The Joey McKinley Saga Continues - Page 2

Kelric · 07-09-2002, 10:39 PM

Nice, at least he made it. Thanks.

joshuaaaaaa · 07-11-2002, 11:24 AM

WOW! What an amazing 2021 Joey had. It started off slow, with Joey hitting only .313 with 5 HR and 12 RBI in April. However, as soon as the calender turned to May, Joey started to explode. In May, he hit .452 with 12 HR and 24 RBI. He surpassed that in June, hitting .479 with 11 HR and 28 RBI! By comparison, July, with a .337 average, 5 HR and 18 RBI was a bad month. However, Joey rebounded in August to .402/4/17. Then, in September (and 3 games in October), Joey put together one of the greatest months ever. He hit an amazing .460 with 6 HR and 27 RBI, and an OPS of 1.233. This allowed him to be the first player ever in my sims to finish above .400, with an unbelievable season of .409/44/126! His OBP for the year was .516 and his OPS was 1.198. All this in the year he turned 35!

The only down note on the season was the post-season, where Joey's Rangers lost in the ALCS, 4 games to 1. Joey only hit .289 in the post-season. Ironically, his post-season OBP, a respectable .400, was less than his regular season average.

Not surprisingly, Joey was the MVP of the American League, his eighth MVP award. He stole 24 bases this year, a career high.

Ricardo Casella sometimes seems like an afterthought to Joey's accomplishments, but his .294/61/153 year was nothing to be sneezed at. And he did it in 147 games due to a back injury in June. He did crack his 400th homerun of his career. He also passed 1,000 runs and RBIs. Casella's eye is still amazing, as he's struck out less than 300 times in his career (basically, about once every five games).

The Devil Rays finished at 80-82, very disappointing. Budget considerations prevented me from getting much in the way of free agents, and some of the returning players did not perform well. Many veterans were traded away at the deadline, and 2022 will be a new year. The team still seems a year or two from being really good, though.

Now, here's Joey from 2021 and his career numbers, and Casella's 2021 and his career numbers.



        2021    Career   Casella    Career

G        159     2,226       147     1,470

AB       591     8,174       541     5,247

H        242     2,858       159     1,629

2B        17       262         7       176

3B         6        67         0         0

HR        44       596        61       408

RBI      126     1,692       153     1,116

R        136     1,804       119     1,068

K        132     1,921        33       293

BB       124     1,587        91       861

SB        24       191         7        54

CS        17        95         0        23

AVG     .409      .350      .294      .310

OBP     .516      .455      .408      .408

SLG     .682      .617      .645      .577

McKinley is 35 now, turning 36 in July, 2022 and was resigned by Texas to four more years at $11,173,100. So, that will keep him with the Rangers until he's 39. Its getting close to the time when OOTP puts in the aging curve. It will be interesting to see when this starts to affect Joey. Projecting 2 more productive seasons, Joey would end his career with about 3,250 hits and 670 HR. If he makes it to age 40 being productive, figure 3,800 hits and 725 HR.

Casella is 32, turning 33 in the off season, and at this point figures to have about 625 HR and 2,500 hits if he plays until 37 and 750 HR and 3,000 hits if he plays until 40. His $8,550,000 contract is up after 2022 and it will be interesting to see if the Yankees resign him or let him go in free agency. I know I'd open the pocketbooks if I could afford it.

I was looking back at the original Joey McKinley thread, Triple Crown Winner, where I gave Joey's ratings as of 2014, which were B/F/A/B/B/A and 8/3/4/11/8/4 overall, 7/3/4/10/8/5 vs. LHP and 9/3/4/11/9/3 vs. RHP. His defense was B/.967 at 3B and his offensive ratings were D/C/E/E/Normal. This was back when Joey was 28 years old. Now, at the ripe old age of 35, his ratings are still B/F/A/B/B/A, however numerically they are 9/2/4/11/8/4, with 8/2/4/11/8/5 vs. LHP and 10/3/4/11/9/3 vs. RHP. His defense is now A/.967 and his offensive ratings are C/B/E/E/Normal.

