NPBL: The Nevada Jacks

[jeheinz72]

Ok, I've finally gotten to a point where I want to start writing about this team again.
Some of you may remember my old dynasty on this team (then the Nevada Dragons) titled The Nevada Dragons and the Long Road Ahead.

I had churned through that pretty well until I lost a good amount in the Great Crash of '05. That pretty much nixed my desire, but this team has changed a lot and I love it.

The league is a great one and can be found at www.npblbaseball.com. I think there may be a team open, I'm not sure if it's offically filled or not. PM me if you want to join. I highly recommend it.

It's a 24 team league, with 2 leagues (Founding Fathers and Great Explorers). 2 6-team divisions per league, top-2 in each division make the playoffs. We're in the GE West.

Right here you can see the history of the franchise. It basically goes like this

2000-2004: Not horrid, but not good. Dealt away franchise player
2005-2009: Pretty awful
2010: I take over
2010-2012: Pitter around .500, missing playoffs narrowly
2013-2014: Back-to-back playoff appearances, losing in 1st round both times
2015: The Rebuild begins.
2015-2019: The bottom of the league

Additionally, at the start of 2019 I renamed my team from the Nevada Dragons to the Nevada Jacks. Here is the new logo:



The next sim is tomorrow, but I'll start first by recapping what we have and where we've come from...

[jeheinz72]

As I mentioned, it's probably best to start off with where we've come from.

2015 marked a turning point for the team. We were old, had just been swept out of the first round of the playoffs. So I decided to rebuild...ALL THE WAY. Anything not nailed down was dealt.

I was even 39-42 at on 7/3 pretty much on sheer luck. We finished 66-96 and 5th in our division. It wasn't fun. But the bright side? I accumulated 22 picks in the ensuing 4 round draft.

Now, NPBL drafts aren't loaded by any means. So I didn't get that much out of it, but it was fun. What's not to like about 22 picks? We also dealt for some key parts but even still we went 41-121 in 2016, tying the league record for fewest wins (and most losses). 2017 and 2018 saw identical 52-110 records while finally last season, in 2019 we went 65-97 to buck the 100-loss trend.

This year? This year things have rebounded even more. Even after a recent 1-9 sim, we're still 35-44. We're in last thanks to a strong division, but we're on pace to go 72-90, inching even closer.

[ifspuds]

You do love a good rebuild, don't you?

[canadiancreed]

Originally Posted by ifspuds

You do love a good rebuild, don't you?

He's crazy like that

[jeheinz72]

Originally Posted by ifspuds

You do love a good rebuild, don't you?

I sure do. I didn't have much choice here though. It was either rebuild or miss the playoffs. Best case was make it and get killed. The league was really strong at the time. Colorado in our division won 108 games with Illinois at 100-62. 2nd place was possible, but California was strong at 90 wins with Utah at 89. It was make or break time.

I might've broke it though.

[jeheinz72]

Originally Posted by canadiancreed

He's crazy like that

I'm always crazy.

[jeheinz72]

Well, before I start recapping games, let's recap who we've got. Only 1 player remains from that old thread, Blair Payton. More (much more) on him later.

Starting Lineup

1. SS Roberto Echegaray
2. 1B Gino Vera
3. CF Blair Payton
4. RF Bobby "Banjo" Russell
5. C Carlos Fimenez
6. 3B Danny "Mr. April" Carruth
7. 2B Mark Stone
8. LF Frank Dukes

Bench
C Mar Sarellano
2B Garrett White
1B Clarence Iles (starts at 1B vs L)
LF Chad Fuson
RF Bill Bettencourt
LF Bruno Delgao

[Chappy]

Blair Payton is my hero!

[canadiancreed]

Originally Posted by Chappy

Blair Payton is on my wish list!

Revised

[jeheinz72]

Let's break these guys down a bit.

