MLB 14 The Show Franchise Progress

[mlblover15]

I currently have the Marlins 36-15 (5.5 Games over the Nat's in the NL East. just ran off a ten game win streak on Rookie, so now going to Dynamic. Probably wont be in first place long now...

[kodiak]

28 Time World Champions

World Series Recap

NYY(AL Wildcard#2) vs Atlanta(NL East Champion)

By virtue of the AL winning the All Star game, New York had home field advantage.

Gm1
Minor v Tanaka

NYY-4 Atl-3

W-Tanaka(2-1)
L-Minor(2-1)
S-Robertson(5)

Atlanta would strike first in the top of the 1st when Gattis doubled home Justin Upton, who reached on a Tanaka error.

In the bottom of the 4th, Ellsbury would leadoff with a single and steal second. After a fly out to right center advanced Jacoby, Teixeira would knock him on a ground out to second.

BJ Upton would respond in the top of the 5th with a 2 run homer, that also scored Uggla. Uggla reached on a Tanaka walk.

Up 3-1, the bottom of the 6th was the decisive inning. Brendan Ryan led off with a single followed by a Gardner walk. Ellsbury placed a perfect bunt that couldn't even garner a throw, loading the bases for Beltran. Carlos delivered with a single to right scoring Ryan and Gardner. Minor would leave and give way to Avilan, who got Tex to fly out to right, but it was deep enough to allow Ellsbury to tag and score.

The pen pitches the 7,8,& 9th allowing 1 hit and 1 walk, with D Rob pitching a perfect 9th to give New York a series opening win.

Gm 2
Teheran v Sabathia

Atl-7 NYY-5

W-Venters(2-0)
L-Betances(0-1)
S-Kimbrel(4)

Series Tied 1-1

The Yanks got things started on a 2 run homer in the bottom of the 1st, that brought in Gardner.

Atlanta would respond with a Heyward solo shot in the top of the second, and tie it up with a Justin Upton solo shot in the 5th.

New York would retake the lead 4-3 in the bottom of the 5th on a McCann single that drove in Ellsbury.

In the top of the 6th, Justin Upton hit his second solo homer, only to have that lead erased in the bottom half. Ellsbury had a sac fly and Tex hit RBI single.

After back to back walks to start the top of the 7th, Sabathia gave way to Betances. He struck out Uggla and then faced BJ Upton. Not to be outdone by his brother, BJ took Betances just fair off the left field foul pole, giving Atlanta a 6-5 lead. Heyward would add an insurance run an inning later and that was all Kimbrel would need to close out game 2 and send the series to Atlanta all tied at 1.

Gm3
Kuroda v Santana

Atl-1 NYY-0

W-Santana(1-0)
L-Kuroda(1-1)
S-Kimbrel(5)

Atl leads 2-1

This game was all about the pitching, especially Ervin Santana. Santana only allowed 2 walks while striking out 7 through 8 innings. Up 1-0 thanks to a RBI single by Uggla in the 7th, Santana started the 9th, going for the no hitter. On his first pitch, he suffered an injury and had to be removed. Kimbrel would blow the no hitter to the first batter, pinch hitter Kelly Johnson. He would recover and pitch a perfect inning from that point, giving the Braves the 1-0 win and a 2-1 series lead.

Gm4
Tanaka v Minor

Atl-2 NYY-0
Atlanta leads 3-1

W-Minor(3-1)
L-Tanaka(2-2)
S-Kimbrel(6)

Another pitching duel and another hapless showing by the Yankee bats. Simmons was responsible for the Braves scoring, driving in Doumit on a single in second and doubled home Doumit in the 4th. Minor went 8 innings only allowing 3 hits, 1 walk and 2 K's. Kimbrel would pitch another perfect 9th, putting the Braves on the brink of their first world title since 95.

Gm5
Sabathia v Teheran

NYY-6 Atl-1

Atl leads series 3-2

W-Sabathia(4-0)
L-Teheran(2-1)
S-Pineda(1)

With their backs against the wall, the Yanks bats finally showed up in Atlanta. They jumped out to a 3-0 lead in top of 3rd on 4 hits and a sac fly. Atlanta would get one back in the bottom half on a Johnson RBI single.

