2041 bba media guide · infielder valerie kharlamov registered 34 votes, missing the cut-off by one...

BREWSTER BASEBALL ASSOCIATION – MEDIA GUIDE 2042 –

LEADERSHIP

Commissioner: Matt Rectenwald

Vice Commissioner: Aaron Weiner

League Director: Ron Collins

League Advisor: Randy Weigand

PR Director/Historian: Stephen Lane

UMEBA Ambassador: Joe Lederer

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Contents

What Seat Do You See Them? – David Simpson

State of the Brewster - 70 Years! – Matt Rectenwald

2041: OVERVIEW Final Standings

Landis Ruminations – Chris Robillard

Istanbul Wins the United Cup! – James Walker

Hall of Fame Inductees – Matt Rectenwald

2042: THE PROJECTION ROOM Frick League – Aaron Weiner

Johnson League – Justin Niles

UMEBA – Neil Thomas

FEATURES 7 For 70 – Matt Rectenwald

BBA Dynasties – Joe Lederer

Owner Goals: Stop the Insanity! – Vic Caldea

Opt-In or Opt-out? – Ron Collins

Brewstopocene Reviewed – Doug Olmsted

Finishing the Pantheon – Chris Wilson

Active Leader Boards – Randy Weigand

Active vs. All-Time Leader Boards – Randy Weigand

College and High School All-Stars – Matt Rectenwald

Those Who Went Before Us – Matt Rectenwald

Cover art and Badge - Mike Simon

Publishing Support – Joe Lederer & Ron Collins

Spring Training Standings


Horribly Poetry by David “Horrible” Simpson

What Seat Do You See Them

In what seat do you see them what section what row when the Nine and Jackrabbits play a game out below

Are you pacing a dugout what side how low is Jon Mick looking past you bat ready to go

Do you see things all over what speed how slow is our commish watching with you like a god in the know

What sounds overcome you what smells what foes when Rhodes hits a single where does it go

Our eyes may see numbers and ratings that grow but our minds push us further and creates a wonderful show


State of the Brewster

70 YEARS! by Matt Rectenwald, Commissioner, Brewster Baseball Association

70. It's hard to comprehend the magnitude of that number, really.

The Brewster Baseball Association has been through so much over

the years. It all started way, way back in the late 1980's, when my

friend Brad Browne and I were inventing baseball leagues of our

own. We used Baseball Stars, then Hardball, and then Earl Weaver

Baseball came out. My life has never been the same since. Weaver

was amazing for its time, as bug riddled as it was. We made our

own four-team league, then added more and more teams until we

had a nice little league going in tiny Oconomowoc, Wisconsin.

When Front Page Sports: Baseball Pro was released, we took a look

at it and liked what we saw. Our resulting league would be called

the Wisconsin Computer Baseball Association (WCBA). To use the

phrase “Timing Is Everything” would be an understatement,

because right at this time came the advent of the internet. Suddenly

we could interact with other like-minded baseball nuts around the world. It started in the Hardball

chat room, then later moved to ICQ, then AIM. The WCBA was too small minded. The North

American Computer Baseball Association (NACBA) was formed, which ultimately grew into the

Global Baseball Consortium (GBC). This is circa 1994, folks. There are still people around from

those times. Sean Marko is still with us. Chris Wilson is still with us. So is Lee Honigsfeld. You may

not know that it was Lee who first made me aware of Out of the Park Baseball. At this time, it was

OOTP2 and extremely rudimentary, but the potential of this project and the direction the developer

(Markus Heinsohn) wanted to go with the game was absolutely in-line with everything that the

previous games couldn't give us. So, after experimenting with a short-lived league with all new

players, I decided to embark upon the project of a lifetime. I knew I wanted to use OOTP moving

forward, but I also knew I wanted the players that we had brought to life with the GBC. This is how

the Monty Brewster Baseball Association began. It began with months of creating players, one by

one, from the GBC into the MBBA and OOTP. This process would come to be known "Recte-

hacking".

We started with twenty-four teams and immediately it felt special. Like many fledgling leagues, we

had our fair share of turnover among the General Managers, but I also had an amazing team who

helped shape the league. Joel Odenbach, Travis McDermott, Brian Miller and so many more made

contributions to the Brewster so meaningful that any measure of them would feel too small.

Starting with the 1973 season and finishing thru the 1994 season, I felt it was just time to take a

break. After the 1994 season we put the MBBA to rest, with new leagues springing up among us


fighting for the time that many GM's had previously given to the MBBA. It was the end of the

“Original Era.”

I could never get the MBBA out of my head. I'd still find myself thinking about it after a couple of

real-life years had gone by. The league I was currently competing in was amazing in terms of

competition and activity, but to me it was becoming too much fluff and too little actual baseball.

Once again, I decided to embark on a project.

The first order of business was to find the 1994 final file. Once I found it, I quickly realized that I

could not for the life of me remember the Commissioner password. This is usually the death knoll

for a league. It's a good thing that I have friends in high places, as with a little help from Joel and

friends we were able to convince Markus Heinsohn to unlock the Commissioner password for me.

And away we went. Right away the 1995 season began – the start of the “Modern Era” – and it was

like old times. The activity level was good, the competition was good. We talked ball and played

ball. The magic was back.

Looking back at the 1995 season, it was a completely different time. There were still just twenty-

four teams. We've since expanded multiple times and now have thirty-two BBA teams. That’s right,

we also shortened from Monty Brewster World Baseball Association to simply the Brewster

Baseball Association. We have had two international leagues, the European Baseball Alliance (EBA)

and now the United Middle Eastern Baseball Association (UMEBA). The UMEBA just expanded to

ten teams. We have feeder leagues that generate our young prospects.

The biggest change has come in the way we communicate. This has always been a forum-based

league with a heavy, HEAVY emphasis on writing. It still is, but new ways of communicating have

made the league even better. Podcasts and Slack have been an amazing addition to our community.

Our Governing Board is as solid as they come. We have had incredible stability on the Governing

Board over the past ten seasons and now for 2042, we are adding Joe Lederer to help grow the

UMEBA.

It is a very good time in the Brewster Baseball Association as we enter our 70th season. Here's to 70

more!

BLAST FROM THE PAST! MBWBA 15th Anniversary Team.

SP Mark Bobovnik

RP Damon Lombardi

C Dickey Brinkman

1B Randy Spratt

2B Jack Maverick

3B Jon McNecirty

SS Henry Hill

LF Marquis Futon

CF Steve Collins

RF Miles Dalrymple


FINAL 2041 STANDINGS

Geoghegan Round Edmonton over Las Vegas, 3-1

Calgary over New Orleans, 3-1

Louisville over Nashville, 3-1

Valencia over California, 3-1

Doubleday Series Edmonton over Boise, 4-1

Calgary over Rockville, 4-0

Yellow Springs over Louisville, 4-0

Vancouver over Valencia, 4-0

Cartwright Cup Edmonton over Calgary, 4-3

Yellow Springs over Vancouver, 4-0

Landis Memorial Series Edmonton over Yellow Springs, 4-3


League Championship Series Istanbul over Manama, 4-3

Bucharest over Jerusalem, 4-2

United Cup Istanbul over Bucharest, 4-2


2042 BBA Hall of Fame Inductees Announced

Hall of Fame Grows by Three

With 34 votes counted, the commissioner’s office recently revealed that Cisco

Arreola, Alfredo Martinez, and Mario Soriano passed the 75% bar required to be

enshrined into the Brewster Baseball Association Hall of Fame.


Infielder Valerie Kharlamov registered 34 votes, missing the cut-off by one vote. First

baseman Cisco Guerrero was two votes shy. Both will be eligible again next season.

Four players did not make the 10% cut-off point, and will be removed from the ballot

going forward. Eduardo Lopez, Juan Jose Ornelas, and Juan Pablo all completed their

seventh season on the ballot, and will also be removed. Neither veterans committee

candidate qualified.

Below, find the final voting numbers.

Candidate (Yrs Left) Votes %

Cisco Arreola (7) 33 97.1% Alfredo Martinez (7) 32 94.1% Mario Soriano (6) 28 82.4% Valeri Kharlamov (6) 25 73.5% Cisco Guerrero (7) 24 70.6% Eduardo Lopez (1) 14 41.2% Lorenzo Diaz (VET-1) 14 41.2% Diego Moreno (1) 12 35.3% Lawrence Columbus LaLoosh (5) 11 32.4% Juan Jose Ornelas (1) 8 23.5% Dan Leonard (7) 8 23.5% Lewis Stephens (4) 7 20.6% Medric Wood (VET-1) 7 20.6% Juan Pablo (1) 6 17.6% Bob Sanderson (4) 6 17.6% Mark Dempsey (7) 4 11.8% Esteban Velasquez (7) 3 8.8% Norris Rutledge (6) 2 5.9% Hiroyuki Rin (7) 2 5.9% Bertram Hahn (7) 2 5.9%


Ruminations on the Landis

Edmonton GM Chris Robillard is no stranger to the Landis. His teams have now won three of them,

and if he has his way in 2042, it’ll be four. This one was a little different though, made amid perhaps

a bit of a different background. I think you’re going to want to take a few moments to take it all in

as, amid Landis joy, the GM pauses for a bit of reflection on what this little game of ours might

mean.

Almost exactly a month ago I was preparing to go to a convention that I go to every year, PAX East

in Boston. I love everything about it. AAA video games, indie video games, tabletop games, the

people, the food, even the weather sometimes. I usually go solo and I can walk up to a group at any

point or joke with people in line with me and we can discuss what kind of games we like or hate,

what we enjoy about the gaming industry, our preferred medium for gaming (PC for me), who/what

they've seen at the convention. The topics for conversation are endless because we all enjoy this one

thing so deeply and we bond over it. It's a place I've never felt excluded from or awkward in and I've

always felt the same way in baseball leagues. This year at PAX wasn't different, but there was a high

level of concern that everyone seemed to share and that was due to the coronavirus. One month later

I am confined indoors, albeit willingly, to share some of the social responsibility we all need to feel

right now to protect our neighbors and our local community.

We all are feeling the same stress and anxiety right now because none of us know what is ahead. At

the time of this writing on March 24th of 2020 at 11:00am, 46,548 Americans are confirmed to have

the coronavirus with our local and federal governments promising significantly increased testing that

will surely drive that number much, much higher. 592 Americans have passed away from the disease

caused by the coronavirus, COVID-19 and we are all concerned about our own wellbeing and/or the

wellbeing of our loved ones and so we stay indoors to protect even the strangers around us because

we know at any moment that could be our family member. This is even more terrifying when you

look at Italy. Three weeks ago, they were where we are at now in numbers and now they have

63,927 confirmed with the coronavirus and 6,077 have passed away due to it. I just read two stories

coming out of Italy yesterday, one horrifying and the other encouraging. The first was how some

hospitals in Italy are rationing care, unable to provide ventilators to everyone, so they are denying

their citizens over 60+ in order to provide ventilators for those much younger and inflicted by the

disease. The other story I read is about a priest who passed away because he gave up the ventilator

purchased by his parishioners to someone that he felt needed it in order to save their life. Meanwhile,

in the United States our government cannot break their partisanship and agree on a bill that would

provide some economic relief to their citizens in a clearly crucial time for our health and financial

wellbeing. I read something recently from a GM in the league that said this is why we need universal

healthcare. Italy is a single payer system. This is not the time to be having these kinds of debates

though. Let's not politicize this catastrophic time. Instead we should all feel remorse for the people

who have passed away and focus on what we as individuals can do to help curb this increasingly

dangerous pandemic from doing what it has done to Europe and Asia. We all play a role here and it's

a significant one.


Not trying to play victim here, but this time has impacted me particularly hard as four days after

winning the Landis Memorial Series, officials from the city I live in condemned the property I live

on because of a faulty construction job in front of the property that damaged the foundation and

severed our sewer and water lines. It created a structural issue that is particularly dangerous, and I've

been displaced as a result.

So I've spent a lot of time thinking about communities lately. With PAX, the

panic from coronavirus in my city and my fake baseball league taking up the

majority of my thoughts, I decided this would be a good opportunity to express

the appreciation I have for Matt, the governing board, everyone in the BBA and

all the GMs that have continued to keep this league running for so long.

It's been 20 years for me since I first got my hands on a BBPro '98 online league. It was all text

based and HTML and my cousins and I had a blast with it. Back then I tried to convince other GMs

to make wacky deals with me, so that I could fulfill my dream of having Mo Vaughn, Nomar

Garciaparra, Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa on the same team. That progressed to trying to acquire

ARod, Tim Wakefield, Mike Piazza and many, many more. I moved on to a random debut league

and fell in love with the opportunity to see Babe Ruth and Ted Williams battle Nolan Ryan and

Roger Clemens. I took a long break away from baseball leagues, but eventually found OOTP and

ORB2 where Matt would allow me to become the Cincinnati Reds and I would grit my teeth and

pretend they were my hometown Boston Red Sox. Loved ORB2, but when it folded and I was

invited to the BBA, I knew this was it. I LOVED the RPG-like mechanic of being able to upgrade

my stars through my own activity in the league. I never have gotten as involved as I would like to,

but I've always enjoyed the possibilities.

My first stint with the Halifax Hawks was successful, but shorter lived than I would have liked due

to some medical issues. Life is a lot more stable now (ironic with everything going on), so I came

back in November of 2018 IRL time. I didn't love the Jackrabbits when I joined. I didn't really want

another Canadian team, I wanted to bring something to the BBA that would represent my neck of the

woods in the North East which I feel has been underrepresented in the BBA. Maybe someone can set

the record straight for me on that, but I don't recall any teams being from this area. I think Baltimore

is the closest unless I am missing someone. I've grown to really like the Jackrabbits though. They

have stupid yellow uniforms, but the Jackrabbits name is excellent. I don't know much about

Edmonton or their jackrabbits population, but before I came in they had nearly a decade of being the

worst team in the BBA and I wanted to change that desperately.

I won my first Landis with the Jackrabbits in 2038 over the Las Vegas

Hustlers in a wild seven game series that saw a hidden ball trick in game 5 by

Steven Collins III that would end up being the catalyst for turning the series

around. On individual merit, that would be my second Landis in nine seasons.

I last won the Landis with the Halifax Hawks when I ended a nearly two

decade run without a playoff appearance for the Washington Bobwhites.

Last season, the Jackrabbits ended up in fourth place in the division and

needed to win a series against each of the teams in my division ahead of me in

order to get an opportunity against the Yellow Springs Nine, who seemed

poised to finally get the Landis Series win that they have been seeking for so

long. It seemed even more improbable because we were without Mons Raider,

who we bullied Madison into paying for, and he was our leader in runs and

I've spent a lot of time

thinking about communities

lately


seemed destined to break the single season runs record prior to his untimely broken kneecap injury

early in September. That injury was fresh in the team's mind after it was rumored that a week prior

to the injury taking place Madison GM, Mike Simon, threatened to break Raider's kneecaps if he

didn't give him the money back in a conference call speaking with confidants that was released to the

press right before the Landis Series. #FreeRaider trended on social media when the Raider trade was

made and #RaiderRefuge trended during the Landis series.

With Raider on the mind, the depleted pitching staff for Edmonton would leave everything on the

mound to try and beat Yellow Springs and deny them once again of their chance to break their curse.

Down 2-1 with Yellow Springs on top, Jackrabbits manager Juan Carlos Gonzales would make a

crucial decision to send the struggling lefty Ryosei Akahori to the mound. He banked on a Yellow

Springs lineup that seemed susceptible to left-handed pitching and Akahori came out on top tying up

the series and keeping Edmonton in it. Yellow Springs would win game 5 and nearly clinch the win

in game 6, but Edmonton stormed back big in late innings to keep the series alive. This led to a game

7 that featured Chandler Hall against Carlos Valle that Chandler Hall would end up in control of for

five innings and the Jackrabbits offense performed well against Valle. That sealed it for the 2041

Landis.

Now, with our families and our communities on our minds, with our country and our world seeking

some sense of unification through the onslaught of unpredictable illness, with my new video game

releases continuing to get delayed, are you ready for the 2042 season?


Istanbul wins the 2041 United Cup!

The UMEBA has hit the ground running, with fan bases growing and revenue popping to the tune of an additional couple teams—let’s join Istanbul GM (now Hawaii GM!) James Walker as he takes us through the Bosphorus’s United Cup winning season…

Istanbul RF Hyun-on Ch’oe drifted to his right and squeezed his glove closed on the can o’ corn off the

bat of Bucharest 1B Anastasio Diaz and just like that the Bosphorus were Champs of the UMEBA. This

was the culmination of a five-season journey. After 727 regular season games, a 315-412 record and the

beginning as one of the worst teams in the UMEBA. But to get to this moment it had to have a beginning.

That was the hiring of the former GM Jeffrey Everroad.

Jeff began the job by bringing in a fresh message to the organization. One that said, WIN. He hired John

Howard to manage the team and guide the youngsters. As his Assistant GM he hired Rizalino Defensor.

This combo worked well until it didn’t. Without hesitation, Howard was shown the door and replaced by

unproven Jeaic Dalyell. Jeaic was a 2B with the Charm City Jimmies with a couple of single season stops

in Atlantic City and Mexico before he hung up the spikes. Jeaic worked well with the pitchers and helped

develop that crew that led the UMEBA in pitching.

Everroad signed former New Jersey River Rats (Montreal Blazers) and one- time Jerusalem Hebrew

Hammer SP Brendan Carr. He followed that up with the signing of SP Rodrigo Lugo, formerly of the

Hawaii Tropics Organization with the Dead Valley Scorpions.

In his last big move, he signed LF John Garcia. Garcia was being courted by several UMEBA teams, but he

settled with Istanbul with a big two-year $6.6 million-dollar deal.

Then, three days later, Everroad was hired away by the Montreal Blazers.

While Bosphorus Owner Sam Johnson was

conducting his search for the next GM, the

season started with Istanbul jumping out to a

21-9 record and a seven-game lead. Then the

hire of James Walker was met with relief by

the players and staff. After small changes in

the pitching staff and a platoon schedule was

set for Dalyell to follow the Bosphorus were

prepared for the playoff push.

As the season progressed, former Edmonton

LF John Garcia emerged as the offensive force

in the lineup that could carry this team to the

playoffs. After young SP Bert Hackworth went

down with a partially torn labrum, RP Vladimir Reichel was move from the bullpen to the rotation.


Paired with the veteran starter Francis Wiles, these two combined for 57 starts and 21 wins. Later in the

season, Ramon Negron was called up for Dar es Salaam and posted a 9-5 record with a 3.97 ERA.

The end of May saw the Bosphorus at 36-18 with an eight-game lead over Manama and by the All Star

Break they were 53-34 with a twelve-game lead. Injuries began to take a toll on the team as the “Dog

Days of Summer” took out the fragile players. Guys like, P Charlie Simmons and 3B Jaime Hernandez

steeped up to fill in for injuries and posted good numbers. Simmons was 12-5 with 6 saves as he started

and relieved until he burned out near the end of the season.

Even with guys stepping up and getting the job done night after night, things still felt as if they were

slipping away for Istanbul as they crawled to the finish line. They still had a respectable record at 90-72

but were beat down by the long battle.

The four-game series with the wild card winner Manama Pearls began with a Game 1 thumping given

out by Istanbul 14-1. Manama came back in Game 2 (8-2) and stole home field advantage. Istanbul kept

up the back and forth as they took Game 3 in Manama (7-2) and then dropped Games 4 and 5 (3-0 and 6-

2) to fall down in the series 3-2 and in danger of wasting the season.

Returning to Istanbul with their backs against the wall. the Bosphorus turned to Bert Hackworth.

Hackworth made just his start after his AAS rehab stint and he was masterful as he shut-down the Pearls

offense and gave Istanbul the chance to live for another day. In the deciding Game 7, Istanbul left no

doubt as they jumped on Manama pitchers from the start and cruised to an 11-4 victory to move on to the

United Cup Finals. John Garcia was chosen as the LCS MVP, slashing .478/.567/.870 with three homers

and eleven RBI to go along with six walks and five runs.

In the finals, Istanbul took Games 1 and 2 in Bucharest (6-0 and 3-2) to take control of the series early. At

home, the Bosphorus took Game 3 (4-1), placing doubts in the minds of Bucharest Fans everywhere. The


Impalers came back in Games 4 and 5 (7-2 and 4-1) to close the gap and rob the Istanbul Faithful of

celebrating a championship on their own field.

Back in Bucharest for the last two games of the series, the Bosphorus players were relaxed. John Garcia

was quoted, “The pressure isn’t on us, it’s on them.”

In Game 6, Istanbul looked relaxed as the scored five runs in the third and three more in the fourth to

jump out to a big lead before cruising to the 9-6 win and a championship party. 1B Kazuo Yamamoto was

chosen as the United Cup MVP after hitting .368 with a homer, five runs and three runs batted in.

After all the distractions, injuries and slumps, this team remained engaged in the task at hand. Scuffling

and adjusting from at-bat to at-bat and from pitch to pitch. And at the end of the season they get to say,

WE ARE CHAMPS!


THE PROJECTION ROOM

By now you know what’s coming as sure as if you’ve got the banging going down on the garbage cans in the clubhouse. Fastball down the middle. Can you handle it, Meat? Can you take it downtown one more time? Hit that last dinger and hang ‘em up? We’ll see, won’t we? Once again, Omaha GM Justin Niles joins Rockville GM Aaron Weiner to give us the best preview edition in not-so-fake baseball, Justin taking the Johnson, Aaron on the Frick—with Aaron doing the usual needful in all the summaries. And this time we get new Athens GM Neil Thomas taking us through the mighty UMEBA!


It’s the 70th season of the BBA, and the buzz around the league is still about expansion teams.

Portland and Charlotte have created the final form of the league, and Edmonton, who was the first

expansion team in the BBA to win a Landis Memorial Series, is now setting the pace as the first

expansion team with multiple titles.

Edmonton took down the Yellow Springs Nine in a heart wrenching series that went right down to

the wire, and they did it with a thousand run explosion, very characteristic of the BBA at this time.

The other huge story of 2041 was that offenses all over the league were running wild on pitching

staffs, as teams posted an average of five and a half runs a game and a record four teams scored a

thousand runs or more. A record six teams scored six runs a game or better, and it’s worth noting

that Edmonton’s accomplishment, while outstanding, garnered them only the fifth seed in the

Johnson League.

Who might be the next expansion team to win the BBA? Boise’s probably a good pick: they won

104 games last year, a record for any expansion team in any season, and have the incomparable

Dennis French. Edmonton could repeat, but they might also miss the playoffs: no team lost more

talent this offseason. Charm City looked feisty last year before falling off the pace. The rest of them

are pretty much out: Twin Cities has been around long enough to be in their second rebuild at this

point, which seems to be going well, and Wichita, Charlotte, Portland, and Phoenix averaged 100

losses last year.

So, the title might be left to the old guard this year. Yellow Springs is a perennial contender; they

blossomed last year around August. Rockville is running with seven straight division titles, but they

lost Francisco Flores this offseason and don’t look quite as scary as in previous years. Calgary

almost took down the Spuds in the Frontier Division, and despite having traded Chip Puckett they

should still be quite good at preventing runs. Louisville has averaged 95 wins over the last two years

and should be fairly dangerous. New Orleans looks very solid if they can keep their pitchers on the

mound. Vegas is still Vegas, and they’re just one year removed from their own Landis. Vancouver

has a monster offense and could slug their way to the 2042 title.

With 32 teams now in the league, there are plenty of teams that could sneak into the playoffs this

year, too. Nashville defied the odds to win 90 games last year; do they have it in them again?

According to the numbers, Chicago should have won 90; are they a team on the rise? How about


teams like Valencia, Seattle, or Hawaii in the Frick League, all of whom were probably good enough

to win at least one series last year? Mexico City missed the playoffs by just one game; they should

be solid again.

In a league where anything can happen, where expansion teams can win multiple titles, where

record-setting teams get sent home by sweeps, where Yellow Springs can be superior every single

year and still not win a championship, the league is consistently unpredictable, exciting, and new.

The offensive explosion we had last year might continue as we haven’t seen the advent of new

superstar pitchers or great defenders in drafts, and it might be a while until the balance evens out.

Whatever happens, it’ll be fun to watch, fun to be a part, and with Edmonton winning their second

title in four years they proved any team could come from literally nowhere and be a winner.


PACIFIC DIVISION

VANCOUVER MOUNTIES 92 – 70

CALIFORNIA CRUSADERS 91 – 71

HAWAII TROPICS 84 – 78

SEATTLE STORM 84 – 78

VALENCIA STARS 83 – 79

LONG BEACH SURFERS 73 – 89

SAN FERNANDO BEARS 72 – 90

PORTLAND LUMBERJACKS 62 – 100


FL Pacific Preview

For the first time in a long time, I’m projecting someone new at the top of the Frick

Pacific. The team isn’t a surprise, but the record might come as a surprise to some. I think Vancouver maxed out last year and probably won’t finish quite as high this

year, but remember that the 92 wins I put them on is a median. I think they’re pretty likely to finish there.

California and Vancouver are still clearly the class of this division without much

drama, so putting them up there isn’t really a big shock. Either or both could stumble; both have warts. California has a rock-solid team on both sides, though

their pitchers are aging and it’s easy to imagine them dropping from pitcher

injuries. Vancouver’s hitting is superior to just about everyone, but their pitching is just fine, so every game’s a little bit of a crapshoot for them.

It’s that kind of thing that makes this such an interesting group, because there are

a lot of good teams in this division. Valencia made the playoffs and even won a playoff series last year, but at 85 wins they are very vulnerable to variance. (Say

that five times fast.)

Right now, I have Seattle and Hawaii just a little bit ahead of Valencia, who’s got a huge contract problem in Wilton Rivera. Seattle has a very balanced team with a lot

of talent but their bullpen’s highly questionable. Hawaii and Chicago are my dark horse sleeper teams to win 90 games this year, and I really like Hawaii’s roster,

probably more than I should. They do have to figure out first base, though.

The teams that weren’t good last year were San Fernando, Long Beach, and

Portland. I see San Fernando’s slide becoming consistent, as their pitching staff is aging, inconsistent, and probably won’t produce, and Angel Garcia’s slide might be

permanent. Long Beach still has Tchekanov, but not much else really. And Portland? Portland is still looking for a team identity and just isn’t ready to be in this

conversation just yet.

This is a wide-open division with a lot of possibility and a lot of intrigue, and any of the first five teams I mentioned could win the thing. It could be five-way

pandemonium with all five teams tying at 88 wins. But if I’m gonna call it like I see it: Vancouver has the best offense, California has the best overall team, and the

rest of the teams are just short of that. Lots to watch though in the Frick Pacific – don’t touch that remote control.


VANCOUVER MOUNTIES

2041 MEDIA GUIDE: Could Vancouver lead the league in runs scored? It’s highly doubtful considering their division and their home park, but in a neutral park this offense is scary…The Mounties have a very scary offense, a decent rotation and some pitching depth. If they could find one big arm to bind them all together, this is a

contender. As it were I think they’re a wild card contender this year. 2041 PROJECTION: 84 – 78 2041 FINAL RECORD: 97 – 65

As you’ll note from the quote, I was way ahead of the curve on Vancouver’s outstanding offensive

explosion. (Still not ready to talk about Omaha yet. Stay tuned.) The Mounties won their first division

title since 2028, and just their third since dominating this division from 1999-2012. They were just short

of being an outlier in my normally distributed projection system, but they did finish 13 games above my

thoughts. It’s worth examining how this happened and whether they’re every bit as good as the 97-win

juggernaut they looked like last season.

First of all, I’m not sure I was wrong on the Aaron Stone contract; it still feels like gilding the lily. A solid,

league average catcher would have not detracted from their outstanding offensive performance. With

Stone, however, the team scored 1000 runs, just short of Yellow Springs and by an exceedingly large

margin the highest number in their team’s history. Driven by their outstanding outfield trio of 2041 FL

Sawyer Silk Award winner Angel Gonzalez, Jeffrey Smith, and Fernando Castillo, the Mounties were #1 in

batter WAR last season, first in OPS, and really didn’t miss being first in offense by a lot. The Mounties

had seven players with more than 2 WAR last year; the other three were SS Carlos

Martinez, Son of Butters Menne, and rookie first baseman Alejandro Ortiz. Martinez

might not repeat, but the other two surely will. This is a killer offense and plays solid

defense, too.

I wasn’t as bullish on the Vancouver pitching staff as I could have been, but they

finished a robust fourth in the Frick League in runs allowed. What I don’t know is

precisely why this happened. By some advanced metrics, Vancouver’s pitching staff

was probably the luckiest staff in the BBA, as only the bottom three teams in the Frick

League struck out less batters and the team allowed the fifth lowest BABIP in the

league. The Mounties got three enormous years from Miguel Ayala, Gustavo Hernandez, and Jose Ramirez,

though none of them pitched more than 182 innings. Five other pitchers on the staff threw over 90 innings,

many of whom are gone now. I’m definitely not sold on the idea of all four of their rotation starters having

above 3 WAR again, and while all of them are solid pitchers it seems to me to be a bit of a perfect storm.

The Mounties have rotation depth but not so much bullpen depth, so I’m not sold on their ability to repeat

to that level there either.

My analysis of Vancouver hasn’t changed much since last year, and their weaknesses were exposed by

the real power in the Frick League, the Yellow Springs Nine, by whom they were swept. I like what

Vancouver has done with the team, and they have a solid farm system which could bear fruit as early as

this year. I still think they need a rotation ace to pull it all together, but they’ve structured their cap

situation such that they’ve kept flexibility to sign players down the line. The scary years for them will be

2045 and 2046, and we’ll see how much trouble they have then. For now, they’re almost a certain

contender in the Frick League.

