2012 Franchise Progress Thread

[MIKEY93]

Re: 2012 Franchise Progress Thread

Love it!

I have two games left in the month of July (just swept the Red Sox at home ) and every now and then, I'll check the date I'm at and where the real Yanks were during that time.

As of July 29th, my digital Yanks are sitting at (60-41) with 464 RS and 409 RA

The real Yankees were (60-41) with 488 RS and 404 RA

So real, it's unreal. Lol, now that you mentioned that, I checked my team through 57 games. My digital Mets are 30-27 while the real-life Mets were 31-26. I see a trend going on here.

[Pcg1286]

Re: 2012 Franchise Progress Thread

Just started the 2013 season and I am loving it. I lost in the ALCS last season with the Royals. I noticed that my pitching could not match up with the elite teams. Duffy is great and all but I needed a true Ace. I went out and acquired, in my opinion, the best pitcher in baseball.

KC Trades:
John Lamb (A)
Chris Dwyer (A)
Jeff Francoeur (B)

Mariners Trade:
Felix Hernandez

I was also able to solidify my bullpen by signing all 3 relievers back.

7th Inning Crow
8th Inning Street
9th Inning Soria

[LowerWolf]

Re: 2012 Franchise Progress Thread

OK, technically I still have one game left in August. But that's the start of a big three-game series with the Phillies, so really the stretch drive has begun.

My bats went cold in August. Chipper is in a horrible slump. McCann, Uggla, Heyward and Lowrie all slumped as well, although McCann and Uggla are showing signs of coming out of it. Bourn, Prado and Freeman had to pace a struggling offense. But the starting pitching and bullpen were both great, which kept me afloat with a 16-12 record in August.

NL East Standings
Braves 76-55 (-)
Phillies 72-59 (4)
Marlins 71-60 (5)
Nationals 66-64 (9.5)
Mets 64-67 (12)

The Marlins had a 10-game winning streak to get back into it. The Nationals have fallen off somewhat.

NL Central
Cardinals 72-59 (-)
Pirates 69-61 (2.5)
Brewers 69-61 (2.5)
Reds 66-66 (6.5)

The Reds have spent most of the season competing with the Cubs for the NL's worst record. But they quietly began to turn it around after the All-Star break, and that continued into August. They may have gotten hot too late, but didn't people say that about the Cardinals last year?

NL West
Dodgers 70-62 (-)
Diamondbacks 69-63 (1)
Rockies 66-63 (2.5)

The Dodgers and D-Backs have flipped back and forth, while the Rockies quietly creep closer.

NL Wild Card
The Phillies have the lead, but the Marlins, Pirates, Brewers, Diamondbacks and Rockies are all right there.

AL East
Yankees 78-52 (-)
Red Sox 77-54 (1.5)

It's come down to the Yankees and Red Sox. What else is new?

AL Central
Tigers 84-47 (-)
Twins 72-59 (12)

The Tigers have been the best team in baseball all season. Only a matter of time until they pop the champagne for the division title.

AL West
Rangers 73-57 (-)
Angels 70-61 (3.5)

The Rangers finally caught and passed the slumping Angels.

AL Wild Card
Boston has five-game lead over the Twins with the Angels seven back.

League Leaders
Chipper continues to lead the NL in batting, but his .323 average is way down from where it was most of the season. Uggla leads the league in homers with 32. McCutchen is the RBI leader with 95. Halladay and Randy Wolf are tied for the lead in wins with 16. Motte's 43 saves is best in the NL. And Dickey's 2.18 ERA is still the best.

Swisher leads the AL in batting at .327. Fielder has 50 homers and 126 RBIs. Porcello's 17 wins leads the AL, as does Andrew Bailey's 46 saves. Verlander has the best ERA at 2.15.

[seanjeezy]

Re: 2012 Franchise Progress Thread

So I've been messing around with a test Mariners franchise the last couple of days, strictly trying to get a feel for drafting and player development... Anyway, I just finished the 2014 season so I'll list the league leaders as well as some of my guys' stats - these are with pitch edits but default ratings:

BA - Dustin Ackley (.343) , Miguel Montero (.322)
Total players batting at least .300 - 24

Hits - Billy Butler (209) , Melky Cabrera (194)
Total players with at least 200 hits - 2 (Butler and Ackely)

Doubles - Jacoby Ellsbury (65) , Dee Gordon (54)
Total players with at least 40 doubles - 32

Triples - Austin Jackson (15) , Dee Gordon (14)
Total players with at least 10 triples - 11

Home runs - Prince Fielder (53) , Matt Kemp (40)
Total players with at least 50 home runs - 1
Total players with at least 40 home runs - 3
Total players with at least 30 home runs - 32

RBI - Prince Fielder (146) , Matt Kemp (139)
Total players with at least 100 RBI - 24

Runs - Miguel Cabrera (124) , Justin Upton (117)
Total players with at least 100 runs - 9

Stolen bases - Brett Gardner (90) , Michael Bourn (93)
Total players with at least 40 SB - 9

