2040 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 2 seeds get a bye
_____ over _____ in __ games
_____ over _____ in __ games

SL Wild Card Winner - Top 2 seeds get a bye
_____ over _____ in __ games
_____ over _____ in __ games

IL Division Series Winners - Top 2 seeds vs. Wild Card winners
_____ over _____ in __ games
_____ over _____ in __ games

SL Division Series Winners - Top 2 seeds vs. Wild Card winners
_____ 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

[Arroyos]

Somehow, the PEBAverse survived the Great Flood of 2039. Somehow the league picked up the pieces, played an abbreviated schedule, and lived to play another season. Those teams unaffected by the flood, or suffering only minor damage--mostly Pacific Rim teams and those residing in higher elevations--opened their stadia and their pocket books and their hearts to those teams whose home bases were destroyed or damaged too severely to be repaired. Some ballparks had to be leveled in order to be replaced--this was the case in New Orleans and Havana, where flood waters effectively wiped out those cities. Even now, a year later, the rubble is still being removed from the famous Havana Malecon district adjacent to the Gulf. New Orleans after Katrina struggled to rebuild. The 2039 flood obliterated those efforts and the city's leaders finally gave up the ghost, electing not to rebuild downtown New Orleans but rather move the entire city further inland, away from the unpredictable waters of the Mississippi.

What has that meant for the PEBAverse? The New Orleans Trendsetters are temporarily relocating to Baton Rouge, where they have taken up residence in the former minor league stadium of the Rougarous, an unaffiliated team that went bankrupt several years ago.The Havana Leones have moved away from the coast and into the provincial capitol of Santa Clara, 400 feet above sea level, where they will share facilities with the Cuban National team, the Leopardos. Tight quarters for the PEBA team--lions sharing space with leopards?--but at least they'll be dry and have space to play ball.

Further north, in the USA, some teams lost everything, others suffered flooding but nothing that couldn't be repaired and dried out. So while the stadia in Kalamazoo and Fargo and Crystal Lake were largely untouched by the flood, Duluth, New Jersey, Gloucester, Arlington, Charleston and Florida all had to find new homes while major repairs were completed on their stadia. Each of those teams was able to relocate temporarily to a minor league stadium in their region or share quarters with another PEBA team. For example, West Virginia, completed untouched by the flood, generously volunteered to share their quarters with Arlington. Hartford did the same for New Jersey. San Antonio and Kentucky have volunteered their stadia to other homeless teams, and arrangements are still pending. Florida, meanwhile, is considering building a floating baseball stadium that they would anchor in Biscayne Bay, between the Bay Harbor Islands (where Miami Beach is located) and downtown Miami. The islands would protect the floating stadia during rough weather, while the proximity to Miami Beach and downtown should make access to the floating ballpark convenient. Besides, who wouldn't want to visit the world's first Floating Stadium?

In Europe, things are not so chummy. The cities of Amsterdam, London, and Edinburgh not only suffered from flood waters but have become involuntary hosts to millions of European refugees who fled the flood waters. The Amsterdam Lions and the London Underground are searching for new homes. The Underground are negotiating with a youth baseball league in Austria to share their facilities, while the Lions are counting on historical ties between Denmark and Spain to secure a new residence in Madrid. The Scottish Claymores have relocated north of Edinburgh in the Highlands, where they are busy refitting a cricket field for baseball. The Gloucester club have not yet found a new home, so their season is very much on hold right now. And if that weren't tragic enough, the entire coast of Puerto Rico, including the home of the San Juan Coqui, was erased from the map by the rising ocean waters. Many players lost their lives, most lost family members, and none of the Puerto Ricans who survived the flood have any interest in playing or watching baseball until the bodies of the millions of missing souls can be found and properly buried. Baseball in Puerto Rico has been cancelled for the time being.

None of these teams expects to play a full season in 2040, but all expect to be playing again in their home stadia by 2041.

What does that mean for predictions? Under the best of circumstances this is a guessing game, but this year, post-Flood, nothing feels certain except the continued success of the Alleghenies.

Imperial League

Seaboard
1. West Virginia will dominate the wounded Seaboard division.
2. Hartford will finish a distant second.
3. The rest of the division will struggle to play a full schedule in their temporary quarters.

Dixie
1. & 2. Kentucky and San Antonio will battle for first, with the Calzones enjoying the benefits of warmer weather and finishing a game ahead of the Thoroughbreds.
3. & 4. Charleston and New Orleans will play very limited schedules with roughly equal dismal results.
5. Florida will never get their floating stadium built in time, so they will cancel the first half of the season. When they do resume play in mid-July, the slight undulation of the floating ballpark will cause headaches and dizziness among the players. The result will be a last place finish that will shock the entire PEBAverse.

