Continental Baseball Federation OOTP 22 8-tier promotion/relegation sim: 1950-onward

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The first-ever First League All-Star game was July 18, 1950 in Los Angeles. The top vote-getter in the East-Midwest Conference was New York Yankees first baseman Steven Archambault, the league leader in home runs at 30. Atlanta’s leftfielder Wakefield O’Hara was the West-South Conference top vote-getter, second in the First League with 95 RBI. O’Hara would earn All-Star MVP honors as his two-run home run in the fifth inning helped his conference to a 4-2 win.





First League statistical leaders at the All-Star Break at below

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At the All-Star break in the First League, Philadelphia had really solidified their hold on the top of the Eastern Division (and the conference as a whole). The Phillies went from having three teams within four games of their lead entering June to an eight game lead at the break with a 63-35 mark. Toronto at 54-42 is the next closest, but only 5.5 games separates them from eighth place Boston, meaning the two wild card spots are very much in play. A 9-1 mark for Brooklyn going into the break put the Dodgers in the mix, a team that was six games below .500 entering June.

Pittsburgh entered the break in the relegation spot in the East at 44-53, 3.5 behind the Red Sox who used a four-game win streak into the break to get separation. The Pirates still have the best record of the last place teams and plenty of games remain to shuffle things, especially with a more divisional-heavy latter part of the schedule.

Minneapolis remains atop the Midwestern Division at 57-39 at the all-star break, although an 8-2 close to the first half put Chicago (53-41) within striking distance. Cleveland (52-43) is 4.5 back with some distance to fourth place, so the top three have a decent grip on playoff spots at the break.

Kansas City is currently in the last game spot at 39-56, only half a game worse than Milwaukee. Detroit climbed out a bit with a 7-game win streak going into the break. The biggest drop went to Cincinnati, as the Reds went from six above .500 entering June to eight below .500 at the break. Indianapolis also finds themselves below .500 after being four above two months in.

Switching conferences, Mexico City remains the class of the Southern Division at 67-28, 9.5 ahead of next best Miami. At 59-39, the Makos and Dallas (56-40) both have a nice gap from their playoff spots to fourth place Atlanta at 50-46.

The South boasts the four worst records in the entire First League, with San Antonio in last at 32-64. But with Tampa (34-61), Nashville (35-62), and Houston (37-60) also stinking it up, each of those teams have time to prevent relegation with a decent finish.

Hollywood grew its lead in the Western Division up to 12.5 games with an impressive 66-29, only one game behind Los Diablos for the best record in the entire First League. It's currently a three-team race for the other two playoff spots with San Francisco (55-43), Denver (55-41), and a surging San Diego (50-45).

Oakland had an abysmal June and early July, going 14-27 to fall into last place. However, they're only 2.5 games from fifth place as Phoenix, Los Angeles, Seattle, and Vancouver aren't faring great either.



In First League firsts, Milwaukee's Derrick Williams became the first player to record six hits in one game, doing it on 6/7 against Oakland. Williams went 6-6 with six runs scored, four RBI, and two homers.

On June 23, Washington's Joe Paquin threw the first no-hitter in First League history, striking out 12 against Kansas City. A walk and one hit batsmen prevented him from perfection.



While there are wild cards in the First League, only the division champions advance to both the postseason and get promoted. In the Second League East, Richmond sits atop the division at 68-28, having gone 30-11 since the start of June. That run gave them a five game lead on Baltimore (63-33), the only team in striking distance.

Hartford sits in the last place spot in danger of relegation, but still is only 2.5 behind eighth place Newark and five back on Ottawa, so that demotion isn't locked up. It seems assured in both the Midwest and Western divisions with Madison (18-78) and Las Vegas (15-80) miles behind eighth place. Memphis (33-64) isn't in great shape in the South, but a collapse by Fort Worth or Jacksonville could still save their bacon.

