COBRA: Consolidated Organisation of Baseball and Railways of Amelia: A History

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September 23, 1921
While the Sharks and Roosters battled it out , Zeke Reynolds and the Saffron Turtles played a game of their own as they extended the 38 year old All-Star First Baseman with a $60k/3yr deal. That kind of annual compensation buts Reynolds right up there in most well-paid players, only $1k behind Unicorn Point's Dennis Sullenger, the most well-paid hitter (Pitcher Jared Way of Salt Quarter is still far and away the most well-paid player with a $35.4k annual salary).

Seems like a bit of an overpay for a guy's age 38 to 40 seasons.

Reynolds hit .261/.393/.424 with 16 home runs and 62 RBIs over 115 games in 1921. That's good for a 137 wRC+ and 2.3 WAR. There are no opt-outs or vesting clauses in his deal.

September 25, 1921
Hadestown manager Clint Wojcik was shown the door today after the team finished 59-85.

October 2, 1921
October brings us award season. I've got some amazing shoes ready for the red carpet: they're black.

Here are some of the custom awards I hand out in my head.

Living Legend: Jared Way (Salt Quarter)
(Awarded to the player who is Extremely Popular nationwide and has the highest JAWS)

Fan Favourite: Vladik Zavalin (Sugar Factory)
(Awarded to the player who receives the most votes for the All-Star game)

Ultimate Baserunner: Thad Pardue (Whiskeytown)
(Awarded to the player with the best BsR, a stat that combines base stealing and base running.)

Clutch Player: Jon Jackson (Northlands)
(Awarded to the player with the best WPA)

Iron Man: Rory Miller (Northlands)
(Awarded to the player for a combo of innings pitched, complete games, pitches per game, and leverage index)

Golden Oldie: Nathan Crews (Dustland) Age 39
(Awarded to one of the 12 oldest players in the league as long as they get at least 1.0 WAR or WPA)

Most Improved Player: Richard Maxwell (Northlands)
(Given to the player with the biggest WAR increase between two seasons. Player must play enough qualifying IP or PA in each season. Must not be a year removed from being a rookie. Can't have achieved similar WAR levels in previous seasons. Must not have already won this award.)

20/20 Club Inductees
Thad Pardue (Whiskeytown) - 40 stolen bases/23 home runs.

Batting Champion: Jaden Tenneh (Sugar Factory) .354
Home Run Champion: Vladik Zavalin (Sugar Factory) 48
RBI Champion: Vladik Zavalin (Sugar Factory) 131
Stolen Base Champion: Thad Pardue (Whiskeytown) 40
ERA Crown: Jared Way (Salt Quarter) 2.41
Wins King: Max Steel (Spice District) 26
Strikeout King: Max Steel (Spice District) 404

October 3, 1921
The next set of awards are the Great Gloves! A * indicates they've won the prize before.

P Luke Zuidgeest (Hadestown Broncos)
C Jaxen Crouch (Port Magnolia Dolphins) *
1B Isaiah Miller (Crimson Forest Falcons)
2B Lee Warner (Whiskeytown Ducks)
3B Ron Stubbs (Port Magnolia Dolphins)
SS Scott Welch (Saffron Turtles)
LF Kevin Bowman (Port Magnolia Dolphins)
CF Sid van Kranenburg (Dustland Sharks) *
RF Michael Biden (Port Magnolia Dolphins)

Lee Warner is the recipient of the Diamond Glove award. Given to the most impressive overall defender of the year.

October 4, 1921
For the second year in a row, the reliever of the year is Sugar Factory's Max Collins. He had a bit more competition this time round after an unanimous verdict in 1920. Adam Scoles (Saffron) picked up some first place votes too.



October 5, 1921
And the Platinum Stick awards. A * indicates a repeat of 1920.

Pitcher
Adam Brookshire (Saffron Turtles)
.236/.250/.258, 89 AB, 21 wRC+, -0.8 WAR

Catcher
Joël de Vries (Whiskeytown Ducks)
.333/.439/.544, 447 AB, 21 HR, 169 wRC+, 6.9 WAR

First Baseman
Richard Maxwell (Northlands Polar Bears)
.302/.402/.602, 553 AB, 45 HR, 119 R, 101 RBI, 7.5 WAR

Second Baseman
Curtis Ripley (Spice District Roosters) *
.349/.408/.502, 590 AB, 17 HR, 158 wRC+, 6.4 WAR

Third Baseman
Jaden Tenneh (Sugar Factory Elephants) *
.354/.455/.517, 449 AB, 17 HR, 21 SB, 175 wRC+, 6.1 WAR

Shortstop
Tristan Lyngstrad (Hadestown Broncos) *
.294/.377/.505, 436 AB, 19 HR, 1 SB, 146 wRC+, 4.0 WAR

Left Fielder
Odin Bendig (Spice District Roosters) *
.240/.401/.574, 434 AB, 42 HR, 169 wRC+, 5.2 WAR

Center Fielder
Sid van Kranenburg (Dustland Sharks)
.269/.375/.520, 517 AB, 31 HR, 18 SB, 101 RBI, 7.1 WAR

Right Fielder
Jon Jackson (Northlands Polar Bears) *
.354/.436/.694, 506 AB, 46 HR, 5 SB, 112 RBI, 9.0 WAR

Coming up... Rookie of the Year, Pitcher of the Year, and MVP.

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It wasn't long ago that Christian Tiggs was playing college ball, then last year he got picked with in the draft with the #1 pick, then after 26 games at the minors (which also saw him win Finals MVP when he helped his team win the final) last year he was promoted into the main side as a bench player for this season, within a few weeks he was starting.

It's been a rapid rise for Tiggs who's slotted in pretty smoothly for the Falcons.

Some of his big moments included:

• A walk-off single against the Hadestown Broncos in the 10th.
• 4x 2 steal games
• A 4 RBI game in a 11-9 win against the Whiskeytown Ducks
• Top 5 finishes in Doubles (37 - 2nd) and Triples (6 - 4th)
• Top 10 finishes in Stolen Bases (16 - 10th) and Extra Base Hits (59 - 8th)

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Shumate was all about incremental improvement and consistency in 1921. From the looks of his stats, he put up a pitcher of the year performance in 1920 as well but had to . So he slims his HR/9 by 0.1, his BB/9 by 0.3, and upped his K/9 by 0.2 and most importantly to voters... his ERA by 0.30.

