OOTP 19 Franchise Progress

[N51_rob]

Re: OOTP 19 Franchise Progress

Well the 2020 season despite the hope and promise at the all-star break ended pretty pathetically. The punches came fast and plentiful. While my rotation was below average to bad, hopes on getting Harvey back were dashed when the day before his return I was told he had a setback and would be out for another 3 months. While that was bad, the start to the second half of the season on the field was a disaster. We came out the gate going 3-14. I went to a 6 man rotation as a way to try to stop the bleeding nothing really worked. Season ended in a thud at 80-82.

While that was going on I was feverishly working with Joc Pederson and his representation on trying to secure a long term deal for him to keep him in Baltimore. On July 31st we were able to reach a deal. 9 years $241 million. Joc clearly wanted to sat in Baltimore and worked with me on the 1st year of the contract only taking $18 million, I inturn gave him an opt out clause after the 2024 season his 31 age season. He can stay and have another $139 million guaranteed. So it works for both sides.

Despite the season imploding there were some bright spots in the second half. One being SP Roniel Raudes a 23 year old pitcher we acquired along with Xandar Bogarts in the Zach Britton trade. In 14 starts Raudes posted a 6-2 record with a 3.26 ERA in 80 innings. His performance ensured him a spot in the rotation in 2021.

Spoiler

Offensively outside of Machado and Pederson most everyone else slid back a bit. With the exception on LF/DH Anthony Santander who in his first year of solid playing time produced .260/.323/.452 slugging 25 home runs and driving in 91 runs. His 139 strikeouts were problematic, but there is hope he can cut that number down with more experience. Rule 5 pick Kevin Newman finished the season .275/.348/.405 while not a HR threat Newman is a patient hitter with a good eye for the strike zone his 59 BB and 36 doubles show he has the ability to pound balls into the gaps. CF Billy Hamilton won his second career gold glove in center field. He posted a career bests in Range Factor (3.65), zone rating (+26.3) and efficiency (1.067) while committing only one error in 574 total chances.

As for the business of baseball, after the season Angelos upped out budged from $100 million to $126 million, which was a nice bump bit still left us limited in free agency, but not totally unable to make moves. We retained Steven Souza (3y $5.9 million) and Julio Teheran (2y, $2.7 million) while letting Kevin Gausman among others walk. In free Agency we added SP Carlos Carrasco (2y, $17.1) and RF Kole Calhoun (1y, $1.9) to round out our 25 man roster while adding Rule 5 C Marcus Green Jr to replace the departed Andrew Susac as the back-up catcher. I also added RPs Justin Wilson (3y, $12.6) and Andrew Kittredge (2y, 2.4). I think this will shore up the pen and allow the quicker hook from Girardi in sims to not hurt as much.

I was pretty frustrated when Angelos sent me an email at the end of Free Agency that he was upping my budged from $126 million to $140 million about a week after Marcus Stroman finally signed and we missed out on him. So looking at our upcoming Free Agents I decided to invest that extra money in our team doubling the scouting budget to $8 million and adding 2 million to the development budget to $10 million. Signs point to things turning around with the fan base, there is excitement and interest in the team, season ticket sales project to be up 45%, season ticket revenue has almost eclipsed last years numbers and the local media TV deal has already brought in more money than last year. Projected revenue is tracking to be about $17 million more than last year. So after doing all that and looking at my pen I decided to spend some of that money on the relievers mentioned above.

Still trying to rebuild the minors as that is also one of my goals, but we do have two prospects in the top 100 and both are under the age of 23. SS Bobby Witt Jr seems to be popular with just about every GM in the league as he is mentioned in every trade proposal that I've received.

Spoiler

Lastly as we start the season we are predicted to finish 85-77, 4th in the AL East. Not too bad considering how loaded the Blue Jays are. Harper won the batting triple crown in 2020 and their pitcher Joe Musgrove won the pitching triple crown as they won 121 games and the world series, and this year they added Giancarlo Stanton who opted out of his deal with the Yankees.

Sorry if this is so long, i wrote it as I was going through the off-season/spring training this afternoon/evening.

[KSUowls]

Re: OOTP 19 Franchise Progress

Doesn't look like a return to the playoffs is in the cards for 2018.

May
May was only slightly better than March/April where we went 14-15. We're not 28-29 overall, and I had to make some drastic moves.

Mid-way through May Dansby Swanson was once again one of the worst defensive short stops in all of the majors both in terms of errors and in all sabermetrics. So, I decided something needed to change, and I flipped Ozzie Albies to SS and Dansby to 2B.

Nick Markakis just hasn't been able to get anything going at the plate. So, I found a trade partner in Toronto who wasn't getting anything out of their RF position either. I traded RF Markakis, RP Lucas Sims, and high A ball RP Enderson Franco for 21 year old C prospect Riley Adams. I also had to retain about 50% of Marakis's remaining salary. This was a salary dump move, and a move to allow me to look for a different corner OF option. Adams also brings a little depth to my future catching prospects which aren't great.

Using the money I saved from unloading the Markakis deal and some earlier moves I was able to get Ronald Acuna to agree to a 7 year extension worth nearly 50 million. He was very happy to receive the contract.

Replacing Markakis in RF is Acuna who has moved over from LF. LF is now being taken over in a platoon style with Kendry Morales and Mallex Smith (who TB was willing to trade for an A ball hitting prospect).

Other Organizational Notes
After Teheran went doown with an oblique injury in mid April, I called up career minor league pitcher who went 2-2 with a respectable 4.13 ERA filling in the rotation over 5 starts.

Freeman continues to struggle at the plate. Hitting just .262 through the end of May, and while his 11 HR does lead the team it is just 1 better than rookie Acuna.

We did end May on a 3 game win streak, and 6 of the last 7 overall. Hopefully lineup changes can continue to produce good results.

