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2044 Season Predictions
Before we begin let’s take a quick look back to some of last year’s predictions to see how we did…
Brewmasters
Pittsburgh over Washington 4-3 for the first repeat since Pawtucket in 2013/2014. Oops…. Not even close!
Stout Slugger
Dominique Graham – Syracuse. YES!
Dawson Davis – Windy City
Pale Ale
Dawson Lamb – Dallas
Barton Mejia – Windy City
Refreshing New Brew
Daryl Walken – Montreal. YES!
Julian Englund – Phoenix. YES!
Now onto the coming season...
Ale
x Syracuse
z Pittsburgh
z Maine
Wilmington
Hartford
Pawtucket
This is the year that Syracuse puts it all together and runs away with 107 wins and the Ale division. Led by the game’s best bat in Dominique Graham, the game’s best pitcher in Christian Vines, and a veteran supporting cast that has a proven record of playoff success this will be a dream season for Snappers’ fans! Pittsburgh is still lead by Gomez and Encinia and a strong if unheralded bullpen. They return a balanced lineup as well, but the loss of Cristopher Starr for at least two months will keep the Millers from claiming the top spot in the division. Perhaps the best division battle will be in the Ale this year as Wilmington, Hartford, and Maine will all battle it out into the final week of the season. The surprise winner will be the Maine Guides. A shrewd move this off-season to add Brew winner Gary Fioroli proves to be key as future star Vandehey and Day take the next step to stardom as Guide fans celebrate their return to the playoffs. After a wildly successful playoff run that saw Wilmington fall just short of another Brew, the Clowns take a small step back as JJ Plumley finally looks human and Djorovic takes his rightful place as the Clowns ace of the staff. Hartford and their revamped offence featuring Sanchez and Hidalgo look to add offence to make up for the loss of Borchers and Perry. Unfortunately the Ale proves to be a very tough division this year as they finish a game back of Wilmington and Maine. Pawtucket continues to show steady growth and the fans are very excited about Wil Harper, but they still appear to be a year or two away from serious contention in the Ale.
Lager
x Santo Domingo
z New Orleans
z Dallas
Montreal
Indianapolis
Toronto
It looks like a repeat in both the predictions and season ending standings for Santo Domingo again this year. The return the same loaded roster that saw them roll into the playoffs last year. Adding Ley to shore up the bullpen and Contreras to replace the departing Sanchez and Gudino should be more than enough to propel the Rum Runners to 98 wins and the Lager title. New Orleans has been knocking on the door the last few seasons, as they’ve gotten one step closer to a Brew each of the last three seasons. They return a sloid, well balanced core of veterans, led by perhaps the game’s best 1-2 punch in Cobb and Foley. An early injury to Alex Lezama is concerning and the fans are hoping doesn’t become a recurring theme for the former Kodiak legend. The Lager race will come down to two teams in Montreal and Dallas that will both be fighting for the last spot in the playoffs and third in the division. In a tight game 163 the Drillers will take the final spot. Huge free agent losses in the Nunes, Nichols, and Lacey will require young Killian Suarez to take care of the bulk of the catching duties for a staff that features one of the game’s best pitchers in Dawson Lamb. Unfortunately, for Montreal, injuries in Spring Training may have derailed this team before it even had a chance to get started. Both Levy and Mardis will be out for the year and prove to be too tough for the Exports to overcome. However, and offence featuring young start Capps, Neal, and Blair will keep them in almost every game. Indianapolis looks to take another small step forward, as they made a few small tweaks in the offseason hoping to improve on last year’s 66 wins. Toronto is in the process of looking toward 2046 and beyond as they’ve traded off nearly every useable BLB player and are busy stockpiling an impressive array of young talent and draft picks for the next few seasons.
