OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post - The Dead Zone: The Philadelphia Phillies (1984-

The_Myth · 06-04-2019, 08:29 PM

March 28, 1984

Giles tells me that teams have been showing interest in my catchers. Makes sense, considering I have some depth there. Let’s look at my current spring roster (after three rounds of cuts):

C - Bo Diaz / Ozzie Virgil Jr / John W Russell
1B - Len Matuszek / John Wockenfuss / Mark Funderburk
2B - Juan Samuel
3B - Mike Schmidt
SS - Ivan de Jesus
LF - Glenn Wilson / Greg Gross
CF - Von Hayes / Garry Maddox
RF - Joe Lefebvre / Sixto Lezcano
UTIL - Luis Aguayo / Kiko Garcia / Bobby Mitchell

SP - Steve Carlton / John Denny / Charles Hudson / Jerry Koosman / Kevin Gross / Marty Bystrom
RP - Al Holland / Bill Campbell / Larry Andersen / Tug McGraw / Steve Mura / Dave Wehrmeister

Here are the five cuts left to make this spring:

1. Catcher
2. First base
3. Utility
4. Utility / Outfielder
5. Pitcher

Let’s start with the final three cuts listed: Lezcano has been bad this spring, but his major league contract makes it almost impossible to move him at the moment. It’s most likely two of the utility bats will have to be sent to the minors. I’m leaning Aguayo and Mitchell.

At pitcher, Gross has out-pitched Bystrom this spring. Bystrom is out of options; thus, I could trade or waive him, or I could make him a long reliever, thus forcing my hand between Mura and Wehrmeister.

First base is interesting because Funderburk, a minor league free agent signing, has been wielding a hot bat this spring. Meanwhile, Matuszek, 29 and well-liked by Giles, has been mediocre over the spring, while Wockenfuss - acquired in that Willie Hernandez trade - has a pricey little contract for a bench bat. Sadly, Funderburk may need to start the year in AAA Portland.

Then there’s catcher. Russell has been a nice surprise this spring, and since Darren Daulton will be starting daily in AAA, and Mike LaValliere will be in AA Reading, there isn’t a ton of room for Russell. (Russell also plays first base and corner outfield, but those spots in Portland will be filled with guys I’m prioritizing, as well.) Meantime, I could stand to move some of that catching depth.

I’d rather keep Diaz as he’s a better defender, but he’s also making slightly more ($450K to Virgil’s $295K) and is a free agent after this season. But also, I’m likely in 1985 to run full time with Daulton, so I’ll need a competent backup who’s been around. I’m not sure Russell is that guy. Still, I’m leaning toward trading Virgil and letting Diaz and potentially Russell be my catchers, along with Wockenfuss, who also has good backstop ability.

March 29, 1984

As spring ends, I field calls from teams wanting both Virgil and Bystrom. I’d love to move both, considering they’d free up space on my 25-man roster and offer me more flexibility going forward.

Here are the teams I’m considering:

Boston - Would center around Jody Reed or Jeff Sellers
Chicago - Would center around Jamie Moyer or Billy Hatcher
Chicago - Would center around John Cangelosi or John Johnson
Houston - Would center around Glenn Davis or Ron Mathis
Oakland - Would center around Luis Polonia
St Louis - Would center around Vince Coleman, Jeff Fassero or Terry Pendleton

I start with St. Louis, offering Virgil and Bystrom for a package that revolves around two of the three listed, plus another pitching prospect.

March 30, 1984

Time to make some decisions.

Here are the final spring numbers for our final three first basemen, plus our potential backup catcher:

Len Matuszek - 1B/LF/3B - 29 - 38 PA, .235/.316/.559, .324 ISO, .231 BABIP, 6 XBH
John Wockenfuss - 1B/C - 35 - 20 PA, .278/.350/.611, .333 ISO, .214 BABIP, 2 XBH
Mark Funderburk - 1B/RF - 26 - 44 PA, .286/.318/.786, .500 ISO, .172 BABIP, 7 XBH
John W Russell - C/1B/LF/RF - 23 - 31 PA, .310/.355/.655, .345 ISO, .353 BABIP, 4 XBH

For all the excitement about Funderburk, Matuszek quietly closed the gap late and put up a respectable spring line. The former hasn’t been in the majors since 1981 and only had 62 plate appearances last season (in AAA), while the latter has been in and out of the majors since 1981. Neither has made a real impression in the majors. And I guess I’m split between the two, maybe even leaning Matuszek since he’s a lefty, and I have only a couple of them on the roster.