Around the league
-Donald's incredible April could not be sustained. After 17 HR in the first month he managed just 4 in all of May.
-In a bit of a surprise Cleveland's Francisco Lindor is leading the majors in hitting (.371).
-The revamped Brewers are in last place in the NL Central (22-35)
-Best record belongs to the Padres (38-20)


June/July
We went heavy with catching prospects in the draft. We really don't have any great prospects currently in the system, just a few lottery picks at best. Hoping to have attacked this thing with numbers.

Through the all-star break we are 44-51.
We've struggled to get consistency out of our #2, #3 & #4 hitters all season which is why we're 3rd from the bottom in the NL in runs scored.
Pitching has been a little better of a story with Fulmer and Teheran anchoring the staff. Luiz Gohara's ERA has ballooned to 5.50 though and is facing a demotion back to AAA

The one bright spot is that the LF platoon I started in mid-may has worked out great. Smith and Morales have combined to hit .277 with 11 home runs

Around the League
Not too much to report
-Stanton is leading the bigs now and is on pace for 54 HR.
-Otani has taken the league by storm and leads everyone in ERA (2.04) to go with a 15-3 record. He also has a slash line of .260/.327/.449 and 10 HR.
-Zach Britton has announced that he will be putting his baseball career on hold at the end of the season to join the marines.

[WaitTilNextYear]

Re: OOTP 19 Franchise Progress

So how did the 35-round 2018 expansion draft turn out? Check inside the spoiler to find out...


PRESS RELEASE (spoilered for length)

Spoiler

With the number one pick in the 2018 Major League Baseball expansion draft, the Carolina Knights select....

....Collin McHugh, RHP (HOU), 6'2" 190 lbs, Throws: R, $5MM (arb)

And so a new era of baseball is born in Charlotte.

Carolina Knights scouting director Kevin Ramsey was quite adamant in his recommendation that GM/manager Bobby Cox select pitcher Charlie Morton, but Cox ultimately went with McHugh instead. While Morton is arguably a better player, throws harder, and induces more groundballs, Cox felt that having McHugh for 2 years of team control and a slightly lower salary was ultimately more important than having a single year of an impending free agent reported to be seeking $15MM/yr in any extension. Besides, cynically speaking, it will be a while before these Knights really need to stress about winning an extra game or two over the course of a long season. Also impacting Cox's decision was the fact that McHugh will turn 31-years-old this summer whereas Morton is already 34. McHugh is also said to "have great knowledge of the game."

For their part, the Montreal Expos did what Carolina's scouting director would've recommended....

....Charlie Morton, RHP (HOU), 6'5" 235 lbs, Throws: R, 1yr $7MM

Morton will throw the first pitch in the new Expos' franchise history a bit later this Spring.

Picks 2-10 for each team in the serpentine draft turned out like this....

2 - Brett Gardner (CAR), Ricky Nolasco (MON)
3 - Steven Souza Jr. (CAR), Chris Kirsch (MON)
4 - Mitch Moreland (CAR), Tommy Joseph (MON)
5 - Drew Pomeranz (CAR), Roberto Perez (MON)
6 - Nathan Karns (CAR), Dalton Pompey (MON)
7 - Nick Ahmed (CAR), Kike Hernandez (MON)
8 - Dellin Betances (CAR), Cody Reed (MON)
9 - Jett Bandy (CAR), Max Kepler (MON)
10 - Mike Montgomery (CAR), Robbie Grossman (MON)

The Knights worked on their outfield and starting rotation early with 5 of their first 6 selections being one or the other. Bobby Cox apparently liked what he saw on the Yankees (Brett Gardner, Dellin Betances), Red Sox (Mitch Moreland, Drew Pomeranz), and Diamondbacks (Steven Souza Jr., Nick Ahmed) rosters as he took 2 players from each organization with the team's first 10 picks. How strange is it to see the D'Backs being on the other side of this process?

Meanwhile the Montreal Expos demonstrated a similar train of thought in some cases. The Knights had considered Max Kepler before settling on Mitch Moreland to play 1B. The Expos also picked utility player Kike Hernandez, whom Carolina was seriously considering for 2B, and catcher Roberto Perez, whom the Knights were hoping to fall a couple more rounds.

As for the middle rounds....

11 - Chase Utley (CAR), Chase Headley (MON)
12 - Breyvic Valera (CAR), Chris Owings (MON)
13 - Mallex Smith (CAR), Jamie Callahan (MON)
14 - Jefry Marte (CAR), Jonathan Villar (MON)
15 - Ben Heller (CAR), Troy Tulowitzki (MON)
16 - Jake Marisnick (CAR), Josh Tomlin (MON)
17 - Jimmie Sherfy (CAR), Erasmo Ramirez (MON)
18 - Jose Alvarado (CAR), Rowan Wick (MON)
19 - Anthony Banda (CAR), Tomas Nido (MON)
20 - Matt Andriese (CAR), Shelby Miller (MON)

In the middle rounds, Carolina first worked on rounding out their starting position players by selecting 39-year-old Chase Utley in round 11 and Jefry Marte in round 14. Rounds 13 and 16 give the Knights an interesting, defensive-minded platoon in CF with Mallex Smith and Jake Marisnick. The middle of the middle rounds saw Carolina add some bullpen pieces and finish off with a couple more starters. Round 12 was probably the slowest round of the draft as Bobby Cox was torn between several different options for the team's 2B-in-waiting (after Utley retires). Cox went with switch-hitting, contact stud Breyvic Valera, but seriously considered Ronald Torreyes of the Yankees, Max Moroff of the Pirates, and Ildemaro Vargas of the D'Backs.

The Expos made the surprising move of taking Troy Tulowitzki and his contract in round 15. Some have said it was to tweak their division rivals, the Blue Jays. But, others were quick to note that they may have only helped Toronto. D'oh. In any case, the Expos will definitely have a "name player" in year 1. Montreal also took Shelby Miller in round 20; Miller is still recouping from Tommy John surgery.

The final rounds?

