2034 Predictions

[Sandgnats]

Time to see who can predict the outcome of the upcoming season! Place your votes!

Imperial League

Seaboard
1.
2.
3.
4.

Dixie
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Trans Atlantic
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.


IL Awards Winners
Royal Raker Winner:
Golden Arm Winner:
Wunderkind Winner:

Sovereign League

Great Lakes
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Desert Hills
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Rising Sun
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

SL Awards Winners
Royal Raker Winner:
Golden Arm Winner:
Wunderkind Winner:

Postseason

IL Wild Card Winner - Top 3 seeds get a bye
_____ over _____ in __ games

SL Wild Card Winner - Top 3 seeds get a bye
_____ over _____ in __ games

IL Division Series Winners - Top 3 seeds vs. Wild Card winner
_____ over _____ in __ games
_____ over _____ in __ games

SL Division Series Winners - Top 3 seeds vs. Wild Card winner
_____ over _____ in __ games
_____ over _____ in __ games

League Championship Series Winners
IL: _____ over _____ in __ games
SL: _____ over _____ in __ games

PEC Winner
_____ over _____ in __ games


Scoring Rules:
+1 point for each standings position you're off by
-1 point for each postseason series winner correctly identified
-1 point for correctly guessing the number of games team advance a postseason series (do not need the losing team accurate)
-1 point for getting the PEC winner
-0.5 points for identifying an end of season award winner
Lowest score wins

[Ghosts]

Imperial League

Seaboard
1. West Virginia - Retooled and ready to dominate the Seaboard, again. The question is, can they compete with the swamp monster down South?
2. Hartford - Could easily take 3rd place, but the offense isn't looking too hot despite a healthy Torres. It's a team that will strikeout a bit too much but I do think the rotation lends them a slight advantage over Arlington.
3. Arlington - The offense isn't overpowering and neither is the rotation, but the bullpen is solid. Overall, a solid team with a very similar story to Hartford - struggling to score consistently to make up for hiccups in the rotation.
4. Manchester - The young core could make a collective leap and put this team in 2nd place, but it looks like Valera and Knight could use another year before they're the fearsome pair they will almost certainly be.

Dixie
1. Florida - Only the Sim Reaper can stop this powerhouse.
2. Kentucky - One of the best teams in the IL with excellent talent throughout the org, just unfortunately stuck behind Florida. I expect WC #1 here.
3. San Antonio - A feast or famine offense coupled with spotty pitching will make this team look occasionally great but too erratic to compete with the biggest guns of the IL.
4. New Orleans - Where Lima lands is perhaps one of the more interesting stories of the Trendsetter 2034 season.
5. Charleston - The re-rebuild has the pitching staff looking like it wants to challenge the 2032 Ghosts to slow pitch softball game. Rookie squad will be the focus.

Trans Atlantic
1. Havana - Until proven otherwise, never pick against Havana and you'll never be disappointed. Mateo and Mendoza headline a robust offense while a re-homed Kenny Ashley will front an underrated rotation.
2. Amsterdam - Old Nick champions an otherwise largely homegrown pitching staff that will make opponents earn every. single. run - even despite the loss of Maruyama. The offense, though, has some holes. This squad is talented enough for a division title, but is likely a WC entrant to the 2034 playoffs.
3. San Juan - Any team with Salazar will be fun to watch, as San Juan has been for years, but pitching production will be a weakness that could force them to miss the playoffs.
4. Scottish - The pitching staff could be quite good, but the team will struggle to score runs at this point. Reinforcements aren't far off, though!
5. London - The team is built to save cash, though is well-assembled all around. It's likely the FO will be aggressive at the deadline, though, sending a team that might end up with a better record in the short term into disarray with bigger long term gains as the upside.


IL Awards Winners
Royal Raker Winner: Gordon Knopp
Golden Arm Winner: Enrique Vasquez
Wunderkind Winner: George Moss

Sovereign League

Great Lakes
1. Fargo - Barse, Watson, Santos, Mireles... the star power here is overpowering. Fargo is the team to beat in one of the tougher divisions in PEBA.
2. Kalamazoo - A tough call for 2nd place, but the addition of Pedro Flores to the superstar pair of Ornelza and Yun makes the difference.
3. Crystal Lake - Still a very good team, but seems a bit closer to the rising Duluth and Madison squads than to Fargo at this stage. Seemingly in between dominant stretches.
4. Duluth - With just a bit more veteran talent, Duluth edges out Madison at the moment, but the gap is closing in the GL.
5. Madison - Certainly one of your better 5th place teams, but that's what happens when a division is this good for this long. Garza and Sanchez might need a bit more help.

