Season 74 Mid-Season Report

We are more than halfway to the playoffs in Season 74, and you know what that means...time for another Mid-Season Report!

Alpha Ruby:

Top dog: The Spokane Warriors. Sitting at 29-3 and #1 in the world, the Warriors are insane this year. They are on pace to finish the season with 54 wins, just two away from the all-time wins record. If they even get close to that mark, I will be impressed, as the Alpha Ruby is the third-best league in Franchise Ball, in my opinion, and boasts many strong teams. Speaking of strong teams, the Average Joes are having a great season as well (26-6) and could pose a real threat to the Warriors in the playoffs. There are also many other great teams below them that are more than capable of springing some upsets. This league, as always, will be worth keeping an eye on as the season comes to a close.

Alta Canyon:

Top dog: Hartford HTFD_Yankees. The Evil Empire is back. Very much the New York Yankees of Franchise Ball, the richest team in FB are on pace for their first 50-win season since Season 49 (25 seasons ago)! There aren't too many other teams in this league tearing it up. A few things to keep an eye on are the race in the West (4 teams within 4 games at the top), the race in the North (4 teams within 2 games at the top), and the race in the Southwest (4 teams within 3 games at the top). So, this league is treating us to some great division races as well as one of the best performances in a very long time by the Yankees.

Beta Compass: Top dog: Calgary denver dingers. I know, I know, what am I doing choosing this team over the FooFighters? But, they have a better record (by one game) and their incredible pitching boasts an ERA of 2.94 and a WHIP of 1.02. This young team is taking their league by storm and has a real chance to go far in the playoffs. Of course, the FooFighters will be sure to have a say in that, but they are actually in quite a tight divisional race at the moment, with 3 teams within 3 games at the top of the BC North. The only other division in this league with any teams with more than 20 wins in the South, where the Clearwater Prey's top-ranked offense will strike fear into the heart of any team. However, they too are trailed by a formidable rival, the Columbia stardestroyers, who are only two games behind. The Dingers are the only elite team in this league that actually looks like a safe bet to make the playoffs. Because of that, they are also the safest bet to win the league.

Delta Premier: Top dog: Parity. No, but seriously...there is no top dog in this league. The Houston Nightcrawlers and Buffalo Bisons both share the honor, with 24 wins each, but there are also the Reds, Lions, Bombers, BBBB, Monarchs, WaveRunners, Autumn Drizzles, and bobby, all with 21-23 wins. That's 10 teams within 3 games at the top of the league. There are also tons of great division races going on, especially in the North (3 teams within 3 games at the top), South (2 teams within 1 game at the top), West (3 teams within 2 games at the top), Northeast (2 teams within 2 games at the top), Northwest (3 teams within 2 games at the top), and the Southwest (3 teams within 1 game at the top). I know, I just listed 5 divisions-that's how tight this league is. There are so many good teams, anyone can beat anyone, and the playoffs are always thrilling because some of the best, most well-known teams in the game are facing off. This league looks set to provide yet another thrilling end to the season. I'm not even gonna try to predict who ends up winning all these divisions.

Echo Prism: Top dog: Hollywood Hollies. Sitting at an impressive 23-9 record, the Hollies have the top record in the league, but just barely. Shout-outs go to the Maddogs, Warriors, Lions, Indians, Royal Satan, and Hornets, who all have 20 wins or more. The race for the #1 seed in this league, as well as the playoffs, will be worth keeping an eye on.

Epsilon Peak: Top dog: Las Vegas Golden Knights. 28-4. Holy cow. Don't ask me how they're #2 in the world, any other season they would comfortably be number one, but this team is on another planet. On pace for 52 wins, the Knights have one of the best offenses FB has ever seen. They somehow have a team BA of .400 (yes, exactly .400) and are right on the trail of breaking some of FB's all-time offensive records. Their pitching is 41st in their league in both ERA and WHIP, which is shocking, by the way; based on ratings, they should be so much better; but the Knights clearly don't seem to need it. They have been winning 13-12 type of games on a regular basis and are probably the one team in Franchise Ball at the moment that nobody wants to play. I think this team has a real shot to get not only a  league title, but also to get their first ever world title. Shout-out to the Hartford Pinstripes, by the way, who are also having a great season at 25-7 and #6 in the world. This team is the only team that I could realistically see beating the Knights in the playoffs.

Ocean Star: Top dog: New Orleans Rusty Tollers. The Tollers, the Speed Demons, and the Fire Birds all have the same 24-8 record, but the Tollers have been given the nod for the Top Dog status in this league simply because the Speed Demons and Fire Birds are in the same league. That will be a heck of a division race, but when it comes to the playoffs, you would definitely prefer to be in the Tollers' position. Sitting pretty at #11 in the world, with the best pitching in the league, and on a 6 game win streak, who wouldn't want to swap places with the Tollers right now?

Silver Horizon: Top dog: Philadelphia RipXXX. The RipXXX have denied the big-name Chicago Franchise and the 24-8 Columbia Bears the top dog status in the league this season thanks to their incredible 25-7 record and their elite offense, ranking 1st in their league in both BA and runs scored. Despite the fact that there are a lot of teams that could pose a threat, this is a young team on the rise that is very good now, and will likely be very good for many, many seasons to come.

Theta Premier: Top dog: Peoria Destroyers. The 27-5 Destroyers are enjoying yet another season as one of the best offensive teams in Franchise Ball. Their incredible .386 team BA and 321 runs scored (10 per game!) are, needless to say, good enough to be the best in the Theta Premier. They have the 3rd-best record in all of Franchise Ball and are on pace for an incredible 50 wins, which is even more impressive when you consider the quality of the league that they are in. This team is very similar to the Golden Knights in that they have an offense capable of breaking records, but drastically underperforming pitching; in fact, they have some of the worst pitching in their league, which simply makes no sense at all. Their pitching should be great based on scout ratings, but instead, it ranks 35th and 39th in the league in ERA and WHIP, respectively. Wow. There are many other elite teams in the Theta Premier that could pose a threat to the Destroyers in the playoffs, including the San Francisco gamechangers (25-7), Chicago WINNERS (24-8) (these two teams are in the same division, BTW; what a division race that will be!), Albuquerque Granddaddy Purple (23-9), Charlotte PRNacionals (24-8), and Phoenix Poontangers (23-9).

So, there it is...the Season 74 Mid-Season Report! I hope that you have enjoyed reading this article, and good luck to everyone in the second half of the regular season and in the playoffs!

Authored by Los Angeles Lions