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12-19-2003, 09:14 AM
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#1 | ||
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Dynasty Boy
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Michigan
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The story of El Loco
"Get that knuckler off the field!": The story of El Loco (An Inside the Park Baseball dynasty)
BACKSTORY: Like most of the boys in San Pedro de Macoris, Tomas grew up as a baseball fan. But there was always something unusual about him. Instead of rooting for the usual Dominican stars like Sammy Sosa and Tony Fernandez, he was fascinated by guys like Tom Candiotti, Charlie Hough, and Tim Wakefield. He imitated their pitches as well as he could and practiced his knuckler when he could get time off from working in his family's sugar cane field. The schoolyard boys remembered Tomas as a kid who could pick it pretty well, but was never much of a hitter and didn't have a very good arm. He was usually one of the last guys selected for the pickup games that happened after school. One day, for the fun of it, his team let him pitch a few innnings. His knuckleball was almost completely unhittable, but it also didn't cross the strike zone very often either. His first start was filled with wild pitches, passed balls, and strikeouts. When the hitters made contact, they rarely did much with it, usually popping it up or hitting weak grounders. After that, he started getting picked more often. The kids called him "El Loco" - The Crazy One - because that knuckleball did some crazy things that no other pitch could do. Nobody liked to hit against him and nobody wanted to catch for him. Eventually El Loco got enough control of his dazzling knuckler to make his high school team. He continued to be tough to hit, but sometimes could be beaten by a lack of control. His best fastball was timed at 73 MPH and was not improving. Tomas rarely threw it because he knew he'd get killed if he did. Besides, he felt an obligation to support the family and it was clear that the knuckleball would be his only ticket out of San Pedro. Some scouts were always stopping by El Loco's high school, but the same scout was sitting in the same seat for each of Tomas' starts his senior year. I wonder who he could be... NEXT: Nuts and bolts. |
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12-19-2003, 09:14 PM
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#2 |
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Dynasty Boy
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Michigan
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NUTS & BOLTS: El Loco was born July 31 and will take #22.
His RPG abilities are as follows: Strength - +1 Intelligence - +2 Dexterity - +3 Constitution - +3 Charisma - +1 Luck - +2 He bats and throws right handed, and will be coming out of high school. He's 18 years old. His skill potentials are as follows: Stuff - 8 Control - 4 Velocity - 1 Poise - 7 Endurance - 10 Defense - 7 Hitting - 1 He knows 2 pitches - the knuckler and a fastball. El Loco chooses the following items to start: Silver Slugger bat A1 (+1 contact) SweetSpot Ltd. batting gloves TX1 (+1 to contact and gap power, but -1 to HR power) Web Gems Inc. glove IF1 (+1 to defense for infielders) Mazano Tech Shoes Basic1 (+1 defense) On to the draft... My ratings are as follows (potentials in parentheses): Stuff - 10 (80) Velocity - 8 (10) Control - 12 (40) Poise - 9 (70) He's a 4-star prospect (out of 5*). The Call finally comes as El Loco gets selected with the 17th pick of the 1st round by Minnesota. The Twins are willing to give him a $910,000 bonus - great for all the things he has to buy now and in the future. They sent El Loco straight to AA and made him the #2 starter. They're paying him a princely $350 a week. NEXT: The first season in the minors. Can El Loco live up to the hype? |
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12-20-2003, 04:19 AM
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#3 |
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Dynasty Boy
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Michigan
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2003 SEASON
APRIL: El Loco got crushed in his first starts - 6 1/3 innings, 10 hits, 7 runs, 4 walks, and only 2 Ks. He lost this one, of course.
The second start was worse - only 1 1/3 innings, 6 hits, 8 runs, 3 walks, 1 K. He was lucky to escape with a no decision. He's probably getting demoted soon if he doesn't shape up. Overall it was a horrible month, hopefully the worst of his career - 0-1 record, 12.88 ERA, 21 2/3 IP, 41 hits, 15 walks, 9 Ks. Ugly numbers. MAY: Went to the bar, got into a fight with the opposing behemoth. Suffered a broken nose, status is day-to-day. He got a win in his next start, but the numbers overall remain ugly - 1-5, 13.82 ERA, 41 2/3 IP, 83 hits, 29 BB, 15 K. I expect him to go to A ball any day now. JUNE: El Loco continues to get treated roughly at AA. His record now sits at 1-8 with a 12.22 ERA. He's pitched 67 innings, given up 126 hits, 48 walks, 23 Ks. JULY: The good news is that El Loco won another game and pitched much better this month. The bad news is his ERA is still around 10 - 2-10, 9.55 ERA, 99 IP, 160 H, 75 BB, 37 K. AUGUST: Our boy won two in a row to end the month; he's pitching much better these days. Unfortunately, the 4 1/2 months before that were SO bad his season stats are still lousy - 5-13, 7.98 ERA, 146 2/3 IP, 199 hits, 110 BB, 53 K. The minor league season is now over. The AA team finished at 58-72, thanks in large part to El Loco. His ratings as of the end of the season: Stuff - 24 Velocity - 9 Control - 17 Poise - 16 Endurance - 93 Defense - 61 Hitting - 1 SEPTEMBER & OCTOBER: El Loco's ratings continued to improve. And Minnesota won the Central Division title at 90-72. They made it to the World Series, but lost to Philadelphia, 4 games to 3. OFFSEASON: Some advances in skills: Stuff - 35 (80) Velocity 10 (10) Control - 23 (40) Poise - 21 (70) Endurance - 95 Defense - 61 Hitting - 1 The Twinkies have advanced El Loco to their AAA club. I'm listed as the #5 starter. In AAA he gets a raise - to $500 a week. Just enough to buy some drinks at the bar. NEXT: One step away from the big leagues. Will he make the leap or will he get sent back? |
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12-20-2003, 04:43 AM
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#4 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Whittier
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lol
Nice dynasty title |
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12-20-2003, 11:50 AM
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#5 |
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Dynasty Boy
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Michigan
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2004 SEASON
MrBug708: Thanks. I figured the title was too cute not to use.
APRIL: El Loco's finally getting it. He pitched a complete game on opening day - 9 innings, 9 hits, 3 runs. The Twins' owner stopped by one day after work. He and El Loco shared some funny stories, but nothing came of them. He also talked to Aurelio, who gave him some tips on yoga and helped his poise. The promotion seems to have taken well - he ended the month with a 4-1 record with an ERA of 2.47. In 43 2/3 innings he has given up 36 hits, walked 26 and struck out 16. There are better pitchers on the staff, but if he keeps pitching like this, I wouldn't be surprised to see him get The Call. MAY: El Loco finally scores! He met a woman named Blarney at the bar, plied her with some drinks, yada yada yada, they ended up playing tic tac toe. Good for him! That makes up for the crummy outing he had the day before. After continuing to pitch well for half the month, El Loco lost his last two starts. His season stats: 6-4, 3.76 ERA, 91 IP, 85 H, 57 BB, 37 K. JUNE: El Loco shut out the Tigers' AAA club for 8 1/3 innings before tiring and leaving the game. This was probably his best start ever as he got the win, 3-0. The rest of the month straight out sucked - His season record is level at 7-7 with an ERA that's up to 4.55. In 124 1/3 innings he's given up 131 hits, 74 walks, and 61 Ks. JULY: Another mediocre month. El Loco's record now is at 8-10, 4.67. He's pitched 158 innings and given up 167 hits. His K-walk ratio is starting to even out, and that's a good sign - 88 walks, 83 Ks. AUGUST: He won his last game of the season to finish out at 11-12 with an ERA of 4.53. In 200 2/3 innings El Loco gave up 204 hits, 112 walks, 111 Ks. He could get The Call, I suppose, but I wouldn't recommend it. He has a lot to learn at AAA and he's still just 20. The AA team finished at 75-55. His ratings as of the end of the season: Stuff - 44 Velocity - 10 Control - 29 Poise - 25 Endurance - 95 Defense - 61 Hitting - 1 SEPTEMBER & OCTOBER: On the 19th, El Loco got The Call. He's heading to the Twin Cities! Yay! Minnesota is in the middle of a pennant race, only 1 game out with a record of 70-80. He's penciled in as the 5th starter. His contract is for the minimum, $300,000, and he gets a little pocket money just for showing up. That's enough to buy one of those cute books in the window of the local sports store. On September 28, he made his first start against Oakland. They treated him rather rudely. He only lasted 4 2/3 innings, giving up 7 hits and 5 runs. He walked 2 and struck out 1. He didn't get a decision, thankfully. We finish out the season 77-85, just one game out of first. OFFSEASON: More improvement in skills: Stuff - 55 (80) Velocity 10 (10) Control - 36 (40) Poise - 29 (70) Endurance - 97 Defense - 61 Hitting - 1 Thankfully this is a DH league where he doesn't get a chance to show how little a "1" can do. But the good news is he made the opening day roster! Will he stick around? P.S. Donruss made El Loco a "Rated Rookie", and his card is almost literally a dime a dozen - actually, it's worth 4 cents, but I'm sure you could get a package deal from your local baseball card dealer. NEXT: Will El Loco last the entire season on the major league roster? And will he score with some of the local groupies? |
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12-20-2003, 01:34 PM
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#6 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Colorado
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It seems to be a gameplay vs realism thing. Do you think he deserved to have been promoted to AAA and then to the Bigs? Would it have happened in real life for the type of pitcher he is? But then again, what fun would it be if you get stuck in the minors and can make no decisions on how to get better?
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12-21-2003, 01:53 AM
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#7 | |
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Dynasty Boy
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Michigan
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Quote:
The decision to call him up at the end of the season was certainly justifiable, if a little premature. And it's true about gameplay and most of the fun being in the majors. And on with the rest of the story... |
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12-21-2003, 02:09 AM
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#8 |
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Dynasty Boy
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Michigan
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2005 SEASON
It looks like El Loco is the #5 starter for the Twins.
