Friday, July 3, 2015
Josh Lindblom, who we originally received from LA in the Victorino trade, put up a 1.90 ERA with 9 saves and a 7-4 record for Reading. He'll be trying his hand at reaching the Phillies bullpen again from the Ironpigs.
Jonas Luke will be shut down for the season, after 114 innings with the Fightin Phils'. He appeared slightly overmatched for the level but will be back there to start in 2016. His ERA is a smidge under 4.00, his record at 7-8 and 73 SOs tallied.
I'm planning ahead to upgrade the outfield with the underwhelming output from Rasmus, Revere, and Brown. Steven Souza is one specific target who should be obtainable, but the Nationals might not want to deal within the division. After skimming through their roster, I'm noticing they're sturdy in most areas but could use a 1B of the future.
Since it's mid-July and we've passed the ASB, it's the right time to check out who's selling. I wonder if anyone on my trade block would be realistically available. Becoming a contender changed our strategy into buying when I wanted to sell off our veterans.
It's dawned on me that the ideal time to trade Hamels, Ruiz, and Cliff will presumably be the offseason. They're weathering but have potent numbers nevertheless.
Brian Goodwin is outclassing all his teammates at Lehigh Valley, gashing the ball to the tune of a .345 AVG with 14 stolen bases, 9 big flies, and 33 ribbies. He may very well be starting in the outfield next season.
Catcher Drew Knapp's potential rose to a B, nice to see but Cameron Rupp is ahead of him on the depth chart as it stands.
Christian Walker is the real deal at 1B (.287/5/16 in 101 ABs). Ryan Howard was fending him off with a higher-than-normal average but that has trickled down to earth. He's amassed 16 dingers with 49 runs driven in, while going down on strikes 92 times.
Arano will be optioned to Single-A and play in AA Reading in 2016, while Harrison displaces Kevin Correia in the LA bullpen.
He'll debut versus Doug Fister and the 43-36 Nationals on June 30th.
Carlos Gomez was a steal in the 3rd round. He really has 95 potential at 21 years of age. Garcia and Fernandez have 83 and 79 respectively, and they were also signed. To my surprise, OF Pinckney brings a possible 78 to the table; I thought his original 95 was sketchy. SS Santiago's ceiling is 71 and he was given a contract for depth reasons.
I noticed Tyler Wilson and Wilfredo Tovar sitting in FA, and added them to our minor-league rosters. They're farmhands from the Orioles and Mets with some room to emerge, but less than our top 20 prospects. Even then there's a benefit to surrounding your rising rookies around these types. They have minor league ball experience and are bent on making it back to the MLB.
Here's my draft board, hopefully I'll get two or three of these:
CP Steve Guerrero
SS Vinny Fernandez
SP Thomas Storey
SP Jason Villanueva
SP Tim Gleason
CF Ron Hook
3B Aldo Guillen
SP Chris Santiago
Not quite enough hitting talents as I would prefer, so I chose SP Ryan Garcia. He's 19 years old, a RHP from the East with an ETA of 2017. His velocity is said to eventually hit maximum, and the break on his pitches will be exponential. He's got solid remarks about his control and makeup, as well. Garcia's potential is 99 and right now scouts have him at a 69 overall.
My 2nd rounder was SS Vinny Fernandez, who's rated 71 with a chance to reach 97. He could be ready as soon as next year (22 yrs old), which is amicable. The lefty shortstop is lauded for his contact skill but not much else to him sticks out. His fielding, arm, and speed could use some work, but there's always the idea of flipping him to second base with J.P. Crawford in tow.
Against my judgment, I stayed with pitching. The batters left on the board weren't scouted well enough for me to risk it. Reports on SP Carlos Gomez have him at 99 velocity, 78 control, 98 break, and 76 makeup once he hits his peak. That and a 99 potential could not be passed on even with the bevy of pitchers we have in the minors.
