2007: A Contender Emerges
Posted 04-29-2013 at 08:58 PM by IndiansGuy57
Part 1: A new beginning
Assuming the job of the Cleveland Indians GM in January 2007, I set about to do a thorough housecleaning of the roster, sign minor league free agents, promote talented staff internally and try to boost attendance for a club that won just 77 games in 2006.
One of my first trades was to dump the salary of aging CL Joe Borowski, sending him with a minor league SS to the SF Giants for a RP I prized, Brian Wilson. As throw-ins, I also obtained SS Emanuel Burris and a 20-year old lefty RP named David Quinowski with decent Stuff (11) and a high upside (19/15/12). Quinowski [try finding him in Baseball Prospectus.com] threw only 87-89 MPH, and his only pitch was a fastball, but the potential was there. Ironically, Wilson would soon become useless with a drop in velocity, while in the coming years Quinowski would become far more than I could have imagined.
In other transactions I picked up both prospects and established players with the goal of replenishing a mediocre farm system and filling gaps in the major league roster. I unloaded two more ancient, overpriced RPs, Brian Sokorski and Roberto Hernandez, picking up young Phillies fireballer Kyle Drabek (96-98 MPH), C John Jaso and some assorted minor leaguers. A waiver-wire acquisition, LF Matt Murton, would also come in handy.
Over the following weeks and months I made a host of other pre-season trades, FA minor league signings and waiver-wire pickups. I traded several minor league hitters, such as OFs John Dennan and Brian Barton, who had potential but had low Contact ratings and high numbers of SOs, as well as waiver-wire pickups.
These trades netted such players as speedy RF Felix Unknown (honest, that's his name), CF Austin Jackson, RP Anthony Claggett, CF Brett Gardner, RF/1B John Mayberry Jr., 3B Van Pope and SP John Danks. All would eventually prove useful, either as major-league contributors or trade bait. Other players I obtained (1B Daric Barton, 2B Kevin Kouzmanoff, RF Richie Robinett) would fall short.
[Note to readers: Does anyone know who Felix Unknown might actually be? He was a Cubs minor leaguer and, I assume, not a fictional player. I've heard that OOTP 8, which I use, sometimes would substitute the last name "Unknown" if it couldn't handle a player's name.]
I inked several cheap FAs to major league contracts, including RP Travis Minx and 1B Tim Hummel, to shore up weak spots on the 25-man roster. I also signed a horde of minor league FAs. Most of the minor leaguers would wash out, but a few, most notably 18-year lefty CL Jessie Cochran and SS Robert Andino, would become pleasant -- or stunning -- surprises.
When FA personnel became available at the end of January, I hired several Coaches and Scouts to improve my woeful minor leagues staffs (while eating the contracts of current personnel), a process of constantly upgrading personnel that continues five seasons later. In addition, I promoted my GCL Manager Ramon Benitez to Major League Bench Coach and GCL Scout Stan Loux to the majors, and cut ticket prices from $15 to $14 with the hope of putting some warm bodies in the seats.
In the early going I learned:
-- Dump bloated contracts, especially for aging players, even if you get little or nothing in return. Use the Shop Around menu to see what you can get. The money you save will come in handy later, particularly if you're managing a small/medium size market team like the Indians.
-- Sign minor league FAs that have at least some potential (as the Human manager, you'll always get first crack at minor league FAs). Look for young pitchers that throw hard and/or have good Stuff (never sign any P that can't throw at least 87-89 MPH) and batters with decent fielding ratings and some ability to hit (a 20-year old with a 1 Contact rating will never go anywhere).
I looked for a good Work Ethic and ideally strong Intelligence as well, though neither is any guarantee of success. But a player with a poor Work Ethic (4 or below) will have a hard time succeeding. Also, look for special abilities, such as young hitters with high Contact and low Strikeout ratings (for their ages), and pitchers who throw in the mid- to high 90s. Any minor-league FA pitcher who throws 95 MPH+ is worth a gamble.
-- Always get throw-ins in trades. In the Initiate Trade menu, keep adding players from the team you're trading with provided that the other team will still accept the deal. I don't like waiting to hear from other teams about trades; I like to nail down the deal at first try.
-- Don't release players, even useless minor leaguers; your Fan Interest will almost certainly take a hit. Instead, package them into larger trades. Unless a minor leaguer is highly Popular, your Fan Interest won't fall with this type of trade.
-- Continually upgrade your roster. Trade three good players for a very good player -- provided you can fill any gaps in your roster -- and know what positions the team you're trading with needs. Be aware of Rule 5 and FA eligibility and plan accordingly.
-- Keep a close eye on minor league development. Some players will fall from 20/80 to 20/20 without warnings from your scouts (though they'll usually, but not always, notify you when a player makes a sudden jump in talent). In particular, keep an eye on SP and RP velocity -- if it drops dramatically, the guy is in trouble. Some adjustment to professional ball is to be expected; a pitcher who began his career throwing 93-95 MPH might fall to 90-92 MPH, but he can still be useful. But pitchers who lose velocity rarely regain it, and despite some postings that say velocity has little impact beyond potential for development, a pitcher who can't throw at least 87 MPH will almost never cut it in the big leagues.
-- Don't write off a minor league pitcher who falls from a high Potential rating to a 20/20 rating, provided they still have acceptable velocity. Many young pitchers will dip to 20/20 ratings, but with good coaching and management patience some can regain their upside and even become quality hurlers.
