Baseball on the Islands: The Lokasi Elite League and Beyond

Ruwisc · 02-04-2017, 10:25 PM

Welcome to the republic of Lokasi! This remote set of islands in the North Pacific has a baseball tradition as strong as any country out there. Before I get started, a summary:

This is a promotion/relegation universe that I've been going through for a couple of years. This country has its own culture (sort of), its own language (sort of), and its own baseball traditions. The nation is composed of eighteen states, and has a population of about 42 million people - roughly the same size, and the same population, as Spain, or slightly smaller than the UK.

I'll mostly be posting news from the top league, the Lokasi Elite League, but here's the structure of what the whole system looks like:

The league system has existed in its current state since 1991, before which things were far more disorganized, with teams being moved from league to league for reasons more political than athletic. We're going to pick things up at the beginning of the 2016 season, and I'll go through that one relatively quickly before covering the 2017 season in real time starting on Opening Day (March 1st).

There are a few things weird about this game that have come out of my half-hearted world-building efforts. The first is the language. The pronunciation of Lokasi words is unambiguous, but not 'normal' to our English-speaking brains: c is always pronounced 'sh', d is always pronounced 'th', x is always pronounced as an h on its own and j is pronounced in the European sense, as the English 'y'. When combined, 'tc' is pronounced how you would pronounce 'ch', and when you see an 'h', that is there just to lengthen the vowel before it. So, some examples:

The Elite League team Fedujalja is 'fe-thu-ya-lya'.
Penxara, the large city in the north central part of the country, is 'pen-ha-ra'.
And the Second League team Citced United is 'shee-cheth'.

The other odd bit is the calendar - Lokasi operates under a 12-day week. So when I say I'm doing things a week at a time, don't be surprised when teams are playing ten games. I had originally envisioned this as a full-blown all-encompassing universe that I would set all sorts of stories in, so you're seeing some of the remnants of that.

Later on, I'll be talking more about the country itself and setting up the Elite League's 2016 season with a short preview of some teams. I'll set things up by posting a map:

Ruwisc · 02-04-2017, 10:32 PM

Going in reverse order of their 2015 finishes, here's a preview of how the 2016 Elite League stacks up. First, the three teams who were relegated last season:

National, Ixiri, Sokrotc
Record: 66-124 (National), 61-129 (Ixiri), 48-142 (Sokrotc) - 18th, 19th and 20th in the Elite League

National (Cunxof, CX): When teams were being organized many years ago, the Lokasi national team took part in traveling exhibitions against local teams to stay sharp. Over time they grew to have their own fanbase, their own success and finally their own home, as the (traditionally) strongest team in the country's capital city.

In 2015 National were relegated for the very first time, having taken part in the first 25 years of the Elite League. "Lokasi's Team" narrowly avoided relegation in 2005, but have otherwise in their history been a very mid-table team in the Elite League. The interesting thing about National is that despite having just been relegated, they have probably the greatest player in league history, just past his prime and still in star condition.

Funeda Tacei (fu-nay-tha tah-shay), at age 34, has hit over 700 home runs, accumulated 247 WAR and is well past 4000 career hits, all while playing Gold Glove defense at second base. (Remember, these are 190-game seasons, and also a pretty offensive environment, so these numbers aren't as ridiculous as they sound, but he is going to be a unanimous HoFer.) He is the Elite League's all-time leader in hits, doubles and WAR, and holds the single-season records in batting average (.414 in 2000), slugging (.791 in 2000), OPS (1.291 in 2000), and doubles (73 in 1999). He also has four Gold Gloves at second base, most recently in 2013. Tacei is still under contract for two more seasons, and is making nearly half of the team's payroll, so you have to wonder if the team he's played for since 2003 will have to deal him.

2016 Prediction: National is expected to do well in the Second League this year, projected to finish fourth. They will have to do one spot better to be promoted back to the Elite League, but if any player can carry a team to promotion, Tacei can. 116-74, 4th place.

Ixiri (Ixiri, EM): Ixiri (ee-hee-ree) is the capital city of the southern state of Emcicna. Ixiri BC, the city's flagship team, were relegated from the EL for the first time, having played in the top league from 2009-2015. Their bad season was something of a surprise, as they had finished eighth or better in each of the previous five seasons. The last time they were in the Second League, they lapped it, winning the league comfortably in 2008. I think they'll probably be back in the top-tier sooner or later.

Ixiri is also packing a superstar, the 23-year-old first baseman Xikecles Xodiperi (hee-ke-shless ho-thi-pe-ri). Xodiperi, as a 17-year-old, came into the Elite League in 2010 and hit EIGHTY home runs in his first season with 198 RBI. Ixiri has him locked down on a relatively low-value contract for four more seasons, so his future still looks bright despite being now stuck in the Second League.

2016 Prediction: Ixiri is forecast to be a below-.500 team in 2016, mostly due to their below-average rotation, and a few very weak spots in their lineup, particularly in the outfield. 73-117, 15th place.

Sokrotc (Pasadakets, DA): Sokrotc (soh-croach) finished far behind the pack in 2015, ending their two-year stay in the EL. They were one of the favorites to get relegated, having finished 16th in 2014. Sokrotc has traditionally been a Second League team, having spent only three seasons in the Elite League over two stints (their 2014 finish was their highest in team history).

Sokrotc is really a team without stars - even by Second League terms their lineup is weak. The strongest part of the team is the bullpen, led by 23-year-old closer Nani Uroefri and 26-year-old lefty Nole Pina.

2016 Prediction: Sokrotc is expected to struggle in Second League, predicted to be relegated yet again. 61-129, 20th place.

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South Shore Akxa (Akxa, DA)
2015 Record: 123-67, 3rd place (Second League)
2016 Prediction: 89-101, 11th place
Seasons in Elite League: 4 (2006, 2009-10, 2016-)
Championships: 0
Best Finish: 16th (2009)
Payroll: $18.1MM (20th)
Offense: 13th
Pitching: 10th

Back in the top league after five seasons absent, the southernmost team on the main island is back up. South Shore is certainly one of the smallest teams in the Elite League - the other Akxa team in the league are the powerhouse Sky Blues, whose stadium and payroll are both eight times the size of South Shore's. Though they don't have an official nickname, their fans typically refer to them as The Waves.

[Before I started this dynasty, I picked out two teams that I was going to root for, one top-league team and one team in the lower divisions. South Shore was the lower-division team I chose, and it's pretty remarkable that they've risen up to the upper echelons and basically swapped places with the original Elite League team that I was rooting for.]

Top Player: #63 SP Matmipoma Lexeti (15-11, 1.99 ERA, 322 K) (le-HEH-ti). The 21-year-old had his breakout season as a 19-year-old in 2014, going 28-1 as the team went 153-37 to win the Southern Premier League. He can touch 100 with his fastball and features a strong slider and forkball, with an occasional changeup. The team locked him up on a very inexpensive contract before the 2015 season, so he will be anchoring this rotation for a long time. His poor 2015 record can be mostly attributed to low run support.

Other Players to Watch: #19 3B Roate Mealija, #25 RP Toxi Anemasuwa, #7 SS Solapmije Xakeluwa

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Nise BC (Tasijelec, TC)
2015 Record: 127-63, 2nd place (Second League)
2016 Prediction: 83-107, 13th place
Seasons in Elite League: 11 (1997-99, 2002-04, 2006-09, 2016-)
Championships: 0
Best Finish: 12th (2003)
Payroll: $24.8MM (19th)
Offense: 14th
Pitching: 11th

Nise BC (nee-say) is the pride of the somewhat separated eastern side of the state of Tcastra. The city of Tasijelec (ta-see-ell-esh) and the rest of the northeast peninsula is probably analogous to New England in the US - a colonial, historic area with tradition to spare, although the area is not as populated as New England. Nise has been the only team representing this area on the higher levels of the pyramid for a few years. Their fans refer to the team as The Pelicans.

Top Player: #54 SP Cotelaxe Citexuh (18-12, 2.39 ERA, 280 K with Nojelid [Second League]) (sho-te-la-he shi-te-hoo). The 29-year-old lefty was Nise's biggest addition in the offseason. The offseason trade sent Nise's starting third baseman to Nojelid, as well as a fourth outfielder and a quality pitching prospect, so Nise is going all-in on Citexuh. Citexuh dominates batters with sheer velocity, regularly hitting 101 on the gun. He has very brief experience in the Elite League, having appeared in five games for Wotclad BC in 2013. His Opening Day start against Sky Blues will be his first start in the league, however.

Other Players to Watch: #7 SP Kasunilo Tijonuhteo, #2 RP Lenjoimo Tcecir, #49 1B Ulicailo Manu

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Rei BC (Pasadakets, DA)
2015 Record: 129-61, 1st place (Second League)
2016 Prediction: 94-96, 10th place
Seasons in Elite League: 14 (2000-12, 2016-)
Championships: 0
Best Finish: 2nd (2004)
Payroll: $47.5MM (14th)
Offense: 12th
Pitching: 5th

With Rei's promotion and Sokrotc's relegation, the tables have turned for supremacy in one of Lokasi's largest cities. Most from Pasadakets would tell you that this is the way it belongs - at least for the previous fifteen years or so, Rei's history is a lot stronger than any other club from the city. The team was the subject of one of the great Cinderella stories in Lokasi's history - in 2004, what had previously been a languishing team narrowly avoiding relegation suddenly went on a title chase, competing with the financial heavyweights. While they ultimately came up short finishing 2nd, the stars of that team will always remembered fondly by Rei fans.

Top Player: #16 SP Rolijuki Lysijaferemore (15-2, 0.94 ERA, 269 K with BK Menmapa Crowns [Southern Premier League]) (luh-SI-uh-fe-re-mo-ray). The 22-year-old is crafty, featuring six pitches all at an above-average level. He has never pitched in the Elite League, or the Second League for that matter, but in 800 innings with the Crowns he struck out 1,204 batters and allowed only 113 runs (a career 1.27 ERA), so Rei's signing is a bet that his pure stuff will be able to translate to the top level. Despite being only 22, 'Roli' cashed in big time with his contract, bagging $51MM over six years. If the experiment goes well, he can opt out after two years and become a free agent again at 24.

Other Players to Watch: #62 CF Socilo Sotoswiki, #29 SP Laceh Temahcacu, #2 SS Cemija Mukopa

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Kine BC (Penxara, XO)
2015 Record: 68-122, 17th place
2016 Prediction: 78-112, 16th place
Seasons in Elite League: 23 (1991-97, 2001-)
Championships: 0
Best Finish: 2nd (1992, 2002)
Payroll: $48.7MM (12th)
Offense: 11th
Pitching: 17th

Even though it's a large city (pop. 1.7 mill), Penxara consistently punches above its weight in terms of sporting success. In the past five years, five clubs from the city have spent time in the Elite League. Of those five, Kine has the strongest history despite their recent struggles. When the Elite League was founded in 1991, Kine finished in the top five in four of the first five seasons, and after a relegation in 1997, Kine returned to the top level in 2001 and got right back to where they were, finishing second just a year later. Things haven't been as rosy lately - the team has finished between 10th and 17th for eleven straight years, causing many fans across the country to sometimes forget the team is even still around.

Top Player: #30 C Neane Tijexe (.324, 29 HR, 117 RBI) (ti-EH-hay). Kine is a team without an obvious star, so I'm spotlighting the man who may be a rising star in this league. At age 22, Tijexe made his first foray into the Elite League last season and acquitted himself well, playing 181 games behind the dish. He doesn't have much developing left to do, but he did rack up a career high in home runs last year despite the increase in competition level. He doesn't take many walks (only a .355 OBP despite the high AVG), but that's because he's making contact with everything. Interestingly, Kine signed another quality catcher this offseason named Ripa Fekele, so Tijexe may have to split a little time - but for now, he slots in as the starting catcher and cleanup hitter.

Other Players to Watch: #9 RP Lakaci Jotato, #8 CF Mekwatesoh Meketi, #49 SP Sohlo Tesapjeno

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Oak City Boars (Arokekxil, KC)
2015 Record: 74-116, 16th place
2016 Prediction: 68-122, 17th place
Seasons in Elite League: 9 (2008-)
Championships: 0
Best Finish: 7th (2008, 2009)
Payroll: $43.7MM (15th)
Offense: 18th
Pitching: 18th

Much like South Shore, Oak City Boars (usually just OCB) is an underdog in their own city. Arokekxil, which is universally known as Oak City, is primarily known as the home of Mighty Oaks BC, but OCB has carved out a solid niche in the Elite League. This will be the ninth consecutive season that both of these big trees have been a part of the same Elite forest. OCB has narrowly avoided relegation in each of the last two years, and it looks like it will be a similar fight this year.

Top Player: #79 LF Nosaxu Ralnituki (.312, 54 HR, 134 RBI) (no-SA-hoo). A very strong all-around player, the 27-year-old lefty Ralnituki is good in all aspects of the game (as long as you ignore his nonexistent speed). He arrived in the Oak City in 2013 and has been mashing since, hitting 166 HR and racking up 436 RBI. He could stand to cut down on the strikeouts a bit, but he has made significant improvements in that regard over his career. He has a spectacular throwing arm and is also a famous iron man, having played in every game for his teams since 2007.

Other Players to Watch: #35 CF Posara Tarino, #23 2B Lukeh Melonada, #44 RP Aukucena Tehspoku

Dark Horse · 02-05-2017, 10:16 AM

Great to see another fictional world.

The icons are cool. And i really like the map.

Ruwisc · 02-05-2017, 03:06 PM

Continuing in reverse order of their 2015 finishes, here's a preview of how the 2016 Elite League stacks up. Teams 11-15 include the rest of the teams from the Northwest, as well as some east coast and south island underdogs.

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Adaf United (Adaf, XO)
2015 Record: 76-114, 15th place
2016 Prediction: 44-146, 20th place
Seasons in Elite League: 4 (2012-13, 2015-)
Championships: 0
Best Finish: 15th (2015)
Payroll: $36.4MM (17th)
Offense: 20th
Pitching: 20th

Adaf (a-thaf) is one of the major suburbs of Penxara, and so this team sits just southwest of the big city. The rise of Adaf United has prompted a rise in civic pride for Adaf citizens, who might have previously been content to think of themselves as from Penxara, until their city's team started competing against them directly. As for this upcoming season, Adaf certainly looks like the weakest team in the league by a wide margin. They are spending half their payroll on one player (see below), and that's hamstringing the team quite a bit. He's not likely to get injured, but if he does... things could get ugly.

Top Player: #52 SP Nuhtiro Masesatfi (16-14, 3.15 ERA, 237 K). The 28-year-old righty is entering his fifth season anchoring the Adaf rotation. He has a very conventional repertoire - fastball, curveball, slider - but he can sling 101 MPH so it doesn't take much. Masesatfi was the big splash signing when Adaf was first promoted to the Elite League in 2012, signing a huge 7-year, $129MM contract. There's three more years of that, and at this point he makes up half of the team's payroll. Three more years at this price could be bad news for Adaf United.

Other Players to Watch: #15 SP Momehco Macilaci, #54 RF Moluka Tecuso, #96 RP Makenico Kekecehxe

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Penxara Redbirds (Penxara, XO)
2015 Record: 78-112, 14th place
2016 Prediction: 79-111, 15th place
Seasons in Elite League: 21 (1991-94, 1996-2006, 2009-12, 2015-)
Championships: 1 (1998)
Payroll: $54.6MM (11th)
Offense: 17th
Pitching: 9th

The Redbirds are the only current EL team outside of the Big Five to have won a championship at the top level, having won the 1998 championship in a 191st-game tiebreaker. Their history has been very hit or miss: they have gone from 2nd place to relegation (1993/94) and from 6th place to relegation (2005/06). They haven't finished in the top half since that 2005 season. Their big rivals are Kine, with whom they've had some shared struggles recently. All three teams from Penxara are forecast to finish in about the same area, so it will be interesting to see if they have to fight each other from relegation.

Top Player: #9 SS Letanu Dacfoki (.241, 0 HR, 41 RBI) (thash-fo-kee). 2015 was a down season for Dacfoki, but don't let those numbers fool you. This guy is the star of the team for reasons that don't show up in the Triple Crown categories: he is the best defensive shortstop in the league, and a wizard on the basepaths. And, at only 21 years old, he has the potential to anchor any team up the middle for years. An interesting statistical quirk of Dacfoki is that in all four of his professional seasons, he has had more triples than home runs. That's how you know you're dealing with a Billy Hamilton type.

Other Players to Watch: #5 SP Coce Fenalarihc, #11 RP Mitipe Neti, #28 C Fudetotu Tektasa

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Wotclad BC (Kolansolo, LS)
2015 Record: 84-106, 13th place
2016 Prediction: 64-126, 19th place
Seasons in Elite League: 7 (2010-)
Championships: 0
Best Finish: 5th (2012, 2013)
Payroll: $35.9MM (18th)
Offense: 19th
Pitching: 14th

Kolansolo is a military city, the home of the Lokasi navy and the largest city in Lon Sifn. The state is maybe analogous to New Jersey, with many residents commuting daily to nearby Ransu, the country's largest city. Kolansolo, though, is in the southeast corner of the city, as far away from Ransu as Lon Sifn gets, so they identify as a separate animal. Historically, Wotclad (woach-lath) were not the top team from Kolansolo - that would be the traditional Navy team called Defenders - but Wotclad have been the top team in the city ever since 1999, so this is just kind of the way things are now.

Top Player: #4 SP Sexjaple Dacisoc (12-8, 3.39 ERA, 206 K) (se-HYAP-le tha-shee-sosh). The 25-year-old righty has spent his entire pro career with Wotclad. He spent a good portion of last year recovering from Tommy John surgery before returning in late May. With all that considered, the EL's 2013 Pitcher of the Year (22-10, 2.40 ERA, 287 K) had a good showing upon his return. I don't see any reason why he can't return to that form. Dacisoc can touch the upper 90s with his fastball, but his strongest pitch is the curve. Batters either roll over on it or miss it entirely.

Other Players to Watch: #25 LF Toracoko Seacate, #50 SP Nica Femde, #11 CL Koxamea Ketoili

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Nacetraf BC (Penxara, XO)
2015 Record: 84-106, 12th place
2016 Prediction: 79-111, 14th place
Seasons in Elite League: 5 (2012-)
Championships: 0
Best Finish: 7th (2012, 2013)
Payroll: $59.7MM (10th)
Offense: 16th
Pitching: 13th

Despite Kine's history, and Redbirds' championship success, Nacetraf BC has been the king of Penxara for the past few years. 2015's 12th place finish marked the fourth straight year that Nacetraf has been the highest-finishing Penxara team. All three teams look this year to be the same level: they rank 10th, 11th and 12th in payroll, and are projected to all three finish within one game of each other in 14th, 15th and 16th places. I might be surprised to see all three of them begin 2017 in the top tier.

Top Player: #23 CF Rilelonao Laxamne (.325, 13 HR, 48 RBI) (la-HAHM-ne). Laxamne missed more than half of last season with a hip flexor injury, so it will be interesting to see how he fares trying to put together a full season. The 23-year-old has an excellent batting eye, with a career K/BB ratio of 323 to 321. He has spent all four of his professional seasons in the EL with Nacetraf, and he already has two Silver Slugger awards in center field to his name. He is a good defender in center field, but at some point in his career he will probably need to move over to left to be as effective. He's got 5 years and $40MM left on the contract he signed two years ago, so he wants to be with Nacetraf for the long haul.

Other Players to Watch: #26 SP Ripa Uhkisono, #11 RP Eikar Cisecai, #28 RF Nonace Fei

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Sunside BC (Tepijes, RT)
2015 Record: 91-99, 11th place
2016 Prediction: 64-126, 18th place
Seasons in Elite League: 6 (2011-)
Championships: 0
Best Finish: 4th (2011)
Payroll: $61.7MM (9th)
Offense: 15th
Pitching: 19th

Tepijes is the Lokasi word for 'sun', and the Sunsiders represent the city and the whole island of Rutepijo very well. They're not only the only team from Rutepijo to ever play in the Elite League, they're the only ones to ever crack the top three tiers. (Two are playing in the fourth-tier Southern Super League this year, and that's a rarity as well.) Unlike some of the other island states, Rutepijo is culturally similar to the rest of the country, most notable as a tourist destination. The Sunsiders look likely to have to fight relegation this year, which would be a shame. The league is most interesting when teams have an island trip to look forward to.

Top Player: #11 2B Salohnara Tysitijutxulo (.272, 45 HR, 112 RBI) (t-si-ti-oot-hoo-loh). The 21-year-old second baseman ranks as the league's #2 second-sacker, a comparatively huge star for a team as small as Sunside. In 2011 he won a Silver Slugger at 2nd at age 16, beating out the legend Funeda Tacei (see previous post). He's a very well-rounded player who isn't the best at anything, but is very good at everything. He will be a free agent after this season, so we'll have to look out and see whether the Big Five teams come after him.

Other Players to Watch: #42 3B Conec Komsa, #7 LF Conile Koceneh, #32 P Smiri Letcari

Ruwisc · 02-05-2017, 03:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dark Horse

Great to see another fictional world.

The icons are cool. And i really like the map.

Thank you! I highly recommend that anybody wanting to put together a fictional world learn how to use Inkscape. It does most of the same things as Photoshop, except it's free.

Sizeman21 · 02-05-2017, 03:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ruwisc

Thank you! I highly recommend that anybody wanting to put together a fictional world learn how to use Inkscape. It does most of the same things as Photoshop, except it's free.

Inkscape is really cool. I have a upcoming OOTP league created from a Inkscape map I made. I really like where this league is going. Keep up the good work!

tlowe77 · 02-05-2017, 07:33 PM

I love this! Can't wait to see it all unfold. I also have a league like this ready to go, just waiting for the release of OOTP18.

I will defiantly be following!

Ruwisc · 02-06-2017, 09:00 PM

Continuing in reverse order of their 2015 finishes, here's a preview of how the 2016 Elite League stacks up. We're into the top half of last year's league, and that encompasses every other team from the western part of the country, as well as our first feature from the big metropolis of Ransu.

