Making the Phillies Great Again!

[FantasticPhanatic23]

This thread has been closed due to a corrupt file that I can't retrieve. I hope you still enjoy the story up until the last post .

[FantasticPhanatic23]

Play Ball!

So I took different approach to my franchise as most people on the boards. I started a standard game file with the Phillies with OOTP 18 and tried to get the roster as close to real life as possible. I wanted to take the approach that If I took over the team today, this is what my team would look like in X years. With that being said I made the following moves:

SP - Jeremy Hellickson for OF - Hyun-Soo Kim and RP - Garrett Cleavinger

RP - Joaquin Benoit for RP - Seth McGarry

SP - Pat Neshek for RP - J.D. Hammer, SP - Alejandro Requena, and INF - Jose Gomez

INF - Howie Kendrick for P - McKenzie Mills

Finally Ty Kelly and Casey Fien for cash considerations.

I had to use the commissioner mode to make the necessary changes. I understand that some criticism might come that I didn't do the entire league's transaction table and If I could go back and start over again i would probably just start with the base roster or search an updated roster. But I kind of started the file that way and went with it. From there I made some trades that.. lets say.. I feel I got decent value. I don't know if I should change the trading difficulty because I feel like I got a lot for a little.

Hyun-Shoo Kim and Andres Bianco for Scooter Gennett and Michael Lorenzen.

Michael Saunders for prospects Trever Oaks and Kyle Farmer

Ty Kelly for prospect Chris Marrero.

This gives me a wide open payroll with lots of young talent and mostly vacated all my bad contracts give or take 1 or 2. So as of now my 25 Man Roster consist of:

Batters:
C - Andrew Knapp
C - Cameron Rupp
1B - Tyler Joseph
1B - Chris Merrero
2B - Cesar Hernandez
2B - Scooter Gennett
3B - Maikel Franco
SS - Freddy Galvis
LF - Daniel Nava
CF - Odubral Cabrera
CF - Roman Quinn
RF - Aaron Altherr

Pitchers:
SP - Aaron Nola
SP - Jerad Eickhoff
SP - Vince Velasquez
SP - Jake Thompason
SP - Clay Bucholz
CL - Michael Lorenzo
SU - Jeanmar Gomez
RP - Edubray Ramos
RP - Hector Neris
RP - Casey Fien
RP - Adam Morgen
RP - Nick Pivetta
RP - Joely Rodriquez

Remaining 40 Man Reserves
RP - Pat Venditte
1B - Brock Stossi
OF - Nick Williams

*INJ* RP - Zach Eflin

Playing Style
I have my league setup for NO Commissioner mode usage beyond the initial roster setup. I only play as GM and let the AI play out the games. I try to watch every game with all the AI set to NPC control so it seems as If I am watching the games in real life. That means that each game takes awhile to get through the season. Therefore, I will try to keep everyone posted as the season progresses.

I currently have a 2-4 record.

[FantasticPhanatic23]

Philadelphia Phillies starter Aaron Nola turned in an exceptional performance against the Washington Nationals at Citizens Bank Park, resulting in a Philadelphia win, 5-1. The loss drops Washington to 3-3.

The Phillies got a big at-bat from second baseman Scooter Gennett. For the game, Gennett went 1 for 4 with a home run, while adding 4 RBI and scoring once. In the bottom of the third, with the bases loaded, he stroked a grand slam home run. His 2nd home run of the season gave Philadelphia a 5-1 lead.

Gennett called the win the result of "everyone being in sync."

[Tieran]

Turn trade difficulty to hard or very hard, heavily favor prospects

[FantasticPhanatic23]

Hey thanks for the advice,

If I set "Heavily Favor Prospects," does that mean every team in the league will trade prospects for prospects more frequently and that veterans will usually stay put on rosters? Or will it mean that teams will trade prospects for vets more frequently? I always wondered that since OOTP 14 but never looked it up.

[FantasticPhanatic23]

Big game for the young guns!

I do not intend to do game by game updates all to often unless something interesting happens. This game was quite a good one!

