Civil War Baseball: My 2020 sim of a 50-team league of home-state players

[ChrisJNelson]

Welcome to my little experiment that I call the Civil War Baseball League, where I have created a custom 50-team league—one team for each of the 50 U.S. states—and filled them exclusively with real-life active MLB and MiLB players from those states. (This is gonna be a long read but hopefully some of you enjoy it!)

I will be simming one season and playoffs under the following rules. This post is merely the introduction to the league, rules and teams makeups.


General Setup Rules

• Playing OOTP 21 in the in-game year 2020
• All ratings mentioned going forward are on the 20-80 scale relative to MLB (100% scouting accuracy)
• All park factors neutralized
• Player development off
• Chemistry, personalities and morale off
• Injuries off
• Suspensions off
• Transactions off
• Rainouts off
• All-Star game off
• Draft off
• 26-man rosters (usually 14 batters/12 pitchers but will allow wiggle room if teams can’t fill that)
• Two-way players allowed
• No roster expansion in September
• DH enabled (even though that’s not pure baseball)
• All-Star Game on (35 players per roster, each team does NOT automatically get an All-Star)
• 155-ish game schedule (I guess the game can’t handle 50-team leagues and I don’t know anything about custom schedules but who cares)
• Team split into two leagues alphabetically: the first 25 in the Alabama-Missouri League and the last 25 in the Montana-Wyoming League (no interleague play)
• 12 team qualify for playoffs
• 4 rounds of playoffs:

o First round (best of 5, 2-2-1 format, top 2 teams from each league get a bye)
o Second round (best of 7 format, 2-3-2 format, 8 teams participate)
o Third round (best of 7 format, 2-3-2 format, 4 teams participate)
o Final Round (best of 7 format, 2-3-2 format, 2 teams participate)


Rosters

• Rosters for each team are comprised with active MLB and MiLB players born in that team’s state.
• Washington DC-born players are on Virginia’s team. (Sorry Maryland!)
• For this experiment, foreign-born players are not involved. (Sorry Dominican Republic, you would’ve crushed this league!)
• Rosters are initially auto-sorted by AI and rarely adjusted by me when necessary
• Teams that do not have enough home state players to fill a 26-man roster will be filled by cloning the players they do have (ex. If a team has one hitter, he will be cloned so there are 14 of him; if a team has two pitchers, each will be cloned so that there are six of each).
• All lineups and depth charts sorted by AI (though I reserve the right to adjust anything I find egregious)

Quickstart here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tN4...ew?usp=sharing


Now let’s meet the teams…

Alabama Alabamians

The pitcher staff is headlined by ace Corey Kluber (66) and rounded out by Casey Mize (50), Kyle Wright (48), Spencer Turnbull (47), and Kendall Graveman (47). Some good strength at the end of the bullpen with Craig Kimbrel (78) and David Robertson (61).

Offensively, they are led by OF David Dahl (52), who is joined by SS Tim Anderson (50), 1B Garrett Cooper (45), 3B Shed Long Jr. (45), and OF Phillip Ervin (44). No other hitters rate over 40.

Alaska Alaskans

It could be a tough year for the Alaskans, whose pitching staff is made up of six Tony Barnettes (35) and six Daniel Schlereths (20). Five of the Barnettes make up the starting rotation and the other is the closer.

It’s even worse offensively, as Padres prospect C Jonny Homza (20) had to be cloned 13 more times to fill out the roster. Heeeere’s Jonny!

Arizona Arizonans

Zach Davies (53) and Merrill Kelly (47) headline the rotation, while Aaron Bummer (49) serves as closer.

CF Cody Bellinger (77) is the obvious star of the Arizonans, though among those joining him are OF Alex Verdugo (52), OF Kole Calhoun (48), 1B Kevin Cron (47), 2B Scott Kingery (47), and Eric Sogard (45).

Arkansas Arkansans

NOTE: I initially left Arkansas off this write-up (though they were always in my save). Apologies, Arkansans and Arkansas enthusiasts!

Drew Smyly (46) and Jalen Beeks (41) lead the rotation as the only starters rated above 28. Closer Tyler Zuber (48), along with Ty Tice (45) and Hunter Wood (44) are the top relievers.

RF Craig Gentry (43) is easily the Arkansans’ best hitter, followed by LF Jonathan Davis (39). 24-year-old CF Torii Hunter Jr. (22) will try to make dad proud. Every other hitter is 20 overall.

California Californians

Easily the best team in either league, California has 15 players on its roster rated 68 or higher. The team is so good that players like Justin Turner, Mike Moustakas, Kyle Hendricks and Eric Thames will be wasted in AAA this season.

Their rotation is made up of all 68 or better players—Gerrit Cole, Stephen Strasburg, Jack Flaherty, Lucas Giolito and Shane Bieber. Tyler Glasnow (80) and Max Fried (69) will fill the back of the bullpen, along with the likes of Trevor Bauer (60), Corbin Burnes (61), and Ian Kennedy (57).

It’s just as good on the offensive side, as 7 of their 9 starters rate 68 or higher. (C Austin Barnes at 50 and CF Joc Pederson at 57 are the only exceptions.) Leading the show are two 80-overall players (LF Christian Yelich and 1B Freddie Freeman), followed by 3B Nolan Arenado (77), RF Aaron Judge (74), 2B DJ LeMahieu (73), 3B Matt Chapman (69) and SS Marcus Semien (68). This team even has studs on the bench, including 2B Jeff McNeil (74), RF Giancarlo Stanton (66) and 1B Rhys Hoskins (62). (Alaska would like to know if they could borrow some guys!)

Colorado Coloradans

The Colorado rotation is headlined by Kevin Gausman (60), Marco Gonzales (56), and Kyle Freeland (47). They have a few strong relievers in closer Taylor Rogers (69) and Mark Melancon (56).

However, they may struggle offensively with their highest-rated player being 2B David Bote (46). 1B Greg Bird (42) and 3B Chase Headley (42) will try to help the cause.

Connecticut Connecticuters

Pitching-wise, Aaron Civale (47) is the only starter of note. Closer Matt Barnes (67) is easily the best of the bunch and Scott Barlow (49) will chip in as well. Matt Harvey (29) would have been useful some years ago but is a shell of his former self.

For run support, Connecticut will rely on former World Series MVP George Springer (66) and fellow outfielder AJ Pollock (49), because there isn’t much else around them (no one rated above 37).

Delaware Delawareans

This is another team that required a lot of cloning to fill the 26-man roster. Almost every pitcher had to be clones, giving them two Chad Kuhls (48) in the bullpen, but unfortunately every other pitcher—including the entire starting rotation—is rated 20 overall.

The good news about cloning is this team now has TWO Paul Goldschmidts (60 overall). But Joey Wendel (44 at 2B, 40 at SS) are the only other hitters of note. I don’t know if this team is gonna make Joe Biden proud.

Florida Floridians

Florida has some strong pitching, with a rotation of Jacob deGrom (80), Chris Sale (73), Mike Clevinger (66), Zack Greinke (66) and Lance McCullers Jr. (65). Austin Adams (73), Nate Pearson (69), Luke Weaver (61), Luke Jackson (59), and Andrew Miller (52) highlight the bullpen.

The offense is stacked as well, led by 1B Anthony Rizzo (73) who is actually forcing Pete Alonso (69) into a platoon role at DH. We’ve also got Manny Machado (63), OF/DH JD Martinez (61), Josh Donaldson (60), Andrew McCutchen (57), and many others.

Georgia Georgians

A solid but not spectacular team, Georgia’s rotation is led by Zack Wheeler (58), Adam Wainwright (50), and Brad Keller (49). Closer Will Smith (62) joins Richard Lovelady (53) and Drew Steckenrider (52) in leading the bullpen.

1B Matt Olson (67) is Georgia’s best offensive player, followed by LF Austin Meadows (59), RF Charlie Blackmon (56), CF Byron Buxton (56), and C Buster Posey (56). The team is actually so deep in the outfielder that Dexter Fowler and Josh Reddick couldn’t earn a spot on the roster.

Hawaii Hawaiians

Hawaii isn’t a deep team but they actually had more high-rated players than I expected. The rotation is rough, led by Jordan Yamamoto (42) and Rico Garcia (34), but they do have Kirby Yates (74) in the bullpen to close.

2B Kolten Wong (65) and C Kurt Suzuki (58) are easily the top two offensive players, with no one else cracking 43 overall. Kolten’s younger brother, Kean, starts at third base and has a 41 rating.

Idaho Idahoans

Idaho’s pitching staff required 4 clone players, giving them two each of CL James Hoyt (47), SP Damon Jones (42), SP Cy Sneed (41) and RP Josh Osich (33). Then you’ve got RP Stephen Fife (28) and a bunch of 20-overall players.

Idaho only had two offensive players—C Alex Guerrero (20) and 2B Jackson Cluff (20)—so 7 of each will be filling out the lineups. Their starting lineups will contain two Alex Guerreros (at catcher and RF) and seven Jackson Cluffs. That’s…not ideal.

Illinois Illinoisans

Illinois has a solid rotation of Jake Odorizzi (58), Collin McHugh (56), Mike Foltynewicz (50), JA Happ (49), and Trevor Richards (47). They’ve also got a strong closer in Nick Burdi (72).

