[rjl518]

Hello, everyone!
This is RJL518 reporting to you live from sunny SoFla.
Its time once again for baseball!
WOW...does time really fly.
It only seems like yesterday that i ended the 2018 schedule.

Last year in my Mets season, we went through the entire MLB schedule as usual.
Im about to do my 5th year of real-time baseball!
Last year in my MLB world, the MIN Twins won the World Series over my All-Star NY METS 4-2 and i still cant believe it.
But it was a lot of fun doing another real-time season, and so we shall do one again for 2019.
Once again, it will be my NY Mets battling with the rest of the Majors to get back to the Postseason and this time, we will go back to using actual MLB starting rosters for 2019!

The NY Mets still have a very potent team in the NL East and they are not to be underestimated.
They still have IMO one of the best starting rotations in baseball, and if they can stay healthy, they will be a very tough out!
They will have to contend in an interesting NL East Division as always.
The ATL Braves are looking to defend their division title for the 2nd straight year, while the PHI Phillies, now with Bryce Harper, WAS Nationals and MIA Marlins gear up and try to catch the favorites.

In the NL Central, the MIL Brewers and CHI Cubs had to play an extra game to decide that division and it was the Brewers winning it for the 1st time in a very long while.
The Cubs will be looking to steal it this year and they have the team to do it.
The STL Cardinals are always a team to be watched no matter what they do in the offseason.
The PIT Pirates did have a winning season, but missed the playoffs.
Maybe the CIN Reds will have a better year, you never know.

In the NL West, the LA Dodgers and the COL Rockies went to down to the wire as well and the "Bums" came out on top.
No reason why they cant do it again.
The Rockies will be making another push to the playoffs and they will be very stingy.
The ARZ Diamondbacks are not going away and they seem to be getting better every year.
The SF Giants and SD Padres had tough seasons last year, but the Giants dont stay down for long and the Friars might be on the way up with some young talent and Manny Machado now on the team.

In the AL East, the BOS Red Sox are looking to repeat as World Series Champions and they are the favorites to do it again.
But the NY Yankees will have something to say about that as we know that they have 27 reasons why they could be the team to hoist the trophy at the end of the year!
The TB Rays could be a sleeper pick for this division.
The BAL Orioles and TOR Blue Jays are at the bottom, but maybe, they could surprise some people this season?

In the AL Central, the CLE Indians win the division again but some up short in the playoffs.
Do they get over the hump this time?
The rest of the division didnt fare well as the MIN Twins, DET Tigers, CHI White Sox and KC Royals all finished below .500.
The question is: Who will be this year's upstart that challenge the Tribe at the top?

I think the AL West may be the toughest division in 2019.
Even though the HOU Astros, won the division for the 2nd straight year, they have some challengers below them.
The OAK Athletics took a turn in the postseason, but fell short in the Wild Card Game.
They know that they have to win the division this time and avoid that playoff round.
The LA Angels, fresh off a BIG contract extension with Mike Trout are hoping that 430 million dollars will get them back to the playoffs!
The TEX Rangers can be a tough opponent throughout the season and it looks like the SEA Mariners are building for the future.
But sometimes, destiny can shine upon you when you least expect it.

Last year in real-life, the NY Mets had another very disapointing season.
Just too many injuries and too many blown chances during the season gave Mickey Calloway a tough time, although the Mets did finish strong down the stretch.
We still have some unfinished business to take care of with this young team.

I have also created a new set of jerseys, caps and logos based on SFGiants58's ideas that will be used for the 2019 season.
Here is the link to his creations.
http://boards.sportslogos.net/topic/...s-pt-ii-added/
I did modify a few things and made my choices for which uniforms to use, but i take NO CREDIT AT ALL for this guy's work.
It is all his doing and his genius!


2019 Rules:
I will be GM and Manager playing out each and every game.
Injury Frequency: Variable by month of the season.
April: EXTREMELY LOW
May: LOW
June and July: NORMAL
August and September: HIGH (VERY HIGH will not be used because that would be ridiculous!)

Trading Difficulty: Hard and Neutral

Playoff Structure:
Three Division Winners and Two Wildcards.
The only change in my MLB universe is that the wildcards will play a best of three wildcard series instead of only one game.
All two or three games will be played at the stadium of the team which has the best wildcard record between the two.
The current MLB playoff setup will then follow suit.

To kind of spice things up, the AI Trading Frequency will be modified throughout the year.
April: LOW
May: NORMAL
June: HIGH
July: VERY HIGH
August: VERY LOW
September: VERY LOW
This should make the AI keep players early in the season and then simulate a crazy trade deadline period in July.

This real-time report will close at the end of the 2019 MLB Season.

Also, ALL injuries and fatigue will be reset at the start of the season so that EVERY team in the league will have their best number one roster players available.
So there will be no one injured at the start of the season in the Majors or Minors.
I will attempt to make some trades before the start to see if i can improve the team.

So, everyone...buckle your seat belts and prepare for a very interesting baseball season.
It's time to cheer on the....

M-E-T-S METS! METS!! METS!!!---MLB & THE NY METS 2019


Upcoming Schedule:
March 26---Roster Moves
March 27---Final Roster Moves and PrePredicts
March 28---Opening Day @ WAS Nationals @ Nationals Park