Dynasty with a Twist

[plubbr]

Intro
After reading several dynasty threads, I felt an urge to write my own. However, mine will have a twist. It will not be a typical dynasty. It will, instead, follow my career as a manager. I realize that this is not exactly a unique idea, but there are far fewer manager dynasty reports than there are team dynasty reports. What I plan to do as a manager is take over a bad team, rebuild them and win with them for a season or two, and then take over another bad team. I have never tried this before (either rebuilding multiple teams or writing a dynasty report, so we will see how it goes.

Just a quick word of caution. I plan to update this thread once per game month, which I hope will be at least two or three times per week in real time. I will post some game play by play, as well as box scores, depending on the situation. I will also point out career milestones from around the league, as well as big news items from around the league. There will be some weeks I do more, but I hope this will be the minimum. That said, work may prevent me from doing an update from time to time, but I will try my best to stay on top of things I hope that someone other than me will enjoy reading about my career in OOTP.

[plubbr]

The Beginning
This career will be based on the current Major League teams and rosters, courtesy of “Toadfreaks Opening Week Full Minors.” I believe that these rosters are based off what HaloFan has put together. Big props to HaloFan, who puts in a lot of time to create the best rosters. I know his hard work is appreciated by many in the OOTP community. The only changes I made to the teams are that the Angels are still the Anaheim Angels, NOT the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

First, the nuts and bolts of the league: the settings.
League Options

Financial System: Enabled
Coaches/Scouts: Disabled
Simulate Minors: Enabled

Player Ratings

All Ratings: 1-100

Basic Options

Financial System: Enabled
Salary Cap: None
Cash Max: $100 Million
National TV Contract Minimum: $7 Million
Minimum Salary: $300,000

Trading Options

Computer Trades: Enabled
Trading Frequency: Low
Trading Difficulty: Hard
Trading AI Preference: Neutral

Advanced Options

Roster Size: 25
40-Man Roster: Enabled
Waiver Rule: Enabled, 3 Days, 10 Days
Minor League Option Years: Enabled
Rule 5 Draft: Enabled
Salary Arbitration: Enabled
Days for 1 Service Year: 172
Minor League FA’s: Enabled

Other Settings

Injuries: Enabled
Injury Frequency: Normal
Position Player Fatigue: Enabled
Amateur Draft: June 1, 10 Rounds, Signing Bonuses Enabled
Teams May Change Strategy
Allstar Game Decides WS Homefield: No, Alternate Each Year
Foreign Players Enter Free Agency: Yes

Manager Settings

Basic Skill: Great Pitching Knowledge
Special Skill: Handling Youngsters
Difficulty: Average

One strange setting that I am using is that I am using my real birthday. Since I am doing so, whatever team I manage for will have a manager that, at 25, is most likely younger than the average age of the team. I am also married to a wonderful woman named Kate, and do not currently have any children. How strange that this almost mirrors reality.

With all of that out of the way, it is time to pick a team to begin with. To ease myself into this career, I want to go with a team that has a decent market size, has plenty of young talent, but is currently struggling. One other guideline I failed to mention is that I will never manage the Seattle Mariners. In reality, the Mariners are my favorite team. The problem I face when I try to run them in OOTP is that, since I want them to win every single year so badly, I am often tempted to cheat a little bit here and there to improve the team. That is why I will keep my distance in this dynasty. After much deliberation, I have decided to sign with the Houston Astros. I sign a 1 year deal worth $475,000. What do I get in return? A very patient owner that expects me to play better than .500 in 2005. I also inherit a team with a mood of 87 and team chemistry of 80. All things considered, this looks like a good team to start with.

[plubbr]

2005, Preseason
Before I jump right in to the season, I am gonna look over my roster and perhaps make some changes. The following is a list of players who will most likely not be with the team at the end of the season. The only way they would remain on the team is if I was in the thick of things in my division. If I am out of it by the end of June, I will probably shop these players around and see if I can get some good young talent for them.
• SP Roger Clemens, 42, Making $18M, and will most likely retire at the end of the season.
• MR John Franco, 44, Making $300,000, and will almost definitely retire at the end of the season.
• 2B Craig Biggio, 39, Making $3M, and is quickly running out of time.
• SS Jose Vizcaino, 36, Making $1.25M, and may retire at the end of the season.
• 1B Jeff Bagwell, 36, Making $13M thru 2007 (ouch), still valuable but very expensive, especially if I am rebuilding.
• MR Russ Springer, 36, Making $300,000, still decent, I may hold on to him.
• RF Orlando Palmeiro, 36, Making $800,000, has been primarily a backup for the last several seasons.
• C Brad Ausmus, 35, Making $3M, terrible offensively the last couple of years, will be gone if the right trade comes along.
• Total Expendable Payroll: $39.65M

Here is my roster at the beginning of the year:

Pitchers:
SP Roger Clemens
SP Roy Oswalt
SP Andy Pettitte
SP Brandon Backe
SP Brandon Duckworth
RP John Franco
RP Chad Harville
RP Chad Qualls
RP Russ Springer
RP Dan Wheeler
CL Brad Lidge

Infield:
C Brad Ausmus
C Raul Chavez
1B Jeff Bagwell
2B Craig Biggio
2B Chris Burke
2B Eric Bruntlett
3B Morgan Ensberg
3B Mike Lamb
SS Adam Everett
SS Jose Vizcaino

Outfield:
LF Willy Taveras
CF Jason Lane
RF Orlando Palmeiro
RF Luke Scott

Total Payroll: $74,217,500


The following is my starting rotation at the beginning of the Season.
1. Roger Clemens, RHP, Career Record of 328-164, Career ERA of 3.18
2. Roy Oswalt, RHP, Career Record of 63-27, Career ERA of 3.11
3. Andy Pettitte, LHP, Career Record of 155-82, Career ERA of 3.94
4. Brandon Backe, RHP, Career Record of 6-4, Career ERA of 4.98
5. Brandon Duckworth, RHP, Career Record of 16-20, Career ERA of 5.09