C Carson Kelly (56) headlines the offensive along with RF Mike Tauchman (50) and 2B Nicky Lopez (43). Former Indians All-Star 2B Jason Kipnis (43) is notably relegated to the bench.

Indiana Indianans

Indiana has a solid but unspectacular rotation of Lance Lynn (59), Sean Manaea (52), Kyle Gibson (47), Jeff Samardzija (47), and Clayton Richard (41). Closer Zach Plesac (47) is one of three relievers rated 45 or higher.

C Tucker Barnhart (54) is the highest-rated offensive player, followed by CF Kevin Kiermaier (51), C Kevin Plawecki (46) and 2B Michael Brosseau (45). Veteran Adam Lind (31) provides a left-handed bat off the bench.

Iowa Iowans

It won’t exactly be a field of dreams for the Iowans, with only three pitchers—SP Mitch Keller (53), CL Tony Watson (52), and SP AJ Puk (47)—rated above 32 overall.

Likewise, RF Scott Schebler (43) is the only hitter above 35 overall, and I’d tell you more about the other guys but I’ve literally never heard of any of them. Like none of them.

Kansas Kansans

Toto, we’re not in Kansas anymore, but if we were, we’d see that CL Ryne Stanek (49) is their best pitcher, followed by SP John Means (43) and Blake Treinen (43), who is somehow in the starting rotation because of lack of options I guess.

C Jacob Stallings (47) is the highest-rated hitter, followed by CF Nick Heath (39) and RF Bubba Starling (35). Not exactly a tornado of offense.

Kentucky Kentuckians

SP Walker Buehler (62) is ready to lead Kentucky, and he will have to as no other starter is rated higher than 37 overall. Trevor Gott (51), Nate Jones (45), and Tyler Clippard (44) will likely be relieved upon heavily from the bullpen.

Another young Dodger—C Will Smith—is easily the top offensive player at 67 overall. CF Jo Adell (49), SS JT Riddle (45), and 1B Adam Duvall (41) are the other hitters of note.

Louisiana Louisianans

The appropriately named Aaron Nola (64) leads the Louisianans’ starting rotation, joined by the likes of Wade Miley (50) and Cole “Have You Seen My” Stapler (42). Seth Lugo (59) and Taylor Guilbeau (56) lead the bullpen.

Aaron’s brother, Austin Nola, will be his battery mate at 45 overall. LF Mikie Mahtook (44), 3B Ryan Schmipf (43), CF Andrew Stevenson (42), SS Jordy Mercer (41), and RF Justin Williams (39) are the other main contributors on offense.

Maine Mainers

In a scarier situation than anything Maine native Stephen King has ever written, the Mainers’ entire pitching rotation will be made up of 12 clones of Cody Laweryson—a 14th-round pick by the Twins last year. He’s a 20-overall player (reminder: that’s the lowest possible rating).

It gets a little better on offense (but not much) with seven Ryan McKennas (who peaks at 39 overall as a center fielder) and seven Treyjn Fletchers (20). The game refuses to even put a catcher and shortstop into the lineup, but I guess they’ll start somebody once the sim happens.

Maryland Marylanders

Despite having 30 stamina, All-Star closer Josh Hader gets the call as one of Maryland’s starting pitchers and still grades out as a 56 overall. No other starter grades out above 35, but Bruce Zimmerman (34) is the closest. Adam Kolarek (53) and Brady Feigl (41) run the bullpen.

Outfielders Jake Fraley (41), LaMonte Wade Jr. (41), and Buddy Reed (35) are the highest-rated offensive players for Maryland—no one else cracks 31 overall.

Massachusetts Massachusettsans

Sean Newcomb (46) headlines the Massachusetts rotation, followed by Alex Cobb (44), who is as excited as anyone that injuries are turned off in this sim. Curiously, the game wanted to use Rich Hill (61) as a reliever, but I thought he’d be better served in the rotation, even with a drop to 45 overall. They’ve still got a strong pair in the bullpen with setup man Oliver Drake (53) and closer Scott Oberg (56). Steve Cishek is also in the mix but he’s no longer what he once was, sitting just 43 overall.

SS Nick Ahmed (57) is easily their best hitter, followed by LF Mike Yastrzemski (48) and 2B Isan Diaz (45). No other player is rated above 36.

Michigan Michiganders

Michigan only has one starting pitcher of note—Matt Shoemaker (48)—while no other starter is rates above 34 overall. The bullpen is also questionable with only one player above 42—James Bourque at 44.

It’s just as bad on the offensive side with 3B Jon Berti (46) grading out at the top. CF Ryan LaMarre (41) and SS Richie Martin (38) are the next-best hopes for run production.

Minnesota Minnesotans

Closer Nick Anderson (78) and reliever Brad Hand (63) are far and away the two best pitchers on the team. The rotation is rough, with Michael Baumann leading the way at just 38 overall.

Judging by the ratings, the Minnesotans’ offense will be colder than a local winter. Only one player rates above 35 overall—CF Michael Reed (41).

Mississippi Mississippians

Brandon Woodruff (62) should be a strong starter for Mississippi, with Chris Stratton (44), Justin Steele (35), Jacob Turner (35), and Michael Rucker (32) joining him in the rotation. Jonathan Holder (44) ranks as the best reliever and will serve as closer, helped by DeMarcus Evans (42) and Tony Sipp (31).

Offensively, Mississippi is OK but not great. RF Hunter Renfroe (51) leads the way, followed by LF Corey Dickerson (49), 2B Brian Dozier (49) and 1B Mitch Moreland (43). They’ve also got plenty of speed on the roster with Billy Hamilton and Jarrod Dyson.

Missouri Missourians

Missouri’s got a couple of Cy Young winners leading the way with Max Scherzer (80) and Jake Arrieta (47). Peter Fairbanks (52) and Trevor Rosenthal (50) headline the bullpen.

Offensively, Luke Voit (59) will DH while Logan Morrison (51) plays first base. C Austin Allen (48) and CF Monte Harrison (43) are the next-best offensive players.

Montana Montanans

Here’s the bad news: the pitching staff is made up of 3 clones each of Andrew Sopko, Gage Hinsz, Caleb Frare, and Brac Warren. Sopko is the highest rated at 33 overall. I think I’ve heard of Frare before.

Here’s the worse news: they don’t have any position players, so I had to bring real-life catcher Rob Johnson out of retirement at age 37 to serve as the entire offense. Johnson last played in 2013, has a career .200 average and a 20-overall rating in OOTP. He’s also listed as a two-way player so what the hell, we’ll let him pitch too.

Nebraska Nebraskans

Closer Jake Diekman is the highest-rated pitcher at 50, followed by real-life-but-not-in-OOTP switch-pitcher Pat Venditte (42). Kyle Kubat (37) is the only starting pitcher that isn’t a 20 overall.

We only had 9 hitters to work with, which mean we had to clone 5 of them to get us a full roster. I tried my best by cloning their five highest-rated players—Alec Bohm (45), Alex Gordon (39), Grant Kay (35), Jackson Reetz (35) and Darin Ruf (33). Bohm and Gordon are each starting at two positions.

Nevada Nevadans

There isn’t a lot of pitching to be had in Nevada, but CL Brandon Kintzler (52), SP Tyler Anderson (51), and RP Paul Sewald (41) lead the way. Chasen Shreve used to be good, but he’s a 28 overall so that doesn’t help much.

Offensively you’ve got some serious big boppers with RF Bryce Harper (71), CF Joey Gallo (66) and 3B Kris Bryant (65)—though I’m not sure about Gallo playing center field. LF Tommy Pham (59) is also no slouch, nor is 2B Garrett Hampson (45). Too bad they didn’t need anyone cloned!

New Hampshire New Hampshirites

The pitching staff is made up of six Kevin McGowans (29), who comprise the starting rotation and the closer spot, with all other relief duties going to six Will Gaddises (20). To quote Mad Men, “Not great, Bob!”

I had to clone a few guys to fill the 14-batter need, but it doesn’t matter who they are because they’re all 20 overall prospects. The one with the most potential is Grant Lavigne (who now exists 3 times) and sometimes becomes a decent power first baseman in my saves…but this league has no progression and only goes for 2020, so that doesn’t matter.

New Jersey New Jeseyans

Starters Charlie Morton (67), Zac Gallen (57), Anthony DeSclafini (52), and Rick Porcello (50) lead the rotation, while Alex Reyes (52) is the highest-rated reliever. However, the closer is actually Cody Stashak (48).

Best-player-in-baseball Mike Trout (80) is the obvious headliner here and will attempt to carry New Jersey along with guys like OF Jason Heyward (49), 2B Tommy La Stella (46), OF Matt Szczur (40) and Mark Zagunis (38). (What’s New Jersey’s obsession with current and former Cubs?) 3B Todd Frazier (47) is the second-best hitter behind Trout (But slightly less good).

New Mexico New Mexicans

New Mexico only had 9 pitchers so I had to clone 3 guys—lucky for them, one of the clones was 80-overall Ken Giles who is now setup man AND closer. Trevor Rogers (42) fills two rotation spots and is the only other pitcher above 25.

They also benefit from cloning on the offensive side, as they now have TWO Alex Bregmans playing shortstop (76) and third base (74), as well as two Mitch Garvers playing catcher (65) and first base (45). Everyone else is a 20 overall, so hopefully the Bregman clones can boost his teammates’ performances with some stolen signs.

