Orcin's Story

[Orcin]

October 9, 2001

Gordon Cooper and I met with owner Henry Cooper for breakfast on Tuesday morning. Sunday’s playoff loss was still gnawing at both of us, and hardly a word was spoken during the drive to the club. I was prepared for some criticism, especially considering the somber look on Gordon’s face. It turned out that Gordon just hates to lose as much as I do. His father, on the other hand, is an understanding man.

Henry greeted us with a smile and congratulated us on a great season. “Let’s count our blessings”, Henry said, obviously speaking to his CEO son. “We set a new club record for wins. We set a new club record for attendance. We made a nice $7.3 million profit. Most of all, we raised the interest level and expectations of the fan base. Now the boys at the barbershop are complaining about playoff losses instead of mediocre seasons.”

Gordon failed to see the bright side of this, but I did. Those are signs that the franchise is on the way up. Henry called in reinforcements, “Otto, what do you think of the state of the team now compared to a year ago?” He was counting on my answer to be positive.

I measured my response carefully. I didn’t want to get caught in the middle of a family argument. “The result on the field was identical, and therefore disappointing. However, I see some encouraging signs for the future. We set a franchise record for ERA and most of the pitching staff will return next season. Overall, we are a much younger club, and we added several prospects to the farm system via the draft and the Gonzalez trade.”

Gordon finally broke his silence. “You lost me at ‘result was identical’. What about the offense? We lost to Houston because we couldn’t score.” He obviously read the local newspaper yesterday. I answered with some factual information plus a little GM spin.

“Our star player, Campbell, hit .063 in the series. McGlone hit .325 in the regular season but only .176 vs. Houston. Brown and Raul Martinez hit .154 and .143 in the playoffs. Those are good hitters that just went into a slump at the same time. That’s baseball. I think we have reason to be optimistic about our offense for next year. We had a high batting average (.257) this season compared to the league average (.251). In addition, we had a .279 BABIP. The low BABIP indicates a bit of bad luck. The law of averages points to more runs for this offense next year, and the young players like Brown and McGlone will continue to improve and become more consistent.”

The blank stares on the faces of my audience told me that I had completely confused them with the mention of BABIP. Thankfully, our meal arrived at precisely that moment and the conversation shifted to local politics. Gordon seemed to be more relaxed on the drive back and I felt more confident that I would have another year on the job. I returned to the office and started work on filling several personnel vacancies.

Otto Orcin

[MizzouRah]

Sounds like my career as the Cardinals GM.

We will get them next season, is it Spring yet?

[Orcin]

Team Personnel Activity

• The entire major league staff will be retained as will the staff at Dayton (AA).
• Lexington (AAA) manager Tommy Cain was re-assigned to Rookie League Owensboro, replacing a manager whose contract expired. Cain is 153-135 in his two years with Lexington, and he has one year remaining on his contract.
• The pitching coach and hitting coach at Lexington were dismissed a week before their contracts actually expired.
• I want to significantly upgrade the AAA staff for next season, because I intend to move my brightest stars from the AA playoff team up there.
• The contracts of the entire staff at Class-A Evansville were allowed to expire. The Aces were not competitive in their league. I hope to upgrade the personnel at this key organizational level.
• The pitching coach at Rookie League Owensboro is also an open position.
• Summary of open positions (7): entire staff at AAA and A; pitching coach at Rookie.

I made offers to six candidates, covering all positions except the AAA manager. I didn’t see anyone on the available list that inspired me to make an offer for that critical post, so I decided to wait until the AAA and ML seasons ended (more incumbents will be fired and some first-time candidates may emerge). Four of the six candidates accepted my offer. The other two candidates accepted positions (not necessarily better) elsewhere without giving me a chance to counter. I offered five-year contracts and perhaps they didn’t want to be locked in that long.

• Positions open (3): manager and pitching coach at AAA and manager at A

I will wait until the major league season ends to fill these spots unless someone comes on the market that I can’t resist.