Base on balls - Austin Jackson (113) , Ike Davis (102)
Total players with at least 90 BB - 7

Slugging % - Prince Fielder (.616) , Troy Tulowitzki (.607)
Total players slugging at least .600 - 4

OPS - Prince Fielder (1.006) , Ryan Braun (.989)
Players OPSing at least .900 - 25

Wins - Henderson Alvarez (19) , Kyle Lohse (18)
Pitchers with at least 15 wins - 20

Saves - Chris Perez (52) , Drew Storen (49)
Pitchers with at least 40 saves - 14

ERA - Johnathan Sanchez (2.57) , Tim Stauffer (2.62)
Pitchers with ERAs under 3.00 - 5

Shutouts - Justin Verlander (4) , Shaun Marcum, Cliff Lee, Adam Wainwright (4)

Strikeouts - Justin Verlander (268) , Brandon Beachy (266)
Pitchers with at least 200 K's - 31

Complete games - Clay Buchholz, Francisco Liriano (7) , Tim Stauffer (8)
Pitchers with at least 5 CG's - 24

Innings pitched - Justin Verlander (238.0) , Clayton Kershaw (225.1)
Pitchers with at least 200.0 IP - 83

MVP - Prince Fielder , Matt Kemp
CY Young - Henderson Alvarez , Kyle Lohse
Silver Slugger - Dustin Ackely , Miguel Montero
Delivery Man - Chris Perez , Drew Storen
Rookie - Mike Olt , Johnathan Singleton
Hank Aaron - Prince Fielder , Ryan Braun

Now for some Mariners stats:

Ackely - .343/.421/.535 slash line, 18HR/94RBI/79BB/21SB/134RC as a lead off hitter. Just a ridiculous year, good thing I bought out his arb years lol

Montero - .301/.378/.512, 35 HR/121RBI/73BB/125RC

Jaso - .313/.384/.523, 26HR/90RBI/69BB/119RC

Felix - 232 IP, 8.5 K/9, 3.49, BB/9, 1.28 HR/9, 3.72 ERA

Paxton - 196 IP, 10.7 K/9, 4.04 BB/9, 1.29 HR/9, 4.78 ERA

Hultzen - 195.2 IP, 7.819 K/9, 3.12 BB/9, 1.4 HR/9, 4.74 ERA

2014 was a strange year for me, the team was an offensive force but terrible at pitching. Gave up the most home runs by far (230) and my relief had 40 blown saves, with the staff having a 4.68 ERA. Tom Wilhelmsen was the only reliever I had with an ERA in the 3's, and in 2012 and 2013 I had similar problems. The pitching was so bad that even though the team scored 804 runs my record was 76-86, although our pythag record was 80-82.

[Spanky]

Re: 2012 Franchise Progress Thread

In my Tigers' 14-game "test'' season, I rebounded from a disappointing 5-2 loss to Seattle (Verlander gave up back-to-back homers in the 7th inning of a 2-2 game), with a very tense and satisfying 3-2 win in Texas in 10 innings.

Fister hadn't allowed a hit in 4 2/3 innings, so they show the linescore and Vasgersian says something like "it's early, but they have a zero in the hits column.'' And, wouldn't you know it, Kinsler belts a solo homer. Then Moreland follows him with a homer to tie it a 2-2.

Cabrera, who's hitting .100 through seven games, gets a clutch two-out single to right to score the go-ahead run. Valverde closes it out, as I used three relievers over the final three innings to keep the Rangers at bay.

Interesting, during the lineup screen at the start, CPU suggests resting Boesh, who's off to a great start but, oddly, not hitting right-handers well. I put in Berry, who gets four hits, including a solo homer.

I'm officially addicted to this game.

[LowerWolf]

Re: 2012 Franchise Progress Thread

And, in what felt like a playoff game, the Braves take the first game from the Phillies 4-0 to open up a five-game lead in the East.

So now I'm at Sept. 1, and rosters expand to 40. But it doesn't look like any of the CPU teams are calling guys up. Is this normal?

[MIKEY93]

Re: 2012 Franchise Progress Thread

And, in what felt like a playoff game, the Braves take the first game from the Phillies 4-0 to open up a five-game lead in the East.

So now I'm at Sept. 1, and rosters expand to 40. But it doesn't look like any of the CPU teams are calling guys up. Is this normal?

I believe it's because at least one of your minor league teams made the playoffs & the players that are in the 40-man roster won't get called up until the team's season ends. I know, there should be an option to call them up anyway, but that's just the way it works. Once your minor league teams get eliminated or something, your players would get called up automatically.

[LowerWolf]

Re: 2012 Franchise Progress Thread

I believe it's because at least one of your minor league teams made the playoffs & the players that are in the 40-man roster won't get called up until the team's season ends. I know, there should be an option to call them up anyway, but that's just the way it works. Once your minor league teams get eliminated or something, your players would get called up automatically.

I'm in season mode, so I don't have a full minor league system. And I can call players up with no problem. But none of the cpu teams are. I simmed ahead into late September just to test, and not a single cpu team called anyone up.

