MLB2K11 Franchise Progress

[pistolpete]

Re: MLB2K11 Franchise Progress

Won two out of three against both the Angels and Mariners at their parks. I must say this, though. Trying to get Ichiro out is a tough task, as he went 3 for 4 against me in the final game of my series against Seattle. However, I still won that game 9-2, in which Aaron Hill hit his first homer of the season, a three run shot against Doug Fister as part of a five RBI game for Hill. My record is now 8-4, good enough for a first place tie with Boston in the AL East. And Boston happens to be the team I play next, a four game set at Fenway, so that should be fun.

I think Dice K no-hit me during that trip to Fenway.

[therockstar2005]

Re: MLB2K11 Franchise Progress

Cool Opening Day moment. My Cards were playing the Padres in the first game of the season, bottom of the 1st, Pujols gets a hit, so he's on when Matt Holliday comes up. 2 pitches into the at-bat, Latos "loses control" and send a 97 mph fastball into Holliday's back. He falls to his knees in the batters' box. Herniated disk, 6-8 weeks he's gone.

I have never so bad wanted to hit a video game pitcher before (which I did). Now, while this totally sucks, it's also really cool, because I can't remember the last time hitting a batter actually could injure him in a video game. Sucks that it happened to the second most important hitter in my lineup on the first day of the season, but what have you.

However, I had my vengeance. I had signed Jim Edmonds, in part because I love Edmonds, but also because I had traded away Lance Berkman and Skip Schumaker to get Aaron Hill, and so my team was real light on left-handed hitting. So, of course, Holliday gets hurt, and Edmonds comes in for him. All I need to do is trade for Rolen and it'd be 2006 all over again.

Bottom of the 3rd. Latos is mowing my lineup down, which is rather strange since it seems he doesn't even have any control over his pitches at all. Fastballs are all over the place. Anyway, again Pujols gets on, and here comes Edmonds. 3 pitches later, Edmonds deposits a Latos fastball into the left field upper deck.

Vindication.

[leafsfan17]

Re: MLB2K11 Franchise Progress

I think Dice K no-hit me during that trip to Fenway.

I happen to face Dice K during my Boston series as well. Hopefully I'll have better luck against him than you did.

[cardswin2006]

Re: MLB2K11 Franchise Progress

Update on my Orioles Franchise:

Well September is here, and my dominance of the AL East has evaporated with the end of summer. I'm two game back of the Sawx and tied with Rays for second place. The good news is that I still have two 3 game series' left against the BoSox at the end of the month (the last two weeks of the season). The Yankees---yes, the same Yankees that were dead last a month ago---have gone on a TEAR and are just 4 games back of the division lead.

My last game was against those Damn Yankees in a Sunday afternoon game in Baltimore. I got smoked A-Rod, Granderson, AND Texeira all went deep on me, all 2 run HRs. I lost 8-4. Both SP went down with injuries so it was a battle of 'pens. Of course my pen came in with the score already 6-2, so that part we could call a draw

I'm going to need some O's magic down the stretch here to make the playoffs. I'm 3 games back of the Wild Card, so the division is still my ticket to October. I'm just hoping to get hot and go on a winning streak at the end of the year

[BSUFAN]

Re: MLB2K11 Franchise Progress

I am enjoying my franchise but less line drives and more ground balls on both sides would really help , IMO

[leafsfan17]

Re: MLB2K11 Franchise Progress

Ended up splitting the four game series at Fenway, then proceeded to sweep a two game set against the Yanks at my park, and just now, I took the first two of a three game set against the Rays. That brings my record to 14-6, good for a three game lead in the AL East.

[JBH3]

Re: MLB2K11 Franchise Progress

1-Team-Controlled / Pirates Franchise:

Finished April and am on into May now.

Record after April was 12-16, good for 2nd to last ahead of the Astros, in the NL Central.

Pedro Alavarez was named player of the month, and was promptly injured following a 3-1 loss on April 30th to the Rockies; Alvarez fractured his ankle legging out a 2B and sliding into second.

In 102 April ABs, Alavrez hit: .353 w/ a 1.100 OPS - 7 HRs, 12 2Bs, 26 RBI, 22 runs, 69 Total Bases, 30 Ks, and 12 BBs. Still coming around on the glove side though as he committed 3 errors - mostly throwing errors.

On the flip side of Pedro Alavrez's stud-like production is Andrew McCutchen. At the end of April McCutchen was hitting .211 w/ 39 Ks and only 9 BBs. He's getting exposed on the outside, and pitchers are dominating him w/ away breaking stuff. When he has gotten on base, he has been a speed demon on the base paths, stealing at an 86% clip w/ 13 SBs, being caught only twice. His struggles have continued into May as he has only 2 hits in 17 ABs, striking out 6x.

Lets see how the dynamic ratings are at work for these two.

