Introducing Your Hawaii Islanders! - Page 24

Palaaemon · 06-17-2022, 11:13 PM

Bub,

Sorry about that. I must have read that wrong. Thanks for clearing that up!

Bub13 · 06-23-2022, 06:15 PM

June 15-17 vs MIAMI
Steady play sees the Marlins holding on to a three-game lead in the East, and they haven't had a losing month this season. Pitching has been their key, at 2nd in runs allowed overall and the 2nd best rotation ERA. Dustin Panos (11-1, 2.32) has finally cracked his talent at age 27, and everyone else has been solid. Team offense has been almost as good, at 6th in runs, with most of the production--46 HR, 144 RBI, .320 AVG--coming from the #2-#4 slots of Mario Rivera, Toshi Shimabukuro, and Chris Bierly. 2B Alvin Phillips and C Chris MacKenzie are out, and recently joined by 37-year-old closer Jon Carlsen (the former long-time SP ace for the Angels, a long time ago). But they keep winning, and owner Justin Cox ("I said I want EXTREME WINNING!") is happy with the on-field success and the projected $24M profit he's going to fondle very soon.

HAW pitchers: RH Jose Rivera (6-6, 4.04) / RH Josh Irvin (3-6, 4.54) / LH Daniel Croft (5-5, 4.93)
MIA pitchers: RH Dwaine Webb (4-6, 4.11) / LH Victor Nunez (7-3, 4.59) / RH Sean Kramer (5-5, 3.99)

#67: LOSS 2-3 ... 5 hits, 1 double...strong game by Rivera: 8.1 IP, 8 H, 12 K, 1 BB, and the loss
#68: LOSS 4-7 ... 6 hits, 1 double, 1 triple...Irvin is terrible, bullpen is better (4.1 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 7 K)
#69: LOSS 3-4 ... 11 hits, 5 doubles, 1 HR...we leave 10 men on base, Miami just 4

If the players won't do anything, then why should I. Just a dreadful performance here, back below .500 on the season.... ELSEWHERE: After a terrible 9-17 April, the Phils have gone 11-4 this month and are now a game from .500 and just 7 games out of first. They have that hilarious combo of a #2 offense (326 runs) and a #18 pitching staff (325 runs allowed). They have more home runs right now (106) than we may hit all season.... Bad news for New York baseball: Yankees are 27-42, last in the AL East; Mets are 33-36, 5th in the NL East; and Brooklyn is 30-39, last in the NL East.... San Diego (24-45) may vie for the worst record in MLB this season, but they have a nice two-headed batting attack of Heriberto Nunez (.327, leading the NL) and Blake Langer (.320, third). But their next qualified batter is CF Bob Armstrong, hitting .226. And look: they're worse than we are in the power department, with only 46 HR.

June 18-20 @ SEATTLE
Now we head off on a long road trip, and no one will miss us. The Mariners have been spinning their tires all year, pairing a solid offense (5th) with some ugly pitching (15th). DH Ger van Mourik (.276/21/46) and 1B Jon Terrell (.283/11/27) are joined by recent call-up RF Tyler Baccala (.325/6/21 in 114 AB), and CF Rogelio Pena (15 HR from leadoff). On the mound, SP Danny Diaz and Mike Bader have delivered; no one else has, outside of should-be-a-starter-but-isn't Theo Soole in middle relief. These guys should have no problem with us right now.

HAW pitchers: LH John Loeb (6-4, 3.15) / LH Matt Waugh (10-2, 3.28) / RH Jose Rivera (6-7, 3.97)
SEA pitchers: RH Daniel Newell (1-5, 5.94) / RH Vince Push (6-5, 5.88) / RH Ron Rivera (6-7, 4.22)

#70: WIN 8-4
#71: WIN 9-1
#72: WIN 9-3

Who even knows any more.... The low-effort game day reports will continue until my morale improves.... ELSEWHERE: Another outing, another string of broken bats against Mets ace Conor MacLeod. His June stats: 4 GS, 3-1, 34 IP, 19 H, 5 ER, 54 K, 11 BB, 1 HR, 1 no-hitter.... LA plays in one of the premier pitching parks in baseball, so of course they've turned things upside down by having one of the best NL offenses (2nd in runs and HR, 1st in AVG, OBP, OPS). Meanwhile the mega-millions pitching staff rates just 11th. But they still lead the West, and will probably get to the Series again, yet again.... Philly sweeps first place Richmond, closing their gap now to just four games and into a tie for second with Atlanta. Quite a turnaround, and I want to see if they can simply play 80s-style hockey and outscore everyone on the way to a division title. (They've won four in a row, two with some truly execrable pitching.)

June 22-24 @ MILWAUKEE
Only 8-10 this month, which has matched Detroit and kept them just a game behind the Tigers in the Central. Ninth in runs scored, 7th in runs allowed, and a +18 differential. 1B Ricky Ayala (.258/21/58) is having a nice follow-up to his breakout 52 HR effort from a year ago; and DH Joey Walker (.271/20/50) was apparently born in a test tube, as no one had heard of the 33-year-old before January when the Brewers signed him from god-knows-where. Throw in SS Kyle Murphy, batting a hundred points over his usual self at .341, and some timely power from Oscar Espinosa and Luis Morales, and the offense has clicked enough to keep them winning. Pitching is harder to figure out, as top SP Jeremy Atkins and Merlin Lemay continue to struggle despite possessing some of the best raw talent in the bigs. The team bullpen ERA (12th) looks leaky, but the top three guys do most of the work and have a combined 2.60 number, which I'd take any day. Injuries are piling up, tho: out for good are 3B Mitch Elmore (batting .364), and solid RP Robbie Collier and Erik Schewe. Five other guys have nagging dtd gripes or are out for several more weeks, putting a strain on an already low-rated farm system.

HAW pitchers: RH Josh Irvin (3-7, 4.90) / LH Daniel Croft (5-6, 4.93) / LH John Loeb (7-4, 3.12)
MIL pitchers: RH Jose Ambriz (5-4, 4.08) / RH Eric Lantier (10-3, 2.93) / RH Merlin Lemay (7-6, 5.12)

#73: WIN 7-3
#74: WIN 5-1
#75: WIN 5-3

*shrugs*.... The only things worth relating are that we were outhit twice, and we have not one but TWO guys with ten HR on the season, finally: Jules Medici, of course, and freaking Bill Gamboa somehow.... ELSEWHERE: Philly takes 2 out of 3 from hapless Brooklyn, keeping pace with Richmond and passing Atlanta. Fun stuff.... LA has won six straight and is pulling away from Portland, not surprisingly.... Meanwhile NOZ and CIN continue to battle it out in the Central, with just a game separating the two, and first place changing hands repeatedly.... Francisco Rodriguez still has the single-season saves record, with 62 set back in 208. But watch out for New Orleans closr Brent Sandwell, with 29 so far (in just 35 appearances). Cincinnati's John Jackson is second with 25.... Cards pitcher Erik Sloan continues to impress with double duty: 8-7 with a 3.02 ERA, 132 K in 131 IP on the mound; and .322/.368/.530, with 21 doubles and 9 HR in 230 AB and 43 OF starts.

June 25-27 @ CALIFORNIA
Now two games behind us; the struggle is real. Sixth in runs scored, and 3rd in AVG, but other numbers are in the bottom half of the league. Pitching sits tenth, making for a small +7 run differential. I've harped on these guys a lot, for turning a great franchise into an annual joke, a team without a winning record since 2035. But credit now where it's due: they splurged on William Swanson, and as he's only 30 he's got a lot of time left for them to build around him. They have holes--like everyone does--and they're nowhere near as powerful as the Rangers right now; but a few more FA grabs, a prospect or two pans out, and their pitching stays healthy....then they're competitive and back in the playoff picture regularly. The good news is that most everyone looks to be back next year, and minus a couple of useful pitchers most of the departures look easily replaceable. Not that I *want* my divisional competitors to regain their mojo, but if they have to, let them supplant the Rangers then.

HAW pitchers: LH Matt Waugh (11-2, 3.09) / RH Jose Rivera (7-7, 3.89) / RH Josh Irvin (4-7, 4.78)
CAL pitchers: RH Leo Ortiz (4-5, 4.70) / LH Shaun Ostrander (5-2, 3.11) / RH Nate Elder (2-4, 3.12)

#76: LOSS 1-2
#77: LOSS 1-4
#78: WIN 2-0

Just 15 hits across the entire series. Sad.... Good thing we're on a roll playing a terrible team next.... ELSEWHERE: Nine straight now for LA, and tied atop MLB with a 50-28 record (with Texas and New Orleans).... Phil Thoma has finally slowed down, and has been caught by the unstoppable force that is Detroit's Pat Townsand. The reigning AL MVP is hitting .305/27/65, just behind the Rangers catcher in the two power numbers. However, Thoma's teammate Ryan Boers is the first batter to 5 WAR, and also leads in AL all-star game voting, for what that's worth.... Cincinnati's Chris Mitchell picked a great time to jump ship from the Yankees, signing on with the Reds last winter. NY is in the dumps in the AL East, while Cincy is battling New Orleans for supremacy in the NL Central. Mitchell also leads the NL in batting (.320) and WAR (4.2), and has 18 HR for his new club. (He was the AL MVP in '53 for New York.)

June 28-30 @ TEXAS
Let's just get this series over with, shall we? Then we get a nice, long, All-Star break to rest and reassess where things went so very wrong. These guys? First in offense, fourth in pitching. Ryan Boers (.350/18/50), Javier Tzoc (.329/18/46), Phil Thoma (.298/28/67), Mike Olivera (.283/14/41), Eric Robbins (.318/15/52), etc etc. And so much for losing 80% of last year's rotation to free agency, as the new group is 3rd in AL ERA. Try not to get hurt out there, fellas.

HAW pitchers: LH Daniel Croft (6-6, 4.59) / LH John Loeb (7-4, 3.04) / LH Matt Waugh (11-3, 3.06)
TEX pitchers: RH Sean Reed (4-7, 4.70) / RH Joel Wiechart (6-8, 5.34) / RH Kevin Cahill (10-3, 3.40)

#79: LOSS 0-16
#80: LOSS 6-7
#81: WIN 2-1

Absolute incompetence, outside of Matt Waugh.... Not since our inaugural seasons have we been so bad in every aspect of the game. Hits? Nah. Pitching? Nah. Fielding? Six errors here, two that cost us that second game.... ELSEWHERE: Philadelphia has won 5 straight despite having lost two SP (Keith Bradshaw and Leonardo Vigil) to season-ending injuries in the past week. They're now just a game behind Richmond.... Keeping it in the NL East: this is a tight race, as even last place Brooklyn is just 9 games out. Anyone can get on a roll here and make some noise.... The AL East is shaping up to be a good race too, with Miami leading Tampa Bay by 2, and Boston and Baltimore by 4.

......

TL;DR Version: Thought we'd turned a corner after those Seattle and Milwaukee series, didn't you? Maybe I did too... Instead we drop four out of six, including some pretty ugly losses, and strike a real blow to whatever confidence we were so close to regaining. Bigger picture, it means that July becomes a make-or-break month for our playoff chances. And also means I'll be giving deep thoughts to who will even be on the roster after the deadline. Frankly, we're too tightly budgeted to go out and grab a big-money guy this season, and if we're in the same position on 7/30 as we're in now, we'll be sellers if anything. No, I'm not looking at a fire sale; but I do need to take some sober looks at guys to see if this is just a bad year, or if there is some deeper lineup rot going on. Anyway...

... in the meantime, I undertake a small-potatoes version of a Great Roster Reset, demoting five guys to AAA. Gone (for now? for good?) are C Jared Null, IF Jake Moore, OF Chase Thompson, and RPs Marco Mendez and Nick Lee. Taking their places are C Bentley Kolb, IF Bobby Coronado, OF Jeremy Hagemann, and RPs Gleb Mikhailkovsky and Yoshi Watanabe. All but Kolb have been up this season already, although Gleb didn't pitch in the two days he was up for an injured Brad Cahill. Time to see if I can finally find the right buttons to push, or if we'll continue to flail in the mud.

Bub13 · 06-28-2022, 06:56 PM

New month, new attitude. Okay, same crappy attitude. But it's a new month, at least. Twenty-five games, twelve at home including a nine-game homestand mid-month. Probably more telling is that after an early series against Detroit, we'll play six consecutive series against teams with fewer than 40 wins. If we can't make hay during that stretch and get back into the wildcard race at least, we're probably done. I'm not saying I'll throw in the towel, but if we're still around (or, gulp, below) .500 by the time we travel to Texas on the 28th, the rest of the season will become all about evaluating for 2057.

All-Star time! No surprise, we have zero batters on the team this year. But we do see three pitchers voted/selected onto the roster: Matt Waugh, Jose Rivera, and John Loeb. Waugh make his 8th squad, Rivera his 2nd, and Loeb his first! Waugh is supposedly the starting pitcher (by total vote), but he should have started last year too but didn't. We'll see.

For the prospects game, we'll have six guys going: SP Curt Christensen (A) and Juan Sais (AAA), 3B Jose Villalpando (AAA), SS Cris Flores (Short A) and Joey Ulrich (AA), and OF Ricky Thompson (Short A). All are legit prospects, although obviously Villalpando is at the top of that list as the #1 guy in MLB right now.

As for the games... the National League future stars shut down the ALers, 2-0, allowing only six hits. Our guys went 2-for-7 with a walk. Sais was the only pitcher to play, and he tossed one shutout inning. The NL also won the big boys game, 3-1, with a 4th-inning home run from LA's Gerardo Nieto providing all the offense they would need. Weirdly, Matt Waugh did not pitch; rather, Jose Rivera started and John Loeb also tossed an inning. Both pitched 1-2-3 frames.

Teams also got the "march to the deadline" going early, making five separate trades to open the month. Mostly it was average minor leaguers traded for decent relievers. Only Cincy and Atlanta moved the needle any, with the Braves grabbing 37-year-old vet Alex Ramirez from the Yankees, and the Reds swiping former White Sox closer Jeremy Saunders. The Yankees did acquire a solid-looking OF prospect from the Red Sox in Matt Fleming, but then sent off the other prospect they received in that trade (for very old 1B/DH Jose Rodriguez), 1B Tom Royal, to Atlanta for a no-hope catching prospect. Yes, NY essentially got Fleming for two soon-to-retire vets, but keeping Royal--a solid power-hitting DH prospect--would have been better to do.

July 5-7 @ DETROIT
Ok, here we go: a major test for our solid/not-solid footing. The Tigers lead the Central at 48-33 and once again have a solid, 2nd-ranked, offense, are 2nd in home runs, and have a +68 run differential. Pitching is 9th and pretty undistinguished, but no one outside of #5 starter Carlos Zenon is having a rough time. The Man of the Hour here is, of course, 1B Pat Townsand: the reigning AL MVP is hitting .298/27/65 at the halfway mark of the season, and the 28-year-old is already closing in on 300 career home runs. Your Happy Thought for the day is that their #2 prospect, pitcher Rob Toledo, should in fact be pitching in that eponymous city by next spring. Also, for you Tigers fans out there, these guys are working on their 12th-straight playoff season, having failed to win at least 90 games only once during that stretch. Unfortunately, they've also failed to win any Series titles; but then they're due, right?

HAW pitchers: LH Matt Waugh (12-3, 2.96) / RH Jose Rivera (7-8, 3.93) / RH Josh Irvin (5-7, 4.37)
DET pitchers: RH Jamie McBride (8-3, 3.79) / RH Jose Hernandez (8-6, 4.44) / RH Tony Gamez (4-9, 3.74)

#82: LOSS 1-4 ... solo HR from Collins, 3 hits by Medici...Next!
#83: WIN 9-5 ... 15 hits! That's usually our allotment for an entire series these days...4 H, 2 RBI for Bennetsen, the opposite for Pederson plus a two-run HR
#84: LOSS 1-7 ... back to normal programming

Not surprising here: non-competitive offense for two games, then an explosion for one. Our lack of offensive prowess continues to befuddle me. A one-year dropoff, or a sign of longer-term problems? Dunno. No idea.... RP Jordan Ruiz comes off the DL in a few days. He'll go to AAA for some rehab, as he hasn't pitched all season. He's been dynamite for us for several years, when healthy, and we need him sooner than later.... ELSEWHERE: More trades (eight in total) during this series. None involve major players, although the Yankees did acquire yet another catching prospect for another old veteran.... Lots of tight division races as we enter the second half, with only Texas in the AL West having a double-digit lead.... Baltimore rookie Justin Horton is having himself a fine season, now leading the AL with 71 RBI. The former 19th-round draft pick also just won the All-Star Game home run contest and has 23 dingers on the season. He jumped from AA to the bigs last August, and struggled to hit .219 during that six-week stay. But he's off and running this year, batting .305 and helping to lead an offense that ranks 3rd in runs.... Draftee signing day came and went, and a few top picks were not signed. California let #10 pick Ray Wimpee (projection: adequate RP) go back to college; while Brooklyn bungled their talks with #3 pick Jon Tanana (projection: 5-to-6 WAR power hitter). Tsk.

July 8-10 @ SEATTLE
Back to the West Coast to see our divisional mates. The M's slipped to 8-19 in June, dropping into a tie for last with Houston, at 36-48. Their underlying team numbers aren't that bad, 9th in offense and 14th in pitching. (Ok, that pitching number is bad.) What's really hurt, however, has been the injury to star OF Paul Stough, who had 19 HR and a 1.030 OPS before going down early last month. He'll return in a week. Ger van Mourik (.277/23/50) has kept up his good work, and Dan Bruno is hitting a nice .320 in leadoff. Pitching has been a pain, with Danny Diaz still going strong but former Isle Mike Bader tailing off (17 ER allowed in 3 of his last 5 starts). Vet Zion Robinson--signed from New Orleans this off-season--has been moved into the rotation and has offered up two solid starts so far. That'll need to continue if they're going to get back into the wildcard race.

HAW pitchers: LH Daniel Croft (6-7, 4.74) / LH John Loeb (7-4, 3.08) / LH Matt Waugh (12-4, 2.94)
SEA pitchers: RH Mike Bader (7-7, 4.05) / RH Zion Robinson (2-1, 3.00) / RH Ron Rivera (6-10, 4.26)

#85: WIN 3-2 ... Bennetsen's 2-run single in the 6th is our key hit...Croft is solid, yielding just five hits through 8 IP...Simmons is injured dtd
#86: WIN 17-14 ... wtf...a 4-3 game into the bottom of the 7th just goes nuts...they score 11 late, but we drop TEN in the 9th to win it
#87: WIN 5-1 ... Waugh returns to form, allowing only 4 hits through 7 IP and fanning 13...two more hits for Pederson and a rare HR from Tipping

Crazy series. Although I could get used to sweeping clubs again. I really could.... That second game. We were up 4-3; down 7-4; tied at 7; down 12-7; up 17-12; then hung on at 17-14. Mikhailkovsky made his debut, giving up 4 hits and 3 runs, but took the win. Congrats? Pederson smacked two homers, including a GRAND SLAM in the ninth. In total, 31 runs, 31 hits, 15 walks, 3 errors, 9 doubles, 4 home runs. And a playing time of 4 hours and 20 minutes, most of which was probably the final three innings.... Pederson brought his average up 27 points in this series, to a season-high .231.... Simmons is out for four days, so Coronado gets to start and bat leadoff with his .320 average (but just .331 OBP).... ELSEWHERE: Philadelphia's 21-6 record in June has segued into a 1-5 start in July, dropping them to six in back of Richmond. The culprit? Their 17th-ranked pitching, and the fact that four pitchers of their early-season rotation are out for the season (three of them just in the last few weeks). Solid hitting as usual--2nd in runs, 1st in HR--but that staff needs major help.... Some future Hall of Famers are finally at the end of their ropes. Giants 3B Juan Garcia is just six hits away from matching Nap Lajoie at 14th all-time (with 3242), but his .260 average is by far the lowest of his career. Lance Powell, brought in to a terrible A's team to provide veteran leadership for some reason, has suffered through an injury-plagued year at age 44, hitting just .184 with one home run. With 603 career knocks, he's unlikely even to catch Sammy Sosa (at 609) for 9th place. And Raul Bravo, 38, is still under contract for a season after this one, but has tossed just 16 poor innings in relief for the Tigers and may finish in his current 10th place spot in career strikeouts (he has 3846 currently).

July 11-13 vs NEW YORK
A terrible April, then a recovery in May, but a subpar June, has the Yanks as sellers in July, at 37-50 overall and last in the East. They've already dumped some old guys: journeyman pitcher Chris Milano (33), RP Alex Ramirez (37), and 1B/DH Jose Rodriguez (37). These deals netted them OF prospect Matt Fleming and two so-so catchers. Fleming is already starting in right, jumping right into the fire. They also acquired OF Tim Cyr from California (for solid RP Joe Waggoner, whom I'd have been happy to snag), and sent a middling IF prospect to Atlanta for two all-field-no-hit prospects. Whether any of this will matter in time, we'll have to wait and see. But they dumped about $20M in payroll, so if they're aggressive this fall then every trade will have been a winner. They clearly needed to change the lineup, sitting 16th in runs and not much better anywhere else. If they're serious about a rebuild, there's also 3B Andy Taylor (now 38), C Arturo Sena (37), SS Victor Provencio (34), and a trio of 32-year-olds--Mike Israel, Andy Howard, and Marcus Dotson--all of whose best seasons are behind them. Pitching is middling, at 9th overall. The rotation has been good, and most of these guys will be back, which is good news. But there are 18 players on big-league contracts set to become free agents this fall (including #1 SP Alex Correa, at $23M), so there is A LOT of room coming to fix this squad. They still have a huge budget and a gigantic fanbase: now go out and act like it. But stop signing over-the-hill guys and steal the 28-year-old FAs still in their prime. MLB needs a good Yankees club. (Not that I do, but I don't matter.)

HAW pitchers: RH Jose Rivera (8-8, 3.99) / RH Josh Irvin (5-8, 4.61) / LH Daniel Croft (7-7, 4.49)
NYY pitchers: RH Alex Correa (4-2, 4.35) / RH Stephen Grunberg (0-2, 3.44) / RH Justin Spurrell (4-2, 3.43)

#88: LOSS 4-10 ... an 8-run 7th kills our buzz...Bennetsen hits one out, becoming just the third player to reach double-figures in HR
#89: WIN 6-2 ... we're outhit and toss in two errors, but Irvin finds some of his '55 magic and throws a complete game, fanning 8...HR and 4 RBI for Tipping
#90: WIN 5-1 ... Medici hits his first HR in three weeks, and Croft looks decent again, allowing only 4 hits and a run in 7.1 innings

Whew. That first game had me worried we were gonna blunder our way through this series. The bullpen was trash in the loss, and Rivera struggled again. (Funny thing is, his underlying numbers are pretty good, and he's on pace to earn 6 WAR.).... Joe Lynn comes back into the lineup in center, as Hassell is in another down period at the plate. And Simmons returns from his minor injury, although Coronado got a few hits in his stead.... RP Jordan Ruiz starts his rehab stint. Fingers crossed he'll be up with us in a couple of weeks.... Looking at some possibles for September, including #1 MLB prospect Jose Villalpando (.305 in 266 AAA at bats, but only 2 HR) and SP Will McGee (3-2, 3.59 ERA, but out for three more weeks). Might give both of them a lot of throws at the dart board this fall, if we're out of the post-season hunt.... ELSEWHERE: Philly's won three straight and made a deal to shore up their stupid pitching, sending 30-year-old slugging (and sluggard) OF Miguel Leos to Boston for swingman Mike Moffitt. Leos has been fine--but disgruntled--in a fourth OF role, and wasn't earning his $21M salary. He'll get that chance in Boston. Moffitt won't cure what ails the Phils' pitching, but he's a step up from some of the AAA retreads they've been throwing out there lately.... The NL East is the only division with all teams having won at least 40 games.... LA is the first team to 60 wins, having righted their ship and opened up a 9-game lead over Portland.... Props to Zephyrs closer Brent Sandwell for making something happen with every outing: in 43 appearances he has 36 saves, 4 wins, and 1 loss. That leaves only two games where he "just appeared".

July 15-17 vs OAKLAND
Now 39-51 overall, and 9-15 since we last played them. Another team that really, desperately, needs to get rid of some old guys, including some Oakland lifers. 3B Ryan Walton is now 35, has 522 home runs on the Bay, but he's a .200 hitter now and contracted through next year. It's time, Mr. GM. Jim Schwartz has been here since '44, and used to regularly be in the Cy Young discussion. But he hasn't tossed a full season since '51, and won't again this year. SS Noah Johnson is just 30, and has spent his 7-year career here; but he's now on his third season of barely above replacement-level play, and has an OPS+ of 65. Yeah, he's a knockout fielder (a +9.3 ZR at short already), but you can find those types for less than the $15M you're paying him. And LF Felix Reyes, on the payroll through '59, has dropped from his usual .280 with 50 HR to just .223 with 25-30 HR. Not terrible, really, but then again consider his 4-for-21 value on steal attempts. I'd trade ALL these guys, get what you can, even if it's roster filler. An excellent backup catcher? Utility infielders? A lefty OF power bench bat? A couple solid setup/MR guys? Yes, yes, and yes. Teams aren't going to send their top prospects to you for these aging stars, so instead go out and get the bones of a good team. Then with all that cash you'll have, grab some muscle in free agency, and give some of your decent-looking kids a real chance to play. Seems easy, right? About those kids...1B Alex Esquilin is excellent; OF Matt Hall will be, but is struggling (9-for-68 with 30 K), but let him play and grow; and bring up from AAA Bruce Corrigan (C), Pedro Ortiz (1B/DH), Dan Collins (3B), and OF Jason Ellis and Jose Luna. They're ALL better than what you've got going right now, and need the experience. And to my eye, you've got 6-7 interesting young SP, some in MLB and some in AAA. Bring them all up and rotate among them for the next few months. Don't wait until next March!

HAW pitchers: LH John Loeb (7-4, 3.47) / LH Matt Waugh (13-4, 2.86) / RH Jose Rivera (8-9, 4.07)
OAK pitchers: LH Sean Guerrero (1-2, 5.08) / RH Schwartz (3-8, 5.30) / RH Tom Baker (6-6, 4.00)

#91: WIN 6-0 ... solid all-around here...Medici with a solo HR, Pederson with 3 RBI on 2 H, and 2 H w/ 2 R from Simmons...3-hit shutout by Loeb, his first as a big leaguer
#92: WIN 5-3 ... sleepy early, not scoring until one in the 8th and the rest in the 9th, on Calderin's pinch walk-off GRAND SLAM...Waugh with a rare no-decision
#93: LOSS 3-4 ... 4 walks and an unearned run doom us tonight...we put more runners on base, strand more...Gamboa's two HR go for nought

That loss is a big bummer, but overall some better play here. Hitting is still not up to snuff, but we are hitting for a bit more power, getting our OPS and our OBP up.... Medici and Gamboa are now tied for the team lead in home runs with 13 each. Would not have made that bet in the pre-season.... Pederson now hitting .243, sl-o-o-o-w-ly getting better.... ELSEWHERE: Five straight wins sees New Orleans open a 4-game lead over the moribund Reds. Still lots of games to play though.... An 8-4 start to the month sees Portland jump into the wildcard picture, at 53-40. The Pioneers have been to the playoffs just once this decade, in '51, and only one other time since '35.... Playing in that big pitchers park, LA still leads the NL in offense, in every category except home runs (where they're second). Pitching? Sixth-best, so still pretty good.... Philadelphia keeps hanging around, only three games out of first despite continued bad pitching and mounting injuries. SS Jasper Jacobsen is out for six weeks with a broken wrist, and now his backup, Quinn Burnett, is out for two months. And stud OF George Livezey continues to hit for everything but average, despite an ever-increasing raft of dtd injuries (five this year alone).... Two weeks until the Trade Deadline. What do we have in store?

......

TL;DR Version: Generally better but still a mixed bag. (Am I ever happy? Um, no.) We go 8-4 here to bring our record on the season to 50-43, the first time we've been this many games over .500. And we're back to single digits behind Texas: nine games. AND we're a game out of the wildcard race. We're still not hitting much for average or power, but we're 6th in runs and 5th in OBP. Our starting pitching is the best in the AL right now, and the bullpen I malign every week is, currently, half-good and half-bad. What else...Wierdly, our latest scouting report had OF Erik Bennetsen getting a major bump in movement and control. Yes, he was a much-touted two-way prospect once upon a time, but I nixed that when he missed much of his first rookie ball season after hurting his elbow. Now I see his ratings and I think we've got quite a pitching stud from out of nowhere. Is it real? Dunno, but I might try to find out sometime very soon. Last bit: we went all out in the International Amateurs market this month, already nabbing two really solid-looking kids. Julio Cepin (2B, Venezuela) looks like a great all-around hitter, and possibly team captain material. His defense is non-existent, however. And Wilson Mendez (P, Dominican) could become a dominant LH relief pitcher one day. We've got one more iron in the fire to complete the troika. More on that next time...

Bub13 · 07-02-2022, 09:39 AM

July 18-20 vs HOUSTON
Last of the nine-game homestand. A 4-8 month has put them in last place, tied with the slumping Mariners. Offense ranks 16th, pitching 14th. I don't know what happened to this once up-and-coming team. I see a few guys over 30 who should be complementary bench pieces instead of regulars, no catchers, and the slickest fielding keystone combo I can recall (who are also having career years at the plate, at .270 and .240 with 8 combined HR). You could build around 1B Jose Renteria, but he's 29 now and maybe should be leveraged into multiple pieces for a full rebuild. The only other guy worth anything is DH Antonio Escobar, but he's fizzled a bit after looking like an all-world prospect. Pitching looks better, with some nice-looking starters and some near-elite relievers. But you'd like to say, when rebuilding, that you've got more to offer your fans than "some near-elite relievers." Still, they could build around pitching and try to add a few free agents. BUT...there's only $4M available for new contracts and they're increasing that by only million more to that with the few forthcoming free agents. If you're looking further down the line, they did just add a solid 16-year-old International in Francis Rodriguez; and they do have a few guys I'd steal in their international complex. That, and some intriguing 19- and 20-year-old pitchers make for an interesting long-term picture.

HAW pitchers: RH Josh Irvin (6-8, 4.34) / LH Daniel Croft (8-7, 4.29) / LH John Loeb (8-4, 3.22)
HOU pitchers: RH Winton Jones (8-8, 3.97) / RH Chris James (5-9, 6.05) / RH Miles Iandoli (6-10, 4.98)

#94: LOSS 1-7 ... ooof...move along now
#95: WIN 13-3 ... 17 hits including 3 HR, lots of guys pitching in...Croft has another good game, going into the 9th and allowing just 6 hits
#96: WIN 4-3 ... Gamboa's solo blast in the 7th is the GW...Lynn drives in two with a double and a sac fly...7 IP for Loeb, then two scoreless frames from the pen!

Nice comeback after that first ugly game.... Hey, we're closing in on 100 home runs! We have 92, so maybe just a few weeks away now.... Bill Gamboa leads the team in home runs, with 15. I never, ever, thought I'd be typing that sentence.... We signed our third International, finally agreeing to terms with Dominican 3B Michael Coronel. He projects as a big-time slugger with a great eye and few strikeouts. Nice arm at third, but kinda iffy with the glove.... ELSEWHERE: Lots of trades again, none worth mentioning though.... He started off the season hot, then slumped off, and now he's back: former Isle Josh Hed is hitting again in Arizona, at .311/15/49 and 2nd in the NL in batting. Playing great defense too. I still think we were right to trade him, but good for him anyway.... Kudos to those Phillies, having won four straight and now just two in back of Richmond. Pitching, who needs it.... Texas has reached the 60-win plateau, second team in the majors to do so.

July 21-23 @ MINNESOTA
Their 42-54 record is right about where MLB said they'd be all along. But what probably grinds the gears of Twins fans is the subpar offense--12th in runs--despite spending money on their stars and on free agents. Jordan Foots (.268), Jesus Villegas (.239), Santos Chavez (.248), and Mike Lee (.265) are all hitting 30-50 points below their career averages. Power is still up--5th in home runs--but runs and average and OBP are all down and trending that way. Pitching has been as bad as expected, 15th in runs allowed, and the rotation is next-to-last in ERA. Injuries have hurt, with 2B Andy Elliott and RF Tim Marinaccio missing significant time (and still out), and seven pitchers are currently on the DL. The good news here is that only a couple of relievers are unsigned for next year; although given their record, maybe that's not great news. I think there's a promising roster here: none of the slumping batters are old and declining, and there's some promise on the pitching staff. But that latter group needs the most work: grab a starter and a couple of high-to-mid-end relievers, and I think the Twins are instantly competitive. But...the guys they're paying do have to hit again one day.

HAW pitchers: LH Matt Waugh (13-4, 2.82) / RH Jose Rivera (8-10, 4.04) / RH Josh Irvin (6-9, 4.46)
MIN pitchers: RH Gary Kocher (3-10, 4.61) / RH Ken Aikens (4-11, 6.16) / RH Dan Hannan (9-4, 4.42)

#97: WIN 2-1 ... only 4 hits here, but one is a 2-run shot by Collins...Waugh goes 8, and holds the bad guys to just the one run on 9 hits
#98: LOSS 4-5 ... 3 hits and 2 RBI from Calderin, but no other highlights...Bennetsen suspended for 3 games for fighting their pitcher after an HPB
#99: WIN 4-3 ... a pair of doubles in the 7th plate three runs, then Lynn wins it with another double in the 9th

Two wins here keeps our momentum up, even though we didn't hit well in any of these games. Still 9 games behind Texas, but we're three up on California now.... Bennetsen took exception to a plunking, so went after Twins pitcher Ken Aikens. B got three games, Aikens six. Jeremy Hagemann slides into left for next series.... Calderin has a hot hand now and will get a few games at second, over the stone-cold Tipping.... ELSEWHERE: The AL Central is heating up. Milwaukee has surged into first on an 8-2 run, while KC has won four straight to get to third place, five games out. Detroit is still plugging along.... KC pitcher Steve Scibek just tossed a 2-hit/16-K shutout. His 76 FIP-, 12 wins, and 188 are all career highs by a long way. Finally coming into his tremendous potential.... What do you get when you combine a league's 17th-ranked offense and the 16th-ranked pitching? This year's San Diego Padres, with a 33-66 record--worst in the bigs--and 33 games behind the Dodgers.... Arizona has two of the NL's best young hitters, in OF Kevin Reynolds and 1B Juan Lozano, but years of little investment in pitching has kept them on the losing side of the ledger. But they've got a few youngsters ready to step up, plus a few other young hitters (and former Isle Josh Hed), and could challenge at least for a wildcard next year. Good luck guys. LA is still gonna be really good.

July 25-27 vs TORONTO
Such a promising start, in April, with a 17-9 record. But it's been downhill since, especially a 14-31 mark since June 1st. The offense has fallen to last in the AL, neither hitting for average nor for power, while pitching sits 11th. Former Isle Diego Espino has at least produced some in CF, going .264/.317/.463 with 10 HR and 10 steals in 54 starts. Their major issue is an easy one to diagnose: two batters under the Mendoza line + five others below .250 = no hitting, no one getting on base. But, I can say that despite that 11th-place pitching staff, on paper their rotation looks young and really solid. A nice mix of power and finesse, and a few young guys who are still developing. Plus, the top of the bullpen--closer Danny Mendiola, and setups Carlos Vazquez and Jaiden Watkins--are also a solid foundation. But that offense needs serious overhauling, with few prospects coming along, and mostly comprised of mid-ranked veterans and younger guys. None of their top prospects are batters either. What's also somewhat promising is that some underwhelming vets will walk this fall, so they'll have even more room than the $30M they already have to spend on new contracts. So with some luck and aggression, they could get quite a bit better very quickly. But they'll have a lot of competition.

HAW pitchers: LH Daniel Croft (9-7, 4.22) / LH John Loeb (9-4, 3.25) / LH Matt Waugh (14-4, 2.73)
TOR pitchers: RH Josh Haynam (8-3 3.20) / RH Andy Jones (5-11, 5.35) / RH Nick Palmer (10-9, 4.81)

#100: LOSS 4-7 ... Croft is beat up early, leaves in the 5th...Gamboa homers, Simmons gets three hits...that's about it
#101: WIN 6-0 ... Loeb tosses a 4-hitter through 8.1 IP...Collins hits one out, and three guys get two hits and an RBI each
#102: WIN 5-4 ... two runs in the 9th--RBI singles by Coronado and Medici--squeeze out this win...Waugh gives up 4 early runs but does fan 10, Kearns gets the win

Again, two wins with some just-good-enough offense, and generally solid pitching. A Texas sweep put them back to ten up on us, but we are now in wildcard position, by a game over KC.... Sixth in runs scored, with a +70 run differential! And we're first in steals, with 140. That's good, right?.... Looking around our farm teams, one player has stood out in a crazy way: OF Beau Collins (Eureka, A ball) has FIFTY-NINE home runs in 339 AB. He has a slash of .324/.398/.900. He's also struck out 106 times, but who's paying attention to that. Wow.... ELSEWHERE: LA leads everyone with 69 wins, Texas is second with 66.... More trades leading up to the deadline, almost all involving winning teams stocking up on relief pitching help. Richmond grabs two vets, Philadelphia and Texas one, and Portland has swapped out three pitchers and brought in one. Of course Texas brings in the best of the bunch, getting closer-worthy Jon Downs from the Cardinals for two okay prospects and power-hitting young OF Antonio Reyes. Downs adds to an already third-ranked bullpen, just what we need to hear as we try to gain ground on these guys.... Philly has ridden that terrible pitching to a 9-1 run and a game out of first.

July 28-30 @ TEXAS
Yes, it's time to bruise our fragile confidence with a trip to the lion's den. First in offense, in nearly every category, and 6th in pitching. A +143 run differential, which seems like a really good number. Six regulars not only have double figures in home runs, they're all over 20 home runs. Again, that's probably pretty good. The only thing I've noticed is that for some reason they've turned over right field to Rich Fernandez, hitting .111, instead of Ted Miller, batting .270 with 11 HR. Also, Joel Wiechart has been moved out of the rotation (thanks to a team-worst 5.17 ERA) and replaced by Drew Hurt, recently acquired from the White Sox. Hurt has been very good in three starts with Texas, although he's prone to the long ball and had a less-than-groovy 6.25 ERA himself this year for the Southsiders. Anyway...all the usual suspects are hitting, they've got someone at or near the top in every offensive category--including steals--and their pitching has been quietly solid. It's really hard to see how we're NOT going to get a three-peat of an LA vs TEX World Series this fall. Can anyone else step up?

HAW pitchers: RH Jose Rivera (8-11, 4.18) / RH Josh Irvin (7-9, 4.40) / LH Daniel Croft (9-8, 4.56)
TEX pitchers: RH Dinand Huisman (13-3, 4.32) / RH Mike Nelson (8-6, 3.32) / RH Drew Hurt (7-9, 5.62)

#103: LOSS 0-2 ... of course when we shut down their offense, we get only 3 hits and commit 3 errors...Rivera fans 11, but it's not enough
#104: WIN 3-1 ... Gamboa and Pederson homer, and Bennetsen gets ejected again for arguing with an umpire...Irvin goes 8 innings, fans four against zero walks
#105: LOSS 3-5 ... Croft stays in too long and gives up 3 in the 8th to take the loss. Sigh...two hits for Simmons and Pederson

SO CLOSE to a successful series, dammit.... Still not hitting worth a darn, though. Now 10th in average, 12th in OPS. Not good enough.... If you value WAR at all, it's telling for you that we have only two batters with more than two WAR: Gamboa at 2.9 and Simmons at 2.4. Even Medici has produced only 1.2 WAR, with his power down and strikeouts up.... Beau Collins now has 61 home runs. Our AAA team in Santa Barbara has hit the same amount in 92 games.... ELSEWHERE: More trades! The Yankees rid themselves of a few 30-year-olds, but none of the high-paid guys I mentioned when we played them recently. The best grab of the bunch is Pittsburgh acquiring solid pitching prospect Tyler Nelson from New Orleans for swingman (and soon-to-be free agent) Bill Murphy. Nelson could be in the rotation next year, while Murphy will probably be playing somewhere not in Louisiana by next March. Probably not a great deal for the Zephs, but they're vying with Cincinnati in the Central and should make the playoffs anyway. Not sure they can get past LA, but we'll see.... Forty home runs for Milwaukee's Ricky Ayala; he also leads baseball with 98 RBI.

July 31 @ CALIFORNIA
Still hanging around, at a game over .500 and just four behind us in the division and the wildcard standings. Fourth in average has them 9th in runs scored; tenth in runs allowed, with a +11 run differential. The offense is still mostly a two-man show, with 1B William Swanson (.309/28/72) and RF Mauricio Marquez (.322/21/64) leading the way, by far. Two-time batting champ Dan Dellinger (.283/10/54) has bounced back after some down years, and Jesse Brickell has 15 HR and a .900 OPS. On the mound, you could be forgiven for your surprise at how well their pitching has performed given that they have eight guys on the DL currently. Most of the staff is 26 or under, and signed, and should get better next year. (Plus some of those injured guys are pretty good, too.) Everybody's going to scramble for free agent batters this fall, including these guys; but if they get one or two hitters, watch this space next year.

HAW pitcher: LH John Loeb (10-4, 3.06)
CAL pitcher: RH Aaron Moore (8-8, 4.38)

#106: WIN 7-2 ... we put 17 runners on base and our guys combined to strand 37 men on base, lol...Loeb is sharp again, going 8.1 innings, fanning 7 and walking none

Positive end to the month, putting us back to ten games over .500 and ten behind Texas.... Loeb has been really sharp the last two months: 7-0 in 11 starts, 71 IP, 2.51 ERA, 2.3 WAR.... This year's race: Stolen bases 145, Home runs 99. I think we know which stat is going to win this time around.... No trades for us yet, but I may shop around a couple guys here at the deadline.... ELSEWHERE: Finally a trade of note, with Miami getting power-hitting 1B Marcus Dotson from the Yankees for quality swingman Chandler Wynes. Dotson hit 34 HR for Baltimore last year, and has 269 in his career; he's not played much this year, but has produced .284/.346/.410 in limited AB. He'll get a chance to platoon at first and DH for the first place Marlins. Wynes, meanwhile, has been in AAA this year but has plenty of big league experience and will get a chance to stick with the big club.... Detroit has won five in a row to retake first in the Central, while KC has fallen to 8 games behind. And LA of course keeps rolling on, becoming the first team to 70 wins, and opening up their lead over Portland to 11 games.