The Midwestern Division in the Second League has Grand Rapids in the lead at 60-35, but they and the Chicago White Sox (1.5 back) have traded the lead. Omaha is five back and keeping pace, but not gaining ground. In the West, it's a four team race with Calgary first (61-35), but Portland (61-37), Juarez (58-38), and Edmonton (57-38) all right in the hunt. The Elephants in particular have climbed, going from three above .500 at the start of June to 19 above at the break. In the South, Austin at 68-28 has a 12.5 lead on Santo Domingo, meaning that the Anacondas are in position for promotion, barring a late collapse.



In the Third League East, a 31-11 run since the start of June has put Staten Island into the lead at 61-37, five games up on Lehigh Valley and 5.5 on Worcester. Wilmington went from a 6.5 game lead to eight back on first with a 16-25 skid. Norfolk holds the bottom spot at 36-60 and has to erase a 7.5 game hole to avoid relegation.

Windsor (61-33) grew its lead in the Midwest to nine games with Akron (52-42) the only team with much of a shot to catch them. Only eight wins since June started for Lincoln has put them in the hole, 5.5 games away from eighth place Saint Paul.

What was essentially a tie in the South entering June is now an eight-game San Juan lead after a 28-15 run for the Jaguars and a middling 21-20 mark for second place Arlington. Greensboro is in the danger zone at 35-62, 9.5 away from the next worst team. Tulsa impressively went from the last place spot entering June (21-35) to fifth at 46-49.

Meanwhile the Western Division is top heavy with six teams within 6.5 of the lead. Colorado Springs (58-38) and Sacramento (59-39) are at the top but Anchorage, Guadalajara, Salt Lake, and Long Beach are all very much in the mix. The bottom seems almost locked in with Fresno (34-63) down 10 games from eighth place El Paso.

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The Fourth League Eastern Division managed to have the top five records in the entire league at the All-Star Break. Stamford, Erie, New Haven, Albany, and Hamilton were the five teams in the mix to be promoted. The rest of the Fourth League also boasted a solid amount of parity with the teams being moved up and down not at all guaranteed in any division.



In the Fifth League, Irvine had been by far the best team in the league at 70-27 with only one other team even at 60 wins. Apart from the dominance from the Inferno, the Fifth League also had a lot of possible options for promotion and relegation.



The two top records in the Sixth League were in the Eastern Division as Manchester (65-50) and Paterson (66-31) battle for the top bill. Rochester held a nice six game lead in the Midwest, while the other top spots are more contested. Modesto (and to a lesser extent Youngstown) find themselves in the danger zone.



Kingston was running away with the Eastern Division title in the Seventh League, while the other divisions still each have a few teams in the mix.



Lastly in the Eighth League…

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One of the things also established with the Continental Baseball Federation was the international free agent signing period. Outside of the United States, baseball has a varied amount of prominence, but promising young athletes and their circles worldwide saw the earning potential the sport could bring. The CBF hired representatives in each nation to recruit top teenage athletes and expedite the process of helping them immigrate to a new land.

Most of these prospects were incredibly raw; kids with very little actual experience in baseball, but with the physical tools and potential for greatness. The better players could negotiate for up to $50,000; not a small investment for teams. But the clubs would be able to lock the player up through their teenage years and provide very specialized training.

Naturally, the higher tiers had far better scouting and more money available to try to recruit internationally. First League teams had up to 50k to spend each year, 35k for the Second League, then 25k, 15k, 10k, 8k, 6k, and 4k down the line.

The top rated prospect in 1950 was outfielder Tria Balawan of Indonesia, rated as a four-star prospect. Balawan was signed by Boston for a $36,200 signing bonus. The highest paid player would be Hyun-Ho So of South Korea, as the three-star outfielder received $37,500 from Toronto. The top ranked players and their destinations are below:

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Entering September in the First League, Philadelphia, Chicago, Mexico City, and Hollywood are the division leader. The Phillies eight-game lead in the East at the break has shrunk to 4.5 games with Toronto and Brooklyn (five back) nipping at their heels. Philadelphia has the best run differential in the East-Midwest Conference at +201. At 25-12, the Dodgers have had the best record in the Conference post all-state break.