Desert Hills
1. Aurora - This pains me, but the youth movement has been devastatingly effective in Aurora and credit where credit is due.
2. Bakersfield - Another Desert Hills youth movement sees the first time Taka and Mata take the field together. With the perennially excellent pitching, consistent run production at the top of the order could easily catapult the Bears back to the front of the DH.
3. Reno - A team that could potentially slug its way to the top, but the continued decline of Angel Valdez will limit what the pitching staff can manage.
4. Palm Springs - Some savvy late off-season moves turn Palm Springs into a much sturdier roster than they were in 2033 as long as the old codgers stay healthy.
5. Tempe - Better than you think without mortgaging the future, the 2034 Knights will frustrate some teams down the stretch as Harris, Harris, and Barry turn out to be even better ballplayers than they are a legal firm.
6. Yuma - You're the best, Bob.

Rising Sun
1. Toyoma - The good news is that eventually, they won't be able to keep this embarrassment of talent together. The bad news is that this team is looking like the top seed in the SL yet again.
2. Shin Seiki - The upsettingly sparse holes on this roster, namely at catcher and 3B, give a slight edge to Toyoma in this year's annual death march.
3. Neo Tokyo - Absolutely the best 3rd place team in PEBA, the 2034 Akira require continued dominance from their champion, Tomas Martinez, in order to keep up their dominant outcomes. Unfortunately, they can't afford much else and that lack of flexibility could easily cost them.
4. Niihama - Pak and a trickle of incoming rookie talent should help them steer clear of embarrassing outcomes, but still at least 1-2 seasons away from being listed any higher.
5. Okinawa - Competing with Madison for best listed 5th place team, Okinawa has made several moves that could easily see them beating out the Ghosts and frustrating opponents all season long.

SL Awards Winners
Royal Raker Winner: Juan Carlos Ornelza
Golden Arm Winner: Roberto Rivera
Wunderkind Winner: Tsuginori Takahashi

Postseason

IL Wild Card Winner - Top 3 seeds get a bye
Amsterdam over Kentucky in 5 games

SL Wild Card Winner - Top 3 seeds get a bye
Shin Seiki over Kalamazoo in 3 games

IL Division Series Winners - Top 3 seeds vs. Wild Card winner
West Virginia over Havana in 5 games
Florida over Amsterdam in 4 games

SL Division Series Winners - Top 3 seeds vs. Wild Card winner
Fargo over Aurora in 4 games
Toyoma over Shin Seiki in 6 games

League Championship Series Winners
IL: Florida over West Virginia in 4 games
SL: Toyoma over Fargo in 7 games

PEC Winner
Florida over Toyoma in 6 games

[Borealis]

Imperial League
Seaboard
1. West Virginia
2. Arlington
3. Manchester
4. Hartford
It's WV's division to win, with the question being: by how much... The other three are awfully close - I feel like Hartford has had a shot and it's their turn to drop, and Manchester has spent enough and has enough young talent to not tp finish in last place. The bigger question is: will these three all finish below .500 and will NJ take 2nd in 2035? Only one playoff spot here...

Dixie
1. Florida
2. Kentucky
3. San Antonio
4. New Orleans
5. Charleston
This is probably Florida's division to lose, but it's hard to see how... Kentucky is 2nd - almost be default, with the other three battling for the last three spots... Only one playoff spot here...

Trans Atlantic
1. Havanna
2. Amsterdam
3. San Juan
4. London
5. Scottish
The top three are pretty even, and could finish in any combination, though all will make the post=season. With London's new stadium, and an influx of interest, there may be a slight shot of an upset here...

IL Awards Winners
Royal Raker Winner: 'Ogre', Havana
Golden Arm Winner: 'Old Nick', Amsterdam
Wunderkind Winner:

Sovereign League
Great Lakes
1. Fargo
2. Kalamazoo
3. Crystal Lake
4. Madison
5. Duluth
Fargo seems to strong to lose this division - but do they have the stamina to endure the next big injury to the 'Glass Jaw'? K-Zoo might have a slight edge on the 'Gnats, but Crystal Lake remains pesky... Madison may have been the best team this spring, but in a tough division in a tough, deep league, I think they fall short...

