Baseball: The World's Game (OOTP 22 Fictional World)

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2011 in WAB



Despite being the WAB Western League champ the last two years, Abidjan had finished second both years in the standings. This time, they took the top spot at 101-61, extending their playoff streak to seven seasons. It was only their second time in first during this stretch, joining the 2008 season. Freetown bounced back from a 77-85 finish in 2010, taking second at 94-68 for a second berth in three years.

Monrovia’s playoff streak also extended to seven seasons with a third place finish at 91-71. Dakar and Conakry tied for the final playoff spot at 86-76 with the Dukes grabbing the spot in a tiebreaker game. Dakar ended a 16-year playoff drought back to 1994. Last year’s WLCS runner-up Cape Verde dropped to eighth at 77-85.

Although Kumasi was ninth place, they had the Western League MVP in RF Kay Duarte. The 25-year old Cape Verdean lefty led in WAR (8.3), slugging (.650), OPS (1.055), wRC+ (181), and total bases (367). Duarte added 44 home runs, 43 doubles, 112 RBI, and a .329 batting average.

Abidjan’s Arthur Boateng became the first to win Pitcher of the Year in four consecutive seasons and only the fourth four-time winner. The 27-year old Ghanaian lefty led in strikeouts at 286 and posted a 2.83 ERA over 235.2 innings, 15-7 record, 142 ERA+, and 5.9 WAR. The Athletes locked him down as the ace with a seven-year, $41,640,000 extension in March 2012.

Monrovia swept Dakar 2-0 in round one, but lost 2-1 to #2 seed Freetown in round two. The Foresters earned their first Western League Championship Series berth since losing six in-a-row from 1996-2001. Abidjan was looking for the three-peat in their fourth straight WLCS. Freetown pulled off the upset 3-2 to win their second-ever pennant (1977).



Reigning West African Baseball champ Cotonou improved with a franchise-best 114-48, taking first in the Eastern League by 21 games. The Copperheads led all of WAB in runs (872) and fewest allowed (555). Ouagadougou was a distant second at 93-69, taking their fourth playoff berth in five years. There was another nine game drop to third place.

Niamey and Port Harcourt tied at 84-78 to take the final two playoff spots, edging out 82-80 Ibadan and 80-82 Benin City. The Atomics earned a third consecutive playoff berth and their fifth in six years. The Hillcats meanwhile ended a 14-year playoff drought.

Cotonou’s Mohamed Elsheikh won Eastern League MVP. The 29-year old Sudanese first baseman had seen some success prior with Douala and Lagos and joined the Copperheads as a free agent in 2011 for $19,200,000 over four years. 2011 was a breakout year for Elsheikh, who led in hits (220), runs (119), RBI (155), total bases (440), slugging (.698), OPS (1.080), and WAR (8.8). He added 48 home runs, .349 average, and 190 wRC+.

His teammate Joshua Kumar won Pitcher of the Year. At 23-1, his .958 winning percentage was the second-best in world history to that point by a starter with 162+ innings. Only MLB’s Calvin Becerra was better with a 14-0 record, barely qualifying with 165 innings in 1926. Kumah also led in ERA at 1.86 and had a 219 ERA+. That said, the 27-year old Ghanaian’s 3.4 WAR was among the lowest ever by any POTY winner. Kumah had 184 strikeouts over 198.2 innings.

Port Harcourt outlasted Niamey 2-1 in the first round, then fell 2-1 to Ouagadougou in the second round. The Osprey earned their second Eastern League Championship Series berth in three years, but ultimately fell to the high-powered Copperheads. Cotonou took the ELCS to earn repeat pennants.



Cotonou also repeated in the 37^th West African Championship. It was an absolute classic against Freetown that went all seven games and needed extras in the finale. In the bottom of the 11^th inning in game seven, backup 2B Inspector Kanneh stepped up with a pinch hit RBI single for a 7-6 walkoff Copperheads win. It was only the second-ever walkoff finish in the WAB final, joining the 1984 series. It was the first-ever extra innings game seven.

2B Karim Dodoz was finals MVP, having joined Cotonou in a preseason trade with Bouake. The 29-year old Ivorian had 14 hits, 3 runs, 1 homer, and 3 RBI in 11 playoff starts. The Copperheads became the third WAB franchise to earn repeat titles, joining Kano and Lagos who have both done it multiple times.



Other notes: Darwin Morris became the first WAB player to reach 3000 career hits and 2000 runs batted in. At this point, Morris is the career leaer in hits, runs, homers, RBI, and WAR. Ahamad Mathew joined Morris as the only players with 600+ home runs and 1500 runs scored. Mathew also became the fourth to cross 1500 RBI.

Freetown’s Zackary Aisi set a bad postseason record with 27 strikeouts. Uche Abang had a 20 strikeout game for Ibadan against Libreville. It was the 14^th time a WAB pitcher hit 20+ and the first time since 2000. Shortstop Tchiressoua Yao won his tenth Silver Slugger. Catcher Okoro Otene won his ninth Gold Glove and RF Jacob Jamil won his seventh.

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2011 in CLB

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Three of the four CLB Northern League playoff teams made it back in 2011. The exception was last year’s first place team Zhengzhou, who dropped to 75-87 to end a three-year playoff streak. Nanjing finished first at 100-62, their fifth time in franchise history taking first. Second had a tie at 95-67 between Shanghai and Tianjin. The tiebreaker gave the #2 seed to the Jackrabbit. Tianjin’s playoff streak grew to three seasons and the Seawolves’ grew to four.

The fourth and final playoff spot had a tie with Beijing and Hangzhou at 90-72. The Bears won the tiebreaker to advance for their third berth in five years. Xi’an just missed at 89-73 despite setting Northern League pitching records for fewest hits allowed (986) and H/9 (5.90). Those remain the NL records as of 2037.

Harbin was eighth at 82-80, but boasted the Northern League’s MVP Zhao Zhao. The 27-year old first baseman led in hits (203), doubles (36), total bases (351), average (.334), and slugging (.578). Zhao added 10.5 WAR, a 240 wRC+, 34 home runs, and .948 OPS. Zhao remained the face of the Hellcats franchise, inking a seven-year, $76,400,000 extension after the 2012 campaign.

Although Zhengzhou fell off, Yuandong Wang won his third straight Pitcher of the Year. Still in only his fourth season, the 24-year old lefty led in strikeouts (330), quality starts (30), and WAR (9.3). Wang had a 1.58 ERA over 267 innings, 11-11 record, and 146 ERA+.



Shenzhen and Chengdu had an intense battle for the Southern League’s top spot. The Spartans took it ultimately at 101-61, ending a four-year playoff drought. It was their second-ever first place finish, joining the 1988 campaign. For the reigning Chinese League Baseball champion Clowns, their playoff streak grew to four seasons. Changsha was third at 90-72 and Guangzhou fourth at 87-75 for the remaining playoff spots.

The Cannons earned repeat playoff spots, while the Gamecocks snapped a nine-year drought. There were eight teams stuck between 81-81 and 78-84, including last year’s China Series runner up Macau. At 78-84, the Magicians ended a three-year playoff streak and had their first losing campaign in a decade.

Foshan, a 2010 semifinalist, fell to 79-83. Top seed Shenzhen allowed 339 runs, which was the third fewest in CLB history. Chongqing at 79-83 set Southern League records for fewest walks (196) and BB/9 (1.18) which still hold as of 2037.

Chendgu’s Peng Wang won Southern League MVP and posted power numbers that seemed unfathomable in the dead-ball Chinese League. The 27-year old first baseman destroyed the previous home run record (59) and RBI record (125) by socking 70 dingers with 150 RBI. Prior to this, 50+ homers had been breached only nine times and it had only happened twice in the prior 30 years.

Both remain CLB records as of 2037. Wang’s 15.09 WAR was the second-most ever by a CLB position player behind Libo Li’s 15.85 from 1980. Wang also led the league in runs (113), total bases (409), slugging (.693), OPS (1.054), and wRC+ (272) while adding a .297 batting average. That set new CLB records for total bases and slugging, although both of those marks would later fall.

Pitcher of the Year went to Shenzhen’s Chenrui Lin in his fourth season. The 26-year old righty led in ERA (1.34), WHIP (0.70), and WAR (9.2). Lin added an 18-2 record over 248.1 innings, 283 strikeouts, and 183 ERA+. Sadly, his promising career was derailed in late 2013 with a torn labrum.

Also worth a mention was Shantou’s Zhenfeng Liu, who won Rookie of the Year. The #2 overall pick by the expansion Scorpions in 2010 set the record for most WAR by a CLB Rookie of the Year winner at 9.0. He added a 242 wRC+, .972 OPS, and 33 home runs.

Round Robin Group A saw both Southern League teams advance as #2 seed Chengdu and #4 seed Guangzhou both went 4-2, while Shanghai and Nanjing went 2-4. SL #3 Changsha was the top team in Group B as well, although the Northern League did get one team through. That was surprisingly #4 seed Beijing at 3-3, who had the tiebreaker over SL #1 Shenzhen who also went 3-3. Tianjin finished 1-5.

The Bears hadn’t been to the semifinal since 2002 and the Gamecocks hadn’t seen it since 2000. Beijing outlasted Guangzhou in their semifinal battle 4-3, giving the Bears their first China Series berth since 2001. Chengdu and Changsha both made repeat semifinal berths, although they didn’t meet last year. The defending champ Clowns was beaten 4-2 by the Cannons, sending Changsha to tis first China Series since their three straight berths from 2004-2006.



The 42^nd China Series saw Changsha become four-time league champions, defeating Beijing 4-2. This added the 2011 cup to their 1997, 2004, and 2005 wins. Finals MVP was pitcher Devin Swit, a 25-year old American who joined the Cannons after failing to grab a MLB spot out of college at Florida. All five of his starts were complete games, setting a playoff record. In 44.2 innings over six appearances, Swit had a 4-2 record, 1.21 ERA, 35 strikeouts, and 202 ERA+.



Other notes: Beijing’s Maoyu Yang set playoff records with three shutouts in his five playoff starts, posting a 1.02 ERA over 44 innings with 55 strikeouts. The shutouts and strikeout marks were records and his 1.99 WAR was the second-most behind Yo Ho’s 2.07 in 2009. Changsha’s Lei Li also had a great playoffs with a 1.89 WAR.

2011 had CLB’s 44^th and 45^th Perfect Game. On June 24, Xiamen’s Deng Wei struck out 12 against Guangzhou. On July 3, Shanghai’s Dong Chen fanned eight against Xi’an. Macau’s Yiak Pang struck out 21 in 8.2 innings against Guangzhou in May, becoming the sixth CLB pitcher with a 21+ K game.

Foshan’s Guoming Zhao notably tossed two no-hitters in 2011 within 12 days. The first was against Changsha on May 8 with 3 strikeouts and 1 walk. Then on May 20, he had 6 Ks and 1 walk against Shenzhen. Zhao became the sixth CLB pitcher to toss multiple no-hitters in the same season.

Hongtao Chen became the 15^th pitcher to 3000 career strikeouts. Jun Zhang became only the 13^th batter to 2000 career hits. Zhang also won his seventh Gold Glove in 2011 at shortstop. At a pathetic .274, Shiijazhuang had the worst slugging percentage by a team in Northern League history.

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2011 in APB



Davao’s dynasty looked to continue on as the Devil Rays won the Philippine League for the seventh consecutive year. The two-time defending Austronesia Professional Baseball champs finished 105-57 for the top seed in the Taiwan-Philippine Association. Davao became the first team in APB history to earn seven playoff berths in a row.

Davao also set a new APB record for total attendance with 2,373,133 fans over the season. That remained the top mark until 2028. Cebu again had a strong season in second place, but their 94-68 couldn’t keep up with Davao. That was the best season for the Crows since their 1991 title.

The Taiwan League was top heavy with Kaohsiung ending a three-year title drought at 103-59. The Steelheads fended off defending TL champ Taipei at 98-64 and a sturdy Taichung at 96-66. Kaohsiung allowed the fewest runs in the TPA at 417, while Davao scored the most at 606.

For the fourth time in five years, Taipei’s Ching-Hui Lin was the Taiwan-Philippine Association MVP. The 27-year old right fielder led in home runs (49), RBI (111), runs (99), total bases (380), slugging (.639), OPS (.982), wRC+ (205), and WAR (9.4). He added a .292 average and .344 OBP.

