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FuzzyRussianHat · 03-15-2025, 06:42 AM

The European Baseball Federation’s Elite Tier lowered the service time requirements for free agency for the 2027 season. EBF had been at six initially, then grew to seven for 1991 and eight for 2009. New labor negotiations got the number lowered back to seven, which was the median compared to other world leagues.

Two-time defending European Champion Rotterdam posted the best record yet of their seven-year division title streak. The Ravens crushed the Central Division and Northern Conference at 113-49, leading in both runs scored (922) and fewest allowed (573). It was a new franchise record for Rotterdam and their sixth consecutive 100+ win season.

The next best two records also were in the Central Division in Hanover (99-63) and Cologne (98-64), who easily took the first two wild cards. The Hitmen’s wild card streak grew to five seasons and the Copperheads got their second berth in four years. The #2 seed ended up being Kharkiv at 93-69, the only East Division team with a winning record. The Killer Bees grew their playoff streak to four and won their third division title of that run.

Five times were within five games of the West Division crown. Glasgow took it at 92-70 to end a 22-year playoff drought. Defending European Second League champ Nantes was three back at 89-73, narrowly taking the final wild card in their debut season in the EBF Elite tier. It was a crowded wild card field with London (88-74), Amsterdam (88-74), Dublin (87-75), Manchester (87-75), Frankfurt (87-75) and Antwerp (84-78) all within striking distance.

For the Dinos, their seven-year division title and playoff streak both ended. Since 2005, this is only the fifth time that Dublin has missed the postseason. Also notable was Hamburg’s collapse to 66-96, their first losing season since 2014. The Hammers still escaped relegation as they stayed above 100 losses. Leipzig (66-96), Prague (66-96), and Brno (65-97) were also on the chopping block.

Two Northern Conference teams suffered demotion with Oslo at 58-104 and Kyiv at 59-103. The Octopi had been competitive for a while thanks to nine-time MVP Harvey Coyle, but he was gone and they had declined in his final years. It was Oslo’s first time being relegated. The Kings had gotten promoted back up for 2026 and even made the playoffs at 90-72. Kyiv fell sharply off a cliff though, sending the once dominant franchise to E2L for their third stint.

Rotterdam RF Henri L’Ecuyer won Northern Conference MVP in his fourth season. The 24-year old Frenchman led with 381 total bases and posted 219 hits, 122 runs, 39 doubles, 21 triples, 27 home runs, 96 RBI, 78 stolen bases, .362/.401/.630 slash, 1.031 OPS, 172 wRC+, and 9.9 WAR. After the season, the Ravens extended L’Ecuyer at eight years and $168,100,000.

Cologne’s Vladyslav Zaporoshcenko grabbed Pitcher of the Year in his fourth full season. The 26-year old Ukrainian lefty led in ERA (2.09), WHIP (0.94), shutouts (4), and WAR (7.4). Zaporoshchenko posted a 19-5 record and 227 strikeouts over 241.2 innings with 193 ERA+. He stayed two more years in Germany before leaving for Major League Baseball in 2030.

In the first round, Glasgow edged Nantes 2-0 and Cologne swept Hanover 2-0. The Highlanders then got the 3-1 road upset over Kharkiv, earning their first Northern Conference Championship trip since 2002. Rotterdam topped the Copperheads 3-1 on the other side for a fifth straight conference finals trip. The top-seeded Ravens completed the pennant three-peat, although Glasgow took them to the limit in a seven-game classic. Rotterdam became eight-time Northern Conference champs.

The Southern Conference didn’t have an overwhelming standout like Rotterdam. Barcelona made a triumphant return though after spending the last five years in E2L. The Bengals won the West Division at 99-63 and earned the top seed. It was Barcelona’s first EBF Elite playoff trip since 2015 and their first division title since 2011. Both of those seasons ended with pennants. Zurich was a strong second at 94-68, taking the first wild card. The Mountaineers have made the playoffs ten times in the last twelve years.

The #2 seed was Central Division champ Munich at 95-67, beating Naples by four games, Zagreb by five, and Rome by six. The defending conference champ Mavericks grew their playoff streak to eight years and earned a seventh straight division title. Munich allowed the fewest runs (589) and was tied for the most with Odesa at 766.

93-69 earned Chisinau a fifth straight East Division title, beating Tirana by five, Odesa by six, and Tbilisi by seven. Those teams all fell just short in a crowded wild card race as well. The Nobles (91-71) and Gulls (90-72) advanced, while the Red Wolves (89-73), Trojans (88-74), Drifters (87-75), Zaragoza (87-75), and Trains (86-76) all fell just short. Naples earned their second wild card in three years, while Zagreb’s playoff streak grew to eight seasons.

