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Re: OOTP 20 Franchise Progress Thread
Well, at this rate, we'll be pushing .500 after starting 1-13, so maybe not losing after all *hopeful*
But it's fine. I have a blank canvas basically and I like actually being able to care about "blue chip" prospects because I might actually get a choice of a few...or whoever I want.
And I love drafting and developing and scouting for talent (as you know), so that's basically how rebuilding teams do it. Already bought a few indy leaguers who are young to help stock the minors.
Interested to see what storylines might pop up. I know there was one where "a player" emailed me saying that he wished there was more veteran leadership. So I went and got some guy who hopefully will never have to touch a bat just for his leadership. Got an email from the players saying they appreciated it.
It was then our turn around into something resembling competitive started. Coincidence?
It's fun, it's a different challenge, and yes if I can swing a trade for Ohtani, you know bloody freaking damn well I will. It happened in my second Marlins franchise where the Angels got new ownership and the first thing he did was offer me Ohtani in OOTP19, so....
Speaking of two-way players...there are SO MANY in the draft. Is this a thing in the real game now? Are kids being developed as possible two-ways if they show the skills?
So the Foxes are the lab that will try to develop a team of two-ways...????Last edited by KBLover; 03-20-2019, 09:10 PM."Some people call it butterflies, but to him, it probably feels like pterodactyls in his stomach." --Plesac in MLB18Comment
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Re: OOTP 20 Franchise Progress Thread
Spent some time making deals for the Cubbies as I continue to informally beta test OOTP 20 (before I do my traditional expansion save)...I think most Cub fans would be happy with my work, lol. See below:
In the first trade I used Ian Happ as the sweetener to dump 5 years of Jason Heyward onto the Rangers for 2 years of Shin-Soo Choo at the same AAV.
The second deal did a lot of things for me. Exchanged Addison Russell for Andrelton Simmons using Kyle Schwarber as the bait. Took Kole Calhoun off their hands so Schwarber would have a regular spot in the OF. Also dumped Tyler Chatwood while retaining only 25% of his salary. This was a most productive trade.Chicago Cubs | Chicago Bulls | Green Bay Packers | Michigan WolverinesComment
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Re: OOTP 20 Franchise Progress Thread
2019 Season
The Foxes saw their season end as poorly as it began. Whether it was late season injuries, young players running out of gas, or just a harsh reality check to end 2019, the Foxes lost 90 games after looking like they would avoid that fate.
As far as the team's performance, the defense showed up as a strength as expected. In fact, it was probably a key factor in the team being competitive, given the rankings of most of the rest of the metrics. The other strength was a mild surprise - leading the NL in stolen bases.
Justin Williams and Ronald Guzman gave fine performances and should make the Foxes consider them as key parts of the lineup. Both seem to be growing into some power potential as well as showing improving bat control and strike zone discipline. If this continues, at least the middle of the order can start taking shape.
Reese McGuire is also looking like an early key cog, this time as much for his off-the-field contribution as on the field. Several teammates credited Reese with smoothing out the emotions and showing maturity beyond his experience.
"The offense I think is just a matter of getting the player types we want developed and figuring out how we can get the most out of them. It's the pitching situation that might need a lot of our attention, " G.M. Lyle commented.
Indeed, the Foxes pitching staff really fell apart down the stretch. One bit of adjustment is figuring out the bullpen usage and the preferences of manager Alex Hidalgo.
"I think what he wants to do can work, but we might have to revise things or figure out how to build the roster because I think guys clearly wore down. It might be a skill set issue here, too. Just part of the feeling out period and working out the kinks, " G.M. Lyle commented.
Hidalgo went 70-74 after he was brought in to replace the previous manager who either had no real interest in working with a literal new team or just couldn't reach the players. That kind of performance might have the front office hopeful that Hidalgo, just 34 years old himself, is a good fit.
While the bullpen struggled in the end, the rotation stayed decent. Gomber was a pleasant surprise as he put up a very solid ERA despite not scouting impressively. Perhaps his one very big strength, his plus-plus change-up is shining through.
Going forward, the Foxes figure to stay with the plan of developing and seeing who will rise up and take a step forward.
