OOTP 19 Franchise Progress

[notsobabybombers]

Re: OOTP 19 Franchise Progress

Hey everybody, haven't posted in what feels like ages but I hope you're all still enjoying OOTP. I started an expansion franchise and it's been fun, challenging (and frustrating) and everything in between.

I expanded the league to 32 teams with the Las Vegas Aces and "revived" the Expos franchise. I rolled with Vegas in the NL because I thought that'd be fun. I added a new division to each league so each division now has four teams. I've also steadily shortened the season; it's now about 140 games long.

I'm on August 1, 2027 and have yet to make the playoffs.... One year, I came so close and fell short due to a September collapse.

It's been cool seeing how the players progress through the years, how teams fare etc. Houston and Chicago (Cubs) wound up really struggling while the Braves have indeed become a powerhouse.(Though they haven't won a WS yet.) Ditto for the Yankees; lots of regular season domination but still no WS.

I'm thinking about starting a new save soon because the league has reached the point where most of the currently notable players have aged/retired.

[WaitTilNextYear]

Re: OOTP 19 Franchise Progress

Mahle and Cahill better pick it up.

Team is close to .500 and they need to help at least achieve that since that's well within reach.

I'd be pretty shocked if this team can maintain a .500 pace over 162 games. I'd welcome it though.

Funny, Trevor Cahill made his latest start and lasted only 3.1 IP/59 pitches before leaving with injury.

It turned into a nice game though as my Knights proceeded to top the Phillies 11-6 in 15 innings. They ran out of pitchers and brought in catcher Jorge Alfaro to pitch in a 6-6 game in the 15th inning. Big mistake. I let him load the bases, then walk in the go ahead run. Then, Kike Hernandez--the last guy off my bench a couple innings earlier--blasted a Grand Slam to put the game on ice. I still had my closer, Joakim Soria, available so I didn't have to resort to what the Phillies did with a position player on the mound.

Phil Klein, my emergency long man for when one of my starters has a sucky game (way too often), chipped in 2.2 IP of decent relief. The real star was lefty Scott Rice. He's a very recent waiver claim after I sent LOOGY Aaron Bummer to AAA. Rice went 3 IP in this one and worked out of a 1st and 3rd nobody out jam when he first entered the game in the bottom of the 9th. I could almost see him doing the Magic Man thing from Talladega Nights.

Jose Abreu might be heating up also. He socked a pinch hit 3-run homer in the 7th to get me some much needed insurance. This was one of my better games and the WPA graph looks like a particularly volatile stock price chart.

[notsobabybombers]

Re: OOTP 19 Franchise Progress

Twins Disappointed With Opening Month

Coming off of a breakout year that saw them make the playoffs, the Twins expect to make another step forward this year. They spent a lot of money over the winter to strengthen the roster, which confirmed those heightened expectations. After one month, the 2018 season has not gone quite the way Minnesota hoped it would.

Preseason predictions and Minnesota finishing at 91 wins, second in the AL Central to the Indians (protected to win 99 games.) With one month in the books, the Twins are just 16-14, which puts them in third place in the division. The Indians are tied with the surprising White Sox atop the division at 18-13. Minnesota is 1.5 games out, the same deficit they face in the WC chase.

What’s behind the disappointing start? The Twins don’t want to make excuses, but they can point to injuries as one cause of their regression. Starter Phil Hughes made two starts but left the second with an injury. He’s out for five months, plus rehab time. Star 1B Joe Mauer went down with a hip injury; he’ll miss a total of 5 weeks, plus rehab time. (He did record his 2000th hit, though.) Reliever Ryan Pressly went down with ulnar nerve entrapment, and he’ll miss at least four more months. Trevor May and Jorge Polanco had preexisting injuries, and they’re both still out. Overall, the Twins have been hit hard.

Twins Rankings: 6th in RS, 11th in BA, 6th in OBP, 7th HR, 4th in stolen bases, 2nd in RA, 1st in starter’s ERA, 6th BP ERA, 1st defense.

The rotation has exceeded expectations, as it leads the AL despite its injuries. Lance Lynn has been the best of them with a 1.98 ERA. Berrios ( 5-1, 2.45) and Santana (2.45) have also been great. Odorizzi (3.24) has played well but Kyle Gibson (6.82) has really struggled. Minor league signing Jesse Chavez is playing well in Rochester, so he could get a chance.

The bullpen has been a revolving door due to the injuries. Fernando Rodney is the closer, with a 4.15 ERA. Addison Reed has been great, with a 1.20 ERA as a set-up man.

Around the league:

The Rangers have been one of the most surpassing teams; they’re 20-12, putting them just behind Houston in the ALW and atop the WC picture.

The Reds, though, have been amazing. They’re 21-11 and atop the NLC. The Padres, similarly, are 21-11, tied with the Rockies atop the NL West. The Dodgers are just 16-14.

[WaitTilNextYear]

2018 Draft

The 2018 amateur draft was the 2nd major opportunity for the fledgling Carolina Knights to load up on talent. And, even with the #1 overall pick, the Knights' draft might have gone even better than anticipated. All without going over their $8M draft budget.