Trans Atlantic
Not a single team has survived the flood with enough personnel, sufficient finances or a ballpark in which to play a full season. Except for San Juan, where baseball has simply been abandoned, the other teams will struggle mightily to play a few games. Only the Scottish Claymores, in their refurbished cricket field, expect to play more than half their scheduled games. The Scottish, therefore, will be the default winners of the division.

The playoffs will become a showcase for the Alleghenies, the only team in the Imperial League untouched by the devastation of the Great Flood of 2039.

Things are a bit more optimistic in the Sovereign League. More about that later.

[Borealis]

We shall try not to interrupt the Yuma Tale too much

Imperial League
Seaboard
1. West Virginia
2. New Jersey
3. Hartford
4. Manchester
5. Arlington

New Jersey continues to make moves that should keep them in the playoff hunt, and maybe bypass WV... Will it be Hartford or the Maulers finishing third and likely no playoff hope? I keep getting fooled by Manchester - maybe it's hopeful thinking that leads me astray... Arlington once more appears destined for the bottom of this barrel...

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

I feel like the time has come for Charleston - they've been collecting pieces for so long that they have to be old enough to put up of shut up - and I don't think they are so ready for prime-time that they will challenge FLA, but a playoff spot just might be in the mix if they can play the F-heads tightly... Kentucky's 3rd place finish is almost by default as San Antonio and the Crescent City have too far to go...

Trans Atlantic
1. London
2. Scottish
3. Amsterdam
4. Havanna
5. Gloucester
6. San Juan

By far one of the tougher divisions - at least the toughest in the IL ... I have no clue where to start, other than take the top four and pull names out of the hat. And don't sleep too much on Gloucester or you may find yourself sleeping with the fish(ermen), as they are not far behind their re-patriation brethren CST...

IL Awards Winners
Royal Raker Winner:
Golden Arm Winner: Charleston's 'Wino'
Wunderkind Winner:

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

I think Duluth is strong enough - and between a healthy Herrera and Rene Padilla, this is a team to be reckoned with... The 'Gnat's $60M man may be better in year 2 (worth only $52M), while the Badgers seem on a downward trend... Fargo's youth may be enough to make a lot of noise in the SL, enough for 3rd, not enough for a playoff spot...

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

You are reading that right - zero faith in the Borealis: aging pitching, even less power, and a shaky looking bullpen, while Tempe and Reno continue to look strong and Palm Springs have done ALL THE RIGHT MOVES and would not surprise if they made the playoffs... If Yuma can finish more than 5-games better than .500, they may push Aurora into 5th...

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

I think that Niihama avoids a slow start that did them in last season and sneaks past Toyama... Okinawa and The Evil Evas both have enough to stay ahead of the Akira, but which has more than the other and threaten for a playoff spot - Shin Seiki maybe has better pitching, Okinawa maybe better hitting...

SL Awards Winners
Royal Raker Winner:
Golden Arm Winner: Rene Padilla, DUL
Wunderkind Winner: Mark Newton, AUR

Postseason

IL Wild Card Winner
Charleston over Scottish in 5 games
New Jersey over London in 5

SL Wild Card Winner
Reno over Okinawa in 4 games
Tempe over Crystal Lake in 4 games

IL Division Series Winners
New Jersey over Florida in 7 games
West Virginia over Charleston in 6 games

SL Division Series Winners
Niihama over Okinawa in 5 games
Tempe over Duluth in 7 games

League Championship Series Winners
IL: New Jersey over West Virginia in 7 games
SL: Tempe over Niihama in 7 games

PEC Winner
Tempe over New Jersey in 6 games (of course, SL RULES!!!)

