repeat hope. It was the seventh different champ in as many years for CABA. Ecatepec ended an 18-year title drought and became nine-time CABA champs (1929, 31, 32, 43, 99, 2000, 04, 10, 29), tying with the Horsemen for the second-most. Only Mexico City has more with 11 rings. Finals MVP was RF Alfredo Escobedo, who only played 38 games in the regular season and started 16. The 25-year old started 17 playoff games with 15 hits, 8 runs, 2 doubles, 1 triple, 3 homers, and 9 RBI. Other notes: Guadeloupe’s Cristiano Rizo had 37 triples, tying the CABA single-season record set by Iwan Valen in 2001 and Altificio Hernandez in 2029. Barbados struck out 1586 times as a team, setting a new Caribbean League worst. Voodoo Leyva was the 63^rd batter to 2500 hits. Ruben Cabrera became the 65^th member of the 500 home run club, Quirino Brito became the 13^th pitcher to reach 4000 strikeouts and Angel Brea was the 31^st to 3500 Ks. Brea and Rodney Louis both got to 200 wins, making 56 pitchers to reach the mark in CABA through 2029. SS Ferdinand Varela won his 8^th Silver Slugger. The Central American Baseball Association’s scoring environment stayed roughly in the same range in the 2020s as it has been since the 1990s. The Mexican League’s ERA went down slightly from 3.83 in the 2010s to 3.67 in the 2020s. The Caribbean League was higher as usual with the DH and actually went up from 3.96 to 4.01. For batting averages, the ML dropped from .262 to .259, while the CL went up from .265 to .267. The Caribbean League graded as above average scoring on the historical scale and relative to other leagues in the 2020s, while the ML was in the average range. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)