I'm guessing it's a glitch. Now I have to decide whether it's "fair" for me to expand my roster. I really want to bring Martinez back up for a long reliever and Constanza for some extra bench speed.

[BobbyColtrane]

Re: 2012 Franchise Progress Thread

At the All-Star break my Pirates in a division race with the Brewers, and my pitching had been pretty bad so I traded a couple of prospects for Ubaldo Jimenez. There are better pitchers I could have gotten, but I this is a smaller deal that didn't cost too much and at a minimum he will bolster the rotation. At best he could become my #1.

Andrew McCutchen has been an all-around star for me, my only All-Star and he's hitting .313 with 16 HRs. I acquired Bryan LaHair in Spring Training and he's been just as good, hitting .325 with 16 HRs, including an ABSOLUTE BOMB in PNC Park right before the break that reached the last row of seats and almost went out of the park entirely.

Rod Barajas, Garrett Jones, and the recently called up Starling Marte have been very good for me as well.

I also picked up Jayson Werth in the Spring and he's been a disaster, hitting just .224 with 12 HRs. With the emergence of Marte as a good defensive outfielder, good contact guy and good speed on the bases, I'm looking to dump Werth on a big payroll team that needs an outfielder at the deadline.

I may also try to find a home for Joel Hanrahan. I went to High School with Randy Choate of the Marlins, so every year I trade for him and make him into a BA closer with a wicked slurve and upper 90s fastball lol. With Choate I can send Hanrahan to a team that needs a closer at the deadline and maybe pick something up for my trouble, or I can hang onto him and hopefully have a lights out 7-8-9 crew with those two plus Evan Meek.

Elsewhere in the NL, the East is a disaster with every team under .500 and no team more than 5 games back. The Central is a race between us and the Brewers. In the NL West, the only team truly out of it is the Dodgers, who are 19.5 back. The Giants lead the division and the D-backs, the Rockies and the Padres are all within 6.5 games. The Brewers currently lead the Wild Card race.

In the AL, the Red Sox lead the Yankees by 4 games in a two team race in the East. The Tigers are atop the Central, with the Royals and White Sox lurking, and the Rangers have been the best team in baseball, and are 8.5 up on the Angels. Happy Gaming.

[42]

