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(AP)
The BLB turns 57 and the race for the 2035 Brewmaster's Cup is on. Last season we saw the Indianapolis Racers take home their second title in less than a decade after winning three straight game sevens and overcoming a 2-3 deficit to take down the Seattle Pilots in the Brewmasters. This season though once again the cards are in the air. With an off-season that saw dramatic changes (especially in the Bock) it's once again up to the GM's to combine strategy, trades, and a little bit of luck in order to reach the playoffs where we all know that anything can happen.
(once again the DK takes no responsibility for trades/injuries/OOTPR and should be used for entertainment value only)
Season Standings
Ale
x Pittsburgh
z Hartford
z Wilmington
z Syracuse
Maine
Pawtucket
In their every other year success the Millers edge out the Whalers by one game to take the Ale. LF Robby Lee, C Micah Gordon, and DH David Perry all hit over 30 home runs as no one in the DL hits more out of the park than Pittsburgh. Meanwhile RJ Kapper once again leads the league with a .350 average after breaking the all-time hitting streak by getting a single in the first game of the season. Rookie Erik Ketcham plays solid at third by hitting .250 with 25 HR's after being a 7th round pick by Batavia in 2029. Pitching wise SP Ian Borchert becomes the ace of the staff by going 16-6 with a 2.40 ERA while good friend Ian Johnston goes 15-10 with a 3.25 ERA.
Hartford is second overall in the long ball with DH Ron 'Vampire' Hutchison hitting .290 with 50 HR's and 100 RBI's, 1B Pat Walton hitting .240 with 35 HR's and 90 RBI's, and newly acquired 3B Chris Pineda hitting .260 with 30 HR's. Throw in LF AJ Whiting and RF Brendan Matson who each hit 25 home runs and their lineup is as dangerous as anyone. On the pitching side they end up first in starters ERA in the DL thanks to Ian Ammons (how many Ian's are there) who goes 17-10 with a 2.70 ERA, newcomer Johnny Martin who goes 10-8 with a 3.05 ERA, Javier Rueda who goes 18-10 with a 3.05 ERA, and Ron Valentine who goes 12-10 with a 3.15 ERA. Closer Tom Kastner continues to be a premier shutdown man by following up his 2034 Last Call and recording 40 saves with a 2.60 ERA.
The Clowns are led by Pale Ale winner JJ Plumley who goes 18-7 with a 2.30 ERA and leads the entire league with 300 strike outs. Pitching wise he's about it as Tom Smith, Micah Scott, and Zachary Baugh all go about .500 with ERA's that fluctuate from 3.75 to 4.50. The good news for them is that Wilmington leads the DL in runs scored and stolen bases. RF Jaime Rush once again hits .330 and steals 80 bases while newcomer 3B Archie Thorington morphs into the leagues first IAFA star. In his first full season he hits .305 with 20 HR's and steals 50 bases. When they get on base up comes Dave Maldoando, who came over from Seattle via free agency, and he hits .290 with with 40 HR's and 110 RBI's.
Syracuse is back to the playoffs for the first time since 2027 thanks to old man Dave Wager, the Slammers 1.1 pick in 2025, and young man Seth Blankenship, the Snappers 1.2 pick in 2031. Wager hits .315 with 15 HR's and 25 SB's while Blankenship hits .250 with 45 HR's and 39 SB's, barely denying the DK and the league their first 40/40 club member. SP Pat Moore goes 15-10 with a 3.35 ERA, 43 year old Hoon Park goes 10-8 with a 4.00 ERA while closer Dave Esterline saves 40 games with a 2.75 ERA. They all combine to win the final game of the season and beat out Miami by one game to take the fourth wildcard spot in the DL.
The days of Maine having the best pitching staff in the league and behind them for the time being. They still have Noel Graham who goes 20-5 with a 2.65 ERA but after that who steps up? Farid Fabre is one guy they are hopeful for. After going 13-3 last season he does go 15-10 this year with a 3.75 ERA and becomes a solid #2 behind Graham. After those two though it is anyone's guess. One position not up for grabs will be closer as Fenton Soto was signed this off-season. He'll put up 45 saves with a 2.00 ERA and once again be one of the best in the league. Offensively the Guides will struggle to score runs. Dave Tibbs is still one of the better CF's in the league but at 33 is nearing the end of his peak. He'll still hit .290 with 25 HR's but his days of being a plus double digit ZR at center are over. 1B Robby Childress will be out for several months but still hit .270 with 10 HR's and Norm Cutshall will hit .280 with 15 HR's but after that it's an aging roster that might need to make a big trade.