2042 PROJECTION: 92 – 70

GENERAL MANAGER: Taylor Bettencourt BALLPARK: Northwoods Outpost

FRICK LEAGUE – PACIFIC DIVISION


CALIFORNIA CRUSADERS 2041 MEDIA GUIDE: California has a puncher’s chance at winning a title this year, but I don’t see it with the team they’re fielding now. Demonstrating more consistent management would go a long way towards keeping this team a contender. I can’t drop their projection too much because they might lead the league in pitching again, but in three years from now Cali looks headed for a rebuild.

2041 PROJECTION: 90 – 72 2041 FINAL RECORD: 95 – 67

California’s tenth straight postseason ended just as early as all the rest of them, so far. If you’re wondering

whether they’re officially into snakebit territory, well, consider this: last year they were knocked out in the

Geoghegan by Valencia, who took their first playoff series in 19 years. This is starting to become a habit,

and California has to wonder if they’re doing something wrong, or whether

they’re just rolling snake eyes and boxcars and it’s not their fault at all. I’m

going to give a deeper dive on that one as we go, since California lost

nothing this offseason and shouldn’t get very much help from the minor

leagues.

One place that California might improve is from a full season of Dani Garcia,

who looks to be the next California pitching superstar. Having him along

with Luis Gracia, Cisco Morales, and Miguel Ramos is a huge deal for the

Crusaders. But: Gracia is 36, Morales, 33, Ramos, 30, and right now Garcia

is the only bridge to the future for California – though we expect Eustace

Tilley to show up any time now and provide solid rotation depth. Ramos was badly exposed in last year’s

playoffs, and the other two were not particularly stalwart, even by the rough standards of the Frick

League’s offensive explosion. For that matter, California failed to lead the league in runs for the second

straight year, finishing second with their highest ERA allowed since – no joke – 2011. Still, we’d take

second place for this team, who keeps hovering right around first and was significantly better than the

middle of the pack. Their late inning relievers are rock solid.

The offensive explosion in the FL was also felt by California, though they finished a very reasonable and

expected seventh. Base-stealing, run-scoring demon Quant Kouros led this team last year, with David

Simpson taking a very respectable but distant back seat with a .900 OPS. However, the Crusaders got a

solid team effort. Po-sin Shi took a leap forward at age 25, and young shortstop Jorge Lugo was better

than advertised, especially defensively. Second-year players Darryl Pris and Kazuki Saito and rookie Cesar

Feliciana all had solid seasons, and the team could get more out of Luis Gonzalez and Mitch Dalrymple.

The offense isn’t going to remind anyone of Vancouver, but it’s a good group.

This is clearly a playoff contender again, but the question becomes how long they can maintain this. As of

now they’ve been one since the Biden Administration with a couple meaningless hiccups in the middle, but

they’re not the best team in the BBA. By now just by luck they should have won a playoff series, though.

It feels like they’re snakebitten, too, because there’s no reason they should have struggled so much in the

playoffs; some of their solid regular season guys were terrible in the playoffs. We’ll see if they’ve got one

in them this year, but don’t be surprised to see Vancouver take the division again: the Mounties’

Pythagorean record was seven games ahead of the Crusaders.



GENERAL MANAGER: Doug Olmsted BALLPARK: South Pacific Field


HAWAII TROPICS

2041 MEDIA GUIDE: I have come to the very reasonable conclusion that given all the talent on the farm, and the fact that they’ve posted two straight winning records in the 80s, I might have been underrating them last year. I think Hawaii, with cap space and expiring deals, might be a stealthy contender this year if they make some moves. 2041 PROJECTION: 84 – 78 2041 FINAL RECORD: 82 – 80

Last year I wrote that Hawaii could be a stealth contender if they made a couple of moves. They didn’t

make those moves and were a stealth contender anyway, finishing with a -19 run differential but still

posting a winning record in the third consecutive year. In exactly one of those three years was their

expected record as high as .500, however. If you’re looking for what an average, mediocre ballclub looked

like over the past three years, search around the palms and the volcanoes and you’ll find it here. That

said, a lot of really talented players had down seasons for the Tropics last year. Are they still a stealth

contender, and could they better themselves enough to be division winners?

Hawaii is the home of maybe the best rotation in the Frick League outside of Yellow Springs and Chicago.

This wasn’t always true, but Alaric Wullenweber (Ah-lar-ic Woolenweeber for those of you gaping at home)

has changed the trajectory of this team by making himself into maybe the best non-Russian starter in the

BBA. The one silver lining to perennial top lefty Steven Taub’s down season in 2041 is that he might lower

his demands as he becomes an unrestricted free agent. Taub’s 2.1 WAR season brought his annual average

down to 4 WAR, which would put him among the top ten of all lefty pitchers in the BBA. Zak Johnson’s

numbers were also down this season, and he’s up for an extension this offseason

as well. Maxime Manceau was also outstanding last year. Jesus Gonzalez might be

the best solution at fifth starter this year, and though the bullpen doesn’t look as

good without him it’s still fine. That’s a dangerous pitching staff, and while they

won’t get much help from the minors it’s awfully good now.

Hawaii has a particularly interesting logjam at first base, and not just because the

player who was easily their best position player in 2040, Manuel Aguilar, Jr., had

by far his worst full year since his rookie season. That’s because while the Tropics could roll out with

Aguilar and Ettienne LaFitte, they also have a huge prospect in Ernest McBride, ready to go. What’s really

interesting is that the team might choose to carry all three guys, but don’t be surprised to see the Tropics

buy out LaFitte in the near future because there are three people for two slots. The rest of the lineup isn’t

bad either: Mike Campbell is a consistent righty threat, Jack Nichols is a major on-base threat, Bastiao

Fardos is a solid lefty platoon bat, Jose Camacho looks good, and Gary Allen is a solid third baseman. This

is a very comparable lineup to Nashville’s in that it seems to have no holes, but it’s nowhere near as good

defensively.

With all this talent on the field you’d think the Tropics have cap issues. They don’t. Not only do they have

one of the lower player payrolls in the league at $81 million, but they drop to $61 million next year while

shedding very little but middle relievers. Some of that money is no doubt marked for Taub, who will

probably be an easy person to re-sign; the year to watch is really next year, when the Tropics have Aguilar,

Campbell, and Zak Johnson all up for new contracts. They have the cap space for the onslaught of

extensions, but it’ll be interesting to see how first-year GM James Walker handle their future situation

after that. Their present looks like a wild card contender.



GENERAL MANAGER: James Walker BALLPARK: Diamond Head Baseball Park


SEATTLE STORM

2041 MEDIA GUIDE: I think this team bounces back in a big way this year, especially with some solid adds from the minors and not a lot of real ground lost this offseason. However, my optimism is tempered for good on this squad until they’re obviously better or obviously worse. A lot of teams look better than they do, too. 2041 PROJECTION: 76 – 86 2041 FINAL RECORD: 83 – 79

Seattle shockingly stumbled to a 63-99 record in 2040, but last year in 2041 they bounced back to a

winning record, though not enough to make the playoffs. The Storm’s offense bounced back in a big way

and as a result, they were in the wild card race right up until the end of the season. With four playoff spots

feeling all but certain (California, Vancouver, Yellow Springs and Louisville), it’s not that difficult to fathom

Seattle back in the playoffs soon. Can the Storm make it all the way back from BBA purgatory in just one

year?

Seattle scored a robust 5.9 runs per game last year, not just an increase of 1.2 runs per game over their

2040 disaster season, and every metric pointed up. They drew more walks, struck out less, and had more

than every TYPE of hit (except triples). What changed? Some of it was that the Storm finally got the much-

awaited arrival of Aires Penharanda, who was above average in every way last year. Some of it was that

Vincent Vanderhugen, who fell to an .873 OPS in 2040, bounced way back up to a 1.076 OPS in 2041 and

had almost 5 WAR. Most of the players on the team that didn’t improve didn’t disimprove, though relative

to the offensive explosion they did, like Todd Rice (.340/.380/.502) and Francisco Salazar

(.278/.357/.414). Ageless wonder Sean Maguire posted his best season since 2038 and the fifth highest

OPS of his 15-year career. Oh, sure, they were still tramping out the corpse of Lionel Crepin (-0.8 WAR)

but overall, the team either played about as well or better. The advent of Ruben Rodriguez may also have

made a difference, though we’d expect his .897 OPS to be a fluke.

The Storm pitching staff was slightly worse than last year’s, but whose wasn’t? Their

5.5 runs per game was good for ninth this year, as opposed to their tenth-ranked 5.2

runs in 2040. The Storm still have quite a solid rotation, led by Hector Marquez, who

has a Steve Nebraska Award and last year finished 3rd in the voting. Ken Walter is

still there, and the opt-out clause in his contract should help to motivate him. Luther

Summers finally had that breakout season they’ve been looking for, and they re-

signed him for three years. Gordon Graves and Zoraide Anto round out a complete

rotation. We might see Yasir Bin Lufti this season, though I’d expect either him or Anto to start in the pen.

Seattle also has young rising star Jared Perkins in the bullpen, but, overall, Seattle’s pen is a little weak,

even with the sixth starter in there.

It's been a bumpy ride the last couple years, and I’m expecting Walter, with his injury history and his age

(he’s just 28) to opt out of his current deal to try to sign one more long-term deal. I’d also expect that to

be with Seattle, as they have quite a bit of future cap space and not a lot of absurd contracts coming down

the pipe. But don’t be surprised for him to opt out and Seattle to also opt out. The guys’ been a headache

and a half for them. Good rotation, good offense, weakish pen – 83-85 wins sounds right. That will put

them back into contention for a wild card, which would clearly be just fine with them.



GENERAL MANAGER: Nathan Eagan BALLPARK: King County Complex


VALENCIA STARS

2041 MEDIA GUIDE: Is Haney enough for Valencia to grab their second playoff appearance in both three, and seventeen years? Nobody needs a trade for a top starter more than Valencia, but until then, they ought to be awfully fun to watch. A good bet for a wild card this season, it’ll be fun to see if Valencia can make it, and advance. 2041 PROJECTION: 88 – 74 2041 FINAL RECORD: 85 – 77

On the BBA Highway, the Valencia Stars were legitimately passed by the Vancouver Mounties last season,

who are following the same formula Valencia has but has done a better job of implementing it, I think.

Valencia’s offense is solid but inconsistent, while the Stars are also trying to get by on solid, unspectacular

pitching without Pepe Hernandez. The difference is between these two groups was not only the 12 games

in the standings but that Vancouver is doing a better job of both things. Last year Valencia’s gameplan

was good enough to get them into the second round of the playoffs, dropping California in the Geoghegan.

Will the Stars miss the playoffs altogether this year?

Jose Martinez is the one potential star on this staff, and the big-armed righty

struck out 132 batters in 126 innings. Of course, we’ve been touting Martinez

as a possible top rotation starter for a while, and it hasn’t happened yet.

Replacing Lee McHone was potentially easier than we thought, as the Stars

went out and signed starter Donald Harris, a really nice substitute for the long-

time Valencia, now Charlotte righty. Harris had a very tough 2041 but I think

he’ll bounce back in the friendly confines. Jorge Garcia and Jafar Haamid will

need to keep the ball in the park this year; they combined for 230 major

league innings and 54 homers allowed, which is far too many. I like the

Valencia pen better than they’ve played, I think, though their late-inning work

is fine with Brian Butler and Jorge Martinez a solid 1-2.

Their offense is powered by Aaron Haney and Angel Zalapa. Zalapa got paid this season, and the best

middle infielder in the game (probably – have you seen Lineu Aldo?) put up yet another amazing season.

Haney gets paid after next year, but in two seasons Haney has been unbelievable, posting back to back 7

WAR seasons. Both players might have their names inscribed in Wisconsin when this is all said and done.

You could hardly do better as a third player than CF Ramon Pagan, who is really a corner outfielder. The

Stars let the Curt Love/Kichii Suzuki logjam work itself out the old fashioned way: they let Suzuki walk.

Love needs to play better, now. Ellis Curran had a big rookie season, but I’m just not sure he’s that kind

of player. The rest of the team played at a sub-replacement level, which is how you can just have three

players posting 17.5 WAR in Haney, Zalapa, and Pagan, and still finish with just 19.7 WAR as a team. I

don’t think we’ll see Kenan Reis this year unless Love gets injured, but I also wouldn’t be shocked to see

him up soon after the year begins, since he might be better than Pedro Salazar.

Valencia has done the best they can at this point with their limited resources, but the question is whether

they can overcome the disastrous decision to give Wilton Rivera (one of the players below replacement

level) a hundred million dollars, a decision we lambasted them about at the time. Next year’s cap situation

will force the Stars to part ways with a number of players to stay solvent. With such huge superstars and

a pitching staff that isn’t all that bad in some ways, the Stars should manage to stay above .500 this

season. I’m just not as sold as I thought I was on Valencia, whose 85 wins were three below where I had

them pegged. Let’s fix that projection.



GENERAL MANAGER: Lee Honigsfeld BALLPARK: Honigsfeld Field


LONG BEACH SURFERS

2041 MEDIA GUIDE: The Surfers have a highly overrated farm and not a lot coming any time soon that’s a real

difference maker…I cautioned them to not sell out last year for a big run, and I was wronger than they were; 89 wins is a lot, and Rafael stayed healthy. But the Surfers look like they’re headed for a rebuild around the Bellarussian Bombshell they call “Satan’s Whelp.” 2041 PROJECTION: 74 – 88 2041 FINAL RECORD: 70 – 92

Last year, I confidently picked Long Beach for 88 losses last year, and they exceeded my expectations by

losing 92. It wasn’t the toughest call even though the Long Beach Surfers had posted 11 straight .500

or better seasons. The Surfers had too many bad contracts, too many overachieving players, and too

much wasted space. The Surfers weren’t as good as their 92 losses suggested last year, and while Long

Beach improved nominally this offseason if they’re going to return to respectability, they’re going to need

to improve internally. Did Long Beach do enough this season to start a new

winning streak?

Touting Steve Nebraska Award winner Danya Tchekanov last year was an even

easier call than the losing record. It might not be his last one, as the Russian

righty might be the best pitcher in the BBA. The Surfers also still have Jimmy

Greenwood and Cris Rios, and both players are still solid ballplayers. I think

we’ll see Ernesto Delgado this year, even if not to start the year, but he’s going

to be too good to keep down soon. Interesting concept idea: convert Luis

Manuel Rodriguez into a starting pitcher. I’d say no to this, just because he’s

not a hard thrower already. With him and Francisco Lucero and Diogo Lindt the Surfers’ bullpen is highly

passable. It’s not a bad rotation, but it’s mostly Tchekanov and hope.

Sadly, that’s the best thing I’m going to write about the Surfers. Their offense is borderline pathetic. They

do have a few pieces. Gonzalo Martinez and Pedro Avila both had big years last year, though neither one

of them can play defense. Stalwart Michael Best put up the worst year of his career, but that has as much

to do with him not adjusting to the offense-only Frick last year as anything else; he was fine. Kelile Komen

hit very well last year and is highly regarded. Still, it’s hard to ignore the fact that this team isn’t good

defensively, isn’t good offensively and posted a full-team 7.5 WAR last year. Look for more of the same

this season.

So what to make of the Surfers’ future? Ernesto Delgado and maybe Jorge Alfaro are going to be good

rotation guys behind Tchekanov and they fnally start getting out from under those long-term contenderish

deals in two years. But the Surfers need a lot more than what they have on the team or down on the farm.

In two seasons we might see a bit of a resurgence from this team, but I’d say the Surfers max out at .500

and become a perennial loser for a while. They might be tempted at some moments to deal Tchekanov,

especially when his price tag comes in at $25 million a season in two years, but I think they’ll keep him

and hope for the best. In two years, when Rios and Greenwood are off the roster and their cap number is

$43 million, you’re going to see a bit of a resurgence from this group. For now, you can expect them to

start contending for a top 10 pick.



GENERAL MANAGER: Stephen Lane BALLPARK: Vito Costantino Memorial

Stadium


SAN FERNANDO BEARS

2041 MEDIA GUIDE: The Bears do have some pitching prospects, but they’re a while away. This is exactly the sort

of thing that happens, of course, when you start to have to pay for your players. San Fernando had to make a tough choice on Rafael and will have to make a tough choice on Angel Garcia, at which point their top five players might be earning upwards of $60 or $70 million per season. I think we’ll see the Bears in the playoffs. 2041 PROJECTION: 85 – 77 2041 FINAL RECORD: 75 – 87

Like Long Beach, San Fernando stumbled to a losing record last year, their first since 2032 and just their

second playoff miss during that span. I wasn’t very high on the team last year even while putting them on

a winning record, and while they fell within what I’d call the margin of error last year obviously was

foreseeable. San Fernando’s offseason acquisitions are, to say the least, underwhelming, and some of

their key players don’t look the same this year. Are the Bears about to start hibernating, or is there still

some autumn magic left in them?

No discussion of San Fernando can start without mentioning Angel Garcia, who last year lost about 100

points of OPS in an offensive explosion. Worse, repeated leg and arm injuries appear to be robbing him of

what looked like it could be a Hall of Fame career. If Garcia isn’t the player they thought he was, he’s

certainly not a bargain at $16 million a year. “Superstar” first baseman Tai Hoi Wie has now seen his OPS

drop in three consecutive seasons and has hit less than .270 in each of the past two years; on the wrong

side of 30, he might be running more on reputation than performance. Luis Maldonado posted the second-

lowest WAR total of his career. Considering those are the three highest paid players on the team, San

Fernando might have a problem. The news isn’t all bad: Bin Okorafor and Cris Martinez appear to be

ushering the team into the future nicely, Reggie Vargas had an outstanding half season last year, and the

team isn’t broke at other positions. I’ve seen worse offenses than this.

The problem is that the offense is the good news on this team. Knud Zeitler and

Sergei Hopkins aren’t fit to lead anyone to a playoff spot, though Zeitler was still

valuable and should have trade value. UMEBA transplant RJ Hughes, while probably

a bargain contract, isn’t going to make anyone forget Feliciano Rafael. Al Barton and

Bron Cortez are likely to stick in the majors this year, and they might make the most

of their opportunity, as both pitchers are talented. This feels a little like a

Vancouverish rotation, except that both San Fernando’s pitching depth and bullpen

are absolutely trashed. So far as I can tell, this is the one and only team where no

pitcher outside the rotation is regarded as merely average, and they are a motley

crew, to put it mildly. I might consider taking Carlos Padilla home to mom, but that’s

about it. They may have the worst pitching staff overall in the Frick League.

The offensive “superstar” group above is sucking most of the oxygen out of the cap, and even if they let

Maldonado walk, Wie and Garcia are making $35 million combined. They’re probably worth something like

that, at least for now, though we shudder to think what might happen as they age, especially as the farm

system isn’t exactly robust. At least they were able to part with Juan Mendoza. San Fernando’s offense

will stay at least average, as it did last year, but I think their pitching is problematic enough that we’re

looking at a sure noncontender here. They’d need an amazing performance by their young guys just to

come close. It might take a while until they’ve got it all back together.



GENERAL MANAGER: Randy Weigand BALLPARK: Chico’s Bail Bonds Field


PORTLAND LUMBERJACKS

2041 MEDIA GUIDE: While Rafael might be able to provide some consistency for the team you have to wonder at

the massive long-term gamble they’re taking on him, because this deal is likely unmovable for at least four years. Then again, Chris Wilson has never been afraid to open up his wallet. He’d do better to suck for a while. This team has no farm and no apparent way of getting a farm. They have very few apparent trade assets and nothing much they can do. It’s going to be a long slog in the Northwest for the Lumberjacks, but they knew that from the roster. 2041 PROJECTION: 62 – 100 2041 FINAL RECORD: 60 – 102

The Portland Lumberjacks are trying to take a very roundabout way back to respectability. Juan Mendoza

with two prospects? Yes please. Feliciano Rafael for Mario Guerrer, Ray Verhoeve and a prospect? Sure,

why not? Eight players for three? Yes, please. Nobody thinks that Portland is any closer to contention than

they were ten minutes ago, but they’re sure entertaining to watch. If you squint enough and their

prospects come to fruition, you can see respectability simmering below the surface, though, and maybe

that’s what they’re going for. Is Portland going to start avoiding 90-loss seasons soon, or are they doomed

to the cellar for years to come?

Portland is really almost three pitchers towards a major league rotation. Let’s start with Ray Verhoeve,

who I like a lot, and who could post a much better second season than his first one. Prospects Francisco

Franco and Terrence Kelly both have some promise, too. In a year, that could be a legitimate 1-2-3 in a

rotation (though more like a 1A-3-3). Journeyman Alejandro Soto was acceptable last year. Alas, that is

all Portland has right now in the way of pitching, as the entire pitching staff combined couldn’t get above

replacement level and may have overperformed.

The offense is a little better than the pitching, fortunately. Mendoza was his consistent self last year, and

Portland is absorbing the overpay. Remember when Mario Guerrer was one of the most feared players in

the BBA? It doesn’t seem like that long ago; he’s dropped to merely good. Same with Lionel Crepin, who

has fallen further than that; he has a negative WAR in each of the last two years. Paco Diaz will now try

to draw walks for the Lumberjacks. Second year players Jorge Lopez and Tomas Valadez are the holdover

leaders in wins above replacement with about 2 WAR each. Who’s the all-time leader in Portland at-bats?

Defensive stud Jaime Ramirez, who gets a $650,000 payout for winning the Sawyer Silk that he shall

never receive. They should have made it $5 million. Portland’s offense could get a boost from rookie Matt

Normore, who is likely to lead the team in WAR if he gets full playing time – he can really hit.

The Lumberjacks are one of the few teams in the league with a perfect 100

fan interest and are certainly intriguing to watch. They’re a little bit of a victim

of the offensive explosion, but otherwise they have the retreads, has-beens,

and never-weres typical of an expansion team. There’s nothing much to say

about this group except that they’ve got a long road ahead of them to

respectability. To their credit, they haven’t made it any longer. Guerrer will

probably be declined at $18 million, and the cap looks fairly clear after 2044.

Maybe by then they’ll have found a way to contend.



GENERAL MANAGER: Chris Wilson BALLPARK: The Trail in Multnomah


HEARTLAND DIVISION

YELLOW SPRINGS NINE 103 – 59

LOUISVILLE SLUGGERS 91 – 71

CHICAGO BLACK SOX 84 – 78

NASHVILLE BLUEBIRDS 82 – 80

OMAHA HAWKS 78 – 84

MADISON WOLVES 76 – 86

DES MOINES KERNELS 74 – 88

TWIN CITIES RIVER MONSTERS 69 – 93


FL Heartland Preview

Last year I wrote “Welcome to your annual snoozefest, where the world plays for second place and Yellow Springs sits comfortably in first place, a dozen

games or more ahead.” Well, the Pythagorean records might have said this, but Yellow Springs only won this division by five games. I’m still not imagining the

Nine could be beaten in the FL Heartland, but, hey, stranger things have happened. Not many that I can think of off the top. They will have some

interesting decisions to make on Ernesto Ramos and others this year, but beating them this year seems like a fairly tall task.

So, what does the hierarchy look like after Yellow Springs now? Louisville still seems as if they’ve established themselves nicely in second place, but Omaha,

a 90-game winner in 2040, was a huge letdown last year. I don’t know that they’re going to get all the way back this year, though I do have them pegged

for a reasonable season rather than the insanity that ensued for that team last year.

Nashville took their place, but I’m absolutely not sold on the Bluebirds being an

obvious playoff team in 2042. If it happens again, well, feel free to lay the smack down about how doubting Recte for any amount of time is stupid. Still,

90 wins is 90 wins, and Nashville was leading this division as late as August, so maybe I’m just not seeing it.

Biggest letdown last year other than Omaha was definitely Chicago, though.

Chicago had a Pythagorean record (90 wins) better than two-thirds of the

league, but finished a disappointing 81-81. All the sabermetrics people suggest they’ll be contending this year, and I’m on board with that.

The rest? Madison is just not good enough, though their offense looks pretty

solid. Twin Cities’ rebuilding effort is starting to bear fruit, but it’s not precisely a packed tree. And, yes, Des Moines is absolutely still Des Moines.

Until anything changes, the division runs through Ohio. That doesn’t guarantee

playoff success, though, as we saw. The top of this division is a legitimate minefield.


YELLOW SPRINGS NINE

2041 MEDIA GUIDE: The only thing that could start derailing them is injuries to their top pitchers, which would probably put them back into the sort of 90-win mode where they have to work for a wild card. Bottom line: Yellow Springs is going to be very good now, later, and in the future, and woe to anyone who has to play in their division. 2041 PROJECTION: 108 – 54 2041 FINAL RECORD: 98 – 64

Yellow Springs didn’t exactly run away with the Frick League Heartland last year – until they did – despite

finishing first in runs and first in runs allowed, a very rare double. Their Pythagorean record was 104-

58, pretty much in line with where I imagined them and eleven games better than the Louisville Sluggers,

who finished second. Despite blitzing to the FL Pennant by winning all eight of their games in two rounds,

and giving their best efforts to give Lucas McNeill and the franchise their first title, however, they fell

short, losing in seven games to Edmonton in the Landis. McNeill is 35 this year and a pending free agent,

and with a potentially crippling Ernesto Ramos extension pending, there’s no way the Nine can bring him

back. Can the Nine get their MVP a Landis before they lose him?

If you’re predicted to win 108, were supposed to win 104, take the first seed in the

Frick and finish first in offense and pitching – what is there to write but wow! So,

rather than harp upon who the Nine have, I’ll take a more in-depth look as to what

the team might start to look like, soon. As mentioned, the Ramos extension will be

no doubt absurd, as the veteran righty will want to cash in on his unrestricted free

agent status. They could choose to cut ties with him, as they do have the outstanding

Carlos Combo: Valle and Pineda. Tomas Ramirez is ready to fill a third starter spot,

and I’m sure that they could find a fifth starter to fill the void after Luis Colon, who

had been very good up until last year and who last year was just fine.

Still, it’s hard to imagine them losing Ramos this when they have so many outstanding hitting prospects

coming up; you’d think they could find some middle ground here. Let’s put Ramos right at $20 million,

which might be low based on recent numbers. To make $20 million on their cap would be a breeze;

based on what I’m seeing in their organization, I could make $30 million by cutting ties with Luis Costello,

declining on Andy McKinney (who probably won’t be $6.6 million) and Abdeljilill Sediki (who might be).

Juan Lopez probably won’t cost $2.5 million either. Based on their current numbers, I could imagine

their cap number going from their current $96.6 million down to as low as $80 million just by losing

Costello and McKinney, both expendable, and as low as $70 million or less. That’s maybe still not enough

to keep McNeill and Ramos, but given their structural advantages they should be okay with that.

That’s not even to mention the slew of top prospects coming up in the next couple years: Bret Powers,

Blaine Tyler, Bruce McKinley, Arvin Duggan, and Robert Chenoweth, the latter of whom looks at this

point like the heir apparent to McNeill. That’s five positions, some rare (McKinley is a catcher, Duggan

is a slick-fielding CF), filled for peanuts over the next couple years. They also have some outstanding

relief prospects and some more marginal prospects coming down the pipe, too. You’d have to think if

they could get a taker for Curt Phillips, they might trade him.

In other words, there’s stuff to be done. The most difficult decision Yellow Springs will have to make is

on Ramos, who is going to make a mint. The next most difficult decision is where to go for lunch. I’m

suggesting they’re going to feast on the Frick League yet again.


FRICK LEAGUE – HEARTLAND DIVISION

GENERAL MANAGER: Ron Collins BALLPARK: Utopia Field


LOUISVILLE SLUGGERS

2041 MEDIA GUIDE: Louisville will be aided this year by the development of top prospect James

Browning, who should joing the rotation at some point this year. Louisville’s time is now, however, and they are one of the primary threats to Yellow Springs’ dominance. I have no reservations putting the Sluggers on a wild card this year, and it should make for some interesting times with Yellow Springs as the two teams are young powerhouses. 2041 PROJECTION: 93 – 69 2041 FINAL RECORD: 93 – 69

Louisville was as good as projected. Along with Nashville, the Sluggers gave a solid challenge to

the Yellow Springs Nine before eventually falling off the pace. Louisville was able to easily win

their first-round matchup against Nashville, but ran into the Yellow Springs steamroller in the

Doubleday. However, they continued their remarkable resurgence, posting their second straight

90-win season. With the return of Augusto Sanchez, the Sluggers appear to be primed for another

run towards the postseason. Is there anything that can stop Louisville from grabbing one of the

six playoff spots in the Frick League?

Sanchez does not appear to have come back quite the same pitcher he was before the injury, but

he’s probably still the best arm on the Louisville staff for now. They’d have to be a little crazy to

not at least try him back in the rotation to start, though he’s been designated a reliever. Hector

Amaral and Armando Feliciano are the nominal 1-2 of this staff, and while we’ve seen better they

should be solid and keep the team in ballgames. Feliciano could be very special if he gets his

changeup. We’re a fan of James Browning, too, but they’re going to need to be careful not to

blow out his arm; he’s just 21 years young. Nobody has more rotation depth than the Sluggers,

as in addition to these four they have Egbert Behner (who has aged), Stan Palacios, and Ken

Bates. The Sluggers may also have a fine late-inning combination in Emanuele Mercati and Juan

Pinto, but the two are raw and inexperienced at the major league level. Louisville finished eighth

in pitching last year, and it wouldn’t shock me to see that again, especially in an extreme hitter’s

park like Louisville’s.

