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

**MrNFL_FanIQ** · 02-26-2025, 06:05 AM

2026 in ABF

The top two records in the Asian Baseball Federation’s East League fought over the South Division title. Defending EL champ Karachi narrowly took it at 99-63 with last year’s division winner Hyderabad one back at 98-64. The Carp hadn’t won a division title since 2009. For the Horned Frogs, their playoff streak grew to three seasons. Hyderabad allowed the fewest runs in the league at 532.

Almaty at 90-72 won the North Division to extend their playoff streak to seven, although it was only their second division crown of that run. The Assassins were the top scoring team at 710. Dushanbe and Peshawar were both three back at 87-75. They and Lahore were tied for the final wild card with the formula giving the spot to the Longhorns. Lahore ended a seven-year postseason drought.

After missing East League MVP for three straight years, Dushanbe SS Nizami Aghazade returned to the throne in 2026 with his ninth MVP. He was one of the oldest-ever MVP winners in baseball history at age 38 and became only the ninth across all leagues to win nine or more MVPs. He earned his 13^th Silver Slugger, the most of any ABF player. Aghazade was the 24^th player across all leagues and positions with 13+ Sluggers.

The Kazakh righty led in the triple slash (.359/.432/.688), OPS (1.120), wRC+ (232), and WAR (12.5). Aghazade also had 201 hits, 105 runs, 46 doubles, 44 home runs, and 124 RBI. It was the 12^th time that Aghazade led the league with a double-digit WAR season. He missed 10+ WAR only thrice in his 15 year career to that point, all in seasons shortened by injuries.

Aghazade had long ago taken the ABF WARlord title and finished the season with 176.0, placing him 11^th all-time among all players in baseball history. In 2026, Aghazade also became the 10^th ABF batter to reach 2500 career hits. In the offseason, Aghazade inked a two-year, $40 million extension to remain with the Dynamo.

Lahore’s Zakir Mehdiyev won Pitcher of the Year in his fourth season as a full-time starter. The 27-year old Tajik righty led in strikeouts (353), WHIP (0.77), shutouts (5), and WAR (8.9). He added a 1.98 ERA over 249.2 innings, 19-8 record, and 175 ERA+. The highlight of the year for Mehdiyev came on September 28, throwing ABF’s 19^th perfect game in a 13 strikeout effort against Dushanbe. The Longhorns signed Mehdiyev to a four-year, $46 million extension in the offseason.

Karachi beat Lahore 3-1 in the first round while Hyderabad earned a road sweep of Almaty. The Carp kept their repeat hopes alive while the Horned Frogs earned their first trip to the East League Championship Series since 2016. Hyderabad pulled off the road upset 4-2 over Karachi to win their seventh pennant (1986-87, 1997-99, 2013, 2026). Even with their 12-year drought, the Horned Frogs led all ABF teams in finals trips.

Reigning Asian Baseball Federation champ Mashhad again had the best overall record at 103-59 atop the West League’s Central Division. The Mercury grew their playoff streak to six seasons and allowed the fewest runs in the WL at 576. Shiraz was a competitive second in the division at 96-66, earning a wild card and their first playoff trip since 2016. Tehran (87-75) notably had their first winning season since 2019, while Tabriz (79-83) had their first losing campaign since 2015.

Gaziantep (97-65) edged Adana (96-66) for the West Division, although both earned playoff berths. The Gorilla repeated as division champs while the Axemen ended a nine-year playoff drought. Baku’s four-year playoff streak and Bursa’s three-year streak both ended as they both were a distant third at 86-76. Istanbul was 85-77 and led the league with 799 runs scored.

West League MVP went to Shiraz 1B Sultan Han, who led in homers (68), RBI (150), runs (127), total bases (435), slugging (.723), OPS (1.097), wRC+ (181), and WAR (9.4). The 26-year old Tajik righty posted the fourth-most HRs and ninth-most RBI in an ABF single-season to date. Han also won a Gold Glove and added 191 hits, 38 doubles, and a .317 average.

Mashhad lefty Nahunzai Ebrahimi won Pitcher of the Year with a 2.42 ERA over 253.1 innings, 21-8 record, 282 strikeouts, 162 ERA+, and 6.0 WAR. The 27-year old Pakistani came to the Mercury the prior summer in a four-player trade with Gujranwala. Ebrahimi was third in ERA and second in wins.

Gaziantep topped Shiraz 3-1 and Mashhad swept Adana 3-0 in the first round, setting up a rematch in the West League Championship Series. The Mercury cruised to the repeat with a sweep of the Gorillas, becoming six-time WL champs (1990, 1992, 1994, 2014, 2025, 2026). That ties Isfahan for the most West League pennants.

Despite the historic successes of both franchises, the 42^nd ABF Championship was the first finals encounter between Mashhad and Hyderabad. The Mercury’s repeat bid was thwarted in the first seven-game series since 2020. The Horned Frogs became five-time ABF champs (1986, 1987, 1999, 2013, 2026), matching Istanbul for the most rings.

Finals MVP went to 2025 league MVP Emir Han, who in 16 playoff starts had 21 hits, 12 runs, 5 doubles, 6 home runs, and 13 RBI. Also notable on the other side was Mashhad’s Reza Bijani, who tied the ABF playoff record with 17 runs scored. The 28-year old 2B also had 27 hits, good for third-most in an ABF postseason to that point.

Other notes: In his final ABF season, Habib Saquib passed Fakhri Rajavi’s 678 home runs to become the new ABF home run king at 686. He would fall just shy of Petri Viskari (1685) to take the RBI title at 1653. Saquib’s 1424 runs placed him 6^th in ABF at departure. He would play one final season in the Arab League before retiring at age 39.

The 18^th ABF perfect game came on August 18 from Karachi’s Ace Guerrero with 13 strikeouts facing Samarkand. Tabriz’s pitching staff allowed only 231 walks with a 1.42 BB/9, both ABF team records. Bursa stole 434 bases, the second-most in West League history. Asgabat’s offense only drew 257 walks, a WL worst.

Timur Tyan became the 10^th to reach 2500 hits. Arshia Hushyar was the 18^th pitcher to 3500 strikeouts and Ali Mehrjui was the 14^th to 200 wins. RF Hana Zuhair won his 14^th and final Gold Glove, tying 3B Eser Haspolatti for the most in ABF history. Zuhari became the 15^th player in pro baseball history with 14+ Gold Gloves and the only one to do it in right field. C Ali Mahdian and CF Campolat Necdet both won their 7^th Gold Gloves.

**MrNFL_FanIQ** · 02-26-2025, 04:23 PM

2026 in SAB

Starting in 2026, South Asia Baseball increased their active roster size from 25 to 26. This gave SAB the largest active roster size of any world league. A few were at 25, but most had lowered their active roster in recent decades below that.

Three-time defending SAB champ Visakhapatnam posted their best record ever at 115-47, the most wins by an SAB team since Hanoi’s 121-41 from 2010. The Volts won their fourth straight South Division title and led the Indian League in both runs (808) and fewest allowed (500). Visakhapatnam set a new SAB season attendance record at 2,268,493. The pitching staff struck out 1908 batters, the third-most in IL history.

Kolkata repeated as Central Division champ at 103-59 and grew their playoff streak to six seasons. Delhi (95-67) and Jaipur (94-68) were their closest foes with both falling just short in the wild card race. Ahmedabad and Pune tied at 97-65 for the West Division title. The Animals won the tiebreaker game for their second division title in three years, while the Purple Knights got the wild card. Pune picked up a sixth playoff trip in eight years. Hyderabad (89-73) and Chennai (88-74) were both also in the wild card mix for a bit before fading late.

Indian League MVP went to 3B Can An Ngo in his Hyderabad debut. The 27-year old Vietnamese righty had won Southeast Asia League MVP the prior season with Chittagong. The Hippos signed him to an eight-year, $131,300,000 deal in free agency and he immediately delivered. Ngo led in OBP (.404), slugging (.699), OPS (1.103), wRC+ (220), and WAR (10.1). He added 44 home runs, 104 RBI, 110 runs, and a .345 average. Ngo also stole 31 bases and wasn’t caught stealing once.

Pune’s Quang Thinh Phan won his second Pitcher of the Year, having previously done it back in 2019 with Mandalay. In his fourth year with the Purple Knights, the 34-year old Vietnamese righty led in strikeouts (366), quality starts (24), and WAR (8.5). Phan had a 2.52 ERA over 246.2 innings and 17-9 record. This was Phan’s fifth season leading his league in strikeouts as he became the 17^th SAB ace with 3500 career Ks.

Reigning champ Visakhapatnam fended off a fierce challenge from Pune 3-2 in the first round and Kolkata cruised to a sweep of Ahmedabad. This set up a rematch of the 2023 Indian League Championship Series which started the Volts’ dynasty run. The Cosmos pulled off the upset 4-2 to deny Visakhapatnam’s four-peat bid to become four time IL champs (2010, 2011, 2014, 2026). Kolkata’s most recent two pennants also featured ILCS wins over the Volts.

The Southeast Asia League was incredibly tight as only three wins separated the four playoff teams. Seven teams ended up within nine games of the top seed. The #1 seed required a tiebreaker game to decide it as Khulna and Dhaka finished even atop the North Division at 95-67.

The defending SEAL champ Claws prevailed, which earned them their first-ever division title. The Dobermans as the first wild card grew their playoff streak to six seasons. Dhaka led all teams in runs scored (920) while Khulna allowed the fewest runs in SEAL at 619. Mandalay was close behind at 93-69 with Hanoi also competitive at 88-74. The Mammoths secured the second wild card to end their six-year postseason drought.

In the South Division, Yangon was first at 94-68. The Green Dragons just missed the top seed, yet they only won the division by two games over Bangkok (91-71) and seven over Da Nang (87-75). The Bobcats fell two short of Mandalay for the second wild card to end their hopes at a third straight LCS trip. The Green Dragons earned repeat playoff berths and their 31^st trip in 32 years.

Southeast Asia League MVP was Dhaka DH Hamidul Islam in his first season as a starter. The 23-year old Bangladeshi lefty led in hits (213), home runs (54), total bases (431), slugging (.678), OPS (1.062), and wRC+ (180). Islam added 8.4 WAR, a .335 average, 130 runs, 145 RBI, and 57 steals.

Phnom Penh struggled to 72-90, but they had the Pitcher of the Year Nasir Hossain. The 27-year old Bangladeshi righty won the ERA title at 2.40 and posted a 14-8 record over 251.1 innings, 223 strikeouts, 170 ERA+, and 5.8 WAR.

Mandalay upset #1 seed and defending champ Khulna 3-2 in the first round while Yangon defeated Dhaka 3-1. The Mammoths earned their first Southeast Asia League Championship trip since 2019 with their lone pennant in 2018. For the Green Dragons, it was their first trip since 2022, but their 13^th of the 21^st Century.

This was also the first time since SAB’s inaugural 1980 season that the two teams from Myanmar met in the LCS. Mandalay surprisingly started the series up 3-0, but Yangon rallied to force game seven. The Mammoths avoided the collapse to win the finale and their second title.

In the 47^th South Asia Baseball Championship, Mandalay made sure not to let Kolkata rally like Yangon did. The Mammoths swept the Cosmos and became the 16^th different franchise to win the SAB title. 1B Dong Vinh Lam was MVP of the finals and the divisional series in his third year with Mandalay. In 16 playoff starts, Lam had 20 hits, 15 runs, 3 doubles, 6 homers, 13 RBI, and 10 walks.

Other notes: Jaipur’s Booyasak Urapanthamat threw SAB’s 13^th perfect game on September 20 with 12 strikeouts against Lucknow. The Jokers’ Van Hung Dinh also threw a no-hitter for back-to-back seasons, this time fanning 15 with two walks on August 15 versus Kanpur. Dinh became the 12^th SAB pitcher to throw multiple no-hitters in their career and the 6^th to do it in consecutive seasons.

Harpal Kumaragupta and Franklin Tung became the 5^th and 6^th SAB pitchers to 4000 career strikeouts. Kumaragupta also joined Tung and nine others in the 200 win club. Jaipur’s Amu Singh became the 7^th to 400 career saves and won his third Reliever of the Year. Yasir Malkawi was the 26^th batter to 2500 hits. 2B Rufus Ko won his 8^th Gold Glove and LF Shanmukhavadivu Khalil won his 7^th. Agnisika Dhavita won his 8^th Silver Slugger and his third straight at 2B. Dhavita’s prior wins came at SS.

In their second season, Patna finished 51-111 to tie for the second worst record in Indian League history. Fellow expansion team Madurai wasn’t much better at 57-105 and set a new SAB all-time worst for team slugging percentage at .307. Their 70 home runs were the second fewest in SAB history behind only 1996 Chennai (67).

**MrNFL_FanIQ** · 02-26-2025, 08:43 PM

2026 in WAB

Abidjan returned to the top spot in the Western League in 2026 at 101-61, extending their playoff streak to six seasons. Since West African Baseball’s founding in 1975, the Athletes impressively have finished first in the WL standings 20 times. Abidjan allowed the WL’s fewest runs at 649 and were second in scoring at 839.