21 - Luis Perdomo (CAR), Brian Johnson (MON)
22 - Seranthony Dominguez (CAR), Vince Velasquez (MON)
23 - Brett Nicholas (CAR), Joe Ross (MON)
24 - Wuilmer Becerra (CAR), Ty Blach (MON)
25 - Ryan Buchter (CAR), Brady Rodgers (MON)
26 - Oliver Drake (CAR), Francisco Cervelli (MON)
27 - Luke Voit (CAR), Boog Powell (MON)
28 - Matt Bowman (CAR), Chih-Wei Wu (MON)
29 - Michael Lorenzen (CAR), Ian Desmond (MON)
30 - Jorge Polanco (CAR), Kyle Gibson (MON)
31 - Daniel Descalso (CAR), Seth Mejias-Brean (MON)
32 - Trevor Williams (CAR), Hunter Renfroe (MON)
33 - Phil Ervin (CAR), Luis Guillorme (MON)
34 - Kyle Farmer (CAR), David Freese (MON)
35 - Danny Jansen (CAR), Lance Lynn (MON)

In the late rounds, Carolina nabbed its 5th starter in Trevor Williams (round 32) and finished stocking a surprisingly solid bullpen with Ryan Buchter (round 25), Oliver Drake (round 26) and Matt Bowman (round 28). The Knights are excited about their bullpen, which could rank as one of the better ones in the NL. Bobby Cox also made some riskier moves, going for some prospects and other upside plays. Pitcher Seranthony Dominguez (round 22), OF Wuilmer Beccera (round 24), and catcher Danny Jansen (round 35) really have no shot to help the MLB club this year, but give fans a few prospects to watch. Jorge Polanco (round 30) was probably not protected by the Twins due to his transgressions with banned substances. Carolina doesn't mind waiting his suspension out in order to get a nice utility player. With all the hype surrounding Shohei Ohtani and 2-way players, the Knights have a potential one of their own with Michael Lorenzen (round 29). Lorenzen is slated to close games and play OF in AAA. Perhaps the sleeper of the entire draft is young 1B Luke Voit (round 27). Voit is one of those understated, professional hitter types with .285/30/100 potential and Carolina is excited to see him in action.

The Expos started off the latter rounds by picking 5 pitchers in a row. Then they proceeded to spend some serious cash. After drafting Chase Headley (round 11) and Tulo earlier, the Expos selected Francisco Cervelli (round 26), Ian Desmond (round 29), and Lance Lynn (round 35). All players owed $10MM+ in salary this season. Desmond is probably best suited to be on an AL team like this and will join Tulo as making $20MM or more this season. Most observers panned the selections of Tulo and Desmond, but the Expos didn't bite on Albert Pujols, who was not protected by the Angels, or Jacoby Ellsbury of the Yankees much to no one's surprise.

Payroll

Carolina Knights: $54.7MM
Montreal Expos: $109.6MM

Predictions

Carolina Knights: 68-94 (5th place in NL East)
Montreal Expos: 71-91 (6th place in AL East)

[N51_rob]

Re: OOTP 19 Franchise Progress

So how did the 35-round 2018 expansion draft turn out? Check inside the spoiler to find out...


PRESS RELEASE (spoilered for length)

Spoiler

Whats's your budget/cash left on hand? Plan to chase any marquee FA in the off-season?

[KSUowls]

Re: OOTP 19 Franchise Progress

That wraps up the 2018 season.

In a thrilling 7 game series the Twins beat the Dodgers to take home the championship.


As for the Braves. Despite all the blockbuster trade to bring in Fulmer to anchor the staff, the major league debut of phenom Ronald Acuna, and all the other moves. We finished 2018 exactly where we finished 2017 (72-90).

I'll never know if this satisfied former Braves owner John Malone's goal of "don't completely suck" as he sold the team just a couple days after the World Series. New owner Louis Alvarado is not a patient man. He prioritizes winning and has already laid out a number of goals for me in 2019. Fortunately, he is also willing to open the wallet to put a good product on the field.

Season review:
The big trade for Fulmer turned out to be a really good one. He 11-9, 189.1 IP, 116 K's. His 3.33 ERA was good for #13 in the MLB among qualified starters.

The cash strapped Padres offered me, a couple weeks before the trade deadline, Hunter Renfroe for Tyler Flowers. I had to throw in 2.5m in the deal, but I also got the Padres to add in C Rafael Lopez who was hitting .280 for them. I took this deal and slid him in as my everyday LF. Unfortunately things didn't go quite as well for him in Atlanta. Through 82 games in a Padres uniform his line was .305/.367/.535. In 53 games with the Braves he was .249/.275/.507. I may look into platooning him with Smith in 2019.

Folty and Gohara were replaced in the rotation near the end of the season with young arms Mike Sorotka and Koby Allard with mixed results.
Allard was roughed up bad in his final 2 starts, but in his first 6 he managed a 3.72 ERA
Sirotka has a 3.72 ERA through his first 9 starts, but he didn't make it out of the 4th in his final start of the season which ballooned his ERA to 4.38

Freeman finally came on strong in the 2nd half. We'll need more consistency out of him next year though.

Acuna is a strong candidate for NL RoY. Some is some tough competition for the award, but I think he has a great shot at it.
.274/.324/.478
29 HR
26 SB
101 RS
77 RBI (mostly out of the 2 hole)
4.0 WAR
0 Errors in the field
11 base runners thrown out
Fielding ranks among NL RF
Range #2
ZR #5
Def Eff. #5


We've got a few arbitration cases to go through, but Kurt Suzuki and Joquin Benoit are the only players up for FA. I'd like to re-sign Kurt, but his asking price has been pretty ridiculous.


Offseason Plans
Upgrade C position. This is also an owner's goal, but especially since it doesn't look like we'll have Suzuki back we need to find someone to fill that role. I do have a couple of guys in AAA who had solid years down there, but I'd really like a veteran catcher to pair with one of them.

Decide on Brandon McCarthy's 2019 team option. He didn't pitch great, but he wasn't bad either. His team option is just $5m which is very appealing.

[WaitTilNextYear]

Re: OOTP 19 Franchise Progress

Whats's your budget/cash left on hand? Plan to chase any marquee FA in the off-season?

No cash on hand.

