MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

We won game 2 of the series 7-0 over the Royals. Juan Fabregas hit his first regular season major league homerun today. Carlos Martinez was lights out pitching a complete game, giving up 3 hits and striking out 7.

Next up is the series finale with Lance Lynn taking on James Paxton.


Other news:

Injuries are running rampant in the majors to start. Josh Donaldson and Luis Severino both hit the DL with injuries. Billy Hamilton of the Nationals landed on the 60 day DL is out until at least the all star break with an ankle injury.

In a surprising move, a big surprising move, the Padres optioned Tommy Pham to El-Paso. I thought for sure Pham would be their everyday RF to start the season, but apparently the Padres are content with the youngster they have out there.

[maxymoose]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

END OF JULY UPDATE

We are now through the All Star Break and into August. NL HR leader and Pittsburgh Pirates C Mike Zunino participated in the Derby, making it to the semi-finals to be eliminated by the eventual winner, Arizona Diamondbacks RF Aaron Judge. The NL defeated the AL 8-4 in the All Star Game.

After winning the first 5/6 games coming out of the break, the Pirates have now lost their last 6/7. Strasburg hasn't won in his 2 starts since, however we got shut out 2-0 in the first one. His second start was much worse, getting knocked around by the Mets in an attempt to split a 4 game series. The 45-62 Mets, led by Billy Hamilton, Adrian Beltre, and Ian Kinsler, got to Strasburg early in the 1st for 2, and then knocked him out of the game with 3 more in the top of the 6th. Zunino, Schwarber, and Polanco all homered on solo shots but we just couldn't get the baserunners we needed, eventually losing 5-4 and losing the series 3-1.

After a days break, the Pirates flew from the Big Apple back home to the Steel City to take on the Chicago Cubs, who at 56-50 are 7.5 games back of the Pirates for the NL Central lead and our closest competition in the division. This two game series could be a very important one heading into August. The Cubs are pretty potent offensively with Freddie Freeman hitting .299 with 27 HR, Asdrubal Cabrera also hitting .299, and Ozzie Albies, Tesocar Hernandez, Jose Peraza and Lewis Brinson who are all under 25 and A/B potential. Gonna be a tough NL Central. They only really have Gio Gonzalez and German Marquez as far as SP goes, but a solid bullpen backed up by CP Felipe Rivero. Marquez will probably develop into their ace of the future.

The first game saw J.A. Happ take the mound against Zach Davies, and it started UGLY. The Cubs knocked in 7 runs through the first 3 innings, ending J.A. Happ's night early. Brinson and Freeman each had 4 hits, and Teoscar Hernandez had 3. Did I mention they have Mike Moustakas batting clean up? He's had an awful year however, batting .201 with 6 HR and 15 RBI in 154 ABs. That's less than half the rest of the team so he probably missed some time with injury, but .201? If he can get hot we might lose the division. Schwarber had 2 HR on the night but it wasn't enough, as the Cubs downed the Pirates 10-6 in game 1 of a 2-gamer.

Game 2 had Tyler Skaggs vs German Marquez on the mound. Schwarber had another HR in the second, but the Cubs scored 3 in the 6th and 2 in the 8th after Tyler Skaggs took a shutout into the 6th. 5-1 Cubs final and a 2-0 sweep of the series.

STANDINGS

# Team___W-L___GB

AL East
1. Orioles_____64-46___ -
2. Red Sox____60-50___ 4.0
3. Rays_______52-56___11.0
4. Blue Jays___51-56___11.5
5. Yankees____51-57___12.0

AL Central
1. Royals_____59-48___ -
2. Tigers_____59-50___1.0
3. Twins_____ 55-54___5.0
4. White Sox__53-56___7.0
5. Indians____47-60___12.0

AL West
1. Mariners___61-47___ -
2. Angels____ 59-50___2.5
3. Rangers___ 56-53___5.5
4. Athletics___49-61___13.0
5. Astros_____47-63___15.0

AL Wildcard
Team____GB

Red Sox___ -
Tigers____ -
Angels_____ -
Rangers____3.0
Twins______4.0
White Sox__6.0
Rays_______6.5
Blue Jays___7.0
Yankees____7.5

NL East
Marlins____62-48___ -
Braves____57-50___3.5
Nationals__52-56___9.0
Phillies____51-57___10.0
Mets______45-62___15.5

NL Central
Pirates____64-45___ -
Cubs_____ 58-50___5.5
Cardinals__55-53___8.5
Reds_____ 53-55___10.5
Brewers___53-58___12.0

NL West
Giants________ 64-45___ -
Padres________ 60-50___4.5
Dodgers_______44-65___16.0
Diamondbacks__39-58___20.0
Rockies_______ 40-67___23.0

NL Wildcard
Padres_____ -
Cubs_______-
Braves_____0.5
Cardinals___3.0
Reds______ 5.0
Nationals___6.0
Brewers____6.5
Phillies_____7.0

PLAYER STATS

2B Javier Baez: 13 HR, 36 RBI, .276/.351/.452, 11 SB
SS Paul DeJong: 21 HR, 52 RBI, .251/.321/.503
C Mike Zunino: 31 HR, 68 RBI, .291/.351/.602
LF Kyle Schwarber: 20 HR, 55 RBI, .267/.347/.547
RF Gregory Polanco: 17 HR, 52 RBI, .251/.334/.431, 14 SB
3B Matt Carpenter: 14 HR, 45 RBI, .263/.384/.434
1B Ryon Healy: 14 HR, 46 RBI, .242/.302/.393
CF Keon Broxton: 13 HR, 43 RBI, .244/.344/.474, 15 SB

SP Steven Strasburg: 13-4, 160.0 IP, 164 SO, 1.74 ERA, 0.94 WHIP
SP J.A Happ: 7-8, 129.0 IP, 105 SO, 4.19 ERA, 1.40 WHIP
SP Tyler Skaggs: 8-8, 130.2 IP, 118 SO, 4.41 ERA, 1.49 WHIP
SP Andrew Triggs:7-7, 122.1 IP, 116 SO, 3.16 ERA, 1.16 WHIP
SP Joe Ross: 8-5, 104.2 IP, 82 SO, 4.21 ERA, 1.27 WHIP

PROSPECT WATCH

AAA
3B Jeimer Candelario: 4 HR, 50 RBI, .286
1B D.J Peterson: 16 HR, 40 RBI, .226
CF Harrison Bader: 15 HR, 53 RBI, .269

SP Alec Hansen: 9-7, 128.1 IP, 110 SO, 3.86 ERA, 1.40 WHIP
SP David Paulino: 12-4, 115.2 IP, 92 SO, 3.42 ERA, 1.29 WHIP
RP Miguel Castro: 5-6, 127.0 IP, 106 SO, 3.33 ERA, 1.17 WHIP
RP Hector Mendoza, 3-3, 44.2 IP, 39 SO, 5.24 ERA, 1.59 WHIP

AA

SP Oscar de la Cruz: 6-7, 126.2 IP, 108 SO, 3.06 ERA, 1.27 WHIP
SP Nate Pearson: 8-3, 90.1 IP, 81 SO, 3.09 ERA, 1.11 WHIP


forgot to mention our draft picks in the previous post:

1. 1B Bill James, 19 yrs, R/R, 59 OVR and 91 POT
he already has 73 power against LHP, hopefully he can work on his skills vs RHP as well as his contact and fielding. More power for an already potent lineup but not a great fielder at all.

2. 2B Richie Milligan, 20 yrs, R/R, 53 OVR and 77 POT
speedster, not a good fielder. probably a bust

3. 3B William Roark, 19 yrs, R/R, 47 OVR and 79 POT
hopefully can give us infield depth down the road. prob a bust

4. LF Andres Sierra, 21 yrs, R/R, 64 OVR and 87 POT
speedy outfielder with a good arm. If he can work on his hitting, there's a lot of upside for him to be an all star level corner outfielder. He can also play 3B and SS.

5. Kareem Moehler, 20 yrs, R/L, 52 OVR and 81 POT
speedy corner outfielder again, more of a contact guy, not much power. can only play right, lower ceiling than Sierra

6. 1B John Fenn, 20 yrs, R/R, 56 OVR and 68 POT
didn't sign him, we already got a 1B and really low ceiling for this guy. He is a decent fielder but we'll see something better in the offseason maybe. Also Ryon Healy is young and developing.

7. SP Charles Endo, 19 yrs, R/R, 61 OVR and 89 POT
good stamina, throws very hard but he's short at 5'11, which may be why he fell so far in the draft. Glad we got him though, could be a staple in the rotation for years to come.

League Leaders
NL Batting Average: Miguel Cabrera, SF Giants, .335
AL Batting Average: Manny Machado, MIN Twins, .334
NL Home Runs: Mike Zunino, PIT Pirates, 31
AL Home Runs: Mike Trout, TB Rays, 34
NL Stolen Bases: Elvis Andrus, LA Dodgers, 30
AL Stolen Bases: Jonathan Villar, TB Rays, 32

NL Saves: Brandon Morrow, MIA Marlins, 39
AL Saves: Kenley Jansen, TEX Rangers, 36
NL ERA: Stephen Strasburg, PIT Pirates, 1.74
AL ERA: Clayton Kershaw, DET Tigers, 1.96

Didn't make any moves at the deadline as we've been pretty hot of late and there wasn't much on the market. We did add Zunino earlier in the season however.

DEADLINE MOVES
Angels acquire RF Josh Reddick from Blue Jays for CF Julio Pablo Martinez

Indians acquired 3B Max Muncy from Phillies for 2B Josh Tobias

Red Sox acquired SP Marcus Stroman from Marlins for SP Adrian Morejon and 2B Edmundo Sosa

Rays acquired SS Jose Iglesias from Indians for SP Danny Duffy and 3B Drew Ellis

Tigers acquire SP David Price from Yankees for SP Sonny Gray and 2B Dustin Pedroia

Orioles acquire 2B D.J. LeMahieu from Diamondbacks for SP Jorge Lopez, 2B Tim Locastro and RF Franmil Reyes

Brewers acquire SP Jake Odorizzi from Diamondbacks for SS Luis Sardinas

St Louis Cardinals roll through town next, need to win this series to maintain the division lead. Cards are led by Andrew McCutchen, Steven Souza Jr., Josh Donaldson and Brian Dozier. Cutch and Donny are both over .300 and Donny has 30 HR, 1 back of Zunino so should be a hell of a series. They also have Patrick Corbin, Jose Quintana and Wade Davis in terms of pitchers. Will keep you guys updated, stay tuned!

[maxymoose]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

END OF JULY UPDATE

We are now through the All Star Break and into August. NL HR leader and Pittsburgh Pirates C Mike Zunino participated in the Derby, making it to the semi-finals to be eliminated by the eventual winner, Arizona Diamondbacks RF Aaron Judge. The NL defeated the AL 8-4 in the All Star Game.

After winning the first 5/6 games coming out of the break, the Pirates have now lost their last 6/7. Strasburg hasn't won in his 2 starts since, however we got shut out 2-0 in the first one. His second start was much worse, getting knocked around by the Mets in an attempt to split a 4 game series. The 45-62 Mets, led by Billy Hamilton, Adrian Beltre, and Ian Kinsler, got to Strasburg early in the 1st for 2, and then knocked him out of the game with 3 more in the top of the 6th. Zunino, Schwarber, and Polanco all homered on solo shots but we just couldn't get the baserunners we needed, eventually losing 5-4 and losing the series 3-1.

After a days break, the Pirates flew from the Big Apple back home to the Steel City to take on the Chicago Cubs, who at 56-50 are 7.5 games back of the Pirates for the NL Central lead and our closest competition in the division. This two game series could be a very important one heading into August. The Cubs are pretty potent offensively with Freddie Freeman hitting .299 with 27 HR, Asdrubal Cabrera also hitting .299, and Ozzie Albies, Tesocar Hernandez, Jose Peraza and Lewis Brinson who are all under 25 and A/B potential. Gonna be a tough NL Central. They only really have Gio Gonzalez and German Marquez as far as SP goes, but a solid bullpen backed up by CP Felipe Rivero. Marquez will probably develop into their ace of the future.

The first game saw J.A. Happ take the mound against Zach Davies, and it started UGLY. The Cubs knocked in 7 runs through the first 3 innings, ending J.A. Happ's night early. Brinson and Freeman each had 4 hits, and Teoscar Hernandez had 3. Did I mention they have Mike Moustakas batting clean up? He's had an awful year however, batting .201 with 6 HR and 15 RBI in 154 ABs. That's less than half the rest of the team so he probably missed some time with injury, but .201? If he can get hot we might lose the division. Schwarber had 2 HR on the night but it wasn't enough, as the Cubs downed the Pirates 10-6 in game 1 of a 2-gamer.

Game 2 had Tyler Skaggs vs German Marquez on the mound. Schwarber had another HR in the second, but the Cubs scored 3 in the 6th and 2 in the 8th after Tyler Skaggs took a shutout into the 6th. 5-1 Cubs final and a 2-0 sweep of the series.

STANDINGS

# Team___W-L___GB

AL East
1. Orioles_____64-46___ -
2. Red Sox____60-50___ 4.0
3. Rays_______52-56___11.0
4. Blue Jays___51-56___11.5
5. Yankees____51-57___12.0

AL Central
1. Royals_____59-48___ -
2. Tigers_____59-50___1.0
3. Twins_____ 55-54___5.0
4. White Sox__53-56___7.0
5. Indians____47-60___12.0

AL West
1. Mariners___61-47___ -
2. Angels____ 59-50___2.5
3. Rangers___ 56-53___5.5
4. Athletics___49-61___13.0
5. Astros_____47-63___15.0

AL Wildcard
Team____GB

Red Sox___ -
Tigers____ -
Angels_____ -
Rangers____3.0
Twins______4.0
White Sox__6.0
Rays_______6.5
Blue Jays___7.0
Yankees____7.5

NL East
Marlins____62-48___ -
Braves____57-50___3.5
Nationals__52-56___9.0
Phillies____51-57___10.0
Mets______45-62___15.5

NL Central
Pirates____64-45___ -
Cubs_____ 58-50___5.5
Cardinals__55-53___8.5
Reds_____ 53-55___10.5
Brewers___53-58___12.0

NL West
Giants________ 64-45___ -
Padres________ 60-50___4.5
Dodgers_______44-65___16.0
Diamondbacks__39-58___20.0
Rockies_______ 40-67___23.0

NL Wildcard
Padres_____ -
Cubs_______-
Braves_____0.5
Cardinals___3.0
Reds______ 5.0
Nationals___6.0
Brewers____6.5
Phillies_____7.0

PLAYER STATS

2B Javier Baez: 13 HR, 36 RBI, .276/.351/.452, 11 SB
SS Paul DeJong: 21 HR, 52 RBI, .251/.321/.503
C Mike Zunino: 31 HR, 68 RBI, .291/.351/.602
LF Kyle Schwarber: 20 HR, 55 RBI, .267/.347/.547
RF Gregory Polanco: 17 HR, 52 RBI, .251/.334/.431, 14 SB
3B Matt Carpenter: 14 HR, 45 RBI, .263/.384/.434
1B Ryon Healy: 14 HR, 46 RBI, .242/.302/.393
CF Keon Broxton: 13 HR, 43 RBI, .244/.344/.474, 15 SB

SP Steven Strasburg: 13-4, 160.0 IP, 164 SO, 1.74 ERA, 0.94 WHIP
SP J.A Happ: 7-8, 129.0 IP, 105 SO, 4.19 ERA, 1.40 WHIP
SP Tyler Skaggs: 8-8, 130.2 IP, 118 SO, 4.41 ERA, 1.49 WHIP
SP Andrew Triggs:7-7, 122.1 IP, 116 SO, 3.16 ERA, 1.16 WHIP
SP Joe Ross: 8-5, 104.2 IP, 82 SO, 4.21 ERA, 1.27 WHIP

PROSPECT WATCH

AAA
3B Jeimer Candelario: 4 HR, 50 RBI, .286
1B D.J Peterson: 16 HR, 40 RBI, .226
CF Harrison Bader: 15 HR, 53 RBI, .269

SP Alec Hansen: 9-7, 128.1 IP, 110 SO, 3.86 ERA, 1.40 WHIP
SP David Paulino: 12-4, 115.2 IP, 92 SO, 3.42 ERA, 1.29 WHIP
RP Miguel Castro: 5-6, 127.0 IP, 106 SO, 3.33 ERA, 1.17 WHIP
RP Hector Mendoza, 3-3, 44.2 IP, 39 SO, 5.24 ERA, 1.59 WHIP

AA

SP Oscar de la Cruz: 6-7, 126.2 IP, 108 SO, 3.06 ERA, 1.27 WHIP
SP Nate Pearson: 8-3, 90.1 IP, 81 SO, 3.09 ERA, 1.11 WHIP


forgot to mention our draft picks in the previous post:

1. 1B Bill James, 19 yrs, R/R, 59 OVR and 91 POT
he already has 73 power against LHP, hopefully he can work on his skills vs RHP as well as his contact and fielding. More power for an already potent lineup but not a great fielder at all.

2. 2B Richie Milligan, 20 yrs, R/R, 53 OVR and 77 POT
speedster, not a good fielder. probably a bust

3. 3B William Roark, 19 yrs, R/R, 47 OVR and 79 POT
hopefully can give us infield depth down the road. prob a bust

4. LF Andres Sierra, 21 yrs, R/R, 64 OVR and 87 POT
speedy outfielder with a good arm. If he can work on his hitting, there's a lot of upside for him to be an all star level corner outfielder. He can also play 3B and SS.

5. Kareem Moehler, 20 yrs, R/L, 52 OVR and 81 POT
speedy corner outfielder again, more of a contact guy, not much power. can only play right, lower ceiling than Sierra

6. 1B John Fenn, 20 yrs, R/R, 56 OVR and 68 POT
didn't sign him, we already got a 1B and really low ceiling for this guy. He is a decent fielder but we'll see something better in the offseason maybe. Also Ryon Healy is young and developing.

7. SP Charles Endo, 19 yrs, R/R, 61 OVR and 89 POT
good stamina, throws very hard but he's short at 5'11, which may be why he fell so far in the draft. Glad we got him though, could be a staple in the rotation for years to come.

League Leaders
NL Batting Average: Miguel Cabrera, SF Giants, .335
AL Batting Average: Manny Machado, MIN Twins, .334
NL Home Runs: Mike Zunino, PIT Pirates, 31
AL Home Runs: Mike Trout, TB Rays, 34
NL Stolen Bases: Elvis Andrus, LA Dodgers, 30
AL Stolen Bases: Jonathan Villar, TB Rays, 32

NL Saves: Brandon Morrow, MIA Marlins, 39
AL Saves: Kenley Jansen, TEX Rangers, 36
NL ERA: Stephen Strasburg, PIT Pirates, 1.74
AL ERA: Clayton Kershaw, DET Tigers, 1.96

Didn't make any moves at the deadline as we've been pretty hot of late and there wasn't much on the market. We did add Zunino earlier in the season however.

DEADLINE MOVES
Angels acquire RF Josh Reddick from Blue Jays for CF Julio Pablo Martinez

Indians acquired 3B Max Muncy from Phillies for 2B Josh Tobias

Red Sox acquired SP Marcus Stroman from Marlins for SP Adrian Morejon and 2B Edmundo Sosa

Rays acquired SS Jose Iglesias from Indians for SP Danny Duffy and 3B Drew Ellis

Tigers acquire SP David Price from Yankees for SP Sonny Gray and 2B Dustin Pedroia

Orioles acquire 2B D.J. LeMahieu from Diamondbacks for SP Jorge Lopez, 2B Tim Locastro and RF Franmil Reyes

Brewers acquire SP Jake Odorizzi from Diamondbacks for SS Luis Sardinas

St Louis Cardinals roll through town next, need to win this series to maintain the division lead. Cards are led by Andrew McCutchen, Steven Souza Jr., Josh Donaldson and Brian Dozier. Cutch and Donny are both over .300 and Donny has 30 HR, 1 back of Zunino so should be a hell of a series. They also have Patrick Corbin, Jose Quintana and Wade Davis in terms of pitchers. Will keep you guys updated, stay tuned!

Just decided to call up Jeimer Candelario and platoon him at 1B/3B because he was unhappy in the minors. Might move Carpenter out after the season to make way for Jeimer. Lets see how it goes

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

We sweep the Royals to start the year 3-0, as we win the series finale 3-1. Lance Lynn wasn't great, but the Royals bats weren't hot, so he was able to go 5 1/3 innings, allowing just 1 run while striking out 4 and walking 5. The Royals left 11 men on base in this game.

Dean Kiekhefer, Roberto Osuna, Jordan Walden, and Trevor Rosenthal shut the door to preserve the win. Dioner Navarro hit his 2nd homerun in as many days to break a 1-1 tie. Stephen Piscotty drove in the insurance run in the 8th for the 3-1 margin.

Next up is a brief 2 game series with the White Sox, then its 4 vs the Brewers as we start a 6 game home stand.

[reyes the roof]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

I just blew a game because of some horrific bullpen management on my part. I'm only carrying a six man bullpen and tried getting cute with a 3-0 lead in the 8th inning and playing the right/lefty matchup game. I end up bringing in Seth Lugo with a 6 plus era to try and finish off the inning and he serves up a 3 run HR to tie the game. By the 11th inning I've used all of my bullpen except my closer and then we take the lead off a solo HR from Asdrubal Cabrera. I bring in Familia for the save and he gives up a HR and we're tied again. At the point I got so frustrated I simmed to the end of the game and lost 5-4 after Familia pitched 4.1 innings. Safe to say I'll be without a closer for a few days. I'm going to have to send Lugo to AAA because he has been useless in a relief role and see who I can grab off of the scrap heap to replace him

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

3 games, 4 days into the new year, and the Cardinals front office is contemplating a roster move at the catcher position. The issue?..Carson Kelly.

Kelly was retained on the 25 man roster due to being out of options and the club not wanting to expose him to the waivers. But keeping Kelly meant that Francisco Pena was optioned down to Memphis. Pena, is the better backup catcher in terms of his defensive skills and ability to throw out base runners. But the move was made so that Kelly, who was at one time a highly regarded prospect (and still is to a degree), could remain with the club.

Kelly was expected to be the heir to Yadier Molina's throne but when Molina retired one year earlier than expected, Kelly was thrown into the everyday role where he struggled. Last year, he was the everyday starter at Memphis and flourished in that role, hitting over .300, but when brought up to St.Louis his struggles against major league pitching continued.

Now Kelly seems to not have a place in the organization. He's not really suited to be the backup and heir to the throne now sit atop by Dioner Navarro. He has seemingly been passed up in the development cycle by Andrew Knizer and newly drafted Devon Snow, who will be given every opportunity to be the everyday catcher in St.Louis within the next 3-4 years. Then you have Jeremy Martinez and Zach Jackson, both who are young and in Palm Beach (single A) progressing nicely.

So where does that leave Kelly? Sure the Cardinals could try to pass him through optional waivers and let him and Knizer handle the catching duties in Memphis, and let Francisco Pena take his proper place in the organization at this time as a backup in St.Louis.

But the growing thought process is to trade Kelly and get a return on your investment so to speak. Kelly will certainly draw interest from other clubs and the Cardinals could get a decent return to build at other positions of need (first base & bullpen). The question is though, are the Cardinals ready to end the Carson Kelly era in St.Louis? Are they 100% committed/certain that Andrew Knizer and Devon Snow will be able to take over the throne? Who do they use as a bridge to get to Knizer and/or Snow as they develop?

Many questions, discussion, and decisions to be made in St.Louis at a position that every year seems to be in flux since Yadier Molina retired after the 2017 season.

[flexbuffchest]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

Can anyone give a quick breakdown to the different roles you can sign someone to?

I get that

Depth = pretty self explanatory
Platoon = only plays in certain lineups
Bullpen = self explanatory

But what's confusing me is that "star" option. If I sign a pitcher to the "star" category will he receive a penalty hit to his morale if he is the number two starter?

^Same thing with positional players. Can all the starters at each position be given the star designation?

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

Can anyone give a quick breakdown to the different roles you can sign someone to?

I get that

Depth = pretty self explanatory
Platoon = only plays in certain lineups
Bullpen = self explanatory

But what's confusing me is that "star" option. If I sign a pitcher to the "star" category will he receive a penalty hit to his morale if he is the number two starter?

^Same thing with positional players. Can all the starters at each position be given the star designation?

To be the star as a positional player the player must bat in the order as:

Leadoff hitter
3 hole hitter
Cleanup hitter

I don't think are any others than those 4.

As for pitcher, I don't recall seeing the "star" option but I know there is the "ACE" role and that pitcher must be at the number one position in the rotation.

If not then they take a morale hit.

[KBLover]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

^Same thing with positional players. Can all the starters at each position be given the star designation?

Nooooo don't do that.

Granted, they will usually take less money to sign, but they'll all suffer morale damage except for the ones Countryboy mentioned.

Honestly, I give most position players "Everyday" at the most. Only guys that I will for sure put #1, #3, or #4 will I give "Star" to, and even then I think twice because...what if I want to move the lineup around?

Anyone with any serious split in Contact or Power I will give "Platoon" unless I really will start him everyday. If they have the Platoon quirk - they are getting "Platoon"...at the most.

Same with starters - everyone gets "Starter" unless I have a true monster I'll always play #1 come heck or high water.

[soundtiger95]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

Hopefully it’s alright to ask this question here. I had to make an account just to ask because this issue I’m having has been bugging me for a while and I need a solution.

As you all know, the budget system in franchise mode is.....odd to say the least. Maybe confusing is a better word. I’ve yet again encountered the “you can no longer afford the contract offered to *insert player*, the offer has been withdrawn” message after trying to sign a player and have no idea how to get around it. I’ve tried every trick that has worked in the past. I have 39 players on my 40 man roster. My 90 man roster has 89 players on it. All of my players are re-signed and I have no pending offers, players going to arbitration, unsigned players, unsigned coaches, and every position has the minimum required amount of players. Literally every part of my team is filled. As for my budget, it seems perfectly fine. My budget coming into the offseason was $242 million and my offer would bring my salary up to $239 million. My cash flow would go from 619k down to 167k. Max offer would go from $1.56 million down to $1.1 million since I increased my bank space thinking it would help solve this issue (it obviously didn’t).

I’m just at a complete loss right now and am feeling a combination of confusion, frustration, and bewilderment. The whole thing just isn’t making any sense to me. If anyone can give me some help and insight, I’ll be very grateful.

[UravenzownU]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

Nooooo don't do that.

Granted, they will usually take less money to sign, but they'll all suffer morale damage except for the ones Countryboy mentioned.

Honestly, I give most position players "Everyday" at the most. Only guys that I will for sure put #1, #3, or #4 will I give "Star" to, and even then I think twice because...what if I want to move the lineup around?

Anyone with any serious split in Contact or Power I will give "Platoon" unless I really will start him everyday. If they have the Platoon quirk - they are getting "Platoon"...at the most.

Same with starters - everyone gets "Starter" unless I have a true monster I'll always play #1 come heck or high water.

Also if you give everyone "everyday" and you end up putting one of them in the star role they'll get a morale boost

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

We have improved to 4-0 on the year after a walk off double by Randal Grichuk in the bottom of the 9th against the White Sox.

We were up 3-2 heading into the 9th when Trevor Rosenthal gave up a solo homerun to JD Martinez to tie the game at 3. In the bottom of the 9th, Magnerius Sierra walked and Matt Carpenter reached on an error when Randal Grichuk came up with 1 out in the inning and delivered the walk off double. Rosenthal blew the game but got the win.

Next up is a quick series finale with the White Sox to conclude the 2 game series. Miles Mikolas vs Mat Latos. Interesting matchup.

[KBLover]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

Not even the underbelly of the Marlins staff can derail the streak it seems.

The Marlins are now up to 11 wins in a row after the bats, again, carried the day.

Loren Rasmussen was actually effective, giving up 2 runs on 2 hits in 5 1/3 innings of work. He walked a ton but the low number of hits kept things under wraps.

Rookie Justin Samuels and the usually reliable Curtis Anders both gave up two runs.

But it didn't matter as Brito was a single short of the cycle en route to a 3 RBI day to anchor the lineup. Mark Morrow continues his clutch ways, driving a 2-run triple to help as well. The Marlins won 10-6.

"Brito is having his best all-around season. The HR numbers are pretty in-line with him, probably will be around 40 again, but the doubles he's getting are insane and that's a sign he's hitting line shots into the gaps. His batting average [.340s] is also testament to that. Perfect timing for his walk year, " one analyst commented.

Brito has 30 doubles, already close to his season total in prior years. He's walked more times (46) than he's struck out (43), another sharp positive uptick in his performance. His walk rate is close to 15% when he usually hovers around 8%.

Greg Rivera has also made a solid impression since the trade of Alfonso Ortega. Rivera has shown a good line drive stroke and that he will take what the pitcher gives. He displayed his massive power vs lefties in this game, stroking an absolute bomb that gave the Marlins a 9-6 lead.

The Marlins will send Shane Kane to close out the home stand as the team tries for an even dozen wins in a row. After a day off, Boeve will turn the rotation over, perhaps looking for lucky #13 in a row.

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

We have suffered our first loss of the season as we were shutout by the ChiSox 2-0 in the series finale. Mat Latos stepped into a time machine or something as he was absolutely dealing in this game. We only managed 3 hits in this game, and drew 2 walks.

Miles Mikolas was the victim of the poor offense as he gave up only 1 run in the game thru 6 1/3 innings to take the loss. Sam Freeman in his first appearance of the year allowed a run on 3 hits in a 1/3 of an inning.

Next up is a 4 game series with the Brewers.


Other news:

The Marlins suffered a major blow today as Gincarlo Stanton suffered a fractured arm and landed on the DL. He's expected to miss about 6 weeks.

Astros 3rd baseman Alex Bregman will be lost for quite a while as he was placed on the 60 day DL with a broken shin. Freudis Nova was called up in his place.

Giants also took a blow today with Brandon Belt going on the 60 day DL due to a broken hand. Dusty Baker's son, Darren Baker was called up to take his place.

[reyes the roof]

Re: MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

My bullpen management seems to get worse by the day, I just blew another game because I figured two days rest was enough for my closer after pitching him 4.1 innings because I mismanaged my bullpen and ran out of pitchers after 11 innings two days ago.I bring in Familia to protect a one run lead and after one batter I get the pop up that he's getting tired. I end up giving up three runs in the 9th vs the Dodgers and losing 4-2, now I've got to beat Kershaw to avoid being swept. I could have cut Washington's lead to 2.5 games if it wasn't for my poor management, but instead I'm stuck at 4.5 back. One bright spot is that I signed Trevor Rosenthal and he has been lights out in three appearances, he's already earned the 8th inning job.