[Dukie98]

Frontier League: The Northeast Division again proved to be the class of the league, with five of the six teams remaining in playoff contention through the last day of the season. The Baltimore Robins pulled away from the pack to earn their fourth straight postseason spot, winning 100 games on the strength of a balanced offense, led by center fielder Rick Monday, who hit .343 with 25 homers and 102 RBI's. Right fielder Leon Durham had his third consecutive season in the 30-30 club, and catcher Willson Contreras shook off an early-season slump to hit .285 with 33 homers and 91 RBI's. Paul Dean led a deep pitching staff, going 17-7 with a 2.20 ERA and 0.94 WHIP. The Philadelphia Hawks made their maiden postseason appearance, winning 93 games after an explosive 24-6 start. The Hawks led the Frontier League in runs scored, batting average, and homers, as first baseman Cody Bellinger hit .314 with 44 homers and a league-high 138 RBI's. Corner outfielders Braggo Roth and Dave Nicholson each topped 100 RBI's and combined for 59 homers, while 19-game winner Roy Patterson anchored the pitching staff. The Pittsburgh Golden Grizzlies also won 93 games, as left fielder Del Ennis hit .334 with 34 homers and 132 RBI's, and Adrian Gonzalez and Willie Greene each topped 30 homers, while closer Huston Street notched 30 saves with a 1.56 ERA. The Buffalo Fighting Elk and Montreal Knights both remained in the postseason picture until the final day of the season.

As impressive as the Northeast Division was, the Great Lakes Division was equally unimpressive. For nearly the entire season, all six teams were well below .500. Ultimately, the London Werewolves rallied from a dreadful 4-16 start to finish with 82 wins despite a negative run differential, led by rookie third baseman Matt Chapman, who hit .294 with 32 homers and 120 RBI's, and righthander Cy Blanton, who went 18-10 with a 2.33 ERA. The Werewolves held off the underachieving Cleveland Rocks, who were led by Aaron Judge's 45 homers and first baseman Nate Colbert's 42 homers and 137 RBI's, while ace Jack Chesbro went 18-13 with a 2.04 ERA. The Toronto Predators, led by Felix Hernandez, who went just 14-9 despite a stellar 2.22 ERA and 265 strikeouts, also flirted with the postseason, but they were bogged down by one of the weakest offenses in the league.

The breakout story of the season was the dominant pitching staff of the Chicago Mules, who surrendered just 485 runs on the season on their way to 109 wins. Cy Young favorite Roger Clemens dominated, going 24-7 with a 1.55 ERA, a 0.87 WHIP, and 286 strikeouts. Rotation-mates Jason Isringhausen, Fred Olmstead, and Rube Marquard won 20 games apiece, and each sported an ERA below 2.80. The Kansas City Mad Hatters rebounded from a 6-12 start to win 90 games and claim a wild card spot, as second baseman George Grantham hit .334 with 19 homers, 84 RBI's, and 83 steals, and righthander Rube Foster went 25-6 with a 2.34 ERA. The Milwaukee Raccoons snuck into the playoffs with 85 wins, as Orlando Cepeda led a balanced offense by hitting .335 with 25 homers and 98 RBI's, and southpaw Vean Gregg won 16 games with a 2.45 ERA and 221 strikeouts. The Raccoons needed to win their last five games to earn their playoff bid, including a one-game playoff victory over the Minneapolis Penguins, who were led by MVP candidate Andy Van Slyke, who hit .338 with 38 homers and 59 steals, while Madison Bumgarner went 17-11 with a 2.15 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP.

The Denver Spikes cruised to their third consecutive Northwest Division title with 94 wins, as Mickey Mantle hit .333 with 31 homers and 100 RBIs, third baseman Tommy Glaviano hit .349 with 35 homers, 121 RBI's, and a league-best .450 on-base percentage, and Kent Hrbek blasted 34 homers and drove in 135 runs. Denver was never seriously threatened in the race for the division title, but the 84-win San Francisco Longshoremen, led by Troy Tulowitzki's 26 homers and 93 RBI's and 18-win Michael Wacha, were in playoff contention until the final day of the year, after losing six of their final seven games down the stretch.

Continental League: The 93-win Charlotte Aviators remained the class of the Atlantic Division, as right fielder Richard Hidalgo hit .320 with 34 homers and 100 RBI's, left fielder Bill Howerton hit .330 with 30 homers and 127 RBI's, and catcher Bill Freehan hit .301 with 30 homers and 98 RBI's. Remarkably, the Hartford Huskies crash-landed after a dominant 31-10 start, needing a late-season rally just to reach .500 despite another brilliant Sandy Koufax season, as he went 22-8 with a 1.98 ERA and 0.97 WHIP.

The 90-win Atlanta Ducks pulled out the division title on the last day of the year, winning 19 of their final 26 games. Joey Votto led a balanced Atlanta offense, as six Ducks scored at least 80 runs, by hitting .315 with a .440 on-base percentage and 26 homers, while catcher John Wockenfuss slugged .522, ripped 25 homers, and drove in 103 runs. The Miami Flamingos earned a wild-card spot with 89 wins, as third baseman Bobby Thomson had a solid sophomore campaign, hitting .301 with 28 homers and 120 RBI's, while center fielder Brady Anderson pounded 25 homers, scored 97 runs, and stole 38 bases.

The 102-win El Paso Armadillos earned their fourth straight playoff spot thanks to their league-best pitching staff, as Bob Friend went 21-9 with a 2.53 ERA, and Hank Wyse, Jeff Fassero, and Sheriff Blake each had 15+ wins with ERA's below 3.00, and closer Cory Gearrin had 40 saves and a 1.91 ERA. The 95-win San Antonio Marksmen rode a series of superlative individual performances into the postseason. Center fielder J.D. Drew was the presumptive MVP favorite, after posting a devastating .328/ .463/ .631 slash line, including 37 homers, 135 RBIs, and 58 steals. Defending Cy Young Award winner Ted Blankenship had another strong season, going 22-9 with a 2.42 ERA and 1.06 WHIP. Rookie sensation Matt Harvey, after a ridiculous 16-2 start, ended the season with a 19-8 record, a brilliant 2.17 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP. Shortstop Donie Bush led baseball with 96 steals on his way to a 112-run season.

The defending champion Los Angeles Kangaroos had the finest season in league history, winning 111 games behind a dominant offense that scored 947 runs- sixty more than any other team in baseball. Right fielder Gary Sheffield hit .315 with 43 homers and 150 RBI's, while left fielder Mike Davis and DH Glenn Davis hit 38 homers apiece and topped 100 RBI's apiece, with Davis also stealing 54 bases. World Series hero Ken Gabler went 24-8 with a 2.53 ERA, while closer Dick Radatz dominated with 43 saves and a 1.48 ERA. The Kangaroos were pushed by the Las Vegas Aces, who won 104 games behind a dominant offense of their own, as DH Dolph Camilli hit .345 with 23 homers and 101 RBI's, and third baseman Pablo Sandoval hit .303 with 28 homers and 114 RBI's. Free-agent acquisition Clay Buchholz dominated with a 28-5 record and a 2.13 ERA. The Phoenix Lizards took the final wild card spot, winning 87 games, led by batting champion Wade Boggs, who hit .367 with a .479 on-base percentage, and right fielder Shawn Green, who hit .326 with 45 homers and led baseball with 162 RBI's