You'd think after a pretty frugal expansion draft that saw me spend just $54.7MM (my highest paid player is Brett Gardner and his 1 year $11MM deal) I'd have tons of cash. However, my owner has given me an inaugural budget of $80MM. So factoring in scouting, development, draft (will have #1 or #2 pick), and coaching expenses I have no money for free agents or extensions at this time. I think my total costs are projected to be $106MM altogether.

I am projected to post revenue of $130MM which would make this season profitable by $24MM. Maybe then my tolerant, generous, interfering, balanced owner will show me the money. But, I doubt I'll be any kind of factor in the Bryce/Manny sweepstakes with this kind of budget. However, if I decline Brett Gardner's team option for next year, deal Moreland, Betances, and McHugh I could conceivably be down to a $30MM major league payroll. We'll see what happens. Most likely this is gonna be a slow burn done largely through the draft.

[KBLover]

Re: OOTP 19 Franchise Progress

Marlins Season Over
Team Stumbles to 54-108 Mark

Maybe this is what was to be expected, but it still has to sting a little to have such a struggle of a season. Hopefully, this helps lay the groundwork for some positive progress.


It's hard to pinpoint one issue, but the pitching staff seemed to start this going in the wrong direction. Sadly, not much can be expected to change in that department. Young pitching talent is few and far between, with the best probably coming out of this year's draft, so some years away in all likelihood.


The offense didn't help, but there is at least some bright spots to consider. Isan Diaz handled the jump from AA to the majors pretty well, considering he was probably not even ready. He struggled, of course, posting a .221/.304/.354 line, but it didn't hinder his progress according to team scouts.


"He [Diaz] handled it as well as you can expect. Never really complained and just kept his focus on trying to be a better hitter. Maybe if we can get the clubhouse right, he'll get to really shine, " manager Don Mattingly commented.


Monte Harrison also got a chance and he really looked overmatched. When he could slow the game down, he showed some flashes. His first major league hit was a triple, one of two he hit in his September call up. He managed just 12 hits, four of which were for extra bases. He went 3-of-4 in steal attempts. He made a couple errors but also showed good range in center field.


On the pitching side, Sandy Alcantara did indeed get a September chance...and was torched. The home runs weren't the problem...it was the walks that really hurt him. He will probably get many more chances, including a spring look, and, honestly, it's hard to picture him not making the roster. Hopefully, this poor showing won't be a mental setback.



And of course, there's Royce Lewis. He didn't get a September chance, but .283/.344/.433 line in about 130 PA for AAA-New Orleans will likely earn him a spring invite.

Cubs Sweep Indians in World Series

The Cubs picked up another World Series win in 2018 after just manhandling the Indians in a clean sweep. The Cubs were rather dominating in the playoffs, winning the NLDS over the Nats 3-1 and beating the Dodgers 4-2 before sweeping the World Series for an 11-3 postseason record.


The Indians might have been worn down by the ALCS. After sweeping the Red Sox in the ALDS, they had to endure a full seven game series against the Astros...with five of the games going to extra innings! Of course, it's hard to know the real extent that grueling series had on the outcome of the World Series, but it's hard to imagine that it had no effect at all.

Marlins Sold
New Ownership Group Lead by Mike Webb Buys Team

"I expect to win in anything I get involved in. I don't see why sports should be any different, " Webb spoke at a press conference.


One has to wonder why anyone who "expects to win" would buy a team that's about as far away as winning as you can get in the Marlins. But here we are and Webb has already met with the GM and other personnel.


One might think Webb would have some unrealistic expectations, but sources indicate that he's not as much of a hard person as his public persona might lead folks to believe. No details are known, of course, but it seems most in the front office are at least cautiously optimistic.

[KBLover]

Re: OOTP 19 Franchise Progress

2018-2019 Offseason
November-December

The Marlins don't figure to be active, but they might not be completely dormant either. After all, now might be a time to completely clean house and start installing more young and/or unknown players and giving them a chance to show what they can do.


The team will likely lean on young players for sure and more journeyman (to say it mildly) players among those who have some experience at the major league level. Of course, after last season, could it get worse?

Arbitration Period
Realmuto, Bour Offered

The Marlins confirmed that they have submitted arbitration offer sheets on 1B Justin Bour and C J.T. Realmuto. This isn't unexpected and fans might be happy to know the Bour will return.

Others getting offers submitted are P Nick Wittgren, OF Derek Dietrich, C/3B Bryan Holaday, and P Jose Urena.

Another issue needing to be dealt with is that of qualifying offers. Perhaps not surprisingly, OF Cameron Maybin and P Juinichi Tazawa won't be getting tender qualifying offers.

Notable Free Agents:

OF Bryce Harper
P Andrew Miller
3B Josh Donaldson
CF Charlie Blackmon
3B Adrian Beltre
C Yasmani Grandal
P Jeurys Familia
P Dallas Keuchel
2B Brian Dozier



Some of the notable signings this free agency

• Dodgers: P Clayton Kershaw, $222 million/6 yrs (extension)
• Dodgers: C Yasmani Grandal, $82.8 million/4 yrs
• Braves: 3B Manny Machado, $169 million/6 yrs
• Blue Jays: LF Wladimir Balentien, $48.5 million/4 yrs (from NPB)
• Braves: P Dallas Keuchel, $92 million/5 yrs
• Nationals: RF Bryce Harper, $169 million/8 yrs
• Astros: P Jeurys Familia, $37.1 million/3 yrs
• Nationals: 2B Brian Dozier, $63.2 million/4 yrs

Marlins signings:

• P Ryan Feierabend, $4.8 million/3 yrs (from KBO)
• P Chisou Saotome, $24 million/4 yrs (from NPB)

Notable Trades:

• Cleveland traded LF Tyler Naquin to the White Sox for P Nate Jones and a minor league pitcher.
• Oakland traded C Dustin Garneau to the Red Sox for 2B Ivan DeJesus, Jr.
• Cubs traded IF Javier Baez and P Bryan Hudson to the Mets for P Steven Matz
• Nationals traded 3B Carlos Asuaje to Padres for P Joe Ross
• Dodgers traded prospect C Will Smith to Royals for P Trevor Oaks

