Building a champion (fictional league)

[JAttractive]

Background Notes:

In this thread I will follow my attempts to build a fictional Montreal Expos team into a World Series dynasty team. I began this league in the year 1960 with fictional players and a semi-fictional league (it contains 24 real life ML teams some of which were not in existence at this time) using a player draft. The teams were given the modern day team info from the Ghost Rolen set so that the Expos are hindered to start with a 2/100 for fan rating, Good team market and Poor fan rating. This resulted in a much lower than average team income of 60 million (approximately). While this may not be realistic for a new league, where one would expect a city to be excited about the team, having a challenge is more important to me than realism.

Note that in this league I will have some house rules I follow though I don't really set anything in stone. Instead I tend to play by a philosophy that I don't make moves/trades that seem too unrealistic ex. if a team is rebuilding I am not going to trade for their prospects, I don't send down my aging stars into the minors just to get them to retire and get me off the hook etc. This is more of a situational idea and I decide on a case by case basis.

As well each year I set the teams to human controlled and play out spring training by the default numbers (5s) as I feel otherwise the AI ruins too many players or turns them all into complete package types and their is not enough diversity.

Finally I also changed the league settings just slightly so that relievers are only used Often instead of Very Often as I found the starting pitchers are replaced too quickly and often. It is still not perfect though and I may play with this later.

Edit note: I almost forgot... I am using Talent Only when viewing players as a further challenge though I find this also keeps things more interesting too.

[JAttractive]

1960:

In this hockey mad town this new game of baseball has not been well received. The Expos drew a league low 1,233,168 fans this year which is almost half of the next *lowest* team. Team owners were so desperate to put people in the stands that they had to cut ticket prices nearly in half from $10 to $6 after only one month of play. However their was a glimmer of hope as attendance slowly rose throughout the year and the team is finally starting to draw some attention from the local media.

(Fan interest began the year at 2 and has raised to 12 to start the new season).

Team owners knew there would be a feeling out process for this game and smartly kept their payroll under 60 million, lowest in baseball. Hindered also by an unlucky drawing that saw them 23rd in the 24 team draft the Expos knew this was not going to be a year to aim too high. So with the 23rd overall pick they chose star right fielder Phil Durso and then stuck to a game plan that would see them target a few choice prospects for the next few rounds. This strategy gave them a player to help put fans in the seats and then by keeping out of the next tier of high priced talent they were able to build a team of mid-range, mid salary veterans with a few young studs in the farm system, most still years away from the big show.

(for the 2,3,4th picks I chose prospects as I knew I would go over-budget fast otherwise. I then handed the rest of the draft over to my AI scouting staff as I am using Talent only for ratings and do not have statistics to go off of).

The team performed predictably poorly finishing second last in all of baseball and last in the National League. Still with 69 wins and a .426 win percentage the team was not entirely horrid and their were a few bright spots on the team. Hopes are high for next year though team management says they are sticking to their original game plan and will build this team slowly with a strong foundation.

Quote from Jattractive:
"We are still a few years off from making any sort of run and I want to build depth in our farm system before I go chasing the damn Yankees (World Series winner) for their crown. And until we get more fans in the seats my hands will be tied financially... though I recognize our teams success will play a big part in winning the city over to this game."


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Team Transactions:

These were all done during the season by placing players on the trading block and drawing interest from AI teams to see what teams wanted what players.

1. LA offers me a 29 year old above average reliever and a 23 year old starting pitcher prospect (slightly above average ratings in AA) for a 27 year old above average reliever. I jump at the chance to get the SP throw-in even if he is not a top prospect. Hopefully he will blossom under my development system.

2. Putting the reliever I got from LA on the block I am offered a high priced (5.8 million) above average 28 year old SP for him from Atlanta. This deal is easily a huge advantage for me talent-wise but financially it will hurt. Luckily my fan interest has increased enough I can absorb his salary for now until I can dump some at the deadline. I take the chance that I can flip this guy later.