APRIL: El Loco got his first win April 5 against Kansas City. He went 6 1/3 innings, giving up 6 hits and 6 walks, but only 3 runs. He struck out 4 hitters. A few days after that, he spent some time at the bar drinking with his manager. He gave him some tips about how to get hitters out in the clutch. His other two starts, alas, weren't nearly as good. He pitched 14 1/3 innings, allowing 20 hits, 13 walks, and 9 Ks. His record is even at 1-1. MAY: After two more poor starts, El Loco got the Other Call on May 15. Back to AAA he goes. Oh well, he wasn't getting regular work in the majors anyway and this should be good for him. He's penciled in as the ace there. His 2 major league starts this month only added up to 7 2/3 innings but an ERA of 8.22. He gave up 13 hits, but just one walk (lucky) and struck out 3. In his 2 AAA starts, he went 0-2 with an ERA of 5.17. 15 2/3 IP, 21 hits, 10 BB, 13 K. He's got work to do if he wants to get back to the majors before September. The good news is the price of his rookie card is up to 36 cents. JUNE: El Loco didn't pitch well at AAA, but on June 16 he got the call to go back to the majors anyway. The regular work helped his ratings more than his mood. He's penciled in as the 4th starter, so we'll see how he does... not good is the answer. In 3 starts, he could only go 10 2/3 innings, giving up 24 hits, 4 walks and 5 Ks. He went 0-2. His stats at AAA were little better: 1-4, 6.81 ERA, 35 2/3 IP, 50 H, 26 BB, 27 K. El Loco's card price is up to 47 cents. JULY: My man gets lucky again! Her name was Fay and she was actually kinda hot. There was the usual routine at the bar and then they got down to business. He hopes to see her again, sometime. The rest of the month wasn't so good. He strained his tricep. He can play, but at reduced effectiveness. The team doctor says he should be all healed in 3 weeks or so. But the decision was made to put him on the disabled list. Yargh. He had 2 starts this month and went 1-0 with an ERA of 3.14. In 14 1/3 innings he gave up 13 hits, 8 walks and 5 Ks. His overall major league record is 2-4, 7.09 in 10 starts. The rookie card is up to 68 cents. AUGUST: El Loco was taken off the disabled list on August 9 but they sent him to AAA at the same time. He did pitch a litttle better once he got there. His final AAA stats: 9 starts, 3-6 record, 5.40 ERA, 70 IP, 82 hits, 44 walks, 51 Ks. Since the minor league season is over, there's nothing to do but wait for The Call - if it comes. SEPTEMBER & OCTOBER: No call this year. Just as well, as Minnesota won the division without his help, but they lost in the first round of the playoffs to Oakland 3 games to 1. El Loco's ratings as of the end of the season: Stuff - 63 Velocity - 10 Control - 38 Poise - 39 Endurance - 97 Defense - 61 Hitting - 1 And here are his career stats so far: Code:
OFFSEASON: Pretty quiet. His ratings didn't go up very much; I guess he's going to have to hit the books if he wants to improve some more. Here are those ratings: Stuff - 66 (80) Velocity - 10 (10) Control - 40 (40) Poise - 40 (70) Endurance - 98 Defense - 61 Hitting - 1 His rookie card is up to $1.35. El Loco starts the season on the AAA roster. NEXT: How quickly can El Loco get back to the majors? |
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12-21-2003, 12:30 PM
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#9 |
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Dynasty Boy
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Michigan
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2006 SEASON
APRIL: El Loco finds himself with a minor league contract again. Back down to $500 a week. This will put a serious crimp in his ability to buy books and such.
But on April 15, after a fast start at AAA (2-1, 1.00 ERA), he gets The Call. Minnesota is looking for him to be their #3 starter. Excellent news! Even better, he won his first start after being called up. Alas, his next two starts weren't so good, so his major league stats for the month were: 1-1, 5.23 ERA, 10 1/3 IP, 8 hits, 9 BB, 3 K. Stats at AAA: 2-1, 1.00 ERA, 27 IP, 23 H, 9 BB, 28 K; completed all 3 starts. His rookie card is up to $1.72. MAY: After another iffy outing (4 runs allowed in 6 1/3 innings), El Loco gets shuffled back to AAA on May 5. Two starts at AAA and he messes up his shoulder. He's out for the next week. He comes back to pitch fairly well - overall at AAA he's at 4-3 with a 2.98 ERA. In 48 1/3 innings he's allowed 55 hits, 22 BB, and 48 Ks. JUNE: The merry-go-round continues - he's called up again to Minnesota on June 20. He went 1-1 in his two starts for the month. His ERA was 3.38. In 13 1/3 innings, he allowed 11 hits, 7 walks, and struck out 4. His rookie card has crossed the $2 mark at $2.24. JULY: On July 10, El Loco was sent back down to AAA. He had lasted only one inning in his start on that day, giving up 5 runs in the process. Perhaps he will learn some more when he is there. He did, and after pitching with some mixed success, he made it back to Minnesota on July 31. His record at AAA is 6-6, 4.08. In the majors it's 2-4, 5.81. All this activity has moved his card price up to $2.30. AUGUST: El Loco was pitching very well when he came up with a twinge in his shoulder. This is serious - a pulled rotator cuff. He should be healthy in another 4 weeks, but in the meantime, he will be going on the DL. He was 3-0 this month with an ERA of 1.60. In 33 2/3 innings, he had allowed just 24 hits, 14 walks and 16 Ks. This was by far his best month in the majors or minors. Except for the injury, of course. His rookie card is now valued at $3.42. SEPTEMBER: He was activated on September 19 after about 3 1/2 weeks on the DL. He wasn't quite as hot as when he went on the DL, but good enough to stay in the majors. In 4 starts he went 1-1, 3.96. He pitched 25 innings, giving up 24 hits. He walked and struck out 12. Overall his regular season stats were 15 starts, 6-5, 3.71 ERA, 89 2/3 IP, 77 H, 49 BB, 41 K. OCTOBER: Minnesota ended the season at 101-61 and won the pennant in a walk. They face Oakland in the first round of the playoffs. El Loco pitched in game 3. The Twins were already down 2-0 and need to win to continue on. Lots of pressure for a young kid... He pitched 6 1/3 innings, giving up 9 hits and 4 runs. He only walked 1 and struck out 5. He left down 4-1 and Minnesota ended up losing 8-4. Tough luck. Time to go get plastered at the bar. Here's his stat lines for the year: Code:
Stuff - 68 Velocity - 9 Control - 37 Poise - 51 Endurance - 100 Defense - 61 Hitting - 1 OFFSEASON: El Loco goes to arbitration. He should be happy with whatever he gets. The arbitrator awarded him a contract for $726,071 for next season. Not bad for a marginal major leaguer. His ratings heading into the coming year: Stuff - 80 (80) Velocity - 10 (10) Control - 37 (40) Poise - 54 (70) Endurance - 100 Defense - 61 Hitting - 1 He's rated at 2 1/2 stars, and his rookie card is now at a cool $6.95. NEXT: Is El Loco in the majors to stay, or are there other bumps in the road in store for him? |
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12-22-2003, 05:33 AM
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#10 |
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Dynasty Boy
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Michigan
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2007 SEASON
El Loco has steadily improved in the past 4 years. It is now time for him to take another step forward to become an established starter in the majors. We'll see what we can do to make it happen.
The Minnesota rotation starts out like this: Antonio Martinez (31 yo, 20-5, 2.11) Bill Moorhouse (34 yo, 11-9, 3.94) EL LOCO (22 yo, 6-5, 3.71) Ryan Heintzelman (33 yo, 13-5, 5.72) Robert Hawkes (28 yo, 0-1, 2.25) It's a pretty old staff, other than our boy, and there are plenty of opportunities to move up if the Twins don't go free agent crazy. APRIL: Not a very good month for El Loco - 6 starts, 1-2 record, 9.35 ERA. In 26 innings he allowed 42 hits, 10 walks and 14 Ks. He is dropped to the #4 spot in the rotation, behind Heintzelman. MAY: Tossed a 2-hitter over 8 innings against Tampa Bay in his last start before the end of May, by far his best start of the season. Only 4 starts this month with a 4.10 ERA (3-1 record). In 26 1/3 innings he gave up 26 hits, 11 walks and 15 Ks. The rookie card price is up to $9.58. JUNE: El Loco continues to pitch better, if not exactly well - This month he went 3-1 with a deceptive 3.20 ERA. In 39 1/3 innings he gave up 35 hits, 26 walks and 23 Ks. JULY: He slowed down a little this month, only going 1-2 with a 4.20 ERA. His record for the year so far is 8-6, 4.95. He has 123 2/3, 130 hits allowed, 65 BB, 72 Ks. His card price is up to $12.54. AUGUST: Excellent news! El Loco's fastball finally broke 80! His knuckler is going a little faster too, not that it matters. The game effects of this is that his velocity talent has gone from 10 to 20. Unfortunately, he was not able to translate this into results on the field - 2-2 record this month with a 5.13 ERA. In 33 1/3 innings he gave up 41 hits, 21 walks and 22 Ks. SEPTEMBER: More great news on the workout path! His knuckler seems to be going where it needs to more often. His control talent has gone up 10 points, to 50. Otherwise this was a forgettable month - 1-3 record with a 7.11 ERA. The baseball card is up to $15.20. OCTOBER: Minnesota ended up with a 99-63 record and won the pennant again. El Loco's record was 11-11, 5.34 ERA, 188 2/3 IP, 204 H, 110 BB, 113 Ks. The Twins played Texas in the first round of the playoffs. They won the series 3 games to 1. El Loco didn't get out of the bullpen. In the league finals, Minnesota took on Boston and lost 4 games to 3. Again, El Loco did not see any action. Here are his final stats for the season: Code:
El Loco's ratings as of the end of the season: Stuff - 80 Velocity - 12 Control - 44 Poise - 68 Endurance - 100 Defense - 61 Hitting - 1 OFFSEASON: The arbitrator got our boy some big money for the coming season - $2,436,071. Must be the going rate for a .500 pitcher. That will help buy the books needed to round out his skills. Stuff - 80 (80) Velocity - 13 (20) Control - 47 (50) Poise - 69 (70) Endurance - 100 Defense - 61 Hitting - 1 He's rated at 3 stars and his rookie card is up to $20.29. NEXT: Can El Loco boost himself and the Twins to the next level? |
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12-23-2003, 02:38 AM
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#11 |
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Dynasty Boy
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Michigan
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2008 SEASON
El Loco is penciled in as the #4 starter again in the Minnesota rotation:
Antonio Martinez (32 yo, 20-8, 3.33) Gonzalo Ferraro (28 yo, 18-11, 4.42 for Oakland) Bryon Lint (27 yo, 17-6, 4.04 for St. Louis & Minnesota) EL LOCO (23 yo, 11-11, 5.34) Bill Moorhouse (35 yo, 16-8, 5.48) The only SP prospect worth talking about is Gary Hungate, who was 1-1, 7.71 in a quick look with the Twins last year. He's 25 and was 4-10, 4.25 at AAA last year. He's a 3 1/2 star prospect. El Loco's position seems to be secure, but baseball is a funny game. APRIL: Another tough April, but the win-loss record doesn't show it at 3-3. El Loco's ERA for the month was 6.88. In 35 1/3 innings he gave up 40 hits, 17 walks and 21 Ks. His rookie card is up to $22.69. MAY: Not much better this month - 0-2, 6.04. He continues to give up too many hits and walks. JUNE: El Loco's record wasn't great this month (2-3) but with a 3.51 ERA, he pitched much better. In 41 innings he gave up 51 hits, 15 walks and 23 Ks. The card has crossed the $25 barrier at $25.69. JULY: He spent the past 3 months trying to learn the curve ball. After the All-Star break he finally mastered it. No one thinks he'll throw it very often, but it's another weapon in his arsenal. He continues to get better - 3-1 and 3.24 ERA this month in 5 starts. 33 1/3 IP, 35 hits, 16 BB, 19 K. He's 8-9, 4.83 so far this season. AUGUST: Thing got away this month as he slid to a 1-3 record with a 8.10 ERA. Hopefully he won't beat himself up too much over it and hit the bottle. SEPTEMBER: Another ugly month - 1-2, 7.30 in 6 starts. He ended the season with a 10-14 record with an ERA of 5.75. In 205 innings he gave up 258 hits, 95 BB and 111 Ks. OCTOBER: Minnesota finished 91-71 and won the Central Division again. They played Texas in the first round and beat them 3-1. Oakland was the opponent in the AL finals, and they beat them 4-1. In their first World Series appearance they faced Atlanta. And they won 4 games to 2. The championship goes to the Twins! El Loco did his part during the playoffs by sitting on the bench. El Loco's ratings were all maxed out the end of the season: Stuff - 80 Velocity - 20 Control - 50 Poise - 70 Endurance - 100 Defense - 61 Hitting - 1 OFFSEASON: The arbitrator awarded El Loco $2,436,071 for the coming season. Not bad, not bad at all. His ratings were unchanged from the end of the season: El Loco's ratings were all maxed out the end of the season: Stuff - 80 (80) Velocity - 20 (20) Control - 50 (50) Poise - 70 (70) Endurance - 100 Defense - 61 Hitting - 1 The championship ring, among other things, has boosted the value of his card to $38.74. NEXT: Can he finally get over the hump and become a quality starter in this league? |
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12-23-2003, 05:37 PM
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#12 |
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H.S. Freshman Team
Join Date: Feb 2003
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Great jorb with this dynasty Blue, go El Loco!
