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(AP)
The race for the 2031 Brewmasters Cup is on. Here are the preseason predictions brought to you by the Daily Keg. Last season we saw Hartford take a wildcard spot and win the organizations first ever Brewmaster's Cup. Can the underdog make it three years in a row or will one of the perennial power teams have their day in the sun again?
Season Standings
Ale
x Maine
z Hartford
z Syracuse
Pittsburgh
Wilmington
Pawtucket
Maine sports Pale Ale winner Kevin Alston and ends up 2nd in runs scored and 2nd in runs allowed as they cruise to another Ale title. 'Two Ton' Morris comes back to earth and "only" hits 50 home runs while Dave Tibbs puts up a 30/30 season while locking down center field. Hartford comes in second easily as Pat 'Watson' Walton and Ron Hutchinson combine to hit 100 home runs. Syracuse and Pittsburgh end up in game 163 before the Millers blow the game 13-10 because they don't have adequate pitching. Wilmington's Jaime Rush flirts with .400 again but the Wildcats starters struggle all year and they fall just short. Pawtucket lacks any sort of offense and continues to revamp with a look to the future.
Lager
x Santo Domingo
z Miami
z New Orleans
Montreal
Indy
Toronto
The Rum Runners win 100 games after failing to make the playoffs last season and win their first Lager title. Powered by the best pitching staff in the DL and Ian James on offense they pull away from Miami in the last month. Miami uses pitching and defense as they finish 1st in defensive efficiency and 1st in starters ERA and win over 90 games. New Orleans GM 'Hal' partners with assistant GM 'Skynet' and propels the Dukes into the playoffs by scoring the most runs in the DL. Outfielders Matt Wier, Zachary Schumacher, and JD Carr form the best outfield no one has ever heard of and combined with first basemen Joy-Shan Guo they blast the opposition into submission. Montreal barely misses the playoffs while Indy and Toronto continue to rebuild.
Stout
x Philadelphia
z Washington
z New York
Carolina
Batavia
Baltimore
With a staff of Dave Teel, Jaime Stone, Jamie Steele, and Alex Dominguez the Freedom are the team to beat in the IL. Throw in a bunch of young stars like Colin Bailey, Zachary Landon, Fred Connor, and Zheng Yang and this team is darn near unstoppable as they win 108 games. Not far behind though is Washington who wins over 100 games with their own amazing staff of Dave Theisen, Pat Arballo, and Dave Payette. Not far behind them with 90+ wins is New York with another outstanding staff featuring Pat Schick, Ivan Sepulveda and Scooter Nackers. Basically it won't be much fun this year to be a hitter in the Stout. Carolina improves enough to nearly make the wildcard while Baltimore trends down and Batavia looks to restore the glory days through the draft.
Bock
x Seattle
z Denver
z Los Angeles
Phoenix
Windy City
California
Seattle wins back to back Stout Sluggers as this time Nehemiah Daniel has an amazing season hitting over .340 while being the best short stop in the IL. With Johnny Swope almost winning the Triple Crown again, Jimmy Jeffs, Robby Caddell, and Daniel the Pilots score the most runs in the IL and win 100 games. Denver wins 99 games after compiling the most expensive roster in BLB history. With Manabu Hamada, Jacob Stokes, Pang Shuai, and Enrique Bernardi leading the staff though they fall just short to the Freedom for a chance to represent the IL in the Brewmasters. The Dino's come back from last seasons disaster and secure the wildcard. Robby Brooksher rebounds in center field and hits .300 with 30 home runs to become one of the best players in the league again. Phoenix uses a young roster combined with some off-season moves to start to make a move on the division while Windy City sports a lineup with no one over 29 years old. California scores lots of runs but gives up more runs and finishes last. They keep the fan interest though with a plethora of draft picks and hopes of title run in the near future.
