[JayW UK]

2036 Regular Season

Eastern League Review

The Atlantic division saw a season long two-team tussle that came down to the last few games to decide a winner. With rookie sensation Rob Penney (.307, 27 HR, 72 RBI) along with veterans Jared Guest (.286, 31 HR, 97 RBI) and Eduardo Moreno (41 HR, 104 RBI) driving their powerful offense (194 homeruns on the season) and a pitching staff featuring off-season signing Greg Bailey (12-7, 2.96 ERA) and 24-year-old rising star Brett Knight (14-7, 2.42 ERA) keeping opponents in check, it was Boston (94-68) who claimed the division crown by two games from Philadelphia. Despite a triple crown campaign from pitcher Shane Olson (23-8, 2.18 ERA, 299K) and another strong effort from 1B Matt Henderson (.314, 38 HR, 110 RBI) the Independence ended the season by losing four of their last five games to finish at 92-70 and miss out on the postseason for the first time since 2030. Dixon Bodean continued to defy father time, recording another strong season (.302, 33 HR, 100 RBI) at age 40, but even Bodean’s heroics couldn’t lift Baltimore to relevance as they finished a distant third with a 76-86 record while New York (73-89) continued to blood youngsters (including 23-year-old 1B Jerry Wright and 22-year-old pitcher Mariano Rojo) in the hope that short term pain would lead to long term gain. Washington one of the pre-season favorites to challenge for a playoff berth, had a season to forget, with their rotation struggling for long stretches of the season (a combined 37-70, 4.42 ERA) and an offense stuck in neutral despite the best efforts of C Aaron Harris (28 HR, 83 RBI) and 2B Tomas Mendevil (25 HR, 78 RBI), the Generals plummeted from 86 wins to just 61, the second worst record in club history. As an interesting aside the last time Washington lost 100 games (2025) Boston won the division and went on to win the World Series!! Would history repeat itself eleven years on?
After three years on the outside looking in, Indianapolis made a triumphant return to the playoffs, boasting the NABL’s top scoring offense (912 runs) with Jose Cintron (.288, 47 HR, 139 RBI) leading the charge and the speedy trio of Pancho Souza (57 SB), Jose Villalobos (35 SB) and Marc Smith (33 SB) causing havoc on the basepaths, the Racers cruised to the Central division title winning a franchise record 104 games. With another strong season from McKenzie Ransford (19-11, 3.58 ERA) and a fine debut season from 2035 first round pick Les Scott (16-8, 3.43 ERA), St. Louis (91-71) relied on their stellar pitching (#2 in the EL) to hold off Chicago (90-72) who won one game less than 2035, but slipped back to third in the division. Detroit (64-98) and Cleveland (61-101) remained rooted to the foot of the standings with both teams struggling to find any consistent pitching during the lost campaign. No Cleveland pitcher reached double figures for wins on the season, Jose Castillo and Duane Jones leading the way with just eight, while Larry Moreno (12-10, 3.48 ERA) was by far the most efficient pitcher for Detroit, with the Giants #2 (Larry Summers) and #3 (Carlton Bamber) starters combining for an abysmal 10-34, 5.41 ERA record.
The battle for the Southeast crown was an entertaining one between Charlotte and Tampa Bay with the outcome not decided until the final game of the season. With 3B Brandon Townsend (.352, 30 HR, 100 RBI), outfielders Daron Murphy (24 HR, 102 RBI) and Gregg Bambridge (23 HR, 73 RBI from just 100 games) leading the offense and Greg Marshall (19-10, 3.62 ERA), Joe Downing (18-11, 2.55 ERA) and David Reyes (15-8, 3.48 ERA) locking down the rotation, Charlotte (96-66) just managed to pip Tampa Bay (95-67) to the division crown. Tampa Bay, owners of the highest payroll in the NABL and boasting A-listers such as LF Bryant Manton (34 HR, 103 RBI), CF Steve Blanton (24 HR, 102 RBI) along with star pitcher Ramon Schoof (21-6, 2.89 ERA) on the books, fell to lowly New Orleans on the final day to hand the division title to Charlotte and leave themselves as the EL wildcard entry. For the fourth season in a row Atlanta finished the season with 79 wins while Miami fell back to a 68-94 record a ten-year low, bringing up the rear were New Orleans who slumped to a franchise worst 60-102 record, wasting another strong season from 1B Rick Flynn (.266, 35 HR, 94 RBI). However not everything in Louisiana was doom and gloom as several young up-and-coming players were given significant playing time and held their own, headlined by 23-year-old LF Ferry Vogalsang (.256, 24 HR, 98 RBI) and 21-year-old pitcher Vincent Brice (7-2, 5 Saves, 2.27 ERA in 81 games).

Final Standings

Atlantic Division
Boston 94-68*
Philadelphia 92-70
Baltimore 76-86
New York 73-89
Washington 61-101

Central Division
Indianapolis 104-58*
St. Louis 91-71
Chicago 90-72
Detroit 64-98
Cleveland 61-101

Southeast Division
Charlotte 96-66*
Tampa Bay 95-67*
Atlanta 79-83
Miami 68-94
New Orleans 60-102