Stout
x Baltimore
z Washington
z New York
Philadelphia
Carolina
Batavia
Baltimore again paces this division with future first ballot unanimous hall of famer JD Rice again being the offensive talk of the league. The Bulldogs had a very quiet off-season, but little was needed to improve upon last year’s 101 win club that still features an outstanding lineup and a young staff headlined by budding superstar starting pitcher Shawn Allison. After missing the playoffs for the first time since 2016, it appears that GM LiquidCrash may be on the hot seat. It cools off quickly though, as the Bats return to their old playoff ways. Jacob Parnika shores up the Bats’ weak spot in starting pitching and Paul and de Jong add more balance and leadership to a lineup that just missed the playoffs by a single game last season. The final playoff spot comes down to a game 163, and the big money acquisition of the King proves to be the difference as he throws a shutout to put New York in the playoffs for the first time since 2037. After a surprisingly good season last year, the Knights extremely young lineup featuring Brown, De Angelis, and Lathrop provide just enough runs to squeak into the playoffs on the last day of the season. For the first time in a few seasons, Philadelphia misses out on the post season. The loss of Kaleb Kay, Jimmy Welborn, and Lucas Wilkins prove too much to overcome in the IL where pitching still reigns supreme. Although a full season of Robert Jessee and superstar Kyle Olmstead will make for some exciting games for the home fans this year. After a spending spree that included signing MEck, Bark, Wilkins, Clausnitzer, and Gardner the Tobs show great improvement this year, but unfortunately in a stacked Stout division they come up just short yet again. Batavia may prive to be the scariest team in entire league in a few seasons as they boast 12 prospects in the Top 100, but they are likely still a few years away as they bring up the rear in the Stout this season.
Bock
x Phoenix
z Seattle
z Windy City
California
Los Angeles
Denver
The brutal Bock finally eases up as there has been a real exodus of star power from the division the last few seasons. Phoenix ran away handily with the division last season and there is no reason to suspect they won’t do it again this year. With newly signed Derek Bell leading the way, Judd Ramirez pacing an offence that does just enough for the league’s best pitching staff, and the return of Oscar to man SS the Roadrunners seem like the obvious choice to repeat with 102 wins. Seattle, with a staff that features young aces in Beehn, Aouita, and Daniels pitch their way to the #2 spot in the division. Adding Ty O’Neil should provide protection in the lineup for LDD and prove more than adequate to cover for the free agent losses of Ansell, Washburn, and Harrell. In a tight race, Windy City narrowly edges out last year’s champs. Windy City takes a bit of a step back as they lose the King to free agency and future hall of famer Barton Mejia proves to be a mere mortal this season. However, their lineup, still stacked with Sayers, Cole and Davis still proves to be the best in the division and carries them to the playoffs. The second longest current playoff streak in the BLB comes to an end this season. The Kodiaks fresh off of a spectacular playoff run that earned the Kodiaks their third Brew title just never quite put it together this year. The pitching staff is now McIntyre, Brew star Tinsley and 3 young pitchers that need another year or two to really solidify themselves. The bullpen is also now a bit of a question mark with the injury to Satchell Ramirez. The Dinos had a fabulous offseason and may end up being the surprise of the new year with additions Pat Nunes and Marco Taylor taking a lot of pressure off of the pitching staff. Denver comes in at the bottom with an almost entirely new staff consisting of Hobgood, Baldwin, and Perry.
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Wild Card
Pittsburgh over Dallas
New Orleans over Maine
Washington over Seattle
Windy City over New York
Divisional Series
Syracuse over New Orleans
Santo Domingo over Pittsburgh
Phoenix over Windy City
Baltimore over Washington
League Championship
Syracuse over Santo Domingo
Phoenix over Baltimore
Brewmasters
Syracuse over Phoenix 4 games to 2
Stout Slugger
Dominique Graham – Syracuse
Kyle Olmsted – Philadelphia
Pale Ale
Christian Vines - Syracuse
Derek Bell - Phoenix
Refreshing New Brew
Will Harper - Pawtucket
Julian Morgenson – Los Angeles
Before we begin let’s take a quick look back to some of last year’s predictions to see how we did…
Brewmasters
Pittsburgh over Washington 4-3 for the first repeat since Pawtucket in 2013/2014. Oops…. Not even close!
