OOTP 19 Franchise Progress

[KBLover]

May-June Overview


Draft Prep

The 2018 draft pool is revealed and there's some interesting kids I'm really keeping my eye on.

Spoiler

One of them is Max Hogan. He played two-way for his NY high school. Seems to be a possible lead-off type and pitching skills might be a touch above average.

Mark Marusek. He's got plus speed and eye at the plate...would be great in the lineup. Defense is also exceptional according to early reports.

Grant Holman...another two-way possible player. This kid reported has power to burn...

There's some more of these two-way types that seems interesting. None seem too highly rated, but maybe they'll fly under the radar.

Back on the more conventional side of things:

Zach Watson is interesting because his grade seems like it's too low for his tools grades. He does everything above average, topping out at speed and defense at being plus or better. Yet...he's projected to be a fringe player? Something doesn't add up. I'll have our scout team take another look.

Xavier Edwards played SS for North Broward Prep and looked capable in the field. He seems to have the arm for shortstop for sure, but I wonder if he'll end up playing up at 3B instead...though he's more a SS with the bat...i.e. light hitting but walks and contact.

Those are probably my watched at this point. Of course, a lot can change between now and June...

Shopping Around...

We put out feelers about Starlin Castro. The White Sox, having a surprise start themselves, put a name out that was interesting - Carlos Rodon. Given how poor our starting pitching has been and how few prospects we have...a still young-ish arm not yet in his prime years is interesting.

Spoiler

We haven't started any formal talks yet. There's some internal debate about if we should wait until June or start talks now. Also...why are they interested? Don't they have Moancada? Hmm...

As expected, the interest in Prado is...well...non-existent.

So far, we're not shopping Realmuto and it's looking like we'll be holding on to him.

Trade Rumors

Rumors are that the Angels are interested in Starlin Castro. Nothing has been finalized and neither team is confirming if talks are underway.


May Play

Well, this season is turning into a disaster for sure. The Marlins are worse than expected with pretty much everyone playing under their projections other than the amazing start Starlin Castro is on.

Spoiler

So time for changes. Wholesale ones. No sense trying to keep up a pretense at this point.

Already had some pitchers moved down and trying to give kids auditions, because, honestly, this is one giant AA roster anyway...so what's the difference.

At least Alford is doing better and Miguel Rojas is trying, he's just not what you want in a starting SS. Mattingly is probably playing him there because he can hit...but Riddle has the defense and this pitching needs on the defense behind them that they can get.

Meanwhile, I'm looking for some people in the free agent pool - people with leadership, prospects or otherwise. It's something sorely lacking in this organization in all levels.

We promoted Nick Neidert to the majors for the kid's character and considering he's no worse than what anyone else has done in the rotation...might as well have a replacement level arm that has some integrity as a person if you're going to have one at all.

Prado Wants Out

Reports are that Martin Prado wants out of Miami, and it's unlikely that Miami will do much to stand in his way, given his contract and his age. The question will be more of...who wants him given the facts of his age and contract.

Prado is batting .237, is 34, and makes $13 million per year. Not exactly the best opening line in a trade discussion...


Fans More Positive?

Some good news is that fan interest polls showed a 2% improvement to 37% of the fans at least somewhat interested in the team. The average loyalty rating improved (if you can all it that) to "Poor" instead of "Pathetic" or whatever it was.

Attendance gains are holding up despite the team's poor play. Still near 20% year-over-year increase. Projected earnings have fallen back to a loss after some of the expenses come through, and probably will continue as they pile up over the season, but it's fine with the salary we've freed up.

Castro Traded, Prado on the Block

The Marlins agreed to terms with the Angels that sent Castro and a minor league reliever in return for CF Trent Deveaux and 2B Julio De La Cruz.

