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FuzzyRussianHat · 03-12-2025, 08:04 AM

After winning three straight South Asia Baseball titles from 2023-25, Visakhapatnam lost in the Indian League Championship in 2026 despite a franchise-best 115-47 record. Looking to rebound from the playoff letdown, the Volts improved to 119-43 for a fifth straight South Division title. That was the best record by an IL team since Ahmedabad’s historic dynasty run. Visakhapatnam allowed the fewest runs in SAB by a healthy margin at 459. The Volts also had a 2,258,719 season attendance, second-best in SAB history behind their own 2,268,493 from the prior year.

The league was generally top-heavy as Jaipur took the #2 seed and Central Division at 106-56. The Jokers got their second berth in four years, finishing 13 games ahead of Delhi in the division. The Drillers at 93-69 ended up four short in the wild card race. Delhi now has eight consecutive 90+ win seasons, yet they’re on a four-year playoff drought. Defending Indian League champ Kolkata dropped to 81-81, ending their six-year playoff streak.

In a tight West Division race, Ahmedabad (100-62) edged out Pune (97-65). The Animals got repeat division titles and the Purple Knights snagged a third straight wild card. Pune also earned its seventh playoff trip in nine years. Ahmedabad led the league in scoring with 822 runs. Apart from Delhi, the next closest teams in the wild card race were far away with Hyderabad at 87-75 and Chennai at 85-77.

Expansion squad Vadodara was a lousy 60-102 in their third season, but they had the Indian League’s MVP in two-way rookie Deep Rajagopal. He finally made his highly anticipated debut after a wild start to his career. He was picked first in the 2023 SAB Draft by Surat and in the 2024 Draft by Vadodara, but didn’t sign either time. The RedHawks picked him #2 in 2026 and finally got him, but Rajagopal missed all of 2026 to a torn labrum.

He officially wasn’t eligible for Rookie of the Year for 2027 despite it being his first action due to his roster status while injured in 2026. On the mound, Rajagopal had a 3.29 ERA in 221.2 innings, 13-11 record, 293 strikeouts, 109 ERA+, and 6.0 WAR. As an outfielder, he had 133 games with 155 hits, 62 runs, 46 doubles, 16 home runs, 64 RBI, .355/.409/.593 slash, 196 wRC+, and 6.4 WAR. Rajagopal’s combined 12.4 WAR was the third-best two-way WAR total in SAB history.

E.J. Dhananjay won his second Pitcher of the Year in three years. His first came in 2025 with Hyderabad, but he left and signed a seven-year, $114,100,000 deal with his hometown Visakhapatnam in 2026. For 2027, the 28-year old righty led in wins (23-4), ERA (1.87), and WHIP (0.81). Dhananjay had 8.1 WAR and 192 ERA+ over 212 innings with 325 strikeouts, falling 18 Ks short of a Triple Crown. He also tossed his second no-hitter, striking out 16 with one walk facing Nagpur on March 27.

Despite the 22-win difference, Pune shocked top seed Visakhapatnam 3-1 in the first round, giving the Volts back-to-back letdowns despite monster regular seasons. The Purple Knights secured their second Indian League Championship Series trip in three years. They would meet division rival Ahmedabad, who got their own first round upset with a sweep of Jaipur.

The Animals were making their second ILCS appearance in four years and their 24^th across SAB’s 48-year history. However, Ahmedabad hadn’t broken through since the epic dynasty run with a drought back to 2002 and a 0-5 mark in their last five ILCS trips. Pune pushed that drought onward as the Purple Knights prevailed 4-2 over the Animals. It was the fifth pennant for Pune (1981, 1983, 1984, 2019, 2027).

Both division champs in the Southeast Asia League finished 102-60 with Mandalay atop the North and Yangon atop the South. The tiebreaker gave the Green Dragons the #1 seed, ultimately setting up round one matchups between the #1 and #2 teams of both divisions. The Mammoths allowed the fewest runs at 564. Despite being the reigning SAB champ, this was Mandalay’s first division title since 2019. Yangon’s playoff streak grew to three and was their 32^nd berth in 33 years.

Wild cards went to Dhaka (96-66) and Bangkok (91-71) with Khulna (89-73) the first team out. The Dobermans led in scoring at 839 runs and extended their playoff streak to seven seasons. The Bobcats secured their third trip in four years, while the Claws’ bid for a third straight berth was thwarted. Hanoi was the next closest at 84-78, notably setting an SAB team record with 101 triples.

