Continental Baseball Federation OOTP 22 8-tier promotion/relegation sim: 1950-onward

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Through the first month in the First League; Boston, Cleveland, and Tijuana hold outright division leads while San Juan and Atlanta are tied for the Southern Division.



In the Second League



In the Third League



In the Fourth League



In the Fifth League



In the Sixth League



In the Seventh League



And in the Eighth League



Here’s the NCAA standings and Associated Press Top 25 entering May.

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Entering June 1953, the Boston Red Sox have the best record in the First League at 45-14. Only 10 games separates second from last in the Eastern Division, but the Red Sox have an 11.5 game gap over the second place New York Yankees. Boston did suffer a blow in early May as pitcher Felipe Borjas, who was stellar early, suffered a partially torn labrum. There is an outside chance they could get him back by the postseason.

Cleveland holds the Midwestern Division lead at 40-20, three games ahead of newcomer Windsor and 4.5 over St. Louis. The Wolverines closed May on an eight-game win streak. Defending World Series champ Chicago is 30-30 in fourth, in part hurt by star catcher Eduardo Gomez’s bone marrow edema in his wrist. He’s expected back in June.

Newly promoted Tijuana has the best mark in the West-South Conference at 38-21, only 1.5 up on San Francisco in the Western Division after the Seals ended the month on an 11-game win streak. Atlanta at 36-24 leads the South with three teams within four games of first.




On May 23, Baltimore pitcher Joaquin Leanos tossed a no-hitter against Staten Island with six strikeouts and four walks.



Over in the Second League two months into 1953.




In the Third League…



The Fourth League…



The Fifth League…



The Sixth League…



The Seventh League…



And the Eighth League…

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The 1953 final NCAA Associated Press Top 25 poll had Delaware in the #1 spot, making the Fightin’ Blue Hens the first team to finish in the top five twice (3^rd in 1951). Following them were Army, William & Mary, Bradley, and Tennessee. Delaware won the Yankee Conference for the third straight season and Tennessee took the SEC for the third straight year. Montana, San Jose State and Cal State Fullerton each earned their third conference title in four years.



The batting title and most home runs went to New Hampshire’s Gannon Hoagland. The 1951 East Region MVP, Hoagland came back for his senior year after getting picked ninth overall by Oakland last summer and choosing not to sign. Hoagland also led all of college baseball in 15 different categories.



The postseason bracket is below. The format has changed slightly, eliminating the double-elimination opening rounds. The tournament begins a la the World Cup with a group stage of eight groups of four. These groups will play a double round-robin with the top two in each group advancing to the round of 16.

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In Group A, #1 ranked Delaware went unbeaten while #9 Appalachian State, #15 Maine, and unranked Central Michigan each went 2-4, the Mountaineers advanced on the tiebreaker. In Group B, #2 Army was the top team at 4-2 while #4 Bradley and unranked Furman each went 3-3 and unranked Miami went 2-4; the Braves advanced on the tiebreaker. Big 10 champ Illinois and #19 UMass both went 4-2 to advance in Group C over MAC champ Marshall and New Hampshire. In Group D, the unranked Citadel was the top team at 4-2 while #7 Penn State and #3 William & Mary both went 3-3 and #8 Florida State was 2-4. The Nittany Lions had the tiebreaker, sending the Tribe to a surprisingly early exit.

Group E had two unranked advance at 4-2; Wyoming and Pac-10 champ Santa Clara. This ousted #5 Tennessee at 3-3 and ACC champ Virginia (1-5). Group F had #11 San Jose State and #12 Georgia Tech both move on at 4-2 while #6 Kansas and #22 Nevada both went down at 2-4. Group G saw #21 Arizona on top at 5-1. #18 UC Irvine at 3-3 had the tiebreaker over #10 Baylor, with Colorado going 1-5. And in Group H, #16 UTEP and unranked Montana both moved on at 4-2 while #13 Cal State Fullerton fell short at 3-3 and and #14 Vanderbilt at 1-5.

In the East Region Sweet 16, top ranked Delaware won 2-1 against #4 Bradley, #2 Army swept #9 Appalachian State, unranked Illinois edged #7 Penn State in three, and unranked The Citadel swept #19 Massachusetts. In the South-West Region, #12 Georgia Tech survived unranked Santa Clara in three one-run games. #11 San Jose State swept unranked Wyoming, #21 Arizona swept Montana, and #18 UC Irvine ousted UTEP in three.