Nick Williams was called up from AAA Lehigh to fill in for Odubral Cabrera on the 10 day DL. He logged his first career hit - A triple to clear the bases! (3 RBIs).

Kyle Farmer was called up from AAA Lehigh to replace Cameron Rupp. The young catching prospect also logged his first career hit driving in 1 RBI.

However, Maikel Franco stole the show going 4-4 on the day + 1 walk.

In terms of pitching - Vince Valezquez had a decent outing going 5.2 IP with 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, on 90 pitches.

*I have a general rule to limit pitchers under the age of 28 to 90 pitches to prevent injuries. Whether or not it is a factor in the game has not yet been noticed. However, I generally feel young pitches get burned out. (Look at all the Tommy John Surgeries).

[FantasticPhanatic23]

Hey fellow OOTP Managers and Baseball Fan,

In this update I will touch on some information that was left out in previous posts and provide an overall look at how my season is going thus far.

Season Expectations

Coming into this season, my owner gave me some basic goals to aim for. they are:

1) Don't Suck Completely - 2017
2) Upgrade a position - 2017
3) Build up the team to reach the playoffs - 2021

So far we have a losing record 10-14 (.417) and things do not seem like they will improve anytime soon. This was to be expected as my team is very young and we do not have a "Superstar" per say. However, we do have a very good young core to build around.

Pitching Update

Pitching has been the main reason for our April struggle. We are not out of the league yet but if trends continue, we will be looking at another bad season.

My biggest disappointment thus far is with Aaron Nola. He has the skill set to be a potential superstar. However, he has not pitched to his potential yet this season.

Nola posted a 4.20 ERA and a 5.33 FIP on 30 IP. While this sample size is not large enough, it is definitely a red flag. I will keep an eye on this situation as the season moves forward. However, I do not feel that I need to send him back to AAA yet.

My biggest surprise thus far on Starting Pitching has been Vince Valesquez. Rated by the game to be one of my lesser pitching talents, he has posted a 3.00 ERA and 3.67 FIP on 27 IP. I hope these numbers stay stable as the season progresses. So far he has definitely earned his spot in the lineup.

So far my best Pitcher has been Closer Michael Lorenzen, who posted a 0.00 ERA and a 1.58 FIP, with 7 SVs. He looks to be our long term closer.

Our relief pitching has been much more consistent as our starting pitching. I want to move Clay Buchholz who spent time on the DL and posted ****ty numbers as our one true vet on the starting 5. Nobody seems to be interested.

Hitters/Field Position

Offensively, our team has had decent success. Some players such as Kyle Farmer, Nick Williams, and Chris Merrero have not had enough At-Bats to have a significant sample size. However, they have had some moments of note (see earlier post).

So far Cesar Hernandez and Scooter Gennett have both played very good baseball. If they both continue to play well, and Freddy Galvis continues to struggle, perhaps one can move to Shortstop.

Catcher continues to be a problem. Cameron Rupp career numbers have no been good, and I decided that I want to give prospect Kyle Farmer a chance on the MLB squad as he has a brighter future. Eventually, I see myself fazing out Rupp, however there is no market for him at the moment.

Odubral Cabrerra landing on the DL with a sprained wrist gave OF prospect Nick William a chance to come up and play with the top squad. If Daniel Nava continues to struggle, Nick Williams might earn a spot in LF with the crowded outfield situation. Daniel Nava who is posting a .254 OBP has been a huge disappointed and has no trade value. His contract is set to end after the 2017 season.

Our best offensive player by far is Maikel Franco. Franco has a .354 OBP, created 154 wRC, and has 7 HR after the first month of play. He seems to be the cornerstone of the current franchise. I expect more production out of our Catcher, 1st Base, and OF as the season continues.

League Standings

We are currently 4 1/2 games behind 1st place. However, I do not think that the Miami Marlins or the Atlanta Braves will stay out front. As long as the Nationals and Mets continue to struggle we could still be a player in the league. However, we need to see significant improvement out of young players.