C Carlos Fimenez - 26 years old - 6'3", 200 lbs. - B/T: R/R
Actual Ratings: 6/5/4/6/7
Talent Ratings: 6/5/7/7/7
9 range, .992 F%, 5 Arm
Speed/SB/Instincts: 2/3/3

How Acquired: 1st Round pick, 4th overall in 2016 Draft

Carlos, who never played in the minor leagues, is in his 5th big league season and it's been his best thus far. He was a little rush, and originally had 8 contact without the power and with lesser D. This year, he's hitting .275 with 6 HR and 31 RBI in 75 games. His OPS is .719 and his career OPS is just .623.

1B Gino Vera - 26 years old - 6'0", 175 lbs - B/T: L/R
Actual Ratings: 6/5/3/5/6
Talent Ratings: 7/5/2/6/6
5 Range, .978 F%, 4 Arm
Speed/SB/Inst: 4/5/4

How Acquired: Via Trade in 2016. Originally 6th overall pick in 2011 draft by Washington

Vera is our jack-of-all-trades and is currently starting at 1B for us. Before this season he had made 167 starts at SS, 145 at 3B, 42 at 2B and 76 in LF. He does it all. Vera is somewhat the silent assassin. Never high ratings, but he hit .334 in 2019 and .319 in 2018. His career average is .282 over 5 seasons counting this one (2020). This year he's struggled, hitting just .263 with a .637 OPS. With only 24 career HR, he'll never be a power guy. He'll always have a spot on the team as a pinch hitter and spot starter.

2B Mark Stone - 20 Years Old - 6'1", 185 Lbs - B/T: R/R
Actual Ratings: 6/5/4/8/6
Talent Ratings: 7/6/7/10/7
8 Range, .983 F%, 5 Arm
SP/SB/In.: 6/1/1

How Acquired: 1st Round, 5th Overall pick in 2017 Draft

Stone is one of the main pieces we've drafted, trading for Illinois' pick to get him in the 2017 draft. He's taken a bit longer to develop and has just begun full-time in the bigs this season. He's not there yet, hitting .251 with a .601 OPS this season. His D has been solid thus far and he's turned it on as of late (over .300 from 6/1-7/11).

SS Roberto Echegaray - 26 Years old - 6'4", 220 Lbs, B/T: R/R
Actual Ratings: 7/8/6/7/6
Talent Ratings: 8/8/6/7/7
3 Range, .971 F%, 7 Arm. Plays 2B
SP/SB/IN.: 6/7/6

How acquired: Trade with Utah in 2015. Was 26th overall pick (2nd round) in 2013.

Echegaray is a mainstay for the team, playing at a top level since his 2017 callup. In just 3.5 seasons he's amassed almost 600 hits with a .297 career average. He's a good baserunner, 107 SB at a 73% clip. This year he's hitting .312 in the leadoff spot and has a career .346 OBP.

3B Danny Carruth - 27 Years old - 5'10", 170 lbs - B/T: R/R
Actual Ratings: 6/6/4/3/6
Talent Ratings: 6/7/5/4/5
2 Range, .952 F%, 10 Arm
SP/SB/IN: 4/2/3

How Acquired: Trade with Pennsylvania in 2015. Was 67th pick (3rd round) in 2014 draft

Danny is Mr. April because he kills the ball until the calendar hits May. This year he hit .306 with 4 HR and 24 RBI just in that month. I'm petitioning the league to start the season in February. Danny used to be a huge bust in my mind, and he's still going to be replaced, but he's been great for the last season and a half. Last year he hit .294 with 91 RBIs. This year .294 again with 61 RBI (pace for 110). At 8 HR this year, he's matched his career high. Still, his D is lacking. He's a career .252 hitter with a .642 OPS in his 6th big league season.

[jeheinz72]

Originally Posted by Chappy

Blair Payton is my hero!

He's everyone's hero.

[kreitena]

HAHA! A player named Mark Stone. Mark Stone is one of mine and Ethan's best friends.

[jeheinz72]

Originally Posted by kreitena

HAHA! A player named Mark Stone. Mark Stone is one of mine and Ethan's best friends.

Excellent! A reason to read! I'm pretty high on Stone, he's a solid all-around player and I'm hoping he's either my 2nd or 5th hitter for a long long time.