With the 1st overall pick, Carolina was looking at a few different players before ultimately deciding on RHP Casey Mize from the University of Auburn. Mize is above average-to-plus [FB/CUT/SL/SPLT] in any category you'd care to look at. An added bonus is the 21-year-old should be in the majors much quicker than some high school kid. Mize was asking for $3M and with an "extremely hard" signability, Carolina gave him $3.5M just to be sure. It would be disastrous for an expansion team to whiff on signing its first overall pick in year 1 (despite getting a comp pick later on). IRL: Mize was the #1 overall pick of the Detroit Tigers.

Casey Mize

Spoiler

In the second round, 50th overall, Carolina added another college pitcher in RHP Cody Deason from the University of Arizona. Deason has 3 plus pitches [FB/SL/CH] and is "projected to be a mid-rotation piece." His projected stuff/movement/control = 69/44/70 [0-100 scale]. Some might argue that Deason was just a little bit of a reach here, but he was a critical part to how things worked out. With a slot value of $1.2M, Deason was only asking for $380K with "hard" signability. Carolina gave him $400K and put the underslot savings to good use. IRL: Deason was picked in the 5th round by the Houston Astros.

Cody Deason

Spoiler

The 3rd round, 82nd overall, was the gamble round for the Knights. Knowing that there were a few extremely talented "impossible" signability guys being avoided by other teams. Knowing that they still had a good chunk of their $8M budget left to spend. And knowing that a compensation pick would be a fallback plan for potentially not coming to terms with this pick, Bobby Cox rolled the dice and selected switch-hitting high school catcher Anthony Seigler out of Cartersville High School (Cartersville, GA). Seigler is an impressive talent and should immediately be among the best catching prospects in the game. An athletic catcher with Gold Glove potential and middle-of-the-order potential, he will be one to follow for prospect hounds. Seigler, with "impossible" signability, was asking for a bonus significantly north of $1.9M and Bobby Cox decided why not just double that amount? Fortunately Seigler was willing to sign for $3.8M even though slot value was just $750K. IRL: Seigler was picked in the 1st round, 23rd overall, by the New York Yankees.

Anthony Seigler

Spoiler

In the 4th round, Carolina selected two-way player J.J. Goss 114th overall out of Cypress Creek High School (Houston, TX). Although most teams viewed Goss as a pitcher first, the Knights immediately approached him about being a position player (outfielder) who also pitches. He apparently didn't mind as he was asking for just $130K with a slot value nearly three times that. Carolina gave the "very easy" signability player what he wanted. Goss has plus tools, except for speed, across the board as a hitter. IRL: Goss was not drafted in 2018 and is a Texas A&M commit.

J.J. Goss

Spoiler

Carolina signed 5th round pick, 146th overall, outfielder Cole Roederer out of Hart High School (Newhall, CA) with an underslot $150K bonus. The lefty swinger has the speed and arm to play any outfield spot. He also controls the strike zone extremely well and takes a line drive approach; he's a hit tool over power type of hitter. "Roederer will need to make a good impression on a manager to secure a big league job." IRL: Roederer was selected 77th overall, 2nd compensatory round, by the Cubs.

Cole Roederer

Spoiler

With their 6th round pick, Carolina signed toolsy outfielder Jordyn Adams out of Green Hope High School (Cary, NC). Adams bats right, throws right, and was perhaps the fastest player in the 2018 draft. Very athletic (a 4* football recruit of UNC), plus defensively, and with some power, Adams will have to overcome his 4/100 Avoids K's rating to matter. IRL: Adams was a 1st round pick, selected 17th overall, by the Angels.

Jordyn Adams

Spoiler

[KBLover]

Re: OOTP 19 Franchise Progress

Offseason Transactions Overview

Notable Free Agent Signings
Royals: 3B Kris Bryant, $23.4 million for 2 years.
Royals: 2B Sam Bianco, $15.2 million for 7 years.
O’s: SS Takaada Fukuda, $28.9 million for 7 years. (player opt-out after year 2)
Nationals: SP Joe Foster, $21 million for 5 years.
Cardinals: 2B Wilfredo Prieto, $19.2 million for 5 years. (player opt-out after year 2)
Giants: 1B Nomar Mazara, $12.2 million for 3 years. (vesting)
Red Sox: P DeMario Arangua, $18.2 million for 4 years.
Rays: CF Hisato Muraoka, $19.8 million for 5 years. (NPB)
Indians: CF Han-wu Lam, $14.2 million for 3 years.
Indians: P Dan Ceccato, $21.2 million for 5 years.
Blue Jays: SS Noah Smith, $24.7 million for 7 years. (player option)
Nationals: RF Josh Shuler, $24.1 million for 4 years.
Giants: P Troy Bacon, $14 million for 3 years.
Yankees: P Tulio Santa Maria, $19.8 million for 2 years.
Mariners: SS Jose Augusto Rodriguez, $18.6 million for 5 years.
Nationals: P Arturo Romero, $17.4 million for 6 years.
Mets: LF Jim Lenhart, $24.8 million for 4 years.
Nationals: P Bernardo Flores, $24.4 million for 2 years.
Mariners: P Alex Reyes, $29 million for 2 years.


