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Old 08-03-2019, 04:00 AM   #187
Dukie98
All Star Reserve
 
Join Date: Apr 2016
Posts: 902
2040 Year in Review

Frontier League: The Buffalo Fighting Elk continued their reign of dominance over the Northeast Division, topping 100 wins for the fourth straight season with 102 victories, taking the division by a mere 27 games. Buffalo sported the Frontier League's leading offense, scoring 963 runs and bashing 253 homers. Third baseman Eric Chavez starred, hitting .329 with 46 homers and a league-leading 161 RBI's, which set a franchise record. Center fielder Tris Speaker set the table, hitting ..340 with a .431 on-base percentage, scoring 131 runs and swiping 63 bags. First baseman Don Hurst hit .298 and slugged .578, bashing 45 homers and driving in 147 runs. Left fielder Eddie Lukon hit .292, smashing 46 round-trippers and driving in 116 runs. Right fielder Gary Roenicke and shortstop Rico Petrocelli combined for 69 homers and 231 RBI's between them. Ace Don Wilson had an off year, but still went 14-5 with a 3.49 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP -- both figures being his worst since 2033. Righthander Jose Lima posted a 14-10 mark with a 4.35 ERA. The Fighting Elk entered the playoffs shorthanded, however, as Speaker was expected to miss the playoffs with a back injury, and veteran righthander Jordan Zimmermann and relievers Gregg Olson and Randy Choate were similarly sidelined.

The Detroit Purple Gang used a strong second half to pull away in the Great Lakes Division, going 54-33 after the All-Star break to finish with 89 wins. The Purple Gang relied on the league's second-best pitching staff to overcome a top-heavy lineup. Third baseman Nolan Arenado returned to form, hitting .344 with a franchise-record .450 on-base percentage, 46 homers and 133 RBI's. Left fielder Rafael Palmeiro hit .323 with 34 round-trippers and 104 RBI's. First baseman Adam LaRoche launched 28 longballs and drove in 92 runs, but hit just .234. Fireballer Nolan Ryan, finally moved into the rotation after five years in the bullpen, starred, going 17-9 with a 2.81 ERA, a 1.11 WHIP, and a league-leading 309 strikeouts. Journeyman Percy Jones had a career season, going 14-8 with a 2.83 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP. Closer Hal Kleine notched 33 saves with a 2.29 ERA. The Purple Gang held off the 83-win Ottawa Parliamentarians, who rebounded from a 63-win disaster in 2039, but lacked the firepower to make a sustained run for the postseason. Left fielder Lee Thomas led Ottawa, hitting .312 with 30 homers and 121 RBI's, while shortstop Tim Anderson hit .310 with 22 round-trippers, 93 RBI's, 103 runs scored, and 19 steals.

