2026 Season
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| Number of games | 162
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| Number of teams | 20 | ||||
| Draft | |||||
| Top draft pick | Alexander Vincent
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| Selected by | Atlanta Fire Ants | ||||
| Regular season | |||||
| League postseason | |||||
| Bull Cup Champions | |||||
| Seasons | |||||
| ← 2025
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2027 → | ||||
The 2026 Bull League season will begin on April and end on October . It is the 36th season in which the teams contested for the Bull Cup in the playoffs (beginning in 1991 and not including 1994). It is also the 37th anniversary since the Bull League first formed in 1989.
Contents
Schedule
The 2026 season is the eighth season played with a Championship Season schedule length of 162 games.
In real life, the season is expected to run from January to July, 2022
Managerial changes
In-season
| Team | Former GM | Reason for Leaving | New GM | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver Grizzlies | Koty K | Resigned | Mike Landry | On June 4, Koty resigned from his position and Assistant GM Mike Landry took over the club. Landry, who won the 2022 Summer College Tournament for Team Canada, immediately set about making roster moves, calling up starter Duane Carrere and 2B Troy Rover from the AAA club. Koty had formerly managed the Boston Brawlers, and was the first GM of the Grizzlies. |
Major events
Hall of Fame inductions
Dominican-born Javier Chavarria becomes the first native of that country, and the sixth catcher, to be inducted into the Bull League Hall of Fame on January 12. Chavarria started his baseball career as an international prospect signing to the Nevada Speeders as a 16-year-old in 2002, for a signing bonus of $1.04 million.
In 2004, he made his pro debut and proved right away that he could hit and hit for power, batting.269 and slugging 5 home runs as an 18 year old with A-level Peoria. He eventually broke into the major level in 2009, and would be named an All-Star the following season. By 2013, his name was among the finalists for the Carl Simms MVP Award. He tested free agency after the 2014 campaign, and was immediately signed by the Denver Highlanders on a 7-year, $175.2 million contract. In his first year there, he was player of the week three times, had a 23-game hitting streak, and finally won the MVP award. In all, he was named to the All-Star team seven times, and was Batter of the Month four times, in addition to his MVP award. He is fourth in all-time home runs and RBIs for the Washington Freedom club, formerly known as the Denver Highlanders, and his career .290 average with the team places him third on the all-time list.
Dropped from the ballot after failing to reach 5% of the votes this year were first-time ballot players David 'Hit Parade' Baker , Bill Clark, and Howard Jackson. Baker was perhaps the most surprising to be dropped, having set the all-time record hitting streak at 34 games in 2018 for the Minneapolis Ravens. But on the whole, his career was short, and despite winning the AEL Rookie of the Year Award in 2015, and appearing in four All-Star games, he struggled for recognition as a top player in the league. Clark and Jackson were dropped with even less votes, each of them outshined by the many catchers already in the hall, who have set the bar extremely high. First baseman Barry Janmaat was also dropped after five unsuccessful years on the ballot. The Dutchman played from 1999 to 2018, and had won some hardware in his years, but also failed to achieve name recognition amongst his peers.
Anniversaries and special events
Throughout the season, various special events and anniversaries will be recognized.