It would surprise me to see Louisville’s offense fall much further than the third place finish they

had last year, however. Semei Kwakou gets all the press, but it was rookie Theo Bourges who

led the Frick League in OPS and slugging percentage. Rafael Gutierrez is a capable

leadoff man, and Ronnie Hubbard has been consistently outstanding on both sides

of the diamond for three years now. Adding perennial Yogi Zimmer-winner Yancy

Cravat only makes an outstanding defense better. Calvin Johnson might take Jose

Alba’s job at catcher if Alba doesn’t repeat again, or even if he does. This offense

definitely gets help from their ballpark, but they’re a good group regardless.

The Sluggers did have one of the top farms in the game, but all of those players

are in the big leagues now. They do still have Donald Miller down on the farm, who

could probably take over for Hugh Mangrouthhormone tomorrow. Louisville does

have some cap-breaking contracts coming up before 2044 if they’re not careful, but none of them

are likely to activate. The really tricky part will come in the season of 2044, when the Sluggers

will have to re-sign team centerpieces Kwakou, Hubbard and Gutierrez. Based on their recent

success and their cap-savvy contracts, I think they’ll work it out. For the time being, get used to

talking about Louisville as a perennial contender.



GENERAL MANAGER: Stephen Shaw BALLPARK: Kentucky Truck Plant Stadium


CHICAGO BLACK SOX

2041 MEDIA GUIDE: The Black Sox have some structural salary issues, but the worst problem they have is that

their top prospects are largely blocked at the major league level. The Black Sox have a pretty good team that could surely contend for a wild card, and if they’re willing to take a defensive downgrade that would likely go faster. At this point, with the offensive weakness, it’s hard to endorse them for any better than around .500 this season. 2041 PROJECTION: 81 – 81 2041 FINAL RECORD: 81 – 81

Chicago had a +99 run differential last year, but finished with just 81 wins. It’s worth noting that Seattle,

last year, had a -10 in Pythagorean record and Chicago’s was just a meager -9, but I had to look up the last

time a team had that big a run differential and didn’t have a winning record. Newsflash: that’s a never.

Here’s a “short” list of winning teams that Chicago outperformed in this way: New Orleans, Montreal, Charm

City, Mexico City, Nashville, California, Valencia, Seattle, and Hawaii. And you thought California was a little

snakebitten. Chicago clearly has the horses to win. What’s holding them back?

It's not their offensive output. Chicago’s park was always going to depress run production, but the Black

Sox also finished third in the Frick League in home runs and second with a robust 742 free passes, about

four per game. That’s what led to their 8th place finish in runs scored, though one could

imagine that in a neutral park Chicago might have challenged the leaders in the Frick

League. Mark Simpson, in a revival year for the potential Hall of Famer, paced the circuit

with 159 walks, the second highest total ever in the BBA. (Simpson now ranks 20th all

time in walks and is likely to finish in the top ten ever.) But it’s telling that in over 300

times in base, Simpson scored just 125 runs, including 36 homers. Some of that was

because Chicago was playing salary games last year; Hao Hang and Aarnoud Budding

were both very good in partial major league seasons. It’s not all good news for Chicago;

Fernando Reyes will probably fall off last year’s pace, and Miguel Valdez isn’t likely to

approach Mark Wareham’s totals. But, this is a good group that should continue to finish near the middle.

The Black Sox pitching staff finished third in the league in runs allowed, and for all the bluster about star

pitcher Amayas Moelling, it was Louisville retread Pepe Jaramillo who had the biggest year for the Black

Sox. Moelling is still waiting for a huge breakout year, as the extraordinarily talented righty now has back-

to-back years of a 3.2 WAR. Juan Nicto could bounce back, you could hardly do better than young lefty

David Bates and big-armed righty Luis Gonzales to be your fourth and fifth starters, and Manuel Pena is also

outstanding rotation depth. The late inning pair of Gilberto Sosa and Francisco Salgado lead a solid bullpen

that should perform very well this year.

The Black Sox aren’t going to get a ton of help from their minor leagues this year, and that’s just as well,

as the major league squad is pretty good. The Black Sox have no apparent salary issues short or long term

at this point. They’d do well to try to lock starting pitchers Moelling and Luis Gonzales up to long-term deals,

and they could probably do so right now if they were willing to go above their arbitration numbers. Overall,

former GM Vic Caleca was guiding a well-run franchise before unceremoniusly resigning. Enter new GM

Benedetta “Benny” Vitale, sister-in-law to Chicago owner Vinnie Vitale. The club should have no problem

finishing near or above .500 this year, and as far as I can tell have no actual cap, especially if they make a

deal for an impact bat. I’m splitting the difference between their record and their performance, but they

could be a lot better than the number I have below. They’re not better than Yellow Springs, but don’t be

surprised to see them finish above the Pacific winner or even Louisville.



GENERAL MANAGER: Benedetta Vitale BALLPARK: Black Sox Park


NASHVILLE BLUEBIRDS

2041 MEDIA GUIDE: The Bluebirds aren’t likely to get a lot of help from their mid-ranked farm this season, and they might not want it. Not a title contender, it’s not impossible to imagine Nashville contending for a wild card as late as September. With virtually no star power on the ballclub, I just don’t see them getting there. 2041 PROJECTION: 75 – 87 2041 FINAL RECORD: 90 – 72

Despite what you might think (Weiner picks against Recte! Commish Fight!), I

actually consider the Nashville miss a lot less significant than my miss on Omaha.

What I wrote held perfectly: Nashville is a team without stars. Nashville had zero

position players or pitchers with more than a 4 WAR, and only three players had a 3

WAR or better. However, the sum of the parts was so much better than expected,

the Bluebirds not only finished with their first winning record since 2025, but made

the playoffs for the first time in that same time span. Can Nashville’s team concept

continue their success, or was last year a fortunate fluke?

Nashville’s offense might have the ability to repeat their 5th place finish last year,

but I’m going to pledge caution. Catcher Alberto Rodriguez was the one player on the Bluebirds with as much

as 4 WAR last year, and he took a quantum leap from his rookie season muddling; he’s the real thing. Gipper

Kengos is, too: he’s doing his daddy proud. However, it’s entirely possible that Ernesto Sousa and William

Wood aren’t as outstanding as their 2041 numbers. Alonso Olvere also isn’t likely to repeat. It’s possible that

Tony Frost improves, or not. I think we’ve seen the best we’re going to see from Kidane Ata. In other words,

there’s a real possibility that many players fall back. That said: Nashville had a 22 WAR last year and if the

lineup averages about 2 WAR each that’s easily reachable again. It even seems likely, as nearly every player

I mentioned is an above average, excellent, or stellar defensive player.

The pitching staff is led by Eru Likiliki, who really has been a very consistent 1.A type starter for a long time

in the BBA. However, like the offense, it appears the Nashville pitching staff overachieved last year. Nashville

had eleven pitchers with at least a 1.0 WAR last year, which is easily the most in the BBA. Nearly everyone

who could do well did do well for the Bluebirds last year, and while that has something to do with their

outstanding defensive alignment it’s also because they were just plain lucky. The Bluebirds did recognize

that, signing 29-game winner Edris Mtume but he got hurt in spring training. I have my doubts as to whether

they can be quite that effective in 2042.

Nashville has a few solid pitching prospects now, though only maybe Chris Moran might help this season,

and not much in the way of hitting prospects left on the farm; they’re all in the majors now. Projecting a

team like this is always fraught with peril, because if there are a lot of decent players they could catch

lightning in a bottle, like last year. I think I was genuinely too pessimistic last year based on the fact that

they’d lost so many stars, but I also think this team hit its win cap last year. Five games of falloff seems

right at the very least, but keep in mind this is a median projection and can go either way.



GENERAL MANAGER: Matt Rectenwald BALLPARK: Les Paul Field


OMAHA HAWKS

2040 MEDIA GUIDE: In 2041, Omaha appears to be a legitimate contender so long as their pitching

staff continues to impress. They don’t have the chips to go out and get another player, so they’re pretty much stuck where they are. Where are they? I’m imagining the Hawks with 90 wins again and a shot at the crown, and I think they’ll take that. 2040 PROJECTION: 90 – 72 2040 FINAL RECORD: 63 – 99

I think that Omaha might legitimately be my biggest miss ever. (Unkind observers will bring up

2040 Seattle, but I’ll remind you that Seattle was -10 in Pythagorean record.) In all the time I

have done these previews, I cannot remember a team I was so certain would compete for a wild

card, even a pennant, that was so viciously and thoroughly thrashed by the league. So how did

I blow this one so badly? Let’s take a solid look.

What I said about Omaha’s hitting: Home runs are the headline, and hitting over 300 of them

mattered. Oh, and Emilio Morales is amazing.

What actually happened: The team still hit almost 300 homers, but they were so abysmal at

doing everything else they fell to last in the league in OBP, were atrocious at drawing walks, and

in a year where offense exploded, they hit .259 as a team. That’s not going to get it done, and

their 14th place finish made that even more obvious. James Monger quietly finished ahead of

Morales in WAR for the second time in three years, and was the only Omaha regular to finish with

at least a league average OBP. While Morales’ .296/.332/.553 line with 39 homers was still

outstanding, it wasn’t what we’re used to from the superstar. Orlando Ordonez fell backwards as

swiftly as he launched forward in 2040. The team also hit remarkably few doubles and while they

stole 188 bases at a reasonable 73% clip, it wasn’t an impressive year for the Omaha offense.

What I said about Omaha’s pitching: I was surprised they finished fourth in the Frick League in

runs allowed, thought Jose Lima would fall back, wasn’t bullish on Timo Dooley, and didn’t like

their bullpen.

What actually happened: Kinda all that, and in the worst possible way. Clulow looked

much worse last year than in 2040, Dooley was just okay and couldn’t strike out

anyone at the major league level, Lima turned in a ghastly 5-15, 6.27 line that

looked somewhat worse than it was, and the bullpen as a whole unit ranked below

replacement, which is pretty bad in a league that averaged 5.5 runs a game last

year.

A very famous bettor once said, don’t judge a team by a blowout: the team that

won is the same team they were before the blowout, and the team that lost is, too.

Omaha suffered a pretty dramatic blowout last year. They’ve still got what looks like an above-

average offense and an okay rotation, and that’s usually enough to finish around .500 in any

league. They also improved somewhat by adding Virgil Shaffer (and may have by adding Mario

Deortez). The Hawks still aren’t getting any help from the farm and don’t have a lot of goodness

in the bullpen, but I still think this projection’s maybe a little low. As a median, though, it’ll do.



GENERAL MANAGER: Justin Niles BALLPARK: Hawks Field


MADISON WOLVES

2041 MEDIA GUIDE: Madison finally has some cap space, but didn’t do a lot with it this offseason. That’s good, because they’ll need to figure out how to start extending some of their top young players, like Torres, Hale, and Quicker. In two years from now their cap number drops to near minimum levels, so they should start adding pitching

to this team as soon as next year. I’ve seen stranger things happen than a team with three weird starters and a great offense make the playoffs, but there’s very little to suggest this team will do so, even if they lead the BBA in offense this year. 2041 PROJECTION: 74 – 88 2041 FINAL RECORD: 79 – 83

It’s not often that the loss of a closer changes the nature of a preview. Closers are fairly fungible; they come

in with a lead, they pitch an inning, and occasionally they screw it up. But Belchior Barracas was second in

WAR on a weak pitching staff last year, and whatever optimism you might be feeling for the Madison Wolves

might have gone out the window with his departure. Madison is a team built on a powerful offense, but they

still need someone to throw the darn ball. Madison’s payroll is one of the lowest in the BBA, yet the team,

with a $110 million budget and max cash, couldn’t find the offer button this offseason for any pitching. Can

Madison win with massive offense and a minimum of arms?

I don’t mean to say that Madison is totally devoid of pitching. Yorikane Miyamoto looks to be a really solid

starter and could improve. But it says volumes when low-endurance, no results Martin Torres is your #2

starter. And that’s all the good news; the rest of the Madison rotation is trashed. Options include: Santiago

Perez, Antonio Rodriguez, Han-Lee Kim, and Jose Garcia (who might be the best of a bad group) and if

that’s your rotation, you don’t have one. They could try Jaime Herrera, Lorenzo Solis, or Axel DiGusti, too.

Herrera could turn into a really nice starter, but the rest of these guys are retreads. Herrera and Castagna

and Solis should all be okay in the pen, but none of them are standouts.

It’s a shame, too, because Madison’s lineup is really good, even if at times they

didn’t play like it. It makes sense: Madison’s park might be the hardest park in

the BBA to hit a home run, and while batting average is helped there it’s going

to be hard for this team specifically to lead the league in runs. Salvador Allende

is one of the league’s better shortstops and Manobu Shimizu could be even

better than the 3-4-5 monster he was last year. Andrew Torres is due for a new

deal soon, and they should probably pay the man. Literally all nine of Madison’s

starters are ranked above average, and that includes names like Ross Quicker,

Natanael Barral, Madison only finished sixth in the league in offense, though,

which might lead some observers to believe they’re not that good. Don’t be

fooled. They’re clearly more talented than Nashville and Seattle and could lead the league in offense at any

moment.

And they’ll have to do it. The Wolves really have very little pitching, and don’t have any prospects to go out

and buy one. It’s not like Roberto Gracia was the savior of this team either. It’s hard to project a team like

this. They could go out there and score 1000 runs and give up 1000 runs and finish with 90 wins or 90

losses. I think their ballpark will hold them back enough that they once again finish below .500 this season.



GENERAL MANAGER: Mike Simon BALLPARK: Shotz Stadium


DES MOINES KERNELS

2041 MEDIA GUIDE: This year, I think Des Moines could finish around the middle in offense and

somewhere near 10th in pitching, and from the luck they’ve been having lately that could propel them to a winning record. Don’t count on it. If you have read this space before you know that the only way that I ever predict a winning record for the Des Moines Kernels is if I get hit solidly in the head first, and my head’s fine. They’ve had two winning seasons since 2014. I’ll show some cautious optimism for them by putting them on less than 90 losses for the first time since 2037. 2041 PROJECTION: 73 – 89

2041 FINAL RECORD: 77 – 85

For the second straight season, Des Moines has led the BBA in WAR added, and, last year, Des

Moines held to my prediction by losing just 87 games, marking the fourth time in the last decade

they have not lost 90 games. Like last year, quite a bit of the addition is by

subtraction, so it’s hard to say how much the Kernels have improved, especially

since their biggest add, Kiichi Suzuki, is coming off a career year. I’m not especially

bullish on the Kernels this year, and while some of that is the loss of Greg Palmer,

who at 22 years old has now had two major arm surgeries, some of it is just general

unreadiness to take the next step. Can Des Moines prove me wrong this time?

While Palmer’s injury could devastate some franchises, Des Moines’ pitching farm is

so strong that they may be able to shrug it off. Don Smith, who many thought was

rushed to the majors, had a superstar-quality season last year. Juan Garcia is a fine

#2 starter on this team, with now two consecutive winning seasons under his belt. I’m a little

skeptical about Tsunesaburo Hashimoto, as most pitchers don’t make the sort of leap the team

wants at age 25, but maybe he could do it. They added solid rotation starter Carlos Rodriguez

this offseason at a very reasonable $2.5 million, and they have a few players in the pen who can

pitch a little, but mostly this is the Don Smith show. The Kernels are also showing uncharacteristic

patience with potential superstar prospect Timmy Karnes.

The Kernels’ offense wasn’t a strong group last year, and there are some signs that it may weaken

this year. Angel De Castillo had his typically rock-solid year, winning his third straight Golden

Bat. Lucio De La Cruz did learn to hit a major league fastball, as he was one of the most improved

players in either league with a .316/.369/.624 slashline from last year. Jorge Aranda could be a

big deal for this team this year. Suzuki might be a lot better player than I think, too, coming from

Valencia; he’s certainly talented. Alan Williamson continues to be a poor man’s Wareham. I have

very notable doubts about Hector Cruz’s ability to bounce back to a 3 WAR, however, and Marcus

Forryan had a career year last year too.

In Karnes, the Kernels may have the #1 prospect in the BBA if – and stop me if you’ve heard me

say this before – he gets his changeup. But Des Moines has a lot of positive things to reflect upon

in 2042. Their cap situation is really okay, for both the long and short term. They’re making

money. Their team isn’t all bad. I’m just not sold on any single part of this group right now

except Smith, who they will be able to sign when he comes up as a free agent in 2046. Des

Moines hasn’t made the playoffs since the Bush Administration, but stranger things have

happened than a team like this rising up to 85 wins and a wild card. I don’t see it at all, but the

ball takes funny bounces in a 32 team league.



GENERAL MANAGER: Edward Murphy BALLPARK: Patrick D. Tillman Memorial Park


TWIN CITIES RIVER MONSTERS

2041 MEDIA GUIDE: Even if the offense were rock-solid this team is doomed, because they don’t have a pitching staff. Yes, they do have Dan Woodside, who sticks out like a diamond among coal, and you could do a lot worse for starting pitchers than Ragnar Lothbrok or Jerry Coyle…They should get back into the black this year and have a number of prospects worth attention on both sides of the diamond. For now, they’re playing for draft position, and they should do nicely playing that game this year.


Twin Cities is now in year three of a multi-year rebuilding program, and the early results are basically what

you’d expect: 194 losses the last two years, a highly questionable pitching staff, and a farm system that

while improving hasn’t had quite enough time to catch up yet. They’ve managed to work themselves down

to the #4 spot in the draft, and nobody reasonably sane is putting them on a winning record right now. So,

let’s check in with the major league team and we’ll examine the rebuild.

Twin Cities’ pitching staff leaves a lot to be desired at this point, which is not

surprising: we’ve had poor drafts for pitching and while Twin Cities has been

attempting to draft pitchers whenever possible they’re simply not ready yet. On the

diamond, Twin Cities’ top starter is journeyman Josh Brown, who’s not going to

make anyone forget Chris Kelly. Righty Ragnar Lothbrok can’t be called a

journeyman, but he’s average, at best. Rookie Juan Valdes has a lot of promise, but

he’s going to need a little more spring in his step. The rest of the rotation has major

warts. Their bullpen is still good, on the other hand, especially closer Dan Woodside.

Setup man Juan Cerda has something to prove this year after a tough rookie

campaign, and he should find a way to do it.

Offensively, I’ve seen worse teams than this, to be sure. Twin Cities was reasonably competitive on offense

last year, scoring 5 runs a game during the offensive explosion. Mark Wareham was their big offseason

signing, and the solid fielding shortstop is still valuable. First baseman Jose Cordero and DH Jose Calderon

could improve off solid rookie campaigns in 2041 if few more baseballs land where they ain’t. Ricardo Aragon

finally had a season above replacement level, and it’s possible that the River Monsters’ patience with him

has paid off. There’s a legitimate battle at catcher, where Joe Bradshaw and Parker Davenport are both good,

young catchers. Outfielder Jorge Gutierrez looks to be a solid regular, and did shine a bit in a late-season

callup last year. Again, there are worse offenses than this, and while they’re a bit weak defensively it’s

probably not their biggest concern right now.

The River Monsters are starting to build a solid farm system, and many of their current major leaguers are

very young, so the rebuild appears to be going well. Just about any team could use a pitching prospect like

Julian Duran, and the team also has Brian King, Ramon Guerrero, and the intriguing Lenny Peron. Most of

their offensive core is 22 years old or younger at this point. They’re 29th in player payroll, are flush with cash

and have every opportunity to turn this thing around. It’ll take a bit more time for the River Monsters to be

contenders, but I like what they’ve done with the place. It’s a little bit cozier and a little bit easier on the

eyes for Minnesotans to watch. Without much of a pitching staff it’s hard to recommend this team for a

sneaky rise or even a puncher’s chance at a wild card, but I’m moving their projection up a bit. They beat

my number last year, too.



GENERAL MANAGER: Scott Piccoli BALLPARK: Land O’ Lakes Ballpark

ATLANTIC DIVISION

2042 PREDICTED STANDINGS

ROCKVILLE PIKEMAN 95 - 67

NEW ORLEANS CRAWDADS 93 - 69

CHARM CITY JIMMIES 92 - 70

MONTREAL BLAZERS 86 - 76

ATLANTIC CITY GAMBLERS 81 - 81

BROOKLYN ROBINS 75 - 87

CHARLOTTE COUGARS 66 - 96

JACKSONVILLE HURRICANES 65 - 97


JL Atlantic Preview

Writing in Rockville as the division winner in this division is just the way things have gone for the

last half-decade – longer, really, as the Pikemen have won a record 7 straight JL Atlantic titles. (Since we’re still calling it the JL Atlantic we can probably look back.) It wasn’t that long ago

that a different team won this division every year, so for Rockville to have done this is impressive.

However, Rockville has been bleeding talent for the last several years and just lost former Sawyer Silk Award winner Francisco Flores, one of the few players that Rockville couldn’t afford

to lose. Flores reportedly wanted out so badly he took less money from the Brooklyn Robins, which surprised a lot of people. Fortunately for the Pikemen, they still have their top three

starters, a potential rising star in reliever Danny Leach, and several outstanding, young players and will be competitive for the division title again. They have some slack to work with: they won this thing by ten games last year.

Who could take the Pikemen out for the first time in a while? New Orleans could, if their pitching

comes back healthy and whole; they had a huge number of pitcher injuries last year. They have a good lineup and added Jared Gillstrom this offseason, so it’s going to come down to healthy pitchers for them. Brooklyn, who signed Flores, might be considered, but they’re starting from

88 losses last year so it’s questionable as to how much Flores improved them. Charm City is going to need a healthy Feliciano Rafael, a better Luis Rojas, and a little more production from a

young offense to seriously contend, but you can see we think it’ll happen. Two other teams finished near .500 last year, Montreal and Atlantic City. Montreal had the Joe

Gillstrom Award winner last year in Lineu Aldo, but they need their pitching staff to step up and play better this year if they’re going to have a shot. Atlantic City had the Sawyer Silk Award

winner last year in young Juan Rivera, who looks to be a superstar in this league, but they’re going to need some help from their supporting cast and a solid year from big signing Kevin Morales for them to be contenders this year.

Wondering what happened to Jacksonville? Well, poor management and aging has led to a

downfall for this Sunshine State team, as the Hurricanes just aren’t the same caliber team they’ve been in the past. They might not lose 95 games, though. And Charlotte, poor Charlotte, are just not ready for prime time, but that’s the price of expansion.

This has been Rockville’s division for quite some time, but, of course, the Pikemen have had to

start paying for all of their players. There’s a new crop to pay for and their pitchers are aging, so they won’t have a grasp on it permanently. Could this be the year that some team topples Rockville?


ROCKVILLE PIKEMEN

2041 MEDIA GUIDE: Bing-De Zhao could be a future Diamond Glove winner at first…I don’t see any chance Vicente Archuleta repeats his 2040 performance at the plate and he is a huge liability at the hot corner…Rockville will trade OF Lorenzo Palacios this season for SP prospects. 2041 PROJECTION: 95 – 67 2041 FINAL RECORD: 99 – 63

THE SKINNY Rockville was one of the teams last year that I had beginning to fall off and actually losing the division last year to New Orleans. I may have been a year or so off. Rockville won 99 games last year and even the loss of Francisco Flores may not keep Rockville from repeating yet again and winning their 8th straight division title. The Big Three of Dempster, Cannon and Martin had their typical fantastic seasons on the mound that fans have come to expect. However, the window appears to be closing come 2043, as Dempster becomes a free agent, while Cannon and star outfielder Lorenzo Palacios both hold player options after the 2043 season.

For now though, it appears to be somewhat business as usual in Rockville, something the rest of Atlantic Division isn’t happy to hear.

2B Daniel Pepper

My oh my! Pepper came

on and impressed (5.7 WAR in only 75 games!) last season,

resulting in a Sawyer Silk Award campaign for the rookie. What

will the star do as an encore in his first full season?

P Rogerio Vazquez

For the second straight year, Vazquez showed that his

best seasons are behind him. He put up a 5.86 ERA last year, going

12-6 and is likely on his last season in the BBA in 2042.

C Felipe Mercado

Mercado has huge shoes to fill with the departure of Francisco Flores via free agency. Mercado hasn’t embarrassed himself in limited time and could put up

nearly 3.0 WAR in a full season behind the plate this year.

Not a lot of help coming from the farm as Rockville may get help in

2042 from Falchonelli but otherwise, there are no arms

coming up that look to make an impact in 2042.

2042 PREDICTION

I don’t expect Rockville to perform much different from last year, and that’s a good thing for their fans. I see 95 wins and another division

title for the Pikemen in 2042.

95 - 66

Pepper falls very short in his “encore” performance, only

accumulating a 2.0 WAR.

JOHNSON LEAGUE – ATLANTIC DIVISION

GENERAL MANAGER: Aaron Weiner BALLPARK: Owen’s Ordinary


NEW ORLEANS CRAWDADS

2041 MEDIA GUIDE: Have no fear Crawdad fans, New Orleans has an excellent catcher ready to prove himself in

21-year-old Pedro Gomez…Sign me up as a non-believer in Jerry Pacy. The 24-year-old lefty posted his second straight season with an ERA under 3.55 but I am not falling for it this year…New Orleans wins the Atlantic Division, unseating Rockville for the first time in 7 seasons. 2041 PROJECTION: 98 – 64 2041 FINAL RECORD: 89 – 74

THE SKINNY New Orleans was a squad I thought was going to do big things in 2041, as I had them unseating Rockville and while I was wrong on that, they didn’t completely disappoint as they did make the postseason. They’ve lost a combined 5.7 WAR between Shafer and Cravit leaving for free agency but have been quick in replacing the lost production. They signed Justin Jackson to a four-year mega deal to replace Shafer and also traded with Boise to pick up the option on Jared Gillstrom. The addition to the offense was needed,

as the Crawdads finished 12th in the Johnson in runs scored last year in the Johnson. Pitching has been very strong (4th-best ERA in the Johnson), but also very injury prone. Jim Armstrong and Albert Rodriguez are both youngsters coming off injuries which required a torn something or another to be repaired, which is obviously concerning.

OF Juan Donestevez

This guy is going to be

good. He can not only field, but he can hit among the best against righties. Look for Donestevez to

contend in the ROTY awards as he bats .300 with a 30 stolen bases and a .375 on base percentage.

IF Jared Gillstrom

Count me among one of the few who think Gillstrom is

going to fall flat this year. He’s 37 and had a tougher time at the

plate last year than any year in his career and his fielding ability is

fading fast.

1B Raul Fernandez

He’s not on the roster yet, but I expect Fernandez to become the everyday first baseman quickly

in 2042. Fernandez has the best glove at first and proved he can hit

last season in AAA.

Besides the Fernandez and Donestevez, Jose Sanchez at SS is will make an impact and on the

mound, Navarez is just waiting in AAA for his opportunity and

Cristian Garcia is still a “prospect” as well. Wow.

2042 PREDICTION

While New Orleans is loaded with prospects who will make an

impact, I am not going to make the mistake and put them over

Rockville like 2041.

93 - 69

Jim Armstrong pitches less than 150 innings this year, and while they are effective innings, it will ultimately wind up costing him votes in the Nebraska Award.


GENERAL MANAGER: Jim Roberts BALLPARK: Huckfeldt Memorial Stadium


CHARM CITY JIMMIES

2041 MEDIA GUIDE: A relatively quiet offseason should allow this young team a chance to inch closer to 90 as their kids become men…the rotation still appears to be the weakness for this club despite the anchor that is Jorge Nevarez… Charm City returns to the postseason for the first time in 7 years.


THE SKINNY I was higher on the Jimmies than some last year, but I wasn’t expecting a drop in wins from 2040 to 2041. Starting pitching was a clear weakness in Charm City last season, ranking 13th in the Johnson. Enter Felicano Rafael. The club basically lost nothing this off-season of value and is for the youth movement to start full swing with Shiplack, Guillen, Akbulut, and Toledo. And those are just the position players.

Look for Charm City to claw their way into a mid-nineties win total and compete for a division crown with Rockville and New Orleans.

SS Wilson Andrade

We could go so many

different ways here, but Andrade seems the right one to highlight.

At only 21, he’ll have every opportunity to shine this season.

Expect over 5.0 WAR from Andrade due to his batting and

fielding skills.

P Feliciano Rafael

Call me skeptical, but I don’t think Rafael is going to be worth $20M in any season. The

money doesn’t hurt the club in ‘42 with room on the payroll, but he is going to fade fast. If his 5.77 ERA

after July last year is any indication, expect this year’s to be

over 5.00 as well.

1B Pedro Ruiz

I am excited for Ruiz to get 300-400 at-bats against right-handed pitchers. Thirty-five home runs

don’t seem to be a stretch for Ruiz in his first big league season.

Other than the youth movement

already mentioned, look for Maup Manshert to potentially step-up this season in the rotation, and

it’s possible Grady Fern makes an appearance as a super-utility guy.

2042 PREDICTION

I say show me why they can’t win, and I simply point to Rockville and New Orleans. Charm City is good, but not as good as them. They will

be though in a few seasons.

92 - 70

Jorge Nevarez rebounds from a poor 2041 season, winning 17

games in 2042 and finishing in the top-five for the Nebraska Award.