3. Anaheim, thick in the playoff hunt desperately wants this new pitcher but continues to offer players I am uninterested in. Finally at the final hour I cross my fingers and attempt to pry a hot young 19 year old SP in A ball and they bite.

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Overall:

I address my financial concerns by flipping the SP from LA and easily float a few million under budget at seasons end. My farm system is now a bit stronger with the 19 year old SP stud (Michael Lewis) and the 23 year old SP (Brandon Fey) with slightly above average potential. Realistically he seems slow to develop and may never even become a .500 pitcher in the majors by my guesses but hopefully he will shoot up and get out of AA during the next season. Overall it was a worthy gamble and when all is said and I done I have lost only a middle reliever from my original team but have added the two SP prospects (Note I also lost a back up shortstop who had a career ending injury).

With the second overall pick my farm system should look much better at the start of next season.

[JAttractive]

1961 (Off Season):

The off season was quite busy for the Expos as the young GM continued to build towards the future.

Quote from Jattractive:
"A lot of these guys were unknown to me and with no prior history to go by I wanted to give them a full season to prove themselves. Having watched them all year long I was much more comfortable pulling the trigger on trades and I think that was pretty evident during the winter meetings."

Major Goal:
Trade Phil Durso, my one star, while he is still under 30. His salary takes up almost 15 percent of my budget and with the team still years from contention he is a luxury I can't afford to keep when he could net a few prospects.

(Trades to follow in next post)

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Free Agency Transactions

1. I lose a SP who went (8-14, 5.82) to free agency and replace him with a SP who went 5-7, 4.97 era. No big change to the team with this move.

2. Signed a backup SP and MR to 400k and 600k contracts so that if someone gets hurt I won't have to risk rushing a prospect. An insignificant move done only to protect my young players.

3. I lose a backup catcher, a middle reliever and a backup infielder to free agency but have veteran replacements in the minors so I save on their lost salary.

4. Looking over the young 3b prospects in all of baseball I find a disturbing lack of quality. I despise using free agency to build a team but with no one to target for my team as a future third baseman I break down and spend some money. There is a 26 year old 3B, David Golden, in the free agent pool who is rated Average across the board in talent. His statistics suggest he may be better than this though (.320 19 hr 94 rbi's). For $3.7 million I grab this player and no longer have to scour the farm systems looking for my future 3B. A projected future line up is starting to come into view....

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Overall:
I keep the payroll under last years final income while adding the first player I intend to keep long term. I steer clear of signing stars as I plan on building this team through the draft and prospect trades.


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Rookie Draft:

Draft Picks :
Round 1 pick: P Robert Gwinn
Round 2 pick: SS Ted Seemann
Round 3 pick: P Daniel Fisher
Round 4 pick: LF Brian Brooks
Round 5 pick: CF Herman Santillo


With the second overall pick I take a young SP with high talent ratings. The position players available were not overly amazing and I am still not happy with my SP talent pool. Ted Seemann, the SS taken second overall looks very attractive to my scouts and I wonder how he is still available in the second round...


Overall:
My SP prospect depth is starting to becoming a strong point however they are so unpredictable in their development that I will continue to focus here. The best thing about adding pitching depth is that it is so easy to trade them away if it turns out you have too many pitchers and so I have no reservations about this. With Ted Seemann I address the lack of shortstops in my system however I am curious as to whether he can truly be as talented as he seems to my scouts (there is no way he should have been available if he is truly this good).

[JAttractive]

Trades....

Over the course of the Off Season I make a number of trades including the block buster trade of my star RF Phil Durso to the New York Mets for two young CF prospects. Hopefully at least one of them will turn out to be a star of Durso's calibre.

The post is already larger than I wanted for each year so in the interest of keeping this short I will not go over each trade. None except for the Durso trade is a blockbuster but I do manage to add a decent defensive 2b prospect for which I was severely lacking, a young starting prospect, a good hitting/weak power 1b prospect and a well rounded SS prospect who I wanted to add as somehow I don't trust my scouts assessment of Ted Seemann (the young SS we drafted this year who would have been snatched up earlier if he truly was this good).