With a seven-game gap from third to the fourth place Yankees, the three playoff teams in the East are in a fairly comfortable spot barring collapse. Pittsburgh at 59-75 has to erase an eight-game hole to avoid relegation. There are certainly worse teams in the First League, but with the other eight teams in the East at or above .500, the Pirates are in a rough spot.

The Cubs went from down three games at the break to leading the Midwestern division by 4.5 entering September. Chicago since the break is 25-14, while former division leader Minneapolis has gone 17-21. Interestingly enough, the Cubs have a +158 run differential for the season while Minneapolis is -14. The Millers still sit in second, 3.5 ahead of third place St. Louis and six better than fourth place Cleveland. Relegation danger is at this point largely limited to two teams with Milwaukee last at 50-84, but still able to leap Kansas City at 54-80.

In the West-South Conference, Hollywood has dominated and already guaranteed a playoff spot and essentially locked in the Western Division title. The Stars have gone 31-8 post break for the best record in baseball at 97-37 with a +304 run differential. It’s a 22 game gap to second place San Francisco at 75-59. The Seals are five ahead of San Diego (70-64), who currently holds the third place playoff spot. Phoenix at 65-68 still could make it into the postseason with a turnaround.

Last place in the West is Oakland at 54-81, but Los Angeles (56-77), Denver (60-75), Vancouver (61-74), and Seattle (61-73) aren’t safe yet. The Bears in particular have collapsed spectacularly. Denver was in third and six games above .500 at the all-star break, but has been the worst team in the First League post-break at 9-30.

In the Southern Division, Mexico City has stayed in first at 89-45 with Miami making slight ground down seven games at 82-52. Dallas is in third at 79-55 with Atlanta at 73-62 still in the fight for the third place wild card spot. 2.5 games separates sixth through ninth place so San Antonio (51-84), Tampa (51-82), Houston (53-81), and Nashville (53-81) all have to battle to avoid relegation.

Individually, Yankees first baseman Steven Archambault has a shot at the Triple Crown, leading the Conference in home runs (41) and RBI (120) while third in batting average (.333).



The best team post break in the Second League has been Baltimore, with the Orioles going 29-10 to get the best record in the SL at 92-43. This run has taken Baltimore from down five in the Eastern Division to up five on Richmond. The Raptors have gone around .500 since the break and now have to climb back to get promoted. Four teams are within 5.5 games of last place in the East with Hartford the team that would get demoted if the season ended after August.

The top three in the Midwest has stayed the same post break with Grand Rapids on top at 84-50, but the Chicago White Sox (80-53) and Omaha (79-55) still in striking distance. Madison’s relegation is inevitable with their awful 26-107, even worse in the West is Las Vegas at 19-115.

The Western Division is a four-team battle for the title and promotion with Portland (87-47) leading Calgary (86-49), Juarez (82-51), and Edmonton (82-52). In the South, Austin has the best record in the conference at 89-46 and the best run differential at +297. Santo Domingo is six back as the only team with a shot still. Memphis currently sits in the relegation spot at 50-84, but Oklahoma City (53-81), Jacksonville (56-78), and Fort Worth (58-76) aren’t out of the woods yet.

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In the Third League, San Juan has the best overall record at 91-44 and the best run differential at +223. Their 27-12 mark post break has essentially locked up the Southern Division with a 12.5 lead over Raleigh. On the other side of the conference, what was a five-team battle in the Western Division at the break has become a three-team one. Colorado Springs holds first now at 84-51, 4.5 over Sacramento and six over Guadalajara.

Staten Island (83-51) has kept hold of the Eastern Division with Worcester keeping an outside shot at 76-57. In the Midwest, Windsor has pulled away with their 88-47 record and +222 run differential, 13 games better than Akron.

There’s little drama in the last place battles in the Third League as each bottom team is in a 10+ game hole. The middling teams can rest a bit while Norfolk, Lincoln, Greensboro, and Fresno seem locked into relegation.



The five-team race in the Fourth League’s Eastern Division is at most a two team battle now as Stamford has gone on a 27-11 run since the break. That gives the Swarm the best 4L record at 89-44 with the best differential at +212. Erie (83-51) is the only team still in the race as New Haven and Albany have since played .500 baseball and Hamilton has fallen off. Halifax remains last, six games away from Bridgeport.

