OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post - Amarillo Armadillos

DoubleDub · 03-16-2023, 11:19 PM

Hello Everyone, I am back with another piece about the Amarillo Armadillos - there is more information in the first post of the thread but I will cover off the basics now. I am a part of the Pro Baseball Experience (PBE), which is a simulation baseball league - my created player “Wayne Wheeler” has just completed his first season in the PBE. Wheeler was a starting pitcher for the Amarillo Armadillo’s who play in the Minor Leagues of the PBE (MiLPBE), unfortunately we missed the playoffs by four games.

Instead of a standard season review where I tell you exactly what happened, I am instead going to look at our season through three different perspectives. What was a positive, what were the negatives and what were a couple of interesting things that happened to the Dillo’s. If you are looking for the standings then please see below, the MiLPBE playoffs take the best six teams into the playoffs no matter the division.

THE POSITIVES

The Rookie Class

Our Front Office made the decision to throw everything at the MiLPBE draft leading into this season, as such we had 2 first round picks, 2 second round picks and then one pick in both the third and fourth rounds. Because of this the team had a very inexperienced feel about it on opening day, we had a rookie 2B and CF up the middle as well as 3 rookie starters (4 man rotation in the MiLPBE) and one of our relievers was also a rookie. During the season we were also lucky enough to pick up Adelbert Steiner on waivers and he was a jet from the start. Great in the locker room and on the field, even though he had a late start to earning experience he still managed to hit .276.

With the bats we were still carried by our experience but on the mound we were definitely led by rookies, the most prominent being our fourth overall pick Johnny Patey V2. When you take a pitcher in the top five picks I don’t think you can ask for much more than what Patey delivered, he took the bump 27 times, pitched 140+ innings, had 12 wins and an ERA of 3.20. d’Potson (a last minute waiver pick up before Opening Day) in relief was also a crucial piece in the late season run at the playoffs that just fell short. A reshuffle in the bullpen and team strategy saw d’Potson tasked with more high leverage innings and he rose to the challenge.

Overall, while the Dillo’s didn’t make the playoffs there is certainly belief that we have the young core to not just make the playoffs next season but also make some noise.

The Locker Room

Being new to the sim league environment, the locker room was a complete revelation - in the locker room wasn’t just my teammates but also the front office and alumni of the team that had made their way to the big leagues. Everyone there was willing to help me out, they helped me do some tasks that I had missed which got me some crucial TPE.

The locker room was also great on sim day aka game day, we rode every bump as a team. Yes it was a bit quiet when we went 0-6 one sim day but the next day when we went 6-1, it was back to pumping away. This experience is what made my first season in the PBE a very enjoyable one, having everyone in your corner and the team's corner was a great feeling.

The Negatives

The Sim Hates Us

I don’t know what we did to the OOTP sim gods, but man they had it out for the Dillo’s this season. Our highest rated pitcher with the most experience and a solid build struggled all season, on one hand it brings some realism because players sometimes lose their best stuff for no reason and have to work hard to get it back. But also, it affected me negatively so I don’t like it. We also lost a game in extra innings where we allowed a double steal of 2nd and home because the sim had our gold glove catcher lollipop the ball to 2nd instead of holding it and tagging out the runner coming home.

Props to the user ShiderMe, he was still great in the locker room all season long - even when his player was struggling he still gassed everyone up. He also made sure to reply to every single one of my media pieces so he is already my favourite. By the end of the season his player (Jeronimo Ovechkin) started to turn it around, only allowing more than 2 ER three times in his last 10 starts for the season.

Our Fielding

We had a rough time in the field, not quite as rough as others but still it was tough at times. With an inexperienced batting lineup any available TPE makes its way to the batting stats in an attempt to make sure they aren’t a dead fish when they are up at the plate. This means the fielding attributes can be a bit lacking, this was evident in the negative Range Factor that the Armadillos posted over the length of the season. Next season with a bit more experience under our belts the Dillos should fare much better on defense and this should lead to more effective pitching.