Such a dense middle led to three teams at the bottom getting relegated. Both Belgrade and Lisbon were abysmal at 51-111, while Valencia just fell below the cut line at 61-101. Every other team in the SC was at or above 70 wins. It was the first relegation for the Bruisers, who had largely been in the lower-mid tier in the 21^st Century. The Clippers also suffered their first demotion after being consistently upper-mid, averaging 83.8 wins since 2000. The Vandals had been in the EBF Elite since being promoted for 2014 and hadn’t been in the playoffs since 2015, although they hadn’t been actively awful until now.

Zaragoza 1B Matt Gomez won Southern Conference MVP, leading in batting average (.358), on-base percentage (.444), OPS (1.114), and WAR (10.3). The 26-year old Spaniard added 202 hits, 114 runs, 34 doubles, 44 homers, 103 RBI, and 90 walks. It was a contract year for Gomez, who secured the bag in the offseason with Marseille at eight years and $204,800,000.

Pitcher of the Year went to Barcelona’s J.R. Pando in his third season and first as a full-time starter. The 22-year old Spaniard won the ERA title (2.32) and led in WHIP (0.90), K/BB (13.8), and FIP- (55). Pando had 7.4 WAR over 201.2 innings, 220 strikeouts, and a 17-4 record.

Round one had Zagreb sweep Chisinau and Zurich over Naples 2-1. The Gulls then upset top seed Barcelona 3-2, while Munich outlasted the Mountaineers 3-2 in round two. This set up the Mavericks versus the Gulls in the Southern Conference Championship for back-to-back years and for the fourth time in eight years. Munich had dominated this playoff rivalry, beating Zagreb in the 2021, 23, and 26 conference finals as well as in the first round of 2020 and second round of 2022.

The Mavericks had home field advantage and were expected to repeat against the Gulls, who had their weakest team of their playoff streak by wins and had only taken the last wild card by one game. However, Zagreb finally got over the hump and upset Munich in a 4-3 thriller. The Gulls won their third pennant (1960, 1975, 2027) and ended a 51-year drought.

The 78^th European Championship was historic as Rotterdam rolled Zagreb 4-1 for the first-ever three-peat atop the EBF. The Ravens were a remarkable 8-0 in their finals trips with wins in 1969, 1972, 1977, 1980, 1992, 2025, 2026, and 2027. 1B Dieter Wilhelms was finals MVP as the 32-year old German in 14 playoff games and five starts had 11 hits, 9 runs, 1 double, 2 homers, and 5 RBI.

Few franchises in any world league had eight rings and all of those that did had taken at least one finals defeat. Rotterdam wasn’t the first to win eight straight appearances though. South Asia Baseball’s Ahmedabad had won their first nine finals trips before losing in their tenth championship trip. West African Baseball’s Lagos had also won eight straight after losing in their first appearance.

Rotterdam certainly staked their claim for EBF’s best-ever dynasty with the only three-peat. The 113-49 mark in 2027 was their best and was their submission for EBF’s best-ever team. Dublin’s dynasties had come close twice in recent memory, winning three in four years (2012-15) and falling just short of the three-peat with their 2022-24 run. The best record by a champion remained 1954 Amsterdam at 118-44. This was the peak for the Ravens, although they would remain a contender for the next few years.

Other notes: Omer Kadri Nesin in his final year finished with 405 career triples, becoming the 9^th in world baseball history to reach 400+. He was third among EBF players behind world leader Carsten Dal (457) and Jacob Ronnberg. Nesin retired 2^nd in stolen bases with 1456 and ranks 25^th in the world as of 2037. Nesin also finished as the 13^th member of EBF’s 3000 hit club, retiring at 3030.

Theofilos Psarras, Aleksandr Parts, and Stefanos Emmanoulidis each reached 2500 hits in 2027, making 45 EBF batters to do so. Psarras also became the 23^rd to reach 1500 runs scored. Oliver Schmitz became the 39^th member of the 500 home run club. Oscar Dissard was the 58^th pitcher to 3000 strikeouts.

Promotion/Relegation: 2027 was another busy year for promotion/relegation with five teams moving up and five down. Oslo, Kyiv, Valencia, Lisbon, and Belgrade were the squads demoted to the European Second League. Moving on up were Brussels, Turin, Bratislava, Krakow, and Yerevan. Below are the realignment details.