Pitcher of the Year went to Cebu’s Favian Frias in only his third season. The 23-year old righty led in ERA (1.44), strikeouts (373), WHIP (0.65), and WAR (11.1). Frias added a 191 ERA+ and 18-6 record over 263 innings. Among his highlights was a no-hitter on August against Manila with 11 strikeouts and 2 walks, plus a 20 strikeout game against Tainan in May. The Crows wisely gave him a seven year, $51,120,000 extension in the offseason.



Surabaya’s Java Sea League reign grew to six seasons, taking the title and the top seed in the Sundaland Association at 99-63. Their nearest foes were Bandung and Depok both at 85-77. The Sunbirds joined Davao’s active seven-year streak an Manila’s six-year run from 1965-70 as APB’s longest continuous playoff runs.

In the Malacca League, Pekanbaru ended an 18-year playoff drought. At 96-66, the usually downtrodden Palms posted only their second winning season since 1993. Singapore finished 91-71 for back-to-back seasons, but again missed the playoffs. Defending Sundaland Association champ Medan was third at 87-75.

Singapore 1B Wil Tabaldo secured Sundaland Association MVP, leading in home runs (55), RBI (114), runs (97), total bases (348), OBP (.382), slugging (.612), OPS (.994), wRC+ (226), and WAR (10.1). Tabaldo’s .292 average fell seven points short of a Triple Crown. The 55 homers were tied for the third most in an APB season to date. The 24-year old Filipino lefty would start of streak of 11 seasons as the SA’s home run leader. That whole run came with the Sharks, who gave Tabaldo a massive eight year, $135,500,000 extension in April 2012.

Surabaya’s Rahmat Hasjim repeated as the Pitcher of the Year. The 28-year old Indonesian righty led in wins at 23-7 and posted a 1.59 ERA over 237.1 innings with 286 strikeouts, a 156 ERA+, and 7.6 WAR.

Davao swept Kaohsiung in the Taiwan-Philippine Association Championship for a third straight pennant and their fifth in seven years. They were only the third franchise to ever three-peat as subleague champs, joining Cebu (1990-92) and Jakarta (1968-70). Surabaya was ousted for the fourth consecutive season in the Sundaland Association Championship. Pekanbaru’s 4-2 upset win gave them their second-ever pennant, joining the inaugural 1965 season.



Davao had a shot to be the first-ever team to three-peat in the APB Championship. Pekanbaru denied that in a seven-game classic for their first-ever title. 1B Ali Yusuf was finals MVP, posting 17 hits, 5 runs, 3 doubles, and 4 RBI in 13 playoff starts.



With that, 15 of APB’s original 20 teams has won it all, leaving Tainan, Zamboanga, Depok, Palembang, and Singapore as those without along with the expansion Hsinchu and Cagayan de Oro squads and the recently added Kuala Lumpur and Johor Bahru. Pekanbaru was also the first Malacca League team to win the APB title since Batam in 1998.

This also officially was the end of Davao’s great dynasty run. They were the first-ever APB team to earn five finals appearances in seven years and joined Kaohsiung’s 1970s run as the only teams with four overall titles in a six year span. The Devil Rays would only see one playoff appearance in the following 25 seasons.

Other notes: Dedi Dewi passed Vhon Lasam’s 5365 to become the all-time strikeouts leader. Dewi pitched two more seasons and finished with 5721 Ks, which remains the APB top mark in 2037. Eddie Abundez became the 15^th pitcher to reach 4000 strikeouts. Manila’s offense had only 66 total home runs, the lowest single-season in TPA history.

Beau Cabral became the seventh batter to reach 2500 hits. He played two more years and retired with 2802, which was third at retirement and sits sixth in 2037. LF Chang-Fa Lin won his seventh Gold Glove. SS Chi-Chao Shih won his tenth Silver Slugger, making him the record holder at the position.

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2011 in OBA

For the 2011 season, the Oceania Baseball Association lowered its minimum service time for free agency from six to five years. This made OBA the least restrictive of any of the pro leagues. OBA maintained this until bumping back up to six seasons 20 years later.



Melbourne’s Australasia League dynasty rolled forward with an unprecedented ninth consecutive league title. This tied West African Baseball’s Kano (1997-2005) and South Asia Baseball’s Ahmedabad (1994-2002) as the only nine-year subleague title streaks in pro baseball history. Melbourne now has 14 titles, the most of any OBA team.

The Mets took the title at 105-57, earning a sixth consecutive 100+ win season. Canberra was the closest competitor at 95-67, a new franchise record for the 2006 expansion squad. Melbourne’s offense set a new AL record for walks drawn (566), and doubles (296), while having the second-most runs scored (859) and third-best team OBP (.335).

Tyler Straw became the fourth player in OBA history to be a five-time MVP. The Melbourne infielder had won the award in 2000, 2001, 2003, and 2007 at shortstop. His 2011 win was his first MPV since switching to second base. The 34-year old Australian led in WAR at 7.8 and had 31 doubles, 17 triples, 28 home runs, a .927 OPS, and 152 wRC+. Straw also earned his ninth career Silver Slugger.

Pitcher of the Year went to Christchurch rookie Alison Kila, who shockingly only took third in Rookie of the Year voting. The Papuan righty was the eighth overall pick in the 2010 OBA Draft and debuted with a Gold Glove effort, ERA title (2.45), and the best marks in strikeouts (365), WHIP (0.91), quality starts (31), FIP- (61), and WAR (9.8). Kila had a 22-12 record over 282.1 innings, missing a Triple Crown by two wins.

Kila never had another season quite that dominant, but he still led in strikeouts twice more and put together a second-ballot Hall of Fame run. The Rookie of the Year winner was Perth 1B Tyler Halton with 30 home runs, a .326 average, and 5.4 WAR. Halton went onto have a “Hall of Pretty Good” type run.



Although Tahiti had won 98 or more games in eight consecutive seasons, the Tropics fell just short in the 2009 and 2010 Pacific League standings. Tahiti returned to the top spot in 2011 at 101-61, earning their sixth pennant in nine years. The Tropics earned their 11^th league title with the effort. Defending PL champ Guadalcanal was the closest competitor at 93-69, 20 games worse than their franchise-best 2010 effort. Guam placed third at 91-71.

Timor’s Roe Kaupa won Pacific League MVP, leading in home runs (59), total bases (411), slugging (.712), OPS (1.108), and wRC+ (215). The 24-year old Papuan first baseman added 8.9 WAR, a .328 average, and 122 RBI. The Tapirs would only be able to hold onto Kaupa one more season before he left and signed a record eight-year, $117,400,000 free agent deal with Christchurch.

Fiji’s Akira Brady repeated as Pitcher of the Year and posted a historic season. The 24-year old New Zealander earned a Triple Crown with a 25-8 record, 1.37 ERA, and 447 strikeouts while also leading in WAR (14.1), innings (327.2), WHIP (0.69), K/BB (10.6), quality starts (38) and shutouts (7) with a 263 ERA+ and 48 FIP-.

Brady’s 1.37 ERA was the third-lowest season ever by a qualifying starter and the WAR mark was the sixth-best ever by an OBA pitcher. The WHIP mark was the fourth-best season and his .461 opponent’s OPS ranked sixth. The wild thing about Brady’s incredible career is that he would go onto have multiple seasons worth more WAR, although this would be his career best ERA and WHIP seasons.



The 52^nd Oceania Championship renewed the great finals rivalry between Melbourne and Tahiti, marking their sixth battle in nine years. The Tropics won the 2003 and 2008 encounters, while the Mets scored wins in 2004, 2005, and 2007. Melbourne had a shot at its second three-peat of the historic run. For the third time in this incredible rivalry, all seven games would be needed.

The 2011 final shaped up as the most dramatic yet as game seven went ten innings, ending with a 2-1 Tahiti victory. 2B Chase Terrell was finals MVP, going 10-26 with 8 runs, 3 homers, 1 double, 1 triple, and 5 RBI. Fittingly, this evened up the record at 3-3 between the squads. Both Melbourne and Tahiti would make the finals again in the next few years, but wouldn’t face each other. This was the Tropics’ fifth OBA title. (1965, 1975, 2003, 2008, 2011).



Other notes: 2011 would begin a three-year streak without a single no-hitter in OBA. Ryder Murray became the 14^th pitcher to 3500 career strikeouts. CF Ashton Hughes grabbed his ninth Gold Glove. LF Samson Gould and CF Tory Clayton both earned their eighth Gold Gloves. Arjita Gabeja won his eighth Silver Slugger and his second as a DH. He has six others in left field.

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2011 in EPB

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Defending EPB European League champ Moscow finished first in the standings again in 2011 and grew its playoff streak to seven seasons. The Mules finished 103-59, their third 100+ win season of the stretch. Moscow also set a new EPB single-season team record with 476 stolen bases. This mark would only get topped once (by the Mules themselves the following year).

Minsk (96-66) narrowly edged out last year’s wild card Kazan (95-67) and Rostov (94-68) for the wild card. This gave the Miners their third playoff berth in four years. The Rhinos’ 94-win effort was the first-ever winning season since Rostov joined EPB in 2000.

European League MVP was Volgograd first baseman Roman Stachinsky. The 25-year old Russian led in hits (197), runs (98), home runs (46), total bases (364), slugging (.598), and wRC+ (193). Stanchinsky had 8.0 WAR, a .953 OPS, .323 batting average, and 105 RBI. He fell one average point and four RBI shy of a Triple Crown season.

Moscow had the Pitcher of the Year in veteran Nijat Statsky. The 33-year old Uzbek righty was in his third year with the Mules after relatively average production prior with Samara. In 2011, Statsky posted a 2.03 ERA, 17-7 record, 299 strikeouts, and 8.1 WAR over 261 innings with a 154 ERA+.



Reigning Eurasian Professional Baseball champ Omsk repeated as the top team in the Asian league with a 100-62 record. Yekaterinburg took the wild card at 94-68, finishing six ahead of Ulaanbaatar and eight better than Chelyabinsk. The Yaks grew their impressive playoff streak to nine seasons with 12 berths in the last 13 years.

Ufa struggled to 79-83, but they had the Asian League MVP in Nikolay Kargopolcev. The 24-year old Russian right fielder led in runs (95), home runs (43), RBI (103), total bases (348), slugging (.606), OPS (.950), wRC+ (180), and WAR (7.5).

Yekaterinburg ace Matvey Ivanov won a historic tenth Pitcher of the Year, his first since taking nine straight from 1999-2007. He made world history, as no pitcher in any other world league had ever earned ten Pitcher of the Year honors. Ivanov also impressively won his eighth ERA title and led in strikeouts for the eighth time.

It was an amazing bounce-back for the 36-year old Russian lefty, as elbow ligament reconstruction surgery had severely limited him in the prior two seasons. Ivanov led in ERA (1.96), strikeouts (285), and WHIP (0.84). He had 6.9 WAR and a 163 ERA+ over 252.1 innings with a 19-7 record, falling two wins short of a Triple Crown.

Ivanov also threw two no-hitters in 2011, the only ones of the season. Both had 10 strikeouts and 2 walks with the first on May 14 against Irkutsk and the second on September 16 versus Ulaanbaatar. This gave Ivanov five no-hitters for his career, the most of any EPB pitcher.

For the third time in four years, Moscow met Minsk in the European League Championship Series. Just like in 2008 and 2009, the wild card team pulled off the upset win. The Miners rolled the Mules 4-1 for their second pennant in four years. This also gave Minsk 20 EL pennants over EPB’s 57 seasons.

The Asian League Championship Series was also a rematch, although top seed Omsk repeated and swept Yekaterinburg. This gave the Otters their sixth-ever pennant and gave the Yaks their third straight ALCS defeat. The 57^th EPB Championship would be the fourth time Omsk met Minsk. The Miners were the victors in the prior three encounters in 1966, 1985, and
2002.



Minsk made it 4-0, taking the championship in six games against Omsk. Finals MVP was 1B Kehinde Tali, a Nigerian journeyman who came to EPB after flaming out of WAB. In 11 playoff starts, Tali had 12 hits, 7 runs, 1 double, 4 home runs, and 8 RBI.



The Miners ended an eight-year title drought; the second-longest gap for the perennial powerhouse behind the 15-year stretch from 1970-1984. With the title, Minsk is now 13-7 all-time in the finals. Their 13 league titles stand alone as the most by any team in any pro league. They were previously tied at 12 with SAB’s Ahmedabad.

Other notes: Markiyan Konoplya became the fourth pitcher in EPB to reach 300 career wins and the fifth to 5000 strikeouts. Konoplya pitched one more season and ended with 323 wins and 5213 Ks, retiring third in wins and fourth in strikeouts. C Eduard Melnychenko won his seventh Silver Slugger.