Banjul was the top scoring team in all of WAB at 916 runs, pushing them to second at 91-71. The Bucks ended a seven-year playoff drought. Reigning WAB champ Dakar (89-73) and Kumasi (87-75) got the remaining playoff spots while Freetown (86-76), Nouakchott (83-79), and Accra (82-80) just missed. The Dukes’ playoff streak grew to three and the Monkeys ended an eight-year drought. The Foresters saw their four-year streak halted.

Western League MVP went to Banjul RF Haji Mussa in his third season as a starter. The 25-year old Chadian led in runs (127), RBI (149), walks (99), total bases (405), OBP (.468), slugging (.799), OPS (1.267), wRC+ (217), and WAR (9.8). Mussa was second in homers (63) and third in batting average (.359). In July, the Bucks locked Mussa up on an eight-year, $103,520,000 extension to remain their franchise icon.

The remarkable and historic career start for Dakar’s Chidozie Iyakson continued with three Pitcher of the Year awards in his first three seasons. The 25-year old Nigerian lefty again won the ERA title (2.53) and was the leader in quality starts (23), FIP- (56), and WAR (8.6). Iyakson had 282 strikeouts over 224.1 innings, 173 ERA+, and 13-9 record.

Dakar dumped Kumasi 2-0 in the first round, but was promptly swept 2-0 by Banjul. The 2009 expansion Bucks earned their fourth trip to the Western League Championship Series and first since 2018, which saw a victory over Abidjan. The Athletes easily avenged that loss with a 3-0 sweep for their second pennant in four years. Abidjan now had 15 pennants, easily leading all WL teams and second only to EL power Kano (16).

After an abysmal 59-103 only two years prior, Cotonou exploded for a 112-50 record in 2026 to end their seven-year playoff drought and reclaim the top spot in the Eastern League. The Copperheads did notably outperform their expected win/loss by 13 games. Cotonou was second in runs scored (894) and third in fewest allowed (695).

Although 12 games back, last year’s first place finisher Niamey was a strong second at 100-62, growing their playoff streak to three. The Atomics led in scoring with 903 runs. Lagos (93-69) and Kano (88-74) snagged the final spots with defending EL champ Ibadan (87-75) the first team out.

The Lizards earned their second wild card in three years while the Condors had their second in four seasons. The Iguanas’ playoff streak ended at four. Port Harcourt’s streak ended at three despite allowing the fewest runs (647), finishing 78-84 with only 634 runs scored. Yaounde also notably collapsed down to 67-95 for their first losing season since 2017. Ouagadougou was another that went from in the mix in 2025 (89-73) down to a last place 62-100 in 2026.

Kano CF Anietie Sowah won Eastern League MVP in only his second season starting. The 23-year old Nigerian was the WARlord at 8.1, winning a Gold Glove defensively. Sowah added 208 hits, 123 runs, 31 doubles, 18 triples, 33 homers, 101 RBI, 76 steals, and .977 OPS. Sowah had won Rookie of the Year the prior season for the Condors.

Pitcher of the Year was Cotonou righty Jose Balde, also a second-year starter. The 24-year old Bissau-Guinean led in wins (21-7), innings (261.1), complete games (13), and shutouts (3). Balde added a 2.93 ERA, 229 strikeouts, 155 ERA+, and 5.8 WAR. The 6’7’’ Balde was the #1 overall draft pick two years prior, helping the Copperheads quickly return to form.

Lagos edged Kano 2-1 in the first round, then pulled off the 2-1 upset of #2 seed Niamey in round two. The Lizards hadn’t been in the Eastern League Championship Series since 2008, while Cotonou was in their first one since 2017. The series needed all five games with the finale ending in a dramatic 6-5 walkoff win for the Copperheads.

Bacukp OF Ephraim Mulbah had the clincher on a walkoff RBI double in the bottom of the ninth inning. Back in game one, 3B Umar Lalleshwari gave Cotonou a walk-off solo home run for a 2-1 win to begin ahead in the series. It was Cotonou’s fourth pennant and first since their early 2010s dynasty.

Cotonou’s first-ever West African Championship win came over Abidjan 4-2 back in 2010. That started the Copperheads dynasty that also won titles in 2011 and 2013. Cotonou returned to the throne in 2026 in a seven-game thriller over the Athletes, which was the first WAB finale to go 4-3 since 2019. Finals MVP went to LF Alban Oliveira, who joined Cotonou in a summer trade the prior year from Bouake. The 28-year old righty from Togo in 12 playoff starts had 17 hits, 5 runs, 7 doubles, 1 triple, and 4 RBI.

The Copperheads were the sixth-different champion in as many years and were now 4-0 in their finals trips all-time. Abidjan is 5-10 all-time in their finals berths. It was one of the biggest turnarounds in baseball history as Cotonou had been 59-103 only two years prior. Their 112-50 record was the fourth-best by a WAB Champion behind 1999 Kano (123-39), 1998 Kano (114-48), and their own 2011 title (114-48).

Other notes: WAB hits king Fares Belaid also passed Darwin Morris’s 2234 runs scored to become the WAB leader with 2276. This also placed the 38-year old Tunisian 5^th in runs for all of pro baseball history. Belaid also became the 2^nd in world history with 800 career doubles with his 813 only three back on SAB’s Manju Abbas’s top mark of 816.

Belaid also became the 7th in world history to 400 career triples with a league-best 23 in 2026. This put him at 421, 4th behind Carsten Dal (457), Yoon-Soo Hyoun (449), and Jacob Ronnberg (436). Belaid finished the season at 4414 hits, 3^rd in pro baseball history to Prometheo Garcia (4917) and Jiri Lebr (4651). 2026 was his final of nine seasons with Yaounde, signing a three-year, $42,800,000 deal in the offseason with Lagos.

Ibrahim Sani and Clarence Cole became the 4^th and 5^th members of the 3000 hit club. Three joined the 2500 hit club, bringing that group to 28 strong. Abdel Aziz Ashraf was the 16^th to reach 500 home runs. Shafiu Hassan was the 12^th to 1500 RBI and Jonah Moiseiwitsch was the 9^th to 1500 runs scored. Minusu Ekong and Nazifi Zakaria were the 23^rd and 24^th pitchers to 3000 strikeouts.

Douala’s Isah Saka tied the WAB single-season record for doubles with 70, previously hit in 2021 by Adrian Kollie. 70 remains tied for the 3^rd most in any world league behind ABF’s Gokhan Karatas (72, 1990) and AAB’s Stefan Cejka (71, 1996). Banjul’s Pedrag Zizovic had a 36-game hitting streak, tied for the 5^th longest in WAB history.

**MrNFL_FanIQ** · 02-27-2025, 01:22 PM

2026 in APB

In a tight race for the Taiwan League title, Kaohsiung (98-64) outlasted Taipei (96-66) to give the Steelheads their second TL crown in three years. Kaohsiung was the top scoring team in the Taiwan-Philippine Association with 592 runs. Although they missed the playoffs, the Tigercats did end a four-year stretch of losing seasons. They had struggled in the rebuild following their 2010s dominance. Last year’s top Taiwanese Hsinchu was fourth at 82-80 with Taoyuan third at 87-75.

The Philippine League field was weak with reigning TPA champ Cebu taking first with a mere 85-77. Zamboanga was four back at 81-81 with Davao and Manila both next at 78-84. The Crows did allow the fewest runs at 437 and set new TPA records for fewest walks allowed (202) and best BB/9 (1.26).

Binh Tang was denied a seventh consecutive Taiwan-Philippine Association MVP by Taoyuan’s Wei-Yin Wang. The 26-year old first baseman led in hits (204), RBI (100), batting average (.332), and WAR (9.3). Wang added 87 runs, 36 doubles, 27 homers, .890 OPS, and 178 wRC+. Hsinchu’s Tang was still a beast though, taking third in voting with TPA bests in runs (91), OBP (.376), OPS (.917), and wRC+ (180). He had 9.3 WAR, 33 homers, and 85 RBI.

Cebu’s Sheng-Wai Tien took Pitcher of the Year in his third season, leading in WAR (8.9), quality starts (28), complete games (19), and shutouts (5). The 23-year old Taiwanese righty had a 1.98 ERA over 263 innings, 320 strikeouts, 15-12 record, and 146 ERA+.

Reigning Austronesia Professional Baseball champ Jakarta narrowly took the top seed again in the Sundaland Association at 94-68. The Jaguars won the Java Sea League for the third time in four years with Surabaya (87-75) as their nearest foe. The atmosphere was electric in Indonesia’s largest city as Jakarta set an association season attendance record at 2,248,768.

The Malaysian squads tied atop the Malacca League with Johor Bahru and Kuala Lumpur both 91-71. The Blue Wings won the tiebreaker game to repeat as ML champs. Further down the standings saw 74-88 Medan, who led in runs scored (517) but also allowed the most (577). Palembang at 82-80 allowed the fewest runs (386) but scored the second-fewest (423).

Both of the Sundaland Association’s top awards went to Jakarta players. 1B Shen Chang won MVP in his fifth season, leading in home runs (48) and runs scored (77). The 26-year old Taiwanese lefty added 87 RBI, .817 OPS, 193 wRC+, and 6.8 WAR.
He managed to be an effective hitter still even with an abysmal 35.4% strikeout rate.

Chow Mai won Pitcher of the Year in his fourth full season, leading with 30 quality starts. The 25-year old Singaporean lefty had a 1.62 ERA over 249.2 innings, 277 strikeouts, 18-10 record, 153 ERA+, and 7.5 WAR. The Jaguars also saw Tran Chinh Han won his third Reliever of the Year in four years, posting 50 saves over 86 games and 99.1 innings with a 1.27 ERA, 186 strikeouts, and 6.3 WAR. This was only the fourth 50+ save effort in APB history and Han was one appearance short of that record.

Despite Kaohsiung having a 13-win advantage in the regular season, Cebu rolled to a Taiwan-Philippine Association sweep. With the repeat, the Crows won their seventh pennant (1980, 1990-92, 2012, 2025-26). The Sundaland Association Championship rematch had the result reversed with Johor Bahru winning this time over Jakarta 4-2. The Blue Wings earned their third pennant, having also done it in 2017 and 2018.

The 62^nd Austronesia Championship saw Cebu victorious 4-1 over Johor Bahru, becoming three-time APB champs (1980, 1991, 2026). The parity continued for the top spot with seven different champions in as many years. There had also been 10 different champs in the last 11 seasons with only Palembang repeating. CF Chas Galindo was finals MVP in his sixth year for the Crows, starting all 9 playoff games with 10 hits, 6 runs, 3 doubles, 3 homers, and 4 RBI.

Other notes: 2026 was the final year for 10-time Pitcher of the Year winner Ching-Chen Yao, who only managed 45 innings in his 19^th season with Zamboanga because of injuries. He retired at age 39 as APB’s all-time leader in WAR (163.53), WHIP (0.66), opponent’s OBP (.186), and opponent’s OPS (.429). As of 2037, he’s 8^th in strikeouts for APB (4960) and 17^th in wins (223-91).

Yao’s 1.46 ERA is the best of all of the world’s Hall of Fame starting pitchers as of 2037. He also ranks 2^nd in ERA+ (188), 1^st in FIP- (31), and 1^st in opponent’s OPS among this group. Yao ranks 4^th among all pitchers ever in career WAR as of 2037 and ranks 21^st among all players. This is the best among Taiwanese born players and would be the top mark for APB players until eventually passed by Binh Tang. Yao won an incredible eight ERA titles and led ten times in both strikeouts and WAR, putting him in the conversation for the most dominant pitchers ever.

Zamboanga’s Faqih Saleh had APB’s 51^st Perfect Game on June 17 with 12 strikeouts against Manila. Saleh’s was notable as only the third perfect game in world history with extra innings, earning his over ten frames. The only other 10 IP perfectos were Ed Arua on 9/4/1982 in APB and Tokinari Ito on 4/18/1939 in East Asia Baseball. Palembang’s Ronaldo Sahri threw his third no-hitter in four years, becoming the 19^th APB ace with 3+ no-hitters.

Gosner Rahmawati was the 11^th pitcher to 4500 career strikeouts. Widodo Megawati became the 10^th batter to 2500 career hits and the 27^th to 1000 runs scored. Reggie Rozalez was the 37^th to 1000 RBI and the 27^th to 400 home runs. C Yi-Hsiang Chang won his 9^th consecutive Silver Slugger, extending his APB position record among catchers.

**johnstone1987** · 02-27-2025, 02:35 PM

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

262 pages is insane dedication. Keep it up man!

**MrNFL_FanIQ** · 02-27-2025, 07:12 PM

2026 in OBA

The Australasia League saw an intense battle for the top spot between reigning Oceania Champion Sydney and Christchurch. With the AL’s fewest runs allowed at 507, the Chinooks won the race at 109-53 over the 106-56 Snakes. Christchurch earned their fourth pennant in seven years, their eighth in 14 years, and their 16^th overall. The Chinooks were behind only the Pacific League’s Guam (17) for the most pennants. The chase certainly sent fans to the ballpark as Christchurch set a new OBA attendance record at 2,169,152 fans.

