MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

[mjavon]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

I've been having a lot of fun so far with my first franchise in any baseball game ever.

Went with the Rockies, purely because I'm (probably) moving to Denver this fall. I have little baseball knowledge, and even less about what teams/players are good at what, so I'm learning as I go here.

I traded away Charlie Blackmon because he's in a contract year and by looking at what he wants there's no way I'm going to be able to keep him, DJ LeMahieux (spelling?), AND Nolan Arenado, so I figured I'd at least try to bolster my bullpen which is pretty terrible.

Traded Away: Blackmon 84 OVR, 31 yo OF, Ryan McMahon 63 OVR, A potential, 1B, 23 yo

For:
Liam Hendricks - 83 OVR RP
Matt Olson - 78 OVR 1B, A potential, 25 yo

Despite losing Blackmon, I've been bouncing between 1st and 2nd in the NL in batting average anyways. It was good to add a little depth and ability to my bullpen and not lose much in terms of hitting.

Just played a thriller against the Dodgers last night to tie them for the lead of the NL West the week before the draft. I had a 5-2 lead at home going into the top of the 9th and had two outs. They wound up going on a run and tying the game up at 5. Bottom of the ninth, Matt Olson hit a line to right field juuust outside the reach of the CF, that became a triple. Two batters latter and pinch hitter Bradford Robnett hit an RBI double to secure the win with the walkoff. I play game 3 of the home series against the Dodgers tomorrow to determine the division leader since we're tied now. I'm 4-1 so far this eason against them.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Operation Sports mobile app

[DJ]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

I've been having a lot of fun so far with my first franchise in any baseball game ever.

Went with the Rockies, purely because I'm (probably) moving to Denver this fall. I have little baseball knowledge, and even less about what teams/players are good at what, so I'm learning as I go here.

I traded away Charlie Blackmon because he's in a contract year and by looking at what he wants there's no way I'm going to be able to keep him, DJ LeMahieux (spelling?), AND Nolan Arenado, so I figured I'd at least try to bolster my bullpen which is pretty terrible.

Traded Away: Blackmon 84 OVR, 31 yo OF, Ryan McMahon 63 OVR, A potential, 1B, 23 yo

For:
Liam Hendricks - 83 OVR RP
Matt Olson - 78 OVR 1B, A potential, 25 yo

Despite losing Blackmon, I've been bouncing between 1st and 2nd in the NL in batting average anyways. It was good to add a little depth and ability to my bullpen and not lose much in terms of hitting.

Just played a thriller against the Dodgers last night to tie them for the lead of the NL West the week before the draft. I had a 5-2 lead at home going into the top of the 9th and had two outs. They wound up going on a run and tying the game up at 5. Bottom of the ninth, Matt Olson hit a line to right field juuust outside the reach of the CF, that became a triple. Two batters latter and pinch hitter Bradford Robnett hit an RBI double to secure the win with the walkoff. I play game 3 of the home series against the Dodgers tomorrow to determine the division leader since we're tied now. I'm 4-1 so far this eason against them.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Operation Sports mobile app

Dang, you got rid of the team's most popular player (I'd rate him slightly ahead of Nolan in terms of fan approval in CO), LOL. Rockies always need help with pitching, though.

You'll love CO if you do wind up moving there. Lived there for 12 years and miss it greatly, even though I do like where we're at in AZ. Coors Field is an awesome baseball stadium, so you'll enjoy checking out games there.

[mjavon]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

Dang, you got rid of the team's most popular player (I'd rate him slightly ahead of Nolan in terms of fan approval in CO), LOL. Rockies always need help with pitching, though.

You'll love CO if you do wind up moving there. Lived there for 12 years and miss it greatly, even though I do like where we're at in AZ. Coors Field is an awesome baseball stadium, so you'll enjoy checking out games there.

I was just there looking at apartments/vacationing over the 4th, and I absolutely loved it... there's a biiit more to do there than Omaha, Nebraska lol. I didn't have a chance to go to a game while I was there, but hopefully soon!



Sent from my SM-G955U using Operation Sports mobile app

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

Well I got an interesting offer. White Sox offered Jose Quintana for Lance Lynn and Alex Mejia.

Quintana is in his final year of a 5 year deal and is half the cost of Lynn. He's left handed and the White Sox have moved him to the bullpen because they have younger arms that they passed over him.

Really thinking about this hard. Lynn has 3 years remaining making nearly $9.5M per season and with Quintana its a one year shot. If it works we re-sign him. If it doesn't he walks away and we free up that money.

But Lynn is damn good and a staple in our rotation. But Quintana is left handed.

Decisions, decisions...LOL

[KBLover]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

Marlins completed a 4-game sweep against the Padres to keep the season rolling along.

After more games at Griffith Stadium, the hitters are showing different reactions.

For whatever reason, Sam Javeri hates the place. He batting average is slipping again, now down to .260 after having climbed back into the .300s. Stan Brito was having some issues as well, mostly because his hard liners can get tracked down more easily with how deep the outfielders can play.

Meanwhile, Arturo Gonzalez has taken off, racking up triples and pulling his batting average up to near the league leaders. Mark Morrow, the #7 hitter, also has taken a shine to Griffith Stadium as he can slash liners into the gaps more easily.

On the pitching side, the hurlers seem to have gotten the hang of the park, namely by keeping the ball either on the ground or getting hit to center where Javeri can range around and make plays.

Of course, Bo Winter is still the elephant in the room at the park and the team is trying to put off the hard decisions involving him and Alfonso Ortega, the team's current 1B and Greg Rivera, the young stud waiting for his chance.

One constant? Damian Boeve is still mowing down hitters. His ERA is 1.92 and sports a 12-1 record. The strikeout totals are not there like they used to be, but he gets his share and still can pitch effectively.

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

The 2020 season kicks off today with the opening of Spring Training.

The offseason was actually not that eventful of the Cardinals as we didn't really make any major changes. We didn't trade for Quintana and we did re-sign Tommy Pham and we moved Dexter Fowler after thinking about it more. Fowler ended up with the Phillies.

We added Greg Garcia to our roster, but we primarily kept the same roster as last year. We have a good team and the only changes to coaching staff was that Terry Pendleton left to be the Minor League coordinator for the Marlins so we replaced him with Billy Hatcher as first base coach.

Looking forward to seeing what we can do. Cubs and Reds both got better, the Brewers and Pirates made a move or two but they are primarily relying on young guys to develop.

2020 season, what do you have in store?

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

Good way to the start the 2020 season, a 7-0 win over the Marlins in Spring Training. We cranked out 4 homeruns in this game.

Pitching staff was dominant and Juan Fabregas was the player of the game going 2 for 3 with 2 homeruns and 3 RBI's.

[notsobabybombers]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

Good way to the start the 2020 season, a 7-0 win over the Marlins in Spring Training. We cranked out 4 homeruns in this game.

Pitching staff was dominant and Juan Fabregas was the player of the game going 2 for 3 with 2 homeruns and 3 RBI's.

Good luck with the new season! Beat those Dodgers, haha.

[Rocket32]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

Things are all tied up 2-2 in the World Series in my Yankees franchise. It’s been back and forth so far.

In game 1 we won 8-4 over the Cubs as we roughed Quintana up for 6 runs.

In game 2 we were handed our first home postseason loss of the year by a score of 9-5. Tanaka was terrible giving up 7 through 6 innings.

After a day off we headed to Chicago for game 3. We completely humiliated the Cubs in a dominating 15-2 win. Gray pitched masterfully shutting out the Cubs through 8. Had a no hitter going through 6, then Ben Zobrist managed a base hit to break up. Was really disappointed, was feeling good about that one, thought it might be my first no hitter.

On to game 4 still on the road we lost a tight 6-5 game. Montgomery was sharp holding them to 2 runs through 6 innings. They tied it up 3-3 in the 7th off Robertson. We responded with a Sanchez 2 run shot in the 8th putting us up 5-3. Then disaster happened. Betances entered the game, they then ended up hitting a game tying 2 run HR. Geuss who? Ben. Zobrist. Needless to say I have a new found hatred for Zobrist in MLB The Show. Ruined a no hitter and a win. We were then dominated by Morrow in the 9th.

Frustrating, should have been a 3-1 series lead, not a 2-2 tie. One more in Wrigley after a day off, then it’s back to New York to end the series. It’s a rematch of game 1, Severino Vs Quintana.

When we arrive back at Yankee Stadium for game 6 it will likely be Tanaka Vs Darvish in what could be the deciding game. In a potential game 7 scenario it would be Gray Vs Hendricks.

If we find ourselves with our backs against the wall in game 6 it is possible the decision is made that Tanaka can’t be trusted and we rush Gray back early and give the ball back to him.


Something to note: Gray has been dominating this postseason. He carved right through the Cubs in game 3, he held the Angels to 1 run through 6 in the ALCS, and held the Astros to 2 runs through 6 in the ALDS. Surprisingly getting elite ace level pitching from Sonny Gray. If he ends up with another WS start and excels again, theirs a good chance he leapfrogs Severino and Tanaka and takes over as our ace and gets the opening day start. Had a good regular season as well. He’s been by far our most consistent postseason starter.

[dansaint]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

2075 Cardinals.

After losing in a heartbreaking 7 games to the Texas Rangers (after being up 3-1 in the series and leading Game 6 4-0 in the 8th inning and 3-0 going into the 9th)...the Cards decided to do a quick rebuild and let their top 3 free agents walk. 1B Levi Salinas went to Detroit and RF Donny Sorvala followed him to the Motor City while closer Dalton McAllister decided to return home and sign with the Houston Astros.

But don't feel bad for the Redbirds, as the 4 top prospects in baseball are waiting in the wings.

1B Riley O'Neill (.319 45HR 154RBI in AAA), RF Matt O'Neill (.325 24HR and 67SBs), and 2B Tanner McLeod (.350 15HR 57RBI and 37SB) are certain to enter to roster while young LHP Luis Paniagua joins the rotation along with Robles, Flores, Dutch born LHP Morgan Vander Hurk, and veteran Erik Reese

Rotation remains with the defending Cy Young award winner LHP Diego Robles (23-5 with a 2.25 ERA and 247 K's) and the electric young RHP Angelo Flores who won ROY status in the NL.

[MightyMaxxx13]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

Atlanta Braves Franchise

June 6, 2019

Braves Record: 26-35 (4th)

Well we have turned things around quite a bit. After starting the season a dreadful 8-20, we have gone 18-15 and stabilized a lot of our recurring issues. The bad news though is that the division has started to take shape - the Mets have started separating themselves and are sitting at 36-26, putting us 9.5 games back. I still believe in the talent of this team but I'm afraid our terrible start has left us with too much ground to make up to dream of competing this season.

A big part of our turnaround has to do with a shift to a small ball approach. Coming out of the gates I thought I had put enough power in the lineup to put up crooked numbers regularly. I was wrong, and we now rely a great deal on the stolen base, sac bunt, and sac fly to manufacture runs. The formula seems to be working as we have claimed series wins against some tough teams in May. I take a similar approach with the bullpen, which remains our biggest weakness. We do the matchup dance as often as possible, often using 4-5 relievers per game if we have to. They still blow some games more often than I'd like, but not nearly as often as we did in April.

Pitching Stats

SP Julio Teheran 4-5, 5.52 ERA, 73.1 IP, 62 SO, 1.58 WHIP
SP Luiz Gohara 3-6, 4.88 ERA, 59.0 IP, 53 SO, 1.78 WHIP
SP Matt Wisler 0-2, 4.01 ERA, 58.1 IP, 32 SO, 1.27 WHIP
SP Sean Newcomb 4-3, 6.27 ERA, 51.2 IP, 57 SO, 1.82 WHIP
SP Mike Soroka 3-0, 1.35 ERA, 39.2 IP, 33 SO, 0.96 WHIP

CP Tony Zych 0-3, 2.05 ERA, 30.2 IP, 42 SO, 1.43 WHIP, 6 SV
RP Arodys Vizcaino 2-2, 5.59 ERA, 29.0 IP, 37 SO, 1.45 WHIP, 7 SV
RP Jose Ramirez 3-0, 4.10 ERA, 26.1 IP, 23 SO, 1.33 WHIP
RP Bryan Shaw 2-2, 4.20 ERA, 30.0 IP, 24 SO, 1.33 WHIP
RP Rex Brothers 0-1, 2.57 ERA, 7.0 IP, 5 SO, 1.14 WHIP
RP Grant Dayton 1-2, 3.45 ERA, 28.2 IP, 37 SO, 1.36 WHIP
RP Aaron Blair 0-1, 4.70 ERA, 15.1 IP, 14 SO, 1.63 WHIP

Teheran just hasn't got it together this season, which is really hurting us. We will need him to turn it around to have any hope. Soroka has been damn near untouchable since he got the call from AAA, so I am cautiously optimistic that he will be the first of my young pitching studs to really realize his potential. I finally saw enough of Sean Newcomb, and after back-to-back starts where he got shelled in less than 3 innings he got his ticket to Gwinnett punched. He just can't get out of his own way with walking guys. He was supposed to be one of the centerpieces of this rebuild but he just hasn't been able to have any success regularly. I called up top prospect Kolby Allard in his place - he has won both of his starts giving up only 2 ER in 11 IP and striking out 13. Both of those starts were impressive road victories over the Dodgers and Giants. Gohara, like Newcomb, just can't seem to turn that corner and start to realize his potential.

In the pen, Vizcaino finally lost his closer job after blowing a 3-0 game in Wrigley in early May. Tony Zych has been good enough in his stead, saving 6 games in 7 opportunities. Bryan Shaw started the season poorly but has turned it around a bit, and Dayton remains reliable as a lefty weapon. Foltynewicz was another AAA victim after being just as bad in the pen as he was in the rotation. Its been a hectic season for roster moves as I try to do some damage control.

Position Players

C Manny Pina .283, 9 HR 21 RBI
1B Freddie Freeman .294, 9 HR 37 RBI
2B Brian Dozier .239, 12 HR 28 RBI
SS Ozzie Albies .250, 6 HR 23 RBI
3B Dansby Swanson .299, 1 HR, 21 RBI
LF Marwin Gonzalez .235, 7 HR 22 RBI
CF Ender Inciarte .313, 5 HR 22 RBI
RF Ronald Acuna .270, 4 HR 24 RBI

C Rob Brantly .293, 1 HR 6 RBI
IF Johan Camargo .200, 2 HR 11 RBI
IF Austin Riley .219, 1 HR 3 RBI
OF Ezequiel Carrera .266, 0 HR 9 RBI
OF Lane Adams .462, 1 HR 4 RBI

Dozier and Gonzalez have finally started to be productive, and Dansby Swanson seems to have found his home in the leadoff spot. I think I've found a bench rotation that I am comfortable with, as everyone seems to contribute well enough when they are called upon to pinch hit or spot start. Overall the lineup is pretty balanced and we are no longer dependent on Freddie Freeman to be the sole igniter.

2019 First-Year Player Draft

We had a good draft this year, finding 3 players who could make their way on to our top-10 prospects list at season's end.

Round 1 - RHP Henry Tejera (Oklahoma) - Age 19, 5'11" 198
Sinker/slider righty with the ceiling of an elite closer. Comparison is Craig Kimbrel, though he probably won't have Kimbrel's velocity. Should blaze a quick trail to the majors.

Round 2 - OF Eric Sasaki (Georgia) - Age 21, 6'1" 183
Local product. Has plus speed, but his lacking arm limits him to LF. Projects to hit for at least average contact and power. Could be an all-star in the mold of prime-career Brett Gardner.

Round 3 - RHP Teddy Thompson (New York) - Age 19, 6'4" 196
Very advanced for his age, with the potential to make the majors in less than a year. Is nearly maxed out however, and has the ceiling of a mid-rotation starter. Fastball/change/curve with plus velocity.

Round 4 - IF Bernardo Espinoza (Cuba) - Age 22, 5'11" 195
Already has a solid glove and hands, but well below-average arm probably limits him to second base if he can make it to the majors. Bat projects as just average.

Round 5 - RHP Richard Torres (Florida) - Age 18, 5'11" 209
Fastball/slider/2-seamer mix, average velocity but plus command down in the zone which should result in a lot of ground balls. Could be a late-round steal, with the ceiling of a #2 starter if he puts it together.

Round 6 - RHP Emerson Asencio (Massachusetts) - Age 19, 6'2" 208
Plus velocity and advanced secondary stuff, showing a curve change and sinker to go along with 2 fastballs. Projects as a middle reliever.

[mlblover15]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

Welcome to the MLB The Show 2018 Oakland Athletics All-Star break update

We had our 35 game win streak snapped by the Maddison Bumgarner and the Giants to start our weekend final series before the break. We did manage to come back and take the final two games of the series to go out on the break on a high note.

Here are your standings as of now.



AL East

New York 58-38 -

Baltimore 58-40 1.0

Toronto 55-40 2.5

Boston 50-48 9.0

Tampa Bay 45-51 13.0

AL Central

Cleveland 48-47 -

Minnesota 47-49 1.5

Chicago 40-57 9.0

Kansas City 39*56 9.0

Detroit 30-68 19.5

AL West

Oakland 80-17 -

Seattle 51-46 29.0

Houston 49-50 32.0

Texas 41-56 39.0

Los Angeles 38-59 42.0

AL Wild Card

Baltimore 58-40 -

Toronto 55-40 -

Seattle 51-46 5.0

Boston 50-48 6.0

NL East

Washington 54-42 -

Philadelphia 51-45 3.0

Atlanta 42-53 11.5

Miami 39-59 16.0

New York 35-60 18.5

NL Central

Chicago 55-40 -

Milwaukee 54-44 2.5

St. Louis 50-45 5.0

Cincinnati 50-46 5.5

Pittsburgh 37-60 19.0

NL West

Los Angeles 69-27 -

Colorado 54-42 15.0

San Francisco 51-47 19.0

San Diego 41-58 29.5

Arizona 38-59 31.5

NL Wild Card

Colorado 54-42 -

Milwaukee 54-44 -

Philadelphia 51-45 2.0

St. Louis 50-45 2.5

San Francisco 51-47 3.0

Cincinnati 50-46 3.0


Team Leaders

RUNS: Matt Olson (68)

HITS: Matt Olson (142)

HR: Khris Davis (40)

RBI: Khris Davis (86)

BA: Matt Olson (.362)

2B: Matt Joyce (35)

3B: Matt Joyce, Matt Olson, Marcus Semien (2)

Wins: Daniel Mengden (14)

IP: Sean Manaea (134.1)

K's: Daniel Mengden (176)

E.R.A.: Daniel Mengden (1.82)


Your 2018 HRD Participants

1. (Oak) Khris Davis (40)

2. (Oak) Matt Joyce (31)

3. (Oak) Matt Olson (30)

4. (Col) Nolan Arenado (29)

5. (Hou) Carlos Correa (24)

6. (NYM) Michael Conforto (24)

7. (Phi) Rhys Hoskins (22)

8. (SD) Eric Hosmer (22)

Rd 1

Eric Hosmer Vs. Khris Davis

Carlos Correa Vs. Nolan Arenado

Michael Conforto Vs. Matt Olson

Rhys Hoskins Vs. Matt Joyce



well, that is about all I have for now... I will play all 8 players in the HRD and come back and give you a round by round recap of the results. After that is all said and done I will bring you your 2018 AL and NL All-Sar lineups and benches and all that.

Oh, I did make one more trade between updates. I traded 3B Matt Chapman to the Washington Nationals for Anthony Rendon.

[dansaint]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

2075 Cardinals

Young, exciting LHP Luis Paniagua is out for the season after tearing his labrum in spring training. luckily, starting pitching is very deep for this team so Jon Myers goes back into the starting rotation.