The Patriots won four titles between 2010 and 2016 and went back to the playoffs four times from 2024 to 2028. They appeared to be on the upswing after going 81-81 in 2032 and winning 90 games in 2033 but they dropped off again last season. This season they continue their rebuild on the fly and fall below the .500 mark again. Dave Short was a Pale Ale winning pitcher in Maine before tearing a tendon in his elbow in 2033. Pawtucket took a gamble in free agency and it hasn't paid off yet as he's struggled and this year he goes 8-10 with a 3.20 ERA. After him you have your pick of JR Longval, Fred Gerlach, or Jim Bunch...and none of them will post a winning record. The good news is that Kaleb Kay looks like a potential #2 and Keon Wilkinson looks like a potential ace. On offense they will finish near the bottom in runs scored as Zach Bradley will be the only player who hits above .280 when he bats .295 with 30 HR's.
Lager
x Indianapolis
z Santo Domingo
Miami
New Orleans
Toronto
Montreal
There will be no championship hangover in Indy as the Racers post one of the better lineups in the league. LF Fred Falloon will hit .310 with 35 HR's, C Kaden Gaston, who came over via trade from Washington, will hit .290 with 30 HR's, and 2B Wolde-Selassie Gahiji, 1B Pat Branum, and CF Manny Padilla will all hit at least 20 HR's. SP Jarrod Peacock will go 14-5 with a 3.60 ERA and Donny Brunke will go 14-8 with a 2.99 ERA and they will both turn the ball over to the best bullpen in the DL. Sid Ennis, newcomers Mike Dixon and Kenshiro Wakiand, and closer Garret Clausnitzer will once again dominate with Claus posting 45 saves and a 2.50 ERA and Ennis being one of the best setup men in the business.
Santo Domingo was quiet this off-season which isn't like them so look for their GM to make some moves to try and win the division. For now though they will rely offensively once again on C Ian James who will go to his 11th All-Star game and win his fourth Stout Slugger after hitting .300 with 40 HR's and 100 RBI's. After him comes 1B Dave Grubel who will hit .310 with 20 HR's and RF Jimmy Downey who will hit .280 with 25 HR's, but once those three hit there isn't much left that will scare opposing pitchers. SS Abdul-Fattah bin Burhan will get his first full season in the BLB and will hit .275 but his specialty is defense where he will excel. Sheng Jong will follow up his Pale Ale with a 16-4 season and post a 3.05 ERA while Tom Gowens will come back just in time to get a handful of starts and lead the playoff charge. In the meanwhile the two Dave's, Taylor and Finney will win 12 and 14 games respectively while Fredrick Wilson will continue to be the one of the most disappointing IFA's in league history.
The Sharks post some of the best pitching and defense in the league but they miss the playoffs for the first time since 2028 unless they add some firepower. With no one hitting over .300 they are last in average and runs scored as LF Johnny Gammon and 1B Xavier Mitchell are the only players to hit over 20 HR's. Newly signed SS Antonio Melendez and 2B/3B Bob Blanche are defensive studs but neither hit over .250. SP Louie Reutter is happy to have them though as he goes 15-8 with a 2.58 ERA and leads a staff featuring CJ Bruno, Dave Jeffers, and Manny Cabral who all post sub 3.25 ERA's. JD Harrison continues to flourish in the closer role by saving 40 games with a 2.75 ERA.
If we could combine New Orleans and Miami we'd have a really good team. They were really active this off-season adding SP's Sandy Perez, TJ Rountree, and reliever Kevin Hurley but it won't be enough as neither Perez or Rountree post winning records. Their best pitcher will be youngster Erik Foley who in his first full season goes 12-6 with a 3.75 ERA. Offensively though this team is loaded and will produce. CF Mat Weir will hit .300 with 25 HR's and steal 25 bases while posting a +6 ZR in center. Combined with 1B Elmer Caceres who will hit .300 with 30 HR's and 100 RBI's, and free agent acquisition's Ian Lisch who will hit .250 with 30 HR's, and RF Ron Magee who will hit .305 this team will lead the DL in average and OBP.
