[Dukie98]

Frontier League: The Buffalo Fighting Elk rebounded from a one-year absence from the playoff to win the Northeast Division with 98 wins, despite losing franchise catcher Dave Nilsson for the year by Memorial Day. Third baseman Richie Hebner paced the squad offensively, hitting .281 with 22 homers and 88 RBI's. Jim McGlothlin went 15-5 with a 2.59 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP, while ageless relief ace Tom Henke notched 40 saves with a 1.88 ERA and a 0.79 WHIP. The Philadelphia Hawks overcame a shaky pitching staff, winning 88 games due to the league's top-ranked offense. Free agent signee left fielder Hack Miller put up an MVP caliber season, winning the Frontier League batting title by hitting .355 with 28 homers and 128 RBI's. Shortstop Charlie Hollocher hit .304, scored 109 runs, and stole 59 bases. The Detroit Fighting Elk rallied from a sluggish 17-21 start to coast to their fourth consecutive Great Lakes Division title with 95 wins. Detroit signed Reggie Smith, last season's Continental League MVP, as a free agent in the offseason, and he did not disappoint: he hit .353 with 30 homers, 106 RBI's, a .585 slugging percentage, and stole 24 bases. Dave Righetti anchored the league's best starting rotation, going 22-8 with a 2.19 ERA, a 1.03 WHIP, and 237 strikeouts, while Justin Verlander returned to form with a 2.70 ERA, a 0.93 WHIP, and 262 strikeouts despite a middling 13-10 record. The London Werewolves appeared primed to return to the postseason before a disastrous late-season swoon, punctuated by a nine-game losing streak as part of a 5-16 stretch during September. Rightfielder Glenallen Hill, acquired from Dallas in early July, led baseball with 44 homers, including 25 round-trippers and 69 RBI's in 80 games for London. Southpaw Reb Russell went 19-14 with a 2.96 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP, while Gary Nolan went 17-12 with a 2.93 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP.

The Omaha Falcons made their first postseason, winning 97 games. Their offense ranked second in the Frontier League, as left fielder Bobby Higginson hit .304 with 24 homers and 105 RBI's, while center fielder JD Drew hit 24 homers, drove in 99 runs, and stole 19 bases. Ed Walsh led a deep and talented pitching staff, going 18-8 with a 2.26 ERA, a 0.99 WHIP, and 232 strikeouts. Larry Jansen matched Walsh, going 18-7 with a 2.79 ERA and 0.97 WHIP. The Kansas City Mad Hatters qualified for the postseason for the 10th time in 12 seasons, rebounding from a sub-.500 April to win 88 games. Left fielder Moises Alou had a breakout season, hitting .276 with 22 homers and 97 RBI's, while second baseman George Grantham hit .284, scored a league-high 114 runs, and led baseball with 101 steals. Lefty Williams, Early Wynn, and Jose Rosado won 14 games apiece to lead the Mad Hatters. The two-time defending champion Calgary Cattle Rustlers won 97 games, led by a best-in-baseball pitching staff that allowed just 481 runs on the season. Their top four starters won at least fifteen games apiece, led by Larry Jaster, who went 18-9 with a 1.99 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP, while closer Dick Radatz had 44 saves and a 1.92 ERA. First baseman Kevin Millar led the Cattle Rustlers offensively, hitting .297 with a .491 slugging percentage, including 21 homers and 81 RBI's. The Vancouver Viceroys won 90 games, returning to the postseason for the first time since 2020, as first baseman Gil Hodges hit .301 and slugged .520 with 25 homers and 79 RBI's, while center fielder Larry Doby hit .286 with 28 homers and 106 RBI's. Deadline acquisition Chris Young went 7-1 down the stretch with a 0.95 ERA in 10 starts before being sidelined with tendinitis, which threatened his availability for the postseason. The Seattle Whales qualified for the postseason on the final day of the season, winning 87 games despite the worst offense in baseball. Left fielder Heinie Manush provided one of the few signs of life for their anemic offense, hitting .308 with 15 homers, 79 RBI's, and 32 steals. Larry Benton led a stingy pitching staff, going 16-4 with a 1.73 ERA and 0.89 WHIP, while closer Milo Candini had a league-high 46 saves and 2.22 ER. Seattle edged out the San Francisco Longshoremen by one game, as left fielder Lloyd Moseby hit .282 with a team-high 24 homers and 51 steals. Hard-luck righthander Hank Wyse went just 12-16 despite a strong 2.63 ERA and 1.12 WHIP, while Darrell Jackson went 18-10 with a 3.11 ERA and 1.25 WHIP.

