MLB The Show 18 Franchise Discussion Thread

[Bushido]

Decided to delete all my franchises, and just focus on one. I settled on Atlanta over Arizona, mainly because I love Ronald Acuna as a prospect, and their farm system (LOADED!!) creates some unique possibilities for blockbuster deals, etc.

When I started the franchise up, there were seven big time prospects in the free agent pool just waiting to be signed. And I happily obliged

Side note : Is this normal? I've noticed in every franchise I've done, or re-done, there were always 5 (or more) computer generated prospects who had high B or A potential ratings.

Three of those seven prospects would become key components to two separate blockbuster deals.

1B - Felix Sanchez (6'5/240)
Age : 19
Potential : 95/A
Projection : Power hitting infielder, who will also hit for average. Already has freakish power hitting ratings, with his contact rating already in the 60's.

SP - Clay Shelton (6-3, 198)
Age : 20
Potential : 90/A
Projection : Already has a 95 mph fastball, and a slider that hits 89, with devastating movement. Has future No.1 or No.2 potential.

CF - Hector Gallarado (5'11, 173)
Age : 21
Potential : 87/B
Projection : Looks to be a plus defender in the outfield, and a threat to swipe 30+ bags with his 95 speed rating. More of a contact guy, and a future leadoff hitter.

FAST FORWARD TO THE 2018 TRADE DEADLINE

I always sim the first season, just because that's my thing..

Atlanta Braves pulled off the blockbuster deal of 2018 in acquiring Manny Machadao from the Baltimore Orioles, who officially have started their rebuilding phase.

The Orioles in return received..

SS - Dansby Swanson
SP - Luiz Gohara (No.27 overall prospect / A rating)
SP - Clay Shelton (No.19 overall prospect / A rating)

FAST FORWARD TO THE OFF-SEASON

Manny Machado signed a 10 year, 310 million dollar deal with Atlanta.

The Atlanta Braves outbid the Texas Rangers for the services of All-Star catcher Salvador Perez, giving him a 5 year, 100 million dollar deal.

The Atlanta Braves outbid the Washington Nationals and Cleveland Indians for the services of All-Star closer Chad Allen, giving him a 5 year, 68 million dollar deal.

FAST FORWARD TO WINTER MEETINGS

The Atlanta Braves pulled off another blockbuster deal with the Oakland Athletics. With the A's having a reputation of being penny pinchers, they decided to trade All-Star pitcher Sean Mananea, instead of giving him a new deal.

In return, the Oakland Athletics acquired

1B - Felix Sanchez (No.4 overall prospect, already a 79 overall)
OF - Hector Gallarado (No.14 overall prospect, already a 74 overall)
SP - Kolby Allard (No.36 overall prospect)

[HozAndMoose]

End of May - 2021

For the first 2 weeks of the season I thought we were going to be great. We took 2 of 3 against the Astros. 2 of 3 against the Mariners. Swept the White Sox. And swept the Twins in a 4 games series. 11-2 before things went to ****. We ended up getting swept by the Red Sox, Indians and Astros. And lost a series to the Yankees. We ended April at 15-17 but have gotten things back under control since. 16-10 in May including wins in 8 of our last 11 games. Unfortunately those 3 losses have come to the division leading Indians. 5 of our 7 division losses have come at the hands of them so far. We are 31-27 overall. 2 games back in the division and currently control the 2nd Wild Card.

The offense has improved significantly. We are hitting .267/.331/.426. Compared to .248/.323/.381 last season. We are 9th in runs with 247, 15th in 2B with 200. 11th in 3B with 12 and 13th in HR with 67. Our 39 SB is good for 16th and our SB% is 3rd at 75%. All of that with one of our best hitters missing 33 games.