My last picks were OF Patrick Pinckney, SS Steve Santiago, 1B Jeff Payton, and RP Julian Ayala. I didn't feel strongly about their potential but that's how it works with late-round gambles.
Thursday, July 2, 2015
In lieu of two outfielders, I called up Hunter Dozier to give me multiple infielders off the bench. Brian Goodwin was sent down to AAA but he's tearing the cover off the ball (.442). Dozier did not hesitate to make waves, slamming a homer in his first start.
Maikel Franco's .210 average is a bit worrisome but he's still knocked 8 homers. Cesar Hernandez has spoiled any possibility of him being anything but a utility man next season; he's had nearly the same amount of plate appearances as 2014 but still hovers .20 points above the Mendoza line.
Lisalverto Bonilla may be the cure to a humdrum bullpen, in a late-inning guise. He possesses considerable velocity on his fastballs with a side change and curve. Bonilla posted a 1.88 ERA and punched out 16 over 14.1 innings in May. There's promise in his arm at 24 years old, and I'll be observing his progress.
Top hitting prospect Crawford has 14 stolen bases and 9 home runs but I want to see him get that .242 avg up. Roman Quinn looks eager for a shot at just 21, exploding for 8 homers and a .307 average - all while having a knack for speed more than his other traits.
Francisco Liriano is on hug watch. He's 3-4 with a 2.24 ERA, which appears nice and tidy. But he's older than Jaime Garcia and I have too many lefties for the rotation. He's on a one-year contract, making the most out of it, but I want to give some righty a shot while also weighing a spot for Jesse Biddle. Biddle was 5-2, 2.60 in Lehigh Valley and I was planning on him replacing Billingsley, but that would require a lefty being bumped first. Zach Lee would have made sense to occupy a RHP spot, but I want to stretch him out as a SP in the minors first. This query also leaves southpaw Matt Harrison (1-2, 2.63, 51.1 IP) out of the picture, although his performance could lend to a promotion nonetheless.
For now, we're above .500 and right in the thick of the NL East race. That being the case, Liriano will stay where he is and Billingsley must be the lone right-hander in the starting five. Biddle will soak up experience in the bullpen and learn from Cliff/Cole.
Wednesday, July 1, 2015
Aaron Harang has been utter garbage (0-4, 9.76 ERA), and he's been outrighted off the 40-man. Maybe he can replenish his value with the Ironpigs, but I'm not counting on it. Chad Billingsley is my next try at a seasoned starter reclamation project. If this doesn't turn out as planned, Matt Harrison (1.18 ERA in relief) or Zach Lee would be next in line. Problem being I have too many lefties as is.. Harrison would make it 5. An all-lefty rotation, never-before-seen bold strategy that might just pay off.
Chase Utley - .315
Phil Gosselin - .317
Devon Travis - .323
Jonathan Herrera - .324
Miguel Santana - .313
Jordany Valdespin - .284
Big Piece is doing alright, .258 and 7 big shots. Rupp is batting .437 in limited action. Tommy Joseph has heated up as of late, ending April with a .267/3/17 line. Cesar is crumbling under the starter pressure, dipping his average to .214. Draft pick David Min is actually faring better than Crawford, .323 with 4 HRs - he could be the next in line at shortstop if Hernandez does this badly.
Trayvon Robinson is taking vengeance of the MLB teams that disposed of him, lighting up AA for a .450 avg! Neither Rasmus or Goodwin have stood out, but Quinn is doing his part at AAA (.273/3/9).
Hamels is 5-1 with a 2.27 ERA, top form for our ace. No other starter besides Lee (3-2, 2.18, 40 K) is playing markedly. Although 2012 1st rounder Shane Watson is closing in AA and has 9 saves. That could become his full-time duty by the time he hits the majors. A quick checkup on the top 2015 pick Jonas Luke shows a 3.77 ERA, 23 Ks, and a 2-1 record in 31 innings pitched.