Re: 2012 Franchise Progress Thread

July Recap

<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" /><link href="http://dynasties.operationsports.com/css/osdyn.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"></head><body><table cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1" class="osdyn" width="575"><tr class="masthead_alt"><td bgcolor="#002A5C" colspan="15"><span style="color:#FFFFFF">2012 New York Yankees Stats - Hitting</span></td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td width="23%">NAME</td><td align="right" width="5%">AB</td><td align="right" width="5%">R</td><td align="right" width="5%">H</td><td align="right" width="5%">2B</td><td align="right" width="5%">3B</td><td align="right" width="5%">HR</td><td align="right" width="6%">RBI</td><td align="right" width="5%">BB</td><td align="right" width="5%">SO</td><td align="right" width="5%">SB</td><td align="right" width="5%">CS</td><td align="right" width="7%">BA</td><td align="right" width="7%">OBP</td><td align="right" width="7%">SLG</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>Brett Gardner </td><td align="right">257</td><td align="right">40</td><td align="right">81</td><td align="right">4</td><td align="right">1</td><td align="right">5</td><td align="right">15</td><td align="right">28</td><td align="right">35</td><td align="right">24</td><td align="right">12</td><td align="right">.315</td><td align="right">.383</td><td align="right">.397</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td>Francisco Cervelli </td><td align="right">127</td><td align="right">17</td><td align="right">39</td><td align="right">8</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">7</td><td align="right">12</td><td align="right">19</td><td align="right">1</td><td align="right">3</td><td align="right">.307</td><td align="right">.371</td><td align="right">.370</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>Curtis Granderson </td><td align="right">387</td><td align="right">68</td><td align="right">117</td><td align="right">15</td><td align="right">3</td><td align="right">31</td><td align="right">73</td><td align="right">45</td><td align="right">80</td><td align="right">11</td><td align="right">9</td><td align="right">.302</td><td align="right">.380</td><td align="right">.597</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td>Jayson Nix</td><td align="right">109</td><td align="right">17</td><td align="right">31</td><td align="right">6</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">3</td><td align="right">14</td><td align="right">13</td><td align="right">36</td><td align="right">1</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">.284</td><td align="right">.361</td><td align="right">.422</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>Russell Branyan</td><td align="right">113</td><td align="right">19</td><td align="right">32</td><td align="right">6</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">11</td><td align="right">23</td><td align="right">14</td><td align="right">35</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">.283</td><td align="right">.367</td><td align="right">.628</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td>Mark Teixeira</td><td align="right">398</td><td align="right">62</td><td align="right">111</td><td align="right">20</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">21</td><td align="right">79</td><td align="right">37</td><td align="right">69</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">.279</td><td align="right">.339</td><td align="right">.487</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>Nick Swisher </td><td align="right">361</td><td align="right">47</td><td align="right">97</td><td align="right">16</td><td align="right">1</td><td align="right">15</td><td align="right">55</td><td align="right">26</td><td align="right">74</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">1</td><td align="right">.269</td><td align="right">.319</td><td align="right">.443</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td>Alex Rodriguez (DL)</td><td align="right">219</td><td align="right">36</td><td align="right">58</td><td align="right">8</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">10</td><td align="right">39</td><td align="right">31</td><td align="right">48</td><td align="right">1</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">.265</td><td align="right">.355</td><td align="right">.438</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>Andruw Jones </td><td align="right">182</td><td align="right">33</td><td align="right">48</td><td align="right">11</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">10</td><td align="right">28</td><td align="right">34</td><td align="right">58</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">.264</td><td align="right">.380</td><td align="right">.489</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td>Russell Martin </td><td align="right">240</td><td align="right">28</td><td align="right">63</td><td align="right">13</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">4</td><td align="right">25</td><td align="right">22</td><td align="right">54</td><td align="right">3</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">.262</td><td align="right">.327</td><td align="right">.367</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>Raul Ibanez</td><td align="right">180</td><td align="right">19</td><td align="right">47</td><td align="right">8</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">7</td><td align="right">22</td><td align="right">21</td><td align="right">39</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">.261</td><td align="right">.340</td><td align="right">.422</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td>Robinson Cano </td><td align="right">381</td><td align="right">36</td><td align="right">95</td><td align="right">20</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">10</td><td align="right">56</td><td align="right">41</td><td align="right">68</td><td align="right">1</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">.249</td><td align="right">.326</td><td align="right">.381</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>Casey McGehee</td><td align="right">360</td><td align="right">37</td><td align="right">89</td><td align="right">17</td><td align="right">3</td><td align="right">11</td><td align="right">44</td><td align="right">30</td><td align="right">73</td><td align="right">2</td><td align="right">2</td><td align="right">.247</td><td align="right">.302</td><td align="right">.403</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td>Derek Jeter</td><td align="right">314</td><td align="right">41</td><td align="right">68</td><td align="right">13</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">1</td><td align="right">19</td><td align="right">30</td><td align="right">52</td><td align="right">6</td><td align="right">4</td><td align="right">.217</td><td align="right">.287</td><td align="right">.268</td></tr></table><table cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1" class="osdyn spacer" width="575"><tr class="masthead_alt"><td bgcolor="#002A5C" colspan="16"><span style="color:#FFFFFF">2012 New York Yankees Stats - Pitching</span></td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td width="22%">NAME</td><td align="right" width="4%">GP</td><td align="right" width="4%">GS</td><td align="right" width="4%">W</td><td align="right" width="4%">L</td><td align="right" width="5%">SV</td><td align="right" width="5%">QS</td><td align="right" width="6%">HLD</td><td align="right" width="7%">IP</td><td align="right" width="5%">H</td><td align="right" width="5%">ER</td><td align="right" width="5%">HR</td><td align="right" width="5%">BB</td><td align="right" width="5%">SO</td><td align="right" width="8%">WHIP</td><td align="right" width="6%">ERA</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>Andy Pettitte</td><td align="right">8</td><td align="right">7</td><td align="right">3</td><td align="right">2</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">5</td><td align="right">1</td><td align="right">47.1</td><td align="right">38</td><td align="right">13</td><td align="right">4</td><td align="right">7</td><td align="right">30</td><td align="right">0.95</td><td align="right">2.47</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td>Rich Harden </td><td align="right">12</td><td align="right">12</td><td align="right">7</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">7</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">76.2</td><td align="right">75</td><td align="right">25</td><td align="right">9</td><td align="right">28</td><td align="right">79</td><td align="right">1.34</td><td align="right">2.93</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>Michael Pineda</td><td align="right">12</td><td align="right">12</td><td align="right">5</td><td align="right">2</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">7</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">76.1</td><td align="right">59</td><td align="right">28</td><td align="right">5</td><td align="right">31</td><td align="right">75</td><td align="right">1.18</td><td align="right">3.30</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td>Hiroki Kuroda</td><td align="right">20</td><td align="right">20</td><td align="right">8</td><td align="right">5</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">14</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">133.0</td><td align="right">129</td><td align="right">53</td><td align="right">12</td><td align="right">36</td><td align="right">103</td><td align="right">1.24</td><td align="right">3.59</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>CC Sabathia</td><td align="right">21</td><td align="right">21</td><td align="right">10</td><td align="right">7</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">12</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">141.1</td><td align="right">136</td><td align="right">62</td><td align="right">21</td><td align="right">53</td><td align="right">141</td><td align="right">1.34</td><td align="right">3.95</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td>Ivan Nova</td><td align="right">14</td><td align="right">14</td><td align="right">5</td><td align="right">6</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">6</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">82.2</td><td align="right">86</td><td align="right">42</td><td align="right">6</td><td align="right">32</td><td align="right">64</td><td align="right">1.43</td><td align="right">4.57</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>---------</td><td align="right">-</td><td align="right">-</td><td align="right">-</td><td align="right">-</td><td align="right">-</td><td align="right">-</td><td align="right">-</td><td align="right">-</td><td align="right">-</td><td align="right">-</td><td align="right">-</td><td align="right">-</td><td align="right">-</td><td align="right">-</td><td align="right">-</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td>---------</td><td align="right">-</td><td align="right">-</td><td align="right">-</td><td align="right">-</td><td align="right">-</td><td align="right">-</td><td align="right">-</td><td align="right">-</td><td align="right">-</td><td align="right">-</td><td align="right">-</td><td align="right">-</td><td align="right">-</td><td align="right">-</td><td align="right">-</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>Pedro Feliciano</td><td align="right">42</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">1</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">16</td><td align="right">28.0</td><td align="right">21</td><td align="right">3</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">4</td><td align="right">20</td><td align="right">0.89</td><td align="right">0.96</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td>Mariano Rivera</td><td align="right">45</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">1</td><td align="right">2</td><td align="right">37</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">37.2</td><td align="right">36</td><td align="right">11</td><td align="right">4</td><td align="right">6</td><td align="right">25</td><td align="right">1.12</td><td align="right">2.63</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>Cory Wade</td><td align="right">56</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">1</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">15</td><td align="right">50.0</td><td align="right">41</td><td align="right">16</td><td align="right">5</td><td align="right">17</td><td align="right">42</td><td align="right">1.16</td><td align="right">2.88</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td>Joba Chamberlain</td><td align="right">11</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">1</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">3</td><td align="right">9.0</td><td align="right">7</td><td align="right">3</td><td align="right">2</td><td align="right">3</td><td align="right">5</td><td align="right">1.11</td><td align="right">3.00</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>David Robertson</td><td align="right">55</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">4</td><td align="right">2</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">17</td><td align="right">36.0</td><td align="right">29</td><td align="right">16</td><td align="right">2</td><td align="right">20</td><td align="right">39</td><td align="right">1.36</td><td align="right">4.00</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td>Rafael Soriano</td><td align="right">41</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">2</td><td align="right">4</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">15</td><td align="right">28.2</td><td align="right">28</td><td align="right">15</td><td align="right">5</td><td align="right">10</td><td align="right">30</td><td align="right">1.33</td><td align="right">4.71</td></tr></table></body></html>

