I finally got some time to make my predictions. I guess it is kinda cheating since this is done after 2 sims. I'm probably biased but I think the Dixie Division is one of the toughest divisions. So a lot of the teams within the division will beat one another up. It seems both West Virginia and San Antonio avoid total rebuilding but rather just retool. West Virginia has a ton of prospects along with multiple early draft picks this year. San Antonio made an offensive splash with their trades and free agents. I expect them to retool their pitching after this year. Kentucky have picks #3, 4, and 5 overall in this year's draft
They also have a strong farm system. So I expect them to start to rise up in the next few seasons. Their main concern will be getting fans to care about their team. I don't have much to say about New Orleans and Charleston because they are consistently good. I'm really impressed by Charleston's pitching staff so I have them winning it all.
The Pan-Atlantic is a very evenly matched division as evident from last season. I don't see any juggernauts in the division. I think Manchester is gonna fall a bit from their amazing run last year. London was a very surprise team last season but I think their struggling finance situation and lack of fan support will start to catch up with them. New Jersey's playoff run window appeared to have close with the loss of Yoshino Miyata. Connecticut's loss of Rafael Hernández definitely hurts especially with them giving up Robles. They also mortgage a lot of their draft picks so there's gonna be some rippling effect I think.
I tink the Great Lakes is dominated by Crystal Lake. Fargo is a team on the rise. They have plenty of talented prospects. Kalamazoo is a team in transition with the new owner and all. They've always been the bride's maid in the division. But from the podcasts, it appears the team will be teared down slightly and rebuilt. The rest of the division appears to be rebuilding. So I expect Crystal Lake to have a window of a few seasons before other teams catch up to them. Fargo has a really good shot at being good really soon though.
Desert Hills is a pretty tough division too. Aurora is the clear top dog. Palm Springs and Bakersfield duke it out for second. I have a feeling though that Bakersfield is slowing transitioning to retooling/rebuilding. I think their playoff and 100-win season runs are coming to an end soon. It's still early in the season but Jude Pew could be in for a real decline after his serious shoulder injury. So that $19 million contract through 2014 could be problematic for the Bears. Palm Springs is a very solid team. I see them and Aurora jostling around like the Phillies-Mets or Yankees-Red Sox do in recent seasons. Just like Kalamazoo, Reno had a new owner last season. So they are in a transitioning period. Tempe and Yuma are in rebuild mode. So I think for awhile, it's going to be Palm Springs and Aurora battling one another until the other teams finishing rebuilding over the next few seasons.
IL Pan-Atlantic
Gloucester Fishermen (92-70)
Manchester Maulers (83-79)
London Underground (79-83)
Arlington Bureaucrats (79-83)
New Jersey Hitmen (76-86)
Connecticut Nutmeggers (63-99)
IL Dixie
Charleston Statesmen (106-51)
New Orleans Trendsetters (101-61)
Florida Featherheads (86-76)
West Virginia Coal Sox (76-86)
Kentucky Thoroughbreds (62-100)
San Antonio Calzones de Laredo (60-102)
Charleston def. Florida 3-1
New Orleans def. Gloucester 3-2
Charleston def. New Orleans 4-2
SL Great Lakes
Crystal Lake Sandgnats (105-57)
Fargo Dinosaurs (85-77)
Kalamazoo Badgers (78-84)
Canton Longshoremen (70-92)
Omaha Cyclones (70-92)
Duluth Warriors (63-99)
SL Desert Hills
Aurora Borealis (119-43)
Palm Springs Codgers (106-56)
Bakersfield Bears (92-70)
Reno Tenpinners (75-87)
Tempe Knights (73-89)
Yuma Bulldozers (50-112)
Aurora def. Bakersfield 3-1
Palm Springs def. Crystal Lake Sandgnats 3-2
Aurora def. Palm Springs 4-2
Charleston def. Aurora 4-3