Angels Free Agent Signings
P Benno Hendricks, $8.8 million for 5 years.

Extensions Signed
Angels: Mike Trout, $82 million over 3 years.


Angels Award Winners
3B Steve Belfiore wins AL Gold Glove
SS Masamichi Kamai wins AL Gold Glove

1B Toshikuni Sakai wins AL Silver Slugger

Andy Moulin wins AL Manager of the Year

Major Trades
Reds trade P Brad Moore and P Chris Anderson to Diamondbacks for SS Masyn Winn.

Winn is an underachiever and the Diamondbacks had enough. So, they dealt him to pick up a serviceable starter in Brad Moore, who reads as standard major league pitcher with four decent pitches and pretty much average across the board. Winn should carry a solid OBP, but he hasn’t been able to earn playing time consistently. Scouts still like his possibilities and praise his clubhouse influence.

Moore posted a 4.30 ERA last season, compiling a 9-9 record in the process. Winn’s last decent amount of PA’s came in 2030 where he posted just a .671 OPS in 338 plate appearances.


Angels trade 2B Xalbrador Yslas to A’s for P Mende Rayol, P Omari Poydras, and 3B Jorge Varela.

Rayol is the centerpiece coming to the Angels. The team is hoping they are catching a peaking pitcher that’s being salary dumped instead of a pitcher that had a fluke year because he stayed healthy. Rayol was the AL leader in ERA last season. Last season, and the season before, stands out against several decent yet basically average campaigns with his 2028 campaign being heavy marred by nagging injuries. Rayol will be free agency eligible after the coming season.

Yslas is a promising young infielder that has nowhere to play and would be wasted in a depth role. The A’s are looking to rebuild and hope having a ready-to-go 24-year-old will help maintain and regain respectability and be a piece to build around.

The sleeper is Poydras. He’s a slow-developing prospect, 24 and still needing refinement of his craft. The Angels have the luxury of patience, and they will see if Poydras can catch a break.

Rule 5 Draft
Round 1 – P Brad Criscione

Round 2 – No Selection

Angels losses:
LF Chris Covel (Indians)
P Chris Chell (Padres)

Other Angels Moves
Added P Etsuro Nakagawa to the 40-man roster.
Added RF Masonori Nakatani to the 40-man roster.
Added P Ernesto Belloso to the 40-man roster.
Added P Jim Hamilton to the 40-man roster.
SS Eric Morrison was waived and designated for assignment.
LF Luis Arbulu was waived and designated for assignment.
LF Jim Lenhart was tendered a qualifying offer (rejected).

[KBLover]

Re: OOTP 19 Franchise Progress

2032 Angels

BNN has the Angels walking away with the division, thanks to what they think will be the league's best pitching staff, by far. BNN has the Angels with a team ERA of 3.16, which will be backed by a decent offense. That seems somewhat optimistic and it assumes a Cy Young level season from Tim Mavity and Mende Rayol.

The rotation should be stout for the most part. Mukai and Mavity anchor the top spots again while last year's ERA champion will be the 3rd starter. Kahng, who continues to outperform projections, will sit 4th. Ohtani will be the weakest link in all likelihood. Time is not treating the former two-way star very kindly, and Harriston will more than likely be the #5 starter before season's end. Perhaps even before the first half ends.

Mavity's still executing his "rules" and hitting batters. He's hit 240 so far in his career, and while he's calmed down from his younger days, he's still a good bet to hit around 25 batters.

The bullpen is always something of a guess as to who will do what and in what capacity. Esteban Bonilla figures to be a high-innings reliever in his first full season as an Angel. Former NPB bullpen ace Shunzo Nishino will get the chance to be closer, while Benno Hendriks is expected to be the team's primary lefty specialist.

On offense, the only expected standout is the power bat of Toshikuni Sakai. BNN has him down for 57 home runs, a slight pullback from the 65 he stroked last season. Otherwise, BNN seems to be a believer in Moulin's offensive style to generate runs.

Eyes will be on Trout to see if he can put a full season together after the Angels gave him an extension in his age-40 season. Scouts still think Trout has game left, and a 3.3 WAR, on a then 39-year-old no less, is not bad at all.

Otherwise, the lineup is focused mostly on defense with SS Kamai, 3B Belfiore, and CF Kuwata expected to lead the way. Kuwata is something of a mild disappointment. He's been good, but not the elite defensive start that was hoped. He's doing well enough to hold his own, however. Even the depth is focused on defense, proven by the existence of Arturo Navarrette on the roster. His main job is to ensure there's no drop off on defense when a starting infielder needs rest.

The farm system is 14th overall and contains one prospect in the top 20. Luis Guardado, a first baseman from the Dominican Republic, is a highly-touted 17-year-old bat. Scouts think he could be one of the feared hitters in the league down the road. He'll begin working at Class-A Burlington in his first season as a professional.