Toronto features one of the most exciting rookies in quite a while in RF Robert 'Stretch' Jessee. He doesn't disappoint as he takes the DL New Brew by hitting .315 with 35 HR's and 105 RBI's. Throw in CF Dan McAlear (free agency) who hits .300 with 25 HR's, and LF Omar 'Doctor' Nichols who hits .300 with 30 HR's and you have quite an outfield. Now throw in youngsters 1B Quentin Biggi, 3B Khalil Harris, and RF Curtis Noworyta and the rebuild might finally be coming to fruition. From when they first missed the playoffs after an eight year run and BLB title in 2027 to present no team in the BLB has more losses than Toronto. In order to turn the tide though they need pitching. They signed SP Tomio Ono in free agency but he's 35 and pairing with 35 year old SP Mark DeGennaro and 35 year old SP Dave Hopkins isn't going to strike fear in opponents lineups.
Montreal is taking over the Canada rebuild title. When Toronto missed the playoffs in 2027 the Exports won it all then went to the playoffs three of the next four seasons. Then they went bankrupt pushing for one more Brewmasters Cup and are finally bottoming out from that. Their minor league system is back in the top ten and climbing so there is hope on the horizon, just not this season. Their big free agent signing this off-season was 33 year old SS Dave Ryman who will hit .250 with 15 HR's. Other than that we're not sure where any average or power will come from. Pitching wise young starters Wan-hua Hang, Tawfiq Chabwera, Omar Melendez, and C.J. Miller should be given the ball over and over in order to reach their potentials. At least Montreal will know what to expect down the road in that department then.
Stout
x Washington
z Batavia
z Carolina
z Baltimore
Philadelphia
New York
The Bats continue to be the best regular season team in the league by winning 109 games and leading the IL in runs scored and runs allowed. This team features the pitching staff that Denver did a few seasons ago in Pat Arballo (18-10, 2.80 ERA), Dave Theisen (19-5, 2.75 ERA), Kaleb Purvis (16-5, 3.00 ERA) and Erik Harrell (15-6, 3.10 ERA). Losing closer Fenton Soto hurts badly but they are hoping FA signees Leo Evans and JR Fenech can help closer Leo Evans who will tally 35 saves with a 3.00 ERA. On offense LF Justin 'Ant' Babbage will lead off and hit .330 with 50 SB's and RF Erwijn 'Moriarity' de Jong will hit .315 with 45 SB's. On the power side SS Killian Pena will hit .310 with 25 HR's and 105 RBI's, 1B Dave 'Cabfare' Davidson will hit .250 with 30 HR's, and 1B Robby Caddell will get new life coming over from LAD and hit .275 with 30 HR's. To top them all CF Bert Garza will hit .320 with 35 HR's and continue to be the leader and captain that makes this team roll.
The Red Jackets rebuild went splendidly as they have now won more games each year than the previous season since 2030. Last year they won 98 yet still finished third in the Stout...tough crowd over there. With a pitching staff this is only a step below Washington's they will continue the streak and win 99 games this year. SP Pang 'Freeze' Shuai will go 15-6 with a 3.50 ERA, SP Spence Perry and his assortment of six pitches will go go 16-4 with a 2.30 ERA, and SP Tom Dingman will go 15-10 with a 3.00 ERA. Rookie closer Tom Amesbury will round it off by getting 45 saves with a 2.15 ERA. Offensively 1B Joy-shan Guo will play his last season in Batavia after signing the huge $184 million contract in 2032. His $34m comes off the books after this season, which is perfect timing for Batavia, but he'll still produce by hitting .290 with 30 HR's and 90 RBI's. The rest of the offense features some power hitters as CF Hyun-seung Bark, CF Dave Marion, 1B Tom Miller, 2B Jimmy Brabec, and 3B Dave Behanna all will crack at least 25 HR's. Behanna is the oldest of that group at 30 while the rest are only in their mid 20's. Did we also mention they have the #1 farm system? Once again the future is bright in Batavia.
