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FuzzyRussianHat · 09-03-2024, 08:43 PM

The National Association had three repeat division winners from the prior season, led by Lower Midwest champ Indianapolis at 103-59. The Racers took the top seed with their third consecutive division title and posted only the fourth 100+ win season in franchise history. The #2 seed went to Detroit at 96-66 in the Upper Midwest. The Tigers likewise won a third straight division title and also picked up their sixth playoff berth in eight years.

Detroit only got the bye by one game with 95-67 division wins for Brooklyn and Ottawa. The defending NA champ Dodgers picked up a third straight playoff berth and repeated as East Division champs. For the Northeast winning Elks, this ended a playoff drought dating back to their 2003 pennant.

The first wild card was the Lower Midwest’s Columbus at 91-71, earning their second berth in four years. The East’s Philadelphia grabbed the second slot at 90-72, putting the 2010 Baseball Grand Champion back into the postseason for the eighth time in the decade. Last year’s top-seed Hartford was the closest foe at 89-73, missing the wild card by one and division title by six games.

Also in the wild card hunt were Buffalo (86-76), Winnipeg (86-76), Quebec City (85-77), Louisville (84-78), New York (83-79), and Omaha (82-80). Montreal and Baltimore had earned wild cards the prior year, but they dropped to 78-84 and 71-91, respectively. Virginia Beach also dropped from 91 wins in 2011 to only 79 in 2012. The biggest plunge was Kansas City, going from a respectable 82-win 2011 to an abysmal 57-105 in 2012. They avoided MLB’s worst record by one game thanks to Cleveland.

Although Omaha missed the playoffs, they had an all-time season from LF Killian Fruechte. The 28-year old Californian won his second National Association MVP, having previously won in 2009. Fruechte became the new MLB single-season home run king and became only the seventh Triple Crown hitter in MLB history.

His 67 homers broke the previous high mark of 65 set by Murad Doskaliev in 2007. Fruechte’s record wouldn’t be broken until 2028. He also led in runs (133), total bases (426), triple slash (.340/.432/.747), OPS (1.179), wRC+ (268), and WAR (13.0). The WAR mark was also a single-season MLB record which still holds as of 2037. The OPS ranked third-best at the time and still sits seventh in 2037. The Hawks had given Fruechte a massive eight-year, $121,400,000 deal after the 2010 season. Unfortunately for Omaha, he would opt out after the 2015 season and sign a bigger deal with San Diego.

St. Louis’s third-year righty Vincent “Bronco” Lepp won Pitcher of the Year. The 23-year old from Illinois led in shutouts with 7 and posted a 1.94 ERA over 255 innings. Lepp struck out 243 with a 13-8 record, 167 ERA+, and 8.0 WAR.

The wild cards snagged surprise first round playoff wins with Columbus edging Ottawa 2-1 and Philadelphia ousting defending champ Brooklyn 2-1. The magic stopped for the Chargers, falling 3-1 to Detroit in round two. However, the Phillies kept it going with a 3-1 upset over top seed Indianapolis. Philadelphia earned its second National Association Championship Series berth in three years and their sixth since 2001.

Despite being a playoff regular in the last decade, this ended a lengthy NACS drought for Detroit. The Tigers hadn’t made it that far in 57 years, going back to 1955. Their title drought was two years more back to 1953. Unfortunately for the Motor City, that drought continued with the Phillies taking the series 4-1 as the #6 seed. This was Philly’s fourth pennant of the 21^st Century and their 13^th overall, leading all teams.

The top seed in the American Association was Phoenix atop the Southwest Division at 109-53. The Firebirds hadn’t been in the playoffs since their World Series repeat wins of 2003-04. The #2 seed went to Charlotte at 101-61, repeating as Southeast Division champ. Six behind them was reigning World Series and Grand Champion Tampa at 95-67, which was good enough for the first wild card. The Thunderbirds earned a third consecutive playoff appearance.

