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Old 10-18-2018, 01:27 AM   #93
Dukie98
All Star Reserve
 
Join Date: Apr 2016
Posts: 902
2023 Year in Review

Frontier League: The Boston Minutemen cruised to the Northeast Division title, jumping out to a 45-14 start on their way to a 108-win regular season. Center fielder AJ Pollock hit .322 with 36 homers and a team-high 129 RBI's, while corner infielders Steve Garvey and Gary Gaetti each topped 30 homers and 100 RBI's. Hideo Nomo went 20-9 with 263 strikeouts, while Larry Cheney went 18-9 with a 3.20 ERA, a 1.25 WHIP, and 217 strikeouts. The Philadelphia Hawks returned to the postseason for the first time since 2018, winning 91 games despite being under .500 at the end of June. Shortstop Charlie Hollocher led a balanced attack, hitting .291 with 45 doubles, 15 homers, 70 RBI's, and 57 steals, while Jake Arrieta and Tom Underwood won 17 games apiece. The Pittsburgh Golden Gorillas remained in playoff contention through the final week of the year, winning 83 games as star left fielder Sherry Magee hit .348 with 38 homers, 128 RBI's, and 77 steals, while first baseman Cody Bellinger bopped 39 homers and drove in 110 runs. Leadoff hitter Tom Goodwin hit .295, scored 113 runs, and led baseball with 98 steals. The Detroit Purple Gang won a mediocre Great Lakes Division in a cakewalk, winning 105 games to take the division by a mere 24 games. Detroit was led by a league-best pitching staff, as starters Justin Verlander, Dwight Gooden, Dave Righetti, and Steve Hargan all sported ERA's below 3.00 and WHIP's at or below 1.11. Closer Mike Schooler saved 42 games with a 1.43 ERA and a 0.90 ERA. Right fielder Mel Hall was the breakout star offensively, hitting .308 with 44 homers and 125 RBI's.

The St. Louis Pilots won 95 games for the second straight season, taking the Great Plains Division by 5 games with the best offense in the Frontier League. Although many analysts thought that shortstop Francisco Lindor was robbed of the MVP award last season, he left no doubt this year, hitting .347 and slugging .671, leading the Frontier League with 50 homers and 150 RBI's, and stealing 41 bases to boot. Right fielder Jack Clark hit .291 with 47 homers and 121 RBI's. Righthander John Montefusco flirted with the Cy Young Award, going 21-9 with a 2.40 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP. The Minneapolis Penguins returned to the postseason for the sixth time in seven seasons with 90 wins. Andy Van Slyke led a balanced, if unspectacular offense, hitting .312 and slugging .530 with 24 homers, 85 RBI's, and 46 steals, while left fielder Del Ennis hit 29 homers and drove in 111 runs. Southpaws Madison Bumgarner and Zach Duke won 17 games apiece, with 3.16 and 3.29 ERA's, respectively. The Kansas City Mad Hatters rallied from a slow start to seize the final wild card slot with 85 victories, led by first baseman Todd Helton, who hit .327 and slugged .609, with 44 homers and 124 RBI's and left fielder Kevin Bass, who hit .324 and slugged .538, with 23 homers and 93 RBI's. The defending champion Calgary Cattle Rustlers pulled away from the pack with a strong September to win the Northwest Division with 93 wins, as last season's postseason hero Kevin Millar hit .335 with 37 homers and 107 RBI's and free agent acquisition Bobby Grich hit .285 with 31 homers and 117 RBI's. Righthander Fred Newman anchored a deep pitching staff, going 22-8 with a 3.03 ERA and 1.06 WHIP. The upstart Portland Skunks led the division for much of the season, as they set a franchise record with 88 wins and topped .500 for the first time in nine seasons. Star first baseman Jeff Bagwell led an explosive offense, hitting .348 with a league-best .458 on-base percentage, ripping 38 homers with 118 RBI's and 136 runs scored. Third baseman Kevin Mitchell and left fielder Eric Thames combined for 62 homers and 235 RBI's, and closer Jonathan Papelbon notched 33 saves with a 1.82 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP.

