Putting the Sting back in the Scorpions

norva13x · 02-28-2010, 03:47 PM

This thread will chronicle my attempt to bring a once proud franchise, the Utah Scorpions, back into relevance.
The Scorpions are part of the long running National Pastime Baseball League, there are one or two other NPBL dynasty threads on this forum so make sure to check those out as well.
The league is fictional with no financials, so you have to build through drafts and trades. It is entering the 2037 season with 28 teams, 14 in each league. The Founding Fathers League is based in the eastern U.S. and the Great Explorers League in the western U.S. Each league has two divisions of 7 teams each. The Scorpions are members of the GEL West, by far the toughest division in the league. Just to give you an idea, last season the California Lions finished 102-60, only good for 3rd place in the division!
The league use to have only the top two teams of each division make the playoffs, for the 2033 season however it was changed to the top 8 teams of each league in a Stanley Cup finals type playoffs.
Sims are usually 10 days each and on Monday-Wednesday-Friday. Tomorrow (Monday) is the first Spring Training sim.

Team History

In 2000, the NPBL's inaugural season a team called the Montana Warriors took the GEL flag, losing the first National Cup Series (our championship series) to the Pennsylvania Locomotives 4 games to 0. After an 85-win 2001 campaign the Warriors disbanded and all players were assigned to a new expansion franchise, the Utah Scorpions.
In their first season in 2002 Utah won the GEL North with 93 wins, in 2003 Utah beat the Maryland Admirals to take their first championship. In 2007 they came back and beat the North Carolina Clippers and became the first team in NPBL history to win multiple titles. As of 2037, they have yet to win another title.
Utah was up and down for many years, they had a great run 2028-2031 in which they won as many as 113 games (2031) with no fewer wins than 102 (2028) and won 4 straight GEL West titles. However despite two GEL Championships during that time in 2029 and 2031 then Scorpions couldn't get the win in the National Cup championship series.
However, starting in 2034 the team took a downward swing. They went 62-100 that season, before falling even more in 2035 with 44-118 record which was the second worse in franchise history since 2023 when they went 39-123(!).
Then I took over. Utah was ownerless so I stepped up and took over the operations of the franchise, hoping to restore Utah to their former glory. In my first year in the front office Utah improved by 14 wins to 58-104. Now in 2037 I continue my goal of putting the sting back in the Scorpions!

Links

NPBL Reports

A great written account of the league's history

norva13x · 02-28-2010, 07:02 PM

Spring Training Report:

As Spring Training kicks off tomorrow, we will look at my organization position by position and see what players we should be following heading into 2037.

Note: Some players might appear on different teams/minor league levels then I claim in the write up, this is because they online reports won't be updated with my roster changes until tomorrow morning.

Catchers

Since 2027 Frederick Derrickson was the starting catcher for Utah, last year during spring training however he tore his anterior cruciate ligament and missed the entire season, this year he is fighting for a back-up spot. Utah has two great young players waiting in the wings. One is 27 year old Francisco Franco who will start this year, a solid defensive catcher Franco started last year in place of Derrickson, a four star prospect Franco has yet to reach his full potential but I am hoping another full year in the bigs will give him the boost he needs. The other youngster is Bob Collins, a young 19 year old playing right now in Single-A Ogden, as a 4 1/2 star prospect we have a lot of hope for him in Utah, but he will most likely not get any playing time in the bigs this year, not even in spring training. Derrickson and Min Ouyang will battle for the back-up spot. Ouyang is the projected winner helped in part by his superior defensive skills.

