OOTP 19 Franchise Progress

[KBLover]

Re: OOTP 19 Franchise Progress

Mike Trout Announces Intent to Retire

"It's time, I think. I don't feel like I'm really helping the team like I should, and that's a sign to me that it is time to say goodbye to this great game, " Trout spoke at a postgame press conference.

Perhaps he's set a standard so high that a near .800 OPS and a .413 OBP, albeit in limited action, is "not helping the team", but that is how the Angels mega-star feels.

Trout's career will end after 26 seasons. He endorsed Luis Guardado as a worthy successor before leaving the podium.

"Luis has the makings of a pure hitter. Smooth swing, great attitude at the plate. I can't wait to see him do great things, " Trout commented.

The young hitter is drawing eyeballs for now that he's the starter, mostly at Trout's request, but the rest of the season will be the Trout Farewell Tour. Fans all over baseball will get the chance to say goodbye to one of the greatest ever to play the game.

While the season is only about half over, the career numbers for Trout won't change in any meaningful way in all likelihood. As such, here they are.


Regular Season:

Postseason:

[KBLover]

Re: OOTP 19 Franchise Progress

2036 All-Star Break

At the Break, the Angels are exceeding what BNN expected, though that is largely due to a strong July so far.

And they have needed every bit of it.

The Angels have been locked in a heated battle with the Astros all season, frequently finding themselves tied or with a tiny lead through much of the season. The current four game lead is one of the largest the Angels have enjoyed to date.


Thankfully for the team, the pitching has blown everyone away, even surpassing what was already very high expectations.

"We expected around a 3.30 ERA, which already blew the doors off most in the league. Never thought they'd threaten to come in below 3.00 for the season. It's been amazing and scary to watch, " one BNN writer commented.

The rotation in particular has been exceptional, including, perhaps led by, the two newest faces, Soto and McGlauflin.

Soto, the neglected and/or undiscovered pitcher from Venezuela has been dominant. How dominant? His 2.33 ERA is the highest his ERA has been all season. From April to June, he was under 2.00 ERA, and, for a while, he was under 1.50. Not bad from your fifth starter.

Meanwhile, all McGlauflin has done is keep his BABIP low and keep the ball in the park at a solid rate. The strikeouts have been there in bunches, sometimes racking up a plethora of them and sometimes looking more like a finesse pitcher. Either way, McGlauflin's first season has gone well to this point. Currently, he's unbeaten in his last 12 starts and on has a win streak of eight decisions.

The most steady hand has been Hatakeyama, which isn't entirely unexpected as that's what he was known for in the NPB.

"He doesn't get blown up most of the time. One to three runs, six to eight innings, that's pretty much what you know you'll get. Win or loss comes more to the run support, " Moulin commented.

The offense has been decent enough overall. The bats have come in pretty much as expected - near the middle of the AL, nothing fancy, hardly any long balls, just peck away and be generally annoying.

Luna has been the big part of that at the top of the order, draw walking, slashing the gaps, and stealing whenever he sees a bit of an opening. Hirano, Nakatani, and Tomita have done a good job adding in what little power the Angels do have.

Guardado's batting average has crept up to near .350 with the increased playing time. The Angels are still hoping the extra base hit ability starts to show up. If it can in the second half, that would go a long way to stabilizing the Angels' attack.

The defensive performance has been as good as hoped. The team, by far, leads the AL in zone rating, a measure how the runs saved or lost compared to league average. Leading that charge is the Kamai, who's bat has disappeared but the glove is even stronger than his usual so far.

The Angels will need to keep producing on all three fronts to hold back the Astros. The offense in particular has picked up a bit in July. If that continues, the Angels should be a good shape, but the question is if that will happen.

In prospect news at the midway point, McGlauflin has been as advertised, and the best part of all: the change-up is coming.

"He's getting more consistency from his off-speed. That's wonderful. It was one of the biggest risks is that he'd just have to rely on two top tier pitches to get by, which can be hard. If he can keep growing into that change-up, it can be a third weapon and not just an occasional wrinkle, " pitching coach Ben Jukish commented.

