Building Back Baltimore: A Journey

[YankeesFan21]

As bad as Baltimore is now, you have to believe that they were better earlier, but tbh in 2015-17 they were almost just as bad. A sinking team, nonexistent farm system, and horrible management haunted the team. As a challenge, I took over the Orioles and tried to build a championship. They did have a nice core with Manny Machado, Jonathan Schoop, and well, nobody else. I looked and looked, but the nearest I could find was CF Dariel Alvarez and 1B Chris Davis. Okay, I have a confession to make. I have an outdated copy of OOTP 16, and I have reached 2017 in my Baltimore edition. A quick recap of trades I've made so far:


2015 Season:
Burned C Chance Cisco and SP Zach Davies for 3B Kyle Seager
Got RF J.D. Martinez for SP Parker Bridwell, RF Chris Parmelee
Recieved C Justin O'Connor for SP Dylan Bundy and SP Hunter Harvey
Traded for SP Chris Archer (used 3B Luis Al. Hernandez, 3B Jomar Reyes, C Jonah Heim)
Traded for RP Kelvin Herrera
Traded for SP Yovani Gallardo (walk season), but he was a total bust (5.18 ERA, 2-8). However, I didn't waste any prospects because I was paying the rest of his contract.
Traded 1B prospect Christian Walker + some others for LF Michael Saunders. (Walker hit 30 HRs 2 seasons later, but with Davis extended I figured I could trade him.) Saunders has platooned with Alvarez, and while both could be major league starters, they are so frequently injured that I have to keep both of them just in case, really.

2015 Offseason:
Traded for Brandon Drury (Originally supposed to fill infield sub position)
Signed CL Wade Davis (3 year, $6mil/yr with 3rd year team option)
Signed SP J.A. Happ ($5mil for the first year, but options for the next 2 years.)
Signed RP Sean Marshall (one of my best contracts: $1mil for 1.86 ERA)
Signed assorted relievers: RP Jason Motte, RP Brad Ziegler, RP Bryan Shaw.

2016 Season:
Traded 3B Brandon Drury, CF Adam Jones, CF Austin Jackson + throw-in prospect for RF Mitch Haniger
Claimed RP Luis Avilan off waivers - Almost all of my relievers had hit the DL.

Reached the ALDS, but got killed by the Astros.

2016 Offseason:
Drafted 2B Cesar Hernandez in the R5 Draft. He was supposed to fill in the infield sub spot after Drury left, but he too was traded. (More to come later.)
Drafted SP Blake Snell in the RF Draft. I figured he was an upgrade over SP Ubaldo Jimenez, and he had killed in AAA.
Signed LF Ichiro Suzuki to a $1mil contract - 4th OF role really, and the Fan Interst.
Blockbuster Trade Alert: Traded SS Paul DeJong, 2B Cesar Hernandez, and CF Josh Hart for SP Chris Sale.
Signed RP David Carpenter
Signed SP Michael Pineda - I was surprised by this, as I had sent him a $2mil offer after a disastrous 6.41 ERA season and he's now a reliever.
Signed CF Austin Jackson to a $1mil deal. He'll battle with Ichiro for the 4th OF role, but tbh Ichiro has the upper hand because he's a lefty.
Signed C Francisco Cervelli to a $1mil deal
Signed C Rene Rivera to a $1mil deal
Both of these catchers were short-term fixes to my catching dilemma - Justin O'Connor was raking in AA, and should come up to the big leagues by midseason, but currently my owner was impatient. Rivera's defense will be great, and Cervelli's bat should hold up against lefties.
Signed SS Jose Iglesias to a $1mil/1yr deal - I was debating between him and 2B Ronald Torreyes, and Milwaukee kept pushing up Torreyes' price up, so he'll be my superutility player.

2017 Season:
Shortly after ST, veteran spot starter Miguel Gonzalez was traded to the Red Sox for minor-leaguer RP Jalen Beeks.
C Wilson Ramos was claimed off waivers. This was a great buy that I'll dissect shortly.
I had Ramos start for most of April, and he raked proved my faith, hitting .289/.321/.477, and the Braves and Nationals, who desperately needed catchers, sent CF Andrew Benintendi (3 stars) for Cervelli and CF Victor Robles (his stock had fallen considerably, he was 2.5 stars) for Ramos and CF Austin Jackson.

It is June 2017, and I will continue to put out monthly updates now. The Orioles are 35-17, mainly driven by extreme luck, as my pitchers and batters are both setting career highs in ERA, BA, etc.