RF Masanori Nakatani is another interesting prospect. At 22, he's arguably ready to be tested at the majors. However, he's blocked by Trout (still). Nakatani will need to prove himself in AAA and perhaps work on his fielding as well.

Then there's Tim McDonald, the still-polarizing prospect that creates the most debates among scouts and pundits alike. He's pushing for major league time, though last season was not the best for McDonald's stock. So far in his handful of innings, 120 in all, at the majors, he's looked untouchable and average at best. This hasn't helped settle things one way or another. He might get an opportunity should Ohtani continue to fall apart. This could be the last season Ohtani holds a rotation spot, possibly opening the door for McDonald.

[saintrules]

Re: OOTP 19 Franchise Progress

Just started a brand new save with the San Francisco Giants. Learned a lot from my one season with the Cubbies, most notably that the Cardinals are OP, haha. Definitely got my feet wet with the game and I think I am ready for the long haul.

I chose the Giants because they are such a middle of the road team. There's two ways to play this team, put up, or blow up. Most of these guys are a couple years removed from their prime, but they are somewhat of a hidden gem, at least to me. The West is going to be tough with LA and Arizona, but I think we've got the roster to beat out San Diego and Colorado, among other middle of the pack NL contenders, for a spot in the Wild Card.

Not having BumG, Samardzija and Melancon is going to test our roto and pen, so we will definitely monitor how Tyler Beede fairs in his early goings as the 24 year old will see immediate action in the rotation.

Our owner mainly expects .500 ball this season and an upgrade from Austin Jackson in CF, as well as signing a hometown player, but that's not of huge importance to me, sorry ownership.

OF Heliot Ramos, 1B Chris Shaw, and OF Steven Duggar, are our best three prospects not named Tyler Beede. Duggar will potentially see action in CF at some point this season since Jackson is a question mark, at the moment.

I'll update series by series moving forward.

[saintrules]

Re: OOTP 19 Franchise Progress

San Francisco Giants (2018)

March 29th, 2018
Giants (1-0) 5, Dodgers (0-1) 3
Winner: Johnny Cueto (1-0) Loser: Scott Alexander (0-1) Save: Hunter Strickland (1)

McCutchen delivers on opening day in Los Angeles

It didn't take long for the former 2013 MVP to provide dividends to San Francisco as the right fielder was 1-3 with a double and a walk, batting in two and scoring once. The Giants attacked superstar lefty, Clayton Kershaw, in the early goings as they scored three in the top of the first. Los Angeles worked themselves back finding two in the third and one in the fifth, but a two run seventh sealed the deal and Hunter Strickland tossed an eight pitch save in the bottom of the ninth, securing the season's first victory. Johnny Cueto earned the win for the Giants, as a six inning, five strikeout performance, is on the books for opening day.

March 30th, 2018
Giants (2-0) 4, Dodgers (0-2) 3
Winner: Chris Stratton (1-0) Loser: Josh Fields (0-1) Save: Hunter Strickland (2)

McCutchen double starts three run inning in sixth to win contest

Down, but not out, the Giants produced a three run sixth to take the lead and eventually the second straight in Los Angeles, 4-3. Andrew McCutchen once again came through for San Fran as his double scored Buster Posey and the Giants would haul in three more behind hits from Evan Longoria and Hunter Pence. Chris Stratton had a quality start for the club as he would go six, fanning eight, surrendering one walk, and two earned runs. Cody Gearin, Sam Dyson, and eventually, Hunter Strickland, would provide a seventh, eighth, and ninth, for San Francisco, closing things out for the win. Dyson struggled a tad in the eighth, but Strickland offered up an inning and a third to earn his second save of 2018.

March 31st, 2018
Giants (2-1) 4, Dodgers (1-2) 11
Winner: Rich Hill (1-0), Loser: Ty Blach (0-1), Save: None

Dodgers start and end well, racking up double digits in blowout

The sleeping Giant of Los Angeles' offense was awoken for the game under the lights with the home club crushing the visiting NorCal Giants, 11-4. Austin Barnes delivered a night to remember as he was a perfect four for four at the dish with a HR and double, batting in three, and scoring twice. Rich Hill threw five strong innings for Los Angeles, holding the two win Giants to just one run, before being pulled in the fifth. Hunter Pence did what he could at the plate as he was three for four with two runs batted in, scoring once, himself. Ty Blach suffered the loss and he would last just four innings, surrendering six runs on ten hits. Josh Osich, Tony Watson, and Reyes Moronta, provided mop up duties for San Francisco, with a particularly good inning coming from Osich who fanned one, walked one, but did not allow a run on 14 pitches.

April 1st, 2018
Giants (2-2) 0, Dodgers (2-2) 1
Winner: Kenta Maeda (1-0), Loser: Tyler Beede (0-1), Save: Kenley Jansen (1)

Seager HR in fourth lone blemish in fantastic pitching duel

Tyler Beede and Kenta Maeda put forth a remarkable effort on the mound, combining for 15.1 innings, eight punch outs, three walks, and one earned run. Corey Seager, batting .400 on the year heading into the contest, launched a shot off Beede in the fourth inning as all other sticks were silenced in the 1-0 victory for Los Angeles. Buster Posey helped San Francisco avoid being no-hit as he delivered the lone single for the visiting club. Kenley Jansen provided the close for LA as the two clubs split the opening series for 2018.

