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Jiggy · 06-19-2023, 11:53 AM

After another late-season collapse, the Chicago Kingpins have been left hoping that somehow, someway the Professional Baseball Experience Minor League (MiLPBE) postseason will be different for them this year.

Different in the sense of how the team has played since the summer began. The 2056 simulated season marks the second straight in which the Kingpins have been plagued by a midseason collapse that began in June and seemingly only got worse the deeper the season has run. Last year, Chicago raced to an early 24-9 record only to go 33-42 from June on to finish with an overall 57-51 record at season’s end. This year, Chicago opened 24-19 through May, only to finish 34-41 from June on.

That leaves the Kingpins with a 56-52 (.519 winning percentage) record at the end of this 2056 regular season. The average is good for third best in the minor leagues, which would be a good result for some but reflects a finish that fails to meet even the club’s re-calibrated goal of holding on to the league’s second-best record down the stretch.

Heading into the final month of the season just two games behind East Division State College, Chicago had hoped to make a play for the division crown, but quickly fell too far behind the Swift Steeds for that goal to remain realistic. As a result, the organization modified the season’s goal for the final stretch run.

Chicago entered the final week of the simulated season with a 54-46 record (.540 winning percentage) which at the time was two games better than the Brew City Bears, Amarillo Armadillos and Kansas City Hepcats of the West Division. However, the Kingpins disappointingly posted an anemic 2-10 record during the month of September. Meanwhile Brew City would go on to win 7 of its final 9 games, winning the West Division and finishing two games ahead of the Kingpins overall.

There is hope – albeit diminished from a season ago – that the Kingpins may be able to reverse all of the negative surrounding its seeming collapse with a deep postseason run. The hope seems diminished, however, because it’s the same hope the club carried with it into last season’s playoffs before it was summarily and unmercifully swept by the Louisville Lemurs in the first round.

Chicago is hoping this year’s postseason will be different and that it will have far better success stemming the tide of its mid-to-late season struggles. The Kingpins are also hoping this year’s postseason will be different in another – much broader sense.

Playoff disappointment has become almost a right of passage for minor league players coming through the Kingpins’ system. With this season’s berth, Chicago has now made the postseason in 17 of its 23 total seasons in the MiLPBE. Despite its constant presence in the playoffs, the organization has just one World Series championship. It’s to the point where users in the Speakeasy – the colloquially termed locker room – increasingly shy away from watching the PBE’s stream of the MiLPBE postseason games.

The Kingpins’ only-third-best record in the MiLPBE means there will be no first round postseason bye in this year’s effort to erase the memory of its regular season collapse and to chase the demons of its failure-in-the-postseason past. Chicago will have to fight for its postseason life beginning with a first round, best-of-five series against the Florida Flamingos.

Some would consider this a favorable match up for Chicago. The Kingpins played the Flamingos 12 times during the regular season and won eight of those games. However, season trends may not mean )much for a team that stumbled to a 2-10 finish on the year. Chicago was 7-5 overall against Louisville in 2055 before being swept in the postseason series.

Chicago will have home-field advantage heading into the start of the series, which is certainly a plus factor. The Kingpins were 34-20 (.629 winning percentage) at home this season, while the Flamingos were just 23-31 (.425 winning percentage) in road games.

The series may turn on whether Chicago pitching is able to contain Florida’s Manuel Bang and Cal Pico. Bang batted .357 and posted a .419 on-base percentage during the regular season, good for second best in the league in both categories. He finished the year with 158 hits while Pico had 155, good for second and third in the minors, respectively.

The Kingpins pitching had buoyed the club heading into the All-Star Break, ranking first at the time among MiLPBE in starter’s ERA (3.85), runs allowed (223) and opponents batting average (.268). At the break, Chicago pitchers had given up the fewest home runs in the league (40), the second-fewest walks (182) and the second-most strikeouts (328).

But staff performances have fallen off over time. Now at the end of the year, the club ranks third in starter’s ERA (4.55), runs allowed (496) and ranks fourth in opponents batting average (.279). Chicago pitchers have now given up only the third fewest home runs in the league (97), the third-fewest walks (376) and only the eighth-most strikeouts (574).

Chicago recognizes there is no magic elixir that can cure all that ails it. That’s why the locker room is largely holding on to hope for greater simulation success in the postseason. Both recent and long-term history have been unkind to those hopes, but hope survives nonetheless.

Hope that the Kingpins can rewrite the history of their 2056 season and make new history with a second championship.