The Great Plains Division was the strongest division in baseball, as all six teams won at least 83 games, and four teams made the playoffs. The Minneapolis Penguins increased their win total for the seventh straight season, winning a league-high 106 games. Center fielder Mike Trout dominated again, hitting .333 with a league-best .458 on-base percentage, 37 homers, 97 RBI's, 100 runs scored, and 27 steals. Catcher Javy Lopez hit .344 and slugged .660, bashing 44 homers and driving in 112 runs. Right fielder Darryl Strawberry hit .284 with 42 homers, 107 runs, and 111 RBI's. The Penguins' posted the best pitching staff in the league, surrendering just 587 runs. Righthander Wade Miller went 16-6 with a 3.14 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP. Paul Derringer posted a 16-12 mark with a 3.69 ERA and 199 strikeouts. Ageless closer Chris Short set a single-season record with 49 saves, while yielding a 2.04 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP. The Kansas City Mad Hatters rode the league's second-ranked offense to a 100-win season, despite a subpar pitching staff. Right fielder Bernie Carbo posted a .315/ .445/ .650 slash line, pounding a league-high 50 homers and 149 RBI's. Left fielder Kirk Gibson hit .328 and slugged .606 with 30 homers and 84 RBI's in just 108 games. First baseman Paul Goldschmidt hit .323 with 41 doubles, 32 longballs, 90 RBI's, and 134 runs scored. Manny Machado hit .297 and slugged .556, popping 26 homers and driving in 70 runs before suffering a season-ending back injury in mid-August. Mike Foltynewicz led a mediocre pitching staff, going 9-3 with a 3.89 ERA and a middling 1.33 WHIP, while closer Earl Henry saved 33 games with a 2.35 ERA. The Chicago Mules won 96 games, returning to the playoffs for the first time after a two-year absence. Third baseman Pie Traynor starred, hitting .336 with 39 doubles, 16 homers, 79 RBI's, and 129 runs scored. Catcher Ted Simmons had a breakout season, hitting .331 and slugging .513, ripping 48 doubles, 14 homers, 99 RBI's, and scoring 99 runs. Right fielder Cleon Jones hit .313 with 16 homers and plated 103 runs. Southpaw Odalis Perez posted a 17-9 record with a 2.95 ERA, a 1.04 WHIP, and 204 strikeouts, while righthander Tyler Duffey notched a 13-8 mark with a 3.78 ERA. The Milwaukee Raccoons earned their fourth straight playoff spot, winning 91 games. Larry Walker led the Frontier League in slugging percentage for the fourth straight season, hitting .360 and slugging .682 with 44 doubles, 35 homers, and 106 RBI's despite missing 35 games. First baseman Chris Parmelee hit .300 and slugged .543, bashing 28 homers and driving in 111 runs. Center fielder Eric Davis ripped 26 jacks and drove in 78 runs while scoring 95, but suffered a late-season ankle injury that would sideline him for the playoffs.
Southpaw Dave Fleming posted a 12-10 record with a 4.16 ERA, while David Wells registered a 8-3 record with a 3.73 ERA. Francisco Rodriguez saved 29 games while fanning 107 hitters, posting a 1.75 ERA along the way.

The Vancouver Viceroys, always solid but rarely spectacular, won 92 games to earn their first Northwest Division title since 2027, surviving season-ending injuries to stars Steve Barber and Hal McRae. First baseman Aledmys Diaz popped 29 homers and drove in 101 runs while scoring 87 runs. Catcher Charles Johnson ripped 25 round-trippers while driving in 72 runs. Second-year shortstop Chris Speier hit .299, launching 19 homers and driving in 87 runs. Righthander Tom Milone notched an 11-7 mark with a 3.43 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP, while Milt Wilcox went 13-11 with a 4.57 ERA. Vancouver narrowly held off the 89-win Portland Skunks by three games. Right fielder Drew Stubbs hit .270 with a career-high 43 homers, 105 RBI's, and 106 runs scored. Third baseman Hank Blalock hit .282 with 33 round-trippers and drove in 89 runs, while Mike Easler and Mike Epstein blasted 28 homers apiece. Southpaw Steve Avery posted a 15-9 record with a 3.32 ERA, a 1.20 WHIP, and 197 strikeouts. Roger Wolff notched a 15-8 mark with a 3.73 ERA. Journeyman reliever Brad Boxberger had a career season, saving 27 games with a 1.82 ERA and a microscopic 0.83 WHIP.

