Official MLB The Show 17 Fantasy Draft Franchise Progress Thread

[thawkprime 21]

well good luck armor I did a full 30 team drafts last year but could never find a drafting system that I liked. iv also wondered that if I force trades with the cpu teams if they would adjust there 25 man to hear fewer pitchers.

[Armor and Sword]

Quote: Originally Posted by thawkprime 21

well good luck armor I did a full 30 team drafts last year but could never find a drafting system that I liked. iv also wondered that if I force trades with the cpu teams if they would adjust there 25 man to hear fewer pitchers.

I pretty much am going to use the same strategy for every team.

Rounds 1-25

Get your Major League Team drafted. Starting 9, Starting 5 in the rotation and bullpen and bench.

After that.....I auto pick for each team except mine.

By doing this I can simply draft best player available for a position every team needs in every round to fill that lineup card. It makes it unemotional for me. And it also eliminates that bug the CPU has in year one of carrying no bench.

[Armor and Sword]

Cardinals Bat's Silenced In First Of 4 vs The Marlins



Manager Mike Matheny has been shuffling lineups with Inciarte Out For The Year

The Cardinals returned home to the friendly confines to begin a nice 10 game homestand beginning with a 4 game set vs the scrappy Miami Marlins. However the Red Birds would struggle to hit in the first game and end up losing 4-0. Chi Chi Gonzalez would take the loss. Matheny was not in a good mood in the clubhouse following the loss and stated his ball club needs to regain their focus once again and not let this turn into the malaise that plauged them out of the gate in April. Since that 5-9 start the Cards reeled off a red hot 13-2 record. Bryce Harper is back in the lineup and should provide the fireworks he can with his bat. Byron Buxton and Jacob Herzberg are in a full fledged platoon in LF with Herzberg playing vs right handed pitchers and Buxton vs Lefties. Manager Mike Matheny really wants to see one of them emerge as a full time starter and there is more pressure on Byron than Herzberg. Byron was a first round draft pick in the amateur draft while Herzberg was a 24th rounder and has had a meteoric rise in the Cards system at the tender age of now 19 years young. Herzberg is a lighting fast base runner, a tremendous glove both in LF and at his natural position of SS. His bat though has struggled at the Major League level and there is talk that if he can not take advantage of the big opportunity in front him in the month of May he may be sent down to AAA to be seasoned and get everyday playing time. Buxton's time though is now. And so far he has been responding with the bat hitting over .350 in his limited chances this season. This will be a huge story line as the season progresses! In other news the Cardinals signed 37 year old veteran RF Carlos Beltran to replace Ender Inciarte's spot on the 25 man roster. Inciarte will undergo surgery on his torn ACL tomorrow morning. He is expected to make a full recovery and be ready for spring training in Year 3 (2018)

Game two will be this evening live on Twitch.

[J_smith2190]

8.5 Game Lead On Top The Division

The Pirates have continued to dominate the league, led by a steady pitching staff, and their trio of young hitters. Josh Donaldson has been scuffling at the plate and has yet to break out. As mentioned earlier; Swihart, Story & Pederson have teamed up to form an extremely productive middle of the order.

Whit Merrifield returned from his injury, and took Eduardo Escobar's roster spot. Merrifield should see plenty of action, as the Pirates have high hopes for him in the utility role.

Koda Glover was called up early in the month of May, and has been lights out. Clint Hurdle has thrust his young righty into the fire often and early. Glover has shown an ability to pitch on back to back days, and multiple innings if called upon.

Patrick Corbin is undefeated on the season, thanks in large part to the Pirates bat's every time he pitches. Thanks to the offensive support, Corbin earned NL pitcher of the month honors (the second month in a row a Pirate took home the hardware).