Frederick Derrickson
Francisco Franco
Min Ouyang
Bob Collins

First Basemen

At 1B all we really have is a slew of utility type guys, there is no one there who is a clear cut leader at this position, we have 6 guys who could all see time at that position, possibly more if we decide to rotate a few position players! As of right now Rod Plummer is probably our best over all. He has a solid batter's eye but is pretty average everywhere else. Despite being a designated 1B, he will be playing 3rd during spring against lefties and will be sitting out mostly against righties to give some prospects a crack at first. For Spring Training and maybe beyond I will be playing Mike Martin at 1st, at 23 years old and 3 years in the minors I am going to gamble a bit and put him in the bigs, the boy has the potential with some serious pop to his bat and a good eye and I am hoping a little nudge will help him develop faster.

Rod Plummer
Mike Martin

Second Baseman

Romano Solice is the likely starter here, he is a decent 2B with some real gap power but with only average defense. For spring training at the very least he will split time with Jack Scofield who at 22 has spent 5 years in the minors. Fitting with my philosophy this year of giving a lot of my 22 and up prospects serious big league playing time he will most likely take some at bats throughout the year in Utah.

Romano Solice
Jack Scofield

Third Basemen and Shortstops

I am combining the two positions because sadly, there is not much positive, or really anything to discuss here. We have Mark Agnes who for spring will be playing SS despite being listed a 3B, Rod Plummer who we discussed earlier will take some reps as a 3B while Natsu Koda will play the same position against righties to gain some experience.

Mark Agnes
Natsu Koda

Left Fielders

John Houck started for us last year, entering his 8th season he is a .264 career hitter with decent stats, but nothing to write home about. This year keeping with my team's "revolving door" policy with minor and major league rosters he will share time with my top batting prospect Ken Daly who at 24 was still in A-ball at season's close last year which prompted me to start pushing my players more. Daly should be a decent defensive player but he has great contact potential and his power will be something to fear in a year or two!

John Houck
Ken Daly

Central Fielders

Rich Higgins is going to start, a solid young player he is one of the brighter spots on the Utah squad, during spring he will split time with Pat Galyon Jr. Galyon will also see some time in right for the exhibition schedule.

Rich Higgins
Pat Galyon Jr.

Right Fielders

This is where it gets confusing, Alexis Juarez is the main RF who is average at best and has probably already peaked. He will get little if any playing time in spring. Instead right will become the perfect example of our "musical chairs" version of fielding. Whose gonna play where? Tune in to find out!
In Spring Galyon will split time between right and center, and LF prospect Carl Young will be out in right against lefties. Confused? I am too.

Alexis Juarez
Carl Young

Next: We'll look at the pitchers

norva13x · 02-28-2010, 09:25 PM

Pitching

1. Emmitt Hagar
2. Jorge Diaz
3. Miguel Martinez
4. Matt Rumble
5. Solo Atkins

Really, not a bad rotation in my opinion. This probably won't change much if at all throughout the season. I just LOVE Jorge Diaz, 3 great pitches and at 21 is developing at a great pace. He along with Miguel Martinez and my first round draft pick Tekkan Morish ita could make up a fierce rotation in the next few years, especially if Morish ita can improve his stamina down in the minors. He will have time to adjust as he isn't planned to get any big league reps in this year.

Bullpen

Roberto Leyva
John Collins
Eleele Koukakala
Matthew Jackson
Thom Shepherd
Will Clayton
Cedric Melton*

Closer:
Scott Brito

*Most likely will just play for spring training

I think I have a pretty good bullpen, and it can only get better. I drafted 3 relievers this year and if 1 develops I have a strong bullpen, and if 2 do? A great bullpen, one of the stronger ones. I could always use more depth but I have lots of minor league talent waiting in the wings to hopefully fill that up.
One player to watch for in the future is Dong-hee Paek, whom I am grooming to be the next closer on my team, as I am currently very weak there. Another guy to watch is Carlos Ortiz both down in rookie ball.