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2011 in EBF

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Cologne finished with the best record among the EBF Elite in 2011, earning the Northern Conference’s top seed at 110-52. This was a franchise best for the Copperheads, who won the North Central Division for a third division title in four years. The #2 seed went to last year’s #1 seed Brussels at 105-57, giving the Beavers repeat Northwest Division titles.

It was an intense battle in the British Isles Division with Birmingham (102-60) outlasting the defending European Champion Dublin (100-62). The Bees got repeat playoff berths, but it was their first division title since 1996. It snapped a three-year division title streak for the Dinos. However as the first wild card, Dublin earned its sixth playoff berth in seven seasons and a fourth consecutive 100+ win campaign.

The fight for the second wild card was in the Northwest Division with Luxembourg (92-70) ultimately topping Amsterdam (90-72) and Paris (89-73). The Lancers grabbed their second berth in three years. Oslo won a weak Baltic Sea Division for the third consecutive season. The Octopi finished 84-78 with their closest competitor being 80-82 Copenhagen.

The worst time by far and the biggest shock was Kyiv at 52-110 suffering relegation. The Kings had won 87 games the prior year and before that had a six-year playoff streak with three conference titles and two EBF rings. It was an absolutely stunning collapse for one of the historically most successful franchise. No other teams from the NC were dropped as they all avoided 100+ losses. The closest to relegation was Frankfurt at 65-97.

Oslo may have been the weakest playoff team, but SS Harvey Coyle delivered an all-time season. The 24-year old Englishman won his third consecutive Northern Conference MVP and made history with 16.6 WAR. This set a world record for single-season WAR by a non-pitcher or two-way player and still holds as of 2037. Coyle broke his own EBF record of 15.7 that he set the prior season.

Coyle was the leader in home runs (62), RBI (142), slugging (.779), and OPS (1.190). On top of being the best hitter, he won his fourth Gold Glove with a blistering 37.1 zone rating and 1.146 EFF. He fell only narrowly short of the single-season ZR record of 39.9 set by Saul Santiago in 1982.

Brussels righty Gustav Rosengren became a two-time Pitcher of the Year winner, having also won it in 2008. The 27-year old Swedish righty was the WARlord (8.4) and led with 5 shutouts. Rosengren added a 2.57 ERA over 244.2 innings, a 19-8 record, 253 strikeouts, and 143 ERA+. In the offseason, the Beavers locked up their ace to a six-year, $63,100,000 extension.

Dublin rolled Oslo and Birmingham bested Luxembourg with first round sweeps. The defending champ Dinos then upset top seed Cologne 3-1 in round two, while the Bees outlasted Brussels 3-2. This was Birmingham’s first Northern Conference Championship berth since 1996. Despite the Bees being the division champs, Dublin crushed them with a conference finals sweep. With the repeat, the Dinos earned their sixth pennant (1962, 67, 68, 95, 2010, 11).



Barcelona again was the Southern Conference’s top seed, improving upon their 100-win 2010 with a 108-54 mark. They needed to be stronger to repeat in a loaded Southwest Division that had both wild cards. Marseille (101-61) and Lisbon (99-63) had the next two best records in the whole conference. The Musketeers earned a third consecutive playoff berth, while the Clippers ended an 11-year playoff drought. Lisbon had been stuck in the middle tier, winning 83.6 games per year during the drought.

At 98-64, Athens won the Southeast Division for the third straight year and earned a fourth straight playoff berth. Their closest foe was Yerevan at 88-74. In the East Central Division, Prague completed an impressive turnaround. The Pilots had gotten relegated in 2009, but earned a spot back with the Elite after winning the Second League title in 2010. At 87-75,

Prague edged out Budapest (83-79) for the spot. It is the first playoff spot for the Pilots since joining EBF and their first since the 1980 EPB season. The South Central Division was historically bad with Milan taking first at a mere 79-83. That ended a nine-year postseason skid for the Maulers. Zurich, last year’s conference champ, dropped to second place at 76-86.

Lyon and Naples tied for the worst record at 66-96. The tiebreaker saved the Nobles and dropped the Lords back down after only two years in the top tier. Also of note, Munich dropped to 70-92 to end their impressive ten-year playoff streak. The Mavericks hadn’t posted a losing season since 1997.

Marseille LF Jean-Luc Tapie won his fourth Southern Conference MVP in five years. The 26-year old Frenchman was the leader in runs (129), home runs (61), RBI (141), walks (97), total bases (414), OBP (.446), slugging (.754), OPS (1.200), wRC+ (217), and WAR (10.6). Tapie added 189 hits and a .344 batting average. The Musketeers gave him a mammoth eight-year, $88,300,000 extension in August.

His Marseille teammate Mitja Kovacic won Pitcher of the Year in his seventh season. The 28-year old Slovene led in wins (21-2) and quality starts (23). Kovacic added a 2.43 ERA in 237 innings, 243 strikeouts, a 159 ERA+, and 6.6 WAR. The Musketeers also spent big on Kovacic with a seven-year, $92,400,000 extension signed after the 2012 campaign.

The high powered wild cards both won in round one, but had to work for it with Marseille over Milan 2-1 and Lisbon over Prague 2-1. Top seed Barcelona would surprisingly sweep the Musketeers to earn repeat appearances in the Southern Conference Championship. Athens outlasted the Clippers 3-2, giving the Anchors their second SCC in three years. The Bengals rolled Athens 4-1 in the final for their third pennant in six years. It was Barcelona’s ninth SC pennant overall, tying them with Madrid and Zurich for the most.



Dublin dominated Barcelona 4-1 in the 62^nd European Championship, making the Dinos only the fourth-ever team to repeat as champ (Copenhagen 2004-05, Marseille 1985-86, Amsterdam 1983-84) Dublin now had four EBF titles, having also won in 1962 and 1967. LF Sergio Cipolla was finals MVP in his tenth season for the Dinos. The 32-year old Italian had 21 hits, 13 runs, 5 triples, 5 home runs, 14 RBI, and 10 stolen bases in 15 playoff starts.



Other notes: Romano Piredda became the 13^th batter to reach 600 career home runs. Antonio Massolo and Francisco Cruz made it 27 batters to reach 2500 hits. Zachary Berg became the ninth reliever to 300 saves. CF Paiz Bazarbaew and 1B Wilfried Keilbach won their seventh Gold Gloves. Two-way player Atanas Kalkanov won his 12^th Silver Slugger (11^th as a pitcher) and 3B Ben Springer won his seventh.

Promotion/Relegation: With no additional teams losing 100+ games, only the worst record in each conference (Kyiv and Lyon) were relegated. The Kings easily slotted into the Second League’s Eastern Conference and the Lords went to the Western Conference.

Promoted was the E2L finalists Antwerp and Chisinau. The Airedales were slotted right into Kyiv’s former North Central Division spot. The Moldova-based Counts were moved into the Southeast Division, which required additional shuffling.

Skopje was moved from the Southeast to the East Central, Prague was moved from the East Central to the South Central, and Milan was sent from the South Central to the Southwest. That had the unique impact of moving two defending division champs (although Milan won theirs with a sub-.500 record.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2011 in BSA

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Barquisimeto’s playoff streak grew to four seasons with their third Venezuela Division title in that stretch. For the first time in that run, they earned the Bolivar League’s #1 seed. At 107-55, the Black Cats had their first 100+ win season since 1981. They needed to be strong to fend off Valencia at 100-62. The Velocity took the first wild card for their third playoff berth in five years.

The Colombia-Ecuador Division was top heavy as well with a surprise winner in Medellin. The Mutiny hadn’t posted a winning season or playoff berth since 1998 and won only 55 games two years prior. In 2011, Medellin earned the #2 seed at 102-60. It was also their first division title since 1994.

They fended off Guayaquil (98-64) and Quito (95-67) for the division title. The Golds took the second wild card to extended their playoff streak to four years. The Thunderbolts fell short of the playoffs, as did solid efforts in Venezuela by Ciudad Guayana (91-71) and Caracas (89-73). The Giants had their own impressive turnaround, having won only 67 in 2010.

Defending Copa Sudamerica winner and three-time defending BL champ Santa Cruz was the weakest playoff team, but they extended their impressive Peru-Bolivia Division title streak to six seasons. The Crawfish took it at 93-69, besting Callao by three games. The Cats had their playoff streak ended at three years. Arequipa, a wild card last year, dropped to 82-80.

Leading Medellin’s turnaround was RF Manuel Marquez, who won his second Bolivar League MVP. The Colombian lefty had previously taken the top honor in 2008. The 27-year old slugger led in 2011 in runs (137), RBI (158), total bases (447), average (.363), slugging (.734), OPS (1.137), wRC+ (197), and WAR (9.0). Marquez smacked 60 home runs, falling two short of a Triple Crown season. In the winter, the Mutiny locked up their superstar to an eight-year, $87,700,000 extension.

Pitcher of the Year was Guayaquil’s Ulisses Natividad. The 29-year old Ecuadoran led in WAR (9.4), FIP- (53), and quality starts (24). Natividad had a 2.61 ERA over 238.1 innings with a 16-10 record, 290 strikeouts, and 156 ERA+.

Santa Cruz’s four-peat hopes were dashed as Guayaquil ousted them 2-1 in the first round of the playoffs. Barquisimeto dropped the Golds 3-1 in the Divisional Series, while Valencia outlasted Medellin 3-2. The Black Cats ended a Bolivar League Championship Series drought dating back to 1982, while the Velocity’s last BLCS was their 2007 pennant.

Valencia started hot by winning the first three games of the series. Barquisimeto avoided the sweep by winning the next three. In a decisive game seven, the Velocity was the road winner for their seventh Bolivar League title. The 2011 crown joins their 2007 win and the 1974-78 five-peat.



Recife won the Southern Cone League title in 2010 as a wild card. In 2011, the Retrievers had the top overall seed at 103-59 atop the North Division. It was their third straight playoff berth, but first division title since 2000. Last year’s division winner and LCS runner up Fortaleza was a distant second at 86-76, which ended their playoff streak at three.

Cordoba won the South Central Division at 98-64. The Chanticleers earned repeat playoff berths, but they hadn’t been a division champ in 25 years. Both wild cards came out of the division with Santiago (94-68) and Concepcion (92-70). The Chiefs snapped a 19-year playoff skid while the Saints ended a five-year drought. Asuncion’s five-year playoff streak ended as they struggled to 70-92. It was only the third playoff miss since 1997 for the Archers.

Sao Paulo repeated in the Southeast Division at 94-68 and set a new league record with 122 team triples. That remains the Southern Cone’s top mark as of 2037. Rosario (89-73) and Rio de Janeiro (85-77) were their closest foes in the divisional race. The Robins ended up three games short of Concepcion for the second wild card spot.

Recife 3B Niccolo Coelho was the Southern Cone League MVP. The 28-year old Brazilian led in runs (117) and RBI (139). Coelho added 190 hits, 53 home runs, a 1.065 OPS, 191 wRC+, and 9.2 WAR. The Retrievers would give Coelho a seven-year, $68,900,000 extension signed in August 2012.

Buenos Aires veteran lefty Fernan Murillo won his second Pitcher of the Year in three seasons. The 33-year old Colombian led in WAR (10.1), strikeouts (329), WHIP (0.82), K/BB (13.2), FIP- (53), and quality starts (25). Murillo added a 16-11 record over 253 innings, a 2.31 ERA, and 165 ERA+. He also became the 29^th Beisbol Sudamerica pitcher to reach 4000 career strikeouts.

Sao Paulo swept Concepcion in the first round, then took Recife to the limit in the Divisional Series. The defending champ Retrievers held on 3-2 over the Padres, while Cordoba defeated Santiago 3-1. The Chanticleers earned their first Southern Cone Championship appearance since their 1985 pennant. Recife wouldn’t be denied the repeat, rolling Cordoba 4-1 in the final. The Retrievers have impressively won five pennants since joining in the 1974 expansion (1984, 1995, 1996, 2010, 2011). They’re the first repeat LCS winner since Asuncion from 2000-01.



However, Recife would come up short in Copa Sudamerica for back-to-back seasons. Valencia won 4-2 in the 81th finale for their third Cup win, joining the 1977 and 1978 titles. They’re also the first Venezuelan team to win it all since Ciudad Guayana in 1984, which was the longest drought in any division. 1B Nicolas Aquino was finals MVP with 18 playoff starts, 23 hits, 8 runs, 3 doubles, 4 home runs, and 7 RBI.



