MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

[HozAndMoose]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

End of Minor League Season - 2020

Skipping over the AS break update trying to get through this season. Quick look at how the prospects did as their seasons come to and end. Neither team made the playoffs. Though the Naturals came close. Won 10 of their last 14 games but misses out by 1.5 games.

Stats

Spoiler

Pratto ended up spending all year in AA. Got better as the season went on. Just didn't do good enough to get moved up. He will be put on the 40 man roster in the off season and get a chance in ST. I expect him to start the year in AAA though.

Jim Albrecht didnt have the season we were hoping but it wasn't terrible. With how well Mondesi has done this year we are in no hurry to get him to the majors. Could end up spending all of 2021 in AAA unless someone gets hurt. Though he will be in ST so anything could happen.

Angel Diaz struggled at times during the season. But was impressive overall. His ability to get strikeouts is amazing. He led all relievers in AA and AAA in K/9. He will get some time up in the majors to end the season. Id be surprised if he doesnt break camp with us next year.

Myles Evans was a week away from making his MLB debut. But strained his pectoral on August 22nd ending his season. His year went about as good as we could have expected. Would have liked to have seen a few more HRs maybe. But its not like we expected him to be a power threat. I have high hopes for him next year. Whether he breaks camp with us or starts in AAA I expect him to get plenty of at bats in the Majors.

MJ Melendez continues to improve at and behind the plate. Viloria had a pretty good season in AAA so Melendez will probably start in AA again. But could easily take Vilorias spot depending on how things go.

Scott Blewett and Zach Lovvorn will both get a chance to earn a spot in ST. I expected their lines to be reversed. Thought for sure Blewett could end up in the Majors at some point this year. But he struggled a bit to start the year in AA.

Nonie Williams was pretty disappointing. Its not like we have a big need at SS but he was pretty good last season. And as a home town kid I really want him to succeed. 22 to start next season so he has a few years left to get back on track.

Starks, Nikorak and Schaeffer all had solid seasons. Don't expect them to be ready for another 2 or 3 years. We should be well on our way to contending by then. Will be nice to actually have some prospects ready to take over when some of the current guys have to leave.

Elier Hernandez had a very surprising season. Expected him to hit closer to .250. Earned some playing time this September and will be the main guy battling Evans for a spot to start next year.

Ken Whitley is the best power guy we have in the minors. Just under 16 AB per HR. Not a lot of defensive skills and strikes out a ton. Has a lot of time to get that stuff figured out though.

We got a few guys who are ready. And some guys behind them who are looking like the next wave. All 4 of the top guys could end up losing rookie status next year. We are close. We should look like a competent team next year. Hopefully we dont find a way to screw this up.

[BigOscar]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

I would have taken one of the outfielders. Too much potential and immediate ability to leave on the table.

Just don't see how, with the first overall pick, passing up on a potential superstar position player for a closer makes any sense.

Much easier to fill the closer hole with a free agent, or a trade, than it is to acquire a position player with talent and potential like that....

I'd generally agree, but I already have number 3 prospect Luis Robert, number 14 prospect Estevan Florial, number 37 prospect Jesus Sanchez to go with already major league level outfielders Justin Williams and Jake Bauers. I'm already overcrowded with young, major league ready, potential superstar outfielders, so getting another one in would have just meant trading away one of my current ones, who are great in their own right. (and I've grown attached to the ones I have!)

Always tough to look past the best player, but having a potentially all time great closer would be huge for us, given that our bullpen is genuinely terrible and we really can't afford a great free agent closer. Ideally I'd have gone for a 2nd baseman (or SS who could play 2nd) but they really are hard to come by in drafts on this, at least ones who can hit are.

[LowerWolf]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

Finished April with the Braves in first place at 20-9. We've cooled off a bit, but are still hitting just over .300 as a team. We need it because the starting pitching hasn't been great.

I always go with the default roster. But with the roster update Friday, I edited Acuna into my franchise. He's still in AAA for me since Lane Adams is hitting well in LF.

Lineup
1. Inciarte, CF
2. Albies, 2B
3. Freeman, 1B
4. Flowers, C
5. Markakis, RF
6. Camargo, 3B
7. Adams, LF
8. Swanson, SS

Bench
Suzuki, C
Ruiz, 1B/3B
Culberson, IF
Colon, IF
Santana, Util

Rotation
1. Teheran
2. Kazmir
3. McCarthy
4. Newcomb
5. Folty

Bullpen
Vizcaino (closer)
Moylan
Dayton
Freeman
Ramirez
Winkler
Whitley

[Cowboy008]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

The 2022 Tampa Bay Rays were able to make it to the playoffs and had a pretty good regular season. The Postseason didn't start off well though as Matt Moore got destroyed by the Seattle Mariners. The next game basically ended up the same way as our pitchers are just having a lot of trouble against this Mariners lineup. Our Offense is no where to be found and are now on the verge of being swept.

If that does happen the Rays will definitely be making a few trades (one of them being CF Almora Jr. since he's been playing well below expectations) and will not be bringing some players back who are just on one year deals. One position that has a lot of depth and potential is the second baseman. The past two seasons have seen a certain player play well above expectations and has helped the club out with his offense (sorry I can't remember his name and am not on my ps4 at the moment) but there are also 2 or 3 other MLB ready players. So the question is will the Rays trade the player that has been playing above expectations or will they trade away one of the other MLB ready players since they no longer have options left?

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

Went through the First Year Player Draft. Very excited about who we were able to sign. I did miss on Martin Saucedo as he's pretty much reached his peak it seems. But Devon Snow was our top target and even with picking 22nd, we were able to land him. 19 years old and he's just about ready for the majors already. He will start next year at Springfield (AA) as the starting catcher and we'll see how quickly his bat comes along.

Andres Rosario, Franklin Hancock, and Pablo Cairo are all excellent finds. All 3 have great potential and give us depth at each position. Julian Alaniz is another good find as he and Cairo are both left handed pitchers to add to the bullpen.

Leo Mora and Sean Rodriguez we'll see how they pan out. Rodriguez doesn't have much upside it seems but he has top notch velocity, something that I love in relief pitchers.

Martin Saucedo was a miss pick with our 2nd pick, but he has a great bat and power. We will most likely sign him, but he's not the future first baseman we thought he was going to be, at least not at the moment.

Overall very pleased with our draft. Easily the best draft that we've had in the last few years. I believe we drafted 4 future stars of the MLB.

[a bit outside]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

Looks like you did good in the 4th, 6th and 8th rounds too.

[KBLover]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

The Marlins saw their win streak snapped as Ricky Harris, called up two days prior, made his big league debut...

...and it was another bad outing for the pile.

Of course, not helping were the six errors made by the Marlins.

Six errors. Somehow, they led to just 3 unearned runs, but those might have been the difference as the Marlins lost by two at a 10-8 final.

"That was inexcusable, " the Marlins manager commented, "I don't know if you guys heard be up there in the booth but I was cussing them out big time and it lasted for a while. I hope the guys got the point."

The Marlins suffered their second loss of the season, falling to 8-2. The Mets, the Marlins opponents, won their second in a row, but still are struggling at a 3-7 mark after the victory.

In game 2, the Marlins again suffered a loss at the hands of the Mets. Damian Boeve gave up just 2 runs in 6 innings of work, but the bats just went silent, scoring just one run all game long.

Bill McDonald couldn't keep the game close as he let a 2-1 lead turn into a 5-1 lead for the Mets. The add-on runs weren't needed, but they likely helped demoralize the Marlins, preventing that "crack in the door" they talk about often.

The loss erased their early division lead as the Marlins are tied with the 8-3 Nationals.

In the final game, the Marlins bats were quiet again. They could muster only two runs through nine innings.

For a while, that looked to be enough. However, Kiser, who had a good outing, gave up a couple manufactured runs in the 5th to tie the game at 2-2. He was solid, though, going six innings before getting lifted for a pinch hitter.

The game became a battle of the bullpens and both bullpens matched zeroes as the game went through nine innings still tied at 2.

The Marlins broke through in the 10th. Javeri hit a grounder single up the middle and then stole second. Then, the Marlins got an RBI double down the right field line by Jay Craft. He hit a scalding grounder and the Mets were playing for the bunt. The first baseman had no chance to make the play though he made a valiant diving effort.

Ramirez was ready and available for the 10th and he pitched a perfect 10th for the save, and the Marlins avoided the sweep. Curtis Anders picked up the win.

The Marlins will head to Cincy to conclude the road trip.

[BigOscar]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

Went through the First Year Player Draft. Very excited about who we were able to sign. I did miss on Martin Saucedo as he's pretty much reached his peak it seems. But Devon Snow was our top target and even with picking 22nd, we were able to land him. 19 years old and he's just about ready for the majors already. He will start next year at Springfield (AA) as the starting catcher and we'll see how quickly his bat comes along.

Andres Rosario, Franklin Hancock, and Pablo Cairo are all excellent finds. All 3 have great potential and give us depth at each position. Julian Alaniz is another good find as he and Cairo are both left handed pitchers to add to the bullpen.

Leo Mora and Sean Rodriguez we'll see how they pan out. Rodriguez doesn't have much upside it seems but he has top notch velocity, something that I love in relief pitchers.

Martin Saucedo was a miss pick with our 2nd pick, but he has a great bat and power. We will most likely sign him, but he's not the future first baseman we thought he was going to be, at least not at the moment.

Overall very pleased with our draft. Easily the best draft that we've had in the last few years. I believe we drafted 4 future stars of the MLB.

That lads a beast, probably as good a catcher as I've ever seen in a draft. Fielding and power, what more could a catcher want?

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

That lads a beast, probably as good a catcher as I've ever seen in a draft. Fielding and power, what more could a catcher want?

He is easily the best player I've ever drafted in the Show.

Goal is to get his contact to around 55.

[doubledeuceR6]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

After taking 3 series in a row The Rangers looked to have turned a corner but dropped the the next 2 series going 2-6 over that stretch against the Indians and Red Sox.

After the Red Sox series our record was 13-23, exactly the same as it is in the real world.

Swept the 3 game series against the Tigers over the weekend

Shin Soo Choo continues to rake batting over .350 on the season (will the contenders come calling at the deadline?) and Ronald Guzman had 2 homeruns against the Tigers.

Current record 16-23

[decga]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

Just finished my first series vs. the dreaded Nats. I took 2 out 3 from them. Game 1: Folty was very good 7 IP strong 3 ER, 4 K, 6 H. We chased the opposing pitcher T. Roark in 5.2 IP, 4 ER, 8 H. Also we got our first homer from C Tyler "Flo" Flowers. He has been one of my best sticks. Batting over an unrealistic .500 avg. We won 4-3.

Game 2: "Lil C.C." Gohara got him some of those Nats! Going a strong 7 innings, 4 H, ER, BB & 4 K. We chased pretty boy Joe Ross after 5 IP, 9 H, 4 ER & 3K. The rookie LF Acuna blasted his first homer, but other than he's off to a miserable start batting under .125 avg. OUCH! Freddie also blasted his 1st HR. An oppo taco! Winning 4-1.

Game 3: Dueling Aces! Boy did it ever. Mad Max .vs Chris Archer. Max was the horse. The streak stopper. The first two games the Nats had to go to the bullpen early. Somewhere between 5 & 6 IP. He went a strong 7.2IP, 12K, 3ER, 7H & BB. Also they pushed him to 110 pitches. I chased after SS Simmons blasted a solo HR in the Bttm 8th. SP Archer tried his darnest to keep up. Going 6.1 IP, 7H, 9K, 4R, 3ER & BB. Archer got chased after the 4th run, which was unearned. C Flowers threw a dropped 3rd strike pitch into RF, which led to the GW run... Lost 4-3...

So we are 3-3 after the first home stand. Bottom of the Rotation with Julio, Folty & Gohara looking strong. I have to improve on Archer and McCarthy last starts. Offensively, Inciarte .391 avg, 5 R & 5 SB. C Flowers .529 avg, 1 HR 3 RBI. Freeman steady @ .333 avg, HR & RBI. J-Hey in at .320 avg, 0HR 4RBI.

[tcsox11]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

4-3 in the early going with the Red Sox. Split the opening series with the Rays and then split a 2 game series in Miami. We then took the home opener against the Rays 6-3.

Sale has looked great so far, and Price is showing signs of being a dominant #2. Unfortunately, the other 3 starters have not fared as well. Porcello and Velasquez have particularly looked horrendous, while Brian Johnson at least kept us in the game. The bullpen has been a mixed bag with Kimbrel, Barnes, Walden and Poyner yet to allow a run, but Hembree, Smith, and Kelly have high ERAs through their first couple innings.

On offense, Benintendi is hitting over .500 (!!!!) and this is with an 0-4 mixed in. Him and Martinez have easily been the two hottest hitters thus far. Devers and Vasquez getting hot would give us some serious length 1-9.

Looking forward to the first series with the Yankees coming up in less than an in-game week.

[ktd1976]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

That lads a beast, probably as good a catcher as I've ever seen in a draft. Fielding and power, what more could a catcher want?

I drafted a pretty good one myself, first overall with the Tigers.

Archie Fraser 6'5" 215 lbs, 21 yrs old. 73 Overall, 94 Potential
Contact R/L=39/42
Power R/L=60/71
Vision=36
Discipline=43
Clutch=38
Bunt=77
Durability=39
Fielding=55
Arm Strength=71
Arm Acc=71
Reaction=73
Blocking=80
Speed=31
Stealing=47
BR Agg=21

[Councilmann_Jamm]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

Does anyone know if a player on a one year contract is traded before the Regular Season starts has ability to get a Qualifying Offer.

[HozAndMoose]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

End of Season - 2020

The 2020 season is over and it didn't go as bad as I thought it would. Not like we were great or anything though. We finished 75-87. 3rd in the division, 9th in the AL and 14th in the Majors. The Blue Jays, A's and Astros all finished the season at 87-75. A 3 way tie for the Wild Card spots. The Astros were given the first WC off tiebreakers. While the A's and Blue Jays played a game 163 to determine the 2nd WC.

Standings

Spoiler

The offense was pretty similar to last year in all but 2 areas. We hit .248/.323/.381. We were 25th in Runs with 622. Tied for 14th in Triples with 31. And 20th in SB with 95. Our 2 biggest changes were HR and 2B. We hit 38 less HR than we did last year. 141 total. Only the Marlins had less. The missing HR seemed to have turned into doubles as we hit 36 more than last year. We were 18th with 264 total.

Stats

Spoiler

Good, Bad and Ugly

Spoiler

The Good

• Jorge Bonifacio - Put together his 2nd solid season in a row. Struggled with his power over the 2nd half of the season but everything else was as good or better than last year.
  
  
• Cheslor Cuthbert - A nice bounce back season after a terrible 2019. Still not as good as he was in 2018 but did enough to earn the starting job at 3rd next season. Its not like we have anyone else that could beat him out anyway.
  
  
• Raul Mondesi - Seems to finally be figuring things out. Season ended about a month early thanks to a broken arm. Still managed to set career highs in Hits, Runs, SB, 2B 3B and WAR. His 12 Triples lead the Majors in only 119 games.
  
  
• Elier Hernandez - Very small sample size. But after having his best season in the Minors he came up and put together a .910 OPS with 2 HR in 30 AB. Right now he has the edge over Myles Evans for an OF spot next year.

The Bad

• Salvador Perez - Had the best season of his career last year and followed it up with a dud. Was still pacient at the plate putting up the most walks of his career. He just couldnt get hits consistently. Gonna try to get him more games at DH next year so keep him fresh. Thats been the plan for like 5 years now though.
  
  
• Whit Merrifield - Easily the worst saeson of his career. Played in his most games ever and put up his worst AVG, OBP and SLG. And it wasnt much better on defense with 18 errors. Had he been playing well he would have been a trade candidate at the deadline.
  
  
• Ryan O'Hearn - Was playing extremely well through the first couple months. Then completely fell off. Still managed to put up a .350 OBP so its not all bad. Might start next season sitting against lefties until he shows he can hit them.
  
  
• Bubba Starling - He won a Gold Glove and was much better offensivly than last season. So its not all bad. But the offense still isnt very good. Not ready to say he wont be the starter next season. But he will need to earn it. Should be the 4th OF at worst.

The Ugly

• Jorge Soler - What the hell is he doing. I thought 2018 was the turning point and he has managed to get worse each of the last 2 years. He has one season of control left and will get his chance to turn things around. Maybe a contract year will bring out the best in him.
  
  
• Alex Gordon - After his 2019 performance we gave him a 1 year deal with a mutual option for a 2nd year. It was probably a bad idea. I didnt want to see him in another jersey and he wasnt taking a spot from anyone at the time. His defense is till good but his offense is done. I dont know what got into him last year. I hope he retires. Either way we wont be picking up his option.
  
  
• Hunter Dozier - He will get one more chance but his leash is very very short. If he fails we probably wont even send him back to the minors.

The pitching was a nice improvement over 2019. ERA dropped from 4.48 to 4.14. That was still 24th in the Majors. Dropped from 20th to 10th in HR allowed with 175. We were 13th with 532 Walks and 26th with 1217 Strikeouts.

Stats

Spoiler

Good, Bad and Ugly

Spoiler

The Good

• Danny Duffy - Continues to be the only above AVG starter we have. Stuggled over the 2nd half but was till able to put up his 2nd straight year with 200+ IP and by WAR had his best seaosn ever. Will be 32 next season and he wont last forever. Hopefulyl he can keep it going ofor a couple years or someone can step up and take over.
  
  
• Foster Griffin - Struggled in his first action last seaosn. Earned a spot in the spring and didnt dissapoint. Would like to see him up the Strikeouts a bit. But other than that his numbers were good and his 0.89 HR/9 is great. Will probably start next season as the #2.
  
  
• Seth Maness - Had his best season in 4 years after getting hurt in STL. Edned up taking over the closer role for a struggling Herrera. Not sure if he can put up another season like that but it would go a long way in us being competitive next year.
  
  
• Mauricio Cabrera - Picked him last year as a rule 5 guy. Figured he would struggle and then spend a couple years down it he minors. He definitely struggled last year. And somehow looked like a completely different guy this year. Makes me feel a lot better about our BP situation than I did this time last year.
  
  
• Jake Thompson - Picked him up in the Rule 5 planning to do what we did with Cabrera. Ended up being one of the best relievers on the team. Idk if he can continue to keep it up. But he will sure as hell get the chance.

The Bad

• Brandon Mauer - Improved over the 2nd half but was very close to be cut before the all star break. Put up the highest WHIP of his career and will need to earn a spot in the pen next season.
  
  
• Kelvin Herrera - Was much better after losing the closers role around the AS break. He blew 8 saves in 28 chances. If Angel Diaz starts next year on the team Herrera will go back to setup role. If Diaz starts in AAA Herrera will have a shot to be the closer again.

The Ugly

• Jesse Hahn - His Strikeouts were up. Walks down. And still managed to put up an ERA almost 1.5 runs higher than last year. He was injured for a bit so he didnt have much time to work through things. And his FIP was much lower at 3.95. Gonna try and resign him to 1 or 2 year deal with an option depending on how much he wants.

Overall I expected more out of the Offense and got more than I expected out of the Pitching. Offense should improve a bit next year with Gordon gone and 2 or 3 prospects making their debut. I think the goal should be to get to .500. At worst we better not have less than the 75 wins we had this year.

Awards

Spoiler

League Leaders

Spoiler

AKA The NL Anthony Rizzo

Playoffs

Spoiler

Playoff MVP's
AL - Jonathan Lucroy (.317, 3 HR, 11 RBI)
NL - Willson Contreras (.475, 6 HR, 20 RBI)

World Series MVP
Willson Contreras (.522, 3 HR, 12 RBI)