Before the recap of the next season, I'd like to clarify the name of the awards used in my fictional league. Indeed, I have renamed all the award :
- MVP Award :
Golden Glove
- Cy Young Award :
Golden Ball
- Rookie of the Year :
Silver Glove
- Reliever of the Year :
Silver Ball
- Gold Glove Awards :
Sapphire Awards
- Silver Slugger Awards :
Ruby Awards
1978 Season :
The league has announced that it will be expanded in 4 years (1982), 6 years after the last expansion. Two teams will be joining, for a total of 12 teams. The future franchises will most likely be announced before next season, as well as the exact structure of the league.
Rumours predict Lingalia, Wayt City or Wayt Tides, Huangjia, Lutia or Narballo to be host cities. (What is your guess ?)
The reigning champions will look out to keep their title. However, to see the
Expendables succeeding again should be a surprise according to many specialists.
Quintin Treveylan, the Australian 2B, will look forward to repeat his numbers from last season.
.304/.437/.412. His eye had let him achieve the highest number of BB in the league with
92.
Despite losing twice in a row the LBS, the
Black&Yellow is still the most regular franchise, and they showed no signs of slowing down this season again. Their ace,
Alex Hernandez, twice winner of the Golden Ball, will surely be one of the key player of this season.
While never going into postseason before, the
Sea Stars will surely benefit from their AAA team, the Briggs Bucaneers, success in the prior years. Veteran pitcher
Marcos Amaya will surely be again at the front of the SST rotation. He finished last year with
250 K, an ERA of
3.14 and a pitcher WAR of
5.9. His fielding is also top notch as he has won 6 Sapphire Awards in a row, while he was playing for the Diamonds.
Getting to the playoffs for the first time last season,the
Silver Eagles are rewarded for the good work they have provided in the prior years. Their roster is composed of rather young players. Catcher
Vassily Ryazanov is one the oldest regular player, being 28.
He was one of the leaders of the SEAG last season, earning a Ruby Award with
.291/.373/.430 and a
5.0 WAR.
The wealthiest franchise, the
Nang Nius, will again be a serious contender. They seek to end their drought of 12 years (2nd most longest after the Freros) without a LBL title.
CF
Eric Meyer should play a key role this season. He finished last year with
.290/.380/.521, 26 HR and
6.5 WAR
Moon Division
The LNN easily dominated the division, with the best record in the league. The Expendables played for .500, which was enough to grant them an access to the play-offs. The Freros, 7 games behind the GRE, has improved from last year, and they may soon stand catch up. The MAP has also improved their record this season, it is still the worst one in the league though.
Sun Division
The race to the division title was much more tighter in the Sun Division. Only game separated the B&Y from the SEAG. Again, this division was more competitive as the worst team in this Division, the Diamonds, would have been 3rd in the other division with a .483 record. The Jade Tigers missed the playoffs for the 2nd time in a row.
As the worst team last year, the Orange Maple Leaves pick first in this year Draft. Their choice fell upon Willie Vargas, a 22 year old closer from Dominican Republic.
The four teams qualified are the same as last year.
In the first semi-final Series, the B&Y faces the GRE for a rematch of last-year LBS. The franchise from Lingalie North succesfully take revenge over the Expendables 4-2. The other series bring together the SEAG and the LNN. The Silver Eagles win the series 4 to 1 and will participate in their first LBS ever.
The B&Y finally get their hands on their 10th title ! It is the first franchise to do so.
Here is a look to the players that were part of the B&Y 10th title :