03-15-2025, 06:42 AM	#2149
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,006	2027 in EBF The European Baseball Federation’s Elite Tier lowered the service time requirements for free agency for the 2027 season. EBF had been at six initially, then grew to seven for 1991 and eight for 2009. New labor negotiations got the number lowered back to seven, which was the median compared to other world leagues. Two-time defending European Champion Rotterdam posted the best record yet of their seven-year division title streak. The Ravens crushed the Central Division and Northern Conference at 113-49, leading in both runs scored (922) and fewest allowed (573). It was a new franchise record for Rotterdam and their sixth consecutive 100+ win season. The next best two records also were in the Central Division in Hanover (99-63) and Cologne (98-64), who easily took the first two wild cards. The Hitmen’s wild card streak grew to five seasons and the Copperheads got their second berth in four years. The #2 seed ended up being Kharkiv at 93-69, the only East Division team with a winning record. The Killer Bees grew their playoff streak to four and won their third division title of that run. Five times were within five games of the West Division crown. Glasgow took it at 92-70 to end a 22-year playoff drought. Defending European Second League champ Nantes was three back at 89-73, narrowly taking the final wild card in their debut season in the EBF Elite tier. It was a crowded wild card field with London (88-74), Amsterdam (88-74), Dublin (87-75), Manchester (87-75), Frankfurt (87-75) and Antwerp (84-78) all within striking distance. For the Dinos, their seven-year division title and playoff streak both ended. Since 2005, this is only the fifth time that Dublin has missed the postseason. Also notable was Hamburg’s collapse to 66-96, their first losing season since 2014. The Hammers still escaped relegation as they stayed above 100 losses. Leipzig (66-96), Prague (66-96), and Brno (65-97) were also on the chopping block. Two Northern Conference teams suffered demotion with Oslo at 58-104 and Kyiv at 59-103. The Octopi had been competitive for a while thanks to nine-time MVP Harvey Coyle, but he was gone and they had declined in his final years. It was Oslo’s first time being relegated. The Kings had gotten promoted back up for 2026 and even made the playoffs at 90-72. Kyiv fell sharply off a cliff though, sending the once dominant franchise to E2L for their third stint. Rotterdam RF Henri L’Ecuyer won Northern Conference MVP in his fourth season. The 24-year old Frenchman led with 381 total bases and posted 219 hits, 122 runs, 39 doubles, 21 triples, 27 home runs, 96 RBI, 78 stolen bases, .362/.401/.630 slash, 1.031 OPS, 172 wRC+, and 9.9 WAR. After the season, the Ravens extended L’Ecuyer at eight years and $168,100,000. Cologne’s Vladyslav Zaporoshcenko grabbed Pitcher of the Year in his fourth full season. The 26-year old Ukrainian lefty led in ERA (2.09), WHIP (0.94), shutouts (4), and WAR (7.4). Zaporoshchenko posted a 19-5 record and 227 strikeouts over 241.2 innings with 193 ERA+. He stayed two more years in Germany before leaving for Major League Baseball in 2030. In the first round, Glasgow edged Nantes 2-0 and Cologne swept Hanover 2-0. The Highlanders then got the 3-1 road upset over Kharkiv, earning their first Northern Conference Championship trip since 2002. Rotterdam topped the Copperheads 3-1 on the other side for a fifth straight conference finals trip. The top-seeded Ravens completed the pennant three-peat, although Glasgow took them to the limit in a seven-game classic. Rotterdam became eight-time Northern Conference champs. The Southern Conference didn’t have an overwhelming standout like Rotterdam. Barcelona made a triumphant return though after spending the last five years in E2L. The Bengals won the West Division at 99-63 and earned the top seed. It was Barcelona’s first EBF Elite playoff trip since 2015 and their first division title since 2011. Both of those seasons ended with pennants. Zurich was a strong second at 94-68, taking the first wild card. The Mountaineers have made the playoffs ten times in the last twelve years. The #2 seed was Central Division champ Munich at 95-67, beating Naples by four games, Zagreb by five, and Rome by six. The defending conference champ Mavericks grew their playoff streak to eight years and earned a seventh straight division title. Munich allowed the fewest runs (589) and was tied for the most with Odesa at 766. 