Series Pitcher: Kenta Maeda (1-0, 7.1 IP, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K)
Series Batter: Hunter Pence (.500, 6/12, 3 Runs, 1 HR, 4 RBI)

[saintrules]

Re: OOTP 19 Franchise Progress

San Francisco Giants (2018)

April 3rd, 2018
Mariners (2-2) 0, Giants (3-2) 1
Winner: Hunter Strickland (1-0) Loser: James Pazos (0-1) Save: None

Belt draws bases loaded walk for walk-off in home opener!

You hate to see it, but Seattle setup man, Juan Nicasio, tossed four balls during a bases loaded AB vs. a season hitless Brandon Belt in the bottom of the tenth, surrendering the only run on the day, and a loss for his visiting Mariners. It was another battle of the arms as James Paxton and Derrick Holland went at it, combining for 14.0 innings, eight hits, zero earned runs, one walk, and 11 strikeouts. Gearrin, Dyson, and Strickland, provided four strong innings of work, with Strickland earning his first win on the year after two innings pitched without surrendering a run.

April 4th, 2018
Mariners (2-3) 2, Giants (4-2) 5
Winner: Johnny Cueto (2-0) Loser: Marco Gonzalez (0-1) Save: None

Cueto goes the distance in second start, supplemented by Longoria's grand salami

If there's anything the Giants need to start this season off right, it's for Cueto to be the man for the rotation. The 32-year old right hander looked solid through his complete game performance, surrendering two solo shots off Kyle Seager, but nothing else. While his strikeout rate has been low, just four through tonight, Cueto has commanded the mound well. Evan Longoria started things off with a bang in this first as he went yard with the bases jammed, racking up his sixth RBI on the season and is now batting a healthy .304 through the first six games. Brandon Belt has remained hitless up to this point, a noteworthy remark.

Series Pitcher: Johnny Cueto (2-0, 15.0 IP, 5 ER, 2 BB, 9 K, 3.00 ERA)
Series Batter: Evan Longoria (.125, 1/8, 1 Run, 1 HR, 4 RBI)

[notsobabybombers]

Re: OOTP 19 Franchise Progress

Folks...this game is something else. I just had one of my most special seasons, and moments, in my time playing OOTP.

This morning, I started up new Yankees save. I got several seasons deep into one when OOTP 19 first came out, then branched away to other teams/save ideas. But the Yankees drew me back.

It was a solid first half; the offense was good as expected, though a few of our starts started a little slow. (Like real life.) At the ASG, ---

Everything changed on one July game against the Braves. Tanaka, Green and Sabathia all got hurt. Green and Tanaka would return for the stretch run but CC was done for the rest of the regular season, and his career is, unfortunately, likely over anyway....

We had to do something. So, I sold the farm for Cole Hamels, trading Clint Frazier and Brandon Drury (who were in AAA) along with Oswaldo Cabrera and top pitching prospect Domingo German (AA.) I may have overpaid but I didn't want to cheat the AI. I regret this decision, haha, for reasons later in this post. I also decided to trade for the Padres' Carter Capps to bolster our 'pen, because I was worried about the injury bug. I gave up top prospect Albert Abreu to get him, but Capps is young and he played well for us, so I'm happy with the move.

Speaking of which, Cole Hamels, our blockbuster acquisition? He tore his rotator cuff on 8/30, ending his season. His ERA was 4.94 with us anyway. With a team option next year, his future's in our hands. I don't want to let him go after we gave up so much for him, but the injury will keep him our all of next year, so his time as a Yankee is probably done. That's one of the "unluckiest" things I've seen happen in my saves.

We had a pretty good August but we nearly collapsed in September. We had a sizable lead on Boston most of the summer, but a miserable September in New York allowed the Sox to climb (almost) all the way back. The Yankees held on, beating Boston in the final few games of the season to seal the deal.

The offense was as advertised; 2nd in RS, 1st RA but ranking 5th and 6th in BA/OBP leaves room for improvement. Our staff ranked third, with the top BP but only the 6th-ranked rotation ERA. All around, we have room for growth next year.

The Yankees didn't sweep either opponent, but they did dispatch the defending champions in the ALDS and the Indians in the ALCS. In the World Series, we faced the Dodgers, the team with the best record in baseball and a whole lotta demons to exorcise. (Last year's loss, their inability to get a title despite spending so much money.)

We nearly choked the series away, as we won the first three but lost the next two. CC Sabathia shockingly came back, as he recovered in time to make his way onto the WS roster. He started one game and it wasn't a storybook moment (3.2 innings, 2 runs, no decision) but it was cool to get him out there one last time.

In the last home game of the series, I really wanted to see the Yankees close it at home, for the home fans and for the security of avoiding two games in LA in an NL park.

It was a rematch of game one: Sevvy vs Kershaw. LA blitzed our young ace, bashing two homers and scoring 5 total runs off him. Sevvy was taken out after the second inning, leaving us with a 5-0 deficit because Kershaw was on fire to begin the game.

