OOTP5-- Hangin' The Halos [Archive] - Front Office Football Central

Chief Rum

03-07-2003, 03:41 AM

A History of the Angels

How can one appreciate a franchise if one does not know of its history? And only be understanding the history of the Angels can you truly understand why they can be at times so maddening and tragic.

In 1961, famous cowboy crooner Gene Autry went to a convention of owners in St. Louis with the purpose of acquiring radio rights to the new franchise being granted to the Los Angeles area. Autry was a business entrepreneur on top of also being a retired film star, and one of his significant holdings was a string of Southern California radio stations. After Los Angeles Dodgers' owner Walter O'Malley shut out Autry's stations for the rights to broadcast Dodgers games, Autry was intent on securing the broadcast rights of the new team. Instead, through a confluence of timing, childhood dreams, and influence int he right places, Autry surprisingly came home as the new owner of the Los Angeles Angels, along with the replacement Washington Senators squad (today the Texas Rangers), the first ever expansion teams in MLB history.

Autry's best decisions in the early days were letting his baseball men do the work for him. He had two of the best in the business in manager Bill Rigney and general manager Fred Haney. They went to work right away on assembling what is still the best expansion team in the history of baseball. Using a mix of kids and veterans, the Angels put together a major league record 71 wins in 1961. In 1962, they followed it up with a third place finish in the American League, and they were even in first place as late as the All Star break. This was a team of characters like Bo Belinsky and Dean Chance, and of young stars to be like Leon Wagner, Lee Thomas, Jim Fregosi and Buck Rodgers.

Sadly, they would never quite hit that pinnacle of success after the early years, as a minor league system suffered from still being to brand-spanking new, and without a free agent system in place with which to replace fading talents or changing needs and needs.

As it turns out, the only thing truly significant for the Angels after that amazing 1962 season was their move to Anaheim. They had played 1961 in crowded, little Wrigley Field (the LA version), and then rented out space with the Dodgers' in their new stadium at Chavez Ravine. But Autry and the Angels chafed under the financial restrictions of renting out to the crosstown rival and local favorite Dodgers, and in 1965, they engineered a move to Anaheim, where they and the city built a beautiful new ballpark in the as yet little developed Orange County. Anaheim Stadium would soon become known as the Big A, noting the huge A with a halo which set high up in its left-centerfield bleachers.

The new park was incredible and the local crowds enthusiastic, but the teams continued to be lackluster, as the Angels wavered between giving their kids a chance and going for fill in the hole veterans for the quick fix. This would come to be a signature pattern in the franchise's history, as the innate sense of building through the system for most baseball men battled with their desire to "Win One For The Cowboy" (and sooner, not later).

The best thing that can be said about those early years was that in 1972, the Angels pulled off one of the more daring trades in history--and it paid off bigtime. The trade involved several players, but the signature members of the deal was Angels' All Star SS Jim Fregosi to the Mets and a young fireballer with control problems named Nolan Ryan to the Angels.

Those Angels teams would continue to suck through most of the 70s as well, but Ryan was a constant. He pitched four of his seven no-hitters, including a perfect game, in his time with the Angels, and he also set the major league record for strikeouts in a season with 383 in 1974. The homespun Texan with the 100-mph fastball was the only player worth seeing on those mid-70s teams.

By the late 70s, though, things began to change. For one thing, the hiring of respected baseball man Harry I. Dalton in 1972 to revamp the minor league system and build from within finally began to bear fruit in the mid-70s, as young stars like Frank Tanana and Carney Lansford began to arrive on the scene. The second thing that hit was the arrival of modern free agency, as we have come to know it today.

It was in its early stages in the 70s, but Autry came to play, because he wanted to win so much. He signed big time players like Don Baylor and Bobby Grich and Lyman Bostock, and he approved the acquisitions of players like Dan Ford and Rod Carew. Back then, amazingly enough, the Angels were the big spenders in baseball, with only the Yankees really matching them in that.

It finally all came together in 1979, when former Angels and prodigal son Fregosi returned to manage for his beloved Angels. Behind the flashing heat of Ryan fastballs and the power of an MVP season by Baylor, the Angels finally broke through and won their first ever division crown, winning the AL West. They would lose to the Orioles in the ALCS and starting a march to postseason futility that would not end until 2002.

The Angels now had a team that could contend, but one of their old stars was leaving town. Nolan Ryan was fed up with his treatment by current GM Buzzie Bavasi and didn't feel the Angels were the place for him anymore. He wanted to return to his ranch in texas, and play closer to his boyhood home of Arvin. So just a month after their first ever postseason visit, the Angels had lost the premier power pitcher in the game. Autry always said that his one mistake was not making it clear to Bavasi the true importance of retaining Ryan, even if it meant making him the game's first millionaire-per-season player (an honor the Astros did not fail to give Ryan to entice him to sign with them).

Disputes such as this with Ryan and a rash of injury and consistency problems kept the Angels down for the next two years, but in 1982, they returned to power. Skippered by the much-travelled and well-thought-of Gene Mauch, the Angels returned to the top of the AL West. They were led by former Yankee superstar Reggie Jackson and incumbent stars like Lynn, Baylor and Carew.

In the 1982 ALCS, they met the fearsome Brewers, featuring big bats like Cecil Cooper, Gorman Thomas, Robin Yount, Ted Simmons and Paul Molitor. They took the first two games of the best-fo-five game series and headed to Milwaukee prepared to return with a ticket to the World Series against the Cardinals.

But it all fell apart. After the Brewers made it 2-1 Angels' series lead, Mauch made what ownership considered to be critical gametime decisions with his handling of his relievers, and the result was two close losses to give the Brewers the series. The Angels had come so close, and yet not made it.

The troubles of that postseason would eventually lead to Mauch resigning the following season, but the reason for the Angels' downfall had a lot more to do with an aging roster and the fact that they continued to follow the policy of trading their future away for quick fix veterans. A couple prime examples of this came in 1980, when they sent Lansford to the Red Sox for All Star shortstop Rick Burleson--who would hurt himself and never play as strongly again--; and in 1981, when they made the much ripped on deal of sending a young Tom brunansky to the Twins for reliever Doug Corbett. Corbett barely made an appearance with the Angels before succumbing to injury, while Brunansky became one of the power-hitting focal points of two World Championship teams in Minnesota.

Jackson and Carew were just too old to keep it up, and a rift had developed between Angels' star Baylor and management. Toss on the usual assortment of injuries and a general lack of quality pitching, and you have some lost seasons in 1983 and 1984.

Out with the old, in with the new. In 1986, the Angels were a team in flux, but with just the right mix of talant. Guys like Baylor, Carew, Lynn and Jackson were gone, to be replaced by Bob Boone, Doug DeCinces, Briam Downing, Mike Witt, and young stars like Gary Pettis, the amazing young Wally Joyner and star closer Donnie Moore. Mauch, having unretired himself the year before, had returned to the sideline to lead this team.

That year, the Angels returned to the postseason--and the pinnacle of what would become the best known curse west of Chicago's Wrigley Field. The Angels took the Red Sox--themselves ill-fated but a series later--to 3 games to 1 in the best of 7 series, and they had them pinned right there in Anaheim for the fourth victory. Mike Witt had been pitching a masterful game, but when he gave up a quick hit to begin the ninth, Mauch decided to call on his superb young closer, Moore, to hang onto the two-run lead. Moore would get the next two outs before reserve outfielder Dave Henderson would come to the plate. He had two strikes on Hendu, as he would later be known, and the Cowboy was just a strike away from that long-desired visit to the World Series. The next pitch is history...Henderson got a hold of a Moore fastball and punched it into the left field seats. Tie ball game. The Red Sox would go on to win that game in extra innings, and a dejected Angels team barely put up a fight in the last two games at Fenway.

Moore was devastated. He was vilified by Angels fans for failing to nail it down, and Mauch took more than a little blame himself for going with Moore when Witt, his ace and best pitcher, had pitched a fantastic game up to that point.

Moore was never the same again, losing his confidence and then succumbing to injuries. Finally in 1988, unable to take the pressure of having cost the Angels and their fans a chance at the ultimate prize, among other serious personal issues which included a divorce, Moore shot his wife and then tragically took his own life in an attempted murder-suicide. The organization was as devastated by this development as Henderson's homerun.

Time and baseball's economic realities were finally catching up with the Angels in the late 80s. Autry and his wife of the past decade, Jackie Autry, were certainly well off, but you can only run a cl;ub at a loss for so long. And Autry, now in his eighties, had spent a lot of money on his free agents and his team in his time as the owner. The piper was calling.

With Autry beginning to become to old and infirm to take an active role in the club's decisions and activities, Jackie Autry began to exert a more frugal influence, facing the reality of a dismal set of cricumstances for the Angels' finances, and the Autry's by connection. They began to stay away from signing the big free agents and became known for using unwise trades to bring in stars that were past their prime to try and get them over the hump. Gary Gaetti, Von Hayes, Dave Parker, Cecil Fielder--the list was seemingly endless. They became known as a team with some good pitching (this was the time of a great young trio of Chuck Finley, Mark Langston and the inspirational one-armed Jim Abbott), and some developing players, but mostly retreads and has-beens everywhere else. As a result, they saw little success in the late 80s and early 90s, as first the A's and then the Twins and then the Bluejays became the forces of the American League.

Finally in the early to mid-90s, the minor league development Jackie Autry required the organization to pursue as a means of keeping costs down began to bear fruit. Tim Salmon was the 1993 Rookie of the Year. Gary Disarcina would man SS for a decade. Young stars like Jim Edmonds and Garrett Anderson and Troy Percival began to come out of the system and give the team some legitmicacy.

Off the field, though, it was too late to save the Autrys. In 1996, Jackie Autry, painted into a corner by the club's poor finances, sold the team to local heavyweight, the Disney Corporation and its entertainment empire. And in 1998, Gene Autry, the beloved Cowboy, was laid to rest, having never witnessed an Angels World Series.

But the curse was not through. In 1995, the Angels put their best team yet on the field. Salmon, Anderson and Edmonds formed one of the best outfields in baseball. Veteran star closer Lee Smith and young Percival headed a powerful bullpen. Chili Davis lent veteran leadership and pwer from his DH spot. Finley and Langston led a solid rotation. And the Angels were 13 games up in the AL West. But a Disarcina thumb injury and a team-wide slump which would become a signature of the team late in seasons and pennant drives led to one of the most infamous collapses in baseball history. In a little over a month, the Seattle Mariners caught and passed the Angels for first place. The Angels had to win thir last five games just to force a playoff with the M's, and then they watched as lanky Randy Johnson shut them down and finished off the second most disappointing end-to-a-season in Angels history.

And the trend was set. The Angels threatened again in 1997, only to watch injuries to Finley and young prospect Todd Greene--on top of drug possession charges against sparkplug leadoff hitter Tony Phillips--derail them again in September. And in 1998, when another bad September saw them fall just short again.

1999 was to be a year of new hope, for the Angels had raised eyebrows by adding the huge bat of former AL MVP Mo Vaughn to their lineup via a large chunk of Disney money. All this did was set them up for the fall. In fact, that's how the season started, with Vaughn badly spraining his ankle going after a foul ball in the dugout of the first inning of his first game ever as an Angel. That ankle would hinder him for the rest of the season. That and injuries to Salmon and Edmonds led to losing, which in turn led to bitter clubhouse in-fighting and bickering. It finally got to be too much in September of that year, when fiery manager Terry Collins stepped down, saying he just couldn't do it anymore. GM Bill Bavasi, the acknowledged architect of much of the current champion Angels, would step down at the end of the season.

But there is always new hope in a new season. The Angels turned heads by hiring the well-regarded, cerebral former Dodgers' backstop Mike Scioscia, allowing Finley to leave for the Indians, and trading away the malingering Edmonds (or so it was rumored). They made way for new stars like slugging Troy Glaus and gutsy Darin Erstad.

2000 was a pinnacle season for the Angels on offense. Anderson had the first real MVP-level season of his career. Salmon played most of the season and added consistency to the lineup. Glaus crushed an AL third base record 47 HRs. And Erstad had one of the best single seasons in hsitory for a leadoff man, hitting .355 with 101 RBIs (a record for a leadoff hitter) and 241 hits. But the pitchiung wasn't there, and the Angels finished just outside again.

Then in 2001, their pitching began to arrive, as young arms like Ramon Ortiz and Scott Schoenweiss and Jarrod Washburn displayed their stuff. But the offense was MIA, with Erstad and Salmon going through horrible year-long slumps. Vaughn never came to bat for the Angels once in 2001, having season-ending surgery on an injured bicep in sprinmg training, an injury many thought he should have taken care of closer to the end of the 200 season. Despite this, the Angels rode the pitching and the bats of Anderson and Glaus to within range of the wildcard before having another one of those mythical September collapses.

All setting the stage for last season...

Chief Rum

DolphinFan1

03-07-2003, 04:18 AM

I'm not a big fan of baseball anymore, since the '94 strike, but I'm reading. You have made it interesting so far. I am a fan of the Red Sox and I liked reading your history of the Angels. Especially your recap of the '86 League Championship Series. Sorry. Keep up the good work.

Chief Rum

03-07-2003, 04:27 AM

Thanks, DolphinFan. My plan is to make this half dynasty & stats, half story with an emphasis on making the players as real as possible. I have some plans on how to do this; giving a history of this team was the first way I thought of making them more real. I hope the rest of this suits what you are looking for.

Sorry you got turned away from baseball. I know that's easy to do with all the problems it has now. I myself couldn't find it in my heart to do it. I just love baseball, and my Angels, too much. Don't worry about '86. I can hardly blame the BoSox for doing what they could to win, and besides, they suffered as much as we did, and on a bigger stage just a couple weeks later, with the infamous Buckner. It was a cruddy season all around for AL postseason squads (this was back when there were only two, of course).

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

03-07-2003, 06:07 AM

2002, The Year of the Halo

I don't know that mere words alone can conceptually grasp the sheer volume of the Angels' accmplishment in 2002. You could probably stack the deck against them in a worse manner, but it would still take some doing before you could catch what real life was doing.

Consider that the Angels, for all their contending for the wildcard as late as August 2001, still ended up with a 75-87 record and 41 games out of first place in the AL West. They were third baseball's best division. One team had just set the MLB record for wins in a season. The other is in the midst of at least a three-year run of 100+ win seasons. And none of them are the Yankees or the Red Sox, looming as they always do in points farther eastward.

Their catcher was the slowest player in baseball. Their shortstop got by more on spunk than on talent--in a league dominated by great SSs. Two of their team leaders were coming off of the worst years of their careers. The pitching staff was riddled by injury questions from the year before. Their star 1B was proving to be a big, expensive pain in the ass, and not shedding the punds the way he should either. Their star closer was threatening to leave the team at the end of the season, and the centerfielder was uncertain about his future as well.

So what happened? Well, GM Bill Stoneman made the right decisions, for one. He signed Aaron Sele to give the rotation another legit arm--and one that had proven durable. He traded from the farm system's depth of pitchers for massive DH Brad Fullmer, just two seasons off of a 32 homerun season. And he sent Moo Vaughn packing to the Mets, and even got them to send him a decent pitcher in return in Kevin Appier. And then after adding a key bit part here or there, he let Scioscia have them.

The team started 6-14. Washburn, the surprise Opening Day starter, was bombed in the opening game of the season on national TV by Cleveland. Salmon got off to one of his notorious slow starts. The offense wasn't hitting and the pitchers weren't effective.

But Scioscia said, "Don't count this team out! I know they're good. Just wait and see." We scoffed, insisting that the Angels curse, the Curse of the Cowboy, was greater than any enthusiasm from a naive young manager like Scioscia, no matter how much we like him and his style.

We should have listened. We should have felt the magic, but we were so used to the losingl, to the heartbreaks, that we didn't know what anything else could feel like.

The Angels got red, red hot, and I mean blazing. They ran off streaks of 8 and 10, separated by just one loss (which is particular notable in a season in which the A's would later set their own standards with an amazing 21-game winning streak). They raced to the end of April and then sped through May. The Mariners had the lead, but the A's were yet to be found, and the Angels were dogging their heels.

And so it went on for a good while yet. And what began to stand out was how they personified a team. They weren't individuals. They went out day after day to get a win, never looking beyond the last out of the game they were playing in. Each night, it seemed, it would be a different hero. One-run games, extra innings, walk-off homeruns, you name it, the 2002 Angels did it all.

Yeah, they scored the runs. And yeah, they pitched well, too. Their bullpen was phenomenal. But what really made the Angels stand out was their gutsy play, their no-nonsense attitude, and the little ball Scioscia emphasized to them each and every day.

By the end of July, the Angels were suddenly moving past the Mariners, something that was considered unheard of after the M's amazing 116-win 2001 season. They had a lead of a small handful of games and they were maintaining it.

But the A's are known as a second-half team, and in this they did not disappoint. From August 10 to September 2, the Oakland A's did not lose a single game. They set an AL record for consecutive wins with 21 games. They were untouchable.

And the most amazing thing? At the end of it all, the Angels, who had been two games up when it began, were still only two games out when it ended. Everyone talked about the A's then. And that only made the Angels' accomplishment stand out even more. They stepped up when the competition did, and they almost kept up with another team's record-setting pace.

After some tight series in Anaheim and Oakland, the A's did end up maintaining the small lead they had gained. But by then the Angels had pulled far ahead of the other wildcard contenders for that extra playoff spot. One late day in September, the Angels crushed the Rangers and clinched a playoff spot. The champagne flowed, and in typical fashion, one of the first things inspirational leader Dairn Erstad did was call lost souls of Angels' past who were never able to reach the heights this team just did, but who deserved to be there all the same. Guys like Gary Disarcina, out of baseball with an elbow injury. Chuck Finley, soon to be in the playoffs himself for the Cardinals. Bill Bavasi, the long-since resigned architect of this team.

It wasn't enough to just make the playoffs, though. The Angels wanted more. And just like before the season began, no one gave them the chance. The Yankees were coming to town, and there was no stopping them. That magic the Angels claimed to have--the Yankees insisted they had the patent on that. And it seemed for a second like maybe they did, when Williams crushed that homerun off of Brendan Donnelly to win Game 1, or when Soriano hit his tater off of rookie phenom Frankie Rodriguez in the middle of Game 2. But the Angels came back to win a back-and-forth Game 2 behind homeruns by Glaus and Anderson and tie the series on its way to Anaheim.

I was in the stands for that Game 3. The Thunderstix were out in full force, and the crowd was literally a sea of waving, thrumming, loud-beating red. The Yankees are still the Yankees, though, and they jumped out to a 6-1 lead off of a nervous Ortiz. Never did I have a doubt, though, and I watched as the Angels mounted an inescapable comeback, ticking off a run every inning and pushing closer and closer to the Yanks. And then in the eighth inning, the flood gate broke and four Angels streamed across the plate. 9-6 Angels, and a 2-1 series lead. This seemed to finally be the piece of the puzzle needed to deflate the confident Bronx Bombers. The Angels set records for scoring in a single inning in Game 4, and sent the richest and most storied and powerful franchise in baseball back to the Big Apple for good.

In the ALCS, the Angels matched up with the Twins, and as with the Yankees, they struggled early on in front of the tough Metrodome crowd. Washburn struggled a little (not much, but enough), and Joe Mays was untouchable, as the Twins went up 1-0. The next one was very iffy for Angels fans, because the aging Appier did not look good against the Yankees, and they needed a win from him big time. And he came through! He mixed and matched his pitches and fooled the Twins' hitters all night. He didn't seem to have anything on them, but the Twins could never seem to put the bat in the right place. The Angels had tied it up.

And that got things going once again. The Angels used momentum from Game 2 to take them through games 3 and 4 in Anaheim. They were up 3-1, that same series count as 16 years ago, when Dave Henderson burned the tragic name of Donnie Moore into the hearts of Angels fans everywhere. Is this where the curse would strike, most cruelly? Dare fate tempt them in mucht eh same way again.

At first it seemed it might. The Twins jumped out to a quick lead in Game 5, and the only one on the Angels seeming to keep pace was Adam Kennedy, the scrappy second baseman little known for his power, whom had nonetheless managed to slug two homeruns early in the game. Still the Angels were down when Kennedy came up again in the seventh inning with two on. And he promptly tied playoff history by hitting his third homerun of the day! The flood gates opened then, and the Angels put across another record-setting inning fo scoring runs. By the end of it, the Twins, themselves a magical Cinderella story, were dead and buried.

Somewhere in the sky, the Cowboy smiled. The Angels were in the World Series.

If you thought the Angels would quit after reaching to heights the organization had never seen before, then you just haven't been paying attention to the Angels. Their opponents were none other than the red hot Giants, whom had dispatched a very strong Cardinals team (along with Finley and Edmonds) with frightening ease. And taking centerstage was the game's most dominant hitter, Barry Bonds. He may be the game's most dominant hitter, ever, any time period.

Bonds sent the first hittable pitch he saw into the stratosphere above right filed in Anaheim, and the stage was set for one of the most dominating individual performances in World Series history. Bonds' hot start, and some fine pitching by Jason Schmidt, kept the Angels bats quiet, and the Halos started off down 1-0 again, just like in the other series', and seemingly just like everything they have attempted to do in their 42-year history.

Game 2 was high-scoring and a nailbiter, a true casual fan's game. The Angels continued to show their knack for timely hits when Glaus and Salmon both homered to give them the lead for good late in the game. Series tied, 1-1, and onward to city by the bay. The Angels seemed to keep rolling with this in Game 3, when they obliterated the Giants for a 2-1 series lead. And they were looking good for getting their third victory in Game 4, when the Giants picked up a key hit here and there and eeked out a close, equalizing win. And then the Giants got the Angels back, defeating them in a demoralizing double-digit victory in the last game at Pac Bell.

The Angels' bats were seemingly in a morass, and they carried this with them back to Anaheim. While the Angels' bats lay dormant, the Giants continued to pound. The Giants were up 6-1, with just nine outs left until a championship was in their grasp.

And so began the greatest comeback in the history of the World Series. No team had ever come back from such a large deficit so late in an elimination game--until the Angels, that is. The very spirit of the comeback was entirely embodied in the fierce battle Scott Spiezio put up in the seventh inning, when he fouled off 13 straight pitches, and then deposited the fourtheenth in the stands. It may have been the single greatest at bat in recent World Series memory. And by a player of so little reknown. The Angels whittled away. Spiezio. Erstad. Glaus. And all of a sudden, after two innings, the Angels were suddenly up 7-6, and the greatest comeback ever was complete.

Game 7 was almost brutally anticlimactic, as the Giants showed how difficult it is to come back from a comeback such as the one from the night before. Rookies John Lackey, Rodriguez and Donnelly combined on a brilliantly-pitched game, and made Anderson's bases-clearing double in the fourth stand up. Angels win, 4-1, and the World Series is theirs!

The Angels of 2002 were nearly magical. And it is only against the backdrop of their truly tragic history that one can appreciate the amazing fact that they succeeded against some tall odds, both real and, some might say, unreal.

Can I take that team and build on this? Is it possible to build on this? I really don't know if the Curse has indeed been banished, or if it is merely transforming itself into another frightening form, laying in wait for the unsuspecting fans of the Angels.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

03-07-2003, 05:35 PM

There's so much information available in this game, I'm not even sure where to start on bringing everyone up to speed. So I figured I would go from screen to the next and pretty much decide what's important. I will begin with franchise information and then work my way down to the players.

The Anaheim Angels Organization

The Angels, of course, play in Anaheim. Their Market level is Average and Fan Loyalty Good, which would seem to put us somewhere in the middle of the whole market-loyalty scheme.

Ticket prices are currently at $10, and I don't have the know-how yet to justify changing them, so they will remain there. We brought in about 2.3 M in attendance last year, which seems very solid to me, but once again these are probably actual numbers and will likely have no bearing at all on our actual attendance this year.

Our average attendance last year was 28,464, so we have some room to grow. Our home, the recently renovated Edison International Field of Anaheim, seats 45050 at max capacity.

We brought in about $70 M last year in revenue, including $12 M in playoff funds, but like attendance, this likely will ahve no effect on our final numbers beyond what it is doing now (setting our available money for free agency and contract extensions). The attendance figures were good for 14th last year.

Our Local TV deal brings in $10 M and is good through 2006. The national deal gives us $13 M until 2005. So our broadcast revenue is about $23 M, which I believe is somewhere in the middle of the pack. Everyone gets $13 M from the national deal, but oddly enough, the deal seems to end in 2005 for some teams, and in 2006 for others. Weird. I was blown away by the Yanks' Local TV money: $41 M.

Our fan interest is 91, tops in the major leagues. I can't say this surprises me much, considering we just won the World Series. I am sure it is going to be a struggle to keep that interest that high.

The payroll right now is at a much more manageable level, at just over $57 M, good for 14th in the majors. The Yankees are at the top, with an amazing $125 M, but they are far up on #2, the Mets, at $84 M. The Devil Rays are bringing up the rear at $24 M. So excluding the Yankees, the range of normal teams' payrolls is "just" $60 M, which seems to make for a more appropriate range of payroll differences.

We don't have any of the Top 25 highest paid players. Hopefully I will be able to keep that distinction in place for a while. Our highest paid player is SP Kevin Appier, at $7.35 M per year. This is still well behind the 25th player on the list, the Phillies' OF Bobby Abreu at $8.96 M. The Yankees have an amazing four players on the list, all $9 M+.

Cash levels were interesting to check out. They generally followed high-revenue, high-cash patterns, but it seemed to be more complicated then that, especially in the middle. The Angels begin with $10 M in cash, which is a level they share with several midmarket squads. The Yankees and Mets are highest at $20 M, with the Dodgers and Cubs behind them at $15 M. The Devil Rays, again, bring up the rear at $4 M, and the Padres just ahead of them at $4.49 M. There are many teams at $5 M, once again mostly lower end revenue squads. Abberations like the big market Red Sox at $10 M and the at least midlevel Astros at $5 M confused me, so that I wasn't sure what the real basis for the individual cash levels were.

We have $22.55 M available for contract extensions, and $10.96 M for free agents, although the latter doesn't matter much since we're at Opening Day, 2003, now.

Edison International appears to be a slight pitchers ballpark, with most of the park factors a shade under the league average. There is a definite bias toward right-handed HR hitters, and against left-handed HR hitters. I'm not sure wht the right-handed HR hitters get this bias, but I know the high fense in RF is the main deterrent against left-handed power hitters. Triples are extremely plentiful here, another oddity, considering there are no unusual breaks in the outfield wall or sharp corners or what not, and the outfield, while not small, is not particularly expansive.

Like all teams, we have three minor league squads. Our AAA team is the Salt Lake City Stingers. Then we have the Arkansas Travellers at AA, and the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes at A, just up the freeways a bit from Edison.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

03-07-2003, 05:58 PM

The Coaches/Scouts

In real life, our manager is Mike Scioscia, a tough-as-nails former catcher for the Dodgers who is known to be a calming influence and a reasonable personality. But this is one area where the game to an extent depart from reality. Since I am essentially acting in the role of manager and GM, Scioscia has been reduced to a fluff reference on the Team Pages, and real life GM Bill Stoneman is now just our scout.

Here are the guys we have in place:

Mickey Hatcher, Batting Coach: The former scrappy utility reserve followed his buddy Mike to Anaheim, and is now a well-regarded hitting instructor. He is 48, and his contract calls for $260K through the end of this year. His skill as a Batting Coach is Excellent (which I think is pretty high on the scale), and his employment preference is that he "just wants to work".

Bud Black, Pitching Coach: Black is another former major leaguer, although he was a higher quality player than Hatcher was. He is being paid a little more at $340K, and his contract takes him to 2004, next year. He is 45, and his skill as a Pitching Coach is Excellent, matching Hatcher in their chosen disciplines. Like Hatcher, he just wants to work.

Bill Stoneman, Scouting Director: Stoneman, yet another former major leaguer at 49 years of age, is another guy who looks solid at his job. He is Good in spotting both Pitching and Hitting Talent, and it's nice to have a guy around who can be at least reasonably good at both. He is also signed to a nice contract at $280,000 through 2005. He says he wants a challenge, and I'm not sure we will provide it anymore, but he doesn't have a sayso in who he works for until 2005.

Mike Brumley, Salt Lake City Manager: Our AAA manager seems to be a decent type, if not spectacular. Brumley is just 39 years old, and he is Good at developing hitters. He could be better with pitchers, rating as Decent there. He carries a surprisingly high contract with him, at 360K, and it runs through 2005. That alone might mean I will want to release him at some point in the near future. Brumley just wants to work.

Doug Sisson, Arkansas Manager: Man, am I lucky to have this guy aboard. Sisson is our highest paid of our on-field management staff, at $420K through next year, and he deserves it. He rates as Excellent in both developing hitters and pitchers. He is a craggy veteran at 60, and he wants to win. I'll try to keep him as long as I can.

Bobby Meacham, Rancho Cucamonga Manager: Our Single A manager is no one to write home about, with Average skills for both developing hitters and pitchers. Fortunately, he is cheap at $240K per year through 2004. He is 42 years old, and apparently Greed is his main motivation. Given that, and his relatively low skills, expect that I will want to dump this guy sometime soon.

The total cost of the Coaches and Scouts is $1.9 M per year, and only Hatcher's contract is up at the end of 2003.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

03-07-2003, 07:21 PM

I am going to go from position group to position group and show my options for my final 25-man roster. The first group will be the rotation, followed by the bullpen, catchers, corner infielders, middle infielders, and then outfielders and the DH.

For pitchers, I will have a talent listing that will show five letters, a dash, and then a number. The talent listing is, in order, his ability to stop hitters from Getting Hits, Getting Doubles, Getting Homeruns, Getting Walks, and then his ability to Get Strikeouts. The dash is merely a separator between the talent ratings and his velocity, on a scale of 1-10. 1 is probably a knuckleballer, 10 is a fireballer, 100 mph guy. 7 seems to be the general average, your low-90s guy.

The talent scale runs from Poor (P) to Fair (F) to Average (A) to Good (G) to Brilliant (B). It should be noted that this is just talent--the actual ratings of a pitcher is currently hidden from me, as I chose when I decided to go with the Talent Only setting.

There is also a stars scale for general excellence, which runs from 0 to 5 stars. If these stars are colored blue in the game, it indicates the player is still developing. I will signify this by adding a '+' after still-developing players.

The Rotation

Jarrod Washburn-- 3.5 stars
28 years old, Throws Left, Talent GAGAA-7

2002 stats: 18-6, 3.15 ERA, 59 bb/139 k
Experience: 6th year in majors
Contract: $2.71 M/2003 (arbitration eligible)

Comments: Last year's ace is, of course, a lock for the rotation. He throws four pitches, and has shown himself to be a pitcher who keeps excellent command. He keeps balls on thr ground (65%) and let's his defense make the plays, although he does put up solid strikeout numbers. Intangibles: He's loyal to the team, and has some team leader abilities. He is consistent, and comes through in the clutch often.

Ramon "L'il Pedro" Ortiz-- 2.5 stars
30 years old, Throws Right, GGAGG-7

2002 stats: 15-9, 3.77 ERA, 68 bb/162 k
Experience: 4th year in majors
Contract: $1.69 M/2004

Comments: The slight Ortiz was often compared to a young Pedro Martinez in his early days, which earned him his nickname. He hasn't proven to be that good after all, but he still has the best pure stuff of the starters on the stuff. He racks up the strikeouts pretty good, but he gives up a lot of homeruns. He's no stud, but few teams can do better after their ace. Intangibles: Ramon is the loyal, quiet type. He wants to win, but no more than the average player. His consistency is average, and so is his clutch performances.

John Lackey-- 5+ stars
24 years old, Throws Left, GGGGG-6

2002 stats: 9-4, 3.67 ERA, 36 bb/69 k
Experience: 2nd year in majors
Contract: $300K minimum/2003 (automatic)

Comments: Lackey has the best pure talent on the major league staff currently, and acquitted himself well in his rookie season. He is regarded as a future #1 starter, with great instincts and determination. He also has better stamina than either Washburn or Ortiz. He may jump up to the #2 starter this year. Intangibles: Lackey's best quality is coming through in the clutch, a skill he displayed last year in Game 7 of the World Series. He is also a consistent player. He brings little to the mix personally, as he isn't particularly loyal nor does he exhibit any team leader abilities.

Kevin Appier-- 2.5 stars
35 years old, Throws Right, AGAAA-7

2002 stats: 14-12, 3.93 ERA, 64 bb/132 k
Experience: 15th year in the majors
Contract: $7.35 M/2004

Comments: Despite getting up there in age and just not being the same sort of pitcher he was in his more ballyhooed younger days, Appier still gets the job done effectively, ixing and matching his four pitches and getting by on veteran savvy now as much as pure stuff. Intangibles: He has some team leader skills, as the younger pitchers on the staff look up to him. He also a pretty consistent pitcher, and is decently loyal. Having already won the big one, he doesn't worry about that anymore.

Aaron Sele-- 2.5 stars
32 years, Throws Right, GGGGA-5

2002 stats: 8-9, 4.89 ERA, 49 bb/82 k
Experience: 11th year in majors
Contract: $5.6 M/2004

Comments: Sele may be a concern this year, as he is coming off of an injury to his shoulder, and a subpar 2002 besides. Only time will tell if he can return to the skills he had prior to 2002, or if this is just the beginning of his decline. He still seems to have excellent control, and gets by using that and changing speeds effectively. Like Washburn, he induces a lot of ground balls. He was a consistent winner prior to coming to the Angels before 2002. Intangibles: As another veteran who has been there and done that, Sele is another guy the young pitchers on this staff look up to. He has a penchant for being very inconsistent on the mound, though. He is as loyal as the next guy.

And that is almost certainly the starting rotation for the foreseeable future. There are other options, of course. Matt Wise is listed as a middle reliever right now, but he can start and might even be pretty good. Scott Schoenweiss was a long time starter who was bumped to the pen by lackey last year. He still wants to start and could if needed. Rookie phenom Frankie Rodriguez could also start, but that is very unlikely, as he should be far more valuable coming out of the pen. At AAA, the Angels also have Mickey Callaway and Steve Green. Callaway started for a bit last year, when Sele went down with his shoulder injury and pitched well. But he is a longtime career minor leaguer that the game doesn't really hold in high esteem. Green has pitched in majors in spots, and is regarded as the guy with better potential in the bigs.

Hopefully, though, I won't ever need to explore these other options.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

03-08-2003, 12:13 AM

The Pen

The Closer

Troy Percival-- 5 stars
33 years old, Throws Right, BGBAB-8

2002 Stats: 4-1, 40 sv, 1.93 ERA, 25 bb/68 k
Experience: 9th year in majors
Contract: $5.6 M/2004

Comments: I don't really need to go into specifics here, I think. Percy is still one of the best closers in the game. He throws heat and racks up the strikeout. He has the command and control you would expect from a bulldog like him. Intangibles: This guy is a locker room star. He is a great leader. He is loyal to the team. He has good consistency, and he is great in the clutch. The guy does it all.

There really are no other options here, and I refuse to consider any others until it becomes necessary. As the heir apparent, Rodriguez is clearly the next option should it be necessary, but there are several relievers on staff who could probably do better than a passable job at it, given a chance.

Middle Relief

Francisco "K-Rod" Rodriguez-- 5+ stars
21 years old, Throws Right, BFBAB-9

2002 Stats: 0.00 ERA in just 6 IP
Experience: 2nd year in majors
Contract: $300K minimum/2003 (automatic)

Comments: The game comments say he has the perfect makeup to be dominant out of the pen. I don't have any real reason to doubt that. He is the heir apparent for when Percival calls it quits, and he may just have the talent to be better than Percy when it's all said and done. The Angels will be tough to beat with a lead in the eighth inning. Intangibles He made it clear last year that he is every bit the clutch performer Percival is. You don't put together the kind of postseason run he did last year and not have that quality in spades. Otherwise he doesn't bring much to the table. He's not a team leader type, nor is he possessed of any sense of team loyalty. His consistency is average.

Brendan Donnelly-- 3 stars
31 years old, Throws Right, GFGAA-8

2002 Stats: 1-1, 1 sv, 2.16 ERA, 19 bb/54 k
Experience: 2nd year in majors
Contract: $300K minimum/2003 (automatic)

Comments: Donnelly rounds out the Angels' power trio in the pen. After a lengthy tenure int he minor leagues, Donnelly finally put it all together and reached the bigs--and then succeeded like he had always been there. Like Percy and K-Rod, he has closer level stuff, although doesn't have quite the same demeanor as the other two. Still, he has the command of the zone and the outright heat that he needs to succeed. Intangibles: Donnelly is very inconsistent, which is probably something you would expect from a guy who took a decade to reach the majors. He doesn't really bring much to the locker room. He isn't very loyal or have any team leader abilities.

Ben Weber-- 4 stars
33 years old, Throws Right, AABFA-7

2002 Stats: 7-2, 7 sv, 2.54 ERA, 22 bb/45 k
Experience: 4th year in majors
Contract: $300K minimum/2003 (arbitration)

Comments: Weber put it all together last season after a couple seasons getting his talents under control. Like Donnelly, he is also a late bloomer. He is described as a very reliable reliever, who mixes his pitches and changes spped very well. Intangibles: It's not just the similarity on ages and arrival time in the bigs. Weber seems to have almost the same type of makeup as Donnelly. For all his stated reliability, he is described as being very inconsistent. He does have some loyalty to the team, unlike Donnelly, but he has no team leader abilities at all.

Lou Pote-- 3 stars
31 years old, Throws Right, GGGAA-6

2002 Stats: 0-2, 3.24 ERA, 26 bb/32 k
Experience: 5th year in majors
Contract: $1 M/2003 (arbitration)

Comments: Pote is another of the Angels' surprisingly array of cheap, quality relievers, which is a big reason why they had the best bullpen in baseball last year. In real life, Pote actually was allowed to leave, and he signed with a team in Japan. As long as he's here, though, he will combine the usual mix of good command and control to keep his team in the game. Intangibles: It's amazing how similar this guy is to Weber. You could cut and paste. He has the same level of average loyalty to the team, and he also has consistency problems. It's never good to have so many inconsistent relievers, but let's face it, if Donnelly, Weber, and Pote are all this inconsistent, at least one of them should always be doing well.

Scot Shields-- 3 stars
27 years old, Throws Right, GAAAA-5

Stats: 5-3, 2.20 ERA, 21 bb/30 k
Experience: 3rd year in majors
Contract: 300K minimum/2003 (automatic)

Comments: Shields is a younger pitcher that makes it a little easier for the Angels to consider moving some of the older guys if they have to. He has a lot of the same skills as Pote and Weber, and with his nothing fastball, he needs them, too. He mixes his pitches well and he has good control. He does get tapped for the longball on occasion. Intangibles Not only is Shields younger than most of the rest of the pen, but he also has some team leading ability. Otherwise, he isn't too far off from Pote, with just a touch of loyalty for the team, and once again, a lot of inconsistency.

That is the current major league roster, but the Angels have a lot to choose from to back them up in AAA as well. I haven't decided yet what the makeup of the major league roster will be, but these guys might get a chance. I have already mentioned possible starters like Callaway and Wise. Former starter Schoenweiss, the only lefty in the pen last year, is also at AAA and ready to contribute in any way. In a jif, the Angels can also even call on minor league vets like Mark Lukasiewicz and Bart Miadich. But with a pen like this, I don't expect to need many of these guys, so they may end up as trade bait. All of the pitchers in AAA can contribute to a major league staff somewhere right now.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

03-08-2003, 01:49 AM

The Catchers

Now that I have reached the hitters, things really don't change much with the talents. Basically, you need to look at them as the opposite of pitching.

So now, instead of Avoiding things, it's your skill at producing them. So the talent skills are listed as follows: Batting Average (Getting Hits), Hitting Doubles, Hitting Triples, Hitting Homeruns, Drawing Walks and then Avoiding Strikeouts. The triples are a new category for hitters that aren't reflected for pitchers.

I will then follow this with a dash, and then their speed and stealing ability separated by a forward slash, on the A-E scale (A being best), and whether or not they are a Spray, Normal, or Pull hitter.

I will also include defensive ratings in the followup column of information.

Ben Molina-- 2 stars
28 years old, Bats/Throws Right, AAFFFB-E/E (Pull)

2002 Stats: .245, 5, 47, .596 OPS
Defense Ratings at C: D Range, .991 Field, C Arm
Experience: 5th year in majors
Contract: $1.45 M/2005

Comments: Bengie kinda got the shaft in these ratings, at least defensively. In real life, he threw out the highest percentage of runners in the AL last year, and he won the Gold Glove. He is also highly regarded as a handler of pitchers. Hitting seems to be dead on. He only has a touch of power, he's tough to strikeout, and he may be the slowest runner in the league. Intangibles: Ben is loyal to the team, and he has average consistency. He doesn't really have any team leader skills to speak of in the game, although I know that in real life is highly thought of by his fellow catchers and by the pitchers, especially the Latin American ones like Ortiz and Rodriguez.

Jose Molina-- 2.5 stars
27 years old, Bats/Throws Right, GAFFAA-E/E (Normal)

2002 Stats: .271, 0, 5, .626 OPS (just 71 ab)
Defense Ratings At C: D Range, 1.000 Field, C Arm
Experience: 4th year in majors
Contract: $300K minimum/2003 (arbitration)

Comments: Jose has a little bit better of a bat than his brother, Bengie. According to this game, he is just as good of a backstop as well, although in real life, it should be noted that Jose was actually a catcher before Ben (who was converted in the minor leagues). Anyway, Jose may have more upside because of being able to make better contact with the ball. Intangibles: He has average consistency, and next to no team leader skills or team loyalty.

Catching, at least by this game's standards, is probably subpar for the Angels. In real life, the Molina brothers form an interestingly effective duo, and are generally there for defense only. Here, their defense isn't good enough to justify doing that. But my options are limited. The two other catchers in the organization are too far off to contribute at the major league level just yet. We do have Shawn Wooten, who can catch if the need arises. But there is a reason he's a DH by general trade. As for which one starts, you got me. I may even start off playing them split time and letting whichever one plays better get more playing time.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

03-08-2003, 02:43 AM

The Corners

First Base

Scott Spiezio-- 2.5 stars
30 years old, Bats Switch/Throws Right, AGAGAG-D/B (Pull)

2002 Stats: .285, 12, 82, .807 OPS
Defense Ratings At 1B: A Range, .998 Field
Experience: 8th year in majors
Contract: $2.98/2003

Comments: Spiezio is the kind of player that epitomizes these Angels. No one thinks he's all that great, but I will bet some eyebrows were raised reading this if they noticed him .807 OPS last year. He's a smart hitter who makes contact, and he has some pop. Defensively, he is one of the best 1B in the league, and he can also play four other positions besides. Intangibles: The game description says that he is well-liked in the clubhouse, and this is reflected a little in that he has some team leader abilities. As he showed in the World Series last year, he is also great in the clutch. He does suffer from some severe bouts of consistency, though, and he is not really known for being loyal to the team.

I have no other natural 1B on the roster, and even Spiezio came up as a 2B when he was a rookie with the A's. Not that that has hurt his development at 1B none. If I need him to, Wooten once again can play at 1B, and he's actually a decent fielder there. Darin Erstad also still has skills at 1B from starting there for a season earlier in his career. And at AAA, we have a decent hitting career minor leaguer type in Larry Barnes, who can also be called upon quickly if needed.

Third Base

Troy Glaus-- 4.5 stars
26 years old, Bats/Throws Right, AGFBBF-C/B (Pull)

2002 Stats: .250, 30, 111, .805 OPS
Defense Ratings at 3B: C Range, .953 Field
Experience: 6th year in majors
Contract: $4.5 M/2004

Comments: Glaus is coming off of an off year, but there seems little doubt that he can and will bounce back to form. He has immense power, and the ability to one day break 50 HRs in today's era of pwer. He is also exceptional at drawing the walk. He could do better making contact with the ball, but he does enough to get by. Defensively, he's average at best at 3B. Intangibles: In the clubhouse, Glaus makes as big an impact as he is physically big (6'5", 229 lb). He has some team leader ability, and he does feel some loyalty to the team. He is yet another of the guys that has proved to be great in the clutch, and he is fairly consistent. There are few negatives about this young, unassuming star.

Once again, we hit a sort of wall for backups. The corner infield is obviously not a particularly deep spot. Wooten is once again the best backup option here, and Spiezio can play 3B as well as Glaus can if need be (but then we would need a 1B). After that, the rest of the franchise's 3B are at Single A. Jose Nieves, a natural 2B, could be shipped up from AA in an emergency, but there's a reason he's at Arkansas and not in the bigs.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

03-08-2003, 03:34 AM

The Middle Infield

Second Base

Adam Kennedy-- 2.5 stars
27 years old, Bats Left/Throws Right, AGGFFG-C/C (Normal)

2002 Stats: .312, 7, 52, .794 OPS
Defense Ratings at 2B: C Range, .984 Field
Experience: 5th year in majors
Contract: $350K/2003 (arbitration)

Comments: Kennedy probably isn't going to be a regular .300 hitter, but he can make contact with the ball. In fact, he has to, because he doesn't really have the patience to wait on it. That said, he's hard to fan, and he has solid gap power. He is average at 2B, but he makes the routine plays. Intangibles He's not a team leader, and isn't any more loyal to the team than then average player, so Adam isn't going to do it much in the clubhouse. He lets his playing do the talking. He has good consistency and he is durable, playing a lot of games every year. Despite the three-homerun game against the Twins int he 2002 ALCS, Kennedy is not really known for being a clutch player or for having much fence-reaching power.

Chone Figgins-- 2+ stars
25 years old, Bats Switch/Throws Right, AABPFG-A/C (Spray)

2002 Stats: .167 (just 12 ab)
Defense Ratings at 2B: C Range, .941 Field
Experience: 2nd year in the majors
Contract: $300K minimum/2003 (automatic)

Comments: Figgins isn't considered a big time prospect, but he could be a sleeper. He happens to do some things well that some Angels aren't so good at, like running fast. He is a speed burner, although his baserunning skills need work. He doesn't look like he will ever be a great hitter, but he has the skills, plate discipline and speed to eventually do a fair job of leading off for this squad. Defensively, he will get to most of the plays Kennedy will. The difference, though, may be that he seems more likely to screw it up once he gets to it. He might be sent back down to AAA to make way for depth in other areas. Intangibles: Chone (pronounced like "Shon") happens to do one thing bad that is rare on the Angels. He actually suffers in the clutch. This was actually a bit obvious from some baserunning blunders he made as a pinchrunner in the playoffs last year. He does have good consistency, though, and he has average team loyalty. He has no team leader skills.

Kennedy is clearly the starter right now, since Figgins is likely not ready for more than a backup role. He really is a strong candidate to be sent down to make room for pitching depth, most likely. There are plenty of candidates to backup 2B behind Kennedy in any case, with the two SS and established major leaguers David Eckstein and Benji Gil each able to play 2B. Spiezio can also play there. Nieves and AAA middle infielder Alfredo Amezaga can be brought up in a hurry if needed.

Shortstop

David Eckstein-- 3 stars
28 years old, Bats/Throws Right, GAGFAG-B/B (Spray)

2002 Stats: .293, 8, 63, .751 OPS
Defense Ratings at SS: B Range, .971 Field
Experience: 3rd year in majors
Contract: $300K minimum/2003 (automatic)

Comments: Can you believe that a guy so critical to the team's success is still playing for the league minimum? The Ecks-Factor does it all. He bunts, he runs, he steals, he plays defense, he hits for the gap, he makes contact in droves, and every now and then he'll surprise you and hit a grand slam. Even Barry Bonds was learning something from Eckstein's approach to the game (they played together on the touring All Star team in Japan). He is a fan and clubhouse favorite. Intangibles: For all the intangibles the game description hints that David has, he doesn't really get a lot of respect for his personality. He isn't listed as having any team leader ability and I think that's just an egregious error. But if I changed his ratings, I would have to change a whole lot of others to justify it. I agreed to take these rosters pretty much as is, so I will. He is listed as having good consistency. In lesser errors, it also indicates he has little team loyalty or ability in the clutch.

Benji Gil-- 2.5 stars
30 years old, Bats/Throws Right, GAAFAF-D/E (Normal)

2002 Stats: .285, 3, 20, .738 OPS (in 130 ab)
Defense Ratings at SS: C Range, .953 Field
Experience: 8th year in majors
Contract: $810K/2005

Comments: Can you believe that both of the MLB's Benji's are on the same team? Gil is a nice bench player to have, since he is versatile as a utility infielder, and is almost good enough to start. He can make contact, and even has some pop. He is patient at the plate as well. Surprisingly, he's actually a middle infielder who is not very good on the basepaths. For all the positions, he plays, he is really quite average in the field. Intangibles: Gil's character sheet is a virtual copy of Eckstein's at least in the game. Keep in mind that, in real life, Eckstein is, IMO, much different than what it says in the game, but it suits Gil to a tee. He has the same good consistency, but really brings little else to the table.

For all the options that there are at 2B, there are seemingly few at SS. Gil is a certain major leaguer, unlike Figgins, so a readily available and able backup will always be on hand. Amezaga at Salt Lake City can also play SS if needed.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

03-15-2003, 02:11 AM

Heh...you guys probably thought I went away or got bored with this dynasty before it got started. :)

Actually, I was never more into it. But I'm a big fan of reality, and I had the opportunity to add 144 additional prospects to the rosters I had, including three good ones for the Angels.

It actually took me all week to get it done, thanks to difficulties with the import/export feature on OOTP5. I want bore anyone with the details, but let's just saw it was rather more exhaustive than I thought it would be, and I had to do a lot of trila and error before I finally found a decent enough work-around to actually use.

Anyway, the rosters have probably changed a little, mostly with the additions. I also moved some other players around that were already in the game, but to the correct rosters. I did NOT make any of the more recent additions from real life, however (no Lofton on Pitt--still a free agent; no Rogers of Minnesota; no Richard for Cust trade). I will say that of the 144 additions I made to the league, 15 of them are on the Top 100 list (none for the Angels, though), so I would say that's a fairly significant addition of talent. One thing is for sure--I won't forget any of the names of the 144 because I have been staring at them for a friggn' week. It should be an interesting sidenote to one day look back and check on what happened to them all (assuming I get far), and see if it was worth it for all the work I did. :)

I have also made two fun personal additions.

I work with a guy named Kevin Waldinger who was drafted by the Tigers last year out of college. He hurt his throwing shoulder and is rehabilitating it, and he never signed with the Tigers. He plans on re-entering the draft. I'm not sure how to add him to the rookies, though, so I created a fictional player and put him at the Single A level. I made him a 3-star talent, which means he should get a shot, but he ain't a lock.

My cousin Chris Cunningham was also drafted last year, although he decided to forgo signing (don't ask, long story). He was drafted as a catcher from Arizona by Pittsburgh. I also have him set up as a three-star prospect, although the Pirates are already overvaluing him.

I thought it would be fun to look in on these two occasionally and see how they are doing. It helps that it is the Pirates and Tigers, of course, since they aren't powers. The last thing I want to do is give the Yankees or the Dodgers an unnecessary additional solid prospect.

Otherwise, it's back to where I was. I am about to do outfielders. Once I wrap them up and go over my lineups and some other little things, we will finally be prepared to start off the season.

I hope you enjoy.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

03-15-2003, 03:36 AM

The Outfield/DH

Left Field

Garrett Anderson-- 2.5 stars
30 years old, Bats/Throws Left, GGFGFG-C/B (Normal)

2002 Stats: .306, 29, 123, .871 OPS
Defense Ratings in LF: B Range, .993 Field, C Arm
Experience: 9th year in majors
Contract: $5.03 M/2005

Comments: Can't a guy get any respect? I mean, here's a guy who has been about as consistent as anyone in the past eight seasons, and last year he was a legit MVP candidate. And he gets 2.5 stars? Weird. Still, his talent seems to grade out well. I just hope I'm getting something closely approximating what a fine player GA is, rather than some warped OOTP version of him (odds are for the latter :( ). Intangibles: Not surprisingly, his consistency is good. They should have a higher ratings just for him. 150+games per year, like clockwork, and he never seems to have an off year. He is also listed as a great team leader. I'm not sure I would say that, although I do know his example is much followed. He is considered to have pretty much no loyalty or need for a winning team or anything but average ability in the clutch.

Centerfield

Darin Erstad-- 3 stars
28 years old, Bats/Throws Left, AGFAAG-B/B (Normal)

2002 Stats: .283, 10, 73, .702
Defense Ratings in CF: A Range, .995 Field, C Arm
Experience: 8th year in majors
Contract: $5.68 M/2004

Comments: I don't know if we got burned on GA's actual talent, but we may be making up for it with Erstad. Yes, Erstad is good. He brings qualities to the table that few major leaguers possess, that are harder to measure. But I don't know if I would have made him this good. It seems more and more likely that 2000 was the fluke rather what he was really capable of doing. Still, he is versatile in the game, and in real life he has shown his abilty to do much of what he is given credit for here. He can hit, hit for power, play great defense and leadoff with speed. Intangibles: As I said, though, his best qualities in real life might be off the field. The fiery Erstad is considered a great leader even among great leaders. He is the spirit of this team. So it comes as no shock that he is graded as a great leader in the game. He has average loyalty and consistency as well, but no other notable character ratings.

Rightfield

Tim "Kingfish" Salmon-- 2.5 stars
34 years old, Bats/Throws Right, GGFGBF-D/B (Normal)

2002 Stats: .286, 22, 88, .883 OPS
Defense Ratings in RF: C Range, .989 Field, A Arm
Experience: 12th year in majors
Contract: $5.46 M/2003

Comments: This guy is the epitome of the quiet leader and veteran. He has always been a stand up guy, so it makes sense he would play such an important role on a team like this. Salmon still has good power and gets the bat around just fine, although his defense is starting to suffer from his advancing age. He is fantastically patient at the plate as well, serving him well in front of the ultra-contact hitting GA and free swinging Glaus. Intangibles: Another Angel, another great leader. Where as Erstad is the spirit, the Kingfish is its heart. He is also great in the clutch, is fairly consistent, and has decent loyalty to the team. He's pretty much the kind of player every manager dreams of.

Backup outfielders are actually in flux right now. For one thing, the obvious choice here is veteran Eric Owens, but the game has him at AAA. In his place on the big league squad, the computer has placed youngsters Robb Quinlan and Nathan Haynes. While both are solid, I am of the opinion you need to go with at least one veteran, so figure one of these guys will get sent down to make room for Owens.

Designated Hitter

Brad Fullmer-- 2 stars
28 years old, Bats Left/Throws Right, ABAGPA-D/D (Pull)

2002 Stats: .289, 19, 59, .888 OPS
Defense Ratings at 1B: C Range, .987 Field
Experience: 7th year in majors
Contract: $492K/2003

Comments: Here's another guy the computer is essentially giving the shaft to. He's currently at AAA, but he will probably at least platoon at DH, if not outright start there every game. He generates good power and makes contact, even if he never walks. He's actually passable at 1B, but if you have Spiezio around, why bother handing Fullmer a glove? Intangibles: Fullmer has little loyalty and average ability in the clutch. He does have some leader ability, and he is also consistent.

Shawn Wooten-- 2 stars
30 years old, Bats/Throws Right, GAFAPA-E/C (Pull)

2002 Stats: .312, 8, 32, .793 OPS
Defense Ratings at C: E Range, .993 Field, D Arm

Comments: If Fullmer gets platooned at all, it will be with this guy. Wooten's sole claim to fame thus far has been that he went to high school with Jason Giambi. Actually, Wooten has some good hitting ability. He makes contact and he has some pop. As a catcher, Wooten makes a great designated hitter. Intangibles: Wooten doesn't bring as much to account as some others on the team, with minimal loyalty and no team leader skills. He does have average consistency.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

03-15-2003, 07:26 AM

Of course, the organization doesn't stop at the major league level. And OOTP5 is set up to make the minor leagues more important than they ever have been before.

For one thing, now we have more accurate minor league reports, that make different suggestions for when a player is ready for advancement. Also, the addition of minor league records (I have been surmising that this must be done by playing the major league schedule, but against the minor league teams of the major league opponents) and the record keeping of year-by-year minor league stats would seem to suggest that there has been a move to make them more relevant as well. Finally, as pertains directly to this dynasty, statistics are the primary way I will be judging players' advancement in this, a No Talent ratings league. So minor league stats will become even more critical.

I am fortunate that the cupboard is not bare for the Angels' organization (which is an accurate reflection of the real life system, which has also improved by leaps and bounds in recent years). According to the minor league system rankings, we are currently 11th in the league with 63 points. I would explain to you what the points mean, but I haven't a clue myself either. All I know is that more is better.

The top minor league system belongs to, not surprisingly, Tampa Bay, which has had the "joy" of picking at or near the top of the draft board pretty much since the year of its inception. They had four players in the Top 30, and two in the Top 10. Their score was 128 points, more than double mine (although I still don't know exactly what that means). They were followed by Cleveland, San Francisco, the New York Mets, and Detroit. Perhaps as the season goes on I will be able to provide more descriptions of the future stars of the league.

As for Anaheim, we appear to have five players listed in the Top 100, although minor league system rankings seem to only go up to five players (I only counted 91 players listed on the screen for all 30 teams, so nine players listed in the Top 100 are apparently not even mentioned in the rankings report). The best of the bunch is easily AA 1B Casey Kotchman, ranked 13th overall. He is joined by four starting pitchers, reflecting an organizational strength. They are Bobby Jenks (54th), Johan A. Santana (59th), Joe Saunders (60th) and Chris Bootcheck (78th).

Here's a team-by-team look at our minor leagues...

AAA Salt Lake City Stingers

Manager: Mike Brumley
Develop Hitters: Good
Develop Pitchers: Decent

The Stingers' roster currently carries 16 players of note. The roster is predominantly fringe major leaguers or overdeveloped minor leaguers waiting for a shot. The great thing about the depth here is that we seem to have a ready call up or emergency plan in case of a massive rash of injuries or a trade offer we can't pass up. The bad news is that most of it is, indeed, fringe talent and our true talented prospects are mostly at least a year away from helping the big club.

There are a handful of relievers available in veteran minor leaguers like Mark Lukasiewicz (2.5 stars) and Bart Miadich (2 stars), major league vets like Scott Schoenweiss(2.5 stars) and the aging Rich Rodriguez (1 star), and a good replacement starter in Matt Wise (2.5 stars), who could start for some other teams. Schoenweiss, who also can start, would likely get the call up if I decide to bring up a reliever (and I am pretty sure I will).

The list is no less full of fringe major leaguers amongsth hitters. Veteran catcher Sal Fasano (1 star) is on hand in case of injuries to either of the Molina brothers for longer than a DL-less visit to the bench. OF Eric Owens (1 star) is the veteran outfielder who will likely be called up to serve as the primary outfield backup for the big squad, and of course there is DH Brad Fullmer, pretty much assured of an immediate promotion back to the majors.

The team is also further buoyed by other longtime Angels minor leaguers as 1B Larry Barnes (1 star), LF Elpidio Guzman (1 star), and RF Jeff DeVanon (1 star).

Among developing (i.e. 25 and under) talents, we only have a handful, as I noted. Only one such pitcher, SP Steve Green (2+ stars), is at AAA, and with Wise and Schoenweiss also more likely to get the call to fill holes, he is several injuries away from a legit shot at the bigs.

There is a nice young talent in the OF in RF Mike O'Keefe (4+ stars), being groomed to one day take over for Tim Salmon. O'Keefe has tremendous power and a nice swing. He is the most talented of the three players I added to the Angels' organization during my one-week hiatus from this dynasty.

We also have SS Oscar Salazar (2.5+ stars) and SS Alfredo Amezaga (1+ star) present for middle infield depth (and Salazar, who has better power than most middle infielders, may one day start).

It is also likely that in the reshuffling of the major league roster, 2B Chone Figgins (2+ stars), CF Nathan Haynes (2.5+ stars), and LF Robb Quinlan (2 stars) will be dropped to Salt Lake City. Figgins and Haynes are mostly decent-hit speedsters, while Quinlan is a fringe major leaguer who may get the reserve outfield nod over Owens. Quinlan was another player added during my absence.

AA Arkansas Travellers

Manager: Doug Sisson
Develop Hitters: Excellent
Develop Pitchers: Excellent

With the exceptional skills of Manager Sisson, our AA team should serve as the boost which will get most of our prospects tot he major leagues eventually. And fortunately, many of our best ones are currently doing time here in Arkansas.

1B Casey Kotchman (4.5+ stars), the top prospect in the organization, mans first place here as he works his way up to perhaps a starting spot in Anaheim as soon as 2004. He has the good swing and power, and he is tremendous at hitting for the gaps. This seems reminiscent of old Angels' fan fave 1B Wally Joyner.

Fireballers Bobby Jenks (4.5+ stars) and Joe Saunders (4.5+ stars) head what amounts to a Diamondback-ish power twosome in Arkansas's rotation. They are ably supported by Chris Bootcheck (2.5+ stars) and Richard Fischer (3.5+ stars), the last of the three additions to the Angels' organization. That foursome alone, and supported by vet minor leaguer Elvin Nina (1 star), will likely rack up the wins for Arkansas.

The pen isn't so deep, with veteran minor leaguer Doug Nickle (1 star) and Derrick Turnbow (2+ stars) being the only relievers present to lend any significant support.

After Kotchman, the lineup at AA is pretty weak, featuring a bunch of players who are just about to turn too old to be prospects anymore. C Wil Nieves (1.5+ stars) is probably too old at 25 now to expect that he will be able to earn a spot in the majors ahead of the Molinas or Fasano and too lightly talented to hold off some more talented Single A catchers. Natural centerfielders Julio Ramirez (1.5+ stars) and Barry Wesson (1.5+ stars) are mostly there just for support. Vet minor league 2B Jose Nieves is present for absolute emergencies higher up, but he's not going anywhere either.

This team can win a lot, but it's probably going to have to depend on that great starting pitching and the offensive prowess of Kotchman alone. And Saunders is reportedly close to moving up to Salt Lake City.

A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes

Manager: Bobby Meachem
Develop Hitters: Average
Develop Pitchers: Average

Meachem isn't really all that great, and he's a greedy bastard besides, but we're going to have to just live with him for now.

As you would expect, the Single A team is entirely peopled by younger prospects, all of whom have a decent chance to see Anaheim in an official capacity, but none of whom are stars int he making (at least not yet).

There is, once again, some pitching strength, albeit not as deep as AA. Johan A. Santana (2.5+ stars) is on the Top 100 Prospects List and Joe Torres (3+stars) is actually said to be more talented, at least by our scout, Bill Stoneman (who is a good judge of talent).

With organizational mediocrity present throughout the other levels at our backstop position--including the major leagues--it is somewhat of a relieve to have two nice young talented catchers in Jared Abruzzo (2.5+ stars) and Jeff Mathis (2+ stars). Both are high-quality receivers. Abruzzo gets the edge because he has a slightly stronger arm and makes better contact with the ball.

Defensive whiz and gap-hitter SS Brian Specht (3+ stars) could be the future at that position when Eckstein gets a little older. He is already as good a defender as most major league shortstops and has the talent to develop into a better hitter as well. 3B Dallas McPherson (2.5+ stars) guards the line to Specht's right and some decent hitting talent that might get him to the majors someday, but his path isn't likely to be as easy as Specht's will be.

So there you go. An in-depth look at the Angels' future stars.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

03-16-2003, 12:58 AM

The Final 25

Well, it is now time for me to prepare for the season, get my final roster in and set up lineups.

So who's going in? Most of you know the givens. Here they are...

My five projected starters are easy to pick in Jarrod Washburn, Kevin Appier, John Lackey, Aaron Sele and Ramon Oritz. So that's five.

Troy Percival and Francisco Rodriguez are locks for the pen, to go to seven. The others on the current staff are also returning from last year in Brendan Donnelly, Ben Weber, Lou Pote and Scott Shields. That brings me to 11 pitchers, and I think I want to carry at least 12. More on that in a second.

Ben and Jose Molina are easy choices at catcher, bringing the total to 13. Scott Spiezio, Troy Glaus, David Ecksteion and Adam Kennedy round out the starting infield, and utility player Benji Gil is a lock for a spot. That moves us up to 18 players.

In the outfield, Garrett Anderson, Darin Erstad and Tim Salmon are the starters, and Shawn Wooten is a lock to be ont he roster, if not start, since he will see time at DH and also has the versatility to serve in several other backup positions in the infield.

That moves us up to 22, with three spots contested. Currently, those three spots are being held by youngsters Nathan Haynes, an outfielder; 2B Chone Figgins, and older minor leaguer Robb Quinlan.

Brad Fullmer is definitely moving up to the major league squad, so I will send him up and send Figgins down. With Schoenweiss's versatility to both start and relief and the fact that he's a lefty, he is the obvious choice for the 12th spot. I will bring him up and send down Haynes. Both Haynes and Figgins accepted the reassignments without question.

So the last 25th spot is between Quinlan and the veteran Owens at AAA. Quinlan is the better talent, but I don't know how developed he is at this point, since he is just 26. Owens is more of a proven player, even if he's proven to be nothing better than shitty. He's a good defender who can play all four outfield positions, he has some speed with which to pinchrun, and he has the bat control and plate discsipline to be a good pinch hitter. Plus, he's 32, and I would rather blow off a year as a reserve by a veteran like him than to start the clock on Quinlan, who might develop into a decent player still.

Pitching Staff

Mostly I went with the computer recommendations, since they didn't differ too much from what I anticipated to march out there.

Here's the rotation, and order of starts:

Washburn
Appier
Ortiz
Sele
Lackey

My closer is, of course:

Percival

The setup men are:

Rodriguez
Schoenweiss (this last mostly for his left-handedness)

The middle relievers are:

Weber
Pote
Donnelly
Schoenweiss

The mop up relievers are:

Shield
Donnelly

Starters & Lineups

SS Eckstein
CF Erstad
RF Salmon
LF Anderson
3B Glaus
DH Fullmer (R)/Wooten (L)
1B Spiezio
C JMolina (R)/BMolina (L)
2B Kennedy

When the DH isn't used, they are simply removed from the lineup. This isn't really what the computer told me to do with the lineups--I pretty much copied the Angels' most common lineups from last year, so I guess we'll see which way works better.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

03-16-2003, 02:38 AM

OMG...as you all know, I have been struggling immensely with the player export/import option. That's basically where I was for the last week. I thought I was done with the problems. Well, how naive of me. :(

For some reason, exporting the rosters, editing them, and then re-importing them causes the "stage of the game" to change, but not the date.

I should be at Opening Day 2003. Somehow, in importing this roster set, I have been bumped back to before free agency, but with the same rosters. Basically, it's like I am about to begin free agency, but on Opening Day, so I have to wait 30 days before I play a game. And since the game date didn't reset when the stage of the game did, I will be watching the entire first month of games wiped out while we finish "free agency".

After all the work I have done, this is extremely frustrating. I am considering my options.

Here's what I have come up with:

1) Run "free agency" and simply begin games when it finally lets me. Pros: I have already done this, and can load up that league file whenever I want to. I already know the first games are voided, but otherwise everything seems to be fine. Cons: Incomplete season, with resulting lesser stats and lesser revenues for teams.

2) Run "free agency" (obviously, there seems to be no way of avoiding this) and edit the schedule to begin the day after free agency. I think this would work, but I'm not sure. Pros: I get a whole season in, with revenues. Cons: I have to go back and add my personal players again (the two guys I know) and re-do my lineups & stuff (which took a little bit). And I don't know how the game will handle a postseason ending in late November.

Right now, I am leaning toward 2. While I'm not looking forward to the work I'll have to do (really not that much, but I hate having to repeat stuff I just did), I really think it's important that the whole season be played, especially for the finances of the clubs. Also, since when the game moves over to a new season, it begins in January of the next year, I don't think I will have a problem with the season advancing a further month into the year.

So for now I will go with this. If anyone cares, I also posted about this problem at OOTP, although I doubt I'll get any helfpul responses before I wrap up my chanegs and start this up again.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

03-16-2003, 05:28 AM

Well, okay, after exploring the possibility of doing option #2, I discovered even more problems with importing and re-importing, and basically I would be going back to square one just about if I start over.

I am extremely disgusted with this to the point of wanting to just drop the whole thing, but I'm too stubborn, having spent so much time trying to get these rosters set up and transferred over.

So I'm going with Option 1. The season will be a month short unless it allows me to add series after the season, in which case I will attempt to duplicate the missing April schedule. I'll try that in a second. Assume, though, that like everything else involved with this, that that won't work and we will be having an imitation 1995 league (the year shortened by a month following the 1994 strike).

Back in a bit.

Chief Rum

korme

03-16-2003, 06:35 PM

Chief, tonight TotalMinors v1 comes out and has a massive amount more players, and correct speed/steal and accurate defensive ratings.. so you could use that!

Or, if you want to keep yours, just add 30 games for each team at the end of the year.. it can be done, as long as you start adding before the scheduled games are finished, or it will send you to the playoffs!

Good luck.

korme

03-16-2003, 06:39 PM

Ok, I just read that TotalMinors v1 will not have a ton of prospects added (probably nothing near the 144 + 2 guys you made), but it is mainly adjusting the things I mentioned above and real-life player ratings -- So Garret Anderson will probably get something better than 2.5 stars..

DolphinFan1

03-17-2003, 02:23 AM

Chief Rum,
I think it is a good idea to go with idea #1, as much as I'd like to forget '94-'95. At least it should save you some work. As a dynasty writer myself, I understand how much time is involved in it. Try to save as much as possible. By the way, keep it up. I'm reading.

Chief Rum

03-17-2003, 02:35 PM

Thanks for the advice, guys.

Shorty: Yeah, I have been keeping tabs on GeForce's rosters. They aren't yet what I'm looking for, though. When they are complete, with the additional prospects, I will probably download them and play a solo league or two with them.

But, yeah, I'm going to stick with adding games to the season and go from there. In fact, that's what I have been doing for the past day or so (in my free time, of course).

DolphinFan1: Thanks, dolphinfan. I plan to. As I just noted to Shorty, I will have a complete season after all. It will just last a month later into the year. :)

I have actually completed the first month of play, and am still working out just what and how much I want to present. My goal is to always keep the readers in tune with what and how the Angels are doing, but I also want to immerse a little in the baseball world as well. So I will likely return later with reports both about the team and the major events of the past month in baseball.

I have added the exact same April schedule to the end of the season (it took a bit of switching back and forth, but I did it), so we're set and moving on. The All Star game is now August 9. Too bad I had already played a handful of games before with this set, or otherwise generating a new schedule would have been much, much easier.

Talk to you guys soon.

Chief Rum

Swaggs

03-18-2003, 11:40 PM

Wow Rummy!!!

You deserve more posts for the length of some of these babies.

Keep up the good work, I'll be following along (albeit a bit behind). ;)

lynchjm24

03-19-2003, 05:21 PM

Good dynasty - except for the Bobby Meachum bashing.

Chief Rum

03-21-2003, 08:55 PM

Thanks, Swaggs and jim, I appreciate the comments. I'm just glad I finally got to the point where I could get this going again--it has been a busy week. :)

Sorry for the Meacham bashing, Jim, but he really does suck in this roster set. :)

I still haven't really decided what to present about the baseball world at the end of the first month of play, so I guess I'll throw it all out there. I'll start with a status report on all-things-Angels and then move on to league happenings.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

03-21-2003, 09:06 PM

The Standings

Game Date: June 1, 2003 (remember, the schedule is crewed up and Opening Day was actually April 30, 2003)

AL West


Team W L PCT GB

Oakland 17 11 .607 --
Anaheim 17 12 .586 0.5
Texas 15 14 .517 2.5
Seattle 13 16 .448 4.5


This started off with the Rangers getting really hot, but our squad and the A's picked it up as we were supposed to do, and overtook them near the end. The Mariners, of course, are also expected to be good (a notion not offput by the fact they themselves are still just three games below .500), so you can expect that we are probably again in baseball's best division.

AL Central


Team W L PCT GB

Minnesota 16 12 .571 --
Detroit 15 13 .536 1.0
Cleveland 15 14 .517 1.5
Chicago 11 18 .379 5.5
Kansas City 10 20 .333 7.0


No surprise with Minnesota on top here. Detroit's early success is a surprise, of course, and they should be an interesting team to watch. Chicago is doing horribly bad for their supposed talent level.

AL East


Team W L PCT GB

Boston 21 6 .778 --
New York 17 11 .607 4.5
Toronto 13 16 .448 9.0
Baltimore 12 16 .429 9.5
Tampa Bay 8 21 .276 14.0


Boston has the best record in the majors right now, so Sox fans of the world rejoice. They are just off to a phenomenal start. It's significant to note that the powerful Yanks would be tied for the AL West lead right now and ahead of the Twins int he AL Central, were they in either of those divisions. Instead, they are already 4.5 games out. Toronto and Baltimore, fringe teams that might have hoped to put up respectable seasons, have to be especially glum right now, since they are already almost 10 games back, and they haven't played that bad. Tampa Bay (and probably a common Red Sox victim) is the worst team in MLB.

NL West


Team W L PCT GB

San Francisco 22 8 .733 --
San Diego 16 12 .571 5.0
Arizona 17 13 .567 5.0
Los Angeles 15 15 .500 7.0
Colorado 14 15 .483 7.5


Wow, how about that NL West! They really seem to have taken their success from last year and pushed it up to another level. The Giants seem to be trying to prove that they can do it without Baker and Kent, and they have second-best record in the MLB right now. San Diego has been one of the surprise teams so far, and Arizona is right there. LA and the Rockies are hovering at .500 and not out of the game yet.

NL Central


Team W L PCT GB

Chicago 19 11 .633 --
Cincinnati 18 11 .621 0.5
Milwaukee 12 16 .429 6.0
Pittsburgh 12 17 .414 6.5
St. Louis 11 18 .379 7.5
Houston 10 22 .313 10.0


So early, and this is already a two-team race? And that two-team race doesn't include the Cards or the Stros? Go figure. Cubbies and Reds--should be a good one. The odd starts of St. Louis and Houston should be interesting side stories, as they attempt tp return to the level of their respective talents and make the NL Central--as usual--one of the most interesting divisions to watch every year. As for the Cubs, they and the BoSox seem to be doing their best to bust the baseball curse gods.

NL East


Team W L PCT GB

Philadelphia 17 13 .567 --
Florida 14 14 .500 2.0
New York 13 15 .464 3.0
Atlanta 13 16 .448 3.5
Montreal 11 18 .379 5.5


This must be the underachiever's division. Montreal's suckiness is expected, but what are the Mets' and Braves' excuses? It's nice to see Florida off to a decent start, but it's sad that a .500 record is so close to first, held by another possibly underachieving team in the Phillies.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

03-21-2003, 10:17 PM

Anaheim The Team

According to the latest power rankings, we are at the lofty level of #4, with 114 points. The Red Sox are on top, with 146 points. They are followed by the Giants at 135, and our division leader, the A's, at 116 points, just a shade ahead of us.

Here are where we stand in major categories, with MLB rank in parentheses:

Team AVG: .248 (17th)
Team HRs: 25 (20th)
Team Runs: 129 (19th)

We are definitely underacheiving on offense. We finished higher in all of the above last year except for homeruns. One stat not listed above is walks. In real life, this was an area the champion Angels excelled it, but we are currently 26th overall in the MLB. Also against what we usually do, we are tops in the majors right now with 30 SBs.

