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OOTP5 Manager Career
Alright boyz, the time is ripe for Ol' SkyDog to finally do a "serious" OOTP5 career. The CD release is out of the way, and it is Spring Break here in DeKalb County, which means that I have oodles of free time during the day this week to play while She Who Must Be Obeyed is at work. I started with fictional players, and a 30-team MLB setup, and simmed the 1950-'99 seasons yesterday to give me 50 years of history and records. The most notable bit of recent history is that Detroit has won 4 of the last 6 World Series'. I take over a struggling Atlanta franchise in 2000. Here is the 4-1-1 on me as a manager: Birthday: 12/23/68 Basic Skill: Balanced Special Skill: Negotiation Difficulty: Hall of Fame Here's the situation in Atlanta: Mood: 75 Chemistry: 90 Owner Type: Normal Owner Expectation: Play .500 ball in 2000! Team Market: Below Average Fan Loyalty: Very Good Fan Interest: 37 On the field, this bunch has stunk for a while. We've lost 95+ games for four straight years, and haven't been to the postseason in 9 years. We did have a nice four-year playoff run in the mid 80's, culminating with a world title in '87. Currently, our highest-paid player ($7.03M) is Jessie "Ugly" Meng, an aging career Braves' star. Meng, the #2 overall pick in '82, has relied on speed and a little bit of pop throughout his career, but his speed has faded (7 for 20 SB last season) and he's now 36. His ratings stand at 6/5/9, and last year his numbers were .244/22/86/.753OPS. We really have no current stars on the team. Here's our history in totality: Code:
Year Wins Losses PCT Pos Attendance Revenue Payroll Profit/Loss |
Wow. All I can say is "Bobby Cox, cira 1988."
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Here is the lowdown on a few of the elite players in the current universe. RF Jose Cabello--Milwaukee, Age 32--6/10/5 Cabello holds the single-season home run record, with 65 in '96. He looks to still be in his prime, as he had his best all-around season in '99--.300/62/150/1.024OPS. He has hit 53+ homers five times in his career, and already has 515 career dingers. The lifetime record is 567, so Cabello should shatter that number and set a new standard. He is a 6-time All Star and 4-time MVP. He's also a very good defensive right fielder, as his two Gold Glove awards testify. 2B Laurence Tobar--Florida, Age 29--7/10/7 Tobar has 5-star talent. In five full seasons, he's hit 189 home runs, including 50 to go along with a .303 average in '99. He's also fast--he stole 26 bases last year. He is a 3-time All-Star. LF Albert Evans--Chicago(N), Age 34--9/7/6 Someone forgot to tell this guy that performances aren't as consistent in OOTP5. For the past seven seasons, he's hit 28-35 homers each year, his average has ranged from .301 to .349, and he has stolen 24-36 bases. His last four years have been virtual carbon copies: 1996: .320/34/102/30SB 1997: .349/33/109/35SB 1998: .324/35/108/36SB 1999: .340/33/104/31SB He owns the NL record for hits (221 in '97), and is a 2-time MVP and 6-time All Star. He's been in the league's top 5 in base hits seven times. Larry Gutowski--3B,Minnesota, age 33, 9/5/6 Gutowski has been a right-handed Wade Boggs. He has 8 straight .300+ seasons under his belt, with his career home run high being only 16. He's a three-time All-Star, and won the MVP Award in '99, hitting .365 with 15HR, 97 RBI. He's won three batting titles, and holds the career record for hits in a season (222). His lifetime .324 average is 2nd on the career list. (The leader is at .326). SP Raul "Goldie" Grajeda-Detroit--age 36--10/7/8/9 Goldie Grajeda has been a big part of Detroit's four recent World Championships, with 12 career postseason wins. He's led the league in ERA twice, in WHIP twice and in K's once, and has one Cy Young Award. He's got 202 career wins, and a lifetime 3.29 ERA. He's still going strong, with 40 wins in the last 2 seasons. SP Pedro Diaz--Montreal--Age 34--10/8/9/7 This guy is just dominant, as his four career No-Hitters attest. He has a current streak of six straight seasons with an ERA under 3.00, including a 20-5, 2.07 effort in '99 that earned him his third Cy Young Award. He's been either 1st or 2nd in WHIP for the past six seasons. He was 27 before he earned a spot in a major league rotation, so he only has 146 career wins, but right now, he's the best of the best on the hill. There are certainly other very talented players in the league, but these six were worthy of individual mention. |
POSITION REPORT: Catchers
Theodore Barrett (6/6/7) looks like a serviceable starter. With all the needs this team has, I'll have to put up with his "D" throwing arm for now. His contract runs out after this year. He has a lifetime .753 OPS, and is 32 years old. He'll be spelled from time to time by 27-year-old Antonio Aguiar (4/5/5). Aguiar hit .308 at AAA last year, and has a "C" throwing arm. He is a one-star player, so I don't mind bringing him up to be a backup. The only prospect worth mentioning at this point is 20-year-old Luis Pierce (Avg/Fair/Avg). Pierce is rated a three-star talent, but hasn't done much in the minors in two seasons. He has yet to hit his first minor-league homer. OVERALL THOUGHTS: Barrett is in his contract year, and my best prospect, Pierce is several years away from being ready, if he'll ever be. If Barrett gives me a solid year, I may be forced to keep him around longer. He is making $2.907M this year. |
POSITION REPORT: First Base
27-year-old Benny Conde (4/4/3) would be the starter if I can't sign a FA. He's yet to get an at-bat in the bigs. Conde is a switch hitter and is somewhat intriguing actually. He's hit over .300 in each of his last four years in the minors, with his OPS .788 or better. His last three seasons have been at AAA. The only other 1B has never played above AA, and looks to have no future in the bigs. OVERALL THOUGHTS: If I don't have enough money to fill all my needs (a STRONG possibility), Conde might have at least earned himself a look at 1B. |
POSITION REPORT: Second Base
Pedro Salo (6/4/8) was ok offensively as the starter last year (.268-8-58-.719OPS). However, with his "E" range at 2B, the 28-year-old is a defensive liability. Another option is Eddie Lopez (4/5/4). The 25-year-old had a .569 slugging percentage last year in 65 major league at bats, and is rated Good in power. his "C" range and .995 fielding percentage would be an improvement from Salo. 21-year-old Alan "The Hammer" Dye (Good/Good/Good) is a big prospect, rated the #16 prospect in all of baseball, but isn't quite ready yet (4/4/4). He hit .243 last year at AAA, and will probably remain there at the start of this year. Dye can also play SS, but is better defensively at 2B ("B" range, .995 FPct). 34-year-old Steve Fulmer ("B" range) can also play 3B and SS, and will therefore likely earn a roster spot as a utility player/defensive replacement. OVERALL THOUGHTS: Clearly, "The Hammer" is the future here. He's rated 4/4/4 right now, so he should be ready by the beginning of next year at the very latest. Lopez looks like he can hold things down until then. I'll see if I can trade Salo for a decent player at another position of need. |
POSITION REPORT: Third Base
Anthony Schuster (6/6/6) has been the starter for the past four seasons. He's coming off of a breakout-type year for him .261-24-98, and is in the last year of his contract at age 30. He's good defensively as well ("B" range"). He'll be backed up by 35-year-old Samuel Charneco (6/4/5). Charneco is a 3B/LF who gives us a fair right-handed bat off the bench. He's never been a full-time starter, but has a lifetime average of .267 in 1,342 at bats. There are no prospects worth mentioning at 3B. OVERALL THOUGHTS: If Schuster has another year like he did in '99, we'll be just fine here, but probably won't be able to afford to re-sign him after this year, when his contract runs out. |
Great to see this and a superb format.
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POSITION REPORT: Shortstop
Speedy 28-year-old switch-hitter Charles Wilson (5/5/9) returns for the final year of his contract. Wilson has stolen 40+ bases each of the last three seasons. Defensively, he's nothing special, with a "D" range and .968 pct. Backup John Blakemore (4/5/6) has "C" range and is also fast (B speed, B stealing). Blakemore may steal a few starts against left-handed pitching. We have TWO four-star prospects at SS, 25-year-old Ricardo Cazares (Good/Good/Avg) and 21-year-old Robert Pauli (Good/Fair/Avg). Cazares, the #73 prospect in the land, might just be ready now. His current ratings are 6/4/5, and he hit 87 with a .744 OPS in AAA last year. Like Wilson, he has "D" range. Pauli, on the other hand, (#92 prospect), has "B" range, but needs some seasoning. He hit .256 with a .619 OPS in A-ball. OVERALL THOUGHTS: Interesting situation here. I prefer a good defensive shortstop. If all goes according to plan, I'll let Wilson play out his contract this year, go with Cazares for the next few years while grooming Pauli, then be able to trade Cazares when Pauli is ready. |
Really enjoying this.
Question though: What have you placed as the maximum cash a team can have? |
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POSITION REPORT: Left Field
The aforementioned Jessie "Ugly" Meng (6/5/9) has been a fixture here as the starter since 1985, but the time of this 36-year-old being productive appears to be almost up. He's signed to a $7.03M contract through 2001. Three-star prospect Jacobo Sousa (Avg/Avg/Avg) was called up to AAA mid-way through last year, and his .261 the rest of the way at that level. The 24-year-old is probably at least a season away from being ready to be an impact player. I like his "B" range at LF. Andres Cobo (5/2/7) can play all three outfield positions and has a "B" range. He's been a career backup. Finally, there's mega-prospect Sidney "Tumbleweed" Sutton (Good/Brl/Brl). This 24-year-old, the #5 prospect in the land, looks to be realer than Real Deal Holyfield. He was the #2 overall pick last year, and hit 20 homers with an .838 OPS in 101 games in A-ball. He was called up to AA, and responded by hitting 6 homers in 130 at bats, and turning in a .896 OPS. He's a left-handed hitter who actually has better range at RF (C) than LF (D), but his future with us looks to be in left field, due to the presence of another prospect in RF who has a much better throwing arm. ("A" as opposed to Sutton's "C") OVERALL THOUGHTS: Wisdom would dictate trading Meng away now, while I might be able to get something for him, to free up some money to help fill other needs. I'd be willing to start Cobo if I can trade Meng. |
POSITION REPORT: Center Field
Joseph Dyke (6/2/6) has started in CF for the past three seasons. He's a good baserunner ("B" in both speed and stealing). He's signed through the end of next season. He's average defensively (C range, .992, C arm). Alberto Iglesias (Avg/Fair/Avg) has hit a ton in the minors, and can play all three positions with "B" range. His best pct. is at CF though (.990). This 23-year-old switch-hitter batted .318 in AAA last year. In Michael "Superfly" Sylvain (Good, Brilliant, Good), we have a 5-star mega-prospect. Superfly Sylvain hit .309 in '98 at AA, but over two months in '99 due to injury. He'll start this year in AAA, but this 21-year-old, with 4/4/4 current ratings, could see the bigs before the year is over. He's a five-tool talent, with B speed, A stealing ability, an "A" arm and .998 pct in CF. Superfly also has Great team leader skills. Sylvain is baseball's #13 prospect. OVERALL THOUGHTS: Dyke and/or Iglesias will do just fine until Superfly is ready. |
POSITION REPORT: Right Field
30-year-old Antonio Mejia (6/3/5) has been the primary starter for the past two seasons. He's got "A" stealing ability, and A range in RF. He is a decent #2 hitter, but nothing special. We've got yet another big prospect here, 4 1/2 star talent Bryan Heasley (Good, Good, Avg). Heasley was a 5th-round draft choice, but his outlook has brightened in four years of A ball. At age 22, he's still got time to develop. He's currently rated 3/3/3. He's got an "A" arm. OVERALL THOUGHTS: Mejia is cheap ($819K) and signed through the end of next year. We'll try to keep him around until Heasley reaches the bigs. |
While I am by no means an OOTP expert most of the people I've read have set the cash between 20-30 with many favoring 25 million. I guess it creates some good competition for free agents, while not allowing the computer, or player, to spind willy nilly. I've been playing at 20 for my current league and am very pleased with what happens.
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[rant]There you have exhibit "A" on why I dislike the kind of customization present in OOTP. If the developer would just tweak the settings himself to make everything balance out properly, such discussions would be unnecessary. As OOTP stands, they can always be a little lax with the game engine, because "the users can experiment until they get it right." :rolleyes: I don't buy games to do experiments. I buy games to PLAY them![/rant] |
POSITION REPORT: Starting Pitchers
32-year-old lefty Jimmy Cobbs (8/8/9) looks like the best of the bunch. Cobbs went 12-7 with a 3.07 ERA last year, and has led the league in strikeouts in each of the past two seasons. He's a steal at $2.47M, but is in the last year of his contract. On the other hand, 33-year-old Roberto Medina (8/7/6) has never lived up to his scouting reports in his nine seasons in the bigs. His career-best season to date is a mediocre 13-13 with a 4.79 ERA. He's signed for $5.28M through 2001. Another solid-ratings, poor-performance guy on our staff is 32-year-old James Shultis (7/6/6). Shultis has been a spot starter for most of his career, but was in the Atlanta rotation last year, going 7-14 with a 5.40 ERA. He's only costing $560K, and his contract runs out after this season. The rest of the veterans are one-star talents with little hope. As far as starting pitching prospects, 25-year-old Samuel Figueroa (Avg/Good/Bril) is the best we have. This 4-star lefty, rated the #86 prospect in the game, might be ready for the bigs. His current ratings are 5/6/8, and he's had two solid seasons at AAA (6-8, 3.20 and 11-8, 3.31). The only other promising-looking prospect is 23-year-old Willie "The Fireball" Prahl (Good/Avg/Avg). The Fireball has had two seasons in AAA, and has looked VERY good. His current 6/5/4 ratings also indicate that he may be ready. OVERALL THOUGHTS: I'd like to get a FA or trade for one solid starter, so I don't have to rely on both Figueroa and The Fireball in the rotation this year. |
Gotta run for a bit. The saga will continue later this evening though.