So, he's improved his hitting from 8 to 9 (7 to 8 vs. LHP, 9 to 10 vs. RHP), hits less doubles, dropping from 3 to 2 (although still a 3 vs. RHP) and hits more homeruns vs. lefties (10 to 11). He's an even better defender (B to A), and a better baserunner (D/C to C/B). What an amazing player....and, most importantly, generated by the CPU!

Kelric · 07-11-2002, 06:39 PM

That guy is amazing. When he retires you've got to let us know how many career stats he leads in. Hopefully he's got another 5 or 6 years in him.

Fred · 07-13-2002, 11:16 PM

okay i have a guy who is better than him in his first 6 years of good production. but don't know how to put up his career stats i don't get the img thing.

joshuaaaaaa · 07-17-2002, 01:16 AM

What do you do to top off a season where you hit .409? Well, if you're Joey McKinley, you win your 9th MVP award, and 4th consecutive award even though you missed the last week and a half of the season with an injury. Oh yeah, and you steal 30 bases for the first time in your career, at age 36!

Next year will be interesting for Joey, as he turns 37 on July 20, and OOTP may begin declining his stats. Of course, with a 9 in batting and 11 in homeruns, he will probably stay effective for a few years.

Ricardo Casella suffered through an injury plagued year, only appearing in 133 games, however he still posted an impressive .306/46/114 in those games (which projects to .306/55/137 in 160 games). He was resigned by the Yankees to a 4 year, $10 million/year deal.

The Devil Rays improved slightly to 82-80, still a bit disappointing. However, I've got about $6 million to spend on free agents and keep within budget, so hopefully 2023 will bring a better season. Fan loyalty has slipped from a high of 80 to a current 56, so a ticket price decrease is in order. With a payroll in the $50 million range, and broadcast revenue of $29.5 million, ticket revenue is not my top concern.

Now, here's Joey from 2022 and his career numbers, and Casella's 2022 and his career numbers.



        2022    Career   Casella    Career

G        151     2,377       133     1,603

AB       582     8,756       496     5,743

H        218     3,076       152     1,781

2B        21       283        16       192

3B         6        73         0         0

HR        43       639        46       454

RBI      128     1,820       114     1,230

R        119     1,923       109     1,177

K        166     2,087        34       327

BB       100     1,687        87       948

SB        32       223         5        59

CS        12       107         2        25

AVG     .375      .351      .306      .310

OBP     .474      .456      .421      .408

SLG     .653      .619      .617      .581

Joey got his 600th homerun and 3,000th hit this year, also his 2,000th strikeout. In 2023, he'll be looking forward to his 300th double, 650th homerun, 2000th run, and maybe even his 250th stolen base. I now expect him to be able to play effectively until at least age 39, which would put him at about 3,600 hits, 725 homeruns, and 2,150 RBIs. Unless his decline is total, he may last until about 41, with about 3,800 hits, 775 homeruns and 2,400 RBIs. He should also pass 2,000 walks. What an amazing player!

Casella is 33 now and will turn 34 in the off season, and at this point figures to have about 650 HR and 2,500 hits if he plays until 37 and 775 HR and 3,000 hits if he plays until 40. So, overall McKinley's career will be well superior to Casella's, although both are certain hall-of-famers. One thing in which Casella will be clearly superior to McKinley is his eye. McKinley has roughly 1.25 K/BB, while Casella has almost 3 BB/K.

NYJuggalo45 · 07-17-2002, 03:10 PM

Dude, I must saw, this is one of the most interesting posts i've read in awhile. Just fun to follow the career of this guy, who isn't even in my own league. Great job

joshuaaaaaa · 07-19-2002, 01:13 AM

2023 was an interesting year for Joey. By anyone's standards but his own, it was an amazing year, as Joey went .343/36/134. The .343 was Joey's lowest average since 2018, and the 36 homeruns was the lowest since 2010, when he hit 26. Yet the 134 RBIs was his highest since 2015 when he had 135. In fact, Joey has exceeded 134 RBIs only 3 times in his career. Somewhere along the line, Joey became a speed demon, stealing an amazing 51 bases at ages 36 and 37. He was a 30/30 man for the second time in his career. And, Joey led the league in majors in runs scored with 148, a total he has exceeded only once (151 in 2020).