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12-24-2003, 01:39 AM
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#13 |
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Pro Starter
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Iowa City, IA
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Great stuff
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12-24-2003, 06:22 AM
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#14 |
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Dynasty Boy
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Michigan
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2009 SEASON
Killebrew and tucker342: Thank you for your kind words.
APRIL: Three great starts here - including his first shutout - but three ugly ones made his stats look ordinary. 3-1, 3.96. In 38 2/3 innings he gave up 32 hits, 24 BB, 26 Ks. His rookie card is up to $41.74. MAY: El Loco signs an extension for $3,650,000 a year for the next 4 years. He must have had a high play for winner rating because he might have gotten more out on the free agent market, considering what happened this month... He got a call from Mr. "Sellick" telling him that he was the Pitcher of the Month. Awesome! All he did was go 4-1 with a 1.45 ERA. In 43 1/3 innings he only allowed 37 hits, 19 BB, and 25 Ks. He's moved up to be the #3 starter. JUNE: Not a great month - 2-4, 4.98 ERA in 6 starts. His season record stands at 9-6 and he has a vague shot at being named to the All-Star team. He's not expecting to get that call. JULY: Nope, no call. Had to watch the All-Star game on TV, like almost everyone else. El Loco went 2-2 with a 3.90 ERA this month. In 30 innings he gave up 32 hits, 14 BB and 20 Ks. His record for the year so far is 11-8, 3.53. The rookie card is up to $50.26. AUGUST: Another big month - 5-1, 3.14 in 6 starts. 48 2/3 IP, 44 hits, 20 BB, 29 Ks. This gives our boy 16 wins for the season and an outside chance at 20. You know he wants it... SEPTEMBER: Went 1-4 this month but didn't pitch all that badly (4.08 ERA). His record for the season is 17-13, 3.53. OCTOBER: One start during the month (8 IP, 1 ER, no decision), but Minnesota lost the game and lost the pennant by 2 games. But they did get the wild card berth. El Loco got 2 wins in the series against Texas - very necessary for the Twins' 3-2 win over the Rangers. In the ALCS they faced the White Sox. Again El Loco pitched twice - but this time the result was two losses. The Sox pulled out the series 4 games to 2. His rookie card can be had for $56.95, if you want it. The stat line: Code:
Very Niekro-like, if I do say so myself. El Loco's ratings didn't change during the season: Stuff - 80 Velocity - 20 Control - 50 Poise - 70 Endurance - 100 Defense - 61 Hitting - 1 OFFSEASON: Quiet, since he signed his extension and his ratings didn't change: Stuff - 80 (80) Velocity - 20 (20) Control - 50 (50) Poise - 70 (70) Endurance - 100 Defense - 61 Hitting - 1 His rookie card is now worth $71.11. NEXT: Will this be the year El Loco wins 20? |
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12-27-2003, 02:12 AM
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#15 |
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Dynasty Boy
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Michigan
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2010 SEASON
El Loco has clearly established himself as a quality pitcher with a career record of 48-49 in 5 major league seasons (6 overall), including 17 in the past year. Can he continue to improve and become one of the elite pitchers in the league? Stay tuned.
He's listed as the #4 starter again: Antonio Martinez (34 yo, 18-8, 2.33) Gonzalo Ferraro (30 yo, 11-13, 4.32) Bryon Lint (29 yo, 12-12, 4.63) EL LOCO (25 yo, 17-13, 3.46) Clarence Robledo (25 yo, 4-0, 2.93) Robledo is a 5* prospect and had a good year last year at AA, AAA, and in the majors, but he's only a few months younger than El Loco. APRIL: The knuckleball wasn't completely warmed up yet as El Loco struggled with a 2-3 record. His ERA was all right, though (3.75). In 36 innings he gave up 38 hits, 27 walks and 23 Ks. Gotta get those pitches in the strike zone. MAY: El Loco the stud scores again! Her name was Harmony, and while she's not much to look at, her skills were most impressive. Ahem... He also bought some new shoes and a new glove, but it didn't seem to help his pitching any - he went 3-1 but his ERA was a dangerously high 6.44. His K/walk ratio was a little better than it has been (19/13), giving hope for the future. His rookie card is up to $77.63. JUNE: Arguably his best month - just a 3-2 record, but a stellar 1.47 ERA. In 42 innings he gave up only 33 hits, 13 walks and 24 Ks. JULY: Another solid month for our boy (2-2, 3.03). His record so far this season is 10-8 with an ERA of 3.56. His rookie card is up to $84.15. AUGUST: 2-3 with a 3.91 ERA for El Loco. In 48 1/3 innings he gave up 53 hits, 20 walks and 27 Ks. With only 12 wins so far this season, it's impossible for him to hit 20, and very tough for him to reach the 17 wins he had last season. Still, it's been a good season overall. The Twins continue to do well, as they hold a 5 game lead in their division. Our boy would love a chance at another championship ring. SEPTEMBER: A 2-2, 4.42 month ends the season with El Loco having a 14-13 record. Minnesota won the pennant in a walk, but as the #4 starter, it's questionable whether El Loco will get any starts. We'll see. OCTOBER: The Twins face the Yankees in the first round. Minnesota got by 3 games to 2, but El Loco didn't get off the bench. They face Texas in the ALCS. He didn't pitch, but pinch ran of all things, and scored the winning run in game 6. That gave the Twins the series, 4 games to 2. The series was Minnesota against Arizona. It was no contest - tht Twins won 4 games to 1. Our boy didn't get off the bench, again, but got his second championship ring anyway. El Loco's ratings didn't change during the season: Stuff - 80 Velocity - 20 Control - 50 Poise - 70 Endurance - 100 Defense - 61 Hitting - 1 OFFSEASON: No news is good news. No changes to his ratings, which remain: Stuff - 80 (80) Velocity - 20 (20) Control - 50 (50) Poise - 70 (70) Endurance - 100 Defense - 61 Hitting - 1 But his rookie card has soared in value to $107.41. I should mention that El Loco has led the league in complete games and shutouts both in 2009 and 2010. NEXT: El Loco is entering his prime years. Can he have some better years? |
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12-28-2003, 04:03 AM
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#16 |
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Dynasty Boy
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Michigan
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2011 SEASON
El Loco is penciled in as the #3 starter:
Clarence Robledo (26 yo, 12-10, 4.53) Gonzalo Ferraro (31 yo, 17-7, 4.06) EL LOCO (27 yo, 14-13, 3.77) Bryon Lint (30 yo, 13-7, 5.08) Anthony Brewer (36 yo, 13-16, 5.00 with Atlanta and Colorado) You'll note that except for Brewer, all of the starters had better records last year but worse ERAs. I think our boy should sue for lack of support. APRIL: In the first inning of his third start, he strained his back and was put on the shelf for 2 weeks. Ah well, while he was on the DL he read up on the fine details of the fastball and is in the process of learning something. Before his injury, in 17 1/3 innings he had given up 18 hits, 8 walks and 14 Ks. His record was 1-1, 4.15. MAY: He came back off the DL on May 1 and immediately got his butt kicked. He didn't get it back until the end of the month. His record for this month was 2-3, 5.66. His rookie card has gone up to $112.47. JUNE: El Loco was seduced by the charms of Blaney, one of the groupies at the bar. It didn't turn out very well, but hey, gotta keep in practice. Overall he pitched somewhat better this month, going 3-2 with a 4.60 ERA. In 43 innings he gave up 45 hits, 23 walks and 26 Ks. JULY: There are rumors around town that El Loco is spending too much time at the bar drinking and hitting on strange women. I choose not to believe them; there just isn't a lot to do here, and he's surviving the best anyone can. But he racked up another dreadful month (1-3, 7.34) to add to a dismal year (7-9, 5.50). His rookie card has drifted up to $119.36, but I don't know of anyone who's buying it. AUGUST: He was demoted to the #4 spot behind newcomer Jeffrey Mathew, who was traded for at the deadline. The move didn't seem to him either him or the team much, as El Loco went 1-3 again (5.53 ERA) and the team remains about 15 games out of the pennant race. SEPTEMBER & OCTOBER: To add to an already horrible year, our boy pulled his tricep on September 2, shelving him for the month. He made 3 starts during these months, going 1-2 and 5.89. Overall he had a record of 9-14 with an ERA of 5.56. Not good. Minnesota finished the season at 77-85 and out of the playoffs for the first time in several years. Here are the rest of his stats for the season: Code:
El Loco lost a bit during each injury, but got most of it back. His defense gained a point, not that that matters much: Stuff - 80 Velocity - 20 Control - 49 Poise - 70 Endurance - 100 Defense - 62 Hitting - 1 His rookie card sits at $123.49. OFFSEASON: Well, at least he didn't get traded or relased. His ratings only changed a tiny bit: Stuff - 80 (80) Velocity - 20 (20) Control - 50 (50) Poise - 70 (70) Endurance - 100 Defense - 62 Hitting - 1 His rookie card gathers dust at the price of $141.17. NEXT: Is there a comeback left in El Loco's right arm? |
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12-29-2003, 12:39 AM
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#17 |
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H.S. Freshman Team
Join Date: Feb 2003
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The logic for rookie card value appears to be pretty thin, that's too bad. Do these guys get traded? Is it possible that the Metrodome is seriously hurting El Loco's chances? Good luck Tomas!