Now that I have a future team in place I will change the focus of this thread and start to focus on the players (next posts). It will be interesting to see if the team I project will be the same as I end up with years down the road.

So with my farm system looking strong I simulate out another year hoping that none of the prospects will be ML ready this year (all are in AA or lower). Next season I plan to start playing out the games somewhat and actually focus on building a winner rather than building my prospects up. The team next year should be heavy on rookies and should be a lot of fun to play out.

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1961 season

The surprising Expos get off to a fast start and actually lead the NL east for the first month. Fan support rises to 21 and I actually start to worry that my draft pick might be a late one....

The fears are unfounded however as the Expos tank over the next few months, at one point losing 9 in a row. Looking back this early surge was the best thing that could have happened as it brought a lot of fans out and we only lose a few by the end of the year (19 fan rating at season's end) despite ending 3rd worst overall in the ML (last year we ended 2nd worst). Attendance increased by 500,000 from last year and nears 2 million (1.85 million). My budget next year should again increase though I don't plan on getting anywhere near it. Still this increase will be needed years down the road when the prospects are demanding big salaries.

Prospect changes:

Micheal Lewis, the "star" SP I thought I stole from Anaheim last year now looks to be only slightly above average. Brandon Fey, the throw in SP also acquired in a trade last year has finally reached AAA at seasons end and at 24 will probably not turn into a star but at least he is progressing.

My concerns about Ted Seemann, who my scouts told me would be my future SS, are dead on. He flounders at A ball and I would be surprised if he ever makes the bigs. My scouts still feel he has some talent but even they have reassessed him as only slightly above average (his talents dropped during the year and the new batch of scouts dropped a few other ratings when the season changed). Luckily I added a decent SS prospect (Casey Marano) at the start of this season but I am still not happy that I don't have a strong defensive type SS.

The 1B prospect I added this year does not look as strong as we originally projected so I will go into this off season looking to add my future SS and 1B yet again. The 2b I added this year still looks decent though not a superstar by any means.

The best news:

My top two SP prospects, Milton Armstrong and this years 2nd overall draft pick, Robert Gwinn both have talent increases during the year! They now look to be superstars in the making with Milton Armstrong forcing his way onto the ML roster by the trade deadline and Robert Gwinn leaping from AA to AAA in his first season.

Milton Armstrong sees his homers, walks and strikeouts talent increase so that he now projects as G/G/B/B/B with an 8 Velocity and A duration. In his short time with the ML team he goes (7-5, 3.18 in 15 starts, 104.2 ip 106 ks). At 23 years old this guy looks to be my ace for many years to come.

Robert Gwinn only sees his strikeout talent increase but he was already a top talent and this puts him at G/A/B/A/B by my scouts with a 7 velocity and C duration. This is also a player who looks to be a strong club house presence (He is a team leader, holding a team together) and though he fairs poorly in his short stint at AAA it was a meteoric rise through my system. I suspect I will put him on my ML roster after only this one year in the minors and at 22 years old.

Catcher
William Gill (24 years old), my projected future C also breaks the ML roster with Milton Armstrong before the season is over. He manages 80 Abs hitting .237 with 2 hr, 10 rbi's but has great talent ratings and should do better over the course of a full season.

Overall:
The rise of my prospects assures me that next season will be the one I start to manage much more closely. Essentially these first two seasons are washes where my prospects could grow and I could make trades to acquire more of them. Hopefully this offseason I can find my future SS and 1b as I am unhappy with my current crop. Once that is done I can lay back and see if I have laid the groundwork for a dynasty. With another top pick (3rd overall) things are looking good. Free agency will again only be used to replace some backup-type players I am losing.

Currently on the ML roster I have my projected 3b (free agent from last year), Ace SP and catcher but I have a couple OFs and SPs who are almost ready in AAA and I plan to field a very young team next year.

[JAttractive]

1962 Offseason:

Free Agents.