[FantasticPhanatic23]

Hey OOTPers,

Just wanted to update you on my season. I had the day off and almost got through a month of baseball. As of now, we are currently enjoying a hot streak as Obdubral Hererra has rejoined the team after extended time on the DL. The Phillies have won 6 of the last 10 games and continue to come closer to the .500 mark. In the last game vs. the Rockies, Hererra hit 4 for 5, with 2 runs scored. He is currently owns a .365 OBP .381 BABIP, .212 ISO and 134 wRC with 127 AB.

In other news Nick Williams was suspended 7 games after charging the mound after being struck by a pitch from Rockies pitcher Jon Gray. Williams has posted a .344 OBP, .412 BABIP, .213 ISO and 131 wRC. He will be replaced by reserve OF Roman Quinn.

[FantasticPhanatic23]

Roster Updates

Hello fello OOTPers,

For those interested, I made some adjustments to the Position Players in my organization. I try to give each player at least 250 ABs per level (+/-) to try and get an idea of what they will do at the next level. I favor players with more upside in the upper levels of the organization (as to get them ready for the MLB). Here are some of the moves. Anything lower than the GCL leagues aren't mentioning. I also released some extremely low level players who have no hopes of advancing in the organization. Mainly to ensure more reps go to actual prospects.

I try to give about 50 to 100 IP for Pitchers, so it will take about another game month before I update the Pitchers. So that will be for a different post. Hopefully we get log jammed in the AAA level so I can identify some trade chips. Right now finding consistent MLB performers is my priority.

I try to carry about 13 pitchers and 12 Position Players on each level up until about the A- Level. Then I like to go closer to 30 players on the lower levels.


MLB:
(-) C - Andrew Knapp
(-) 1B - Tommy Joseph
(-) CF - Roman Quinn

(+) C - Cameron Rupp
(+) 1B - Brock Stassi
(+) LF - Cam Perkins


AAA Lehigh
(-) C - Logan Moore
(-) 2B - Pedro Florimon
(-) SS - Hector Gomez

(+) 2B - Scott Kingery
(+) LF - Dylan Couzens
(+) SS - Malquin Canelo


AA Reading
(-) C - Logan Moore
(-) C - Joel Fisher
(-) SS - Angelo Mora
(-) SS - Jorge Flores
(-) Derek Campbell
(-) LF - Osmel Aguila
(-) RF - Aaron Brown

(+) C - Deivi Grullon
(+) 1B - Derick Hall
(+) SS - Grenny Cumana
(+) 3B - Jan Hernandez
(+) LF - Cord Sandberg
(+) RF - Helis Rodriquez
(+) RF - Jose Pujols

A+
(-) C - Logan Moore
(-) 1B - Wilson Garcia
(-) 2B - Pedro Florimon
(-) 3B - Damek Tomscha
(-) SS - Angelo Mora

(+) 2B - Drew Stankierwicz
(+) RF - Jesus Alastre

A
(-) C - Henri Lartigue
(-) C - Brett Barbier
(-) 2B - Chandler Hall
(-) 3B - Damerk Tomscha
(-) SS - Raul Rivas
(-) CF - David Martinelli
(-) CF - Carlos Enrique Duran

(+) C - Edgar Cabral
(+) 2B - Arquimedes Gamboa
(+) 3B - Cole Stobbe
(+) SS - Daniel Brito
(+) CF - Mickey Moniak
(+) RF - Jhailyn Ortiz

A-
(- ) C - Henri Lartigue
(-) C - Lenin Rodriquez
(-) C - Brett Barbier
(-) C - Gregori Rivero
(-) SS - Rual Rivas
(-) RF - Carlos Enrique Duran

GCL
(-) C - Gregori Revero
(-) C - Henri Lartique
(-) C - Lenin Rodriquez
(-) 1B - Caleb Eldridge

(+) C - Rodolfo Duran
(+) 1B - Luis Liriano
(+) SS - Jonathan Guzman

[FantasticPhanatic23]

Summary

In the month of May, the Philadelphia Phillies went 15-13 (.534), bring the Phils to an overall 25-27 (.481) record on the season. This is good for 4th place position within the NL East division, 3 games behind the division leader New York Mets, Miami Marlins, and Atlanta Braves. Whether or not the Miami Marlins and Atlanta Braves have the talent to hold off the Fightin Phils is yet to be seen. However, New York is a legitimate playoff contender and a formidable enemy for the team.