2017 Pirates - June 1st - Stats - Hitting
NAME	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	BA	OBP	SLG
2B Cesar Hernandez (S)	189	18	45	1	3	2	17	9	34	32	8	.238	.280	.307
RF Andre Ethier (L)	148	21	43	12	0	7	19	9	23	17	3	.291	.331	.514
3B Josh Donaldson (R)	181	25	44	8	0	7	19	20	42	10	4	.243	.318	.403
CF Joc Pederson (L)	151	38	45	9	1	16	31	20	34	24	3	.298	.384	.689
SS Trevor Story (R)	165	28	54	5	0	16	36	19	45	19	5	.327	.395	.648
C Blake Swihart (S)	152	23	46	7	0	7	24	9	21	8	3	.303	.341	.487
LF Jayson Werth (R)	152	18	36	7	0	7	23	19	24	5	2	.237	.326	.421
1B Derek Dietrich (L)	123	17	34	6	1	5	20	9	22	9	1	.276	.333	.463
-------BENCH-------
C Jarrod Saltalamacchia (S)	42	1	7	2	0	0	4	8	8	0	0	.167	.300	.214
2B Whit Merrifield (R)	10	2	2	0	0	0	0	2	2	1	0	.200	.333	.200
3B Kelly Johnson (L)	85	7	23	3	0	1	10	2	16	5	1	.271	.284	.341
CF Desmond Jennings (R)	65	10	15	1	1	1	6	5	10	6	4	.231	.296	.323
RF Joey Rickard (R)	111	21	31	3	1	3	12	8	13	42	3	.279	.331	.405

2017 Pirates - June 1st - Stats - Pitching
NAME	GP	GS	W	L	SV	QS	HLD	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	WHIP	ERA
SP Justin Verlander (R)	11	11	8	2	0	9	0	77.0	54	18	6	10	98	0.83	2.10
SP Cole Hamels (L)	11	11	5	3	0	7	0	73.0	75	32	8	14	86	1.22	3.95
SP Jon Gray (R)	11	11	6	3	0	6	0	63.1	58	21	9	11	61	1.09	2.98
SP Patrick Corbin (L)	11	11	9	0	0	8	0	62.2	52	21	7	14	59	1.05	3.02
SP Tyler Chatwood (R)	10	10	5	2	0	6	0	56.1	47	11	2	13	58	1.07	1.76
----BULLPEN-----
MRP Matt Belisle (R)	6	0	0	1	0	0	0	11.1	11	4	1	1	10	1.06	3.18
MRP Koda Glover (R)	17	0	0	0	0	0	11	17.2	9	2	2	2	21	0.62	1.02
MRP Brad Hand (L)	24	0	1	1	0	0	13	25.1	16	7	3	6	21	0.87	2.49
MRP Casey Fien (R)	14	0	0	1	0	0	4	14.0	17	7	3	2	12	1.36	4.50
SU Jerry Blevins (L)	19	0	1	0	0	0	14	15.1	9	3	2	2	23	0.72	1.76
SU Joe Blanton (R)	19	0	0	1	0	0	14	15.1	14	4	3	3	17	1.11	2.35
CP Glen Perkins (L)	25	0	0	1	22	0	0	24.0	21	7	3	3	27	1.00	2.63

Standings

AL East Red Sox 30-24
AL Central Royals 29-25
AL West Athletics 36-18
AL Wildcard 1 Rangers 35-19
AL Wildcard 2 Mariners 33-22

NL East Phillies 28-24
NL Central Pirates 37-17
NL West Giants 31-24
NL Wildcard 1 Diamondbacks 30-26
NL Wildcard 2 Cubs 28-25

AL Pitcher Of The Month CP Tony Watson 1W, 10SV, 14K, 1.98ERA (O's)
AL Player Of The Month RF Nelson Cruz .345, 10 HR, 28 RBI (A's)
AL Rookie Of The Month 1B Jimmy Perez .410, 1 HR, 4 RBI (White Sox)

