Favorite Player You Have Ever Managed

Bobbuttons · 06-19-2005, 11:41 PM

Feel free to post about the favorite players you have had on any of your leagues, solo or online...

In one of my oldest leagues, which is sadly now long defunct, I had a pitcher named German Carruthers. He spent his entire career with my team and amassed 300+ wins. Certainly an all-time favorite of mine.

Currently I have a player who may have had his swan song in the last season I played. I have an alternate replay of baseball history that started in 1931. In 2003, the first season in which version 6 didn't import rookies, I decided to go from mere observer to GM. I took over the most hapless team in the league, the Minneapolis Millers, who had won 2 division titles in their 62 year history but never a pennant.

In my first draft, with the first overall pick, I took a 22 year old Cuban named Asbel "The Dream" Silvas. After a couple months in AAA he was called up that first year and played pretty well for 62 games. Another good year after that, hitting .268 in 121 games. Silvas had great potential in contact and power. The contact came pretty fast. The power took a couple of years longer. So he was placed in the leadoff spot until that power came and allowed me to move him to the middle of the lineup. By 2007 he was the 3 hitter and a perennial All-Star and took home his first of three batting titles at 352.

In 2010 he won his first Ty Cobb Award by hitting .339 with 31 HR and 119 RBI. His second Ty Cobb Award came the next year (.330, 35 HR, 111 RBI), third in 2013 (.332, 33 HR, 127 RBI) and 4th and last in 2015 (.341, 34 HR, 125 RBI). We have now wrapped the 2018 season with Silvas backed where he effectively started his career.. in the leadoff spot. His power had dropped, though he was still hitting for average and drawing walks.. and still had a little speed left. At age 37 he hit .292 with 16 HR and 85 RBI and stole 28 bases. His ratings have taken a big hit, so if this isn't his last year... it will probably be his last year as a full time player.

He was the first person selected in what would be the ultimate turnaround for Minneapolis. Going from league doormat to the most hated franchise in the league... 8 pennants and 6 World Championships. His career numbers 2003-2018:

2,314 games (franchise record)
.311 average (3rd in franchise history, 14th All-Time)
404 HR (2nd in franchise history behind Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle)
1,517 RBI (franchise record)
1,656 Runs (franchise record, 29th all-time)
2,759 hits (franchise record, 31st all-time)
495 SB (franchise record, 16th all-time)

9 time All-Star, Paul Waner Award in 2008 (Playoff MVP)

His postseason numbers:

80 games (3rd all-time)
.327 BA
315 AB (2nd)
103 H (2nd)
10 HR (11th)
49 RBI (4th)
54 R (2nd)
18 SB (1st)

His 6 World Championships are one behind mainstays of the unbelievable Jacksonville Suns run during the 1970's, Tony Conigliaro and Frank Linzy.

darkcloud4579 · 06-19-2005, 11:42 PM

Good idea.

But sooo many players. Not sure where to start.

Bobbuttons · 06-21-2005, 02:57 PM

Wow. Did this thread ever die.

randyc427 · 06-21-2005, 03:30 PM

I had a player in one of my old leagues. The league crashed so I do not have stats I can give you. Anyway I used my first overall pick to draft a 5 star pitching spec by the name of Phillip Hughes. Phillip spent the first year and a half in AA and AAA before I finally felt that he was ready for the bigs. Hughes struggled in 3 years with me with a losing record and an ERA well over 5 and also struggled with some arm problems. Then one game in his fourth year, Hughes went down with a tear in his elbow ligament. I was devestated as Hughes looked like he would never get the chance to live up to his potential. I held on to him despite some serious ratings and talent drops, and the age of 27 I didn't know if he could rebound. He accepted an assignment to AAA, where much to my surprise, Phillip pitched very well. His ratings were still nowhere near where they had to be, but his numbers in AAA were impressive enough for give him a shot back in the bigs. Phillips never became a star, but did become a solid number 3 starter for me for the rest of his career.