| Team | Occasion |
|---|---|
| Chicago Pit Bulls | 35th anniversary of the first Bull Cup Championship |
| Detroit Wolverines | Inaugural season |
| Green Bay Bull Frogs | Inaugural season |
| Houston Oilers | 35th anniversary of the club's founding in 1991 as the San Diego Seagulls |
| Montreal Metros | 2025 Bull Cup Championship banner and ring ceremony (April 6) |
| Ohio Oxen | 10th anniversary of 2016 Bull Cup Championship |
Award winners
Monthly awards
Batter of the monthSee article: Batter of the Month Award
|
Pitcher of the monthSee article: Pitcher of the Month Award
|
Rookie of the monthSee article: Rookie of the Month Award
|
Players of the week
| Week | Lake League | Metropolitan League | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Team | Highights | Player | Team | Highlights | |
| April 6-12 | Adrian Beaudin (1B) | Minneapolis Ravens | .458, 5 HR, 13 RBI | Ricardo Rodriguez (LF) | Houston Oilers | .429, 5 HR, 11 RBI |
| April 13-19 | Mo Tong (RF) | Ohio Oxen | .370, 3 HR, 6 RBI | Jeremy Martin (3B) | California Tidals | .500, 4 HR, 11 RBI, 7 R |
| April 20-26 | Gabriel Martinez (LF) | Detroit Wolverines | .562, 4 HR, 7 RBI | Alex Martinez (2B) | Miami Storm | .500, 2 HR, 5 RBI |
| April 27-May 3 | Tony Ramirez (SS) | New York Dragons | .500, 2 HR, 7 RBI | Gary James (1B) | Washington Freedom | .565, 1 HR, 5 RBI |
| May 4-10 | Shannon Stone (1B) | Boston Brawlers | .556, 3 HR, 3 RBI | Jordan Chavez (CF) | Las Vegas Lightning | .458, 2 HR, 10 RBI, 6 R |
| May 11-17 | John Rambo (RF) | Chicago Pit Bulls | .448, 6 HR, 13 RBI | Victor Johnson (RF) | Houston Oilers | .522, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 5 R |
| May 18-24 | Shannon Stone (1B) | Boston Brawlers | .458, 2 HR, 10 RBI, 4 R | Cletus Avery (1B) | Las Vegas Lightning | .560, 3 HR, 7 RBI, 8 R |
| May 25-31 | John Rambo (RF) | Chicago Pit Bulls | .500, 3 HR, 10 RBI, 6 R | Shinji Kinoshita (3B) | Washington Freedom | .640, 2 HR, 0 RBI |
| Jun 1-7 | Todd Achber (2B) | Boston Brawlers | .517, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 4 R | Jimmy Tosnia (LF) | Miami Storm | .481, 2 HR, 7 RBI |
| Jun 8-14 | John Rambo (RF) | Chicago Pit Bulls | .652, 7 HR, 15 RBI | Quentin O'Connell (SS) | Seattle Salts | .526, 3 HR, 8 RBI |
| Jun 15-21 | John Rambo (RF) | Chicago Pit Bulls | .667, 4 HR, 10 RBI | Orlando Garza (CF) | Houston Oilers | .529, 2 RBI, 7 R |
| Jun 22-28 | John Rambo (RF) | Chicago Pit Bulls | .455, 4 HR, 7 RBI, 7 R | Payton Bint (1B) | Miami Storm | .389, 4 HR, 9 RBI |
| Jun 29-Jul 5 | Sam Robertson (CF) | Grand Rapids Hops | .464, 1 HR, 5 RBI | Jon Chavera (1B) | Calgary Calicos | .400, 5 HR, 10 RBI, 9 R |
| Jul 6-12 | Tak-keung Yang (3B) | Chicago Pit Bulls | .429, 6 HR, 11 RBI, 7 R | John McAfee (LF) | Miami Storm | .650, 1 HR, 3 RBI |
| Jul 13-19 | Miklas de Jong (1B) | Minneapolis Ravens | .545, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 4 R | John Heart (LF) | Houston Oilers | .545, 3 HR, 5 RBI |
| Jul 20-26 | Manny Llamas (1B) | New York Dragons | .538, 3 HR, 15 RBI | Clyde Jameson (SS) | Houston Oilers | .448, 3 HR, 9 RBI |
| Jul 27-Aug 2 | Tak-keung Yang (3B) | Chicago Pit Bulls | .500, 5 HR, 9 RBI, 7 R | Omar Little (RF) | Calgary Inferno | .524, 3 HR, 8 RBI |
| Aug 3-9 | Miklas de Jong (1B) | Minneapolis Ravens | .367, 4 HR, 12 RBI | Jon Chavera (1B) | Calgary Inferno | .423, 4 HR, 9 RBI |
| Aug 10-16 | Ben Gold (SS) | Montreal Metros | .625, 1 HR, 5 RBI | Carlos Briseno (CF) | Miami Storm | .474, 1 HR, 7 RBI |