Marlins Trades:

• Marlins trade P Adam Conley and 3B Taylor Braylen to Phillies for P Zach Eflin

Marlins Rule 5 selections:
IF Thairo Estrada (NYY)
IF Luis Caprio (NYM)
OF Jose Siri (CIN)


Marlins Rule 5 losses:
None

[notsobabybombers]

Re: OOTP 19 Franchise Progress

I've reached the first year draft in my Pirates save and this team has certainly surprised me. We have been hit hard by injuries. Marte and Cervelli have missed time but they're back. Here's my current injury report:

RP Neverauskas: out 2 more months (went down 4/22)
RP Feliz: out 7 more months (went down 4/16)
2B Josh Harrison- uncertain return date (went down 4/6)
OF Polanco- out for 4 months (went down 5/13)

Despite all that, trading away Cutch and Cole before the season IRL and 2018 being an expected down year, we are 34-25, 1st in the division by 2.5 games over Chicago. We're only 7th in RS (10th BA) and 9th in RA (9th starters, 7th BP.) Our defense doesn't explain our success either, as we're only ranked 12th there.

We claimed Mike Montgomery off waivers from the Cubs and he has stepped up big time-9 games, 3.38 ERA, 3 games started since coming out of the BP.

Overall, maybe it's a successful "next-man-up" attitude that has made this team successful so far. Waiver claim Dilson Herrera is hitting .343 off the bench, youngster Jordan Luplow is hitting .333 off the bench since being called up when Polanco went down.

I doubt the success will last the duration of the season but the fans are responding well- fan interest has increased from 54 before the season to 64 right now. Our attendance is up, which is unexpected for the reasons listed earlier. I'm just going to enjoy the ride and see where it goes.

[TannerYoho]

Re: OOTP 19 Franchise Progress

As a Bucco fan this made me smile^

[notsobabybombers]

Re: OOTP 19 Franchise Progress

As a Bucco fan this made me smile^

Sorry to burst your bubble, but...

The Pirates were 49-48 at ASB, 2nd in the division behind the Cubs (55-41) We were 1 GB of of the wildcard and 7-3 in last 10 games.
Aaaand then we dropped five straight.
Come July 30, we had gone 2-8 after the ASG, dropping us to 4.5 games out of the WC.

So I decided to sell. We didn’t have many viable pieces but I was happy with the two trades I completed.
I traded RP George Kontos (2.93 ERA) to Houston for a prospect package headlined by 2B Ryne Birk. Kontos had a 2.22 ERA in 16 games with Houston.

I also traded OF Corey Dickerson, who had 17 homers with us, to Seattle, who was in the thick of the WC race. Dickerson slumped with them, as he hit .221 with 7 HR with them. We got a promising RP prospect, Jamal Wade, in the trade though.

The rest of the season was about evaluating our talent for next year. We finished 72-90, last in the division. We were 14th in RS, which was the case most of the year. WE had the worst collective average in the NL and the 14th OBP. Our pitching didn’t fare much better (12th RA, 11th in both starters’ and BP ERA.) Our defense was the worst in the NL, which will be a point of emphasis this offseason.

After a brief climb, our fan interest dropped back to 58 but we still enjoyed overall increases in attendance and revenue per game.

After the season, Josh Harrison and Ivan Nova told me that they officially want out.

Batting Titles: Jose Ramirez (Cle) and Bryce Harper (Wash.)


ALE
Yankees 106-56
Boston 93-69 WC1
Blue Jays 80-82
Rays 74-88
Orioles 64-98
—ALC
Indians 104-58 3-7 in l10
Twins 90-72 WC2
White Sox 74-88
Tigers 61-101
Royals 59-103

Asrost 100-62 8-2 in l10 w3
Rangers and Mariners 83-79
Oakland 76-86
Angels 68-94——Ohtani hit .198 with 7 HR and pitched to a 4.46 ERA with a record of 11-11.

NLE
Nationals 89-73
Mets 88-74
Braves 78-84
Marlins 74-88
Phillies 70-92
—NLC
Cubs 93-69
Cardianls 78-84
Reds 77-85
Brewers 73-69
Pirates 72-90
—NLW
Dodgers 112-50
Arizona 89-73 WC1
Giants 82-80
Rockies 75-87
Padres 65-97

WC: Twins v Boston-
Yanks v that winner-
ALDS: Houston vs Cleveland

WC Mets v Arizona—
Dodgers vs that winner
Cubs v Nationals—

Mets over Zona 6-2. Conforto hit 2 homers
Boston over Twinss 2-0-Sale threw 5 shutout innings, JD Martinez homered with 1 on to provide the only runes in the game. Price threw 2 shutout innings out of the pen.

CHC sweeps Nationals-MVP Rizzo. CHC outscored Nats 19-5 including a 6-0 win
Dodgers over Mets in 5-MVP Bellinger
Boston over Yankees in 5 MVP Martinez
Cleveland over Astros in 5

CS Dodgers over Cubs in 7 MVP Seager. LA loses F orsythe rest of PO and they were already without Turner for the entire postseason. The Dodgers nearly choked away a 3-0 series lead as the Cubs won 3 straight to force game 7.

Boston over Indians in 6. MVP Martinez again. Cleveland won the first 2 but dropped the next 4 including 2 shutout losses. Cleveland was without Kluber and LIndor all postseason and lost Cody Allen in the ALDS. .

WS: Dodgers v Boston
Dodgers win g1 4-0
LA win g 2 3-2 with a Joc Peterson walk off homer in 14.
Boston win g3 7-2, but they lost Price (DTD sore arm, he never pitched again in the series.) Devers hit a grand slam in the bottom of the seventh. Boston won G4 6-2 to tie the series.
Dodgers won g5 4-3 and g6 3-1 to win the series. WSMVP: Yasiel Puig.

