OOTP 19 Franchise Progress

**KBLover** · 04-12-2018, 01:42 AM

Re: OOTP 19 Franchise Progress

Wow - wish I had your Alba

And mine is 20 already too... sigh

**N51_rob** · 04-12-2018, 01:50 PM

Re: Carolina Knights Update

Originally posted by WaitTilNextYear

AUGUST 1, 2018

Season Record: 49-64 (15 GB NL East, 16 GB Wild Card)
July Record: 12-16
Position: 4th Place NL East

Pics

Spoiler

Man what the ****....In mine Angelos is still kicking. He just sold the team to an owner similar to him, but more concerned with making money over everything else....I wanted him to die so badly and yet he just kept chugging along just to piss me off i'm sure. Mother****er!!

**KBLover** · 04-12-2018, 03:38 PM

Re: Carolina Knights Update

Originally posted by N51_rob

Man what the ****....In mine Angelos is still kicking. He just sold the team to an owner similar to him, but more concerned with making money over everything else....I wanted him to die so badly and yet he just kept chugging along just to piss me off i'm sure. Mother****er!!

He died ASAP in my Angels save. In fact, for a while, it was owners just dying all over lol.

**N51_rob** · 04-12-2018, 03:39 PM

Re: Carolina Knights Update

Just my luck as an O's fan IRL he lives until the off-season of 2023 just to continue to spite me.

**KSUowls** · 04-12-2018, 03:53 PM

Re: OOTP 19 Franchise Progress

Braves 2018 Franchise - The Plan

After an off-season of turmoil which saw the Atlanta Braves' former GM banned from baseball for life, the team has a new GM in place who will look to build on the top farm system in baseball and finally get Atlanta back to the playoffs.

Strategy:

Spoiler

Pre-Season Moves:

Spoiler

Opening Day Roster

The opening day roster is as follows

Spoiler

Roster Notes:
Don't expect to see Preston Tucker in LF for very long. #1 overall prospect Ronald Acuna will likely be called up in a few weeks once his arbitration clock can be pushed back.

Ryan Flaherty is set to handle the duties at 3B until Johan Carmago returns from injury in early April.

The 4 man rotation will only be seen temporarily. With the numerous off-days early the team can afford to play a man short in the rotation. This should give the team a little extra time to decide on the 5th start spot. Potential candidates are:
Luiz Gohara - On the DL to start the season, but is an early favorite
Mike Soroka - One of the most "ready" pitchers in the organization.
Kolby Allard - Flew through the minors the last 2 seasons
Kyle Wright - Less than 1 year of professional baseball, but already impressive

Roster Review:
This team should be a consistent and reliable offense, especially if a few young guys are able to live up to potential like Ozzie and Acuna when he gets here. The bullpen also doesn't look bad with several live arms. The question is going to be the rotation which has question marks up and down.

Things to Watch
There are a few potential story lines to look out for in the 2018 season.

Spoiler

**WaitTilNextYear** · 04-12-2018, 07:19 PM

Re: OOTP 19 Franchise Progress

Originally posted by KSUowls

Braves 2018 Franchise - The Plan

Spoiler

You starting over?

**KBLover** · 04-12-2018, 07:29 PM

Re: Carolina Knights Update

Originally posted by N51_rob

Just my luck as an O's fan IRL he lives until the off-season of 2023 just to continue to spite me.

He just wants to give you the full O's experience for as long as possible.

**KBLover** · 04-12-2018, 10:22 PM

Re: OOTP 19 Franchise Progress

Angels Gear Up For Title Defense
97 Wins Claims Division, Bye

The Angels held off a late swoon and a tenacious A's team to hold on to the division lead. The A's were on the Angels' heels the whole season, making for a tough fight down the stretch.

The big reason was the A's surprising leap forward in pitching. They shocked the baseball media with how fast they turned their staff around. The A's were first in the AL in reliever ERA and overall runs allowed, a spot many thought the Rays and Angels would fight over.

The Angels came in third. Kershaw will get the headlines for being team ace and for winning 20 games for the first time since 2014, finishing with a 22-8 record. However, Zach Britton gets a lot praise in-house for his superior work as closer, racking up 41 saves and a 1.57 ERA.

Britton worked 88 innings and picked up a staggering 5.0 WAR. Only Kershaw picked up more WAR among pitchers.

Also getting praised is Cam Bedrosian and his usage pattern of always coming in for a handful of crucial at-bats in late-game situations.