......

TL;DR Version: An 8-5 finish to the month, and a hard-to-remember 16-9 overall. We righted the ship this month, pushing ourselves to ten games over .500 for the first time, and finally getting some cushion on the teams behind us. Fighting for the division seems unlikely, however, as that series with Texas showed up our season-long weakness: lack of offense. And, sorry folks, I'm not doing anything to fix that right away during this trade deadline. Yes we have some young pitching we could deal; but with upcoming changes this fall, I've decided not to go all in on a playoff push by sending one or several prospects off for a veteran--likely to go free agent anyway--hitter. But I did make one minor deal, swapping out underperforming OF/DH Miguel Tejeda to Atlanta for power reliever Justin Schechter. Tejeda was brought in from Toronto early in the summer, when Medici was out and we weren't hitting for power at all; but in 100 at bats he hit only 2 home runs and fanned 31 times, providing negative value. Schechter's a righty with big stuff and some control issues, but he does allow me to send down one of our not-ready-for-prime-time bullpen arms. Not a big trade by any means, but with some hard decisions coming up this fall, I wanted to hold on to all my cards and keep as many options open as possible.

Bub13 · 07-10-2022, 10:25 AM

July was a make-or-break month, and we responded by winning 16 games. Good. Now we need to consolidate those gains in this 28-game month and put ourselves securely into the wildcard picture, rather than hanging around on the edge of it. (I think the division is out of play, unless something disastrous happens to the Rangers.) We have an even home-road split this month; one oddity about our record is that we only went over .500 at home late in July. (Our road record is a nice 32-23.) No planned changes to the lineup or roster: as usual I'll respond to hot and cold streaks, without worrying about who "should" be starting.

August 1-2 @ CALIFORNIA
Wrapping up this series. We won game one to finish July.

HAW pitchers: LH Matt Waugh (14-4, 2.83) / RH Jose Rivera (8-12, 4.05)
CAL pitchers: RH Nate Elder (3-7, 3.33) / LH Shaun Ostrander (8-5, 3.35)

#107: WIN 5-3 ... Gamboa and Medici homer, and Chase Thompson doubles home a run in his return to MLB...Waugh goes 8, fanning 10 and yielding just 5 hits
#108: WIN 6-3 ... down early, we score three late, capped by Medici's 2-run shot in the 9th...Rivera pitches well across 7.1 IP, and Kearns earns his 20th save

Nice to close out a sweep, and push the Angels to seven games behind us. We're 8 behind Texas, and 3 up in the wildcard #2 spot.... The less said about the "production" from our catcher spot, the better: three guys have combined for -1 WAR, a .195 average, and just 9 HR.... 62 home runs for AA megastar Beau Collins, and 119 hits vs 112 strikeouts.... ELSEWHERE: rough month of July for Mets ace Conor MacLeod, going winless in five starts and sporting a negative WAR. But he woke up to toss a 13-K two-hitter against Pittsburgh to start off August.... Portland has won 7 straight to bring their record to 62-46. Like us, they're probably out of the division race--ten games behind the Dodgers. But they're back in the wildcard hunt, chasing down Philadephia and New Orleans.... Brewers basher Ricky Ayala becomes the first to 40 HR, and now leads the AL race by six.... At 44, Lance Powell has no ratings left at catcher, none at all. Yet he's made four starts there for the A's and has a rare stat: a 0.000 defensive efficiency rating.

August 4-6 vs SEATTLE
At 49-59 they're four games ahead of Oakland in the "race to the bottom" AL West sweepstakes. These guys hit home runs (3rd), steal bases (4th), and score runs (7th). That's it. Paul Stough's return from the DL has juiced the power output, and the 2-3-4 slots of Rogelio Pena/Ger van Mourik/Stough have combined for 73 home runs. Too many other guys, however, seem content to live out their days as low-contact hitters, not really adding anything to the offense except their bright, white smiles. Pitching has not been good, and the pen remains a tire fire. Vince Push scouts as a Cy Young candidate, but in his third year in MLB he has yet to get his ERA under five. How long can they keep waiting for him? The best pitchers have been veteran newbies Mike Bader (from us) and Zion Robinson (from NOZ), with holdover Danny Diaz showing occasional bright flashes. Once #2 starter Ron Rivera returns from injury, there's a decent rotation here. But I'll say it again: spend some money! You can't win with 3-4 good hitters, 2-3 starting pitchers, and a clown show everywhere else. Unfortunately most of their prospects worth talking about are 2-3 years away, at least. (Excepting 1B Jay Giese, a true 1B/DH type, who should be in the bigs now, but isn't.) It all adds up to a team still looking for its first winning season this decade.

HAW pitchers: RH Josh Irvin (8-9, 4.22) / LH Daniel Croft (9-9, 4.58) / LH John Loeb (11-4, 3.01)
SEA pitchers: RH Vince Push (8-10, 5.49) / RH Daniel Newell (1-7, 5.64) / RH Danny Diaz (7-6, 4.16)

#109: WIN 4-1 ... Collins hits his 10th, and we somehow scrape out 4 runs from just 7 hits...Irvin: 5 hits, 6 K, 1 BB, in 8 IP
#110: WIN 6-4 ... a 5-0 lead gets tight as Croft gives up 4 in the 7th...Pederson adds an insurance solo HR in the bottom half and we hold on
#111: WIN 6-4 ... finally we reach double figures in hits...Hagemann's pinch GRAND SLAM in the 7th is the winner, and we round things out with ten singles

Well that's nice. A six-game winning streak has us 8 up on California, and 7 behind Texas. Tied for the top wildcard spot with Milwaukee, three games ahead of Tampa Bay.... Two games here were closer than they should have been thanks to leaving in the starter for too long. Will have to chat up Chris Kenney about that.... JJ Simmons is 18 hits away from 2000 and would become the second player to reach that total in his Islander career, after the magnificent Adam Groff. He's also one away from 300 career steals.... ELSEWHERE: "Laugh at the name, but not at the game." Boston's Ty Knott (real name) is not even 23 and is already a superstar. Last year, his first full-time season, he finished third in the batting race at .338, and led the AL in runs, hits, and doubles. This year he leads that category, as well as most triples and is closing in on 7 WAR. And he's not even fully grown yet. Given the Red Sox' 16th-placed offense, he's cleary a one-man show in town. Get him some help, guys!...

August 7-9 @ MIAMI
A hot team for a couple of months has cooled off to start this month, at 1-4. Their lead over Tampa Bay has shrunk to 6 games, and 8 over Boston. But fear not! They still possess the 6th-best offense and the 3rd-best pitching in the AL. Toshi Shimabukuro (.319/29/82) and Chris Bierly (.321/17.60) pace the offense, but having SS Mario Rivera and CF Nelson Trevino out for two and eight weeks, respectively, has soured the attack somewhat. They did make a few deadline pickups, grabbing 1B Marcus Dotson from the Yankees, and two relievers to help shore up a 14th-ranked bullpen. They also called up top pitching prospect Doug Billings and slotted him into middle relief; he should be in the rotation next year. I'm not sure they have quite the hitting depth to take on a Texas or a Detroit, but this is a solid team that could ride hot pitching into a playoff series win anyway. They've missed the playoffs three years running, after making the Series in '51 and winning 101 games the following year. So this is more of a fast-track retooling than a major rebuild; they should be able to hold off all comers in the East and get their post-season shot again.

HAW pitchers: LH Matt Waugh (15-4, 2.81) / RH Jose Rivera (9-12, 4.03) / RH Josh Irvin (9-9, 4.05)
MIA pitchers: RH Dwaine Webb (9-8, 3.89) / LH Victor Nunez (13-3, 3.79) / RH Dylan Tate (debut)

#112: WIN 6-0 ... five-hitter for Waugh, in 8.2 IP, fanning 10...only 9 hits, but Bennetsen knocks a bases-loaded triple, and Medici adds two RBI singles
#113: LOSS 2-3 ... Rivera is stout, fanning 12, but a pair of timely doubles undo him...Lynn and Gamboa get two hits each
#114: WIN 9-3 ... big nights: Tipping goes 4-for-4 with a HR and 3 RBI, while Calderin gets 2 hits and 5 RBI...Irvin leaves in the first with back spasms

No complaints here, although we had a prime chance for a third straight sweep.... Irvin's injury is just dtd, and he shouldn't miss his next start.... Six players now in double figures in home runs, although no one has reached 20 yet.... Former top pitching prospect Manny Tirado, now 27, tore his rotator cuff and is done for nearly a calendar year. What could have been: he's never pitched a full season in his seven years in our system (20 starts in '52 is his high), and now probably won't be back with us next year. So long, Manny.... ELSEWHERE: So yeah, Philly keeps winning despite awful pitching and nagging injuries to top hitters (3 games out of first), and Richmond has been solid all year to keep their lead in the NL East. But don't sleep on the Nationals, winners of nine straight: they're 63-51 and just six games out. They're still in fourth in the wildcard race, but a month ago no one would have picked them to even be at this level.... Pitching has fully taken over in the NL again: the top hitter is batting .309 and five pitchers have ERA under 2.50.... Hey kids, got money to spend? Well don't spend it on big contracts in this league. The top two earners in MLB are Atlanta pitcher Jose Gutierrez ($45M) and Brooklyn SS Ben Grossman ($39). Gutierrez hasn't pitched all year (and made just two starts last year), and Grossman has missed over two months already.

August 10-12 @ OAKLAND
Yet another monthly divisional matchup. Opening 2-6 in August has put them in last in the division, two games behind the equally-slumpy Mariners. Offense ranks 17th, pitching 13th, with a -110 run differential. They haven't listened to my advice from the last time we played and put in their raft of kids to give them some no-pressure experience, outside of putting Jose Luna in right field. (Luna, 22, projects as a solid contact/doubles hitter with some power, nice speed, and an iffy glove despite good range and arm.) What we're also watching is if 44-year-old Lance Powell can reach 610 career home runs to move him into 9th place past Sammy Sosa. (Or even match/surpass Jim Thome, at 612.) Powell sits at 605 currently. Some interesting news is that with the pending free agency/retirement departures of Powell, P Jim Schwartz, SS Noah Johnson, and 1B Justin Sandy, their bank account will have some $85M to play around with this fall. (And it'll be over $100M if 3B Ryan Walton declines his player option.) But will they spend any of it?

HAW pitchers: LH Daniel Croft (10-9, 4.57) / LH John Loeb (12-4, 3.08) / LH Matt Waugh (16-4, 2.67)
OAK pitchers: RH Jaden Bartholomew (7-5, 4.92) / RH Jeff Robinson (4-1, 3.46) / RH Josh Foggie (3-3, 2.88)

#115: WIN 7-0 ... seven-hit CG for Croft, fanning three with zero walks...Pederson is suspended for 3 after punching out RP Pat Fortier...he also hit a HR and produced 4 RBI
#116: LOSS 3-5 ... a pair of HR from Alex Esquilin provides all their runs...only 7 hits tonight, still not hitting much even in wins
#117: WIN 14-2 ... okay, quit complaining: 17 hits, 3 HR...Matson, Tipping, and Hagemann all with 3 hits, and each with a HR...Waugh fans 12 in 7 IP, gives up just 5 hits

Okay, some nice offense in that third game, garnering us two of the three Players of the Day.... Pederson sitting gives Hagemann a little time to shine, which he does with 4 hits and a HR in his first two starts.... Jordan Ruiz comes off his rehab stint (4 G, 5.1 IP, 0 runs), and Yoshi Watanabe (6.08 ERA) heads back to AAA.... Speaking of AAA, pitcher Will McGee gets hurt again. He's only made 7 starts due to several back injuries, poor guy. At 24, he's not done yet; but I'd like him to make a run at a rotation spot next spring, and you have to start questioning his durability at this point.... ELSEWHERE: With just 41 wins San Diego is doing its best to secure the #1 overall draft pick. Why worry now, you say? Because there's a geniune could-be superstar at the top of the scouting pile right now, in catcher Jayden Beachum. Guy looks like a legit triple crown threat one day, and could be ready for the bigs in a year or so. Number two isn't a bad consolation prize: OF Nick Whipp, another all-around hitting stud who may only struggle with strikeouts early in his career.... KC was the surprise hot team in the AL for a while, but a fall off since mid-July has sent them to third in the Central, 11 games out of first, and now 6 games out of the wildcard chase.... 109 RBI for Milwaukee's Ricky Ayala, closing in on his career high of 118, from last season.

August 14-16 @ HOUSTON
We continue our tour through the division with the 53-64 Astros, 21 games out and in 4th place. Offense ranks 13th, pitching 12th, and a -41 run differential. 1B Jose Renteria is the clear offensive MVP, at .308/33/88. No one else is even close. This is a franchise in need of a shake-up, with little player depth and not much bubbling up from the farm. MLB says they have $21M to spend on free agents, but with arbitrations coming that may go down by $5-7M. And they aren't ridding themselves of any aging contracts. If it were me, I'd leave the pitching alone (unless you can nab a cheap-ish RP or two), but I'd definitely take that 20 mil or so and grab a couple of guys who can get on base. Power here is fine--they sit 10th in the AL currently--but they need higher contact and OBP rates, just to give the power guys some runners to drive home. As for pitching, losing young and new star Winton Jones for the season doesn't help, but they're not going anywhere anyway, so the hope is that his bicep injury is not a sign of problems to come. His injury has given youngster Felipe Torres his first real shot (after 16 previous relief appearances) in the rotation; he looks to become a really nice control pitcher, with enough stuff to not be labeled a junkballer.

HAW pitchers: RH Jose Rivera (9-13, 4.01) / RH Josh Irvin (9-9, 4.04) / LH Daniel Croft (11-9, 4.31)
HOU pitchers: RH Robbie Camp (10-10, 3.77) / RH Chris James (7-12, 6.29) / LH Felipe Torres (2-1, 4.82)

#118: WIN 9-2 ... Tipping and Bennetsen (GRAND SLAM) go deep, and Rivera finally notches his 10th win, giving up 0 ER thanks to two errors...a trio of guys with 3 hits each
#119: WIN 9-3 ... 4 HR, including 2 from Medici...15 hits tonight, somehow...3 for Simmons and Hagemann, 2 each for three others...Irvin solid through 8 IP
#120: WIN 11-5 ... a 7-run 5th salts away this one...Bennetsen homers for the third straight game...Ruiz tosses 3 in his first game back, gives up 1 run, fans 3

Very nice, including lots of offense in every game! Where has that been all year.... This is what happens when five batters have those little flames next to their names. We're up to 4th in runs scored now, 3rd in OBP.... Texas matches us, so we're still 7 games out of first; but we're now 2 games up on Milwaukee in the wildcard race, 4 on Tampa Bay.... AAA Santa Barbara and Short A Poughkeepsie lead their divisions, and A Eureka is a game out of first.... ELSEWHERE: Great stuff in the NL East, with Richmond on a 9-game winning streak and Philadelphia on a six-game run. The Eagles lead the division by 3.... 50 steals for Texas' Emilio Mares, his third straight season at that mark. He reached 86 last year, but is not likely to repeat that. Philly's Dustin De Groot leads the NL with 44.... Cincy and New Orleans are now tied in the Central, while LA has re-established order and has an 11-game gap over Portland.... Detroit's Pat Townsand has ridden a hot August to a Player of the Week nod, and is now 2nd in HR and RBI, 3rd in batter WAR. The defending AL MVP has also seen his average rise by 15 points, up to .310 on the season.

......

TL;DR Version: A very tasty 12-2 start to the month, helped along surely by having only one series against a winning team (Miami). We've probably give Texas a little bit of a scare, but at still 7 games out of first we're not likely to make up more unless half their team goes on the DL and/or drops dead. Five batters are officially "hot" right now, including Jose Calderin who hasn't been a regular starter for a couple of months now, but clearly needs to get more AB. With the offense kicking in of late we're now 4th in runs scored, 6th in AVG, and 3rd in OBP. And we're on top of the wildcard race! Okay, only by two games over Milwaukee, and two more over Tampa Bay, so we've got to keep winning. And the latest on AA slugger Beau 70 HR in 114 games. The team has played 118 games, and with 22 remaining the race is on to see if he can reach 80. His ceiling still looks pretty mediocre to me, and he's hitting so many out because his power has fully developed to a big league level. But I don't see him succeeding in the bigs unless his other attributes take some leaps in the next year. At 21, he's still got time...or maybe he'll just become an all-time minor leaguer.

Bub13 · 07-19-2022, 07:35 PM

August 17-19 vs CLEVELAND
Still trying to figure a way out of the second-division in the Central, at 51-69 this year. They've focused on acquiring and developing pitching prospects of late, but it's only gotten them the 16th-ranked staff and next-to-last rotation ERA. Sort-of youngsters Jose Rubio, Sam Tedder, and Dudley Mele haven't progressed as hoped, and Mele looks to have lost his stamina after spending much of the season to date on the DL. Some good news is that they've brought up (from AA) top prospect Jonathan Narcisse to give him some looks in the bullpen; once his control catches up to the rest of his game, he figures to be a steady #2 or #3 starter. The offense is 9th in runs--and 2nd in AVG, but has hit the fewest home runs in the AL. Josh DeRango and Matthew Hill have kept up their power and batting numbers, as did Manny Ayala (leading in hitting until a season-ending injury). But their other productive regulars are all over 30, and only two batting prospects are anywhere near ready for the show. (And neither looks to become a leader on the offensive side of things.) So what does this mean for next year? Probably not much different, really: they're not spending money, and don't have a ton of room right now plus nearly everyone under contract figures to return in the spring. Maybe roll the dice on a solid SP and hope the guys who look great on paper finally figure it out, so that they're pitching is at least league-average. If that happens, they could even get hot and find themselves in a wildcard race.

HAW pitchers: LH John Loeb (12-5, 3.26) / LH Matt Waugh (17-4, 2.67) / RH Jose Rivera (10-13, 3.85)
CLE pitchers: LH Yong-jun Har (3-1, 3.38) / RH Bryce Witulski (3-6, 5.31) / RH Sam Tedder (10-8, 5.25)

#121: WIN 6-3 ... a 5-run third, including a pair of RBI triples, seals the win early...Loeb gives up a pair of late runs, earning Kearns another save for getting one out
#122: WIN 9-5 ... Waugh fans 12 through 6 IP...Simmons and Bennetsen with 3 hits and 2 RBI each, and Medici drives in 2 with a double
#123: LOSS 7-8 ... Hagemann gets four hits (3 doubles), and three for Medici...but we can't get anyone out, and add a pair of crucial errors into the sordid mix

Ok, I'll take it, but we blew a sweep with a really sloppy third game.... Still 7 games behind Texas, but with everyone else in the division falling away, we're 14 games ahead of our nearest competition.... Lynn and Hassell are taking turns in center, but right now Hassell is edging him out. Lynn's hitting has really dropped off of late, with his average down to .269, a drop of 20 points in the last month.... Despite a few hiccups, the bullpen ERA keeps creeping down, now ranked 13th with a 4.11 mark.... ELSEWHERE: Philly's George Livezey has missed only 5 games this year but has battled a number of nagging, dtd, hurts. Still, he's the first in the NL to reach 40 home runs. The Phils are 3 games behind Richmond, and 7 up on the cooling-off Nationals.... LA is the first team to secure a winning season, with an 82-41 record. They lead Portland by 13 games, the biggest divisional margin in MLB.... Winners of 9 out of their last 10, Richmond is keeping ahead of the Phillies, and with an interesting approach of late. While every lineup regular has been on the roster for each of the last three seasons, the pitching staff undergone a total revamp, even right up to the last few weeks. Three of their five SP were with other teams last year, while six of the eight in the pen were with other teams THIS year. The results? A second-ranked bullpen ERA, 4th-best rotation.

August 20-22 @ BOSTON
They've traded good months with bad months, and so a moribund July saw them fall out of the divisional race. But an 11-6 start to August has put them right back in it: third place, 7 games out of first, and 2 games out of a wildcard slot. Pitching is still the key to their success, having given up the 2nd-least runs in the AL. Every SP has pitched well this year, and top RP Luis Garcia (20 SV, 1.57 ERA) and Dusty Browning (18 and 1.87) have been the best 1-2 combo in the game. But the offense ranks just 15th, despite an MVP-type outing so far from sophomore RF Tyler Knott: a league-leading .345 average, with 23 HR and 88 RBI. Former MVP Dustin Wasilewski hasn't repeated his .333/36/142 from a year ago, but he is batting .294 with 17 HR from leadoff. Beyond them, however, it's a veteran-heavy lineup that features strong defense but low averages. Still, they're looking for their 2nd consecutive playoff appearance, after six largely forgettable seasons. This is another franchise with a ton of money to spend (right now: $50M) but is always way too cautious in the off-season. That needs to change if they're going to become relevant again, outside of once every five-to-eight years.

HAW pitchers: RH Josh Irvin (10-9, 3.95) / LH Daniel Croft (12-9, 4.37) / LH John Loeb (13-5, 3.25)
BOS pitchers: RH Art Garner (9-10, 3.88) / LH Chris Cole (5-7, 4.21) / LH Jose Palomino (10-6, 3.50)

#124: WIN 2-0 ... only 4 hits but 2 are solo HR from Calderin...Irvin tosses 7 shutout innings, and the pen wraps it up, allowing zero runners the rest of the way
#125: LOSS 2-4 ... silent offense hurts us this time, with only 6 hits tonight, and 4 from Bennetsen alone...Sanabria takes the L with a poor 9th
#126: WIN 8-3 ... Medici GOES OFF, banging out 3 home runs and driving in 4...Lynn adds a solo shot...Loeb goes 8, wins his 14th and sees his ERA drop too

Two more wins, and now six games behind Texas. Not holding out for a miracle, but it's nice to at least have a sliver of hope.... Medici's triple-shot night ties a team record and finally gives us a player with more than 20 HR on the season.... nice comeback for Jordan Ruiz, with a 1.29 ERA in 7 IP, 6 K and 0 BB.... Calderin is finally showing something at the plate, with 4 HR in the past week and an average over .300. He's getting time at second over Tipping right now.... ELSEWHERE: Still some trades happening, as three deals occur in the last two days. No one of note (or real value) got moved, the closest being Cincy acquiring defensive stud 2B Jose Moran from the Mets for equally solid defensive OF Sam Gilmer. Neither can hit much at all, however.... Back-and-forth race for the NL strikeout crown, with Washington's Nick Light currently on top (245 K) over the Mets' Conor MacLeod (240). Mac has a game in hand, however.... Ten wins in a row for LA, like they really need to do that; 16 game lead over Portland now.... Nine losses out of ten for Milwaukee; that not only drops them to 9 games behind Detroit in the Central, but puts them 3 games behind Tampa Bay for the #2 wildcard spot.

August 24-26 vs TEXAS
The big boys are in town! They've got a six game lead now and are just gunning to widen it. You know the rest: 1st in offense, 5th in pitching, and a top-ten defense. That offense is still just killer, averaging nearly six runs and two homers per game. Six guys have reached 20+ home runs, and with one more RF Ted Miller will join that crowd. The only down note in the lineup is leadoff man Emilio Mares hitting .261, nearly 90 points lower than his mark from a year ago. And while injuries took a little starch out of the rotation, they went and grabbed Drew Hurt from the Chisox and Sid French from the Twins and plugged them into the #4 and #5 slots, where they've done well. So with all that good news, let's add one possible sour note: perennial MVP candidate (and '54 winner) Ryan Boers could walk via free agency this fall. He is the catalyst of the offense, and there's no immediate candidate to replace him, should he depart. I can't believe they'd let him go, but then they let William Swanson walk after his '53 season of .325/62/158, so there's precedence.

HAW pitchers: LH Matt Waugh (18-4, 2.72) / RH Jose Rivera (10-14, 4.03) / RH Josh Irvin (11-9, 3.79)
TEX pitchers: RH Sean Reed (9-10, 4.34) / LH Sid French (3-10, 5.91) / RH Dinand Huisman (17-4, 3.77)

#127: WIN 6-5 ... we outhomer them 3-2, with Hassell hitting a GW solo shot in the 9th...Medici hits a 3-run blast, Bennetsen a 2-run knock
#128: LOSS 2-4 ... a late collapse ruins our 2-0 lead, sadly...JJ SIMMONS ANNUAL HOME RUN ALERT...but only four other hits
#129: WIN 6-0 ... 3 in the 2nd, 3 more in the 8th, with 13 hits total...Irvin tosses a 5-hitter, fanning 6

That's a nice surprise: now we're just five games behind. Too much to hope for? Maybe, but I like that we're fighting for it, and we didn't get blown out in this series like we did last time we played them.... In his last five starts, Irvin is 4-0 with a 0.84 ERA and a 25:5 K-to-BB ratio, in 32.1 IP.... Bad news: top pitching prospect Will McGee is out again, with elbow surgery putting him on the shelf for five months. At least he'll be back for camp, but this year has been a parade of injuries, limiting him to just 9 starts.... Beau Collins watch: 73 HR for the AA star, and an .887 SLG.... ELSEWHERE: Watch out, Miami, Tampa Bay has won ten straight and is now in sight, only three games out.... the NL Wildcard race is starting to jell, with Philly (79 wins) and New Orleans (76) well ahead of two 70-win teams, Washington and Portland.... only 45 wins for San Diego, on the bottom by five games (Chisox with 50).... Outspoken Atlanta CF Jake Morris, the 2054 NL MVP, may be wearing out his welcome in Georgia. He's unhappy with the team's record (58-71), and downright angry with his .231 AVG and 28 HR, both career lows. He also leads MLB with 168 strikeouts (still way behind his personal high of 259 from 2051).

August 27-29 vs CALIFORNIA
With your season playing out (at 62-67, not good but not terrible either) and staring at your second straight decade without a playoff appearance, where do you go if you're running this team? The prospects just aren't there: only one batter--OF Joe Lundin--looks like a solid future starter, and he's still in rookie ball. Otherwise it's a lot of replaceable support-type guys, unless somebody takes a big leap in their development. Pitching looks a little better, but again it's a bunch of back-end starters and middling middle relievers. So sign some free agents, right? Well...they've overspent already, so even with nearly $20M coming off the books this fall, there won't be much room to grab a top player. What I'd do is grab 2-3 cheaper guys who get on base--don't worry about power--and fill in the gaps they're going to lose in a few months (2b, C, SS). You'ver already got two stars in 1B William Swanson and OF/DH Mo Marquez, and two decent OF in Dan Dellinger and Chris Burns. Now go get some contact hitters and build a more competitive lineup on the cheap. Pitching? It's been decent, and since you can't afford a top SP with your budget, make sure your bullpen is as good as you can make it. Is this the path to the Series next year? No, but it's the path to winning more games, building your budget, bringing back the fans...and one day competing for the title again. Oh, and try not to have the bad luck to have FIFTEEN players injured at one time, like they have right now.

HAW pitchers: LH Daniel Croft (12-9, 4.25) / LH John Loeb (14-5, 3.20) / LH Matt Waugh (18-4, 2.85)
CAL pitchers: RH Brad Cox (0-1, 2.45) / RH Aaron Moore (9-12, 4.67) / RH Nate Elder (3-12, 3.93)

#130: LOSS 4-7 ... we put a couple of bombs out, but a 4-run 8th thanks to a rare Sanabria meltdown is our doom tonight...Calderin goes 4-for-4
#131: WIN 5-4 ... 3 more late runs almost make me stroke out, but we hold on this time...7 of our 12 hits go for extras...Loeb fans 11 in 8.1 IP
#132: LOSS 2-5 ... AGAIN with the late blowup, this time 4 runs in the 8th, but ALL are unearned thanks to 2 errors

Ugly series, and not when we wanted it. Texas only grabs a game against us, however, so we're still six back. Not much hope to catch them, but it's still there.... Bennetsen gets hurt in the field in the first game: his diagnosis is still pending.... After a tough start to the season, Calderin has really picked it up, batting .444 in July and now .412 in August, with 4 HR.... 74 home runs for Beau Collins. Eighty is still in reach, but only just.... ELSEWHERE: Detroit has taken advantage of Milwaukee's swoon to open up a 10 game lead over them and KC, while Philly's injury issues have seen them slip to six behind Richmond. Still close in the AL East (Miami 3 ahead of Tampa Bay) and the NL Central (Cincy by 2 over NOZ).... At the other end of the stick, San Diego (47-85) is still the only team without 50 wins.... Still just four players at .300 in the NL, paced by Reds OF Chris Mitchell at .305.... With just over a month left to go, the wildcard races have also opened up. In the AL, #2 team Tampa Bay has a five game advantage over KC and Milwaukee. Over in the NL, New Orleans is five up on Washington and Portland.

August 29-30 vs MILWAUKEE
Four games under .500 this month, and a combined -6 since June 1, putting the one-time division leaders in danger of missing the playoffs outright. Ricky Ayala (45 HR) and Kyle Murphy (.311) have paced the attack, but with little support behind them the offense sits at 12th in runs scored. 3B Mitch Elmore hit .364 in April then got hurt for the season; his replacement Myles Linville hit .293 with defense and speed, but now he's hurt; HIS replacement Adrian Gonzales has done very little. Pitching has been carrying the day, at 8th in runs against, but injuries have pained here too, with three solid relievers currently on the shelf. Unfortunately half of the current pitching roster are upcoming free agents, so there's a lot of work to do this winter to keep them competitive. The better news is that #2 prospect, OF Matt Keil is already on the big team and learning the ropes, while #1 Juwan Watkins should be along by next summer or '57 at the worst. Both are decent hitters, and Watkins offers speed and defense to the mix. There isn't much help on the way for their pitching, although if Chris Pestel (already in the MLB bullpen) can get his control working, he could be in the rotation next spring.

HAW pitchers: RH Jose Rivera (10-15, 4.00) / RH Josh Irvin (12-9, 3.59)
MIL pitchers: RH Merlin Lemay (7-6, 4.70) / RH Jose Ambriz (11-9, 3.78)

#133: WIN 6-0 ... one way to avoid another bullpen collapse is to toss a 4-hit shutout...HR and two hits, two RBI for Calderin
#134: WIN 4-1 ... 8 strong innings from Irvin, and we make the most of our mere 5 hits...the big hit is Simmons with a 2-run double in the 5th

Needed, and with Texas dropping a pair we're now only four games out. Who saw this coming back in mid-summer.... Bennetsen has a strained oblique and will miss 6 weeks or so. Maybe we'll get him back for the playoffs if we can make a deep run. We call up Honolulu native Kyle Kolstad for his first taste of the bigs. He's got some pop (33 HR in AA last year), speed, and is an excellent fielder. But he's not much for contact (.257 this year in AAA seems about right) and strikes out nearly 30% of the time. Still, he could figure in the mix as a left-handed bench bat and defensive option.... Another HR and three more hits for Calderin, now .313 on the year and looking like the guy we traded for last November.... ELSEWHERE: Still just 47 wins for the Padres, and now the first team officially eliminated from the post-season.... With just two games here, obviously there are no big swings in the division races, but New Orleans gains a game on Cincinnati to close to two back.... Bizarre late-season trade sees Seattle send minor leaguers Jimmy Dolan (RP, control issues but otherwise decent) and 2B Andy Rardin (no-hoper) to Toronto for 34-year-old journeyman OF Jesus Alfaro, who hasn't sniffed the bigs since '53. Neither team is in playoff contention, so maybe this trade was made on a dare.

......

TL;DR Version: A 9-5 finish to the month gave us a 21-7 record overall, and a 37-16 effort since July 1. We've put ourselves in a position to catch Texas, but at least as important is that we're solidly in the playfoff mix, atop the wildcard standings. Again, at the end of June: who saw this coming, when we were just three games over .500 and struggling for offense. Well, August turned that around, with eight players hitting at least .299 and hitting 42 home runs as a team. Really only Lynn (.243), Gamboa (.208), and Pederson (.185) didn't get in on the fun. The other fly in the ointment is losing Bennetsen for the closing stretch, after he really heated up just now (.345 with 7 HR in August). Someone will need to step up in his place. For now, Pederson goes back in the lineup since he has the highest ceiling if he gets hot. Hagemann is still in right, and Hassell is busy platooning with Lynn in center. That leaves ice-cold Chase Thompson and rookie Kyle Kolstad. So: c'mon Pederson!

Bub13 · 07-26-2022, 06:38 PM

Twenty-eight games remaining (counting one in October too), twelve on the road and sixteen at home. Our last twelve games are at home, the first series against Texas. With the roster expansion, we only call up two players to start the month: IF Jake Moore and RP Yoshi Watanabe. Both started the season with us, but couldn't stick. As for the division race, for what it's worth here's one stat to consider: winning pct. of Texas' opponents is .468; winning pct. of our opponents is .491. Okay then.

September 1 vs MILWAUKEE
Closing out this series. Then we get a day off and hit the road for nine games.

HAW pitcher: LH Daniel Croft (12-9, 4.18)
MIL pitcher: RH Pat Karahalios (10-9, 4.69)

#135: LOSS 1-6 ... nothing to see here...Croft is terrible, and we manage just two hits...Hagemann does tie a team record with 4 walks, however

At least Texas also lost, so we maintain our four-game deficit. Moving on.... ELSEWHERE: The National League has announced that starting with the 2057 season, the designated hitter will be used for all teams. Welcome to the dark side, NL.... New Orleans inches closer to Cincy, now only a game out of first. That's been a fun race for several years now.

September 3-5 @ TAMPA BAY
A wild 22-6 surge in August has put them just 3 games behind the division-leading Marlins, and into a tie (with us) at the #1 wildcard spot. They're getting good offense (5th in runs) and better (2nd!) pitching; they hit for power and average, and are getting good stuff from the rotation and the bullpen. The only bummer here is injuries, with starting pitchers Carlos Munoz and Phil Spickler out for the year, along with a trio of decent relievers. The lineup is healthy, however, with 33-year-old OF Jose Taveras (.280/27/89) building on his HoF-to-be dossier. The two-time MVP and nine-time all-star is closing in on 2300 hits and 600 home runs. The only thing missing from his resume is a World Series title, and if the Rays keep playing like they have of late, there's no reason why they can't reach the finals for the first time since 2030. (They lost to Atlanta, but did beat Richmond in '24 for their only title.)

HAW pitchers: LH John Loeb (15-5, 3.21) / LH Matt Waugh (18-5, 2.80) / Jose Rivera (11-15, 3.82)
TBR pitchers: RH Harold Harnisch (4-4, 5.53) / LH Jon Jemison (16-7, 4.27) / LH Ricardo Villalobos (2-1, 3.42)

#136: LOSS 1-3 ... Loeb tosses a solid 8 IP but we muster only six hits, all singles, and fan eleven times
#137: WIN 4-3 ... 3-run HR for Calderin and 3 hits for Kolb, bringing his average up to .200 for the first time...8 IP from Waugh, and the win
#138: WIN 12-4 ... odd how we only outhit them 15-14...but we add 5 home runs, including Kolstad's first in the bigs

We needed this one, and it was good to see some offense again after some recent chilliness.... Still four games behind the Rangers.... Supposed mega-slugger-to-be Jose Villalpando hit just his third AAA home run, and his first since June 18th. My scouts SWEAR his power stroke is there, and he is just 20, so I'm not out of hope yet.... The AA regular season is over and Beau Collins finished with 79 dingers. Just outrageous. Eureka ended up winning the North Division by a game and will play the San Jose Giants for a chance at the California League championship.... ELSEWHERE: Someone in the NL finally has 100 RBI, and it's LA's Gerardo Nieto.... Philadelphia is still looking good for a wildcard, but a raft of injuries to key players has hurt and put them to 8 games behind Richmond in the divisional race. Richmond winning 9 out of 10 hasn't helped either.... When you're done you're done: 3000-hit club member Juan Garcia (SF) is 38 and has pretty much lost his hitting mojo, batting just .229 in 340 at bats, "earning" just -1.2 WAR. He's 13th on the all-time hit parade, just 9 behind Willie Mays, but at the rate he's going he probably won't reach him.

September 6-8 @ OAKLAND
At 58-80 and playing out the string on another futile season. So it looks like they took some of my advice and brought up a few promising kids. And what happened? SP Rodolfo de la Paz (21 yrs old) made 4 starts then tore up his elbow and will miss 8 months. SP Steve Hansen (22) made 3 starts and hurt his rotator cuff, costing him the next 3 months. Sorry guys, my bad. At least OF Matt Hall and Phil Edmunds haven't gotten hurt (yet), but then they haven't batted much at all. And they got an early look at OF Henry Uhlman, bringing him up three weeks ago; he's gone .328/.379/.410 in 61 AB. Small sample, but promising. Ditto for C Bruce Corrigan, who's batted just .200 but isn't as far along the development curve as is Uhlman. Give these guys a chance! And stop chasing 35-HR power hitters who can't hit better than .210. They kill your offense stone dead. And please please put Glen Marler and Josh Foggie--currently toiling in the pen to no avail--into the rotation, and let old and decrepit Jim Schwartz die already. The 35-year-old former ace has made 27 starts this year, the most since '51 for him, but he hasn't been very good; all of his stats have trended solidly in the wrong direction. He makes $34M and will go to free agency this fall, if he doesn't retire first. If they re-sign him for any amount, so help me god I'll---

HAW pitchers: RH Josh Irvin (13-9, 3.49) / LH Daniel Croft (12-10, 4.33) / LH John Loeb (15-6, 3.21)
OAK pitchers: RH Jaden Sales (5-12, 5.58) / RH Jaden Bartholomew (8-9, 5.43) / RH Jeff "Jaden" Robinson (6-2, 3.08)

#139: WIN 9-4 ... Calderin smacks two more outta the park, and Gamboa adds a tying shot in the 9th, then we score 5 in the 10th to win...Medici gets hurt tho
#140: LOSS 5-10 ... another late-inning collapse, this time it's 6 runs in the 8th...Hassell and Gamboa homer, but we're otherwise kinda flat with Medici out
#141: WIN 7-1 ... Loeb allows a 9th-inning HR, but no total collapse tonight...3 H and a HR for Lynn, 3 H and 2 RBI for Matson

Up-and-down series but we keep pace with Texas and stay two ahead of Tampa Bay in the wildcard.... Bad news re Medici, as he'll miss 3-4 weeks with plantar fascitis. So we call up OF Eric Sayward, a supplemental round pick from '54. He's blitzed through our system in just two+ seasons, and hit .310 with 14 HR in AAA this year. He doesn't do anything at an elite level, but is pretty decent everywhere except speed. He has some pop, and with a good showing this month he'll definitely be in the outfield mix next spring.... ELSEWHERE: Cincinnati is still holding on to a 4-game lead over New Orleans, but losing 2/3 of their starting OF for the season won't help over these last few weeks. Jake Glowski and Mike Knapp are done; now it's time for Ken Berman and Adam Durst to step up. Neither of the latter two have shown much in their careers, so take care Reds fans.... Richmond's lead over Philly is now ten games.... Detroit is 26-9 since August 1, and is a mortal lock to win their tenth division crown (in their last 12 seasons). Now if only they can just turn that regular season success into any kind of post-season glory, they might make their first Series since 2041.... How have those MLB pre-season predictions held up? New Orleans was predicted to win just 73 games but currently sits at 82-59; while the Yankees figured to win 86 and vie for the division, but are 62-79 and on the verge of official elimination.

September 9-11 @ HOUSTON
Another team just trying to get to the finish line, they've actually been .500 since August 1, but are 62-79 overall. Not much is happening anywhere for them, at 15th in offense and 13th in pitching. The ongoing rebuild has been slow and largely ineffective, as I've documented earlier. I'm not sure what they'll be able to do this off-season either, as there isn't much money around to spend. At any rate, if they can at least keep their top two SP and their CL healthy all of next season, they'll at least be ahead of this year's curve. At any rate, their September call-ups don't move the needle much, but do include 39-year-old former Isles OF Ian McGowan, last seen patrolling our turf in 2043. He's since seen action for ten other MLB clubs, and was last a regular for the Rays in '51. We may also see 21-year-old SP Felipe Torres, who looks like a mid-rank starter with really nice control and movement. Not your future staff ace, but definitely part of a growing rotation, once Winton Jones and Mat Caldwell are healthy again in the spring.

HAW pitchers: LH Matt Waugh (19-5, 2.74) / RH Jose Rivera (12-15, 3.88) / RH Josh Irvin (13-9, 3.52)
HOU pitchers: RH Jason Knight (9-10, 4.42) / RH Robbie Camp (10-15, 4.31) / RH Chris James (9-15, 6.28)

#142: LOSS 5-6 ... we give up a 3-1 lead late, score 2 in the 8th, but blow it in the bottom half...only 8 hits, so it's nice we score 5 from that, but we need more
#143: WIN 6-4 ... Gamboa breaks his slump with a 3-run HR and a single...Rivera gives up all 4 runs but takes the win anyway
#144: WIN 11-6 ... Pederson and Calderin slug 2 HR each, and Hagemann adds one...Matson and Simmons each add 3 hits

Two wins plus a Texas sweep means we're just TWO games behind the Rangers now.... A pile of home runs (8 in all) here puts us into 14th in the AL. Such lofty heights.... Hassell, Tipping, and Calderin each suffer 2-4 day minor injuries, but all are back now.... Three weeks until Medici returns, 4 for Bennetsen.... Eureka won three straight to take their five-game series from San Jose. They'll play High Desert next for the California League crown.... ELSEWHERE: The Dodgers clinch the NL West for the fifth year running. With 94 wins already, they'll be the front runners from the senior circuit to return to the World Series and seek their 10th title.... It took a while, but Milwaukee's Manny Ayala finally reached 50 HR; he's at 51 currently, one behind last year's total.... Cincy has pulled out a 6-game lead in the NL Central, going 7-3 of late while New Orleans has lost 4 in a row.... Going 29-9 since August 1 has given the Tigers a large 15-game lead in the AL Central. Second-place Milwaukee lags six games behind Tampa Bay for the #2 wildcard slot.

