Season 129 Preview

Hey guys, it’s the return of everyone’s favorite news article writer, the Tacoma Storm. Been a while, hasn’t it? I’ve been busy with school and tennis and stuff so I haven’t been as active until the past month or so. It kinda has struck me that this game has just lost so much activity with the news feeds and social platforms that it makes me sad a little. I remember the old days in the 90s where I would be on here for hours talking, making uniforms, creating my own team website, and contributing to my team. I kinda want to get back into that. Not with the trash talking and the trash articles, but with the good things from the 90s.

By the way guys, Happy New Year! I joined this game in 2020 when I was in middle school going back to school for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic sheltered all of us at home. Now it’s 2024. I never realized how pivotal this game has been for the last 3+ years of my life. And to that, I would like to thank Josh and everyone who I have known throughout the years here. Good luck to all teams this year! You have 12 seasons to go down in history this year, make it count.

But nobody came here to reminisce about the past or envision what the future entails. We came here to get an overlook for Season 129. So here it is. These are my predictions based on who I think will win it all and some other facts about the season. I will forget some things. I have knowledge of some teams and might not know that much about others. So if I left something out, please let me know what I missed below. Anyways, here we go!

DISCLAIMER - Most division winner predictions happen to be the same as last season. I went through every team I thought had a shot to win and picked the best one, I did not just mostly copy last-season results.

Alpha Ruby

North Winner - Portland Throbbers
South Winner - Sumner Scapegoats
East Winner - Rockford Raccoons
West Winner - Seattle Cyclones
Northeast Winner - Oakland ObZen
Northwest Winner - Jamestown James
Southeast Winner - Los Mochis Caneros
Southwest Winner - Tampa Tarpon

League Winner Prediction - Oakland ObZen - Last year, the Sumner Scapegoats upset back-to-back world champion Oakland in game 3 of the league finals in a 13 inning classic to win the league. As much as I love underdog stories, I see Oakland taking this league. They had 6 20+ home run hitters on their offense last season and 4 pitchers above 10 wins. Pitcher Louis Johnson should continue his dominance this season, as the undefeated southpaw has only lost 1 game in the last 2 seasons. Another major team to watch is the Seattle Cyclones, who won 49 games last season, the second best record in all of baseball. They have a real shot to upset Oakland in the league finals. Some dark horses include the Los Mochis Caneros, Rockford Raccoons, Cambridge Longballs, and last year’s league champion Sumner Scapegoats


Alta Canyon

North Winner - Cincinnati Reds
South Winner - St. John's Peace Sharks
East Winner - Roanoke Colonists
West Winner - Anchorage Aces
Northeast Winner - Jacksonville Gators
Northwest Winner - Sydney Qingzhao Clowns
Southeast Winner - Columbus Buckeyes
Southwest Winner - San Juan PRbombers

League Winner Prediction - St Johns Peace Sharks - Last season, the Aces were mainly inactive for the season but still managed to pull out a league title in an extra inning thriller against Jacksonville. However, questions over whether he will return to full activity could lead to a decline in performance from his team. The Peace Sharks, who were upset in the first round by Columbus, are looking to take revenge and sweep their way to a league title. The 45-game winners were led by a solid batting core and the 1-2 duo in the rotation of Saul Armendariz and Bemabe Arana. St Johns hopefully will capitalize on a repeat of their performance in order to take back the league for the first time in 3 seasons. An active Aces team is one of the best teams in the game and should contend as well. Look out for the Jacksonville Gators, Roanoke Colonists, Cincinnati Reds, San Diego Bombers, Sydney Qingzhao Clowns, and Columbus Buckeyes to potentially take the league as well.



Delta Premier

North Winner - Kyoto Kites
South Winner - Seattle SeaStars
East Winner - Laredo Lobos
West Winner - Madison Masons
Northeast Winner - Chicago WINNERS
Northwest Winner - Portland Cobras
Southeast Winner - Washington Diamondbucks
Southwest Winner - Lexington Phillies

League Winner Prediction - Laredo Lobos - This is one of the most underrated leagues in the game. The Laredo Lobos won 46 games last year and looked completely dominant up until the playoffs, where they failed to score a single run in 2 games against the Clarksville Gobblers. However, I expect them to repeat here. The only thing holding them back is a stacked division with former multi-time world champion San Diego Giants and the Los Angeles Lizard. But if they make it out of that division, they should have the experience necessary to get through the playoffs. Last year's league champion, the Kyoto Kites, pose a major threat to them. A stacked pitching lineup could potentially stun their offense, and the Lobos league average pitching most likely won’t be enough to stop a sneaky Kyoto offense. But if their pitching improves this season, they could be a strong contender to not only win their league, but the championship as well. Look out for the Madison Masons, Chicago WINNERS, Portland Cobras, Washington Diamondbucks, Los Angeles Lizards, and San Diego Giants.