Lineup vs. RHP is:
1. Willy Taveras, LF, Starting for the first time in his career
2. Craig Biggio, 2B, Career .361 OBP, 396 Career SB, 1,603 Career Runs
3. Jeff Bagwell, 1B, Career .405 OBP, 446 Career HR, 1510 Career RBI
4. Mike Lamb, 3B, Career .283 Avg, Platooning with Morgan Ensberg
5. Jason Lane, CF, Good all around Hitter, Plays all outfield positions
6. Adam Everett, SS, Good defensive player, OK Offensive Abilities
7. Brad Ausmus, C, Excellent Defensive Catcher, Serviceable Offensive Abilities
8. Luke Scott, RF, Good Minor League Numbers, Decent Corner Outfielder
9. Pitchers Slot

Lineup vs LHP is:
1. Willy Taveras, LF, Starting for the first time in his career
2. Craig Biggio, 2B, Career .361 OBP, 396 Career SB, 1,603 Career Runs
3. Jeff Bagwell, 1B, Career .405 OBP, 446 Career HR, 1510 Career RBI
4. Jason Lane, CF, Good all around Hitter, Plays all outfield positions
5. Adam Everett, SS, Good defensive player, OK Offensive Abilities
6. Morgan Ensberg, 3B, Serviceable Offensive Abilities, Platooning with Mike Lamb
7. Brad Ausmus, C, Excellent Defensive Catcher, Serviceable Offensive Abilities
8. Luke Scott, RF, Good Minor League Numbers, Decent Corner Outfielder
9. Pitchers Slot

I think that I am ready to begin the 2005 season.

[plubbr]

April 4-10, 2005
Opening Day. The only day in the whole season where every team is in first, where every team is undefeated. The day where hope springs eternal for teams that only a few short months ago were in last place. All fans have a reason to hope on opening day. Well, almost all fans. Devil Rays fans are usually screwed no matter what day it is. Unlike 2/3 of the teams, the Houston Astros don’t open the season on April 4. Instead, they open a day later, on April 5.

The only thing of note on opening day was an injury. On a cold, rainy night in Oakland, reliever Kiko Colero came on in the 7th with the A’s behind 3-2. After surrendering 1 run and 2 hits, and getting 2 outs, a rain delay of 48 minutes ensued. All pitchers are advised to completely warm up and stretch before throwing hard. Evidently, Kiko did not take this advice to heart. On the first pitch to Miguel Tejada, Kiko collapsed in pain. Preliminary X-Ray results revealed that he had suffered a torn rotator cuff, and that his career was most likely over. This is a huge blow to the A’s pen.

April 5 is a beautiful, sunny day in Houston, TX. A sellout crowd of 40,930 is in attendance, the hated cardinals are in town, and Roger Clemens is on the mound. What a way to start a season. Despite a double allowed to Pujols and a passed ball by Ausmus, the Cards fail to score in the top of the 1st. Like the Cards, the Astros get a runner on in the first, but fail to capitalize when Bagwell grounds into a double play. Several quiet innings go by, until the bottom of the 5th. Chris Carpenter is cruising, with the single in the first the only hit allowed. Then in the 5th, the wheels come off. First, Mike Lamb sends a slow roller to Grudzielanek at second. Inexplicably, Grudzielanek bootes the ball, and by the time he recoveres and gets it to first, Lamb is already there. Next Carpenter issues his second walk of the afternoon to Jason Lane. With runners on first and second with nobody out, Adam Everett singles to center, scoring Mike Lamb while Jason Lane advances to third on the throw home. With Adam Everett running on the pitch, Brad Ausmus grounds the ball to Eckstein at SS. Lane scores, and just like that, the Astros have given Roger a 2 run lead. Carpenter manages to get out of the inning without allowing any further damage, but 2 runs should be plenty for Clemens.

After 6.2 innings and 99 pitches, Clemens is pulled and the game is turned over to the Astros pen. What does the pen promptly do? Give up 2 runs in the eight and one in the ninth to put the Astros down heading to the bottom of the ninth. Isringhausen comes on to try to get the save. First he strikes out Biggio swinging. Bagwell singles and the pinch runner Chris Burke advances to second on a wild pitch. Mike Lamb then strikes out swinging and the Astros are down to their final out. After a lengthy battle, Jason Lane sends a liner past a diving Pujols and down the right field line. Burke scores, and the game is tied! Adam Everett then goes down swinging to promptly end the threat. However, the Astros send the game to extra frames. In the bottom of the 11th, Julian Tavarez comes on and quickly gets the first two outs. With only 33 career home runs to his credit, Jose Vizcaino ends it with a shot down the left field line. What a game!

After the game finished, I noticed 3 E-Mails in my mailbox. As expected, they were confirming retirements at the end of the year. Craig Biggio, Jose Vizcaino, and John Franco confirmed that they are going to retire after the season.

After the first week of baseball, I have somehow been able to garner a 3-2 record. I say this with some amazement, because my team only has a 0.192 AVG and a 0.227 OBP. The only fortunate thing I can come up with is that 5 games is a very small sample size. Also at the end of the first week, Craig Biggio is only 4 SB shy of 400 and 6 RBI shy of 1,000.

I made a couple of minor personnel changes. First of all, I claimed 3B Jorge Cantu off waivers from TB. Cantu isn’t a huge prospect, but he is good defensively at multiple infield positions and has decent offensive talent. Now if I can just get him to develop, I think this will be a good pickup. I also wanted to sign Alex Cora, who is currently a FA, but he was demanding well over $500,000 and wouldn’t settle for my offer of $450,000. Oh well, he wasn’t really needed, but it might have been a small upgrade to my offense. It is kinda sad when I consider someone with his abilities an offensive upgrade. I also signed LF Peter Bergeron to a Minor League Contract, and am hoping he will develop some of his talents in the minors. He has potential to be a pretty good outfielder, but I’m not holding my breath on him.

OK, so maybe I won’t do a full month in 1 post. As it is, this one week is a pretty long post. I think I will just play it by ear when it comes to length. Feel free to let me know what you think of this thread in general, or of any moves I have made specifically. Constructive criticism is always welcome.

