MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

[CHIBHAWKSRULE]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

My 2018 Red Sox are now 56-28 through the month of June starting to run away with the AL East. Currently 11 games up on the 2nd place Rays.

The draft was pretty dismal for the Red Sox...not even one B or higher potential pick...so much for auto draft back to manual for next season...

Current Rotation

Sale 11- 5 with a league leading 1.69 ERA and league leading 145 K's
Price 10-1 at 2.83 ERA, 90 K's
Porcello leads league in wins at 12-2, 2.33 ERA and 92 K's
Pomeranz 7-6, 4.26 ERA and 95 K's
Rodriguez 6-2, 2.31 ERA and 74 K's

Current Bullpen

Velasquez 1-0, 2.81 ERA, 14 K's
Barnes 3-2, 2.54 ERA, 33 K's
Smith 1-2, 4.06 ERA, 40 K's
Hembree 0-1, 2.93 ERA, 10 K's
Layne 1-0, 3.65 ERA, 12 K's
Kelly 2-0, 0.89 ERA, 23 K's and 2 Saves in 3 opportunities
Kimbrel 0-2, 2.93 ERA, 31 K's and 26 Saves in 29 opportunities.


Current Lineup

Betts CF .282 Avg, 16 HR, and 21 RBI
Pedroia 2B .268 Avg, 8 HR, and 39 RBI
Ramirez 1B .239 Avg, 13 HR, and 33 RBI
Martinez DH .308 Avg, with league leading 29 HR, and league leading 74 RBI
Bogaerts SS .303 Avg, 8 HR, and 41 RBI
Swihart C .272 Avg, 5 HR, and 25 RBI
Benintendi LF .266 Avg, 6 HR, and 30 RBI
Nunez 3B .255 Avg, 2 HR, and 18 RBI
Bradley Jr RF .328 Avg, 15 HR, and 30 RBI

Current Bench

Moreland .290 Avg, 7 HR, and 21 RBI
Devers .224 Avg, 10 HR, and 33 RBI
Leon .357 Avg, 2 HR, and 3 RBI
Holt .212 Avg, 1 HR, and 4 RBI

[millertime98]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

I think I'm going to break one of my own rules. Typically I don't do any roster maneuvering until May, unless there is an injury. I don't move players based on performance and I don't do any trades/signings/waiver claims until then because I want to give my guys a month or so to either get out of slumps or come back down to Earth if playing over their head.

But.....

The Red Sox made a trade in which they acquired Jeff Locke from the Pirates and in doing so they have made a move where they DFA'd a young left handed starting pitcher to make room for Locke. Now we all know that you can always use a quality left handed starting pitcher in your organization. So I think I'm going to try to claim him.

What corresponding move I'll make, I'm not sure, but I really could use another left handed starting pitcher, especially one that has a high potential and is only 23 years of age.

I do the same. I don't make any deals outside of injury (30 team control) until at least June. However, in year 5 of a Marlins rebuild my young arms are finally coming into the bigs but Boston DFA'd Groome. I immidiately placed a claim on him. Then, I didn't want to feel like I was cheating so I claimed him with OAK, CHW and SD because I'm sick of those teams staying at the bottom. I ended up getting him and he has been good for me thus far. I am off to a great start so if I'm close at the deadline I'll use some of my young guys for a vet bat a the deadline.

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

We won our 2nd game in a row (11-7) and now 8 of our last 10 as we just walked off the Reds 3-2. Matt Carpenter planted a 2-2 curveball in the bullpen in right center for the walk off.

We have taken the first 2 of the 4 game series against the Reds. We currently trail the Brewers by 2 games in the Central.

[MrATrain]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

I’m Can’t Decide Between The D Backs and The Padres I Need Help This Will Be My First Year Going Full In On Franchise So Any Tips For A Rookie Thanks

[Itsma806]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

I’m Can’t Decide Between The D Backs and The Padres I Need Help This Will Be My First Year Going Full In On Franchise So Any Tips For A Rookie Thanks

I would say d backs only because a lot of people are playing with Padres. I myself went with Colorado about middle of the road line of team

Come to think about it, I haven't seen many padre posts lately, I know they were a hot team last year

[Liam_93]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

Started a franchise with the Reds last night as I wanted a usual change from my Jays, like the idea of trying to rebuild one of MLB’s OG franchises and try and get past the last 3 seasons where the franchise hasn’t won over 70 games. Plus I like the Uni’s and Ballpark.