Epsilon Peak

North Winner - Winnipeg Polar Bears
South Winner - Louisville Wild Turkeys
East Winner - Columbus Unicorns
West Winner - Boston Bears
Northeast Winner - Orlando homering rebels
Northwest Winner - Richmond Spiders
Southeast Winner - Seattle Marvols
Southwest Winner - St Johns Codfish

League Winner Prediction - St Johns Codfish - Last year, the Codfish were the only team to finish with 50 wins and were the #1 ranked team. They posed a real threat to win it all before being upset in the first round of worlds by the Chicago Atom Smashers. But the Codfish have won over 45 games in 4 of the last 5 seasons and show no signs of slowing down. They had the #2 world ranking in AVG and #5 world ranking in ERA last season, showing their brilliance on both sides of the ball. Their main competition will be the Louisville Wild Turkeys, who won 48 games themselves. However, their team statistics are not close to the Codfish. Even though the Wild Turkeys only lost by 1 run in game 3 to St Johns in the league finals, this shouldn’t be expected to be repeated. Also look out for the Seattle Marvols, Richmond Spiders, and the Orlando homering rebels.


Foura Apple

I genuinely have no interest in doing this league. 3 divisions of dead teams. Division winners - whoever is active first, if at all. League winner - whoever is active most, if at all. Do they pose a threat to anyone? No. The only thing they will provide is a free win to someone in worlds, if they even meet the requirements to make it as a league (which I don’t think they do.) Moving on.


Luma Horizon

North Winner - Baltimore Gangsters
South Winner - Austin Rampage
East Winner - Austin Demo Yankees
West Winner - Denton Grains
Northeast Winner - Gainesville Bye Week
Northwest Winner - Denver Dorks
Southeast Winner - San Francisco sf seals
Southwest Winner - Midland Roughnecks

League Winner Prediction - Baltimore Gangsters - Despite being a 4 seed last season, Baltimore steamrolled all competition, not dropping a single postseason game until the world playoffs. And this offseason, they went against Baltimore tradition and went Dodgers-mode, revamping their team with tons of new prospects while spending tons of money. Their rotation, highlighted by their ace Marvin Muhammad, was bolstered this offseason with 100+ million dollar acquisition Ginebra Perales, who recently signed a deal to spend the next 10 seasons in Camden Yards. LF (formerly SS) Charles Moriarty has hit 20+ homers in 4 of his last 6 seasons and hopes to carry this streak over to this season. All the pieces are fitting for the Gangsters, they just need to turn them into a championship. Don’t count out the Midland Roughnecks, who’s pitching is always consistently above average and should mix well with their offense who always exceed their seasonal expectations. Some dark horses to win this league include former world champion Austin Demo Yankees, Gainesville Bye Week, and Denton Grains.


Ocean Star

North Winner - Glendale Geckos
South Winner - Atlanta Firebirds
East Winner - Tampa Ghost Reapers
West Winner - St. Johns Deadly sins
Northeast Winner - Yonkers Renegades
Northwest Winner - Anchorage polarbears
Southeast Winner - Spokane Warriors
Southwest Winner - St. Johns Ryan Collins

League Winner Prediction - St Johns Deadly sins - This league is bound to be one of the most competitive. But I have the Deadly sins prevailing over them all. Montego Galindo, Eric Farmsworth, and Ikerne Escalante highlighted a dominating offense with each hitting over 25 homers last season. Even though their pitching massively underperformed, they still produced a 3.5 team ERA, which for most teams would be electric. If their pitching rebounds to sub 3 ERA levels like in 19 of their last 24 seasons, they should be strong contenders for their record-breaking 7th world title. The father-son duo of the Spokane Warriors and last-year's runner-up Anchorage polarbears should put up a massive fight, as Spokane is eyeing their 7th title as well and Anchorage hopes to put up another miracle run back to the World Series. Former world champion Yonkers Renegades, as well as the Atlanta Firebirds and last season’s second seed Houston Liftoff are underdogs in this battle but have a shot. This league has a ton of depth too, so I feel that the Hiroshima Bonsai Ducks, Houston Backs Asteroids, Seattle Sting, Columbus Dragons, San Antonio Sizzle, and Little Rock Cougars have a shot of upsetting in their division race and making a run at the league title.