[jeheinz72]

LF/RF Frank Dukes - 27 years old - 6'4", 205 lbs - B/T: R/R
Actual Ratings: 6/6/5/5/7
Talent Ratings: 5/7/6/5/6
3 Range, .983 F%, 8 Arm (1.000 F% and 3 range in RF)
SP/SB/IN: 6/5/5

How Acquired: 4th round, 91st overall pick in 2014 Draft

Frank is one of my favorite unsung players, as a 4th (and final) round pick who made it to the big time. He probably won't ever be an All-Star but he's one of those solid all-around players. He won the Mays (GG) Award in 2017, has stolen 79 bags (in 765 G over 7 seasons) and sports a .267 career average. He's really stepped it up from 2018 (his 2nd season with full time spot in lineup) on. In those 2+ seasons he's been a .282 hitter in 1400+ ABs and about a league average OPS+. Eventually, he'll move to the bench, but I expect him to be quite productive in doing so.

CF Blair Payton - 28 years old - 5'11", 180 lbs - B/T: L/L
Actual Ratings: 8/7/5/5/7
Talent Ratings: 8/7/7/6/6
7 Range, .986 F%, 2 Arm (same ratings in LF)
SB/SP/IN: 6/9/10

How Acquired: 1st Round, 5th overall pick in 2011 draft

Blair is the Jacks. He's the team leader and is a 3-time Team MVP. As he goes, the Jacks go. He was actually around for my original thread, just breaking into the big leagues. Now he's in his 9th year and at just 28 he has 1375 career hits while being a 2-time All-Star. He does it all, batting over .290 5-times, decent pop (good for 10-HR, but tons of doubles), can leadoff or bat 3rd, draws 55 or so walks a year and steals bases (40+ a year at nearly 85% SB%).

He's made a lot of strides in the field, though he doesn't have much of an arm. I wouldn't be surprised if he gets a Mays award at some point. He ranks in the top-5 of 10 in nearly every franchise category (seen here). He's already 4th in career hits and leads the franchise in doubles. I can't imagine a scenario where I'd ever trade him, though I get offers frequently.

RF Bobby Russell - 22 Years Old - 6', 210 lbs - B/T: S/R
Actual Ratings: 5/9/6/7/6
Talent Ratings: 5/9/7/9/4
2 Rangs, .989F%, 6 Arm
SB/SP/IN: 3/6/4

How Acquired: 1st Round, 1st Overall Pick in 2017 Draft

Bobby "Banjo" Russell is an interesting asset for us. On one hand, he was our first 1st overall pick (since I took over). On the other, his ratings have gone in the tank (was 8/9/7/9/6 at draft time). Then on yet my THIRD hand, he's performing. Last year he was narrowly edged out for the GE Robinson (ROY) award after hitting .241 with 20 HR and 77 RBIs. This year, he's been amazing. On just 7/11 he's hitting .286, 24 2B, 16 HR, 75 RBI (leading league by 12) with a .928 OPS (6th in GE). The question is, can he keep this up at those ratings? At just 22, I'm still holding out hope he'll get the contact back. He's at 6 contact vsR, which helps a great deal to the equation.

[jeheinz72]

Here's our current rotation and relief core, with descriptions to follow:

SP1 - Roderigo Pequero
SP2 - Paul Hall
SP3 - Armando Campana
SP4 - Joseph Clark
SP5 - James Jason

LR1 - Chris Ellison
LR2 - Samuel De La Vega
MR1 - Ken Timperley
MR2 - Ambrose Briese
MR3 - Lorne Bolt
CL - Denny Truman

[jeheinz72]

SP Roderigo Pequero - 24 Years Old - 6'2", 210 lbs - B/T: L/L
Actual Ratings: 6/8/10
Talent Ratings: 9/7/10
94 MPH, 9 EN, 42 GB%
7 Range, .914 F%.

How Acquired: 1st Round, 4th Overall Pick in 2018 Draft

Pequero is our ace, thanks to some nice boosts out of the draft (with a hit to CO this season). He's pretty much pitched like it, hitting the bigs in September of his draft year. Last year he led us at 13-13 with a 4.09 ERA. This year, he's been amazing. His 9-8 record, with over a half run less run support than normal for the team, and 2.34 ERA (5th in GE) are keeping us near .500. He's put up a quality start 17 out of 19 times out and has a nice 1.13 WHIP. He'll be a Jack for a long long time.