Kelly Johnson would get that run right back in top of 4th on a solo homer. New York would add 2 more in the 8th. Pineda pitched 2.2 innings in relief, earning the save and sending the series back to New York.

Gm6
Wood v Kuroda

NYY-7 Atl-3

Series tied 3-3

W-Kuroda(2-1)
L-Wood(0-1)

New York must have been happy to be back home, as they jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Soriano had the big blow, a 3 run homer.

Never nervous Yangervis hit a 2 run shot in a 3 run 5th, allowing the Yanks to force a deciding game 7.

Gm7
Santana v Tanaka

NYY-9 Atl-0
NYY wins series 4-3

W-Tanaka(3-2)
L-Santana(1-1)

This one got over with in a hurry. Gardy went yardy to lead off the bottom of 1st. McCann hit a solo shot in the 2nd, giving Tanaka and the Yanks a 2-0 lead.

However it was the 3rd that would seal this one. Gardy went yardy a second time, followed by Jacoby who Ellsburied one into Monument Park. Soriano dealt the crushing blow, a 3 run homer into the Braves bullpen in left.

The only drama left would be to see if Tanka would throw a no no. While he had walked a guy in the first, he kept Atlanta hitless through 8. Uggla led off the 9th and promptly ended the no hit bid with a clean single, through the hole, between Ryan and Tex. Tanaka wouldn't let that deter him as he retired the next 3 to give the Yanks their record leading 28th world title.

WS MVP:Brett Gardner



Season Awards
AL MVP-Mike Napoli(.298 41HR 115 RBI)

NL MVP-Paul Goldschmidt (307 46HR 135 RBI)

AL Cy Young-Marcus Stroman(16-6, 3.23 ERA 229K)

NL Cy Young-Ervin Santana(17-6, 3.01, 186K)

AL Batting Title-Eric Hosmer(.331)

NL Batting Title-Jason Heyward(.323)

Mariano Rivera-Greg Holland(51 Svs)

Trevor Hoffman-Trevor Rosenthal(54 Svs)

AL ROY-Marcus Stroman Tor
NL ROY-Oscar Taveras StL

Hank Aaron-Alex Avilla(AL) Paul Goldschmidt(NL)




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[HarrySTruman]

My Red Sox opened the season with a three-game sweep in Baltimore, and followed that by taking two of three from the Brewers at Fenway. But in the final game with Milwaukee, both John Lester and David Ortiz were injured! Lester is out for 2-3 weeks with an arm strain, and Ortiz hurt himself sliding into third base and is out for 1-2 months! (Oddly enough, though, Ortiz cheerfully ambled onto the field in the postgame segment, all smiles!)

So that left me without the services of two of my best players. I called up Brandon Workman, who is pitching well in real life. My rotation is now Bucholz-Lackey-Peavy-Doubront-Workman. I brought up Brock Holt to fill Ortiz's roster spot; I want to see whether my fictional Holt will perform as well as his real-life counterpart.

Then Texas came to town and won two out of three. So I was 6-3 after the first ten days of the season.

I then headed into the Bronx for the first of a four-game series against the Yankees. This game was as exciting as any Yankees-Red Sox matchup! Felix Doubront got the ball for game 1. Ivan Nova started for the Yanks.

Jonathan Herrerra connected for a first-inning homer, but Felix gave back two runs in the bottom of the first. Felix gave up a solo homerun to Mark Teixeira in the 2nd inning, but he settle down after that, and the score remained 3-1 New York until the top of the 5th. In that inning, the Sox loaded the bases, and Nova then issued consecutive walks, tying the ball game. The Sox stranded those runners, but in the top of the 6th, Mike Napoli connected for a huge two-run blast over the left field fence; 5-3 Red Sox.