September 13-15 vs CHICAGO
Boy did things fall apart fast for the Sox. After winning 112 games in '54 and 92 last year, they're 55-89 and comfortably in last in the Central. Everything is to blame: offense ranks 16th, pitching 18th and last. There's still some pop in the lineup, with T.J. Walsh, Zeke de la Rosa, Ben Usilton, and Elijah Pass are still a solid 4-part punch in the middle of the order. Raul Madera is a nice 2B/DH option, but needs to be far away from the leadoff spot, and rookie OF Robert Herbold looked decent early on before breaking his elbow, sidelining him for the season. But the pitching needs an overhaul; or maybe an exorcist, as the rotation looks okay on paper, but has wildly underperformed all year. You might also think having seven pitchers on the DL has hurt too, but then none of them have a) pitched well this year, and b) pitched well in MLB of late anyway. Some good news here is that $25M (mostly in pitching) is coming off the books this fall, so they've got room to go out and grab some guys if they can muster the will. And there's help from the farm that's ready too: SP Owen Cumming (already in the MLB pen), RP Ken Pike, and 2B Scott Moran should all be regulars next season, and pitchers Willie Ramos and Kien Chia should get long looks. The team profile says they're rebuilding, but I don't think this team is that far away from competing again, despite that ugly record. Just call this a hangover season, take some aspirin and forget all about it soon enough.

HAW pitchers: LH Daniel Croft (12-11, 4.45) / LH John Loeb (16-6, 3.11) / LH Matt Waugh (19-5, 2.78)
CHW pitchers: RH Mike Walsh (8-7, 4.00) / RH Luke Weaver (11-13, 4.25) / RH Earl Dobrowolski (3-12, 6.77)

#145: WIN 7-4 ... we score 6 early and hold on for the win...3 hits for Hassell and Simmons, and 2 RBI for Pederson and Collins
#146: WIN 11-4 ... a sharp wind helped us smack 6 HR tonight, almost all of them solo shots...Calderin hits 2, driving in 5 runs thanks to two additional hits
#147: WIN 8-0 ... 3-hitter from Waugh, fanning 10...3 more HR, two from Hassell and amazingly another one from Simmons, giving him two on the season

And with that sweep, ladies and gents, WE ARE IN FIRST PLACE. Texas has lost six straight to help us out a bit, and so now we've got a nose out in front. How long will it last.... In player news, Waugh won his 20th for the fourth time in four seasons; Calderin is still blisteringly hot, with 8 HR in 12 games; and JJ Simmons has more than one HR for only the 4th time in his 14 seasons. Wondrous tidings, all.... A ball Eurkeka dropped their first two games to High Desert; meanwhle Short A Poughkeepsie starts their playoffs against Hudson Valley; AAA Santa Barbara has clinched their division with ten to play.... ELSEWHERE: Texas is cold with 6 straight losses, while Miami is hot with 5 wins and a now 8-game lead over Tampa Bay. Detroit's magic number is one. In the NL, Richmond and Cincinnati lead their respective divisions by five games.... Pitching is up this year, and there are three guys with shots at 300 K: KC's Steve Scibek (281); and in the NL Nick Light (WAS) and Conor MacLeod (NYM), both with 287.... MacLeod is also sliding up the all-time K list, in 43rd with 2830. Three more and he passes Mickey Lolich.... CHAOS in the Windy City, as the Cubs fire second-year manager Devin Reyes and five-year GM Will Diederich. Then just two days later they waive/DFA their ace pitcher Jeffrey Foley, a lone bright spot in a bad year with a 2.51 ERA and a 5.3 WAR. Yes, Foley is 37 and making $21M for another season, but he is obviously still a solid contributor and should be worth at least a prospect on the open market, no?

......

TL;DR Version: A 9-4 start to the month, prettied up by a current 5-game winning streak. And prettied up even more when coupled with Texas' falterings. All of our team stats are trending up right now, so let's hope for once in our recent history we're actually getting better in September and not slowing down. Fingers crossed. Depending on where we are after another week or so, I may bring up #1 prospect Jose Villalpando for a quick taste of the bigs. He's hit 2 HR in the last week in AAA, which doesn't sound like much but may mean that he's finally on the verge of finding his long-vaunted power stroke. Again: fingers crossed. To wrap up the season we'll play 12 of our last 15 games at home, and all of those dozen games to close the season. Quite an odd scheduling quirk.

Bub13 · 07-31-2022, 05:49 PM

September 16-18 @ BALTIMORE
They've been competitive again this season (after last year's 84-win season, their first plus season in over a decade), but going five games under .500 in July and August dropped them just outside serious reach of a wild card spot. Currently they're at 76-71, seven games out of the playoffs. Hitting has been the real driver here, ranking 3rd in runs and 2nd in AVG. Solid power seasons from DH Justin Horton (41 HR), 1B Dan Bourgeois (36), and 3B Dave Rivera (34) have really helped; those guys have also hit for average, as have veteran Chris Rock (.310 when healthy) and home-grown talents Xavier Perez and Nate Murray. The one fly in the ointment is their sorrowful budget--35th in baseball--meaning they may not be able to replace any fall departures. (Such as Rivera, who's 35 and not likely to get re-signed.) But Horton could replace him at third, and there are some bench bats to try out at DH next year, or maybe use Rivera's $16M to grab a vet to just swing a bat for a year. They also need major pitching help (ranks 16th) in both parts of the staff, and I don't see any immediate help from within. It could be that, like Milwaukee this year, some underperforming young arms finally put it together next year; but they'll need more than just, say, one guy to do that. Possible, but a big roll of the dice, standing pat.

HAW pitchers: RH Jose Rivera (13-15, 3.91) / RH Josh Irvin (13-9, 3.69) / LH Daniel Croft (13-11, 4.46)
BAL pitchers: LH Elijah Bragg (12-4, 4.87) / RH Jonas Chevalier (10-13, 5.14) / RH Mike Lauridsen (0-1, 5.23)

#148: LOSS 2-4 ... held to just 4 hits, with Lynn's 2-run double our only offense...Rivera goes all 8, gives up his usual 4 runs
#149: LOSS 1-2 ... we give up runs in the 8th and 9th to drop this one...disappointing offense again, 9 hits but only 1 for extras
#150: WIN 12-4 ... finally an explosion of hits (14), with six HR...SIMMONS HITS HIS THIRD WHAT IS HAPPENING...Lynn goes 4-for-5

Salvaging some pride with that last game, and timely too, as Texas wins their last two to tie us for first.... Calderin reaches 20 home runs, something I didn't think was possible when he had only six on August 1.... Simmons homers again, giving him two this month and tying his career best of three. Come on, JJ, just one more!... BIG SERIES coming up next.... ELSEWHERE: The Cubs pulled the trigger on Jeff Foley at last, sending him to New Orleans for two prospects: 22 year-olds RP Úrsula Futscher (promising but not great) and RP Francisco Gamero (meh all the way). Futscher at least could develop, but not into a 200+ IP top-of-the-staff starter.... LA is on the cusp of their third straight 100-win season, with 99 currently. And 96 losses for San Diego, close to reaching triple figures for the first time since 2028.... 298 K for Washington's Nick Light, and 50 HR for Texas C Phil Thoma, still trying to make his longshot case for AL MVP.... New Orleans is hoping Foley's acquisition will keep them ahead of the surging Nats in the wildcard race. The Zephs sit in second with 85 wins, with Washington one game behind them.

September 19-21 vs TEXAS
Here it is, the series that may decide the division, even though we'll both have nine games remaining afterwards. We're tied at 89-61, and the Rangers have gone 6-10 to start the month; but they did just take two from Toronto to right the ship somewhat. Still first in offense, seventh in pitching. Four players have topped 30 HR; two have more than 100 RBI, with two more close; reigning MVP Ryan Boers leads the AL again in WAR, with 9.1. What's been leaky of late has been the rotation, with three guys at or over the league average ERA. But they'll get top dog Mike Nelson back in a week, and he'll get a start or two to shake off any rust before the post-season. Somehow, even with all this winning they've managed to keep salaries down. BUT...Boers is still unsigned beyond this season and will likely test the market, looking for way more than the $24M he's currently making. When they let all-everything slugger William Swanson walk a few years ago I thought they'd lose their mojo; but they had Boers and Javier Tzoc and Emilio Mares ready to step in and lead the offense. I don't see anyone like that on the horizon right now, however. They've got a couple of decent complementary types up for the September expansion, and injured 2B Matt Provance brewing in AAA. But Provance gets his scouting love mostly for his speed and defense: he's probably going to be a .260-type hitter good for 15 or so HR on average. Not a Boers-type. Maybe they'll re-sign Boers, or take a chance on a stud in free agency. But Rangers fans may be seriously worried that their title window is dropping shut right now, maybe to a sliver after this season. Two titles in four years is a good showing, but who wouldn't want the hat trick?

HAW pitchers: LH John Loeb (17-6, 3.17) / LH Matt Waugh (20-5, 2.67) / RH Jose Rivera (13-16, 3.93)
TEX pitchers: RH Dinand Huisman (17-8, 4.29) / RH Sean Reed (10-12, 4.56) / RH Drew Hurt (8-13, 5.20)

#151: WIN 9-3 ... we win 4-2 in the all-important home run race, and everyone gets a hit tonight...6 runs in the 4th, with 3 HR bringing all six home
#152: LOSS 1-4 ... only five hits here, looking sluggish after yesterday's fun...unusual outing for Waugh, walking five in 7.2 IP
#153: WIN 6-3 ... Rivera fans 11 and Kearns nets his 30th save...2 H, 4 RBI and a 2-run HR for Hagemann...two hits and his 44th steal for Simmons

A back-and-forth series, and we maintain a hold on first by a game. This thing isn't over yet.... Simmons is having quite a year, at 34: he's batting .307/.383/.399, with a career high 44 steals. Those batting numbers are right in line with his career averages, but I have a serious question: can he keep it up? It's a concern given that if he voids his opt out this fall, we'll be paying him $25M per through '59 (with an option for '60). If he ages fast we're going to wish we could spend that 25 mill somewhere else, you can guarantee that. But if he opts out of his contract, what then? Difficult to say what he thinks he's worth on the market, but we might have to find out.... ELSEWHERE: Detroit finally claims the AL Central; Miami gets their magic number down to one and clinches a playoff spot at least; Richmond's number is 4, Cincy's is 7.... Unfortunately the Reds and Zephs won't see each other again during the regular season, but Richmond will close with Philly, which should be fun if their race isn't decided by then.... KC has won 7 of 10 to get to just 2 behind Tampa Bay for the second AL wild card. They play each other next.... The Cards' Erik Sloan tosses the 2nd no-hitter of the season, fanning 13 in a 2-0 win over the hapless Cubs. This is the first no-no for the 2054 Silver Slugger winner.

September 23-25 vs CALIFORNIA
I talked last time we played about what they could do moving forward, to finally get back to the Angels powerhouse I remember from the 20s and 30s. Since then they've called up a number of 22- to 25-year-olds and are giving them AB, but so far only OF Adam Richardson (.321, 11 HR, in 109 AB) has done anything, and I don't see that he has the talent to sustain anything near to that in the long-term. On the mound, they've given some starts of late to a few kids, and I see more promise there. I'll also be interested to see how they treat two-way player Aaron Moore. He's made 30 pitching starts, with so-so numbers (4.70 ERA, 4.60 FIP), but I think his true promise is at the plate, not throwing to it. He has power to hit 30+ HR and is only lacking a little plate discipline to become a truly productive, above-average, hitter. Put him in the outfield or at third, and maybe only use him as a spot starter. (Ohtani he ain't.) There's already the makings of a really solid rotation even without him--Nate Elder, Arturo Colunga, and Josh Pomerantz are already there, and there's definite promise that more than two of Brian Jackson, Brad Cox, Manny Brito, Zack Thornhill, Sam Matthews, and Justin Thornton (all with MLB experience already) will pay off and fill out a top five. Just don't trade half of them for a 34-year-old slugger to hit .220 with 30 home runs next year.

HAW pitchers: RH Josh Irvin (13-9, 3.59) / LH Daniel Croft (14-11, 4.44) / LH John Loeb (18-6, 3.17)
CAL pitchers: RH Arturo Colunga (14-10, 4.51) / LH Shaun Ostrander (9-9, 3.08) / RH Nate Elder (5-13, 4.17)

#154: WIN 9-2 ... Gamboa's GRAND SLAM fuels a 7-run 8th, with Collins and Calderin also hitting bombs that inning...Irvin goes the distance, fans 8, walks 0
#155: WIN 5-2 ... Calderin homers again, and we score a run in five of the first six innings...Croft gives up 10 hits, but 9 are singles
#156: WIN 6-2 ... no HR for C-Dog, but Loeb tosses a five-hitter, and we make the most out of 8 hits with Hassell's HR and a pair of RBI doubles

Huge series, with our sweep and Seattle doing us a solid by sweeping the Rangers in turn. We now have a four-game lead with six remaining.... Calderin continues to hit bombs: despite batting just .259 this month he's put 11 balls out of the park so far.... Lynn keeps pestering me for an extension. He wants 3 years at $22M per, then an opt out, then six more years at $19M. He'll be 28 in two days, so he's not old. But after five seasons of .320+ hitting, he's been at .280 for two seasons and an OPS+ under 100 (after averaging 115 before). He's still fast (32 steals) and plays good defense, but I see too many numbers trending downward: AVG, OBP, SLG, and Ks are up, doubles and triples are down. Twenty million a year? The fans do love him, tho, so I may be very unpopular around here very soon.... ELSEWHERE: Playoff race update: New Orleans has closed to 4 behind Cincy, while Richmond is 6 up on the Phils. The wildcard races are more interesting, tbh. In the AL, Baltimore (with 1 more loss) and Milwaukee (with 2) are on the verge of elimination, leaving Texas (90 wins), Tampa Bay (88), and KC (85) as the contenders. This assumes we hold on to first in the West.... In the NL, Richmond's magic number is one. And if the Reds hold on in the Central, you're looking at a wildcard race between Philadelphia (91 wins), New Orleans (89), and Washington (88). Cincy has 93 wins and a magic number of three.... A recent power surge by Reds 3B Heath Lewellen has him on top in the HR race with 46, and leading with 112 RBI. He's not likely to repeat as NL MVP, however, down in average and way back in WAR.... 306 K for Washington's Nick Light, and 300 for KC's Steve Scibek. Conor MacLeod as 297, still in the race.... San Diego (56 wins) and the White Sox (58) are vying for the right to (hopefully) pick consensus #1 talent Jayden Beachum. They'll probably end up going for a C-level pitcher instead...

September 26-28 vs KANAS CITY
These guys are so close they can taste it. A decade plus of futility finally showed some hope with a 90-win season a year ago, and they're close to that again this year. The division is lost, and they have to nearly win out to catch Tampa for a wildcard spot, but there's hope. I think they're just a couple of players--and some better injury luck--away from catching the Tigers, seriously. It doesn't help their 8th-ranked offense that solid hitters 2B Marcus Tamrat and LF Phillip Tyler have been on the DL for a while. Pitching ranks 4th, with a decent rotation and the AL's best bullpen. Steve Scibek and Bill Perez have finally matched their performance to their talent, and the rest of the rotation is more than filler. There's competition coming from the bullpen too. Lots of promise here for next year, as almost everyone is coming back. They just need a better leadoff man than DH Tim Chapman (batting above his station at .287, but only a .320 OBP), and 1B Micah Bailey needs to rebound from his .236 with 21 HR season, back to his 40+ HR and .280+ averages of recent years. It's too bad scouting discovery (and #3 prospect in MLB) 2B Alberto Echevarria is only 17, because if he reaches his ceilings he's going to become a monster hitter. It's about time Detroit had someone put a scare into them: this is the team to do it.

HAW pitchers: LH Matt Waugh (20-6, 2.70) / RH Jose Rivera (14-16, 3.87) / RH Josh Irvin (14-9, 3.52)
KCR pitchers: RH Adam Grossman (12-10, 5.36) / RH Steve Scibek (19-7, 3.34) / RH Bill Perez (13-10, 3.91)

#157: LOSS 3-4 ... Calderin homers again, but we can't mount enough offense to make a push
#158: LOSS 1-7 ... Rivera struggles through five innings, and we only muster six hits, with Gamboa's 25th HR the only notable thing
#159: WIN 8-0 ... Irvin's three-hitter is just what we need, and Hagemann's HR and 2-run double are the key hits

That last game settled the AL playoff picture as WE CLINCHED THE DIVISION! And also eliminated the Royals, putting Texas and Tampa Bay into the wildcards.... Irvin's last three starts: 26 IP, 18 H, 3 R/ER, 23 K, 1 BB. Wow.... Waugh likely has one more start to reach 21 wins, which would match his total from each of his first three seasons with us.... Winning the division means that the extra rest could see Bennetsen back at 100% by our first playoff game.... ELSEWHERE: Richmond and Cincinnati clinch their divisions, and Philadelphia clinches a wildcard. The final spot will come down to either New Orleans (91 wins) or Washington (90). The Nats close with Brooklyn (.428 win pct), while the Zephs get the 80-win Cardinals.... Ryan Boers (TEX) has 9.8 WAR and just three games to reach that double figure mark. Arizona's Kevin Reynolds, with 9.1, is the only player close to him.... Reynolds seems likely to claim the NL batting crown--and possibly MVP--while the AL race is separated by only a point: Boston's Ty Knott at .337, and Minnesota's Ryan Lawler at .336.

September 29-30, October 1 vs SEATTLE
This outrageous homestand--and the regular season--comes to a close with the Mariners, whom we thank for helping us seal the division yesterday. This is the rare team who's payroll doesn't closely match their budget, leaving them with an estimated $35M+ to play with this fall. There are many areas of need, not least their bottom-ranked bullpen. But they need hitters: they're 7th in runs and 3rd in HR, but only 13th in AVG and 14th in OBP. I can't think of too many teams that I'd recommend go and grab some singles hitters, but here we are. And go the LA route and bring in some quality relief. It matters, trust me. With all the angst this disappointing season has brought, one bright note has been the pitching of former Isle Mike Bader, with 16 wins and an ERA+ of 105: he's not an ace, but a solid complement and the kind of pitcher they've needed for a while. (And of course the guy we traded him for, RP Marco Mendez, flamed out with us and has spent the summer in AAA. Oh well.) Anyway...if they can get some offensive support for a 2-3-4 heart of the lineup that has bashed out 108 HR, then they'll definitely push us and Texas next year.

HAW pitchers: LH Daniel Croft (15-11, 4.31) / LH John Loeb (19-6, 3.12) / [LH Matt Waugh (20-7, 2.77)]
SEA pitchers: RH Danny Diaz (10-12, 4.68) / RH Mike Bader (16-12, 4.13) / RH Dan Crews (5-4, 4.16)

#160: LOSS 4-9 ... Kolstad and Kolb homer, but Croft doesn't make it past the 2nd (6 runs, all unearned)...2 H for Medici in his return
#161: WIN 13-8 ... 5 in the 6th, 8 in the 8th, that's all...16 hits from a lot of backups tonight
#162: WIN 4-3 ... fitting as Gamboa and Calderin go deep, and we score 3 late runs to pull out this one...Morales makes an unscheduled start

Odd that the staff pulled Waugh from the final start, and although I'm glad they didn't risk an injury, I was hoping he'd start, win his 21st (again), and give us the rare distinction of using only five starters all season.... Jose Villalpando made a late-season appearance, going 2-for-7 with a pair of RBI. He went right back down to help Santa Barbara in their playoff push, but he did not look out of place in that tiny sample size.... ELSEWHERE: We'll have a one-game playoff between NO and WSH for the final NL wildcard spot. The Zephs lost their final game to STL in the bottom of the 9th, tough one.... Kevin Reynolds claimed the NL batting crown at .307, while Minny's Ryan Lawler got hot and took the AL title in the final weekend. This is Lawler's second crown, Reynolds' first.... Conor MacLeod's ten-K effort against Atlanta on the final day of the season gave him the NL strikeout title, 314 to 311 for Washington's Nick Light.

......

TL;DR Version: A 9-6 finish made for a final month (plus 10/1) of 18-10 and we swept past the Rangers to take the division by four games. This is our first divisional title since our insane 122-win season in '53. Our hot start brought some team numbers up too, especially on offense: we finished 4th in runs scored, 3rd in AVG, and climbed to 11th in home runs--a pretty good ranking for us. We gave up the fewest runs, only 636. (Which would have been mid-pack in the NL!) Fun stat: our 97 wins is the lowest of any division winner. (Cincy had 98; every other team had at least 100.) None of our batters had great stats years, but we did have two leaders: Bill Gamboa with 9 sacrifices, and Josh Matson with 14 sac flies! Matt Waugh again was all over the pitching stats leaderboards: 1st in ERA, WAR, K/BB ratio, FIP, ERA+. Could he claim another Cy Young? I think he's the front runner, yes. Anyway, the second best part of winning the division is we get 4-6 days of rest for everyone, and might even be completely healthy by the time we face Texas or Tampa Bay in the divisional round. Let's go!

Bub13 · 08-04-2022, 06:40 PM

Before the playoffs officially begin, New Orleans and Washington face off in a one-game sudden death match for the second wild card in the NL. And the results are...Washington! Winners by an 8-2 margin and into the playoffs for the second time in the last three seasons. They move on to face the Phillies for the fun prize of taking on the Dodgers in the divisional round. In the AL, it's Texas and Tampa Bay fighting to face Detroit. Oddly, we'll wait to face Miami instead of getting the TEX/TB winner. All the same to me.

Wild Card Round
Fans are treated to a pair of series that go the full three games, and most are close to boot. In the AL, Tampa Bay takes down the slumping Rangers, winning the clincher on the road. Over in the National, the Nats can't make their luck hold out, as the Phillies finish them in three as well.

The Divisional Series are as follows:

AL:
DET vs TBR
HAW vs MIA

NL:
LAD vs PHI
CIN vs RIC

In Miami we're facing one of three teams to win 100 games, and they went the entire season with no months under .500. They are a very well-balanced team, 5th in runs scored and 7th in runs allowed, for a +118 run differential. Offensively they're just on either side of the top five in most categories; looking at their lineup I see only two guys who hit under .250, and both--3B Jon Ladd and 2B Dave Palma--make up for that deficiency with superb defense. The keys to the offense lie in the 3-4-5 spots: DH Toshi Shimabukuro (.322/43/124), LF Chris Bierly (.326/24/82), and SS Mario Rivera (.300/27/89). But like I said, there are no real weaknesses anywhere. On the mound, the rotation had the 2nd best AL ERA, with all four playoff starters comfortably under the 4.00 mark. The wildcard is #4 guy Chuck Nelson, a late addition to this group after an injury to Izzy Perales and some late-season ineffectiveness from Sean Kramer. The bullpen also struggled with consistency, finishing 12th in the AL, so that's an area we might be able to exploit. The Marlins are back in the post-season after a three-year layoff, and are looking to make their third trip to the World Series (they lost in '42 and '51).

As for us, we're so close to healthy, but Erik Bennetsen got the dreaded "unknown return date" diagnosis just now from our training staff. I activated him anyway, but he won't play until he's 100% obviously. And we moved SP Daniel Croft into the long relief slot; he had a decent season, turning in some good starts in August too, but he was the least consistent of our available starting options. But he's there if we need him.

Game One: Hawaii (LH Matt Waugh, 20-7, 2.77) @ Miami (LH Dustin Panos, 17-9, 3.56) Pitcher's duel! We take a 2-0 lead into the 8th, scoring runs on an infield throwing error and a fielder's choice. Small ball for the win, right? Not so fast. For some reason, we take Waugh out after seven shutout innings, bringing in the struggling-of-late Ramon Sanabria. Three doubles and a walk later and we're down 3-2 and don't recover. Only five hits for us tonight, so maybe I've got to tweak things as our who-can-get-on-base? bugaboo returns at a bad time. FINAL SCORE: Miami 3, Hawaii 2 [b]Miami leads series 1-0[/i]

Game Two: Hawaii (LH John Loeb, 19-6, 3.16) @ Miami (RH Dwaine Webb, 16-10, 3.44). Lynn's two-run triple in the 6th puts us up 3-1, but we give one back in the bottom half. Each team adds one in the 7th. Then stupid bullpen management costs us AGAIN: after Loeb gives up the tying run in the 8th, we bring in Sanabria again for some reason. Of course he immediately gives up a single, scoring the go-ahead run and costing us ANOTHER GAME. Only six hits tonight, although we do add seven walks. Up against it now. FINAL SCORE: Miami 5, Hawaii 4 (Miami leads series 2-0)

Game Three: Miami (LH Victor Nunez, 20-5, 3.75) @ Hawaii (RH Josh Irvin, 15-9, 3.38) Last chance, must-win game.... Well, you can't say the bullpen let us down this time. The Marlins score four in the first on five hits, chasing Irvin with two outs, and we're down big time early on. Pederson gets two back with a single in the bottom half, but the bad guys add another one in the third. Five more scoreless innings pass, where we can only put three runners on base (one via HBP). Lynn then doubles in the 9th and is quickly brought home by a Calderin single, making it 5-3. But despite getting two more hits, we can't bring him home, and thus endeth the season. FINAL SCORE: Miami 5, Hawaii 3. Miami WINS series 3-0

Well, that's a bummer. We were on quite a run to close out the season, and although these games were close, we just couldn't mount enough offense to get the job done. Clearly that was our weakness throughout the season: streaky offense. I guess we didn't have the keys to success after all!

Elsewhere, Detroit takes out Tampa Bay in four to advance to the AL Championships. The NL, on the other hand, had two close series. Richmond won a back-and-forth affair against Cincinnati by blowing out the Reds 11-4 in their fifth game; while the Phillies--with the NL's next-to-worst pitching--got a 3-hit shutout over the powerhouse Dodgers to take a shocking win in that decider. So the NL championship is a rehash of the NL East season-long battle: RIC vs PHI.

......

The World Series is set after two pretty thrilling championship round tilts. The Tigers took out the Marlins in six, with both teams scoring a ton of runs. Detroit sealed the deal with a wild 11-10 twelfth inning win in the finale, after scoring four times in the ninth to send it to extras. The NL bout went the distance, and ultimately Philly outscored Richmond, getting their own late clinching win with a two-run eighth on the road to take the series. Both the Tigers and Phillies can score in bunches, but experts are giving the Tigers the edge thanks to their superior pitching. But then again, the Dodgers had the MLB's best pitching, and now they're at home on the golf course... This is Detroit's first finals visit since going back-to-back in '40 and '41 (they lost both), while the Phils went in '52 (also losing). Philly's last title came in 2047. Detroit's? 1984.

2056 WORLD SERIES
Game 1: DET 6, PHI 5 ... DET leads 1-0
Game 2: PHI 6, DET 1 ... series tied 1-1
Game 3: PHI 9, DET 2 ... PHI leads 2-1
Game 4: DET 6, PHI 2 ... series tied 2-2
Game 5: PHI 3, DET 1 ... PHI leads 3-2
Game 6: DET 7, PHI 6 ... series tied 3-3
Game 7: DET 5, PHI 4 ... DETROIT WINS 4-3

Now this series was worth the price of admission. Philly's surprise pitching was the story early on, holding the strong Tigers lineup to five or fewer hits in three of the first five games. But Detroit used that Sabermetric boogeyman, CLUTCH HITTING, to pull this one out. After saving their season by scoring four late runs in a comeback game six win, they held off a late Phillies rally in the finale to win their first title over 70 years. "The Curse is over!" AL MVP contender Pat Townsand is named Series MVP with a .296 effort, including four home runs. Can't argue with that, although spare a thought for Phils 2B Luke Kempf, who batted .308 with 4 home runs of his own, including a late one in the final game to keep their hopes alive. Detroit is finally on top again, after losing their last five Series trips. They also finally claim a crown after twelve straight playoff seasons, including ten division titles, but always having the bad luck to run up against hot teams (us or Texas, usually).

......

Okay, it's time to hit the off-season. I've got a lot on my plate, and depending on at least one early decision, maybe almost zero money to work with. Yippee.

Season awards and team review, along with a silly season preview, coming up next.

outofleftfield · 08-08-2022, 07:05 PM

I have really enjoyed reading about the Hawaii Islanders. It was defiantly a rollercoaster season and I had a good time coming along for the ride. A few questions about the save, this year there was quite the difference in stats between the NL and the AL has that happened before? How has the league averages changed from the start tell now and who has been your favorite player in the save? Hopefully you don't mind answering all those questions. Keep up the good work Bub13 and go Isles go!!!

Bub13 · 08-10-2022, 06:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by outofleftfield

I have really enjoyed reading about the Hawaii Islanders. It was defiantly a rollercoaster season and I had a good time coming along for the ride. A few questions about the save, this year there was quite the difference in stats between the NL and the AL has that happened before? How has the league averages changed from the start tell now and who has been your favorite player in the save? Hopefully you don't mind answering all those questions. Keep up the good work Bub13 and go Isles go!!!

Hey, thanks. Glad you're enjoying the ride.

NL stats are depressed probably b/c of no DH. I've forced the NL into the DH now, so we'll see if the overall stats even out a bit.

I don't keep an almanac, so I can't speak to any stats other than broad numbers. When I started this dynasty in 2014, the AL recorded a league average of .254 and an ERA of 4.02; the NL numbers were .250 and 3.68. The numbers for this past season of 2056 were .260 and 4.36 in the AL, and .242 and 3.63 in the NL. That was the lowest AL ERA since 4.33 in 2049, and the lowest in the NL since 3.82 in 2050. A few years ago offensive stats were skyrocketing (the AL ERA, for example, just two seasons ago was over 5), so I tweaked the league totals down a bit. Time will tell if I overdid it or if we're just in a short-term down trend. I think we'll be fine, but I'll keep tabs on it.

Favorite players? Of course I'm biased to our own Islanders all-timer Adam Groff. But a few others would probably be... Stphen Strasburg (completely dominant in the early years of this save), and Ty Cobb (singles-hitting 2B with most hits since I started, 3468). Otherwise I like guys who have stories I can grab on to. Like Tim "Tiny" Collins, who made 670 relief appearances (and zero starts) between 2011-2020, then made 274 starts (with zero relief games) over the next ten years. Or guys who set records, even dubious ones, like Jordan Cruz, who led MLB in strikeouts eleven times. As a shortstop. Stuck around for 16 seasons, won two Gold Gloves, hit 225 HR, earned 28 WAR. But finished second all-time in whiffs and maintained his weird grip on a starting role for his entire career, despite those Ks and a career .200 average.

Bub13 · 08-10-2022, 07:13 PM

That was a disappointing ending, but I need to remember that for a time this season I didn't think we'd even get that far. Remember when we were two games over .500 and in third place, at the end of June? Good times, huh. But a 55-26 run to close the season atoned for a lot of early sins, and maybe made us a little overconfident heading into the post-season. We did finally break Texas' grip on the division title after a two-year reign, and I'm hopeful--given things beyond my control, actually--that we can make that a regular thing again moving forward. With the calendar about to flip to the fun part of the off-season, I am dreading the annual phone call from our corporate overlords, who usually only pay attention to one number: the bottom line. And that bottom line says we actually lost money, just over $3M, this season, after turning over more than $23M to those crooks last fall. But while we overspent in a couple of areas this year, I anticipate some easy-to-make reductions next year; meaning that even with our (for now) expected rise in player salaries of about $16M, I think we can more than break even next year. More on that later...

......

And the calendar flips, bringing the following team news...

...JJ Simmons executes his contract option, meaning he's with us through '59 and possibly '60 if he uses his PO. I expected this, but kind of hoped he wouldn't do it, as I had tentative plans for his $25M. He had quite a rebound season for us, earning 4.9 WAR and batting .305 while giving us decent defense at third and short. But man, that money...I had such plans, JJ! But the fans love him, and he's hit five of his career 14 home runs in the last two seasons, so maybe he's bulking up in his dotage. He'll be 35 by Opening Day, however...and I can already hear the forges working to cast the anchor that his contract will probably become in another couple of seasons... Just stay healthy, my man!

...Our Cayman Islands overlords send me their usual tut-tuts via attack drone this year, blasting a hole in my newly refurbished seaside villa office. I guess I was putting a window there anyway... Long story short, the budget will go up to a cool $200M next year, with an expected $160M available for player expenses. Thing is, our good friend JJ re-upping means we're on the hook for about $180 mill at the moment, so something isn't adding up yet. And before the mechanical bug departs, I'm left with two terrible goals: re-sign Joe Lynn and acquire a "Nationally popular player." Lynn wants $25M per season guys. Who's going to sign those checks? And I'm happy to grab a national hero...assuming he's a third string catcher making league minimum. Any of them around?

...RP Ramon Sanabria fails to meet his vesting contract, sending him to free agency. After getting him from Philly he was bad, then good, then bad again. He's already 40 and on borrowed time, and now wants over $4M a year going forward. Here's your motorboat, Ramon. Good luck finding the mainland. Aim east.

...two minor league nobodies retire, and only two system-wide staffers are not re-signed. One is Hawaii pitching coach Sam O'Farrell, who's worked his way up our ladder since 2042 and has been with the big club for the past two seasons. But he wants over $800k and I'm not sure I can do that, Dave. So there's one bit of budget trimming accomplished.

...the end of season top prospects list comes out, and we've got four guys in the top ten. First overall is still Jose Villalpando. He'll get a strong shot at cracking the roster--or even the starting lineup--in the spring. Second is AA pitcher Curt Christensen, who only needs a jump in his control to have a shot at the rotation. But he could still start in the bullpen even where his ratings are now, he's that far along. Seventh sits SS Cris Flores, who looks like he's becoming more than the mirage I thought he was this time a year ago. His defense, speed, and gap/power ratings have always been good; but he took a jump this year in contact and plate awareness--or at least his ceilings did. He played in Short A this year but will have to work hard to start higher than A ball next spring. Finally, eighth place goes to pitcher Will McGee, whom I love as a rotational prospect, but who had a tough injury-plagued year. He too is very close to being fully cooked, and could also be a candidate for a spot in the pen is he has a strong spring. Looky here: two cheap options for a pen I need to reconstruct this off-season!

...somehow I find myself with FOURTEEN arbitration cases pending. Sheesh. The good news is nobody looks to be wanting big six-figure numbers. But it's still a lot of dosh, and I may have to make some unwanted decisions and let a few useful odds and ends go begging. We have one UFA-to-be who could get the $13M qualifying offer, Joe Lynn. I'm not sure where I'll go there. Three players on big league deals, all RP--Ramon Sanabria, Marco Mendez, and Jason Morales--will go to free agency, along with a large cruise ship full of minor leaguers. Most of my AA team will need replacing, as will a good 7-8 slots on almost every other team system-wide. It was time for a clean-out anyway! Get out, you slackers! Off my dime!

...across our farm system it was generally a good-news season. Although Wilmington (R) and Androscoggin (AA) finished under .500, everyone else topped that mark. Athens (R) went 35-33, the only other team to miss the playoffs. Poughkeepsie (Short A) went 50-20 and beat Staten Island to take the NY-Penn League championship. Eureka (A) won their division with an 82-58 mark, but fell to High Desert in the opening playoff round. And Santa Barbara (AAA) won 88 games on the way to their fourth straight playoff appearance, ultimately falling in the PCL championship to Memphis in six games.

......

...in MLB news, only a handful of managerial spots have opened up, but ten teams are looking for new GMs. No big names retired or got fired, although Tampa's Jose Morillo retired after five winning seasons, four with 90+ wins.

...there are some big--BIG--names potentially on the market this fall. NL strikeout kings Conor MacLeod and Nick Light, to start. Both should sign for huge money somewhere. The biggest name is probably superstar Texas SS Ryan Boers, the rare player with no weaknesses at all. But anyone would also settle for slugging PHI OF Rick Logston, LA's 2B Alfonso Torres, NOZ RF Jordan Coronado, or TB OF Vance Wise. And maybe, just maybe, Hawaii CF Joe Lynn...

...LEAGUE AWARDS NIGHT, er, WEEK:
AL GOLD GLOVES: P Chris Liles, DET (4th win); C Juan Pizano, KCR (2nd); 1B Elijah Pass, CHW (2nd); 2B Mike McNeill, TEX (3rd); 3B Jose Pantoja, NYY; SS Oscar Garza, HOU (6th); LF Jordan Foots, MIN (5th); CF Melvin Lopez, NYY (3rd); RF Andy Barenberg, CHW (2nd)
NL GOLD GLOVES: P Danny Salgado, SFG; C Drew Stofan, SDP; 1B Joel Potter, BKN; 2B Mike Barbour, AUS; 3B Sergio Pacheco, ATL; SS Ryan Wonderling, POR; LF Jake Morris, ATL (4th); CF Ricky Flores, CHC; RF Shawn Moore, CHC

AL Hoyt Wilhelm: John Rogers, MIL [2.31 ERA, 36 SV, 106 K, 3.1 WAR]
NL Hoyt Wilhelm: John Jackman, CIN [1.41 ERA, 50 SV, 0.89 WHIP, 3.9 WAR]

AL Silver Sluggers: C Phi Thoma, TEX (2nd); 1B Ricky Ayala, MIL; 2B Jorge Arriola, TBR (2nd); 3B Tom Esposito, KCR (2nd); SS Ryan Boers, TEX (5th); LF Chris Bierly, MIA; CF Ryan Lawler, MIN (2nd); RF Tyler Knott, BOS; DH Toshi Shimabukuro, MIA (2nd)
NL Silver Sluggers: C Eduardo Beltran, BKN; 1B Alfonso Contreras, AUS (5th); 2B Alfonso Torres, LAD (5th); 3B Heath Lewellen, CIN (2nd); SS Rich Stoneback, LAD; LF Rick Logston, PHI (3rd); CF Chris Mitchell, CIN (4th); RF Kevin Reynolds, ARI (2nd)

AL Rookie of the Year: 1B Joey Walker, MIL [.264/.334/.564, 49 HR, 3.6 WAR] (5 first place votes for Bill Gamboa, and Hagemann finished 3rd)
NL Rookie of the Year: P Luis Avila, POR [10-2, 2.36, 21 GP, 13 GS, 107 IP, 116 K, 2.3 WAR]

AL Manager of the Year: Tyler Macklin, DET
NL Manager of the Year: Eric van der Zalm, LAD (3rd straight win)

AL Cy Young: Matt Waugh, HAW [20-7, 2.77, 244 IP, 268 K, 8.2 WAR, 6th win, 4th in a row]
NL Cy Young: Nick Light, WAS [14-13, 2.91, 268.2 IP, 311 K, 8.0 WAR, 2nd win ('54)]

AL MVP: SS Ryan Boers, TEX [.316/.414/.599, 9.7 WAR, 42 HR, 107 RBI, 115 R, 2nd win ('54)]
NL MVP: OF Kevin Reynolds, ARI [.307/.437/.622, 9.2 WAR (all 1st place), 43 HR, 116 R, 117 BB]

......

Before moving into free agency, let's try to untangle the status of the big league roster and the decisions we'll have to make. Ideally, I should cut some salary: we're projected to be on the hook for $180M, and that's only if we win all our salary arbitrations; the accountants say we should really spend about $160M on salaries, and $40M on the rest, making up our forthcoming $200M total budget. But...those same accountants project our '57 expenses ($223M) to nearly match our '56 outflow ($222M). How, with salaries climbing by over $20M? First, we spent $40M (yep) on international free agents this summer, and we'll spend zero (against a projected $10M) next year. Plus, I could trim the scouting and developmental budgets by a few million each and save another $5M+. Finally, our media contract is growing, by about $8M. So, creatively speaking, I think we're in pretty good shape even if I do nothing. And what if I do nothing? Is a repeat 97-win season that bad? Yes, we went out quietly in the playoffs, but isn't that always a crap shoot anyway? Maybe treading water is the wise choice this off-season...Anyway, read on to see my thinking across the roster.

Catcher: Jamie Collins had a difficult season, finishing subpar defensively and batting just .230. But he hit 18 HR and batted .280 during that crucial August-September run. He's a lefty and should ideally be in a platoon; he's also arb eligible with an estimated increase from 500k to 1.4M. His partners were Jared Null (.182 in 77 AB) and Bentley Kolb (.200 in 75). Neither impressed at or behind the plate. The next best thing is Jeff Meadors, who figures to be in Short A next year, and has some major holes in his game anyway. He's years away, at best. PROJECTION: Collins returns; I might seek a stout defensive RH platoon option via trade or free agency.

First Base/DH: Jules Medici struggled with injuries but still hit .303 in 116 games. He's obvious to return, and could move to first from DH if needed. Josh Matson led the team with 100 RBI, but while everyone else got hot late in the year, he got cold. Having earned a combined 3.4 WAR in the last three seasons, and making $11M, he's a candidate for departure. But he's 32 and may draw little or no interest league-wide. Like our catchers, there isn't anyone in the system pushing for a role here, but you always figure that just about anyone could play first. PROJECTION: Move one of our glut of infielders (read on) here, go after a name free agent, or throw a kid into the fray? Whichever way, the writing is on the wall for Matson after eight seasons with us, sadly.

Second Base: Injuries and slumps forced us to juggle our infield all year, and three guys saw major time here: Lucas Tipping (70 starts), Jesus Calderin (50), and Bill Gamboa (41). Tipping began the season as the #1, but played his way out of regular time. His defense was subpar and his power and average declined noticeably. At just 25, however, he could bounce back. Calderin is better suited for third, and will be discussed below; he shouldn't figure here in '57. Gamboa was a pleasant surprise, leading the team with 26 home runs and hitting well until he slumped to .258 late. He's the inside runner for next spring, frankly, and although Tipping is on an affordable $2.2M contract, he could be the odd man out. Another consideration is Jake Moore, who's gone from a can't-miss SS prospect to a super-utility backup, even if he doesn't fully realize it yet. His presence could also add to someone's departure. PROJECTION: I'd like Gamboa to hit for a bit more average, but he's otherwise ideally suited for second rather than short (where he started the most). With Moore available, Tipping could be the odd man out, a la Matson at first.

Third Base: Like second, three men rotated here: JJ Simmons (88 starts), Calderin (30), and Bobby Coronado (38). Calderin slumped hard then got injured after being handed the job in camp, but bounced back with a huge second half, finishing with 24 HR and a .310 average. He's also a solid fielder here, much better than his time at second. Coronado got a chance early after a rash of infield injuries, and surprised to hit .321, but was terrible in the field and really doesn't do much else at the plate (just 2 walks in 158 PA, for example). Jake Moore is also well-suited here, but again his bat keeps him in a utility and defensive sub role. The wildcard here is super prospect Jose Villalpando, who, at 20, hit .283 in AAA and did not look out of place in two late starts in Hawaii. He's still developing his power (his ceiling is off the charts good), and with a good camp could really upset the apple cart here. PROJECTION: Even with Villalpando pushing, Calderin stays for now. Perhaps Vill rotates in, and plays some first and DH too. Will he hit enough to save me some cash by not trading for a proven 1B, for example? Coronado will probably start in AAA again, as injury insurance.

