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FuzzyRussianHat · 10-18-2024, 06:31 AM

2016 didn’t have any powerhouses in the Asian Baseball Federation’s East League, as 94-68 was good enough for the top seed. That went to Hyderabad, who earned their sixth consecutive playoff berth and their ninth in a decade. It was only their third division title in that stretch. The Horned Frogs finished 11 games ahead of three teams in the South Division. Notably at the bottom was Faisalabad at 66-96, ending a six-year playoff streak for the Fire. Faisalabad had won it all only two years prior.

Defending ABF champ Dushanbe won the North Division at 91-71, earning their fourth straight playoff berth. The Dynamo were the top scoring team by a healthy clip at 740 runs. Last year’s division winner Almaty had the first wild card at 89-75, while Asgabat and Bishkek tied the second at 87-75. ABF doesn’t use a tiebreaker game and the formula gave the spot to the Alphas for their second berth in three years. Karachi, Multan, and Rawalpindi each finished four games back of the wild card.

Dushanbe’s Nizami Aghazade continued his tear with his fifth East League MVP in his fifth season and his third Triple Crown. The 28-year old’s 14.5 WAR was slightly down from his record 16.0 the prior year, giving him a bonkers 71.6 WAR over a five-year stretch. Aghazade led the league in runs (118), hits (201), home runs (39), RBI (102), total bases (363), triple slash (.389/.473/.702), OPS (1.175), and wRC+ (254). He also won his second Gold Glove at second base,

The batting average and on-base percentage marks set new ABF single-season records. They’re both second as of 2037 with the average getting bested in 2031 and the OBP in 2034. His triple slash and wRC+ would be career highs for a qualifying season (his 2013 was better, but his 119 games kept him just shy of the league-leading limit). The Dynamo had wisely signed Aghazade to an eight-year, $74,200,000 extension the prior winter after posting likely the greatest start to a career in pro baseball history.

Almaty’s Nikolai Zvyagintsev won Pitcher of the Year in his third season. The 25-year old Kazakh righty led in ERA (1.73) and wins (19-9) with a 176 ERA+ over 233.2 innings. Zvyagintsev struck out 305 with 8.0 WAR. The Assassins gave him a six-year, $41,780,000 extension after the 2017 season.

Hyderabad survived 3-2 over Asgabat in their first round series, sending the Horned Frogs to their third East League Championship Series in four years. The reigning champ Dushanbe cruised by divisional foe Almaty 3-0. Hyderabad had home field advantage, but the Dynamo dominated 4-1 in their ELCS rematch. This was Dushanbe’s fourth pennant since joining ABF (2001, 2004, 2015, 2016) and their seventh overall counting their EPB years.

Tehran repeated as the West League’s #1 seed, but it wasn’t an easy path for them. They finished 102-60, only winning the Central Division by three games over Tabriz. The Tarpons grew their playoff streak to six years, while the 99-63 Tiger Sharks ended a five-year playoff drought as the first wild card. Adana rolled to a third straight Turkish Division title at 100-62, missing the top seed by two games. The Axemen allowed the fewest runs (455) in the WL while Tehran scored the most (643).

Lower down the Central Division, defending WL champ Shiraz repeated as the second wild card at 88-74. The Suns edged Baku by two games, Ankara by four, and Istanbul by five. The Blackbirds saw their seven-year playoff streak snapped despite their pitching staff allowing the second-fewest hits in WL history at 1077 (with the third-best H/9 at 6.62).

Tabriz dominated the West League awards with the MVP, Pitcher of the Year, and Rookie of the Year. MVP went to LF Shadi Alam, who won his seventh Silver Slugger as well. The 31-year old Iranian led in WAR (10.4) and runs (101) while adding a 1.010 OPS, 205 wRC+, 45 home runs, and 110 RBI. The #1 overall pick by the Tiger Sharks in 2007, the beloved slugger had signed an eight-year, $79,900,000 extension after the 2012 season to stay with Tabriz.

Pitcher of the Year went to fifth-year righty Akram Bhatti. The 26-year old Pakistani led in complete games (19) and shutouts (6). Bhatti added a 19-7 record over 246.1 innings, 2.27 ERA, 331 strikeouts, and 7.6 WAR. This accounted for about half of his career WAR thanks to numerous major injuries. Fellow Tabriz pitcher Hafez Farzani was the Rookie of the Year with a 2.52 ERA and 5.4 WAR over 228.1 innings.

The division champs prevailed in round one as Adana swept Tabriz and Tehran beat Shiraz 3-1. This was the Tarpons’ third West League Championship Series berth of their six-year playoff streak, while the Axemen earned their third in a row. Yet again, Adana couldn’t get over the playoff hump with Tehran winning 4-1. The Tarpons earned their third pennant (1993, 2011, 2016), bouncing back after their disappointing first round exit the prior year despite a 115-47 record.

Tehran became the 18^th franchise to win the ABF Championship, taking the 32^nd finale 4-1 over the defending champ Dushanbe. The Tarpons were also the first Iranian team to win it all since Shiraz in 2005. Finals MVP was veteran SS Saeed Joorabchian in his tenth season with Tehran. In 14 playoff starts, he had 23 hits, 10 runs, 7 doubles, 2 triples, 2 homers, and 9 RBI. Joorabchian parlayed that run into a seven-year, $45,500,000 free agent deal with Hyderabad.

Other notes: Petri Viskari became the second batter to 2500 career hits. Ali Sungu was the seventh member of the 500 home run club. 1B Adnan Mohamed and 3B Eser Haspolatli both earned their eighth Gold Gloves, while SP Khalid Osmonov won his seventh. CF Ziad Tarkhan won his eighth Silver Slugger.