But it's telling that Shumate has never won pitcher of the month. He's just been consistently good from April to September. Other pitchers may rise and fall but you could use Shumate as a unit of measurement. That's how consistent he was.

Having said that, he was particularly special in May. He put up a 1.48 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, 12.0 K/9, 1.30 FIP and 289 ERA+ -- was Logan Phillip's month really better? The only mark he does worse is the W-L record, Shumate put up just 4-3 that month, somehow.

Achievements this year:

• 7 Complete Shutouts (leads the league)
• 3 16 K games
• 20 10+ K games
• 3 games with 3 hits or less
• All-Star for second straight year
• Led the league in FIP and FIP-
• Top 5 finish in QS, K, K/9, HR/9, K/BB, WHIP, Wins, and ERA
• Top 10 finish in IP, BB/9

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A wave of controversy surrounded last season's MVP vote when Jackson received the most first placed votes but failed to win the prize as Dustland's Catcher Kian Lehn nipped him at the post with a stronger showing in the secondary votes.

This year, the choice was simple. Jackson was heads and shoulders above everyone else.

His league-leading home run total of 51 from 1920 actually dipped down to 46 but never fear, the slugging percentage improved as he hit more doubles and triples and hits in general over slightly fewer games.

It was a slow start for Jackson. If you want to call .298/.385/.484 at the end of May slow that is. But something started to click for Jackson once we moved into June. After hitting 10 home runs in the first two months of competition, Jackson hit 11 in June, 10 in July, and then 14 in August as we finished off the regular season. Over 3 months he improved his slash line to the .354/.436/.694 that we see today.

As Jackson's fortunes improved so did his teams. 29-29 at the end of May was 78-66 at the end of the season. A .500 record would have had them living life like the Amelia City Metropolitans but instead they got their first taste in the postseason and while they would ultimately lose their semi final series against the Dustland Sharks they were just one win away from sweet final action.

The big question for Jackson is where next? He'll be hitting the free agency waters this winter and should get a big payday.

Some of his highlights:

• A 3 home run game against the Sugar Factory Elephants
• Walk-Off Home Run against the Saffron Turtles
• 1x Grand Slam against the Spice District Roosters
• 2nd All-Star Selection
• 2nd Platinum Stick Award for RF
• Clutch Player of the Year
• Led the league in TB, EBH, SLG, ISO, WOBA, OPS, wRC+, and WAR
• Top 5 in Hits, Home Runs, RBIs, Runs, AVG, and OBP
• Top 10 in Doubles, Walks, and Intentional Walks

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October 18, 1921
Hey, it's the most exciting day of the year: free agency filing day. Christmas? You garbage. Leap Day? Rubbish. The weird holiday that Amelians celebrate where everyone gets dressed up in a purple dress and tries to fish a mythical boot out of the harbour? That's got nothing on free agency filing day.

Here are some of our top guys in this class.





What better way to enter your free agency than just winning MVP? Jackson has easily the most impressive resume in the bunch of free agents. Not only winning MVP this year but coming second in 1920 after receiving most of the first-place votes.

Jackson is taking full advantage of the publicity and is advertising his services at a massive $60k annual cost. For the sake of comparison, here is the top paid players to see how huge this is.



Jackson has got some interesting splits. He destroys right handed pitchers but looks a bit more normal against Southpaws. A .380/.466/.737 slash against righties turns into something slightly-more-normal-but-still-above-average .302/.375/.610 against his left handed brethren.

He also loves The Bear Pit, the hitter-friendly park has been very friendly to Jackson. He hits an astonishing .423/.500/.863 at home but .287/.374/.531 on the road. It certainly raises the question if he can hit like he has for the Polar Bears anywhere else. Teams should be wary before they commit to the $60k.





The next biggest demand comes from Crimson Forest CF Augie Hanson with a demand of $28,750. Hanson offers most of his value with his defense and skill on the base-paths though he still offers up a slightly above-average bat making him a valuable asset for any team.

He offers a fair amount of power, he was just one home run off from a 20/20 season in 1921, and accumulated a total of 7 lead-off home runs for the Falcons over his two years there.

The Falcons have had two #1 picks in the last two seasons and have gone with a Center Fielder both times (Christian Tiggs and Kevin Stump). We suppose they had little intention of trying to retain Hanson.





Our first pitcher and one of the best practitioners of the left-handed art is next. Phillips was dominant in the middle of 1921, picking up two pitcher of the month awards along the way in May and June. Coming of this strong 1921, he's rumoured to be asking for annual compensation of $24,286.





Peyton Kramer, a key member of the Sharks rotation in their championship run is bound to be a key signing for just about any team hoping to compete in 1922 and beyond. A limited pitch selection might hold his value down a little though but he is asking for $24,000.





The Turtles consistently surprised all with two straight playoff appearances in these two past seasons. Well, one of the biggest drivers of that success has just entered the free agency market. Brookshire is one of the best at suppressing home runs; especially if the hitter is right handed. Over 681 plate appearances against right handed batters, only 4 times was the ball taken long. Compare that to the 479 times against left handed hitters who took him deep 9 times. That translates to the best HR/9 rate in 1920 and the 3rd best in 1921.

Brookshire is asking for $23,600

The others currently rumoured for wanting at least a $20k pay day.

1B Nathan Crews (39 years old, Dustland Sharks) - $22,667
RF Lucas West (28 years old, Amelia City Metros) - $22,600
2B Marty Shell (28 years old, Unicorn Point Athletic Club) - $22,000
SP Dalton Deschenes (28 years old, Amelia City Metros) - $21,333
2B Alex McNamara (40 years old, Whiskeytown Ducks) - $21,000
3B Carl McNutt (35 years old, Dustland Sharks) - $20,333
1B Hollie Huckabee (38 years old, Saffron Turtles) - $20,000

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So rather than use OOTP's built-in league evolution, I wanted to do something a little different. It's still a bit work-in-progress but I'm going to use it starting with this offseason. Tweaks will be made and things added but here it is.