Relief pitching is down in the dumps, outside of our 8th (Giles) and 9th (Papelbon) inning fellows. That will be a priority before July 31 passes, and continue to be stressed of importance this winter.
MLB level
SP Tony Cingrani, CIN
SP Jarrod Parker, OAK
RP Aaron Barrett, WAS
SS/2B Josh Rutledge, COL
SP Brandon Cumpton, PIT
OF Randal Grichuk, STL
SP Andrew Heaney, MIA
SP Trevor Cahill, ARI
OF Jay Bruce, CIN
SP Shelby Miller, STL
OF Yoenis Cespedes, BOS
SP Matt Moore, TB
SP Homer Bailey, CIN
OF Steven Souza, WAS
SP Chi-Chi Gonzalez, TEX
OF/1B Kyle Parker, COL
RP Ryan Cook, OAK
SP Trevor Bauer, CLE
1B C.J. Cron, LAA
C Devin Mesoraco, CIN
SP Brett Anderson, COL
3B Mike Moustakas, KC
OF Wil Myers, TB
SP Mike Minor, ATL
RP J.J. Hoover, CIN
CF/2B Arismendy Alcantara, CHC
RP/SP Drew Pomeranz, OAK
CF/2B Mookie Betts, BOS
RP Neftali Feliz, TEX
RP Dominic Leone, SEA
C Andrew Susac, SF
SP Kenta Maeda, CHW
RP/SP Carlos Martinez, STL
2B D.J. LeMahieu, COL
AAA level
SP J.R. Graham, ATL
RP Bobby Parnell, NYM
RP Paco Rodriguez, LAD
SP/RP Blake Treinen, WAS
SP Danny Hultzen, SEA
OF Stephen Piscotty, STL
SP Sean Nolin, TOR
SP Robbie Ray, DET
RP Trevor Gott, LAA
SP Dylan Bundy, BAL
SP Robbie Erlin, SD
RP Jose Dominguez, LAD
SP Jesse Hahn, SD
SP Tommy Hanson, CHW
Contract dumps
SP Edwin Jackson, CHC
Washington signed RP Sergio Romo at 3yrs/$17.4MM, to set up Drew Storen.
Oakland added OF Denard Span to the top of their lineup at $12.3MM over 3 years.
Chicago struck a deal to land the Carp's ace pitcher Kenta Maeda. However, this was a few months into the season and he scraped together a 7-8 record with a 4.16 earned run average.
Tampa Bay incorporated Jake Peavy into their already stocked pitching personnel, leaving Drew Smyly and Matt Moore on the outside looking in.
The Yanks weren't quiet, to no one's astonishment, agreeing with C/1B Victor Martinez following his stint with Detroit.
Boston countered with a $63.1MM megadeal for Elvis Andrus, despite already having rising infield prospects Xander Bogaerts and Mookie Betts in place. They could move Xander to third and Mookie to center field, taking out WMB and Jackie Bradley Jr.
I grabbed C.C. Sabathia so that the Red Sox could put him in the back of their rotation; he had produced a 4.19 ERA at 10-11 with rival New York. Even if he's slowing down he's still better than most mediocre options they had.
Baltimore broke the bank for the premier slugger available - Hanley Ramirez. His defense deficiences are hidden well at 2nd and he makes a great offensive tandem with J.J. Hardy. They look like a powerhouse with Machado, Nelson Cruz, Wieters, Adam Jones, Markakis, and Chris Davis all still in the fold. It does push Jonathan Schoop back down to AAA Norfolk.
San Fran improved the infield with the inclusion of Chase Headley and Asdrubal Cabrera. Asdrubal takes over for rookie Joe Panik, and Headley will move to his old position of left field after they retained Kung Fu Panda. Their pitching is solid so they upgraded the team all-round.
The Dodgers opened their pocketbook for Alex Rios, but their outfield was cluttered as is. It's a good problem to have when you're a rich club like LA.
