Brew Crew - 2017 & Beyond (OOTP18)

[grismosw]

Why the Brewers?

I was looking to do a MLB 17 dynasty and started playing with the Brewers and quickly started to enjoy playing with them to a point where I was playing 3-4 games a night. However, as a father of 5 with an new executive job I quickly realized I was never really going to get too far along and at best would be lucky to finish the 2017 season. Frankly, it was the most fun I have had playing MLB in years though and I decided to buy OOTP 18 to play with them instead.

What format will I be using?

I will be managing each game and provide a monthly recap along with short game by game summaries. My goal is to post once a week, but there are times it might extend to every 2 weeks depending on my schedule.

[lazershow]

Re: Brew Crew - 2017 & Beyond (OOTP18)

Very interested in this. I've been looking at ootp18 and wondering how it is. Excited to see how it plays out.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Operation Sports mobile app

[grismosw]

Re: Brew Crew - 2017 & Beyond (OOTP18)

Meet the 2017 Milwaukee Brewers

Overall we have a young group of guys with some decent talent throughout the lineup. Ryan Braun will obviously be the key piece to any success we do have this season. However I believe this group is really another year away from doing anything special.

Here is our opening day roster:

Starting Pitchers

1) Zach Davies, 24 yrs old, RHP
Davies had a 11-7 record in 2016 with a 3.97 ERA; he is our ace this year and will hopefully be for a long time. The potential is there to be one of the top pitchers in the league in the next few years.

2) Junior Guerra, 32 yrs old, RHP
Guerra had a great 2016, but we in no way expect him to repeat that level of performance this year. Hope I am wrong. He finished 2016 with a 9-3 record and a 2.81 ERA.

3) Jimmy Nelson, 27 yrs old, RHP
Nelson has yet to hit his potential and I am doubting that he ever will. It is really now or never for him to put it together. He had a rough 2016 with a 8-16 record and a 4.62 ERA.

4) Wily Peralta, 27 yrs old, RHP
Peralta struggled in 2016 with a 7-11 record and a 4.86 ERA. At one point he was sent to AAA to get it straightened out and he got bombed there too. Frankly at $4.3M/year he has to perform or we have to figure something out.

5) Chase Anderson, 29 yrs old, RHP
Yet another righty, Anderson is your typical fifth starter - not much good to say. He was OK compared to some of the staff in 2016 with a 9-11 record and a 4.39 ERA.

I'm really not sure what to expect from this group, Peralta and Nelson really should be better than what they did last year but Guerra probably over achieved.

Relievers

Tommy Milone, 30 yrs old, LHP
The only lefty we have on the 25-man roster at the moment. He will have multiple roles on the team - spot start, long relief, and lefty specialist. He was terrible in 2016 for Minnesota, we can only hope he turns it around this year.

Taylor Jungmann, 27 yrs old, RHP
Another guy who stunk it up in 2016 with a 7.76 ERA, his primary role with be junk innings. I cannot imagine him sticking around long but we shall see.

Jared Hughes, 31 yrs old, RHP
Last year with Pittsburgh he was solid with a 3.03 ERA in 59.1 innings. I expect him to get more work this year and hope for the same if not better type production.

Jhan Marinez, 28 yrs old, RHP
He settled in nicely last year after coming over from Tampa Bay. He should get a lot of opportunities this year.

Neftali Feliz, 28 yrs old, RHP
He pitched well last year compared to what his previous 2 years were. We signed him as a free agent for $5.4M/year...that's a lot of money for a that had a 6.35 ERA in 2015...and a negative WAR in 2016.

Jacob Barnes, 26 yrs old, RHP
I like Barnes a lot, expect him to get a lot of action. A lot. Last year he had a 2.70 ERA in just 26 innings. He will be our 8th inning guy for sure.

Closer

Corey Knebel, 25 yrs old, RHP
He really struggled in 2016 with a 4.68 ERA in 32 innings but the stuff is great, the fastball is great, and the knuckle curve is outstanding. He is our closer to start the season based on potential and the above but if he doesn't get the job done we may move on to Barnes. I'm counting on Knebel though.

Catchers

Manny Pina, 29 yrs old (.254 AVG / 2 HR / 12 RBI in 2016)
Pina hit .254 last year in very limited action (only 71 ABs). He is more than adequate defensively. Right now he gets the nod as the starter but this will be a rotation position.

Jeff Bandy, 27 yrs old (.234 AVG / 8 HR / 25 RBI in 2016 for LAA)
Ultimately I see Bandy as probably winning this job but he has the advantage defensively.

This is definitely a position I would like to see upgraded throughout the organization.