norva13x · 03-01-2010, 10:35 AM

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Not a bad first half of spring training!
Sure, we went 4-9, but a lot of my young guys like Will Clayton, Pat Galyon Jr. and Carl Young among others saw some real development, which is exactly the reason I put them out there for.
For the next sim I plan to trot Keith Morse, currently in AAA, out there most likely in place of Rich Higgins against righties. Not that Rich is in danger of losing his job, he is more then safe there, but Keith could definitely use some experience against big league pitching. Besides that I also plan to have Ben Lauder get some reps in at reliever, most likely the closer position. While Ben is already 34 I say he at least deserves the chance to pitch at least once in the majors, and he really isn't that bad a ball player. It will be interesting to see how he does, he will undoubtedly get some playing time this year but can he earn a spot as the starting closer?
He certainly has a chance.

norva13x · 03-02-2010, 02:02 PM

Salt Lake City, Utah

It is now a done deal, Utah has secured a stadium deal and construction on it begins tomorrow after an early afternoon ground breaking ceremony. It will be completed just in time for opening day in 2038. After spending their entire existence in the Westdome, the Scorpions have decided to part ways with the old facility and move forward with a brand new state-of-the art facility. The new stadium will feature a retractable roof, grass surface, and state of the art sound and visual equipment including powerful projectors which can project high quality images and sound onto the field as well as other attractions and features. The stadium's name has not yet been announced. It will be a pitcher friendly park.
In honor of the dome, the team will wear special patches on their jerseys commemorating 3 and a half decades at the park. Many events will be held all season, including past Utah stars visiting, a weekend concert series after Saturday home games, and special meet-and-greet events for season ticket holders plus much more.
Sunday, September 27 will feature the final scheduled game at the Westdome against the Hawaii Kula Sox, before the game the Scorpions will induct it's first members to the Utah Scorpions Hall of Fame, which will open next year at the new park. The new hall of famers as well as the current team will remain after the game for autograph signings. The season concludes October 4th at Idaho.

norva13x · 03-03-2010, 06:28 PM

Scottsdale, Arizona

The Utah Scorpions have closed up camp in Scottsdale and are preparing for the season opening series starting April 6 against California. The Scorpions are quite happy with the way things progressed, despite a 4-9 start they wrapped up exhibition play with a 10-14 record and saw some improvement among their prospects. Utah fans all over have been discussing what the opening lineup will be, and today GM and owner Seth Lloyd released opening day lineups.

Vs. Righties:

Pat Galyon RF
John Houck LF
Rich Higgans CF
Rod Plummer 3B
Mark Agnes SS
Tony Jalon 1B
Romano Solice 2B
Francisco Franco C

Vs. Lefties:

Pat Galyon RF
Rich Higgans CF
Francisco Franco C
Romano Solice 2B
Mark Agnes SS
Tony Jalon 1B
Rod Plummer 3B
Carl Young LF

Galyon will lead off, despite batting below the mendoza line in spring training. But really, this team just doesn't have anyone who carries a big BA. Hopefully as some of our prospects improve that will change. It will be interesting to see how Pat handles the lead off role and depending on how he does we will see if he can keep that spot for a while.
Alexis Juarez as of now is probably slightly better, but I decided to throw in Carl Young at the bottom of the order versus lefties to get some experience in. I feel batting there he won't be in to much danger. Juarez will be the utility man in the outfield to start the year.
Ken Daly is the guy who I've been wanting to get in the bigs, I feel he just needs a little push to start developing. He had a decent spring and hit .277, but I am going to start him out in AAA West Valley City. He will only spend a month or so there most likely, we'll see how he does before we pull him up. He will get some big league playing time for sure though this season one way or the other.
At catcher despite my feeling of Min Ouyang being the better catcher, he had a bad spring training so I am going to stick him in AAA and see if he can get his head back in the game. As of right now Frederick Derrickson will be the back up catcher. He does bring veteran leadership to the table as well which is always good.
We'll learn a lot about this team coming up, our first 10 games are all on the road against the three 100-win teams from the GEL West last year in California, Idaho, and defending NPBL Champions Washington. I am just crossing my finger Galyon doesn't get overwhelmed out there!