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Neno BC (Cunxof, CX)
2015 Record: 101-89, 10th place
2016 Prediction: 98-92, 9th place
Seasons in Elite League: 4 (2013-)
Championships: 0
Best Finish: 7th (2014)
Payroll: $48.2MM (13th)
Offense: 6th
Pitching: 15th

With National gone down to the Second League, Neno is the only team left in the top tier from Lokasi's capital and third-largest city. This is new territory for Neno, who have traditionally played in the third-tier Southern Premier League, with three or four other teams from the city usually ranked higher than them. But Neno took advantage of their opportunities - when they were promoted after the 2012 season, they snapped up two youngsters turning pro for the first time that look like they will buoy Neno for years to come. They are probably the most 'extreme' team in the league with regard to the style of their team - being up in the mountains, they have gone all-in on offense.

Top Players: #3 RF Rokamo Nylamijatcati (.399, 72 HR, 191 RBI) and #11 1B Litui Moratare (.349, 62 HR, 169 RBI). Neno features the league's last two MVPs, so it's only fair that I showcase them both. Both were signed on for their first pro contracts right as Neno ascended to the Elite League for the first time, and they have been the main reasons why the team has had no trouble avoiding relegation in its first three years. Nylamijatcati won the Triple Crown in 2015 to cap his MVP season, in which he had more extra-base hits than strikeouts and also led the league in runs, hits, slugging and OPS despite missing ten games. At only 23 years old, the lefty slugger is going to be a key part of Neno's future, at least until he hits free agency after 2018.

Moratare isn't as flashy, but he is two years younger. The 2014 MVP (at age 20!) had an OPS of over 1.200 built on doubles and walks (although he still hits plenty of homers). I expect that during this season, his career walk total will surpass his career strikeout total.

Other Players to Watch: #25 LF Xofijur Cmeni, #13 CF Dipliro Ecoai

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Xokrof BC (Xokrof, TA)
2015 Record: 102-88, 9th place
2016 Prediction: 108-82, 6th place
Seasons in Elite League: 13 (1996-2004, 2013-)
Championships: 0
Best Finish: 3rd (2001)
Payroll: $97.3MM (6th)
Offense: 5th
Pitching: 12th

The largest city on the west coast is Xokrof, the "Beaver City", and their flagship team is the top team in the prairie regions. Traditionally Xokrof's rival city is Kepda, SE, with whom they share a strong rivalry similar to the rivalry between Minnesota teams and Wisconsin teams (in this analogy, I think Xokrof is the Twin Cities, Kepda is Milwaukee and Cunxof is Chicago). But for now, the team Xokrof is closest to is the Pidexanet Wolves, who sit just north of them in Talor. That's not really a rivalry, a friendly one if anything. Folks in the area are just excited to have an away series to go see nearby.

Top Player: #15 SP Duwitoaki Cocekuhmo (16-10, 1.35, 326 K for Konetekfa [Southern Premier League, tier 3]) (thu-i-to-ah-kee sho-sheh-KOO-mo). The 25-year-old righty makes the big jump to the Elite League after spending his first seven pro seasons with Konetekfa. Konetekfa used him very weirdly, using him as their closer in 2011 and 2012, a starter (with occasional relief) in 2013, a closer (with occasional starts) in 2014 and exclusively a starter in 2015. He responded by striking out 11.9 batters per 9 on his way to the SPL Pitcher of the Year award. His 16-10 record would be attributable to his team's horrible record - to go 16-10 with a 1.35 ERA should be almost impossible. He parlayed those stats into a 6-year, $50MM contract with Xokrof, to spend his prime years on the west coast. Despite being Xokrof's highest-rated player, he slots in as the team's fourth starter to begin the season. I think I'll be checking in on him to see if that changes.

Other Players to Watch: #11 CL Cweko Sanjexoi, #21 C Cosuko Sasijuflae, #3 2B Puwaklosa Kimu

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Fedujalja BC (Fedujalja, PI)
2015 Record: 105-85, 8th place
2016 Prediction: 84-106, 12th place
Seasons in Elite League: 4 (2013-)
Championships: 0
Best Finish: 8th (2015)
Payroll: $43.1MM (16th)
Offense: 9th
Pitching: 16th

At just under 47,000, Fedujalja is the smallest city represented in the EL. The Gold Eagles represent their hometown well as the only team from Fedujalja in the whole league system. In a way they represent the whole state of Pilentom, as the only team in the state to rise to the top level of the pyramid. As a relatively small club, Fedujalja BC may not have the financial might to stick around in the Elite League for good, but they're on a very good run, finishing in the top half of the league each of their three EL seasons. Fedujalja fans have reason to be disappointed in last season's results, because two of the three teams closest to them were relegated (National, Ixiri). Road trips to Akxa and Tasijelec will be more expensive.

Top Player: #7 CL Meses Leakeka (7-12, 38 SV, 3.40 ERA, 128 K). The 23-year-old lefty closer has been with Fedujalja his whole career. He was signed by the team while they were still in the fourth-tier Southern Super League, back in 2009. He's been with them through their meteoric rise, and just in 2015 became the closer for an EL team for the first time (he had been the closer prior, but in lower leagues). He features a conventional fastball-slider combo and can touch 101 with that fastball. He could still stand to learn to control that 101 fastball but he has a bright future ahead of him.

Other Players to Watch: #29 2B Fekere Pohtsimijecsijo, #28 RP Mecda Mysenemi, #37 SS Nokeaila Pakosa

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Pidexanet Wolves (Pidexanet, TA)
2015 Record: 111-79, 7th place
2016 Prediction: 107-83, 8th place
Seasons in Elite League: 2 (2015-)
Championships: 0
Best Finish: 7th (2015)
Payroll: $63.2MM (8th)
Offense: 10th
Pitching: 6th

Pidexanet is similar to Fedujalja in a lot of ways. Nearly the same population, a good distance away from the big cities around them, and only one professional baseball team, which has made a meteoric rise through the ranks. The two even made a big trade in the offseason - more on that later. The Wolves are located on the west coast of the state of Talor, which is usually somewhat forgettable as an agricultural area without a huge number of people. But now that the state features two teams in the Elite League (as well as the fourth-placed finisher in Second League) everybody is hyped about West Coast ball.

Top Player: #1 C Pire Tiku (.300, 27 HR, 92 RBI with Fedujalja). Tiku arrived in a December trade from Fedujalja in exchange for two of the featured players listed above (Mysenemi and Pakosa) and a prospect. Tiku is one of those players who doesn't excel in any obvious way but clearly makes his team better - he led the Elite League with 55 doubles last year but that was his first time leading the league in anything. The Wolves acquired the last three years of his contract at a relative bargain, so their fans are quite excited to have him in town.

Other Players to Watch: #35 3B Timomos Ruwecije, #36 CL Cemija Meo, #7 1B Loli Cai

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Tcecek BC (Ransu, RA)
2015 Record: 116-74, 6th place
2016 Prediction: 108-82, 7th place
Seasons in Elite League: 16 (1991-93, 1997, 2000-02, 2005-10, 2014-)
Championships: 0
Best Finish: 5th (1991, 2001)
Payroll: $78.5MM (7th)
Offense: 8th
Pitching: 8th

Tcecek is the first team from the big city of Ransu that has come up in these previews, so I'll talk a bit about the big city. At over 7.5 million, Ransu has twice as many people as the next largest city, and nearly 18% of the nation's population. Currently, three teams from the city play in the Elite League, which has been the case for the last four years - this is the lowest number of Ransu teams that have ever been in the top tier. In fact, from 1992-95 and 2007-08, there were eight teams from the city in the top flight. But all three relegated teams in 2008 were from Ransu, and two were in 2011, so it's been a low period. Tcecek as a team have a very interesting history - they are the team that has been relegated from the Elite League the most, four times as outlined above. They've been what a lot of soccer fans would call a 'yo-yo' team. When they are in the top league, their history is very up-and-down, similar to Penxara Redbirds. In the four seasons in which they've returned from the Second League, they've finished 9th, 10th, 10th and dead last. Last year's sixth spot is their best finish since 2001, so maybe the tables are turning, but of the Ransu teams in the league they certainly have the weakest pedigree.

Top Player: #11 SS Litomeke Sitcihmkom (.310, 11 HR, 90 RBI). Sitcihmkom was one of Tcecek's big signings when they returned to the top flight in 2014. He'll be slotting in at #2 in the Tcecek lineup armed with a nearly pathological ability to make contact. In the 2015 season, he struck out only 42 times in 803 PA. He's also an outstanding runner and an outstanding defensive player - a very old-school type of player. At only 19, he will be under Tcecek control for a while now.

Other Players to Watch: #46 C Nareco Cai, #43 3B Samixo Kekopa, #29 2B Rutmaud Saci

Ruwisc · 02-06-2017, 11:49 PM

Here we are, the Big Five. The five clubs that have, combined, won the last 16 championships, 22 of the 25 championships in league history, and are the only five clubs with multiple championships. Somewhat surprisingly, this past season was the first time that the five of them finished #1-5 in the league standings. Perhaps attributable to the fact that some of their traditional opponents are in transition phases, many of them having been financially ruined and relegated, these five look as if they're going to be the cream of the league's crop for a while now.

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Mighty Oaks BC (Arokekxil, KC)
2015 Record: 123-67, 5th place
2016 Prediction: 128-62, 3rd place
Seasons in Elite League: 17 (1991, 1994, 2002-)
Championships: 2 (2010, 2012)
Payroll: $147.8MM (3rd)
Offense: 3rd
Pitching: 7th

Definitely the most 'new money' of the five, Mighty Oaks have only been consistent contenders in the EL since 2008. That year set off a run of six straight years in the top 3 that included the Oak City's only two championships and cemented them as one of the country's elite teams. The big brother to OCB, Mighty Oaks have never finished below their Arokekxil co-tenants, the closest being four spots apart in the standings. It's not a very tenuous rivalry due to its one-sided nature, but it could be at some point.

Top Player: #9 SP Sken Animufmi (26-6, 1.68 ERA, 294 K). The defending Pitcher of the Year winner is back to shred up the league once more. The 24-year-old was a splash free-agent signing away from Adaf United prior to last season and it looks like his $13MM per year contract is already an underpay. I'd expect Animufmi to utilize his opt-out after the 2017 season. Each of his four pitches is very good, but he is best known for his elite forkball. He's had some injury problems in his career, having missed half of three separate seasons in his career, so his health will be worth watching, but when on the mound he is absolutely stellar. As of 2015, he owns the league record for lowest WHIP (0.81 last season).

Other Players to Watch: #69 C Lace Tacei, #18 LF Sikero Paserukutceh, #16 SP Nycautwah Roxijosfo

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Semjof BC (Ransu, RA)
2015 Record: 123-67, 4th place
2016 Prediction: 144-46, 1st place
Seasons in Elite League: 25 (1991-97, 1999-)
Championships: 2 (1991, 1996)
Payroll: $187.9MM (2nd)
Offense: 1st
Pitching: 3rd

This is a superteam, folks. At least on offense. Semjof features three players who have won multiple MVPs: RF Cutono, 3B Siwa and 2B Nesefatac. While the first two are past their prime, they have two other MVP-caliber players backing them up with SS Solitita and 1B Dimemo to form a true murderer's row. Long before the EL was formed Semjof was the most famous team in Lokasi baseball, and while other teams have joined them near the top, it's hard to argue against their history. The biggest team in the biggest city in the nation has finished in the top five for an astonishing 12 consecutive years, a testament to their reputation across the country. Equally amazing is that those twelve top-five seasons have yielded zero championships, which leads some haters to label them as the Liverpool of baseball. They are also a part of the most treasured rivalry in Lokasi baseball, the Ransu derby between Semjof and Shockers.

Top Player: #12 RF Tusjah Cutono (.315, 51 HR, 108 RBI). The 37-year-old is nearing the twilight of his career, and it will land him in the Hall of Fame. Although he spent some time in lower tiers, he has hit over 1000 home runs across 21 professional seasons, interestingly split evenly between his three teams: Redbirds, the lower-league Joxo Bears, and Semjof. His 2009 season will live in legend forever - he set the all time home run record (97) and RBI record (224) and accumulated over 15 WAR. Cutono has had a few injury problems in recent seasons but I couldn't pass up an opportunity to profile a sure-fire legend.

Other Players to Watch: #24 SP Toteti Pina, #36 2B Rametana Nesefatac, #18 3B Tonoka Siwa

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Nokir BC (Tencemaxo, DA)
2015 Record: 128-62, 3rd place
2016 Prediction: 139-51, 2nd place
Seasons in Elite League: 26 (1991-)
Championships: 9 (1993, 1994, 1997, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014)
Payroll: $210.3MM (1st)
Offense: 2nd
Pitching: 2nd

This is the league's premier team, and also, for now, the only team in the league for the country's Second City, Tencemaxo. Tencemaxo, in American terms, would be analogous to Los Angeles without the entertainment industry, much as good portions of the south of Lokasi are comparable to the American west coast. Nokir has, as you can see, 9 championships to their name, as many as the next two teams combined and a full 36% of the championships in league history. A run of five titles in eight years is nearly the best stretch Lokasi has ever seen.

Top Player: #2 SP Dwatoluh Cmeni (18-2, 2.52 ERA, 182 K) (thwa-to-LOO shme-ni). The 25-year-old righty has a small frame, but makes up for it with absolutely nasty movement. League scouts will agree that he has the league's best slider, and although he can't touch 100 like a lot of the young pitchers in this league can, he stays in the mid-90s and is equally effective if not more. He will be with Nokir for three more seasons at least, but I'd bet you he doesn't leave the Big Five.

Other Players to Watch: #30 SS Mutoja Tasirefti, #17 RP Cihuhkari Kilaxa, #4 RF Sea Cotesuwe

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Ransu Shockers (Ransu, RA)
2015 Record: 129-61, 2nd place
2016 Prediction: 127-63, 4th place
Seasons in Elite League: 23 (1994-)
Championships: 5 (2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005)
Payroll: $133.0MM (5th)
Offense: 7th
Pitching: 4th

The Shockers are back! There was a rough stretch of five years in which they never finished above 12th, and it looked for a while like their years of dominance were over. No matter what had happened, they owned the longest stretch of dominance in the league's history (four straight titles). But following that stretch, they've peeled out and have returned to their former glory, though they haven't topped the mountain yet in those three years. Of the Big Five, Shockers are the team with the least financial might, mostly due to their small stadium (only 24,000 seats, half the size of the other four). That's only comparatively, though - the Shockers can still shell out a lotta bucks.

Top Player: #55 SP Tinisas Konoija (28-6, 2.09 ERA, 291 K). The 2014 Pitcher of the Year winner still rates as the top pitcher in the entire league. The 28-year-old lefty features a world-class changeup and sinker. Amazingly, he was turning heads and racking up Ks in the Second League as a full-time starter with only those two pitches. He learned a standard four-seam fastball while at Jokoxedu in the Second League and took off from there. His addition from the start of the 2014 season corresponded with the Shockers' jump back into the elite echelon.

Other Players to Watch: #35 C Luxekemi Timeocea, #23 3B Klotcul Rala, #8 SP Sememe Kicinjesi

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Sky Blues BC (Akxa, DA)
2015 Record: 132-58, 1st place
2016 Prediction: 121-69, 5th place
Seasons in Elite League: 24 (1991-92, 1995-)
Championships: 4 (1999, 2004, 2007, 2015)
Payroll: $134.3MM (4th)
Offense: 4th
Pitching: 1st

Finally, we reach the defending champions, the Sky Blues from the City of Beaches. While they don't have quite the championship pedigree of Nokir, the history of Semjof, or the periods of extreme dominance like Shockers, they're the current champs, and in a way that's all that matters, right? Similar to Semjof's current streak, Sky Blues had a streak of 15 straight seasons in the top five from 1996-2010 and after a brief two-year stint in a lower strata have returned to championship aspirations. Sky Blues are also interesting in that they feature probably the league's best non-Lokasi player, Cuban right fielder Antonio Colón. There are very few non-Lokasi players in the league, and he's at least one of the best.

Top Player: #16 CF Lota Cekiroti (.372, 54 HR, 161 RBI). Probably the biggest breakout player of 2015, the speedster exploded last season by putting up a stunning 16.9 WAR to lead the league. While he didn't lead in any other stat, the 20-year-old more than doubled his home run and stolen base totals while increasing his average by 36 points, and, while we're at it, increasing literally every other counting stat on the page. I don't know what else to say beside the fact that he has 80-grade contact, 70-grade gap power and 75-grade speed. That's a combo that's going to lead to a few batting titles, and Sky Blues are lucky to have him.

Other Players to Watch: #26 SP Januswosti Siwa, #3 CL Sarelimo Kaitilau, #25 SP Cimi Comimijesa

Ruwisc · 02-07-2017, 12:07 AM

The first set of games will come tomorrow! I'll be covering one (12-day) week per day from tomorrow through the 25th, which will see another champion crowned. Here are the games slated for the first week with home teams listed first, in the European style. All series are five games:

First Series

Mighty Oaks vs. South Shore
Wotclad vs. Oak City Boars
Nise vs. Sky Blues
Redbirds vs. Sunside
Neno vs. Tcecek
Kine vs. Fedujalja
Adaf United vs. Xokrof
Shockers vs. Nacetraf
Semjof vs. Nokir
Pidexanet Wolves vs. Rei

The obvious draw is a truly massive opening series in Ransu, with Semjof taking on Nokir, the two teams predicted to be on top of the league this year. This could be a series that immediately has title implications - if it's a five game sweep I might just crown a champion immediately.

Second Series

Xokrof vs. Nise
Fedujalja vs. Redbirds
South Shore vs. Pidexanet Wolves
Sky Blues vs. Shockers
Sunside vs. Semjof
Tcecek vs. Wotclad
Nokir vs. Kine
Oak City Boars vs. Mighty Oaks
Rei vs. Neno
Nacetraf vs. Adaf United

Two good-looking series here in match-round 2. Another series that will make big championship waves is down in Akxa, as the Sky Blues and Shockers go at it. There's also a big rivalry series between the teams from the Oak City.

Izz · 02-07-2017, 02:19 AM

Awesome! *subscribed*

Ruwisc · 02-07-2017, 12:16 PM

It's a fantastic start for the Shockers, and a terrible start for their rivals Semjof. The opening week of the 2016 EL featured surprise after surprise, with several major injuries, an all-time record falling, and a no-hitter in one of the most anticipated games of the week.

First Series

.......Mighty Oaks 3 - 2 South Shore (2-3, 9-2, 4-3, 0-7, 3-2)
...........Wotclad 2 - 3 Oak City Boars (5-7, 2-10, 5-4, 1-2, 12-2)
..............Nise 1 - 3 Sky Blues (3-7, 2-10, 1-0, 7-10, PPD)
..........Redbirds 1 - 4 Sunside (3-2, 3-5, 2-10, 3-6, 5-6)
..............Neno 2 - 3 Tcecek (4-5, 3-7, 3-0, 1-12, 7-5)
..............Kine 2 - 3 Fedujalja (4-5, 3-4, 1-4, 12-4, 9-5)
.......Adaf United 2 - 3 Xokrof (0-1, 2-7, 5-4, 1-8, 4-0)
..........Shockers 5 - 0 Nacetraf (3-1, 8-1, 5-2, 7-3, 11-5)
............Semjof 1 - 4 Nokir (4-3, 3-5, 1-7, 2-3, 5-6)
..Pidexanet Wolves 3 - 2 Rei (3-5, 4-3, 5-3, 1-2, 6-2)

Second Series

............Xokrof 2 - 3 Nise (7-0, 1-4, 2-4, 3-2, 1-5)
.........Fedujalja 3 - 2 Redbirds (4-3, 2-7, 3-4, 10-3, 5-3)
.......South Shore 3 - 2 Pidexanet Wolves (3-2, 4-8, 10-2, 3-2, 4-8)
.........Sky Blues 1 - 4 Shockers (0-10, 3-5, 2-9, 5-2, 1-2)
...........Sunside 3 - 2 Semjof (1-3, 6-5, 0-1, 4-3, 8-5)
............Tcecek 5 - 0 Wotclad (4-3, 4-2, 3-1, 3-2, 4-3)
.............Nokir 4 - 1 Kine (4-6, 6-1, 21-2, 6-3, 3-2)
....Oak City Boars 0 - 5 Mighty Oaks (3-4, 1-7, 0-4, 1-2, 2-4)
...............Rei 2 - 3 Neno (3-2, 1-0, 1-11, 3-5, 1-5)
..........Nacetraf 5 - 0 Adaf United (8-1, 7-2, 4-3, 5-3, 4-3)

In each one of these posts I'll try to highlight the most interesting things that happened that week. And boy howdy folks, was it one interesting week.

Kine 12-4 Fedujalja: CF Mekwatesoh Meketi, listed as one of Kine's "Players to Watch", injures his ankle while making a defensive play. He will miss about 6 weeks.
South Shore 10-2 Pidexanet Wolves: C Pire Tiku, who I profiled as Pidexanet's top player, suffered a broken kneecap while running the bases and will miss six months, nearly the entire season. This is a huge loss for the Wolves and you have to wonder what they'll do to address the vacancy. Peitixju Pohkjato takes over behind the dish, and he's a fine player, but he's not Tiku.
Sky Blues 0-10 Shockers: In a true moment of greatness, Tinisas Konoija, the top pitcher in the league and profiled as the Shockers' top player, threw a no-hitter against one of the league's top offenses! The 118-pitch outing was marred only by two walks and an error, and he faced only one batter more than the minimum thanks to one caught stealing and one double play. The win kept the Shockers unbeaten at 6-0, and they would make it to 8-0 before their first defeat.
Nokir 4-6 Kine: Another tragic injury, as Nokir SP Dwatoluh Cmeni, who I profiled as Nokir's top player, ruptured a finger tendon while pitching against Kine. He will miss at least half the season.
Nokir 6-3 Kine: An historic moment in Tencemaxo as Nokir SP Mama Pohketcijo broke the all-time league record for wins, surpassing the Hall of Famer Nani Faikatone. I didn't profile Pohketcijo because he doesn't really feature for Nokir, and his best days are behind him, but he will be a Hall of Famer himself. He is most notable for his longevity, and he can attribute a lot of those wins to being on great teams, most notably the two title-winning Mighty Oaks teams.