But the Yankees have heart. A three run third inning put us back in the game, with a Sanchez homer being the exclamation point. My hopes were rising but LA scored two runs off Chance Adams and Kahlne in the fifth. My heart sank.

The Yanks took one back in the 6th but still trailed 7-4 in the 8th inning. The tides turned again, though. Judge bashed a homer off Kenley Jensen, who was brought in early in an effort to shut us down. The Yanks scored another off Jensen to make the score 7-6.

Ben Heller got the call in the 9th, as our BP was gassed. Credit to Capps, Gallegos, and Robertson for totally silencing LA from the 6th inning onward. Heller successfully worked around a walk and the game shifted to the bottom of the ninth.

Scott Alexander got the ball for LA because Jensen was overworked, and frankly, didn't have it , in the 8th. A single by Andujar, then a pinch-hit single by Torres and a walk by Gardner loaded the bases.

Then, Aaron Hicks hit
A.
Walk-Off.
Home Run.

Ball Game.

The Yankees won the World Series in Game 5, giving the storied franchise their 28th championship. ROTY favorite Andujar won the WS MVP. This was the most exciting game I've watched in my time playing OOTP. The season was probably the craziest I've ever had.

[Gosens6]

Re: OOTP 19 Franchise Progress

Folks...this game is something else. I just had one of my most special seasons, and moments, in my time playing OOTP.

This morning, I started up new Yankees save. I got several seasons deep into one when OOTP 19 first came out, then branched away to other teams/save ideas. But the Yankees drew me back.

It was a solid first half; the offense was good as expected, though a few of our starts started a little slow. (Like real life.) At the ASG, ---

Everything changed on one July game against the Braves. Tanaka, Green and Sabathia all got hurt. Green and Tanaka would return for the stretch run but CC was done for the rest of the regular season, and his career is, unfortunately, likely over anyway....

We had to do something. So, I sold the farm for Cole Hamels, trading Clint Frazier and Brandon Drury (who were in AAA) along with Oswaldo Cabrera and top pitching prospect Domingo German (AA.) I may have overpaid but I didn't want to cheat the AI. I regret this decision, haha, for reasons later in this post. I also decided to trade for the Padres' Carter Capps to bolster our 'pen, because I was worried about the injury bug. I gave up top prospect Albert Abreu to get him, but Capps is young and he played well for us, so I'm happy with the move.

Speaking of which, Cole Hamels, our blockbuster acquisition? He tore his rotator cuff on 8/30, ending his season. His ERA was 4.94 with us anyway. With a team option next year, his future's in our hands. I don't want to let him go after we gave up so much for him, but the injury will keep him our all of next year, so his time as a Yankee is probably done. That's one of the "unluckiest" things I've seen happen in my saves.

We had a pretty good August but we nearly collapsed in September. We had a sizable lead on Boston most of the summer, but a miserable September in New York allowed the Sox to climb (almost) all the way back. The Yankees held on, beating Boston in the final few games of the season to seal the deal.

The offense was as advertised; 2nd in RS, 1st RA but ranking 5th and 6th in BA/OBP leaves room for improvement. Our staff ranked third, with the top BP but only the 6th-ranked rotation ERA. All around, we have room for growth next year.

The Yankees didn't sweep either opponent, but they did dispatch the defending champions in the ALDS and the Indians in the ALCS. In the World Series, we faced the Dodgers, the team with the best record in baseball and a whole lotta demons to exorcise. (Last year's loss, their inability to get a title despite spending so much money.)

We nearly choked the series away, as we won the first three but lost the next two. CC Sabathia shockingly came back, as he recovered in time to make his way onto the WS roster. He started one game and it wasn't a storybook moment (3.2 innings, 2 runs, no decision) but it was cool to get him out there one last time.

In the last home game of the series, I really wanted to see the Yankees close it at home, for the home fans and for the security of avoiding two games in LA in an NL park.

It was a rematch of game one: Sevvy vs Kershaw. LA blitzed our young ace, bashing two homers and scoring 5 total runs off him. Sevvy was taken out after the second inning, leaving us with a 5-0 deficit because Kershaw was on fire to begin the game.

But the Yankees have heart. A three run third inning put us back in the game, with a Sanchez homer being the exclamation point. My hopes were rising but LA scored two runs off Chance Adams and Kahlne in the fifth. My heart sank.

The Yanks took one back in the 6th but still trailed 7-4 in the 8th inning. The tides turned again, though. Judge bashed a homer off Kenley Jensen, who was brought in early in an effort to shut us down. The Yanks scored another off Jensen to make the score 7-6.

Ben Heller got the call in the 9th, as our BP was gassed. Credit to Capps, Gallegos, and Robertson for totally silencing LA from the 6th inning onward. Heller successfully worked around a walk and the game shifted to the bottom of the ninth.

Scott Alexander got the ball for LA because Jensen was overworked, and frankly, didn't have it , in the 8th. A single by Andujar, then a pinch-hit single by Torres and a walk by Gardner loaded the bases.