For Sydney, it was only their second time in five years and fourth time in nine years outside of the top spot. The only time in OBA history that a team won more games and still only finished second was Honolulu in 1992 at 108-54, finishing four back on Guam. Canberra was third at 93-69 and had the most runs at 810. The Centurions posted a fifth straight winning season, but they’re still looking for that first title. Also of note, Melbourne fell off hard from 91 wins in 2025 down to 68 in 2026.

Australasia League MVP went to Sydney LF Lewis Sundstrom. The 26-year old Australian lefty had 51 home runs, 128 RBI, 103 runs, 54 steals, a .291/.348/.636 slash, .984 OPS, 158 wRC+, and 6.7 WAR. He didn’t lead in any stat, but was notably second in homers, RBI, and OPS. Sundstrom also hit for the cycle in June facing Hobart.

Christchurch’s Quinn Burry won Pitcher of the Year with the 17^th pitching Triple Crown in OBA history with a 25-7 record, 1.93 ERA, and 435 strikeouts over 288.2 innings. The 26-year old Australian righty also led in WHIP (0.85), quality starts (32), FIP- (46), ERA+ (200), and WAR (12.8). Sensing his elite potential, the Chinooks had wisely signed Burry to a seven-year, $90,780,000 extension after the 2024 campaign.

Three-time defending Pacific League champ Port Moresby made it a four-peat and tied the PL wins record at 119-43. The Mud Hens matched 1999 Guam’s league record and were second in OBA history to Christchurch’s 126-36 world record from 2016. Port Moresby led in fewest runs allowed (471) and second in runs scored (760). They became six-time Pacific League champs with the result.

Vanuatu and Honolulu still had great seasons even if they were miles away from the Mud Hens. The Wizards were 100-62 and the Honu went 97-65 while leading with 782 runs. Samoa notably collapsed from 90-72 in 2025 to 64-98 in 2026. Guadalcanal was 68-94, but still managed to set a new OBA team record with 284 doubles.

Unsurprisingly, Port Moresby swept the big awards, led by CF Stanley Yeo as Pacific League MVP. The hometown hero won it for the fourth time, having also won in 2021, 23, and 25. The 30-year old lefty was the WARlord (8.6) and led with 101 stolen bases. Yeo scored 100 runs with 170 hits, 33 homers, .858 OPS, and 141 wRC+.

The Mud Hens’ pitchers finished #1-#5 on the individual leaderboard for ERA. The man in the #2 spot was Daniel Laurinavicius, who earned Pitcher of the Year as the WARlord at 8.8. The 33-year old Lithuanian was a newcomer to OBA, having spent his previous 13 seasons bouncing between the European Baseball Federation’s Elite Tier and the European Second League with Vilnius and Reykjavik.

Port Moresby signed him to a five-year, $60 million deal for 2026 which at the time was decried by some as an overpay for an unknown name. Laurinavicius delivered with a 2.17 ERA over 265.2 innings, 23-7 record, 267 strikeouts, 62 FIP-, and 171 ERA+.

The 67^th Oceania Championship was a rematch from 2023, which saw Port Moresby defeat Christchurch to kick off their dynasty. The Mud Hens’ only other title prior to that also came at the expense of the Chinooks back in 1985. In round three, Port Moresby prevailed again, winning 4-2 for their third championship in four years. They became the fifth franchise achieve the feat, joining Melbourne (six from 2004-10), Guam (1997-2000), Honolulu (seven from 1982-90), and Adelaide (1974-77).

Finals MVP was RF Pete Maple in his first year as a full-time starter. The 25-year old Hawaiian went 9-23 with 2 runs, 1 triple, 2 homers, and 2 RBI. For Christchurch, they fell to 3-13 all-time in the finals and had lost six straight. No franchise in baseball history had finished as their league’s runner-up more times.

For Port Moresby, their 2026 crew deserves strong consideration as OBA’s best-ever champion. They matched 1999 Guam for the best record by an OBA champ at 119-43. Only 2016 Christchurch had a better record (126-36), but they lost their finale to the Golden Eagles. To that point, only eight teams in world baseball history had won 120+ games and their league’s overall championship. The other OBA champs with 110+ win seasons were 1978 Perth (111-51), 1979 Guam (112-50), 1992 Guam (112-50), 2007 Melbourne (110-52), 2010 Melbourne (113-49), and 2013 Christchurch (110-52).

Other notes: Sydney’s Trey Cruz broke the OBA single-season stolen bases record with 125, passing the previous best of 115 by George Connolly from 1991. Cruz also won his 10^th Silver Slugger at second base. Port Moresby’s Feleti Koma set the OBA record for a pitching win percentage at .952 with his 20-1 season. Honolulu’s Steven Gamboa had his second no-hitter in three years, becoming the 19^th OBA ace to throw multiple no-nos.

OBA home run, runs scored, and RBI leader Roe Kaupa became the first in OBA to cross 900 home runs and 2000 career RBI. After the 2026 season, 17 players in pro baseball history were in the 900 homer club. Kaupa also became the 5^th in OBA to reach 3000 hits. He finished the season with 3132 and intended to come back with Vanuatu in 2027 at age 40. Adrian Kali had the top hits mark in OBA with 3467. Meanwhile, Earl Pacubas became OBA’s 17^th member of the 500 home run club.

In pitching milestones, Peyton McCoy was the 13^th to 4000 strikeouts and the 9^th to 250 wins. It was his final season, finishing with 252 wins and 4212 Ks. As of 2037, those rank 7^th and 13^th, respectively. CF Pouvalu Manu won his 12^th consecutive Gold Glove, becoming the third in OBA at any position with 12+ wins. Ashton Hughes (13) still had him beat in center.

**MrNFL_FanIQ** · 02-28-2025, 05:26 AM

2026 in EPB

St. Petersburg won its third consecutive North Division title and took the European League’s top seed at 98-64. Both wild cards came from the North with Nizhny Novgorod at 92-70 and Minsk at 88-74. The Ninjas picked up their fourth wild card in six years while the Miners got their fourth in seven seasons. Kazan was also in the mix at 84-78. Defending EL champ Moscow was a distant fifth in the division at 81-81.

Volgograd’s South Division title streak grew to six seasons. The Voyagers were 95-67, which extended their overall playoff streak to seven. Samara was next at 86-76, finishing two behind Minsk for the second wild card. The Steelers were the top scoring EL team at 612 runs. Tel Aviv, notably a wild card last year, fell hard to 69-93.

Leading St. Petersburg to the top seed was European League MVP Talgat Nurgaliev. He had also won MVP back in 2019 with Perm, where he spent his first nine seasons. Nurgaliev spent 2024-25 with Ulaanbaatar, then signed with the Polar Bears for 2026 at four years and $54,500,000. The 32-year old Tajik DH delivered, leading in home runs (53), RBI (117), runs (93), slugging (.592), OPS (.919), wRC+ (195), and WAR (7.9).

Gomel allowed the fewest runs in the league at 450, but finished 74-88 as they scored the fewest (424). Their ace Araz Aliev won Pitcher of the Year in his fifth season, leading in strikeouts (390), complete games (28), shutouts (6), FIP- (46), and WAR (12.3). The 27-year old Uzbek righty had a 2.22 ERA over 292 innings, 131 ERA+, and 18-13 record.

St. Petersburg beat Minsk 3-1 in the first round and Nizhny Novgorod got the 3-2 road upset over Volgograd. The Polar Bears earned repeat trips to the European League Championship Series and the Ninjas got their second in three years. St. Petersburg prevailed at home 4-2 in the ELS over Nizhny Novgorod to finally end a 48-year pennant drought. Their previous three European League titles were back in the 1970s, setting an EPB record for the longest gap between pennants.

The 2024 Eurasian Professional Baseball champ Yekaterinburg bounced back after missing the 2025 playoffs. The Yaks secured the Asian League’s top seed and the West Division at 99-63. Reigning EPB champ Krasnoyarsk rolled to their eighth straight East Division crown at 97-65 and grew their playoff streak to nine seasons. The Cossacks were the top scoring team at 676 runs and Yekaterinburg allowed the fewest at 508. The Yaks also set a new AL attendance record at 1,818,253. Krasnoyarsk notably had a .284 team batting average, the second-best in AL history behind their own .289 from 2023.

It was a steep drop to the wild card contenders with Chelyabinsk (87-75) and Ulaanbaatar (84-78) getting the spots over Ufa (81-81), and Vladivostok (80-82). The Cadets’ wild card streak grew to eight straight seasons with the Boars earning a repeat berth. Last year’s ALCS runner-up Perm dropped to 78-84.

Asian League MVP went to DH Anatoliy Dmitrenko, who has been with Chelyabinsk since 2012. The 33-year old Belarusian led in hits (209), doubles (37), total bases (339), and batting average (.337). Dmitrenko added 86 runs, 29 homers, 103 RBI, .916 OPS, 171 wRC+, and 7.2 WAR.

Krasnoyarsk’s Yevgeni Lyubimov won his second Pitcher of the Year, having also done it in 2020. In his 12^th year for the Cossacks, the 32-year old Belarusian lefty led in strikeouts (351), WHIP (0.85), WAR (9.8), and FIP- (47). Lyubimov had a 2.15 ERA over 242.1 innings, 18-5 record, and 151 ERA+. The Cossacks also had Dimo Antonov win his third Reliever of the Year in four seasons, leading with 39 saves and a 1.54 ERA in 70 innings.

Yekaterinburg swept Ulaanbaatar and Krasnoyarsk topped Chelyabinsk 3-1 in the first round, setting up a rematch of the 2023 and 2024 editions of the Asian League Championship Series. It was the fifth straight year the Cossacks were there in search of a third pennant in that stretch. The Yaks denied the repeat bid though in six games for their second title in three years. Yekaterinburg won their 13^th pennant, leading all AL teams.

In the 72^nd EPB Championship, St. Petersburg defeated Yekaterinburg 4-2 to become three-time champs (1971, 1977, 2026). The 48-year drought for the overall title was also the longest gap in EPB history between rings. The Yaks fell to 9-4 all-time in their finals trips, suffering their first loss since 2006. Yekaterinburg was the seventh different champ in as many years.

Finals MVP was 1B Gray Barrow, an American who came to EPB in 2021 after failing to make it in MLB. He was brought to Russia with Kazan, but was traded to the Polar Bears in 2025. In 16 playoff starts, Barrow had 20 hits, 8 runs, 2 doubles, 1 homer, and 5 RBI. He would go onto play another decade as a reliable starter for St. Petersburg.

Other notes: It was the final season for slugger Nikolay Kargopolcev, who just fell short of EPB’s all-time marks for home runs and RBI. A broken kneecap in March kept the 39-year old OF out most of the season, only adding 6 homers and 16 RBI to his tallies. His 730 home runs fell 10 short of Konrad Mazur’s 740 and his 1729 RBI narrowly missed Ivan Mushailov’s 1755.

Kargopolcev also scored 1600 runs, 69 away from Igor Gorbatyuk’s top mark. His 2913 hits were 5^th at retirement, but Igor Urban’s top mark of 3044 had seemed reachable prior to the injury. Gorbatyuk played his final season with only 56 games to grow his runs record to 1669. He became the 21^st to 500 home runs and retired third in walks at 1348. Gorbatyuk also was EPB’s leader in times caught stealing at 890, although he did succeed 1033 times. Gorbatyuk and Kargopolcev were expected to be an awesome one-two Hall of Fame punch when eligible for 2032’s class.

In pitching milestones, Kaysar Alkhasov was the 14^th to 4500 strikeouts, wrapping his career with 4585. Andrei Linev became the 30^th to 4000 Ks. Linev and Svyatoslav Tyahnybok were the 58^th and 59^th to reach 200 wins. LF Brandon Chunchignorov won his 11^th Gold Glove, tying the EPB position record. SS Denis Antipov won his 7^th Gold Glove. RF Timofei Averkin won his 8^th Silver Slugger.

**MrNFL_FanIQ** · 02-28-2025, 01:49 PM

2026 in EBF

Kharkiv took the Northern Conference’s top seed in 2026 at 108-54 atop the East Division, earning their third straight playoff berth. The Killer Bees were able to outrace reigning European Champion Rotterdam for the top spot. At 105-57 atop the Central Division, the Ravens won their sixth consecutive division title. They were the top scoring teams in the European Baseball Federation with Kharkiv plating 885 and Rotterdam scoring 870.

There was a large gulf to the #3 seed with Dublin at 92-70 to win the West Division. Although it was their weakest effort in seven years, the Dinos still won their seventh straight division crown. Birmingham was five back at 87-75 followed by London at 84-78. Both of those marks weren’t enough in the wild card race with the three spots split between East and Central Division teams.

Both Hanover and Stockholm advanced at 90-72, while both Kyiv and Hamburg were 89-73. The Kings topped the Hammers in the tiebreaker game to grab the final spot. Amsterdam (87-75), Cologne (86-76), and Berlin (86-76) were also just on the outside. The Hitmen allowed the fewest runs in the conference (628) to grow their wild card streak to four and the Swordsmen also earned repeat playoff trips. It was Kyiv’s first playoff berth since 2009 with two relegations coming since. The Kings had just made it back to the EBF Elite tier.