Shortstop: More starting madness: Gamboa made 91 starts, JJ Simmons 55, and Moore made 11. None were all that good defensively, with Moore the "best" of the lot. But none were terrible either. With Simmons exercising his option, he's the obvious candidate to start here, even though you feel that he's become a 50-50 option for making it through the entire season. No one else besides Moore is really rated well at short, so a Simmons injury puts us in a defensive hole again. Prospect Cris Flores is starting to look like the real deal as a future star, but he's at best two years away. PROJECTION: It's fan favorite Simmons again, although he's lost a step of range, with Moore the omnipresent utility sub. There's also dark horse prospect Joey Ulrich, who hit .312 in AA and saw some AAA playoff action. His range at short is just adequate, but he's strong in other defensive aspects. He may be better suited as a corner guy, but his lack of power is less than ideal for those positions.

Left Field: Erik Bennetsen is the likely returnee, finishing at .281 with 18 HR in 116 games after a slow start. When healthy and motivated, he's a beast at the plate. Defensively, he rates well but his numbers are subpar. Doug Pederson filled in some (27 starts) late, but was a defensive black hole despite making zero errors. Chase Thompson added 15 starts, and was okay, but didn't really impress in any way. Rookies Jeremy Hagemann, Kyle Kolstad, and Eric Sayward also saw time here. Hagemann looked the best of the three, hitting for power and playing adequate corner defense. Kolstad is by far the best fielder, but his unfortunate combo of high K and bad eye will limit his usefulness as a hitter. Still, he's not truly terrible at the plate. Sayward is well on his way to becoming our next across-the-field utility OF, with the possibility of higher development to come. PROJECTION: Bennetsen figures to start here again, barring something unforeseen happening. Hagemann and Sayward figure as the front runners for the #4 position.

Center Field: It looks like seven-year starter Joe Lynn is pricing himself out of town. When he played plus-plus defense and batted .340, I could see paying him $20M+. But as a .270 hitter with no power? Uh-uh. His defense bounced back (+8.5 ZR, up nearly a dozen points from an awful '55 season), but he hasn't hit much for two seasons now. Brian Hassell saw more time as the season went on, finishing with 42 starts, and while his defense wasn't nearly as good as Lynn's, he hit for the same average but with more power. We will miss Lynn's 40-60 steals per season, however. PROJECTION: Lynn's been a class act, but I can't afford that contract paired with that kind of performance. Hassell gets to show what he's got full-time next year, with Kolstad his likely backup.

Right Field: What to do with Doug Pederson? Three years of high performance (OPS+ of 154, 136, and 151) has been coupled with a rash of injuries, and he's only topped 140 games once. Then this year he was injured AND didn't hit, ending at .234, with 16 HR in 384 AB. And while he has a strong arm, his lack of range renders him, say, less-than-useful in his primary role. Hagemann could figure here, but his arm isn't nearly as good, and his L/R splits might make him better suited in a platoon role. Sayward could also get a look, especially as the RH part of that platoon. PROJECTION: It's Pederson for now, unless something better comes along. I still roll the dice with him, as his usual plate prowess makes up for his lack of defensive ability. One day he'll hit 40 HR; but will it be with Hawaii?

Outfield in General: Currently I'm looking at a Bennetsen/Hassell/Pederson starting trio. Offensively: they're solid. Defensively: no one stands out, and Pederson is decidedly below sea level. The reserve triad of Hagemann/Sayward/Kolstad could all make the club in camp, depending on how the rest of the lineup shakes out. On the farm? No one in AAA looks promising, as slugger Rocky DeMars is too injury prone and strikes out a ton, lessening the impact of his tremendous power potential. One-time promising guys Dave Langford, Collin Blazer, and Andrew Farmer haven't developed as hoped, and interesting prospects Ron LeBarge, Mimum Antar, and Matthew Walburn are all 2-3 years away from consideration. The really intriguing figure here is A ball stud Beau Collins, who whacked a crazy 70 HR in Eureka. He's always had power: now he needs to stop striking out so much to have a chance here. He'll be 22 and in AA next year, and busts his ass every night. If he can ever stop fanning more than 30% of the time, watch out...

Starting Pitching: Everyone stayed healthy and we got good pitching from them all nearly all season. Matt Waugh was Matt Waugh again, winning his 4th Cy Young in his 4th season with us. While he wasn't as consistently dominating as usual, I will have no complaints about a guy who earns 8.2 WAR. Jose Rivera came over from Pittsburgh as the #2 guy, and while he fanned nearly 11 per 9 IP, he suffered with a losing record and a 4.01 ERA. (Our bad OF defense probably hurt him, given his 3.17 FIP and .332 BABIP.) Josh Irvin started slowly but picked up his pace by mid-season, becoming again the groundballs-and-no-walks madman he was in '55. John Loeb was the surprise, winning 19 games from his #5 slot and usually bailing us out with some solid pitching when we weren't hitting. Daniel Croft was okay, his 4.28 ERA the worst of the lot, and his 4.27 FIP suggesting that he was indeed the "worst" of these five. He's the most likely to get pushed in camp. PROJECTION: Gotta figure that Waugh/Rivera/Irvin/Loeb are set. Croft will have the inside track at the #5 slot as the returning vet. But he'll face a strong push from '55 starter Steve Shinnick, and AAA stalwarts Juan Sais, Travis Harris, and Will McGee, as well as fast-rising Curt Christensen, who spent '56 in AA. McGee and Christensen look like the best of the bunch, but with issues: McGee looks fragile, and Christensen may be a year away while he works on his control. Any of these guys could also start in next year's bullpen, as both a cost-saving move and a way to get them big league innings. Should be a fun camp.

Relief Pitching: Nate Kearns had a money season as closer, with a 1.67 ERA and fanning 11.2 per 9 IP. He'll be back. I made several in-season moves here after some early-season horribleness, with additions Ramon Sanabria, Jason Morales, and Justin Schechter all pitching fairly well after their arrivals. But Sanabria stunk it up late, blew up in the playoffs, and wants too much money for a 41-year-old. Likewise, Morales is likely gone, wanting a raise on his $2.1M salary, while I have younger options available to fill his role. Schechter is still under contract, and will also return: he's a hard thrower and will be relied upon with most of our other options not having big power arms. What we also need are injury-free seasons from returners Jordan Ruiz and Brad Cahill, and for Yoshi Watanabe, Manny Reyes, and Joey Mayer to live up to their high potential. Marco Mendez was acquired in the off-season, but was so bad he spent most of the season in AAA and wants too much money for me to even speak to him any longer. He won't be back. Anthony Booker scouts superbly but has never performed and is likely gone, and AAA vets Larry Hensley, Deshawn Card, Gleb Mihalkovsky, and Orlando Silva are failed starters who don't rate that highly as relievers either. AA arms Jason Eicher, Chris Schroeder, and Gio Reed figure to be in AAA next year. PROJECTION: The six-man pen right now looks like Kearns/Ruiz/Cahill/Schechter at the top, based on seniority, with Watanabe, Reyes, and Mayer getting the longest looks. I think I will also go after a big throwing vet with good control to complement the top four.

So assuming no additions, here's my current thinking for next year's roster:

C - Collins
1B - ?
2B - Gamboa
3B - Calderin
SS - Simmons
LF - Bennetsen
CF - Hassell
RF - Pederson
DH - Medici

Bench - ? (C) / Moore (IF) / Villalpando (3B/1B/DH) / Hagemann (OF/1B) / Sayward (OF/1B) / Kolstad (OF)

Fighting for a role - Kolb (C) / Coronado (3B/2B), Pfeifer (IF), Ulrich (IF) / Walburn (OF)

SP - Waugh / Rivera / Irvin / Loeb / ?
RP - Kearns (CL) / Ruiz (SU) / Cahill (SU) / Schechter (MR) / ? / ?

Fighting for a role - Croft, Shinnick, Sais, Harris, McGee (SP) / Mihalkovsky, Watanabe, Mayer, Reyes (RP)

OUT from the '56 roster: Null/Kolb* (C) / Matson* (1B) / Tipping* (2B) / Lynn (CF) / Morales, Sanabria, Mendez (RP)
(NOTE: guys marked with * are still on the roster as of this writing)

Biggest questions in camp: Who is our 1B? New backup catcher? Number five SP? Bullpen beyond the top four?

Money to spend: Very little.

(Upcoming arbitrations shown below)

outofleftfield · 08-10-2022, 09:28 PM

Thanks

Bub13 · 08-18-2022, 07:59 PM

Arbitration awards come in, as below:

RP Brad Cahill -- wanted 1.2M ... got 862k
SP Daniel Croft -- wanted 1.25M ... got 900k
RP Justin Schechter -- wanted and got 1.37M (we offered 1.3)
3B Jesus Calderin -- wanted and got 4.75M (we offered 3.8)
RP Jordan Ruiz -- wanted 1.87M ... got 1.5M
OF Erik Bennetsen -- wanted and got 4.04M (we offered 3.7)
RP Nate Kearns -- wanted and got 5.4M (we offered 4.8)
RP Manny Reyes -- wanted 1.25M ... got 735k
C Jamie Collins -- wanted and got 1.6M (we offered 1.4)
RP Yoshi Watanabe -- wanted and got 1.2M (we offered 900k)

OF Joe Lynn declined our 13M qualifying offer and will go to free agency. Supplemental pick here we come!

Our current salaries total $177.6M. The voles in accounting say we *should* be at $160M, if we want to maximize profit. Thing is, I'm not worried about that, nor about our "mere" projected $8.6M profit, well below what our owners expect. Why not? Because they've budgeted $10M for International Amateur FAs, but we're spending zero because of my uncontrolled binge last summer; plus there's $6M to spend on the draft, which I've never approached before. So there's a little over $10M back for you, you greedy bastards. (I will say that the real trouble looks to land on my head in 2059, when we're projected a $39M budget shortfall, thanks in large part to player salaries finally outpacing our total budget. Huh. So we'd better win now is what I'm hearing...)

......

December 2056

It took over a week after the official start to free agency to see some action, but finally some recognizable names went off the board. Over a five-day period starting on the 8th, here are the guys who will go from ecsatic signee to financial millstone before the end of the decade:

...SP Nick Light, 30: NYY $204M/7yrs. This is a great addition if they bring in some quality bats too. So far, crickets, but it's early.
...SP Conor MacLeod, 32: PHI 139/5. The one thing Philly needed was pitching. Way to go, guys.
...SP Tim Mitchell, 32: PHI 30/2. Another one? Okay, the Phillies are now your NL frontrunners. Depending on how many relievers the Dodgers add, of course.
...SP Jose Sedillo, 29: NYM 157/6. The Mets are terrible and not getting any better? Um, okay then.
...C Juan Espinoza, 31: DET 91/6. Top catcher goes to a top AL rival. Probably an overpayment, but a position of need for the Tigers.
...CL Bob Harrison, 36: BOS 5/1. Good addition and term, but they really need offense in a big way in the Hub.
...SS Ryan Boers, 29: CIN 297/8. The Reds haven't had a player this good at short since Barry Larkin. Calling it now: CIN v PHI for NL Championship.
...OF Nate Forrester, 26: MIL 256/8. A lotta cash, but a breakthrough signing for the Brewers. Has earned over 27 WAR the last four seasons.
...SS Francisco Vilon, 38: LAD 70/3. This moves Silver Slugger winner Rich Stoneback to DH, but Villon's noodle arm makes that questionable. Big power bat tho.
...P Eric Gast, 28: BKN 3.2/1. Small signing but a sneaky-good one for the improving Robins. Gast has toiled quietly in the SD pen for four years but looks ready to bring his high-control game to the BKN rotation.
...3B Dave Rivera, 36: PIT 40/2. I feel like the Pirates could have spent this money more wisely than on Rivera's aging bat and feet of stone.
...3B Tim Bell, 29: NYM 114/5. The Mets REALLY want out of last place, but Bell's bat has declined his last two years in Montreal.
...2B Alfonso Torres, 31: ARI 128/5. Good move grabbing this perennial all-star. Really remaking their lineup now. (See our section below for more!)
...OF Jordan Coronado, 35: SFG 68/3. The old guy can still hit, but how much better are the mediocre Giants now?
...P Luke Weaver, 35: DET 2/1. Low-risk SP/RP add for the champs, to see if the long-time Chisox starter has anything left. (I say yes.)
...P Jon Carlsen, 37: MIL 18/2. Went from all-star SP to all-star CL for Miami. Great add and adds to a fun 3-way race in the AL Central.
...P Kymani Rhymes, 43: CIN 9/2. He's old and cranky but can still pitch. Another solid addition for the Reds.
...DH Jose Rodriguez, 38: NYY 44/3. You need to build up your offense and you sign an old guy you traded at last season's deadline? FOR THREE YEARS? Oy.
...OF Rick Logston, 29: NYY 177/7. Ok, that's more like it. Logston is a legit star, capable of 40 HR while batting .300. Great addition.

On top of those signings, the Winter Meetings brought a flurry of trades that actually involved honest-to-goodness decent players. To wit:

...Atlanta sells the farm for SS Alex Duran, sending #34 MLB prospect OF Luis Garrido, top-100 OF Joe Schultz, and three other could-be-goods for the veteran shortstop. MY VIEW: Two future OF stars for one year of a mediocre-hitting (but fast and GG-level fielding) guy? Atlanta, I get that your current starter is Ken Davidson and his .193 lifetime batting average, but this is a real overpayment. Duran likely walks next fall anyway, and there were cheaper options on the UFA market. Bad for ATL / good for NYM.
...LA is dealing from a position of strength, but like ATL they overpaid for a player who is at best a #4 OF, Brooklyn's Danny Tavani. Yes, Tavani will steal 30+ bases and play solid defense. But he's a career .215 hitter who may be gone in two years. Going to BKN are three prospects (SS Jim Rankin, P John Cuomo, and 2B Miguel Rivas) who look to become solid lineup regulars, at worst, over the next couple of years. LA is likely filling in the gaps to compete for another title, but this is a lot to pay. MY VIEW: Better for BKN / slight loss for LAD.
...PIT gets swingman Doug Ricks from MIN for 1B/DH prospect Danny Hurtado. Ricks should be okay, but he's not a guy PIT really needs, while Hurtado could end up hitting 40 HR for the Twins. Hurtado hates this trade, btw. MY VIEW: Meh, probably better for MIN. They get to roll the dice on a slugger for the price of a replaceable veteran.
...KC gets veteran RP Steve Jackson from STL for a pair of prospects, including OF Joe Literski. Jackson makes an already formidable bullpen even better, and may also allow the Royals to give a couple of kids their shots at the rotation. Literski looks like a typical modern player: tons of power potential, tons of strikeouts too. MY VIEW: Win for KC, even though one RP doesn't put you into first place in the divison. Very useful guy, however.
...ATL send three more prospects to SEA for 3B Sean Friedman, an overrated power-hitting bat. Only one of the prospects--OF Jose Gutierrez--looks to develop into anything worthwhile, but why grab yet another high-K batter for him? With the NL moving to the DH for 2057, I expect we'll see more deals like this one.
...TEX looks to forestall any decline after losing Boers by sending a passel of prospects to the Chisox for OF/DH Andy Barenberg. The ten-year vet has seen his offense decline quite a bit the last two years, so will be looking for some redemption with a playoff-caliber team. OF Orlondo Gaitan looks like the best of the return for the Sox, a big-armed RF with a decent bat. Barenberg may go UFA after '57 anyway, so a bit of a gamble for the Rangers.
...CIN keeps loading up, acquiring swingman Sam Phipps from KC for four prospects. Phipps will strenghen their pen at least, but did make 21 starts for the Royals in '56, pitching well. 1B/DH Josh Delaney is the only really decent prospect coming to KC, but a potential contact-and-slugging combo worth getting.
...another intersting move for TEX, stealing SP Nick Palmer from TOR for two prospects. Palmer has been okay for the Jays in his five seasons, but with a better lineup and defense behind him could be a real boon for the Rangers rotation. Of the two prospects, only P Sam Rockey looks decent, and only as a possible MR one day.

...the Rule 5 Draft is run on 12/27, and while there weren't many picks (fewer than 20), two teams stood out by making four selections each. San Diego grabbed three outfielders and a first baseman, none of whom stand out but all four could make the opening day roster. Like the Padres, the Braves lost a lot of depth last month (33 players left via free agency), and they took a big step toward trying to rebuild their pitching staff by selecting four hurlers. Two are former Oakland starters--Jim Schwartz and Sean Guerrero. (You may remember Schwartz as a former Cy Young candidate wracked by injuries of late, and now earning minor league money and getting passed around like an old shoe.) Possibly the best of the bunch is prospect reliever Skyler Nein, who's injured until July or so but could quickly move to the top of the bullpen if he fully recovers. We make no selections, and lost no one.

......

So what did we do? By the looks of it so far, nothing. Right? O ye of little faith...

I'll start by saying that I did not follow the plan from the previous post, above. But we were busy, very much so. In chronological order:

FIRST We shopped around 1B Josh Matson, and to no one's surprise there were zero takers. And now he's pissed and untraded.

SECOND I shopped Lucas Tipping and got numerous bites, mostly for overpriced and old relief pitchers and overrated pseudo-prospects. But there were a couple of guys I sniffed around until I got hot and heavy with New Orleans and packed him off to be the Zephyrs new 2B. In return we got a 5th round pick (because I love me some extra draft picks) and IF Alastair Hulse. A 26-year-old LHB who is decidedly average at the plate (with little power, to boot), Hulse is however a dynamite fielder who even rates well in the OF, and brings some prowess on the bases that we've lost with Joe Lynn's departure. Right now though he's very unhappy with the trade, but if he gets a nice fat World Series payout in November maybe that'll ease the sting a bit.

THIRD You want another trade? You got it! In order to clear out some OF space to make room for the emergence of Sayward, Hagemann, et al, I sent last year's #4 Chase Thompson and a trio of prospects to the Yankees for sinkerballing RP John Starkey. A solid guy who's happy in a MR role and keeps the ball out of the outfield, Starkey should help our somewhat-depleted bullpen. And the Yanks are picking up 85% of his $4.2M salary for next year and '58. Now we did give up slugging prospect Rocky DeMars, a NY native who could hit 40 HR (and have 200+ Ks), but may not be healthy enough to ever play a full season. They also took middling prospects OF Dave Maloney and 1B Jerry Burrell, guys way down our depth charts that they asked for, for whatever reason.

FOURTH But wait, there's more! After the White Sox publicly denied they were shopping RP Rene Casaus, I approached them only to get confirmation that yes, they were indeed shopping him around. The 33-year-old former all-star closer hasn't pitched that well in a couple seasons, but I'm taking the chance that he's going to bounce back for us. He's another big-armed groundballer, who's recent issues have been walks and some gopher ball issues (in high-HR parks, however). In return, the Sox get 25-year-old RP Yoshi Watanabe, an international signing from a few years back who's big issues have been...walks and gopher balls. Hmm. The Sox are also retaining 45% of Casaus' salary.

FIFTH Last one, and hold on to your hats. So we added a depth infielder and a couple of vets to hopefully address our bench and some bullpen issues, but what did we do to shake up our often-moribund offense? Glad you asked. How about adding OF Kevin Reynolds from Arizona? You know, the 2056 NL MVP and batting champ? Yeah, that guy! I guess Reynolds told Dback officials he wouldn't re-sign with them after next season, because he went on the trading block in mid-December. How could I not ask about him? He fits just what we need: a solid power-hitter with no weaknesses at the plate, strong RF defense, and a good clubhouse guy. Plus, that National Popularity our owners want! It's a WIN WIN WIN. And don't think we scammed 'zona out of their superstar for a handful of magic beans and some middle relievers, either. We sent five players for the guy, all of whom are useful at the very least: SP Jose Rivera (our #2 from this year); RF Doug Pederson (kind of a Reynolds-lite if he can stay healthy); SS Joey Ulrich (prospect I talked about in our last post); OF Ricky Thompson (20-year-old prospect who does everything but homer); P Jayden Gorham (25 and looks ready for MLB but stuck behind others here). As shocking as this might seem for Arizona fans, it's a trade that makes sense for both teams: we get a jolt to our lineup and meet some delightful owner goals, and the Dbacks get three players who will start right now and two more who could in a year or so. I believe I made them a better and deeper team, so you're welcome guys! Oh, and we add a 3rd round pick because I gotta be me.

We're also chasing a backup catcher through free agency, and will probably have to round out some system-wide depth through that route as well, but that can wait until after the New Year holiday.

......

With the end of the year approaching, are we better than we were just a few weeks ago? I think so: Reynolds doesn't have to have another MVP-caliber season to make this deal a success for us, but he doesn't look likely to regress any at all. My big challenge now will be to sign him long-term, at a rate that doesn't kill us. We anticipate some more money coming off the books next fall, so I think we'll be able to get something done. Reynolds of course fills the void left by trading Pederson, and we do have an opening on the rotation. I intend to let that slot be filled from within. We have three or four guys who I think are ready to take on that challenge and become full-time MLB pitchers, and we'll let spring training show us the way. Granted, none of these candidates have the power arm that Rivera has; but they're all already (or almost already) fully-formed and well-rounded, which I prefer anyway, frankly. And that financial overspending I told you about last time? That's gone too, with shipping out about $40M in Rivera and Pederson. Now, Reynolds' demand may approach that, but we'll cross that bridge in the future...

See you in January.

Bub13 · 08-26-2022, 08:58 PM

New Year, new dreams. Same dreams, actually, but different characters.

First things first: we signed our backup catcher, Rich Wilson. A RH bat and solid receiver, he'll platoon with Jamie Collins. A seven-year vet who's been the starter in CLE and MIL the last two seasons; while he's not an embarrassment at the plate, he hasn't produced more than 0.7 WAR since his rookie season (2.5 WAR) with Minnesota in '51. He wants to start, so he might get a bit cranky mid-season when he's only seeing action once or twice a week...

We also released a passel of minor leaguers to end the year. The only near-notable was 2051 2nd round pick Noah Williams, an outfielder whose bat never came around. He spent the last three seasons in AA, culminating in last year's .172 effort. Good luck in the IBL, Noah.

......

Hall of Fame voting is in, and we have three new members courtesy of the BBWA, all elected on their first-ballot.

First is Chris White (96.4%), who spent his 16-year career in Brooklyn, banging out 502 HR, 2533 H, a .299 average, and 89.5 WAR. He was a 14-time All-Star at SS and 3B, and helped the Robins to their two World Series titles.

Next is closer Alex Castaneda (75.6%), a nine-time All-Star over his 18 seasons, and winner of the Hoyt Wilhelm trophy in 2041 with Detroit. He spent eight seasons (over two stints) with the Tigers, but goes in as a Royal, where he began his career and spent seven seasons. His 427 career saves ranks 12th on the all-time list, and he earned 31.1 WAR in 1019 appearances.

Finally we have the first Islander to set foot in Canton! Jeremy Dunklee, a slugging 1B, gets in with 75.3% of the vote. Our first real star player, Dunklee won the AL MVP award in 2036, and that year lead the league in HR, RBI, and OPS. After eight years with us, he moved on to play with four other teams (most notably four solid seasons in STL), before one final season ('51) in Hawaii. He finished with 2508 hits, 444 HR, a .291 average, and 79.8 WAR. He also topped .300 eight times, was an eight-time all-star, won three Silver Sluggers, and helped us to win our first World Series, in 2039.

Just missing out was four-time Cy Young winner Dave Henderson, with 68.5% of the votes. I've voted for him the last two seasons, but he may have topped out at last year's 69.4%.

More league-wide roster business...
...I said Oakland needed to move on from it's declining and pricey veterans, and they finally pulled the trigger on one such deal just now, sending 35-year-old 3B Ryan Walton to Washington for prospect OF Bobby Ervin and a draft pick. Walton can still slug it--532 career HR and 27 last season--but his just-fair hitting has dropped to a subpar .210 in recent seasons. But the Nats lost a ton of WAR (over 17) this off-season and are trying to recoup some starting material to keep up with the Phillies and Eagles. Ervin is a decent prospect who could become either a #4 OF or the kind of starter you like but are usually looking to replace.
...STL inked popular and feisty CF Shawn Moore for $63M/6yrs. Moore is a .236-hitting batter who's prone to strikeouts, but also has 30-HR power and is a dynamic center fielder. He's not quite at the level of the guy he replaces, Nate Forrester, but he's solid and the fans will like him.
...MIA re-ups 3B Jon Ladd, at 43/3. He's yet another low-average power hitter, but is an excellent third sacker. At 36, however, a three-year deal seems like a stretch.
...OAK nabbed all-field/no-hit SS Kevin Lutz, 50/3. Lutz, 38, will probably hit around .230 with 15-20 HR and play lights-out defense. But: 3 years at age 38?
...the Yanks addressed their terrible infield by signing 2B Aaron Milleson, 67/7. He's a career .287 hitter with little power, but is maybe the best fielding 2B in the game right now. Good grab, even if he won't push the offensive needle much.
...BAL sent our one-time-great closer Kyle Johnson to TB for a no-hoper pitching prospect. I almost made a deal with the O's for him last month; this tells me that I probably made the right choice in not doing so.
...PHI continues to build their staff into a legit unit after years of outright awfulness. This time they acquire Andrew Galanis from LA for OF Dustin De Groot and a prospect. Galanis has huge stuff and movement, but has only shown flashes of excellence for the Dodgers. De Groot has some power and contact, but his strengths are great defense and speed (he led the NL in steals with 58). If Galanis puts it together this year, and their other new additions pitch to their capabilities, the Phillies could run away with the NL East.
...it's truly an arms race in the NL East, as Atlanta basically just stole Austin's best pitcher, Adam Coleman, for five mediocre-to-okay prospects. Atlanta's staff looks pretty good now too, while Austin's A and AA teams will be better, at least. The big club...not so much.
...MIA gifts us a supplemental first rounder by signing Joe Lynn to a 126/8 deal. That 15 mill per year is quite a bit less than the 20M+ he said he wanted from us, but I still think it's going to be a millstone for the Marlins in a couple of years. Sorry fans, that's just how I see it.
...and now Richmond adds to the fun in the crazy NL East by nabbing White Sox starter Jasper Cummings for a B-level OF prospect. Cummings had an off-year in '56, but is usually good for 4-5 WAR, something the top-rated pitching staff in the NL desperately needs, I see.
...the Yankees drop nearly $15M on three swingman pitchers, signing vets Ryan Ratliff, Tyler Thomas, and Justin Barrington. Maybe they'll help, maybe they won't; but it's good to see NY back in the free agent picture and spending like they're the East Coast Dodgers again.
...then rebuilding Oakland turns around and signs 31-year-old Cuban international free agent Oscar Carrillo to a three-year deal worth $28M. Nice power, won't strike out much, not great contact. Odd way to rebuild, guys, but hey you do you.
...LA trades two pitchers in separate deals, loses another one via waivers, then signs outspoken free agent P Jamie McBride for 2 years and $14M. He's a decent 3-4 WAR starter, but the clubhouse is already starting to rumble...
...former Isle reliever Robbie Collier signed with the Nats in January, in the midst of recovering from elbow surgery. Now, however, his career is over after a spring training setback, and the 42-year-old is retiring. Collier had a checkered career, rising as a starter with the Reds, Rays, and Brewers from '38 through '46, then signing a big two-year deal with the Dodgers. He blew out his elbow in camp in '47, and only appeared in 6 games in '48 before becoming a free agent again. Injuries limited his stamina, but not his talent, and he was an in-demand reliever for the rest of his career. This included two stints (over three seasons) in Hawaii, his home state. He was always a pricey ticket, however, and I declined to make him an offer after his Wilhelm-winning season (45 saves, 2.49 ERA) in '53. Good decision, as it turns out: he made only 48 appearances over the next three seasons and then suffered his career-ending injury last June. He finished with 504 appearances (255 starts), a 106-78 record, 37 WAR, that Wilhelm trophy, and 4 all-star appearances.
...PHI signed RP Ezra Biniecki to a one-year, 1.9M deal. Not a huge signing, but another signal of the Phillies' intent to crush all comers this season. Last year's pitching was truly terrible until they made four deals leading up to the deadline and rode that improvement all the way to the NL crown. Since then they've added three starters and three more relievers, while keeping their potent offense nearly intact.
...OF Ryan Packer was heavily rumored to be re-signing in Washington, where he'd spent the last four seasons, until Toronto swept in and inked the slugger for a one year deal worth $10M+. Packer is a career .270 hitter but had a big year (.290/37/96, 6.1 WAR) with the Nats in '56. Packer and some other judicious signings could see the Blue Jays move back up into the top half of the AL East this season.
...San Francisco hasn't been a player in the NL West for nearly a decade, but they moved to shore up their rotation by signing vets Elijah Bragg and Jaden Buchanan to one year deals. Both are still effective pitchers but both have also had injury problems in recent years, so there is some risk involved. SF looks to contend for a wild card, as they don't have the horses to compete with the Dodgers but could easily move up with the Padres and Outlaws not looking like much, and the Pioneers slipping after losing some quality talent of late.

......

Spring Training came and went, and we finished 21-9 with only a modicum of pain. But there are some question marks heading into the season. The "pain" part was losing new acquistion Rene Casaus for the season with a torn UCL. He'll probably start tossing in September and maybe make some rehab appearances in AAA, but that's it. Luckily for us, the pen was mighty this past month. (See below.) Next, was poor ST hitting from new hope Kevin Reynolds, going just .154. But he's young and should rebound. More worrying for now was the terrible spring from "Mr Cy Young," Matt Waugh. I've been around this game enough to know that sometimes a month of bad pitching is a precursor to a 12-month injury. But my fingers are crossed and we're making obeisances to all necessary and identifiable deities.

But otherwise we played well, and so many guys hit and pitched well enough that there were a few roster surprises when final cuts were made. The 26-man roster, by position:

Catcher: It's platoon season again behind the plate. Jamie Collins will face RHP, and new guy Rich Wilson lefties. Both are mid-average guys with no glaring weaknesses at the plate otherwise, although Collins has more pop than Wilson. The latter is a seven-year vet and a better defensive receiver, so may also see time as a late-inning replacement.

First Base: Megastar-wannabe Jose Villalpando won the job in camp, batting .293 and hitting 3 HR in the last week. He's still growing but already rates as a better hitter than vet Josh Matson, who won't be thrilled at becoming a part-timer. But his offensive numbers have dipped each of the last three seasons and no longer warrant giving him 500+ AB a year. No one wanted his $11M contract either. But he's decent insurance if Villalpando fails early on. Also note DH/1B Jules Medici will once again be the monster bat in the middle of the lineup.

Second Base: Bill Gamboa wasn't great in the spring, and looking at last year's numbers he may never hit for much more than a .250 average, but he brings lots of other plusses that led me to trading away Lucas Tipping: speed, power, better glove, and a fan favorite. It took the scouting discovery from 2049 a long time to get to this point, but the job is now his. Hit like you did in the first 2/3 of 2056, and you'll be my favorite too, Bill.

Third Base: After being handed the job last spring and failing early, Jesus Calderin came on like gangbusters late, finishing at .310 with 24 HR. That finish--and a strong spring--led to me moving Villalpando over to first...for now. He's a switch-hitter with no platoon splits, so will get full-time duty out of the gate again. And he was a positive on defense, something we haven't had with regularity at third for years.

Shortstop: He's back for more, and once again I cross my fingers and hope for a healthy season for the now 34-year-old J.J. Simmons. What doesn't he do well? "Boom Boom" has no power game, and his range at short has slipped just a bit but enough to be noticeable. But he still gets on base at a high rate, is always a threat to steal, and can add 40 doubles in a good year. He's cracked .300 ten times in his career: we'll need that again, as he's our only true leadoff guy. Utility guys Jake Moore and Alastair Hulse are listed as shortstops, but can play anywhere in the infield and will get some starts (and some late inning work) all over. Hulse--a newbie from New Orleans--can also play outfield.

Outfield: LF Erik Bennetsen is our only returnee from opening day 2056, with Joe Lynn walking and Doug Pederson traded. When fully healthy he's a .280+ hitter capable of 30 HR. Plays average defense: won't kill you, but won't really help you much either. Brian Hassell was good sometimes--and bad other times--last year in splitting CF with Lynn. He'll get the full-time nod this year; and at 23 he's not quite fully cooked yet either with some room to hit for power. His downside is that he's not ideally rangey for center, so that may not be his final destination, even if he sticks with us. In right is new guy Kevin Reynolds, who should be just dandy despite his poor spring. Even without a repeat of his MVP season he will provide a lot of offense paired with much better defense than we got from the immobile Pederson. Backing them up will be returnee Jeremy Hagemann and spring surprise Beau Collins. Both are lefties with big power bats, so it's possible that one may be sent back to AAA in favor of a RH bat, but we'll see. Collins was a nice gift: an 8 home run spring with a nice average earned him the nod over returning youngsters Eric Sayward and Kyle Kolstad. They'll start in AAA but will get a quick call-up if needed. Collins is making the jump from A ball, where he popped 70 homers last year. It'll be interesting to see what he can do against big-league pitching when given the chance.

Starting Pitching: I noted Matt Waugh's spring struggles above, but he's still our go-to number one until he proves otherwise. He gets a long leash. Taking Jose Rivera's spot at #2 is Josh Irvin, the only righty in this group. John Loeb is next, coming off a 5-WAR, 19-win season. He too was not good in camp, so we'll see what his sophomore season brings. Next is rookie Curt Christensen, whom I'm really excited about. The 23-year-old former 2nd round pick has zoomed through our system in only two years, making this jump from AA. He's the #2 prospect in MLB, and my scouts say when he's fully formed he could rival Waugh in talent. That's quite a lot to put on the young guy, but clearly he's far enough along to make the team already. Our #5 is the returning Daniel Croft, who had the worst season of last year's five, but had a strong camp to hold off stiff challenges to his job. The best news out of camp is that we had solid performances from guys like Steve Shinnick, Travis Harris, and Will McGee, so for now I feel good about replacing anyone who doesn't measure up early on.

Bullpen: So many guys were so good in camp that a couple of returning vets--Brad Cahill and Jordan Ruiz--as well as two new acquisitions--Jason Eicher and Josh Mahoney--ended up back in AAA. Nate Kearns returns as closer, and if he tosses only two HR like he did last season he'll be money again. The setup guys to begin with will be a fully healthy Manny Reyes and new vet John Starkey: both have big stuff and are capable of stepping into the closer role. In middle relief are deadline acquisition Justin Schechter and younster Gleb Mihalkovsky. Neither pitched well for us last season, but both were on fire this spring. They will, of course come with the usual caveats I reserve for all MR: short leashes, guys, so get it done. Finally, swingman Steve Shinnick will slot into a long relief role. Shinnick looked good in six starts back in '54, but got beat out in camp and never saw MLB action last year as our starters were healthy all season. He too was good this spring, in relief and in three starts, so gets the first crack at the back end of the 'pen. We have depth here too, despite the injury to Casaus: the four guys mentioned above plus every AAA starter could be fine in a big league relief role. Just...stay...healthy.

Bub13 · 09-01-2022, 06:32 PM

GET READY FOR OPENING DAY!

Off-Season winners and losers, by WAR:
** NOTE: only players at/over 1.0 WAR shown **

1. NY Yankees, +16.5
GAINED: SP Nick Light (7.1); OF Rick Logston (5.3); SP Shaun Ostrander (2.3); SP Justin Barrington (2.3); 1B Jose Rodriguez (2.1); RP Ryan Scheele (2.0); RP Ryan Ratliff (1.8); 2B Aaron Milleson (1.3)
LOST: SP Jose Sedillo (5.2); RP John Starkey (1.2); 1B Andrew Taylor (1.0); RP Jay Buck (1.0)
PROJECTION: Better than their 69-93 season from '56, but the infield still won't hit for much. Pitching and OF are much improved.

2. SF Giants, +10.8
GAINED: OF Jordan Coronado (3.7); SP Elijah Bragg (3.3); SP Jaden Buchanan (2.2)
LOST: minimal
PROJECTION: Pitching is better, and hitting is too if only for not chasing too many high $$$ old guys. Won 71 last year, should win more this time.

3. Montreal, +9.5
GAINED: SP Jose Ambriz (5.3); OF Pat Field (4.5); SP Steve McKeen (3.2); 2B Noah Johnson (2.8); OF Jose Monterroso (1.6); SP Seth Chase (1.4)
LOST: 3B Tim Bell (2.7); 2B Andy Lee (2.7); SP Rafael Flores (1.9)
PROJECTION: Ambriz is now out until mid-July, which hurts. Bad team should be better, but not much over their 66 wins from '56. Still floundering.

...

34. NO Zephyrs, -10.8
GAINED: minimal
LOST: OF Jordan Coronado (3.7); 3B Austin Reinwald (1.8); SP Marvin Diaz (1.6); RP Ryan Swan (1.1)
PROJECTION: Losses have been replaced from within, and they didn't really hurt anyway. Won 92 games and should again, but rival Cincy is much, much improved.

35. Boston, -11.2
GAINED: minimal
LOST: SP Chris Cole (3.2); SP Jose Palomino (2.7); 1B Jose Rodriguez (2.1); OF Jesus Monterroso (1.6)
PROJECTION: Likely to tread water from last year's 84 wins. Pitching is worse unless low-WAR newbies are much better than last year.

36. Washington, -14.7
GAINED: SP Jon Martinez (1.8)
LOST: SP Nick Light (7.1); OF Ryan Packer (6.1); RP Ryan Ratliff (1.8)
PROJECTION: Made few moves and didn't replace two big stars. Should be significantly down from last year's 83 wins.

(DIS)HONORABLE MENTION to Portland, for adding zero MLB players while losing two OF and a solid MR. Matching their 86-win total will be very hard.

......

PRESEASON PREDICTIONS

For starters, MLB says we'll win the West again, with 95 wins versus 90 for Texas. Detroit takes the Central (surprise) with 96 wins, while Miami tops the East with 92. Milwaukee joins Texas as wildcard teams. MLB also likes what I've done for our offense this off-season, putting us 2nd in runs and 3rd in home runs; but it doesn't care for my pitching staff, placing us 6th in runs allowed, nearly half an ERA point behind the top team, Miami. Some surprises: Chicago bounces back with 82 wins, tying a falling KC. NY, TB, and BAL all have winning seasons but don't come close to catching the Marlins in the East. Not surprising: Oakland is by far the worst AL team with just 58 wins.

The NL is also mostly repeat business: division winners are RIC, CIN, and LA, with PHI and WAS taking the wildcards. St Louis and Portland just miss the playoffs, while New Orleans slides to just 80 wins. Surprises: that NOZ figures to be so bad, while WAS makes the post-season after a terrible off-season. Also, Arizona slips to 79 wins after broadening their talent base, and Montreal--who did almost nothing over the winter--improves to 79 wins, nearly a 20-game betterment. Not surprising: CIN and PHI will have AL-worthy offenses, and LA and RIC will again have the class of pitching staffs, by a wide margin.

Individual highs to mention? How about a handful of 20-game winners in the AL; Milwaukee's Ricky Ayala hitting 58 HR; CIN's new "Bash Brothers" of Heath Lewellen and Ryan Boers knocking 56 and 50, respectively; and PHI's Conor MacLeod with 346 K. (These are all "usual suspects"-type guesses, not exactly going out on a limb.)

But what do I think about our chances? MLB's prediction of 95 wins seems about right: if we hit to our potential, we'll score a ton of runs. I'm a little concerned about our pitching, but I say that every year. Other than the unpredictably of serious injuries occuring, the things to watch for on offense are: how will a 34-year-old JJ Simmons hit; is Brian Hassell ready for everyday play in CF; 2B Bill Gamboa was better-than-advertised early, then worse-than-average late, so which one do we get this year; can C Jamie Collins finally show that trading away Mike Covington was worth it. On the mound, you've got: were Matt Waugh's spring training struggles just a phase; will rookie Curt Christensen earn his stripes; is having 4 LHP in the rotation a good thing; will the new bullpen do better than their 2056 counterparts. As for that last one: given that last year's pen was dead last in ERA for at least the first couple months of the season, I sure hope so...

Bub13 · 09-10-2022, 09:59 AM

The twenty-fourth season of Hawaii Islanders baseball kicks off now! April sees us playing 27 games: 12 at home, 15 on the road. We'll play road series against our top competitors, Texas and Detroit, as well as a roadie against the up-and-coming Brewers.

April 2-4 vs SEATTLE
Winners of 72 games a year ago, the Mariners haven't had a winning season since '49 and last made the playoffs the year before that. The usual trio of Ger van Mourik, Paul Stough, and Jon Terrell shore up the middle of the lineup, and leadoff 2B Dan Bruno is capable of .290 with 25+ HR. But there isn't much after that, especially with CF Rogelio Pena out for 2 weeks and new 3B Sean Friedman for six months. They did add SS Jesse Ryder from Cleveland, but he's a defense-first guy who'll probably hit .240. The rotation is largely the same, with MR Paul Boyd now occupying the #5 slot. But I think their #3 prospect John Knipp will be there soon (and should be there now, fwiw), once he gets some more games in relief under his belt. They also added a few RP, including re-signing Marco Mendez, last seen destroying our bullpen after we traded for him in the '56 off-season. If he's recovered from whatever happened to him here, he'll be a better closer than Jimmy Unangst, now in a setup role. Manager Dwayne Cloninger starts his seventh year, GM Matthew Marry his second. MLB says they'll struggle, winning only 71 games. Owner Adam Yamauchi says he's "content" right now, but that may not last...