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12-29-2003, 03:15 AM
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#18 | |
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Dynasty Boy
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Michigan
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2012 SEASON
Quote:
* The rookie card value seems to just be a scoreboard that goes up in value, never down. So many points (cents) for this, points for that, points for the othe thing. * Yes, there are trades. I've heard of other ITPers being traded, so I imagine that El Loco is not immune. * He's had a worse ERA at home than on the road every year I have stats for, so he must be hurt by his home park to some extent. Contract negotiations are coming up soon, and I'll take this into account. But man, those championship rings are nice... Anyway, back to the story... This is El Loco's 10th year in pro ball, in case anyone is counting. He's now #4 in the rotation: Gonzalo Ferraro (32 yo, 18-13, 4.24) Charles Smith (31 yo, 13-8, 4.25 for the Yankees) Jeffrey Mathew (23 yo, 12-13, 5.29 for Tampa Bay and Minnesota) EL LOCO (27 yo, 9-14, 5.56) Michael Whitaker (27 yo, 5-3, 4.29; also 2-2, 2.98 at AAA) The spot starter is Suitarou Teika (30 yo, 9-13, 4.60 for Milwaukee). It looks like the Twins have redone their starting rotation from last season to this. I'm not sure it will help, but we'll see soon enough. APRIL: The beat(ing) goes on - 1-3, 5.45. In 33 innings he surrendered 44 hits, 13 walks and 17 Ks. MAY: This was another disaster - 1-3, 10.22. In 24 2/3 IP he gave up 41 hits, 11 walks and 12 Ks. He's given up 12 homers in less than 60 innings. That's not a good ratio. JUNE: His ERA just will not come down. He scammed out a 2-2 record despite a 7.84 ERA. His rookie card has crossed the $150 mark at $150.48. JULY: El Loco is finally showing signs of coming out of his long slump - he went a perfect 3-0 in 4 starts with an ERA of 4.08. His record for the year isn't bad (7-8) but the ERA is beyond terrible (6.75). Not enough time to get it back to respectability, but he just wants to do as well as he can. AUGUST: The nightmare continues for El Loco - another 1-3 month with an ERA of 9.39. Sickening. SEPTEMBER: It didn't get any better, though it wasn't much worse. 2-4 with a 7.18 ERA. His record for the season was 10-15, 7.28. Despite this, Minnesota won the pennant pretty easily. OCTOBER: The Twins were swept by Texas in 3 games. El Loco didn't get off the bench. Here is the gruesome story: Code:
El Loco picked up a little on defense, but was otherwise unchanged: Stuff - 80 Velocity - 20 Control - 50 Poise - 70 Endurance - 100 Defense - 64 Hitting - 1 OFFSEASON: Nothing new to report. His ratings didn't change: Stuff - 80 (80) Velocity - 20 (20) Control - 50 (50) Poise - 70 (70) Endurance - 100 Defense - 64 Hitting - 1 El Loco's rookie card is at $181.71. NEXT: The last year of El Loco's contract. Will he have a big year? Will he stay or will he go? And how much can he collect? |
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12-29-2003, 08:00 PM
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#19 |
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n00b
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Boston, MA
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Hey Blue, great read.
by the way my current ITP player has been traded 5 times in his 10 year career. |
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12-30-2003, 07:41 AM
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#20 |
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Dynasty Boy
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Michigan
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2013 SEASON
Chuck U Farley: Thanks for your kind words. And thank you for the information.
APRIL: The big news is El Loco's Stuff potential went up by 10 points, to 90. That should help in getting those pesky hitters out. And yes, he could use the help - in 5 starts, he went 1-4 with an ERA of 6.40. He gave up 39 hits in 32 1/3 innings, along with 11 walks and 14 Ks. MAY: Better, but not a lot better - 1-3, 5.29. He read an advanced book on the knuckler and his stuff improved. Now he's trying to do the same with the curve. Let's hope it helps. JUNE: After much wrangling, the Twins owner and El Loco sign a 5-year, $20 million deal. He's certainly not the highest paid player in the league, but the money doesn't mean that much to him anyway. He went 4-2 this month with an ERA of 4.50. In 44 innings he allowed 43 hits, 21 walks and 33 Ks. The hitters seem to be having more trouble with his new, improved pitches. JULY: Went 3-1 in 5 starts with a 5.88 ERA. His record for the year is 9-10, 5.44. And the rookie card is now worth $200.22. AUGUST: After a year and a half of fooling around, El Loco finally learns the slider. That brings him up to 4 pitches. Had a 3-2 record with a 4.31 ERA - not bad these days. SEPTEMBER & OCTOBER: His velocity talent increased by 10 points, to 30. That could pay off down the road. He went 1-2 with a 5.23 ERA in 6 starts. Meanwhile, the Twins finished at 94-68 and nailed down the wild card slot. Their first opponent was Texas. The Rangers won in 4, and El Loco didn't get off the bench again. It would be nice to have him pitch a playoff game again. His stats for the season: Code:
And his ratings as of the end of the season: Stuff - 90 Velocity - 20 Control - 50 Poise - 70 Endurance - 100 Defense - 66 Hitting - 1 OFFSEASON: Not much going on. These are his ratings heading into the season: Stuff - 90 (90) Velocity - 21 (30) Control - 50 (50) Poise - 70 (70) Endurance - 100 Defense - 66 Hitting - 1 His rookie card is at $232.77. NEXT: El Loco turns 30! Last edited by Honolulu Blue : 12-30-2003 at 07:42 AM. |
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12-31-2003, 02:30 AM
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#21 |
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Dynasty Boy
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Michigan
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2014 SEASON
El Loco is listed as the #3 starter at the start of the season:
Gonzalo Ferraro (34 yo, 16-10, 3.72) Jeffrey Mathew (27 yo, 14-14, 3.61) EL LOCO (29 yo, 13-14, 5.20) Charles Smith (33 yo, 14-8, 3.68) Carlos Rivera (25 yo, 0-0, 5.79; also 1-5, 5.76 in AAA) Kevin Petit (28 yo, 6-6, 6.67) is listed as the spot starter. APRIL: Busy month, but not all that great - 6 starts, 2-2 record, 5.28 ERA. In 44 1/3 innings he gave up 48 hits, 16 walks and 31 Ks. MAY: The Crazy One racked up a 4-0 record in 5 starts. The ERA was just OK, though (4.25). The Twins have won our boy's last 6 starts, and that's helped lead thim to a big lead in their division. But it's early. JUNE: Oh boy, his stuff talent has just maxed out at 100! I'm so excited for him! He loads up on the books to take advantage. And it's a pretty good month overall on the mound also, the 3-2 recrod going together with the 3.20 ERA. In 39 1/3 IP he allowed 33 hits, 16 walks and 26 Ks. It's safe to say the knuckler was working well. With a 9-4 overall record, he has an outside chance at both the All-Star game and 20 wins. Cross your fingers... JULY: El Loco's stuff is all maxed out at 100 now. Another pretty good month (3-1, 4.93) brings him to 12-5 for the season. No, he did NOT make the All-Star game. Oh well. He can still get 20, though. His rookie card is now at $257.33, and there are actually some takers at that price. AUGUST: Our boy is still working hard, but seems to be wearing down. 5 starts could only produce a 2-3 record with a 4.78 ERA. In 32 innings he gave up 40 hits, 10 walks and 17 Ks. He has a vague shot at 20, but more importantly, Minnesota is tied for the division lead. The team and El Loco will have to continue to play well if they want to make the playoffs again. SEPTEMBER: He tried his best down the stretch, winning 5 games (2 losses) with a fine 3.79 ERA. The knuckler seemed to get away from him a bit (28 walks in 54 innings). That gave him a 19-10 record on the season - just one away from the magic 20 win mark. The good news is he helped the Twins win 95 games this season. The bad news is they still finished third - just one game out of first, and one game out of the wildcard. So no opportunities for a Series ring this year. But don't blame El Loco. His stats for the season: Code:
And his ratings: Stuff - 100 Velocity - 27 Control - 50 Poise - 70 Endurance - 100 Defense - 66 Hitting - 1 OFFSEASON: His control talent went up by 10, so that's at 60 now. El Loco is reading books to try to catch up with this. Here's how they ended up: Stuff - 100 (100) Velocity - 28 (30) Control - 55 (60) Poise - 70 (70) Endurance - 100 Defense - 66 Hitting - 1 The rookie card is at $298.35 - tantalizingly close to $300. NEXT: Does he have another big year in him? Last edited by Honolulu Blue : 12-31-2003 at 02:30 AM. |
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01-02-2004, 05:16 AM
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#22 |
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Dynasty Boy
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Michigan
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2015 SEASON
Thanks to his big season, El Loco has moved up to the #2 spot in the starting rotation:
Jeffrey Mathew (28 yo, 15-12, 3.19) EL LOCO (30 yo, 19-10, 4.35) Gonzalo Ferraro (35 yo, 15-13, 5.16) Carlos Rivera (26 yo, 9-4, 5.58) Michael Johnson (34 yo, 14-5, 3.13 with the White Sox and Anaheim) Charles Smith (13-10, 3.49) is the spot starter. APRIL: A pretty good month, though the record wasn't much (2-3 in 6 starts). In 48 innings he gave up 50 hits, 15 walks and 28 Ks. His ERA was 3.38. His rookie card is valued at $304.45. MAY: On May 10 he came up lame with a pulled ligament, which put him on the DL. He was activated on the 25th. He worked in 4 starts between the injury, but the results weren't so hot (1-2, 5.60). Minnesota is already 10 games out, so probably no pennant this year. JUNE: El Loco confessed his frustrations to a random groupie named Irene. They did some other stuff too, but your probably guessed that. It helped. But again, it was a decent month with not much of a won-lost record (2-3, 3.20 in 5 starts). The Twins have slipped deeper into the second division - they're 19 games out. JULY: 2-3, 4.37 this month. He's 7-11 with a 3.97 ERA so far this year. In 149 2/3 innings he has allowed 163 hits, 58 walks and 88 Ks. This could be one of his best years, if only they'd score a few runs for him. Ah well. AUGUST: Finally, a winning record this month - 3-2. The ERA is heading up, though (4.33) and that worries me some. He's still a workhorse even as his team stumbles around without a clue. SEPTEMBER: His control talent is up 10 points, to 70. Time to hit the books... Holy moly! El Loco gets a call from Mr. "Sellick" again! He's Pitcher of the Month!! Let's see what he did... 6 starts, 6-0 record, 1.98 ERA. 50 innings, 40 hits, 16 walks, 31 Ks. Finally the perfect month. As the team gets worse, our boy seems to get better. OCTOBER: One start, another win. The team ended up 77-85, in 3rd place and 19 games out of it. El Loco had another fine year, going 17-13 with a 3.58 ERA. I think this is his best year. And like most knucklers, he seems to be getting better with age. And as a final note, his career record has finally passed the .500 mark at 128-126. His ratings as of the end of the season: Stuff - 100 Velocity - 29 Control - 65 Poise - 70 Endurance - 100 Defense - 68 Hitting - 1 And his season stats: Code:
Stuff - 100 (100) Velocity - 30 (30) Control - 70 (70) Poise - 70 (70) Endurance - 100 Defense - 68 Hitting - 1 His rookie card is moving nicely at $372.37. NEXT: Can El Loco lead the Twins back to the playoffs? |
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01-02-2004, 06:50 AM
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#23 |
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College Starter
Join Date: Oct 2000
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nice write up, i ended up getting this yesterday because of it now i am a 34 year old catcher with the yankees with 4 more years left on my contract (may be my last from what i have read) not exactly rocket science playing it but fun to see how things happen.
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01-02-2004, 12:33 PM
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#24 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Jul 2001
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I feel a dominating year coming on from El Loco, 22 wins next season to get him to 150!
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01-03-2004, 06:31 AM
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#25 | |
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Dynasty Boy
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Michigan
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2016 SEASON
condors: Thanks. This is a fun little game, isn't it?