St. Louis scooped up 1B Billy Butler, and I'm not sure why when they have Matt Adams. Perhaps for platoon differences?
Tanking didn't go quite as planned. We're 12-8 right now on 4/21. Let's go over the roster change since the offseason.
Carlos is still doing well at 36, but he's making $12M for the next 3 years and I'll probably sell him off regardless. Rupp deserves a chance at the full-time job. Also in the minors are A.J. Jimenez (acquired for John Lackey from Toronto) and Andrew Knapp, 2013 2nd rounder.
Big Piece makes $4M for 3 seasons, not too bad in Show money compared to real-life. I'm gonna attempt to get an AL team to make him their DH; he had 25 bombs last year. Christian Walker is making a case to take over with only Tommy Joseph behind him.
Chase has declined badly (73 ovr.) but he's starting off 2015 batting .290. He only fell by .20 points average, 3 HRs, and 9 RBIs from '13-14 though, not bad. No matter what he'll have someone taking his place as soon as 2016. I have Devon Travis heating up at AAA from the Lackey trade and draftee Miguel Santana below at Reading. Phil Gosselin plays second and can get on base but he's not a long-term option.
Maikel Franco has secured third base and leaves Rule 5 pick Hunter Dozier without a role. Dozier could be a utility player shortly, or move back to shortstop and compete with Cesar Hernandez.
Cesar's last opportunity to be a starter is this season, because he hit a measly .220 with 245 ABs in 2014. J.P. Crawford is rising quickly and Cesar is the bridge.
Ben Revere is a fun contact/speed sparkplug. I was considering trading him but he surprisingly had 11 round-trippers last year. He can be a useful weapon in the lineup if we keep in contention.
Colby Rasmus was a rebound signing from Toronto. He managed a .233/19/58 line in 472 times at the plate. Rule 5 selection (WAS) Brian Goodwin is a reserve with a little swiftness and alright fielding. Roman Quinn had a breakout performance in '14 and was rewarded with a promotion to Triple-A, he's coming for the CF job.
Dom Brown couldn't repeat his red-hot 2013, but he still blasted 20 homers. I'm hoping he's gonna be back on track average-wise after he deflated to .228 in 2014. I hoped for a steal in Wladimir Balentien, who dominated minor league competition after returning from the Swallows in the NPB. He didn't quite translate that to the MLB but he provides power off the bench.
Cole is on a reasonable contract for five terms, and pushing ahead with a 4-0 record after another good campaign last season (14-12, 3.24). He looked like a guaranteed trade chip come July, but we might win enough to reverse that theory. Cliff returned to form too: 10-11 and a 3.08 ERA. I would feel bad about not getting him a ring, but I don't know that I want to hold on to him through age 37.
The bottom three of the rotation were all found on the market: lefties Francisco Liriano/Jaime Garcia, and veteran righty Aaron Harang. They all did marginally well before coming here, handling mid-3.00 ERAs. Depending on how our record fluctuates, they could steady teams' pitching in the playoff chase. Garcia is most likely to stay because of his youth, and he's on a two-year deal, as opposed to Liriano and Harang's one. It's worth your while to hand out contracts to pitchers like these because of their potential prospect return at the deadline.
Chad Billingsley was signed, just like real-life. Couldn't give him a place in the starting five so he's righting the ship in Lehigh. He's joined by Aaron Nola, Ben Lively, Jesse Biddle, Tom Windle, and Jason Hursh (R5-ATL). In addition, Matt Harrison received a "prove-it" deal worth $2.2 mil. Zach Lee was the second piece of the Rollins trade but he's waiting in the bullpen as a LR. The last of the pitching prospects close to the bigs are Matt Barnes (from Boston), Michael Lorenzen (R5-CIN), and Severino Gonzalez.