With the Phillies only 3 games back on the division leader, it is too early to say whether or not the team is a buyer or seller at the trade deadline. With about approximately two months left before the trade deadline, a lot can happen. However, if the Phillies expect to contend for a playoff spot, they need to address some glaring issues.

C, 1B, and SS

The catcher position has been a nightmare this year. Veteran Cameron Rupp has put up terrible numbers this season. This begs the question, what Rupp’s future with the team? Rupp has posted a .222 OBP, 30.6 SO%, .091 ISO, .190 BABIP, 25 wRC+. Backup Andrew Knapp has posted equally bad numbers, going .230 OBP, 28.9 SO%, .073 ISO, .218 BABIP, 11 wRC+. This led to a short stint with AAA Lehigh and calling up catching prospect Kyle Farmer. Thus far, Kyle Farmer has been the most consistent performer at the catcher position. Farmer has posted .318 OBP, 17 SO%, .138 ISO, .308 BABIP, 83 wRC+.

First Base has been less problematic this season. However, like catcher, three first basemen have fielded the position in the 2017 campaign. Tommy Joseph, Chris Merrero, and Brock Stassi have fielded the position. Joseph posted marginal numbers, .263 OBP, 25.6 SO%, .252 BABIP, 70 wRC+. This led to his demotion to AAA Lehigh to provide places for first base prospects Brock Stassi and Chris Merero. Stassi posted a .296 OBP, 29.6 SO%, .360 ISO, .267 BABIP, 135 wRC+. However this is on a very small sample size (27 AB). Therefore, I do not expect the numbers to remain stable. Chris Merrero has posted a .296 OBP, 23.5 SO%, .163 ISO, .250 BABIP, 72 wRC+. While Merrero and Stassi have both placed mediocre numbers and could see potential long term improvement.

President David Montgomery has publically stated that the organization will consider making the appropriate adjustments to find a long term solution at the position. Details were not given, however, one can assume he meant potentially moving Tommy Joseph and calling up elite prospect Rhys Hoskins. Hoskins has posted a .336 OBP, 24.5 SO%, .185 ISO, .296 BABIP, 108 wRC+ with AAA Lehigh. Hoskins is projected to be the next great Phillies first basemen.

Finally the short stop position has struggled offensively of late. Freddy Galvis, who is known for his elite defensive ability, has failed to produce on the hitting side of the ball. Galvis has posted a .270 OBP, 20.3 SO%, .102 ISO, .295 BABIP, and 63 wRC+. Galvis has been a rather streaky hitter this season enjoying high peaks and low valleys. It is hard to say where is numbers will settle out. However, there is not a lot of organizational depth ready to advance to the Major League level. The best candidate is JP Crawford. Crawford is a highly regarded prospect and could make an immediate impact upon his arrival. However, he is about 1-2 years away from becoming Major League ready. Until then, internal options could include moving Cesar Hernandez or Scooter Gennett to the position. External options include trading for a viable short stop for the short term while Crawford continues to advance through the Minor Leagues.

The Nola Problem

Aaron Nola has been widely regarded as one of the next great Starting Pitchers. However, he has suffered several setbacks during the 2017 campaign. Nola, posted a 6.87 ERA and 5.99 FIP over 55 innings pitched. David Montgomery has publically mentioned his frustration with Nola’s performance and said they could consider sending him to AAA Lehigh in order to make adjustments to his game.

Jerad Eickhoff, Vince Valesquez, Jake Thompson, and Zack Eflin have all had pretty decent seasons thus far, and Clay Buchholz is expected to return from the Disabled List within the week. Adam Morgan can also help within the Starting Rotation if needed. Therefore, it might help the youngster Nola to take AAA reps and continue to learn how to pitch.
Jeanmar Gomez has also struggled this season posting a 6.38 ERA and 6.46 FIP. Gomez contract is set to expire after the 2017 season and the Phillies could consider designating Gomez to assignment or outright releasing him. However, the Phillies organization lacks pitching depth at RP. Therefore, the Phillies could consider making some moves this season in order to find a major league ready pitcher.