I go into the free agency period planning only on replacing my lost backup infielder and OF with similar talents. However after 20 days of free agency I notice not one team has even made an offer to a 30 year old SP who went 14-6 with a 2.27 era! Statistically he was the 2nd best available SP and I am dumbfounded by this. This player is only asking for 4.5 million and no one is biting. Usually I would not acquire a player this way but if no one wants him and being far under budget myself now I figure I will reward my fans and make an offer to him. With no interested parties I actually manage to acquire him for 4 million and 4 years! His presence alone should see my team do far better (he replaces a guy who went 6-13 with a 6.61 era).

Rookie Draft.

Ok I have to say this is the MOST AMAZING draft of players I have ever seen in OOTP4. There are three players my scouts have as Brilliant/Brilliant for hits/homers! In all my seasons before this in other fictional leagues I ran I have only ever seen one Brilliant/Brilliant player before (at least that was scouted accurately)! There is also a Brilliant/Good player, and a number of Good/Brilliants along with 5 strong SP prospects. Even with a late pick any team has a chance for a superstar it looks like!

So with the third overall pick I manage to address my shortstop problem by drafting Eddy Goodwin an 18 year old C range shortstop with a .978 fielding and Great clutch rating. His batting ratings according to my scouts are G/G/F/B/G/A . The first two picks grabbed Brilliant/Brilliant hitters and the third one was a Very Inconsistent 23 year old 1B who was not overly strong in other ratings. I am always tentative to acquire Very Inconsistent players (especially pitchers) and so I decide to skip on him even though he is very tempting. Besides, I have another plan....

The 1st overall pick is a 19 year old 1b who is B/B/B for hits/hr/walks. I have never seen this sort of rating in all my seasons and if I can acquire him I will have addressed my two positions I still needed depth at. My current 1b prospect is still a "Really big prospect" and is only 20 years old but at B/F/G ratings by my scouts he is a step below this player. I don't really feel comfortable with a 1b who doesn't have a lot of power and somehow I just have to get this guy on my team!

So in a series of trades involving my veterans that will now *force* me to field a team that is almost half rookies I manage to trade for this guy. The trades involved took a few rounds of trading and a bit of creativity but all of them I felt would improve a contending team as I won't rip AI teams off. Basically I started with an above average SP on my team and packaged a solid veteran position player that was needed by another team and would acquire a slightly better SP. In the end I had managed to acquire a young 27 year old star calibre pitcher who KC was willing to trade straight up for the 1b prospect. Feeling this would still be unfair I packaged in my own star 1b prospect and made the trade hoping it was not an unrealistic move. I figure a top young pitcher and a future star 1b is a strong trade for a potential super star 1b but who at 19 could easily see his talents drop if he is even scouted properly to begin with.

(Note I would be interested in learning if anyone disagrees as I try to play as realistically as I can...)

Overall:

I now have the projected line-up and staff in mind (though my bullpen prospects are negligible) and will give them in a follow up post. Here is where things should get interesting as we can see how the careers unfold and find out if this team can become a dynasty. I don't expect to get above .500 this year so I should still get another decent pick and will probably add to my SP prospects unless one of the projected future position players decides to bottom out.

[JAttractive]

Start of the 1962 season:

The following are the players I have projected to form my "Dynasty team". If they can play anywhere near my scouts assessment I think this team will have no problems accomplishing it's goal. Balancing their future salaries is going to be a nightmare but that is still a long way off. After only two full seasons and applying my house rules I am surprised I managed to get the groundwork in place this fast (they are still a ways off from contention though) but I was very fortunate with some player development rating increases and strong draft pools.

Starters:

1. Milton Armstrong (original draft)
2. Ryan Grimmett (original draft)
3. Robert Gwinn (1961, 2nd overall pick)
4. Joey Nicklas (trade from Detroit)
5. Micheal Lewis (trade from Anaheim)
or 6. Brandon Fey (throw in from LA)

Notes: The first three look to be amazing pitchers and are already on the ML roster. Joey Nicklas is a prone player and Lewis and Fey are not overly talented so I will need to add more. I have some other average type young pitchers and hopefully one steps things up.