Peoria has pulled away in the Midwestern Division with a blistering 29-10 mark post break. Previous division leader Green Bay is now four back with no one else in the mix. South Bend holds the relegation spot at 59-75, but is within 3.5 games of sixth, so them, Springfield, Sioux Falls, or Joliet are all in the danger zone.

St. Petersburg built a bit on their Southern Division lead; sitting at 75-59 with a six game edge on Shreveport. Knoxville has fallen into last after previous last place Tallahassee has played .500 ball since the break. However, the Smokies are only 2.5 away from the Threshers and Winston-Salem, and 5.5 from Augusta, so those teams still need to fight hard to avoid demotion.

The best record in the WSC is Boise at 83-51 atop the Western Division. The Brown Bears have kept largely an equal pace with Bakersfield and Henderson, up 4.5 on the Blue Devils and 6.5 on the Heat. In last is Reno at 58-76, but Lubbock (59-74) and Stockton (64-71) aren’t yet safe.



Switching to the Fifth League, Irvine has the best record in all of the leagues at 102-33, nearly clinched already atop the Western Division. The leaders remain the same as they were entering the break, but still a lot of competition for each spot.



The biggest switch in the Sixth League is Boulder going from first with a two-game lead in the West to fourth down four. The best two 6L records remain locked in a battle for the Eastern Division title with Manchester and Paterson each 89-45 entering September.



The Seventh League’s swapped WSC division leaders with Ponce now ahead in the South and Santa Maria in the West, but those divisions are fiercely contested.



And over in the Eighth League…

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The first ever regular season for the leagues of the Continental Baseball Federation concluded in early October of 1950. For the Second through Eighth Leagues, the division winners get promoted and play a four-team playoff, while the worst team in each division gets relegated. The relegation is the same in the First League, but the playoff structure is expanded.

The division champions get byes, while the second place finisher in each division plays the third place finisher from the adjacent division. The #2 seed hosts a "best of five," but gets a one-game handicap, essentially making it a four-game home series where the higher seed just needs to win twice, while the #3 seed must win three. The wild card round winners then play a best of five with all five games hosted by the Division champ. The winners move to a 2-3-2 best of seven Conference Championship, then the 2-3-2 World Series.

In the Eastern Division, Philadelphia kept the same pace as both Toronto and Brooklyn, allowing the Phillies to hold onto the division title at 100-62. Philly was also good for the best record and run differential in the conference. Toronto narrowly held onto second place at 96-66, one game better than third place Brooklyn at 95-67.

Both had to finish strong to advance as the New York Yankees went on a tear, going 23-5 in the final month. The Yankees went from behind seven of third place entering September to finishing only one game back of the Dodgers. Even with sweeps of Brooklyn, Toronto, and a 3-1 series win over Philadelphia to close the year, they finish on the outside. Pittsburgh (73-89) ends up getting relegated, in part the victim of a stacked division with the four best records in the conference and eight of nine teams at .500 or better.

In the Midwestern Division, the Chicago Cubs solidified their first place spot, finishing at 92-70 with a seven game advantage on second place Minneapolis. The Millers had fend off St. Louis for the second place spot, as the Cardinals went from back 3.5 to only back one in the final tally. Cleveland faded late, going from two games over .500 to two below. Milwaukee, who entered the month in last, couldn't climb out and were relegated at 62-100.

Switching conferences, Mexico City maintained the Southern Division title with a 106-56 record, but had to stay strong down the stretch. Miami ended the year on a 9-1 to also crack the century mark in second place at 102-60. Dallas was no slouch either down the stretch, taking third at 98-64. The top heavy division had five teams in the mix for last place entering the month. but an 8-21 finish marked doom for Tampa at 59-103, one game worse than San Antonio and four worse than Nashville.

The best record in the First League went to Western Division champion Hollywood, as the Stars finished 113-49 with a CBF best +375 run differential. They actually lost one game on their massive lead as second place San Francisco finished strong, taking second at 92-70.