NL Pitcher Of The Month SP Patrick Corbin 6-0, 1.85 ERA, 36K (Pirates)
NL Player Of The Month 1B Steve Pearce .359, 8 HR, 21 RBI (Marlins)
NL Rookie Of The Month 3B Grady Davis .373, 4 HR, 15 RBI (Nats)

First Year Player Draft

Round 1: SP Brandon Vincent (L) The Pirates were able to secure a possible future ace with the 13th pick in the draft. Vincent, a 21 year old left hander, possesses high velocity for a lefty, along with good movement on his sinker and slider. (69 Overall / 92 Potential / ETA 2019)

Round 2: LF Brett Cline (R) Cline bats and throws from the right side, and was considered a more advanced prospect, after spending 4 years in college. Cline's bat is believed to be major league ready, and he possesses an above average arm for a left fielder. Ever the iron man in college, the Pirates hope his durability continues at the pro level. (73 Overall / 89 Potential / ETA 2018)

Round 3: RP Steven McClain (R) The Pirates continued the trend of picking college players with Steven McClain. McClain shined as a closer at the University of Missouri, and will look to his flame throwing right arm to propel him to through the Pirates system. (65 Overall / 79 Potential / ETA Late 2018)

Round 4: SP Barton Gamble (R) The 20 year old Pennsylvania native and Penn State stand out projects as a 2-3 starter. Gamble is a low-ceiling, high-floor pitcher, and was widely considered a steal when he fell to the Pirates in the 4th round.(73 Overall / 84 Potential / ETA 2019)

Round 5: SS Brett Wallis (R) A 20 year old speedster from Canada, Wallis has been praised for his defense. The big knock on Wallis is the concern he will hit with a batting average close to his body weight. Wallis began to play some outfield while in JuCo., in order to improve his draft stock. Wallis projects as a utility player / 4th OF. (60 Overall / 81 Potential / ETA 2020)

Round 6: RP Brett Jones (L) Jones is a 20 year old flame throwing lefty. Off the field issues, and a concern about sign ability led Jones to fall into the Pirates lap late in the draft. (75 Overall / 64 Potential / ETA 2018)

Round 7: CF Richie Cedeno (L) Cedeno, at 5'8'', has blazing speed. His speed has allowed him to shine on the base baths and on the grass. (61 Overall / 65 Potential / ETA 2021)

May Transactions Of Note

5/5 Braves acquired CP Greg McClain from the White Sox in exchange for SP Alberto Franco and CF Pedro Cordero

5/7 Tigers acquired CF Juan Laggers from the Rockies in exchange for RF Jesus Bravo

5/19 Orioles acquired 2B Stewart Barger from the Angles in exchange for SP Mike Clevinger.

5/21 Braves acquired CP Sam Dyson from the Angels in exchange for LF Gil Camacho.

*Rays claimed RP Ross Stripling off of waivers from the Pirates*

Rumors and Rumblings

The Pirates have a core of veterans on the roster (many of which may be gone at the conclusion of the season), and are exceeding expectations. League sources believe the Pirates are well positioned after the draft to swing a big time trade in order to bolster the roster for a post season run. SP Archie Bradley's name keeps coming up as a player the Pirates may be willing to part with.

In the National League, the Braves (20-33), Brewers (24-32), Dodgers (24-32) and Rockies (24-32) are looking more likely to become sellers. The same can be said for the Astros (18-37), Twins (22-31), Yankees (22-31) and Indians (23-32) in the American League.

[mlblover15]

After one week in my carry over A's fantasy drafted franchise on Dynamic Difficultly, i find it hard to believe this is the team that won the world series in 16. I did load a blended slider set I built out of both Armors and TNK's sets. I used the hitting from Amors and the pitching from TNK.

seeing how I use both those settings. In game one under those sliders 0-1... but overall this game feels just like very odd year release from SDS.. very hard to hit with... On Dynamic Difficulty, i am hitting between Rookie and Rookie Plus and barely pitching with Veteran.