New York New Yorkers

The big three in the rotation are Patrick Corbin (61), Marcus Stroman (58), and Steven Matz (50). Dellin Betances also stays in New York to represent the home state as the 65-overall closer. Adam Ottavino (54) and Tommy Kahnle (53) are strong setup men.

Defensive specialist OF Harrison Bader leads the hitters with a 57 rating, although the best actual batter is probably LF Jesse Winker (54). Nick Markakis (46) rounds out the outfield and is joined by C Tom Murphy (50), RF Tim Locastro (44), and Danny Mendick (44) as other notable hitters on the squad.

North Carolina North Carolinians

The Tarheel State has a deep rotation with Chris Archer (58), Madison Bumgarner (55), Alex Wood (54), Carlos Rodon (49) and Mackenzie Gore (48). Bryse Wilson (57) is the highest-rated reliever but will serve as setup man to Kodi Whitley (50). Veteran Greg Holland (43) is also present.

The Seager brothers, SS Corey (63) and 3B Kyle (53), lead the offense, joined by OF Brian Goodwin (47), 1B Wil Myers (47), 1B Ryan Zimmerman (56) and OF Cameron Maybin (46). 2B Brandon Phillips is also here but Is a 32 overall by now. (He’s like the Greg Holland of the offense.)

North Dakota North Dakotans

Clones of Matt Strahm and Ben Strahm (probably related?) comprise the entire rotation. Matt (43) is the only pitcher on the team rated above 20 overall. Clones of some dudes named Alex DuBord and Jay Flaa are the other relievers.

The offense is made up of 14 Andy Youngs, who peaks at 36 overall as a third baseman and can’t catch. This might not go well.

Ohio Ohioans

The pitching staff is deep and solid but without stars, as all players rate between 43 and 55 overall. Brent Suter (51), Chris Bassitt (47), and Caleb Ferguson (46) lead the rotation, while closer Andrew Chafin (55), Chaz Roe (51), Craig Stammen (49), and Joe Smith (46) represent the ‘pen.

Ohio’s got a handful of decent outfielders leading their offense, including Kyle Schwarber (56), Adam Eaton (52), Andrew Benintendi (50), and Derek Dietrich (50). C Sean Murphy rates as a solid 52, while the team has other players who have fallen off from their peak, like 3B Travis Shaw (47), 2B Scooter Gennett (41), and 3B Josh Harrison (37).

Oklahoma Oklahomans

Oklahoma’s got a solid, deep rotation with Garrett Richards (62), Jon Gray (57), Andrew Heaney (56), Michael Fulmer (52), and Dallas Keuchel (51). Archie Bradley (59) serves as closer along with notable relievers like Adrian Houser (62), Ryan Helsley (49), and Josh James (49).

Offensively, C JT Realmuto (80) is going to have to shoulder a heavy burden as the only player rated above 52 and one of just 3 players rated above 42. The next-best hitters are Brian Anderson (52) and Matt Kemp (43).

Oregon Oregonians

Pitching is gonna be rough for Oregon, with only 7 of their 12 pitchers rating over 20. CL Keynan Middleton (42) rates the highest, while the team’s top starters are Anthony Shew (39) and Bradley Shipley (38).

2019 first overall pick C Adley Rutschman may be a star in the making, but I don’t know if he’s ready to lead just yet. But he’ll have to do just that as the team’s highest rated player (46). 3B Jed Lowrie (45) will also contribute, but no one else on offense is notable or ranks above 36.

Pennsylvania Pennsylvanians

Pennsylvania’s best pitcher is two-way player Brendan McKay, who leads the rotation at a 56 overall rating. CL Dan Altavilla (48), Lou Trivino (47) and Ray Black (46) headline the bullpen.

Unfortunately, McKay isn’t much of a hitter yet despite his two-way status, with solid power (50) and eye (55) but just 35 contact. RF Derek Fisher (46) and 3B Ian Happ (46) are the team’s best hitters, followed by 1B Christian Walker (46) and CF Travis Jankowski (another 46). They’ve also got some veteran bats like C Devin Mesoraco (43), 2B Neil Walker (43), 1B Matt Adams (43), and hit-by-pitch specialist Brandon Guyer (37).

South Carolina South Carolinians

South Carolina’s top 3 pitchers are all relievers—CL Chad Green (62) plus Carl Edwards Jr. (52) and Emilio Pagan (52). The rotation is led by Jordan Lyles (45), Zack Godley (43), and Grant Holmes (40).

Offensively, 2B Whit Merrifield (54), LF Brett Gardner (48), and 1B Justin Smoak (48) are the top bats, followed by CF Steven Duggar (46) and C Matt Wieters (43).

South Dakota South Dakotans

If you were to create a Mount Rushmore of South Dakota pitchers, you’d end up with three Sean Doolittle (60) clones, who will fill the two setup man spots and the closer role. RP Sam Wolff (45) also exists three times in this bullpen, while the rotation has another Sam Wolff (35) plus two each of Duane Below (20) and Tyler Mitzel (20).

The offense is made up of lots of clones of C Tyler Cropley, 1B Jake Adams, and SS Dusty Coleman. Coleman as a shortstop (23) is the only one rated above 20.

Tennessee Tennesseans

Tennessee’s got a deep rotation comprised of David Price (62), Sonny Gray (61), Robbie Ray (58), Dakota Hudson (51), and Mike Minor (51). Drew Pomeranz (55) serves as closer, while Phillip Pfeifer (48) and Cody Reed (46) are the next-best relievers.

Nashville native Mookie Betts (80) is the stud of this Tennessee team, followed by 3B Nick Senzel (49) and LF Bryan Reynolds (47). SS Zack Cozart (56), CF Tony Kemp (45), and 1B Austin Riley (45) are also solid bats. Brothers Caleb and Corey Joseph aren’t big bats, but at least they have each other! #familyfirst

Texas Texans

The best team in their subleague and probably the second-best team after California, Texas is unsurprisingly stacked. The rotation is comprised of Noah Syndergaard (77), Clayton Kershaw (69), Jameson Taillon (59), Chris Paddack (56), and Michael Wacha (49). The bullpen’s also strong with Corey Knebel (78), Jordan Hicks (72), Ryan Pressly (69), Chris Martin (61), and Will Harris (60).

Texas is tough offensively as well, led by 1B Max Muncy (72), SS Trevor Story (70), 3B Anthony Rendon (67), and 1B Josh Bell (65). RF Randal Grichuk (50) and LF Jay Bruce (49) fill out the outfield, while former All-Star and Silver Slugger Matt Carpenter can’t even crack the starting lineup and Brandon Belt (53) can’t make the team!

Utah Utahns

Utah had just enough homegrown pitchers to fill out the 12-man staff. Unfortunately, only closer Joe Barlow (42) and reliever Kolton Mahoney (34) are the only guys rated above 30. Brady Lail (30) headlines the rotation.

I basically recognize none of the players on this team and had to clone four guys just to get to 14 hitters. The only players above 20 overall are CF Brennon Lund (33), clone Brennon Lund (29), C Marcus Littlewood (28), and C Payton Henry (21).

Vermont Vermonters

If you’re a fan of Bernie Sanders’ Medicare For All plan, you’ll be less enthusiastic about the Bad Pitching For All plan. The pitching staff is comprised of six Theo McDowells (five in the rotation, one as closer) and six Rayne Supples. All of them are rated 20 overall.

Vermont had no hitters to add to this team, but that actually works in their favor as I just unretired the last MLB hitter they had, which turned out to be better than having a bunch of 20-overall prospects. Filling all 14 hitter spots are 34-year-old Daric Barton, who rates at 38 or 37 depending on the position he’s playing with solid contact (45), gap (50), eye (60), and K’s (55). Unfortunately, he’ll be playing out of position a lot, as the AI refuses to put him at any position in lineup except for first base, left field, and DH.

Virginia Virginians

Justin Verlander (76) will look to lead the rotation, and he’ll need to as he’s the only starting pitcher rated above 40. Closer Daniel Hudson (50) will work with Sean Poppen (54), Jeremy Jeffress (48), Zack Kelly (45), Tyler Zombro (44), and Tyler Webb (41) in the bullpen.

2B Brandon Lowe (53) is the highest-rated offensive player, followed by 1B Justin Bour (52), CF Jackie Bradley Jr. (52), and SS Chris Taylor (51). Outfielders Justin Upton (47) and Denard Span (45) platoon in left.

Washington Washingtonians

Blake Snell (71) leads the rotation along with Matthew Boyd (55) and Jon Lester (49). Andrew Kittredge (55) serves as closer and will be helped in the bullpen by the likes of Trevor May (49), Drew Rasmussen (46), and Wyatt Mills (45).

A handful of decent players are present on offense, including RF Michael Conforto (61), LF Michael Brantley (51), C Reese McGuire 45), 3B Jake Lamb (43), and RF Steven Souza Jr. (43).

West Virginia West Virginians

Due to lack of pitchers available, three Jordan Montgomerys (Montgomeries?) (47) and two Michael Groves (20) will fill out the rotation. Three David Carpenters (22) “lead” the bullpen. Yikes.

Similarly, three Jedd Gyorkos (46) lead the offense, along with a bunch of dudes I’ve never heard of. Gonna be a rough walk down that country road this season.