Team ERA: 3.68 (4th)
Team AVG Allowed: .239 (5th)
Team Runs Allowed: 111 (3rd)

We're doing quite well on the mound, and abviously, it is the key to what current success we can claim to have. The only major area we aren't in the top half of the league is homeruns allowed, where we are 18th. I guess the key will be to get the offense going and keep the pitching up to par.

Financials

We have started off very well financially, as our league-top Fan Interest of 91 has made its impact. After 16 homedates, we have pulled off something I didn't think was possible in real life--we have sold out all 16 games at 45,022-seat Edison International. Our attendance, currently at about 720,000 is second in the majors, behind only the Rangers at 728,000.

The Giants did pass us up for FI, using their hot start and last year's Series visit to get to 92. The Cubs have also taken advantage fo their start and are tied with us at 91.

Our attendance average last year, BTW, was 28,464, and we still have ticket prices at $10. I have given thought to raising it, since we're selling out, but I have a personal policy of not jacking up the price in midseason.

Transactions & Injuries

We made no additions to the major league roster, nor did we suffer any significant injuries.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

03-21-2003, 10:43 PM

The Major League Squad

The Rotation

Jarrod Washburn (4-3, 3.00) and Aaron Sele (2-1, 2.72) are off to fine starts, but surprisingly, they are alone in this respect amongst our starters. Apparently our good ERA is being carried by these two and the bullpen. Kevin Appier (3-3, 6.07) has been horrible, and is only at .500 because of some fortuitous run support (5.7 runs/game). Ramon Ortiz (1-4, 5.04) is losing games both with his pitching and a lack of support, and young star John Lackey (2-1, 5.04) should also be doing better.

The Bullpen

Troy Percival has been amazing, with no earned runs allowed in 9 appearances and 11.1 IP. He is, of course, 9 for 9 in save opportunies. Opposing hitters are hitting just .083 against him.

In setup and middle relief roles, K-Rod (1.42) and Brendan Donnelly (1.20) are apparently trying to outpitch him. They have the most innings pitched on the relief staff. In fact, Ben Weber (1.29) and Lou Pote (1.35) are also pitching phenomenally. Scot Shields (3.38) only looks bad on this team, and Scott Schoenweiss (5.87), the lone lefty, is the only guy we fear to put on the mound right now.

The Infield

The platoon of the Molina brothers is hitting about as well as expected, and neither brother has distanced himself from the other yet. Jose Molina (.207, 2, 10) bats against righties and provides some pop, while Ben Molina (.275, 0, 4) seems to be hitting more consistently.

1B Scott Spiezio (.308, 3, 8) is one of the few players off to a good start in the Angels' lineup. 3B Troy Glaus (.163, 6, 22) is still producing the power numbers, but he has been godawful getting the bat on the ball. He has only four hits (17) more than walks (13).

SS David Eckstein (.288, 1, 9) is making contact and even producing a little power. He is also leading the team in runs scored with 17 and second in stolen bases with 6. The bad news is his OBP is just .336 and he has been caught stealing 5 times. 2B Adam Kennedy (.224, 1, 10) is off to a miserable start.

The Outfield/DH

If anyone symbolizes the Angels' awful offensive start, it is last year's MVP candidate LF Garrett Anderson (.238, 1, 6). He is markedly behind his usual production in almost all categories.

CF Darin Erstad (.229, 2, 13) is also off to a bad start, although he at least is producing some surprising power, and he leads the squad with 7 stolen bases.

RF Tim Salmon (.265, 4, 18) has cooled off a little after a hot start, but he remains the Angels' most consistent producer.

The platoon at DH took a detour when the game seemed to ignore Brad Fullmer for a bit. I corrected that, but Shawn Wooten, who bats against lefties, still has a 2-to-1 at bat lead. They are both doing decently. Fullmer (.250, 2, 3) has been good in spots for his 40 at bats, and Wooten (.308, 2, 14) has been great in his spots. If Wooten keeps up the good play, I may be forced to get him more time.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

03-22-2003, 12:26 AM

The Minor Leagues

It has been a good month for the Angels' minor league squads. We had a couple decent free agent prospects become available, as some of the other teams made odd decisions to drop them, and added them to our roster. And then we had significant talent jumps to two of our best prospects.

We added AAA 1B Matt Whitney and AA SP Chris Waters to the system after they were released by the Indians and Braves, respectively. Waters, an AAAGA talent with 5 velocity and two pitches, was good enough to get to #8 in our system. He is a 3.5 star prospect. Whitney isn't as highly regarded, but at 2.5 stars he isn't bad either. He's an FBAAAA player. Both players are just 22 years old.

As of June 1, we have jumped from 13th to 5th in the league in farm system rankings.

Here's a team-by-team look at our minor leagues.

AAA Salt Lake City Stingers (15-14)

Bill Stoneman, my scout, has pretty much been telling me all month that 2B Chone Figgins, SS Alfredo Amezaga and LF Robb Quinlan should be in the bigs if there's room on the roster. Figgins and Quinlan, of course, started out on the top 25, before I chose to demote them. Figgins (.284, 1, 14) has put up some surprising power numbers. Amezaga (.323, 1, 7) has the best average on the team. Quinlan (.283, 6, 12) is second on the team in homeruns. None of the three are considered to have high potential and none of them are on the Angels' Top 10 prospects list.

The only Top 10 prospect, in fact, is RF Michael O'Keefe (.278, 7, 21), the Stingers' leading power producer. The 24-year-old seems to be progressing just fine. New addition Whitney (.275, 4, 12) seems to be handling his release by the Indians just fine. Although several other hitters are at least doing competently, the only other real standout is 31-year-old veteran catcher Sal Fasano (.214, 5, 13), who isn't hitting for average but is producing surprising power. Considering catcher is not a strong point for the big club, this bears watching.

Pitching has not gone so hot in Salt Lake. A 26-year-old vet and one of those considered for rotation spots after the vets is Mickey Callaway (2-1. 0.89) is off to an amazing start, having allowed just 24 hits in 40.2 IP. I don't expect Callaway, a 1.5 star player, to keep it up.

The only pitching prospect is Steve Green (2-1, 4.10, 37 K in 37.1 IP) and he has done passably well. Matt Wise (2-2, 4.71, 31 K in 36.1 IP) is another of the veteran options for the rotation after our top five. He's done just okay.

AA Arkansas Travellers (16-13)

The AA team has had two promotions from Rancho Cucamonga, the addition of Chris Waters, and Stoneman has been letting me know about the possibility of advancement for three other players. So this has been a team in flux. It also has five of the Angels' Top 10 prospects.

Stoneman is letting me know that veteran reliever Doug Nickle (2-1, 1.08, 16 IP) can pitch at AAA, and I might do that just to get a better pitcher up at that level. Nickle is a 27-year-old veteran who is only around for insurance purposes. 2B Jose Nieves (.281, 3, 13) is another older vet (27) that I am keeping around for insurance.

Stoneman has been advising from the very beginning that our #3 prospect Joe Saunders (3-2, 2.94, 37 hits allowed in 49 IP) may be ready for the jump to AAA, but he also might not. So I'm playing it cautious with him.

C Jared Abruzzo (.270, 6, 18 at Rancho Cucamonga) got good news twice recently, as scouts reassessed his talent in making contact and drawing walks. He jumped from AAFAPG to GAFAFG, and to #7 on our list. And then at the end of the month, he proved good enough to jump to Arkansas. He will be making his debut there this month. This, of course, is great news at a position, once again, we aren't strong at. SS Brian Specht (.260, 6, 20; .313 at Rancho Cucamonga) was promoted early on and has handled it well. He actually isn't supposed to have the power he is displaying so far at Arkansas. Ironically, Abruzzo's jump in ability and Waters' addition actually dropped Specht from the Angels' Top 10 prospect list.

#2 prospect 1B Casey Kotchman (.306, 1, 8) is making good contact, which is a talent of his, but his power numbers thus far are rather disappointing. Lightly regarded 26-year-old RF Barry Wesson (.296, 9, 27) is knocking the snot out of the ball. I couldn't begin to tell you why, nor why Stoneman hasn't asked me to promote him yet.

#4 prospect Bobb Jenks (1-0, 3.93, 18 IP) was the lone victim of serious injury in the Angels' organization, missing a week with a tight shoulder. It hasn't stopped him from putting up a solid ERA on a staff full of Top 10 Angels' prospects. #8 prospect Chris Waters (1-2, 4.97) hasn't gotten in his groove yet since his release by the Braves, with a high WHIP (46 hits & 12 walks in 38 IP) and some control problems (15 K to 12 walks). #9 prospect Richard Fischer (2-3, 4.88), one of the 144 players added, is doing okay but could pitch better.

A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (13-16)

Except for the promotions of Abruzzo and Specht, the Quakes' lone excitement was the apparent increase in talent to SP Joe Torres, who was on the fringe of the Angels' top prospects before the talent jump. Scouts say Torres' current and potential ability to avoid hits and homeruns, and his ability to rack up the strikeouts, have improved, moving up to #5 on the Angels' prospect list, a significant jump. Torres went from AAAAG to GAGAB.

Stoneman is suggesting he might (or might not) be ready for a jump to AA, but Torres' stats (1-4, 6.10) indicate he should stay put for a while yet at least.

The jump of Abruzzo and addition of Waters also bumped SP Johan A. Santana (2-2, 2.09, 25 hits allowed in 38.2 IP) from the Angels' top prospect list, along with Specht, but from his stats he is clearly not letting that get to him.

C Jared Mathis (.225, 3, 11) was learning 1B before Abruzzo's promotion. Now he can return to catcher, where he is much more comfortable. 3B Dallas McPherson (.343, 1, 12) is doing very well, and is regarded as a mediocre prospect with some possibility for a major league career.

RF Julio Ramirez was demoted from AA, which is terrible news for the 25-year-old, 2-star prospect. He is doing well, hitting. 435 in limited at bats at Rancho Cucamonga (and also not bad at Arkansas, with .284, 2, 13), but a demotion at this point in his career can only mean he will likely be on the cutting block soon.

The Angels' Top 10 Prospect List

1. SP John Lackey-- majors (2-1, 5.04)
2. 1B Casey Kotchman-- AA (.306, 1, 8) 12th best prospect in MLB
3. SP Joe Saunders-- AA (3-2, 2.94) 64th best prospect in MLB
4. SP Bobby Jenks-- AA (1-0, 3.93) 62nd best prospect in MLB
5. SP Joe Torres-- A (1-4, 6.10) 26th best prospect in MLB
6. RF Michael O'Keefe-- AAA (.278, 7, 21)
7. C Jared Abruzzo-- AA (just promoted; .270, 6, 18 at A) 41st best prospect in MLB
8. SP Chris Waters-- AA (1-2, 4.97)
9. Richard Fischer-- AA (2-3, 4.88)
10. Francisco "K-Rod" Rodriguez-- majors (1-0, 1.42)

(It should be noted that the Top 100 MLB prospects list is compiled by an average scout--Stoneman, who puts together our Top 10 list, is supposed to be better).

Also on the Top 100 list, but not on the Angels' Top 10:

SP Johan A. Santana-- A (2-2, 2.09) 57th best prospect in MLB
SP Chris Bootcheck-- AA (3-1, 4.15) 83rd best prospect in MLB

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

03-22-2003, 01:53 AM

Major League News

Offensive League Leaders-- American League

The Yankees' Bernie Williams leads the American League with a .362 average. The surprise is that right behind him is the Tigers' Dave Justice at .358. In real life, of course, Justice chose to retire when faced with this year's constipated free agent market, but here in the game, he chose that extra month in the schedule to sign with Detroit, and is no doubt a big reason why the Tigers have overachieved to this point. Minnesota's Bobby Kielty (.357), Chicago's Magglio Ordonez (.351) and Minnesota's (again) A.J. Pierzynski (.349) fill out the top five.

Young catcher Josh Phelps is displaying early power, with an AL-leading 10 HRs. Rebounding veterans Frank Thomas of the White Sox and Juan Gonzalez of the Rangers are tied with 9. And BoSox slugger Manny Ramirez has 8.

Thomas leads the AL with 27 RBIs, and Phelps is right behind him with 26. Ramirez has 25. Williams and Minnesota's Doug Mientkiewicz are tied with 24.

Ramirez has an AL-best 1.072 OPS, followed by Justice (1.067) and Gonzalez (1.054).

Offensive League Leaders-- National League

Colorado's injury-prone veteran rightfielder Larry Walker is off to an amazing start, with an easily MLB-leading .414 average. The Reds' Sean Casey and the Mets' Cliff Floyd are at .364. Three players are hitting .361-- Giants' Rich Aurillia, Mets' Mike Piazza, and the Rockies' Todd Helton.

Three players are tied for the homerun lead in the NL with 10. Two of them are Barry Bonds and Piazza, which is no shock. But I could give you a thousand guesses and you still wouldn't come up with Pittsburgh's young leftfielder Craig A. Wilson. One of the shockers of the year so far, Wilson came into the season having hit a solid 29 HRs in 526 career at bats. Still, this is far beyond what was expected from him, and it should be cool seeing how long he keeps it up. Aurillia and Floyd have hit 9 HRs each.

Piazza seems to be making a bid for the Triple Crown, at least early on. Of course, he'll need Walker to cool off considerably. Still, he leads the league with 31 RBIs. Edgardo Alfonzo, always a decent power hitter, is nevertheless a surprise at 28 RBIs for his new team, the Giants. He is tied with the resurgent Ken Griffey Jr. of the Reds and the usual Sammy Sosa. Walker and Wilson both have 27 RBIs.

Everyone else can put up all sorts of league numbers, but is there ever any doubt here? Bonds even overcame Walker's terrific average jump to post the league's highest OPS at 1.223. Walker is second at 1.211, and Piazza is third with 1.193.

Pitching League Leaders-- American League

Some things never change. Boston's Pedro Martinez is far ahead of his competitors with a 1.74 ERA. An Oakland starter is second--and he's not named Zito, Mulder or Hudson. Ted Lilly has a 2.41 ERA. Seattle's Freddy Garcia is back to his familar self at 2.55. Another surprise after Garcia is Detroit's new ace Mike Maroth, with a 2.58 ERA. He is another reason the Tigers have surprised. The Angels finally make an appearance, as Aaron Sele nabs the fifth slot with his 2.72 ERA.

Martinez (5-0) and Garcia (5-1) lead the AL in wins. There are serveral pitchers with 4 wins, including Jarrod Washburn. Boston's Tim Wakefield and Oakland's Tim Hudson are the only 4-0 pitchers.

Martinez, in perhaps an even more legitimate charge at a Triple Crown than Piazza, is far ahead of the pack with 64 Ks. Texas ace Chan Ho Park is second with 38. The Yanks' Mike Mussina has 37, where he is tied with Tampa Bay's free agent pick up Chuck Finley, still going strong at 40. Garcia is fifth with 35 strikeouts.

Chad Fox is riding Boston's success to the league lead in saves, with 12. Troy Percival is second with 9, where he is tied with Oakland's Keith Foulke and Baltimore's Buddy Groom, a surprise.

Pitching League Leaders-- National League

The Braves have made the decision that John Smoltz should be starting and it's coming up aces. He leads the NL with a 1.90 ERA. Former Braves farmhand Odalis Perez continues to show up his former employers via a 2.15 ERA for the Dodgers. Matt Morris of the otherwise pitiful Cards has a 2.61 ERA, and the Padres' surprising surge is partly fue to Brian Lawrence (2.68 ERA). The Dodgers log in with their second pitcher in the top five, with Kevin Brown (2.81 ERA). Brown also had a notable start I will get into a little later.

Kurt Ainsworth (5-0) and Jason Schmidt (5-1) are pitching strongly for the NL's best team, the Giants. They are joined atop the win column by the Cubs' current best Matt Clement (5-1). Four pitchers have 4 wins, including Smoltz, the only one of the four that is undefeated.

A pair of Diamondbacks lead the NL in Ks. The Big Unit, Randy Johnson is no shocker at 61 Ks, but if you said Schilling for the second spot, not so fast. Converted reliever Byung-Hung Kim gets the honors with 51 Ks. Young stars Mark Prior (48) of the Cubs and Roy Oswalt (47) of the Astros follow Kim. And Brown is fifth with 46 Ks.

Strangely enough, given Kim's appearance on the starters' leader list, his replacement, veteran Greg Swindell, a veteran converted starter, is leading the NL with 11 saves. Philadelphia's Jose Mesa has 9 saves, where he is tied with the Cubs' offseason acquisition, Mike Remlinger. Trevor Hoffman of the Padres and Vladimir Nunez of the Marlins have 7 saves each.

League Awards

Players of the Week-- AL

April 30-May 3-- 2B Alfonso Soriano (NYY)
May 4-10-- RF Mark Quinn (KC)
May 11-18-- C Josh Phelps (TOR)
May 19-24-- LF Carlos Lee (CHW)
May 25-31-- CF Bernie Williams (NYY)

Players of the Week-- NL

April 30-May 4-- SS Rich Aurillia (SF)
May 4-10-- 1B Sean Casey (CIN)
May 11-18-- C Michael Barrett (MTL)
May 19-24-- LF Barry Bonds (SF)
May 25-31-- LF Craig A. Wilson (PIT)

American League Batter of the Month for April: C Josh Phelps (TOR)

Phelps hit .321, with 10 HRs and 26 RBIs.

American League Pitcher of the Month for April: SP Pedro Martinez (BOS)

Martinez went 4-0, with a 1.65 ERA and 53 Ks. He walked just 7 batters.

National League Batter of the Month for April: C Mike Piazza (NYM)

Piazza hit .366, with 10 HRs and 31 RBIs.

National League Pitcher of the Month for April: SP John Smoltz (ATL)

Smoltz went 3-0 in 6 starts, with a 1.51 ERA (says a bit about the Braves' offense, eh...). He had 29 Ks, and limited opponents to a .196 average.

Significant Achievements

The big one happened early in April...

The Dodgers' Kevin Brown showed he is back by tossing a no-hitter against the powerful offense of the Philadelphia Phillies on May 2. He struck out seven and walked 2 in the 2-0 victory. At 38 and coming off of an injury, this start and his general play has shown that Brown intends to return to his former status as an elite player in the game.

The Cubs' powerful slugger Sammy Sosa crushed his 500th homerun on May 1 to finish off a march he didn't quite complete last year. He hit it off of Astros' pitcher Wade Miller. At 34, Sosa looks like he may have a ways to go on the career homerun charts.

The Mariners' ageless DH Edgar Martinez collected his 2000th hit with a single off of Kansas City's young pitcher Runelvys Hernandez on May 23. The 40-year-ol may be in his final season.

The Astros' longtime first baseman Jeff Bagwell also got his 2000th hit, and did so in fine fashion, drilling a two-run homerun off of Arizona's power pitching ace Randy Johnson. Bagwell is 35, so it should be interesting to see if he can put up good enough numbers to reach 3000.

Four pitchers threw shutouts, including Brown, two hitters had five hits and two other hitters had three-homerun games.

Chief Rum

DolphinFan1

03-22-2003, 02:10 AM

Great detail and thanks for the league news. I know this is an Angels' dynasty, but it's nice to see how the BoSox are doing. Keep up the good work.

Chief Rum

03-22-2003, 02:20 AM

Thanks, DolphinFan. I plan to. :)

This particular section is longer than usual, since I have an unusually large transactions to detail bvecause of the extra free agent period, and I also have to do the free agent draft, which is one month sooner because of the delay. So it's tough to say right now if I will be going into this much detail every month. I did plan to run this dynasty slowly, though.

The Red Sox are just amazing right now. It's going to be a lot of fun seeing if they can keep it up, although we all know they have the money and talent to do it. Winning 21 of your first 27 games is incredible.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

03-22-2003, 03:40 AM

Major League Transactions

Obviously, I'm not going to talk about every single transaction. They are just too numerous, especially with the extra free agent period. Also, some transactions may not seem so important now, but down the road, who know?

So I'm going to go over the ones that seem important and then go from there.

The Extra Free Agent Period

As I have said numerous times now, the game for some reason installed an extra 30-day free agency period. While this played havoc with my schedule and caused other issues, I have to admit that if there was a remaining free agent class that needed it, this is the one. We all know how the uncertainty of today's baseball economics has resulted in an inordinate number of seemingly high-quality players waiting to get a call from just about anyone.

This was a chance for the AI to right a wrong from real life, I guess. Here's a day-to-day breakdown of the major signings. The money amounts quoted are per year. The only players listed are those that are either notable for their own real life accomplishments or who have definitely made an impact on their teams so far this year:

April 2 (also Day 2)

White Sox sign SP Kenny Rogers to a two-year, $902K contract.

April 3

Indians sign CL Jeff Shaw to a three-year, $3.64 M contract.
Bluejays sign SP Mac Suzuki to a four-year, $575K contract.

April 4

Mets sign RF Al Martin to a three-year, $1.03 M contract.

April 5

Giants sign CF Chad Curtis to a five-year, $3.41 M contract.

April 6

Cubs sign CF Alex Ochoa to a three-year, $4.82 M contract.
Padres sign C Darrin Fletcher to a four-year, $882K contract.

1B Eric Karros was released by the Cubs after he refused an assignment to the minor leagues.

April 7

CF Tom Goodwin was released by the Cubs after he refused an assigment to the minor leagues. The Cubs seem to be making odd roster decisions, a complaint I have heard about the AI in OOTP5.

April 8

Cubs sign MR Marc Wilkins to a four-year, $1.45 M contract.

April 9

Dodgers sign CF Kenny Lofton to a four-year, $2.89 M contract.
Royals sign 2B Randy Velarde to a two-year, $1.03 M contract.
Devil Rays sign CF James Mouton to a four-year, $986K contract.

April 10

Astros sign MR Russ Springer to a four-year, $1.71 M contract.

April 11

Devil Rays sign CF Tom Goodwin to a five-year, $1.06 M contract.
2B Luis Sojo was released by the Rangers after he refused an assignment to the minor leagues. Why is this significant? Because the stupid AI just signed him to a contract a few days ago. Otherwise it's not worth mentioning.

April 12

Devil Rays sign SP Chuck Finley to a one-year, $5.79 M contract.
Braves sign MR J.D. Smart to a three-year, $885K contract.

April 13

Royals sign MR Cory Bailey to a four-year, $866K contract.

April 14

Tigers sign LF Dave Justice to a three-year, $5.93 M contract.
Tigers sign C Tony Eusebio to a four-year, $3.93 M contract.
Devil Rays sign MR John Rocker to a four-year, $2.19 M contract.
Braves sign MR Yorkis Perez to a four-year, $1.45 M contract.

April 17

Devil Rays sign 1B Steve Cox to a three-year, $1.12 M contract.

April 29

Diamondbacks sign 1B Eric Karros to a four-year, $1.06 M contract.

It's tough to say the significance of the moves above. I don't know what the releases are doing to the Cubs' bottom line, for example.

Still, it's clear that some teams made some significant additions. Rogers and Finley are both good pitchers, and Suzuki is off to a good start for Toronto. The retired Jeff Shaw comes back in this game and has done well with the Indians. Cory Bailey for the Royals is also pitching very well in relief.

Both Justice and Eusebio are doing well for the Tigers, so they have made key additions there. The Dodgers' Lofton signing is having its effect, and so is the Mets' deal with Martin. Of course, we'll see how it pans out by the end of the year.

Pre-Opening Day Trades

There were also some trades during the free agency period. I actually couldn't tell you just yet of their significance. So I'm going to look at them and let you know if there's anything important here.

April 4

Cubs get:

1B Morgan Burkhart

Royals get:

SS Ramon E. Martinez
3B Ivanon Coffie

Commentary: This deal may seem insigificant to you, but it seems to be having a bearing on the respective teams involved. Burkhart is apparently starting at 1B for the Cubs and is hitting .315, with 6 HRs and 15 RBIs. He is 31 and apparently a late-bloomer. Martinez was converted to 2B and has gotten some starts there for the Royals. He has, however, done poorly (.173 in 75 ab). Coffie is a one-star prospect of questionable value currently at the Royals' Single A club.

April 14

Tigers get:

1B Greg Colbrunn
MR Matt Thornton

Mariners get:

LF Bobby Higginson

Commentary: Colbrunn (.294, 1, 18) seems to be yet another key addition to the Tigers' surprising run. Thornton is a once-promising relief prospect who is probably a career minor leaguer now that he is 26 and still at AA. Higginson is off to a great start with the Mariners (.382, 1, 10 in 76 ab). He should be playing more with numbers like that. Some bigger contracts exchanged here, with Colbrunn at $6.56 M and Higginson at $4.59 M.

April 29

Expos get:

CF Ruben Mateo

Reds get:

SP Tony Armas Jr.
CL Scott Downs

Commentary: This one is a little hard to figure, although neither team is really losing out just yet. Call me again in three or four years, though. Mateo is starting for the Expos in CF and playing solid (.282, 4, 8). I have to think the Expos could have gotten more for a solid starter like Armas Jr. (3-1, 3.93), though. Downs is a veteran minor leaguer at 27, but he once was a good prospect and he's tearing it up at AA (1.47 ERA). Money shouldn't be an issue, as both Mateo and Armas are arbitration eligible, but not signed to big multi-year contracts.

Indians get:

LF Henri Stanley

Astros get:

SP Brian Tallet
3B Corey Smith

Commentary: Man, talk about a rip-off. I'm not sure what the Astros were thinking. Maybe adding up the stars? Stanley (.274, 6, 15) is a five-star prospect and is probably going to be heavily featured in the Indians' lineup for the foreseeable future. Stanley, one of the players I added, is a great all-around power talent and is a patient hitter. Tallet is actually a solid starting pitcher at three-stars, but he isn't worth Stanley, and his early stats are horrible (0-5, 9.11). At least he's young like Stanley. Smith is a decent enough addition as a two-star Single A 3B to help justify the trade, but not quite. He is just 21 and is doing well in A (.343, 4, 16).

White Sox get:

2B Pokey Reese

Pirates get:

MR Lorenzo Barcelo
MR Josh Stewart

Commentary: And I thought the Astros got the shaft. At least they got a couple serviceable young players. The Pale Hose got Reese, a vet second-sacker whose best days are almost certainly behind him. He is currently hitting .238 with no HR and 6 RBI. Barcelo isn't doing so hot either (2-3, 5.91), but at least he's young (25) and has talent. He's just off to a bad start. Stewart is another fine talent as well, a 3.5 star, 20-year-old prospect at Single A.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

03-22-2003, 05:12 AM

Major League Transactions-- Part 2

This is where I have put the transactions that have occured since Opening Day, April 30. There are some oddities here, as the AI adjusts itself to the rosters it has been given. At the very least, it's interesting to watch.

May 4-- Cut Day

I guess it is setup for somewhere near the beginning of each season where the AI will cut some deadweight from its major and minor league rosters. This day ended up being that day.

A lot of players received their walking papers today, It seems to be an average of 2-3 per team, not counting Anaheim, of course. So over 60 players were cut on May 4, including a few that had just signed contracts during the extra free agent period! :rolleyes:

Here's list of the more important/interesting cuts:

Baltimore: SP Scott Erickson
Cleveland: CF Marquis Grissom (just signed)
Cleveland: MR Terry Mulholland
Detroit: 3B Craig Paquette
Minnesota: LF Curtis Pride (just signed)
Oakland: MR Satoru Komiyama (just signed)
Oakland: MR Mike Morgan
Seattle: CF Tim Raines (just signed)
Texas: MR Rusty Meacham (just signed)
Atlanta: SP Chris Waters (good prospect subsequently signed by me)
Atlanta: MR Chris Haney
Atlanta: SP Mike Hampton?!?
Montreal: MR Ariel Prieto (just signed)
Montreal: MR David Lundquist (just signed)
Montreal: SP Britt Reames
New York (N): MR Graeme Lloyd
Chicago (N): SP Alan Benes
Cincinnati: SP Andy Benes (bad week for the Benes's)
Cincinnati: LF Chuck Knoblauch (just signed)
Cincinnati: SP Pete Harnisch
Cincinnati: SP Jimmy Haynes (Cincy made a lot of odd moves...)
Cincinnati: MR Jose Rijo
Cincinnati: MR Dennis Cook
Milwaukee: MR/CL Curt Leskanic
Pittsburgh: SP Saloman Torres
Pittsburgh: MR Pat Mahomes
Pittsburgh: MR Scott Sauerbeck
Pittsburgh: MR Matt Herges
Pittsburgh: MR Mike Holtz
St. Louis: SP Cal Eldred
St. Louis: SP Joey Hamilton
Colorado: MR/CL Todd Jones
San Diego: MR Chuck McElroy (just signed)
San Francsico: C Scott Servais

This is just a significant sampling of seemingly solid or ptentially solid contributors. I have to think some significant contracts were also released, which would be a terrible financial burden on the releasing clubs. And none of them are of the "refused a minor league assignment" variety. I hope this is addressed in a patch.

Releases such as this would actually continue throughout the month, although none of the other "cut days" even begins to approach the list from May 4.

Day-by-Day Transaction List

Here's a list of the important transactions of the month of May, with commentary.

May 4

Signings

Pirates sign MR Curt Leskanic to a one-year, $570K contract.

Commentary: Lesakanic hasnt done all that well (10.22 ERA). Did Milwaukee know something?

Trades

Padres get:

3B Tony Batiste

Orioles gets:

SP Jake Peavy
SP Justin Germano

Commentary: This is an interesting move that I have to think will backfire on the Padres. Batiste is a nice power hitter, and he's signed for under a $1 M until 2007! He's also just 29, which surprised me (he seems like he's been around forever in my mind). He's off to a decent start (.237, 4, 17) as well. What I don't get, though, is why? The Padres gave up two very good pitching prospects, including the major league-ready Peavy, for this guy, and they still have Sean Burroughs, one of the most talented 3B in the league. Of course, Batiste can also play SS...Peavy (1-3, 4.68) is doing okay, and he's a 4-star talent. Germano is a 4.5-star talent, and has a 2.43 ERA at Single A right now.

May 10

Trades

Brewers get:

3B Brandon Larson

Reds get:

MR Valerio de los Santos
MR Manny Parra

Commentary: The Brewers, who also let Leskanic go, must have more relievers than they know what to do with. At 27, Larson is no longer a bonafide prospect, but he's doing okay (.290, 1, 7) in part time duties. de los Santos (1-0, 5.06) is a 3-star talent reliever who is probably pitching close to what he does. Parra is a 3-star reliever prospect at Single A.

May 11

Releases (refusal of minor league assignment)

Devil Rays: LF Greg Vaughn
Indians: SP Dave Burba
Rangers: MR Mike Magnante
Diamondbacks: MR Mike Jackson
Braves:2B Delino Deshields

Commentary: Really surprised by the release of Vaughn and Jackson. Yeah, they're old, but they have been effective for a damn long time.

Releases (straight)

Indians: 1B Matt Whitney
Expos: 1B Jose Offerman
Cubs: SP Mike Sirotka
Reds: MR Scott Sullivan
Pirates: SP Dennys Reyes
Pirates: RF Matt Stairs

Commentary: Once again, quite surprised by some of these. Whitney is the other released prospect I signed. Stairs still has good power. Sullivan has a lot left. Sirotka, it seems, too.

May 18

Releases (refusal of minor league assignment)

Diamondbacks: 1B Eric Karros

Commentary: LMAO!

Releases (straight)

Orioles: SP Omar Daal
White Sox: SP Masato Yoshii

Commentary: Wow, can the O's really afford to just let Daal go? Not in real life. Yoshii was just signed by the White Sox during the extra free agency period.

Signings

Bluejays sign 3B Craig Wilson to a one-year, $300K contract.
Bluejays sign MR Scott Sullivan to a one-year, $380K contract.

Commentary: Wilson has apparently started many games for the Jays at SS since his signing and is doing well (.302, 2, 14 in 43 ab). This is NOT the Pirates' Wilson, but a 2.5 star vet utility type player (probably the guy I was thinking of when I first sqw the Pirate's Wilson's name on the leaderboard). Sullivan hasn't appeared for the Jays yet, but he is indeed a 3-star reliever whom the Reds never should have cut.

May 24

Trades

Arizona gets:

CF Jay Payton

Colorado gets:

SP Miguel Batiste
SP Edgar Gonzalez

Commentary: I guess this was a hole-filling trade for both teams. Payton is no longer the dynamite prospect he once was, but he's a decent enough outfielder with some pop. He's off to a bad start (.233, 2, 9 in 60 ab). Batiste was a significant member of the DBacks rotation the past couple years, but maybe Kim's conversion has changed that? He's doing okay (2-2, 4.45). Both Payton and Batiste are 2.5-star talents in their early 30s. Batiste does carry a $3 M contract, which may expalin why the Diamondbacks also included solid prospect Gonzalez, a 3.5-star talent at AA.

May 25

Release (refusal of minor league assignment)

Bluejays: C Greg Myers
Mets: 3B Jay Bell

Commentary: Myers was hitting .302 as a backup to Phelps. Why send him out? Bell may not be the same player he once was, but I doubt the Mets have better backup otpions for their infield.

Signings

Orioles sign MR Steve Reed to a one-year, $300K contract.
Royals sign SP Mike Hampton to a minor league contact.

Commentary: Reed is a 2.5-star veteran reliever who should be a good addition to most teams. He has a 3.86 ERA in 3 appearances so far with the O's. I'm surprised it took this long for someone to sign Hampton, listed as a 1.5 star-talent. And he has rewarded the Royals by going 0-2 with a 6.97 ERA in two starts. :rolleyes:

May 28

Release (refusal of minor league assignment)

Padres: 1B Dave Hansen

Commentary: Can the Padres afford to give up a nice bench hitter like Hansen, hitting .435 in 23 ab? Well, maybe they can, considering they are playing well. They also ship out veteran Brady Anderson a couple days later, but I don't think anyone would question that move--he's way over the hill.

June 1

Release (refusal of minor league assignment)

Phillies: MR Dan Plesac
Braves: 1B Andres Galarraga

Commentary: Maybe it's just me, but I think these guys can still play. Plesac is 41, but he's still a 2.5 star reliever, and he's putting up decent numbers (4.91 ERA in 9 appearances, 1-0, 1 sv). Galarraga is also 41, but he's just a 1-star now. Still, I think he would still have something to offer. He was hitting .243 with 1 HR and 4 RBIs in limited at bats.

Signings

Cubs sign 1B Dave Hansen to a one-year, $388K contract.

Commentary: So if the Pads don't need Hansen, how come the first place Cubs signed him?

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

03-22-2003, 05:37 AM

Injury News

Here were the significant injuries of the first month of play:

May 3

Yankees: 2B Alfonso Soriano strained his medial collateral ligament in his knee while running the bases, putting him down for 4 weeks. This has to hurt the Yanks, since Soriano was just wrapping up a Player of the Week campaign. He still has yet to return.

May 7

Indians: CF Alex Escobar tore a rib cage muscle diving for a catch, which will shelf him for 8-9 weeks. This one hurts, since Escobar is one of the best prospects in the majors and was expected to be a huge player for the Indians this year.

May 9

A's: 1B Scott Hatteburg got beaned hard apparently and suffered a broken jaw. Ouch! That one must have made a Sportscenter highlight and probably led to a brawl or two. Hatteburg is out 3 weeks. In fact, he just came back.

May 14

Yankees: LF Hideki Matsui is going to have to wait a little to assault the major leagues. He got hit by a pitch which broke his hand, knocking him out for 4 weeks. He was off to a good start, too, at .340, 4, 15 in 50 ab.

Diamondbacks: CF Steve Finley broke his knee making a catch! Broke his knee?!? He's out for the season. Ouch! Now I see why the DBacks went and got Payton. I have to admit, that's a nice touch. The AI saw a problem and went out and fixed it. The aging Finley was hitting .289, with 2 HRs and 7 RBIs when his season crash-landed today.

Dodgers: Darren Driefort tried to fend off a comebacker and only served to break a finger, putting him out for 5 weeks. Driefort, coming off more serious injury problems than a broken finger, was doing well, with a 3.86 ERA in 3 starts.

May 18

Mets: 3B Ty Wigginton tore a bicep muscle on a routine throw to first, so he's out for 8 weeks. This means that the later release of Jay Bell makes even less sense. Wigginton was making the most of a chance to start, hitting .279, with 4 HRs and 11 RBIs.

May 26

Orioles: SP Rodrigo Lopez suffered a torn triceps tendon, shelving him for 3-4 weeks. Actually, I think he got lucky with just missing that time--that shit sounds bad! Damn shame for Lopez and the O's, too, since he's off to a great start (3-2, 2.78).

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

03-22-2003, 05:58 AM

Prepping For The Amateur Draft

Most months, the listing of the injury news will probably be the end of it, and I'll move on. This month, however, we have the amateur draft to take care of. The game won't let me move forward past June 1 without doing it (which, of course, is at it should be).

Here is the draft order (which I actually had to edit to model last year's ascending records):

1) Detroit
2) Tampa Bay
3) Milwaukee
4) Kansas City
5) San Diego
6) Chicago Cubs
7) Baltimore
8) Pittsburgh
9) Texas
10) Colorado
11) Cleveland
12) New York Mets
13) Cincinnati
14) Toronto
15) Florida
16) Philadelphia
17) Chicago White Sox
18) Montreal
19) Houston
20) Los Angeles
21) Seattle
22) Boston
23) Minnesota
24) San Francisco
25) St. Louis
26) Arizona
27) Anaheim
28) Atlanta
29) Oakland
30) New York Yankees

It should come as no surprise that we are near the end of the list, coming off the season we are. I'll just be looking to get the best talented players I can at the position.

It's always tough to judge right away how teams did. In reality, the answer to that question won't be answered for years, even decades in some limited cases. Fortunately, OOTP5 gives us at least a little bit of a way of judging things, by presenting us with the Minor League System rankings. I thought it would be neat to compare before and after rankings listings to see what we could come up with for the big winners and losers in this thing.

Here's the current minor league systems ranking list, with points in parentheses:

1. Tampa Bay (128)
2. New York Mets (106)
3. Cleveland (102)
4. San Francisco (97)
5. Anaheim (94)
6. Colorado (93)
7. Detroit (85)
8. Pittsburgh (68)
9. Texas (66)
10. Toronto (60)
11. San Diego (59)
12. Oakland (54)
13. Los Angeles (44)
14. Chicago Cubs (41)
15. Chicago White Sox (40)
16. Philadelphia (40)
17. Florida (38)
18. Seattle (35)
19. Arizona (34)
20. Milwaukee (31)
21. Minnesota (24)
22. Cincinnati (23)
23. Atlanta (21)
24. New York Yankees (20)
25. Montreal (19)
26. Baltimore (19)
27. Boston (14)
28. Kansas City (0)
29. St. Louis (0)
30. Houston (0)

Wow, glad I'm not the Cards, Stros or Royals!

This is where I'm leaving off. I'm just glad I was able to get to this point, since I wasn't sure how much I would throw out there. I hope the wealth of information will help immerse you readers into the baseball world I am playing in.

It's time for Chief to get some shuteye, and then he works tomorrow (today!) in the daytime, but when he returns, he'll see how far he can get. Assuming I get to it, I will provide a quick glimpse of what this draft has to offer, then I'll do the draft itself, with play-by-play explanations of my picks, of course, and then I'll wrap it up with draft highlights and take a look at who imnproved the most via the farm system rankings list.

And then it's on to June! Good night.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

03-23-2003, 04:21 AM

The 2003 Amateur Draft

The Players

The story of this draft seems to be three shortstops and a whole lot of power.

The top three hitters in the draft--David "Boss" Myers, James McNulty, Robert Vanhoose--all play one of the most challenging positions in the game--and is traditionally a weak hitting spot.

Are we seeing the introduction of the next round of Nomar, ARod and Jeter. Maybe...

Myers is a college kid, 21 years old, and can seemingly do it all. He has a good stroke, hits for the gaps and has tremendous power. He even has a great eye, plays good defense with range and is fast. He could be the next A-Rod.

McNulty, 19, comes to the draft from juco. He has many of the same strengths as Myers, with a good stroke and great power. He doesn't hit for the gaps as well, though, and he isn't nearly as solid on defense. McNulty is more like a Cal Ripken with more power and less durability.

Vanhoose, just 18, is straight out of high school. He doesn't have the outright power that McNulty and Myers have, although scouts indicate he should develop 20-homerun pop. He is as good with the stick as the other two, and he hits for the gaps better than McNulty, and is as fast as Myers. Where he makes his mark is on D. He might be the best defensive SS to come out in some time. He has awe-inspiring range and a great glove. Vanhoose looks like a carbon copy of Jeter at the plate, and The Wizard in the field.

Power is the name of the game for hitters in this draft. Besides Myers and McNulty, five other hitters have 40+ HR potential, and six others have 30+ ability. Oddly enough, this seems to be countered by a lack of a truly brilliant stick man, like a Gwynn or a Boggs. There are no future .350 AVG hitters in this group, at least from first glance.

Pitchers is much more of a mixed bag. While there are probably two or three pitchers that will get most of the attention, you could go as deep 10-20 pitchser before coming to an appreciable difference in this draft. There are no ace prospects, but the depth of solid prospects is impressive. The hitters should go first, but once they're gone, it seems likely that pitchers will dominate the rest of the first round and probably a bit into the second round as well.

As I said, I am just looking at the best available talent for my spot, and with 26 teams ahead of me, who knows who that will be. I must admit that I am keeping my eye on a MR who does have the brilliant ability that is lacking int he top starters, and he also has some ability to start. Will he fall to me? We'll see...

The Draft

1. Detroit: SS Dave Myers

Commentary: Myers will be the cornerstone for the Tigers' franchise for a long time.

2. Tampa Bay: SS Robert Vanhoose

Commentary: McNulty was rated ahead of Vanhoose but the scouts, but I actually agree with Tampa Bay. Great pick.

3. Milwaukee: SS James McNulty

Commentary: Sure, he might be the third SS taken in the draft, but he is still also the third player taken. McNulty should be gracing the Brewers' middle-lineup in short order.

4. Kansas City: RF Joe Houde

Commentary: The shortstops were easy. This was the pick I wanted to check out. And I think the Royals reached a bit with Houde. He should be a fine player with great power potential, but there were others out there who brought more to the table than he does.

5. San Diego: C Michael Matthews

Commentary: It's hard to go wrong taking a player at a very difficult position to fill, even in a draft with some decent depth at the position. Matthews is a good defensive catcher and is a patient hitter with power.

6. Chicago Cubs: C Pasqual Sanchez

Commentary: The Cubs are clearly thinking along the same lines as the Padres. Matthews and Sanchez were clearly the best of the catcher crop. Matthews is probably the better pick with his defensive skills, but Sanchez has the bigger upside as a hitter.

7. Baltimore: CF Tadimasa Shinzo

Commentary: Wow, I don't know what to make of this one. Shinzo is a decent enough player, but I had him projected as a mid-second-rounder at best. This is so far beyond a reach, I don't know what to say. Shinzo surprised a few when he ignored the Japanese pro league, and applied for the MLB draft after he completed secondary schooling in Japan. Shinzo should be handy with a stick and be a good gap hitter. He has good speed and defense, and a plus-arm.

8. Pittsburgh: SP Kenneth Stiffler

Commentary: It took eight picks before the first pitcher went off the board. While Stiffler is highly regarded amongst the rather large group of above average starting pitchers, I think his pick here is a little bit of a reach, among these pitchers. Stiffler is a late bloomer at 24 (just turned). He is a slow-ball control guy, and Pittsburgh better hope he is ready to make a quick trip through the minors.

9. Texas: LF David Berge

Commentary: Berge is as good as any of the several solid power prospects still left on the board. Berge has the potential to be a league-leader in power, and he is also a patient hitter. He is, however, devoid of speed or any hint of defensive ability. At least the Rangers can play him at DH.

10. Colorado: SP Lee Crank

Commentary: Crank is another bit of a surprise among the pitchers, although I feel better about him than Stiffler. He's 23, and looks to be a good control pitcher with some zip.

11. Cleveland: 1B Michael Steffy

Commentary: I think Cleveland getting Steffey here is a great pick. My scouts had him as the best hitting prospect after the shortstops. He has great power and patience, reminding me of McGwire. He is also a solid defensive first baseman. His age, 22, may have caused him to drop a few spots.

12. New York Mets: SS Dante Hildreth

Commentary: The top three shortstops were obvious, but Hildreth was a nice compensation choice for a team looking for a potentially great SS, but without the high pick. He doesn't make as good contact, and he's a bit of a free swinger, but he his power and plate discipline are on a par with top pick Myers. He is also a good gap hitter and an above average fielder.

13. Cincinnati: SP Bradley Greer

Commentary: High school pitcher Greer falling all the way to the Reds was a stroke of luck. Greer was the best pitcher on our board. He can hit the mid-to-upper-90s with his heater, he keeps the batters off the basepaths, and he can throw it by them, too.

14. Toronto: SP James Birmingham

Commentary: Birmingham is another risky move. Like Stiffler, he is 24 and is going to need to rave throught he minor leagues to hit his potentials. He does have good velocity and control.

15. Florida: SP Jermaine Kincade

Commentary: "The Spider" is a decent pick for this spot, especially in light of the riskier picks made in pitching so far. He is good at keeping the hits down and the ball in the park, and he can throw it with some heat.

16. Philadelphia: CF Alberto Padua

Commentary: Padua is a real nice pick at this spot. He doesn't quite have the patience or power that Steffer or Myers has, but he is above average in both categories. He hits for the gap, he has speed, he is a smart baserunner, and he is an excellent defender with great range. He should become one of the best defensive centerfielders in the league, and in above average offensive player.

17. Chicago White Sox: SP Anthony Sala

Commentary: Sala is really sort of average for the most part, but he also has few holes in his game. He goes deep into games, he has decent velocity, and he does all the little things as well, on top of just being 20. His best talent is keeping the ball down and in the park, the two areas where he is excellent.

18. Montreal: SP Moises Montiel

Commentary: Maybe the Expos just aren't used to picking this low in the first round, and thought it was the second round. This isn't a very good pick at this point, according to my scouts. Montiel might have even been a reach at this point in the second round even. He is decent, no doubt about it, but he has some control problems and he's already 22.

19. Houston: SP Jay Buckman

Commentary: Buckman is an okay pick at this point. He's young (18), he's a southpaw, he has good control and he keeps it in the park. He also has few real weaknesses, although he falls short of brilliant in most areas as well. A good functional pick with some upside.

20. Los Angeles: SP Ronald Stangl

Commentary: Stangl is a pick along the lines of Stiffler, Crank and Birmingham, with the caveat that this pick is low enough for him to be more seriosuly considered. He has good talent, but he's 23, and he gets by more on wiles and command than he does on blazing speed, a commodity he does not have much of.

21. Seattle: SP Christian Mendoza

Commentary: Mendoza is a fine pick here. He has some problems with allowing homeruns, but he has good control and the ability to get the K. While he may struggle with wall shots, he otherwise keeps the ball down.

22. Boston: SP Ben Baker

Commentary: It's nice to see how well I called how this draft would go, since pitchers have been going all over the place after the initial run at the top hitters. Baker is a middle-ground pick. He's older and has the same potential pitchers as the other older picks. He does have some heat, can get some strikeouts and has great control. That, and the fact he's slightly younger at 22, makes Baker a much less risky pick than the other older pitchers.

23. Minnesota: SP Thomas Charleston

Commentary: From what I can tell, it should be a crime that the Twins can get a nice pitcher like Charleston here. Charleston looks like he could match Greer, and those two seemed like the odds on best pitchers in the pack. Like Greer, he produces the rare combination of talent of being good at limiting both hits and walks, and he can go after hitters for the strikeout. He is also just 20.

24. San Francisco: SP Ricardo Canao

Commentary: Wow, Canao makes it seven starting pitchers in a row, and ten of the last eleven. Heck, since Stiffler became the first pitcher taken at pick #8, twelve of the seventeen picks since have been used on pitchers. Canao is another older pitcher, at 23, but he might prove to be an interesting pick. He throws five pitches, a rarity, and he has good control.

25. St. Louis: SP Moses Grider

Commentary: I sometimes wonder if I am in a time warp and the same pitcher just keeps on getting drafted, over and over. Grider is also 23, and like many of the others, he is a well-rounded pitcher with high marks for control and limiting the longball.

26. Arizona: CF George Marquez

Commentary: Marquez finally breaks the monotony of pitchers. He is also a solid pick for this spot. He is one of the few remaining hitters with a probably potential of becoming a .300-type of hitter. He should also hit for some power and have a good eye, although these areas are not as strong as his contact hitting. He isn't very fast nor is he more than an average defender.

27. Anaheim: MR David LaBoy

Commentary: There really was little doubt I would make this pick. The only question was ascertaining LaBoy's actual talent level. I was fine leaving it to Stoneman's expertise, but I was suddenly calling into question just which report available to me was Stoneman's. Is the Available Players Report Stoneman's? How about the sorted screen in the draft section? Or the individual player report? Or the HTML player report? How about before or after a switch to SP? You may find this hard to believe, but I found seemingly different ratings for each of the above. It was quite maddening. If LaBoy is who I think he is, he is an excellent reliever with some ability to start, ability I plan to build up. He keeps the hitters off the bases with control and keeping the hits scattered. He is great at keeping it in the park, and can get the K if he wants to. This is all true, if I picked the right report (I think I did).

28. Atlanta: SP David Woodward

Commentary: Woodward is a good pick for near the end of the first round. He limits the hits, and doesn't hurt himself with walks. He is 21, so he has room to grow. He throws for good speed and has five pitches.

29. Oakland: SP David McCall

Commentary: McCall is a decent enough pitcher, and certainly could be good. But I think he's a reach here. He gives up a little too much on the power ends and to the gap. He does have good control.

30. New York Yankees: SP Simeon Pedrosa

Commentary: Like Woodward, Pedrosa is a nice pitcher at this point, with five pitches and youth (18). He doesn't have too many real holes in his game, which is a luxury at this point.

And that's the end of the first round. Now I will merely list the Angels' remaining picks in the rest of the five-round draft. Stoneman provies the star ratings.

2nd round: MR Jeremy Tetrault (4.0 stars)
3rd round: MR Omar Ramirez (4.0 stars)
4th round: 2B Bennie Brant (3.0 stars)
5th round: MR Aurelio Rius (2.5 stars)

As you can see, I went heavy with MRs, even considering my plan to convert LaBoy into a starter. This probably won't win me any accolades with the farm system report, but I didn't really feel that what was available elsewhere was really going to help me.

I actually was hoping to pick up more hitters than just Brant, but the quality of those dropped off the charts after the first two rounds. I'm not too deep in the farm system in bullpen arms, though, so the addition of the above relievers (not including LaBoy) should revitalize the system's pen depth.

The New Farm System Rankings


Cur B-4 Team Pts (B-4) Dif

1 (1) Tampa Bay 149 (128) +21
2 (2) New York Mets 115 (106) +9
3 (7) Detroit 103 (85) +18
4 (5) Anaheim 93 (94) -1
5 (3) Cleveland 90 (102) -12
6 (6) Colorado 79 (93) -14
7 (4) San Francisco 79 (97) -18
8 (20) Milwaukee 77 (31) +46
9 (14) Chicago Cubs 76 (41) +35
10 (8) Pittsburgh 65 (68) -3
11 (9) Texas 63 (66) -3
12 (10) Toronto 61 (60) +1
13 (16) Philadelphia 55 (40) +15
14 (11) San Diego 48 (59) -11
15 (12) Oakland 37 (54) -17
16 (18) Seattle 33 (35) -2
17 (15) Chicago White Sox 30 (40) -10
18 (13) Los Angeles 30 (44) -14
19 (22) Cincinnati 30 (23) -7
20 (17) Florida 29 (38) -9
21 (21) Minnesota 22 (24) -2
22 (19) Arizona 22 (34) -12
23 (24) New York Yankees 15 (20) -5
24 (28) Kansas City 13 (0) +13
25 (23) Atlanta 11 (21) -10
26 (25) Montreal 10 (19) -9
27 (26) Baltimore 9 (19) -10
28 (27) Boston 9 (14) -5
29 (30) Houston 2 (0) +2
30 (29) St. Louis 0 (0) 0


Definitely some interesting results from this. For one thing, you must recall that this is done by an average scout and who knows what is accurate right now. So we should take this with a grain of salt.

Tampa Bay managed, amazingly enough, to widen their league lead by adding Vanhoose, the 8th best prospect according to the average scout. Even allowing for the inaccuracies possible by such a scout, it is clear the Devil Rays have the best farm system in the majors.

New York's addition of power prospect SS Hildreth proved positive, as they also made a jump in points and maintained their second place system spot.

Detroit added top pick SS Myers, of course, who came in as the 9th best prospect (yes, behind Vanhoose), and used that to jump from 7th to 3rd, and up 18 points. Anaheim (yes, us) also managed to move up a spot to 4th, even though we lost a point. It should be noted that before I converted LaBoy to a starter (and jumping him to 21st overall on the prospect list), we were down at 9th.

Cleveland actually dropped two spots to fifth, and lost 12 points, despite adding nice power prospect 1B Steffey.

Milwaukee (20th to 8th, +46) and the Chicago Cubs (14th to 9th, +35) were the big winners, according to the average scout. This seems to be primarily because they added McNulty (2nd overall) and Sanchez (5th overall) to their farm systems.

Los Angeles dropped the most in ranking, moving from 13th to 18th, and losing 14 points. San Francisco (-18) and Oakland (-17) took the biggest falls in points.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

03-23-2003, 07:16 PM

The Standings

Game Date: July 1, 2003 (two months into the season)

AL West


Team W L PCT GB

Oakland 31 24 .564 --
Seattle 31 25 .554 0.5
Anaheim 29 27 .518 2.5
Texas 26 31 .456 6.0


Oakland has just managed to maintain its lead. Seattle is playing to its talent finally and made a big push this month. With respect to Pythagorean records (records based on rus scored vs. runs allowed), Oakland is actually overachieving quite a bit, while Seattle is going strong. We at Anaheim had a very up and down month. We lost six in a row to start it and then won five in a row to get back in the race. Then we seemed to hover, and now we're on a losing bend again. It has been frustrating. Texas has had a good run, but now it seems to be falling back a little. This one is still wide open.

AL Central


Team W L PCT GB

Cleveland 31 24 .564 --
Minnesota 26 30 .464 5.5
Detroit 25 31 .446 6.5
Chicago 24 31 .436 7.0
Kansas City 18 39 .316 14.0


Cleveland has a lot of young talent, and I checked it out--they aren't doing so good. If you have been reading, you also know that big time prospect Escobar missed this month to injury. So they seem to be getting by on what's left from their previous good teams, and the parts they traded for. They have made a strong push and now hold a nice lead over what is showing itself to be a miserable division. The Twins seem to be underachieving, and Detroit has cooled off considerably from their start. In Pythagorean record, the White Sox are up there with Cleveland, but they haven't been so lucky--maybe they'll make a run. Kansas City is utterly miserable, and will be out of it by midseason if they don't have a phenomenal July.

AL East


Team W L PCT GB

Boston 42 13 .764 --
New York 35 21 .625 7.5
Toronto 32 25 .561 11.0
Baltimore 27 29 .482 15.5
Tampa Bay 15 42 .263 28.0


Wow, what an interesting division. Well, the race doesn't look like it will be interesting, though. Boston is simply putting on a show. They are like the M's in '01 or the Yanks in '98. Simply unbeatable it seems. At home, they are 21-3! New York, meanwhile, is almost sad, as easily the second best team in the league but 7.5 games back. Toronto--the third place team--would be in first in either of the other divisions. They have made a very strong push since May. Baltimore's decent season is being lost a little here. And Tampa Bay is already out of it.

NL West


Team W L PCT GB

San Francisco 32 25 .561 --
Los Angeles 32 26 .552 0.5
San Diego 29 27 .518 2.5
Arizona 28 30 .483 4.5
Colorado 25 31 .446 6.5


The Giants took a nosedive in June after having the second-best record in the MLB after May. They did just manage to hold onto the top spot, although the tough NL West tightened up considerably. Los Angeles got hot, and now they're right on San Fran's back. San Diego continues to play above expectations. Arizona is just a shade under .500 and Colorado isn't far out either. Wow, this should be a tough race.

NL Central


Team W L PCT GB

Chicago 37 20 .649 --
Cincinnati 32 25 .561 5.0
St. Louis 28 29 .491 9.0
Pittsburgh 22 35 .386 15.0
Milwaukee 21 34 .382 15.0
Houston 22 37 .373 16.0


Chicago continues, with Boston, to be one of the two stories of the year, although, unlike Boston, Chicago’s Pythagorean record (a MLB-high +7) indicates that they have been pretty lucky. Will it hold? With a solid June, they distanced themselves from Cincy, which itself is still playing solidly. St. Louis was very strong in June after a poor start, so they may still come into play. Pittsburgh’s Pythagorean record indicates they are a bit better than they are showing, but right now, they are practically out of it. Milwaukee is ni much the same situation. The anti-story of the year is the demise of the miserable Astros, who continue to underachieve.

NL East


Team W L PCT GB

New York 32 25 .561 --
Atlanta 32 24 .571 0.5
Florida 29 27 .518 3.5
Philadelphia 29 29 .500 4.5
Montreal 24 32 .429 8.5


This division officially woke up after a bad May. The Mets and Braves both had great months, leapfrogging Philly and Florida for the top two spots. Florida is gamely holding onto third, although their Pythagorean record suggests that they may be a biut lucky. Philly continues to underachieve, despite its offseason acquisitions. And Montreal is, well, still Montreal.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

03-23-2003, 10:30 PM

Anaheim The Team

AFTER THE SECOND MONTH OF THE 2003 SEASON

We are now 12th overall in the power rankings, which is a drop of eight spots from where we were at the end of May. We actually did most of the dropping in the first week when we went on that six-game losing streak. We were 22nd after that week , but have built ourselves back up a bit. It should be noted this rankings don't include our two most recent losses, part of the month of June, but not yet a part of the rankings for the new week.

We have 99 points. The top team is, of course, Boston, with 148 points. They are followed distantly by their AL East rival, the Yankees, with 121 points. The Cubbies are third with 119, Oakland fourth with 108, and the New York mets are right behind them and charging up hard with 107 points.

Here are where we stand in major categories, with MLB rank in parentheses:

Team AVG: .254 (20th)
Team HRs: 51 (21st)
Team Runs: 255 (22nd)

This remains our problem. Although some players are rounding into form, we have others that are simply not keeping up the pace. It may come to the point soon where I am forced to do something to affect this area, be it a trade or bringing up some kids from the minors. We are second to last in walks, so this is still a huge problem.

Team ERA: 4.08 (9th)
Team Average Allowed: .249 (9th)
Team Runs Allowed: .241 (5th)

This remains the strength of our team. We have three starters doing well, and the whole bullpen is still pitching phenomenally. The numbers have dropped a little, though, so it's now a concern as to which will happen first--our hitting will improve, or our pitching will deteriorate.

Financials

We may not be in first, nor are we playing particularly well, but the fans continue to show faith in us that they never had in the past.

We are now third in Fan Interest, but it is still 91. San Francisco (93) and the Cubs (92) are ahead of us. We are still second in attendance, now with 1,261,000, and with 28 homedates all sold out. Oakland, surprisingly, is the only team ahead of us, with 1,282,000. We are projected to finish with about 3.6 M fans at Edison this year, which is just mind boggling.

Hopefully we can keep it up.

Transactions & Injuries

Once again, we made no moves involving the major league injury, nor suffered any injuries that required using the major league disabled list.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

03-23-2003, 11:18 PM

The Major League Squad

AFTER THE SECOND MONTH OF THE 2003 SEASON

The Rotation

Jarrod Washburn (6-4, 3.36) is proving to be every bit the ace I need him to be. He has been one of the most consistently solid players on the team. Fifth starter John Lackey (3-5, 4.13) is making a bid to move higher up in the rotation.

Aaron Sele (2-5, 4.94) has had a horrific June, compared to his hot May (2.72 ERA on June 1), but he is still putting up the third best starting numbers on the staff. Ramon Ortiz (3-6, 5.14) is right behind him, but nevertheless pitching way below his abilities.

Kevin Appier (5-4, 6.35), despite his winning record, is in danger of losing his spot in the rotation. If he doesn't pitch markedly better in July, he will almost certainly be moved to the pen.

The Bullpen

I guess no one's perfect--Troy Percival allowed someone to score off of him. :)

Percival (14 sv, 1.33) is dominant as usual. He has succeeded in 14 of 16 save opportunities, and his only problem is that he isn't getting the opportunities.

Francisco Rodriguez (4-1, 2.65) continues to do well as Percival's primary setup man. Ben Weber (1-0, 1.50) and Brendan Donnelly (2-0, 1.29) continue to be fantastic middle relievers. And Scot Shields (0-1, 2.31) and Lou Pote (1-0, 3.38) make for great depth and mop up work.

The lone standout deficiency remains lefty Scott Schoenweiss (0-1, 5.27).

The Infield

Nice defense is a good reason to keep a catcher, but there has to be a point at which you just have to say that enough is enough. Both of the Molina brothers are doing very poorly at the plate. Jose Molina (.208, 2, 14) combines a low average and only a little power, with surprisingly ineffective work behind the plate. Runners are going at will on him, as he has only thrown out 3 of 21 runners. Ben Molina (.214, 0, 8) is producing even less at the plate, since he adds no power to the mix. He is holding his own defensively at least (5 of 13 runners thrown out). But I may have to go with DH Shawn Wooten here, because he is hitting the ball too well to platoon anymore, and the Molinas have just been awful.

Scott Spiezio (.298, 4, 16) continues to be one of the more consistent hitters on the team. we could use more power from him (and he should be capable of more), but with so many underachieving more, I can't complain here. One of those is 3B Troy Glaus (.176, 12, 34), in the throes of a horrific slump. Fortunately, he is hitting homeruns and producing power the few times he makes contact.

SS David Eckstein (.246, 2, 13) is the lifeblood of this offense, so his slump this past month was a big part in keeping the offense punchless. We need him to revitalize his bat and this offense with it. He also needs to be more careful on the basepaths (9 SB, but 8 CS). 2B Adam Kennedy (.238, 2, 18) is turning himself into a candidate for demotion. With my leadoff hitter slumping and Figgins doing well at AAA, it might be time soon for a change here.

The Outfield/DH

LF Garrett Anderson (.296, 7, 29) has rebounded from a bad May to become the consummate team-carrier he normally is. His power numbers still need to take a little bit of an upturn, but I am confident that will happen.

CF Darin Erstad (.243, 3, 24) is inching up with his average, but it isn't coming fast enough. He is still producing a touch more power than expected, at least, and he does lead the team with 12 SBs, which getting caught just five times.

RF Tim Salmon (.281, 10, 35), in his walk-year, is making it very hard to decide what to do with his contract. He is an older player and I have a ready replacement in O'Keefe down in Salt Lake City, but, pure and simple, the Kingfish has been the lone bright light on offense all season. He leads the team in RBI, runs scored and doubles, he's second in hits and homeruns, and fourth in average. Only Spiezio and GA are anywhere near him in OPS (.883).

DH is a platoon, but Shawn Wooten (.316, 6, 28) is doing his damnedest to make it not so. His team-leading average is the main reason I am considering using him at catcher, defensive liabilities be damned. Platoon mate Brad Fullmer (.245, 2, 10) seems stuck in a rut and really needs to start the ball rolling before I have to do something about it.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

03-24-2003, 12:18 AM

The Minor Leagues

We didn't make any additions or cuts to the minor league rosters this past month, although we did use the disabled list a bit and made some promotions.

After jumping from fifth to fourth following the draft, we had the mystifying occurrence of watching our system inch up to third and then second best farm system in the league just before the end of the month, only to watch it drop back down to fourth after the final week's sim. Go figure.

We have 95 points in the farm system ranking sheet. Tampa Bay is still on top with 139, despite the fact that Vanhoose actually lost some power talent. Detroit moved up to second now, with 103 points. It's like they finally figured out that Myers, the top pick, is actually pretty good.

We are actually tied with third place Cleveland, which also has 95 points. For reasons I haven't looked too deeply into, the Mets dropped from 2nd all the way to 6th.

Here's a team-by-team look at our minor leagues.

Sal Lake City Stingers (33-23)

The Stingers have really heated up, and many players are doing well now. This, of course, does nothing except amp the pressure to get some of these guys up to the bigs.

Of the 20 notable players on the Stingers' roster, no less than 8 of them are being pushed to move up to the majors by scout Bill Stoneman. That is simply amazing.

2B Chone Figgins and SS Alfredo Amezaga are still being pushed for advancement after Stoneman presented their names at the end of May. LF Robb Quinlan, a final cut from the Top 25 and pushed for advancement by Stoneman after May, is apparently now out of favor.

Figgins (.333, 1, 34) is just playing great ball. His average leads the team. He is third in hits (65), tied for second in RBIs (34), has 15 doubles and 7 triples in 195 at bats, and has a .390 OBP. His .887 OPS is the second-higest on the club and he also has 13 SB.

Amezaga (.331, 2, 12) is still riding his strong May. He missed almost all of June when he pulled his anterior cruciate ligament on June 8. He remains an option, but there still plenty of other talented players at or better than he is at the middle infield positions.

Quinlan (.256, 8, 20) is still producing some power, but it seems clear that he slumped a little in June. This is probably the reason Stoneman is cool on him right now.

Among the hitters, Stoneman has added Top 10 player and RF Michael O'Keefe, LF Elpidio Guzman and SS Oscar Salazar to the list of major league-ready players.

O'Keefe (.323, 10, 38) is clearly the best hitter on the team right now. He seems to be coming into his own, especially as the vaunted power hitter he is expected to one day be. His OPS of .946 is dominating at this level.

Guzman (.302, 3, 20) is actually just getting a shot with Amezaga on the DL. He wasn't a starter before that. He is a one-star talent and at best a backup in the bigs, IMO. I figure when he goes back to being just a AAA backup, Stoneman will stop pushing for him to advance. I did use the opportunity to get him some starts at 3B--might as well make him more versatile.

Salazar (.294, 4, 34) played SS in place of Amezaga, while Guzman covered Salazar's usual 3B spot. Salazar is a decent-sized prospect at 2 stars, and he is run-producing more than expected. Still, there doesn't seem to be a spot for him in the near future.

The only other notable performer at the plate is veteran minor league 1B Larry Barnes (.332, 4, 26), a shade behind Figgins for the best average, and tied with O'Keefe with 70 hits. He is probably not going to ever make it to the bigs, though, and is only around for insurance. Last month's minor league pickup Matt Whitney (.225, 6, 19) isn't doing so well, and C Sal Fasano (.202, 7, 21) is proving he won't be the answer if I continue to have major league backstop problems. CF Nathan Haynes (.264, 5, 28) is doing decently well, and has 14 SB, but he's in a long line of potential future Angels.

Pitching is still a weaker point in Salt Lake, although it's not as bad as it was in May.

Stoneman is pushing the talents of SP Matt Wise and Steve Green, and of MR Bart Miadich.

Wise (5-2, 3.84) has bounced back from a subpar May to show off the skills that made me consider him for the rotation. With Appier and maybe others trying to pitch their way out of the major leagues, he will certainly be in the mix if it keeps it up. Green (4-3, 4.10) will also likely be in the mix.

Miadich (1-0, 2.84, 1 sv) could go up if I move Schoenweiss, but he has only 12.2 IPs, so I'm not quite ready to do that yet. It's much more likely I would move a starter up, but as bullpen filler.

I'm surprised that Stoneman still hasn't gotten on the bandwagon for SP Mickey Callaway (6-1, 2.06). Callaway continues to be Salt Lake's best starter.

The rotation will get a jump when promoted AA starters Chris Bootcheck (8-1, 2.06 at Arkansas) and Elvin Nina (3-3, 5.21, 54 K in 46.2 IP) arrive. They have just been promoted. Bootcheck is a decently-regarded prospect who was pitching great in AA. Nina is a career minor leaguer type who was moved mostly because Stoneman said he could be, and we had too many starters at AA as it was.

Veteran MR Doug Nickle was promoted from AA at the beginning of June, but he hasn't done so well (7.88 ERA in 8 IP). In fact, the bullpen in general has been bad outside of Miadich.

Arkansas Travellers (33-23)

The Travellers were originally doing the best of our minor league teams, and they continue to do so. Making it more surprising is the fact that they are still somewhat of a roster in flux.

I have already mentioned Bootcheck and Nina moving up now to AAA, and Nickle's promotion at the beginning of June. C Jared Abruzzo's promotion from A was announced last month, and second-round pick MR Jake Tetrault also went straight to Arkansas after signing his first pro contract.

Finally, one of our best minor league pitchers and the #10 member of the Angels Top 10 list, SP Richard Fischer, had to be shelved on June 21 because of bone chips in his elbow. He is expected to miss five weeks, so it is likely he will miss all of July as well.

Stoneman still has not given his big okay to the advancement of #3 prospect Joe Saunders, whom he said we might consider at AAA last month. He has added recently promoted SS Brian Specht to the list of "on the fence" AAA prospects, though. So with big months, we could see both of these players making the jump.

For now, though, they will stay at Arkansas.

Saunders (6-3, 2.80) is pitching wonderfully, racking up 60K and allowing just 52 hits in 80.1 IP. Specht (.251, 8, 30) has stepped into Arkansas's lineup like he was meant to be there. The only lasting indication of his recent promotion is the slightly lagging average. He continues to produce far more power than expected.

Fischer (3-4, 4.83) wasn't pitching particularly well when he got shelved.

Among the other top pitching prospects the Angels have here, you already know that Bootcheck was pitching wonderfully and got bumped up to AAA. What's really funny about that is that he isn't on the Angels' Top 10 list like most of the rest of the rotation was, including Saunders and Fischer.

#4 prospect Booby Jenks (2-1, 3.65) is keeping the scores low, even though he--a power pitcher--has strangely low strikeout totals (28 Ks in 56.2 IP), and has allowed more hits (59) than IP. #9 prospect Chris Waters (3-5, 5.35) continues to struggle with his adjustment to Arkansas after being dumped by the Braves.

In the bullpen, lightly-regarded Derrick Turnbow (0-1, 4.02) has pitching decently well, and Tetrault (1-0, 2.70, 14 Ks in 13.1 IP) is making an impact early in his career. Tetrault would have more IP by now, except the game wasn't pitching him from the top setup man position for some reason. He has seen a lot more time now as a middle reliever, but I am considering giving him a run at closer, an organizational weakness below the major league level.

In the batter's box, fringe major leaguer Barry Wesson (.273, 11, 43) has cooled off considerably, although he is still putting up very solid numbers. Top hitting prospect and #5 overall Angels' prospect 1B Casey Kotchman (.298, 5, 23) is still underachieving quite a bit in the power department, although he continues to do well with average.

C Jared Abruzzo (.255, 2, 13), the #8 prospect, is doing decently, but he obviously still has some things to learn down here after being promoted last month from Rancho Cucamonga.

The two Nieveses continue to hold down spots. Insurance veteran minor league 2B Jose Nieves (.296, 10, 30) remains as one of the Travellers' more consistent hitters, and fringe catching prospect Wil Nieves (.261, 4, 12) took him bump over to DH well, when management asked him to make room for Abruzzo.

Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (33-23)

How weird is that, eh? All three minor league teams have the same record. The Quakes had a ways to go, so they clearly had a good month. I have to think the addition of four new prospects, including top pick David LaBoy had to help in that respect.

Stoneman continues to suggest that #6 prospect SP Joe Torres (4-4, 4.86) is on the fence for possibly moving up to AA. His stats don't agree, though. I will allow that Torres is doing a bit better than he was in May. No one else is close to ready, according to Stoneman.

LaBoy (2-1, 3.13, 30 Ks in 31.2 IP) seems to be making the transition from JUCO ball and from being a reliever to becoming a starter quite well. He is now the Angels' #2 prospect behind only John Lackey at the major league level.

Fellow draftee relievers Omar Ramirez (1-1, 2 sv, 5.00) and Aurelio Ruiz (1-0, 1 sv, 4.77) are still learning the ropes, but they aren't doing so bad considering their youth and the fact that they were third and fifth round choices.

Johan A. Santana (4-4, 3.04, 60 Ks in 77 IP) is apparently taking it personally that additions such as LaBoy's drafting bumped him from the top prospect list himself. He has been dynamite.

C Jared Mathis (.269, 9, 36) has blossomed now that Abruzzo is at Arkansas and Mathis is the fulltime backstop. He is the squad's best hitting prospect right now.

3B Dallas McPherson (.328, 5, 23) continues to show that he is at least great at making contact and getting the basehits. CF Julio Ramirez (.373, 6, 17) continues to play like his demotion from Arkansas to the Quakes was a mistake.

The new addition, fourth-rounder 2B Bennie Brant (.210, 0, 3), is struggling to make the transition to the pros right now.

The Angels Top 10 Prospect List

1. SP John Lackey-- majors (3-5, 4.13)
2. SP David LaBoy-- A (2-1, 3.13) 22nd prospect in MLB
3. SP Joe Saunders-- AA (6-3, 2.80) 75th best prospect in MLB
4. SP Bobby Jenks-- AA (2-1, 3.65) 65th best prospect in MLB
5. 1B Casey Kotchman-- AA (.298, 5, 23) 15th best prospect in MLB
6. SP Joe Torres-- A (4-4, 4.86) 34th best prospect in MLB
7. RF Michael O'Keefe-- AAA (.323, 10, 38)
8. C Jared Abruzzo-- AA (.255, 2, 13--.270, 6, 18 at A) 64th best prospect in MLB
9. SP Chris Waters-- AA (3-5, 5.35)
10. Richard Fischer-- AA (3-4, 4.83--currently on DL)

(It should be noted that the Top 100 MLB prospects list is compiled by an average scout--Stoneman, who puts together our Top 10 list, is supposed to be better).

SP Johan A. Santana-- A (4-4, 3.04) 66th best prospect in MLB
SP Chris Bootcheck-- AAA (8-1, 2.06 at AA) 94th best prospect

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

03-24-2003, 03:08 AM

Major League News

AFTER THE SECOND MONTH OF THE 2003 SEASON

Offensive League Leaders-- American League

It's clear who the leader of Boston's attack is. Manny Ramirez apparently had one of the best months in history, raising his average some 70 or so points to .401. He is far, far ahead of the pack. Last month's hitting leader, the Yanks' Bernie Williams is second at .346. Ramirez's support man Jeremy Giambi is third at .343. Last month, two Twins were in the top five in batting. They are both off the list now, but they have been replaced by teammate Corie Koskie, 4th at .337. Chicago's Frank Thomas is tied with Koskie.

It's just scary what Ramirez is doing right now. He is also easily ahead in HR, with 20. The Rangers' stud SS Alex Rodriguez is tied with Thomas at 15 HR, for secondd. Texas teammate Juan Gonzalez is at 14. Three players, including Angel Troy Glaus and last month's homerun leader, the Jays Josh Phelps have 12 HR.

Do I need to say it? Yes, he leads the RBI leaders as well. Ramirez has 58, well ahead of Thomas at 50. Has anyone been this dominant so far into the season? I mean to be so far ahead in all three Triple Crown categories! The guy I feel sorry for? Frank Thomas--man, this guy is doing great, but you just wouldn't know it next to Ramirez. The Yankees' Jason Giambi makes an appearance in third place with 47. Phelps and Boston's Kevin Millar are tied at fourth with 44 RBIs.