In 16 I was up to HOF on pitching and Veteran Plus on hitting... why do they do this every odd year. make hitting in this game near impossible. I don't get it. I really don't...

well hopefully things will get better or this team is in for a very long season.

after one week in 2017 i am 1-4... yuck!!!

[Brandwin]

Quote: Originally Posted by J_smith2190

No you cannot...but you can now enter a draft, exit and restart it without creating a save or having to restart the entire menu if that makes sense. Saves time if you're looking for a specific spot.

It started auto saving now and I have no idea why. So weird.

Edit: it seems to only do this in franchise mode. Season mode auto saves

[Brandwin]

Quote: Originally Posted by Armor and Sword

I pretty much am going to use the same strategy for every team. Rounds 1-25 Get your Major League Team drafted. Starting 9, Starting 5 in the rotation and bullpen and bench. After that.....I auto pick for each team except mine. By doing this I can simply draft best player available for a position every team needs in every round to fill that lineup card. It makes it unemotional for me. And it also eliminates that bug the CPU has in year one of carrying no bench.

How do you auto draft for the other teams with 30 team control? I don't see an option while drafting.

[J_smith2190]

Disclaimer

Year 1 of this franchise was both a success and a failure - Success in the fact that this team is / was extremely fun & failure in the fact that I spent a good part of it messing with the sliders to try to get things a bit more buttoned up. So with that being said, I quick managed the rest of the season and made it all the way to game 7 of the world series, before Justin Verlander gave up 12 runs in the 1st inning, eventually losing to the Mariners. Happy with the sliders, and this teams build, I went through the offseason and have re-arrived at opening day, 2018. Here's the update / outlook on the season:

Off Season In Review

The Pirates ended the season in the worst way possible, getting outclassed in Game 7 of the World Series. The loss is something that will certainly stick with the members of the organization until baseball picks back up. In a season ending press conference, GM Joe Smith summed up the season, and his plans for going forward: "Overall, 2017 was a success, we made it to the final game of the World Series, and unfortunately didn't show up to play. That being said, it took a lot to get to that point, in terms of team performance, and assets - like the prospects we had to give up to get some re-enforcements. Make no mistake about it, we are not planning on going backwards! This is as good a free agent crop as there has been in years, and thanks to the extra revenue we made last year, we plan to be aggressive in both retaining our guys, and going after new blood."

The young GM did not disappoint, with the Pirates being one of the most active teams in the offseason.
Key Losses
CP Glen Perkins - Signed with the Marlins (1 yr / 3.1M)
RP Jerry Blevins - Signed with the Orioles (2yrs / 13.8M)
CF Desmond Jennings - Signed with the Padres (1 yr / 1.9M)
LF Jayson Werth - Remains FA
RF Andre Either - Remains FA
SP Patrick Corbin - Trade (1)
2B Whit Merrifield - Trade (2)

Key Additions
RF Andrew McCutchen - Signed (2 yr - 26.6M)
2B Ian Kinsler - Resigned (1 yr - 14.8M)
RP Jordan Walden - Trade (2)
RP David Phelps - Signed (1 yr - 1.2M)
SP Trevor Cahill - Signed (1 yr - 2.5M)
C John Ryan Murphy - Trade (1) *in AAA
SS Jed Lowrie - Signed (1 yr - 3M)

These are the big "notable" transactions the Pirates made during the offseason. In addition to these, a lot of attention was made in signing veteran pitchers both in relief and starters, to minor league deals in order to compete for the final starter and reliever spots during spring training. With such uncertainty at the back end of the rotation, the Pirates will surely need to call upon their depth throughout the season.

