[Dukie98]

Frontier League: The Northeast Division was the most competitive division in baseball, as four teams were in playoff contention until the final day of the season, and every team won at least 77 games. The Boston Minutemen snapped an eight-year playoff drought behind an explosive offense that set Frontier League records with 1,031 runs scored and 247 homers, as they took the division title with 104 victories. Third baseman Nolan Arenado starred, hitting .348 and slugging .628, with 43 homers and 143 RBI's. Sophomore center fielder Joe DiMaggio hit .315 with 47 homers and a league-high 153 RBI's, while right fielder Pat Mullin had a career season, hitting .297 with 47 homers and 140 RBI's. First baseman Ernie Banks and second baseman Sal Bando each topped .300 and combined for 64 homers and 231 RBI's. Southpaw Zach Duke led a patchwork pitching staff that ranked 17th in the league in runs allowed, going 15-6 with a 4.29 ERA but a bloated 1.55 WHIP. The Baltimore Robins hung close with Boston for most of the season, finishing second with 97 wins. Baltimore finished third in the league in offense, led by catcher Gary Sanchez, who hit .303 with 39 homers and 103 RBI's. Right fielder Hal McRae hit .339 with 76 extra-base hits, including 20 homers, scored 113 runs, and drove in 97 runs. Third baseman Edgardo Alfonzo hit .300 with 21 homers and 97 RBI's. Fireballer Randy Johnson led the stingiest pitching staff in the Frontier League, going 18-9 with a 2.37 ERA, a 1.09 WHIP, and a league-high 315 strikeouts. Southpaw Mickey McDermott went 19-7 with a 3.09 ERA and 235 whiffs. The Pittsburgh Golden Gorillas returned to the playoffs after a two-year hiatus, clinching a spot on the final day of the year with their 89th win. Pittsburgh's middling offense was led by first baseman Brad Fullmer, who hit .292 with 38 homers and 117 RBI's. Center fielder Mickey Rivers set the table, hitting .323 with 221 hits, including 43 doubles, 50 steals, and 112 runs scored. Although ace Smoky Joe Wood set a career low with just 14 wins, he posted a strong 2.51 ERA, a 1.12 WHIP, and 264 strikeouts. Southpaw Hooks Wiltse notched a 16-9 record with an underwhelming 4.02 ERA. Although the Montreal Knights jumped out to a 32-18 start, they played slightly under .500 the rest of the way, and they were eliminated from playoff contention on the last day of the year. Montreal's 87 wins were their most since their last playoff appearance thirteen seasons ago. They were led by slugging first baseman Johnny Mize, who hit .330 with a .420 on-base percentage and a .582 slugging percentage, including 33 homers and 113 RBI's. Mize forced Eddie Murray to play out of position at third base, where he hit .280 with 36 homers and 93 RBI's. Righthander Aaron Sele went 18-9 with a 4.12 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP.

The Detroit Purple Gang coasted to another Great Lakes Division title, jumping out to a 50-31 start, and they won the division by 9 games despite a sub-.500 second half. Detroit was led by veteran third baseman Bill Melton, who popped his 3,000th hit and 600th homer on his way to batting .277 with 31 homers and 98 RBI's. Shortstop Francisco Lindor hit just .253, but launched 30 longballs and drove in 99 runs. Left fielder Mel Hall hit .308 with 35 homers and a team-high 115 RBI's, but found himself losing playing time down the stretch. Ed Walsh stabilized an injury-ravaged pitching staff, going 19-5 with a 3.17 ERA, a 1.09 ERA, and 222 strikeouts. But Detroit headed into the postseason without the services of the injured Larry Jaster, Larry Jansen, Mike Garcia, and Randy Jones -- who had a combined 615 career victories.

The Omaha Falcons won their first ten games on their way to a 96-win Great Plains Division title, their third playoff appearance in four years, as five players topped 25 homers. Omaha was sparked by a breakout season by right fielder Cito Gaston, who hit .334 with 35 homers and 120 RBI's. Left fielder Preston Wilson hit .274 with 32 homers and 107 RBI's, while veteran sluggers Gorman Thomas, Lou Gehrig, and Gabby Hartnett combined for 77 homers. Ed Reulbach paced a deep pitching staff, going 15-12 with a 3.61 ERA and 1.28 WHIP. The slap-hitting Chicago Mules were well below .500 through the end of July, but made a furious push for a playoff spot, finishing with 87 wins, . Left fielder Gene Clines won the Frontier League batting title, hitting .370 with 243 hits, 49 steals, and 97 runs scored. Ageless first baseman George Altman hit .304 with 28 homers and 88 RBI's. Ace Bob Moose appeared to be a shoo-in for his second Cy Young Award, leading the HRDL with a 25-8 record and a 2.13 ERA, while notching a 1.07 WHIP and 276 strikeouts.