Bullpen
1. David Aumiller (trade from Mets)
2. William Johnson (1962 draft)
3. Zachery Schiro (original draft)
4. Daniel Fisher (1961 draft)

Notes: Only Aumiller and Johnson look strong, will need to add more depth here.

Closer:
1. Chris Denning (original draft)
2. Gary Nault (trade from Mets)

Notes: Neither looks to be the closer of my dreams. With a lack of bullpen depth these two may have to be traded eventually or be dropped into reliever roles where they would be above average.

Catcher: William Gill (original draft)
1b: Jamar Chamorro (trade from KC)
2b: William Holland (trade from Cleveland)
3b/2b: David Golden (free agent)
SS: Eddy Goodwin (1962 draft)

Fighting for spots:
SS/3b/2b Casey Marano (trade from Cincinnati)
2b Melvin Barlowe (original draft)

Notes: Gill is already on the ML roster as is Golden. Holland is listed as my future 2b because he is an A defender and I tend to choose defense over hitting for 2b and SS. Golden is not a huge talent and it would not surprise me to see Marano move from SS to 3b and replace him one day as Goodwin will likely be the starting SS. No SS in my system has over a C range but Goodwin is such an amazing hitter and is average with the glove that I would take the defensive hit.

LF/RF: Robert Stout (original draft)
CF: Randy Shackleford (trade from Mets)
RF/LF: Kerry Rogers (original draft)

Fighting for spots:
CF/RF: Bobby Boaz (trade from Mets)
LF: Aaron Barto (trade from White Sox)
LF/RF: James McGhee (1962 draft)

Notes: Stout, Shackleford and Rogers are the starting outfield for the ML roster. Boaz has seen his talent increase and could be a superstar stealing Shackleford's spot but at 24 years old will have to develop really quickly for this to happen.


Special Attention player:
LF/RF Brad Viveiros (1962 draft)

Brad Viveiros is not a big prospect at all but as the only Canadian born player in my system I am rooting for him! If he shows any sort of ability at all he will be on the team one day, even as a bench player.

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With this in place I can begin to watch how their stories unfold as well as the team itself.

I think I will begin a new thread that will now take on a new look, focusing on the interesting stories from this group of players (and the ones that will be added/replace them) and following the ones I am watching closest. The actual performance/dealings of the team will be added to this thread but will not be my focus as I find the players careers are always the most exciting thing to follow.

The purpose of this thread then was simply for my own history so that I can look back seasons later and remember where it all started.

[JAttractive]

As an update:

The 1962 season saw the Expos finally break the .500 mark, ending the year at 82-80. Still despite this marked improvement and the promise shown by this young squad the fans still are showing little interest in the team. Despite a bargain ticket price of $6 dollars only 2 million fans showed up to the games.

Overall I am a bit less optimistic as to whether the team above will truly be a dynasty as it stands now. The young arms I was putting so much stock into struggled all year long and it was the young hitters that carried the team over the hump. I had really banked on those starters becoming superstars and they will have to dramatically improve for that to happen.

There were a number of interesting player stories for the team and I will post them soon but I will probably play out a few seasons so that I can give a broader view of their careers. (I realize so far I haven't given much in this thread but this is more for my own recollection. The player stories will come soon and hopefully these will be of interest to everyone).

Offseason:
The best draft I had ever seen was followed by the worst. With a mid round pick I grabbed a less than thrilling catcher prospect who I can't imagine beating out William Gill for the catching spot but provides insurance if he turns out to be a flop or gets injured. There was literally not one player I could project as cracking my team other than two relievers and I gambled they would still be available for the 2nd and hopefully third rounds though only one was.

In the free agent period I grabbed one minor reliever as my bullpen was horrid and at a 37 million dollar payroll I felt I could splurge a little. At 1.5 million a year he is certainly not a star and this will still be a team built from within.