Dhaka DH Hamidul Islam earned Southeast Asia League MVL honors in his second year as a full-time starter. The 24-year old Bangladeshi lefty led in hits (210), runs (130), RBI (135), total bases (429), batting average (.370), slugging (.757), OPS (1.156), and wRC+ (205). Islam added 54 homers, 43 doubles, 54 stolen bases, and 9.9 WAR. He missed the Triple Crown by only five homers behind Mandalay’s Dong Vinh Lam. This effort earned Islam an eight-year, $107,420,000 extension with the Dobermans after the season.

Kathmandu was 76-86, an improvement after eight straight seasons below 70 wins. Third-year pitcher Tha Song played a big role and earned Pitcher of the Year, leading in ERA (2.22), strikeouts (331), WHIP (0.88), FIP- (54), and WAR (9.2). The 25-year old Cambodian righty had a 178 ERA+ and 17-10 record over 239.1 innings. The Chaparrals signed Song to a five-year, $47,240,000 extension after the season.

Mandalay downed Dhaka 3-1 in the first round and Bangkok upset Yangon 3-1. The Bobcats earned their third Southeast Asia League Championship trip in four years, but they’d once again be denied their first-ever pennant. The Mammoths clobbered Bangkok with a sweep to become three-time SEAL champs (2018, 2026, 2027). Mandalay is the first to repeat as SEAL champion since Yangon in 2014-15.

The Mammoths were ultimately thwarted in their SAB Championship repeat bid. The 48^th finale saw a 4-2 victory for Pune, making them four-time champs (1983, 1984, 2019, 2027). Finals MVP was 3B V.J. Bahuprada, who set a new SAB playoff record with 19 runs scored. The previous best was 17 by home run king Majed Darwish in 2008. The 28-year old Bahuprada added 24 hits, 6 doubles, 4 triples, 3 homers, 7 RBI, 10 steals, and 1.5 WAR over 16 starts.

Other notes: SAB’s 14^th Perfect Game came on September 26 by Chittaogng’s Giau Lam with four strikeouts against Hanoi. Abhiji Srivas became the 27^th member of the 500 home run club and Avilasa Ponnuru was the 27^th to 2500 hits. Akram Ponnuru was the 8^th reliever to 400 saves while Avabodha Gautama became the 17^th to 300 saves. Hong Thanh Chung was the 18^th pitcher to 3500 strikeouts. RF Murugan Abdul won his 7^th Gold Glove. 2B Agnisika Dhavita won his 9^th Silver Slugger.