Ramirez was just ahead of the OPS leaders after May. Now he's far ahead, with a Bonds-like 1.247 OPS. Thomas is second with 1.056. Koskie, surprisingly, is third at 1.028, just ahead of Jason Giambi at 1.026.

Offensive League Leaders-- National League

Larry Walker was hitting .400-plus ball for the Rockies after May. He has fallen off the pace a bit, dropping to third at .363. The new leader is the Astros' Lance Berkman at .381. Veteran hitter Roberto Alomar with the Mets snuck up on Walker to snag second with a .364 average. The Marlins' Cliff Floyd and the Mets' Mike Piazza return to the top five batting list with .352 and .351 averages respectively.

Piazza leads the way in HR, with 19. Braves slugger Gary Sheffield is second with 17. Three players are tied at 16-- the Giants' Barry Bonds, Floyd, and the still surprising Craig A. Wilson, who continues to play a strong leftfield for the Pirates.

Piazza may not be where Ramirez is, or even Thomas, but he's not having a bad year so far. He also leads the NL in RBI, with 52. Reds' longtime slugger Ken Griffey Jr. is right behind him with 51. Floyd is at 49, and the Cubs' powerful outfielder Sammy Sosa has 48. Two players--Wilson and Sheffield--are tied with 45.

OPS is a much more competitive category right now in the NL. Triple Crown candidate Mike Piazza leads with 1.176. Longtime OPS champ Bonds is right behind him with 1.172. And batting leader Berkman is at 1.145. Floyd, at 1.134, is the only hitter real close to the top.

Pitching League Leaders-- American League

Pedro Martinez, the BoSox's slim ace, is still at the head of the pack for ERA, although he took quite a hit from May in dropping to a 2.38 ERA. Minnesota's Rick Reed is right behind him now with a 2.44 ERA. Detroit might have fallen off the pace, but Mike Maroth is still going strong with a 2.50 ERA. The Yankees' Mike Mussina and Mariners' Freddy Garcia bring up the rear of the top five with 2.80 and 2.90 ERAs.

Garcia (9-2) leads the way for wins. He is immediately followed by Martinez (8-2) and Mussina (8-4). Five pitchers have 7 wins, including Reed and Maroth.

Martinez is pulling away from the pack for strikeouts. He has already passed the century mark with 105 Ks. Mussina is second with 68. The Rangers' Chan Ho Park falls from second to third with 63. Garcia is fourth with 61, and the Jays' Kelvim Escobar has 58.

Chad Fox is still on top of the saves list for the Red Sox, with 19. A group of three are just behind him with 18, including the Orioles' Buddy Groom, the Yankees' Mariano Rivera, and the Mariners' Kazutoshi Sasaki. Two pitchers are tied for fofth with 14 saves, including the Angels' Troy Percival.

Pitching League Leaders-- National League

You know, John Smoltz was already at the top of his game after last month. Now he's put into overdrive for the Braves. The elder statesman is putting up an amazing 1.46 ERA. The Expos' Orlando Hernandez is trying to show the Yankees they made a mistake in letting him go. He is second with a 2.16 ERA. Odalis Perez is third with a 2.42 ERA for LA. Brian Lawrence and shocking converted reliever Clay Condrey are leading the way for the Padres and each own a 2.73 ERA, good for fourth place.

Smoltz isn't just leading the league in wins. He's 9-0. Perez (8-3) and Lawrence (8-4) are right behind them, although not with the same track record of success. Like the AL, five pitchers have 7 wins on their resumes for 2003 so far.

Arizona's Randy Johnson remains in the strikeout lead with 84. The Cubs' young stud Mark Prior is second with 88. Roy Oswalt is still on the list, hurling 80 Ks for the miserable Astros. And the DBacks are apparently trying to corner the market on strikeouts, with Byung-Hung Kim and Curt Schilling joining the Big Unit on the strikeout list with 72 and 71 total.

Former Braves' setup man Mike Remlinger is proving to be a fine closer for the Cubs, with 20. The Cards' Jason Isringhausen has 16 saves for his squad as they try to return to respectability. Three closers have 14. The group includes last month's leader, the DBacks' Greg Swindell and another top five closer from May, Florida's Vladimir Nunez. The surprise addition is the Braves' new closer Ray King.

League Awards

Players of the Week-- AL

June 1-7-- 1B Jason Giambi (NYY)
June 8-14-- C Chad Kreuter (TEX)
June 15-21-- RF Jeremy Giambi (BOS)
June 22-28-- LF Manny Ramirez (BOS)

Players of the Week-- NL

June 1-7-- SS Tony Womack (ARI)
June 8-14-- LF Cliff Floyd (NYM)
June 15-21-- SS Jimmy Rollins (PHI)
June 22-28-- RF Gary Sheffield (ATL)

American League Batter of the Month for June: RF Manny Ramirez (BOS)

Tell me you weren't expecting this! He hit .462, with 12 HR and 33 RBI.

American League Pitcher of the Month for June: SP Mike Mussina (NYY)

Moose went 5-1, with a 2.32 ERA and a shutout.

National League Batter of the Month for June: LF Lance Berkman (HOU)

At least someone is doing well in Houston. Berkman hit .418, with 5 HRs and 21 RBIs.

National League Pitcher of the Month for June: SP John Smoltz (ATL)

I'm sure this one was as shocking as Ramirez's award. ;) The numbers--wow. 5-0, 0.96 ERA in six games. Smoltz has won this ward two straight months.

Significant Achievements

Boston's Derek Lowe flirted with a no-hitter against Seattle on June 1, before settling for a one-hit shutout.

As if the Red Sox need help, Todd Walker got six hits against the Angels on June 4.

The hated Barry Bonds collected his 2500th hit on June 10. He's old, but at the rate he's going, he'll probably pass 3,00 easily on his way to 5,000 by the time he's 43. Pete Rose, take that!

The Rangers' Ismael Valdes and the Cards' Woody Williams both had one-hit shutouts going in June. Valdes's came on June 22, against Seattle again, which apparently had a bad month facing tough pitchers. Williams' gem came against Cincy on June 23.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

03-24-2003, 03:45 AM

Major League Transactions

FOR THE MONTH OF JUNE, 2003

Here I will go day-by-day to show the major decisions and trades and what not of the teams in the month of June, the second of the delayed 2003 season.

Day by Day Transaction List

Early June

Releases (refusal of minor league assignment)

Cubs: 1B Dave Hansen (June 2)
Orioles: LF B.J. Surhoff (June 4)
DBacks: 3B Matt Williams (June 7)
Braves: MR Roberto Hernandez (June 8)

Commentary: How stupid is this? Hansen was signed on June 1, and then released the next day. :rolleyes: Those others seem to be major releases, too.

June 8

Releases

White Sox: SP Kenny Rogers

Commentary: Another oddity. Rogers may have been the premier starting pitcher in the second round of free agency. He was 2-0 with a 4.15 ERA, so he wasn't doing too bad. Of course, he hadn't pitched since May 14, when he got blown out. I know this guy was signed to a multi-year contract.

Signings

Diamondbacks sign LF B.J. Surhoff to a one-year, $300K contract.
Tigers sign SP Lance Davis to a minor league contract.

Commentary: Well, at least someone is getting use out of Surhoff. He has seen sporadic starts for the DBacks since his pickup. Davis hadn't pitched until his signing by the Tigers, and maybe they shouldn't have in the first place (1-2, 7.66 in 5 GS).

June 15

Signings

Padres sign MR Mike Timlin to a one-year, $319K contract.

Commentary: Timlin was cut by the Red Sox after he refused assignment. The Padres signed him immediately. It hasn't paid dividends yet, though (6.75 ERA with Pads).

June 22

Releases (refusal of minor league assignment)

Braves: 1B Julio Franco
Dodgers: SP Andy Ashby
Padres: MR Jesse Orosco

Commentary: No, none of these guys were lighting it up, but they were all surprises to an extent, since they all played some decent-sized roles for their old teams. The aging Franco was batting .289, with 1 HR and 8 RBI in 39 games. I have seen much worse than Ashby's 2-3, 5.24 ERA in 6 starts. Well, okay, Orosco was pitching horribly (7.45 ERA in 22 appearances).

June 23

Trades

Devil Rays get:

3B Herbert Perry

Rangers get:

RF Wes Bankston
SP Lloyd Lorenzon

Commentary: Isn't it sad when you can trade away a bit part like Herbert Perry, and yet he's good enough to man the third spot in the lineup for the other team? Man, the D-Rays suck. Perry is coming off of a decent enough season (.276, 22, 76 in '02), but if I were them I would have kept the two decent prospects. Perry, 33, is hitting just .215, with 2 HR and 13 RBI. Bankston is a 2.5 star talent who is hitting .275, 10, 26 at A, and Lorenzon a 3-star talent who is 3-2, 2.63 at A. Lorenzon was the second pick of the second round in this year's draft, and Bankston is one of my "added" players.

Chief Rum

DolphinFan1

03-24-2003, 04:07 AM

Great job. This is good stuff. You're getting me to care about baseball again, (a little).

Chief Rum

03-24-2003, 04:18 AM

Injury News

Here were the significant injuries of the second month of play:

June 3

Diamondbacks: CF Jay Payton tore a thigh muscle running the bases. He will be out 5-6 weeks. What makes this so laughable and painful is that fact that the DBacks acquired Payton last month from the Rockies to replace Steve Finley--who is out for the year with a broken knee. Payton was hitting .239-2-10 at the time of the injury.

June 7

Brewers: MR Luis Vizcaino has bone chips in his elbow, and the surgery will knock him out for 5 weeks. This might be good news for the hapless Brewers--Vizcaino was contributing a 9.26 ERA to the cause when he got hurt.

June 9

Rangers: LF Kevin Mench strained his anterior cruciate ligament running the bases. He was provodong the Rangers with decent power at the time (6 HR, 19 RBI), although he was hitting just .237. He's out for 6 weeks.

June 12

Mets: SP Jason Middlebrook suffered a fractured hand off of a comebacker. Middlebrook (3-2, 4.03) had been contributing nicely to the Mets' resurgence into first place in the NL East, so this hurts. He's down 8-9 weeks.

June 19

Padres: C Darrin Fletcher broke his hand in a homeplate collision, putting him out for 3-4 weeks. The injury is a slight derailment for the veteran Fletcher, who took advantage of the second free agency period to sign a nice deal with San Diego. He was hitting .276-7-19 as the Padres' regular backstop.

June 20

Red Sox: 3B Bill Meuller broke his hand when he got beaned in a game and will miss 6 weeks. There must be a run on hands going on right now. Meuller had seen a lot of time as a sometime starter at 3B for the Sox, and spot starter elsewhere. He was hitting .301-4-14 at the time of the injury.

June 25

Cubs: MR Dave Veres pulled an elbow ligament pitching, and will miss 3 weeks. Veres has been a key reliever for the surprising Cubbies, going 1-2 with a 4.44 ERA in 26 games.

June 27

Yankees: CF Bernie Williams pulled a back muscle running the bases, and will miss three weeks. This should be a slight bump in the road for what has otherwise been a very good year for the supremely talented Williams. He is hitting .346, second in the AL, and has 8 HR and 32 RBI.

June 28

Devil Rays: LF Carl Crawford broke his knee trying to make a catch, and will miss the rest of the season! Damn, that's gotta hurt. Crawford is an up-and-comer for the Devil Rays, and they certainly don't need this. He was called up in mid-May and had been doing fine, starting every day, when he got hurt. He was hitting .306-2-6 when he got hurt.

Expos: SP Orlando Hernandez pulled a rotator cuff while pitching, and will be out for 3 weeks. It must be a bad day to be a good player on a bad team. Hernandez is enjoying a fine season outside of this. He is 4-4 with an NL 2nd-best 2.16 ERA.

June 29

Athletics: Tim Hudson broke his jaw when he was hit by a line drive while pitching, and will miss 3-4 weeks. Bad luck for the A's, who also saw starting 1B Scott Hatteburg go down for a time last month for the same thing (but after getting hit by a pitch). Hudson is off to one of his usual bad starts (4-3, 5.47), but it looks like his belated comeback will be on hold for a month.

June 30

Red Sox: SP Robert Person was diagnosed with bone chips in his shoulder, which is apparently a more serious place for them to be. So he's out for the season, and the Red Sox may have hit their first real road bump. Person, signed to a one-year contract in the preseason, was 4-2 with a 4.09 ERA when he got hurt.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

03-24-2003, 04:19 AM

Originally posted by DolphinFan1
Great job. This is good stuff. You're getting me to care about baseball again, (a little).

Wow, great compliment. I wouldn't want to turn you on to the dark force. Please don't take the Person news too hard. :)

And keep on reading. Thanks.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

03-24-2003, 06:02 AM

A Look At The Angels and Upcoming Free Agency

I figure now, after two months, is as good a time as any, to take a look at the Angels' situation with upcoming free agents and with arbitration eligible players.

Actually, things may even be more intense than usual, because I haven't figured out how to push the trading deadline back. Hopefully the game will figure this out, but I'm guessing it won't. So if I want to trade anyone because they will be let go, I may have only a limited time to do it.

We currently have $31.7 M or so for extensions. We will actually likely have more, the way things are going financially, but the game isn't working off of our projections, just what we did last year (the year that wasn't played in OOTP's system).

The payroll is currently at $61.1 M. Using some very conservative figures, I have estimated that our revenue will be in the ballpark of $67 M at the end of the year, not counting playoff revenue, God willing. If my estimates are indeed conservative as I suppose, we could be above $70 M even without playoff revenue.

That means our cash levels will rise at least $5-6 M and probably higher. So I would say that is a relatively healthy situation. If I want to exploit it or take some risks, it will depend on how this team plays in the very near future. I think I generally run toward more conservative anyway, but it's always tough when you're dealing with guys you have a real life connection to.

Potential Free Agents

These players will be free agents at the end of this year if they are not signed to an extension:

RF Tim Salmon
SS Benji Gil
DH Brad Fullmer
RF Eric Owens

I'll get the easy ones out of the way first.

Gil is a nice enough backup making $870K per year, and he's versatile enough to keep around. But I have backups galore in the minor leagues ready to play his role, and they'll do it for the league minimum. He's looking for $1.1 M per year for 3 years, and I just can't see giving that to a backup as a mid-market team. I will probably put him on the trading block immediately.

It would be nice Fullmer would make this hard on me, but with Wooten doing so well, and a couple nice looking hitters at AAA, it seems hard to justify bringing him back. His current salary is $492K per year, and I expect he'll want a big raise. So Fullmer will be leaving, too, unless he pulls off something phenomenal over the rest of the season.

As with Gil, Owens is an okay backup who has the misfortune of playing for a team with plenty of potential backups in the wings. He is only playing for the minimum, but he will want at least a little more, I'm sure, and they guys I would bring up would also make the minimum.

Removing these three from next year's payroll saves me $1.72 M, and if I replace them with minimum-making players, still saves me more than 800K.

Now the big one: I am torn on what to do with Salmon. He is a personal favorite of mine and has been an Angels his entire career. He's one of the few guys in the lineup still producing on a day-to-day basis. But he's older (34) and signed to a big contract ($5.46 M). I have a nice replacement at AAA in O'Keefe, and Salmon is looking for a four-year, $5.75 M contract. With this game's notorious treatment of older players and quickly vanishing skills, I just don't think I can commit to that kind of contract. So, as much as I hate to do it, I will have to let the Kingfish go.

I will put him on the trading block with the others, but it will be with the expectation that I would only move him for a dynamite deal. This year isn't over for the Angels just yet, and I want to milk him for all he's worth.

So not signing Salmon frees up $7.12 M in payroll.

Arbitration Eligible

Here are the players that are eligible for arbitration:

SP Jarrod Washburn
SP Ramon Ortiz
SS David Eckstein
MR Lou Pote
2B Adam Kennedy
C Benji Molina
MR Scott Schoenweiss
2B Jose Nieves
MR Ben Weber
DH Shawn Wooten
C Jose Molina
RF Jeff DaVanon
SP Matt Wise
RF Julio Ramirez

As you can see, I have a LOT of players going to arbitration next year. Some are fairly straight foward.

Washburn is making $3.93 M this year. He wants an extension for $5.22 M for three years, but I'm betting he'll only get $4.5 or so from arbitration, so I'm going to keep him on arbitration for now.

Ortiz is making $2.39 M this year, and "L'il Pedro" wants current Washburn money for an extension. Sorry, Ramon, but you're going to have to give me better than a 5.00 ERA for that. He will probably be a shade over $3 M, I am guessing.

So so far, if my guesses are right, we have a gain of about $1.3 M in payroll from arbitration. I'll bump it up to $1.5 in my estimations to give myself more leeway.

Eckstein is making $2.18 M this year, and I see him landing at about $3 M in arbitration. He's asking me to offer rather than giving me a figure, which I hate, but since I doubt he would except less than a $3 M contract, I will probably leave him as is.

With another little bump in estimates, that puts me at about $2.5 M-plus on this year's payroll.

Pote is an interesting situation. He is making $915K per year, and he's just a reliever, so I suspect he will return for cheap, probably in the $1.3 M range or so. He says he'll test the market, but of course I know I have him for at least one more year if I want. I may or may not keep him. It depends on how he holds up. I have other options for the pen, and can probably afford to let him go, but he has pitched well, and I might want to consider keeping this bullpen together as long as possible.

So if I keep him, that puts us at about $3 M over the payroll.

Kennedy is making $671K per year, and he is looking for a shade over $1 M for an extension. That's probably right around where his arbitration case will end up as well, I would imagine. He hasn't impressed me, but since I can keep him for a while yet, he's not looking for much, he's young, he could still develop more, he has starter-level talent, and Gil is going to be gone, I figure I will keep him. At worst, he can be a key infield backup and insurance case.

That puts us at $3.4 M above the payroll.

Benji Molina is drawing in 458K per year. This one is a tough one for me to judge right now. I haven't even really decided if I want to throw Wooten into this spot just yet. But Molina isn't graded out as the defensive stud he is in real life, and he never could hit worth a lick. Even though he only wants about $25K more for an extension, I don't know that I'll want to pay that. But I doubt anyone will take him in trade, so I'll have all season to figure this one out.

Schoenweiss is only making $350K, and he had the cajones to actually ask for $1.2 M or so for an extension. He's got to be kidding me. He can probably get 900K or even 1M in arbitration, too, so unless he wows me the rest of the way here, expect Schoenweiss to be given his walking papers.

Nieves is also making $350K, but he's willing to resign to a minor league contract. Since this guy doesn't even play in the majors and is a one-star talent, I don't think I need to worry about a raise. The question will be, if I let Gil go, will I need to keep this guy around for insurance? I'm thinking with Eckstein and Kennedy at the major league level, and Figgins and Salazar and Amezaga ready to contribute down at Salt Lake, I can afford to lose Nieves's almost minimum contract.

Now comes the tough part--the guys making minimum hitting arbitration for the first time (or at least I think that's how it works). These are the guys whose salaries will likely fluctuate the most, and there are a couple good ones here. With Molina still in flux, we can count Nieves and Schoenweiss as gone, which frees up $700K in payroll. That drops us to $2.7 M above payroll, which I will give another generous bump up to $800K to cover our asses liberally.

Weber is first up from the min sal guys. Weber has been one of the best cheap relievers in the league now for three years, and he isn't giving me any help with his extension offer ("let me hear your offer! :rolleyes: ). He's a four-star talent, and it will actually take some research to figure it out, research I'll do later when I actually start making contract offers. I figure he'll get something in the $2 M range, but I'm pulling that out of my ass. So I'll add $3 M to my estimate. No way am I letting him go--he's just too good.

So we take a jump up to $5.7 M above our current payroll.

Wooten was the next guy I was worried about, with him doing as well as he is. Surprisingly, he is only looking for $680K for 2 years for an extension. I'm inclined to even sign him to that, but he's 30 years old, so he doesn't have any more developing to do. That number won't go up based on his ratings, and I'm not sure how much the computer takes stats into account when doing this. I won't be letting him go, which is certain. I will tentativel allow that he will probably get close to 700K in arbitration, if his extension offer is any indication, and I will allow for a full $1 M just in case (or 700K above his current salary).

So now the estimate is up to $6.4 M above the current payroll, and beginning to approach what I am letting go to free agency ($7.2 M).

The second Molina is in no better a spot than the first. Jose is making less money right now, but he has a half-a-star talent edge on his brother. Apparently it's good enough for him to ask for almost a million in an extension. I don't even know which Molina I'm going to keep. I'm certainly not going to keep both, not if Wooten works out, and if I feel comfortable enough with some of my minor league stopgap possibiltiies (Fasano at AAA, Wil Nieves at AA, heck, maybe even Abruzzo), I may cut them both. So for now, I will leave this up in the air for later in the season.

DaVanon can't even break into the regular lineup of my AAA team, and I have plenty of others to use as outfield depth, or I could find better for min sal cheap in free agency. So he's a goner at the end of the year. That frees up $300 K, and drops the estimate down to $6.1 M.

Wise is an interesting possibility. If Appier continues to imitate a guy falling apart from age, Wise is probably going to be the guy who gets first crack at his rotation spot--and that could be soon. I don't plan on letting Wise go, in any case. He is a two-star talent who could be a serviceable four or five starter. He was asking for about $1.3 M for an extension, and I figure he will get at least $1 M in arbitration. So I'll estimate $1.3 M for him, and move us up to $7.4 M.

Ramirez is much like DaVanon, although at least he is playing well in the minor leagues. There's just no reason to keep him, though, so he's gone, too. That frees up another 300K, and drops us down to $7.1 M.

I'll bump the estimate up again to $7.5 M just to allow for misreadings of the arbitration values.

Conclusion

Well, what do you know? We'll be letting go about $7.2 M in free agency, and we're allowing for $7.5 M in arbitration increases. So our payroll should stay roughly the same, although that's allowing that the Molina-times-two situation is yet to be resolved. That will either cost us an additional 500K or an additional 200K or a gain of 700K or so in our available funds. I don't think a range of a million around that figure will matter much, so I feel I can safely ignore it for now.

If things go forward as I hope they will, my entire rotation and everyone but Schoenweiss will return. Wise would likely take Schoenweiss's position, and if I move a guy like Appier, then Green, Callaway or Miadich will also be ready to be called up from Salt Lake.

Catcher would have Wooten, likely with one of the Molinas backing up. O'Keefe would be in RF, replacing Salmon. Kennedy would be on the roster in some form, so I would essentially be keeping my starters everywhere except at RF and DH. Figgins could take Gil's spot and maybe have a crack at the 2B starting job. And Quinlan would get the backup outfield spot, and probably get first shot at the DH spot.

All this for the same money, essentially. I think it's a good plan, and it allows me with a lot of flexibility for improving myself in the offseason through trades if I like.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

03-24-2003, 06:12 AM

Simming July, 2003...

I figured I would start tossing these posts out there, so the readers will at least get the sense of progress. I don't know if my series of monthly posts is enough to convey the sense of a passing season.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

03-25-2003, 02:08 AM

It was an exciting and difficult month. It took quite a while to get through it, and yet this still just gets us to the halfway point. Wow!

I have a lot to go over, so I'll see how far I can get tonight.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

03-25-2003, 02:44 AM

The Standings

Game Date: August 1, 2003 (halfway through the delayed 2003 season)

AL West


Team W L PCT GB

Oakland 54 30 .643 --
Anaheim 44 39 .530 9.5
Seattle 45 40 .529 9.5
Texas 37 47 .440 17.0


Oakland has begun to pull away and looks to be incommand of this division. The Angels and Seattle are two of the better teams in the AL right now, but they are just short on the consistency they need to make a push at Oakland. Texas remains a solid looking team in a tough division.

AL Central


Team W L PCT GB

Cleveland 43 41 .512 --
Minnesota 43 41 .512 --
Chicago 40 44 .476 3.0
Detroit 39 44 .470 3.5
Kansas City 27 57 .321 16.0


Does someone really want to win this division? It seems so sad that there is all this great competition in the west and east, but this division sits in the middle, just plainly sucking. Minnesota has gotten back into it and has tied Cleveland. Chicago is playing closer to their talent and staying close. Detroit turned it around after a bad June. And Kansas City continues to be one of the league's two main whipping boys.

AL East


Team W L PCT GB

Boston 60 24 .714 --
New York 55 30 .647 5.5
Toronto 41 43 .488 19.0
Baltimore 35 49 .417 25.0
Tampa Bay 26 60 .302 35.0


Boston continues to be the best team in MLB, and New York is almost certainly the second best. It's definitely interesting to watch these two mortal enemies battle each other for this division, even if visits to the playoffs for both seem to be practically guaranteed. Toronto was looking very good after June, but a bad month and being in the same division as the Red Sox have essentially removed them from the race entirely. Baltimore also had a bad month after flirting with respectability, and now they are way out. Tampa Bay is the second whipping boy.

NL West


Team W L PCT GB

Los Angeles 48 38 .558 --
San Francisco 46 39 .541 1.5
Arizona 44 44 .500 5.0
San Diego 40 45 .471 7.5
Colorado 38 47 .447 9.5


Welcome to the league's tightest division. Less than 10 games separates first from last and no one is out of it. LA continues to surge, as they have finally overtaken San Francisco, the division leader up until now. San Francisco remains just behind them. Arizona is just at .500, but they are still very much in range of first. Is San Diego's early success dying a slow death toward reality or did they just have a bad month? We'll see... Colorado is probably the best last place team in the league.

NL Central


Team W L PCT GB

Chicago 52 33 .612 --
Cincinnati 47 38 .553 5.0
St. Louis 44 41 .518 8.0
Houston 38 47 .447 14.0
Pittsburgh 37 48 .435 15.0
Milwaukee 31 52 .373 20.0


Chicago still has the best record in the NL, but Cincy doesn't seem willing to give this one up without a fight. They remain close. St. Louis now seems fully back, and is beginning to creep up on Cincinnati. The big improvement of the month came from Houston, which finally seemed to figure out it had too much talent to stay down for as long as it had. The Astros still have a long way to go, though. The Pirates seem to have settled into a team out of contention, and Milwaukee is bringing up the rear now--as originally expected.

NL East


Team W L PCT GB

Atlanta 49 35 .583 --
New York 43 39 .524 5.0
Florida 43 40 .518 5.5
Philadelphia 43 42 .506 6.5
Montreal 34 49 .410 14.5


Atlanta and New York were the two hot teams in the NL East in June. Only Atlanta kept it up. So now the Braves are back on top and with a bit of a lead. The Mets came back to Earth a bit, but still managed to hold on to second. They lead a group of three working to break from the pack and approach the Braves. The Marlins looked like they were going to fall out of it last month, but they have rebounded. Philadelphia continues to be one of the year's bigger disappointments, although they do have a .500-plus record. Thanks to Milwaukee, Montreal doesn't have to carry the worst record in the NL.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

03-25-2003, 03:13 AM

Anaheim The Team

The Angels have been wavering from 6th to 14th in the power rankings for most of the month. It seems fitting they should end it at 10th, right in the middle, with 96 points.

Several games have been played since the last power rankings (they come out on Mondays and it is currently a Saturday), but overall there seems to be little difference. The Red Sox weren't quite so hot in July, so they dropped to 133 points and not so commanding a lead in the rankings, but they are still on top. The A's actually have the second spot, with 127. The A's record is just a shade better than the Yanks at this point, but the Yankees are a little back with 116 points. They are just ahead of the Cubs, the best NL team, with 115 points. And the surging Dodgers take the fifth spot with 106 points.

Here are where we stand in major categories, with MLB rank in parentheses:

Team AVG: .255 (20th)
Team HRs: 89 (13th)
Team Runs: 410 (17th)

The average hasn't improved, nor has our horrible plate patience (29th in the league in walks taken), but we are finally seeing improvement here. It seems obvious that the big reason is a jump in HRs. We were in the bottom third of the league in taters, but a powerful July has us in the league's top half and inching toward the top ten power teams. That is almost certainly responsible for a corresponding jump in runs scored, where we are now just about average, as the league goes. I will go into more specifics about the power renaissance when I go over the individual player performances.

Team ERA: 4.18 (12th)
Team AVG Allowed: .250 (8th)
Team Runs Allowed: 375 (7th)

Of course, we have also seen the trend of steadily declining pitching performances continue, as we have slid further from the top. The ERA is now out of the top ten, and average allowed and runs allowed are inching closer as well. I'm hoping we can reverse this trend, of course. While such a decline is not welcomed, it is still quite certain that pitching remains the team's strength at the moment.

Financials

As Oakland pulls away a bit, and we waffle with our consistency, it should be no surprise that fan interest is beginning to take a hit. It is small, dropping from 91 to 90, but it is still a big red flag. OOTP5 (along with previous versions of the game) does not handle fan interest very well, IMO.

That said, this particular decrease is understandable, considering that it approximates a lagging of interest that would be present in real life fans whose expectations of a repeat championship season are being tested by a team several games out of both first and the wildcard.

Our fan interest of 90 is now 4th in the league. San Francisco (92) and the Chicago Cubs (93) are both still ahead of us. The surprise (or not) is Boston, which improved only slowly early on from tehir success, but finally jumped past the top three teams to 94 in FI, the top figure in the league. Are diehard BoSox fans beginning to believe after all? Or is this just another of the Bambino's cruel jokes?

Our FI may be declining, but it hasn't hurt us in attendance just yet. We are still selling out our games, and have sold out all 43 homedates so far this season. In fact, the indomitable persistence of our fans has finally proven too much for other teams like Oakland and Texas to contend with, and we have passed them to become the top team in attendance in the league. The Cowboy is probably rolling in his grave at that one.

The attendance figures for Anaheim now stands at about 1,936,000 for the season.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

03-25-2003, 11:07 PM

Transactions & Injuries

FOR JULY, THE THIRD MONTH OF THE 2003 SEASON

The first couple months, I simply placed this section under the Anaheim The Team section. I didn't have anything to report essentially, because I suffered no major injuries nor did I make an changes to the 25-man roster.

Well, that changed in July, big time. In fact, it turned this particular sim into a marathon session, taking more than an hour-and-a-half to go through just one month. And this is just for the Angels...I'm not even sure just yet what big trading news might have come down for the trading deadline, which I was unable to change from July 31 (it is effectively a month earlier than usual).

Before I get into the month's day-by-day Angels' transactions, I thought I would explain something about my approach to trading in this dynasty. I currently recognize that the trade AI may have some flaws in it. As a result, I had to be prepared for at least two different scenarios--the situation where they offer me squat for good players (which is easy--I just turn them down, of course, like anyone would), and the situation where they offer me far more than they should for what they are asking.

The second one is the problem--if you wait long enough, you will eventually get some ridiculous offer that is pretty much a straight rip-off for you. Who knows why the AI does this? This seems to be a difficult aspect to program, so I am not surprised that the AI doesn't always make the smartest decisions.

So I am trying to approach this realistically. With every trade offer, I ask myself, "Is this a deal that might be proposed by an actual real life GM, given what we know about these players?". If I feel the balance is too far in my favor, I will turn it down, simply from the belief that the AI doesn't know what the heck it's doing.

As it turned out, I had to employ that a few times this month.

On July 1, pursuant to what I went over with my upcoming contract decisions and whatnot, I placed several players on the Trade Block. Here they are, with a quick reason assessment:

SP Kevin Appier--poor performance; old; big contract
MR Scott Schoenweiss-- no future with team
C Ben Molina-- hoping another team will make my choice between the Molina brothers easy
C Jose Molina-- " "
2B Jose Nieves-- no future with team
SS Benji Gil-- FA at end of year
LF Jeff DaVanon-- no future with team
CF Julio Ramirez-- no future with team
RF Tim Salmon-- FA at end of year
RF Eric Owens-- FA at end of year
DH Brad Fullmer-- FA at end of year

Now here's a Day-To-Day account of the activities and commentaries from this month:

July 1

Placed the above players on the trading block. Later that day, I got a fierce message from Salmon, asking me what was up with putting him on the trading block. He was pissed, and said if i didn't want him, get him out quick. Well, since I only intended to move Salmon if I get bowled over for a deal, I figured that was a longshot, especially with my plans to decline every trade offer that was too far out of whack.

So I removed him from the trading block, apologized to my monitor, and cowered in the corner while the sim continued.

July 3

I received my first trade offer today. Baltimore offered me MR Kerry Ligtenberg for Fullmer, straight up. I actually considered this one, since I think a real GM might deal a quality, but older reliever for a young, power-hitting DH. In the end, I allowed this offer to expire because I felt that, as good as Ligtenberg is (a four-star reliever), I didn't really need another reliever right then. I wanted to see if I could get prospects or help in other areas for Fullmer.

July 6

I received a trade offer from Montreal today. The Expos wanted to send me young star SP Javier Vazquez for LF Robb Quinlan and MR Omar Ramirez. Quinlan, of course, is at AAA and was probably a fringe major leaguer. Ramirez is a decently-talented reliever, but he was just a third rounder (and a low one) and he's in Single A. I just couldn't conceive of the Expos trading one of the best young pitchers in the game for a fringe major leaguer and a decent prospect. So I turned it down.

July 8

Fate through a wrench in my plans, and suddenly turning down the Vazquez deal for altruistic reasons may have been visionary. :)

Regular CF Darin Erstad broke his finger trying to make a catch. The injury seemed small to me, but then I have never tried to hit a 95-mph fastball with a broken finger either. The computer somberly (well I thought it was somber...) informed me that Erstad would miss seven weeks. He isn't expected back until September!

And suddenly I realized that while I had some good depth, I did not have an obvious replacement of potentially starter quality in my system. It really threw my expectations out of whack, because I thought my depth was extraordinary. It took just one injury to strip that illusion away.

I had to do something. My options were to immediately pursue a trade, check out the free agents, or try to swing it with a backup OF or a call up. I discounted option one because I feel that the trade AI is even more faulty when the player initiates the trade talks. I didn't feel I could fairly pursue that option. I also discounted two, because the season isn't going as well as I thought it would and I need to keep payroll down, even if it would just be for under four months.

So that left me with my internal options. The only legit players I could start in the OF besides Salmon and GA (already starting) was middle infield backup Benji Gil and backup outfielder Eric Owens. The season is not going as well as I like, but I certainly wasn't going to throw the season away by giving these two mediocre to poor backups legit starts for two months. Fullmer could play OF, but he is horrible in the field. I couldn't do that.

That left me with call ups. There was one obvious one--Michael O'Keefe. He seemed ready and he was hitting the crap out of the ball at Salt Lake. But if there's one thing I hate, it's bringing up good kids and blowing their first cheap season on a short season of play. O'Keefe's ETA was 2004, and i decided to keep it that way.

My other options were Jeff DaVanon, Elpidio Guzman, Nathan Haynes, and Robb Quinlan. I rejected DaVanon and Guzman right away on the grounds that they were backup material at best. That left me with Haynes and Quinlan.

I decided on Quinlan. Stoneman wasn't telling me either player was ready for the bigs, but he had said so of Quinlan in the past. Quinlan is also an older prospect (26) who can no longer really improve at AAA, while Haynes (23) still had some potential development to do. And Quinlan was the last cut from the final 25 before the season started. So I promoted Quinlan, with the intent to give him this tryout and see how he does. This may be his one chance, outside of being a backup to prove that he is worth more than that.

I moved Garrett Anderson to CF to replace Erstad in the field, and Quinlan will start in LF to replace GA.

July 14

The Yankees came in with an offer today. They would send MR Randy Choate, a young lefty approaching arbitration, and minor league starter Simon Pedrosa, their top pick in the 2003 draft (but last overall pick in the first round), for Fullmer.

Choate is a four-star reliever and Pedrosa a 2.5 star talent. Fullmer was a 2.5 star talent as well. I decided this wasn't as farfetched as I first thought it. For one, Choate is a reliever--unless they're closers, they just aren't as valuable. And Pedrosa might be a first round pick, but he was really just an okay pick. Fullmer is a young (28), power-hitting DH who has the ability to hit 20+ HRs in any given year.

So I asked myself if it was understandable that a team might offer a very solid, but young reliever and a decent pitching prospect for a 20-25 HR hitter who himself is young and cheap, and I decided, yes, that is within the realm of reason.

Then I looked at the deal itself. I was inclined to reject it on the same notion as the Ligtenberg offer, the fact I didn't really need another reliever. But then I noticed Choate was a lefty. My only southpaw in the pen is Schoenweiss, and he is by far my worst reliever and on the trade block himself.

So I decided to do it. I sent Fullmer to the Yanks for Choate and Pedrosa. I sent Pedrosa to Rancho Cucamonga and promoted Choate to the major league squad. Not needing Schoenweiss anymore, I then attempted to send him down to AAA. He agreed to the assignment, and I replaced Fullmer's spot amongst the hitters with Elpidio Guzman. While I had no illusions Guzman was anything more than a backup, I figured, he, too, could get a shot at some PT to see how he does, since he is also a veteran minor leaguer who was probably on his way out.

Choate had just over a 3.00 ERA in about 25 IP when I acquired him. Fullmer still hadn't really come out of his slump in his increasingly limited at bats, with about a .250 average and a couple homeruns in about 110 ABs.

July 17

Over the course of three days, I received two notices from the team's medical personell that Erstad wasn't healing as fast as expected. The first time he was bumped back a week. The second time it was two weeks! So Erstad's original target of seven weeks became out for 10 weeks (from his injury on July 8).

July 27

The Dodgers approached me about Schoenweiss, now laboring at Salt Lake City. They offered veteran 3B Ron Coomer and pitching prospect SP Jonathon Figueroa.

Coomer has apparently come to the point of falling apart. He is 36, and signed to approximately a $500K contract all the way to 2006, when he would be 39. The game description said he was likely on the verge of retirement.

Figueroa was a nice prospect I added to the game (one of the 144). But I didn't know just how nice until I checked him out. He was rated as a five-star prospect, one of the more elite prospects in the league.

To the Dodgers, Schoenweiss was probably a potential starter, which had been his primary role prior to June, 2002. As a seemingly decent lefty with starting and relief ability--and being decently young at 29, cheap heading toward arbitration, and a three-star talent.

So while Figueroa was quite a find for Schoenweiss, Coomer with his potential salary weight contract was a huge negative. I decided that Coomer's negative aspects did enough to bring Figueroa down to the level where this could be considered an acceptable offer.

Then I took a closer look at the trade and decided to reject it on the grounds that I didn't need another good pitching prospect enough to take on Coomer's remaining contract (at least to risk that he might not retire).

July 30

Today was the big day. On the eve of the trading deadline, I received no less than five different trade offers for my available players. I'll go over the offers and what I did with them one-by-one.

TRADE OFFER #1

Milwaukee offered me slugging 1B Richie Sexson for Quinlan and my top hitting prospect 1B Casey Kotchman.

Spiezio is holding down the first base job just fine. Acquiring Sexson would thus be unnecessary. Sexson was also doing pretty poorly. He was also being paid near $3 M per year. Kotchman is my best hitting prospect. And Quinlan was holding is own in LF, with Erstad still almost two months away from returning.

This was an easy one for me to turn down.

TRADE OFFER #2

Texas offered me struggling SP John Thomson and low-end 1B prospect Joseph Hartl for SP Kevin Appier.

I knew this one was a thinker right away. First of all, Texas is a division rival--and it's never a good idea to trade inside your division. Second, Appier had actually started to turn it around, lowering his ERA to 5.21, and had been solid most of the month of July. Third, Thomson was struggling badly with a 6.38 ERA.

But in the end, this was about the future. Appier has a $4.84 M contract that runs through 2005. He's also 35, and up until recently, had been pitching pretty poorly. Thomson was doing badly this year, but he's just 29. He pitched well in Colorado of all places in 2001 (and not too bad with the Metsk the next year either). His contract calls for a $2.39 M contract, and he is arbitration eligible, so I can cut him without further loss at the end of the season. Hartl, a fourth-round pick in this most recent draft, is just a two-star talent, but the game called him a sleeper prospect.

So I bit. I sent Appier and his contract and the risk away to Texas, for a pitcher doing badly (but with the potential to do better) and a marginal-decent prospect. No matter what Thomson gives me, I think it could be a great move. Now I just have to cross my fingers that Appier won't come back to haunt me in the near future (or his absence from my still inconsistent rotation).

I switched Thomson onto the MLB roster to take over Appier's spot and I sent Hartl to Rancho Cucamonga. I really wanted to elevate Matt Wise instead, but I thought Thomson might refuse a minor league assignment. And besides, he is supposed to be better than this. If he does well over the last half of the season, I might even keep him. :)

TRADE OFFER #3

Montreal continues to push Vazques. They sent me an offer of SP Javier Vazquez--still young, still good-- for power prospect RF Michael O'Keefe and MR Omar Ramirez, one of they guys they asked for last time.

Well, at least this one is more even. But with me considering the Thomson deal at the time and still a lot of depth in pitching in the minor leagues, and a definite need to keep O'Keefe around to replace Salmon, I knew I couldn't do this deal. I turned the Expos down again.

TRADE OFFER #4

Seattle offered me veteran MR Jeff Nelson and minor league SP Greg Wooten--no relation to Shawn that I know of--for SP Kevin Appier.

This was the competition with the Texas trade. And it wasn't really much of one.

Nelson is a fine reliever, one of the better ones in the league. But considering I turned down the younger (and maybe better) Ligtenburg earlier in the month, completed the Choate deal, and still was pretty deep in the pen, I didn't see a need to move Appier to Seattle.

Making the deal look even worse was the fact that Wooten is a one-star talent 29-year-old vet minor leaguer at Seattle's AAA club. While he was doing well at AAA, gimme a break! Also, the Nelson thing is personal. In real life, Nelson acted like a bitch about being snubbed for the All Star game last year, and then prior to the ALDS, he said the Yankees were going to sweep us easy. I can't stand the guy. So fuck 'im. :)

Obviously, I went with the Texas offer for Appier.

TRADE OFFER #5

The Astros were apparently looking for pitching depth as they tried to get back into the NL Central race. They offered veteran minor league slugger LF Jason Lane and Single A prospect C Oscar Leon for MR Scott Schoenweiss.

To be honest, considering that Schoenweiss was a three-star talent southpaw with starter ability, I thought this might be a reach. But when you're up against the deadline and you just don't want or need a guy around anymore, you get what you can for him.

It was the Astros' lucky day, and I accepted the offer.

Lane is just a one-star player, but he isn't without possibilities. He had hit 18 HRs so far for Houston's AAA squad and I remembered from real life as being a guy with some skills. He also has good speed and is a decent outfielder. And he is just 26. I figured if Quinlan played himself into a larger role (and he is currently doing well), Lane might be handy as a bat off the bench and as a backup outfielder after Owens leaves (a role Quinlan was to fill next year). I put him at AAA.

Leon is no one special, but he kinda reminds me of Hartl in the Texas deal. A two-star prospect at Single A, Leon is just another guy to add to the mix and see what he can do. I don't have many hitters on my Single A team anyway. Leon was a fifth round pick in this last draft.

And that's where it ended. My month ended with Erstad hurt and Quinlan in the lineup, Appier gone to Texas and replaced by John Thomson, Schoenweiss gone to Houston and replaced by Randy Choate from the Yankees. So we had an exciting roster turnover-filled month.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

03-26-2003, 02:49 AM

The Major League Squad

HALFWAY THROUGH THE 2003 SEASON

The Rotation

Thank God for Jarrod Washburn (8-6, 3.43). Without him, my rotation would seem hopeless right now, I think.

Ramon Ortiz (6-7, 4.71) had his first real solid month of the year. Hopefully this is a sign he's getting things back under control and will return to the solid strikeout pitcher he was last year.

John Lackey (4-7, 5.03) had a horrible month, as his ERA dropped almost a whole run. I need him to regaint he form he had earlier in the year.

Aaron Sele (4-7, 5.56) has followed his amazing 2.72 ERA May with two straight 7.00+ ERA months, and is basically now in the same position as Appier was last month. I just can't afford to keep a guy in the rotation pitching like this.

Kevin Appier (6-6, 5.21) had his first effective month, but I think I explained enough why I felt it necessary to move him. I am hoping John Thomson (3-8, 6.41) will rebound from his first half struggles.

If not Matt Wise waits in the wings at AAA, among others, and I will use him.

The Bullpen

Troy Percival (21 sv in 25 opps, 1.06) continues to be absolutely dominating. It's so wonderful having a guy like that around.

Of course, this bullpen as a whole continues to dominate. I don't know where I would be without these guys saving the starters' butts so often.

Frankie Rodriguez (5-2, 2.16) has become the workhorse of the relief staff, with 58.1 IP. Ben Weber (4-1, 2.00) continues to put up effective work at middle relief, and he now has the best ERA besides Percy.

Brendan Donnelly (2-0, 2.04) is just behind Weber and also has a couple of saves. Since coming over from the Yanks, Randy Choate (4-0, 3.07) has done well, making me wonder how I got by with Scott Schoenweiss as my lefty out of the pen. Lou Pote (3-0, 3.86) has seemingly settled in around a 3.00 to 4.00 ERA, and is doing well.

I guess now that Schoeny is gone, someone has to take over the role of worst reliever, and in that case, it has to be Scot Shields (0-2, 5.79) doing mop up work. In his defense, he only appeared in one game in July (entering which his ERA was just fine), and he got blown out in that game. That went directly to a two-run increase in his ERA.

The Infield

Could I possibly have two worst offensive catchers than the Molina brothers? Ben Molina (.227, 1, 12) at least seemed to get a little better last month. Jose Molina (.193, 2, 16), supposedly the more talented one, is hitting the skids.

It is time for what I suggested I would do last month. Defense be damned, Shawn Wooten will be the Angels' regular catcher for at least this month. Ben Molina seems to be the steadier of the two brothers, so he will backup.

Scott Spiezio (.286, 7, 33) isn't hurting the team at 1B, but he isn't really helping them either. I know he's more capable of offense than he is showing, so I hope he turns up the power a notch. He and Wooten split lineup time replacing Erstad at the #2 spot in the order. On the opposite side of the field, Troy Glaus (.219, 21, 64) finally woke up, hitting .306 with 9 HRs and 30 RBIs on the month. I think this is far more indicative of his abilities, and his improvement was a big reason the Angels did a little better in the league rankings for power and runs scored.

David Eckstein (.259, 5, 27) inched his way back toward respectability after his bad June, but he still has a ways to go. He does have 17 SBs now. Adam Kennedy (.224, 3, 27) seems like he's been put her to test me. I have been thinking over bringing up Figgins, who is doing great at AAA, for some time now, but I haven't worked out a spot for him yet. I am also not sure if I want to blow a cheap year on him yet.

The Outfield/DH

Darin Erstad (.236, 3, 25) only got a handful of games in before breaking his finger. Judging by his performance thus far, this might be a good thing. His subtraction may also have a lot to do with the Angels' increase in run production.

Garrett Anderson (.269, 13, 45) moved over to Ersty's spot in CF. He has produced more power this month, but at the cost of average. He should be able to produce both at the same time.

Tim Salmon (.290, 16, 57) continues to test my resolve on the decision to not sign him to an extension. Man, losing this guy is going to hurt if O'Keefe ain't all he's cracked up to be next year.

One way to deaden that pain, though, may be Robb Quinlan (.299, 3, 16). He is doing surprisingly well since he was called up to replace Erstad in the lineup. I don't think it's out of the question that he can continue to perform at this level either, since he is a decent 2.5 star talent. He's making a case for sliding over to DH when Erstad comes back, rather than a return ticket to Salt Lake City.

Shawn Wooten (.298, 9, 41) continues to be one of our most consistent hitters, and now he'll get a shot behind the plate. While he does that, Jose Molina will compete with recent call up Elpidio Guzman for the DH duties until Erstad returns.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

03-26-2003, 04:16 AM

The Minor Leagues

HALFWAY THROUGH 2003 SEASON

Between the fluctuations on the major league staff, some more disabled list use in the minor leagues, another round of promotions and the trade additions, our minor league system was almost in as much flux as the major leagues.

AAA SS Alfredo Amezaga was returned to the lineup from the DL at the beginning of the month, but the list was not empty for long. Salt Lake City’s veteran backstop Sal Fasano broke his hand on July 1. He did prove to be a quick healer and is just now getting off the DL, having missed just one month. Arkansas’s rotation was hit by a switcharoo of injuries in the middle of the month. SP Bobby Jenks pulled a bicep tendon on July 20 and will be on the shelf for 4 weeks. This is his second injury of the year, although his first one did not require a visit to the DL. He was soon replaced, though, by Richard Fischer, who came back from bone chips in his elbow on July 24. Fischer had missed most of June and July with the injury.

As noted. Quinlan and Guzman weren’t the only players to get promoted. The big news was the promotion of #3 prospect Joe Saunders from Arkansas to Salt Lake City. He was just moved up near the end of this month. Elvin Nina, sent to AAA with Chris Bootcheck at the beginning of the month, was sent back down to Arkansas to make room in Salt lake City’s rotation.

Fasano will get a rude welcome when he returns from the DL, because he will be sent to Arkansas instead of back to Salt lake Coty. That’s because #7 prospect C Jared Abruzzo continues his shocking rocket climb through the system and will now debut in Salt Lake City as the AAA squad’s new catcher. In addition, 3B prospect Dallas McPherson got the nod to move up to Arkansas from Rancho Cucamonga.

Trade acquisitions SP Simeon Pedrosa, 1B Jason Hartl, and C Oscar Leon have all been added to Rancho Cucamonga’s roster.

We did lose some skills in player development. AAA 3B Oscar Salazar’s talent in average dropped, and so did A MR Omar Ramirez’s ability to avoid walks. 1B Matt Whitney came a big step closer to permanent DH status by losing both range and momentum at his position. He is now virtually worthless at the position and slow as hell.

The Angels now feature the second best farm system in the major leagues, behind only Tampa Bay. I don’t know what caused the rise from fourth to second (which was gradual, stopping briefly at third place before moving on), but something apparently agrees with the system ranker. It can’t be the trade acquisitions—I don’t think any of the new Angels made the Top 100 list and the ranking improvement before most of the trades anyway.

Here’s a team-by-team look at our minor leagues:

Salt Lake Stingers (47-36)

Stoneman has penciled in four names for possible advancement, down from his eight last month. Bart Miadich, Oscar Salazar and Steve Green were removed from the ready to play majors list for whatever reason, and Elpidio Guzman was promoted to the big ball club.

Two of the four names that remain should be familiar, since Stoneman has been pushing them since the beginning of the season. 2B Chone Figgins (.319, 2, 45) continues to have a fine season at AAA. His double-play partner SS Alfredo Amezaga (.325, 2, 20) seems none the worse for wear for having missed most of June with a pulled anterior cruciate ligament.

#6 prospect RF Michael O’Keefe (.339, 16, 64) continues to be the true talent and star he looks to be. Stoneman is still recommending his promotion as well.

SP Matt Wise (7-3, 3.23) is the last name on Stoneman’s list, and as you know by now, I have been trying to get him into the major league rotation to see what he can do.

The rest of the roster is as filled as ever. With Quinlan and Guzman in Anaheim, it is handy that the Angels acquired Houston’s LF Jason Lane (.253, 18, 53). Lane isn’t too talented, but apparently he can hit the smack out of the ball. The underrated Larry Barnes (.331, 6, 46) continues to chug along.

#7 prospect Jared Abruzzo will debut this month at C for Salt Lake after going .258-5-28 in 217 at bats at Arkansas.

Pitching will also receive a boost with the overall of #3 prospect Joe Saunders (7-5, 2.66 at Arkansas), although the rotation has always been solid with Wise, super minor leaguer Mickey Callaway (8-1, 2.17) and Steve Green (4-8, 4.79). Last month’s promotion, Chris Bootcheck (2-0, 6.41) is still learning the ropes at AAA.

Arkansas Travellers (42-41)

Arkansas had a bad month, record-wise, although that should be expected with the injury and promotion problems it has had.

Abruzzo and Saunders are gone to Salt Lake, but plenty of talent returns.

Top hitting and #5 Angels prospect 1B Casey Kotchman (.279, 7, 38) continues to not produce at the power level that is expected of him, and his average is dropping.

SS Brian Specht (.285, 8, 36) are eerily similar to Kotchman’s but the difference is that he is hitting according to his listed talents. Stoneman suggests that Specht is still on the fence for a possible promotion to AAA (not that there’s room for him).

C Wil Nieves (.258, 5, 23) may find his prospects at catcher for the Angels dimming now. Abruzzo leapfrogged him to Salt Lake, and the Angels added Oscar Leon to Single A, where he will share time with another solid catching prospect Jeff Mathis. And now vet Sal Fasano is coming to Arkansas.

3B Dallas McPherson (.227, 3, 7) has struggled some, especially with his average, since his mid-month promotion, but he should come around. He was hitting .333-7-28 when he was moved up.

Veteran minor leaguer LF Barry Wesson (.261, 12, 57) hasn’t really done so hot since May, but he continues to be the one major power source on the squad.

With Saunders and Bootcheck gone to AAA, and Jenks and Fischer doing stints on the DL, the touted rotation has had more problems than expected.

Jenks (2-3, 4.31) still hadn’t really found his groove when he got hurt again, and Fischer (3-5, 4.63) is still trying to find his again after coming back from injury. Chris Waters (3-7, 5.07) has been healthy all year, much to the disappointment of Arkansas fans. Elvin Nina (3-4, 4.94) will return to AA to help out a little this month.

Second round pick Jeremy Tetrault (2-2, 2 sv, 3.97) is getting a crash course at closer and is holding up pretty good. Derrick Turnbow (1-1, 3.25) also continues to pitch well in middle relief.

Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (48-35)

It’s amazing how a few trades and a draft can fill up a roster so quick. The Quakes’ roster is still decently full, despite losing guys like Specht and Abruzzo and McPherson as the season has gone on.

Jeff Mathis (.278, 10, 51) remains the one solid bat who has been around all season. He leads the team in most hitting categories.

2003 draftees 2B Bennie Brant (.224, 9, 23), 1B Jason Hartl (.207, 8, 24) and C Oscar Leon (.172, 0, 6) are around now to provide support. Brant, of course, has been around since June. Leon’s numbers look bad, but part of the reason seems to be that the Astros misplaced him at AA for a while, where he did equally bad.

CF Julio Ramirez (.332, 9, 31) continues to play out the string toward free agency.

Pitching is all of a sudden a strength now. Top 10 prospects Johan A. Santana (4-7, 3.23) and Joe Torres (6-7, 4.65) are both thought of as possibly headed to AA soon. The best pitcher, however, continues to be 2003 first round draft pick David LaBoy (5-1, 2.57). Another 2003 first rounder, Simeon Pedrosa (2-4, 5.86) is still trying to find his groove.

Third round pick Omar Ramirez (3-1, 2 sv, 2.84) is doing well, but fifth rounder Aurelio Ruiz (2-1, 1 sv, 5.31) hasn’t been so hot.

The Angels’ Top 10 Prospect List

1. SP John Lackey—majors (4-7, 5.03)
2. SP David Laboy—A (5-1, 2.57) 17th best prospect in MLB
3. SP Joe Saunders—AAA (just promoted, 7-5, 2.66 at AA) 70th best prospect in MLB
4. SP Bobby Jenks—AA (2-3, 4.31—currently on DL) 65th best prospect in MLB
5. 1B Casey Kotchman—AA (.279, 7, 38) 13th best prospect in MLB
6. SP Joe Torres—A (6-7, 4.65) 31st best prospect in MLB
7. RF Michael O’Keefe—AAA (.339, 16, 64)
8. C Jared Abruzzo—AAA (just promoted, .258, 5, 28 at AA, .270, 6, 18 at A) 62nd best prospect in MLB
9. SP Chris Waters—AA (3-7, 5.07)
10. SP Richard Fischer—AA (3-5, 4.63)

(It should be noted that the Top 100 MLB prospects list is compiled by an average scout--Stoneman, who puts together our Top 10 list, is supposed to be better).

Other Angels prospects on MLB Top 100 list

SP Johan A. Santana-- A (4-7, 3.23) 69th best prospect in MLB
SP Chris Bootcheck—AAA (2-0, 6.41) 88th best prospect in MLB

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

03-26-2003, 07:04 AM

Major League News

HALFWAY THROUGH THE 2003 SEASON

Offensive League Leaders-- American League

For all the commanding lead Boston's Manny Ramirez had in the Triple Crown categories, it was surprising to see him come down to Earth so suddenly. He droped from .401 to .352 over the course of July, and even lost the top spot to his teammate Johnny Damon, hitting .353. Finishing off an impressive trio, Jeremy Giambi rounded out the Boston trio of outfielders and batting leaders with a .343 average. Jeremy's brother, massive Yankees' 1B Jason Giambi was fourth with a .338 average, and Minnesota's Corie Koskie was fifth at .336. It seems likely that New York's Bernie Williams's injury put him below qualifying plate appearances; he had been first and then second the previous months.

I don't know what is more amazing: that the Angels' own Troy Glaus is now tied for the AL lead with 21 homers, or that Ramirez only hit one homerun in July after hitting 12 in June. Alex Rodriguez is third with 18. His teammate Juan Gonzalez is tied with Chicago's Jose Valentin with 17 HR.

The one Triple Crown lead Ramirez was able to maintain after his phenomenal June was in RBI. He's still leading the AL, now with 75. Jason Giambi has 68, and Glaus 64 to follow him up. Chicago's Frank Thomas is tied at 61 with the surprising Dmitri Young of the Tigers.

Ramirez also still leads in OPS, with 1.088, although that's a bit of a drop from last month. Jason Giambi is second at 1.070. Toronto's Carlos Delgado is a surprise third in OPS with a 1.058 OPS.

Offensive League Leaders-- National League

Houston's Lance Berkman continues to put on an amazing show at the plate, flirting with .400 as late as halfway throught he season. He is far in the batting lead at .388. A pair of Rockies hold the next spots. Todd Helton is second at .351, and Larry Walker is third with .340. Walker's average continues a precipitous fall that began shortly after he finished the first month of the season batting well over .400. A pair of second basemen rbing up the rear. Jeff Kent gives the Atsros another bat in the top five with .334, and the Mets' Roberto Alomar is fifth with a .333 average.

Future Hall of Fame slugger Barry Bonds had an incredible July, slugging 15 homeruns in the month alone to move up to a major league lead 31 HR on the season. The Cubs' ever present slugger Sammy Sosa is second with 26. Mike Piazza of the Mets led the way after last month, and now he's third at 24. The Braves' Gary Sheffield has 23 HR. Ken Griffey Jr. of Cincy and the Dodgers' Shawn Green pair it up with 21 HRs each at the back end.

Sheffield also had a great month for RBIs, and he leaped out to the lead with 81. Bonds and Sosa have matching 74s behind him. Kent has 71, and Griffey has 67. Surprisingly, the leader after last month, Piazza, had just 10 ribbies in July and he's now a bit off the pace.

Bonds' great month pushed him up once again into the upper echelons of historic OPS's. He leads the league with 1.263. Batting leader Berkman is second with 1.172, and Coors Field-aided Helton is third at 1.132.

Pitching League Leaders-- American League

Boston's Pedro Martinez had his second straight downer month, but it was still enough to hold onto the ERA lead at 2.71. Minnesota's Johan A. Santana is right behind him with an imprssive 2.71. Andy Pettitte of the Yanks is a new addition to the ERA ranks with 2.99. Oakland's Mark Mulder follows with 3.07, and Roger Clemens shows that age is not yet an issue, as the 40-year-old is fifth int he league with a 3.21 ERA.

Seattle's Freddy Garcia is pulling away a little in wins, with a 13-3 record. Mulder (11-5) and the Yankees' Mike Mussina (11-5) are tied for second in wins. Four pitchers have ten wins, including Martinez and Pettitte.

Martinez remains far out front for strikeouts with 144. The Rangers' Chan Ho Park is second with a distant 90. Mussina has 89 Ks, good for third. Kelvim Escobar of the Jays has 87, and Mulder is fifth with 86 Ks.

The Yankees' Mariano Rivera has surprisingly passed up Boston's Chad Fox for the save lead, 26 to 24. Fox is now tied with two others-- Keith Foulke of Oakland and the M's' Kazutoshi Sasaki. The continually surprising Buddy Groom is fifth with 22 saves for the Orioles.

Pitching League Leaders-- National League

John Smoltz is having a season for the ages. The veteran Braves' starter now has a misiscule 1.34 ERA and is far, far ahead of everyone. The Dodgers' Odalis Perez is second with 2.59-- a whole run and a quarter back of Smoltz. Brian Lawrence of the Padres is third with a 2.73 ERA. He is followed by NL East aces Randy Wolf of the Phils with a 2.89 ERA, and Florida's young Josh Beckett at 2.93.

Smoltz has company with him at a league-leading 11 wins, but he's the only one who is undefeated. Perez matches him, but with an 11-4 record. They are joined by Chicago's Matt Clement at 11-3. The Padres' Adam Eaton is fourth with a surprising 10-5 record. Several pitchers have 9 wins.

Up until now, Randy Johnson of the DBacks has had a Martinez-esque strikeout lead. He is still in the lead now at 151. But his lead is no longer so inviolate, as the Cubs' Mark Prior is not far behind with 130. Johnson's teammate Byung-Hung Kim is third with 118 Ks, and followed closely by Houston's Roy Oswalt with 115. Beckett is fifth with 111.

Chicago's Mike Remlinger remains on top of the saves list, with 27. Jason Isringhausen is proving invaluable to the Cards' attempt to re-enter the NL East race. He has 25 saves. Arizona's Greg Swindell has 23 saves, and Florida's Vladimir Nunez 22. The Braves' Ray King andEric Gagne of the Dodgers are fifth with 20 saves each.

League Awards

Players of the Week-- AL

June 29-July 5-- 3B Corie Koskie (MIN)
July 6-12-- 3B Troy Glaus (ANA)
July 13-19-- SS Jose Valentin (CHW)
July 20-26-- RF Chris Richard (BAL)

Players of the Week-- NL

June 29-July 5-- RF J.D. Drew (STL)
July 6-12-- LF Barry Bonds (SF)
July 13-19-- LF Lance Berkman (HOU)
July 20-26-- 2B Jeff Kent (HOU)

American League Batter of the Month for July: CF Johnny Damon (BOS)

Okay, yeah, Damon hit .405, with 3 HR and 23 RBI in July. I still think Glaus should have won.

American League Pitcher of the Month for July: Johan A. Santana (MIN)

Santana maneuvered himself amongst the best pitchers in baseball by going 4-0 with a 1.50 ERA and a shutout in six starts.

National League Batter of the Month for July: LF Barry Bonds (SF)

This one was even easier than Ramirez last month. Bonds hit .348-15-35...that's in a month, people.

National League Pitcher of the Month for July: John Smoltz (ATL)

Wow, you know how hard it is to win one of these things? Can you then imagine what it must be like to win THREE IN A ROW?!? Smoltz was just 2-0 in his five games, but his ERA was all of 1.07 for the month.

Significant Events

There were a lot of intersting key events, but there was only one big one.

Roger "The Rocket" Clemens racked up his 300th career win on July 29, going 7 IP and allowing just two runs in an 8-2 victory over the Mariners. I don't think I have to stress just how incredible it is in this day and age to see a pitcher get 300 wins. Greg Maddux of the Barves will likely do it, too, but after that we may not ever see another 300 game winner again.

The White Sox's ace Bartolo Colon came within a hit of no-hitting the Royals on July 7, and the Twins' Joe Mays duplicated the near miss against Detroit on July 15.

At least one Detroit hitter was hitting on another day, though. Veteran outfielder Ray Lankford hit for the cycle against Toronto in an Independence Day game. Some other siginificant events was Seattle's Ichiro Suzuki's 7 hits against Detroit on July 9, and Colorado's Ben Petrick's 8 RBIs against the DBacks on July 26.

Three hitters got collected their 200th career hits this month: Texas's Ruben Sierra got a fourth inning single against Boston on July 9; John Olerud of the Mariners got his with a single against the A's on July 18; and Cleveland's Omar Vizquel also got his hit off of Boston, this one a single on Luly 30.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

03-27-2003, 03:04 AM

Major League Transactions

This particular set of transactions will only be releases and signings, and then I will follow it with important contract extensions, which the AI signed on the last day of the month.

Trades, as in the trade deadline deals, will be dealt with in another post, including commentary.

Day by Day Transaction List

July 8

Releases (refusal of minor league assignment)

Mets: RF Al Martin

Commentary: I don't know who returned that would make the Mets want to let loose this guy. Martin was doing surpisingly well (.294, 7, 26).

July 13

Releases (refusal of minor league assignment)

Bluejays: SS Mike Bordick
Astros: CF Craig Biggio
Mariners: SP Jamie Moyer
Phillies: CL Jose Mesa

Commentary: You see, now this is just upsetting. I really hope Markus (designer of OOTP) realizes the ridiculous AI decisions that are being made. No taking into account of stats or of the historical significance of a player. No attempt to trade these players if they refuse assignment. Utterly deplorable and potentially able to give me an unfair (and undesired) advantage, because I don't do stupid things like this. Bordick (.294, 4, 15) was a part-time starter for the Jays. Biggio (.244, 3, 18) hasn't been doing too well, but he's a full time starter, and we all know he would never, ever, ever be outright released byt he Astros. Moyer (4-8, 3.90) doesn't have a great record but he's having a very solid year. And Mesa (1-3, 3.04, 16 sv) was among the NL save leaders!

Releases

Oakland: MR Larry Leubbers

Commentary: I can't tell why this was done either. Leubbers was 0-1, with a save and a 4.09 ERA in 19 appearances.

July 20

Releases (refusal of minor league assignment)

Brewers: LF John Vander Wal

Commentary: Yeah, I'll bet the Brewers can afford to throw away even semi-decent players. Vander Wal was hitting .239, 7, 28 as a near full-time starter.

July 21

Releases (refusal of minor league assignment)

Rangers: LF Ruben Sierra

Commentary: Yeah, that's how it works. He gets his 2000th hit and then a few days later he gets the boot, despite putting up decent power numbers (.223, 10, 36) as a fulltime starter. At least the AI waited until after he got to 2000. Usually they make this decision just before such a milestone has been reached, thereby making even more sense of course. :rolleyes:

July 27

Releases (refusal of minor league assignment)

White Sox: C Sandy Alomar Jr.
Orioles: 3B Jeff Conine

Commentary: Another day, two more releases of veteran full time starters. Alomar was hitting .279, with 1 HR and 27 RBI. Conine's release was downright diabolical, considering he was putting up .277, 10, 35.

Signings

Pirates sign 3B Jose Hernandez to a one-year, $380K contract.

Commentary: Hernandez hasn't played yet this year. So why is this significant? Because he is a 2.5 star talent, and he was just released a few days before this--by the Pirates.

Contract Extensions

The AI did its main contract extensions today, although it will do another final round in a month. Here are the more significant signings, by team:

Yankees sign 1B Jason Giambi (.338, 16, 68) to a 7-year, $12.88 M contract.
Yankees sign SP Mike Mussina (11-5, 3.44) to a 3-year, $8.91 M contract.
Yankees sign 3B Robin Ventura (.258, 9, 43) to a 3-year, $3.52 M contract.
Yankees sign DH Brad Fullmer (.250, 3, 14) to a 3-year, $599K contract.
Yankees sign SP Roger Clemens (7-6, 3.21) to a 1-year, $798K contract.

Commentary: Wow, the Yankees really opened up the vaults. Giambi and Mussina are both among the top 30-40 paid players in the game (Giambi probably top ten). And they still had enough left over to give cotnracts to start Ventura and former Angel Fullmer. I guess it's kinda nice to see Clemens sign an extension, although I still think he may retire at the end of the year.

Devil Rays sign SP Chuck Finley (2-11, 4.84) to a 1-year, $315K contract.

Commentary: As an Angels fan, you have to know I love the Chuckster. But this deal just doesn't make sense. I know a lot of those losses are from the D-Rays being a very poor team, but it's not like a 4.84 ERA is anything to write home about. Why would Tampa Bay want to keep around an old guy on a bad team?

Bluejays sign SP Kelvim Escobar (4-6, 4.17) to a 3-year, $2.65 M contract.
Bluejays sign RF Frank Catalanotto (.294, 6, 41) to a 3-year, $2.14 M contract.

Commentary: Rats, the rest of the league says. I'm sure most of us would have liked a shot at one of the better young strikeout pitchers in the league in Escobar.

White Sox sign SP Bartolo Colon (7-4, 3.42) to a 3-year, $4.10 M contract.
White Sox sign 1B Paul Konerko (.223, 9, 39) to a 3-year, $3.59 M contract.

Commentary: Colon's signing was not welcomed by league GMs either. Konerko is having an offseason, but that also has to be considered a key signing.

Indians sign MR Bob Wickman (1-2, 5.59, 2 sv) to a 4-year, $3.28 M contract.

Commentary: Wow, this sure looks like a bonehead signing. Wickman has a nice enough talent rating (4.5 stars), but he's 34, not being used as the closer he once was, and he's pitching horribly.

A's sign CL Keith Foulke (4-1, 1.96, 24 sv) to a 3-year, $5.13 M contract.
A's sign MR Jim Mecir (1-3, 3.55, 1 sv) to a 3-year, $2.30 M contract.

Commentary: You see, Philly? This is how you treat a closer doing good work. You DON'T release him! The A's are definitely taking care of their bullpen here.

Expos sign 3B Fernando Tatis (.185, 10, 33) to a 3-year, $1.88 M contract.

Commentary: You think maybe the Expos could have spent this money better?

Mets sign SP Al Leiter (8-6, 3.69) to a 1-year, $4.63 M contract.
Mets sign MR David Weathers (3-2, 2.43) to a 4-year, $1.97 M contract.

Commentary: The Mets probably did well to sign Leiter when they did. If I was Leiter, I would be firing my agent over this one, since all you have to do is look at decently effective older pitchers like Randy Johnson, Roger Clemens and Chuck Finley to see that Leiter might have been worth a multi-year contract in the free agent market.

Phillies sign SP Kevin Millwood (6-5, 3.11) to a 3-year, $4.28 M contract.

Commentary: Another quality pitcher is off the block. Signing Millwood was a smart thing for the Phillies, considering his youth and effectiveness--and the fact they gave up just a backup catcher for him.

Cubs sign C Damian Miller (.243, 8, 34) to a 3-year, $2.39 M contract.

Commentary: I sure hope the Cubs know what they are doing. This guy shouldn't have been an All Star in 2002, and he doesn't seem worth even this money.

Reds sign 3B Aaron Boone (.237, 10, 45) to a 3-year, $2.65 M contract.
Reds sign 1B Sean Casey (.297, 10, 45) to a 3-year, $2.14 M contract.

Commentary: The Reds are smart to ink their corner spots for a few years. Boone seems to be sacrificing average for power now, but he is a good hitter. Casey is probably the best "professional" hitter on the team.

Astros sign RF Richard Hidalgo (.256, 16, 49) to a 3-year, $3.59 M contract.

Commentary: The Astros seem convinced Hidalgo is back. These aren't the numbers he put up in his great season a few years ago, but he is in line to do much better than the past two years. The Astros are banking it will continue for at least three more years apparently.

Brewers sign SP Todd Ritchie (6-8, 3.89) to a 3-year, $817K contract.

Commentary: This is a pretty good contract for the Brewers, who are getting an underrated pitcher. Ritchie should have waited for free agency, where he could have gotten more money and gone to a better team.

Pirates sign SP Jeff D'Amico (3-5, 5.11) to a 3-year, $1.88 M contract.

Commentary: Not much to say here. D'Amico is a bit of a risk, but he's a solid talent who is clearly underachieving. He's also young, and the contract is the kind that fits well for a small-market team like the Pirates.

Dodgers sign SP Hideo Nomo (4-7, 4.78) to a 3-year, $855K contract.
Dodgers sign 1B Fred McGriff (.269, 12, 44) to a 1-year, $638K contract.

Commentary: The Nomo contract could go either way. He's signed to a decent amount for what he produces, but it's a multi-year contract to a 34-year-old pitcher. McGriff's signing, like Clemens's with the Yanks, is a nice extension given that the player in question is doing quite well in spite of his age.

Padres sign CF Mark Kotsay (.283, 4, 23) to a 3-year, $3.59 M contract.

Commentary: This will be one to watch. Kotsay is a good young player coming off his best year in 2002. He has not proven himself over the long haul, though, and he's not off to a great start. So this could either be a risky move or great foresight.

Chief Rum

korme

03-27-2003, 10:25 PM

good read, Chief.

No matter what it is, you always have a knack for writing a good dynasty.

Chief Rum

03-28-2003, 02:40 AM

Thanks, Shorty. I do seem to have a style that draws people on. Bully for me, I guess. :)

Have fun in Florida. Maybe I'll have a world championship by the time you get back. ;)

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

03-28-2003, 04:07 AM

Trade Deadline Deals

These are the trades I removed from the Major League Transactions. Although I am calling them trade deadline deals, it is actually all the deals made in July. The Angels trades already gone over above are not included.

Here's a day-to-day look at the trades in July:

July 17

Arizona gets:

SS Barry Larkin

Cincinnati gets:

1B Jesus Cota

Commentary: An obvious trade a decent prospect for veteran help deal. Larkin is playing younger than his age (39) with .258-7-37 stats as a fulltime starter. Cota is a 2.5 star talent Single A player who is just 21 years old. Larkin still seems to have the skills and the leadership ability to contribute, while Cota could develop into a solid keeper of a player.

July 23

Tampa Bay gets:

SP Chuck Smith
SP Mike Jones

Milwaukee gets:

C Pete LaForest

Commentary: Interesting deal in that neither team seems to be doing it for this year. Smith is a decent enough pitcher (4-6, 4.67), and I am sure lowly Tampa Bay can use a decent starter, but I think this deal was made for Jones, a three-star talent pitching wonderfully at Single A. Still, I have to think this deal was a reach for Tampa Bay because they gave up LaForest (.176, 9, 29). Sure, he's hitting badly but he has the ability to do better there, he's just 25, he's a 3.5 star prospect, he plays a tough to fill position (and one the Brewers aren't particularly deep at), and he was among the team's power sources (sadly enough).

Kansas City gets:

SP Brian Tallet
1B Shunso Matsuo

Houston gets:

SP Chris George

Commentary: The Tallet hot potato continues on its merry way. I have to think the Astros didn't exactly improve much upon their horrible Stanley-for-Tallet (4-10, 5.58) deal earlier in the year with Cleveland, although they did cut salary, and George (6-8, 4.98) has better upside. Matsuo is a decent bat, a 2.5 star talent with some power and great plate patience. He makes up fpr Tallet's shortcomings compared to George, although it should be noted that Tallet still does have above-average talent.

July 27

Baltimore gets:

SP Ryan Dempster
1B Markus Folse

Cincinnati gets:

SP Rodrigo Lopez

Commentary: Cincinnati is gearing up for a run at the Cubs here, I would imagine. Lopez (5-5, 4.11) is solid, young (27) pitcher who was pitching well in a hitter's league. Dempster (4-8, 6.10) is actually listed as having the same talent level as Lopez (2.5 stars), but he is clearly performing worse. I would guess he has the upside to put up similar numbers, and he is 26 and cheap (playing for the minimum whereas Lopez has reached arbitration). Folse is a decent hitter, and has climbed the ladder very quickly. He was drafted in the fourth round this year, and he is already at AAA, although he's not doing so hot. His outlook is as an all-around average hitter. Basically, the O's got a slightly younger, cheaper pitcher of similar talent and a decent hitting prospect in exchange for the better performing Lopez. This might be a winner for both sides.