[plubbr]

April 11-30
4/21 Well, after looking through my rotation, I decide that Brandon Duckworth needs to be demoted, not to the minors, just to the bullpen for a while. I decide to bring up SP Carlos Hernandez to replace him in the rotation. To make room for Carlos, I send 2B Eric Bruntlett down to AAA. At the time, Bruntlett was hitting .556 (It was only 5 for 9).

4/22 Tampa Bay has offered the following trade:
Going to HOU
SS Julio Lugo

Going to TB
P Brandon Backe
2B Jonny Ash
1B Junior Zamora

Zamora is a scrub who will never make it to the majors, but Ash has some promise to be, perhaps not a leadoff hitter, but maybe a solid 7th or 8th place hitter. He is also a good defensive 2B. But the real reason I don’t want to make this trade is Brandon Backe. Even though he isn’t playing up to his full potential yet, he is still playing very well. Besides, Adam Everett is a decent SS, provided he gets out of his current funk (He is only hitting .158). Not a tough decision, I turned down this trade without too much thought.

4/24 Of course, as soon as I say Backe isn’t playing up to his potential, he goes out and throws a complete game four hitter. And to top it off, my offense might have finally woken up. They managed to score a total of 12 runs in the eighth and ninth innings. I still have no power though. We are almost dead last in the league with 10 HR and 27th with a .240 batting average. The good news is, we are holding opponents to a mere .219 batting average. Like I said earlier, our pitching has been lights out.

4/30 Brandon Backe is starting to step it up. Today, he outdueled Mark Prior. Backe allowed 4 H and 1 R over 6.2 innings while racking up 10 K’s. Prior was almost as good, allowing only 4 H and 2 R over 6 innings while striking out 8.

After the month of April, we are 14-9 and only 1 game behind Milwaukee. Not a bad start. Lets see if we can keep it up.


Around the League

Awards:
AL Pitcher of the Month: Gil Meche (SEA), 3-0, 1.17 ERA
NL Pitcher of the Month: John Smoltz (ATL), 5-0, 0.81 ERA

AL Batter of the Month: Eric Chavez (OAK), .385 AVG, 22 RBI, .769 SLG
NL Batter of the Month: Todd Helton (COL), .313 AVG, 24 RBI, .759 SLG

Performances:
4/11 Craig Wilson (PIT) slams six hits against Milwaukee
4/25 Mark Prior (CHC) pitches his 1st shutout of the season against Cincinnati
4/27 Barry Zito (OAK) pitches 2-hit shutout against Chicago
4/28 Dennis Tankersley (KC) quiets Minnesota bats with shutout

Injuries:
4/4 Kiko Calero (OAK), Torn Rotator Cuff, Career Over
4/6 Troy Glaus (ARI), Torn Back Muscle, Out for the Season
4/29 David Ortiz (BOS), Pulled Achilles Tendon, Out 6 Weeks
4/29 Ray Durham (SF), Torn Back Muscle, Out for the Season

Transactions:
4/10 Trade between Baltimore and Cincinnati :
Cincinnati gets :
3B David Newhan
2B Gera Alvarez
Baltimore gets :
CF Wily Mo Pena

4/10 Trade between New York (N) and Minnesota :
Minnesota gets :
SS Chris Woodward
New York (N) gets :
1B Garrett Jones

4/14 Trade between Texas and Tampa Bay :
Tampa Bay gets :
RF David Dellucci
$500,000 cash.
Texas gets :
SS Reid Brignac
C Chairon Isenia
3B Eric Reece

4/28 Trade between Anaheim and Tampa Bay :
Tampa Bay gets :
2B Chone Figgins
Anaheim gets :
RF Wes Bankston
3B Rico Washington

Milestones:
Randy Johnson (NYY) is 1 Win away from 250
Manny Ramirez (BOS)is 2 HR shy of 400
Ray Durham (SF) is 5 Runs away from 1,000
-Injured, Out for the Year

[jaykno14]

This is a good idea to do a dynasty thread. Kind of similar to the idea I had for a dynasty I am thinking about starting soon.

[plubbr]

5/1 Cubs vs. Astros. With 1 on and none out in the bottom of the 3rd, Crag Biggio comes to bat against Carlos Zambrano. Biggio finds a pitch he likes and hammers it down the left field line. Willy Taveras scores on the play. What is so special about this play? It is Biggio’s 1,000th RBI. Great career Biggio, you belong in the HOF. For those interested, Biggio is still 3 SB shy of 400.

5/2 Dammit. CF Jason Lane’s career is over. At 28, he was a rising star. This season, he was hitting .372 with an OBP of .400. For the time being, Peter Bergeron will be promoted and will play CF. Willy Tavarez will continue to play LF until Lance Berkman comes off the DL.

OK, so I put Lane on Waivers to release him, and both PHI and COL claim him. If they want to pay his salary only to find out his career is over, that’s fine with me.

Another note of interest. John Franco needs to appear in 3 more games to reach the unimaginable number of 1,100 games. Another nice career coming to an end. He also needs 26 saves to reach 450, but I don’t think he will get there.

5/12

           IP  H  R  ER  BB  K  HR  PI  PS  ERA   
J. Franco  0   1  0  0   0   0  0   2   1   10.80

Not exactly an impressive outing, unless you consider that it was the 1,100th of his career. That is an insane number of games for a pitcher to appear in.

5/17 Finally, I get Lance Berkman back. Now my offense should have a little more punch.

5/25 Released Chad Harville. He was having a horrible year for me. While my pitching has been stellar for the most part, there are a couple of pitchers who have been just a bit shaky.

Well, as of the end of the month, we are 25-27, 5.5 GB of Chicago. Our pitching is good, with a team ERA of 3.88 and an opponents AVG of .241. Unfortunately, we have a measly .226 average offensively. We are almost dead last in every offensive category. I have tried juggling the lineup, benching underperforming players, and averything else I can think of, all to no effect. I am starting to think that I just have a terrible offensive team.