Stout Slugger
Dominique Graham – Syracuse. YES!
Dawson Davis – Windy City
Pale Ale
Dawson Lamb – Dallas
Barton Mejia – Windy City
Refreshing New Brew
Daryl Walken – Montreal. YES!
Julian Englund – Phoenix. YES!
Now onto the coming season...
Ale
x Syracuse
z Pittsburgh
z Maine
Wilmington
Hartford
Pawtucket
This is the year that Syracuse puts it all together and runs away with 107 wins and the Ale division. Led by the game’s best bat in Dominique Graham, the game’s best pitcher in Christian Vines, and a veteran supporting cast that has a proven record of playoff success this will be a dream season for Snappers’ fans! Pittsburgh is still lead by Gomez and Encinia and a strong if unheralded bullpen. They return a balanced lineup as well, but the loss of Cristopher Starr for at least two months will keep the Millers from claiming the top spot in the division. Perhaps the best division battle will be in the Ale this year as Wilmington, Hartford, and Maine will all battle it out into the final week of the season. The surprise winner will be the Maine Guides. A shrewd move this off-season to add Brew winner Gary Fioroli proves to be key as future star Vandehey and Day take the next step to stardom as Guide fans celebrate their return to the playoffs. After a wildly successful playoff run that saw Wilmington fall just short of another Brew, the Clowns take a small step back as JJ Plumley finally looks human and Djorovic takes his rightful place as the Clowns ace of the staff. Hartford and their revamped offence featuring Sanchez and Hidalgo look to add offence to make up for the loss of Borchers and Perry. Unfortunately the Ale proves to be a very tough division this year as they finish a game back of Wilmington and Maine. Pawtucket continues to show steady growth and the fans are very excited about Wil Harper, but they still appear to be a year or two away from serious contention in the Ale.
Lager
x Santo Domingo
z New Orleans
z Dallas
Montreal
Indianapolis
Toronto
It looks like a repeat in both the predictions and season ending standings for Santo Domingo again this year. The return the same loaded roster that saw them roll into the playoffs last year. Adding Ley to shore up the bullpen and Contreras to replace the departing Sanchez and Gudino should be more than enough to propel the Rum Runners to 98 wins and the Lager title. New Orleans has been knocking on the door the last few seasons, as they’ve gotten one step closer to a Brew each of the last three seasons. They return a sloid, well balanced core of veterans, led by perhaps the game’s best 1-2 punch in Cobb and Foley. An early injury to Alex Lezama is concerning and the fans are hoping doesn’t become a recurring theme for the former Kodiak legend. The Lager race will come down to two teams in Montreal and Dallas that will both be fighting for the last spot in the playoffs and third in the division. In a tight game 163 the Drillers will take the final spot. Huge free agent losses in the Nunes, Nichols, and Lacey will require young Killian Suarez to take care of the bulk of the catching duties for a staff that features one of the game’s best pitchers in Dawson Lamb. Unfortunately, for Montreal, injuries in Spring Training may have derailed this team before it even had a chance to get started. Both Levy and Mardis will be out for the year and prove to be too tough for the Exports to overcome. However, and offence featuring young start Capps, Neal, and Blair will keep them in almost every game. Indianapolis looks to take another small step forward, as they made a few small tweaks in the offseason hoping to improve on last year’s 66 wins. Toronto is in the process of looking toward 2046 and beyond as they’ve traded off nearly every useable BLB player and are busy stockpiling an impressive array of young talent and draft picks for the next few seasons.