Felix got one out in the top of the 7th, but then gave up a couple hits, and I brought in Edward Mujica to put out the fire. Alas, he gave up a one-run double, making the score 5-4 Boston. Junichi Tazawa came in and pitched a perfect 8th, punctuated by two strikeouts. It stayed 5-4 until the bottom of the ninth, and I brought in Koji Uehara -- his first appearance of the year, believe it or not. I've been saving him for a one- or two-run save situation, and I haven't needed him until now.

Koji struck out Ellsbury and got Jeter to ground out, but then pitched too carefully to Teixeira, who drew a walk. McCann then hit a weak groundball to third that I thought would end the game. I *had* made a defensive substitution in the 9th -- Gomes in for Carp in left field -- but I'd left Middlebrooks at first and Napoli at first. So of course Middlebrooks throws low to Napoli, and Napoli fails to make the scoop. So instead of game over, it's runners on first and second, the crowd is deafening, and I could barely hold the controller as the announcers said stuff about tying and winning runs on base. I think this brought up Carlos Beltran -- it was someone scary, at any rate. Koji fell behind 2-0, but then got a close called strike one and strike two. Beltran at last swung at a high fastball, and he popped it up -- to third base, lol. This time Middlebrooks was up to the task, though. Game over! Sox win, 5-4. Doubront (1-1) gets the win, Nova (0-2) the loss, Uehara his first save.

Incidentally, my early batting leaders include Gomes (around .440), Holt (.400), Bogaerts (.380), Pedroia (.350), Herrara (.350). Ortiz was hitting .400 before he was injured. Napoli already has five home runs, but also a .220 batting average. Disappointing starts for Victorino, Nava, Middlebrooks.

Tomorrow Workman gets the ball against the Yankees. Brr! A nice, relaxed first appearance for him!

[chitown1-23]

I started a new franchise my
2015 cubs look like this this

Gerardo parra rf
Starlin Castro ss
Jason heyward LF
Javier Baez 2b
Anthony rizzo 1b
Kris Bryant 3b
Kyle schwarber c
Aj pollock cf

Bench

Junior lake LF
Eric sogard 2b
Mike olt. 3b
Yorbit torrealba c

Pitchers

Randall Delgado
Kyle Hendricks
Travis wood
Edwin Jackson
Jake arrietta

Bullpen

Justin Grimm
Arodys viszcaino
Rubby de la rosa
James Russell
Pedro strop
Blake Parker
Paco Rodriguez
Hector rondon

Currently at 5-7 in last place in the NL central.

Seems like phillies trade everyone to the NL central

Howard and utley on St. Louis
Cliff lee in cincy
Carlos Ruiz in pit
Papelbon on mil

[fatleg3]