__________________________________________________ ____________________
Wildcard
New Orleans over Hartford
Miami over Syracuse
Washington over Los Angeles
Denver over New York
Division
Maine over New Orleans
Miami over Santo Domingo
Denver over Seattle
Philadelphia over Washington
LCS
Maine over Miami
Philadelphia over Denver
Brewmasters
Maine over Philadelphia in 7
__________________________________________________ ____________________
Awards
Stout Slugger
Ron Hutchison, HAR
Nehemiah Daniel, SEA
Pale Ale
Kevin Alston, MAI
Pat Schick, NYK
__________________________________________________ ____________________
Stars to Watch
Jaime Rush, WIL - He flirts with .400 again until the last two months and ends up hitting .380 and stealing 60 bases.
Pat Moore, SYR - He almost takes the Pale Ale by winning 20 games with a 2.75 ERA
RJ Kapper, PIT - Since he doesn't have to expend energy in center anymore he hits .350 and steals 30 bases.
Noel Graham, MAI - Winning 16 games and playing second fiddle to Alston doesn't bother him as he just wants to be known as a good teammate.
Dave Wagner, SYR - The 1.1 of the 2025 draft hits .360 with 15 HR's and 60 RBI's
Dave Tibbs, MAI - He leads the entire DL in WAR after hitting .300 with 30 HR's and 30 stolen bases and locking down center field.
Ian James, SDR - Quite possibly the best catcher to ever play the game the 2023 1.1 hits .320 with 35 HR's and 110 RBI's
Dave Payette, WAS - His 20 victories leads the IL but his 3.50 ERA is over a point higher than Schick who wins the Pale Ale
Chris Pineda, NYK - All though he hits .250 he also hits 50 HR's while locking down third and being the heart and soul of the Knights.
Dusty Janson, DEN - He wins his 1st DWI in the outfield while hitting .320 with 35 HR's.
I-po Chai, SEA - The closer who doesn't close games throws over 115 innings with a 3.00 ERA and ends up getting 10 wins for Seattle
Tom Stark, CHI - The king of center field for the entire league posts another +20 ZR there while hitting .275 with 15 HR's.
Up and Comers
Ron Hutchison, HAR - The Stout Slugger hits .325 with 50 HR's while playing the entire season in right field.
Jamie Waldron, WAS - The 4th round pick from 2028 plays over 100 games for the Bats and hits .305 while locking down third.
Tom Gowans, SDR - In his first full year in the BLB he wins 18 games with an ERA just over 3.00.
Ricky Pizarro, CHI - He struggles in the outfield but hits .290 with 45 HR's and becomes the next great Windy City star.
Colin Bailey, PHI - Upping his HR total to 35 after hitting 24 last year he also hits .320 while playing every game at 1B
Tom Plain, CAR - Starting almost every game for the Tobs he bats .300 with 20 HR's and plays very well in left field.
Edwin Cantu, LAD - He earns the starting job for the Dino's after being in AAA last season and rewards them by hitting .250 with 25 HR's.
Dusty Kocurek, NO - Earning the title of best young infielder in the league he starts at SS and hits .290 with 10 HR's.
Top Faces in New Places
Scooter Nackers, NYK - The best name in baseball wins 15 games with a 2.40 ERA
Fenton Soto, WAS - The $19m IFA from Cuba guns down the opposition with 49 saves and a 2.65 ERA
Pang Shuai, DEN - The $44m man wins 15 games with a 3.30 ERA and proves to be the pitcher everyone thought he would be.
Danny Garza, CAL - Coming over via trade from Maine the CF hits .300 with 30 HR's and plays all 3 OF spots
Jamie O'Hearn, DEN - The lifelong Miller was shocked when he traded after ST but still manages to hit 28 HR's and becomes the all-time BLB HR king.
Marco Carrasco, HAR - Not a new place or place but after resigning with the Whalers this off-season he wins 14 games and posts a 2.75 ERA
Dave Koehler, WIL - The 6 time all-star wins 13 games with a 3.90 ERA
Hoon Park, BAT - The old man posts his best ERA since 2027 with a 3.50 mark but only wins 10 games for the Red Jackets
Dave Ryman, MAI - Coming from the Dukes he posts a 3.5 WAR and hits .300 with 15 HR's
(AP)
The race for the 2031 Brewmasters Cup is on. Here are the preseason predictions brought to you by the Daily Keg. Last season we saw Hartford take a wildcard spot and win the organizations first ever Brewmaster's Cup. Can the underdog make it three years in a row or will one of the perennial power teams have their day in the sun again?