Other notes: Owen Arcia became only the ninth BSA batter to 3000 career hits. Arcia also became the 34^th to reach 1500 runs scored. Vincente Sainz became the 14^th member of the 600 home run club. He played one more season and retired with 644, which ranks 18^th as of 2037.

Jose Antonio Saenz won his tenth consecutive Gold Glove at second base. Saenz is also the record holder at the position in BSA. 3B Oliver Mejia became a seven-time Gold Glover. Two-way player Oliver Ichminya won his eighth Silver Slugger as a pitcher.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2011 in EAB

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The Japan League’s West Division was stacked, but only one could advance. Kumamoto repeated and earned the #1 overall seed with a franchise-record 100-62. The Frogs held off 95-67 efforts by Kitakyushu and Hiroshima. The Central Division was also strong with reigning East Asian Champion Kyoto (99-63) prevailing by one game over Nagoya (98-64). By contrast, the other two divisions were very weak.

Chiba won the Capital Division at 84-78 to end a five-year playoff drought. Last year’s Capital winner Kawasaki fell from 102 wins to 83-79, missing the title by one game. Sapporo snagged the North Division at 82-80, posting their first division title or winning season since 2000. Sendai finished four back at 78-82. Niigata fell to 72-90, ending a five-year playoff streak with their first losing season since 1998.

Repeating as Japan League MVP was Kumamoto LF Sang-Jun Gang. The 29-year old South Korean lefty led in average (.342), total bases (398), slugging (.701), OPS (1.085), wRC+ (234), and WAR (11.2). Gang added 48 home runs and 111 runs. Gang stayed with the Monsters for one more season before leaving for a five-year, $90,800,000 deal with Daegu in 2013.

Chiba’s Hongchen Le won Pitcher of the Year, leading in wins at 24-7. The 24-year old Chinese righty had a 2.68 ERA over 262 innings, 253 strikeouts, a 125 ERA+, and 6.5 WAR. This was the one real standout year in Le’s career, although he was a respectable arm for another eight years for the Comets.

82-win Sapporo shocked #1 seed Kumamoto 3-1 in the first round, giving the Swordfish their first Japan League Championship Series appearance since 1999. Defending EAB champ Kyoto defeated Chiba 3-1 on the other side. The 2011 JLCS was an all-timer that required an extra-innings game seven. The Kamikaze won the finale 3-2 in 12 innings to repeat and win their fifth Japan League title.



Last year’s runner-up in the Korea League Championship Series Gwangju ended up with 2011’s top seed at 97-65. The Grays extended their playoff streak to four seasons, but it was their first South Division title since 1993. The North Division saw Goyang narrowly take first at 94-68, ending their own division title drought dating back to 1992. The Green Sox did grab their second playoff berth in four years, having won the 2008 pennant as a wild card.

Behind them were Suwon and Hamhung both at 92-70. They both were wild cards with the Heat winning a tiebreaker game for the #3 seed. The Snappers earned a third straight playoff berth, while Hamhung ended a 20-year drought. Just short in the wild card race were Busan and Daegu at 90-72 and Bucheon at 89-73. Reigning KL champ Yongin missed the cut at 86-76.

Suwon LF A-Min Bae won his fourth Korea League MVP in five seasons. The 26-year old lefty led in slugging (.684), OPS (1.086), wRC+ (190), and WAR (10.4). Bae added 45 home runs, 122 RBI, 116 runs, and a .349 average. He played one more season for the Snappers before leaving for America, signing a historic eight-year, $185,600,000 deal in 2013 with MLB’s Los Angeles.

Pitcher of the Year was sixth-year Daegu righty Jae-Ha Jung. He led in wins (21-10), innings (278), strikeouts (311), complete games (22), and shutouts (4). Jung added a 2.56 ERA, 145 ERA+, and 6.7 WAR. He stayed with the Diamondbacks one more year, then cashed in with a six-year, $87,000,000 free agency deal with Seongnam.

Gwangju survived 3-2 over Suwon in the first round, while Goyang outlasted Hamhung 3-2. The Grays earned repeat Korea League Championship Series berths, but couldn’t end its 17-year title drought. The Green Sox took the KLCS 4-1 for their second pennant in four years and their third overall (1991, 2008, 2011).



Goyang was one of the original franchises without an East Asian Championship win in EAB’s 91 seasons to date. That streak continued as Kyoto defeated the Green Sox 4-2, becoming the first Japanese team to repeat as EAB champs since 2000-01 Kawasaki. The Kamikaze were now 4-1 in the finals, also having won in 1974 and 1976. Pithcher Soji Ebisu was finals MVP, posting a 2.02 ERA and 3-1 record over five playoff starts with 45 strikeouts in 35.2 innings.



Other notes: Pyongyang’s offense only drew 243 walks all season, a new Korea League worst. Koji Iwasaki became the 11^th member of the 700 home run club. Iwaski, Soo-Geun Yim, and Dong-Uk Choi all crossed 1500 RBI in 2011, making 37 players to do so. Yim became a ten-time Silver Slugger winner with five wins in RF, five as a DH, and one at 1B. Yoo Sen won his ninth Silver Slugger, although it was his first at 1B. He had won eight straight at 2B previously.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2011 in CABA

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After missing the playoffs the prior two seasons, Chihuahua emerged as the Mexican League’s top seed at 102-60. The Warriors hadn’t won the North Division since their 1961 CABA Championship and it was only their fourth playoff appearance in 51 years. They held off a strong 98-64 Monterrey squad, who took the first wild card. The Matadors earned their second wild card in three years.

Defending CABA champ Ecatepec kept its hold of the South Division at 100-62, winning a fifth consecutive division title and their 17^th in 19 years. For the second wild card, Juarez and Leon tied at 91-71. The Jesters won in the tiebreaker game to end a four-year playoff drought. Last year’s second wild card Torreon dropped to 85-77. Hermosillo, who had a five-year playoff streak, fell off hard at 70-92.

Leading Chihuahua’s turnaround was Mexican league MVP Diego Carmona. In his 11^th year for the Warriors, the 32-year old Mexican first baseman led in hits (222), runs (136), home runs (53), total bases (438), average (.366), slugging (.723), OPS (1.123), wRC+ (216), and WAR (10.2). His 143 RBI fell nine short of a Triple Crown. Unfortunately for Chihuahua, Carmona left in the offseason to MLB on a five-year, $91,000,000 deal with Indianapolis.

In only his second season, Monterrey’s Jimeno Calleros won Pitcher of the Year. The 23-year old Honduran righty posted the first CABA pitching Triple Crown since 2004 with a 23-6 record, 2.20 ERA, and 303 strikeouts. Calleros also led in WHIP (0.91) and posted 5.7 WAR over 253.1 innings with 169 ERA+. This was the one standout year in an otherwise unremarkable tenure, going down as one of the true “one-hit wonders” in baseball history.

Chihuahua survived in five over Juarez in the first round, while Ecatepec swept Monterrey. The Explosion earned their fifth straight Mexican League Championship Series berth and their 16^th in 19 years. The Warriors hadn’t gotten that far since 1962. Even though Chihuahua was the top seed, the defending champ Ecatepec was the favorite in the minds of many.

The 2011 MLCS was a seven-game classic that came down to the wire. Chihuahua won game seven 8-7 on a walkoff to end a 49-year title drought. The Warriors became six-time champs (1922, 26, 46, 48, 61, 2011). This denied Ecatepec’s repeat bid and put them at 1-5 in their last seven MLCS appearances.



Nicaragua had the Caribbean League’s #1 seed for the third straight year and set a franchise-record at 107-55. The Navigators earned a third Continental Division crown in-a-row and a fourth consecutive playoff berth. Honduras was a distant second in the division at 96-66, but this was the second-best record in the league. The Horsemen ended a three-year playoff drought as the first wild card.

Santo Domingo had gotten repeat wild cards, but this time took the Island Division title at 94-68. The Dolphins hadn’t been a division champ since 1994. Jamaica was a close second at 91-71, ultimately edging out Panama (90-72) and Guatemala (87-75) for the second wild card. The Jazz ended a playoff drought dating back to 1982.

Meanwhile, reigning Caribbean champ Haiti fell short at 86-76. This ended a 14-year playoff streak, which was the longest in CL history and second-longest in CABA behind Monterrey’s 18-year run from 1988-2005. The Herons still grew their streak of winning seasons to 18 seasons.

Panama narrowly missed the playoffs, but they had the most runs in CABA at 824. Leading that effort was Caribbean League MVP Hasan Alvizo, who led in runs (134), hits (215), total bases (417), triple slash (.373/.429/.723), OPS (1.152), wRC+ (200), and WAR (9.1). The 28-year old Nicaraguan first baseman also had 48 homers, 127 RBI, and 34 doubles.

Nicaragua’s Montell Donald repeated as Pitcher of the Year. In his second season with the Navigators, the 28-year old Curacaoan righty led in wins (17-6), ERA (2.24), WHIP (0.83), K/BB (13.1), quality starts (22), and WAR (7.7). Donald added 261 strikeouts in 241 innings with a 171 ERA+.

Honduras upset Santo Domingo 3-2 in the first round, while Nicaragua ousted Jamaica 3-1. The Horsemen were back in the Caribbean League Championship Series after a three-year layoff. The Navigators were the favorite, but were knocked off for the third consecutive season. Honduras won the CLCS 4-2 for their first pennant since 2004. This was the 18^th pennant for the Horsemen, tying Monterrey for the most of any CABA team.



Honduras returned to the pinnacle, winning the 101^st Central American Baseball Association Championship 4-3 over Chihuahua. In the series, all seven games were won by the home team. This gave the Horsemen their eighth CABA ring (1926, 40, 42, 58, 63, 93, 03, 11). 1B Salvador Soliz won finals MVP in his eighth year for Honduras. In 17 playoff starts, the 30-year old Guatemalan lefty had 16 hits, 7 runs, 4 doubles, 4 home runs, and 10 RBI.



Veteran pitcher Sergo Pierre also had a historic postseason for Honduras. The 33-year old Hatian threw 30 scoreless innings in four starts with six hits, 4 walks, and 18 strikeouts. He set still-standing playoff records with a perfect ERA, as well as in H/9 (1.8), opponents’ average (.064), opponents’ slugging (.085), and OPS (.187).

Other notes: Casimiro Salceda became the 43^rd member of the 500 home run club. LF Ozzie Collard won his ninth consecutive Gold Glove.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2011 in MLB

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Hartford ended a five-year postseason drought and took the National Association’s top seed at 103-59 atop the Northeast Division. The Huskies did it with a strong pitching staff with 1481 strikeouts, only eight behind the NA single-season record set the prior year by Indianapolis. Hartford’s 8.97 K/9 ranked third-best in National Association history. The Northeast also had a strong 94-68 Montreal, who took the first wild card and ended an 11-year playoff drought.

The #2 seed went to Brooklyn at 96-66 atop the East Division. The Dodgers earned repeat playoff berths, but it was their first division title since 1988. They fought off Baltimore and Virginia Beach, who tied for the second wild card at 91-71. The Orioles beat the Vikings in a tiebreaker game to end a 24-year playoff drought dating to 1986. That was tied with Omaha and Louisville for the longest active drought in the National Association.

Reigning NA champ Philadelphia missed the cut at 87-75 to end a four-year streak of 100+ win seasons. That was only the second playoff miss in nine years for the Phillies. Quebec City at 88-74 was also in the mix, but couldn’t repeat as a wild card.

Detroit repeated in the Upper Midwest Division at 94-68 and won a third division title in four years. Omaha was their closest foe at 88-74, six short in the division and three back for the last wild card. Indianapolis repeated at 93-69 in the Lower Midwest Division. The Racers were 11 games ahead of their closest foes St. Louis and Kansas City. Only two years removed from back-to-back pennants, Cincinnati dropped to 74-88. That was the first losing record for the Reds since 1999.

Virginia Beach right fielder Ezekiel Thomas won National Association MVP and made history. The 27-year old New Yorker recorded the sixth-ever hitting Triple Crown in MLB, a feat that hadn’t been seen since Sebastian Lunde in 1946. Thomas had 51 home runs, 143 RBI, and a 355 average. He also led in slugging (.659), total bases (392), OPS (1.072), wRC+ (222), and WAR (9.7), while adding 114 runs and 211 hits.

That was Thomas’ final year with the Vikings, as he looked to make pro baseball history in free agency. Montreal rewarded him handsomely with an eight-year, $177,600,000 deal. In his peak seasons, Thomas was to make $28,200,000; a record for the time.