The Interesting

Kansas City Hepcats were mortal against Amarillo

The KC Hepcats finished with a league leading 66-42 record, they had only one team who they did not win or tie the season series with … the Amarillo Armadillos. We were the one team who gave the Hepcats some issues, it was just this sort of season for the Dillos - we would take 2 of 3 against the Hepcats but then get swept by the Flamingos who ended up an even 54-54 and just scraped into the playoffs. Hopefully it is a sign of things to come, as the Hepcats will no doubt be strong again next season as we look to take the Division crown off them.

A Double Triple Crown

The Minor Leagues this year had an anomaly where a player won the triple crown but the same player finished runner up in each of the three categories. John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt won the triple crown with a .356 batting average, 31 HR’s and 103 RBI’s - he will most likely go on to claim a well deserved MVP. Sitting right behind him was the Amarillo Left Field Franklin DeMars, he had a batting average of .342, 30 HR’s and 102 RBI’s.

DeMars was phenomenal all year and this slash shows, he also set the Amarillo single season record for RBI’s and he tied the record for HR’s. Unfortunately we will most likely lose DeMars for the upcoming season, he has rightfully earned a call up by his Major League team - the New York Voyagers. We have no doubt that DeMars will continue to mash the baseball at the Major League level.

I was able to get a couple of comments from the team regarding the season as well, DeMars stated “we came up a little short this season, but next season I expect big things from the Dillos”. “The rookies in the rotation exceeded all expectations. And there were individual efforts from them, and others, including some MVP candidate seasons out of the lineup, that were more than worthy of praise. But ultimately, this is not where we wanted to be. The outside looking in. We did not meet our goals as a team. But most of us get a chance next season. And I can't wait.” said Ovechkin. Finally our departing veteran catcher, Zodiac Bluesky, “We didn't make the playoffs for my last ride, but it's honestly been the most fun I've ever had as a Dillo. Looking forward to seeing what this team is capable of next season even if I'm not part of it.”

Lastly we have the comments from Zodiac in the front office, “We have a lot of promise in the younger part of the lineup. This season was a mix of slightly rough defense and a whole lot of bad luck, so we'll come out swinging next season!”. He also added that he was the greatest GM of all time so we are bound to win … ok boss man.