Season Standings
Ale
x Maine
z Hartford
z Syracuse
Pittsburgh
Wilmington
Pawtucket
Maine sports Pale Ale winner Kevin Alston and ends up 2nd in runs scored and 2nd in runs allowed as they cruise to another Ale title. 'Two Ton' Morris comes back to earth and "only" hits 50 home runs while Dave Tibbs puts up a 30/30 season while locking down center field. Hartford comes in second easily as Pat 'Watson' Walton and Ron Hutchinson combine to hit 100 home runs. Syracuse and Pittsburgh end up in game 163 before the Millers blow the game 13-10 because they don't have adequate pitching. Wilmington's Jaime Rush flirts with .400 again but the Wildcats starters struggle all year and they fall just short. Pawtucket lacks any sort of offense and continues to revamp with a look to the future.
Lager
x Santo Domingo
z Miami
z New Orleans
Montreal
Indy
Toronto
The Rum Runners win 100 games after failing to make the playoffs last season and win their first Lager title. Powered by the best pitching staff in the DL and Ian James on offense they pull away from Miami in the last month. Miami uses pitching and defense as they finish 1st in defensive efficiency and 1st in starters ERA and win over 90 games. New Orleans GM 'Hal' partners with assistant GM 'Skynet' and propels the Dukes into the playoffs by scoring the most runs in the DL. Outfielders Matt Wier, Zachary Schumacher, and JD Carr form the best outfield no one has ever heard of and combined with first basemen Joy-Shan Guo they blast the opposition into submission. Montreal barely misses the playoffs while Indy and Toronto continue to rebuild.
Stout
x Philadelphia
z Washington
z New York
Carolina
Batavia
Baltimore
With a staff of Dave Teel, Jaime Stone, Jamie Steele, and Alex Dominguez the Freedom are the team to beat in the IL. Throw in a bunch of young stars like Colin Bailey, Zachary Landon, Fred Connor, and Zheng Yang and this team is darn near unstoppable as they win 108 games. Not far behind though is Washington who wins over 100 games with their own amazing staff of Dave Theisen, Pat Arballo, and Dave Payette. Not far behind them with 90+ wins is New York with another outstanding staff featuring Pat Schick, Ivan Sepulveda and Scooter Nackers. Basically it won't be much fun this year to be a hitter in the Stout. Carolina improves enough to nearly make the wildcard while Baltimore trends down and Batavia looks to restore the glory days through the draft.
Bock
x Seattle
z Denver
z Los Angeles
Phoenix
Windy City
California
Seattle wins back to back Stout Sluggers as this time Nehemiah Daniel has an amazing season hitting over .340 while being the best short stop in the IL. With Johnny Swope almost winning the Triple Crown again, Jimmy Jeffs, Robby Caddell, and Daniel the Pilots score the most runs in the IL and win 100 games. Denver wins 99 games after compiling the most expensive roster in BLB history. With Manabu Hamada, Jacob Stokes, Pang Shuai, and Enrique Bernardi leading the staff though they fall just short to the Freedom for a chance to represent the IL in the Brewmasters. The Dino's come back from last seasons disaster and secure the wildcard. Robby Brooksher rebounds in center field and hits .300 with 30 home runs to become one of the best players in the league again. Phoenix uses a young roster combined with some off-season moves to start to make a move on the division while Windy City sports a lineup with no one over 29 years old. California scores lots of runs but gives up more runs and finishes last. They keep the fan interest though with a plethora of draft picks and hopes of title run in the near future.