Two teams returned to the Elite Eight from the prior season; The Citadel and Army. In the Elite Eight, the #1 Fightin’ Blue Hens swept unranked Army on 8-2 and 5-0 wins; setting up a regional final against The Citadel, as the Bulldogs swept Illinois on 4-2 and 2-0 wins. After splitting in the group state, #12 Georgia Tech took both against #11 San Jose State; 3-1 (10 innings) and 3-2. #18 UC Irvine had lost both group games to #21 Arizona, but the Anteaters swept the Wildcats to advance to the regional final with 3-0 and 7-4 wins.



The NCAA East Regional Final started with pitcher’s duel, won 1-0 by #1 ranked Delaware against unranked The Citadel. 1952 MVP Tyler Vredeveld had a big game two to even the series with a 5-4 Bulldogs win. In game three, The Citadel scored in the top of the ninth to win game three 2-1, upsetting the top ranked Blue Hens and sending the Bulldogs to the National Championship.

Game one of the South-West Regional was a 5-2 win for #12 Georgia Tech against #18 UC Irvine. The Anteaters battled back to win game two 4-3. In game three, two-way player Javi Rodriguez tossed a scoreless 8.1 innings in a 5-0 Yellow Jackets victory.



The 1953 NCAA College World Series started with a 3-2 Georgia Tech game one win over The Citadel. In game two, the Yellow Jackets won 2-0. The Bulldogs avoided the sweep with a 6-1 game three win, getting all six runs in the top of the ninth inning. Game four went 10 innings with Glover Walker hitting the game winning RBI double to score Antonio Westley for a 7-6 Georgia Tech win, giving the Yellow Jackets the 1953 National Championship.

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College award winners are below. Of note, New Mexico State outfielder Zachary Mohlmanm and East Carolina catcher Richie Anthony became two-time All-American fielders. Getting their second All-American Hitter award were New Hampshire’s first baseman Gannon Hoagland, The Citadel center fielder Tyler Vredeveld, Oklahoma State catcher Ayden Almaraz, Tennessee shortstop Gordon Burley, and San Jose State outfielder Noah Kingsbury. Rice left fielder Joe Yokoyama became the first three-team All-American hitter selection.

Both Pitcher of the Year awards went to freshmen, earned by UMass’s Noah Hogan and Cal State Fullerton’s Sergio Sherman. Freshman centerfielder Jonathan Eaves from Nevada picked up the South-West Region MVP. Senior Gannon Hoagland earned his second East Region MVP.



Hoagland is considered one of the top hitting prospects in the draft, returning after rejecting Oakland’s offer as the ninth pick last season. Maryland junior centerfielder Tom Meehan is rated as the highest hitter at 4.5 stars. Three junior starting pitchers have five-star ratings; A.J. Arquiliere of Wyoming, Marshall’s Robin Bryan, and Roddy Vannoy of Oregon. Because of the regional round structure in the first two rounds, the French-born Arquiliere isn’t draft eligible until the third round.

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At the 1953 All-Star break, the top record in the Continental Baseball Federation’s First League belongs to the Boston Red Sox. Boston sits at 70-26 with a +207 run differential, boasting a blistering 45-8 record at Fenway Park. They’ve got a 12.5 game lead on the second place Eastern Division team New York Yankees at 58-39. Philadelphia (53-41) and Brooklyn (53-43) are next in the playoff hunt. Only five games separate fifth place Richmond (47-47) from last place Baltimore (43-53). The Orioles suffered a huge blow as MVP candidate outfielder Gideon Rivas went down for the year with a broken elbow.

Cleveland leads the Midwestern Division at 64-32 with only St. Louis at 58-37 really giving them a challenge for first. 10 games separates second from third, while 3.5 separates third from seventh. Defending World Series champion Chicago is 49-48, dealing with the loss of key free agent pitcher signing Dave Jamieson suffering a torn flexor tendon and star catcher Eduardo Gomez missing another two months on an oblique strain. Cincinnati is last in the Midwest, but a nine-game winning streak near the end of the first half has given them hope of climbing out, only a half game from Indianapolis.

The top mark in the West-South Conference is Phoenix, leading the Western Division at 60-34. The Firebirds are four up on newcomer Tijuana, six on Edmonton, nine on San Francisco, and 10.5 on Portland. Four teams are within four games of last place.

San Juan leads the Southern Division at 56-41, although only 6.5 games separates them from fourth and nine from fifth. Dallas has fallen off a cliff after playoff berths two years ago, but perennial stinker Houston is tied for the worst record in the 1L with them at 28-68.