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POSITION REPORT: Relief Pitching
Howard Boykins (8/6/8), a 25-year-old lefty, has pitched over 80 games in relief each of the past two seasons. He had a 3.69 ERA in '99. He looks to be a mainstay in the 'pen for quite some time. 33-year-old lefty Milford Holley (8/8/8) is my bet to be the closer this season. He has a 3.85 lifetime ERA, and had a 3.09 in '99. John Honda (7/7/7), age 29, got his first full season in the majors last year, and responded with a 2.51 ERA. He's signed through '02. 25-year-old righty Tomas Nieves (8/6/8) had a nice rookie campaign last year, with a 4.22 ERA in 74 2/3 IP. 28-year-old lefty Henry Mukai (8/8/6) was the closer last year. He had 29 saves and a 3.77 ERA. Santiago Martines (8/7/5), a 32-year old right-hander, appeared in 78 games and had a 3.89 ERA. A great bullpen prospect is 21 yo Joshua Dinger (Brl/Avg/Good). Dinger's ratings are already 7/5/6, and he looks ready for the Show. He's a five-star talent, and probably the closer of the future. OVERALL THOUGHTS: The 'pen looks solid and deep. |
TRADES I trade away 2B Salo and LF Meg to Minnesota for 2B Rodney Campbell (6/5/7). Campbell is a very good defensive second basemen ("A" range, .980 flding pct.) with a .266 career average in 3 1/2 seasons in the bigs. He's eligible for arbitration. This deal frees up a good bit of cash for free agents, as well as gets me the kind of 2B I like. DESIRES I have $15.26M available to sign FA's now. I'd like to sign a left fielder, a first baseman and a starting pitcher. For $5M each, I figure three-star talent is what I can afford to go after. I make offers to three guys. All three are the best offers on Day 1. The first to accept is 1B Emil "Space" Romero (5/6/4). This 34-year-old is a risk at $4M for 2 years. He's out 6-7 weeks with a torn abdominal muscle currently. He hasn't been a full-time starter since '98. I'm hoping he can recover his '96 form: 23 HR, 97 RBI, .315 avg. He's got "A" range at 1B, and is a left-handed hitter. He has three Gold Gloves in his resume'. Next to sign with us is SP Elliot Feder (8/6/7). 30-year-old Feder inks a 4-year deal for $6M per year. He had a 14-13 record with a 3.86 ERA in '99, and in his five seasons in the bigs, he has a 60-61 record with a 4.39 ERA. He's got "A" endurance as a starter, and shoudl help stabilize the rotation. Finally, I get in a bidding war and have to overpay for 33-year-old LF Ferdy Puente (5/5/6), signing him to a 2-year deal for $5.2M per year. Puente is a good all-around player, with "A" range at both LF and CF, with "B" speed and stealing ability. He had a subpar 1999, hitting .230 with 11 homers. If he can return to his '98 form (24 HR, .296 avg), I'll be VERY pleased. At any rate, he will likely out-perform the now-traded Meng, plus he's cheaper. POST-FREE AGENCY THOUGHTS Well, I now feel like I have a workable player at every position. I think we're good enough to approach .500. |
Off to a good start--I'll be watching. :)
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One reason for your pitchers' subpar performances might be your crappy defense. Having both your second baseman and Shortstop rated "D" has got to be a real killer. I haven't really tried out my OOTP5, yet. I'll post my dynasty soon, as well. |
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DRAFT POSITION: 1 DRAFTEES 1. SP Hipolito “The Terminator” Dominguez. (Good/Good/Good) This 22-year-old 5-star lefty looks like he’s almost ready for the Show now. He’s rated 6/4/6. He’s a Great Leader, and looks like he’ll be a workhorse with his “A” duration. I’m looking forward to seeing him terminate hitters. Post draft ranking: (29th) 2. 1B Tyler Poulson. (Good/Avg/Avg). He’s and 18-year old left-handed hitter who is loyal and consistent. First base is a rare position where I didn’t have a prospect, and he was the best-available position player. Easy decision. I can deal with his “D” range at first base. 3. 1B/3B Cruz Muniz. (Fair, Brilliant, Average) He’s got “B” range at both positions, and has the potential to be a big bopper. He’s 21. 4. RP Lucas Fernandez. (Good, Brilliant, Average) This 20-year-old lefty will probably be in the bigs fairly quickly. He’s rated 6/6/3 right now and fields his position well. (B) 5. SP/RP William Bent. (Good/Avg/Good) He’s 19 years old. His duration as a starter is only “E”, but gives him more value in my book. I’ll stick him in a minor league rotation and see what happens. 6. LF Tobias Hachiro. (Fair/Avg/Fair) Hachiro’s potential value to us would be as a speedster/defensive replacement. He’s got “A” range, is a switch hitter, has “A” speed and “B” stealing ability. He’s only 19 years old. I’d like him to learn another outfield position in the minors. 7. SS Roger Googe. (Fair/Poor/Fair) Another potential defensive replacement. He has “A” range at both 3B and SS, with a .982 fielding pct at SS. POST-DRAFT TOP TEN MINOR LEAGUE SYSTEMS 1. Philly 2. Chicago 3. Atlanta 4. Texas 5. Montreal 6. Seattle 7. Pittsburgh 8. Cincinnati 9. Los Angeles 10. Tampa Bay |
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Well, I’m certainly disappointed to see Dominguez have a weak spring. The flip side is that Superfly Sylvain is lookin’ good! |
Batting Order vs. RHP 1. SS Wilson (5/5/9) 2. LF Puente (5/5/6) 3. C Barrett (6/6/7) 4. 3B Schuster (6/6/6) 5. 1B Romero (5/6/4) 6. 2B Campbell (6/5/7) 7. RF Mejia (6/3/5) 8. CF Dyke (6/2/6) Batting Order vs. LHP 1. SS Wilson (5/5/9) 2. LF Puente (5/5/6) 3. C Barrett (6/6/7) 4. 3B Schuster (6/6/6) 5. 2B Campbell (6/5/7) 6. RF Mejia (6/3/5) 7. 1B Romero (5/6/4) 8. CD Dyke (6/2/6) Pitching Rotation 1. Cobbs (8/8/9) 2. Medina (8/7/6) 3. Feder (8/6/7) 4. Shultis (7/6/6) 5. Figueroa (5/6/8) Closer: Mukai (8/8/6) Strategy Offensively, we're going to run a LOT. We've got lots of speed. I've pumped up base stealing for all those guys. With the depth of our bullpen, we're going to have a somewhat quick hook. Outlook With improved defense and pitching, on paper this looks like a squad that can finish .500 or better. |
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Balance out properly for a 1910 season with average stadium size under 20,000 and no TV revenues or for the 2003 season with average stadium size well over 50,000 and huge TV contracts? :) |
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THIS MONTH’S RECORD: 9-17 OVERALL RECORD AT MONTH-END: 9-17 CURRENT STANDING: Last place. 9 ½ games behind division-leading Mets. MAJOR LEAGUE PERFORMANCES OF NOTE/LINEUP CHANGES/ROTATION CHANGES: The bullpen is doing great. Highest bullpen ERA is Honda’s 3.38. SP’s Cobbs (3.82), Feder (4.32) and Shultis (4.28) have done well enough. Medina (8.14) is getting shelled, and rookie Figueroa (5.08) has room to improve. Emil Romero had a very good month, batting .413 with 14 RBI’s. Ferdy Puente, on the other hand, is stinking it up with a .182 average. I drop Puente down to #7 in the order, and move Dyke (.250, 7 SB) up to #2. Looking at our team stats overall, what stands out is that we’re 29th in MLB in home runs, and 4th in stolen bases. Otherwise, we’re middle-of-the-road in most other numbers. PLAYER DEVELOPMENT: Quote:
AAA NOTES As mentioned above, Joshua Dinger has a 1.29 ERA, a 0.71 WHIP and 22 K’s in 14 IP. His ratings are up to 8/5/6. I think he’s ready. I’ll try to trade closer Mukai and a position starter for a big bat. 2B Alan “The Hammer” Dye is hitting .337, but his ratings are still 4/4/5. I’ll keep watching him. AA NOTES: The Terminator Dominguez has struggled a bit early: 1-2, 5.28 ERA. RF Heasley is hitting .377, but with no HR’s. The computer says he’s ready for AAA. I promote him. A NOTES: Unheralded 22-year-old 3B William Polly is hitting .310 with a .899OPS. I’ll watch him. INJURIES: None this month. KEY E-MAILS: Quote:
PERSONAL DIARY ENTRIES: I’ve now got a relationship with a girl named Blaney. TRADES I trade Closer Mukai and Shortstop Prospect Cazares to St. Louis for SS Eduardo Fuensanta (6/8/5). 33-year-old Fuensanta has “A” range at SS, and has hit 27-33 homers each of the past seven seasons. He’s in the next-to-last year of a contract paying him $8.19M per year. I’ll drop him in the cleanup spot and hope that improves my offense. He should certainly improve the defense. Then, I trade SS Wilson to Cleveland for two (avg/avg/avg) talent young pitching prospects. Their names are Chad Alejo and Bill Hicks. Hopefully one will turn into something good. Here’s the new lineup vs. RHP: 1. CF Dyke (6/2/6) 2. LF Puente (5/5/6) 3. C Barrett (6/6/7) 4. SS Fuensanta (6/8/5) 5. 1B Romero (5/6/4) 6. 3B Schuster (6/6/6) 7. 2B Campbell (6/5/7) 8. RF Mejia (6/3/5)[/b] MONTHLY AWARDS Pitchers Of The Month: Cecil Sanders, TX (6-0, 1.52) and Ronald Smith, SD (1-1, 0.90) Batters Of The Month: RF William Harris, TX (.340, 12, 30, 1.191) and RF Elmer Connors, StL (.364,13,27,1.325) TEAM NEWS FROM THIS MONTH Quote:
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SkyDog: Lol. Good thing it's not up to me since I would only have the option to do historical leagues instead of the silly modern-day crap. ;) :D :D (But don't you agree that because of this, both you and I can be reasonably satisfied?)
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THIS MONTH’S RECORD: 16-12 OVERALL RECORD AT MONTH-END: 25-29 CURRENT STANDING: Fourth place. 7½ games behind the division-leading Mets. MAJOR LEAGUE PERFORMANCES OF NOTE/LINEUP CHANGES/ROTATION CHANGES: Oops. I forgot to insert Dinger into the closer slot, and he only got one appearance. (1.0IP, 2K, SV). The front four of the rotation have all settled in now. (3.20, 4.39, 3.51, 3.70 ERA’s.) Figueroa is still struggling (2-6, 5.93). We’ve risen to #20 in team homers, with Schuster and Fuensanta having 10 each. On the whole, the hitting has improved. RF Mejia (.233) is the only regular hitting under .240. Dyke and Puente have 27 SB’s between the two of them at the top of the order, but their OBP’s stink (both are under .300). 1B Romero has cooled off, and is down to .313. The problem has been left-handed pitching. He’s only hit .212 with a .515 OPS against lefties. Conde has hit .368 in 19 at bats vs. lefties up to now, so I’m going to a strict platoon situation at 1B. PLAYER DEVELOPMENT: Quote:
AAA NOTES 2B Alan “The Hammer” Dye is down to .303, and still 4/4/5. CF Michael “Superfly” Sylvain is hitting .272, and is up to 5/4/4. The scouting report says he’s probably ready right now to test his mettle in the majors. Major league starting CF Joseph Dyke only has a .276 OBP in the #2 slot, and Superfly looks just as fast as Dyke (Both are B,B). I’ll give Superfly one more month to develop at AAA, and call him up July 1st if all is still going well. RF Heasley has proven himself ready for AAA. He’s hit .273 this month. AA NOTES: Hipolitor “The Terminator” Dominguez has dropped his ERA to 3.82, from 5.28 at the end of April. A NOTES: Unheralded 22-year-old 3B William Polly is down to .280. Nothing to see here. INJURIES: Again, none this month. KEY E-MAILS: I received no e-mails for note besides guys looking for extensions. I’m not talking contracts during the season. We’ll do these at the end of the regular season. PERSONAL DIARY ENTRIES: Blaney and I have been dating for four months now. I decide to pop the question. She doesn’t want to marry me yet. TRADES None. MONTHLY AWARDS Pitchers Of The Month: Ciro Esparza, TB (2-0, 0.93) and Michael Federico, COL (3-0, 1.29) Batters Of The Month: 3B Phillip Dileo, ANA (.374, 9, 33) and legendary RF Jose Cabello, MIL (.398, 7, 20). (Cabello may be on his way to his best all-around season yet. He’s hitting .372 with 18 HR’s and 49 RBI) TEAM NEWS Quote:
IMPORTANT LEAGUE NEWS Boston’s SS Bill Curley got his 2,000th hit this month. |
Oops. I set the draft to June at the beginning of they year. I didn’t think it would force a draft THIS June. Oh well. Henceforth, the draft will be in June. Since I have the #1 pick, I decide to change the draft to “Serpentine” to give a little better balance in this one. DRAFT POSITION: 1 DRAFTEES 1. C Walter Mcdonald (Good/Brl/Brl) This 23-year-old 5-star right-handed hitter is a great find at a position that I have no strong prospects. He’s got a “C” arm. He becomes the #11 prospect in the game. 2. SP Jim Decker. (Avg/Avg/Good). Decker, a 19-year-old righty, fields his position well (“A” range). Could crack the rotation one day. 3. CF/RF Joseph Gillenwater (Avg/Avg/Fair). Gillenwater has “A” range at both CF and RF, and a “C” throwing arm. He’s an 18-year old lefthanded hitter. With a little development, he could become an impact player in the bigs. 4. RF/LF Randy Wheeler (Fair/Avg/Avg). He could be a good utility OF/defensive replacement/pinch runner. Wheeler is rated “B” at LF, “A” at RF and has an “A” arm. He’s also got “B” ratings at speed and stealing. He looks like the kind of guy I like to have on the bench. 5. SP/RP Dean Sipe (Avg/Good/Good). 23-year-old Sipe has “E” endurance as a starter and “A” defensive range. 6. MR Bobby Day (Avg/Good/Avg). 19 years old. “A” fielding. “B” holding runners. 7. 2B/SS Lawrence Burgan (Fair/Fair/Fair). Burgan is a 19-year-old good-field, no-hit kind of player. He is a left-handed hitter. Could earn a spot as a utility infielder evenutually. POST-DRAFT TOP TEN MINOR LEAGUE SYSTEMS 1. Atlanta 2. Seattle 3. Chicago (A) 4. Cincinnati 5. Baltimore 6. Philadelphia 7. LA 8. Texas 9. Milwaukee 10. Pittsburgh |
THIS MONTH’S RECORD: 15-13 OVERALL RECORD AT MONTH-END: 40-42 CURRENT STANDING: Fourth place. 9 games behind the division-leading Mets. INJURIES DURING MONTH: LF Puente misses a week this month. SS Fuensanta goes down with a ruptured biceps tendon on June 20th. His recovery time is listed at 4 weeks. Backup John Blakemore becomes the starter. MAJOR LEAGUE PERFORMANCES OF NOTE/LINEUP CHANGES/ROTATION CHANGES: The front four now all have ERA’s of 3.52 or less, and Figueroa has lowered his to 5.09 as well. 21-year-old closer Joshua Dinger has been dominant. He had 10 saves in the month, and has an ERA of 1.80. Opponents are only hitting .231 against us, best in the majors. 1B Conde has been a nice upgrade in the platoon against left-handed batters. He’s hitting .341. MID-SEASON TEAM STATISTICAL LEADERS AVG: 1B Romero--.300 HR: 3B Schuster—14 RBI: 3B Schuster—48 SB: CF Dyke—23 SP ERA: Shultis—3.25 RP ERA: Dinger—1.80 SAVES: Dinger—11 SP K’s: Cobbs—126 PLAYER DEVELOPMENT:No new development in June. AAA NOTES 2B Alan “The Hammer” Dye is hitting .306, and up to 5/4/5. He’s got “Good” talent in power, but is only slugging .423. I want to see some of that power show itself before I promote him. LF Jacobo Sousa also needs to show some power. He’s hitting .292 , but only slugging.402. CF “Superfly” Sylvain is up to .310, with ratings still at 5/4/4. Major league starting CF Joseph Dyke raised his OBP 28 points this month, and earns a temporary reprieve. RF Heasley had a tough month. His average dropped 30 points to .242. AA NOTES: Hipolito Dominguez has dropped his ERA to 3.45, and the scout is saying he may be ready for AAA. I’ll let “The Terminator” stay in AA for at least another month though. LF Sidney “Tumbleweed” Sutton is hitting .299 and slugging .507. The scout says he could play in AAA. He gets the call-up. He’ll DH, since all three OF slots at AAA have good prospects. A NOTES: June draftee RP/SP Dean Sipe has a 0.00 ERA in 7 relief appearances. I’ll put him in the rotation now. C Walter McDonald is hitting .300 after his first month. 1B Muniz is hitting .305 and slugging .480. Four-star prospect SS Roberti Pauli is only hitting .259 in this, his third season at “A” ball. I’m a bit concerned. KEY E-MAILS: I received no e-mails of note. PERSONAL DIARY ENTRIES: None. TRADES None. MONTHLY AWARDS Pitchers Of The Month: Ciro Rojas, ANA (5-1, 1.13) and Michael Diaz, SD (5-1, 1.81) Batters Of The Month: LF Silvio Freire, DET (.394, 23RBI) and CF Chris Korando, PIT (.345, 28RBI) TEAM NEWS Quote:
IMPORTANT LEAGUE NEWS |
THIS MONTH’S RECORD: 12-12 OVERALL RECORD AT MONTH-END: 52-54 CURRENT STANDING: Third place, 13 games behind the division-leading Mets. INJURIES DURING MONTH: SP Jimmy Cobbs strained a back muscle, and missed two weeks. MR Tomas Nieves has bone chips, and will be out until early September. RF Mejia strains his posterior cruciate ligament on the 26th, and will be out for three weeks, opening the door for Michael “Superfly” Sylvain to make the jump. He’ll start out in RF, and if he does well, he’ll replkace Dyke in CF when Mejia returns. MAJOR LEAGUE PERFORMANCES OF NOTE/LINEUP CHANGES/ROTATION CHANGES: The rotation is lookin’ GOOD. Figueroa has dropped his ERA to 3.92. Shultis, at 4.09, has the highest ERA of the bunch. Joshua Dinger has been flat-out overpowering as the closer. He’s racked up 17 saves in two months, and has a 1.38 ERA. 3B Schuster and 1B Romero were named to the All-Star team. I’ve moved Schuster into the 3rd spot in the lineup. SEASON-TO-DATE TEAM STATISTICAL LEADERS AVG: 1B Romero--.311 HR: 3B Schuster—18 RBI: 3B Schuster—65 SB: CF Dyke—27 SP ERA: Cobbs—3.19 RP ERA: Dinger—1.38 SAVES: Dinger—17 SP K’s: Shultis--147 PLAYER DEVELOPMENT: Quote:
AAA NOTES SP Willie “The Fireball” Prahl is 11-4 with a 3.38 ERA, and has 6/6/4 ratings. 2B Alan “The Hammer” Dye is up to .310, with ratings still at 5/4/5. He’s got “Good” talent in power, but is only slugging .431. I want to see some of that power show itself before I promote him. LF Jacobo Sousa also still needs to show some power. He’s hitting .294, but only slugging .399. LF Sidney “Tumbleweed” Sutton is batting .261 and slugging .489 after a month in AAA, and his ratings are at 4/6/8. It won’t be long ‘til he’s in Atlanta. RF Heasley is hitting .243, and his ratings sit at 4/3/3. AA NOTES: Hipolito Dominguez is rapidly advancing. His ERA is down to 3.08. “The Terminator” gets the call-up to AAA.. A NOTES: SP/RP Dean Sipe has done well so far in the rotation. He’s now 3-3 with a 2.93 ERA. SP William Bent is 3-3, 2.88. SP Jim Decker has turned in a 6-1, 2.63 ERA effort thus far. SP Chad Alejo is 6-9, 4.43. C Walter McDonald is up to .358, with a .585 slugging percentage. The scouts say he’s ready for A, and I agree 1B/3B Cruz Muniz is up to .320, with a .494 slugging percentage. 1B Tyler Poulson is hitting .331 with a .438 slugging percentage. SS Robert Pauli had a HUGE month, raising his average from .259 to .297, and re-establishing himself as part of our future. RF Gregory Priolo, a one-star prospect, is hitting .382 with a .549 slugging pct. I call him up to AA. KEY E-MAILS: I received no e-mails of note. PERSONAL DIARY ENTRIES: None. TRADES None. MONTHLY AWARDS Pitchers Of The Month: Matthew Luc, DET (3-1, 1.49) and Kenneth Borchert, NYM (4-1, 0.56) Batters Of The Month: Armando Fresno, MIN (.354,6,22) and Elmer Connors, STL (.359,8,22) TEAM NEWS Quote:
IMPORTANT LEAGUE NEWS The great Jose Cabello of Milwaukee collected his 2000th hit this month. |
THIS MONTH’S RECORD: 14-13 OVERALL RECORD AT MONTH-END: 66-67 CURRENT STANDING: Fourth place, 18 games behind the division-leading Mets. INJURIES DURING MONTH: None. RF Mejia returned from injury, but he’s lost his spot to “Superfly” Sylvain. MAJOR LEAGUE PERFORMANCES OF NOTE/LINEUP CHANGES/ROTATION CHANGES: The rotation still looking solid all around. Jimmy Cobbs had a fantastic month, going 3-0 with a 1.03 ERA. The AI left Joshua Dinger in for three innings when he was getting shelled. He gave up 15 runs in that appearance, very frustrating considering he only gave up one run from June 12th to August 15th—over 2 months. His stats now won’t reflect how effective he’s been overall. Offensively speak, 3B Schuster is still having a very good year (.308-23-82). Superfly Sylvain got his first major league homer, and is hitting .240. He’ll stick at age 22. SEASON-TO-DATE TEAM STATISTICAL LEADERS AVG: 1B Romero--.313 HR: 3B Schuster—23 RBI: 3B Schuster—82 SB: CF Dyke—39 SP ERA: Cobbs—2.61 RP ERA: Holley—3.45 SAVES: Dinger—19 SP K’s: Shultis--190 PLAYER DEVELOPMENT: Quote:
AAA NOTES—Note: I’m reporting month-by-month on 3 ½ star and up players, and any others who are performing extremely well. SP Willie “The Fireball” Prahl is 12-8 with a 4.14. His ratings are still 6/6/4.. SP Hipolito Dominguez had a rough welcome to AAA. In five starts, he’s 2-3 with a 10.52 ERA, having given up 30 ER in 25 2/3 innings. 2B Alan “The Hammer” Dye is up to .315, with ratings still at 5/4/5. He’s starting to show some power—his slugging pct is up to .462. LF Jacobo Sousa is hitting .310, slugging .415 and is rated 4/4/4. LF Sidney “Tumbleweed” Sutton is batting .259 and slugging .443, and his ratings are at 4/6/8. RF Heasley is hitting .257, and his ratings sit at 4/3/3. AA NOTES: C Walter McDonald hit .295 with a .767 OPS in his first month at AA A NOTES: SP Chad Alejo had a good month. He is up to 9-9, 4.30. SP William Bent had an excellent month. He is now 7-3, 2.72. Scout says I could try him at AA, but he may not be ready. I’m going to call him up. SP Jim Decker continues to impress. He’s now 9-2 with a 2.36 ERA. I call him up as well, despite no scout recommendation to do so. SP/RP Dean Sipe struggled this month. He’s now 4-6, 4.40 1B/3B Cruz Muniz is now dominating Class “A” pitching. He’s hitting .329 with a .927 OPS. I call him up, again with no scout rec. 1B Tyler Poulson is hitting .322 with a .793 OPS. SS Robert Pauli is now hitting .279 with a .713 OPS. KEY E-MAILS: I received no e-mails of note. PERSONAL DIARY ENTRIES: None. TRADES None. MONTHLY AWARDS Pitchers Of The Month: Antonio Rosas, CWS (3-1,0.82) and Richard Rubalcaba (3-0, 0.25) Batters Of The Month: LF Hernan Gomez, CWS (.406, 28RBI) and Luis Ruano (.343, 33 RBI) TEAM NEWS Quote:
IMPORTANT LEAGUE NEWS Jose Cabello is making a run at the Triple Crown! He's hitting hitting .338 with 42 homers and 101 RBI's. He leads the leave is homers, is tied for the lead in RBI, and is only 3 percentage points off the lead for the batting title. MY SEPTEMBER CALL-UPS OF NOTE None. Just a few vets. |
THIS MONTH’S RECORD: 11-18 OVERALL RECORD AT MONTH-END: 77-85 CURRENT STANDING: Fourth place, 27 games behind Division Champion Mets. INJURIES DURING MONTH: None of note. SEASON-END TEAM STATISTICAL LEADERS AVG: 1B Emil Romero--.305 HR: 3B Anthony Schuster—27 RBI: 3B Anthony Schuster—96 SB: CF Joseph Dyke—47 SP ERA: Jimmy Cobbs—2.60 RP ERA: Tomas Nieves—3.12 SAVES: Dinger—23 SP K’s: James Shultis--226 PLAYER DEVELOPMENT: Quote:
KEY E-MAILS: I received no e-mails of note. PERSONAL DIARY ENTRIES: None. TRADES None. TEAM NEWS Quote:
MONTHLY AWARDS Pitchers Of The Month: Jonathan Kiesel, NYY (4-1, 0.83) and Clifford Pina, FLA (2-0, 0.55) Batters Of The Month: CF David Galloway, SEA (.389, 3, 18) and 2B Thomas Rasmussen, PHI (.333, 10, 31) IMPORTANT LEAGUE NEWS None. MY SEPTEMBER CALL-UPS OF NOTE None. Just a few vets. |
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Manager: Ben Lewis Batting AVG: .252 (17th) |
POTENTIAL FREE AGENTS/CONTRACT EXTENTIONS 3B Anthony Schuster—He had a very good year, our best prospect at the position (Muniz) just got called up to AA in September, and he only wants an increase of around $800K per year. I ink him to a 3-year extension for $3.99 per year. C Theodore Barrett—He actually is asking for a little less money. We’ve got a five-star prospect at AA (McDonald). At age 33, I sign him to a 2-year extension. (He wanted three) MR Milford Holley—He’s 34 years old, and wants a four-year deal for $3.35M per year. We’ve got a deep pen, with three 3 ½-star-or-better guys waiting in the wings at AAA. See ya Milford. SP Jimmy Cobbs—He’s had three straight nice seasons, but he’s looking for a $1.5M per year raise, and we’ve got Willie “The Fireball” Prahl in AAA, who had a 13-8 record with a 3.91 ERA down there, and his ratings are up to 7/6/4. I let Cobbs fly. MR Santiago Martines—Another MR who is wanting too much money. Bye. SP John Washburn—He agrees to a minor league contract. 2B/SS Steve Fulmer—He only wants a near-minimum salary, and he’s still got “B” range at 2B. I sign him to a one-year deal for $350K. 3B Samuel Charneco—He gave me a decent bat off the bench, and is still rated 6/4/5. I give him a one year deal for $750K. SP James Shultis—He went 7-10 with a 3.85 ERA, and still only wants $900K per year for three years. Sign him up! SP William Braziel—Only wants $430K for 2 years. Rated 6/5/6. good insurance. I sign him. MANAGER UPDATE My reputation rises to Very Inexperienced. The owner mood is at 53. It has been a Relationship with Blaney for 10 months now. I pop the question and she still doesn’t want to get hitched yet. I get offered a 1 year contract extension for $550K. RECAP American League Rookie Of The Year Award: Chester Urso (C()! He batted .276 in 577 AB, with 20 homers and 67 RBI. National League Rookie Of The Year Award: Enrique Orozco (COL)! He had a record of 14-6 with an ERA of 2.35. In 31 games started, he pitched 210.1 innings, fanning 184 and walking 35 batters. American League Cy Young Award: Antonio Rosas (C()! He had a record of 21-6 with an ERA of 2.35 and 4 shutouts. In 35 games started, he pitched 253 innings, fanning 168 and walking 44 batters. American League MVP Award: Silvio Freire (DET)! He batted .353 in 601 AB, with 41 homers and 132 RBI. National League Cy Young Award: Jordan Abston (NY)! He had a record of 16-4 with an ERA of 1.99 and 1 shutouts. In 31 games started, he pitched 190.1 innings, fanning 157 and walking 16 batters. National League MVP Award: Elmer Connors (SL)! He batted .336 in 539 AB, with 43 homers and 111 RBI. American League Gold Glove Award Winners: Pitcher: Angel Camuñas (KC) Catcher: James Skates (MIN) First Base: Kenneth Sherman (TEX) Second Base: Carl Rios (NY) Third Base: Bill Stanton (BAL) Shortstop: Gregory Coppin (TOR) Leftfield: Silvio Freire (DET) Centerfield: Joaquin Fernandez (TB) Rightfield: Edward Watson (BOS) National League Gold Glove Award Winners: Pitcher: Robert Mcniel (PIT) Catcher: Adolfo Payne (ARI) First Base: Jose Medina (MIL) Second Base: Rodney Campbell (ATL) Third Base: Mariano Barrera (PIT) Shortstop: Robert Broaddus (PIT) Leftfield: Alejandro Sanchez (HOU) Centerfield: Ivan Baca (HOU) Rightfield: John Sapp (LA) American League Standings: (Name W L PCT GB AVG ERA) Eastern Division Boston 89 73 .549 -- .256 3.63 Baltimore 82 80 .506 7 .250 3.67 Toronto 71 91 .438 18 .244 3.84 Tampa Bay 69 93 .426 20 .246 4.43 New York (A) 65 97 .401 24 .253 4.45 Central Division Detroit 101 61 .623 -- .269 3.60 Minnesota 88 74 .543 13 .267 4.19 Chicago (A) 84 78 .519 17 .252 4.06 Cleveland 81 81 .500 20 .261 4.17 Kansas City 73 89 .451 28 .243 3.93 Western Division Oakland 93 69 .574 -- .259 3.69 Anaheim 82 80 .506 11 .249 4.03 Texas 81 81 .500 12 .253 3.78 Seattle 75 87 .463 18 .265 4.20 National League Standings: (Name W L PCT GB AVG ERA) Eastern Division New York (N) 104 58 .642 -- .263 3.01 Florida 85 77 .525 19 .244 3.95 Philadelphia 84 78 .519 20 .255 3.60 Atlanta 77 85 .475 27 .252 3.79 Montreal 68 94 .420 36 .249 4.01 Central Division Chicago (N) 96 66 .593 -- .264 3.96 St. Louis 89 73 .549 7 .272 3.84 Milwaukee 86 76 .531 10 .257 3.80 Houston 85 77 .525 11 .263 3.87 Pittsburgh 67 95 .414 29 .259 4.55 Cincinnati 60 102 .370 36 .251 5.15 Western Division San Francisco 91 71 .562 -- .242 3.25 San Diego 85 77 .525 6 .245 3.41 Colorado 80 82 .494 11 .245 3.57 Arizona 74 88 .457 17 .244 3.77 Los Angeles 65 97 .401 26 .239 3.98 Playoffs : Divisional Series : Minnesota (1) against Detroit (3) Boston (3) against Oakland (0) St. Louis (1) against New York (N) (3) San Francisco (1) against Chicago (N) (3) LCS : Boston (4) against Detroit (2) Chicago (N) (4) against New York (N) (2) World Series : Chicago (N) (2) against Boston (4) Leaders: TOP 5 in BATTING AVG : .357 Richard James(SEA) .353 Silvio Freire( DET,AL) .344 Roger Frey(SL) .336 Elmer Connors(SL,NL) .335 Seymour Werner(DET) TOP 5 in HOMERUNS : 49 Larry Entwistle(C(,NL) 45 Laurence Tobar(FLO,NL) 45 James Parente(ARI) 43 Jose Cabello(MIL,NL) 43 Elmer Connors(SL,NL) TOP 5 in RBI : 132 Silvio Freire( DET,AL) 119 James Parente(ARI) 117 Thomas Rasmussen(PHI) 113 Larry Entwistle(C(,NL) 111 Phillip Dileo(ANA,AL) TOP 5 in ERA : 1.82 Ronnie Ramirez(MIL) 1.99 Jordan Abston(NY) 2.31 Wilbert Payton(BC,NL) 2.35 Antonio Rosas(C(,AL) 2.35 Enrique Orozco(COL) TOP 5 in WINS : 21 Antonio Rosas(C(,AL) 19 Michael Diaz(SD,NL) 19 Arthur Jan(OAK,AL) 19 Patrick Spurling(BOS,AL) 18 James Lingerfelt(MIN) TOP 5 in SAVES : 46 Chester Toombs(BC,NL) 42 Otto Deane(SD) 41 Mark Pellham(OAK) 41 Matthew Freeman(MIL) 40 George Dam( DET,AL) THOUGHTS Obviously, we have a promising-looking future with all those 4 and 5 star prospects advancing towards the majors. |
RF Jose Cabello--Milwaukee, Age 32--6/10/5 Cabello had another outstanding year. He batted .322 (his highest ever) with 43 homers and 109 RBI’s. He led the league in slugging pct (.644). He made a run at the Triple Crown before fading a bit in September. He’ll certainly shatter the career home run record next season. He has 558, and the record is 567. He made his 8th All-Star appearance, and collected his 200th hit. 2B Laurence Tobar--Florida, Age 29--7/10/7 .298, 45 HR, 103 RBI. He also stole 21 bases. Tobar led the league in runs scored with 121, and was 2nd in homers with 45. He made his 4th All-Star appearance. LF Albert Evans--Chicago(N), Age 34--9/7/5 Evans had a slight drop-off in power, but everything else remained about the same. He hit .317 with 23 HR, 88 RBI and 35 SB. He made his 7th All-Star appearance Larry Gutowski--3B,Minnesota, age 33, 8/5/6 Gutowski racked up his 9th straight 300+ season, hitting .305 with 12 HR and 63 RBI. He missed five weeks due to various injuries, and his contact rating dropped from 9 to 8. SP Raul "Goldie" Grajeda-Detroit--age 36--10/6/8 Goldie Grajeda may be fading. He went 13-15 with a 4.13 ERA this year. SP Pedro Diaz--Montreal--Age 34--10/8/9/7 His streak of six straight seasons with an ERA under 3.00 was snapped this year, but his string of being either 1st or 2nd in WHIP was extended for a 7th season. He went 14-13 with a 3.20 ERA. |
You have thrown up a whole bunch of information and stats but you can step back and evaluate and tell us what it means as far your team, esp in relation to short and long term decision areas?