[YankeesFan21]

One of the weaker drafts, the only name I deemed noteworthy from the draft was SP Garrett Cave, who I drafted last year to no avail, he signed for 180K this year.

Scratch that, I also drafted Austin Bodrato, who has 60/60/60 pitching potential as well as 65/60/40/55/50 hitting potential. I will attempt to develop both.
Because of my super-bullpen that I've built that also includes converted starters Blake Snell and Wei-Yin Chen (Pineda also attempted there, but after a 5 ERA I demoted him to AAA in favor of SP Mike Foltynewicz, who has a 3.34 ERA in the rotation), I routinely pull my starters after the fifth inning, although Chris Sale is the exception, often pumping through the seventh. O'Connor got called up, and stupid old Caleb Joseph is demoted.
UPDATE: Wei-Yin Chen has been moved to the rotation, and SP Michael Pineda was called up after posting a 1.58 ERA in 91 innings in AAA.
Injuries: LF Michael Saunders is out for 4 months, effectively disabling him until the postseason, barring any delays. CF Dariel Alvarez gets DL'd for 3 weeks a week later, and Trey Mancini and Henry Urrutia are subsequently called up.
HOT AND COLD:
HOT:
J.D. Martinez - .334/.417/.539, 14 HR, 2.8 WAR
Manny Machado - .284/.352/.461, 12 HR, 2.4 WAR
Justin O'Connor - .282/.362/.520, 8 HR, 1.1 WAR
J.A. Happ - 2.51 ERA, 1.05 WHIP. Happ got called up mid-month because of Rowen's ineffectiveness, but he's been a force in the rotation.
Brad Brach - 1.93 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 16 HLD, 47/16 K/BB
Zach Britton - 1.05 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, 21 SV, 47/6 K/BB
COLD:
Chris Davis - .204/.337/.363, 11 HR, 0.6 WAR
Kyle Seager - .236/.324/.395, 9 HR, 1.9 WAR (most of this WAR comes from defense, +6.1 ZR)

[YankeesFan21]

July was not a bad month, merely boring. I spent a huge amount of money in the international market (20mil+), but to do so, I had to trade Wei-Yin Chen to the Yankees. Yes, I know that I shouldn't have traded him to a division rival, but he has been slowly declining, and he has a 7.84 ERA with the Yanks so far. I got $10mil for him, along with Chen's contract, as he's a FA after this season. I decided to sit pat at the trade deadline, as my team is 1st, 2nd, or 3rd at all major categories and I have depth at pitching (Gausman and De La Rosa in AAA), catching (Rivera can catch if O'Connor gets injured), infield (#45 3B prospect Joe Rizzo has a .877 in 20 games in AAA), and outfield (#89 OF prospect Andrew Benintendi has struggled in AAA, but we have Victor Robles and Garrett Whitley waiting in the wings in AA as well).

Allstars:
SP Chris Sale
CL Zach Britton
C Justin O'Connor
SS Manny Machado
RF J.D. Martinez

J.A. Happ has stayed hot with a 2.67 ERA on the season, Foltynewicz has had his up-and-down moments, Archer has been trading good and bad starts, and while Sale isn't becoming the monster I'd hoped for he's 12-4 with a 3.54 ERA and on pace to reach 242 Ks. Pineda is the enigma here, as a 6-run, 2-out outing has obscured his stats, but we really can't afford that with Tampa Bay lurking and the Yankees right behind them. I might regret my choice to stand pat later, but for now I'll hope Blake Snell/Michael Pineda/Kevin Gausman works.
Justin O'Connor is on pace for 4.9 WAR with a .270/.334/.500 and is on pace for 43 doubles and 25 home runs as well. His .834 OPS is great, but his strikeouts have risen considerably, and his defense has fallen from previous year's god-like 51.4% RTO to a average-below-average 21.7%. He hits higher in the lineup against lefties despite struggling against them (.715 - .884 OPS.) Manny Machado and J.D. Martinez are on pace for another pair of 5+ WAR seasons, although Machado has fallen considerably from his MVP-candidate offensive and defensive numbers.
Chris Davis has been barely above average this season, and I'm keeping him aboard for a couple of reasons
a) He's heated up considerably after batting .175 after May.
b) He's on pace for 25 HR, 80 RBI
c) I don't have a first baseman besides Joe Rizzo, who I'd like to keep in AAA for a little.
d) He's played in all the games so far (can you believe it?) and I'm a sucker for 162 game-rs.
Kyle Seager has remained league-average offensively with an OPS+ of 100, but he has a 2.1 WAR because of his defense. He has fallen off quite a bit after leading the league in WAR in 2015-16, and his home run numbers are non-existent. His doubles, strikeouts, walks are almost nearly the same, so something must've happened.
Mitch Haniger, who's also posted fielding numbers like Seager, owns an OPS+ of 89, and while I should have likely demoted him long ago, I had hopes that his .241 BABIP would rise. It has, but not much. Perhaps when Michael Saunders arrives he can try to recoup in the minors, but for now, Ichiro's sub-600 OPS is the main concern.