Spoiler

Deveaux is an absolute speed demon and should be able to translate that into stolen bases as well. His range rates as solid so the outfield looks like where he will take up residence. Or perhaps even shortstop, depending on how he develops. De La Cruz is very much a project player, but the 17-year-old seems to draw praise from scouts for his upside and attitude towards the game and his teammates.

The Marlins also made it public and official that Martin Prado is actively being shopped and that the organization is more than willing to take offers on the veteran infielder.

Still remains to be seen what, if anything, the Marlins could get, but perhaps if teams have needs or want a proven veteran...

Brinson Returns, Diaz Promoted

The departure of Castro has cleared the way for Diaz to jump from AA to the Majors. This move is considered a risk by many, but the Marlins feel that Diaz has enough going for him that learning at the highest level will do some good for him.

Spoiler

Diaz is expected to bat 8th according to reports, so a lower pressure situation for him. He is indeed expected to start at 2B.

That's more than can be said for Alford. With the return of Brinson, Alford has lost his playing time as Maybin continues to be favored in CF, despite the fact Alford's stats have pretty much caught up to Maybin's (though that might say more about Maybin's play than Alford's).

For what it's worth, Alford is playing once every four days on average, according to sources. So perhaps he's slowly working his way into the mind of his skipper with his improving production.

Injuries: A Scare and a Hit

The Marlins held their breath as a promising prospect nearly went down hard. Monte Harrison had to leave a game not long after arriving at AA-Jacksonville with a serious-looking leg injury. He was unable to put any weight on the leg as trainers helped him off the field.

Spoiler

A long week went by as the team awaited word. Fortunately, it looked worse than it was and only a brief stay on the DL was needed.

The young hitter is back in action.

The news wasn't so great for P Evan Beal. He collapsed on the mound after a pitch, clutching his elbow and writhing in pain.

Unfortunately, the damage was real as serious damage to the radial nerve in his elbow occurred. This will sideline Beal for the rest of the season at least, barring any setbacks.

With the upheaval going on at the major league level, Beal might have been near the top of the list for a stint in the major league bullpen. That won't happen this year, now. He'll have to focus on rehab and maintaining his form for a possible opportunity next season.

Beal posted a 2.04 ERA at High-A-Jupiter and pitched 9 1/3 innings at AA-Jacksonville before the injury, posting a 2.89 ERA.

Draft Results

Draft is done and seems like we got all the kids signed that we can. There's a few that aren't really giving us much room to negotiate, so we'll see them in the draft next year (i.e. you're not getting 4 million to play A-ball, kid).

Spoiler

Some of the more interesting looking kids at this moment:

Marlins 1st round pick:



2nd round pick:




5th rounder - will be interesting to see how he's used:

Early Start to Trade Madness?


Teams have been making more than a few unsolicited offers...sadly none of them on Prado.

Spoiler

Justin Bour is a new name that was mentioned by a team. The Red Sox offered a speedy CF Cole Brennan...I guess the word got around that we like speed. But...how many CF prospects do we need...and do we need or want to move Bour?

Tigers wanted to get Alford...that didn't go very far.

A's wanted to snag Isan Diaz...not happening.

Kyle Barraclough drew interest from the Phillies. Another reliever got mentioned in the person of Drew Steckenrider. Haven't really thought about them, though Barraclough isn't too surprising since he's a closer and been doing relatively well.

[canes21]

Just had a strange extra innings walk-off win against the Nationals to move to 3-2 on the season. Trevor Gott came in the 12th and shut my lineup down then his offense got him a 5-3 lead. He came out to finish what he started in the bottom of the 13th and proceeded to give up a Tyler Flowers double, then walked Lane Adams, gave up a single to Inciarte to load the bases with no outs, then he walked 3 straight batters to lose 6-5.

[KSUowls]

Started my Braves franchise last night.

