Re: OOTP 20 Franchise Progress Thread
2026 Season
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The Foxes had their offense come online this season with Devers catching most of the attention with his surprising 51 home runs.
Surrounding Devers is a collection of young hitters that could be together for years to come, and Devers isn't exactly old himself. The interesting thing about this whole lineup is, that at least by WAR, they don't stand out, and there really isn't much that jumps off the page.
"Outside of Devers and perhaps Montaro because he seems to have no ceiling right now, this crew doesn't get much attention. But when you add them all up together, it's like 'wow this is a scary lineup' and they quietly are top 3 in run production, " one MLBN analyst commented.
Alfredo Montero, a 20-year-old from the Dominican Republic, burst onto the scene in his rookie campaign. He hit 32 HR on his way to a .509 slugging percentage and a 128 OPS+. Juan Salas, technically not a rookie, had a strong first full campaign, also hitting 30 HR and posting an over-.500 slugging percentage.
Nick Bitsko's rookie campaign was also strong. He posted 4 WAR to go with his 25 home runs, 39 doubles (most on the team), and a 129 wRC+.
Rookie of the year voting will be interesting. The two Foxes teammates might split the vote.
Witt Jr. moved from SS to his native third base, but that didn't stop his offensive rhythm. He hit 28 HR and posted a 136 OPS+. He also had .328 BABIP, making him and Royce Lewis the top two Foxes hitters in the stat. Lewis led the team with a .340 BABIP.
On the pitching side, the bullpen had the better ERA but both units were 2nd in ERA in the NL. The rotation, though, was led again by McIntyre, who proved again his worth as a starting pitcher. He had the best ERA in baseball by .01 over Bobby Rodgers from the Blue Jays. The rest of the rotation was decent, but nothing special. Jorge Lerma got his first taste of the majors. It was a struggle, but, as 5th starter, it didn't hurt the team.
The bullpen, on the other hand, wasn't as consistent from top to bottom, despite the strong ERA. Jerry Ford and Sergio Correa were dynamite out of the bullpen to anchor the unit. The bullpen usage was the same as the last few years with minimally defined roles and no set closer. No one on the team had more than 9 saves.
One interesting combination was the mix of having the most pitching K's in the NL along with the best defense in the NL.
"Putting the ball in play does less against the Foxes and that's really help get them on these rolls where you get nothing at all unless you hit a home run at the right time, " one scout spoke.
In the LCS, the Cardinals tried to answer the Foxes offense with pitching. In the first four games, the two teams were deadlocked 2-2. Then the Foxes' pitching came to the forefront, throwing back-to-back shutouts to advance to team to their first World Series appearance.
In the World Series, the Foxes faced the Mariners, who owned the best pitching staff in baseball.
The Mariners staff proved a match in the first five games with four of those games decided by one run, including a heartbreaker for the Foxes in game five when a four-run rally in the 9th left the team short by one in a 7-6 defeat. That game gave the Mariners a 3-2 series lead.
Back at home, the Foxes tossed a 7-0 shutout win to give the team a chance at a decisive game seven.
In that game seven, the pitching again rose up, holding the Mariners to just two runs. The offense kicked from the start with Devers delivering a bases-loaded, 2-run double in the first to cap a 3-run inning. The pitching made that hold up on the way to a 5-2 win and a Foxes World Series victory.
The players poured on the field, many of them having just a small taste of baseball, let alone playoff, experience.
"Winning it all will be something they can look to their whole careers. It's something that can keep them going and staying determined knowing they've already climbed the top of the baseball mountain, " manager Hidalgo commented.
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The Foxes had their offense come online this season with Devers catching most of the attention with his surprising 51 home runs.
Surrounding Devers is a collection of young hitters that could be together for years to come, and Devers isn't exactly old himself. The interesting thing about this whole lineup is, that at least by WAR, they don't stand out, and there really isn't much that jumps off the page.
"Outside of Devers and perhaps Montaro because he seems to have no ceiling right now, this crew doesn't get much attention. But when you add them all up together, it's like 'wow this is a scary lineup' and they quietly are top 3 in run production, " one MLBN analyst commented.
Alfredo Montero, a 20-year-old from the Dominican Republic, burst onto the scene in his rookie campaign. He hit 32 HR on his way to a .509 slugging percentage and a 128 OPS+. Juan Salas, technically not a rookie, had a strong first full campaign, also hitting 30 HR and posting an over-.500 slugging percentage.
Nick Bitsko's rookie campaign was also strong. He posted 4 WAR to go with his 25 home runs, 39 doubles (most on the team), and a 129 wRC+.
Rookie of the year voting will be interesting. The two Foxes teammates might split the vote.
Witt Jr. moved from SS to his native third base, but that didn't stop his offensive rhythm. He hit 28 HR and posted a 136 OPS+. He also had .328 BABIP, making him and Royce Lewis the top two Foxes hitters in the stat. Lewis led the team with a .340 BABIP.
On the pitching side, the bullpen had the better ERA but both units were 2nd in ERA in the NL. The rotation, though, was led again by McIntyre, who proved again his worth as a starting pitcher. He had the best ERA in baseball by .01 over Bobby Rodgers from the Blue Jays. The rest of the rotation was decent, but nothing special. Jorge Lerma got his first taste of the majors. It was a struggle, but, as 5th starter, it didn't hurt the team.
The bullpen, on the other hand, wasn't as consistent from top to bottom, despite the strong ERA. Jerry Ford and Sergio Correa were dynamite out of the bullpen to anchor the unit. The bullpen usage was the same as the last few years with minimally defined roles and no set closer. No one on the team had more than 9 saves.
One interesting combination was the mix of having the most pitching K's in the NL along with the best defense in the NL.
"Putting the ball in play does less against the Foxes and that's really help get them on these rolls where you get nothing at all unless you hit a home run at the right time, " one scout spoke.
Playoff Run
One thing about the Foxes' style of play has been a lack of playoff success.
This year, at least, the Foxes advanced to the LCS - though it was a hard, five-game series with the Mets. The teams traded wins until the final game where the Foxes won game 5 to move on.One thing about the Foxes' style of play has been a lack of playoff success.
In the LCS, the Cardinals tried to answer the Foxes offense with pitching. In the first four games, the two teams were deadlocked 2-2. Then the Foxes' pitching came to the forefront, throwing back-to-back shutouts to advance to team to their first World Series appearance.
In the World Series, the Foxes faced the Mariners, who owned the best pitching staff in baseball.
The Mariners staff proved a match in the first five games with four of those games decided by one run, including a heartbreaker for the Foxes in game five when a four-run rally in the 9th left the team short by one in a 7-6 defeat. That game gave the Mariners a 3-2 series lead.
Back at home, the Foxes tossed a 7-0 shutout win to give the team a chance at a decisive game seven.
In that game seven, the pitching again rose up, holding the Mariners to just two runs. The offense kicked from the start with Devers delivering a bases-loaded, 2-run double in the first to cap a 3-run inning. The pitching made that hold up on the way to a 5-2 win and a Foxes World Series victory.
The players poured on the field, many of them having just a small taste of baseball, let alone playoff, experience.
"Winning it all will be something they can look to their whole careers. It's something that can keep them going and staying determined knowing they've already climbed the top of the baseball mountain, " manager Hidalgo commented.
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