On a spreadsheet I've got a bunch of unique events. Most relate to the stat output of the league and player-creation modifiers but others relate to financials, bringing in a designated hitter, introducing the hall of fame, and more. If it's an option to change in OOTP then it's probably going to be in here as well.

(again, I've still got more stuff I'm going to add, especially with pitchers. I just wanted a little bit longer to think about it)

Each event has an associated dice roll with it. Some are simple: roll two sixes with two six-sided dice, while others are more unlikely such as rolling a triple with three 20-sided dice. The idea is, each season I'll get a spreadsheet to simulate all my dice rolls (currently 181!) and implement what the spreadsheet tells me to do. Most get implemented right away, some things getting gradually phased in over five seasons.

You can see the spreadsheet here. It will display the results of a random dice roll. If you refresh your browser window then it'll show you another random dice roll. the lines highlighted in green are what will be implemented.

Not everything highlighted will be implemented. Some of the items have conditions beyond the mere dice roll. Some have cooldown periods that'll require a certain amount of time to pass before they can be reactivated.

Some require a certain political party to be in control of Amelia's parliament which brings us to part two.

Amelia's government is composed of a unicameral house of representatives, elected with a proportional voting system. The party (or parties) that control the majority of seats run the government. The head of that party (or the head of the biggest party if a coalition is required) has the title of Speaker and is the head of government.

The people of Amelia don't quite realise it but the success of certain teams impacts who they vote for. If the Dustland Sharks win they might just find themselves more likely to vote for the Solidarity Party. If the Spice District Roosters win then that vote might just tend to go towards the Opportunity Party.

There's five parties in all:

Solidarity benefited by wins from the Dustland Sharks, Northlands Polar Bears, and Salt Quarter Penguins

Onward benefited by wins from the Hadestown Broncos and Unicorn Point Athletic Club

United benefited by wins from the Sugar Factory Elephants and Whiskeytown Ducks

Opportunity benefited by wins from the Amelia City Metros and Spice District Roosters

Prosperity benefited by wins from Crimson Forest Falcons, Port Magnolia Dolphins and Saffron Turtles.

As teams pick up wins in the COBRA Cup or players win MVP awards then the parties will pick up votes. The more recent results will have a greater weight but teams that won 10 years ago will still have a (small) impact on results. There is also a random element at work because not everything actually revolves around baseball.

If a party wins a majority of seats then they rule. If no team wins a majority, then they must form a coalition of parties until they do. The critical thing is if Solidarity or Prosperity is a part of government then that's when events like allowing international players into COBRA can begin to happen. The presence of Solidarity or Prosperity will also change the financial landscape of the league.

Solidarity will enact policies that will see players get a greater share of the revenue. They will also work to flatten the distribution of income in the league. Top players will still receive the most (and existing contracts won't be affected) but the jump from level to level will be smaller. Prosperity will do the opposite, they'll look to get more revenue into the hands of owners but increase the pay of the top level players at the expense of everyone else. If neither party is part of the government then the status quo will remain.

If a coalition is required, then parties will look to the party directly above or below it in the list above to do so. The fewer parties involved the better, and the bigger the majority the better.

The first election will happen after the 1924 season. Elections will happen every four years though there is a chance that a coalition can fall apart and require an early election.

Feel free to ask any questions you've got about anything in this post. Some of the stuff -- especially the stuff in the spreadsheet -- is likely not explained that well. I'll also be keen to hear any feedback on how some of the random events are being implemented or any ideas on additional random events to add.

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October 21, 1921
The Dustland Sharks have lost pitcher Peyton Kramer to free agency and it appears they've already thrown in the towel trying to get him back as they make a trade with the Hadestown Broncos for 35 year old two-time All-Star Jackson Woods.

Woods had a an excellent season in 1920 but regressed this season but still put up slighty-above-average numbers if you ignore the 9-20 record. A 4.16 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, and 4.25 FIP did translate to a 103 ERA+. The Broncos also sent a minor leaguer and $330 with Woods. The Sharks sent back the #31 and #57 prospects.

November 4, 1921
Someone's playing the media game as rumours hit about a $263k/7yr deal involving the Port Magnolia Dolphins and Jon Jackson.



November 5, 1921
The Dustland Sharks hit the pitcher market by trading away their #4 guy in the rotation Chris Ulmer to the Northlands Polar Bears for 2B Easton WIlkins. Ulmer, is one of the best control pitchers in the league though low stamina and limited pitch selection probably limits his usefulness as a starter (the Polar Bears are expected to put him in a Stopper role). Wilkins is a decent defender but his bat with have him consigned to the lower part of the order.

November 14, 1921
Still waiting on any free agents to sign....

November 16, 1921
Ahh, it's finally happened. RF Jon Jackson is now a Dustland Shark. The MVP didn't quite get what he was asking for but still came away with a $322k/7yr deal with that last year being a team option. That deal demolishes the record-breaking Jared Way deal from last season in both total value and annual compensation.

Jackson joins an already stacked Sharks team with players like 1920 MVP C Kian Lehn and wunderkid CF Sid van Kranenburg as well as an array of All-Stars in the pitching staff. The defending champion is not messing around guys.

December 5, 1921
OK, Jackson got signed but there's a whole bunch of other free agents ready to go...

December 31, 1921
The teams and outstanding free agents seem to be playing hardball with each other as they end the year without a team.

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January 29, 1922
It's the first day of the preseason so it's time to roll the dice in our very go at the spreadsheet.

The result is we rolled a Double 17 for an increased focus on doubles. This means we'll start seeing slightly more doubles this year and kids watching the games today will focus more on developing their contact and gap power.

March 3, 1922
We're finally starting to see some more action on the free agency front as we approach the season. 40 year old 1B Nathan Crews signs with Amelia City on a $10.6k/1yr deal and 38 year old SP Dimitri Balanchin returns to the Salt Quarter Penguins (who traded him back in 1920 to the Ducks) with a $11.8k/1yr deal.

March 4, 1922
Can the Northlands College of Technology Wildcats go for the three-peat in the university league (which kicks off today!)? Experts have them as slim favourites but after losing so many of their core to the pros they likely won't romp home as they did in 1921.