Stout
x Baltimore
z Washington
z New York
Philadelphia
Carolina
Batavia
Baltimore again paces this division with future first ballot unanimous hall of famer JD Rice again being the offensive talk of the league. The Bulldogs had a very quiet off-season, but little was needed to improve upon last year’s 101 win club that still features an outstanding lineup and a young staff headlined by budding superstar starting pitcher Shawn Allison. After missing the playoffs for the first time since 2016, it appears that GM LiquidCrash may be on the hot seat. It cools off quickly though, as the Bats return to their old playoff ways. Jacob Parnika shores up the Bats’ weak spot in starting pitching and Paul and de Jong add more balance and leadership to a lineup that just missed the playoffs by a single game last season. The final playoff spot comes down to a game 163, and the big money acquisition of the King proves to be the difference as he throws a shutout to put New York in the playoffs for the first time since 2037. After a surprisingly good season last year, the Knights extremely young lineup featuring Brown, De Angelis, and Lathrop provide just enough runs to squeak into the playoffs on the last day of the season. For the first time in a few seasons, Philadelphia misses out on the post season. The loss of Kaleb Kay, Jimmy Welborn, and Lucas Wilkins prove too much to overcome in the IL where pitching still reigns supreme. Although a full season of Robert Jessee and superstar Kyle Olmstead will make for some exciting games for the home fans this year. After a spending spree that included signing MEck, Bark, Wilkins, Clausnitzer, and Gardner the Tobs show great improvement this year, but unfortunately in a stacked Stout division they come up just short yet again. Batavia may prive to be the scariest team in entire league in a few seasons as they boast 12 prospects in the Top 100, but they are likely still a few years away as they bring up the rear in the Stout this season.
Bock
x Phoenix
z Seattle
z Windy City
California
Los Angeles
Denver
The brutal Bock finally eases up as there has been a real exodus of star power from the division the last few seasons. Phoenix ran away handily with the division last season and there is no reason to suspect they won’t do it again this year. With newly signed Derek Bell leading the way, Judd Ramirez pacing an offence that does just enough for the league’s best pitching staff, and the return of Oscar to man SS the Roadrunners seem like the obvious choice to repeat with 102 wins. Seattle, with a staff that features young aces in Beehn, Aouita, and Daniels pitch their way to the #2 spot in the division. Adding Ty O’Neil should provide protection in the lineup for LDD and prove more than adequate to cover for the free agent losses of Ansell, Washburn, and Harrell. In a tight race, Windy City narrowly edges out last year’s champs. Windy City takes a bit of a step back as they lose the King to free agency and future hall of famer Barton Mejia proves to be a mere mortal this season. However, their lineup, still stacked with Sayers, Cole and Davis still proves to be the best in the division and carries them to the playoffs. The second longest current playoff streak in the BLB comes to an end this season. The Kodiaks fresh off of a spectacular playoff run that earned the Kodiaks their third Brew title just never quite put it together this year. The pitching staff is now McIntyre, Brew star Tinsley and 3 young pitchers that need another year or two to really solidify themselves. The bullpen is also now a bit of a question mark with the injury to Satchell Ramirez. The Dinos had a fabulous offseason and may end up being the surprise of the new year with additions Pat Nunes and Marco Taylor taking a lot of pressure off of the pitching staff. Denver comes in at the bottom with an almost entirely new staff consisting of Hobgood, Baldwin, and Perry.
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ _________
Wild Card
Pittsburgh over Dallas
New Orleans over Maine
Washington over Seattle
Windy City over New York
Divisional Series
Syracuse over New Orleans
Santo Domingo over Pittsburgh
Phoenix over Windy City
Baltimore over Washington
League Championship
Syracuse over Santo Domingo
Phoenix over Baltimore
Brewmasters
Syracuse over Phoenix 4 games to 2
Stout Slugger
Dominique Graham – Syracuse
Kyle Olmsted – Philadelphia
Pale Ale
Christian Vines - Syracuse
Derek Bell - Phoenix
Refreshing New Brew
Will Harper - Pawtucket
Julian Morgenson – Los Angeles
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