Baltimore gets:

3B Todd Zeile

New York (A) gets:

RF Keith Reed
SP Mike Paradis

Commentary: I don't really understand this one. I guess Baltimore needed a 3B. Zeile (.300, 3, 17) was getting at best part time starts for the Yanks. He still seems to be a productive player, but he's 37 and his contract is almost $2 M until 2006. In return, the Yankees get a couple of relatively marginal players (Reed could play his way into a starter), but the big thing for them was moving Zeile's contract. The Orioles better hope he kicks ass for them.

July 30

Kansas City gets:

LF Gabe Kapler

Colorado gets:

C Mike Tonis
Andres Blanco
1B Shunsho Matsuo

Commentary: Another one of those "not sure what to make of it"s. Kapler (.308, 5, 38) is having a nice year and he's young, but his approaching arbitration, he's just a 2-star talent player, and he's been hitting in stats-inflating Coors Field for half of his games. On top of that, Kansas City isn't playing for anything but pride now. Sure, they can use a decent young player like Kapler, but why give up three prospects for him? And then there are those prospects. The best is Blanco, a 2.5 star talent who is just 19. Tonis has good talent, but he's 24 and at Single A, so his value is limited. Matsuo had just arrived to KC in the Tallet deal, and now moves on to his third team since being drafted in the third round this year.

Detroit gets:

CF Roosevelt Brown

Chicago (N) gets:

SP Preston Larrison

Commentary: The haves are just eating up the have nots. I can't understand this one either. I guess the Tigers really needed a CF. Brown (.268, 4, 8) looks like a decent player and he's young. He can hit for power and he's well-rounded at the plate. He was only seeing limited time with the division-leading Cubbies anyway. But it's a crime to be able to send a guy who is probably just a decent starter for a good, young prospect in Larrison. Larrison is a 3.5 star talent who is doing very well in AA--meaning while the Tigers continue to waffle, new centerfielder and all, the Cubs could be adding a well-above-average pitcher to their rotation by 2005.

July 31

Texas gets:

1B Hee Seop Choi
LF Ramon Lopez
3B Pedro Farina

Chicago (N) gets:

MR Rudy Seanez

Commentary: Chicago decided it needed pitching help to keep the Reds off their backs, so they went to get a nice reliever in Rudy Seanez (3-1, 2.84, 1 sv). The question is, did they pay too much? Choi looks like he will develop a nice major league stroke with some power. He isn't doing so hot in AAA right now, but he was murdering AA pitching and he is a three-star talent. Lopez and Farina, the Cubs' last two picks in the 2003 draft, are mostly forgettable Single A prospects, but that does hit at depth, too. I think the Cubs could have gotten close to as good a reliever from other teams for much less.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

03-28-2003, 08:57 PM

Injury News

Here were the significant injuries of the third month of play. The injury to Erstad is not listed here:

July 3

Rangers: 1B Rafael Palmeiro broke his ankle while running the bases, which will put him out for 7-8 weeks. Ouch, I'll bet that made the highlight reel. The veteran slugger was doing well, too (.302, 6, 32), although his power numbers seem low. This will be a huge block out of his season.

July 9

White Sox: 3B Joe Crede was injured while running the bases, and apparently the injury progressed to the level of an inflamed posterior cruciate ligament. He had to sit three weeks to rest his knee up, although he just returned from the injury. He is hitting .274, with 8 HR and 32 RBI.

July 11

Marlins: SP Mark Redman apparently wrenched his back through an awkward pitching motion and herniated a disk. He is going to miss 5 weeks. He was 2-6, with a 4.32 ERA at the time of the injury.

July 13

Astros: SS Julio Lugo strained his anterior cruciate ligament while running the bases, and will be out 5 weeks. Like the Astros can afford to lose anyone in their attempted charge back toward respectability. He was doing decently (.240, 6, 19).

Cardinals: SP Woody Williams tore a bicep muscle while on the mound, and will miss 4-5 weeks. This must be a bad day for former NL East powers trying to get good again. Williams hasn't had much luck, at 3-8, but he had a 4.16 ERA.

July 28

Twins: CL Eddie Guardado ruptured a bicep tendon while pitching. He will be out for 3-4 weeks. Guardado (0-2, 3.21, 17 sv) is one of the AL's better closers.

July 30

Brewers: C Pete LaForest broke his hand in a homeplate collision, and will be out for about 4 weeks. Wow, such irony. LaForest, of course, was just dealt from Tampa Bay, and is a solid up-and-coming young player who has shown good power this year (.176, 9, 29). The funny thing is that back in Tampa, the D-Rays are using a platoon, and one of its members, Hector Ortiz, also broke his hand in a homeplate collision just a few days before. I decided Ortiz, a platoon and fringe major leaguer, wasn't important enought o mention in these lists (at least until the LaForest injury came up).

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

03-28-2003, 10:34 PM

Simming August, 2003

CR

Chief Rum

03-29-2003, 02:10 AM

The 2003 All Star Game

One of the changes I made to the schedule when I worked out how to fix it was to move the All Star game back to early August. I moved it to August 9 (a Sunday, LMAO). The game was played at at Pac Bell Park, so pitchers hit.

Here are the All Star rosters (with stats after four months):

**- starters

NL Pitchers

ATL SP John Smoltz (14-1, 1.78)
**LA SP Odalis Perez (13-5, 2.42)
CHC SP Matt Clement (12-6, 4.41)
STL SP Jason Simontacchi (11-8, 3.46)
PHI SP Randy Wolf (12-5, 2.85)
CHN SP Kerry Wood (12-4, 4.42)
ATL SP Paul Byrd (9-7, 3.44)
STL CL Jason Isringhausen (4-4, 1.86, 27 sv)
LA CL Eric Gagne (9-0, 1.06, 25 sv)

NL Hitters

NYM C Mike Piazza (.273, 27, 74)
**FLA C Ivan Rodriguez (.262, 22, 67)
MIL 1B Brooks Kieschnick (.346, 4, 21)
**COL 1B Todd Helton (.387, 24, 83)
HOU 1B Jeff Bagwell (.305, 24, 85)
**HOU 2B Jeff Kent (.341, 23, 93)
NYM 2B Roberto Alomar (.316, 10, 61)
PHI 2B Placido Palanco (.308, 8, 49)
**CHN 3B Mark Bellhorn (.289, 23, 72)
**SF SS Rich Aurillia (.290, 17, 63)
**SF LF Barry Bonds (.323, 39, 93)
HOU LF Lance Berkman (.369, 21, 75)
**PIT CF Brian Giles (.298, 19, 75)
ATL RF Gary Sheffield (.313, 26, 100)
CHN RF Sammy Sosa (.303, 34, 88)
**COL RF Larry Walker (.325, 17, 78)

AL Pitchers

SEA SP Freddy Garcia (16-3, 2.94)
OAK SP Mark Mulder (16-5, 2.64)
NYY SP Andy Pettite (12-4, 3.34)
**BOS SP Pedro Martinez (14-6, 2.62)
NYY SP Mike Mussina (15-7, 3.38)
OAK SP Barry Zito (12-6, 3.14)
DET SP Mike Maroth (11-6, 3.98)
SEA MR Arthur Rhodes (2-1, 0.89, 4 sv)
NYY CL Mariano Rivera (4-1, 0.74, 33 sv)
OAK CL Keith Foulke (4-1, 2.24, 33 sv)

AL Hitters

OAK C Mitch Meluskey (.313, 7, 56)
**NYY C Jorge Posada (.263, 13, 61)
**NYY 1B Jason Giambi (.335, 21, 87)
TOR 1B Carlos Delgado (.282, 19, 64)
**BOS 2B Todd Walker (.305, 9, 59)
**MIN 3B Corie Koskie (.330, 7, 63)
OAK SS Miguel Tejada (.314, 19, 72)
BOS SS Nomar Garciaparra (.332, 14, 71)
**TEX SS Alex Rodriguez (.297, 23, 64)
**BOS LF Manny Ramirez (.362, 31, 105)
**BOS CF Jason Damon (.313, 4, 51)
BOS RF Jeremy Giambi (.350, 13, 69)
DET RF Dmitri Young (.311, 8, 82)
ANA RF Tim Salmon (.282, 22, 74)
**CHW RF Magglio Ordonez (.309, 21, 67)

Commentary: We got screwed, of course. I wish I wouldn't have simmed right through the entire month, as I think now I would have preferred to have stats at the break, rather than after four months, and I could have taken a look at who was close, but no cigar (Percival and Glaus come immediately to mind...Washburn, too--and that's just on the Angels).

The Game

Here's are the inning by inning highlights:

1st Inning

Perez is excellent to start, getting Damon and Jason Giambi to strike out looking to open the game. Ramirez got a shallow single, before A-Rod grounded out to third. no runs, 1 hit, no errors

Martinez has a one-two-three inning, getting Kent to line out, striking Rodriguez out looking, and throwing it by a swinging Helton for out number three. no runs, no hits, no errors

National 0, American 0

2nd Inning

Perez gets a quick two outs again, getting Ordonez to fly out and striking out Posada swinging. But then he ran into trouble. Koskie singled to center, and then Walker doubled to deep right-center, scoring Koskie. Martinez, the pitcher, then struck out swinging to end the inning. 1 run, 2 hits, no errors

Martinez walks Bonds to open the inning. He gets Giles striking out looking, though. With Walker at the plate, Bonds is thrown out attempting to steal by Posada. This is bad news, because Walker proceeds to double to the gap in right-center. Aurillia grounds out to end the threat. no runs, 1 hit, no errors

American 1, National 0

3rd Inning

Perez got into trouble right away, when he beaned Damon to open the frame. Damon then stole second. Jason Giambi lined out, and then Ramirez grounded out to second, moving Damon to third. Rodriguez squeaked out an infield hit, scoring Damon. Ordonez struck out swinging to end the inning. 1 run, 1 hit, no errors

Martinez is just chugging along. He put the NL down 1-2-3 again. Bellhorn grounded out. Perez struck out looking. And Kent struck out swinging. no runs, no hits, no errors

American 2, National 0

4th Inning

Simontacchi came into the game for Perez. Why didn't they just pinch-hit for Perez? Simontacchi walked Posada, and Koskie got his second hit of the day, a single to left-center, moving Posada to second. He got Walker to ground into a double play, though, and then Martinez grounded out to short to end the inning. no runs, 1 hit, no errors

Sigh...Maroth in for Martinez, and another pinch hit opportunity ignored. Maroth ran into immediate trouble, as Pudge Rodriguez doubled down the left field line. Helton flew out to shallow left, but then Bonds doubled down the right field line, scoring Rodriguez. The damage done, Maroth induced groundouts from Giles and Walker. 1 run, 2 hits, no errors

American 2, National 1

5th Inning

Simontacchi got the NL's first 1-2-3 inning. Damon grounded out to short, Jason Giambi struck out looking and Ramirez flew out to shallow left. mo runs, no hits, no errors

Aurillia opened the inning with a single to the left-center gap off of Maroth. The Detroit pitcher erased that with a Bellhorn double play, though. Then Simontacchi grounded out to second. no runs, 1 hit, no errors

American 2, National 1

6th Inning

Isringhausen replaced his teammate Simontacchi, and the third obvious pinch hit opportunity of the game is lost. ARod flies out to right-center, but Ordonez laces a single to left with one out. Pudge throws Ordonez out trying to steal second, and then Insringhausen got Posada to fly out to right-center to put the AL down. no runs, 1 hit, no errors

Foulke replaces Maroth. Foulke proceeds to put up the AL's 3rd 1-2-3 inning. Kent and Pudge watched the ball go by for third strikes, and Helton grounded out to second. no runs, no hits, no errors

American 2, National 1

7th Inning

Koskie is just hot right now. He gets his third hit of the game with a dribbler down the third base line. Walker then sacrificed him over to second base. Delgado, pinch-hitting for Foulke, lines out to third, getting the NL close to out of it. Isringhausen doesn't play it easy, though, walking Damon to put runners at first and second. Garciaparra bats for Jason Giambi, but he grounds out to second. no runs, 1 hit, no errors

Rhodes replaces Foulke on the mound, and Jeremy Giambi replaces his brother at 1B. Bonds deposits a ball into San Francisco Bay behind rightfield to tie it up, much to the excitement of the hometown fans! Rhodes strikes out Giles swinging, but Walker then comes up and singles to right. Sammy Sosa pinch hits for Aurillia, but before he can get the bat on the ball, Walker steals second. Posada's throw goes errant into the outfield, and Walker moves on to third. As it turns out, Sosa never did get the bat on the ball, as he struck out looking. Bagwell was sent up for Bellhorn, and Rhodes grooved another pitch--Bagwell got all of it and powered a two-run homer over the left field wall to give the National League the lead. Pettite replaced Rhodes, and got pinch hitter Piazza (for the pitcher) swinging. 3 runs, 3 hits, 1 error

National 4, American 2

8th Inning

Byrd replaces Isringhausen on the mound. Piazza stays in the game in place of Pudge, and Sosa takes over in right for Walker. Polanco takes over Bellhorn at 3B, and Alomar goes in at SS for Aurillia. Meluskey, pinch-hitting for Ramirez, hits a bouncing comebacker back to Byrd for the first out. Tejada bats for ARod and singles to right. Gagne replaces Byrd. Salmon pinch hits for Ordonez, but he goes down swinging for the second out. Posada then hits a short single to left, moving Tejada to second. Dmitri Young, in for the hot Koskie, grounds out to second to end the threat. They should have left in Koskie. no runs, 2 hits, no errors

Meluskey moves into right for Ordonez, and Salmon replaces Ramirez in left. Tejada takes over for ARod at SS, and Young goes to third for Bellhorn. Kent draws a walk from Pettite, and then Gagne sacrifices him over to second. Sheffield pinch hits for Kent, but grounds out to short. Berkman bats for Bonds and draws a walk to put two runners on. Alas, Giles ends the threat with a deep fly to center. no runs, no hits, no errors

National 4, American 2

9th Inning

Kieschnick replaces Helton at 1B, and Berkman goes to left for Bonds. Gagne gets Walker to ground out to second. Then the Dodger closer blew pitches by Pettite (who should have been pinch hit for--did they have anyone left?) and Damon, both swinging, to end the game. no runs, no hits, no errors

Final: National 4, American 2

Hometown star Barry Bonds takes the All Star Game MVP, going 2-for-2, with a run-scoring double and a solo homerun, putting up two ribbies. Isringhausen got the win, and Byrd got a hold and Gagne a save in support. Rhodes earned the loss for giving up the winning rally in the bottom of the seventh.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

03-29-2003, 09:56 PM

The Standings

Game Date: September 1, 2003 (four months into delayed 2003 season)

AL West


Team W L PCT GB

Oakland 68 41 .624 --
Anaheim 58 52 .527 10.5
Seattle 57 54 .514 12.0
Texas 51 58 .468 17.0


Oakland didn't put much further distance on Anaheim and Seattle, but then they didn't lose any ground either and a month of baseball has passed. It's beginning to approach panic time for Anaheim and Seattle. The fact that even Texas isn't an easy out doesn't help.

AL Central


Team W L PCT GB

Minnesota 57 53 .518 --
Cleveland 57 54 .514 0.5
Chicago 54 57 .486 3.5
Detroit 46 63 .422 10.5
Kansas City 37 73 .336 20.0


There are two ways to view this division right now. The first is that this is clearly the worst division in baseball. No other division leader is anywhere near as low as Minnesota. The second way to view this is that it might end up being the most exciting race in baseball. Chicago is finally beginning to play with some skill. Minnesota and Cleveland have been decent all year. Even Detroit isn't out of it. Kansas City is, though.

AL East


Team W L PCT GB

New York 74 36 .673 --
Boston 74 37 .667 0.5
Toronto 52 58 .473 22.0
Baltimore 48 63 .432 26.5
Tampa Bay 38 72 .345 36.0


How's this for excitement? The Yankees were making noises that they could still catch the Red Sox, and here we are, four months into the season, and look who's on top? Both teams are pretty much assured of being in the playoffs, so this is just for pride now--but if you think it means nothing to the fans of these teams, then you have never been to New York or Boston. At one point, Toronto looked like a potential contender, but sadly time has proven otherwise. Baltimore has steadily wavered between Toronto and Tampa Bay all year. The Devil Rays are actually playing a little bit better, not that you would notice.

NL West


Team W L PCT GB

San Francisco 63 47 .573 --
Los Angeles 63 49 .550 1.0
San Diego 53 58 .477 10.5
Colorado 52 58 .473 11.0
Arizona 50 62 .446 14.0


This division is still one of the tightest and quality-filled divisions in the league, but San Diego and Arizona have largely marched backwards over the past 30 days. The result is that it is now probably a two-team race between San Francisco and Los Angeles. Arizona's drop from just outside of first to last place is rather shocking, even given that last place in thge NL West is not that bad. Colorado is just keeping its place in line.

NL Central


Team W L PCT GB

Chicago 66 43 .606 --
Cincinnati 60 49 .550 6.0
St. Louis 58 52 .527 8.5
Houston 51 61 .455 16.5
Pittsburgh 46 64 .418 20.5
Milwaukee 43 66 .394 23.0


Chicago is keeping the hounds off, but just barely. They hold a decent lead, but six games isn't enough just yet. Cincy has done well to stay with them, and St. Louis has played great ball since the first month of the season. They are right there. Houston moved themselves to approaching decent last month, but they unfortunately stayed in place for this last one. Pittsburgh may be overtaken by a Milwaukee team that is playing better now than earlier in the season.

NL East


Team W L PCT GB

Atlanta 63 47 .573 --
New York 57 51 .528 5.0
Philadelphia 57 54 .514 6.5
Florida 52 57 .477 10.5
Montreal 46 62 .426 16.0


As in the NL Central, this one may not be over yet either. Atlanta has a similarly shaky lead, although they have been playing very well since May. New York and Philly are just outside, and even Florida could make it interesting. Montreal is, of course, pretty much done.

AL Wildcard


Team W L PCT GB

Boston 74 37 .667 --
Anaheim 58 52 .528 15.5
Cleveland 57 54 .514 17.0
Seattle 57 54 .514 17.0
Chicago 54 57 .486 20.0


I put up five teams out of courtesy to my format, but this didn't need more than one entry. I don't exactly take a lot of pride in currently being second int he wildcard either. This is about as sure a thing as you could get, I guess--the loser of the AL East divisional race will be the AL wildcard. Right now, of course, that's Boston.

NL Wildcard


Team W L PCT GB

Los Angeles 63 49 .563 --
Cincinnati 60 49 .550 1.5
New York 57 51 .528 4.0
St. Louis 58 52 .527 4.0
Philadelphia 57 54 .514 5.5
San Diego 53 58 .477 9.5
Florida 52 57 .477 9.5
Colorado 52 58 .473 10.0


Now, this wildcard race is more like it. LA and Cincy are dueling it out on top and for their respective divisions. New York and St. Louis are still very much in range, and Philly right behind them. Seven teams are within 10 games of the wilcrad-leading Dodgers.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

03-29-2003, 11:05 PM

Anaheim The Team

We just can't seem to make any headway on Oakland. We have been way too inconsistent, winning in spurts, but then going through horrible stretches of losses as well, which nearly erase what good we did with the previous victories. We even flirted with .500 again before we reasserted ourselves in the end.

The Angels dropped from 10th to 12th in the power rankings this month, but we still have 96 points. We're listed third of three teams with 96 points actually, so I guess we're anywhere from 10th to 12th.

The stunning Yankees comeback has them far ahead of everyone else in the power rankings, with 130 points, even if they are just a shade ahead of second place Red Sox in reality. Boston has 116 points, just ahead of Oakland with 115. The NL division leaders hold 4 thru 6, with Atlanta (109) just ahead of Chicago and San Francisco (both 107).

Here are where we stand in major categories, with MLB rank in parentheses:

Team AVG: .257 (19th)
Team HRs: 125 (8th)
Team Runs: 546 (15th)

We seem to be locked into just a shade over a quarter for our average, but power keeps sooming up. Once in the ranking 20s, we are now in the top ten in power. I thought that it was just Glaus's offensive explosion in July, but no one player can do this--it seems to be a team effort. Correspondingly, our runs scored have inched up and now we're right smack in the middle in the most obviously key offensive stat.

Team ERA: 4.16 (11th)
Team AVG Allowed .253 (9th)
Team Runs Allowed: 492 (5th)

After two months of steadily declining pitching numbers, we finally stalled the fall. We didn't exactly climb, but we held up at least. The ERA dropped a couple points, and we went up a ranking spot. Average allowed increased three points, unfortunately, but the ranking drop was mild (just one spot). And in runs allowed, we actually improved significantly, jumping from 7th to 5th (a spot we haven't really held since early in the season). If hitting continues to improve and pitching maintains status quo, maybe we can still make a race out of this thing.

Financials

Our fan interest has gone down again, one more point, to 89. We are still fourth in FI, though, so relative to the league we seem to have lost little.

Further solidifying this point is that we are still selling out our homedates. After 58 games, we stiull haven't had an available seat in the place. We have 2.611 M in season attendance right now, and seem to be on our way to 3.6M+. The only team with higher right now is division rival Oakland, with 2.655.

In fact, just two-thirds of the way through the season, we are already just $1.5M or so short of a certain profitable season.

Transactions & Injuries

Last month, I gave this its own post, but since we are past the trading deadline, this isn't as information filled as in July. Still, there was more action here than in the first two months.

First of all, the amazing saga of Darin Erstad's incredible broken finger continues. Erstad broke his finger on July 8 and was expected to miss 7-8 weeks. A few days later, these estimates got bumped back one and two weeks, putting him down for a grand total of 10-11 weeks. Well, the team medical personnel have informed me that the finger is remaining bothersome, and if you can believe it, I received two more emails extending his expected return--once again by a total of three weeks.

So now Erstad is likely out for 13-14 weeks total. He is currently listed as being five weeks away from returning, which basically means he comes back for the last 2-3 weeks of the season at best. :(

The bad news doesn't end there. The Shawn Wooten at catcher experiment hit a bump in the road, when he went down with a bruised cheekbone in a homeplate collision. The injury, which happened August 16, is expected to put Wooten down for 2-3 weeks. This has left me with some dreadfully poor choices to fill out my lineup. Elpidio Guzman and Jose Molina were supposed to be trying to prove they deserved to be kept on after 2003, and neither were doing particularly well at it. So now I was forced to play them both--regularly. Ouch.

Fortunately, Wooten is almost recovered from his injury and should be back a couple games into the September sim.

In the meantime, career minor league Larry Barnes was brought up to hold Wooten's spot. He was the choice because he isn't regarded as a player with much future prospects (so a cheap year may be wasted), he was doing well at AAA, and he plays 1B, the position Wooten was serving as a backup to.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

03-29-2003, 11:57 PM

The Major League Squad

THROUGH FOUR MONTHS OF THE 2003 SEASON

Rotation

Jarrod Washburn (11-8, 3.44) has been amazingly consistent on an otherwise hapless rotation. He hasn't had higher than a 4.00 ERA in any one month yet this season. I hope he keeps it up.

John Thomson (5-11, 5.78) has rewarded our decision to pick him up by outpitching everyone buyt Washburn. He had a 3.89 ERA in August, and has lowered his ERA almost a run.

John Lackey (7-9, 4.85) rebounded somewhat from his horrible July, and got his ERA below 5.00 again. Still, I expected better from this guy, and he has a long way further to go before my confidence will be restored.

Ramon Ortiz (9-9, 5.01) returned to his early season poor form, and posted his third 5.00+ ERA in the past four months. A good July led me to hope he might be on his way back to respectability, but instead he had his worst month yet in August (5.82).

Aaron Sele (7-9, 5.21) had his first solid month since his amazing May. But the two months in between were so horrible that it barely makes an impact. Still, it's nice to see him closer to a 5.00 ERA.

The Bullpen

Troy Percival (2-2, 1.45, 28 sv) was jobbed for an All Star spot. This guy should have been in it. He continues to amaze.

Almost as amazing is his setup cohort Francisco Rodriguez (5-2, 1.93). Rodriguez has already racked up 74.1 IP in 53 games, and he has had a sub-1.50 ERA in each of the past two months.

Unfortunately, a couple of the Angels' other bullpen aces had pretty bad months. Ben Weber (4-1, 2.61) and Brendan Donnelly (2-0, 2.59) were both well below a 2.00 ERA when August began. They both suffered from 5.00+ ERA's this month.

Lou Pote (3-0, 3.48) and new Angel Randy Choate (4-0, 2.94) did a lot to cover up for the August problems of Weber and Donnelly. Scot Shields (0-2, 5.79) surprisingly didn't see any mound time from his mopup spot, so he was unable to improve an ERA that tanked off of one horrible performance in July. Otherwise, he has been pretty solid this year.

The Infield

Shawn Wooten (.293, 9, 44) seemed to play well at catcher before his injury. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to further evaluate him. So now September will be another test month for him. Jose Molina (.212, 4, 29) returned from DH duties to take over behind the plate after Wooten got hurt. And, believe it or not, he actually had a solid August, at least for what he has put up. He's above the Mendoza line again, and displayed some of the same limited power he showed in May.

Just when I was lamenting the team's need for Scott Spiezio (.296, 13, 50) to step it up with power, he has his best overall month. He hit almost half of his HRs, with 6 in August, and he matched his season-high for RBIs in a month with 17. He also hit .326. Troy Glaus (.227, 28, 81), across the way at 3B, wasn't quite the team-lifter he was in July, but he still had his second best month yet of the season, and his average continues to inch its way back up to respectability. He still ranks among league leaders in the power categories.

David Eckstein (.254, 5, 32) continues to just hold par. He should be a better hitter than this, and I still hope he can get the average up to the .280-.290 area. He has 19 SB as the Haloes' leadoff hitter. Adam Kennedy (.224, 3, 31) continues to show he shouldn't be in a major league lineup. Were it not for the fact that I don't want to blow a cheap year for Figgins, AK wouldn't even be starting right now. He has two months to turn it around.

The Outfield/DH

All I wanted Rob Quinlan (.312, 5, 31) to do was play solidly while we wait for Erstad to return. Instead, he is playing himself into a factor on this team and maybe even beyond 2003. If Erstad were back in the lineup tonight, Quinlan would be at DH, no questions asked.

It's amazing how quietly Garrett Anderson (.280, 22, 68) sneaks up on you. He had a great August (.311-9-23) to pump his stats back up to near-league-leader status. Another month like this, and he will be up with Glaus in the power numbers, but with average--which is about where a star like GA is supposed to be in the first place.

Our lone All Star, Tim Salmon (.282, 22, 74) is to the offense what Washburn is to the rotation. Seriously, you could set a watch to this guy. I'm glad to have him aboard right now, and I really wish he didn't want to have a whole four years in his extension.

Thanks to the Wooten and Erstad injuries, DH has been a sore spot in the lineup for most of the past month and even longer. Elpidio Guzman (.253, 3, 9) was splitting time there with Jose Molina, before Molina had to go back to catcher. Since Wooten will be back shortly, these guys will continue to split time at DH while awaiting the eventual move of Quinlan to the spot.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

03-30-2003, 02:17 AM

The Minor Leagues

THROUGH FOUR MONTHS OF THE 2003 SEASON

We dropped from the second best farm system to the third, but our points (102) have stayed about the same. Basically, Detroit leaped us to get back into second place with 107. Tampa Bay is still on top with a lower, but still commanding 115 points.

It was another busy month of DL, promotion/demotion, and player development in the Angels' minor league system.

On the injury front, it was fortunately a good month. We didn't suffer any minor league injuries, and Bobby Jenks and Sal Fasano returned from their injuries during August. So we have a full system once again.

Fasano went down to Arkansas to make room for catching prospect Jared Abruzzo. Those matching roster changes were made at the beginning of the month. Abruzzo is notable for having jumped from A to AAA in four months, and three weeks later, he was joined by another. SS Brian Specht made the jump to AAA on August 25, showing another amazing rise through the Angels' system.

Two of the Angels' best pitching prospects, Joe Torres and Johan A. Santana, also proved ready to move to AA after being on the fence for a couple months. Santana went up August 18, while Torres was just promoted today. They may soon be joined by top 2003 draft pick David Laboy, who is on the fence for the next step up.

At Arkansas, top hitting prospect Casey Kotchman and the just-returned Jenks may also be ready for Salt Lake.

There were also two demotions besides Fasano's but neither figures to be too critical. Stoneman recommended I send Barry Wesson down to Rancho Cucamonga because of poor performance, and I myself sent Elvin Nina down to the same club to make room for Torres and Santana in Arkansas's rotation. Since both are career minor leaguers, I don't figure to be hurt by this too much.

Maybe their skills have risen, but overall our prospects had a bad month with overall talent development. Jenks suffered a drop in his talent to avoid hits, Jared Mathis's talent in hitting doubles took a hit, and just acquired Yankees prospect pitcher Simeon Pedrosa had a fall in his talent for avoiding homeruns. We did get an increase in Chone Figgins' talent at avoiding strikeouts, though.

Here’s a team-by-team look at our minor leagues:

Salt Lake Stingers (65-45)

Well, the Stingers are certainly playing well, even with a roster constantly in flux for having to support some injury problems at the major league level, and also taking on a bevy of Arkansas talent.

Stoneman is still pushing for the major league debuts of SS Alfredo Amezaga, 2B Chone Figgins, RF Michael O'Keefe, and SP Matt Wise. To that list, he has re-added MR Bart Miadich.

Amezaga (.304, 2, 35) is playing just well enough for me to consider letting Adam Kennedy go altogether. Benji Gil's removal is all but certain, but I was still considering keeping Kennedy as a backup. If Amezaga keeps it up and AK continues to suck, I may even make the decision to drop AK at the end of the year and use Amezaga as my primary middle infield backup. My only concern in that respect is the possibility that Figgins might not translate well to the major league level.

Of course, if Figgins (.328, 2, 55) can't make it as a major leaguer, he sure ain't showing it at Salt Lake. He continues to display a good stroke, great speed (27 SB) and surprising gap power (.864 OPS).

O'Keefe (.321, 24, 86) remains a prominent figure among AAA stat leaders this season and is still in line to start in RF for the Angels next year (where hopefully he could be a ROY candidate).

Wise (10-5, 3.97) is still biding his time waiting for a shot at the rotation. I will certainly be considering it for next year at the very least. But I have an awful lot of other starting pitchers already on the major league squad that I need to make decisions on first.

Miadich (2-3, 4.14, 10 sv) has bounced back from a poor July to put up respectable numbers again. He is also taking a part time role as a closer and is doing decently there. Of course, our major league pen is so deep that your guess is as good as mine for when Miadich will get the chance to move up to Anaheim.

The Stingers's roster is full of players with a shot at moving up, or playing their way into a role next year. Even now, Guzman may yet secure a backup outfield spot with the Angels next year, and that would be bad news for Jason Lane (.266, 21, 68) the low-end Astros vet minor leaguer we got in the Schoenweiss deal. Lane and O'Keefe are currently the primary power sourcdes on the Stingers' roster.

Fringe prospects with marginal futures at the major league level are still trying to prove their worth. Speedster CF Nathan Haynes (.280, 9, 54) has shown good power and speed (26 SB). He is still considered a possible future starter. The versatile Oscar Salazar (.262, 6, 50) is on course for a future backup spot somewhere. And Matt Whitney (.219, 11, 42), the prospect picked up from the Braves, continues to royally suck for whatever reason.

Among the recent promotees, Abruzzo (.242, 2, 16) is off to a rough start as he tries to adjust to AAA pitching. The just promoted Specht (.292, 0, 2) is doing well, but he has just 24 ab so far.

How Stoneman can continue to ignore Mickey Callaway (10-2, 2.46), I couldn't tell you. He's performed on par with some of the best pitching prospects in the minor leagues. Steve Green (7-11, 4.48) continues to hover on the edge of respectability. Two of the Angels' recent promotees are filling out the rotation and aiming for Anahaim. Chris Bootcheck (6-0, 3.08) is pitching very well now after a bad start. And Joe Saunders (1-1, 6.46) is still considered to be one of the Angels' top pitching prospects, despite the rough stats.

Arkansas Travellers (54-56)

If any team has been hurt by the constant demotions and promotions, it is this one. The Travellers have also the bulk of the minor league injuries in the Angels' system as well.

Kotchman and Jenks are on the edge to join some of their former Traveller teammates up in Salt Lake, although I'm not sure either truly deserves just yet. Kotchman (.268, 8, 46) seems to be getting worse, and his supposed power has still not come on display. Jenks (2-4, 3.81) has had two injuries this year, including a stint on the DL, and I think he could use more time to.

With Wesson (.249, 12, 59) sent down to Rancho Cucamonga and Kotchman basically being punchless, the lone seeming power source on the Travellers is fringe major leaguer Jose Nieves (.268, 16, 54), surprisingly enough. That does not bode well for Arkansas hitters.

Dallas McPherson (.229, 5, 18) continues to struggle at AA in his first full month here, and fringe catching prospect Wil Nieves (.245, 8, 33) has yet to impress. Specht and Abruzzo barely stopped for pots of coffee on their way up to Salt Lake in the fast lane.

For pitching, former Braves' prospect Chris Waters (7-8, 4.39) is still just getting by at AA. Richard Fischer (4-8, 5.14) may be back from injury, but he isn't really pitching like it. Santana (0-2, 11.00) hasn't done well in his first two starts since he got promoted. And Torres has just arrived to take over the fifth spot.

In relief, Derrick Turnbow (1-1, 2.57, 3 sv) lends a steady hand if not a real future as a pro. Second round pick Jake Tetrault (3-5, 6.47, 5 sv) has hit a very bad stretch, and isn't doing well at all. Perhaps the problem is that he is splitting roles between closing and middle relief.

Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (63-47)

The Quakes' best offensive talents have been stripped of them for the benefit of Arkansas and Salt Lake, but they are still doing very well. We'll see if they can also survive the loss of Torres and Santana to AA, and perhaps Laboy soon as well.

The best remaining hitter at Rancho is Jeff Mathis (.291, 11, 58), the only hitter to stay in A all season so far. Mathis, of course, suffered a talent drop this month. Demotee CF and free-agent-to-be Julio Ramirez (.351, 12, 45) continues to crush Single A pitching--too bad he doesn't do this at higher levels. The addition of Wesson should help the offense, even if Wesson won't like it.

The three fringe minor leaguers (all 2003 draftees) continue to try to increase their respective worths. Fourth round pick Bennie Brant (.213, 0, 15) made very little progress in August. C Oscar Leon (.172, 0, 11) is still trying to get above .200. And 1B Jason Hartl (.224, 1, 12) seems to be the "best" of the trio. The only thing these guys got going for them is youth, it seems.

The strength of the team has been the rotation. Losing Torres (8-10, 4.32) and Santana (4-8, 3.30) doesn't figure to help much, but at least veteran minor leaguer Nina (5-5, 4.57) was added to help out with depth. He should do well against Single A hitters.

Top 2003 pick Laboy (7-2, 2.03) continues to amaze, and Stoneman has tabbed him as a possible promotee in the near future. Trade pickup Pedrosa (4-7, 4.94) is still trying to get into a groove (and he isn't being helped at all by losing some talent).

In the pen, the Angels' two Single A 2003 draftees are imrpoving a bit. Third rounder Omar Ramirez (4-1, 2.67, 2 sv) has done very well since a bad July. Aurelio Ruiz (4-2, 5.09, 1 sv) may not look so hot, but his numbers after last month were simply atrocious.

The Angels' Top 10 Prospect List

1. SP John Lackey-- majors (7-9, 4.85)
2. SP David Laboy-- A (7-2, 2.04) 20th best prospect in MLB
3. SP Joe Saunders-- AAA (1-1, 6.46; 7-5, 2.66 at AA) 70th best prospect in MLB
4. 1B Casey Kotchman-- AA (.268, 8, 46) 12th best prospect in MLB
5. SP Joe Torres-- AA (just promoted; 8-10, 4.32 at A) 29th best prospect in MLB
6. RF Michael O'Keefe-- AAA (.321, 24, 86)
7. C Jared Abruzzo-- AAA (.242, 2, 16; .258, 5, 28 at AA; .270, 6, 18 at A) 59th best prospect in MLB
8. SP Chris Waters-- AA (7-8, 4.39)
9. SP Richard Fischer-- AA (4-8, 5.14)
10. MR Francisco Rodriguez-- majors (5-2, 1.93)

(It should be noted that the Top 100 MLB prospects list is compiled by an average scout--Stoneman, who puts together our Top 10 list, is supposed to be better).

Other Angels prospects on MLB Top 100 list

SP Johan A. Santana-- AA (0-2, 11.00; 4-8, 3.30 at A) 66th best prospect in MLB
SP Chris Bootcheck-- AAA (6-0, 3.08; 8-1, 2.06 at AA) 86th best prospect

In case you didn't notice, SP Bobby Jenks, formerly the #4 prospect for the Angels, dropped off both the Angels' top list and the MLB Top 100 list for losing some talent in the always critical avoiding hits area.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

03-30-2003, 04:25 AM

Major League News

THROUGH FOUR MONTHS OF THE 2003 SEASON

Offensive League Leaders-- American League

Boston's Manny Ramirez is apparently doing an on-again, off-again thing, because he took the harsh drop of July (.401 to .352) and used it to motivate him to climb up to a league-leading .362. His teammate Jeremy Giambi is second with a .350 average. They outdistanced the next group by a bit. That group starts off with a couple of Yankees, Jeremy's brother, Jason Giambi at .335, and Bernie Williams at .333. Williams was a regular on these lists until last month, when an injury forced him below the number of plate appearances needed to qualify for the batting title. He has apparently re-qualified. Rounding out a list of Yankees and Red Sox, Boston's Nomar Garciaparra makes his first visit of the year to the top five batters with a .332 average.

When you see the AL HR leaders' list, you not only cease to wonder at the Angels' meteroic rise up the power charts, but you even begin to wonder why the heck they aren't higher than eighth. Ramirez leads the way with 31 HR, but Anaheim's Troy Glaus isn't far behind him with 28. No one else is particularly close to these two. A pair of Rangers sit at 23. One is Alex Rodriguez, but you would never guess the other...Carl Everett! Three players sit at 22, including the Angels' Garrett Anderson and Tim Salmon.

Ramirez appears inclined to win the Triple Crown with leads like these, and now four months into the season, it's a heck of a lot more legitimate. His 105 RBI are far ahead of anyone else in the AL. Jason Giambi is second with 87. The surprising third place player is Detroit's Dmitri Young, with 82. That puts him just ahead of Glaus at 81. Four players are tied for fifth with a distant 74, including Salmon.

Ramirez is going for four! He is almost a full 100 points above the next player, with a 1.150 OPS. That next player is Jason Giambi, with a 1.057 OPS. These two are the only players above 1 OPS. Giambi's brother Jeremy is third with a .998 OPS. He is tied there with Toronto's Carlos Delgado.

Offensive League Leaders-- National League

Houston's Lance Berkman seemed like a sure thing with his average the past couple months. Not so fast, though. Colorado's Todd Helton leaped past him and then some, moving up to .387. Being so close to .400 four months into the season is remarkable, and brings up memories of Tony Gwynn and Jon Olerud going for it this late in the mid-90s. Still, you have to wonder how legit it would be if Helton hit .400 playing half his games in offense-happy Coors Field. Berkman is second down at .369. These two are far ahead of the pack. Berkman's teammate Jeff Kent is hitting .341, which is good for third. Atlanta's Chipper Jones is fourth at .333, and Helton's Rockies mate Larry Walker is fifth at .325.

Is it a real shock to find that the Giants' Barry Bonds and the Cubs' Sammy Sosa are 1-2 in HR? I didn't think so. Bonds has 39, and Sosa, 34. The Dodgers' Shawn Green is another full step back at 29. His heels are dogged by three hitters at 27 HR-- Cincinnati's Ken Griffey Jr., Philly's Jim Thome, and the Mets' Mike Piazza.

The Braves' Gary Sheffield is really producing the runs. He leads the NL with 100 RBI--the only guy in MLB who is within 12 of Ramirez and his incredible season. Bonds and Kent share second with 93. Another pair, Griffey and Sosa, sit at 88.

Bonds is still the king of OPS, leading all of the majors with a 1.274 OPS. Helton is second at 1.177, just ahead of his batting title competition, Berkman, at 1.167. No one else is near these three, though.

Pitching League Leaders-- American League

Red Sox ace Pedro Martinez continues to dazzle, putting up a league-leading 2.62 ERA. And that's not counting the four flawless innings in the All Star game. Oakland's Mark Mulder is right on his ass, though, with a 2.64 ERA. The Mariners' Freddy Garcia is far behind the top two at 2.94, but is a good deal ahead of Mulder's teammate Barry Zito at 3.14. The Yankees' Andy Pettite wraps it up at 3.34.

Garcia (16-3) and Mulder (16-5) lead the AL in wins. New York's Mike Mussina is third with 15 wins (15-7). A pair of Boston pitchers fill out the top five in wins with Martinez (14-6) and Derek Lowe (13-5).

Martinez is so far ahead of everyone else here, he can barely be seen from the pack. He has reached a solid 200 K just two-thirds of the way throught he season. The Rangers' Chan Ho Park is second with 122, and Mussina is right on his tail with 121. Toronto's Kelvim Escobar has 109, and Garcia is tied with Chicago's Bartolo Colon with 108.

New York's Mariano Rivera and Oakland's Keith Foulke both have a league-leading 33 saves. The difference is Rivera's subterranean 0.74 ERA, which makes Foulke's still great 2.24 look positively pedestrian. Boston's Chad Fox has 31 saves. The M's Kazutoshi Sasaki is fourth with 30, and the Angels' own Troy Percival rounds out the top five with 28.

Pitching League Leaders-- National League

I guess John Smoltz had an off-month--you know, maybe something around a 2.50 ERA? :) He's up to a still league-dominating 1.78 ERA for the Braves. The Dodgers' Odalis Perez should be proud to be within a run of Smoltz, at 2.42. San Diego's Brian Lawrence continues to go on strong at 2.75. A pair of Philly pitchers are witness to their team's returnt o the fringe of NL East playoff possibilities-- Randy Wolf at 2.85, and followed closely by Kevin Millwood with a 2.89 ERA.

Smoltz still leads the way with wins (14-1), although he finally picked up a loss along the way. Perez is second with a 13-5 record. No less than six pitchers sit at 12 wins, including Wolf and Lawrence.

Arizona may have hit a cold spell,b ut it doesn't seem to be because of their strikeout pitchers. Randy Johnson leads the NL with 188, teammate Curt Schilling is at 163 and third, and former reliever Byung-Hyun Kim is fifth with 146. Interspersed among them is Chicago's Mark Prior, second with 165, and Florida's Josh Beckett, tied with Kim for fifth. But the real shocker is the Reds' Scott Williamson--who is slated to relieve and has been a reliever in real life for some time. Apparently the AI made a change, converted him into a starter like the DBacks did with Kim, and now he's fourth in the league in strikeouts with 148 K.

How's this for weird? The leader of the NL is still Mike Remlinger with 28. But he's no longer a Cub--he's now a Dodger! No, there was no trade I didn't announce--this is AI stupidity at its finest. More on that in the transactions section, although I am guessing you can figure it out already. Jason Isringhausen os the Cardinals is second with 27. The Braves' Ray King has 26 saves to nab third, and Florida's Vladimir Nunez is tied at 25 with none other than...the Dodgers' old closer Eric Gagne.

I did a little checking just for fun. Gagne IS actually still the Dodgers' closer--and the league-leader in saves, Remlinger, is the primary middle reliever in the pen. LOL! Also for the curious-seekers-- trade deadline acquisition Rudy Seanez is the Cubs' closer now.

League Awards

AL Player of the Week

July 27-August 2-- RF Dmitri Young (DET)
August 3-9-- RF Jermaine Dye (OAK)
August 10-16-- CF Carl Everett (TEX)
August 17-23-- LF Manny Ramirez (BOS)
August 24-30-- 1B Doug Mientkiewicz

NL Player of the Week

July 27-August 2-- CF Brian L. Hunter (HOU)
August 3-9-- 1B Jeff Bagwell (HOU)
August 10-16-- CF Preston Wilson (COL)
August 17-23-- CF Jim Edmonds (STL)
August 24-30-- LF Albert Pujols (STL)

American League Batter of the Month for August: LF Manny Ramirez (BOS)

Ramirez wins his second Batter of the Month award in 2003, with a .398 average, 10 HR and 31 RBI.

American League Pitcher of the Month for August: SP Mark Mulder (OAK)

Mulder was amazing, winning all five of his decisions, and throwing two shutouts on way to a 1.28 ERA in August.

National League Batter of the Month for August: 1B Todd Helton (COL)

You can't really blame them for this one. Helton was incredible, and much of August was taken up by his 40-game hitting streak, the longest streak I can remember since Pete Rose got up to 44. Helton hit. 495 for the month! He also hit 4 HR and drove in 28 runs.

National League Pitcher of the Month for August: SP Grant Roberts (NYM)

Who? Yeah, I don't know either. Probably another one of the Mets' seemingly endless pitching prospects. Anyway, Roberts went 4-0 in six games, and had a ridiculously good 0.89 ERA with a shutout. It would take something like that to finally strip the award from Smoltz, who won the first three this year.

Significant Events

There was really not that much to say about August outside of Helton's amazing run to a 40-game hitting streak. Okay, I take that back--there wasn't even a hitting streak! :rolleyes:

Stupid OOTP5. Yeah, Helton was fantastic in August, but I couldn't help but notice three separate dates suring the streak which had a big fat '0' beside hits for Helton in that game. Even so, the .495 average in a month is still quite worth mentioning.

In other news, the Padres' Ryan Klesko set a new single-game NL record for walks with 5 on August 21. But that's nothing. How about this game? The Yankees' Robin Ventura set an AL-single-game record for RBIs with 11 on August 22! He had a grand slam, a three-run homer, and a bases clearing triple by the fifth inning. But it was the bases loaded walk in the eighth that got him the rcord-breaking 11th ribbie. He walked two other times in the game as well, and scored five runs in a 22-5 victory over the Orioles.

Two milestones were reached this month. Chicago's Frank Thomas collected his 2000th hit on August 17, and he did it with style. He crushed a three-run homer off of Baltimore's new pitcher Ryan Dempster to do it. Near the end of August, Texas's Rafael Palmeiro finally achieved a milestone held off a bit earlier in the year by injury. He hit homerun number 500 off of Minnesota's Eric Milton on August 27. As the game suggests, it seems very likely Palmeiro will shortly be headed to Cooperstown.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

03-30-2003, 04:53 AM

Major League Transactions

With trades out of the way, I suspect this will be a significantly smaller section. That said, the computer has already shown an amazing ability to pull off incredibly stupid releases, so I wouldn't put it past them to do some more. After all, we already know about Remlinger.

Day by Day Transaction List

August 10

Releases (refusal of minor league assignment)

Cardinals: 1B Tino Martinez

Commentary: Yeah, that makes sense. You're trying to make a run to catch the Cubs and Reds, and you decide to just drop a nice solid starter like Martinez (.252, 8, 43). Okay, he isn't going to win MVP, but he's decent and even capable of much better. Why release a full time starter?

Releases

Cubs: MR Mike Remlinger
Dodgers: MR Paul Quantrill

Commentary: Next to these deals, the Martinez deal almost makes sense. Remlinger was (and still is) leading the NL in saves with 28. He also has a 2.28 ERA. So releasing him sounds like a great idea. Meanwhile, as if anticipating to make room, the Dodgers release the perfectly serviceable Quantrill (4-3, 4.38, 1 sv). Hmm...what on Earth is the AI thinking?!?

August 17

Releases (refusal of minor league assignment)

Yankees: SP Roger Clemens

Commentary: LMAO! The Rocket got 300 and now he's gone, eh? What really sucks is that he is 8-6, with a 3.30 ERA. I don't care how old you are, that's just a pitcher you don't cut loose. I sure hope Markus fixes this kinda stuff before I got too far into this career, but this sort of thing can absolutely ruin a dynasty like this.

Releases

Orioles: SP Rick Helling

Commentary: I ain't seeing this one either. Sure, Helling isn't doing that great (7-4, 5.09), but he's holding his own at least. Certainly, lowly Baltimore can't do much better at all five rotation spots, can it?

August 24

Releases (refusal of minor league assignment)

Rangers: Ed Sprague

Commentary: Sprague is another example of a release that just isn't too likely. The Rangers are in a tough division and need what help they can get. The real life counterparts wouldn;t freely sacrifice a veteran hitting .275-8-31 in part-time duty.

August 31

Signings

Dodgers sign MR Mike Remlinger to a one-year, $346K contract. Rewind laugh track (and what's funnier...that he was released, or that it took three weeks for another team to pick him up for a touch over the minimum?)

I only wish I hadn't decided to adhere to the rule that I can't go after guys in mid-season that were released against all logic by the faulty AI.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

03-30-2003, 05:07 AM

Injury News

Here were the significant injuries of the fourth month of play. The injury to Wooten is not listed here.

August 2

Devil Rays: SP Jorge Sosa ruptured an elbow ligament while pitching and will miss 5 weeks. I'm a little surprised, because that sounds like a lot more serious of an injury than to miss just over a month. Still, maybe this is all a part of Tampa Bay's curse, since Sosa is 2-10 with a 7.80 ERA--they could have used him going away for a lot longer.

Rangers: SP Kevin Appier also ruptured an elbow ligmanet while pitching, and also will miss about 5 weeks. HAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh man...that's great...(tears in my eyes)

August 4

Giants: 3B Edgardo Alfonzo pulled a tricep muscle throwing the ball, and that will shelve him for 6 weeks. Alfonzo (.267, 8, 52) is having a decent year, so you have to figure this hurts the Giants in their tough division matchup with the Dodgers.

August 26

Cardinals: SS Edgar Renteria broke his hand after getting hit by a pitch, which will put him down for around 5 weeks. Renteria (.222, 3, 33) is doing amazingly bad for a starter (Adam Kennedy anyone?), so this is probably a wash for the Cards, depending on who they have to replace him.

August 27

Red Sox: 1B Kevin Millar pulled his achilles tendon while running the bases, and will miss 3 weeks. Is this what the BoSox fans mean about a curse? Just now, when the Yankees are right on them and even passing them, they lose one of their better power hitters. Millar is putting up .243-13-63.

August 31

Cardinals: 2B Fernando Vina is diagnosed with bone chips in his shoulder, and he's out for the season! Ouch...the Red Sox ain't cursed--the Cards' middle infield is! Unlike Renteria, the loss of Vina (.285, 1, 27) will probably sting a little more.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

03-30-2003, 05:20 AM

Simming September

CR

tucker342

03-30-2003, 11:09 AM

Great dynasty!!! I love the depth that you're putting in to it! Keep it up!:)

Chief Rum

03-30-2003, 07:19 PM

Hey, thanks, tucker. I always encourage the readers to speak up and let me know how I am doing. What they like and what they don't like. I'm not above tailoring my dynasty to the readers' needs. :)

I'm glad you enjoy the depth. My purpose is to immerse the reader in the baseball and Angels' world, with the hopes you might actually begin to care about these guys. :)

Keep reading.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

03-30-2003, 08:17 PM

The Standings

Game Date: October 1, 2003 (one month left in the delayed 2003 season)

AL West


Team W L PCT GB

Oakland 80 55 .593 --
Seattle 74 62 .544 6.5
Anaheim 69 66 .511 11.0
Texas 67 67 .500 12.5


Unfortunately, the Angels did not have a great September, faltering again with their consistency. This has essentially taken them out of the AL West race, which of course also means they will be out of the playoffs altogether. Oakland actually didn't play well either, allowing the Angels to stay back about the same amount of games (10.5 to 11), but another month turns off the calendar. Seattle took advantage of Oakland's bad turn to pass up the Angels and even move within distant striking distance of the A's. Oakland still has a nice lead with just a month left, but it's a little less certain now. The best team in the division last month was Texas, of all teams. They are now just behind us, and all four teams in the division are at .500 or above. It's sad to say that not only are we virtually elminated from the playoffs, but we may end up in last place!

AL Central


Team W L PCT GB

Cleveland 71 65 .522 --
Minnesota 68 67 .504 2.5
Chicago 67 70 .489 4.5
Detroit 57 78 .422 13.5
Kansas City 43 93 .316 28.0


This remains one of the more exciting races in baseball right now. Cleveland has moved ahead a little, taking over for Minnesota again, but the Twins are right behind them. Chicago remains in third and just outside. Detroiut is keeping pace with the leaders now, but they aren't moving any closer, so they are as good as done. Kansas City was passed last month by Tampa Bay, and is now the worst team in baseball.

AL East


Team W L PCT GB

Boston 90 45 .667 --
New York 88 47 .652 2.0
Toronto 69 67 .507 21.5
Baltimore 58 77 .430 32.0
Tampa Bay 47 89 .346 43.5


The back-and-forth race between bitter rivals Boston and New York continues. Boston has retaken first and have a slight lead on the Yanks. By record, these two teams are the best in baseball. Toronto continues to stick around .500, which, of course, gets them nothing in this division. Baltimore and Tampa Bay are just playing out the string.

NL West


Team W L PCT GB

Los Angeles 75 62 .547 --
San Francisco 71 64 .526 3.0
Colorado 68 66 .507 5.5
San Diego 66 69 .489 8.0
Arizona 61 76 .445 14.0


The Dodgers have opened a slight lead, but this one is far from over. Not only is San Francisco just behind them, but what had been a two-horse race has become a little more than that, with Colorado playing well and closing in. Even San Diego made gains on the leaders and is not out of it. The only team seemingly not doing anything is mystifying Arizona, which entered the season as one of baseball's best teams.

NL Central


Team W L PCT GB

Chicago 78 57 .578 --
Cincinnati 74 60 .552 3.5
St. Louis 74 60 .552 3.5
Pittsburgh 58 77 .430 20.0
Houston 58 78 .426 20.5
Milwaukee 56 78 .418 21.5


Despite odd moves like releasing Remlinger, the Cubs are still atop the division. The difference, though, is that the Reds and Cards have now nearly halved the distance to the division-leaders, and this is one of the best races in the league now. The other half of the division is similarly pathetic. They are just trying not to end up last, I'm sure.

NL East


Team W L PCT GB

Atlanta 76 59 .563 --
New York 69 67 .507 7.5
Philadelphia 69 67 .507 7.5
Florida 66 69 .489 10.0
Montreal 62 72 .463 13.5


Last month, the Braves had opened up a little lead, but it seemed likely the pack of NL East teams might bring them back. That has not turned out to be the case, as Atlanta has even managed to extend its lead a little. While it's far from over, the Braves are sitting on the most secure lead in the National League now. New York and Philly are playing solid ball, but they just haven't bumped it up to the level needed to reach Atlanta. Florida is right behind them, but probably too far out. And, believe it or not, Montreal hasn't played bad recently, and is one of the better last place teams in baseball.

AL Wildcard


Team W L PCT GB

New York 88 47 .652 --
Seattle 74 62 .544 14.5
Anaheim 69 66 .511 19.0
Toronto 69 67 .507 19.5
Minnesota 68 67 .504 20.0
Texas 67 67 .500 20.5
Chicago 67 70 .489 22.0


Once again, I mostly put this up for posterity. This has been in the hands of the AL East and decided for a couple months now. It should be noted that Seattle's hot run has actually put a small dent in the Yankees' lead, but too little, too late. It's too bad that third place in the AL wildcard doesn't mean anything, because it would have been fun to see five teams within three games of each other competing for the right to be third.

NL Wildcard


Team W L PCT GB

Cincinnati 74 60 .552 --
St. Louis 74 60 .552 --
San Francisco 71 64 .526 3.5
Colorado 68 66 .507 6.0
New York 69 67 .507 6.0
Philadelphia 69 67 .507 6.0
Florida 66 69 .489 8.5
San Diego 66 69 .489 8.5


Now for the most exciting rave in baseball--or the race to most mediocre. Cincy and St. Louis are right there for the NL Central division title, but right nwo they are also dueling each other for the wildcard. The Giants are as close to the wildcard as they are the NL West division lead. And a group of five other teams are within 10 games of the wildcard spot. This race is going to bear a lot of watching.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

03-30-2003, 09:04 PM

Anaheim The Team

Well, this month was pretty bad for us. It wasn't really our record--we were only three games below .500, after all--but the fact that we had a chance to stay in it like the M's did, and we blew it. And now we're flirting with .500 and last place. That's just not what I envisioned for the ballclub this year.

Of course, everything is relative, considering we are still ahead of most AL teams, and we are above .500 after all. I just think we're better than that.

In the power rankings, we seemed to revolve around 12th and 18th (usually closer to 18th). We're right in the middle now, at 15th, with 92 points.

Boston is back on top of the rankings with 126 points and the rival Yanks are just behind them at 122. The Cubs are still trying to put the naysayers to bed, and having the NL's best record is helping to do that. They are third with 108 points. One of the Cubs' closest competitors in the NL Central, St. Louis, is 4th with 105 points, and faltering AL West division-leading Oakland is 5th with 103 points.

Here are where we stand in major categories, with MLB rank in parentheses:

Team AVG: .257 (18th)
Team HR: 151 (t-9th)
Team Runs 653 (18th)

The average is the same, but we bumped a spot as someone else passed us on the way down. Still, the real life Angels led the league last year in average, so this is pretty disappointing. Our power numbers faltered a little, but we're still solid there. The real problem was just in simply producing runs, where we dropped from a right-smack-in-the-middle 15th to 18th--closer to where we were when we were slumping offensively at the beginning of the season.

Team ERA: 4.18 (11th)
Team AVG Allowed: .255 (10th)
Team Runs Allowed: 607 (6th)

Overall, the pitching numbers fell a bit. We added a couple points in ERA, which is relatively small, but we also had added two points to the average allowed, which is more significant. Our runs allowed rose from 5th in MLB to 6th. So combining that with our offensive slump, you can see why we had a sub-.500 record i September.

Financials

This is where we took a hit. Before, we were skirting the edge of first and staying close enough to not see a huge drop. Well, our bad September apparently opened the eyes of our fans and we took a much more precipitous drop in fan interest, down to 83. This also drops us down to 7th in the MLB.

Our string of sold out homedates also ended. We're still drawing 40,000 plus, but not every seat is filled anymore. I suspect this will drop even further this month, even if we put in a good month. We are just too far out of first to reverse what has started.

We are still second in attendance, so don't entirely buy the woe is me bit. We have already assured ourselves of a profit this year--every cent gained the rest of the way goes into the team's coffers. And we have almost reached 3 M fans, an incredible achievement for us.

Transactions & Injuries

We went back to a quiet month in this area. Shawn Wooten returned to the lineup a couple days after the month began, and Darin Erstad remains on the DL (but will return inside of a week, God willing).

Since the game doesn't realize that I have simply added another month of play after September, they expanded to 40-man rosters. The result of this is that I don't have to send Larry Barnes down to make room for Wooten. I like that, since Wooten was the backup 1B, and I want him more rested playing catcher. Now Barnes can spell Scott Spiezio if needed.

I didn't bring anyone else up, although I thought about it. In the end, it came down to either relatively worthless minor league vets who wouldn't make an impact with us, or prospects I didn't want to waste the year on.

Chief Rum

DolphinFan1

03-30-2003, 10:07 PM

Great job, Chief. I was worried when the Yankees passed my Sox in the standing. But when I saw your last update I see my Sox back on top. Hopefully to stay. I really enjoy your depth with your Angels and the rest of the league.

Chief Rum

03-30-2003, 10:09 PM

The Major League Squad

THROUGH FIVE MONTHS OF THE 2003 SEASON

The Rotation

I knew even as I wrote about Jarrod Washburn's consistency last time that I was jinxing him. Sure enough, he had his worst month of the year, with a 4.63 ERA. Still, Washburn (13-10, 3.64) is having a fine year and remains the best pitcher on staff.

John Thomson (6-13, 5.33) still has the worst ERA of the five starters, but that just doesn't properly state how he's done. Remember, he had a 6.38 ERA when he was traded to the Angels. He has now put up a sub-4.00 ERA two months in a row.

Aaron Sele (10-11, 4.92) had his second straight solid month and has gotten his ERA below 5.00 on the season.

John Lackey (9-10, 4.82) still isn't dominating like he think he can and one day will, but he didn't hurt himself too much this month, also putting up a sub-5.00 ERA. But he didn't do it by too much.

The real disappointment is Ramon Ortiz (9-13, 5.15), who had his fourth 5.00+ ERA in five months. I am giving serious consideration to allowing Wise to take Ortiz's spots for the rest of the month.

The Bullpen

Troy Percival (4-3, 1.38, 30 sv) continues to be dominant. What was disappointing was that he only got three save opportunities in September, and he blew one of them. So it wasn't exactly a banner month for Percy or the Angels.

Francisco Rodriguez (5-3, 2.31) wasn't as untouchable as he was in July and August, but he still did pretty damn good. Brendan Donnelly (2-1, 2.36) rebounded from a bad August to be untouchable again in September.

Randy Choate (5-0, 3.18), Lou Pote (3-0, 3.78), and Ben Weber (4-1, 3.72) all struggled this month. For Weber, usually one of the more reliable relievers, this is two straight very poor months. I am guessing that the struggles of these three guys and K-Rod's slightly more touchable stats were a big part of why leads didn't survuve to reach Percival this month.

Mop up reliever Scot Shields (0-2, 5.28) did actually get in a game last month, but he didn't pitch enough to fix his ERA.

The Infield

Shawn Wooten (.303, 12, 58) returned from his minor injury to become a steady bat in the #2 spot of the lineup. He is exactly as expected--a nice hitting catcher with little to no actual catching ability, it seems. Still, he seems to be about as good as the Molina brothers behind the plate, and he's a heck of a lot better with a bat in his hand.

Scott Spiezio (.277, 16, 57) still has good looking numbers, but he had an awful September, easily his worst month of the season. He hit just .192, although he did hit 3 HR. Troy Glaus (.231, 35, 100) enjoyed a virtual carbon copy of his August, producing power aplenty and increasing his average by a few points.

David Eckstein (.26, 5, 40) is doing his damndest to get down to the level of his doubleplay partner. In Eckstein's defense, he was limited by a day-to-day injury from late August through most of September. So I hope we will see his average climb to a more appropriate level. Meanwhile, Adam Kennedy (.218, 3, 35) continues to chug along, making doing badly with consistency an utter art form.

The Outfield/DH

Garrett Anderson (.292, 25, 77) had an interesting month. He was actually red hot, hitting .348 for the month. But he displayed his worst power numbers since May, hitting just 3 HR and driving in 8 RBI. This is after three straight months in which he never hit less than 6 HR, no4 drove in less than 16 runs.

Robb Quinlan (.303, 11, 47) is really hitting his groove, now that he knows he'll be up for the rest of this year and probably next year as well. Had he been brought up earlier, he might be a candidate for ROY. Heck, whatd o I know? He might be considered anyway. In any case, he had his most HR this past month with 6.

Tim Salmon (.277, 23, 79), like several other Angels, had his worst month, although it shows what level he has been playing it when you realize he stiull hit .250. His truly bad performance was in producing power, where he and GA must have been quite a punchless pair. He had just 1 HR and 5 RBI.

Jose Molina (.226, 7, 42) may be playing his way into a backup spot on next year's team with his second straight solid month. No, he'll never fool anyone that he's Woten at the plate, but he is suppsoedly not without some talent--and I'm pretty sure I'll need to keep at least one of the Molina brothers as a backup catcher.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

03-30-2003, 10:10 PM

Thanks, DolphinFan. Yeah, it has been staying tight on top of the AL East. No matter how it ends up, though, you guys are going to the playoffs. I mean, you haven't clinched a spot yet, but you might as well have.

Keep reading.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

03-31-2003, 02:16 AM

The Minor Leagues

THROUGH FIVE MONTHS OF THE 2003 SEASON

While we struggled at the major league level, the minor leagues seem to be coming along fine. Detroit had passed us up last month in the rankings and dropped us to third, but then they dropped again and hard. Technically, the whole list seems to have taken a step backwards, but some dropped further than others. So now we have the second best farm system once again.

Like I said, there seemed to be an overall drop in the farm system points. Tampa Bay, still tops for farm systems, dropped from 118 points to 113. Despite moving up to second, we dropped from 103 points to 100. And Detroit went from second and 107 points to all the way down at 89 points. San Francisco (88) and Philadelphia (84) rounded out the top five farm systems.

We signed three new prospects that were oddly dropped by other teams. None of them are elite prospects, but they lend further depth at least. SP Matt Bruback is a 24-year-old 2.5-star talent at the Double A level. Enrique Cruz is also a 2.5-star talent, plays 2B and is at AAA. SP Dennis Ulacia is a 22-year-old, 2-star talent currently at AAA. Bruback was released by the Cubs, Cruz by the Brewers, and Ulacia by the White Sox.

We did get one bit of huge bad news, though. SP Mickey Callaway (10-2, 2.52 at AAA) tore a tricep muscle while pitching, and the devastating injury has apparently ended his career. :(

No, Callaway had an iffy future, what with being 28 and a 1-star talent, but the guy was just putting up some phenomenal pitching numbers. I really wanted to give the guy a shot at the bigs, at least maybe out of the pen, and see how he does. But now I'll never know what I lost.

Callaway is on the DL right now, but I suspect he will retire at the end of the year.

Single A CF Julio Ramirez suffered a broken league as well, putting him out for five weeks near the end of September. Since that should take him to the end of the season, and he is a free-agent-to-be (at least once I release him), he has probably batted his last with the Angels and their affiliates.

There wasn't much in the way of promotions. Elvin Nina lit it up at Rancho Cucamonga, and Stoneman suggested I bring him back up to AA. Of course, Nina, a fringe major leaguer, can perform to an extent on all three minor league levels. Anyway, I decided "why not?" and moved him back to AA. There's no room in the rotation, so I stuck him in middle relief and mop up work.

Here’s a team-by-team look at our minor leagues:

Salt Lake Stingers (80-55)

Wow, we're the Yankees of AAA! Well, it seems like it anyway.

Stoneman still has five players listed for possible promotion, although he has dropped his interest in Bart Miadich for Steve Green, another pitcher he was propping earlier in the season. I wonder on what these decisions are based? There must be some consistency to it, since the other four (Chone Figgins, Alfredo Amezaga, Michael O'Keefe, Matt Wise) are all the same as in previous months.

It's just a lot of fun to see how Figgins (.318, 3, 63) is doing. He has 162 hits, 40 doubles, 12 triples and 35 SB. He has an .846 OPS. I can't wait to give him a shot in the bigs.

I am, of course, as excited about O'Keefe (.337, 32, 113) as I am Figgins. O'Keefe is one of the most dominating hitters in minor league ball. But that's old news--I have been giving O'Keefe props all season.

Amezaga (.295, 2, 41) and Wise (13-6, 4.11) continue to position themselves for future careers with the Angels. Wise's career just might start today (I haven't decided yet).

Green (9-11, 4.28) is back on Stoneman's good side, but his stats have stayed relatively the same the entire time. To be honest, Miadich (3-4, 4.60, 12 sv) hasn't changed much either statistically.

Recent AA promotees Brian Specht (.288, 4, 16) and Jared Abruzzo (.276, 4, 27) seem to be settling in better at the AAA level. They will probably be on Stoneman's list next year.

Nathan Haynes (.281, 13, 71) is beginning to look like he's about to turn this into a productive season, but Oscar Salazar (.255, 6, 55) seems to have regressed a little. The surprise of the month, though, is Matt Whitney's return to prominence after a seeming year of malingering. He used a hot month to get to .251-18-61.

Pitching-wise, with Callaway done and Wise and Green already covered, there is little else to talk about except for recent promotees Chris Bootcheck (8-1, 3.25) and #3 prospect Joe Saunders (4-2, 5.31). Obviously, Bootcheck is handling the transition a bit better than Saunders.

Arkansas Travellers (66-69)

The Travellers seem to be walking in place, as they always seem to be just a game or two below .500.

Stoneman is still pushing Bobby Jenks and Casey Kotchman as soon-to-be AAA players, but he hasn't given the full green light yet. He is also, of course, noting that Nina can play at AAA, mimicking what he said about Nina and AA when I had him down at Rancho.

Jenks (4-6, 3.78) seems to be pitching better and better as the months go by, and I anticipate he will indeed be in Salt Lake soon. Kotchman (.263, 9, 52) is still doing poorer than I think he should, given his talent, no matter what Stoneman thinks about a potential move up to AAA. I hope he's one of those oddities that actually gets better as he moves up, because right now, I don't really have a lot of confidence in my top hitting prospect.

Dallas McPherson (.239, 7, 27) is the only other hitter really worthy of note (read: has a future), and he's still coming around since his promotion from Rancho.

We do still have some vets around, like Sal Fasano (.261, 17, 38), Wil Nieves (.246, 8, 42) and Jose Nieves (.269, 18, 64).

Pitching remains the key in Arkansas. Just about every major pitching prospect in the Angels' system has seen time at Arkansas this year. Chris Waters (9-9, 4.17) has been here all year and finally seems to be improving. No such like with Richard Fischer (4-11, 6.07), whose troubles are just mystifying.

Johan A. Santana (2-4, 5.70) and Joe Torres (2-1, 5.06) are still learning how to pitch to AA hitters, but they'll get there. Heck, they're already doing better than Fischer.

In the pen, Jeremy Tetrault (4-7, 5.56, 9 sv) is still trying to get back into form after a bad July knocked him off course. His partner Derrick Turnbow (2-2, 3.05, 4 sv), however, continues to impress. Nina, Bruback and Ulacia are also now around to help out, so Arkansas has pretty much a full staff in place.

Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (76-59)

The Quakes are doing a much more effetcive job of imitating Salt lake than Arkansas is.

Stoneman is still hinting that first round pick David Laboy is nearing readiness for AA, and to that list he has added third round pick Omar Ramirez. Both pitchers are doing extremely well in their parts of the staff.

Laboy (10-2, 2.17) has simply been dominant since joining the Quakes. The Angels #2 prospect will probably be in Salt Lake by midseason next year the way he's doing right now.

Ramirez (4-3, 2.61, 3 sv) is the leader of the pen, and looks to be a fine reliever.

Jeff Mathis (.301, 14, 69) really has turned it on and is now having a very solid season. He is the lone remaining starter on the Quakes from the beginning of the season.

Ramirez (.352, 13, 54) may be done for the year and as an Angel, but another vet minor leaguer Barry Wesson (.389, 7, 30) is just killing the ball right now, much like he was at the beginning of the season in Arkansas. Will he cool off here, too?

It's hard to say if the Mediocre Three hitters are actually getting better or if they are re-asserting their natural skills. But for what it's worth, these guys did improve a touch--not much, but a little.

Bennie Brant (.208, 2, 20), the Angels fourth round pick, is hitting for a little more power. Oscar Leon (.207, 0, 26) enjoyed a fine September, getting above the Mendoza line and more than doubling his RBI production. Jason Hartl (.236, 1, 19) was doing the best of the three, and continues to do so, inching his average up toward respectability.

With Santana, Torres and Nina all at Arkansas, Laboy has been going it with only one other legit member of the rotation: former Yankee farmhand Simeon Pedrosa (6-10, 4.97) is still trying to find his form in pro ball, but he seems to be getting better.

Fifth round pick MR Aurelio Ruiz (4-3, 4.96) is also seeing some improvement in his numbers.

The Angels' Top 10 Prospect List

1. SP John Lackey-- majors (9-10, 4.82)
2. SP David Laboy-- A (10-2, 2.17) 20th best prospect in MLB
3. SP Joe Saunders-- AAA (4-2, 5.31; 7-5, 2.66 at AA) 65th best prospect in MLB
4. 1B Casey Kotchman-- AA (.263, 9, 52) 15th best prospect in MLB
5. SP Joe Torres-- AA (2-1, 5.06; 8-10, 4.32 at A) 32nd best prospect in MLB
6. RF Michael O'Keefe-- AAA (.337, 32, 113)
7. C Jared Abruzzo-- AAA (.276, 4, 27; .258, 5, 28 at AA; .270, 6, 18 at A) 56th best prospect in MLB
8. SP Chris Waters-- AA (9-9, 4.17)
9. SP Richard Fischer-- AA (4-11, 6.07)
10. SP Bobby Jenks-- AA (4-6, 3.78)

(It should be noted that the Top 100 MLB prospects list is compiled by an average scout--Stoneman, who puts together our Top 10 list, is supposed to be better).

Other Angels prospects on MLB Top 100 list

SP Johan A. Santana-- AA (2-4, 5.70; 4-8, 3.30 at A) 67th best prospect in MLB
SP Chris Bootcheck-- AAA (8-1, 3.25; 8-1, 2.06 at AA) 86th best prospect in MLB

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

04-01-2003, 06:29 AM

Major League News

THROUGH THE FIVE MONTHS OF THE 2003 SEASON

Here we are. Five months into the season means we're coming down the homestretch, and the guys near the top are probably having the best seasons of anyone in the league.

Offensive League Leaders-- American League

Boston's amazing Manny Ramirez decided he didn't want to do the on-again, off-again thing, so he remained "on" this month. The result? A commanding lead in the AL batting race. He is on top at .354. It's actually stunning how far ahead of the rest he is. The Yankees' Bernie Williams is a very distant second at .332. A pair of Ramirez's teammates--Jeremy Giambi and Nomar Garciaparra share third at .329. A little bit behind them is Minnesota's Corie Koskie, who has flirted with the edge of the list all season.

Ramirez led all four major categories listed here, and he may be approaching the amazing feat of a Triple Crown--which hasn't been achieved since past Sox great Carl Yasztremski did it in 1967. Ramirez still leads in HRs with 39, although his lead doesn't feel as safe as AVG is. Our own Angels' Troy Glaus remains his primary contender for the power prize, with 35 HR. Texas's Alex Rodriguez is the only other player within 10 of Ramirez, at 31. Toronto's Josh Phelps sits at 27, and three players are tied at 26-- ARod's teammates Carl Everett and Juan Gonzalez, and Chicago slugger Magglio Ordonez.

Checkmate. Ramirez has 122 RBI-- and he's pulling away. The Yanks' Jason Giambi is way back at 102, and Glaus is right behind him at 100. The Tigers' Dmitri Young continues his fine year with 98, and new face Erubiel Durazo checks in with 93 for the A's.

Well, Ramirez only needs the first three to secure a Triple Crown, but what the hell! :) Ramirez is way in the lead here, too. This is amazing-- how can one player so easily dominate a league? I am reminded of Barry Bond's dominance in recent years. Nothing else really approaches it. Ramirez is at 1.146 to lead the AL in OPS. Toronto's Carlos Delgado and Jason Giambi are the only two others above 1 OPS, and that just barely (1.004 and 1.001 respectively). ARod leads those in the triple numbers, with .978.

Offensive League Leaders-- National League

Wow, could we see a Triple Crown and a .400 season in the same year? Even tainted by Coors Field, how can you ignore the significance of the Rockies' Todd Helton sitting at .379 with a month to play? He's just a fine month away from a possible .400 average. Not surprisingly, he is way, way ahead of everyone else. Houston's Lance Berkman is second down at .339, where he is tied by teammate Jeff Kent. Another Rocky, Larry Walker, sits right behind them at .338, and the Braves' Chipper Jones is fifth, down a little further at .329.