Just missing the #2 seed was Denver, who cruised to a third straight Northwest Division title at 99-63. Houston won the South Central Division at 90-72, besting Oklahoma City by three games. The Hornets grabbed a third straight playoff berth, while last year’s division champ Austin dropped from 100 wins to only 76. The Amigos struggled despite having the AA’s highest payroll at nearly $296 million.

Los Angeles took the second wild card at 90-72, also continuing their playoff streak to three. The Angels outlasted OKC by three games, Nashville, Oakland, and San Francisco each by four, Las Vegas by five, and San Diego by six. Notable collapses came from San Antonio going from 85 to 66 wins and Dallas going from 84 to 59 wins. The Dalmatians ended up the worst squad in the AA.

Morgan Short joined very elite company, winning his fifth American Association MVP. The only other five-time winners in MLB history were Andrei Tanev (who had 6) and Elijah Cashman (who had 7). This was Short’s first with Los Angeles, having won in 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2008 with Salt Lake City. He left the Loons after 2009 for an eight-year, $111,100,000 deal with the Angels.

In 2012, the 31-year old left-handed center fielder led in hits (222), average (.381), OBP (.452), and WAR (11.8). That WAR mark ranked tenth-best among MLB position players, although it was merely the fifth best of his illustrious run. Short had 108 runs, a 1.014 OPS, 18 home runs, 178 wRC+, and a 10.8 Zone Rating.

Much to the surprise and disappointment of Angels fans, Short would opt out of the final four years of his deal after the 2013 season. He then inked a five-year, $115,000,000 contract with Brooklyn. Injuries would plague him in his later years, but Short still posted another nine years post-LA and became MLB’s all-time WAR leader.

Pitcher of the Year went to Phoenix’s Easton Ray in his fifth season. The 25-year old righty from Salinas, California led in wins (22-4), ERA (2.33), and shutouts (6). Ray added 240 strikeouts over 267 innings with a 160 ERA+ and 6.6 WAR. He was 19 Ks short of a Triple Crown effort. The Firebirds had signed him prior to 2011 to a six-year, $68,100,000 extension to be their ace.

Tampa edged Houston 2-1 and Los Angeles topped Denver 2-1, sending both wild cards forward from the first round. Both gave valiant round two efforts, but came up short. Phoenix edged their divisional foe Angles 3-2, while Charlotte took out their divisional foe Thunderbirds 3-2, denying Tampa’s repeat bid.

This ended a significant drought for the Canaries, who hadn’t been in the American Association Championship Series since 1986. Even longer, Charlotte hadn’t won the pennant since World War II. The top-seed Firebirds quickly cruised the Canaries dreams with a sweep. Phoenix got its first title since the 2003-04 repeat and their 12^th pennant overall. That led all AA teams and was overall only behind the 13 by their World Series foe Philadelphia.

Despite being the teams with the most World Series appearances, this was the first time the Phillies and Firebirds had met. The 112^th World Series ended up being a dud with Philadelphia sweeping Phoenix for their eighth title. Although they’ve had general success and won the inaugural Grand Championship in 2010, this was Philly’s first World Series win in 65 years. Their prior MLB titles came in 1917-18, 1941-44, and 1947.

World Series MVP was CF Konstantin Stasyuk in his second season with Philadelphia. The 35-year old Ukrainian came to MLB and Nashville in 2006 after starting his career in Kyiv. In 16 playoff starts, Stasyuk had 14 hits, 7 runs, 3 doubles, 2 triples, 5 home runs, and 9 RBI.

Closer T.J Douglas was also notable, setting the MLB playoff record for K/9 with 18.8. He struck out 39 over 18.2 innings with a 0.96 ERA, 6 saves, and 3-1 record in the playoffs. The 31-year old lefty ended up being a key free agent pickup for Philly, posting 1.5 WAR and a 0.54 WHIP in his playoff run. Douglas became known as a big-game pitcher, winning World Baseball Championship Best Pitcher honors in 2008 and 2009 for the American team.