HAW pitchers: LH Matt Waugh (20-7, 2.77) / RH Josh Irvin (15-9, 3.38) / LH John Loeb (19-6, 3.16)
SEA pitchers: RH Vince Push (10-17, 5.16) / RH Danny Diaz (11-12, 4.65) / RH Mike Bader (16-13, 4.24)

#1: WIN 5-1 ... Waugh is back, with 8 IP of 5-hit ball, fanning 8...9 H for us, 2 each for Villalpando and Collins...2-run triple for Simmons
#2: WIN 1-0 ... PERFECT GAME! Irvin fans 8 and rides Medici's 3rd inning solo HR, for the first Perfecto in franchise history!
#3: WIN 4-2 ... Collins knocks a 2-run HR in the 11th for the win...2 doubles and a single for Villalpando...we record 16 strikeouts

I guess that's a good start? A sweep and a perfect game. That's the tenth perfect game in this dynasty, and the third no-hit game by a Hawaii pitcher. Ken Clark tossed the first back in '37, and Ryuma Sato got his in '44.... Waugh and Loeb shook off their spring training rust, and Villalpando (he needs a short nickname) made a ton of contact, going 5-for-11.... ELSEWHERE: Six teams sweep their opening day series, including top AL squads in Texas, Detroit, and Miami.... 4 HR for MIL's Ricky Ayala, already closing in on the 58 predicted for him by MLB.... Lance Powell finished his 22-year career with 609 HR, leaving Tampa star Jose Tavares (560) as the active leader. Free agent Victor Sanchez (554) is next, followed by Ryan Walton (WAS, 531) and Chris Goldthwait (NOZ, 521).... On the hit parade, Andrew Taylor leads actives with 2865, but is currently toiling in AAA Albuquerque. He's good enough to still play in the bigs, and must be pissed that he's getting held back from reaching 3000.

April 5-7 @ HOUSTON
Predicted by MLB to win 75 games, which would be good enough for third place in a mostly-moribund division. They did nothing to help an offense that struggled for much of last year, adding only the all-glove-no-hit Bubba Gillmore at short. (Although injured John Capps may replace him, as he's a decent fielder and a much better--if still not really good--hitter.) The rotation should be better, with #1 Winton Jones returning from an injury that held him to 21 starts last season, and adding veteran Josh Haynam from Toronto. They only added one reliever, but still remade things from within by giving three prospects roles in the opening day bullpen. And all of those guys could (should?) start. The problem here isn't just a lack of talent: it's a lack of drive to improve things. Owner Jim Crane has kept the budget to a 34th-ranked $138M, and a 35th-ranked salary total of $86.5M. There's a big market here and over $31M to spend on free agents, even now. So...why haven't they? They haven't been bad enough to get top five draft picks recently, nor have they shown any real improvement over than a couple of single-season blips in '48 and '53. Long-time Cuban star Alejandro Garcia is the manager, in his fourth year, but he hasn't been given much to work with yet.

HAW pitchers: LH Curt Christensen (debut) / LH Daniel Croft (15-12, 4.28) / LH Matt Waugh ('57: 1-0, 1.12)
HOU pitchers: RH Jason Knight (9-14, 4.79) / RH Josh Haynam (13-9, 3.79) / RH Winton Jones ('57: 0-1, 16.88)

#4: LOSS 5-6 ... 3 HR for each team, and we outhit them 12-9...3 H and first career HR for Villalpando...Chritensen struggles in his debut tho
#5: LOSS 1-5 ... 7 hits, Reynolds' solo HR our only run...Croft is flat and pulled in the second after allowing all five runs...Shinnick goes 6, zero runs
#6: WIN 3-1 ... Villa' goes deep again, and Waugh is solid over 8 IP, but only fans 3

Saved face with that last game, putting us at 4-2 and a game behind Texas, and tied with California.... It's only six games, but Villalpando has been lights-out, with Collins and Medici also hitting well. No one else is doing much yet, however, and a few guys have left their bats at our spring camp apparently.... Shinnick fanned 7 and allowed only 3 hits in his 6 innings of relief work for Croft. Interesting.... ELSEWHERE: Washington is the last undefeated team, while Montreal and Portland are the only winless squads.... Six games, six home runs for MIL's Ricky Ayala. Can he hit 162? Stay tuned.... Now for some pitching career leaders: a raft of retirements the last few years has cleared out a bunch of long-timers, leaving PHI's Conor MacLeod the active K leader with 2857 to start the season. STL's Alberto Reyes has 2847, and Austin's Emanuel Vasquez 2846. Pitchers don't throw as much or stick around for wins like the old days, so it's no surprise that no actives have 200 wins, although Richmond's Chris Larimer is right there with 199; Reyes has 192.

April 8-10 vs BOSTON
Off to a 1-5 start, last year's 84-win team is slated by MLB to become this year's 67-win team. They added 1B Jason Anderson from TOR and C Dan Morra from LA, who should be nice complements to OF Dustin Wasilewski and Ty Knott, along with ageless vet 2B Cortez Ortiz. But there's not a lot of explosiveness behind those guys. On paper they've got a solid rotation, but #1 Yuya Watabe is out until August, and solid mid-rotation guys Matt Postlewait and rookie Angelo Luna are also out until mid-summer. But they've still got solid vets Dave Yocum, Art Garner, and Chris James, while vet Jon Jones and rookie C.J. Freestone are more than capable. The pen looks in capable hands with Luis Garcia, Dusty Browning, and Elijah Jelks. I'm not sure how MLB sees them only winning 67 games? Is the offense really that shallow? There are some kids who are still growing and are in crucial lineup slots, but does MLB discount them that much? Anyway, despite their slow start, I think this is a better team that they're credited for. Manager Ryan Day is in his fifth season and has yet to finish under .500.

HAW pitchers: RH Josh Irvin (1-0, 0.00) / LH John Loeb (0-0, 1.35) / LH Curt Christensen (0-1, 7.94)
BOS pitchers: RH Dave Yocum (0-1, 7.50) / RH Art Garner (0-1, 10.12) / RH Chris James (0-1, 3.38)

#7: LOSS 0-3 ... only 4 hits, all singles...Irvin gives up 12 hits, but is okay otherwise
#8: LOSS 5-6 ... we finally hit, but get no pitching...all our runs come late, as we at least try to come back
#9: LOSS 5-7 ... terrible again...three late runs make this look more respectable than it was

The era of good feelings from that first series is officially over. Last year's bugaboo--where is the offense?--is back again, with a vengeance. Yes, it's only nine games, but we're next-to-last in runs and out of the top ten in most offensive category.... Beau Collins comes in for the .091-hitting Hassell and pops two home runs. Hassell does get two pinch hits, trying to redeem himself already.... Gonna need some wholesale lineup shifting very soon here.... Maybe Christensen isn't quite ready yet, after another bad start. He'll get one or two more before we make a move.... ELSEWHERE: WAS and PHI are 8-1, BKN is 1-8.... LA is 3-6, so we're not the only team predicted to fluorish that's struggling right now.... Since we can't hit, let's check in on our old buddy Joe Lynn, now with Miami: .447 with 6 SB. Okay, bad idea. How about Doug Pederson (.324) and Jose Rivera (3.18 ERA) in Arizona? Yeah, I better stop.

April 12-14 @ DETROIT
Oh goody, just what a slumping team needs, a trip to the defending champs. The Tigers are 6-3, with just a 12th-ranked offense (and only 5 home runs!) but the league's best pitching. No surprise that these guys didn't change much to the lineup, adding only C Juan Espinoza from Richmond. But like us, they haven't gotten on track yet, with only three regulars batting over .275. The veteran staff (only one SP is under 30) has been great so far, however, and four of their RP have yet to surrender a run. It's also worth noting that always-injured OF Roberto Gomez has been 100% healthy nine games into the season. Better give him ALL the lucky charms, Tiger fans. Manager Tyler Macklin is in his fifth season, and has never missed the playoffs. This franchise's long run of success finally paid off with a long-overdue championship title last fall. Now it's our turn to knock them off that perch.

HAW pitchers: LH Daniel Croft (0-1, 27.00) / LH Matt Waugh (2-0, 1.12) / RH Josh Irvin (1-1, 1.06)
DET pitchers: RH Chris Liles (1-0, 2.25) / RH Jose Hernandez (2-0, 1.59) / RH Tony Gamez (1-1, 4.91)

#10: WIN 4-1 ... only 6 hits, but Calderin and Villalpando go deep, and Croft is miles better than his first outing, lasting 8 IP
#11: WIN 4-0 ... 3 more HR, and 10 hits total including 3 from Beau Collins...Waugh tosses a 2-hitter
#12: LOSS 1-4 ... only outhit 6-5, but add in 10 K and zero BB, and we're just not getting on base enough...Irvin with a CG for some reason

Better, but: still next-to-last in runs, 15th in AVG, 14th in OBP. Fewest runs allowed, however, so at least that's going for us.... Beau Collins now has five MLB hits, three have left the yard.... Simmons sat a game after getting hit on the wrist by a pitch. He's batting .162 so far, while Bill Gamboa is hitting a near-mirror .167.... At this rate, Villalpando--hitting .395/.435/.674--will either be hitting leadoff or cleanup in another week.... Nice 8-1 start to their season for Eureka (A).... ELSEWHERE: Nine wins out of ten for Philadelphia, topping MLB (with NOZ) at 10-2. Brooklyn still trails everyone at 2-10.... Zephyrs RF Manny Leos had a 22-game hitting streak end just now.... A sharp 7-1 start for Texas has stalled with four straight losses.... Three starts, 34 K for new Phillies ace Conor MacLeod. Zephs star Jeffrey Foley is just behind him, with 31.

......

TL;DR Version: Great start but after that, a whole lot of meh. Good to take two from the hot Tigers just now, but we've really got to get our bats in order, and soon. The offensive numbers are not pretty: 17th in runs, 15th in AVG, 14th in OBP. Seventh in HR, which is an improvement from recent years, but it hasn't boosted the rest of the offense. At least our pitchers have been solid, leading the AL in runs allowed and 2nd in both rotation and bullpen ERA. So 12 games in, and the early returns on my pre-season "issues" watch list: UP - Matt Waugh has been great; the bullpen is money; rookie Villalpando is looking like a winner. DOWN - JJ Simmons is hitting .162, Bill Gamboa .167, Kevin Reynolds .238, and Jules Medici .256; Curt Christensen has looked supremely unready for MLB action with a 9.53 ERA. My favorite stats so far? Rookie Beau Collins has five hits: a single, a triple, and three home runs.

paul.m.w. · 12-15-2022, 04:19 AM

Villapando’s nickname could be…Vi Pan’!
Just catching up on your summaries.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Bub13 · 04-04-2023, 08:00 PM

Hey, I'm not dead! Nor is this thread!

I'm going to update the story shortly, with a recap of the 2057 season. Let's just say it was quite a roller coaster...

After taking quite a long break from the game, I got back into it recently and just played through the season without writing anything about it. If I keep this thread going after the '57 recap, I'll likely switch to month-to-month updates, as I just don't have the energy or will to write weekly updates like I used to.

Palaaemon · 04-05-2023, 02:32 AM

It's good to see you. Do what you can man, totally understandable if you go to monthly updates. Good to have you back!

06-17-2022, 11:13 PM	#461
Palaaemon Minors (Triple A) Join Date: Jan 2013 Posts: 263	Mistaken Bub, Sorry about that. I must have read that wrong. Thanks for clearing that up! __________________ I don't have to run faster than the bear, just faster than you.

06-23-2022, 06:15 PM	#462
Bub13 All Star Reserve Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Maine Posts: 748	June 15-17 vs MIAMI Steady play sees the Marlins holding on to a three-game lead in the East, and they haven't had a losing month this season. Pitching has been their key, at 2nd in runs allowed overall and the 2nd best rotation ERA. Dustin Panos (11-1, 2.32) has finally cracked his talent at age 27, and everyone else has been solid. Team offense has been almost as good, at 6th in runs, with most of the production--46 HR, 144 RBI, .320 AVG--coming from the #2-#4 slots of Mario Rivera, Toshi Shimabukuro, and Chris Bierly. 2B Alvin Phillips and C Chris MacKenzie are out, and recently joined by 37-year-old closer Jon Carlsen (the former long-time SP ace for the Angels, a long time ago). But they keep winning, and owner Justin Cox ("I said I want EXTREME WINNING!") is happy with the on-field success and the projected $24M profit he's going to fondle very soon. HAW pitchers: RH Jose Rivera (6-6, 4.04) / RH Josh Irvin (3-6, 4.54) / LH Daniel Croft (5-5, 4.93) MIA pitchers: RH Dwaine Webb (4-6, 4.11) / LH Victor Nunez (7-3, 4.59) / RH Sean Kramer (5-5, 3.99) #67: LOSS 2-3 ... 5 hits, 1 double...strong game by Rivera: 8.1 IP, 8 H, 12 K, 1 BB, and the loss #68: LOSS 4-7 ... 6 hits, 1 double, 1 triple...Irvin is terrible, bullpen is better (4.1 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 7 K) #69: LOSS 3-4 ... 11 hits, 5 doubles, 1 HR...we leave 10 men on base, Miami just 4 If the players won't do anything, then why should I. Just a dreadful performance here, back below .500 on the season.... ELSEWHERE: After a terrible 9-17 April, the Phils have gone 11-4 this month and are now a game from .500 and just 7 games out of first. They have that hilarious combo of a #2 offense (326 runs) and a #18 pitching staff (325 runs allowed). They have more home runs right now (106) than we may hit all season.... Bad news for New York baseball: Yankees are 27-42, last in the AL East; Mets are 33-36, 5th in the NL East; and Brooklyn is 30-39, last in the NL East.... San Diego (24-45) may vie for the worst record in MLB this season, but they have a nice two-headed batting attack of Heriberto Nunez (.327, leading the NL) and Blake Langer (.320, third). But their next qualified batter is CF Bob Armstrong, hitting .226. And look: they're worse than we are in the power department, with only 46 HR. June 18-20 @ SEATTLE Now we head off on a long road trip, and no one will miss us. The Mariners have been spinning their tires all year, pairing a solid offense (5th) with some ugly pitching (15th). DH Ger van Mourik (.276/21/46) and 1B Jon Terrell (.283/11/27) are joined by recent call-up RF Tyler Baccala (.325/6/21 in 114 AB), and CF Rogelio Pena (15 HR from leadoff). On the mound, SP Danny Diaz and Mike Bader have delivered; no one else has, outside of should-be-a-starter-but-isn't Theo Soole in middle relief. These guys should have no problem with us right now. HAW pitchers: LH John Loeb (6-4, 3.15) / LH Matt Waugh (10-2, 3.28) / RH Jose Rivera (6-7, 3.97) SEA pitchers: RH Daniel Newell (1-5, 5.94) / RH Vince Push (6-5, 5.88) / RH Ron Rivera (6-7, 4.22) #70: WIN 8-4 #71: WIN 9-1 #72: WIN 9-3 Who even knows any more.... The low-effort game day reports will continue until my morale improves.... ELSEWHERE: Another outing, another string of broken bats against Mets ace Conor MacLeod. His June stats: 4 GS, 3-1, 34 IP, 19 H, 5 ER, 54 K, 11 BB, 1 HR, 1 no-hitter.... LA plays in one of the premier pitching parks in baseball, so of course they've turned things upside down by having one of the best NL offenses (2nd in runs and HR, 1st in AVG, OBP, OPS). Meanwhile the mega-millions pitching staff rates just 11th. But they still lead the West, and will probably get to the Series again, yet again.... Philly sweeps first place Richmond, closing their gap now to just four games and into a tie for second with Atlanta. Quite a turnaround, and I want to see if they can simply play 80s-style hockey and outscore everyone on the way to a division title. (They've won four in a row, two with some truly execrable pitching.) June 22-24 @ MILWAUKEE Only 8-10 this month, which has matched Detroit and kept them just a game behind the Tigers in the Central. Ninth in runs scored, 7th in runs allowed, and a +18 differential. 1B Ricky Ayala (.258/21/58) is having a nice follow-up to his breakout 52 HR effort from a year ago; and DH Joey Walker (.271/20/50) was apparently born in a test tube, as no one had heard of the 33-year-old before January when the Brewers signed him from god-knows-where. Throw in SS Kyle Murphy, batting a hundred points over his usual self at .341, and some timely power from Oscar Espinosa and Luis Morales, and the offense has clicked enough to keep them winning. Pitching is harder to figure out, as top SP Jeremy Atkins and Merlin Lemay continue to struggle despite possessing some of the best raw talent in the bigs. The team bullpen ERA (12th) looks leaky, but the top three guys do most of the work and have a combined 2.60 number, which I'd take any day. Injuries are piling up, tho: out for good are 3B Mitch Elmore (batting .364), and solid RP Robbie Collier and Erik Schewe. Five other guys have nagging dtd gripes or are out for several more weeks, putting a strain on an already low-rated farm system. HAW pitchers: RH Josh Irvin (3-7, 4.90) / LH Daniel Croft (5-6, 4.93) / LH John Loeb (7-4, 3.12) MIL pitchers: RH Jose Ambriz (5-4, 4.08) / RH Eric Lantier (10-3, 2.93) / RH Merlin Lemay (7-6, 5.12) #73: WIN 7-3 #74: WIN 5-1 #75: WIN 5-3 shrugs.... The only things worth relating are that we were outhit twice, and we have not one but TWO guys with ten HR on the season, finally: Jules Medici, of course, and freaking Bill Gamboa somehow.... ELSEWHERE: Philly takes 2 out of 3 from hapless Brooklyn, keeping pace with Richmond and passing Atlanta. Fun stuff.... LA has won six straight and is pulling away from Portland, not surprisingly.... Meanwhile NOZ and CIN continue to battle it out in the Central, with just a game separating the two, and first place changing hands repeatedly.... Francisco Rodriguez still has the single-season saves record, with 62 set back in 208. But watch out for New Orleans closr Brent Sandwell, with 29 so far (in just 35 appearances). Cincinnati's John Jackson is second with 25.... Cards pitcher Erik Sloan continues to impress with double duty: 8-7 with a 3.02 ERA, 132 K in 131 IP on the mound; and .322/.368/.530, with 21 doubles and 9 HR in 230 AB and 43 OF starts. June 25-27 @ CALIFORNIA Now two games behind us; the struggle is real. Sixth in runs scored, and 3rd in AVG, but other numbers are in the bottom half of the league. Pitching sits tenth, making for a small +7 run differential. I've harped on these guys a lot, for turning a great franchise into an annual joke, a team without a winning record since 2035. But credit now where it's due: they splurged on William Swanson, and as he's only 30 he's got a lot of time left for them to build around him. They have holes--like everyone does--and they're nowhere near as powerful as the Rangers right now; but a few more FA grabs, a prospect or two pans out, and their pitching stays healthy....then they're competitive and back in the playoff picture regularly. The good news is that most everyone looks to be back next year, and minus a couple of useful pitchers most of the departures look easily replaceable. Not that I want my divisional competitors to regain their mojo, but if they have to, let them supplant the Rangers then. HAW pitchers: LH Matt Waugh (11-2, 3.09) / RH Jose Rivera (7-7, 3.89) / RH Josh Irvin (4-7, 4.78) CAL pitchers: RH Leo Ortiz (4-5, 4.70) / LH Shaun Ostrander (5-2, 3.11) / RH Nate Elder (2-4, 3.12) #76: LOSS 1-2 #77: LOSS 1-4 #78: WIN 2-0 Just 15 hits across the entire series. Sad.... Good thing we're on a roll playing a terrible team next.... ELSEWHERE: Nine straight now for LA, and tied atop MLB with a 50-28 record (with Texas and New Orleans).... Phil Thoma has finally slowed down, and has been caught by the unstoppable force that is Detroit's Pat Townsand. The reigning AL MVP is hitting .305/27/65, just behind the Rangers catcher in the two power numbers. However, Thoma's teammate Ryan Boers is the first batter to 5 WAR, and also leads in AL all-star game voting, for what that's worth.... Cincinnati's Chris Mitchell picked a great time to jump ship from the Yankees, signing on with the Reds last winter. NY is in the dumps in the AL East, while Cincy is battling New Orleans for supremacy in the NL Central. Mitchell also leads the NL in batting (.320) and WAR (4.2), and has 18 HR for his new club. (He was the AL MVP in '53 for New York.) June 28-30 @ TEXAS Let's just get this series over with, shall we? Then we get a nice, long, All-Star break to rest and reassess where things went so very wrong. These guys? First in offense, fourth in pitching. Ryan Boers (.350/18/50), Javier Tzoc (.329/18/46), Phil Thoma (.298/28/67), Mike Olivera (.283/14/41), Eric Robbins (.318/15/52), etc etc. And so much for losing 80% of last year's rotation to free agency, as the new group is 3rd in AL ERA. Try not to get hurt out there, fellas. HAW pitchers: LH Daniel Croft (6-6, 4.59) / LH John Loeb (7-4, 3.04) / LH Matt Waugh (11-3, 3.06) TEX pitchers: RH Sean Reed (4-7, 4.70) / RH Joel Wiechart (6-8, 5.34) / RH Kevin Cahill (10-3, 3.40) #79: LOSS 0-16 #80: LOSS 6-7 #81: WIN 2-1 Absolute incompetence, outside of Matt Waugh.... Not since our inaugural seasons have we been so bad in every aspect of the game. Hits? Nah. Pitching? Nah. Fielding? Six errors here, two that cost us that second game.... ELSEWHERE: Philadelphia has won 5 straight despite having lost two SP (Keith Bradshaw and Leonardo Vigil) to season-ending injuries in the past week. They're now just a game behind Richmond.... Keeping it in the NL East: this is a tight race, as even last place Brooklyn is just 9 games out. Anyone can get on a roll here and make some noise.... The AL East is shaping up to be a good race too, with Miami leading Tampa Bay by 2, and Boston and Baltimore by 4. ...... TL;DR Version: Thought we'd turned a corner after those Seattle and Milwaukee series, didn't you? Maybe I did too... Instead we drop four out of six, including some pretty ugly losses, and strike a real blow to whatever confidence we were so close to regaining. Bigger picture, it means that July becomes a make-or-break month for our playoff chances. And also means I'll be giving deep thoughts to who will even be on the roster after the deadline. Frankly, we're too tightly budgeted to go out and grab a big-money guy this season, and if we're in the same position on 7/30 as we're in now, we'll be sellers if anything. No, I'm not looking at a fire sale; but I do need to take some sober looks at guys to see if this is just a bad year, or if there is some deeper lineup rot going on. Anyway... ... in the meantime, I undertake a small-potatoes version of a Great Roster Reset, demoting five guys to AAA. Gone (for now? for good?) are C Jared Null, IF Jake Moore, OF Chase Thompson, and RPs Marco Mendez and Nick Lee. Taking their places are C Bentley Kolb, IF Bobby Coronado, OF Jeremy Hagemann, and RPs Gleb Mikhailkovsky and Yoshi Watanabe. All but Kolb have been up this season already, although Gleb didn't pitch in the two days he was up for an injured Brad Cahill. Time to see if I can finally find the right buttons to push, or if we'll continue to flail in the mud. Attached Images __________________ Introducing Your Hawaii Islanders!

06-28-2022, 06:56 PM	#463
Bub13 All Star Reserve Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Maine Posts: 748	July 2056 New month, new attitude. Okay, same crappy attitude. But it's a new month, at least. Twenty-five games, twelve at home including a nine-game homestand mid-month. Probably more telling is that after an early series against Detroit, we'll play six consecutive series against teams with fewer than 40 wins. If we can't make hay during that stretch and get back into the wildcard race at least, we're probably done. I'm not saying I'll throw in the towel, but if we're still around (or, gulp, below) .500 by the time we travel to Texas on the 28th, the rest of the season will become all about evaluating for 2057. All-Star time! No surprise, we have zero batters on the team this year. But we do see three pitchers voted/selected onto the roster: Matt Waugh, Jose Rivera, and John Loeb. Waugh make his 8th squad, Rivera his 2nd, and Loeb his first! Waugh is supposedly the starting pitcher (by total vote), but he should have started last year too but didn't. We'll see. For the prospects game, we'll have six guys going: SP Curt Christensen (A) and Juan Sais (AAA), 3B Jose Villalpando (AAA), SS Cris Flores (Short A) and Joey Ulrich (AA), and OF Ricky Thompson (Short A). All are legit prospects, although obviously Villalpando is at the top of that list as the #1 guy in MLB right now. As for the games... the National League future stars shut down the ALers, 2-0, allowing only six hits. Our guys went 2-for-7 with a walk. Sais was the only pitcher to play, and he tossed one shutout inning. The NL also won the big boys game, 3-1, with a 4th-inning home run from LA's Gerardo Nieto providing all the offense they would need. Weirdly, Matt Waugh did not pitch; rather, Jose Rivera started and John Loeb also tossed an inning. Both pitched 1-2-3 frames. Teams also got the "march to the deadline" going early, making five separate trades to open the month. Mostly it was average minor leaguers traded for decent relievers. Only Cincy and Atlanta moved the needle any, with the Braves grabbing 37-year-old vet Alex Ramirez from the Yankees, and the Reds swiping former White Sox closer Jeremy Saunders. The Yankees did acquire a solid-looking OF prospect from the Red Sox in Matt Fleming, but then sent off the other prospect they received in that trade (for very old 1B/DH Jose Rodriguez), 1B Tom Royal, to Atlanta for a no-hope catching prospect. Yes, NY essentially got Fleming for two soon-to-retire vets, but keeping Royal--a solid power-hitting DH prospect--would have been better to do. July 5-7 @ DETROIT Ok, here we go: a major test for our solid/not-solid footing. The Tigers lead the Central at 48-33 and once again have a solid, 2nd-ranked, offense, are 2nd in home runs, and have a +68 run differential. Pitching is 9th and pretty undistinguished, but no one outside of #5 starter Carlos Zenon is having a rough time. The Man of the Hour here is, of course, 1B Pat Townsand: the reigning AL MVP is hitting .298/27/65 at the halfway mark of the season, and the 28-year-old is already closing in on 300 career home runs. Your Happy Thought for the day is that their #2 prospect, pitcher Rob Toledo, should in fact be pitching in that eponymous city by next spring. Also, for you Tigers fans out there, these guys are working on their 12th-straight playoff season, having failed to win at least 90 games only once during that stretch. Unfortunately, they've also failed to win any Series titles; but then they're due, right? HAW pitchers: LH Matt Waugh (12-3, 2.96) / RH Jose Rivera (7-8, 3.93) / RH Josh Irvin (5-7, 4.37) DET pitchers: RH Jamie McBride (8-3, 3.79) / RH Jose Hernandez (8-6, 4.44) / RH Tony Gamez (4-9, 3.74) #82: LOSS 1-4 ... solo HR from Collins, 3 hits by Medici...Next! #83: WIN 9-5 ... 15 hits! That's usually our allotment for an entire series these days...4 H, 2 RBI for Bennetsen, the opposite for Pederson plus a two-run HR #84: LOSS 1-7 ... back to normal programming Not surprising here: non-competitive offense for two games, then an explosion for one. Our lack of offensive prowess continues to befuddle me. A one-year dropoff, or a sign of longer-term problems? Dunno. No idea.... RP Jordan Ruiz comes off the DL in a few days. He'll go to AAA for some rehab, as he hasn't pitched all season. He's been dynamite for us for several years, when healthy, and we need him sooner than later.... ELSEWHERE: More trades (eight in total) during this series. None involve major players, although the Yankees did acquire yet another catching prospect for another old veteran.... Lots of tight division races as we enter the second half, with only Texas in the AL West having a double-digit lead.... Baltimore rookie Justin Horton is having himself a fine season, now leading the AL with 71 RBI. The former 19th-round draft pick also just won the All-Star Game home run contest and has 23 dingers on the season. He jumped from AA to the bigs last August, and struggled to hit .219 during that six-week stay. But he's off and running this year, batting .305 and helping to lead an offense that ranks 3rd in runs.... Draftee signing day came and went, and a few top picks were not signed. California let #10 pick Ray Wimpee (projection: adequate RP) go back to college; while Brooklyn bungled their talks with #3 pick Jon Tanana (projection: 5-to-6 WAR power hitter). Tsk. July 8-10 @ SEATTLE Back to the West Coast to see our divisional mates. The M's slipped to 8-19 in June, dropping into a tie for last with Houston, at 36-48. Their underlying team numbers aren't that bad, 9th in offense and 14th in pitching. (Ok, that pitching number is bad.) What's really hurt, however, has been the injury to star OF Paul Stough, who had 19 HR and a 1.030 OPS before going down early last month. He'll return in a week. Ger van Mourik (.277/23/50) has kept up his good work, and Dan Bruno is hitting a nice .320 in leadoff. Pitching has been a pain, with Danny Diaz still going strong but former Isle Mike Bader tailing off (17 ER allowed in 3 of his last 5 starts). Vet Zion Robinson--signed from New Orleans this off-season--has been moved into the rotation and has offered up two solid starts so far. That'll need to continue if they're going to get back into the wildcard race. HAW pitchers: LH Daniel Croft (6-7, 4.74) / LH John Loeb (7-4, 3.08) / LH Matt Waugh (12-4, 2.94) SEA pitchers: RH Mike Bader (7-7, 4.05) / RH Zion Robinson (2-1, 3.00) / RH Ron Rivera (6-10, 4.26) #85: WIN 3-2 ... Bennetsen's 2-run single in the 6th is our key hit...Croft is solid, yielding just five hits through 8 IP...Simmons is injured dtd #86: WIN 17-14 ... wtf...a 4-3 game into the bottom of the 7th just goes nuts...they score 11 late, but we drop TEN in the 9th to win it #87: WIN 5-1 ... Waugh returns to form, allowing only 4 hits through 7 IP and fanning 13...two more hits for Pederson and a rare HR from Tipping Crazy series. Although I could get used to sweeping clubs again. I really could.... That second game. We were up 4-3; down 7-4; tied at 7; down 12-7; up 17-12; then hung on at 17-14. Mikhailkovsky made his debut, giving up 4 hits and 3 runs, but took the win. Congrats? Pederson smacked two homers, including a GRAND SLAM in the ninth. In total, 31 runs, 31 hits, 15 walks, 3 errors, 9 doubles, 4 home runs. And a playing time of 4 hours and 20 minutes, most of which was probably the final three innings.... Pederson brought his average up 27 points in this series, to a season-high .231.... Simmons is out for four days, so Coronado gets to start and bat leadoff with his .320 average (but just .331 OBP).... ELSEWHERE: Philadelphia's 21-6 record in June has segued into a 1-5 start in July, dropping them to six in back of Richmond. The culprit? Their 17th-ranked pitching, and the fact that four pitchers of their early-season rotation are out for the season (three of them just in the last few weeks). Solid hitting as usual--2nd in runs, 1st in HR--but that staff needs major help.... Some future Hall of Famers are finally at the end of their ropes. Giants 3B Juan Garcia is just six hits away from matching Nap Lajoie at 14th all-time (with 3242), but his .260 average is by far the lowest of his career. Lance Powell, brought in to a terrible A's team to provide veteran leadership for some reason, has suffered through an injury-plagued year at age 44, hitting just .184 with one home run. With 603 career knocks, he's unlikely even to catch Sammy Sosa (at 609) for 9th place. And Raul Bravo, 38, is still under contract for a season after this one, but has tossed just 16 poor innings in relief for the Tigers and may finish in his current 10th place spot in career strikeouts (he has 3846 currently). July 11-13 vs NEW YORK A terrible April, then a recovery in May, but a subpar June, has the Yanks as sellers in July, at 37-50 overall and last in the East. They've already dumped some old guys: journeyman pitcher Chris Milano (33), RP Alex Ramirez (37), and 1B/DH Jose Rodriguez (37). These deals netted them OF prospect Matt Fleming and two so-so catchers. Fleming is already starting in right, jumping right into the fire. They also acquired OF Tim Cyr from California (for solid RP Joe Waggoner, whom I'd have been happy to snag), and sent a middling IF prospect to Atlanta for two all-field-no-hit prospects. Whether any of this will matter in time, we'll have to wait and see. But they dumped about $20M in payroll, so if they're aggressive this fall then every trade will have been a winner. They clearly needed to change the lineup, sitting 16th in runs and not much better anywhere else. If they're serious about a rebuild, there's also 3B Andy Taylor (now 38), C Arturo Sena (37), SS Victor Provencio (34), and a trio of 32-year-olds--Mike Israel, Andy Howard, and Marcus Dotson--all of whose best seasons are behind them. Pitching is middling, at 9th overall. The rotation has been good, and most of these guys will be back, which is good news. But there are 18 players on big-league contracts set to become free agents this fall (including #1 SP Alex Correa, at $23M), so there is A LOT of room coming to fix this squad. They still have a huge budget and a gigantic fanbase: now go out and act like it. But stop signing over-the-hill guys and steal the 28-year-old FAs still in their prime. MLB needs a good Yankees club. (Not that I do, but I don't matter.) HAW pitchers: RH Jose Rivera (8-8, 3.99) / RH Josh Irvin (5-8, 4.61) / LH Daniel Croft (7-7, 4.49) NYY pitchers: RH Alex Correa (4-2, 4.35) / RH Stephen Grunberg (0-2, 3.44) / RH Justin Spurrell (4-2, 3.43) #88: LOSS 4-10 ... an 8-run 7th kills our buzz...Bennetsen hits one out, becoming just the third player to reach double-figures in HR #89: WIN 6-2 ... we're outhit and toss in two errors, but Irvin finds some of his '55 magic and throws a complete game, fanning 8...HR and 4 RBI for Tipping #90: WIN 5-1 ... Medici hits his first HR in three weeks, and Croft looks decent again, allowing only 4 hits and a run in 7.1 innings Whew. That first game had me worried we were gonna blunder our way through this series. The bullpen was trash in the loss, and Rivera struggled again. (Funny thing is, his underlying numbers are pretty good, and he's on pace to earn 6 WAR.).... Joe Lynn comes back into the lineup in center, as Hassell is in another down period at the plate. And Simmons returns from his minor injury, although Coronado got a few hits in his stead.... RP Jordan Ruiz starts his rehab stint. Fingers crossed he'll be up with us in a couple of weeks.... Looking at some possibles for September, including #1 MLB prospect Jose Villalpando (.305 in 266 AAA at bats, but only 2 HR) and SP Will McGee (3-2, 3.59 ERA, but out for three more weeks). Might give both of them a lot of throws at the dart board this fall, if we're out of the post-season hunt.... ELSEWHERE: Philly's won three straight and made a deal to shore up their stupid pitching, sending 30-year-old slugging (and sluggard) OF Miguel Leos to Boston for swingman Mike Moffitt. Leos has been fine--but disgruntled--in a fourth OF role, and wasn't earning his $21M salary. He'll get that chance in Boston. Moffitt won't cure what ails the Phils' pitching, but he's a step up from some of the AAA retreads they've been throwing out there lately.... The NL East is the only division with all teams having won at least 40 games.... LA is the first team to 60 wins, having righted their ship and opened up a 9-game lead over Portland.... Props to Zephyrs closer Brent Sandwell for making something happen with every outing: in 43 appearances he has 36 saves, 4 wins, and 1 loss. That leaves only two games where he "just appeared". July 15-17 vs OAKLAND Now 39-51 overall, and 9-15 since we last played them. Another team that really, desperately, needs to get rid of some old guys, including some Oakland lifers. 3B Ryan Walton is now 35, has 522 home runs on the Bay, but he's a .200 hitter now and contracted through next year. It's time, Mr. GM. Jim Schwartz has been here since '44, and used to regularly be in the Cy Young discussion. But he hasn't tossed a full season since '51, and won't again this year. SS Noah Johnson is just 30, and has spent his 7-year career here; but he's now on his third season of barely above replacement-level play, and has an OPS+ of 65. Yeah, he's a knockout fielder (a +9.3 ZR at short already), but you can find those types for less than the $15M you're paying him. And LF Felix Reyes, on the payroll through '59, has dropped from his usual .280 with 50 HR to just .223 with 25-30 HR. Not terrible, really, but then again consider his 4-for-21 value on steal attempts. I'd trade ALL these guys, get what you can, even if it's roster filler. An excellent backup catcher? Utility infielders? A lefty OF power bench bat? A couple solid setup/MR guys? Yes, yes, and yes. Teams aren't going to send their top prospects to you for these aging stars, so instead go out and get the bones of a good team. Then with all that cash you'll have, grab some muscle in free agency, and give some of your decent-looking kids a real chance to play. Seems easy, right? About those kids...1B Alex Esquilin is excellent; OF Matt Hall will be, but is struggling (9-for-68 with 30 K), but let him play and grow; and bring up from AAA Bruce Corrigan (C), Pedro Ortiz (1B/DH), Dan Collins (3B), and OF Jason Ellis and Jose Luna. They're ALL better than what you've got going right now, and need the experience. And to my eye, you've got 6-7 interesting young SP, some in MLB and some in AAA. Bring them all up and rotate among them for the next few months. Don't wait until next March! HAW pitchers: LH John Loeb (7-4, 3.47) / LH Matt Waugh (13-4, 2.86) / RH Jose Rivera (8-9, 4.07) OAK pitchers: LH Sean Guerrero (1-2, 5.08) / RH Schwartz (3-8, 5.30) / RH Tom Baker (6-6, 4.00) #91: WIN 6-0 ... solid all-around here...Medici with a solo HR, Pederson with 3 RBI on 2 H, and 2 H w/ 2 R from Simmons...3-hit shutout by Loeb, his first as a big leaguer #92: WIN 5-3 ... sleepy early, not scoring until one in the 8th and the rest in the 9th, on Calderin's pinch walk-off GRAND SLAM...Waugh with a rare no-decision #93: LOSS 3-4 ... 4 walks and an unearned run doom us tonight...we put more runners on base, strand more...Gamboa's two HR go for nought That loss is a big bummer, but overall some better play here. Hitting is still not up to snuff, but we are hitting for a bit more power, getting our OPS and our OBP up.... Medici and Gamboa are now tied for the team lead in home runs with 13 each. Would not have made that bet in the pre-season.... Pederson now hitting .243, sl-o-o-o-w-ly getting better.... ELSEWHERE: Five straight wins sees New Orleans open a 4-game lead over the moribund Reds. Still lots of games to play though.... An 8-4 start to the month sees Portland jump into the wildcard picture, at 53-40. The Pioneers have been to the playoffs just once this decade, in '51, and only one other time since '35.... Playing in that big pitchers park, LA still leads the NL in offense, in every category except home runs (where they're second). Pitching? Sixth-best, so still pretty good.... Philadelphia keeps hanging around, only three games out of first despite continued bad pitching and mounting injuries. SS Jasper Jacobsen is out for six weeks with a broken wrist, and now his backup, Quinn Burnett, is out for two months. And stud OF George Livezey continues to hit for everything but average, despite an ever-increasing raft of dtd injuries (five this year alone).... Two weeks until the Trade Deadline. What do we have in store? ...... TL;DR Version: Generally better but still a mixed bag. (Am I ever happy? Um, no.) We go 8-4 here to bring our record on the season to 50-43, the first time we've been this many games over .500. And we're back to single digits behind Texas: nine games. AND we're a game out of the wildcard race. We're still not hitting much for average or power, but we're 6th in runs and 5th in OBP. Our starting pitching is the best in the AL right now, and the bullpen I malign every week is, currently, half-good and half-bad. What else...Wierdly, our latest scouting report had OF Erik Bennetsen getting a major bump in movement and control. Yes, he was a much-touted two-way prospect once upon a time, but I nixed that when he missed much of his first rookie ball season after hurting his elbow. Now I see his ratings and I think we've got quite a pitching stud from out of nowhere. Is it real? Dunno, but I might try to find out sometime very soon. Last bit: we went all out in the International Amateurs market this month, already nabbing two really solid-looking kids. Julio Cepin (2B, Venezuela) looks like a great all-around hitter, and possibly team captain material. His defense is non-existent, however. And Wilson Mendez (P, Dominican) could become a dominant LH relief pitcher one day. We've got one more iron in the fire to complete the troika. More on that next time... Attached Images __________________ Introducing Your Hawaii Islanders! Last edited by Bub13; 06-30-2022 at 10:15 AM.