"Other than Zach [Britton] of course, I really trust Cam in tough spots. He has a level head and is always thinking on mound, " manager Mike Scoiscia commented.

Advanced metric bear out the usage as Bedrosian's leverage index, a measure of the overall importance of the situation a pitcher is used in, registered at 1.57. Anything over 1.00 indicates higher than average leverage and Bedrosian's index is on-par with that of a set-up man, despite not officially being in the role.

He also picked up 13 decisions (9-4) in just 37 innings of work.

Elsewhere on the mound, Ohtani held up his performance evenly most of the year. He finished with a 3.48 ERA, a run lower than last year's mark. His WAR on the mound climbed to 4.8 (still lower than Britton's) and lowered his walk rate and HR rate, very positive signs, indeed.

Offensively, Ohtani was solid...until September. His bat went nearly silent in the month. Still, his overall production was on par with last season, and that's after getting the added responsibility of playing defense.

Mike Trout was his usual self and he raised his BABIP to .363, his highest level in three years in that category. He led the league in OBP for the third consecutive year and in OPS for the fourth consecutive year. One issue...his declining defense.

Defense. That's a recurring theme for the Angels. Many of the players in the lineup are considered weak defenders. Trout might be considered the worst or at least is magnified by playing a crucial spot.

"They won't make a change at this point, but it's something they need to consider. Their whole outfield is poor defensively. Ohtani really just has an arm, Myers has never known for his fielding, and Trout might have been great in the field at one point, but not now, " one analyst spoke.

Trout to DH is something that has been considered. Or to corner, which would let Ohtani return to DH.

But that's something for the offseason.

Right now, the Angels are focused on running into the playoffs with confidence and, hopefully, a consistent offense. The Wil Myers acquisition panned out as he maintained his production. Myers and Abreu around Trout should help score runs, but the rest of the lineup needs to be steady as well and get on base.

Pitching-wise, the Angels don't have much to worry about on paper. Shoemaker is the weakest pitcher by stats and he improved some over a poor first half, and might not even be in the playoff rotation and any leads should be in pretty good shape with the bullpen if everyone plays as expected.

It's hard to expect a World Series appearance, but the Angels should make a good showing this postseason.

"We're going to let it all hang out and give it our best. We want to defend the title and we have the guys to get it done. Just a matter of getting on the field and doing it, " Trout commented.

**KBLover** · 04-13-2018, 02:17 AM

Re: OOTP 19 Franchise Progress

Playoffs Recap

AL Wild Card Round

The Astros were relegated to the Wild Card round as the AL West has become a fierce division. They faced division rival A's.

A's win 7-4

NL Wild Card Round

The Mets and Pirates, two rebuilding teams that have come alive, squared off in a meeting of rejuvenated franchises.

Mets win 4-3

AL Division Series

The Angels face the Indians, a team that quietly won 99 games without many marquee players.

Angels win 3-1 (12)
Angels win 8-2
Angels win 3-2
Trout (Angels) named MVP

The A's faced the Yankees, the AL's best team by wins.

Yankees win 2-1
A's win 5-1
Yankees win 4-3
Yankees win 5-3
Daniel Murphy (Yankees) named MVP

NL Divisional Series

The Dodgers, the NL's best team by wins, faced one of the two upstarts in this year's NL playoffs, the Mets.

Mets win 12-8
Dodgers win 8-5
Dodgers win 3-1
Mets win 9-0
Dodgers win 7-3
Corey Seager (Dodgers) named MVP

Cardinals and Phillies square off as the Phillies look to re-establish their presence in the NL and the Cardinals want to regain their own perch in the NL hierarchy.

Cardinals win 4-1
Phillies win 6-5
Cardinals win 5-2
Cardinals win 2-1
Eric Thames (Phillies) named MVP.

AL League Championship Series

The Angels faced a familiar foe in the Yankees. The Angels pushed past the Yankees in the ALDS last season. The Yankees again are the top team in the AL by wins, this time winning 105 games.

Angels win 5-4
Yankees win 7-2
Angels win 2-1
Angels win 2-0
Angels win 2-1 (11)
Mike Trout (Angels) named MVP.

Angels pitching carried the day as the offense faltered against the Yankees strong pitching staff. Mike Trout was named MVP, but the Angels starters allowed just three runs, all against Ohtani in one start. The other starters gave up no runs in 15 innings and Ohtani gave up no runs in seven innings in the clinching game, making 22 scoreless innings out of 27 total by the starters in the series.