STANDINGS

.1..........Shockers...9...1..
.2.............Nokir...8...2..
.3............Tcecek...8...2..
.4.......Mighty Oaks...8...2..
.5...........Sunside...7...3..
.6.........Fedujalja...6...4..
.7............Xokrof...5...5..
.8..............Neno...5...5..
.9..Pidexanet Wolves...5...5..
10.......South Shore...5...5..
11..........Nacetraf...5...5..
12.........Sky Blues...4...5..
13..............Nise...4...5..
14...............Rei...4...6..
15............Semjof...3...7..
16....Oak City Boars...3...7..
17..........Redbirds...3...7..
18..............Kine...3...7..
19...........Wotclad...2...8..
20.......Adaf United...2...8..

In week 2:

Series 3

Nise vs. Sunside
Neno vs. Oak City Boars
Tcecek vs. Rei
Shockers vs. Semjof
Sky Blues vs. South Shore
Nacetraf vs. Fedujalja
Xokrof vs. Kine
Wotclad vs. Mighty Oaks
Adaf United vs. Nokir
Redbirds vs. Pidexanet Wolves

Things don't get any easier for Semjof, because the biggest series of their season is here. They travel the short distance to their city rivals, Shockers, who are already six games ahead of them. Elsewhere, the Akxa derby is going on between Sky Blues and South Shore, and Sunside look to continue their hot start traveling up to the northeast.

Series 4

Kine vs. Nise
South Shore vs. Redbirds
Rei vs. Shockers
Fedujalja vs. Sky Blues
Oak City Boars vs. Tcecek
Semjof vs. Wotclad
Nokir vs. Xokrof
Mighty Oaks vs. Nacetraf
Sunside vs. Neno
Pidexanet Wolves vs. Adaf United

A bit of a cool-down from the high-profile series of the first three rounds, as finally the Big Five don't face each other. The best series on the docket is probably down in Tencemaxo, where Nokir will take on Xokrof.

Ruwisc · 02-08-2017, 11:45 AM

More superb pitching performances in the first half of the season's second week, but the second half was marred by another shocking series of injuries.

Round 3

..............Nise 2 - 3 Sunside (6-14, 4-2, 7-3, 1-7, 1-3)
..............Neno 3 - 2 Oak City Boars (9-6, 3-7, 5-0, 4-8, 10-4)
............Tcecek 2 - 3 Rei (2-4, 7-6, 2-5, 6-3, 4-5)
..........Shockers 4 - 1 Semjof (2-0, 5-2, 3-1, 9-1, 3-4)
.........Sky Blues 4 - 1 South Shore (0-1, 8-6, 6-4, 3-1, 4-3)
..........Nacetraf 2 - 3 Fedujalja (5-3, 3-4, 3-4, 9-5, 1-2)
............Xokrof 5 - 0 Kine (8-2, 2-1, 7-4, 11-0, 7-5)
...........Wotclad 2 - 3 Mighty Oaks (0-2, 5-10, 0-6, 8-6, 2-1)
.......Adaf United 1 - 4 Nokir (0-3, 3-14, 4-5, 1-0, 2-11)
..........Redbirds 4 - 1 Pidexanet Wolves (1-2, 7-0, 6-5, 5-4, 3-1)

Semjof's rough start continues - they score only 8 runs in the 5-game series with Shockers, salvaging only the last game. After this series they sat 9 full games behind Shockers in the standings.

Elsewhere, Sky Blues run off four straight wins against their archrivals to win that series, and Sunside wins their third straight series to start the year.

Neno 5-0 Oak City Boars: Neno #43 SP Natetcuo Tiku (1-2, 1.84 ERA) throws a complete-game three-hit shutout. Unlucky in his first two starts, Tiku did all the work in acquiring his first win.
Wotclad 0-2 Mighty Oaks: Mighty Oaks superstar #9 SP Sken Animufmi (1-0, 1.84 ERA) throws a three-hit shutout at Wotclad. The Mighty Oaks bullpen has left Animufmi hanging in a couple of starts, leading to a few no-decisions, but Sken went the distance on this occasion.
Adaf United 0-3 Nokir: Nokir #43 SP Mumutca Modynxe (2-0, 0.90 ERA) moved from the bullpen to the rotation following the injury to Dwatoluh Cmeni and his very first start was a 10-K, 3-hit shutout. Adaf is not a particularly difficult team to shut out but Modynxe is covering the loss in a major way.
Redbirds 7-0 Pidexanet Wolves: #53 SP Premeira Cisecai (3-1, 3.13 ERA), in his first season with Redbirds after spending 2015 in Nokir's bullpen, spun a complete-game 5-hit shutout against the Wolves at home.

Round 4

..............Kine 1 - 4 Nise (6-7, 1-5, 2-4, 4-6, 5-2)
.......South Shore 2 - 3 Redbirds (11-4, 4-7, 5-4, 4-5, 2-3)
...............Rei 3 - 2 Shockers (6-5, 2-3, 0-1, 17-3, 5-4)
.........Fedujalja 1 - 4 Sky Blues (3-2, 2-3, 0-1, 5-6, 3-12)
....Oak City Boars 2 - 3 Tcecek (0-6, 1-5, 5-0, 6-5, 0-2)
............Semjof 4 - 1 Wotclad (6-5, 11-4, 19-0, 3-6, 9-4)
.............Nokir 4 - 1 Xokrof (6-2, 10-3, 4-3, 3-10, 5-2)
.......Mighty Oaks 4 - 1 Nacetraf (6-5, 2-1, 0-9, 8-5, 4-0)
...........Sunside 1 - 4 Neno (5-7, 3-6, 4-3, 0-5, 3-11)
..Pidexanet Wolves 4 - 1 Adaf United (9-7, 2-1, 4-1, 1-0, 7-8)

Rei picks up a big series win against Shockers, including a monster rout in the fourth game buoyed by 16 runs in the first two innings. Elsewhere, Semjof perks up now that they have some weaker competition (Nokir, Sunside and Shockers in their first three series is a tough start), and Nokir and Mighty Oaks take care of business at home.

Kine 6-7 Nise: Nise #2 RP Lenjoimo Tcecir, who I mentioned as one of Nise's players to watch, is done for the season after a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder. Tcecir threw only one pitch in the eighth inning of what would eventually be a 15-inning win for Nise, but did record the final out of that inning.
South Shore 11-4 Redbirds: South Shore #63 SP Matmipoma Lexeti, the team's best player, could be done for the year, also with a torn labrum. While Tcecir is undoubtedly done for the year, Lexeti may make it back - although, unless South Shore is in danger of relegation, I wonder if the late-season return is worth it.
Rei 17-3 Shockers: Rei #62 CF Socilo Sotoswiki (.289, 2 HR, 11 RBI) led the team in a rout of the league leaders, going 5-6 with a homer, two doubles, 3 runs scored and 5 RBI, including 2 hits and 2 runs in the team's 12-run second inning. By the end of that second Rei led 16-1 and the Shockers had been thoroughly humiliated.
Fedujalja 3-2 Sky Blues: Sky Blues #16 CF Lota Cekiroti, the team's offensive star, injured his hamstring playing the field in the team's loss to the Gold Eagles. He will miss about a month.

STANDINGS

.1.............Nokir..16...4..+1
.2..........Shockers..15...5..-1
.3.......Mighty Oaks..15...5..+1
.4............Tcecek..13...7..-1
.5.........Sky Blues..12...7..+7
.6..............Neno..12...8..+2
.7............Xokrof..11...9...0
.8...........Sunside..11...9..-3
.9..............Nise..10...9..+4
10..Pidexanet Wolves..10..10..-1
11...............Rei..10..10..+3
12..........Redbirds..10..10..+5
13.........Fedujalja..10..10..-7
14............Semjof...8..12..+1
15.......South Shore...8..12..-5
16..........Nacetraf...8..12..-5
17....Oak City Boars...7..13..-1
18...........Wotclad...5..15..+1
19..............Kine...4..16..-1
20.......Adaf United...4..16...0

In week 2:

Round 5

Redbirds vs. Nokir
Nacetraf vs. Oak City Boars
Wotclad vs. Rei
Adaf United vs. Semjof
Tcecek vs. South Shore
Sky Blues vs. Sunside
Nise vs. Fedujalja
Shockers vs. Kine
Neno vs. Mighty Oaks
Xokrof vs. Pidexanet Wolves

The marquee series in round 5 is probably in the capital city, with Neno vs. Mighty Oaks. Semjof gets a chance to catch up in the standings with a trip to Adaf, and Sunside makes their shortest road trek of the season to take on the Sky Blues.

Round 6

Semjof vs. Nise
Rei vs. Redbirds
Nokir vs. Shockers
Kine vs. Sky Blues
Pidexanet Wolves vs. Tcecek
Fedujalja vs. Wotclad
Oak City Boars vs. Xokrof
Sunside vs. Nacetraf
South Shore vs. Neno
Mighty Oaks vs. Adaf United

A huge series in round 6 as the current top two, Nokir and Shockers, face off down south. Elsewhere, Semjof welcomes Nise from nearby Tasijelec.

Ruwisc · 02-09-2017, 02:39 PM

Time for week three! This week has a very unexpected shutout, a suspension-worthy brawl, and another season-ending injury, this time for Rei.

Round 5

..........Redbirds 0 - 5 Nokir (2-5, 3-8, 2-6, 2-4, 4-6)
..........Nacetraf 2 - 3 Oak City Boars (4-6, 0-5, 3-2, 2-9, 2-1)
...........Wotclad 1 - 4 Rei (3-2, 1-11, 1-2, 2-5, 0-4)
.......Adaf United 3 - 2 Semjof (3-5, 6-3, 13-6, 4-1, 2-14)
............Tcecek 4 - 1 South Shore (5-2, 5-4, 1-2, 8-6, 2-0)
.........Sky Blues 5 - 0 Sunside (4-3, 9-6, 7-0, 3-2, 7-5)
..............Nise 4 - 1 Fedujalja (6-5, 5-4, 5-1, 4-10, 3-2)
..........Shockers 3 - 2 Kine (6-2, 3-2, 7-8, 4-5, 9-0)
..............Neno 3 - 2 Mighty Oaks (5-0, 0-2, 6-1, 2-7, 9-2)
............Xokrof 5 - 0 Pidexanet Wolves (5-4, 12-10, 2-0, 5-3, 5-4)

Wotclad 0-4 Rei: Rei's #13 SP Neni Mjakta (1-3, 6.16 ERA), was dominant on this day firing a shutout in the series finale at Wotclad. This is by far his best outing of the year - his only start of the season in which he's allowed fewer than four runs! In fact, in his start in the following series against Redbirds, he was lit up for 8 runs in 3.1 IP. His true talent level is in the middle somewhere - he has previously been a 21-game winner for Rei in 2014, though that was in the Second League.
Neno 5-0 Mighty Oaks: Neno's #36 SP Xifomi Pina (4-1, 3.89) twirled a five-hit shutout against one of the league's best teams. Neno's top starter outdueled Sken Animufmi in dealing him his first loss of the season. Interestingly, he is an extreme contact pitcher - he has only 19 strikeouts in six starts this season, including only two in this shutout win.
Neno 0-2 Mighty Oaks: The next day, Mighty Oaks' #16 SP Nycautwah Roxijosfo (6-0, 1.16) returned the favor in shutting out a very potent Neno offense. Roxijosfo's line through six starts is stunning: 46.2 IP, only six runs, with 41 Ks to 11 walks. And of course 6-0 speaks for itself. This game has been his best performance so far, and against the best offensive team he's faced thus far.

The end of this set of series corresponds to the end of March, so I'll give you the players of the month:

Hitter of the Month: Neno #3 RF Rokamo Nylamijatcati - .388/.436/.796, 11 HR, 24 RBI. The defending MVP is back in a big way, leading Neno to a 6th-place start, ahead of their best-ever finish of 7th.
Pitcher of the Month: Mighty Oaks #16 SP Nycautwah Roxijosfo - 5-0, 38.2 IP, 0.93 ERA, 29 K. The 21-year-old lefty has, to this point, outshined Animufmi, his more famous teammate.
Rookie of the Month: Nacetraf #14 1B Sisara Taso - .298/.330/.488, 4 HR, 19 RBI. The 18-year-old has emerged as a veritable third offensive option for Nacetraf. It's a thin rookie crop thus far, with only four having played more than 20 games on the hitting side, and only one starting pitcher.

Round 6

............Semjof 4 - 1 Nise (5-0, 2-3, 4-2, 8-1, 10-2)
...............Rei 4 - 1 Redbirds (5-4, 5-3, 3-1, 5-2, 4-12)
.............Nokir 2 - 2 Shockers (3-6, 6-5, 13-5, 5-7, PPD)
..............Kine 2 - 3 Sky Blues (1-3, 0-5, 2-10, 5-2, 4-3)
..Pidexanet Wolves 2 - 3 Tcecek (1-9, 0-2, 2-9, 4-3, 3-2)
.........Fedujalja 3 - 2 Wotclad (9-4, 2-3, 3-4, 10-5, 2-1)
....Oak City Boars 4 - 1 Xokrof (6-5, 2-11, 4-2, 5-2, 14-4)
...........Sunside 3 - 2 Nacetraf (6-4, 8-5, 3-7, 1-7, 9-3)
.......South Shore 2 - 3 Neno (1-4, 2-7, 1-3, 13-10, 4-2)
.......Mighty Oaks 4 - 1 Adaf United (4-5, 12-3, 4-3, 3-0, 3-0)

Rei 3-1 Redbirds: Rei #2 SS Cemija Mukopa collided with the third baseman on a defensive play and hit his head on the ground. He suffered a serious concussion and will be out for a while, possibly the rest of the season. Thankfully for Rei, they had a capable shortstop already stuck at first base in #50 Sakatice Kicoitca, so he will slide over.
Kine 0-5 Sky Blues: Sky Blues #28 SP Solapimje Tictuhxe (2-1, 3.12) dominated Kine in a four-hitter. The Sky Blues team has been ravaged by injury thus far - at this moment they are missing five players due to injury. Tictuhxe has gone on a good run of four straight quality starts in their absences.
Mighty Oaks 3-0 Adaf: Adaf #93 SP Mika Tcuhdiko and Mighty Oaks #6 3B Lamijolas Tanliki were ejected after a bench-clearing brawl in the second inning. The fight started after Tcuhdiko hit Tanliki with a pitch. Both players were suspended for nine games.
Fedujalja 10-5 Wotclad: This game was uneventful, but just before the game Fedujalja traded their starting LF, #95 Tohrema Nokata, and cash to the very bottom of the pyramid, to Loltcace BC (Roje, XO) in the Northern Regional League. I don't see the point of this trade for the Gold Eagles, as the only return was 23-year-old reliever Lakaci Tedanuwi, who doesn't appear to be worth the price. Tedanuwi has been roughly replacement-level in the lower two tiers of the league system, and has just a 1.5-star ceiling. The move saves Fedujalja about $175,000.

STANDINGS

.1.............Nokir..23...6...0
.2.......Mighty Oaks..21...9..+1
.3..........Shockers..20...9..-1
.4.........Sky Blues..20...9..+1
.5............Tcecek..20..10..-1
.6..............Neno..18..12...0
.7...............Rei..18..12..+4
.8............Xokrof..17..13..-1
.9..............Nise..15..14...0
10............Semjof..14..16..+4
11...........Sunside..14..16..-3
12....Oak City Boars..14..16..+5
13.........Fedujalja..14..16...0
14..........Nacetraf..12..18..+2
15..Pidexanet Wolves..12..18..-5
16..........Redbirds..11..19..-4
17.......South Shore..11..19..-2
18.......Adaf United...8..22..+2
19..............Kine...8..22...0
20...........Wotclad...8..22..-2

In week 4:

Round 7

10 Semjof vs. 19 Kine
11 Sunside vs. 12 Oak City Boars
8 Xokrof vs. 3 Shockers
16 Redbirds vs. 4 Sky Blues
7 Rei vs. 17 South Shore
1 Nokir vs. 13 Fedujalja
15 Pidexanet Wolves vs. 2 Mighty Oaks
5 Tcecek vs. 14 Nacetraf
20 Wotclad vs. 6 Neno
9 Nise vs. 18 Adaf United

The marquee series of round 7 is definitely Xokrof vs. Shockers.

Round 8

6 Neno vs. 1 Nokir
12 Oak City Boars vs. 15 Pidexanet Wolves
2 Mighty Oaks vs. 7 Rei
13 Fedujalja vs. 10 Semjof
17 South Shore vs. 11 Sunside
19 Kine vs. 5 Tcecek
14 Nacetraf vs. 20 Wotclad
4 Sky Blues vs. 8 Xokrof
3 Shockers vs. 9 Nise
18 Adaf United vs. 16 Redbirds

This looks to be a great set of games, with 8 of the current top 9 teams facing off with each other. None of the matchups are between Big Five teams, but all five of them look like they could get a tough test.

Ruwisc · 02-10-2017, 04:03 PM

Round 7

............Semjof 5 - 0 Kine (6-5, 12-7, 9-7, 5-1, 7-2)
...........Sunside 3 - 2 Oak City Boars (2-1, 6-9, 6-5, 3-5, 11-8)
............Xokrof 3 - 2 Shockers (3-5, 11-7, 4-3, 6-3, 3-4)
..........Redbirds 2 - 3 Sky Blues (7-15, 6-4, 3-5, 2-4, 9-2)
...............Rei 2 - 3 South Shore (3-5, 8-3, 4-6, 4-3, 9-11)
.............Nokir 4 - 1 Fedujalja (4-7, 8-3, 2-1, 6-2, 12-3)
..Pidexanet Wolves 3 - 2 Mighty Oaks (2-1, 3-5, 10-2, 2-1, 0-2)
............Tcecek 4 - 1 Nacetraf (5-4, 8-10, 4-0, 6-3, 9-3)
...........Wotclad 0 - 5 Neno (1-4, 7-12, 1-5, 3-6, 2-6)
..............Nise 3 - 2 Adaf United (0-1, 4-3, 4-2, 3-0, 0-2)

Nise 0-1 Adaf United: Adaf United #15 SP Momehco Macilaci (3-4, 2.50) tossed a four-hit shutout in the series opener at Nise. This was a real pitcher's duel as Macilaci faced off against Nise ace Iretci Pamisi, who allowed just two hits only left the game after surrendering the decisive home run to Adaf's 1B Lokeri Mopoaxi in the eighth inning.
Xokrof 11-7 Shockers: Xokrof won the game, but Shockers' #23 3B Klotcul Rala (.333, 8 HR, 37 RBI) was the story after hitting for the cycle. Rala got the hard parts out of the way first, tripling in the first and homering in the third. His ninth-inning single plated two runs to tighten the game to 11-7 and completed the cycle. For the game he was 4-5 and had six RBI from the cleanup spot. Despite that, Xokrof's #39 1B Saksuh Tedanuwi was named player of the game for his two home runs. His third-inning shot tied the game at 4 and his fifth-inning shot gave Xokrof a 6-4 lead that they would not relinquish.
Nise 3-0 Adaf United: Nise's #7 SP Kasunilo Tijonuhteo (1-7, 5.57) twirled a shutout of his own as Nise won their third straight against Adaf. Tijonuhteo is not a highly-touted pitcher as you can see from his statistics, but he shut down the league's worst offense on this day in throwing a two-hitter.
Nise 0-2 Adaf United: Pitching was the story in this series, and this time it was again #15 SP Momehco Macilaci for Adaf United. He outdid his previous performance in the series by throwing a two-hitter. Adaf's RF Moluka Tekuso was the offensive hero on this day, with a first-inning RBI single and a third-inning home run providing the whole of the offense.

Round 8

..............Neno 0 - 5 Nokir (0-2, 3-5, 2-12, 4-6, 1-4)
....Oak City Boars 0 - 5 Pidexanet Wolves (4-6, 4-7, 0-6, 4-5, 4-5)
.......Mighty Oaks 1 - 4 Rei (5-6, 1-4, 3-5, 7-1, 6-8)
.........Fedujalja 2 - 3 Semjof (1-5, 3-4, 5-9, 4-3, 8-6)
.......South Shore 3 - 2 Sunside (2-6, 0-3, 3-0, 5-3, 2-1)
..............Kine 2 - 3 Tcecek (3-8, 1-4, 6-0, 7-4, 5-8)
..........Nacetraf 2 - 3 Wotclad (5-3, 2-3, 6-0, 7-16, 2-3)
.........Sky Blues 3 - 2 Xokrof (3-2, 3-2, 3-5, 1-5, 22-1)
..........Shockers 3 - 2 Nise (1-2, 5-2, 4-5, 2-0, 12-2)
.......Adaf United 3 - 2 Redbirds (6-5, 7-0, 1-11, 1-3, 2-1)

Kine 3-8 Tcecek: Tcecek #43 3B Samixo Kekopa (.316, 7 HR, 23 RBI) buoyed his team to a win on this day by hitting three home runs. Even more impressive is that he did it in his only three plate appearances before being pinch-hit for in the 7th. His first- and third-inning two-run homers each gave Tcecek the lead, and his fifth-inning homer made it 5-3. All three came off Kine ace Sohlo Tesapjeno.
Shockers 5-2 Nise: Shockers' #40 2B Lace Mokilihjaci (.258, 1 HR, 15 RBI) collected his 2,500th Elite League hit in the win over Nise. The 31-year-old is the 23rd player in league history to reach that milestone, and he could possibly reach as high as 20th on the all-time list this season.
Adaf United 7-0 Redbirds: Adaf's #54 RF Moluka Tekuso (.301, 12 HR, 37 RBI) had his own three-homer day in Adaf's shutout win. Tekuso homered in the first, third and eighth innings and accrued six RBI. The third-inning shot stretched Adaf's lead from 2-0 to 5-0 and effectively ended the game.
Neno 2-12 Nokir: Another bench-clearing brawl broke out in this game after Neno's #88 SP Tislo Tysakijape hit Nokir's #4 RF Sea Cotesuwe with a pitch. Both were suspended four games (which doesn't seem much of a suspension for a starting pitcher, but I guess that's not my judgment).
Nacetraf 6-0 Wotclad: Nacetraf's #26 SP Ripa Uhkisono (5-4, 2.51) tossed a shutout against Wotclad, giving up only a walk, an error, and five hits. The 29-year-old is off to the best start of his career in his second season with Nacetraf, with his previous best ERA in the Elite League being 3.40 in 2010, and has suffered from poor run support thus far. In his four losses, Nacetraf has scored a total of two runs.
Fedujalja 8-6 Semjof: Fedujalja won the game, but Semjof's #36 2B Rametana Nesefatac (.338, 9 HR, 27 RBI) picked up his 2000th career hit in the loss. It was an exciting game - Semjof rallied from 5-2 down to take a 6-5 eighth-inning lead, but Fedujalja's Cemija Nasitfuhm delivered with a walk-off home run. Nasitfuhm is an interesting story - he went the whole 2015 season without a team after finishing his contract with the NWRC's Cimnera Crusaders (Cimnera, RP). Despite jumping up six tiers and taking a year off, he is 12-29 so far coming off the bench for Fedujalja. Should an injury strike the Gold Eagles he could become a real success story.