Big Six · 06-21-2005, 04:01 PM

Since I've built an entire dynasty around him, the obvious answer for me would be Pat O'Farrell, who just retired after 21 full years in the major leagues. I envisioned Pat as a good, solid everyday player when I created him; he turned out to be an all-time great.

Almost all of the other players in Pat's universe are real major leaguers, so I tend to like the players I have enjoyed learning about since I was a kid. However, there are a few guys about whom I knew very little who have emerged as key characters in Pat's story.

Bill Carrigan, Pat's friend and manager, comes to mind first. He developed into an All-Star catcher and won a few Slick Fielder awards, and has won two World Series as a manager.

Two pitchers also stand out as all-time favorites. Roy Hitt and Del Mason were washouts in the "real" majors, but I saw them turn into 300-game winning Hall of Famers who faced Pat's Red Sox in some classic World Series battles.

My first attempt at a solo league with fictional players, the Keystone League, is in its second season, and I just finished my first season at the helm of my first team in an online league, the Chicago Racers of the USBA. I'm sure that as I spend more time with them, they'll produce some memorable players, too.

kingcharlesxii · 06-21-2005, 04:03 PM

My favorite in one of my old leagues was a guy named Demetrio Lamas. He was a decent middle reliever who was listed as injury prone up until about age 28. He had low end starter endurance and I was short on starters at one point so I put him in the rotation. He pitched great, got some rating boosts and became one of the greatest pitchers in the league's history.

I've had other players like that but mainly it was his name that made it stick for me. I changed his origin to Greece and gave him the nickname "Llama". The player photo OOTP picked for him was kind of a funny and interesting one too. I always saw him as a clubhouse prankster and bizarre guy.

sebastian0622 · 06-21-2005, 04:33 PM

My favorite player is Richard Landaverde, who is still playing (30 years old) in my solo league.

I drafted him in the 2nd round, 58th overall as a reliever, knowing that I could use him as a starter in the pinch (with 52 endurance). He was a pretty decent looking 18 year old prospect but nothing to write home about.

His first year in the system saw him pitch 5 innings in A ball, 76 in AA ball, and 40 innings in AAA ball. He did well at the first two levels, but struggled in AAA. He had a great offseason, though, and came back by pitching 133 strong innings in AAA, getting two or three waves of talent bumps, and seeing his ratings jump way up. He got called up to the bigs and went 4-1 in 9 starts with an ERA of 3.04. He never looked back.

I've dedicated two spring trainings to his endurance, and it's up to 60. His pitching ratings are all in the 90's. It looks like he'll never reach his potentials, which ended up getting bumped up into the 110's and 120's. But he's as good as they get. 174-52 for his career with a WHIP of 1.02. It's especially rewarding that he's home grown, and that he's gotten to where he is today by 3-4 talent increases after starting out as just another reliever prospect. He even has 10 career shutouts.

AdmiralACF · 06-21-2005, 07:29 PM

In my longest-running dynasty, a solo game with real rosters back in OOTP5, I managed the Rockies. J.D. Closser was a highly talented prospect, and he ended up being an awesome backstop for me for his entire career. He ended up winning rookie of the year, a couple mvp awards, anc countless gold gloves and all-star appearances. He retired in his late thirties, was inducted into the hall of fame, and I made him into a minors manager who I hired for my AAA affiliate.

Astros33Resurrected · 06-21-2005, 08:10 PM

I've got a few that come to mind. I'm in a solo league, GM of the Red Sox. In the initial season(2005) I made a deal for Mark Prior. Gave up 4 good spects and Matt Clement. Prior was decent from 2005-2007 winning at least 12 games each season. But once Curt Schilling was traded in 07 and John Smoltz retired, he became the #1. And he sure pitched like it. He won 7 Cy Youngs over the next 9 seasons. He ended up with 318 wins and a career ERA of 2.78. Clement went on to be decent from 05-09 before a he suffered a career ending injury. None of the othe players i dealt turned out to do anything, except Hanley Ramirez, who still starts at SS for the Cubs and is a 1 time all-star.

