Yet Another OOTP6 Dynasty, Year 2: One Flew Over the Pale Hose

[canadiancreed]

Vernon Wells was the big midseason acquisition, picked up when Toronto had one of their little Canadian fits.

Excuse me, there's a certain GM that I have to beat into a gelatinous paste now. Be back in a few.....

[canadiancreed]

Originally Posted by cknox0723

Here is the best +1 of all.

proof that the apocolyspe is nigh!

[ifspuds]

*whistle*

Going the crafty veteran route, I see. I can see Scarborough for Podsednik. It's a calculated risk, but in a world of TINSTAAP (whether or not such a phenomenon is repeatable in OOTPworld) a guy with that kind of OBP with that sort of success rate in swipes is worth a 22-year old pitcher like Scarborough.

It's the Anderson, Gallo and Wing (mostly Anderson) for Cordero, Miller and Wikipedia that I'm not so sure about. It's really all about Miller, I guess. You say he was 8-15, 4.64 last year. What are his career numbers? I'm a little less cheerful about trading 25-year old OFs with some reasonable numbers and a bit of potential, especially for a 30-year old swingman making $4.8mil and two guys that aren't likely to help you much.

[Jestor]

If and when Scarborough Faire becomes a genuine ace pitcher and Hall of Famer, I'll be the first one to read you the riot act, Mr. Knox!

But OTOH, I can now watch him pitch every summer since Milwaukee's 30-45 min. away from my hometown.

As much as I dislike Anderson and think he's overrated IRL, all those veterans have me awful leery. IMO you should have picked up a young guy as well if at all possible. This trade to me is looking a little too much like a Marlins thing.

[Vris]

If I say I'm disappointed your gunning for it all this year, that would be stupid. If I said I was happy you traded away a complete stud who could be your rotation's anchor for the next 15 years, that wouuld be stupid too.

Hmm.

[cknox0723]

Originally Posted by Vris

If I say I'm disappointed your gunning for it all this year, that would be stupid. If I said I was happy you traded away a complete stud who could be your rotation's anchor for the next 15 years, that wouuld be stupid too.

Hmm.

I feel the same way about the trade, you know, and I'm the one who actually made it.

Originally Posted by ifspuds

It's the Anderson, Gallo and Wing (mostly Anderson) for Cordero, Miller and Wikipedia that I'm not so sure about.

Right. This being OOTP, Scarborough for Podsednik just wouldn't fly on its own - I guess it was too perfect of a trade for the AI to be satisfied.

But that's the part of the trade that makes me consider self-immolation, actually. I am fine with selling high on Mike Gallo, whatever the return may be - and my gut tells me that Brian Anderson is being sold high, as well. Maybe it's a miscalculation, but look at the boy's minor league numbers:

YR/LEVEL	AB	AVG	OBP	SLG	BB/K
2004 (A)	463	.270	.346	.454	57/122
2004 (AA)	63	.190	.257	.222	6/13
2005 (AA)	182	.346	.374	.604	8/24
2005 (AAA)	291	.275	.326	.423	22/56
2006 (AAA)	355	.307	.370	.479	37/74
2007 (AAA)	36	.444	.487	.528	1/2

I am interested to know how you interpret them. He has some gaudy numbers in short stints, but I also see a guy without a significant strength - all things considered, average batting average, average plate discipline, average power, and not a ton of room between his head and the ceiling considering he is already 25 years old. And "And"(erson) did not seem capable of handling center field, so you are left praising the guy for his .284 batting average and 34 RBI. Dmitri Young played left field for the godawful Pale Hose last season, whacked hits at a .310 rate and slugged .448, mostly thanks to 40 doubles. If we can have a player like that in left field on a lousy team, who is to say we can't replace this Anderson guy next season, after Podsednik moves on? Certainly not me.

I also like Wade Miller as much as I can like any 8-15 pitcher.