Wisconsin Wisconsinites

Closer Ben Heller (48) is the highest-rated pitcher on the team, while Jordan Zimmermann (42) is the only other pitcher above 40 overall.

Leading the offense is 2B Gavin Lux (55) who unfortunately won’t be able to progress into his usual “best player ever” in this single-season sim. Two catchers rate the next highest—Danny Jansen (47) and Daulton Varsho (43). CF Jarred Kelenic is the only other hitter above 40.

Wyoming Wyomingites

Unfortunately, Wyoming doesn’t have a single pitcher in baseball right now. Which is why I brought 34-year-old Jeremy Horst (who had a solid 3.34 ERA from 2011-13!) out of retirement and cloned him 12 times. He rates as a 24-overall starter and 20-overall reliever. Good luck, Jeremy!

In a beneficial situation, Wyoming ends up with seven clones of Brandon Nimmo (who peaks at 56 overall) on offense. He’s joined by seven Marvin Malones (20 overall). The game’s AI refuses to put anyone at catcher, second base, third base, or shortstop. Bold strategy, Cotton!

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In the next entry, I’ll look at the Preseason Predictions!

[CBeisbol]

Cool idea and I chortled a few times reading

[treymancini]

Oof, poor Mainers. Alas, baseball is difficult when it snows 7 months of the year

[ChrisJNelson]

Originally Posted by treymancini

Oof, poor Mainers. Alas, baseball is difficult when it snows 7 months of the year

No excuses!

[andyhdz]

Too bad you arent using former mlb players as well. California would pretty much dominate.

[too_on_too_out]

I sense you are stirring a caldron of chaos sir, but have at it.

One question - how do you ensure each player winds up on the proper roster? Do you handle that manually? Or does the game decide? I haven't had much luck myself letting the game do it.

[ChrisJNelson]

Originally Posted by too_on_too_out

I sense you are stirring a caldron of chaos sir, but have at it.

One question - how do you ensure each player winds up on the proper roster? Do you handle that manually? Or does the game decide? I haven't had much luck myself letting the game do it.

Do you mean how I got everyone on their home state roster? I had to make a league with 50 state teams, import that into an modern save, release all the MLB free agents, then turn off all the financials and everything and sign everyone from each state at one time. Then let the AI sort each organization.

I might be explaining it poorly, let me know if I can clarify anything.

[ChrisJNelson]

Welcome to Part II of my experiment, Civil War Baseball League, where I sim the 2020 season with 50 teams—one for each U.S. state—and fill them with only active MLB and MiLB players from those states. (Including plenty of clones.) Over the next month, I’ll be simming the season and breaking down the sim here.


Previous Entries
1. Part I (Settings, Rules, Team Intros)


Reminder

Now that the league and rosters are all set up, this installment goes over the game’s Preseason Predictions. A few reminders beforehand:

• 50 teams, 2 subleagues (split up alphabetically—the Alabama-Missouri subleague and the Montana-Wyoming subleague)
• Despite the settings being a 162-game season, it appears OOTP doesn’t like a 50-team league with two 25-team subleagues, and is giving teams between 154 and 157 teams. Oh well, who cares.
• 12 teams make the playoffs—six from each subleague

You can view a PDF of the full Preseason Predictions from the game here, but here’s my breakdown!


Preseason Predictions Highlights – Alabama-Missouri Subleague

As expected, the California Californians are expected to dominate this subleague with a 142-11 record. I knew they’d be good but I didn’t expect them to be quite that good. But it’s a team full of stars (15 players at 68 OVR or higher) so it makes sense. The game currently expected five of their players to hit over .335, including Nolan Arenado at .382 and Christian Yelich at .378. They also see Gerrit Cole going 30-1 with a 1.60 ERA.

Florida projects as the second-best team at 128-28. They like Howie Kendrick to hit .359 and Sale, deGrom, and Greinke combining for a 69-12 record.

In order, Georgia, Illinois, Arizona, and Alabama are projected to fill the final four postseason spots from this subleague and all win 100+ games.

On the other side of the coin, five teams in this subleague are projected to LOSE at least 100 games—Iowa, Arkansas, Idaho, Alaska, and Maine. Alaska is projected to go just 9-145 and Maine a subleague-worst 8-149. Excited to see if either team can get double-digit wins!


Preseason Predictions Highlights – Montana-Wyoming Subleague

I don’t know if it’s the difference in pitching between subleauges, but the game projected Alabama-Missouri Subleague to have ZERO players with 50+ HR, and they project this subleague to have SEVEN players with 50+ HR and four with 60+ HR. Weird.

This subleague is a lot more competitive, with 12 of the 25 teams projected to win 100+ games. Texas, unsurprisingly, is projected to win the subleague with a 131-25 record. The game likes Texas hitters to dominate, including Max Muncy (.389 AVG, 66 HR), Trevor Story (.381 AVG, 64 HR), and Anthony Rendon (.389 AVG, 55 HR).

The game likes Tennessee to finish in 2nd place at 122-35. I expected Mookie Betts to make the “Top Hitters” section of this Predictions page in the game, but it’s actually Austin Riley with a .373 AVG and 61 HR! David Price, Robbie Ray and Sonny Gray are all projected to win 20+ games, with Price going 21-7 with a 2.43 ERA. Washington was a surprising (to me) third place team at 119-38, led by Michael Conforto and Matthew Boyd.

The #3-6 postseason teams from this league are projected to be Washington, New York, Virginia, and North Carolina. Meanwhile, Oklahoma, Ohio, and Pennsylvania would be the top teams on the outside looking in.

A couple of real-life stars may not find team success along with their personal success. Nevada’s Bryce Harper projects to hit .378 with 60 homers, but the team slots in at 10th place outside the postseason picture.

But the saddest situation of all is poor Mike Trout who, as in real life, can’t single-handedly carry his team to the postseason. Despite a league-best .410 AVG and 58 HR from Trout, New Jersey is projected to go 104-52 for a 12th-place finish.

10 of the 25 teams in this league are projected to lose at least 100 games, with plenty of small or sparsely populated states like the Dakotas, New Hampshire, Vermont, Montana and Wyoming. Rhode Island projects to have the worst record of all 50 teams at 4-152. Is it because they’re truly that bad, or because I accidentally forgot to give them a full roster until I was typing this up? WHO KNOWS. (But definitely it’s because of that. Whoops.)

--------------------

Again, you can see the full preseason predictions here and I’ll be back on Thursday 5/28 with a recap of my sim through April! Thank you for reading and I welcome any feedback, corrections or requests!

[too_on_too_out]

Originally Posted by ChrisJNelson

Do you mean how I got everyone on their home state roster? I had to make a league with 50 state teams, import that into an modern save, release all the MLB free agents, then turn off all the financials and everything and sign everyone from each state at one time. Then let the AI sort each organization.

I might be explaining it poorly, let me know if I can clarify anything.

Did you try anything else before this solution? I want the game to do it. This manual stuff shouldn't be necessary.

One solution I had was to use associations. And it seemed to be working, in the sense that I could make my associations regional, and keep all players within that association/region, according to their birth states/countries etc. So a player introduced into the game from the milb master file would be signed according to their region.

Without drilling too deep into it it seemed to be working, but then it seemed the association default settings were overriding my individual league settings, specifically in age limits, though still haven't really solved it.

Have read others saying the same thing as you though, having to set this level of detail up manually.

[ChrisJNelson]

Originally Posted by too_on_too_out

Did you try anything else before this solution? I want the game to do it. This manual stuff shouldn't be necessary.

One solution I had was to use associations. And it seemed to be working, in the sense that I could make my associations regional, and keep all players within that association/region, according to their birth states/countries etc. So a player introduced into the game from the milb master file would be signed according to their region.

Without drilling too deep into it it seemed to be working, but then it seemed the association default settings were overriding my individual league settings, specifically in age limits, though still haven't really solved it.

Have read others saying the same thing as you though, having to set this level of detail up manually.

No I didn't try anything like that, I wouldn't even know where to start.

[mgom27]

I second Retired guys.
Did you get guys on Independent or Overseas Teams that are from USA and Canada and so on Teams to? Minor League but looks good.

[ChrisJNelson]

Originally Posted by mgom27

I second Retired guys.
Did you get guys on Independent or Overseas Teams that are from USA and Canada and so on Teams to? Minor League but looks good.

No I basically just released all MLB/MiLB players and then signed them to their state teams in bulk.

[ChrisJNelson]

***This is my 2020 sim of a 50-team modern league with all MLB and MiLB players assigned to their home state team. The next entry (May sim results) will be posted next Monday, June 1st***

Previous Entries
1. Part I (Settings, Rules, Team Intros, Quickstart File)
2. Part II (Preseason Predictions)

Notable Performances in April
Before we go team by team, here are some notable individual performances in April:
· Eric Haase (MI), Jedd Gyorko (WV), JaCoby Jones (OK), and Austin Meadows (GA) all had 3-HR games
· Rob Johnson (MT), Cody Bellinger (AZ), Brandon Nimmo (WY), and Trent Grishm (TX) all hit for the cycle
· Ben Revere (KY) had a seven-hit game vs Illinois … 7 other players had 6-hit games
· Alex Bregman (NM) and Denard Span (VA) each had hitting streaks of 21 games
· We had three no-hitters: Chris Stratton (MS vs DE), Gerrit Cole (CA vs AL), Robbie Ray (TN vs VT)
· Walker Buehler (KY) had a league-high 18 strikeouts vs Alaska

You can view the full standings through April here.
You can view the power rankings through April here.