Desert Hills
1. Aurora
2. Bakersfield
3. Reno
4. Palm Springs
5. Tempe
6. Yuma
The race should be closer, but it remains being the balance at Aurora v. the pitching in Bakersfield v. the hitting in Reno. Balance wins out... Can the Bears muster enough offense to nudge out one of the 3 top Rising Sun teams out of the postseason?

Rising Sun
1. Toyama
2. Neo-Tokyo
3. Shin Seiki
4. Niihama-shi
5. Okinawa
Toyama continues to play well and impress, but the bigger question for me is which Vail finishes in 3rd? I said from the start, give the Ghosts three-years - and this is year three...

SL Awards Winners
Royal Raker Winner: Tomas Martinez, Neo-Tokyo
Golden Arm Winner: Brian Clark, Aurora
Wunderkind Winner: Hector 'Machete' Gutierrez, Aurora

Postseason

IL Wild Card Winner
San Juan over Amsterdam in 5 games

SL Wild Card Winner
Neo-Tokyo over Shin Seiki in 3 games

IL Division Series Winners
Florida over San Juan in 5 games
West Virginia over Havana in 6 games

SL Division Series Winners
Toyama over Neo-Tokyo in 7 games
Aurora over Fargo in 4 games (pay back's a B...)

League Championship Series Winners
IL: Florida over West Virginia in 6 games
SL: Aurora over Toyama in 7 games

PEC Winner
Aurora over Florida in 5 games
The boxscores of games 6 & 7 of the 2011 PEC remain up on the bulletin board...

[Evas]

Imperial League

Seaboard
1. West Virginia - I don't see them relinquishing their throne soon.
2. Arlington - I expect continued additions by trade and progress, leading to success that might surprise some.
3. Hartford - 2nd place is a definite possibility.
4. Manchester - Trending in the right direction, but not quite ready.

Dixie
1. Florida - Doi.
2. Kentucky - An excellent organization that is always in the mix.
3. New Orleans - They have some talent, but I don't see it happening in 2034.
4. San Antonio - Time to blow it up?
5. Charleston - Deep in a rebuild.

Trans Atlantic
1. Havana - Solid all the way around. It will be hard for anyone to dislodge them.
2. San Juan - Good squad with a craft GM. I expect them to be there at the end.
2. Amsterdam - The injury to Maruyama could push them down to 3rd. Unfortunate because this has been a great turn around.
4. Scottish - Not enough offense to go far.
5. London - The organization is on its way up, but not in 2034.


IL Awards Winners
Royal Raker Winner: Gordon Knopp
Golden Arm Winner: Luppe Van Dam
Wunderkind Winner: Sebastiaan De Roode

Sovereign League

Great Lakes
1. Fargo - Really solid club.
2. Kalamazoo - Will be in the playoff mix once again.
3. Crystal Lake - Not enough to keep up with the big dogs. Time to reload?
4. Duluth - Adding some arms via trade could propel them above CL. Time to move.
5. Madison - Need more to get out of the basement.

Desert Hills
1. Aurora - A well run machine that has been successfully reloaded. Here to stay, as always.
2. Bakersfield - I expect them to hang around the playoff picture, but just miss out unless they add more.
3. Palm Springs - Solid, but not enough to make it to the playoffs in a loaded SL
4. Reno - Lots of talent, but not a complete roster.
5. Tempe - Young talent should start to produce in 2034. Watch out after that.
6. Yuma - The future is getting closer.

Rising Sun
1. Shin Seiki - Not a perfect roster, maybe not even more talented than in 2033. But I think better fits than in 2033, which could produce better results.
2. Toyoma - Loaded again. I expect this to go down to the wire.
3. Neo Tokyo - Neck and neck with SS and TOY, but I think they wind up a step behind.
4. OKA - Has made some additions and I expect more. Not enough PEBA talent to compete in the division yet, but their time will come.
5. Niihama - The build continues to go well, but I expect tactical selling at the deadline to result in some extra losses after the deadline. This is probably their last 5th place finish for a long time thouh.