"We have plenty of work to do and a lot of kinks to work out. We have to learn our park, learn our people, and learn how to make it all work together. I can't call this year a disappointment, in fact we were competitive, even in most of our losses. Just growing pains, " G.M. Lyle spoke."Some people call it butterflies, but to him, it probably feels like pterodactyls in his stomach." --Plesac in MLB18Comment
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Re: OOTP 20 Franchise Progress Thread
Still prepping for the first season and I ended up signing Cole Hamels to a 1 year contract extension for $1M. A bargain.Chicago Cubs | Chicago Bulls | Green Bay Packers | Michigan WolverinesComment
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Re: OOTP 20 Franchise Progress Thread
Pretty sure I'm going to start over tomorrow with the final build.
I want a front line starter for the 2019 Braves just wondering who I should go after. I went for Madison Bumgarner in my beta play, and I'm leaning towards him again. He's good, he's not overly expensive, and i don't think he would cost a ton of prospects since he's on his final contract year.
Thoughts on other options like him? I'm thinking someone in the 28-31 range I can get 2 or 3 good years out of.
The game was pretty happy to do a Folty for Bumgarner trade straight up. You guys think that's fair? They would be getting a younger pitcher with more control, but I'm getting the better pitcher still young enough to re-sign to a multi year deal which makes me think I should throw in something extra, even if the ai is happy with it
Sent from my S10 using Operation Sports mobile appComment
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Re: OOTP 20 Franchise Progress Thread
Not a SABR team for sure. Last in FIP and last in OBP. Not a whole lot you can do with a 1st year expansion team though. Were you tempted to sign Kimbrel or Keuchel? Those guys would've helped out probably.
How close did Justin Williams come to leading the league in BA? A .329 average might've been close.
Did I read that right? Did you fire the original manager after 15-20 games? lolChicago Cubs | Chicago Bulls | Green Bay Packers | Michigan WolverinesComment
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Re: OOTP 20 Franchise Progress Thread
Yeah, that actually seems pretty fair. Bumgarner's MOV rating is pretty lackluster due to him allowing 1.4 HR/9 last season. 3 years of Folty for 1 year of a diminished Bumgarner seems fine. Maybe toss in a lotto ticket if you feel you might regret it later.
Danny Salazar, Michael Fulmer, Robbie Ray, and Mike Leake could be some other options for you.
One thing that'll be fascinating in OOTP 20 is the live updates and how that factors into trade fairness down the line.Chicago Cubs | Chicago Bulls | Green Bay Packers | Michigan WolverinesComment
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Re: OOTP 20 Franchise Progress Thread
At first I couldn't figure out what the (Fo) meant...
But it looks like the Royals are going with an opener/follower strategy.Chicago Cubs | Chicago Bulls | Green Bay Packers | Michigan WolverinesComment
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Re: OOTP 20 Franchise Progress Thread
Williams finished tied for 13th in batting average. The leader had a .359 batting average.
Offense was up for whatever reason - was up at like 2000 levels. Probably was just an outlier. Yeah, no SABR awards for sure. It's a concern, too. wOBA, wRC+ and FIP are three I like to use to evaluate players/the team. All of them stunk.
No, wasn't tempted to get those arms. I figured we'd struggle, but it's playing time for the kids and to see what they do. A lot of them had little major league experience, even with their original teams despite being 24-25.
Plus, for whatever reason, the game said I didn't have any money for FAs despite my payroll. Now, it's showing the correct budget room. Raleigh had the same issue. Guess it's an expansion thing in OOTP. I've never forced expansion before.
And, yeah, I dropped the first guy after 18 games. We were 1-17 at the time and all the players literally hated him
I didn't pick him anyway - just some random dude the commissioner put on the team (why didn't I have to staff my squad?)
That's changing this offseason. Went on a massive personnel hiring spree. Hired on some former players and managers. Charles Nagy (there's a name from the past), John Farrell, Delino DeShields (sheez '80's night), Ryne Sandberg, Dave Valle. Hopefully, they can help the kids in the minors and such learn the game.
Really excited about Bobby Witt, Jr. and hope he can really come through. a SS/SP combo would be insane.