YR	IP	H	BB	K	ERA
2004	204.2	166	62	200	3.34
2005	203.1	207	71	195	4.56
2006	207.1	203	64	176	4.64
2007	62.0	56	18	41	3.63

Usually ain't my type of guy, but I think it's silly to dismiss him based on one (OK, two) less than stellar seasons as Milwaukee did. Author's Note: League-average ERA was just a hair over four in the National League last year, and not much higher than that in '05, so those numbers really aren't very good. Doesn't faze me. Miller still hits the mid-90's on the radar gun more than just once a month and has a good habit of keeping his hard slider down in the zone. We have run into the occasional pitching problem over the last year-point-five because many of the men pitching for the Pale Hose:

1. didn't hit the mid-90's on the radar gun...like, ever. (Jon Rauch, Nate Cornejo, Marc Kaiser, Felix Diaz)
2. didn't have the good habit of keeping the ball in the strike zone, let alone down in the strike zone (Rick Ankiel, Jorge DePaula, Fabio Castro, Rick Hummel)

P.S. This year, Miller's won-lost is 5-4, so he's not really an 8-15 man anymore.

Maybe Chris Scarborough would have bucked the above trend; certainly the boy could bring the cheddar. But his control has led to some triple-A walk rates that are just OK; that's also been a major factor in a proliferation of home runs allowed that's a little less than OK. It's a mistake to part with a kid who probably had a double-digit strikeout rate in T-ball, but what the hey. Only live once, only have the chance at the 2007 AL Central crown once. That's basically why I didn't bother picking up a young whippersnapper in the deal; if I got up the cojones to make this deal, may as well make the deal. No half-assing it. If we're going for this division, then let's roll.

So here we are, rolling on. No looking back.

[cknox0723]

Oof, I see our boy has made his first start in Milwaukee and the line is a stellar one:

Milwaukee 	 	IP  H R ER BB K HR PI PS ERA
C. Scarborough (W, 1-0)	5.1 5 0 0  1  7 0  91 53 0.00

Time to roll back the file to the most recent backup. Claim the computer is virus-riddled, or even addled. Or maybe just pretend that I thought the cream & clear were vitamins when I made the trade.

Meanwhile, fictional Messrs. Podsednik, Miller, and Cordero will remain in DFA purgatory until our train reaches Kansas City on 7/23. They are coming from Los Angeles, you know!

[canadiancreed]

Originally Posted by cknox0723

Oof, I see our boy has made his first start in Milwaukee and the line is a stellar one:

Milwaukee 	 	IP  H R ER BB K HR PI PS ERA
C. Scarborough (W, 1-0)	5.1 5 0 0  1  7 0  91 53 0.00

Time to roll back the file to the most recent backup. Claim the computer is virus-riddled, or even addled. Or maybe just pretend that I thought the cream & clear were vitamins when I made the trade.

Meanwhile, fictional Messrs. Podsednik, Miller, and Cordero will remain in DFA purgatory until our train reaches Kansas City on 7/23. They are coming from Los Angeles, you know!

hey now, you made the trade, time to be burned by it

[zukes]

Good luck with the trade, I know I was one who was pushing for it. Let's get some games rolling.

[Jestor]

Originally Posted by cknox0723

Oof, I see our boy has made his first start in Milwaukee and the line is a stellar one:

Milwaukee 	 	IP  H R ER BB K HR PI PS ERA
C. Scarborough (W, 1-0)	5.1 5 0 0  1  7 0  91 53 0.00

Time to roll back the file to the most recent backup. Claim the computer is virus-riddled, or even addled. Or maybe just pretend that I thought the cream & clear were vitamins when I made the trade.

Meanwhile, fictional Messrs. Podsednik, Miller, and Cordero will remain in DFA purgatory until our train reaches Kansas City on 7/23. They are coming from Los Angeles, you know!

I feel vindicated now.

But do keep track of my man Scaborough's career, will you?

[Y0DA55]

I was on the fence with the trade, Craig. I ALWAYS have a hard time dealing young arms (as they are the hardest thing to find). But, you are playing for this year (because by the time you finish year three, three more versions of OOTP will have come out), and I hope the hose can hang on, because I think you just sacrificed your future there.