Still to come: More trades, more manuevers, the first amateur draft and a big splash in the AL Central in 2007.
Assuming the job of the Cleveland Indians GM in January 2007, I set about to do a thorough housecleaning of the roster, sign minor league free agents, promote talented staff internally and try to boost attendance for a club that won just 77 games in 2006.
One of my first trades was to dump the salary of aging CL Joe Borowski, sending him with a minor league SS to the SF Giants for a RP I prized, Brian Wilson. As throw-ins, I also obtained SS Emanuel Burris and a 20-year old lefty RP named David Quinowski with decent Stuff (11) and a high upside (19/15/12). Quinowski [try finding him in Baseball Prospectus.com] threw only 87-89 MPH, and his only pitch was a fastball, but the potential was there. Ironically, Wilson would soon become useless with a drop in velocity, while in the coming years Quinowski would become far more than I could have imagined.
In other transactions I picked up both prospects and established players with the goal of replenishing a mediocre farm system and filling gaps in the major league roster. I unloaded two more ancient, overpriced RPs, Brian Sokorski and Roberto Hernandez, picking up young Phillies fireballer Kyle Drabek (96-98 MPH), C John Jaso and some assorted minor leaguers. A waiver-wire acquisition, LF Matt Murton, would also come in handy.
Over the following weeks and months I made a host of other pre-season trades, FA minor league signings and waiver-wire pickups. I traded several minor league hitters, such as OFs John Dennan and Brian Barton, who had potential but had low Contact ratings and high numbers of SOs, as well as waiver-wire pickups.
These trades netted such players as speedy RF Felix Unknown (honest, that's his name), CF Austin Jackson, RP Anthony Claggett, CF Brett Gardner, RF/1B John Mayberry Jr., 3B Van Pope and SP John Danks. All would eventually prove useful, either as major-league contributors or trade bait. Other players I obtained (1B Daric Barton, 2B Kevin Kouzmanoff, RF Richie Robinett) would fall short.
[Note to readers: Does anyone know who Felix Unknown might actually be? He was a Cubs minor leaguer and, I assume, not a fictional player. I've heard that OOTP 8, which I use, sometimes would substitute the last name "Unknown" if it couldn't handle a player's name.]
I inked several cheap FAs to major league contracts, including RP Travis Minx and 1B Tim Hummel, to shore up weak spots on the 25-man roster. I also signed a horde of minor league FAs. Most of the minor leaguers would wash out, but a few, most notably 18-year lefty CL Jessie Cochran and SS Robert Andino, would become pleasant -- or stunning -- surprises.
When FA personnel became available at the end of January, I hired several Coaches and Scouts to improve my woeful minor leagues staffs (while eating the contracts of current personnel), a process of constantly upgrading personnel that continues five seasons later. In addition, I promoted my GCL Manager Ramon Benitez to Major League Bench Coach and GCL Scout Stan Loux to the majors, and cut ticket prices from $15 to $14 with the hope of putting some warm bodies in the seats.
In the early going I learned:
-- Dump bloated contracts, especially for aging players, even if you get little or nothing in return. Use the Shop Around menu to see what you can get. The money you save will come in handy later, particularly if you're managing a small/medium size market team like the Indians.
-- Sign minor league FAs that have at least some potential (as the Human manager, you'll always get first crack at minor league FAs). Look for young pitchers that throw hard and/or have good Stuff (never sign any P that can't throw at least 87-89 MPH) and batters with decent fielding ratings and some ability to hit (a 20-year old with a 1 Contact rating will never go anywhere).
I looked for a good Work Ethic and ideally strong Intelligence as well, though neither is any guarantee of success. But a player with a poor Work Ethic (4 or below) will have a hard time succeeding. Also, look for special abilities, such as young hitters with high Contact and low Strikeout ratings (for their ages), and pitchers who throw in the mid- to high 90s. Any minor-league FA pitcher who throws 95 MPH+ is worth a gamble.
-- Always get throw-ins in trades. In the Initiate Trade menu, keep adding players from the team you're trading with provided that the other team will still accept the deal. I don't like waiting to hear from other teams about trades; I like to nail down the deal at first try.
-- Don't release players, even useless minor leaguers; your Fan Interest will almost certainly take a hit. Instead, package them into larger trades. Unless a minor leaguer is highly Popular, your Fan Interest won't fall with this type of trade.
-- Continually upgrade your roster. Trade three good players for a very good player -- provided you can fill any gaps in your roster -- and know what positions the team you're trading with needs. Be aware of Rule 5 and FA eligibility and plan accordingly.
-- Keep a close eye on minor league development. Some players will fall from 20/80 to 20/20 without warnings from your scouts (though they'll usually, but not always, notify you when a player makes a sudden jump in talent). In particular, keep an eye on SP and RP velocity -- if it drops dramatically, the guy is in trouble. Some adjustment to professional ball is to be expected; a pitcher who began his career throwing 93-95 MPH might fall to 90-92 MPH, but he can still be useful. But pitchers who lose velocity rarely regain it, and despite some postings that say velocity has little impact beyond potential for development, a pitcher who can't throw at least 87 MPH will almost never cut it in the big leagues.
-- Don't write off a minor league pitcher who falls from a high Potential rating to a 20/20 rating, provided they still have acceptable velocity. Many young pitchers will dip to 20/20 ratings, but with good coaching and management patience some can regain their upside and even become quality hurlers.
Still to come: More trades, more manuevers, the first amateur draft and a big splash in the AL Central in 2007.
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