European Big City League

[stevem810]

Euro League began as a no playoff league with four teams:

London (2x champs)
Paris
Barcelona
Rome

Prior to season 2, two more teams were added:

Athens
Munich

Before season 3, four more teams were added:

Copenhagen
Dublin (1 championship)
Helinski (1 championship)
Warsaw

Next season might add two more franchises and split into 2 six-team divisions, or keep it the same.

Interested cities: Amsterdam, Lisbon, and a few others

Format:
99-game season
Injuries LOW
Trading: No
Drafting: Done by the Commissioner
Ethnicity requirements: None, but overall rosters are heavily tilted towards having players from their country of origin.

[stevem810]

They have been on a tear, and the hard work paid off in Paris. 5-0 for the month, Dublin goes for the sweep.

[stevem810]

Jeaic Conlon

[stevem810]

The Dublin Darts finished in first place to claim their second championship in the 3 year history of the league. The Darts have a cumulative record of 174-128.

The Euro League added the final two teams, awarding franchises to Denmark and Switzerland. The league operating costs were too high, so the AA league has been dissolved.

The league has added a postseason that will feature the North's first-place team playing its counterpart from the South in a 9-game series.

EDIT: The Euro League will use one minor league level AAA

[stevem810]

The champs, Dublin Darts, lost their road opener to London when Dominican, Danny Guerra hit a two-run homer, having hit only 3 all of last season.

The Paris Boulangers were not very welcoming to the new kids on the block, expansion Zurich Diamonds, as they rolled to an 11-0 win in Paris.

The Amsterdam Windmills, the other new franchise, won their opener 6-4.
Dionizy Gocal hit the first dinger in Windmill history in the 3rd inning with two runners on.

[stevem810]

There are no stat lines on this newcomer who plays for the Dutch. Could he be a future batting champ? Impact player?

The Netherlands team is equally unknown, but they did win their opener. Eddo, after posting a 1.120 OPS in the 7-day spring training schedule, went hitless in the opener.

Gustavo Jaime was the winning pitcher. Jaime, was less than spectacular in the opener, but managed to gain the W. The question of whether or not he is a future Pitcher of the Year has to be asked.

Two potential stars for the expansion, Windmills, make them very 'unexpansion' on paper.

[stevem810]

Since Jeaic is one of my fav players in the Euro League, he will be the first one to have his super stats published.

I have never been interested in exit velocity or other new stats, but since I'm an avid OOTP gamer, I plan to embrace this new addition to the game fully.

The stats on the left are from last year's championship run by the Darts.
I think 117 is a pretty tall, exit velo, right?

[stevem810]

Three games in on the young season, and the hottest hitter in the Euro League is a guy known more for D and batting at the bottom of the order than what he can do with a bat.

He's on fire.

[stevem810]

Somebody better tell the favorites that it's time to start playing first-place baseball. Two relatively new teams to the Euro League are at the top of the heap in their respective leagues.

In the case of the Paczkis, they are packing a punch, leading the Northern League with Runs Scored, BA, Batter WAR, and most other categories not labeled homeruns.

Anzelm Korolewicz is hitting .377 with 1.054 OPS. The 22-year-old from Malbork, Poland, is in his second season of play.

The Athens Olympians, with an identical 10-5 record, are doing it with pitching and defense.

Lysander Kapataidakis is 3 for 3 in the Save category.

[stevem810]

From player to player, the Boulangers would tell you, 'No way do we lose that game, yet that's exactly what they allowed to happen.
A walk-off 3-run homer with 2 outs allowed the Bulls to pull off what amounts to a miracle. It was Paris looking to improve to 11-9 until the collapse. Instead, it's the Barcelona Bulls who moved ahead of Paris with their 11-9 record.

[stevem810]

The Boulangers, still reeling from the late-inning bullpen meltdown the day before, have an opportunity to blow it wide open.

Pascal Laurent at the plate.

[stevem810]

The Bullpen. It's a problem.

[stevem810]

Bentzger, who was 3 for 3 for Paris, took a called third strike in the top of the 9th with the bases juiced. Another tough L for the Boulangers. 13 LOB for Paris.

Barcelona, 7-4 in one run games, is in 2nd place behind Athens.

[stevem810]

The Boulangers take the opener, drawing to within 2 games of the front runners.

[stevem810]

Dublin, always in the mix, 1 of 3 teams at the top that have won 7/10.

You can see Fenger's maturity at the plate. As he learns the K zone, his BB/K improves. A definite threat to hit .400.

[stevem810]

The game had all the hallmarks of another late-inning Boulanger loss. Eleven stranded runners with Paris scoring just 1 run, and it was down to the 9th inning with 1 out.

CL Eric Leger, from Moulins AUV, walked the batter just before the dangerous Carlos Zarate was due to hit. Carlos, on a 4-game hitting streak, fanned on 3 pitches.

The final batter, Cormac Smith, bounced out to the second baseman to end it. Leger records save #5, but more importantly, the Boulangers are just one game out of first.

[stevem810]

Benedikt Brown, of the Brew Crew, set the Euro League record for hits, going 5 for 5 against the first-place Warsaw Paczki's.

Sern Zoeka, of the Cyclists, almost set/tied the record for hits as we went 4/5 with a double and round-tripper.

[stevem810]

Whether or not the Boulangers have ironed out their BP issues remains to be seen, but fans were happy with the sweep of the Olympians setting up a 3 way tie for first.

The 11-13 Amsterdam Windmills will face Paris in a 3 game series to close out the month of April.

[stevem810]

The names of the relievers change, but the outcome is consistent. The Paris Boulangers are unable to close out games.

Even when it looked like they might escape a bases loaded no out situation after two force outs at the plate, a walk tied the game, and then a single capped the 3-run walk off for the Windmills.

Amsterdam played tough, hanging around and giving themselves opportunities to score runs.

[stevem810]

The homers are coming from two players, Eddie van Balen and the Polish second base sensation, Dionizy Gocal. Gocal and van Balen each have hit 6 home runs on the season.