GENERAL MANAGER: Brandon Slouck BALLPARK: OLD BAY Park at Camden Yards


MONTREAL BLAZERS

2041 MEDIA GUIDE: A new GM has taken over -- the third in four seasons -- and while the prior GM was building things, this team still needs some work to get back to a contender each season…Aldo has been consistently followed by fans since being acquired from San Antonio in 2037 and be in the running for the Gillstrom Award…Drees

Geestman is a double-digit game winner for the first time in his career. 2041 PROJECTION: 74 – 88 2041 FINAL RECORD: 83 – 79

THE SKINNY After taking a huge step forward in 2040, Montreal didn’t hold back in 2041 under Everroad’s first season as GM. He started the youth movement in full force, and this year should only be better with the kids gaining valuable experience last year. With their current momentum, Blazers fans have much to look forward to in 2042, including playing in a brand new, state-of-the-art ballpark. The expected growth in attendance and ticket sales will only help the club as they pour more money into player development, the draft and free agency.

2B Lineu Aldo

Oh dear, you want to talk about a debut performance? How about

8.3 WAR and a .358/.405/.670 triple slash over his first 155

career games? What on earth will Aldo do for an encore in his

sophomore season?

P Joe Whitaker

Whitaker is a bit of a

question mark as he was absolutely awful last season for Montreal. Was that a blip or will

his struggles continue this season? Based on his age, I am betting on continued declining performance.

OF Jim Antolin

Antolin has spent parts of the past two seasons in the BBA but a

majority of it was down in AAA last year. Despite little major

league experience, I expect him to make a huge impact this

season...if given the chance.

Lance Harrison is one of the remaining “kids” left in the minors after the recent youth movement. Look for Harrison to make a move up at some point this season and potentially have an impact in the

BBA.

2042 PREDICTION

Montreal went all in last season in giving serious playing time to their prospects, and those kids are only

going to get older. Virtually unharmed in free agency

departures, look for a more improved team ready to sell out

that new stadium.

86 - 76

Jorge Hernandez spends the entire season in the rotation, winning 16 games, with an ERA under 3.00. In the end, it’ll all lead to Montreal’s

first playoff berth in six years.


GENERAL MANAGER: Jeffrey Everroad BALLPARK: Ubisoft Field


ATLANTIC CITY GAMBLERS

2041 MEDIA GUIDE: Put me down as one of the teams disappointed in Atlantic City last year…Newly signed free

agent starter Chet Parrish is set to be the Gamblers “ace”. What a gamble that is…Antonio Martinez is about to take the league by storm...Martinez wins the silver slugger award in right field. 2041 PROJECTION: 69 – 93 2041 FINAL RECORD: 78 – 84

THE SKINNY Atlantic City is yet another team on the rise in the Johnson League. Much like division-mates Montreal, the Gamblers has missed the playoffs the past five seasons, but are hoping with the signing of Kevin Morales, their luck can change. The young duo in the rotation of Amir and Moran likely pushes Chet Parrish out, something hinted at in last year’s media guide.

They lost nothing of real value in free agency and have gained nearly 5.0 WAR during the winter. One would assume this combination would give them a puncher’s chance at finishing above .500.

OF Antonio Martinez

I predicted last year in my bold prediction that A-Mart would win a Puckett Award and he did just that. Now let’s see what he does

for a follow-up effort for his sophomore season.

IF Keith Dean

I hope I’m wrong here, as he has many years left on his deal, but

Dean took a big drop last season, finishing with his worst OPS and

wRC+ of his career. The Gamblers need him to rebound this season.

OF Jose Valentin

Valentin probably could have held his own last season in the BBA, but AC kept him down all season. The result was 40 homers in AAA and Valentin could do the same in his

rookie season season.

Besides Valentin, fans ought to be

excited for what Antonio Rivera could do at the plate, while Carlos Flores may be a force out of the

Atlantic City bullpen in 2042.

2042 PREDICTION

In 2040 I was too high on the Gamblers and in 2041, I was too low. This season I am going to

resist taking another gamble and sit right in the middle.

81 - 81

The Gamblers pull a shocker and trade young stud Millard Younger

for a top end starting pitcher, shifting Juan Rivera into center

field and creating one of the best outfields in all of the BBA.


GENERAL MANAGER: Joshua Biddle BALLPARK: Trump Park


BROOKLYN ROBINS

2041 MEDIA GUIDE: The future is bright in Brooklyn, just not for 2041…Georges is probably on his last limb as a starter and even a positive WAR is less than a guarantee…If Brooklyn does roll the dice and call up Luis Espinosa, he could do well for himself and if he doesn’t get a call-up, he could win the AAA Pitcher of the Year award.


THE SKINNY Brooklyn took a positive step forward last season, increasing their win total by five and inching closer to .500. GM Ehlers, who has hinted that this may be his last year, but Robins fans are holding out hope that’s not true. Just before the start of spring training, the club agreed to a long-term, front-loaded deal with catcher Francisco Flores, arguably the best position player in this year’s free agent class. However, will their window open before Flores’ window closes?

With one of the lower payrolls in the league, even with Flores, could they have made more signings to use as trade bait later in the year? It will certainly be an interesting season in the borough of Brooklyn.

OF Felipe Vega

After a standout debut and follow-up season (8.6 WAR

combined), Vega has people excited. Look for a big season

from Vega again in 2042, although likely not in centerfield.

RP Julio Velasco

I know he’s no longer the club’s closer, but it’s still probably time that he calls it a career. Look for an ERA north of 5.00, resulting in

Brooklyn declining his team option.

OF Sawyer Slizz

I know he had a 2.1 WAR last year in 116 games, but I expect a much greater impact over a full season

in ‘42. He may not be the best guy in a clubhouse, but I see a great

year instore for Slizz.

I expect Brian Dixon to get a good

look this season at 3B with the departure of Limon. Dixon is 20 years old and his .309/.332/.523

last season in AAA clobbering lefties at a .407/.434/.673 pace.

2042 PREDICTION

The Robins are still a couple of seasons (or big acquisitions) away from competing, but they’ve done

a good job excelling the rebuild.

75 - 87

Bobby Lynch performs well and is traded away, with Brooklyn

retaining a portion of his contract, in exchange for some major prospects to help bolster the

Brooklyn farm system.


GENERAL MANAGER: Alan Ehlers BALLPARK: McDermott Park at Ebbets Field


CHARLOTTE COUGARS

2041 MEDIA GUIDE: Charlotte now has a season under it’s belt and now they look to build onto their 48 games won, and drive that number closer to 60 in Year Two…Look for Charlotte to be the team to play spoiler this season as they should be willing to take on bad contracts from better teams in exchange for prospects…I don’t think a 38+ home

runs season with a batting average in the mid .240’s in in the cards for Gaona this year. 2041 PROJECTION: 54 – 108 2041 FINAL RECORD: 61 – 101

THE SKINNY Charlotte won over a dozen more games than their inaugural season, which sounds great until you figure they only won less than fifty that year. This franchise clearly has quite a bit of a rebuild to go but they are ahead of the curve this off-season, but there is still work to do. GM Brett Golden handed out $98M dollars to David Noboru to play the hot corner. That contract is likely going to wind up unmovable in the next season or two, so

Noboru might as well buy a house in the North Carolina suburbs. That said, Noboru paired with shortstop Quinn Richardson make up a nice left side of the infield. Lee McHone was inked to a deal to anchor the Cougars rotation, which does to show just how bad Charlotte’s rotation continues to be. Sigh.

OF Jaime Geerdinkck

For the sake of my brain, let’s call him Geerdi. Geerdi came on hard last season developing a power

stroke and should be in line to be one of the young leaders of this

club moving forward.

P Cristobal Hernandez

My all-knowing crystal ball tells me that Cristobal’s time in the

BBA is coming to an end. It’s likely his team option after this season

will be denied, and for good reason.

SS Quinn Richardson

Richardson had just over 100 plate

appearances but still impressed. Expect a big showing in 2042, both at the plate and up the middle of

the infield.

Keijo Reini and Angel Romero could both make much needed

impacts on the mound. Offensively, the club’s top

prospects are still a year or two away from contributing in the big

leagues.

2042 PREDICTION

I am betting that Charlotte will not make another +13-game

improvement over last season, however more wins and a non-triple digit number in the loss

column is still a good sign.

66 - 96

Manuel Marino rebounds early from his 2041 season and is

traded at the deadline, further accelerating Charlotte’s rebuild. Joey O’Brien finds himself out of

town even earlier than that.


GENERAL MANAGER: Brett Golden BALLPARK: Family Dollar Field


JACKSONVILLE HURRICANES

2041 MEDIA GUIDE: Chris Kelly was a big reason for the club continuing its playoff tradition last season and he should be the anchor of this rotation once again…Peter Grady may be on his way down as he is officially on the wrong side of 30…Jacksonville misses the playoffs for the first time since 2028.


THE SKINNY Jacksonville missed the playoffs for the first time in thirteen seasons last year (see last year’s media guide bold prediction), ending a dynasty that included three Landis trophies. Speaking of the end of a dynasty, there’s a new general manager in town in Gregg Greathouse. Greathouse previously lead the Beirut Cedars to an 80-82 record in the UMEBA last year. With David Noboru and Paco Diaz electing free agency, Greathouse’s first big signing as a BBA GM was to sign the top of the free agent pitching class in starter Carlos Rodriguez.

With holes to fill the departures at third base and catcher, and a payroll under $90M, the Hurricanes may be a bigger natural disaster in 2042 than they were last season.

IF Edgardo Encarnacion

Encarnacion finally put it all together in his third season. At 23,

he’s still the young guy on this team and Jacksonville will likely need him to step up to be the

leader sooner than later as they transition into a new front office.

P Peter Grady

I was very low on Peter Grady last

year, which turned out correct, however I don’t think he’s

bottomed out yet. I expect less than 100 innings and a FIP over

5.00, resulting in his team option for ’43 to be quickly declined.

1B Manuel Martinez

Martinez, a sleeper? After a down year, I think he is going to get his typical 600 Abs, hit 50 home runs, and double his WAR output from

last season (2.3).

Pickens (SS) and Dijkstra (OF), even young catcher Delgado, are all names to watch as they could make an impact as soon as this season, however it may make

more sense to see their service-time clock put on pause until

2043.

2042 PREDICTION

With the battle for the division between New Orleans and

Rockville, Jacksonville simply doesn’t have enough ammo to

compete in this division this season.

65 - 97

Carlos Rodriguez pitches well enough to garner interest at the

deadline and Jacksonville acquires two Top 100 prospects to build its

farm system for the future.


GENERAL MANAGER: Gregg Greathouse BALLPARK: Fidelity Financial Park

FRONTIER DIVISION

2042 PREDICTED STANDINGS


JL Frontier Preview

Welcome to the home of the 2041 Landis Memorial Champion Edmonton Jackrabbits. They didn’t win the division, but they made up for by taking out actual division winner Boise in the Doubleday. This was a very tough division last year that was very top heavy, which led to some

departures. Calgary and Edmonton were the two biggest drops in WAR for any team this offseason. As a result, we’re predicting a runaway for the Spuds this year.

In a year of offensive explosion, nobody blew up more than the Spuds, who shot out of the game like they were shot from a spud cannon and didn’t stop until they had 104 wins. Adding

Julio Alicea to their pitching staff should be a big up for this group, which lacked consistency in the rotation that they have up and down the lineup.

Calgary also had a huge year last year, but they lost some major players in the offseason. Still, it’s hard to consider Carlos Rodriguez as big a loss as we might think, as he had a career year

last year in his walk year. We’re expecting Vegas to hold the pace, as the Hustlers didn’t really lose anything this offseason they couldn’t live without, and while they no longer have world’s

biggest fluke 29-game winner Edris Mtume, he just blew out his arm anyway.

We’re also expecting Mexico City and Edmonton to hold serve and maybe both make the playoffs this year if all goes well. Right now we have Edmonton in the #7 spot after Vegas, Mexico City, New Orleans, and Charm City, and that has a lot to do with the Jackrabbits’

departures: no team lost more talent this offseason than Edmonton, who have a tougher trek to the top than last season.

They grow the snakes real large in South Texas, and so we’re expecting a few more snakebites for the San Antonio Outlaws this year. Phoenix fell off a cliff and they look to be rebuilding.

Wichita just isn’t there yet, and they gotta be looking at the Spuds with some very green eyes. (No, not the spuds with some very green eyes, the SPUDS with…never mind.)

A Boise runaway and #1 seed would not surprise anyone, but don’t be surprised to see this closer in the end than the nine games we have it. There are a lot of quality ballclubs out on the

Frontier.


BOISE SPUDS

2041 MEDIA GUIDE: Boise went big this off-season, adding nearly 10 wins above replacement…Expect Roman to go

off the charts this year, going 40/40, and increasing his batting line to at least the mid-.270s…While he doesn’t reach his career batting average this year (.298), Brewer hits a much more respectable .270 and more importantly, stays healthy…Dennis French is finally dealt after nearly a year of trade rumors, in exchange sending Boise three Top 100 prospects. 2041 PROJECTION: 81 – 81 2041 FINAL RECORD: 104 – 59

THE SKINNY I was too high on Boise going into 2040 and was too low on them last year, so naturally, I’m going to nail their 2042. After a shocking 104-win season -- a jump of 39 from the year before -- Boise looks to be in prime position to stay on top in the division. They remain the talk of the league after signing Julio Alicea to a long negotiated, monster deal. A rotation of Alicea, German and then a couple youngsters should do just fine, especially with the offense the Spuds have. The Spuds are taking a few hits from losing Mahaffey in the outfield and Akiyama in the

bullpen, but those players were only with the club after the trade deadline anyways. Obviously led by Dennis French, the rest of the outfield with Roman and Ruiz leaves little to be desired…other than French not hitting lefties.

OF Felix Roman

Not so much as a rising star, but a star who has risen. I’m in the small group who actually believes Roman is better than

French. He could easily take over in CF should French ever leave the

Spuds.

P Celio Marin

Marin has his best days behind him, and with the Spuds

trending toward a younger rotation at the back end, Marin

likely won’t be with the Spuds for long.

SP Leroy Hoffman

Hoffman didn’t get much of a chance to start in Boise last year but that may change this

season. With three great pitches, he may make a difference.

Wait, there is more coming? Well, Pat Alexander will likely take over for Brewer behind the plate in the next season or so. On the mound, Carlos Diaz, Fernando Rangel, and

Kent Montoya could all make impacts as soon as this season.

2042 PREDICTION

The Spuds are hard to put a win total to since I’ve been wrong on

them before. Let’s just leave them with an even 100 wins this year.

100 - 62

Boise sends a message to the league to stop asking for Dennis

French by locking him up to a six-year contract worth over $140M.

JOHNSON LEAGUE – FRONTIER DIVISION

GENERAL MANAGER: Joe Lederer BALLPARK: F. Nephi Grigg Memorial Stadium


LAS VEGAS HUSTLERS

2041 MEDIA GUIDE: When you win the Landis, do you really even need an off-season outlook or are you just

enjoying the times? Vegas didn’t make any big moves, but they likely didn’t need to…Without a doubt, Altaner rebounds in a big way and hits 20 home runs this season with a batting line closer to .275…Look for Whanon to have a coming out party in 2041…Las Vegas should squeak in with a wild card, despite their best player not even being in the organization until after June (a big trade occurs in July). 2041 PROJECTION: 92 – 70 2041 FINAL RECORD: 97 – 65

THE SKINNY Las Vegas looked to be on their way to missing the playoffs after a slow start, and at one point appeared to be in full-on selling mode. A big win streak completely changed that, as the Hustlers finished with 97 wins, securing a playoff spot for the 457th time. So when is this window finally going to close? The club had a fairly quiet off-season, just as they did last year, only losing reliever Edris Mtume who won 29 – yes, 29 –

games last season. They did sign a few relievers in free agency, but nothing notable. The rotation features threes starters who are over the age of 31, a scary sign for any team, but even scarier to see that Las Vegas owes those pitchers $75M over the next four seasons. Not a huge amount, but nothing to sneeze at if these pitchers happen to become unusable. Offensively, they are led by The Italian Stallion who carried over his hitting skills from his rookie year and will again surely be relied on in 2042.

OF Manoell Whanon

Last year’s media guide said if given the chance, Whanon

would be the new starting CF, and here we are. He was very good

and at just 21 years old, you should expect that to continue.

SS Miguel Rodriguez

I’ve been down on Rodriguez

since he was given his big contract and last year was just a sign of

things to come. His 1.8 WAR from last season is a good indicator of

what to actually expect.

OF Tom Rudge

Rudge lost some playing time last year but if he can find

enough at-bats, people shouldn’t forget about him. Rudge could

provide a huge boost in the outfield if called upon this season.

Jim Ashford was a name I had penciled in to look at last season

except Mitch Dalrymple was blocking him. Well, Dalrymple was released last season, so how long

before we see Ashford?

2042 PREDICTION

It’s always tough to bet against Vegas to making the playoffs and this season will be no different.

The Hustlers sneaks in again as a Wild Card.

91 - 71

Las Vegas really tris to restock the cupboard and trades away

Mercado, Huber, and Peithner at the deadline for needed youth.


GENERAL MANAGER: Brett Schroeder BALLPARK: The Casino by Moe Fugger


MEXICO CITY AZTECS

2041 MEDIA GUIDE: Mexico City missed the playoffs in large part to the team ERA jumping from 3.94 to a still respectable 4.57…The team has done very little to improve its rotation…If there’s one place in the Brewster Universe to find the finest banana bread, it’s Mexico City…Expect Isworth to not only improve on his wRC+ but also to improve at second base…There is no way Juan Rocha posts another season with a negative WAR. 2041 PROJECTION: 82 – 80


THE SKINNY Mexico City had a very quiet offseason in 2040 and it appears to be all quiet yet again in 2041, other than a few minor moves and uneventful departures. As predicted last year, Pedro Silva was removed from the rotation, put on waivers, and the pitching improved shortly thereafter. Pendleton and P. Rocha both bounced back nicely. The addition of Djojohadiksumo and a full year of Ine should have this rotation sitting pretty.

Offensively, this team will have to rely on small ball and solid contact with very little by way of power hitting sluggers in the everyday lineup.

RF Jean Hamon

Basically the only power

hitter on Mexico City, look for Hamon to enjoy his first full

season in the BBA by blasting at least 40 long balls this season.

DH Augie Plascensia

GM Fred Holmes may

have a soft spot for Augie, having played his entire career with the Aztecs, however the team would

be better off if he wasn’t the everyday DH.

P Shinsaku Ine

I was pretty high on Ine last

season and he impressed during a small audition. Look for him to win 15 games this year and potentially

help push the Aztecs into the playoffs.

Manny Collazo is probably ready to make an offensive impact while A.J Mahoney is ready and waiting to enter the rotation. It’s possible

the two are the future replacements for pending free

agents Newhouse and P. Rocha.

2042 PREDICTION

After winning 88 games last season and no signs of being any

worse, I expect their record to improve.

90 - 72

Mexico City locks up Pedro Rocha early on, ending any doubt that they are letting him walk away.


GENERAL MANAGER: Fred Holmes BALLPARK: Ullamaliztli Field


EDMONTON JACKRABBITS

2041 MEDIA GUIDE: Edmonton has little room for movement with a payroll nearing 106 million, their highest in

franchise history…Hall is expected back by the start of the season and even with Jubal Troop on the team, its likely Hall becomes the ace that runs the place…It looks like a youth movement is about to hit the Jackrabbits…I wouldn’t be surprised if Mons Raider is shipped out to free up cap space. 2041 PROJECTION: 104 – 58 2041 FINAL RECORD: 91 – 71

THE SKINNY Edmonton’s win total was pegged high last season, but despite falling short of the lofty number, they still came through with their fifth postseason appearance in a row. And that was as sellers at the trade deadline. More impressively is they won their second Landis title in the last four seasons. Edmonton’s age is starting to show, and they’ve lost over 8.0 WAR with free agent departures of Fernando Cruz, Jose Luna, and Julio Alicea. The club did sign Ortega to soften the blow in the bullpen, however free agent signee Akiyama will miss the

season after a devastating spring training injury. The rotation is filled with pitchers with notable injury histories, including ace Chandler Hall and Juan Trujillo. A blow to any member of the rotation could end the club’s playoff streak.

SS Robert Menzies

This kid is going to be a very good player and he is much better than

his 1.1 WAR over 95 games last season suggests. He could take a

huge step forward in 2042.

P Mauro Flores

To put it nicely, Flores is past his prime and his contract

might have been the reason the club couldn’t afford to re-sign

Alicea. Look for Flores to continue to decline.

INF Carlomaria Donadoni

Donadoni is going to

make a big impact this season. He made letting Cruz go an easy

decision and is an early favorite to win the 2042 Gillstrom Award.

Pepe Espinosa and Julio Uribe, along with Menzies, are going to

form an impact infield trio. On the mound, the club has little coming

in 2042, except maybe Fekadu Bbosa, who could be stretched to

start.

2042 PREDICTION

The run might be over – for now – as Edmonton fails to eclipse 90 wins and misses the playoffs.

87 - 75

They have starting pitcher woes, trading away Jubal Troop, and

packing it in after a slow start and an extended DL stints for Hall and

Trujillo.


GENERAL MANAGER: Chris Robillard BALLPARK: John Ducey Park


CALGARY PIONEERS

2041 MEDIA GUIDE: When you’ve made the playoffs the past two seasons and the only departure from your team is

a reliever with a WAR of 0.4, you know you’re doing something right…This club has monster help coming in the rotation…Expect Mao to be in the center of the spotlight this year as he cracks 40 home runs and bats over .300…Calgary to start counting the days until Karyabwite’s contract is up…Rodeia debuts with 15 wins this season. 2041 PROJECTION: 94 – 68 2041 FINAL RECORD: 103 – 60

THE SKINNY Calgary looks like it is about to have a rough time after trading away Chip Puckett in the off-season, not to mention the losses of Carlos Rodriguez and Ken Bates to free agency. That’s 9.2 WAR the Pioneers will need to replace from a 103-win club. So is Calgary a 90-win team? I don’t think they even get there. [Editor’s Note: GM Kevin Dickson inked superstar catcher Luis Barrera to a one-year deal during spring training.] Led by Pierce, Gilliam and Legrand, the pitching staff features several young stars in the making that should be able to keep Calgary in most games. Liann-Wei Mao and

Francisco Medina are going to lead this offense on the front lines, as they combined for nearly 100 home runs last season. Who will step up with those two to lead the charge?

P Quintilliano Rodeia

Rodeia tends to be overlooked when discussing Calgary’s young pitching stars. He debuted last

season and proved he is where he belongs. Let’s see what a full

season looks like for him.

OF Juan Karyabwite

Karyabwite hasn’t been an

average hitter in the last three seasons yet Calgary owes him

$53M over the next three years. Thankfully he can still field, but for

how much longer?

OF Werner McConnell

McConnell had a rough year last

season but could rebound back to his typical 3-4 WAR self, which is a big enough improvement for the

club to dangle in trades in exchange for a useful prospect.

The big name here to watch is Tokimasa Ihara, who will make a big impact in the rotation when

given the opportunity. Steve Rogers could probably contribute this season in the outfield as well.

2042 PREDICTION

With net losses in free agency, no real shortstop to fill Puckett’s shoes, and a poor defensive

center fielder in Figueroa, Calgary could struggle.

81 - 81

Calgary trades Jefferson Pierce at the deadline as they appear to be out of the running for the playoffs.


GENERAL MANAGER: Kevin Dickson BALLPARK: The Stockyard


SAN ANTONIO OUTLAWS

2041 MEDIA GUIDE: The rotation is the strength of this squad with Rivera leading the way and Kondo, Alvarez, and Carpenter not far behind. What a scary 4 to face if San Antonio can find its way back to the postseason…Expect a rebound this season by Tony Hernandez and potentially some improved defense at first base…Kamade is unlikely to be completely serviceable in center field and at the plate…Larry Stinson is ready. He needs to play somewhere. 2041 PROJECTION: 80 – 82


THE SKINNY San Antonio looked like they were going to be quiet this off-season after a 58-win season, but that quickly changed after the acquisition of Chip Puckett from Calgary. The trade not only filled a big need for San Antonio but opened my eyes into what San Antonio has built. The duo of Ricardo Rivera and Aki Kondo as a 1-2 punch should be enough to scare several members of the Frontier Division. With closer Luis Pina on the Outlaws, a late-inning lead looks like a sure victory.

The lineup is full of budding young stars, with Moreno, Cuellar, and Fitas all looking to make a case for why San Antonio is better than 58 wins.

C Octavio Moreno

Moreno is better than his 2041 numbers suggest. Look for a

season of good defense behind the plate along with a batting line

that sits among the top ten catchers in the entire league.

OF Abdelwahab Kamade

Kamade’s best days are

behind him, clearly. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Kamade lay a

negative WAR up this season for the first time in his career.

P Ricardo Rivera

Rivera tore his labrum early last

season, but if he can stay healthy this year, expect big things from

him.

The Outlaws should let Larry Stinson rake from the beginning of the season. Rosas could also make an impact this year along

with Wayne Morris.

2042 PREDICTION

While I do think they will be much better (and hopefully healthier),

they won’t make the playoffs and Rivera is unlikely to win the

Nebraska.

78 - 84

There is a scenario in which San Antonio erupts to win 90+ games, becoming the 2042 version of the

Boise Spuds. If that happens, it might be due to Ricardo Rivera winning the Nebraska Award.


GENERAL MANAGER: Mike Calvaruso BALLPARK: The Tap Room


PHOENIX TALONS

2041 MEDIA GUIDE: Maxene Mace is on the downside for his career and an ERA over 5.00 is possible…Expect Colon

to be rebound and get back closer to his thirty-five homer output of 2039…Moreland’s last year with Phoenix will be a stinker and it’s only a matter of time before he loses at bats to young Juan Mateo, who wins the Johnson League Gillstrom Award in a landslide. 2041 PROJECTION: 81 – 81 2041 FINAL RECORD: 65 – 97

THE SKINNY Phoenix had won 90 games in three of the past four seasons before plummeting to just 65 last year. The off-season tracker suggests they’ve lost another win in WAR for this upcoming season, but of course we all know that means nothing. I will say the starting pitching rotation is horrible. Returning a pitcher with an ERA over 5.00 to be your ace is never a good sign. As a matter of a fact, none of the starters in Phoenix put up an ERA under 5.00, nor sniffed it. This could be ugly.

Unless, of course, the offense can carry the team. They have several players who I was high on last year that were actually kept down a season but should produce this year in Phoenix.

1B Juan Mateo

I predicted a Gillstrom Award for Mateo last season, so naturally he was kept in AAA all year, where all he did was slug 66 home runs and

drive in 167 runs. Look out for him this season!

SS Voitto Stromberg

After six years in Phoenix,

Strombert tried free agency but ultimately re-signed with the

Talons. His return doesn’t propel Phoenix into the future any better

than right now.

OF Thad Meyer

What a stinker Meyer

put up in 2041. He won’t do that again this year and should

rebound back to his two-time Puckett Award-winning form we

all thought we knew.

If Pedro Guzman can find somewhere to play, he likely will

make a big impact. Chau-Kah Yang looks to finally be almost ready to make an impact at second base as well, but it’s likely he debuts next

season when Barron departs.

2042 PREDICTION

I don’t see this team winning 90 games again, but I don’t see them winning only 65 either. I expect a mediocre 70-win season in 2042.

70 - 92

Juan Mateo not only wins the Gillstrom Award this season, but

also is seriously considered for the Sawyer Award, ultimately losing votes due to Phoenix’s record.


GENERAL MANAGER: Sean Marko BALLPARK: Paul D. Lunn Memorial Stadium


WICHITA AVIATORS

2041 MEDIA GUIDE: This will be Wichita’s 7th season in the BBA. Over the first 6 seasons, the club has managed to lose 46 million dollars and has never won more than 79 games…Jim Gouzzie should hit 40 HR this year and his batting line should rebound to around .270…This club desperately need someone to take the reins in center field and 22-year-old Garza should get another chance to prove himself…Look for Wichita to wind up shedding payroll halfway through the season after a slow start. 2041 PROJECTION: 80 – 82


THE SKINNY Wichita won 59 games last season and the off-season model shows they’ve lost another 4 WAR, so is 55 wins the number? After losing another $20M in 2041, the club has been in the red for a total of $66M since 2035. Maybe it was time for Brewster legend Stu “The Brain” Hopkins to step down. Enter Nigel Laverick, overseeing his eleventh team and ninth franchise. Two more and he gets a free toaster.

The trade for Colbert Jr. from Vegas last season didn’t go well and now Wichita owes him through 2043. To make matters worse, the rotation is made up of AAA players who will likely not even come nowhere close to matching last season’s dreadful 5.68 team ERA. The lineup is a bit better with Ramirez, Gouzzie, and Bowen, but after that it begins to fall off quickly. Wichita is in serious doodie this year and the new general manager will surely have his hands full.

C Jason Bowen

As you can imagine, there just isn’t a lot of options

here for a troubled franchise, but Bowen is likely much better than his early career indicators have

shown. This could be a breakout for him.

P Abe Colbert Jr.

Obviously, Colbert fits the spot here. He will likely notch his

2,000th career strikeout this season, but as a 35-year-old

injury-prone overpriced arm, he needs to hang it up.

OF Thad Meyer

Whitley had a down year last season and he is a sleeper in the fact that he may be able to

fetch a decent prospect if he can get back to his 3-4 WAR self.

However, Wichita will have to foot the bill.

This is about as grim as I can be. There isn’t anybody coming up from the farm system right now that is going to make the impact

that Wichita needs.

2042 PREDICTION

I hate to do this, but I am going to agree that Wichita is actually worse in 2042 than in 2041.