03-16-2023, 11:19 PM	#3
DoubleDub Bat Boy Join Date: Feb 2023 Posts: 10	Amarillo Armadillos - Season in Review Hello Everyone, I am back with another piece about the Amarillo Armadillos - there is more information in the first post of the thread but I will cover off the basics now. I am a part of the Pro Baseball Experience (PBE), which is a simulation baseball league - my created player “Wayne Wheeler” has just completed his first season in the PBE. Wheeler was a starting pitcher for the Amarillo Armadillo’s who play in the Minor Leagues of the PBE (MiLPBE), unfortunately we missed the playoffs by four games. Instead of a standard season review where I tell you exactly what happened, I am instead going to look at our season through three different perspectives. What was a positive, what were the negatives and what were a couple of interesting things that happened to the Dillo’s. If you are looking for the standings then please see below, the MiLPBE playoffs take the best six teams into the playoffs no matter the division. THE POSITIVES The Rookie Class Our Front Office made the decision to throw everything at the MiLPBE draft leading into this season, as such we had 2 first round picks, 2 second round picks and then one pick in both the third and fourth rounds. Because of this the team had a very inexperienced feel about it on opening day, we had a rookie 2B and CF up the middle as well as 3 rookie starters (4 man rotation in the MiLPBE) and one of our relievers was also a rookie. During the season we were also lucky enough to pick up Adelbert Steiner on waivers and he was a jet from the start. Great in the locker room and on the field, even though he had a late start to earning experience he still managed to hit .276. With the bats we were still carried by our experience but on the mound we were definitely led by rookies, the most prominent being our fourth overall pick Johnny Patey V2. When you take a pitcher in the top five picks I don’t think you can ask for much more than what Patey delivered, he took the bump 27 times, pitched 140+ innings, had 12 wins and an ERA of 3.20. d’Potson (a last minute waiver pick up before Opening Day) in relief was also a crucial piece in the late season run at the playoffs that just fell short. A reshuffle in the bullpen and team strategy saw d’Potson tasked with more high leverage innings and he rose to the challenge. Overall, while the Dillo’s didn’t make the playoffs there is certainly belief that we have the young core to not just make the playoffs next season but also make some noise. The Locker Room Being new to the sim league environment, the locker room was a complete revelation - in the locker room wasn’t just my teammates but also the front office and alumni of the team that had made their way to the big leagues. Everyone there was willing to help me out, they helped me do some tasks that I had missed which got me some crucial TPE. The locker room was also great on sim day aka game day, we rode every bump as a team. Yes it was a bit quiet when we went 0-6 one sim day but the next day when we went 6-1, it was back to pumping away. This experience is what made my first season in the PBE a very enjoyable one, having everyone in your corner and the team's corner was a great feeling. The Negatives The Sim Hates Us I don’t know what we did to the OOTP sim gods, but man they had it out for the Dillo’s this season. Our highest rated pitcher with the most experience and a solid build struggled all season, on one hand it brings some realism because players sometimes lose their best stuff for no reason and have to work hard to get it back. But also, it affected me negatively so I don’t like it. We also lost a game in extra innings where we allowed a double steal of 2nd and home because the sim had our gold glove catcher lollipop the ball to 2nd instead of holding it and tagging out the runner coming home. Props to the user ShiderMe, he was still great in the locker room all season long - even when his player was struggling he still gassed everyone up. He also made sure to reply to every single one of my media pieces so he is already my favourite. By the end of the season his player (Jeronimo Ovechkin) started to turn it around, only allowing more than 2 ER three times in his last 10 starts for the season. Our Fielding We had a rough time in the field, not quite as rough as others but still it was tough at times. With an inexperienced batting lineup any available TPE makes its way to the batting stats in an attempt to make sure they aren’t a dead fish when they are up at the plate. This means the fielding attributes can be a bit lacking, this was evident in the negative Range Factor that the Armadillos posted over the length of the season. Next season with a bit more experience under our belts the Dillos should fare much better on defense and this should lead to more effective pitching. The Interesting Kansas City Hepcats were mortal against Amarillo The KC Hepcats finished with a league leading 66-42 record, they had only one team who they did not win or tie the season series with … the Amarillo Armadillos. We were the one team who gave the Hepcats some issues, it was just this sort of season for the Dillos - we would take 2 of 3 against the Hepcats but then get swept by the Flamingos who ended up an even 54-54 and just scraped into the playoffs. Hopefully it is a sign of things to come, as the Hepcats will no doubt be strong again next season as we look to take the Division crown off them. A Double Triple Crown The Minor Leagues this year had an anomaly where a player won the triple crown but the same player finished runner up in each of the three categories. John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt won the triple crown with a .356 batting average, 31 HR’s and 103 RBI’s - he will most likely go on to claim a well deserved MVP. Sitting right behind him was the Amarillo Left Field Franklin DeMars, he had a batting average of .342, 30 HR’s and 102 RBI’s. DeMars was phenomenal all year and this slash shows, he also set the Amarillo single season record for RBI’s and he tied the record for HR’s. Unfortunately we will most likely lose DeMars for the upcoming season, he has rightfully earned a call up by his Major League team - the New York Voyagers. We have no doubt that DeMars will continue to mash the baseball at the Major League level. I was able to get a couple of comments from the team regarding the season as well, DeMars stated “we came up a little short this season, but next season I expect big things from the Dillos”. “The rookies in the rotation exceeded all expectations. And there were individual efforts from them, and others, including some MVP candidate seasons out of the lineup, that were more than worthy of praise. But ultimately, this is not where we wanted to be. The outside looking in. We did not meet our goals as a team. But most of us get a chance next season. And I can't wait.” said Ovechkin. Finally our departing veteran catcher, Zodiac Bluesky, “We didn't make the playoffs for my last ride, but it's honestly been the most fun I've ever had as a Dillo. Looking forward to seeing what this team is capable of next season even if I'm not part of it.” Lastly we have the comments from Zodiac in the front office, “We have a lot of promise in the younger part of the lineup. This season was a mix of slightly rough defense and a whole lot of bad luck, so we'll come out swinging next season!”. He also added that he was the greatest GM of all time so we are bound to win … ok boss man.