This concludes July 2017 report.

[YankeesFan21]

August passed without much incident. We split the series 2-2 with Cleveland, but then swept Houston, and then got swept by Texas. We swept the A's, but then lost the next series to Houston. We ended up with a positive note on a 6-2 run against Detroit and Minnesota, both who are expected to make the postseason.

I must've jinxed O'Connor last post, as he batted .146/.212/.302 in August. Rene Rivera has seen many more AB since then, but I'm confident he can hold up in the playoffs. He's raised his RTO% to 25.8%, and I feel good with our catching situation.
Chris Davis heated up in August with a .819 OPS, and he has similar OPS+, wRC+, WAR marks as last year, albeit 20 homers short. With a firm 12.5G lead on Tampa, it's all about gaining momentum for October.
Kyle Seager has also been moving forward with a .778 OPS in August, and strangely, Boone (yes, I hired Boone as my manager. Read my username. Also, I greatly dislike Buck Showalter as well) batted him leadoff, but hey, whatever works.
Trey Mancini has fallen off a virtual cliff since July, but with the return of Alvarez, we can cope without him, and he wasn't even a lock to make the postseason roster anyway.
In contrasting turns, Machado has been hot (1.041 OPS), and raised his BA all the way to .300. To the contrary, J.D. Martinez had a .715 OPS in August and is no longer a lock for 5+ WAR.
Mitch Haniger has continued to struggle, and I'm highly doubting Boone's motives by batting him third, but alas I am too lazy to move him and 15 home runs aren't too shabby.
On the last day of August, it was announced that Jonathan Schoop would be out for 2-3 weeks, and in a corresponding move I added 3B Joe Rizzo (.812 OPS in AAA), 2B Anthony Caronia, SP Kevin Gausman, and SP David Phelps. Chris Archer has struggled lately, so hopefully Gausman/Phelps will help him, and RP Dane De La Rosa (the annual September callup) will eat some innings for my bullpen. It was a hard choice for calling up Andrew Benintendi, but in the end I decided not to. It will save me service time, and it's not like he's been raking (.753 OPS).

Prospect Corner:
SP Pete Tainey pitched to a 2.18 ERA in DSL, and while at 20 I'm in no rush to hurry him, I wish it would promote him faster. #41 prospect SP Jose Tellez has a 3.43 ERA in DSL, which is a welcome sight after some disastrous GCL outings. 2016 #1 draft pick Brad Debo was promoted to Single-A, but had no AB with them, I'm hoping for some more development there. Juan Diaz is struggling in Short-Season A, and I'm beginning to regret my mistake of mass-promoting all my International Players. 2015 19th-round draft pick 3B Zeke Dodson has made the climb to AA, and owns a modest .307/.375/.417 slash line there. 2017 67th overall pick 2B Michael Massey is looking solid in DSL and should reach A-ball next season. After an eye-opening 2016 from SP Alec Hewat, he's struggled in Short Season A, and I'm thinking I really should've traded him when his stock was higher. CF Victor Robles has struggled in AA, and CF Garrett Whitley has been sent down to High-A.

This concludes the August 2017 report.

[YankeesFan21]

My Orioles went 17-10 in September, not a very encouraging line for the playoffs, but it was enough to carry us to 101 wins. (Strictly speaking, it's October 9, but I wanted to finish the regular season.)

HOT HITTERS:
J.D. Martinez (.255/.382/.510 looks hot enough for the postseason)
Jonathan Schoop (missed part of September but .375/.422/.575 looks ready enough)

COLD:
Jason Motte (9.00 ERA in August, 6.00 ERA in September)

J.D. Martinez and Chris Davis both reached 30 home runs, Martinez hitting his last on July 30, but not hitting another in October. Davis dramatically hit his in the first inning of the last game of the season.