[Trendsetters]

Imperial League

Seaboard
1.West Virginia - As I have said the last two years. You just don't bet against the Alleghenies until they actually lose. Which they don't. There are a few chinks in the armor, but look for West Virginia to come out on top again.
2.New Jersey - I have no idea why OOTP thinks this team will finish 4th. They have a lineup that could rival Florida's. They have the reigning ROY in Don Washington and they added two prime hitters in Pablo Ortiz and Juan Jaramillo. They have power and a good defensive catcher to handle the staff, The rotation may not be stellar top to bottom, but Julio Jaramillo is still a 20 game winner and Scott Coulter is still an excellent closer. If any team can beat West Virginia, New Jersey is it.
3.Manchester - Manchester could very well finish above .500 this year. They have solid pitching and defense and the lineup looks a bit better than Hartford's. They also have solid gloves up the middle. They could use a better catcher as Ruiz is not a very capable starter. If 1B prospect Yasayuki Agano gets hot in AAA, don't be surprised if Manchester tries to deal Johnathan Hill, their newly signed 1B. Odds are they let Agano develop more at AAA, especially with the glove.
4.Hartford - Hartford has excellent pitching but little else. The hitting is weak and only two of their position players hit above .250 last year. Hartford has some room for growth in the big leagues on their pitching staff, but I think this will be a rest year for them. They have some good players on the way, but only Gerard Stark looks ready to make the leap in 2040.
5.Arlington - Still rebuilding. Their minor league system is starting to get some depth and they do have some good pitching on the way. They are still 2-3 years from seeing that talent mature and they traded away the overall #1 in this years draft. They got a number of pieces back in the trade with Niihama, but still.

Dixie
1. Florida - Just stupid good. Pitching staff ran away with almost every award last year and their 3rd best starter went 23-0. The only hope for the rest of this league would be a plague or possibly they find demolishing the IL to be boring. They will most likely repeat.
2. Charleston - The Statesman's talent has finally arrived. After burying his top picks in the minors for years, Charleston looks to finally be unleashing all of that talent on the league in one fell swoop. The pitching staff is more than solid and they still have room to grow, the lineup is deadly and they have even more on the way. They won't win the division, but I predict they will get a wildcard spot. They will need to start piling up some wins and generating some revenue, otherwise they will have trouble affording these guys when they hit arbitration or free agency.
3. Kentucky - This will still be a very good team and the Dixie division could boast two wild card teams if the bounces break right. But I think the best window for this team unfortunately coincided with Florida's still wide open window and Kentucky's window may be closing. At the very least, it needs some Windex.
4. New Orleans - This team is nothing but a below average team more worried about 2043 and 2044 when some of that talent may arrive than they are 2040. They have been near last in almost every pitching category and a disappointing team offensively as well. They will continue to try and stockpile picks and prospects and hope they develop. They did make some improvements to a dismal defense with the signing of Barry Wallace. As is, they still have a middling lineup with little speed, a porous defense and a pitching staff that will keep the trains to and from Fayetteville busy all season long.
5. San Antonio - All of their real talent is young and will be making their debut likely in 2040. This will be a rebuilding year for the Calzones, but help is not far away. I don't think they will be at the bottom of the division for that long.

Trans Atlantic
1. Scottish - The Claymores look just as intimidating this year as they did last year when they won the division. Eric Nelson is a monster and the trades for Nelson and Martinez paid big dividends for the Claymores. This team not only has a potent lineup, they have one of the best defenses in the league to help their pitching staff, which didn't need much help to begin with. This team has gotten better every year and could go deeper than they did last year.
2. Amsterdam - What the hell is going on with Iwao Yamamoto? He is ridiculously talented but puts up journeyman numbers. He does get on base at a nice clip, but he seemed to regress last year with a lower BA, OBP, WAR and OPS+. If Yamamoto could figure it out, this team can compete with almost anybody. The Lions have definite room for improvement and could easily pick up a big bat for 1B. They had a nice season last year making the playoffs, but I think they may be left out in 2040.
3. London - The Underground have some good pieces and are only two years removed from their 100 win season and did notch an impressive 95 wins last year. But, they are starting to get a little thin and Both Rocky Nichols and Raul Cruz in FA years, they need to make the most of this year. One possible move might be Jorge Ruiz to the starting rotation.
4. Havana - Last year the Leones finished in 4th place, but only two games below .500. Havana has some nice prospects that could mature this year and don't be surprised if they surpass London or even Amsterdam?
5. San Juan - Time to break it down and start over. They have two fairly good trade pieces in Rory Souter and CL Soseki Yokoyama. Yokoyama is only 23, but there is little point in keeping a top notch closer when you won't be handing him many save opportunities.
6. Gloucester - Very little pop in the bats and outside of Ito and Santiago, very little talent on the pitching staff. They have a couple of prospects who could make the jump this year and the minor league system is pretty stacked and SP Richard Cervantes could make his debut this year.


IL Awards Winners
Royal Raker Winner: Gordon Knopp. He's won the WAR title seven straight years and will likely repeat this year as he is still in his prime.
Golden Arm Winner: Hen-to-Tse. A 20 game winner last year he might have won the GA if not for Beora's historic season.
Wunderkind Winner: CF Hector Ramirez, San Antonio.L oads of talent and he is major league ready.