| Aug 17-23 | Adrian Garcia (LF) | Boston Brawlers | .379, 5 HR, 6 RBI | Hideyo Yamada (1B) | Kansas City Blizzard | .412, 3 HR, 14 RBI |
| Aug 24-30 | Danny Lopez (LF) | Chicago Pit Bulls | .625, 3 HR, 10 RBI | Fernando Mendolla (1B) | Calgary Calicos | .647, 2 HR, 4 RBI |
| Aug 31-Sep 6 | Miklas de Jong (1B) | Minneapolis Ravens | .467, 2 HR, 3 RBI | Ben Fennell (LF) | Seattle Salts | .517, 4 HR, 11 RBI |
| Sep 7-13 | Brandon Seymour (RF) | Montreal Metros | .458, 4 HR, 7 RBI | Bill Vaillancourt (1B) | Atlanta Fire Ants | .900, 3 HR, 8 RBI |
| Sep 14-20 | Brian Dougan (1B) | Grand Rapids Hops | .440, 4 HR, 10 RBI | Jorge Velazquez (3B) | Kansas City Blizzard | .524, 4 HR, 10 RBI |
| Sep 21-27 | Alec Tricity (2B) | Grand Rapids Hops | .593, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 6 R | Fernando Mendolla (1B) | Calgary Calicos | .531, 3 HR, 13 RBI |
| Sep 28-Oct 4 | ||||||
Milestones
Pitchers
- Chris Church
- On Opening Day, April 6, Church lost his first decision since April 20, 2025, ending a 21-game win decision streak and setting a Bull League record. His 21st win came on September 16, 2025, when he exited a game
- Threw a complete game no-hitter on August 6, allowing just 1 walk and striking out a team record tying 12 batters against the Grand Rapids Hops.
Batters
- April 6 (Opening Day), Justin Kelly (GB) hits the first home run in franchise history. It was a ninth inning solo shot to erase a Chicago Pit Bulls shutout.
- April 7, Marco Lopez (DET) hits the first home run in franchise history. Leading off the 4th inning, he drove a 1-2 pitch from Montreal's Brandon Flood over the left field fence at the Rock City Dome.
- On April 27, Garbiel Martinez (DET) was announced as the expansion club's first player of the week. He batted 8-for-16, had 2 home runs, and 5 RBIs.
- On May 31, 23-year-old Jonathan Gonzalez (NY) hit for the cycle, scoring twice and driving in four runs as well, in am 8-4 win over the Montreal Metros. The left fielder singled in the 3rd, hit an RBI triple in the 5th, doubled in the 7th, and hit a 2-run home run in the 8th to complete the feat.
- On June 13, John Rambo (CHI) became just the 2nd player in the Bull League, and first in the Lake League, to hit four home runs in a game. Rambo's feat helped cap a 15-12 win over the LL rival Montreal Metros. Rambo hit a solo shot in the 1st off Joe Gill, a two-run homer off Jeff Valcourt in the 5th, then another two-run banger off Moises Castillo in the 7th. He capped off the record-setting day with a final two-run home run off Josh Moore in the 8th. Only Metros reliever Ryan Ralston escaped giving up a home run to Rambo. On the day, the Chicago DH and outfielder was 6-for-6, scoring six times and driving in eight runs.
- On August 1, exactly two months after being traded out of NY, 31-year-old Orlando 'Cha Cha' Garza (HOU) hit for the cycle, going 4 for 6 with 5 RBI and 3 runs scored in a 15-9 trouncing of the Seattle Salts. Garza doubled to lead off the first inning, later scoring. He grounded out in the 2nd, singled in the 5th, grounded again in the 6th, then drove in three runs with a bases clearing triple in the 7th. His two run home run came in the 8th off Seattle reliever Dave Holmes.
Broadcasts
See article: List of 2026 season Twitch broadcasts
Selected regular season and playoff games are broadcast live on the Bull Baseball Network Twitch channel.[1]
