We are in Week 18, which means there are only four more matchups after this one until the playoffs. If your team currently has a losing record, it is going to be tough to make the playoffs this season, but some of the divisions are so tight that five wins to close out the season might just do it.
Important: You still want to accumulate as many points as possible to finish higher up the overall rankings, which will help your seeding for next season.
Reminder: The last day of the regular season is Friday 1 September.
Playoffs: The top four teams progress to the playoffs. Watch out! The playoffs are two-week matchups instead of one week. There will be a consolation bracket for the non-playoff teams.
AL NORTH DIVISION
Chris Jones, on a four-game win streak, heads the division ahead of Manc Baseball and Josh Salter. The trio is sitting pretty to make the playoffs. Andy Moore, Ben Salvi, and Peter Ramsay are fighting for the final spot, but with five scoring periods left, the standings can change quickly.
AL CENTRAL DIVISION
With a 16-1 record, Michael Garmston has already qualified for the playoffs in what has been an exceptionally impressive campaign. With seven teams split by just three wins, this division could see a team with a losing record (Jamie Wyman, Rob Whannel, Tom Hotchin) catapult into the playoffs. Currently, Steve Pardoe, Jack Wain, Jason Toms, and Matthew Robinson are the four teams fighting for the three remaining spots.
AL EAST DIVISION
There is little to choose between the top seven teams. Dan Roach currently heads the division, but he is only one game ahead of Dave Nicholson (currently on a five-game win streak), Harry Broster, and Ed Jefferies. Hot on the heels of this quartet are two of the hottest teams in the division: Baseball Brit Joey Mellows has scored more points than any other team in the AL East, and BBF’s Tom Thornhill is unbeaten in his last four matchups. Although Michael Annison has an 8-9 record, he is still in with a chance… well, about as much of a chance as the Angels.
AL WEST DIVISION
With a four-game lead over the third-place team, Chris Deeley and Steve Jones have almost certainly clinched their playoff berths. Paul Dearnley and Martin Osbourne need to maintain their form until the end of the regular season to hold off Charles Baldwin and Christopher Stone.
BASEMENT
Despite autodrafting five pitchers with his first six picks and then losing his first two matchups, Alan Ford is in playoff contention with a 10-7 record. Mal Balmford leads the division, but second-place Jon Landsdown is the highest-points-scorer (despite losing his last two matchups). With Ash Smith and Gareth Neale on double-digit wins, this looks like one of the most competitive divisions… and someone is going to miss out.
NL CENTRAL DIVISION
Richard Davison is on an unstoppable run of six straight wins, which has allowed him to overtake Charlie Deeks at the top of the division. Tom Athene and Neil Littlewood are currently in the final two playoff spots, but Lee Atkinson, Callum Cockerill, and Brent Bentley are still in contention. Despite the NL Central having two of the highest scorers across GBfbs (Richard and Charlie), no one has clinched a playoff spot yet.
NL EAST DIVISION
With seven of the 12 teams on double-digit wins, the NL East will go down to the wire. Three wins on the bounce have pushed Marc Collins and Mark Finbow ahead of the pack, but, as James Poppleton’s three straight losses proves, the standings change very quickly. Jason Derr, Nick Chang, and Matthew Greig are only three games off the division lead.
NL NORTH DIVISION
By losing his last two games, Phil Stone has allowed Martin Wood and Troy Hutchinson to tie with him on 10 wins. With five teams only a game or two behind, this is another very tight division. John Lofthus’s five-game win streak puts him at the front of the chasing pack of Tom Drake, Timothy Burtt, Joel Bailey, and Matt Pumfrey.
NL WEST DIVISION
Five teams are vying for the four spots in the NL West, with Luke Kendrick and Tom Lock looking safe on 14 wins and 13 wins, respectively. The battle to watch is between BSUK’s Chris Knoblock and Rob Kermode. It looks like one will progress while the other will miss out by the narrowest of margins.
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Despite failing to monitor my team very well since before the London Series, I am still at the top of the division. I would like to put this down to a decent draft (auction), but it is more likely just good fortune to avoid injuries and the presence of Mr Shohei Ohtani in my lineup.
My team is just ahead of 13-4 Adam Nicholson, and although there are still five wins available, we both look good to make the playoffs. Then it gets very interesting! David Runciman maintains the top three position he has enjoyed all season, but he is pursued by three juggernauts of the division: Mark Blakemore is one of only ten teams across the whole GBfbs to break the 6,000 point mark, Behind Home Plate’s Jonny Gould & James Holden’s five-game win streak has propelled them into contention, and last year’s champion, RotoBrits’ Ryan Owen is just one game behind. Don’t count out Baseball Prospectus’s Darius Austin or MLB UK Community’s Nick Wright, who are both only one game further back.
With only 10 of the 120 teams across Great British Fantasy Baseball Superleague breaking 6,000 points, and three of them being in the Champions League, this elite division is living up to its billing. And remember, the winner of each division will be invited to compete in the Champions League next season.
TOP SCORERS
With a 376-point advantage over second-place Michael Garmston, it feels like Richard Davison has already sewn up the prize for the overall highest scorer across all 10 divisions.
Featured image photo of Ronald Acuna Jr. by Matthew Grimes Jr./Atlanta Braves/Getty Images
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