<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" /><link href="http://dynasties.operationsports.com/css/osdyn.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"></head><body><table cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1" class="osdyn" width="425"><tr class="masthead_alt"><td bgcolor="#002A5C" colspan="6"><span style="color:#FFF">MLB Standings - Updated: Aug 1, 2012</span></td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td width="45%">AL EAST</td><td align="right" width="11%">W</td><td align="right" width="11%">L</td><td align="right" width="11%">GB</td><td align="right" width="11%">RS</td><td align="right" width="11%">RA</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>Yankees</td><td align="right">61</td><td align="right">42</td><td align="right" class="active">-</td><td align="right">478</td><td align="right">417</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td>Rays</td><td align="right">60</td><td align="right">44</td><td align="right" class="active">1.5</td><td align="right">436</td><td align="right">413</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>Blue Jays</td><td align="right">58</td><td align="right">44</td><td align="right" class="active">2.5</td><td align="right">449</td><td align="right">436</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td>Red Sox </td><td align="right">52</td><td align="right">51</td><td align="right" class="active">9.0</td><td align="right">514</td><td align="right">534</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>Orioles </td><td align="right">48</td><td align="right">56</td><td align="right" class="active">13.5</td><td align="right">433</td><td align="right">447</td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td width="45%">AL CENTRAL</td><td align="right" width="11%">W</td><td align="right" width="11%">L</td><td align="right" width="11%">GB</td><td align="right" width="11%">RS</td><td align="right" width="11%">RA</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>Indians</td><td align="right">58</td><td align="right">45</td><td align="right" class="active">-</td><td align="right">525</td><td align="right">454</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td>Tigers</td><td align="right">55</td><td align="right">50</td><td align="right" class="active">4.0</td><td align="right">526</td><td align="right">459</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>Twins</td><td align="right">52</td><td align="right">51</td><td align="right" class="active">6.0</td><td align="right">447</td><td align="right">462</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td>White Sox </td><td align="right">51</td><td align="right">52</td><td align="right" class="active">7.0</td><td align="right">431</td><td align="right">452</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>Royals</td><td align="right">38</td><td align="right">65</td><td align="right" class="active">20.0</td><td align="right">375</td><td align="right">498</td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td width="45%">AL WEST</td><td align="right" width="11%">W</td><td align="right" width="11%">L</td><td align="right" width="11%">GB</td><td align="right" width="11%">RS</td><td align="right" width="11%">RA</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>Rangers</td><td align="right">58</td><td align="right">44</td><td align="right" class="active">-</td><td align="right">460</td><td align="right">422</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td>Angels </td><td align="right">56</td><td align="right">48</td><td align="right" class="active">3.0</td><td align="right">471</td><td align="right">352</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>Mariners</td><td align="right">49</td><td align="right">57</td><td align="right" class="active">11.0</td><td align="right">413</td><td align="right">457</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td>Athletics</td><td align="right">46</td><td align="right">57</td><td align="right" class="active">12.5</td><td align="right">395</td><td align="right">457</td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td width="45%">NL EAST</td><td align="right" width="11%">W</td><td align="right" width="11%">L</td><td align="right" width="11%">GB</td><td align="right" width="11%">RS</td><td align="right" width="11%">RA</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>Nationals</td><td align="right">59</td><td align="right">44</td><td align="right" class="active">-</td><td align="right">417</td><td align="right">402</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td>Marlins</td><td align="right">54</td><td align="right">50</td><td align="right" class="active">5.5</td><td align="right">449</td><td align="right">393</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>Phillies</td><td align="right">52</td><td align="right">51</td><td align="right" class="active">7.0</td><td align="right">391</td><td align="right">402</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td>Mets</td><td align="right">46</td><td align="right">58</td><td align="right" class="active">13.5</td><td align="right">420</td><td align="right">433</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>Braves</td><td align="right">43</td><td align="right">60</td><td align="right" class="active">16.0</td><td align="right">373</td><td align="right">421</td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td width="45%">NL CENTRAL</td><td align="right" width="11%">W</td><td align="right" width="11%">L</td><td align="right" width="11%">GB</td><td align="right" width="11%">RS</td><td align="right" width="11%">RA</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>Reds</td><td align="right">59</td><td align="right">45</td><td align="right" class="active">-</td><td align="right">460</td><td align="right">394</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td>Cardinals</td><td align="right">55</td><td align="right">48</td><td align="right" class="active">3.5</td><td align="right">426</td><td align="right">356</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>Brewers</td><td align="right">51</td><td align="right">52</td><td align="right" class="active">7.5</td><td align="right">424</td><td align="right">420</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td>Cubs</td><td align="right">48</td><td align="right">55</td><td align="right" class="active">10.5</td><td align="right">379</td><td align="right">425</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>Astros</td><td align="right">47</td><td align="right">58</td><td align="right" class="active">12.5</td><td align="right">381</td><td align="right">446</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td>Pirates</td><td align="right">39</td><td align="right">64</td><td align="right" class="active">19.5</td><td align="right">378</td><td align="right">486</td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td width="45%">NL WEST</td><td align="right" width="11%">W</td><td align="right" width="11%">L</td><td align="right" width="11%">GB</td><td align="right" width="11%">RS</td><td align="right" width="11%">RA</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>Giants</td><td align="right">61</td><td align="right">42</td><td align="right" class="active">-</td><td align="right">412</td><td align="right">338</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td>Dodgers</td><td align="right">53</td><td align="right">52</td><td align="right" class="active">9.0</td><td align="right">402</td><td align="right">360</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>Diamondbacks</td><td align="right">52</td><td align="right">52</td><td align="right" class="active">9.5</td><td align="right">400</td><td align="right">407</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td>Padres</td><td align="right">52</td><td align="right">53</td><td align="right" class="active">10.0</td><td align="right">411</td><td align="right">409</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>Rockies</td><td align="right">39</td><td align="right">62</td><td align="right" class="active">21.0</td><td align="right">353</td><td align="right">477</td></tr></table></body></html>