Roster Breakdown

Pirates - Opening Day - Depth Chart - 2018

• Catcher
• Blake Swihart (S)
• Austin Romine (R)

• First Base
• Derek Dietrich (L)

• Second Base
• Ian Kinsler (R)

• Third Base
• Josh Donaldson (R)
• Kelly Johnson (L)

• Shortstop
• Trevor Story (R)
• Jed Lowrie (S)
• Eduardo Escobar (S)

• Left Field
• Chris Coghlan (L)

• Center Field
• Joc Pederson (L)

• Right Field
• Andrew McCutchen (R)
• Joey Rickard (R)

• Starting Pitcher
• Justin Verlander (R)
• Jon Gray (R)
• Cole Hamels (L)
• Tom Koehler (R)
• Trevor Cahill (R)

• Relief Pitcher
• Josh Fields (R)
• Brad Hand (L)
• Jordan Walden (R)
• Brett Jones (L)
• Joe Blanton (R)
• David Phelps (R)

• Closer
• Koda Glover (R)

Projected Lineup
2B Ian Kinsler (R) 89 Ovr
RF Andrew McCutchen (R) 89 Ovr
3B Josh Donaldson (R) 95 Ovr
CF Joc Pederson (L) 80 Ovr
SS Trevor Story (R) 82 Ovr
C Blake Swihart (S) 77 Ovr
1B Derek Dietrich (L) 79 Ovr
LF Chris Coghlan (L) 75 Ovr

Bench
C Austin Romine (R) 70 Ovr
SS Jed Lowrie (S) 75 Ovr
SS Eduardo Escobar (S) 69 Ovr
3B Kelly Johnson (L) 66 Ovr
RF Joey Rickard (R) 75 Ovr


Catcher Blake Swihart returns, and will see the lions share of action behind the plate. Swihart is coming off of a year in which he played in 129 games, hitting .253 with 16 HR and 62 RBI. Austin Romine returns to spell Swihart on days he needs rest.

1st Base Dietrich will attempt to prove this year that he can handle more of the work load at 1st. 2017 was a strong season for Dietrich as he hit .269 with 17 HR and 58 RBI over 121 games. Going into the season, the plan is for Dietrich to no longer be in a platoon. Dietrich's goal is to play in 145 games this season.

2nd Base Kinsler went on an absolute tear after coming over to the Pirates in 2017. When he was acquired, Kindler was hitting .204, at the end of the season, Kinsler wound up hitting .263 with 27 HR and 87 RBI out of the lead off spot. The Pirates are expecting production like this over the course of the season if they are to make it back to the playoffs.

3rd Base Josh Donaldson, the bringer of rain, returns after losing his case during arbitration. Some feel that due to the arb loss, this will be Donaldson's last year in Black & Yellow. The Pirates are hoping a repeat performance for the NL's Gold Glover at 3rd base. (.266, 36 HR, 87 RBI)

Short Stop Trevor Story has quickly become one of the faces of the franchise, thanks in part to a year that saw him start the All-Star game, and hit .285 31 HR, and 90 RBI's. Another year like this, and Story will be looking to get PAID - look for the Pirates to extend their young star.

Left Field Chris Coghlan starts the year off as the Left Handed portion of a platoon with Joey Rickard. Coghlan spent 2017 in the Pirates organization, at the AAA level. The plan going forward is to play this platoon, with hopes of 2017 1st Round Draft Pick, Brett Cline, being promoted to the Show by the All Star Break.

Center Field Pederson has teamed up with Trevor Story to give the Pirates a tandem of young stars in the heart of the order. 2017 saw Pederson hit .257 with 34 hr, 86 rbi and swipe 28 bags. A 30/30 season may be in order, after earning a start in the All-Star game last year.

Right Field Long time Pirate, Andrew McCutchen, came back to the Organization after winning the World Series in 2017 with the Mariners. Mccutcheon will bat 2nd for the Pirates, and will hope to repeat on a 2017 season in which he hit .258, 22 HR and 80 RBI.