Stats

Spoiler

• Ryan O'Hearn - .325/.389/.595, 14 HR, 42 RBI
• Hunter Dozier - .298/.344/.489, 9 HR, 32 RBI
• Jorge Bonifacio - .283/. 343/.465. 4 HR, 12 RBI
• Jorge Soler - .246/.344/.436, 8 HR, 28 RBI
• Elier Hernandez - .272/.332/.435, 4 HR, 23 RBI
• Salvador Perez - .242/.323/.434, 10 HR, 32 RBI
• Raul Mondesi - .278/.314/.384. 3 HR, 21 RBI
• Myles Evans - .251/.342/.309, 2 HR, 15 RBI
• Whit Merrifield - .218/.284/.347, 5 HR, 17 RBI
  
  
• Nicky Lopez - .306/.346/.551, 2 HR, 10 RBI
• Meibrys Viloria - .326/.380/.391, 7 RBI
• Bubba Starling - .259/.294/.469, 2 HR, 13 RBI
• Cheslor Cuthbert - .250/.299/.368, 4 HR, 20 RBI

1st half Ryan O'Hearn is a forced to be reckoned with. He is 3rd in MVP voting. 6th in HR in the AL and tied for 5th in RBI. 5th in SLG% and 7th in OPS. He stepped up big when we needed him most.

Jorge Bonifacio went down with a broken hand on April 3rd and missed 5 weeks. Struggled a bit when he came back but has started to figure things out. Didn't hit his first HR until May 22nd. And now has 4 in his last 9 games.

Hunter Dozier was very close to being DFA. On April 23rd he was hitting .209 with 1 HR. Since then he has hit .380/.393/.685 with 8 HR including three 2 HR games. He missed 8 games near the end of may.

Elier Hernandez came up when Bonifacio got hurt. In his first 15 games he hit .385/.459/.538. Slowed down since then but is currently the Rookie of The Year leader in the AL.

Myles Evans hasn't done a whole lot with the bat. Still finds ways to get on base so he isnt useless. Recently moved him down in the order a bit to take some pressure off of him. so hopefully he can start to figure things out.

It may be time to ship Whit Merrifield to some other team. He has gotten worse and worse the last few years. Not sure he is much better than the younger options we have down in AAA. He isnt worth much if anything. But something is better than nothing.

The pitching has been our biggest issue so far. Our ERA is 26th in the Majors at 4.63. We are 3rd in Walks with 167. And 4th last in Strikeouts with 421. We have also allowed 73 HR. The 22nd most.

Stats

Spoiler

• Jesse Hahn - 3-2, 3.52 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 40 SO in 64 IP
• Jake Junis - 6-3, 4.23 ERA, 1.52 WHIP, 49 SO in 66 IP
• Foster Griffin - 3-6, 4.33 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 55 SO in 68.2 IP
• Nolan Watson - 3-5, 5.43 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, 44 SO in 58 IP
• Danny Duffy - 3-8. 7.67 ERA, 1.70 WHIP, 52 SO in 56.1 IP
  
  
• Angel Diaz - 14 SV, 0.52 ERA, 0.81 WHIP, 22 SO in 17.1 IP
• Kelvin Herrera - 2-0, 1.62 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 19 SO in 16.2 IP
• Kyle Zimmer - 1-1, 3.82 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 29 SO in 30.2 IP
• Seth Maness - 3-0, 4.10 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 23 SO in 26.1 IP
• Jake Thompson - 2-0, 4.80 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 11 SO in 15 IP
• Mauricio Cabrera - 3-0, 7.11 ERA, 1.89 WHIP, 9 SO in 12.2 IP

Danny Duffy got off to an awful start. Gave up 32 runs in his first 25.2 IP. He hurt his hamstring and missed one start. Since returning he has a 4.70 ERA in 30.2 IP. Getting better. But still has a long way to go. It's not like he is getting unlucky either. His FIP is 5.75. Not good for a guy in the last year of his deal.

Jesse Hahn is having his best season since 2018. Hopefully he can keep it up since no one else seems to care much.