First Basemen

Eric Thames, 30 yrs old, (.317 AVG / 40 HR / 118 RBI in 2016 in Japan)
No one can argue about his power. He hasn't played in the majors since 2012.

Jesus Aguilar, 26 yrs old, (.247 AVG / 30 HR / 92 RBI in AAA in 2016)
Aguilar has big time power too, especially against lefties.

More than likely this will be a platoon position as well but expect to see Thames getting the majority of the time with Aguilar mainly playing against lefties.

Second Basemen

Jonathan Villar, 25 yrs old, (.285 AVG / 19 HR / 63 RBI / 62 SB in 2016)
Villar could push for to be an all-star this season if he puts it all together. He will play every day at either 2B or SS. He is exactly what we are looking for in a leadoff hitter.

Shortstop

Orlando Arcia, 22 yrs old (.219 AVG / 4 HR / 17 RBI in 2016)
The sky is the limit with this guy and he is getting the job from the start; strictly based on potential. He is an elite defensive shortstop and the bat should develop nicely throughout the season. In 2018, we should expect big things from him.

Nick Franklin, 26 yrs old (.270 AVG / 6 HR / 26 RBI in 2016 at TB)
A serviceable guy, can play multiple positions, can pinch run, can hit enough. A pure utility guy. Lets see if he can produce enough to stick around in the majors.

Third Basemen

Travis Shaw, 26 yrs old (.242 AVG / 16 HR / 71 RBI at BOS)
Another guy with a lot of potential. If he makes the improvement we expect this season we could be in for something with this team.

Hernan Perez, 26 yrs old (.272 AVG / 13 HR / 56 RBI in 2016)
Perez is another utility guy for us, a lot like Franklin he can play a lot of positions. He has a much better bat, offensively we have to get him in the mix.

Left Field

Ryan Braun, 33 yrs old (.305 AVG / 30 HR / 91 RBI in 2016)
Braun is making $19M this year and is signed through 2020 with a team option for 2021. I fully intend to keep him all the way through and have him retire as a Brewer. Any success we have will be dependent on production from him.

Center Field

Keon Broxton, 26 yrs old (.242 AVG / 9 HR / 19 RBI in 2016)
Another speedster, with surprising power. I want to bat him second in the lineup to put a ton of pressure on the opposing defense with him and Villar at the top of the order in front of Braun. Strikes out a lot though...

Kirk Nieuwenhuis, 29 yrs old (.209 AVG / 13 HR / 44 RBI in 2016)
He can play all 3 outfield positions but can't hit worth anything. He is strictly here to provide days off for the rest of the outfield until we are ready to bring up some more prospects.

Right Field

Domingo Santana, 24 yrs old (.256 / 11 HR / 32 RBI in 2016)
He is still developing as a hitter, if he puts it all together soon he could be a .270, 30 HR guy. We are counting on his development for sure. He has a bright future.

Top Prospects

1) Trent Clark, CF, 20 yrs old, High-A ball
2) Isan Diaz, SS, 20 yrs old, High-A ball
3) Lewis Brinson, OF, 22 yrs old, AAA ball
4) Luis Ortiz, SP, 21 yrs old, High-A ball
5) Brett Phillips, RF, 22 yrs old, AAA ball
6) Josh Hader, SP, 22 yrs old, AAA ball
7) Corey Ray, CF, 22 yrs old, High-A ball
8) Jorge Lopez, SP, 24 yrs old, AA ball
9) Cody Ponce, SP, 22 yrs old, High-A ball
10) David Burkhalter, SP, 21 yrs old, A ball

I really only expect to see Brinson and Hader play this year in Milwaukee. If Brinson is able to develop to his potential we are going to have a log jam in the outfield and will have to get creative. I debated on starting Hader as the 5th guy in the rotation but I want him to get a little bit more time on the farm.

Go Brewers!

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Brew Crew - 2017 & Beyond (OOTP18)

Nice preview write-up, and hope you are able to find some time for more updates. You and I are two of the few OOTP'ers here, I think. It would be nice to have another OOTP write-up to follow.

[grismosw]

Re: Brew Crew - 2017 & Beyond (OOTP18)

Yes I need to do an update
I've been playing but really struggling to decide on a format. Hope to have something in the next week. Currently on a business trip in Mexico


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[lazershow]

Re: Brew Crew - 2017 & Beyond (OOTP18)

I recently got this game and it is a ton to process. It's great but the learning curve is real

Sent from my SM-G955U using Operation Sports mobile app

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Brew Crew - 2017 & Beyond (OOTP18)

It is. Try the tutorial if you haven't already, and the OOTP dev forums are a great source of information as well.

I'm not sure of the format I'm using as well, but it will work for now.