Quote:
Well, not exactly... El Loco remains the #2 starter: Jeffrey Mathew (29 yo, 14-18, 4.18) EL LOCO (31 yo, 17-13, 3.58) Gonzalo Ferraro (36 yo, 8-13, 4.76) Charles Smith (35 yo, 6-10, 4.55) Juan Urrutia (30 yo, 0-2, 6.94; also 8-6, 3.16 in AAA) Carlos Rivera (27 yo, 11-9, 4.09) will by this year's spot starter. APRIL: He pitched terribly the whole month and on April 24 we found out why - a sore shoulder. It took less than a week for the tightness to go away once it was diagnosed. But overall the month was a disappointment - 1-4 with a stiff 6.27 ERA. In 37 1/3 innings he gave up 54 hits, 14 walks and 21 Ks. MAY: Our boy's season is back on track after going 5-0, 2.45. No calls from Mr. "Sellick" this time, which disappointed a few of the Twins' fans. JUNE: Guess who called? No, no, not one of El Loco's many girlfriends. Well, they DID call, but that's not who I'm talking about. Mr. "Sellick" called and handed El Loco his third Pitcher of the Month trophy. And he earned it too - in 5 starts, he went 4-1 with an ERA of 1.04. He gave up 30 hits in 43 1/3 innings, walking only 10 and striking out 33. I think this is the best month of his career, in perhaps the best year of his career. The one open question is whether he'll be named to the All-Star team. He's 10-5, 3.10, so selecting him would be far from a mistake. And even the Twins are playing better, with a 49-30 record and a 4 game lead in their division. JULY: El Loco was named to the All-Star team for the first time, which was a thrill for him. Meanwhile he continued to pitch well - 3-2, 2.28. His record for the year so far is 13-7, 2.98. He's among the league lead in wins and ERA. And Minnesota expanded their lead to 11 games, so there's every chance that he'll pitch some crucial games come October. His card is now priced at a nice, even $426.00. AUGUST: Another big month - in 6 starts, he went 4-1, 3.21. In 47 2/3 innings he gave up 51 hits, only 11 walks and 27 Ks. He's up to 17-8 this season - just three away from the magic 20 win mark. Wish him luck... SEPTEMBER: El Loco is starting to regress, or maybe he's feeling the pressure. Just 2-3 this month with a bloated 5.52 ERA. That will probably take him out of ERA title consideration. But he should have one more start at the end of the season before the playoffs. One more chance to get 20. OCTOBER: His last start was a loss, so he has to settle for a 19-12 season. But he'll have opportunities to win his 20th and beyond in the playoffs. The Twins went 99-63 and will face Cleveland in the first round. El Loco is on the mound for Game 1. Code:
The Twins won the game going away 9-3 and ended up sweeping the best-of-5 series. In the ALCS we face Boston. El Loco again gets the start. Have I mentioned he was promoted to the staff ace? Code:
Our boy gave up one in the 8th and two in the 9th to lose 3-2. He did not, of course, deserve to lose this game. He's sure to get his chance at revenge. And revenge he tried to get in Game 4, and he lost - deservedly this time. Code:
The Twins lost 4-3. El Loco got one more chance to clinch the series in game 7. He couldn't do it, but the team eventually won in 11 innings, 7-6. Code:
Because it took so long to close out the Red Sox, our boy won't have the chance to pitch three times in the World Series, which happens to be against San Francisco. Minnesota roared out to a 2-0 lead when they gave the ball to El Loco for Game 3. Despite winning 2 championship rings, this is his first World Series game. Code:
Thankfully, the game was at home, so he didn't have to show off his miniscule batting skills. He was named Player of the Game for this masterpiece. And he didn't have to win again, because the Twins won the World Series in 5 games! Yahoo! Another championship ring! Here are his stats for the season: Code:
His ratings were little changed from the end of last season, but here they are anyway: Stuff - 100 Velocity - 30 Control - 70 Poise - 70 Endurance - 100 Defense - 68 Hitting - 1 OFFSEASON: Not much going on besides celebrating. No ratings changes from the end of the season: Stuff - 100 (100) Velocity - 30 (30) Control - 70 (70) Poise - 70 (70) Endurance - 100 Defense - 68 Hitting - 1 Everybody in the know wants his rookie card at $474.40. NEXT: Locomania hits the Twin Cities with full force! |
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01-03-2004, 08:46 PM
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#26 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Jul 2001
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impressive! And only 3 wins short of 150, very nice
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01-04-2004, 02:32 AM
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#27 | |
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Dynasty Boy
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Michigan
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2017 SEASON
Quote:
Oh yes, very nice. But wait until you see what comes next... People in and around Minneapolis and St. Paul are finally getting into their crazy knuckleballing ace. He's been with the team for over a decade, but after racking up seasons of 19-10, 17-13, and 19-12, and pitching well in the playoffs, people are starting to get excited about him. El Loco bobbleheads, El Loco posters, El Loco unauthorized biographies... you name it. It's good to see the people finally embrace him, but will all the attention go to his head? Stay tuned. Despite all he's done, the manager names El Loco the #2 starter: Jeffrey Mathew (30 yo, 19-8, 3.81) EL LOCO (32 yo, 19-12, 3.48) Carlos Rivera (28 yo, 13-7, 5.54) Juan Urrutia (31 yo, 6-5, 6.41) Stephen Davy (25 yo, 8-8, 4.67 at AA and AAA) Bill Phelan (24 yo, 2-0, 4.62) is the spot starter. APRIL: El Loco's opponents knuckle under to the power of his flutterball - a 4-1 record and 3.12 ERA attests to that. In 49 innings he gave up 56 hits, just 9 walks, and 32 strikeouts. MAY: The 3.67 ERA was pretty good, but the record (2-3) was not so good. He's just not getting the support he needs. The team has a decent 30-21 record, but they're in third place and 3 games out. Obviously that's not good enough, and our boy has committed to do what it takes to erase that deficit. JUNE: Another big month - 4-1, 2.31. In 50 2/3 IP, he only allowed 41 hits, while walking 17 and striking out 38. His record is now 10-5, and that should be good enough to get him on the All-Star team again. His 2.99 is 4th in the league, while the wins are tied for 2nd (#1 is his teammate Mathew, with 11). His card's value has soared to $518.13. JULY: Despite a bad start just before the break, he was named to the All-Star team for the 2nd straight year. And guess what? He went 4-1 again. The ERA was higher (3.31), but it's nice that the team is giving him runs to work with. He's 14-6 so far this year with an ERA of 3.08. In 193 innings this year, El Loco has given up 178 hits, 63 walks, and 137 Ks. He just keeps getting better and better, doesn't he? He's on track for a 20 win year, which would of course be his first. The team is 67-36, which is only good enough for 2nd, 3 games out. It's 13 games better than any other team, though, so the wild card is all but in the bag. AUGUST: Yawn, Mr. "Sellick" must have El Loco on speed dial. Yeah, he won Pitcher of the Month again - a perfect 6-0, 2.21. That makes 20 wins, and it's not even September yet. Check out the log of his last 10 starts: Code:
The guy is a machine with a rubber arm. Wind him up and he pitches as long as you want him to go. Guess what the most popular cereal in Minnesota is right now? That's right, LOCO PUFFS. Despite all this, the Twins are STILL in 2nd, but they've cut the lead to 2 games. His rookie card is sizzling hot at $554.80. SEPTEMBER: El Loco stretched his winning streak to 11 games before losing on the 29th. Oh well, can't do everything. He won his other 5 starts, with a 3.11 ERA. The Clemens Award is in his sights... but first, let's finish the season and the playoffs. OCTOBER: Got a no decision in his last regular season start (8 IP, 2 ER; the team pulled it out, 5-4). That left him with a 25-7 record with a 2.91 ERA. He led the league in wins (by 5!), led the league in innings pitched (with 300 1/3!!), and was 2nd in strikeouts and ERA. I'm assuming he's a lock for the Clemens Award, but I'll let it be a surprise for him. Meanwhile, the Twins won 103 games, but finished 4 games behind Chicago. So they're just a dangerous wild card. They get Oakland in the first round. Our boy starts Game 2 after the Twins won the first one. Code:
The knuckler turned out flat - oh well, first time for everything. Unfortunately, it wasn't to be for the Twins, as they dropped the next 2 games and lost the series 3 games to 1. After the season, Mr. "Sellick" called again. El Loco won the Clemens Award for the oustanding pitcher in the league. Gee, what a shock. Time to bask in his season stats: Code:
His ratings didn't change: Stuff - 100 Velocity - 30 Control - 70 Poise - 70 Endurance - 100 Defense - 68 Hitting - 1 OFFSEASON: Basking in Locomania, visiting his family, having them visit Minnesota, and investing his money. Other than those things, it's a pretty boring story. His ratings didn't change at all: Stuff - 100 (100) Velocity - 30 (30) Control - 70 (70) Poise - 70 (70) Endurance - 100 Defense - 68 Hitting - 1 His rookie card is a hot seller at $656.85. NEXT: Nobody expects El Loco to go 25-7. But what tricks can he come up with for next season? |
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01-04-2004, 01:18 PM
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#28 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Jul 2001
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Beautiful!
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01-05-2004, 06:11 PM
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#29 |
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Dynasty Boy
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Michigan
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2018 SEASON
Here are the records of some real-life knuckleballers of recent times:
Tom Candiotti - 151-164 Charlie Hough - 216-216 Joe Niekro - 221-204 Phil Niekro - 318-274 El Loco is at 172-145 and there are whispers he could go into the Hall of Fame if he has a few more big years. We'll see. Believe it or not, the Clemens Award winner is the #2 starter on the staff again: Jeffrey Mathew (31 yo, 20-9, 3.47) EL LOCO (33 yo, 25-7, 2.91) Bill Phelan (25 yo, 14-7, 3.67) Stephen Davy (26 yo, 15-10, 4.61) Juan Urrutia (31 yo, 5-8, 5.23) Carlos Rivera (29 yo, 8-6, 5.72) is the spot starter. APRIL: He had a meeting with the owner just before the season. An hour later, he walked out with a 5-year, $40 million contract. Again, he could probably demand more on the free agent market, but the Twins have been very good to him, putting up with some hideous seasons and making the playoffs every year. This might be his last contract. Otherwise, same ol' story - 5 great starts (including one where he struck out 13 - a new career high), 1 lousy one, 4-1 record, 2.83 ERA. In 47 1/3 innings, he gave up 52 hits, just 8 walks and struck out 40. MAY: This is getting silly - El Loco and his knuckler is toying with the rest of the league. 5 starts and he threw 9 innings in every one of them (two were lost by the Twins in extra innings, so they don't count as complete games). It added up to a 3-0 record with an ERA of 1.80. Perhaps he needs a higher league... JUNE: Our boy proved he is only human, turning in a clunker of a month - 2-4 with a 6.42 ERA. Yuck. We all expect better from him and he was showing signs of turning it around at the end of the month. With a 9-5, 3.58 record, he's iffy for the All-Star game. JULY: Well, what do I know? He did make it. And overall it was a better month - 3-1, 2.51. His record for the year is now 12-6 with an ERA of 3.32. He's got some work to do if he wants to get to 20. AUGUST: The love affair between Minneapolis-St. Paul and El Loco is beginning to fall apart. A 1-4 record in a month will do that. His ERA wasn't half bad (4.10), but he couldn't get the key wins. Twenty is out of reach and he might not even get to 17. Nobody's talking about El Loco for the Hall anymore - they prefer to talk about the hefty extension he signed earlier in the season. And not in a good way, either. Besides, the Twins are 10 games out of the division lead and 7 away from a wild card berth. Despite all this turmoil, his rookie card is worth $712.35. SEPTEMBER & OCTOBER: 8 starts, 3-2 record, 5.73 ERA. He's just glad to get this year over with. And with a 91-71 record, it IS over - the Twins could do no better than third. Still, a 16-12 season isn't too bad. His ratings didn't change this season; here are those, in case you've forgotten: Stuff - 100 Velocity - 30 Control - 70 Poise - 70 Endurance - 100 Defense - 68 Hitting - 1 And how about thos stats for the year: Code:
OFFSEASON: Quiet, as it should be. His ratings changed only a litttle: Stuff - 100 (100) Velocity - 30 (30) Control - 70 (70) Poise - 70 (70) Endurance - 100 Defense - 70 Hitting - 1 His rookie card was listed at last glance for $779.08. NEXT: Only 12 more wins to 200. Can he make it by the All-Star break? |
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01-06-2004, 07:03 PM
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#30 |
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Dynasty Boy
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Michigan
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2019 SEASON
The first year of El Loco's hefty $40 million contract. Can he ever live up to the expectations of the fans, teammates, and owners?