Now, let’s take a deeper look at how the teams did in April! (Note: I toyed with the idea of doing them in standings order but decided to stick with alphabetical so people could more easily find specific states they wanted to read!) Also, if you want to know about any specific players, games, stats, etc. feel free to let me know and I will answer them!

Alabama-Missouri League

Alabama Alabamians (20-7, 6th)

3 of Alabama’s 7 losses were at California, with others coming vs Massachusetts, at Arizona, vs Iowa and vs Arizona. (They actually lost four in a row at one point, as the Iowa loss came right after the sweep vs California.)

Phillip Ervin is tied for 3rd in the league with 9 homers. Tim Anderson also has 9 dingers to go along with a .311 AVG. Corey Kluber has unsurprisingly been their best starter, going 4-1 with a 2.28 ERA. Casey Mize, meanwhile, has an ugly 6.47 ERA in six starts. Craig Kimbrel hasn’t allowed a run in 11.1 innings as closer.

Alaska Alaskans (1-24, 24th)

Projected to win 9 games this season, Alaska is going to need to pick up the pace. Their only win came in the “Battle of the Lefthand Corner of U.S. Maps In Schools” at Hawaii on April 21.

.184 team AVG is the 2nd worst in the league behind Arkansas and their 10 HR is tied for the lowest. 14 Jonny Homzas make up the offense, and the left field one leads regulars with a .264 AVG. The first base Homza leads the team with 4 HR. Third base Homza is hitting just .102.

11.57 team ERA is 2nd worst in the league ahead of Maine. Tony Barnette clones make up the rotation, and while one has a 3.09 ERA, the others all have ERAs ranging from 6.00 to 12.00. There are six Daniel Schlereths in the bullpen and all have ERAs over 16.00.

Arizona Arizonans (19-6, 5th)

Arizona lost its season opener 5-3 vs Arkansas, 3-2 at Minnesota a few days later, and subsequently lost back-to-back games to both California and Alabama. One of the losses to Alabama was 7-6 in 16 innings thanks to a walkoff homer by some dude named Drew Avans (33 overall).

Scott Kingery (.418) and Eric Sogard (.415) hold the top two spots in the league in hitting, while Sogard is on-basing .510—good for second place behind Aaron Judge. Cody Bellinger has gotten off to a “slow” start with a .311 AVG and 7 HR.

41-overall starter Kyle Lobstein is pitching out of his mind, going 4-0 with a 1.24 ERA (4th in league). 40-overall Dylan File (who?) ranks 3rd in the league in K/BB behind deGrom and Scherzer.

Arkansas Arkansans (7-21, 22nd)

7-21 may not seem like a lucky record, but that’s 4 wins over their Pythagorean W-L. They had separate losing streaks of 7 and 8 games, though they did have good wins vs Arizona, Alabama and Georgia.

Hitting a league-worst .179 with 10 HR as a team. Luke Bandy “leads” the team with a .233 AVG, while Torii Hunter Jr. and Grant Koch are the only hitters with multiple HR. Starting pitching has been mediocre to bad, ranging from Drew Smyly (4.54 ERA) to Barrett Astin (9.67) ERA. Setup men Ty Tice and Hunter Wood, as well as closer Tyler Zuber, are all pitching well though.

California Californians (21-4, 3rd)

The heavy preseason favorite to win it all, California struggled slightly more than expected out of the game and sits in third place after a month. Their losses have come vs Indiana, at Arizona, at Illinois and vs Florida, with all coming by 4 runs or fewer. Their biggest win as a 31-1 shellacking at Iowa on April 9—one of six games they scored 20+ runs.

The team’s 1.016 team OPS leads the league. Christian Yelich (.400) and Nolan Arenado (.385) rank near the top of the league in hitting, while Freddie Freeman, Aaron Judge and Joc Pederson are all tied for third in the league with 9 homers each. Freeman is tied with Georgia’s Austin Meadows with a league-leading 38 RBI. Judge leads the league with a .514 OBP. Every starter is hitting at least .320 except Matt Chapman (.229)—it’s almost like he wants Justin Turner or Mike Moustakas to come up from AAA and take his job!

The team is holding opposing hitters to a .186 AVG—best in the league. Gerrit Cole and Stephen Strasburg each have five wins, but neither ranks in the top 8 in league ERA (yet). Cole does lead in strikeouts (72), while fellow starter Lucas Giolito leads the league in K/9 with 16.7.

Colorado Coloradans (16-9, 9th)

Colorado began the season losing 4 of 5 and 5 of 11, but they’ve rebounded nicely to a 16-9 record in April. They had a weird schedule glitch with 4 off days from April 26-29, but it helped them be well-rested as they closed out the month with a 14-5 win vs Hawaii.

David Bote has been the best hitter with a .374 AVG and 6 HR, with Chase Headley not far off at .360. Starter David Peterson is 4-1 with a 2.35 ERA, while closer Taylor Rogers has 5 saves and hasn’t allowed an earned run yet.

Connecticut Connecticuters (16-9, 10th)

Catcher PJ Higgins leads the team with a .358 AVG, while AJ Pollock is batting .309 with 5 HR. (Basically, all the guys with initials are doing well. Some guy named LJ Mazzilli is hitting .302.) George Springer (65 overall) needs to get it together, as he’s hitting just .213.

Aaron Civale is 3-2 with a rotation-best 2.32 ERA, while Troy Scribner has a 7.27 ERA in five stats. Closer Matt Barnes has 7 saves and hasn’t been scored upon. Matt Harvey has a 3.43 ERA in 21 innings out of the bullpen.

Delaware Delawareans (10-15, 16th)

Aside from a 5-game win streak in the middle of the month, it’s been a very rough April for the Fightin’ Bidens. Their biggest win came on April 16 with a 22-1 shellacking vs Alaska. In said win, the Paul Goldschmdit clones combined to knock in 11 runs with 3 homers.

Both Goldschmidts have 5 homers this season, though the DH is hitting .372 and the other is hitting .290. One of the three Joey Wendle clones is currently on an 18-game hit streak. One Chad Kuhl has a 2.63 bullpen ERA and another Chad Kuhl has a 6.14 ERA. (More like Chad UN-Kuhl, am I right?)

Florida Floridians (23-5, 4th)

Florida is playing strong, as expected, but they’ve had a couple of bad losses. Two of their five were to California (to be expected), but the other three were to teams currently below .500—Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Kansas.

Tied with GA in team homers (58). Howie Kendrick ranks 5th in the league with a .392 AVG and with with a 1.6 WAR, while leading in hits (47) and runs (38). Anthony Rizzo ranks 4th with a 1.179 OPS and JD Martinez ranks 7th with 30 RBI. Veteran Andrew McCutchen is batting just .260 but leads the league with 27 walks.

Lead the league with 372 strikeouts as a pitching staff. Lance McCullers Jr. leads the league with a 0.89 ERA. Jacob deGrom has started of well also, going 5-1 with a 1.97 ERA and leading the league in innings pitched (45.2).

Georgia Georgians (25-3, 1st)

The projected third-place team in the preseason, my home state is off to a great start and leading the league after a month. They won their first 11 games before losing 9-4 against Colorado thanks to the bullpen allowing five runs in the 9th inning. They also lost 8-6 at Kentucky and 5-3 at Arkansas.

Tied with FL in team homers (58) while leading the league in AVG (.338). Austin Meadows and Matt Olson hold the top two spots in the league in homers with 13 and 12, respectively. Olson also leads the league in total bases (92), SLG (.780), OPS (1.240), WAR (1.8), WPA (1.90).

Their 2.56 team ERA leads the league. Starters Zack Wheeler and Brad Keller rank in the top 8 in ERA (1.77 and 1.80, respectively) and both have 5 wins. Surprisingly, fellow starter Reggie McClain (46 overall) is 4-0 with a 2.00 ERA and a league-best 0.67 WHIP. He’s also the only player in the league with two shutouts. Closer Will Smith’s 8 saves are tied for the league lead.

Hawaii Hawaiians (10-18, 18th)

Hawaii swept Idaho in three games to start the season but promptly lost their next seven games. They won back-to-back games only twice more in April.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa leads the team with a .340 average, but Kolten Won unsurprisingly has been the best hitter with a .311 AVG an 6 HR. Jacob Hannemann is hitting .281 with 5 HR, and Kurt Suzuki is hitting .278.

Rico Garcia has a 2.59 ERA and Jordan Yamamoto a 3.97 ERA in six starts, but they’re the only starters with ERAs under 7.00. Closer Kirby Yates hasn’t allowed a run this season and has a bonkers 19.7 K/9.

Idaho Idahoans (5-23, 23rd)

Idao can only get wins vs teams with M on the road, with their five wins coming at Massachusetts, at Minnesota (x2), and at Maine (x2). They started the season 0-10.

An Alex Guerrero clone holds the distinction of the worst average in the league (min. 100 PA) at .097. Of the seven Jackson Cluff clones in the starting lineup, one is hitting .308, another is hitting .291, and the other five are hitting under .200.

Damon Jones clones lead the rotation with ERAs of 3.54 and 4.62, while Zach Penrod is the worst at 0-6 wit ha 14.06 ERA. Closer James Hoyt has a 2.70 ERA, but his setup man James Hoyt has a 9.00 ERA.