STANDINGS

.1.............Nokir..32...7...0
.2............Tcecek..27..13..+3
.3.........Sky Blues..26..13..+1
.4..........Shockers..25..14..-1
.5.......Mighty Oaks..24..16..-3
.6...............Rei..24..16..+1
.7..............Neno..23..17..-1
.8............Semjof..22..18..+2
.9............Xokrof..22..18..-1
10..............Nise..20..19..-1
11..Pidexanet Wolves..20..20..+4
12...........Sunside..19..21..-1
13.......South Shore..17..23..+4
14.........Fedujalja..17..23..-1
15....Oak City Boars..16..24..-3
16..........Redbirds..15..25...0
17..........Nacetraf..15..25..-3
18.......Adaf United..13..27...0
19...........Wotclad..11..29..+1
20..............Kine..10..30..-1

In week 5:

Round 9

19 Wotclad vs. 3 Sky Blues
12 Sunside vs. 1 Nokir
7 Neno vs. 16 Redbirds
11 Pidexanet Wolves vs. 4 Shockers
13 South Shore vs. 8 Semjof
5 Mighty Oaks vs. 14 Fedujalja
17 Nacetraf vs. 9 Xokrof
15 Oak City Boars vs. 20 Kine
6 Rei vs. 10 Nise
2 Tcecek vs. 18 Adaf United

No real high-profile matchups in this round, so we look to see if the top teams can take care of business.

Round 10

16 Redbirds vs. 15 Oak City Boars
1 Nokir vs. 6 Rei
14 Fedujalja vs. 13 South Shore
4 Shockers vs. 19 Wotclad
8 Semjof vs. 2 Tcecek
20 Kine vs. 12 Sunside
9 Xokrof vs. 5 Mighty Oaks
10 Nise vs. 17 Nacetraf
18 Adaf United vs. 7 Neno
3 Sky Blues vs. 11 Pidexanet Wolves

A big series in Ransu, as the surprise team Tcecek visit the still-recovering Semjof. Bit of a role reversal, but this could be an opportunity for Semjof to climb that ladder. Also, Nokir looks to quiet Rei's hot start, and Sky Blues get a visit from the streaking Wolves.

Also in rounds 9-10, I'll give a quarterly stats recap and give a look at who the award winners are shaping up to be.

Ruwisc · 02-11-2017, 05:56 PM

Round 9

...........Wotclad 1 - 4 Sky Blues (0-3, 1-0, 2-5, 1-4, 1-6)
...........Sunside 1 - 4 Nokir (5-4, 2-6, 3-15, 1-2, 5-12)
..............Neno 3 - 2 Redbirds (1-0, 2-4, 9-1, 1-2, 13-4)
..Pidexanet Wolves 2 - 3 Shockers (2-3, 6-4, 8-9, 1-4, 2-1)
.......South Shore 0 - 5 Semjof (3-6, 2-9, 0-13, 0-8, 4-7)
.......Mighty Oaks 4 - 1 Fedujalja (3-4, 14-5, 4-3, 13-2, 14-1)
..........Nacetraf 1 - 4 Xokrof (4-8, 0-5, 5-7, 2-5, 6-5)
....Oak City Boars 2 - 3 Kine (2-1, 6-4, 7-9, 5-6, 6-8)
...............Rei 2 - 3 Nise (2-9, 6-5, 1-2, 3-2, 0-1)
............Tcecek 3 - 2 Adaf United (1-0, 5-6, 3-1, 2-4, 3-2)

Neno 1-0 Redbirds: Neno #43 SP Natetcou Tiku (4-4, 2.54) pitched a shutout in the nation's capital in this pitcher's duel. He outdueled Penxara's ace Premeira Cisecai, who allowed only a fourth-inning home run by 2014 MVP Litui Moratare. The Redbirds only managed three hits against the 33-year-old Tiku, who is off to his best start since entering the Elite League with Ixiri in 2009.
Neno 2-4 Redbirds: Both Neno's #13 CF Dipliro Ecoai and Penxara's #5 SP Coce Fenalarihc left this game with injuries and will miss significant time. Ecoai will miss about a month and a half after suffering a bruised kneecap in the field, while Fenalarihc, who left only for precautionary reasons, actually will miss 3 months due to inflammation in his throwing shoulder. Fenalarihc completed only one inning and the Redbirds bullpen did well in hanging on while the team erased an early deficit.
Wotclad 1-0 Sky Blues: Wotclad #4 SP Sexjaple Dacisoc (4-2, 3.88) completed a true gem, throwing a ten-inning shutout against one of the Big Five. Wotclad has had a really rough go of it this season, and the 2013 Pitcher of the Year has not lived up to his usual reputation. If anyone is going to carry Wotclad out of the relegation zone, it will be him.
Mighty Oaks 14-5 Fedujalja: Fedujalja's #64 C Elo Cifehkirwon (.279, 2 HR, 19 RBI) was 5-5 in this loss. Even in hitting 5-5 from the cleanup spot, he did not drive in any runs in the game (he did score twice). At the same time, Mighty Oaks jumped out to an early 10-0 lead so the majority of the game was played out of doubt.
South Shore 2-9 Semjof: Semjof #54 RF Dacanocle Xeane (.200, 3 HR, 11 RBI) hit his 500th Elite League home run in this win. He did it in style, too: a seventh-inning pinch-hit grand slam! Xeane has not been a full-time player for a couple of years now, and has not started a game for Semjof this year. But the Kilri Athletic legend became the 17th player to reach this milestone, and he'll have that distinction forever.
Mighty Oaks 4-3 Fedujalja: Fedujalja #7 RP Meses Leakeka (3-2, 2.97, 7 SV) will be out for 4 to 5 months after bone chips were found in his elbow. The 23-year-old lefty leads the team in appearances so this is a big blow to the team's bullpen.
South Shore 0-13 Semjof: Semjof's #32 SP Sohlo Mijoldu (4-3, 4.52) was dominant down on the south shore, pitching a two-hitter. He got the whole thing done in under a hundred pitches. This month of April was spectacular for the whole Semjof team, as they went 21-4 to get back into the title race.
April 23: Xokrof dealt their backup catcher, #69 C Kisinoh Deo, to Oak City in exchange for #69 RF Nijesa Nikirace and #46 SS Xeh Saceo. So far the move benefits OCB, for whom Deo slots into their starting lineup. Neither Nikirace nor Saceo had cracked OCB's active roster yet, so Nikirace, who now is available for Xokrof, has made a step up.
Neno 13-4 Redbirds: Neno #3 RF Rokamo Nylamijatcati (.365, 18 HR, 42 RBI) was 5-5 with a walk in the team's blowout win. The defending MVP drove in four runs and scored two himself, so even though four of his hits were singles they almost all had an impact.

Round 10

..........Redbirds 1 - 4 Oak City Boars (1-4, 2-3, 3-9, 1-3, 8-1)
.............Nokir 3 - 2 Rei (16-2, 2-9, 7-1, 7-8, 2-1)
.........Fedujalja 1 - 4 South Shore (6-7, 3-4, 6-12, 7-5, 8-11)
..........Shockers 5 - 0 Wotclad (9-4, 7-1, 5-0, 6-1, 7-2)
............Semjof 4 - 1 Tcecek (5-3, 6-2, 1-3, 6-5, 3-2)
..............Kine 2 - 3 Sunside (4-3, 4-10, 5-4, 7-12, 2-6)
............Xokrof 2 - 3 Mighty Oaks (9-3, 3-2, 0-5, 2-10, 0-11)
..............Nise 3 - 2 Nacetraf (1-4, 3-0, 3-0, 0-4, 7-4)
.......Adaf United 2 - 3 Neno (4-2, 0-11, 5-0, 2-3, 3-11)
.........Sky Blues 4 - 1 Pidexanet Wolves (3-5, 2-1, 7-6, 4-1, 11-1)

Shockers 5-0 Wotclad: Wotclad's #62 RP Cijede Kijesoime (1-0, 2.63) will miss five months, almost the rest of the season, with a torn back muscle suffered during this loss. Kijesoime doesn't feature too heavily for Wotclad, but for a team six games away from safety, any loss is a big loss.
Nise 3-0 Nacetraf: Nise #54 SP Cotelaxe Citexuh (6-1, 2.78) tossed a five-hit shutout against Nacetraf. The 29-year-old has been a big part of a somewhat surprising Nise team.
Adaf United 5-0 Neno: Adaf's #15 SP Momehco Macilaci (4-5, 2.26) pitched his third shutout in his last five games. This emerging star is trying to single-handedly drag Adaf United out of the relegation zone. This particular effort was a six-hitter against one of the best offensive teams in the league.
Xokrof 0-5 Mighty Oaks: Mighty Oaks #34 SP Kause Sikukice (4-3, 2.90) pitched a PERFECT GAME to break Mighty Oaks out of a two-game losing streak. Sikukice is not normally the guy you'd expect to have a magical night like this - he shares a rotation with two stars, Sken Animufmi and Nycautwah Roxijosfo, but that's the way it goes sometimes. This was the 5th perfect game in league history, and the 24th no-hitter.
Nise 0-4 Nacetraf: Nacetraf's #61 SP Sikomusra Nikofese (1-3, 5.34) got revenge on Nise for the shutout on the previous day by shutting them out himself. Nikofese had given up 5+ runs in each of his previous three starts, including one in which he didn't finish the third inning. This was only his fifth start of the season, so those stats are still a little pliable.
Semjof 6-5 Tcecek: Semjof's #18 3B Tonoka Siwa (.303, 11 HR, 36 RBI) became the fourth player in league history to hit 700 home runs in the win. The two-run shot gave Semjof a 3-0 lead in a game they would need every run of. Semjof eventually won the game in 11 innings.

STANDINGS

.1.............Nokir..39..10...0
.2.........Sky Blues..34..15..+1
.3..........Shockers..33..16..+1
.4............Semjof..31..19..+4
.5.......Mighty Oaks..31..19...0
.6............Tcecek..31..19..-4
.7..............Neno..29..21...0
.8............Xokrof..28..22..+1
.9...............Rei..28..22..-3
10..............Nise..26..23...0
11...........Sunside..23..27..+1
12..Pidexanet Wolves..23..27..-1
13....Oak City Boars..22..28..+2
14.......South Shore..21..29..-1
15.........Fedujalja..19..31..-1
T16.........Redbirds..18..32...0
T16.........Nacetraf..18..32..+1
18.......Adaf United..17..33...0
19..............Kine..15..35..+1
20...........Wotclad..12..38..-1

All of a sudden, the Big Five are the top five. Semjof have won 22 of their last 26. They're a far cry from losing a series to Adaf at the end of March. Tcecek had a relatively rough 4-6 week to fall from the top tier.

Normally the tiebreakers are as follows: run differential first, head-to-head record second, head-to-head run differential third, and total runs scored fourth. This has always been enough to differentiate everyone at season's end, but during the season sometimes there are standings ties as there is this week. Both Redbirds and Nacetraf have scored 189, allowed 235, and have yet to play each other this season (though they play in this next week). So it's T-16.

In week 6:

Round 11

6 Tcecek vs. 8 Xokrof
5 Mighty Oaks vs. 1 Nokir
T16 Nacetraf vs. T16 Redbirds
13 Oak City Boars vs. 3 Shockers
12 Pidexanet Wolves vs. 4 Semjof
7 Neno vs. 2 Sky Blues
11 Sunside vs. 15 Fedujalja
9 Rei vs. 19 Kine
20 Wotclad vs. 10 Nise
14 South Shore vs. 18 Adaf United

Round 12

15 Fedujalja vs. 13 Oak City Boars
2 Sky Blues vs. 9 Rei
3 Shockers vs. 14 South Shore
18 Adaf United vs. 11 Sunside
10 Nise vs. 6 Tcecek
T16 Redbirds vs. 20 Wotclad
4 Semjof vs. 5 Mighty Oaks
1 Nokir vs. T16 Nacetraf
8 Xokrof vs. 7 Neno
19 Kine vs. 12 Pidexanet Wolves

Ruwisc · 02-11-2017, 06:34 PM

Offensively, the top two contenders for league MVP at the quarter pole are no surprise - it's Neno's Wonder Twins, Rokamo Nylamijatcati and Litui Moratare. The right fielder Nylamijatcati (the reigning MVP) leads the league in a ton of rate stats, as well as hits, XBH and total bases, while Moratare has been the most accomplished power hitter, ranking second in slugging, OPS and HR and third in RBI. Tusjah Cutono leads the league in HR and RBI but has otherwise been subpar - his batting average is 55 points lower than last year's.

Winner (for now [if I had to guess]): Neno RF Rokamo Nylamijatcati

One pitcher stands pretty far ahead of the pack in my view, and that's Mighty Oaks' Sken Animufmi. His line thus far is 6-2, 1.73, with 90 Ks, only 8 walks and a WHIP of 0.82. You can see the WAR leaderboard in the bottom right, which has him a half-win better than any other pitcher thus far. If the vote were now it would be a landslide, but I'm looking out for Adaf's Momehco Macilaci, who is on one hell of a hot streak with three shutouts in his last five starts.

Winner (for now [if I had to guess]): Mighty Oaks SP Sken Animufmi

Ruwisc · 02-13-2017, 12:54 AM

Before I recap the games, the first day of this week marked the end of April - so here are your players of the month:

Hitter of the Month: OCB #79 LF Nosaxu Ralnituki - .307, 12 HR, 22 RBI, 24 R. The somewhat slight left-fielder has improved several aspects of his game this year, and twelve homers in a month speaks for itself. For the season, he's hitting .312 with 20 HR and 54 RBI - the latter two both rank in the top five of the league.
Pitcher of the Month: Mighty Oaks #9 SP Sken Animufmi - 5-0, 0.47 ERA, 38.2 IP, 43 K. The defending Pitcher of the Year won all five of his April starts to lower his ERA from 2.97 to 1.73. His two losses on the season came in the same series against Neno in late March, and he's 7-0 otherwise.
Rookie of the Month: Nokir #17 SP Cihuhkari Kilaxa - 4-0, 3.66 ERA, 32 IP, 32 K. Because every league in the league system is qualified as a major league, the only rookies are those making their professional debuts in the Elite League, which is not extremely common - there are only four qualified rookies on either side of the ball at this moment. Still, Kilaxa is having a good season. He entered the rotation fairly recently (only 7 starts) but those 7 starts include a 5-0 record.

Round 11

............Tcecek 0 - 5 Xokrof (1-4, 2-9, 2-4, 3-4, 2-6)
.......Mighty Oaks 3 - 2 Nokir (1-4, 3-1, 5-2, 4-2, 3-6)
..........Nacetraf 3 - 2 Redbirds (5-3, 12-8, 9-2, 1-7, 4-5)
....Oak City Boars 2 - 3 Shockers (4-6, 4-3, 1-9, 0-9, 4-2)
..Pidexanet Wolves 2 - 3 Semjof (4-7, 5-2, 8-5, 8-10, 0-8)
..............Neno 2 - 3 Sky Blues (4-11, 5-6, 8-2, 3-2, 0-7)
...........Sunside 2 - 3 Fedujalja (2-1, 5-7, 1-5, 1-8, 13-2)
...............Rei 3 - 2 Kine (2-7, 5-1, 3-2, 7-5, 4-10)
...........Wotclad 1 - 4 Nise (2-3, 4-5, 5-10, 12-7, 1-7)
.......South Shore 4 - 1 Adaf United (1-2, 4-1, 14-7, 11-3, 9-4)

Shockers - Redbirds trade: Ransu traded their fourth outfielder, #81 LF Pito Tasekece, to Penxara in exchange for two prospects. Tasekece, who had only 1 HR in limited at bats for the Shockers, homered in his first two games as a Redbird, the 9-2 loss and the 7-1 win.
Semjof - Citced trade: Semjof traded reserve middle infielder #34 2B Luhtsat Soncorjo to Citced United (Second League; Citced, SE) in exchange for #48 LF Pameciju Imi and catching prospect #56 C Tokei Tekuso. Soncorjo made the jump from the fourth-tier Southern Super League before last season and never adjusted, so Citced should be a good redemption opportunity.
Adaf firings: After the end of the series against South Shore, Adaf United fired both GM Dijeco Sijone and manager Maraosece Mofu. They might be considered casualties of OOTP17 not understanding the relegation format, because Adaf was never expected to compete really, and their 18th-place position is actually ahead of where they were predicted (not only last, but 20 games behind everyone else). Things will probably get worse for Adaf United - interim manager Torjusoti Casakewa was let go from Southern League One's Tcanilrak after finishing 35-135 last season and has never so much as coached in the EL.

That's it - in terms of competition nothing of interest really happened in these series.

Round 12

.........Fedujalja 1 - 4 Oak City Boars (2-5, 6-2, 2-7, 5-7, 0-3)
.........Sky Blues 3 - 2 Rei (5-8, 4-3, 3-0, 1-4, 3-1)
..........Shockers 3 - 2 South Shore (5-8, 10-1, 2-7, 4-0, 6-0)
.......Adaf United 1 - 4 Sunside (10-2, 1-2, 0-4, 2-7, 3-5)
..............Nise 0 - 5 Tcecek (2-3, 0-5, 2-7, 0-5, 1-4)
..........Redbirds 2 - 3 Wotclad (0-3, 6-2, 3-2, 1-3, 0-3)
............Semjof 2 - 3 Mighty Oaks (4-0, 2-7, 2-9, 1-12, 5-4)
.............Nokir 5 - 0 Nacetraf (5-2, 16-5, 10-5, 5-3, 5-4)
............Xokrof 3 - 2 Neno (3-8, 4-3, 7-3, 7-6, 1-6)
..............Kine 1 - 4 Pidexanet Wolves (2-9, 3-8, 2-3, 2-6, 6-5)

Nokir 16-5 Nacetraf: Nokir #4 RF Sea Cotesuwe injured a hamstring while making a defensive play. He will miss a little over a month.
Nise 0-5 Tcecek: Tcecek #65 SP Lacjos Cai (8-1, 2.22 ERA) spun a five-hit shutout against the Pelicans. Tcecek's ace has been stellar thus far as you can see from his statline.

STANDINGS

.1.............Nokir..46..13...0
.2.........Sky Blues..40..19...0
.3..........Shockers..39..20...0
.4.......Mighty Oaks..37..23..+1
.5............Semjof..36..24..-1
.6............Tcecek..36..24...0
.7............Xokrof..36..24..+1
.8..............Neno..33..27..-1
.9...............Rei..33..27...0
10..............Nise..30..29...0
11...........Sunside..29..31...0
12..Pidexanet Wolves..29..31...0
13....Oak City Boars..28..32...0
14.......South Shore..27..33...0
15.........Fedujalja..23..37...0
16..........Redbirds..22..38...0
17..........Nacetraf..21..39..-1
18.......Adaf United..19..41...0
19..............Kine..18..42...0
20...........Wotclad..16..44...0

Not much movement this week. I imagine things have settled into something of a pattern, and there won't be dramatic swings from here on out, but I guess anything is possible.

In week 7:

Round 13

12 Pidexanet Wolves vs. 10 Nise
13 Oak City Boars vs. 1 Nokir
6 Tcecek vs. 16 Redbirds
4 Mighty Oaks vs. 3 Shockers
9 Rei vs. 5 Semjof
17 Nacetraf vs. 2 Sky Blues
8 Neno vs. 15 Fedujalja
11 Sunside vs. 7 Xokrof
14 South Shore vs. 19 Kine
20 Wotclad vs. 18 Adaf United

Round 14

19 Kine vs. 8 Neno
10 Nise vs. 16 Redbirds
17 Nacetraf vs. 12 Pidexanet Wolves
13 Oak City Boars vs. 9 Rei
2 Sky Blues vs. 5 Semjof
1 Nokir vs. 14 South Shore
15 Fedujalja vs. 6 Tcecek
7 Xokrof vs. 20 Wotclad
11 Sunside vs. 4 Mighty Oaks
3 Shockers vs. 18 Adaf United

imhoff2 · 02-13-2017, 09:31 AM

Rei fan here. Disappointed in the Kine series. We should have taken four of five at home! Happy taking three at Sky Blues. I think the projection of 10th is going to be low. Four of five vs Semjof could vault us a few places. Go REI!!

How did they end up doing in 2012-16 when they were regulated? How far can teams fall and rise in your system?

Love this world and can't wait to follow in real time! Keep it up!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Ruwisc · 02-13-2017, 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by imhoff2

Rei fan here. Disappointed in the Kine series. We should have taken four of five at home! Happy taking three at Sky Blues. I think the projection of 10th is going to be low. Four of five vs Semjof could vault us a few places. Go REI!!

How did they end up doing in 2012-16 when they were regulated? How far can teams fall and rise in your system?

Love this world and can't wait to follow in real time! Keep it up!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Love it! I'm a fan of South Shore myself, so our two teams were promoted together. Rei never had any problems in their stint in the Second League - they were 103-87 in 2013 (6th), 114-76 in 2014 (5th), and then finally 129-61 in 2015 to pace the division. The 2012 season that got them relegated was a really tough one - the rotation was just horrendous after four of the 2011 starters left the team, and the replacements were not up to snuff.