Around the League

Awards:
AL Pitcher of the Month: C.C. Sabathia (CLE), 4-0, 1.35 ERA in May
-Interesting award, considering he was injured on 5/16 and will be out 6 weeks.
NL Pitcher of the Month: Matt Morris (STL), 5-1, 2.15 ERA in May

AL Batter of the Month: Gary Sheffield (NYY), .357 AVG, 29 RBI, .738 SLG
NL Batter of the Month: Russ Branyan (MIL), .363 AVG, 22 RBI, .857 SLG

Performances:
5/4 Brad Penny (LA) blanks Philadelphia with a 1-hitter
5/4 Brandon Lyon (ARI) shuts out San Francisco on 2 hits
5/8 Kansas City has no chance in a 2-hitter by Bruce Chen (BAL)
5/9 J.C. Romero (MIN) pitches his 2nd shutout of the season
5/27 Orlando Cabrera (ANA) knocks lights out with three homeruns
5/29 Kansas City has no chance in a 1-hitter by John Lackey (ANA)

Injuries:
5/2 Jason Lane (HOU), Torn Ribcage Muscle, Career Over
5/4 Mark Buehrle (CHW), Pulled Rotator Cuff Muscle, Out 5 Weeks
5/8 Al Leiter (FLA), Inflamed Rotator Cuff Muscle, Out 5 Weeks
5/16 C.C. Sabathia (CLE), Bone Chips Shoulder, Out 6 Weeks
5/19 Mike Lamb (HOU), Pulled Achilles Tendon, Out 5 Weeks (Only DTD @ 90%)
5/20 Grady Sizemore (CLE), Fractured Wrist, Out 7-8 Weeks
5/28 Melvin Mora (BAL), Fractured Hand, Out 6 Weeks
5/29 Jesse Crain (MIN), Torn Tricep Muscle, Out for the Year

Transactions:
5/19 Trade between Philadelphia and San Francisco :
San Francisco gets :
2B Chase Utley
Philadelphia gets :
P Noah Lowry
LF John Bowker

5/29 Trade between Seattle and Tampa Bay :
Tampa Bay gets :
1B Bucky Jacobsen
Seattle gets :
SS B.J. Upton
C Shawn Riggans

5/29 Trade between Pittsburgh and St. Louis :
St. Louis gets :
LF Rob Mackowiak
Pittsburgh gets :
C Brandon Yarbrough
3B Calvin Hayes

Milestones:
Garrett Anderson (ANA) is 9 RBI away from 1,000
Greg Maddux (CHC) is 6 K’s away from 3,000
Trevor Hoffman (SD) is 5 Saves away from 400
Mariano Rivera (NYY) is 4 Saves away from 350

[plubbr]

6/1 June Draft
• 2B Lee Lamberton, College OBP over .400 and SLG of nearly .600. Decent defensively, perhaps a future replacement for Craig Biggio
• LHP Harold Tulley, Excellent College K/BB Ratio and opponents had a sub .200 avg, could be a very good setup guy
• SS Michael Vanwormer, a gamble here, with a HS Shortstop. Has unbelieveable HS numbers, OBP near .600, SLG over 1.000, AVG over .500. Just have to wait and see what they transform into.
Rest of draft was not noteworthy.

6/12 A 7 game losing streak from 5/31 to 6/8 is enough to piss me off. My pitching is still solid as ever, but it is time to shake things up on offense.

• Demoted OF Willy Taveraz, Promoted OF Trenidad Hubbard. Trenidad is old (39) with no good ratings, but was tearing it up in AAA. Right now, I am desperate to try anything.
• Demoted backup C Raul Chavez, Promoted C Humberto Quintero from AAA. He is solid defensively, but about the same as Ausmus offensively. I am gonna give him some starts, and see if he can’t have a bit of success.
• Demoted 2B Chris Burke, Promoted 2B Brooks Conrad. Brooks will take some of the starts from Biggio, since Biggio seems to be in a funk. Brooks has some decent talent, and like Hubbard, was tearing it up in AAA.
• Demoted SS Adam Everett, Promoted SS Danny Klassen. Klassen was putting up some solid numbers in AAA, so I am gonna give him a shot.
• Designated Jose Vizcaino for assignment, Promoted Jorge Cantu. Cantu was playing very well in AAA, and can play all 3 IF positions other than 1B. I may platoon him and Klassen at SS for a while.
• Demoted MR Ryan Speier, Promoted MR Mika Gallo. Speier was my one pitcher who was performing poorly. Gallo had excellent numbers in AAA, so I am gonna try him in mopup relief out of the pen and see how that goes.

This was a tough month for the Astros, but we managed to finish it where we started, 2 games under .500 at 38-40. Not what I wanted, but after losing the first 6 games of the month, I will take it. It looks like the Cubs are running away with the division, at 48-30.

Some of my promotions seem to have paid off. Here are a couple of the better numbers.

                    G  AB H  2B 3B HR RBI R BB K  AVG  OBP  SLG  OPS 
2B Brooks Conrad    12 30 10 4  1  1   8  8 2  3 .333 .375 .633 1.008
C Humberto Quintero 12 44 13 1  0  1   7  4 0  8 .295 .295 .386  .682
SS Danny Klassen    10 27 8  1  1  1   5  3 1  4 .296 .345 .519  .863

I realize that this is a small sample size, but so far, it seems to have jump started my team. There were a couple games we actually got into double digit runs. Simply amazing.


Around the League

Awards:
AL Pitcher of the Month: Dave Borkowski (BAL), 1-1, 0.93
NL Pitcher of the Month: Brad Penny (LA), 4-0, 1.53 ERA

AL Batter of the Month: Vladimir Guerrero (ANA), .297 AVG, 9 HR, 27 RBI
NL Batter of the Month: Derrek Lee (CHC), .283 AVG, 10 HR, 29 RBI

Performances:
6/4 San Diego has no chance in a 1-hitter by Mark Prior (CHC)
6/7 Jason Schmidt (SF) blanks Kansas City with a 1-hitter
6/10 Eric Crozier (TOR) blisters three bombs (off HOU, of course)
6/15 Ben Sheets (MIL) fires 2-hitter against Tampa Bay
6/18 Joe Blanton (OAK) blanks New York (N) with a 1-hitter
6/20 Matt Lawton (PIT) punishes Philadelphia with four hits, cycle
6/22 Carlos Silva (MIN) fires 1-hitter against Detroit
6/23 Joe Blanton (OAK) fires 1-hitter against Seattle
6/29 5-hit performance by Ryan Klesko (SD)