NL Championship Series

Cardinals win 7-2
Dodgers win 3-0
Cardinals win 6-5
Cardinals win 6-2
Dodgers win 9-6
Dodgers win 3-2
Cardinals win 7-2
Corey Seager (Dodgers) named MVP.

The Dodgers must like falling behind 3-1 before trying to win the series. However, just like the World Series last season, the Dodgers faltered in game 7 to lose the series. Meanwhile, the Cardinals overcame the NL's best team by wins to advance to the World Series.

World Series

The Cardinals and Angels square off in the 2019 World Series. The Angels will look to be repeat champions while the Cardinals are hoping to continue their impressive run and will be coming off an emotional victory.

Angels win 12-3
Angels win 2-0 (Ohtani 1-hitter)
Cardinals win 8-5
Angels win 6-2
Angels win 6-1
Mike Trout (Angels) named MVP.

The Angels get to celebrate back-to-back World Series championships.

"We just have a great group of guys that clicks together and we just feed off each other to keep everything going forward, " Trout commented, "I can't say enough about everyone in this room."

Mike Scoiscia was always quick to praise his guys, saying, "They all make me look smart. I mean, people will say I did this or moved this guy or whatever, but it's the players that make things happen. I just try not to get in the way."

The pitching led the way again with Trout providing the spark to the offense.

Trout was named MVP of all three series the Angels played in.

**KBLover** · 04-13-2018, 04:27 AM

Re: OOTP 19 Franchise Progress

The offseason begins and the early storylines:

Two pitchers posted from the NPB.

SP Takahiro Norimoto - strong in 2017 and 2018 with ERAs well under 3.00 for Rakuten. However, last season, his ERA jumped up to 3.82. It will be interesting to see how that impacts interest from teams.

The other is Closer Hirokazu Sawamura. Yomuri's closer picked up 83 saves in the last two seasons combined. Like Norimoto, Sawamura saw his 2019 ERA jump up significantly from 2018's. In 2018, he posted a 1.97 ERA. In 2019, he had a 2.94 ERA.

The Angels are expected to refuse arbitration to Matt Shoemaker and to decline Kole Calhoun's optional year.

Talks about an extension for Mike Trout are rumored to begin soon.

From around the league:

The Texas Rangers have a new owner. His name is Sergio Quintana. Rumors are that Quintana is an incredibly demanding owner that loves to win but does let his GM do things on his own and might go either way with regards to spending.

John Gibbons has been fired as manager of the Blue Jays.

Jerry Dipoto was removed as GM in Seattle.

The Rangers are undergoing a shakeup as GM Jon Daniels is gone and manager Jeff Bannister was also fired.

Angels Awards Winners:
Mike Scoiscia - AL Manager of the Year
Zach Britton - AL Reliever of the Year
Mike Trout - AL MVP
Clayton Kershaw - AL Cy Young

Ohtani finished second in MVP voting.

The Yankees signed Betances to a $9 M/2 yrs extension.

Pitchers galore! More pitchers enter the free agency market. Ten in all in fact out of the twelve players who entered the market.

Notable Free Agents

OF Billy Hamilton
P Jake Arrieta
P Andrew Miller (again)
1B Paul Goldschmidt
P Jeruys Familia
OF Yasiel Puig
1B Matt Carpenter
P Stephen Strasburg
C Alex Avila
P Michael Wakka

The Angels will likely be interested in Billy Hamilton. While his bat won't be wonderful, his defense would solve one issue of defense on the team. With Jahmai Jones not looking ready yet, this move could make sense if it could get done on a reasonable deal.

However, reports are that Hamilton, 29, would like a 10-year contract. The Angels are unlikely to give that any consideration.

As for the rest, the Angels might not be to particularly interested. Perhaps the Angels will basically stand pat aside from bringing in someone to replace Shoemaker, which could happen from within, especially if Oscar de la Cruz is deemed ready.

The team might go the trade route if something comes up. The Angels front office hasn't given much indications one way or another on that front.

The Angels got word that Zack Cozart has decided to retire. He leaves the game of baseball at just 34 years old.

**KSUowls** · 04-13-2018, 09:18 AM

Re: OOTP 19 Franchise Progress

Originally posted by WaitTilNextYear

You starting over?