Before (Streak/Slump) / After (Streak/Slump):

Alvarez:
Contact Left: Before 64 / After 74
Contact Right: Before 74 / After 84
Power Left: Before 78 / After 88
Power Right: Before 88 / After 94

McCutchen:
Contact Left: Before 85 / After 71
Contact Right: Before 73/ After 59
Power Left: Before 69 / After 57
Power Right: Before 60 / After 50

McCutchen is on a tight leash. His avg is now at .203. He actually went 1-2 w/ 2 BBs in gm 1 of a 7-gm homestand that will span the Astros and Dodgers. If he can't get it together by the end of this homestand, which will be over on May 12th, then he'll be designated for assignment to find his swing again.

Disabled List:
Pedro Alvarez - DL 29 Days left - Fractured Ankle.
Kevin Correia - DL 6 Days left - Strained ACL.
Joel Hanrahan - DL 55 Days left - Broken Wrist.
James McDonald - DL 8 Days left - Ankle Ligament Rupture.
Charlie Morton - DL 2 Days left - Broken Hand.
Cesar Valdez - DL 43 Days left - Fractured Radius.

As for pitching...

Paul Maholm and Ross Ohlendorf have been my best starters.

Both have eaten up 40 to 41 innings, and have been producing good strike out totals as well.

Maholm:
7 Starts: 41.1IP / 0-2 / 3.70 ERA / 1.19 WHIP / 41:6.

Ohlendorf:
7 Starts: 40.2 IP / 4-3 / 4.87 ERA / 1.25 WHIP / 45:8.

[Watson]

Re: MLB2K11 Franchise Progress

Yankees traded Posada for Villanueva.


I thought that was an odd trade for early May, but the Yankees are in last place.

[AmazingMets]

Re: MLB2K11 Franchise Progress

Very nice post there JBH3, please keep them coming i enjoy reading your updates!

[JBH3]

Very nice post there JBH3, please keep them coming i enjoy reading your updates!

1-Team-Controlled / Pirates Franchise:

Won my last two games, and am 3-1 on this 7gm home stand.

Beat the Astros 7-2 to take the series, as Chris Snyder exploded to go 3-4 with 2 solo HRs, and an RBI 2B - he had been slumping recently so this surge was a welcomed sight. Even better though was Andrew McCutchen going 2-5....he is now starting to see the ball better and make adjustments. In my next game, I edged out the Dodgers 4-3, and bested Clayton Kershaw - who allowed 3 runs & 7 hits over 6 innings striking out 7 and walking 1.

McCutchen picked up a pair of hits in this one too knocking a triple and double to go along with an SB and run scored.

Andrew is now 6-15 over his last 15ABs....getting him out of this slump while Pedro Alvarez heals through May would be great...and much needed.

[cardswin2006]

Re: MLB2K11 Franchise Progress

Update on my Oriole's Franchise:

Well the O's lived up to their potential after all--meaning not at all

I finished my first season last night after an **** slide in September. With 6 weeks to go I was first place by a game. By the end of the season, I was in third place, 7.5 games back of the BoSox and behind the Damn Yankees (yes, the same Yankees that were in last place for half the season). I lost 9 of my last 11, including 6 to the Sawx (hence my **** slide).

The Reds and Sawx then met in the WS and the Red Sox won in 6. Couple of other end-of-year notes:

- Mark Reynolds (my 3B) won the AL MVP with winning the HR and RBI crown
- Pujols won the NL MVP with Pujols-like efficiency.
- Adrian Gonzalez won the WS MVP
- I had three Silver Sluggers (Guerrero, Scott, and Reynolds), but no Gold Glovers
- FA pool was a little thin as others have noticed. The top OVR was Grady Sizemore. I released/didn't sign D. Lee who was a type B FA, meaning I get a compensatory pick at the end of the first round.

In the offseason, I made a few tweaks to my roster:

- Released D. Lee, my startin 1B. Replaced him with Nick Reimold, normally an OF, but plays a fairly solid 1B (will probably platoon with Luke Scott)
- Made Vlad my full-time DH and Scott my usual LF (will switch with Riemold as mentioned above).
- Signed Paul Malholm and Shawn Hill to improve my SP--plus added some veterans to my RP, the most notable being JJ Putz (as you can see, there weren't many quality RPs available on the market). In turn, I released a few RP and one SP (no one of note).

A couple progression notes:
- Adam Jones had a monster year and is now officially a 5 star player. With PWR and AVG, he's going to be a staple in my lineup for a LONG time
- Nick Markakis took a dip in his ratings after a subpar year. His power numbers were down (only 10 HRs) so his numbers took an appropriate hit. Even though he's a 4 star player, he's spending half his time on my bench because my OF is so stacked.
- Matt Weiters is now officially a stud, especially against RHP. LHP makes him slightly above average, but he'll be another player to stay for a long time.
- Brian Matusz, my #1 SP, raised his ratings for this year after a solid campaign to an 81 OVR (my SP sucks ).
- Age has taken it's toll on my roster, as Brian Roberts, Vlad, Luke Scott, and fromer 1B D. Lee took slight to major hits in their ratings. I love this progression system!

Two weeks into the regular season on Year 2 and am 3-3 while wining 4-2 in 8th against TX (had to save the game mid-way due to time constraints (LOVE that function).