Continental League: The Atlantic Division proved to be one of the strongest divisions in league history, with four 90-win teams. Despite stumbling down the stretch, the 96-win Hartford Huskies ended a 12-year postseason drought, led by centerfielder Gorman Thomas, who hit .283 with 31 homers and 112 RBI's and second baseman Junior Spivey, who hit .283 and slugged .492 with 26 homers, 89 RBI's, and 101 runs scored. Although lacking in star power, Hartford's pitching staff finished second in the league in runs allowed, as Rick Sutcliffe went 16-11 with a 3.10 ERA, a 1.25 WHIP, and 217 strikeouts, while Angel Miranda went 15-12 with a 2.93 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP. The Charlotte Aviators rallied from a slow start to win 95 games, missing their fourth straight division title by a single game. Center fielder Tommie Agee had a dominant season, winning the batting title with a .339 average, scoring 124 runs, ripping 24 homers and stealing 82 bases. Shortstop Trevor Story, signed as a free agent, led five hitters with 20+ homers, hitting .293 with 32 homers and a team-high 115 RBI's, while Jim Edmonds hit .290 with 22 homers and 106 RBI's. The 90-win Washington Ambassadors returned to the postseason for the first time since 2019, as star center fielder George Altman hit .323 with 27 homers and led baseball with 148 RBI's, while DH Vic Saier slammed 30 homers and drove in 97 runs. Southpaw Rheal Cormier went 17-10 with a 2.65 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP. The Jacksonville Gulls took a step back, but still qualified for the playoffs with 90 wins. Right fielder Bryce Harper hit .327 with 31 homers and 103 RBI's, while Keith Hernandez hit .306 with 14 homers and 81 RBI's. Dizzy Trout went 17-9 with a 2.55 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP, while Ray Sadecki matched him with 17 wins.

The Nashville Blues coasted to the Southeast Division title with 96 wins. Freddie Fitzsimmons led a deep, league-leading pitching staff with a 17-10 record, a 2.63 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP, and Dave Ferriss went 15-11 with a 2.80 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP. Greg Luzinski pounded 29 homers and drove in 87 runs. The Birmingham Steelers survived the offseason loss of defending MVP Reggie Smith to win 89 games, and like Hartford, they made their first postseason since the league's inaugural 2011 season. DH Harry Lumley led the way offensively, hitting .298 with 35 homers and 124 RBI's, while rookie first baseman Carlos Pena hit .314 and slugged .569, leading the league with 38 homers and 87 RBI's. Despite missing the last six weeks of the season, ace Noah Syndergaard went 17-5 with a 2.24 ERA, a 1.01 ERA and 201 strikeouts, and righthander Ed Halicki went 20-10 with a 3.11 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP. The Austin Mustangs coasted to the Texas Division title with 92 wins, ending an 11-year playoff drought of their own. First baseman CJ Cron had a breakout season, hitting .295 with 33 homers and 129 RBI's Right fielder Von Hayes hit .284 with 22 homers, 84 RBI, 106 runs scored, and 48 steals. 40-year-old rookie reliever Satchel Paige had 32 saves and sported a 1.81 ERA. In a league full of surprise teams, however, no one provided a bigger shock than the 103-win Anaheim Antelopes, who unexpectedly had the best record in baseball, led by a sizzling mid-season 46-12 streak from mid-June through mid-August. Third baseman Larry Parrish hit .284 and slugged .518 with 35 homers and 131 RBI's, and leadoff hitter Jerry Mumphrey set the table, hitting .298, stealing 33 bases, and scoring 108 runs. Kevin Slowey anchored an otherwise-ordinary rotation, going 21-6 with a 2.39 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP.