2012 Franchise Progress Thread

[Vince]

Early Cubs Update:

After starting the season dropping 2 of 3 to the visiting Nats, the Cubbies broke out the brooms and swept the visiting Brew Crew 4-0 (7-5, 6-2, 3-1, 2-1), to improve their record to 5-2. Believe I trailed in every game of that series early, but got things going in the middle-to-late innings. This puts them in 1st place (it's early... I know. ) in the NL Central with a 1-game lead over the 4-3 St. Louis Cardinals, who they will play next at their house.

Carlos Marmol is a perfect 4-for-4 in saves opportunities, which ties him with JJ Putz for the NL lead.

Out of the 5 wins, only M. Garza is in the win column when it comes to the starters. The bullpen has been outstanding early in the season notching 4 wins (Wood, Castillo, Mateo, Camp). The Chicago offense has just not been able to manufacture any early run-support for the starting staff. No patience early in the game. lol

B. Lahair leads the team in homeruns with 2. Soriano leads the team in doubles with 3, while T. Campana leads the team in triples with 2. Lahair and DeJesus lead the team in RBI with 5 each.

Cubs are 19th in the MLB in hitting with a .230 batting average (I. Stewart: .240, S. Castro: .222, A. Soriano: .217).

The team ERA at 3.00, ties them from 9th in the MLB with the SF Giants. Garza has the lowest among the starters with a 1.38 ERA. Closer C. Marmol has not allowed a single run in his 4 appearances. The Cubs pitching staff is 5th in the MLB with 55 strikeouts. Dempster leads the team with 13, Garza is 2nd with 12, and reliever L. Castillo is 3rd with 7.

Off to play my old division foe, the St. Louis Cardinals.

Are you platooning lahair ? He's rly struggling in my cubs franchise. Ian stewart is beasting tho with a .342 avg

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[ZachenFoot]

Re: 2012 Franchise Progress Thread

My Cubs are 36-52 in 2012. So pretty realistic there. I started making moves in June when I called up Anthony Rizzo. Rizzo is beasting at the moment, hitting .353 with 5 home runs in mid-July. I also somehow found a way to trade Soriano and Dempster to the Dodgers for Chad Billingsley, who was on the block. Not sure if I'll keep him or turn him over for prospects, we'll see before the deadline.

I also called up Brett Jackson, so the rebuilding to a winner so far has been going nicely. Volstad's been pitching well, Samardzija has been lights out for me. I want to trade Marmol but I don't know what I can look for, because I do have a lot of holes (3B, 2B, OF, SP, RP). Still got time before the deadline.

[JWaLL]

Re: 2012 Franchise Progress Thread

Just finished my fantasy draft blue jays franchise

I traded Shelby Miller, Dylan Bundy, and Mike Trout for CarGo and Matt Capps

Starters:
Matt Cain
Gio
Andy Pettitte
Brett Anderson
Bartolo Colon

Relievers:
Rex Brothers
Jim Johnson
Alfredo Aceves
Chad Durbin
Brad Lidge
Matt Capps

Starters:
C- Yadier
1B- Yonder Alonso
2B- Jose Altuve
3B- Brett Lawrie
SS- Billy Hamilton
LF- CarGo
CF- Josh Hamilton
RF- JD Martinez
DH- Edwin Encarnacion

Goon Squad (bench)
Magglio Ordonez
JP Arencibia
Jerry Hairston JR
Francisco Lindor
Jon Jay

Love my team and can't wait to get started. playing every game and will update in the middle of each month (13-15 games)

[RGmoney]

Re: 2012 Franchise Progress Thread

Are you platooning lahair ? He's rly struggling in my cubs franchise. Ian stewart is beasting tho with a .342 avg

Sent from my SGH-I727R using Tapatalk 2

I've sat him against Lefties in a couple of games. He's hitting .276. Tell you who I'm liking.... Mr. Campana in the #2 spot. His speed makes him dangerous when it comes to drag-bunting and hits down the line are always a threat for extra bases. He's hitting .296 with 3 triples, SB, & 3 runs. I'm struggling with Stewart so far, hitting just .214. Soto is killing me right now (.083) Really taking a hard look at sitting him against righties & using Clevenger.

Playing the dreaded Cardinals right now. Wainwright tosses a complete-game shutout against me in Game 1. He had me all messed up at the plate. I bounced back in Game 2 with Volstad going 7.1 IP, allowing just 2 hits and striking out 7 for his 1st win. The pen came in a tossed shutout ball the rest of the way, with Marmol picking up his 5th save in as many opportunities.

[jv35]

Re: 2012 Franchise Progress Thread

Currently 10-11 in my Tigers franchise. Some guys have carried my team, but about 2/3 of the team have been between below average to terrible.

On offense, Cabrera and Fielder have carried my offense, and Jackson, Peralta, Delmon, and Santiago have all contributed. Avila started cold, but in the last few games he's been turning it around. I have been unable to hit with Boesch and Raburn.

On the pitching side, my starters haven't been good, and the first ten games were rough to the 'pen, but they are turning it around of late. I've been having trouble pitching with Verlander, but that's probably because I've been messing with my settings/controls/sliders mainly during his starts. Scherzer has been great with three wins and an ERA under two. Smyly has also been solid for me. Porcello is doing ok, and Below is serviceable, but I can't wait for Fister to return.
The bullpen has been a different story. Balester, Coke, and Benoit are ok. Dotel has killed me, because I always seem to give up a run when he is on the mound. But Valverde is absolutely killing me. Right now he is 2-4 in saves.

It's been a rough first month, but I'm hoping to gain some ground with the easy schedule in May.

[LowerWolf]

Re: 2012 Franchise Progress Thread

Split a four-game series with the D-Backs. Lost the first game 5-2. Beachy was dominant in the second game, a 3-0 Braves win. Won 5-3 but then Kennedy shut me down in a 4-2 loss.

I've got a .256 team BA and a 2.93 ERA. I'll post full stats at the end of the month.

Braves (10-6)
Mets (9-6)
Marlins (9-7)
Nationals (9-8)
Phillies (7-9)

[ZachenFoot]

Re: 2012 Franchise Progress Thread

I can't seem to win at Wrigley. 15-37. Yikes.

I'm 8-2 since the All Star Break. I now have Jim Johnson in my bullpen closing games, but I plan to pick up a closer in the offseason either through FA or trade. I traded Carlos Marmol and Chad Billingsley to the Tigers for Jacob Turner, who I have throwing in AAA.

My lineup on Opening Day was this:

DeJesus RF
Barney 2B
Castro SS
LaHair 1B
Stewart 3B
Soriano LF
Soto C
Byrd CF
Pitcher

On the bench I had Mather, Clevenger, DeWitt, and Baker. My rotation was Dempster, Garza, Volstad, Maholm, and Samardzija.

Now, my lineup on August 10 is the following:

Jackson CF
DeJesus RF
Castro SS
Rizzo 1B
LaHair LF
Stewart 3B
Soto C
Barney 2B

My bench consists of Clevenger, DeWitt, Campana, and Baker. My rotation has Garza, Samardzija, Volstad, Wells, and Wood. Dempster was traded to the Dodgers and Maholm got drilled in the head by a liner, so he's gone for the year.

The 2012 season is a wash, but I'm playing for 2013 right now. So I'm excited to finish off the year and take on the offseason. I also signed Jorge Soler, so with him and Turner coming up, I'm feeling pretty good.

[Vince]

I've sat him against Lefties in a couple of games. He's hitting .276. Tell you who I'm liking.... Mr. Campana in the #2 spot. His speed makes him dangerous when it comes to drag-bunting and hits down the line are always a threat for extra bases. He's hitting .296 with 3 triples, SB, & 3 runs. I'm struggling with Stewart so far, hitting just .214. Soto is killing me right now (.083) Really taking a hard look at sitting him against righties & using Clevenger.

Playing the dreaded Cardinals right now. Wainwright tosses a complete-game shutout against me in Game 1. He had me all messed up at the plate. I bounced back in Game 2 with Volstad going 7.1 IP, allowing just 2 hits and striking out 7 for his 1st win. The pen came in a tossed shutout ball the rest of the way, with Marmol picking up his 5th save in as many opportunities.