Pitcher of the Year was Hartford’s Seth Southworth in only his third season. The Rhode Islander missed a month to a strained hamstring, but still led in wins at 22-3. The 23-year old lefty had a 2.16 ERA over 225.1 innings, 253 strikeouts, 6.0 WAR, and a 162 ERA+.

The first round of the playoffs had Indianapolis 2-0 over Montreal and Detroit 2-0 over Baltimore. The top seeds won in round two as Hartford swept the Racers and Brooklyn survived 3-2 versus the Tigers. For the Huskies, their last National Association Championship Series appearance came with their 1992 World Series win. The Dodgers drought was even longer, dating back to 1961. Brooklyn pulled off the upset 4-2 over Hartford, giving the Dodgers only their second-ever pennant (1966).



The American Association had a number of intense division battles, none tighter than in the South Central. Austin and Houston both finished at 99-63 with a tiebreaker game giving the winner the #1 seed. The Amigos prevailed for their third division title in six years. The Hornets were the first wild card, which gave them eight playoff appearances in a decade.

The Southeast Division saw the #2 seed go to Charlotte at 99-63, narrowly fending off 96-66 Tampa. That ended a 24-year playoff drought for the Canaries, which was the third longest active skid in the AA with only Miami (39) and San Antonio (25) worse. Charlotte had also never won the division since the 1982 re-alignment; their last time in first place was 1941 in the old Southern League. The Thunderbolts got the second wild card for repeat playoff appearances.

One game separated Los Angeles (94-68) from Phoenix (93-69) in the Southwest Division. The Angels saw repeat playoff berths, while the Firebirds fell three short in the wild card race. Defending World Series champ San Diego was delightfully mid at 82-80, missing the cut. Las Vegas (87-75) missed out on three straight playoff berths.

The weakest division champ was Denver at 89-73 atop the Northwest Division. The Dragons matched their 2010 record to repeat as division champs. Seattle and Calgary were their closest foes both at 81-81.

Leading the way for Denver was LF Isaac Cox, the American Association MVP. In his fourth season, the 24-year old lefty from Idaho led in homers (53), runs (123), and slugging (.676). Cox added 119 RBI, a .313 average, 1.065 OPS, 188 wRC+, and 9.3 WAR. The Dragons didn’t hesitate to lock him up long-term in the winter, giving Cox an eight-year, $125,900,000 extension to remain the face of the franchise.

Austin’s Archer Calloway became a two-time Pitcher of the Year winner, having also taken it in 2006. He worked his way back to excellence after missing all of 2008 to a torn flexor tendon. The 31-year old Texan lefty led in strikeouts (258), WHIP (0.96), and quality starts (24). Calloway added 6.9 WAR, a 22-7 record, 2.94 ERA, and 127 ERA+ over 284.2 innings. Unfortunately, more injuries led to a fairly steep decline for Calloway.

Denver used home field advantage as a division winner to survive 2-1 over Houston in the first round of the playoffs. Tampa overcame that challenge 2-1 against Los Angeles. The Thunderbirds continued to roll, ousting top seed Austin 3-1 in round two. The Dragons kept their momentum as well, knocking off Charlotte 3-2.

Denver earned back-to-back berths in the American Association Championship Series, while Tampa hadn’t gotten that far since 1968. The Thunderbirds cruised to a 4-1 victory for their second-ever pennant. Their only other title came all the way back in the inaugural 1901 season, 110 years earlier.



The 111^th World Series had essentially two newcomers. Brooklyn was looking for its first-ever title with their only prior appearance being a 1958 defeat. Basically no one was still alive from Tampa’s lone championship in 1901. The Thunderbirds made world baseball history with the longest gap between championships at 109 years, as they defeated the Dodgers 4-2.

World Series MVP was 2B Americo Leal in his second season as a starter. The 24-year old Colombian had 32 hits and 13 runs in 18 playoff starts with 2 doubles, 6 triples, 8 RBI, and 9 stolen bases. Leal’s hits mark was the fourth-most in a MLB postseason and he joined Jess Lewis’ 1948 as the only playoff runs with six triples.



The defeat for Brooklyn leaves them as one of ten original MLB teams without a World Series ring in 111 seasons. Counting expansion teams, 16 squads haven’t won it all as of 2011. The only original teams without at least one appearance are Buffalo, Omaha, San Antonio, and Oakland. Expansion squads Salt Lake City, Austin, Orlando, Wichita, and Quebec City also still haven’t gotten a pennant.

Other notes: Olen Lack and Monty Moody became the 56^th and 57^th MLB players to reach 3000 career hits. Daniel Hecker and Lukas Warrell both got to 500 home runs, a mark now reached by 75 MLB sluggers.

Pitcher Theron Summers and CF Damien Yang both became ten-time Gold Glove winners. Summers tied the MLB record for most by a pitcher. CF Morgan Short won his tenth consecutive Silver Slugger, a position record. 3B Daniel Hecker and SS Joel Tournier both became eight-time Slugger winners.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2011 Baseball Grand Championship

The second Baseball Grand Championship was hosted in Jakarta, Indonesia and introduced a format change from the inaugural contest. Going forward, the BGC would simply be a true round robin with all 20 teams playing each other once. The team with the best record at the end would be the Grand Champion and earn a cash prize of $25 million. Medals and lesser prizes went to the other top performers.

The auto-bid field for the 2011 event were MLB’s Tampa and Brooklyn, CABA’s Honduras and Chihuahua, EAB’s Goyang and Kyoto, BSA’s Recife and Valencia, EBF’s Barcelona and Dublin, EPB’s Minsk, OBA’s Tahiti, APB’s Pekanbaru, CLB’s Changsha, WAB’s Cotonou, SAB’s Dhaka, ABF’s Faisalabad, ALB’s Basra, and AAB’s Addis Ababa. The wild card 20^th team was APB runner-up Davao.



The World Series champion Tampa Thunderbirds would end up taking the top spot at 15-4, giving the first two Grand Championship wins to Major League Baseball. Tampa led all teams in runs scored with 111, posting 41 home runs and a .836 OPS. The Thunderbirds also allowed the third-fewest runs at 65. It was a remarkable year in Tampa, who ended a 110-year World Series drought and took home top billing in the world.

Taking second place was Tahiti at 13-6, an impressive run out of the Pacific League. The Tropics only had a +13 run differential, getting wins in close games. There was a three-way tie for third at 12-7 between Brooklyn, Goyang, and Dublin. The tiebreaker formula gave the Green Sox third place, the Dodgers fourth, and the Dinos fifth.

Chihuahua and Pekanbaru were next at 11-8, followed by four teams at 10-9; Addis Ababa, Basra, Cotonou, and Dhaka. Kyoto and Recife tied for 12^th at 9-10 with Davao and Faisalabad in 14^th at 8-11. Honduras held 16^th alone at 7-12, then at 6-3 were Barcelona, Changsha, and Valencia. Minsk was the last place team at 5-14.



The Tournament MVP went to Faisalabad 1B Jalil Ghaffari. The 26-year old Iranian in 19 starts had 26 hits, 16 runs, 5 doubles, 9 home runs, 22 RBI, a .347/.388/.800 slash, 226 wRC+, and 1.7 WAR. Kyoto’s Soji Ebisu won Best Pitcher with a 0.59 ERA and 2-1 record in four starts, 30.1 innings, 42 strikeouts, 4 walks, and 20 hits. Ebisu kept the momentum rolling from his EAB Championship MVP only weeks earlier.

Other notes: The first WBC no-hitter was thrown Barcelona’s Kent Neal with 16 Ks and 1 walk on November 17 against Honduras. Six days later, Chihuahua’s Yassiel Cervantes struck out seven with three walks against in a no-no against the Bengals. Brooklyn’s Noah January notably had an 18-strikeout game against Dhaka. This was the most Ks in a BGC start until 2013.

Basra’s Nordine Soule posted 2.21 WAR in his effort, which would be the top mark among position players until 2020. It still ranks eighth-best as of 2037. He had 12 home runs, 21 RBI, 20 runs, and a .379/.461/1.000 slash.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2012 MLB Hall of Fame

Major League Baseball’s 2012 Hall of Fame ballot had a wide open field with no debuts of note. The top debut was SP Rizwan Rehman at a mere 20.3%. Six players topped 60%, but only two managed to narrowly breach the 66% requirement to earn induction in 2012. On his ninth ballot, longtime Ottawa outfielder Xavier Chojnacki made it in with 70.8%. Joining him was 2B Chaz Cimarron with 66.9% in his fifth ballot.



Just missing the cut was OF Will Kemme at 64.1% on his eight ballot, SP Dirk Hughes also at 64.1% for his fourth try, RF Brian Ostrovskaya at 62.3% on his eighth ballot, and CL Brendan Gordon with 60.9% for his seventh try. Two others were above 50%, but below 60%. C Elliott McKay got 56.6% in his fifth ballot and SP Bob Gallagher had 50.5% for his second go.

Dropped after ten failed ballots was 1B Beckett Gatter, who had an 18-year career with five teams. Gatter won two Silver Sluggers and led in home runs thrice, posting 2431 hits, 1384 runs, 569 home runs, 376 doubles, 1481 RBI, a .269/.330/.511 slash, 134 wRC+, and 61.1 WAR. He had nice power, but was also stuck on terrible teams and never saw a playoff game. Gatter was a “Hall of Pretty Good” guy who peaked at 48.2% in 2006 and ended at 44.5%.

Also dropped was pitcher Travis Vest, who bounced between nine teams over 18 seasons. Vest had a 253-203 record, 3.66 ERA, 4279.2 innings, 3158 strikeouts, 1320 walks, 188 complete games, 104 ERA+, 62.9 WAR, and one Gold Glove. Vest was best known for a stellar playoff run in 1982 with a 0.84 ERA over 32.1 innings, helping St. Louis win the World Series. Otherwise, he was a tenured but above average pitcher. Vest peaked at 42.2% in 2007 and ended with 20.6%.



Xavier Chojnacki – Right/Left Field – Ottawa Elks – 70.8% Ninth Ballot

Xavier Chojnacki was a 6’3’’, 200 pound right-handed corner outfielder from Barrie, Ontario; a city of around 147,000 located around 90 kilometers north of Toronto. Chojnacki was a very good contact hitter and was excellent at avoiding strikeouts with a 5.9% strikeout rate in his career. He was around average in terms of drawing walks.

Chojnacki didn’t have tremendous power, but he wasn’t just a singles hitter. He had a 162 game average of 26 doubles, 7 triples, and 19 home runs. Chojnacki was a very intelligent baserunner and crafty base stealer despite having merely above average speed.

His range was limited in the outfield, making about 3/4s of his career starts in right field and the rest in left. Defensively, he graded as merely below average in RF and mediocre in LF. He had a few notable injuries in his 30s, but Chojnacki was fairly durable in his prime. He was a fan favorite, beloved for his work ethic and selflessness. He was one of the most likeable and friendly players of his era.

Although he grew up in Canada, Chojnacki left for the United States to play college baseball at the University of Kentucky. In three years as a Wildcat, he had 144 starts, 164 hits, 100 runs, 36 doubles, 31 home runs, 31 RBI, a .274/.337/.500 slash, 149 wRC+, and 6.9 WAR. In the 1978 MLB Draft, Chojnacki was picked in the second round with the 64^th overall pick by Ottawa. He ultimately spent his entire pro career in the Canadian capital.

Chojnacki only saw limited action initially as a part-time starter in 1979 and 1980. He earned the full-time role in 1981 and apart from a brief benching in 1984, held the spot uninterrupted for a decade. Chojnacki wasn’t generally on top of any leaderboards, but he was a reliable starter as Ottawa became a playoff regular. From 1980-92, the Elks earned ten playoff appearances and five Northeast Division titles.

Ottawa had an impressive 115-47 record in 1982, but suffered an embarrassing one-and-done in the playoffs. They had the #1 seed again in 1983 at 105-57 and that time took care of business, winning the World Series over Calgary. Chojnacki had a big playoff run, winning National Association Championship Series MVP against Baltimore. In 17 playoff starts, he had 23 hits, 13 runs, 5 doubles, 2 triples, 3 homers, and 9 RBI.

Chojnacki didn’t have any playoff runs quite as impressive, but still had a solid career over 67 games with 81 hits, 34 runs, 12 doubles, 4 triples, 7 home runs, 33 RBI, a .301/.345/.454 slash, 137 wRC+, and 2.6 WAR. Ottawa won the NA title again in 1986, but lost in a World Series rematch with Calgary. In all of their other berths during Chojnacki’s tenure, the Elks lost in either the first or second round.

