Texas Bracket - Second Round Results

Today's Games:

#1 Colorado Springs Season 10 vs #9 Kansas City Season 3
#12 Jacksonville Season 7 vs #13 Kansas City Season 1

#11 Pawtucket Season 9 vs #14 Kansas City Season 11
#2 Jacksonville Season 9 vs #7 Iowa City Season 2

#1 Colorado Springs AltiDUDES Season 10 vs #9 Kansas City Shuffle Season 3

Two very different teams, following two very different philosophies, who both had a great deal of success during their seasons.

Kansas City of course won the World Series, the 2nd of 5 for the franchise. They won 102 games during the regular season, which is a good number, but not a great number compared to some other Kansas City teams.

Colorado Springs won the NL Pennant, their first of 3 straight NL Pennants. They won 112 games during the regular season, still a National League record.

Kansas City had a great offense. 2nd in the bigs with a .296 team batting average. They were 4th in the majors with 973 runs scored, a good number for most teams, but a relatively bad number for Kansas City, historically. Colorado Springs meanwhile was 17th in the bigs with a .272 average, and 12th in the bigs with 835 runs scored. Clear advantage to KC.

Colorado Springs, as they always do, had a great pitching staff. They were first in the bigs with a 1.25 whip and 2nd with a 3.51 ERA. Kansas City did have a top 5 pitching staff that season, also. But its whip was 1.36, and ERA was 4.31. Both numbers are among the worst of all pitching staffs remaining in this tournament.

All of these stats point to a close series. But there's one huge stat that decides this matchup. CSP went 9-7 in the playoffs, losing in the World Series. Kansas City won the World Series, and did it in as dominating a fashion as have ever been done. They swept the ALDS 3-0, swept the ALCS 4-0, and won the World Series 4-1. An 11-1 playoff record is unheard of.

This team can win when it counts, and they would have no problem beating this Colorado Springs team.

#12 Jacksonville Juggernauts Season 7 vs #13 Kansas City Shuffle Season 1

Kansas City, the first team to ever win the World Series. Jacksonville, the first AL team not named Kansas City to win the World Series.

This KC team might be the worst World Series Champion of all-time. 92 regular season wins. 14th in the bigs in offense. 13th in the bigs in pitching. But a World Series Champion is a World Series Champion. And despite their lack of success, relatively, during the regular season, this team went on a mission in the playoffs. They had to win 4 series to win the World Series, going 14-6 in the process.

Jacksonville, meanwhile, can't claim to be that much better of a World Series Champion. They won 98 games during the season. They had the 14th best offense, and the 18th best pitching staff. They did manage to get a first round bye, though, and went 11-5 during the playoffs to win the World Series, beating great franchises like Kansas City & Texas along the way.

This is a tough matchup to choose, but for reasons opposite of other tough matchups. This one is tough because, despite their World Series crowns, are either of these teams really Top 16 of all-time?

I don't believe that they are.

But one has to advance. Today, that team is Jacksonville. Not because of anything in particular about their team compared to Kansas City. But mostly because of their 'strength of schedule.' Any team that beats a KC dynasty in the playoffs, and beats Texas in the World series, is a good team, and that gives the edge to these Juggernauts.

#11 Pawtucket Polythene Season 9 vs #14 Kansas City Shuffle Season 11

Pawtucket is the only team of the 8 remaining in this bracket who did not reach the World Series. That alone should be enough to eliminate them. But anytime KC & Pawtucket get together, you can't assume its over. And Pawtuckets opponent doesn't exactly strike fear into the heart of their opponents.

Pawtucket won 100 games during the season, and had an above .500 record in the playoffs, going 8-5 while losing in the NLCS. The team had the #2 staff in baseball, with a 1.32 whip and 3.53 ERA. The offense wasn't there, though, with the 22nd best team average, a lowly .269. Their 797 runs scored were 18th in the majors.

Kansas City, meanwhile, won a WS Champion low 90 regular season games, and were one of 2 teams all-time to win the WS without a first round bye. Their pitching staff couldn't touch Pawtuckets, posting a 1.40 whip and 4.45 ERA. Their bats, meanwhile, were much better, posting a .286 team average, 6th in the bigs, while scoring 901 runs.

Like the KC team that lost the last game, this team wasn't very good. And is probably not a Top 16 team of all-time. But if ever a non World Series participant was a Top 16 team, it certainly is not this team.

Kansas City advances its second team to the sweet 16 from this bracket.

#2 Jacksonville Juggernauts Season 9 vs #7 Iowa City Kaysons Season 2

One Sweet 16 matchup in this bracket pits World Series Champ KC vs World Series Champ Jax. The other matchup already has another KC World Series Champ in it, will another Jax WS Champ join them?

Simply put, yes.

Not taking anything away from Iowa City. They had a Top 10 lineup, and the 2nd best rotation in the bigs. They reached the World Series. They had 3 allstars, a silver slugger, and a gold glove.

They were a very good team, a team that many many people would overlook.

They could beat Kansas City 11, who made the sweet 16. They could beat Jacksonville 7, also in the sweet 16. But they cannot beat this Jacksonville team.

This Juggernauts team won the World Series in season 7. Then they improved, and went back to the World Series in season 8. Still a young team, they improved some more for season 9 . . . and then they acquired Nicholas Bryant and Dennys Shin, two of the most successful players of all-time.

They won 111 games. They only lost 3 games in the playoffs. They led the majors with 1040 runs scored. They were 3rd in the majors with a 1.23 whip and 3.58 ERA, numbers that are incredible considering this is an AL Franchise.

Simply put, they were a machine. They would beat Iowa City. They should have no problem with KC 11 next round, and you have to wonder if anyone will offer them competition at all before the Final Four begins?

Or even scarier, if anyone in the Final Four can compete with this team?

Sweet 16 matchups in this bracket, featuring 4 World Champions:

#9 Kansas City Shuffle Season 3 vs #12 Jacksonville Juggernauts Season 7
#2 Jacksonville Juggernauts Season 9 vs #14 Kansas City Shuffle Season 11

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