The wildest chase was for third place between San Diego and Phoenix. The Padres entered September at 70-64, 4.5 better than the Firebirds. SD played a respectable 17-11 down the stretch, but Phoenix rose from the ashes, ending the season with a 12-game winning streak and forcing a tie for third at 87-75. In a one-game playoff for the final playoff spot, the Firebirds won 4-1 to keep the dream alive.



At the bottom of the West, Oakland saved themselves from relegation. The Oaks entered September in last with a 3.5 hole, but went 16-11 to close the season. The Los Angeles Angels were 2-8 in the final 10 and 8-21 for the final month, knocking them into last place and into the Second League next season.




In individual accolades, the Yankees' slugger Steven Archambault earned the EMC Triple Crown with 52 home runs, a .341 average, and 153 RBI. He did miss out of the Triple Clown overall between the leagues, as in the WSC, Denver's P.J. Stevenson bested him in RBI (160) and in batting average, Denver's Julian Hahn had the top spot at .360. That said, Archambault finished the easy favorite for East-Midwest Conference MVP.

The race in the West-South Conference Is a bit more up for grabs, with the favorites based on WAR San Diego centerfielder Cliff Dantschotter and Hollywood third baseman Tim Frost. The Belgian Dantschotter has the offensive and power edge compared to Frost with stronger defense. Denver’s Hahn and Stevenson are hurt by the perceived advantages of playing at elevation and the Bears’ late season collapse. San Francisco center fielder Hudson Baker is another in the mix, leading the CBF 1L in runs, as well as stolen bases by far (102) with above average defense.

Pitcher of the Year is a bit more of crap shoot with the top six in ERA all in the EMC. Philadelphia’s Vitalis Mintah was the ironman with league bests in complete games (22), innings pitched (336.1) and wins (28). Montreal’s Xavier Tevada was the WAR lord at 10.3, plus the most quality starts (30 of 39). B.J. Zaldivar of Cincnnati led in ERA (2.75, just ahead of Tevada’s 2.78) and Toronto’s Payton Nolan the only 300+ strikeout guy with 323. In the mix from the WSC are Hollywood’s Glenn Baker, Hudson Fink of Oakland, and P.J. Fernandez of Mexico City.

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The teams earning promotion out of the Second League were Baltimore, Grand Rapids, Austin, and Portland; while the demoted teams were Hartford, Madison, Oklahoma City, and Las Vegas.

In the Eastern Division, Baltimore entered September with a five-game lead on Richmond. The Raptors cut that by three games, but ultimately the Orioles held on at 107-55 and Richmond at 105-57. The bottom teams largely kept the same pace in the final month, keeping Hartford in last.

Grand Rapids entered September up on the Chicago White Sox by 3.5 games and grew the lead early in the month. That cushion allowed the Ravens to hold on, even as the White Sox finished the season on a 10-game win streak. GR ended the season with a 19-9 mark to finish 103-59 atop the division, five up on Chicago. Madison's goose was well cooked to deserve relegation, same for Las Vegas in the Western Division.

In the West, Portland went on a tear late, finishing 19-9 to hold the top spot at 106-56. Edmonton gained a game on them to finish second at 102-60, but couldn't climb from the five game hole entering the month. Calgary and Juarez both faded late, although both certainly had solid seasons at 97-65.

In the South, Austin finished with the best record in the entire Second League. The Anacondas ended on a 21-6 roll to leave no doubt at 110-52. At the bottom, Memphis climbed out of the last place hole to finish seventh, going 16-12 to close the year. They finished one better than Jackonsville and two better than Oklahoma City, with the Osprey ultimately taking the last place relegation slot.



Over in the Third League, Staten Island had to fend off Worcester for first in the Eastern Division. The Squids entered the month up 6.5, allowing them to survive at 97-65 despite around .500 ball late compared to a 19-10 finish for the Walleye. In the Midwest, Windsor finished 102-60, easily holding on to first despite a nice finish for second place Akron (93-69).