Injuries:
6/1 Cliff Floyd (NYM), Broken Cheekbone, Out 9 Weeks
6/2 Johan Santana (MIN), Ruptured Elbow Ligament, Out 5 Weeks
6/6 Mark Mulder (STL), Strained Elbow Ligament, Out 9 Weeks
6/22 Brian Moehler (FLA), Strained Elbow Ligament, Out 5-6 Weeks
6/30/2005: Ivan Rodriguez (DET), Pulled Groin Muscle, Out 5-6 Weeks

Transactions:
Trade between Seattle and Tampa Bay :
Tampa Bay gets :
P Bobby Madritsch
3B Juan Alvarez
Seattle gets :
P Scott Kazmir

Trade between Anaheim and Colorado :
Colorado gets :
3B Robb Quinlan
Anaheim gets :
C Chris Iannetta
1B Oscar Sanchez

Trade between Pittsburgh and Kansas City :
Kansas City gets :
P Mark Redman
Pittsburgh gets :
P Zach Greinke

Milestones:
Ken Griffey, Jr. is 4 RBI from 1,500
Johnny Damon is 2 R from 1,000
A-Rod is 6 HR from 400
John Smoltz is 3 K’s from 2,500
Trevor Hoffman (SD) is 4 Saves away from 400
Mariano Rivera (NYY) is 1 Saves away from 350

[plubbr]

7/10 A small resurgence, but our offense seems to be terrible as always. Brooks Conrad looks like the real deal so far. He has the 2nd best AVG as well as the 2nd best OBP, behind Mike Lamb. We go into the All Star break with a record of 43-45.

Not a single All Star from my team, why am I not surprised. The AL won the game 7-4.

7/16 Maybe it is time to cash in on the biggest trading chip we have: Lance Berkman. I really hate to think about parting with someone of his abilities, but he is demanding over $18M per year, which is just too high for me. I need to spread my money around more wisely if I want to win.

7/30 OK, I made a couple of blockbusters.

To TB
3B Morgan Ensberg

To HOU
RF Delmon Young

I am hoping Delmon Young will be a long-term replacement for Lance Berkman. Lofty standards to be sure, but I can hope for the best.

Next, pulled of an even bigger trade

To CLE
LF Lance Berkman
SP Andy Pettitte
$4,000,000 Cash

To HOU
SP Jeremy Sowers
SP C.C. Sabbathia
C Wyatt Toregas
RF Grady Sizemore
RF Ryan Ludwick

I hate to give up Lance Berkman, but I am unwilling to sign someone for over $18M, regardless of his abilities. Now I am just curious to see what he will get in Free Agency. In return, I am getting a younger starting pitcher in C.C. Sabathia, who has virtually the same ratings and stats as Pettitte, but is 8 years younger than Pettitte. He also is a groundball pitcher, which is important in a ballpark like mine. I am also getting two excellent outfielders, with Grady ready for the Majors now and Ryan starting in AAA. Also, Jeremy Sowers will start in AA. He is young, but has potential to develop into an ace type pitcher. His groundball/flyball ratio is bad, He is a player that I might develop in my minors, and then pedal him to another team for a pitcher with a better gb/fb ratio. Wyatt is a wildcard in this trade, he has decent potential to be a solid if unspectacular Major Leaguer.


Around the League

Awards:
AL Pitcher of the Month: Randy Johnson (NYY), 5-1, 0.75 ERA
NL Pitcher of the Month: Mark Prior (CHC), 3-2, 1.87 ERA

AL Batter of the Month: Eric Byrnes (OAK), .400 AVG, 23 RBI
NL Batter of the Month: Todd Helton (COL), .398 AVG, 11 HR, 23 RBI

Performances:
7/16 Matt Morris (STL) shuts out Houston on 2 hits
7/20 Brad Radke (MIN) shuts out Baltimore on 2 hits
7/26 Tim Hudson (ATL) shuts out Philadelphia on 2 hits
7/29 Jeff Kent (LA) collects 2000th hit against St. Louis

Injuries:
7/3 Gil Meche (SEA), Pulled Tricep Muscle, Out 5 Weeks
7/8 Hideki Matsui (NYY), Fractured Knee, Out 7 Weeks
7/15 Scott Kazmir (SEA), Ruptured Elbow Ligament, Out 5 Weeks

Transactions:
Some of the more notable deadline trades

Anaheim gets :
1B Craig Wilson
Pittsburgh gets :
2B Adam Kennedy, P Bob Zimmerman, 1B Clifton Remole

Kansas City gets :
P Vicente Padilla, 2B Elder Tostado
Philadelphia gets :
P Dennis Tankersley

Cincinnati gets :
P John Thomson
Atlanta gets :
RF Austin Kearns

New York (N) gets :
P Russ Ortiz, $2,200,000 cash.
Arizona gets :
3B David Wright

Pittsburgh gets :
P A.J. Burnett, 1B Zachary Billiot
Florida gets :
LF Jason Bay

New York (N) gets :
3B Chipper Jones
Atlanta gets :
LF Cliff Floyd

Arizona gets :
1B Mike Sweeney, C Adam Donachie, LF Cory Aldridge, $2,500,000 cash.
Kansas City gets :
P Brandon Webb

Atlanta gets :
1B Ryan Shealy
Colorado gets :
P Mike Hampton

Kansas City gets :
RF Nick Swisher
Oakland gets :
1B Justin Huber

Cincinnati gets :
P Kris Benson, RF Bobby Malek, $2,100,000 cash.
New York (N) gets :
LF Adam Dunn

[lgkeeper]

The Mets traded (basically) Wright and Benson to bet back Dunn and Russ Ortiz? The Mets would never make a move like that in real life.

Oh wait...Scott Kazmir.....

[YankeeFanatic04]

Dont forget they got Chipper Jones too. Pretty Interesting

[plubbr]

Amazing, people are actually reading this. This is my first time trying a dynasty, so if you have any tips or suggestions to improve my posts, let me know.

