The Franchise Progress Thread - Page 7

Orcin · 08-25-2011, 03:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MizzouRah

Johan Santana will get the ball in what could be his last game as a Cardinal.

Ah, but no pressure there.

MizzouRah · 08-25-2011, 11:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Orcin

Ah, but no pressure there.

We lose 3-1 and get swept in the first round.

It's going to be a long offseason...

Orcin · 08-26-2011, 08:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MizzouRah

We lose 3-1 and get swept in the first round.

It's going to be a long offseason...

The winds of change are blowing through St. Louis. A few houses have gone on the market.

MizzouRah · 08-26-2011, 12:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Orcin

The winds of change are blowing through St. Louis. A few houses have gone on the market.

LOL

Orcin · 08-27-2011, 05:11 PM

2012 Astros: 85-77, 3rd, 4GB (2GB-WC)

In their first year back in the American League, the Milwaukee Brewers won the 2012 World Series over the San Diego Padres. The other playoff teams were Seattle, Boston, Tampa Bay (WC) in the American League and Philadelphia, St. Louis, and Los Angeles (WC) in the National League.

The Padres signed Albert Pujols (.295/.417/.537 w/35HR) prior to the season, and he led them to the best regular-season record (97-65) in the National League. We signed Prince Fielder (.257/.392/.511 w/32HR) for a little less than Pujols, and the world champion Brewers didn’t seem to miss him. Did I sign the wrong big-name free agent? We will know better in a few years when Albert is 35 and Prince is 30.

We were in the race until the final weekend, and won a series from the two teams ahead of us (St. Louis and Cincinnati) during the last two weeks of September. We came up a little short in the end, but it was a really exciting finish – the likes of which haven’t been seen in Houston since 2005. Fan interest is up to 79 and we drew 3.1 million fans, up 27% over 2011. The payroll is #27/30 and the team made a $24 million profit for our “economizer” owner. Needless to say, he is “very happy” after giving me a goal to finish .500. (My score was 61 this year.)

The pitching was still really good, even after trading Wandy Rodriguez. The offense was mediocre, even with the additions of Prince Fielder and Josh Reddick. The lineup suffered from many injuries this season: Fielder played in only 128 games, Pence 98 games, and Drew 110 games. Fans don't want to hear that excuse, and frankly my injury problems were no worse than any other team. However, the offense improved a little toward the end of the year when we had everyone healthy, so I have hope for next year. After the season, I fired my trainer and hired a great one that had been let go by the Red Sox.

I was really happy with the result of my decision to keep Jordan Lyles at AAA in 2011. He developed into our ace mid-way through the 2012 season. He finished at 18-6 and led the majors with a 2.76 ERA. He was a strong contender for the Cy Young Award. J.A. Happ (13-13, 3.57) and Bud Norris (14-12, 3.74) were excellent #2 and #3 starters, and both are signed to good contracts through their arbitration years. Mark Melancon was #2 in the N.L. with 40 saves and I have a solid bullpen behind him. Pitching is not a big concern for the off-season, although I could use better #4/5 starters just like most other teams. I am hopeful that a couple of kids will surprise me in the early part of the season, just like Lyles did this year.

My predominantly left-handed lineup was 14-20 against left-handed pitching this season. We were 11th of 15 N.L. teams in runs scored, despite having the 3rd best batting average. We need a few more walks and more extra-base hits, especially from the right side of the plate. More healthy games for Pence will help a lot but I would also like to add a right-handed power bat for next year, perhaps a platoon outfielder or a middle infielder with some pop.

CF Michael Bourn and SS Stephen Drew are both LH hitters with $10 million salaries, so they could be moved to balance the lineup and payroll. Drew will be a free agent so he might be less attractive than Bourn, who led the majors with 70/83 steals and plays an outstanding center field. Bourn’s horrible .338 OPS against lefties (in 120 AB) probably cost me some games, and $10 million is a lot to pay for a platoon player, even one that leads the league in steals. However, I have no team speed without him.

I am anxious to see if any of my young talent is ready to be added to the roster for spring training. My Oklahoma City AAA team won their league championship with a mix of vets and young players. My 2011 #1 draft choice, LF Michael Steele, hit .409 with 4 HR’s in the final series. Lexington (A) also won their league, and my first two drafts are starting to climb through the organization. I had BA’s #5 minor league system last year and I expect that to go higher this time.

My budget for 2013 is $118 million, up $8 million from 2012, and I don't have any huge salary issues. I could actually consider signing a free-agent pitcher from among several stars available. Brett Wallace (1B) is developing into a real star (.310/.376/.530 w/28 HR, 88 RBI in 2012). He was close to a super-2 qualifier and his arbitration estimate was $6M. I bought out his arbitration years with a four-year, $12 million extension ($1M next year, $5M in the final year) - a bargain contract if he continues to play at this level. I plan to spend cash in spring training on one-year free agent(s) to improve my offense and/or add a veteran starting pitcher.