The structure of OOTP17 means that teams rocket up and down the pyramid - teams in this version don't understand that going towards a hard rebuild means basically permanent irrelevance. On the other side, teams that can woo quality players to a lower tier might get promoted three years in a row. Pidexanet got promoted four years in a row to end up in the Elite League - before that they mostly played in Western League One, which is the fifth tier. No team has ever played in all eight tiers, whether from jumping all the way up or falling all the way down, but that could change next year - two teams that started on the lowest level are .500 teams in the Second League, and three teams that started in the Elite League are having trouble in the seventh tier.

I haven't drawn up the post for today yet, but it was a tough set of games for Rei - lost four of five against Semjof, and then got swept at OCB. Dropped down from 9th to 12th.

02-04-2017, 10:25 PM	#1
Ruwisc All Star Reserve Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Southwestern Illinois Posts: 610	Baseball on the Islands: The Lokasi Elite League and Beyond Welcome to the republic of Lokasi! This remote set of islands in the North Pacific has a baseball tradition as strong as any country out there. Before I get started, a summary: This is a promotion/relegation universe that I've been going through for a couple of years. This country has its own culture (sort of), its own language (sort of), and its own baseball traditions. The nation is composed of eighteen states, and has a population of about 42 million people - roughly the same size, and the same population, as Spain, or slightly smaller than the UK. I'll mostly be posting news from the top league, the Lokasi Elite League, but here's the structure of what the whole system looks like: The league system has existed in its current state since 1991, before which things were far more disorganized, with teams being moved from league to league for reasons more political than athletic. We're going to pick things up at the beginning of the 2016 season, and I'll go through that one relatively quickly before covering the 2017 season in real time starting on Opening Day (March 1st). There are a few things weird about this game that have come out of my half-hearted world-building efforts. The first is the language. The pronunciation of Lokasi words is unambiguous, but not 'normal' to our English-speaking brains: c is always pronounced 'sh', d is always pronounced 'th', x is always pronounced as an h on its own and j is pronounced in the European sense, as the English 'y'. When combined, 'tc' is pronounced how you would pronounce 'ch', and when you see an 'h', that is there just to lengthen the vowel before it. So, some examples: The Elite League team Fedujalja is 'fe-thu-ya-lya'. Penxara, the large city in the north central part of the country, is 'pen-ha-ra'. And the Second League team Citced United is 'shee-cheth'. The other odd bit is the calendar - Lokasi operates under a 12-day week. So when I say I'm doing things a week at a time, don't be surprised when teams are playing ten games. I had originally envisioned this as a full-blown all-encompassing universe that I would set all sorts of stories in, so you're seeing some of the remnants of that. Later on, I'll be talking more about the country itself and setting up the Elite League's 2016 season with a short preview of some teams. I'll set things up by posting a map:

02-04-2017, 10:32 PM	#2
Ruwisc All Star Reserve Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Southwestern Illinois Posts: 610	Going in reverse order of their 2015 finishes, here's a preview of how the 2016 Elite League stacks up. First, the three teams who were relegated last season: National, Ixiri, Sokrotc Record: 66-124 (National), 61-129 (Ixiri), 48-142 (Sokrotc) - 18th, 19th and 20th in the Elite League National (Cunxof, CX): When teams were being organized many years ago, the Lokasi national team took part in traveling exhibitions against local teams to stay sharp. Over time they grew to have their own fanbase, their own success and finally their own home, as the (traditionally) strongest team in the country's capital city. In 2015 National were relegated for the very first time, having taken part in the first 25 years of the Elite League. "Lokasi's Team" narrowly avoided relegation in 2005, but have otherwise in their history been a very mid-table team in the Elite League. The interesting thing about National is that despite having just been relegated, they have probably the greatest player in league history, just past his prime and still in star condition. Funeda Tacei (fu-nay-tha tah-shay), at age 34, has hit over 700 home runs, accumulated 247 WAR and is well past 4000 career hits, all while playing Gold Glove defense at second base. (Remember, these are 190-game seasons, and also a pretty offensive environment, so these numbers aren't as ridiculous as they sound, but he is going to be a unanimous HoFer.) He is the Elite League's all-time leader in hits, doubles and WAR, and holds the single-season records in batting average (.414 in 2000), slugging (.791 in 2000), OPS (1.291 in 2000), and doubles (73 in 1999). He also has four Gold Gloves at second base, most recently in 2013. Tacei is still under contract for two more seasons, and is making nearly half of the team's payroll, so you have to wonder if the team he's played for since 2003 will have to deal him. 2016 Prediction: National is expected to do well in the Second League this year, projected to finish fourth. They will have to do one spot better to be promoted back to the Elite League, but if any player can carry a team to promotion, Tacei can. 116-74, 4th place. Ixiri (Ixiri, EM): Ixiri (ee-hee-ree) is the capital city of the southern state of Emcicna. Ixiri BC, the city's flagship team, were relegated from the EL for the first time, having played in the top league from 2009-2015. Their bad season was something of a surprise, as they had finished eighth or better in each of the previous five seasons. The last time they were in the Second League, they lapped it, winning the league comfortably in 2008. I think they'll probably be back in the top-tier sooner or later. Ixiri is also packing a superstar, the 23-year-old first baseman Xikecles Xodiperi (hee-ke-shless ho-thi-pe-ri). Xodiperi, as a 17-year-old, came into the Elite League in 2010 and hit EIGHTY home runs in his first season with 198 RBI. Ixiri has him locked down on a relatively low-value contract for four more seasons, so his future still looks bright despite being now stuck in the Second League. 2016 Prediction: Ixiri is forecast to be a below-.500 team in 2016, mostly due to their below-average rotation, and a few very weak spots in their lineup, particularly in the outfield. 73-117, 15th place. Sokrotc (Pasadakets, DA): Sokrotc (soh-croach) finished far behind the pack in 2015, ending their two-year stay in the EL. They were one of the favorites to get relegated, having finished 16th in 2014. Sokrotc has traditionally been a Second League team, having spent only three seasons in the Elite League over two stints (their 2014 finish was their highest in team history). Sokrotc is really a team without stars - even by Second League terms their lineup is weak. The strongest part of the team is the bullpen, led by 23-year-old closer Nani Uroefri and 26-year-old lefty Nole Pina. 2016 Prediction: Sokrotc is expected to struggle in Second League, predicted to be relegated yet again. 61-129, 20th place. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Shore Akxa (Akxa, DA) 2015 Record: 123-67, 3rd place (Second League) 2016 Prediction: 89-101, 11th place Seasons in Elite League: 4 (2006, 2009-10, 2016-) Championships: 0 Best Finish: 16th (2009) Payroll: $18.1MM (20th) Offense: 13th Pitching: 10th Back in the top league after five seasons absent, the southernmost team on the main island is back up. South Shore is certainly one of the smallest teams in the Elite League - the other Akxa team in the league are the powerhouse Sky Blues, whose stadium and payroll are both eight times the size of South Shore's. Though they don't have an official nickname, their fans typically refer to them as The Waves. [Before I started this dynasty, I picked out two teams that I was going to root for, one top-league team and one team in the lower divisions. South Shore was the lower-division team I chose, and it's pretty remarkable that they've risen up to the upper echelons and basically swapped places with the original Elite League team that I was rooting for.] Top Player: #63 SP Matmipoma Lexeti (15-11, 1.99 ERA, 322 K) (le-HEH-ti). The 21-year-old had his breakout season as a 19-year-old in 2014, going 28-1 as the team went 153-37 to win the Southern Premier League. He can touch 100 with his fastball and features a strong slider and forkball, with an occasional changeup. The team locked him up on a very inexpensive contract before the 2015 season, so he will be anchoring this rotation for a long time. His poor 2015 record can be mostly attributed to low run support. Other Players to Watch: #19 3B Roate Mealija, #25 RP Toxi Anemasuwa, #7 SS Solapmije Xakeluwa ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nise BC (Tasijelec, TC) 2015 Record: 127-63, 2nd place (Second League) 2016 Prediction: 83-107, 13th place Seasons in Elite League: 11 (1997-99, 2002-04, 2006-09, 2016-) Championships: 0 Best Finish: 12th (2003) Payroll: $24.8MM (19th) Offense: 14th Pitching: 11th Nise BC (nee-say) is the pride of the somewhat separated eastern side of the state of Tcastra. The city of Tasijelec (ta-see-ell-esh) and the rest of the northeast peninsula is probably analogous to New England in the US - a colonial, historic area with tradition to spare, although the area is not as populated as New England. Nise has been the only team representing this area on the higher levels of the pyramid for a few years. Their fans refer to the team as The Pelicans. Top Player: #54 SP Cotelaxe Citexuh (18-12, 2.39 ERA, 280 K with Nojelid [Second League]) (sho-te-la-he shi-te-hoo). The 29-year-old lefty was Nise's biggest addition in the offseason. The offseason trade sent Nise's starting third baseman to Nojelid, as well as a fourth outfielder and a quality pitching prospect, so Nise is going all-in on Citexuh. Citexuh dominates batters with sheer velocity, regularly hitting 101 on the gun. He has very brief experience in the Elite League, having appeared in five games for Wotclad BC in 2013. His Opening Day start against Sky Blues will be his first start in the league, however. Other Players to Watch: #7 SP Kasunilo Tijonuhteo, #2 RP Lenjoimo Tcecir, #49 1B Ulicailo Manu ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rei BC (Pasadakets, DA) 2015 Record: 129-61, 1st place (Second League) 2016 Prediction: 94-96, 10th place Seasons in Elite League: 14 (2000-12, 2016-) Championships: 0 Best Finish: 2nd (2004) Payroll: $47.5MM (14th) Offense: 12th Pitching: 5th With Rei's promotion and Sokrotc's relegation, the tables have turned for supremacy in one of Lokasi's largest cities. Most from Pasadakets would tell you that this is the way it belongs - at least for the previous fifteen years or so, Rei's history is a lot stronger than any other club from the city. The team was the subject of one of the great Cinderella stories in Lokasi's history - in 2004, what had previously been a languishing team narrowly avoiding relegation suddenly went on a title chase, competing with the financial heavyweights. While they ultimately came up short finishing 2nd, the stars of that team will always remembered fondly by Rei fans. Top Player: #16 SP Rolijuki Lysijaferemore (15-2, 0.94 ERA, 269 K with BK Menmapa Crowns [Southern Premier League]) (luh-SI-uh-fe-re-mo-ray). The 22-year-old is crafty, featuring six pitches all at an above-average level. He has never pitched in the Elite League, or the Second League for that matter, but in 800 innings with the Crowns he struck out 1,204 batters and allowed only 113 runs (a career 1.27 ERA), so Rei's signing is a bet that his pure stuff will be able to translate to the top level. Despite being only 22, 'Roli' cashed in big time with his contract, bagging $51MM over six years. If the experiment goes well, he can opt out after two years and become a free agent again at 24. Other Players to Watch: #62 CF Socilo Sotoswiki, #29 SP Laceh Temahcacu, #2 SS Cemija Mukopa ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Kine BC (Penxara, XO) 2015 Record: 68-122, 17th place 2016 Prediction: 78-112, 16th place Seasons in Elite League: 23 (1991-97, 2001-) Championships: 0 Best Finish: 2nd (1992, 2002) Payroll: $48.7MM (12th) Offense: 11th Pitching: 17th Even though it's a large city (pop. 1.7 mill), Penxara consistently punches above its weight in terms of sporting success. In the past five years, five clubs from the city have spent time in the Elite League. Of those five, Kine has the strongest history despite their recent struggles. When the Elite League was founded in 1991, Kine finished in the top five in four of the first five seasons, and after a relegation in 1997, Kine returned to the top level in 2001 and got right back to where they were, finishing second just a year later. Things haven't been as rosy lately - the team has finished between 10th and 17th for eleven straight years, causing many fans across the country to sometimes forget the team is even still around. Top Player: #30 C Neane Tijexe (.324, 29 HR, 117 RBI) (ti-EH-hay). Kine is a team without an obvious star, so I'm spotlighting the man who may be a rising star in this league. At age 22, Tijexe made his first foray into the Elite League last season and acquitted himself well, playing 181 games behind the dish. He doesn't have much developing left to do, but he did rack up a career high in home runs last year despite the increase in competition level. He doesn't take many walks (only a .355 OBP despite the high AVG), but that's because he's making contact with everything. Interestingly, Kine signed another quality catcher this offseason named Ripa Fekele, so Tijexe may have to split a little time - but for now, he slots in as the starting catcher and cleanup hitter. Other Players to Watch: #9 RP Lakaci Jotato, #8 CF Mekwatesoh Meketi, #49 SP Sohlo Tesapjeno ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Oak City Boars (Arokekxil, KC) 2015 Record: 74-116, 16th place 2016 Prediction: 68-122, 17th place Seasons in Elite League: 9 (2008-) Championships: 0 Best Finish: 7th (2008, 2009) Payroll: $43.7MM (15th) Offense: 18th Pitching: 18th Much like South Shore, Oak City Boars (usually just OCB) is an underdog in their own city. Arokekxil, which is universally known as Oak City, is primarily known as the home of Mighty Oaks BC, but OCB has carved out a solid niche in the Elite League. This will be the ninth consecutive season that both of these big trees have been a part of the same Elite forest. OCB has narrowly avoided relegation in each of the last two years, and it looks like it will be a similar fight this year. Top Player: #79 LF Nosaxu Ralnituki (.312, 54 HR, 134 RBI) (no-SA-hoo). A very strong all-around player, the 27-year-old lefty Ralnituki is good in all aspects of the game (as long as you ignore his nonexistent speed). He arrived in the Oak City in 2013 and has been mashing since, hitting 166 HR and racking up 436 RBI. He could stand to cut down on the strikeouts a bit, but he has made significant improvements in that regard over his career. He has a spectacular throwing arm and is also a famous iron man, having played in every game for his teams since 2007. Other Players to Watch: #35 CF Posara Tarino, #23 2B Lukeh Melonada, #44 RP Aukucena Tehspoku Last edited by Ruwisc; 02-06-2017 at 09:09 PM.

02-05-2017, 10:16 AM	#3
Dark Horse Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2002 Location: Texas! Posts: 2,633 Blog Entries: 5	Great to see another fictional world. The icons are cool. And i really like the map. __________________ A Justafan Fan LBA Geo Bahn Rock Hounds fan of the ISLANDIAN PRO ALLIANCE Last edited by Dark Horse; 02-05-2017 at 10:17 AM.

02-05-2017, 03:06 PM	#4
Ruwisc All Star Reserve Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Southwestern Illinois Posts: 610	Continuing in reverse order of their 2015 finishes, here's a preview of how the 2016 Elite League stacks up. Teams 11-15 include the rest of the teams from the Northwest, as well as some east coast and south island underdogs. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Adaf United (Adaf, XO) 2015 Record: 76-114, 15th place 2016 Prediction: 44-146, 20th place Seasons in Elite League: 4 (2012-13, 2015-) Championships: 0 Best Finish: 15th (2015) Payroll: $36.4MM (17th) Offense: 20th Pitching: 20th Adaf (a-thaf) is one of the major suburbs of Penxara, and so this team sits just southwest of the big city. The rise of Adaf United has prompted a rise in civic pride for Adaf citizens, who might have previously been content to think of themselves as from Penxara, until their city's team started competing against them directly. As for this upcoming season, Adaf certainly looks like the weakest team in the league by a wide margin. They are spending half their payroll on one player (see below), and that's hamstringing the team quite a bit. He's not likely to get injured, but if he does... things could get ugly. Top Player: #52 SP Nuhtiro Masesatfi (16-14, 3.15 ERA, 237 K). The 28-year-old righty is entering his fifth season anchoring the Adaf rotation. He has a very conventional repertoire - fastball, curveball, slider - but he can sling 101 MPH so it doesn't take much. Masesatfi was the big splash signing when Adaf was first promoted to the Elite League in 2012, signing a huge 7-year, $129MM contract. There's three more years of that, and at this point he makes up half of the team's payroll. Three more years at this price could be bad news for Adaf United. Other Players to Watch: #15 SP Momehco Macilaci, #54 RF Moluka Tecuso, #96 RP Makenico Kekecehxe ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Penxara Redbirds (Penxara, XO) 2015 Record: 78-112, 14th place 2016 Prediction: 79-111, 15th place Seasons in Elite League: 21 (1991-94, 1996-2006, 2009-12, 2015-) Championships: 1 (1998) Payroll: $54.6MM (11th) Offense: 17th Pitching: 9th The Redbirds are the only current EL team outside of the Big Five to have won a championship at the top level, having won the 1998 championship in a 191st-game tiebreaker. Their history has been very hit or miss: they have gone from 2nd place to relegation (1993/94) and from 6th place to relegation (2005/06). They haven't finished in the top half since that 2005 season. Their big rivals are Kine, with whom they've had some shared struggles recently. All three teams from Penxara are forecast to finish in about the same area, so it will be interesting to see if they have to fight each other from relegation. Top Player: #9 SS Letanu Dacfoki (.241, 0 HR, 41 RBI) (thash-fo-kee). 2015 was a down season for Dacfoki, but don't let those numbers fool you. This guy is the star of the team for reasons that don't show up in the Triple Crown categories: he is the best defensive shortstop in the league, and a wizard on the basepaths. And, at only 21 years old, he has the potential to anchor any team up the middle for years. An interesting statistical quirk of Dacfoki is that in all four of his professional seasons, he has had more triples than home runs. That's how you know you're dealing with a Billy Hamilton type. Other Players to Watch: #5 SP Coce Fenalarihc, #11 RP Mitipe Neti, #28 C Fudetotu Tektasa ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wotclad BC (Kolansolo, LS) 2015 Record: 84-106, 13th place 2016 Prediction: 64-126, 19th place Seasons in Elite League: 7 (2010-) Championships: 0 Best Finish: 5th (2012, 2013) Payroll: $35.9MM (18th) Offense: 19th Pitching: 14th Kolansolo is a military city, the home of the Lokasi navy and the largest city in Lon Sifn. The state is maybe analogous to New Jersey, with many residents commuting daily to nearby Ransu, the country's largest city. Kolansolo, though, is in the southeast corner of the city, as far away from Ransu as Lon Sifn gets, so they identify as a separate animal. Historically, Wotclad (woach-lath) were not the top team from Kolansolo - that would be the traditional Navy team called Defenders - but Wotclad have been the top team in the city ever since 1999, so this is just kind of the way things are now. Top Player: #4 SP Sexjaple Dacisoc (12-8, 3.39 ERA, 206 K) (se-HYAP-le tha-shee-sosh). The 25-year-old righty has spent his entire pro career with Wotclad. He spent a good portion of last year recovering from Tommy John surgery before returning in late May. With all that considered, the EL's 2013 Pitcher of the Year (22-10, 2.40 ERA, 287 K) had a good showing upon his return. I don't see any reason why he can't return to that form. Dacisoc can touch the upper 90s with his fastball, but his strongest pitch is the curve. Batters either roll over on it or miss it entirely. Other Players to Watch: #25 LF Toracoko Seacate, #50 SP Nica Femde, #11 CL Koxamea Ketoili ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nacetraf BC (Penxara, XO) 2015 Record: 84-106, 12th place 2016 Prediction: 79-111, 14th place Seasons in Elite League: 5 (2012-) Championships: 0 Best Finish: 7th (2012, 2013) Payroll: $59.7MM (10th) Offense: 16th Pitching: 13th Despite Kine's history, and Redbirds' championship success, Nacetraf BC has been the king of Penxara for the past few years. 2015's 12th place finish marked the fourth straight year that Nacetraf has been the highest-finishing Penxara team. All three teams look this year to be the same level: they rank 10th, 11th and 12th in payroll, and are projected to all three finish within one game of each other in 14th, 15th and 16th places. I might be surprised to see all three of them begin 2017 in the top tier. Top Player: #23 CF Rilelonao Laxamne (.325, 13 HR, 48 RBI) (la-HAHM-ne). Laxamne missed more than half of last season with a hip flexor injury, so it will be interesting to see how he fares trying to put together a full season. The 23-year-old has an excellent batting eye, with a career K/BB ratio of 323 to 321. He has spent all four of his professional seasons in the EL with Nacetraf, and he already has two Silver Slugger awards in center field to his name. He is a good defender in center field, but at some point in his career he will probably need to move over to left to be as effective. He's got 5 years and $40MM left on the contract he signed two years ago, so he wants to be with Nacetraf for the long haul. Other Players to Watch: #26 SP Ripa Uhkisono, #11 RP Eikar Cisecai, #28 RF Nonace Fei ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sunside BC (Tepijes, RT) 2015 Record: 91-99, 11th place 2016 Prediction: 64-126, 18th place Seasons in Elite League: 6 (2011-) Championships: 0 Best Finish: 4th (2011) Payroll: $61.7MM (9th) Offense: 15th Pitching: 19th Tepijes is the Lokasi word for 'sun', and the Sunsiders represent the city and the whole island of Rutepijo very well. They're not only the only team from Rutepijo to ever play in the Elite League, they're the only ones to ever crack the top three tiers. (Two are playing in the fourth-tier Southern Super League this year, and that's a rarity as well.) Unlike some of the other island states, Rutepijo is culturally similar to the rest of the country, most notable as a tourist destination. The Sunsiders look likely to have to fight relegation this year, which would be a shame. The league is most interesting when teams have an island trip to look forward to. Top Player: #11 2B Salohnara Tysitijutxulo (.272, 45 HR, 112 RBI) (t-si-ti-oot-hoo-loh). The 21-year-old second baseman ranks as the league's #2 second-sacker, a comparatively huge star for a team as small as Sunside. In 2011 he won a Silver Slugger at 2nd at age 16, beating out the legend Funeda Tacei (see previous post). He's a very well-rounded player who isn't the best at anything, but is very good at everything. He will be a free agent after this season, so we'll have to look out and see whether the Big Five teams come after him. Other Players to Watch: #42 3B Conec Komsa, #7 LF Conile Koceneh, #32 P Smiri Letcari Last edited by Ruwisc; 02-06-2017 at 09:05 PM.

02-05-2017, 07:33 PM	#7
tlowe77 Major Leagues Join Date: May 2015 Location: Geelong, Australia Posts: 473	I love this! Can't wait to see it all unfold. I also have a league like this ready to go, just waiting for the release of OOTP18. I will defiantly be following!