[KBLover]

Re: OOTP 19 Franchise Progress

Offseason Concludes

Late Period signings:

• Rockies extend 2B D.J. LeMahieu for $64 million/6 yrs.
• Nationals sign C Wilson Ramos for $44.5 million/4 yrs.
• Mets sign C Jonathon Lucroy for $65.6 million/4 yrs.
• Twins sign P Sergio Lara for $53.7 million/4 yrs. (International)
• Yankees sign 3B Adrian Beltre for $30.4 million/2 yrs.
• Brewers sign 2B Daniel Murphy for $99.8 million (duration not disclosed).
• Tigers sign 3B Josh Donaldson for $20 million/1 yr.
  

Rivera First-Ball Hall of Famer
Closer Lone Member of 2019 HoF Class

A fitting reward for one of the most dominant relievers in the history of the game, Mariano Rivera will officially take his place in Cooperstown as part of baseball immortality.



The career-long Yankee racked up 652 saves with a 2.21 ERA. His career spanned 1,115 relief appearances that covered 1,283 innings of work and 1,173 strikeouts. His career ERA+ checks in at 218 with a peak of a staggering 311. He accumulated 29.3 WAR in his career.


"Rivera was simply an amazing pitcher. He broke the 'pure gas effectively wild' type stereotype around power relievers. He used the movement on his fastball with precision and constantly fooled hitters and inducing horrible contact. He didn't need strikeouts, he got broken bats and little league hits instead, " a local analyst commented, "Pitchers do not have literal control over the ball once they release it, but Rivera showed they can have a heavy influence on how well it gets hit. He made his career on it."


Rivera collected votes on 93% of ballots (including mine). Needless to say, he will wear a Yankees cap as he enters the Hall.





Late Offseason Trades:

• Tigers trade OF Mallex Smith to A's for P Kendall Graveman and cash considerations.
• Giants trade C Miguel Gomez and RF Sandro Fabian to Phillies for RF Nick Williams.

[KBLover]

Re: OOTP 19 Franchise Progress

Spring Training Begins
Royce Lewis Given Invite

A new season is right around the corner as Spring Training has arrived. The Marlins now take stock of the talent accumulated during the offseason, and there figures to be some new faces, quite a few of them, on the Opening Day roster.


Position Battles

Where are the position battles? More like where aren't there position battles.

Starting Rotation:
Contenders: Saotome, Park, Eflin, Guzman, O'Grady, Neidert, Feierabend, Lopez, Alcantara, Graves
Projected Rotation: Urena, Saotome, O'Grady, Eflin, Park

Remember when Sandy Alcantara was pretty much a given to be in the rotation? That's no longer the case. Between the acquisitions (Saotome, Feierabend, Eflin, Park) and some development over the offseason (Pablo Lopez, Jorge Guzman), the rotation now has around ten candidates for five spots. In fact, Mattingly isn't even given Alcantara the first crack at making an impression with the newer acquisitions and quiet performers like Urena, getting the first six spots.

Bullpen:
Contenders: Too many to list!
Projected Bullpen: Not even gonna try

The bullpen is even more of a fierce competition with too many names to list that could take up residence. None of the spots are settled at all. Jorge Guzman, not getting a starting spot as Spring Training opens, will take his fireballs to the closer spot to get a look there.

Catcher:
Favorite: J.T. Realmuto
Contenders: Telis, Morales
Projected Starter: Realmuto

Assuming he's not traded, it's likely J.T. Realmuto will resume as starting catcher. Tomas Telis is a capable backup, a role he's happy to fill, and will likely be the second catcher on the roster. Morales is coming along, but we think the young man will need more seasoning and a better opportunity.

First Base:
Favorite: Justin Bour
Contenders: Garrett Cooper
Projected Starter: Bour

If there's one spot on the diamond that's solidified, it's first base. Justin Bour has been brought back, and reports are that trade offers involving him have been rejected, showing the Marlins desire to have him man the spot. His power could be sorely needed as the team perhaps transitions to an offense oriented around aggression and small ball.

Second Base:
Favorite: Thairo Estrada
Contenders: Luis Caprio, Jose Pastrano
Projected Starter: Estrada

Chances are that the team's first overall selection in the Rule 5 draft will be given first crack at starting at the position. This is especially true after the Yankees called to try to get him back via trade. If there was any doubt about his potential to start, a call from Cashman might have erased it. Caprio, another Rule 5 selection, could get some playing time here, too, perhaps as a back up if he doesn't land at SS.

Shortstop:

Favorite: Royce Lewis
Contenders: JT Riddle, Miguel Rojas, Luis Carpio
Projected Starter: Royce Lewis

Of course, Royce Lewis was given a non-roster invite, which could turn into a roster spot on the Opening Day roster...or near enough. There's some debate about his rapid rise and if it's real or being rushed. Still, Lewis will get the chance to settle some of those questions in Spring Training.

In the end, we here at BNN think Royce Lewis will win the job outright and right out of Spring Training. The pick up of Luis Carpio in the Rule 5 draft presents a possible complication, however. Not to mention that Estrada is at 2B because the Marlins will try Isan Diaz at the talent void known as 3B. If that doesn't work, Diaz heads back to 2B and Estrada is the likely SS.

In addition, since Lewis is just 19, the team might feel like they want to keep letting him mature in AAA-New Orleans. Still, BNN will place its bet on things working out in favor of the phenom Lewis.


Third Base:
Favorite: Isan Diaz
Contenders: Anderson, Nomura
Projected Starter: Diaz

This position is a mess right now, which is why Diaz is getting the chance to take his arm over there to try to get the hang of the hot corner this spring. Diaz would seem to profile better at 3B. Range is less of a concern there (Diaz's shortcoming) while has arm won't be wasted on the short throws from 2B.

That said, learning a new position is never a given and always takes time. What if it takes more time than Spring Training? Will the Marlins let him learn on the fly during the season? Will they temporarily send him to AAA? If so, who plays 3B? Likely Nomura and Prado will split the position. Of course, Diaz could simply go back to 2B, which will clutter the shortstop situation for sure.