Bonds may not be heading for a Triple Crown or a .400 season, but I doubt anyone is climbing. He is far ahead in the major league lead for HRs with 49. His and McGwire's duelling buddy, the Cubs' Sammy Sosa sits at second with 41 HR. The Reds' Ken Griffey Jr. has been proving all season long that his career of dominating isn't quite over yet. He is third with 36. Philadelphia's big offseason signing Jim Thome is next with 35, and the Dodgers' Shawn Green sits at 34.

Now for a rave where the winner isn't already decided. Once again, Bonds leads the way with 117 RBI, but he has some company. Griffey Jr. has 115, the Braves' Gary Sheffield--the RBI leader after August-- has 112, and Kent is fourth with 110. You have to think that any of the four can end up on top with a good month. You'll never guess who shares fifth place with Sosa at 106. That's right, the Rockies' Charles Johnson?!?

I don't need to go into too much depth here. We all know who leads. Bonds is at 1.280, in traditional dominating fashion. The amazing Helton is second at 1.149. Another big drop brings us to Sosa (1.069) and Berkman (1.068).

Pitching League Leaders-- American League

Last month, Pedro Martinez almost seemed human, rising up to 2.62 in ERA and almost allowing himself to get caught from behind. But, hey, he wouldn't be Pedro if he wasn't a little bit of a tease, right? The Boston ace stepped it up again, and now he's back in commanding lead with a 2.32 ERA. Mark Mulder of the A's-- the other contender-- sits at 2.62, Martinez's old ERA. The Mariners' Freddy Garcia hasn't budged one bit, still sitting at third with a 2.94 ERA, and Mulder's teammate Barry Zito also hardly moved, jumping up just two points while retaining fourth with a 3.12 ERA. Far back of Zito, Chicago's Mark Buehrle is at 3.41-- and even he's ahead of the pack by a bit.

Garcia's got Pedro's number for wins, though. The Seattle ace leads the league in wins at an incredible 21-4. Mulder (19-7) and Martinez (19-6) share second. Gee, any guess who the top three pitchers in the league are? :) The Yankees' Mike Mussina, himself flirting with the leaders all year long, is a close fourth at 18-8. Behind the top guys a bit, Pedro's teammate Derek Lowe (15-6) and Moose's teammate Jeff Weaver (15-8) are tied for fifth.

Martinez could get a Triple Crown of his own if he can catch Garcia for the wins lead. He has no worries here. He's almost 100 up on the next guy with 240 K. Chicago's Bartolo Colon is that guy, with 148. Garcia and Texas's Chan Ho Park are third with 144 K. Mussina brings up the rear with 140.

The Yanks' Mariano Rivera and Oakland's Keith Foulke have been duking it out for the saves lead since July. They are still knotted up at 39. They better be careful to keep it up, though--the Mariners' Kazutoshi Sasaki is just behind them with 38, and Boston's Chad Fox is just another step back at 37. More distantly, Baltimore's surprising Buddy Groom sits at fifth with 32.

Pitching League Leaders-- National League

The Braves' John Smoltz reasserted himself after an "off month" in August, and is still putting up an amazing 1.63 ERA. Let's face it-- this might be the most dominating performance by a National league starting pitcher since Bob Gibson's incredible 1968 season (when he had a major league record 1.12 ERA from a higher mound). You have to give some credit to Odalis Perez of LA for keeping up the pressure. He's at a just as dominating 2.03 ERA. Far, far below the clouds holding Smoltz and Perez, Philly's Kevin Millwood heads the rest of the pack with a 3.01 ERA. The Cards' Matt Morris in next with a 3.07 ERA, and the Padres' stunning Brian Lawrence has a 3.09 figure.

Perez and Smoltz are also duelling for wins, but this time, Perez (18-5) has the edge over Smoltz (17-1). Four players are tied at 14, including Morris and Lawrence.

The strikeout list remains the same and in the same order--including the three DBacks' hurlers. The Big Unit, Randy Johnson is on top with 224. The Cubs' young flamethrower Mark Prior is next with 210, and Johnson's cohort in Arizona, Curt Schilling is the third NL pitcher above 200 K, with 201. That group will soon be joined the Reds' Scott Williamson, fourth with 199, and the Diamondbacks' Byung-hyun Kim wraps up the Arizona power trio with a fifth-place 179 K.

Now that former saves leader Mike Remlinger has been reduced to a middle relief role for the Dodgers, his former division rival, the Cards' Jason Isringhausen has taken the save lead with 33. Remlinger's new teammate Eric Gagne is tied with Florida's Vladimir Nunez for second with a close-behind 32. Atlanta's Ray King is tied for fourth with 30, but I'm pretty sure you won't get the other guy--Milwaukee's Jayson Durocher. Man, he must have saved ALL of their wins!

League Awards

AL Player of the Week

August 31-September 6-- LF Shannon Stewart (TOR)
September 7-13-- SS Alez Rodriguez (TEX)
September 14-20-- SP Jose Contreras (NYY)
September 21-27-- DH Josh Phelps (TOR)

NL Player of the Week

August 31-September 6-- RF Sammy Sosa (CHC)
September 7-13-- RF Larry Walker (COL)
September 14-20-- 1B Jeff Bagwell
September 21-27-- LF Moises Alou

American League Batter of the Month for September: SS Alex Rodriguez (TEX)

No offense to A-Rod, but .297-8-24 is really not that great a month. It looks like it was a poor one for the league in terms of individual dominance. Or the POW logic is screwed up (fifty-fifty shot).

American League Pitcher of the Month for September: SP Jose Contreras (NYY)

It shouldn't be a surprise that this guy would win it, after becoming the first pitcher on the year to win the POW award this past month. The Cuban "rookie" went 5-0, with a 0.91 ERA and 1 shutout.

National League Batter of the Month for September: LF Luis Gonzalez (ARI)

.407-7-19. Now that's more like it. Sure ARod's power numbers are slightly better, but hitting .400 in a month is an accomplishment (which is why Helton's year-long flirtation is so incredible).

National League Pitcher of the Month for September: SP Odalis Perez (LA)

It seems fitting that Perez should finally win this award. He was also 5-0, but with an incredible 0.62 ERA.

Significant Events

Whereas August was relatively boring, September had a lot of major events going for it.

There were two huge items of note. One was the arrival of an anticipated future star in Colorado's Jeff Francis. The powerful southpaw ace-to-be announced his arrival with, of all things, a NO HITTER in just the second start of his career! Francis no-hit the Pirates on Sept. 26, struck out 9 batters, walked just 2, and even got his first hit as a batter, in a 13-0 blowout. I suppose Colorado shouldn't have blown a cheap year by bringing him up this late in the season, but, wow, how can you pass up on this?

The second happened on Sept. 18 in Cincy-- and was considered by some to be long, long overdue. Griffey Jr., once on the fast track to catch Hank Aaron's career homerun record of 755, finally collected his 500th dinger, jolting a solo shot off of the Mets' Al Leiter.

A couple other milestones were reached this month. Walker got his 2000th hit on Sept. 7, smacking a double off of the Brewers' Dave Pember. And on Sept. 7, Arizona's Mark Grace got his 2500th hit, a single off of Houston's ace Roy Oswalt.

Try this one for incredible-- the greatest debut in baseball history? Now, not Francis. He missed it by a game. No, I'm talking about Boston's hot catching prospect Steve Lomasney. He did nothing short of hitting a cycle in his first ever game on Sept. 24, a 21-1 rout of the hapless Royals. He got 5 hits altogether, adding a second HR for emphasis. He also scored 5 times and drove in 7 runs. The funniest thing about it? Boston has yet to play him again!

Lomasney's wasn't the only cycle of the month, though. Chicago's veteran backup outfield Armando Rios was getting some more starts in September, and he made the most of it. He also hit for the cycle, this one coming on Sept. 28 against Detroit, in a 9-6 White Sox victory. He didn't have as dominating a day as Lomasney, though (4 hits, 2 runs, 2 RBI), but who in Chicago is complaining?

I have been remiss in not closely following the career leader boards. I mistakenly assumed I would get notices as the higher up guys passed up notables on the career lists.

So it was not too obvious until I just looked right now that Bonds just passed his longtime idol Willie Mays in career HR. Bonds now has 662, to Mays' 660. Sosa is up to 540 now, and his 500th of his career seems like a distant memory rather than just the first homerun of the year this year. He has passed several Hall of Famers, and now sits between Mick and Mike-- Mantle at 536, and Schmidt at 549. Griffey has padded his homerun totals a little and actually moved past Rafael Palmeiro, who hit his 500th homerun late last month. Griffey is now tied with Eddie Murray at 504, and Palmeiro has 503. Another to keep an eye on-- the Dodgers' Fred McGriff is at 490 right now, although he's going to need a very good October to make it happen this year.

Back to Bonds. Barry is still a bit behind Rickey Henderson in walks, but he did just move past Babe Ruth for second on the list. He now as 2067, eclipsing Ruth's 2062 career free passes. Henderson, who actually is still playing, is up at 2179 walks.

You will recall that Roger Clemens got his 300th win--he is now at 301 (and staying, since no one has signed him since he was released by the Yanks). The Braves' Greg Maddux, in the midst of another one of his usual fine years, has 287 wins, and will probably break 300 next year.

Strikeouts features two great chases, both of which can happen this month, although one is currently and pathetically derailed. Johnson is fast approaching 4000 K. He is at 3970 K for his career, and 30 more fans in 5 or 6 more starts should be a cinch for the powerful and gangly lefty.

The sad story is back on Clemens though. He got 300, but he hasn't gotten 4000 yet. He sits at 3982, and I am certain if someone were to sign him right now, he would get to that number this year as well. But I fear no one will do so (stupid AI), and The Rocket may indeed walk into the sunset at the end of the year just short of this great achievement that no one else but Ryan and Carlton (and soon Johnson) have achieved. I had resolved to not sign the players that were ridiculously released by their teams, for fear I was benefiting from pure AI stupidity. That said, I am now out of the race (essentially) and can only sign free agents to contracts for the length of this remaining season. So I am considering forgoing my own little rule, and signing Clemens to give him those starts he needs to accomplish this great feat. I haven't checked what he wants, nor have I really decided yet to do this-- but I am giving it serious consideration. 18 strikeouts--that's all he needs!

Chief Rum

Katon

04-01-2003, 09:29 AM

Do it. The point of the rule as I understand it is to prevent you from exploiting the AI's poor decisions for your own benefit. This would be for Clemens' benefit.

DolphinFan1

04-01-2003, 06:08 PM

I agree with Katon. You said you are already out of the playoff race so you wouldn't be taking advantage of the AI to win anything. Also I think someone else would have already signed him by now and it's clear no one will. IMO.

General Mike

04-01-2003, 06:40 PM

Go for it. If you can help Clemens add another accolade to his career, and it's not going to help you, then there's nothing wrong with signing him.

tucker342

04-01-2003, 09:39 PM

go for it. If it won't get you into the playoffs, than you might as well

Chief Rum

04-02-2003, 04:46 AM

Thanks for the support and suggestions, guys.

It wasn't going to take much to convince me, since I don't think this will get me in the playoffs. I'm not mathematically eliminated yet, but 11 GB with a month to go is pretty hard to overcome. Plus, the game description of Clemens basically says be careful about using him. Of course, he also has an 8-6 record, with a 3.30 ERA, so who know what I'll get? As long as he gets 18 K.

It also helped that Clemens would sign for the minimum, $300K (he actually asked for $300K, not a minor league contract, interestingly enough). I'm pretty sure that's graded over the whole year, too, so I am pretty much paying him one-sixth of $300K ($50K, for you math nuts out there).

Welcome to the Angels, Mr. Clemens.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

04-02-2003, 05:29 AM

League Transactions & Injury News

I decided to combine these two for this month, although I suspect even in this current form, this will be shortlived. I have given some thought to moving to a day-by-day telling of major events, which would replace the transactions, injuries, and significant events sections, as well as major happenings with the Angels as well.

I would still stop every month to give a standings report and a general progress report on the franchise, the major league squad and the minors, and then, of course, the league leaders and award winners.

So, we'll see if this may be the last of these particular types of posts. I think the other way will do a lot more for getting a sense of things moving along than the stop-and-go fashion in which I have things going right now.

DAY BY DAY TRANSACTION LIST

September 7

Releases (refusal of minor league assignment)

Mariners: DH Edgar Martinez
Giants: C Benito Santiago

Commentary: Another week, another round of solid vets hit the waiver wire. Considering the M's are making a run at the A's, you would think they would want to keep around a consummate professional hitter like Martinez (.279, 13, 61). Even at his age (38), Santiago (.262, 8, 38) is still putting up numbers that equal many other catchers in the league.

Releases

Devil Rays: SP Chuck Smith

Commentary: I guess that settles in with the LaForest deal with Milwaukee. It was about the prospect pitcher they get more than Smith. Still Smith didn't do too bad-- 5-7, 4.81, 109 K in 129.1 IP. He probably deserved better than this-- and especially from Tampa Bay of all teams.

Signings

Bluejays sign 3B Matt Williams to a one-year, $303K contract.

Commentary: Finally, a released vet gets signed. The Jays apparently needed a decent bat at third, and Williams has been stewing since his release by Arizona in early June. He hasn't really paid much immediate dividends, though (.205, 3, 17).

September 14

Releases (refusal of minor league assignment)

Orioles: SP Pat Hentgen

Commentary: Hentgen's numbers on the year-- 2-17, 7.52 ERA. What the heck took them so long?

September 28

Releases (refusal of minor league assignment)

Devil Rays: CF Tom Goodwin

Commentary: Goodwin (.247, 4, 22) probably deserved it, but I thought the AI only sent people down to make room for other players. Does Tampa Bay really have its entire expanded (40-man) major league roster filled up right now?

DAY BY DAY INJURY LIST

September 2

Mets: SP Tom Glavine got his teeth knocked out in a bar fight. The injury is only day-ti-day for two days, but come on, that's hilarious! :)

September 11

Dodgers: MR Guillermo Mota tore his tricep muscle while pitching. That's the same injury that ended Callaway's career. "Fortunately" for Mota, he's only done for the season. Too bad for the Dodgers, too, since Mota (4-1, 3.98, 1 sv) was doing pretty good.

September 12

Astros: CF Brian L. Hunter dislocated his shoulder trying to make a catch, and that will pretty much shelve him for the rest of the regular season. Well, he's listed as out 9-10 weeks, but who are we kidding? He was doing decently (.301-3-30) and getting regular starts.

September 13

Red Sox: C Jason Varitek broke his finger in a home plate collision, putting him down for 4 weeks. This was no doubt key in getting Lomasney a chance to play (one he capitalized on by having that amazing cycle and two-homer day in his debut). Varitek (.283, 7, 58) is no creampuff himself and one of the better hitting catchers, so this probably hurt the Sox a little.

September 17

Rangers: MR Tood Van Poppel suffered a fractured elbow, which will knock him out for 8 weeks (i.e. for the rest of the season). This is probably a blessing for the Rangers, since Van Poppel (4-1, 6.55, 1 sv) hasn't exactly been Mr. Put Out The Fire this year.

September 18

Marlins: SP Josh Beckett suffers from bone chips in his elbow, and this will shelve him for 5 weeks. Well, this is a big one, although Beckett (13-7, 3.10) certainly should be able to get in a start or two at the end of the year. But he won't be there to help the Marlins catch the Braves in the NL East or nab the wildcard. They were already on the outside looking on with him healthy.

September 24

Cubs: MR Rod Beck also has bone chips in his elbow, but apparently he has more in there than Beckett--he's out for 7 weeks, which should mean his 2003 is done. I suppose Beck (3-2, 5.25) could come back for the playoffs.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

04-02-2003, 05:34 AM

Some other quick notes to toss out there. It is my plan to promote Matt Wise up to the pros as well to take a rotation spot, so two current starters will be displaced (with Wise and Clemens taking a turn every fifth day).

The other note is that I will do my first day-by-day major events post next, where I will detail the month of October, which will feature the wrap up of the season and of the playoff races. It was my plan to detail how the races were going to turn out that led me to do this in the first place.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

04-02-2003, 08:46 AM

Simming October

NEWS, EVENTS & INJURIES OF THE LAST MONTH OF THE 2003 SEASON

Day By Day

October 2

How's this for big news? The Cubs' SP Kerry Wood suffered a ruptured elbow ligament against the DBacks today. Wow, this could have a huge effect on both the races and on the playoffs themselves, since Wood (12-5, 4.33) is certainly out for the regular season, and probably for the playoffs, too.

October 4

Roger Clemens gets his first start with the Angels. The good news is that he only allowed two runs in eight innings of work. The bad news is he didn't get a single flippin' strikeout! WTF!

October 5

The Devil Rays released SP Nick Bierbrodt today. He hadn't pitched in the majors, but he is a 2.5 star talent who is just 25. He's also a lefty. It seems to me they should have kept him. He was 10-7 with a 3.36 ERA at AAA.

Playoff Race Update

No division leader's magic number has fallen below 10 yet. Oakland is the closest at 16. That means, of course, that with 16 combined of either Oakland wins or Seattle losses, and the A's will have clinched the AL West title.

Oakland: 7.5 up on Seattle
Minnesota: 1 up on Cleveland, 2.5 up on Chicago
Boston: 3 up on New York

Los Angeles: 3 up on San Fran, 6 up on Colorado
Chicago: 3 up on both St. Louis and Cincy
Atlanta: 6 up on Philly, 8 up on New York

Wildcards

Disappointingly, they don't list magic numbers for the wildcards yet (if ever). New York is 13.5 games up on Seattle in the AL, which has me thinking they have already clinched a playoff spot, regardless of what happens with Boston and the AL East lead. In the NL, it's still tight. St. Louis and Cincy are tied on top, and four other teams are within 7 games of them.

October 7

After three months on the shelf for a lousy broken finger, CF Darin Erstad has finally returned to full health and the starting lineup. This will bump Quinlan to the DH spot for the remainder of the season.

Livan Hernandez of the Giants suffered a strained back while pitching, which will knock him out for 2-3 weeks. This could be critical, as Hernandez (13-7, 4.33) is one of the Giants' most dependable starters, and they are still trying to catch first in the NL West or the wildcard.

October 8

This must be the day of the cycle. Both Arizona's 2B Junior Spivey and the Mets' 1B Tony Clark hit for the cycle today. Spivey got hive hits, including an extra single, against the Marlins. He got the most difficult hit--the triple--in the ninth inning. Clark just had the four hits, in a game against the Dodgers. Both players drove in and scored three runs apiece.

October 9

Clemens racked up four K against his old teammates, the Yankees today. 14 more to go.

October 12

Playoff Race Update

Once again, no division leader's magic number has been reduced to single digits, but we're getting close. Oakland is now down to 11.

AL West: Oakland is 6 games up on Seattle.
AL Central: Minnesota is pulling away slightly--they are 3 games up on Cleveland and Chicago.
AL East: This one really will go to the last day, I think. The Yanks use a good push to get back to a tie with the Red Sox.
NL West: The Dodgers are up 2.5 on the Giants. Colorado is now at 7.5 GB and is pretty much out of it.
NL Central: The Cubs are pulling away a little. The Cards are at 4 GB, and the Reds 5.
NL East: Philly is making a late run at Atlanta--the Braves' lead is down to 3. The Mets sit at 6 GB.

AL Wildcard: I'm calling it--an AL East team (to be determined) has clinched this spot.
NL Wildcard: The Cards are on top alone right now--barely. Cinsy and San Fran are a game back, and Philly is 2.5 back. New York is 5.5 back, and Colorado 6. Wow!

Helton and Ramirez update: Todd Helton is still sitting at .379 average. He's going to really need to go on a tear to reach .400. Manny Ramirez is still handily leading average and RBI, but Troy Glaus is proving to be a bit of a gnat in Ramirez's quest for the Triple Crown. Ramirez has 42 HR, and Glaus has 40.

October 14

Clemens notches two strikeouts against Tampa Bay to get to 3988 K for his career. Man, he needs to pick up the pace. At most, he has three starts left.

October 19

Playoff Race Update

Now, we're getting somewhere. Almost all of the races have been reduced to single digits. Oakland is still the closest to clinching. They now have a magic number of just 4. But the Cubs have continued to pull away in the NL Central, and their number is at 5. The Dodgers are at 6, and Minnesota at 7. All of these teams have expanded their leads since last week. In the NL East, the Braves have managed to keep the Phillies at bay, and they are still 3 games up (magic number of 8). The Yanks are still right on the Red Sox tail, just 1 GB. The magic number is 10.

Could a wildcard race possibly get tighter? The Cards and reds are tied now for the wildcard, and Philadelphia is just 0.5 GB of the two. The Giants sit at 2 GB.

I bumped Clemens up a spot to face Texas. He struck out 3, so he has 9 K to go, with maybe two starts left on short rest.

October 22

SP Darren Driefort suffered a pulled elbow ligament while pitching, disabling him for 2-3 weeks. This could, of course, affect the Dodgers deep into the playoffs. Driefort is 7-8, with a 4.43 ERA.

The Cubs clinched the NL Central today. They did it in style, with their power pitcher Mark Prior facing off with Arizona's Randy Johnson. The Cubs lit up the Big Unit, and won 12-1 in front of the hometown fans at Wrigley. The victory was keyed by separate three-run dingers by Mark Bellhorn and Damian Miller.

This is the Cubs' first playoff visit since 1998, and first NL Central title since 1989.

Oakland clinched the AL West today, defeating the Mariners 2-0 at Safeco Field. They did it behind the amazing pitching of rookie stud/September callup Rich Harden, who did nothing less than throw a one-hitter at the M's. The lone hit was by Dan Wilson in the fifth inning.

This is Oakland's second straight AL West title, and its fourth consecutive visit to the playoffs.

October 23

Clemens again, in another shifted start. He's pretty much going the second I get him rested enough to do so. Today, he went up against Detroit and got his first win as an Angel. But he only struck out 2. :( He is still 7 K away.

October 25

The Twins backed into the AL Central title today. They lost 5-3 to Baltimore at Camden--their second loss in a row, but both Chicago and Cleveland, tied for second lost their games today, allowing the Twins to take the division. This is the Twins second straight AL Central title.

The Braves also backed into their division today, but considering they had won five straight going into today, I hardly think you can blame them. They lost 4-2 to the Giants, but their streak had put the Phillies on the brink of elimination. The Phils tried to stave it off by taking Colorado to extra innings, but the Rockies took it in 10, 4-3. The Braves celebrated on the road at Pac Bell. The Braves have not failed to win the AL East since 1991, making this their incredible 13th straight division title.

October 26

Playoff Race Update

Four division races and a wildcard spot have been decided. The only remaining races are in the AL East, which is all for pride; the NL West; and the still supertight NL Wildcard. There are just four days remaining in the season.

Boston has put on a good run and gotten up to four games up on the Yanks. They have clinched a tie at the very least, with their magic number at 1. Boston plays two at home against Seattle, and then two on the road at Oakland. The Yanks are on the road for two with the White Sox, then they come home to finish off with the Indians.

Los Angeles hasn't quite put away San Francisco as expected. They do still have a nice lead at this point, three games up. The magic number is 2. The Dodgers host the Mets for two games, and the Giants host the Braves. But if it isn't decided by then, the last two games are mano-y-mano in Pac Bell. Wouldn't that be great?

The Giants, who have won six straight, lead the wildcard right now, with a 1.5 game lead over the Phillies, and a 2 game lead on top of Cincy and the Cards. I'm not even going to try and break this one down except day-by-day.

Helton and Ramirez update: Helton hit .500 last week, and was named the POW. This has gotten his average up to .385, but it may be too late with just four games left. Ramirez is also putting his achievement at risk. Glaus has tied him with 45 HR!

The Days Events:

Clemens went on short, short rest this time--he was still fatigued from his last start. But I needed to throw him out there today to give him a shot at starting in three more days, on the last day of the season. He lasted just 4 innings against the Bluejays, and he struck out 3. He is 4 K away from 4000!

The Yankees beat the White Sox, 6-1, and the Red Sox lost to the Mariners, 12-6, so the Bronx Bombers live to fight another day. The magic number remains at 1.

The Dodgers clinched the NL West with a tense 4-3 extra-inning victory over the Mets at Chavez Ravine. Los Angeles had to face the Mets' young ace Grant Roberts, and had the upperhand 3-2 going into the ninth. But Jason Phillips crushed a solo shot out of the park with two outs to tie it up. The Dodgers won it in the bottom of the tenth in workmanlike fashion. Mike Kincade was walked by Mets' closer Armando Benitez, and replaced by pinchrunner Cesar Izturis. Izturis stole second, and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Adrian Beltre. After an intentional walk to Dodgers' slugger Shawn Green, Benitez gave up a deep fly to left by Daryle Ward. Izturis tagged up and scored the winning run without a throw.

The Dodgers went into the game knowing a win would get them the title, because the Braves thrashed the Giants 20-9 earlier in the day. It is the first playoff for the Dodgers since 1995, and first NL West title since 1988.

The Giants' loss to the Braves has tightened things up for the wildcard. Philadelphia lost to the Rockies, 13-6, and the Cards fell to the NL Central champ Cubs, 5-1, to stay 1.5 and 2 games back respectively. The Reds maintained the pressure on the Giants, though, beating Milwaukee 7-2 to move within one.

Neither Ramirez nor Glaus hit a homerun today, so they are still knotted at 45. Helton went 3-for-5, raising his average to .387.

October 27

The Yankees are amazingly resilient. The Red Sox are...umm...choking? Seattle shut out Boston 7-0, while the Yankees handed the White Sox another five-run loss, this time 7-2. The Yankees are now just 2 games back, and the magic number is still at 1 for Boston.

San Freancisco continues to give the other wildcard contenders a shot at the ring. They got squashed again by the Braves, this time 10-2. Cincy could have tied them, but fell in a tough one to Milwaukee, 1-0. They are still a game back. Philadelphia won an exciting game over Colorado in the bottom of the ninth at Veterans Stadium. The score was tied 3-3, and Dan Miceli was pitching for the Rockies. Bobby Abreu stroked a single to right-center, then amazingly stole second and third base! Pat Burrell then knocked another basehit into center, and Abreu scored to give the Phillies a backs-against-the-wall 4-3 victory to move within 0.5 games of the Giants. The Cards also staved off elimination with a tight game at Busch against the Cubbies. Notched at three at the end of the ninth, they went to extras. In the bottom of the twelfth, Edgar Renteria hit a two-out solo homerun down the leftfield line off of Kyle Farnsworth to give the Cards a season-extending 4-3 victory. They are now just 1 game back of the Giants.

The Giants play two against the Dodgers at Pac Bell. St. Louis plays two at Montreal, and Cincinnati hosts Florida for two. Philly has October 28 off (quirk of the extended schedule), but they play Milwaukee at home on the last day of the season.

Randy Johnson struck out 7 in a bid to get to 4000 himself. He fell just short, with 3997 K. Hopefully he will come back for another year.

Helton went 2-for-4, but his average remained at .387. The longshot just got longer. Like the rest of the Red Sox, Ramirez was held without a homerun today, but fortunately for him, Glaus didn't even get a hit, despite the fact his teammate slit up Toronto 12-3.

October 28

Heh...this is fun...:)

The Yankees keep their hopes to catch their hated enemy Red Sox alive by defeating the Indians at Yankee Stadium, 3-1. The Red Sox failed once again to stave off the Yanks, falling in an extra inning heartbreaker to the AL West champ A's at Network Associates Coliseum in Oakland, 1-0 in 10 innings. The Yankees are now just a game behind the Red Sox with one game to play.

The NL Wildcard is now officially nuts. The Giants finally broke their bad string of play, defeating the Dodgers 5-3. But the Cards kept right on their tail, beating Montreal on the road, 6-3. And so did the Reds, beating Florida 8-0 behind the pitching of Scott Williamson. So the Cards and Reds are still just a game back of the Giants. And the Phillies' with their off day, fell back by 0.5 games because of the Giants' victory, so basically we have a three-way tie at one game back of the Giants.

Not helping matters is that the Giants suffered a major injury to one of their relievers. MR Lance Painter was diagnosed with bone chips in his elbow, and will miss the rest of the season and the playoffs, if the Giants ever get there. Painter was 1-1, with a 5.40 ERA.

Ramirez and Glaus both went homerless today. Does it count as a Triple Crown if one of the stats ends in a tie? They are still tied for the league lead at 45 HR. Helton went 2-for-4 to move his average up to .388. While his run has been incredible, I just don't think it's possible for him to reach .400 now.

October 29

I'll go game-by-game for the important stuff.

I'll start off with the Angels. I doindeed have Clemens starting again, on short rest again. He must be incredibly tired. Nevertheless, I went under team tendencies, put Clemens individual hook to the slowest possible, put the team's hool on starting pitchers to the slowest possible, and I ordered the pitchers to not pitch around players. Will this be enough for Clemens to get the 4 K he needs? God, I hope so.

The Angels are playing the White Sox. Here we go...

Alas, it did not work. The Rocket went longer (5.1 IP), but he only struck out 1 batter. That puts him three short and tied with the Big Unit. Just watch--they'll both retire this way, at 3997 K. :rolleyes: Oh, and P.S. Glaus did not hit a homerun--history is in Ramirez's hands...

...and he fell short, also going homerless. So I guess it's up to historians as to whether his season constitutes a legitimate Triple Crown. The Red Sox continued to choke, BTW, losing 7-4 to Oakland, so the Yanks have a chance to catch them...

...and incredibly enough, they do! They beat Cleveland 5-2 to move in a tie with Boston for the AL East lead, and pull off an amazing four game comeback in four days. I doubt these guys will play a playoff, since they're both assured of being in the postseason, but it sure as heck would be fun to see them do it. Maybe OOTP will anyway.

The Colorado game was anticlimactic, because the AI chose to sit Helton down at the end of the year, maybe acknowledging that he could not reach .400 no matter how good a day he had. So Helton finishes the season with an amazing .388 average, even if it's short of that almost mythical .400 mark.

Now to that wacky wildcard in the NL. It's still in the Giants' hands. If they can beat the Dodgers today, they will win the wildcard, no matter what the Reds, Cards and Phillies do. LA's Hideo Nomo (5-15, 4.98) goes against SF's Damian Moss (8-13, 4.74)...

...and the Giants finally lock it up on the final day of the season, and in front of the hometown crowd. They defeat the Dodgers 6-4, and the rest of the games are meaningless.

One notable injury occurred, although no one but the player is going to feel its impact. Texas's SP Ismael Valdes suffered a ruptured disc in his back while pitching, and is "out for the season". Hopefully he will return as good as new next year, but, damn, that's a rough way to end the year.

October 30

You see, every now and then, OOTP actually improves upon real life. This is one such instance-- they are making those bastards in the AL East play this one!

The Yankees and Red Sox, knotted up at 102-60 and atop the AL East and the AL Wildcard, will duke it out at Yankee Stadium in a one-game playoff. Boston's Casey Fossum (14-8, 4.61) will go up against Andy Pettite (13-8, 3.94). You know what the real question is? If Ramirez hits a homerun, does it count? Hmmm...

And here's the sim...

The Yankees jump out to a 3-0 lead through three innings, scoring two runs in the second and a run in the third, all pretty much with small ball tactics. Then in the top of the fourth, the Sox exploded, scoring five runs, keyed by a two-run Doug Mirabelli homerun, a Nomar Garciaparra triple and a Lou Collier double. Manny Ramirez drew a walk and scored. 5-3 Red Sox. Rondell White would open the bottom of the fourth with a solo shot, though, to inch it closer to 5-4 after four innings.

The score remained that close until late, when the BoSox broke it open. Garciaparra got a double in the eighth, and was later driven in by a pinch hit basehit. Then in the ninth inning, Kevin Millar smashed a three-run homerun to put the Red Sox up far for good, and that's how it ended. The Red Sox win, 9-4, and take the AL East crown.

The division title is Boston's first since 1995. New York has now reached the playoffs nine years in a row, although it is their first visit as the wildcard team since 1996, the year they won their first world championship of the 90s.

And the first regular season of this dynasty is officially in the books!

Chief Rum

DolphinFan1

04-02-2003, 05:22 PM

Great job Chief. I like the detail. Go Sox!

tucker342

04-02-2003, 10:05 PM

That sucks that Clemens didn't get it:(
Oh well, great dynasty! :D

Neuqua

04-03-2003, 12:07 AM

Rum,
If I EVER need a paper to be written, I'm coming to you man. You can make 2 sentences worth of information turn into a 5 page paper.

You rock :)

Neuqua

Chief Rum

04-03-2003, 01:46 AM

DolphinFan1: Thanks. I prefer the detail, too. The Sox are going great right now, huh? So what do you think? Does it count as a Triple Crown if you share the lead in one of the categories?

tucker342: Yeah, it does suck that Clemens fell short. It will be interesting to see if he and Johnson return next season or not, but since this game doesn't consider the significance of achievements like this, I would have to think they won't. :(

Neuqua: So, what are you saying, Neuq? I am the master of the bullshit paper? :)

I hope I haven't just been giving out two lines of information here. ;)

Chief Rum

DolphinFan1

04-03-2003, 02:19 AM

Chief, I think it should still count as a triple crown even if you share in one of the catergories. He still led the majors and no one had more than him. I wonder what the game will do.

Chief Rum

04-03-2003, 02:28 AM

I figure I'll acknowledge it as such. As for the game, I'm not sure it recognizes the Triple Crown, although it would be nice if it would. I'm pretty sure Ramirez will get the MVP, of course.

Chief Rum

Katon

04-03-2003, 09:12 AM

Actually, Yaz's 1967 triple crown was also a tie. Harmon Killebrew hit just as many homers.

Chief Rum

04-03-2003, 07:43 PM

Really, Katon? Good. :)

I have never heard Yaz's '67 campaign referred to as anything else but a Triple Crown season. The legitimacy of it has never been questioned to my knowledge, although I suppose it would have been interesting to read the sports media's take on it the day after the 1967 season ended.

So, as far as I am concerned, Manny Ramirez just completed a Triple Crown season and had one of the alltime best seasons in the history of baseball.

It will be interesting if he can use that to break the great curse this year.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

04-04-2003, 02:37 AM

Final 2003 Season Standings

AL West


Team W L PCT GB

Oakland 97 65 .599 --
Seattle 90 72 .556 7.0
Texas 85 77 .525 12.0
Anaheim 80 82 .494 17.0


As you can see, the downward turn our team started to take in September did not really reverse itself for the rest of the season. Meanwhile, Texas just continued its roll and passed us and then some. So, embarrassingly enough, the world champion team I took over, I subsequently led to a last place and sub-.500 finish. :( Oakland, of course, took the division, and really finished strong. Seattle made a run, but eventually ended up closer to Texas than to Oakland. Still, you can't fault a 90-win season.

AL Central


Team W L PCT GB

Minnesota 88 74 .543 --
Chicago 80 82 .494 8.0
Cleveland 80 82 .494 8.0
Detroit 65 97 .401 23.0
Kansas City 58 104 .358 30.0


It may have made for an exciting division race, but once again the AL Central brings up the rear when it comes to all around divisional strength. Seattle and New York both would have won this division. Our own last place Angels would have been tied for tied. Minnesota once again gets the golden rod for being master of a big pile of crap. Chicago and Cleveland tie for second, but they were inconsistent all year. Detroit just went downhill after a good start. And only a really poor October by Tampa Bay saved Kansas City from the ignominy of finishing with baseball's worst record.

AL East


Team W L PCT GB

Boston 103 60 .632 --
New York 102 61 .626 1.0
Toronto 81 81 .500 21.5
Baltimore 71 91 .438 31.5
Tampa Bay 55 107 .340 47.5


I don't need to talk too much about this division, since how it ended up was well covered in the October day-by-day news events. Needless to say, Boston and New York easily finished with the best records in baseball. Toronto did well to finish at .500. Baltimore showed flashes of solid play, but were eventually undone by inconsistent play. And as mentioned, Tampa Bay managed to drop itself down to first overall draft pick status.

NL West


Team W L PCT GB

Los Angeles 90 72 .556 --
San Francisco 88 74 .543 2.0
Colorado 79 83 .488 11.0
San Diego 79 83 .488 11.0
Arizona 71 91 .438 19.0


Los Angeles and San Francisco ended up staging a two-man show for this division, but for much of the year, this was one of baseball's deepest and tightest races. Dodgers won the two-team tug-o'-war, but the Giants just managed to sneak into the playoffs via the ultracompetitive NL wildcard. Colorado and surprising San Diego finished just outside of contention. Arizona was a division contender early on, so its mystifying drop to the end of the division is going to be something I'll be interested in checking out. Like the Angels, the DBacks, just two seasons removed from a world championship, were expected to be much better.

NL Central


Team W L PCT GB

Chicago 93 69 .574 --
Cincinnati 87 75 .537 6.0
St. Louis 86 76 .531 7.0
Milwaukee 72 90 .444 21.0
Pittsburgh 72 90 .444 21.0
Houston 67 95 .414 26.0


This is just weird. I saw it developing during the season, and I thought things would even up, but they never did. This division remains a seemingly uncomfortable combination of two three-team groups, a strong one and a weak one. The strong one is highlighted by Chicago, tied with Atlanta for the NL's best record, and backed up by St. Louis and Cincy, both prime competitors for the wildcard right down to the last day. The weak one is a group of teams only saw .500 for brief moments at the beginning of the year. Milwaukee and Pittsburgh never seemed to even make a move to mediocre status, and Houston, the shocker of the year, was just horrid for most of the season. As with Arizona, the story of Houston, a supposed title contender, should be an interesting one.

NL East


Team W L PCT GB

Atlanta 93 69 .574 --
Philadelphia 87 75 .537 6.0
New York 82 80 .506 11.0
Florida 75 87 .463 18.0
Montreal 75 87 .463 18.0


I suppose it shouldn't come as a shock to see the Braves on top again, but they really weren't expected to return to this level. Credit the Braves' AI for making the key decision of returning Smoltz to the rotation. Philadelphia, for how close it came to getting into the playoffs, has to consider this season a vast disappointment. They were widely thought to be the best team in this division at season's start, but they waffled with inconsistency for much of the year. By the time they turned it on, it was too late to catch the Braves and just enough to get them maddeningly close to the wildcard. New York is the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde of baseball. On one hand, you could say the season was a success because they did better than last year's horrible season. On the other hand, they still supposedly have some of the best talent in baseball, and one of its highest payrolls--and they ended up here. For last place teams, you can't do much better than Florida and Montreal. There weren't too many easy outs here.

AL Wildcard


Team W L PCT GB

New York 102 61 .626 --
Seattle 90 72 .556 11.5
Texas 85 77 .525 16.5
Toronto 81 81 .500 20.5
Anaheim 80 82 .494 21.5
Chicago 80 82 .494 21.5
Cleveland 80 82 .494 21.5


While the result of the wildcard was never in doubt even as soon as halfway through the season, Seattle should be commended for getting as close to New York as they did. Texas's strong finish was also a big eye opener, showing how strong things are out west. The next four teams, including the Angels, are examples of just not quite getting it together to push it to the next level.

NL Wildcard


Team W L PCT GB

San Francisco 88 74 .543 --
Cincinnati 87 75 .537 1.0
Philadelphia 87 75 .537 1.0
St. Louis 86 76 .531 2.0
New York 82 80 .506 6.0
Colorado 79 83 .488 9.0
San Diego 79 83 .488 9.0


When wildcard proponents designed the system, this was the kind of year they envisioned. Will we ever again see as competitive and as challenging a wildcard playoff race as we witnessed in this league this year? San Francisco was strong all year, but they were still very lucky to get that last spot into the postseason. Cincy dogged the Cubs heels from the very beginning, and the Phillies finished very strong. The Cards, like the Phillies, are a tale of what might have been. They were something else after their horrible start. The fact that there were six teams within nine games of the Giants shows how parity thrived in the NL this year.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

04-04-2003, 03:52 AM

2003 Season Leaders

Normally, this section follows the Angels' personal team stats and story, including the minor leagues. For the end of the season, though, I decided to bump this up in the postranking a bit, and include other key stats as well. Here we go.

Offensive League Leaders-- American League

The Triple Crown quest of Boston's Manny Ramirez was indeed successful, and average was one are where he utterly dominated. He was easily the AL batting champion, finishing with a .346 average. Second went to Minnesota's Corie Koskie at .329. Koskie is an enteresting story, since he was always ont he fringes of the league leaders and never had a truly dominant batting average, but when it came down to the end, he stayed consistent while others who had been ahead of him fell behind him. To me, this is a sign of a damn good hitter. The next two are surprises, since they haven't been in the Top 5 all season long, but they are hardly unknown in these rankings usually. They are the Mariners' Ichiro Suzuki at .320 and John Olerud at .318. Ramirez's teammate, Nomar Garciaparra, was there, too, tied with Olerud for fourth.

Here are the top ten batters:


Batter AVG AB R H HR RBI

Ramirez, BOS .346 566 123 196 45 139
Koskie, MIN .329 541 115 178 15 89
Suzuki, SEA .320 604 101 193 8 76
Olerud, SEA .318 506 78 161 18 89
Garciaparra, BOS .318 616 95 196 20 109
Hudson, TOR .317 571 109 181 10 78
Giambi, BOS .314 513 90 161 18 92
Young, DET .312 584 75 182 12 108
Walker, BOS .311 457 83 142 12 72
Giambi, NYY .310 549 115 170 32 121


As noted in the events of October, Ramirez vied with the Angels' Troy Glaus for the homerun title, and it ended up in a dead heat at 45. No one else was really close. A pair of Rangers came next, with Alex Rodriguez at 37, and the surprising Carl Everett fourth with 36. Toronto's Josh Phelps, who started off the first month of the year leading this category, finished fifth with 33 dingers.

As with average, this one was really n contest for Ramirez. He finished with 139 RBI on the year. Glaus was once again on his tail, albeit distantly. The slugging third baseman finished with 121 runs driven in, tying him with New York's Jason Giambi. Phelps was fourth with 115, and Oakland's Eric Chavez rounds out the top five with 111.

Ramirez is on top of OPS as well, with an easily out on top 1.118. Jason Giambi is the only player above 1 OPS, and that's barely (1.005). Toronto's Carlos Delgado has remained solidly at third in this category for some time now. He ended up at .989. ARod was fourth with .980, and Koskie fifth at .972.

Here are some other category leaders:

Runs: 123 by Johnny Damon and Ramirez (BOS); Tejada (OAK), 116
Hits: 196 by Garciaparra and Ramirez (BOS); Suzuki (SEA), 193
Doubles: 49 by Koskie (MIN); Garciaparra (BOS) and Greg Colbrunn (DET), 48
Triples: 17 by Aaron Rowand (CHW); Christian Guzman (MIN), 15; Mike Cameron (SEA), 14
Walks: 133 by Jason Giambi (NYY); Delgado (TOR), 125; Robin Ventura (NYY), 117
Stolen Bases: 47 by Damon (BOS); Suzuki (SEA), 39; Derek Jeter (NYY), 36
Extra Base Hits: 90 by Ramirez (BOS); Glaus (ANA), 88; Alfonso Soriano (NYY), 81
Total Bases: 378 by Ramirez (BOS); Glaus (ANA), 319; Garciaparra (BOS), 318
On Base Percentage: .452 by Jason Giambi (NYY); Ramirez (BOS), .450; Koskie (MIN), .436
Slugging Percentage: .668 by Ramirez (BOS); Rodriguez (TEX), .597; Delgado (TOR), .556

Offensive League Leaders-- National League

The Rockies' Todd Helton's dominance of this category the past few months has been well-documented. He was far ahead of everyone in all of the majors with an amazing .388 average. That's incredible even for a Coors Field hitter. His teammate Larry Walker, and the first month batting leader, finished second at .337. Lance Berkman of the Astros seemed to lead the league in hitting for much of the season, bridging the gap between Walker at the beginning and Helton at the end. He ended up at .333. Cincinnati's Sean Casey was fourth with a .329 average, and he was followed by the Braves' Chipper Jones, at .326.

Here are the top ten batters:


Batter AVG AB R H HR RBI

Helton, COL .388 577 128 224 36 119
Walker, COL .337 523 132 176 23 112
Berkman, HOU .333 555 116 185 25 91
Casey, CIN .329 596 109 196 21 79
Jones, ATL .326 543 104 177 28 105
Kent, HOU .322 569 91 183 26 115
Sosa, CHC .320 550 130 176 49 122
Giles, PIT .316 535 116 169 35 119
Bonds, SF .316 513 133 162 55 126
Griffey Jr., CIN .312 558 113 174 38 129


San Francisco's brooding slugger Barry Bonds held onto this one, finishing with 55 HR. Philadelphia's Jim Thome surged forward a bit to tie Chicago's Sammy Sosa for second with 49. Cincinnati's Ken Griffey Jr. tied with Houston's Jeff Bagwell for fourth with 38 taters.

The Braves' Gary Sheffield has led the NL in runs driven in for some time, so it's no surprise that he finished on top with 137. Griffey and Bagwell also tied in RBI, but this time at second place with 129. Thome and Bonds tied for fourth with 126.

Bonds was the OPS god as usual, finishing with a league-leading 1.231 OPS. Thanks to his terrific average, though, Helton was able to provide Bonds with some semi-close company, at 1.184. Thome and Sosa tied at 1.094, and the Pirates' Brian Giles was fifth at 1.063.

Here are some other category leaders:

Runs: 133 by Bonds (SF); Walker (COL), 132; Sosa (CHC) and Cliff Floyd (NYM), 130
Hits: 224 by Helton (COL); Casey (CIN), 196; Berkman (HOU), 185
Doubles: 63 by Helton (COL); Berkman (HOU), 58; Ray Durham (SF), 50
Triples: 13 by Juan Pierre (FLA); J.D. Drew (STL) and Juan Encarnacion (FLA), 12
Walks: 168 by Bonds (SF); Thome (PHI), 149; Giles (PIT), 132
Stolen Bases: 50 by Luis Castillo (FLA); Roberto Alomar (NYM) and Rafeal Furcal (ATL), 44
Extra Base Hits: 105 by Helton (COL); Bonds (SF), 102; Berkman (HOU), 93
Total Bases: 407 by Helton (COL); Bonds (SF), 381; Sosa (CHC), 364
On Base Percentage: .488 by Bonds (SF); Helton (COL), .479; Thome (PHI), .457
Slugging Percentage: .743 by Bonds (SF); Helton (COL), .705; Sosa (CHC), .662

Pitching League Leaders-- American League

Boston's Pedro Martinez has pretty much been incontrol of this all year. And, true to form, he ended up far ahead of the pack in the AL with a 2.36 ERA. Oakland's Mark Mulder was second with a 2.76 ERA, and he was closely followed by the Mariners' Freddy Garcia at 2.81. Then there is another siazble jump before we get to the next pitcher, Mulder's teammate Barry Zito, at 3.14. The White Sox' Bartolo Colon is fifth with a 3.34 ERA.

Here are the top ten pitchers:


Pitcher ERA Rec IP H BB K

Martinez, BOS 2.36 22-7 270.2 211 55 281
Mulder, OAK 2.76 22-8 257.2 223 57 156
Garcia, SEA 2.81 25-4 269 202 90 173
Zito, OAK 3.14 17-9 241 207 90 148
Colon, CHW 3.34 16-11 245.1 219 88 187
Beurhle, CHW 3.35 13-14 257.2 231 59 118
Peavy, BAL 3.52 13-12 215 198 76 158
Santana, MIN 3.56 12-4 167 142 80 115
Rodriguez, CLE 3.69 15-12 221.2 194 90 79
Escobar, TOR 3.74 11-8 195 172 82 146


Garcia easily led the AL in wins, with a 25-34 record. Martinez and Mulder tied for second with 22 wins apiece. New York's Mike Mussina was fourth, carrying a 20-10 record. After that, there is a short fall before you reach five pitchers tied with 17 wins each.

Martinez had this one locked up early. The only question was if he would finish over a 100 K ahead of the next pitcher. He finished with 281 strikeouts. For the record, he did not beat #2 by 100. Colon came in with 187 K. Texas's Chan Ho Park was third with 174 K, where he was just ahead of Garcia with 173. Mussina was fifth with 167 total strikeouts.

For much of the last half of the year, Oakland's Keith Foulke and New York's Mariano Rivera fought for the saves title. It ended up falling to Foulke, with 44 saves. Rivera was second with a close-behind 42. Boston's Chad Fox and Seattle's Kazutoshi Sasaki finished tied for third with 41 saves. So it was close up top. The step down to fifth was more significant, with the Rangers' Ugueth Urbina checking in with 36 saves.

Here are some other category leaders:

Innings Pitched: 270.2 by Martinez (BOS); Garcia (SEA), 269; Brad Radke (MIN), 267.1
Opponents' Average: .207 by Garcia (SEA); Martinez (BOS), .211; C.C. Sabathia (CLE), .226
Complete Games: 12 by Radke (MIN) and Roy Halladay (TOR); Colon (CHW), 11
Shutouts: 4 by Colon (CHW) and Martinez (BOS); 3 pitchers with 3
Quality Starts: 29 by Martinez (BOS); Mulder (OAK), 28; Mark Beurhle (CHW), 25
Hits Per 9 IP: 6.8 by Garcia (SEA); Martinez (BOS), 7.0; Sabathia (CLE), 7.6
Walks Per 9 IP: 1.8 by Radke (MIN), Mussina (NYY), and Martinez (BOS)
K Per 9 IP: 9.3 by Martinez (BOS); Jeremy Affeldt (KC), 7.4; Sabathia (CLE), 7.0
Save Pct. (min 20 SVO): 91.9 (34 of 37) by Buddy Groom (BAL); Sasaki (SEA), 91.1 (41 of 45); Foulke (OAK), 88.0 (44 of 50)
Holds: 13 by Francisco Rodriguez (ANA); Kerry Ligtenberg (BAL), 11; Cory Bailey (KC), 10
Reliever ERA: 1.60 by Rivera (NYY); Sasaki (SEA), 1.64; Percival (ANA), 1.76

Pitching League Leaders-- National League

The Braves' John Smoltz was dominant for most of the season before he got serious competition from the Dodgers' Odalis Perez in this category. Smoltz held off Perez with a 1.94 ERA. Perez finished at 2.06. Florida's Josh Beckett, who missed the last month and change of the season, ended up third with a 2.98 ERA. The Cards' Matt Morris and Brian Lawrence of the Padres were next, with 3.08 and 3.09 figures, respectively.

Here are the top ten pitchers:


Pitcher ERA Rec IP H BB K

Smoltz, ATL 1.94 19-3 222.1 147 59 186
Perez, LA 2.06 22-7 235.2 161 47 205
Beckett, FLA 2.98 13-7 193 143 55 169
Morris, STL 3.08 17-7 233.2 202 52 158
Lawrence, SD 3.09 17-12 241.2 216 63 137
Milwood, PHI 3.10 12-8 220.2 215 64 163
Williamson, CIN 3.15 15-6 202.2 166 98 250
Padilla, PHI 3.29 13-11 241 223 78 151
Vazquez, MON 3.35 14-10 209.2 190 54 167
Maddux, ATL 3.37 15-7 205.2 196 29 121


Perez did take wins, and then some--he was the NL's only 20-game winner this year, with a 22-7 record. Smoltz, for all his incredible 19-3 record, finished one-short of 20, good for second in the league. The Giants' Jason Schmidt was third at 18-12. He was followed by Morris (17-7) and Lawrence (17-12), tied for fourth.

What do you know? The strikeout race went right down to the wire. And sure enough, Randy Johnson of Arizona ended up on top again. But just barely, he had 251 K on the year, beating out Cincinnati's Scott Williamson and the Cubs' Mark Prior by just one strikeout (they had 250K each). His teammate Curt Schilling also made a run and ended up fourth with 247. The pack was back considerably from that foursome. The best of the rest was another Diamondback, Byung-hyun Kim, at 211.

After just seeming to tag along most of the year, Florida's Vladimir Nunez pushed it into high gear and finished atop the NL save leaders with 39. He just edged out the Cards' Jason Isringhausen and LA's Eric Gagne, who each had 38 saves. Two of the next three are shockers. Milwaukee's Jayson Durocher made a splash by getting 37 saves and finishing fourth. And another surprise, the Reds' John Riedling, tied with longtime stalwart Padre closer Trevor Hoffman for 35 saves.

Here are some other category leaders:

Innings Pitched: 241.2 by Larwence (SD); Vincente Padilla (PHI), 241; Roy Oswalt (HOU), 239.2
Opponents' Average: .186 by Smoltz (ATL); Perez (LA), .191; Beckett (FLA), .205
Complete Games: 7 by Padilla (PHI); Schilling (ARI), 6; 4 pitchers with 4
Shutouts: 3 by Padilla (PHI); 5 pitchers with 2
Quality Starts: 27 by Perez (LA); Smoltz (ATL) and Prior (CHC), 25
Hits Per 9 IP: 6.0 by Smoltz (ATL); Perez (LA), 6.1; Beckett (FLA), 6.7
Walks Per 9 IP: 1.3 by Greg Maddux (ATL); Schilling (ARI), 1.4; Perez (LA) and Tomo Ohka (MON), 1.8
K Per 9 IP: 11.1 by Williamson (CIN); Johnson (ARI), 10.6; Prior (CHC), 10.2
Save Pct. (min 20 SVO): 93.3 (28 of 30) by Mike Remlinger (LA); Isringhausen (STL), 92.7 (38 of 41); Gagne (LA), 88.4 (38 of 43)
Holds: 23 by Mike Matthews (MIL); Mike Crudale (STL), 22; Feliz Rodriguez (SF), 21
Reliever ERA: 1.03 by Gagne (LA); Isringhausen (STL), 1.64; Shuey (LA), 2.22

League Awards

AL Player of the Week

September 28-October 4-- CF Aaron Rowand (CHW)
October 5-11-- CF Carl Everett (TEX)
October 12-18-- CF Carlos Beltran (KC)
October 19-25-- 2B Orlando Hudson (TOR)

NL Player of the Week

September 28-October 4-- 1B Jim Thome (PHI)
October 5-11-- 1B Jim Thome (PHI)
October 12-18-- CF Brian Giles (PIT)
October 19-25-- 1B Todd Helton (COL)

Note: There may be a P.O.W. for the final four days of the season, but I don't know this just yet, since I will have to sim the postseason to see it. And I haven't ran the postseason yet. :)

For the same reason, I am also as yet unaware of the Players of the Month (assuming any will be rewarded).

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

04-06-2003, 12:56 AM

Anaheim The Team

Last month, we were three games below .500. So we followed that up by going four games under .500 for October and pushing us below a .500 season. Not exactly the finish I was hoping for.

As one might expect from a team which finished two games below even, we were 16th in the final league power rankings. We spent most of the month hovering around the center mark.

The Yankees used that last string of victories to move up to the top power ranking spot with 115 points. Oakland and Boston were right behind them with 114. The Braves were the best of the NL squads, with 111 points and fourth in the rankings. Red hot Seattle edged out NL Wildcard winner San Francisco and former top NL team Chicago for the fifth spot, with 106 points. And they don't even get to go to the playoffs! We Angels ended up with 88 points overall.

Here is where we stand in major categories, with MLB rank in parentheses. Note that this is a longer list, given that this is the end of the regular season:

Team AVG: .257 (19th)
Team HR: 181 (11th)
Team Walks: 504 (26th)
Team SB: 131 (5th)
Team Runs: 781 (19th)

As you can see, we did a general drop in the offensive categories from last month, albeit a slight one. But given that we weren't too hot to begin with, you could definitely say this wasn't a great thing to have happen. Our average pretty much stayed right around the 33rd percentile all year, and our power numbers dropped a little after moving up the list pretty far. Obviously, on base percentage is a problem for us, what with being in the Bottom 11 in both average and walks. That more than anything has to be the problem with our 19th ranked runs scored, which also dropped again. It's nice to finish 5th in SB, but when you get right down to it, what does that mean?

Team ERA: 4.26 (12th)
Team Average Allowed: .256 (11th)
Team Homers Allowed: 172 (16th)
Team Walks Given Up: 545 (8th)
Team Runs Allowed: 745 (8th)

The numbers in pitching were also down this month, although it is clear which area is the stronger part of our team. The ERA dropped a few points and in the rankings, so that we're barely above mediocre now. The average was a solid figure, and we kept our opponents' hits down lower than our anemic offense itself was producing. Homers allowed was not a strength, but overall it didn't seem to factor into the runs allowed too much. We remain strong in walks given up and in runs allowed, although both numbers and rankings dropped a little this last month.

Financials

Well, we took another big hit in Fan Interest, ending up at 73, good for 10th in the league. While the league ranking is still respectable, considering we started off as the number one team in FI, this is rather disturbing. We dropped 18 FI points total.

Our October attendances took a sharp fall into the mid-30,000's for the most part, although we still ended up just a thousand short of an average sellout for the year.

Here are the financial numbers as of the end of the regular season. I don't expect them to change much, if at all, during the postseason:

Total Attendance: 3.569 M fans
Average Attendance: 44,066 per game (45,023 max capacity)
Attendance Revenue: $35.693 M
Average Attendance Revenue: $440K per game
Broadcasting Revenue: $23.0 M
Merchandise Revenue: $12.383 M

Total Revenue $71.077 M
Player Expenses: $60.143 M

I don't really know for sure what else will change, but I guess it's possible player expenses might still rise (not sure if they just take it out across the regular season, or also through the postseason). Nevertheless, we seem assured of clearing about $10 M or so on the season at least. Since the cash max is set at $25 M, and we already have $10 M on hand, we should be able to take it all and store it away for future use. Still, it's critical we make a climb back into contention, because we aren't going to enjoy another year like this financially without getting that Fan Interest back up again.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

04-06-2003, 01:20 AM

Cool. I'm five-star ranked now. :)

Thanks to the reader who did that. I think that's cool. :)

Keep on readin', folks!

Chief Rum

tucker342

04-06-2003, 01:30 AM

That was me:D

Keep it up!!!

Chief Rum

04-06-2003, 03:32 AM

The Major League Squad

END OF REGULAR SEASON FINAL ASSESSMENT

The actual player-by-player assessments will follow afterwards, but for now I will do the same quick run through of how the regulars ended up.

The Rotation

Jarrod Washburn (14-12, 3.94) finished the season as he had been doing all year long--solidly. I'm glad we have him.

John Lackey (12-12, 4.73) continued to pitch solidly in October after the horrible midseason stretch that got him up close to a 5 ERA in the first place.

John Thomson (7-16, 5.30) wasn't as consistent at the end as he was in August and September, but you really can't complain about a guy who used the last three months of the season to jump from a 6.38 ERA to 5.30.

Ramon Ortiz (9-13, 5.07) pitched out of the bullpen for much of October, and unfortunately, it did little to improve his performance. At least he didn't get much worse this month.

Aaron Sele (10-11, 5.32) is another pitcher who could have been expected to pitch better. He also spent October pitching out of the pen.

Despite being 41 years old and being pushed to start on short days rest three separate times, Roger Clemens (9-8, 3.25) still had the best month of any of our pitchers, going 1-2, with a 3.12 ERA. I'm supposing that says an awful lot about both Clemens and our starters.

I was very pleased with the performance of Matt Wise (2-3, 3.89), who certainly showed in his one-month tryout that he deserves a longer look.

The Bullpen

Troy Percival (4-4, 1.76, 33 sv) has had a great season from beginning to end. It's too bad the Angels' horrible stretch int he last two months netted him just five saves.

Francisco Rodriguez (5-4, 2.33) was nearly untouchable. He was Mr. Consistency for the Angels, appearing 77 games and throwing 104.1 IP.

Randy Choate (6-0, 2.89, 1 sv) turned out to be a very solid pick up from the Yankees, solidifying the Angels' relief corps from the left side. Brendan Donnelly (3-3, 2.89, 3 sv) had a strong October to get below a 3 ERA again, and finish with another dominating year.

Ben Weber (5-1, 3.99, 2 sv) and Lou Pote (3-0, 4.04) helped to flesh out one of the best pens in baseball, and the only real reason for the seeming success of the pitching staff this season. Scot Shields (0-2, 6.48) never seemed to really get it together after that horrible appearance in July.

The Infield

Shawn Wooten (.288, 14, 70) ended up putting up very solid numbers, despite the inconsistency of starting off in a platoon at DH, his being moved to catcher at midseason, and his injury problems in August. Benji Molina (.219, 1, 13) only established that he should at best be a backup, and even that as a mediocre one.

Scott Spiezio (.277, 18, 67) didn't exactly light it up at the end of the season (.238 in September & October), but overall he put up very solid numbers for him. Late season call up and career minor leaguer Larry Barnes (.255, 0, 4) didn't really play enough or do enough to know what his future in the sport will be, but at 29, his options are running out fast. Across the way, Troy Glaus (.235, 45, 121) had a banner power year, if not so hot in the average department.

David Eckstein (.257, 7, 54) never pulled out of the slump that knocked him down to the .240-.250 range of average, and his problems getting on base no doubt had a lot to do with the Angels' overall offensive consistency problems. Adam Kennedy (.225, 3, 43) was pretty much phenomenally horrible. It's not just that he did just about nothing in over 500 at bats. It's about the fact that he never hit higher than .230 after June. Benji Gil (.202, 3, 22) also did surprisingly poorly in a backup role for the middle infield spots. The middle infield was just pretty damn crappy all around.

The Outfeild/DH

For Darin Erstad (.223, 3, 28), this has to be regarded as a lost season. He most half the season to a broken finger, and the rest of it, he seemed to be struggling in much the same way as Kennedy and Eckstein.

When Erstad returned in October, Garrett Anderson (.283, 30, 94) was able to return to his more natural left field spot. Anderson was his usual dependable self, providing offensive support, even as several of his teammates suffered through injuries and horrible slumps.

In right field, the Angels' lone All Star Tim Salmon (.277, 29, 94) enjoyed a fine season in the final year of his contract with the Angels. The team has already announced its intentions to allow Salmon to test free agency in the offseason, so this was a bittersweet goodbye for the fans of the former 1993 Rookie of the Year, and 11-year vet of the Angels.

Backing up the outfield spots, Eric Owens (.255, 1, 13) proved to be an adequate backup, albeit not spectacular. Late callup Elpidio Guzman (.230, 3, 12) unfortunately never really proved he could handle the job of backup outfielder next year, although he might end up getting it by default.

Robb Quinlan (.305, 14, 58) was one of the few true bright spots of an otherwise disappointing season. He ended the season at DH, but he has good outfield skills and started in LF while Erstad was hurt. He has definitely earned himself a spot in next year's lineup, and he might even get some consideration for Rookie of the Year (although he is likely short of the at bats needed to woo the voters).

Jose Molina (.229, 7, 47) bounced around from catcher to part time DH, and at least displayed a little abit of the power that might make him attractive to bring back as the backup catcher and a decent off-the-bench bat. Still, he should be better hitting for average than he has shown so far.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

04-06-2003, 03:33 AM

Thanks, tucker! :D

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

04-06-2003, 05:19 AM

Final Team Stats, 2003

HITTING


Batter AVG AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB K SB OBP SLG OPS

Robb Quinlan .305 357 43 109 16 6 14 58 25 34 6 .351 .501 .852
Shawn Wooten .288 490 60 141 22 4 14 70 27 70 3 .334 .435 .769
Garrett Anderson.283 600 92 170 26 8 30 94 36 49 12 .321 .503 .824
Scott Spiezio .277 519 74 144 32 6 18 67 66 58 16 .358 .466 .824
Tim Salmon .277 553 96 153 26 4 29 94 81 115 10 .373 .495 .868
David Eckstein .257 584 79 150 23 8 7 54 38 45 26 .321 .360 .681
Eric Owens .255 145 23 37 5 5 1 13 9 13 9 .297 .379 .677
Larry Barnes .255 55 2 14 3 0 0 4 3 7 0 .293 .309 .602
Troy Glaus .235 578 113 136 38 5 45 121 94 120 17 .347 .552 .899
Elpidio Guzman .230 100 17 23 5 0 3 12 9 18 5 .295 .370 .665
Jose Molina .229 353 39 81 20 3 7 47 24 68 0 .277 .363 .640
Adam Kennedy .225 507 59 114 17 6 3 28 27 33 8 .273 .300 .573
Darin Erstad .223 309 38 69 13 5 3 28 27 33 16 .287 .327 .614
Ben Molina .219 146 10 32 6 1 1 13 12 11 0 .299 .295 .594
Benji Gil .202 203 21 41 6 2 3 22 17 39 1 .260 .296 .556



PITCHING


Pitcher ERA Rec SV G GS IP HA R ER BB K

Troy Percival 1.76 4-4 33 53 0 61.1 33 13 12 25 62
Francisco Rodriguez 2.33 5-4 0 77 0 104.1 65 30 27 43 96
Brendan Donnelly 2.89 3-3 3 40 0 65.1 53 23 21 22 50
Randy Choate 2.89 6-0 1 31 0 43.2 43 15 14 25 18
Roger Clemens 3.25 9-8 0 24 24 146.2 126 57 53 45 88
Matt Wise 3.89 2-3 0 5 5 34.2 28 15 15 10 29
Jarrod Washburn 3.94 14-12 0 33 33 226 207 107 99 65 99
Ben Weber 3.99 5-1 2 33 0 47.1 41 21 21 20 20
Lou Pote 4.04 3-0 0 34 0 49 49 22 22 29 32
John Lackey 4.73 12-12 0 30 30 205.1 242 118 108 55 109
Ramon Ortiz 5.07 9-13 0 29 27 181 178 110 102 83 89
John Thomson 5.30 7-16 0 34 34 217.1 243 141 128 75 112
Aaron Sele 5.32 10-11 0 30 27 184.1 233 120 109 65 100
Scot Shields 6.48 0-2 0 9 0 16.2 19 12 12 14 10



Chief Rum

Chief Rum

04-06-2003, 05:02 PM

Minor Leagues

This is probably going to be short. As it turns out, the minor leagues stuck to the old schedule and stopped playing games around October 3 or so. So there are only three sets of games that weren't counted in the last Minor League report I did, for September. That stats for all players are virtually the same as well, so I won't bother redoing them here.

There was some news in the rankings department. Can you believe that Tampa Bay is no longer first? In fact, they dropped out of the Top 5 completely. I don't have a clue why yet. They are now tied for sixth with 82 points.

As the second place team, of course, that should mean I was elevated to the top spot, right? Of course not--I even fell a spot to third with 100 points.

The new minor league system "champ" is a team that I don't recall ever being near the Top 5 before-- Philadelphia! They are barely in front with 103 points. Detroit leapfrogged me again (we have been doing it all year now, it seems) into second with 101 points. The Cubbies and Brewers are fourth and fifth with 89 and 88 points.

I did have some interesting player development news. Adam Kennedy (yes, that Kennedy) increased his abilties to hit homeruns, draw walks, and avoid strikeouts. I was concerned that this might lead to an increase in his arbitration demands, but nothing seems apparent thus far. And, no, I still haven't really made my decision on him yet.

The other real interesting development was with AAA SP Steve Green, a decent enough propsect pitcher but no standout. He increased his talent in avoiding both hits and homeruns, and the talent potnetial jump leaped him into the Top 10 Angels prospect list.

Bobby Jenks suffered a talent drop in avoiding homeruns, so I'm not too happy about that. His seeming running in palce and a few talent drops and rises has me thinking that maybe I should put him ont he block and see what takes.

Some other developments among major league baseballers. Troy Glaus's talent in hitting homeruns dropped--somehow I don't think he needs any more talent in this department anyway. Francisco Rodriguez's duration dropped from B to C, which is bad news considering how I used him this year (77 games, 104.1 IP). And Robb Quinlan increased his spped to B, making it even more likely I will try to find him a spot in the lineup and in the field.

Nothing happened in the way of promotions besides ones already mentioned (like the Matt Wise promotion), and the only injury was last month's broken leg by Julio Ramirez. He healed up in time to play golf.

Alfredo Amezaga, Chone Figgins and Michael O'Keefe all are still being greenlighted for a visit to the pros, and all will probably be there next year. To this list, Stoneman is now also pushing SP Chris Bootcheck, who has made his climb through the system at a quite rapid pace, and the recently talent-buoyed Steve Green. It seems I don't lack for SP talents.

Down at AA, Stoneman is still counseling that Jenks and 1B Casey Kotchman are almost ready to make the jump to Salt Lake, and to that list he has added SP Chris Waters. As usual, Elvin Nina, career minor leaguer, can play in AAA, Stoneman reminds me. At Rancho Cucamonga, Stoneman is still telling me David Laboy and Omar Ramirez are almost ready for Arkansas, but he hsan't given me the thumbs up yet to move them up.

In all, Salt Lake finished with a wonderful 81-57 record, Arkansas with an underachieving 67-71 record, and Rancho Cucamonga with a solid 77-61 record.

The Angels' Top 10 Prospect List

1. SP David Laboy-- A (10-2, 2.18) 19th best prospect in MLB
2. SP Joe Saunders-- AAA (4-2, 5.31; 7-5, 2.66 at AA) 63rd best prospect in MLB
3. SP John Lackey-- majors (12-12, 4.73)
4. 1B Casey Kotchman-- AA (.266, 9, 52) 14th best prospect in MLB
5. SP Joe Torres-- AA (2-1, 5.06; 8-10, 4.32 at A) 32nd best prospect in MLB
6. RF Michael O'Keefe-- AAA (.330, 32, 113)
7. C Jared Abruzzo-- AAA (.273, 4, 27; .258, 5, 28 at AA; .270, 6, 18 at A) 52nd best prospect in MLB
8. SP Steve Green-- AAA (9-12, 4.24)
9. Chris Waters-- AA (9-9, 4.13)
10. Richard Fischer-- AA (4-12, 6.21)

(It should be noted that the Top 100 MLB prospects list is compiled by an average scout--Stoneman, who puts together our Top 10 list, is supposed to be better).

Other Angels prospects on MLB Top 100 list

SP Johan A. Santana-- AA (2-4, 5.70; 4-8, 3.30 at A) 59th best prospect in MLB

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

04-06-2003, 05:11 PM

The postseason is just around the corner, but first I'm going to go through the other 29 MLB teams and give quick rundowns of their seasons.

The way I figure it, to truly immerse yourself in a league and its history, you do have to be somewhat aware of what the other teams are doing and who the individual stars are and what not.

And besides, I didn't want to have to do it after the postseason, when I would want to go over the upcoming offseason and make some key decisions for the Angels.

So the following set of posts will be these quick rundowns. Feel free to skip past them in fyou like, or even check them out to see how your favorite teams and players did.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

04-06-2003, 06:11 PM

AL West

END OF 2003 SEASON RUNDOWN

True rookies will be listed in the reports in italics.

OAKLAND A'S (97-65)

Team AVG: .275 (5th)
Team HR: 176 (15th)
Team Runs: 902 (5th)

C: Mitch Meluskey (.302, 11, 73)
1B: Scott Hatteburg (.273, 12, 52)
2B: Mark Ellis (.270, 6, 54)
3B: Eric Chavez (.282, 24, 111)
SS: Miguel Tejada (.298, 26, 108)
LF: Terrence Long (.247, 10, 58)
CF: Chris Singleton (.265, 9, 54)
RF: Jermaine Dye (.294, 18, 92)
DH: Erubiel Durazo (.265, 30, 109)

Team ERA: 4.15 (7th)
Team AVG Allowed: .249 (5th)
Team Runs Allowed: 737 (7th)

SP: Mark Mulder (22-8, 2.76)
SP: Barry Zito (17-9, 3.14)
SP: Ted Lilly (12-11, 5.37)
SP: Tim Hudson (11-7, 4.32)
SP: Aaron Harang (5-11, 7.65)

CL: Keith Foulke (6-2, 2.28, 44 sv)
MR: Jeremy Fikac (8-2, 5.02, 2 sv)
MR: Jim Mecir (3-3, 2.76, 4 sv)
MR: Chad Bradford (4-2, 4.87, 3 sv)

Commentary: It seems like the only thing the A's didn't have going for them was power, and just eyeballing their lineup, I don't think that's really all that much of a problem, with Chavez, Tejada, Dye and Durazo around. You can't say anyone on offense really had a standout year, but they are just solid all around in most places. Long needs to improve, though, and I am certain A's would like a long term solution in center instead of Singleton. As for pitching, of course, there are few better than Mulder and Zito at the top. Hudson worked his way through a decent year as well. Lilly and especially Harang had poor years, but September callup Rich Harden (4-3, 2.83) is waiting in the wings for one of those spots. Foulke was an absolute shutdown closer. While Mecir was the only bullpen guy who put up a solid ERA, the pen seems full of "get-by" types of pitchers who can do the job. The A's ended up pretty good, but I can see how their last two starters and bullpen inconsistency probably kept them from running away from us in the AL West until the very end. They didn't make any major trades, and the only significant injuries were 2-3 week types to Hatteburg and Dye.

SEATTLE MARINERS (90-72)

Team AVG: .261 (18th)
Team HR: 111 (29th)
Team Runs: 775 (20th)

C: Ben Davis (.221, 7, 43)
1B: Jon Olerud (.318, 18, 89)
2B: Bret Boone (.275, 15, 91)
3B: Jeff Cirillo (.246, 1, 69)
SS: Carlos Guillen (.216, 9, 48)
LF: Bobby Higginson (.272, 13, 68)
CF: Mike Cameron (.228, 15, 59)
RF: Ichiro Suzuki (.320, 8, 76)
DH: Edgar Martinez (.279, 13, 61)-- released 9/7/2003

Team ERA: 3.60 (1st)
Team AVG Allowed: .228 (1st)
Team Runs Allowed: 638 (1st)

SP: Freddy Garcia (25-4, 2.81)
SP: Joel Pineiro (13-10, 439)
SP: Gil Meche (7-12, 4.11)
SP: Rafael Soriano (9-12, 3.98)
SP: Ryan Anderson (9-6, 4.85)

CL: Kazutoshi Sasaki (2-3, 1.64, 41 sv)
MR: Ryan Franklin (4-2, 3.71, 3 sv)
MR: Shigetoshi Hasegawa (5-7, 3.78)
MR: Arthur Rhodes (3-1, 0.84, 6 sv)

Commentary: So, do you think it's obvious what part of the team spreads the butter for these guys? Man, talk about some dominating pitching. What's really funny is that, outside of Garcia, none of the other starters seem to be real dominators. They are just functionally sound above average players. Garcia, of course, is incredible. The M's did make one mysterious move here, cutting Jamie Moyer (4-8, 3.90) in July. Anderson handled most of the remaining starts. But the real strength of this staff was then bullpen. Wow! They have maybe the best closer in baseball, and a pen that goes at least five deep with superquality guys. Two others not mentioned above include Norm Charlton (5-2, 3.01, 2 sv) and Jeff Nelson (4-1, 3.72, 1 sv). Rhodes had a great year, obviously, but he didn't pitch enough innings (53.1) to qualify for then reliever ERA listings. Now, the hitting...ugh. This team could have gone somewhere were it not for a virtually punchless lineup. Ichiro, Olerud and maybe the released Martinez (another boneheaded move) were the only guys carrying their weight in the ways they should. Boone and early season trade acquisition Higginson hit well enough for average, but they both were way under normal expectations for power. And Davis, Guillen, Cirillo and Cameron were all way below expectations across the board. Randy Winn (.280, 2, 38) should have gotten more at bats (275). There weren't any huge injuries, and the Higginson deal in April was the only trade of significance.