Another from the same dynasty is Landon Powell. In 06, I dealt Jason Vartiek and a prospect for him and ****egoshi Hasegawa. Landon came up in 07', but suffered 3 straight seasons full of injuries. He finally came on in 2010 and ended up being a stud hitter for me. Lifetime average of .324 with 245HR's and 960RBI's. He could have done a lot better had he not been plagued by injury.

Andy Johnson was a 1st baseman i took in the 1st rd in 06. He was 18, and had great power potential so i took him. He came up in 09' and hit 35HR's and won ROY. He became the most dominant power guy in the league, finishing with a .245 avg with 678HR's.

Finally, my other favorite was Mark Bellhorn. He was a solid player and never made over 3mill. He hit 30+HR's 3 times, was a 4 time AS and consitently had clutch hits( 2 Game winning HR's in the WS. 1 in 06 and one in 09)
I enjoyed this dynasty alot back when those guys were playing, im gonna keep it running till the year 3000!!

06-19-2005, 11:42 PM	#2
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,712	Good idea. But sooo many players. Not sure where to start. __________________ ------ My Mods OOTP Advanced Stats & DFS Suite Managerial Strategy Pack Competitive Balance Tax Calculator Major League Women's Baseball (OOTP24) quickstart Indian Premier League \| 300+ years of baseball quickstart \| Expatriate League quickstart \| Off-Field Injuries Update \| Women's Name File for OOTP \| ---- Dynasty classics: Centurion comes to OOTP5 \| DC Moneyball Dynasty (2004)

06-21-2005, 02:57 PM	#3
Bobbuttons Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Picturesque Mentor-on-the-Lake, Ohio Posts: 3,708	Wow. Did this thread ever die. __________________ Frankenstein never scared me. Marsupials do....cause they're fast! Gibson swings, and a fly ball to deep right field! This is gonna be a home run! Unbelievable! A home run for Gibson! And the Dodgers have won the game, 5 to 4; I don't believe what I just saw! I don't believe what I just saw!

06-21-2005, 03:30 PM	#4
randyc427 Minors (Single A) Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Reading PA Posts: 59	I had a player in one of my old leagues. The league crashed so I do not have stats I can give you. Anyway I used my first overall pick to draft a 5 star pitching spec by the name of Phillip Hughes. Phillip spent the first year and a half in AA and AAA before I finally felt that he was ready for the bigs. Hughes struggled in 3 years with me with a losing record and an ERA well over 5 and also struggled with some arm problems. Then one game in his fourth year, Hughes went down with a tear in his elbow ligament. I was devestated as Hughes looked like he would never get the chance to live up to his potential. I held on to him despite some serious ratings and talent drops, and the age of 27 I didn't know if he could rebound. He accepted an assignment to AAA, where much to my surprise, Phillip pitched very well. His ratings were still nowhere near where they had to be, but his numbers in AAA were impressive enough for give him a shot back in the bigs. Phillips never became a star, but did become a solid number 3 starter for me for the rest of his career. __________________ Commish and Phillies GM Mixed History Baseball www.mixedhistorybaseball.com Real estate Needs www.randysellsyourhome.com

06-21-2005, 04:01 PM	#5
Big Six Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Virginia Posts: 3,145	Since I've built an entire dynasty around him, the obvious answer for me would be Pat O'Farrell, who just retired after 21 full years in the major leagues. I envisioned Pat as a good, solid everyday player when I created him; he turned out to be an all-time great. Almost all of the other players in Pat's universe are real major leaguers, so I tend to like the players I have enjoyed learning about since I was a kid. However, there are a few guys about whom I knew very little who have emerged as key characters in Pat's story. Bill Carrigan, Pat's friend and manager, comes to mind first. He developed into an All-Star catcher and won a few Slick Fielder awards, and has won two World Series as a manager. Two pitchers also stand out as all-time favorites. Roy Hitt and Del Mason were washouts in the "real" majors, but I saw them turn into 300-game winning Hall of Famers who faced Pat's Red Sox in some classic World Series battles. My first attempt at a solo league with fictional players, the Keystone League, is in its second season, and I just finished my first season at the helm of my first team in an online league, the Chicago Racers of the USBA. I'm sure that as I spend more time with them, they'll produce some memorable players, too. __________________ My dynasties: The Base Ball Life of Patrick O'Farrell: 2014 inductee, OOTP Dynasty Hall of Fame Kenilworth: A Town and its Team: fun with a fictional league