The Stout only gets tougher as Carolina climbs back into the playoff mix for the first time since 2025 by hitting more home runs that anyone else in the league by a long shot. With 21 year old CF Rory Elia hitting .280 with 45 HR's, 23 year old 3B Phillip Klopf hitting .275 with 40 HR's, and 27 year old RF Dave Hoyt hitting .270 with 35 HR's they will be the most feared 3-4-5 hitters in the league. Oh ya...lets also throw in 23 year old 1B Tom Gross who hits .285 with 30 HR's and old man 32 year old 2B Pat Pierce who hits .250 with 30 HR's. This lineup is just lethal. Pitching will be an issue but if they win every game 7-5 I'm sure the fans won't be upset. They signed SP Enrique 'The Artist' Bernardi who will go 17-8 with a 3.45 ERA while youngsters JP Gardner and Tom Benjamin will win 14 and 12 games respectively. Throw in closers Omari 'Razor' Beamon who is 26 and Sheldon 'Weasel' Martin who is 25 (who could possibly start and be very good) and this team is young and ready to explode.
Baltimore wins 92 games and ties Carolina but gets the third wildcard spot due to a tiebreaker. They will take that third spot though and from it will emerge as the 2035 Brewmaster Cup champions! When you go out and add a 1-2-3 pitching staff you can only expect greatness, and their GM does. First comes free agent signee SP Jacob Stokes who goes 18-8 with a 2.95 ERA and is the ace they need. Then comes SP Dusty Dills who came over via trade from Windy City and he goes 15-5 with a 3.25 ERA. Finally comes in IFA SP Lemarr Nuanes from the Dominican Republic who goes 19-10 with a 3.50 ERA. Need a closer then look no further than Johnny 'Big Thunder' McCullough who saves 45 games with a 2.00 ERA. On offense they will be led by Stout Slugger award winner RF Dusty Janson who hits .310 with 50 HR's and 115 RBI's. Throw in 3B Ron Snider (who loves small parks and he can not lie) who will hit .280 with 40 HR's while featuring CF Zack Jackson and 2B Gil Porter and their .350+ OBP's at the top of the lineup and Baltimore will score just enough runs to bring the Bulldogs their first title since 2001.
The Freedom won 95 games in 2033 (and were a half inning away from winning it all), 88 games in 2034, and will win 82 games this season which just won't be enough to get back to the postseason. SP Kevin Alston was the third star in Maine a few season back and will go 15-8 with a 3.10 ERA in his first full season in Philly. The #2 should be Casper Schmidt who will go 15-10 with a 3.60 ERA. After that there is a smorgasbord of pitchers who will struggle against the hitters that the rest of the Stout have, and that should prove to be their downfall. Could bringing up their top prospect, 21 year old SP Norm Knowlton, maybe help? Time will tell. On offense they acquired via trade 2B Javy 'Blur' Gudino who will hit .330 with 30 HR's and CF Norm Hughes who will hit .250 with 20 HR's while locking up the center field position. Throw in free agent 3B Rory Smith, who will hit .260 with 35 HR's and they really went all out to help SS Fred Connor, who will hit .270 with 30 HR's, get back to the Brewmasters.
To see New York at the bottom of the Stout doesn't really say much considering they will win 76 games. The problem as mentioned is this division is just tough. The second problem is they just don't have the offense they've had in past years. SS Dave 'Bulldog' Bickford is 30 but will lead the team with a .295 average while hitting 15 HR's. Meanwhile C Alpha McCormick will hit .275 with 25 HR's but after that who do they have? For pitching they still have some great talent in SP Pat Schick who will go 11-10 with a 3.85 ERA, and SP Jamie Pierce who will go 13-10 with a 3.95 ERA. They also got a great deal on SP Joey 'Last Resort' Seymour but he will miss almost all of the 2035 season. Taking his spot this season will be IFA SP Jaydan Villicana who will go 10-8 with a 3.75 ERA. In the end it just won't be enough to compete.
