Superior League 2026 Wild Cards

 Toledo vs Miami

Game 1: It started out as a great pitcher's duel as Ken Fitzgerald went 5 innings and Jesus Palmeiro 7. Each starter allowed zero runs on 2 hits. Toledo took a 1-0 lead in the 7th when Angel Ramirez singled in Jose Vasquez. In the 9th inning Miami was down to their last strike when Aleixos Capela singled in the tying run. Miami scored 4 in the 10th inning and held on for a 5-3 win. Capela was playing his first game of the season for the big league team after being in AAA all year. He was added to the playoff roster to give Miami a right-handed bat against all the Toledo lefties.

Game 2: Joe Hopper gave Miami a 3-1 lead in the 4th inning with a 2-run homer off Michael Farley. They led 5-3 going to the 9th and brought on Ken Stafford to close out the series. After 1 out and back-to-back singles, Felipe Cortez hit a 3-run homer to give Toledo the lead.

In the bottom of the inning Hopper drew a walk and Tony Flores came on to run for him. Flores stole second and scored on a Joe Cochran single. There was no more scoring until the 16th inning. Will Daugherty walked, stole second, and moved to 3rd on a groundout. Juan Rosado singled off Matt Rogers to bring Daugherty home.

While Miami won the series in 2 games, they might as well have played three as it took them 26 innings. They will play Baltimore next.

Boston vs Texas

Game 1: Lynn Buck homered, tripled, and drove in 3 as Boston won the opener 7-3. Larry Moody pitched 5 1/3 innings for the win and Jeremy Byers threw 2 scoreless innings to finish it.

Game 2: Kent Shoemaker threw only one pitch before leaving with a shoulder injury. The Texas bullpen pitched well and they had a 2-1 lead going into the 7th. Raul Saldana tied the game with a homer off Johnny Simpson and after Masuda was hit by a pitch, Richie Jackson hit a 2-run homer. It was the second career postseason homer from Jackson, who has been known as Mr. October since his professional debut. Dave Nguyen add a homer in the 9th and Byers pitched the last 2 innings to save the 5-2 game. 

Boston will take on Charlotte next.

Season Finish in the Major League

 While Baltimore and Hawaii had the top spots in the league wrapped up long ago, there was some drama for the last few wild card spots. Bay Area was locked into third place in the west, but had a chance to claim a wild card spot over east contenders New York and Toronto. The schedule makers obliged, and their final 7 games came against New York and Toronto.

They won the first but dropped the next 2 to New York in extra innings. The 4th game of the series was a matchup of aces Anthony Henderson and Carson Olsen. New York took the lead with back to back homers in the 4th by Joe Thomas Jr and Roberto Vargas and held on for a 3-1 win.

The win ended Bay Area’s playoff run as they could finish at best one game behind Toronto and tie New York, but NY held the tiebreaker. This season will end the run of one of OOTP’s greatest competitors, Miguel Cruz. His career began 23 years ago as a teenage shortstop. His first manager was Brad, now the owner of the team on the other side of the field. Brad and Miguel embraced before the final game, with Brad calling him “one of the finest ballplayers I’ve ever managed or played against. People will remember the homers and RBI. I will always remember how he took his cannon arm from shortstop and turned into a weapon at first base.”

Playing a meaningless game against Toronto on the final day of the season, Cruz was 0 for 3 in his first 3 trips to the plate. In the 5th inning he came up with 2 outs and the bases loaded. He lined a single to right, driving in two runs. He then left the game for a pinch runner and walked off the field to a standing ovation. Over the last 15 years, Cruz became the face of Bay Area baseball and led his team to championships in 2015 and 2023.

2026 Draft First Round

1. Phoenix - 3B Manuel Salas. He has great raw power, a good batting eye, and a strong arm. If he doesn't have enough range to stick at third, he could end up at first.

2. Alaska - SS Anibal Solo. Solo is a 5-tool shortstop. He should do more than stick at the position, he could win some gold gloves there.

3. Los Angeles - OF LaMelo Solo. For the second time in 3 years, two jawas go in the first 3 picks of the draft. Solo has power and speed and should stick in center field. 

4. Portland - SS Bobby Milligan. Bobby has massive raw power, hitting 25 homers in 43 high school games. He speed is average at best, but he has a great arm. He did not pitch in high school games but in tryouts looks good on the mound. He is potentially a two-way player, though the Decepticons might prefer he concentrate on hitting.

5. Cleveland - SS Armando Hernandez. A solid defensive shortstop with a great eye at the plate. The first college player off the board, he took 109 walks in 79 games at Georgia Tech, also hitting 19 homers. Average speed.

6. Florida - OF Ernesto Rivera. Good defensive outfielder with power and an exceptional feel for hitting. Unlike other Penguin outfielders, he bats from the right side.

7. NY Knights - SS Leonardo Garcia. Wichita State shortstop with great raw power and patience. He has above average speed and glove, but might struggle making contact.