Krakow (57-105) and Tallinn (59-103) both lost 100+ games and thus suffered relegation. Oslo (65-97) only narrowly escaped their own demotion. It was the second relegation for the Canines, who had a brief stint from 2007-08 in the European Second League. The Twisters had earned their first promotion as the 2023 E2L runner-up. Tallinn failed to gain traction in their three EBF Elite seasons with 65, 63, and 59 wins.

Northern Conference MVP went to 1B Rejnaldo Bakiasi in his 13^th season. The 35-year old Albanian signed a four-year, $76 million deal to join newly promoted Kyiv for 2026. In his Kings debut, Bakiasi led in hits (226), runs (129), total bases (406), OBP (.410), and wRC+ (191). He added 40 home runs, 125 RBI, 28 doubles, 16 triples, .363 average, 1.062 OPS, and 9.2 WAR.

Pitcher of the Year was Stefan “Wolfman” Tosik of Kharkiv. The 26-year old Polish left led in ERA (2.06), wins (22-1), and WHIP (0.88). He tied the EBF record for pitching win percentage at .957. Tosik struck out 254 over 222.1 innings with 195 ERA+ and 7.9 WAR.

Both first round playoff matchups went 2-1 with Hanover over Stockholm and Dublin over Kyiv. The top seeds held 3-1 in round two with Kharkiv over the Hitmen and Rotterdam over the Dinos. The Killer Bees hadn’t been in the Northern Conference Championship since their 2002 title, while the Ravens were in their fourth consecutive conference final. Rotterdam pulled off the repeat with the 4-3 road series win over Kharkiv, becoming seven-time Northern Conference champs.

Chisinau won a fourth consecutive East Division crown and set a new franchise record at 106-56, earning the Southern Conference’s top seed. Even with that record, the division wasn’t a cakewalk with Tbilisi chasing at 100-62. The Trains had just gotten promoted back after spending the last eight years in E2L. It was Tbilisi’s first playoff trip since 2005 as they led the conference with 812 runs.

The Central Division was quite competitive with Munich on top at 100-62 for the #2 seed. The Mavericks’ division title streak grew to six seasons and their playoff streak to seven. Munich allowed the fewest runs in EBF at 564. Close behind were Palermo (95-67) and Zagreb (94-68) who took the remaining wild cards. Rome (91-71) was the first team out, followed by the East’s Odesa at 87-75. The Priests picked up their second wild card in three years, while the Gulls’ playoff streak stretched to seven seasons.

The West Division went to Marseille at 89-73, becoming the third 2026 playoff team that had been in the European Second League in 2025. It was the first playoff trip since 2016 for the Musketeers, who were six ahead of Zaragoza and eight better than Seville. Defending conference champ Zurich was fourth at 80-82 to miss the playoffs for only the second time in 11 years. It was also the first time the Mountaineers had a losing season since 2011, ending the longest active run of winning campaigns in EBF.

No one lost 100+ games in the Southern Conference, meaning the lone relegated team would be whomever had the worst record. Both Malta and Lisbon finished at 64-98 with the tiebreaker saving the Clippers and sinking the Marvels. It was a stunning reversal for Malta, who had just posted a franchise-best 89-73 the prior year. The Marvels had been the only EBF original to never make the playoffs since the federation’s 1950 forming. They had managed to avoid relegation though until now.

Belgrade was a non-factor at 74-88, but their RF Nikol Baxevanidis won Southern Conference MVP. The 29-year old Greek switch hitter led in home runs (56), total bases (412), OBP (.431), slugging (.740), OPS (1.171), wRC+ (223), and WAR (9.8). Baxevanidis added 120 runs, 125 RBI, and a 357 average. He was due free agency after 2027 and because he wouldn’t re-sign, the Bruisers traded him in the offseason to Bratislava for prospects. The Blue Falcons were in E2L, essentially demoting the MVP down a rung for a year. After one season with Bratislava, he returned to the EBF Elite on a free agent deal with Seville.

Lucas Van **** was Pitcher of the Year in his fourth year with Munich, coming the Mavericks in a 2023 trade from Edinburgh. The 30-year old Belgian lefty led in wins (23-4) and ERA (1.91). Van **** struck out 256 in 212 innings with 202 ERA+ and 6.8 WAR. He would sign a five-year, $121 million extension in February 2028 to stick with the Mavericks.

In the first round of the playoffs, Tbilisi swept Palermo and Zagreb swept Marseille. The Gulls then stunned top seed Chisinau 3-2 in round two, sending Zagreb to the Southern Conference Championship for the fourth time in six years. Munich held firm 3-1 over the Trains, giving the Mavericks their sixth conference finals trip in seven years.

Munich had stood in the way of Zagreb in recent memory, beating them in the conference final in both 2021 and 2023. The Mavericks also ousted the Gulls in the first round in 2020 and the second round in 2022. Munich yet again ruined Zagreb’s hopes in 2026, claiming the Southern Conference Championship 4-2. The Mavericks earned their fifth pennant in a decade and their 11^th overall. Meanwhile the Gulls’ drought grew to 51 years with six straight conference final defeats.

Although both Rotterdam and Munich had been quite successful, the 77^th European Championship was their first-ever finals encounter. The Ravens downed the Mavericks 4-2 to pull off the repeat and move to 7-0 all-time in the championship (1969, 1972, 1977, 1980, 1992, 2025, 2026). 3B Giordano Koch was finals MVP in his Rotterdam debut, signing as a free agent after a decade in Glasgow. In 17 playoff starts, the 29-year old Austrian had 25 hits, 4 runs, 4 doubles, 4 triples, and 12 RBI.

The seven rings tied Rotterdam with Dublin for the most. It is the third repeat champ already in the 2020s with Munich’s 2020-21 repeat and Dublin’s in 2022-23. There have been seven total repeat champs in EBF with Dublin also doing it in 2010-11, Copenhagen in 2004-05, Marseille in 1985-86, and Amsterdam in 1983-84. The Mavericks are now 4-7 all-time in their finals trips.

Other notes: 2026 was the final EBF season for nine-time MVP Harvey Coyle, who played his age 39 campaign with Birmingham after his 20 year run with Oslo ended in a trade. He only played 95 games for the Bees because of a concussion and elbow inflammation, but he still managed a 6.8 WAR campaign anyway. This got Coyle to 212.3 career WAR, second in all of world baseball history behind legendary OBA/MLB IF Jimmy Caliw’s 214.0.

Coyle also left as EBF’s home run king with 979 and moved into 2^nd in RBI at 2213 behind Jiri Lebr’s 2346. Coyle’s 1914 runs ranked 5^th and his 3235 hits ranked 9^th at departure. Adding to that he had 13 Gold Gloves and a career 554.1 zone rating at shortstop in EBF, coming his stellar bat with arguably the best-ever defense in baseball history. Coyle’s pro career wasn’t done yet though as he’d head to Major League Baseball in 2027 on a two-year, $55,600,000 deal with Ottawa.

Dublin’s Brites Castro threw EBF’s 40^thPerfect Game on August 10, striking out 10 against Amsterdam. Rory Moriarty and Slawomir Boguski became the 56^th and 57^th pitchers to 3000 strikeouts. In other milestones, Stefanos Emmanoulidis became the 20^th member of the 600 home run club and the 30^th to 1500 RBI. Emmanoulidis also won his 7^th Silver Slugger at 3B. Theofilos Psarras won his 11^th Silver Slugger splti between LF/RF/1B. Max Gerlach was the 42^nd to 2500 career hits.

Promotion/Relegation: Demoted teams were Malta from the Southern Conference and both Tallinn and Krakow from the Northern Conference, while the promoted teams were Nantes and Barcelona from the E2L Western Conference and Vienna from the Eastern Conference. Of course with the directional divide, it wasn’t the easy simple “plug-and-play.” Below are the shifts made with the 2026 promotion and relegation.

**MrNFL_FanIQ** · 03-01-2025, 02:47 AM

2026 in BSA

Santa Cruz won the Peru-Bolivia Division for the third straight year and took the Bolivar League’s top seed at 104-58. The Crawfish were second in the league in both runs scored (809) and fewest allowed (599). They narrowly took the #1 seed over reigning Copa Sudamerica champ Barranquilla at 102-60. The Blues earned their fifth consecutive playoff appearance and their fourth Colombia-Ecuador Division title of that run.

Both of those divisions earned a wild card team with Quito (95-67) and Arequipa (91-71) advancing. Cali (88-74) was the only other team really in the hunt. The Thunderbolts allowed the fewest runs in the league at 587 and earned their third straight playoff trip. The Arrows grabbed their second berth in four years. Caracas (92-70) repeated as Venezuela Division champs and earned their ninth division title in a decade. Ciudad Guayana was their nearest foe at 85-79. Also of note, last year’s BLCS runner-up Guayaquil fell to 81-81.

Lima at 83-79 also missed the cut despite leading in scoring with 839 runs. The Lobos set new Beisbol Sudamerica all-time team records for batting average (.312), on-base percentage (.351), and hits (1787), but it didn’t translate into a playoff berth. It did land an MVP award for LF Pedro Corga in his fifth season with Lima.

The 28-year old Brazilian led in hits (244), runs (122), triples (25), RBI (121), total bases (428), average (.400), and WAR (9.0). Corga added 38 doubles, 32 triples, 59 stolen bases, 1.127 OPS, and 194 wRC+. He became the fifth in BSA history to post a .400 batting average in a season. Corga had been traded in the first round by Fortaleza in 2017’s draft out of high school, then came to the Lobos before the 2022 season in a six-player trade.

Maracaibo was mid at 79-83, but they had the Bolivar League’s Pitcher of the Year Montrell Geronimo. The 24-year old Venezuelan righty led in wins (20-9), ERA (2.04), quality starts (25), complete games (17), shutouts (4), ERA+ (196), FIP- (58), and WAR (8.7). Geronimo had 234 strikeouts over 237.2 innings. The Mariners would reward Geronimo with a seven-year, $98,200,000 extension the following summer, although injuries would limit his production.

Caracas claimed the first round series 2-0 over Arequipa, then got bounced by Santa Cruz 3-1 in the divisional series. The Crawfish earned their first Bolivar League Championship Series trip since their 2020 pennant. Barranquilla outlasted a feisty Quito 3-2 for a third straight BLCS trip. Santa Cruz had home field advantage, but the Blues pulled off the 4-2 upset to earn repeat titles. Barranquilla became the first of the 2009 expansion teams to win two pennants.

Five wins separated the five playoff teams in a competitive Southern Cone League. Fortaleza and Sao Paulo tied for the top record at 97-65 with the defending league champ Foxes officially taking the #1 seed via tiebreaker. Fortaleza had to fend off Brasilia (95-67) to repeat as North Division champs, growing their playoff streak to six seasons. The Foxes scored the league’s most runs at 808 and set a new league record for team hits at 1682.

It was a remarkable turnaround for the Bearcats, who were an atrocious 56-106 the prior year. As the first wild card, Brasilia ended a 13-year playoff drought. The Padres earned a fourth Southeast Division title in five years. Buenos Aires was five back at 92-70, securing the second wild card to end a two-year playoff skid. Rosario was the first team out at 87-75, but did notably post their first winning season since 2015. The Robins also allowed the league’s fewest runs at 535.

Santiago meanwhile was the South Central Division winner at 94-68, growing their division title streak to seven. The Saints earned their 11^th playoff trip in 12 seasons, finishing 11 games ahead of second place Salta at 83-79. Concepcion’s four-year playoff streak ended as they missed the cut for only the third time since 2011. At 74-88, it was also the first losing season for the Chiefs in that stretch. Asuncion also dropped to 73-89 after earning a wild card in 2025.

Manaus at 85-77 fell seven games short in the wild card race, but their young LF Ismael Pimental won Southern Cone League MVP. He officially wasn’t a rookie, but he might has well have been since he had played only 72 games and started 7 prior to 2026.

The 21-year old Bolivian lefty earned a full-time starting gig in 2026 and delivered, leading in hits (250), triples (27), total bases (438), triple slash (.409/.433/.717), OPS (1.150), wRC+ (230), and WAR (8.5). Pimentel’s batting average was the second-best in BSA history, behind only the world record .420 by Francisco Magellan from 2010. Pimentel also had 38 doubles, 32 home runs, 104 RBI, and 52 stolen bases.

Sao Paulo’s Noel Sandoval won Pitcher of the Year, leading in ERA (2.19), wins (22-6), K/BB (11.3), shutouts (6), and WAR (8.8). The 27-year old Peruvian righty had 238 strikeouts over 263 innings and 164 ERA+. Also of note, Puerto Alegre’s Igor Vigil won his third consecutive Reliever of the Year award, posting career bests in ERA (1.27), strikeouts (154), and WAR (5.8) with 32 saves in 85.1 innings. Vigil would get traded in the offseason to Buenos Aires, where he spent the next three years.