06-21-2005, 04:03 PM	#6
kingcharlesxii Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Madison, WI Posts: 2,731	My favorite in one of my old leagues was a guy named Demetrio Lamas. He was a decent middle reliever who was listed as injury prone up until about age 28. He had low end starter endurance and I was short on starters at one point so I put him in the rotation. He pitched great, got some rating boosts and became one of the greatest pitchers in the league's history. I've had other players like that but mainly it was his name that made it stick for me. I changed his origin to Greece and gave him the nickname "Llama". The player photo OOTP picked for him was kind of a funny and interesting one too. I always saw him as a clubhouse prankster and bizarre guy. __________________ Formerly in the OTBA - Stockholm Royal Squirrels of Sweden OOTP Grand League Champion 2015

06-19-2005, 11:41 PM	#1
Bobbuttons Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Picturesque Mentor-on-the-Lake, Ohio Posts: 3,708	Favorite Player You Have Ever Managed Feel free to post about the favorite players you have had on any of your leagues, solo or online... In one of my oldest leagues, which is sadly now long defunct, I had a pitcher named German Carruthers. He spent his entire career with my team and amassed 300+ wins. Certainly an all-time favorite of mine. Currently I have a player who may have had his swan song in the last season I played. I have an alternate replay of baseball history that started in 1931. In 2003, the first season in which version 6 didn't import rookies, I decided to go from mere observer to GM. I took over the most hapless team in the league, the Minneapolis Millers, who had won 2 division titles in their 62 year history but never a pennant. In my first draft, with the first overall pick, I took a 22 year old Cuban named Asbel "The Dream" Silvas. After a couple months in AAA he was called up that first year and played pretty well for 62 games. Another good year after that, hitting .268 in 121 games. Silvas had great potential in contact and power. The contact came pretty fast. The power took a couple of years longer. So he was placed in the leadoff spot until that power came and allowed me to move him to the middle of the lineup. By 2007 he was the 3 hitter and a perennial All-Star and took home his first of three batting titles at 352. In 2010 he won his first Ty Cobb Award by hitting .339 with 31 HR and 119 RBI. His second Ty Cobb Award came the next year (.330, 35 HR, 111 RBI), third in 2013 (.332, 33 HR, 127 RBI) and 4th and last in 2015 (.341, 34 HR, 125 RBI). We have now wrapped the 2018 season with Silvas backed where he effectively started his career.. in the leadoff spot. His power had dropped, though he was still hitting for average and drawing walks.. and still had a little speed left. At age 37 he hit .292 with 16 HR and 85 RBI and stole 28 bases. His ratings have taken a big hit, so if this isn't his last year... it will probably be his last year as a full time player. He was the first person selected in what would be the ultimate turnaround for Minneapolis. Going from league doormat to the most hated franchise in the league... 8 pennants and 6 World Championships. His career numbers 2003-2018: 2,314 games (franchise record) .311 average (3rd in franchise history, 14th All-Time) 404 HR (2nd in franchise history behind Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle) 1,517 RBI (franchise record) 1,656 Runs (franchise record, 29th all-time) 2,759 hits (franchise record, 31st all-time) 495 SB (franchise record, 16th all-time) 9 time All-Star, Paul Waner Award in 2008 (Playoff MVP) His postseason numbers: 80 games (3rd all-time) .327 BA 315 AB (2nd) 103 H (2nd) 10 HR (11th) 49 RBI (4th) 54 R (2nd) 18 SB (1st) His 6 World Championships are one behind mainstays of the unbelievable Jacksonville Suns run during the 1970's, Tony Conigliaro and Frank Linzy. __________________ Frankenstein never scared me. Marsupials do....cause they're fast! Gibson swings, and a fly ball to deep right field! This is gonna be a home run! Unbelievable! A home run for Gibson! And the Dodgers have won the game, 5 to 4; I don't believe what I just saw! I don't believe what I just saw! Last edited by Bobbuttons; 06-19-2005 at 11:46 PM.

