From 2 Under at the Break to a Title!!

MattT516 · 08-26-2010, 12:43 PM

By 2017, my Mets franchise had been toast. I had tried to build a dynasty by keeping Jose Reyes, David Wright, and Johan Santana, and year after after I would sputter. 2 winning seasons in 7 years, despite having the best outfielder in baseball in 23-year old Takuya Sakei, Ryan Braun, Josh Johnson, Drew Pomeranz, and Wright and Reyes as a core. Just a terrible job by me.

After I had finished 70-92 and 76-86 in my first two years under Terry Francona with those players, my team had been 2 under at the All-Star Break and came out cold in getting swept in Milwaukee. I had enough... Reyes and Wright were 34, Johan was a lefty specialist at this point at the ripe age of 38 but still effective as can be. It was time to make some moves...

Here's the list:
1) Traded struggling first baseman Anthony Rizzo to Cleveland. Finally took four-star player Pedro Tovar, a 25-year old former top prospect I got in a deal for Chris Withrow earlier in the year, out as a bench player and into the starting lineup. Tovar, in the 5 hole, went off for .335/16/66 (.918 OPS) and won the Rookie of the Year.

2) With all-or-nothing infielder Todd Frazier hurt, inserted utility man Charlie Hinojosa in at second base. Hinojosa batted in the .300's most of the year and ended up at .264/16/71 with a good OBP. Frazier was later traded for peanuts.

3) David Wright, now a contact hitter, was in the 5 hole with a .430 OBP but had no power whatsoever. I threw him in the 2 hole behind Reyes, and it was a match made in heaven. Wright ended up at .298/10/62 with 21 steals, 100 walks and a whopping .416 OBP.

4) Platooned struggling center fielder Rafael Fernandez with defensive specialist Peter Bourjos in a righty-lefty. Bourjos awarded me with a .300 average and solid defense.

5) Finally released bullpen-relegated and unhappy Justin Verlander in the last year of his albatross deal by replacing him with 25-year old AAA player David McGrath, who K'd more than a batter an inning and ended up with a 3.95 ERA in a middle relief role.

6) After Kyle Drabek went down with a season-ending injury, called up back-end starter Orlando Jimenez (discovered by the White Sox scouts five years earlier in Reunion, wherever that is), who awarded me with a 8-6, 3.88 ERA and won all his starts in the playoffs.

7) Most importantly, when I got back to .500 and was 8 games out, traded malcontent Robinson Tejeda to Cleveland for Joakim Soria. Soria was still beastly and was being paid $12 million in the last year of his deal and desperately wanted out of Cleveland. I'd get offers everyday from them, and I finally decided to take a chance (and the salary). Despite wanting to be a closer, Soria had "great" demeanor the rest of the year and was spectacular in the 8th inning role, setting up for my top 5 closer.

So, what happened? In one of the greatest comebacks ever, the Mets went 85-73 (edited permanently to a 158 game season earlier that year) and swept the Angels in the World Series.

That, and Johan Santana retired at the end of the season with a ring.

Just when I was ready to pull the plug on this disaster, I made a miraculous comeback and won it all.

Lesson learned: keep fighting. Sometimes everything clicks at the right time - ask the 2005 White Sox, or the 2017 Mets.

ashantewarrier · 08-26-2010, 01:21 PM

Nice story! You should post this in the Dynasty Section!

damientheomen3 · 08-26-2010, 03:36 PM

I once had my team have like a .350 win percentage through 90 games and we ended up 86-76, 2 games out of a playoff spot. We almost made a huge comeback but we blew it.

Dr. P.R. Park III · 08-26-2010, 03:51 PM

I hope this isn't a harbinger of things to come for the real Mets...because 2017 until the next World Series seems very likely right now

Sparrow · 08-26-2010, 04:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr. P.R. Park III

I hope this isn't a harbinger of things to come for the real Mets...because 2017 until the next World Series seems very likely right now

You think? I'd be shocked if they won one by then...

Pronkytonk · 08-27-2010, 04:13 AM

In my most recent MLB Quickstart Game with Cleveland, I won the ALCS and came awfully close to winning the World Series (before witnessing a major meltdown of my bullpen in game 7

) after finishing the regular season two games under. I went 80-82, winning the extremely weak AL Central and crushed Boston (95 wins in the regular season) and Seattle (97 wins) in the playoffs.

It was by far the most bizarre OOTP season I ever had - things like this make this game so interesting

jete124 · 08-27-2010, 05:34 PM

MattT516 would you mine posting what of settings you play with? (Scouting on/off, A.I. difficulty etc.) Sounds like a great setup you have there.

crossthebreeze · 08-31-2010, 06:57 PM

Great story. I have had some heartbreaking seasons with my Tigers and have yet to get past the ALCS. I am currently in 2016, and I am hoping this is my year.

MattT516 · 09-01-2010, 01:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jete124

MattT516 would you mine posting what of settings you play with? (Scouting on/off, A.I. difficulty etc.) Sounds like a great setup you have there.