Then, Aaron Hicks hit
A.
Walk-Off.
Home Run.

Ball Game.

The Yankees won the World Series in Game 5, giving the storied franchise their 28th championship. ROTY favorite Andujar won the WS MVP. This was the most exciting game I've watched in my time playing OOTP. The season was probably the craziest I've ever had.

Amazing. Ya gotta love the game of baseball

[notsobabybombers]

Re: OOTP 19 Franchise Progress

Amazing. Ya gotta love the game of baseball

You really do. At the very least, I do.

This second season has been pretty crazy in its own right. We were hoping for a straight forwarder where we defended our title. That idea went out the window in ST when Judge tore his UCL. (Done for the year.) Sanchez went down early and he'll miss most of the year. He'll return sometime Aug/September. Tanaka has been hurt but thankfully he's back. Charlie Morton, our "big" offseason move to shore up the rotation, got hurt in ST and suffered setback after setback. He has finally been called up to the MLB roster after the ASG.

Without Judge, our offense has fallen all the way to 8th in the AL. Boone keeps putting Stanton in the OF and Gleyber Torres at DH, so I wanted to make a move for an impact outfielder. I further sold the farm (Tyler Wade, Domingo Acevedo) for the Twins' Andrew McCutchen. Hopefully the move pays off.

We still semi-comfortably lead the division (five games over Boston) but the road back to the WS has been and will continue to be a grind.

Edit: Aaaaand we lost, at home, in the WC Game to the Blue Jays by a score of 9-8. The pitching just sucked. We used Tanaka and Severino (Boone's call, not mine) in the last two games of the season, and it cost us. We lost both games to the lowly Orioles. Had we won, we would have won the division. Instead, a second awful September in a row actually cost us this time.

It's a crappy feeling, grinding through the season, tweaking the roster, winning 97 games but losing in the WC game.

[WaitTilNextYear]

July 1 2018 Update

Team Record: 43-42 
June Record: 15-10
Division: 4th place NL East (10 GB)
Wild Card: 4th place (3 GB)
Team MVP so far: [B]Max Kepler[/B], .299/.398/.565 | 17 HR | 59 RBI | 3.2 WAR
Team Cy Young so far: [B]Mike Clevinger[/B], 8-3 | 3.15 ERA | 1.26 WHIP | 97 IP | 1.4 WAR

The Knights had themselves quite a June, going a franchise-best 15-10 and sporting a respectable 43-42 record so far in this, their inaugural season. June began with a bang as Bobby Cox's misfits won 9 games in a row from 6/2 to 6/10, sweeping Colorado, Philly, and Atlanta in the process. The pendulum swung back as the team dropped 5 in a row at the hands of the Giants and Brewers heading into the mid-June (!!) All-Star Break. After a game here and there, Carolina finished out June with a 5-game winning streak (PIT and MIA) and then a 4-game losing streak (STL and LAD), which they are currently still suffering from.

To say this team has a flair for the dramatic might be the biggest understatement in history. This author counts 2 extra inning wins where the Knights took advantage of an opposing position player forced into pitching late in extra innings. Just counting the wins in their final at bat alone, we have: (1) the 3-2 walk off win in 11 innings [Kevin Pillar RBI single] on 6/3 vs Colorado; (2) the 11-6 win in 15 innings [Kike Hernandez Grand Slam against Jorge Alfaro pitching] on 6/5 at Philly; (3) the 8-3 come-from-behind win [scored 6 runs in the bottom 8] on 6/9 vs Atlanta; (4) the 6-5 walk off win in 10 innings [Deven Marrero bases loaded walk against Rob Brantly pitching] on 6/10 vs Atlanta; (5) the 8-5 walk off win [another Kike Hernandez Grand Slam] on 6/24 vs Miami; and (6) the 5-4 walk off win in 10 innings [Tyler White solo HR] on 6/25 vs Miami. Clutch much? There was also the 19-1 win over Miami on 6/26 so the Fish must've gotten tired of losing it late.

Outfielder Max Kepler continues to be the team's MVP through 95 games. Kepler was batting .299 at the beginning of June and he's still batting .299 at the end of June to go along with 17 HR and 59 RBI (3.2 WAR). Kepler made the NL All-Star team and even homered off of AL reliever Cody Allen to boot, although the AL won the game 7-6 in 12 innings. The Knights were also represented by relief pitcher Lou Trivino in the Midsummer Classic. Trivino [2-3, 1.72 ERA, 3 SV, 1.0 WAR] has been a workhorse in middle relief, appearing in 44 of the team's first 95 games.

Both Kike Hernandez and Jose Abreu turned in rather strong months as well. Hernandez had multiple game-winning Grand Slams and finished June with a .255/.333/.529 line to go with 4 HR, 18 RBI, and beaucoup positional eligibility. Kike has even been elevated to co-starting CF with Kevin Pillar out nursing an oblique injury. Abreu completely flipped the script on his early season woes. "Oso" held down the 3rd spot in the batting order whilst producing to the tune of .317/.481/.610 with 6 HR, 20 RBI, and more BBs than Ks. This is the guy we thought we were getting when fleecing the White Sox in that preseason trade. June saw Abreu raise his batting average from .195 all the way to .230.