07-02-2022, 09:39 AM	#464
Bub13 All Star Reserve Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Maine Posts: 748	July 18-20 vs HOUSTON Last of the nine-game homestand. A 4-8 month has put them in last place, tied with the slumping Mariners. Offense ranks 16th, pitching 14th. I don't know what happened to this once up-and-coming team. I see a few guys over 30 who should be complementary bench pieces instead of regulars, no catchers, and the slickest fielding keystone combo I can recall (who are also having career years at the plate, at .270 and .240 with 8 combined HR). You could build around 1B Jose Renteria, but he's 29 now and maybe should be leveraged into multiple pieces for a full rebuild. The only other guy worth anything is DH Antonio Escobar, but he's fizzled a bit after looking like an all-world prospect. Pitching looks better, with some nice-looking starters and some near-elite relievers. But you'd like to say, when rebuilding, that you've got more to offer your fans than "some near-elite relievers." Still, they could build around pitching and try to add a few free agents. BUT...there's only $4M available for new contracts and they're increasing that by only million more to that with the few forthcoming free agents. If you're looking further down the line, they did just add a solid 16-year-old International in Francis Rodriguez; and they do have a few guys I'd steal in their international complex. That, and some intriguing 19- and 20-year-old pitchers make for an interesting long-term picture. HAW pitchers: RH Josh Irvin (6-8, 4.34) / LH Daniel Croft (8-7, 4.29) / LH John Loeb (8-4, 3.22) HOU pitchers: RH Winton Jones (8-8, 3.97) / RH Chris James (5-9, 6.05) / RH Miles Iandoli (6-10, 4.98) #94: LOSS 1-7 ... ooof...move along now #95: WIN 13-3 ... 17 hits including 3 HR, lots of guys pitching in...Croft has another good game, going into the 9th and allowing just 6 hits #96: WIN 4-3 ... Gamboa's solo blast in the 7th is the GW...Lynn drives in two with a double and a sac fly...7 IP for Loeb, then two scoreless frames from the pen! Nice comeback after that first ugly game.... Hey, we're closing in on 100 home runs! We have 92, so maybe just a few weeks away now.... Bill Gamboa leads the team in home runs, with 15. I never, ever, thought I'd be typing that sentence.... We signed our third International, finally agreeing to terms with Dominican 3B Michael Coronel. He projects as a big-time slugger with a great eye and few strikeouts. Nice arm at third, but kinda iffy with the glove.... ELSEWHERE: Lots of trades again, none worth mentioning though.... He started off the season hot, then slumped off, and now he's back: former Isle Josh Hed is hitting again in Arizona, at .311/15/49 and 2nd in the NL in batting. Playing great defense too. I still think we were right to trade him, but good for him anyway.... Kudos to those Phillies, having won four straight and now just two in back of Richmond. Pitching, who needs it.... Texas has reached the 60-win plateau, second team in the majors to do so. July 21-23 @ MINNESOTA Their 42-54 record is right about where MLB said they'd be all along. But what probably grinds the gears of Twins fans is the subpar offense--12th in runs--despite spending money on their stars and on free agents. Jordan Foots (.268), Jesus Villegas (.239), Santos Chavez (.248), and Mike Lee (.265) are all hitting 30-50 points below their career averages. Power is still up--5th in home runs--but runs and average and OBP are all down and trending that way. Pitching has been as bad as expected, 15th in runs allowed, and the rotation is next-to-last in ERA. Injuries have hurt, with 2B Andy Elliott and RF Tim Marinaccio missing significant time (and still out), and seven pitchers are currently on the DL. The good news here is that only a couple of relievers are unsigned for next year; although given their record, maybe that's not great news. I think there's a promising roster here: none of the slumping batters are old and declining, and there's some promise on the pitching staff. But that latter group needs the most work: grab a starter and a couple of high-to-mid-end relievers, and I think the Twins are instantly competitive. But...the guys they're paying do have to hit again one day. HAW pitchers: LH Matt Waugh (13-4, 2.82) / RH Jose Rivera (8-10, 4.04) / RH Josh Irvin (6-9, 4.46) MIN pitchers: RH Gary Kocher (3-10, 4.61) / RH Ken Aikens (4-11, 6.16) / RH Dan Hannan (9-4, 4.42) #97: WIN 2-1 ... only 4 hits here, but one is a 2-run shot by Collins...Waugh goes 8, and holds the bad guys to just the one run on 9 hits #98: LOSS 4-5 ... 3 hits and 2 RBI from Calderin, but no other highlights...Bennetsen suspended for 3 games for fighting their pitcher after an HPB #99: WIN 4-3 ... a pair of doubles in the 7th plate three runs, then Lynn wins it with another double in the 9th Two wins here keeps our momentum up, even though we didn't hit well in any of these games. Still 9 games behind Texas, but we're three up on California now.... Bennetsen took exception to a plunking, so went after Twins pitcher Ken Aikens. B got three games, Aikens six. Jeremy Hagemann slides into left for next series.... Calderin has a hot hand now and will get a few games at second, over the stone-cold Tipping.... ELSEWHERE: The AL Central is heating up. Milwaukee has surged into first on an 8-2 run, while KC has won four straight to get to third place, five games out. Detroit is still plugging along.... KC pitcher Steve Scibek just tossed a 2-hit/16-K shutout. His 76 FIP-, 12 wins, and 188 are all career highs by a long way. Finally coming into his tremendous potential.... What do you get when you combine a league's 17th-ranked offense and the 16th-ranked pitching? This year's San Diego Padres, with a 33-66 record--worst in the bigs--and 33 games behind the Dodgers.... Arizona has two of the NL's best young hitters, in OF Kevin Reynolds and 1B Juan Lozano, but years of little investment in pitching has kept them on the losing side of the ledger. But they've got a few youngsters ready to step up, plus a few other young hitters (and former Isle Josh Hed), and could challenge at least for a wildcard next year. Good luck guys. LA is still gonna be really good. July 25-27 vs TORONTO Such a promising start, in April, with a 17-9 record. But it's been downhill since, especially a 14-31 mark since June 1st. The offense has fallen to last in the AL, neither hitting for average nor for power, while pitching sits 11th. Former Isle Diego Espino has at least produced some in CF, going .264/.317/.463 with 10 HR and 10 steals in 54 starts. Their major issue is an easy one to diagnose: two batters under the Mendoza line + five others below .250 = no hitting, no one getting on base. But, I can say that despite that 11th-place pitching staff, on paper their rotation looks young and really solid. A nice mix of power and finesse, and a few young guys who are still developing. Plus, the top of the bullpen--closer Danny Mendiola, and setups Carlos Vazquez and Jaiden Watkins--are also a solid foundation. But that offense needs serious overhauling, with few prospects coming along, and mostly comprised of mid-ranked veterans and younger guys. None of their top prospects are batters either. What's also somewhat promising is that some underwhelming vets will walk this fall, so they'll have even more room than the $30M they already have to spend on new contracts. So with some luck and aggression, they could get quite a bit better very quickly. But they'll have a lot of competition. HAW pitchers: LH Daniel Croft (9-7, 4.22) / LH John Loeb (9-4, 3.25) / LH Matt Waugh (14-4, 2.73) TOR pitchers: RH Josh Haynam (8-3 3.20) / RH Andy Jones (5-11, 5.35) / RH Nick Palmer (10-9, 4.81) #100: LOSS 4-7 ... Croft is beat up early, leaves in the 5th...Gamboa homers, Simmons gets three hits...that's about it #101: WIN 6-0 ... Loeb tosses a 4-hitter through 8.1 IP...Collins hits one out, and three guys get two hits and an RBI each #102: WIN 5-4 ... two runs in the 9th--RBI singles by Coronado and Medici--squeeze out this win...Waugh gives up 4 early runs but does fan 10, Kearns gets the win Again, two wins with some just-good-enough offense, and generally solid pitching. A Texas sweep put them back to ten up on us, but we are now in wildcard position, by a game over KC.... Sixth in runs scored, with a +70 run differential! And we're first in steals, with 140. That's good, right?.... Looking around our farm teams, one player has stood out in a crazy way: OF Beau Collins (Eureka, A ball) has FIFTY-NINE home runs in 339 AB. He has a slash of .324/.398/.900. He's also struck out 106 times, but who's paying attention to that. Wow.... ELSEWHERE: LA leads everyone with 69 wins, Texas is second with 66.... More trades leading up to the deadline, almost all involving winning teams stocking up on relief pitching help. Richmond grabs two vets, Philadelphia and Texas one, and Portland has swapped out three pitchers and brought in one. Of course Texas brings in the best of the bunch, getting closer-worthy Jon Downs from the Cardinals for two okay prospects and power-hitting young OF Antonio Reyes. Downs adds to an already third-ranked bullpen, just what we need to hear as we try to gain ground on these guys.... Philly has ridden that terrible pitching to a 9-1 run and a game out of first. July 28-30 @ TEXAS Yes, it's time to bruise our fragile confidence with a trip to the lion's den. First in offense, in nearly every category, and 6th in pitching. A +143 run differential, which seems like a really good number. Six regulars not only have double figures in home runs, they're all over 20 home runs. Again, that's probably pretty good. The only thing I've noticed is that for some reason they've turned over right field to Rich Fernandez, hitting .111, instead of Ted Miller, batting .270 with 11 HR. Also, Joel Wiechart has been moved out of the rotation (thanks to a team-worst 5.17 ERA) and replaced by Drew Hurt, recently acquired from the White Sox. Hurt has been very good in three starts with Texas, although he's prone to the long ball and had a less-than-groovy 6.25 ERA himself this year for the Southsiders. Anyway...all the usual suspects are hitting, they've got someone at or near the top in every offensive category--including steals--and their pitching has been quietly solid. It's really hard to see how we're NOT going to get a three-peat of an LA vs TEX World Series this fall. Can anyone else step up? HAW pitchers: RH Jose Rivera (8-11, 4.18) / RH Josh Irvin (7-9, 4.40) / LH Daniel Croft (9-8, 4.56) TEX pitchers: RH Dinand Huisman (13-3, 4.32) / RH Mike Nelson (8-6, 3.32) / RH Drew Hurt (7-9, 5.62) #103: LOSS 0-2 ... of course when we shut down their offense, we get only 3 hits and commit 3 errors...Rivera fans 11, but it's not enough #104: WIN 3-1 ... Gamboa and Pederson homer, and Bennetsen gets ejected again for arguing with an umpire...Irvin goes 8 innings, fans four against zero walks #105: LOSS 3-5 ... Croft stays in too long and gives up 3 in the 8th to take the loss. Sigh...two hits for Simmons and Pederson SO CLOSE to a successful series, dammit.... Still not hitting worth a darn, though. Now 10th in average, 12th in OPS. Not good enough.... If you value WAR at all, it's telling for you that we have only two batters with more than two WAR: Gamboa at 2.9 and Simmons at 2.4. Even Medici has produced only 1.2 WAR, with his power down and strikeouts up.... Beau Collins now has 61 home runs. Our AAA team in Santa Barbara has hit the same amount in 92 games.... ELSEWHERE: More trades! The Yankees rid themselves of a few 30-year-olds, but none of the high-paid guys I mentioned when we played them recently. The best grab of the bunch is Pittsburgh acquiring solid pitching prospect Tyler Nelson from New Orleans for swingman (and soon-to-be free agent) Bill Murphy. Nelson could be in the rotation next year, while Murphy will probably be playing somewhere not in Louisiana by next March. Probably not a great deal for the Zephs, but they're vying with Cincinnati in the Central and should make the playoffs anyway. Not sure they can get past LA, but we'll see.... Forty home runs for Milwaukee's Ricky Ayala; he also leads baseball with 98 RBI. July 31 @ CALIFORNIA Still hanging around, at a game over .500 and just four behind us in the division and the wildcard standings. Fourth in average has them 9th in runs scored; tenth in runs allowed, with a +11 run differential. The offense is still mostly a two-man show, with 1B William Swanson (.309/28/72) and RF Mauricio Marquez (.322/21/64) leading the way, by far. Two-time batting champ Dan Dellinger (.283/10/54) has bounced back after some down years, and Jesse Brickell has 15 HR and a .900 OPS. On the mound, you could be forgiven for your surprise at how well their pitching has performed given that they have eight guys on the DL currently. Most of the staff is 26 or under, and signed, and should get better next year. (Plus some of those injured guys are pretty good, too.) Everybody's going to scramble for free agent batters this fall, including these guys; but if they get one or two hitters, watch this space next year. HAW pitcher: LH John Loeb (10-4, 3.06) CAL pitcher: RH Aaron Moore (8-8, 4.38) #106: WIN 7-2 ... we put 17 runners on base and our guys combined to strand 37 men on base, lol...Loeb is sharp again, going 8.1 innings, fanning 7 and walking none Positive end to the month, putting us back to ten games over .500 and ten behind Texas.... Loeb has been really sharp the last two months: 7-0 in 11 starts, 71 IP, 2.51 ERA, 2.3 WAR.... This year's race: Stolen bases 145, Home runs 99. I think we know which stat is going to win this time around.... No trades for us yet, but I may shop around a couple guys here at the deadline.... ELSEWHERE: Finally a trade of note, with Miami getting power-hitting 1B Marcus Dotson from the Yankees for quality swingman Chandler Wynes. Dotson hit 34 HR for Baltimore last year, and has 269 in his career; he's not played much this year, but has produced .284/.346/.410 in limited AB. He'll get a chance to platoon at first and DH for the first place Marlins. Wynes, meanwhile, has been in AAA this year but has plenty of big league experience and will get a chance to stick with the big club.... Detroit has won five in a row to retake first in the Central, while KC has fallen to 8 games behind. And LA of course keeps rolling on, becoming the first team to 70 wins, and opening up their lead over Portland to 11 games. ...... TL;DR Version: An 8-5 finish to the month, and a hard-to-remember 16-9 overall. We righted the ship this month, pushing ourselves to ten games over .500 for the first time, and finally getting some cushion on the teams behind us. Fighting for the division seems unlikely, however, as that series with Texas showed up our season-long weakness: lack of offense. And, sorry folks, I'm not doing anything to fix that right away during this trade deadline. Yes we have some young pitching we could deal; but with upcoming changes this fall, I've decided not to go all in on a playoff push by sending one or several prospects off for a veteran--likely to go free agent anyway--hitter. But I did make one minor deal, swapping out underperforming OF/DH Miguel Tejeda to Atlanta for power reliever Justin Schechter. Tejeda was brought in from Toronto early in the summer, when Medici was out and we weren't hitting for power at all; but in 100 at bats he hit only 2 home runs and fanned 31 times, providing negative value. Schechter's a righty with big stuff and some control issues, but he does allow me to send down one of our not-ready-for-prime-time bullpen arms. Not a big trade by any means, but with some hard decisions coming up this fall, I wanted to hold on to all my cards and keep as many options open as possible. Attached Images __________________ Introducing Your Hawaii Islanders!

07-10-2022, 10:25 AM	#465
Bub13 All Star Reserve Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Maine Posts: 748	August 2056 July was a make-or-break month, and we responded by winning 16 games. Good. Now we need to consolidate those gains in this 28-game month and put ourselves securely into the wildcard picture, rather than hanging around on the edge of it. (I think the division is out of play, unless something disastrous happens to the Rangers.) We have an even home-road split this month; one oddity about our record is that we only went over .500 at home late in July. (Our road record is a nice 32-23.) No planned changes to the lineup or roster: as usual I'll respond to hot and cold streaks, without worrying about who "should" be starting. August 1-2 @ CALIFORNIA Wrapping up this series. We won game one to finish July. HAW pitchers: LH Matt Waugh (14-4, 2.83) / RH Jose Rivera (8-12, 4.05) CAL pitchers: RH Nate Elder (3-7, 3.33) / LH Shaun Ostrander (8-5, 3.35) #107: WIN 5-3 ... Gamboa and Medici homer, and Chase Thompson doubles home a run in his return to MLB...Waugh goes 8, fanning 10 and yielding just 5 hits #108: WIN 6-3 ... down early, we score three late, capped by Medici's 2-run shot in the 9th...Rivera pitches well across 7.1 IP, and Kearns earns his 20th save Nice to close out a sweep, and push the Angels to seven games behind us. We're 8 behind Texas, and 3 up in the wildcard #2 spot.... The less said about the "production" from our catcher spot, the better: three guys have combined for -1 WAR, a .195 average, and just 9 HR.... 62 home runs for AA megastar Beau Collins, and 119 hits vs 112 strikeouts.... ELSEWHERE: rough month of July for Mets ace Conor MacLeod, going winless in five starts and sporting a negative WAR. But he woke up to toss a 13-K two-hitter against Pittsburgh to start off August.... Portland has won 7 straight to bring their record to 62-46. Like us, they're probably out of the division race--ten games behind the Dodgers. But they're back in the wildcard hunt, chasing down Philadephia and New Orleans.... Brewers basher Ricky Ayala becomes the first to 40 HR, and now leads the AL race by six.... At 44, Lance Powell has no ratings left at catcher, none at all. Yet he's made four starts there for the A's and has a rare stat: a 0.000 defensive efficiency rating. August 4-6 vs SEATTLE At 49-59 they're four games ahead of Oakland in the "race to the bottom" AL West sweepstakes. These guys hit home runs (3rd), steal bases (4th), and score runs (7th). That's it. Paul Stough's return from the DL has juiced the power output, and the 2-3-4 slots of Rogelio Pena/Ger van Mourik/Stough have combined for 73 home runs. Too many other guys, however, seem content to live out their days as low-contact hitters, not really adding anything to the offense except their bright, white smiles. Pitching has not been good, and the pen remains a tire fire. Vince Push scouts as a Cy Young candidate, but in his third year in MLB he has yet to get his ERA under five. How long can they keep waiting for him? The best pitchers have been veteran newbies Mike Bader (from us) and Zion Robinson (from NOZ), with holdover Danny Diaz showing occasional bright flashes. Once #2 starter Ron Rivera returns from injury, there's a decent rotation here. But I'll say it again: spend some money! You can't win with 3-4 good hitters, 2-3 starting pitchers, and a clown show everywhere else. Unfortunately most of their prospects worth talking about are 2-3 years away, at least. (Excepting 1B Jay Giese, a true 1B/DH type, who should be in the bigs now, but isn't.) It all adds up to a team still looking for its first winning season this decade. HAW pitchers: RH Josh Irvin (8-9, 4.22) / LH Daniel Croft (9-9, 4.58) / LH John Loeb (11-4, 3.01) SEA pitchers: RH Vince Push (8-10, 5.49) / RH Daniel Newell (1-7, 5.64) / RH Danny Diaz (7-6, 4.16) #109: WIN 4-1 ... Collins hits his 10th, and we somehow scrape out 4 runs from just 7 hits...Irvin: 5 hits, 6 K, 1 BB, in 8 IP #110: WIN 6-4 ... a 5-0 lead gets tight as Croft gives up 4 in the 7th...Pederson adds an insurance solo HR in the bottom half and we hold on #111: WIN 6-4 ... finally we reach double figures in hits...Hagemann's pinch GRAND SLAM in the 7th is the winner, and we round things out with ten singles Well that's nice. A six-game winning streak has us 8 up on California, and 7 behind Texas. Tied for the top wildcard spot with Milwaukee, three games ahead of Tampa Bay.... Two games here were closer than they should have been thanks to leaving in the starter for too long. Will have to chat up Chris Kenney about that.... JJ Simmons is 18 hits away from 2000 and would become the second player to reach that total in his Islander career, after the magnificent Adam Groff. He's also one away from 300 career steals.... ELSEWHERE: "Laugh at the name, but not at the game." Boston's Ty Knott (real name) is not even 23 and is already a superstar. Last year, his first full-time season, he finished third in the batting race at .338, and led the AL in runs, hits, and doubles. This year he leads that category, as well as most triples and is closing in on 7 WAR. And he's not even fully grown yet. Given the Red Sox' 16th-placed offense, he's cleary a one-man show in town. Get him some help, guys!... August 7-9 @ MIAMI A hot team for a couple of months has cooled off to start this month, at 1-4. Their lead over Tampa Bay has shrunk to 6 games, and 8 over Boston. But fear not! They still possess the 6th-best offense and the 3rd-best pitching in the AL. Toshi Shimabukuro (.319/29/82) and Chris Bierly (.321/17.60) pace the offense, but having SS Mario Rivera and CF Nelson Trevino out for two and eight weeks, respectively, has soured the attack somewhat. They did make a few deadline pickups, grabbing 1B Marcus Dotson from the Yankees, and two relievers to help shore up a 14th-ranked bullpen. They also called up top pitching prospect Doug Billings and slotted him into middle relief; he should be in the rotation next year. I'm not sure they have quite the hitting depth to take on a Texas or a Detroit, but this is a solid team that could ride hot pitching into a playoff series win anyway. They've missed the playoffs three years running, after making the Series in '51 and winning 101 games the following year. So this is more of a fast-track retooling than a major rebuild; they should be able to hold off all comers in the East and get their post-season shot again. HAW pitchers: LH Matt Waugh (15-4, 2.81) / RH Jose Rivera (9-12, 4.03) / RH Josh Irvin (9-9, 4.05) MIA pitchers: RH Dwaine Webb (9-8, 3.89) / LH Victor Nunez (13-3, 3.79) / RH Dylan Tate (debut) #112: WIN 6-0 ... five-hitter for Waugh, in 8.2 IP, fanning 10...only 9 hits, but Bennetsen knocks a bases-loaded triple, and Medici adds two RBI singles #113: LOSS 2-3 ... Rivera is stout, fanning 12, but a pair of timely doubles undo him...Lynn and Gamboa get two hits each #114: WIN 9-3 ... big nights: Tipping goes 4-for-4 with a HR and 3 RBI, while Calderin gets 2 hits and 5 RBI...Irvin leaves in the first with back spasms No complaints here, although we had a prime chance for a third straight sweep.... Irvin's injury is just dtd, and he shouldn't miss his next start.... Six players now in double figures in home runs, although no one has reached 20 yet.... Former top pitching prospect Manny Tirado, now 27, tore his rotator cuff and is done for nearly a calendar year. What could have been: he's never pitched a full season in his seven years in our system (20 starts in '52 is his high), and now probably won't be back with us next year. So long, Manny.... ELSEWHERE: So yeah, Philly keeps winning despite awful pitching and nagging injuries to top hitters (3 games out of first), and Richmond has been solid all year to keep their lead in the NL East. But don't sleep on the Nationals, winners of nine straight: they're 63-51 and just six games out. They're still in fourth in the wildcard race, but a month ago no one would have picked them to even be at this level.... Pitching has fully taken over in the NL again: the top hitter is batting .309 and five pitchers have ERA under 2.50.... Hey kids, got money to spend? Well don't spend it on big contracts in this league. The top two earners in MLB are Atlanta pitcher Jose Gutierrez ($45M) and Brooklyn SS Ben Grossman ($39). Gutierrez hasn't pitched all year (and made just two starts last year), and Grossman has missed over two months already. August 10-12 @ OAKLAND Yet another monthly divisional matchup. Opening 2-6 in August has put them in last in the division, two games behind the equally-slumpy Mariners. Offense ranks 17th, pitching 13th, with a -110 run differential. They haven't listened to my advice from the last time we played and put in their raft of kids to give them some no-pressure experience, outside of putting Jose Luna in right field. (Luna, 22, projects as a solid contact/doubles hitter with some power, nice speed, and an iffy glove despite good range and arm.) What we're also watching is if 44-year-old Lance Powell can reach 610 career home runs to move him into 9th place past Sammy Sosa. (Or even match/surpass Jim Thome, at 612.) Powell sits at 605 currently. Some interesting news is that with the pending free agency/retirement departures of Powell, P Jim Schwartz, SS Noah Johnson, and 1B Justin Sandy, their bank account will have some $85M to play around with this fall. (And it'll be over $100M if 3B Ryan Walton declines his player option.) But will they spend any of it? HAW pitchers: LH Daniel Croft (10-9, 4.57) / LH John Loeb (12-4, 3.08) / LH Matt Waugh (16-4, 2.67) OAK pitchers: RH Jaden Bartholomew (7-5, 4.92) / RH Jeff Robinson (4-1, 3.46) / RH Josh Foggie (3-3, 2.88) #115: WIN 7-0 ... seven-hit CG for Croft, fanning three with zero walks...Pederson is suspended for 3 after punching out RP Pat Fortier...he also hit a HR and produced 4 RBI #116: LOSS 3-5 ... a pair of HR from Alex Esquilin provides all their runs...only 7 hits tonight, still not hitting much even in wins #117: WIN 14-2 ... okay, quit complaining: 17 hits, 3 HR...Matson, Tipping, and Hagemann all with 3 hits, and each with a HR...Waugh fans 12 in 7 IP, gives up just 5 hits Okay, some nice offense in that third game, garnering us two of the three Players of the Day.... Pederson sitting gives Hagemann a little time to shine, which he does with 4 hits and a HR in his first two starts.... Jordan Ruiz comes off his rehab stint (4 G, 5.1 IP, 0 runs), and Yoshi Watanabe (6.08 ERA) heads back to AAA.... Speaking of AAA, pitcher Will McGee gets hurt again. He's only made 7 starts due to several back injuries, poor guy. At 24, he's not done yet; but I'd like him to make a run at a rotation spot next spring, and you have to start questioning his durability at this point.... ELSEWHERE: With just 41 wins San Diego is doing its best to secure the #1 overall draft pick. Why worry now, you say? Because there's a geniune could-be superstar at the top of the scouting pile right now, in catcher Jayden Beachum. Guy looks like a legit triple crown threat one day, and could be ready for the bigs in a year or so. Number two isn't a bad consolation prize: OF Nick Whipp, another all-around hitting stud who may only struggle with strikeouts early in his career.... KC was the surprise hot team in the AL for a while, but a fall off since mid-July has sent them to third in the Central, 11 games out of first, and now 6 games out of the wildcard chase.... 109 RBI for Milwaukee's Ricky Ayala, closing in on his career high of 118, from last season. August 14-16 @ HOUSTON We continue our tour through the division with the 53-64 Astros, 21 games out and in 4th place. Offense ranks 13th, pitching 12th, and a -41 run differential. 1B Jose Renteria is the clear offensive MVP, at .308/33/88. No one else is even close. This is a franchise in need of a shake-up, with little player depth and not much bubbling up from the farm. MLB says they have $21M to spend on free agents, but with arbitrations coming that may go down by $5-7M. And they aren't ridding themselves of any aging contracts. If it were me, I'd leave the pitching alone (unless you can nab a cheap-ish RP or two), but I'd definitely take that 20 mil or so and grab a couple of guys who can get on base. Power here is fine--they sit 10th in the AL currently--but they need higher contact and OBP rates, just to give the power guys some runners to drive home. As for pitching, losing young and new star Winton Jones for the season doesn't help, but they're not going anywhere anyway, so the hope is that his bicep injury is not a sign of problems to come. His injury has given youngster Felipe Torres his first real shot (after 16 previous relief appearances) in the rotation; he looks to become a really nice control pitcher, with enough stuff to not be labeled a junkballer. HAW pitchers: RH Jose Rivera (9-13, 4.01) / RH Josh Irvin (9-9, 4.04) / LH Daniel Croft (11-9, 4.31) HOU pitchers: RH Robbie Camp (10-10, 3.77) / RH Chris James (7-12, 6.29) / LH Felipe Torres (2-1, 4.82) #118: WIN 9-2 ... Tipping and Bennetsen (GRAND SLAM) go deep, and Rivera finally notches his 10th win, giving up 0 ER thanks to two errors...a trio of guys with 3 hits each #119: WIN 9-3 ... 4 HR, including 2 from Medici...15 hits tonight, somehow...3 for Simmons and Hagemann, 2 each for three others...Irvin solid through 8 IP #120: WIN 11-5 ... a 7-run 5th salts away this one...Bennetsen homers for the third straight game...Ruiz tosses 3 in his first game back, gives up 1 run, fans 3 Very nice, including lots of offense in every game! Where has that been all year.... This is what happens when five batters have those little flames next to their names. We're up to 4th in runs scored now, 3rd in OBP.... Texas matches us, so we're still 7 games out of first; but we're now 2 games up on Milwaukee in the wildcard race, 4 on Tampa Bay.... AAA Santa Barbara and Short A Poughkeepsie lead their divisions, and A Eureka is a game out of first.... ELSEWHERE: Great stuff in the NL East, with Richmond on a 9-game winning streak and Philadelphia on a six-game run. The Eagles lead the division by 3.... 50 steals for Texas' Emilio Mares, his third straight season at that mark. He reached 86 last year, but is not likely to repeat that. Philly's Dustin De Groot leads the NL with 44.... Cincy and New Orleans are now tied in the Central, while LA has re-established order and has an 11-game gap over Portland.... Detroit's Pat Townsand has ridden a hot August to a Player of the Week nod, and is now 2nd in HR and RBI, 3rd in batter WAR. The defending AL MVP has also seen his average rise by 15 points, up to .310 on the season. ...... TL;DR Version: A very tasty 12-2 start to the month, helped along surely by having only one series against a winning team (Miami). We've probably give Texas a little bit of a scare, but at still 7 games out of first we're not likely to make up more unless half their team goes on the DL and/or drops dead. Five batters are officially "hot" right now, including Jose Calderin who hasn't been a regular starter for a couple of months now, but clearly needs to get more AB. With the offense kicking in of late we're now 4th in runs scored, 6th in AVG, and 3rd in OBP. And we're on top of the wildcard race! Okay, only by two games over Milwaukee, and two more over Tampa Bay, so we've got to keep winning. And the latest on AA slugger Beau 70 HR in 114 games. The team has played 118 games, and with 22 remaining the race is on to see if he can reach 80. His ceiling still looks pretty mediocre to me, and he's hitting so many out because his power has fully developed to a big league level. But I don't see him succeeding in the bigs unless his other attributes take some leaps in the next year. At 21, he's still got time...or maybe he'll just become an all-time minor leaguer. __________________ Introducing Your Hawaii Islanders!

07-19-2022, 07:35 PM	#466
Bub13 All Star Reserve Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Maine Posts: 748	August 17-19 vs CLEVELAND Still trying to figure a way out of the second-division in the Central, at 51-69 this year. They've focused on acquiring and developing pitching prospects of late, but it's only gotten them the 16th-ranked staff and next-to-last rotation ERA. Sort-of youngsters Jose Rubio, Sam Tedder, and Dudley Mele haven't progressed as hoped, and Mele looks to have lost his stamina after spending much of the season to date on the DL. Some good news is that they've brought up (from AA) top prospect Jonathan Narcisse to give him some looks in the bullpen; once his control catches up to the rest of his game, he figures to be a steady #2 or #3 starter. The offense is 9th in runs--and 2nd in AVG, but has hit the fewest home runs in the AL. Josh DeRango and Matthew Hill have kept up their power and batting numbers, as did Manny Ayala (leading in hitting until a season-ending injury). But their other productive regulars are all over 30, and only two batting prospects are anywhere near ready for the show. (And neither looks to become a leader on the offensive side of things.) So what does this mean for next year? Probably not much different, really: they're not spending money, and don't have a ton of room right now plus nearly everyone under contract figures to return in the spring. Maybe roll the dice on a solid SP and hope the guys who look great on paper finally figure it out, so that they're pitching is at least league-average. If that happens, they could even get hot and find themselves in a wildcard race. HAW pitchers: LH John Loeb (12-5, 3.26) / LH Matt Waugh (17-4, 2.67) / RH Jose Rivera (10-13, 3.85) CLE pitchers: LH Yong-jun Har (3-1, 3.38) / RH Bryce Witulski (3-6, 5.31) / RH Sam Tedder (10-8, 5.25) #121: WIN 6-3 ... a 5-run third, including a pair of RBI triples, seals the win early...Loeb gives up a pair of late runs, earning Kearns another save for getting one out #122: WIN 9-5 ... Waugh fans 12 through 6 IP...Simmons and Bennetsen with 3 hits and 2 RBI each, and Medici drives in 2 with a double #123: LOSS 7-8 ... Hagemann gets four hits (3 doubles), and three for Medici...but we can't get anyone out, and add a pair of crucial errors into the sordid mix Ok, I'll take it, but we blew a sweep with a really sloppy third game.... Still 7 games behind Texas, but with everyone else in the division falling away, we're 14 games ahead of our nearest competition.... Lynn and Hassell are taking turns in center, but right now Hassell is edging him out. Lynn's hitting has really dropped off of late, with his average down to .269, a drop of 20 points in the last month.... Despite a few hiccups, the bullpen ERA keeps creeping down, now ranked 13th with a 4.11 mark.... ELSEWHERE: Philly's George Livezey has missed only 5 games this year but has battled a number of nagging, dtd, hurts. Still, he's the first in the NL to reach 40 home runs. The Phils are 3 games behind Richmond, and 7 up on the cooling-off Nationals.... LA is the first team to secure a winning season, with an 82-41 record. They lead Portland by 13 games, the biggest divisional margin in MLB.... Winners of 9 out of their last 10, Richmond is keeping ahead of the Phillies, and with an interesting approach of late. While every lineup regular has been on the roster for each of the last three seasons, the pitching staff undergone a total revamp, even right up to the last few weeks. Three of their five SP were with other teams last year, while six of the eight in the pen were with other teams THIS year. The results? A second-ranked bullpen ERA, 4th-best rotation. August 20-22 @ BOSTON They've traded good months with bad months, and so a moribund July saw them fall out of the divisional race. But an 11-6 start to August has put them right back in it: third place, 7 games out of first, and 2 games out of a wildcard slot. Pitching is still the key to their success, having given up the 2nd-least runs in the AL. Every SP has pitched well this year, and top RP Luis Garcia (20 SV, 1.57 ERA) and Dusty Browning (18 and 1.87) have been the best 1-2 combo in the game. But the offense ranks just 15th, despite an MVP-type outing so far from sophomore RF Tyler Knott: a league-leading .345 average, with 23 HR and 88 RBI. Former MVP Dustin Wasilewski hasn't repeated his .333/36/142 from a year ago, but he is batting .294 with 17 HR from leadoff. Beyond them, however, it's a veteran-heavy lineup that features strong defense but low averages. Still, they're looking for their 2nd consecutive playoff appearance, after six largely forgettable seasons. This is another franchise with a ton of money to spend (right now: $50M) but is always way too cautious in the off-season. That needs to change if they're going to become relevant again, outside of once every five-to-eight years. HAW pitchers: RH Josh Irvin (10-9, 3.95) / LH Daniel Croft (12-9, 4.37) / LH John Loeb (13-5, 3.25) BOS pitchers: RH Art Garner (9-10, 3.88) / LH Chris Cole (5-7, 4.21) / LH Jose Palomino (10-6, 3.50) #124: WIN 2-0 ... only 4 hits but 2 are solo HR from Calderin...Irvin tosses 7 shutout innings, and the pen wraps it up, allowing zero runners the rest of the way #125: LOSS 2-4 ... silent offense hurts us this time, with only 6 hits tonight, and 4 from Bennetsen alone...Sanabria takes the L with a poor 9th #126: WIN 8-3 ... Medici GOES OFF, banging out 3 home runs and driving in 4...Lynn adds a solo shot...Loeb goes 8, wins his 14th and sees his ERA drop too Two more wins, and now six games behind Texas. Not holding out for a miracle, but it's nice to at least have a sliver of hope.... Medici's triple-shot night ties a team record and finally gives us a player with more than 20 HR on the season.... nice comeback for Jordan Ruiz, with a 1.29 ERA in 7 IP, 6 K and 0 BB.... Calderin is finally showing something at the plate, with 4 HR in the past week and an average over .300. He's getting time at second over Tipping right now.... ELSEWHERE: Still some trades happening, as three deals occur in the last two days. No one of note (or real value) got moved, the closest being Cincy acquiring defensive stud 2B Jose Moran from the Mets for equally solid defensive OF Sam Gilmer. Neither can hit much at all, however.... Back-and-forth race for the NL strikeout crown, with Washington's Nick Light currently on top (245 K) over the Mets' Conor MacLeod (240). Mac has a game in hand, however.... Ten wins in a row for LA, like they really need to do that; 16 game lead over Portland now.... Nine losses out of ten for Milwaukee; that not only drops them to 9 games behind Detroit in the Central, but puts them 3 games behind Tampa Bay for the #2 wildcard spot. August 24-26 vs TEXAS The big boys are in town! They've got a six game lead now and are just gunning to widen it. You know the rest: 1st in offense, 5th in pitching, and a top-ten defense. That offense is still just killer, averaging nearly six runs and two homers per game. Six guys have reached 20+ home runs, and with one more RF Ted Miller will join that crowd. The only down note in the lineup is leadoff man Emilio Mares hitting .261, nearly 90 points lower than his mark from a year ago. And while injuries took a little starch out of the rotation, they went and grabbed Drew Hurt from the Chisox and Sid French from the Twins and plugged them into the #4 and #5 slots, where they've done well. So with all that good news, let's add one possible sour note: perennial MVP candidate (and '54 winner) Ryan Boers could walk via free agency this fall. He is the catalyst of the offense, and there's no immediate candidate to replace him, should he depart. I can't believe they'd let him go, but then they let William Swanson walk after his '53 season of .325/62/158, so there's precedence. HAW pitchers: LH Matt Waugh (18-4, 2.72) / RH Jose Rivera (10-14, 4.03) / RH Josh Irvin (11-9, 3.79) TEX pitchers: RH Sean Reed (9-10, 4.34) / LH Sid French (3-10, 5.91) / RH Dinand Huisman (17-4, 3.77) #127: WIN 6-5 ... we outhomer them 3-2, with Hassell hitting a GW solo shot in the 9th...Medici hits a 3-run blast, Bennetsen a 2-run knock #128: LOSS 2-4 ... a late collapse ruins our 2-0 lead, sadly...JJ SIMMONS ANNUAL HOME RUN ALERT...but only four other hits #129: WIN 6-0 ... 3 in the 2nd, 3 more in the 8th, with 13 hits total...Irvin tosses a 5-hitter, fanning 6 That's a nice surprise: now we're just five games behind. Too much to hope for? Maybe, but I like that we're fighting for it, and we didn't get blown out in this series like we did last time we played them.... In his last five starts, Irvin is 4-0 with a 0.84 ERA and a 25:5 K-to-BB ratio, in 32.1 IP.... Bad news: top pitching prospect Will McGee is out again, with elbow surgery putting him on the shelf for five months. At least he'll be back for camp, but this year has been a parade of injuries, limiting him to just 9 starts.... Beau Collins watch: 73 HR for the AA star, and an .887 SLG.... ELSEWHERE: Watch out, Miami, Tampa Bay has won ten straight and is now in sight, only three games out.... the NL Wildcard race is starting to jell, with Philly (79 wins) and New Orleans (76) well ahead of two 70-win teams, Washington and Portland.... only 45 wins for San Diego, on the bottom by five games (Chisox with 50).... Outspoken Atlanta CF Jake Morris, the 2054 NL MVP, may be wearing out his welcome in Georgia. He's unhappy with the team's record (58-71), and downright angry with his .231 AVG and 28 HR, both career lows. He also leads MLB with 168 strikeouts (still way behind his personal high of 259 from 2051). August 27-29 vs CALIFORNIA With your season playing out (at 62-67, not good but not terrible either) and staring at your second straight decade without a playoff appearance, where do you go if you're running this team? The prospects just aren't there: only one batter--OF Joe Lundin--looks like a solid future starter, and he's still in rookie ball. Otherwise it's a lot of replaceable support-type guys, unless somebody takes a big leap in their development. Pitching looks a little better, but again it's a bunch of back-end starters and middling middle relievers. So sign some free agents, right? Well...they've overspent already, so even with nearly $20M coming off the books this fall, there won't be much room to grab a top player. What I'd do is grab 2-3 cheaper guys who get on base--don't worry about power--and fill in the gaps they're going to lose in a few months (2b, C, SS). You'ver already got two stars in 1B William Swanson and OF/DH Mo Marquez, and two decent OF in Dan Dellinger and Chris Burns. Now go get some contact hitters and build a more competitive lineup on the cheap. Pitching? It's been decent, and since you can't afford a top SP with your budget, make sure your bullpen is as good as you can make it. Is this the path to the Series next year? No, but it's the path to winning more games, building your budget, bringing back the fans...and one day competing for the title again. Oh, and try not to have the bad luck to have FIFTEEN players injured at one time, like they have right now. HAW pitchers: LH Daniel Croft (12-9, 4.25) / LH John Loeb (14-5, 3.20) / LH Matt Waugh (18-4, 2.85) CAL pitchers: RH Brad Cox (0-1, 2.45) / RH Aaron Moore (9-12, 4.67) / RH Nate Elder (3-12, 3.93) #130: LOSS 4-7 ... we put a couple of bombs out, but a 4-run 8th thanks to a rare Sanabria meltdown is our doom tonight...Calderin goes 4-for-4 #131: WIN 5-4 ... 3 more late runs almost make me stroke out, but we hold on this time...7 of our 12 hits go for extras...Loeb fans 11 in 8.1 IP #132: LOSS 2-5 ... AGAIN with the late blowup, this time 4 runs in the 8th, but ALL are unearned thanks to 2 errors Ugly series, and not when we wanted it. Texas only grabs a game against us, however, so we're still six back. Not much hope to catch them, but it's still there.... Bennetsen gets hurt in the field in the first game: his diagnosis is still pending.... After a tough start to the season, Calderin has really picked it up, batting .444 in July and now .412 in August, with 4 HR.... 74 home runs for Beau Collins. Eighty is still in reach, but only just.... ELSEWHERE: Detroit has taken advantage of Milwaukee's swoon to open up a 10 game lead over them and KC, while Philly's injury issues have seen them slip to six behind Richmond. Still close in the AL East (Miami 3 ahead of Tampa Bay) and the NL Central (Cincy by 2 over NOZ).... At the other end of the stick, San Diego (47-85) is still the only team without 50 wins.... Still just four players at .300 in the NL, paced by Reds OF Chris Mitchell at .305.... With just over a month left to go, the wildcard races have also opened up. In the AL, #2 team Tampa Bay has a five game advantage over KC and Milwaukee. Over in the NL, New Orleans is five up on Washington and Portland. August 29-30 vs MILWAUKEE Four games under .500 this month, and a combined -6 since June 1, putting the one-time division leaders in danger of missing the playoffs outright. Ricky Ayala (45 HR) and Kyle Murphy (.311) have paced the attack, but with little support behind them the offense sits at 12th in runs scored. 3B Mitch Elmore hit .364 in April then got hurt for the season; his replacement Myles Linville hit .293 with defense and speed, but now he's hurt; HIS replacement Adrian Gonzales has done very little. Pitching has been carrying the day, at 8th in runs against, but injuries have pained here too, with three solid relievers currently on the shelf. Unfortunately half of the current pitching roster are upcoming free agents, so there's a lot of work to do this winter to keep them competitive. The better news is that #2 prospect, OF Matt Keil is already on the big team and learning the ropes, while #1 Juwan Watkins should be along by next summer or '57 at the worst. Both are decent hitters, and Watkins offers speed and defense to the mix. There isn't much help on the way for their pitching, although if Chris Pestel (already in the MLB bullpen) can get his control working, he could be in the rotation next spring. HAW pitchers: RH Jose Rivera (10-15, 4.00) / RH Josh Irvin (12-9, 3.59) MIL pitchers: RH Merlin Lemay (7-6, 4.70) / RH Jose Ambriz (11-9, 3.78) #133: WIN 6-0 ... one way to avoid another bullpen collapse is to toss a 4-hit shutout...HR and two hits, two RBI for Calderin #134: WIN 4-1 ... 8 strong innings from Irvin, and we make the most of our mere 5 hits...the big hit is Simmons with a 2-run double in the 5th Needed, and with Texas dropping a pair we're now only four games out. Who saw this coming back in mid-summer.... Bennetsen has a strained oblique and will miss 6 weeks or so. Maybe we'll get him back for the playoffs if we can make a deep run. We call up Honolulu native Kyle Kolstad for his first taste of the bigs. He's got some pop (33 HR in AA last year), speed, and is an excellent fielder. But he's not much for contact (.257 this year in AAA seems about right) and strikes out nearly 30% of the time. Still, he could figure in the mix as a left-handed bench bat and defensive option.... Another HR and three more hits for Calderin, now .313 on the year and looking like the guy we traded for last November.... ELSEWHERE: Still just 47 wins for the Padres, and now the first team officially eliminated from the post-season.... With just two games here, obviously there are no big swings in the division races, but New Orleans gains a game on Cincinnati to close to two back.... Bizarre late-season trade sees Seattle send minor leaguers Jimmy Dolan (RP, control issues but otherwise decent) and 2B Andy Rardin (no-hoper) to Toronto for 34-year-old journeyman OF Jesus Alfaro, who hasn't sniffed the bigs since '53. Neither team is in playoff contention, so maybe this trade was made on a dare. ...... TL;DR Version: A 9-5 finish to the month gave us a 21-7 record overall, and a 37-16 effort since July 1. We've put ourselves in a position to catch Texas, but at least as important is that we're solidly in the playfoff mix, atop the wildcard standings. Again, at the end of June: who saw this coming, when we were just three games over .500 and struggling for offense. Well, August turned that around, with eight players hitting at least .299 and hitting 42 home runs as a team. Really only Lynn (.243), Gamboa (.208), and Pederson (.185) didn't get in on the fun. The other fly in the ointment is losing Bennetsen for the closing stretch, after he really heated up just now (.345 with 7 HR in August). Someone will need to step up in his place. For now, Pederson goes back in the lineup since he has the highest ceiling if he gets hot. Hagemann is still in right, and Hassell is busy platooning with Lynn in center. That leaves ice-cold Chase Thompson and rookie Kyle Kolstad. So: c'mon Pederson! Attached Images __________________ Introducing Your Hawaii Islanders!