The bullpen lacks any elite arms besides Pap. Giles is going to be at his rank in no time. De Fratus and Diekman have their strengths but they've hit their ceiling at 27-28 years old. I preserved Aumont to unremarkable results. Griffin Murphy, a Jays lefty, was acquired for Cody Asche. He's not a velocity guy but has upside. Joely Rodriguez was slotted into a sort-of LOOGY role to ease into the conversion from starter. Nick Masset and Chris Perez were brought on off waivers for their late-inning experience. I've been hunting for relief arms in trades to shore up this area.
2015 Top Prospects
1) SS J.P. Crawford - 72 ovr (A)
2) SP Aaron Nola - 78 ovr (B)
3) SP Jonas Luke - 56 ovr (A)
4) CF/SS Roman Quinn - 69 ovr (B)
5) SP Ben Lively - 76 ovr (B)
6) SP Jesse Biddle - 75 ovr (B)
7) 2B Devon Travis - 73 ovr (B)
8) SP Jason Hursh - 76 ovr (B)
9) OF Dylan Cozens - 66 ovr (B)
10) 2B Miguel Santana - 56 ovr (B)
11) SP Michael Lorenzen - 73 ovr (B)
12) SP Shane Watson - 68 ovr (B)
13) OF Cord Sandberg - 65 ovr (B)
14) SP Matt Imhof - 67 ovr (B)
15) SP Fernando Perez - 51 ovr (B)
16) 3B/SS Hunter Dozier - 70 ovr (B)
17) SP Tom Windle - 72 ovr (B)
18) RP Jon Ramsey - 56 ovr (B)
19) C Andrew Knapp - 64 ovr (C)
20) 1B Eddie Coates - 39 ovr (B)
21) SS David Min - 70 ovr (C)
22) OF Carlos Tocci - 59 ovr (C)
23) RP Cody Buckel - 67 ovr (C)
Tuesday, June 30, 2015
I'm not going to make a dynasty for this per se, because I know I'll try to do too much and it won't last as long as I want it to. Instead, I'll chronicle notable events throughout the franchise's duration freeform-style. Hope you guys enjoy my take on the Phillies.
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We won around 69 games in 2014 and I slowly started to operate with the rebuilding method. Mike Adams was dispatched to Boston to help their bullpen. Antonio Bastardo was delivered to Texas instead of the Pirates. Alternatively, A.J. Burnett got shipped to Pittsburgh for Joely Rodriguez, converted to a relief pitcher. The Marlon Byrd trade was replicated - to Cincy for Ben Lively. Kendrick finally left to be a long man for San Francisco. The Jonathan Pettibone experiment didn't go as planned and I gave him to the White Sox as well. Jimmy Rollins exploded for 25 homers and a .285 average, so he was sold high at the price of pitching 'spects Zach Lee and Tom Windle from the Dodgers. Darin Ruf will be backing up Anthony Rizzo for the other Chicago team. I wanted Jeff Francoeur and Grady Sizemore to turn it around, but their new homes are Boston and Kansas City, respectively.
Jake Fox blew up AAA Lehigh Valley but he did not contribute to the main roster. Oddly, David Buchanan retired due to a "poor free agent market". I thought I would wait it out and let other teams sign IFAs like Yasmani Tomas and Rusney Castillo, but they ended up retiring too. At least Kenta Maeda signed with the ChiSox. Cody Asche did himself no favors in keeping his 3B job by having a poor season, while Maikel Franco loomed in the minors. Freddy Galvis did not impress me enough to take over at short, and he was demoted. J.P. Crawford, our #1 hitting prospect, was moved up a level from Reading.
No big trades happened with Hamels, Utley, or Papelbon in year one. We expanded the farm with draft picks initially. That includes 1B Eddie Coates (39/B), 2B Miguel Santana (56/B), SS David Min (72/C), SP Fernando Perez (51/B). Our first round pick - 10th in the draft - SP Jonas Luke is rated at a 56 overall at age 20 with A potential. He's a righty with two fastballs and a curve in his arsenal, beginning pro ball right at AA.