The Seattle Whales relied on a balanced offense which ranked second in the league with 901 runs scored to win the Northwest Division with 96 games. Left fielder Sherry Magee hit .287 with 40 homers, 114 RBI's, 125 runs scored, and a league-high 71 steals. Slugging first baseman Lee May hit .303 with 29 homers and 120 RBI's. Rookie third baseman Milt Stock hit .326 with 21 round-trippers and 101 runs, while center Lee Mazzilli set the table, hitting .318 with a .407 on-base percentage, scoring 138 runs while ripping 27 homers with 43 steals. Veteran righthander Bob Osborn went 18-8 with a 3.49 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP, while Al Benton went 17-7 with a 3.70 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP. Seattle held off a second-half surge by the defending champion Portland Skunks, who rallied from a 5-13 start to go 58-29 after the All-Star game, finishing with 95 wins. Although first baseman Jeff Bagwell could not duplicate his MVP-runner-up 2031 season, he still hit .279 with a .422 on-base percentage, and rapped 38 longballs with 109 runs scored and 94 RBI's. Left fielder Mike Easler hit .319 with 35 homers and plated 101 runs. Second baseman John Knight hit .318 with 79 extra-base hits, including 30 homers, and he scored 135 runs while swiping 40-of-45 bases. Rookie southpaw Pete Falcone went 14-9 with a 3.16 ERA, a 1.23 WHIP, and 224 whiffs, while veteran Ed Halicki posted a 15-8 record with a 3.75 ERA. Although the Denver Spikes lost slugger Chris James for the season in spring training, they still won 91 games, largely due to pitching and defense. Shortstop Yoan Moncada hit .313 with a .408 on-base percentage, with 14 homers, 70 RBI's, and went an incredible 70-for-77 on the basepaths. Catcher Frank Fernandez pounded 36 homers and drove home 90 runs. Veteran righthander Bruce Berenyi returned to form, going 19-7 with a 3.37 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP. Closer Chick Brandom posted 42 saves with 98 strikeouts in just 73 innings.

Continental League: The 94-win Washington Ambassadors coasted into the postseason for the third straight season, winning the Atlantic Division by 11 games without ever being seriously threatened. First baseman Lee Stevens led the way, hitting .332 and slugging .617 with 46 homers and 124 RBI's. DH Eddie Robinson hit .349 with 34 homers and 103 RBI's. Right fielder Ralph Garr set the table effectively, hitting .370 while scoring 93 runs in just 112 games. Righthander Homer Hillebrand led a middle-of-the-pack pitching staff, going 16-6 with a 3.66 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP. Closer Chris Short had another brilliant season out of the pen, going 6-2 with 36 saves, a 1.88 ERA, a 0.88 WHIP, and 103 whiffs in just 72 innings.

In the Southeast Division, the Atlanta Ducks rode a powerful offense to make the playoffs for the first time since 2021. The Ducks scored 1,023 runs, ranking third in the Continental League. Left fielder Jim Greengrass posted an MVP-caliber season, hitting .356 and slugging .635 with 47 homers and 142 RBI's. First baseman Dots Miller hit .328 while drilling 42 homers and plating 136 runs. Catcher Darrin Fletcher had a career season, hitting .320 with 41 homers and 110 RBI's. Veteran righthander John Montefusco went 18-9 despite a career-worst 3.91 ERA, and he fanned 225 enemy batters. Closer Mike Kekich notched 32 saves with a 2.26 ERA. The Ducks held off the New Orleans Crawfish, who made the playoffs for the tenth time in twelve seasons after their 91-win campaign. Third baseman Manny Machado starred, hitting .341 and slugging .584 with 38 homers and 133 RBI's. First baseman Joey Meyer hit .311 with 29 round-trippers and 117 RBI's, while left fielder Tommie Davis hit .310 with 29 blasts of his own, in addition to 30 steals and 114 runs scored. Southpaw Tom Milone went 21-6, tying for the league lead in victories, despite a mediocre 4.33 ERA, and closer Clarence Pickrel saved 35 games with a 1.70 ERA. The Miami Flamingos narrowly missed the playoffs, winning 89 games, as they were led by right fielder Frank Robinson, who hit .322 with 40 homers and 122 RBI's and center fielder Kevin Kiermaier, who hit .321 with 23 longballs and 107 runs scored. Closer Dave LaRoche posted 40 saves with a 1.70 ERA.

