One last chance: The 2005 Montreal Expos

[TheKenoshaKid]

In 2004, the Montreal Expos played their final season. They finished 67-95, last place in the NL East, a disappointing end to an ill-fated franchise. In their 36-year history, they only reached the playoffs once (1981, when they lost the NLCS to the Dodgers). In 1994, they led the NL East by 6 games and had the best record in baseball, but we all know what happened in 1994...

So in this dynasty I'm going to give the Expos one more chance. I started in 2005, and immediately moved the Nationals back to Montreal. I used Gambo's (very impressive) stadium chart to adjust all ML ballparks (and of course to move the Expos back to Olympic Stadium)

GROUND RULES:
-Neutralized stats
-3 year recalc, double weight of current year stats
-Potential ratings based on recalc period only
-20-80 ratings scale, specific potential ratings hidden
-Overall/potential rating also 20-80
-Injuries high (realistic)
-Trades very low. I'll slowly raise it so it's "normal" by the deadline
-I handle all GM duties, lineups, and substitutions. AI manager will handle little stuff like defensive shifts and batting/pitching strategy.

MY GOAL: Make the playoffs. If I do, the Expos are saved. If I fail, the Expos are no more.


Roster and preseason stuff coming up in the next new posts.

VIVE LES EXPOS!

[TheKenoshaKid]

PRESEASON TRANSACTIONS:
Jan 06: The Astros traded RF Jason Lane to the Blue Jays for C Gregg Zaun
Mar 09: The Pirates traded 3B Ty Wigginton to the Rockies for SP Joe Kennedy

...so the rosters are more-or-less the same as they were in real-life. No big moves to report yet.

MONTREAL INJURY REPORT: as of opening day...
LF Brad Wilkerson, chronic back soreness, 2 weeks
OF Ryan Church, strained oblique, 2-3 weeks
RP Chad Cordero, elbow ligament reconstruction surgery, out for season

Shame about Cordero, but Wilkerson and Church should be back soon enough.

[TheKenoshaKid]

STARTING ROTATION (overall/potential)


#61 LIVAN HERNANDEZ (R) (63/39)
Age 30, 10th season
2004(MON): 11-15, 35 GS, 255.0 IP, 234 H, 83 BB, 186 SO, 3.60 ERA
Hernandez will be my opening day starter. He doesn't have very impressive stuff, but his movement and control are well above average and he's very durable. He's started at least 30 games every year since 1998, and should be very dependable for me.


#34 TOMO OHKA (R) (55/32)
Age 29, 7th season
2004(MON): 3-7, 15 GS, 84.2 IP, 98 H, 20 BB, 38 SO, 3.92 ERA
Ohka's got 5 pitches, but none of them are really all that great. His control is definitely his strength. My scout believes that Ohka (like Hernandez) is in decline, but for now he's my best option for #2 in the rotation.


#40 ZACH DAY (R) (45/36)
Age 26, 4th season
2004(MON): 5-10, 19 GS, 116.2 IP, 117 H, 45 BB, 61 SO, 3.93 ERA
On most teams, Day would probably be a #4 or #5 guy. But in this rotation he's #3. He's a bit below average overall but he's got good movement. I'm a bit concerned about his GB rate (46%)...that seems low for a sinkerballer, but we'll see how he does.

(note: Zach Day's original historical facegen was...terrifying. Seriously, his skin is all grey and he's got this dead look in his eyes. Ugh I cant even look at it. If the creator of the historical facegens happens to read this, how about changing the old creepy one to the new one I created?)


#21 ESTEBAN LOAIZA (R) (23/23)
Age 33, 11th season
2004(CHW/NYY): 10-7, 27 GS, 183.0 IP, 217 H, 71 BB, 117 SO, 5.70 ERA
Loaiza won the Cy Young in 2003 with Chicago, going 21-9 with a 2.90 ERA. He fell back down to earth in 2004 however and will try to revive his career in Montreal.


#36 TONY ARMAS JR (R) (29/29)
Age 26, 7th season
2004(MON): 2-4, 16 GS, 72.0 IP, 66 H, 45 BB, 54 SO, 4.88 ERA
Armas' career has been plagued by injuries, but for now he's healthy and good enough to snag the last spot in the rotation. He struggles a bit with his control, but overall he's a decent #5 guy.