Sovereign League

Great Lakes
1. Fargo - This entire division is really a toss-up. Any of the five teams have the talent to take the title. Not many people predicted Duluth to win out last year. I'm picking Fargo because I think they have the best chance to get stronger as the year progresses. They have a potent lineup with power in the corners and defense up the middle. They have an excellent, but aging catcher in Fernando Valdez and their pitching is very solid behind David Garcia. The bullpen is a slight concern, but one I think they will figure out. They also have three, maybe four top prospects on the cusp of PEBA stardom.
2. Madison - Madison made two of the biggest trades in the offseason picking up Michael Roberts, a true star underpaid at 22.25 million and still with an arbitration year left. They also picked up solid slugger Giampolo Eremitani who is only two seasons removed from a 53 HR year. "Clogger" may be on the downside of his career, but at the cost of a 5th round pick and some cash, he was worth it. The only worry may be their pitching which has been pretty much rebuilt. Pedro Molina and George Moss were good pickups and he likely would have been in the rotation on any other team besides Florida last year. This may be the year Madison finally makes the playoffs.
3. Duluth - It's always tough to count out Duluth, much less project them for a 3rd place finish, but Fargo is finally maturing and Madison had a busy off season. Duluth is still dangerous in a short series with Rene Padilla as their ace and Shirai Mori closing out games. The lineup is still solid too with the ever-dependable Antonio Herrera on hand to play 150+ games, hit 30+ homers and bat .300. Before this season the only injury this Iron man has ever had was gout in 2035, which I find hilarious. Duluth's stars are true stars, but this years version is a bit thin and their prospects may need another season down on the farm. If/When he does develop, C Rick Golloway will be a stud, but he may need all season to mature in Racine.
4. Kalamazoo - Another team that demonstrates not so much Kalamazoo has fallen, but just how much this division has improved. Kalamazoo has four solid starters, a capable bullpen and some pretty good pieces. However, the lineup is depending on a 39 year old Pedro Rodriguez to stay off the IL, something he has failed miserable at with, having four injuries last year that caused him to miss time last year. Kalamazoo has a deep enough team with 3-4 players ready at AAA to contribute, especially Sadahige Kouki who will likely get some at bats before the season is done.
5. Crystal Lake - This team is still the Carl Burrough show. Burroughs did not quite match the hype last year, but I doubt any rookie could have. Burrough signed a record deal last year that paid him over $60,000,000 dollars and he was expected to play DiMaggio like defense, hit like Mike Trout. Steal bases like Rickey Henderson and solve Middle East peace. He did none of those and I'm not sure he even put much effort into Middle East peace, the slacker. But again, he was a rookie. His sophomore season should be better and he will put up better numbers as well as continue to play solid CF. Another advantage is that his salary continues to decrease as the years go by so that when he is fully developed at Age 27 or 28 his cost will be much more palatable and allow Crystal Lake to add more players. However, right now, the Sand Gnats lack pitching and that will send them tumbling in the standings.