Bock
x Windy City
z California
Seattle
Los Angeles
Phoenix
Denver
The Blues had a busy off-season in dealing away SP Dusty Dills and CF Tom Stark and it will hurt, but not as much as anticipated. Look for 21 year old SP Barton Mejia to win the Pale Ale after going 20-6 with a 1.99 ERA. Then look for 26 year old SP Manny Solis to recover from injury and go 10-5 with a 3.75 ERA. Add in SP Tom Sellers, acquired from Seattle in the Stark deal, who goes 17-11 with a 3.95 ERA and it should be enough to hold off California for the Bock title. On offense RF Ricky Pizarro is somehow already 27 years old and hits .310 with 40 HR's and 125 RBI's. Then two rookies in 3B Dawson 'Wedge' Davis and CF Jordan 'Rascal' Reeves burst on scene as Davis hits .275 with 25 HR's and Reeves hits .285 and steals 50 bases. Combined with 1B Bruno Damours who hits .250 with 25 HR's and the offense should be just fine.
Has there ever been an off-season like California had? First future Hall of Famer Mike 'Yoyo' Morla calls it quits, gives back California $20 million, and then all heck broke loose. It started out small with trading for SP Zion Jackson who will go 10-10 with a 3.95 ERA. Then a few weeks later on the same day they signed LF Josh Wright and four time Stout Slugger 1B Johnny 'Big Stick' Swope. Wright will hit .230 with 25 HR's while Swope will hit .300 with 45 HR's. Then a month later came the signing of SS Dusty Schmidl who will hit .275 with 40 HR's while posting a +12 ZR at short stop. Then after that came the signing of SP Dave Payette and SP Dusty 'Shameless' Borchers who will win 10 and 15 games. Throw in returners such as 23 year old SP Tony Ramos who will go 15-5 with a 3.15 ERA, 23 year old LF Alex Lezama who will hit .305 with 25 HR's and play well in center, and 25 year old closer Ed 'Superman' Tesluk who will post 45 saves with a 2.90 ERA and the Kodiaks are back.
Has there even been an off-season like Seattle had? Gone is 1B Johnny 'Big Stick' Swope, gone is SP Jacob Stokes, gone is SP Joey 'Last Resort' Seymour, gone is RP Khalil Corey, gone is SP Tom Sellers, gone is LF Dave Maldonado, gone is closer Kevin Hurley, gone is SS Antonio Melendez...and in the end it came out to a loss of 41.3 WAR. They did get CF Tom Stark from Windy City via trade who will hit .230 with 15 HR's, 45 SB's and have a +10 ZR in center. They also picked up closer AJ Ingle who will have 35 saves with a 3.25 ERA. The big news this season though will be the emergence of two young future stars. 1B Fitzpatrick Fisher is going to win the IL New Brew after hitting .290 with 50 HR's and LF Charles Farris is going to hit .270 with 40 HR's. With perennial stars RF Jimmy Jeffs hitting .305 with 25 HR's and SS Nehemiah Daniel hitting .270 with 20 HR's the Pilots will score a lot of runs. Pitching wise though who steps up? SP Manabu Hamada will go 16-8 with a 3.50 ERA and SP Danny Ley will go 13-10 with a 3.30 ERA but after that we're not sure what will happen. If the GM 'stays pat' look for Seattle to win 81 games and miss the playoffs for the first time since 2021. We're not exactly sure he will though.
The Dinos went to the playoffs seven out of eight seasons from 2025 to 2032 but have slipped to 72 wins in 2033 and 66 in 2034. Look for that trend to continue as they finish with 70 wins and miss the playoffs for the third straight season. Pitcher SP Ian 'Wild Card' Hopman has the ability to be a strong #1 but hasn't shown it yet as he goes 13-10 with a 4.00 ERA. Meanwhile SP Wes Perry is a long way from that miracle 28-1 season in 2029 as he goes 6-10 with a 5.00 ERA. SP Dave Koehler was signed via free agency but at 37 he can do no better than 5-12 with a 5.25 ERA. After that things only get worse as LAD will finish 12th in the IL in runs allowed and starters ERA. On offense things aren't much better with RF Amari Gibbs hitting .295 with 15 HR's, C Edwin Cantu hitting .290 with 25 HR's, and 3B Tom 'The Skull' Allgood hitting .285 with 10 HR's. Former superstar LF Robby Brooksher will hit .260 with 25 HR's but at $26m a year that's a lot to pay for a 2-3 WAR guy.