I decided that we need to stop wasting prime years of Freddie Freeman, and get better now. So, my first task as GM was to find an established pitcher to frontline this rotation. At first I went after Chris Archer, but the Rays wanted too much. When that fell through I went hunting for a guy the organization has previously inquired about,(Michael Fulmer) and I gave the Tigers an offer they couldn't refuse. The cost was pretty steep (Sean Newcomb, Max Fried, Kyle Muller and Alex Jackson), but that's why the organization stockpiled so many young arms. I'm not sure if this is the move that finally gets us back to the playoffs, but it's definitely a step in the right direction.

In a lesser move to clear some 2016 salary I traded Scott Kazmir's 2018 contract for $16m for Kendry Morales ($11m 2018 and $12m 2019). It's going to cost more more money overall, but it let me add a little more to my player development budget in 2018. Also, Morales can play the OF and with Markakis in his final year it potentially gives me another year to figure out my 3rd OF spot.

So here is my opening day roster

Lineup:
CF Endar Inciarte
2B Ozzie Albies
1B Freddie Freeman
C Tyler Flowers
RF Nick Swisher
LF Ronald Acuna
SS Dansby Swanson
3B Johan Carmago
P

Bench
1B Kendry Morales
IF Charlie Culberson
OF Ezequiel Carrera
OF Lane Adams

Rotation
Michael Fulmer
Julean Teheran
Brandon McCarthy
Mike Foltynewicz
Luiz Gohara

Bullpen
Peter Moylan
Jason Hursch
Same Freeman
Jose Ramirez
Rex Brothers
Arodys Vizcaino
AJ Minter (closer)

Early results were great. Started off 6-2.
The big trade for Fulmer was showing good results (2GS, 13IP, 5ER, 12K)
Acuna was living up to the hype hitting .375 with 4 home runs through the first 8 games (moved him up to bat cleanup as I wasn't getting much out of the catcher spot).

The hot start quickly faded though. I went 4-8 over my next 12 and ended the month of April 1 game under .500 (14-15) and already 6 games back of the NL East leading Phillies whose JP Crawford (.310/.361/.451, 2 HR & 12RBI) beat out Ronald Acuna (.266/./304/.514, 7HR, 16RBI) for NL Rookie of the Month.

Other organizational notes
-Julio Teheran has rebounded from his abysmal 2017 going with a 1.04 ERA over his first 5 starts before an Oblique Strain put him on the DL for a few weeks.
-Johan Carmago just continues to hit. Currently leading the team with a .384 batting average
-Freddie Freeman has started the year off ice cold hitting just .233. When he does connect the ball is going places though as half of his hits have been of the multi base variety (including 5HR)

Around the league
-Josh Donaldson isn't messing around 17 HR through the end of April and is on pace for 92 dingers
-No one wants to pitch to Mike Trout. He is averaging a BB every 4.7 plate appearances
-Kevin Pillar started the season out with a 20 game hit streak.

[KingOfLanglade]

Didn’t want that extra year of control on Acuna?

[KSUowls]

Quote: Originally Posted by SixFourThreeSzn

Didn’t want that extra year of control on Acuna?

I really wasn't thinking about service time when I booted up the franchise. In hindsight I do wish I had waited a couple weeks to bring him up.

My goal though will be to sign him to a 7 year deal during the season. Buy out his arbitration years and hopefully get the extra year of control anyway.

[KingOfLanglade]

Quote: Originally Posted by KSUowls

I really wasn't thinking about service time when I booted up the franchise. In hindsight I do wish I had waited a couple weeks to bring him up. My goal though will be to sign him to a 7 year deal during the season. Buy out his arbitration years and hopefully get the extra year of control anyway.

This game does give you so much to think about, that’s for sure! It was either that, or you were Scott Boras’s Dream GM!

[N51_rob]

So its the All-Star break of my 3rd season and things...are not going too badly all things considered. Our record sits at 40-35 at the break. It sound good till you consider that we are 20 games back in the AL East. Why you ask, well because the Blue Jays are ****ing 60-15. They have lost once since June 3rd and currently on a 16 game winning streak (All Star game is on June 23). I don't know how you compete with that oh and guess who gets them first after the break? But things are not as bad as it seems we are only 1.5 back in the Wild Card standings.