But, play for the present, because next year is a long ways away. Hope this works out! But I'll still be rooting for Scarbs.

[zukes]

That's weird because I find pitching is easy to find, I have more trouble finding power hitters.

[cknox0723]

That's weird because I find pitching is easy to find, I have more trouble finding power hitters.

Agreed, at least with the second part. Of course, then you ask, "Why trade for a guy who has never hit ten home runs before?" and to that I pray you choke on a banana.

[cknox0723]

The day of this swap of a future All-Star for a current one, the ballgame with Detroit seems almost secondary, but I guess the boys in Pale Hose missed the memo. The twenty-five year old right-hander Rich Harden has been an ace caliber pitcher ever since being acquired on July 31, '04, for a trio of prospects who have since flamed out, but he has slammed into the wall hard this year. Velocity is down, control is a bit off, and his sharp breaking pitches are as much a dullard as the inimitable ______ ______ whom I work with. This game, this outing is no different. Ramon Vazquez leads off with a single to right, Adam Kennedy strikes with a three-bagger to right-center, and Magglio Ordonez bashes a double. Just nine pitchers to only three batters, but there's a quick two runs. We add a slower two by the end of the inning and never look back behind the always-outstanding Mark Buehrle, who allows three runs over 84 pitches, only significant because nominal ace Harden allowed six runs and ten hits in three-and-a-third, half the time. Predictably, digging yourself such a hole ain't a great way to win a ballgame, and a spirited comeback against recent call-up Fabio Castro falls just a few miles short. 8-5, White side.

The next ballgame is another exercise in futility, as this time the Tigers try to win a game without scoring any runs. It fails...miserably. We don't scratch more than a few hits off over eight strong innings from another young right-hander in Beltran Perez, who had excellent command of the changeup on this afternoon delight. But we found our baby in the top half of the first inning when Adam Kennedy whacked a one-out double to right and Vernon Wells smacked a two-out ribbie base-knock over short. Jon Garland held onto her tight, tossing seven scoreless frames. How? When it's right, it's right. Perhaps any old reliever could close out a two-run lead against the clawless Tigers, but why wait until the middle of a cold dark night for the dynamic duo of Aki Otsuka and Joe Roa? They close the books on the two-zip ballgame and everything is a little clearer in the light of day, at least on this day.

We know the night is always gonna be there anyway, but maybe night will never fall on this team. Dynamic outfielder Podsednik and veteran infielder Cordero (whose 15 home runs would lead the team) and pitcher Miller meet the team back in the Second City, where the Royals are in town for a trio. Esteban, the singularly-named veteran right-hander, quickly disposes of the visitors in the first half-frame and then it is time for the new lineup to make hay against 35 year old Todd Ritchie, once a half-decent pitcher who now has a good shot at losing 17 for a second consecutive season.

So maybe that is why Ramon Vazquez draws a walk to start the home half and then ideal leadoff man Podsednik, batting second, triples into the right field corner in his first American League at-bat, making it one-nothing. Yes, it is because of the pitcher, not Magglio Ordonez, that our #3 man hits a long fly ball out to right-center to plate "Pods." And Eric Munson's four-bagger a dozen pitches and an out later ain't because he's a blue ox-man, but because the right-hander on the mound is movement-shy and gopher-prone.

Munson's prodigious two-run blast with two outs in the fifth that puts the game on five-nothing ice is certainly because of his massive biceps, though. It helps that this Ritchie fellow offers us extra helpings of hard fastballs right down center street...but these Pale Hose fellows are winning at a rate you would have scoffed at last year because they can play:

7/1/2007: L 5-4 @ TOR - RHRP J. Roa (4-3) blows one-run lead provided by PH E. Munson's eighth-inning firecracker (#13)
7/2: W 4-2 vs. TB - A third inning rain delay wreaks havoc on The Cell; we emerge victorious thanks to three strong innings from RHRP Bevis (1-2)
7/3: L 5-1 vs. TB - One pitcher allows nine hits in six innings and the other allows one, but Joe Roa (4-4) melts down in the seventh and 1B Phelps's grand slam ignites the fire.
7/4: W 5-3 vs. TB - OF Raul Gonzalez hits a third inning home run to erase a 3-1 deficit and LHRP "Wild Thing" Ankiel gets the win by tossing scoreless frames four and five.
7/6: W 4-3 vs. MIN - INF Branyan (now in AAA due to a .113/.284/.208 line in 53 AB) hits his only HR this year off of RP Beltran in the eighth to break a 3-3 tie.
7/7: W 5-1 vs. MIN - Esteban carries a no-hitter into the sixth and a shutout into the ninth. He falls short once and then twice, but RF "Buddha" Ordonez's 3-run HR (12) in the fifth is enough compensation.
7/8: W 4-3 vs. MIN - Ryan Franklin, age 35, 20 starts and an 8-6 record in the last two seasons, matches the six strong innings from 29 year old Ben Sheets, 54 starts and an 18-16 mark. Rule 5 pick Beltran blows another one despite the nice ~2.50 ERA - this time the run is inherited, as PH Olivo doubles off left-hander Fultz to plate Catalanotto with one out in the eighth.
7/9: W 5-3 vs. TB - CF Wells smashes a three-run sixth-inning double in his first game with the club.
7/10: W 3-1 vs. TB - 26 year old RHSP Nannini was throwing AAA this time two months ago, but he throws a complete game, two-hit shutout and strikes out nine Devil Rays on this warm night. RHSP S. McClung is his usual wild self - this year, it has been effective (7-7 W-L, 3.11 ERA); last year he was 8-18. Three hits, four walks and three runs over six just wasn't enough this time.
7/11: W 3-0 vs. TB - They can't hit Nannini. You really think they're going to hit LH Ace Buehrle, with a career record thirty games above .500?
7/12: OFF
7/13: RHRP Calero (not pictured) went to the All-Star game and I hope he had a good time watching. CF Wells got to play a little bit, but having only three games with our club at this point, he was really a representative for Toronto. Maybe if he'd gone three-for-three and not oh-fer, I would claim him, too.
7/14: BURNISHED
7/15: day after previous
7/16: L 3-1 vs. BAL - Ace Buehrle, still miffed about missing the grandiose ballgame a few days prior, throws up a real stinker - 8 IP, 3 H, 1 BB, 7 K, 2 R. Somehow he ends up on the losing side anyway.
7/17: W 6-3 vs. BAL - SUCK ON THAT MARYLAND ******S
7/18: W 4-3 (11) vs. BAL - And this one, too. The club's six (6) defensive changes in the eighth inning did not help down the stretch. But RHRP Bauer should not have thrown a fat one to #3 hitter Ordonez with the winning run at third in the bottom of the eleventh.
7/19: W 5-4 @ DET - RHSP Ryan Franklin (5-3, 2.97) scatters seven hits over five; RHSP Suppan (9-7, 2.76) is not so lucky - SS Vazquez's two doubles and LF Catalanotto's tater (6) were the guilty parties. LH"RP" Ankiel gets cuffed around but RHRP Roa sneaks out of the eighth with the lead and mo's 'em down in the ninth.
7/20: W 4-1 @ DET - Yet another good outing from this Nannini guy (5-2, 2.75) - 7 IP, 5 H, 0 BB, 6 K, 1 R. 1B Catalanotto brings home two on a first-inning triple and smacks three hits in the four at-bats that follow.

Add on the few paragraphs at the beginning and you've reached the present, 7/24/2007. We are an astounding 15-3 in this July month and are six games up in the division, and a half-game above the Empire for the best record in all of baseball.

This is not a .592 team, not when they have had 18 more games at home than on the road and not when they lost 93 last year. But this is not that same lousy ballclub, either, so it would be one hell of a miserable fiasco if the threads unraveled down the stretch.

[zukes]

Whoo-hoo, Go Sox!

[BadluckinOOTP]

You should have looked into getting a bonafide flamethrower (not named Rick Ankiel) for your bullpen in one of those trades. A Ryan Wagner, or Octavio Dotel, or someone along those lines.