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Apart from that, I believe I've done what you've requested throughout the narrative. I've discussed each solid minor league prospect, and my strategy for the timing for their arrival in the bigs. Apart from that, my goal is simply to stay afloat. With a team this bad in Very Hard manager mode, I'm just trying to avoid getting fired before my prospects make it to the bigs. I'm trying to make short-term decisions (hence shorter contracts) to keep enough talent around to keep the team able to meet owner expectations until I can get some real talent, then some wins, then increased fan support, then increased financial wherewithal, then be able to sign big free agents. I thought that was obvious. |
2001 POSITION REPORT: Catchers
Theodore Barrett (6/6/7) had a pretty solid season last year (.261/14/71). 23-year-old 5-star prospect Walter McDonald (Good/Brl/Brl) appears to be the future. McDonald is now rated 3/5/8. He destroyed single-A pitching (1.112 OPS) and handled AA well also (.817). 28-year-old Antonio Aguiar (4/5/5) was a decent backup in his first year in the bigs, hitting .267 and playing decent defense. None of the other catchers in the organization appear worth mentioning. OVERALL THOUGHTS: Barrett is 33, and signed through 2002. I’m hoping he can give me one or two more good seasons until McDonald is ready to go. QUESTION FOR THOSE READING: Should I start a new thread for each season? |
2001 POSITION REPORT: First Base
Emil “Space” Romero (6/6/4) makes $4M at age 35 this year. He’s still great defensively (“A”, .991). He was the left-handed half of a platoon last year, and performed well. 28-year-old Benny Conde (4/4/3) had a nice rookie year as the right-handed half of the platoon. He’s a switch hitter, and despite his not-so-great ratings, his over .300 in his last four seasons in the minors, and did likewise in his first season in the majors. 19-year-old Tyler Poulson (Good/Good/Avg), a four-star prospect, hit .323 in single-A, but appears to still be a few years away (ratings 2/2/3). Another guy who may be an option down the road is 1B/3B Cruz Muniz (Avg/Brl/Avg). He is 22, and had a .531 slugging pct in Class A. OVERALL THOUGHTS: Well, our financial situation is not good, so this position is of particular concern. If Romero can give me one more good year, that will help. Once his $4M salary is cleared from my payroll, I’ll probably have to sign another FA to fill this position until Poulson or Muniz is ready. I’d LOVE to see Conde surprise me and continue to out-perform his ratings. |
2001 POSITION REPORT: Second Base
Rodney Campbell (6/5/7), acquired by trade last year, won his first Gold Glove last year and hit .280. He’s 30 and in his prime. 22-year-old Alan "The Hammer" Dye (Good/Good/Good) is almost ready. The Hammer is rated the #18 prospect in all of baseball, and is almost ready (5/4/5). OVERALL THOUGHTS: Clearly, "The Hammer" is the future here. I’d like to see him show some of that “Good” power in AAA before I promote him. He began to show some late last year, slugging .467. I really hope he can hit with power in AAA the first half of the season, so I can trade Campbell, who is in the last year of his contract, before the deadline. I would be GREAT to be able to call up The Hammer AND get something good for Campbell! |
2001 POSITION REPORT: Third Base
Anthony Schuster (6/6/6), age 31, has been the starter for the past five seasons, and he was our best offensive player last year. He's good defensively as well ("B" range"). The aforementioned 1B/3B Cruz Muniz (Avg/Brl/Avg) is our best prospect here. 36-year-old 3B/LF Samuel Charneco (6/4/5) looks like he can still give us a decent right-handed bat off the bench. He hit .271 last year. OVERALL THOUGHTS: Schuster is signed through 2003. This job appears to be his for a good while. |
2001 POSITION REPORT: Shortstop
Eduardo Fuensanta (6/8/5), 33, returns for the final year of his $8.2M contract. He slugged .486 and played great defense. We have a four-star prospect in 22-year-old Robert Pauli (Good/Fair/Avg). Pauli has "B" range, but still appears to be a few years away from the bigs. He hit .277 in his third year of “A” ball last year. Maybe he’s finally ready for AA this year. OVERALL THOUGHTS: Well, Fuensanta is in his last year, and no prospect is on the immediate horizon. Of course I’ll go with Fuensanta this year, and probably end up signing a free agent for next season, when he’ll be 34 and probably looking for a several-year deal. |
2001 POSITION REPORT: Left Field
I overpayed via free agency last year for Ferdy Puente (5/4/6). He’s 34, and in the last year of a rather expensive contract ($5.2M) for someone who had a .628 OPS. He did play great defense though, and stole 34 bases. 4 ½-star prospect Sidney "Tumbleweed" Sutton (Good/Brl/Brl) is almost ready. This 25-year-old, the #68 prospect in the land, had a .798 OPS in two months at AAA, and is rated 4/6/8 right now. 3 ½-star prospect Jacobo Sousa (Avg/Good/Avg) hit .299 at AAA last year, and is rated 4/4/4. I like his "B" range at LF. 34-year-old Andres Cobo (4/2/7) can play all three outfield positions with "B" range at each and remains a good utility OF option. OVERALL THOUGHTS: If someone is willing to take on Puente’s big salary, I’ll unload him right now and turn LF over to “Tumbleweed” Sutton. Otherwise, I’ll let Sutton remain in AAA for now. |
2001 POSITION REPORT: Center Field
Joseph Dyke (6/2/6) has started in CF for the past four seasons. He's a good baserunner ("B" in both speed and stealing, 47 SB’s last year). He's signed through the end of this year. He's average defensively (C range, .992, C arm). 22-year-oldMichael "Superfly" Sylvain (Good, Brilliant, Good), hit .252 in 202 major league at bats last year in right field, after hitting .314 in AAA. He has 5/4/5 current ratings, “B” range in CF, and an “A” arm. OVERALL THOUGHTS: Dyke is only making $1.1M in this, the final year of his contract. He’ll make a nice backup in CF and LF, but his days of starting in Atlanta are over. I’m turning over the reigns in CF to Superfly! |
2001 POSITION REPORT: Right Field
30-year-old Antonio Mejia (6/3/5) got hurt and lost his starting job to Superfly Sylvain last year. He’s got “A” range in RF though, which is why I’m letting him start and benching Dyke for Sylvain. Mejia also has "A" stealing ability. Our big prospect here is 4-star talent Bryan Heasley (Good, Good, Avg). He's currently rated 4/3/3, and he hit .256 last year in his first season in AAA. He's got an "A" arm. OVERALL THOUGHTS: Mejia is in the last year of his contract. I hope to have Heasley ready to go by the beginning of next year. Otherwise, I’ll probably need to sign a FA next winter to hold down the fort.[/b] |
2001 POSITION REPORT: Starting Pitchers
34-year-old Roberto Medina (9/7/6) returns after a 9-10, 4.29 ERA season. He’ sin the last year of a $5.3M per year deal. James Shultis (7/6/6), 33, is cheap at $900K per year, and turned in a 7-10, 3.85 ERA effort. Youngster Samuel Figueroa(7/7/8) showed he was ready as a rookie last year, going 10-11 with a 4.21 ERA. If this young lefty can take it to the next level, I’ll be very happy. The scout says that 24-year-old Willie "The Fireball" Prahl (Good/Avg/Avg) is ready to face big league hitters. He’s rated 7/6/4, and has had three years in AAA with sub 4.00 ERA’s. his time is now. Elliot Feder (7/6/7/), who led all of baseball with 7 CG’s last year and has “A” endurance, returns at age 31 to be the ace of the staff. 31-year-old William Braziel (6/5/6) will start the year at AAA. He’ll serve as our rotation insurance policy. The SP prospect pool is pretty decent for us. Discussion begins of course with 23-year-old Hipolito “The Terminator” Dominguez (Good/Good/Good), the #48 prospect in baseball. He struggled in a late-season promotion to AAA, but with his 4/6/6 ratings, I think that’s where he belongs to start this season. Chad Alejo (Avg/Good/Good, age 19, is a 3 ½-star prospect who’ll likely start the year at AA. William Bent (Good/Avg/Good) had a 2.72 ERA in A-ball last year. The 20-year-old will also be at AA. Yet another 3 1/2 –star SP is Jim Decker (Avg/Avg/Good). Decker’s 19 and will also be in AA. SP/RP Dean Sipe (Avg/GoodGood) hopes to make an impact one day, but for now is stuck in A-ball. OVERALL THOUGHTS: The rotation looks decent as is, and only Medina will become a FA after this season, which is fine, since “The Terminator” should be ready to step in next year. With my financial struggles, this isn’t the year to sign a big FA, but before I can make a big run, I’m going to want a bona-fide ace. If one doesn’t emerge from among the ranks, I’ll have sign on as a FA eventually. |
2001 POSITION REPORT: Relief Pitching
Joshua Dinger (Brl/Good/Good) had 23 saves in the last 5 months of the season, and is rated 9/5/7. He’s only 22, and looks to be the closer for a LONG time. The top lefty is 26-year-old Howard Boykins (8/6/8). The best righty is also a youngster, 26-year-old Tomas Nieves (8/6/7). Waiting in the wings at AAA is 24-year-old righty Douglas Diez (Good/Avg/Brl). Diez had a 3.36 ERA down there last year, and is rated 6/3/7. OVERALL THOUGHTS: The 'pen still looks solid and deep. |
Here's the current situation in Atlanta: Owner Mood: 53 Chemistry: 94 Owner Type: Normal Owner Expectation: Play .500 ball in 2001! Team Market: Below Average Fan Loyalty: Very Good Fan Interest: 33 Cash on Hand: $310,664 Total Payfoll: $50,245,642 Last Year Income: $53,514,289 Available Money: $3,579,311 TRADES I find a team willing to take LF Puente’s salary! I trade him to Texas for a half-decent 1B prospect, which I can use. 19-year-old Shane Murphy (Avg/Avg/Good), a 2000 2nd-round draft choice, comes over for Puente. He hit .279 in “A” ball last year. The trade frees up some cash to sign a good left fielder. DESIRES I have a little over $8M available for free agents, and all I want/need is someone to play left field until Sidney “Tumbleweed” Sutton is definitely ready. I find a guy and go after him. I sign Scott Mcfarland (6/5/5) to a one-year deal for $3.25M. Macfarland is nothing special, but he’s a decent player with a lifetime .736 OPS to hold down left field for Sutton. POST-FREE AGENCY THOUGHTS My payroll is only $48.8M, so hopefully I can turn a profit this year and have money to sign a FA or two to make a run at the playoffs next year. For now, this squad appears to have the potential to meet the owner expectation of finishing .500, but not much more. |