Continental League: The New York Emperors had never won more than 90 games, and had not won an Atlantic Division title in the prior 29 years of the league. Both streaks ended in grand fashion, as New York dominated with 114 victories - even though defending Cy Young Award winner Paul Splittorff missed nearly the entire season. David Wright had an MVP-caliber season, hitting .350 with 50 doubles, 36 homers, 135 runs, 127 RBI's, and 29 steals. Catcher Yadier Molina flirted with the batting title, hitting .374 and slugging .558, with 36 doubles, 17 homers, and 92 RBI's. But New York would have to enter the playoffs without the services of the wounded Cliff Floyd, who hit .292 and slugged .559, with 32 homers, 86 RBI's, and 99 RBI's in just 118 games, and Don Mattingly, who hit .299 with 25 homers and 114 RBI's. Southpaw Rich Nye had a career year, leading the HRDL with a 22-4 record and a 3.09 ERA, while Corey Kluber went 16-10 with a 3.57 ERA and 1.05 WHIP, fanning 209 hitters. Closer Lee Smith registered 47 saves with a 2.09 ERA. The Jacksonville Gulls won 105 games behind the most explosive offense in league history, which scored a record 1225 runs with a .324 team batting average. Seven players blasted at least 28 homers -- all of whom topped .300. Left fielder Beals Becker hit .369 with 49 doubles, 43 homers, 160 RBI's, and 62 steals, leading the league with 241 hits and 163 runs scored. First baseman Jim Thome hit .339, blasting 43 homers, driving in 154 runs, while scoring 147. Veteran catcher Victor Martinez had a career season, hitting .364 and slugging .589, popping 28 round-trippers while driving in 125 runs. Shortstop Robin Yount hit .344 and slugged .636, drilling 39 doubles, 36 homers, driving in 118 runs while scoring 137. The less said about Jacksonville's pitching staff, the better; Lance Davis posted an 11-7 record despite a mediocre 4.86 ERA and a 1.58 WHIP, while Dave Rozema and Zach Davies each won 15 games despite ERA's over 6.00. The Charlotte Aviators won 15 of their final 16 games, including an 11-game winning streak, to sneak into the playoffs for the third straight season. Charlotte's third-ranked offense ripped 264 homers, led by rookie first baseman Mark Teixeira, who hit .314 with 51 doubles, 53 homers and 166 RBI's - including 14 homers and 38 RBI's in September. Shortstop Corey Seager hit .303 with 27 homers and 99 RBI's, while third baseman Wayne Garrett had a career year, hitting .299 with a .403 on-base percentage, ripping 30 longballs and 83 RBI's. Right fielder Tony Gwynn nearly tripled his career high in homers, hitting .332 with 22 homers, as well as 49 doubles and 132 runs scored. Righthander Ray Caldwell went 12-8 with a 4.25 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP, while Bob Ojeda posted a 13-7 mark with a 4.70 ERA.

The defending champion New Orleans Crawfish won 100 games, making the playoffs for the sixth straight season, and the 17th time in the last 20 seasons. The Crawfish finished fourth in the league in runs scored and in homers, led by Eddie Murray, who hit .320 and slugged .620, with 54 homers and 163 RBI's. Right fielder Chuck Klein, a free agent signee, hit .313 with 43 doubles, 43 homers, 134 RBI's, and 118 runs scored. Leadoff hitter Tommy Davis hit .351 with 239 hits, including 43 doubles, 21 homers, 94 RBI's, and 118 runs scored. On the mound, southpaw Wilbur Cooper somehow notched a 20-4 record despite a bloated 5.15 ERA; bizarrely, he jumped from yielding just 4 homers last season to 41 round-trippers this year. Nick Neugebauer registered a 14-9 mark with a 4.21 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP. Closer Ken Howell saved 37 games with a 2.02 ERA. New Orleans held off the Atlanta Ducks, who won 94 games. First baseman Hank Greenberg had a long-awaited breakout season for Atlanta, hitting .328 with 35 longballs and 98 RBI's. Third baseman Ken Reitz hit .293 with 23 homers and drove in 108 runs. Second sacker Roberto Alomar set the table, hitting .312 with 14 homers, 75 RBI's, and 115 runs scored. Sophomore southpaw Mel Parnell went 15-5, yielding a 2.76 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP. Stan Coveleski notched an 18-10 record with a 4.45 ERA, a 1.26 WHIP, and 227 strikeouts. For most of the season, the Birmingham Steelers were firmly in the playoff hunt, playing nearly .600 ball for the first half of the season as they looked to seize their first playoff spot in thirteen years. But after a season-ending injury to Willie Mays in late August, the Steelers collapsed, going 8-24, and finishing with just 82 wins. Mays was an MVP favorite before his injury, posting a .389/ .472/ .750 slash line, leading the league in all three categories, while ripping 43 homers and driving in 155 runs and scoring 121. Second-year third baseman Scott Rolen hit .337 and slugged .624, with 42 homers and an incredible 177 RBI's -- a single-season record.