Part 3
Things are different now in terms of Phillies franchise mode. They're an intriuging pick to play as for different reasons then they used to be. Back then you were in the heat of pennant races with stars at nearly every spot, and you didn't need to supplant them for a while. The original championship leaders were still in their early 30s with years to go on their contracts that would probably end up extended. The starting five were at their finest and the batters could pack a punch, so only a few moves to boost them all-around would be required (i.e. Pence).
When you look back at the 2008 team in, say 2k8 or MLB Power Pros '08, I kinda wonder how that team pulled it off. Names like Scott Eyre, Geoff Jenkins, Bruntlett, Durbin, So Taguchi, Brad Harman. They don't exactly seem like long-lasting 25-man pieces. Then it comes back to me that it was really about players such as Madson, the Bridge to Lidge. Heroics from Brett Myers, Joe Blanton, and Matt Stairs: taking that long walk versus C.C., hitting homers into the Dodger Stadium night. Lights Out shutting down everyone in sight. Youngsters like J.A. Happ (12-4, wow) and Kyle Kendrick (traded to Japan for PTBNL/Iwamura) filling in at the back end. That's when Cole Hamels' Hollywood star shined first, becoming the Series MVP. Veteran leadership with Pat the Bat, Pedro, Jamie. More importantly, it was the culmination of the breakout of Jayson Werth and the Flyin' Hawaiian into permanent fixtures. The whole collaboration of the up-and-coming core started around '07. That determined mentality to take back the division and deliver a championship to a city that hadn't had one after 1983 with the Sixers. They had enough magic to make it work.
It's a proud feeling as a fan that they were mostly developed within our system. They were primarily good finds procured in the draft, who took years to come together collectively and climb to greatness. Aside from that, risks that every team takes worked out tremendously - Shane in the Rule 5, Werth signed for $850k coming off wrist injuries, Chooch picked up as an amateur FA from Panama. I consider it in total to be Carlos, Ryan, Chase, JRoll, Cole, Vic and JWerth. With the exception of Werth, all of them joined up with the new acquistions of Polanco, Cliff, Doc, Oswalt (plus tractor), Raul, and HP3 by 2011. It really was a fantasy team in retrospect, similar to Miami's Big 3 but with a better supporting cast.
A majority of them have aged, left, or retired, and the urgency to terminate that era is now conclusive. There isn't waiting to maybe see if they could compete like there has been before. In 2015 they're ready to stop the facade and trade some of the veterans away to help replenish the farm system. The system was drained by the push those years to obtain the All-Star caliber pitching the ilk of Halladay and Lee. At least, I hope that's the direction Ruben and company are gonna head. It's been quiet deadlines with rumors swirling around Papelbon and Cole, but continued records in the cellar should be plenty basis to start the rebuild for real.
That's why it's interesting to choose the Phillies this time around. You had that amusing championship fervor with the 2011 team but they broke apart and you're picking up the pieces. You have to wait out Howard's big deal, bide your time as Chase retires a Phillie, opt to build around Cole or send him away for a package of prospects. Try to get what you can from reclamation projects like Harang, Billingsley, Francoeur, etc. You'll be making up the difference with younger parts: Dom Brown, Asche, Ben Revere, Cesar Hernandez, Babe Ruf. Much akin to the Sixers you can afford to give chances to rookies i.e. Odubel Herrera/David Buchanan, without pressure for them to be substantial to the effort right away.