I actually play with default settings in Commish mode, because I use OOTP to quick sim years and try to build teams that need help. I would start messing around with the AI and other settings, but I honestly don't play it for that reason. I enjoy it in that regard. I love this game because you could attempt to build teams for years and it still remains fun and challenging.

And Crossthebreeze, I had the same problem with my Royals until 2016, when I finally broke through and won it all. If you battle long enough, it'll fall into place eventually.

08-26-2010, 12:43 PM	#1
MattT516 Bat Boy Join Date: Jul 2010 Posts: 17	From 2 Under at the Break to a Title!! By 2017, my Mets franchise had been toast. I had tried to build a dynasty by keeping Jose Reyes, David Wright, and Johan Santana, and year after after I would sputter. 2 winning seasons in 7 years, despite having the best outfielder in baseball in 23-year old Takuya Sakei, Ryan Braun, Josh Johnson, Drew Pomeranz, and Wright and Reyes as a core. Just a terrible job by me. After I had finished 70-92 and 76-86 in my first two years under Terry Francona with those players, my team had been 2 under at the All-Star Break and came out cold in getting swept in Milwaukee. I had enough... Reyes and Wright were 34, Johan was a lefty specialist at this point at the ripe age of 38 but still effective as can be. It was time to make some moves... Here's the list: 1) Traded struggling first baseman Anthony Rizzo to Cleveland. Finally took four-star player Pedro Tovar, a 25-year old former top prospect I got in a deal for Chris Withrow earlier in the year, out as a bench player and into the starting lineup. Tovar, in the 5 hole, went off for .335/16/66 (.918 OPS) and won the Rookie of the Year. 2) With all-or-nothing infielder Todd Frazier hurt, inserted utility man Charlie Hinojosa in at second base. Hinojosa batted in the .300's most of the year and ended up at .264/16/71 with a good OBP. Frazier was later traded for peanuts. 3) David Wright, now a contact hitter, was in the 5 hole with a .430 OBP but had no power whatsoever. I threw him in the 2 hole behind Reyes, and it was a match made in heaven. Wright ended up at .298/10/62 with 21 steals, 100 walks and a whopping .416 OBP. 4) Platooned struggling center fielder Rafael Fernandez with defensive specialist Peter Bourjos in a righty-lefty. Bourjos awarded me with a .300 average and solid defense. 5) Finally released bullpen-relegated and unhappy Justin Verlander in the last year of his albatross deal by replacing him with 25-year old AAA player David McGrath, who K'd more than a batter an inning and ended up with a 3.95 ERA in a middle relief role. 6) After Kyle Drabek went down with a season-ending injury, called up back-end starter Orlando Jimenez (discovered by the White Sox scouts five years earlier in Reunion, wherever that is), who awarded me with a 8-6, 3.88 ERA and won all his starts in the playoffs. 7) Most importantly, when I got back to .500 and was 8 games out, traded malcontent Robinson Tejeda to Cleveland for Joakim Soria. Soria was still beastly and was being paid $12 million in the last year of his deal and desperately wanted out of Cleveland. I'd get offers everyday from them, and I finally decided to take a chance (and the salary). Despite wanting to be a closer, Soria had "great" demeanor the rest of the year and was spectacular in the 8th inning role, setting up for my top 5 closer. So, what happened? In one of the greatest comebacks ever, the Mets went 85-73 (edited permanently to a 158 game season earlier that year) and swept the Angels in the World Series. That, and Johan Santana retired at the end of the season with a ring. Just when I was ready to pull the plug on this disaster, I made a miraculous comeback and won it all. Lesson learned: keep fighting. Sometimes everything clicks at the right time - ask the 2005 White Sox, or the 2017 Mets.

08-26-2010, 01:21 PM	#2
ashantewarrier Hall Of Famer Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Somerset, NJ via Brooklyn, NY Posts: 2,305	Nice story! You should post this in the Dynasty Section! __________________ "I'm not concerned with your liking or disliking me... All I ask is that you respect me as a human being." -Jackie Robinson, #42 Brooklyn Dodgers *"Hitting is better than sex."* - Reggie Jackson

08-26-2010, 03:51 PM	#4
Dr. P.R. Park III All Star Reserve Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 974	I hope this isn't a harbinger of things to come for the real Mets...because 2017 until the next World Series seems very likely right now

08-27-2010, 04:13 AM	#6
Pronkytonk Minors (Double A) Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Germany Posts: 168	In my most recent MLB Quickstart Game with Cleveland, I won the ALCS and came awfully close to winning the World Series (before witnessing a major meltdown of my bullpen in game 7 ) after finishing the regular season two games under. I went 80-82, winning the extremely weak AL Central and crushed Boston (95 wins in the regular season) and Seattle (97 wins) in the playoffs. It was by far the most bizarre OOTP season I ever had - things like this make this game so interesting

08-27-2010, 05:34 PM	#7
jete124 Bat Boy Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 4	MattT516 would you mine posting what of settings you play with? (Scouting on/off, A.I. difficulty etc.) Sounds like a great setup you have there.

08-31-2010, 06:57 PM	#8
crossthebreeze Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 36	Great story. I have had some heartbreaking seasons with my Tigers and have yet to get past the ALCS. I am currently in 2016, and I am hoping this is my year.