I was going to trade Marlon Byrd to the red sox but he's been my second best hitter. I will do it eventually though but it has delayed the process lol

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[sink4ever]

Re: 2012 Franchise Progress Thread



Pittsburgh Pirates Spring Training Update





Winners
RF Jose Tabata - He actually hit around .500 for the first couple weeks before seeing his average dip down to .333. He'll start the year hitting second, but he'll need to keep his average up because he doesn't hit for a ton of power or take a lot of walks.
CF Andrew McCutchen - Cemented his spot as the #3 hitter, hitting for a high average and showing good power. It would be nice if he walked more, but so far his aggressive approach is paying off.
1B Garrett Jones - Locked up the clean-up spot (at least vs. RH pitchers). He hit an incredible .415 with 6 HR's during the Spring and hopes to carry that hot start into the regular season.
SS Jordy Mercer - His glove is still questionable, but he showed off a nice bat during the spring. It wasn't enough to win him a spot on the big-league club, but he'll be on the short list of potential call-ups when one is needed.
CF Starling Marte - The blue-chip prospect showed that he may be ready for a call-up in '12. He hit for average (.306) and showed some pop (3 doubles), patience (5 walks), and speed (4 SB's).
The Bullpen - With the exception of the two lefties competing for the final spot (Daniel Moskos and Tony Watson), the bullpen pitched consistently well during the spring. Hanrahan, Cruz, Grilli, Meek, and Resop should be able to hold on to any lead they're given (assuming the starters come through once in a while). The biggest worry is whether they will be overworked.


Losers
The Starting Rotation - With a collective ERA of roughly 6.50, the only "bright spot" was James McDonald and his 4.00 ERA. All five starters had a H/9 of at least 11, while Bedard boasted a WHIP of 1.95, Burnett had a BB/9 of 4.8, and Correia allowed 1.7 HR/9. The silver lining was the performance of four projected AAA starters (Jeff Locke, Brad Lincoln, Rudy Owens, and Kyle McPherson). They could be called on pretty quickly if the big-league staff can't get it together.


Jury is Still Out
3B Pedro Alvarez - Failing to hit above .200, you may expect to see him on the "Losers" list. However, he was the victim of some bad luck on hard-hit balls and his 4 BB's vs. 6 K's shows patience and an improved ability to put the bat on the ball. He will need to perform better, however, to keep Casey McGehee from taking more playing time at 3B.
3B Casey McGehee - He certainly hit better than Alvarez, but not well enough to actually win the position. He'll probably spell both Alvarez and Jones against lefties and the occasional right-hander. If he does well he could find his playing time increased.
OF Nate McLouth - The Pirates were hoping his second tour would be like his first. The 7 walks and 3 steals were nice, but he'll need to hit a lot better than .196 if he wants to see consistent playing time.

Misc. News & Notes

• Young flame-throwing (but very raw) pitcher Stetson Allie has officially been converted to closer. Team officials hope that it helps him move quickly through the system. As a reliever he won't have to worry too much about developing a third pitch as he already throws a fastball that reaches triple digits and has a nasty slider. He will still need to refine his mechanics.
• Top pitching prospects Gerritt Cole and Jameson Tallie will start the season at Altoon (AA). Depending on how well they do, they may receive a promotion to Indianapolis (AAA) this year. A September call-up is not entirely out of the question.

2012 Opening Day Depth Charts

[UTAllTheWay]

Re: 2012 Franchise Progress Thread

Well, I was finally able to get on the game last night after a really busy 3 days.

And I thought I finally had another win. I was patient at the plate early in the game, and was able to get to Matsuzaka with 4 runs in the 3rd inning (JD Martinez had a 2-run HR). He left the game after 5 innings with 96 pitches. JA Happ had a pretty good start, going 6 innings and giving up only 2 runs. The bullpen blew the game again, though. Wilton Lopez gave up 2 runs in the 7th inning that tied the game.

I came up to bat in the top of the 8th and hit a solo HR with Edwin Encarnacion (1st of the season). I brought Al Albuquerque (hadn't given up a run all season) in the 8th inning thinking I was about to finally get the win.

Nope... Albuquerque gave up 4 runs without getting a single out. I lost the game 8-5.