[TheKenoshaKid]

BULLPEN
Chad Cordero was going to be my closer, but with him out for the year, I'll be doing a "closer by committee" until someone sets themselves apart.


#56 LUIS AYALA (R) (71/57)
Age 27, 3rd season
2004(MON): 81 G, 90.1 IP, 92 H, 15 BB, 63 SO, 2.69 ERA, 2 SV
Ayala is a strong contender for the closer's role. His control is by far his greatest strength, and is movement is well above average too.


#48 HECTOR CARRASCO (R) (29/29)
Age 35, 10th season
2004: did not play
Carrasco's been around since 1994, and has been a pretty decent reliever his whole career. After spending 2004 playing in Japan, he's back in the majors. Hopefully he still has some life left in him, though he's definitely getting up there age-wise.


#58 JOEY EISCHEN (L) (72/54)
Age 34, 9th season
2004(MON): 21 G, 18.1 IP, 16 H, 8 BB, 17 SO, 3.93 ERA
The only lefty on my pitching staff, Eischen has outstanding movement on his slider. He'll probably be my go-to guy for tough left handed batters. He could probably close too, but until I get another southpaw I need a reliable LOOGY.


#13 ANTONIO OSUNA (R) (57/39)
Age 31, 11th season
2004(SDP): 31 G, 36.2 IP, 32 H, 11 BB, 36 SO, 2.45 ERA
Another veteran with lots of ML experience under his belt. My scout likes him on the whole, but like most of my aging pitching staff he looks to be declining. Probably not good enough to close, but Osuna should be a decent middle reliever.


#51 JON RAUCH (R) (29/46)
Age 26, 3rd season
2004(CHW/MON): 11 G, 4 GS, 32.0 IP, 30 H, 11 BB, 22 SO, 2.81 ERA
Rauch is a big guy (6'11"!) came up as a starter for the White Sox, but he's currently being converted to a reliever. His stamina's still all right, so he can make an emergency start if need be. He's got a ways to go if he wants to live up to his potential, but he seems to be coming along nicely.


#52 T.J. TUCKER (R) (35/35)
Age 26, 5th season
2004(MON): 54 G, 67.2 IP, 73 H, 17 BB, 44 SO, 3.72 ERA
Great control, but not dominant enough to be in the running for the closer's role at this point. Still, he's not bad. Average-ish middle reliever.


#45 CLAUDIO VARGAS (R) (20/29)
Age 26, 3rd season
2004(MON): 5-5, 45 G, 14 GS, 118.1 IP, 120 H, 64 BB, 89 SO, 5.25 ERA
He wasn't good enough for the rotation, but I decided to keep him on the roster as a long reliever/emergency starter. Apart from being an innings-eater, I'm not really expecting much. If he struggles too much, I'll send him down to AAA and see how he pans out as a starter.

[TheKenoshaKid]

STARTERS



CATCHER
#23 BRIAN SCHNEIDER (L) (34/66)
Age 28, 6th season
2004(MON): 135 G, 436 AB, 12 HR, 49 RBI, .257/.325/.399
Not really a power guy, but not a contact guy either. Schneider is about average at this point, though he seems to be improving. He's amazing at the catcher's position though, for what it's worth.


FIRST BASE
#24 NICK JOHNSON (L) (72/78)
Age 26, 5th season
2004(MON): 73 G, 251 AB, 7 HR, 33 RBI, .251/.359/.398
If he can just stay healthy enough to play a full season, Johnson should be pretty good. He came over from the Yankees after the 2003 season. If all goes right, his hitting skills and patience at the place could mean a career year for him.


SECOND BASE
#3 JOSE VIDRO (S) (60/60)
Age 30, 9th season
2004(MON): 110 G, 412 AB, 14 HR, 60 RBI, .294/.367/.454
With Vlad gone, Vidro is the big star in Montreal. He had a relatively underwhelming 2004, but he should bounce back and continue to be a dangerous bat for me.


