This topic is the first in a multi part series on the premiere European season that was. First we'll examine each of the regular season campaigns of each of the Alliance's two circuits, the East and West, followed up a playoffs overview and, finally, we'll take a look at the players who soared above their opponents in a who's-who of EBA All-Stars. I also hope to eventually get a little more in-depth and try and provide a general historical primer of each of the storied European ball clubs, but that's a bit further down in the old pipeline.
First up, the Western Alliance!
The Eastern Alliance (which, oddly, consists almost entirely of teams residing to the east of those in the Eastern Alliance. Just another quirk of this charming league!) was not the knock-down, back-and-forth battle for the playoffs that we saw in the East. With a sizeable gap in record between each team, there was never any real pennant race -- that does not, of course, mean there was nothing of interest to take a look at.
Rome Raiders
67-95, .414
Starting at the bottom of the table, the Italian side struggled mightily just to remain respectable on the field. Led by the two-and-a-half-million dollar man, starting pitcher Jayden Walker (who is a rarity among EBA ballplayers in having played in an MBBA All-Star game), it's easy to see why the team may have failed this year. When roughly a third of your total salary (Walker is, indeed, the league's highest earning player) is wrapped up in a fairly middling starter, you're likely going to have a hard go of things. Walker did lead the team in ERA, though unfortunately that leading number was only 4.03.
And, honestly, things only kind of go downhill from there. The team's top hitter, Javier Barron, was equally mediocre. His .275/.354/.496 slashline is, of course, perfectly respectable -- though certainly not the kind of bat you want to try to build your team around. Still, he's a nice piece, right? Of course, he left the team this off-season. Plucked by Greenville in the Rule 6 Draft, Barron has yet to sign in North America but isn't expected back to Rome in any case (his agent mentioned a contract offer from the Matadors). Between their poor batting and worse pitching, it's no wonder the team finished last in the league: the club ended up 7th of 8 in runs, batting average and OBP, and dead last in runs against, ERA and defensive efficiency.
The next great hope in Rome is actually Javier's little brother, Ramon. Ramon Barron, 20 years-old and years away from rule 6, was incredibly promising in his cup of coffee with the club last year. Batting .339/.400/.492 over about a hundred at-bats, there's a lot of excitement around Barron the Younger. Personally, I feel that small sample size success ought to be tempered by the fact that in a similar number of AAA plate appearances, the kid went .200/.295/.311 (against, of course, AAA level competition). While neither of those extremes likely represents the fullness of Ramon Barron, there's definitely some uncertainty there.
Going forward, the club seems to be in dire straights. Believe it or not the club spent more money than any other in the EBA, converting those lira into a last-place finish in wins AND gate revenue. On the bright side, they do appear mid-table by most economic metrics, but when you have the league's highest paid player (and two more in the top twelve!), you'd better start getting some return on investment.
Amsterdam Neptunes
76-86, .469
In case you were wondering what kind of a Mickey Mouse team must have finished BEHIND Rome offensively, look no further: the Amsterdam Neptunes finished dead last in all of Europe in runs, batting average and OBP. The club did manage to produce on remarkable batter, the Pennsylvania first baseman Jody Browne who slashed .311/.362/.539 this year, after spending the last couple of seasons wandering in the desert of America's minor leagues (before which he was a dominant EBA batter and, even earlier, a yo-yo guy between the MBBA and various farm systems). Of course, Jody Browne has since departed, signing a new deal this winter with the Brussels Eagles.
The club's anemic offence was somewhat countered by their middle of the pack pitching, though a 4th place Runs Against finish is small solace when your team wraps up the year ten games below .500 and 16 back of the division lead. The Amsterdam side's ace, Pat Matthews, has also jumped ship for a shot at American glory, taking his 3.35 ERA with him. While losing players is a fact of life for any team, and particularly in a league like the EBA, Amsterdam seems set to challenge Rome for last place next summer.
Madrid Matadors
86-76, .531
Madrid was a very competitive side this season, and their 86-76 record would have tied them for first had they found themselves in the Eastern Alliance (and their +58 run differential would be the best in that circuit). Second on the continent in runs scored and third in runs against, the Los Matadors have absolutely nothing to be ashamed of after the 2022 regular season.
The club's pitching staff is led by the emerging ace Alfredo Granados, a young, hometown starter still four years away from Rule 6 eligibility. In his first full season in the majors Granados led the entire league in strikeouts, posting an ERA of 3.12. While he'll certainly be plucked out of Europe when his Rule 6 Draft shows up, Granados gives the Matadors a chance to really build a dominant club around his fireball pitches.
That's something of a theme with the Matadors -- while a second-place finish may have disappointed some, by all appearances the Spanish side is just beginning to open up their window. Most of the lineup, rotation and bullpen will be returning in 2023, and a number of their stars are still young enough to stick around for a good long while. I would bet good money on this team taking home the European Cup sooner than later.
Munchen Brauers
92-70, .568
The German juggernauts actually started the season off slowly, with a 25-26 record through the first two months of the season that caused some to wonder whether their high spending had all been for naught. Those doubts were blown away in June as the club roared to a 16-11 record that month, claiming the division lead and never reliquishing it. Every day the team seemed stronger than it had the day before, and by the time the post-season rolled around the club seemed unbeatable, going 36-19 over the last two months of regular season action.
Like Belfast, the Eastern division champs, Munchen doesn't appear particularly dominant in any one statistic category. Unlike them, however, the beer drinking boys are no mystery -- while not topping any stat, the group finished either second or third in most of them. Something of a rarity in Europe, the Munchen Brauers are the elusive "balanced team".
They'll miss some of that balance next season, as top offensive playerJorge Martinez was snatched up early in the Rule 6 and has already signed a deal for $10,000,000 a year (a whopping 30 times his salary with Munchen). Their pitching staff remains more or less intact, however, and the club's big bank (by Euro standards, at least) means they should have every opportunity to repeat as champs of the Western circuit.
Wondering how these teams fared in the post-season? Me too! I'll be reviewing the chase for the European Cup sometime in the next few days, so stay tuned!