8. Utah - OF Jackson Cheerio. Good all-around skills, will likely move to an outfield corner.

9. Miami - SS Brian Dumbledore. A two sport star at Hogwarts, he played both baseball and quidditch. He's an undersized shortstop without great speed but has great command of the strike zone and more power than you expect from his short stature. 

10. Detroit - P Kayce Dutton-Davis. Son of long-time minor league catcher Crash Davis, Crash raised his family on a Montana Ranch after his playing days. Kayce's best pitch is a splitter which is already good enough to fool big league hitters. He should be up as soon as he is able to command his pitches.

11. Green Day - C Miguel Ortega. The Notre Dame catcher is a 3 true outcome freak, with 31 homers, 129 walks, and 143 strikeouts in just 82 games. His catching skills are solid but his arm is below average.

12. Springfield - P Grayson Brooks. His velocity is not at the level of his father, Bryan, but he has a standard 4 pitch mix and should move through the minors quickly.

13. Chicago - 1B Jorge Rivera. An exceptional line drive hitter. His power is average but he runs very well for a first baseman.

14. Hawaii - 2B Claudio Cano. A talented hitter with a great eye for the strike zone. His speed and range are average at best and his arm is below average.

15. Hollywood - SS Paul Dawson. The best defensive shortstop in the draft class, he has exceptional range, hands, and arm. Potentially an average hitter but he is a bit of a project there.

16. Toronto - P Antonio Angel. The lefty from Texas Tech has a mid 90s fastball and above average slider and change. He holds runners well and has enough stamina to last deep into games. He throws strikes.

17. Orlando P Domingo Alonzo. Right hander with an upper 90s fastball and plus curve. He may need to develop an offspeed pitch to stay in the rotation.

18. Charlotte CF Cristian Sanchez. He has good all-around skills but his best tool is being able to make consistent hard contact.

19. NY Cobra P Jerome "Pooh" Schlittler. Owner Brad went deep while personally scouting this pick. Pooh throws absolute gas and also has an outstanding curve and change.

20. Texas 2B Martin Orosco

21. St Louis OF Carlos Navarro

22. Baltimore OF Manny Rodriguez

23. Las Vegas 3B Felix Moreno

24. Denver C Jose Reyes. This pick starts a run on the catchers.

25. Louisville C Lorenz Broberg

26. Mars C Jose Ramirez

27. Toledo C Roberto Cardoso 

28. Boston OF Octavio Sanchez

29. Bay Area OF Vicente Cardenas

30. Philadelphia OF Julio Vargas

Supplemental First Round Comp Picks

31. Florida

32. Alaska

33. Springfield

34. Louisville

35. Boston

36. Bay Area

37. Louisville 

BREAKING NEWS!  HALL OF FAMER RETIRES EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY

LAS VEGAS (AP) - It is being reported out of Las Vegas that long time Gamblers manager and Hall of Famer, Ray Brooks, is retiring effective immediately.  After meeting with Owner and General Manager Boba Fett this afternoon, Brooks was seen leaving the former lair of Jabba the Hutt looking angry.  According to unconfirmed sources within the Vegas organization, Brooks had requested the meeting to discuss the remainder of the 2026 season and beyond.  He had a vision that the Gamblers could use more bullpen arms and also wanted to encourage Fett to sign All-Star catcher Roberto Vargas to a long term contract to keep the Lineup of Death in tact.  Additionally, he expressed frustration at the lack of progress in the negotiations with star pitcher, Shawn Finley.  Apparently the Bounty Hunter informed Brooks of his intentions to begin the rebuilding process and that everyone on the roster would be available and that if Fett had a mother, she'd be available for trade too.  Fett then insulted Brooks' bench coach calling him a "dirty honorary jawa" and demanded he fire him immediately. This set off what sources say was a shouting match and that at one point Brooks even pulled a gun on the Bounty Hunter.  When Fett informed him that he couldn't be certain he was talking to the real Boba Fett and that he could be one of his clones, the long time manager threw down the pistol and stormed off in disgust saying he would be retiring in protest.

Following the meeting Las Vegas made the following press release: 

Effective immediately, Ray Brooks is no longer the manager of the Las Vegas Gamblers.  We thank him for his decade of service and the championship baseball he brought to the city.  We will build a statue of Ray to be unveiled next season.  Dean Ashby is also no longer with the team and we do not thank him for anything.  Hitting Coach Bob Sullivan has been named Interim Manager for the remainder of the season.  Stuart Coppola has been hired as Bench Coach and Yat-sen Guao has been hired as Hitting Coach.

Draft Order

 1. Phoenix

2. Alaska

3. Los Angeles

4. Portland

5. Cleveland

6. Florida

7. NY Knights

8. Utah

9. Miami

10. Detroit

11. Green Day

12. Springfield

13. Chicago

14. Hawaii

15. Hollywood

16. Toronto

17. Orlando

18. Charlotte

19. NY Cobra

20. Texas

21. St Louis

22. Baltimore

23. Las Vegas

24. Denver

25. Louisville

26. Mars

27. Toledo

28. Boston

29. Bay Area

30. Philadelphia

Supplemental Comp Pick round

31. Florida

32. Alaska

33. Springfield

34. Louisville

35. Boston

36. Bay Area

37. Louisville

Players from the APBA era

 We are now in year 12 of using OOTP baseball. There aren't many left who played in APBA. Here are a few of them:

Rookie class of 2014

These players had one year before moving over. 12 of them played in 2025. The best are Robb Stark, the first overall pick that year, and Javier Soto, third baseman in Chicago.