53 - 109

Wichita turns a profit in 2042!


GENERAL MANAGER: Nigel Laverick BALLPARK: Thomas Magnum Field

UMEBA

BANCROFT LEAGUE

BUCHAREST IMPALERS GENERAL MANAGER: Jim Cox BALLPARK: Ballpark of Bucharest 2041 RECORD: 97 - 65

SUMMARY

If you’re going to score over a 1000 runs in a season, then you’re within a shout of finishing top of your division, and that's what the Impalers did in 2041. Their total of 1004 beat the previous record of 1003 that Jerusalem chalked up in 2038 on

their way to a United Cup championship. However, Bucharest couldn't get their hands on the United Cup, losing 4-2 in the UCC series to the Istanbul Bosphorus.

The majority of the team returns in 2042. 3B Jeffery Cunningham is in the twilight of his career at the age of 33, will be hopeful of keeping his title as the best third

baseman in the UMEBA. As will SS Brian Sullivan and RF Mike McCain, both who are ranked the best at their position. With LF Prímio Anastcia as the only hitter in the

lineup under the age of 30, GM Jim Cox will need to keep the regulars fresh, with Anastasio Diaz spelling the guys in the infield and Saikaku Aoki doing the same in the outfield. It's easily doable.


The starting rotation of Jorge Ortiz, Gonzalo Fajardo, Matt Hansen, Tadamichi Yoshida and Mateus Rabisca were solid if not spectacular, placing them 2nd in most

pitching stats. The bullpen will again be solid with Pedro Aguilar, Aaron Campbell and Xavier Perez the workhorses. Keep an eye out for Armando Rasquilha, who’s

looking to pitch more than the 29.2 innings he pitched last year. If Bucharest could stay on an even keel batting-wise and turn it up a notch on the pitching form, then it's a ticker tape parade for the Impalers.

2042 PREDICTION: A 90+ win season again must be on the cards, with the

Impalers storming the beach again but this time not falling short and lifting the United Cup come October.

JERUSALEM HEBREW HAMMERS GENERAL MANAGER: Ben Heuring BALLPARK: The Holy Land 2041 RECORD: 85 - 77

SUMMARY

Just about 80 years ago, a guy called Frank Sinatra sang a song called ‘My Kind of Town’ and the lyrics of the chorus went This is my kind of town, Chicago is, My kind of town, Chicago is.

They could easily be changed to This is my kind of team, Jerusalem is, My kind of

team, Jerusalem is. The Hebrew Hammers are probably the best run team in UMEBA history and it

doesn't change this season. Where do you start? Catcher Antonio Robles, 1B Leonardo Martinez, 2B Juan Carlos Ortiz, 3B Youp Lenoir, SS Dan Jackson, LF

Terrance Mack, CF Jin-guo Long and RF Carlos Alonso & Flynn Johnson. Each and every one can give opposing pitchers nightmares. You simply don't get an easy out

in the Hammers line-up. The pitching isn't bad, but if they were half as good as the offense, then Jerusalem

would be drop-dead certs to win another United Cup. They have reliable arms in starters Hector Barajas and Augusto Cardenas, along with Ramón Vásquez and

Masahiko Ito in the bullpen. 2042 PREDICTION: Jerusalem are odds on favorite to reach the playoffs and if

history is anything to go by -- they win a United Cup every year -- will they win one this year with 90+ wins. I think they fall short, but if they do win their third Cup, it

wouldn't surprise anyone.


BEIRUT CEDARS GENERAL MANAGER: Jimmy Doucette BALLPARK: Ballpark of Beirut

2041 RECORD: 80-82 SUMMARY

Since the glory days of that 2037 United Cup win, the first in UMEBA history, wins have been hard to come by for the Cedars. However, with two 80-win seasons

back-to-back, maybe the turnaround is on the horizon under first year GM Doucette. With the entire line-up returning, the Cedars could be a surprise package. 3B Antonio Baca with his 25 home runs and 33 doubles leads the way, and if he can

improve his on-base percentage, he could be considered elite within the UMEBA. The same could be said for Maximo Quezada, the center fielder from Venezuela.

Although it is a solid offense, they'll need to score more runs in order to help out a pitching staff that was hurt by free agency.

The pitching staff held the Cedars together last year but they'll be without Abel Gibson and R.J. Hughes. Hughes was selected in the Rule 6 Draft, so he’ll be

appearing in the Brewster this upcoming season. Together they pitched close to 400 innings. A lot of pressure could be put on the shoulders of players like Henning Veenmann and Francisco Ruiz to fill their shoes.

2041 PREDICTION: Last season the pitching staff shouldered the pressure, and

this year it falls on the offense. If the rotation and bullpen decide to show up, Beirut could easily win 85 games. If they don't, it could drop as low as the 60s. Beirut’s

fate all depends which pitchers turn up this year.

MUMBAI METRO STARS GENERAL MANAGER: Geoff Webb BALLPARK: Ballpark of Mumbai

2041 RECORD: 72 - 90

SUMMARY The Mumbai Metro Stars aren't a bad team, as they have a lot of solid bats when you look at their line-up. Players like Baltasar Fronteiro at shortstop hit 36 home

runs last season, Robert Gowan hit 44 of his own playing in RF, and the trio if Jack Bullock LF, Dave Molina CF and DH Juan Parts all hit 20+. Even Noboru Kitakawa at

first hit 14 in just 99 games. Then you wonder where the problem is in the line-up, and the simple fact is strikeouts. The Stars struck out 1,350 times last year, nearly 200 times more than any other team in the UMEBA. If they are to progress up the

standings, this line-up needs to be more patient.

If the number of strikeouts needs to change for the offense, the number of runs allowed needs to change with the pitchers. Metro Star pitchers gave up 922 runs last year, the worst in the UMEBA. Most of the pressure was on Aurelio Fernández

last season…after all, he was the only pitcher who started over 20 games and had a sub-5.00 ERA. It got even worse in the bullpen, with only Kevin Hicken and


Leonardo Gómez posting sub 4.00 ERAs. Pitchers, pitchers and more pitchers need to be added through free agency or the draft for the Stars to become true stars.

2041 PREDICTION: The Stars drew the short straw, as the Athens Fighting

Centaurs look to be the better of the two new expansion teams and will make life tough for Mumbai. It's easy to see the Metro Stars finishing below Athens, and everyone else, in their division. Cut down the strikeouts, give up fewer runs, and

you could see 75-80 wins. But play like last year, it drops to 65.

ATHENS FIGHTING CENTAURS GENERAL MANAGER: Neil Thomas BALLPARK: Piraeus Park

2041 RECORD:

SUMMARY The Centaurs could not have chosen a harder division to land in as an expansion club if they tried, although they did stay clear of the 2041 United Cup champion

Istanbul Bosphorus. Their biggest issue all year will be division-mate Budapest Impalers, who came off their third year in a row winning 97 games. Plus, there’s

also the Jerusalem Hebrew Hammers, who have never had a losing season and have two United Cups to their name.

The man in charge of this leap into the unknown is GM Neil Thomas, however this isn't the GMs first rodeo in the UMEBA as he had a very short spell with Cairo

in 2041, finishing with a 6-1 record in the last week of the season. If he can get the Centaurs above .500 in their first season, you could be looking at a future Mayor of Athens.

If Thomas is the face of the franchise, then the backbone belongs to players like

longtime California Crusaders catcher Chip Saunders, longtime Las Vegas DH Barney Everhart and Tony Loftis, who has played in the infield for Yellow Springs, Boise, San Fernando and California in the BBA. Whilst the spotlight maybe on

Saunders, it could be Loftis who it shines on in the end.

The offense looks solid but not spectacular, however the pitching looks more shaky than solid. In fact, if GM Thomas doesn't pull a few pitchers out of the hat, we could be looking at a scorecard that resembles a ice skating judges card with plenty of

ERAs with a 10 in it. You know you’re in trouble when Bill Brock could be your ace in the starting rotation. Throw in the fact you’re relying on Corey Jackson from the

bullpen and you need to look round the free agent market for pitchers. 2042 PREDICTION: If, and it's a big if, GM Thomas can freshen up the Centaurs

pitchers, you could be looking at 50-60 wins. If not, it could get real ugly real quick in Athens.

BURT LEAGUE

ISTANBUL BOSPHORUS GENERAL MANAGER: Vacant

BALLPARK: Istanbul Grounds 2041 RECORD: 90 - 72

SUMMARY After leading the Bosphorus to their first league title, GM James Walker was hired to

run the Hawaii Tropics of the BBA. With the team seemingly in good shape but no one to steer the ship, can Istanbul repeat?

Going into this season, they are the hot title favorites again, thanks to the core of Anibal Garcia at catcher, 1B Kazuo Yamamoto and living legend of the UMEBA

leftfielder John Garcia. In Garcia’s first season in the UMEBA after leaving the BBA’s Edmonton franchise, he absolutely destroyed UMEBA pitchers. If those three can replicate their 2041 stats, we could be looking at back-to-back United Cups.

There is a possible weakness however, and that’s the starting pitching. That said,

even if you knock the likes of Francisco Wiles, Ramon Negron or Bert Hackworth out of the game early, you still have to face a bullpen featuring Rodrigo Lugo, Nadir Akili, Anastacio Lopez and Bras Gesteiras, all of them quality reliever arms.

2041 PREDICTION: If the returning line-up can replicate last season and the

starting pitching can go deep into games before handing the ball over to that solid bullpen, then you’re looking at 100 wins. However, the playoffs are a different beast and throw in the pressure of going back-to-back and Istanbul fall just short.

MANAMA PEARLS GENERAL MANAGER: Dillon Lowery BALLPARK: Manama Fields

2041 RECORD: 79 - 83 SUMMARY

The Pearls offense is not only solid, but star studded. Laurent Fernandez was not only one of the best hitters for Manama last season, but in the entire UMEBA. He


returns in RF with his 40 homers and 109 RBI. With a bit of luck, DH Scott Hoover could join Fernandez with 100+ RBI, as he knocked in 96 last year. Throw in

Sandro Trujillo with 24 homers and 75 RBI, you have a triple threat in the line-up.

Starting pitching should be decent as well, with Feheen Silvester the star of the show. The Pearls will have Angel Guerrero and Alfredo Cuellar backing him up in the rotation. The bullpen is solid with Max Born, Momcilo Djuretic, Rafael 'Harpo'

Morales and Alistair Grieves as workhorse relievers. However, the loss of Juan Pagan in free agency to Athens could be a weakness.

2042 PREDICTION: Manama should be better than their record was last season. If they put it all together, a run at the playoffs and a United Cup appearance could

become reality.

CAIRO CHARIOT ARCHERS BC GENERAL MANAGER: John Diaz

BALLPARK: Seventh Wonder Ball Park 2041 RECORD: 76 - 86

SUMMARY The line-up could be unchanged from last year to Opening Day, as the players with

the most at-bats for Cairo last season all return to the club. That said, it's an ageing line up: C H. Martin, 1B M. Garcia, 3B F. Arrojo, SS P. Richelmi, LF E. Curry

and RF A. Anderson are in their 30s. It brings to question “Will Father Time catch up to Garcia and his 41 homers and 118 RBI of last season?” Anderson's speed may diminish along with his 23 doubles, but only time will tell.

The rotation, just like the offense, is putting on years. Roberto Gomez goes into the

new season at the age of 35, with fellow starter Gonzalo Delgado at 34 years old. The bright spot is the bullpen, featuring two young guns in Pedro Vasquez and Jorge Barron. The bullpen may not even need tinkering with for a few seasons to

come.

2042 PREDICTION: You never know what happens with a GM change. Will new GM John Diaz come in and make sweeping changes or just tinker with ex-GM Nige Laverick's work? We’ll soon find out. Depending on his moves, this is a team that

can win anywhere between 70 to 80 games.

BAGHDAD KINGS GENERAL MANAGER: Jouve Crawford

BALLPARK: Ballpark of Baghdad 2040 RECORD: 69 - 93

SUMMARY The loss of catcher Xie-li Luo should be replaceable, as Santiago Reyes, a free

agent addition, could replace Luo behind the plate and wouldn't really be a


downturn stat-wise. The big issue is how to replace the loss of Jack Hankey and Aymeric Barajas. There’s plenty of options at first base with Hankey gone, as

Mosley, Manzanares, Navarro, Abineri and Hernandez are all able to play there. The big loss in the line-up could be centre fielder Barajas, who not only had some pop

with 16 homers but also contributed with 72 RBI and 29 stolen bases. Add in that he crossed the plate 92 times and his departure could be hard to replace.

Pitching maybe easier to replace as there wasn't a great loss in free agency. The art will be not to replace them with worse pitchers. Chris Adkins is an upgrade in the

bullpen, along with Brendan Billings and Jose Canales. Jose Zamora will likely fit in at the backend of the rotation.

2041 PREDICTION: The computer simulations are predicting an easy run into the playoffs but it's hard to see them overcoming Istanbul in their division. A

reasonable win total would be 70-75 with a slight chance of climbing above Manama and Cairo, but likely only one of them.

KUWAIT CITY ALHAFR GENERAL MANAGER: Nicholas Kokosioulis

BALLPARK: Boubyan Bank Park

2041 RECORD:

SUMMARY

Another of the expansion teams of 2042, the Alhafr will rely mainly on center fielder Henry Rectenberg, who played in the BBA mainly for Las Vegas and Brooklyn but lately for Nashville and Phoenix. If the Alhafr are to become successful they'll be

needing the production that Vegas and Brooklyn got, one other who will be expected to burden the workload is Félix Membiela the second baseman who played

the first half of his BBA career in San Antonio and the second half in Hawaii. If one or both of them doesn't hit the ground running and have solid seasons, could be a long year.

Although used sparingly as a starter, Marcos Sánchez may be the dark horse in the

rotation. The ex-Boise pitcher doesn't have that bad of a record, and you figure the slight talent drop in the UMEBA and he may just surprise a hitter or two. Jerry Crawford should be better than he is and he needs to be better if Kuwait City are to

overcome their expansion nerves.

2042 PREDICTION: As with all expansion teams, most players on the roster were back-ups in a past life. How an expansion team competes depends on the BBA back-ups becoming bona fide UMEBA starters. If the Kuwait City players step up,

it’s a 60-70 win season. I'd go for a middle mark of around 66 wins.

Dynasties


“If it is hard to make a success out of something,

it is an order of magnitude harder to sustain the success.”

Andrew Grove, American-Hungarian businessman

As much as fans like parity – especially those who routinely find their

favorite team at the bottom of the standings – dynasties capture the attention of fans like nothing else. Whether you love them or hate them, the

dynasty in team sports is the greatest achievement. Usually it takes more than one championship, often considered the pinnacle of sports in basic

terms. You may think an extended era of winning, even without a championship, is dynasty worthy. And it’s this debate that makes it so fun.

In the modern era (since 1995) of the Brewster Baseball Association, the

dynasty is nothing new. We’ll take a look at all the dynasties over the last 45

years and rank the top TEN/FIVE in BBA modern era history. We’ll be using Bill James’ point system determining and evaluating dynasties:

• If a team wins the Landis and also wins 100 or more games during the regular season, we

credit them with 6 points.

• If a team wins the Landis but wins less than 100 games during the season, we credit them

with 5 points.

• If a team wins the Cartwright (but not the Landis) and wins 100 or more games, we credit

them with 4 points.

• If a team wins the Cartwright but does not win 100 or more games in the season, we credit

them with 3 points.

• If a team wins the Doubleday and wins 100 games but does not win the Cartwright, we credit

them with 3 points.

• If a team wins the Doubleday with less than 100 wins, we credit them with 2 points.

• If a team wins 100 games but does not win the Doubleday, we credit them with 2 points.

• If a team wins 90 games but does not win the Doubleday, we credit them with 1 point.

• If a team makes the postseason, even without 90 wins, we credit them with 1 point.

• If a team has a record of at least .500 and does not make the postseason or have 90 wins, we

credit them with -2 points.

• If a team has a losing record and does not make the postseason, we credit them with -3

points.


There are other rules and qualifiers to James’ system that we’ll use, as well as some judgement calls and adjustments, but this should give you an idea

of how it all comes together.

First and foremost, for a bit of historical context, since the start of the modern era (1995), there have been a total of twenty dynasties over the

course of the last forty-seven years. For reference, using the same point system, Major League Baseball (you know, that fake baseball league that so

desperately tries to emulate the Brewster Baseball Association) as had twenty-one dynasties during the same time period, so the Brewster is pretty

damn spot-on.

Let’s take a look at all of the current dynasties in the Brewster through the 2041 season:

FRANCHISE DYNASTY LANDIS

(CHAMPIONS)

CARTWRIGHT

(PENNANTS)

DOUBLEDAY

(DIVISIONS)

100+

WINS

90+

WINS

Las Vegas 2017 - present 2 5 13 11 19

California 2024 - present 2 2 9 2 11

Yellow Springs 2028 - present 0 3 8 4 11

Jacksonville 2029 - present 3 3 7 2 8

Havana/

San Fernando 2033 - present 1 3 3 0 6

Rockville 2034 - present 2 3 6 3 8

Now if you think six dynasties happening at the same time sounds like too many, keep in mind that there are currently four in the MLB: New York

Yankees since 1994, Boston Red Sox since 2002, Los Angeles Dodgers since 2013 and the Chicago Cubs since 2015,

with the St. Louis Cardinals (2000-2015) and San Francisco Giants (2009-2016)

ending within the last five years.

Let’s just take a few moments to appreciate the greatness we are

witnessing:

• Yes, Las Vegas is essentially the BBA’s

version of the Evil Empire, I mean New York Yankees. The Yanks are on

Year 36 of their run, while the Hustlers are on Year 35 of their own.


• During the Hustlers run, first under Recte and now at the guidance of Brett Schroeder, the team has an average record of 96.7-65.3. That’s a winning

percentage of .597, folks!

• Not to be outdone, albeit in a shorter time span, Yellow Springs Manager Ron

Collins’ winning-percentage since the start of Nines’ dynasty is also .597 (although I’m sure Ron will point out that it’s .5974, which is better than

Vegas’ .5971).

• If you want to win some games, fellas, just start copying what Aaron

Weiner’s done out in Rockville. Since the start of the Pikemen’s dynasty, Aaron has yet to win fewer than 93 games in a season. That’s an eight-year

run of at least 93 wins! Incredible! I’m sure Carolina fans are wishing the Kraken were still a thing.

• A majority of the general managers enjoying the dynasty life are tenured members of the BBA, however there are a few “newbies” attempting to navigate the dynasty waters. Doug “Shoeless” Olmsted has just three years

of Brewster experience while doing a great job carrying the Crusader torch Ted Schmidt passed on to him, while Gregg Greathouse is heading into his

first full season in control of the Hurricanes. Don’t mess it up, guys!

• Last but not least is Randy Weigand, who took control of a floundering

Havana/Buffalo franchise, brought them their first title in since 1983, then moved to what has been greener pastures in San Fernando, where he’s continued the success.

On that note, the San Fernando Bears have missed the playoffs in two of the last four seasons, hitting a low-point last year with a losing record. Two

more seasons outside of the playoffs for Randy and his dynasty run will be considered over. Similarly, Gregg is coming off an abysmal 95-loss campaign

in Jacksonville and will need to weather the storm in the next two years to

keep the dynasty alive.

One dynasty just did end after the conclusion of the 2041 season: the Long Beach Surfers. With “only” three playoff appearances in the last seven years

and no 90-win campaigns since 2034, General Manager Stephen Lane saw the Surfers wipe out after last season’s 70-92 record.

But as the ol’ saying goes, “when one door closes, another one opens,” and

Chris Robillard has his lucky rabbit’s foot in that very door. His Edmonton ballclub, winners of two of the last four Landis titles, are almost qualified to

be deemed a dynasty, and it should come as no surprise. After almost guiding a dynasty in Halifax in the late 10s/early 20s, Chris returned over a

decade later to save the lowly Jackrabbits franchise. Since taking over fully in Edmonton, Chris has reeled off five straight playoff appearance and has

the team poised to join the dynasty ranks.


* * * * *

For those interested, here are all twenty dynasties in modern era Brewster

history, chronologically:

FRANCHISE DYNASTY LANDIS

(CHAMPIONS)

CARTWRIGHT

(PENNANTS)

DOUBLEDAY

(DIVISIONS)

100+

WINS

90+

WINS

Austin 1995 - 2002 0 0 6 1 6

Las Vegas 1997 - 2009 5 6 9 4 11

Baltimore 1997 - 2013 1 3 15 0 8

Madison 1997 - 2021 2 4 16 10 17

Long Beach 2005 - 2012 0 0 2 2 6

Montreal 2010 - 2021 1 1 6 2 9

New Orleans 2012 - 2035 4 6 11 4 15

Calgary 2015 - 2021 2 2 2 2 4

Las Vegas 2017 - present 2 5 13 11 19

Brooklyn 2021 - 2027 1 2 5 0 4

Atlantic City 2022 - 2032 1 2 4 0 6

Huntsville 2023 - 2031 2 2 4 3 7

California 2024 - present 2 2 9 2 11

Montreal 2027 - 2036 0 0 3 1 7

Louisville 2028 - 2034 2 3 4 2 6

Yellow Springs 2028 - present 0 3 8 4 11

Jacksonville 2029 - present 3 3 7 2 8

Long Beach 2029 - 2040 1 1 2 1 4

Havana/

San Fernando 2033 - present 1 3 3 0 6

Rockville 2034 - present 2 3 6 3 8

Austin is now Omaha. Baltimore is now Brooklyn. Huntsville is now Chicago.

* * A special thanks goes out to Randy Weigand for his assistance in this feature report * *


7 for 70

Seventy seasons is one of those milestones that calls for some reflection, and

that’s just what we’re going to get. Join commissioner Matt Rectenwald as he

ranks the top seven players All-Time at each position, starting on the mound, then

moving on out! Then, of course, there’s more!

RIGHT-HANDED RP

7. Bob Sanderson

6. Carlos Altavista

5. Damon Lombardi

4. Jonathan Sorensen

3. Pedro Espin

3. Schmidt Meyer

2. Lionel Sanguinacco

1. Jason Egan

Egan is clearly the

greatest reliever that has

ever played in the BBA.

Sanguinacco is close at

#2, despite the lack of

love he got throughout

the Hall of Fame process.

LEFTHANDED RP

7. Esteban Velasquez

6. Benji Madisson

5. Chris Malone

4. Brendan Meyer

3. Paul Hogan

2. Shawn Huber (active)

1. Skip Glendenning

Glendenning was so

damned good, it's hard

to consider anyone else

at #1. That said, I really

did have to take a

moment to consider

Huber (the highest rated

active player on any of

these lists).

LEFT-HANDED SP

7. Bill Max

6. Manny Bautista

5. Vernon Simpson

4. Gary Estes

3. Roy Hobbs, Jr.

2. Jerry Syed

1. John Ross Riles, Jr.

Riles, Jr. was the

Nebraska of lefties.

Simpson at #5 may have

had a short career, but

one so dominant it would

have been a crime to

leave him off this list.

THE SWINGMEN

7. Bryan Canniff

6. James Raya

5. Gil Daniels

4. Allen Atkins

3. Luis Tiant IV

1-T. Ken Howell

1-T. Heath Rockefeller

Howell and Rockefeller

are two unique pitchers in

the annals of the

Brewster. Both Hall of

Famers, both split their

time between starting and

closing.

RIGHT-HANDED SP

7. Ricardo Diaz

6. Robbie Sargent

5. Johan Schmatzhagen

4. Jay Lee

3. Christopher Stoller

2. Mark Bobovnik

1. Steve Nebraska

Would it really be anyone

else? Lots of old school

guys here, so I went with

Diaz as a nod to the

current era at #7.


THIRD BASE

7. Diego Moreno

6. Trey Williams

5. Dale Bunker

4. Henry Jones

3. Jake Urban

2. Hunter Eisenhower

1. Rogelio Morales

There's no other

argument to be made

here than choosing

Morales as the greatest

third baseman of all

time. Behind him, the

choices were plentiful

and hard to sort. I will

say that Jones is

underrated from the

Original Era, and

Moreno is underrated

period..

FIRST BASE

*- Frank Thomas III

7. Randy Spratt

6. Fernando Moreno

5. Juan Escobar

4. Duane Whitley

3. Alberto Guzman

2. Bo Jordan

1. Paul Barfoot

I have to list Thomas III

here because I have

nowhere else to list him.

He's a unicorn, a true DH

in a league that hasn't

seen too many of them,

much less one of his ilk.

If I had to rank him

among these seven I

wouldn't know where to

start, so we'll stick with

the asterisk. Barfoot

wins out here- his body

of work is all the more

impressive when you

consider he spent a good

chunk of his time behind

the plate.

SECOND BASE

7. Lance Pere

6. Donald Noboru

5. Rob Van Winkle

4. Brian Clough

3. Bernard Maselli

2. Douglas Newhouse

1. Charles Puckett

There's Puckett, and the

there's everybody else.

Newhouse was a solid

second, but nowhere

close to "Cricket" here.

Some may wonder why

Maselli rates so high- he

was awesome in both the

BBA and the EBA.

CATCHER

7. Ernest Watts

6. Jeremy Hunter

5. Hank Brewer

(active)

4. Cisco Arreola

3. Jason Dunn

2. Elroy Hinson

1. Dexter Sheehan

Sheehan could do it

all. He was a beast at

the plate and a wizard

behind it. This was not

even close for me.

SHORTSTOP

7. Jonathan Archer

6. Jared Gillstrom

(active)

5. Doug Glover

4. Waichirou Moronobu

3. Roman Empire

2. Rafael Rodriguez

1. Bopper Kengos

Kengos is the clear

winner here based on all

of the records he holds.

Rodriguez, though, is not

far off and still rates as

an all-time legend.

Should Gillstrom be

higher than 6th? Maybe,

but let's allow the end of

his career to play out.


CENTER FIELD

7. Tipper Kengos

6. Jorge Rodriguez

5. Alfredo Martinez

4. Armando Santos

3. Ross White

2. Emilio Rodriguez

1. Leon Sandcastle

Sandcastle wins here in a

landslide. Center field is

one of the deepest

positions in our history,

so it's quite an honor.

LEFT FIELD

7. Mike Love

6. Johnnie Iraq

5. Hector Cano

4. Juan Garcia

3. Daniel Labrie

2. Alfredo Salazar

1. Steve Collins

Steve Collins was the

best overall position

player from the Original

Era. His excellence

outshines that of Salazar

and Labrie the senior.

RIGHT FIELD

7. Gary Barr

6. John Bockus

5. Long Chamberlain

4. Carlos Gonzales

(active)

3. Al Jones

2. Mike Clarke

1. Morris Pennebaker

T-Rex is the clear pick

here as the best right

fielder in BBA history. I

was surprised to see how

highly Gonzales rates.


Best Offensive Single

Season

7. Sawyer Silk (1987)

6. Ross White (1998)

5. Juan Escobar (2029)

4. Jared Gillstrom (2030)

3. Charles Puckett

(2006)

2. Long Chamberlain

(1986)

1. Manuel Aguilar (2003)

I had to go with the

mythical Aguilar season

here. Most of us know

how the story ends, with

his career coming to an

end in Spring Training

2004.

Best Pitching Single

Season

7. Steve Nebraska (1980)







Pick one. But really, take a

look at each of these

seasons. Great googly

moogly.

Best Pitching Single

Season (Non-Nebraska)

7. Jim Schmidt (2006)

6. Jessie Wright (2001)

5. Jay Lee (1996)

4. Vernon Simpson (1975)

3. Johan Schmatzhagen

(1976)

2. Mark Bobovnik (1984)

1. Roy Hobbs, Jr. (1978)

Hobbs, Jr.'s 1978 was

incredible, but it was really

close between that

performance and

Bobovnik's 1984 season

Most Unbreakable Career Records

(non-Nebraska):

7. Luke Zalusky – 235 Triples

6. Bopper Kengos – 6744 Total Bases

5. Dusty Rhodes – 2913 Singles (and counting)

4. Mons Raider – 1217 Stolen Bases (and counting)

3. Jason Egan – 753 Saves

2. Bopper Kengos – 2537 RBI

1. Christopher Stoller – 151 Complete Games

I'll say this with conviction- Stoller's record of

Complete Games will never be broken.

Most Unbreakable Single Season Records

(non-Nebraska):

7. Skip Glendenning – 57 Saves (2027)

6. Jessie Wright – 30 Wins (2001)

5. Manuel Aguilar - .4127 Batting Average (2003)

4. Mons Raider – 173 Stolen Bases (2033)

3. Milt Linares, Jr. – 32 Triples (2010)

2. Ricardo Barrera – 119 Games Pitched (1990)

1. Emile Santos – 87 Doubles (1986)

Anyone think 87 doubles is doable? How about 119

Games Pitched?


Owner Goals: Stop the Inanity!

OOTP owners are a mess, right? Tightfisted SOBs, every one of them. They take your profits and

bitch at you every time you need to be bailed out. It’s like they think their money doesn’t grow on

trees. That said, there are owners and there are owners. And, as deposed Chicago GM Vic

Caleca is going to show us, Chicago’s Vinnie Vitale may well be the biggest piece of work amid

all the other pieces of work.

If you’re a General Manager in the BBA or UMEBA, you dread the message in your in-box:

Personal Message from (INSERT NAME OF YOUR OWNER HERE): Review of Season Goals.

In my case, the name I insert is Chicago Black Sox owner Vinnie Vitale, who is … um …

insane.