[MIKEY93]

Re: 2012 Franchise Progress Thread

I'm in season mode, so I don't have a full minor league system. And I can call players up with no problem. But none of the cpu teams are. I simmed ahead into late September just to test, and not a single cpu team called anyone up.

I'm guessing it's a glitch. Now I have to decide whether it's "fair" for me to expand my roster. I really want to bring Martinez back up for a long reliever and Constanza for some extra bench speed.

What rosters are you using? 'Cause I believe HustlinOwl's rosters have only 25 men in the 40-man roster for every team in order for the lineups & rotations to stay in put. I tested it with his rosters on one-team control, & no team called up any minor leaguer (being that there were no minor leaguers in the 40-man roster. Isn't there an option where you can turn September call-ups on or off? If it's not these two situations, then I hope you find your solution. I try, lol.

[LowerWolf]

Re: 2012 Franchise Progress Thread

Thanks for trying.

I'm using the default roster that shipped with the game, so everybody has 40 players. I'm able to expand my roster; it's just the cpu teams aren't taking advantage. Not a big deal, but I guess I'll have a slight advantage over the final month of the season.

[LowerWolf]

Re: 2012 Franchise Progress Thread

Second game of the early September series with the Phillies ...

Chipper hits a sac fly in the first to put me up 1-0. Third inning, Phillies load the bases with one out. Howard's up. Rips a grounder to second for the inning-ending double play, but ... Uggla throws it into left field. Three runs score on the play. Utley singles home a run later in the inning, so I'm down 4-1 with Hamels on the mound.

Uggla homers in the sixth to make it 4-2. I load the bases with two out in the 7th. Chipper walks to drive in a run and make it 4-3. Stutes comes on. McCann smashes one into the gap, but Pierre tracks it down. Inning over. Still down 4-3.