The Atlantics edged Santiago 2-1 in the first round, then shocked the defending champ Fortaleza 3-1 in the divisional series. Buenos Aires last made the Southern Cone League Championship in 2019, but hadn’t won a pennant since 1982. Sao Paulo bested Brasilia 3-1 to give the Padres their third straight LCS trip.

The Atlantics’ unexpected run continued, upsetting Sao Paulo 4-2 to end their 43-year title drought. Buenos Aires became ten-time league champs and were the first team to win the Southern Cone League’s title as the #5 seed since the playoffs expanded in 2009. The #5 seed had made it to the final thrice over in the Bolivar League.

In the 96^th Copa Sudamerica, Barranquilla’s repeat bid was thwarted by Buenos Aires in a seven-game thriller. The Atlantics ended a 45-year championship drought and won their seventh Cup (1941, 42, 45, 63, 75, 80, 2026). Buenos Aires now stood alone with the most. Caracas, Medellin, Salvador, Santiago, and Sao Paulo had all entered the season with six Cups apiece.

Veteran 3B Spinoza Arajo was finals MVP in his 13^th season with the Atlantics. The 33-year old Venezuelan started 19 playoff games with 28 hits, 17 runs, 2 doubles, 8 home runs, 20 RBI, and 1.5 WAR. Teammate Elijah Reuter also set a new playoff record for singles with 25. The result ended a five-year title streak by Bolivar League teams over the Southern Cone League. Buenos Aires was also the first Argentine Cup winner since Rosario in 1992.

Other notes: Arequipa’s Paco Amorim broke his own BSA record for on-base percentage at .485. He had previously set the high mark of .479 in 2023. Amorim’s 2026 mark was the 6^th best qualifying season in all of pro baseball history to that point. Buenos Aires’ pitcher Adrian Jimenez set a bad playoff record with 16 walks, although he still had a strong postseason with a 2.40 ERA over 41.1 innings, 4-1 record, and 47 strikeouts.

Niccolo Coelho joined Milton Becker as the only BSA sluggers with 900 career home runs. At age 43, the timeless Recife 3B hit another 41 homers to get to 919, putting him in striking distance of Becker’s record 941. This also put him as one of only 17 in world history with 900+ professional homers. Coelho also ended the year at 2215 RBI, just shy of Becker’s 2231.

Coleho had 158 hits in 2026, passing Javier Herrera (3597) for the #2 spot at 3720. Owen Arcia’s all-time mark of 3940 seemed possibly reachable, although he’d need two more good seasons to get there. Coelho at this point was BSA’s runs leader (2123), total bases leader (7225) and led position players in WAR (168.1). Only world strikeout king Mohamed Ramos had him beat in WAR in BSA at 205.06. He planned to return for the 2027 season at age 44 for his 22^nd season with the Retrievers.

In other milestones, Daniel Schafer and Carlos Ulibarri became the 16^th and 17^th members of the 3000 hit club. Ulibarri and Raul Reis became the 33^rd and 34^th to 1500 career RBI. Reis joined Sebastian Nazario and Pablo Amor in crossing 500 homers in 2026, a mark met by 57 BSA sluggers. Nazario became the 77^th to reach 2500 hits. PJ Driver and Matt Gomes were the 35^th and 36^th closers to 300 saves.

**MrNFL_FanIQ** · 03-01-2025, 09:04 AM

2026 in EAB

The Japan League was quite tight in 2026 as only seven wins separated the six playoff teams. Three of the four divisions were also decided by one game. The lone exception was defending East Asia Baseball champ Saitama at 98-64 to repeat as Capital Division champs. Chiba at 91-71 was seven back and fell four games short of a repeat wild card despite leading the JL with 767 runs. The Sting ended up as the #2 seed though thanks to a tiebreaker game for the Central Division.

Both Kobe and Nagoya finished the regular season at 98-64. The Blaze won the tiebreaker game to get the #1 seed at 99-64 and their fourth consecutive division title. The Nightowls still got the first wild card to end a 13-year playoff drought. Hiroshima (96-66) edged Fukuoka (95-67) for the West Division crown. The Hammerheads ended their own seven year playoff drought, while the Frogs grew their streak to seven as the second wild card.

Sapporo took the North Division at 92-70, sneaking by 91-71 Niigata by one game. The 2024 EAB champ Swordfish earned their third division title in four years and their sixth in a decade. Sapporo allowed the JL’s fewest runs at 490. The Green Dragons fell four games short of Fukuoka for the second wild card spot despite an MVP winning season by LF Masanori Fukuoka.

In only his third season, the 24-year old lefty led in hits (201), total bases (410), slugging (.696), OPS (1.093), wRC+ (229), and WAR (10.2). Fukuoka also had 100 runs, 32 doubles, 18 triples, 47 home runs, 111 RBI, and a .341 average. He had been the #1 overall pick by Niigata in the 2024 EAB Draft.

Pitcher of the Year was veteran righty Akikazu Yoshida for the Fukuoka Frogs. The 34-year old righty was in his fifth season with the Frogs after pitching his first nine years with Kumamoto. In 2026, Yoshida led in WAR (10.5), FIP- (44), and K/BB (14.4). He posted a 2.00 ERA over 247.2 innings, 345 strikeouts, 17-8 record, and 10 saves. Yoshida had finished second and third in POTY voting four times each prior to finally taking the top honor in 2026.

In the wild card round, Sapporo edged Nagoya 2-1 and Hiroshima outlasted Fukuoka 2-1. Both winners pulled off Divisional Series upset with the Swordsmen sweeping Kobe and the Hammerheads ousting reigning champ Saitama 3-1. Hiroshima hadn’t been in the Japan League Championship Series since going to six straight from 2012-17. Just like 2024, Sapporo won the JLCS despite having the weakest record of the playoff teams. The Swordfish rolled Hiroshima on the road 4-1, growing their league-most pennants to 16.

Busan clobbered the Korea League competition in 2026 at 119-43, leading in both runs scored (803) and fewest allowed (461). This was tied for the third-most wins in a season in EAB history behind only 1926 Hamhung (122-40) and 1950 Sapporo (121-41). The Blue Jays matched 1969 Pyongyang at 119-43. Busan won the South Division for the third consecutive season and grew their playoff streak to seven seasons.

The South Division also had all three wild cards, although Ulsan stood out by a mile at 105-57. The Swallows earned their first playoff trip since 2017. Gwangju (91-71) and Changwon (89-73) took the remaining slots. The Grays got their second berth in three years and the Crabs’ extended their streak to six. It was also Changwon’s tenth playoff trip in 11 years. Notably defending KL champ Daegu struggled to 72-90, their first losing season since 2018.

The North Division was weaker but competitive with Incheon (88-74) edging out Hamhung (87-75). The Inferno ended a three-year playoff drought, while the Heat also fell four games short of the final wild card. Seoul (84-74), Goyang (81-81), and Pyongyang (81-81) were also in the division mix until fading down the stretch.

Korea League MVP went to Seoul DH I-Sol Chang, who was the big free agent acquisition that winter by the Seahawks. After six years with Daejeon, Chang signed a huge eight-year, $267,800,000 deal with Seoul to become one of baseball’s richest players. In his debut in the capital, the 28-yaer old led in runs (120), RBI (148), total bases (418), triple slash (.380/.453/.757), OPS (1.211), wRC+ (214), and WAR (10.6).

Chang’s season was only the fourth in EAB history with OPS above 1.200 and his on-base percentage ranked as EAB’s fourth-best season. He missed the Triple Crown by seven home runs as he smacked 51. Chang also had 210 hits, 27 doubles, and 14 triples.

Ulsan’s Jin-Yu Jun was Pitcher of the Year in only his second season. Nicknamed “Taco,” the 23-year old righty led in WAR (10.3), WHIP (0.79), and FIP- (48). Jun had a 1.95 ERA over 249.1 innings, 322 strikeouts, 20-8 record, and 193 ERA+. He had been picked third in the 2021 EAB Draft by Seoul, but didn’t sign and instead went to Dankook University. The Swallows then selected Jun sixth overall in the 2024 draft.

Gwangju edged Changwon 2-1 in the wild card round, then pulled off a shocking upset over Busan 3-1 in the divisional series. This meant that all four EAB teams that had posted 119+ win seasons ultimately didn’t win title. The Blue Jays and 1926 Hamhung both failed to win the pennant, while 1969 Pyongyang and 1950 Sapporo lost in the EAB Championship. The Grays hadn’t made it to the Korea League Championship Series since 2014 with a title drought back to 1993.

On the other side, 105-win wild card Ulsan couldn’t overcome having to go on the road against Incheon. The Inferno survived 3-2 to earn their second KLCS trip in five years. Gwangju couldn’t continue its seemingly magical run as Incheon defeated them 4-2 for their first title in 24 years. The Inferno became four-time Korea League kings (1950, 1954, 2002, 2026).

The 106^th East Asian Championship was notably the second finals battle between Sapporo and Incheon. The before-mentioned 121-41 Swordfish squad from 1950 was denied the EAB title by an impressive 113-49 Inferno team. The rematch was less hyped as both teams had posted the weakest record in their league’s 2026 playoff field.

Sapporo ran through Incheon with ease for the first finals sweep since 2016. The Swordfish won their second title in three years. It was their eighth overall (1932, 19147, 1949, 1951, 1981, 1998, 2024, 2026), second only to Pyongyang’s nine. Sapporo’s win was the seventh straight EAB title for a Japan League team, the longest streak in EAB history. Veteran OF Masahide Ono was finals MVP with the 33-year old getting 21 hits, 9 runs, 4 doubles, 3 triples, 3 homers, and 14 RBI over 15 playoff starts.

Other notes: Kunihiko Ishiguro became the 14^th member of EAB’s 700 home run club. Masaru Ochiai became the 35^th member of the 600 home run club. Ochiai, Yeo-San Park, and Ishiguro each reached 1500 RBI, now met by 49 EAB sluggers. Ok-Kyun Choi and Dae-Eui Ha made it 96 batters with 2500 hits.

Nobuyoshi Yamauchi was the 18^th pitcher to 4000 career strikeouts. Hyun-Min Hu and Akikazu Yoshida became the 43^rd and 44^th to reach 3500 Ks. Ga-On Kwan was the 32^nd closer to 300 saves. CF Ebizo Umezu, SS Jae-Won Park, and RF Chae-Yun Choi each won a 7^th Gold Glove.

**MrNFL_FanIQ** · 03-01-2025, 04:42 PM

2026 in CABA

Mexico City had the Mexican League’s top seed in 2026 at 105-57, taking the South Division for the fifth time in their six year playoff streak. It was the fourth consecutive season that the Aztecs won the division and won 100+ games. Mexico City scored 829, 107 more than second-best Leon. The Lions were ten back in the division at 95-67, but that still was the ML’s second-best record. Leon earned repeat wild card berths with the result.

In a tight North Division, Tijuana (92-70) edged out Monterrey (91-71), Hermosillo (89-73), and reigning Central American Baseball Association champ Juarez (88-74). The Toros allowed the fewest runs at 540 for their second playoff trip in three years, although it was their first division title since 2021. The Hyenas ended a five-year playoff drought as the second wild card.

The Jesters and the South Division’s Ecatepec were both 88-74, but the tiebreaker formula gave Juarez the final spot. This narrowly extended their playoff streak to 13 seasons, although it was the weakest season of that run as they had won at least 97 games each year. Guadalajara (85-77), Chihuahua (82-80), and Queretaro (82-80) were the next closest teams in the wild card race.

Mexico City first baseman Franklin Madrid pulled off the three-peat as Mexican League MVP again. The 26-year old Cuban led in runs (122), home runs (62), RBI (139), total bases (428), and WAR (10.0). Madrid added 209 hits, a .343/.395/.703 slash, 1.098 OPS, and 217 wRC+.

Tijuana’s Richard Wright won his sixth Pitcher of the Year in seven seasons, joining the legendary Junior Vergara and Ulices Montero as the only 6+ time winners. The 28-year old Jamaican lefty won his seventh straight ERA title at 1.86 and led in strikeouts (334), WHIP (0.86), K/BB (10.8), ERA+ (190), FIP- (42), and WAR (10.4). He tossed 231.2 innings with an 18-9 record, three wins shy of his third triple crown. 2026 was Wright’s sixth season at 10+ WAR and his sixth with 300+ strikeouts.

Both wild card round matchups went 2-1 with Hermosillo over Monterrey and Juarez over Leon. The division champs held firm in the second round both 3-1 as Mexico City ousted the defending champ Jesters and Tijuana topped the Hyenas. This meant that Juarez would miss the Mexican League Championship Series for only the second time in 13 years. Both the Toros and Aztecs were making their third MLCS appearance in six years, although they hadn’t faced each other there yet.

Notably in 2024, Tijuana shocked 120-win Mexico City in the first round en route to a pennant. The Aztecs didn’t forget that and earned their revenge in 2026 by a 4-1 margin. Mexico City won its second title in four years and their 14^th Mexican League crown overall. The Aztecs were tied with Ecatepec for the third-most titles, while both Monterrey and Juarez were four ahead at 18 apiece.