Players to Watch:
Justin O'Connor - after a scorching beginning to the season, O'Connor fell off a cliff after the All-Star Break, with a .659 OPS after. He hasn't recovered in September, so while he'll start in the playoffs, it's interesting to see if the adrenaline gets him going.
LF Michael Saunders - Saunders certainly looked hot heading into the playoffs, but he only played in 14 games (minor league season is over so no rehab now) and there might still be some rust.
Chris Archer - Archer has been scorching hot in September, but we're not going to forget his epic postseason struggles last year in October. Lets hope that's a thing of the past.

With no further ado, the postseason roster is unveiled:

1. SP Chris Sale - 19-5, 3.08 ERA, 217/51 (4.25) K/BB over 201.1 IP, 1.13 WHIP, 3.8 WAR.
2. SP Chris Archer - 13-6, 3.89 ERA, 169/51 (3.13) K/BB over 160 IP, 1.21 WHIP, 3.1 WAR
3. SP Mike Foltynewicz - 10-10, 3.72 ERA, 166/57 (2.91) K/BB over 172 IP, 1.26 WHIP, 2.6 WAR
4. SP/RP J.A. Happ - 10-4, 3.24 ERA, 127/44 (2.89) K/BB over 141.2 IP, 1.10 WHIP, 1.9 WAR
5. RP Michael Pineda - 4.17 ERA, 75/30 (2.5) K/BB over 86.1 IP, 1.26 WHIP, 1.1 WAR
6. RP Blake Snell - 15 HLD, 4.37 ERA, 48/28 (1.71) K/BB over 55.2 IP, 1.46 WHIP, 0.2 WAR
7. RP Jason Motte - 11 HLD, 5.33 ERA, 59/22 (2.68) K/BB over 49 IP, 1.57 WHIP, -0.6 WAR
8. RP Luis Avilan - 13 HLD, 4.22 ERA, 29/10 (2.9) K/BB over 32 IP, 1.22 WHIP, 0.1 WAR
9. RP David Carpenter - 6 HLD, 3.42 ERA, 65/24 (2.71) K/BB over 55.1 IP, 1.19 WHIP, -0.1 WAR
10. RP Kelvin Herrera - 29 HLD, 3.36 ERA, 103/32 (3.22) K/BB over 83 IP, 1.14 WHIP, 1 WAR
11. RP Brad Brah - 39 HLD, 2.08 ERA, 108/31 (3.48) K/BB over 86.2 IP, 1.02 WHIP, 2.1 WAR
12. RP Wade Davis - 37 HLD, 4.55 ERA, 75/30 (2.5) K/BB over 57.1 IP, 1.29 WHIP, 0.6 WAR
13. CL Zach Britton - 41 SV, 1.57 ERA, 96/18 (5.33) K/BB over 74.2 IP, 1.02 WHIP, 2.4 WAR
14. C Justin O'Connor - .238/.306/.445, 23 HR, 75 RBI, 67 R, 3.4 WAR.
15. C Rene Rivera - .294/.333/.447, 3 HR, 9 RBI, 11 R, 0.7 WAR.
16. 1B Chris Davis - .211/.340/.406, 30 HR, 84 RBI, 90 R, 1.8 WAR.
17. 2B Jonathan Schoop - .297/.353/.440, 12 HR, 74 RBI, 78 R, 3.8 WAR.
18. 3B Kyle Seager - .257/.329/.435, 24 HR, 87 RBI, 85 R, 4.1 WAR.
19. SS Manny Machado - .297/.358/.481, 24 HR, 99 RBI, 96 R, 6 WAR.
20. SS Jose Iglesias - .287/.310/.360, 13 RBI, 17 R, 0.4 WAR.
21. LF Michael Saunders - .263/.346/.371, 4 HR, 21 HR, 28 R, 0.6 WAR
22. LF Ichiro Suzuki - .209/.247/.314, 1 HR, 11 RBI, 12 R, -0.4 WAR
23. CF Dariel Alvarez - .305/.340/.443, 8 HR, 63 RBI, 63 R, 2.3 WAR
24. CF/RF Mitch Haniger - .225/.314/.365, 13 HR, 55 RBI, 73 R, 1.6 WAR
25. RF/DH J.D. Martinez - .303/.396/.507, 30 HR, 106 RBI, 92 R, 4.7 WAR

Notable Excused:
RF Trey Mancini
3B Joe Rizzo
SP Kevin Gausman

[YankeesFan21]

Texas Rangers (92-70) defeated the Tampa Bay Rays (90-72) behind Yu Darvish's quality start. They will face off against my Baltimore Orioles.

