[Dukie98]

Frontier League: Another year, another Northeast Division title for the Buffalo Fighting Elk. Buffalo cruised to its fourth consecutive division title with 96 wins. First baseman Orlando Cepeda hit .293 with a career-high 34 homers, 101 RBI's, and 28 steals. Left fielder Ken Singleton hit .291 with a .401 on-base percentage, 17 homers, and 92 RBI's. Buffalo's largely anonymous pitching staff finished third in the league in runs allowed, with Brett Oberholtzer leading the way with a 13-6 record, a 2.67 ERA, and 1.10 WHIP. Setup man Chris Devenski went 15-6 with a 2.34 ERA in 119 innings. The Pittsburgh Golden Gorillas earned their first playoff appearance in 12 years, winning 85 games before falling to the defending champion Chicago Whales in a one-game playoff for seeding purposes. Pittsburgh was led by star left fielder Sherry Magee, who hit .284 with 23 homers, 117 RBI's, and 74 steals, while third baseman Scott Brosius led the squad with 36 homers and drove in 102 runs. Smoky Joe Wood flirted with his third straight Cy Young Award, going 17-9 with a 2.02 ERA, a 1.02 WHIP, and a league-high 255 strikeouts. The Philadelphia Hawks remained in contention through the final week of the season, going 83-79, as left fielder Hack Miller hit .308 and slugged .497, popping 24 homers with 81 RBI's. Second baseman Matt Carpenter hit .293 with a .386 on-base percentage, including 64 extra-base hits and 94 runs scored.

The Detroit Purple Gang returned to the postseason after a one-year hiatus, cruising to the Great Lakes Division title with 104 wins. Right fielder Reggie Smith returned to his two-time MVP form, narrowly missing the Triple Crown, as his .333 average and 38 homers led the Frontier League, while his 121 RBI's were tied for second. Left fielder Mel Hall hit .298 with 35 homers and 112 RBI's, while ageless third baseman Wade Boggs hit .331 with a .401 on-base percentage. On the mound, Justin Verlander, Dave Righetti, and Dick Ruthven won 16 games apiece, and Verlander had 220 strikeouts and led baseball with a 1.82 ERA.

The Kansas City Mad Hatters were almost an afterthought after an 0-8 start, but they sizzled down the stretch, going 58-23 after July 1, and 13-4 down the stretch to tie the Milwaukee Raccoons on the last day of the season for first place in the Great Plains Division with 101 wins. Kansas City then won a one-game playoff, 3-2, behind a Manuel Margot 3-run homer. The Mad Hatters had the leading offense in the Frontier League, as left fielder Moises Alou hit .319 and slugged .552 with 35 homers and a league-high 130 RBI's. Ageless first baseman Todd Helton hit .318 with 41 doubles, 19 homers, and 109 runs scored. Righthander Gary Nolan went 17-7 with a 2.79 ERA and 1.11 WHIP, while Phil Regan and Dennis Leonard won 15 games apiece. The Milwaukee Raccoons were baseball's darlings for most of the season, nearly leading the division wire-to-wire. But the Raccoons dropped 7 of their last 10 games, falling into a one-game tiebreaker for the division title. Center fielder Eric Davis starred, hitting .288 with 35 homers, 70 steals,125 runs scored, and 87 RBI's. First baseman Mark Grace had a strong sophomore campaign, hitting .319 and slugging .513, with 24 homers and 121 RBI's. Righthander Jimmy Nelson went 14-6 with a 3.28 ERA, while Mike Garcia posted a 2.34 ERA and 1.02 WHIP, but struggled to go deep into games, going just 11-5 in 34 starts. Closer Jack Banta had 39 saves, a 2.00 ERA, and 129 strikeouts in 90 innings. While the St. Louis Pilots did not quite reach the heights of last season's 111-win juggernaut, they still cruised into the playoffs with 94 wins. Five players topped 20 homers, led by Jack Clark, who blasted 30 homers with 82 RBI's, and catcher Gabby Hartnett, who hit .310 and slugged .560, with 24 homers and 87 RBI's. Righthander John Montefusco went 16-9 with a 2.91 ERA, a 1.08 WHIP, and 229 strikeouts, while Joe Benz went 15-12 with a 2.95 ERA and 1.13 WHIP. The defending champion Chicago Mules struggled to score runs, but seized the final wild card spot due to a deep pitching staff. The Mules were dead last in baseball with just 68 homers. They were led offensively by second baseman Buck Herzog, who hit .306 with a .403 on-base percentage, 55 steals, and 94 runs scored. Although Bob Moose went just 9-9, he sported a 2.55 ERA, a 1.12 WHIP, and 229 strikeouts. Steve Barber went 13-12 with a 2.85 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP. Closer Harry Coveleski led the league with 42 saves and a 2.96 ERA. The 84-win Minneapolis Penguins hung in the postseason hunt until the final day of the season, as third baseman Andy Van Slyke hit .284 with 25 homers, 101 RBI's, 117 runs scored, and 41 steals. First baseman Tom Paciorek hit .325 with 16 homers and 78 RBI's.

The Vancouver Viceroys won the Northwest Division by 14 games with 94 wins. Despite a middle-of-the-pack offense, their pitching staff led baseball with just 529 runs allowed. The Viceroys were led offensively by left fielder Byron Browne, who hit .294 with 33 homers and 107 RBI's, and third baseman Gary Gaetti, who hit .287 with 23 homers and 91 RBI's. Four starters- Larry Jansen. Al Hollingsworth, Bartolo Colon, and Dixie Leverett each posted sub-3.00 ERA's, with Hollingsworth going 20-9 with a 2.39 ERA and a 1.23 ERA, while Colon went 16-8 with a 2.71 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP.