Illinois Illinoisans (24-4, 2nd)

Illinois lost it’s first game of the season—an 8-7 heartbreaker to Kentucky in 13 innings—but went on to reel of 18 straight wins. They then lost two straight (both to California) and suffered their worst loss to close out the month—13-2 vs Arizona.

Mike Tauchman leads the team with a .381 average, while Mark Payton has knocked in team-best 33 runs. Collin McHugh and Mike Foltynewicz both have 5 wins, but McHugh is the real standout with a 1.43 ERA (5th in league) and 2.0 WAR (leads league).

Indiana Indianans (10-15, 15th)

Projected to finish 7th in the league with a 96-61 record, Indiana has been one of the unluckier teams this season with a current Pythagorean win differential of minus-6—worst in the CWBL. They started the season 10-5 before dropping 10 straight to close out the month.

Indiana’s struggles are certainly not on Michael Brosseau, however, as he’s hit .336 with 9 homers and 34 RBI. Kevin Kiermaier is hitting .296 with 4 HR and 7 steals. Pitching-wise, Lance Lynn has a 2.86 ERA but the rest of the starters have struggled—Jeff Samardzija (3.90), Sean Manaea (4.76), Kyle Gibson (5.59), Clayton Richard (6.00).

Iowa Iowans (7-18, 21st)

After winning 5 of their first 6 thanks to series against Kansas and Maine, the Iowans went just 2-18 the rest of the way. They had two separate 9-game losing streaks but won their final game of the month vs Idaho.

Dom Thompson-Williams has been their best hitter with a .286 AVG, 7 HR, and 23 RBI. Scott Schebler has 5 HR.

11.03 team ERA is 3rd worst in the league. AJ Puk is 1-3 with a 3.65 ERA, but the bottom three starters are a combined 0-11 with ERAs ranging from 13.00 to 21.00. (Though it doesn’t help when the team has no real catcher.) Closer Tony Watson is unscored upon and is the only reliever with an ERA under 7.00.

Kansas Kansans (9-19, 19th)

Kansas swept Idaho from April 20-22 but never won consecutive games otherwise in April. They dropped 10 straight from April 6 to 16, but they broke the streak with a surprising 4-3 victory over Jacob deGrom and Florida.

Jacob Stallings and Connor Kaiser are hitting .329 and .322, respectively, but are the only regulars above .250. Bubba Starling is hitting a disappointing .158. Joey Wentz (3.09 ERA) and John Means (3.29) are pitching well, though the same cannot be said for Blake Treinen, who has a 5.09 ERA as a starter.

Kentucky Kentuckians (13-15, 12th)

Kentucky was projected to finish exactly .500 this season and they’re just behind pace through April. They lost 5 of their first 6 and only swept two series in the month (vs Idaho and Arkansas).

Ben Revere leads the team with a .353 AVG, but JT Riddle has actually been their most valuable offensive player with a .324 AVG, 25 RBI, 1.0 WAR, and league-high 13 doubles. Will Smith (.333 AVG, 3 HR) and Adam Duvall (.296 AVG, 5 HR) are also playing well.

Ace Walker Buehler is slightly underperforming with a 3-0 record and 3.03 ERA, but he is third in the league in strikeouts behind Cole and deGrom. #5 starter Lincoln Henzman (21 OVR) has a dismal 1-4 record and 9.28 ERA.

Louisiana Louisianans (20-8, 8th)

Louisiana lost two each vs Kentucky, at Massachusetts, and vs Minnesota, with their other losses coming at Colorado and California. Their biggest win was a 20-0 victory over Maine on April 28.

Third baseman Ryan Schimpf leads the league in strikeouts (54), so that’s something! Cole Freeman is batting .342 and is 7/8 in steals, while Austin Nola has been the best overall hitter with a .325 AVG and 7 HR.

41-overall starter Jacob Waguespack has a crazy 1.07 ERA, good for 3rd in the league. Aaron Nola 4-1 with a 2.86 ERA, ranking third in WAR (1.8) behind McHugh and deGrom.

Maine Mainers (1-27, 25th)

The projected worst team in the league, Maine lived “up” to their reputation in April. Their only win was a 7-5 victory vs Idaho on April 24.

Ryan McKenna clones hold the top 5 spots on the team in AVG (ranging between .278 and .229). Of the six Treyjn Fletcher clones, the second base starter has the worst WAR (1.9) in baseball.

16.44 team ERA, easily worst in the league. Of the 12 Cody Laweryson pitcher clones, the closer has a 3.60 ERA but the others all have ERAs between 9.31 and 29.53. One of them is the only pitcher in the league with six losses, and they hold the “top” three spots in the league for walks.

Maryland Marylanders (11-14, 14th)

Maryland was up and down all month, winning consecutive games only 4 times in April. They lost 4 of 5 to begin the season and 5 of 6 to close out the month.

Somehow, 31-overall catcher Alex Murphy is 3rd in the league with a .402 AVG and tied for 3rd with 11 doubles. Jake Fraley is hitting .306 with 4 HR and 21 RBI. Josh Hader is performing well as a starter despite closer-level stamina, going 2-1 with a 1.86 ERA in 4 starts. The same cannot be said for Cody Morris, who is 0-4 with an 18.51 ERA.

Massachusetts Massachusettsans (13-15, 13th)

Projected to go 84-73, Massachusetts is underperforming so far in 2020. They started the year 3-8 and didn’t win back-to-back games until April 12 and 14.

Patrick Mazeika leads the team in hitting (.303) while Chris Shaw has 7 homers and a .270 AVG. Ace Sean Newcomb has just a 1-2 record to show for his 1.82 ERA, and the rest of the rotation isn’t helping much as three other starters have ERAs over 6.00.

Michigan Michiganders (9-19, 20th)

Michigan won back-to-back games just 3 times all month—at Maryland, vs Delaware, and vs Arkansas. Jon Berti is hitting .308 on the season and leads the league with 4 triples. Eric Haase is hitting .292 with a team-high 6 HR. “Ace” Matt Shoemaker is just 1-5 with a 4.62 ERA, while the other four starters have ERAs in the 5.00 range. Closer James Bourque has just one save and a 12.10 ERA.

Minnesota Minnesotans (11-17, 17th)

Minnesota rebounded after a 4-15 start, winning 7 of 9 to close out the month.

Outfielder Roman Collins is the only offensive player with a WAR above 0.1, hitting .315 with 5 HR and 22 RBI. Sean “Gates Of” Hjelle has been the best starter, going 2-1 with a 2.73 ERA. Nick Anderson and Brad Hand have been strong as expected in the bullpen, each having a 1.64 ERA.

Mississippi Mississippians (20-8, 7th)

Mississippi has had some respectable losses (vs Missouri, vs Colorado) but some truly baffling ones, including when they lost 3 straight to Minnesota then another to Kansas. They also lost their season opener to Delaware. They finished strong though, with a 34-1 win over Maine to close out April.

Brian Dozier has been the best hitter with a .333 AVG and 7 HR. Corey Dickerson, Mitch Moreland, and Hunter Renfroe are all hitting above .300 and have 20+ RBI as well. Dickerson leads the league with 4 sac flies but I don’t know if that puts him in the MVP conversation yet. Billy Hamilton has scored 24 runs and swiped 7 bags.

Stater Justin Steele ranks 2nd in the league with a 0.92 ERA and leads with a .130 OPP AVG. Ace Brandon Woodruff has just been OK, going 2-1 with a 3.72 ERA. Closer Jonathan Holder has 8 saves to tie for the league lead.

Missouri Missourians (15-13, 11th)

Missouri finished April just about .500, though they did finish strong with 8 straight wins after previously losing 5 straight (3 to GA, 2 to CT).

Luke Voit ranks 6th in the league with a .387 AVG to go along with six homers. Logan Morrison and Monte Harrison are tied for the team lead in home runs with seven each. Ace Max Scherzer has had some tough luck so far, going 2-3 despite a 2.13 ERA. Also with a 2-3 record is Jake Arrieta, but that might be considered lucky for him given his 7.18 ERA in six starts.


Montana-Wyoming League

Montana Montanans (2-25, 25th)

Montana is unsurprisingly terrible, with their two wins coming against Vermont (32-21 and 34-32). They are riding a league-worst 18-game losing streak.

This roster is a mess, as all the Rob Johnson clones I put on offense are being sorted as pitchers. Who cares. This team is terrible. ERAs range from 8.38 to 31.91.

Nebraska Nebraskans (8-20, 20th)

Nebraska had a 4-game win streak from April 9-12, including a sweep of Vermont that featured scores of 29-23, 42-17, and 43-37. (Poor Vermont—don’t you hate when you score 37 and lose?) But that streak wasn’t an indication of things to come for Nebraska, who won just 2 of their last 16 to end April.

Top hitters for Nebraska include Jakson Reetz (.377, 6 HR), clone Alex Gordon (.369, 5 HR), clone Alec Bohm (.339, 6 HR), and other Alec Bohm (.321, 3 HR). Matt Eardensohm has the “best” starters ERA at 9.00. Pat Venditte is the only pitcher on the team with an ERA under 7.00.

Nevada Nevadans (19-9, 8th)

Nevada had won 10 of 11 late in April before dropping 3 of their last 4, including an embarrassing loss to New Hampshire to close out the month.