One good sign is that the manager, for the first time, has named him the ace of the staff: EL LOCO (34 yo, 16-12, 3.92) Jeffrey Mathew (32 yo, 17-8, 3.96) Bill Phelan (26 yo, 14-11, 3.75) Stephen Davy (27 yo, 11-14, 4.62) Juan Urrutia (32 yo, 13-6, 4.65) APRIL: Not great, but not terrible either (1-3, 4.75). El Loco won on opening day, but couldn't win any of his other 5 starts. In 47 1/3 innings he gave up 50 hits, 18 walks and 31 Ks. He's not going to win over the fans pitching this way. MAY: Some improvement. After losing his first two starts of the month, he won three of the next four to salvage a winning record for the month at 3-2. His ERA only went down to 4.59. The ratings are still strong, so this must be just a little slump that he can battle through. JUNE: The knuckler was starting to break well this month. 2-2, 3.27 in 5 starts. At 6-7 he's not going to make the All-Star team. His rookie card price is up to $803.38. JULY: He just keeps getting better and better - 4-1 this month, with a pretty nice 2.92 ERA. He's 10-8 for the season so far, and Minnesota is in first place, 7 games ahead. Things are looking good. AUGUST: 2-3, 5.97 in another down note on an up-and-down season. In 31 2/3 innings he gave up 35 hits, 11 walks and 23 Ks. SEPTEMBER: Cool. Another talent increase - this time in control. That moves it up to 80. Otherwise, the 3-2 record and 4.50 ERA looks a lot like the midpoint of where he's been all season. The good news is Minnesota has clinched the pennant. And more good news is that he got win #200 for his major league career. Nice job. OCTOBER: After his final regular season start (no decision), the doctors take a look at El Loco's arm and find a strained ligament. He'll be out about a week. Ouch. The season ends with a 15-13 record and a 4.21 ERA. In the first round the Twins faced Toronto. He was injured through most of it and didn't pitch. They didn't need him as Minnesota ran to a 3 game sweep. The ALCS finds them facing Baltimore. What a series! The Twins roared all the way back from 3-0 down to tie it at 3. They lost the 7th game 3-1. El Loco, for some reason, didn't pitch in any of the games. Was it his breath? Anyway, his stats for the season: Code:
His ratings were hurt a little because of the injury: Stuff - 100 Velocity - 29 Control - 68 Poise - 70 Endurance - 100 Defense - 70 Hitting - 1 OFFSEASON: El Loco read a book to help him with his control; other than that, just a little injury recovery to report: Stuff - 100 (100) Velocity - 30 (30) Control - 79 (80) Poise - 70 (70) Endurance - 100 Defense - 70 Hitting - 1 His rookie card is at $908.39. Better hurry before it breaks $1000. NEXT: El Loco is now 35. Is this the beginning of the end? |
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01-07-2004, 07:03 PM
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#31 |
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Dynasty Boy
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Michigan
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2020 SEASON
Our boy starts as the ace for the second straight season. This is subject to change without notice:
EL LOCO (35 yo, 15-13, 4.25) James Klemm (32 yo, 15-11, 3.50 for Anaheim) Bill Phelan (27 yo, 15-8, 4.45) Stephen Davy (28 yo, 10-6, 4.47) Earl Andrews (32 yo, 11-12, 5.04 for Philadelphia & Toronto) APRIL: What happened????? He got off to an 0-4 start. The Twins scored exactly 6 runs in his first 5 starts, which kind of makes it hard to win. A subpar ERA (5.60) also didn't help things. People are grumbling about that contract again and saying he's all washed up. I think he'll be fine, of course. Just give him some time. MAY: Back to normal - 3-1, 2.95 in 5 starts, including 2 shutouts. 42 2/3 IP, 38 hits, 14 walks, 30 Ks. He's not dead just yet, and the boo birds are silent. For now. JUNE: More of the same: 4-1, 2.86. 7-6 pitchers don't normally make the All-Star team, but I think he has an outside chance at it. JULY: Another good month with 4 wins, 2 losses and a 2.89 ERA. His record is 11-8, 3.53 for the year. He can still salvage a good year despite the bad start. And best of all, the Twins are in first by two games. AUGUST: Rougher times in this month as he only went 2-3. The ERA was still OK (3.98). Minnesota is up by 6 games now. Not much to do now but wait for the postseason and try to stay healthy. SEPTEMBER: Another up and down month - 3-2, 5.06. The really bad news is his skills are starting to erode - everything except poise is down a point or two. Time to spend some of that money and buy some books - it sure beats hitting the gym. The Twins are tied for the division lead with 4 games to go. OCTOBER: El Loco was battered in game 162, so Minnesota hosts Cleveland for the division title. Both have 89-73 records. Loser gets thw wild card - not a bad consolation prize, all things considered. The Twins lost the playoff, so they end up as the wild card and face Boston in the first round. Our boy pitched the first game, even though he wasn't quite ready (wipe that Pina Colada foam off your face, fella): Code:
Boston ended up winning the series in 4 games. Still, 17-14, that's not a bad season, is it? Let's take a look at those diminishing ratings: Stuff - 98 Velocity - 28 Control - 79 Poise - 70 Endurance - 97 Defense - 63 Hitting - 1 And now the season stats: Code:
OFFSEASON: Continued erosion, as I feared. The bad news: Stuff - 96 (100) Velocity - 28 (30) Control - 79 (80) Poise - 70 (70) Endurance - 94 Defense - 60 Hitting - 1 The good news is El Loco's rookie card has crossed the $1000 mark at $1032.12. I've "won" the game, but there is, I hope, a lot more for me to do. NEXT: El Loco has lost his mojo. Can he fool enough people for long enough to stick around? |
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01-07-2004, 09:29 PM
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#32 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Jul 2001
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I am assuming you have mor emoney than you could ever spend at this point. Can you use books to fight off the decline or is it hopeless?
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01-08-2004, 11:52 AM
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#33 | |
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Dynasty Boy
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Michigan
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Quote:
If I recall correctly, El Loco has more than $40 million to spend. The books will help fight off the decline, but eventually I'm going to run out of books (each volume can only be used once). |
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01-08-2004, 07:32 PM
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#34 |
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Dynasty Boy
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Michigan
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2021 SEASON
Despite the impending signs of doom, the Minnesota manager names him the ace yet again:
EL LOCO (36 yo, 17-14, 4.02) James Klemm (33 yo, 17-9, 4.38) Bill Phelan (28 yo, 14-8, 3.69) Alfred Avilla (33 yo, 13-8, 4.60 for Texas) Earl Andrews (33 yo, 13-7, 4.80) Clarence Joyner (29 yo, 10-3, 3.48) is the spot starter. APRIL: Some small tweaks to the workout routine have yielded decent results both on the field (4-2, 3.64 in 6 starts) and off (a stop to the erosion in stats; they're even going back up again). Alas, El Loco has half of Minnesota's wins at this point, and with an 8-18 record, it's about time to think about next year. But they're not to be written completely off. MAY: The ERA went up just a bit (4.03) but he could only get a 1-5 record out of it. In 51 1/3 innings he gave up 61 hits, 15 walks and 28 Ks. The ratings slide is starting again... JUNE: A perfect 6-0 record in 6 starts, though the ERA was far from perfect at 3.83. At 11-7 he is tied for the league lead in wins, and might get the call for the All-Star game for what could be the last time. JULY: He won his last start before the break on the 2nd, and on the 3rd he got the call - He's an All-Star again! Oh yeah!! After the break he came down with a stiff elbow and was placed on the DL. Too bad because he had shut out the opposition in 8 1/3 innings when he came up lame, and had a shutout in his previous start. The rest of the month didn't go as well - 3-2, 3.07. His record for the season is 14-9, 3.67. He's still the league leader in wins and the Twins are showing signs of coming out of their slump - they're up to 55-48, in 2nd and just 2 games out. AUGUST: An up 'n down month where El Loco was either very good or very bad. Overall he was 3-2 with an ERA of 3.03. His 17 wins still leads the league. There are whispers around town about another 20 win season, and a possible Clemens Award. The Twins are 3 games out of the division title, so that's not out of the question. They're farther behind in the wild card chase. SEPTEMBER: Mr. "Sellick" called - our boy wasn't Pitcher of the Month, but he was named Player of the Week for the first time. He threw two straight shutouts - 18 innings, 6 hits, 2 walks, 20 Ks. Yeah, I'd say he deserved it. The second shutout was his 20th win, the second time he's reached that milestone in his career. The rest of the month wasn't too bad either, as he went 3-2, 2.57 in 6 starts. The Twins are now tied for first, and he's now tied for the league lead in wins. OCTTOBER: El Loco showed he's still got it by getting his 21st win on short rest, ensuring that Minnesota would win the pennant. How's that for clutch? He also tied for the league lead in wins. But now the focus is on the playoffs. Minnesota faces the always dangerous Yankees. El Loco tried to pitch in Game 2, on short rest again, and was not sharp: Code:
That loss dug the Twins in a 2-0 hole. And Minnesota lost the third and they all head home - or for the bar. Due to age and injury, El Loco's ratings dropped off quite a bit: Stuff - 94 Velocity - 24 Control - 74 Poise - 70 Endurance - 87 Defense - 51 Hitting - 1 Here are his stats for the year: Code:
OFFSEASON: One more call from Mr. "Sellick" right after the season - the Clemens Award went to El Loco! Yay! But the rest of the offseason figures to be no fun, because everyone knows what's going to happen. Loco's got a long reading list to try to keep up. And this is how it turned out: Stuff - 96 (100) Velocity - 22 (30) Control - 74 (80) Poise - 70 (70) Endurance - 84 Defense - 46 Hitting - 1 His card price is up to $1243.94. NEXT: Does he have another big season left? Last edited by Honolulu Blue : 01-08-2004 at 07:33 PM. |
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01-09-2004, 10:26 PM
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#35 |
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H.S. Freshman Team
Join Date: Feb 2003
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01-09-2004, 11:24 PM
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#36 | |
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Dynasty Boy
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Michigan
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2022 SEASON
Quote:
Yeah, well, munch on this: This is El Loco's 20th season of pro ball and he's 37 years old. He had a big season last time, winning 21 games and walking away with the Clemens Award, but his ratings are starting to fade. Can he keep it all together? He's the staff ace again: EL LOCO (37 yo, 21-14, 3.43) Bill Phelan (29 yo, 15-7, 3.93) James Klemm (34 yo, 15-16, 4.16) Earl Andrews (34 yo, 10-8, 5.67) Everette Sumney (31 yo, 5-4, 6.99 for Atlanta) Clarence Joyner (30 yo, 6-10, 4.70) is the spot starter. APRIL: An ugly ERA of 6.68, but he managed to salvage a 3-2 record. Thanks guys. Ratings continue their slow decline. MAY: Except for one shutout he didn't pitch well at all. 2-3, 6.28 tells the tale. 58 hits in 38 2/3 innings tells another, similar tale. His ratings aren't THAT bad, yet, but he's pitching horribly. Perhaps things will turn around soon. Minnesota is doing well, anyway. JUNE: Mr. "Sellick" called again. No, he's not offering El Loco a spot on the Old Timers' team yet. It's for the usual reason - Pitcher of the Month. That's the 5th time he's been so honored in his career. 5-0 with a 2.22 ERA in 6 starts will do it most every time. In 48 2/3 innings he gave up only 32 hits, 15 walks, and mowed down 33 hitters. He's not dead yet. At 10-5 he's got a shot at making the All-Star team, but the 4.76 ERA will probably scare off the choosing manager. His rookie card is at $1325.41 for you collectors out there. And he now has 250 wins in his remarkable career. JULY: Well, what do I know? He made the team. Anyway, he lost 5 straight games during the month before finally picking up a win. Overall he didn't pitch all that badly (4.56 ERA), but that 1-5 record knocked him down to 11-10 for the season. That probably takes the 20 win mark and the Clemens Award out of reach. But not the Series ring, as the Twins are 12 games ahead in the pennant race. AUGUST: Ordinary - 3-3, 3.08. Now has a 14-13 record this season with an ERA of 4.34. Curious note - his stuff, control, and poise ratings are at their maximum, but his velocity (which can't be improved by books) has slid to 18. Oh well, he never had that great heater anyway. SEPTEMBER: Went on another torrid streak and could have gotten the call from Mr. "Sellick", but didn't. In 6 starts he went 5-1 with a 1.98 ERA. 50 innings, 48 hits, 12 walks, 26 Ks. That gives him 19 wins for the season, and one more would give him 20. He'll get that chance, since there's not much else to play for - the Twins clinched the pennant mid-month and are just killing time. OCTOBER: Well, well. Squeezed in two starts before the end of the season - one in game 162, pitching a 5 hitter. That gave him a 20-15 mark for the year. Minnesota went 107-55. The Twins face Oakland in the first round. He pitched in Game 2, wasn't sharp, but got the job done: Code:
Minnesota pulls off the sweep and takes on Seattle. El Loco pitched in the opening game: Code:
Our boy left the game with a 3-2 lead, but the bullpen blew it. Thanks a bunch. A fatigued Loco got a second chance in Game 4, with Seattle in the lead 2 games to 1: Code:
This evened the series at two games apiece. He's still tired, but gets the ball for Game 7: Code:
The Twins lost the game 2-1 and thus lose the series. Don't blame our boy, though; he pitched well all three times out. Let's run down his stats for the year, shall we? Code:
It took a lot of work to keep his ratings respectable: Stuff - 98 Velocity - 16 Control - 79 Poise - 70 Endurance - 77 Defense - 24(!) Hitting - 1 OFFSEASON: It could have been a lot worse: Stuff - 96 (100) Velocity - 16 (30) Control - 77 (80) Poise - 70 (70) Endurance - 74 Defense - 15 Hitting - 1 His rookie card can be had for a modest $1466.70. NEXT: Can he make it to 40 and beyond? Last edited by Honolulu Blue : 01-09-2004 at 11:27 PM. |
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01-11-2004, 02:54 AM
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#37 |
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Dynasty Boy
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Michigan
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2023 SEASON
He's the ace yet again:
EL LOCO (38 yo, 20-15, 3.93) James Klemm (35 yo, 19-6, 3.40) Bill Phelan (30 yo, 20-5, 2.72) Everette Sumney (32 yo, 16-2, 2.17) Earl Andrews (35 yo, 8-8, 4.41) Jose Velasquez (29 yo, 3-1, 3.12) gets the spot starting nod. This is an old staff but a pretty effective one - at least they were last year. We'll see about this season. APRIL: During his second start, El Loco had to leave early and was diagnosed after the game with a tender shoulder. He pitched through it. The bad news is his ratings are fading faster than ever. The good news is that he pitched well despite that - a 4-2 record in 6 starts with an ERA of 2.29. In 51 innings he only allowed 36 hits, 14 walks and 30 Ks. Don't throw dirt on him just yet... MAY: Another big month - 4-1, 3.20 - has helped his rookie card crack the $1500 mark. It's now valued at $1520.10, if you can find it. You certainly can't find many for sale in Minneapolis. Or San Pedro de Macoris, for that matter. JUNE: After some beating around the mulberry bush, the owner and El Loco strike a deal - $6 million a year for two years. The rest of the month was good too - 3-2, 2.09. At 11-5 it looks like he'll get the call to go to his 6th All-Star game. Minnesota is at 57-22, but they only lead by 3 games. It's quite a tough division. JULY: He made it to the All-Star game and pitched well before and after it - 4-2, 2.64. AUGUST: The league is starting to catch up to him, but he escaped with a 3-1 record in 6 starts anyway. The ERA was 4.14. He's 18-8 so far this season, so you know what his goals are. They're in his sights. The Twins are tied for the division lead. SEPTEMBER: Looks like he's starting to tire a bit, with only a 2-1 record in 6 starts. The ERA wasn't pretty (4.85), but he did get #20, and that's important. The Twins pulled away from their rivals and have clinched the division. Not much to do but get ready for the playoffs. OCTOBER: One win and one no decision in two regular season starts. Enough of that, time for the playoffs. In the first round the Twins face Oakland. El Loco got the start in Game 1: Code:
The Twins took 10 innings to pull this one out, 6-5. They split the next two to bring us to El Loco's next start in Game 4, which did not go well: Code:
The Twins lost 12-8. But they pull out the series in Game 5, so they face the Yankees in the league finals. El Loco gets the start in Game 1: Code:
Loco had nothing, but Minnesota scored a lot of runs for him, and the relievers were good enough to preserve the 9-7 win. Another start in Game 4, with the Twins up 2 games to 1: Code:
The Twins lost this one 4-3. And one more start in Game 7 - the series is tied at 3, of course: Code:
Now this is more like it. The Twins are in the World Series again! They face Atlanta. The Braves jump out to a fast 2-0 lead and El Loco is asked to break the string: Code:
This one took awhile to decide because Atlanta scored three in the 9th and two in the 11th to take it. Atlanta won in 5, but El Loco gets the consolation prize... another call from Mr. "Sellick" informing him that he has won the Clemens award again. Awesome! How about those stats for his wonderful season: Code:
The story with his ratings, alas, isn't quite so good: Stuff - 98 Velocity - 10 Control - 66 Poise - 70 Endurance - 70 Defense - 10 Hitting - 1 OFFSEASON: Quiet but somewhat sad: Stuff - 96 (100) Velocity - 10 (30) Control - 64 (80) Poise - 70 (70) Endurance - 67 Defense - 10 Hitting - 1 NEXT: How much longer can he go on? |
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01-11-2004, 10:32 AM
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#38 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: The State of Insanity
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Go for 300.. could the Hall be calling El Loco?
__________________
Check out Foz's New Video Game Site, An 8-bit Mind in an 8GB world! http://an8bitmind.com |
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01-11-2004, 12:00 PM
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#39 |
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Coordinator
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Not too far away
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300 should be attainable for this knuckleballer. It'll be sad to see this dynasty end.
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01-11-2004, 04:10 PM
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#40 |
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Pro Starter
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Iowa City, IA
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Ya it will... You've gotta be impressed by the career of El Loco.
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01-12-2004, 06:14 PM
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#41 | |||
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Dynasty Boy
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Michigan
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2024 SEASON: The race for 300
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Thanks everyone for the commentary. I thought he was a lock even without 300 wins, but he's still got a ways to go and you never know, maybe... OK, back to the story: El Loco is one of the oldest aces in the league: EL LOCO (39 yo, 21-9, 3.11) Bill Phelan (31 yo, 17-4, 3.03) Everette Sumney (33 yo, 17-12, 4.13) Harold Sermons (35 yo, 7-9, 2.80 with Texas and Milwaukee) James Trevino (32 yo, 1-0, 1.17 at AAA) With 282 wins, one obvious goal is to get to 300. With a big year, he can get there. But realistically, it's going to take two seasons. Will he make it that long? We shall see. APRIL: Didn't pitch great, but escaped with a 4-1 record anyway. In 41 innings he gave up 42 hits, 21 walks and 31 Ks. His ERA is at 4.61. Only 14 more to go until 300! MAY: His record continued to be better than his pitching - 3-0, 3.94. 11 to go now. JUNE: Mr. "Sellick" must have lost El Loco's number because he didn't get Pitcher of the Month for going 6-0 with an ERA of 2.11. His last 10 starts have been 9 wins and one no decision. At 13-1, 3.50, he's 2 wins ahead of everyone else in the league and thus a lock for another All-Star berth. Oh, and 5 wins to go for 300 - at least if you don't count the playoffs (he has 7 wins there, in case you're counting). Oh, and in case you're wondering, Minnesota is 8 games ahead. JULY: Guess what? Code:
This is an abbreviated version of the box score for the game on July 31, El Loco's 40th birthday, which made him 18-1 for the season, giving him his 300th win with, oh, two months to go. He was awesome this month, even if he can't pitch 9 anymore (zero complete games this season) - 5-0, 2.82. His control is fading, his fastball has no mustard, and he couldn't field a ground ball if it him in the leg. But doggone it, none of that matters as long as he's winning. And he's winning big, again this year. And all this activity is making his rookie card a hot seller at $1818.67. AUGUST: El Loco cooled off this month, and got some worse news - pulled bicep muscle. That will put him on the shelf for 6-7 weeks. He went on the DL and I don't expect to see him the rest of the season. Minnesota is still 13 games ahead, so don't worry about them too much. His last month ended 1-3, 5.73, giving him a 19-4 record for the season. He's still two ahead in the win chase and is the likely favorite for the Clemens Award. But that could all change by the end of the season. SEPTEMBER & OCTOBER: Minnesota finished up with a 95-67 record and got all the way to the World Series before losing to the Mets. Oh well, no World Series ring. And Mr. "Sellick" didn't call either, meaning no Clemens Award. He definitely must have lost the number. How about those stats from a most amazing season: Code:
His ratings faded due to the injury and age: Stuff - 86 Velocity - 9 Control - 47 Poise - 70 Endurance - 55 Defense - 10 Hitting - 1 OFFSEASON: It's a sad story watching those ratings go down, down, down without being able to do much about them: Stuff - 83 (100) Velocity - 9 (30) Control - 42 (80) Poise - 70 (70) Endurance - 55 Defense - 10 Hitting - 1 His rookie card is at $1976.58. NEXT: One final season... probably I think maybe. |
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01-13-2004, 12:04 PM
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#42 |
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Pro Starter
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Iowa City, IA
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wow what a season! Hopefully El Loco can go out as a winner
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01-13-2004, 01:26 PM
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#43 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Canada eh
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Wow, talk about the second half of a career making you a hall of famer.