West-South Conference All-Star Starters
1, Rohan Cosby (SS, Austin)
2, John Domec (3B, Mexico City)
3, Connor Timmons (RF, San Francisco)
4, Heathcliff Brightwell (1B, Portland)
5, George Gortz (DH, Miami)
6, Sebastian Garcia (CF, San Juan)
7, Jeron Morin (C, Phoenix)
8, Noah Leslie (1B, Dallas)
9, Tim Frost (2B, Hollywood)
P, Ventura Valles (Miami)

East-Midwest Conference All-Star Starters
1, Timothy Pauley (DH, Cleveland)
2, E.J. Schantz (3B, Columbus)
3, Africa Watson (LF, New York Yankees)
4, Jared Diehl (1B, Cleveland)
5, Randall Richards (CF, Philadelphia)
6, Dale Bjorgum (2B, Toronto)
7, Barney Puente (SS, Brooklyn)
8, Santiago Nero (RF, Cleveland)
9, Mitchell Anderson (C, Columbus)
P, Esteban Araujo (Richmond)

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At the break in the Second League, Pittsburgh leads the Eastern Division at 62-35, but Buffalo (2.5 back) and Quebec City (5.5) are right on their tail. Washington and Montreal are currently trading last in an effort to avoid relegation. No one is dominant in the Midwest as Omaha (55-41) is first and Louisville second (53-43), but a number of others in striking distance. Grand Rapids (29-67) is a distant last, in line to be demoted after winning the division back in 1950.

Jacksonville holds the Southern Division at 59-38 with St. Petersburg one back, Memphis 2.5 back, and both Raleigh and Orlando seven back. Three teams are well at the bottom with Charlotte, New Orleans, and Tampa all trying to keep their spot in the 2L. Five teams are within six of first in the Western Division with Calgary first at 63-32, but Juarez a half-game back and Honolulu two back. Oakland is firmly in last in danger of back-to-back drops.



The Third League Eastern Division has the newly promoted Springfield Storm first at 59-35 with Wilmington 1.5 back and Providence 7.5 away. Hartford and Newark are tied for last at 34-62, although both are only four games out of seventh. Des Moines at 70-27 has the best overall 3L record but Fort Wayne (64-32) is still giving them a run in the Midwestern Division. Saint Paul (28-68) has dropped into a significant last place hole.

The Southern Division is a toss-up with seven teams within 5.5 of first, led by San Antonio at 53-42. Tulsa and Augusta are the two bottom teams right now, but only 14 games out of first. The 3L Western Division is more top-heavy with Salt Lake at 69-26, five up on Guadalajara and six on Sacramento. Anchorage is last (36-60) but four games away from catching Seattle.



The Fourth League Eastern Division is a three-team race with Erie ahead of Yonkers and Chesapeake. South Bend and Green Bay have pulled from the pack in the Midwest with Mississauga and Cedar Rapids in the relegation slots.

The Southern Division is very much up for grabs with Cape Coral narrowly up on Amarillo, Fayetteville, and Shreveport. Fort Worth is firmly in last in danger of a third straight drop. Stockton holds the Western Division with Henderson close behind. Aurora is last, but has room to climb out.



The Fifth League has Paterson and Scranton battling at the top with solid Charleston and Kingston squads not out of the fight year. Rochester holds the Midwest lead with three teams in striking distance. Dayton and Springfield (MO) are by far the worst two teams in the 5L EMC, but roughly even in trying to avoid relegation from the Midwest Division.

Port St. Lucie at 66-29 leads the Southern Division, but Plano is only one back and even Jackson and Savannah are in the hunt. Mobile at 15-81 has the worst record, almost certainly doomed to drop again. The Western Division has Regina on top at 63-34, but Eugene, Mexicali, and Tacoma could all make a run.



In the Sixth League…



Over in the Seventh League…



Finally, the Eighth League looks like this

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Maryland centerfielder Tom Meehan was the first overall pick in the 1953 Amateur Draft, picked by the Charlotte Knights. Second was Oregon pitcher Roddy Vannoy and third was George Washington’s outfielder Aiden McLean to Montreal. Region MVP Gannon Hoagland of New Hampshire, who was picked and didn’t sign with Oakland last year, was again chosen by the Oaks, this time fourth. Indiana’s Eros Davis was fifth to Seattle. Of note, the five-star Frenchman A.J. Arquiliere of Wyoming was chosen by Columbus. The rest of the first round picks are below.



Here are the top amateur free agent signings. One change to the process introduced for the 1953 season is that teams could now sign American players as well who opted to skip college and try their hand at baseball while high school age. Many players decided to test the amateur free agency period while some others signed directly with teams as “scouting discoveries,” The top prospect at 4.5 stars was Lono Te’ree of Samoa, signed for a $59,000 signing bonus by Columbus.