Desert Hills
1. Tempe - This division is either Tempe's or Reno's to lose with Pal Springs fast on their heels. Tempe is solid top to bottom with plus bats like Pedro Coronado Li Caporn, Guancollo Carvalhas and William Docherty making a solid top of the lineup. Pitching wise they have solid arms in Taylor and Smith Zhou ready to take a step forward this season as well. Tempe has been teasing a division title for a couple of years now and this year they may just deliver the goods.
2. Reno - Reno's hopes may depend on which Kenkichi Daikawa shows up. Was it the .218 hitter who lost his starting job with the Claymores last year or the 2038 version that belted 50 HR? Reno went to the SL League Playoff last year on a great well-timed run. They have solid bats and while their rotation may not be the best in the division, they have an excellent bullpen, led by Shutdown Winner Anthony Soame. I still think this is Tempe's year, but don't count Reno out. Outside of LF Steve Boyers and SP Toby Ayers this is a team entering it's prime and they will compete.
3. Palm Springs - The Codgers GM came into the league wheeling and dealing and hasn't stopped. He made some waves last year acquiring talent and while that effort faded down the stretch they have kept the phone lines humming. Hitting and pitching have made big strides forward with the addition of James McCoy to the rotation The lineup has been where Palm Springs wheeling and dealing have really paid off. Rollins, Canseco, Chu, and Barnes all came via trade and C Claudio Perez and Nagata were both FA signings. All of those deals did come at a cost, while there is some talent at AAA and AA, the lower minors are pretty bare and Palm Springs does not have a 1st round pick this year. The Codgers are lining up all of their markers for a window that could lead to a championship in the next few years.
4. Aurora - Slid but unspectacular pieces in the lineup with excellent defense up the middle and behind the plate, but nobody in the lineup scares you and the rest of the defense is pretty subpar, The pitching staff is pretty good with Clymo and Batista at the top and Jung-Hyun Yi will develop into a solid #2, but this is a team that finally ran out of gas. Last year was only the 8th time the Borealis did not make the playoffs and they squeezed everey bit of talent out of their roster they could. Now they begin rebuilding and while they don't pick until 18th, they have five picks in the second with which to begin restocking their system. Aurora is down, but will get off the matt in less time than you think.
5. Yuma - Yuma has a true star hitter in Mei-Shan Kum and the Arroyos caught a massive bad break when Kum hurt his knee last year missing all but 29 games. We will see how effective he is this season. He really should be DHing as he is, as they say in higher society, "Doo-Doo Poopy" as an outfielder and in a race around the basepaths against a pregnant woman, he would come in third. Yuma still has two superstars in the rotation with Mang Sun and Young-pil Pin which sounds like a Japanese roofie. Fernando Rum, while swinging a pretty weak bat, will shore up the defense up the middle. The rest of the defense lacks range and may as well lack gloves too. This and the anemic hitting will sink Yuma. They have some solid pieces on the way. Prospects who can catch and throw as well as hit and if they can develop ion the next few years, they can help Yuma really put something together. As for now, Yuma will keep trying to deal and develop and hope they get more from Pat Clark besides medical bills.
6. Bakersfield - They are rebuilding. They are trying to accumulate pieces as quickly as they can. They do have 24 mil a year locked up in Joe Riley for the next five seasons which will make up about 25% of their payroll. They will have some flexibility, but need some their capable prospects to develop quickly.

Rising Sun
1. Niihama-shi - This team is close to being a dynasty. Not only could they win the division this season, they made deals to secure the overall Number One pick in the draft and they have nine extra picks in total. They needed those picks as their farm system was barren and ranked 30th in the league. But in the here and now, they are scary. They have four players in the lineup with 30+ homers last season and all in their prime of 27-32 years of age. To make things worse for the rest of the league, they have the talent depth to platoon at many positions. How many teams have the depth to platoon last years home run leader? The rotation is also very solid with four of the starters posting sub 3.00 ERAs in 2039. This team will be tough to beat...
2. Toyama - ...but Toyama could do it. They hitting core of Cabrera, Maeda and Kouyama are still dangerous and will hurt a lot of teams. The defense is a little shaky up the middle and the pitching staff is not the force it once was, but count Toyama out at your own peril. Israel De la Cruz will be fun to watch as he makes his debut. The bullpen will be solid as always with Hideo Miura expected back from injury in a COUPLE OF WEEKS.
3. Shin Seiki - The Evas may not have a true star in the lineup, but almost everybody in their lineup could start for most teams in the league. The Evas are trying to get back for the post season as the two years they have missed has been the only two year streak in their history. The Evas have only missed the playoffs three times which shows you what strange territory they find themselves in. The pitching staff could use some help with ace Jorge Castillo showing some gray hairs. Alfredo Gonzales continues to mystify his coaches as a guy with five pitches and a fastball that hits 99-101 with excellent movement continues to struggle. This is a good team and it may even overtake Toyama, but it is too reliant on aging veterans and an elbow here or a bad back there could sink their season.
4. Okinawa - Okinawa made some nice moves in the offseason to rebuild and they possess three 1st round picks this year to help rebuild their system which was ranked 27th at the beginning of the season. They no longer have the lineup to bull past opponents, but they can still put the wood to the ball and the pitching staff has some potential, especially Yoritomo Hayakawa who is still just 23 years old.
5. Neo Tokyo - Nobody really knows when Neo Tokyo will reach their potential. I can pretty much guarantee it won't be this year. The Akira need to revamp their coaches in the minors and focus on guys who can develop prospects. Neo-Tokyo has made some good picks over the years but they are not developing as they should.