TEXAS RANGERS (85-77)

Team AVG: .267 (9th)
Team HR: 213 (2nd)
Team Runs: 868 (8th)

C: Einar Diaz (.237, 3, 28)
1B: Rafael Palmerio (.290, 19, 68)
2B: Mike Young (.279, 12, 58)
3B: Hank Blalock (.281, 9, 76)
SS: Alex Rodriguez (.301, 37, 109)
LF: Kevin Mench (.238, 21, 76)
CF: Carl Everett (.250, 36, 85)
RF: Juan Gonzalez (.279, 30, 100)
DH: Ruben Sierra (.223, 10, 36)-- released 7/21/2003

Team ERA: 4.89 (23rd)
Team AVG Allowed: .281 (27th)
Team Runs Allowed: 873 (23rd)

SP: Chan Ho Park (17-16, 4.49)
SP: Ismael Valdes (13-6, 5.84)
SP: Kevin Appier (12-10, 4.53)
SP: Joaquin Benoit (5-10, 4.28)
SP: Justin Thompson (5-6, 7.01)

CL: Ugueth Urbina (3-3, 3.84, 36 sv)
MR: Jay Powell (5-7, 2.67, 2 sv)
MR: Francisco Cordero (9-1, 3.91, 1 sv)
MR: Esteban Yan (5-2, 4.91, 3 sv)

Commentary: You know, judging by the Rangers, it seems that OOTP5 has it pegged. These guys had a fine offense, with incredible power numbers, and a piss-poor pitching staff for the most part. They really had few holes in the lineup, and Blalock and Mench are probably going to get a lot better. They have Mark Texeira waiting in the wings to replace the aging Palmeiro. And Everett returned to baseball stardom with a banner season. If he keeps his mouth shut, he just might keep it up. There are a few problems. Diaz isn't reminding anyone of the departed Ivan Rodriguez. He's a pretty substandard hitter. And the DH spot was a revolving door, mostly because of injuries and the Rangers' AI doing some tinkering. The released Ruben Sierra just got the most at bats there, but trade departed Herbert Perry, speedy outfielder Doug Glanville, and Texeira, among many others, also shared the spot. They really need to nail down someone permanently for that job. Now, as for the pitching, well, it may not actually be as bad as it seems--but it's not good. Chan Ho put up about what you expect from him nowadays, although Rangers' fans want to see better. Valdes was horrible all year long. Appier did great after being acquired from the Angels, and ended up with a solid season--and the Rangers shipped out John Thomson, who had been doing horrible, to get him. Benoit didn't win many games, but he might have been the best pitcher on the staff. Thompson just needs to retire. Fortunately, with Park and Appier being solid vets, Benoit working to get into form, and veteran minor leaguer Robert Ellis (5-5, 4.10) showing he may be capable, the future may be at least a little bit brighter for the rotation. The bullpen, while not great, was surprisingly solid. Urbina is a solid closer, and he has a round of 3-4 solid relievers to back him up. The problem is that after those guys, the pen's quality drops like a rock, and nowadays you need 5-6 good guys to get it done. The Rangers got rocked by a lot of injuries this year, and players coming back probably keyed their late run. Appier missed six weeks after hurting himself just a couple days after being acquired by trade (but allowing Ellis to get some starts). Mench and Palmeiro both missed almost two months of play with early to midseason injuries. And even the durable ARod went down for a two-week stretch. The major deals mostly brought minor leaguers to Texas. They shipped out Rudy Seanez to the Cubs, in addition to the Perry deal to Tampa Bay in June and Thomson-for-Appier deal at the deadline.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

04-06-2003, 10:50 PM

AL Central

END OF 2003 SEASON RUNDOWN

True rookies will be listed in reports in italics.

MINNESOTA TWINS (88-74)

Team AVG: .279 (3rd)
Team HR: 136 (25th)
Team Runs: 838 (11th)

C: A.J. Pierzynski (.290, 4, 53)
1B: Doug Mientkiewicz (.304, 19, 88)
2B: Luis Rivas (.270, 3, 64)
3B: Corey Koskie (.329, 15, 89)
SS: Christian Guzman (.308, 10, 65)
LF: Jacque Jones (.272, 16, 72)
CF: Torii Hunter (.285, 24, 93)
RF: Bobby Kielty (.284, 14, 84)
DH: Michael Cuddyer (.246, 10, 53)

Team ERA: 4.07 (5th)
Team AVG Allowed: .255 (10th)
Team Runs Allowed: 717 (4th)

SP: Brad Radke (17-11, 3.91)
SP: Joe Mays (13-11, 4.10)
SP: Eric Milton (16-14, 4.65)
SP: Johan A. Santana (12-4, 3.56)
SP: Rick Reed (9-4, 3.46)

CL: J.C. Romero (4-6, 5.18, 14 sv)
MR: Eddie Guardado (0-4, 3.08, 18 sv)
MR: LaTroy Hawkins (5-6, 4.34)
MR: Mike Trombley (3-1, 2.84)

Commentary: At some point or another during the season, Pierzynski, Mientkiewicz, Koskie, and Kielty all appeared in the Top 5 of hitting, and that doesn't include Guzman, who hit .308, or Hunter, the Twins' best hitter. So it should come as no shock that they had one of the best hitting teams in the league. There are no easy outs in the lineup, and they have a lot of young, solid hitters that make contact. Power, on the other hand, is lacking, and the primary reason for a drop to the second third of the league in runs scored. Mientkiwicz and Koskie especially had eye-opening years, although the former missed a month of play. Kielty also missed about a month to injury near the end of the season. Jones underachieved this year, and more power in general is expected from him, Koskie, Hunter and young talent Cuddyer. There were few teams with as solid a top-to-botom rotation as the Twins. Radke and Milton were just horses. Mays put in a nother very solid season. And the only thing holding back Santana and Reed seems to be that the team's setting of going with the highest ranked and rested starter, depriving them of starts. They had the best pitch-by-pitch numbers on the staff. The bullpen was a little less steady. Guardado was the closer for most of the yera, and he did well. He got hurt, though, and missed a month, leading to Romero as the closer. Romero is not nearly as much of a lock as Guardado, but the big man is back, and the Twins still have Romero at closer. Hawkins and Trombley provide key support, but surprisingly, this bullpen doesn't seem as deep as it did last year.

CHICAGO WHITESOX (80-82)

Team AVG: .266 (10th)
Team HR: 163 (20th)
Team Runs: 799 (16th)

C: Miguel Olivo (.224, 1, 24)
1B: Paul Konerko (.223, 17, 74)
2B: Pokey Reese (.251, 3, 58)
3B: Joe Crede (.256, 13, 62)
SS: Jose Valentin (.277, 23, 77)
LF: Carlos Lee (.277, 24, 84)
CF: Aaron Rowand (.292, 11, 71)
RF: Magglio Ordonez (.289, 32, 96)
DH: Frank Thomas (.274, 25, 102)

Team ERA: 4.55 (17th)
Team AVG Allowed: .257 (13th)
Team Runs Allowed: 786 (14th)

SP: Mark Buehrle (13-14, 3.35)
SP: Bartolo Colon (16-11, 3.34)
SP: Jon Garland (9-8, 5.30)
SP: Gil Heredia (10-7, 4.61)
SP: Gary Glover (5-7, 4.71)

CL: Tom Gordon (2-7, 3.66, 35 sv)
MR: Billy Koch (12-7, 3.93, 2 sv)
MR: Kelly Wunsch (2-2, 6.94)
MR: Damaso Marte (1-2, 5.30)

Commentary: Judging by the rankings and their final record, the White Sox were overall one of the most average teams ever. They had a solid hitting squad, and they didn't have a lot of power, but they weren't terribly close to the extreme in either case. The result was a runs scored total that finished almost right smack in the middle of the league. The story of the lineup seems to be overachieving and underachieving. Ordonez had another fine year, although it could be argued that he's capable of better. Thomas continues to show that he is back from the malaise he settled into in the late 90s. Lee and Valentin provided expected power. But Konerko, the other hitting star on this team, had a miserable year. And young star talent Crede struggled with injuries and youth. Reese did well enouygh to get an extension, but he's no savior at second. And Olivo did pretty poorly in place of the released Sandy Alomar Jr. (.279, 1, 27). One nice surprise was Rowand, who provided speed and excitement atop the White Sox order. Buerhle and Colon are nearly as good a twosome as Mulder and Zito, but the quality falls off sharply from there. Garland seems at best to be mediocre stopgap, and Heredia is just serviceable. Glover can still develop further, but he suffered from the usual problems of youth. In the pen, Gordon was fine at closer, and another closer, Koch, filled in the key relief spot quite well, pitching an amazing 121 relief innings. But after that, the pen was pretty darn miserable. What's really interesting is that Chicago dealt a key reliever, Lorenzo Barcelo, to Pittsburgh for Reese, just before the season began, and Barcelo had a solid year for the Pirates.

CLEVELAND INDIANS (80-82)

Team AVG: .264 (12th)
Team HR: 132 (27th)
Team Runs: 783 (18th)

C: Victor Martinez (.255, 9, 63)
1B: Karim Garcia (.285, 12, 82)
2B: Ricky Gutierrez (.292, 6, 55)
3B: Travis Fryman (.274, 16, 84)
SS: Omar Vizquel (.321, 7, 57)
LF: Henri Stanley (.253, 15, 62)
CF: Alex Escobar (.244, 14, 50)
RF: Matt Lawton (.246, 12, 58)
DH: Ellis Burks (.253, 23, 83)

Team ERA: 4.45 (16th)
Team AVG Allowed: .256 (12th)
Team Runs Allowed: 826 (20th)

SP: Ricardo Rodriguez (15-12, 3.69)
SP: C.C. Sabathia (15-14, 3.88)
SP: Danys Baez (11-16, 4.16)
SP: Brian Anderson (6-14, 6.43)
SP: Cliff Lee (4-8, 4.86)

CL: Bob Wickman (4-3, 4.08, 14 sv)
MR: Jeff Shaw (2-2, 2.19, 19 sv)
MR: Mark Wohlers (6-7, 6.02, 1 sv)
MR: Dave Elder (6-1, 5.93)

Commentary: Cleveland's surprising year may actually be exactly what they didn't need. No one wants to lose, but approaching .500 only teases the fans, making it seem like the Indians will have a fairly quick rebuild before returning to the top of the AL Central. The reality is that most of their talented kids played like, well, kids, and the handful of vets they still have did a lot of the leg work for getting this team where it is this year--and they aren't going to be around for long. For instance, top two power sources, Burks and Fryman, are 39 and 34 respectively. Vizquel, 36, turned in the highest team average (and was just 50 plate appearances or so short of being third in the AL in hitting). One good thing is that young future stars like Stanley, Escobar, and Martinez broke ground on their careers and started to gain experience. The right side of the infield was surprisingly solid, manned by up until now mediocre players like Garcia and Gutierrez. Lawton was a big disappointment in right and Escobar missed two months early in the season. This is going to take time. Pitching was surprisingly solid at the front of the rotation. Rodriguez has established himself as an up-and-coming star, and Sabathia remains both young and tested. Baez didn't catch any breaks with the wins and losses, but he, too was solid. Lee still has some developing to do, and Anderson just flat out needs to be replaced. The pen was also solid. The surprise return of Shaw to baseball was only confounded by his removal from the closer spot halfway through the season. At the time of his removal in favor of Wickman, he was one of baseball's best this year. Don't be fooled by Wohlers and Elder. They got a lot of work this year, which is why they are featured, but the Indians had 4-5 other pitchers with under a 5 ERA and 30+ IP. This is an unusually deep bullpen. The only significant trade was moving Brian Tallet to the Astros for Stanley. While Tallet was replaced by the horrible Anderson, this is a temporary solution, and Stanley could be a future star.

DETROIT TIGERS (65-97)

Team AVG: .255 (21st)
Team HR: 134 (26th)
Team Runs: 754 (22nd)

C: Tony Eusebio (.255, 4, 38)
1B: Greg Colbrunn (.281, 11, 80)
2B: Damion Easley (.249, 13, 52)
3B: Dean Palmer (.216, 19, 74)
SS: Omar Infante (.199, 7, 40)
LF: Ray Lankford (.264, 19, 80)
CF: Roosevelt Brown (.260, 11, 37)
RF: Dmitri Young (.312, 12, 108)
DH: Dave Justice (.287, 22, 70)

Team ERA: 5.83 (30th)
Team AVG Allowed: .302 (30th)
Team Runs Allowed: 1023 (30th)

SP: Mike Maroth (13-13, 4.90)
SP: Andy Van Hekken (9-17, 6.07)
SP: Adam Bernero (6-14, 7.13)
SP: Steve Sparks (7-7, 5.13)
SP: Lance Davis (5-14, 6.39)

CL: Jose Paniagua (4-5, 5.45, 22 sv)
MR: Gary Knotts (3-2, 4.61, 1 sv)
MR: Franklyn German (0-5, 3.84, 2 sv)
MR: Matt Anderson (4-4, 5.40, 4 sv)

Commentary: No, the hitting wasn't great, but the pitching was so phenomenally bad, the hitting never hd a chance. Maroth fell back to Earth after a strong start, but at least he was solid. Coming out of this season with a .500 record from this team is an accomplishment. Sparks gets it done, albeit not well. And Van Hekken, for all that high ERA, is a well-regarded and talented young pitcher. But Bernero and Davis are career minor leaguer types with little future. The Tigers had to have been able to get someone else to fill one of those spots. In the pen, Paniagua is still considered to be a solid pitcher, but he had a bad year. The former closer, Anderson, still seems to be struggling to find his command. And the possible closer of the future German was probably the best pitcher on staff. The pitching was horrible, but the Tigers didn't help themselves either by making some strange decisions, like sitting young power slugger Carlos Pena in favor of Greg Colbrunn--whom they traded decent power hitter Bobby Higginson to get. Colbrunn did end up having a fine season, but there is little reason to not have Pena in the lineup. The most disappointing thing is that, despite where they finished, the Tigers have a mostly veteran-laden team that isn't going to be around long. Justice has already been released after a fine comeback season. Palmer seems to be getting worse every year. And Lankford and Easley's days are numbered. The one kid they did get in the lineup--Infante--had a horrible year (hitting .199 in 553 at bats, ouch). At least they have Young, who was impressive driving in runs for this lineup.

KANSAS CITY ROYALS (58-104)

Team AVG: .254 (24th)
Team HR: 139 (23rd)
Team Runs: 671 (29th)

C: Brent Mayne (.285, 6, 51)
1B: Mike Sweeney (.255, 27, 86)
2B: Ramon E. Martinez (.232, 5, 30)
3B: Joe Randa (.230, 7, 64)
SS: Desi Relaford (.261, 6, 30)
LF: Gabe Kapler (.269, 9, 62)
CF: Carlos Beltran (.277, 27, 74)
RF: Mark Quinn (.240, 13, 64)
DH: Raul Ibanez (.260, 17, 66)

Team ERA: 5.21 (28th)
Team AVG Allowed: .286 (29th)
Team Runs Allowed: 913 (27th)

SP: Mike Macdougal (11-16, 4.05)
SP: Brian Tallet (8-21, 6.13)
SP: Runelvys Hernandez (10-9, 4.07)
SP: Mike Hampton (8-15, 5.16)
SP: Jeremy Affeldt (8-21, 6.05)

CL: Jason Grimsley (4-7, 5.51, 32 sv)
MR: Corey Bailey (0-0, 5.54)
MR: Jeremy Hill (3-3, 4.50)
MR: Scott Mullen (0-2, 4.58, 1 sv)

Commentary: The hitting was probably the better part of a bad team, but it far worse than it could have been. It looks like the enitre roster had a bad, underachieving year. The Royals compounded problems by trading for Kapler when they already had a solidly performing Michael Tucker (.260, 20, 53). And by allowing subpar veterans like Mayne and Relaford to play a lot, they deprive young players like Juan Brito and Angel Berroa of needed experience. With pitching, the Royals seemed much more committed to the kids, although maybe that's because they had few options. Yes, the pitching was horrible this year. But [i]Macdougal and Hernandez have established themselves as solid, up-and-coming starters. And Affeldt and Tallet also have talent that can develop. No one is going to give Hampton a medal for his performance, but considering how he was doing in Colorado, this is a big step up. The bullpen needs work, as you might expect from a low-end team like the Royals. Grimsley is definitely not a longterm solution at closer.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

04-07-2003, 12:30 AM

AL East

END OF 2003 SEASON BREAKDOWN

True rookies will be listed in reports in italics.

BOSTON RED SOX (103-60)

Team AVG: .292 (1st)
Team HR: 182 (10th)
Team Runs: 999 (1st)

C: Doug Mirabelli (.287, 14, 61)
1B: Kevin Millar (.237, 21, 85)
2B: Todd Walker (.311, 12, 72)
3B: Shea Hillenbrand (.278, 4, 57)
SS: Nomar Garciaparra (.328, 20, 109)
LF: Manny Ramirez (.346, 45, 139)
CF: Johnny Damon (.298, 8, 70)
RF: Trot Nixon (.272, 10, 54)
DH: Jeremy Giambi (.314, 18, 92)

Team ERA: 4.17 (8th)
Team AVG Allowed: .260 (16th)
Team Runs Allowed: 748 (9th)

SP: Pedro Martinez (22-7, 2.36)
SP: Derek Lowe (17-9, 3.91)
SP: Tim Wakefield (14-8, 4.81)
SP: Casey Fossum (14-8, 4.61)
SP: Robert Person (4-2, 4.09)

CL: Chad Fox (4-5, 3.13, 41 sv)
MR: Paxton Crawford (9-2, 3.63, 3 sv)
MR: Ramiro Mendoza (5-5, 4.08, 2 sv)
MR: Frank Castillo (1-3, 5.46, 1 sv)

Commentary: The Red Sox had one of those great offensive years teams just dream about. The lineup is built around Triple Crown winner Ramirez and star shortstop Gariaparra. But it was the performance of the rest of the lineup that really elevated the offense this year. Damon didn't hit .300, but he scored 123 runs and stole 47 bases. Giambi had a surprisingly solid season, and was in the top five of hitting almost all year. Millar didn't hit for a good average, but he adds nice power to the middle of the order. Mirabelli and Walker were also key. The only real disappointments were in Hillebrand's less than inspriing power numbers, and Trot Nixon--and even he didn't do all that bad. Pitching, which has always been a strength and feautres dominant pitcher Martinez, was actually the relative sore spot for this squad this year. Martinez was great, and Lowe made for a fine #2, but Wakefield and Fossum were a little bit too hit and miss. Things weren't helped either when Person went down with a season-ending injury in June, leading to a hole-filling experiment involving two youngsters, Brad Lyon (2-4, 5.35) and Chris Elmore (3-3, 5.55). The team has limited the problems by going to a highest-ranked and rested starter setting. On offense, Millar also missed about a month.

NEW YORK YANKEES (102-61)

Team AVG: .278 (4th)
Team HR: 203 (4th)
Team Runs: 978 (2nd)

C: Jorge Posada (.281, 19, 84)
1B: Jason Giambi (.310, 32, 121)
2B: Alfonso Soriano (.287, 27, 100)
3B: Robin Ventura (.268, 23, 103)
SS: Derek Jeter (.275, 11, 63)
LF: Hideki Matsui (.298, 14, 77)
CF: Bernie Williams (.307, 20, 81)
RF: Raul Mondesi (.237, 26, 107)
DH: Mike Frank (.262, 4, 44)

Team ERA: 4.26 (13th)
Team AVG Allowed: .267 (20th)
Team Runs Allowed: 780 (13th)

SP: Jeff Weaver (17-11, 4.84)
SP: Mike Mussina (20-10, 3.86)
SP: Chris Hammond (15-11, 4.65)
SP: Andy Pettite (13-8, 3.94)
SP: Jose Contreras (10-4, 3.08)

CL: Mariano Rivera (5-3, 1.60, 42 sv)
MR: Antonio Osuna (2-1, 5.97, 1 sv)
MR: Steve Karsay (3-2, 3.44, 4 sv)
MR: Juan Acevedo (2-3, 5.81)

Commentary: The Yankees combined average and power like few other teams, so it's almost a mini-upset that they finished second in run production rather than on top. It probably wasn't helped that Williams, Matsui and Soriano each missed about a month to injuries. Their numbers don't seem to have suffered much from it, though. This lineup truly is incredible. There are few, if any, easy outs in the whole thing. And they didn't even use Nick Johnson or Juan Rivera. They traded away Todd Zeile, who became a regular for the Orioles. And Rondell White was reduced to platoon DH status. Scary stuff. Jeter had a disappointing offensive season, all told, but this was made up for by Ventura's great season. Frank was the one that forced White into split time duty, but if you ask me, White should have been getting all of the at bats. Matsui did well, outside of his injury, in adjusting to American ball. For a team as strong as the Yankees, the pitching seems to be relatively suspect. Weaver won as much because of the offense as his own own skills. And it can't be good when you have to press the journeyman Hammond into regular service, although he acquitted himself well. Mussina and Pettite didn't finish the year off very strongly, but they were among the pitching leaders for most of the season. Contreras maybe should have been allowed to pitch more, and Roger Clemens, of course, should never have been released. In the pen, Rivera is still one of the top closers in the league, and he had a great year. Karsay also did well in support, and as a replacement closer for Rivera, hurt near the end of the season. The problem is in depth after that. Many of the key relievers in the Yanks' pen had atrocious years, and releasing Clemens (thus forcing Contreras to move to the rotation) only further weakened the relief corps.

TORONTO BLUEJAYS (81-81)

Team AVG: .272 (6th)
Team HR: 161 (21st)
Team Runs: 915 (4th)

C: Kevin Cash (.222, 5, 38)
1B: Carlos Delgado (.275, 31, 99)
2B: Orlando Hudson (.317, 10, 78)
3B: Eric Hinske (.277, 15, 88)
SS: Craig Wilson (.269, 7, 42)
LF: Shannon Stewart (.280, 11, 71)
CF: Vernon Wells (.266, 15, 79)
RF: Frank Catalanotto (.295, 5, 76)
DH: Josh Phelps (.269, 33, 115)

Team ERA: 5.10 (26th)
Team AVG Allowed: .272 (22nd)
Team Runs Allowed: 907 (26th)

SP: Roy Halladay (16-15, 4.56)
SP: Kelvim Escobar (11-8, 3.74)
SP: Cory Lidle (9-16, 5.66)
SP: Mark Hendrickson (8-15, 6.67)
SP: Tanyon Sturtze (7-4, 4.14)

CL: Cliff Politte (6-5, 4.48, 32 sv)
MR: Scott Cassidy (2-4, 7.07)
MR: Bob File (4-3, 4.70, 5 sv)
MR: Brian Bowles (2-2, 5.68)

Commentary: It didn't seem so obvious to me how the Jays were scoring all there runs, but when it came right down to it, I realized they were just damn good at making contact and getting on base. Add a couple big boppers like Delgado and Phelps, and mix: a winning combo. Toronto probably can't take too much from being in an ultra tough division like this, but they can at least be happy to know that young stars int he making like Phelps, Hudson and Hinske seem to be developing well, and Cash is at least getting time (if not playing well). Even their "vets", like Delgado, Wells and Stewart, are still relatively young. This lineup, short of a new SS, could be together for awhile if Toronto plays it right. But the problems aren't in hitting, but in pitching. Halladay didn't pitch as good as he's capable of, but he's solid. Escobar is coming off of a very strong season. Between those two, the Jays have a top twosome to compare with all but the best tops of rotations in the league. After that, it gets a little murky. Rookie Hendrickson isn't particularly well-regarded and he pitched like it. Lidle was an even bigger disappointment. Sturtze has the least talent of the five, but at least he was pitching well. The Jays would have done better to have brought up former Orioles starter Josh Towers (5-2, 3.71) sooner. He's solid and young, and was kept in AAA for almost four months before he was brought up. The pen was terrible. Politte is serviceable as a closer, and File can put up some decent outings, but beyond them, just about every option had a poor to very poor year. The rotation wasn't always sharp, but they showed up more often than these guys.

BALTIMORE ORIOLES (71-91)

Team AVG: .256 (20th)
Team HR: 169 (18th)
Team Runs: 709 (25th)

C: Brook Fordyce (.255, 15, 50)
1B: David Segui (.286, 17, 72)
2B: Melvin Mora (.223, 14, 62)
3B: Todd Zeile (.272, 9, 46)
SS: Brian Roberts (.248, 4, 30)
LF: Marty Cordova (.245, 18, 76)
CF: Darnell McDonald (.285, 8, 48)
RF: Luis Matos (.218, 8, 28)
DH: Jay Gibbons (.248, 28, 83)

Team ERA: 4.69 (22nd)
Team AVG Allowed: .268 (21st)
Team Runs Allowed: 838 (22nd)

SP: Jake Peavy (13-12, 3.52)
SP: Sidney Ponson (10-18, 4.90)
SP: Ryan Dempster (7-16, 5.66)
SP: Pat Hentgen (2-17, 7.52) released 9/14/2003
SP: Rick Helling (7-4, 5.09) released 8/17/2003

CL: Buddy Groom (5-4, 2.07, 32 sv)
MR: Kerry Ligtenberg (4-5, 3.82, 4 sv)
MR: Rick Bauer (2-1, 5.53)
MR: Jorge Julio (4-2, 4.30)

Commentary: This team seems to be a hodgepodge of kids going through growing pains and veterans trying desperately to hold on to a regular job. You see this theme replayed in every aspect of the team, and the inconsistencies that have resulted are the primary reason the O's are where they currently are. Playing time is being given to key youngsters like Matos and McDonald and Roberts and not taken away from already established young players like Gibbons. They even kept Chris Richard (.256, 20, 44) in a part time role, just to keep the highly-regarded Matos getting regular swings. But the fact remains that the team is still being carried by guys like Segui, Fordyce, Zeile and Cordova. These kids need to develop faster, and new ones need to replace the older players, or this rebuild will never end. An interesting move in all this was the decision early in the year to trade away slugger Tony Batiste to the Padres. While they certainly got their money's worth (Peavy was the main return), Batiste is still just 29 years old, and the Orioles didn't have a youthful replacement for him. Instead, they started Jeff Conine (.277, 10, 35) before acquiring Zeile from the Yanks at the deadline. And, then, of course, they just up and released Conine, another useful vet. Pitching is a mixed bag as well. Peavy was a wonderful get, and if this year is anyindication, he may be on his way to becoming one of the hot new hurlers in the league. But answers come far and few between after him. Ponson is steady, but hasn't shown he is a longterm answer, despite his relative youth. Dempster is another former highly-regarded pitcher who hasn't really shown he deserved the accolades--and he was acquired for another pitcher just like him in Rodrigo Lopez. Helling and Hentgen are just vets trying to hold on, and were rightfully released. The pen is complete confusion. Okay, Groom has been incredible, I'll give that. But why give him the closer's role, when he might be more valuable as a reliever getting more innings? And Ligtenberg is listed as an actual closer, but he has also done best as a middle reliever as well. That brings us to Julio, who was supposed to be one of the new great closers of the league. Why was he reduced to a simple relief role? It seems to me that a little organization might have served the O's for a lot longer.

TAMPA BAY DEVIL RAYS (55-107)

Team AVG: .237 (30th)
Team HR: 138 (24th)
Team Runs: 673 (28th)

C: Toby Hall (.241, 6, 27)
1B: Lee Stevens (.251, 12, 48)
2B: Marlon Anderson (.243, 10, 58)
3B: Herbert Perry (.219, 10, 51)
SS: Felix Escalona (.282, 3, 29)
LF: Ben Grieve (.259, 16, 58)
CF: Ryan Thompson (.221, 18, 55)
RF: James Mouton (.199, 7, 38)
DH: Aubrey Huff (.298, 9, 48)

Team ERA: 5.19 (27th)
Team AVG Allowed: .273 (23rd)
Team Runs Allowed: 914 (28th)

SP: Joe Kennedy (8-17, 4.42)
SP: Victor Zambrano (9-12, 5.75)
SP: Bobby Seay (7-14, 4.13)
SP: Chuck Finley (4-16, 6.08)
SP: Juan Sosa (2-11, 7.19)

CL: Travis Phelps (3-11, 5.30, 20 sv)
MR: Mike James (1-5, 4.83, 2 sv)
MR: Lance Carter (1-6, 4.36, 4 sv)
MR: Lee Gardner (4-4, 4.79, 4 sv)

Commentary: Talk about realism! The in-game management of Tampa Bay seems to be about as poor as its real life counterparts. Only one player in the end-of-the-year lineup can be considered to be a young up-and-coming player and that is rookie Escalona. Everyone else was a veteran--and usually a poor excuse for one at that. Carl Crawford is a solid youngster, but he had a season-ending injury in June. Solid young catcher Pete LaForest was dealt away for a veteran pitcher who was released a month later. Rocco Baldelli and Jared Sandberg, two other nice talents, only got September callups. One of the better prospects in a deep system, Josh Hamilton, never got a call at all. So they really screwed the pooch here. They did quite a bit better with pitching youth, though (strangely like KC, who also did young pitching but went with more vet hitters for the most part). Kennedy remains a young and up-and-coming ace pitcher, and Seay has also shown he has what it takes. Sosa and Zambrano are both young, although they clearly need to pitch a bit better. The bullpen is full of solid young pitchers, outside of James. Phelps has good talent, and Carter and the unseen Jesus Colome are both good quality young relievers on the way.

Chief Rum

klayman

04-07-2003, 11:23 PM

I sure hope CM4 isn't going to kill this dynasty. I just know it's the Cub's year! :)

SunDancer

04-08-2003, 08:14 PM

Yeah, looking foward to the dynasty future.

Chief Rum

04-08-2003, 08:53 PM

CM4 only tosses a wrench in the mix. :)

Actually, I have heard of some bug issues with CM4, particularly the forward scoring, which will probably keep me from getting full into it until the new patch arrives. I am also still tinkering with the little things in the game and trying to determine what the appropriate number of leagues to run is on my computer. So while I will be playing it, I probably won't be fully possessed with the CM4 demons until later this month.

AIf I didn;t have other options, CM4 might be getting a full walkthrough anyway (despite its possible problems), but I have received OOTP5 (of course) and I am also still into my MTW. I don't plan on letting either dynasty go, although I'm sure my MTW fans think I have.

I'll see what else I can get up tonight.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

04-09-2003, 02:10 AM

NLWest

END OF 2003 SEASON BREAKDOWN

True rookies will be listed in reports in italics.

LOS ANGELES DODGERS (90-72)

Team AVG: .255 (22nd)
Team HR: 172 (16th)
Team Runs: 725 (23rd)

C: Paul Lo Duca (.303, 14, 68)
1B: Daryle Ward (.230, 23, 80)
2B: Joe Thurston (.221, 6, 30)
3B: Adrian Beltre (.298, 20, 71)
SS: Alex Cora (.271, 8, 43)
LF: Brian Jordan (.249, 14, 40)
CF: Kenny Lofton (.280, 11, 47)
RF: Shawn Green (.293, 37, 115)

Team ERA: 3.98 (2nd)
Team AVG Allowed: .243 (2nd)
Team Runs Allowed: 705 (3rd)

SP: Odalis Perez (22-7, 2.06)
SP: Kazuhisa Ishii (9-14, 5.21)
SP: Hideo Nomo (5-15, 4.98)
SP: Kevin Brown (12-5, 4.29)
SP: Darren Driefort (7-8, 4.43)

CL: Eric Gagne (12-0, 1.03, 38 sv)
MR: Mike Remlinger (3-5, 2.57, 28 sv)
MR: Giovanni Carrara (1-4, 4.45, 1 sv)
MR: Alfredo Gonzalez (6-0, 3.00, 2 sv)

Commentary: Man, if the Dodgers had an offense there would be no stopping these guys. Actually, their offense is interesting, because it doesn't look all that bad. Jordan had an offyear, but that's counteracted by Ward's overachieving season. Thurston has good talent, so he's capable of better. But everyone else seemed to do as expected or even a little bit better (like Beltre). And that doesn't include solid bench power options like Fred McGriff (.268, 12, 49) and Todd Hundley (.234, 12, 41) or speedy former starter Dave Roberts (.240, 2, 26). So what happened? Basically, it seems like injuries got in the way a lot, for one thing. Beltre missed time. Lo Duca was put on the DL three separate times. And then the wealth of options seemed to confuse the Dodger's AI, who subbed so much that only three players got more than 500 at bats. Still, they are probably capable of much better, especially if Thurston makes the expected improvement he can. The incredible pitching was second only to Seattle in the rankings, and it is also shockingly similar to that rotation. Once again, we have the dominant starter (Perez) and a host of decent, but not spectacular, other options to fill out the rotation. And one again, we have the dominant bullpen. If it weren't for Perez and the Braves' Smoltz having fine seasons, I would think Gagne might get serious Cy Young consideration, which is awfully hard to do nowadays. Remlinger, as was well noted, was the save leader when he was released by the Cubs and subsequently signed by the Dodgers. Carrara and Gonzalez are fine young talents, and that doesn't even mention guys like Paul Shuey (third in the NL in reliever ERA at 2.22), or Gullermo Mota (currently injured), or Paul Quantrill (released when Remlinger was acquired) or Troy Brohawn (just another solid reliever). It's kinda scary really. One concern-- Darren Driefort hit the DL three times this year, and both he and Mota are essentially out for the playoffs. Lo Duca is also going to miss some time. This team succeeded in spite of the injury bug this year.

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS (88-74)

Team AVG: .263 (14th)
Team HR: 178 (12th)
Team Runs: 824 (13th)

C: Yorvit Torrealba (.287, 6, 41)
1B: J.T. Snow (.231, 12, 66)
2B: Ray Durham (.300, 7, 73)
3B: Edgar Alfonzo (.264, 14, 76)
SS: Rich Aurillia (.282, 27, 98)
LF: Barry Bonds (.316, 55, 126)
CF: Chad Curtis (.262, 14, 70)
RF: Jose Cruz Jr. (.241, 16, 89)

Team ERA: 4.01 (3rd)
Team AVG Allowed: .249 (6th)
Team Runs Allowed: 703 (2nd)

SP: Jason Schmidt (18-12, 3.64)
SP: Damian Moss (8-13, 4.74)
SP: Kurt Ainsworth (14-8, 3.51)
SP: Livan Hernandez (13-8, 4.43)
SP: Kirk Reuter (7-5, 4.10)

CL: Rob Nen (5-4, 2.89, 26 sv)
MR: Felix Rodriguez (4-6, 2.60, 1 sv)
MR: Jason Christiansen (5-2, 3.59, 1 sv)
MR: Chad Zerbe (2-3, 3.13, 2 sv)

Commentary: It's surprising that the Giants weren't able to catch the Dodgers. After all, their pitching is nearly as good, and their offense is much better. They aren't setting records on offense, but they are at least above average. J.T. Snow had a bad year, but not really out of sync with his recent years. Cruz had a poor average and less power than expected, but you couldn't tell from the runs he drove in. Young Torrealba played so well, the Giants released veteran Benito Santiago. And Alfonzo's numbers suffered from six weeks on the DL. Bonds was Bonds, of course. The pitching was very solid. Schmidt proved he is ace worthy, and Ainsworth had a breakout year. Few of the starters couldn't be counted on, with Moss being the only guy who could have performed a bit better than he did. Nen and Rodriguez form a one of the better setup-closer combos in the league, and the pen is deep with solid veteran types to support them.

COLORADO ROCKIES (79-83)

Team AVG: .283 (2nd)
Team HR: 202 (5th)
Team Runs: 946 (3rd)

C: Charles Johnson (.269, 29, 122)
1B: Todd Helton (.388, 36, 119)
2B: Pablo Ozuna (.275, 0, 34)
3B: Chris Stynes (.279, 12, 65)
SS: Juan Uribe (.271, 8, 67)
LF: Jack Cust (.258, 22, 81)
CF: Preston Wilson (.261, 29, 100)
RF: Larry Walker (.337, 23, 112)

Team ERA: 5.25 (29th)
Team AVG Allowed: .276 (25th)
Team Runs Allowed: 931 (29th)

SP: Jason Jennings (9-11, 5.17)
SP: Denny Neagle (8-13, 5.44)
SP: Dennis Stark (8-8, 5.93)
SP: Miguel Batiste (4-11, 4.99)
SP: Shawn Chacon (4-5, 6.59)

CL: Rich Garces (5-8, 5.29, 11 sv)
MR: Jose Jiminez (6-5, 3.64, 17 sv)
MR: Nelson Cruz (11-1, 3.83, 2 sv)
MR: Justin Speier (8-7, 4.85, 3 sv)

Commentary: It's always so hard to tell how much Coors figures into things, both at the plate and on the mound. The actual talent of the players here is much harder to pin down. For instance, it couldn't be anything other than Coors Field that is responsible for Johnson's amazing offensive season after a career of mediocrity. Cust, though, is a very talented young player who maybe could have done even better than he did (and he did pretty good). Uribe and Ozuna are also two fine young players, but they didn't have especially great years (although they were solid). Wilson's numbers are up a little from what he's been doing but not much. Helton and Walker are givens, of course, so no matter how you cut it this was a great offense at home, and at least an above average offense away from Denver. Pitching, of course, follows the reverse. Jennings is one of the best up-and-coming pitchers in the league, but he has a 5+ ERA (barely). Batiste went under a 5 ERA, but he pitched the first month and change in Arizona and missed a bit of time as a Rockie with injury. Stark and Neagle could even be considered to have overachieved to get their numbers. One exciting thing for Rockies fans is rookie Jeff Francis, the amazing young hurler who threw a no hitter in his second ever game in September. Jiminez was great as a reliever, anywhere, much less Colorado, but Garces got the call as the closer. Go figure. Obviously, they switched int he role at least once during the year. Actually, the pen is fairly deep and successful for a Coors Field pen.

SAN DIEGO PADRES (79-83)

Team AVG: .254 (23rd)
Team HR: 170 (17th)
Team Runs: 755 (21st)

C: Darrin Fletcher (.297, 10, 40)
1B: Ryan Klesko (.273, 32, 93)
2B: Mark Loretta (.263, 9, 53)
3B: Tony Batiste (.267, 26, 90)
SS: Ramon Vazquez (.263, 2, 35)
LF: Phil Nevin (.286, 33, 99)
CF: Mark Kotsay (.285, 13, 61)
RF: Brian Buchanan (.235, 10, 51)

Team ERA: 4.62 (20th)
Team AVG Allowed: .260 (15th)
Team Runs Allowed: 823 (19th)

SP: Brian Lawrence (17-12, 3.09)
SP: Adam Eaton (14-13, 4.73)
SP: Oliver Perez (7-11, 4.72)
SP: Clay Condrey (8-10, 4.86)
SP: Ben Howard (7-5, 4.59)

CL: Trevor Hoffman (2-5, 2.76, 35 sv)
MR: Mike Timlin (4-4, 5.08, 2 sv)
MR: Kevin Walker (5-7, 4.84, 1 sv)
MR: Jose Nunez (4-7, 5.57, 4 sv)

Commentary: This year may go down as one of missed opportunities for the Padres, Missed on the field? Probably not. Truth be told, the Padres seem to have enjoyed a win-loss record above and beyond their actual performance, almost reaching .500 with both a substandard offense and pitching. No, the opportunity lost was in the personnel decisions they made in doing it. For instance, the potentially devastating trade for Batiste. If you're an NL team (and, thus, you can't hide an extra player at a DH spot), why trade for Batiste when you have one of the best young 3B prospects in the league in Sean Burroughs? And why on Earth would you trade such a fine talent as Jake Peavy--now one of the new young pitching stars of the American League--to do it? And that wasn't it. Other future stars are also now ready to go. Xavier Nady. Ben Johnson. Khalil Green. Bernabel Castro. Tagg Bozied. Burroughs, of course. All of these future lineup major leaguers and even stars are ready to go. But instead, Padres fans are subjected to the likes of Brian Buchanan and Mark Loretta. It's really quite disappointing. As for pitching, I will give that trading an as yet unproven Peavy made some sense because of the organization's depth in starting pitching. The rotation this year was filled with young pitchers with futures. Lawrence established himself as an ace and a star (imagine where the Pads would have been with both Peavy and Lawrence atop their rotation). None of the other four had especially great seasons, but they all got needed experience and they are all only going to get better (well maybe not Condrey). Perez has as much potential as Peavy, and more than Lawrence. In the pen, old reliable Hoffman continued to show age is not yet an issue. After him, though, the bullpen was very hit and miss, and was a big factor in the overall lack of success of the Padres' pitching.

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS (71-91)

Team AVG: .261 (16th)
Team HR: 105 (30th)
Team Runs: 698 (26th)

C: Chad Moeller (.253, 3, 47)
1B: Mark Grace (.257, 7, 36)
2B: Junior Spivey (.256, 13, 74)
3B: Russ Davis (.210, 19, 75)
SS: Barry Larkin (.262, 8, 46)
LF: Luis Gonzalez (.305, 26, 86)
CF: Quinton McCracken (.289, 1, 31)
RF: Danny Bautista (.291, 11, 62)

Team ERA: 4.65 (21st)
Team AVG Allowed: .261 (17th)
Team Runs Allowed: 812 (18th)

SP: Curt Schilling (9-16, 4.47)
SP: Randy Johnson (15-11, 4.04)
SP: Byung-hyun Kim (10-13, 3.60)
SP: John Patterson (5-12, 5.22)
SP: Chris Capuano (3-6, 4.71)

CL: Greg Swindell (1-4, 3.75, 25 sv)
MR: Matt Mantei (4-5, 5.08)
MR: Ricky Bottalico (4-0, 5.58, 3 sv)
MR: Mike Myers (4-2, 5.32, 10 sv)

Commentary: Finally, the first of the two mystery teams. I was wondering how on Earth two formerly powerful teams like the Diamondbacks and Astros could falter so badly. I think I have my answer for at least one of them: the D'Backs got old and unlucky. The entire lineup was pretty much devoid of power outside of Gonzalez, who compunded the problem by not having a terrific power year (although he was good by most standards). Durazo was allowed to leave for the A's in the offseason, Williams got old and was released, and Finley suffered a season ending injury a month into the season. Another potential power source, Eric Karros, was let go after a short stint early in the season. It was just a collection of bad timing, age and bad decisions. Most of the lineup was a collection of decent or once decent contact hitters, and if you have no one to drive them in, this is what you get. But the D'Backs powerful team was built around pitching, so it was really here that they got hurt. Both Johnson and Schilling are finally proving human, showing some age. Although both had solid seasons, they were also a good two steps back each from their previous abilities. Kim became the surprise ace, and he isn't thought to really be as good as he pitched this year. Patterson and Capuano are the future, so it's good to get them their licks now. Capuano replaced Paul Abbot (5-9, 5.90) halfway through the season. Abbot was pitching because Arizona traded away the serviceable Batiste to the Rockies to get a replacement centerfielder for Finley--Jay Payton--and then didn't even give him the most at bats at the spot. The problems were even worse at the top of the pen. Swindell was surprisingly effective as a closer, but he's about to retire. Mantei and Bottalico had horrible seasons, and Myers doesn't look like he will be a good replacement for Swindell. Kim leaving for the rotation hurt the pen (although it was necessary, too, since Johnson and Schilling are going to need replacing soon, maybe even this offseason). The good news in the pen is that it does have some good younger relievers who should have gotten more time over the "proven" vets, and they should eventually form to become a strength if this team. This year, though, this season is just a loss, and quite frankly it looks like it's going to get worse before it gets better.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

04-09-2003, 04:03 AM

NL Central

END OF 2003 SEASON BREAKDOWN

True rookies will be listed in reports in italics.

CHICAGO CUBS (93-69)

Team AVG: .264 (13th)
Team HR: 229 (1st)
Team Runs: 878 (6th)

C: Damian Miller (.257, 17, 69)
1B: Morgan Burkhart (.279, 32, 98)
2B: Bobby Hill (.248, 14, 54)
3B: Mark Bellhorn (.284, 36, 115)
SS: Alex S. Gonzalez (.247, 15, 91)
LF: Moises Alou (.289, 23, 84)
CF: Alex Ochoa (.273, 18, 62)
RF: Sammy Sosa (.320, 49, 122)

Team ERA: 4.60 (19th)
Team AVG Allowed: .255 (9th)
Team Runs Allowed: 808 (17th)

SP: Mark Prior (16-7, 3.67)
SP: Matt Clement (15-9, 4.22)
SP: Kerry Wood (12-5, 4.33)
SP: Carlos Zambrano (11-11, 5.38)
SP: Shawn Estes (11-9, 4.70)

CL: Rudy Seanez (4-6, 4.41, 15 sv)
MR: Mark Guthrie (4-2, 3.54, 2 sv)
MR: Rod Beck (3-2, 5.25)
MR: Marc Wilkins (6-2, 4.50)

Commentary: Let's hear it for power! The Cubs big weapon was apparently the big bat. The usual Sosa was joined by unlikely middle-of-the-order cohorts like 31-year-old rookie Burkhart and the solid (but not THIS solid) Bellhorn. Add in nice contributions from Alou (expected) and many others (all unexpected) and you end up with a very good power hitting squad. The team average was solid, too, but it seems clear what drove this offense. The shocker was Burkhart. The Cubbies got him from the Royals for a scrub second baseman and an iffy 3B prospect. Now that's a rip off! Pitching wasn't really anything to write home about, but their young starters are on their way at least. Arizona takes the cake for a great trio of strikeout pitchers, but the Cubs aren't too far behind with Prior, Clement and Wood. Wood would have finished higher, but he missed the last month with a ruptured elbow ligament. The pen is a potential weakness. The Cubs did the mystifyingly dumb by releasing Remlinger, one of the league's best relievers. They let Seanez, acquired from the Rangers, handle duties, and he was very iffy with the Cubs (although his numbers still look solid). They do have some decent relievers like Guthrie around, but their depth took a hit when Beck went down with a season-ender recently as well. So now it looks like both Wood and Beck will miss the playoffs.

CINCINNATI REDS (87-75)

Team AVG: .265 (11th)
Team HR: 211 (3rd)
Team Runs: 854 (10th)

C: Jason LaRue (.226, 14, 66)
1B: Sean Casey (.329, 21, 79)
2B: Aaron Boone (.257, 21, 91)
3B: Russell Branyan (.233, 30, 89)
SS: Felipe Lopez (.259, 7, 35)
LF: Adam Dunn (.292, 28, 94)
CF: Ken Griffey Jr. (.312, 38, 129)
RF: Austin Kearns (.279, 24, 96)

Team ERA: 4.33 (14th)
Team AVG Allowed: .262 (18th)
Team Runs Allowed: 792 (16th)

SP: Scott Williamson (15-6, 3.15)
SP: Paul Wilson (12-11, 4.45)
SP: Tony Armas Jr. (11-9, 4.43)
SP: Rodrigo Lopez (8-13, 4.91)
SP: Danny Graves (12-2, 3.66)

CL: John Reidling (4-10, 4.42, 35 sv)
MR: Scott MacRae (6-7, 5.04)
MR: Carlos Almanzar (2-3, 2.70, 4 sv)
MR: Josias Manzanillo (9-5, 4.83, 3 sv)

Commentary: I'm not sure what's more scary. That these guys are actually pretty darn good, or that they should continue to be good for a little while yet. This is a young team that took a huge step to get into playoff contention. They never once faded from the Cubs, and were in the wildcard mix right up to the last day of the season. They have an icredible outfield, with two superstar talents in Dunn and Kearns surrounding an alltime great talent like Griffey--who isn't Prone injury in this league. That, of course, allowed Griffey to return to the status of an elite power hitter. The Reds also successfully moved on from the Barry Larkin era, moving him to Arizona and allowing another good prospect in Lopez to take his shot. Solid bats like Casey and Boone, and a young power bat like Branyan are still around to pick up the pace when the stars falter. Casey had a great season making contact. The real shock is that the Reds used resurgences by Branyan and Griffey, and general lineup excellence, to move up to third in power in baseball. As for pitching, there's a lot to like here, although this year, the real truth of the matter is that the pitching was just good enough to allow the offense to win the game. The funny fact is that the best thing the Reds have going for them is that they raided their bullpen for quality starters. Graves, in real life, was expected to go to the rotation this year. But for a midseason injury that sidelined him for a month and a half, Graves might have figured more prominently in league leaders lists. Williamson, projected in real life to close for the Reds, was all on the AI. It turned out to be a brilliant move, as Williamson has in one season changed from a talented reliever to a dominating young ace pitcher. The Reds were also among the most savvy traders in the league, acquiring decent young starters like Lopez and Armas Jr. for virtually nothing. Obviously, the pen suffered a bit without the services of Graves and Williamson. Riedling put up a good number of saves, but he was inconsistent. And some of the more used relievers also could have been better. But all in all, the bullpen came out pretty well, and there remains a solid stable of relievers around to keep what has been a tradition of Cincy since the days of the Big Red Machine in the 70s: a strong bullpen.

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS (86-76)

Team AVG: .252 (25th)
Team HR: 191 (6th)
Team Runs: 807 (15th)

C: Mike Matheny (.193, 3, 20)
1B: Eli Marrero (.232, 12, 36)
2B: Fernando Vina (.285, 1, 27)
3B: Scott Rolen (.256, 20, 63)
SS: Edgar Renteria (.243, 7, 51)
LF: Albert Pujols (.301, 34, 100)
CF: Jim Edmonds (.294, 33, 106)
RF: J.D. Drew (.305, 30, 102)

Team ERA: 4.22 (10th)
Team AVG Allowed: .248 (4th)
Team Runs Allowed: 761 (10th)

SP: Matt Morris (17-7, 3.08)
SP: Jason Simontacchi (13-15, 4.31)
SP: Woody Williams (7-13, 4.68)
SP: Brett Tomko (10-6, 4.64)
SP: Garrett Stephenson (6-9, 6.07)

CL: Jason Isringhausen (6-5, 1.64, 38 sv)
MR: Al Levine (6-2, 5.64, 1 sv)
MR: Mike Crudale (5-3, 2.69, 2 sv)
MR: Todd Erdos (2-1, 3.11, 1 sv)

Commentary: Using a wealth of homeruns--much like direct NL Central competitors, the Reds and Cubs--, the Cards overcame a very poor team average, some big time zeroes in their lineup, and some injury problems to turn out an average offensive system. And that turned out to be just what a very solid pitching staff needed to nail down some wins after a horrible start by St. Louis. The problems at catcher and first base are mystifying. Matheny split time with Joe Girardi, who fared little better, for most of the year. Then up-and-coming youngster Steven Torrealba got some at bats, and the Cards signed vet Raul Casanova to make some starts over the last couple of months of the season. No one stepped, though, and the position was still a rather poor one. Meanwhile, at 1B, the Cards inexplicably released vet Tino Martinez (.252, 8, 43), who was putting up respectable numbers in a half season of work. This left them with Marrero, having a bad offensive year, and John Gall, a rookie 1B with some skills, but who is plainly not ready yet. On top of all this, Vina brought his usual one-dimensional game to play, Renteria had an awful season and "superstar" Rolen fell far short of his usual quality work. As if that wasn't enough, all three of these players missed significant time in the second half of the season, and Vina missed the last two months of the season with his injury. One can only envision what this team, just two games back of the wildcard, might have done had it been fully staffed. The Vina and Renteria injuries, though, might have been a blessing--it gave time for exciting rookie Shawn Boyd (.267, 17, 73) to play, and he produced far more than the two established vets in the middle infield. The outfield was simply phenomenal, as you might expect from three guys named Pujols, Edmonds and Drew. They really carried the team. Pitching was the name of the game, and Morris was his usual dominating self. Without him at the top of the rotation and intimidating closer Jason isringhausen heading the pen, this season might have been a completely different story for the Cards. The rest of the rotation was nothing to get excited about, and neither was the pen. Frankly, it's amazing to me that this team finished as well as it did in the pitching categories.

MILWAUKEE BREWERS (72-90)

Team AVG: .247 (29th)
Team HR: 150 (22nd)
Team Runs: 687 (27th)

C: Pete LaForest (.224, 12, 50)
1B: Richie Sexson (.275, 27, 92)
2B: Eric Young (.236, 2, 33)
3B: Brandon Larson (.240, 9, 47)
SS: Royce Clayton (.225, 11, 52)
LF: Brady Clark (.251, 10, 47)
CF: Jeffrey Hammonds (.307, 24, 90)
RF: Geoff Jenkins (.214, 27, 89)

Team ERA: 4.60 (18th)
Team AVG Allowed: .273 (24th)
Team Runs Allowed: 829 (21st)

SP: Todd Ritchie (15-15, 3.74)
SP: Ben Sheets (5-14, 5.91)
SP: Glendon Rusch (8-11, 3.72)
SP: Kyle Peterson (9-6, 3.60)
SP: Wayne Franklin (6-11, 6.36)

CL: Jayson Durocher (3-7, 4.07, 37 sv)
MR: Mike Buddie (6-3, 3.83, 2 sv)
MR: Mike DeJean (3-2, 3.43, 2 sv)
MR: Mike Matthews (4-3, 6.93)

Commentary: While the pitching actually doesn't seem to have been that good from the final rankings, it is pretty clear the offense was the big loser for the Brew Crew this year. Yes, the Sexson-Jenkins power duo continues to produce solid results, and Hammonds finally had a year outside of Colorado that he could hang his hat on. But where were the positives after that? Future star catcher LaForest had an awful year after being acquired from Tampa Bay. He missed more than a month with a broken hand and never got into a grrove after the deadline deal. Other than LaForest, the rest of the poor performers are essentially subpar veterans at best with little expectation to improve in the future. The Brewers are going to have to stop using players like Young, Clayton and Clark if they are ever going to get beyond where they are right now. Given the numbers put up by the prominent members of the staff, pitching would seem to be a relative strength. But the surprise is that it may be the more troubled area. The one true prospect who saw regular time is Sheets, and he had an awful season. Rusch, Peterson, Chuck Smith (dealt for LaForest), even Ritchie, are all pretty much maxed and of doubtful overall talent. The Brewers do have a little talent on the way, such as Ben Diggins (3-4, 4.46), who got some starts late in the year, but right now, you have to consider the rotation to be hit-and-miss for how much better it can be for a good while yet. The pen also has a lack of any real prospects coming up, but the good news is that there are some talented relievers here. One obvious one is Durocher, who came out of practically nowhere to finish among league leaders in saves. He saved more than half of the Brewers' wins, although he could work on being more consistent. He has top closer talent. Buddie and DeJean formed as good a backup twosome as you can find for most teams, so the pen was strong at the top. After that, though, depth took a huge hit, as several more pitchers also got a good amount of mound time, but did not fare anywhere near as well.

PITTSBURGH PIRATES (72-90)

Team AVG: .248 (28th)
Team HR: 183 (t-8th)
Team Runs: 798 (17th)

C: Jason Kendall (.279, 9, 59)
1B: Randall Simon (.289, 8, 57)
2B: Rob Mackowiak (.224, 13, 51)
3B: Aramis Ramirez (.240, 20, 92)
SS: Tomas de la Rosa (.244, 3, 37)
LF: Craig A. Wilson (.241, 22, 93)
CF: Brian Giles (.316, 35, 119)
RF: Reggie Sanders (.223, 26, 91)

Team ERA: 4.98 (24th)
Team AVG Allowed: .277 (26th)
Team Runs Allowed: 899 (25th)

SP: Kip Wells (9-11, 4.11)
SP: Josh Fogg (13-10, 4.14)
SP: Dave Williams (9-15, 5.22)
SP: Kris Benson (10-14, 5.48)
SP: Jeff D'Amico (5-8, 5.23)

CL: Mike Williams (5-4, 2.96, 27 sv)
MR: Lorenzo Barcelo (3-6, 4.57)
MR: Rolando Arrojo (2-4, 5.70, 3 sv)
MR: Al Reyes (5-4, 4.94, 2 sv)

Commentary: This wasn't a great year for the Pirates, but there is hope for the future. It seems that several solid prospects are just around the corner. Meanwhile, the lineup provided some surprising power, and enabled the offense to score a little more runs than most teams at Pittsburgh's level. Giles continues to be a monster, of course, and while Ramirez and Sanders don't hit for high average, they certainly can hit the longball. Wilson was a huge early season success, and ended up with a solid power season, although he got so bad as the season went on, that he gave way to another surprise vet power source, Adam Hyzdu (.269, 28, 63). Actually, despite being 31 and a one-star talent, Hyzdu has put up an impressive 45 HR and 110 RBI in 545 career at bats--they really need to feature him more. Kendall and Simon lent some average ability to a lineup with few of them. This is a subpar average, but it's not so bad. Pitching really cost the Pirates, even with a solid twosome in Wells and Fogg at the top. Williams is a young pitcher learning the trade, and he got some important starts in this year. Benson and D'Amico, though, are no-upside vets who probably can't do much better than they did. A wealth of pitching prospects will likely end their days as Pirates soon. Fortunately for Pittsburgh, they already have one of the best closers in Mike Williams. The only thing he needs is to work more often. Although the pen in general could be more consistent, the Pirates have so many decent to good pitching prospects ont he way, that it's not going to matter in a year or two.

HOUSTON ASTROS (67-95)

Team AVG: .268 (8th)
Team HR: 177 (13th)
Team Runs: 835 (12th)

C: Greg Zaun (.265, 11, 71)
1B: Jeff Bagwell (.301, 38, 129)
2B: Jeff Kent (.322, 26, 115)
3B: Geoff Blum (.237, 15, 66)
SS: Julio Lugo (.233, 9, 43)
LF: Lance Berkman (.333, 25, 91)
CF: Brian L. Hunter (.301, 3, 30)
RF: Richard Hidalgo (.260, 24, 85)

Team ERA: 5.03 (25th)
Team AVG Allowed: .282 (28th)
Team Runs Allowed: 886 (24th)

SP: Roy Oswalt (13-10, 3.45)
SP: Chris George (11-15, 4.69)
SP: Wade Miller (14-12, 4.39)
SP: Brian Moehler (7-13, 5.91)
SP: Jared Fernandez (4-15, 7.33)

CL: Billy Wagner (2-2, 3.63, 19 sv)
MR: Octavio Dotel (6-6, 5.03, 5 sv)
MR: Brandon Puffer (5-7, 6.65, 1 sv)
MR: T.J. Mathews (3-3, 3.46, 3 sv)

Commentary: There were two mysteries going into this thing. One was why the D'backs were so bad. And the other was the fall of these Astros. And as with Arizona, I'm beginning to see the pitcure. What is more disturbing, though, is what lies ahead for the Astros. First of all, the lineup was above average, as one might expect with three elite hitters like Bagwell, Kent and Berkman in place hitting in minute Maid Field (aka Coors "Light" Field). Few teams can match those three hitters. They got good support from Hidalgo and Zaun, and that was all the Astros really needed to get them where they are with the offense. It's actually kinda scary to think what they could have done had they not released longtime Astro Craig Biggio halfway through the season, or of his replacement, Hunter, hadn't missed the last two months, or if Blum or Lugo could actually act like major league hitters. Or if the Astros hadn't traded away by far their best hitting (and best overall) prospect--Henri Stanley, a likely future star--for a pitcher (Brian Tallet) who had one of the all time worst full rookie campaigns in history. But what is really scary is the future. Biggio is gone. Bagwell, Kent and Hunter are 35. Zaun is 32, and he overachieved. Only Hidalgo (28) and Berkman (27) are relatively young. Stanley is now an Indian, and there is virtually no one of any real worth on their way to the bigs in the Astros' system--one of the worst in the big leagues. And this is the good part of the team. The side that really lost it for them was on the mound. Tallet was miserable for half a season before he was dealt for up-and-comer George (the one good move on the year). Moehler and Fernandez are stopgaps with no potential to do better. And this roster set just screwed Miller, who should be better than the 2.5 stars he got here. And he pitched like a 2.5 star talent as well. Oswalt is still one of the league's youngest and finest. And Wagner and Dotel still form maybe the best one-two reliever punch in the league. George is just as talented as Oswalt--he just needs time. So it's not without hope here, but not exactly great either. Further confounding matters is the fact that virtually all of the depth in the pen after Dotel and Wagner is pretty poor stuff. The bullpen had a big hand in where the staff (and the team) ended up this year.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

04-11-2003, 09:12 PM

NL East

END OF 2003 SEASON BREAKDOWN

True rookies will be listed in reports in italics.

ATLANTA BRAVES (93-69)

Team AVG: .269 (7th)
Team HR: 177 (13th)
Team Runs: 863 (9th)

C: Javy Lopez (.285, 24, 102)
1B: Robert Fick (.289, 22, 78)
2B: Mark Derosa (.278, 7, 59)
3B: Marcus Giles (.269, 24, 87)
SS: Rafael Furcal (.252, 3, 45)
LF: Chipper Jones (.326, 28, 105)
CF: Andruw Jones (.254, 24, 107)
RF: Gary Sheffield (.304, 37, 137)

Team ERA: 4.04 (4th)
Team AVG Allowed: .243 (3rd)
Team Runs Allowed: 720 (5th)

SP: John Smoltz (19-3, 1.94)
SP: Greg Maddux (15-7, 3.37)
SP: Paul Byrd (12-9, 3.72)
SP: Russ Ortiz (12-8, 3.75)
SP: Jason Marquis (8-5, 4.20)

CL: Ray King (9-10, 4.65, 32 sv)
MR: J.D. Smart (2-3, 4.27, 3 sv)
MR: Kevin Gryboski (1-4, 5.04, 2 sv)
MR: Yorkis Perez (2-6, 9.42, 2 sv)

Commentary: Pitching is always a given with the Braves. So it was the hitting that really made the difference and eventually put them atop the division. The lineup just has few holes. Lopez returned to respectability and an injury-free season. Fick finally filled a 1B spot that hasn't been adequately filled since Galaragga first came over from Colorado. Giles blossomed into a fine hitter. The Joneses and Sheffield did their usual work. The only bad thing was Furcal's poor season, and he may be the most talented offensive prospect on the team--it should eventually be an offensive leader here. Sheffield is the oldest at 34, so this offense could have some years ahead of it, if it doesn't get broken up by financial considerations. Pitching isn't as age-proof, although it is certainly still solid. In fact, the AI made perhaps the inspired move of the year when it moved Smoltz back to starter. Glavine who? Smoltz turned a season which for a while looked to be the most dominant since Bob Gibson's record '68 campaign. He will probably get the Cy Young. Maddux had to play second fiddle for the first time, but he was still one of the best in the league. Byrd is showing last year was no fluke, Ortiz continued to be the solid pitcher he is, and Marquis continues to look like a fine developing talent. This is almost certainly the best rotation in the league. The pen brought it down a little, though. King is a decent enough pitcher, but he's no Smoltz. No one in the pen really stood out with a great year, and this is usually a strength of Atlanta. If it weren't for the back end guys, this rotation would have definitely led the Braves past the top pitching staffs of the M's and Dodgers.

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES (87-75)

Team AVG: .261 (17th)
Team HR: 183 (8th)
Team Runs: 809 (14th)

C: Mike Lieberthal (.261, 11, 67)
1B: Jim Thome (.292, 49, 126)
2B: Placido Polanco (.294, 8, 60)
3B: Tyler Houston (.239, 17, 60)
SS: Jimmy Rollins (.288, 9, 60)
LF: Pat Burrell (.271, 26, 99)
CF: Marlon Byrd (.256, 17, 75)
RF: Bobby Abreu (.301, 19, 79)

Team ERA: 4.24 (11th)
Team AVG Allowed: .259 (14th)
Team Runs Allowed: 768 (12th)

SP: Vincente Padilla (13-11, 3.29)
SP: Kevin Millwood (12-8, 3.10)
SP: Randy Wolf (15-10, 3.61)
SP: Brandon Duckworth (12-10, 5.22)
SP: Brett Myers (3-7, 5.82)

CL: Dave Coggin (4-8, 5.10, 24 sv)
MR: Jose Mesa (1-3, 3.04, 16 sv) released 7/13/2003
MR: Rheal Cormier (9-3, 3.92, 2 sv)
MR: Turk Wendell (4-2, 6.00, 3 sv)

Commentary: Considering how the Phillies finished just a game out of the wildcard and underachieved most of the year, this has to be painted as a team that was just on the edge of being very good. Indeed, it's final rankings for both hitting and pitching also paint a team on such a fringe. There's a lot to like about the Phillies, but this maybe a season of missed opportunities. The lineup had plenty of power, led by free agent acquisition Thome, but it could have been even better because other solid stars like Abreu, Burrell and Lieberthal all had substandard power years. Burrell's year, while good, was a downer all around--he has the ability to put up star level numbers. Rookie Byrd actually contributed better power than expected, but a worse average. Still, he is among the leading contenders for the NL ROY award. Few teams can match the solid contributions of the Phillies' top three starters. The failings of the staff will not be pinned on Padilla, proving last year was no fluke; Millwood, finishing among ERA leaders; or Wolf, one of the better young pithcers in the league. The rest of the rotation, though, was fraught with growing pains as young super-talents Duckworth and Myers struggled to get their games under control. And that doesn't even mention the veteran Terry Adams, thrown back to the pen and doing badly, or another hot shot prospect in Bud Smith, who started the year in the rotation, got hurt, and then lost his spot to Myers. Depth is not an issue, and neither is age. This rotation has the makings to be one of the league's best int he very near future. Unfortunately, the same can't quite be said for the pen. Coggin is a decent enough closer who can do the job, but he had a poor year, and making even less sense, the Phillies put Coggin in veteran Jose Mesa's closer spot, despite the fact that Mesa was having a great year,--and then proceeded to release him. Cormier did a nice job as a key reliever, but the same reliability would be a description of few others in the pen.

NEW YORK METS (82-80)

Team AVG: .262 (15th)
Team HR: 190 (7th)
Team Runs: 877 (7th)

C: Mike Piazza (.275, 35, 108)
1B: Mo Vaughn (.246, 22, 81)
2B: Roberto Alomar (.300, 15, 84)
3B: Ty Wigginton (.280, 25, 72)
SS: Jose Reyes (.263, 9, 75)
LF: Cliff Floyd (.302, 30, 95)
CF: Roger Cedeno (.242, 4, 37)
RF: Jeromy Burnitz (.246, 13, 67)

Team ERA: 4.22 (9th)
Team AVG Allowed: .264 (19th)
Team Runs Allowed: 791 (15th)

SP: Al Leiter (13-11, 3.94)
SP: Steve Trachsel (15-10, 4.00)
SP: Tom Glavine (9-15, 5.14)
SP: Grant Roberts (11-7, 3.43)
SP: Jason Middlebrook (7-6, 3.32)

CL: Armando Benitez (6-7, 4.25, 24 sv)
MR: Jamie Cerda (2-2, 3.71, 1 sv)
MR: Mike Stanton (3-2, 5.01)
MR: Scott Strickland (2-3, 2.63, 5 sv)

Commentary: The Mets had some great performances this year from some key players, and some contributions from unexpected points, so they ended up being fairly good, even in the wildcard race almost up to the end. In the end, though, injuries and some bad personnel decisions came back to haunt the Mets in their bid for a playoff spot. Piazza had a great season, even if his average plummeted after the first couple months. Floyd and Alomar, two acquisitions which did work out, joined with Piazza to carry the team offensively. Unfortunately, the offense was shortchanged by the lack of consistency of other big name gets, like Vaughn and Burnitz. Vaughn also missed a stretch to injury, and Cedeno was almost worthless in CF. The Mets would have been even worse off were it not for the key contributions of rookies Wigginton and Reyes. Wigginton should get some consideration for ROY, and if he hadn't missed two months, he would have probably been a cinch for the award. Reyes is one of the best prospects in baseball. He still has a ways to go, but he's only 20, so his best days are definitely still ahead of him. Pitching was, for the most part, solid. The lone outcast in this respect was much ballyhooed free agent acquisition Glavine, who had, by his standards, a horrible season, and perhaps signalling the twilight of a great career. It looks like the Braves made the right choice. Leiter was his usual dependable self and Trachsel had one of his best years. But the fortunes of the staff hinged on two unexpected individuals: Middlebrook and Roberts. Middlebrook made the rotation as a fifth man, and even endured a two-month injury. But he had the best ERA in the rotation. Roberts spent the first half of the season in the pen, appearing in 48 games. But when the call came for him to joint he rotation, he was fantastic. So good, in fact, that he won the Pitcher of the Month award for August. The only real bad news (besides Glavine) for these guys is that Leiter is 38, Glavine 37, and Trachsel, 33--their best days are likely behind them; and Middlebrook and Roberts, while solid younger starters, are not considered to be elite talents on which you could hang a staff. In the pen, Benitez was his usual dominating, but hit-and-miss self. He had some good support from a solid pen for the most part.

FLORIDA MARLINS (75-87)

Team AVG: .249 (27th)
Team HR: 130 (28th)
Team Runs: 652 (30th)

C: Ivan Rodriguez (.268, 36, 104)
1B: Derrek Lee (.241, 21, 71)
2B: Luis Castillo (.289, 1, 38)
3B: Mike Lowell (.242, 19, 68)
SS: Andy Fox (.289, 8, 49)
LF: Todd Hollandsworth (.274, 16, 84)
CF: Juan Pierre (.291, 2, 65)
RF: Juan Encarnacion (.216, 12, 56)

Team ERA: 4.33 (15th)
Team AVG Allowed: .249 (7th)
Team Runs Allowed: 767 (11th)

SP: A.J. Burnett (7-12, 4.11)
SP: Brad Penny (8-11, 4.26)
SP: Justin Wayne (7-13, 4.55)
SP: Josh Beckett (13-7, 2.98)
SP: Mark Redman (4-11, 4.75)

CL: Vladimir Nunez (8-9, 3.63, 39 sv)
MR: Braden Looper (3-5, 4.68)
MR: Tim Spooneybarger (7-4, 4.09, 2 sv)
MR: Blaine Neal (3-3, 4.09, 2 sv)

Commentary: I have seen all offenses. I have seen the Marlins offense. And it is the worst. In fact, I am amazed this team won 75 games with an offense this anemic, statistically the worst in the league. Few teams manage to suck at both average and pwoer hitting, and yet the Marlins "succeed" in doing just that. IRod's signing turned out to be brilliant, because I don;t even want to know where they would be without a sim-game rejuvenated and healthy Ivan Rodriguez. At 31, he should have a lot of game left, too. Hollandsworth played out of his gourd, having his best season since early in his Colorado years, or maybe even way back to his ROY campaign with the Dodgers (when he was thought to be good). Castillo and Pierre provided their usual speed and hitting combination to form the fastest duo of any team (82 steals between them). Of course, their presence also strips the lineup of any whit of power at two spots, and it's not like they are hitting .330. Lowell and Lee put up the expected power, but were absolutely horrible getting hits--they were like the anithesis of Castillo and Pierre. And then there was Encarnacion, the returning "star". Could any player in either league be said to have had as massive a slump as this guy had? .216? 12 HRs? Ugh. The "good" news is, IRod is the oldest at 31. There are some kids on the way, but this team is still going to be heavily dependent on some of these guys for a while, sot hey need to get their act together--especially Encarnacion. The Marlins do look to be in good shape with pitching. In fact, it may be excellent--this young, growing reotation may soon be rivalling the A's for great young arms. They ended strongly here, despite Penny, Beckett and Redman all missing parts of the season to injury, and Wayne being a rookie. Beckett has established himself as one of the domiannt pitchers of the future. He has Pedro skills and Big Unit speed, and he's improving. Only on a staff with a guy like Beckett would top talents like Penny and Wayne be playing second fiddle. Wayne had a solid rookie campaign, and should get some consideration for NL ROY (although he seems likely to miss out). Penny is already a "vet" at 25, and he continues to turn himself into a solid pitcher. Burnett and Redman are a little older--but that just means late 20s here. They are solid #4-#5 types. In the pen, Nunez was the surprise call at closer, and he ended up turning in a very solid first season at the pressure spot. He is also young and talented--a theme started in the rotation that continues in the pen. The pen was solid and deep with good, young relievers whose best days are still ahead of them.

MONTREAL EXPOS

Team AVG: .249 (26th)
Team HR: 166 (19th)
Team Runs: 719 (24th)

C: Michael Barrett (.259, 14, 51)
1B: Wil Cordero (.229, 11, 50)
2B: Jose Vidro (.297, 12, 76)
3B: Fernando Tatis (.207, 19, 70)
SS: Orlando Cabrera (.249, 12, 70)
LF: Brad Wilkerson (.280, 18, 53)
CF: Ruben Mateo (.275, 13, 58)
RF: Vladimir Guerrero (.286, 30, 94)

Team ERA: 4.07 (6th)
Team AVG Allowed: .250 (8th)
Team Runs Allowed: 732 (6th)

SP: Tomo Ohka (11-12, 3.48)
SP: Javier Vazquez (14-10, 3.35)
SP: Osvaldo Fernandez (10-16, 5.34)
SP: Orlando Hernandez (7-11, 3.93)
SP: Rocky Biddle (7-6, 3.75)

CL: Scott Stewart (207, 3.50, 29 sv)
MR: Zach Day (6-6, 4.70, 1 sv)
MR: Jim Brower (3-1, 4.96)
MR: Joey Eischen (2-3, 2.35, 3 sv)

Commentary: Well, that settles it-- there's no such thing as a bad rotation in the NL East. But more on that later. It is surprising how similar Montreal's path seemed to follow Florida, although they had a better lineup and rotation, overall. They should have finished better than they did with the kind of pitching they had. But the parallels cannot be ignored. Once again, one big star--Guerrero, of course--leads the way. He was his usual dominant self. He was, unfortunately, surrounded by either mediocre former prospects or vets trying to rejuvenate their failed games. Vidro and Wilkerson are solid, and Barrett can be good, too, but the Expos need to get rid of guys like Tatis and Mateo to move up to the next level. Also like the Marlins, there are some decent hitting prospects on the way, but there aren't enough to fill the holes in this lineup. Pitching, as I said, was even better than Florida, but the Expos' future outlook is not so bright. For one thing, Fernandez and Hernandez aren't getting any younger. Hernandez is almost done, and Fernandez should be if he keeps putting up years like this one. Biddle has questionable talent as well, although he at least has youth. Fortunately, Vzaquez and Ohka are both young and good, and that's a fine start for the future rotation. Neither is a true ace, but they are both very good. The pen is looking much better--in fact, better than Florida's. It starts with Stewart, who looks like he may be one of the best young closers in the league. And then there is a wealth of talent--led by key reliever Day--ready to support him.

Chief Rum

General Mike

04-12-2003, 02:23 PM

Just wanted to compliment you on the thoroughness of your dynasty report. Its the thought of not being able to put one half as good as this together, that keeps me from really putting the fingers to keyboard and typing one up.

SunDancer

04-12-2003, 07:08 PM

I agree Mike. Chief, how to you copy the lineups with stats?

Chief Rum

04-12-2003, 08:05 PM

Thanks guys.

General Mike: It is my plan to be a novelist and/or a computer gaming programmer (how's that for diversification?), and by training, I am a journalist. I have read great works by guys like Hemingway and other literary greats, both present and past. I have played most of the best computer games of the past 15 years. I have read the articles of some of the most brilliant reporters and columnists (both in and out of sports) in the media biz.