Nolan Watson is gonna go down to AAA. A.J. Cole has been pretty good down there with a 2.68 ERA in 53.2 IP. He came up for a week when Duffy got hurt. He has a 6.75 ERA in 9.1 IP. It was out of the pen though so want to see how he is in the rotation.

Out in the pen things have been a little rough. Diaz and Herrera are doing great. Diaz has 1 blown save in 15 attempts. Herrera has his highest K/9 and BB/9 since 2016. Jake Thompson has also been good despite his ERA. He gave up 6 runs in his last appearance making things look bad. Aside from that game he has a 2.03 ERA in 13.2 IP. Zimmer has been up and down. Easily the 4th best guy out of the pen though. We are also going to send Cabrera down. He has been getting better but not quick enough. Josh Staumont will take his place and make his MLB debut.

Prospects

Spoiler

Nick Pratto broke his shin on April 23rd. Should be back by the end of June. Was only hitting .219/.278/.452 but had 5 HR in 19 games. Samir Dunez moved up from AA to replace him and has been on fire. Hitting .333/.413/.514 with 5 HR and 21 RBI. Jim Albrecht could be getting close to a call up with Whit hitting so bad. Has been hot and cold. Hitting .264/.341/.448 with 6 HR. Rodney Chastain has a 2.05 ERA in 61.1 IP. Figured he would move quick. Gonna go ahead and move him up to AAA. Has spent a little time there replacing Cole when he came up. Started on short rest and gave up 7 runs in 3.2 IP. Then gave up 2 in 7.1 in his next start. And at the moment pretty much all of our hitters down in AA are cold.

37 games left until the AS break. 21 of them will be at home. 19 of them will be against the division. And 17 are against teams at or over .500 We are 20-9 at home. 15-7 in the division. 14-2 against the teams that aren't the Indians. I think we can gain a few more games before the break. Doubt we go into it any worse than .500.

[alston4659]

Quote: Originally Posted by Bushido

Decided to delete all my franchises, and just focus on one. I settled on Atlanta over Arizona, mainly because I love Ronald Acuna as a prospect, and their farm system (LOADED!!) creates some unique possibilities for blockbuster deals, etc. When I started the franchise up, there were seven big time prospects in the free agent pool just waiting to be signed. And I happily obliged Side note : Is this normal? I've noticed in every franchise I've done, or re-done, there were always 5 (or more) computer generated prospects who had high B or A potential ratings. Three of those seven prospects would become key components to two separate blockbuster deals. 1B - Felix Sanchez (6'5/240) Age : 19 Potential : 95/A Projection : Power hitting infielder, who will also hit for average. Already has freakish power hitting ratings, with his contact rating already in the 60's. SP - Clay Shelton (6-3, 198) Age : 20 Potential : 90/A Projection : Already has a 95 mph fastball, and a slider that hits 89, with devastating movement. Has future No.1 or No.2 potential. CF - Hector Gallarado (5'11, 173) Age : 21 Potential : 87/B Projection : Looks to be a plus defender in the outfield, and a threat to swipe 30+ bags with his 95 speed rating. More of a contact guy, and a future leadoff hitter. FAST FORWARD TO THE 2018 TRADE DEADLINE I always sim the first season, just because that's my thing.. Atlanta Braves pulled off the blockbuster deal of 2018 in acquiring Manny Machadao from the Baltimore Orioles, who officially have started their rebuilding phase. The Orioles in return received.. SS - Dansby Swanson SP - Luiz Gohara (No.27 overall prospect / A rating) SP - Clay Shelton (No.19 overall prospect / A rating) FAST FORWARD TO THE OFF-SEASON Manny Machado signed a 10 year, 310 million dollar deal with Atlanta. The Atlanta Braves outbid the Texas Rangers for the services of All-Star catcher Salvador Perez, giving him a 5 year, 100 million dollar deal. The Atlanta Braves outbid the Washington Nationals and Cleveland Indians for the services of All-Star closer Chad Allen, giving him a 5 year, 68 million dollar deal. FAST FORWARD TO WINTER MEETINGS The Atlanta Braves pulled off another blockbuster deal with the Oakland Athletics. With the A's having a reputation of being penny pinchers, they decided to trade All-Star pitcher Sean Mananea, instead of giving him a new deal. In return, the Oakland Athletics acquired 1B - Felix Sanchez (No.4 overall prospect, already a 79 overall) OF - Hector Gallarado (No.14 overall prospect, already a 74 overall) SP - Kolby Allard (No.36 overall prospect)