And I’m not talking about his well-documented run-ins with a TV News personality when the

team was in Alabama, and Vitale retaliated for criticism by having an anchor’s car towed from

downtown Huntsville to his towing company’s overflow impound lot some 562 miles away in

Dolton, IL.

Or about his involvement in the dumping of liquified pig

manure everywhere from the Little Calumet River near

Black Sox Park to downtown Yellow Springs, OH.

No, I’m talking about the season goals he sets for me.

They started out reasonable enough: Don’t suck

completely. Build up your team gradually to reach the

playoffs within three years.

But after the team moved from Huntsville back to

Vinnie’s native Chicago, the demands began to change.

Sox Owner Vinnie “The 38,000-Fans-A-Day Man” Vitale


One of his demands for our inaugural season in Chicago was to boost attendance to 38,000 fans

per game. Doesn’t sound terrible, does it?

Except the seating capacity for Sox Park is 35,000. As I told Vinnie in a phone call to “politely”

discuss this goal, that wouldn’t be possible unless we set up folding chairs in the outfield or

began selling seating in fans’ laps.

I thought that would nip it in the bud, but no. He dinged me in his year-end review for not

meeting his attendance goal, and then reiterated it: draw 38,000 fans.

We hadn’t added seats, and in a post-corona virus world, putting fans on top of each other

(literally) seems … well, let’s go with “inadvisable.”

So, we persevered and in 2041, the Sox averaged 34,691 fans per game, and led the BBA in the

percent of seats sold: 99.1 percent.

Surely Vinnie would recognize this achievement.

Well, I quote: “When I compare our attendance with 2037, it’s certainly up. And I know I told

you I didn’t need a full stadium to be happy with your performance, but I have to say I’m

disappointed with the results seen. I don’t think my task was that hard.”

You don’t? Really? Jamming 38,000 fans into a stadium built to hold 35,000 every single day?

OK. Well, this off-season we’re adding 5,000 seats to the damn stadium to bring its capacity to

40,000 so we can actually fit 38,000 fans inside without breaking every fire code known to

mankind.

So, with that, we’re in good shape, right? Problem solved, we’ll meet every expectation with no

problems, correct?

Or so I thought until I glanced at his new goals for the year. His final task?

“Acquire a Steve Nebraska Golden Arm winner.”

WTF? In the pitching-starved hellscape of the BBA, it’s hard enough acquiring pitchers with tin

foil arms, much less a Nebraska winner.

Ah, well. It could be worse, I guess.

He could’ve asked me to acquire the actual

Steve Nebraska. Of course, Steve just turned

89 on Nov. 6 … we bring him to Spring

Training with maybe a 1-year contract and an

incentive bonus or two …

Hmmm.

Well, gotta go. I’ve got a few calls to make …


.

Opt-in or Opt-out

Back in 2037, ex-GM Ted Schmidt got interested in how our beloved OOTP Fancy Assed

Calculator (he says, mixing streams in ways only a few of us know) was working when it came

to player decisions—specifically, decisions to opt into or out of contracts. Speaking more than a

little for Ted, here, mostly I think he was curious about both how BBA GMs think and how

OOTP players think.

Regardless, he developed an extended process to explore

the topic that included community voting to judge how

well the players made their choices. It was done in four

parts, assessing players to see if (1) they were opting out

“correctly,” (2) they were asking for proper amounts

after they opted out, and (3) whether they finally got

their just rewards. After the whole thing, he summarized

the decisions made by players.

Of course, when Ted left for greener pastures, I couldn’t

just leave it there. After skipping a year, I started

tracking the same thing—though not outsourcing the

assessments. This means that—all total—we have four

seasons of information represented by 87 players who

have had options to make.

Like Ted, I have been posting these on the forum as the seasons go by, but now I think it’s time

to look at them as a whole. So that’s what I’m going to do here. Slice and dice the process,

discussing it in the more abstract, and only delving into specifics in a few cases where we need

to in order to understand things better.

Of our 87 players, we’ll remove three. The first, Juan Sweetworld, was released before he could

make a decision so there is nothing there to really analyze. Leon Sandcastle and Cisco Arreola

made decisions to retire. While we can argue if retirement is a good financial decision when cash

in on the line, we’ll not argue with Hall of Famers deciding they’ve had enough.

I do think acting as GM sometimes makes it

hard to see things from a player's perspective.

We think in terms of AAV, because we have

caps to work with. Players don't. Player think

total contract value. There's no guarantee that

they will get another one, so it is almost always

in their best interest to take a the most money

now. Generally, that means multi-year deals

trump shorter ones, because even if the AAV is

somewhat lower, 5 years is more money than 2.

Ted Schmidt: 3/2/2019


This leaves us with 84 cases that we’ll dig deeper into.

I Ain’t Fraid A No Player Option!

So, here’s an interesting question. Which teams deal

with player options more than others? Of course, my

first guess is that Randy and Ted in SFB and CAL

(before Doug) would essentially never have to deal with

player options because they are on record as just not

liking them at all. Too unstable, right? I mean, how can

you plan for things if the players can just do whatever

they want? Who runs this damned show?

Indeed, San Fernando had zero cases, and California

only a single player option, and that was Mark

Wareham in 2040-2041, after Shoeless Doug Olmstead

took the reins.

I’m sure there are others like Ted and Randy, so I was

interested to see just how many teams deal options. The

answer surprised me: Twin Cities (13 cases) and Charm

City (9) are, by a fairly wide margin, the biggest

practitioners of the player option. In TWC’s case, ten of

the thirteen have stayed with the team and only three

have left. Charm City is split nearly 50/50 with four

retentions and five abandonments.

Think about this a little, though. At the top level these

decisions can be viewed as players deciding if the

market will bear more money. So every time a player

stays, they are essentially saying they think they are

better off with the deal they have. In other words, they

are either well-paid or over-paid.

If you buy that logic, ten of thirteen River Monsters

thought they were overpaid (or right-paid), and only

three thought they were under-paid. Does this mean

TWC GM Scott Piccoli has been a tad generous? Or at least more generous than CCJ’s Brandon

Slouck? You make the call.

Another bit that comes from this table is that of our 84 cases, we find the following break

out: 46 stayed, while 38 opted out.

I’m not sure what that says about us or the process, yet, but it’s still interesting information. I

guess.

Team Stay Opt-out All

TWC 10 3 13

CCJ 4 5 9

BRK 2 3 5

MAD 3 1 4

WIC 3 1 4

ATC 2 2 4

CHA 2 2 4

LOU 2 2 4

DM 3 3

CLG 2 1 3

JAX 1 2 3

LV 1 2 3

MNT 1 2 3

YS9 1 2 3

CHI 1 1 2

NO 1 1 2

POR 1 1 2

SA 1 1 2

EDM 2 2

RCK 2 2

BOI 1 1

LBC 1 1

NSH 1 1

OMA 1 1

VAN 1 1

CAL 1 1

HAW 1 1

All 46 38 84


So, Are These Guys Smart?

Let’s start at the top, right? Overall, how good are the decisions players are making?

This turns out to be a more difficult question than you might think. When it comes to deciding if

a decision was good, there’s some squishy room for subjective opinion. Following loosely Ted’s

conversation, and including my own work over the seasons, I’ve settled on a 5-point scale,

ranging from “Good” (there’s a strong argument that the player made the right choice), to “Bad”

(solid arguments for a bad decision). The middle zones are subjective, with “Push” as a you call

‘em kind of setting, and shades of gray existing in between.

I’ll publish the granular data along with this report, but here are the final answers I came up with:

Good Decisions: 58/84 (69%)

Middle Zone Decisions: 15/84 (18%)

Bad Decisions: 10/84 (13%)

So, yeah, on the whole, the players seem to be pretty sharp.

Alternatively, we see that nine players made what were arguably bad decisions to opt-out. They

range across a bit of a spectrum.

In 2037, for example, 36-year-old Mike Bailey forwent $8m from Hawaii and signed a $3m deal

in free agency. A year later he was out of baseball. Similarly, Bertram Hahn gave up $2m from

Jacksonville in 2041, and went unsigned. He later retired. So, those were cases of old guys

clearly missing their mark.

We also see three cases of highly-compensated guys in their early-30s deciding to try to find

greener pastures. Jayden Harsnett waived away two $18m seasons in Las Vegas to eventually

accept two $11m seasons. In 2039, Shaq Hopkins waived a $17m deal with a vesting option for

more, and replaced it with a $14m deal with a pair of team options at $12m. Then, of course, is

Mauro Flores, who gave up $25.5m for one year in 2040 and wound up signing for $14.6m/3.

Good Good/Push Push Push/Bad Bad Total

Stay 34 3 8 1 46

Opt-out 24 3 2 9 38

58 3 11 2 10 84

DECISION QUALITY (Player's Perspective)

I think it’s of interest to note that it’s very rare that a player makes a

clearly bad decision to stay with their franchise. That bad decision

happened this season when Ragnar Lothbrok accepted Twin Cities’

$3.5m > $3m(T) >$3m(P) when it seems clear he would have made

more on the open market.


Arguably, Flores’s process may have been worse than it looks, too. He pitched brilliantly in the

first year of his contract, and had he not opted out, would have hit the market hot.

What is Age, But a Number?

Given that our guys are getting younger, I think it’s interesting to ask if age has anything to do

with the quality of decisions. Younger guys should, if you think about it, probably be eager to get

to free agency because, as my grandpa used to say, you make hay while the sun shines.

Bottom line: from a quality of decision standpoint, younger guys tend to leave, and they tend to

make better decisions…in fact, until Lothbrok’s screw up, none of the 17 other players 29 or

under had made a obviously bad decision.

Bad decisions: Young: 5.5%, Middle: 12.7%, Older 18.8%

That said, while middle-age and older players tend to be 50/50 on opting out, a majority of

younger guys stay with their clubs.

Is that right?

As a sanity check, I pulled the list of younger players who stayed put and who were judged to

have made good decisions. On the whole they were guys who had been given deals earlier than

usual, and were either making good money, or were pretty obviously not going to do particularly

better. Here’s the list:

Age Good Good/Push Push Push/Bad Bad Total

25-29 12 2 3 1 18

30-34 39 7 2 7 55

35-39 7 1 1 2 11

58 3 11 2 10 84

DECISION QUALITY (Player's Perspective)

Age Stay Opt-out Total Leave

25-29 13 5 18 27.8%

30-34 27 28 55 50.9%

35-39 6 5 11 45.5%

46 38 84 45.2%

Season POS Player Team Age Y0 Y1 Y2 Y3 Y4

41-42 RF Esteban Cuervo CCJ 27 $12m(O) $12m(T) $12m(T)

41-42 LF Pedro Garza TWC 26 $4.2m(P) $3.4m

40-41 RP Pancho Cerdo BOI 25 $750k(O) $650k $750k(auto) $850k(A*) $850k(A)

40-41 SP Maxime Manceau CCJ 29 $8.0m(O) $8.0m(T)

40-41 CF Mauro Saucedo TWC 26 $3.0m(O) $2.1m

39-40 LF Alvin Dickinson WIC 29 $6.0m $6.0m(P)

39-40 SP Netuno Merkert TWC 27 $1.96m $2.96m(P)

37-38 OF Aubrey Anderson OMA 28 9.7 9.7

37-38 CF Juan Sweetworld LV 29 19 19 19 19

37-38 SS JJ MCQuade VAN 29 18 Options


Juan Sweetworld, for example, would have been insane to have opted out. Same for J.J.

McQuade.

Bottom Line

So, is this system good or is it bad? Realistic, or completely out of touch. Beauty is in the eye of

the beholder, I suppose, and when we drop this media guide, I’ll publish the data I’ve used so

you can hack on it all you want. If you learn something to add to this, by all means, please report

it. I’m not saying I’ve been perfect in my assessments.

But, on the whole, I think it’s fair to say that players in the Brewster are doing a good job of

working in their own self-interest. They tend to be optimizing their own salaries (70%)—but

they also, on occasion, make mistakes (15%). The rest seems to be a wash.

Doesn’t seem bad to me.

What can’t be argued, though is that it has led to a bit of a different kind of salary structure than

the MLB. This, I think, is a root of what Ted was looking at, too—though maybe not in this

particular conversation. The BBA salary cap and ruleset means that on occasion it will make

sense for a team to spend 50% of their cap ($55m) on a single player (Alfredo Salazar), or drop

$40m, or (yes Sean) $30m on a guy—which unbalances our annual payroll in ways that will be

quite different from how MLB teams look.

This, of course, will continue to get even more interesting as we get more and more of our recent

glut of young superstars into the pipeline. Can’t wait, eh?


Brewstopocene Wife supported WDB Studios.

“Hello and welcome to a special edition of the Brewstopocene Reviewed, a

podcast where I review different facets of the Brewster-centered planet on a five-star scale. I’m Shoeless.db, and today I’ll be reviewing, in a special 2042 Media Guide format, Brewster old-timers and Edmonton’s Landis and Istanbul’s United

Cup championships in 2041.

But first, let’s start with Brewster old-timers.

When I started a job at a local hospital ten years ago, I was struck by how long many of my new coworkers had been with my new department -- fifteen years, twenty-five years, even forty years. Being newer than 10 years put you in the

minority.

This shared longevity meant the group had become its own community. And, like any community, there were cliques and rivalries and hatreds. But it also had camaraderie and support and overlying comfort.

Being new and dropped in such a world was both exciting and incredibly

daunting. Some coworkers were friendly and jovial, others were reserved, while others still were blatantly uncaring of my addition. Gossipers leaked into my office leaving stains and foul scents with their side-ways glances.

Don’t talk to so-and-so, the gossipers whispered. Or, You should know this about

that person. It was off-putting, but they were balanced by the joke tellers and the goofballs --

the guys and girls who found the petty grievances and grudges wildly hilarious. I immediately took to this new group of people and relished hearing their old stories.

I marveled at the amount of inside jokes they told and became envious of not understanding any of them.

But, this group, since they’d been around for so long, didn’t make it easy for a new person to join. They had been around for countless new employees and weren’t

looking for new members. I soon realized I just needed to relax, be myself, and


work hard. You see, longevity mattered. Shared experiences, shared adversities, and shared stories mattered. Time mattered.

And over time, I learned most of the coworkers who ignored my very existence

when I was hired were some of the best people to spend time with throughout the day. They made my world a lot more enjoyable.

Coming into my fourth full season with the

Brewster, I’m still firmly in the new guy camp. Sure, (I like to

think) I’m part of the Slack clique. I’ve

chopped some rivalry kindling with some other GMs. And, I’ve

witnessed some controversies. But, I’m still new in Brewster terms. And, being relatively new to an online community after ten real-life months is rare. The league

should be proud of this fact.

Over its many years, the Brewster has formed a special camaraderie amongst its members, due mainly to its ability to recruit and retain quality people. Note, I didn’t say quality GMs, albeit the league overflows with good OOTP GMs. I said people.

Some with odd personalities. Others with quirky humor. And, all with a love for experiencing a fictional baseball world unfolding in front of them -- a world they

have the ability to build on and influence in their own ways. But, let me stop for a moment and be honest. I was going to try to write this episode on rekindling the love some of the old-timers once had for the Brewster. I

planned to write that because I think the long-term guys are so valuable to the league. They know the stories. Hell, they are the stories sometimes. And, some of

these guys are just exceptional at telling those stories. Which is why I hate to see long-time guys leave. But they do. And, reasons given

for leaving are vast. Life gets busy or tragic or overwhelming. Sometimes, for some, the game itself is too flawed. I get it. This is just an online fake baseball

league, in the end. But, there’s a certain type of leaving that gets to me. I always feel a failure was

made when someone quits due to losing their love for being a part of the league, because it’s the camaraderie that was lost. The shared experiences, the shared

adversities, the shared story -- they weren’t enough anymore. And, it’s this failure -- this loss -- that pokes at me when I’m not paying

attention. It bothers me. It bothers me because I wonder if it will get to me one day, too. Will I write a farewell due to the league not holding my interest any

longer? Will I say good-bye to friendships made? When will it all not be enough? Mainly, the question that prods me is, will I be the one to blame if I leave? It’s

difficult to know that answer.


If my experience with my job at the hospital is worth anything, it taught me when

long-time members of a community open themselves up to new members they can make those new members feel welcomed and enthused. I also like to think it makes

those long-time members feel re-energized and optimistic about their community again.

I hope I remember this when my own loss of interest creeps in.

I give Brewster old-timers 3½ stars.

Moving on to Edmonton’s Landis and Istanbul’s United Cup championships in 2041.

I had $2.45 in change in the pot, along with my copy of a 1983 Topps Willie McGee. It was 1986. I was nine years old.

And, I had a poker hand that couldn’t lose. Until we laid down our cards, and Brandon,

a neighborhood buddy, had a better hand.

I am still bitter. I hate losing.

I give Edmonton’s Landis and Istanbul’s

United Cup championships in 2041 zero stars.

Screw you guys for winning.


Finishing Up the Pantheon

What a frickin’ league this is. 2042 may be our 70th as a collective, but as the

Media Guide it represents the fourth and final year of this series from Portland

GM Chris Wilson as he runs us through the depths of the Hall of Fame. Pretty

danged cool.

As is only fitting for an anniversary celebration, this time Chris is outlining the top

of the top, the inside ring of the Hall.

Sit back and enjoy!

We have reached the Mountain Top! The Pinnacle! Or as I like to put it, the

Pantheon of the BBA Hall of Fame. I’ve taken every member of the Hall of Fame

(up through 2038) and placed them in one of 4 levels of Hall of Fame worthiness

over the last 4 Media Guides. Level 1 contained your “lowest level Hall of

Famers” with Level 3 containing those who were outstanding in their playing days,

but not the elite. The Pantheon is your elite. The best we’ve ever seen. And again,

to make this fit into a pyramid format, the levels get smaller as you climb. So sit

back and enjoy the twelve best players the BBA has ever seen!


Catcher:

No One

First Base:

No One

Second Base:

Charles Puckett - I am most definitely biased,

but it is arguable that Puckett is the greatest “All-

Around” position player in league history. His 164.8

career WAR ranks 1st all-time by a full 27 WAR over

the next closest guy. Puckett is the all-time career leader

in games played (3,286), Runs (2,475), Walks (2,198),

and the aforementioned WAR. And then there are the

other records: His eight Sawyer Silk Awards and

nineteen All-Star game appearances are also league

records. Then there are the four Diamond Glove Awards

won at two different positions. Throw in where he ranks in the Top 5 in other

categories like At-Bats (2nd), Hits (2nd), Total Bases (2nd), Home Runs (3rd),

Singles (4th), and RBI (2nd) and you’ll have a tough time arguing against my

claim he’s the best position player in league history.

Shortstop:

Bopper Kengos - Let me get my lovefest out right

away, ok!! What’s a major Media Guide piece on top of the

100s of team news I’ve posted over the years about Puckett

and Kengos? For most of the stats that Puckett came up short

in, it’s because Bopper happened to just beat him out. The

duo played 46 of their 48 seasons in Madison. (Think Tom

Brady is going to look strange in a Bucs jersey? I felt the

same over those last two years of Puckett in Greenville.)

Kengos is the league’s all-time leader in Homeruns (720),

Hits (3,900), RBI (2,537), Total Bases (6,744), and At-Bats

(12,643). Like Puckett, he was blessed with relatively good

health, consistency, and longevity. For the other stats Kengos

doesn’t lead the league in, he’s top three. He also claimed

sixteen All-Star Appearances (second-most behind Puckett)

and three Silk Awards. (Hey, there weren’t many left after

Puckett won them all and Newhouse stole one.) The duo of Puckett and Kengos led

the Madison Wolves to eleven consecutive post-season trips as well as a pair of

Landis titles.


Rafael Rodriguez - When you go by single season domination, it could

be argued that Rodriguez shouldn’t be in the Pantheon. I mean, one Silk Award is

all he won and there are plenty of guys below him in other levels who won more.

But that same argument could be made for a handful of pitchers who didn’t win

many accolades because they pitched against another guy in the Pantheon. In the

end, Rodriguez’s body of work shows he should be in the Pantheon. He’s 5th in

all-time hits (3,520) and 4th in all-time WAR (123.3). He’s a thirteen-time All-Star

who also won three Diamond Glove Awards over his career. For overall name

recognition, he may not quite stack up with some other names in the Pantheon but

find a guy not in the Pantheon you’d put in over Rodriguez.

Third Base:

Rogelio Morales - Morales is 2nd in all-time WAR for

a position player in league history behind only that Puckett guy

mentioned before. Oddly enough, his name doesn’t appear on the

top of any major leaderboards, but his stats are up there with the

all-time greats as indicated by his career WAR. Here are his career

rankings: Runs (2nd), Hits (6th), Total Bases (4th), Homeruns

(7th), RBI (4th), and Walks (3rd). Yeah, that’s a Pantheon position

player if I’ve ever seen one. If that doesn’t do it, he was a fifeteen-

time All-Star (only Kengos and Puckett been to more), a three-

time Sawyer Silk Award winner, and won one Diamond Glove

Award.

Leftfield: No One

Centerfield:

Steve Collins - Here we are, in 2042, and a guy who played

from 1978-1994 is still your all-time leader in hitting with a .361

lifetime average. Collins, blessed with great health that saw him play

154 or more games fifteen consecutive times, also managed to collect

206 or more hits over each of those fifteen seasons. With 3,529 hits, he

was the all-time hits leader up until Bopper Kengos passed him in

2015. The record stood for twenty-one seasons! He now sits 4th on the

all-time list behind aforemention Level 1 guys Kengos and Puckett,

and Frank Thomas III, who was mentioned in Level 3. Collins won

five Sawyer Silk Awards; a BBA record Charles Puckett finished with

seven. Collins won ten Diamond Gloves including six in a row at one

point. The 15-time all-star is 7th all-time in WAR with a 106.5 clip.


Sawyer Silk - The guy does have a major award named after him, but he

could be a stretch as a Pantheon guy. Well, I’m not going to be the guy that starts

that controversy! Silk ranks 60th all-time in WAR (yeah, just 60th) and doesn’t

have 500 homeruns, 3,000 hits, or really any other counting stats that scream he

should be up this high. So, what does he have and why is he here? Would

screaming “He’s Sawyer freaking Silk, for crying out loud” make the case? No?

Well, he was the original five-tool guy, hitting for average and power as well as

playing great defense. He had four straight seasons of over 40 homeruns including,

a career high 62 in 1987. He had ten consecutive seasons of at least 100 RBI while

posting an average of over .300 seven times. He had four seasons of .400+ OBP

while making ten All-Star Game appearances. He also won four “Best Hitter”

Awards that would later bear his name, a number only reached by Puckett, Collins,

Vadobonceour, Whitley, Escobar, and most recently, Gillstrom. All of those guys –

save for Gillstrom – are in Level 3 of the Pantheon, with Gillstrom’s omission due

to still being active. In all honesty, Silk most likely got into the Pantheon on name

recognition alone.

Rightfield:

Morris Pennebaker - Pennebaker

is a guy that should really get talked about a

lot more in the BBA. He’s another player that

sort of falls through the cracks because he

doesn’t have an award named after him nor

does his name show up on the front page of

the leaderboards. At first glance, you might

say that ten All-Star appearances and just a

pair of Sawyer Silk Awards is hardly enough

to place a guy in the BBA Pantheon Hall of

Fame. But Pennebaker was a stud who just

played in an era with a lot of other studs.

What makes him a stud, you ask? Well, let’s start with the obvious: he is one of

just two guys in league history (Kengos) to have 700 or more homeruns.

Pennebaker had eleven seasons with at least 40 or more homeruns. While he only

reached 50 once in his career, he was the Hank Aaron of consistency when it came

to the long ball. Pennebaker also had fifteen seasons of 102 or more RBI, resulting

in a career total of 2,037 RBI, putting him in the 2000 club with just three other

members, all who are in the Pantheon as well.) While his 86.7 WAR is just 12th

all-time among hitters and his 2,300 strikeouts are the nineteenth most in league

history, he still reached the elite 3000 hit club. There’s a case to be made that

Pennebaker is the greatest right-handed hitter the Brewster has ever seen!


Pitchers:

Johan Schmatzhagen - A 199-82

overall record may hardly seem like a Pantheon-

level pitcher, but the way Schmatzhagen

dominated the game on the mound during a

pitcher-friendly era makes him a top level guy.

His career 2.70 ERA is tied for fourth best in

league history. He had five seasons of at least 20

wins, including a 1976 season that saw him go

24-5 with a – get this – 1.36 ERA and 0.76

WHIP! It was one of three seasons for Johan in

which he had a sub-2.00 ERA and one of seven seasons in which his WHIP was

under 1.00. His 0.98 career WHIP is the third-best figure in league history. He only

appeared in four All-Star Games and won only a pair of Nebraska Awards, but the

way he dominated the game on the mound from 1975-1980 has only been seen by

a handful of guys ever!

John Ross Riles, Jr – With 287 wins, Riles, Jr is third on the all-time

list behind Robbie Sargent (Level 3) and one other pitcher. What puts Riles ahead

of Sargent in the Pantheon Hall of Fame despite the fewer wins are all of the other

numbers: second in career WAR for a pitcher with 135.9…3,696 strikeouts, good

enough for sixth all-time…tied for ninth all-time in career WHIP. Add in the

eleven All-Star Game appearances and the five Nebraska Awards (two in the

Johnson and three in the Frick) and you have a Pantheon guy.

Mark Bobovnik - Maybe Bobovnik should be in just on the fact that

over a two-year span he went 46-4. Yes, as a starter he won 46 games and lost just

4. He did that while posting ERAs of 1.30 and 1.91, respectively. Not good

enough? How about his career winning percentage of .677 (210-100), which is the

fifth best in league history. Bobovnik’s prime was only about eleven seasons long,

which prevented him from accumulating the counting stats like some of the other

older greats, but that didn’t stop him from winning five, yes five, consecutive

Nebraska Awards from 1981-1985. Perhaps he was helped by another certain

pitcher switching leagues during that time, but still. Only one other player in

league history ever won five top pitcher awards in a row. In that five-year stretch,

Bobovnik went 101-22. That’s Pantheon level domination!


Jay Lee - There are only four guys in league history with five Steve Nebraska

Awards and Lee is the most recent to do so in 2004. Lee was putting up old era

numbers during a time in which hitters were dominating the league. He had five

20-win seasons including in 2001-2002 where he went 46-10 combined. He had

four seasons of double-digit WAR, placing him third all-time among pitchers with

122.2. Lee ranks fourth all-time in Wins (259), ninth in Strikeouts (3,631), and

tenth in ERA (2.90). He also appeared in nine All-Star Games to go with those five

Nebraska trophies.

Steve Nebraska - The G.O.A.T. I could just leave it at that and tell you

to just look him up if I wanted to, but that wouldn’t be fair to the media guide

readers. Where do you start with this guy? The all-time pitching leaderboard is

nothing but this guy. How about rather than just list what all he leads in, I tell you

HOW FAR AHEAD OF THE NEXT GUY HE IS:

Nine more Top Pitcher Awards than #2 all-time (now you can see why it was

changed to the Steve Nebraska Award, for obvious reasons)

Ninety-one more wins than #2

Nineteen more shutouts than #2

507 more innings pitched than #2

2,100 more strikeouts than #2

112.0 more WAR than #2

So, it’s not that Nebraska is the career leader in a lot of categories, but he leads

those by a WIDE MARGIN! There are several ways to argue about who should or

shouldn’t be in the Pantheon, but the case for Nebraska is a clear slam dunk. If you

ask the question of who’s on the BBA’s Mount Rushmore, Nebraska is on

everyone’s list! You can argue who the league’s greatest hitter of all-time is but

there’s no debate for pitcher. It is Steve Nebraska and then everyone else!


Active Leader Boards.

That San Fernando GM Randy Weigand is a spreadsheet maven has not been in doubt for

several seasons now. We’ve seen “top 10” lists and career list and pretty much enough of

everything else under the sun to last us a solid double header with free baseball in each game.

This year he’s back with active lists—that tabulations of where our top players are right now,

and where the project into the future.

This is a breakdown of various active Top 20 leaderboards in various offensive categories. For the

purposes of this list, active is defined as anyone who has not retired and appeared in a BBA game in

2041.

The projected totals were done using Bill James’ Favorite Toy tool and for the projected place it assumes

that they are the only active player still moving up the list (which explains why multiple players can have

the same projected place with different totals).

Games Played

RK YRS NAME TOTAL OVERALL PROJ. PROJ. Rank 1 16 Dusty Rhodes 2537 22 2927 7

2 16 Jared Gillstrom 2364 56 2815 10

3 17 Alfredo Salazar 2319 T67 2463 40

4 15 Lucas McNeill 2168 106 2765 12

5 16 Steve Dempsey 2155 111 2418 46

6 15 Gerardo Guzman 2130 115 2580 22

7 17 Jorge Rodriguez 2090 T126 2417 46

8 14 Carlos Gonzales 2063 135 2529 24

9 16 Rupert Grant 2046 T141 2229 95

10 13 Jon Mick 2032 T152 2579 22

11 14 William Moreland 2025 T155 2555 22

12 15 Lloyd Braun 2022 157 2623 20

13 15 Sean Maguire 1990 170 2319 T67

14 12 Ettienne R. Lafitte 1911 200 2623 20

15 13 Jose Estrada 1864 217 2440 41

16 12 Mark Simpson 1820 234 2484 34

17 15 Hank Brewer 1747 278 2003 T166

18 12 Angel De Castillo 1722 T290 2390 52

19 12 David Noboru 1662 T329 2356 T59

20 12 Ray Cooper 1642 T342 2271 83

Ron’s Commentary

Dusty Rhodes and Jared

Gillstrom seem like they’ve

just always been here.