The top projected hitter is Wildcat senior 1B Ken Weiss -- who famously hit a walk-off grand slam early last year for a 12-11 win against the Institute of Evil. Projections have him at a .379/.445/.647 slash line for the season.





The top projected pitcher is Amelia University junior John Townsend. Townsend finished 2nd in Pitcher of the Year voting last year. Townsend is a strikeout machine, his 111 total last season was absurd amounts above the next best at 64. Townsend has 6 pitches he can call on and his fastball reaches a speed between 96-98mph -- the next best out there tops out at 90mph.





March 10, 1922
And now it's the turn of high school leagues. Experts are predicting a pretty tight race among the big baseball schools of Amelia but seem to agree that Dustland Boy's High School will not be repeating their title this season.

Trying to prove the experts wrong about his team but not about himself is 1B Kevin Ballard. Ballard was Playoff MVP in his side's final series last season and has won the Platinum Stick for his 1920 campaign as well. Experts are hoping for a .428/.512/.682 season from him in his final stint as a high schooler.





Also on his final stint of high school is top projected pitcher Grayson White. His side is one of the ones experts think will put up a good show so he'll certainly be looking to finish high school with a championship under his belt.





March 15, 1922
Two time All-Star RF Lucas West signs with the Northlands Polar Bears for a $7100/1yr deal. The market has well and truly cratered for free agents after Jon Jackson got his monster deal last year. Still plenty of quality players on the market.

March 17, 1922
Spice District LF Odin Bendig will miss the start of the season with shoulder tendinitis. Bendig is a two-time All-Star and two-time Platinum Stick winner. He is probably the most ardent follower of the three true outcomes religion.

The Roosters have a surplus of outfielders so they should be fine over the next 5-6 weeks as 1920 All-Star Johnny Pfeifer takes his spot in the outfield.

March 26, 1922
The slow march of free agency continues with the news that the Whiskeytown Ducks have signed SP Fred Alltop to head their rotation with a $7700/1yr deal.

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5-Star Players
C Kian Lehn (Dustland) *

Best player, by Position
C Kian Lehn (Dustland) *
1B Vladik Zavalin (Sugar Factory) **
2B Doug Dale (Amelia City) **
3B Gavin Utter (Spice District)
SS Max Roberts (Port Magnolia) *
LF Odin Bendig (Spice District) **
CF Sid van Kranenburg (Dustland) *
RF Jon Jackson (Dustland) **

Best by Skill
Contact: C Valentin Folgan (Saffron) - 103 **
Power: 3B Kody Lyabah (Dustland) - 89 **
Eye: LF Odin Bendig (Spice District) - 110 *
Speed: 2B Wes Franz (Whiskeytown) - 113 *
Stealing: CF Thad Pardue (Whiskeytown) - 112 *

Best by Position, defensively (projected starters only)
C Evan Rasmussen (Northlands) - 80
1B Vladik Zavalin (Sugar Factory) - 93 **
2B Lee Warner (Whiskeytown) - 82 *
3B Kevin Ellis (Whiskeytown) - 89 *
SS Scott Welch (Saffron) - 78 **
LF Wayne Kender (Amelia City) - 108 *
CF Sid van Kranenburg (Dustland) - 88 **
RF Johnny Ralph (Unicorn Point) - 68

Ultimate Rotation
#1 Elijah Shumate (Northlands) **
#2 Max Steel (Spice District) **
#3 Jared Way (Salt Quarter) *
#4 Shawn Marsh (Salt Quarter) *

Closer
Max Collins (Sugar Factory) **

Best by Pitch Type
Fastball Shawn Marsh (Salt Quarter) - 71 **
Changeup Doug Cafarelli (Spice District) - 95
Curveball Jared Way (Salt Quarter) - 81 **
Slider Sebastian Jennings (Crimson Forest) - 84
Sinker Elijah Shumate (Northlands) - 75
Splitter Max Steel (Spice District) - 79 **
Cutter Kirk Swinson (Port Magnolia) - 79 **
Forkball Shawn Marsh (Salt Quarter) - 70 **
Circle Change Kennedy Noble (Salt Quarter) - 69
Screwball None
Knuckle Curve Logan Phillips (Free Agent) - 70 **
Knuckleball None

A * indicates this player received the same accolade in 1920 or 1921.

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Here we go for season three of COBRA. We'll take a quick look at how the teams look to fare for 1922.

It's a strange little moment for COBRA at the moment as teams start to feel a bit financially crunched. Dustland gave out a record-breaking contract to MVP RF Jon Jackson but then there was silence for months. As we got closer to the season, the teams started to spend but it was strictly one year deals at well below what the players were asking for at the start of the season.

Good players still remain on the free agency market including arguably four top 20 starting pitchers. You could bundle them all into a rotation together and you'd probably have the best pitchers in the competition but they can't find jobs? We'll see who's the first to break but if we have to give victory to the owners in this one.

Anyway, onto the East Division. We'll go from the worst-projected to the best.



1920 Record: 63-81
1921 Record: 59-85
1922 Projection: 49-95

A bad team looks set to get even worse. They've committed to this bit. They traded away two of the more useful players they had in SP Jackson Woods and CF Sawyer White for an assortment of prospects, Woods at 36 is understandable but White was only 27. Where's the sense in building for the future if you're going to trade them away before they even hit their peak?

3B Lenny Johnson could be about due for a big year. He went from a 116 OPS+ to an 143 OPS+ in 1921. If he can stay injury free (assorted injuries restricted him to about 100 games) then we're bound to see some good baseball from the 29 year old. Pity about the rest of them.



1920 Record: 44-100
1921 Record: 65-79
1922 Projection: 60-84

Having the Hadestown Broncos decide to be the worst team in the East has certainly taken some of the pressure off but don't get us wrong, the Falcons are still bad but they do feel a bit more promising than the Broncos.

First off, leading off is 1921 Rookie of the Year Christian Tiggs who will now be taking position at in Center Field with the departure of Augie Hanson. Hanson is a unfortunate casualty of a logjam of talent the Falcons have in the outfield. They used their #1 pick last season to take University MVP & CF Kevin Stump and all of a sudden were left with a surplus of talent at the position and Augie Hanson was left out of the shuffle.