Sigma Glacier

North Winner - Denver Mustangs
South Winner - Boston Red Sox 1
East Winner - Arlington Rangers
West Winner - Lubbock Losers
Northeast Winner - Alexandria Country Yankees
Northwest Winner - Grand Prairie AirHogs
Southeast Winner - Jersey City Devils
Southwest Winner - Portland Cobras

League Winner Prediction - Boston Red Sox 1 - The Hilo Soaring Eagles were upset by the Mustangs in the first round of the league playoffs in extra innings in game 3 in dramatic fashion, ending a 48 win season where they won their division. In fact, their division rivals Boston Red Sox 1 advanced in the league playoffs farther than them as a wildcard team because only 7 of 8 divisions qualified for the divisional round. Boston almost won the league but were upset by the Arlington Rangers, who’s Cinderella-run earned them their first World Series title last season. However, I see Boston getting over the hump and taking their division. An incredibly down-year in offensive production should see rebounding, and their elite pitching combined with their usual-above average offense should put them over the top. Hilo is a strong contender to take Ocean Star South as well, as their seasons was highlighted by their top 3 world ERA and #1 WHIP in the world, displaying their pitching dominance. Whoever comes out of this division alive should be strong contenders to win this league and advance deep into the world playoffs. But I believe that Boston’s experience in pressure situations gives them the edge over Hilo. However, don’t forget that the Arlington Rangers won the World Series last season and are hungry for a repeat performance. Some other teams to watch are the well-known teams of Portland and Alexandria as well as the Lubbock Losers.


Silver Sunset

North Winner - Winnipeg Polar Bears
South Winner - Corpus Christi Dentures
East Winner - Manchester Maniacs
West Winner - Los Angeles Hot Rods
Northeast Winner - Laramie Lollygaggers
Northwest Winner - Victoria Okanagan Heat
Southeast Winner - Buffalo Kanen zaks
Southwest Winner - Portland LumberJacks

League Winner Prediction - Los Angeles Hot Rods - The Hot Rods haven’t won Silver Sunset in 5 seasons but should be a strong contender to rebound and win it this season. They have won over 40 games in each of the last 13 seasons and consistently have an above-average offense and pitching squad. Zachary Eads hit for both average and power last season (with a .322 AVG and 22 HRS) and should elevate the performance of others with his ability to play in numerous spots in the lineup. In addition, last season’s league champion Winnipeg Llamas lost their top pitcher in bids this season and should see a decline in their elite rotation, leaving the door wide open for other teams to capitalize. The Portland LumberJacks have won this league in 2 of the last 4 seasons and should be looking to rebound from last season. Don’t count out the Victoria Okanagan Heat, Laramie Lollygaggers, and the Buffalo Kanen zaks, who are a new team who showed strong performance in their first full year and could show major development in their sophomore season.


Spectra Falls

This league only has 5 divisions but qualified as a league for the league playoffs last season, as opposed to Foura Apple. Plus, there is a good amount of talent in this league for only having 5 divisions so I will cover it. For those that don’t know, teams without 8 divisions that still qualify for league will place their top 3 wildcard teams in the league playoffs as opposed to the wildcard playoffs.

South Winner - Chicago Nellore Sox (I feel like I will win but I don’t want to glaze myself plus there is a legitimate shot Chicago repeats as division champions)
Northeast Winner - Charlotte Shrimps
Northwest Winner - San Antonio Murcielagos
Southeast Winner - St. Johns Raptors
Southwest Winner - San Francisco Bandits
Wildcard Spot #1 - Monterrey Sultanates
Wildcard Spot #2 - Tacoma Storm (I’ll give myself a wildcard spot)
Wildcard Spot #3 - Tampa Bay Sharks

League Winner Prediction - St. Johns Raptors - I am hopeful that I can win this league for the third season in a row but I don’t want to spend time glazing over myself. Plus, I believe that the St. Johns Raptors have a roster more talented than mine and can win it. The Raptors are known for their dominant offense, which is balanced with 6 players hitting over 15 HRs. Their rotation is led by veteran Florinio Guiterrez, who has shown domination over his career with another St. Johns team, the Deadly sins. The 1-seed Raptors were upset by an inferior Storm team who went onto win league for their second consecutive season, and are looking to rebound and clinch their third ever league title and first since 113. The Monterrey Sultanates, who are in the same division as St. Johns, have shown their ability to perform in high leverage situations, as they won their first World Series in 122. It all depends on who gets hot at the right time. The Tacoma Storm (my team that I won’t glaze over) should be strong contenders as they have revamped a depleted pitching staff in hopes to return it to its former glory. Watch out for the Chicago Nellore Sox as well, who beat Tacoma in their division last season.