Quote: Originally Posted by NDAlum

Marwin Gonzalez with the sweet flip for the force out at second. Houston Astros Depth Chart - 2015 Catcher J. Castro (81) C. Corporan (67) First Base J. Singleton (70) J. Guzman (69) A. Dunn (62) Second Base M. Gonzalez (71) J. Villar (73) Third Base M. Dominguez (77) J. Guzman (69) Shortstop C. Correa (79) J. Villar (73) Left Field D. Santana (70) J. Ramsey (72) J. Guzman (69) Center Field G. Springer (80) J. Ramsey (72) Right Field R. Grossman (69) J. Ramsey (72) J. Guzman (69) Starting Pitcher J. Cosart (85) B. Oberholtzer (79) J. Graham (74) M. Foltynewicz (76) M. Appel (76) Relief Pitcher B. Peacock (75) S.Feldman (77) J.Stoffel (72) D.Downs (70) J.Collmenter (77) C.Qualls (72) Closer S.Simmons (76) Designated Hitter J. Guzman (69) A.Dunn (62) 2015 Houston Astros Stats - Hitting NAME AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS BA OBP SLG Robbie Grossman 143 19 34 6 2 4 19 11 33 1 0 .238 .295 .392 Marwin Gonzalez 123 11 38 10 0 2 21 5 18 2 1 .309 .333 .439 George Springer 150 23 45 5 3 8 18 7 36 12 1 .300 .331 .533 Jon Singleton 133 15 37 5 0 6 15 14 31 0 0 .278 .347 .451 Matt Dominguez 146 22 38 5 0 3 19 11 29 1 0 .260 .310 .356 Jason Castro 138 19 37 8 1 3 17 8 30 1 0 .268 .306 .406 Jesus Guzman 92 18 27 1 0 8 19 6 14 0 0 .293 .333 .565 Domingo Santana 70 14 20 4 2 4 11 9 23 0 0 .286 .375 .571 Carlos Correa 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 --- --- --- Adam Dunn 88 12 17 5 0 7 13 7 34 0 0 .193 .253 .489 Jonathan Villar 116 7 25 5 1 0 8 10 25 0 1 .216 .283 .276 James Ramsey 37 4 10 1 1 0 3 1 5 2 1 .270 .289 .351 Carlos Corporan 20 2 2 0 0 0 2 3 4 0 0 .100 .217 .317 2015 Houston Astros Stats - Pitching NAME GP GS W L SV QS HLD IP H ER HR BB SO WHIP ERA Jarred Costa 8 8 2 3 0 3 0 47.1 36 22 6 34 53 1.48 4.18 Brett Oberholtzer 8 8 4 1 0 5 0 51.0 50 20 4 24 45 1.45 3.53 Mike Foltynewicz 8 8 5 3 0 5 0 52.2 39 15 5 28 52 1.27 2.56 J.R. Graham 2 2 1 0 0 2 0 14.0 7 4 2 5 13 0.86 2.57 Mark Appel 4 4 0 1 0 3 0 25.1 22 9 1 11 26 1.30 3.20 Brad Peacock 8 0 0 0 0 0 2 21.2 19 6 0 19 23 1.75 2.49 Scott Feldman 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 12.1 9 3 1 1 13 0.81 2.19 Jason Stoffel 6 0 0 1 0 0 1 8.1 12 6 1 3 15 1.80 6.48 Darin Downs 15 0 0 2 0 0 4 14.0 21 13 4 6 14 1.93 8.36 Chad Qualls 14 0 0 0 0 0 6 14.1 19 9 3 8 14 1.88 5.65 Josh Collmenter 15 0 3 1 0 0 4 15.2 13 3 2 7 10 1.28 1.72 Shae Simmons 17 0 1 2 11 0 0 15.2 18 5 1 7 16 1.60 2.87 This is the first quarter of my season update. I'm 18-21 (4.5GB in division) after 39 games and I get to go on a nice little home stand. I just called up the stud Carlos Correa as I couldn't wait any longer. Villar was struggling at the plate and there were so many times he got up with RISP and he just wasn't delivering (.206 avg RISP). Overall I'm pretty happy with how the first 1/4 of the season went. My pitching staff might look like it's awesome but it took a while to get the right mix. I've had about 5 guys demoted from the MLB squad after they struggled pitching. I'm in the mid-20's in team ERA as a whole.

I dont know why I didn't think of moving Springer to CF and get rid of Fowler. In my first season, Fowler hit .285 with 9 HR. He was for arbitration. I offered him a 2 yr deal for 4 mil each year but he turned it down. He wanted 7. And thtas what he was awarded through arbitration.

Sent from Plant City, Florida

[MattFromTheWire]

Just started my Orioles Franchise. Started going 1-2 vs Boston and o-2 vs Detroit. I have scored 9 total runs and my pitchers are getting shelled late in the games.

I'm using OSFM Hybrid Rosters and someone sliders in the thread. I adjusted them a little after my last game. Seems all my hits are just grounders to 2nd and SS.

[philliesfan136]

Couldn't find the 13 thread so I figured I might as well post this here. Actively playing it in 2014 so I hope it's okay.
---------------------------


2016 Phillies (The Show 13/PS Vita) Fantasy Draft

I'm in year 4 with the fantasy draft Phils, who have won two straight titles in 2014-15 after a few solid years in 2012-13. That said, we're going for the Heat-esque three-peat. As a GM I've wheeled and dealed, doing trades, signing free agents, resigning the core, built through the draft, and stashed prospects through Rule 5.