The Caribbean League was remarkably top heavy with five teams winning 100+ games. The top two records ended up even in the Central Division at 104-58 with four-time defending CL champ Guatemala and Honduras. The Horsemen won the tiebreaker game to end the Ghosts’ five-year division title streak and earn the #1 seed. Honduras’ own playoff streak grew to four and Guatemala’s went to six as the first wild card. The Horsemen led in scoring with 882 runs and set a new Caribbean League team record with 307 home runs, falling two short of Leon’s CABA record 309 dingers from 2018.

The West Division also had a very tight race with Bahamas (102-60) edging out Santo Domingo (101-61). The Buccaneers got repeat playoff trips, but it was the second-ever division title (1987) for the historically inept franchise. Bahamas succeeded with the fewest runs allowed (568), while the Dolphins had the second most scored (881). Santo Domingo picked up a fourth playoff trip in five years and possibly had the best-ever record by a team in the second wild card slot.

Puerto Rico won the East Division at 101-61 to end a four-year playoff drought. Guayana was a distant second at 92-70, but that was enough to take the third and final wild card over Haiti (88-74) and Havana (88-74). The Golden Knights earned a second wild card in three years. Last year’s division winner Suriname dropped to 81-81.

Caribbean League MVP went to Santo Domingo DH Niles Albury, who led in runs (142), hits (248), triples (29), total bases (427), stolen bases (97), average (.381), OBP (.406), and WAR (8.8). The 24-year old Bahaman lefty added 30 doubles, 29 homers, 102 RBI, 1.056 OPS, and 177 wRC+. Albury’s 248 hits were the third-most in a CABA single-season behind only Prometheo Garcia (252 in 1949) and Juan Guzman (251 in 2024). The 142 runs ranked as the sixth-highest. The Dolphins would give Albury an eight-year, $264,100,000 extension in March 2028.

In his third year for Bahamas, Carlos Montes won Pitcher of the Year. The 25-year old Puerto Rican righty led in ERA (1.62), wins (22-5), and shutouts (6). Montes struck out 324 over 238.1 innings with 249 ERA+, 39 FIP-, and 11.7 WAR. There was fierce competition for the top pitcher spot with Guatemala’s Israel Montague denied a six-peat despite his 1.83 ERA, 231.1 innings, 362 strikeouts, and 11.4 WAR. Honduras’ Max De Jesus was also a beast with a 2.06 ERA, 388 Ks, 253.2 innings, and 12.1 WAR.

In the first round of the playoffs, Guatemala swept Santo Domingo and Puerto Rico edged Guayana 2-1. Honduras fended off a fierce challenge from their divisional rival 3-2 to end the Ghosts’ five-peat bid. The Horsemen earned their first Caribbean League Championship Series trip since 2017. On the other side, Bahamas swept the Pelicans to earn their first-ever CLCS trip.

Since joining CABA in the 1962 expansion, the Buccaneers had generally been lousy. In their first 64 seasons, they had only two playoff trips and averaged 71.2 wins per season. The 65^th season finally changed their fortunes as Bahamas took the Caribbean League title 4-1 over Honduras.

The 116th CABA Championship was a seven-game thriller with Bahamas outlasting Mexico City for their first-ever title. The Buccaneers’ became the 28^th different franchise to win the CABA crown. All 24 charter franchises and three of four from the first expansion in 1962 now had a ring. The Aztecs fell to 11-3 all-time in their finals trips.

CABA Championship MVP went to Mexico City’s Sammy Consentino in defeat. The 37-year old American was in his second season with the Aztecs after a 15-year run in MLB between Miami and Nashville. Consentino tied the CABA playoff record of 29 hits, previously done only by Mesquito Delion in 1980. In 16 starts, Consentino had 14 runs, 4 doubles, 1 triple, 3 homers, and 17 RBI.

Other notes: Juarez OF Matias Esquilin became CABA’s new career hits leader as the 42-year old Puerto Rican got 160 in 2026, putting him at 3933. This passed Prometheo Garcia’s 3871 hits that had stood since 1962. Garcia remains the world leader in hits with 4917 when you add in his MLB seasons. Esquilin also passed Adrian Tovar’s 3338 games played to become the new CABA leader at 3394.

Esquilin had already been the CABA runs leader and grew that total to 2364, moving to third in all of pro baseball history behind only home run king Majed Darwish (2664) and Garcia (2374). Esquilin became the 6^th in CABA to reach 2000 RBI as well in 2026 and now had 651 doubles, in striking distance of Tovar’s record 675. Esquilin intended to return for 2027 at age 43 for his 23^rd season in CABA and 16^th with the Jesters.

Juarez’s Loyd Wayne set playoff records for slugging (1.200), and OPS (1.756), minimum 20 plate appearances required (he had 27 in 6 games). This notably was Wayne’s final season in CABA, as the 32-year old Jamaican would sign a five-year, $160 million deal with MLB’s San Diego Seals. He was a critical part of the Jesters’ run of dominance in the 2010s and 2020s. As of 2037, Wayne is CABA’s career leader in OBP (.461) and OPS (1.139).

Noah Breton joined Hugh Boerboom as the only members of CABA’s 800 home run club. The 36-year old Puerto Rican slugger hit 46 for Juarez in 2026, putting him at 843. This put Boerboom’s record 866 within reach for 2027. Matias Esquilin also became the 24^th member of the 600 homer club.

Nerfy Ayala became the 14^th to 3000 hits and the 21^st to 1500 runs scored. Marcelo Campa was the 37^th to reach 1500 RBI. Campa and Breton were the 59^th and 60^th to 2500 hits. Catcher Luis Moran won his 12^th Silver Slugger, standing alone for the position record. Moran was the 5^th at any position with 12+ Sluggers in CABA.

Guatemala ace Israel Montague had a 20 strikeout game on July 6 against Suriname. It was the 16^th time in CABA history that a pitcher fanned 20+ in a game, but the first instance since 2001. In other pitching milestones, Jamarca Akim was the 12^th to 250 career wins. Ponciano Reyes and Quirino Brito made 79 pitchers with 3000 strikeouts. RF James Figueroa won his 9^th Gold Glove.

**MrNFL_FanIQ** · 03-02-2025, 05:05 AM

2026 in MLB

As the only organization with a true “minor league”, Major League Baseball was the only one with a secondary roster. That had been 36 players since getting lowered from 38 for the 1992 season. For 2026, MLB raised the secondary roster size back up to 38.

The National Association’s top two records by far battled for the Lower Midwest Division title. Cincinnati had won the division in six straight seasons, but was finally dethroned by Louisville at 105-57. The Lynx ended the NA’s longest active playoff drought at 39 years and took the top seed for the first time since their 1978 World Series win. Louisville did it by leading the National Association with 841 runs and allowing the second-fewest at 613. The Lynx also had 288 team doubles, the third-best in NA history and the most in nearly a century.

The Reds were 102-60, but that left them three back and stuck with the first wild card. Cincinnati allowed the fewest runs in MLB at 568 and grew their playoff streak to seven, the longest active one in MLB. There was a ten game drop from the Reds down to the next winningest playoff team. The remaining three division winners and two wild cards would be separated by a whopping two wins.

Montreal at 92-70 ended up as the #2 seed, wining their third straight Northeast Division title. Hartford and Ottawa were both five back at 87-75 and ultimately two away for the last wild card. In the East, Raleigh and Washington tied for first at 90-72 with Philadelphia just shy at 87-75. The Raptors won the tiebreaker game, giving the 2021 expansion squad their first-ever division title and back-to-back playoff berths. The Admirals still advanced to the playoffs for the fourth year running thanks to a wild card.

Chicago secured the Upper Midwest Division title at 90-72, one ahead of defending World Series champion Detroit at 89-73 and three better than 87-75 Omaha. The Cubs had just missed the playoffs last year, returning with their sixth berth in seven years.

The Tigers ended up tied for the final wild card at 89-73 with the Lower Midwest’s Indianapolis. Omaha, Philadelphia, Hartford, and Ottawa were each two away. Detroit downed the Racers in the tiebreaker game to narrowly keep the repeat hope alive. The Tigers earned their fourth straight playoff trip and their 15^th in 20 years. Toronto and Minneapolis notably both went from wild cards last year to below .500.

Cleveland improved to 78-84 after repeat 61-101 campaigns and had reason for optimism. They picked LF Hunter Morrissey #3 overall in the 2025 MLB Draft and he posted one of the greatest rookie seasons in baseball history. The 21-year old from Demarest, New Jersey won National Association MVP and Rookie of the Year with multiple records set along the way.

Morrissey set MLB single-season records for batting average, slugging percentage, and OPS with a .405/.457/.786 slash and 1.243 OPS. The OPS remains the MLB record as of 2037 and ranks 39^th in all of world history. Morrissey was only the second .400+ hitter in MLB history, passing Adam Lewis’s .402 from 1955. He also beat the former slugging best of R.J. Clinton from 1963 of .786. Morrissey’s slugging would be passed once and his average beaten twice in the next decade.

He played 139 games with 53 home runs, 127 RBI, 210 hits, 105 runs, 254 wRC+, and 11.0 WAR. Morrissey set the MLB record for WAR by a Rookie of the Year winner, although he was still shy of the all-time mark of 13.9 by Asian Baseball Federation legend Nizami Aghazade in 2012.

Pitcher of the Year was Raleigh righty Anderson Davenport, the first-ever draft pick by the Raptors. He was taken #2 overall in the 2020 MLB Draft and had been a full-time starter since. Davenport led in wins (22-7) and complete games (17) in 2026 while adding a 2.88 ERA over 262.1 innings, 224 strikeouts, and 7.5 WAR. Sadly, Davenport would miss all of 2027 to a damaged elbow ligament. He did return for two more decent years, but ended up with more injuries in 2030 and out of the game before turning 31.

Cincinnati was the lone wild card to advance out of the first round, edging Chicago 3-2. Raleigh outlasted Washington 3-2 and Montreal ousted defending champ Detroit 3-1. The Reds kept rolling by toppling top seed Louisville 3-1, earning their fifth trip to the National Association Championship Series of the 2020s. Montreal swept the Raptors on the other side, sending the Maples to their first NACS since 1997.

In six games, Cincinnati defeated Montreal to give the Reds their fourth pennant in seven years (2020, 2022, 2023, 2026) and their seventh overall. The only other time in National Association history that a team won at least four titles over a seven year stretch was Philadelphia’s seven-peat from 1941-47. The Reds had the most World Series trips in the 21^st Century at six after only getting one for the entire 20^th Century.

The American Association’s Southwest Division was loaded and became the first division since the 2021 playoff expansion to earn four teams into the field. San Francisco was the champ and #1 seed at 104-58, getting their fifth playoff trip in six years. It was notably the first division title since 2018 for the Gold Rush. The race for all three wild cards was concentrated almost exclusively in the Southwest.

Oakland (96-66), San Diego (94-68), and Los Angeles (92-70) took the spots while Sacramento (87-73), Las Vegas (87-75), and Phoenix (86-76) all fell short. The only team outside the Southwest in the hunt was Salt Lake City, who fell one short of the Angels at 91-71. The Owls and LA both earned repeat playoff trips and the Seals picked up their third berth in four years. Although the Vipers fell short of the playoffs, their run of winning seasons grew to 19.

Seattle took the Northwest Division for the fourth consecutive year at 101-61 and allowed the AA’s fewest runs at 636. The Loons finished ten back in the division. Charlotte (94-68) was the top scoring team at 881, winning the Southeast Division by eight games over Atlanta (86-76). The Canaries ended a nine-year playoff drought, while reigning American Association champ Nashville struggled to 76-86. Oklahoma City (90-72) ended a six-year playoff drought took the South Central Division by seven over Memphis and eight over both Dallas and El Paso. Houston, the division champs three of the prior four years, dropped to 75-87.

In its sixth season since the expansion, Sacramento had its best record yet at 89-73 in 2026. Leading the way was American Association MVP Steve Castro, who the Shamrocks selected with their first-ever draft pick with the #6 overall choice of the 2020 MLB Draft. The DeKalb, Illinois native had been a solid starter since the selection, but led in OPS (1.098), OBP (.423), and wRC+ (173) for 2026.

Castro had 7.5 WAR, 53 home runs, 147 RBI, and 116 runs. He also completed a 37-game hitting streak in mid-April that carried over from the prior season. That ranked as tied for the sixth-longest hitting streak in MLB history. In May, Sacramento locked Castro up for the long haul on an eight-year, $193,200,000 extension.

Veteran pitcher Clinton Edgar won Pitcher of the Year in his fourth season for San Diego. The Micronesian lefty had come to the Seals in a summer 2023 trade after spending nine years with New Orleans. The 32-year old Edgar won back-to-back ERA titles, this time at 2.62. He also led in wins (24-7), innings (285.1), complete games (22), and WAR (8.2). Edgar had 202 strikeouts and 167 ERA+. San Diego would give him a new four-year, $118,700,000 extension the following March.

The Seals were the lone wild card with a round one win, outlasting Charlotte 3-2. Oklahoma City defeated Oakland 3-1 and Seattle topped Los Angeles 3-1. San Diego then upset top seed San Francisco 3-1 in round two, giving the Seals a shot at their second American Association pennant in four years. The Grizzlies cruised to a sweep of the Outlaws, earning a fourth straight AACS trip.