Theta Premier

North Winner - Chicago Atom Smashers
South Winner - Memphis Knights
East Winner - Philadelphia FISH TOWN
West Winner - Dayton Dairy Moose
Northeast Winner - Green Bay Super Skunks
Northwest Winner - Lincoln Mules
Southeast Winner - Austin Yard Workers
Southwest Winner - New Orleans Voodoo

League Winner Prediction - Chicago Atom Smashers - The Atom Smashers couldn’t even lock home field advantage in the playoffs with 39 wins despite being in one of the weakest leagues in the game. However, they didn’t need free handouts in order to steamroll competition en route to a league title and the world playoff semifinals, where they eventually lost to the Anchorage polarbears. Without any major competition, they should be looking to repeat and book their ticket back to the big dance (world playoffs). A team once lost in history has surged back into the spotlight as of late, winning two league titles in the last three seasons despite not winning one since Season 42. Their recent display of dominance should carry over and let them be strong contenders in a weaker league, and the purge of last year’s 1-seed Milwaukee Brew Crew should leave the door wide open for them to repeat. The New Orleans Voodoo are their main competition though, as they have won division titles in their last four seasons. Look out for the Philadelphia FISH TOWN as well, who have always had a historically dominant offense and have bolstered their pitching as of late. Some other historically dominant teams with a shot are the Kansas City Royals0, Guasave Algodoneros, Green Bay Super Skunks, Louisville Colonels, and Rochester Spoofly.



Wildcard Playoffs

My Wildcard Pick - Hilo Soaring Eagles - The Soaring Eagles won their division last season with 48 wins, but the history and likely rebound of the Boston Red Sox 1 is likely to steal the division from Hilo this season. However, I think that the dominance of the Soaring Eagles will dominate the wildcard playoffs and help them book their slot in the world playoffs as wildcard champions.



World Playoffs - For this, I will seed teams based on their projected world ranking (essentially who is best and who is less best. I won’t say worst cause they are in the world playoffs for a reason). Then, I will pick whatever team I think will win (most likely the higher ranking team)


1 seed (bye) - Alpha Ruby - Oakland ObZen

11 seed - Theta Premier - Chicago Atom Smashers
WINNER - 2 seed - Ocean Star - St. Johns Deadly sins

10 seed - Alta Canyon - St Johns Peace Sharks
WINNER - 3 seed - Epsilon Peak - St. Johns Codfish

9 seed - Delta Premier - Laredo Lobos
WINNER - 4 seed - Spectra Falls - St. Johns Raptors

8 seed - Wildcard Winners - Hilo Soarin Eagles
WINNER - 5 seed - Sigma Glacier - Boston Red Sox 1

7 seed - Silver Sunset - Los Angeles Hot Rods
WINNER - 6 seed - Luma Horizon - Baltimore Gangsters



6 seed - Baltimore Gangsters
WINNER - 1 seed - Oakland ObZen

5 seed - Boston Red Sox 1
WINNER - 2 seed - St. Johns Deadly sins

4 seed - St. Johns Raptors
WINNER - 3 seed - St. Johns Codfish



2 seed (bye) - St. Johns Deadly sins

WINNER - 3 seed - St. Johns Codfish
1 seed - Oakland ObZen


I know that the Codfish upset over the ObZen is questionable. However, I believe that the consistent elite offense of the Codfish and their above average pitching is a more favorable matchup than the ObZen elite pitching and above average offense. I believe that the elite offense of the Codfish will be able to overpower the pitching of the ObZen, and I don’t believe the ObZen’s offense can hack the pitching of the Codfish. But who knows. I could be completely wrong. That’s just my stance though.



World Series - St. Johns Deadly sins vs St. Johns Codfish

The most dominant city in Franchise Ball is projected to host its third ever crosstown World Series. The last two were in 124 (Codfish over Peace Sharks) and 111 (Deadly sins over Peace Sharks). So who wins this historic matchup? I think that both teams have the opportunity to win this series on any given day. The Codfish won their last world series in 124 and still have some pieces in their lineup from that title contributing. Most notable is Keon Pack, who has stayed in their rotation and been elite for 7 seasons now. Plus, their 50-win season is likely to carry over and make them a strong contender. On the other hand, the Deadly sins had a “down year” due to their “underperforming” pitching staff but still won 45 games, and have won 50 games in 4 of the last 6 seasons. They are eyeing their 7th world title and should claim the title if their pitching is able to rebound to normal. If we are going off of last season, I would have the Codfish taking this title easily. However, I think that their offense should drop a little, and the likely rebound of the Deadly sins’ rotation plus their dominant offense has me giving this season’s World Series title to the…

St. Johns Deadly sins (in 4 games).


Thank you for reading this throughout! I probably messed some stuff up. Some of these takes are gonna make people mad. But that’s life. I know I probably messed up the world playoffs especially, even though I looked at both team and player statistics and made my mind based off of that. If you think I messed some stuff up (I definitely did), leave a nice (or angry) comment, and I’ll do my best to explain my stance on why I chose what I chose. Happy New Years guys, good luck to everyone in 129!