Arizona Diamondbacks (90-72) defeated the San Francisco Giants (92-70) backed by Robbie Ray's 7IP, 2ER, 10K, and LF Ender Inciarte's 3-5 with 2 doubles. They will face off against the Chicago Cubs.

[YankeesFan21]

Texas Rangers (92-70) vs. Baltimore Orioles (102-60)
G1: Baltimore Wins 14-7 POTG: 2B Jonathan Schoop
G2: Texas Wins 12-1 POTG: SP Rick Porcello
G3: Texas Wins 6-4 POTG: 3B Joey Gallo
G4: Baltimore Wins 12-4 POTG: CF Dariel Alvarez
G5: Texas Wins 4-1 POTG: SP Rick Porcello
MVP: LF Elvis Andrus
Texas Wins! Rangers will face Seattle Mariners in ALCS.

Minnesota Twins (88-74) vs. Seattle Mariners (97-65)
G1: Seattle Wins 3-0 POTG: SP James Paxton
G2: Minnesota Wins 4-1 POTG: SP Ervin Santana
G3: Seattle Wins 9-2 POTG: SP Taijuan Walker
G4: Seattle Wins 5-4(16) POTG: SP James Paxton
MVP: SP James Paxton
Seattle Wins! Mariners will face Texas Rangers in ALCS.

Arizona Diamondbacks (90-72) vs. Chicago Cubs (95-67)
G1: Chicago Wins 4-0 POTG: SP Jon Lester
G2: Chicago Wins 3-1 POTG: SP Jake Arrieta
G3: Arizona Wins 4-3(10) POTG: SP Robbie Ray
G4: Chicago Wins 2-1 POTG: SP Jon Lester
MVP: RF Jorge Soler
Chicago Wins! Cubs will face Miami Marlins in NLCS.

Colorado Rockies (95-67) vs. Miami Marlins (95-67)
G1: Miami Wins 6-1 POTG: SP Jose Fernandez
G2: Miami Wins 15-1 POTG: LF Christian Yelich
G3: Miami Wins 7-5 POTG: LF David Dahl
MVP: LF Christian Yelich
Miami Wins! Marlins will face Chicago Cubs in NLCS.


Recap: We had a tough series against the Rangers. Their offense is built pretty similar to mine, and outside of Chris Sale our pitching wasn't that good. Their pitching wasn't so good either, but their ability to keep the ball on the ground was really the game-changer. I guess we'll be rooting for the Mariners in the ALCS.
Miami flat-out dominated in their NLDS, outscoring them 28-7, and sweeping them. They'll be a force in the NLCS and likely the WS. Seattle's match of a solid offense and pitching carried them to the ALCS, but they were dominated in G2 by a lesser Ervin Santana, which could be a red flag. The Cubs rode pitching to their series win, with all their POTG being pitchers. Jon Lester has been a godsend for them.

This concludes the LDS report.

[YankeesFan21]

Texas Rangers (92-70) vs. Seattle Mariners (97-55)
G1: Texas Wins 6-2 POTG: LF Shin-Soo Choo
G1: Seattle Wins 4-2 POTG: 3B D.J. Peterson
G3: Seattle Wins 6-5(13) POTG: SP James Paxton
G4: Seattle Wins 9-6 POTG: 3B D.J. Peterson
G5: Seattle Wins 3-0 POTG: SP Wade LeBlanc
ALCS MVP: 3B D.J. Peterson
Seattle Wins! The Mariners will face Miami Marlins.

Miami Marlins (95-67) vs. Chicago Cubs (95-67)
G1: Chicago Wins 9-6(10) POTG: 1B Anthony Rizzo
G2: Miami Wins 5-4(10) POTG: LF Christian Yelich
G3: Miami Wins 11-2 POTG: LF Christian Yelich
G4: Chicago Wins 8-2 POTG: SP Jake Peavy
G5: Miami Wins 3-2(13) POTG: SP Jose Fernandez
G6: Miami Wins 6-0 POTG: SP Steve Cishek
NLCS MVP: LF Christian Yelich
Miami Wins! The Marlins will face Seattle Mariners.