Seattle had lost the 2023 American Association Championship Series to San Diego despite having home field advantage. The Seals yet again ruined the Grizzlies hopes, taking the series 4-2 for their fifth pennant of the 21^st Century and 11^th overall. Seattle had now lost four straight years in the AACS, extending their pennant drought to 21 seasons.

The 126^th World Series was the first one to feature two wild cards since 1990. Cincinnati of course wasn’t your standard issue wild card as they had posted the National Association’s second best record at 102-60. San Diego was the #6 seed, which last saw a winner with Houston in 2019. These had been the top two franchises of the new millennium so far and were meeting for the third time in the Fall Classic. Cincinnati had won 4-1 back in 2008 and prevailed 4-2 in 2023.

San Diego got one back in 2026, taking the series 4-2 over Cincinnati to become eight-time MLB champions (1936, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1966, 2007, 2010, 2026). The Seals were now tied with Philadelphia and Houston for the second-most titles with Denver first at nine. In his 12^th year with SD, LF Ben Conlee took World Series MVP. The two-time AA MVP in 20 playoff starts had 22 hits, 13 runs, 4 doubles, 3 home runs, and 11 RBI.

Other notes: Mathis Vezina, Pat Eichelberger, and Austin Grace each hit 60 home runs. With that, 2026 joined 2007 as the only MLB seasons to have three guys at 60+ dingers. Vezina also joined Murad Doskaliev as the only MLB sluggers to reach 60+ homers twice; both also did it consecutively. 2026 also notably saw four players record a four home run game. The feat had only occurred 30 times total over MLB’s first 125 seasons.

Home run king Isaac Cox became the first MLB slugger to reach 800. Cox also became the 7^th to reach 2000 RBI. He had signed for 2026 with El Paso after a three-year run with Detroit. Cox was now at 2054 RBI, 217 away from Stan Provost’s record 2271.

Albert Gardiner, Gabe Gordin, Jason Perazzo, and Fred Hynes joined the 500 home run club, bringing that membership up to 104 sluggers. Americo Leal became the 66^th to reach 3000 hits. Fritz Louissi became the 114^th to 1500 runs scored, while Alberto Peron and Titan Gormley made it 120 batters with 1500 RBI. Louissi also won his 13^th Silver Slugger at shortstop. He joined WARlord Morgan Short (14 in CF) as the only MLB players with 13+ Sluggers. 1B Mike Rojas won his 8^th Silver Slugger.

MLB’s 33^rd Perfect Game came on July 14 by Anchorage’s Gibson Nieto, striking out 7 against Portland. The Pacifics’ Corbin Bargiel threw his second no-hitter, having previously done it in 2024. Darel Freeland, Gerrit Bos, and Otis Hope each got to 3000 career strikeouts, a mark met by 95 pitchers in MLB. Hope and Austin Bradley both crossed 200 wins, the 220^th and 221^st to do so. Both LF Max Baldwin and SS Ledell Pinnock won their 10^th Gold Gloves.

**MrNFL_FanIQ** · 03-02-2025, 11:25 AM

2026 Baseball Grand Championship

The 2026 Baseball Grand Championship was hosted by Buenos Aires, Argentina and was the 17^th edition of the event. The host city happened to be a participant with the Atlantics and Barranquilla representing BSA. The other auto-bids were MLB’s San Diego and Cincinnati, CABA’s Mexico City and Bahamas, EAB’s Incheon and Sapporo, EBF’s Rotterdam and Munich, EPB’s St. Petersburg, OBA’s Port Moresby, APB’s Cebu, CLB’s Tianjin, WAB’s Cotonou, SAB’s Mandalay, ABF’s Hyderabad, ALB’s Algiers, and AAB’s Bujumbura. OBA runner-up Christchurch earned the at-large spot.

San Diego was a wild card team that had gotten hot en route to a World Series win. The Seals kept that momentum going to win the Grand Championship outright at 15-4. SD was the first MLB team to take it since New Orleans in 2021 and was the seventh American team to take the top spot.

It was a truly dominant performance, as the Seals led all teams in runs scored (105) and fewest allowed (50). Only two other teams had achieved that prior with Philadelphia in 2012 and Antwerp in 2015. Incidentally, neither of those teams won the title with the Phillies officially third after a five-way tie for the top spot and the Airedales in third outright. Philadelphia’s +60 was the only run differential in BGC history better than San Diego’s +55 in 2026.

Mexico City was alone in second at 13-6, which was the third-time a CABA team had been in the top two (Juarez won in 2017, Guatemala was second in 2023). There was then a mess with six teams tied at 12-7. Officially after tiebreakers sorted it out, the order was Munich third, Rotterdam fourth, Barranquilla fifth, Cincinnati sixth, Mandalay seventh, and Port Moresby eighth.

Buenos Aires and St. Petersburg were both 11-8 and Bahamas was 10-9 to round off the winning teams. Next in line was Cotonou at 9-10, Bujumbura at 8-11, and Cebu at 7-12. Five teams finished 6-13; Algiers, Christchurch, Hyderabad, Sapporo, and Tianjin. Incheon was alone in the last place slot at 4-15.

Tournament MVP went to RF Talgat Nurgaliev, the reigning European League MVP with St. Petersburg. The 32-year old Tajik had 18 hits, 17 runs, 12 homers, 18 RBI, 1.112 OPS, and 1.6 WAR. Also worth a mention was Mandalay’s Alexander Thongsuk, who had the second-most hits in event history at 30. Thongsuk (2.15 WAR) and Mexico City’s Franklin Madrid (2.10 WAR) became the 13^th and 14^th position players to record 2+ WAR in the Baseball Grand Championship.

Best Pitcher was Rotterdam’s Pasquale Barola in his second year with the Ravens. The 29-year old Italian lefty nicknamed “The Hammer” had a 1.07 ERA over his four starts with a 4-0 record, 33.2 innings, and 41 strikeouts. One of his starts was a two-hit shutout against Mandalay with 12 strikeouts.

Other notes: Buenos Aires’ Adrian Jimenez had the 10^th no-hitter in Baseball Grand Championship history with 10 Ks and four walks facing Cebu on November 17. Cincinnati’s Don Jolves became the 6^th in BGC history to have a five-hit game, going 5-5 against Bujumbura.

**MrNFL_FanIQ** · 03-02-2025, 07:32 PM

2027 MLB Hall of Fame (Part 1)

Major League Baseball had a three player Hall of Fame class for 2027, although former home run king LF Cody Lim was the lone slam dunk with 98.0%. The other two just sneaked by the 66% requirement with RF Ryan Skramesto debuting at 68.7% and 2B Adrian Vega finally making it on his seventh ballot with 67.5%. Like the 2021 class, this group showed how much MLB’s profile had grown worldwide with the inductees being from Malaysia, Norway, and Peru.

3B Jeanpaul Vick barely missed the cut again with 63.2% for his eighth ballot. SP Victor Burke had 59.4% for his penultimate ninth try, CL Sebastian Gomez got 54.7% on his fourth ballot, and CL Jeremy Dau received an even 50% with his sixth go.

Off the ballot after ten failed tries was RF Jameson Hughes, who peaked at 54.3% in 2019 and finished at 46.8%. The Belizean never got less than 1/3 of the vote, but his lack of black ink and big accolades hurt him. Hughes had a 19-year career with one Silver Slugger, 2968 hits, 1565 runs, 448 doubles, 547 home runs, 1699 RBI, 1019 walks, .277/.340/.480 slash, 127 wRC+, and 84.7 WAR. Hughes was also hurt by playing his prime with bad San Antonio teams mostly, only making one playoff trip late in his career for Los Angeles. His steady accumulations were nice, but not high enough to make up for never being viewed as a top five level guy.

Cody Lim – Left Field – Oklahoma City Outlaws – 98.0% First Ballot

Cody Lim was a 6’7’’, 200 pound left-handed left fielder from Sungai Petani, a city of around 544,000 in northwestern Malaysia. Lim was known for his outstanding and steady home run power. Against right-handed pitching, he was an excellent contact hitter and posted a career .998 OPS and 173 wRC+. Lim struggled against lefties with a subpar .662 OPS and 89 wRC+ for his career. His strikeout rate was okay, but he was surprisingly below average at drawing walks despite his power.

Lim’s power was also heavy concentrated on dingers with only 22 doubles and 2 triples per his 162 game average. That same average got you 52 homers though with eight different seasons above 50+. Although power numbers across MLB went up generally in the 21^st Century, Lim was still playing when 50+ homer seasons weren’t that common. He was a highly skilled baserunner and was quite crafty at getting occasional steals, but he was limited by subpar speed at best.

Defensively, Lim played his entire career in left field and was a reliably great gloveman. He even won a Gold Glove in 2007 and could be counted on for positive value defense. Lim was scrappy and had one of the best work ethics in the game, greatly helping his popularity. He did run into some back and knee troubles in his later years, but Lim was still good for a 17-year career.

Lim left Malaysia as a teenager for the United States and ended up playing college baseball for Memphis. In 145 games over three years as a Tiger, Lim had 155 hits, 93 runs, 21 doubles, 46 home runs, 113 RBI, 44 walks, .286/.348/.579 slash, 182 wRC+, and 8.3 WAR. In his junior year, Lim helped lead Memphis to a College World Series win over Maryland. That effort and being a tall, powerful lefty certainly put Lim on the radars of most MLB scouts.

At this point, the regional restrictions still applied for the first three rounds of the draft, leaving only players born near a franchise’s region eligible. Lim was obviously the best player available outside of that group and went right at the start of round four. This was the 178^th overall pick of the 2004 MLB Draft to Oklahoma City. Lim was a full-time starter immediately for the Outlaws and held that role for 15 years.

Lim thrived immediately by leading the American Association in home runs with 53 and in slugging with .635, earning a Silver Slugger and 2005 Rookie of the Year honors. He led in homers again in 2006 (53), 2007 (60), 2009 (59), and 2010 (57), while posting 50+ in each of his first seven seasons. Lim won Sluggers in 2007, 2009, and 2010.

He never won MVP honors in his storied career, but did take second in 2007 and 2009. 2009 had Lim’s career bests in homers (60), runs (120), hits (193), total bases (406), average (.318), slugging (.670), OPS (1.033), wRC+ (183), and WAR (10.6). It was also Lim’s only season as the WARlord, but he would get 6+ in each of his first ten seasons. In May 2010, Oklahoma City locked him up long-term on an eight-year, $127,400,000 extension.

Lim became very popular for his power, but his stardom was limited by being in a smaller and relatively unsuccessful market like Oklahoma City. From 1987-2006, the Outlaws had nothing but losing seasons. Lim helped get them to just above .500 in the late 2000s and early 2010s, but they only made the playoffs once in his prime; a first round exit in 2009. They were back to the bottom of the standings by the mid 2010s apart from a one-and-done in 2019.

Although he didn’t get to play on the biggest stage in MLB, Lim was a regular on the World Baseball Championship stage. He still went home to represent Malaysia from 2004-21 and pushed them to their first-ever division title in 2009. Over 167 games, Lim had 139 hits, 85 runs, 24 doubles, 47 home runs, 98 RBI, 46 walks, 18 steals, .233/.295/.520 slash, 130 wRC+, and 5.3 WAR.

Lim was less dominant in his 30s, but was still usually good for around 40 homers and 5+ WAR when healthy. Shoulder tendinitis and a strained abdominal kept him out almost half of 2017, but he generally didn’t miss any big chunks. Lim did pop up in the national consciousness again in 2019 with a 53 home run season, his first 50+ effort since 2013. It was his ninth 50+ dinger season, an MLB record that would only get matched once in later years by Neil Hollinger.

At this point, Lim had quietly climbed the home run chart with his 2019 effort making him the fifth member of the 700 club. The last MLB slugger to join was R.J. Clinton back in 1977. The top mark had held more than 80 years, set in the mid 1930s by legendary Cardinals 1B Elijah Cashman with 750. Lim’s big 2019 had gotten him to 722 heading into his age 36 season, putting the prestigious mark in legitimate reach.

However, that record wouldn’t be broken with Oklahoma City, as Lim’s deal expired and he became a free agent. To the disappointment of Outlaws fans, they didn’t re-up him for the chase, although OKC fans had been used to disappointments at this point. For Oklahoma City, Lim had 2181 games, 2350 hits, 1408 runs, 302 doubles, 722 home runs, 1641 RBI, .286/.336/.595 slash, 156 wRC+, and 103.8 WAR. Lim would of course be a beloved hero for Outlaws fans and his #19 uniform would be shortly retired.

Lim signed a three-year, $54,800,000 deal with Washington with the intent of chasing the record. He socked 35 dingers in 2020, passing Cashman to become MLB’s home run king with great fanfare. There was also a tremendous celebration back in Malaysia to see one of their own reach such a cherished milestone. Lim is often cited as the country’s best-ever position player, although he often loses out in the debate for the overall Malaysian GOAT to Zainal bin Aziz, the eight-time Pitcher of the Year and arguably best-ever pitcher for South Asia Baseball.