__________________________________________________ ____________________
Wildcard
New Orleans over Hartford
Miami over Syracuse
Washington over Los Angeles
Denver over New York
Division
Maine over New Orleans
Miami over Santo Domingo
Denver over Seattle
Philadelphia over Washington
LCS
Maine over Miami
Philadelphia over Denver
Brewmasters
Maine over Philadelphia in 7
__________________________________________________ ____________________
Awards
Stout Slugger
Ron Hutchison, HAR
Nehemiah Daniel, SEA
Pale Ale
Kevin Alston, MAI
Pat Schick, NYK
__________________________________________________ ____________________
Stars to Watch
Jaime Rush, WIL - He flirts with .400 again until the last two months and ends up hitting .380 and stealing 60 bases.
Pat Moore, SYR - He almost takes the Pale Ale by winning 20 games with a 2.75 ERA
RJ Kapper, PIT - Since he doesn't have to expend energy in center anymore he hits .350 and steals 30 bases.
Noel Graham, MAI - Winning 16 games and playing second fiddle to Alston doesn't bother him as he just wants to be known as a good teammate.
Dave Wagner, SYR - The 1.1 of the 2025 draft hits .360 with 15 HR's and 60 RBI's
Dave Tibbs, MAI - He leads the entire DL in WAR after hitting .300 with 30 HR's and 30 stolen bases and locking down center field.
Ian James, SDR - Quite possibly the best catcher to ever play the game the 2023 1.1 hits .320 with 35 HR's and 110 RBI's
Dave Payette, WAS - His 20 victories leads the IL but his 3.50 ERA is over a point higher than Schick who wins the Pale Ale
Chris Pineda, NYK - All though he hits .250 he also hits 50 HR's while locking down third and being the heart and soul of the Knights.
Dusty Janson, DEN - He wins his 1st DWI in the outfield while hitting .320 with 35 HR's.
I-po Chai, SEA - The closer who doesn't close games throws over 115 innings with a 3.00 ERA and ends up getting 10 wins for Seattle
Tom Stark, CHI - The king of center field for the entire league posts another +20 ZR there while hitting .275 with 15 HR's.
Up and Comers
Ron Hutchison, HAR - The Stout Slugger hits .325 with 50 HR's while playing the entire season in right field.
Jamie Waldron, WAS - The 4th round pick from 2028 plays over 100 games for the Bats and hits .305 while locking down third.
Tom Gowans, SDR - In his first full year in the BLB he wins 18 games with an ERA just over 3.00.
Ricky Pizarro, CHI - He struggles in the outfield but hits .290 with 45 HR's and becomes the next great Windy City star.
Colin Bailey, PHI - Upping his HR total to 35 after hitting 24 last year he also hits .320 while playing every game at 1B
Tom Plain, CAR - Starting almost every game for the Tobs he bats .300 with 20 HR's and plays very well in left field.
Edwin Cantu, LAD - He earns the starting job for the Dino's after being in AAA last season and rewards them by hitting .250 with 25 HR's.
Dusty Kocurek, NO - Earning the title of best young infielder in the league he starts at SS and hits .290 with 10 HR's.
Top Faces in New Places
Scooter Nackers, NYK - The best name in baseball wins 15 games with a 2.40 ERA
Fenton Soto, WAS - The $19m IFA from Cuba guns down the opposition with 49 saves and a 2.65 ERA
Pang Shuai, DEN - The $44m man wins 15 games with a 3.30 ERA and proves to be the pitcher everyone thought he would be.
Danny Garza, CAL - Coming over via trade from Maine the CF hits .300 with 30 HR's and plays all 3 OF spots
Jamie O'Hearn, DEN - The lifelong Miller was shocked when he traded after ST but still manages to hit 28 HR's and becomes the all-time BLB HR king.
Marco Carrasco, HAR - Not a new place or place but after resigning with the Whalers this off-season he wins 14 games and posts a 2.75 ERA
Dave Koehler, WIL - The 6 time all-star wins 13 games with a 3.90 ERA
Hoon Park, BAT - The old man posts his best ERA since 2027 with a 3.50 mark but only wins 10 games for the Red Jackets
Dave Ryman, MAI - Coming from the Dukes he posts a 3.5 WAR and hits .300 with 15 HR's
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