Or Mike Stanton.

His teams are always good.

Why the hell don't you have Mike Stanton?

[BadluckinOOTP]

dola,

Get Jeff Nelson too while you're at it.

Thanks!

[zukes]

The same Jeff Nelson that gave up the dinger to Hillenbrand on Saturday that nearly caused Ozzie Guillen's head to explode?

[The Funk]

Bloody hell!

[cknox0723]

Originally Posted by cknox0723

But this is not that same lousy ballclub, either, so it would be one hell of a miserable fiasco if the threads unraveled down the stretch.

7/24/07: KC 13, @CHW 3

Kansas City right fielder Greg Norton's two-run single with two outs in the top of the first inning put the Pale Hose in a quick deficit, but that would pale in comparison to what was to come. Right-hander Ryan Franklin (5-4) was able to man the batallions and fight the good fight for a few frames, but Kansas City hit the royal flush with an eight-run fourth that included three home runs. Left fielder Abraham Nunez followed up Irving Falu's leadoff walk with a big fly to right that just kept carrying, his eighth round-tripper of the season, and a free pass to opposing moundsman Rodrigo Lopez (2-3) was the straw that would break Franklin's back a second time. Speedsters Henry Mateo and Rich Thompson dinked and dunked their way on with one-base hits that loaded up the bases, and then the incomparable Mike Sweeney unloaded them by dinking one off of the left field foul pole. Right fielder Norton followed with another four-bagger, bringing on left-hander Fabio Castro from the Chicago bullpen. He'd stop the home run onslaught, but not the run-scoring, and the three lonely tallies by the home side were as satisfying as asparagus salad to a vampire.

Wade Miller made his debut for our ballclub, retired the first six he faced without any trouble (save a few line drives right back at him), and then got chased in his third inning of work when four consecutive batters reached, the fourth being the flipping pitcher Lopez on a fecking walk. Apparently, as a starter, he makes a hell of a reliever.

PJ Bevis, who throws hard stuff from the side, relieved and pitched a scoreless inning, but I guess his 10 ball to 8 strike ratio demonstrates why BadluckinOOTP posited that we need a reliever. Perhaps he is forgetting All-Star reliever (TM) Kiko Calero; he tossed the last two frames of a ten-run loss because he is an All-Star, and it would've been embarassing to lose by twenty runs like we did that one time last year. Also, there was really no one else to pitch.

I guess the point has been made, maybe we do need a reliever, but Jeff Nelson is retired in this universe and Mike Stanton is pitching in Saint Louis and very poorly, at that. Even worse is that I think we have run out of guys to trade.

But how big an impact will a reliever have over two months, anyway? Suppose the twenty-five or thirty innings they pitch are all in very important games, and this hypothetical pitcher is some grand success, giving up maybe a half of an earned run or a fully earned walk or trot. That's fantastic and maybe that will give us the division title, but surely the guy he replaces will have been a grand success at least a few of those times, and Roa, Otsuka et al. really ain't that bad - they would probably succeed more than just "a few" times. And that could well be enough for the division anyway.

I won't look into Wagner, who has 77 saves and a 3.48 career ERA at age 25, but also walks about six per nine innings like Ankiel. And I know I should have thought about signing Seattle's brilliant relief ace Dotel two years ago when the opportunity was there, but enough already!

Originally Posted by cknox0723 on 10/2/2004

Tavy Dotel is more fun to say than Octavio, so I'll do that when talking about his 0.93 ERA and 18 saves [at the 2006 All-Star Break]. Remind me why I didn't sign him for $3 million pennies a year, by the way? Oh...bone chips. Forgot. Yeah, that's definitely affected him this year. Definitely.

The 33 year old southpaw Ray King would be an ideal fit, as he totes a long line of earned run averages around three, a fastball that registers at 95 on the gun, and a birthplace from a little town in Illinois. Unfortunately the Evil Fishies won't give the Chicago native up, but that is just as well. If I traded any more prospects, our minor league clubs wouldn't be able to field a team.

But we're five games up in the division, peeps, with 63 to play.