I think we should seriously contend for a playoff spot next year.

goosedennis · 08-27-2011, 09:17 PM

I started a MLB quickstart with the Pirates. My first job was to figure out who would be good for the Pirates this year. I decided that it would be best to not start Jason Jaramillo and let Ryan Doumit stay, but as soon as Chris Snyder was eligible to come off the DL, he was traded. I was able to get Zack Walters for him, but he struggled in 30 games and 100 ABs with my low-A team so I sent him to the Gulf Coast League where the season has yet to start. I signed Jose Castillo to get some depth in case I had a major injury in the MLB and just as that happened, Neil Walker (who has been mediocre this year) goes and fractures his foot and is out for 3 weeks.

In the draft I elected to choose 3B Pedro Sandoval. To really make room for him in my future, I moved Pedro Alvarez to 1B (he's currently in AA because of struggles in the Show and AAA) and Walters to short. After the draft I tried to trade Lyle Overhaul (who was actually doing worse than he did IRL) but (what a surprise) nobody wanted him. I ended up outright releasing him. After that, our other huge FA acquisition, Matt Diaz, requested to be traded. I ended up trading him for a stud 23 year old relief pitcher by the name of Sean O'Sullivan. O'Sullivan is 0-1 this year with an ERA of 3.34 and a WHIP of 1.26.

As of the All Star break, my team is 35-57. That is good enough for last place!

Luckily I still have this:

This is my lineup:

1. Jose Tabata, LF - .285/.328/.368, 1 HR, 10 RBI (253 AB)
2. Josh Harrison, 2B - .264/.287/.377, 3 HR, 39 RBI (329 AB)
3. Andrew McCuutchen, CF - .310/.392/.507, 11 HR, 50 RBI (339 AB)
4. Garrett Jones, RF - .307/.368/.557, 17 HR, 56 RBI (287 AB) [ALL-STAR SNUB]
5. Ryan Doumit, C - .267/.326/.440, 8 HR, 37 RBI
6. Andrew Lambo, 1B - .333/.313/.400, 0 HR, 2 RBI (15 AB)
7. Josh Rodriguez, SS - .216/.274/.341, 3 HR, 18 RBI (167 AB)
8. Jose Castillo, 3B - .279/.315/.423, 1 HR, 13 RBI (104 AB)

MizzouRah · 08-27-2011, 09:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Orcin

I think we should seriously contend for a playoff spot next year.

Good luck Orcin!

I'm working on a deal to bring Molina back to St. Louis.

goosedennis · 08-28-2011, 08:03 PM

I ended up finishing 65-97, so at least I improved on 2010. I got a score of 1 of 100 lol. My owner is "mad" so I might get fired pretty soon.

Klew1986 · 08-29-2011, 10:20 AM

I'm in the process of getting a fictional game set up. It will be a 12 team league and have 130 games per season.

Atlantic Baseball League

Upper Atlantic League
Boston Black Bears
Baltimore Bandits
Columbus Crusaders
New York Empires
Philadelphia Freedom
Pittsburgh Patriots

Lower Atlantic League
Atlanta Avengers
Jacksonville Lynx
Memphis Outlaws
Miami Rage
Nashville Bobcats
Raleigh Wildcats

Klew1986 · 08-29-2011, 02:06 PM

After simming from 1987 through 2010, I have taken over the Atlanta Avengers.

MizzouRah · 08-29-2011, 02:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Klew1986

After simming from 1987 through 2010, I have taken over the Atlanta Avengers.

No St. Louis?

Klew1986 · 08-29-2011, 03:19 PM

Right now it's Atlantic cities. Maybe down the road, there will be expansion.

MizzouRah · 08-29-2011, 03:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Klew1986

Right now it's Atlantic cities. Maybe down the road, there will be expansion.

There better be

Klew1986 · 08-29-2011, 03:43 PM

Just hold your horses. I expect to expand the league to 14 teams in the new few years.

Klew1986 · 08-29-2011, 04:36 PM

Maybe my league needs more testing. I just looked at the draft class for the 2011 season and it has just 4 players that are 3.5 star potential or better. I set it for 20 rounds and generate players for 25 rounds. I have NEVER seen a draft class that bad before.

Klew1986 · 08-31-2011, 08:59 AM

I have the #1 overall pick in the upcoming draft and I have to decide between two SPs or a good looking 1B

MizzouRah · 08-31-2011, 09:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Klew1986

I have the #1 overall pick in the upcoming draft and I have to decide between two SPs or a good looking 1B

Attracted to a cyber baseball player, eh?