On the pitching side are 22, led by Silvanos Tonka. Scott Elzy, Mark Stevens, and Roger Blackwood are also in this class.

Class of 2013

Only 3 hitters are left, but two of them are great ones: Bryce Parkman and Squirrel Nutkin Jr. There are 5 pitchers, including Kevin Ribaudo who is still dominating.

Class of 2012

12 players, highlighted by Michael Rondon, Billy Bass, and Peter Rabbit. There are 12 pitchers led by the greatest closer of all time, Cesar Cordero.

Class of 2011

9 players led by Aaron Moore and Adrian Sandusky. Both played in 2025 but are now retired. Six pitchers survive, none are noteworthy. 

Class of 2010

2 players, but one has hit 500 homers. Manny Ortez and Denny Berroa. Eleven pitchers led by Stephen Hamburg and Clayton Lewis.

Class of 2009

Only one remains, the first pick of that draft, Conn Barbarian. Conn is having an excellent season in Florida after missing most of 2025 to injury. Ervin Russell was still pitching last year and had a 1.66 ERA, but is unsigned for 2026.

Classes of 2005-2008

A few played last year but none so far in 2026, it looks like this group is retired unless Derek Tufnel can find a team to hook on with.

There were 3 pitchers from 2008. Jon Papelbrad suffered a torn rotator cuff for Texas and his career is likely over. Joseph Smith Langford is struggling for the NY Cobra, and Scott Klippenstein is still pitching for Baltimore.

Juan Francisco Hernandez is the only remaining pitcher from the class of 2007 or earlier. He retired after pitching for Texas last season.

Class of 2003

Miguel Cruz is still playing, one month away from his 42nd birthday. He defied father time for many years, putting up another 30 homer season last year. It looks like he is finally reaching the end with an OPS of .649 through his first 40 games. Cruz will likely retire once this season is up.

Class of 1988

Gerald White returned to the field at age 63 after a 12 year layoff and even picked up a single.

2025 Hall of Fame elects 2

 The Hall of Fame class of 2025 welcomes Hank Crowell and Gerald White Sr to the legends of the game. Both players received 100% of the votes.

Crowell was a 2-time MVP and a triple crown winner. In 2008 he hit .336 with 48 homers and 129 RBI for the LA Shockers. He finished his career with 2667 hits and 383 homeruns.

Gerald White fell short on the previous 6 HOF ballots despite 2596 career hits. It turns out all he needed was one more. Last summer, the 63-year-old suited up for one more game to join his grandson in the lineup. Gerald had 4 at bats that game and added one more hit to his total. He now ranks among the immortals.

Falling short with 2 votes are: 

Jason Baret, Prince Coleman, Jaret Benser, Kenny Anderson Jr, and Charlie Zito.

The following players received one vote and will remain on next year's ballot:

Rufus Anderson, Suzuke Mazdahonda, Alex Maldonado, and Ryan Harris.

2025 World Series

 Game 1: Toledo arrived in Philadelphia as extreme underdogs. They face a team that won 106 games in the regular season, while they only won 90. It didn't take them long to flip the script. The second batter of the game, Tsutomu Sato, belted a 2 run homer off Philly starter Gary Smith. In the 3rd inning, Sato homered again as Toledo won 9-2. Cary Lee started the game and allowed 1 run on 2 hits over 6 innings.

Game 2: Philadelphia brought out their ace, Tom Weaver, the new strikeout king. Sato struck again with an RBI single in the first, and a double in the 3rd to put Toledo up 2-1. Felipe Cortez followed with a 2 run homer. Weaver took the loss, allowing 5 runs on 9 hits over 5 innings. Michael Farley allowed 2 runs over 7 innings as Toledo won 7-3.

Game 3: Toledo pounded Philadelphia 12-5. Carl Bell had 5 hits, Cortez and Broderick Jordan each scored 3 runs. Jesus Palmeiro won the game with 6 1/3 innings of one run ball, and Mark Stevens took the loss.

Game 4: We finally had a close game. In the bottom of the first Jeremy Keen doubled. He tried for third on a fly ball to left field, challenging the weak arm of Barry Rayburn. Rayburn threw the ball away, allowing Keen to score. In the third inning, Sato struck again with a solo homer off Larry Pressley.

Dorian Ivey pitched six innings of shutout ball. In the 8th, Kelsey Lester hit a solo homer off closer Steve Greer to bring the Grays within one. Greer retired the next 5 hitters to earn a save and give the Mud Hens their first ever championship.

Sato was named series MVP. Commissioner Manfred presented the championship trophy to 91-year-old Mud Hens owner Max Klinger, a Toledo native and lifelong Mud Hens fan.