Which is cool.

That said, I’m not sure I see

James’ Favorite Tool as

being too reliable on the

projections here. I can’t for

example, I can’t see Lucas

McNeill making it another

500 games. Still fun to see

him at #12.


Runs Scored

RK YRS NAME TOT OVERALL PROJ. PROJ. Rank 1 16 Jared Gillstrom 1813 10 2142 2

2 15 Lucas McNeill 1535 30 1906 6

3 17 Alfredo Salazar 1528 31 1613 20

4 16 Dusty Rhodes 1440 T45 1653 18


6 16 Steve Dempsey 1294 83 1424 48

7 17 Jorge Rodriguez 1258 T97 1493 38

8 13 Jon Mick 1256 99 1597 22

9 11 Mons Raider 1234 105 1985 4

10 15 Gerardo Guzman 1232 T106 1473 42

11 12 Mark Simpson 1226 109 1700 18

12 12 David Noboru 1213 114 1668 18

13 14 William Moreland 1209 116 1523 T33

14 14 Carlos Gonzales 1206 117 1476 41

15 12 Mark Wareham 1120 147 1621 20

16 10 Tai hoi Wie 1103 160 1824 10

17 13 Jose Estrada 1099 164 1450 45

18 16 Rupert Grant 1080 T175 1182 T125

19 15 Hank Brewer 1071 T180 1207 117

20 15 Lloyd Braun 1068 183 1347 65

Hits

RK YRS NAME TOT OVERALL PROJ. PROJ. Rank 1 16 Dusty Rhodes 3430 7 3952 1

2 16 Jared Gillstrom 3123 17 3671 4

3 16 Steve Dempsey 2863 23 3169 16

4 15 Lucas McNeill 2479 72 3094 19

5 15 Gerardo Guzman 2423 82 2889 23

6 14 Carlos Gonzales 2419 84 2932 22

7 17 Alfredo Salazar 2303 109 2428 81


9 13 Jon Mick 2222 126 2784 30

10 17 Jorge Rodriguez 2147 146 2485 71

11 13 Jose Estrada 2143 147 2808 T26

12 14 William Moreland 2126 154 2569 54

13 12 David Noboru 2124 155 2982 22

14 15 Sean Maguire 2070 166 2419 T84

15 10 Juan Karyabwite 2037 174 3223 14

16 15 Lloyd Braun 2035 177 2540 58

17 16 Rupert Grant 1996 186 2154 144

18 15 Hank Brewer 1972 191 2220 128

19 12 Mark Simpson 1914 210 2579 53

20 12 Angel De Castillo 1890 T220 2621 T51

Ron’s Commentary

Jared Gillstrom by a mile, eh?

Lucas McNeill has been a run

scoring machine, too, but even

another 100-run season (to catch

him up to Gillstrom’s service

time).

Jorge Rodriguez has been an

over-looked leadoff guy and sits

at #7.

Mons Raider at #9 in 11 seasons

is one to watch

Ron’s Commentary

Dusty Rhodes projects to be the

#1 all-time hits leader.

I doubt that anyone would have

picked Gerardo Guzman as the #5

guy. Karyabwite with over 2,00

hits in only 10 seasons is a guy to

watch.


Doubles

RK YRS NAME TOT OVERALL PROJ. PROJ. Rank 1 16 Steve Dempsey 624 10 688 5

2 15 Lucas McNeill 535 T37 651 T7

3 15 Sean Maguire 457 T83 532 T39


T5 17 Alfredo Salazar 412 T132 436 109

T5 11 John Hickman 412 T132 537 34

7 15 Hank Brewer 411 135 468 T74

8 15 Gerardo Guzman 398 T150 473 72

T9 13 Jon Mick 394 T153 505 T53

T9 10 Juan Karyabwite 394 T153 607 17

11 10 Bartolo Ortiz 383 T168 750 2

12 12 Xue-qin Man 376 183 460 82

13 11 Abdelwahab Kamade

368 192 581 T19

14 11 Brett Compton 367 T193 555 29

T15 14 Carlos Gonzales 366 T196 463 T80

T15 12 Mark Simpson 366 T196 500 57

17 12 David Noboru 365 T198 503 T54

18 12 Ray Cooper 361 T207 501 57

19 15 Lloyd Braun 352 T222 448 99

20 14 William Moreland 343 T235 429 116

Triples

RK YRS NAME TOT OVERALL PROJ. PROJ. Rank 1 15 Gerardo Guzman 123 19 142 T12

T2 17 Jorge Rodriguez 118 T22 128 T16

T2 12 Chang-hyeok Chang 118 T22 135 14

4 11 Abdelwahab Kamade 117 25 183 5

5 16 Steve Dempsey 110 T33 114 31

6 15 Lloyd Braun 105 39 129 T15

7 12 Xue-qin Man 99 T51 123 T19

8 10 Jaime Ramirez 97 T56 168 8

T9 15 Lucas McNeill 77 T93 99 T51

T9 8 Juan Santana 77 T93 142 T12

11 16 Jared Gillstrom 75 T102 82 T78

12 5 Alex Ramirez 71 T119 175 7

13 12 David Noboru 68 T134 105 T39

14 8 Rashardo Menne III 67 T144 143 12

15 10 Juan Karyabwite 66 T148 129 T15

16 11 Luis Gonzalez 64 T157 84 74

17 4 Millard Younger 61 T173 187 5

18 12 Ettienne R. Lafitte 60 T179 84 74

19 13 Bucky Dornster 59 T186 65 T152

T20 12 Angel De Castillo 57 T201 83 T74

T20 13 Carlos Garcia 57 T201 65 T152

Ron’s Commentary

Calling Emilo Morales, calling

Emilio Morales!

Lots of interesting names on this

list—it’s a place where McNeill

out-ranks Gillstrom, for one bit

of trivia. Xue-qin Man sitting in

the middle of the mix probably

says something about how he’s

managed to hold onto his career.

Ron’s Commentary

There’s that interesting

name again: Gerardo

Guzman. He’s a guy who

has had a nice little career

off the map.

Another fun list to just kind

of stare at and ask yourself

questions…like “what the

heck is Ettienne Lafitte

doing here?


Home Runs

RK YRS NAME TOT OVERALL PROJ. PROJ. Rank 1 14 William Moreland 555 14 700 3

2 13 Jon Mick 528 19 663 4


4 16 Rupert Grant 518 21 566 10

5 11 Emilio Morales 500 25 777 1

6 13 Carlton Winson 485 32 524 21

7 14 Carlos Gonzales 473 36 572 10

8 13 Jose Estrada 454 44 616 T6


10 12 Ettienne R. LaFitte 449 50 593 8

11 12 David Noboru 427 T64 585 9

12 15 Lucas McNeill 421 70 525 21

13 12 Mark Simpson 403 76 552 16

14 12 Fernando Cruz 387 84 577 10

15 9 Yancy Cravat 362 105 643 T4

16 10 Tai hoi Wie 343 T117 559 13

17 10 Bartolo Ortiz 335 T124 641 5

18 8 Luis Maldonado 324 T135 614 7

19 10 Albert Gaona 323 T137 482 33

20 10 Mario Guerrer 322 T141 537 T16

RBI

RK YRS NAME TOT OVERALL PROJ. PROJ. Rank 1 13 Jon Mick 1673 18 2066 3


3 16 Dusty Rhodes 1472 38 1699 17

4 17 Alfredo Salazar 1428 48 1496 36

5 16 Rupert Grant 1424 49 1542 30


7 15 Lucas McNeill 1381 59 1776 10


9 13 Jose Estrada 1338 T72 1784 10

10 14 Carlos Gonzales 1331 75 1616 23

11 11 Emilio Morales 1300 80 2005 5

12 12 Fernando Cruz 1193 111 1828 9

13 12 David Noboru 1173 118 1628 22

14 13 Carlton Winson 1142 132 1230 T97

15 12 Mark Simpson 1124 141 1524 32

16 10 Mario Guerrer 1084 159 1725 15

17 15 Hank Brewer 1064 170 1228 T98

18 16 Steve Dempsey 1037 177 1119 T145

19 12 Angel De Castillo 1027 182 1422 50

20 12 Ray Cooper 1023 T185 1335 75

Ron’s Commentary

Barring injury, this will be

Emilio Morales’s category

pretty soon.

If you want to see how

“offensive” the game has

become in this era, just

look at all those

projections. I’m not sure I

believe the method, but if

it’s right 14 of the top 20

HR hitters of all time are

playing today.

Ron’s Commentary

Look what happens when you put

two of the better OBP guys of an

era in front of a pretty danged

good power hitter? You get Jon

Mick.

RBI is a very interesting counting

number. Most people these days

agree that it’s crap for projecting

performance year-to-year, but

when you look down the list of

league leaders, you see nothing

but Very Important Names.

Baseball is important for its

people and its storyline. I put

forward the idea that RBI is one

of those storyline stats that make

a difference in the aggregate and

in context.


Stolen Bases

RK YRS NAME TOT OVERALL PROJ. PROJ. Rank 1 11 Mons Raider 1217 1 1702 1

2 17 Jorge Rodriguez 897 9 1085 4

3 16 Steve Dempsey 889 10 961 6

4 15 Gerardo Guzman 863 11 979 6

5 12 Claudio Defazio 707 18 756 17

6 12 William S. Hardy 658 22 852 12

7 12 Ettienne R. LaFitte 650 T24 878 11

8 10 Juan Karyabwite 643 26 996 5

9 12 David Noboru 617 30 839 13

10 12 Mark Wareham 597 33 793 15

11 16 Jared Gillstrom 575 T36 638 27

12 15 Lucas McNeill 554 41 636 27


14 10 Jaime Ramirez 511 49 758 17

15 15 Lloyd Braun 510 50 628 30

16 7 Quant Kouros 483 T57 1107 3

17 13 Chris Limon 476 61 519 49

18 13 Jean-Luc Lacaze 462 T63 514 49

19 11 Abdelwahab Kamade 431 T74 611 31

T20 10 Jimmy Starks Jr. 414 T79 683 21

T20 13 Carlos Garcia 414 T79 488 56

Walks

RK YRS NAME TOT OVERALL PROJ. PROJ. Rank 1 17 Alfredo Salazar 1458 14 1544 10

2 12 Mark Wareham 1377 18 2054 2

3 12 Mark Simpson 1333 20 1933 4

4 10 Tai hoi Wie 1150 36 1899 4

5 13 Carlton Winson 1117 40 1228 27

6 11 Mons Raider 1081 48 1777 4

7 17 Jorge Rodriguez 1062 50 1289 23

8 15 Lucas McNeill 1018 65 1243 27

9 12 Claudio Defazio 1000 71 1170 34

10 13 Chris Limon 991 T72 1224 27

11 12 Jayden Harsnett 906 T100 1062 T50


13 9 Lionnel Crepin 875 113 1570 9

14 16 Jared Gillstrom 865 117 1035 57

15 15 Sean Maguire 821 136 959 T83

16 12 Fernando Cruz 798 151 1282 23

17 13 Bucky Dornster 796 152 950 86

18 15 Hank Brewer 778 160 902 103

19 13 George Lee Anderson V 774 162 853 T120

T20 12 Reece Wareham 773 T163 998 72

T20 16 Dusty Rhodes 773 T163 893 105

Ron’s Commentary

Well, yeah. Mons Raider.

That said, look at those projected

career ranks. We often thing

about this raised offensive world

to be about power—but the fact

of the matter is that when the

steal rate rose from the mid-60s

up to the low 70s, it unleashed a

barrage of the best base stealers

in league history.

Don’t sleep on Quant Kouros.

Ron’s Commentary

Lots of interesting names in this

list. Carlton Winson shows why

he stayed valuable even during

a fall-off in other areas.

That said, I figure no one would

be shocked to see Salazar,

Wareham, Simpson, and Wie at

the top of the list, with Mons

Raider ready to step upward.

Is Lionnel Crepin actually going

to make it to #9 overall?


Strikeouts

RK YRS NAME TOT OVERALL PROJ. PROJ. RankE 1 16 Rupert Grant 2696 4 2944 1


3 16 Jared Gillstrom 1914 50 2303 18

4 15 Lloyd Braun 1828 65 2399 12

5 13 Jon Mick 1810 69 2344 17

6 13 Shag Hopkins 1803 70 2253 21

7 13 Carlton Winson 1781 75 2000 40

8 12 David Noboru 1778 76 2636 9


10 11 Gabriel Talamante 1734 84 2558 10

11 15 Lucas McNeill 1726 T88 2218 22

12 10 Tai hoi Wie 1672 T104 2841 1

13 12 Mark Wareham 1664 111 2553 10

14 13 Carlos Garcia 1630 121 1947 45

15 17 Alfredo Salazar 1606 126 1713 94

16 12 Mark Simpson 1524 142 2040 31

17 13 Jean-luc Lacaze 1446 161 1836 65

18 11 Dong-soo Chon 1442 163 1728 86

19 15 Sean Maguire 1438 164 1672 T104

20 14 Carlos Gonzales 1437 165 1812 69

Batting Avg.

RK YEARS NAME TOTAL OVERALL 1 5 Dennis French .354 2

2 16 Dusty Rhodes .333 6

3 5 Andrew Torres .329 12

4 9 Francisco Flores .325 21

5 16 Jared Gillstrom .325 23

6 6 Steven Collins III .324 25

7 16 Steve Dempsey .323 31

8 6 Eliseu Satino .318 40

9 10 Mario Guerrer .318 41

10 8 Lorenzo Palacios .317 51

11 11 John Hickman .314 58

12 12 Chang-hyeok Chang .313 64

13 7 Quant Kouros .312 66

14 10 Juan Karyabwite .312 70

15 7 Juan Mendoza .312 72

16 7 Augie Plascencia .310 81

17 12 Joaquin Camacho .308 95

18 8 Mitch Dalrymple .307 102

19 11 Mons Raider .307 105

20 5 Jose Zuniga .306 111

Ron’s Commentary

Rupert Grant has already struck

out more than everyone but

three other guys in the history

of the league. I’m not sure I see

him making it to #1, but it’s an

interesting note.

At present we already have 11

of the top 100 biggest wind

makers in BBA history going to

the plate for us. My candidate

as most interesting guy on the

list: Dong-soo Chon

Ron’s Commentary

French and Rhodes are kind of “duh” entries

for this list.

I’m guessing we’ll see a bunch drop off the

bottom as a few more of our recent batch of

stars get enough plate appearances to qualify.


On Base Percentage

RK YRS NAME TOT OVERALL 1 11 Mons Raider .422 T4

2 10 Tai hoi Wie .406 T15

T3 8 Lorenzo Palacios .399 T21

T3 12 Mark Simpson .399 T21

5 7 Quant Kouros .398 T23

6 17 Jorge Rodriguez .397 T26

T7 5 Dennis French .394 T33

T7 7 Jharod Thealer .394 T33

9 12 Mark Wareham .388 T47

T10 9 Manuel Marino .386 T53

T10 5 Manuel Martinez .386 T53

T10 17 Alfredo Salazar .386 T53

T13 7 Juan Mendoza .384 T62

T13 5 Joaquin Hebner .384 T62

T13 6 Natanael Barral .384 T62

T13 9 Lionnel Crepin .384 T62

17 8 Rashardo Menne III .382 T72

T18 7 Pedro Holguin .380 T83

T18 13 George Lee Anderson V .380 T83

T20 16 Jared Gillstrom .379 T88

T20 6 Steven Collins III .379 T88

T20 5 Mario Barrera .379 T88

Slugging

RK YEARS NAME TOTAL OVERALL 1 5 Jose Zuniga .603 1

2 5 Dennis French .598 2

3 5 Manuel Martinez .580 5

T4 8 Lorenzo Palacios .577 T6

T4 11 Emilio Morales .577 T6

6 4 Vincent Vanderhugen .572 8

7 14 William Moreland .565 10

8 10 Bartolo Ortiz .564 11

9 13 Carlton Winson .560 14

T10 8 Justin Jackson .558 T16

T10 12 David Noboru .558 T16

T12 10 Mario Guerrer .557 T20

T12 6 Angel Zalapa .557 T20

14 5 Brett White .556 T24

15 5 Francisco Medina .555 T27


T16 9 Yancy Cravat .550 T32

18 7 Miguel Suarez .545 37

T19 5 Manuel Aguilar Jr. .543 T40

T19 6 Eliseu Satino .543 T40

T19 3 Ronnie Hubbard .543 T40

Ron’s Commentary

The most interesting thing about this chart is

that everyone on the list would sit in the

BBA’s top 100. But, then, you note how

“young” the list is and you get the idea of

that’s going on…the kids today haven’t seen

their decline phase.

So, yeah, we’ll have to check back later for

this one.

Still interesting to look at the list.

Ron’s Commentary

Same deal here.

Note Zuniga > French

Imagine where Morales would be if he hit

doubles. [grin]


OPS

RK YEARS NAME TOTAL OVERALL 1 5 Dennis French .992 1

2 5 Jose Zuniga .979 2

3 8 Lorenzo Palacios .975 3

4 5 Manuel Martinez .959 5

5 4 Vincent Vanderhugen .943 13

6 13 Carlton Winson .938 17

7 10 Mario Guerrer .936 T18

8 6 Angel Zalapa .933 20

9 14 William Moreland .931 21

T10 10 Bartolo Ortiz .930 T22


12 10 Tai hoi Wie .922 28

T13 12 Fernando Cruz .915 T30

T13 12 Mark Simpson .915 T30

15 9 Manuel Marino .914 T32

16 5 Andrew Torres .913 T36

T17 8 Justin Jackson .904 T45

T17 15 Lucas McNeill .904 T45

T19 7 Miguel Suarez .903 T47

T19 6 Eliseu Satino .903 T47

WAR

RK YEARS NAME TOTAL OVERALL 1 16 Jared Gillstrom 107.4 6

2 17 Alfredo Salazar 74.3 29

3 15 Lucas McNeill 70.4 44

4 12 Mark Simpson 65.2 59

5 15 Hank Brewer 64.6 T64

6 12 David Noboru 60.6 T77

7 13 Carlton Winson 60.3 81

8 14 William Moreland 53.9 T107

9 14 Carlos Gonzales 52.3 117

10 11 Emilio Morales 49.5 131

11 12 Mark Wareham 48.9 134

12 15 Sean Maguire 48.3 T138

13 11 Mons Raider 47.8 141

14 12 Luis Barrera 44.3 163

15 10 Tai hoi Wie 43.1 T170

16 12 Angel De Castillo 43.0 T172

17 13 Jose Estrada 42.9 T174

18 15 Gerardo Guzman 42.3 T178

19 12 Ettienne R. LaFitte 41.0 T191

20 11 Hsin Mei 40.4 198

Ron’s Commentary

Oh, what Carlton Winson could have been, eh?

This list has the same “problem” as the rest of

the rate stats when it comes to lifetime

projections. That said guys like Moreland,

Gillstrom, and McNeill are far enough along to

be likely to hold onto something close to their

rankings. Simpson and Cruz might.

Ron’s Commentary

When you start getting up to 65-70 WAR, the

Hall Starts to take notice. Gillstrom is a lock,

Salazar and McNeill are looking pretty hard to

turn down. Hank Brewer, as a catcher, is

probably already in—or at least very, very

close, and David Noboru has been on people’s

lips for a little while even though he’s starting

to fade and is at “only” 60 WAR.

I admit I haven’t heard a lot of Mark Simpson

for the Hall talk, but at 65 WAR in 12 seasons,

he’s got a helluva argument to make.

And, here’s the Morales (and Rhodes) enigma

at its root. Despite all those homers, and a

great glove, his WAR is borderline. He’ll need,

for example 10 WAR this year to catch

Noboru’s total in a dozen years.


Times on Base




4 15 Lucas McNeill 3497 53 4337 14

5 16 Steve Dempsey 3256 79 3623 41

6 12 Mark Simpson 3247 82 4512 11

7 17 Jorge Rodriguez 3209 90 3774 31

8 15 Gerardo Guzman 3165 T96 3804 30

9 14 Carlos Gonzales 3156 98 3852 28



12 13 Jon Mick 2938 141 3772 31

13 15 Sean Maguire 2891 147 3378 59

14 11 Mons Raider 2851 158 4505 12

15 10 Tai hoi Wie 2779 175 4506 12

16 12 Mark Wareham 2765 T178 4019 24

17 15 Hank Brewer 2750 T181 3122 103

18 15 Lloyd Braun 2725 188 3435 56

19 16 Rupert Grant 2673 197 2895 T146

20 12 Fernando Cruz 2627 204 3942 26

Extra Base Hits


2 15 Lucas McNeill 1033 29 1276 5

3 13 Jon Mick 945 T48 1200 7

4 17 Alfredo Salazar 920 51 969 T39


6 12 David Noboru 860 78 1190 8

7 14 Carlos Gonzales 849 81 1046 27

8 13 Jose Estrada 801 104 1077 22

9 11 Emilio Morales 794 T109 1245 6

10 12 Ettienne R. LaFitte 791 T115 1059 T24

11 16 Steve Dempsey 787 T118 860 T78

12 12 Mark Simpson 786 T122 1070 23

13 16 Rupert Grant 776 129 845 83

14 13 Carlton Winson 738 T153 792 T113

15 10 Bartolo Ortiz 733 160 1428 2

16 12 Fernando Cruz 719 163 1045 T27

17 15 Hank Brewer 712 T166 804 104

18 15 Sean Maguire 690 T182 799 T105

19 12 Ray Cooper 688 184 941 50

20 10 Mario Guerrer 670 T195 1101 17

Ron’s Commentary

See, there’s the actual argument

for Dusty Rhodes. It’s not that he

singles00which he admittedly does

a billion times…but that he also

walks. The man has been on

base215 times more often than

Jared Gillstrom in the same

number of years. Lucas McNeill

would have to go to the plate 706

times in 2042—and get on base

each of those times---just to tie

Dusty Rhodes.

One-trick ponies have a hard time

proving value. Rhodes doesn’t

double or homer, but he does

single and walk.

Ron’s Commentary

And here’s a big McNeill

argument. Yeah, he’s got the

homers, but he’s also got gap

power to the tune of being only 10

EBH behind the legendary Jared

Gillsrtom in a season less time.

The gap to Mick is almost a

hundred extra base hits, but Mick

might have time to make those up.

Most interesting name on the list?

My vote goes to Ray Cooper.


Singles



3 16 Steve Dempsey 2076 23 2308 10

4 15 Gerardo Guzman 1821 T44 2180 16

5 17 Jorge Rodriguez 1638 81 1890 38

6 14 Carlos Gonzales 1570 T97 1885 38


8 15 Lucas McNeill 1446 143 1818 46

9 15 Lloyd Braun 1411 T155 1757 T53

10 11 Mons Raider 1411 T155 2166 17

11 10 Juan Karyabwite 1395 T163 2182 16

12 17 Alfredo Salazar 1383 172 1459 T137

13 15 Sean Maguire 1380 173 1620 86

14 11 Luis Gonzalez 1379 174 2043 26

15 13 Jose Estrada 1342 188 1730 61

16 13 Jon Mick 1277 219 1584 91

17 12 David Noboru 1264 227 1792 52

18 15 Hank Brewer 1260 T228 1415 T153

19 12 Chang-hyeok Chang 1249 231 1495 125

20 12 Angel De Castillo 1248 232 1731 61

Total Bases


2 16 Dusty Rhodes 4477 36 5157 16

3 15 Lucas McNeill 4431 38 5521 8

4 13 Jon Mick 4246 52 5343 11

5 14 Carlos Gonzales 4224 56 5138 16

6 17 Alfredo Salazar 4183 60 4403 42



9 12 David Noboru 3906 87 5444 11

10 13 Jose Estrada 3888 90 5160 16

11 16 Steve Dempsey 3866 93 4258 51

12 16 Rupert Grant 3859 96 4186 60

13 11 Emilio Morales 3629 130 5623 6

14 12 Mark Simpson 3523 T142 4771 23

15 12 Fernando Cruz 3332 170 4877 20

16 12 Gerardo Guzman 3310 173 3927 85

17 12 Hank Brewer 3267 182 3677 118

18 15 Sean Maguire 3217 194 3726 116

19 12 Angel De Castillo 3191 T197 4354 43

20 10 Juan Karyabwite 3109 T219 5004 18

Ron’s Commentary

Anyone who didn’t know Rhodes

was going to be #1 by a katrillion

is just a total BBA newb. Not that

there’s anything wrong with that.

As a personal aside, I’m enjoying

seeing Angel De Castillo at the

bottom end of a lot of these lists.

One of my favorite ex-Nine.

Ron’s Commentary

So, yeah. What do you do with a

guy like Dusty Rhodes? His WAR

doesn’t even chart, but he totally

makes hay out of the leader board

lists. Scaled for time in league,

he’d drop a little, but who can tell

how many years a guy can stick

with the game.

We shall see.

The most important thing to note

here is that Jared Freakin’

Gillstrom blows this category

away.


All-Time vs Active Leaders -- per 162

So last article, San Fernando GM Randy Weigand walked us through all the active

leaderboards. We get a second dose of Weigand this year, though … this time in the form of

similar data—but cut by 162 games and overlaid with the All-Time list. Talk about your fun little

tables to spend a day scanning over, eh?

All of the following tables are totals/162 games (with the exception of WAR, which is by season), and

have the all-time leaders on the left and active leaders on the right. For the active leaderboard, their

overall place is in parenthesis.

Bolded players are HOF and there is a 2000 AB minimum.