Also, there were more trades than what you see above, but these were just the ones with big names in them.

[plubbr]

Well, I am officially looking forward to next year. August sucks. There are games where my pitching is stellar and my offense is clicking, and I win by a bunch. Then there will be games where my offense goes into hibernation and my pitchers toss batting practice. I hate inconsistency.

On the plus side, Mike Lamb is leading the Majors with a .342 batting average. One of only two bright spots on my team. The other is that Brad Lidge is near the top of the league in saves.


Around the League

Awards:
Thursday 9/1/2005: St. Louis' Suppan named Pitcher of the Month
AL Pitcher of the Month: Randy Johnson (NYY), 4-1, 1.84 ERA
NL Pitcher of the Month: Jeff Suppan (STL), 6-0, 2.20 ERA

AL Batter of the Month: Miguel Tejada (BAL), .339 AVG, 28 RBI
NL Batter of the Month: Carlos Lee (MIL), .343 AVG, 31 RBI

Performances:
8/4 Rafael Furcal (ATL) gets the cycle
8/12 Philadelphia has no chance in a 1-hitter by Mike Hampton (COL)
8/19 Corey Patterson (CHC) socks five hits
8/23 Luis Castillo (FLA) slams five hits

Injuries:
8/6 Ryan Dempster (CHC), Broken Cheekbone, Out 5 Weeks
8/16 Junior Spivey (MIL), Ruptured Elbow Ligament, Out 4-5 Weeks
8/21 Brad Radke (MIN), Inflamed Rotator Cuff Muscle, Out 5-6 Weeks
8/27 Brian Moehler (FLO), Strained Tricep Muscle, Out 5 Weeks

[plubbr]

Well, not much to write about in September. The players I traded for at the deadline played pretty good. They are young and still developing, so I am not expecting too much out of them just yet. Now, my only worry is that I might not be retained to lead this team into the future, but that is for the owner to decide.


Around the League

Todd Helton won the Triple Crown in the National League. His numbers were .327 AVG, 47 HR, 127 RBI.

Awards:
AL Pitcher of the Month: Chan Ho Park (TEX), 5-0, 2.11 ERA
NL Pitcher of the Month: Chris Carpenter (STL), 3-1, 0.91 ERA

AL Batter of the Month: Juan Rivera (ANA), .383 AVG, 4 HR, 20 RBI
NL Batter of the Month: Todd Helton (COL), .364 AVG, 28 RBI.

Performances:
9/7 Adrian Beltre (SEA) has great day, hits three longballs
9/14 Sammy Sosa (BAL) ropes 600th career homerun
9/21 Chase Utley (SF) clears fence three times
9/24 Juan Gonzalez (CLE) collects 2000th hit against Kansas City
9/25 Rob Mackowiak (STL) socks five hits

Injuries:
9/9 Glendon Rusch (CHC), Ruptured Bicep Tendon, Out 7-8 Weeks
9/14 Billy Buckner (KC), Ruptured Elbow Ligament, Out 8-9 Weeks
9/18 Javy Lopez (BAL), Broken Wrist, Out for the Season
9/18 Joe Nathan (MIN), Pulled Rotator Cuff Muscle, Out 5-6 Weeks
9/20 Justin Germano (SD), Strained Rotator Cuff Muscle, Out 5 Weeks
9/24 Andy Pettitte (CLE), Ruptured Disc, Out for the Season

Standings:

American League Standings				

East				
Team		W	L	PCT	GB
New York (A)	92	70	0.568	-
Baltimore	89	73	0.549	3
Toronto		87	75	0.537	5
Boston		73	89	0.451	19
Tampa Bay	68	94	0.420	24

Central				
Team		W	L	PCT	GB
Minnesota	94	68	0.580	-
Chicago (A)	81	81	0.500	13
Cleveland	80	82	0.494	14
Detroit		66	96	0.407	28
Kansas City	60	102	0.370	34

West				
Team		W	L	PCT	GB
Anaheim		99	63	0.611	-
Texas		87	75	0.537	12
Oakland		84	78	0.519	15
Seattle		79	83	0.488	20


National League Standings				

East				
Team		W	L	PCT	GB
Atlanta		95	67	0.586	-
Florida		89	73	0.549	6
Washington	82	80	0.506	13
New York (N)	79	83	0.488	16
Philadelphia	78	84	0.481	17

Central				
Team		W	L	PCT	GB
St. Louis	93	69	0.574	-
Chicago (N)	88	74	0.543	5
Milwaukee	83	79	0.512	10
Houston		73	89	0.451	20
Pittsburgh	68	94	0.420	25
Cincinnati	65	97	0.401	28

West				
Team		W	L	PCT	GB
San Francisco	83	79	0.512	-
San Diego	82	80	0.506	1
Arizona		80	82	0.494	3
Los Angeles (N)	79	83	0.488	4
Colorado	74	88	0.457	9

Playoff teams are in bold.

[plubbr]

Division Series:
Anaheim (3) def Baltimore (0)
Anaheim pitching held the solid Baltimore offense to 8 runs over the three games.

Minnesota (3) def New York (2)
Randy Johnson pitched a No-Hitter in the first game of the series, but the Yankees failed to capitalize and let the series slip away.

Florida (3) def St. Louis (0)
Florida won by an average of 3 runs per game. An unspectacular series from either team.

Atlanta (3) def San Francisco (0)
This series had either excellent pitching or terrible hitting. All 3 games were close, hard fought games.

LCS:
Anaheim (4) def Minnesota (3)
I don’t know what to make of this series. Either the games were pitchers duels, or they were blowouts. Three of the games were double digit wins, while four of the games were decided by either 1 or 2 runs. The injury to Joe Nathan in September did the twins in, however. When they lost the close games, it was the bullpen that faltered.

Florida (4) def Atlanta (3)
This series was a cliffhanger. The first game was decided by 2 runs. Every game thereafter was decided by just 1 run. Unbelieveable. This sets up a Florida vs. Anaheim World Series.

World Series:
Game 1
Florida def Anaheim 6-1. Solid starting pitching from Dontrelle Willis, and Miguel Cabrera hit a first inning 3-run homer to put Anaheim in an early hole.