SL Awards Winners
Royal Raker Winner: Antonio Herrera - DUL
Golden Arm Winner: James McCoy - PS
Wunderkind Winner: Jorge Salina - NT

Postseason

IL Wild Card Winner - Top 2 seeds get a bye
_New Jersey____ over __Amsterdam___ in _5_ games
___London__ over __Charleston___ in _3_ games

SL Wild Card Winner - Top 2 seeds get a bye
Toyama over Madison in 4games
Reno over Duluth in 5 games

IL Division Series Winners - Top 2 seeds vs. Wild Card winners
Florida over London in 4 games
New Jersey over West Virginia in 6 games

SL Division Series Winners - Top 2 seeds vs. Wild Card winners
Fargo over Reno in __ games
Niihama-shi over Toyama in 4 games

League Championship Series Winners
IL: FLA over New Jersey in 5 games
SL: NII over FAR in 4 games

PEC Winner
FLA over Nii in 7 games

[Lions]

Imperial League

Seaboard
1. New Jersey - I think the offense carries them over West Virginia (and honestly, where's the fun in picking WV forever!)
2. West Virginia - I put them second based on the idea that the offense isn't as good, but the pitching is still excellent.
3. Hartford - Aaron Goater alone is worth 3rd place.
4. Manchester - Not far off from Hartford with Martinez their Goater.
5. Arlington - Robinson Estrada needs to become an ace to make the McCoy trade worth it.

Dixie
1. Florida - Yawn
2. Kentucky - I think they're still pretty good. It's trendy to pick the Statesmen, but I think the Thoroughbreds will hold them off another year at least.
3. Charleston - The prospect charge is in full swing, but the jump to PEBA is large and the offense just doesn't look ready yet, to me.
4. San Antonio - Johnny Arthur to Jorge Berrios can win you a lot of 1-0 games.
5. New Orleans - Very little to get excited about and I do wonder if they'll trade off anything of value as the season goes along.

Trans Atlantic
1. London - I see them pulling off a bit of an upset over Scottish. They really have some high end talent, and shoring up some depth might be all it takes.
2. Scottish - A notable drop off from Eric Nelson might be all it takes to drop them to 2nd, but I see the race being quite tight with either team possibly winning the division.
3. Amsterdam - The pitching staff is heavily mediocre. There's no one that really stands out and if they don't perform, the season could get ugly pretty quick.
4. San Juan - They're the Charleston of the TA, with prospect starting to arrive who could see them as a bit of a surprise.
5. Havana - Offense has some big holes that Mateo can't fill alone. SP's Sosa and Maruyama are going to win their share of games anyway.
6. Gloucester - No need to rush Cervantes to the majors, their top hitting prospects are still years away.


IL Awards Winners
Royal Raker Winner: Knopp (FLA)
Golden Arm Winner: Goater (HAR)
Wunderkind Winner: Arthur (SA)

Sovereign League

Great Lakes
1. Fargo - Bob Smith may not be his real name, but whatever witness protection program he's a part of, he's quietly really good.
2. Duluth - Padilla and Mori are the best SP/RP combo in the division.
3. Crystal Lake - Can't wait to see how Burrough handles his sophomore year
4. Madison - Roberts is possibly more valuable than Knopp, but even he won't be enough to pull the Malts into contention.
5. Kalamazoo - Andrew Lyle held his own in AAA last year at 18 years old.

Desert Hills
1. Palm Springs - I actually think they're now the class of the division. A full year of McCoy and Perez are huge additions. Yamaguchi wins Golden Arm over Ojeda.
2. Tempe - Ernest Smith takes it to the next level. Pulsifer pulverizes baseballs.
3. Reno - Still a great team, I just think they're going to struggle after their PEC run last year.
4. Aurora - This level of mediocrity isn't what Borealis fans are used to, but they're not sinking into a full rebuild yet.
5. Yuma - Stars that can hang with anyone, just no supporting cast.
6. Bakersfield - Joe Riley will struggle to reach the fences at the cavernous Oaks.

Rising Sun
1. Niihama-Shi - They eke it out in a brutal division race.
2. Toyama - I don't quite like their pitching as much as the Ghosts, but they could easily win this.
3. Shin Seiki - Not quite on level with the top 2, but don't be surprised to see them in the postseason.
4. Okinawa - It's possible they could sneak into the postseason as the 6 seed, although I think that Tempe will take it from them in the end.
5. Neo Tokyo - There's a huge gap between them and the rest of the division, but they do have a top 5 farm system.