Kevin Stump is probably not due up until next season but we can expect some big things from him.

Another exciting player to watch is SS Gaby Williams who started off 1921 with a hiss and a roar (good enough for an All-Star selection) but a ruptured Achilles tendon 56 games in cut that short.

Pitching will be a weakness. Lincoln Carter, #1 guy in the rotation went 14-21 last season, with a 3.81 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, and 229 strikeouts for a 105 ERA+. Obviously not bad but when he's the best you've got then you're in for a bad time. The bullpen is led by two guys who haven't even pitched at this level before.

Maybe next season.



1920 Record: 67-77
1921 Record: 67-77
1922 Projection: 63-81

Two underwhelming seasons down the drain and the Ducks do little to improve for 1922. They let two pitchers walk in free agency (Logan Philips and Dmitri Balanchin) and replaced the pair with one just one signing in Fred Alltop.

Joel de Vries is still one of the best pure contact hitters in the land and Thad Pardue is definitely the best steal artist out there and will be hopeful for another entry in the 20/20 club.. or even the 30/30 club if he can get his home run production up slightly.

#12 Prospect 3B Sean Bigham looks set to make his big league debut this season. He projects out to be a fantastic contact hitter with an excellent arm at Third Base. The current 3B, Kevin Ellis, is an excellent defender in his own right but a 49 OPS+ probably means he's not long for a starting role.

Pitching is a bit of a mess, Fred Alltop is the only above-average guy they've got and he's backed up by a fairly inconsistent looking bullpen.



1920 Record: 96-48 (Division Title/COBRA Cup Winners)
1921 Record: 83-61 (Division Title)
1922 Projection: 80-64

If you like dingers then you'll love the Roosters. This is a team full of guys that can send it to the stands anytime they please. Missing from the above graphic is LF Odin Bendig who'll sit out the first few weeks of the season with injury but rest assured that is a guy who can rake. Between him, Spurrier, Utter, and Karabanov you've got guys who can do 30+ Home Runs in a season. Throw in someone like Curtis Ripley who's hit for an average of .356 so far -- better than anyone else.

Then you've got the king of strikeouts: Max Steel. Steel will be hoping to reclaim his 1920 form that saw him be named the unanimous Pitcher of the Year. Though we have to say that last year wasn't half bad: a 26-8 record, 2.95 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, and 404 strikeouts still provoked envy from about anyone.

Personally, I think the Roosters have been done dirty by this prediction. I fully expect to see them contesting for the division title.. and for the championship they were only one fielding error away from claiming in 1921.



1920 Record: 84-60 (Wildcard / LOST COBRA Cup Final)
1921 Record: 74-70
1922 Projection: 99-45

I'm highly questionable about this prediction but the Elephants have returned to 1922 with practically the same team that narrowly missed out on a wildcard spot in 1921. With the exception of 1B Vladik Zavalin and C Jim Dertinger, this is a young under-30 team... and Zavalin is still a top candidate to take out the title of home run champion once again.

The team's stopper Max Collins is the highlight of the pitching staff. The two-time reliever of the year has given up just four home runs over two seasons of work and has accumulated 47 saves and 19-12 record over his 150 appearances in an Elephants jersey.

Fans are excited at the return of Connor Kyle though. The pitcher damaged his elbow ligaments in May 1920 and we haven't seen him throw a baseball since. He'll take the mound for opening game.

One exciting talent to watch in 1922 is reliever Ezra Varalli. The 22 year old is the #4 prospect in baseball and has been named in the main squad. He's in the bullpen for now, but most are picking to see him in the rotation before the end of the year. He projects out to be one of the best control pitchers in the league.



1920 Record: 76-68
1921 Record: 78-66 (Wildcard / Lost Semi Final)
1922 Projection: 100-44

So wait, they lose their MVP and... get better? A lot better actually? Better than the dominant 1920 Roosters? How does that work? The big (and what felt like only) news of the offseason was Dustland's signing of RF Jon Jackson away from the Polar Bears but Northlands management took in stride. They picked up 2-time All-Star RF Lucas West to take Jackson's spot in the field and lineup. West isn't quite the player that Jackson is but he's only one-fifth of the cost and it's still a deadly lineup -- especially with the likes of Richard Maxwell at First Base ready to bash.

The other big move of the winter was trading away 2B Easton Wilkins to Dustland for Pitcher Chris Ulmer. Ulmer had the best BB/9 among those who pitched enough qualifying innings last season, and he'll be put into the Stopper role for the Bears. A fantastic acquisition for Wilkins, who they couldn't fit into their lineup.

This actually looks like one of the best pitching staffs in the competition. Despite playing in a hitter-friendly park, they are predicted to concede the second-lowest amount of runs of anyone. A big part of that will be the reigning Pitcher of the Year Elijah Shumate.

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Same deal as the East. We'll go through these from worst to best as ranked by the preseason predictions.



1920 Record: 67-77
1921 Record: 59-85
1922 Projection: 61-83

Experts may be hoping for a slight improvement on their win total from 1921 but they'll still be the bottom of the division unless they aim a bit higher than that. One thing that the experts might be underestimating is the impact that 3B Dennis Sullenger will have once he returns from a torn quad injury in about 3 weeks.

Unfortunately, despite his talent, Sullenger is often out with injury. Over two seasons he's played just 117 games. Not even a full season's worth. He's quality when he does play, putting up OPS+ numbers like 167 and 134 but it's of limited value when he's sitting on the sideline for an entire nine innings.

The Unicorns will be hoping for some exciting stuff from left fielder Danny Walsh. The two-time All-Star is still only 27 and looks set to be a perpetual challenger for the 20/20 club.

On the pitching side, Tijs Oudenkerk is capable of complete brilliance. Just see his no-hitter or 20K game last season. He can also be completely blown out of games. You just have to wait and see what version of himself shows up on any given day.

Two young guys to keep an eye on are pitchers P.J. Ricker (#10 prospect) and Cannon Mannion (#14 prospect). Yes, someone named their child Cannon Mannion. Both players are currently in the Unicorns bullpen but could make the jump to the rotation.