Game 2
Florida def Anaheim 4-3. Alex Gonzalez hit a 3-run homer and Luis Castillo added an RBI single to bring the Angels back down to earth.

Game 3
Florida def Anaheim 3-2. The Marlins can win close games. They have the right attitude and just never give up. Josh Beckett pitched 8.2 solid innings, and Alex Gonzalez singled in the winning run in the bottom of the 10th.

Game 4
Florida def Anaheim 4-2. Dontrelle Willis pitched 7 strong innings, and then turned it over to the pen to clinch the series. Florida had solid pitching in all four games, holding one of the best offenses in baseball to a measly 8 runs over 4 games.

Awards:
NL Cy Young: Mark Prior (CHC), 20-11, 2.46 ERA
AL Cy Young: Roy Halladay (TOR), 21-7, 2.46 ERA

NL MVP: Todd Helton (COL), .327 AVG, 47 HR, 127 RBI - A no brainer, considering he won the triple crown!
AL MVP: Gary Sheffield (NYY), 276 AVG, 39 HR, 123 RBI – Not great numbers, but I had a hard time finding a more deserving player.

NL Rookie of the Year: RF Brandon Sing (CHC), .308 AVG, 21 HR, 83 RBI – Did a nice job replacing Slammin’ Sammy
AL Rookie of the Year: 1B Eric Crozier (TOR), .269 AVG, 19 HR, 81 RBI – Decent numbers for a rookie.

NL Gold Glove Winners:
Pitcher: Chin-Hui Tsao (COL)
Catcher: Yadier Molina (STL)
First Base: J.T. Snow (SF)
Second Base: Jose Vidro (WAS)
Third Base: Pedro Feliz (SF)
Shortstop: Cristian Guzman (WAS)
Leftfield: Jason Bay (FLA)
Centerfield: Andruw Jones (ATL)
Rightfield: Bobby Abreu (PHI)

AL Gold Glove Winners:
Pitcher: Woody Williams (CHW)
Catcher: Miguel Olivo (SEA)
First Base: Paul Konerko (CHW)
Second Base: Bret Boone (SEA)
Third Base: Mike Cuddyer (MIN)
Shortstop: Angel Berroa (KC)
Leftfield: Eric Byrnes (OAK)
Centerfield: Mark Kotsay (OAK)
Rightfield: Magglio Ordonez (DET)

[plubbr]

Despite my best efforts, Houston offered me a contract extension. I think I will accept.

Dammit, my star player, 3B Mike Lamb, escaped into free agency. My fault. I checked my rosters at the beginning of September, and it listed him as arbitration eligible. I guess he accumulated enough days thru the end of the season to make him eligible for Free Agency.

Notable Free Agent Signings:
1/31
Pittsburgh : P Jason Marquis, 10,018,400 per year, for 4 years.
Los Angeles (N) : P Esteban Loaiza, 4,810,800 per year, for 3 years.
Tampa Bay : CF Corey Patterson, 2,052,000 per year, for 3 years.

2/1
Colorado : SP Julian Mariscal, 4,972,800 per year, for 3 years. – Cuban Defector
Florida : 3B Pedro Feliz, 3,826,300 per year, for 2 years.

Trade between Florida and Milwaukee :
Milwaukee gets :
3B Mike Lowell
Florida gets :
CF Nook Logan

2/2
Kansas City : CF Jose Cruz Jr., 10,677,800 per year, for 3 years. – WOW, Cruz got overpaid. Don’t get me wrong, I like Jose, but he is a career .248 hitter with a career OBP of .334
Pittsburgh : CF Juan Pierre, 2,968,000 per year, for 3 years.

2/3
Chicago (N) : P Matt Morris, 7,477,600 per year, for 4 years. – Good Signing, Cubs pitching is scary with Prior, Wood, Zambrano, Morris
Kansas City : P Ted Lilly, 3,844,800 per year, for 3 years.
Seattle : P Tomokazu Ohka, 3,220,000 per year, for 2 years.

2/4
Texas : 2B Mark Loretta, 15,289,300 per year, for 4 years. – Decent player, but not worth this kind of money
Kansas City : RF Jacque Jones, 2,710,400 per year, for 3 years.
New York (N) : P B.J. Ryan, 11,959,100 per year, for 4 years. – Ditto what I said above.
Atlanta : CF Preston Wilson, 2,029,200 per year, for 3 years.
Detroit : P Ugueth Urbina, 1,584,500 per year, for 3 years.

2/5
Atlanta : P Ryan Dempster, 8,063,800 per year, for 4 years.
Houston : P Barry Zito, 5,500,000 per year, for 4 years. – Barry will be my #3 starter, behind C.C. Sabathia and Roy Oswalt, with Carlos Hernandez and Brandon Backe rounding out the rotation. Looking at all the SP signings, this was a steal of a deal.
Oakland : P Trevor Hoffman, 3,429,200 per year, for 2 years. – Too much for an aging closer.

2/6
Chicago (N) : LF Rondell White, 6,609,900 per year, for 3 years.
Pittsburgh : CF Gary Matthews, 5,176,000 per year, for 2 years.
Cincinnati : P Steve Karsay, 6,353,500 per year, for 3 years.

2/7
Arizona : 1B Daryle Ward, 7,819,400 per year, for 3 years. – Just one word. Overpaid. Short stay in ARI (See Below)
Houston : 2B D'Angelo Jimenez, 750,000 per year, for 3 years. – Not sure if he will be a starter or come off the bench, but a solid pickup for the price.

Trade between Chicago (A) and Arizona :
Arizona gets :
LF Scott Podsednik
Chicago (A) gets :
1B Daryle Ward
RF Rafael Vives

2/9
Pittsburgh : 1B Paul Konerko, 20,782,800 per year, for 5 years. – Good player, but still overpaid.
Kansas City : 2B Alfonso Soriano, 10,259,500 per year, for 3 years. – On the high end price wise, but tolerable.
Colorado : P Byung-Hyun Kim, 1,376,400 per year, for 2 years.