It's somewhat unlike other rebuilding teams because the Phillies are a large-market team. They were crowned champions once and kept full-stop on that objective, using all their resources (prospects/money) without concern for consequences. It might not take as long to make a resurgence, because of the funds that come with success in an important sports landmark like Philly. The front office can take on salary or pay to rid themselves of certain salaries to receive a better return in trades. The Phillies could easily invest back into free agency and land a top player in line with promotions of their budding prospects. The fans here want to see a winner and balancing the attitude of rebuilding while having the money to reinvigorate quickly.. elite clubs don't always end up this way. They might do a firesale like the Marlins or proceed with spending to stockpile talent like the Yankees. The A's unorthodox Moneyball style has only slightly been rewarded since their berths in the 2000s. I root for them after watching the movie, and they used to be a Philly team anyway. A mix of veterans with integrated prospects has been effective for the Red Sox, Giants, and Cardinals in recent years. The Cubs, in particular, have gone the opposite route, favoring a strong farm system first. Theo Epstein will bring the frontline players on later (i.e. Lester, Price?) when they feel closer to competitiveness.
The prospect pool in Lehigh Valley and Reading read like this in 2011:
1) Dom Brown, OF - A
2) Jon Singleton, 1B - B+
3) Brody Colvin, SP - B+
4) Jarred Cosart, SP - B
5) Trevor May, SP - B
6) Jesse Biddle, SP - B
7) Sebastian Valle, C - C+
8) Domingo Santana, OF - C+
9) Vance Worley, SP - C+
10) Julio Rodriguez, SP - C+
Listed further down are current Phils Justin DeFratus, Hernandez, Aaron Altherr and Jiwan James. Freddy Galvis, Kelly Dugan, Mario Hollands, and Cameron Rupp were also noted and three of them have played for the big club in '15. They selected one too many toolsy, raw outfielders and the pitchers often ended up elsewhere, to varying degrees of success. May and Worley were swapped for Ben Revere, the latter of the two having created a nice resume here as the Vanimal. He's gone on to be a worthy back-of-the-rotation starter for Pittsburgh. I thought 1B Matt Rizzotti was gonna be the Howard replacement but that ended up being Darin Ruf instead (well, not really). Jarred Cosart is a regrettable loss too, but he is not invincible to trades, having been part of one where he went to the division rival Marlins from Houston.
Also want to mention that draft picks before this barely amounted to much, besides trade fodder. Carlos Carrasco was the alpha of the Cliff Lee package that Cleveland bit on, and he is probably the best prospect they've given up on. That does not include great lefty Gio Gonzalez, who we got from Chicago originally for Jim Thome - only to regift him to them for Freddy Garcia. Carrasco has settled in, after some rough seasons and a suspension, to be a capable part of the Indians rotation. They've dropped off Anthony Gose, Michael Taylor, Travis D'Arnaud, Josh Outman, Santana, Singleton, Kyle Drabek, Happ, and Jonathan Villar. Drabek and Taylor flopped, D'Arnaud and Gose hold MLB jobs with some faults, Outman is an okay reliever, Santana has some strikeout issues, and Happ topped out at a #5 SP at best. Singleton and Villar are in the Astros minors with Santana and they show promise, but they aren't as crucial as batting title winner Jose Altuve, George Springer, or recent Astros draft picks.
As far as draft strategy goes in 2015, they've improved exponentially. When you're a team drafting at the bottom every year, you can yield to potential because you don't need help directly. That's reversed in the past three summers with the Phillies drafting top 10. They're going for instant support, college players ready and able to press through the minors quickly. It has paid off huge in the case of Aaron Nola and J.P. Crawford, the cream of the crop on their respective sides.
That will be important to sustain when you play as the Phils, drafting players who can make it to the majors in short order, so as to not slow the rebuilding process. If there's anything to say about this team versus the 2008/2011 groups, it's that it is a fresh perspective to watch a team build from the ground up again. I'll have my own manner of going about the looming rebuild.