Meanwhile, Wockenfuss has logged as many catcher innings as first base innings. I’ve written about Russell being a backup if I trade Virgil, but Wockenfuss could also log some innings there. Either way, both played well enough to merit a major league assignment.

Now the utility options:

Luis Aguayo - 2B/3B/SS - 25 - 60 PA, .255/.317/.255, 0 XBH, 8 K, 5 BB
Kiko Garcia - SS/2B/3B - 30 - 50 PA, .326/.380/.457, 2 XBH, 8 K, 3 BB
Bobby Mitchell - LF/RF/2B/3B/SS - 30 - 52 PA, .260/.288/.320, 2 XBH, 5 K, 1 BB

Garcia is a shoo-in. He was the incumbent, and he hit well.

Considering the lukewarm performances by Aguayo and Mitchell, I’m thinking in the event of a Virgil trade, Garcia, Russell and Wockenfuss make the team, plus a regular first baseman (leaning Matuszek over Funderburk). If Virgil stays, it’s him, plus Garcia, Wockenfuss, and probably Matuszek.

And on the mound:

Marty Bystrom - SP - 25 - 14 IP, 12.21 ERA, 14 K, 10 BB
Kevin Gross - SP - 22 - 17.2 IP, 1.02 ERA, 13 K, 5 BB
Steve Mura - RP - 29 - 12.2 IP, 4.26 ERA, 13 K, 11 BB
Dave Wehrmeister - RP - 31 - 13.2 IP, 2.63 ERA, 13 K, 11 BB

The odd man out is clearly Bystrom, and if a trade happens, this takes care of itself. If not, I’ll probably just send Wehrmeister to the minors until I can get something done.