02-06-2017, 09:00 PM	#8
Ruwisc All Star Reserve Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Southwestern Illinois Posts: 610	Continuing in reverse order of their 2015 finishes, here's a preview of how the 2016 Elite League stacks up. We're into the top half of last year's league, and that encompasses every other team from the western part of the country, as well as our first feature from the big metropolis of Ransu. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Neno BC (Cunxof, CX) 2015 Record: 101-89, 10th place 2016 Prediction: 98-92, 9th place Seasons in Elite League: 4 (2013-) Championships: 0 Best Finish: 7th (2014) Payroll: $48.2MM (13th) Offense: 6th Pitching: 15th With National gone down to the Second League, Neno is the only team left in the top tier from Lokasi's capital and third-largest city. This is new territory for Neno, who have traditionally played in the third-tier Southern Premier League, with three or four other teams from the city usually ranked higher than them. But Neno took advantage of their opportunities - when they were promoted after the 2012 season, they snapped up two youngsters turning pro for the first time that look like they will buoy Neno for years to come. They are probably the most 'extreme' team in the league with regard to the style of their team - being up in the mountains, they have gone all-in on offense. Top Players: #3 RF Rokamo Nylamijatcati (.399, 72 HR, 191 RBI) and #11 1B Litui Moratare (.349, 62 HR, 169 RBI). Neno features the league's last two MVPs, so it's only fair that I showcase them both. Both were signed on for their first pro contracts right as Neno ascended to the Elite League for the first time, and they have been the main reasons why the team has had no trouble avoiding relegation in its first three years. Nylamijatcati won the Triple Crown in 2015 to cap his MVP season, in which he had more extra-base hits than strikeouts and also led the league in runs, hits, slugging and OPS despite missing ten games. At only 23 years old, the lefty slugger is going to be a key part of Neno's future, at least until he hits free agency after 2018. Moratare isn't as flashy, but he is two years younger. The 2014 MVP (at age 20!) had an OPS of over 1.200 built on doubles and walks (although he still hits plenty of homers). I expect that during this season, his career walk total will surpass his career strikeout total. Other Players to Watch: #25 LF Xofijur Cmeni, #13 CF Dipliro Ecoai ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Xokrof BC (Xokrof, TA) 2015 Record: 102-88, 9th place 2016 Prediction: 108-82, 6th place Seasons in Elite League: 13 (1996-2004, 2013-) Championships: 0 Best Finish: 3rd (2001) Payroll: $97.3MM (6th) Offense: 5th Pitching: 12th The largest city on the west coast is Xokrof, the "Beaver City", and their flagship team is the top team in the prairie regions. Traditionally Xokrof's rival city is Kepda, SE, with whom they share a strong rivalry similar to the rivalry between Minnesota teams and Wisconsin teams (in this analogy, I think Xokrof is the Twin Cities, Kepda is Milwaukee and Cunxof is Chicago). But for now, the team Xokrof is closest to is the Pidexanet Wolves, who sit just north of them in Talor. That's not really a rivalry, a friendly one if anything. Folks in the area are just excited to have an away series to go see nearby. Top Player: #15 SP Duwitoaki Cocekuhmo (16-10, 1.35, 326 K for Konetekfa [Southern Premier League, tier 3]) (thu-i-to-ah-kee sho-sheh-KOO-mo). The 25-year-old righty makes the big jump to the Elite League after spending his first seven pro seasons with Konetekfa. Konetekfa used him very weirdly, using him as their closer in 2011 and 2012, a starter (with occasional relief) in 2013, a closer (with occasional starts) in 2014 and exclusively a starter in 2015. He responded by striking out 11.9 batters per 9 on his way to the SPL Pitcher of the Year award. His 16-10 record would be attributable to his team's horrible record - to go 16-10 with a 1.35 ERA should be almost impossible. He parlayed those stats into a 6-year, $50MM contract with Xokrof, to spend his prime years on the west coast. Despite being Xokrof's highest-rated player, he slots in as the team's fourth starter to begin the season. I think I'll be checking in on him to see if that changes. Other Players to Watch: #11 CL Cweko Sanjexoi, #21 C Cosuko Sasijuflae, #3 2B Puwaklosa Kimu ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fedujalja BC (Fedujalja, PI) 2015 Record: 105-85, 8th place 2016 Prediction: 84-106, 12th place Seasons in Elite League: 4 (2013-) Championships: 0 Best Finish: 8th (2015) Payroll: $43.1MM (16th) Offense: 9th Pitching: 16th At just under 47,000, Fedujalja is the smallest city represented in the EL. The Gold Eagles represent their hometown well as the only team from Fedujalja in the whole league system. In a way they represent the whole state of Pilentom, as the only team in the state to rise to the top level of the pyramid. As a relatively small club, Fedujalja BC may not have the financial might to stick around in the Elite League for good, but they're on a very good run, finishing in the top half of the league each of their three EL seasons. Fedujalja fans have reason to be disappointed in last season's results, because two of the three teams closest to them were relegated (National, Ixiri). Road trips to Akxa and Tasijelec will be more expensive. Top Player: #7 CL Meses Leakeka (7-12, 38 SV, 3.40 ERA, 128 K). The 23-year-old lefty closer has been with Fedujalja his whole career. He was signed by the team while they were still in the fourth-tier Southern Super League, back in 2009. He's been with them through their meteoric rise, and just in 2015 became the closer for an EL team for the first time (he had been the closer prior, but in lower leagues). He features a conventional fastball-slider combo and can touch 101 with that fastball. He could still stand to learn to control that 101 fastball but he has a bright future ahead of him. Other Players to Watch: #29 2B Fekere Pohtsimijecsijo, #28 RP Mecda Mysenemi, #37 SS Nokeaila Pakosa ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pidexanet Wolves (Pidexanet, TA) 2015 Record: 111-79, 7th place 2016 Prediction: 107-83, 8th place Seasons in Elite League: 2 (2015-) Championships: 0 Best Finish: 7th (2015) Payroll: $63.2MM (8th) Offense: 10th Pitching: 6th Pidexanet is similar to Fedujalja in a lot of ways. Nearly the same population, a good distance away from the big cities around them, and only one professional baseball team, which has made a meteoric rise through the ranks. The two even made a big trade in the offseason - more on that later. The Wolves are located on the west coast of the state of Talor, which is usually somewhat forgettable as an agricultural area without a huge number of people. But now that the state features two teams in the Elite League (as well as the fourth-placed finisher in Second League) everybody is hyped about West Coast ball. Top Player: #1 C Pire Tiku (.300, 27 HR, 92 RBI with Fedujalja). Tiku arrived in a December trade from Fedujalja in exchange for two of the featured players listed above (Mysenemi and Pakosa) and a prospect. Tiku is one of those players who doesn't excel in any obvious way but clearly makes his team better - he led the Elite League with 55 doubles last year but that was his first time leading the league in anything. The Wolves acquired the last three years of his contract at a relative bargain, so their fans are quite excited to have him in town. Other Players to Watch: #35 3B Timomos Ruwecije, #36 CL Cemija Meo, #7 1B Loli Cai ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tcecek BC (Ransu, RA) 2015 Record: 116-74, 6th place 2016 Prediction: 108-82, 7th place Seasons in Elite League: 16 (1991-93, 1997, 2000-02, 2005-10, 2014-) Championships: 0 Best Finish: 5th (1991, 2001) Payroll: $78.5MM (7th) Offense: 8th Pitching: 8th Tcecek is the first team from the big city of Ransu that has come up in these previews, so I'll talk a bit about the big city. At over 7.5 million, Ransu has twice as many people as the next largest city, and nearly 18% of the nation's population. Currently, three teams from the city play in the Elite League, which has been the case for the last four years - this is the lowest number of Ransu teams that have ever been in the top tier. In fact, from 1992-95 and 2007-08, there were eight teams from the city in the top flight. But all three relegated teams in 2008 were from Ransu, and two were in 2011, so it's been a low period. Tcecek as a team have a very interesting history - they are the team that has been relegated from the Elite League the most, four times as outlined above. They've been what a lot of soccer fans would call a 'yo-yo' team. When they are in the top league, their history is very up-and-down, similar to Penxara Redbirds. In the four seasons in which they've returned from the Second League, they've finished 9th, 10th, 10th and dead last. Last year's sixth spot is their best finish since 2001, so maybe the tables are turning, but of the Ransu teams in the league they certainly have the weakest pedigree. Top Player: #11 SS Litomeke Sitcihmkom (.310, 11 HR, 90 RBI). Sitcihmkom was one of Tcecek's big signings when they returned to the top flight in 2014. He'll be slotting in at #2 in the Tcecek lineup armed with a nearly pathological ability to make contact. In the 2015 season, he struck out only 42 times in 803 PA. He's also an outstanding runner and an outstanding defensive player - a very old-school type of player. At only 19, he will be under Tcecek control for a while now. Other Players to Watch: #46 C Nareco Cai, #43 3B Samixo Kekopa, #29 2B Rutmaud Saci

02-06-2017, 11:49 PM	#9
Ruwisc All Star Reserve Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Southwestern Illinois Posts: 610	Here we are, the Big Five. The five clubs that have, combined, won the last 16 championships, 22 of the 25 championships in league history, and are the only five clubs with multiple championships. Somewhat surprisingly, this past season was the first time that the five of them finished #1-5 in the league standings. Perhaps attributable to the fact that some of their traditional opponents are in transition phases, many of them having been financially ruined and relegated, these five look as if they're going to be the cream of the league's crop for a while now. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mighty Oaks BC (Arokekxil, KC) 2015 Record: 123-67, 5th place 2016 Prediction: 128-62, 3rd place Seasons in Elite League: 17 (1991, 1994, 2002-) Championships: 2 (2010, 2012) Payroll: $147.8MM (3rd) Offense: 3rd Pitching: 7th Definitely the most 'new money' of the five, Mighty Oaks have only been consistent contenders in the EL since 2008. That year set off a run of six straight years in the top 3 that included the Oak City's only two championships and cemented them as one of the country's elite teams. The big brother to OCB, Mighty Oaks have never finished below their Arokekxil co-tenants, the closest being four spots apart in the standings. It's not a very tenuous rivalry due to its one-sided nature, but it could be at some point. Top Player: #9 SP Sken Animufmi (26-6, 1.68 ERA, 294 K). The defending Pitcher of the Year winner is back to shred up the league once more. The 24-year-old was a splash free-agent signing away from Adaf United prior to last season and it looks like his $13MM per year contract is already an underpay. I'd expect Animufmi to utilize his opt-out after the 2017 season. Each of his four pitches is very good, but he is best known for his elite forkball. He's had some injury problems in his career, having missed half of three separate seasons in his career, so his health will be worth watching, but when on the mound he is absolutely stellar. As of 2015, he owns the league record for lowest WHIP (0.81 last season). Other Players to Watch: #69 C Lace Tacei, #18 LF Sikero Paserukutceh, #16 SP Nycautwah Roxijosfo ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Semjof BC (Ransu, RA) 2015 Record: 123-67, 4th place 2016 Prediction: 144-46, 1st place Seasons in Elite League: 25 (1991-97, 1999-) Championships: 2 (1991, 1996) Payroll: $187.9MM (2nd) Offense: 1st Pitching: 3rd This is a superteam, folks. At least on offense. Semjof features three players who have won multiple MVPs: RF Cutono, 3B Siwa and 2B Nesefatac. While the first two are past their prime, they have two other MVP-caliber players backing them up with SS Solitita and 1B Dimemo to form a true murderer's row. Long before the EL was formed Semjof was the most famous team in Lokasi baseball, and while other teams have joined them near the top, it's hard to argue against their history. The biggest team in the biggest city in the nation has finished in the top five for an astonishing 12 consecutive years, a testament to their reputation across the country. Equally amazing is that those twelve top-five seasons have yielded zero championships, which leads some haters to label them as the Liverpool of baseball. They are also a part of the most treasured rivalry in Lokasi baseball, the Ransu derby between Semjof and Shockers. Top Player: #12 RF Tusjah Cutono (.315, 51 HR, 108 RBI). The 37-year-old is nearing the twilight of his career, and it will land him in the Hall of Fame. Although he spent some time in lower tiers, he has hit over 1000 home runs across 21 professional seasons, interestingly split evenly between his three teams: Redbirds, the lower-league Joxo Bears, and Semjof. His 2009 season will live in legend forever - he set the all time home run record (97) and RBI record (224) and accumulated over 15 WAR. Cutono has had a few injury problems in recent seasons but I couldn't pass up an opportunity to profile a sure-fire legend. Other Players to Watch: #24 SP Toteti Pina, #36 2B Rametana Nesefatac, #18 3B Tonoka Siwa ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nokir BC (Tencemaxo, DA) 2015 Record: 128-62, 3rd place 2016 Prediction: 139-51, 2nd place Seasons in Elite League: 26 (1991-) Championships: 9 (1993, 1994, 1997, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014) Payroll: $210.3MM (1st) Offense: 2nd Pitching: 2nd This is the league's premier team, and also, for now, the only team in the league for the country's Second City, Tencemaxo. Tencemaxo, in American terms, would be analogous to Los Angeles without the entertainment industry, much as good portions of the south of Lokasi are comparable to the American west coast. Nokir has, as you can see, 9 championships to their name, as many as the next two teams combined and a full 36% of the championships in league history. A run of five titles in eight years is nearly the best stretch Lokasi has ever seen. Top Player: #2 SP Dwatoluh Cmeni (18-2, 2.52 ERA, 182 K) (thwa-to-LOO shme-ni). The 25-year-old righty has a small frame, but makes up for it with absolutely nasty movement. League scouts will agree that he has the league's best slider, and although he can't touch 100 like a lot of the young pitchers in this league can, he stays in the mid-90s and is equally effective if not more. He will be with Nokir for three more seasons at least, but I'd bet you he doesn't leave the Big Five. Other Players to Watch: #30 SS Mutoja Tasirefti, #17 RP Cihuhkari Kilaxa, #4 RF Sea Cotesuwe ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ransu Shockers (Ransu, RA) 2015 Record: 129-61, 2nd place 2016 Prediction: 127-63, 4th place Seasons in Elite League: 23 (1994-) Championships: 5 (2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005) Payroll: $133.0MM (5th) Offense: 7th Pitching: 4th The Shockers are back! There was a rough stretch of five years in which they never finished above 12th, and it looked for a while like their years of dominance were over. No matter what had happened, they owned the longest stretch of dominance in the league's history (four straight titles). But following that stretch, they've peeled out and have returned to their former glory, though they haven't topped the mountain yet in those three years. Of the Big Five, Shockers are the team with the least financial might, mostly due to their small stadium (only 24,000 seats, half the size of the other four). That's only comparatively, though - the Shockers can still shell out a lotta bucks. Top Player: #55 SP Tinisas Konoija (28-6, 2.09 ERA, 291 K). The 2014 Pitcher of the Year winner still rates as the top pitcher in the entire league. The 28-year-old lefty features a world-class changeup and sinker. Amazingly, he was turning heads and racking up Ks in the Second League as a full-time starter with only those two pitches. He learned a standard four-seam fastball while at Jokoxedu in the Second League and took off from there. His addition from the start of the 2014 season corresponded with the Shockers' jump back into the elite echelon. Other Players to Watch: #35 C Luxekemi Timeocea, #23 3B Klotcul Rala, #8 SP Sememe Kicinjesi ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sky Blues BC (Akxa, DA) 2015 Record: 132-58, 1st place 2016 Prediction: 121-69, 5th place Seasons in Elite League: 24 (1991-92, 1995-) Championships: 4 (1999, 2004, 2007, 2015) Payroll: $134.3MM (4th) Offense: 4th Pitching: 1st Finally, we reach the defending champions, the Sky Blues from the City of Beaches. While they don't have quite the championship pedigree of Nokir, the history of Semjof, or the periods of extreme dominance like Shockers, they're the current champs, and in a way that's all that matters, right? Similar to Semjof's current streak, Sky Blues had a streak of 15 straight seasons in the top five from 1996-2010 and after a brief two-year stint in a lower strata have returned to championship aspirations. Sky Blues are also interesting in that they feature probably the league's best non-Lokasi player, Cuban right fielder Antonio Colón. There are very few non-Lokasi players in the league, and he's at least one of the best. Top Player: #16 CF Lota Cekiroti (.372, 54 HR, 161 RBI). Probably the biggest breakout player of 2015, the speedster exploded last season by putting up a stunning 16.9 WAR to lead the league. While he didn't lead in any other stat, the 20-year-old more than doubled his home run and stolen base totals while increasing his average by 36 points, and, while we're at it, increasing literally every other counting stat on the page. I don't know what else to say beside the fact that he has 80-grade contact, 70-grade gap power and 75-grade speed. That's a combo that's going to lead to a few batting titles, and Sky Blues are lucky to have him. Other Players to Watch: #26 SP Januswosti Siwa, #3 CL Sarelimo Kaitilau, #25 SP Cimi Comimijesa

02-07-2017, 12:07 AM	#10
Ruwisc All Star Reserve Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Southwestern Illinois Posts: 610	The first set of games will come tomorrow! I'll be covering one (12-day) week per day from tomorrow through the 25th, which will see another champion crowned. Here are the games slated for the first week with home teams listed first, in the European style. All series are five games: First Series Mighty Oaks vs. South Shore Wotclad vs. Oak City Boars Nise vs. Sky Blues Redbirds vs. Sunside Neno vs. Tcecek Kine vs. Fedujalja Adaf United vs. Xokrof Shockers vs. Nacetraf Semjof vs. Nokir Pidexanet Wolves vs. Rei The obvious draw is a truly massive opening series in Ransu, with Semjof taking on Nokir, the two teams predicted to be on top of the league this year. This could be a series that immediately has title implications - if it's a five game sweep I might just crown a champion immediately. Second Series Xokrof vs. Nise Fedujalja vs. Redbirds South Shore vs. Pidexanet Wolves Sky Blues vs. Shockers Sunside vs. Semjof Tcecek vs. Wotclad Nokir vs. Kine Oak City Boars vs. Mighty Oaks Rei vs. Neno Nacetraf vs. Adaf United Two good-looking series here in match-round 2. Another series that will make big championship waves is down in Akxa, as the Sky Blues and Shockers go at it. There's also a big rivalry series between the teams from the Oak City.

02-07-2017, 02:19 AM	#11
Izz Hall Of Famer Join Date: Sep 2012 Posts: 2,467	Awesome! subscribed __________________ Not only do I play OOTP but I also write science-fiction: My Website A brief history of the Australia-New Zealand Baseball League (AUNZBL 2019-2119)--A Dynasty Report The National Penterham Four-Bases Association--A Dynasty Report

02-07-2017, 12:16 PM	#12
Ruwisc All Star Reserve Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Southwestern Illinois Posts: 610	It's a fantastic start for the Shockers, and a terrible start for their rivals Semjof. The opening week of the 2016 EL featured surprise after surprise, with several major injuries, an all-time record falling, and a no-hitter in one of the most anticipated games of the week. First Series .......Mighty Oaks 3 - 2 South Shore (2-3, 9-2, 4-3, 0-7, 3-2) ...........Wotclad 2 - 3 Oak City Boars (5-7, 2-10, 5-4, 1-2, 12-2) ..............Nise 1 - 3 Sky Blues (3-7, 2-10, 1-0, 7-10, PPD) ..........Redbirds 1 - 4 Sunside (3-2, 3-5, 2-10, 3-6, 5-6) ..............Neno 2 - 3 Tcecek (4-5, 3-7, 3-0, 1-12, 7-5) ..............Kine 2 - 3 Fedujalja (4-5, 3-4, 1-4, 12-4, 9-5) .......Adaf United 2 - 3 Xokrof (0-1, 2-7, 5-4, 1-8, 4-0) ..........Shockers 5 - 0 Nacetraf (3-1, 8-1, 5-2, 7-3, 11-5) ............Semjof 1 - 4 Nokir (4-3, 3-5, 1-7, 2-3, 5-6) ..Pidexanet Wolves 3 - 2 Rei (3-5, 4-3, 5-3, 1-2, 6-2) Second Series ............Xokrof 2 - 3 Nise (7-0, 1-4, 2-4, 3-2, 1-5) .........Fedujalja 3 - 2 Redbirds (4-3, 2-7, 3-4, 10-3, 5-3) .......South Shore 3 - 2 Pidexanet Wolves (3-2, 4-8, 10-2, 3-2, 4-8) .........Sky Blues 1 - 4 Shockers (0-10, 3-5, 2-9, 5-2, 1-2) ...........Sunside 3 - 2 Semjof (1-3, 6-5, 0-1, 4-3, 8-5) ............Tcecek 5 - 0 Wotclad (4-3, 4-2, 3-1, 3-2, 4-3) .............Nokir 4 - 1 Kine (4-6, 6-1, 21-2, 6-3, 3-2) ....Oak City Boars 0 - 5 Mighty Oaks (3-4, 1-7, 0-4, 1-2, 2-4) ...............Rei 2 - 3 Neno (3-2, 1-0, 1-11, 3-5, 1-5) ..........Nacetraf 5 - 0 Adaf United (8-1, 7-2, 4-3, 5-3, 4-3) In each one of these posts I'll try to highlight the most interesting things that happened that week. And boy howdy folks, was it one interesting week. Kine 12-4 Fedujalja: CF Mekwatesoh Meketi, listed as one of Kine's "Players to Watch", injures his ankle while making a defensive play. He will miss about 6 weeks. South Shore 10-2 Pidexanet Wolves: C Pire Tiku, who I profiled as Pidexanet's top player, suffered a broken kneecap while running the bases and will miss six months, nearly the entire season. This is a huge loss for the Wolves and you have to wonder what they'll do to address the vacancy. Peitixju Pohkjato takes over behind the dish, and he's a fine player, but he's not Tiku. Sky Blues 0-10 Shockers: In a true moment of greatness, Tinisas Konoija, the top pitcher in the league and profiled as the Shockers' top player, threw a no-hitter against one of the league's top offenses! The 118-pitch outing was marred only by two walks and an error, and he faced only one batter more than the minimum thanks to one caught stealing and one double play. The win kept the Shockers unbeaten at 6-0, and they would make it to 8-0 before their first defeat. Nokir 4-6 Kine: Another tragic injury, as Nokir SP Dwatoluh Cmeni, who I profiled as Nokir's top player, ruptured a finger tendon while pitching against Kine. He will miss at least half the season. Nokir 6-3 Kine: An historic moment in Tencemaxo as Nokir SP Mama Pohketcijo broke the all-time league record for wins, surpassing the Hall of Famer Nani Faikatone. I didn't profile Pohketcijo because he doesn't really feature for Nokir, and his best days are behind him, but he will be a Hall of Famer himself. He is most notable for his longevity, and he can attribute a lot of those wins to being on great teams, most notably the two title-winning Mighty Oaks teams. STANDINGS .1..........Shockers...9...1.. .2.............Nokir...8...2.. .3............Tcecek...8...2.. .4.......Mighty Oaks...8...2.. .5...........Sunside...7...3.. .6.........Fedujalja...6...4.. .7............Xokrof...5...5.. .8..............Neno...5...5.. .9..Pidexanet Wolves...5...5.. 10.......South Shore...5...5.. 11..........Nacetraf...5...5.. 12.........Sky Blues...4...5.. 13..............Nise...4...5.. 14...............Rei...4...6.. 15............Semjof...3...7.. 16....Oak City Boars...3...7.. 17..........Redbirds...3...7.. 18..............Kine...3...7.. 19...........Wotclad...2...8.. 20.......Adaf United...2...8.. In week 2: Series 3 Nise vs. Sunside Neno vs. Oak City Boars Tcecek vs. Rei Shockers vs. Semjof Sky Blues vs. South Shore Nacetraf vs. Fedujalja Xokrof vs. Kine Wotclad vs. Mighty Oaks Adaf United vs. Nokir Redbirds vs. Pidexanet Wolves Things don't get any easier for Semjof, because the biggest series of their season is here. They travel the short distance to their city rivals, Shockers, who are already six games ahead of them. Elsewhere, the Akxa derby is going on between Sky Blues and South Shore, and Sunside look to continue their hot start traveling up to the northeast. Series 4 Kine vs. Nise South Shore vs. Redbirds Rei vs. Shockers Fedujalja vs. Sky Blues Oak City Boars vs. Tcecek Semjof vs. Wotclad Nokir vs. Xokrof Mighty Oaks vs. Nacetraf Sunside vs. Neno Pidexanet Wolves vs. Adaf United A bit of a cool-down from the high-profile series of the first three rounds, as finally the Big Five don't face each other. The best series on the docket is probably down in Tencemaxo, where Nokir will take on Xokrof.