THIRD BASE
#9 VINNY CASTILLA (R) (50/44)
Age 37, 15th season
2004(COL): 148 G, 583 AB, 35 HR, 131 RBI, .271/.332/.535
He had one of my favorite derogatory nicknames in baseball (Vinny Cash Steal-a). His best years are behind him, but he's still a decent hitter. He had an impressive 2004, but remember that was with the Rockies. I'm pretty sure they play in outer space.


SHORTSTOP
#15 CRISTIAN GUZMAN (S) (20/23)
Age 27, 7th season
2004(MIN): 145 G, 576 AB, 8 HR, 46 RBI, .274/.309/.384
Another newcomer, Guzman's strength is his glove. He's not exactly a terrible hitter, but he hardly ever walks and I'm not expecting many homers from him.


LEFT FIELD
#18 TERRMEL SLEDGE (L) (64/80)
Age 28, 2nd season
2004(MON): 133 G, 398 AB, 15 HR, 62 RBI, .269/.336/.462
Sledge had an impressive rookie season in 2004, and with injuries to Wilkerson and Church he has the LF job locked down...for now. My scout loves the guy, but we'll see if he has a nasty sophomore slump, like he did in real life.


CENTER FIELD
#47 ENDY CHAVEZ (L) (28/40)
Age 27, 5th season
2004(MON): 132 G, 502 AB, 5 HR, 34 RBI, .277/.318/.371
Little to no power, and not patient at the plate, but he's pretty fast and has a great arm in the outfield. Wilkerson will probably take the starting CF job when he gets back, unless Chavez really impresses me.


RIGHT FIELD
#6 JOSE GUILLEN (R) (63/54)
Age 28, 9th season
2004(ANA): 148 G, 565 AB, 27 HR, 104 RBI, .294/.352/.497
Well he's no Vlad Guerrero, but it's nice to have a good power guy to complement Vidro in the lineup. He's bounced around from team to team since 1997, but his last couple years have been pretty impressive. Let's hope he continues his good hitting. He's not bad with the glove, either.

[TheKenoshaKid]

BENCH


CATCHER
#29 GARY BENNETT (R) (20/20)
Age 32, 10th season
2004(MIL): 75 G, 219 AB, 3 HR, 20 RBI, .224/.297/.329
His stats and ratings are far from impressive, but hey, what do you expect from a backup catcher? He doesn't hit well enough to be in a platoon role, but he should be fine when it comes to giving Schneider a day off.


FIRST BASE/PINCH HITTER
#5 CARLOS BAERGA (S) (35/20)
Age 36, 14th season
2004(ARI): 79 G, 85 AB, 2 HR, 11 RBI, .235/.309/.329
Far removed from his prime, Baerga will be mostly used as a pinch hitter. His contact is still good and he's great at avoiding strikeouts though.


FIRST BASE/LEFT FIELD/PINCH HITTER
#25 WIL CORDERO (R) (34/20)
Age 33, 14th season
2004(FLA): 27 G, 66 AB, 1 HR, 6 RBI, .197/.250/.288
Entering his third stint with the Expos, Cordero is another veteran on his last legs. Along with being a bench bat, he can fill in at first or left if I need him to.


INFIELD
#2 JAMEY CARROLL (R) (34/34)
Age 31, 4th season
2004(MON): 102 G, 218 AB, 0 HR, 16 RBI, .289/.378/.372
Carroll is a good backup infielder. He can play anywhere in the infield, and is a good enough hitter to fill in as a starter too. He's got no power to speak of, but I'm not really complaining.


OUTFIELD
#11 JEFFREY HAMMONDS (R) (21/21)
Age 34, 13th season
2004(SFG): 40 G, 95 AB, 3 HR, 6 RBI, .211/.336/.358
Definitely the "25th man", Hammonds will hold down the fort as the 4th OF until Wilkerson comes back. He gets a solid "meh" all across the board from my scout.