SL Awards Winners
Royal Raker Winner: Pat Watson
Golden Arm Winner: Roberto Rivera
Wunderkind Winner: Chris Krebs

Postseason

IL Wild Card Winner - Top 3 seeds get a bye
KY over SJ in 4 games

SL Wild Card Winner - Top 3 seeds get a bye
TOY over NT in 5 games

IL Division Series Winners - Top 3 seeds vs. Wild Card winner
West Virginia over Havana in 4 games
Florida over KY in 6 games

SL Division Series Winners - Top 3 seeds vs. Wild Card winner
Aurora over Fargo in 7 games
SS over TOY in 6 games

League Championship Series Winners
IL: Florida over West Virginia in 5 games
SL: SS over AU in 6 games

PEC Winner
Florida over SS in 5 games

[Denny]

As always, I promise that I have not looked at the Opening Day sim results before posting

I will also include each team's proprietary DennyScore™, DennyPlayoffScore™, and DennyBonusEdge™ ratings (though the formula behind them of course cannot be revealed).

The DennyScore™ is the team's regular season power.
The DennyPlayoffScore™ indicates the team's relative strength for the special demands of the playoffs.
The DennyBonusEdge™ is the team's ability to prevail against another club of roughly equal quality; a tie-breaker, if you will (or if you won't).

Imperial League

Seaboard
1. West Virginia (DennyScore™ 17/DennyPlayoffScore™ 4/DennyBonusEdge™ 7) - Easily the class of the division as usual.
2. Arlington (10/0/4) - A bounce back to immediate respectability.
3. Manchester (9/1/2) - Finally escaping the doormat ranks.
4. Hartford (6/0/0) - Rebuild under way.

Dixie
1. Florida (18/6/8) - Powerful and built to compete come playoff time.
2. Kentucky (10/2/4) - Respectable as always, but in a bit of a retooling.
3. San Antonio (9/3/3) - Leaning heavily on their handful of studs.
4. New Orleans (8/0/2) - Making progress but not quite yet in the middle class.
5. Charleston (1/0/0) - Most comprehensive rebuild underway in 2034.

Trans Atlantic
1. Havana (19/3/8) - Actually a stronger regular season rating than Florida--but how will they fare in the postseason?
2. San Juan (13/3/5) - Best second-place club in the IL.
3. Amsterdam (12/2/4) - Best third-place club in the IL.
4. Scottish (6/1/1) - Gathering strength for the future.
5. London (4/0/1) - Better times lie ahead, but for this season appearances by the ageless Queen will likely be the highlight.


IL Awards Winners
Royal Raker Winner: Gordon Knopp (FLA)
Golden Arm Winner: Michael Doyle (KEN)
Wunderkind Winner: Alfredo Guzmán (WV)

Sovereign League

Great Lakes
1. Fargo (19/3/8) - The bullies of the GL remain a title threat.
2. Kalamazoo (14/3/6) - Added stars move the 'zoo up the ladder.
3. Duluth (13/1/3) - Improved regular season quality jump them over the Gnats.
4. Crystal Lake (11/0/2) - Not enough improvements to keep pace in the brutal SL.
5. Madison (8/0/2) - Not an embarrassing club by any means, but rest of division is too overpowering.

Desert Hills
1. Aurora (14/2/4) - Still the best club, but in a relatively weak(!) division by SL standards.
2. Palm Springs (13/3/4) - Free agents get them back to respectability, but not playoffs.
3. Reno (11/0/2) - Young talent needs another year or two to gel.
4. Bakersfield (10/1/4) - Similar to CL as a perennial contender who may need to do a mini-retool.
5. Tempe (7/0/1) - No longer pushovers, but a year or two from contending.
6. Yuma (4/0/1) - Improved compared to the last several years, but the SL waits for no one.

Rising Sun
1. Toyama (20/6/9) - The heavyweights of the Rising Sun, and thus the SL.
2. Shin Seiki (16/6/6) - Built for the playoffs even if they are a shade back of Toyama in regular season strength.
3. Neo Tokyo (14/2/5) - This team would likely win the Desert Hills, but unluckily instead will will have to fight just to capture a wild card.
4. Okinawa (8/1/2) - Another rebuilding club past its bottom-out point and on the upswing.
5. Niihama-Shi (7/1/1) - The fight this year is with Okinawa for best rebuilding team in the RS.


SL Awards Winners
Royal Raker Winner: Pat Watson (FAR)
Golden Arm Winner: Cheong-sang Yung (KAL)
Wunderkind Winner: Vincente Gallardo (PS) - gotta plug the local kid!