CF Hirozo Maede, the team's top minor league prospect, has struggled at AA-Mobile, batting just .230 with few extra bases or walks to go with it. Scouts aren't too concerned just yet, but everyone is hoping for improvement in the numbers sooner than later.

[KBLover]

Re: OOTP 19 Franchise Progress

Well the game burped or something. Said something about not being able to find some files suddenly after a game day. No idea.



Luckily, I did a back up. Unfortunately, I lost 2036 (well back to game 10 anyway), so will have to replay the season.


Could have been worse, though.

[WaitTilNextYear]

Re: OOTP 19 Franchise Progress

Glad to hear you aren't being set too far back.

About Mike Trout, the only knock on him is that he was a little bit worse in the playoffs? Maybe understandable because he's facing "playoff pitching."

Also, his 166 WAR ranks him neatly between Babe Ruth (168.4 fWAR) and Barry Bonds (164.4 fWAR). Not too shabby.

[KBLover]

Re: OOTP 19 Franchise Progress

Yeah, but I lost the season again...


Every time I get to September and try to save, the database fails.


I don't know what's going on. Nothing has changed with the files/settings and the drive the game is on has 2.5 TB free on it so...idk

[MvPeterson2828]

Re: OOTP 19 Franchise Progress

Yeah, but I lost the season again...


Every time I get to September and try to save, the database fails.


I don't know what's going on. Nothing has changed with the files/settings and the drive the game is on has 2.5 TB free on it so...idk

Try contacting OOTP support. I had a similar issue with Last years game and one the guys in the team was able to fix it for me. It’s been awhile so I don’t remember what he did, but I was like in 2040 and every time I got to August my database kept failing.


twitch.tv/mvpeterson2828

[WaitTilNextYear]

Re: OOTP 19 Franchise Progress

Yeah, but I lost the season again...


Every time I get to September and try to save, the database fails.


I don't know what's going on. Nothing has changed with the files/settings and the drive the game is on has 2.5 TB free on it so...idk

Maybe it would be worth re-installing OOTP as well.

[KBLover]

Re: OOTP 19 Franchise Progress

Looks like I made it through the season. Not sure what happened, what didn't work. But it seems to be working now.

I did a save and it worked. Closed the game and it saved and closed with no issue.

[KBLover]

Re: OOTP 19 Franchise Progress

2036 Season Report

Well, the Angels did win the division as expected and by the about the margin that was expected, but the pitching didn't work out like the Angels expected and that might be a concern in the playoffs.

There will also be a one-game playoff in the AL for the second Wild Card as the Yankees and Royals both finished with 87 wins.

Overall, the Angels did lead in both starter and reliever ERA. However, it was not by the far and away margin that was expected. Soto and Mukai struggled, and in the latter's case, it's the second year in a row he was inconsistent, probably raising some worrisome flags.

McGlauflin had a strong rookie season to make up for it. In some outings, he was almost literally unhittable, and the Angels were more than pleased with his fine showing in his first major league seasons.

"I told them I was ready and I'm glad I showed everyone what I'm about. I'm here to stay so I hope more hitters are ready to throw their bats away in frustration in future seasons, " McGlauflin commented.

The bullpen was equally a mixed bag. Weise had another exceptional season, posting a 1.49 ERA and racking up 44 saves. Endo was a rock in the middle innings, helping Guerra from the setup role bridge the back end of the game. The rest...not so great. Again, a potential issue in the bullpen.

On offense, Luis Guardado answered the "where's the extra base hits" question with a new MLB single-season record for doubles with...78 doubles.

"It's insane. He might be up around 60-70 consistently if this stroke keeps up. He's on a team that's insanely aggressive on the bases and he's got the kind of swing that rips liners everywhere and he makes more than enough contact for everything to play as it should, " one scout spoke.

The lanky Dominican slashed his way to a .365 batting average, which led the AL. Elsewhere on the offense, Sakai, who might be in his last season with the Angels, hit 33 HR, a low total, but he did hit .317 and was still an overall solid contributor.

Masanori Nakatani also had a lower home run total, but he was almost as prolific in doubles as his teammate. Nakatani had "only" 64 doubles on the season. He, along with Sakai and Tomita had 100 RBI.