07-26-2022, 06:38 PM	#467
Bub13 All Star Reserve Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Maine Posts: 748	September 2056 Twenty-eight games remaining (counting one in October too), twelve on the road and sixteen at home. Our last twelve games are at home, the first series against Texas. With the roster expansion, we only call up two players to start the month: IF Jake Moore and RP Yoshi Watanabe. Both started the season with us, but couldn't stick. As for the division race, for what it's worth here's one stat to consider: winning pct. of Texas' opponents is .468; winning pct. of our opponents is .491. Okay then. September 1 vs MILWAUKEE Closing out this series. Then we get a day off and hit the road for nine games. HAW pitcher: LH Daniel Croft (12-9, 4.18) MIL pitcher: RH Pat Karahalios (10-9, 4.69) #135: LOSS 1-6 ... nothing to see here...Croft is terrible, and we manage just two hits...Hagemann does tie a team record with 4 walks, however At least Texas also lost, so we maintain our four-game deficit. Moving on.... ELSEWHERE: The National League has announced that starting with the 2057 season, the designated hitter will be used for all teams. Welcome to the dark side, NL.... New Orleans inches closer to Cincy, now only a game out of first. That's been a fun race for several years now. September 3-5 @ TAMPA BAY A wild 22-6 surge in August has put them just 3 games behind the division-leading Marlins, and into a tie (with us) at the #1 wildcard spot. They're getting good offense (5th in runs) and better (2nd!) pitching; they hit for power and average, and are getting good stuff from the rotation and the bullpen. The only bummer here is injuries, with starting pitchers Carlos Munoz and Phil Spickler out for the year, along with a trio of decent relievers. The lineup is healthy, however, with 33-year-old OF Jose Taveras (.280/27/89) building on his HoF-to-be dossier. The two-time MVP and nine-time all-star is closing in on 2300 hits and 600 home runs. The only thing missing from his resume is a World Series title, and if the Rays keep playing like they have of late, there's no reason why they can't reach the finals for the first time since 2030. (They lost to Atlanta, but did beat Richmond in '24 for their only title.) HAW pitchers: LH John Loeb (15-5, 3.21) / LH Matt Waugh (18-5, 2.80) / Jose Rivera (11-15, 3.82) TBR pitchers: RH Harold Harnisch (4-4, 5.53) / LH Jon Jemison (16-7, 4.27) / LH Ricardo Villalobos (2-1, 3.42) #136: LOSS 1-3 ... Loeb tosses a solid 8 IP but we muster only six hits, all singles, and fan eleven times #137: WIN 4-3 ... 3-run HR for Calderin and 3 hits for Kolb, bringing his average up to .200 for the first time...8 IP from Waugh, and the win #138: WIN 12-4 ... odd how we only outhit them 15-14...but we add 5 home runs, including Kolstad's first in the bigs We needed this one, and it was good to see some offense again after some recent chilliness.... Still four games behind the Rangers.... Supposed mega-slugger-to-be Jose Villalpando hit just his third AAA home run, and his first since June 18th. My scouts SWEAR his power stroke is there, and he is just 20, so I'm not out of hope yet.... The AA regular season is over and Beau Collins finished with 79 dingers. Just outrageous. Eureka ended up winning the North Division by a game and will play the San Jose Giants for a chance at the California League championship.... ELSEWHERE: Someone in the NL finally has 100 RBI, and it's LA's Gerardo Nieto.... Philadelphia is still looking good for a wildcard, but a raft of injuries to key players has hurt and put them to 8 games behind Richmond in the divisional race. Richmond winning 9 out of 10 hasn't helped either.... When you're done you're done: 3000-hit club member Juan Garcia (SF) is 38 and has pretty much lost his hitting mojo, batting just .229 in 340 at bats, "earning" just -1.2 WAR. He's 13th on the all-time hit parade, just 9 behind Willie Mays, but at the rate he's going he probably won't reach him. September 6-8 @ OAKLAND At 58-80 and playing out the string on another futile season. So it looks like they took some of my advice and brought up a few promising kids. And what happened? SP Rodolfo de la Paz (21 yrs old) made 4 starts then tore up his elbow and will miss 8 months. SP Steve Hansen (22) made 3 starts and hurt his rotator cuff, costing him the next 3 months. Sorry guys, my bad. At least OF Matt Hall and Phil Edmunds haven't gotten hurt (yet), but then they haven't batted much at all. And they got an early look at OF Henry Uhlman, bringing him up three weeks ago; he's gone .328/.379/.410 in 61 AB. Small sample, but promising. Ditto for C Bruce Corrigan, who's batted just .200 but isn't as far along the development curve as is Uhlman. Give these guys a chance! And stop chasing 35-HR power hitters who can't hit better than .210. They kill your offense stone dead. And please please put Glen Marler and Josh Foggie--currently toiling in the pen to no avail--into the rotation, and let old and decrepit Jim Schwartz die already. The 35-year-old former ace has made 27 starts this year, the most since '51 for him, but he hasn't been very good; all of his stats have trended solidly in the wrong direction. He makes $34M and will go to free agency this fall, if he doesn't retire first. If they re-sign him for any amount, so help me god I'll--- HAW pitchers: RH Josh Irvin (13-9, 3.49) / LH Daniel Croft (12-10, 4.33) / LH John Loeb (15-6, 3.21) OAK pitchers: RH Jaden Sales (5-12, 5.58) / RH Jaden Bartholomew (8-9, 5.43) / RH Jeff "Jaden" Robinson (6-2, 3.08) #139: WIN 9-4 ... Calderin smacks two more outta the park, and Gamboa adds a tying shot in the 9th, then we score 5 in the 10th to win...Medici gets hurt tho #140: LOSS 5-10 ... another late-inning collapse, this time it's 6 runs in the 8th...Hassell and Gamboa homer, but we're otherwise kinda flat with Medici out #141: WIN 7-1 ... Loeb allows a 9th-inning HR, but no total collapse tonight...3 H and a HR for Lynn, 3 H and 2 RBI for Matson Up-and-down series but we keep pace with Texas and stay two ahead of Tampa Bay in the wildcard.... Bad news re Medici, as he'll miss 3-4 weeks with plantar fascitis. So we call up OF Eric Sayward, a supplemental round pick from '54. He's blitzed through our system in just two+ seasons, and hit .310 with 14 HR in AAA this year. He doesn't do anything at an elite level, but is pretty decent everywhere except speed. He has some pop, and with a good showing this month he'll definitely be in the outfield mix next spring.... ELSEWHERE: Cincinnati is still holding on to a 4-game lead over New Orleans, but losing 2/3 of their starting OF for the season won't help over these last few weeks. Jake Glowski and Mike Knapp are done; now it's time for Ken Berman and Adam Durst to step up. Neither of the latter two have shown much in their careers, so take care Reds fans.... Richmond's lead over Philly is now ten games.... Detroit is 26-9 since August 1, and is a mortal lock to win their tenth division crown (in their last 12 seasons). Now if only they can just turn that regular season success into any kind of post-season glory, they might make their first Series since 2041.... How have those MLB pre-season predictions held up? New Orleans was predicted to win just 73 games but currently sits at 82-59; while the Yankees figured to win 86 and vie for the division, but are 62-79 and on the verge of official elimination. September 9-11 @ HOUSTON Another team just trying to get to the finish line, they've actually been .500 since August 1, but are 62-79 overall. Not much is happening anywhere for them, at 15th in offense and 13th in pitching. The ongoing rebuild has been slow and largely ineffective, as I've documented earlier. I'm not sure what they'll be able to do this off-season either, as there isn't much money around to spend. At any rate, if they can at least keep their top two SP and their CL healthy all of next season, they'll at least be ahead of this year's curve. At any rate, their September call-ups don't move the needle much, but do include 39-year-old former Isles OF Ian McGowan, last seen patrolling our turf in 2043. He's since seen action for ten other MLB clubs, and was last a regular for the Rays in '51. We may also see 21-year-old SP Felipe Torres, who looks like a mid-rank starter with really nice control and movement. Not your future staff ace, but definitely part of a growing rotation, once Winton Jones and Mat Caldwell are healthy again in the spring. HAW pitchers: LH Matt Waugh (19-5, 2.74) / RH Jose Rivera (12-15, 3.88) / RH Josh Irvin (13-9, 3.52) HOU pitchers: RH Jason Knight (9-10, 4.42) / RH Robbie Camp (10-15, 4.31) / RH Chris James (9-15, 6.28) #142: LOSS 5-6 ... we give up a 3-1 lead late, score 2 in the 8th, but blow it in the bottom half...only 8 hits, so it's nice we score 5 from that, but we need more #143: WIN 6-4 ... Gamboa breaks his slump with a 3-run HR and a single...Rivera gives up all 4 runs but takes the win anyway #144: WIN 11-6 ... Pederson and Calderin slug 2 HR each, and Hagemann adds one...Matson and Simmons each add 3 hits Two wins plus a Texas sweep means we're just TWO games behind the Rangers now.... A pile of home runs (8 in all) here puts us into 14th in the AL. Such lofty heights.... Hassell, Tipping, and Calderin each suffer 2-4 day minor injuries, but all are back now.... Three weeks until Medici returns, 4 for Bennetsen.... Eureka won three straight to take their five-game series from San Jose. They'll play High Desert next for the California League crown.... ELSEWHERE: The Dodgers clinch the NL West for the fifth year running. With 94 wins already, they'll be the front runners from the senior circuit to return to the World Series and seek their 10th title.... It took a while, but Milwaukee's Manny Ayala finally reached 50 HR; he's at 51 currently, one behind last year's total.... Cincy has pulled out a 6-game lead in the NL Central, going 7-3 of late while New Orleans has lost 4 in a row.... Going 29-9 since August 1 has given the Tigers a large 15-game lead in the AL Central. Second-place Milwaukee lags six games behind Tampa Bay for the #2 wildcard slot. September 13-15 vs CHICAGO Boy did things fall apart fast for the Sox. After winning 112 games in '54 and 92 last year, they're 55-89 and comfortably in last in the Central. Everything is to blame: offense ranks 16th, pitching 18th and last. There's still some pop in the lineup, with T.J. Walsh, Zeke de la Rosa, Ben Usilton, and Elijah Pass are still a solid 4-part punch in the middle of the order. Raul Madera is a nice 2B/DH option, but needs to be far away from the leadoff spot, and rookie OF Robert Herbold looked decent early on before breaking his elbow, sidelining him for the season. But the pitching needs an overhaul; or maybe an exorcist, as the rotation looks okay on paper, but has wildly underperformed all year. You might also think having seven pitchers on the DL has hurt too, but then none of them have a) pitched well this year, and b) pitched well in MLB of late anyway. Some good news here is that $25M (mostly in pitching) is coming off the books this fall, so they've got room to go out and grab some guys if they can muster the will. And there's help from the farm that's ready too: SP Owen Cumming (already in the MLB pen), RP Ken Pike, and 2B Scott Moran should all be regulars next season, and pitchers Willie Ramos and Kien Chia should get long looks. The team profile says they're rebuilding, but I don't think this team is that far away from competing again, despite that ugly record. Just call this a hangover season, take some aspirin and forget all about it soon enough. HAW pitchers: LH Daniel Croft (12-11, 4.45) / LH John Loeb (16-6, 3.11) / LH Matt Waugh (19-5, 2.78) CHW pitchers: RH Mike Walsh (8-7, 4.00) / RH Luke Weaver (11-13, 4.25) / RH Earl Dobrowolski (3-12, 6.77) #145: WIN 7-4 ... we score 6 early and hold on for the win...3 hits for Hassell and Simmons, and 2 RBI for Pederson and Collins #146: WIN 11-4 ... a sharp wind helped us smack 6 HR tonight, almost all of them solo shots...Calderin hits 2, driving in 5 runs thanks to two additional hits #147: WIN 8-0 ... 3-hitter from Waugh, fanning 10...3 more HR, two from Hassell and amazingly another one from Simmons, giving him two on the season And with that sweep, ladies and gents, WE ARE IN FIRST PLACE. Texas has lost six straight to help us out a bit, and so now we've got a nose out in front. How long will it last.... In player news, Waugh won his 20th for the fourth time in four seasons; Calderin is still blisteringly hot, with 8 HR in 12 games; and JJ Simmons has more than one HR for only the 4th time in his 14 seasons. Wondrous tidings, all.... A ball Eurkeka dropped their first two games to High Desert; meanwhle Short A Poughkeepsie starts their playoffs against Hudson Valley; AAA Santa Barbara has clinched their division with ten to play.... ELSEWHERE: Texas is cold with 6 straight losses, while Miami is hot with 5 wins and a now 8-game lead over Tampa Bay. Detroit's magic number is one. In the NL, Richmond and Cincinnati lead their respective divisions by five games.... Pitching is up this year, and there are three guys with shots at 300 K: KC's Steve Scibek (281); and in the NL Nick Light (WAS) and Conor MacLeod (NYM), both with 287.... MacLeod is also sliding up the all-time K list, in 43rd with 2830. Three more and he passes Mickey Lolich.... CHAOS in the Windy City, as the Cubs fire second-year manager Devin Reyes and five-year GM Will Diederich. Then just two days later they waive/DFA their ace pitcher Jeffrey Foley, a lone bright spot in a bad year with a 2.51 ERA and a 5.3 WAR. Yes, Foley is 37 and making $21M for another season, but he is obviously still a solid contributor and should be worth at least a prospect on the open market, no? ...... TL;DR Version: A 9-4 start to the month, prettied up by a current 5-game winning streak. And prettied up even more when coupled with Texas' falterings. All of our team stats are trending up right now, so let's hope for once in our recent history we're actually getting better in September and not slowing down. Fingers crossed. Depending on where we are after another week or so, I may bring up #1 prospect Jose Villalpando for a quick taste of the bigs. He's hit 2 HR in the last week in AAA, which doesn't sound like much but may mean that he's finally on the verge of finding his long-vaunted power stroke. Again: fingers crossed. To wrap up the season we'll play 12 of our last 15 games at home, and all of those dozen games to close the season. Quite an odd scheduling quirk. Attached Images __________________ Introducing Your Hawaii Islanders! Last edited by Bub13; 07-31-2022 at 05:20 PM.

07-31-2022, 05:49 PM	#468
Bub13 All Star Reserve Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Maine Posts: 748	September 16-18 @ BALTIMORE They've been competitive again this season (after last year's 84-win season, their first plus season in over a decade), but going five games under .500 in July and August dropped them just outside serious reach of a wild card spot. Currently they're at 76-71, seven games out of the playoffs. Hitting has been the real driver here, ranking 3rd in runs and 2nd in AVG. Solid power seasons from DH Justin Horton (41 HR), 1B Dan Bourgeois (36), and 3B Dave Rivera (34) have really helped; those guys have also hit for average, as have veteran Chris Rock (.310 when healthy) and home-grown talents Xavier Perez and Nate Murray. The one fly in the ointment is their sorrowful budget--35th in baseball--meaning they may not be able to replace any fall departures. (Such as Rivera, who's 35 and not likely to get re-signed.) But Horton could replace him at third, and there are some bench bats to try out at DH next year, or maybe use Rivera's $16M to grab a vet to just swing a bat for a year. They also need major pitching help (ranks 16th) in both parts of the staff, and I don't see any immediate help from within. It could be that, like Milwaukee this year, some underperforming young arms finally put it together next year; but they'll need more than just, say, one guy to do that. Possible, but a big roll of the dice, standing pat. HAW pitchers: RH Jose Rivera (13-15, 3.91) / RH Josh Irvin (13-9, 3.69) / LH Daniel Croft (13-11, 4.46) BAL pitchers: LH Elijah Bragg (12-4, 4.87) / RH Jonas Chevalier (10-13, 5.14) / RH Mike Lauridsen (0-1, 5.23) #148: LOSS 2-4 ... held to just 4 hits, with Lynn's 2-run double our only offense...Rivera goes all 8, gives up his usual 4 runs #149: LOSS 1-2 ... we give up runs in the 8th and 9th to drop this one...disappointing offense again, 9 hits but only 1 for extras #150: WIN 12-4 ... finally an explosion of hits (14), with six HR...SIMMONS HITS HIS THIRD WHAT IS HAPPENING...Lynn goes 4-for-5 Salvaging some pride with that last game, and timely too, as Texas wins their last two to tie us for first.... Calderin reaches 20 home runs, something I didn't think was possible when he had only six on August 1.... Simmons homers again, giving him two this month and tying his career best of three. Come on, JJ, just one more!... BIG SERIES coming up next.... ELSEWHERE: The Cubs pulled the trigger on Jeff Foley at last, sending him to New Orleans for two prospects: 22 year-olds RP Úrsula Futscher (promising but not great) and RP Francisco Gamero (meh all the way). Futscher at least could develop, but not into a 200+ IP top-of-the-staff starter.... LA is on the cusp of their third straight 100-win season, with 99 currently. And 96 losses for San Diego, close to reaching triple figures for the first time since 2028.... 298 K for Washington's Nick Light, and 50 HR for Texas C Phil Thoma, still trying to make his longshot case for AL MVP.... New Orleans is hoping Foley's acquisition will keep them ahead of the surging Nats in the wildcard race. The Zephs sit in second with 85 wins, with Washington one game behind them. September 19-21 vs TEXAS Here it is, the series that may decide the division, even though we'll both have nine games remaining afterwards. We're tied at 89-61, and the Rangers have gone 6-10 to start the month; but they did just take two from Toronto to right the ship somewhat. Still first in offense, seventh in pitching. Four players have topped 30 HR; two have more than 100 RBI, with two more close; reigning MVP Ryan Boers leads the AL again in WAR, with 9.1. What's been leaky of late has been the rotation, with three guys at or over the league average ERA. But they'll get top dog Mike Nelson back in a week, and he'll get a start or two to shake off any rust before the post-season. Somehow, even with all this winning they've managed to keep salaries down. BUT...Boers is still unsigned beyond this season and will likely test the market, looking for way more than the $24M he's currently making. When they let all-everything slugger William Swanson walk a few years ago I thought they'd lose their mojo; but they had Boers and Javier Tzoc and Emilio Mares ready to step in and lead the offense. I don't see anyone like that on the horizon right now, however. They've got a couple of decent complementary types up for the September expansion, and injured 2B Matt Provance brewing in AAA. But Provance gets his scouting love mostly for his speed and defense: he's probably going to be a .260-type hitter good for 15 or so HR on average. Not a Boers-type. Maybe they'll re-sign Boers, or take a chance on a stud in free agency. But Rangers fans may be seriously worried that their title window is dropping shut right now, maybe to a sliver after this season. Two titles in four years is a good showing, but who wouldn't want the hat trick? HAW pitchers: LH John Loeb (17-6, 3.17) / LH Matt Waugh (20-5, 2.67) / RH Jose Rivera (13-16, 3.93) TEX pitchers: RH Dinand Huisman (17-8, 4.29) / RH Sean Reed (10-12, 4.56) / RH Drew Hurt (8-13, 5.20) #151: WIN 9-3 ... we win 4-2 in the all-important home run race, and everyone gets a hit tonight...6 runs in the 4th, with 3 HR bringing all six home #152: LOSS 1-4 ... only five hits here, looking sluggish after yesterday's fun...unusual outing for Waugh, walking five in 7.2 IP #153: WIN 6-3 ... Rivera fans 11 and Kearns nets his 30th save...2 H, 4 RBI and a 2-run HR for Hagemann...two hits and his 44th steal for Simmons A back-and-forth series, and we maintain a hold on first by a game. This thing isn't over yet.... Simmons is having quite a year, at 34: he's batting .307/.383/.399, with a career high 44 steals. Those batting numbers are right in line with his career averages, but I have a serious question: can he keep it up? It's a concern given that if he voids his opt out this fall, we'll be paying him $25M per through '59 (with an option for '60). If he ages fast we're going to wish we could spend that 25 mill somewhere else, you can guarantee that. But if he opts out of his contract, what then? Difficult to say what he thinks he's worth on the market, but we might have to find out.... ELSEWHERE: Detroit finally claims the AL Central; Miami gets their magic number down to one and clinches a playoff spot at least; Richmond's number is 4, Cincy's is 7.... Unfortunately the Reds and Zephs won't see each other again during the regular season, but Richmond will close with Philly, which should be fun if their race isn't decided by then.... KC has won 7 of 10 to get to just 2 behind Tampa Bay for the second AL wild card. They play each other next.... The Cards' Erik Sloan tosses the 2nd no-hitter of the season, fanning 13 in a 2-0 win over the hapless Cubs. This is the first no-no for the 2054 Silver Slugger winner. September 23-25 vs CALIFORNIA I talked last time we played about what they could do moving forward, to finally get back to the Angels powerhouse I remember from the 20s and 30s. Since then they've called up a number of 22- to 25-year-olds and are giving them AB, but so far only OF Adam Richardson (.321, 11 HR, in 109 AB) has done anything, and I don't see that he has the talent to sustain anything near to that in the long-term. On the mound, they've given some starts of late to a few kids, and I see more promise there. I'll also be interested to see how they treat two-way player Aaron Moore. He's made 30 pitching starts, with so-so numbers (4.70 ERA, 4.60 FIP), but I think his true promise is at the plate, not throwing to it. He has power to hit 30+ HR and is only lacking a little plate discipline to become a truly productive, above-average, hitter. Put him in the outfield or at third, and maybe only use him as a spot starter. (Ohtani he ain't.) There's already the makings of a really solid rotation even without him--Nate Elder, Arturo Colunga, and Josh Pomerantz are already there, and there's definite promise that more than two of Brian Jackson, Brad Cox, Manny Brito, Zack Thornhill, Sam Matthews, and Justin Thornton (all with MLB experience already) will pay off and fill out a top five. Just don't trade half of them for a 34-year-old slugger to hit .220 with 30 home runs next year. HAW pitchers: RH Josh Irvin (13-9, 3.59) / LH Daniel Croft (14-11, 4.44) / LH John Loeb (18-6, 3.17) CAL pitchers: RH Arturo Colunga (14-10, 4.51) / LH Shaun Ostrander (9-9, 3.08) / RH Nate Elder (5-13, 4.17) #154: WIN 9-2 ... Gamboa's GRAND SLAM fuels a 7-run 8th, with Collins and Calderin also hitting bombs that inning...Irvin goes the distance, fans 8, walks 0 #155: WIN 5-2 ... Calderin homers again, and we score a run in five of the first six innings...Croft gives up 10 hits, but 9 are singles #156: WIN 6-2 ... no HR for C-Dog, but Loeb tosses a five-hitter, and we make the most out of 8 hits with Hassell's HR and a pair of RBI doubles Huge series, with our sweep and Seattle doing us a solid by sweeping the Rangers in turn. We now have a four-game lead with six remaining.... Calderin continues to hit bombs: despite batting just .259 this month he's put 11 balls out of the park so far.... Lynn keeps pestering me for an extension. He wants 3 years at $22M per, then an opt out, then six more years at $19M. He'll be 28 in two days, so he's not old. But after five seasons of .320+ hitting, he's been at .280 for two seasons and an OPS+ under 100 (after averaging 115 before). He's still fast (32 steals) and plays good defense, but I see too many numbers trending downward: AVG, OBP, SLG, and Ks are up, doubles and triples are down. Twenty million a year? The fans do love him, tho, so I may be very unpopular around here very soon.... ELSEWHERE: Playoff race update: New Orleans has closed to 4 behind Cincy, while Richmond is 6 up on the Phils. The wildcard races are more interesting, tbh. In the AL, Baltimore (with 1 more loss) and Milwaukee (with 2) are on the verge of elimination, leaving Texas (90 wins), Tampa Bay (88), and KC (85) as the contenders. This assumes we hold on to first in the West.... In the NL, Richmond's magic number is one. And if the Reds hold on in the Central, you're looking at a wildcard race between Philadelphia (91 wins), New Orleans (89), and Washington (88). Cincy has 93 wins and a magic number of three.... A recent power surge by Reds 3B Heath Lewellen has him on top in the HR race with 46, and leading with 112 RBI. He's not likely to repeat as NL MVP, however, down in average and way back in WAR.... 306 K for Washington's Nick Light, and 300 for KC's Steve Scibek. Conor MacLeod as 297, still in the race.... San Diego (56 wins) and the White Sox (58) are vying for the right to (hopefully) pick consensus #1 talent Jayden Beachum. They'll probably end up going for a C-level pitcher instead... September 26-28 vs KANAS CITY These guys are so close they can taste it. A decade plus of futility finally showed some hope with a 90-win season a year ago, and they're close to that again this year. The division is lost, and they have to nearly win out to catch Tampa for a wildcard spot, but there's hope. I think they're just a couple of players--and some better injury luck--away from catching the Tigers, seriously. It doesn't help their 8th-ranked offense that solid hitters 2B Marcus Tamrat and LF Phillip Tyler have been on the DL for a while. Pitching ranks 4th, with a decent rotation and the AL's best bullpen. Steve Scibek and Bill Perez have finally matched their performance to their talent, and the rest of the rotation is more than filler. There's competition coming from the bullpen too. Lots of promise here for next year, as almost everyone is coming back. They just need a better leadoff man than DH Tim Chapman (batting above his station at .287, but only a .320 OBP), and 1B Micah Bailey needs to rebound from his .236 with 21 HR season, back to his 40+ HR and .280+ averages of recent years. It's too bad scouting discovery (and #3 prospect in MLB) 2B Alberto Echevarria is only 17, because if he reaches his ceilings he's going to become a monster hitter. It's about time Detroit had someone put a scare into them: this is the team to do it. HAW pitchers: LH Matt Waugh (20-6, 2.70) / RH Jose Rivera (14-16, 3.87) / RH Josh Irvin (14-9, 3.52) KCR pitchers: RH Adam Grossman (12-10, 5.36) / RH Steve Scibek (19-7, 3.34) / RH Bill Perez (13-10, 3.91) #157: LOSS 3-4 ... Calderin homers again, but we can't mount enough offense to make a push #158: LOSS 1-7 ... Rivera struggles through five innings, and we only muster six hits, with Gamboa's 25th HR the only notable thing #159: WIN 8-0 ... Irvin's three-hitter is just what we need, and Hagemann's HR and 2-run double are the key hits That last game settled the AL playoff picture as WE CLINCHED THE DIVISION! And also eliminated the Royals, putting Texas and Tampa Bay into the wildcards.... Irvin's last three starts: 26 IP, 18 H, 3 R/ER, 23 K, 1 BB. Wow.... Waugh likely has one more start to reach 21 wins, which would match his total from each of his first three seasons with us.... Winning the division means that the extra rest could see Bennetsen back at 100% by our first playoff game.... ELSEWHERE: Richmond and Cincinnati clinch their divisions, and Philadelphia clinches a wildcard. The final spot will come down to either New Orleans (91 wins) or Washington (90). The Nats close with Brooklyn (.428 win pct), while the Zephs get the 80-win Cardinals.... Ryan Boers (TEX) has 9.8 WAR and just three games to reach that double figure mark. Arizona's Kevin Reynolds, with 9.1, is the only player close to him.... Reynolds seems likely to claim the NL batting crown--and possibly MVP--while the AL race is separated by only a point: Boston's Ty Knott at .337, and Minnesota's Ryan Lawler at .336. September 29-30, October 1 vs SEATTLE This outrageous homestand--and the regular season--comes to a close with the Mariners, whom we thank for helping us seal the division yesterday. This is the rare team who's payroll doesn't closely match their budget, leaving them with an estimated $35M+ to play with this fall. There are many areas of need, not least their bottom-ranked bullpen. But they need hitters: they're 7th in runs and 3rd in HR, but only 13th in AVG and 14th in OBP. I can't think of too many teams that I'd recommend go and grab some singles hitters, but here we are. And go the LA route and bring in some quality relief. It matters, trust me. With all the angst this disappointing season has brought, one bright note has been the pitching of former Isle Mike Bader, with 16 wins and an ERA+ of 105: he's not an ace, but a solid complement and the kind of pitcher they've needed for a while. (And of course the guy we traded him for, RP Marco Mendez, flamed out with us and has spent the summer in AAA. Oh well.) Anyway...if they can get some offensive support for a 2-3-4 heart of the lineup that has bashed out 108 HR, then they'll definitely push us and Texas next year. HAW pitchers: LH Daniel Croft (15-11, 4.31) / LH John Loeb (19-6, 3.12) / [LH Matt Waugh (20-7, 2.77)] SEA pitchers: RH Danny Diaz (10-12, 4.68) / RH Mike Bader (16-12, 4.13) / RH Dan Crews (5-4, 4.16) #160: LOSS 4-9 ... Kolstad and Kolb homer, but Croft doesn't make it past the 2nd (6 runs, all unearned)...2 H for Medici in his return #161: WIN 13-8 ... 5 in the 6th, 8 in the 8th, that's all...16 hits from a lot of backups tonight #162: WIN 4-3 ... fitting as Gamboa and Calderin go deep, and we score 3 late runs to pull out this one...Morales makes an unscheduled start Odd that the staff pulled Waugh from the final start, and although I'm glad they didn't risk an injury, I was hoping he'd start, win his 21st (again), and give us the rare distinction of using only five starters all season.... Jose Villalpando made a late-season appearance, going 2-for-7 with a pair of RBI. He went right back down to help Santa Barbara in their playoff push, but he did not look out of place in that tiny sample size.... ELSEWHERE: We'll have a one-game playoff between NO and WSH for the final NL wildcard spot. The Zephs lost their final game to STL in the bottom of the 9th, tough one.... Kevin Reynolds claimed the NL batting crown at .307, while Minny's Ryan Lawler got hot and took the AL title in the final weekend. This is Lawler's second crown, Reynolds' first.... Conor MacLeod's ten-K effort against Atlanta on the final day of the season gave him the NL strikeout title, 314 to 311 for Washington's Nick Light. ...... TL;DR Version: A 9-6 finish made for a final month (plus 10/1) of 18-10 and we swept past the Rangers to take the division by four games. This is our first divisional title since our insane 122-win season in '53. Our hot start brought some team numbers up too, especially on offense: we finished 4th in runs scored, 3rd in AVG, and climbed to 11th in home runs--a pretty good ranking for us. We gave up the fewest runs, only 636. (Which would have been mid-pack in the NL!) Fun stat: our 97 wins is the lowest of any division winner. (Cincy had 98; every other team had at least 100.) None of our batters had great stats years, but we did have two leaders: Bill Gamboa with 9 sacrifices, and Josh Matson with 14 sac flies! Matt Waugh again was all over the pitching stats leaderboards: 1st in ERA, WAR, K/BB ratio, FIP, ERA+. Could he claim another Cy Young? I think he's the front runner, yes. Anyway, the second best part of winning the division is we get 4-6 days of rest for everyone, and might even be completely healthy by the time we face Texas or Tampa Bay in the divisional round. Let's go! Attached Images __________________ Introducing Your Hawaii Islanders!

08-04-2022, 06:40 PM	#469
Bub13 All Star Reserve Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Maine Posts: 748	Playoffs 2056 Before the playoffs officially begin, New Orleans and Washington face off in a one-game sudden death match for the second wild card in the NL. And the results are...Washington! Winners by an 8-2 margin and into the playoffs for the second time in the last three seasons. They move on to face the Phillies for the fun prize of taking on the Dodgers in the divisional round. In the AL, it's Texas and Tampa Bay fighting to face Detroit. Oddly, we'll wait to face Miami instead of getting the TEX/TB winner. All the same to me. Wild Card Round Fans are treated to a pair of series that go the full three games, and most are close to boot. In the AL, Tampa Bay takes down the slumping Rangers, winning the clincher on the road. Over in the National, the Nats can't make their luck hold out, as the Phillies finish them in three as well. The Divisional Series are as follows: AL: DET vs TBR HAW vs MIA NL: LAD vs PHI CIN vs RIC In Miami we're facing one of three teams to win 100 games, and they went the entire season with no months under .500. They are a very well-balanced team, 5th in runs scored and 7th in runs allowed, for a +118 run differential. Offensively they're just on either side of the top five in most categories; looking at their lineup I see only two guys who hit under .250, and both--3B Jon Ladd and 2B Dave Palma--make up for that deficiency with superb defense. The keys to the offense lie in the 3-4-5 spots: DH Toshi Shimabukuro (.322/43/124), LF Chris Bierly (.326/24/82), and SS Mario Rivera (.300/27/89). But like I said, there are no real weaknesses anywhere. On the mound, the rotation had the 2nd best AL ERA, with all four playoff starters comfortably under the 4.00 mark. The wildcard is #4 guy Chuck Nelson, a late addition to this group after an injury to Izzy Perales and some late-season ineffectiveness from Sean Kramer. The bullpen also struggled with consistency, finishing 12th in the AL, so that's an area we might be able to exploit. The Marlins are back in the post-season after a three-year layoff, and are looking to make their third trip to the World Series (they lost in '42 and '51). As for us, we're so close to healthy, but Erik Bennetsen got the dreaded "unknown return date" diagnosis just now from our training staff. I activated him anyway, but he won't play until he's 100% obviously. And we moved SP Daniel Croft into the long relief slot; he had a decent season, turning in some good starts in August too, but he was the least consistent of our available starting options. But he's there if we need him. Game One: Hawaii (LH Matt Waugh, 20-7, 2.77) @ Miami (LH Dustin Panos, 17-9, 3.56) Pitcher's duel! We take a 2-0 lead into the 8th, scoring runs on an infield throwing error and a fielder's choice. Small ball for the win, right? Not so fast. For some reason, we take Waugh out after seven shutout innings, bringing in the struggling-of-late Ramon Sanabria. Three doubles and a walk later and we're down 3-2 and don't recover. Only five hits for us tonight, so maybe I've got to tweak things as our who-can-get-on-base? bugaboo returns at a bad time. FINAL SCORE: Miami 3, Hawaii 2 [b]Miami leads series 1-0[/i] Game Two: Hawaii (LH John Loeb, 19-6, 3.16) @ Miami (RH Dwaine Webb, 16-10, 3.44). Lynn's two-run triple in the 6th puts us up 3-1, but we give one back in the bottom half. Each team adds one in the 7th. Then stupid bullpen management costs us AGAIN: after Loeb gives up the tying run in the 8th, we bring in Sanabria again for some reason. Of course he immediately gives up a single, scoring the go-ahead run and costing us ANOTHER GAME. Only six hits tonight, although we do add seven walks. Up against it now. FINAL SCORE: Miami 5, Hawaii 4 (Miami leads series 2-0) Game Three: Miami (LH Victor Nunez, 20-5, 3.75) @ Hawaii (RH Josh Irvin, 15-9, 3.38) Last chance, must-win game.... Well, you can't say the bullpen let us down this time. The Marlins score four in the first on five hits, chasing Irvin with two outs, and we're down big time early on. Pederson gets two back with a single in the bottom half, but the bad guys add another one in the third. Five more scoreless innings pass, where we can only put three runners on base (one via HBP). Lynn then doubles in the 9th and is quickly brought home by a Calderin single, making it 5-3. But despite getting two more hits, we can't bring him home, and thus endeth the season. FINAL SCORE: Miami 5, Hawaii 3. Miami WINS series 3-0 Well, that's a bummer. We were on quite a run to close out the season, and although these games were close, we just couldn't mount enough offense to get the job done. Clearly that was our weakness throughout the season: streaky offense. I guess we didn't have the keys to success after all! Elsewhere, Detroit takes out Tampa Bay in four to advance to the AL Championships. The NL, on the other hand, had two close series. Richmond won a back-and-forth affair against Cincinnati by blowing out the Reds 11-4 in their fifth game; while the Phillies--with the NL's next-to-worst pitching--got a 3-hit shutout over the powerhouse Dodgers to take a shocking win in that decider. So the NL championship is a rehash of the NL East season-long battle: RIC vs PHI. ...... The World Series is set after two pretty thrilling championship round tilts. The Tigers took out the Marlins in six, with both teams scoring a ton of runs. Detroit sealed the deal with a wild 11-10 twelfth inning win in the finale, after scoring four times in the ninth to send it to extras. The NL bout went the distance, and ultimately Philly outscored Richmond, getting their own late clinching win with a two-run eighth on the road to take the series. Both the Tigers and Phillies can score in bunches, but experts are giving the Tigers the edge thanks to their superior pitching. But then again, the Dodgers had the MLB's best pitching, and now they're at home on the golf course... This is Detroit's first finals visit since going back-to-back in '40 and '41 (they lost both), while the Phils went in '52 (also losing). Philly's last title came in 2047. Detroit's? 1984. 2056 WORLD SERIES Game 1: DET 6, PHI 5 ... DET leads 1-0 Game 2: PHI 6, DET 1 ... series tied 1-1 Game 3: PHI 9, DET 2 ... PHI leads 2-1 Game 4: DET 6, PHI 2 ... series tied 2-2 Game 5: PHI 3, DET 1 ... PHI leads 3-2 Game 6: DET 7, PHI 6 ... series tied 3-3 Game 7: DET 5, PHI 4 ... DETROIT WINS 4-3 Now this series was worth the price of admission. Philly's surprise pitching was the story early on, holding the strong Tigers lineup to five or fewer hits in three of the first five games. But Detroit used that Sabermetric boogeyman, CLUTCH HITTING, to pull this one out. After saving their season by scoring four late runs in a comeback game six win, they held off a late Phillies rally in the finale to win their first title over 70 years. "The Curse is over!" AL MVP contender Pat Townsand is named Series MVP with a .296 effort, including four home runs. Can't argue with that, although spare a thought for Phils 2B Luke Kempf, who batted .308 with 4 home runs of his own, including a late one in the final game to keep their hopes alive. Detroit is finally on top again, after losing their last five Series trips. They also finally claim a crown after twelve straight playoff seasons, including ten division titles, but always having the bad luck to run up against hot teams (us or Texas, usually). ...... Okay, it's time to hit the off-season. I've got a lot on my plate, and depending on at least one early decision, maybe almost zero money to work with. Yippee. Season awards and team review, along with a silly season preview, coming up next. Attached Images __________________ Introducing Your Hawaii Islanders!

08-08-2022, 07:05 PM	#470
outofleftfield Bat Boy Join Date: Aug 2022 Posts: 2	I have really enjoyed reading about the Hawaii Islanders. It was defiantly a rollercoaster season and I had a good time coming along for the ride. A few questions about the save, this year there was quite the difference in stats between the NL and the AL has that happened before? How has the league averages changed from the start tell now and who has been your favorite player in the save? Hopefully you don't mind answering all those questions. Keep up the good work Bub13 and go Isles go!!!