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Batting Order vs. RHP 1. CF Sylvain (5/4/5) 2. 2B Campbell (6/5/7) 3. 3B Schuster (6/6/6) 4. SS Fuensata (6/8/5) 5. 1B Romero (6/6/4) 6. C Barrett (6/6/7) 7. LF McFarland (6/5/5) 8. RF Mejia (6/3/5) Batting Order vs. LHP 1. CF Sylvain (5/4/5) 2. 2B Campbell (6/5/7) 3. 3B Schuster (6/6/6) 4. SS Fuensata (6/8/5) 5. C Barrett (6/6/7) 6. 1B Conde (4/4/3) 7. LF McFarland (6/5/5) 8. RF Mejia (6/3/5) Pitching Rotation 1. Feder (7/6/7) 2. Medina (9/7/6) 3. Figueroa (8/7/8) 4. Shultis (7/6/6) 5. Prahl (7/7/5) Closer: Dinger (9/5/7) Strategy Pitching and defense is the order of the day this year. We’ve got a little more pop in the lineup as well. Sylvain will run a lot at the top of the order. Outlook I really think we can finish over .500 this year. |
THIS MONTH’S RECORD: 12-14 OVERALL RECORD AT MONTH-END: 12-14 CURRENT STANDING: Fourth, 6 games behind division-leading Mets. INJURIES: Ugh. C Barrett fractured his jaw fractured his jaw in a home-plate collision on 4/8, and is Out for another week or so into May. MAJOR LEAGUE PERFORMANCES OF NOTE/LINEUP CHANGES/ROTATION CHANGES: 2nd-year SP Figueroa has a good month, going 3-2 with a 2.78 ERA to lead the rotation. No other starters’ performances are particularly bad or particularly good. Dinger has a 2.45 ERA and 7 saves in 7 chances. The bats are a bit silent. WE’re near the bottom of the league in most offensive categories. PLAYER DEVELOPMENT: Quote:
AAA NOTES —Note: I’ve decided to report month-by-month on 3 ½ star and up players at all classifications, and any others who are performing extremely well. SP Hiplotio “The Terminator” Dominguez—He went 2-1 with a 4.45 ERA. His ratings are 5/6/6 now. MR Douglas Diez—He has a 2.45 ERA and ratings are 7/3/8. If someone falters, he’ll get called up. C Walter McDonald--.744 OPS. Ratings 4/5/8. Getting close it would appear… 2B Allen “The Hammer” Dye--.953 OPS. 5/4/5 ratings. That power is starting to show up… LF/CF Jacobo Sousa--.753 OPS. Ratings 4/4/4. LF/RF Sidney “Tumblewee” Sutton--.719OPS, 4/6/8 RF Bryan Heasley--.713OPS, 5/3/3. AA NOTES: SP William Bent—3-1, 1.96, 2/2/6 SP Jim Decker—2-2, 5.34, 0/2/4 3B/1B Cruz Muniz--.853 OPS, 2/4/2 A NOTES: SP Chad Alejo—3-1, 3.21, 1/4/5 SP Dean Sipe—4-0, 1.10, 2/6/6. The AI says he’s ready for a call-up, and so do the numbers. I call him up. 1B Tyler Poulson--.603 OPS, 2/2/3 SS Robert Pauli--.872 OPS, 2/3/3 KEY E-MAILS: Quote:
PERSONAL DIARY ENTRIES: Sheesh. I’ve been dating Blaney almost a year-and-a-half now, and she turned down another marriage proposal. TRADES None. MONTHLY AWARDS Pitchers Of The Month: Edward Munoz, SEA (2-1, 1.15) and Kenneth Borchert, NYM (4-1, 0.99, three shutouts!) Batters Of The Month: Allen Acker, CWS (.407, 22 RBI) and Charles Leonard (.357, 27 RBI) IMPORTANT LEAGUE NEWS Star player LF Albert Evans of Chicago racks up his 2000th hit this month. He’s still going strong, with an “8” contact rating and a .347 average, at age 35. TEAM NEWS FROM THIS MONTH Quote:
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THIS MONTH’S RECORD: 11-17 OVERALL RECORD AT MONTH-END: 23-31 CURRENT STANDING: Fourth place. 13½ games behind the division-leading Mets. MAJOR LEAGUE PERFORMANCES OF NOTE/LINEUP CHANGES/ROTATION CHANGES: CL Dinger is dominating again. He’s leading the NL in saves with 15, has a 1.44 ERA, and he’s yet to blow a save. His ratings are up to 10/6/7. The starting pitching staff has ERA’s ranging from 3.41 (Figueroa) to 5.59 (Shultis). The bats are still fairly dormant across the board. Superfly Sylvain is leading the lead in stolen bases with 25 in 31 tries. His ratings are up to 6/4/5. PLAYER DEVELOPMENT: Quote:
AAA NOTES —Note: I’ve decided to report month-by-month on 3 ½ star and up players at all classifications, and any others who are performing extremely well. SP Hiplotio “The Terminator” Dominguez—6-1, 4.30 6/6/6 MR Douglas Diez—2-0, 4.91, 7/3/8 C Walter McDonald--.877 OPS. 4/6/8. Getting closer….. 2B Allen “The Hammer” Dye--.929 OPS. 6/4/5 ratings. In another month or so, he’s getting called up. LF/CF Jacobo Sousa--.777 OPS. 4/4/4. LF/RF Sidney “Tumblewee” Sutton--.748OPS, 4/6/8 RF Bryan Heasley--.835OPS, 5/3/3. AA NOTES: SP William Bent—7-1, 2.13, 2/2/6 SP Jim Decker—3-6, 6.55, 0/2/4—I send him back down to Single A. SP Dean Sipe—3-1, 2,81, 2/6/6. 3B/1B Cruz Muniz--.708 OPS, 2/4/2 A NOTES: SP Chad Alejo—3-1, 3.21, 1/4/5 1B Tyler Poulson--.802 OPS, 2/2/3 SS Robert Pauli--.775 OPS, 2/3/3 INJURIES: No major ones this month. KEY E-MAILS: none. PERSONAL DIARY ENTRIES: None. TRADES None. MONTHLY AWARDS Pitchers Of The Month: Arthur Jan, OAK (5-1, 0.77) and Ronnie Ramirez (MIL) 6-0, 0.95 Batters Of The Month: Al Mouser, OAK (.298, 8HR, 31RBI) and Elmer Connors, STL (.417, 28 RBI) TEAM NEWS Quote:
IMPORTANT LEAGUE NEWS None. |
DRAFT POSITION: 11 DRAFTEES 1. 1B Danny Anderson (Avg/Good/Brl) This 22-year-old 4-star left-handed hitter helps fill a position I’m concerned about. 2. SP Greg Benedict. (Avg/Avg/Avg). Benedict, a 20-year-old righty, fields his position well (“A” range). Could crack the rotation one day. 3. SS Brian Cataldo (Fair/Avg/Fair). Cataldo has “A” range. At age 18, he’s got some time to maybe improve as a hitter. 4. OF Sydney Davidson (Fair/Fair/Fair). He can play all three outfield positions. He’s a two-star guy. Age 19. 5. 2B/3B/SS James Pratt (Fair/Avg/Fair). Ability to play three positions gives this guy some potential value. 6. SP/RP Michael Mclaughlin (Avg/Good/Avg). 19 years old. He has “E” duration as a starter. Could be a guy with good versatility for us. 7. C/1B Kenneth Tamura (Fair/Fair/Avg). Has “B” range at both positions. Maybe a backup one day. POST-DRAFT TOP TEN MINOR LEAGUE SYSTEMS 1. LA 2. Cleveland 3. Seattle 4. Texas 5. Baltimore 6. Chicago (A) 7. Cincinnati 8. Montreal 9. Atlanta 10. Toronto ATLANTA TOP 100 PROSPECTS C Walter McDonald—8th 2B Alan Dye—21st SP Hipolito Dominguez—47th LF Sidney Sutton—(60th) RF Bryan Heasley—(92nd) |
Good stuff Skydog my favorite OOTP 5 dyansty report. As for creating a new thread for each season is not needed. Maybe, every 5 seasons you should create a new thread.
I was wondering how long is Dinger under contract? He will probaly be looking for big money when his contract is up. |
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Dinger was called up by the @%$% AI in 1999 to pitch a grand total of 1 2/3 innings, starting the clock on arbitration. This is this third year in the bigs, making him arbitration eligible after this season. |
Ouch, that hurts so this will be a big descion to make. Do you resign him or not? If so how much will you pay before you reach the limit.
Good Luck!:eek: |
THIS MONTH’S RECORD: 11-17 OVERALL RECORD AT MONTH-END: 34-48 CURRENT STANDING: Fourth place. 19 games behind the division-leading Mets. INJURIES DURING MONTH: No major injuries MAJOR LEAGUE PERFORMANCES OF NOTE/LINEUP CHANGES/ROTATION CHANGES: SP Medina is really struggling. He has a 5.63 ERA. He may get replaced in the rotation soon. Dinger has 19 saves and a 1.39 ERA. He finally blew a save after converting his first 18 opportunities. Offensively, we’ve been anemic. The first base platoon that performed so well last year is stinkin’ it up this year. Romero is at .227 with 6 homers and 24 RBI’s, and Conde is at .181 with 1 homer and 4 RBI. What’s worse is that there is no alternative at AAA right now. No one else is standing out as performing really badly, but no one is tearing it up offensively either. MID-SEASON TEAM STATISTICAL LEADERS AVG: RF Mejia--.288 HR: SS Fuensanta--17 RBI: SS Fuensanta--51 SB: CF Sylvain--.242 SP ERA: Figueroa—3.52 RP ERA: Dinger—1.39 SAVES: Dinger—19 SP K’s: Shultis—104 PLAYER DEVELOPMENT: Quote:
AAA NOTES —Note: I’ve decided to report month-by-month on 3 ½ star and up players at all classifications, and any others who are performing extremely well. SP Hiplotio “The Terminator” Dominguez—1-1, 4.25 6/6/6 MR Douglas Diez—3-0, 3.12, 7/3/8 C Walter McDonald--.936 OPS. 4/6/8. One more increase in contact or power, and I’ll promote him. 2B Allen “The Hammer” Dye--.889 OPS. 6/4/6 ratings. Methinks it is now “Hammer Time.” (Sorry, I couldn’t resist.) :p LF/CF Jacobo Sousa--.772 OPS. 4/4/4. LF/RF Sidney “Tumbleweed” Sutton--.842OPS, 4/6/8 RF Bryan Heasley--.853OPS, 5/3/4. AA NOTES: SP William Bent—9-4, 2.96, 2/2/6 SP Dean Sipe—6-2, 1.55, 3/6/6. 3B/1B Cruz Muniz--.766 OPS, 2/4/3 A NOTES: SP Jim Decker—1-3, 4.41, 0/2/4 1B Danny Anderson--.757 OPS, 2/2/6 1B Tyler Poulson--.765 OPS, 2/2/3 SS Robert Pauli--.788 OPS, 2/3/3 PERSONAL DIARY ENTRIES: None. TRADES Well, since I’m calling up Allen “The Hammer” Dye to play 2B, starter Rodney Campbell is expendable. I could REALLY use a first baseman, so I trade Campbell along with 1B Romero. Kansas City accepts the two of them for a VERY good player, 1B Eugene Lamb (6/8/7). Lamb looks to be entering his prime in his 5th season in the bigs at age 29. He’s hitting .271 with 18 homers and 46 RBI’s this season. He has “C” defensive range, and a .999 fielding pct.. He’s arbitration eligible, but I go ahead and give him a three-year extension for $4.65M per year. Welcome aboard, Eugene! Our new batting order: 1. CF Sylvain (6/4/5) 2. 2B Dye (6/4/6) 3. 3B Schuster (6/6/6) 4. 1B Lamb (6/8/7) 5. SS Fuensanta (6/8/5) 6. C Barrett (6/6/7) 7. LF Mcfarland (6/5/5) 8. RF Mejia (6/3/5) MONTHLY AWARDS Pitchers Of The Month: John Guest, MIN (4-1, 1.57) and Pedro Diaz, MON (4-0, 1.17) Batters Of The Month: C Jared Barrows, ANA (.337, 11 HR, 23 RBI) and Elmer Connors, STL (.337, 9 HR and 24 RBI) TEAM NEWS Quote:
IMPORTANT LEAGUE NEWS None. |
Outstanding as usual, SkyDog. I agree with the long thread approach for now - just makes it easier to keep up with.
Also, I checked out your website - the clips of your album sound positively beautiful. My wife loved it as well, so I'm sure we'll be putting an order in pretty soon. |
Great stuff, Dog. Keep it up.