With eight rings, the Phillies now stand alone with the most of any MLB squad. They previously shared the top mark of seven with both Houston and San Diego. Phoenix is now 6-6 all-time in the World Series with Philadelphia at 8-5.

Other notes: At 86-76, Oakland managed to notably have an all-time great pitching staff and all-time lousy offense. The Owls set American Association records for hits allowed (1139), runs allowed (521), H/9 (7.11) and WHIP (1.036). The hits and H/9 remain all-time bests as of 2037 while the runs and WHIP rank second-best. Meanwhile, their 1172 hits offensively is tied for the fewest in AA history.

Wichita’s Al Simmons posted a 1.65 ERA, which was the second-lowest qualifying season in MLB history behind Jerry Addison’s 1.56 from 1964. The 23-year old Simmons only narrowly reached the 162 innings requirement at 175, adding 190 strikeouts, 0.79 WHIP, and 7.3 WAR. The WHIP ranked as the third-best single season in MLB history at the time and still ranks fourth.

Sadly, Simmons’ season was ended in late July by a damaged elbow ligament that cost him 12 months. This effectively ruined his promising career, as he’d see more injuries and middling production for the rest of his run.

Victor Burke became the 42^nd pitcher to earn 250 career wins. CF Damien Yang won his 11^th Gold Glove. That tied the position record set in the 1920s by Kirk Seago. Yang became the 11^th player to earn 11 Gold Gloves at any position in MLB history.

MVP Morgan Short became an 11-time Silver Slugger winner in CF, matching the all-time best at any position in MLB. The only other 11-time winner was two-way player Khaled Scott, who had 11 straight Silver Sluggers as a pitcher from 1974-84. Short’s all came in the American Association with Scott’s in the National Association. It would be Short’s final Slugger, which held as the most until passed in the 2020s by SS Fritz Louissi.