1920 Record: 61-83
1921 Record: 65-79
1922 Projection: 63-81

The Dolphins have got some interesting choices to make at Catcher very soon. They already have one of the best in the game with Jaxen Crouch. While he doesn't have the offensive skills of someone like Joel de Vries or Kian Lehn. He does offer a lot defensively and has two Great Glove awards to show for it. He's also young at only 27.

The Dolphins had the #3 pick in the draft last year and used it on Daniel Irvine -- the rare catcher who offers tremendous value both offensively and defensively. The Dolphins have elevated him to the main squad but don't quite know how to fit him in and have him listed as First Base -- a position he has never played -- and they've also bought in another catcher to their squad. Maybe this kind of uncertainty is the reason they're projected for a third straight season of mediocrity?

This is a team that highly values defense: 4 of the position players have won a great glove at some point and they'll need all the defense they can muster with a starting rotation that all have an ERA+ below 100.

(apart from #4 in the rotation A.J. Fink who's a 31 year old pitcher who's been signed and released 12 times and pitched 5.2 innings in the minors during that time. WHY IS HE HERE?)

They do have some excellent pitchers in the bullpen with Matt Leiker and Kirk Swinson (who's returning to action for the first time since 1920) both capable of efficient innings at the death.



1920 Record: 66-78
1921 Record: 72-72
1922 Projection: 68-76

The Metros made a good stab at in 1921. They were up against but they made some ballsy trades near the deadline to give them the best opportunity to grab a wildcard spot. The chance slipped by and so it appears did the desire to compete. The Metros let two top-tier pitchers walk into free agency and made no moves to replace them (hint Metros, one of them and his 8.8 WAR is still on the market). They did acquire two decent players with 1B Nathan Crews (2.9 WAR) and CF Sawyer White (3.7 WAR) but they don't actually have room for them in the regular lineup. What are they even doing?

(If you like base stealing then this is the team for you! No one should steal more bases than these guys!)



1920 Record: 79-65 (Wildcard / Lost Semi Final)
1921 Record: 83-61 (Wildcard / Lost Semi Final)
1922 Projection: 70-74

It's a strange life being a Turtle, two years as a wildcard and they've been knocked out in the first round by the Spice District Roosters both times. They're absolutely dejected both times but people just give them a pat on the head and congratulate them for even making it this far. Maybe living on an island causes everyone to forget about them until it's playoff time and you get all shocked when you find out these guys are a wildcard team.

They've got some decent hitters as top 5 of their order have been All-Stars at some point but it gets a little problematic when you look at their pitchers as they let two of their top guys walk in free agency with no attempt to sign anyone to replace them. They've got a good Stopper in Adam Scoles though to help them get out of tricky situations.



1920 Record: 83-61 (Division Title / Lost Semi Final)
1921 Record: 83-61 (Division Title / Won COBRA Cup)
1922 Projection: 76-68

This is the inverse to the Northlands Polar Bears problem. The Sharks win a championship, add the MVP, and are then expected to regress? What, the what?

I mean if you want to watch a MVP play then this is the only team where you can do that.

The story is a familiar one. They've still got their main guy at the top of the rotation in Jaxon Darnall but they let some of the supporting cast move on -- either through free agency or trade. Though to be fair, they've still got some excellent pieces but can no longer boast of the "best pitching staff in all of baseball" (my words).

But of course everyone is talking about the record-breaking contract given to Right Fielder and MVP Jon Jackson. The one that appears to have broken baseball -- at least the finances of it, as teams simply stopped spending money once that deal went through.

Fans are obviously excited to see the likes of van Kranenburg, Lehn, and Jackson in the same lineup. That trio of batters is going to cause some damage.



1920 Record: 74-70
1921 Record: 73-71
1922 Projection: 77-67

And, our top projected team of the West... by a whisker... is the Salt Quarter Penguins.

The predictions reckon you've got the best pitching staff in the West in Penguin colours with Jared Way and Shawn Marsh leading the charge. Expect them to concede the less runs and accumulate the most strikeouts, and to give away few walks.

The hitting side isn't too shabby either as they retain the lineup that got them to 73-71 and (breaking news) sign CF Augie Hanson to a one year deal. Hanson, a 117 OPS+ hitter with great glove defense might just be the piece they need to go to the next level. It's certainly a step above their planned Center Fielder: 38 year old Jonathan Konstantinou with limited range and a career OPS+ of 68.

One oddity of the predictions is that the Penguins will only get 9 stolen bases this season... for the entire team. Why do they hate the stolen base so much? Hanson was a 20/20 player in 1920 and one home run away from repeating that feat in 1921. Are they really going to tell him to stop stealing? What a bunch of meanies (I really like stolen bases).

So maybe not many stolen bases but expect some dingers. The top four in the order are all expected to get at least 20 home runs.

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March 28, 1922
Previews are done, so here's the full set of predictions.



It's striking how much better the East is versus the West. The Third best team in the East is 20 games behind the leader in that division but still projected to have a better record that the top Western team.

Also out today is the top prospects list with last year's #1 pick Kevin Stump making the top of that list.



The Prospect Pipeline predicts that he'll be up in 1923. You can see his details here from when he got drafted. Some of these names like Daniel Irvine and Ezra Varalli are already in the bigs and hoping to making an impact this season.

Onto the opening day games and we got a huge pitching matchup for opening day as 1921 Pitcher of the Year Elijah Shumate went up against 1920 Pitcher of the Year Max Steel. Unfortunately it was a bit of a letdown as Steel went off injured after only 4 innings and the Rooster bats completely failed to fire against a dominant Shumate. Ultimately, a 3-0 win to the Polar Bears.

Steel is out for 6 weeks.

Meanwhile, Jaxon Darnall and the defending champion Dustland Sharks stomped out the Saffron Turtles for a 5-0 win with Darnall even getting himself a triple to round the game out.

March 29, 1922
It goes from bad to worse for the Spice District Roosters as they lose outfielder Johnny Pfeifer for 6-7 weeks though luck be have it, it's his replacement in the game that hits the winning home run in the top of the 12th to win their game against the Polar Bears.



