#1 White Sox (18-5) vs. #8 Twins (8-15)

Season Head to Head:
White Sox won the season series 3-0: 22-2, 19-1, and 7-0 via a waiver forfeit (the Twins did unofficially win that game 8-2).

Regular Season Leaders
White Sox:
Brett Brittany .489 Avg, 1.085 Slug%, 6 2B, 5 3B, 4 HR, 26 RBI, 23 R
Aidan Rose .481 Avg, .548 OBP%, 2 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 17 RBI, 22 R, 1 SB
Dirk Dembroski  7-0, 52.3 IP, 3.75 ERA, 53 K, 4 CG

Twins:
Matt Wishart .411 Avg, 0.450 OBP%, 7 2B, 1 3B, 15 RBI, 14 R,
Evan Houser .371 Avg, 0.421 OBP%, 2 2B, 1 3B, 10 RBI, 4 R, 2 SB
James Wood .340 Avg, 0.435 OBP%, 4 2B, 1 HR, 9 RBI, 17 R, 1 SB

Preview: The White Sox came off their 2025 title finishing with the best record in the league (again). It hasn’t been easy however. After a red-hot month of May where they torched everyone scoring 10+ runs 7 times, their bats have cooled down considerably, scoring 10+ only once in going 7-4 over that span. On top of that, they have had a few injuries to their pitching staff to deal with as Taylor Kipnes has been unavailable all season and DJ Leiding went down with a serious arm injury in late July.

The Twins meanwhile were very Jekyll and Hyde this year. They enter the playoffs with the fewest runs scored and the most runs allowed of all playoff teams, and are on a 1-4 stretch. However whenever they seem to be counted out they have come up with big wins, including beating the Dukes in their last game of the year to get into the playoffs. They have a lot of veteran players who have won numerous FMBA championships on their roster, so I wouldn’t count them out.

These teams last met in the playoffs in the wildcard 1 Game round of the 2021 Covid shortened year, which the White Sox won 11-10. This series will depend on which Twins team shows up. The White Sox are the stronger team on paper but if the games are close anything can happen. If the Twins bats show up this could be a close series.

#2 Giants (16-7) vs. #7 Wolfpack (8-15)

Season Head to Head:
Giants won the season series 3-0: 12-7, 7-0 via a waiver forfeit (the Wolfpack did unofficial win that game 12-3) and 17-7. 

Regular Season Leaders
Giants:
Ben Swennumson .532 Avg, 0.851 Slug%, 2 2B, 4 3B, 13 RBI, 18 R, 8 SB
Cas Herold .440 Avg, .508 OBP%, 4 2B, 1 HR, 16 RBI, 18 R, 2 SB
Steven Latos  3-1, 1 Save, 30 IP, 1.17 ERA, 38 K, 2 CG, 1 SHO

Wolfpack:
Russell Strilchuk .478 Avg, 1.000 Slug%, 3 2B, 3 HR, 16 RBI, 12 R
Dale Bratz .467 Avg, 0.567 Slug%, 4 2B, 1 3B, 8 RBI, 17 R, 15 SB
Taisei Hihara .423 Avg, 0.667 OBP%, 3 2B, 5 RBI, 11 R, 3 SB

Preview: The Giants had a solid season, securing the #2 seed while leading the league in run differential at +106. They also allowed the fewest runs at 103. It has been a bit of a lull after June though as they went 5-4 to round out the year. This team has arguably the best pitching in the league and their lineup puts the ball in play. They will be a tough out.

The Wolfpack meanwhile had to win their last game just to get in, where they played arguably their best game of the season in an 11-1 win. Prior to that the Pack had lost 4 in a row, having allowed 13+ runs in each of those games. It is odd to see given their track record but this team allowed the 2nd most runs of playoff teams. The good news is that they are in, and get a few of their big bats back with Sunburst League concluding. 

These teams last met in the first round of the 2023 playoffs with the Giants winning that series 2-0. Throw the team records out this year, this one could easily go 3 games. 