I also like to see what prospects are hanging around in the free agent pool and picked up 4 guys myself that are key components to my San Diego Padres franchise. I picked up a 19 year old, 78 overall, A potential SS who I started year one! Also picked up a 20 year old, 80 overall l, B potential 3B who also started year one. The two other guys who have now been called up to majors are 23 year old, 80 overall, B potential Catcher and 21 year old, 74 overall, B potential 1B. The Padres needed all the help they could get and now in my second season my team is looking pretty good without having to break the bank for free agents.

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[Bushido]

Quote: Originally Posted by alston4659

I also like to see what prospects are hanging around in the free agent pool and picked up 4 guys myself that are key components to my San Diego Padres franchise. I picked up a 19 year old, 78 overall, A potential SS who I started year one! Also picked up a 20 year old, 80 overall l, B potential 3B who also started year one. The two other guys who have now been called up to majors are 23 year old, 80 overall, B potential Catcher and 21 year old, 74 overall, B potential 1B. The Padres needed all the help they could get and now in my second season my team is looking pretty good without having to break the bank for free agents. Sent from my SM-G955U using Operation Sports mobile app

I love it, and it's always a mixed bag.

I've started franchises where it was loaded with big time prospects. Then turn around and do another franchise with another team, and have maybe 2-3 prospects worth signing/developing.

[doubledeuceR6]

Just finished up a fun series against the Astros in my Rangers franchise.

First game was a slugfest as the Astros won 13-7. We bounced back to take the next 2 games 5-3 and 4-2. That last game was not easy as the Astros had 12 hits but we somehow kept them from having a big inning. On the opposite side we only had 6 hits but two big homeruns from Mazara and Gallo were the difference.

18-24 on the season and 8 games out of first in the AL West.

This is my thoughts on Altuve after this series!

[montgom24]

I'm a huge Rangers fan and I'm hating to see them going through a rebuild phase. But at the same time it would be a fun process to play with some of the good pieces they have received. Anybody have a good franchise story with the rangers that they've done. Little trading just trusting the draft and free agent pick ups?

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[MUFFIN_MAN_xx]

In need of some serious help here guys. I am in my 4th year with the White Sox and just noticed at the beginning of this year that all my players have lower speed rating in game than they do at the roster screen. For example: Moncada is an 87 speed but in the game that drops to 81. I signed Bogaerts as well and he drops from 73 to 67. It seems most of my players are -6 speed but I cannot figure out why. I fired my manager but he was only responsible for -1 speed, the other coaches do not bring speed down. I also checked to see if this still happens when players have full energy and it does. Has anyone else experienced something like this?

[alston4659]

Quote: Originally Posted by MUFFIN_MAN_xx

In need of some serious help here guys. I am in my 4th year with the White Sox and just noticed at the beginning of this year that all my players have lower speed rating in game than they do at the roster screen. For example: Moncada is an 87 speed but in the game that drops to 81. I signed Bogaerts as well and he drops from 73 to 67. It seems most of my players are -6 speed but I cannot figure out why. I fired my manager but he was only responsible for -1 speed, the other coaches do not bring speed down. I also checked to see if this still happens when players have full energy and it does. Has anyone else experienced something like this?

Try checking out the moral of those players. I don't know why speed only would be changed but moral can have an effect on alot of different things. I've noticed other attributes that were different in game then they are out of it but never paid that much attention to it.

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