The continued excellence of Kepler plus some more pieces coming on line allowed Carolina to top the NL in runs scored (151), OBP (.357), and OPS (.801) in the month of June.

The pitching continues to be touch and go as one might expect when the starting rotation has a combined 5.40 ERA. Trevor Cahill finally pitched himself off the team with a dreadful stretch in early June after a bush league May. Cahill gave up 10 runs in his final May start on 5/30, then left his start on 6/5 start with an injury after 3.1 IP, was used in relief on 6/8, and only lasted 1 inning in his subsequent start on 6/13. That coupled with him (and teammate Stephen Drew) refusing a minor league assignment led to a trade of Cahill and Drew plus some salary relief to KC for coveted reliever Kelvin Herrera. Carolina adding a piece was a bit surprising, but the pieces just seemed to fit what both teams needed at the time (the Royals are 20 games under .500 and have even worse starting pitching). Now with Joakim Soria, Herrera, and Scott Alexander in the bullpen, the Knights look a bit like the Royals, huh. Herrera will be setting up for Soria and Soria still has yet to allow a run this season in 25 appearances.

This team will probably have a much, much worse July according to the law of averages, but fans are flocking to Roy Hobbs Field (average attendance has doubled) and just enjoying the here and now.

[saintrules]

Re: July 1 2018 Update

San Francisco Giants (2018)

April 6th, 2018
Dodgers (4-4) 1, Giants (5-2) 5
Winner: Chris Stratton (2-0) Loser: Scott Alexander (0-3)Save: None

Stratton tosses second gem;Belt goes yard in first hit of 2018

It took some time, but Brandon Belt finally delivered, and boy was it a big one. In the bottom of the seventh, tied 1-1 thanks to an early McCutchen HR, the first baseman put up a monster shot, scoring himself and Austin Jackson, giving the lead to the Giants whom would never look back thanks to a back-to-back shot by Buster Posey. Chris Statton chucked seven fantastic innings, walking none, fanning six, and giving up just one run generated by a Yasiel Puig double. Cody Gearrin would pickup his third hold on the season, fanning two, and Strickland would finish the ninth, even though it would not be a closing situation.

April 7th, 2018
Dodgers (5-4) 8, Giants (5-3) 1
Winner: Kenta Maeda (2-0) Loser: Ty Blach (0-2) Save: None

Blach lasts just four;Giants bats iced by Maeda once again

Kenta Maeda walked out of AT&T Park for the second time in 2018 with a masterpiece of a performance. Despite not racking up the K's and allowing one run on a bases loaded walk, Maeda was nearly untouchable for six innings as he allowed just two hits on 88 pitches. The Giants had no answer for the man on the mound, and Ty Blach lasted just four innings as the Dodgers' bats came to life. Cody Bellinger launched one off Blach in the fourth, ending the day early for the Giants starter who gave up six earned runs on seven hits, with five walked batsmen. In the bad we'll look for the good, Pierre Johnson threw two clean mop-up innings for Blach, striking out three and allowing no runs on 29 pitches. The 5-3 Giants will see the Dodgers twice more at AT&T park.

[saintrules]

Re: July 1 2018 Update

San Francisco Giants (2018)

April 8th, 2018
Dodgers (5-5) 1, Giants (6-3) 7
Winner: Tyler Beede (1-1) Loser: Clayton Kershaw (0-1)Save: None

Beede goes the distance, supplemented by two Longoria blasts

If there's one thing to do when facing one of the league's best aces, it's get on them early. That is exactly what San Francisco did this evening as the Giants rocked Kershaw to the tune of five, first inning runs. The big bat from Longoria belted a first inning shot off Kershaw and found one later in the seventh off Baez, racking up five runs batted in, and two scores, himself. Longoria likely would have received game MVP honors if it wasn't for Tyler Beede who was remarkable in his second start of 2018. The young gun went all nine, allowing just five hits, and one earned run. While Beede didn't have the strikeout ball working too well, he managed to fan five while walking just one. The victory earns San Francisco their sixth on the year, good for first in the NL West.

April 9th, 2018
Diamondbacks (5-5) 5, Giants (7-3) 6
Winner: Chris Stratton (3-0) Loser: Andrew Chafin (0-2) Save: None

Unreal 18 inning grinder goes way of Giants

When the Giants and Diamondbacks met in San Francisco tonight, it's likely nobody expected extra innings. Even more likely, not a soul would have expected two full games to be played under the lights. The ridiculous contest saw back and forth action from both clubs, highlighted by Evan Longoria coming through with two absolutely unreal clutch HR's, down one in the 10th to keep things going, and down one in the 12th, to keep the Giants alive. Both teams went through practically their entire active rosters as the Giants finally gave the ball to Chris Stratton, who had pitched just three days prior, as there were zero relievers left in the mix for San Francisco. In the bottom of the eighteenth, once again, down one, the home team strung together a couple of singles, loading the bases, giving way to Brandon Crawford to hit home a walk-off, two run-scoring single.