OH, got a posted player already. Yuki Matsui, a closer from Rakuten. I'd go after him, especially since he's only 24, but he doesn't want to talk with my squad...Last edited by KBLover; 03-21-2019, 05:41 PM."Some people call it butterflies, but to him, it probably feels like pterodactyls in his stomach." --Plesac in MLB18Comment
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Re: OOTP 20 Franchise Progress Thread
2020 Offseason News
-The Nationals have been one of the most active teams this offseason. Evidently upset over being defeated in the 2019 World Series by the Red Sox, the Nationals are gearing up for a major push.
They brought it Brian McCann, re-signed Brian Dozier, and landed two big prizes, 1B Paul Goldschmidt and the highly sought after closer from Japan, Yuki Matsui.
-The Red Sox are retooling after getting gutted by free agency, losing Bogaerts, Sale, Porcello, Avila, Bradley Jr, and Moreland to free agency. They are trying to offset this by snagging Asdrubal Cabrerra, Dellin Betances, Matt Harvey, Madison Bumgarner, and Yasmani Grandal. The BoSox also picked up Jacob Nix from the Foxes for some prospects, best among them being Antoni Flores.
-So far, the Dodgers are the on-paper winners, adding nearly 8 WAR. Their biggest win was landing Gerrit Cole. They also picked up decent additions in Jose Abreu, Zach Wheeler, and Alex Colome.
-The Foxes have been busy as well. They made four selections in the Rule 5 draft: 2B Andy Ibanez and pitchers Connor Jones, Blake Bivens, and Zach Davies. The team completed a couple trades, dealing to both sides of the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry. The Red Sox trade is noted above. The Yankees picked up Josh James for Losaiga and a prospect.
The team also made a signing of an NPB player, this one seeking MLB employment as an outright free agent. OF Yo****omo Tsutsugo will likely be the team's starting LF in place of the departed Brad Miller, who left via free agency. The Giants were the other major suitor for Tsutsugo's services. Reports are that the Foxes are in talks with grizzled veteran Felix Hernandez on an optional major league deal, likely giving the veteran a chance to compete in Spring Training.
-The Indians might have landed the biggest name, snatching Chris Sale for a $180 million contract over 6 years. Sale led the AL in ERA, strikeouts, and pitching WAR last season. The team also brought back Cody Allen for their bullpen after spending 2019 with the Angels.
-Speaking of the Angels, they are the biggest loser by WAR, having lost Matt Harvey, Josh Harrison, Russell Martin, and the aforementioned Cody Allen. They also dealt with more injury issues with Ohtani, although he's been cleared to play according to reports.
-The Warriors did most of their activity during the season, trading away pieces (many of them becoming free agents) in order to stock up on young players and players under contract control. However, they did lose Brett Gardner for free to free agency when they couldn't find a taker for his salary.
The Warriors picked up Mike Moustakas and plucked Sam Dyson from the waiver wire as they, like the Foxes, look to bolster their ranks in a very tough division.
As far as who's left as February draws near:
LF Corey Dickerson has gone unloved so far this offseason. Rumors are there aren't even any teams poking around to see what's what.
SP Rick Porcello has a trio of suitors, the Rangers, Mets, and Brewers. The Mets, a surprise story in 2019, might be looking to make an even stronger Wild Card push.
C Russell Martin's veteran experience is being sought out by a number of teams. The leaders are thought to be the Yankees, Astros, and Cardinals. Each of these teams is an unexpected interest.
The Yankees have Sanchez and a seemingly solid backup in Kyle Higashioka. The Cardinals already have a veteran leader behind the plate in Yadier Molina. The Astros just picked up a starting catcher from the Pirates in the person of Francisco Cervelli.
How Russell Martin would fit into either of those three teams' rosters is hard to figure.
Last edited by KBLover; 03-21-2019, 08:45 PM."Some people call it butterflies, but to him, it probably feels like pterodactyls in his stomach." --Plesac in MLB18Comment
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Re: OOTP 20 Franchise Progress Thread
White Sox Move to San Antonio
Lack of Fan Support Cited as Reason for Move
First expansion and now relocation. The landscape of Major League Baseball continues to shift.
"Frustrations over lack of media fairness" are part of what caused the ownership to move from Chicago to San Antonio.
"We weren't getting treated fairly in a lot of ways, and I think that's a lot of why we were losing with the fanbase. The Cubs get all the attention and all the media buzz and everyone just naturally is aware of them and familiar. We get left out in the cold, " one team executive commented.