norva13x · 03-04-2010, 01:48 PM

Utah announces starting rotation and bullpen assignments:

Starting Rotation:

1. Jorge Diaz
2. Miguel Martinez
3. Emmitt Hagar
4. Matt Rumble
5. Solo Atkins

Spot Starters:

Thom Shepherd

Bullpen:

John Collins
Matthew Jackson
Thom Shepherd
Ben Lauder
Eleele Koukakala
Roberto Leyva

Closers:

Scott Brito
Ben Lauder

Not much to say here...

norva13x · 03-07-2010, 01:56 PM

Our first 5 games of the 2037 season started with us taking 3 of 4 from California, a team who finished with a 102-60 record last season, not a bad start! We dropped our first game of a 3 game series against Idaho 4-1, but our two best pitchers Diaz and Martinez are lined up to start the next two games so it should be fun to see how they do.
Speaking of my two aces, both put together gems in their first games. Diaz pitched 7 scoreless innings giving up only 3 hits to earn win #1 of the season. Martinez had an almost identical performance the very next game to wrap up win #2. I hope to see a few more gems like this this season.
On the offensive side of the ball, it's been pretty anemic to say the least. Remember though 5 games is quite a small sample size. Pat Gaylon Jr. is performing the best right now with 8 hits in his first 21 at bats for a .381 average. His OBP is identical (Hmm...).
Carl Young didn't get any hits in 11 at bats, I was thinking of replacing him but my back-up out fielder Alexis Juarez got hurt and will be out for 5 days.
I don't think for at least the next sim I will make any changes.

Down in the minors Ken Daly is doing great in AAA, he's hitting .438 and getting on base at a.471 clip. I am not ready to bring him in the bigs yet, but if he can keep up the great pace he'll see it sooner than later. Tekkan Morish ita won his first game in rookie ball as did Cedric Melton who pitched a gem, going 8 scoreless innings and surrendering just one hit!

03-01-2010, 10:35 AM	#4
norva13x Major Leagues Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 476	Not a bad first half of spring training! Sure, we went 4-9, but a lot of my young guys like Will Clayton, Pat Galyon Jr. and Carl Young among others saw some real development, which is exactly the reason I put them out there for. For the next sim I plan to trot Keith Morse, currently in AAA, out there most likely in place of Rich Higgins against righties. Not that Rich is in danger of losing his job, he is more then safe there, but Keith could definitely use some experience against big league pitching. Besides that I also plan to have Ben Lauder get some reps in at reliever, most likely the closer position. While Ben is already 34 I say he at least deserves the chance to pitch at least once in the majors, and he really isn't that bad a ball player. It will be interesting to see how he does, he will undoubtedly get some playing time this year but can he earn a spot as the starting closer? He certainly has a chance. Last edited by norva13x; 03-01-2010 at 10:36 AM.