[Orcin]

2001 League Champions

Federal League Championship: Houston over San Diego 4-3
Patriot League Championship: Boston over Cleveland 4-2

Boston’s victory did not surprise me. They proved their mettle by surviving the toughest division in the CBA. Their pitching is incredible.

Houston defeated the top two seeds in the entire CBA field. The triumph of the Federal League’s best offense over its two best pitching staffs must be acknowledged. Houston has the highest payroll in the CBA, but it has been money well spent.

Note: Houston star LF Vincente Juarez was injured in the LCS and will not be available for the World Series. Their offense will miss him, especially against the tough Bombers pitching staff.

[Orcin]

2001 CBA World Series

Game 1: Boston wins 1-0 as Jacob Elliott out-duels Ivan De Jesus. Boston 1B Richard Gibbs homered for the game’s only run.
Game 2: Boston wins 4-3. Richard Gibbs hit a walk-off two-run homer for the dramatic comeback win.

I stop here to explain something. Richard Gibbs did not play the entire season for Boston. He was claimed off waivers in early July from… you guessed it… Houston.


Game 3: Houston wins 10-2. The bats come alive at home with a six-run eighth inning to support lefty ace Robert Westaway.
Game 4: Houston wins 5-1 behind De Jesus pitching on three days of rest.
Game 5: Houston wins 5-2, sweeping their home games to take a 3-2 series lead.

Houston scored a lot more runs at home. Maybe Boston’s pitchers were not comfortable with the mound at Ballpark of Houston.


Game 6: Boston wins 4-2 on a first-inning grand slam by… yeah, this stuff is too easy for you guys… Richard Gibbs.
Game 7: Houston scored a run in the ninth on two pinch-hit singles combined with a stolen base to win 2-1 behind eight strong innings from series MVP Robert Westaway.


The Houston Stars win the series 4-3. This is CBA championship #1 for Houston.

It was a smart move by Houston manager Hal Buckner to save Westaway for a possible game seven. Houston’s offense was not as potent at Field of the Bombers in Boston, but they scored enough to win the final game there – thanks to Westaway.

[blazertaz13]

Will Mr. Orcin, I hope that my declaring my fandom for the Colonels wasn't what caused the team to end their post season run. Seems to be something that happens to all of my favorite teams.

So I am sorry to publically acknowledge my fandom, but I will be out with the Bleacher Bums. As they say for every other one of my teams there is always next year. ;-)

[Orcin]

I believe this screenshot speaks for itself.




I think the perfect score is due to making the playoffs with the #28 payroll, showing a good profit, and exceeding the owner’s expectations by a wide margin.

I would have given myself 80-85, but I don’t do the grading.

[Jabez54]

It's being frame, as we speak ...

What a season ... another classic journey from Orcin ... however, with OOTP's depth and immersion factor, make this season the best ever, yet ... congrats

[Orcin]

October 29, 2001 - the off-season begins.

Key dates:
November 8-12 – Award announcements
November 19 – Salary arbitration hearings
December 1 – Rule 5 Draft
December 12-16 – Winter Meetings

Henry and Gordon Cooper informed me that the budget for 2012 will be $141.6 million, a modest but welcome increase of $4 million over last season. The additional funds will not really change my strategy because this year will not be tight. I am still being frugal with an eye toward 2003-04 when several important players will reach arbitration or free agent eligibility.

My current priorities are to examine the potential free agents and decide which, if any, are to be offered new contracts. I must also make arbitration tender decisions for ten players. Finally, I need to set the 40-man roster ahead of the Rule 5 draft. My personal philosophy is to reserve the 40-man roster spots for players that could contribute in the majors if needed. I rarely add marginal players to the 40-man roster solely for protection from the Rule 5 Draft. They will inevitably be exposed to waivers anyway when roster space is needed for major league depth or better prospects.