Joey turned 37 late in the year, and his ratings have begun their slow, inevitable decline. By the end of the year, he was a 9/2/2/10/8/3. My guess is Joey has only 2-3 more solid seasons left before he's basically done.

Ricardo Casella was healthy this year, and posted one of his best seasons ever at .343/46/131. His 46th homerun of the season put him at 500 for his career and ensured his hall of fame induction.

The Devil Rays finished at 82-80 again, somewhat disappointing, however moves to continue to reduce payroll and bring in young talent have continued, and I think the team is on the verge of a breakout. I should have close to $10 million available for free agents in 2024 and am looking to add a true #1 starter, even if I have to shell out $8 million or so. Fan interest has slipped all the way back to 50, so putting together a solid season is becoming critical.

Now, here's Joey from 2023 and his career numbers, and Casella's 2023 and his career numbers.



        2023    Career   Casella    Career

G        160     2,537       161     1,764

AB       606     9,362       581     6,324

H        208     3,284       199     1,980

2B        14       297        23       215

3B         2        75         0         0

HR        36       675        46       500

RBI      134     1,954       131     1,361

R        148     2,071       126     1,303

K        158     2,245        28       355

BB       112     1,799       101     1,049

SB        51       274         8        67

CS        10       117         4        29

AVG     .343      .351      .343      .313

OBP     .456      .455      .449      .411

SLG     .551      .615      .620      .584

Joey should reach 700 homeruns in 2024, and also collect his 2000th RBI and possibly his 3,500th hit. Since his decline has begun, I'm not going to project any career totals. We'll see where it goes over the next several seasons.

Casella is 34 now and will turn 35 in the off season, and as with Joey, I'm not going to project career totals anymore, I'm just going to watch and see. One prediction I think I can safely make without going out on a limb is that he'll get to 2,000 hits in 2024.

joshuaaaaaa · 08-01-2002, 12:13 AM

For fans of Joey McKinley, 2024 was an interesting year. He won the AL batting crown with a .351 mark, however the decline in his skills was obvious and significant. Joey hit .352 in April and .459 in May, and he looked like the Joey of old. He dipped to .280 in June, and the murmurs that he was fading fast began. Yet he rebounded with a .448 July average and suddenly, everyone was back on his bandwagon. Alas, it seemed that June was more accurate of Joey than July. In August he slumped to .300, and in September to a mere .278. At 38, Joey's skills are definitely declining, and next year he'll merely be a good player, and by the end of the year, he'll probably be through.

At the end of 2023, he was a 9/2/2/10/8/3. By the end of 2024, this had dropped to 8/1/0/7/7/2. Still very good, just not the Joey we remember.

Ricardo Casella had an amazing year that earned him an MVP award. He was 2nd in average, 1st in HR and 3rd in RBI with a .349/57/136 year.

The Devil Rays signed an ace starter, and paced the American League with a 103-59 record. They had a tough division series against McKinley's 80-82 Rangers, blew by the Twins in five in the ALCS, and lost a tough 7 game World Series to the 104 win Marlins in the 13th inning. This season is going to close out my tenure with the D-Rays, who are now one of the better franchises in the American League. I'm going to go into the National League next, taking over the Mets, who won a mere 46 games last year, and who have not had a winning season since 2010 (they were 81-81 in 2013).

Now, here's Joey from 2024 and his career numbers, and Casella's 2024 and his career numbers.



        2024    Career   Casella    Career

G        158     2,695       160     1,924

AB       593     9,955       561     6,885

H        208     3,492       196     2,176

2B        16       313        17       232

3B         0        75         0         0

HR        27       702        57       557

RBI       97     2,051       136     1,497

R        109     2,180       118     1,421

K        202     2,447        43       398

BB        92     1,891       128     1,177

SB        33       307        15        82

CS        10       127         7        36

AVG     .351      .351      .349      .316

OBP     .441      .454      .482      .416

SLG     .514      .609      .684      .592

So, now it looks like Joey won't be the all-time HR leader, and depending on how fast he continues to decline, may not even beat out the Babe. He's still the greatest player I've seen in my league.

Casella is 35 now and will turn 36 in the off season, and while I'll never have the affection for him I developed for Joey, I'm enjoying watching his hall of fame career.