02-28-2010, 03:47 PM	#1
norva13x Major Leagues Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 476	Putting the Sting back in the Scorpions This thread will chronicle my attempt to bring a once proud franchise, the Utah Scorpions, back into relevance. The Scorpions are part of the long running National Pastime Baseball League, there are one or two other NPBL dynasty threads on this forum so make sure to check those out as well. The league is fictional with no financials, so you have to build through drafts and trades. It is entering the 2037 season with 28 teams, 14 in each league. The Founding Fathers League is based in the eastern U.S. and the Great Explorers League in the western U.S. Each league has two divisions of 7 teams each. The Scorpions are members of the GEL West, by far the toughest division in the league. Just to give you an idea, last season the California Lions finished 102-60, only good for 3rd place in the division! The league use to have only the top two teams of each division make the playoffs, for the 2033 season however it was changed to the top 8 teams of each league in a Stanley Cup finals type playoffs. Sims are usually 10 days each and on Monday-Wednesday-Friday. Tomorrow (Monday) is the first Spring Training sim. Team History In 2000, the NPBL's inaugural season a team called the Montana Warriors took the GEL flag, losing the first National Cup Series (our championship series) to the Pennsylvania Locomotives 4 games to 0. After an 85-win 2001 campaign the Warriors disbanded and all players were assigned to a new expansion franchise, the Utah Scorpions. In their first season in 2002 Utah won the GEL North with 93 wins, in 2003 Utah beat the Maryland Admirals to take their first championship. In 2007 they came back and beat the North Carolina Clippers and became the first team in NPBL history to win multiple titles. As of 2037, they have yet to win another title. Utah was up and down for many years, they had a great run 2028-2031 in which they won as many as 113 games (2031) with no fewer wins than 102 (2028) and won 4 straight GEL West titles. However despite two GEL Championships during that time in 2029 and 2031 then Scorpions couldn't get the win in the National Cup championship series. However, starting in 2034 the team took a downward swing. They went 62-100 that season, before falling even more in 2035 with 44-118 record which was the second worse in franchise history since 2023 when they went 39-123(!). Then I took over. Utah was ownerless so I stepped up and took over the operations of the franchise, hoping to restore Utah to their former glory. In my first year in the front office Utah improved by 14 wins to 58-104. Now in 2037 I continue my goal of putting the sting back in the Scorpions! Links NPBL Reports A great written account of the league's history

02-28-2010, 07:02 PM	#2
norva13x Major Leagues Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 476	Spring Training Report: As Spring Training kicks off tomorrow, we will look at my organization position by position and see what players we should be following heading into 2037. Note: Some players might appear on different teams/minor league levels then I claim in the write up, this is because they online reports won't be updated with my roster changes until tomorrow morning. Catchers Since 2027 Frederick Derrickson was the starting catcher for Utah, last year during spring training however he tore his anterior cruciate ligament and missed the entire season, this year he is fighting for a back-up spot. Utah has two great young players waiting in the wings. One is 27 year old Francisco Franco who will start this year, a solid defensive catcher Franco started last year in place of Derrickson, a four star prospect Franco has yet to reach his full potential but I am hoping another full year in the bigs will give him the boost he needs. The other youngster is Bob Collins, a young 19 year old playing right now in Single-A Ogden, as a 4 1/2 star prospect we have a lot of hope for him in Utah, but he will most likely not get any playing time in the bigs this year, not even in spring training. Derrickson and Min Ouyang will battle for the back-up spot. Ouyang is the projected winner helped in part by his superior defensive skills. Frederick Derrickson Francisco Franco Min Ouyang Bob Collins First Basemen At 1B all we really have is a slew of utility type guys, there is no one there who is a clear cut leader at this position, we have 6 guys who could all see time at that position, possibly more if we decide to rotate a few position players! As of right now Rod Plummer is probably our best over all. He has a solid batter's eye but is pretty average everywhere else. Despite being a designated 1B, he will be playing 3rd during spring against lefties and will be sitting out mostly against righties to give some prospects a crack at first. For Spring Training and maybe beyond I will be playing Mike Martin at 1st, at 23 years old and 3 years in the minors I am going to gamble a bit and put him in the bigs, the boy has the potential with some serious pop to his bat and a good eye and I am hoping a little nudge will help him develop faster. Rod Plummer Mike Martin Second Baseman Romano Solice is the likely starter here, he is a decent 2B with some real gap power but with only average defense. For spring training at the very least he will split time with Jack Scofield who at 22 has spent 5 years in the minors. Fitting with my philosophy this year of giving a lot of my 22 and up prospects serious big league playing time he will most likely take some at bats throughout the year in Utah. Romano Solice Jack Scofield Third Basemen and Shortstops I am combining the two positions because sadly, there is not much positive, or really anything to discuss here. We have Mark Agnes who for spring will be playing SS despite being listed a 3B, Rod Plummer who we discussed earlier will take some reps as a 3B while Natsu Koda will play the same position against righties to gain some experience. Mark Agnes Natsu Koda Left Fielders John Houck started for us last year, entering his 8th season he is a .264 career hitter with decent stats, but nothing to write home about. This year keeping with my team's "revolving door" policy with minor and major league rosters he will share time with my top batting prospect Ken Daly who at 24 was still in A-ball at season's close last year which prompted me to start pushing my players more. Daly should be a decent defensive player but he has great contact potential and his power will be something to fear in a year or two! John Houck Ken Daly Central Fielders Rich Higgins is going to start, a solid young player he is one of the brighter spots on the Utah squad, during spring he will split time with Pat Galyon Jr. Galyon will also see some time in right for the exhibition schedule. Rich Higgins Pat Galyon Jr. Right Fielders This is where it gets confusing, Alexis Juarez is the main RF who is average at best and has probably already peaked. He will get little if any playing time in spring. Instead right will become the perfect example of our "musical chairs" version of fielding. Whose gonna play where? Tune in to find out! In Spring Galyon will split time between right and center, and LF prospect Carl Young will be out in right against lefties. Confused? I am too. Alexis Juarez Carl Young Next: We'll look at the pitchers Last edited by norva13x; 03-06-2010 at 03:05 PM.