Bench
The bench looks a little different than it did in 2017. Jed Lowrie was brought in due to his ability to hit from both sides of the plate, and play strong defense throughout the infield. Joey Rickard is the only "Outfielder" on the bench, and will see the lion's share of time spelling the regulars. Eduardo Escobar & Kelly Johnson are the utility players.

Rotation
Justin Verlander, the Goat of the World Series, will lead the Pirates rotation after going 18-8 with a 3.11 era in 2017. Jon Gray moves up a spot in the rotation, after a year that saw the promising right hander go 16-10. Cole Hamels should be a big part of the rotation after earning an all-star bid in 2017 thanks in part to going 16-8 with a 3.13 era. Tom Koehler and Trevor Cahill round out the rotation, but are not certain to end the season in it.

Bullpen Koda Glover will be thrust into the Closers role after a season in which he appeared in 83 games, logging 98 strike outs, and a 4.40 era. Glover's ERA exploded, most likely due to over use at the end of the season, but shouldn't be a concern in his new role. Josh Fields & Brad Hand will team up to set up Glover. Jordan Walden came over via trade during the offseason, and will give the Pirates another power arm in the Pen. 2017 draft pick Brad Jones and his 95 MPH fastball will look to stick after earning a spot on the opening day roster. Joe Blanton returns, and David Phelps won the long man spot during ST. Neither are locks to spend the season on the roster.

Top 15 Prospects

SP Brandon Vincent (L) - 2017 1st Round Pick, (21 yrs old, 69 overall, A Pot) *#17 Prospect in Baseball*
LF Brett Cline (R) - 2017 2nd Round Pick - (22 yrs old, 73 Overall, B Pot)
SP Barton Gamble (R) - 2017 4th Round Pick - (20 yrs old, 73 Overall, B Pot)
CP Javier Mateo (R) - 2017 Amateur FA (27 yrs old, 67 Overall, A Pot)
SP Jeffery Parson (R) - (24 yrs old, 67 Overall, C Pot)
SP Jose Rivera (L) - (22 yrs old, 67 Overall, C Pot)
2B Mark Duffy (S) - 20 yrs old, 67 Overall, D Pot)
C Spencer Kieboom - (27 yrs old, 66 Overall, B Pot)
SP Darren Dixon (R) - (22 yrs old, 66 Overall, D Pot)
CF Jim Gagle (R) - (20 yrs old, 66 Overall, C Pot)
RP Steven McClain (R) - 2017 Draft Pick (21 yrs old, 65 Overall, C Pot)
3B JaCoby Jones (R) - (25 yrs old, 63 Overall, B Pot)
SS Brett Wallis (R) - 2017 Draft Pick - (19 yrs old, 60 Overall, B Pot)
RP Pat Light (R) - (27 yrs old, 60 Overall, B Pot)
CF Grover Davis (L) - (21 yrs old, 52 Overall, A Pot)

Opening Day

The Pirates Open the Season at home, with a 3 Game Series against the Cardinals, followed by another 3 game series against the Cubs. Heres how the Cardinals look:

GM 1: Justin Verlander (R) v. Corey Kluber (R)
GM 2: Jon Gray (R) v. Matt Moore (L)
GM 3: Cole Hamels (L) v. Mike Fiers (R)

Cardinals Lineup
SS Jean Seguara (R) 77 Ovr
CF Adam Jones (R) 82 Ovr
3B Jung Ho Kang (R) 86 Ovr
LF Randal Grichuk (R) 79 Ovr
1B John Jaso (L) 69 Ovr *FA signing from Bal*
RF Cameron Maybin (R) 76 Ovr *FA signing from CWS*
C Russell Martin (R) 81 Ovr
2B Tony Kemp (L) 75 Ovr
--Pitcher--

Cardinals Bench
1B Victor Martinez (S) 77 ovr
RF Steven Souza Jr. (R) 73 ovr
C Curt Casali (R) 71 ovr
1B Walter Kuo (R)67 ovr
1B Mike Napoli (R) 70 ovr *FA signing from MIA*