Played a thriller against the Nats in the home opener losing 6-5. Scherzer pitched 110 times in 7 innings despite giving up 5 ER was down 6-2 at one point until the top of the order came to bat at the bottom of the 7th where Barnhart reached base via a walk and Gosselin hit a single up the middle for Scooter Gennett to come up and hit a 3 run no doubt homer to left field. I would try and claw that extra run in the ninth where Peraza and Votto would reach base but the Nats would close the game out and take the 1 run victory.

I think I’m gonna enjoy the challenge as the farm system isn’t terrible but there’s a lot that can be improved.

I think Senzel will be in the bigs at some point probably sooner rather than later whether that means Votto is traded or I move Eugenio Suarez to SS and Senzel to 3rd.

As much as I like Hamilton’s defensive game we need some more offensive power and I was thinking of shopping him, he is a sure fire 50+ SB threat but that’s not guaranteed when he struggled to get on base sometimes.

I’m looking forward to bringing this franchise some long awaited success and it should be fun.


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[BigOscar]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

Finally started my franchise this morning with the Rays, after spending what seems like days setting it all up. I've never used 30 team control before but hopefully I've done it all right (as starting again and re-inputing all the injuries would be a real pain)

So the mighty Rays are ready to attack the AL East! Have to say, not a lot of pop in the lineup, but I'm sure CJ Cron and Carlos Gomez will put the fear of god into our opposition!

[BlueJays09]

MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

17 games into my Blue Jays franchise and I am sitting 8-10 and 4th in the AL East (although only 1.5 back). My bats started hot the first few series and have cooled big time. Smoak is hitting close .275 with 6HR already and Martin is hitting over .250 with a couple of homers. Solarte is hitting around .270 with a couple of dingers and Morales is my only hitter above .300 with a dinger.

Travis, Grichuk and Pillar are both hitting below .200, although Grichuk has 4 homers. Donaldson has no home runs and is hitting .237 so I hope he gets it together soon. Diaz is hitting just over .200 and Pearce is around .230 with a couple of homers. Finally, Granderson is .171 with 2 homers.

The power is a breath of fresh air, but I am not hitting for contact at all. I am being very patient as well at the plate, running up the counts. I wonder if I have ran into some good pitching, or my bats just aren’t there yet.

There are a couple more series until the end of the first month so I’ll keep plugging away. However, if some players don’t start to turn it around, I may look at other options. Teoscar Hernandez is on fire in AAA and could take over in LF. If the losing continues I will look to cash in on Donaldson, Tulo, Pearce, Smoak, Pillar and unload Morales. If I am competing I will look to upgrade as I need to in a couple of months.

Really enjoying this challenge as I am use to normally having a winning record.


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[UTAllTheWay]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

Just finished the draft in my Rays franchise. As I mentioned before, I Quick Manage every game unless it's a game I really want to play (for instance against the Red Sox since they lead our division right now) along with some others. Anyways, here is a lot of*information about the season so far:


Season Overview


31-28 record, 4.0 GB in the AL East, 2.5 GB in the AL Wild Card

Spoiler

This season has been an exciting one so far. In my last update we were 14-16 and our outlook was bleak because our offense was completely dreadful. After some experimenting with the lineups, however, we have gotten some great improvement and things are looking up. We have gone 17-12 since that update, including a 7-game winning streak that saw us beat some solid opponents. Our pitching has been strong and if our offense continues to show this improvement, we may put the rest of the league on notice. Sitting at 31-28, we are 4 games behind the Red Sox in the AL East and 2.5 games behind the Blue Jays for the Wild Card.