02-28-2010, 09:25 PM	#3
norva13x Major Leagues Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 476	Pitching 1. Emmitt Hagar 2. Jorge Diaz 3. Miguel Martinez 4. Matt Rumble 5. Solo Atkins Really, not a bad rotation in my opinion. This probably won't change much if at all throughout the season. I just LOVE Jorge Diaz, 3 great pitches and at 21 is developing at a great pace. He along with Miguel Martinez and my first round draft pick Tekkan Morish ita could make up a fierce rotation in the next few years, especially if Morish ita can improve his stamina down in the minors. He will have time to adjust as he isn't planned to get any big league reps in this year. Bullpen Roberto Leyva John Collins Eleele Koukakala Matthew Jackson Thom Shepherd Will Clayton Cedric Melton* Closer: Scott Brito *Most likely will just play for spring training I think I have a pretty good bullpen, and it can only get better. I drafted 3 relievers this year and if 1 develops I have a strong bullpen, and if 2 do? A great bullpen, one of the stronger ones. I could always use more depth but I have lots of minor league talent waiting in the wings to hopefully fill that up. One player to watch for in the future is Dong-hee Paek, whom I am grooming to be the next closer on my team, as I am currently very weak there. Another guy to watch is Carlos Ortiz both down in rookie ball.

03-02-2010, 02:02 PM	#5
norva13x Major Leagues Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 476	Salt Lake City, Utah It is now a done deal, Utah has secured a stadium deal and construction on it begins tomorrow after an early afternoon ground breaking ceremony. It will be completed just in time for opening day in 2038. After spending their entire existence in the Westdome, the Scorpions have decided to part ways with the old facility and move forward with a brand new state-of-the art facility. The new stadium will feature a retractable roof, grass surface, and state of the art sound and visual equipment including powerful projectors which can project high quality images and sound onto the field as well as other attractions and features. The stadium's name has not yet been announced. It will be a pitcher friendly park. In honor of the dome, the team will wear special patches on their jerseys commemorating 3 and a half decades at the park. Many events will be held all season, including past Utah stars visiting, a weekend concert series after Saturday home games, and special meet-and-greet events for season ticket holders plus much more. Sunday, September 27 will feature the final scheduled game at the Westdome against the Hawaii Kula Sox, before the game the Scorpions will induct it's first members to the Utah Scorpions Hall of Fame, which will open next year at the new park. The new hall of famers as well as the current team will remain after the game for autograph signings. The season concludes October 4th at Idaho.