Here's how the Opening Day roster looks (R=Rookie):

SP LHP Diego Robles
SP RHP Andres Flores
SP RHP Jon Myers
SP LHP Morgan Vanden Hurk
SP RHP Eric Reese
RP RHP Kelvin Angel (R)
RP LHP Eli Busch
RP RHP David Carnes
RP RHP Kenny Keen
RP RHP Wade Mercer (R)
RP RHP Fabio Valenzuela (R)
CP RHP Oliver Santana
C Stephen Madson
C Taylor Mejia
1B/3B/COF Anthony Frye (R)
1B/COF Johnny Snowden (R)
UT David Cantrell
2B Carson O'Brien
UT Rodney Talley
3B/1B Garrett Lusk
3B/1B Riley O'Neill
SS Tanner McLeod
UT R.D. Parker
CF Cristobal Feliz
OF Matt O'Neill

Top 10 Prospects
2B Damien Dietz
SP Blake Lindermann
SP Luis Paniagua
RF Ozzie Gonzalez
OF Cal Godwin
RF Zack Kapotic
C Sean Guzman
3B Jaret Stern
1B/C Sean Cates
1B/COF Ethan Shaver

Lineup

vs RHP (no DH)
SS McLeod
2B O'Brien
1B R. O'Neill
C Madson
LF Frye
3B Lusk
CF Feliz
RF M. O'Neill
P

vs RHP (w/DH)
SS McLeod
2B O'Brien
DH R. O'Neill
C Madson
1B Frye
3B Lusk
RF Snowden
CF Feliz
LF M. O'Neill

vs LHP (w/ DH)
SS McLeod
2B O'Brien
3B R. O'Neill
C Madson
DH Lusk
1B Snowden
CF Feliz
RF M. O'Neill
LF Cantrell

vs LHP (w/ no DH)
SS McLeod
2B O'Brien
3B R. O'Neill
C Madson
1B Lusk
LF Snowden
CF Feliz
RF M. O'Neill
P

[Rocket32]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

The Yankees have taken game 5 of the World Series, 12-1. It ended up being pretty similar to the Yankees game 3 win. News of the Yankees front office discussions of Gray possibly moving up to #1 in the rotation and taking over as our ace must have somehow leaked and reached Severino as he came out and made a huge statement in his final postseason start of the year. On short rest not yet back to 100%, maybe more like 85%, he went out and dominated the Cubs holding them to 1 run over 6 innings.

We got to Quintana again chasing him from the game after 5 innings in which he allowed 5 runs. They then turned to Duensing who surrendered 2 runs in the 6th. After their offense was shut down again, they appeared to be waving the white flag, and not the one with a W on it as they left Duensing out there to pitch himself to exhaustion while allowing another 5 runs.

So we head back to New York up 3-2. With a day off before game 6, our entire bullpen should be fully rested and ready to go. Tanaka will indeed take the ball in game 6. In a shocking move, the Cubs have decided to hand the ball to the 23 year old rookie Adbert Alzolay with their season on the line. He fared decently during the regular season pitching to a 3.61 ERA through 117.1 innings.

Talk about tossing a rookie into the flames. His first postseason appearance of his career is an elimination game on the biggest stage in baseball, the World Series, in a hostile environment on the road. Maddon can either look like a genius, or it could blow up in his face. Interesting choice to send a fresh arm to the mound that the Yankees have not yet seen.

A prime opportunity for us to close it out. Next up, game 6 at Yankee Stadium.

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

We are now 3-0 in Spring Training after beating the Astros 6-4 in what was a very entertaining game. We won the game by hitting 3, 2 run homeruns. The Astros scored 3 of their 4 runs with small ball. We have now hit 9 homeruns through 3 games. We are also hitting .280 thus far.

Biggest concern right now, although its still very early in the Spring, is that Roberto Osuna is continuing the trend he had at the end of last year, where he is struggling to get outs and not have runners reach and worse score. He has pitched 2 innings and has only 1 strikeout. His ERA is 9.00 and his WHIP is 1.50. It's a concern, but again its early. Hopefully he'll find his form and become that dominant 7th inning guy we brought him over to be.

Next up is Minnesota. Our first look at Jack Flaherty this Spring. Hopefully we can stay perfect.

EDIT: And we are playing in the HHH Metrodome.