Switching conferences, San Juan's 12.5 game lead entering September was more than enough to keep them in first at 103-59, although they had a losing record in the last month. Colorado Springs faced a challenge from Guadalajara (and to a lesser extent, Sacramento) in the Western Division. The Gladiators finished 20-9 and got within two of the Stags, but CS's six game lead entering the month allowed them to hold on by two in the end at 99-63.

The four last place teams; Norfolk, Lincoln, Greensboro, and Fresno, all remained in the holes they dug earlier in the season, sealing their fate downward.



The excitement down the stretch in the Fourth League was in the Eastern Division. Stamford entered the month up 6.5 on Erie, but the SeaWolves went on a tear with a 21-8 mark to close the year and an 8-2 mark in their final 10. The Swarm though would win their final three games to narrowly take first at 105-58, one better than Erie. Halifax remained in the bottom spot to earn demotion.

In the Midwest, Peoria played even with second place Green Bay to keep the Phantoms in first at 96-66. Springfield, who was sixth entering the month, fell apart late and ended up demoted. The Silver Hawks closed the year at 7-20, including a 1-9 mark in their last ten.

St. Petersburg made modest gains late to secure the Southern Division at 91-71. Knoxville was able to play around .500 ball to climb out of last by a game over Winston-Salem, demoting the Dash at 66-96.

In the West, Boise had one of the strongest finishes, going 20-8 late to pull away from their challengers and take the best record in the WSC at 103-59. Reno and Lubbock finished tied for last at 72-90, but the Red Wolves were on the wrong end of the tiebreaker to doom them to the Fifth League.




The Fifth League saw Yonkers, Amarillo, and Irvine keep hold of their division leads to earn promotion, most impressively the Inferno at 122-40. The Midwest remained a dogfight to the end with Gary taking first at 90-72, edging out 88-74 Springfield and Evansville. Getting das boot were Saskatoon, Gainesville, Arlington, and Kalamazoo. The Gray Sox had the worst drop, as they were in seventh and 5.5 away from last entering September. An 8-20 close and both Laredo and Norman playing around .500 ball sealed their fate.



In the Sixth League, the last place teams (Wilkes-Barre, Youngstown, Durham, and Modesto) all stayed in last to get demoted. Atop the Midwest, Rochester held their nine game lead to take the title and promotion at 105-57. But the first place spot in the other three divisions were interesting.

The best two 6L records were in the Eastern Division. Paterson and Manchester entered the September tied at 89-45 and both had solid finishes, but the Penguins at 20-8 to close beat out the Malamutes' 18-10 close. Plano's fairly nice lead in the South shrank as they had a weak finish and both Lafayette and Santiago gained ground. The Sea Lions made up 4.5 games and the Lazers gained six, but the Porkers still survived in first at 89-73 with a two game advantage. In the West, Tacoma did enough to slightly grow their lead mid month to survive a 3-7 finish, taking first at 100-62 with a four game advantage on San Bernardino and five on Boulder.



Kingston easily took the Seventh League East Division at 103-59 while Reading was last at 61-101. Rapid City's lead shrunk against a charging Canton, but the Rapids persevered for first at 100-62, while Sudbury was a firm last place at 53-109. Ponce pulled away a bit late in the South to take it at 99-63, four better than Waco. Montgomery had the crappiest close at 7-21, dropping them from sixth to last and relegation. Ogden remained firmly last in the West.

The top of the West had intrigue with Santa Maria first at 98-64, one better than Hermosillo (97-65) and three over Mexicali (95-67). The Sun Sox finished on an eight-game win streak to make a run, but the Sharks took their last two to hang on.



In the Eighth League, Santa Fe, Hickory, Kitchener, and Eau Claire took the top spots. The Cavaliers climbed from third to first in the Midwest as Champaign played .500 ball and Elgin fell off a cliff. The Crawdads nearly grew their lead from one to four late to fend off Fort Myers and Springdale atop the South. At 56-106 in the West, Abbotsford earned the El Stinko award as the worst record in the lowest tier, bringing great shame to the Fraser Valley in southwestern British Columbia.



Each of the Division champions play in a four-team postseason of two seven-game series to determine the best team in their league. Regardless of playoff results, those four all get promoted at the end of the year while the last place finishers get dropped.