2014: 94-68, def. LAD 3-0/def. CHC 4-1/def. CHW 4-3 in WS
Mike Trout hit .375 with 10 HR and 30 RBI in the playoffs, including a 4-4 game with 3 bombs and 4 runs batted in vs the Cubs (6-5 win).

2015: 93-69, def. CHC 3-0/def. MIA 4-2/def. BOS 4-2 in WS
The Cubbies boasted great stat-sheet stuffers in Robinson Cano and Chase Headley. They tied in home runs with 39 each and Headley was 2nd in AVG at .315 (behind only Ryan Zimmerman). Robbie also had 125 ribbies and a .310 average while Headley amassed 111 RBIs himself. Amazingly, Jeff Niemann of San Diego lead in wins with a 21-3 record plus a 2.76 ERA and 129 Ks. Our own Yovani Gallardo was right up there at 16-7 (2.57, 208 Ks). Shaun Marcum also impressed at an old age for the Friars - 134 strikeouts, 2.16 earned run average, 14-5 record.

Philly had the #1 offense, 3rd best speed, 11th most power, 19th defense, and 3rd pitching in 2015. Since 2014 we've maintained a dominant staff, leading in plenty of categories.

2014 Statistics
C Robert Wayne - .279, 8 HR, 46 RBI
C Carlos Berroa - .325, 12 RBI
1B Chris Davis - .248, 34 HR, 110 RBI
1B/OF Chris Carter - .307, 21 HR, 47 RBI
2B/IF/OF Cody Bullinger - .313, 5 HR, 48 RBI
2B Gene Hansen - .293, 7 HR, 45 RBI
3B Manny Machado - .261, 21 HR, 62 RBI
3B/IF/OF Manny Santana - .295, 5 HR, 25 RBI
SS Garrett Hovis - .236, 6 HR, 37 RBI, 30+ SB
LF Michael Rodriguez - .303, 27 HR, 88 RBI
OF Julian Holland - .245, 1 HR, 14 RBI
CF Mike Trout - .282, 36 HR, 105 RBI
RF Cameron Maybin - .271, 18 HR, 74 RBI
OF Luis Ponce - .298, 11 HR, 64 RBI

SP Yovani Gallardo - 16-7, 2.59 ERA, 212 K
SP Madison Bumgarner - 13-7, 2.94, 172 K
SP Dylan Bundy - 13-9, 3.56, 206 K
SP Dan Straily - 14-9, 3.20, 168 K
SP John Quiroz - 6-8, 4.62, 68 K
SP Lance Williams - 3-1, 4.11, 31 K
MR Joba Chamberlain - 5-6, 3.40, 73 K
MR Trevor Rosenthal - 8-5, 4.50, 74 K
SU Addison Reed - 4-3, 2.59, 70 K, 4 SV
CL Ryan Cook - 2-2, 2.98, 42 K, 32 SV

[philliesfan136]

Position-by-Position Review



Catcher: Robert Wayne (84 ovr, A potential) was grabbed from the Giants for Rob Brantly, who wasn't doing too hot for me at the time. He has solid contact, good speed, and good arm strength. Besides 2015, he also batted .282/11/60 in '14 and .288/6/31 in '13. He's 22 and on a $3.1M deal from arbitration. Carlos Berroa (23 yr old/73/B pot.) has good contact and an 82 arm but not much else. Still, he's useful off the bench and is on a 2 yr/415k deal. Darryl Pullicin (24 yr old/71/A pot.) remains at AAA after being taken in the 1st round in 2013. He was backing up previously but with mediocre hitting ability and fielding, only baserunning ability stands out from him. Lawrence Wilburn (24 yr old/67/A pot.) is a Rule 5 pick and there are another pair of low overall/B potential guys down in other levels.