Kris Bryant is mashing with a .383 AVG, 6 HR, and 48 RBI (2nd in league). Joey Gallo “only” has 9 HR to go along with a .346 AVG. Every starter is hitting at least .290 except…Bryce Harper, who has posted a .262 AVG, 6 HR, and 25 RBI. Brandon Snyder is hitting .294 but is tied for the league high with 47 strikeouts.

Ace Tyler Anderson is 4-1 with a 2.94 ERA, while Mickey Jannis (3.13) and Tyler Wagner (3.38) have done well also. Less so are starters Aaron Blair (9.14) and Joe Wieland (9.59).

New Hampshire New Hampshirites (8-17, 19th)

New Hampshire didn’t win back-to-back games outside of a 4-game win streak from April 21-24. Grant Lavigne clone leads the team with a .413 AVG, while Mickey Gasper clone leads with 4 HR and 21 RBI. Two Kevin McGowan clones have ERAs under 6.00, and all six Will Gaddis clones have ERAs between 6.05 and 14.79.

New Jersey New Jeseyans (16-9, 9th)

New Jersey has a Pythagorean win differential of minus-6, tied for the worst in the CWBL. A 3-game sweep to North Carolina killed their momentum late in the month, though they did have four off days to recover from it and crushed Wyoming 17-2 to close things out.

Jason Heyward (.377 AVG, 8 HR, 27 RBI) is showing Mike Trout (.371 AVG, 2 HR, 21 RBI) who the real superstar of New Jersey is. The pitching has been great, as the rotation has three guys with under a 3.00 ERA, led by Charlie Morton (4-0 with a 2.06). The highest ERA by a reliever is 2.89, while four of them have sub-2.00 ERAs. Team ERA of 2.43 leads the league.

New Mexico New Mexicans (12-16, 16th)

New Mexico won 5 straight from April 14-18, but otherwise had a pretty rough month. They lost the next 6 and 8 of their final 11 in April.

Two Alex Bregmans are giving it their all for New Mexico, with one of them hitting .510 (highest in the CWBL) with 14 doubles, 9 HR and 39 RBI. The other Bregman is hitting .380 with 10 HR and 34 runs. Mitch Garver clones are also doing well with 13 combined HR. Unfortunately, no other hitter is breaking .240 right now.

Starters ERAs range from bad (Trevor Rogers clone at 5.74) to horrendous (Cam Baird at 14.50). Closer Ken Giles has a 2.19 ERA and 6 saves, but he’s not getting much help from clone Ken Giles as setup man (6.89 ERA).

New York New Yorkers (17-8, 7th)

Projected as the 4th place team this season, New York has been a bit unlucky with a Pythagorean win differential of -5. They had an up and down (and up again) month, winning 8 of 9 to start, then losing 7 of 10 before winning their last 6.

Lead the league with a .347 team AVG. Tim Locastro is actually leading the team with a .426 AVG but has surprisingly only stolen two bases. Jesse Winker is hitting .415 and on-basing .552 with 6 HR, while Harrison Bader leads the team in WAR at 1.9. Tom Murphy has 11 homers (tied 3rd in league).

Ace Patrick Corbin has really struggled out of the game, posting a 6.49 ERA despite a 3-1 record. The other four starters have ERAs in the 3’s. Closer Dellin Betances has a 9.72 ERA despite his 5 saves and 19.4 K/9.

North Carolina North Carolinians (20-5, 1st)

Projected as the 6th team in the league this season, North Carolina is performing above expectations right now as the league leader. They’ve won 14 straight, having not lost since April 11 at Pennsylvania.

Mac Williamson is 5th in the league with a .427 AVG and tied for 6th with 10 HR. Brian Goodwin is hitting .402, while veterans Ryan Zimmerman (.373 AVG, 5 HR), Cameron Maybin (.372 AVG, 5 HR), and Brandon Phillips (.347 AVG, 10 doubles) are proving they’ve still got it. The Seager brothers are actually underperforming right now, with Kyle hitting .316 and Corey hitting .307.

NC has three starters in the top 8 in league ERA—Mackenzie Gore (1.61), Alex Wood (1.70), and Chris Archer (2.25). Wood leads the league in WAR (1.9) and is the only pitcher with multiple shutouts. Madison Bumgarner leads the team with 5 wins despite a 3.92 ERA. Closer Kodi Whitley leads the league with 7 saves despite a 6.75 ERA.

North Dakota North Dakotans (8-20, 21st)

Currently the best Dakota team, North Dakota won 4 straight to start the season but lost 12 straight to end April. Of the 14 Andy Youngs on offense, shortstop Young has the best AVG (.360), right field Young has the more HR (11) and RBI (36), and first base Young has the highest WAR (0.9). Ace Matt Strahm has the best ERA at 6.59. Every other pitcher on the roster has an ERA between 6.84 and 24.55. (Also, can I just say that I love how the AI thinks one Ben Strahm clone needs a 105-pitch limit and the other Ben Strahm clone needs no limit? Guess he’s a super clone.)

Ohio Ohioans (18-7, 5th)

Ohio lost 3 of 4 to start the season, but rebounded nicely and closed out the month winning 10 of their last 11.

Adam Eaton leads the team with a .386 AVG and 0.7 WAR. Evan White has a .326 AVG and 6 HR, while Andrew Benintendi (.286), Scooter Gennett (.286), and Travis Shaw (.284) are all doing alright. Kyle Schwarber, who rates as the team’s best player, has 6 homers but is hitting just .237.

Despite being the #5 starter, JT Brubaker leads the team with a 1.85 ERA. Matt Wisler (3.67) and Brent Suter (3.82) have also done well, though Chris Bassitt (7.03) has struggled. Bullpen has been strong as five relievers have an ERA under 3.00.

Oklahoma Oklahomans (15-13, 13th)

Oklahoma has a Pythagorean win differential of minus-4 and struggled toward the end of the month, losing 5 straight (3 to VA, 2 to TN).

Veteran Matt Kemp leads the team with a .337 AVG, 10 HR, and 33 RBI. JT Realmuto leads in WAR (1.4) and is hitting .323 with 8 HR and 30 RBI. Matt Reynolds (.330 AVG), Ryan Vilade (.324, 5 HR), and Brian Anderson (.320, 8 HR) are also hitting well.

The rotation has been hit and miss, from the good (Andrew Heaney 3.38 ERA, Garrett Richards 3.57) to the bad (Jon Gray 5.74, Michael Fulmer 6.11, Dallas Keuchel 6.51). The bullpen has been strong with five players at 3.00 ERA or lower.

Oregon Oregonians (15-13, 14th)

Oregon has done pretty well for a team projected to finish under .500 before the season began. They won 6 of 7 to begin the season but went 5-12 in the 17 games after. However, they did win 4 straight to close out the month.

Jed Lowrie, unsurprisingly, has been the team’s best hitter with a .348 AVG and 7 HR. Brandon Drury isn’t far behind with a .322 AVG and team-high 28 RBI. Youngster Adley Rutschman is holding his own with a .317 AVG and 4 homers.

Anthony Shew “leads” the rotation with a 4.54 ERA, but he does have a shiny 5-1 record to show for it. Three starters have ERAs above 7.00, worst of all Andrew Moore at 10.97.

Pennsylvania Pennsylvanians (19-6, 4th)

Another team outperforming their preseason prediction (9th in the league), Pennsylvania won its first 6 games before losing 3 of 4. They then rattled off 8 straight wins but went 4-3 to close out the month.

Ian Happ ranks 4th in the league with a .434 AVG and 2.1 WAR to go along with 9 homers. Nolan Jones (.411 AVG, 6 HR) and Christian Walker (.387 AVG, 5 HR) are also crushing the ball. Two-way player Bendan McKay is hitting .306 with 4 HR on offense and is 5-0 with a 3.19 ERA as a starter.

Rhode Island Rhode Islanders (12-17, 17th)

Full disclosure: When I simmed to Opening Day and the preseason predictions came out, it turns out I’d forgotten to fill Rhode Island’s roster with clones. That causes their projected record to be worst in the league (4-152). Turns out, once I fixed their roster, they’re somewhat better and have already tripled that projected win total. They lost 7 of 8 early on but did manage some wins in high-scoring affairs such as 37-13 (vs WY), 21-18 (vs UT), 29-9 (at VT), and 24-12 (at VT). That 37-run win included an 18-run 8th inning!

The hitters I expected to do well—Chris Iannetta clones—actually have some of the lowest averages on the team (.287 and .269). Most hitters are above .300, led by Nick Zammarelli III clones (.353 AVG, 4 HR & .338 AVG, 5 HR).

Pitching has really been an issue for Rhode Island, with a clone of Thomas Pannone (3-1, 3.75) the only starter with an ERA above 6.00. The bullpen is even worse, as CJ Dandeneau “leads” the team with a 5.85 ERA and all other relievers range from 10.90 to 24.08.

South Carolina South Carolinians (16-12, 12th)

Four wins behind their Pythagorean record, South Carolina had some trouble both early an late in the month. They lost 5 of 7 at one point early and three straight on both April 20-22 and April 28-30.

Justin Smoak has been a monster (Smoak Monster, for all you LOST fans), hitting .420 with 9 homers and 38 RBI. Whit Merrifield (.398), Bret Gardner (.345), and Andy Burns (.337) are also hitting wall.