09-03-2024, 08:43 PM	#1580
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,957	2012 in MLB The National Association had three repeat division winners from the prior season, led by Lower Midwest champ Indianapolis at 103-59. The Racers took the top seed with their third consecutive division title and posted only the fourth 100+ win season in franchise history. The #2 seed went to Detroit at 96-66 in the Upper Midwest. The Tigers likewise won a third straight division title and also picked up their sixth playoff berth in eight years. Detroit only got the bye by one game with 95-67 division wins for Brooklyn and Ottawa. The defending NA champ Dodgers picked up a third straight playoff berth and repeated as East Division champs. For the Northeast winning Elks, this ended a playoff drought dating back to their 2003 pennant. The first wild card was the Lower Midwest’s Columbus at 91-71, earning their second berth in four years. The East’s Philadelphia grabbed the second slot at 90-72, putting the 2010 Baseball Grand Champion back into the postseason for the eighth time in the decade. Last year’s top-seed Hartford was the closest foe at 89-73, missing the wild card by one and division title by six games. Also in the wild card hunt were Buffalo (86-76), Winnipeg (86-76), Quebec City (85-77), Louisville (84-78), New York (83-79), and Omaha (82-80). Montreal and Baltimore had earned wild cards the prior year, but they dropped to 78-84 and 71-91, respectively. Virginia Beach also dropped from 91 wins in 2011 to only 79 in 2012. The biggest plunge was Kansas City, going from a respectable 82-win 2011 to an abysmal 57-105 in 2012. They avoided MLB’s worst record by one game thanks to Cleveland. Although Omaha missed the playoffs, they had an all-time season from LF Killian Fruechte. The 28-year old Californian won his second National Association MVP, having previously won in 2009. Fruechte became the new MLB single-season home run king and became only the seventh Triple Crown hitter in MLB history. His 67 homers broke the previous high mark of 65 set by Murad Doskaliev in 2007. Fruechte’s record wouldn’t be broken until 2028. He also led in runs (133), total bases (426), triple slash (.340/.432/.747), OPS (1.179), wRC+ (268), and WAR (13.0). The WAR mark was also a single-season MLB record which still holds as of 2037. The OPS ranked third-best at the time and still sits seventh in 2037. The Hawks had given Fruechte a massive eight-year, $121,400,000 deal after the 2010 season. Unfortunately for Omaha, he would opt out after the 2015 season and sign a bigger deal with San Diego. St. Louis’s third-year righty Vincent “Bronco” Lepp won Pitcher of the Year. The 23-year old from Illinois led in shutouts with 7 and posted a 1.94 ERA over 255 innings. Lepp struck out 243 with a 13-8 record, 167 ERA+, and 8.0 WAR. The wild cards snagged surprise first round playoff wins with Columbus edging Ottawa 2-1 and Philadelphia ousting defending champ Brooklyn 2-1. The magic stopped for the Chargers, falling 3-1 to Detroit in round two. However, the Phillies kept it going with a 3-1 upset over top seed Indianapolis. Philadelphia earned its second National Association Championship Series berth in three years and their sixth since 2001. Despite being a playoff regular in the last decade, this ended a lengthy NACS drought for Detroit. The Tigers hadn’t made it that far in 57 years, going back to 1955. Their title drought was two years more back to 1953. Unfortunately for the Motor City, that drought continued with the Phillies taking the series 4-1 as the #6 seed. This was Philly’s fourth pennant of the 21^st Century and their 13^th overall, leading all teams. The top seed in the American Association was Phoenix atop the Southwest Division at 109-53. The Firebirds hadn’t been in the playoffs since their World Series repeat wins of 2003-04. The #2 seed went to Charlotte at 101-61, repeating as Southeast Division champ. Six behind them was reigning World Series and Grand Champion Tampa at 95-67, which was good enough for the first wild card. The Thunderbirds earned a third consecutive playoff appearance. Just missing the #2 seed was Denver, who cruised to a third straight Northwest Division title at 99-63. Houston won the South Central Division at 90-72, besting Oklahoma City by three games. The Hornets grabbed a third straight playoff berth, while last year’s division champ Austin dropped from 100 wins to only 76. The Amigos struggled despite having the AA’s highest payroll at nearly $296 million. Los Angeles took the second wild card at 90-72, also continuing their playoff streak to three. The Angels outlasted OKC by three games, Nashville, Oakland, and San Francisco each by four, Las Vegas by five, and San Diego by six. Notable collapses came from San Antonio going from 85 to 66 wins and Dallas going from 84 to 59 wins. The Dalmatians ended up the worst squad in the AA. Morgan Short joined very elite company, winning his fifth American Association MVP. The only other five-time winners in MLB history were Andrei Tanev (who had 6) and Elijah Cashman (who had 7). This was Short’s first with Los Angeles, having won in 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2008 with Salt Lake City. He left the Loons after 2009 for an eight-year, $111,100,000 deal with the Angels. In 2012, the 31-year old left-handed center fielder led in hits (222), average (.381), OBP (.452), and WAR (11.8). That WAR mark ranked tenth-best among MLB position players, although it was merely the fifth best of his illustrious run. Short had 108 runs, a 1.014 OPS, 18 home runs, 178 wRC+, and a 10.8 Zone Rating. Much to the surprise and disappointment of Angels fans, Short would opt out of the final four years of his deal after the 2013 season. He then inked a five-year, $115,000,000 contract with Brooklyn. Injuries would plague him in his later years, but Short still posted another nine years post-LA and became MLB’s all-time WAR leader. Pitcher of the Year went to Phoenix’s Easton Ray in his fifth season. The 25-year old righty from Salinas, California led in wins (22-4), ERA (2.33), and shutouts (6). Ray added 240 strikeouts over 267 innings with a 160 ERA+ and 6.6 WAR. He was 19 Ks short of a Triple Crown effort. The Firebirds had signed him prior to 2011 to a six-year, $68,100,000 extension to be their ace. Tampa edged Houston 2-1 and Los Angeles topped Denver 2-1, sending both wild cards forward from the first round. Both gave valiant round two efforts, but came up short. Phoenix edged their divisional foe Angles 3-2, while Charlotte took out their divisional foe Thunderbirds 3-2, denying Tampa’s repeat bid. This ended a significant drought for the Canaries, who hadn’t been in the American Association Championship Series since 1986. Even longer, Charlotte hadn’t won the pennant since World War II. The top-seed Firebirds quickly cruised the Canaries dreams with a sweep. Phoenix got its first title since the 2003-04 repeat and their 12^th pennant overall. That led all AA teams and was overall only behind the 13 by their World Series foe Philadelphia. Despite being the teams with the most World Series appearances, this was the first time the Phillies and Firebirds had met. The 112^th World Series ended up being a dud with Philadelphia sweeping Phoenix for their eighth title. Although they’ve had general success and won the inaugural Grand Championship in 2010, this was Philly’s first World Series win in 65 years. Their prior MLB titles came in 1917-18, 1941-44, and 1947. World Series MVP was CF Konstantin Stasyuk in his second season with Philadelphia. The 35-year old Ukrainian came to MLB and Nashville in 2006 after starting his career in Kyiv. In 16 playoff starts, Stasyuk had 14 hits, 7 runs, 3 doubles, 2 triples, 5 home runs, and 9 RBI. Closer T.J Douglas was also notable, setting the MLB playoff record for K/9 with 18.8. He struck out 39 over 18.2 innings with a 0.96 ERA, 6 saves, and 3-1 record in the playoffs. The 31-year old lefty ended up being a key free agent pickup for Philly, posting 1.5 WAR and a 0.54 WHIP in his playoff run. Douglas became known as a big-game pitcher, winning World Baseball Championship Best Pitcher honors in 2008 and 2009 for the American team. With eight rings, the Phillies now stand alone with the most of any MLB squad. They previously shared the top mark of seven with both Houston and San Diego. Phoenix is now 6-6 all-time in the World Series with Philadelphia at 8-5. Other notes: At 86-76, Oakland managed to notably have an all-time great pitching staff and all-time lousy offense. The Owls set American Association records for hits allowed (1139), runs allowed (521), H/9 (7.11) and WHIP (1.036). The hits and H/9 remain all-time bests as of 2037 while the runs and WHIP rank second-best. Meanwhile, their 1172 hits offensively is tied for the fewest in AA history. Wichita’s Al Simmons posted a 1.65 ERA, which was the second-lowest qualifying season in MLB history behind Jerry Addison’s 1.56 from 1964. The 23-year old Simmons only narrowly reached the 162 innings requirement at 175, adding 190 strikeouts, 0.79 WHIP, and 7.3 WAR. The WHIP ranked as the third-best single season in MLB history at the time and still ranks fourth. Sadly, Simmons’ season was ended in late July by a damaged elbow ligament that cost him 12 months. This effectively ruined his promising career, as he’d see more injuries and middling production for the rest of his run. Victor Burke became the 42^nd pitcher to earn 250 career wins. CF Damien Yang won his 11^th Gold Glove. That tied the position record set in the 1920s by Kirk Seago. Yang became the 11^th player to earn 11 Gold Gloves at any position in MLB history. MVP Morgan Short became an 11-time Silver Slugger winner in CF, matching the all-time best at any position in MLB. The only other 11-time winner was two-way player Khaled Scott, who had 11 straight Silver Sluggers as a pitcher from 1974-84. Short’s all came in the American Association with Scott’s in the National Association. It would be Short’s final Slugger, which held as the most until passed in the 2020s by SS Fritz Louissi. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)