The former White Sox will now be known as the San Antonio Generals. The colors also change to a white and gold scheme with grey and gold on the road.
So far, fans in San Antonio seem to be happy to have their new team. We'll see if it changes their fortunes at all on the diamond."Some people call it butterflies, but to him, it probably feels like pterodactyls in his stomach." --Plesac in MLB18Comment
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Re: OOTP 20 Franchise Progress Thread
Might be worth checking the stats modifiers (if you care). Even if it isn't always necessary, part of my new game ritual is selecting the most recent year and clicking adjust modifiers. Then I take a look at the triple slash line produced. At 2018 levels, it should be something like .248/.318/.409. Sometimes the original setting can be off.
What I've found in the past is sometimes there's this "dead money" on the ledger if you look closely at the balance sheet. Almost like the game is trying to approximate the cost of purchasing a team and building out an organization. If you deign to use commissioner mode, you can totally wipe that out. Generally, this "dead money" will decrease year over year until it's gone completely about 3-4 years later. That would be my guess anyway as to what was chewing into your payroll. From what I remember you usually start with an $85M budget (not $85M for payroll, but total), but even so I've never been completely bereft of spending cash in OOTP 19.
I'll fire up a "practice" expansion tonight and report back if I see anything worth mentioning.
You could always use commissioner mode to delete your organization's personnel entirely and start fresh that way. I agree that you should begin with an empty organization and hire from there.Chicago Cubs | Chicago Bulls | Green Bay Packers | Michigan WolverinesComment
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Re: OOTP 20 Franchise Progress Thread
Yeah, I spent some time fooling with the modifiers. I got to Opening Day (so rosters go back to 25) and then did and re-did preseason projections until they got close as a league to the 2018 numbers for BA, HR, BB, and K in the league. Then, I ran it again a couple times to make sure it stayed close. Granted, I don't know how accurate it is (it's usually close for the Angels save), but it's better than nothing and faster than running through an actual sim.
I've also read that MLB saves in year 1 might have some quirks because of how they rated the players to match user expectations or something. No idea how true that is.
Now that it's done, I'll begin the season and see what happens. Doubles and triples aren't listed and probably are the most prone (along with SB) to player type changes since OOTP seems to have a very wide range of Gap power and Speed in it's players. But runs are also reasonable, so, presumably, whatever it's doing won't impact offense too much."Some people call it butterflies, but to him, it probably feels like pterodactyls in his stomach." --Plesac in MLB18Comment
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Re: OOTP 20 Franchise Progress Thread
2020 Foxes
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The Foxes are expected to be about where they were last season, around 70 wins. Not unexpected as the team continues to take the patient route and hoping to develop some young talents to form the core of the team.
To that end, Royce Lewis arrives in return for Brandon Lowe. The irony of it is that Lewis will be learning center field as Hernan Perez takes over shortstop for the time being. It's also speculated that Lewis is learning center field for when Bobby Witt, Jr. arrives to play the position (and possibly pitch?).
To his credit, Lewis has adapted to the challenge and appeared more comfortable as spring training progressed.
"Considering he came about halfway through spring training, he's making good progress, " manager Alex Hidalgo commented.
Tsutsugo will be called upon to help Guzman provide some power at the plate. Scouts talked up on his above average home run potential and the fact he did hit more than his share over in the NPB.
Speaking of Guzman, he's highly sought after. Rumors are that the Foxes have received several interests in the budding hitter, including some that were "very tempting" but ultimately turned aside.
"We feel good that some teams really wanted Ronald [Guzman], makes me think we are right in tabbing him to anchor the lineup, " a team official commented.
On the pitching side, Felix Hernandez is around but he probably won't be in the rotation as the Foxes break camp. Also missing is Domingo German, something he's not particularly pleased about, according to sources close to the player. As it stands, it will be Loaisiga in the #3 spot, Bivens and Davies, two Rule 5 acquisitions, taking slots, and a strong spring showing won Walter Lockett the first shot in the rotation as the #5 starter.
Taking the ball for Opening Day will be Austin Gomber. The team is rewarding him for an exceptional spring (0.71 ERA) and his good showing last season.
Overall, it will be another season of feeling things out and trying to stay competitive.
"Some people call it butterflies, but to him, it probably feels like pterodactyls in his stomach." --Plesac in MLB18Comment
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