REST OF 40-MAN ROSTER:

SP John Patterson (29/63)
RP Darrell Rasner (33/52)
RP Sun-Woo Kim (27/37)
RP Jason Bergmann (21/40)
RP Gary Majewski (20/25)
C Keith Osik (20/20)
2B Rick Short (20/20)
3B Brendan Harris (23/40) (#74 overall prospect)
3B Ryan Zimmerman (39/55) (#4 overall prospect)
LF Tony Blanco (20/20)
LF Brandon Watson (20/20)
CF Henry Mateo (20/20)
RF J.J. Davis (20/20)

[TheKenoshaKid]

OPENING DAY

The Expos begin 2005 in Cincinnati to play a 3-game series against the Reds. Last year, the Reds were 76-86, finishing 4th in the NL Central.

PROBABLES (2003 stats): (*=left-handed pitcher)
Mon April 4: Livan Hernandez (11-15, 3.60) vs. Aaron Harang (10-9, 4.86)
Wed April 6: Tomo Ohka (3-7, 3.40) vs. Eric Milton* (14-6, 4.75)
Thu April 7: Zach Day (5-10, 3.93) vs. Ramon Ortiz (5-7, 4.43)

TOP 5 CINCINNATI PLAYERS:
1. LF Adam Dunn (74/74)
2. 1B Sean Casey (74/55)
3. CF Ken Griffey Jr (69/69)
4. RP Ben Weber (59/33)
5. RP Kent Mercker (58/29)


OPENING DAY LINEUP:
1. Chavez, CF
2. Johnson, 1B
3. Vidro, 2B
4. Guillen, RF
5. Castilla, 3B
6. Sledge, LF
7. Schneider, C
8. Guzman, SS
9. Hernandez, P

[Mister_G]

Excited to see the Expos back! Looking forward to more.

[Big T]

Originally Posted by Mister_G

Excited to see the Expos back! Looking forward to more.

Me Too! GO Expos Go!

[TheKenoshaKid]

Well that was embarassing. Hernandez had an absolutely disastrous 3rd inning, knocking him out of the game. Vargas didn't do much better in relief. Plus there was my offense...pretty stagnant apart from Johnson, Vidro, and Guillen. All in all, a very disappointing start to the season. But hey, we've still got 161 games to go...

[TheKenoshaKid]

Huh. This was a strange one. Our two homers were hit by Endy Chavez and our starting pitcher. Literally the last two guys I'd expect to come through with the bat. But strangeness aside, this was a great way to rebound from that terrible opening day loss. It was close the whole time, and realistically it probably could have gone either way, but a win is a win.

[TheKenoshaKid]

Sledge and Schneider it back-to-back home runs in the third, and again Cincinnati kept chipping away at the lead until an Edwin Encarnacion homer tied it at 4-4 in the 8th. But Endy Chavez came through in the clutch again, singling in a run to give us a 5-4 lead. Jose Guillen added some insurance with a 2-run double. In the bottom of the 9th, Antonio Osuna loaded the bases before getting Austin Kearns to fly out. So another kinda strange, stressful game here, but hey, we won the series!

Now it's on to Atlanta for 3 games before heading home to face the Astros.

[TheKenoshaKid]

SERIES PREVIEW: 4/08-4/10 @ ATLANTA BRAVES





It's still far too early for the stats to really mean anything, but this should give you a general idea of what we're up against.

[TheKenoshaKid]

Kyle Davies made his major league debut for the Braves, and this is how it went: Single, Deep Flyout, Single, Single, Walk, Walk, Double, Sac-Fly. Wow.

This was just one ugly game. Both teams' offense just steamrolled over their opponents, but in the end we escaped with a messy messy victory. Loaiza had a tough start, and my bullpen is still looking pretty shaky, but the offense was such a dominant force that it didn't really matter.

[tomwolf2008]

Hail chavez the star!!!

[TheKenoshaKid]

We couldn't do anything against Mike Hampton, and it looked like an impressive start by Tony Armas would go to waste. But then in the 9th inning, losing 0-2, Nick Johnson walked with the bases loaded and two outs. Castilla followed him with a 2-run single to give us the lead. Osuna held on in the bottom of the inning, securing the victory. We go for the sweep tomorrow.

[TheKenoshaKid]

Another disappointing start by Hernandez, as the Braves avoid the sweep with an easy 7-0 victory. My offense does share some of the blame though...no runs on 3 hits is pretty pathetic.

[Westheim]

Well, I am obviously for the Mets, but I wish you good luck securing that wild card