Continental League: Despite losing last season's batting champion Ed Morgan to free agency, the Charlotte Aviators managed to improve upon last season's 109 wins by winning 114 contests. Led by six players with at least 24 homers, the Aviators led all of baseball by a wide margin with 976 runs and 247 homers. Right fielder Cliff Heathcote had a tremendous all-around season, hitting .309 and slugging .618, ripping 48 doubles, 47 homers, 143 RBIs, and stealing 88 bases. Veteran first baseman Rick Renick more than filled Morgan's shoes, hitting .329 with a .421 on-base percentage, with 45 homers and 129 RBI's. Left fielder Jim Edmonds pounded 38 homers and drove in 131 runs. Eight pitchers finished with double-digit wins, led by Bill Gogolewski, who went 19-6 with a 2.79 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP. The Jacksonville Gulls won 106 games with a similarly elite offense, but they never seriously threatened the Aviators. Four Gulls drove in over 100 runs, led by Bryce Harper, who hit .337 with 34 homers and 128 RBI's and first baseman Keith Hernandez, who hit .359 with a .439 on-base percentage with 27 homers and 125 RBI's. Dizzy Trout and Ray Sadecki led the league's second-ranked pitching staff with 17 wins apiece. The Virginia Beach Admirals narrowly missed the postseason with 85 wins, as perennial MVP candidate Bill Melton hit .312 with 43 homers and 123 RBI's, and righthander Joe Benz went 20-8 with a 2.85 ERA. The New Orleans Crawfish won the Southeast Division with their second straight season of 100 wins. Shortstop Jean Segura hit .340, leading the league with 230 hits, as he ripped 27 homers, drove in 101 runs, and stole 75 bases, while first baseman Ed Morgan hit .344 with a .464 on-base percentage and 25 homers. Ace Heinie Berger went 22-8 with a 3.27 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP, while Chris Devenski had a league-high 41 saves and a 2.10 ERA. The 91-win Memphis River Pirates improved by 23 games, making their first postseason in franchise history despite losing Larry Doby for nearly half the season. Rookie shortstop Glenn Wright was spectacular, hitting .320 with 40 homers and 149 RBI's, while right fielder Bobby Bonds hit .344 and slugged .596, pounding 44 homers, driving in 110 runs, and stealing 72 bases. Al Hollingsworth and Big Jeff Pfeffer sported matching 19-8 records, with Hollingsworth leading the Continental League with a 2.43 ERA. Despite a 7-15 start, the Nashville Blues made their fourth straight postseason with 88 wins. Greg Luzinski led an otherwise underwhelming offense, hitting .325 with 45 homers and 130 RBI's, while Dave Ferriss, Bob Shirley, and Patrick Corbin anchored the stingiest pitching staff in the league.

The El Paso Armadillos had perhaps the most under-the-radar season of the HRDL's elite teams, winning 99 games behind a power-hitting offense and stingy pitching staff. First baseman Steve Bilko hit .284 with 46 homers and 131 RBI's, while second baseman Joe Gordon blossomed, hitting .287 with 36 homers and 123 RBI's. Brad Radke led a balanced pitching staff with 16 wins, while Kerry Wood went 11-8 with 203 strikeouts and a 3.34 ERA before blowing out his UCL in August. George Mohart led a deep bullpen with 35 saves, a 1.69 ERA and 0.98 WHIP. The 86-win Austin Mustangs remained in contention until the final days of the season, led by right fielder Von Hayes, who hit .290 with 38 homers, 108 RBI's, and 73 steals, and righthander Pete Donohue, who went 16-6 with a 2.92 ERA and 1.24 WHIP. The Los Angeles Kangaroos returned to the postseason for a record 13th straight season, although they sent a franchise low with "just" 91 wins to win the Southwest Division. First baseman Rhys Hoskins hit 36 homers and drove in 117 runs, while leftfielder Gary Matthews Sr. and shortstop Trevor Story combined for 54 homers and 199 RBI's. The Kangaroos' rotation was strong if not spectacular, with Brett Anderson leading the way with a 14-8 record and a career-worst 3.70 ERA. The Las Vegas Aces rallied with 9 wins in their final 11 games to snatch a wild-card spot with 87 wins, as first baseman Jason Thompson hit .294 with 38 homers and 117 RBIs, and Dolph Camilli and Pablo Sandoval popped 30 homers apiece and drove in a combined 206 runs. Joey Jay led a strong bullpen with 30 saves, a 1.45 ERA and 0.94 WHIP.
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Last edited by Dukie98; 10-18-2018 at 01:30 AM.
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