SL Awards Winners
Royal Raker Winner: Yamaguchi (PS)
Golden Arm Winner: Roberts (MAD)
Wunderkind Winner: Salinas (NT)

Postseason

IL Wild Card Winner - Top 2 seeds get a bye
WV over AMA in 5 games
SCO over LON in 4 games

SL Wild Card Winner - Top 2 seeds get a bye
TEM over SS in 4 games
TOY over FAR in 3 games

IL Division Series Winners - Top 2 seeds vs. Wild Card winners
FLA over WV in 6 games
SCO over NJ in 6 games

SL Division Series Winners - Top 2 seeds vs. Wild Card winners
PS over SS in 6 games
NII over TOY in 7 games

League Championship Series Winners
IL: FLA over SCO in 5 games
SL: PS over NII in 6 games

PEC Winner
FLA over PS in 6 games

[Wind Dancers]

Imperial League

Seaboard
1. West Virginia
2. New Jersey
3. Manchester
4. Hartford
5. Arlington

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

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


IL Awards Winners
Royal Raker Winner: CF Gordon Knopp, FLA
Golden Arm Winner: SP Edgardo Trevino, FLA
Wunderkind Winner: SP Johnny Arthur, SA

Sovereign League

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

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

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

SL Awards Winners
Royal Raker Winner: 3B Antonio Herrera, DUL
Golden Arm Winner: SP Jose Ojeda, REN
Wunderkind Winner: 3B Javier Cervantes, PS

Postseason

IL Wild Card Winner - Top 2 seeds get a bye
Scottish over London in 4 games
New Jersey over Amsterdam in 4 games

SL Wild Card Winner - Top 2 seeds get a bye
Palm Springs over Duluth in 5 games
Toyama over Okinawa in 5 games

IL Division Series Winners - Top 2 seeds vs. Wild Card winners
Florida over New Jersey in 6 games
Scottish over West Virginia in 7 games

SL Division Series Winners - Top 2 seeds vs. Wild Card winners
Niihama over Palm Springs in 5 games
Reno over Toyama in 6 games

League Championship Series Winners
IL: Florida over Scottish in 7 games
SL: Niihama over Reno in 6 games

PEC Winner
Niihama over Florida in 7 games

[Ghosts]

Imperial League

Seaboard
1. West Virginia
2. New Jersey
3. Hartford
4. Manchester
5. Arlington

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

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


IL Awards Winners
Royal Raker Winner: 1B Vito Von Wondel, FLA
Golden Arm Winner: SP Ding-Bong Zhu, CHA
Wunderkind Winner: SP Johnny Arthur, SA

Sovereign League

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

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

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

SL Awards Winners
Royal Raker Winner: 2B Michael Roberts, MAD
Golden Arm Winner: SP David Garcia, FAR
Wunderkind Winner: 3B Javier Cervantes, PS

Postseason

IL Wild Card Winner - Top 2 seeds get a bye
Scottish over New Jersey in 5 games
London over Amsterdam in 3 games

SL Wild Card Winner - Top 2 seeds get a bye
Toyoma over Palm Springs in 4 games
Fargo over Shin Seiki in 5 games

IL Division Series Winners - Top 2 seeds vs. Wild Card winners
Florida over London in 5 games
Scottish over West Virginia in 7 games

SL Division Series Winners - Top 2 seeds vs. Wild Card winners
Niihama over Toyoma in 7 games
Tempe over Fargo in 6 games

League Championship Series Winners
IL: Florida over Scottish in 6 games
SL: Niihama over Tempe in 6 games

PEC Winner
Niihama over Florida in 7 games

[Claymores]

Imperial League

Seaboard
1. West Virginia
2. New Jersey
3. Hartford
4. Manchester
5. Arlington

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

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


IL Awards Winners
Royal Raker Winner: CF Gordon Knopp, FLA
Golden Arm Winner: SP Ding-Bong Zhu, CHA
Wunderkind Winner: SP Johnny Arthur, SA

Sovereign League

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

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

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

SL Awards Winners
Royal Raker Winner: CF Carl Burrough, CL
Golden Arm Winner: SP Sugichiyo Yamaguchi, PS
Wunderkind Winner: SP Jorge Salinas, NT

Postseason

IL Wild Card Winner - Top 2 seeds get a bye
WV over Amsterdam in 3 games
NJ over London in 4 games

SL Wild Card Winner - Top 2 seeds get a bye
Niihama over Tempe in 4 games
Reno over CL in 5 games

IL Division Series Winners - Top 2 seeds vs. Wild Card winners
Florida over NJ in 6 games
Scottish over West Virginia in 7 games

SL Division Series Winners - Top 2 seeds vs. Wild Card winners
Toyoma over Reno in 5 games
PS over Niihama in 6 games