Hot Bats

Obdubel Herrera, Nick Williams, and Cesar Hernandez have had tremendous years thus far.

Hererra has posted a .346 OBP, 24.2 SO%, .172 ISO, .366 BABIP, 115 wRC+.

Williams has posted a .337 OBP, 32.7 SO%, .202 ISO, .424 BABIP, 124 wRC+.

Hernandez has posted a .391 OBP, 18.8 SO%, 0.081 ISO, .408 BABIP, 120 wRC+.

Overall the team has continued to strikeout way too often. However, these three players have been able to put up decent numbers and keep us competitive. If guys like Maikel Franco, Freddy Galvis, Kyle Farmer, and Aaron Altherr could play a little bit more consistently, the Phillies could finish the season strong and make a splash in the Major Leagues.

[FantasticPhanatic23]

Phillies and Angels agree to the terms of a 6 man trade.

The Phillies will send
* (AAA) - 1B - Tommy Joseph (46 POT.),
* (R) SP - Seranthony Dominguez (23 POT.), and
* (R) RP - Mauricio Llovera (21 POT.)

The Angels will send
* (ML) SP - Brook Pounders (37 POT.)
* (AA) SS - Conner Justus (43 POT.)
* (AA) C - Taylor Ward (44 POT.)

This deal is set to address issues with struggling Starting Pitcher Aaron Nola and provide organizational depth at Catcher and Shortstop. I feel with the quality of the prospects, that it was a fair deal. especially with the struggles of Joseph.

[FantasticPhanatic23]

Phillies traded RP - Jeanmar Gomez traded to San Francisco for SS - Kelby Tomlinson.

Jeanmar has struggled all season and was expected to be release before the trade deadline. GM Matthew Corwin stated he was happy that solution could be found to help find support at SS for the struggling Freddy Galvis.

[FantasticPhanatic23]

SP - Aaron Nola sent down to AAA to make room for RP - Brooks Pounders
RP - Nick Pivetta to 5 Man Rotation until Clay Buchholz is activated from the DL

[FantasticPhanatic23]

Hey fellow OOTPers,

I thought I would give you all an up date on my Phillies Franchise. Our team has really struggled to find consistency as of late. In just half a month, we went from just 3 games or so behind the division leading New York Mets to about 7 1/2 games behind. The problem mainly has come from horrible pitching, and poor defensive play. This leads me believe that we should abandon the season, allow young players to continue their development, and try to become competitive next season.

Jerad EickhoffUpdate and other transactions

I decided that I will send SP Jerad Eickhoff down to AAA Lehigh to work on his game. Pitching prospect Trevor Oaks will take his place on the MLB Squad. Eickoff has pitched a sub-par 4.83 ERA and a 5.19 FIP over 72.2 IP. Furthermore, he has consistently declined in performance over the last 10 games. Oaks has put up decent numbers on the AAA level pitching 3.14 ERA and a 3.87 FIP over 80.1 IP.

Rhys Has Arrived

Because the season is pretty much lost, I decided to call up Rhys Hoskins to get MLB playing time. Hoskins posted a .349 OBP, 11.6 BB%, 22.5 SO%, .205 ISO, and .289 BABIP, creating 117 wRC+ on 249 BA. Hoskins repalced struggling 1B Brock Stassi.

Draft Picks

My big goal before the draft was to improve at C,1B,3B,OF, P. I feel that based on the limited scouting time, that I drafted well. I think that I did the first 14 rounds or so myself and let the scouts recommend players in the lower levels. I think maybe 2 or 3 will actually make a splash.