Offensive Overview

Spoiler

Our lineup has been a source of stress this season, but I think I have finally settled in on one that can make a push for the postseason. That's not to say moves won't be made (more on that later) but we have some guys in the lineup that are making things happen and putting us in great positions to be successful. Here is the lineup, with the guys on the bench after:


LF - Mallex Smith - 211 ABs - .265 avg -*4 HRs -*14 RBIs -*15 SB

2B - Austin Barnes - 165 ABs -*.291 avg - 6 HRs - 23 RBIs

CF - Kevin Kiermaier - 170 ABs - .235 avg - 4 HRs - 15 RBIs -*13 SB

DH - Denard Span - 190 ABs - .300 avg - 6 HRs - 29 RBIs

3B - Brad Miller - 165 ABs - .224 avg - 5 HRs - 22 RBIs

C - Wilson Ramos - 184 ABs - .196 avg - 6 HRs - 21 RBIs

1B - C.J. Cron - 167 ABs - .229 avg - 3 HRs - 13 RBIs

RF - Carlos Gomez - 185 ABs - .249 avg - 3 HRs - 13 RBIs -*11 SB

SS - Adeiny Hechavarria - 194 ABs - .247 avg - 4 HRs - 20 RBIs -*1 SB

Bench:

3B/2B/SS - Matt Duffy - 149 ABs - .248 avg - 3 HRs - 13 RBIs - 1 SB

C - Jesus Sucre - 95 ABs - .263 avg - 2 HRs - 7 RBIs

3B/2B/SS - Daniel Robertson - 63 ABs - .254 avg - 2 HRs - 5 RBIs - 1 SB

2B/1B/OF - Rob Refsnyder - 59 ABs - .254 avg - 2 HRs - 5 RBIs


Denard Span has been a great surprise as he's clearly been my best hitter (which isn't saying much, honestly). Mallex Smith has been a great leadoff and Austin Barnes was an excellent pickup for me. Brad Miller has been on a little bit of a tear lately, but Ramos, Cron, and Gomez have all been mediocre to terrible. This is where I will be looking for opportunities to improve the team (again,*more on that later).

Pitching Overview

Spoiler

This has been our bread and butter for the first 59 games of the season. Our starters have been very solid to start the year, and our bullpen, for the most part, has filled done a great job of keeping leads and finishing games. Here is the stats:


Starters:

Chris Archer - 3-5 -*80.2 IP - 2.68 ERA - 1.23 WHIP - 98 Ks

Jake Faria- 8-2 - 71.1 IP - 2.27 ERA - 1.11 WHIP - 60 Ks

Matt Andriese*- 4-2 - 67.2 IP - 3.59 ERA - 1.21 WHIP - 61 Ks

Blake Snell*- 3-6 - 56.2 IP - 5.40 ERA - 1.50 WHIP - 48 Ks

Nathan Eovaldi*- 3-2 - 42.1 IP - 3.61 ERA - 1.30 WHIP - 24 Ks

Bullpen:

Austin Pruitt*- 1-4 - 44.1 IP - 3.65 ERA - 1.17 WHIP - 26 Ks

Ryan Weber*- 2-3 - 40.1 IP - 3.35 ERA - 0.94 WHIP - 28 Ks

Chaz Roe*- 0-0 - 27.2 IP - 3.25 ERA - 1.48 WHIP - 25 Ks

Jose Alvarado*- 2-1 - 14.2 IP - 2.45 ERA - 1.50 WHIP - 11 Ks

Sergio Romo*- 2-2 - 25.2 IP - 3.16 ERA - 1.40 WHIP - 31 Ks

Jonny Venters*- 0-0 - 13.2 IP - 3.29 ERA - 1.17 WHIP - 15 Ks

Alex Colome*- 18 saves, 18.1 IP, 1.96 ERA - 1.20 WHIP - 18 Ks


It's funny how the offense shows up to back up some pitchers but isn't there for others. For instance, Chris Archer*and Jake Faria*have both been about equally outstanding this season but Archer is sitting at 3-5 and Faria is 8-2 simply because the offense has shown up to help Faria. Matt Andriese*and Nathan Eovaldi*have done a great job starting, but Blake Snell*is clearly the young guy on the staff. He's had about 3 or 4 games where he has give up 5-7 runs in the first few innings. He's settled in, though, so we'll look to see if he can keep the improvement up. Our bullpen has been sketchy at times, getting into some rough situations, but they've usually done a great job of getting out of them. Alex Colome*has become an automatic save. Any time he comes in, the door is closed quickly.