Eighth inning. Uggla grounds out to start the inning. Heyward then sends a high drive to deep right that just barely stays fair. And we're tied 4-4. Contreras comes in. And Freeman sends a high drive to deep right ... that just stays fair. Back-to-back homers that looked almost identical.

Kimbrel comes in in the 9th. Gives up a 2-out single to Ruiz then strikes out Thome to end it. Braves win 5-4. We now lead the East by six games over the Phillies and Marlins.

[sink4ever]

Re: 2012 Franchise Progress Thread



2012 Season Review






2012 Positional Breakdown

Catcher
Rod Barajas
Michael McKenry
Jose Morales
Tony Sanchez
Eric Fryer
Ramon Cabrera

Barajas provided some very nice offensive production in 2012. Due to his age, however, it's doubtful that the veteran will be back for another year. McKenry was solid in limited playing time, and he'll probably compete with Morales and Sanchez for a spot on the big league club next season. The starting spot will probably be up for grabs barring a signing in free agency. Sanchez has the highest ceiling and is the only legitimate prospect at the position. However, if he's not ready, Morales and McKenry could platoon until another solution is found.


First Base
Mark Trumbo
Jake Fox
Matt Hague
Matt Curry
Alex Dickerson

Trumbo was obviously acquired with the expectation that he'd hold down the position for quite a while. If his first year is any indication, he'll do just fine. Fox is pretty much a AAAA slugger, at best he can be a somewhat versatile bench player who can hit the occasional HR. Hague profiles best as a reserve corner infielder who can provide a bit of pop off the bench. Curry is similar to Hague in that he has a bit of power and a pretty good approach at the plate, but doesn't have the ceiling of a major league starter. Dickerson is far and away the best prospect at 1B (since Trumbo is no longer considered a prospect), although he's still a couple years away.


Second Base
Neil Walker
Jarek Cunningham

Most of the middle infielders in the system are technically shortstops. Walker is firmly entrenched at 2B, he should be a fixture there for several years at least. Walker is certainly an offensive asset, his bat would be hard to replace. Cunningham also offers some good offensive skills at 2B. He has some nice power, can steal bases, and knows how to get on base. If he doesn't become a backup infielder, he'll probably be included in a trade within the next year or two. He could probably help out a major league team as soon as next year.


Shortstop
Clint Barmes
Yamaico Navarro
Ehire Adrianza
Jordy Mercer
Marwin Gonzalez
Mychal Givens
Brock Holt
Alen Hanson
Gustavo Nunez

Yikes. That's a lot of guys competing for a spot. Barmes will likely be shopped this winter, he has one more year on his contract but isn't part of the long-range plans. Navarro and Adrianza are glove-first prospects, they'll have a chance in 2013 to prove that their bats are ready for a starting spot. Mercer and Gonzalez bring more offense to the table, they'll also be competing for the position next year. Givens, Holt, Hanson, and Nunez are all at least a year or two away, but each one has put up solid numbers in the minors so far. We're hoping that quantity will eventually lead to quality and one or two of these guys turns into a good major league caliber player.


Third Base
Pedro Alvarez
Casey McGehee
Conor Gillaspie
Elevys Gonzalez

Yeah, so . . . the system is pretty bare at 3B. Alvarez didn't exactly prove that he's the long-term solution at 3B with his performance in 2012, but he's got a pretty long leash. McGehee did do much better than expected, but he'll be a free agent and may want to go to a team where he can start every day. Neither Gillaspie or Gonzalez offer much in the way of upside, they're strictly depth. The team did draft a decent 3B in 2012, but he's quite far away from the majors. We'll probably look to pick up one or two guys in the offseason who could fill in at 3B if needed.


Outfield
Andrew McCutchen
Bobby Abreu
Kirk Nieuwenhuis
Alex Presley
Nate McLouth
Starling Marte
Gorkys Hernandez
Nick Evans
Evan Chambers
Robbie Grossman
Quincy Latimore
Josh Bell
Andrew Lambo

McCutchen is one of the best players in the majors and will be patrolling CF for many years. Abreu was a salary dump in the Trumbo trade, but then had a nice resurgence and ended up with very solid numbers. He'll be gone in '13, however, as younger players are coming up behind him. McLouth will also probably be gone, he tailed off after a hot start and losing time to Abreu and Nieuwenhuis. Speaking of tailing off, Nieuwenhuis had a fairly disappointing finish to what looked to be an exceptional rookie season. He went from being assumed starter in LF to having to fight for his spot in Spring Training. Presley also teased with a good spring and solid first month, but he ended up struggling so much he went back to the minors. He'll get another shot in '13 to stick in the majors

Marte has long been hailed a possible future star. After a very successful campaign in AAA (and great performance during his call-up in September), he'll get a chance to prove that the future is now. He'll have a shot in '13 to lock down the starting RF spot. Hernandez also did pretty well in AAA, but his ceiling is more of 4th outfielder. Evans, Lambo, and Latimore are mostly just "depth" guys, don't expect to see them in the majors anytime soon. Chambers was also part of that group to start the year, but his performance in AA and continued success following his promotion to AAA have bumped him up to "fringe prospect".