Recap:
The Mariners mix-and-match formula gave them a chance to win the Championship by beating the Rangers 4-1, and it'll be good to see them face off against Miami's dynamic offense and 1-2 pitching punch of Jose Fernandez and Steve Cishek.

[YankeesFan21]

Seattle Mariners (97-55) vs. Miami Marlins (95-67)
G1: Seattle Wins 6-4 POTG: 3B D.J. Peterson
G2: Miami Wins 1-0 POTG: SP Jose Fernandez (Note: This was SP Felix Hernandez vs. SP Jose Fernandez, and although they both fired 7 scoreless innings without any earned runs, Hernandez had an unearned run due to his own error.)
G3: Seattle Wins 4-2 POTG: SP Taijuan Walker
G4: Seattle Wins 7-6(10) POTG: C J.T. Realmuto
G5: Seattle Wins 3-2 POTG: SP James Paxton
WS MVP: 3B D.J. Peterson
THE SEATTLE MARINERS WIN THE 2017 WORLD SERIES.

Recap:
The Mariners were mainly lucky, with all of their wins coming within 2 runs, but their pitching and hitting did its job, and altogether it culminated in the Commissioner's Trophy. Well done, Mariners.

[YankeesFan21]

Golden Gloves:

AL GG:
P: Masahiro Tanaka - Scouts say he has 70-grade defense and could real likely play first base in a pinch.
C: Chris Herrmann - He put together a +4.5 ZR behind the plate, threw out 34.3% of runners and allowed only 4 PB.
1B: Miguel Cabrera - Cabrera had a +6.7 ZR at 1B and also had a 1.067 Defensive Efficiency rating. He also only had 6 errors at first.
2B: Andy Ibanez - A midseason callup, Ibanez had a +4.1 ZR in only 82 games, and turned 62 DP as well.
3B: Matt Chapman - Chapman had a +9.6 ZR at third to go along with a 1.038 EFF and turned 20 DP, but also had 10 errors.
SS: Chris Taylor - He's slowly evolved into one of the better defenders at short with a +11.1 ZR
LF: Steven Souza - Souza is good enough with a bat and on the basepaths, but he adds a whole other skill to his toolkit with his defense. +11.1 ZR
CF: Kevin Kiermaier - Kiermaier is renown for his prowess in the outfield, and after leading the league in triples for the third straight season, he also has a league-leading +18.9 ZR combined in center and right.
RF: Aaron Hicks - Hicks combines range and arm (70 and 75 grade) to become an elite fielder in right, where he is forced because Byron Buxton is over in center.
NL GG:
P: Justin Nicolino - Nicolino not only had the best season of his career pitching, but also defended the ball the best.
C: Austin Hedges - While he's not the best with the bat, Hedges had a +5.3 ZR along with excellent framing metrics and a 43.1% RTO.
1B: Brandon Belt - 75-grade defense and a +10.3 ZR along with only 4 errors will give you a Golden Glove.
2B: DJ LeMahieu - Scouts say he has 70-grade defense, and it certainly showed with his +10.5 ZR and 4 errors.
3B: Anthony Rendon - He has enough range to play second and his arm's strong enough to play third, which together combines to create an elite defensive player.
SS: Andrelton Simmons - Everyone knows Simmons has 80-grade D at short, and Simmons turned in his third straight season with a 14+ ZR and a 1+ EFF.
LF: Ender Inciarte - Inciarte can play center better than nearly everyone else, but because A.J. Polluck is entrenched there, Inciarte has become one of the best defenders anybody has every seen at left.
CF: A.J. Polluck - The only reason why Inciarte is in left is because of Polluck's +16.2 ZR in center field.
RF: Jason Heyward - Heyward, who could play center field without doubt, is one of the best right fielders in the game defensively, and his 10 assists lead right fielders.

Reliever of the Year:

AL:
1. CL Zach Britton (Orioles) - 41 SV, 1.57 ERA, 96/18 (5.33) K/BB over 74.2 IP, 1.02 WHIP, 2.4 WAR
2. CL Alex Claudio (Rangers) - 41 SV, 2.57 ERA, 103/24 (4.29) K/BB over 80.2 IP, 1.09 WHIP, 1.9 WAR
3. RP Brad Brach (Orioles) - 39 HLD, 2.08 ERA, 108/31 (3.48) K/BB over 86.2 IP, 1.02 WHIP, 2.1 WAR