Klew1986 · 08-31-2011, 09:04 AM

Yeah. His FaceGen is just that good looking. I'll work on posting their ratings and stuff.

Klew1986 · 08-31-2011, 09:10 AM

Here are the top 3 contenders right now:

Name: CodyAlexander copy.jpg
Views: 241
Size: 124.6 KB

Name: JorgeTrujillo copy.jpg
Views: 240
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Name: TommyBlake copy.jpg
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MizzouRah · 08-31-2011, 10:20 AM

I like Tommy Blake.

08-27-2011, 05:11 PM	#125
Orcin Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Indiana Posts: 9,875	2012 Astros: 85-77, 3rd, 4GB (2GB-WC) In their first year back in the American League, the Milwaukee Brewers won the 2012 World Series over the San Diego Padres. The other playoff teams were Seattle, Boston, Tampa Bay (WC) in the American League and Philadelphia, St. Louis, and Los Angeles (WC) in the National League. The Padres signed Albert Pujols (.295/.417/.537 w/35HR) prior to the season, and he led them to the best regular-season record (97-65) in the National League. We signed Prince Fielder (.257/.392/.511 w/32HR) for a little less than Pujols, and the world champion Brewers didn’t seem to miss him. Did I sign the wrong big-name free agent? We will know better in a few years when Albert is 35 and Prince is 30. We were in the race until the final weekend, and won a series from the two teams ahead of us (St. Louis and Cincinnati) during the last two weeks of September. We came up a little short in the end, but it was a really exciting finish – the likes of which haven’t been seen in Houston since 2005. Fan interest is up to 79 and we drew 3.1 million fans, up 27% over 2011. The payroll is #27/30 and the team made a $24 million profit for our “economizer” owner. Needless to say, he is “very happy” after giving me a goal to finish .500. (My score was 61 this year.) The pitching was still really good, even after trading Wandy Rodriguez. The offense was mediocre, even with the additions of Prince Fielder and Josh Reddick. The lineup suffered from many injuries this season: Fielder played in only 128 games, Pence 98 games, and Drew 110 games. Fans don't want to hear that excuse, and frankly my injury problems were no worse than any other team. However, the offense improved a little toward the end of the year when we had everyone healthy, so I have hope for next year. After the season, I fired my trainer and hired a great one that had been let go by the Red Sox. I was really happy with the result of my decision to keep Jordan Lyles at AAA in 2011. He developed into our ace mid-way through the 2012 season. He finished at 18-6 and led the majors with a 2.76 ERA. He was a strong contender for the Cy Young Award. J.A. Happ (13-13, 3.57) and Bud Norris (14-12, 3.74) were excellent #2 and #3 starters, and both are signed to good contracts through their arbitration years. Mark Melancon was #2 in the N.L. with 40 saves and I have a solid bullpen behind him. Pitching is not a big concern for the off-season, although I could use better #4/5 starters just like most other teams. I am hopeful that a couple of kids will surprise me in the early part of the season, just like Lyles did this year. My predominantly left-handed lineup was 14-20 against left-handed pitching this season. We were 11th of 15 N.L. teams in runs scored, despite having the 3rd best batting average. We need a few more walks and more extra-base hits, especially from the right side of the plate. More healthy games for Pence will help a lot but I would also like to add a right-handed power bat for next year, perhaps a platoon outfielder or a middle infielder with some pop. CF Michael Bourn and SS Stephen Drew are both LH hitters with $10 million salaries, so they could be moved to balance the lineup and payroll. Drew will be a free agent so he might be less attractive than Bourn, who led the majors with 70/83 steals and plays an outstanding center field. Bourn’s horrible .338 OPS against lefties (in 120 AB) probably cost me some games, and $10 million is a lot to pay for a platoon player, even one that leads the league in steals. However, I have no team speed without him. I am anxious to see if any of my young talent is ready to be added to the roster for spring training. My Oklahoma City AAA team won their league championship with a mix of vets and young players. My 2011 #1 draft choice, LF Michael Steele, hit .409 with 4 HR’s in the final series. Lexington (A) also won their league, and my first two drafts are starting to climb through the organization. I had BA’s #5 minor league system last year and I expect that to go higher this time. My budget for 2013 is $118 million, up $8 million from 2012, and I don't have any huge salary issues. I could actually consider signing a free-agent pitcher from among several stars available. Brett Wallace (1B) is developing into a real star (.310/.376/.530 w/28 HR, 88 RBI in 2012). He was close to a super-2 qualifier and his arbitration estimate was $6M. I bought out his arbitration years with a four-year, $12 million extension ($1M next year, $5M in the final year) - a bargain contract if he continues to play at this level. I plan to spend cash in spring training on one-year free agent(s) to improve my offense and/or add a veteran starting pitcher. I think we should seriously contend for a playoff spot next year.