02-08-2017, 11:45 AM	#13
Ruwisc All Star Reserve Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Southwestern Illinois Posts: 610	More superb pitching performances in the first half of the season's second week, but the second half was marred by another shocking series of injuries. Round 3 ..............Nise 2 - 3 Sunside (6-14, 4-2, 7-3, 1-7, 1-3) ..............Neno 3 - 2 Oak City Boars (9-6, 3-7, 5-0, 4-8, 10-4) ............Tcecek 2 - 3 Rei (2-4, 7-6, 2-5, 6-3, 4-5) ..........Shockers 4 - 1 Semjof (2-0, 5-2, 3-1, 9-1, 3-4) .........Sky Blues 4 - 1 South Shore (0-1, 8-6, 6-4, 3-1, 4-3) ..........Nacetraf 2 - 3 Fedujalja (5-3, 3-4, 3-4, 9-5, 1-2) ............Xokrof 5 - 0 Kine (8-2, 2-1, 7-4, 11-0, 7-5) ...........Wotclad 2 - 3 Mighty Oaks (0-2, 5-10, 0-6, 8-6, 2-1) .......Adaf United 1 - 4 Nokir (0-3, 3-14, 4-5, 1-0, 2-11) ..........Redbirds 4 - 1 Pidexanet Wolves (1-2, 7-0, 6-5, 5-4, 3-1) Semjof's rough start continues - they score only 8 runs in the 5-game series with Shockers, salvaging only the last game. After this series they sat 9 full games behind Shockers in the standings. Elsewhere, Sky Blues run off four straight wins against their archrivals to win that series, and Sunside wins their third straight series to start the year. Neno 5-0 Oak City Boars: Neno #43 SP Natetcuo Tiku (1-2, 1.84 ERA) throws a complete-game three-hit shutout. Unlucky in his first two starts, Tiku did all the work in acquiring his first win. Wotclad 0-2 Mighty Oaks: Mighty Oaks superstar #9 SP Sken Animufmi (1-0, 1.84 ERA) throws a three-hit shutout at Wotclad. The Mighty Oaks bullpen has left Animufmi hanging in a couple of starts, leading to a few no-decisions, but Sken went the distance on this occasion. Adaf United 0-3 Nokir: Nokir #43 SP Mumutca Modynxe (2-0, 0.90 ERA) moved from the bullpen to the rotation following the injury to Dwatoluh Cmeni and his very first start was a 10-K, 3-hit shutout. Adaf is not a particularly difficult team to shut out but Modynxe is covering the loss in a major way. Redbirds 7-0 Pidexanet Wolves: #53 SP Premeira Cisecai (3-1, 3.13 ERA), in his first season with Redbirds after spending 2015 in Nokir's bullpen, spun a complete-game 5-hit shutout against the Wolves at home. Round 4 ..............Kine 1 - 4 Nise (6-7, 1-5, 2-4, 4-6, 5-2) .......South Shore 2 - 3 Redbirds (11-4, 4-7, 5-4, 4-5, 2-3) ...............Rei 3 - 2 Shockers (6-5, 2-3, 0-1, 17-3, 5-4) .........Fedujalja 1 - 4 Sky Blues (3-2, 2-3, 0-1, 5-6, 3-12) ....Oak City Boars 2 - 3 Tcecek (0-6, 1-5, 5-0, 6-5, 0-2) ............Semjof 4 - 1 Wotclad (6-5, 11-4, 19-0, 3-6, 9-4) .............Nokir 4 - 1 Xokrof (6-2, 10-3, 4-3, 3-10, 5-2) .......Mighty Oaks 4 - 1 Nacetraf (6-5, 2-1, 0-9, 8-5, 4-0) ...........Sunside 1 - 4 Neno (5-7, 3-6, 4-3, 0-5, 3-11) ..Pidexanet Wolves 4 - 1 Adaf United (9-7, 2-1, 4-1, 1-0, 7-8) Rei picks up a big series win against Shockers, including a monster rout in the fourth game buoyed by 16 runs in the first two innings. Elsewhere, Semjof perks up now that they have some weaker competition (Nokir, Sunside and Shockers in their first three series is a tough start), and Nokir and Mighty Oaks take care of business at home. Kine 6-7 Nise: Nise #2 RP Lenjoimo Tcecir, who I mentioned as one of Nise's players to watch, is done for the season after a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder. Tcecir threw only one pitch in the eighth inning of what would eventually be a 15-inning win for Nise, but did record the final out of that inning. South Shore 11-4 Redbirds: South Shore #63 SP Matmipoma Lexeti, the team's best player, could be done for the year, also with a torn labrum. While Tcecir is undoubtedly done for the year, Lexeti may make it back - although, unless South Shore is in danger of relegation, I wonder if the late-season return is worth it. Rei 17-3 Shockers: Rei #62 CF Socilo Sotoswiki (.289, 2 HR, 11 RBI) led the team in a rout of the league leaders, going 5-6 with a homer, two doubles, 3 runs scored and 5 RBI, including 2 hits and 2 runs in the team's 12-run second inning. By the end of that second Rei led 16-1 and the Shockers had been thoroughly humiliated. Fedujalja 3-2 Sky Blues: Sky Blues #16 CF Lota Cekiroti, the team's offensive star, injured his hamstring playing the field in the team's loss to the Gold Eagles. He will miss about a month. STANDINGS .1.............Nokir..16...4..+1 .2..........Shockers..15...5..-1 .3.......Mighty Oaks..15...5..+1 .4............Tcecek..13...7..-1 .5.........Sky Blues..12...7..+7 .6..............Neno..12...8..+2 .7............Xokrof..11...9...0 .8...........Sunside..11...9..-3 .9..............Nise..10...9..+4 10..Pidexanet Wolves..10..10..-1 11...............Rei..10..10..+3 12..........Redbirds..10..10..+5 13.........Fedujalja..10..10..-7 14............Semjof...8..12..+1 15.......South Shore...8..12..-5 16..........Nacetraf...8..12..-5 17....Oak City Boars...7..13..-1 18...........Wotclad...5..15..+1 19..............Kine...4..16..-1 20.......Adaf United...4..16...0 In week 2: Round 5 Redbirds vs. Nokir Nacetraf vs. Oak City Boars Wotclad vs. Rei Adaf United vs. Semjof Tcecek vs. South Shore Sky Blues vs. Sunside Nise vs. Fedujalja Shockers vs. Kine Neno vs. Mighty Oaks Xokrof vs. Pidexanet Wolves The marquee series in round 5 is probably in the capital city, with Neno vs. Mighty Oaks. Semjof gets a chance to catch up in the standings with a trip to Adaf, and Sunside makes their shortest road trek of the season to take on the Sky Blues. Round 6 Semjof vs. Nise Rei vs. Redbirds Nokir vs. Shockers Kine vs. Sky Blues Pidexanet Wolves vs. Tcecek Fedujalja vs. Wotclad Oak City Boars vs. Xokrof Sunside vs. Nacetraf South Shore vs. Neno Mighty Oaks vs. Adaf United A huge series in round 6 as the current top two, Nokir and Shockers, face off down south. Elsewhere, Semjof welcomes Nise from nearby Tasijelec.

02-09-2017, 02:39 PM	#14
Ruwisc All Star Reserve Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Southwestern Illinois Posts: 610	Time for week three! This week has a very unexpected shutout, a suspension-worthy brawl, and another season-ending injury, this time for Rei. Round 5 ..........Redbirds 0 - 5 Nokir (2-5, 3-8, 2-6, 2-4, 4-6) ..........Nacetraf 2 - 3 Oak City Boars (4-6, 0-5, 3-2, 2-9, 2-1) ...........Wotclad 1 - 4 Rei (3-2, 1-11, 1-2, 2-5, 0-4) .......Adaf United 3 - 2 Semjof (3-5, 6-3, 13-6, 4-1, 2-14) ............Tcecek 4 - 1 South Shore (5-2, 5-4, 1-2, 8-6, 2-0) .........Sky Blues 5 - 0 Sunside (4-3, 9-6, 7-0, 3-2, 7-5) ..............Nise 4 - 1 Fedujalja (6-5, 5-4, 5-1, 4-10, 3-2) ..........Shockers 3 - 2 Kine (6-2, 3-2, 7-8, 4-5, 9-0) ..............Neno 3 - 2 Mighty Oaks (5-0, 0-2, 6-1, 2-7, 9-2) ............Xokrof 5 - 0 Pidexanet Wolves (5-4, 12-10, 2-0, 5-3, 5-4) Wotclad 0-4 Rei: Rei's #13 SP Neni Mjakta (1-3, 6.16 ERA), was dominant on this day firing a shutout in the series finale at Wotclad. This is by far his best outing of the year - his only start of the season in which he's allowed fewer than four runs! In fact, in his start in the following series against Redbirds, he was lit up for 8 runs in 3.1 IP. His true talent level is in the middle somewhere - he has previously been a 21-game winner for Rei in 2014, though that was in the Second League. Neno 5-0 Mighty Oaks: Neno's #36 SP Xifomi Pina (4-1, 3.89) twirled a five-hit shutout against one of the league's best teams. Neno's top starter outdueled Sken Animufmi in dealing him his first loss of the season. Interestingly, he is an extreme contact pitcher - he has only 19 strikeouts in six starts this season, including only two in this shutout win. Neno 0-2 Mighty Oaks: The next day, Mighty Oaks' #16 SP Nycautwah Roxijosfo (6-0, 1.16) returned the favor in shutting out a very potent Neno offense. Roxijosfo's line through six starts is stunning: 46.2 IP, only six runs, with 41 Ks to 11 walks. And of course 6-0 speaks for itself. This game has been his best performance so far, and against the best offensive team he's faced thus far. The end of this set of series corresponds to the end of March, so I'll give you the players of the month: Hitter of the Month: Neno #3 RF Rokamo Nylamijatcati - .388/.436/.796, 11 HR, 24 RBI. The defending MVP is back in a big way, leading Neno to a 6th-place start, ahead of their best-ever finish of 7th. Pitcher of the Month: Mighty Oaks #16 SP Nycautwah Roxijosfo - 5-0, 38.2 IP, 0.93 ERA, 29 K. The 21-year-old lefty has, to this point, outshined Animufmi, his more famous teammate. Rookie of the Month: Nacetraf #14 1B Sisara Taso - .298/.330/.488, 4 HR, 19 RBI. The 18-year-old has emerged as a veritable third offensive option for Nacetraf. It's a thin rookie crop thus far, with only four having played more than 20 games on the hitting side, and only one starting pitcher. Round 6 ............Semjof 4 - 1 Nise (5-0, 2-3, 4-2, 8-1, 10-2) ...............Rei 4 - 1 Redbirds (5-4, 5-3, 3-1, 5-2, 4-12) .............Nokir 2 - 2 Shockers (3-6, 6-5, 13-5, 5-7, PPD) ..............Kine 2 - 3 Sky Blues (1-3, 0-5, 2-10, 5-2, 4-3) ..Pidexanet Wolves 2 - 3 Tcecek (1-9, 0-2, 2-9, 4-3, 3-2) .........Fedujalja 3 - 2 Wotclad (9-4, 2-3, 3-4, 10-5, 2-1) ....Oak City Boars 4 - 1 Xokrof (6-5, 2-11, 4-2, 5-2, 14-4) ...........Sunside 3 - 2 Nacetraf (6-4, 8-5, 3-7, 1-7, 9-3) .......South Shore 2 - 3 Neno (1-4, 2-7, 1-3, 13-10, 4-2) .......Mighty Oaks 4 - 1 Adaf United (4-5, 12-3, 4-3, 3-0, 3-0) Rei 3-1 Redbirds: Rei #2 SS Cemija Mukopa collided with the third baseman on a defensive play and hit his head on the ground. He suffered a serious concussion and will be out for a while, possibly the rest of the season. Thankfully for Rei, they had a capable shortstop already stuck at first base in #50 Sakatice Kicoitca, so he will slide over. Kine 0-5 Sky Blues: Sky Blues #28 SP Solapimje Tictuhxe (2-1, 3.12) dominated Kine in a four-hitter. The Sky Blues team has been ravaged by injury thus far - at this moment they are missing five players due to injury. Tictuhxe has gone on a good run of four straight quality starts in their absences. Mighty Oaks 3-0 Adaf: Adaf #93 SP Mika Tcuhdiko and Mighty Oaks #6 3B Lamijolas Tanliki were ejected after a bench-clearing brawl in the second inning. The fight started after Tcuhdiko hit Tanliki with a pitch. Both players were suspended for nine games. Fedujalja 10-5 Wotclad: This game was uneventful, but just before the game Fedujalja traded their starting LF, #95 Tohrema Nokata, and cash to the very bottom of the pyramid, to Loltcace BC (Roje, XO) in the Northern Regional League. I don't see the point of this trade for the Gold Eagles, as the only return was 23-year-old reliever Lakaci Tedanuwi, who doesn't appear to be worth the price. Tedanuwi has been roughly replacement-level in the lower two tiers of the league system, and has just a 1.5-star ceiling. The move saves Fedujalja about $175,000. STANDINGS .1.............Nokir..23...6...0 .2.......Mighty Oaks..21...9..+1 .3..........Shockers..20...9..-1 .4.........Sky Blues..20...9..+1 .5............Tcecek..20..10..-1 .6..............Neno..18..12...0 .7...............Rei..18..12..+4 .8............Xokrof..17..13..-1 .9..............Nise..15..14...0 10............Semjof..14..16..+4 11...........Sunside..14..16..-3 12....Oak City Boars..14..16..+5 13.........Fedujalja..14..16...0 14..........Nacetraf..12..18..+2 15..Pidexanet Wolves..12..18..-5 16..........Redbirds..11..19..-4 17.......South Shore..11..19..-2 18.......Adaf United...8..22..+2 19..............Kine...8..22...0 20...........Wotclad...8..22..-2 In week 4: Round 7 10 Semjof vs. 19 Kine 11 Sunside vs. 12 Oak City Boars 8 Xokrof vs. 3 Shockers 16 Redbirds vs. 4 Sky Blues 7 Rei vs. 17 South Shore 1 Nokir vs. 13 Fedujalja 15 Pidexanet Wolves vs. 2 Mighty Oaks 5 Tcecek vs. 14 Nacetraf 20 Wotclad vs. 6 Neno 9 Nise vs. 18 Adaf United The marquee series of round 7 is definitely Xokrof vs. Shockers. Round 8 6 Neno vs. 1 Nokir 12 Oak City Boars vs. 15 Pidexanet Wolves 2 Mighty Oaks vs. 7 Rei 13 Fedujalja vs. 10 Semjof 17 South Shore vs. 11 Sunside 19 Kine vs. 5 Tcecek 14 Nacetraf vs. 20 Wotclad 4 Sky Blues vs. 8 Xokrof 3 Shockers vs. 9 Nise 18 Adaf United vs. 16 Redbirds This looks to be a great set of games, with 8 of the current top 9 teams facing off with each other. None of the matchups are between Big Five teams, but all five of them look like they could get a tough test.

02-10-2017, 04:03 PM	#15
Ruwisc All Star Reserve Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Southwestern Illinois Posts: 610	Week 4 Round 7 ............Semjof 5 - 0 Kine (6-5, 12-7, 9-7, 5-1, 7-2) ...........Sunside 3 - 2 Oak City Boars (2-1, 6-9, 6-5, 3-5, 11-8) ............Xokrof 3 - 2 Shockers (3-5, 11-7, 4-3, 6-3, 3-4) ..........Redbirds 2 - 3 Sky Blues (7-15, 6-4, 3-5, 2-4, 9-2) ...............Rei 2 - 3 South Shore (3-5, 8-3, 4-6, 4-3, 9-11) .............Nokir 4 - 1 Fedujalja (4-7, 8-3, 2-1, 6-2, 12-3) ..Pidexanet Wolves 3 - 2 Mighty Oaks (2-1, 3-5, 10-2, 2-1, 0-2) ............Tcecek 4 - 1 Nacetraf (5-4, 8-10, 4-0, 6-3, 9-3) ...........Wotclad 0 - 5 Neno (1-4, 7-12, 1-5, 3-6, 2-6) ..............Nise 3 - 2 Adaf United (0-1, 4-3, 4-2, 3-0, 0-2) Nise 0-1 Adaf United: Adaf United #15 SP Momehco Macilaci (3-4, 2.50) tossed a four-hit shutout in the series opener at Nise. This was a real pitcher's duel as Macilaci faced off against Nise ace Iretci Pamisi, who allowed just two hits only left the game after surrendering the decisive home run to Adaf's 1B Lokeri Mopoaxi in the eighth inning. Xokrof 11-7 Shockers: Xokrof won the game, but Shockers' #23 3B Klotcul Rala (.333, 8 HR, 37 RBI) was the story after hitting for the cycle. Rala got the hard parts out of the way first, tripling in the first and homering in the third. His ninth-inning single plated two runs to tighten the game to 11-7 and completed the cycle. For the game he was 4-5 and had six RBI from the cleanup spot. Despite that, Xokrof's #39 1B Saksuh Tedanuwi was named player of the game for his two home runs. His third-inning shot tied the game at 4 and his fifth-inning shot gave Xokrof a 6-4 lead that they would not relinquish. Nise 3-0 Adaf United: Nise's #7 SP Kasunilo Tijonuhteo (1-7, 5.57) twirled a shutout of his own as Nise won their third straight against Adaf. Tijonuhteo is not a highly-touted pitcher as you can see from his statistics, but he shut down the league's worst offense on this day in throwing a two-hitter. Nise 0-2 Adaf United: Pitching was the story in this series, and this time it was again #15 SP Momehco Macilaci for Adaf United. He outdid his previous performance in the series by throwing a two-hitter. Adaf's RF Moluka Tekuso was the offensive hero on this day, with a first-inning RBI single and a third-inning home run providing the whole of the offense. Round 8 ..............Neno 0 - 5 Nokir (0-2, 3-5, 2-12, 4-6, 1-4) ....Oak City Boars 0 - 5 Pidexanet Wolves (4-6, 4-7, 0-6, 4-5, 4-5) .......Mighty Oaks 1 - 4 Rei (5-6, 1-4, 3-5, 7-1, 6-8) .........Fedujalja 2 - 3 Semjof (1-5, 3-4, 5-9, 4-3, 8-6) .......South Shore 3 - 2 Sunside (2-6, 0-3, 3-0, 5-3, 2-1) ..............Kine 2 - 3 Tcecek (3-8, 1-4, 6-0, 7-4, 5-8) ..........Nacetraf 2 - 3 Wotclad (5-3, 2-3, 6-0, 7-16, 2-3) .........Sky Blues 3 - 2 Xokrof (3-2, 3-2, 3-5, 1-5, 22-1) ..........Shockers 3 - 2 Nise (1-2, 5-2, 4-5, 2-0, 12-2) .......Adaf United 3 - 2 Redbirds (6-5, 7-0, 1-11, 1-3, 2-1) Kine 3-8 Tcecek: Tcecek #43 3B Samixo Kekopa (.316, 7 HR, 23 RBI) buoyed his team to a win on this day by hitting three home runs. Even more impressive is that he did it in his only three plate appearances before being pinch-hit for in the 7th. His first- and third-inning two-run homers each gave Tcecek the lead, and his fifth-inning homer made it 5-3. All three came off Kine ace Sohlo Tesapjeno. Shockers 5-2 Nise: Shockers' #40 2B Lace Mokilihjaci (.258, 1 HR, 15 RBI) collected his 2,500th Elite League hit in the win over Nise. The 31-year-old is the 23rd player in league history to reach that milestone, and he could possibly reach as high as 20th on the all-time list this season. Adaf United 7-0 Redbirds: Adaf's #54 RF Moluka Tekuso (.301, 12 HR, 37 RBI) had his own three-homer day in Adaf's shutout win. Tekuso homered in the first, third and eighth innings and accrued six RBI. The third-inning shot stretched Adaf's lead from 2-0 to 5-0 and effectively ended the game. Neno 2-12 Nokir: Another bench-clearing brawl broke out in this game after Neno's #88 SP Tislo Tysakijape hit Nokir's #4 RF Sea Cotesuwe with a pitch. Both were suspended four games (which doesn't seem much of a suspension for a starting pitcher, but I guess that's not my judgment). Nacetraf 6-0 Wotclad: Nacetraf's #26 SP Ripa Uhkisono (5-4, 2.51) tossed a shutout against Wotclad, giving up only a walk, an error, and five hits. The 29-year-old is off to the best start of his career in his second season with Nacetraf, with his previous best ERA in the Elite League being 3.40 in 2010, and has suffered from poor run support thus far. In his four losses, Nacetraf has scored a total of two runs. Fedujalja 8-6 Semjof: Fedujalja won the game, but Semjof's #36 2B Rametana Nesefatac (.338, 9 HR, 27 RBI) picked up his 2000th career hit in the loss. It was an exciting game - Semjof rallied from 5-2 down to take a 6-5 eighth-inning lead, but Fedujalja's Cemija Nasitfuhm delivered with a walk-off home run. Nasitfuhm is an interesting story - he went the whole 2015 season without a team after finishing his contract with the NWRC's Cimnera Crusaders (Cimnera, RP). Despite jumping up six tiers and taking a year off, he is 12-29 so far coming off the bench for Fedujalja. Should an injury strike the Gold Eagles he could become a real success story. STANDINGS .1.............Nokir..32...7...0 .2............Tcecek..27..13..+3 .3.........Sky Blues..26..13..+1 .4..........Shockers..25..14..-1 .5.......Mighty Oaks..24..16..-3 .6...............Rei..24..16..+1 .7..............Neno..23..17..-1 .8............Semjof..22..18..+2 .9............Xokrof..22..18..-1 10..............Nise..20..19..-1 11..Pidexanet Wolves..20..20..+4 12...........Sunside..19..21..-1 13.......South Shore..17..23..+4 14.........Fedujalja..17..23..-1 15....Oak City Boars..16..24..-3 16..........Redbirds..15..25...0 17..........Nacetraf..15..25..-3 18.......Adaf United..13..27...0 19...........Wotclad..11..29..+1 20..............Kine..10..30..-1 In week 5: Round 9 19 Wotclad vs. 3 Sky Blues 12 Sunside vs. 1 Nokir 7 Neno vs. 16 Redbirds 11 Pidexanet Wolves vs. 4 Shockers 13 South Shore vs. 8 Semjof 5 Mighty Oaks vs. 14 Fedujalja 17 Nacetraf vs. 9 Xokrof 15 Oak City Boars vs. 20 Kine 6 Rei vs. 10 Nise 2 Tcecek vs. 18 Adaf United No real high-profile matchups in this round, so we look to see if the top teams can take care of business. Round 10 16 Redbirds vs. 15 Oak City Boars 1 Nokir vs. 6 Rei 14 Fedujalja vs. 13 South Shore 4 Shockers vs. 19 Wotclad 8 Semjof vs. 2 Tcecek 20 Kine vs. 12 Sunside 9 Xokrof vs. 5 Mighty Oaks 10 Nise vs. 17 Nacetraf 18 Adaf United vs. 7 Neno 3 Sky Blues vs. 11 Pidexanet Wolves A big series in Ransu, as the surprise team Tcecek visit the still-recovering Semjof. Bit of a role reversal, but this could be an opportunity for Semjof to climb that ladder. Also, Nokir looks to quiet Rei's hot start, and Sky Blues get a visit from the streaking Wolves. Also in rounds 9-10, I'll give a quarterly stats recap and give a look at who the award winners are shaping up to be. Last edited by Ruwisc; 02-10-2017 at 04:08 PM.