Going into the 2020 player draft I made sure to spend quality time evaluation the draft pool, because this would probably be the most important draft of my tenure. Its early but I'd say that hard work paid off as we got several prospects that have a chance to develop into real players on the big club in the future not only that but I had to be mindful of bonus demands as again I am on a tight budget. I came away please with the results. Spent about half of the available money $2.2 of $4.5 million. Some of the names include RP Jeremy Elliot a 22 y/o lefty who throw a nasty cutter/curve combo and with nice velocity (94-96 mph). 2B Chris Barnhart a lefty who projects to develop into a consistent bat that can hit for both average and power, while nothing special with the glove he could be a .290 30 homer guy up the middle. CF Reese Albert almost has it all a potential 5 tool CF who has plus speed and plus plus range. He posses gap power and the ability to steal bases. Lastly SP Nick Lodolo, a 6'5" hard throwing left handed starter who projects to have three pitches that can get swing and misses with is best being a fall off the table curveball.

Spoiler

The season started off well with an opening day victory and a strong outing from Matt Harvey who not only won his first gold glove in 2019 but signed a 2 year $2.5 million extension. Harvey was defacto leader of the rotation until he went down with a torn biceps on April 23rd wasn't a complete tear though and he'll be back. The loss of Harvey threw the rotation into a bit of a mess, but veterans Kevin Gausman (2-5 5.87) and Dylan Bundy (5-5 4.46) have done all they can to stabilize the youngsters in the rotation. Rookie LHP Keegan Akin has posted a 4-4 record and an ERA of 4.41 to keep the team fighting and the biggest surprise may be David Hess who has an impressive 8-3 record and a 5.28 era. In the bullpen projected setup man Yin-Tou Lai was moved into the closer role when Ryan Meisinger suffered a rotator cuff strain and missed 6 weeks. Lai who was mentioned in cost saving trade talks this winter has has been a strike out machine posting 54 Ks in only 31.2 innings his 9 saves are team best. There was some drama in the clubhouse with Darren O'Day refusing to take an assignment to AAA Norfolk and Baltimore unable to trade or cut him. That bit of drama worked itself out when O'Day suffered Elbow Ligament reconstruction effectively ending his career in Baltimore on a sour note.

Spoiler

Offensively the team hasn't really missed a beat despite the loses of Xander Bogarts and Jonathan Schoop. They have scored 418 runs, slugged 103 HRs and stole 70 bases. Those numbers are good for 6th, 8th and 1st respectively in the American League. Manny Machado and Joc Pederson were again voted All-Star starters for Pederson that feat is more impressive when you consider he has beat out Giancarlo Stanton for that honor two years in a row. While much of the Orioles success was going to be based on the contributions of a couple of youngster they have not disappointing 3B Ryan Mountcastle has held his own slugging 11 HRs and driving in 44 RBI including a big 2 run shot on opening day. 2B Kevin Newman a Rule 5 pick has had a great start to his Oriole career posting a .287/.356/.398 slash line adding 22 doubles thus far.

So long story short, we are not out of playoff contention this year at the all-star break despite the Blue Jays playing out of their minds right now. The rotation which is doing all it can to keep this season from failing off the rails will get some help when Matt Harvey comes back in a week for a 2nd half push. Joc Pederson and I are in talks to extend him, but he still wants to average over $30 million a season which I can't do. I am pleased with the draft this year (first year I did a deep dive on players) knowing I needed a good one for the future and some of my future goals. 90 year old Peter Angelos just wont die...the hope is a new ownership group will open up the purse strings a bit more.

[WaitTilNextYear]

I present the inaugural 25-man roster for the Carolina Knights. I'll recap the expansion draft later.