Outfield:
Favorites (from left to right): Dietrich, Harrison, Brinson
Contenders: Jose Siri, Magneuris Sierra, Braxton Lee
Projected Starters: Dietrich, Siri, Brinson

The outfield battle could be heated and very interesting. Jose Siri, the final Marlins Rule 5 pick, was a surprise selection to most. He will directly challenge Monte Harrison for the center field job. Siri shows good pop and plenty of speed and range, so it's not just a "show some competition" in hopes of sparking growth in Harrison. It's an outright "you might not make it, kid".

Sierra is also more interesting than he might appear. He posted a 150 OPS+ in AA, was on his way to nearly 100 OPS+ in AAA before getting called up in the roster expansion. He proceeded to post a .312/.346/.429 line in 77 AB. He might impress this spring...and if he does, choices might get hard for the Marlins.

BNN analysts, perhaps tentatively, think Brinson will be in right field. However, he seemed like a very mixed bag that ended up being league average overall. BNN thinks he'll win out due to familiarity in a roster that will have more than a few unknowns on it.

[KSUowls]

Re: OOTP 19 Franchise Progress

Off-season report:

Spoiler

0 end of season awards for the Braves:
-Jason Heyward won the RF GG despite some fantastic defensive metrics by Acuna. I think it will be tougher competition next year when Acuna spends the entire season in RF
-RoY went to Colorado 1B Ryan McMahon. Acuna finished runner up, and rookie closer AJ Minter finished 4th in voting.

Coaching Changes
Several coaching changes to report.
Manager - Long time member of the Braves organization Brian Snitker is out as manager. Replacing him is former Braves player Steve Avery. Avery is an unproven manager, but we are surrounding him with proven guys in the dugout (below).

Pitching Coach - Chuck Hernandez is out after failing to develop any of the young arms. In is a proven commodity of Ken Howell who works well with power pitchers.

Hitting Coach - Kevin Seitzer is out after overseeing one of the worst NL offenses. The man now in charge of helping the team score runs is Dave Clark

Hall of Fame
Mariano Rivera was the only member inducted into the HoF this year (94.8%).
Todd Helton & Roy Halladay just missed the cut at 72% and 71% respectively.

Arbitration & Extensions
-Arbitration was very favorable to us as we won all of our cases.
-We avoided arbitration with Michael Fulmer and signed him to a long term deal through 2025. It's always risky committing to a pitcher that long, but he would become unaffordable in another 1-2 seasons.


Free Agency & Trades & Rule 5 Draft
It was a busy offseason

-We signed a couple of young international free agents with some potential.

-Also signed a major league read Intl. FA RP. Scouting director Brian Bridges had a lot of good things to say.

-We plucked 25 y/o switch hitting first basemen Victor Caratini from the cubs in the Rule 5 draft. Caratini hit a very solid .302 in AAA last year with 12 HR. He projects to be the backup 1B for the team this year.

-After losing Kurt Suzuki to free agency we targeted and are bringing back Brian McCann to serve as our veteran catcher on a 1 year deal. Brian at age 34 is coming off a solid year in Houston where he belted 17 homers and had a .776 OPS. Fans are very excited to have him back in a Braves uniform.

-During the Winter Meetings the Padres approached us about a trade. They wanted C Rafel Lopez back, and we worked out a deal where they received Rafael Lopez and AAA catching prospect for LF Cory Spangenberg. This created quite the log jam in the OF. With Endar Incarte & Ronald Acuna firmly in place in their OF spots that leaves Renfroe, Spangenberg, and Mallex Smith all fighting for the final spot in LF. We will see if any of these guys remain on the team when Spring Training begins.

-Houston & the Braves agreed to a swap. The Braves unload 1B Kendry Morales and SP prospect Brice Wilson receiving RP prospect Siwad Aquino in return. The Braves also retained some of the 1B salary. This was a salary dump by the Braves who are set to save about $6m in 2019 after all factors are taken into account. Wilson didn't project to break through the other talented young arms in the near future and was deemed expendable. Aquino is an interesting piece. He's just 19 with a ++ fastball and a + curve.

-Braves trade Brandon McCarthy to the Yankees for a pair of relievers (Chance Adams & Ben Hiller). Despite the Braves picking up his $5m team option McCarthy was on the outside looking in for the 2019 season, and this gives some added flexibility to a bullpen which saw a lot of action in 2018.

-Braves and Cardinals swing a mega deal which solidifies LF the next few seasons for the Braves. The Braves received the big bat of Marcell Ozuna. In return the Cardinals receive a pair of quality outfielders in Hunter Renfroe and Cory Spangenberg. Also in the deal for St. Louis are RHRP Grant Dayton & RHRP Arodys Vizcaino as well as low minor league SP prospect Freddy Tanok. St Louis is expected to retain a small portion of Ozuna's salary.
For the Braves this trade clears up the crowded OF for 2019 that was looking to have a 3 way fight for playing time at LF. Ozuna also offers protection for Freddie Freeman in the lineup which was something this team sorely lacked in 2018. Dayton and Vizcaino will be missed in the bullpen.

-Braves sign RP Trevor Rosenthal to 1 year "show me" deal. Trevor wasn't picking up any interest throughout the winter, and agreed on a 1 year deal with the Braves.

Other notable signings
-Toronto broke the bank this off season to sign Brice Harper (6 years @ $155m) and Dallas Keuchel (4 years @ $88m)
-The NL East just got a lot tougher. The Mets signed both AJ Pollack and Josh Donaldson.

Stories around the league
-Buster Posey opened his own car dealership, Posey Motors. I'm sure this will be the first place San Francisco residents will look when shopping for a new car.

2019 Season Preview

Spoiler

As the 2019 Atlanta Braves get ready for their April 4 opening day game against the Reds the team has a very different look from this time a year ago after a flurry of offseason moves. The team starts the season with new starters at 3 positions (LF, 3B, C).

The new faces in the starting 8:
C Brian McCann
McCann who spent his first 9 seasons in a Braves uniform is back after signing a 1 year deal in Free Agency. Fans are excited to have him back, and the team is excited to have his bat in the lineup.