SP Paul Hall - 22 Years Old - 5'10", 175 lbs - B/T: S/R
Actual Ratings: 7/8/7
Talent Ratings: 10/9/8
99 MPH, 9 EN, 64 GB%
7 Range, .959F%

How Acquired: 1st Round, 1st overall pick in 2018

Hall was our 2nd 1st overall pick and has developed nicely, with no talent hits...yet. The question with him has been more of performance. His 7/8/7 should be solid in the league, but he's pitched over a 5.20 ERA for a season and a half. He seems to be rather inconsistent. Each sim he'll have 1 good game and 1 bad. An increase to that 10 stuff with 99 MPH should help him a ton. He pitched well this June, going 3-2 in 6 GS with a 2.61 ERA. Hopefully that is a sign of things to come. Pequero was the same way last year, so ideally Hall is just a year behind developing into the ace 1-2 punch.

SP Armando Campana - 23 Years Old - 6'2", 190 lbs - B/T: R/R
Actual Ratings: 5/6/7
Talent Ratings: 6/6/6
92 MPH, 9 EN, 40 GB%
5 Range, .982 F%

How Acquired: 2nd Round pick, 27th overall in 2019 Draft

Campana was a quick riser who came up in September of his draft year to go 2-1, 1.85 in 5 starts. He's struggled to 7-7 with a 5.50 ERA this year but I think he still has a future. Ideally, he's our #5 starter down the line

SP Joseph Clark - 25 Years Old - 6'4", 215 lbs - B/T: R/R
Actual Ratings: 7/5/6
Talent Ratings: 8/5/6
92 MPH, 8 EN, 37 GB%
5 Range, .933F%

How Acquired: Trade with Massachusetts in 2015. Was 3rd Round, 51st overall pick in 2013

Clark is the most frustrating player I've ever had. He seems to get worse the more he pitches (dev hits haven't helped). He came over with 9/7/7 talents, decently developed and coming off of a 9-6, 3.67 season for MA. He's then lost 14+ games for us each of the past 5 years, with an ERA in the low 4's or better just twice. This year? 4-6, 8.42 and about to come off the DL. I don't even know if I want him in my future plans, but at 25 and no trade value, he'll keep pitching.

SP James Jason - 22 Years Old - 6'7", 210 lbs - B/T: S/R
Actual Ratings: 5/6/5
Talent Ratings: 5/5/4
90 MPH, 5 EN, 64 GB%
4 Range, .987 F%

How Acquired: Signed as undrafted FA in 2019

Jason is a 5-endurance freak who can kinda start. He went undrafted as an MR, I picked him up and in May he was in the rotation due to lack of developed depth (he was over-maxxed at the time). Considering that, he's been ok. 9-14, 5.31 ERA in his career and he gives us about 5.1 an outing. He may have a spot as our long man in the future, but for now, he's just someone we can throw out there.

CL Denny Truman - 22 Years Old - 6'1", 200 lbs - B/T: R/R
Actual Ratings: 10/7/10
Talent Ratings: 10/7/9
96 MPH, 1 EN, 62 GB%
7 Range, .940 F%

How Acquired: 2nd Round, 32nd pick in 2016 draft

Truman is in his 3rd year as our closer and has been decent for 2 years. 57 career saves and a 4.09 ERA as he learns the ropes. He's on pace for a career high 30 saves this year.

[Chappy]

It seems like most of your players were 1st round picks.

[canadiancreed]

Originally Posted by Chappy

It seems like most of your players were 1st round picks.

well when your'e that bad for that long....

[jeheinz72]

Originally Posted by canadiancreed

well when your'e that bad for that long....

Uhm, whether you go 0-162 or 162-0 you still only get 1 per year.

In response to Chappy's note, yeah, I've accumulated a lot of #1's through trades it seems. I had actually thought Echegaray was a #1, but was surprised he wasn't.

[kreitena]

Cool, you also have a player named Frank Dukes, just like the guy from Bloodsport. It is spelled a little differently but it still kicks ass.