After Joey retires, I'll follow Casella's career to the end, and then pick some youngster to keep you updated on the league, although I'm sure it will be in a new thread.

gbmoore121 · 08-01-2002, 12:27 AM

I wan wondering where Joey's been. Maybe we'l get one more big year!

joshuaaaaaa · 08-01-2002, 12:54 AM

I've been very busy recently, and with TB in the playoffs, I wanted to play out every game, and they played in 17 of a possible 19 post-season games.

The Mets will be a HUGE challenge. They have a current fan interest of 15, an Average market and Fair loyalty, and even at $43 million of payroll are likely to lose money. They have an ace pitcher making $9 million plus per year, and since I'm not going to compete this year or next, I'm going to attempt to trade him for prospects and to lower salary.

joshuaaaaaa · 08-01-2002, 11:45 AM

Well, I've found the player I'm going to track. His name is Darren LeFlore, and he was originally the 1st overall pick in 2022 by Oakland. He was traded from Oakland to Boston in July, 2022 and made his major league debut with Boston in 2023, hitting .250 in 24 at bats. He played regularly for the Boson in 2024, hitting .260 with 10 HR and 59 RBI in 450 AB. He was traded to the Mets before the 2025 season along with 2 minor prospects for an excellent catching prospect. The Mets actually had some depth at catcher, so I figured I couldn't afford to pass up a deal for this player.

Leflore is a RF/LF, stronger in RF, although currently playing LF because I had just signed a good FA rightfielder. As mentioned in an earlier post, I traded off the Mets ace pitcher and their very good, although older, closer, and have cut the payroll to about 35 million. I expect them to have a better 2025 than 2024, however they aren't going to be a good team for a while.

Back to Leflore...He's now 22 years old, turning 23 in April. He is a D/.975 in LF and a C/.996 in RF with a B arm (obviously I'm going to want to move him back to RF at some point). No speed, a D running with E stealing, and not a bunter (E/D). He's not a team leader, has a "sometimes" in "needs winning team", has average loyalty, and is normal in clutch, consistency and injury.

His talent ratings are Brilliant/Average/Fair/Brilliant/Brilliant/Average and his current ratings are 8/4/2/5/5/4. His power hasn't totally developed yet, and I expect it to be increasing regularly.

The guy I traded to get him was Mark Avila, a 23 year old (turning 24 in May) catching prospect, ready for the majors. Avila was a 2nd overall pick in 2020 by the Mets. He's an A/.982/PB 3/Arm D catcher, with poor speed (D/C) and no bunting (E/E). Average loyalty, plays hard everywhere, not a team leader, normal clutch and injury, inconsistent at times. His talent is Average/Good/Fair/Brilliant/Good/Fair and his ratings are 4/6/2/8/6/3. In 4 years with the Mets (2 cups of coffee, 1 year with 326 AB, one with 488 AB), he has a .250 career average with 35 HR in 811 AB. His career will also be watched.

I'll cover these guys in a separate thread.

joshuaaaaaa · 08-04-2002, 02:48 PM

For a guy who is 39 years old, 2025 was not a bad year for Joey, as he went 289/14/71. For those who have followed his career, the only question now is "When will he retire?" Joey was too careful at age 39, running many counts to 3-2. 71 times he worked walks out of those counts, however in many more cases he watched strike 3 go by, or would swing at a marginal pitch. In all, he struck out 221 times. The highlight of the year for Joey was the playoffs, where he picked up another World Series ring, leading the 84-78 Rangers to victory with a .365 average, 3 HR and 11 RBI in 15 games.

At the end of 2023, he was a 9/2/2/10/8/3. By the end of 2024, this had dropped to 8/1/0/7/7/2. Now, at the end of 2025, he has declined to 6/1/0/2/4/1. At the end of his career, Joey is becoming a free-swinging singles hitter. However, the Rangers still believed in him enough to sign him to a 2 year, $2,234,400 per year extension.

Ricardo Casella suffered through an injury plagued year, appearing in only 124 games. He still managed 31 HR and 82 RBI, however these were his lowest output numbers since his first full-time year in 2013. Next year is a contract year for Ricardo, so we'll see if he steps it up. While his 53 strikeouts in the year is by no means a high total, it is the most strikeouts he's had in a year in his entire career.