06-04-2019, 08:29 PM	#3
The_Myth Minors (Double A) Join Date: Jun 2019 Location: World Posts: 172	March 28, 1984 Giles tells me that teams have been showing interest in my catchers. Makes sense, considering I have some depth there. Let’s look at my current spring roster (after three rounds of cuts): C - Bo Diaz / Ozzie Virgil Jr / John W Russell 1B - Len Matuszek / John Wockenfuss / Mark Funderburk 2B - Juan Samuel 3B - Mike Schmidt SS - Ivan de Jesus LF - Glenn Wilson / Greg Gross CF - Von Hayes / Garry Maddox RF - Joe Lefebvre / Sixto Lezcano UTIL - Luis Aguayo / Kiko Garcia / Bobby Mitchell SP - Steve Carlton / John Denny / Charles Hudson / Jerry Koosman / Kevin Gross / Marty Bystrom RP - Al Holland / Bill Campbell / Larry Andersen / Tug McGraw / Steve Mura / Dave Wehrmeister Here are the five cuts left to make this spring: 1. Catcher 2. First base 3. Utility 4. Utility / Outfielder 5. Pitcher Let’s start with the final three cuts listed: Lezcano has been bad this spring, but his major league contract makes it almost impossible to move him at the moment. It’s most likely two of the utility bats will have to be sent to the minors. I’m leaning Aguayo and Mitchell. At pitcher, Gross has out-pitched Bystrom this spring. Bystrom is out of options; thus, I could trade or waive him, or I could make him a long reliever, thus forcing my hand between Mura and Wehrmeister. First base is interesting because Funderburk, a minor league free agent signing, has been wielding a hot bat this spring. Meanwhile, Matuszek, 29 and well-liked by Giles, has been mediocre over the spring, while Wockenfuss - acquired in that Willie Hernandez trade - has a pricey little contract for a bench bat. Sadly, Funderburk may need to start the year in AAA Portland. Then there’s catcher. Russell has been a nice surprise this spring, and since Darren Daulton will be starting daily in AAA, and Mike LaValliere will be in AA Reading, there isn’t a ton of room for Russell. (Russell also plays first base and corner outfield, but those spots in Portland will be filled with guys I’m prioritizing, as well.) Meantime, I could stand to move some of that catching depth. I’d rather keep Diaz as he’s a better defender, but he’s also making slightly more ($450K to Virgil’s $295K) and is a free agent after this season. But also, I’m likely in 1985 to run full time with Daulton, so I’ll need a competent backup who’s been around. I’m not sure Russell is that guy. Still, I’m leaning toward trading Virgil and letting Diaz and potentially Russell be my catchers, along with Wockenfuss, who also has good backstop ability. March 29, 1984 As spring ends, I field calls from teams wanting both Virgil and Bystrom. I’d love to move both, considering they’d free up space on my 25-man roster and offer me more flexibility going forward. Here are the teams I’m considering: Boston - Would center around Jody Reed or Jeff Sellers Chicago - Would center around Jamie Moyer or Billy Hatcher Chicago - Would center around John Cangelosi or John Johnson Houston - Would center around Glenn Davis or Ron Mathis Oakland - Would center around Luis Polonia St Louis - Would center around Vince Coleman, Jeff Fassero or Terry Pendleton I start with St. Louis, offering Virgil and Bystrom for a package that revolves around two of the three listed, plus another pitching prospect. March 30, 1984 Time to make some decisions. Here are the final spring numbers for our final three first basemen, plus our potential backup catcher: Len Matuszek - 1B/LF/3B - 29 - 38 PA, .235/.316/.559, .324 ISO, .231 BABIP, 6 XBH John Wockenfuss - 1B/C - 35 - 20 PA, .278/.350/.611, .333 ISO, .214 BABIP, 2 XBH Mark Funderburk - 1B/RF - 26 - 44 PA, .286/.318/.786, .500 ISO, .172 BABIP, 7 XBH John W Russell - C/1B/LF/RF - 23 - 31 PA, .310/.355/.655, .345 ISO, .353 BABIP, 4 XBH For all the excitement about Funderburk, Matuszek quietly closed the gap late and put up a respectable spring line. The former hasn’t been in the majors since 1981 and only had 62 plate appearances last season (in AAA), while the latter has been in and out of the majors since 1981. Neither has made a real impression in the majors. And I guess I’m split between the two, maybe even leaning Matuszek since he’s a lefty, and I have only a couple of them on the roster. Meanwhile, Wockenfuss has logged as many catcher innings as first base innings. I’ve written about Russell being a backup if I trade Virgil, but Wockenfuss could also log some innings there. Either way, both played well enough to merit a major league assignment. Now the utility options: Luis Aguayo - 2B/3B/SS - 25 - 60 PA, .255/.317/.255, 0 XBH, 8 K, 5 BB Kiko Garcia - SS/2B/3B - 30 - 50 PA, .326/.380/.457, 2 XBH, 8 K, 3 BB Bobby Mitchell - LF/RF/2B/3B/SS - 30 - 52 PA, .260/.288/.320, 2 XBH, 5 K, 1 BB Garcia is a shoo-in. He was the incumbent, and he hit well. Considering the lukewarm performances by Aguayo and Mitchell, I’m thinking in the event of a Virgil trade, Garcia, Russell and Wockenfuss make the team, plus a regular first baseman (leaning Matuszek over Funderburk). If Virgil stays, it’s him, plus Garcia, Wockenfuss, and probably Matuszek. And on the mound: Marty Bystrom - SP - 25 - 14 IP, 12.21 ERA, 14 K, 10 BB Kevin Gross - SP - 22 - 17.2 IP, 1.02 ERA, 13 K, 5 BB Steve Mura - RP - 29 - 12.2 IP, 4.26 ERA, 13 K, 11 BB Dave Wehrmeister - RP - 31 - 13.2 IP, 2.63 ERA, 13 K, 11 BB The odd man out is clearly Bystrom, and if a trade happens, this takes care of itself. If not, I’ll probably just send Wehrmeister to the minors until I can get something done. Last edited by The_Myth; 06-04-2019 at 08:30 PM.