Three starters have ERAs in the 3’s, led by Jordan Lyles (3-2, 3.03) and Asher “Normal Spelling” Wojciechowski (2-1, 3.10). Zack Godley has been notably worse, going 2-3 with a 7.62 ERA. Setup men Carl Edwards Jr. and Emilio Pagan, plus closer Chad Green, have combined for a 1.69 ERA in 32 innings.

South Dakota South Dakotans (6-19, 22nd)

Easily one of the top two Dakota teams, they didn’t win consecutive games until taking two straight from Wisconsin on April 23-24. Unfortunately, they couldn’t complete the sweep and lost the final game 38-35. (Still an impressive game after being down 21-2 after two innings!)

Left fielder Adam Law, who wasn’t even good enough to be cloned, is leading the team with a .352 AVG and 27 runs. One Dusty Coleman clone is hitting .328, while another leads the team with 7 HR and 21 RBI. Sam Wolff clone actually has a 3.05 ERA—slightly higher than fellow starter Tyler Mitzel’s 34.50 ERA. Bullpen ERAs range from 5.28 to 14.54.

Tennessee Tennesseans (22-6, 3rd)

Unless your state begins with an N or O, good luck beating Tennessee. Their six losses have come against North Carolina, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada (x2), and Oklahoma. They’ve also been a bit unlucky with a Pythagorean win differential of minus-4.

Austin Riley has been a stud with a .407 AVG and 9 HR. Corban Joseph (.402), Tony Kemp (.388), Nick Senzel (.341 AVG, 6 HR), and Caleb Joseph (.337) are all hitting well. Surprisingly, despite the team’s strong performance, their best player—Mookie Betts—is hitting just .275 (lowest of any regular), so there’s some upside here.

Mike Minor and Dakota Hudson hold the top two spots in ERA—0.24 and 1.41, respectively. Minor has been unbelievable, leading the league in WHIP and OPP AVG while allowing one run (a solo HR to NJ’s Todd Frazier) in 37.1 IP. Robbie Ray has also been great, going 5-0 with a 2.51 ERA. He leads the league with 71 strikeouts and joins Alex Wood as the only pitcher in the league with multiple complete games.

Texas Texans (18-7, 6th)

The favorite to win the league in the preseason, Texas is off to a slow start in sixth place, though their Pythagorean win differential is minus-4. Their seven losses include two each to Ohio and New York, with the others coming at Oklahoma, vs South Carolina, and at Wisconsin.

Their 76 HR as a team lead the league. Max Muncy is in the early MVP conversation right now with a .422 AVG (7th in the league), 13 HR (2nd), 49 RBI (1st), 1.388 OPS (3rd), and 2.3 WAR (2nd). Trevor Story is hitting .368 with 10 homers, while Josh Bell is hitting .367 with 9 HR and is tied for the league lead in triples (3). Nobody on the team is hitting below .290.

The rotation isn’t pitching an elite level yet, with Noah Syndergaard (3.66 ERA), Clayton Kershaw (4.99), Jameson Taillon (5.93), Chris Paddack (3.34), and Michael Wacha (8.37). Setup man Jordan Hick leads the bullpen with a 1.42 ERA and 17.1 K/9.

Utah Utahns (9-19, 18th)

After winning 5 straight early in the season, Utah won only 4 more games after April 9th. They have the lowest team AVG in the league at .255. Clone Brennon Lund lead the team with a .338 AVG, though Dallas Carroll and Payton Henry have a team-high 4 HRs each and Henry leads in WAR (0.4). Ace Brady Lail is 0-3 with a 5.87 ERA and only one reliever (Tanner Banks, 2.01 ERA) has an ERA under 7.00.

Vermont Vermonters (4-24, 24th)

Vermont has really struggled, with separate losing streaks of 7, 8, and 8 games. In an incredible win vs Montana on April 8, they were down 34-22 entering the 9th inning before scoring 17 in the final frame to secure a 39-34 victory. Now that’s clutch.

Now this is the team with 14 unretired Daric Bartons, and it’s going pretty well for them. All the starting Bartons are hitting between .309 and .441. First base and DH Bartons have 7 homers each. Pitching is a problem though, as Theo McDowell and Rayne Supple clones have ERAs ranging from 12.35 to 45.00. The pitching is so overworked that 7 Daric Bartons have even pitched…but not well. Team ERA of 25.80 is easily worst in the league.

Virginia Virginians (22-6, 2nd)

Just like North Carolina, Virginia is outperforming their preseason prediction and sitting in second place despite a Pythagorean win differential of minus-3. They actually lost the first two games of the season (at NJ) but would put together separate 8- and 9-game win streaks in April.

Andrew Knizner ranks 2nd in the league with a .446 AVG, while Justin Bour is 6th in the league with 10 HR despite a .233 AVG. Brandon Lower is hitting .370 and has 44 RBI—third most in the league. Denard Span (who I probably should’ve put on Maryland) is hitting .417 with 7 HR and is third in the league in hits.

Ace Justin Verlander has been great, going 3-1 with a 1.93 ERA and ranking 2nd in the league with a 1.9 WAR. Fellow starters Alec Bettinger, Daniel Lynch, and Tim Melville are a combined 11-0.

Washington Washingtonians (17-11, 10th)

Projected to finish 3rd this season, Washington is behind pace but has a Pythagorean win differential of minus-5. They started off 2-5, then won 13 of 14 before losing 5 of their last 7.

Jake Lamb is hitting .417 on the season while tied for 3rd in homers (11) and 3rd in WAR (2.2). Also hitting well are Michael Brantley (.407), Michael Conforto (.366), and Reese McGuire (.337).

Blake Snell is a strong 4-2 with a 2.92 ERA, but Austin Voth has actually been the best starter (5-0, 2.32). Matthew Boy is solid (3-1, 3.08) while Jon Lester has struggled (2-3, 4.66).

West Virginia West Virginians (14-14, 15th)

Projected to lose 104 games, sitting at .500 is pretty solid for West Virginia. One of their wins was a 26-22 victory over Wyoming that saw them score 10 runs in the final two innings. They lost 5 of 6 late in the month until winning their final four games.

Three Jedd Gyorko clones are leading the West Virginians, with the apparently well-rested DHing Gyorko leading the way with a .400 AVG, 15 HR, 42 RBI, and 34 runs. His 15 HR are two more than anyone in the CWBL.

Three Jordan Montgomery clones have ERAs in the 4’s, while Michael Grove clone starters have put up ERAs of 9.70 and 11.78. David Carpenter has a 6.97 ERA as closer and a 5.40 and 5.93 as the two setup men.

Wisconsin Wisconsinites (15-10, 11th)

Wisconsin started the season 3-6 but didn’t lose consecutive games for the remainder of the month.

Gavin Lux has unsurprisingly been the star here, batting .352 with 5 homers. Daulton Varsho’s at .339 and 6 homers, while Jarred Kelenic is at .327 with 5 HR and a team-high 24 RBI. Two-way player Jared Walsh has 5 HR but is hitting just .198.

It’s been rough pitching for the Wisconsinites, as Evan Kruczynski is the only start with an ERA under 5.00. Ace Jordan Zimmermann has yet to earn a win, going 0-2 with a 6.46 ERA in six starts. Closer Ben Heller is unscored upon in nine appearances and has a 17.0 K/9.

Wyoming Wyomingites (4-24, 23rd)

There isn’t much good to say about Wyoming, whose four hard-fought wins were by scores of 16-10 (at RI), 18-17 (vs WV), 32-18 (vs NH), and 38-35 (at SD).

All seven Brandon Nimmo clones are hitting .286 or better, with left field Brandon Nimmo raking the most (.352 AVG, 10 HR, 36 RBI). Pitching is…a problem, as 12 unretired Jeremy Horst clones have ERAs ranging from 8.18 to 58.91 (that’s 72 earned runs in 11 innings).

[RBI Baseball]

An offence led by 7 Brandon Nimmos is expected to be the best in the league? This thread needs to be brought into his next arbitration hearing.

[ChrisJNelson]

Originally Posted by RBI Baseball

An offence led by 7 Brandon Nimmos is expected to be the best in the league? This thread needs to be brought into his next arbitration hearing.

Haha true! Though 7 Brandon Nimmos routinely facing other teams like Vermont, New Hampshire, South Dakota, North Dakota, etc. is pretty strong.

[elbarto00]

Intriguing league. I've downloaded the quickstart and have been doing some sims. I did notice quite a few foreign players in some of the rosters. For example, Shohei Ohtani is playing for Illinois. I also noticed that there is a whole MLB league still there. I am a total n00b to OOTP but I'm assuming it is there to hold the rest of the players. So I expected Ohtani to show up on the MLB Angels roster and not in the Illinois roster.

[ChrisJNelson]

Originally Posted by elbarto00

Intriguing league. I've downloaded the quickstart and have been doing some sims. I did notice quite a few foreign players in some of the rosters. For example, Shohei Ohtani is playing for Illinois. I also noticed that there is a whole MLB league still there. I am a total n00b to OOTP but I'm assuming it is there to hold the rest of the players. So I expected Ohtani to show up on the MLB Angels roster and not in the Illinois roster.

You probably simmed while not in control of all 50 teams. Foreign players were left as free agents on my save, but they weren't on any rosters to start (ex. Ohtani on Illinois). That had to have happened within your save.