LF - Jake Mangum
C - Daulton Varsho
2B - Tanner Allen
LF - Calvin Mitchell
C - Ben Breazeale
SP - Sam Glick
SP - Peter Kemble
1B - Jeremy Vasquez
RP - Logan Salow
RP - Turner Larkins
SP - Michael Danielak
SP - Ricardo Salinas
C - Hunter Taylor
SP - Harry Rutkowski
C - T.J. Richardson
SP - Tommy Ben
CF - Anthony Peroni
SP - Chris Koppenhaver
RF - Justin Smith
SP - Ricky Karcher
SP- Cameron Sanders
CF - Ryan Chandler
3B - Trevor Craport
SP - Andrew Mahoney
CF - Treg Haberkorn
CF - Toby Handley
RF - Brandon Benson
SP - Luke Johnson
C - Peter Zyla
2B - Derek Perry
SS - Matt McLaughlin
SP - Blake Stansberry
2B - Jaylen Hubbard
SP - Jeb Bargfeldt
C - Jose Montanez
SP - David Gonzalez
1B - Elijah Christenson
RP - Seth Nordlin
2B - Z.J. Buster
RP - Mitch Stallings

Out of all the players listed, I think Jake Mangum has the most potential.

I will keep you posted if I decided to throw the season and move on to next year in the coming game weeks.

[FantasticPhanatic23]

Fireworks flew as the Phillies thumped the Red Sox 12-2.

Highlights:

Maikel Franco had a 3 h, 3 r performance including 1 RBI on 5 attempts. The Phillies hope that this signals the end of Franco's offensive slump.

Odubel Herrera had a 2h, 2r, 2 RBI night on 5 attempts to continue his offensive dominance of late.

Nick Williams adds a 2r, 3h night including a RBI and a Walk on 4 attempts. Williams has also been a consistent hot bat in the struggling Phillies line-up.

Rhys Hoskins scores his first career Hit, RBI, and Run scored as well as a walk. Hoskins put up a 2 Run Double in the bottom of the 6th!

All of this offensive production came on a great outing by Jake Thompson who pitched 7.1 IP, 6 SO, 2 BB, 2 ER, and 1 HR on 92 IP.

[FantasticPhanatic23]

1B Prospect Rhys Hoskins had a monster game hitting not one, but two, Home Runs. Hoskins put up a 3 R, 3 H, 4 RBI, 1 BB, 0K, 2 HR night against the Arizona Diamondbacks and pitcher Shelby Miller.

The Phillies won in walk-off fashion, scoring 1 run in the bottom of the ninth. SS prospect Kelby Tomlinson hit a walk-off double to win the game. Tomlinson stated after the game: "If the effort is there, wins will come!" Let's see what happens as the Phillies young talent begins to heat up.

[cooperthegiantscat]

You took Kelby from the Giants!!!! Boo!!!!!!

[FantasticPhanatic23]

Rhys Hoskins has already made his presence felt within the Phillies organization. In today's match-up against the St. Louis Cardinals, Hoskins jacked another Home Run for his young career totals. Make that 3 Home Runs in 3 Days! The organization feels that they can expect big things out of the young slugger, saying "We couldn't be more happy with the way Hoskins started his young career and look forward to watching him for years to come."

[FantasticPhanatic23]

Rhys Hoskins is seemingly unstoppable. Hoskins put up yet another big game going 1 R, 3 H, and 2 RBIs. This puts Hoskins up to 4 consecutive multiple hit games and a 4 game hit streak. Furthermore, Hoskins put up another HR giving himself 4 HR in 4 games! This might be what the Phillies needed to create a run for the wild card.

Maikel Franco also put up great numbers. Franco put up a 2 R, 2 H, 3 RBI game including 1 HR. This puts Franco up to 14 HR this season.

Finally, the Player of the Game has to go to Clay Buchholz. Buchholz put the first Phillies complete game shutout of the year going 9IP while giving up 7 H on 3 SO. Buchholz's contract is due to expire at the end of the 2017 season. The Phillies, who seem to be loaded with young pitching talent, do not necessarily have a place for the experienced vet. However, if Buchholz continues to be successful, his veteran presence might earn himself a new contract.

Buchholz said after the game: "It feels like things are finally starting to go our way."

[FantasticPhanatic23]

The hitting streak ended after 6 games when Hoskins put up 0s across the board.