Maikel Franco is lighting it up right now and he's the middle-of-the-order bat needed to kickstart the lineup. Ken Giles has the persona and the heater to ignite the Papelbon fuse, because he's going to end up closing. Rupp looks sound behind the plate as the heir to Chooch. Finding a Howard successor will not be easy, but Tommy Joseph is a candidate. There's no clear answer for Chase besides some new rookie. Cesar and Galvis will battle for stopgap duties at short until J.P. is ready, maybe the other will shift to 2nd. Revere is a stirring speedster but he could find himself on the block by Year 2. A free agent will likely jump into the outfield mix because only Dom Brown is assured a position in my opinion. You're almost assured to keep Hamels and Lee for a year, just to stabilize the rotation until young starters round it out. Cole will lead them as a 31 year-old vet and Cliff will attempt to rebuild his value in a comeback. Nola will have to toil in AAA so we'll be collecting middle-of-the-pack guys in the vein of Billingsley and Harang. I thought RAJ did admirably to stack up the minor league pitching with the acquistions of Lively, Eflin, and Windle to be alongside Biddle and Nola. I plan on replicating that strategy but then focusing on deepening the class of hitting prospects, which is more of a weakness.
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That's my train of thought with the 2015 Phillies which I will have fun with in the Show. They're different from what they used to be, and different from other teams I've tried in 2K.
I'm going all in like our boy Andy MacPhail.
Part 2
Games had always been a part of that early growing fandom. I loved MLB 2k8 for some reason, maybe the thrill of changing fake names and top 100 prospects, a deep franchise mode I guess. I was never too great at the gameplay, starting from that game.. I always felt like homers came far too many in 2k8 and the pitching system was complicated. But my love for the deep aspects of managing a team - trading, signing, drafting - likely stemmed from the 2K games from a baseball standpoint. (I can speak for the football side with Madden but that's not the point of this post.)
I'm nostalgic about 2k8 and its great soundtrack especially. That got me started on roster updating which I pursued from 2K10 on, actually making a complete one (in my mind) for October in MLB 2k11. That year I released a full fake name conversion list, and made a thread here about changing stances/deliveries along with duhitsrandy which I thought were helpful. Randy claimed those changes were implemented into official roster updates but I don't remember checking to be sure. mkharsh or Mike of the 2K roster section deserves a lot of praise for keeping the games alive by being devoted to his work, despite having a family to attend to.
I remember creating a Phillies dynasty here at the height of their success, the 2011 summer. They were a fun team to try out, with the stars being mostly veterans and having to figure out what to do in the coming seasons. Drafting was funny due to the generated faces coming from the existing players, and sometimes seeing the same ones over and over. And then the random names that usually wouldn't match the faces, ha. I recall drafting a third baseman to take over for Polanco who looked like Mike Fontenot (initials G.G. I think) and he did really well. Strangely enough, Fontenot ended up playing for the Phillies the year after that in real life.
What I've learned from trying to do dynasty posts here and on Simulation Sports is that they usually don't last unless you're willing to put a lot of time in. You have to love what you're doing in the game and commit to making it interesting, aesthetically appealing, an entertaining read, and unique in your own way. Also, they're usually more fun to follow then to try yourself, unless you have the urge to present something you're enjoying a lot and you can express that thoroughly with time depending.
The PS3 was always alluring to me mainly because of the Show. My brother and I are sports fans and have manly kept to those games, with the exception of FPS like COD/Halo in the past. It was the selling point of the Vita for me, taking that next step from 2K (which was fun but it had many flaws) into the best baseball gaming has to offer. We had XBOX (XBOX --> 360), Nintendo (Gamecube --> Wii), and PS2, but not PS3. The idea of switching over to Playstation would only be for the Show really because all the sports games are multi-platform anyway. In retrospect I was jaded in that idea to buy a whole new console for just that game because having it on the Vita was enough. It turned out to be as great an experience as I expected - a very enthralling combo of smooth gameplay, excellent visuals, and an awesome franchise mode. It had everything advertised. Particularly from the GM side of the spectrum you had Rule 5 picks, scouting, 40-man rosters, DFA, waivers: everything you would want to control from Spring Training to offseason.
And that's where I'll leave off my baseball gaming section, to be edited later.
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