March 30, 1922
As the season starts more of the big-name free agents are picking up contracts. Peyton Kramer, a member of the Championship Dustland Sharks will go to the Whiskeytown Ducks on a 1 year deal.

April 1, 1922
A solo home run by 1B Kyle Lownes in the 2nd inning was all the offense that Penguin pitcher Jared Way had to work with but it was all he needed to get his side the win. Way put up a dominant display against the Dolphins with a 2-hit complete game shutout with not a single walk given away and 11 K's dished out.



April 3, 1922
The Sharks simply never get into a groove against the Unicorns but the game is still tied 1-all in the bottom of the 9th. The bases are loaded but they've just got to get one more out to force extra innings but Kian Lehn can't control Trey Kelly's Forkball and gives just enough time for the runner on third to scamper in for the win. It's a walk-off passed ball.



Logan Phillips is the next big-name to sign with a team as he reaches an agreement with the Sugar Factory Elephants for a one year deal. Immediately after they finish negotiations over a box of beer, the two-time All-Star is told he'll need to pitch that day -- against his former team: the Whiskeytown Ducks. It's a disaster, Phillips gets pulled after 4.1 innings with the Elephants down 8-1.

April 5, 1922
Amelia City's CF Sawyer White is the third highest paid player in baseball and doesn't even start for his team. He's only 27 so I'm not totally sure how he got such a contract but he certainly did his best to earn his money today when he blasted a 3-run pinch hit home run in the bottom of the 9th to... still lose.



Sorry buddy. Try hitting a grand slam next time like your opponent did.

The Salt Quarter Penguins bolster their pitching rotation by picking up another of the quality free agents on the market: this time with Adam Brookshire. That leaves Dalton Deschenes as the only member of the quality pitchers still on the market.

April 9, 1922
The Port Magnolia Dolphins have just beaten the Crimson Forest Falcons in walk-off fashion three times in a row.







And over in the University Leagues, 3B Maddox Riker of the Northlands College of Technology is on a 31 game hit streak that stretches back to last season. He's .438/.534/.644 for the season so far (and that's not even the best batting average on his team that's started 14-4). We'll be sure to keep an eye on Riker.

Anyway, here's the COBRA standings after the games on April 9.

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April 11, 1921
With Max Steel out injured, the Spice District Roosters picked up Dalton Deschenes off the free agency market and put him straight into the #1 spot in the rotation. This signing means the last of the quality free agents finally have a team. They all signed one year deals so hopefully we don't go through this next year.

April 15, 1921
The Roosters might be suffering a bit from injuries but they're still racking up the wins. Today, the Whiskeytown Ducks thought they might have done enough when they picked up 2-run dingers in the 1st but they were undone by a 3-run home run from RF Roman Karabanov in the bottom of the 9th.



And, Elijah Shumate has kept his pitcher of the year form going into 1922 with a 3-hit complete game shutout against the Broncos. The performance came with no walks and 16 strikeouts. I had a quick look through the history of 15+ K games and there's been 5 instances where the pitcher gave up no walks. Shumate did three of them (Max Steel and Jared Way contributed the other two)



April 16, 1922
The weekend of university games is over and Maddox Riker has extended his hit streak to 34. In the series against The Institute of Evil, he went 3-4, 1-6, and 2-5 in big wins for the Northlands College of Technology. They are now on a 12 game winning streak.

April 17, 1922
No one really expected that this Ducks-Broncos game would turn out so crazy. There was a crazy amount of momentum shift and a crazy amount of home runs as 9 dingers in total got sent to the stands. Whiskeytown's Thad Pardue had a particularly great game. His lead-off single and subsequent steal put him in a great position to get the opening run, and he'll repeat that trick in the 3rd but with a walk rather than a hit. He tied the game up in the 6th with a 2-run home run, and tied he game in the 9th with a double that drove in a run.

But ultimately, they had fell short to Hadetown 1B Guy De La Salle's 3 home run day. De La Selle drove in 6 RBIs to constantly keep the Broncos one step ahead of the Ducks.



April 18, 1922
Dalton Deschenes had a rough first start for Spice District back on the 14th, he was out after 4 innings after giving up 7 runs but he righted the ship today. Giving up just 1 hit and 3 walks and dishing out 14 K's over 8 innings to give the Roosters a 3-0 win over the Crimson Forest Falcons.



April 19, 1922
Disappointing news for Amelia City and their hopes for a winning season as they announce that 2B Doug Dale will be out for action for the next 5 weeks with elbow inflammation. The 27 year old, 2-time All-Star has struggled with injury.

The Metros did respond to the news with a dramatic walk-off victory in the 12th against Unicorn Point however. Left Fielder Wayne Kender with the two-run triple to finish it off.



April 20, 1922
The Dolphins were down 3-0 going into the bottom of the 9th but they rallied. They got a little help from the gods of fielding errors when Turtle 2B Russ Gawlick fumbled what should have been an easy out but it was mainly some solid singles and patience at the plate that got them the win. They were able to tie the game up with bases loaded and 3B Ron Stubbs at the plate. After fouling off a couple, Stopper Adam Scoles tried to send it inside but... was a little too successful and hit Stubbs instead.

The Dolphins win through a walk-off HBP.



"I'm just looking for a good pitch that I can hit well," said Stubbs. "And not try to do too much"

Well Stubbs, you got your wish.

Here's the standings at the close of April 20.

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April 21, 1922
Amelia City CF Corky Ford is a rather ordinary player that never does anything to really deserve mention in these writings but today he hit three home runs in his side's 12-4 decimation of the Hadestown Broncos. His teammate Levi Days also hit a grand slam to really drive the point home.

But the main reason I wanted to post this was because Corky Ford has, like, the best name and now that name will be forever etched in the history of three dinger games and that makes me happy.



April 22, 1922
The streak is over guys. Northlands College of Technology 3B Maddox Riker went 3-5 in the first game of the weekend but went 0-5 in the next as his team went down to the Saffron School of Magic 7-5 (which broke the team's 13 game winning streak as well). Riker's hit streak lasted 35 games. It's only at the university level, but still.