08-27-2011, 09:17 PM	#126
goosedennis Minors (Single A) Join Date: Apr 2011 Posts: 86	I started a MLB quickstart with the Pirates. My first job was to figure out who would be good for the Pirates this year. I decided that it would be best to not start Jason Jaramillo and let Ryan Doumit stay, but as soon as Chris Snyder was eligible to come off the DL, he was traded. I was able to get Zack Walters for him, but he struggled in 30 games and 100 ABs with my low-A team so I sent him to the Gulf Coast League where the season has yet to start. I signed Jose Castillo to get some depth in case I had a major injury in the MLB and just as that happened, Neil Walker (who has been mediocre this year) goes and fractures his foot and is out for 3 weeks. In the draft I elected to choose 3B Pedro Sandoval. To really make room for him in my future, I moved Pedro Alvarez to 1B (he's currently in AA because of struggles in the Show and AAA) and Walters to short. After the draft I tried to trade Lyle Overhaul (who was actually doing worse than he did IRL) but (what a surprise) nobody wanted him. I ended up outright releasing him. After that, our other huge FA acquisition, Matt Diaz, requested to be traded. I ended up trading him for a stud 23 year old relief pitcher by the name of Sean O'Sullivan. O'Sullivan is 0-1 this year with an ERA of 3.34 and a WHIP of 1.26. As of the All Star break, my team is 35-57. That is good enough for last place! Luckily I still have this: This is my lineup: 1. Jose Tabata, LF - .285/.328/.368, 1 HR, 10 RBI (253 AB) 2. Josh Harrison, 2B - .264/.287/.377, 3 HR, 39 RBI (329 AB) 3. Andrew McCuutchen, CF - .310/.392/.507, 11 HR, 50 RBI (339 AB) 4. Garrett Jones, RF - .307/.368/.557, 17 HR, 56 RBI (287 AB) [ALL-STAR SNUB] 5. Ryan Doumit, C - .267/.326/.440, 8 HR, 37 RBI 6. Andrew Lambo, 1B - .333/.313/.400, 0 HR, 2 RBI (15 AB) 7. Josh Rodriguez, SS - .216/.274/.341, 3 HR, 18 RBI (167 AB) 8. Jose Castillo, 3B - .279/.315/.423, 1 HR, 13 RBI (104 AB)

08-28-2011, 08:03 PM	#128
goosedennis Minors (Single A) Join Date: Apr 2011 Posts: 86	I ended up finishing 65-97, so at least I improved on 2010. I got a score of 1 of 100 lol. My owner is "mad" so I might get fired pretty soon.

08-29-2011, 10:20 AM	#129
Klew1986 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 2,727	I'm in the process of getting a fictional game set up. It will be a 12 team league and have 130 games per season. Atlantic Baseball League *Upper Atlantic League* Boston Black Bears Baltimore Bandits Columbus Crusaders New York Empires Philadelphia Freedom Pittsburgh Patriots *Lower Atlantic League* Atlanta Avengers Jacksonville Lynx Memphis Outlaws Miami Rage Nashville Bobcats Raleigh Wildcats

08-29-2011, 02:06 PM	#130
Klew1986 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 2,727	After simming from 1987 through 2010, I have taken over the Atlanta Avengers.

08-29-2011, 03:19 PM	#132
Klew1986 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 2,727	Right now it's Atlantic cities. Maybe down the road, there will be expansion.

08-29-2011, 03:43 PM	#134
Klew1986 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 2,727	Just hold your horses. I expect to expand the league to 14 teams in the new few years.

08-29-2011, 04:36 PM	#135
Klew1986 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 2,727	Maybe my league needs more testing. I just looked at the draft class for the 2011 season and it has just 4 players that are 3.5 star potential or better. I set it for 20 rounds and generate players for 25 rounds. I have NEVER seen a draft class that bad before.

08-31-2011, 08:59 AM	#136
Klew1986 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 2,727	I have the #1 overall pick in the upcoming draft and I have to decide between two SPs or a good looking 1B

08-31-2011, 09:04 AM	#138
Klew1986 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 2,727	Yeah. His FaceGen is just that good looking. I'll work on posting their ratings and stuff.

08-31-2011, 09:10 AM	#139
Klew1986 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 2,727	Here are the top 3 contenders right now:

08-31-2011, 10:20 AM	#140
MizzouRah Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Troy, Mo Posts: 6,266	I like Tommy Blake.