In July 1985, Chojnacki signed an eight-year, $11,400,000 extension with Ottawa. 1986 would be perhaps his finest season, leading the NA in runs scored (121) and posting a career best 7.1 WAR. He won his first Silver Slugger and was second in MVP voting; his only time as a finalist. Chojnacki won his second Slugger in 1987, leading in runs, hits, and total bases. He had four seasons worth 7+ WAR in his career.

Chojnacki was very popular in Ottawa, but became loved throughout all of Canada for his work in the World Baseball Championship. From 1982-97, he had 159 games and 140 starts, 176 hits, 102 runs, 33 doubles, 33 home runs, 98 RBI, a .318/.365/.571 slash, 169 wRC+, and 8.4 WAR. Chojnacki won world titles with the 1986, 1991, and 1995 Canadian squads. He was also third in WBC MVP voting in 1992, leading all players that tournament in hits, RBI, and WAR.

1992 would be a tough year for Chojnacki, suffering a broken kneecap in July that ended his season. Still, Ottawa gave him another four years and $8,480,000 that winter. He saw more of a part-time role for much of his 30s, but was still a popular figure. The Elks slipped more towards the middle tier in the mid 1990s, seeing their real competitiveness come to a close.

Chojnacki kept chugging along with playable numbers until his final season in 1998. That year, he hit .195 in 200 at-bats, especially lousy for a career .304 hitter. Chojnacki retired that winter at age 40. Although his #25 uniform was never retired, it’s not uncommon to still see those jerseys at the ballpark.

The finals stats had 2859 hits, 1466 runs, 426 doubles, 109 triples, 316 home runs, 1311 RBI, 560 walks, 345 stolen bases, a .304/.348/.473 slash, 145 wRC+, and 74.8 WAR. Chojnacki was very much “ol’ reliable” for nearly two decades for Ottawa. However, he was generally not an MVP-level guy and only had two Silver Sluggers. Chojnacki’s tallies were nice, but far from groundbreaking compared to other inductees. Plus, voters often expected big power numbers out of a corner outfielder.

Chojnacki did have popularity and a prominent role in an era of success for the Elks. Staying with one franchise for your entire run does also resonate with certain voters. Still, Chojnacki had a bit of an uphill climb. He was never lower than 46.8% in 2005, but he usually hovered around the 50-60% range. Prior to induction, he topped 60% twice with 60.9% in 2008 and 60.6% in 2010.

2012 was the penultimate opportunity for Chojnacki with no one strong debuting. The wide open ballot allowed him to get re-evaluated by some skeptics, bumping Chojnacki just across the line at 70.8%. He was only the fifth player to make the MLB Hall of Fame on their ninth or tenth ballot. Regardless, Chojnacki was in in 2012.



Chaz “Rhino” Cimarron – Second Base – Cincinnati Reds – 66.9% Fifth Ballot

Chaz Cimarron was a 5’11’’, 200 pound left-handed hitting second baseman from Mexico City. Nicknamed “Rhino,” Cimarron was a great contact hitter and one of the best ever at avoiding strikeouts, retiring with a 3.7% strikeout rate. He rarely drew walks, but he filled the role of the traditional leadoff hitter. Cimarron had excellent speed and was one of the slickest baserunners of the era.

You weren’t going to get much home run power from Cimarron, whose career high season was 12. He still got plenty of doubles and turned many of those into triples with his speed. Cimarron averaged 27 doubles and 14 triples per 162 games. He showed impressive durability, starting 140+ games in all but two of his 17 seasons.

Cimarron was exclusively a second baseman defensively. Although he never won a Gold Glove, he was reliably solid at the spot. As of 2037, he has the sixth most starts of any MLB 2B. Cimarron was one of the most well respected players in the game and was a team captain. His work ethic, leadership, loyalty, and intelligence made him a valuable clubhouse presence.

Despite growing up in the Mexican capital, Cimarron decided to skip the CABA amateur ranks and play college baseball in the United States. He attended Georgia Tech and in three seasons had 144 games, 153 hits, 67 runs, 25 doubles, 6 triples, 8 home runs, 42 stolen bases, a .267/.318/.373 slash, 103 wRC+, and 2.3 WAR. Cimarron wasn’t a top-ranked prospect and with the regional restrictions, he wasn’t eligible until later in the draft anyway.

Early in the fourth round in the 1985 MLB Draft, Cimarron was picked by Cincinnati with the 179^th overall pick. He spent all of 1986 in minor league Dayton and won a Silver Slugger there. The Reds made him a full-time starter in 1987 and he earned Rookie of the Year in 135 games. He remained a full-time starter for the next six seasons for Cincinnati, leading the National Association thrice in stolen bases and twice in triples.

Cimarron won his first Silver Slugger in 1989 and his second in 1991. The latter was his only time as an MVP candidate, finishing second. That year was his lone batting title with a .361 and a NA-best 8.2 WAR and 232 hits. Both were career highs, as was his 32 doubles, 20 triples, and .922 OPS.

Cincinnati made it to the second round of the playoffs in 1989, but no deeper. The Reds were stuck in the middle of the standings generally in Cimarron’s tenure. However, they collapsed at the end of his run with 61 wins in 1992 and 64 wins in 1993. Cimarron considered trying to see the franchise through the dark period, but they decided to trade him after the 1993 season.

With the Reds, Cimarron had 1380 hits, 637 runs, 189 doubles, 95 triples, 68 home runs, 370 RBI, 426 stolen bases, a .316/.351/.450 slash, 133 wRC+, and 39.2 WAR. It was his most impressive statistical run and the team Cimarron identified most with in his career, although he played almost as many games later with a more prominent Indianapolis franchise.

Before that though, Cimarron spent two years in Calgary, getting traded for SP Odera Ola and OF Roberto Lemus. He had two subpar seasons offensively, but still provided positive value with his defense. The Cheetahs had made back-to-back World Series berths prior to Cimarron’s arrival. They won 106 games in 1994, but suffered a one-and-done, then missed the playoffs in 1985.

For the Cheetahs, Cimarron had 383 hits, 186 runs, 55 doubles, 31 triples, 15 home runs, 117 RBI, a .285/.306/.406 slash, 92 wRC+, and 6.5 WAR. He became a free agent for the first time at age 30 and some teams figured his best years were done. Indianapolis thought Cimarron had plenty of value and gave him a generous seven-year, $28,360,000 deal.

Although he played professionally in the US and Canada, Cimarron did return home to Mexico for the World Baseball Championship with 125 games and 113 starts from 1987-2001. In that time, he had 120 hits, 71 runs, 27 doubles, 9 triples, 8 home runs, 40 RBI, 70 stolen bases, a .273/.324/.431 slash, 110 wRC+, and 3.5 WAR.

Cimarron was boom-or-bust offensively with Indianapolis. He had an impressive 7.1 WAR effort in 1997 and 5.7 WAR in 2000, but was often a below average bat in his other seasons. He led the NA twice in triples and once in steals. Still, his reliable defense and steady leadership helped Indy find team success.

The Racers had five straight playoff berths from 1996-2000 with another one in 2002. Indy won the NA pennant in 1996, but lost in the World Series to Edmonton. They earned another title in 1999, but lost again in the Fall Classic to the Eels. Cimarron had good playoff stats with 51 starts, 66 hits, 28 runs, 11 doubles, 5 homers, 3 triples, 15 steals, a .313/.341/.464 slash, 132 wRC+, and 1.4 WAR. The Racers lost in the first or second round in their other berths.

Cimarron’s deal ran out after the 2002 season, giving him 1170 hits, 539 runs, 159 doubles, 88 triples, 58 home runs, 361 RBI, 248 stolen bases, a .279/.311/.400 slash, 108 wRC+, and 26.3 WAR with Indianapolis. He hoped to still play in 2003, but teams felt his bat was no longer starter quality. After going unsigned, Cimarron retired in the winter at age 38.

The final stats for Cimarron: 2933 hits, 1362 runs, 403 doubles, 214 triples, 141 home runs, 848 RBI, 403 walks, 768 stolen bases, a .296/.328/.423 slash, 117 wRC+, and 72.5 WAR. He was a reliably steady leadoff man, but it was often tough for them to get Hall of Fame notice with the lack of power stats. Without the power or walks, advanced stats pegged Cimarron as a merely above average bat.

As of 2037, he also ranked 16^th in WAR among second basemen. For many voters, he was a “Hall of Pretty Good” type. But he had good defense, was a beloved clubhouse leader, and helped Indianapolis to two National Association pennants. Cimarron was very much a borderline case, debuting in 2008 at 58.6%.

He dropped to 52.9% in 2009, then hit 61.0% and 61.9% the next two years. 2012 was a great opportunity with a wide open field. Cimarron just barely got the bump across the 66% threshold. With 66.9%, he was a fifth ballot inductee and the second member of MLB’s 2012 class.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2012 CABA Hall of Fame (Part 1)

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The 2012 Central American Baseball Association Hall of Fame ballot was a historic one with five players receiving first ballot inductions. This was the second time that had happened, joining the 2010 class. Home run king Hugh Boerboom and SP Tyson Flowers were the co-headliners of the group with both earning 98.5%.

Pitcher Vicente Chung was next at 84.0%. 1B Stevie Montoya (72.8%) and OF Pedro Nugent (67.8%) had thinner margins, but still made it across the 66% requirement. No one else was above 50% and only one returner on the ballot cracked 1/3 of the vote. There also weren’t any players dropped following ten failed ballot tries.



Hugh Boerboom – Center Field – Santo Domingo Dolphins – 98.5% First Ballot

Hugh Boerboom was a 6’2’’, 200 pound right-handed center fielder from Savaneta, Aruba; a town of around 11,000 and the oldest village on the island. Boerboom was known for his excellent and reliable home run power, posting 13 consecutive seasons with 45+ homers and topping 50+ five times. He always made hard contact, although his overall contact skills were average at best. Boerboom’s eye for walks and avoiding strikeouts were both generally considered merely decent.

Boerboom was quite quick and known as a solid baserunner with above average stealing ability. His ability to find the gap was surprisingly poor though with a 162 game average of only 14 doubles and 7 triples. Boerboom was very much a flyball hitter, but his ability to send those over the fence made him a Caribbean superstar.

Defensively, Boerboom played exclusively in center field and graded for his whole career as above average. He was considered an excellent defender in his early career and thrice won Gold Gloves. However, his career totals were weakened by staying out there in his twilight years even as his range and arm strength diminished with age.

Many considered Boerboom to be an ironman, especially considering the physical toll of center field. He started 138+ games each year from 1986 to 2003. It’s no surprise that an ironman that socked dingers became an absolutely beloved figure among CABA fans.

Despite his obvious talents, Boerboom wasn’t among the absolute top prospects in the 1984 CABA Draft. Some scouts thought his middling contact skills would limit him, while others just missed him since he grew up in Aruba. Santo Domingo took notice though and grabbed Boerboom with the 25^th pick of the second round and 54^th overall. The Dolphins kept him on the reserve roster for all of 1985, then debuted Boerboom as a full-time starter in 1986.

Boerboom would spend 13 seasons starting in center field in the Dominican capital, although he hadn’t developed the power stroke in his first two seasons. In fact, Boerboom graded as a well below average batter in his first two years. Great defense still made him valuable, winning his first Gold Glove in 1987. He repeated as a Gold Glover in 1988 and 1989.

He found his power stroke in 1988, starting his streak of 45+ homer seasons. Santo Domingo missed the playoffs narrowly in 1987 and 1988 after having posted a dynasty run earlier in the decade. The Dolphins made it back with five playoff berths from 1989-94. However, they couldn’t make it beyond the Caribbean League Championship Series, falling in 1989, 1991, and 1994.

A lack of playoff success would be a critique against Boerboom. In 36 playoff starts for Santo Domingo, he had 32 hits, 17 runs, 4 doubles, 3 triples, 13 home runs, 27 RBI, a .241/.266/.609 slash, 140 wRC+, and 1.1 WAR. Dolphins fans hoped for another dynasty run, but had no luck. Still, Boerboom was beloved for his power and signed an eight-year, $18,900,000 extension after the 1990 season.

Boerboom was second in MVP voting in both 1989 and 1990. 1989’s 8.6 WAR would be the highest he’d post in his career. In 1991, he led in home runs for the first time (56) and led in runs (117), total bases (365), and slugging (.629). That finally got him his first Silver Slugger and the MVP. It’d be his first of four consecutive Slugger winners.