I intend to allow three players from the current roster to become free agents: SP Dan Clayton, 1B David Harris and 3B Julian Mejia. That leaves 33 players under contract for next season. The estimated commitment after arbitration for those 33 players is $90 million. I am targeting my payroll budget at $105 million to allow room for the rest of the expenses and a little cushion. So, I have roughly $15 million available for one-year free agents to fill gaps, but I doubt that I spend it all. I also have $8 million in cash, but I will save that for mid-season emergencies and/or trades.

My top priorities for the off-season are a left-handed fifth starter and a left-handed bench bat to replace Harris. The pitcher is needed for only a year or two while my top prospect Chip Davidson develops, so I won’t pursue a long-term free agent. Clayton could be the solution if he would take a one or two year offer. He won’t consider a one-year offer now, but that might change in February or March.

I made offers to two minor league managers, both of whom are first-time applicants. I don’t see any outstanding pitching coaches available or any other manager candidates among the newly-fired. This is troublesome because I still have key positions to fill.

There was a lot of personnel shuffling at the close of the season… too numerous to mention and most of it inconsequential. However, there was one news item that caught my eye. New York Monarchs GM Bill Carter retired. That’s too bad. We were just getting to know each other.

[Sal, The Barber]

You will pardon Sal's absence for the last few days. And the "Gone Fishin'" sign is now out of the shop's window. Come on in for a trim, Taz. Sal's got a little something behind the sink to drown our sorrows.

Let Sal explain. Sal is old school. He likes a straight razor and a strap. When the Colonels lose unexpectedly, the Missus, well, she over-reacts a bit. Sal doesn't let anybody run his life, but for the Missus he makes an exception. She says, "Sal, go fishin'. Stay outta that shop for a few days." Sal hears, "Stay away from the razor blades." What is Sal gonna do? Ok, Sal thinks. A day or two. He's been in this marriage longer than he's been in the shop.

Tomas, you get down here and let Sal go to work on that dome of yours!

Mr. Orcin, you stay away for another week. Give Sal time to recover. You better not be listening to your press. A god? Sheesh. You do good work. Sal does good work. But neither of us is gods.

Sal has to admit that would a been quite a Series if Sal coulda brung himself to watch it. You'd think those Houstons had kissed the leprechaun. Tomas, you know something about that? Oh, no. Sal has something to confess. Those Houstons stopped by the shop the last time they were in town. A couple of em anyway. Sal musta mistakenly blessed em. Oh, boy.

You come back, Mr. Orcin. Sal owes you a free shave.

[Orcin]

Don't worry about it, Sal. I don't mind paying your prices. Very fair. I'm just glad that you guys let a young whippersnapper like me come in and soak up some of that... atmosphere. Well, Jennifer has a different name for it, but what does she know? The other day she actually asked me what a spittoon was for... you shoulda seen the look on her face when I told her. She thought it was for wine tasting LOL.

I'll be in soon. Kinda busy right now. It's mid-season for GM's.

[Orcin]

November 4, 2001

Chris Ray began his CBA career as a 20-year-old pitcher in 1981. He was an All-Star reliever in Class AA in 1983 and made the majors for a grand total of 74 games before calling it quits in 1990. Ray realized that he was no longer a prospect at age 29 and wanted to start a new career in coaching.

Ray started as a high school coach in his hometown of Enid, Oklahoma and advanced to a successful run as the head coach at the University of Tulsa. During his ten years as a high school and college coach, he built a legendary reputation as a motivator of young players. He is said to be an excellent teacher in all aspects of the game.

Ray turned 40 this year and decided that it was time to cash in on his reputation and experience. Pro coaching would offer more money than college ever could, so he put his name on the available list as a CBA manager. His family was very happy today when Chris Ray signed a five-year contract worth $2.625 million to be the new field manager of the Lexington Legends, the AAA affiliate of the Louisville Colonels.