NL:
1. CL Arodys Vizcaino (Pirates) - 30 SV, 0.92 ERA, 98/15 (6.53) K/BB over 78.1 IP, 0.91 WHIP, 2.4 WAR
2. CL Brad Hand (Giants) - 44 SV, 1.95 ERA, 98/25 (3.92) K/BB over 74 IP, 1.11 WHIP, 2 WAR
3. CL Tommy Kahnle (Rockies) - 29 SV, 1.82 ERA, 115/27 (4.26) K/BB over 84 IP, 0.89 WHIP, 2 WAR

Silver Sluggers

AL SS:
C: Gary Sanchez (Yankees) - .237/.307/.452, 535 AB, 27 HR, 3 SB, 115 wRC+, 4.4 WAR
1B: Miguel Cabrera (Tigers) - .318/.402/.555, 560 AB, 27 HR, 2 SB, 161 wRC+, 6.2 WAR
2B: Brian Dozier (Twins) - .288/.361/.464, 605 AB, 21 HR, 7 SB, 135 wRC+, 5.5 WAR
3B: Mike Moustakas (Royals) - .272/.325/.495, 643 AB, 35 HR, 4 SB, 125 wRC+, 5.2 WAR
SS: Manny Machado (Orioles) - .297/.358/.481, 619 AB, 24 HR, 13 SB, 136 wRC+, 6.0 WAR
LF: Nelson Cruz (Mariners) - .264/.332/.460, 633 AB, 32 HR, 4 SB, 125 wRC+, 1.8 WAR
CF: Dalton Pompey (Blue Jays) - 288/.344/.489, 612 AB, 22 HR, 30 SB, 135 wRC+, 5.1 WAR
RF: Aaron Hicks (Twins) - 296/.397/.511, 372 AB, 17 HR, 9 SB, 160 wRC+, 5.4 WAR
DH: J.D. Martinez (Orioles) - .303/.396/.507, 637 AB, 30 HR, 11 SB, 151 wRC+, 4.7 WAR

NL SS:
P: Noah Syndergaard (Mets) - .237/.253/.316, 76 AB, 1 HR, 0 SB, 62 wRC+, -0.3 WAR
C: Buster Posey (Giants) - .323/.406/.496, 524 AB, 20 HR, 6 SB, 156 wRC+, 7.2 WAR
1B: Freddie Freeman (Braves) - .325/.409/.507, 612 AB, 25 HR, 3 SB, 160 wRC+, 6.2 WAR
2B: Scooter Gennett (Brewrs) - .320/.382/.538, 541 AB, 26 HR, 14 SB, 159 wRC+, 6.5 WAR
3B: Matt Carpenter (Cardinals) - .305/.384/.533, 525 AB, 28 HR, 15 SB, 154 wRC+, 6.5 WAR
SS: Jean Segura (Brewers) - .289/.334/.497, 591 AB, 23 HR, 38 SB, 136 wRC+, 5.5 WAR
LF: Christian Yelich (Marlins) - .304/.372/.451, 619 AB, 12 HR, 25 SB, 135 wRC+, 5.8 WAR
CF: Marcell Ozuna (Marlins) - .299/.380/.509, 511 AB, 23 HR, 9 SB, 156 wRC+, 4.4 WAR
RF: Bryce Harper (Nationals) - .309/.391/.546, 566 AB, 30 HR, 7 SB, 163 wRC+, 7.0 WAR

Rookie of the Year

AL:
1. 1B Ronald Guzman (Rangers) - .302/.334/.492, 653 AB, 31 HR, 2 SB, 127 wRC+, 2.4 WAR
2. RF Nomar Mazara (Rangers) - .281/.346/.479, 349 AB, 12 HR, 2 SB, 127 wRC+, 2.4 WAR
3. RF Trey Mancini (Orioles) - .270/.333/.430, 484 AB, 13 HR, 8 SB, 111 wRC+, 1.8 WAR

NL:
1. LF Jordan Patterson (Mets) - .272/.306/.464, 584 AB, 24 HR, 5 SB, 119 wRC+, 1.9 WAR
2. 2B Tyler Wade (Phillies) - .312/.374/.478, 378 AB, 7 HR, 23 SB, 135 wRC+, 3.4 WAR
3. 1B Josh E. Bell (Pirates) - .282/.333/.428, 613 AB, 14 HR, 6 SB, 115 wRC+, 2.2 WAR

Manager of the Year;

AL: Lloyd McClendon (Mariners)
NL: Tom Runnells (Rockies)