First Base: Chris Davis (90 ovr.) is 29 and in the third year of a 5-year, $31.3M contract, making $6.2 mil this year. His power remains elite in the 4 hole, blasting 33/27/46/34 home runs since 2012. He has improved his runs driven in every year (85-97-108-110). Chris Carter (29 yr old/79/A pot.) backs up for him and plays OF in a pinch. He had a breakout campaign last season after being in the minors for '13. He hit 3 HRs in 59 ABs in 2013 after smashing 16 in 218 appearances the year before. Was supposed to be good trade bait but made his mark while mostly DH'ing and coming off the bench. Chad McDonald (23 yr old/84/A pot.) brings slugging to the table from both sides and is biding his time until a spot opens up. He was plucked from the Reds as part of a deal for Francisco Liriano. Jake Mora (22 yr old/72/C pot.) is a unique 1B in that his game is mostly based on speed - his baserunning is rated a 99 (!). For a first baseman, that's abnormal, and he led the league in SB for the Mets. Alright contact got him a .268/10/58 line last year. We've snagged him on a minor league deal and I'm interested to see where I can fit him in - maybe a change of position is in order. Benito Espinoza is a B pot. AA prospect and 2015 4th-rounder George Gonzalez (A pot.) is ready to get started in Single-A.

2nd Base: Gene Hansen (28 yr old/82/A pot.) provides great contact and okay speed, he is our leadoff man. In 2014 he didn't impress (.242/2/25), but he's come on recently and can play all over the diamond. He's locked in for 4 years at 450k per year. Cody Bullinger (24 yr old/83/B pot.) could challenge him for the role as he has similar ability to get on base but more speed. As of now he is a utility man who can play third, short, and all the outfield. With 83 con. from the left and 74 from the right he is a nice sparkplug. In seasons prior, he hit .254/2/34 and .228/7/45. He won a $1M deal in arbitration. Elsewhere there is some B potential guys in Brian Barrera (28/72 ovr) and Derrek Driscoll (27/64 ovr). There's also minor league pickup Jason Cox (62/A pot) and Rolando Byers (49/A pot.) was a third round pick in 2014, but I don't see them or the others making an impact for a while.

3rd Base: Manny Machado (23 yr old/95 ovr.) is hooked on a 3-year, $26.1 million contract and hasn't even hit his prime yet. He moved to short with Hanley in tow but went back once he was traded. From 2012-14, his stats read as such: .262/7/26, .267/22/70, .289/28/93. I'm hoping he returns to his '14 form because he dipped a bit this year. He seems to be a fixture for years to come as a well-rounded hitter and above-average fielder. Machado switched his stance to A-Rod's so I'm hoping that helps out some. Manny Santana (26 yr old/81/B pot.) is another utility type who plays all but first and catcher. Santana was plucked from Houston in the Rule 5 draft. He's not amazing at anything but does everything fairly well. He built on a .263/6/15 line from 2014 and fits well on the bench. He is secure for 2yr/450k but former Cubs 1st-rounder Jerome Avery (20 yr old/82/B pot.) is creeping up. Avery has good contact as a switch hitter and an alright arm from 3rd but I think there's more development to be done. Tommy Pollock (28/69/B) and Ike Crowe (27/67/A) are running out of time to make it and are blocked by Manny. On the lower levels are Brady Worthing (64 ovr/B pot), 2013 5th-rounder Glenn Alonso (61 ovr/A pot), and 2015 1st Maurice Morrison (49 ovr/B pot).

