We have 3 openings remaining in Ozzie Smith World. We are coming off an exciting season with a new World Series champion from a long-time HBD owner who had never won a WS Championship previously. We are a private world that's gone public temporarily to help us fill quicker, and so new owners don't need a password currently. The main reasoning for the world being private is to avoid tanking - we have a must-win 110 games over two seasons rule.
Here's a quick analysis of the teams available (this is strictly by me doing a quick scan of each franchise to help with those that prefer certain characteristics like established teams, rebuilds, offensive teams, good pitching, etc.):
AL SOUTH:
Season 24 Record: 66-96 (4th place) - This is a rebuild. The team has a very good, young arm in the majors that could be potential trade bait for picks, but is generally lacking both offensively and on the mound. In scanning through the minors though, there are some solid players that honestly should already be in the majors, including Alex Acosta, a 29-year old 1B who's probably going to hit .280 - .300 in the majors. Some decent pitching prospects as well. Feels like 66 wins should be easy to improve upon with a few promotions and hitting the free agent market.
AL WEST:
Season 24 Record: 80-82 (3rd place) - This is a tough division with two teams winning 100+ games, but 80 wins is a good starting point as the pitching looks very solid to me (10 pitchers w/ a 70+ rating vs RH) although they need a #1 for sure. The hitting is even better (6th in the entire league offensively and 2nd in HRs). Richard Brooks is a stud DH and he missed most of last season with an injury, but this obviously didn't effect his offensive prowess. Should be an easy Wild Card contender with a healthy Brooks back in the lineup every day.
NL NORTH:
Season 24 Record: 61-101 (4th place) - Can't sugarcoat it. This is a complete rebuild. There are a couple solid bats in Nixon and Toregas, but then the offense drops off significantly. Similar situation with the pitching staff - a couple decent arms, but help is needed. Looks like there's some help in the minors, but tough to say without seeing the projections. If you're looking for a complete rebuild, this is probably the one!
NL SOUTH:
Season 24 Record: 78-84 (2nd place) - Not a bad place to start, but wasn't a contender for the division title. Offensively, this team was pretty legit (2nd in the NL) with a couple 27-28 year-olds leading the way so definitely an opportunity to build around this young duo. The pitching staff looks pretty solid too with a couple starters posting sub-4 ERAs. The team also has one of the better closers in the league racking up 41 saves and a 3.26 ERA last season. They were near the bottom in pitching, however, there was a large drop-off after this team - they appear better than they may have performed last season.
NL WEST:
Season 24 Record: 66-96 (3rd place) - Man, the offense was bad last year, but on paper, they have some sluggers. Some of these guys are young so they may see vast improvement this year and the next several years. Yamakazi is a 24-year old thumper and Mac Suzuki at 21, looks very good too (Lo-A to the ML). Not to mention Seth Snyder (41 HRs / 108 RBI). The pitching staff is non-existent and needs some help via trade or free agency. Secure some pitching and this team looks like a lot of fun. Minor leagues look pretty solid here too.
8/31/2026 9:44 AM (edited)