Grossman and Bell both have pretty high ceilings and could provide some nice offensive production once they eventually make it to the majors. Grossman will probably start '13 back in AA and it's unlikely he sees the majors before sometime in '14 if all goes right. Bell is younger and even further away, but some say his bat will carry him through the system at a quicker pace.


Starting Pitcher
Erik Bedard
AJ Burnett
Charlie Morton
Kevin Correia
Christian Friedrich
Brian Matusz
Gerrit Cole
Kyle McPherson
Jeff Locke
Jameson Taillon
Colton Cain
Brad Lincoln

Morton will be back next year and expected to anchor the rotation along with either Bedard or Burnett. Morton had a rough start to 2012 but rebounded nicely to have a very solid overall year. Both Bedard and Burnett performed better than expected and at least one is expected to return next season. It looks like there will be four main contestants for the three open spots in 2013 (it's rumored that Correia will either be gone or move to the bullpen, although he may have pitched well enough late in the season to save his spot).

Friedrich moved into the rotation after being acquired from Colorado and pitched almost shockingly well. He's proven the most at the major league level among those competing for a spot but may have the lowest ceiling. Cole has the highest ceiling, profiling as a future ace, but only has about 100 innings above AA. Matusz did well in the bullpen in the majors, then dominated once he moved to the rotation in AAA to get stretched out. Lastly, McPherson did nothing but get guys out for the entire season in AAA. Any other year he'd probably be a shoo-in, but he'll have his work cut out for him in Spring Training.

Locke didn't quite pitch up to his potential in 2012 (although he did impress in September when he go to throw a few innings in the majors), he'll get more time in the minors to work on his stuff. Taillon could begin 2013 in AAA after a solid season in AA. Either way, it'll probably be at least a year before he's ready for the majors. Lincoln struggled so much in AAA that he was demoted, and there are rumblings he could be moving to the bullpen. Cain is a lefty with nice upside but is still several years away. The Pirates selected a high-profile right-hander with their first round pick in the draft, he could start 2013 in AA and is already being lumped together with Cole and Taillon as one of the "future aces".


Long/Middle Relievers
Jeff Karstens
Rick VandenHurk
Jason Grilli
Daniel Moskos
Tony Watson
Daniel McCutchen
Christopher Leroux
Eleicier Cardenas

Most of the middle relievers in the system are "filler" by definition, so we'll just look at a few. Karstens struggled as long-reliever in 2012 and could very well be on his way out. VandenHurk came up because of injuries and made a couple starts, then found a home in the bullpen. He performed quite well, and his ability to pitch a few innings at a time is an added bonus. Grilli was solid in 2012, but is on the downside of his career.

Moskos and Watson are the most viable lefties, which really isn't saying much. Moskos started the year in the majors, but Watson pitched better when he was called up later in the year. Both, or neither, could be in the bullpen in '13. McCutchen and Leroux pitched well in AAA, and McCutchen also impressed the coaching staff during his September call-up. They'll each have a chance to earn a spot in '13. Cardenas was good in limited time in AA, but he's a bit of a long-shot to ever make a real impact.


Setup/Closers
Evan Meek
Chris Resop
Bryan Morris
Stetson Allie
Kevin Quackenbush
Dan Klein

When Hanrahan was traded away, it was expected that one of these six would be able to fill his shoes in the near future. Meek did a solid job stepping in for him in 2012 and probably has the inside track to being next year's Opening Day closer. Resop hit a bit of a rough patch in July/August, but has good stuff if he can harness it. Morris was supposed to spend 2012 getting ready to compete to be the closer in 2013, but he some difficulties in AAA and may need to spend more time there.

Before the season started, Allie made the move from the rotation to the bullpen. It was obviously the right move as he put up impressive numbers in AA and drastically improved his consistency and mechanics. He's tentatively being touted as closer of the future, but he'll probably need another year or so before he's sniffing the majors. Quackenbush and Klein were acquired with the expectation that they'd be solid late-inning arms. Quackenbush dominated in AA but was a little shaky during his cameo in AAA. Klein has some control issues to work on, he'll probably start 2013 in AA.

[DJ]

Re: 2012 Franchise Progress Thread

The Mets finally win a series on the road. Managed to take 2-of-3 from the Miami Marlins, including a nice 4-1 win on Mother's Day thanks to a 2-run HR by Jason Bay. Mets had a chance to sweep, but blew the middle game as Giancarlo Stanton blasted a walk-off 3-run HR to win the game.

13-21, although the record in May is 5-6 so far after a horrid start to the season. Ike Davis is still out 2-3 more weeks with his hamstring injury. Mike Baxter has done a great job in RF since getting called up from Triple A, as he's hitting over .300. Lucas Duda hasn't performed well in the cleanup spot since Ike went down, so I may look to move Bay into that spot, even though I prefer a R-L-R setup for 3-4-5.

R.A. Dickey and Jon Niese have yet to win a game, but both have ERA's under 3.50. Johan Santana has 4 wins and his ERA is closer to 5.00 than 4.00. Funny how that works out sometimes.