His first 315 starts, he goes 128-126 with a 4.80 ERA (1192 K's, 996 BB's, 68 CG, 10 SO). Not bad, your journeyman number 3 or 4 starter, probably for the next 5 years of his career. Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight. Maybe that sore shoulder at the start of 2016 was what made the next 317 starts give him a 173-100 record with a 3.61 ERA (1573 K's, 774 BB's, 124 CG, 26 SO). Now I know none of this includes post season stats, but damn, that second half of his career alone is unreal. Here's one guy hoping you can get the career ERA under 4.00 before El Loco is done, keep up the awesome job.
__________________
"I don't want to play golf. When I hit a ball, I want someone else to go chase it." - Rogers Hornsby |
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01-13-2004, 06:02 PM
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#44 |
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Mascot
Join Date: Nov 2003
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You're talking in halves, I'm thinking (hoping?) thirds.
 ...and the 63 year old El Loco, already guarenteed in the hall with 627 wins, steps up to the plate for his 1000th game... |
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01-13-2004, 07:57 PM
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#45 | |||
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Dynasty Boy
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Michigan
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2025 SEASON: One last ride
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Thanks for pointing this out to us. He got a few talent bumps in there at about that time, and that helped change him from a strugglling starter to a real force. Quote:
 Yeah, I don't think he's quite going to make it that long. But it's been quite a thrill ride. Quote:
That I think we can do. Read on: LOCO: 'NO MAS' Knuckler to retire after this season! It's true, El Loco has decided he has had enough, and his 22nd season in the majors will be his last. He's won 301 games, amassed a mighty fortune, received the key to Minneapolis AND St. Paul AND San Pedro de Macoris, witnessed the unveiling of a statue of his likeness outside the Metrodome, and got to know hundreds of groupies all over North America. He and his knuckler have twirled their way into the lives of millions - many loved him, a few hated him, and some wanted to be him. Now he gets one last tour of the American League and it will be all over. Can the Twins give him a Series ring before it's all done? It remains to be seen. The manager reluctantly removes El Loco from his ace position and gives him the #2 slot in the rotation: Bill Phelan (32 yo, 14-11, 3.80) EL LOCO (40 yo, 19-4, 3.63) Harold Sermons (36 yo, 12-7, 4.65) Jeffrey Stotts (34 yo, 2-0, 4.91) Huey Glaspie (28 yo, 1-2, 12.96; also 5-5, 3.68 in AAA) APRIL: Not half bad for an old-timer - 3-2, 4.28 in 6 starts. In 33 2/3 innings he gave up 32 hits, 14 walks and 21 Ks. He's not an embarassment like some other players who played too long. MAY: Ouch! Smacked in the jaw by a line drive! That bruised cheekbone is going to put El Loco on the shelf for about 4 weeks. They put him on the DL right after the game on May 15. He had a 1-1 record in 3 starts before the break with an ERA of 3.86. Oh well, more time to read those books. JUNE: He finally comes off the DL on June 9. As for the rest of the month, it's better to be lucky than good - a perfect 3-0 record in 4 starts, but a sky high ERA (6.46). At 7-3, 4.89, an All-Star selection for El Loco would be based strictly on past glories. His rookie card has cleared the magical $2000 barrier at $2004.91. JULY: Didn't make the All-Star team, but went 2-2, 2.97 this month. The 9-5 record would be a disappointment based on past years, but then again, how many 40-year-olds do better? So far this season, in 113 innings, he has allowed 113 hits, 46 walks and 67 strikeouts. His season's ERA is 4.22, in line with his career figure (4.17). Minnesota is 3 games in front. AUGUST: 3-1, 3.60 in one of his last months before the playoffs. SEPTEMBER: 1-2, 5.16 this month as he's starting to get hit hard (40 hits in 29 2/3 innings, 18 walks). Not a good sign for the playoffs. The Twins are 1 game ahead and close in the wild card chase. Go Twinkies! OCTOBER: A good start (7 IP, 2 runs) in his last regular season outing, but that was a no decision. A 13-8 record this season gives him 314 for his career. Minnesota won the division by 2 games and they face Tampa Bay in the first round. El Loco got the game ball in Game 1, but he probably shouldn't have: Code:
The Devil Rays complete the sweep by winning the next two games. And thus ends the career of El Loco. I'll get to the stats later, but for now let's do the final ratings: Stuff - 89 Velocity - 9 Control - 36 Poise - 70 Endurance - 55 Defense - 10 Hitting - 1 His rookie card sits at $2036.25. OFFSEASON: Pretty pointless, but let's go through it anyway. The Padres offer $4.6 million a year for 3 years right off the bat. No other offers come in, and El Loco didn't want to do any cold calling, so that's it for free agency. He's a free man, so let's get to his final ratings: Stuff - 88 Velocity - 9 Control - 35 Poise - 70 Endurance - 55 Defense - 10 Hitting - 1 He could still pitch, obviously, though he wouldn't be anyone's ideal ace. NOW, how about those stats: Code:
Player History Drafted in 1st round, 17th overall pick, by Minnesota in 2003... Injured in a bar fight on 5/1/2003, suffered a Fractured Nose. Earned first career win on 4/5/2005... Injured on 5/13/2006 with a Tender Shoulder, out for one week... Injured on 8/26/2006 with a Pulled Rotator Cuff Muscle, out for 3-4 weeks... Won World Championship with Minnesota in 2008... Won Pitcher of the Month award on 6/1/2009, going 4-1, 1.45... Won World Championship with Minnesota in 2010... Injured on 4/14/2011 with a Strained Back Muscle, out for 2 weeks... Injured on 5/10/2015 with a Pulled Elbow Ligament, out for one week... Won Pitcher of the Month award on 10/1/2015, going 6-0, 1.98... Won Pitcher of the Month award on 7/1/2016, going 4-1, 1.04... Was selected to the 2016 Allstar game... Won World Championship with Minnesota in 2016... Was selected to the 2017 Allstar game... Won Pitcher of the Month award on 9/1/2017, going 6-0, 2.21... Won Outstanding Pitcher Award in 2017, going 25-7, 2.91 ERA... Was selected to the 2018 Allstar game... Injured on 10/4/2019 with a Strained Elbow Ligament, out for one week... Was selected to the 2021 Allstar game... Injured on 7/23/2021 with a Stiff Elbow, out for one week... Won Player of the Week award on 9/29/2021, winning 2 games with a 0.00 ERA... Won Outstanding Pitcher Award in 2021, going 21-14, 3.43 ERA... Won Pitcher of the Month award on 7/1/2022, going 5-0, 2.22... Was selected to the 2022 Allstar game... Was selected to the 2023 Allstar game... Won Outstanding Pitcher Award in 2023, going 21-9, 3.11 ERA... Was selected to the 2024 Allstar game... Injured on 8/26/2024 with a Pulled Bicep Muscle, out for 6-7 weeks... Pitching Leader Boards Appearances ERA 2009 - 3.46 - 7th 2010 - 3.77 - 8th 2015 - 3.58 - 10th 2016 - 3.48 - 7th 2017 - 2.91 - 2nd 2021 - 3.43 - 6th 2023 - 3.11 - 5th 2024 - 3.63 - 9th WHIP 2017 - 1.15 - 9th Wins 2014 - 19 - 5th 2015 - 17 - 9th 2016 - 19 - 5th 2017 - 25 - 1st 2020 - 17 - 6th 2021 - 21 - 2nd 2022 - 20 - 2nd 2023 - 21 - 1st 2024 - 19 - 3rd Losses 2011 - 14 - 10th 2022 - 15 - 6th IP 2009 - 247.1 - 9th 2014 - 248.1 - 10th 2015 - 251.1 - 6th 2016 - 269.1 - 2nd 2017 - 300.1 - 1st 2018 - 273.0 - 1st 2019 - 273.1 - 1st 2020 - 288.2 - 1st 2021 - 291.2 - 1st 2022 - 286.0 - 1st 2023 - 284.0 - 1st K's 2016 - 172 - 9th 2017 - 206 - 2nd 2018 - 173 - 8th 2020 - 209 - 2nd 2021 - 202 - 4th BB 2007 - 110 - 3rd 2008 - 95 - 8th 2009 - 115 - 3rd 2010 - 104 - 9th 2011 - 106 - 7th 2012 - 96 - 8th 2013 - 94 - 4th 2014 - 100 - 7th 2015 - 99 - 6th 2023 - 103 - 5th CG 2009 - 11 - 1st 2010 - 15 - 1st 2012 - 6 - 8th 2013 - 8 - 5th 2014 - 10 - 4th 2015 - 12 - 2nd 2016 - 19 - 1st 2017 - 13 - 2nd 2018 - 17 - 1st 2019 - 14 - 1st 2020 - 19 - 1st 2021 - 17 - 1st 2022 - 14 - 1st 2023 - 11 - 1st SHO 2009 - 3 - 1st 2010 - 3 - 1st 2013 - 2 - 5th 2015 - 2 - 2nd 2016 - 3 - 1st 2017 - 2 - 4th 2018 - 4 - 2nd 2020 - 4 - 1st 2021 - 6 - 1st 2022 - 5 - 1st 2023 - 2 - 4th Longest winning streak: 15 Longest losing streak: 6 Most K's in a game: 13 Most walks in a game: 9 Most hits allowed in a game: 15 Player of the Game: 147 Player of the Week: 1 Pitcher of the Month: 5 Clemens Awards: 3 (2017, 2021, 2023) World Series rings: 3 (2008, 2010, 2016) All-Star appearances: 7 (2016-18, 2021-24) Rookie card price: $2133.32 Money in the bank: $59,640,811 |
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01-13-2004, 07:58 PM
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#46 |
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Dynasty Boy
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Michigan
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EPILOGUE
El Loco spent the 2026 baseball season as the bullpen reporter for ESPN Deportes. He was competent, but bullpen reporters are even more useless than sideline reporters in football, and he decided to quit after one season.
Starting in 2027 he had a long run working for the Twins as a Minor League pitching coach, manager, scout, and special Latin American advisor. During this time, he got a call from "Joe Smith", whomever he is, informing him that his 314 wins were enough for the writers to vote him into the Hall of Fame! El Loco was proud of this honor; to stand next to such company as fellow knuckleballer Phil Niekro and fellow Dominican Juan Marichal was all very exciting. He was so overcome with emotion it was hard to hear his acceptance speech. Eventually he drifted back home, to San Pedro de Macoris, signing autographs and teaching the knuckler to everyone who would listen. But the Dominican Republic had a higher calling for him. He was drafted by friends to run for the President of the Republic, and he won! El Loco maintains good relations with the U.S., and it is said these days that the most valuable export the country has is crazy knuckleballers. Only they're not considered so crazy any more. And thus ends the story of El Loco. Thank you for reading. |
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01-13-2004, 09:49 PM
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#47 |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: here
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woot nice dynasty with a nice ending.
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01-14-2004, 05:29 AM
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#48 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Sunny South of France
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Enjoyed this very much HB. Be sure and remind us to nominate this dynasty when the 2005 golden scribes come around...
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Detroit Vampires (CFL) : Ve 're coming for your blood! Camargue Flamingos (WOOF): pretty in Pink |
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01-14-2004, 05:35 AM
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#49 |
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Back in Norway
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Great story. I don’t know a lot about baseball but I will miss the guy.
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01-14-2004, 09:59 AM
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#50 |
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College Prospect
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Edmonton, Alberta
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Awesome story, HB...are you going to follow any other careers?
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Just trying to get by unnoticed... Loyal fan of the Edmonton Oilers and Philadelphia Eagles. |
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