Speaking of Tomita, his first full season was a success. He had 31 HR and a well-rounded offensive season.

On the farm, CF Hirozo Maede put up a .373 OBP in AA, continuing his fine progress up the system. He might start in AAA next season as he pushes for a spot.

2B Juan Espinoza got his first taste of AAA action, receiving 180 AB and batting .265 in the process. Not a bad showing and he'll probably get more time in AAA with the decent outing.

One prospect that struggled mightily was P Chris Trumm. He got a shot with the long-term injuries to a couple other relievers, and he completely struggled. Some outings he looked completely lost on the mound and showed little ability to bounce back and minimize damage.

[KBLover]

Re: OOTP 19 Franchise Progress

Angels Purchase SS Tokugoro Nagai from
BCL's Miracle Elephants

It's the postseason and the Angels are duking it out through the AL brackets, but that doesn't stop the front office from looking for lottery ticket kids that might turn into something useful.


The Angels bought Tokugoro Nagai from the Fukui Miracle Elephants for $2.5 million. Nagai, 19, is a long shot, but he drew interest because of his fielding and speed skills, where's there's little doubt he's high-end.

"He might be another defense-first utility player if nothing else. Kamai has been hurt a few times and we found ourselves scrambling to keep the defense in tact. Nagai might never get a good bat, but if he can at least be tolerable at the plate, we can move him around the infield in the low minors while he figures out how to hit, " Yarrow commented.

Nagai is the second player the Angels have purchased, both from Japan's Baseball Challenge League. The other was Japan's first female ballplayer, the "knuckle princess" Eri Yoshida.

[KBLover]

Re: OOTP 19 Franchise Progress

ALCS Exit, Trout Retirement Ushering in
a Season of Change in Anaheim?

The Angels were nearly bounced from the ALDS in a clean sweep to the Yankees before rallying from 2-0 down to win three in a row.

They had no such luck against the Blue Jays. Again, the Angels fell into a 2-0 hole. They tried to rally back and tied the series at 2-2, but the Jays put the hammer down and advanced to the World Series.

There, the Jays were trounced by the Braves, who might be taking the mantle of MLB's best team if they can keep it together. The Braves won 105 games and ripped through the playoffs without issue.

Exodus of Coaching Talent

The Angels will be scrambling to try to retain some of their coaching talent as they look to ply their increased reputations into bigger opportunities.

Chief among them will be former Dodger Yasiel Puig, who managed at the High-A level and has a reputation for developing talent...if not relationships...in the clubhouse, and Koyie Hill, a hitting coach that toiled in obscurity for Orem of the Pioneer League...and helped turn that team into a rookie-league monster.

Those two are certainly not the only coaches leaving. Ben Jukich is one that got into the spotlight with the arrival of McGlauflin as the coach is noted for working with power arms. However, perhaps that was also why Mukai, Harriston, and Mavity seemed to reverse under his watch.

Trout Gone, Number Retired. An Era Ends.
Will Sakai Follow?

Mike Trout officially hung up the bat and glove for the last time with the conclusion of the postseason. Not long after, the Angels retired his #27 in his honor.

"Ohtani and Trout combined to revitalize the franchise and show us we can win and thrive once again. Now it is time for the second of those two players to enjoy life after baseball. We give you our thanks, Mike Trout, for all the years of service on and off the field and hope you'll keep in touch of the community that adores you, " Yarrow commented as the unveiling of Trout's number commenced.

Meanwhile, Toshikuni Sakai, overshadowed only because Mike Trout shared a lineup with him, might also be departing via free agency. Sakai's home run numbers, and his health, have slipped in the last few seasons, and he's 36. However, the Angels allegedly want him back, though the salary number was a stopping point last season when the parties talked at the All-Star Break.

There's also the matter of Guardado, who, if this season is any indication, should be able to at least provide similar-yet-different production. Similar in being a threat, but different in that it's with high BABIP and doubles instead of power in streaks and bunches.

There is room for both, however...assuming that Sakai would be content being DH full time...and at an agreeable price.