03-12-2025, 08:04 AM	#2143
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,854	2027 in SAB After winning three straight South Asia Baseball titles from 2023-25, Visakhapatnam lost in the Indian League Championship in 2026 despite a franchise-best 115-47 record. Looking to rebound from the playoff letdown, the Volts improved to 119-43 for a fifth straight South Division title. That was the best record by an IL team since Ahmedabad’s historic dynasty run. Visakhapatnam allowed the fewest runs in SAB by a healthy margin at 459. The Volts also had a 2,258,719 season attendance, second-best in SAB history behind their own 2,268,493 from the prior year. The league was generally top-heavy as Jaipur took the #2 seed and Central Division at 106-56. The Jokers got their second berth in four years, finishing 13 games ahead of Delhi in the division. The Drillers at 93-69 ended up four short in the wild card race. Delhi now has eight consecutive 90+ win seasons, yet they’re on a four-year playoff drought. Defending Indian League champ Kolkata dropped to 81-81, ending their six-year playoff streak. In a tight West Division race, Ahmedabad (100-62) edged out Pune (97-65). The Animals got repeat division titles and the Purple Knights snagged a third straight wild card. Pune also earned its seventh playoff trip in nine years. Ahmedabad led the league in scoring with 822 runs. Apart from Delhi, the next closest teams in the wild card race were far away with Hyderabad at 87-75 and Chennai at 85-77. Expansion squad Vadodara was a lousy 60-102 in their third season, but they had the Indian League’s MVP in two-way rookie Deep Rajagopal. He finally made his highly anticipated debut after a wild start to his career. He was picked first in the 2023 SAB Draft by Surat and in the 2024 Draft by Vadodara, but didn’t sign either time. The RedHawks picked him #2 in 2026 and finally got him, but Rajagopal missed all of 2026 to a torn labrum. He officially wasn’t eligible for Rookie of the Year for 2027 despite it being his first action due to his roster status while injured in 2026. On the mound, Rajagopal had a 3.29 ERA in 221.2 innings, 13-11 record, 293 strikeouts, 109 ERA+, and 6.0 WAR. As an outfielder, he had 133 games with 155 hits, 62 runs, 46 doubles, 16 home runs, 64 RBI, .355/.409/.593 slash, 196 wRC+, and 6.4 WAR. Rajagopal’s combined 12.4 WAR was the third-best two-way WAR total in SAB history. E.J. Dhananjay won his second Pitcher of the Year in three years. His first came in 2025 with Hyderabad, but he left and signed a seven-year, $114,100,000 deal with his hometown Visakhapatnam in 2026. For 2027, the 28-year old righty led in wins (23-4), ERA (1.87), and WHIP (0.81). Dhananjay had 8.1 WAR and 192 ERA+ over 212 innings with 325 strikeouts, falling 18 Ks short of a Triple Crown. He also tossed his second no-hitter, striking out 16 with one walk facing Nagpur on March 27. Despite the 22-win difference, Pune shocked top seed Visakhapatnam 3-1 in the first round, giving the Volts back-to-back letdowns despite monster regular seasons. The Purple Knights secured their second Indian League Championship Series trip in three years. They would meet division rival Ahmedabad, who got their own first round upset with a sweep of Jaipur. The Animals were making their second ILCS appearance in four years and their 24^th across SAB’s 48-year history. However, Ahmedabad hadn’t broken through since the epic dynasty run with a drought back to 2002 and a 0-5 mark in their last five ILCS trips. Pune pushed that drought onward as the Purple Knights prevailed 4-2 over the Animals. It was the fifth pennant for Pune (1981, 1983, 1984, 2019, 2027). Both division champs in the Southeast Asia League finished 102-60 with Mandalay atop the North and Yangon atop the South. The tiebreaker gave the Green Dragons the #1 seed, ultimately setting up round one matchups between the #1 and #2 teams of both divisions. The Mammoths allowed the fewest runs at 564. Despite being the reigning SAB champ, this was Mandalay’s first division title since 2019. Yangon’s playoff streak grew to three and was their 32^nd berth in 33 years. Wild cards went to Dhaka (96-66) and Bangkok (91-71) with Khulna (89-73) the first team out. The Dobermans led in scoring at 839 runs and extended their playoff streak to seven seasons. The Bobcats secured their third trip in four years, while the Claws’ bid for a third straight berth was thwarted. Hanoi was the next closest at 84-78, notably setting an SAB team record with 101 triples. Dhaka DH Hamidul Islam earned Southeast Asia League MVL honors in his second year as a full-time starter. The 24-year old Bangladeshi lefty led in hits (210), runs (130), RBI (135), total bases (429), batting average (.370), slugging (.757), OPS (1.156), and wRC+ (205). Islam added 54 homers, 43 doubles, 54 stolen bases, and 9.9 WAR. He missed the Triple Crown by only five homers behind Mandalay’s Dong Vinh Lam. This effort earned Islam an eight-year, $107,420,000 extension with the Dobermans after the season. Kathmandu was 76-86, an improvement after eight straight seasons below 70 wins. Third-year pitcher Tha Song played a big role and earned Pitcher of the Year, leading in ERA (2.22), strikeouts (331), WHIP (0.88), FIP- (54), and WAR (9.2). The 25-year old Cambodian righty had a 178 ERA+ and 17-10 record over 239.1 innings. The Chaparrals signed Song to a five-year, $47,240,000 extension after the season. Mandalay downed Dhaka 3-1 in the first round and Bangkok upset Yangon 3-1. The Bobcats earned their third Southeast Asia League Championship trip in four years, but they’d once again be denied their first-ever pennant. The Mammoths clobbered Bangkok with a sweep to become three-time SEAL champs (2018, 2026, 2027). Mandalay is the first to repeat as SEAL champion since Yangon in 2014-15. The Mammoths were ultimately thwarted in their SAB Championship repeat bid. The 48^th finale saw a 4-2 victory for Pune, making them four-time champs (1983, 1984, 2019, 2027). Finals MVP was 3B V.J. Bahuprada, who set a new SAB playoff record with 19 runs scored. The previous best was 17 by home run king Majed Darwish in 2008. The 28-year old Bahuprada added 24 hits, 6 doubles, 4 triples, 3 homers, 7 RBI, 10 steals, and 1.5 WAR over 16 starts. Other notes: SAB’s 14^th Perfect Game came on September 26 by Chittaogng’s Giau Lam with four strikeouts against Hanoi. Abhiji Srivas became the 27^th member of the 500 home run club and Avilasa Ponnuru was the 27^th to 2500 hits. Akram Ponnuru was the 8^th reliever to 400 saves while Avabodha Gautama became the 17^th to 300 saves. Hong Thanh Chung was the 18^th pitcher to 3500 strikeouts. RF Murugan Abdul won his 7^th Gold Glove. 2B Agnisika Dhavita won his 9^th Silver Slugger. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)