Despite a shaky September, the 95-win Houston Pythons held on to take the Texas Division title by a game over the El Paso Armadillos. Houston's powerful offense blasted 246 homers, the third most in baseball. Left fielder Larry Hisle led the way, hitting .339 and slugging .667, and leading baseball with 52 round-trippers, while driving in 139 runs. Center fielder Ryan Thompson hit .309, punching 40 homer and driving in 111 runs in just 118 games. Six Pythons blasted at least 20 homers, and defensive ace Andrelton Simmons smacked 19 of his own. On the mound, Jerry Reuss tied for the league lead with 21 wins for the second straight year, while posting a 3.63 ERA and 1.30 WHIP. Lefty Bill Sherdel went 19-11, but sported a mediocre 4.63 ERA. The El Paso Armadillos won 94 games thanks to elite pitching and defense, as they surrendered just 668 runs - second in the Continental League, while posting a team DER of .710. First baseman Gil Hodges led a subpar offense, hitting .273 with 30 homers and 100 RBI's, while center fielder AJ Pollock hit .296 with 43 doubles, 29 longballs and drove in 84 runs while scoring 103 times. Righthander Jordan Zimmermann went 18-9 with a 2.87 ERA with an 0.99 WHIP and 190 strikeouts. Closer Rube Vickers led a deep pen, saving 36 games with a 2.67 ERA. The San Antonio Marksmen, winners of 91 games, also matched a subpar offense with elite pitching, as they ranked 17th in the Continental League in runs scored and 19th in homers, while allowing just 627 runs- the fewest in baseball. Third baseman Ray Boone hit .286 with 29 homers and 104 RBI's. First baseman Randy Milligan popped 23 round-trippers with a team-high 112 RBI's. Left fielder Enos Slaughter hit .301 with a .405 on-base percentage, with 36 doubles, 17 homers, and 82 RBI's. Ace Don Drysdale had his typical hard-luck season for the Marksmen: he went just 12-10 despite a 2.29 ERA, a 0.95 WHIP, and 222 whiffs. Joe Ross posted a 15-12 record with a 2.63 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP and 260 strikeouts, but went down in September with a back injury and would miss the playoffs. The Austin Mustangs came seemingly out of nowhere to flirt with their first playoff appearance since 2025, but ultimately fell short with 88 wins. Left fielder Bob Johnson hit .302 with a .417 on-base percentage, blasting a team-high 45 homers and 103 RBI's. DH Harry Lumley continued his late-career renaissance, popping 39 homers with 107 RBI's. Righthander Earl Francis posted a 17-8 record with a 3.13 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP.

The 107-win Albuquerque Conquistadors continued their multiyear onslaught on the record books, leading the Continental League in nearly every major offensive category, as they scored 1149 runs with a .310 team average and 269 homers. Once again, an Albuquerque corner infielder had a dominant season -- but this time it was first baseman George Brett who flirted with a Triple Crown, hitting .386 with 50 homers and a best-in-baseball 166 RBI's. Catcher Tex Erwin hit .313 with 46 longballs and 134 RBI's. Right fielder Doc Miller hit .367 with 37 homers and plated 122 runs. Third baseman Frank Baker's streak of four straight MVP seasons would surely end after a disastrous first half, but rallied to finish with a .329 average, a .566 slugging percentage, 29 homers, and 133 RBI's. Free agent signee Bob Gibson was the lone bright spot on an otherwise dreadful pitching staff, going 18-4 with a career-best 3.42 ERA and 1.25 WHIP. The Los Angeles Kangaroos won 100 games, but never seriously threatened the Conquistadors. Center fielder Bobby Tolan starred, hitting .370 with 26 homers, 53 steals, and 111 RBI's, despite missing September with a broken finger. Veteran left fielder Gary Matthews went deep 36 times and drove in 107 runs. Catcher Elston Howard hit .301 with 26 homers and 121 RBI's. Southpaw Nap Rucker posted a 16-5 record with a 3.30 ERA, a 1.24 WHIP, and 227 strikeouts, while rookie closer Mark Clear saved 34 games with a microscopic 1.54 ERA.and 110 strikeouts in just 75 innings. The Las Vegas Aces narrowly missed the playoffs, winning 89 games. Sluggers Willie Horton and Bobby Bonilla combined for 71 homers and 117 RBI's. Righthander Butch Wensloff went 18-10 with a 3.10 ERA, a 1.13 WHIP, and 232 strikeouts.