Yep. I wanted to try it out with a harder trade logic, and also to have a little more patience with the team's prospects. I regretted traded Sean Newcomb early, and I didn't invest in development like I probabbly should have.

**KBLover** · 04-13-2018, 11:48 AM

Re: OOTP 19 Franchise Progress

Trout Extends With Angels
MVP Outfielder Given 40 Million Reasons

The Angels and Mike Trout have come to an agreement that extends the superstar's contract for quite a while. The overall terms of the deal were just over $360 million over the next nine years with the final year being a vesting option.

"Some will say that it's too long and that we're taking a risk in the later years, but we'll worry about those years when the time comes. Right now, we've kept a star in his prime, and arguably becoming better, as a cornerstone of the franchise. We're paving the way for Mike to be a lifelong Angel, " GM Yarrow commented.

The deal is $40 million in annual value, probably a strong selling point as he becomes "the first $40 million contract" but only three of the nine years will actually break the $40 million barrier, the years 2023 through 2025. After that, the salary drops to just below $40 million at $39.5 million.

"It sounds like a lot, but one, it's arguably the best hitter on the planet, and two, it's only $7 million more, on average, than they are paying him now. The Angels can afford it, it's not going to cripple them, " a local sports talk host commented.

Trout's signing came along with a couple other lesser signings but ones the team was glad to get done.

Bruce Rondon signed a four-year extension worth just over $19 million. Alex Colome signed a two-year extension worth $7.2 million. These extensions keep a couple of the key bullpen cogs in place, further adding to the core stability.

Andrelton Simmons inked his deal not long after, a $75 million deal spanning five seasons, rewarding the defensive wizard for his continued high level of play.

**KSUowls** · 04-13-2018, 11:56 AM

Re: OOTP 19 Franchise Progress

2018 Braves
Trade Deadline Edition

Summary
It's been a very odd season so far. The Braves started out the season losing 12 of their first 13 games, and on April 18th they had just 3 wins and 15 losses.
The starting pitching was a complete wreck with every starter giving up more than 5 runs per 9 innings. Something clicked though because the team followed that up by winning 7 of their next 8 and have posted winning records in May, June and July (largely due to the starting staff clicking).

Standings:
The Braves are 50-37 since starting the season 3-15. Despite the hot streak they are still 7 games out of the division, and 5 games out in the Wild Card. There is still a lot of work to do, but the team decided not to be buyers.

Surprise of the Season
Preston Tucker. Tucker was the opening day starter at LF but was really just seen as someone who would keep the position warm until Acuna stepped in. He certainly made an impact with his bat though. Acuna was called up on April 26, and through April 25th Preston Tucker had smashed 7 home runs. He has since filled a backup/pinch hit role, but his bat hasn't slowed down. He has 3 pinch hit home runs, and is sitting at 13 home runs in just 131 at-bats.

Team MVP
Not many would be shocked to see Freddie Freeman's name in this category., and if he keeps up his current pace not many will be shocked to see his name next to 2018 NL MVP winner. Freddie is killing opposing pitchers with his .340 batting average (1st), 77 RBI's (3rd), 20 Home Runs, and .992 OPS (2nd).

Transactions
There have been mostly small transactions so far, but here are a few of note.

Former Braves 3B Martin Prado is returning to Atlanta in a deal that sent OF Ezequiel Carrera to Miami. The Marlins retained some of Prado's salary but were still able to cut some in their continued tanking strategy. The Braves get Prado who has always been a consistent hitter to fill one of the weakest positions the lineup had. To make room, the Braves sent Johan Carmago back to AAA to continue to get at-bats.

The Braves were not very active in the international free-agent market, but what they lacked for in quantity they made up for in quality. The consensus top prospect available was 19 year old Catcher from the Dominican Felix Taveras Jr. Felix has surprising speed for a catcher, and he looks to be a plus defender behind the plate. His real value comes in his bat though which projects to be Plus in both contact and power.

Amateur Draft
Several interesting prospects were drafted and signed this year. The Braves definitely favored high potential players out of high school that they can develop. Below is a brief overview of the first 7 rounds for the team.