06-19-2023, 11:53 AM	#12
Jiggy Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: Mar 2023 Posts: 31	Kingpins Heading Into Another Postseason On The Heels Of Another Season Collapse After another late-season collapse, the Chicago Kingpins have been left hoping that somehow, someway the Professional Baseball Experience Minor League (MiLPBE) postseason will be different for them this year. Different in the sense of how the team has played since the summer began. The 2056 simulated season marks the second straight in which the Kingpins have been plagued by a midseason collapse that began in June and seemingly only got worse the deeper the season has run. Last year, Chicago raced to an early 24-9 record only to go 33-42 from June on to finish with an overall 57-51 record at season’s end. This year, Chicago opened 24-19 through May, only to finish 34-41 from June on. That leaves the Kingpins with a 56-52 (.519 winning percentage) record at the end of this 2056 regular season. The average is good for third best in the minor leagues, which would be a good result for some but reflects a finish that fails to meet even the club’s re-calibrated goal of holding on to the league’s second-best record down the stretch. Heading into the final month of the season just two games behind East Division State College, Chicago had hoped to make a play for the division crown, but quickly fell too far behind the Swift Steeds for that goal to remain realistic. As a result, the organization modified the season’s goal for the final stretch run. Chicago entered the final week of the simulated season with a 54-46 record (.540 winning percentage) which at the time was two games better than the Brew City Bears, Amarillo Armadillos and Kansas City Hepcats of the West Division. However, the Kingpins disappointingly posted an anemic 2-10 record during the month of September. Meanwhile Brew City would go on to win 7 of its final 9 games, winning the West Division and finishing two games ahead of the Kingpins overall. There is hope – albeit diminished from a season ago – that the Kingpins may be able to reverse all of the negative surrounding its seeming collapse with a deep postseason run. The hope seems diminished, however, because it’s the same hope the club carried with it into last season’s playoffs before it was summarily and unmercifully swept by the Louisville Lemurs in the first round. Chicago is hoping this year’s postseason will be different and that it will have far better success stemming the tide of its mid-to-late season struggles. The Kingpins are also hoping this year’s postseason will be different in another – much broader sense. Playoff disappointment has become almost a right of passage for minor league players coming through the Kingpins’ system. With this season’s berth, Chicago has now made the postseason in 17 of its 23 total seasons in the MiLPBE. Despite its constant presence in the playoffs, the organization has just one World Series championship. It’s to the point where users in the Speakeasy – the colloquially termed locker room – increasingly shy away from watching the PBE’s stream of the MiLPBE postseason games. The Kingpins’ only-third-best record in the MiLPBE means there will be no first round postseason bye in this year’s effort to erase the memory of its regular season collapse and to chase the demons of its failure-in-the-postseason past. Chicago will have to fight for its postseason life beginning with a first round, best-of-five series against the Florida Flamingos. Some would consider this a favorable match up for Chicago. The Kingpins played the Flamingos 12 times during the regular season and won eight of those games. However, season trends may not mean )much for a team that stumbled to a 2-10 finish on the year. Chicago was 7-5 overall against Louisville in 2055 before being swept in the postseason series. Chicago will have home-field advantage heading into the start of the series, which is certainly a plus factor. The Kingpins were 34-20 (.629 winning percentage) at home this season, while the Flamingos were just 23-31 (.425 winning percentage) in road games. The series may turn on whether Chicago pitching is able to contain Florida’s Manuel Bang and Cal Pico. Bang batted .357 and posted a .419 on-base percentage during the regular season, good for second best in the league in both categories. He finished the year with 158 hits while Pico had 155, good for second and third in the minors, respectively. The Kingpins pitching had buoyed the club heading into the All-Star Break, ranking first at the time among MiLPBE in starter’s ERA (3.85), runs allowed (223) and opponents batting average (.268). At the break, Chicago pitchers had given up the fewest home runs in the league (40), the second-fewest walks (182) and the second-most strikeouts (328). But staff performances have fallen off over time. Now at the end of the year, the club ranks third in starter’s ERA (4.55), runs allowed (496) and ranks fourth in opponents batting average (.279). Chicago pitchers have now given up only the third fewest home runs in the league (97), the third-fewest walks (376) and only the eighth-most strikeouts (574). Chicago recognizes there is no magic elixir that can cure all that ails it. That’s why the locker room is largely holding on to hope for greater simulation success in the postseason. Both recent and long-term history have been unkind to those hopes, but hope survives nonetheless. Hope that the Kingpins can rewrite the history of their 2056 season and make new history with a second championship.