93-69 earned Chisinau a fifth straight East Division title, beating Tirana by five, Odesa by six, and Tbilisi by seven. Those teams all fell just short in a crowded wild card race as well. The Nobles (91-71) and Gulls (90-72) advanced, while the Red Wolves (89-73), Trojans (88-74), Drifters (87-75), Zaragoza (87-75), and Trains (86-76) all fell just short. Naples earned their second wild card in three years, while Zagreb’s playoff streak grew to eight seasons. Such a dense middle led to three teams at the bottom getting relegated. Both Belgrade and Lisbon were abysmal at 51-111, while Valencia just fell below the cut line at 61-101. Every other team in the SC was at or above 70 wins. It was the first relegation for the Bruisers, who had largely been in the lower-mid tier in the 21^st Century. The Clippers also suffered their first demotion after being consistently upper-mid, averaging 83.8 wins since 2000. The Vandals had been in the EBF Elite since being promoted for 2014 and hadn’t been in the playoffs since 2015, although they hadn’t been actively awful until now. Zaragoza 1B Matt Gomez won Southern Conference MVP, leading in batting average (.358), on-base percentage (.444), OPS (1.114), and WAR (10.3). The 26-year old Spaniard added 202 hits, 114 runs, 34 doubles, 44 homers, 103 RBI, and 90 walks. It was a contract year for Gomez, who secured the bag in the offseason with Marseille at eight years and $204,800,000. Pitcher of the Year went to Barcelona’s J.R. Pando in his third season and first as a full-time starter. The 22-year old Spaniard won the ERA title (2.32) and led in WHIP (0.90), K/BB (13.8), and FIP- (55). Pando had 7.4 WAR over 201.2 innings, 220 strikeouts, and a 17-4 record. Round one had Zagreb sweep Chisinau and Zurich over Naples 2-1. The Gulls then upset top seed Barcelona 3-2, while Munich outlasted the Mountaineers 3-2 in round two. This set up the Mavericks versus the Gulls in the Southern Conference Championship for back-to-back years and for the fourth time in eight years. Munich had dominated this playoff rivalry, beating Zagreb in the 2021, 23, and 26 conference finals as well as in the first round of 2020 and second round of 2022. The Mavericks had home field advantage and were expected to repeat against the Gulls, who had their weakest team of their playoff streak by wins and had only taken the last wild card by one game. However, Zagreb finally got over the hump and upset Munich in a 4-3 thriller. The Gulls won their third pennant (1960, 1975, 2027) and ended a 51-year drought. The 78^th European Championship was historic as Rotterdam rolled Zagreb 4-1 for the first-ever three-peat atop the EBF. The Ravens were a remarkable 8-0 in their finals trips with wins in 1969, 1972, 1977, 1980, 1992, 2025, 2026, and 2027. 1B Dieter Wilhelms was finals MVP as the 32-year old German in 14 playoff games and five starts had 11 hits, 9 runs, 1 double, 2 homers, and 5 RBI. Few franchises in any world league had eight rings and all of those that did had taken at least one finals defeat. Rotterdam wasn’t the first to win eight straight appearances though. South Asia Baseball’s Ahmedabad had won their first nine finals trips before losing in their tenth championship trip. West African Baseball’s Lagos had also won eight straight after losing in their first appearance. Rotterdam certainly staked their claim for EBF’s best-ever dynasty with the only three-peat. The 113-49 mark in 2027 was their best and was their submission for EBF’s best-ever team. Dublin’s dynasties had come close twice in recent memory, winning three in four years (2012-15) and falling just short of the three-peat with their 2022-24 run. The best record by a champion remained 1954 Amsterdam at 118-44. This was the peak for the Ravens, although they would remain a contender for the next few years. Other notes: Omer Kadri Nesin in his final year finished with 405 career triples, becoming the 9^th in world baseball history to reach 400+. He was third among EBF players behind world leader Carsten Dal (457) and Jacob Ronnberg. Nesin retired 2^nd in stolen bases with 1456 and ranks 25^th in the world as of 2037. Nesin also finished as the 13^th member of EBF’s 3000 hit club, retiring at 3030. Theofilos Psarras, Aleksandr Parts, and Stefanos Emmanoulidis each reached 2500 hits in 2027, making 45 EBF batters to do so. Psarras also became the 23^rd to reach 1500 runs scored. Oliver Schmitz became the 39^th member of the 500 home run club. Oscar Dissard was the 58^th pitcher to 3000 strikeouts. Promotion/Relegation: 2027 was another busy year for promotion/relegation with five teams moving up and five down. Oslo, Kyiv, Valencia, Lisbon, and Belgrade were the squads demoted to the European Second League. Moving on up were Brussels, Turin, Bratislava, Krakow, and Yerevan. Below are the realignment details. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)