Prospect Overview

Spoiler

This is where I see most of my moves coming. The important prospects could fill positions of need at the major league level, and if they continue to perform the way they have, we might see them take over those spots in the near future. Here are some stats for the important prospects:


Batters:

SS/3B - Willy Adames (AAA) - 219 ABs - .256 avg - 5 HRs - 20 RBIs - 7 SBs

1B - Jake Bauers*(AAA) - 218 ABs - .284 avg - 6 HRs - 23 RBIs - 9 SBs

OF - Justin Williams*(AAA) - 174 ABs - .274 avg - 3 HRs - 26 RBIs - 3 SBs

Pitchers:

Brent Honeywell (AAA) - 5-4 - 61.1 IP - 3.52 ERA - 1.19 WHIP - 66 Ks

Jose De Leon*(AAA) - 3-5 - 69.2 IP - 3.62 ERA - 1.38 WHIP - 83 Ks

Anthony Banda*(AAA) - 1-5 - 60.1 IP - 4.48 ERA - 1.52 WHIP - 46 Ks

Draft Overview

Spoiler

The draft was a successful one for us, for the most parts. Our first four picks turned out to be guys that I can definitely see helping us out in the next few years. The last three were useless selections, so I won't even try to sign them. Heck, I won't even talk about them. Here are the important ones:


1st Round - OF Kevin Johnson*- 68 OVR - A Pot - I couldn't possibly be happier with my first opportunity picking at #16. Johnson is a great contact hitter with excellent vision & discipline. He is a good fielder with good speed. He has no power and his arm strength leaves a lot to be desired, but I could definitely see him helping us. He'll most likely spend all next season in the minors, but after that he'll be ready to contribute, especially if he improves properly.


Compsenatory Pick - RHP Pedro German*- 65 OVR - B Pot - A definite starter in the future. He has 81 stamina already with solid base stats and good velocity. His potential is very good as well. With the young talent I have coming up at pitcher, though, I could see him settling in the minors for a couple of years before he really explodes onto the scene.


2nd Round - LHP J.J. Dubois*- 64 OVR - B Pot - I was ecstatic to get this pick in the 2nd round. DuBois has outstanding velocity (99 to be exact). His K/9 is excellent and he has decent starting stamina (67 stamina). He's a big time strikeout guy, and my favorite part about him is that if he doesn't become a great starter, he could become an outstanding closer. I'll definitely keep an eye on him because his base stats might put him on the scene in a couple of years.


3rd Round - OF Fernando Gonzalez*- 72 OVR - C Pot - I was really looking to go infield with this pick, but I couldn't pass up this guy. He's a switch hitter with excellent contact and power against RHPs. His stats against LHPs are solid too. His vision and clutch are good and his speed is outstanding (91). His fielding is terrible, though, which may keep him from contributing consistently in the near future. His low potential hurts him too, but I can definitely see him helping us out. If nothing else he can be a good DH and a great pinch runner.

Going Forward

Spoiler

So obviously if we want to become a force in the AL, we will need to make some moves. I'm not going to make moves to just try to compete this season, though. Like I said before, the places I'm looking to improve are*Ramos at Catcher, Cron at First Base, and Gomez in Right Field. I'll give them a little more time to turn it around, but with the exception of Ramos at Catcher, I'm not sure if I can really rely on the other guys to improve because their numbers are about where you would expect.


With that being said, the important prospects in AAA play the positions I am looking for. Jake Bauers*is a first baseman that is hitting the ball extremely well down there, so I could definitely see him coming up soon if Cron doesn't start coming through for us. Willy Adames*can play SS and 3B, so I can definitely see him*taking over 3rd base. That would move Brad Miller and Daniel Robertson to 2B with Austin Barnes taking over the catcher spot full time if Ramos can't improve. Justin Williams*has done a great job in AAA, leading the team in RBIs, so he could possibly take over for Carlos Gomez if I need it.