Spoiler

Round 1 - Pick 8 - SS Xavier Edwards (S/R) - 18 - High school
When it comes to player ceiling, Edwards was seen as one of the top 2 or 3 players available in this year's draft in terms of projected ceiling. Edwards is a rare 5 tool prospect in the middle infield. Defensively he uses his plus-plus speed to exhibit great range, and he rarely loses anything he gets his glove on. He combines that with an elite arm to truly be one of the premiere defensive prospects at the position. Offensively he has everything you want. He probably won't ever lead the league in any single category, but he shows a good eye for the strike zone, which he combines with great hand eye coordination. He already shows good power to the gaps, and some many scouts think he will develop above average home run power as he matures.

Round 2 - Pick 8 - RHP Justin Wrobleski (R/R) - 17 - High School
Justin was drafted as a pitcher, but he has similarities to baseball's newest 2 way player Ohtani. As a hitter Justin has a good eye for the strike zone and displays solid power. He was drafted for his arm though. Wrobleski sits in the low-mid 90s. Scouts think both his fastball and slider will develop into Plus-Plus pitches, and he also features a show me change. He has electric stuff which if he can find a little more command of the strike zone he could be a #2 starter for the big club one day. If not, he should still find a home in the back end of a bullpen.

Round 3 - Pick 8 - RHP Brock Helverson (R/R) - 18 - HS
Brock is not a two-way player, but he has plenty of tools as a pitcher to make it to the Show. He has a plus-plus fastball sits 92-94, and that may not even be his best pitch. His curve is a true out pitch. He also features a slider and a change up which both could turn into plus pitches. Like many young pitchers, whether or not he develops command of the strike zone will determine his future.

Round 4 - Pick 8 - RHP Bradley Spooner (R/R) - 20 - College
The first college player taken in the draft by the Braves, Spooner is projects a a late inning bullpen arm. He sits in the low 90's with his fastball, and he has a slider which should turn into a true out pitch. His stuff is off the charts, but don't expect him to develop any more than average command.

Round 5 - Pick 8 - LHP Andrew Perez (L/L) - 21 - College
Perez is basically a left handed version of the Braves 4th round pick. The big lefty has a low 90's fastball with a very good slider. He also features a below average changeup which might help him have success against right handed batters. Perez will mostly likely be a Bullpen piece.

Round 6 - Pick 8 - OF Clayton Keyes (R/R) - 19 - College
Keyes is your prototype corner outfielder. He won't set the world on fire with his speed, and his defense is just average (or maybe slightly above). However, do expect Clayton to work a lot of counts and when he makes contact expect the ball to travel.

Round 7 - Pick 8 - RHP Jake Moberg (R/R) - 18 - High School
Jake went unsigned and is expected to try for a better draft position again next year.

Team Cy Young
Folty probably won't get many league wide votes for the cy-young, but there is no question who the best pitcher on the staff has been in 2018. Folty is 9-5, and his 3.03 ERA is #16 in all of baseball among qualified starters.

Update on our pre-season stories to watch

Spoiler

**KBLover** · 04-13-2018, 04:01 PM

Re: OOTP 19 Franchise Progress

Billy Hamilton Talks Chill
Contentious Negotiations Continue as Speedster Mulls Options

The Angels, as expected, are players for Hamilton's unique talents. His defensive mastery of center field attracting the team to start talks.

However, talks have been difficult almost from the start. Hamilton indeed insisted upon a 10-year deal. The Angels countered with similar money but on a contract half as long. Reports are that it almost came to shouting before both sides tabled discussions for about a week.

Talks resumed with the speed demon, but they hit a similar impasse, the 10-year contract. Hamilton came down to seven years plus an option, but the Angels have been set on a five-year term and no more.

"I mean, who wouldn't want to join a team that's just won back-to-back titles? No ballplayer would say no to that. But I gotta think about me and mine, too. Is some long-term stability too much to ask? They gave it Clayton [Kershaw]. They just gave it to Mike [Trout]. They aren't shy about it, so what's up? Why do they want to give me a short deal?" Hamilton spoke at the Winter Meetings.

The Angels have been mum on what their plans for talks with Hamilton are going forward as well as their plans for any moves at center field. Rumors have connected the Angels to various names, most notably Kevin Kiermaier, as the Winter Meetings rolled on.

The Rule 5 draft is approaching, and the Angels have not been shy about using Rule 5 talent to fill gaps in the roster.

**N51_rob** · 04-13-2018, 09:21 PM

Re: OOTP 19 Franchise Progress

Quick question on awards. My guy and another tied with 82 points but my guy had 13 1st place votes to the other guy getting 5 and the other guy wins the award?

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

OOTP 19 Franchise Progress

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