I swear this bullpen is about to drive me into a mental asylum.

[Black_Echo12]

Re: 2012 Franchise Progress Thread

Just wrapped up the regular season in my Dodgers 2nd yr franchise. We clinched the NL West in game #161 against the Houston Astros. Just started the playoffs matched up against the Marlins. Cincinnati Reds play the wild card winning AZ Diamondbacks.

Now on the AL side of things it was a little funky. The AL West was won by the Angels, however the Rangers and A's are in the playoffs. Not sure what happened. I also noticed in the AL West that there records had them playing over 162 games! For example the Mariners ended their season with a record of 70-200??? Also, the Rangers were supposedly 70 games behind the Angels, and the A's were 79 games back? WTF???

[Mercury53]

Re: 2012 Franchise Progress Thread

Takin a small break from the Mariners franchise. Gotta start planning for my move to the UK, my new laptop, and my wedding in June. Might get a few games in here and there. We shall see.

[37]

Re: 2012 Franchise Progress Thread

Takin a small break from the Mariners franchise. Gotta start planning for my move to the UK, my new laptop, and my wedding in June. Might get a few games in here and there. We shall see.

congrats on your wedding

[Troopershorty51]

Re: 2012 Franchise Progress Thread

Just started a new Rockies fantasy draft franchise, going well so far as I just won my first game 3-0 against Jared Weaver and the Astros. Verlander went 7 scoreless and the bullpen finished it off from there with ease.

My roster is as follows

Pitchers

Starters
1. Justin Verlander - R
2. Max Scherzer -R
3. Brandon Morrow -R
4. John Lannan - L
5. Lance Lynn - R

Bullpen
LRP - Andrew Cashner - R
MRP - Sam Le Cure - R
MRP - Arthur Rhodes - L
MRP - Jon Rauch - R
SU - Eric O'Flaherty - L
SU - Greg Holland - R
CP - Joe Johnson - R

Batters

Lineup
1. RF - Jose Tabata - R
2. SS - Ryan Theriot - R
3. LF - Matt Holliday - R
4. 1B - Justin Morneau - L
5. C - Mike Napoli - R
6. 3B - David Freese - R
7. CF - Colby Rasmus - L
8. 2B - Daniel Murphy - L
9. Pitcher Spot

Bench
2B - Felipe Lopez - S
C - Josh Thole - L
1B - Xavier Nady - R
3B - Ian Stewart - L
RF - Nate Schierholtz - L


I may end up trading either Thole for a right handed C or Schierholtz for a right handed outfielder because I'm not sure that I want 3 lefties on the bench and only 1 righty. Also, my bullpen needs some work so I might try to strengthen that a bit.

[raggBAGG]

Just started a new Rockies fantasy draft franchise, going well so far as I just won my first game 3-0 against Jared Weaver and the Astros. Verlander went 7 scoreless and the bullpen finished it off from there with ease.

My roster is as follows

Pitchers

Starters
1. Justin Verlander - R
2. Max Scherzer -R
3. Brandon Morrow -R
4. John Lannan - L
5. Lance Lynn - R

Bullpen
LRP - Andrew Cashner - R
MRP - Sam Le Cure - R
MRP - Arthur Rhodes - L
MRP - Jon Rauch - R
SU - Eric O'Flaherty - L
SU - Greg Holland - R
CP - Joe Johnson - R

Batters

Lineup
1. RF - Jose Tabata - R
2. SS - Ryan Theriot - R
3. LF - Matt Holliday - R
4. 1B - Justin Morneau - L
5. C - Mike Napoli - R
6. 3B - David Freese - R
7. CF - Colby Rasmus - L
8. 2B - Daniel Murphy - L
9. Pitcher Spot

Bench
2B - Felipe Lopez - S
C - Josh Thole - L
1B - Xavier Nady - R
3B - Ian Stewart - L
RF - Nate Schierholtz - L


I may end up trading either Thole for a right handed C or Schierholtz for a right handed outfielder because I'm not sure that I want 3 lefties on the bench and only 1 righty. Also, my bullpen needs some work so I might try to strengthen that a bit.

I play the Brewers in my franchise and in my opinion it sucks having 3 lefties on the bench and only 1 righty.