10-18-2024, 06:31 AM	#1711
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,228	2016 in ABF 2016 didn’t have any powerhouses in the Asian Baseball Federation’s East League, as 94-68 was good enough for the top seed. That went to Hyderabad, who earned their sixth consecutive playoff berth and their ninth in a decade. It was only their third division title in that stretch. The Horned Frogs finished 11 games ahead of three teams in the South Division. Notably at the bottom was Faisalabad at 66-96, ending a six-year playoff streak for the Fire. Faisalabad had won it all only two years prior. Defending ABF champ Dushanbe won the North Division at 91-71, earning their fourth straight playoff berth. The Dynamo were the top scoring team by a healthy clip at 740 runs. Last year’s division winner Almaty had the first wild card at 89-75, while Asgabat and Bishkek tied the second at 87-75. ABF doesn’t use a tiebreaker game and the formula gave the spot to the Alphas for their second berth in three years. Karachi, Multan, and Rawalpindi each finished four games back of the wild card. Dushanbe’s Nizami Aghazade continued his tear with his fifth East League MVP in his fifth season and his third Triple Crown. The 28-year old’s 14.5 WAR was slightly down from his record 16.0 the prior year, giving him a bonkers 71.6 WAR over a five-year stretch. Aghazade led the league in runs (118), hits (201), home runs (39), RBI (102), total bases (363), triple slash (.389/.473/.702), OPS (1.175), and wRC+ (254). He also won his second Gold Glove at second base, The batting average and on-base percentage marks set new ABF single-season records. They’re both second as of 2037 with the average getting bested in 2031 and the OBP in 2034. His triple slash and wRC+ would be career highs for a qualifying season (his 2013 was better, but his 119 games kept him just shy of the league-leading limit). The Dynamo had wisely signed Aghazade to an eight-year, $74,200,000 extension the prior winter after posting likely the greatest start to a career in pro baseball history. Almaty’s Nikolai Zvyagintsev won Pitcher of the Year in his third season. The 25-year old Kazakh righty led in ERA (1.73) and wins (19-9) with a 176 ERA+ over 233.2 innings. Zvyagintsev struck out 305 with 8.0 WAR. The Assassins gave him a six-year, $41,780,000 extension after the 2017 season. Hyderabad survived 3-2 over Asgabat in their first round series, sending the Horned Frogs to their third East League Championship Series in four years. The reigning champ Dushanbe cruised by divisional foe Almaty 3-0. Hyderabad had home field advantage, but the Dynamo dominated 4-1 in their ELCS rematch. This was Dushanbe’s fourth pennant since joining ABF (2001, 2004, 2015, 2016) and their seventh overall counting their EPB years. Tehran repeated as the West League’s #1 seed, but it wasn’t an easy path for them. They finished 102-60, only winning the Central Division by three games over Tabriz. The Tarpons grew their playoff streak to six years, while the 99-63 Tiger Sharks ended a five-year playoff drought as the first wild card. Adana rolled to a third straight Turkish Division title at 100-62, missing the top seed by two games. The Axemen allowed the fewest runs (455) in the WL while Tehran scored the most (643). Lower down the Central Division, defending WL champ Shiraz repeated as the second wild card at 88-74. The Suns edged Baku by two games, Ankara by four, and Istanbul by five. The Blackbirds saw their seven-year playoff streak snapped despite their pitching staff allowing the second-fewest hits in WL history at 1077 (with the third-best H/9 at 6.62). Tabriz dominated the West League awards with the MVP, Pitcher of the Year, and Rookie of the Year. MVP went to LF Shadi Alam, who won his seventh Silver Slugger as well. The 31-year old Iranian led in WAR (10.4) and runs (101) while adding a 1.010 OPS, 205 wRC+, 45 home runs, and 110 RBI. The #1 overall pick by the Tiger Sharks in 2007, the beloved slugger had signed an eight-year, $79,900,000 extension after the 2012 season to stay with Tabriz. Pitcher of the Year went to fifth-year righty Akram Bhatti. The 26-year old Pakistani led in complete games (19) and shutouts (6). Bhatti added a 19-7 record over 246.1 innings, 2.27 ERA, 331 strikeouts, and 7.6 WAR. This accounted for about half of his career WAR thanks to numerous major injuries. Fellow Tabriz pitcher Hafez Farzani was the Rookie of the Year with a 2.52 ERA and 5.4 WAR over 228.1 innings. The division champs prevailed in round one as Adana swept Tabriz and Tehran beat Shiraz 3-1. This was the Tarpons’ third West League Championship Series berth of their six-year playoff streak, while the Axemen earned their third in a row. Yet again, Adana couldn’t get over the playoff hump with Tehran winning 4-1. The Tarpons earned their third pennant (1993, 2011, 2016), bouncing back after their disappointing first round exit the prior year despite a 115-47 record. Tehran became the 18^th franchise to win the ABF Championship, taking the 32^nd finale 4-1 over the defending champ Dushanbe. The Tarpons were also the first Iranian team to win it all since Shiraz in 2005. Finals MVP was veteran SS Saeed Joorabchian in his tenth season with Tehran. In 14 playoff starts, he had 23 hits, 10 runs, 7 doubles, 2 triples, 2 homers, and 9 RBI. Joorabchian parlayed that run into a seven-year, $45,500,000 free agent deal with Hyderabad. Other notes: Petri Viskari became the second batter to 2500 career hits. Ali Sungu was the seventh member of the 500 home run club. 1B Adnan Mohamed and 3B Eser Haspolatli both earned their eighth Gold Gloves, while SP Khalid Osmonov won his seventh. CF Ziad Tarkhan won his eighth Silver Slugger. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports The Level Playing Field: Alternate MLB History From 1884-Onward Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)