3B Austin Riley
Not technically a new face, he is new to the opening day roster. Riley was a late season call up in 2018 where he blasted 9 home runs in just 154 at-bats. The team will be looking for even more out of him now with a full season to show off his power.

LF Marcell Ozuna
The Braves are starting to make a habit of pulling off blockbuster trades. Last year it was bringing in Michael Fulmer to anchor the rotation, and this year it's Marcell Ozuna solidify this lineup. Ozuna is coming off back to back 30+ Home Run years, and the Braves will be looking for more of that as they have penciled him into the cleanup spot to protect Freddie Freeman.

The Rotation
With all the moves to improve the offense, the elephant in the room which was not addressed this off-season was the starting rotation. There was some hope that the teams bevy of young arms, but a disappointing spring has left the rotation mostly the same.

Michael Fulmer - No surprises here. Fulmer was one of the better NL pitchers last year, and is far and away the leader on this staff.

Julio Teheran - Reports are that Julio asked for a trade after the season ended, but management had no intention of trading away one of their only established starters. Julio had a respectable 2018 in all measures except wins/losses. He was also a bit unlucky being hit by a .312 BABIP

Mike Sirotka - The 1 young arm who didn't disappoint. Sirotka had an overall successful cup of coffee in 2018, and he put together a solid Spring Training to earn a spot in this rotation.

Mike Folynewicz - returns as the teams #4 starter in what appears to be move of desperation than one he actually earned. Folty followed up a disappointing 2018 with a less than stellar Spring Training. There was some thought that he would find his way into the bullpen, but the lack of any other pitchers stepping up will keep him in the rotation for now.

Chase Whitley - is the presumed #5 starter. Though still unannounced, he was a pleasant surprise filling in for injuries and spot starts in 2018. He will likely be bumped from this spot when/if one of the organization's valued young arms shows enough to get a call up.

Projections:
Braves fans aren't the only ones with optimism after a busy off-season. Preseason projections expect 87 wins out of the 2019 Braves. Not only is this a very welcome improvement over the last several season of barely 70 wins, but it would also be good enough for the 2nd Wild Card spot based on these projections.

[TannerYoho]

Re: OOTP 19 Franchise Progress

Sorry to burst your bubble, but...



The Pirates were 49-48 at ASB, 2nd in the division behind the Cubs (55-41) We were 1 GB of of the wildcard and 7-3 in last 10 games.

Aaaand then we dropped five straight.

Come July 30, we had gone 2-8 after the ASG, dropping us to 4.5 games out of the WC.



So I decided to sell. We didn’t have many viable pieces but I was happy with the two trades I completed.

I traded RP George Kontos (2.93 ERA) to Houston for a prospect package headlined by 2B Ryne Birk. Kontos had a 2.22 ERA in 16 games with Houston.



I also traded OF Corey Dickerson, who had 17 homers with us, to Seattle, who was in the thick of the WC race. Dickerson slumped with them, as he hit .221 with 7 HR with them. We got a promising RP prospect, Jamal Wade, in the trade though.



The rest of the season was about evaluating our talent for next year. We finished 72-90, last in the division. We were 14th in RS, which was the case most of the year. WE had the worst collective average in the NL and the 14th OBP. Our pitching didn’t fare much better (12th RA, 11th in both starters’ and BP ERA.) Our defense was the worst in the NL, which will be a point of emphasis this offseason.



After a brief climb, our fan interest dropped back to 58 but we still enjoyed overall increases in attendance and revenue per game.



After the season, Josh Harrison and Ivan Nova told me that they officially want out.



Batting Titles: Jose Ramirez (Cle) and Bryce Harper (Wash.)





ALE

Yankees 106-56

Boston 93-69 WC1

Blue Jays 80-82

Rays 74-88

Orioles 64-98

—ALC

Indians 104-58 3-7 in l10

Twins 90-72 WC2

White Sox 74-88

Tigers 61-101

Royals 59-103



Asrost 100-62 8-2 in l10 w3

Rangers and Mariners 83-79

Oakland 76-86

Angels 68-94——Ohtani hit .198 with 7 HR and pitched to a 4.46 ERA with a record of 11-11.



NLE

Nationals 89-73

Mets 88-74

Braves 78-84

Marlins 74-88

Phillies 70-92

—NLC

Cubs 93-69

Cardianls 78-84

Reds 77-85

Brewers 73-69

Pirates 72-90

—NLW

Dodgers 112-50

Arizona 89-73 WC1

Giants 82-80

Rockies 75-87

Padres 65-97



WC: Twins v Boston-

Yanks v that winner-

ALDS: Houston vs Cleveland



WC Mets v Arizona—

Dodgers vs that winner

Cubs v Nationals—



Mets over Zona 6-2. Conforto hit 2 homers

Boston over Twinss 2-0-Sale threw 5 shutout innings, JD Martinez homered with 1 on to provide the only runes in the game. Price threw 2 shutout innings out of the pen.



CHC sweeps Nationals-MVP Rizzo. CHC outscored Nats 19-5 including a 6-0 win

Dodgers over Mets in 5-MVP Bellinger

Boston over Yankees in 5 MVP Martinez

Cleveland over Astros in 5



CS Dodgers over Cubs in 7 MVP Seager. LA loses F orsythe rest of PO and they were already without Turner for the entire postseason. The Dodgers nearly choked away a 3-0 series lead as the Cubs won 3 straight to force game 7.



Boston over Indians in 6. MVP Martinez again. Cleveland won the first 2 but dropped the next 4 including 2 shutout losses. Cleveland was without Kluber and LIndor all postseason and lost Cody Allen in the ALDS. .



WS: Dodgers v Boston

Dodgers win g1 4-0

LA win g 2 3-2 with a Joc Peterson walk off homer in 14.

Boston win g3 7-2, but they lost Price (DTD sore arm, he never pitched again in the series.) Devers hit a grand slam in the bottom of the seventh. Boston won G4 6-2 to tie the series.

Dodgers won g5 4-3 and g6 3-1 to win the series. WSMVP: Yasiel Puig.

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