WAR All-Time Active

RK YRS NAME TOT LAST RK YRS NAME TOT 1 5 Dennis French 6.72 Active 1 5 Dennis French 6.72

2 16 Jared Gillstrom 6.71 Active 2 16 Jared Gillstrom 6.71

3 25 Charles Puckett 6.59 2021 3 6 Angel Zalapa 6.00

4 21 Rogelio Morales 6.55 2016 4 12 Mark Simpson 5.43

5 17 Steve Collins 6.26 1994 5 3 Ronnie Hubbard 5.33

6 20 Rafael Rodriguez 6.17 2011 6 12 David Noboru 5.05

7 6 Angel Zalapa 6.00 Active 7 5 Alex Ramirez 5.00

8 13 Ross White 5.68 2009 8 15 Lucas McNeill 4.69

9 18 Roman Empire 5.49 2014 9 13 Carlton Winson 4.64

10 23 Bopper Kengos 5.49 2018 10 6 Steven Collins III 4.63

11 12 Mark Simpson 5.43 Active 11 8 Lorenzo Palacios 4.54

12 17 Juan Escobar 5.37 2037 12 11 Emilio Morales 4.50

13 3 Ronnie Hubbard 5.33 Active 13 17 Alfredo Salazar 4.37

14 8 Chris Coll 5.23 2005 14 11 Mons Raider 4.35

15 15 Doug Glover 5.16 2026 15 10 Tai hoi Wie 4.31

16 20 Douglas Newhouse 5.08 2015 16 15 Hank Brewer 4.31

17 12 David Noboru 5.05 Active 17 8 Luis Maldonado 4.25

18 21 Leon Sandcastle 5.03 2037 18 12 Mark Wareham 4.08

19 17 Duane Whitley 5.02 2017 19 5 Manuel Martinez 4.02

20 5 Alex Ramirez 5.00 Active 20 7 Juan Mendoza 3.97


RUNS All-Time Active

RK YRS NAME TOT LAST RK YRS NAME TOT 1 11 Mons Raider 133.01 Active 1 11 Mons Raider 133.01

2 18 Alfredo Martinez 128.00 2041 2 6 Steven Collins III 127.14

3 6 Steven Collins III 127.14 Active 3 7 Quant Kouros 125.76

4 7 Quant Kouros 125.76 Active 4 16 Jared Gillstrom 124.24

5 16 Jared Gillstrom 124.24 Active 5 5 Dennis French 121.01

6 8 Chris Coll 124.10 2005 6 12 David Noboru 118.23

7 25 Charles Puckett 122.02 2021 7 5 Pedro Diaz 116.52

8 5 Dennis French 121.01 Active 8 3 Ronnie Hubbard 116.00

9 18 Armando Santos 120.65 2013 9 12 Ettienne R. LaFitte 115.54

10 15 Sawyer Silk 119.00 1995 10 15 Lucas McNeill 114.70

11 18 Daniel Labrie 118.82 2012 11 8 Lorenzo Palacios 114.38

12 12 John Neely 118.32 2009 12 10 Tai hoi Wie 113.89

13 12 David Noboru 118.23 Active 13 5 Manuel Martinez 112.66

14 16 Roland Carroll 117.85 2012 14 5 Alex Ramirez 112.44

15 5 Pedro Diaz 116.52 Active 15 12 Mark Wareham 112.42

16 3 Ronnie Hubbard 116.00 Active 16 8 Rashardo Menne III 111.29

17 21 Rogelio Morales 115.59 2016 17 6 Ramon Pagan 111.12

18 12 Ettienne R. LaFitte 115.54 Active 18 8 Luis Maldonado 111.09

19 15 Lucas McNeill 114.70 Active 19 8 Chip Puckett 110.96

20 18 Roman Empire 114.66 2014 20 8 Angel Garcia 110.32

HITS All-Time Active

RK YRS NAME TOT LAST RK YRS NAME TOT 1 5 Dennis French 233.90 Active 1 5 Dennis French 233.90

2 17 Steve Collins 229.97 1994 2 6 Steven Collins III 222.96

3 12 John Neely 225.61 2009 3 16 Dusty Rhodes 219.02

4 11 Hector Valentin 223.34 2035 4 16 Steve Dempsey 215.22

5 6 Steven Collins III 222.96 Active 5 16 Jared Gillstrom 214.01

6 13 Tom Mohler 221.38 2004 6 5 Andrew Torres 213.09

7 16 Dusty Rhodes 219.02 Active 7 10 Juan Karyabwite 209.25

8 13 Diego Jose 216.06 1995 8 8 Mike Ellis 207.04

9 16 Steve Dempsey 215.22 Active 9 12 David Noboru 207.03

10 12 Juan Garcia 214.05 2024 10 3 Ronnie Hubbard 205.97

11 16 Jared Gillstrom 214.01 Active 11 6 Michael Best 202.09

12 5 Andrew Torres 213.09 Active 12 10 Mario Guerrer 200.96

13 17 Juan Escobar 212.02 2037 13 7 Quant Kouros 200.77

14 17 Duane Whitley 211.25 2017 14 4 Lucio Cuellar 200.06

15 10 Juan Karyabwite 209.25 Active 15 5 Pedro Diaz 200.01

16 8 Mike Ellis 207.04 Active 16 9 Francisco Flores 199.70

17 12 David Noboru 207.03 Active 17 12 Chang-hyeok Chang 199.68

18 3 Ronnie Hubbard 205.97 Active 18 7 Juan Mendoza 199.00

19 23 Bopper Kengos 205.93 2018 19 7 Augie Plascencia 198.87

20 18 Daniel Labrie 203.30 2012 20 8 Mitch Dalrymple 197.68


DOUBLES All-Time Active

RK YRS NAME TOT LAST RK YRS NAME TOT 1 18 Emile Santos 55.63 1994 1 5 Joaquin Hebner 54.70

2 5 Joaquin Hebner 54.70 Active 2 6 Eliseu Satino 50.91

3 10 Bob Skube 53.03 1994 3 4 Vincent Vanderhugen 50.73

4 16 Tom Laverriere 51.08 1993 4 5 Dennis French 49.98

5 6 Eliseu Satino 50.91 Active 5 4 Lucio Cuellar 49.77

6 4 Vincent Vanderhugen 50.73 Active 6 7 Pedro Holguin 47.25

7 13 Alistar Sharpe 50.42 2001 7 4 Dan Flores 47.14

8 14 Domingo Fierro 50.40 2025 8 12 Joaquin Camacho 47.00

9 5 Dennis French 49.98 Active 9 16 Steve Dempsey 46.91

10 11 Kirk Valdovinos 49.81 1987 10 8 Lorenzo Palacios 46.58

11 4 Lucio Cuellar 49.77 Active 11 7 Quant Kouros 46.36

12 7 Earl Jackson 49.73 2037 12 11 John Hickman 45.13

13 8 Ken Gould 49.47 2023 13 9 Francisco Flores 44.98

14 21 Fraser Dodson 48.71 2021 14 10 Bartolo Ortiz 44.77

15 10 Ben Hargrove 48.71 2017 15 8 Thad Meyer 44.08

16 6 Remy Gauthreaux 48.47 1978 16 6 Steven Collins III 43.84

17 10 Christopher Williams 48.05 1987 17 5 Manuel Aguilar Jr. 43.57

18 12 Jose Cruz 47.79 2020 18 11 Michael Durham 43.25

19 16 Glen Groves 47.51 1997 19 12 Xue-qin Man 43.17

20 8 Silas Camarena 47.40 2002 20 5 Andrew Torres 43.13

TRIPLES All-Time Active

RK YRS NAME TOT LAST RK YRS NAME TOT 1 14 Luke Zalusky 19.63 1992 1 4 Millard Younger 15.76

2 8 Neville Byas 15.95 2006 2 5 Alex Ramirez 14.78

3 4 Millard Younger 15.76 Active 3 12 Chang-hyeok Chang 13.31

4 8 Willie Mays Hayes 15.36 1980 4 11 Abdelwahab Kamade 12.40

5 16 Milt Linares Jr. 15.07 2023 5 4 Lucio Cuellar 12.36

6 5 Alex Ramirez 14.78 Active 6 8 Rashardo Menne III 11.40

7 16 John Bockus 14.44 1994 7 8 Francisco Marin 11.39

8 11 Jerry Johnson 13.86 1993 8 8 Juan Santana 11.38

9 16 Tom Laverriere 13.78 1993 9 12 Xue-qin Man 11.37

10 16 Joseph Saddler 13.59 1994 10 4 Dan Flores 11.20

11 16 Glen Groves 13.34 1997 11 10 Jaime Ramirez 10.58

12 12 Chang-hyeok Chang 13.31 Active 12 5 Pedro Diaz 9.97

13 14 Rob Van Winkle 13.24 2004 13 7 Tim Torres 9.75

14 17 Steve Collins 12.84 1994 14 15 Gerardo Guzman 9.35

15 9 Ken Jenkins 12.78 2036 15 13 Desiderius Kirshbaum 9.33

16 11 Abdelwahab Kamade 12.40 Active 16 17 Jorge Rodriguez 9.15

17 4 Lucio Cuellar 12.36 Active 17 5 Dennis French 8.77

18 11 Charles Martin 12.02 2040 18 8 Justin Jackson 8.42

19 10 Christopher Williams 11.87 1987 19 15 Lloyd Braun 8.41

20 8 Rashardo Menne III 11.40 Active 20 7 Pedro Saldana 8.33


HR All-Time Active

RK YRS NAME TOT LAST RK YRS NAME TOT 1 9 Yancy Cravat 51.26 Active 1 9 Yancy Cravat 51.26

2 12 Long Chamberlain 50.54 1994 2 11 Emilio Morales 50.53

3 11 Emilio Morales 50.53 Active 3 5 Manuel Martinez 48.89

4 5 Manuel Martinez 48.89 Active 4 13 Carlton Winson 48.00

5 13 Carlton Winson 48.00 Active 5 5 Francisco Medina 46.04

6 15 Billy Wilson 46.30 1998 6 5 Jose Zuniga 45.82

7 5 Francisco Medina 46.04 Active 7 14 William Moreland 44.40

8 5 Jose Zuniga 45.82 Active 8 8 Luis Maldonado 42.95

9 18 Alfredo Martinez 45.61 2041 9 6 Ramon Pagan 42.25

10 14 William Moreland 44.40 Active 10 8 Frank Mahaffey 42.18

11 14 Jim Wilson 44.36 2015 11 13 Jon Mick 42.09

12 13 Joe Belinda 44.17 1999 12 6 Angel Zalapa 41.92

13 12 Marcos Moore 43.19 2017 13 12 David Noboru 41.62

14 19 Hector Cano 42.96 2032 14 5 Brett White 41.37

15 8 Luis Maldonado 42.95 Active 15 16 Rupert Grant 41.01

16 19 Morris Pennebaker 42.76 2007 16 13 Jose Estrada 39.46

17 12 David Smurf 42.39 1999 17 8 Justin Jackson 39.45

18 6 Ramon Pagan 42.25 Active 18 10 Bartolo Ortiz 39.16

19 8 Frank Mahaffey 42.18 Active 19 12 Fernando Cruz 38.53

20 13 Jon Mick 42.09 Active 20 9 Adrian Salazar 38.18

RBI All-Time Active

RK YRS NAME TOT LAST RK YRS NAME TOT 1 23 Bopper Kengos 133.96 2018 1 13 Jon Mick 133.38

2 13 Jon Mick 133.38 Active 2 11 Emilio Morales 131.38

3 11 Emilio Morales 131.38 Active 3 4 Vincent Vanderhugen 126.00

4 12 David Smurf 127.53 1999 4 5 Andrew Torres 124.52

5 9 Stephen Lubin 126.72 2012 5 10 Mario Guerrer 123.84

6 15 Billy Wilson 126.20 1998 6 8 Luis Maldonado 122.76

7 4 Vincent Vanderhugen

126.00 Active 7 12 Fernando Cruz 118.79

8 15 Sawyer Silk 125.93 1995 8 5 Manuel Martinez 118.06

9 15 Dexter Sheehan 124.91 2017 9 9 Yancy Cravat 117.68

10 5 Andrew Torres 124.52 Active 10 5 Jose Zuniga 117.66

11 12 Long Chamberlain 124.00 1994 11 4 Mike Campbell 117.03

12 10 Mario Guerrer 123.84 Active 12 12 Ettienne R. LaFitte 116.31

13 19 Morris Pennebaker 123.73 2007 13 13 Jose Estrada 116.29

14 8 Luis Maldonado 122.76 Active 14 8 Lorenzo Palacios 114.97

15 13 Joe Belinda 122.35 1999 15 8 Justin Jackson 114.76

16 17 Duane Whitley 121.16 2017 16 6 Angel Zalapa 114.75

17 13 Mario Balderas 120.85 2039 17 12 David Noboru 114.34

18 19 Bolt Vanderhugen 120.64 2007 18 5 Francisco Medina 114.01

19 17 Jorge Rodriguez 119.88 2034 19 14 William Moreland 113.20

20 12 Juan Garcia 119.48 2024 20 13 Carlton Winson 113.01


Stolen Bases All-Time Active

RK YRS NAME TOT LAST RK YRS NAME TOT 1 11 Mons Raider 131.17 Active 1 11 Mons Raider 131.17

2 17 Zebediah Williams 86.20 2000 2 7 Quant Kouros 81.42

3 7 Quant Kouros 81.42 Active 3 12 Claudio Defazio 73.66

4 11 Antonio Valentin 80.50 2038 4 12 William S. Hardy 69.67

5 14 Anthony Walker 78.97 1993 5 17 Jorge Rodriguez 69.53

6 18 Dash Kelly 74.64 2008 6 16 Steve Dempsey 66.83

7 13 Icehouse Bolton 74.52 1993 7 6 Steven Collins III 66.39

8 12 Claudio Defazio 73.66 Active 8 10 Juan Karyabwite 66.05

9 7 Jose Cortez 72.80 2039 9 15 Gerardo Guzman 65.64

10 8 Willie Mays Hayes 71.82 1980 10 4 Lucio Cuellar 63.43

11 8 Sheldon Cooper 71.80 2037 11 8 Rashardo Menne III 63.30

12 7 Aymeric Barajas 71.12 2038 12 8 Chip Puckett 62.25

13 14 Luke Zalusky 70.77 1992 13 12 David Noboru 60.14

14 11 Ben Green 69.86 1994 14 13 Desiderius Kirshbaum 60.08

15 12 William S. Hardy 69.67 Active 15 12 Mark Wareham 59.92

16 17 Jorge Rodriguez 69.53 Active 16 6 Joey Newhouse 58.63

17 17 Steve Collins 68.62 1994 17 10 Jimmy Starks Jr. 58.07

18 16 Steve Dempsey 66.83 Active 18 5 Jose Cortes 57.36

19 6 Steven Collins III 66.39 Active 19 8 Francisco Marin 56.32

20 10 Juan Karyabwite 66.05 Active 20 10 Jaime Ramirez 55.75

WALKS All-Time Active

RK YRS NAME TOT LAST RK YRS NAME TOT 1 12 Mark Wareham 138.21 Active 1 12 Mark Wareham 138.21

2 10 Tai hoi Wie 118.74 Active 2 10 Tai hoi Wie 118.74

3 12 Mark Simpson 118.65 Active 3 12 Mark Simpson 118.65

4 20 Douglas Newhouse 117.81 2015 4 11 Mons Raider 116.51

5 11 Mons Raider 116.51 Active 5 7 Jharod Thealer 112.96

6 11 Joe Gillstrom 116.14 1983 6 9 Lionnel Crepin 111.79

7 18 Alfredo Martinez 115.82 2041 7 13 Carlton Winson 110.54

8 7 Jharod Thealer 112.96 Active 8 12 Jayden Harsnett 105.90

9 18 Daniel Labrie 112.20 2012 9 13 Chris Limon 104.38

10 21 Rogelio Morales 112.18 2016 10 12 Claudio Defazio 104.18

11 9 Lionnel Crepin 111.79 Active 11 5 Manuel Martinez 103.19

12 13 Carlton Winson 110.54 Active 12 17 Alfredo Salazar 101.85

13 25 Charles Puckett 108.36 2021 13 13 George Lee Anderson V 101.36

14 15 Will Simmons 108.03 2013 14 6 Yunosuke Terada 98.99

15 12 Jayden Harsnett 105.90 Active 15 5 Alan Williamson 95.69

16 21 Tipper Kengos 105.82 2016 16 11 Gary Schneider 93.89

17 13 Chris Limon 104.38 Active 17 11 Hotha Popo 90.21

18 12 Claudio Defazio 104.18 Active 18 9 Manuel Marino 90.18

19 18 Armando Santos 103.78 2013 19 8 Angel Garcia 89.81

20 6 Bulldog Sanders 103.50 1978 20 10 Marcus Forryan 88.38


MOST STRIKEOUTS All-Time Active

RK YRS NAME TOT LAST RK YRS NAME TOT 1 6 Weaver Ripley 235.95 Active 1 6 Weaver Ripley 235.95

2 10 Robert Gowron 220.97 2039 2 6 Arturo Barron 216.27

3 6 Arturo Barron 216.27 Active 3 11 Gabriel Talamante 215.59

4 11 Gabriel Talamante 215.59 Active 4 16 Rupert Grant 213.47

5 16 Rupert Grant 213.47 Active 5 13 Shag Hopkins 204.83

6 12 Sam Adams 211.31 2035 6 11 Dong-soo Chon 198.98

7 13 Paul Backstrom 206.25 2036 7 13 Carlos Garcia 188.48

8 15 Domenic Wyatt 205.63 2035 8 10 Glenn Gorman 182.08

9 13 Shag Hopkins 204.83 Active 9 13 Carlton Winson 176.25

10 11 Dong-soo Chon 198.98 Active 10 11 Sean Smith 173.77

11 5 Roberto Lopez 198.32 2038 11 12 David Noboru 173.31

12 16 Mario Murillo 197.36 2036 12 10 Tai hoi Wie 172.63

13 16 Steve Faulkner 194.15 2014 13 6 Yunosuke Terada 171.55

14 14 Pepper Brooks 193.82 2005 14 10 Ares Papadias 169.31

15 13 Dave Robertson 192.87 2038 15 12 Mark Wareham 167.02

16 7 Oggy Oglethorpe 191.61 2024 16 12 Ettienne R. LaFitte 166.24

17 8 Bo Jackson 189.41 1999 17 6 Joey Newhouse 165.62

18 13 Carlos Garcia 188.48 Active 18 6 William Wood 164.06

19 15 Cam Adams 188.46 2024 19 5 Alan Williamson 160.60

20 15 Bryan Vogel 188.27 2030 20 5 John Hale 160.07

LEAST STRIKEOUTS All-Time Active

RK YRS NAME TOT LAST RK YRS NAME TOT 1 9 Erik Bjornstad 11.89 1995 1 8 Sergio Maldonado 29.53

2 12 Matthew Callahan 19.64 1987 2 7 Augie Plascencia 29.60

3 13 Tim Ferrick 19.95 1991 3 16 Dusty Rhodes 32.18

4 10 Xellow Mazoku 20.76 1989 4 17 Jorge Rodriguez 38.06

5 13 Ronald Nee 20.96 1989 5 13 Desiderius Kirshbaum 40.88

6 10 Luis Cannella 24.04 1985 6 13 George Lee Anderson V 43.48

7 11 Raul Montero 24.36 1989 7 11 Emilio Morales 48.71

8 23 Gary Barr 24.69 2004 8 10 Juan Karyabwite 48.80

9 10 Liam Carr 26.54 1989 9 7 Mauro Saucedo 48.97

10 16 Jeff Wachowski 27.57 1994 10 5 Dennis French 54.58

11 10 Felton Tally 27.72 1990 11 7 Quant Kouros 57.99

12 10 Ludovic Evangelista 28.69 2018 12 10 Jin-song Xuan 58.92

13 15 John Storm 29.06 1992 13 10 Pedro Gomez 59.08

14 15 Sawyer Silk 29.22 1995 14 8 Miguel Padilla 60.87

15 8 Sergio Maldonado 29.53 Active 15 13 Harlan W. Moore 61.08

16 7 Augie Plascencia 29.60 Active 16 12 Joaquin Camacho 65.03

17 12 Lionel Joseph 29.74 1992 17 6 Hector Serrano 66.33

18 19 Donnie Rotten 27.77 1999 18 12 Fernando Cruz 66.41

19 10 Rick Leach 29.83 1994 19 12 Xue-qin Man 67.39

20 12 Michael Reyes 30.10 1989 20 7 Pedro Holguin 67.50


TIMES ON BASE All-Time Active

RK YRS NAME TOT LAST RK YRS NAME TOT 1 18 Daniel Labrie 315.49 2012 1 11 Mons Raider 307.29

2 11 Mons Raider 307.29 Active 2 12 Mark Simpson 289.02

3 21 Tipper Kengos 305.51 2016 3 10 Tai hoi Wie 286.93

4 21 Rogelio Morales 303.32 2016 4 6 Steven Collins III 278.70

5 25 Charles Puckett 300.48 2021 5 5 Dennis French 277.75

6 18 Roman Empire 295.80 2014 6 12 Mark Wareham 277.53

7 20 Rafael Rodriguez 291.18 2011 7 7 Quant Kouros 276.63

8 12 Mark Simpson 289.02 Active 8 5 Joaquin Hebner 274.56

9 10 Tai hoi Wie 286.93 Active 9 16 Jared Gillstrom 273.29

10 17 Steve Collins 284.97 1994 10 8 Rashardo Menne III 270.23

11 20 Frank Thomas III 283.18 2035 11 16 Dusty Rhodes 268.38

12 18 Armando Santos 282.97 2013 12 8 Lorenzo Palacios 268.37

13 18 Mike Clarke 282.32 2006 13 7 Jharod Thealer 268.24

14 14 Mark Bruner 281.56 2008 14 7 Juan Mendoza 268.18

15 15 Will Simmons 281.42 2013 15 5 Manuel Martinez 264.97

16 20 Douglas Newhouse 280.32 2015 16 5 Andrew Torres 263.67

17 12 Earl Alleyne 280.01 2005 17 17 Alfredo Salazar 262.73

18 17 Duane Whitley 279.61 2017 18 9 Lionnel Crepin 262.29

19 6 Steven Collins III 278.70 Active 19 12 Fernando Cruz 261.57

20 7 Peter Pete 278.02 1979 20 6 Gipper Kengos 261.32

EXTRA BASE HITS All-Time Active

RK YRS NAME TOT LASTt RK YRS NAME TOT 1 12 Long Chamberlain 94.85 1994 1 4 Vincent Vanderhugen 90.55

2 4 Vincent Vanderhugen 90.55 Active 2 5 Dennis French 89.88

3 5 Dennis French 89.88 Active 3 10 Bartolo Ortiz 85.68

4 19 Morris Pennebaker 88.81 2007 4 8 Lorenzo Palacios 84.71

5 10 Bartolo Ortiz 85.68 Active 5 5 Jose Zuniga 84.25

6 15 Sawyer Silk 85.45 1995 6 4 Mike Campbell 84.25

7 8 Lorenzo Palacios 84.71 Active 7 3 Ronnie Hubbard 84.21

8 15 Billy Wilson 84.52 1998 8 8 Justin Jackson 84.04

9 5 Jose Zuniga 84.25 Active 9 12 David Noboru 83.83

10 4 Mike Campbell 84.25 Active 10 4 Millard Younger 81.65

11 3 Ronnie Hubbard 84.21 Active 11 5 Manuel Aguilar Jr. 81.11

12 8 Justin Jackson 84.04 Active 12 6 Eliseu Satino 80.75

13 12 David Noboru 83.83 Active 13 11 Emilio Morales 80.24

14 4 Millard Younger 81.65 Active 14 11 Hsin Mei 79.81

15 11 Vince Milani 81.35 1983 15 5 Francisco Medina 79.66

16 5 Manuel Aguilar Jr. 81.11 Active 16 5 Brett White 78.11

17 6 Billy Reed 81.00 1986 17 15 Lucas McNeill 77.19

18 19 Hector Cano 80.77 2032 18 5 Alex Ramirez 76.63

19 6 Eliseu Satino 80.75 Active 19 5 Manuel Martinez 76.61

20 16 John Bockus 80.65 1994 20 10 Mario Guerrer 76.54


SINGLES All-Time Active

RK YRS NAME TOT LAST RK YRS NAME TOTAL 1 16 Dusty Rhodes 186.01 Active 1 16 Dusty Rhodes 186.01

2 11 Hector Valentin 178.15 2035 2 16 Steve Dempsey 156.06

3 13 Tom Mohler 173.75 2004 3 6 Steven Collins III 153.02

4 13 Diego Jose 170.88 1995 4 11 Mons Raider 152.08

5 10 Andrew Ivey 168.42 2024 5 5 Pedro Diaz 148.60

6 12 John Neely 164.54 2009 6 8 Chip Puckett 145.50

7 14 Ryoko Masaki 164.49 1991 7 5 Jose Cortes 145.26

8 17 Steve Collins 163.89 1994 8 11 Luis Gonzalez 144.03

9 20 Mario Soriano 162.43 2040 9 5 Dennis French 144.02

10 14 Gustavo Maldonado 159.80 2009 10 10 Juan Karyabwite 143.30

11 21 Tipper Kengos 156.24 2016 11 16 Jared Gillstrom 142.47

12 16 Steve Dempsey 156.06 Active 12 7 Quant Kouros 141.60

13 6 Steven Collins III 153.02 Active 13 7 Augie Plascencia 141.26

14 12 Juan Garcia 152.85 2024 14 6 Gipper Kengos 141.24

15 18 Daniel Labrie 152.65 2012 15 12 Chang-hyeok Chang 140.90

16 11 Mons Raider 152.08 Active 16 15 Gerardo Guzman 138.50

17 7 Peter Pete 151.41 1979 17 5 Andrew Torres 137.61

18 12 Kelly Benson 150.19 2005 18 13 Harlan W. Moore 135.44

19 17 Kenji Masaki 149.04 2011 19 4 Lucio Cuellar 135.33

20 8 Deris Millon 149.00 1988 20 8 Francisco Marin 134.58

TOTAL BASES All-Time Active

RK YRS NAME TOT LAST RK YRS NAME TOTAL 1 5 Dennis French 394.81 Active 1 5 Dennis French 394.81

2 12 David Noboru 380.73 Active 2 12 David Noboru 380.73

3 3 Ronnie Hubbard 368.98 Active 3 3 Ronnie Hubbard 368.98

4 11 Emilio Morales 366.75 Active 4 11 Emilio Morales 366.75

5 16 Jared Gillstrom 362.79 Active 5 16 Jared Gillstrom 362.79

6 19 Morris Pennebaker 362.63 2007 6 4 Vincent Vanderhugen 361.09

7 4 Vincent Vanderhugen 361.09 Active 7 5 Jose Zuniga 358.88

8 5 Jose Zuniga 358.88 Active 8 8 Lorenzo Palacios 352.48

9 23 Bopper Kengos 356.10 2018 9 10 Mario Guerrer 351.88

10 14 Jim Wilson 356.08 2015 10 4 Millard Younger 350.10

11 13 Ross White 352.53 2009 11 8 Justin Jackson 349.57

12 8 Lorenzo Palacios 352.48 Active 12 5 Andrew Torres 346.34

13 10 Mario Guerrer 351.88 Active 13 6 Angel Zalapa 343.54

14 19 Bolt Vanderhugen 350.45 2007 14 12 Ettienne R. LaFitte 343.41

15 4 Millard Younger 350.10 Active 15 10 Bartolo Ortiz 342.70

16 8 Justin Jackson 349.57 Active 16 4 Mike Campbell 342.15

17 19 Hector Cano 348.52 2032 17 9 Yancy Cravat 340.28

18 19 Emilio Rodriguez 347.93 2034 18 5 Manuel Martinez 339.77

19 5 Andrew Torres 346.34 Active 19 13 Jon Mick 338.51

20 12 Juan Garcia 346.09 2024 20 6 Steven Collins III 338.40


College and High-School

ALL-TIME ALL-STARS!

INTERNATIONAL FINISHING ACADEMY

C- KELLIE KOMEN

1B- JOSE TOLEDO

2B- JOSE RODRIGUEZ

3B- ROSS QUICKER

SS- ANGEL ZALAPA

LF- MARTIN FELIX, JR.

CF- CARLOS FLORES

RF- LONG CHAMBERLAIN III

SP- LORENZO DE' MEDICI

RP- MARTIN RODRIGUEZ

COLLEGE CONFERENCE

C- CHAD LAWRENCE

1B- BO JORDAN

2B- JESUS GARZA

3B- BEN MCLAUGHLIN

SS- RAVEN RIDER

LF- DANIEL LABRIE, JR.

CF- BENJAMIN FRANKLIN PIERCE

RF- PEDRO BUSTAMONTE

SP- FOX MULDER

RP- PEDRO ESPIN

HIGH SCHOOL

C- PEDRO GOMEZ

1B- ERNESTO SOUZA

2B- CHRIS WORKMAN\

3B- STEVEN COLLINS III

SS- JARED GILLSTROM

LF- AUGIE PLASCENCIA

CF- BILLY WISE

RF- EMILIO RODRIGUEZ

SP- BRIAN MIDDLETON

RP- JERRY GREENWAY

https://statspl.us/brewster/reports/news/html/players/player_33719.html































Those Who Went Before Us GMs (1973 – 1992)

Birmingham '73 - Jeff Cobb

'74-'75 - Clayton Mitchell '75 - LEAGUE CONTROL '75-'81 - Chris Oxford

'81-'87 - Michael Fitterer '87-'91 - Jason Bartlett

'92-Pres - Tim Weir

Brooklyn '73-pres Jon Lyons

Buffalo '73 - question.gif

'73-'77 - Ray DeRoy '77-pres - JQ Lorenz

Calgary '73 - Brian Carden '74 - Doug Timms

'75-85 - James Crider '86-'90 - Wally Christensen

'90 - Jeremy Reinholt '90-Pres - Wally Christensen

California '73 - Lloyd Goodrich '73 - Richard Spicel '73-'83 - John Bibler

'83 - Peter W. Anderson '84 - Jason Poppe

'84-'86 - John Bibler '86-pres - Nick Porcaro

Charlotte/Greenville '73-pres - Ron Churches

Chicago '73-'79 - Mike Giovacchini

'79-'82 - Woody Woodbury '82-'86 - Mike Wilkinson

'86 - Brad Browne '87-Pres - Mike Giovacchini

Des Moines '73 - Gates Elliott

'73-pres - Mike Lynch

Honolulu/Hawaii '73 - Jay Thomas

'73-'83 - David Klein '83-'84 - Matt Callahan

'84-'90 - Joshua Gottesman '90-'91 - Mike Senn

'92-Pres - Mike Gemme

Jacksonville/Baltimore '73 - Jason Kloes

'74-'85 - Brian Miller '86 - Scott Maynor

'86- '89 - Andre Girard '89- '90 - Mike Wilkinson

'90 - Kirk Pedersen '91 - John Richardson '91- Pres - Kirk Medlin

Las Vegas '73-pres - Matt Rectenwald

Lexington/Austin '73-'91 - Joel Odenbach

'92-Pres - Travis McDermott

Louisville '73 - question.gif

'73-'74 - Bill Luciani '74-pres - Martin Lee

Manhattan/Hackensack '73 - question.gif '73 - Gates Elliott

'74-'81 Dwayne Gifford '82 - Jason Poppe

'83-'85 Dwayne Gifford '85 - Owen Farrell

'85-86 Damian Morgan '87-'90 Matthew Bornac '90-Pres Jeremy Reinholt

Marquette/Madison '73 - question.gif '73-'74 - Joe Allen

'74-86 - Travis McDermott '87-Pres - David Klein

Mont/Quebec/Montreal '73 - JD Arney

'73-'81 - Eric Hoffmeister '81-'83 - Joshua Gottesman

'83-'86 - Charles Box '87 - Terry Ladislas

'88-'91 Anthony Puhl '92-Pres Matt Bornac

New Orleans '73- '91 - Jerimy Kopra '91-Pres - Mike Voelker

Omaha '73-'74 - Jordan Gillis

'75 - Dan Kotaska '76 - Matt Bornac

'77 - Eddie Kunderman '77-'80 - Matt Callahan

'80-86 - Larry Gold '86-Pres - Lee Honigsfeld

Phoenix '73 - question.gif '73 - Matt Bornac

'73-'77 - Brett Rose '77-86 - Ray DeRoy

'86-Pres - Ryan Scott

Salt Lake City/Long Beach '73 - question.gif '73 - Lee Hines

'74-'81- Simon Wright '81-'90 - Jason Russell

'90 - Rich Callaghan '90-Pres - Joshua Gottesman

Seattle '73 - Dan Schroeder

'73 - LEAGUE CONTROL '74 - Larry Vance '74 - Cody Green '75-pres - AJ Holz

Valencia '73-83 - Lee Honigsfeld '83-86 - Jason Bartlett '87-'91 - Brad Browne

'91-Pres - Mike Wilkinson

Vancouver '73 - Terry Farrand

'74 - Josh Witt '75-'85 - Eric Schoessler '85-'88 - Levi Chronister

'88-'89 - Ray DeRoy '89-'90 - Larry Gold

'91-Pres - Kirk Pedersen

Washington '73-'86 - Allen Rainey

'86-'87 - Anthony Puhl '88-'91 - Allen Rainey

'91- Pres - Jimmy Shah


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