[KBLover]

Re: OOTP 19 Franchise Progress



Masuda was the reason the deal happened. The headline numbers don't speak to what the Angels hope to get from him - a terror on the bases that can play shortstop and rack up the hits.


"They are hope to get a Guardado with some more walks and many more stolen bases. If that plays out and he stays healthy, this trade will work for the Angels. It's a risk, though, " one AL scout spoke.


Indeed, Soto had his ups and downs, but was overall solid enough. Saito pretty much would echo the description. Tomita is a solid, young center fielder that looks like he's on the rise.

Perhaps mitigating the risk is Hirozo Maeda, who now figures to be the starting CF. The team's best hitting prospect will get the call, barring yet another major and unexpected move.

The one wrinkle to Maeda is his patience at the plate to along with his slash and run style of hitting. Walks are one area that's slipped over the years, OBP coming mostly from high batting averages more than walks. Maeda could present the best of both worlds, along with everything else the Angles have loved in a hitter since Moulin's arrival.

Replacing Soto might be more of an issue. Harriston and Mavity would seem to be the obvious choices but both have fallen in recent years with Harriston not even on the team as he was denied arbitration.

"We have some possibilities, and either more trades or free agency is an option. If we don't get Sakai back, we'll get a pick and we could give ours in compensation, almost like trading Sakai and a first round pick for a pitcher and a 1st round pick, " Yarrow commented.

Change is indeed at work in Angels land. Will be interesting to see how they are viewed once the 2037 season dawns.

[KBLover]

Re: OOTP 19 Franchise Progress

Three new HoFers:


SS Francisco Lindor was inducted on first ballot with 90.7% of the vote. He picked up 2800 hits, 350 HR, and racked up 90.8 WAR in a 16-year career. He goes in with an Indians cap.


3B Nolan Arrenado was inducted on first ballot with 88.8% of the vote. He picked up 500 HR, 2500 hits, and 68.5 WAR in a 17-year career. He goes in with the Rockies.


3B Rafael Devers was inducted on his second ballot with 76.8% of the vote. He had 487 HR and 2281 hits, picking up 57.2 WAR in a 13-year career. He will wear a Red Sox cap.

[KBLover]

Re: OOTP 19 Franchise Progress

2037 Angels

Well then.

The Angels were declared the biggest loser in the offseason, rated as losing a whopping -19 WAR this offseason. The Dodgers were the big winner, including picking some of the former Angels, including Sakai.

All the angst. The worry.

The......111 Wins??? What the...

Yes, BNN has the Angels tagged at 111 wins with an offense that should makes its best showing in years...with no Trout, no Sakai. In fact, the Angels havetwo hitters in the top performers: Luis Guardado and Hisato Masuda, the acquisition in the big trade with the Dodgers.

So where are these runs going to come from? BNN thinks the Angels will wear defenses out with stolen bases. In what is probably an overly optimistic estimate, the Angels are expected to steal 259 bases. That's expected to be tops in the majors, but the Tigers are expected to have 170...which isn't terrible. Are stolen bases coming back in vogue?

The Angels are also expected hit .295 as a team. That's insane.

There are a lot of contact hitters in the lineup. However, scouts are super bullish on only two, Guardado and Masuda. Maeda will likely be up there over time if he pans out. The rest? Scouts have them as largely average or maybe a tick above.

"I guess they think those two [Guardado and Masuda] will boost the whole team's average. That's possible, but that's also quite a bit of pressure to put on the pair. Guardado especially as he's already under pressure to prove last season was no fluke, " an AL scout commented.

As for the stolen bases...Luna has stolen around 50 to 80 bases in the last few years. Masuda has about 40 as his high point, but the Angels are likely far more aggressive, given Moulin's well-known tendencies. Kamai has the speed, but his on-base percentage is on the lower side.

On the pitching side, the Angels are expected to have all five starters among the best performers with McGlauflin the #1 performer. McGlauflin is expected to blossom into a true ace type, though the Angels, at least to start, are expected to keep him in the lower portions of the rotation.

BNN is bullish on Hatakeyama doing well. He's been solid but not quite breaking into the top tier. BNN thinks that changes now, perhaps with the change at pitching coach. Kahng, on the other hand, is expected to take a big step back...perhaps for the same change at pitching coach.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out and if BNN is on the mark. The Angels would seem to be a very annoying team to go up against.