Shortstop: Garrett Hovis (21 yr old/83/B pot.) was acquired from the Yankees in exchange for Hanley Ramirez, who hadn't been doing enough to justify his salary. His bread-and-butter is his lethal running on the basepaths, which netted him over 30 steals this year. He boasts an 84-rated arm and average fielding but does not stand out hitting-wise. Thus he is relegated to the 8 hole, setting stuff up for the top of the lineup from the bottom. Hovis' hit a career-high with 6 home runs last year, and has only reached .268 (in 2013). I like to think of him as HOVA considering he comes from a New York state of mind like Jay-Z. Ruben Tejada (26 yr old/80/B pot.) has lit up the minors but hasn't got up here for more than a cup of coffee. Other teams could probably use his contact and he runs/fields good enough. Besides that we've accumulated 2015 4th Claudio Valdez (48/B pot.), 2014 1st Tom Nunez (55/A pot.), 2016 Rule 5 pick DeWayne Holley (67/A pot.), 2013 4th Steve Rubio (59/A pot.), and Alvin Bond (65/B pot). I've went after shortstops a lot in the draft and it might take them a while to advance through the system. I'm particularly high on Rubio but there's not much to project from him yet.

Left Field: Michael Rodriguez (22 yr old/84/A) was the main piece in the Alex Gordon trade to Oakland. He only had 60 ABs but in the small sample size, hit .300 with a few homers. Rodriguez's main strengths are exceptional contact and satisfactory power. He is not an impressive fielder or runner , but regardless he put up a .303 average with 27 HRs and 88 RBI in a true breakout season. In just his early-twenties, Michael figures to be a big piece to the puzzle going forward. Julian Holland (84/A) is a bit older at 27 and came over from Miami as the return for Kyle Seager. He has the contact close to Rodriguez but with less power and noticeably more speed/fielding ability. Holland didn't perform too well in his first two years (.235/245, 1/3 HR, 15/14 RBI) but is a worthy option for a bench spot by playing all of the OF and providing speed or being a defensive replacement. Down on the farm we have 23 year-olds Saul Barton (69/B) and Larry Coley (65/A).

Center Field: Needless to say, this offense runs through hometown star Mike Trout. From 2012-2015, he smashed 135 bombs, 399 RBIs, 704 hits, and a .303 overall average. The only problem with him so far is that getting an extension done has been difficult and we've gone year-to-year on arbitration. He'll be making $12.9 million in this age 24 season. Behind him is Steven Nivar (23 yr old/81/A pot.), former Miami prospect. Nivar has not got an extended look in the bigs yet but he is another blue-chip backup with some power, arm strength, and speed. One of the more exciting minor leaguers rising through the pipeline is 2013 3rd-rounder Allan French (24 yr old/67/A). He finally made it to Triple-A Lehigh Valley this year but we're going to give him ample opportunity in Spring Training to showcase his skills. French's batting is not advanced but he possesses a strong throwing arm and is swift. Those two combined mean right field could be an ideal spot for him with Cameron Maybin being the most likely to be traded out of the starting outfielders. I'm very excited to see how he takes to a higher level of competition in AAA. CF is rounded out with MiLB free agents Nelson Ki (25/67/B) and Jordan Danks (29/66/B), along with 2015 3rd Mitchell Reaves (24/48/B).

Right Field: Cameron Maybin (28 yr old/92/A pot.) blossomed into a pretty efficient hitter in 2015, slugging a career-best 18 home runs and 74 runs driven in. A manageable .271 average coupled with sturdy fielding and superb speed shall make him a mainstay for the time being. He reached 10 homers in 2013-2014 but his average never got above .244 so he is steadily improving there. Maybin is signed cheaply to a $3,768,000 commitment over 4 years. Luis Ponce (27 yr old/81/B pot) is a second A's alumni who is vying for a backup spot. The switch-hitter offers contact, adequate fielding/speed, and fine baserunning. A grand 2014 with the Athletics (.329, 12 HR, 58 RBI) inspired me to go after him and he responded with an appreciable 2015. Once highly-touted Fernando Martinez (27 yr old/75/B) is toiling down with the Ironpigs, waiting to finally live up to his Top 100 prospect status. In 2012, he batted a poor .237 with just 6 homers and 14 RBI in 118 at-bats. 2014 Rule 5 selection from the D'Backs Bryan Reyes (25 yr old/77/A pot.) doesn't stand out anywhere but profiles as a suitable bench bat with more growing to do. Lastly, 2015 6th rounder Roger Lopez (20 yr old/44/B pot.) is getting ready in Class A.