If I let their greatness get in between me and what I want to do, I would never get anything done (cuz who the heck can ever hope to be that good?). :) And besides, you're not talking Hemingway--I'm just an Internet hack and sports junkie who loves to write things in-depth. I appreciate the comments, but please don't let my posts stop you from starting your own. I love OOTP5 dynasties, and would love to read some more. :)

But if you choose not to, I certainly hope you'll continue to read mine. :)

SunDancer: You may think I use some kind of copy and paste to do that, but unfortunately, I haven't figured out a quick and easy way to do it. All I do is copy/paste a Word document copy of the format (each line heading with the column, and so forth). I type in the names and the stats manually. One thing that has helped a lot--moving my screen resolution above 1024x768. Apparently, OOTP only goes up to that resolution, so if you pick higher, OOTP is no longer a screen filler, but a Window. It makes it much easier to go back and forth between the game and the posting window, so I don't forget stuff before I write it down. :)

Keep on reading folks. Technically, I'm still finishing the post above (the last two NL East entries), but once I am done there, we're finally moving on. :)

And you know what that means, Red Sox and Cubs fans!

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

04-12-2003, 10:55 PM

American League Division Series Preview

MINNESOTA TWINS vs BOSTON RED SOX


Twins (88-74), AL Central Champ Red Sox (103-60), AL East Champ

Team AVG: .279 (3rd) .292 (1st)
Team HR: 136 (25th) 182 (10th)
Team Runs: 838 (11th) 999 (1st)

C: A.J. Pierzynski (.290, 4, 53) Jason Varitek (.273, 7, 58)
1B: Doug Mientkiewicz (.304, 19, 88) Kevin Millar (.237, 21, 85)
2B: Luis Rivas (.270, 3, 64) Todd Walker (.311, 12, 72)
3B: Corey Koskie (.329, 15, 89) Shea Hillenbrand (.278, 4, 57)
SS: Christian Guzman (.308, 10, 65) Nomar Garciaparra (.328, 20, 109)
LF: Jacque Jones (.272, 16, 72) Manny Ramirez (.346, 45, 139)
CF: Torii Hunter (.285, 24, 93) Johnny Damon (.298, 8, 70)
RF: Michael Cuddyer (.246, 10, 53) Jeremy Giambi (.314, 18, 92)
DH: Justin Morneau (.371, 1, 21) David Ortiz (.232, 8, 51)

Team ERA: 4.07 (5th) 4.17 (8th)
Team AVG Allowed: .255 (10th) .260 (16th)
Team Runs Allowed: 717 (4th) 748 (9th)

SP: Joe Mays (13-11, 4.10) Pedro Martinez (22-7, 2.36)
SP: Eric Milton (16-14, 4.65) Derek Lowe (17-9, 3.91)
SP: Brad Radke (17-11, 3.91) Tim Wakefield (14-8, 4.81)
SP: Johan A. Santana (12-4, 3.56) Chris Elmore (3-3, 5.55)
SP: Kyle Lohse (4-9, 4.36) Casey Fossum (14-8, 4.61)

CL: J.C. Romero (4-6, 5.18, 14 sv) Chad Fox (4-5, 3.13, 41 sv)
MR: Eddie Guardado (0-4, 3.08, 18 sv) Paxton Crawford (9-2, 3.63, 3 sv)
MR: LaTroy Hawkins (5-6, 4.34) Ramiro Mendoza (5-5, 4.08, 2 sv)
MR: Mike Trombley (3-1, 2.84) Frank Castillo (1-3, 5.46, 1 sv)


Commentary: The Twins are one of the best contact hitting teams in the league, so it has to be scary that they are facing one of the only two teams that are better than them at it--and by a good bit. On top of that, the Red Sox also club a lot more homeruns, and they have a true elite star in Ramirez that the Twins don't really have. Getting through this lineup, which seems to have no holes, sometimes seems impossible. The Sox are going with a Varitek/Mirabelli platoon at catcher, and sitting Trot Nixon in favor of former twin David Ortiz. The Twins will try and add a little power to their more line-drive hitting lineup by adding premier power prospect Morneau to the lineup. He will DH in the series. Fellow rookie Cuddyer will platoon with Bobby Kielty, the regular season RF. With pitching, the Twins apparently have the better staff, across the board, but in a five game series, it's all about the dominating starters. And in this respect, the Red Sox easily have the edge in Cy Young frontrunner Martinez. Having to beat him and that lineup maybe twice in this series seems like an impossible task. Mays gets the first game nod for the Twins. It should be interesting to see if we get to Game 4 and the top starters aren't ready yet, because that would feature maybe the Twins' best starter, Santana, against the BoSox worst, rookie Elmore. Elmore should be a fine starter in the future, but I'm not sure it's smart going with him at #4, instead of Fossum, who will likely not get into a game.

My Prediction: Red Sox in 3. If it isn't in 3, it will go 5, but still be the Sox.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

04-12-2003, 11:49 PM

American League Division Series Preview

OAKLAND ATHLETICS vs NEW YORK YANKEES


Athletics (97-65), AL West Champ Yankees (102-61), AL Wildcard

Team AVG: .275 (5th) .278 (4th)
Team HR: 176 (15th) 203 (4th)
Team Runs: 902 (5th) 978 (2nd)

C: Mitch Meluskey (.302, 11, 73) Jorge Posada (.281, 19, 84)
1B: Scott Hatteburg (.273, 12, 52) Jason Giambi (.310, 32, 121)
2B: Mark Ellis (.270, 6, 54) Alfonso Soriano (.287, 27, 100)
3B: Eric Chavez (.282, 24, 111) Robin Ventura (.268, 23, 103)
SS: Miguel Tejada (.298, 26, 108) Derek Jeter (.275, 11, 63)
LF: Terrence Long (.247, 10, 58) Hideki Matsui (.298, 14, 77)
CF: Chris Singleton (.265, 9, 54) Bernie Williams (.307, 20, 81)
RF: Jermaine Dye (.294, 18, 92) Raul Mondesi (.237, 26, 107)
DH: Erubiel Durazo (.265, 30, 109) Mike Frank (.262, 4, 44)

Team ERA: 4.15 (7th) 4.26 (13th)
Team AVG Allowed: .249 (5th) .267 (20th)
Team Runs Allowed: 737 (7th) 780 (13th)

SP: Barry Zito (17-9, 3.14) Jeff Weaver (17-11, 4.84)
SP: Mark Mulder (22-8, 2.76) Jose Contreras (10-4, 3.08)
SP: Ted Lilly (12-11, 5.37) Mike Mussina (20-10, 3.86)
SP: Rich Harden (4-3, 2.83) Chris Hammond (15-11, 4.65)
SP: Aaron Harang (5-11, 7.65) Andy Pettite (13-8, 3.94)

CL: Keith Foulke (6-2, 2.28, 44 sv) Mariano Rivera (5-3, 1.60, 42 sv)
MR: Jeremy Fikac (8-2, 5.02, 2 sv) Antonio Osuna (2-1, 5.97, 1 sv)
MR: Jim Mecir (3-3, 2.76, 4 sv) Steve Karsay (3-2, 3.44, 4 sv)
MR: Chad Bradford (4-2, 4.87, 3 sv) Juan Acevedo (2-3, 5.81)


Commentary: This should be a tight one, not to mention the recent playoff history between these two teams. Now Giambi is Jeter's teammate, so there won't be any amazing relay throws by the shortstop to cut the tentative-sliding Giambi. But these are also different teams in other ways. The Yankees are still the mashers, scoring their runs with a scary combination of power and hitting ability. Giambi and Soriano are the power center, but rare is the bat in a Yankees lineup that can't hurt you. The A's aren't as strong, through and through, but their big three of Tejada, Chavez and Durazo can battel with anyone, and their lineup as a whole hits almost as well as the Yankees. They are making some interesting decisions with the lefty-righty matchups which might affect things--including replacing Dye against lefties in favor of Adam Piatt, an untested youth. But the difference in this series will probably be the pitching. Zito and Mulder are dominant ace type pitchers who will likely pitch in three of any five-game series, including the first two. Weaver is going up against Zito, and I have to think that is not a favorable matchup for the Yanks. Contreras, is a better matchup for the A's aces, but he is unproven over the longhaul, and he is up against the A's best in Mulder. And the A's could still throw out Harden as well for Game 4. There is one thing up in the air. Tim Hudson, the third of the A's intrepid star pitchers, is recovering from a sore back. He has one day left on the DL at the beginning of the series. My guess is he would replace Lilly in Game 3, and that would be even more frightening for the Yankees, although they do counter with one of their best in Mussina. Another point working against the Yankees is that they currently have it setup for Pettite--perhaps their best proven pitcher--to not even start a game.

My Prediction: A's in 4. Even if the Yanks shuffle their pitchers to give them a better shot, they just don't have the arms anymore.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

04-13-2003, 01:23 AM

National League Division Series Preview

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS vs ATLANTA BRAVES


Giants (88-74), NL Wildcard Braves (93-69), NL East Champ

Team AVG: .263 (14th) .269 (7th)
Team HR: 178 (12th) 177 (13th)
Team Runs: 824 (13th) 863 (9th)

C: Yorvit Torrealba (.287, 6, 41) Javy Lopez (.285, 24, 102)
1B: J.T. Snow (.231, 12, 66) Robert Fick (.289, 22, 78)
2B: Ray Durham (.300, 7, 73) Mark Derosa (.278, 7, 59)
3B: Edgar Alfonzo (.264, 14, 76) Wilson Betemit (.280, 0, 7)
SS: Rich Aurillia (.282, 27, 98) Rafael Furcal (.252, 3, 45)
LF: Barry Bonds (.316, 55, 126) Chipper Jones (.326, 28, 105)
CF: Chad Curtis (.262, 14, 70) Andruw Jones (.254, 24, 107)
RF: Jose Cruz Jr. (.241, 16, 89) Gary Sheffield (.304, 37, 137)

Team ERA: 4.01 (3rd) 4.04 (4th)
Team AVG Allowed: .249 (6th) .243 (3rd)
Team Runs Allowed: 703 (2nd) 720 (5th)

SP: Damian Moss (8-13, 4.74) Russ Ortiz (12-8, 3.75)
SP: Kurt Ainsworth (14-8, 3.51) Jason Marquis (8-5, 4.20)
SP: Jesse Foppert (2-4, 7.20) Paul Byrd (12-9, 3.72)
SP: Jason Schmidt (18-12, 3.64) John Smoltz (19-3, 1.94)
SP: Livan Hernandez (13-8, 4.43) Greg Maddux (15-7, 3.37)

CL: Rob Nen (5-4, 2.89, 26 sv) Ray King (9-10, 4.65, 32 sv)
MR: Felix Rodriguez (4-6, 2.60, 1 sv) J.D. Smart (2-3, 4.27, 3 sv)
MR: Jason Christiansen (5-2, 3.59, 1 sv) Kevin Gryboski (1-4, 5.04, 2 sv)
MR: Chad Zerbe (2-3, 3.13, 2 sv) Yorkis Perez (2-6, 9.42, 2 sv)


Commentary: I can't even begin to grade this one, although I'll certainly give it a shot. If the computer leaves these teams as they are, it just boggles the mind. But then they both seem to be making the same mistake, so maybe it won't matter. Basically, they are both skipping over their best starters, pushing them back to maybe as far back as Game #4. This would hurt both teams, although it would hurt the Braves more, since their #1 is the ultra-dominant Smoltz. I certainly hope the respective AI's come to their senses. Both rotations are set to go with the highest rested starter, so we'll see. Now, back to the numbers. This one is just going to be a nailbiter. The Braves have a better offense, but neither team is a slouch, and the Giants have Bonds. The Braves may also have hurt themselves by choosing superprospect Betemit over Marcus Giles to start at 3B. In fact, Giles--the Braves 3B who had a breakout year--isn't even on the playoff roster (he's down at AAA!). Betemit looks like he will be a great player, but is now the time to find out? Could these equal things on offense? If it does, it could be a critical mistake. The main advantages the Braves enjoy is Smoltz and a superior lineup, so if they give up both, they could be in trouble. Outside of Smoltz, the rotation matches up fairly well. The Braves do seem to throw out the stronger overall starters, and the Giants also have top prospect Foppert--who has not done well--in the rotation instead of Kirk Reuter. In effect, the Giants may be making a Betemit style mistake with their rotation. But the Braves also hurt themselves by possibly placing Maddux at the #5 spot, where he would likely pitch. The bullpen battle clearly goes to the Giants, where they were dominant this year. The Braves have a shaky closer in King and questionable quality depth, so if they don't have the advantage in the lineup or in the rotation or the luxury of two Smoltz starts in five games, this could be a clincher for the Giants.

My Prediction: Braves in 5. I think the AI will come to its senses at least with respect to Smoltz, and that's two likely wins for the Braves. And that's too hard for the Giants--even with Bonds--to overcome.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

04-13-2003, 02:36 AM

National League Division Series Preview

LOS ANGELES DODGERS vs CHICAGO CUBS


Dodgers (90-72), NL West Champ Cubs (93-69), NL Central Champ

Team AVG: .255 (22nd) .264 (13th)
Team HR: 172 (16th) 229 (1st)
Team Runs: 725 (23rd) 878 (6th)

C: Paul Lo Duca (.303, 14, 68) Damian Miller (.257, 17, 69)
1B: Daryle Ward (.230, 23, 80) Morgan Burkhart (.279, 32, 98)
2B: Joe Thurston (.221, 6, 30) Bobby Hill (.248, 14, 54)
3B: Adrian Beltre (.298, 20, 71) Mark Bellhorn (.284, 36, 115)
SS: Alex Cora (.271, 8, 43) Alex S. Gonzalez (.247, 15, 91)
LF: Brian Jordan (.249, 14, 40) Moises Alou (.289, 23, 84)
CF: Dave Roberts (.240, 2, 26) Corey Patterson (.301, 7, 25)
RF: Shawn Green (.293, 37, 115) Sammy Sosa (.320, 49, 122)

Team ERA: 3.98 (2nd) 4.60 (19th)
Team AVG Allowed: .243 (2nd) .255 (9th)
Team Runs Allowed: 705 (3rd) 808 (17th)

SP: Kazuhisa Ishii (9-14, 5.21) Mark Prior (16-7, 3.67)
SP: Victor Alvarez (0-8, 7.47) Matt Clement (15-9, 4.22)
SP: Hideo Nomo (5-15, 4.98) Carlos Zambrano (11-11, 5.38)
SP: Odalis Perez (22-7, 2.06) Shawn Estes (11-9, 4.70)
SP: Kevin Brown (12-5, 4.29) Juan Cruz (4-2, 4.05)

CL: Eric Gagne (12-0, 1.03, 38 sv) Rudy Seanez (4-6, 4.41, 15 sv)
MR: Mike Remlinger (3-5, 2.57, 28 sv) Mark Guthrie (4-2, 3.54, 2 sv)
MR: Giovanni Carrara (1-4, 4.45, 1 sv) Joe Borowski (2-1, 4.40)
MR: Alfredo Gonzalez (6-0, 3.00, 2 sv) Marc Wilkins (6-2, 4.50)


Commentary: I wish I understood why the AI sets things up the way it does. Maybe the lineups just aren't set yet. Or maybe this is just some horrible AI logic. Anyway, the Dodgers' AI seems to be suffering from some of the same problems suffered by the Braves and Giants. Unfortunately for the Dodgers, this means Perez--the only guy close to competing with Smoltz for the Cy Young--may not get the two starts the Dodgers need him to have. And meanwhile, the Cubs are being run right. They are starting their best pitcher, and Prior is a darn good one at that. No starting pitcher on the Dodgers besides Perez can really compare to Prior or the Cubs #2 Clement, so if Perez doesn't get a start opposite one of these two, there's a good chance the Dodgers will falter, especially with their hit-and-miss lineup. The Cubs, meanwhile, look like they have the bats to slaughter some of the guys the Dodgers might run out there. Both teams are hurt by injuries, although they seem to balance out a bit. The Dodgers lost Darren Driefort for at least the divisional series, and the Cubs lost Kerry Wood for pretty much the entire playoffs (he might be able to pitch in a World Series Game 7). Matching starters--they both held about the same position in their respective rotations. Both sides also lost a key reliever. Rod Beck will miss the divisional series for the Cubs, and Guillermo Mota is done for the season for the Dodgers. Basically, the only chance the Dodgers have is if Perez gets two starts, and they get their excellent bullpen into the act. They will need at least one other quality start fromt he rest of the group, but none have proved consistent enough.

My Prediction: Cubs in 4. Even with Perez pitching in the right spot, this would tough for the Dodgers. They just don't match up well with the Cubs. Their one clear strength--the bullpen--needs to be reached with a lead before it can be properly utilized.

Chief Rum

General Mike

04-13-2003, 08:40 AM

Chief Rum,

Generally OOTP does a good job of getting back to the best available rested starter in the playoffs. As long as the ratings hold up, Smoltz, Maddux, Perez, etc. should see early playoff action.

I am worried about the AI being smart and putting Hudson on the playoff roster so they can use him in game 3 against the Evil Empire.

Chief Rum

04-13-2003, 01:33 PM

Thanks for the info, GeneralMike. I kinda thought it would do that, too, but I wasn't sure.

As for the DL, yeah, that could be a concern. But it's countered by something I didn't mention-- the Yankees currently have Mariano Rivera on the DL. He's ready and able to come off, so I figured he would be in for this one, but he's still listed on the DL, too.

I guess we'll just have to play them to find out.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

04-13-2003, 02:55 PM

Division Series Game One

Before I proceed with the first scores and rundowns, I thought I would let you guys know how it will work.

I will have a short game description/commentary, followed by the bolded score, and then a quick rundown of any pertinent stats. So if you don't want to be surprised byt he score--don't flick your eyes down to the score! :)

Minnesota at Boston

The Twins scored early off of Pedro, with a two-run homer by Torii Hunter in the first, and four more runs keyed by a Kevin Millar error in the third. The Sox got four back in the next two innings, with a Jeremy Giambi double, a Johnny Damon triple, and a David Ortiz two-run shot. But the Twins put it away for good, with a five-run seventh, once again allowed to happen by Millar's iffy glove. What is it with the Red Sox playoffs and iffy fielding firstbasemen? The inning, allowed to go on because of Millar's second error, eventually included a bases loaded walk by reliever Wille Banks, and then a grand-slam homerun by Jacque Jones.

Final: Twins 11, Red Sox 4

Other than the blips in the the third and fourth innings, Joe Mays pitched a great game, scattering 10 hits in 8.2 IP and striking out 5. Pedro Martinez seemed more dominant at times, but errors and a few bad pitches undid him. He lasted 6.1 IP, and allowed 3 earned runs--but 9 runs total. He had 8 K. Jones and Corey Koskie went 2-for-4 each. Koskie scored 3 runs, and Jones drove in 5--taking the POTG with him as well. Ortiz was Boston's best at 2-for-three. Only one hitter in either lineup--Boston's Jason varitek--did not get a hit in the game.

Oakland at New York

The A's drew first blood in the second when Eric Chavez clubbed a two-run tater. But the Yankees would quickly press the advantage against an unusually shaky Zito. An Alfonso Soriano solo shot, and a pair of doubles by Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada brought two runs home in the third to tie it up. And then int he fifth, the Yanks moved ahead with a collection of singles, a wild pitch by Zito, and a bases loaded walk--also by Zito. See what I mean by uncharacteristic? Yanks up 5-2. But this ain't over by a longshot. Jeter, of all people, booted a ball in the seventh, allowing a rally to continue that would eventually lead to a bases load single by Erubiel Durazo, and then Chavez's second dinger of the game, a three-run shot. The A"s blasted ahead to a 7-5 lead. The Yanks almost scored in the bottom of the seventh, but Terrence Long cut Jeter down trying to score on a single, anbd Zito worked his way out of a one-out, bases-loaded situation without allowing a run. It was all downhill from there. Each side added another run, and the usually dependable Bernie Williams had his second error of the game, but the most excitement after that was when Zito got Jason Giambi out looking, and then watched as the former Atheltic got himself tossed for arguing the call. The Yankee crowd falls into a hush.

Final: A's 8, Yankees 6

Neither Zito nor Yanks' starter Jeff Weaver were particularly effective. Zito went 8 IP. He allowed 10 hits and 5 earned runs. He had 6 walks, including two intentionals. Weaver let 7 runs go by in 6.2 IP, although only 2 were earned. He walked and struck out four apiece. POTG went to Chavez, of course, who was 3-for-5 with two homers and 5 RBI. He was aided by Long (3-for-4 and gunned Jeter out at the plate). Jeter went 3-for-3, but I doubt that consoled him, since his error in the seventh was the pivotal moment of the game.

San Francisco at Atlanta

The AI did make the right choices, moving up aces John Smoltz and Jason Schmidt into starts here. It seems clear, though, that they were still fatigued, because both were out of the game by the beginning of the fifth inning, despite pitching well. Schmidt allowed a solo shot to Rafeal Furcal in the first, and Smoltz responded in kind, giving up another clear-bases tater to Chad Curtis in the third. This stood as all the scoring in the game until the bottom of the sixth, when it had turned into a tight duel between the two bullpens. Giants' reliever Jason Christansen was unusually shakey in the sixth, though, walking in two runs after the Braves loaded the bases. But the Braves' pen is horrible, so it makes sense they couldn't hold it. Braves pitcher Yorkis Perez--who had a horrible season--walked the bases loaded, and then gave up a bases-clearing triple to Egardo Alfonzo. The Giants had the lead. But they just kept pouring it on, behind a solo shot by Damon Minor in the eighth, and a three-run homer by Alfonzo in the ninth. Giants win, going away.

Final: Giants 9, Braves 3

I said the bullpens could be the difference in this series, and this game is making me look like a prophet. The Giants allowed 2 ER in 5.1 relief IP, while the Braves gave up 8 runs, 7 earned, in 5 IP. The POTG is Alfonzo, of course, who went 3-for-4 and drove in 6 runs. The Braves got just five hits from their offense, and four of them were by Furcal (4-for-4).

Los Angeles at Chicago

A GeneralMike said, the game wised up and put Odalis Perez in to start for the Dodgers here against young Mark Prior. The Cubs didn't care, though. They scored a run in the first with a Mark Bellhorn triple, and then added another in the third when Bobby Hill drove in Bellhorn with a double. Shawn Green notched things up at two with a two-run shot off of Prior in the fourth. But it was all Cubs after that, as they started to chip away. Three homeruns--two solo shots by Moises Alou and Sammy Sosa, and a two-run dinger by Alex Ochoa--led to four runs in three innings. Prior was mostly untouchable, and the Dodgers just managed to get in a mercy run off of reliever Joe Borowski in the ninth.

Final: Cubs 6, Dodgers 3

Prior went 7.2 IP, allowing just 4 hits and 1 walk, and striking out 9. That's some pretty dominating stuff. Perez, perhaps pitching too soon, was more touchable than usual, allowing 8 hits and 3 earned runs in 5.1 IP. Sosa, the POTG, and Bellhorn led a 13-hit attack. Sosa went 3-for-4 with the HR, 2 runs and an RBI, while Bellhorn went 3-for-3 with a triple and a double. Green got two of the Dodgers' five hits and was pretty much solely responsible for what offense they produced. The Cubs did get some bad news--reliever Dave Veres pulled an elbow ligament in the ninth, and will miss the rest of the playoffs.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

04-13-2003, 04:03 PM

Division Series Game Two

Minnesota at Boston

This one went into immediate pitcher's duel mode. Eric Milton got throught he first five innings in scoreless fashion, and allowed just two hits to the mighty Red Sox lineup. Derek Lowe was almost equally as good, giving up just four hits in the first five innings, although he did allow a run in the third when Chrsitian Guzman tripled and was driven home by a sac fly. It all came apart in the top of the sixth for Lowe, though. Two singles and a walk go another Twin home, and then Lowe allowed a three-run homer to Doug Mientkiewicz, breaking the game open. Michael Cuddyer followed with a back-to-back solo shot, and Lowe was done without getting a single out in the sixth inning. Milton continued to be untouchable. He finished the game, allowing just two more hits, and getting a playoff shutout. The Twins padded their score with a two-run shot by Justin Morneau in the eighth inning.

Final: Twins 8, Red Sox 0

Milton's brilliant performance netted him the POTG. He allowed four hits in 9 IP, walked just 1, and struck out 3. Lowe ended up with 6 ER in 5 innings, but that seems strange, given he pitched five fine innings. He just fell apart at a bad team. Mientkiewicz led the way for the Twins' hitters, going 3-for-4 with 3 RBI from his homerun. As if it didn't get bad enough for the Sox, the two runs scored by Morneau's homerun were allowed to happen by--yes--another Kevin Millar error, not the Sox were going to catch them with Milton pitching the way he was. And then Garciaparra hurt himself, suffering a stiff shoulder from a throw in the eighth. He'll be at 90% effectiveness for the remainder of the series. Twins lead the series, 2-0.

Oakland at New York

The AI shuffled the starters again, and came up with Chris Hammond for the Yanks, to go against the A's dominating ace, Mark Mulder. Both choices seemed solid, as they both were pitching well. The Yanks did get to Mulder early, using a Jorge Posada double and a Raul Mondesi single and some small ball to push across two runs in the bottom of the second. The A's seemed to be punchless themselves, although they turned a Hammond walk into a run in the fourth inning, when they maneuvered Mark Ellis over to third and then drove him in on a Scott Hatteburg doubleplay ball. Still, the Yanks had a 2-1 lead after four. Both sides continued to get mowed down. Hammond had control issues today, and he was eventually pulled in the sixth for Jonathon Johnson when Game 1 hero Eric Chavez came to bat. Chavez actually got a single off of Johnson, but then the pitcher got Hatteburg to ground out. Mulder continued to go for the A's, dominating the Yanks' lineup and hoping the A's offense would get it in gear. But it never did. Johnson gave way to Allen Watson, and then interim closer Steve Karsay, and they all did a flawless job.

Final: Yankees 2, A's 1

It's a shame Mulder got a loss, because he did pitch very well, getting an 8 IP complete game. He allowed 2 earned runs and scattered 10 hits and a walk, while striking out 7. Hammond got the POTG for his performance, which, while successful, was a bit more iffy (1 ER in 5.2 IP, 5 walks). Altogether, Oakland had just four hits on the day against Hammond and company. The series is tied, 1-1.

San Francisco at Atlanta

How about this for a story line? Russ Ortiz versus Damian Moss-- traded for each other in the offseason, and both facing their former teams in a pivotal playoff game. And they both stepped it up. Moss's stuff was all over the place, and few Braves hitters could catch up to it. He allowed just 2 hits in 6 IP, although he also walked four batters. Ortiz was giving up more hits (7), but he was dominating in his own way in 6.1 IP of work, with 7 K. When the two starters turned the game over to the pens, the score was still locked up at zero, in a true pitcher's duel. Jason Christiansen and Chad Zerbe shut down the Braves in the seventh and eighth, and J.D. Smart took care of the Giants through the eighth as well, so the score was still scoreless going into the ninth. The Braves trotted out regular closer Ray King. King immediately gave up a double to J.T. Snow, who was subsequently replaced by pinchrunner Neifi Perez. Yorvit Torrealba moved Perez over to third with a sacrifice bunt, and then pinchhitter Damon Minor proved the clincher, hitting a deep fly to center and getting Perez home by a sac fly. Robb Nen came in in the bottom of the ninth to get the save, and the Giants had a hard-earned win.

Final: Giants 1, Braves 0

The Braves got just three hits on the day, and their offense is just doing terrible. Moss got the POTG for his 6-IP, 2-hit performance. Zerbe got the win, and Snow led the way for the Giants, going 3-for-4, including the double which keyed the only score in the game. Giants lead the series, 2-0.

Los Angeles at Chicago

Whereas missing offense seemed to be a theme in the other games, the Cubs and Dodgers couldn't get enough of scoring. The Dodgers started off strong, with Adrian beltre opening the game with a homerun. They would get a collection of singles and walks off of Cubs starter Matt Clement to put up a 3-0 score before the Cubs had even come to the plate. Clement never really found his groove, and was done by the third. The Dodgers scored seven runs in the first four innings of play, five off of Clement. The Cubs weren't quiet themselves scoring a run in the first and third, but going into the bottom of the fourth, they were already down 7-2. They got tough and touched up Dodgers' starter Kazuhisa Ishii for three runs in the fourth, including a two-run homer by Damian Miller. The Cubs didn't score in the fifth, though, and the Dodgers padded their lead with help from a Daryle Ward double. Time was running out for the Cubs, down 8-5 going into the bottom of the sixth. Two rookies dueled there, as Morgan Burkhart faced off with Dodgers' reliever Alfredo Gonzalez. And Burkhart got the better of it with a solo shot. The Cubs would add another run that inning and close to within 8-7. You want irony? Mike Remlinger came in for the Dodgers against the Cubs in the bottom of the seventh, and a horrendous inning of mistakes began with LA. Beltre booted a ball, and Paul LoDuca had a passed ball. This, an intentional walk and a couple key hits netted the Cubs three more runs, as they raced past the Dodgers to get their first lead of the day at 10-8. Mark Guthrie, Kyle Farnsworth and Rudy Seanez proved up to the task Clement didn't and shut the Dodgers down the rest of the way for the harry win.

Final: Cubs 10, Dodgers 8

These two teams scored 18 runs on 29 hits against 11 pitchers in this game. I doubt any pitchers are going to want to reminisce about this one. Clement allowed 5 earned runs in 2+ IP, and was chased without an out in the third. Ishii wasn't much better, also allowing 5 ER, but in 4 IP. Remlinger got tagged with the loss, although only 1 of the 3 runs he allowed was earned. Moises Alou went 3-for-4 with 3 RBI to lead the way, and getting a POTG nod. Alex Ochoa went 3-for-3 and Miller 2-for-5, including the tater. For the Dodgers, surprisingly enough, Alex Cora was the big hitter, at 3-for-4. The Dodgers' first five hitters--none of whom were Cora--all got two hits apiece. Cubs lead the series, 2-0.

Chief Rum

DolphinFan1

04-13-2003, 04:32 PM

My Sox are at it again. What is it with this team and not being able to win in the playoffs?

Great job on the updates and info, Chief. Keep it up.

Chief Rum

04-13-2003, 05:11 PM

Division Series Game Three

The eight teams got a much needed day break before today's games. It should be interesting to see how this will affect future pitching matchups, as all eight teams are going with their highest ranked and rested starter. I still can't believe the Yankees went with Weaver and Hammond, when they have Moose and Pettite available. :)

Boston at Minnesota

As with Game Two, this one started off as a pitcher's duel. The Twin's longtime ace Brad Radke went for them, and the Sox countered with knuckleballer Tim Wakefield. The Twins got a run first, using a Michael Cuddyer single and a Christian Guzman sacrifice fly to get a run in the bottom of the second. Then the BoSox got it back in the fourth, as Kevin Millar--fielding goat of Game 1--doubled in Manny Ramirez in the fourth. The score remained tense and tied through five innings, with the Red Sox's backs to the wall. Wakefield's stuff, as you might expect, was pretty wild. In the bottom of the sixth inning, he walked Jacque Jones with one out. A ground out got Jones to second, and then a Wakefield wild pitch got him to third. It seems fitting that Guzman should manage to eek out an infield hit, and that's what scored Jones and moved the Twins ahead 2-1. Reliever Wille Banks finished off the inning for the Sox, and struck out the first two Twins in the seventh before getting into trouble. He gave up a triple to Doug Mientkiewicz and walked Cuddyer. Paxton Crawford came in, but he couldn't get that third out either, allowing two basehits to drive Mientkiewicz and Cuddyer home. The Twins were now up 4-1, and Radke was still going strong, doing a fine imitation of Milton and his Game 2 complete game. The Sox threatened late, but they couldn't score, and the Twins complete the sweep. Sorry, DolphinFan1.

Final: Twins 4, Red Sox 1

Radke was POTG, going 8.1 IP and allowing the Red Sox just 4 hits. What the heck happened to the Sox' vaunted offense? Radke only threw 96 pitches, and struck out 2. J.C. Romero came in for the save. Wakefield did okay, with 2 earned runs in 5.2 IP. He allowed 7 hits and walked 3. Banks, who allowed the grandslam homer to Jones in Game 1, will probably need to go into the witness protection program with Millar to avoid assassination by angry Red Sox fans. Guzman went 2-for-2 and figured in two of the scoring innings.

New York at Oakland

What GeneralMike mentioned as a possibility seems to be quite true: Tim Hudson is still on the Dl, and will likely remain there, despite being perfectly healthy. The Yanks also lose Rivera, but you can't compare a closer's role to the key Game 3 start Hudson would have garnered. As a result, the A's have to go with shaky Ted Lilly today. The Yanks have Jose Contreras in response. Neither pitcher starts off too well. Lilly was hamstrung by an opening game error by Chavez. The Yanks used that an a couple singles to manufacture a couple runs. Then in the bottom of the first, the A's tied it back up with a two-run homer by Miguel Tejada. In fact, Tejada was proving to be the man for them, as he also hit a solo shot in the third to put them up 3-2. But the Yanks' mighty bats awoke in the fourth inning. Mike Frank and Alfonso Soriano got doubles with one outs, and then a string of three singles got more runs home, putting the Yanks up 6-3. They also chased Lilly. The A's wouldn't get much closer. The teams exhanged a run each over the next inning, but Contreras was just going too strong. In fact, the A's pen should be commended for doing very well in support of Lilly. They shut down his bad inning, and allowed just 1 ER in 5.1 IP. But Contreras and the Yankees' pen was too tough, and the A's offense couldn't generate the difference.

Final: Yankees 7, A's 4

Lilly was horrible, as expected. He went just 3.2 IP, allowing 9 hits and 6 runs, 4 of them earned. He also walked three batters. All told, the Yankees pounded out 16 hits. Soriano went 3-for-6 with 2 doubles, and Derek Jeter went 3-for-5. A surprising contribution came from DH Mike Frank, who also went 3-for-5, and figured in the Yanks big inning with a rally-opening double. The A's weren't too bad themselves with 11 hits, although they got most of them early. Tejada's two bombs put him at 2-for-4 with all 4 of Oakland's RBI. It also netted him the POTG in a losing effort. Contreras went 7 IP and struck out 7. He gave up 9 hits and 4 ER. Steve Karsay is doing a fine imitation of "injured" closer Mariano Rivera, throwing 1.2 scoreless IP to get his second save of the series. The Yanks move ahead in the series, 2-1.

Atlanta at San Francisco

The Braves' backs are to the wall. Nevertheless, they send out Jason Marquis to keep them alive. The Giants start Kurt Ainsworth. Both are young up-and-coming pitchers, but Ainsworth is the one coming off of a fine season. Still, the bats for both sides are pretty quiet early on. The Braves have really struggled on offense, so it was a good sign that they were able to manufacture a run int he top of the first, with a Rafael Furcal walk and stolen base, and a run-scoring single by Chipper Jones. That would be the one blip on the screen for the Braves for a while yet. The Giants tied it up in the bottom of the third when Chad Curtis, having a fine series, got a hold of a Marquis pitch and hit it into the bleachers. The score remained knotted at 1 going into the fifteh, when the Braves finally worked themselves out of their slump and figured out Ainsworth. They scored seven runs in three innings, exploding to an 8-1 lead by the eighth inning. Triples by Andruw Jones and Furcal were the key hits in the first two innings, and a three-run dinger by Javy Lopez was the big run-producer in the top of the seventh (and finally chasing Ainsworth). The Giants weren't done, though. After a day of mostly lost offensive opportunities, the Giants pushed across four in the bottom of the eighth. Edgardo Alfonzo provided most of the offense with a three-run homer that sent Marquis to the showers, and the Giants were only down 3, at 8-5 Braves. The Braves dashed those hopes in the top of the ninth, though, when pinchhitter Johhny Estrada--yes, the Millwood Estrada--hit a two-run homer to put the Giants away for good.

Final: Braves 10, Giants 6

So as it turns out, Marquis was the smart start after all. He didn't pitch great, but he pitched good enough, and the Braves' bats came alive. Marquis went 7.2 IP, scattering 6 hits, and allowing 4 ER. He struck out 5. Ainsworth, the more noted youngster, did far worse, allowing 8 ER in 6.1 IP. He got knocked around for 9 hits and also issued 5 walks. Lopez got the call for POTG, going 3-for-5, with the 3 RBI from his homer. Curtis went 3-for-5 with his homer in a losing effort. The Braves stave off elimination. The Giants still lead the series, 2-1.

Chicago at Los Angeles

Both teams are sending out young pitchers to the mound. The difference is that Carlos Zambrano, the Cubs starter, has proven to be at least a decent pitcher and he has a lot of talent, while Victor Alvarez finished the season with eight straight losses, and doesn't really have much discernible talent. I ahve to think an elimination game is the last thing they need to start Alvarez in, and much to the disgust of solid pitchers like Hideo Nomo and Kevin Brown, watching from the dugout. The Cubs take quick advantage, with Sammy Sosa clubbing a two-run homer off of Alvarez in the first. The teams traded runs in the second inning, and the Cubs had a 3-1 lead. Surprisingly, Alvarez settled down after that, and the Dodgers couldn't egt anything on Zambrano. After five innings, the score was still 3-1. Alvarez started the top of the sixth, though, with a walk, double and a single. He gave way to Alfredo Gonzalez, a rookie whose trips to the mound have given new meaning to the term "arsony". He allowed Alvarez's lasts two runners to score, and would have let more get by if Dave Roberts hadn't thrown Damian Miller out at home on a tag up. The Cubs are now up 6-1, and the Dodgers are on the edge of going home. Apparently, too close to the edge--the Dodgers only mount a late two-run comeback before falling. Cubs win! Cubs win! Cubs win!

Final: Cubs 7, Dodgers 3

The POTG was Miller, who went 3-for-5 with 2 RBI. He was aided by Bobby Hill, who also went 3-for-5. Zambrano went 5.2 IP, scattering 6 hits and allowing just 1 ER. He struck out 5. Alvarez finished with 6 ER allowed in 5 IP, and allowed 9 hits. Paul LoDuca provided much of the Dodgers' paltry offense, going 3-for-4 with a solo homerun. The Cubs eliminate the Dodgers.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

04-13-2003, 05:13 PM

Thanks, DolphinFan1. You got me on the Red Sox. I have no idea why they would choke here. They were clearly the best team in the regular season. Oh well...maybe next year.

Chief Rum

General Mike

04-13-2003, 05:24 PM

Oakland better go back to Zito for game 4, or Im gonna be cryin.

Chief Rum

04-13-2003, 05:29 PM

We'll see, GeneralMike. I have found I don't even know who's going to start until after I sim the game and go back and look. The computer switches often it seems, and the projected starters aren't always the guys that take the mound.

Chief Rum

General Mike

04-13-2003, 05:37 PM

Originally posted by Chief Rum
We'll see, GeneralMike. I have found I don't even know who's going to start until after I sim the game and go back and look. The computer switches often it seems, and the projected starters aren't always the guys that take the mound.

Chief Rum

I know what you mean Chief. In my solo leagues, since I never know whats going to happen if I leave it up to chance, once I make the playoffs, I set the starting pitchers in game, and then use the sim to end option, but that doesn't bother you since your Angels aren't in the playoffs ;)

Chief Rum

04-13-2003, 06:11 PM

Division Series Game Four

New York at Oakland

As GeneralMike hoped, the opening game starters return for Game 4. Barry Zito goes for the A's, and Jeff Weaver for the Yankees. Of course this means that Mussina and Pettite won't pitch for the Yankees at all in this series. Ugh...how stupid. The A's, facing elimination, decide to get Zito the early lead. Erubiel Durazo opens the bottom of the second inning with a solo homerun, and Eric Chavez follows up with a double, eventually scoring on a Scott Hatteburg groundout. Zito shuts down the Yanks through three, so the A's have a 2-0 lead going into the fourth. The teams exchange runs there, moving up to 3-1. Another double by Chavez figured heavily into the A's scoring. Still, both pitchers seem to be going strong. The Yankees inch closer in the sixth inning, when Bernie Williams hits a bases-empty tater, and the score is 3-2. Zito and Weaver both stayed in, and the pitcher's duel axtended to the eighth. That's when former Athletic Jason Giambi got a hold of a pitch and crushed it over the right-centerfield wall, tying the game up. New pitcher Chad Bradford then issued a walk, allowed a single and hit a bitter to load the bases. Another new pitcher, Ricardo Rincon, induced Venurea into a grounder to first, but it was too late to stop the runner. The Yankees had come back and moved ahead of the A's 4-3, after being down all game. Maybe Zito was in too long? Well, it turns out the question is more was Weaver in too long. In the bottom of the eighth, Weaver struck out the first batter, but then allowed a walk and a single. Big Durazo, already with a homerun in the game, came up, and he blasted a ball to deep centerfield. It sailed over the wall, and the A's were excitingly back on top with a 6-4 lead! And that's how it would end up. The A's tied it and forced a Game 5 back in New York.

Final: A's 6, Yankees 4

Zito went 7.1 IP, and allowed just 7 hits. He gave up 2 ER, 3 runs overall, and struckout 4. Weaver's stats weren't far off through the first 7 IP, but that eighth inning made all the difference. He allowed 6 ER on 8 hits in 7.1 IP, and struck out 3. No shock who the POTG was--Durazo went 2-for-4 with 2 HR and 4 RBI. He was ably supported by Chavez, 3-for-3, with 2 runs scored and 2 doubles. For the Yanks, Giambi was the big guy, going 3-for-4 with a homer.

Atlanta at San Francisco

John Smoltz and Jason Schmidt return to the mound to battle it out. The last time, these guys barely pitched (although they pitched well), possibly because of fatigue issues. How long will they last today? Smoltz didn't have his best stuff today, but the Giants couldn't do much with it. They scattered six hits off of him in the first six innings. Schmidt was even more dominating. The Braves couldn't get anything off of him, and had just two hits through six. In the seventh, Schmidt stranded a double by Gar Sheffield. In the bottom frame, Smoltz struck out Darren Bragg, before giving way to J.D. Smart, who finished the rest of the inning without a problem. The score is still 0-0, and the tension is high--especially for the Braves, who seem to be slumping again and in an elimination game. Schmidt put down the Braves 1-2-3 in the eighth. New Braves pitcher Jason Jiminez got two outs in the bottom of the inning, but was replaced by Mike Venafro after he gave up a single to Edgardo Alfonzo. Venafro finished off the Giants, and we go to the ninth. Schmidt struck out Furcal to open the ninth, but he was finally sent to the lockeroom after walking Estrada. New Giants pitcher Joe Nathan flashed his stuff by getting Chipper Jones looking, and then closer Robb Nen threw three strikes by a flailing Andruw Joners. Braves closer Ray King, the goat of Game 2's pitching duel, overcame that and struckout the side in the bottom of the ninth, sending the game to extra innings. In the tenth inning, new pitcher Felix Rodriguez induced three straight groundouts to put the Braves down in order. King returned to the mound for the bottom of the tenth. Young catcher Trey Lunsford batted for Chad Curtis, and got a single off of King to open the inning. Rich Aurillia attempted to sacrifice, but the Braves threw Lunsford out at second. Barry Bonds got a walk (of course), moving Aurillia to second. All this set up Neifi Perez, who drilled a line drive basehit into short left-center. Aurillia rounded third as Chipper Jones got to the ball and heaved it home...but he's too late! Auriliia slides into home safe with the game and series winning run! The Giants beat the Braves in the NLDS for the second year in a row.

Final: Giants 1, Braves 0

The story of the game is the pitching, of course. Schmidt got the POTG nod, allowing just 2 hits in 8.1 scoreless IP. He struck out 6 and walked just 2 batters. Smoltz was almost as good, if not as longlasting. He also didn't allow a run, and scattered 6 hits in 6.1 IP. He struckout 8 in a diminant performance, walking 1 batter. King gets tagged with the loss, his second 1-0 loss in the series, and returns to the everlasting hatred of Braves fans at home. Edgardo Alfonzo is the only hitter in the game with more than one hit. He went 2-for-4. The Giants move on to meet the Cubs!

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

04-13-2003, 06:14 PM

True, Mike, true. Thanks for reminding me. :)

I'm glad it's not an issue for me right now, although I guess we'll see once I get those guys back into the playofs. :)

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

04-13-2003, 06:40 PM

Division Series Game Five

Oakland at New York

The final elimination game is back at Yankees Stadium. Talk about a pressure situation! As usual, the Yankees continue to go with the wrong pitchers (IMO) and are starting Chris Hammond. Of course, Hammond won last time, so who am I to say it's a bad idea? The A's counter with Mark Mulder, who pitched well in game 2, but got edged out in a tight game by Hammond and the Yanks' pen. Last time, the A's couldn't seem to figure Hammond out, despite the fact he wasn't exhibiting great command of his pitches. They had no such problems early on this one. The A's scored in each of the first three innings, putting up 4 runs. Most of the runs were scored by small ball and singles, although the two-run third was keyed by doubles by Miguel Tejada and Scott Hatteburg. Mulder allowed just one hit the first three innings, and the A's led 4-0. The Yankees came storming back after that, though. In the bottom of the fourth, Jorge Posada clubbed a two-run double and Mondesi drove in Posada with a double of his own, moving the Yanks within one. Hammond seemed to settle down and started shutting the A's down, holding them scoreless in his last two innings. Robin Ventura then hit a game-tying solo shot in the bottom of the sixth, and the series was up for grabs again. The Yankees didn't stop there, though. Mulder eliminated a runner with a double play in the seventh inning, but a walk and an infield hit were followed by a key error by leftfielder Terrence Long, allowing the go ahead run to score. After leading for so long, the A's were down 5-4! That just made the A's get tough and try harder--if you recall, they did the same thing last game and won the half-inning after losing the lead. And it happens again here. Antonio Osuna was going for it for the A's. He walked Eric Chavez, who was sacrificed over to second by Hatteburg. New pitcher Steve Karsay gave up a single to Erubiel Durazo, the Game 4 hero, and Chavez scored to tie it up again! Then came a moment of retribution. Eric Byrnes singled to move Durazo's pinchrunner, Jermaine Dye, over to third. This set the stage for the at bat of Long, the player whose error allowed the Yanks to move ahead last inning. Long allowed himself to sleep again by stroking a single to center and scoring Dye. It pretty much went from there. With nothing more than singles, the A's scored five runs total in the inning and jumped out to a 9-5 lead. Mulder shut the Yanks down in the bottom of the eighth, and the A's put it down for good in the ninth, when they scored three more runs on a homerun by--you guessed it--Long. The Yanks wouldn't say die and scored four runs in the bottom of the ninth, but it was too little too late. The A's have finally removed the goat of past failings against the Yankees and are moving on to meet the Twins.

Final: A's 12, Yankees 9

Mulder wasn't quite his dominating self, but he did the job. He went 7.2 IP, and allowed 5 runs, 4 earned. He struck out 3. Hammond allowed 4 ER in 5 IP. He was ably replaced by Osuna, who pitched two scoreless innings before the troubled eighth inning. You have to wonder what the Yankees would have done if they had Mariano Rivera like they should have. Long rightfully got the POTG. How nice is that? Going froma possible goat to the POTG in one inning. Long went 4-for-6, with 6 RBI, including the go ahead run in the eighth--and one error, of course. Byrnes went 3-for-4 and catcher Ramon Hernandez went 3-for5. Four Yankees collected 2 hits each, including Derek Jeter. Altogether, the two teams combined for 21 runs and 30 hits. We are spared a Yankees championship for the third year in a row. :)

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

04-13-2003, 07:22 PM

American League Championship Series Preview

MINNESOTA TWINS vs OAKLAND ATHLETICS


Twins (88-74), AL Central Champ Athletics (97-65), AL West Champ

Team AVG: .275 (5th) .279 (3rd)
Team HR: 176 (15th) 136 (25th)
Team Runs: 902 (5th) 838 (11th)

C: Mitch Meluskey (.302, 11, 73) A.J. Pierzynski (.290, 4, 53)
1B: Scott Hatteburg (.273, 12, 52) Doug Mientkiewicz (.304, 19, 88)
2B: Mark Ellis (.270, 6, 54) Luis Rivas (.270, 3, 64)
3B: Eric Chavez (.282, 24, 111) Corey Koskie (.329, 15, 89)
SS: Miguel Tejada (.298, 26, 108) Christian Guzman (.308, 10, 65)
LF: Terrence Long (.247, 10, 58) Jacque Jones (.272, 16, 72)
CF: Chris Singleton (.265, 9, 54) Torii Hunter (.285, 24, 93)
RF: Jermaine Dye (.294, 18, 92) Michael Cuddyer (.246, 10, 53)
DH: Erubiel Durazo (.265, 30, 109) Justin Morneau (.370, 1, 21)

Team ERA: 4.15 (7th) 4.07 (5th)
Team AVG Allowed: .249 (5th) .255 (10th)
Team Runs Allowed: 737 (7th) 717 (4th)

SP: Ted Lilly (12-11, 5.37) Joe Mays (13-11, 4.10)
SP: Barry Zito (17-9, 3.14) Eric Milton (16-14, 4.65)
SP: Mark Mulder (22-8, 2.76) Brad Radke (17-11, 3.91)
SP: Rich Harden (4-3, 2.83) Johan A. Santana (12-4, 3.56)
SP: Aaron Harang (5-11, 7.65) Kyle Lohse (4-9, 4.36)

CL: Keith Foulke (6-2, 2.28, 44 sv) J.C. Romero (4-6, 5.18, 14 sv)
MR: Jeremy Fikac (8-2, 5.02, 2 sv) Eddie Guardado (0-4, 3.08, 18 sv)
MR: Jim Mecir (3-3, 2.76, 4 sv) LaTroy Hawkins (5-6, 4.34)
MR: Chad Bradford (4-2, 4.87, 3 sv) Mike Trombley (3-1, 2.84)


Commentary: From the looks of things, I'm thinking this is going to be one tight series. The A's seem to have some of the power the Twins lack, but that didn't seem to hurt the Twins against the even more fearsome offense of the Red Sox. The Twins seem to have steady, dependable starters. And the A's have two outright studs and some question marks after that. The real question is, which Twins team will show up? Will it be the one that didn't seem like it would make it out of the AL Central? Or will it be the one that dominated the Red Sox? That may be the question of the series. Hurting the A's is the fact that their late series with the Yankees may push Mulder's first start all the way back to Game 3. This series will also be interesting because it seems likely that both teams will need their fourth starters: possibly the Twins' best pitcher in Johan A. Santana and hotshot rookie stud Rich Harden for the A's. And then, of course, there's always the fact thatthese two teams met last year in the ALDS, and the Twins upset a great A's team.

My Prediction: Twins in 6. I think the inconsistency of Lilly and his more prominent role here is going to cause problems for the A's, who need Mulder and Zito to pitch as often as possible. If they do go to a Game 7, it seems likely Mulder will pitch that game, though, which would make things quite interesting.

Chief Rum

SunDancer

04-13-2003, 07:45 PM

Chief,
Great reports. Must say, does this much detail make you feel so much more connected with the league and the players?

Chief Rum

04-13-2003, 07:50 PM

Thanks, SunDancer. And heck yeah it helps. I'm definitely more in tune with what's going on. And I'm hoping I am conveying some of that to you readers as well, so that we can all be immersed in the league. Maybe you guys will even begin to critique me on my moves. :)

I think we're even going to hit another level in the offseason, when we see how the AI works to improve its teams. I will be looking at the upcoming free agents and some future stars (high-ranked AAA and rookie players) as well, soon. Not to mention making my final decisions on the Angels whose contracts are up or set for arbitration.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

04-13-2003, 08:53 PM

National League Championship Series Preview

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS vs CHICAGO CUBS


Giants (88-74), NL Wildcard Cubs (93-69), NL Central Champ

Team AVG: .263 (14th) .264 (13th)
Team HR: 178 (12th) 229 (1st)
Team Runs: 824 (13th) 878 (6th)

C: Yorvit Torrealba (.287, 6, 41) Damian Miller (.257, 17, 69)
1B: J.T. Snow (.231, 12, 66) Morgan Burkhart (.279, 32, 98)
2B: Ray Durham (.300, 7, 73) Bobby Hill (.248, 14, 54)
3B: Edgar Alfonzo (.264, 14, 76) Mark Bellhorn (.284, 36, 115)
SS: Rich Aurillia (.282, 27, 98) Alex S. Gonzalez (.247, 15, 91)
LF: Barry Bonds (.316, 55, 126) Moises Alou (.289, 23, 84)
CF: Chad Curtis (.262, 14, 70) Corey Patterson (.301, 7, 25)
RF: Jose Cruz Jr. (.241, 16, 89) Sammy Sosa (.320, 49, 122)

Team ERA: 4.01 (3rd) 4.60 (19th)
Team AVG Allowed: .249 (6th) .255 (9th)
Team Runs Allowed: 703 (2nd) 808 (17th)

SP: Damian Moss (8-13, 4.74) Mark Prior (16-7, 3.67)
SP: Jason Schmidt (18-12, 3.64) Matt Clement (15-9, 4.22)
SP: Kurt Ainsworth (14-8, 3.51) Carlos Zambrano (11-11, 5.38)
SP: Jesse Foppert (2-4, 7.20) Shawn Estes (11-9, 4.70)
SP: Livan Hernandez (13-8, 4.43) Juan Cruz (4-2, 4.05)

CL: Rob Nen (5-4, 2.89, 26 sv) Rudy Seanez (4-6, 4.41, 15 sv)
MR: Felix Rodriguez (4-6, 2.60, 1 sv) Mark Guthrie (4-2, 3.54, 2 sv)
MR: Jason Christiansen (5-2, 3.59, 1 sv) Joe Borowski (2-1, 4.40)
MR: Chad Zerbe (2-3, 3.13, 2 sv) Marc Wilkins (6-2, 4.50)


Commentary: It's always nice to have two teams with some history behind them. These two teams go back to the beginning of modern baseball. The Cubs haven't won a World Series since close to the turn of the century, and the Giants haven't won one since before they came out to San Francisco. Also, the Giants beat the Cubs in the '89 NLCS, and the Cubs beat the Giants in a '98 playoff for the wildcard spot. So these two teams meeting certainly leaves its mark in history. As for the actual matchup, it's the classic pitching versus hitting. The Cubs are the majors' most powerful team and one of its best offenses. And few teams can match the rotation or bullpen of the Giants. Neither team is a slouch in the other end either, but it's the clash of team strengths that will likely determine how this series goes. The Dodgers didn't have a great offensive team, so it's hard to tell just how good the Cubs' pitching can be. Prior was dominant, though. That said, they also have depth issues, thanks to the injuries to Kerry Wood and Rod Beck. The Giants' offense did pretty good against the Braves' tough starting pitching, but did they do enough to prove they could produce when needed?

My Predicition: Cubs in 7. I really think this series can go all the way. These teams are that close. If it goes to 7, I have to give the edge to Prior, who just dominated in the NLDS, and might even pitch in three games, depending on how the AI works it.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

04-13-2003, 11:48 PM

Championship Series Game One

Minnesota at Oakland

Zito got the call for the A's, and he went up against Mays. This figures to be a close game. The Twins got on the board quickly, scoring three in the second inning. The bad news for the A's is that it was mostly accomplished by two errors, one by Zito himself and the other by Corey Koskie. Those and a double by Jacque Jones helped to put the Twins up 3-0 early on. On the other end, Mays was going strong until the fifth inning. There, Jermaine Dye smashed a double, driving in Eric Chavez, was on after being hit by a pitch. Then Terrence Long, the hero of ALDS Game 5, came up and clubbed a two-run homer to tie it up. Other than those two big innings, Zito and Mays seemed to continue on their merry way unscathed. Finally, in the top of the seventh, thw Twins used an intentional walk and three singles to push across two runs. The big hit came courtesy of pinch hitter Ruben Salazar, who's single drove in both runs. Mays and closer J.C. Romero made the lead stand up.

Final: Twins 5, A's 3

Mays was very solid, proving his Game 1 win in the ALDS was no fluke. He scattered 7 hits in 8 IP, and allowed 3 ER. Zito wasn't bad either, but he wasn't up to those standards. He also had 8 IP, but he had a lot of baserunners, with 12 hits allowed and 4 walks. He gave up 5 runs, 4 of them earned. Luis Rivas got the POTG nod, going 3-for-5 with a run and an RBI, but the offense was really generated by the combination of his work with that of Torii Hunter and Corey Koskie, both of whom also went 3-for-5. Twins lead the series, 1-0.

San Francisco at Chicago

Jason Schmidt was ready, after all, so he got the shot against Mark prior to start the series off. Neither pitcher started too well, though. In the top of the second, the Giants scored two runs, keyed by a double by Yorvit Torrealba. But that was small potatoes. The Cubs took Schmidt apart in the bottom frame. Schmidt oddly lost control and walked four batters in the inning. Those, doubles by Sammy Sosa and Moises Alou, and a two-run single by Corey Patterson, led to six runs for the Cubbies, and an early shower for Schmidt. J.T. Snow would hit a two-run homer in the fourth, and Barry Bonds a solo shot in the fifth, but the Cubs had already scored all they needed. They also padded the numbers and won going away.

Final: Cubs 9, Giants 5

Prior wasn't very good, allowing 5 ER in 5 IP, but he didn't have to be with the way Schmidt imploded. The Giants relievers did a decent enough job (3 ER in 6.1 IP), but the damage was done. Sosa went 3-for-5 with 3 RBI, and got the POTG award. It could have just as easily been Alou, who went 4-for-4. Meanwhile, the Giants only got 7 hits altogether.

Chief Rum

klayman

04-14-2003, 12:02 AM

What's really bad, is that I'm following this dynasty more than I follow real baseball :)

Go Cubs!

DolphinFan1

04-14-2003, 12:45 AM

Klayman, so am I. Have they started the baseball season yet?

Chief Rum

04-14-2003, 01:42 AM

You guys are a riot. Thanks, though. ;)

Real baseball can be fun still. I spent this last weekend catching highlights of my Angels obliterating the A's and returning the favor for a sweep by them last week.

In this one here, it's tough to say who I want to win. Cubs are a sentimental favorite, but I wouldn't mind the Twins winning either. Although I have nothing really against either team, I can't say I am too excited about the possibility of a Bay Area World Series.

We'll see how it all works out.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

04-14-2003, 02:12 AM

Championship Series Game Two

Minnesota at Oakland

As I suspected, Mark Mulder is not ready to go today--he pitched too recently. The only reason Zito was able to go in Game One was because of the day off between Games Four and Five of the ALDS. So Lilly and his 5.00+ ERA gets the call for the A's. The Twins have no problems with who they are going with--Eric Milton shut the Red Sox out. Still, it was the A's that got on board first. Miguel Tejada doubled to open the second inning and was driven in by a Mark Ellis single. Lilly brought his good stuff today, fortunately for the A's. He shut the Twins down for the first five innings, allowing just three hits. Outside of the run in the second, Milton was similarly strong. In fact, after six innings, Milton had only allowed one hit--a fifth inning double by Ramon Hernandez--by Oakland outside of the two-hit second inning. Lilly, meanwhile, finally let a pitch skate too high int he sixth, and Corey Koskie crushed it to tie the score up at 1. That was stillt he score in the bottom of the seventh, when Tejada--Milton's bane--slammed a two-run tater to left-center, ad return the A's to the lead. Lilly was starting to waver, though, too. In the top of the eighth, he allowed an inning-opening double to Luis Rivas, who would score three batters later on a single by Bobby Kielty. Lilly was replaced by Jim Mecir, who allowed a game-tying single to Doug Mientkiewicz before putting the A's down. So the game is quickly tied once more. Milton was still in, though, and maybe he shouldn't have been. He left a mistake pitch over the plate for Scott Hatteburg, and the first baseman deposited it in the right-center bleachers for a go-ahead solo homerun. Keith Foulke came in the top of the ninth and shut the Twins down for good.

Final: A's 4, Twins 3

Milton got another complete game, although he wasn't as successful at it this time. He threw 8 IP, allowed 7 hits and 4 ER, and he struck out 4. Lilly was very strong, striking out 9 batters in 7.1 IP. He allowed 6 hits and 3 ER, whilke walking just one batter. Tejada got the POTG nod after his homerun and double were a main part of the A's offense. He went 2-for-3 with 2 RBI and 2 runs scored. Kielty went 2-for-3 in a losing effort for the Twins. The series is tied now, 1-1.

San Francisco at Chicago

Matt Clement gets the call tonight for the Cubs. He was lit up pretty hard by the Dodgers, but got away with it because of some great hitting by the Cubs. The Giants throw out Damian Moss, who got a no decision in the first 1-0 game with the Braves. He pitched very well in that game. The Cubs tagged Moss early, getting a run after Bobby Hill got a double in the bottom of the second. He was driven in with a single by Alex S. Gonzalez. Other than that, the score stayed 1-0 for most of the game. Neither side scored any other runs through five innings. In fact, Moss no-hit the Cubs outside of the second inning, while the guy who held the Giants scoreless, Clement, struggled a bit, walking five batters and giving up two hits through six. The Cubs finally got to Moss again, when Alex Ochoa knocked a double to open the inning. He would eventually score on a groundout. Clement needed help to get out of the bottom of the seventh, and reliever Joe Borowski came in and kept the frustrated Giants off the board. Damian Miller then doubled ina third run int he bottom of the seventh to give the Cubs a 3-0 lead. They were just chipping away, and barely holding the Giants down. But that's what they did. Five Cubs relievers, including Borowski, managed to limit the Giants to just a solo shot by pinch hitter Trey Lunsford in the ninth, and the Cubs walked away with the win.

Final: Cubs 3, Giants 1

This game was all about the pitching. The guy who got the loss was actually the best pitcher in the game in many respects. Moss pitched 7 innings, and struck out 10 Cubs. He gave up 6 hits and 3 ER. Clement really struggled with his control, walking 6 in 6.2 IP. Of course, the Giants couldn't reaaly put a bat on his stuff either, as he struck out 7, gave up just 3 hits, and held them scoreless. That seemingly hide-and-seek performance earned him the POTG award. This wasn't a game for hitters. Only two players--the Cubs' Gonzalez and the Giants' J.T. Snow--got more than one hit (they each had two). Cubs lead the series now, 2-0.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

04-14-2003, 02:41 AM

Championship Series Game Three

Oakland at Minnesota

The Twins' workhouse of a pitcher Brad Radke would be taking the ball today. As expected, facing him would be the A's ace Mark Mulder, finally ready to appear in a game. Radke was okay in his game against the Sox, but he didn't dominate. Mulder was very good at times in his two starts against the Yanks, but also shaky at others. The A's got to work early, tagging Radke for runs in the first two innings. Mitch Meluskey hit a solo shot in the first, and Chris Singleton doubled in a run in the second to give the A's a two-run lead. Mulder held up the lead until the third inning. He opened the inning by allowing opening singles to Luis Rivas (who is proving to be a thorn in the A's side) and Torii Hunter. These two would provide us with a pivotal scene to describe twins baseball when they would execute a successful double steal, putting runners at second and third. And sure enough, Doug Mientkiewicz came through, driving them both home with a basehit to left to tie the score. Hunter would figure in things again in the fourth, when he put the Twins ahead with a two-run double. And in the fifth, rookie Justin Morneau singled home Mientkiewicz after the first baseman doubled to reach base. After three straight scoring innings, the Twins were up 5-2. Meanwhile, Radke shook off the early jitters and came through in spades. After the second inning, he threw six innings of shutout ball, scattering three hits. Oakland never had a chance.

Final: Twins 5, A's 2

In total, Radke allowed 7 hits and 2 ER in 8 IP of work. He struck out 4. Mulder, though, looked much more human, allowing 5 ER in 5.2 IP. He also gave up 11 hits. He did strikeout 8, and only walked one, which hints that maybe some of his balls straightened out too much, especially in the middle innings where the Twins did their damage. Hunter got the POTG for going 4-for-4 with 2 RBI. Mientkiewicz went 3-for-4. The Twins lead the series, 2-1.

Chicago at San Francisco

Carlos Zambrano is a youngster who struggled at times this year. He did okay, but didn't really dominate in the NLDS. Kurt Ainsworth, though also young, had a very solid season and had a fine start in the NLDS. So Ainsworth will dominate, right? Right...the Cubbies tagged Ainsworth right from the beginning. Corey Patterson opened the game with a triple, and Damian Miller followed him with a two-run blast. The Cubs would end up scoring three times in the opening frame. Ainsworth kept things under control for two innings after that, but the Cubs weren't to be denied forever. They got another run after Bobby Hill opened things up with a triple. Zambrano himself brought the man home with a sac fly. In the fifth, the Cubs really broke it open. Two singles and two walks into the inning, the Cubs had added two more runs, and Ainsworth was out of the game. They got a third run off of Joe Nathan and left the top of the fifth with a 7-0 lead. Then they nailed it up good with a five run sixth, including doubles by Patterson and Alex S. Gonzalez. With that kind of support, Zambrano needed little help, although he pitched like he did. He threw seven innings of shutout ball, and the Cubs massacred the Giants.

Final Cubs 14, Giants 1

Zambrano had some wild stuff in 7 IP, allowing just two hits, but walking 4. He struck out 5, and generally had his way with the Giants. Ainsowrth allowed 7 ER in 4 IP, and Nathan 5 ER in just 1 IP. It was pretty pathetic. The Giants amassed a grand total of just 3 knocks on the day. There were many heroes on offense for the Cubs, but the game picked Miller for the POTG. The catcher went 3-for-5 with a homerun, a double and 3 RBI. Moises Alou continues a great series, going 4-for-5 with 3 RBI himself, and Patterson went 2-for-4, with a double and a triple. The Cubs may be smelling sweep here, up 3-0 in the series.

Chief Rum

ShagVT

04-14-2003, 10:06 AM

Go Cubs! Wow - I've never seen so many triples. It definitely looks like Alou should be series MVP at this point.

General Mike

04-14-2003, 04:07 PM

Ugg. Why didn't the As take Hudson off the DL?

SunDancer

04-14-2003, 04:08 PM

A Cubs-Twins World Championship? That's something you don't see in reality.

Chief Rum

04-15-2003, 06:11 AM

ShagVT: I haven't actually checked to see if triples are up across the board, but I guess it's possible. Maybe the breaks have just come down that way for the postseason.

As for Alou, he is 9-for-16 for the series, and that includes a 1=for-4 in the next game I am about to post about it. So, yeah, he was 8-for-12 in the first three games. He is hitting .483 through seven games in the 2003 postseason. I didn't look anyone else over, but I'm thinking that would be pretty hard to beat for a series or postseason MVP nod thus far.

General Mike: It appears to be a rather idiotic bug. I don't know why the AI would have roster instructions that would keep an available, good and healthy player on the DL, but that's where we are. It should be noted that the Yankees lost Mariano Rivera in pretty much the same way, and the Cubs are currently going without Rod Beck, who suffered a minor injury in the divisional series and is already healthy. It's altogether stupid as heck, and maybe next year (when I am prepared for it), I will make what changes need to be made. But that's a thought for another time--I'm not sure how far I should go in adjusting computer rosters without it being considered "tampering". I don't want to spoil the legitimacy of the dynasty.

SunDancer: We may not see it here either. Long way to go in these ones. Well, okay, it's unlikely the Giants will come back. :)

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

04-15-2003, 06:34 AM

Championship Series Game Four

Oakland at Minnesota

Well, the AI returned rather quickly to Barry Zito and Joe Mays. Perhaps the top pitchers will get a shot at starting three games of a seven-game series. As they have done in some recent games, the A's jumped on top early. This time, though, they scored more runs than usual, putting a big four up in the top of the second. Mays loaded the bases with a couple walks and a single, but had gotten to two outs, so he almost got out of it. But then he made a mistake pitch to Chris Singleton, and the unlikely hero blasted it away for the second grandslam of the 2003 postseason (Mays' teammate Jacque Jones being the first to accomplish the feat in Game 1 of the ALDS, if you will recall). The A's didn't stop there. In the top of the fourth, they pushed across two more runs, with Singleton again figuring in things with a run-scoring single. Meanwhile, as Mays struggled, Barry Zito was--for the first time, really--Barry Zito. He was untouchable; easily had his best game of the postseason. The Twins were baffled by him all day long, and wouldn't you know it, at the end of it all, he had nearly pitched a two-hit shutout. And one of the two hits was an infield hit. He missed the shutout when he was pulled with one batter in the ninth. They should have just let him finish it.

Final: A's 7, Twins 0

For all of Singleton's accomplishments, I think the game gave the POTG award to the right guy in Zito. He went 8.1 IP, and struck out 9. He allowed 2 hits and only walked one. Counting two errors by his shaky defense, Zito allowed just five baserunners all day, and no one advanced past second. Mays, though, had his first bad performance of the postseason, allowing 6 ER in 4 IP. He also allowed 5 hits and walked 4 batters. Singleton--the #9 batter, BTW--went 2-for-4 with 5 RBI. The series is now tied, 2-2.

Chicago at San Francisco

Neither Mark Prior nor Jason Schmidt were very good in Game 1, but they are the aces of this team, so the AI recalled the two of them to mound action today. The Giants, of course, are trying to stave off an embarrassing sweep, and prolong their postseason another day. The Cubs would like to finish them off, so they can start resting their pitchers for the World Series against a likely fatigued AL opponent. Things went the Cubs way at first. In the top of the second, they used a pair of singles and a fielder's choice groundout to get a run home and take an early lead. But the Giants were tired of getting thrown around, so they finally got back into the swing of things in the third and fourth innings. Jose Cruz Jr. rattled Prior first, clubbing a deep solo homer to left. Cruz has been very silent all postseason, but he came up big here, hitting a 468-foot bomb! Then the Giants scored three more runs in the third, thanks in part to an Edgardo Alfonzo two-run single. SF batted around in the inning. Then in the fourth, they added two more runs. The key hits were doubles by Chad Curtis and, yes, Cruz. He was having a good day. Apparently, this was enough for Schmidt, who put his bad memories of Game 1 behind him, and threw a strong seven innings. The Giants survived for Game 5.

Final: Giants 6, Cubs 1

Schmidt, like Zito, overshadowed a strong offensive performance by a teammate to garner POTG mention. He threw 7 IP, and struck out 8. He allowed just 1 ER, 5 H and 2 BB. Prior was very "Mays-esque" is allowing 6 ER in an eerily similar 4 IP. It feels like the same game was played twice--just the team names were switched. :) Cruz went 2-for-3 with 1 RBI and 2 runs scored. The Giants are still down 3-1, but maybe there's a glimmer of hope.

Chief Rum

SunDancer

04-15-2003, 09:21 AM

Chief, check your pm.

Anrhydeddu

04-15-2003, 12:46 PM

Chief, I finally got around to start reading this and hopefully I'll have a witty comment or two to make. This is going to be a fun read, I can tell already.

Anrhydeddu

04-15-2003, 02:38 PM

I have to say that was one of the best 2 hours of reading (looong lunch) I have had here. This reminded me of the time I started reading your Medieval dynasty. This dynasty, imo, is the single best personal-style dynasty I have ever read! Your history of the Angels was superb, exactly the right tone and balance of highlights and lowlights. (The first ML game I went to was Ryan's Angels in 1976, btw.)

Couple of comments:

Do you know about the Player Watch feature? I haven't tried it out by apparently you can put players in there and it will keep track of their stats and development. This would be good for your minor leaguers (like your cousin and friend), as well as players on other teams.

Sorry about the bugs. I guess when one gets into the game with exacting details, problems do become more apparent. I really hope that 5.10 takes care of at least some of them.

The transactions surprises me, not just the type of players they released but in my careers, I have always seen the AI rapidly pick up released players in FA. In other words, I would see just as many FA signings as I would releases. By the time I get around to looking, there are always no one left worth looking at. But then again, it could be another difference between playing a current league vs a historical league. I know you are aware of this but for others, the AI does not know who any of these players are - just the ratings/age/salaries - which threw a lot of folks screaming why the Yankees would release Clemens. But again, 5.10 seems do a better job at evaluating better.

Keep up the great work (and don't forget about keeping us up to date on Poland).

Chief Rum

04-15-2003, 07:58 PM

Got it, SunDancer, as you know since we talked on AIM. I have my settings here to alert me whenever I get a PM, so I won't be missing any.

Anrhydeddu: It's about time. :)

Thanks for the compliments. This has been a fun one. As you know, I can get very involved in the stats, and baseball is by far the stat-friendliest and most statistically-detailed game in the world.

Also, I'm big into immersion (one of the reasons I love CM, although I know you don't want to hear it ;) ), and going into this kind of detail really allows me to get into the "world" of the league. And I hope I am also allowing others to do the same with that same detail.

Yeah, the bugs are annoying, but I am hoping that 5.10 will fix that. They changed the AI's evaluation of players to better emphasize actual stats for financial purposes (that, I am sure of), but I don't know if they just did it for finances, or if they also did it for AI decision-making. The finances would be a nice addition, but I really think that it's necessary for overall AI decision-making.

I can understand the game releasing players--even great players--if they are doing poorly. Biggio was doing badly for the Astros, for instance. But, man, Clemens might have been the Yanks best pitcher at that point. That just plain sucks. So hopefully the amphasis on stats also extends to AI decision-making. Really, the whole process of AI evaluation of players needs to include more emphasis on stats, and if it does, the rest of the routines should take care of their own.

Yeah, I haven't put the Player Watch feature to good use yet. Seems like a neat little thing, but I wasn't sure I needed it. But, yeah, I think putting my cousin and my friend on there would be a great idea. Also, I could start to add "unfairly released" players to the list, or vets approaching milestones. I definitely think I could put this feature to better use.

I'm jealous. I never got to see Ryan pitch in person. Saw him a lot on TV, of course. I was only seven when he left the Angels, and I don't remember any games from that long ago (my earliest clear memory of one was in '80, when I was a Little Leaguer, and we got to stand on the field of the Big A and see the players up close. It was a bunch of OC Little Leagues, so there were hundreds of 8-9 year olds. :) ). I was too afraid to approach any of the players (I didn't know if I could or not).

Don't worry about the warriors of the Great Northern Kingdom. The travails of Poland are never far from my mind, and I will return to that.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

04-16-2003, 01:48 AM

Championship Series Game Five

Oakland at Minnesota

Eric Milton and Ted Lilly return to duty for this one, as GeneralMike rolls his eyes about Hudson not pitching this one. ;) With the series tied up, this has to be considered a pivotal game. Whoever wins will have the advantage going into the last two games in Oakland. The A's have been really good at taking early leads of late and this game is no different. They score three runs in the first two innings. Terrence Long scored after a double in the first, and Scott Hatteburg's double in the second was a key hit in a two-run inning. Bobby Kielty got a couple runs back for the Twins in the bottoms of the second and fourth with solo homeruns, but they were still down 3-2. The A's scored another in the fifth with a Miguel Tejada solo shot, but then Kielty went back to his antics again in the bottom of the inning, doubling in Torii Hunter (who had also doubled). This has beena very seesaw game so far, although the A's have just managed to maintain their lead. They extended by another run in the seventh, tanks in part to a double by Adam Piatt. But in the bottom of the seventh, the Twins finally bridged the gap when Hunter clubbed a game-tying two-run homerun. The game was tied, and both Milton and Lilly were out of the game. This one is up to the pens. The eighth and ninth innings go by without anyone crossing the plate, so this critical game is going to extras. In the top of the tenth inning, Twins closer J.C. Romero gets one out, but hung a pitch to Hatteburg. The firstbaseman crushed it to deep left-center, and the A's had a 6-5 lead. Kent Foulke was flawless in the bottom of the inning, putting the Twins down 1-2-3, and the A's are now a game away from the Series.