The El Paso Armadillos won the Texas Division easily with 103 wins, relying on a strong pitching staff and a middling offense. Right fielder Kevin McReynolds led the Armadillos offensively, hitting .304 and slugging .574, blasting 40 homers and 134 RBI's. First baseman Eric Hinske hit .291 with 31 round-trippers, 92 RBI's, and 101 runs scored. Center fielder Adolfo Phillips launched 28 homers, drove in 90 runs, and scored 86 runs in just 123 games while swiping 15 bags. Free agent signee Randy Johnson flirted with the Triple Crown, going 20-7 with a 2.60 ERA, a league-best 0.92 WHIP, and 312 strikeouts. Righthander Spec Harkness notched a 13-5 mark with a 3.71 ERA. The San Antonio Marksmen remained in contention for a wild card spot until the final days of the season, winning 88 games. Catcher Mike Sweeney hit .300 with 23 homers and 100 RBI's, while Matt Dominguez drilled 34 jacks and drove in 113 runs. Greg Maddux posted a 14-7 record with a 2.96 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP, while Mark Langston went 13-11 with a 3.20 ERA, a 1.14 WHIP, and fanned 264 hitters.

The Phoenix Lizards won the Southwest Division with 99 wins behind a balanced approach. Second sacker Jim Viox hit a team-high .353 with 50 doubles, 16 homers, 113 RBI's, and 96 runs scored. Billy Conigliaro hit .301 and slugged .567, ripping 26 homers and 113 RBI's. Roger Maris drilled 37 homers and 112 RBI's. Left fielder Clyde Milan hit .313 with a .400 on-base percentage, ripping 47 doubles, scoring 154 runs, and swiping a league-leading 89 bases. Southpaw Pete Wilson went 15-6 with a 4.04 ERA despite a hefty 1.53 WHIP. Zane Smith registered a 13-7 mark with a 4.08 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP while surrendering just 10 homers in 181 innings. The Anaheim Antelopes topped 1000 runs, with the second-best offense in baseball, as they clinched a playoff spot on the final day of the season with 90 wins, as they edged the San Diego Zookeepers in 12 innings on a walk-off single by journeyman Tim Cullen. Rougned Odor had a brilliant, if bizarre, season for the Antelopes: he hit .300 and slugged .721, drilling an incredible 62 homers and driving in 165 runs in just 123 games. Odor seemed like a shoo-in to set the all-time single season home run record when he sprained his knee with 3 weeks left in the season, only to return and homer again in the final game of the season. Incredibly, Odor also hit 7 triples -- but only 5 doubles despite his 62 round-trippers. Center fielder Dale Murphy hit .310 with a .414 on-base percentage, blasting 44 homers while scoring 144 runs and driving in 136. 38-year-old third baseman Ray Boone hit .333 and slugged .565, drilling 29 round-trippers while plating 125 runs. Southpaw Frank Tanana anchored the rotation, going 16-10 with a 4.14 ERA, a 1.31 WHIP, and 188 strikeouts. Closer Roy Parmalee saved 29 games while yielding a 1.70 ERA. The San Diego Zookeepers remained until contention until the final game of the year, winning 88 games, but they dropped five of their final six games. San Diego challenged for the postseason despite one of the weakest offenses in baseball, ranking 21st in the Continental League in runs scored. Shortstop Ron Hansen starred, hitting .310 with 19 homers and 95 RBI's, but he was sidelined for the final week of the season with a rib injury. Right fielder Mike Vail hit .289 with 28 longballs and 110 RBI's. Left fielder Luke Scott hit 26 homers and drove in 85 runs. On the mound, Denny Lemaster posted a 12-7 mark with a 3.81 ERA, a 1.15 WHIP, and 203 strikeouts. Crafty junkballer Ron Herbel went 11-6 with a 3.94 ERA. Groundballer Russ Christopher went just 9-10 despite a 3.94 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP, allowing just 8 homers in 192 innings.
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