2/10
Houston : 3B Eric Munson, 4,750,000 per year, for 2 years. – Will hopefully replace Mike Lamb’s production at third.
Kansas City : P Kyle Farnsworth, 2,929,200 per year, for 2 years.

2/11
Florida : P A.J. Burnett, 15,046,100 per year, for 3 years.
Seattle : P Billy Wagner, 2,295,600 per year, for 3 years.

2/12
Kansas City : LF Lance Berkman, 28,340,000 per year, for 6 years. – HOLY CRAP! I knew he was gonna get a ton, but $28M? I made some offers to him, but I refused to go above $18M.
Minnesota : P Jeff Weaver, 20,360,000 per year, for 3 years. – What the hell, he isn’t that good.
Colorado : 3B Russ Branyan, 20,264,600 per year, for 4 years. – Solid, but over priced.
Philadelphia : 3B Joe Crede, 2,609,400 per year, for 3 years.
Detroit : CF Salomon Acaron, 7,837,500 per year, for 2 years. – Who? He is 34, no history (I’m Guessing Cuban Defector), and his ratings aren’t that good. I would have priced him at about $2.5M max.

Trade between Kansas City and Detroit :
Detroit gets :
LF Nick Swisher
Kansas City gets :
3B Greg Dobbs

2/13
Pittsburgh : RF Jose Guillen, 9,135,200 per year, for 3 years.
San Diego : 2B Alex Cora, 5,233,800 per year, for 2 years. – D’Angelo has better ratings AND better stats
Arizona : P Salomon Torres, 1,170,000 per year, for 2 years. - ?????

2/14
Oakland : LF Eric Byrnes, 19,154,000 per year, for 3 years. – He’s good, but not that good yet.
Philadelphia : P Octavio Dotel, 2,426,100 per year, for 3 years.

2/15
Seattle : C Vance Wilson, 13,538,300 per year, for 3 years. - ?????

2/16
New York (N) : RF Milton Bradley, 8,309,000 per year, for 3 years.
Washington : LF Juan Encarnacion, 5,161,000 per year, for 2 years.
Cincinnati : P Braden Looper, 8,105,700 per year, for 3 years. - Overpriced

2/17
New York (N) : P Tony Armas Jr., 7,974,600 per year, for 2 years.

2/18
San Diego : P Brad Penny, 23,206,800 per year, for 5 years. – Good pitcher, but kinda steep
Cincinnati : SS Julio Lugo, 10,593,900 per year, for 3 years. – Wow!

2/21
Baltimore : P Jon Garland, 1,464,500 per year, for 2 years. – Underpriced, comparatively speaking.
Seattle : CF Dave Roberts, 4,459,200 per year, for 2 years.
Kansas City : P Kirk Rueter, 2,485,200 per year, for 3 years.

2/22
Cincinnati : 3B Mike Lamb, 9,914,400 per year, for 3 years. – He is worth it.
Baltimore : P Danny Kolb, 4,418,600 per year, for 3 years.

2/27
Trade between Tampa Bay and Philadelphia :
Philadelphia gets :
CF Corey Patterson
Tampa Bay gets :
P Ryan Madson

[YankeeFanatic04]

WHAT??? Yankees made NO moves...

[plubbr]

Well, virtually no moves. I did forget to include this one. Not a big move, but borderline notable.

1/29
Trade between New York (A) and Chicago (A) :
Chicago (A) gets :
3B Andy Phillips
New York (A) gets :
2B Tadahito Iguchi

After looking through all the free agent signings, both notable and otherwise, only the Yankees and Brewers did not sign anyone.

[plubbr]

Going into the next season, you will notice some differences is my posts and how they are laid out. I am still trying to find the style that suits me best. Until then, I will experiment with several things.

[plubbr]

Here is my roster at the beginning of the year:

Pitchers:
SP C.C. Sabathia
SP Roy Oswalt
SP Barry Zito
SP Brandon Backe
SP Carlos Hernandez
RP Brandon Duckworth
RP Alan Embree
RP Chad Qualls
RP Russ Springer
RP Dan Wheeler
CL Brad Lidge

Infield:
C Humberto Quintero – Young balanced catcher, Has a cannon, Decent offensively, Took the job from Ausmus last year
C Dave Ross – Backup Catcher, Decent Power
1B Jeff Bagwell – Aging Vet, Not much of a threat anymore, Just eating up salary and roster space.
1B Graham Koonce
1B Carlos Rivera
2B Brooks Conrad
2B D’Angelo Jimenez
3B Eric Munson – Excellent Power, Good Eye, Good Contact, one of the big threats in my lineup
SS Adam Everett
SS Danny Klassen

Outfield:
LF Trinidad Hubbard – Aging Vet, Can fill in when needed.
LF Grady Sizemore – Good Young Outfielder
CF Henry Mateo – Light Hitting, Good Defense in all OF Positions as well as 2B and 3B
RF Ryan Ludwick – Another Good Young Outfielder

Total Payroll: $49,646,428 (26th)

The following is my starting rotation at the beginning of the Season.
1. C. C. Sabathia, LHP, Career Record of 63-50, Career ERA of 4.02
2. Roy Oswalt, RHP, Career Record of 76-43, Career ERA of 3.30
3. Barry Zito, LHP, Career Record of 91-47, Career ERA of 3.47
4. Brandon Backe, RHP, Career Record of 14-13, Career ERA of 4.78
5. Carlos Hernandez, LHP, Career Record of 21-22, Career ERA of 4.72

Lineup vs. RHP is:
1. Henry Mateo, CF
2. Brooks Conrad, 2B
3. Grady Sizemore, LF
4. Eric Munson, 3B
5. Ryan Ludwick, RF
6. Graham Koonce, 1B
7. Humberto Quintero, C
8. Adam Everett, SS
9. Pitchers Slot

Lineup vs LHP is:
1. Henry Mateo, CF
2. Brooks Conrad, 2B
3. Grady Sizemore, LF
4. Eric Munson, 3B
5. Ryan Ludwick, RF
6. Humberto Quintero, C
7. Jeff Bagwell, 1B
8. Adam Everett, SS
9. Pitchers Slot