Continental League: The Charlotte Aviators looked to win their fourth straight pennant, winning 106 games and seizing the Atlantic Division behind a tremendous offense. Charlotte scored 928 runs -- second in baseball -- and blasted a record 277 homers -- 86 more than second-best Houston. Ten Aviators hit at least 10 homers, and six hit at least 25 homers -- including the top 3 home run hitters in the Continental League. Shortstop Kevin Mitchell led the way, hitting .334 and slugging .634 with 46 homers and 134 RBI's. Left fielder Michael Conforto hit 37 homers, drove in 105 runs, and scored 111 runs. Right fielder Candy Maldonado hit .283 with 37 homers of his own and 112 RBI's. Third baseman Bill Melton chipped in, hitting .309 with 34 homers and 114 RBI's. Larry Jaster led a balanced pitching staff, going 17-7 with a 2.67 ERA and 1.06 WHIP. The Jacksonville Gulls survived the offseason departure of franchise icon Bryce Harper to El Paso in free agency, although they nearly choked away a playoff spot, losing 8 of their last 9 games on their way to 86 wins. First baseman Keith Hernandez hit .326 with a .418 slugging percentage, including 14 homers and 90 RBI's. Left fielder Larry Herndon hit .320 with 27 homers, 99 RBI's, 115 runs scored, and 30 steals. On the mound, Dizzy Trout and Andy Sonnenstine each went 16-9, while hard-luck Madison Bumgarner went just 14-12 despite a 2.64 ERA and 1.13 WHIP.

The New Orleans Crawfish won their third straight Southeast Division title, qualifying for the playoffs for the sixth time in seven years with 98 wins. Star shortstop Jean Segura hit .328 and slugged .478 with 15 homers, 105 runs scored, and 68 steals. DH Lou Gehrig hit .290 with 26 homers and 112 RBI's, while right fielder Jeff Francoeur hit .321 with 22 homers and 101 RBI's. Righthander Heinie Berger went 18-11, with a 3.23 ERA and 1.24 WHIP, while Dennis Rasmussen and Ray Fontenot won 15 games apiece. The Birmingham Steelers rallied to win 90 games despite a subpar pitching staff, as first baseman Carlos Pena hit .286 with 35 homers and 109 RBI's, and left fielder George Bell hit .286 with 28 homers and 109 RBI's. Ed Halicki stabilized a mediocre staff, going 12-13 with a solid 3.48 ERA and 1.23 WHIP.

The El Paso Armadillos cruised to their second straight Texas Division title, winning 97 games, despite losing 19-game winner Jake Arrieta for the year in May. After signing Bryce Harper in the offseason, the Armadillos finished third in the Continental League in homers, with Frank Howard leading the way, hitting .289 and slugging .504 with 35 homers and 101 RBI's. Harper, Gil Hodges, and Gorman Thomas each blasted at least 25 homers with 90-plus RBI's apiece. On the mound, Jordan Zimmermann had a breakout season, going 19-6 with a 2.56 ERA and 0.95 WHIP, while closer Mike Kekich had 28 saves, a 1.36 ERA and 0.99 WHIP. The San Antonio Marksmen remained in postseason contention until the final days of the season, winning 85 games, but dropping 7 of their final 11 games to miss the postseason by a single game. Although their offense was among the weakest in the league, 21-year old third baseman Manny Machado had a breakout season, hitting .275 with 27 homers and 89 RBI's. Shortstop Ray Boone popped 20 homers and drove in 64 runs. San Antonio had the Continental League's second-stingiest pitching staff, led by John Denny, who went 16-9 with a 2.34 ERA and 1.11 WHIP.

The Los Angeles Kangaroos hopped out of the gate, winning their first 11 games of the year on their way to a large first-half lead, but they stumbled in the second half, going just 23-29 in August and September. The Kangaroos nonetheless won the Southwest Division with 97 wins, as they finished third in the league in runs scored. Left fielder Gary Matthews, Sr. hit .310 with 29 homers and 120 RBI's, while right fielder Chili Davis hit 28 homers and 108 RBI's. Free agent signee catcher Elston Howard hit .310 with 19 homers and 88 RBI's. With southpaw Brett Anderson missing nearly the entire season with a torn UCL, unheralded righthander Marty Bystrom led the way with an 18-7 record and 3.61 ERA. The Anaheim Antelopes rallied down the stretch, playing over .600 ball in August and September to finish with 93 wins, just four games behind the Kangaroos. Right fielder Jerry Mumphrey starred, hitting .329 with 49 doubles, 11 homers, 84 RBI's, 100 runs scored, and 36 steals. Third baseman Larry Parrish led the squad with 23 homers and 86 RBI's. Although fireballer Noah Syndergaard was their flashiest free agency signing, crafty southpaw Jerry Reuss was the most valuable, going 18-8 with a 2.64 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP. The longest playoff drought in the Continental League ended as the Albuquerque Conquistadors won 89 games, scoring a league-high 951 runs and a .300 team batting average. Third baseman Frank "Home Run" Baker flirted with the MVP award, winning the batting title with a .359 average, plus 35 homers, and 120 RBI's. Rookie rightfielder Doc Miller also hit .359 with 22 homers and a team-high 130 RBI's. Second baseman Ryne Sandberg hit .324 with 28 homers, 129 RBI's, 118 runs scored, and 55 steals. Steve Rogers carried a subpar pitching staff, going 14-12 with a 3.66 ERA and a middling 1.41 WHIP.