Phoenix is under league control as the GM hunt continues. They actually have some decent talent but without a shot caller will not reach their potential. 1B Manny Quezada was the 2033 Stout Slugger and will rebound this year by hitting .260 with 45 HR's and 120 RBI's. RF Sacco van Gorp was an IAFA signed back in 2027 and playing in his first full season will hit .290 with 35 HR's. 3B Pat 'Melody' Nunes has always been scouted as having a poor work ethic and at 25 years old it's now or never to reach the reality of his #1 overall prospect rating from 2032. He just might finally turn the corner as he hits .290 with 25 HR's, both career highs. For pitching SP Gustavo Cordova struggles with control but will still go 12-10 with a 3.80 ERA. Meanwhile 21 year old SP Yuri 'Punk' Baldwin gets his first chance in the BLB and doesn't disappoint as he goes 10-7 with a 3.25 ERA and cements his status as a future star.
The Denver Baseball Club went for broke in 2031 and made it to the Brewmasters before falling to Maine. They then became broke. They are slowly digging out from the hole but it could be years before they are out of the red. They have used that time though to build a top ten farm system that will only continue to climb the rankings with this years second overall pick. Last season they won 61 games, tying them with Pawtucket for second lowest. This season look for them to win 61 games again, with a payroll that is almost $20 million less that what Batavia pays Joy-shan Guo. 3B Matt 'Stallion' Healey at 39 years old will lead the team by hitting .310 with 10 HR's. The 6x All-Star was drafted by Denver in 2016 and has played his entire career there. To say he is revered would be an understatement. On the flip side age wise look for possibly 22 year old LF Trey Eubanks, 20 year old DH Lincoln Miller, or even 18 year old RF Ben Clewley to get a few innings during the year. Okay probably not but at least there is light at the end of the tunnel.
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Wildcard
SDR over Wilmington
Hartford over Syracuse
Baltimore over Carolina
California over Batavia
Division
Indy over SDR
Pitt over Hartford
California over Washington
Baltimore over Chicago
LCS
Indy over Pittsburgh
Baltimore over California
Brewmasters
Baltimore over Indy 4-2
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Awards
Stout Slugger
Ian James, SDR - .300, 40 HRs, 100 RBI's
Dusty Janson, BAL- .310, 50 HR's, 115 RBI's
Pale Ale
JJ Plumley, WIL - 17-7, 2.30 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 290 K's
Barton Mejia, CHI - 20-6, 1.99 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 240 K's
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Up and Comers
1B Fitzpatrick Fisher, SEA - .290 with 50 HR's and 120 RBI's (IL New Brew)
RF Robert 'Stretch' Jessee, TOR - .315 with 35 HR's and 105 RBI's (DL New Brew)
SP Tawfiq Chabwera, MON - 10-10, 3.75 ERA, 1.25 WHIP
1B Elmer Caceres, NO - .300 with 30 HR's and 100 RBI's
SP Danny Ley, SEA - 13-8, 3.40 ERA, 1.30 WHIP
1B Tom Gross, CAR - .285 with 30 HR's and 90 RBI's
SP Yuri Baldwin, PHO - 15-7, 3.25 ERA, 1.25 WHIP
3B Dawson 'Wedge' Davis, CHI - .275 with 25 HR's and 100 RBI's
CL Tom Amesbury, BAT - 5-5, 45 saves, 2.15 ERA, 1.20 WHIP
CF Jordan Reeves, CHI - .285, 8 HR's, 50 RBI's, 40 SB's
Time to Say Goodbye
1B Mike 'Yoyo' Morla - .327/.382/.517, 422 HR's, 1519 RBI's, 12x All-Star, 2x Stout Slugger
C Dave Girard - .272/.368/.457, 225 HR's, 714 RBI's, 3x All-Star
LF Dave 'Tapper' Ingram - .290/.348/.501, 476 HR's, 1435 RBI's, 9x All-Star, 2x Stout Slugger
RP CJ McCarthy - 1195 games, 73-60, 129 saves, 3.47 ERA, 1.25 WHIP
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