'47 Bancroft Preview Review
Posted: Fri Aug 20, 2021 2:11 pm
BANC Predicted Order of Finish
Mumbai
Bucharest
Tripoli
Athens
Cairo
BANC Actual Order of Finish
Mumbai
Bucharest
Athens
Cairo
Tripoli
Summary: Tripoli ended up being the story of the Bancroft League in 2047, and not in a good way. While we all gawked at Tripoli's fall, Cairo sneaked into the four-spot when all was said and done. Oh yeah, Mumbai won the United Cup again, to make it three straight. One reason so many team's were underestimated was a failure to appreciate the difference in quality between the two leagues. Bancroft teams were, as a collective, 82 - 68 in interleague play.
Athens Fighting Centaurs
Predicted Record: 82 – 80
Actual Record: 81 – 81
Hits: “Quinn Greene will rake.” (Not exactly a stretch) 1.093 OPS in 2047.
Misses: Did not see Terada's drop-off this year coming. Predicted improvements from Aoki and Charette did not materialize.
Bucharest Impalers
Predicted Record: 86 – 76
Actual Record: 93 – 69
Hits: Partial credit here for predicting a return to the playoffs, though I undersold Bucharest's resurgence.
Misses: “That Freddy Delgado (39 y/o) might be past his sell-by date is of some concern.” Not really. Delgado's underlying stats improved last season over the previous year, though this didn't show up in the ERA due to a ballooning BABIP. Still a free agent, he might help a UMEBA club out again in 2048.
Cairo Pharaohs
Predicted Record: 63-99
Actual Record: 70 – 92
Hits: “The Pharaohs might not have the worst lineup in the Unified this year.” Success! Cairo was eighth in team OPS at .736.
Misses: “Center fielder Liann-wei Tong posted a 2.3 WAR in the BBA last year and may be the biggest catch for the Pharaohs.” Double-whiff! Tong was sent back to Baghdad before spring training, where he floundered (.562 OPS).
Mumbai Metro Stars
Predicted Record: 92 – 70
Actual Record: 100 – 62
Hits: Several easy calls here: the lineup continued to be tops in the league (though Jerusalem supplanted it as best in the Unified), rotation and bullpen performance continued to be good.
Misses: Obviously, the big one was underestimating Mumbai's dominance. Zachinsky didn't play for the big club at all last year, and looked to take a step back at AAA.
Tripoli Piranhas
Predicted Record: 84 – 78
Actual Record: 68 -94
Hits: Toby Bundy (the other part of the Best trade), was as advertised for Tripoli, one of a few bright spots.
Misses: Tripoli's demise last season was probably the biggest surprise in the UMEBA, I certainly didn't see it coming. Dalton's injury leaves us asking 'what might have been' for the Piranhas in 2047.
Mumbai
Bucharest
Tripoli
Athens
Cairo
BANC Actual Order of Finish
Mumbai
Bucharest
Athens
Cairo
Tripoli
Summary: Tripoli ended up being the story of the Bancroft League in 2047, and not in a good way. While we all gawked at Tripoli's fall, Cairo sneaked into the four-spot when all was said and done. Oh yeah, Mumbai won the United Cup again, to make it three straight. One reason so many team's were underestimated was a failure to appreciate the difference in quality between the two leagues. Bancroft teams were, as a collective, 82 - 68 in interleague play.
Athens Fighting Centaurs
Predicted Record: 82 – 80
Actual Record: 81 – 81
Hits: “Quinn Greene will rake.” (Not exactly a stretch) 1.093 OPS in 2047.
Misses: Did not see Terada's drop-off this year coming. Predicted improvements from Aoki and Charette did not materialize.
Bucharest Impalers
Predicted Record: 86 – 76
Actual Record: 93 – 69
Hits: Partial credit here for predicting a return to the playoffs, though I undersold Bucharest's resurgence.
Misses: “That Freddy Delgado (39 y/o) might be past his sell-by date is of some concern.” Not really. Delgado's underlying stats improved last season over the previous year, though this didn't show up in the ERA due to a ballooning BABIP. Still a free agent, he might help a UMEBA club out again in 2048.
Cairo Pharaohs
Predicted Record: 63-99
Actual Record: 70 – 92
Hits: “The Pharaohs might not have the worst lineup in the Unified this year.” Success! Cairo was eighth in team OPS at .736.
Misses: “Center fielder Liann-wei Tong posted a 2.3 WAR in the BBA last year and may be the biggest catch for the Pharaohs.” Double-whiff! Tong was sent back to Baghdad before spring training, where he floundered (.562 OPS).
Mumbai Metro Stars
Predicted Record: 92 – 70
Actual Record: 100 – 62
Hits: Several easy calls here: the lineup continued to be tops in the league (though Jerusalem supplanted it as best in the Unified), rotation and bullpen performance continued to be good.
Misses: Obviously, the big one was underestimating Mumbai's dominance. Zachinsky didn't play for the big club at all last year, and looked to take a step back at AAA.
Tripoli Piranhas
Predicted Record: 84 – 78
Actual Record: 68 -94
Hits: Toby Bundy (the other part of the Best trade), was as advertised for Tripoli, one of a few bright spots.
Misses: Tripoli's demise last season was probably the biggest surprise in the UMEBA, I certainly didn't see it coming. Dalton's injury leaves us asking 'what might have been' for the Piranhas in 2047.