1993 saw a career and league-best 134 RBI and his second 8+ WAR season. This also had his best OPS at 1.025. 1994 was Boerboom’s second MVP, leading again in homers, total bases, and slugging. His third MVP came in 1996 with a career and league best 57 home runs. Boerboom also led in RBI for the second time and in both slugging and total bases for the third time.

His power showed no signs of slowing into mid 30s, although his overall value was dropping slightly due to less defensive value. Boerboom won two more Silver Sluggers with SD in 1996 and 1997. His big Santo Domingo deal expired after the 1998 season and heading into his age 36 season, Boerboom opted to leave for free agency. He’d remain beloved by Dolphins fans and his #32 uniform would later be retired.

Boerboom finished in Santo Domingo with 2113 hits, 1215 runs, 189 doubles, 94 triples, 594 home runs, 1374 RBI, 533 stolen bases, a .282/.322/.570 slash, 141 wRC+, and 73.6 WAR. He ended up signing a three-year, $8,240,000 deal with Honduras. The Horsemen had been a playoff regular in the 1990s, but had suffered early exits in their most recent appearances.

1999 was an impressive debut in Tegucigalpa with 55 home runs, 133 RBI, and 7.7 WAR. Boerboom also had a career high 118 runs scored, taking second in MVP voting and winning his seventh Silver Slugger. He struggled in the playoffs though as the Horsemen last in the CLCS. Honduras fell again in the 2000 and 2001 CLCS, then lost in the first round in 2002. Boerboom’s lackluster playoff stats disappointed many in the area.

His 45+ homer streak ended after the 2000 season, but he still topped 30+ four more times and won an eighth Silver Slugger in 2002. Boerboom signed a two-year extension before the 2001 season worth $6,800,000. Fans were excited to see if Boerboom could catch Solomon Aragon’s all-time home run record of 772. In 2001, he became the only the fourth CABA slugger to reach the 700 club.

Boerboom hit 41 home runs in 2002 at age 39 to tie Aragon’s 772 at the end of the season. He bested the mark early in 2003 to become the all-time CABA leader and shortly after crossed the 800 mark. 2003 would also be significant as Boerboom earned his first-ever championship ring with Honduras, who beat Ecatepec in the CABA Championship.

The Horsemen made it back in 2004, but fell in a rematch with the Explosion. Boerboom struggled in the 2003 run, but had a nice 2004 campaign and won that year’s CLCS MVP. For his playoff tenure with Honduras, Boerboom was unremarkable in 49 starts with 40 hits, 24 runs, 7 doubles, 3 triples, 7 home runs, 17 RBI, a .227/.284/.420 slash, 94 wRC+, and 0.4 WAR.

Still, he finally got that elusive ring. For his combined playoff career, Boerboom had 85 starts, 72 hits, 41 runs, 11 doubles, 20 home runs, 44 RBI, a .233/.276/.502 slash, 113 wRC+, and 1.5 WAR. Age would finally catch up to the ironman, who missed parts of 2004 and 2005 to injury.

Boerboom provided negative value in 2005, but became the ninth to join the 3000 hit club. He was actively bad and benched in 2006 with only 48 games and 8 starts, but was able to become the fifth to reach 2000 career RBI. Boerboom retired that winter at age 43. For his Honduras run, he had 970 hits, 593 runs, 70 doubles, 272 home runs, 634 RBI, a .257/.297.511 slash, 120 wRC+, and 22.9 WAR.

For his entire career, Boerboom had 3023 games, 3083 hits, 1808 runs, 259 doubles, 130 triples, 866 home runs, 2008 RBI, 676 walks, 751 stolen bases, a .274/.313/.550 slash, 134 wRC+, and 96.5 WAR. Noah Breton would eventually pass Boerboom as the home run king in the late 2020s, but Boerboom still is #2 as of 2037.

He also still ranks 13^th in hits, 7^th in RBI, and 6^th in runs scored. Despite his defensive value, Boerboom is only 36^th in WAR among position players as of 2037. His lack of all-around hitting value beyond the homers keeps him out of conversations for CABA’s GOAT hitter despite being the home run king. Plus, his unremarkable playoff stats ding him when discussing the absolute inner circle.

That said, being the home run king makes you a stone cold Hall of Fame lock and a superstar. Few players in baseball history provided such reliable power. Boerboom received 98.5% to co-headline the impressive five-player 2012 CABA Hall of Fame class.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2012 CABA Hall of Fame (Part 2)

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Tyson Flowers – Starting Pitcher – Ecatepec Explosion – 98.5% First Ballot

Tyson Flowers was a 5’11’’, 165 pound right-handed pitcher from Belize City, the country’s largest city. Flowers made history as the first-ever Hall of Fame inductee from Belize. With his relatively smaller size, he wasn’t an overwhelming power pitcher and only had 92-94 mph peak velocity. Still, Flowers had very solid stuff and movement along with average control.

Flowers had a four-pitch arsenal with a sinker, curveball, changeup, and knuckle curve. The knuckle curve was considered his most deadly pitch and drew whiffs-a-plenty. Compared to most other aces of the era, Flowers’ stamina was considered average. His durability was excellent though and he tossed 210+ innings each year from 1992-2005.

Defensively, Flowers was excellent, winning four Gold Gloves. He was also a fantastic athlete overall that was quick and dynamic on the basepaths. Especially for a pitcher, Flowers was also a reliably above average hitter. He wasn’t considered a true two-way guy, as he only played one inning ever defensively off the mound. Still, Flowers would get some pinch hitting opportunities on off days. He was a very hard worker and was a popular fan favorite of his era.

Flowers wasn’t an immediate success though and as a prospect, some teams weren’t sure if made sense more as a pitcher or hitter. He was picked 28^th overall by Salvador in the 1985 CABA Draft, but didn’t debut with the Stallions until the 1990 season at age 24. Flowers looked lousy in his rookie season with a 4.85 ERA, but he fared much better in 1991. That also marked the first of four consecutive Gold Gloves.

The 1992 playoffs were the first time he got stronger attention after posting a 1.64 ERA over 11 innings. Salvador had an impressive bounce-back from a terrible 64-win 1991, losing in the 1992 Caribbean League Championship Series to Trinidad. They missed the playoffs in 1993, but Flowers looked like a legitimate ace. A 7.1 WAR, 2.75 ERA effort earned him a third place in Pitcher of the Year voting.

1994 would begin a dynasty run for Salvador, who won five Caribbean and three CABA titles in the next six years. The Stallions beat Monterrey for the 1994 CABA Championship with Flowers leading the league in wins that year at 23-10. Salvador fell in an upset CLCS loss in 1995 to Santiago. For his part, Flowers had a 2.13 ERA over 50.2 playoff innings with the Stallions with 53 strikeouts and a 182 ERA+.

Flowers was second in POTY voting in 1994 and third in 1995. In 1995, he led in strikeouts for the first time and led in WHIP the only time in his career. Although Salvador soon had a dynasty run, Flowers wouldn’t be there for the entirety. After the 1995 season, he opted for free agency heading into his age 30 season.

With Salvador, Flowers had a 94-61 record, 3.33 ERA, 1437 innings, 1402 strikeouts, 347 walks, 117 ERA+, and 33.8 WAR. It would be a different dynasty run Flowers participated, inking a six-year, $14,960,000 deal with Ecatepec. The Explosion won the 1994 Mexican League title, but suffered a surprisingly 71-91 campaign in 1995. Ecatepec hoped Flowers could stabilize the rotation and get them back on track.

It worked, as 1996 started a decade-long streak of division titles. Flowers led the ML in strikeouts (306) and WAR (8.5) in his debut season, although his higher ERA kept him from awards conversations. Flowers ultimately never won Pitcher of the Year. He would take second once more in 1999, posting league and career bests that year in strikeouts (330), innings (278.1), quality starts (27), complete games (17), and WAR (9.0). Flowers’ best ERA in CABA also came in 1999 at 2.59.

In the playoffs with Ecatepec, Flowers’ had unremarkable stats, although the FIP- suggested he might have had bad luck. He had a 4.12 ERA over 18 starts with a 4-9 record, 126.2 innings, 136 strikeouts, 91 ERA+, 75 FIP-, and 3.5 WAR. For his CABA playoff career, he had a 3.38 ERA over 186.1 innings with 197 strikeouts, 112 ERA+, and 5.6 WAR.

Ecatepec lost in the 1996 and 1997 MLCS, but would win six straight Mexican League titles from 1999-2004. They won the CABA title with Flowers in both 1999 and 2000, including in a 1999 showdown with Flowers’ former Salvador squad. Many say that was the passing of the torch moment between one great CABA dynasty to the next.

1997 was Flowers’ best offensive season with an impressive .392/.409/.704 slash over 137 plate appearances. That year had 6 home runs, 15 runs, 22 RBI, a 209 wRC+, and 2.3 WAR. For his offensive career, Flowers had a .287/.323/.453 slash, 112 wRC+, 10.3 WAR, 383 hits, 163 runs, 70 doubles, 30 home runs, 160 RBI, and 106 stolen bases.

With the Explosion, Flowers had a 2.99 ERA, 107-55 record, 1567.1 innings, 1753 strikeouts, 344 walks, 138/196 quality starts, 59 complete games, 126 ERA+, and 41.5 WAR. His contract expired after the 2001 season at age 36. Flowers was still effective in CABA, but he ultimately couldn’t land the deal he wanted. He would surprise many by leaving the Western Hemisphere altogether to continue his baseball career.

Flowers ended up in the Asian Baseball Federation, signing a three-year, $9,160,000 contract with Turkey’s Ankara Alouettes. He had three strong seasons there and took second in Pitcher of the Year voting in 2002. Ankara was a playoff team in all three of his years, but injuries kept Flowers out of the 2002 and 2004 runs.

In 2003, he was iffy with a 4.07 ERA over 24.1 playoff innings. Still, Flowers helped Ankara won the East League championship, falling to Multan in the ABF Championship. With the Alouettes, Flowers had a 52-27 record, 2.59 ERA, 714.2 innings, 877 strikeouts, 139 walks, 132 EERA+, and 20.6 WAR. Flowers was a free agent again after the 2004 season heading into his age 39 season.

Flowers returned to CABA and signed a two-year, $5,360,000 deal with Havana. He had a solid 5.0 WAR return season in 2005 as the Hurricanes made it to the playoffs. Flowers would fall off in 2006 and be relegated to only 77.1 innings with a 4.54 ERA. He had a 3.77 ERA over 295.2 innings with 6.1 WAR with Havana. Flowers retired after the 2006 campaign at age 40.

For his entire pro career, Flowers had a 271-159 record, 3.10 ERA, 4014.2 innings, 4333 strikeouts, 898 walks, 343/515 quality starts, 122 ERA+, and 101.9 WAR. Just in CABA, Flowers had a 219-132 record, 3.20 ERA, 3300 innings, 3456 strikeouts, 759 walks, 275/420 quality starts, 105 complete games, 120 ERA+, and 81.4 WAR.

As of 2037, Flowers ranked 35^th in pitching WAR, 36^th in strikeouts, and 40^th in wins. He wasn’t at the tip-top of leaderboards, but his excellent offensive and defensive value also boosted his resume. Flowers had a role with two dynasty runs and was a fan favorite, making him an easy choice. He co-headlined Hugh Boerboom with 98.5% atop CABA’s 2012 Hall of Fame class.



Vicente Chung – Starting Pitcher – Ecatepec Explosion – 84.0% First Ballot

Vicente Chung was a 6’3’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Alvinopolis, Brazil; a town of 15,000 in the southeastern Minas Gerais state. Chung was a fireballer with great stuff and very good control along with decent movement. His fastball regularly hit the 98-100 mph range, but his forkball, changeup, and curveball were all equally potent.

Chung’s stamina was below average compared to most aces of the era and he had some injury issues. He was a good defender and could hold runners effectively. Chung was a very hard worker and stayed loyal in his career with Ecatepec, garnering much respect in the clubhouse.

It was unusual for South American players to end up in CABA and not the Beisbol Sudamerica umbrella. Chung was spotted though at a camp in 1985 as a teenager by a visiting scout for Ecatepec. They signed Chung in late November, bringing him to Mexico. He spent six seasons in their developmental system before debuting as a part-time starter in 1992 at age 22.

Chung struggled as a rookie, but made the full-time roster for 1993. He had a respectable second season, but it ended with a torn meniscus at the end of the season. Chung was healthy for 1994 and 1995, but wasn’t used at all by the Explosion. He missed out on the 1994 Mexican League pennant season. Ecatepec fell off in 1995 though and gave Chung another look, bringing him up for 1996.