Cy Young

AL:
1. CL Zach Britton (Orioles) - 41 SV, 1.57 ERA, 96/18 (5.33) K/BB over 74.2 IP, 1.02 WHIP, 2.4 WAR
2. SP Corey Kluber (Indians) - 19-8, 3.33 ERA, 231/49 (4.71) K/BB over 237.2 IP, 1.14 WHIP, 5.5 WAR
3. SP Chris Sale (Orioles) - 19-5, 3.08 ERA, 217/51 (4.25) K/BB over 201.1 IP, 1.13 WHIP, 3.8 WAR

NL:
1. SP Carlos Martinez (Cardinals) - 15-6, 2.01 ERA, 272/55 (4.95) K/BB over 224.1 IP, 0.95 WHIP, 8 WAR
2. SP Madison Bumgarner (Giants) - 18-10, 2.95 ERA, 231/54 (4.28) K/BB over 241 IP, 1.09 WHIP, 6.7 WAR
3. CL Arodys Vizcaino (Pirates) - 30 SV, 0.92 ERA, 98/15 (6.53) K/BB over 78.1 IP, 0.91 WHIP, 2.4 WAR

MVP

AL:
1. DH J.D. Martinez (Orioles) - .303/.396/.507, 637 AB, 30 HR, 11 SB, 151 wRC+, 4.7 WAR
2. 1B Miguel Cabrera (Tigers) - .318/.402/.555, 560 AB, 27 HR, 2 SB, 161 wRC+, 6.2 WAR
3. SS Manny Machado (Orioles) - .297/.358/.481, 619 AB, 24 HR, 13 SB, 136 wRC+, 6.0 WAR

NL:
1. SP Carlos Martinez (Cardinals) - 15-6, 2.01 ERA, 272/55 (4.95) K/BB over 224.1 IP, 0.95 WHIP, 8 WAR
2. RF Bryce Harper (Nationals) - .309/.391/.546, 566 AB, 30 HR, 7 SB, 163 wRC+, 7.0 WAR
3. C Buster Posey (Giants) - .323/.406/.496, 524 AB, 20 HR, 6 SB, 156 wRC+, 7.2 WAR

[YankeesFan21]

Rule 5 Draft:

I drafted -
SS Abiatal Avelino from the New York Yankees - He could become a utility player, but with Jose Iglesias already felling that role, it's more than likely that he'll be returned.
RP Chasen Shreve from the New York Yankees - He was horrible in the majors, but very good in AAA, so I'm willing to give him another shot and duel with Luis Avilan for the LOOGY role.
OF Monte Harrison from the New York Mets (I'm seeing a New York theme) - Harrison's only played up to A-ball, but he was the highest-ranked outfielder, and while I'll also end up releasing him, he could have a shot against Andrew Benintendi and Dariel Alvarez.

I extended 3B Joe Rizzo for 10 years at $98mil. The contract is backloaded, but the last two years are option years for me, so the deal is really worth more like 8 years at $60mil, or $7.5mil a year. Both OSA and my scout agree he is a superstar-type player, and I'm really excited about this extension.

Hall of Fame:
3B Chipper Jones was inducted (86.7% of ballot, 1st year)

Notable Trades/Signings:
Royals trades C Salvador Perez to Brewers for C Devon Fisher (A) and co.
Royals trades RP Chad Green to Giants for CF Edward Reese (R) and co.
Giants signs CF Austin Jackson for $10.3mil/3 yrs.
Reds trades CF Billy Hamilton to Nationals for SP Gregory Veliz (R) and 3B Francisco Contreras (ML)
Nationals sign C Yadier Molina for $3mil/1yr.
Phillies sign 2B Jed Lowrie for $7.4mil/2yrs.
Cubs sign SS Brandon Crawford for $19.4mil/7yrs.
Red Sox sign SP Steve Cishek for $16mil/2yrs.
Nationals sign 1B Kendrys Morales for $8.5mil/2yrs.
Royals sign LF Carlos Gonzalez for $9.5mil/5yrs.
Giants sign C Tyler Flowers for $7.5mil/1yr.
Dodgers sign 3B Mike Moustakas for $23.1mil/6yrs.
Phillies sign RP Wade Davis for $3.4mil/1yr.
Yankees sign RP Craig Kimbrel for $6.6mil/1yr.
Dodgers sign RP Darren O'Day for $2.8mil/1yr.
Astros trade RF Domingo Santana for LF Evan Gattis.