League Championship Series Winners
IL: Florida over Scottish in 6 games
SL: PS over Toyoma in 6 games

PEC Winner
Florida over PS in 6 games

[Hitmen]

Imperial League

Seaboard
1. New Jersey - This was the slap myself in the face push in the chips year, so going to take a chance and say it's enough. Desperately need 'La Flama Blanca' to come out hot and be our future though.
2. West Virginia - Last year was too close for comfort, but going out on a limb to predict a drop here.
3. Manchester - Pieces coming together, I liked the Hill pickup, enough to move them into 3rd.
4. Hartford - Not much has changed since 2039, same solid staff, same minor league offense.
5. Arlington - The rebuild/retool shuffle continues to boggle the minds of Arlington faithful.

Dixie
1. Florida - Will be a lot tighter than in previous years, Roberts absence will be felt.
2. Kentucky - Same as always, solid Kentucky.
3. Charleston - It's go time. Albeit they are in an crazy top heavy division and will have growing pains from being held down so long. Good enough for 3rd though.
4. New Orleans - Retool/rebuild continues but enough to muscle into 4th.
5. San Antonio - Plans appear to still be a couple years down the road.

Trans Atlantic
1. Scottish - The growth continues.
2. London - Going to continue to go back and forth with the Scots.
3. Amsterdam - Strong 3rd, another year of 3 from the Trans Atlantic?
4. Havana - Similar to San Juan, trying to keep things going while waiting for the youngsters to come up. Should settle in a notch above .500.
5. San Juan - Trying to move that retool along while the youngsters come up. Still not there yet.
6. Gloucester - Not ready just yet, offseason may have seen some hiccups.

IL Awards Winners
Royal Raker Winner: Gordon Knopp (FLA) - Vito can't repeat... right?
Golden Arm Winner: Ding-bong Zhu (CST) - It's time.
Wunderkind Winner: Wendell Guiney (SA) - Does he have the support to get going?

Sovereign League

Great Lakes
1. Crystal Lake - Burroughs is growing, promise land here we come?
2. Kalamazoo - Still solid enough to be #2.
3. Madison - Yay Roberts, boo just about everything else going on with the continued abandonment of the Malts. (I blame myself)
4. Fargo - Oddly similar scenario to last season. Can go either way with 4 & 5.
5. Duluth - Oddly similar scenario to last season. Can go either way with 4 & 5.

Desert Hills
1. Palm Springs - Who let these guys build a contender? Salmon?
2. Reno - Scott won't go down without a fight. The curse is gone, can't give up the winning ways now!
3. Tempe - Still like the growth here.
4. Yuma - Going out on a limb here...
5. Aurora - Taking a startling tumble. Is it the competition growth, or a less than stellar pitching staff?
6. Bakersfield - Lenny went in deep on the tear down to end the year.

Rising Sun
1. Toyama - Just another one of those well-built teams.
2. Niihama-Shi - Well-built team, still in the hunt.
3. Okinawa - Ortiz gone, for the better or worse?
4. Shin Seiki - The spiraling continues.
5. Neo Tokyo - Still need some of the youngsters to catch up, but this is moving in the right direction quickly.

SL Awards Winners
Royal Raker Winner: Carl Burrough (CL) - How the tables have turned (Still not worth $52M )
Golden Arm Winner: James McCoy (PS) - Happy in his new home.
Wunderkind Winner: Jorge Salinas (NEO) - Take a look, he fancy.

Postseason

IL Wild Card Winner - Top 2 seeds get a bye
New Jersey over Amsterdam in 5 games
London over West Virginia in 5 games

SL Wild Card Winner - Top 2 seeds get a bye
Niihama over Kalamazoo in 4 games
Reno over Crystal Lake in 5 games

IL Division Series Winners - Top 2 seeds vs. Wild Card winners
New Jersey over Florida in 6 games
Scottish over London in 6 games

SL Division Series Winners - Top 2 seeds vs. Wild Card winners
Reno over Palm Springs in 6 games
Toyama over Niihama in 7 games

League Championship Series Winners
IL: New Jersey over Scottish in 7 games
SL: Toyama over Reno in 7 games

PEC Winner
Toyoma over New Jersey in 6 games

[Lions]

Wunderkind Winner: Wendell Guiney (SA) - Does he have the support to get going?

He was pretty high on my list of contenders.

[Codgers]

Great articles Gentlemen. I appreciate some of the love the Codgers are getting, it will be interesting to see how it all shakes out. In the pursuit of offense we have built an imperfect team defensively.