Hopefully this is my year

EDIT: Apparently E.P.I.C. is a curse word around here. lol

[pistolpete]

Re: MLB2K11 Franchise Progress

Finished April 14-13.

[dragon4ever]

Re: MLB2K11 Franchise Progress

I decided to restart my franchise, so this time around I went with a fantasy draft based on youth. My criteria for picking players was based on the number of years they have been in the league. I drafted only rookies and guys that have no more than two years under their belt.

San Diego Padres

Pitchers
Mat Latos
Trevor Cahill
Stephen Strasburg
Madison Bumgarner
Arlodis Chapman

Relievers
Jeremy Hellickson
Kyle Drabek
Daniel Hudson
Daniel Bard

Setup
Neftali Feliz

Closer
Andrew Bailey


Lineup
1st - Buster Posey
2nd - Starlin Castro
3rd - Pedro Alvarez
SS - Elvis Andrus
C - Carlos Santana
LF - Jason Heyward
RF - Mike Stanton
CF - Austin Jackson
DH - Justin Smoak

[JBH3]

Re: MLB2K11 Franchise Progress

Update on my Oriole's Franchise:

Well the O's lived up to their potential after all--meaning not at all

I finished my first season last night after an **** slide in September. With 6 weeks to go I was first place by a game. By the end of the season, I was in third place, 7.5 games back of the BoSox and behind the Damn Yankees (yes, the same Yankees that were in last place for half the season). I lost 9 of my last 11, including 6 to the Sawx (hence my **** slide).

The Reds and Sawx then met in the WS and the Red Sox won in 6. Couple of other end-of-year notes:

- Mark Reynolds (my 3B) won the AL MVP with winning the HR and RBI crown
- Pujols won the NL MVP with Pujols-like efficiency.
- Adrian Gonzalez won the WS MVP
- I had three Silver Sluggers (Guerrero, Scott, and Reynolds), but no Gold Glovers
- FA pool was a little thin as others have noticed. The top OVR was Grady Sizemore. I released/didn't sign D. Lee who was a type B FA, meaning I get a compensatory pick at the end of the first round.

In the offseason, I made a few tweaks to my roster:

- Released D. Lee, my startin 1B. Replaced him with Nick Reimold, normally an OF, but plays a fairly solid 1B (will probably platoon with Luke Scott)
- Made Vlad my full-time DH and Scott my usual LF (will switch with Riemold as mentioned above).
- Signed Paul Malholm and Shawn Hill to improve my SP--plus added some veterans to my RP, the most notable being JJ Putz (as you can see, there weren't many quality RPs available on the market). In turn, I released a few RP and one SP (no one of note).

A couple progression notes:
- Adam Jones had a monster year and is now officially a 5 star player. With PWR and AVG, he's going to be a staple in my lineup for a LONG time
- Nick Markakis took a dip in his ratings after a subpar year. His power numbers were down (only 10 HRs) so his numbers took an appropriate hit. Even though he's a 4 star player, he's spending half his time on my bench because my OF is so stacked.
- Matt Weiters is now officially a stud, especially against RHP. LHP makes him slightly above average, but he'll be another player to stay for a long time.
- Brian Matusz, my #1 SP, raised his ratings for this year after a solid campaign to an 81 OVR (my SP sucks ).
- Age has taken it's toll on my roster, as Brian Roberts, Vlad, Luke Scott, and fromer 1B D. Lee took slight to major hits in their ratings. I love this progression system!

Two weeks into the regular season on Year 2 and am 3-3 while wining 4-2 in 8th against TX (had to save the game mid-way due to time constraints (LOVE that function).

Hopefully this is my year

EDIT: Apparently E.P.I.C. is a curse word around here. lol

Nice post.

Progression sounds great.

Can't believe you've got Markakis riding the bench. Who's manning RF?

Nick's defensive skills are great - that should keep him in the lineup alone.

[cardswin2006]

Re: MLB2K11 Franchise Progress

Nice post.

Progression sounds great.

Can't believe you've got Markakis riding the bench. Who's manning RF?

Nick's defensive skills are great - that should keep him in the lineup alone.

Markakis is great defensively--which makes him perfect for the late inning substitution. I also have Felix Pie, and he compares fairly well to "year 2" Markakis, so I occasionally will have Markakis ride the pine to get some ABs for Pie.

I should say though, I have had him in the starting lineup for the past 6 games and he's performing okay, not great, but okay. I figure I can sacrifice some of the power that he's missing because the middle of my lineup is pretty stacked.

The last few games my OF has been:

LF: Luke Scott (solid, not great defensively, but solid power)
CF: Adam Jones (aforementioned stud )
RF: Nick Markakis (or Felix Pie if need be)
DH: Vlad (still putting up great numbers so far this year, especially now that he's DHing)

If there's a weakness on my team it's middle infield. I've got an aging Brian Roberts at 2nd and a mediorce JJ Hardy at SS. While Hardy seems like a solid player on the surface, his offensive numbers last year were horrible (something like .250, 7, 43) was his line last year--and he was terrible with RISP. He does play a pretty good short though (although he just made an error in my last game). The defense up the middle is fairly solid, but I can tell both have seen better days offensively.