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THIS MONTH’S RECORD: 12-14 OVERALL RECORD AT MONTH-END: 46-62 CURRENT STANDING: Fourth place, 22.5 games behind the division-leading Mets. TEAM NEWS Quote:
INJURIES DURING MONTH: No major ones. MAJOR LEAGUE PERFORMANCES OF NOTE/LINEUP CHANGES/ROTATION CHANGES: It appears that Medina, at age 35, might still have a little something left after all. He went 3-0 with a 1.59 ERA this month to lower his ERA to a decent 4.62 for the year-to-date. 26-year-old Figueroa appears to have settled in as a rotation mainstay already in his second year. He’s 9-8, 3.81. Overall, the rotation is looking mediocre. ERA’s range from 3.81 to 4.89. Staff ERA is 4.21 Offensively, the addition of Eugene Lamb has been a nice little pick-me-up. He had a .986 OPS for the month, and 3B Anthony Schuster, hitting in front of Lamb, was the Batter of the Month. 2B Alan “The Hammer” Dye proved himself very much ready for the bigs, hitting .315 with 16 RBI this month in the #2 slot. He hit a homer as his first career hit, and had a 15-game hitting streak during the month. SEASON-TO-DATE TEAM STATISTICAL LEADERS AVG: 3B Schuster--.291 HR: 1B Lamb--22 (2 teams) RBI: SS Feunsanta--20 SB: CF Sylvain--43 SP ERA: Figureoa—3.81 RP ERA: Dinger—1.75 SAVES: Dinger—25 SP K’s: Shultis--130 PLAYER DEVELOPMENT: Quote:
AAA NOTES SP Hiplotio “The Terminator” Dominguez—12-3, 4.42, 7/6/6, 5 stars (gonna let him finish out the year in AAA) MR Douglas Diez—4-1, 3.33, 7/4/8, 4.5 stars C Walter McDonald--.989 OPS. 4/7/8. 5 stars LF/CF Jacobo Sousa--.851 OPS. 4/4/4. 3.5 stars. RF Bryan Heasley--.827 OPS, 5/3/4. 4 stars. AA NOTES: SP William Bent—11-6, 3.30, 2/2/6. 4 stars. SP Dean Sipe—9-2, 1.55, 4/6/6. 5 stars. His stats and my scout say he’s ready for AAA. I call him up. 3B/1B Cruz Muniz--.777 OPS, 2/4/3. 4 stars. A NOTES: SP Jim Decker—3-5, 2.81, 0/2/4. 3.5 stars. 1B Danny Anderson--.813 OPS, 2/2/6. 4 stars. 1B Tyler Poulson--.684 OPS, 2/2/3. 4 stars. SS Robert Pauli--.811 OPS, 3/3/4. 4 stars. Stats and scout say he’s ready for AA. I call him up. PERSONAL DIARY ENTRIES: None. TRADES None. MONTHLY AWARDS Pitchers Of The Month: John Nielsen, ANA (3-0, 0.00) and John Choy, NYM (5-0, 1.38) Batters Of The Month: LF Patrick Meredith, ANA (.329, 26 RBI) and 3B Anthony Schuster, ATL (.347, 17 RBI) IMPORTANT LEAGUE NEWS None. |
THIS MONTH’S RECORD: 13-14 OVERALL RECORD AT MONTH-END: 59-76 CURRENT STANDING: Fourth place, 26 games behind the division-leading Mets. TEAM NEWS Quote:
INJURIES DURING MONTH: None. MAJOR LEAGUE PERFORMANCES OF NOTE/LINEUP CHANGES/ROTATION CHANGES: Shultis struggled in July, and REALLY struggled in August. He had a 5.14 ERA in July, and a 6.27 in August. The rest of the pitching staff remains mediocre. The staff ERA drops to 4.17 Sidney “Tumbleweed” Sutton had a nice first month in the bigs, hitting .262 with a .808 OPS. His platoon partner McFarland, getting to hit against left-handed pitching, hit .296. “Superfly” Sylvain may be coming into his own. He hit .330 this month with a .919 OPS! He’s still only “4” in power (with Brilliant talent). Of course, the kid is still only 23. 2B Alan Dye shows that his first month wasn’t a fluke. He followed up a .315 July with a .307 August. Team batting average rises to .257, 14th overall. SEASON-TO-DATE TEAM STATISTICAL LEADERS AVG: 3B Schuster--.288 (Dye is hitting .311, but not enough AB’s to qualify) HR: 1B Lamb—29 (2 teams) RBI: SS Feunsanta—76 SB: CF Sylvain--52 SP ERA: Figureoa—3.86 RP ERA: Dinger—1.61 SAVES: Dinger—32 SP K’s: Shultis--158 PLAYER DEVELOPMENT: Quote:
AAA NOTES SP Hiplotio “The Terminator” Dominguez—15-3, 3.90, 7/6/6, 5 stars. SP Dean Sipe—1-1, 4.10, 4/6/7, 5 stars. (This was his first month in AAA.). MR Douglas Diez—4-2, 3.95, 7/4/8, 4.5 stars C Walter McDonald--.953 OPS. 4/7/8. 5 stars LF/CF Jacobo Sousa--.878 OPS. 4/4/5. Down to 1 star as he turns 26. Talent still avg/good/avg RF Bryan Heasley--.828 OPS, 6/3/4. 4 stars. AA NOTES: SP William Bent—14-8, 3.79, 2/2/6. 4 stars. 3B/1B Cruz Muniz--.758 OPS, 2/4/3. 4 stars. SS Robert Pauli--.787 OPS, 3/3/4. 4 stars (First month in AA). SP Chad Alejo—1-3, 2.23, 1/4/5. 3 stars. (First month in AA. Worth reporting due to his stats.) A NOTES: SP Jim Decker—5-6, 3.30, 0/3/4. 3.5 stars. 1B Danny Anderson--.847 OPS, 2/2/6. 4 stars. Scout and stats say he’s ready for AA. I call him up. 1B Tyler Poulson--.712 OPS, 2/2/3. 4 stars. SS Robert Pauli--.811 OPS, 3/3/4. 4 stars. Stats and scout say he’s ready for AA. I call him up. CF Stephen Dills—1.043 OPS, 2/4/5. 2 stars. Great performance. I call him up to AA. PERSONAL DIARY ENTRIES: None. MONTHLY AWARDS Pitchers Of The Month: Samuel Avendano, ANA (5-0, 0.71) and Kim Thomas, ARI (5-0, 1.20) Batters Of The Month: LF Jason Bevilacqua, BOS (.376, 9 HR, 26 RBI) and James Parente, ARI (.383, 28 RBI) IMPORTANT LEAGUE NEWS None. MY SEPTEMBER CALL-UPS OF NOTE I call up 2-star SP William Braziel to replace Shultis in the rotation. No one else of significance. |
THIS MONTH’S RECORD: 8-19 OVERALL RECORD AT MONTH-END: 67-95 CURRENT STANDING: Last place, 34 games behind Division Champion Mets. TEAM NEWS Quote:
INJURIES DURING MONTH: None of note. SEASON-END TEAM STATISTICAL LEADERS AVG: 3B Schuster--.283 HR: 1B Lamb—36 RBI: 1B Lamb—93 SB: CF Sylvain--58 SP ERA: Figureoa—3.67 RP ERA: Dinger—1.65 SAVES: Dinger—36 SP K’s: Figueroa--172 PLAYER DEVELOPMENT: Quote:
PERSONAL DIARY ENTRIES: None. MONTHLY AWARDS Pitchers Of The Month: Vincent “Stud” Bridges, SEA (4-2, 2.06) and Kenneth Borchert, NYM (3-0, 0.88) Batters Of The Month: 2B Allen Acker, CWS (.384, 7HR, 20RBI) and C John Linville, PIT (.384, 9HR, 28RBI) IMPORTANT LEAGUE NEWS Former Brave Jessie “Ugly” Meng gets his 2,500th hit. |
Full year-end stat report can be found at: http://www.benelou.com/dynasty/clubhouse2001.htm It is too frustrating to try to format the report for this board. :mad: |
POTENTIAL FREE AGENTS/CONTRACT EXTENSIONS SS Eduardo Fuensanta—He’s 34, and wants a four-year deal for over $10M per year. He’s good, but not THAT good. I can’t afford to take that risk. SP Roberto Medina—I’ve got two 5-star SP’s at AAA (Sipe and Dominguez). Medina is the only member of my ’01 rotation whose contract is up, and he’s 35 years old. Easy choice. Bye-bye Roberto. LF Scott Mcfarland—He could be a valuable bat off the bench and as a right-handed platoon half. He signs for a good bit cheaper than I paid him this year. Three years, $1.8M per year, as opposed to the $3.25M contract from this year. CF Joseph Dyke—He’s been relegated to a bench player/pinch hitter. I tried to sign him for <$1M, but he wouldn’t. He’s gone. RF Antonio Mejia—He’s never had anything resembling a big year, and he wants over $3M per season. He’s gone. 3B Samuel Charneco—He’s 36, but he hit .291 as a pinch hitter this year with 7 RBI in 16 at bats. He only wants $300K. What the heck? I re-sign him. SS Steve Fulmer—He faded big-time. He’s gone. C Daniel Turberville—He was our #3 catcher, spending most of the year at AAA. He’s outta here. Well, at least I’ve freed up some $$$. LEAGUE RECAP American League Rookie Of The Year Award: Norberto Cardenas (ANA)! He had a record of 16-9 with an ERA of 4.11 and 1 shutouts. In 33 games started, he pitched 221.1 innings, fanning 122 and walking 83 batters. National League Rookie Of The Year Award: Robert Costanza (FLO)! He had a record of 14-9 with an ERA of 3.21. In 31 games started, he pitched 193.1 innings, fanning 108 and walking 44 batters. American League Cy Young Award: John Guest (MIN)! He had a record of 21-6 with an ERA of 2.03 and 2 shutouts. In 36 games started, he pitched 266.2 innings, fanning 212 and walking 88 batters. Guest has been consistently good throughout his career. He’s a five-time All-Star, but this is his first Cy Young Award. This 36-year-old has 175 career wins, and a 3.34 ERA. American League MVP Award: Donald Verdi (BOS)! He batted .322 in 583 AB, with 27 homers and 90 RBI. Verdi is also a Gold Glove CF this year. He stole 32 bases, and had a .952 OPS. A GREAT all-around season. He’s 31 years old, and has 214 homers, 237 steals and a .849 lifetime OPS. National League Cy Young Award: Kenneth Borchert (NY)! He had a record of 21-6 with an ERA of 1.36 and 4 shutouts. In 34 games started, he pitched 251 innings, fanning 198 and walking 33 batters. WOW!!!! What a season!!! A brilliant year to cap off what has been a very strong career. Borchert is 36 years old and has 192 career wins. This was his first Cy Young Award, but the third straight year he’s had an ERA under 3.00. National League MVP Award: Elmer Connors (SL)! He batted .369 in 572 AB, with 38 homers and 117 RBI. Back-to-back MVP Awards for this 31-year old. Connors won the batting title by 46 points this year. After four years of 24-29 homers and 270’s average, he’s become a superstar the last two years. He had 211 hits this year. American League Gold Glove Award Winners: Pitcher: Lester Vidal (BAL) Catcher: Edward Heiss (CLE) First Base: Emil Romero (KC) Second Base: Andres Paz (BAL) Third Base: Earl Saenz (OAK) Shortstop: Israel Fleita (OAK) Leftfield: Silvio Freire (DET) Centerfield: Donald Verdi (BOS) Rightfield: Billy Smith (TOR) National League Gold Glove Award Winners: Pitcher: Oswaldo Quintanilla (SL) Catcher: Christian Singh (SD) First Base: Bill Atchison (FLO) Second Base: Laurence Tobar (FLO) Third Base: Anthony Schuster (ATL) Shortstop: Felix Romano (COL) Leftfield: Michael Keck (SF) Centerfield: Michael Sylvain (ATL) Rightfield: Jose Cabello (MIL) MANAGER UPDATE My reputation rises to Still Inexperienced. The owner mood is at 27. It has been a Relationship with Blaney for almost 2 years now. I pop the question and she still doesn’t want to get hitched yet. I get offered a 1 year contract extension for $575K. THOUGHTS We’ve got some cash freed up now and the guys I want returning. In 2002, for the first time I’ll be able to put what I feel like is fully “my” team on the field. |
NOTE—This will be the last “Stars Of The Game” update. From now on, I’ll do a report on the MVP and Cy Young winners, and anyone who reaches a milestone or gets inducted into the HOF. RF Jose Cabello--Milwaukee, Age 34--6/8/5 Cabello had a very good year, but not one like he’s grown accustomed to. He was .284-30-90-.858 OPS and won the Gold Glove. He did establish a new career HR record. He’s at 588 and counting. The RBI record is a possibility as well. He needs 215 RBI’s to tie the all-time record of 1,702. Looking at Cabello’s records makes we want to discuss a retired player who is truly a LEGEND in this universe…. LF Lawrence “The Natural” Coldwell—RETIRED I just ran across him. He’s probably currently considered “the greatest to ever play the game”. Here’s the 4-1-1 on The Natural.