02-11-2017, 05:56 PM	#16
Ruwisc All Star Reserve Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Southwestern Illinois Posts: 610	Week 5 Round 9 ...........Wotclad 1 - 4 Sky Blues (0-3, 1-0, 2-5, 1-4, 1-6) ...........Sunside 1 - 4 Nokir (5-4, 2-6, 3-15, 1-2, 5-12) ..............Neno 3 - 2 Redbirds (1-0, 2-4, 9-1, 1-2, 13-4) ..Pidexanet Wolves 2 - 3 Shockers (2-3, 6-4, 8-9, 1-4, 2-1) .......South Shore 0 - 5 Semjof (3-6, 2-9, 0-13, 0-8, 4-7) .......Mighty Oaks 4 - 1 Fedujalja (3-4, 14-5, 4-3, 13-2, 14-1) ..........Nacetraf 1 - 4 Xokrof (4-8, 0-5, 5-7, 2-5, 6-5) ....Oak City Boars 2 - 3 Kine (2-1, 6-4, 7-9, 5-6, 6-8) ...............Rei 2 - 3 Nise (2-9, 6-5, 1-2, 3-2, 0-1) ............Tcecek 3 - 2 Adaf United (1-0, 5-6, 3-1, 2-4, 3-2) Neno 1-0 Redbirds: Neno #43 SP Natetcou Tiku (4-4, 2.54) pitched a shutout in the nation's capital in this pitcher's duel. He outdueled Penxara's ace Premeira Cisecai, who allowed only a fourth-inning home run by 2014 MVP Litui Moratare. The Redbirds only managed three hits against the 33-year-old Tiku, who is off to his best start since entering the Elite League with Ixiri in 2009. Neno 2-4 Redbirds: Both Neno's #13 CF Dipliro Ecoai and Penxara's #5 SP Coce Fenalarihc left this game with injuries and will miss significant time. Ecoai will miss about a month and a half after suffering a bruised kneecap in the field, while Fenalarihc, who left only for precautionary reasons, actually will miss 3 months due to inflammation in his throwing shoulder. Fenalarihc completed only one inning and the Redbirds bullpen did well in hanging on while the team erased an early deficit. Wotclad 1-0 Sky Blues: Wotclad #4 SP Sexjaple Dacisoc (4-2, 3.88) completed a true gem, throwing a ten-inning shutout against one of the Big Five. Wotclad has had a really rough go of it this season, and the 2013 Pitcher of the Year has not lived up to his usual reputation. If anyone is going to carry Wotclad out of the relegation zone, it will be him. Mighty Oaks 14-5 Fedujalja: Fedujalja's #64 C Elo Cifehkirwon (.279, 2 HR, 19 RBI) was 5-5 in this loss. Even in hitting 5-5 from the cleanup spot, he did not drive in any runs in the game (he did score twice). At the same time, Mighty Oaks jumped out to an early 10-0 lead so the majority of the game was played out of doubt. South Shore 2-9 Semjof: Semjof #54 RF Dacanocle Xeane (.200, 3 HR, 11 RBI) hit his 500th Elite League home run in this win. He did it in style, too: a seventh-inning pinch-hit grand slam! Xeane has not been a full-time player for a couple of years now, and has not started a game for Semjof this year. But the Kilri Athletic legend became the 17th player to reach this milestone, and he'll have that distinction forever. Mighty Oaks 4-3 Fedujalja: Fedujalja #7 RP Meses Leakeka (3-2, 2.97, 7 SV) will be out for 4 to 5 months after bone chips were found in his elbow. The 23-year-old lefty leads the team in appearances so this is a big blow to the team's bullpen. South Shore 0-13 Semjof: Semjof's #32 SP Sohlo Mijoldu (4-3, 4.52) was dominant down on the south shore, pitching a two-hitter. He got the whole thing done in under a hundred pitches. This month of April was spectacular for the whole Semjof team, as they went 21-4 to get back into the title race. April 23: Xokrof dealt their backup catcher, #69 C Kisinoh Deo, to Oak City in exchange for #69 RF Nijesa Nikirace and #46 SS Xeh Saceo. So far the move benefits OCB, for whom Deo slots into their starting lineup. Neither Nikirace nor Saceo had cracked OCB's active roster yet, so Nikirace, who now is available for Xokrof, has made a step up. Neno 13-4 Redbirds: Neno #3 RF Rokamo Nylamijatcati (.365, 18 HR, 42 RBI) was 5-5 with a walk in the team's blowout win. The defending MVP drove in four runs and scored two himself, so even though four of his hits were singles they almost all had an impact. Round 10 ..........Redbirds 1 - 4 Oak City Boars (1-4, 2-3, 3-9, 1-3, 8-1) .............Nokir 3 - 2 Rei (16-2, 2-9, 7-1, 7-8, 2-1) .........Fedujalja 1 - 4 South Shore (6-7, 3-4, 6-12, 7-5, 8-11) ..........Shockers 5 - 0 Wotclad (9-4, 7-1, 5-0, 6-1, 7-2) ............Semjof 4 - 1 Tcecek (5-3, 6-2, 1-3, 6-5, 3-2) ..............Kine 2 - 3 Sunside (4-3, 4-10, 5-4, 7-12, 2-6) ............Xokrof 2 - 3 Mighty Oaks (9-3, 3-2, 0-5, 2-10, 0-11) ..............Nise 3 - 2 Nacetraf (1-4, 3-0, 3-0, 0-4, 7-4) .......Adaf United 2 - 3 Neno (4-2, 0-11, 5-0, 2-3, 3-11) .........Sky Blues 4 - 1 Pidexanet Wolves (3-5, 2-1, 7-6, 4-1, 11-1) Shockers 5-0 Wotclad: Wotclad's #62 RP Cijede Kijesoime (1-0, 2.63) will miss five months, almost the rest of the season, with a torn back muscle suffered during this loss. Kijesoime doesn't feature too heavily for Wotclad, but for a team six games away from safety, any loss is a big loss. Nise 3-0 Nacetraf: Nise #54 SP Cotelaxe Citexuh (6-1, 2.78) tossed a five-hit shutout against Nacetraf. The 29-year-old has been a big part of a somewhat surprising Nise team. Adaf United 5-0 Neno: Adaf's #15 SP Momehco Macilaci (4-5, 2.26) pitched his third shutout in his last five games. This emerging star is trying to single-handedly drag Adaf United out of the relegation zone. This particular effort was a six-hitter against one of the best offensive teams in the league. Xokrof 0-5 Mighty Oaks: Mighty Oaks #34 SP Kause Sikukice (4-3, 2.90) pitched a PERFECT GAME to break Mighty Oaks out of a two-game losing streak. Sikukice is not normally the guy you'd expect to have a magical night like this - he shares a rotation with two stars, Sken Animufmi and Nycautwah Roxijosfo, but that's the way it goes sometimes. This was the 5th perfect game in league history, and the 24th no-hitter. Nise 0-4 Nacetraf: Nacetraf's #61 SP Sikomusra Nikofese (1-3, 5.34) got revenge on Nise for the shutout on the previous day by shutting them out himself. Nikofese had given up 5+ runs in each of his previous three starts, including one in which he didn't finish the third inning. This was only his fifth start of the season, so those stats are still a little pliable. Semjof 6-5 Tcecek: Semjof's #18 3B Tonoka Siwa (.303, 11 HR, 36 RBI) became the fourth player in league history to hit 700 home runs in the win. The two-run shot gave Semjof a 3-0 lead in a game they would need every run of. Semjof eventually won the game in 11 innings. STANDINGS .1.............Nokir..39..10...0 .2.........Sky Blues..34..15..+1 .3..........Shockers..33..16..+1 .4............Semjof..31..19..+4 .5.......Mighty Oaks..31..19...0 .6............Tcecek..31..19..-4 .7..............Neno..29..21...0 .8............Xokrof..28..22..+1 .9...............Rei..28..22..-3 10..............Nise..26..23...0 11...........Sunside..23..27..+1 12..Pidexanet Wolves..23..27..-1 13....Oak City Boars..22..28..+2 14.......South Shore..21..29..-1 15.........Fedujalja..19..31..-1 T16.........Redbirds..18..32...0 T16.........Nacetraf..18..32..+1 18.......Adaf United..17..33...0 19..............Kine..15..35..+1 20...........Wotclad..12..38..-1 All of a sudden, the Big Five are the top five. Semjof have won 22 of their last 26. They're a far cry from losing a series to Adaf at the end of March. Tcecek had a relatively rough 4-6 week to fall from the top tier. Normally the tiebreakers are as follows: run differential first, head-to-head record second, head-to-head run differential third, and total runs scored fourth. This has always been enough to differentiate everyone at season's end, but during the season sometimes there are standings ties as there is this week. Both Redbirds and Nacetraf have scored 189, allowed 235, and have yet to play each other this season (though they play in this next week). So it's T-16. In week 6: Round 11 6 Tcecek vs. 8 Xokrof 5 Mighty Oaks vs. 1 Nokir T16 Nacetraf vs. T16 Redbirds 13 Oak City Boars vs. 3 Shockers 12 Pidexanet Wolves vs. 4 Semjof 7 Neno vs. 2 Sky Blues 11 Sunside vs. 15 Fedujalja 9 Rei vs. 19 Kine 20 Wotclad vs. 10 Nise 14 South Shore vs. 18 Adaf United Round 12 15 Fedujalja vs. 13 Oak City Boars 2 Sky Blues vs. 9 Rei 3 Shockers vs. 14 South Shore 18 Adaf United vs. 11 Sunside 10 Nise vs. 6 Tcecek T16 Redbirds vs. 20 Wotclad 4 Semjof vs. 5 Mighty Oaks 1 Nokir vs. T16 Nacetraf 8 Xokrof vs. 7 Neno 19 Kine vs. 12 Pidexanet Wolves

02-11-2017, 06:34 PM	#17
Ruwisc All Star Reserve Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Southwestern Illinois Posts: 610	Offensively, the top two contenders for league MVP at the quarter pole are no surprise - it's Neno's Wonder Twins, Rokamo Nylamijatcati and Litui Moratare. The right fielder Nylamijatcati (the reigning MVP) leads the league in a ton of rate stats, as well as hits, XBH and total bases, while Moratare has been the most accomplished power hitter, ranking second in slugging, OPS and HR and third in RBI. Tusjah Cutono leads the league in HR and RBI but has otherwise been subpar - his batting average is 55 points lower than last year's. Winner (for now [if I had to guess]): Neno RF Rokamo Nylamijatcati One pitcher stands pretty far ahead of the pack in my view, and that's Mighty Oaks' Sken Animufmi. His line thus far is 6-2, 1.73, with 90 Ks, only 8 walks and a WHIP of 0.82. You can see the WAR leaderboard in the bottom right, which has him a half-win better than any other pitcher thus far. If the vote were now it would be a landslide, but I'm looking out for Adaf's Momehco Macilaci, who is on one hell of a hot streak with three shutouts in his last five starts. Winner (for now [if I had to guess]): Mighty Oaks SP Sken Animufmi

02-13-2017, 12:54 AM	#18
Ruwisc All Star Reserve Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Southwestern Illinois Posts: 610	Week 6 Before I recap the games, the first day of this week marked the end of April - so here are your players of the month: Hitter of the Month: OCB #79 LF Nosaxu Ralnituki - .307, 12 HR, 22 RBI, 24 R. The somewhat slight left-fielder has improved several aspects of his game this year, and twelve homers in a month speaks for itself. For the season, he's hitting .312 with 20 HR and 54 RBI - the latter two both rank in the top five of the league. Pitcher of the Month: Mighty Oaks #9 SP Sken Animufmi - 5-0, 0.47 ERA, 38.2 IP, 43 K. The defending Pitcher of the Year won all five of his April starts to lower his ERA from 2.97 to 1.73. His two losses on the season came in the same series against Neno in late March, and he's 7-0 otherwise. Rookie of the Month: Nokir #17 SP Cihuhkari Kilaxa - 4-0, 3.66 ERA, 32 IP, 32 K. Because every league in the league system is qualified as a major league, the only rookies are those making their professional debuts in the Elite League, which is not extremely common - there are only four qualified rookies on either side of the ball at this moment. Still, Kilaxa is having a good season. He entered the rotation fairly recently (only 7 starts) but those 7 starts include a 5-0 record. Round 11 ............Tcecek 0 - 5 Xokrof (1-4, 2-9, 2-4, 3-4, 2-6) .......Mighty Oaks 3 - 2 Nokir (1-4, 3-1, 5-2, 4-2, 3-6) ..........Nacetraf 3 - 2 Redbirds (5-3, 12-8, 9-2, 1-7, 4-5) ....Oak City Boars 2 - 3 Shockers (4-6, 4-3, 1-9, 0-9, 4-2) ..Pidexanet Wolves 2 - 3 Semjof (4-7, 5-2, 8-5, 8-10, 0-8) ..............Neno 2 - 3 Sky Blues (4-11, 5-6, 8-2, 3-2, 0-7) ...........Sunside 2 - 3 Fedujalja (2-1, 5-7, 1-5, 1-8, 13-2) ...............Rei 3 - 2 Kine (2-7, 5-1, 3-2, 7-5, 4-10) ...........Wotclad 1 - 4 Nise (2-3, 4-5, 5-10, 12-7, 1-7) .......South Shore 4 - 1 Adaf United (1-2, 4-1, 14-7, 11-3, 9-4) Shockers - Redbirds trade: Ransu traded their fourth outfielder, #81 LF Pito Tasekece, to Penxara in exchange for two prospects. Tasekece, who had only 1 HR in limited at bats for the Shockers, homered in his first two games as a Redbird, the 9-2 loss and the 7-1 win. Semjof - Citced trade: Semjof traded reserve middle infielder #34 2B Luhtsat Soncorjo to Citced United (Second League; Citced, SE) in exchange for #48 LF Pameciju Imi and catching prospect #56 C Tokei Tekuso. Soncorjo made the jump from the fourth-tier Southern Super League before last season and never adjusted, so Citced should be a good redemption opportunity. Adaf firings: After the end of the series against South Shore, Adaf United fired both GM Dijeco Sijone and manager Maraosece Mofu. They might be considered casualties of OOTP17 not understanding the relegation format, because Adaf was never expected to compete really, and their 18th-place position is actually ahead of where they were predicted (not only last, but 20 games behind everyone else). Things will probably get worse for Adaf United - interim manager Torjusoti Casakewa was let go from Southern League One's Tcanilrak after finishing 35-135 last season and has never so much as coached in the EL. That's it - in terms of competition nothing of interest really happened in these series. Round 12 .........Fedujalja 1 - 4 Oak City Boars (2-5, 6-2, 2-7, 5-7, 0-3) .........Sky Blues 3 - 2 Rei (5-8, 4-3, 3-0, 1-4, 3-1) ..........Shockers 3 - 2 South Shore (5-8, 10-1, 2-7, 4-0, 6-0) .......Adaf United 1 - 4 Sunside (10-2, 1-2, 0-4, 2-7, 3-5) ..............Nise 0 - 5 Tcecek (2-3, 0-5, 2-7, 0-5, 1-4) ..........Redbirds 2 - 3 Wotclad (0-3, 6-2, 3-2, 1-3, 0-3) ............Semjof 2 - 3 Mighty Oaks (4-0, 2-7, 2-9, 1-12, 5-4) .............Nokir 5 - 0 Nacetraf (5-2, 16-5, 10-5, 5-3, 5-4) ............Xokrof 3 - 2 Neno (3-8, 4-3, 7-3, 7-6, 1-6) ..............Kine 1 - 4 Pidexanet Wolves (2-9, 3-8, 2-3, 2-6, 6-5) Nokir 16-5 Nacetraf: Nokir #4 RF Sea Cotesuwe injured a hamstring while making a defensive play. He will miss a little over a month. Nise 0-5 Tcecek: Tcecek #65 SP Lacjos Cai (8-1, 2.22 ERA) spun a five-hit shutout against the Pelicans. Tcecek's ace has been stellar thus far as you can see from his statline. STANDINGS .1.............Nokir..46..13...0 .2.........Sky Blues..40..19...0 .3..........Shockers..39..20...0 .4.......Mighty Oaks..37..23..+1 .5............Semjof..36..24..-1 .6............Tcecek..36..24...0 .7............Xokrof..36..24..+1 .8..............Neno..33..27..-1 .9...............Rei..33..27...0 10..............Nise..30..29...0 11...........Sunside..29..31...0 12..Pidexanet Wolves..29..31...0 13....Oak City Boars..28..32...0 14.......South Shore..27..33...0 15.........Fedujalja..23..37...0 16..........Redbirds..22..38...0 17..........Nacetraf..21..39..-1 18.......Adaf United..19..41...0 19..............Kine..18..42...0 20...........Wotclad..16..44...0 Not much movement this week. I imagine things have settled into something of a pattern, and there won't be dramatic swings from here on out, but I guess anything is possible. In week 7: Round 13 12 Pidexanet Wolves vs. 10 Nise 13 Oak City Boars vs. 1 Nokir 6 Tcecek vs. 16 Redbirds 4 Mighty Oaks vs. 3 Shockers 9 Rei vs. 5 Semjof 17 Nacetraf vs. 2 Sky Blues 8 Neno vs. 15 Fedujalja 11 Sunside vs. 7 Xokrof 14 South Shore vs. 19 Kine 20 Wotclad vs. 18 Adaf United Round 14 19 Kine vs. 8 Neno 10 Nise vs. 16 Redbirds 17 Nacetraf vs. 12 Pidexanet Wolves 13 Oak City Boars vs. 9 Rei 2 Sky Blues vs. 5 Semjof 1 Nokir vs. 14 South Shore 15 Fedujalja vs. 6 Tcecek 7 Xokrof vs. 20 Wotclad 11 Sunside vs. 4 Mighty Oaks 3 Shockers vs. 18 Adaf United

02-13-2017, 09:31 AM	#19
imhoff2 Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: Sep 2015 Location: Southern Illinois Posts: 42	Rei fan here. Disappointed in the Kine series. We should have taken four of five at home! Happy taking three at Sky Blues. I think the projection of 10th is going to be low. Four of five vs Semjof could vault us a few places. Go REI!! How did they end up doing in 2012-16 when they were regulated? How far can teams fall and rise in your system? Love this world and can't wait to follow in real time! Keep it up! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk