MLB The Show 20: Fictional Franchise Progress Thread

[jrnlgrn]

Re: MLB The Show 20: Fictional Franchise Progress Thread

***Padres Spring Training Review Pt. 1***

OVERVIEW:
The 2022 Spring Training is off to respectable start for the Padres. San Diego find themselves middle of the pack in the Cactus League with a record of 4-3. While early success in spring training as with spring training overall isn't typically an indicator for regular season success. The Padres are looking confident in unexpected ways. After 7 games the usually tepid Padres offense in the Cactus League they find themselves first in runs (38), tied for second home-runs (10) with a .445 slugging percentage. For a that has lacked in pushing guys across the plate they team has to be pleased with these early results. As expected they are showcasing defensive prowess with no errors, a 3.24 era (2nd) and a league leading 71 strikeouts. Defensively they want to limit the number of homers allowed (11) but that could be down to the minor league ballplayers being featured in these early contest.

KOLE ROBERTSON'S FUTURE NO LONGER A WORRY:
Padres fans can breathe easy knowing that he will be wearing the uniform for years to come. Friday night Robertson put pen to paper signing a new 6 year deal worth 186m. The back to back Cy Young award winner could of had his pick of teams if he chose to become a free agent but instead chose to stay in sunny southern California. Robertson tweeted "San Diego has been my home for the past 7 years, and are a club on the up, the fans are here the best. Now it's time to bring this city a world series title."

ON THE UP:

• Dylan Netzel continues to be one of the more consistent bats on the squad with a .384 BA, 6 RBI on 21 plate appearances.
• Dallas Phillips has seemed to regain his power after a should injury 2 years ago so far his line is a .524 BA, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 5 RUNS in 21 plate appearances.
• Ron Kuwata is making his case to make the 26 man roster. He's is normally a starter and has been coming out of the pen in a long relief role. So far he's amassed 10 strikeouts, a 2.89 ERA, 0.32 WHIP in 9.1 innings.

TRENDING THE WRONG WAY:

• Cole Dyer while the CF will be splitting time in left field this year his early ST performances offensively are lacking. So far in 10 plate appearances he's not managed a hit but has drawn a few walks resulting in a steal and 2 runs.
• Jackson Gorzelanny has been able to make much of his speed on the base path only hitting .211, with a steal and a RBI in 19 plate appearnces.
• Andres Del Villar the second round pick in the 2020 draft continues his 2021 struggles and is finding himself under increased pressure to show signs of why he was drafted so high. As he's failing to see the ball well and make contact. So far Del Villar is batting .167 in 12 appearances at the plate.

[jrnlgrn]

Re: MLB The Show 20: Fictional Franchise Progress Thread

***ISSUING A RETRACTION***
In my two previous post I trashed Del Villar. Apparently I was remembering an alternate time line where he was horrible. I try to save the last day of minor league ball so I can look at stats. Del Villar was actually good. I'll leave the post unedited as a reminder to always check the stats before posting.

The author regrets the mistake and blames SDS for the lack of historical stat tracking for the minor leagues.

Andres Del Villar actual stats from last year:
.289 BA, 6 HR, 47 RBI, 9 Steals in 349 plate appearances.

[CubFan23]

Re: MLB The Show 20: Fictional Franchise Progress Thread

STREAMING THIS SATURDAY!

I’ve decided I’m going to keep my tigers franchise off stream and start over with a new team for the streams.

I have decided to go with my hometown team O’s. They are almost unbearable to play with real rosters but thank you Bacon for making them half decent on your set lol.

I am going to go live around noon Saturday with opening day. I’ll post again Saturday with the link to the stream and I hope to see some of you guys there to chat some baseball with me whether it be real or fictional!


Sent from my iPhone using Operation Sports

I'm in the first week of June in my Cubs franchise and the Orioles are in first place and are just crushing HR's. They are a very good team in my franchise. They have some really good starters as well.

[jrnlgrn]

Re: MLB The Show 20: Fictional Franchise Progress Thread

Might as well post this here as well. This has got to be one of my favorite no doubt hr celebrations.

https://youtu.be/rdFmDBAU6fw

[jrnlgrn]

Re: MLB The Show 20: Fictional Franchise Progress Thread

Spring training is the gift that keeps on giving. Definitely not a web gem.

https://youtu.be/USsblUJRZ98

[bacon96]

Re: MLB The Show 20: Fictional Franchise Progress Thread

I haven't posted in a while but I have been streaming nearly everyday so there's a bit to catch up on:

2/25 - Kings @ Nationals
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CR8kdwZVEcw?start=162" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

2/26 - Spiders @ Rockies
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tsRGPybpEaE?start=267" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

2/28 - Shorty Hightower RTTS Creation
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/moVwVQWGdQc?start=190" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

3/1 - Kings @ Pirates + RTTS
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Dh-EARq7x8c?start=170" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

3/2 - Kings v. Mets & Spiders v. Twins #2gameTuesday
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vBDH1yiF7KU?start=196" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

And I am about to go live now on my Twitch, bacon96_OS

Baseball is Better!

[speels]

Re: MLB The Show 20: Fictional Franchise Progress Thread

Love Shorty Hightower, great baseball name!!

[belikemike14]

Re: MLB The Show 20: Fictional Franchise Progress Thread

I'm in the first week of June in my Cubs franchise and the Orioles are in first place and are just crushing HR's. They are a very good team in my franchise. They have some really good starters as well.

They have been so fun to use. They are a well rounded team that doesn't have a lot of weaknesses

Sent from my SM-G998U using Operation Sports mobile app

[SashaBanksFan4Ever]

Re: MLB The Show 20: Fictional Franchise Progress Thread

I enjoy Dale Richards! The Richards of Dale I call him!!

[jrnlgrn]

Re: MLB The Show 20: Fictional Franchise Progress Thread

***Padres Spring Training Review Pt. 2***

OVERVIEW:
The Padres (9-5) continue to perform against type at the plate and on the mound.

San Diego are still experiencing an offensive surge. Is it the spring air? Has the training under hitting coach Carmine Reyes finally clicked? Whatever the reason Padres fans are hoping the trend continues through Spring Training and into the regular season. The Swinging Friars currently lead the Cactus League in several offensive categories: .287 BA, 503 AB, 78 Runs, 142 Hits and are two homeruns off leaders Seattle with 22.

On the mound the typically stingy pitching staff has seen a steady stream of balls deposited in the seats. So far the Padres have given up the most homers (24) given up the fourth most runs (58) and tallied third most blown saves (5). The one bright spot is the continue recording lots of strikeouts (137).

Padres Spring Training Spotlight
Dallas Phillips - .429 BA, 6 HR, 14 RBI, 1.394 OPS in 47 plate appearances

[SashaBanksFan4Ever]

Re: MLB The Show 20: Fictional Franchise Progress Thread

With the Orioles I’m in 2027. Made playoffs each year and won WS in 2022, 2024, and 2025. I did a few player locks and critical moments so far.

[jrnlgrn]

Re: MLB The Show 20: Fictional Franchise Progress Thread

***Padres Spring Training Review Final***

OVERVIEW
San Diego ends spring training dropping 8 of their last 14 games to finish with a 13-13 record. With a team ERA of 4.82 and giving up 47 homeruns. The Padres faithful will be hoping their poor pitching performances can be pinned on the minor league players unaccustomed to Major League hitting. Offensively the bats cooled a bit but the Padres did show increased prowess at the plate averaging 4.57 RUNS and 1.2 HRs finishing last season the averages 3.53 and 0.75 respectively. Most fans know Spring Training results don’t typically transfer to the regular season. On the pitching side San Diego hopes the pitching output was just a blip on the radar. However at the plate the Swingin’ Friars would gladly welcome an increase to run output.

TRENDING UP:
Willy Benavides - .387 BA, 5 HR, 18 RBI in 80 AB
Dallas Phillips - .289 BA, 7 HR, 18 RBI in 83 AB

TRENDING DOWN:
Greg Dickerson - (0-2) 13.03 ERA, 2.28 WHIP, 14 Runs Allowed in 9.2 innings
Josh Spikerman - (0-3) 7.71 ERA, 2.00 WHIP, 6 Runs and 11 Hits Allowed in 7.0 innings

KEEP AN EYE ON:
Mickey “KeKe” Johnson - .350 BA, 1 HR 6 RBI in 20 AB
Joel O’Malley - (2-1) 2.95 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, 24 Strikeouts in 18.1 innings

***2022 San Diego Padres Opening Day***

On March 24th the San Diego Padres open the 2022 season at home in a 4 game set against the New York Mets. Reigning Cy Young Winner, Kole Robertson (19-3, 1.49 ERA) takes the mound for the Padres. Coming off his lackluster season, Andy Sacramento (6-9, 3.13 ERA) will the bump for the Mets.

LINEUPS/BATTING ORDER:
San Diego

• Jackson Gorzelanny (2B)
• Rolando Rodriguez (CF)
• Willy Benavides (3B)
• Percy Hopkins (RF)
• Dylan Netzel (SS)
• Dallas Phillips (1B)
• Bruce Greene (C)
• Carter Dawkins (LF)
• Kole Robertson

New York Mets

• D.J. Triplett (SS)
• Seth Floyd (2B)
• Rex West (1B)
• Brock Middlebrook (RF)
• Brandon Johnson (CF)
• Russell Smith (LF)
• Pedro Tavarez (C)
• James Anderson (3B)
• Andy Sacramento

[JoshC1977]

Re: MLB The Show 20: Fictional Franchise Progress Thread

Well, as I had Tweeted, my Braves suffered a devastating blow in a game last night. All Star OF Paul Keys tore his labrum while flailing on a pitch from Colorado pitcher Rick Payne (the irony of his name here is not lost on me - you cannot make this stuff up).