One thing I want to avoid, however, is moving up all of these guys up at the same time and having them struggle to get used to Major League pitching at the same time. So if I start moving these guys up, I'll have to do it individually at different spots. I'll most likely start with Bauers to let him get used to 1B. Then after a few weeks I'll try Justin Williams, then later Adames.


Another possible move I could see making is trying to get Tony Kemp*from the Astros. He can play 2B and OF, which would allow Barnes to play Catcher more and also get me another OF to help take Gomez's place.

I'm very excited to see where this season can take this team. It's been a blast to play with these guys as each game seems to have it's own little story to go with it. I'll make sure to keep you guys updated.

[BigOscar]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

First game of the season and the Red Sox have Jackie Bradley Jr at 2nd with Nunez Dhing. Jesus wept. How is the AI still this awful? I guess it's lucky I'm using 30 team control so I can fix it before the next game.

Not a great start tov the season with the first 5 men reaching base, but Arch turned it around and managed to get through 6 with only 3 runs going against him, while the offence toiled against Chris Sale, scoring only 1 run through 7 innings. They left him in an inning too long though as we got to him in the 8th with a walk and a hit, before another hit off reliever Layne scored our second run. Unfortunately we stranded two men to end the 8th and they then beat up on Johnny Venters in the top of the 9th and put the game out of sight.

Final score Red Sox 6, Rays 2

[beekay415]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

Miami,KC, or Pitt give me your thoughts!


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[UTAllTheWay]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

Miami,KC, or Pitt give me your thoughts!


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Those are three interesting situations for different reasons.

The Pirates are the easiest team of the group. Their major league talent is actually pretty solid. They also have some really good talent in their farm system like Mitch Keller, Austin Meadows, and Shane Baz. So you have a good starting point with your team, and even if they don't perform you can move some of your veterans for even more young talent.

The Royals and Marlins are about the same, to me. The Royals have (arguably) the worst farm system in baseball as they are one of only 3 teams without a single prospect in the top 100 (the Mets and Cubs are the other two, but they are obviously much better at the major league level). So starting with them would require a full overhaul at the minor league level.

The Marlins farm system is a little better with two guys in the top 100 (Lewis Brinson and Monte Harrison). Their major league talent is pretty awful though so it would be a complete restart.

For me I would put them in that order as to who play with. Pittsburgh is at the top because they are pretty good now with some good young talent. They play in a great ballpark too.

Kansas City would be my second choice because I like to do a rebuild. And their stadium is much better than Miami's.

The Marlins would be my last choice because my goodness are they awful now. And I don't like their stadium.

[MrATrain]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

I’m Can’t Decide Between The D Backs and The Padres I Need Help This Will Be My First Year Going Full In On Franchise So Any Tips For A Rookie Thanks

. And How Does Baseballs Salary Cap Work Plz Explain

[bravo2208]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

Baseball doesn't have a salary cap lol. There's budgets and a luxury tax.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_League_Baseball_luxury_tax

[beekay415]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

Those are three interesting situations for different reasons.



The Pirates are the easiest team of the group. Their major league talent is actually pretty solid. They also have some really good talent in their farm system like Mitch Keller, Austin Meadows, and Shane Baz. So you have a good starting point with your team, and even if they don't perform you can move some of your veterans for even more young talent.



The Royals and Marlins are about the same, to me. The Royals have (arguably) the worst farm system in baseball as they are one of only 3 teams without a single prospect in the top 100 (the Mets and Cubs are the other two, but they are obviously much better at the major league level). So starting with them would require a full overhaul at the minor league level.



The Marlins farm system is a little better with two guys in the top 100 (Lewis Brinson and Monte Harrison). Their major league talent is pretty awful though so it would be a complete restart.



For me I would put them in that order as to who play with. Pittsburgh is at the top because they are pretty good now with some good young talent. They play in a great ballpark too.



Kansas City would be my second choice because I like to do a rebuild. And their stadium is much better than Miami's.



The Marlins would be my last choice because my goodness are they awful now. And I don't like their stadium.

Yeah think it’s between Pitt and Miami now. Pitt has never won a n NL Central division title, last was 92 when they were in the NL east. And no World Series since 79.

Miami has also never won a division title but does have those World Series, haven’t been to playoffs in 11 years


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