2B Laurence Tobar--Florida, Age 31--7/10/7 .272, 43HR, 99 RBI. He was 2nd in the League in HR’s, made his 5th All-Star appearance, and won his first Gold Glove. LF Albert Evans—Free Agent, Age 36--8/7/5 Looks like his 30-homer, 30 steal days are behind him, but he can still hit. He was .322 with 20 HR’s and 83 RBI and 15 SB’s. He was an All-Star for the 7th time in his career. Larry Gutowski--3B,Minnesota, age 33, 8/5/6 He’s fading. For the first time in 9 years, he didn’t hit .300. .277-7-54. He got his 2000th career hit this year. SP Raul "Goldie" Grajeda-Detroit--age 38--10/6/8 He’s done. He went 11-15 with a 4.84 ERA, giving him 226 career wins. He retired and was inducted into the HOF.; SP Pedro Diaz--Montreal--Age 37—8/7/8 He had yet another outstanding season, going 18-5 with a 2.15 ERA. He now has 178 career wins, and a lifetime 2.93 ERA. He was selected to his fourth career All-Star game. |
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Owner Mood: 27 Chemistry: 98 Owner Type: Normal Owner Expectation: Play .500 ball in 2002! Team Market: Small Fan Loyalty: Good Fan Interest: 31 |
2002 POSITION REPORT: Catchers
Theodore Barrett (6/6/7) is in the last year of his contract at age 34. He’s had a nice 10 years with Atlanta, but the handwriting is on the wall: 24-year-old 5-star prospect Walter McDonald (Good/Brl/Brl) is now rated 4/7/8, had a .956 OPS in AAA last year, has a stronger arm, and is the #12 prospect in all of baseball. 29-year-old Antonio Aguiar (4/5/5) has hit .262 in two seasons in the bigs as backup catcher, and will remain in that role.. OVERALL THOUGHTS: McDonald looks ready to take the next step. I’ll trade Barrett prior to the free agency period. |
2002 POSITION REPORT: First Base
Eugene Lamb (6/8/7), acquired via trade last year, is a good power guy in the middle of the order. He’s 30 years old, and hit a career-high 36 homers last year. He’s signed through 2004. We have two solid-looking prospects, 22-year-old Danny Anderson (Avg/Good/Brl) and 20-year-old Tyler Poulson (Good/Avg/Avg). OVERALL THOUGHTS: Lamb is set for at least the next three seasons. Perhaps by then Anderson or Poulson will be ready. |
2002 POSITION REPORT: Second Base
23-year-old Alan "The Hammer" Dye (Good/Good/Good) hit .311 with 23 SB’s in his half-season call-up as a starter last year. The Hammer has 6/4/6 ratings. 27-year-old Eddie Lopez (4/6/6) spent last year hitting .267 with 19 HR’s at AAA. He’s likely to be in the majors as a backup 2B/3B/CF. OVERALL THOUGHTS: It looks like “The Hammer” will be a fixture at 2B for quite some time. |
2002 POSITION REPORT: Third Base
Anthony Schuster (6/6/6), age 32, has been the starter for six season. He had another solid year, hitting .283 with 20 HR’s and a .792 OPS, while winning the Gold Glove for his D. Our best-looking prospect is 3B/1B Cruz Muniz (Avg/Brl/Avg). Muniz is 23 years old. He had a .917 OPS in 2000 at single-A, and a .757 last year in AA. He’s currently rated 2/4/3, and will probably spend 2002 in AA. OVERALL THOUGHTS: Schuster is signed through 2003. I doubt Muniz will be ready for the bigs by 2004, but Muniz will be 34 then. I may have to do a tap dance to make this work out. |
2002 POSITION REPORT: Shortstop
With the departure of Eduardo Fuensanta, we really have no one here who is starter material. The best option appears to be John Blakemore (3/5/6) a C fielding rated career backup. A decent-looking prospect is 4-star guy Robert Pauli (Good/Fair/Avg). Pauli has “B” range at SS. He had an OPS of .802 in 103 games in A-ball, then .842 in one month at AA. He’s currently rated 3/3/4. OVERALL THOUGHTS: Alan Dye has “B” range at SS. He could play there, and I’d start Lopez at 2B. My preferred option will be to sign a 2B or SS via free agency. |
2002 POSITION REPORT: Left Field
Sidney "Tumbleweed" Sutton (4/6/8) had an inauspicious debut. Sutton, now 26, was called up on August 1st to be the left field vs. RHP. He hit only .200 in 160 at bats. Another option out there is Scott Mcfarland (6/5/5). Mcfarland had a decent year, hitting .276 with little power. 26-year-old Jacobo Sousa (Avg/Good/Avg) (4/4/6) has become a one-star guy. He had a very good year in AA though, hitting 19 HR’s with a .870 OPS. He may deserve a look. I like his "B" range at LF. 35-year-old Andres Cobo (3/1/6) can play all three outfield positions with "B" range at each and remains a good utility OF option. OVERALL THOUGHTS: Hmmm. A VERY interesting situation here. Sousa probably looks like the most promising option, but with my owner getting more and more upset with me, I may be forced to sign a FA who is more “proven” in LF. |
2002 POSITION REPORT: Center Field
Michael "Superfly" Sylvain (Good, Brilliant, Good) (6/4/5) won a Gold Glove in his first full season and set a new NL stolen base record (58). The top prospect is Joseph Gillenwater (Good/Good/Avg). Gillenwater is 20, and can play RF or CF with A range.HE hit .305 with 15 HR’s in his second season in A-ball. OVERALL THOUGHTS: If Superfly can start showing us some of that “brilliant” power, he’ll become one of the most complete players in the game. He looks to have a place in my outfield for a very long time. |
2002 POSITION REPORT: Right Field
I let the mediocre Antonio Mejia become a free agent. My current best option is 24-year-old prospect Bryan Heasley (Good, Good/Avg) (6,3,4). Heasley bats left-handed, is the #98 prospect in the game, and has an “A” arm. Heasley had a very good year in his second AAA season, hitting .323 with 16 HR’s. OVERALL THOUGHTS: I’m ready to turn over RF to Heasley.[/b] |
2002 POSITION REPORT: Starting Pitchers
27-year-old lefty Samuel Figueroa(8/7/9) is the ace of the returning starters. He went 13-12 with a 3.67 ERA last year. This will be his third major league season. Elliot Feder (7/6/7/), has been a solid inning-eater in his career, and appears to still be such a guy. Willie "The Fireball" Prahl (Good/Avg/Avg) (7/7/5) gave us 179 innings with a 5.01 ERA as a rookie last year. This 25-year-old could now be ready to become a solid piece of the rotation. 24-year-old Hipolito “The Terminator” Dominguez (Good/Good/Good) (7/6/6), the #41 prospect in baseball, looks like he’s ready. He went 15-3 with a 4.13 ERA in AAA last year. 32-year-old William Braziel (6/6/6) has been very good in seven seasons at AAA, but has struggled when he’s been called up to the bigs at times (6.49 ERA in 349.1 innings). The SP prospect still looks pretty decent. SP/RP Dean Sipe (Good/Good/Brl) (5/6/7) advanced rapidly and suddenly last year. He started the year in A-ball, where we was utterly dominant, going 4-0 with a 1.10 ERA in 5 starts. He started 14 games in AA, going 9-2 with a 1.61 ERA. By the end of the year, he had gotten 5 starts in AA, with a 4.10 ERA. He’s now the #46 prospect in the game, and will start the year in AAA. William Bent (Good/Avg/Good) (3/2/6) continues to progress. In his first year at AA, he went 14-8 with a 3.79 ERA. This 21-year-old is a 4-star prospect. A 3 1/2 –star SP is Jim Decker (Avg/Avg/Good) (1/3/4). Decker had a tough half-year at AA, going 3-6 with a 6.55 ERA. OVERALL THOUGHTS: The rotation could be decent as is, but could really benefit from having a bona-fide ace. I’d love to put a rotation of ACE-Figueroa-Feder-Prahl-Dominguez out there, with Braziel and Sipe waiting in the wings in case of injury/poor performance. |
2002 POSITION REPORT: Relief Pitching
Joshua Dinger (Brl/Good/Good) (9/6/7) is only 23, and already has 59 career saves. He’s making $3.6M this year via arbitration 27-year-old Howard Boykins (9/6/8) returns as our best lefty set-up option. He’s had 3.14 and 3.16 ERA’s the last two years. The best-looking righty is 31-year-old John Honda (8/7/7). 26-year-old lefty Cosme Reynoso (Good/Avg/Brl) (7/6/7) is also worth mentioning. He appeared in 79 games last year, posting a 3.69 ERA. [b]Tomas Nieves (8/6/7) is a 27-year-old righthander who can give us some good innings as well. OVERALL THOUGHTS: The ‘pen is young, very good and very deep. |
Here's the current financial situation in Atlanta: Cash on Hand: $$3,948,674 Total Payfoll: $35,318,214 Last Year Income: $51,217,976 Available Money: $17,348,436 TRADES Well, I looked at the free agents and realized I wasn’t going to land a true ace SP, so I looked around to see if I can trade for a solid one. I trade C Barrett, SP prospect Decker, and mediocre 1B prospect Robert Falconer to Kansas City for SP Eric Freeland (7/7/7). Freeland is 29 years old, and has turned in ERA’s of 3.52, 3.48 and 3.36 and started 100 games in the last three seasons. He should help solidify the rotation. Freeland is signed through 2003. Speaking of trades, I take a look at my player tracker to see how some guys I’ve traded away have done. Here ya go… SS Ricardo Cazares has turned into an utter superstar for St. Louis. :mad: He’s rated 8/10/8, and hit .323 with 29 HR’s and 92 RBI’s last year. RP Henry Mukai was moved to middle relief by the Cards. He’s had two solid seasons in MR. 2B Rodney Campbell finished the season at .272 with 14 HR’s, and was not re-signed by KC. He could come back via free agency this year! DESIRES The trade for Freeland leaves me with $18.97M available for FA’s. I need a second basemen or shortstop, and could also really use another outfielder. There are a few guys out there who might help me put a winner on the field in ’02. Here’s who I end up signing: RF Ruben Rodriguez (Avg/Brl/Good (5/8/6)—This 27-year-old has 90 homers over the past three seasons. He has “C” range in RF, and bats left-handed. He gets a 4-year deal for $5.5M per year. ( Bryan Heasley can play LF, and will probably get a shot there.) 2B Rodney Campbell (Good/Avg/Avg) (6/5/6)—I bring the 31-year-old Campbell back, this time with a 3-year deal for $8.75M per year. :eek: He’s still got “A” range at 2B. Allen “The Hammer” Dye will move over to SS. Comment: I really like that AI teams will aggressively go after FA’s for more than they’re worth. I NEEDED Campbell, so I was forced to pay dang near double what I would have liked to pay. POST-FREE AGENCY THOUGHTS For the first time, I feel like I’m going to put a pretty sound team on the field. As I mentioned earlier, this is definitely the first year that I’m putting “my” team out there. Let’s see how we do! |
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Let's see. One trade ended up in the AI's favor, one was a wash and the other in your favor. Even with this small sample, these are the results I have always gotten (with the majority being washes). I just never understood the experience of others in making a rule eliminating trades or applying a "fairness" test. But then again, I wouldn't play a sports sim without trading. |
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Batting Order vs. RHP 1. CF Sylvain (6/4/5) 2. SS Dye (6/4/6) 3. 1B Lamb (6/8/7) 4. RF Rodriguez (5/8/6) 5. C McDonald (5/8/8) 6. 3B Schuster (6/6/6) 7. 2B Campbell (6/5/6) 8. LF Sutton (4/6/8) Batting Order vs. LHP 1. CF Sylvain (6/4/5) 2. SS Dye (6/4/6) 3. 1B Lamb (6/8/7) 4. 3B Schuster (6/6/6) 5. C McDonald (5/8/8) 6. RF Rodriguez (5/8/6) 7. 2B Campbell (6/5/6) 8. LF McFarland (6/5/5) Pitching Rotation 1. Figueroa (8/7/9) 2. Feder (7/6/7) 3. Freeland (7/7/7 4. Dominguez (7/6/6) 5. Prahl (7/7/5) Closer: Dinger (9/6/7) Strategy We’ve definitely added some pop to the order, with the signing of Rodriguez and the calling up of McDonald. I’ll tone down the base stealing just a bit as a result. Outlook I really think we can finish over .500 this year. If we don't, I wouldn't be surprised if I get canned. |
Good read SD, I'll be following :)
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THIS MONTH’S RECORD: 13-15 OVERALL RECORD AT MONTH-END: 13-15 CURRENT STANDING: Third, 2 games behind division-leading Mets. INJURIES: Ugh. 3B Schuster tore a thigh muscle in the fourth game of the season, and he’s still Out now. He’s expected to return in mid-May. MAJOR LEAGUE PERFORMANCES OF NOTE/LINEUP CHANGES/ROTATION CHANGES: Free agent Freeland (3-1, 2.89) and 2nd-year man “The Fireball” Prahl (4-1,2.48) lead the rotation. Rookie Dominguez struggles early (0-3, 6.28). Dinger has 8 saves, and hasn’t given up a run or walk in 11 IP. Superfly Sylvain is lighting is up! He hit .343 for the month, with a .935 OPS. Overall, we’re in the middle of the pack in both batting (.253, 16th) and pitching (3.80, 13th). SEASON-TO-DATE TEAM STATISTICAL LEADERS AVG: CF Sylvain--.343 HR: 1B Lamb and RF Rodriguez—4 RBI: SS Dye, RF Rodriguez and C McDonald--13 SB: SS Dye--8 SP ERA: Prahl—2.48 RP ERA: Dinger—0.00 SAVES: Dinger—8 SP K’s: Prahl--26 PLAYER DEVELOPMENT: Quote:
AAA NOTES —Note: I’ve decided to report month-by-month on 3 ½ star and up players at all classifications, and any others who are performing extremely well. SP Dean Sipe—3-1, 1.15, (7/6/8), 5 stars—With Dominguez struggling in the bigs, Sipe gets called up and takes his place in the rotation. MR Lucas Fernandez—0-0, 1.04, (7/8/5), 4 stars RF Bryan Heasley--.882 OPS, (6/3/4), 4 stars AA NOTES: SP William Bent—3-1, 2.97 ERA, (2/2/5), 4 stars MR Carlos Villar—0-0, 3.52 ERA, (2/5/4), 4 stars 1B Danny Anderson--.867 OPS, (3/2/7), 4 stars SS Robert Pauli--.863 OPS, (3/3/4), 4 stars A NOTES: SP Greg Benedict—4-0, 0.66 ERA, (1/2/3), 4 stars 1B Tyler Poulson--.670 OPS, (2/2/3), 3.5 stars CF Joseph Gillenwater--.623 OPS (2/3/3), 5 stars KEY E-MAILS: Quote:
PERSONAL DIARY ENTRIES: I finally have worn Blaney down. She accepted my proposal of marriage. TRADES None. MONTHLY AWARDS Pitchers Of The Month: Anthony Hilton, KC (2-1, 0.66) and Oscar Melgoza, NYN (4-0, 0.57) Batters Of The Month: LF Jason Bevilacqua, BOS (.308, 7, 32) and 2B Reggie Barraza, MIL (.355, 8, 28) IMPORTANT LEAGUE NEWS None. TEAM NEWS FROM THIS MONTH Quote:
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THIS MONTH’S RECORD: 15-12 OVERALL RECORD AT MONTH-END: 28-27 CURRENT STANDING: Second place. One-half game behind division-leading Mets. KEY INJURIES: BUMMER! I got 3B Schuster back, then two weeks later lost 1B Lamb for 6 weeks to a broken hand! Grrrrr. It looks like he’ll be out until early July. MAJOR LEAGUE PERFORMANCES OF NOTE/LINEUP CHANGES/ROTATION CHANGES: CL Dinger had one really bad outing, giving up five runs and blowing a save, and his ERA has ballooned to 4.35, but he’s been very effective overall, saving 14 of 16. Dean Sipe has been decent in his first month in the bigs, going 1-2 with a 4.44 ERA in 4 starts. The rest of the rotation has ERA’s ranging from 3.56 to 4.48. We’re still in the middle of the pack (3.98 and 16th) in team ERA. The bats are waking up! We’re 5th in all of baseball in batting average (.264) and homers (66). Rookie catcher Walter McDonald had a big power month, hitting 11 homers and slugging .698 in May. Youngsters Sylvain and Dye at the top of the order are giving pitchers fits. They’ve combined for 35 SB’s to date, and 72 runs. Dye is 5th in the NL in batting average (.338). SEASON-TO-DATE TEAM STATISTICAL LEADERS AVG: 2B Dye--.338 HR: C McDonald--12 RBI: C McDonald--33 SB: CF Sylvain--18 SP ERA: Figueroa—3.56 RP ERA: Boykins—2.84 SAVES: Dinger—14 SP K’s: Figueroa--59 PLAYER DEVELOPMENT: Quote:
b]AAA NOTES[/b] —Note: I’ve decided to report month-by-month on 3 ½ star and up players at all classifications, and any others who are performing extremely well. SP Hipolito Dominguez—3-1, 1.82 (7/6/6), 5 stars. Well, he struggled mightily in the bigs, but he’s been dominant in AAA. MR Lucas Fernandez—0-0, 0.57, (7/8/5), 4 stars RF Bryan Heasley--.928 OPS, (6/3/4), 4 stars AA NOTES: SP William Bent—4-4, 3.90 ERA, (3/2/5), 4 stars MR Carlos Villar—0-1, 5.82 ERA, (2/5/4), 4 stars 1B Danny Anderson--.796 OPS, (3/2/7), 4 stars. He’s said to be ready for AAA. I call him up. SS Robert Pauli--.792 OPS, (3/3/4), 4 stars A NOTES: SP Greg Benedict—5-3, 2.69 ERA, (1/2/4), 4 stars 1B Tyler Poulson--.733 OPS, (2/2/3), 3.5 stars CF Joseph Gillenwater--.743 OPS (2/3/3), 5 stars PERSONAL DIARY ENTRIES: None. TRADES None. MONTHLY AWARDS Pitchers Of The Month: Timothy Rainbolt, TOR (2-1, 0.61) and Kim Thomas, ARI (3-1, 1.19) Batters Of The Month: LF Silvio Freire, DET (.311, 29 RBI) and 2B Ronald Demuth, MON (.354, 10, 26) TEAM NEWS Quote:
IMPORTANT LEAGUE NEWS None. |
DRAFT POSITION: 3 DRAFTEES 1. 1B Hugh Anderson (Avg//Brl/Brl) This 19-year-old 4 ½ star left-handed hitter also has “A” range. 2. SP Donovan Wade. (Avg/Avg/Good). Wade is 23 years old, and a 3 ½-star guy. 3. LF/RF Jose Melendez (Fair/Fair/Good). He’s got great range at both positions, and blinding speed. Being only 18, perhaps his hitting can catch up to everything else and make him a good option. 4. 2B/3B Bill Vanpelt (Fair/Avg/Fair). He’s a two-star guy with “B” range at 2b and 3b. Age 21. 5. SP/RP George Ruelas (Avg/Good/Avg). He’s a three-star guy, age 22. Lefty. 6. 2B/3B/SS Harry Muth (Poor/Good/Fair). 23 years old. Doubtful, but if other things could improve to match that “Good” power, who knows? 7. SS Randolph Sikorski (Fair/Poor/Avg). He’s 21, and has “A” range (with a .983 fldg pct.) at SS. He’s a left-handed hitter, so perhaps one day he could have value as a PH/defensive replacement. POST-DRAFT TOP TEN MINOR LEAGUE SYSTEMS 1. LA 2. Texas 3. Colorado 4. Cleveland 5. SF 6. Tampa Bay 7. Kansas City 8. Philly 9. Chicago (A) 10. Anaheim We’re down to #24 now, as most of our guys are no longer considered prospects. ATLANTA TOP 100 PROSPECTS CF Joseph Gillenwater (30th) 1B Hugh Anderson (72nd) RF Bryan Heasley—(98th) |
THIS MONTH’S RECORD: 14-14 OVERALL RECORD AT MONTH-END: 42-41 CURRENT STANDING: Second place. 3.5 games behind the division-leading Mets. INJURIES DURING MONTH: No major injuries MAJOR LEAGUE PERFORMANCES OF NOTE/LINEUP CHANGES/ROTATION CHANGES: Overall, the pitching struggled this month, dropping to 24th in ERA (4.34). No one individual in the rotation had a huge drop, other than Sipe, who had a 7.61 ERA in the month. The offense continues to improve. We’re now 5th in hitting (up to .265), 3rd in homers and 6th in runs score. C McDonald has emerged as a serious rookie of the year candidate. He hit .308 and slugged .626 this month. “The Hammer” leads the league in hits (104) and is in the thick of the batting title race. SEASON-TO-DATE TEAM STATISTICAL LEADERS AVG: 2B Dye--.323 HR: C McDonald--18 RBI: C McDonald--54 SB: CF Sylvain--31 SP ERA: Prahl—3.80 RP ERA: Boykins—2.23 SAVES: Dinger—17 SP K’s: Figueroa--88 PLAYER DEVELOPMENT: Quote:
AAA NOTES SP Hipolito Dominguez—4-3, 2.79 (7/6/6), 5 stars. His report now says he could “pitch very well” at the big league level. I promote him, and send Sipe back down. MR Lucas Fernandez—0-0, 2.92, (7/8/5), 4 stars 1B Danny Anderson--.711 OPS, (3/3/7), 4 stars. Pretty decent first month in AAA. RF Bryan Heasley--.892 OPS, (6/3/4), 4 stars AA NOTES: SP William Bent—4-6, 3.24 (4/3/5), 4 stars. Computer doesn’t say so, but that rise to “4” in stuff makes me promote him to AAA. SP Danny Robinson—7-4, 3.02 (3/3/5), 3.5 stars SS Robert Pauli--.766 OPS, (3/3/4), 4 stars A NOTES: SP Greg Benedict—6-5, 2.91, (1/3/4), 4 stars SP Donovan Wade—1-1, 1.80 (0/2/5), 3.5 stars. Nice start for our 2nd-round pick from this year. 1B Hugh Anderson--.877 OPS (2/3/5), 4.5 stars 1B Tyler Poulson--.725 OPS, (2/2/3), 3.5 stars CF Joseph Gillenwater--.791 OPS (2/3/3), 5 stars PERSONAL DIARY ENTRIES: None. TRADES None. MONTHLY AWARDS Pitchers Of The Month: Cecil Sanders, TX (4-0, 1.32) and Hernan Palacio, CHC (4-0, 2.05) Batters Of The Month: LF Hernan Gomez, CHW (.356, 11, 27) and LF Alejandro Sanchez (.337, 27 RBI) TEAM NEWS Quote:
IMPORTANT LEAGUE NEWS The great Jose Cabello hit his 600th career homer this month (off of our own Dean Sipe), further extending his all-time record. He’s still rated “8” in power, and is 34. He probably still has a good bit more homers in him. Toronto’s Benny Ferros threw a PERFECT GAME this month! Ferros is one of the game’s bright stars. He’s 35 years old, and has 220 career wins. Fierros also has over 3,000 strikeouts. |
THIS MONTH’S RECORD: 13-12 OVERALL RECORD AT MONTH-END: 55-53 CURRENT STANDING: Third place, 4 games behind the division-leading Mets. TRADES 3B Schuster has struggled offensively (.235-7-28), and has another year on his contract. Anaheim has an aging 3rd baseman in the final year of his contract who is still hitting a ton. I have a shot at the Division Title, and I want him for the stretch drive. On July 30th, I trade Schuster and 4-star SP prospect William Bent to Anaheim for 3B Philip Dileo. Dileo is 36 years old, and is nearing the end of a great career. He has 370 lifetime homers, and 2064 hits. This season, he’s hit .285 with 23 homers and 59 RBI’s to date. Like Schuster, he has “B” range at 3B. Dileo is a 6-time All-Star. TEAM NEWS Quote:
INJURIES DURING MONTH: No major ones. MAJOR LEAGUE PERFORMANCES OF NOTE/LINEUP CHANGES/ROTATION CHANGES: The staff ERA dropped 24 points to 4.10 (19th) this month. Nice! Dominguez, now 8/7/6, is looking to be ready now. He went 1-1 with a 3.77 ERA during the month. The biggest news offensively is that “Superfly” Sylvain is starting to show some of his promised power. His ratings are now 7/6/6, and he slugged .514 in July. I’ll move Dye into the leadoff position, and let Sylvain bat second, to give him more RBI chances. SEASON-TO-DATE TEAM STATISTICAL LEADERS AVG: 2B Dye--.311 HR: 3B Dileo--23 RBI: C McDonald--68 SB: CF Sylvain--42 SP ERA: Prahl—3.51 RP ERA: Boykins—2.49 SAVES: Dinger—20 SP K’s: Figueroa--121 PLAYER DEVELOPMENT: Quote:
AAA NOTES SP Dean Sipe—5-2m 1,82 (8/7/8), his stars have gone from blue to gold. He has 2.5 gold now. MR Lucas Fernandez—0-4, 3.19, (5/8/5), 3 stars—He dropped 2 points in “stuff.” Bummer. 1B Danny Anderson--.745 OPS, (4/3/8), 4 stars. Developing pretty quickly now. He may be ready for the bigs before Lamb’s contract runs out in 2004. Nice! RF Bryan Heasley--.873 OPS, (6/3/4), 4 stars. I want one more improvement in contact and/or power before I call him up. AA NOTES: SP Danny Robinson—8-5, 2.97 (3/3/5), 3 stars SS Robert Pauli--.765 OPS, (3/3/4), 4 stars A NOTES: SP Greg Benedict—6-5, 2.91, (1/3/4), 4 stars (Out for season with ruptured disc…) SP Donovan Wade—3-1, 2.88 (0/2/5), 3.5 stars. 1B Hugh Anderson--.846 OPS (2/3/5), 4.5 stars 1B Tyler Poulson--.755 OPS, (2/2/3), 3.5 stars CF Joseph Gillenwater--.793 OPS (2/3/3), 5 stars PERSONAL DIARY ENTRIES: None. TRADES None. MONTHLY AWARDS American League-Pitcher of the Month: Benito Vargas (KC)! He had a record of 3-0 in 4 games started, with an ERA of 0.89. American League-Batter of the Month: Adrian Cortes (DET)! He batted .355 in 93 AB, with 5 homers and 19 RBI. National League-Pitcher of the Month: Amando Medeiros (SD)! He had a record of 2-1 in 4 games started, with an ERA of 0.98 and 1 shutouts. National League-Batter of the Month: Maximo Farmer (PIT)! He batted .386 in 88 AB, with 9 homers and 31 RBI. IMPORTANT LEAGUE NEWS None. |
THIS MONTH’S RECORD: 10-17 OVERALL RECORD AT MONTH-END: 65-70 CURRENT STANDING: Third place, 10 games behind the division-leading Mets. INJURIES DURING MONTH: SP Figueroa is diagnosed with bone chips in his elbow early in the month. He’ll likely be done until the last week or two of the regular season. Dean Sipe was called up to replace him. TEAM NEWS Quote:
MAJOR LEAGUE PERFORMANCES OF NOTE/LINEUP CHANGES/ROTATION CHANGES: Without Figueroa, the staff ERA rose 9 points to 4.19 (21st). Elliot Feder was horrid, 0-3 with a 9.24 ERA in 5 starts. Sipe was respectable in his return to the bigs: 0-1, 4.10 ERA in 4 starts. “The Fireball” Prahl is putting together a nice sophomore campaign. Right now he’s 11-7 with a 3.53 ERA We struggled offensively this month, mainly at the top of the order. Dye hit .233, and Sylvain .239, dropping our team average to .257. Hopefully the youngsters will bounce back enough in September to get us up over .500 for the year. SEASON-TO-DATE TEAM STATISTICAL LEADERS AVG: 2B Dye--.296 HR: 3B Dileo--27 RBI: C McDonald--76 SB: CF Sylvain--51 SP ERA: Prahl—3.53 RP ERA: Boykins—3.18 SAVES: Dinger—26 SP K’s: Figueroa--122 PLAYER DEVELOPMENT: Quote:
AAA NOTES 1B Danny Anderson--.746 OPS, (4/3/8), 4 stars. 2B/3B David Bischoff--.645 OPS, (4/3/4) 3.5 stars RF Bryan Heasley--.838 OPS, (6/4/4), 4 stars. AA NOTES: SP Danny Robinson—9-6, 2.74 (3/3/5), 3 stars SS Robert Pauli--.753 OPS, (3/3/4), 4 stars A NOTES: SP Greg Benedict—6-5, 2.91, (1/3/4), 4 stars (Out for season with ruptured disc…) SP Donovan Wade—3-3, 3.28 (0/2/5), 3.5 stars. 1B Hugh Anderson--.824 OPS (2/3/56, 4 stars 1B Tyler Poulson--.770 OPS, (2/2/3), 3.5 stars CF Joseph Gillenwater--.780 OPS (2/3/3), 5 stars PERSONAL DIARY ENTRIES: None. MONTHLY AWARDS Friday 9/1/2002: American League-Pitcher of the Month: Roberto Medina (NY)! He had a record of 4-0 in 6 games started, with an ERA of 1.32. American League-Batter of the Month: Chris Korando (CLE)! He batted .343 in 108 AB, with 10 homers and 35 RBI. National League-Pitcher of the Month: Urso Ramos (LA)! He had a record of 5-0 in 6 games started, with an ERA of 0.92. National League-Batter of the Month: John Linville (PIT)! He batted .378 in 98 AB, with 8 homers and 23 RBI. Yes, that’s the same Roberto Medina that I let become a free agent. He’s been used in relief most of the year (46 relief appearances, 10 starts), and has a 4.56 ERA. He did have a very nice August for the Yanks. IMPORTANT LEAGUE NEWS None. MY SEPTEMBER CALL-UPS OF NOTE None. |
THIS MONTH’S RECORD: 8-19 OVERALL RECORD AT MONTH-END: 73-89 CURRENT STANDING: Fourth place, 18 games behind Division Champion Mets. PERSONAL DIARY ENTRIES: I got fired on 9/28/2K2. :mad: It is going to be truly sad to watch this team blossom as I go elsewhere. I also asked Blaney about having kids, and she says she wants none at all. I send her packing. TEAM NEWS Quote:
INJURIES DURING MONTH: None of note. SEASON-END TEAM STATISTICAL LEADERS AVG: 2B Dye--.293 HR: 3B Dileo--30 RBI: C McDonald--90 SB: CF Sylvain--60 SP ERA: Freeland—3.58 RP ERA: Dinger—3.60 SAVES: Dinger—28 SP K’s: Prahl--140 MONTHLY AWARDS Sunday 10/1/2002 : American League-Pitcher of the Month: Arthur Jan (OAK)! He had a record of 4-0 in 6 games started, with an ERA of 1.04. American League-Batter of the Month: Chet Hall (SEA)! He batted .350 in 80 AB, with 8 homers and 29 RBI. National League-Pitcher of the Month: Ronnie Ramirez (MIL)! He had a record of 3-0 in 6 games started, with an ERA of 0.72. National League-Batter of the Month: Felix Romano (COL)! He batted .404 in 114 AB, with 7 homers and 26 RBI. IMPORTANT LEAGUE NEWS None. |
Oh man - just as the kids were starting to come into their own. Unbelievable.
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DUH! I have my own web space. I’ll upload the entire league at the end of each season (replacing what was already there). The end-of-2002 update is being uploaded right now. It can be found HERE. |
TIME FOR A POLL!
Should I leave manager mode so I can take over the Atlanta team again, or just take over whoever I can, and just continue to report on how the younsters are doing? To vote, go HERE. |
POTENTIAL FREE AGENTS/CONTRACT EXTENSIONS None. The computer takes over. SEASON RECAP Note: Since I’m now uploading the entire league each season, I’ll just use this space to mention my players who win awards, and to list the World Champs. URL’s will be given for my award-winners. Arizona beats Oakland 4 games to 1 to win it all. C Walter McDonald was named NL Rookie of the Year. P Elliot Feder and 2B Rodney Campbell both won Gold Gloves. MANAGER UPDATE Fired by Atlanta. My rep rose to “Bad Manager”. I’ve met a new chick named Denise, and as of 1/19/2K3, it is a “real relationship.” I’m offered three jobs: Minnesota, Montreal and Pittsburgh. Easy choice. I want to stay in the NL East and match up against Atlanta. I sign a two-year deal to take over the Expos. THOUGHTS Montreal hasn’t won a division title since 1952! |
Skydog,
Just wanted to say I'm enjoying this! Makes for a great read! |
Just arbitration awards in the team news screen. They don’t mean much yet, so I won’t report them. Owner Mood: 80 Chemistry: 80 Owner Type: Good Man (rather patient) Owner Expectation: Do not finish last in 2003! Team Market: Slightly Above Averagel Fan Loyalty: Fair Fan Interest: 42 |
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2003 MONTREAL POSITION REPORT: Catchers
Kenneth Whitener (Avg/Fair/Fair, 6/5/6, 32yo) is a lifetime .287 hitter (.741 OPS) with a “B” arm. He had an .801 OPS in 404 at bats last year. Whitener is a switch hitter. Jose “Wild Card” Camacho (Avg/Brl/Good,4/9/6,26yo) had an .819 OPS in 293 at bats as a rookie. The best prospect is a 3-star guy, Harold Gingras (Avg/Avg/Avg,3/4/5,21yo). Gingras was called up to AA midway through last season, and had a .729 OPS the rest of the way there. OVERALL THOUGHTS: Whitener is solid, but Camacho looks like he’s going to be a star. Whitener is making almost $3M, and is signed through 2004. I’ll probably trade him for an upgrade at another position. I’ve got other guys who can back up Camacho. |
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