Keys is estimated to be out 6+ months and we're hoping his rehab goes well and that he is not forced to retire. Our entire organization is holding our collective breaths.

You cannot replace a Paul Keys. We're 63-43 right now with a 1.5 lead over the Phillies in the NL East. The trade deadline is around the corner, so a trade is possible. But, we're also fairly deep with options in the corner OF (JC Ray mans CF). I'm really thinking about just standing pat and see who steps up.

[jrnlgrn]

Re: MLB The Show 20: Fictional Franchise Progress Thread

Someone posted a few pages back asking about longest HR hit with this roster. This is my best after 300+ games. Despite playing some games in Denver against the Rockies, my longest comes from this blast in Pittsburgh.

<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/D-XM-f_hiJg" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0"></iframe>

[JoshC1977]

Re: MLB The Show 20: Fictional Franchise Progress Thread

My Fictional Braves franchise is chugging along. After losing Paul Keys for 6+ months, we lost our next 4 games as the team was devastated over the loss of their team leader. We've rebounded since then and are now in early August. Tied for first with the Phillies, we have 6 of our next 9 games against them (and 3 against the NL Central-leading Reds). These six games vs Philly are our final games vs them for the rest of the season; so they are vital. We played game 1 of the first 3-game set and came away with a 4-3 victory as a Philadelphia rally in the 9th came up short. Rookie RF Willy Rojas was key for us, with 2 XBH (including his first major league HR) and 3 RBIs to lead us to the win.

Roster:

An interesting trade deadline move was made as the struggling D-Backs offered us Catcher Rene Castro for a marginal 'C' potential SP. This was the very definition of a salary-dump by the D-backs as Castro has 3 years left on his deal after this season and is owed 8-10 million per season (escalating contract). With Dale Richards locked-up long-term as well, it made a ton of sense for Arizona. It's going to hamstring us budget-wise, but Castro offers a strong defensive profile and has enough pop in his bat. The change of scenery has done Castro well already as he's hit a couple of HRs and doubles in his limited time with the Braves.

Our post-trade deadline 26-man roster stands as follows:

C - Rene Castro
1B - Mason Franklin
2B - Bobby Lockett
3B - Coleman Harper (rookie 2020 draftee)
SS - Byron Joseph
LF - Jorge Aguilera
CF - JC Ray
RF - Earl Phelps

Backup IF - Caleb Graybow
Backup IF - Ari Salazar
Swiss Army Knife - Julio Mesoraco
Speed OF - Albert Bautista (rookie 2020 draftee)
Power OF - Willy Rojas
Backup C - Mick Cummings

SP - Chip Wolf
SP - Jose Rosales
SP - Davis Wasielewski
SP - Marty Melankon
SP - Jack Withenshaw

Long RP - Lucas Morse
Middle RP - Donte Tracy
Middle RP - Alex Burke
Middle RP - Rafael Quevedo
Setup (L) - Brandon Perkins
Setup (R) - Nathan Stevenson
Closer - James Brandon

League Storylines:
No real notable trades made league-wide. A lot of "side pieces" were traded, but no big names.

AL East - The Yankees are in first with the Orioles nipping at their heels. The Blue Jays look poised for another late season run after surprising the baseball world by doing so last season.

AL Central - The Royals have surprised everyone with a fantastic season so far and the Twins are right there as well. The White Sox, after making the playoffs last year, are in a clear rebuilding phase (along with the somehow awful Tigers).

AL West - Best division in baseball. Seattle and Oakland lead the charge, but the Astros are right there. Texas and Anaheim also decent teams.

NL East - Phillies/Braves at the top. The Nats are right behind about 2 games back of both teams. The Mets are still dangerous though and are good enough to make a run.

NL Central - The Reds have recently taken over 1st with a nice run and are near the class of the NL. The surprising Cardinals are right with them, only a couple of games back. The Cubs and Pirates are very meh teams. Then there is the absolute abomination of a team in Milwaukee (sorry Bacon).

NL West - The most surprising team of 2021 - the San Diego Padres. The Pads won 59 games in 2020 but have already won 62 games this season and are in first place. The dangerous Dodgers are in the mix, along with the surging Rockies. The Giants remain steady and could be in WC contention; with the D-backs bringing up the rear.

Every division is up for grabs right now; meaning we have a ton of exciting baseball over the next two months.