Postseason

IL Wild Card Winner - Top 3 seeds get a bye
San Juan over Amsterdam in 4 games

SL Wild Card Winner - Top 3 seeds get a bye (incidentally, I think KAL gets the final WC over NT only by a Game 163)
Shin Seiki over Kalamazoo in 3 games

IL Division Series Winners - Top 3 seeds vs. Wild Card winner
Havana (the top seed! ) over San Juan in 7 games
Florida over West Virginia in 6 games

SL Division Series Winners - Top 3 seeds vs. Wild Card winner
Toyama over Shin Seiki in 7 games (there are going to be a TON of epic SL playoff battles this year, FYI)
Fargo over Aurora in 7 games

League Championship Series Winners
IL: Florida over Havana in 5 games
SL: Toyama over Fargo in 5 games

PEC Winner
Toyama over Florida in 7 games; and I think Game 7 will need extra innings to decide the outcome!

I'm as surprised by some of these results as you are, folks; but I call 'em like my proprietary scoring methods see 'em!

[Wind Dancers]

Imperial League

Seaboard
1. West Virginia
2. Arlington
3. Manchester
4. Hartford

Dixie
1. Florida
2. Kentucky
3. San Antonio
4. New Orleans
5. Charleston

Trans Atlantic
1. Havana
2. Amsterdam
3. SanJuan
4. London
5. Scottish


IL Awards Winners
Royal Raker Winner: Gordon Knopp (FLA)
Golden Arm Winner: Luppe Van Dam (FLA)
Wunderkind Winner: Alfredo Guzman (WV)

Sovereign League

Great Lakes
1. Kalamazoo
2. Fargo
3. Crystal Lake
4. Madison
5. Duluth

Desert Hills
1. Aurora
2. Bakersfield
3. Reno
4. Palm Springs
5. Tempe
6. Yuma

Rising Sun
1. Shin Seiki
2. Toyama
3. Neo-Tokyo
4. Okinawa
5. Niihama

SL Awards Winners
Royal Raker Winner: Tomas Martinez NT
Golden Arm Winner: Owen Barse FAR
Wunderkind Winner: Alberto Flores SS

Postseason

IL Wild Card Winner - Top 3 seeds get a bye
Amsterdam over San Juan in 5 games

SL Wild Card Winner - Top 3 seeds get a bye
Toyama over Fargo in 5 games

IL Division Series Winners - Top 3 seeds vs. Wild Card winner
Florida over San Juan in 5 games
West Virginia over Havana in 7 games

SL Division Series Winners - Top 3 seeds vs. Wild Card winner
Shin Seiki over Kalamazoo in 6 games
Aurora over Toyama in 6 games

League Championship Series Winners
IL: Florida over West Virginia in 6 games
SL: Shin Seiki over Aurora in 7 games

PEC Winner
Shin Seiki over Florida in 7 games

[MikeB]

Imperial League

Seaboard
1. West Virginia
2. Arlington
3. Hartford
4. Manchester

Dixie
1. Florida
2. Kentucky
3. San Antonio
4. New Orleans
5. Charleston

Trans Atlantic
1. Havana
2. San Juan
3. Amsterdam
4. London
5. Scottish


IL Awards Winners
Royal Raker Winner: Gordon Knopp FLA
Golden Arm Winner: Juan Acosta FLA
Wunderkind Winner: Alfredo Guzman WV

Sovereign League

Great Lakes
1. Fargo
2. Kalamazoo
3. Crystal Lake
4. Duluth
5. Madison

Desert Hills
1. Bakersfield
2. Aurora
3. Reno
4. Palm Springs
5. Tempe
6. Yuma

Rising Sun
1.Toyama
2. Neo-Tokyo
3. Shin-Seiki
4. Okinawa
5. Niihama

SL Awards Winners
Royal Raker Winner: Claudio Hernandez OK
Golden Arm Winner: Daniel Hernandez TOY
Wunderkind Winner: Hector Guitierrez AUR

Postseason

IL Wild Card Winner - Top 3 seeds get a bye
San Juan over Amsterdam in 4 games

SL Wild Card Winner - Top 3 seeds get a bye
Neo-Tokyo over Kalamazoo in 4 games

IL Division Series Winners - Top 3 seeds vs. Wild Card winner
Florida over San Juan in 7 games
West Virginia over Havana in 7 games

SL Division Series Winners - Top 3 seeds vs. Wild Card winner
Bakersfield over Fargo in 6 games
Toyama over Neo-Tokyo in 7 games

League Championship Series Winners
IL: Florida over West Virginia in 6 games
SL: Toyama over Bakersfield in 6 games

PEC Winner
Florida over Toyama in 5 games