03-03-2010, 06:28 PM	#6
norva13x Major Leagues Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 476	Scottsdale, Arizona The Utah Scorpions have closed up camp in Scottsdale and are preparing for the season opening series starting April 6 against California. The Scorpions are quite happy with the way things progressed, despite a 4-9 start they wrapped up exhibition play with a 10-14 record and saw some improvement among their prospects. Utah fans all over have been discussing what the opening lineup will be, and today GM and owner Seth Lloyd released opening day lineups. Vs. Righties: Pat Galyon RF John Houck LF Rich Higgans CF Rod Plummer 3B Mark Agnes SS Tony Jalon 1B Romano Solice 2B Francisco Franco C Vs. Lefties: Pat Galyon RF Rich Higgans CF Francisco Franco C Romano Solice 2B Mark Agnes SS Tony Jalon 1B Rod Plummer 3B Carl Young LF Galyon will lead off, despite batting below the mendoza line in spring training. But really, this team just doesn't have anyone who carries a big BA. Hopefully as some of our prospects improve that will change. It will be interesting to see how Pat handles the lead off role and depending on how he does we will see if he can keep that spot for a while. Alexis Juarez as of now is probably slightly better, but I decided to throw in Carl Young at the bottom of the order versus lefties to get some experience in. I feel batting there he won't be in to much danger. Juarez will be the utility man in the outfield to start the year. Ken Daly is the guy who I've been wanting to get in the bigs, I feel he just needs a little push to start developing. He had a decent spring and hit .277, but I am going to start him out in AAA West Valley City. He will only spend a month or so there most likely, we'll see how he does before we pull him up. He will get some big league playing time for sure though this season one way or the other. At catcher despite my feeling of Min Ouyang being the better catcher, he had a bad spring training so I am going to stick him in AAA and see if he can get his head back in the game. As of right now Frederick Derrickson will be the back up catcher. He does bring veteran leadership to the table as well which is always good. We'll learn a lot about this team coming up, our first 10 games are all on the road against the three 100-win teams from the GEL West last year in California, Idaho, and defending NPBL Champions Washington. I am just crossing my finger Galyon doesn't get overwhelmed out there!

03-04-2010, 01:48 PM	#7
norva13x Major Leagues Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 476	Utah announces starting rotation and bullpen assignments: Starting Rotation: 1. Jorge Diaz 2. Miguel Martinez 3. Emmitt Hagar 4. Matt Rumble 5. Solo Atkins Spot Starters: Thom Shepherd Bullpen: John Collins Matthew Jackson Thom Shepherd Ben Lauder Eleele Koukakala Roberto Leyva Closers: Scott Brito Ben Lauder Not much to say here...

03-07-2010, 01:56 PM	#8
norva13x Major Leagues Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 476	Our first 5 games of the 2037 season started with us taking 3 of 4 from California, a team who finished with a 102-60 record last season, not a bad start! We dropped our first game of a 3 game series against Idaho 4-1, but our two best pitchers Diaz and Martinez are lined up to start the next two games so it should be fun to see how they do. Speaking of my two aces, both put together gems in their first games. Diaz pitched 7 scoreless innings giving up only 3 hits to earn win #1 of the season. Martinez had an almost identical performance the very next game to wrap up win #2. I hope to see a few more gems like this this season. On the offensive side of the ball, it's been pretty anemic to say the least. Remember though 5 games is quite a small sample size. Pat Gaylon Jr. is performing the best right now with 8 hits in his first 21 at bats for a .381 average. His OBP is identical (Hmm...). Carl Young didn't get any hits in 11 at bats, I was thinking of replacing him but my back-up out fielder Alexis Juarez got hurt and will be out for 5 days. I don't think for at least the next sim I will make any changes. Down in the minors Ken Daly is doing great in AAA, he's hitting .438 and getting on base at a.471 clip. I am not ready to bring him in the bigs yet, but if he can keep up the great pace he'll see it sooner than later. Tekkan Morish ita won his first game in rookie ball as did Cedric Melton who pitched a gem, going 8 scoreless innings and surrendering just one hit!