06-21-2005, 04:33 PM	#7
sebastian0622 Banned Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 3,465	My favorite player is Richard Landaverde, who is still playing (30 years old) in my solo league. I drafted him in the 2nd round, 58th overall as a reliever, knowing that I could use him as a starter in the pinch (with 52 endurance). He was a pretty decent looking 18 year old prospect but nothing to write home about. His first year in the system saw him pitch 5 innings in A ball, 76 in AA ball, and 40 innings in AAA ball. He did well at the first two levels, but struggled in AAA. He had a great offseason, though, and came back by pitching 133 strong innings in AAA, getting two or three waves of talent bumps, and seeing his ratings jump way up. He got called up to the bigs and went 4-1 in 9 starts with an ERA of 3.04. He never looked back. I've dedicated two spring trainings to his endurance, and it's up to 60. His pitching ratings are all in the 90's. It looks like he'll never reach his potentials, which ended up getting bumped up into the 110's and 120's. But he's as good as they get. 174-52 for his career with a WHIP of 1.02. It's especially rewarding that he's home grown, and that he's gotten to where he is today by 3-4 talent increases after starting out as just another reliever prospect. He even has 10 career shutouts.

06-21-2005, 07:29 PM	#8
AdmiralACF Minors (Single A) Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 85	In my longest-running dynasty, a solo game with real rosters back in OOTP5, I managed the Rockies. J.D. Closser was a highly talented prospect, and he ended up being an awesome backstop for me for his entire career. He ended up winning rookie of the year, a couple mvp awards, anc countless gold gloves and all-star appearances. He retired in his late thirties, was inducted into the hall of fame, and I made him into a minors manager who I hired for my AAA affiliate. __________________ AdmiralACF Retired General Manager, Oklahoma Twisters, 2003-2007 Appalachian Southern Division Champions- 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 Appalachian League Champions- 2004, 2005, 2007 2007 POTD World Champions!!!! Pioneers of the Diamond Baseball

06-21-2005, 08:10 PM	#9
Astros33Resurrected Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Lufkin, TX Posts: 2,213	I've got a few that come to mind. I'm in a solo league, GM of the Red Sox. In the initial season(2005) I made a deal for Mark Prior. Gave up 4 good spects and Matt Clement. Prior was decent from 2005-2007 winning at least 12 games each season. But once Curt Schilling was traded in 07 and John Smoltz retired, he became the #1. And he sure pitched like it. He won 7 Cy Youngs over the next 9 seasons. He ended up with 318 wins and a career ERA of 2.78. Clement went on to be decent from 05-09 before a he suffered a career ending injury. None of the othe players i dealt turned out to do anything, except Hanley Ramirez, who still starts at SS for the Cubs and is a 1 time all-star. Another from the same dynasty is Landon Powell. In 06, I dealt Jason Vartiek and a prospect for him and ****egoshi Hasegawa. Landon came up in 07', but suffered 3 straight seasons full of injuries. He finally came on in 2010 and ended up being a stud hitter for me. Lifetime average of .324 with 245HR's and 960RBI's. He could have done a lot better had he not been plagued by injury. Andy Johnson was a 1st baseman i took in the 1st rd in 06. He was 18, and had great power potential so i took him. He came up in 09' and hit 35HR's and won ROY. He became the most dominant power guy in the league, finishing with a .245 avg with 678HR's. Finally, my other favorite was Mark Bellhorn. He was a solid player and never made over 3mill. He hit 30+HR's 3 times, was a 4 time AS and consitently had clutch hits( 2 Game winning HR's in the WS. 1 in 06 and one in 09) I enjoyed this dynasty alot back when those guys were playing, im gonna keep it running till the year 3000!!