In terms of the farm, the Angels again have the #1 prospect, this time CF Hirozo Maeda, who will make his major league debut. His spring training performance was very much mixed, even with drawing walks, but perhaps that was just an adjustment period, which wouldn't be out of the question.

Overall, the Angels farm has skyrocketed to 4th overall. Perhaps Yuki Saito's emphasis on international and minors scouting is paying off. She's certainly been adamant about both of those, though McGlauflin is also her amateur draft and Maeda was discovered during the international free agency period, giving the Angels a shot at him.

Top propsects in the farm include 3B Hizakusa Ishida (18th, still in the international development complex), LF Luis Amarante (36th, AA), and 3B Henriqua Becerra (44th, promoted to A-ball).

[KBLover]

Re: OOTP 19 Franchise Progress

2037 Report

The Angels did indeed have an easy time in the division this season, but BNN underestimated the overall offense in the AL.

The Yankess broke the 1000-runs mark and hit 305 home runs as a team to pace all of baseball in both stats. Also off the charts were the walks. Several hitters drew well over 100 walks this season, something that had analysts wondering what was going on.

Rookie Maeda made the most of the upswing in walks, drawing 180 of them in his rookie season. He had a bombshell debut, and it will likely be a tough act to follow...or even come close to, especially if trends revert more to the usual in the league.

Maeda's season was worth 8.7 WAR. This matched fellow youngster Arturo Bernal of the Mariners. The 21-year-old slugger has 56 HR and eclipsed Maeda's OPS (.917) with a 1.077 mark.

Doubles were also high again, with Guardado hitting 71 to lead baseball.

Hisato Masuda, the big trade acquisition for the Angels, came alive while with the team in his first year. Now, how much of this could be attributed to the sudden jump in AL offense is a fair question. Still, he won the batting title with a .353 batting average and led the league in steals with 80.

All the offense made what Jared McGlauflin did even more amazing. The second-year power pitcher won the AL pitching Triple Crown with a 1.79 ERA, 19 wins, and 260 strikeouts. He would have had 20 wins, but the bullpen blew his lead on the final day of the season. McGlauflin's season was worth 8.9 WAR and he pitched 211 innings.

"I don't think I can have any doubts about him as an ace, " Moulin commented, "It's pretty clear who the best arm on the staff is right now."

For all the offense in the AL, the NL was in a runs drought. Only one team, the Brewers, had 900 runs and several teams struggled to reach even 700 runs.

The Dodgers, who did indeed win the NL West, batted .229 as a team and scored only 726 runs. That would have been dead last, by a significant margin, in the AL.

Angels Playoffs Action

The Angels nearly suffered a major upset at the hands of their division rivals.

The Astros were shutdown by McGlauflin but then won the next two games. After the bats showed up in game four for the Angels to tie the series at 2-2, it was McGlauflin's turn again.

This time, the Astros starter, Ismael Santoya, was able to match McGlauflin zero for zero and left with a 1-0 lead. That looked to be the final score until Shaun Prichett, who had come in earlier as a pinch hitter, delivered a 2-run double to score the winning run and move the Angels to the ALDS.

Next on the agenda after that emotional win were the Yankees and their insane offense.

But that offense never got to show up. The Angels pitching looked strong and kept the Yankees under wraps all series. The result was a 4-0 sweep to push the Angels ahead to the World Series.

The opponent for the Angels was the Phillies, who followed a similar path through the NL, a scare in the NLDS followed by a rout victory in the NLCS. That meant both teams were coming in hot and on a positive swing.

However, the Angels pitching was again too much. Lead by McGlauflin and a surging Hatakeyama, the Angels made quick work of the Phillies to capture the World Series.

"It's good to be in the winning clubhouse again, " Moulin commented. He last achieved total victory in 2031 when he won his third championship, "It's scary to think if it wasn't for Shaun [Prichett]'s double in the ninth, we'd be gone in the ALDS. Instead, we're champions."

The victory was the fourth World Series under Moulin's watch, now spanning 12 seasons.