[Orcin]

November 11, 2001

Long-time CBA coach Alfredo Polanco was fired in October from his post as the pitching coach of the St. Louis Hawks. Before taking the job with the Hawks in 1996, Polanco was the pitching coach of the Lexington Legends for a couple of years and also worked at Owensboro in the early part of his career.

I offered Polanco a one-year contract to be the pitching coach at Lexington. He quickly accepted since there did not appear to be a major league job for him at this time. There are no superstar pitching coach candidates available, so it was a good deal for us too.

Henry Cooper was proud that the organization took care of a former employee in this manner. New AAA manager Chris Ray was very excited about having a veteran like Polanco with him on the bench in his first year as a pro manager.

[Orcin]

2001 CBA Post-Season Awards

Outstanding Player:
Patriot League – LF Jon Schultz, Charlotte Knights (.318, 63 HR, 172 RBI)
Federal League – 1B Josh Haley, Los Angeles Vipers (.322, 62 HR, 137 RBI)

** Schultz set a CBA record for RBI in a season.
** Haley won the award for the second straight season.

Outstanding Pitcher:
Patriot League – Jorge Figueroa, Baltimore Robins (26-3, 1.24 ERA, 320 K’s)
Federal League – Todd Fletcher, Louisville Colonels (24-5, 1.72 ERA, 189 K’s)

** Figueroa won this award for the NINTH time!

Rookie of the Year:
Patriot League – CF Slamet Nitisastro, Cincinnati Bobcats (.259, 28 HR, 73 RBI)
Federal League – RF Jose Baca, San Diego Stallions (.309/.407/.439, 25 SB, 90 RS)

** Gotta love that name for a hitter… Slamet Nitisastro.

Manager of the Year:
Patriot League – Daniel MacArthur, Charlotte Knights (82-80)
Federal League – Stephen Beard, San Diego Stallions (105-57)

[CardsFan2006]

Could you post a screenshot for Jorge Figueroa?

[Orcin]

Originally Posted by CardsFan2006

Could you post a screenshot for Jorge Figueroa?

This post has all the detail except the current year stats. His ratings haven't changed at all.

[Nunyer]

Originally Posted by Orcin

This post has all the detail except the current year stats. His ratings haven't changed at all.

Holy smokes... the strikeouts!

[Orcin]

I think Figueroa is the best pitcher that I have ever seen develop in any of my leagues. He was an international "hidden player" discovered by a scout, and I don't know if that has anything to do with it. Maybe they have the occasional super-high ceiling.

EDIT: I decided I should elaborate on hidden player. The AI gets these as well as the human player. He was created and added to the player pool, and was then signed by Baltimore's scout before other teams were aware of him. Baltimore was spending money to scout Cuba - maybe they were the only one or maybe they were spending more or maybe they were just lucky. But they got first chance at him and took it. You know this by the description in his player card. It will say "discovered by Baltimore in Cuba" as opposed to just saying "signed as free agent". He appeared in the pool while I was simming the history for the league and had seven years under his belt before I ever stopped to look at the results.

[Nunyer]

I personally love the occasional super high ceiling guys. My league has a guy who has averaged 57 home runs for 10 straight years, nobody else is within 200 during that same span. He wasn't a foreign hidden player though, as American as a random generated entry in a database can get... Anyways, I think it gives the games some great personality. I was just blown away by Figuero's numbers. It's like the five best strikeout seasons from Nolan Ryan combined with the five best ERA seasons from Koufax and then stretched out to last 10 years. Cool stuff.

[Orcin]

Todd Fletcher's agent called. He is upset about all of the attention paid to Figueroa. "Hey, there was another guy that got a Outstanding Pitcher Award, and he was pretty good too."

I tried to calm him down by reminding him that Fletcher has done it once and Figueroa just reeled in #9. I think most of the agent's problem stems from the fact that his player is signed for three more years and there is no way to capitalize on this remarkable season.