That was a winning decision as Chung led the league in wins, quality starts, and K/BB. With a 2.67 ERA in 236.1 innings, 297 strikeouts, and 7.9 WAR, Chung received Pitcher of the Year honors. He also posted a 1.23 ERA in his two playoff starts as the Explosion lost in the MLCS to Monterrey. Still, this started a ten-year division title streak for Ecatepec. Chung had a 1.38 ERA in 1997’s playoffs, but the Explosion again fell to the Matadors in the MLCS.

Chung signed a four-year, $11,680,000 extension in April 1997. He had a good 1997, but missed the second half of 1998 to an elbow strain. Chung bounced back with a career and league best 1.99 ERA in 1999. He took third in Pitcher of the Year voting, only pitching 194 innings due to a torn ulnar collateral ligament. This put Chung out for 10 months. He earned his first CABA championship ring that fall while in a sling.

Ecatepec won six straight Mexican League titles from 1999-2004 and won the CABA title in 1999, 2000, and 2004. Chung had some trouble post-injury in 2000 and was used as a reliever in the playoffs, but his 13.2 scoreless innings in relief helped the Explosion to the title. In 2001, Chung had a league and career best 8.4 WAR and had a career-high 300 strikeouts. He struggled in that playoff run though with a 5.90 ERA in 29 innings.

Still, a 32-year old Chung earned a five-year, $19,600,000 extension in March 2001. He had a strong 2002, then won his second ERA title in 2003 at 2.26. Chung also led in wins (22-5) and WHIP (0.82) to win his second Pitcher of the Year award. He would look solid the next two years and do just enough in the playoffs to help keep the dynasty rolling.

For his playoff career, Chung had a 3.23 ERA over 147.2 innings, 11-4 record, 159 strikeouts, 16 walks, 10/18 quality starts, 114 ERA+, and 4.9 WAR. He also pitched in five editions of the World Baseball Championship from 1999-2005 for his native Brazil with a 2.22 ERA over 44.2 innings, 61 strikeouts, 165 ERA+, and 1.3 WAR.

Late in the 2005 season, Chung suffered ulnar nerve entrapment. Ecatepec voided the team option in his deal, but ultimately re-signed him to a new three-year, $12,360,000 deal. The injury helped weaken Chung’s velocity down to the mid 90s after previously being able to hit triple digits. Chung looked very average in 2006, a season which saw Ecatepec’s playoff streak end at 80-82. Chung retired that winter at age 37 and immediately had his #9 uniform retired by the Explosion.

Chung ended with a 183-95 record, 2.97 ERA, 2664.2 innings, 2911 strikeouts, 355 walks, 1.04 WHIP, 237/355 quality starts, 126 ERA+, and 71.0 WAR. Chung didn’t quite have the longevity or innings to rank very high on the leaderboards. As of 2037, he’s 60^th in WAR among CABA pitchers.

Still, there were other Hall of Famers who made the cut with similar stats. Plus, Chung had two Pitcher of the Year awards and a prominent role in Ecatepec’s great 1990s-2000s dynasty. That was plenty to give Chung a first-ballot nod at 84.0% as the third of five in the 2012 CABA class.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2012 CABA Hall of Fame (Part 3)

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Stevie Montoya – First Base – Honduras Horsemen – 72.8% First Ballot

Stevie Montoya was a 6’7’’, 200 pound left-handed first baseman from Victoria, Mexico; a city with 432,000 inhabitants in the country’s northeast. Montoya’s prime was brief, but he was an elite power hitter in his peak. He was a great contact hitter that was respectable at drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts. Montoya had good gap power with 23 doubles and 9 triples per his 162 game average. His home run power was excellent and he averaged 50.7 dingers per season during his 1997-2003 peak.

Despite his lanky frame, Montoya had above average speed with decent baserunning instincts. He was a career first baseman, but was considered a mediocre defender. Montoya was a team captain with a strong work ethic and excellent leadership skills. This gave him an important role in the clubhouse even when he physically wasn’t able to perform.

Montoya was a highly touted prospect for the 1991 CABA Draft and was the #2 overall pick by Juarez. Despite the hype, he barely saw the lineup with the Jesters. In five seasons, he only had 41 starts over 399 games. Montoya missed much of 1993 to a fractured rib, but was otherwise healthy for most of the run. He posted 4.3 WAR, 143 hits, 89 runs, 29 home runs, and a 149 wRC+ with Juarez.

Although Montoya had a leadership role, you expected more at-bats from such a high draft pick. Confusingly, Juarez gave him a massive eight-year, $21,280,000 extension in April 1996, but still only started him in 1996 in 12 games. The Jesters would trade him that winter to Honduras for SP Sebastian Gomez and RF Niles Quintero.

With the Horsemen, Montoya finally had an opportunity to start after a bizarre run with Juarez. He had a strong debut season with 40 home runs and 6.9 WAR, although Honduras missed the playoffs. They began a decade-long playoff streak from 1998-2007. The Horsemen would lose in the 1999, 2000, and 2001 Caribbean League Championship Series appearances.

From 1998-2000, Montoya emerged as the best hitter in CABA with three straight MVPs and three Silver Sluggers. Each year, he led in WAR, wRC+, OPS, slugging, and RBI. In 1998, Montoya tied the single-season RBI record with 164, a mark that held until 2031. He also broke Kiko Velazuqez’s single-season runs record of 145 by scoring 148. That held as the top mark until 2005 and still ranks third as of 2037.

Montoya’s 1.194 OPS in 1999 at the time was the second-best single season and ranks 11^th as of 2037. Similarly, his .776 slugging that year was the second-best ever and still sits ninth. That year had a career-best 64 home runs, 208 wRC+, and 10.9 WAR. Montoya posted 30.4 WAR, 175 home runs, 450 RBI, and 405 runs during that remarkable three year run, which forever goes as one of the best-ever three year stretches.

He was still solid with a Silver Slugger in 2001, took third in MVP voting, and won LCS MVP despite Honduras’ defeat to Haiti. Montoya was still a strong starter the next two seasons and helped the Horsemen get over the playoff hump. They won 110 games in 2003, winning the CABA Championship over Ecatepec.

Montoya suffered a tough ruptured foot tendon that cost him five months in 2004. He made it back late in the regular season and stepped in big in the playoffs with a .912 OPS over 16 starts. Honduras again won the Caribbean title, but lost a CABA finals rematch to Ecatepec. In an impressive playoff career, Montoya had 54 games, 69 hits, 38 runs, 10 doubles, 13 home runs, 29 RBI, a .335/.369/.583 slash, 156 wRC+, and 2.8 WAR.

Honduras gave him a qualifying offer for 2005. A strained oblique knocked him out two months and he looked merely good when healthy. The Horsemen gave him another year, but he regressed and was used as a bench piece in 2006. Montoya had 45 games and 9 starts that year, retiring after the season at age 37. Honduras quickly retired his #7 uniform for his brief brilliance.

Montoya’s career numbers were almost entirely from the Horsemen run, finishing with 1712 hits, 995 runs, 232 doubles, 87 triples, 417 home runs, 1085 RBI, a .329/.375/.647 slash, 171 wRC+, and 62.6 WAR. The briefness of his success meant Montoya’s accumulations were very low compared to most Hall of Famers, but his rate stats were brilliant. Among any CABA hitter with 3000 plate appearances, Montoya ranks 14^th in OPS and 11^th in slugging.

Three MVPs was also an accomplishment few players had reached. Plus, Montoya was a great leader during a prolonged era of success for Honduras. This was enough for a majority of voters to give Montoya the first ballot nod. He only crossed the 66% requirement with 72.8%, but that was plenty to join the five-player 2012 CABA Hall of Fame class.



Pedro Nugent – Left Field – Monterrey Matadors – 67.8% First Ballot

Pedro Nugent was a 6’1’’, 200 pound right-handed outfielder from the capital of Jamaica, Kingston. Nugent was best known for having excellent gap power, getting 25 doubles and 21 triples per his 162 game average. He had nice speed and was a stellar baserunner who could regularly leg out extra bases. Nugent also successfully stole bases on 71.6% of his attempts, becoming one of the most efficient thieves of the era.

He could also go deep too, topping 30+ home runs six times and 40+ once. Nugent was a quite solid contact hitter with a good eye, emerging as one of the most well-rounded offensive threats of the era. He had strong popularity, but wasn’t looked at for clubhouse leadership.

The vast majority of his starts were in left field, although he saw occasional starts in center and right. Nugent graded as a reliably good and occasionally great in the corners. He struggled in center as he lacked the range required to thrive there. Nugent had sporadic injury issues, but still managed a 17-year career.

In December 1983, Nugent was signed by a scout from Monterrey as a teenage amateur, making a move from Jamaica to Monterrey. He officially debuted in 1988 at age 21, but he saw limited action in his early years. The Matadors began their historic dynasty run right as Nugent arrived, making 18 straight playoff appearances from 1988 to 2005.

He primarily was a pinch hitter in his first four seasons with only 72 starts and 135 games. Monterrey won three straight CABA Championships from 1990-92. Nugent earned 10 starts in the 1991 postseason and had a .834 OPS. He became a full-time starter in 1992 and looked great, but he missed the final half of the season to a concussion. Nugent made it back for the end of the postseason to help earn his third ring.

1993 was Nugent’s first full season as a starter and had career highs in WAR (10.8), OPS (1.051), and runs (122). He won his first Silver Slugger, his lone Gold Glove, and took third in MVP voting. This was his lone season as an MVP finalist. Monterrey won a fourth straight Mexican League title, but Honduras denied them a four-peat in the CABA Championship. This run still prompted the Matadors to give Nugent an eight-year, $20,260,000 extension in July 1994.

Nugent won additional Silver Sluggers in 1997, 1999, 2000, and 2001. He posted eight seasons worth 7+ WAR, but wasn’t typically a league leader. Nugent led thrice in triples and had a career-best 44 home runs in 1999. He also hit above .300 in six seasons.

His best playoff run came in 1996, where he won CABA Championship MVP. In 16 playoff starts, Nugent had 16 hits, 13 runs, 5 home runs, 5 triples, and 11 RBI. Monterrey won three more Mexican titles from 1995-97 and won the 1996 and 1997 CABA titles. They also made it to the MLCS in 1994, 1998, and 1999, but couldn’t advance those years.

For his playoff career, Nugent had 114 games, 105 starts, 107 hits, 61 runs, 14 doubles, 11 triples, 18 home runs, 49 RBI, 22 stolen bases, a .257/.310/.474 slash, 121 wRC+, and 2.6 WAR. While playing in Mexico, Nugent still returned home to Jamaica for the World Baseball Championship. From 1990-2005, he had 121 games, 110 hits, 62 runs, 14 doubles, 7 triples, 24 home runs, 54 RBI, 43 stolen bases, a .249/.322/.475 slash, 132 wRC+, and 3.9 WAR.

Monterrey signed Nugent to a three-year, $17,900,000 extension after the 2002 season. The Matadors’ playoff streak continued in his later years, but they had six straight first round exits from 2000-2005, showing that the dynasty run had ended. Nugent had statistically strong efforts, including 7.0 WAR in 2004 at age 37. Injuries started to keep him out for parts of years by the end.

Nugent got another two years and $8,240,000 after the 2005 campaign. 2006 would be a rough year that started with a strained hamstring in the first two months. He ultimately had only 28 games and 3 starts that year and retired in the winter at age 39. Monterrey soon retired his #24 uniform for his key role in the great dynasty.

The final stats for Nugent: 2292 hits, 1380 runs, 332 doubles, 282 triples, 423 home runs, 1270 RBI, 688 walks, 596 stolen bases, a .300/.359/.583 slash, 172 wRC+, and 98.3 WAR. He was almost quietly good and didn’t rack up the big accumulations or black ink many voters wanted.

The rate stats showed his value, as Nugent sits 35^th in WAR among position players as of 2037. He’s also 75^th in OPS among all CABA hitters with 3000 plate appearances. Nugent also sits 14^th all-time in triples and 49^th in runs, but doesn’t crack the top 100 for hits, homers, or RBI.

Being a key starter during a historic dynasty also goes a long way. Still, there were voters that thought Nugent just didn’t have the counting stats needed to make the cut. With a loaded 2012 field, Nugent only barely crossed the 66% requirement with 67.8%. That was enough for the first ballot nod as a fine capped for the five-player 2012 class.