08-10-2022, 09:28 PM	#473
outofleftfield Bat Boy Join Date: Aug 2022 Posts: 2	Thanks

08-18-2022, 07:59 PM	#474
Bub13 All Star Reserve Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Maine Posts: 748	2056-57 OFF-SEASON, part deux Arbitration awards come in, as below: RP Brad Cahill -- wanted 1.2M ... got 862k SP Daniel Croft -- wanted 1.25M ... got 900k RP Justin Schechter -- wanted and got 1.37M (we offered 1.3) 3B Jesus Calderin -- wanted and got 4.75M (we offered 3.8) RP Jordan Ruiz -- wanted 1.87M ... got 1.5M OF Erik Bennetsen -- wanted and got 4.04M (we offered 3.7) RP Nate Kearns -- wanted and got 5.4M (we offered 4.8) RP Manny Reyes -- wanted 1.25M ... got 735k C Jamie Collins -- wanted and got 1.6M (we offered 1.4) RP Yoshi Watanabe -- wanted and got 1.2M (we offered 900k) OF Joe Lynn declined our 13M qualifying offer and will go to free agency. Supplemental pick here we come! Our current salaries total $177.6M. The voles in accounting say we should be at $160M, if we want to maximize profit. Thing is, I'm not worried about that, nor about our "mere" projected $8.6M profit, well below what our owners expect. Why not? Because they've budgeted $10M for International Amateur FAs, but we're spending zero because of my uncontrolled binge last summer; plus there's $6M to spend on the draft, which I've never approached before. So there's a little over $10M back for you, you greedy bastards. (I will say that the real trouble looks to land on my head in 2059, when we're projected a $39M budget shortfall, thanks in large part to player salaries finally outpacing our total budget. Huh. So we'd better win now is what I'm hearing...) ...... December 2056 It took over a week after the official start to free agency to see some action, but finally some recognizable names went off the board. Over a five-day period starting on the 8th, here are the guys who will go from ecsatic signee to financial millstone before the end of the decade: ...SP Nick Light, 30: NYY $204M/7yrs. This is a great addition if they bring in some quality bats too. So far, crickets, but it's early. ...SP Conor MacLeod, 32: PHI 139/5. The one thing Philly needed was pitching. Way to go, guys. ...SP Tim Mitchell, 32: PHI 30/2. Another one? Okay, the Phillies are now your NL frontrunners. Depending on how many relievers the Dodgers add, of course. ...SP Jose Sedillo, 29: NYM 157/6. The Mets are terrible and not getting any better? Um, okay then. ...C Juan Espinoza, 31: DET 91/6. Top catcher goes to a top AL rival. Probably an overpayment, but a position of need for the Tigers. ...CL Bob Harrison, 36: BOS 5/1. Good addition and term, but they really need offense in a big way in the Hub. ...SS Ryan Boers, 29: CIN 297/8. The Reds haven't had a player this good at short since Barry Larkin. Calling it now: CIN v PHI for NL Championship. ...OF Nate Forrester, 26: MIL 256/8. A lotta cash, but a breakthrough signing for the Brewers. Has earned over 27 WAR the last four seasons. ...SS Francisco Vilon, 38: LAD 70/3. This moves Silver Slugger winner Rich Stoneback to DH, but Villon's noodle arm makes that questionable. Big power bat tho. ...P Eric Gast, 28: BKN 3.2/1. Small signing but a sneaky-good one for the improving Robins. Gast has toiled quietly in the SD pen for four years but looks ready to bring his high-control game to the BKN rotation. ...3B Dave Rivera, 36: PIT 40/2. I feel like the Pirates could have spent this money more wisely than on Rivera's aging bat and feet of stone. ...3B Tim Bell, 29: NYM 114/5. The Mets REALLY want out of last place, but Bell's bat has declined his last two years in Montreal. ...2B Alfonso Torres, 31: ARI 128/5. Good move grabbing this perennial all-star. Really remaking their lineup now. (See our section below for more!) ...OF Jordan Coronado, 35: SFG 68/3. The old guy can still hit, but how much better are the mediocre Giants now? ...P Luke Weaver, 35: DET 2/1. Low-risk SP/RP add for the champs, to see if the long-time Chisox starter has anything left. (I say yes.) ...P Jon Carlsen, 37: MIL 18/2. Went from all-star SP to all-star CL for Miami. Great add and adds to a fun 3-way race in the AL Central. ...P Kymani Rhymes, 43: CIN 9/2. He's old and cranky but can still pitch. Another solid addition for the Reds. ...DH Jose Rodriguez, 38: NYY 44/3. You need to build up your offense and you sign an old guy you traded at last season's deadline? FOR THREE YEARS? Oy. ...OF Rick Logston, 29: NYY 177/7. Ok, that's more like it. Logston is a legit star, capable of 40 HR while batting .300. Great addition. On top of those signings, the Winter Meetings brought a flurry of trades that actually involved honest-to-goodness decent players. To wit: ...Atlanta sells the farm for SS Alex Duran, sending #34 MLB prospect OF Luis Garrido, top-100 OF Joe Schultz, and three other could-be-goods for the veteran shortstop. MY VIEW: Two future OF stars for one year of a mediocre-hitting (but fast and GG-level fielding) guy? Atlanta, I get that your current starter is Ken Davidson and his .193 lifetime batting average, but this is a real overpayment. Duran likely walks next fall anyway, and there were cheaper options on the UFA market. Bad for ATL / good for NYM. ...LA is dealing from a position of strength, but like ATL they overpaid for a player who is at best a #4 OF, Brooklyn's Danny Tavani. Yes, Tavani will steal 30+ bases and play solid defense. But he's a career .215 hitter who may be gone in two years. Going to BKN are three prospects (SS Jim Rankin, P John Cuomo, and 2B Miguel Rivas) who look to become solid lineup regulars, at worst, over the next couple of years. LA is likely filling in the gaps to compete for another title, but this is a lot to pay. MY VIEW: Better for BKN / slight loss for LAD. ...PIT gets swingman Doug Ricks from MIN for 1B/DH prospect Danny Hurtado. Ricks should be okay, but he's not a guy PIT really needs, while Hurtado could end up hitting 40 HR for the Twins. Hurtado hates this trade, btw. MY VIEW: Meh, probably better for MIN. They get to roll the dice on a slugger for the price of a replaceable veteran. ...KC gets veteran RP Steve Jackson from STL for a pair of prospects, including OF Joe Literski. Jackson makes an already formidable bullpen even better, and may also allow the Royals to give a couple of kids their shots at the rotation. Literski looks like a typical modern player: tons of power potential, tons of strikeouts too. MY VIEW: Win for KC, even though one RP doesn't put you into first place in the divison. Very useful guy, however. ...ATL send three more prospects to SEA for 3B Sean Friedman, an overrated power-hitting bat. Only one of the prospects--OF Jose Gutierrez--looks to develop into anything worthwhile, but why grab yet another high-K batter for him? With the NL moving to the DH for 2057, I expect we'll see more deals like this one. ...TEX looks to forestall any decline after losing Boers by sending a passel of prospects to the Chisox for OF/DH Andy Barenberg. The ten-year vet has seen his offense decline quite a bit the last two years, so will be looking for some redemption with a playoff-caliber team. OF Orlondo Gaitan looks like the best of the return for the Sox, a big-armed RF with a decent bat. Barenberg may go UFA after '57 anyway, so a bit of a gamble for the Rangers. ...CIN keeps loading up, acquiring swingman Sam Phipps from KC for four prospects. Phipps will strenghen their pen at least, but did make 21 starts for the Royals in '56, pitching well. 1B/DH Josh Delaney is the only really decent prospect coming to KC, but a potential contact-and-slugging combo worth getting. ...another intersting move for TEX, stealing SP Nick Palmer from TOR for two prospects. Palmer has been okay for the Jays in his five seasons, but with a better lineup and defense behind him could be a real boon for the Rangers rotation. Of the two prospects, only P Sam Rockey looks decent, and only as a possible MR one day. ...the Rule 5 Draft is run on 12/27, and while there weren't many picks (fewer than 20), two teams stood out by making four selections each. San Diego grabbed three outfielders and a first baseman, none of whom stand out but all four could make the opening day roster. Like the Padres, the Braves lost a lot of depth last month (33 players left via free agency), and they took a big step toward trying to rebuild their pitching staff by selecting four hurlers. Two are former Oakland starters--Jim Schwartz and Sean Guerrero. (You may remember Schwartz as a former Cy Young candidate wracked by injuries of late, and now earning minor league money and getting passed around like an old shoe.) Possibly the best of the bunch is prospect reliever Skyler Nein, who's injured until July or so but could quickly move to the top of the bullpen if he fully recovers. We make no selections, and lost no one. ...... So what did we do? By the looks of it so far, nothing. Right? O ye of little faith... I'll start by saying that I did not follow the plan from the previous post, above. But we were busy, very much so. In chronological order: FIRST We shopped around 1B Josh Matson, and to no one's surprise there were zero takers. And now he's pissed and untraded. SECOND I shopped Lucas Tipping and got numerous bites, mostly for overpriced and old relief pitchers and overrated pseudo-prospects. But there were a couple of guys I sniffed around until I got hot and heavy with New Orleans and packed him off to be the Zephyrs new 2B. In return we got a 5th round pick (because I love me some extra draft picks) and IF Alastair Hulse. A 26-year-old LHB who is decidedly average at the plate (with little power, to boot), Hulse is however a dynamite fielder who even rates well in the OF, and brings some prowess on the bases that we've lost with Joe Lynn's departure. Right now though he's very unhappy with the trade, but if he gets a nice fat World Series payout in November maybe that'll ease the sting a bit. THIRD You want another trade? You got it! In order to clear out some OF space to make room for the emergence of Sayward, Hagemann, et al, I sent last year's #4 Chase Thompson and a trio of prospects to the Yankees for sinkerballing RP John Starkey. A solid guy who's happy in a MR role and keeps the ball out of the outfield, Starkey should help our somewhat-depleted bullpen. And the Yanks are picking up 85% of his $4.2M salary for next year and '58. Now we did give up slugging prospect Rocky DeMars, a NY native who could hit 40 HR (and have 200+ Ks), but may not be healthy enough to ever play a full season. They also took middling prospects OF Dave Maloney and 1B Jerry Burrell, guys way down our depth charts that they asked for, for whatever reason. FOURTH But wait, there's more! After the White Sox publicly denied they were shopping RP Rene Casaus, I approached them only to get confirmation that yes, they were indeed shopping him around. The 33-year-old former all-star closer hasn't pitched that well in a couple seasons, but I'm taking the chance that he's going to bounce back for us. He's another big-armed groundballer, who's recent issues have been walks and some gopher ball issues (in high-HR parks, however). In return, the Sox get 25-year-old RP Yoshi Watanabe, an international signing from a few years back who's big issues have been...walks and gopher balls. Hmm. The Sox are also retaining 45% of Casaus' salary. FIFTH Last one, and hold on to your hats. So we added a depth infielder and a couple of vets to hopefully address our bench and some bullpen issues, but what did we do to shake up our often-moribund offense? Glad you asked. How about adding OF Kevin Reynolds from Arizona? You know, the 2056 NL MVP and batting champ? Yeah, that guy! I guess Reynolds told Dback officials he wouldn't re-sign with them after next season, because he went on the trading block in mid-December. How could I not ask about him? He fits just what we need: a solid power-hitter with no weaknesses at the plate, strong RF defense, and a good clubhouse guy. Plus, that National Popularity our owners want! It's a WIN WIN WIN. And don't think we scammed 'zona out of their superstar for a handful of magic beans and some middle relievers, either. We sent five players for the guy, all of whom are useful at the very least: SP Jose Rivera (our #2 from this year); RF Doug Pederson (kind of a Reynolds-lite if he can stay healthy); SS Joey Ulrich (prospect I talked about in our last post); OF Ricky Thompson (20-year-old prospect who does everything but homer); P Jayden Gorham (25 and looks ready for MLB but stuck behind others here). As shocking as this might seem for Arizona fans, it's a trade that makes sense for both teams: we get a jolt to our lineup and meet some delightful owner goals, and the Dbacks get three players who will start right now and two more who could in a year or so. I believe I made them a better and deeper team, so you're welcome guys! Oh, and we add a 3rd round pick because I gotta be me. We're also chasing a backup catcher through free agency, and will probably have to round out some system-wide depth through that route as well, but that can wait until after the New Year holiday. ...... With the end of the year approaching, are we better than we were just a few weeks ago? I think so: Reynolds doesn't have to have another MVP-caliber season to make this deal a success for us, but he doesn't look likely to regress any at all. My big challenge now will be to sign him long-term, at a rate that doesn't kill us. We anticipate some more money coming off the books next fall, so I think we'll be able to get something done. Reynolds of course fills the void left by trading Pederson, and we do have an opening on the rotation. I intend to let that slot be filled from within. We have three or four guys who I think are ready to take on that challenge and become full-time MLB pitchers, and we'll let spring training show us the way. Granted, none of these candidates have the power arm that Rivera has; but they're all already (or almost already) fully-formed and well-rounded, which I prefer anyway, frankly. And that financial overspending I told you about last time? That's gone too, with shipping out about $40M in Rivera and Pederson. Now, Reynolds' demand may approach that, but we'll cross that bridge in the future... See you in January. Attached Images __________________ Introducing Your Hawaii Islanders!

08-26-2022, 08:58 PM	#475
Bub13 All Star Reserve Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Maine Posts: 748	Welcome t0 2057! New Year, new dreams. Same dreams, actually, but different characters. First things first: we signed our backup catcher, Rich Wilson. A RH bat and solid receiver, he'll platoon with Jamie Collins. A seven-year vet who's been the starter in CLE and MIL the last two seasons; while he's not an embarrassment at the plate, he hasn't produced more than 0.7 WAR since his rookie season (2.5 WAR) with Minnesota in '51. He wants to start, so he might get a bit cranky mid-season when he's only seeing action once or twice a week... We also released a passel of minor leaguers to end the year. The only near-notable was 2051 2nd round pick Noah Williams, an outfielder whose bat never came around. He spent the last three seasons in AA, culminating in last year's .172 effort. Good luck in the IBL, Noah. ...... Hall of Fame voting is in, and we have three new members courtesy of the BBWA, all elected on their first-ballot. First is Chris White (96.4%), who spent his 16-year career in Brooklyn, banging out 502 HR, 2533 H, a .299 average, and 89.5 WAR. He was a 14-time All-Star at SS and 3B, and helped the Robins to their two World Series titles. Next is closer Alex Castaneda (75.6%), a nine-time All-Star over his 18 seasons, and winner of the Hoyt Wilhelm trophy in 2041 with Detroit. He spent eight seasons (over two stints) with the Tigers, but goes in as a Royal, where he began his career and spent seven seasons. His 427 career saves ranks 12th on the all-time list, and he earned 31.1 WAR in 1019 appearances. Finally we have the first Islander to set foot in Canton! Jeremy Dunklee, a slugging 1B, gets in with 75.3% of the vote. Our first real star player, Dunklee won the AL MVP award in 2036, and that year lead the league in HR, RBI, and OPS. After eight years with us, he moved on to play with four other teams (most notably four solid seasons in STL), before one final season ('51) in Hawaii. He finished with 2508 hits, 444 HR, a .291 average, and 79.8 WAR. He also topped .300 eight times, was an eight-time all-star, won three Silver Sluggers, and helped us to win our first World Series, in 2039. Just missing out was four-time Cy Young winner Dave Henderson, with 68.5% of the votes. I've voted for him the last two seasons, but he may have topped out at last year's 69.4%. More league-wide roster business... ...I said Oakland needed to move on from it's declining and pricey veterans, and they finally pulled the trigger on one such deal just now, sending 35-year-old 3B Ryan Walton to Washington for prospect OF Bobby Ervin and a draft pick. Walton can still slug it--532 career HR and 27 last season--but his just-fair hitting has dropped to a subpar .210 in recent seasons. But the Nats lost a ton of WAR (over 17) this off-season and are trying to recoup some starting material to keep up with the Phillies and Eagles. Ervin is a decent prospect who could become either a #4 OF or the kind of starter you like but are usually looking to replace. ...STL inked popular and feisty CF Shawn Moore for $63M/6yrs. Moore is a .236-hitting batter who's prone to strikeouts, but also has 30-HR power and is a dynamic center fielder. He's not quite at the level of the guy he replaces, Nate Forrester, but he's solid and the fans will like him. ...MIA re-ups 3B Jon Ladd, at 43/3. He's yet another low-average power hitter, but is an excellent third sacker. At 36, however, a three-year deal seems like a stretch. ...OAK nabbed all-field/no-hit SS Kevin Lutz, 50/3. Lutz, 38, will probably hit around .230 with 15-20 HR and play lights-out defense. But: 3 years at age 38? ...the Yanks addressed their terrible infield by signing 2B Aaron Milleson, 67/7. He's a career .287 hitter with little power, but is maybe the best fielding 2B in the game right now. Good grab, even if he won't push the offensive needle much. ...BAL sent our one-time-great closer Kyle Johnson to TB for a no-hoper pitching prospect. I almost made a deal with the O's for him last month; this tells me that I probably made the right choice in not doing so. ...PHI continues to build their staff into a legit unit after years of outright awfulness. This time they acquire Andrew Galanis from LA for OF Dustin De Groot and a prospect. Galanis has huge stuff and movement, but has only shown flashes of excellence for the Dodgers. De Groot has some power and contact, but his strengths are great defense and speed (he led the NL in steals with 58). If Galanis puts it together this year, and their other new additions pitch to their capabilities, the Phillies could run away with the NL East. ...it's truly an arms race in the NL East, as Atlanta basically just stole Austin's best pitcher, Adam Coleman, for five mediocre-to-okay prospects. Atlanta's staff looks pretty good now too, while Austin's A and AA teams will be better, at least. The big club...not so much. ...MIA gifts us a supplemental first rounder by signing Joe Lynn to a 126/8 deal. That 15 mill per year is quite a bit less than the 20M+ he said he wanted from us, but I still think it's going to be a millstone for the Marlins in a couple of years. Sorry fans, that's just how I see it. ...and now Richmond adds to the fun in the crazy NL East by nabbing White Sox starter Jasper Cummings for a B-level OF prospect. Cummings had an off-year in '56, but is usually good for 4-5 WAR, something the top-rated pitching staff in the NL desperately needs, I see. ...the Yankees drop nearly $15M on three swingman pitchers, signing vets Ryan Ratliff, Tyler Thomas, and Justin Barrington. Maybe they'll help, maybe they won't; but it's good to see NY back in the free agent picture and spending like they're the East Coast Dodgers again. ...then rebuilding Oakland turns around and signs 31-year-old Cuban international free agent Oscar Carrillo to a three-year deal worth $28M. Nice power, won't strike out much, not great contact. Odd way to rebuild, guys, but hey you do you. ...LA trades two pitchers in separate deals, loses another one via waivers, then signs outspoken free agent P Jamie McBride for 2 years and $14M. He's a decent 3-4 WAR starter, but the clubhouse is already starting to rumble... ...former Isle reliever Robbie Collier signed with the Nats in January, in the midst of recovering from elbow surgery. Now, however, his career is over after a spring training setback, and the 42-year-old is retiring. Collier had a checkered career, rising as a starter with the Reds, Rays, and Brewers from '38 through '46, then signing a big two-year deal with the Dodgers. He blew out his elbow in camp in '47, and only appeared in 6 games in '48 before becoming a free agent again. Injuries limited his stamina, but not his talent, and he was an in-demand reliever for the rest of his career. This included two stints (over three seasons) in Hawaii, his home state. He was always a pricey ticket, however, and I declined to make him an offer after his Wilhelm-winning season (45 saves, 2.49 ERA) in '53. Good decision, as it turns out: he made only 48 appearances over the next three seasons and then suffered his career-ending injury last June. He finished with 504 appearances (255 starts), a 106-78 record, 37 WAR, that Wilhelm trophy, and 4 all-star appearances. ...PHI signed RP Ezra Biniecki to a one-year, 1.9M deal. Not a huge signing, but another signal of the Phillies' intent to crush all comers this season. Last year's pitching was truly terrible until they made four deals leading up to the deadline and rode that improvement all the way to the NL crown. Since then they've added three starters and three more relievers, while keeping their potent offense nearly intact. ...OF Ryan Packer was heavily rumored to be re-signing in Washington, where he'd spent the last four seasons, until Toronto swept in and inked the slugger for a one year deal worth $10M+. Packer is a career .270 hitter but had a big year (.290/37/96, 6.1 WAR) with the Nats in '56. Packer and some other judicious signings could see the Blue Jays move back up into the top half of the AL East this season. ...San Francisco hasn't been a player in the NL West for nearly a decade, but they moved to shore up their rotation by signing vets Elijah Bragg and Jaden Buchanan to one year deals. Both are still effective pitchers but both have also had injury problems in recent years, so there is some risk involved. SF looks to contend for a wild card, as they don't have the horses to compete with the Dodgers but could easily move up with the Padres and Outlaws not looking like much, and the Pioneers slipping after losing some quality talent of late. ...... Spring Training came and went, and we finished 21-9 with only a modicum of pain. But there are some question marks heading into the season. The "pain" part was losing new acquistion Rene Casaus for the season with a torn UCL. He'll probably start tossing in September and maybe make some rehab appearances in AAA, but that's it. Luckily for us, the pen was mighty this past month. (See below.) Next, was poor ST hitting from new hope Kevin Reynolds, going just .154. But he's young and should rebound. More worrying for now was the terrible spring from "Mr Cy Young," Matt Waugh. I've been around this game enough to know that sometimes a month of bad pitching is a precursor to a 12-month injury. But my fingers are crossed and we're making obeisances to all necessary and identifiable deities. But otherwise we played well, and so many guys hit and pitched well enough that there were a few roster surprises when final cuts were made. The 26-man roster, by position: Catcher: It's platoon season again behind the plate. Jamie Collins will face RHP, and new guy Rich Wilson lefties. Both are mid-average guys with no glaring weaknesses at the plate otherwise, although Collins has more pop than Wilson. The latter is a seven-year vet and a better defensive receiver, so may also see time as a late-inning replacement. First Base: Megastar-wannabe Jose Villalpando won the job in camp, batting .293 and hitting 3 HR in the last week. He's still growing but already rates as a better hitter than vet Josh Matson, who won't be thrilled at becoming a part-timer. But his offensive numbers have dipped each of the last three seasons and no longer warrant giving him 500+ AB a year. No one wanted his $11M contract either. But he's decent insurance if Villalpando fails early on. Also note DH/1B Jules Medici will once again be the monster bat in the middle of the lineup. Second Base: Bill Gamboa wasn't great in the spring, and looking at last year's numbers he may never hit for much more than a .250 average, but he brings lots of other plusses that led me to trading away Lucas Tipping: speed, power, better glove, and a fan favorite. It took the scouting discovery from 2049 a long time to get to this point, but the job is now his. Hit like you did in the first 2/3 of 2056, and you'll be my favorite too, Bill. Third Base: After being handed the job last spring and failing early, Jesus Calderin came on like gangbusters late, finishing at .310 with 24 HR. That finish--and a strong spring--led to me moving Villalpando over to first...for now. He's a switch-hitter with no platoon splits, so will get full-time duty out of the gate again. And he was a positive on defense, something we haven't had with regularity at third for years. Shortstop: He's back for more, and once again I cross my fingers and hope for a healthy season for the now 34-year-old J.J. Simmons. What doesn't he do well? "Boom Boom" has no power game, and his range at short has slipped just a bit but enough to be noticeable. But he still gets on base at a high rate, is always a threat to steal, and can add 40 doubles in a good year. He's cracked .300 ten times in his career: we'll need that again, as he's our only true leadoff guy. Utility guys Jake Moore and Alastair Hulse are listed as shortstops, but can play anywhere in the infield and will get some starts (and some late inning work) all over. Hulse--a newbie from New Orleans--can also play outfield. Outfield: LF Erik Bennetsen is our only returnee from opening day 2056, with Joe Lynn walking and Doug Pederson traded. When fully healthy he's a .280+ hitter capable of 30 HR. Plays average defense: won't kill you, but won't really help you much either. Brian Hassell was good sometimes--and bad other times--last year in splitting CF with Lynn. He'll get the full-time nod this year; and at 23 he's not quite fully cooked yet either with some room to hit for power. His downside is that he's not ideally rangey for center, so that may not be his final destination, even if he sticks with us. In right is new guy Kevin Reynolds, who should be just dandy despite his poor spring. Even without a repeat of his MVP season he will provide a lot of offense paired with much better defense than we got from the immobile Pederson. Backing them up will be returnee Jeremy Hagemann and spring surprise Beau Collins. Both are lefties with big power bats, so it's possible that one may be sent back to AAA in favor of a RH bat, but we'll see. Collins was a nice gift: an 8 home run spring with a nice average earned him the nod over returning youngsters Eric Sayward and Kyle Kolstad. They'll start in AAA but will get a quick call-up if needed. Collins is making the jump from A ball, where he popped 70 homers last year. It'll be interesting to see what he can do against big-league pitching when given the chance. Starting Pitching: I noted Matt Waugh's spring struggles above, but he's still our go-to number one until he proves otherwise. He gets a long leash. Taking Jose Rivera's spot at #2 is Josh Irvin, the only righty in this group. John Loeb is next, coming off a 5-WAR, 19-win season. He too was not good in camp, so we'll see what his sophomore season brings. Next is rookie Curt Christensen, whom I'm really excited about. The 23-year-old former 2nd round pick has zoomed through our system in only two years, making this jump from AA. He's the #2 prospect in MLB, and my scouts say when he's fully formed he could rival Waugh in talent. That's quite a lot to put on the young guy, but clearly he's far enough along to make the team already. Our #5 is the returning Daniel Croft, who had the worst season of last year's five, but had a strong camp to hold off stiff challenges to his job. The best news out of camp is that we had solid performances from guys like Steve Shinnick, Travis Harris, and Will McGee, so for now I feel good about replacing anyone who doesn't measure up early on. Bullpen: So many guys were so good in camp that a couple of returning vets--Brad Cahill and Jordan Ruiz--as well as two new acquisitions--Jason Eicher and Josh Mahoney--ended up back in AAA. Nate Kearns returns as closer, and if he tosses only two HR like he did last season he'll be money again. The setup guys to begin with will be a fully healthy Manny Reyes and new vet John Starkey: both have big stuff and are capable of stepping into the closer role. In middle relief are deadline acquisition Justin Schechter and younster Gleb Mihalkovsky. Neither pitched well for us last season, but both were on fire this spring. They will, of course come with the usual caveats I reserve for all MR: short leashes, guys, so get it done. Finally, swingman Steve Shinnick will slot into a long relief role. Shinnick looked good in six starts back in '54, but got beat out in camp and never saw MLB action last year as our starters were healthy all season. He too was good this spring, in relief and in three starts, so gets the first crack at the back end of the 'pen. We have depth here too, despite the injury to Casaus: the four guys mentioned above plus every AAA starter could be fine in a big league relief role. Just...stay...healthy. Attached Images __________________ Introducing Your Hawaii Islanders! Last edited by Bub13; 08-26-2022 at 08:59 PM.

09-01-2022, 06:32 PM	#476
Bub13 All Star Reserve Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Maine Posts: 748	2056-57 Off-Season, pt. 4 GET READY FOR OPENING DAY! Off-Season winners and losers, by WAR: NOTE: only players at/over 1.0 WAR shown 1. NY Yankees, +16.5 GAINED: SP Nick Light (7.1); OF Rick Logston (5.3); SP Shaun Ostrander (2.3); SP Justin Barrington (2.3); 1B Jose Rodriguez (2.1); RP Ryan Scheele (2.0); RP Ryan Ratliff (1.8); 2B Aaron Milleson (1.3) LOST: SP Jose Sedillo (5.2); RP John Starkey (1.2); 1B Andrew Taylor (1.0); RP Jay Buck (1.0) PROJECTION: Better than their 69-93 season from '56, but the infield still won't hit for much. Pitching and OF are much improved. 2. SF Giants, +10.8 GAINED: OF Jordan Coronado (3.7); SP Elijah Bragg (3.3); SP Jaden Buchanan (2.2) LOST: minimal PROJECTION: Pitching is better, and hitting is too if only for not chasing too many high $$$ old guys. Won 71 last year, should win more this time. 3. Montreal, +9.5 GAINED: SP Jose Ambriz (5.3); OF Pat Field (4.5); SP Steve McKeen (3.2); 2B Noah Johnson (2.8); OF Jose Monterroso (1.6); SP Seth Chase (1.4) LOST: 3B Tim Bell (2.7); 2B Andy Lee (2.7); SP Rafael Flores (1.9) PROJECTION: Ambriz is now out until mid-July, which hurts. Bad team should be better, but not much over their 66 wins from '56. Still floundering. ... 34. NO Zephyrs, -10.8 GAINED: minimal LOST: OF Jordan Coronado (3.7); 3B Austin Reinwald (1.8); SP Marvin Diaz (1.6); RP Ryan Swan (1.1) PROJECTION: Losses have been replaced from within, and they didn't really hurt anyway. Won 92 games and should again, but rival Cincy is much, much improved. 35. Boston, -11.2 GAINED: minimal LOST: SP Chris Cole (3.2); SP Jose Palomino (2.7); 1B Jose Rodriguez (2.1); OF Jesus Monterroso (1.6) PROJECTION: Likely to tread water from last year's 84 wins. Pitching is worse unless low-WAR newbies are much better than last year. 36. Washington, -14.7 GAINED: SP Jon Martinez (1.8) LOST: SP Nick Light (7.1); OF Ryan Packer (6.1); RP Ryan Ratliff (1.8) PROJECTION: Made few moves and didn't replace two big stars. Should be significantly down from last year's 83 wins. (DIS)HONORABLE MENTION to Portland, for adding zero MLB players while losing two OF and a solid MR. Matching their 86-win total will be very hard. ...... PRESEASON PREDICTIONS For starters, MLB says we'll win the West again, with 95 wins versus 90 for Texas. Detroit takes the Central (surprise) with 96 wins, while Miami tops the East with 92. Milwaukee joins Texas as wildcard teams. MLB also likes what I've done for our offense this off-season, putting us 2nd in runs and 3rd in home runs; but it doesn't care for my pitching staff, placing us 6th in runs allowed, nearly half an ERA point behind the top team, Miami. Some surprises: Chicago bounces back with 82 wins, tying a falling KC. NY, TB, and BAL all have winning seasons but don't come close to catching the Marlins in the East. Not surprising: Oakland is by far the worst AL team with just 58 wins. The NL is also mostly repeat business: division winners are RIC, CIN, and LA, with PHI and WAS taking the wildcards. St Louis and Portland just miss the playoffs, while New Orleans slides to just 80 wins. Surprises: that NOZ figures to be so bad, while WAS makes the post-season after a terrible off-season. Also, Arizona slips to 79 wins after broadening their talent base, and Montreal--who did almost nothing over the winter--improves to 79 wins, nearly a 20-game betterment. Not surprising: CIN and PHI will have AL-worthy offenses, and LA and RIC will again have the class of pitching staffs, by a wide margin. Individual highs to mention? How about a handful of 20-game winners in the AL; Milwaukee's Ricky Ayala hitting 58 HR; CIN's new "Bash Brothers" of Heath Lewellen and Ryan Boers knocking 56 and 50, respectively; and PHI's Conor MacLeod with 346 K. (These are all "usual suspects"-type guesses, not exactly going out on a limb.) But what do I think about our chances? MLB's prediction of 95 wins seems about right: if we hit to our potential, we'll score a ton of runs. I'm a little concerned about our pitching, but I say that every year. Other than the unpredictably of serious injuries occuring, the things to watch for on offense are: how will a 34-year-old JJ Simmons hit; is Brian Hassell ready for everyday play in CF; 2B Bill Gamboa was better-than-advertised early, then worse-than-average late, so which one do we get this year; can C Jamie Collins finally show that trading away Mike Covington was worth it. On the mound, you've got: were Matt Waugh's spring training struggles just a phase; will rookie Curt Christensen earn his stripes; is having 4 LHP in the rotation a good thing; will the new bullpen do better than their 2056 counterparts. As for that last one: given that last year's pen was dead last in ERA for at least the first couple months of the season, I sure hope so... Attached Images __________________ Introducing Your Hawaii Islanders!

09-10-2022, 09:59 AM	#477
Bub13 All Star Reserve Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Maine Posts: 748	Opening day and april 2057 The twenty-fourth season of Hawaii Islanders baseball kicks off now! April sees us playing 27 games: 12 at home, 15 on the road. We'll play road series against our top competitors, Texas and Detroit, as well as a roadie against the up-and-coming Brewers. April 2-4 vs SEATTLE Winners of 72 games a year ago, the Mariners haven't had a winning season since '49 and last made the playoffs the year before that. The usual trio of Ger van Mourik, Paul Stough, and Jon Terrell shore up the middle of the lineup, and leadoff 2B Dan Bruno is capable of .290 with 25+ HR. But there isn't much after that, especially with CF Rogelio Pena out for 2 weeks and new 3B Sean Friedman for six months. They did add SS Jesse Ryder from Cleveland, but he's a defense-first guy who'll probably hit .240. The rotation is largely the same, with MR Paul Boyd now occupying the #5 slot. But I think their #3 prospect John Knipp will be there soon (and should be there now, fwiw), once he gets some more games in relief under his belt. They also added a few RP, including re-signing Marco Mendez, last seen destroying our bullpen after we traded for him in the '56 off-season. If he's recovered from whatever happened to him here, he'll be a better closer than Jimmy Unangst, now in a setup role. Manager Dwayne Cloninger starts his seventh year, GM Matthew Marry his second. MLB says they'll struggle, winning only 71 games. Owner Adam Yamauchi says he's "content" right now, but that may not last... HAW pitchers: LH Matt Waugh (20-7, 2.77) / RH Josh Irvin (15-9, 3.38) / LH John Loeb (19-6, 3.16) SEA pitchers: RH Vince Push (10-17, 5.16) / RH Danny Diaz (11-12, 4.65) / RH Mike Bader (16-13, 4.24) #1: WIN 5-1 ... Waugh is back, with 8 IP of 5-hit ball, fanning 8...9 H for us, 2 each for Villalpando and Collins...2-run triple for Simmons #2: WIN 1-0 ... PERFECT GAME! Irvin fans 8 and rides Medici's 3rd inning solo HR, for the first Perfecto in franchise history! #3: WIN 4-2 ... Collins knocks a 2-run HR in the 11th for the win...2 doubles and a single for Villalpando...we record 16 strikeouts I guess that's a good start? A sweep and a perfect game. That's the tenth perfect game in this dynasty, and the third no-hit game by a Hawaii pitcher. Ken Clark tossed the first back in '37, and Ryuma Sato got his in '44.... Waugh and Loeb shook off their spring training rust, and Villalpando (he needs a short nickname) made a ton of contact, going 5-for-11.... ELSEWHERE: Six teams sweep their opening day series, including top AL squads in Texas, Detroit, and Miami.... 4 HR for MIL's Ricky Ayala, already closing in on the 58 predicted for him by MLB.... Lance Powell finished his 22-year career with 609 HR, leaving Tampa star Jose Tavares (560) as the active leader. Free agent Victor Sanchez (554) is next, followed by Ryan Walton (WAS, 531) and Chris Goldthwait (NOZ, 521).... On the hit parade, Andrew Taylor leads actives with 2865, but is currently toiling in AAA Albuquerque. He's good enough to still play in the bigs, and must be pissed that he's getting held back from reaching 3000. April 5-7 @ HOUSTON Predicted by MLB to win 75 games, which would be good enough for third place in a mostly-moribund division. They did nothing to help an offense that struggled for much of last year, adding only the all-glove-no-hit Bubba Gillmore at short. (Although injured John Capps may replace him, as he's a decent fielder and a much better--if still not really good--hitter.) The rotation should be better, with #1 Winton Jones returning from an injury that held him to 21 starts last season, and adding veteran Josh Haynam from Toronto. They only added one reliever, but still remade things from within by giving three prospects roles in the opening day bullpen. And all of those guys could (should?) start. The problem here isn't just a lack of talent: it's a lack of drive to improve things. Owner Jim Crane has kept the budget to a 34th-ranked $138M, and a 35th-ranked salary total of $86.5M. There's a big market here and over $31M to spend on free agents, even now. So...why haven't they? They haven't been bad enough to get top five draft picks recently, nor have they shown any real improvement over than a couple of single-season blips in '48 and '53. Long-time Cuban star Alejandro Garcia is the manager, in his fourth year, but he hasn't been given much to work with yet. HAW pitchers: LH Curt Christensen (debut) / LH Daniel Croft (15-12, 4.28) / LH Matt Waugh ('57: 1-0, 1.12) HOU pitchers: RH Jason Knight (9-14, 4.79) / RH Josh Haynam (13-9, 3.79) / RH Winton Jones ('57: 0-1, 16.88) #4: LOSS 5-6 ... 3 HR for each team, and we outhit them 12-9...3 H and first career HR for Villalpando...Chritensen struggles in his debut tho #5: LOSS 1-5 ... 7 hits, Reynolds' solo HR our only run...Croft is flat and pulled in the second after allowing all five runs...Shinnick goes 6, zero runs #6: WIN 3-1 ... Villa' goes deep again, and Waugh is solid over 8 IP, but only fans 3 Saved face with that last game, putting us at 4-2 and a game behind Texas, and tied with California.... It's only six games, but Villalpando has been lights-out, with Collins and Medici also hitting well. No one else is doing much yet, however, and a few guys have left their bats at our spring camp apparently.... Shinnick fanned 7 and allowed only 3 hits in his 6 innings of relief work for Croft. Interesting.... ELSEWHERE: Washington is the last undefeated team, while Montreal and Portland are the only winless squads.... Six games, six home runs for MIL's Ricky Ayala. Can he hit 162? Stay tuned.... Now for some pitching career leaders: a raft of retirements the last few years has cleared out a bunch of long-timers, leaving PHI's Conor MacLeod the active K leader with 2857 to start the season. STL's Alberto Reyes has 2847, and Austin's Emanuel Vasquez 2846. Pitchers don't throw as much or stick around for wins like the old days, so it's no surprise that no actives have 200 wins, although Richmond's Chris Larimer is right there with 199; Reyes has 192. April 8-10 vs BOSTON Off to a 1-5 start, last year's 84-win team is slated by MLB to become this year's 67-win team. They added 1B Jason Anderson from TOR and C Dan Morra from LA, who should be nice complements to OF Dustin Wasilewski and Ty Knott, along with ageless vet 2B Cortez Ortiz. But there's not a lot of explosiveness behind those guys. On paper they've got a solid rotation, but #1 Yuya Watabe is out until August, and solid mid-rotation guys Matt Postlewait and rookie Angelo Luna are also out until mid-summer. But they've still got solid vets Dave Yocum, Art Garner, and Chris James, while vet Jon Jones and rookie C.J. Freestone are more than capable. The pen looks in capable hands with Luis Garcia, Dusty Browning, and Elijah Jelks. I'm not sure how MLB sees them only winning 67 games? Is the offense really that shallow? There are some kids who are still growing and are in crucial lineup slots, but does MLB discount them that much? Anyway, despite their slow start, I think this is a better team that they're credited for. Manager Ryan Day is in his fifth season and has yet to finish under .500. HAW pitchers: RH Josh Irvin (1-0, 0.00) / LH John Loeb (0-0, 1.35) / LH Curt Christensen (0-1, 7.94) BOS pitchers: RH Dave Yocum (0-1, 7.50) / RH Art Garner (0-1, 10.12) / RH Chris James (0-1, 3.38) #7: LOSS 0-3 ... only 4 hits, all singles...Irvin gives up 12 hits, but is okay otherwise #8: LOSS 5-6 ... we finally hit, but get no pitching...all our runs come late, as we at least try to come back #9: LOSS 5-7 ... terrible again...three late runs make this look more respectable than it was The era of good feelings from that first series is officially over. Last year's bugaboo--where is the offense?--is back again, with a vengeance. Yes, it's only nine games, but we're next-to-last in runs and out of the top ten in most offensive category.... Beau Collins comes in for the .091-hitting Hassell and pops two home runs. Hassell does get two pinch hits, trying to redeem himself already.... Gonna need some wholesale lineup shifting very soon here.... Maybe Christensen isn't quite ready yet, after another bad start. He'll get one or two more before we make a move.... ELSEWHERE: WAS and PHI are 8-1, BKN is 1-8.... LA is 3-6, so we're not the only team predicted to fluorish that's struggling right now.... Since we can't hit, let's check in on our old buddy Joe Lynn, now with Miami: .447 with 6 SB. Okay, bad idea. How about Doug Pederson (.324) and Jose Rivera (3.18 ERA) in Arizona? Yeah, I better stop. April 12-14 @ DETROIT Oh goody, just what a slumping team needs, a trip to the defending champs. The Tigers are 6-3, with just a 12th-ranked offense (and only 5 home runs!) but the league's best pitching. No surprise that these guys didn't change much to the lineup, adding only C Juan Espinoza from Richmond. But like us, they haven't gotten on track yet, with only three regulars batting over .275. The veteran staff (only one SP is under 30) has been great so far, however, and four of their RP have yet to surrender a run. It's also worth noting that always-injured OF Roberto Gomez has been 100% healthy nine games into the season. Better give him ALL the lucky charms, Tiger fans. Manager Tyler Macklin is in his fifth season, and has never missed the playoffs. This franchise's long run of success finally paid off with a long-overdue championship title last fall. Now it's our turn to knock them off that perch. HAW pitchers: LH Daniel Croft (0-1, 27.00) / LH Matt Waugh (2-0, 1.12) / RH Josh Irvin (1-1, 1.06) DET pitchers: RH Chris Liles (1-0, 2.25) / RH Jose Hernandez (2-0, 1.59) / RH Tony Gamez (1-1, 4.91) #10: WIN 4-1 ... only 6 hits, but Calderin and Villalpando go deep, and Croft is miles better than his first outing, lasting 8 IP #11: WIN 4-0 ... 3 more HR, and 10 hits total including 3 from Beau Collins...Waugh tosses a 2-hitter #12: LOSS 1-4 ... only outhit 6-5, but add in 10 K and zero BB, and we're just not getting on base enough...Irvin with a CG for some reason Better, but: still next-to-last in runs, 15th in AVG, 14th in OBP. Fewest runs allowed, however, so at least that's going for us.... Beau Collins now has five MLB hits, three have left the yard.... Simmons sat a game after getting hit on the wrist by a pitch. He's batting .162 so far, while Bill Gamboa is hitting a near-mirror .167.... At this rate, Villalpando--hitting .395/.435/.674--will either be hitting leadoff or cleanup in another week.... Nice 8-1 start to their season for Eureka (A).... ELSEWHERE: Nine wins out of ten for Philadelphia, topping MLB (with NOZ) at 10-2. Brooklyn still trails everyone at 2-10.... Zephyrs RF Manny Leos had a 22-game hitting streak end just now.... A sharp 7-1 start for Texas has stalled with four straight losses.... Three starts, 34 K for new Phillies ace Conor MacLeod. Zephs star Jeffrey Foley is just behind him, with 31. ...... TL;DR Version: Great start but after that, a whole lot of meh. Good to take two from the hot Tigers just now, but we've really got to get our bats in order, and soon. The offensive numbers are not pretty: 17th in runs, 15th in AVG, 14th in OBP. Seventh in HR, which is an improvement from recent years, but it hasn't boosted the rest of the offense. At least our pitchers have been solid, leading the AL in runs allowed and 2nd in both rotation and bullpen ERA. So 12 games in, and the early returns on my pre-season "issues" watch list: UP - Matt Waugh has been great; the bullpen is money; rookie Villalpando is looking like a winner. DOWN - JJ Simmons is hitting .162, Bill Gamboa .167, Kevin Reynolds .238, and Jules Medici .256; Curt Christensen has looked supremely unready for MLB action with a 9.53 ERA. My favorite stats so far? Rookie Beau Collins has five hits: a single, a triple, and three home runs. __________________ Introducing Your Hawaii Islanders!

12-15-2022, 04:19 AM	#478
paul.m.w. Major Leagues Join Date: Feb 2014 Posts: 417	Villapando’s nickname could be…Vi Pan’! Just catching up on your summaries. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk __________________ Using Tapatalk

04-04-2023, 08:00 PM	#479
Bub13 All Star Reserve Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Maine Posts: 748	Hey, I'm not dead! Nor is this thread! I'm going to update the story shortly, with a recap of the 2057 season. Let's just say it was quite a roller coaster... After taking quite a long break from the game, I got back into it recently and just played through the season without writing anything about it. If I keep this thread going after the '57 recap, I'll likely switch to month-to-month updates, as I just don't have the energy or will to write weekly updates like I used to. __________________ Introducing Your Hawaii Islanders!

04-05-2023, 02:32 AM	#480
Palaaemon Minors (Triple A) Join Date: Jan 2013 Posts: 263	Welcome back Bub! It's good to see you. Do what you can man, totally understandable if you go to monthly updates. Good to have you back! __________________ I don't have to run faster than the bear, just faster than you.