After a solid 2020, Lim fell hard off a cliff in 2021. He only hit one more homer and had -0.1 WAR in 47 games and 8 starts. Washington did end a lengthy playoff drought, but lost in round two with Lim going 0-2. Realizing he was cooked with nothing more to prove, Lim retired that winter at age 37. With the Admirals, Lim had 188 games, 142 hits, 79 runs, 22 doubles, 36 home runs, 79 RBI, .242/.285/.463 slash, 124 wRC+, and 4.5 WAR.

Lim’s final stats had 2369 games, 2492 hits, 1487 runs, 324 doubles, 33 triples, 758 home runs, 1720 RBI, 614 walks, 1484 strikeouts, 138 steals, .283/.332/.586 slash, 154 wRC+, and 108.3 WAR. His reign as home run king was much briefer than Cashman with Isaac Cox surpassing him in 2025. With an overall league-wide bump in homers from the 2020s onward, Lim was down to the #7 spot by the start of the 2037 campaign.

As of 2037, Lim also ranks 56^th in RBI, 69^th in total bases (5156), and 31^st in WAR among position players. His .918 OPS is 96^th among all batters with 3000+ plate appearances in MLB and his slugging ranks 31^st. Lim’s struggles facing lefties also kept him outside of the top 100 in hits and runs scored despite his other accolades. The power and his reliably solid defense helped give him a prominent WAR tally even without big accumulations elsewhere.

Lim perhaps is an overlooked all-time great since his prime came with mostly bad Oklahoma City teams. He didn’t have the huge awards you might expect from someone who held the home run king crown, but it was steady and reliable power that etched his name into the record book. Lim forever is important historically for being the first to finally catch Cashman’s celebrated 750 home run mark. He was a clear headliner with a nearly unanimous 98.0% atop Major League Baseball’s 2027 Hall of Fame class.

**MrNFL_FanIQ** · 03-03-2025, 03:59 PM

2027 MLB Hall of Fame (Part 2)

Ryan “Splatter” Skramesto – Right Field/Designated Hitter – 68.7% First Ballot

Ryan Skramesto was a 6’4’’, 200 pound left-handed right fielder from Baerum, Norway; an affluent suburb of Oslo with around 128,000 people. Skramesto was known for steady and strong home run power with 46 dingers per his 162 game average. He was an above average to occasionally good contact hitter with middling marks for drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts.

Skramesto had notable splits with more success facing right-handed arms (.898 OPS, 146 wRC+) compared to lefties (.712 OPS, 102 wRC+). His gap power was also underwhelming with only 22 doubles per 162 games. Skramesto’s ability for extra bags was greatly limited by truly putrid speed and baserunning. The nickname “Splatter” usually was a positive one related to his homers, but was sometimes considered derisively towards his sluggishness running.

He spent the first decade of his career playing right field exclusively, where he was a poor defender. After that, Skramesto was a full-time designated hitter with only occasional field work. Excellent durability and a great work ethic helped Skramesto succeed even with his deficiencies. He was also an excellent leader and team captain for much of his run, earning tremendous respect from peers and fans alike.

For most of MLB’s existence, players born outside the United States or Canada had to go through the American college ranks if they wanted to start their careers with Major League Baseball. That was the path Cody Lim followed from Malaysia, for example. But by the end of the 20^th Century, MLB teams became permitted to sign international prospects to developmental academy deals. It was often hard to poach from local competition or even spot talent abroad, but many squads became quite skilled at it.

Skramesto was one of these players who managed to get on the radar of an MLB scout with his exploits at camps in Oslo. They convinced him to move from the colder northern latitudes of Norway down into the warm desert of Las Vegas, inking a deal in July 1999. In 2002 at age 18, Skramesto was brought up to the Vipers’ minor league affiliate in Reno. He started three years there, even winning a Silver Slugger in 2004 with a third place in MVP voting.

That effort got Skramesto promoted to the big club for 2005. He only played 97 games and started 65, but still managed 29 homers and 4.0 WAR. Skramesto was a full-timer after that and started an eight-year streak of 40+ home run seasons, topping 50+ in five campaigns. Skramesto led the American Association in total bases (387), and slugging (.653) in 2010, his only time as a leader. Those were career bests, as was his 1.020 OPS and 7.8 WAR. It was Skramesto’s only time as an MVP finalist, finishing second. He won Silver Sluggers in 2008, 2010, and 2013.

Las Vegas’s first playoff berth with Skramesto was a second round exit in 2009, a feat they matched in 2010. The Vipers wouldn’t post another losing season during Skramesto’s run, but they had trouble breaking through against a loaded Southwest Division. The Vipers realized he was a key piece of the puzzle and signed Skramesto to an eight-year, $99,700,000 extension after the 2009 season.

The Vipers missed the playoffs five times from 2011-16, only making it with a first round exit in 2015. They started a five-year streak from 2017-21 and finally broke through as a wild card in 2018. Las Vegas won the American Association pennant, losing the World Series to Kansas City. Skramesto’s bat was notably diminished though by this point, although his leadership was still quite valuable. Over 43 career playoff games, Skramesto had 33 hits, 22 runs, 3 doubles, 9 homers, 18 RBI, .236/.321/.450 slash, 118 wRC+, and 0.7 WAR.

Although his playoff run in 2018 was unremarkable, Skramesto was excellent in the Baseball Grand Championship over 19 starts with 8 homers, 20 RBI, 18 hits, 13 runs, 1.056 OPS, and 215 wRC+. The Vipers finished 10-9, tied with four other teams for the seventh spot. Skramesto had also gotten to play on the World Baseball Championship stage for his native Norway from 2013-22 with 77 games, 57 hits, 37 runs, 5 doubles, 22 home runs, 41 RBI, .810 OPS, and 2.0 WAR.

Las Vegas had a second round exit in 2019, then an AACS loss in 2020 to Denver. This marked the end of Skramesto’s time in Sin City, although it wasn’t by direct choice. The now 37-year old aging slugger wasn’t protected in the 2020 expansion draft, getting taken 12^th overall by the new Halifax Hound Dogs. For the Vipers, Skramesto had 2424 games, 2357 hits, 1368 runs, 333 doubles, 698 home runs, 1615 RBI, .265/.319/.541 slash, 136 wRC+, and 61.3 WAR.

Skramesto was used only in a part-time role for Halifax, as the National Association didn’t have the DH option. In 103 games and 49 starts, he had 0.8 WAR and .796 OPS. Skramesto’s 12 homers did make him the sixth member of the 700 home run club. He was a free agent for 2022, but most teams didn’t feel his bat was good enough anymore to justify the roster spot. After going unsigned, Skramesto retired at age 39.

The final stats for Skramesto had 2527 games, 2418 hits, 1398 runs, 343 doubles, 710 home runs, 1652 RBI, 659 walks, 1545 strikeouts, .265/.318/.540 slash, 137 wRC+, and 62.1 WAR. As of 2037, Skramesto ranks 16^th in homers, 76^th in RBI, and 97^th in total bases (4927), He doesn’t crack the top 100 in any other spot, which made certain voters leery. Others gave him a penalty for spending 1/3 of his career as a DH and for a general lack of big awards or black ink.

Most voters saw “700 home runs” and immediately filled in the yes bubble. That was a magic number even with the league’s tallies going up broadly. Even if Skramesto wasn’t exceptional at much beyond homers, few in MLB’s lengthy history did it better. Skramesto was a first ballot selection for the 2027 Hall of Fame class, although he barely crossed the 66% requirement at 68.7%. Still, that earned him his spot among Major League Baseball’s celebrated greats.

Adrian Vega – Second Base – Detroit Tigers – 67.5% Seventh Ballot

Adrian Vega was a 6’0’’, 185 pound right-handed second baseman from the capital of Peru, Lima. Vega was a good to occasionally great contact hitter both ways with an excellent eye. He was one of the best in his era at both drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts. Vega never had prolific power, but had more of a pop than many other second basemen. His 162 game average got you 29 home runs, 23 doubles, and 3 triples. Vega was a great baserunner, but his top speed was merely below average.

Vega played shortstop early in his career, but struggled there with poor range. He was switched to second base full time shortly after joining Detroit and stayed there apart from his final season at first base. Vega wasn’t exceptional at 2B, but he was reliably average to solid. It wasn’t easy to find guys who could hit like Vega without being a defensive liability. He also physically held up fairly well over 20 years at a demanding spot. The main knock on Vega was for a poor work ethic, but that didn’t keep him from an excellent career.

It was helpful that Vega grew up in a huge metro like Lima, as this raised his profile with international scouts. One of them convinced Vega to leave Peru as a teenager for the big allure of Major League Baseball and the United States. Although Cleveland isn’t the most glamorous American metro, they solid it to Vega and he signed in April 1991. His minor league career began in 1995 at age 20 with Akron.

Vega bounced between the minors and majors for his first few years, including 5.2 WAR in 1999 despite only 105 games and 77 starts. He earned a full-time gig at shortstop in 2000 and won a Silver Slugger. Vega only played 11 games and started 4 in the playoffs, but this helped Cleveland win the World Series in an upset over Seattle. The Cobras fell off though to 75-89 in 2001 and ended up being sellers at the trade deadline.

Cleveland sent Vega to Detroit for 1B, Kwang-Seok Kim, C Mike Tandyo, and a draft pick. For the Cobras, Vega finished with 637 games, 519 hits, 287 runs, 70 doubles, 102 home runs, 305 RBI, .270/.359/.478 slash, 154 wRC+, and 20.9 WAR. His most famous run would be in the Motor City, eventually signing an eight-year, $93,500,000 extension in April 2003.

The Tigers were a wild card in 2001, 2005, and 2007 with first round exits each year. Detroit won the division in 2008, only to fall in the second round. Vega had 14 playoff starts with a .796 OPS and 0.5 WAR. He did get to thrive for Peru as a World Baseball Championship regular from 1997-2015, playing 158 games with 145 hits, 80 runs, 27 doubles, 33 home runs, 71 RBI, 91 walks, .274/.383/.515 slash, 159 wRC+, and 7.0 WAR.

Vega won Silver Sluggers at second base for Detroit from 2002-07, posting 7+ WAR each of those seasons. He took second in 2004’s MVP voting, then won the honor in 2005 with National Association and career-bests in runs (107), OPS (.978), wRC+ (204), and WAR (10.2). Vega also had his highs in hits (189), home runs (36), RBI (117), and slugging (.573). He wasn’t a league leader or award winner beyond that, but the advanced metrics loved Vega in his Tigers run.

With Detroit, Vega played 1062 games with 1165 hits, 679 runs, 151 doubles, 222 home runs, 640 RBI, 499 walks, .305/.386/.530 slash, 181 wRC+, and 58.3 WAR. He surprised many by opting out of the remainder of his contract after the 2008 campaign, becoming a free agent at age 34. Vega stayed in the Midwest and joined St. Louis for $57,600,000 over four seasons.

The Cardinals were mid-tier during his run, as he came just before their 2014 and 2015 pennants. Vega had his first major injury setback in 2011 with severe shoulder inflammation requiring surgery, missing the entire campaign. Hamstring and back issues kept him out parts of 2012, but he had nice value still when healthy. For St. Louis, Vega played 426 games with 431 hits, 246 runs, 75 doubles, 75 home runs, 247 RBI, .281/.355/.483 slash, 156 wRC+, and 19.1 WAR.

Vega signed a three-year, $57,600,000 deal for 2013 with Austin. He had a nice first year for the Amigos, but his bat fell off to around league average in year two, giving him 4.6 WAR, .778 OPS, and 116 wRC+ over 253 games in Austin. He was traded in the last year of the deal with $6,700,000 to Virginia Beach for two prospects. Vega played 131 games with the Vikings and posted 1.3 WAR, .704 OPS, and 108 wRC+. He retired that winter at age 41.

The final tallies had 2509 games, 2477 hits, 1391 runs, 353 doubles, 42 triples, 455 home runs, 1351 RBI, 1060 walks, 119 stolen bases, .286/.364/.495 slash, 160 wRC+, and 104.2 WAR. As of 2037, Vega is 43^rd in WAR among position players, but he doesn’t crack the top 100 in any other stat. He was notably 7^th in WAR specifically accumulated at second base.

A stat like WAR appreciated Vega’s reliable defense, nice walk rate, and excellent strikeout rate. For voters that preferred the traditional counting stats, Vega’s resume was underwhelming. Second base also wasn’t the easiest to get traction at. Many voters thought Vega’s tallies simply weren’t impressive enough to be deserving of the nod. Supporters pointed out the WAR mark, but also the seven Silver Sluggers and the MVP win.

Vega was generally the best hitting 2B of his prime in the National Association, but that still didn’t win over some. Vega debuted on the 2021 ballot at 56.5%, then dropped to 48.1% in year two. He was basically stuck around 56-58% for the next four years with little movement. Vega’s seventh chance in 2027 got him a slight bump up to 67.5%, just high enough to sneak across the 66% requirement. With that, he capped off Major League Baseball’s three-player 2007 Hall of Fame class.

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

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