Final: A's 6, Twins 5

Neither starter lasted long, nor really deserved to. Lilly went 6 IP, and allowed 4 ER and 8 H. Milton only lasted 5.2 IP and let 3 ER get by. Chad Harville was the pitching star, throwing three scoreless innings late in the game and getting the win. Despite being ont he losing end, Kielty was given the POTG award for going 3-for-5 with 2 runs, 3 RBI, 2 HR and a double. Hunter also went 3-for-5, with a HR and double, but it did them little good. The A"s were more well-rounded on offense, getting top contributions from Hatteburg, who went 3-for-5 and hit the go-ahead homerun, and Piatt, who also went 3-for-5. The A's lead the series, 3-2.

Chicago at San Francisco

This one should be fun. :) Matt Clement and Damian Moss are the starters today, but I'll just go ahead and let you all know they don't pitch particularly well. This one was going to be a barnburner from the beginning. The Cubs pushed a run across in the second with a Damian Miller double, then they broke open a good lead with four runs in the third. Moss got in trouble with some walks, and then the runs were scored on a two-run single by Sammy Sosa and a follow-up two-run jack by Mark Bellhorn. Clements' strong performance lasted until the fourth inning, when he let his team's 5-0 lead evaporate. The Giants stormed back with four runs of their own, most of which came in on a Yorvit Torrealba three-run tater, and pushing the score to 5-4 Cubs. It took the Giants a couple more innings to get past the Cubs, but when they did, they put another four-spot up, across two innings. Jose Cruz Jr. clubbed a two-run homer in the sixth, and Torrealba came through again in the seventh, with a two-run homer, and giving the Giants an 8-5 lead. Can the Giants hold off elimination for another day? Not if the Cubs have anything to do about it. Corey Patterson hit a two-run single in the eighth to move the Cubs within one at 8-7. But they were still down going into the ninth inning. And the Giants had one of baseball's best finishers on the mound in Robb Nen. Not that the Cubs care! Moises Alou opened things up with a single, and was replaced on the basepaths by Kimera Bartee. After a walk to Sosa, Bellhorn drove a single into rightfield, scoring Bartee with the game-tying run! But the Giants could still get out of this one tied. They intentionally walked Bobby Hill, loading the bases. But it didn't work. Alex S. Gonzalez smacked a shot down the left field line, and when all was said and done, two more Cubs were home and Gonzalez was standing on second. The Cubs tagged on some more runs, but the Giants were done anyway.

Final: Cubs 13, Giants 8

Obviously, this one was all about the offenses, with 21 runs and 24 hits by both sides. Bellhorn got the POTG nod, going 4-for-5, with 3 runs and 3 RBI each. He was most ably supported by Gonzalez, who also went 4-for-5. For the Giants, Torrealba figured in much of their scoring and finsihed his season on a fine note, going 4-for-5 with 5 RBI. The pitching was horrible, of course, and Nen finished off his season with 5 ER while not getting a single out. That's right, folks--the Giants are eliminated, and the CUBS ARE GOING TO THE WORLD SERIES! I can't even begin to tell you how long it's been--I just know it's been a long, long time. The 30s? I know Babe Ruth did his famous "calling the shot" against the Cubbies in '32. Was that the last time we saw these guys in the Series? Wow...

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

04-16-2003, 02:27 AM

Championship Series Game Six

Minnesota at Oakland

It seems almost like it came out of nowhere. After Game Three of the ALCS, the Twins had a 2-1 series lead over the A's after sweeping the Red Sox. Just two games later--including a Game 5 extra inning thriller--the Twins are on the brink of elimination, and the A's potentially on the verge of chasing away the ghosts of recent lost postseasons. The Twins will go with the steady Brad Radke, and the A's are throwing their best in Mark Mulder. Radke came out on top in Game 3. Could he do it again? The A's quickly answered that question. They used three singles and an error by DOug Mientkiewicz to get two runs on the board and take the early lead. After Mulder took care of the business in the top of the second, they came back for more--and once again, the Twins were hurt by an error, this time by Luis Rivas. After Terrence Long got on with the error, Game Four hero Chris Singleton crushed a two-run homerun to move the A's up to 4-0. Two batters after Singleton, Miguel Tejada tripled in a third run, and Radke was done for the day--having not gotten even one out in the second. Tejada would eventually come in on a sac fly, giving the A's a 6-0 lead. Mulder went to work on the other end, and really came through. He allowed just two hits in seven innings, and was dominating the Twins, much like Zito had. Unfortunately for the A's, though, the Twins still had some punch left, and Mulder was a tired pitcher in the eighth inning. Torii Hunter hot a two-run double, and Corey Koskie followed it with a two-run longball to bring the Twins within two of the A's. Then in the ninth, Keith Foulke came in, which usually marks an easy three outs and an Oakland victory. But not so easy this time. Justin Morneau and Michael Cuddyer greeted him with back-to-back singles, putting the tying run on first. A fielder's choice put runners at the corners. A.J. Pierzynski lifted a fly to center, and Morneau tagged up. Singleton had designs on getting him at home, but his throw went wild, putting the tying run at second, and the A's barely hanging on to a 6-5 lead. Rivas--he of the key second inning error--was all that stood between the A's and the World Series. So Rivas...flew out to right-center. Game over.

Final: A's 6, Twins 5

It's a tale of two pitchers. For all the damage he was tagged with at the end, Mulder pitched a strong game, striking out 9 and scattering 6 hits in 7.2 IP. He allowed 4 ER in that span. Meanwhile, Radke was given credit for just 1+ IP, and he allowed 6 ER in what will no doubt be a start that stays heavy on his mind throughout the offseason. Singleton's late error did not stop him from receiving the POTG award. He went 1-for-3, with the two-run homer in the second. Personally, I think I would have given it to Tejada (2-for-4, 2 runs, 1 RBI, with a triple). But who cares? The A's are in the World Series--their first trip since 1990, when they lost to the Reds. And the first visit by this era of A's, predictaed by many to reach this exalted point much sooner than 2003.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

04-17-2003, 03:49 AM

2003 World Series Preview

CHICAGO CUBS vs OAKLAND ATHLETICS


Cubs (93-69), NL Central Champ Athletics (97-65), AL West Champ

Team AVG: .264 (13th) .275 (5th)
Team HR: 229 (1st) 176 (15th)
Team Runs: 878 (6th) 902 (5th)

C: Damian Miller (.257, 17, 69) Mitch Meluskey (.302, 11, 73)
1B: Morgan Burkhart (.279, 32, 98) Scott Hatteburg (.273, 12, 52)
2B: Bobby Hill (.248, 14, 54) Mark Ellis (.270, 6, 54)
3B: Mark Bellhorn (.284, 36, 115) Eric Chavez (.282, 24, 111)
SS: Alex S. Gonzalez (.247, 15, 91) Miguel Tejada (.298, 26, 108)
LF: Moises Alou (.289, 23, 84) Terrence Long (.247, 10, 58)
CF: Corey Patterson (.301, 7, 25) Chris Singleton (.265, 9, 54)
RF: Sammy Sosa (.320, 49, 122) Jermaine Dye (.294, 18, 92)
DH: Alex Ochoa (.273, 18, 62) Erubiel Durazo (.265, 30, 109)

Team ERA: 4.60 (19th) 4.15 (7th)
Team AVG Allowed: .255 (9th) .249 (5th)
Team Runs Allowed: 808 (17th) 737 (7th)

SP: Mark Prior (16-7, 3.67) Barry Zito (17-9, 3.14)
SP: Matt Clement (15-9, 4.22) Mark Mulder (22-8, 2.76)
SP: Carlos Zambrano (11-11, 5.38) Tim Hudson (11-7, 4.32)
SP: Shawn Estes (11-9, 4.70) Ted Lilly (12-11, 5.37)
SP: Juan Cruz (4-2, 4.05) Rich Harden (4-3, 2.83)

CL: Rudy Seanez (4-6, 4.41, 15 sv) Keith Foulke (6-2, 2.28, 44 sv)
MR: Mark Guthrie (4-2, 3.54, 2 sv) Jeremy Fikac (8-2, 5.02, 2 sv)
MR: Rod Beck (3-2, 5.25) Jim Mecir (3-3, 2.76, 4 sv)
MR: Marc Wilkins (6-2, 4.50) Chad Bradford (4-2, 4.87, 3 sv)



Commentary: I did it. I couldn't take the DL thing anymore, and I figured a break between series was a fine time to make changes. Also, I didn't want this Series to be decided because a team didn't have someone they should have. I have been lucky so far, because the Cubs and A's were the two teams hurt worst by this, but someone has to lose this thing, and I don't want to give either team an excuse. :) So I sent down Aaron Harang and put Tim Hudson back on the active roster. And I sent down a needless third centerfielder in Kimera Bartee, and put Rod Beck back on the active roster. And if he heals fast enough, I will also put Kerry Wood back on the Cubs roster. He is scheduled to be down for another week, so he could conceivably be available for a Game 6 or a Game 7. Now, as for this Series, I think it could be a tough one for the Cubs. The A's have pitching and hitting. So do the Cubs. But they just don't look as strong out there. The only area they match up with the A's is power, which they have aplenty. But will that be enough? The Cubs have been playing well, and the A's have struggled to put away their opponents in both of the previous series. But I really think the A's are the better team, so this should be a very interesting matchup.

My Prediction: A's in 6. The Cubs will steal a couple, but the A's will end up taking it, prolonging the Cubs' curse for at least another year. Of course, it should be noted that I am only batting .500 in my predictions so far this postseason.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

04-17-2003, 04:37 AM

2003 World Series Game One

Chicago at Oakland

Game One goes to the aces, of course. Barry Zito and Mark Prior get the call in this one, so I am hoping for a tight and exciting game. Zito actually starts off in trouble, allowing two Series opening singles, but he managed to work his way out of the jam without giving up a run. Prior wasn't so lucky. It's amazing to me how the A's keep jumping out to early leads. If these were real players, I would think the A's' opponents would be falling apart from the stress. Anyway, Prior let two runners get on base when Miguel Tejada hit a double and Erubiel Durazo drew a walk. Still, he had gotten two outs and looked like he might get out of it when Eric Chavez smashed a three-run shot over the right-center wall. So the A's jumped to a 3-0 lead before the first inning was up. Zito continued to be shaky, allowing two more hits in the second, and walking two batters in the third. He didn't get his first 1-2-3 inning until the fourth inning. Nevertheless, he held the Cubs scoreless up to that point. The A"s were quiet themselves until the bottom of the fourth, when Jermaine Dye doubled, and eventually scored on a Prior wild pitch. 4-0 A's. Zito was rolling now. He eliminated a hit in the fifth with a double play, and he had another 1-2-3 inning in the sixth. In the bottom of the sixth, Dye went to work again, this time hitting a solo homerun. The Cubs finally got to Zito in the seventh, although he had already gotten two outs by the time they did anything. Damian Miller got on with a single, and then advanced to second on a passed ball by Mitch Meluskey. Then Morgan Burkhart drove him home with another single. But it wasn't nearly enough. Zito and the A's dominated this one.

Final: A's 5, Cubs 1

Zito gets the POTG, as he should have. He pitched a complete game, 7-hitter, allowing just 1 ER. He walked 2, and struck out 7. Prior was all over the place. He only allowed 3 hits, but he walked 4 batters and struck out 5 in 5 IP. That says his ball was all over the place. Neither he nor the hitters knew very well where it was headed, it seems. Dye went 2-for-3, woth 2 runs and 1 RBI. Chavez went 2-for-4 with 3 RBI from his first inning jack. A's take the early Series lead, 1-0.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

04-17-2003, 04:55 AM

2003 World Series Game Two

Chicago at Oakland

The Cubs got a pleasant surprise today when the A's determined Mark Mulder, the staff ace, isn't quite recovered yet from his ALCS Game 6 start against the Twins. So the A's are going with Tim Hudson today, in his first start of the postseason. The Cubs are countering with Matt Clement, who has been up-and-down this November. He has pitched well in spots, and he started the Cubs' series clinching win over the Giants, but he was tagged hard in a game that was won by the offense, not pitching. The first inning was quick and easy, as both pitchers put their sides down without letting a run go by. The second inning wasn't so quiet. Hudson gave up a single to Moises Alou, and then young Bobby Hill hit a two-run homer to left-center to give the Cubs their first lead of the series. It didn't last long, though, since the A's used a walk, two singles and a sac fly to tie the game up in the bottom of the inning. In the third, Sammy Sosa slammed Hudson's first pitch deep over the wall in center, so you know this was going to be a bad inning for Hudson. After that solo shot, the Cubs added three more runs, with the help of doubles by Damian Miller and Hill again. And that was it for Hudson--his debut was not so hot. Continuing the tit-for-tat, the A's charged back with two in the bottom of the third, courtesy of an Erubiel Durazo two-run dinger. After just three innings, the score was already 6-4 and one starter was out of the game. The Cubs jumped all over Hudson's replacement, Chad Harville, in the fourth inning, as Morgan Burkhart clubbed a three-run homerun after Harville walked the first two batters in the inning. Now, the Cubs had a commanding 9-4 lead. The A's finally stopped coming back, and it was cruise control the rest of the way.

Final: Cubs 13, A's 5

No A's pitcher escaped unharmed, and there were four of them. Hudson let 5 ER go in 2.1 IP, with 7 hits and 6 runs total. Harville let 3 ER go by in 1.1 IP. Clement wasn't so hot himself, allowing 4 ER, 4 hits and 4 BB in 6.1 IP, but you don't have to be that good when your offense played the way the Cubs' did. Former DL mate Rod Beck pitched out the rest of the game, going 2.2 IP, and allowing 1 ER. The Cubs had 16 hits, and only Corey Patterson went 0-fer (going 0-for-6, ouch). Hill gets the POTG award, going 4-for-5 with 2 runs and 3 RBI, thanks in part to a homer and a double. Burkhart went 2-for-5 with 3 RBI and 2 runs. We're tied up at 1-1.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

04-17-2003, 05:27 AM

2003 World Series Game Three

Oakland at Chicago

After a day off, the two teams start up again at Wrigley Field. The good news for Game Two for the Cubs was avoiding Mark Mulder. The bad news is that you have to face him eventually, and today is the day. Mulder will face off with the young Carlos Zambrano. Zambrano has had some good appearances this postseason, but Mulder has been very good. This should be a tough one for the Cubs--and in a key game, too. One bonus for the Cubs--Erubiel Durazo, the A's powerful DH, is on the bench. Both pitchers get through the first without trouble. In the top of the second, though, the A's drew first blood, when Terrence Long reached on an infield hit, and Chris Singleton doubled him in to give Oakland a 1-0 lead. That was just an appetizer, though--the A's really lit into Zambrano in the third. A Mark Ellis single and a free pass to Jermaine Dye turned into three runs when Miguel Tejada drove a Zambrano pitch over the right-field wall. And to pile it on some, Eric Chavez followed Tejada with a solo shot, going back-to-back, and chasing Zambrano. Joe Borkowski got the last two outs of the inning, but the A's were up 5-0 with their best pitcher on the mound. The Cubs used a walk, a single and some small ball to finally get on the board, but 5-1 isn't much better than where they were before. And the A's are just cruel. Would you believe that in the top of the fifth, they hit another pair of back-to-back homeruns? And get this--it was Tejada and Chavez again! Wow! Someone go check Elias to see if that's ever happened before, period, much less in a postseason game. Need I go on? The Cubs are done in this one.

Final: A's 9, Cubs 3

Ouch. Good thing Mulder will at best pitch in just two games. He allowed 3 ER in 8.1 IP, scattering 7 hits and striking out 5 Cubs. Zambrano will want to forget this one, allowing 5 ER in 2+ IP. POTG goes to Tejada, who went 3-for-5 with 4 RBI and two jacks. Chavez could have gotten it, too, going 3-for-4, with 3 runs, 2 RBI and, of course, also 2 homers. Sammy Sosa was 1-for-2, with 2 RBI, 2 BB and a HR, but he needed more help from his teammates. The A's move ahead in the Series, 2-1.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

04-17-2003, 06:00 AM

2003 World Series Game Four

Oakland at Chicago

Back to the beginning. Barry Zito and Mark Prior return, in a rematch of Game One, a game in which Zito clearly outpitched Prior. Which Prior will show up today? From the early going, it appears that the good one is here. But Zito is the same, too. These guys allow just a run apiece through six innings. The A's got their run in the top of the second. Eric Chavez doubled, and then got driven home by a Scott Hatteburg single. The Cubs tied it up in the bottom of the fifth with an identical set up--a Bobby Hill double, followed by a run-scoring single by Alex S. Gonzalez. The 1-1 pitcher's duel went into the seventh inning, as Prior set the A's down again. Zito finally falters, though, in the bottom of the seventh. After walking Hill, Zito gave up back-to-back doubles by pinch hitter Angel Echevarria and Damian Miller, scoring two runs. Alex Ochoa then drives Miler in with a single. The Cubs are on top, 4-1, in a must-win game. The Cubs perhaps make a key mistake here, though, replacing Prior with Kyle Farnsworth in the top of the eighth. Farnsworth gets the first two outs, but gives up a single to Chavez, and is removed for Dave Veres. Veres then gives up a run-scoring double to Mitch Meluskey, and a follow up RBI single by pinch hitter Erubiel Durazo. After Durazo's pinch runner, Bobby Crosby, advanced to second on an error by Morgan Burkhart, Eric Byrnes brought him home, and the A's had tied it up again, 4-4. This is how it was going into the ninth inning. Mark Guthrie was pitching for the Cubs, but he allowed a leadoff single to Mark Ellis. He was replaced by closer Rudy Seanez--too late? Jermaine Dye moved Ellis to second, and two batter later, Chavez drove Ellis, the go-ahead run, home with a single. Dominating A's closer Keith Foulke was on the mound now. Had the Cubs blown it? A must-win game, and they had a three-run lead against one of the best pitchers in baseball, and they blew it. They had just one more chance to make things right, and Foulke isn't an easy guy to do it on. Miller flew out to deep left-center for the first out. Lightly-regarded and late-maturing SS Charles Gipson--a defensive replacement in the eighth, came up to bat for just his second at bat in the entire postseason...and he stroked a soft single to shallow center. Hey, whatever works, right? The Cubs had a runner on. Corey Patterson hit for Guthrie, but all he does is hit a grounder to Hatteburg at first base. Hatteburg gets the force at second on Gipson, but the relay throw is too late to get the decent-of-foot-speed Patterson. One out more for the A's, and the Cubs still have the tying run on first. The fans are on their feet, hoping for a miracle. And coming to the plate is...Alex Ochoa?!? Well, not exactly story book. Could he do it? Foulke and Ochoa go eye-to-eye, and the pitch is on its way...CRACK! Ochoa gets around on it hard and the ball leaps off his bat toward center field. Patterson is around second as the ball continues to rise. Terrence Long backs up to the ivy, trying to keep an eye on the ball. But he'll never catch that one as it sails far over the wall for a 428-foot, two-run gamewinning homerun! CUBS WIN!

Final: Cubs 6, A's 5

Wow, in real life, that would be a very memorable game, especially with the Cubs looking at being down 3-1 if they lost. The true ridicule of this, though, is that Prior gets the POTG--showing he never should have been taken out in the first place. He was pinch hit for during the Cubs three-run seventh, but they had already scored two go-ahead runs before he came up. Why take him out? He threw 7 IP, and dominated with 11 strikeouts. He allowed just 3 hits, and 1 ER. Heck, Veres allowed 3 hits without recording a single out in the A's comeback eighth inning. Zito was very good himself until the seventh, which warped his stats. He went 7 IP, and allowed 4 ER, with 6 K. The ninth inning hero, Ochoa, went 2-for-5 with 3 RBI, and Hill went 2-for-3 and scored 2 runs. No other Cubs had more than one hit, as the offense was spread around some. For the A's, the only hitter of note was Chavez, who was the Man for Oakland, going 3-for-4, with 2 runs and 1 RBI. The Cubs have tied this one up, 2-2, and a trip back to Oakland is guaranteed.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

04-17-2003, 06:04 AM

Sorry to leave you guys hanging, but it's time for bed. I have work in a few hours. I should be able to wrap up the World Series Thursday night.

What will happen? Heck, if I know...I'm simming one game at a time, so I'm only finding out a little bit before you guys are. :)

Chief Rum

Anrhydeddu

04-17-2003, 09:27 AM

Go A's.

ShagVT

04-17-2003, 09:36 AM

GO CUBS!

Chief Rum

04-17-2003, 07:31 PM

I don't know, Bucc. Shag just seems to want it more. :)

Time to find out what the game thinks...

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

04-17-2003, 07:55 PM

2003 World Series Game Five

Oakland at Chicago

The day is rainy and cold at Wrigley today, causing a 30 minute rain delay. Tim Hudson and Matt Clement return to the mound in a rematch of Game Two. Neither pitcher was strong in that game, and Hudson was out very early. Clement's performances have been spotty this year, and Game Two was Hudson's first of the postseason. Could we see another offensive slugfest today? To the game we go. If first innings are a judge, yes, this one will be high scoring. The A's jumped all over Clement. A single, a walk, and another single brought the first run home, but Clement got the next two batters and looked like he might escape relatively unscathed. Alas, he uncorked a pitch in Scott Hatteburg's wheel-well, who promptly drove it down the rightfield line. Two more runs scored, and Hatteburg had a double. Corey Patterson greeted Hudson equally rudely, smashing a solo shot to open things in the bottom of the inning. Unfortunately, for the Cubs their early scoring stopped there. Both teams settled into chip away mode. The Cubs scored single runs in the second and fourth innings, and the A's added another run in the third. The A's clinged to a 4-3 lead through the middle innings. Clement was removed in favor of Mark Guthrie after five innings, and Hudson went six, so the game remained close after the starters left the game. In the top of the seventh, Eric Chavez padded the A's lead with a bases-empty dinger, then pinch hitter Ramon hernandez tagged another one in the eighth. The Cubs were looking at a 6-3 deficit in another key game. Mark Bellhorn, who has been mostly silent in the Series, moved them one step closer with a solo homerun in the eighth, but they were still down two runs when the A's came up again in the ninth. That's when Oakland put it out of reach--in a rather sad display of poor baseball, the Cubs committed two errors, one by pitcher Dave Veres and the other by Sammy Sosa of all people, and those combined with a walk, some singles and some small ball to produce four more runs for the A's.

Final: A's 10, Cubs 4

Hudson finally pitched a little closer to the Hudson we know, although he was far from perfect. He allowed 3 ER in 6 IP, and struck out 8 Cubs. He walked 1 and allowed 7 hits. Clement, once again, was eminently hittable, allowing 7 hits and 3 walks in 4.2 IP. He was responsible for 4 ER. As in Game Four, Veres was once again awful. Only 1 of the 4 runs he allowed was earned, but it's hard not to fault him when he was the one to make the first critical error in the inning. Chavez and Miguel Tejada both went 2-for-5, but it was the Cubs' Bellhorn who got the POTG nod in a losing cause. He went 3-for-4 with 3 runs and 2 RBI. A's CF Chris Singleton suffered a bruised neck trying to make a catch, and his effectiveness may be limited for the next two days (although he isn't expected to miss any time). The A's lead now, 3-2, and a championship may be within their grasp.

Chief Rum

klayman

04-17-2003, 10:32 PM

I swear if the Cubs don't win, I'm never following baseball again.

Oh man, if I only had a dime everytime I've said that!

Chief Rum

04-17-2003, 11:08 PM

2003 World Series Game Six

Chicago at Oakland

Well, I tried. Apparently you have to do promotions/demotions during the breaks between series. Had I known this, I would have pulled Kerry Wood off the DL from the very beginning, so that he would be available in a long series. Alas, I did not know this, and Wood will have to remain on the DL for the rest of the Series. Today's matchup is a rematch of Game Three, between the A's best starter Mark Mulder, and young Carlos Zambrano of the Cubs. The A's took Zambrano apart in the last one, so this is not a good sign. Wood almost certainly would have been started over Zambrano. Is this the end for the Cubs, or can they beat Mulder and the odds to force a Game 7? In the first, Mulder gets into immediate trouble allowing a leadoff single and then a walk, but he manages to get out of the inning without letting a run go by. Zambrano is done in by his infield, as Bobby Hill fumbled a grounder by Mark Ellis to put the first runner on. Two singles later, and the A's had a 1-0 lead. Zambrano set the rest down, and thus began an intense pitcher's duel between the two young pitchers, one proven and the other still trying to prove himself. After the game-opening single, Mulder was on fire. He didn't give up a hit for seven innings, finishing off the seventh inning with just one hit allowed. Zambrano nearly matched him, allowing just two hits after the first inning through the sixth. But Zambrano didn't help himself in the seventh, walking Jermaine Dye to open the inning. Dye would steal second, and then come around two batters later on a Terrence Long double. So the A's moved up to 2-0 through seven innings, and the crowd was beginning to get into it. Mulder finally gave up another hit in the top of the eighth, allowing a single to Game Four hero Alex Ochoa. But he would strike the next batter out and wipe out Ochoa with a double play. Zambrano held his own as well, walking just one batter in the bottom of the eighth and keeping the A's within two. The Cubs' last chance has arrived. Can they come back again, against one of the hottest pitchers? Yes, perhaps wary of Keith Foulke's troubles in Game Four, the A's kept Mulder in the game when the ninth inning started. The A's are just three outs away from winning the World Series. Can they do it? Not if the defense doesn't step it up. Leadoff hitter Morgan Burkhart gets on base when Ellis boots a ball. Next up, Hill gets a hold of one and drives it to deep left-center, but it falls short for the first out. Moises Alou then skies another one, this time to straight center, and it also falls for an out. Two done, one to go, and a championship on the line. Up at the plate is Cub great Sammy Sosa. Mulder throws tot he plate, Sosa comes around hard on it and hits a hard liner into leftfield. It drops for a basehit! Burkhart rounds third and scores easily. 2-1 A's! The tying run is on first now. The A's are starting to get concerned, so now they bring in Foulke, crossing their fingers he has better stuff today than he did three days ago in Chicago. Mark Bellhorn is due up, but the Cubs send up Corey Patterson instead to pinch hit for him. Foulke and Patterson battle it out, and Foulke gets two strikes on the young future star talent. He winds up and sends a sharp fastball on the outside corner. Patterson tenses, begins to step into the ball. But he senses it is outside, so he freezes up, holds back. The ball strikes Mitch Meluskey's mitt. "Strike!" the umpire calls out. Foulke leaps off the mound in joy as his teammates mob him. In the background, Patterson, deflated, lets the bat fall softly to the home plate dirt, and with the bat go the eternal hopes of all Cubs fans, dashed once again.

Final: A's 2, Cubs 1

Can there be any doubt that Mulder is one of the true greats in the game at the moment? He didn't end up finishing it off, but he came damn close. He outpitched Zambrano having one of his best days ever. He went 8.2 IP, allowed just 4 hits. Just 1 run, unearned, was scored off of him. He struck out 6, and walked just 1 batter. He, also, of course, got the POTG award. It's a shame Zambrano's great start was watsed, because he was very solid, pitching a complete game 8 IP, and allowing just 2 runs, 1 earned, and 6 hits. He struck out 7 A's, and walked 2. Obviously, this wasn't a day for offense; no single player on either team got more than one hit in the game.

The A's win the series, 4-2, strangely enough the exact prediction I made. I guess if you make enough predictions, you'll eventually back into making the correct one. :)

The game doesn't select a World Series MVP, so I went ahead and did so. The winner of the 2003 World Series MVP is Oakland 3B Eric Chavez. Chavez hit safely in all six World Series games. He went 12-for-23 for a .522 average. He hit 3 doubles and 4 homeruns. He also scored 9 runs, and drove in 7 RBI. He pretty much dominated. A close second was Mulder, who had a 1.58 ERA in 2 starts, both victories. He struck out 11 and allowed just 11 hits in 17 total IP.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE OAKLAND ATHLETICS, YOUR 2003 WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS!!!

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

04-17-2003, 11:09 PM

Ouch. Sorry, klayman. :)

I'm glad you have a history of reneging on that oath. :)

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

04-18-2003, 12:42 AM

2003 Rookie Of The Year

The game declared the winners of the ROY awards for the two leagues.

American League: LF Hideki Matsui (NYA)

Let the debate begin. It's no surprise that Matsui would win it, but one might make the argument that a player who competed for years in Japan's professional league should not be eligible for this award. That said, Ichiro Suzuki won it in 2001, so it's certainly too late for "should haves". Matsui hit .298, hit 14 HR, and drove in 77 RBI in 383 at bats. He missed a month of action early in the season due to a broken hand. Other contenders for the award were BAL CF Darnell McDonald (.285, 8, 48), CLE LF Henri Stanley (.253, 15, 62), ANA LF Robb Quinlan (.305, 14, 58), KC SP Mike MacDougal (11-16, 4.05), TB SP Bobby Seay (7-14, 4.13), NYA SP Jose Conteras (10-4, 3.08), and ANA RP Francisco Rodriguez (5-4, 2.33).

National League: 1B Morgan Burkhart (CHC)

This is the year for older rookies. Burkhart, a natural rookie, is actually older than the more "experienced" Matsui. Burkhart had a storybook season. He was a little used 31-year-old reserve for the Royals who was dealt to the Cubs in April to be a stopgap 1B option. By the end of the year, he had proven to be far more than a stopgap, and he was starting at 1B in the World Series. Burhart hit .279, with 32 HR and 98 RBI in 506 at bats. Burkhart won the award over PHI's CF Marlon Byrd (.256, 17, 75), NYM 3B Ty Wigginton (.280, 25, 72), LF Jack Cust (.258, 22, 81), STL Shawn Boyd (.267, 17, 73), and FLA SP Justin Wayne (7-13, 4.55).

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

04-18-2003, 01:36 AM

2003 Cy Young

The game declared the winners of the Cy Young award, given to the best pitcher in each league.

American League: SP Freddy Garcia (SEA)

This one was a bit of a shock. Yes, Garcia had the best record in the majors--three more wins than anyone else, in fact--but he was far behind Pedro Martinez in other key areas. Garcia finished with a 25-4 record, a 2.81 ERA, and 173 K. He threw 269.0 IP, allowed 202 hits, and limited opposing hitters to a .207 average. He was third in the AL in ERA, and fourth in strikeouts. Other contenders for the award were BOS SP Pedro Martinez (22-7, 2.36), OAK SP Mark Mulder (22-8, 2.76) and SP Barry Zito (17-9, 3.14), NYA SP Mike Mussina (20-10, 3.86) and CL Mariano Rivera (44 sv, 1.60), and SEA CL Kazutoshi Sasaki (42 sv, 1.64).

National League: SP Odalis Perez (LA)

For as great as John Smoltz was for the most of the year, I can't blame the game for picking Perez. This guy was just wonderful this year, and it's amazing that he was able to match Smoltz after the latter's hot start and three straight Pitcher of the Month awards to start the season. Perez finished with an NL-best 22-7 record, a 2nd best 2.06 ERA and 6th with 205 K. He allowed just 161 hits and 47 walks in 235.1 IP, limiting opposing hitters to a paltry .191 average. Other contenders for the award were, of course, ATL SP John Smoltz (19-3, 1.94), STL SP Matt Morris (17-7, 3.08) and CL Jason Isringhausen (38 sv, 1.64), SD SP Brian Lawrence (17-12, 3.09), CIN SP Scott Williamson (15-6, 3.15), and LA CL Eric Gagne (12-0, 38 sv, 1.03).

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

04-18-2003, 01:49 AM

2003 Most Valuable Player

The game declared the winners of the MVP award for both leagues, given to the best players in the leagues.

American League: LF Manny Ramirez (BOS)

This is about as anticlimactic as you might expect. The game did indeed recognize that Manny Ramirez won the Triple Crown, despite tying with Anaheim's Troy Glaus in HR. He was just phenomenal--one of the best seasons of all time. He hit .346, with 45 HR and 139 RBI. All were league-leading totals. His nearest competitors were BOS teammate SS Nomar Garciaparra (.318, 20, 109), NYA 1B Jason Giambi (.310, 32, 121) and TEX SS Alex Rodriguez (.301, 37, 109).

National League: 1B Todd Helton (COL)

This award was nearly as obvious as Ramirez was. Todd Helton, Coors-Field-inflated stats or not, had one of the all time great seasons, and nearly became the first player to hit .400 or higher since Ted Williams hit .406 in 1941. As it was, Helton was far ahead of the pack at .388. He also hit 36 HR and drove in 119 RBI. Other candidates for the award were COL teammate RF Larry Walker (.337, 23, 112), ATL 3B Chipper Jones (.326, 28, 105), HOU 2B Jeff Kent (.322, 26, 115), CHC RF Sammy Sosa (.320, 49, 122), and SF LF Barry Bonds (.316, 55, 126). Truth be told, the list goes well beyond that--it was a good year for elite NL hitters.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

04-18-2003, 01:55 AM

2003 Gold Glove Winners

These awards were given by the game to the finest fielders in baseball this season.

American League

Pitcher: Mike Maroth (DET)
Catcher: Ben Davis (SEA)
First Base: Doug Mientkiewicz (MIN)
Second Base: Pokey Reese (CHW)
Third Base: Eric Chavez (OAK)
Shortstop: Alez Rodriguez (TEX)
Left Field: Gabe Kapler (KC)
Center Field: Torii Hunter (MIN)
Right Field: Ichiro Suzuki (SEA)

National League

Pitcher: Josh Fogg (PIT)
Catcher: Mike Lieberthal (PHI)
First Base: Todd Helton (COL)
Second Base: Roberto Alomar (NYM)
Third Base: Scott Rolen (STL)
Shortstop: Royce Clayton (MIL)
Left Field: Craig A. Wilson (PIT)
Center Field: Jim Edmonds (STL)
Right Field: J.D. Drew (STL)

Chief Rum

MrBug708

04-18-2003, 02:05 AM

Chief, none of the Angels won anything. Way to go.....

*shake his head*

Chief Rum

04-18-2003, 08:40 PM

Yeah, yeah...shaddap! :D

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

04-18-2003, 11:05 PM

Angels' Final Decisions

It was fun to get away fromt he one-team focus and give an all-around picture of the league, and I enjoyed doing the postseason as well, but let's face it: I'm here for one reason, and that's to put the Angels where the A's currently are. So it's somewhat of a relief to return to the job of trying to improve this team.

The offseason will begin shortly. I will have a look at the needs of the teams in MLB, and I will take a look at the free agents on the market. I will also check out who retired, and who the potential future stars are.

But first things first. I have some financial decisions to make. The following players are free agents to be, and I made my decision on them months ago. Here they are, once again, all being released to free agency:

RF Tim Salmon
SS Benji Gil
RF Eric Owens

Salmon is being let go because of his age (34), contract demands (he wanted a 4-year contract), and a ready replacement (O'Keefe). Gil and Owens are veteran backups for whom I have a number of minor league replacements available.

Originally, Brad Fullmer was listed here as well, but I traded him away to the Yankees in July for Randy Choate.

Additionally, I also signed SP Roger Clemens to a one-year deal, and he will be a free agent, too. I never intended to sign him to a longer deal, and also still feel that would unfairly take advantage of a bad AI decision on the part of the Yankees. My fear, of course, is that he will choose to retire and never reach 4,000 strikeouts.

The decisions are most needed for the following players, all of whom are arbitration eligible. The figures which follow are their current contracts, and in parentheses, the figures provided by a new feature of OOTP5, arbitraion estimates.

SP Jarrod Washburn-- $3.93 M ($3.30 M)
SP Ramon Ortiz-- $2.39 M ($1.62 M)
SS David Eckstein-- $2.18 M ($2.42 M)
MR Lou Pote-- $915 K ($920 K)
2B Adam Kennedy-- $601 K ($440 K)
C Benji Molina-- $457 K ($ 340 K)
2B Jose Nieves-- $350 K (minimum)

MR Ben Weber-- minimum ($920 K)
DH Shawn Wooten-- minimum ($550 K)
C Jose Molina-- minimum ($440 K)
RF Jeff DaVanon-- minimim (minimum)
SP Matt Wise-- minimum ($500 K)
RF Julio Ramirez-- minimum (minimum)

There is a clear separation between two groups of players. The first group have already received their first big arbitration contracts, and you would suspect they will only go up marginally, percentage-wise. The second group are still in their first three years, making minimum. This group usually makes a much larger jump in the first year of arbitration.

I should also note that, while this is my first time using the arbitration estimate feature, I have read reports that these figures often come in low. This is actually fine by me, because I planned for much higher salaries for some of these players than the listed estimates, so I figure things will even out.

In addition, one player in the previous group who is no longer with us is MR Scott Schoenweiss, whom I shipped to the Astros in July. Obviously, a decision is no longer required for him.

We did add two players in July trading that now also need decisions. They are MR Randy Choate and SP John Thomson. Choate is making the minimum, and the computer is pegging him at a heft raise up to $1.15 M. That's actually the biggest predicted raise by the $300K group. Thomson is currently making a maddeningly overpriced $2.39 M, and the computer is justifyingly calling for a drop to $1.54 M.

All told, these 15 players represent about $15.3 M. Going by the computer's estimates, if I were to keep them all (which I won't), they would be signed up for almost exactly $15 M, so just a short drop in salary. My actual bet is that the figure will end up somewhere near $20 M, which is quite a bit more significant.

But, like I said, I'm not keeping everyone. So maybe $15 M (effectively, no real change in the numbers) will be the target after all.

Decisions Already Made

From the first group, Washburn and Eckstein are easy choices to keep. Ortiz was an easy decision, but his poor performance this year has put that consideration into question. That said, I figure he isn't going to get much more than he's being paid now, and he's talented enough to keep around for another year at least.

Nieves is a definite cut. I just don't need a minor leaguer making more than the dirt scratch minor leaguers normally get.

From the first group, I still have decisions to make on Benji Molina, Pote, Kennedy, and now Thomson.

From the second group, Weber, Wooten and Wise--the three W's--are definitely returning. Ramirez and DaVanon are both gone, for similar reasons as Nieves.

Choate and Jose Molina are awaiting a decision.

Decision Time

C Benji Molina and C Jose Molina-- As a real life Angel fan, the decision on Benji is not an easy one. Confounding matters is his brother. The futures of these two are inextricably linked--not just because they are brothers, but because they are both angling for the same spot, backup catcher. With Wooten moving to the starting spot permanently next season, I only need a backup catcher. Since Benji Molina is not considered to be a great hitting talent (.219, 1, 13), and the roster set didn't give him the Gold Glove-level defensive skills he has in real life, I just can't see keeping him over his brother. While Jose is no better behind the plate, he is thought to have considerably more upside as a hitter (.229, 7, 47). So I am letting Benji go, and keeping Jose.

MR Lou Pote-- Pote is a solid reliever (4.04 ERA), but I am deep in the pen, and with Weber getting a raise, I just can't afford to keep him around. So I'm letting Pote go. He should get a nice contract from someone in free agency.

2B Adam Kennedy-- I originally listed Kennedy as a player to bring back in a backup role and as insurance in case Chone Figgins doesn't do as well in the bigs as he did in AAA, but Kennedy's horrible performance (.225, 3, 43) this year had me considering dropping him after all. But then he got an across the board talent jump, and his arbitration number doesn't look to bad. He's 27, so it's not likely he will take advantage of the talent jump, but it is within reason that this was just a bad year for him, and that I scould still use the insurance. Plus, I could always deal him.

SP John Thomson-- Thomson is a tough decision. He was horrible for Texas this year, and his overall numbers weren't strong either. But he did pitch well for us, and we can use options in the rotation with only Washburn coming off of a consistent and strong season. Plus, Stoneman's report on him indicates he isn't without talent, so maybe this season was an abberation. So I'm going to play it risky and keep him on for another year.

MR Randy Choate-- Choate is looking at a very nice raise, which is usually bad news for a reliever. That said, I'm letting Pote go in part to keep Choate, plus Choate is young, has some talent abd is left-handed--the latter of which I pretty much have no one else for. So Choate is in.

So to recap: Washburn, Eckstein, Ortiz, Weber, Wise, Wooten, Jose Molina, Kennedy, Thomson and Coate are going to be kept on the team. Nieves, Ramirez, DaVanon, Benji Molina and Pote are going to be released prior to arbitration.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

04-19-2003, 01:10 AM

Before I move on to the next step, I thought I would point out that the computer has made some odd decisions with signing and releasing players all year.

I'm not going to save them from all the stupid decisions they make, but I thought I could at least help out with the stupidest. Some teams signed players to multi-year contracts at the beginning of the year, and then released them somewhere during the year. I thought this was extremely stupid, so I edited these teams' cash totals to return the values of the contracts beyond this year. So, in other words, if Player A was signed this season to a $500 K, 2-year contract, I added $500 K (for the unused second year of the contract) to the team's cash totals.

I didn't do anything else to change these totals, though, and I can only hope a bunch of the early releases are related to the fact that we're using an edited roster set, which may have different formats/compositions than the game is used to.

Probably the biggest payback was to Detroit, which got more than $11 M back for the last two years of Dave Justice's contract.

Chief Rum

DolphinFan1

04-19-2003, 03:13 AM

Chief, Great read. I really enjoyed this dynasty. Keep it up. I can't imagine the time you spent going into detail on almost every team. You really put people in the game.

Chief Rum

04-19-2003, 04:39 AM

Future Stars, Part I

I thought this would be a good time to go over some of the possible future stars of the league. These are guys who appear to be close to major league ready or who have already had some limited appearances in the majors, and who may be about to break out and become new stars in the league.

It's a good time for me to do this, because I haven't pressed the season button yet, so I still have stats for minor leaguers. They do keep these stats now, apparently, but I won't be able to sort them after the new seasons starts, or see them on the top prospects list. :)

The talent ratings rate, in order, Average Hitting Ability, Hitting Doubles, Slugging Homeruns, Drawing Walks, and Avoiding Strikeouts. I skipped Triples to make the ratings a little more readable. If you're not familiar with the talent ratings, they go P=Poor, F=Fair, A=Average, G=Good, and B=Brilliant.

CATCHERS

Trey Lunsford, San Francisco-- 3.5 stars

Talent: GFAAA
Stats: .257, 9, 45 at AAA

Lunsford has a nice stroke, which he displayed with a few at bats in the postseason for the Giants. He may still need some more development time, but with Benito Santiago released, there's a backup spot open behind Yorvit Torrealba.

Gerald Laird, Texas-- 3.5 stars

Talent: GGFAA
Stats: .246, 9, 48 at AAA

Laird is another catcher with a nice stroke, although he doesn't have the natural power Lunsford has. He should be a good gap hitter, though, and he excels defensively, witha plus arm. He could be a Gold Glover in the future, and with Einar Diaz being a practical non-entity for the Rangers right now, he should get a shot at the starting job.

FIRST BASEMEN

Mark Teixeira, Texas-- 5.0 stars

Talent: BGGGG
Stats: .257, 17, 64 at AAA

Teixeira is the #5 prospect in the league, and is considered to be one of the true future stars. He has the ability to win batting titles in his career, and hit 30 HRs while doing it. This guy does it all at the plate. With Rafael Pameiro approaching 40, Teixeira should be in Texas permanently next year.

Walter Young, Pittsburgh-- 3.5 stars

Talent: AABFA
Stats: .276, 20, 81 at AAA

Young has great power, and could be a 40-HR guy in the future. He is also handy with the bat in other ways, and could easily become one of the better run=producers in baseball. He would fit in better in the AL, where his utter lack of defensive ability could be hidden at DH. Randall Simon is at first base right now, but it's only a matter of time before the cost-conscious Pirates move him to make way for Young.

Justin Morneau, Minnesota-- 4.5 stars

Talent: GGGAA
Stats: .318, 17, 67 at AAA

Morneau, of course, played a prominent role for the Twins in the postseason, so you may already be quite familiar with him. Morneau can hit for both average and power, and he hits for the gaps, too. He even plays a decent 1B. Technically, the Twins seem set with Mientkiewicz at first and Cuddyer at DH, but my guess is Morneau at DH in the postseason (with Cuddyer in RF) is a sign of things to come.

Luis Garcia, Cleveland-- 2.0 stars

Talent: AFGPG
Stats: .301, 21, 77 at AAA

By his talent alone, Garcia might not warrant much notice, but when you combine a season of both top-level average and power at AAA with the Indians' glaring weakness at 1B (Karim Garcia), you have a prime opportunity here. Gracia may not be a very patient hitter, but he has talent in the right spots. He has the capability of putting up a solid average with 25-30 HR power.

John Gall, St. Louis-- 2.5 stars

Talent: AGAFG
Stats: .300, 18, 72 at AAA

Gall is a very well-rounded hitter. He is best hitting for the gaps, but he can hit for some power as well. He should develop a nice stroke and be tough to strikeout. He had one of the better seasons at AAA this year, so there's even hope he can go beyond his listed talents. And it looks like he could get the opportunity, since Tino Martinez was released, and Eli Marrero--a backup type of player--had an awful season trying to replace Martinez at first.

Craig Brazell, New York (N)-- 3.0 stars

Talent: AFGAF
Stats: .249, 29, 94

Can you tell first base is a deep position in this up-and-coming class? Brazell is one of those that may have slipped under the radar, but there seems to be little doubt he can play. He had some of the best power numbers in AAA this year, and scouts indicate he could do it in the majors one day, too. The average is a worry, but he has the ability to hit much better there, and overall be a very solid run producer. Mo Vaughn mans the first base spot right now, but if he continues to hit .246 with poor defense, Brazell may not have to wait long to get some serious PT with the big club.

SECOND BASEMEN

Chone Figgins, Anaheim-- 2.5 stars

Talent: AFFAB
Stats: .317, 3, 63 at AAA

Figgins doesn't strike one as being an elite talent, but with few apparent stars coming soon at the position, he might be the best of the bunch. He has the ability to develop a nice stroke in the bigs, and he is a speed burner who combines an excellent eye and a patient approach at the plate. As such, he might be an ideal leadoff man. He is decent, but not spectacular at second, and given his natural speed, his average range may actually be a bit disappointing. Still, he will get first crack at the Angels' starting second base job in 2004.

THIRD BASEMEN

Chase Utley, Philadelphia-- 5.0 stars

Talent: BFGAB
Stats: .283, 9, 78 at AAA

Utley, the #21 prospect, has the scary combination skills whereby he has the great line drove stroke to hit well above .300 consistently, combined with being extremely well-disciplined at the plate. Toss on solid 30 HR power potential, and you can see why the Phillies weren't really that worried in letting Scott Rolen go a year-and-a-half ago. Tyler Houston and David Bell combine to play a decent 3B for the Phils now, but I can't see either of them getting in this kid's way for long.

Chad Tracy, Arizona-- 5.0 stars

Talent: BAGAG
Stats: .359, 10, 67 at AAA

Tracy put his bat where his talent is, leading all AAA hitters with a .359 average. He also did well in a short stint at the majors. Tracy has the ability to contend for batting titles, and has some good pop in the bat as well. Arizona might have been a lot better last year if Tracy had been a little closer to ready to replace the aging Matt Williams. Russ Davis starts for Arizona at 3B right now, but Tracy could beat him out for the spot.

Xavier Nady, San Diego-- 4.5 stars

Talent: GABGF
Stats: .293, 11, 59 at AAA

Nady, the #35 prospect overall, is another in a fine line of up-and-coming 3B. Nady reminds some of Mark McGwire--except he has .300 average hitting ability. He has tremendous power and great patience at the plate. Listed as a 3B, Nady is actually considered to be more natural and skilled at 1B. At either position, though, he sits behind either the Padres' best young player (3B Sean Burroughs) or its best current hitter (1B Ryan Klesko). They need to find a way to get Nady into the lineup.

Wilson Betemit, Atlanta-- 4.5 stars

Talent: GGGAF
Stats: .306, 7, 48 at AAA, .280 in 100 AB in majors

Betemit is another player to whom we got a postseason introduction, to the point that the Braves' brass played him over Marcus Giles, another young player who had a fine season at 3B. Betemit, #61 overall, has the classic .300 stroke, and could reach 30-homerun capability with solid gap power. He plays both a good short and a good third base, and his presence in the postseason lineup can only mean this guy is going to be getting regular at bats next year in some form.

SHORTSTOPS

Bobby Crosby, Oakland-- 3.5 stars

Talent: BGFAA
Stats: .239, 0, 5 in majors

Crosby, ranked #40 in the league, had the strange situation of serving an apprenticeship with the world champion A's as a backup middlie infielder all year. He got a ring for his troubles, but it can only be hoped the limited playing time he got (just 47 AB) won't hurt his longterm potential. That potential says that he can be an elite batsman with strong power to the gaps. He can play both short and second serviceably well, but he does face the same situation next year, in that A's superstar Miguel Tejada and the highly-regarded Mark Ellis are both ahead of him in the lineup.

LEFT FIELDERS

Joe Borchard, Chicago (A)-- 4.5 stars

Talent: GGBAG
Stats: .290, 33, 85 at AAA

There seems to be little this guy can't do with the bat. Borchard, currently ranked 49th among prospects, can be expected to approach .300 with consistency, and he can absolutely power the ball. He is a future contender for homerun titles and probably MVPs as well. He does have a problem, though--the White Sox are stacked in the outfield right now, with Carlos Lee, Aaron Rowand and Magglio Ordonez manning the spots. Even DH isn't clear--it features longtime Pale Hose power bat Frank Thomas. It should be interesting to see if the White Sox try and move someone to make room for Borchard, because he's ready to play now.

Dave Kelton, Cubs-- 4.5 stars

Talent: ABGGG
Stats: .302, 14, 68 at AAA

Kelton, ranked 64th on the list, doesn't really stand out in any specific way. It's more the overall solidity of his all around game. He won't .300 all the time, but he's no slouch. He has terrific power to the gaps, and he should eventually be able to turn on the ball for some 30 HRs as well. He is a professional hitter at the plate, showing great patience. Kelton displays fine range in LF as well, although he is actually a natural 3B. The emergence of Mark Bellhorn for the Cubs has put up a roadblock for Kelton, and left field doesn't get any easier with Moises Alou manning the spot.

Steve Stanley, Oakland-- 4.0 stars

Talent: GGFGG
Stats: .256, 11, 43 at AAA

Stanley, at #77 on the prospect list, can do everything, it seems, except jack the ball out of the park. He's a line drive hitter who makes good contact and is great at hitting for the gaps. He has solid plate discipline and is hard to strikeout. He is also fast and smart on the basepaths, and is a plus defender with range in both left and center. He's even behind one of the A's weakest starters in Terrence Long, who, despite a strong postseason, never really hit his stride this past season. The only thing holding Stanley back is that it looks like he may need another year of seasoning in AAA.

Juan Rivera, New York (A)-- 2.5 stars

Talent: FBAAB
Stats: .327, 10, 62 at AAA

No, Rivera doesn't really wow you with his overall talent, and he may not even hit for enough power to justify the low average that will likely come with it. But it's hard to ignore a solid season like he has enjoyed at AAA, and you have to wonder if he might be able to bring his patient, gap-power swing to the Yankees and provide a cheap alternative in the outfield or at DH for once. It figures to be an uphill struggle for the time being, though, unless the Yankees move Raul Mondesi, or start Rivera over another young hitter, Mike Frank, at DH.

CENTERFIELDERS

Choo Freeman, Colorado-- 4.5 stars

Talent: GFGAA
Stats: .295, 3, 8 in majors, .330, 2, 14 in 88 AB at AAA

Like Crosby with Oakland, the talented Freeman spent much of 2003 serving as a backup outfielder for the Rockies. He doesn't figure to be a backup for long, though. Freeman, #48 overall, has a good stroke, and a strong power bat that, in Coors Field, just might break 40 HR a year with consistency. He also has good speed on base, and fine range in centerfield. He may have to continue to bide his time in his backup role for another year, though, with top young talent Jack Cust, solid power hitter Preston Wilson, and smooth-hitting vet Larry Walker currently taking up spots in Coors Field's spacious outfield.

Wilkin Ruan, Los Angeles-- 3.5 stars

Talent: GFAAA
Stats: .297, 8, 33 at AAA

Ruan is a rangy, speedy hitter who is already displaying a plus bat at AAA, albeit short of the power he is believed to possess. He should be a consistent .300 hitter with 20 HR pop, he's msart on the basepaths, and he's very solid in both left and center field. With Brian Jordan coming off of a bad year, Kenny Lofton not getting any younger, and Dave Roberts suffering a horrible sophomore slump, the opportunity is there for Ruan to make an immediate impact on a playoff team.

Tim Raines, Jr., Baltimore-- 3.0 stars

Talent: AAAFA
Stats: .303, 3, 60

Raines takes after his father, but he hits for more power. Raines brings utter excitement to the game when he's on his game. He received his father's greatest genetic gift--blazing speed, and he has the smarts to become one of the game's truly elite basestealers. He has a nice swing, gap pwer, and 20-HR potential. He is also very solid defender with a nice arm. He's sitting behind youngsters Darnell McDonald and Luis Matos in the outfield, but Marty Cordova, power or not, doesn't figure to be with the O's so long as to hurt Raines' development. He could be leading off for Baltimore as soona s Opening Day, 2004.

RIGHT FIELDERS

Michael O'Keefe, Anaheim-- 3.5 stars

Talent: AGBAG
Stats: .330, 32, 113 at AAA

It's a shocker to me that O'Keefe hasn't broken into the Top 100 list. He didn't just do well at AAA--he dominated. No other hitter in AAA even came close to his overall excellence. O'Keefe probably won't be hitting .300 in the majors too often, but he has league-leading power and can stroke for the gaps. He has the tools and plate discipline to become a major run-producer. He also has a very strong arm in right, although his range is very limited. As you all know, O'Keefe has already been pretty much handed the Angels' starting rightfield spot for 2004.

Grady Sizemore, Cleveland-- 3.5 stars

Talent: GGFAG
Stats: .295, 5, 50 at AAA

Alex Escobar and Henri Stanley are already in the Indians' major league outfielder. Meet the top candidate for the last spot in the Indians' star outfield of the future. Sizemore is the kind of guy managers love. He can stroke it, and he gets on base. He has good spped, and the know-how to use it. He can play all three outfield spots well, and he has a good enough arm to keep baserunners honest. He could beat out Matt Lawton, coming off a down year, for the Indians' right field spot as soon as 2004.

Michael Restovich, Minnesota-- 3.0 stars

Talent: FBBFA
Stats: .314, 14, 63 at AAA

Restovich looks like the quintessential power-only bat. He looks like a basehit-light free swinger who nevertheless will produce runs in tons due to the utter power in his bat. He could be a future homerun king contender, and he can produce with gap hits when he shortens his swing as well. Heck, his AAA average even gives hope that he can exceed his reputation in making contact. Restovich's big problem right now is the logjam int he Twins; outfield. Bobby Kielty isn't a bad player at all--and he may already be bumped by the addition of another top Twins prospect in Justin Morneau.

DESIGNATED HITTERS

Jayson Werth, Toronto-- 4.5 stars

Talent: GBGAA
Stats: .304, 10, 57 at AAA

Actually, Werth isn't such a bad fielder that he needs to be relegated to DH already. He can play a major league corner outfield spot, and do it passably well. That said, there's no doubt that it's at the plate where this kid has a future, so a DH spot would seem to be fitting. Werth has a .300 bat, great gap power and 30-homer potential. He could be a prime run producer for the Jays in the very near future. There isn't a spot for him just yet, but you can't keep talent like this down for long--he'll get there sooner or later, and I would bet on sooner.

Pitchers still to come...

Chief Rum

IMetTrentGreen

04-19-2003, 04:45 AM

Choo Freeman, Colorado-- 4.5 stars

its cool to see this. freeman was an exceptional qb out of high school and signed to play at texas a&m. another guy i saw mentioned earlier, darnell mcdonald, signed with texas. its just kid of neat to see their names again

Chief Rum

04-19-2003, 04:30 PM

DolphinFan1: That's the idea! ;) Keep reading.

IMetTrentGreen: It worked! I knew if I dropped enough Texas names, I could get you to post!

Just kidding, I honestly didn't know those two had any connections to any Texas football programs. Glad you're enjoying the dynasty for any reason. :)

BTW, it seems likely those two will be heard from again.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

04-19-2003, 05:57 PM

Future Stars, Part II

I did hitters. So now I do pitchers.

I will use the same rating system as for hitters, except the order of abilities goes as follows: avoiding hits, avoiding doubles, avoiding homeruns, avoiding walks, getting strikeouts. In addition, I will add the velocity (on a scale of 1-10) in parentheses after the talent listing.

Mike Wood, Oakland-- 5.0 stars

Talent: GGGBB (5)
Stats: 5-11, 4.43 at AAA

And you thought the A's rotation was scary now with the Big Three and good-looking young pitcher Rich Harden on the way? Imagine a rotation of five aces. The best rotation ever? Quite possibly. Wood only has two pitches and he doesn't throw very hard, but he has great command and control ont he mound. He keeps the ball on the ground, and he knows what he's doing out there. His only problem is having to leapfrog guys like Ted Lilly and Aaron Harang or maybe even Harden to get into the rotation. Well, and it would be nice to see him perform a little better at AAA, too. Oh yeah--Wood is the #1 overall prospect in baseball right now.

Boof Bonser, San Francisco-- 5.0 stars

Talent: BFGAG (8)
Stats: 12-0, 2.54 at AAA

The Bay Area is loaded with good young arms, it seems. Of course, Bonser, the #12 prospect, might get to the bigs just for the strange pleasure of seeing his weird name in the paper. But there are plenty of other reasons to bring him up. He has a mid-90s fastball, and throws four pitches with command. His stuff is very hard to hit, so that he can be domianting at times. His control could use work. He absolutely dominated at AAA, but the Giants already have a strong rotation, so they may want him to get some more starts down there (he only had 120.1 IP in AAA after splitting time with AA). Also, for a strikeout pitcher who was surprisingly ineffective there (only 74 K at AAA).

Bryan Bullington, Pittsburgh-- 5.0 stars

Talent: BAAGG (9)
Stats: 7-7, 3.82 at AAA

Bullington looks like a savior right now for Pittsbugh. They could certainly use him, with a back-end of a rotation that no one would want. Bullington, #14 overall, performed quite well at AAA, although, like Bonser, he maybe could use more time to prove himself there. He has a heater that touches the upper-90s, and four pitches altogether. He, too, is capable of dominating the hitters, but he should keep them off the board completely, by avoiding both walks and hits. He had a fantastic 4-to-1 strikeout:walk ration at AAA. He might occasionally give up the key longball hit, but for the most part he keeps the ball ont he ground. Maybe he should stay in AAA for a little longer, but my guess is the Pirates will be bringing him up soon--maybe even Opening Day, 2004.

Aaron Heilman, New York (N)-- 4.0 stars

Talent: GBGAB (6)
Stats: 15-6, 2.93 at AAA

There is quite a drop from Bullington to Heilman on the prospects list, but I don't think you'll find too many Mets fans who will complain too much about this talent, rated #78 on the list. Heilman was maybe the best prospect pitcher in AAA this year. He doesn't have an outstanding fastball, but he has hard to stuff on four pitchers, including a devastating splitfinger-fastball. He is still working on some control issues, and he is a pitcher that works in the air--meaning he could be susceptible to the longball. But he's too good in other areas to keep down for long. With Tom Glavine and Al Leiter in their late 30s, he should get his shot soon.

Matt Guerrier, Pittsburgh-- 4.0 stars

Talent: GGAGG (4)
Stats: 10-5, 4.07 at AAA

It looks like the Pirates won't fear for being short of quality pitching. The 84th prospect, Guerrier also appears about ready to make the jump. He is a soft thrower, but a poised presence on the mound. He can throw four pitches with command, displays good control, keeps the hitters off the bases, and induces a lot of groundballs from frustrated hitters. That said, he allowed a lot of hits in AAA, so he may not be an immediate success ont he major league level.

Steve Green, Anaheim-- 4.0 stars

Talent: GFGAG (5)
Stats: 9-12, 4.24 at AAA

Green, of course, just recently developed some of the skills that scouts believe will make him a future star, so his stats, while decent, might not even be truly indicative of what this guy is capable of. He's another soft thrower, albeit faster than Guerrier. He keeps the ball down, and he gets good movement on his three pitches. The Angels have problems in their rotation, and it's possible he will make his debut sometime in 2004. It seems more likely, though, that with other options around, he will be kept at AAA for one more season before he is brought up. He is the 89th ranked prospect in baseball.

Erik Bedard, Baltimore-- 4.0 stars

Talent: GBFGG (8)
Stats: 10-7, 3.07 at AAA

Bedard, ranked right behind Green at #90, has exciting stuff and fine control. He keeps hitters off the bases, and his only truly apparent flaw is that he is prone to giving up the longball. He has mid-90s heat, and he is well-schooled in four top pitches. He also did very well at AAA, particularly in limiting hits allowed. With the Orioles struggling with some disastrous rotation issues, it should be a no brainer to get this guy in the bigs sometime in 2004.

Tim Redding, Houston-- 4.0 stars

Talent: AAGBG (8)
Stats: 12-11, 3.31 at AAA

Redding is in an odd position, given that he already has 23 starts in the majors with mixed results. Of course, those starts came in 2001 and 2002--he didn't pitch in the bigs for the Astros in 2003, which is kinda surprisingly given how bad they were. Nevertheless, Redding has fine talent and he's still young at 25. He also has that great combination--blistering, mid-90s heat and pinpoint control. It's hard to beat that, although his stuff straightens out a little too often, so that he ends up giving up a lot of hits. Still 206 K at AAA (and a close-to-4-to-1 trikeout: walk ratio) is nothing to laugh at. Redding has nothing left to prove at AAA, so he should be in the Astros' rotation.

Kirk Saarlos, Houston-- 3.0 stars

Talent: AGPGA (5)
Stats: 13-5, 2.45 at AAA

If anyone is a threat to Redding being in the Astros' rotation in 2004, I would suppose it's this guy. Of course, I don't see a reason why both can't be in there. Saarlos may have been the most dominating pitcher in AAA last year. He had a good strikeout:walk ratio and keeps the hitters off the basepaths. He's more of a soft thrower with good control, and command of three strong pitches. His glaring weakness is a propensity to give up the longball, but he works almost exclusively on the gorund, depending on his defense. So power hitters don't get the opportunities to get the lift they need to slug it out, and even when they do, no one is on base. Both Saarlos and Redding deserve shots at the Astros' 2004 rotation.

Jimmy Journell, St. Louis-- 2.5 stars

Talent: AAFAG (7)
Stats: 10-10, 4.33 at AAA

Journell doesn't have much standout talent, but he seems able to get the job done. He throws in the low-to-mid 90s, and has nice movement on four pitches. As a result, he racks up the K's pretty good, with 190 K in 176.2 IP. He does work in the air, though, and is heavily prone to giving up the longball. Also, he seems to still need work keeping runners off base, because he had some control issues and his WHIP was very poor at AAA (1.43). The Cards may not need Journell right away, and he could use some more seasoning in the minors, but he's not too far away.

Ben Christensen, Chicago (N)-- 2.5 stars

Talent: AAGFG (8)
Stats: 10-10, 3.36 at AAA

Christensen is a powe rpitcher with mid-90s heat, and he can flat out throw it by most people. For a hard thrower, he is also surprisingly effective at keeping the ball in the park and on the ground. His big problem is control, and it may actually be a problem for his entire career. He just hasn't been able to harness any real command of his stuff. Of course, knowledge of that fact and his hard, wild stuff will keep hitters guessing as well. If the pitcher doesn't know where it's going, how's the guy sitting in front of a 95 mph fastball gonna know? Fortunately, Christensen looks like he has some time to develop some more control--the NL champ Cubbies are loaded with strong talent in the rotation.

Richard Stahl, Baltimore-- 3.0 stars

Talent: ABAAA (4)
Stats: 12-7, 2.94 at AAA

Stahl was one of the more efective AAA pitchers in baseball last year, and the O's could certainly find a spot for him. He's another soft thrower with fine command of his three pitches. He doesn't have too many apparent flaws, and he's good at keeping the big hit from spoiling an inning. That said, he also doesn't really stand out in any way either, and some question whether he can be a dominant pitcher in the bigs. He also has some control issues that he needs to sew up, although that should come with time. The problem is the Orioles need help now.

Rich Harden, Oakland-- 4.5 stars

Talent: GAAGG (7)
Stats: 7-8, 3.74 at AAA; 4-3, 2.83 in majors

Harden didn't end up catching a glimpse of the postseason, but I mentioned him enough as I followed the path of the eventual world champs. Harden throws four hard pitches, and his debut int he majors seems to indicate he's ready for the big time. He keeps the runners off the basepaths and the ball down. He has low-to-mid-90s velocity, and good command of four pitches. He racks up the strikeouts, too. He should fit in to the A's roation quiet well, and I suspect he will be in there full time in 2004.

John Ennis, Atlanta-- 2.5 stars

Talent: AGGFA (6)
Stats: 8-7, 3.33 at AAA

The Atlanta farm system has a long history of producing some fine pitchers-- Glavine, Wohlers, Rocker, Schmidt, Perez, Millwood, Minor, Marquis, etc. The list goes on, and that was just a small sample. Ennis looks like he could eb another fine one in that tradition, although he still appears to need to learn some things before going full bore in the majors. He throws in the low-90s and has shown some ability in keeping hitters from getting a bat on the ball, through some nice ball movement and fine mound command. He has control issues, though, and he doesn't pitch hard enough to get away with that for long. He will need to develop more consistency there. With Smoltz, Maddux and Byrd being in their mid-30s or older, Ennis should find his way in the rotation soon.

Dewon Brazleton, Tampa Bay-- 4.0 stars

Talent: GGFAG (5)
Stats: 8-9, 5.00 at AAA

The Devil Rays need good pitching in a big way, and this guy is one seen coming from a ways off. Brazleton has actually flirted with being ready for major league work, but his sporadic consistency has caused problems for him, both in short stints in the majors and at AAa, as you can see from his ERA. Right now, he's having problems keeping runners off the bases (1.47 WHIP), but he has the ability and command to end up doing well in this. He also displayed little of the strikeout ability he is rumored to have inside him. This kid has talent, but he seems to be a slow learner, and needs to be brought along as such. So, as much as Tampa Bay could use him, they really need to keep him down for at least another season.

There are actually a ton of other possible pitchers, but I feel I have tossed out most of the best, and I have to draw the line somewhere. So here it is. :)

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

04-20-2003, 12:57 AM

FINALLY!

It's time to push the button...

The 2003 season is now officially over.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

04-20-2003, 02:06 AM

Retirements

So who were the key retirements this year?

First off, the Angels saw SP Mickey Callaway and MR Rich Rodriguez retire. Rodriguez was expected, given that he's 41 years old. Callway, sadly enough, was expected to. If you recall, he tore a tricep muscle in September that has ended his career. Even given he was a questionably talented 29-year-old pitcher, it was still shocking and disappointing. Adding to the misery of the situation, he also happened to be having his best minor league year ever, and his numebrs were ranked among the best minor league pitchers this year.

Around the league, there was a lengthy list of retirements by players not under contract for 2003, and I didn't immediately see any that surprised me. I will look at them closer when I post the more significant retirements.

There were a handful of retirements by players still under contract for 2003, and here are the more key or interesting retirements.

Boston: SP John Burkett and LF Eric Davis. Both are old, and neither ever graced Boston's major league roster.

New York: SP Jon Leiber. So much for that insurance policy. Leiber decided to call it quits rather than attempt a comeback from the injury that shelved him for all of 2003.

Tampa Bay: SP Chuck Finley. As an Angels fan, this one is particularly personal. Nothing said "Angel" like Chuck Finley. Finley finished with a 3.94 career ERA in 18 seasons, all but the last four with the Angels. He finished 204-188 for his career and racked up 2716 K. No, he probably doesn't deserve Hall of Fame consideration, but it would be nice to see him get consideration. He went 4-15 with a 6.08 ERA this past season.

Kansas City: 2B Randy Velarde. COnsummate team professional finally called it quits. Even the Royals didn't see the need to call him up this past season.

Seattle: LF Rickey Henderson. The King of Swap finally sent his running cleats to Cooperstown. Rickey didn't make a major league appearance this year. He finishes his career atop the career walks, runs and stolen base leaders. He won the MVP in 1989 for the A's. Not counting the appearance-less 2003 season, he played 24 seasons, and was one of those players who managed to last long enough to appear in four different decades (the 70s, 80s, 90s, and 2000s). He hit .279 for his career with 3040 hits. He scored 2208 runs and stole 1403 stolen bases. He walked 2141 times. With all due respect to Lou Brock, Maury Wills and other great leadoff hitters, there is simply little doubt the feisty and moody Henderson was the premier leadoff hitter of all time. The game, of course, inducted him into the Hall of Fame.

Texas: LF Rusty Greer. The oft-injured Greer has finally called it quits. He didn't play in a major league game in 2003.

Atlanta: SP Hideki Irabu. Irabu is just 34 years old, but he is obviously done. Talk about a disgrace for Japan. Not only did he not appear in a major league game in 2003, he didn't even appear in a game in 2002!

St. Louis: C Joe Girardi. Girardi was a backup for the Cards this season. He decided to hang it up after hitting .251-0-17 in 219 at bats.

Arizona: CF Steve Finley. What, expecting Randy Johnson? No, the Big Unit will return to attempt to finish his march to 4000 K. Finley, even at 38, was a bit of a surprise, though. He missed most of the 2003 season with a broken knee, but he was a starter while he was out there. He hit .289-2-7 in 14 games this past season. He finished his career hitting .276 in 15 seasons, but didn't really come into his own until the mid-90s with the Padres. He finished with 2031 hits and 229 homeruns. He appeared in the '96 World Series with the Padres, and won a ring with the Diamondbacks in 2001.

San Diego: SP Charles Nagy and MR Mike Timlin. Nagy is just a story of a pitcher who never really ended up realizing the potential he showed as a young hurler for the Indians in the 90s. He played in 13 seasons, all with the Indians, and had five straight 15+-win seasons from 1995 to 1999. He ended up 130-107 for his career, with a 4.47 ERA. He signed with the Padres as a minor league free agent in 2003, but never appeared in a game. Timlin, 38, was a surprise, because it seems like he could still do the job. He finished with 120 saves and a career 3.90 ERA in 13 seasons.

Like I said, there were a lot of players who called it quits who were free agents. Some of them played in 2003, most didn't. I'll put fears to rest early on by noting that SP Roger Clemens did NOT retire. He doesn't seem to have much left, but I'm hoping someone will sign him and give him the necessary innings to get those last three strikeouts he needs to get to 4000 K.

Here are the significant free agents that decided to hang it up:

LF Brady Anderson
2B Carlos Baerga
SS Jay Bell
SP Andy Benes
CF Craig Biggio
SS Mike Bordick
SP Dave Burba
3B Vinny Castilla
SP David Cone
1B Jeff Conine
2B Delino Deshields
SS Shawon Dunston
SP Scott Erickson
MR Jeff Fassero
1B Julio Franco
1B Andres Galarraga
DH Ron Gant
CF Tom Goodwin
CF Marquis Grissom
SP Pete Harnisch
SP Pat Hentgen
CL Roberto Hernandez
3B Dave Hollins
1B Eric Karros
LF Chuck Knoblauch
RF Al Martin
RF Dave Martinez
2B Mark McLemore
MR Mike Morgan
1B Jose Offerman
RF Troy O'Leary
MR Jesse Orosco
MR Dan Plesac
CF Tim Raines
SP Shane Reynolds
SP Jose Rijo
SP Kenny Rogers
C Benito Santiago
LF Ruben Sierra
SP Todd Stottlemyre
DH Greg Vaughn
SP David Wells
C Sandy Alomar Jr.
3B Matt Williams

If anyone wants specific information on the above players, just ask and I will be glad to provide.

Chief Rum

Chief Rum

04-28-2003, 12:33 AM

Coaching Changes

Before I move forward to the meaty part of the offseason (free agency), I have to first take care of Coaches and Scouts signing.

We actually lost a couple very good staffers in hitting coach Mickey Hatcher and Double AA manager Doug Sisson. Sisson has apparently chosen to retire (since I can't find him anywhere--he was 60), and he would have been one of the best minor league managers on the market had he stayed in the biz. Hatcher looks like he might be the premier hitting coach on the market.

It is my philosophy to pay well at these positions (at all such positions), and we did well financially this year. Also, by comparison to players' salaries, coaching salaries are paltry. So I'm not going to be chintzy on this. I hope the AI teams will.

The top hitting coach options are Hatcher (Excellent), Jeff Pentland (Good), and Dave Engel (Decent). So as you can see, the quality of coaches drops rather sharply.

Hatcher has no particular preference for his job and is seeking $420K for 2 years. Pentland, an older coach at 58, is seeking a challenge and wants $380K for 4 years. Engel, a year younger than Hatcher at 47, just wants work. He is looking for a $340K salary for 3 years.

Hatcher is clearly the best, and he was our hitting coach last year. I don't see any reason to not shoot for the top, so I have decided to offer him $510K for 2 years. I stuck to the years offer he requested and shot for the next highest hundred thousand, then pushed it up a touch to put me ahead of any other $500K offers.

With two skills (hitting and pitching development) being of note for minor league managers, my options for a replacement for Sisson are much more varied.

Since I am aiming high, I decided to only pursue managers with well above average skills in both areas. This helps limit the choices a bit.

Jose Marzan, 59, is Legendary at developing hitting and Good with pitching. He's a bit older than I like, but he seems to have the necessary skills. He is seeking a challenge and is looking for for $440K over 2 years.

Bobby Jones, 50, has Excellent skills in both hitting and pitching, which makes him one of the more well-rounded managers available. And apparently he knows it, because his overriding concern seems to be money. He is asking for $420K for 3 years, which actually doesn't seem to bad to me for being a moneygrubber with those kinds of skills.

Don Money, 56, has equal skills to Jones, with Excellent hitting and pitching development abilities. Ironically, despite his name, money is not an issue with Money. In fact, he doesn't have any real preference--he just wants work. He is looking for $420K for 2 years.

Finally, there's Michael Bryant, another older manager at 59. His best skills are in pitching, where he is Legendary. And he is no slouch at Excellent for hitting. That makes him the most skilled manager available. He wants a challenge and is looking for $460K for 2 years.

After some consideration, I decided to go with Jones. I would prefer to sign a longer contract, and Jones' age and contract preferences go right into that. That is worth more to me right now than landing managers with higher skills in some areas.

I made an opening offer of $510K for 3 years to Jones, the same salary level as Hatcher.

Day One

Oh, geez, I sharply underestimated what these guys would be offered. Hatcher was signed by the Cubs for an amazing $935K for 2 years. The Cubs apparently have good taste because they alo signed Jones for $887 for 4 years.

The signings log was a long list of much higher offers than mine. Ouch. Back to the drawing board.

Unfortunately, all of the best hitting coaches signed on Day 1, so I had to go with an option from a list of Average hitting coaches. I decided to offer $400K for 3 years to Tommie McGraw, figuring that most of the teams that needed a hitting coach had already picked one up, and I'll be darned if I'm going to spend a whole lot of money on an average hitting coach. McGraw was looking for $300K for 3 years.

Once again, pretty much allt he best managers signed. So I went with Bob Geren, a 42-year-old Good hitting and Good pitching-rated developer. Geren is looking for a $380K for 3 years, and he wants to win. Since I do, too, that should work out well. I decided to offer him $550K for 4 years.

Day Two

Both McGraw and Geren agreed to deals with us. Obviously, I'm pretty disappointed how this ended up, but at least I have it taken care of now. I'm hopeful that Geren can develop some, but I may look to dump McGraw the second a good hitting coach becomes available, especially if the team is doing badly at the plate.

I finished coaches & scouts to get to the next phase of the offseason.

Chief Rum