April 29, 1922
3B Tommy Glass was once named the best hitter of the Spice District Roosters but now can't even command a starting spot with the Crimson Forest Falcons and he is not happy with it and wants out of the Falcon organisation.



After putting up excellent numbers for the Roosters in their championship winning 1920 run (.311/.403/.479 for a 137 OPS+), Glass went to management and said he wanted a three year deal to stick around. The Roosters said no (and went out and got a replacement 3B with similar numbers but 8 years younger) but Glass got his deal from the Falcons.

They got 37 games out of him in 1921 before injury put him on the sideline for the rest of the season, when he reported back for duty this season he'd gained 10 pounds and was..... so...... slow.

Way too slow to actually put on a baseball field. So far, the Falcons have only let him defend for 0.1 innings. His remaining time has been in pinch hit scenarios.

Luckily for Crimson Forest the final year of Glass's contract has a vesting clause that requires him to play 120 games this season, he could be a good trade piece for a team looking to make a playoff push.

Meanwhile, Whiskeytown Catcher Joel de Vries put up some big moments against the Northlands Polar Bears in an absurdly high scoring 13-12 win in extras. The Ducks went into the top of the 9th down 10-7 but a series of singles gave Joel de Vries (who was having a day off and only came in for the pinch hit) the chance for a grand slam to give them the lead. A Thad Pardue walk and Brody Watkins triple gave them an extra run as they went into the bottom of the 9th ahead 12-10.

The Polar Bears didn't lie down and take it and were able to tie the game up to force extra innings but when de Vries came up again in the 11th, he smashed another home run to grab the lead. This time, the Polar Bears had no answer and the Ducks were the victors.

Said de Vries after the game: "it was meant to be my day off"

Mention also needs to go to Rookie Left Fielder Titos Georgiadou who smashed two home runs of his own to keep the Polar Bears in the game He'd do the exact same thing in another loss to the Ducks the very next day.



April 30, 1922
Baseball's #1 prospect Kevin Stump made his COBRA debut on the 26th of April but he went 0-4 three times in a row, the only highlight was a ground out that just so happened allowed his teammate to score but today he finally got some hits on the board with two home runs in his side's 7-6 loss to the Hadestown Broncos that required 16 innings to complete. It was a pretty dire game with two Broncos injured and 23 walks issued. But welcome to the big time Kevin Stump!

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Ending the month with two straight double dinger games has sealed the deal for Titos Georgiadou who put up a month that should have put him in the running for Batter of the Month... Rookie of the Month was beyond the doubt.

Georgiadou has been in the minors these last two seasons lighting them up. Last season he went .307/.433/.517 and cleaned up in the awards. Winning himself a Minor League Ring, Finals MVP, Great Glove, Platinum Stick, and unanimous League MVP. For his efforts, he's getting his shot at the big time this season.

Obviously offering a lot of value with his bat but Tito is also a safe pair of hands in the corner outfield and is no slouch on the base-paths either.



Shumate, Pitcher of the Year last season, wins his first ever pitcher of the month award with a completely dominant month.The real question we want to ask is: how on earth did he lose any games with numbers like these? (Answer: one run losses)

Shumate had two complete game shutouts in April that featured him issuing no walks and just 3 and 2 hits in each game. Another remarkable stat is the solitary home run he's given up during the entire month. Shumate looks keen to go back-to-back with the Pitcher of the Year trophies.



J.R. Shouse has kicked off his season on fire and jumped out to all sorts of leads in the stats: Home Runs, RBIs, OPS. You name it, Shouse is into it.

His most memorable game so far came in a loss against the Spice District Roosters. A grand slam and double got him a 5-RBI haul but it wouldn't be enough as they fall 9-7 to the Roosters. Two home runs against the Northlands Polar Bears was also not enough for the Ducks as they'll get hammered 9-4.

Unfortunately, even a great individual performance can't do much if the rest of the day won't come to the party. The Ducks currently sit at 14-18 for the season.

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May 2, 1922
It was a top of the East Division battle when the Northlands Polar Bears came to Spice District. The two frontrunners battled out a thriller as the Roosters mounted a comeback from 5-1 down over innings 6 to 9 to tie the game and force extras. But their efforts will be for naught when Rookie of the Month Titos Georgiadou came up to pinch hit with runners on 2nd and 3rd. He did nothing on the first four pitches for an even count, fouled off the next two and then sent the next to the Right Fielder with enough time to bring two runs home for a 7-5 lead.

The next three Roosters will go down in order to give the Polar Bears the win.



May 6, 1922
SS Tristan Lyngstrad was the hero of Hadestown when the Spice District Roosters came to town. Not only did he hit the first of two back-to-back doubles to tie the game up in the bottom of the 9th but he also smashed a 3-run 2-out dinger in the bottom of the 10th to secure the win



May 9, 1922
The Northlands Polar Bears let RF MVP Jon Jackson walk to the Dustland Sharks and gave Lucas West a $7.1k/1yr deal to replace him. A fair bit cheaper than the $322k/7yr deal that Jackson signed with the Sharks.

Jackson's numbers have taken a hit this season, he's gone .280/.379/.434 so far for a 120 OPS+ while West has been going at .345/.426/.513 for a 137 OPS+. Someone at the Polar Bears must think they're an absolute genius for that move. Well, West has cashed in on his good form with a $204k/7yr extension. No opt-outs, no vesting. West looks set to be a Polar Bear until his age-36 season.

May 10, 1922
As is tradition. Unicorn Point's 3B Dennis Sullenger is injured and will miss the next 5 weeks. Already the second time this season. The two-time All-Star was the most highly paid player in the league before the 1920 season but so far he's played 45 games in 1920, 74 in 1921, and 9 so far this season. Not long until they get at least one full season out of him.

His injury proneness is now listed as WRECKED and that contract they signed is still good until the end of 1924. Sigh.

May 12, 1922
Time for some high school baseball, and the Southern Salt Quarter Academy has secured the top spot in the division with three games to go in the season. They'll be joined with Crimson Forest High School in a best-of-three for the title of High School champions.

Here's the standings at the end of May 14. The Polar Bears -- on the back of a 9-1 record in the last 10 games -- have started to build a lead in the East while it looks a lot tighter in the West.