#3 Guns (15-8) vs. #6 Diamondbacks (11-11)

Season Head to Head:
Diamondbacks won the season series 2-0: 6-2, 18-5.  

Regular Season Leaders
Guns:
Jett Ryan .500Avg, 0.623 OBP%, 3 2B, 4 3B, 3 HR, 26 RBI, 23 R, 8 SB
Graham Fader .475 Avg, .529 OBP%, 4 2B, 5 3B, 1 HR, 19 RBI, 29 R, 13 SB
Seth Hewitt  6-2, 50 IP, 3.22 ERA, 35 K, 5 CG, 1 SHO

Diamondbacks:
Jake Markowsky .594 Avg, 0.813 Slug%, 2 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 12 RBI, 15 R, 7 SB
Andrew Malone ..516 Avg, 0.871 Slug%, 8 2B, 1 HR, 16 RBI, 7 R,
Tom Gayef 2-0, 20 IP, 1.40 ERA, 33 K, 2 CG

Preview: The Guns had an 8 win improvement over their 2025 campaign, finishing 3rd in the standings and enter the playoffs as the hottest team in the league going 9-1 in their last 10, scoring 10+ in 7 of those wins. They lead the FMBA in runs scored with 230, and play a scrappy brand of baseball where hustle never takes a day off. Quite frankly as a pitcher, you hate playing a team like this.

The Diamondbacks on the other side have been in a bit of a slump, losing 5 of their last 6. They also haven’t played in a few weeks. It will be interesting to see who they roll out for playoffs as they have a large roster of “grandfathered-in” players who do double duty with their Sunburst League squad. The regular season team is usually a lot different than their playoff team. While another year older, if they come motivated to play they are as tough as anyone.

These teams last met in the 2021 Semi-Finals which the Diamondbacks won 2-0 en route to the league title. This is another series where the records don’t really matter. Can the Guns back up their strong regular season vs a team that has made the last 6 league finals? The DBacks are also down a few vets of years past so they also have something to prove.

#4 Dukes(15-8) vs. #5 Dinos (14-9)

Season Head to Head:
Dinos won the season series 2-1: Dinos won 5-4 & 10-0, Dukes won 10-3.  

Regular Season Leaders
Dukes:
Colin Rintoul .480 Avg, 0.569 OBP%, 2 2B, 3 3B, 1 HR, 16 RBI, 24 R, 3 SB
Ryan Fleming .340 Avg, 0.460 OBP%, 2 2B, 2 3B, 16 RBI, 20 R, 2 SB
Noah Scrimgeour 2-1, 35.1 IP, 4.19 ERA, 69 K, 1 CG

Dinos:
Jacob Carlson .478 Avg, 0.797 Slug%, 42B, 6 3B, 2 HR, 18 RBI, 30 R, 1 SB
Wyatt Rogi .429 Avg, 0.486 OBP%, 2 2B, 2 3B 1 HR, 20 RBI, 12 R, 1 SB
Ben Foreman 4-0, 26 IP, 1.08 ERA, 35 K, 4 CG

Preview: The Dukes enter the playoffs playing fairly well, going 5-2 in their last 7. They are one of the most well rounded teams in the playoffs, featuring strong pitching, hitting, defense and a good mix of veterans and youth. They always seem to be in the mix for a league championship the past 6-7 seasons, will this be the year they get over the hump?

The Dinos meanwhile are a very tough draw for anyone. They enter the playoffs with by far the most reps of late having played 15 games the last month. The only thing that can cool them down is the potential for rain. They feature a number of good pitchers, and they put the ball in play, hit a lot of gaps, and in general put pressure on the defense.

These teams last met in the first round of the 2023 playoffs which the Dukes won 2-0. This is my personal favorite matchup of the first round. Both of these squads have a lot of good pitchers, which helps make a case for either team winning. I want to see it go to 3 games.