This was my first year managing the Mets, and my first experience with a truly bad team. I dumped a lot of salary, although with no cash, the team was very limited on free agent signings, and could not have promotion days. By the end of the year, fan interest had slipped from 15/100 to 12/100. However, I did post a $6.3 million profit, and with several contracts expiring this year, I will be able to help improve the team through both the draft and free agency. I led the team to a wonderful 51-111 record, which was 5 games better than the year before, an it earned me a season score of "3", by far the lowest I've seen.

As mentioned in an earlier post, I'm going to now also follow the career of rising superstar Darren LeFlore. 2025 was a breakout year for LeFlore, as he led the National League with a .360 average. He also posted career highs in homeruns and RBIs, despite missing 15 games with injuries. At the end of 2025, LeFlore was a B/A/F/B/B/A with ratings of 8/4/2/6/6/4.

Now, here's Joey from 2025 and his career numbers, and Casella's 2025 and his career numbers, and new addition Darren LeFlore.



        2025    Career   Casella    Career   LeFlore    Career

G        158     2,853       124     2,048       147       284

AB       616    10,571       454     7,339       564     1,038

H        178     3,670       135     2,311       203       326

2B         9       322        16       248        32        57

3B         0        75         0         0         1         3

HR        14       716        31       588        17        27

RBI       71     2,122        82     1,579        78       138

R        107     2,287        80     1,501        79       134

K        221     2,668        53       451       122       237

BB        71     1,962        67     1,244        53        98

SB         7       314         6        88         3         5

CS         5       132         4        40         1         1

AVG     .289      .347      .297      .315      .360      .314

OBP     .369      .449      .387      .414      .415      .373

SLG     .372      .595      .537      .589      .511      .453

Joey has caught and passed the Babe in homeruns, however he's looking up at teammate Andrew Flores (with 720) and past him Juan Gonzalez with 740, and it seems unlikely he'll catch either. He's only 25 RBI behind A-Rod for 2nd all-time, so he may take over that spot. He did take over 1st in career runs, passing Rickey Henderson who is in 2nd with 2248.

Casella is 36 now and will turn 37 in the off season, so we'll see if his decline starts. Even if he goes into serious decline, he should hit homerun number 600 next year, and get his 2,500th hit in 2027.

My review of 2025 would not be complete without mentioning Andrew Flores, who surged past Joey in homeruns, and Cordell Joubert, Boston's amazing ageless first baseman. Flores is 37, not turning 38 until September, 2026, and has caught for Texas for the last 7 years of his so-far 17 year career. He has not been mentioned before because he has been overshadowed by Joey, and because he's only a .265 career hitter, who had never hit more than 56 HR in a season. However, at 37 his ratings remain 6/6/4/14/1/2, so I'd guess he has at least one more slugging season in him. With 720 HR now, he seems poised to move past Gonzalez at 740 and to threaten Aaron's 755 and A-Rod's 764. Whether he can catch Sosa at 784 will depend on how long he plays. He should also pick up his 2,500th hit and 2,000th RBI in 2026.

Joubert turned 40 in July, which did not stop him from having an amazing season. Joubert was hitting over .400 until September 22, and finished the season leading the American League at .387 (hitting .318 in August and .320 in September/October doomed him). Joubert made himself a hall-of-famer in 2025. While he had 2,500 hits, his career average was only in the .290 range. However, his amazing season raised his career average to .301, ensuring his induction. Plus, at age 40 his ratings are still 8/4/2/10/6/6, so there's no guarantee he almost certainly has another couple of solid years in him. He's got 2,811 hits now, so should pass 3,000, and 482 homeruns, so 500 is easily in reach.

The New Challenge League continues to be a lot of fun, and I'm ready to head for a new season of improvement with the Mets.

Edit: Joey's OBP in 2025 was .369, not .469

fantom1979 · 08-05-2002, 04:17 PM

Keep up the updates.. this is great Josh.. how great would it be if we could get one more great year out of Joey

joshuaaaaaa · 08-05-2002, 04:31 PM

He was relegated to backup and is currently in AAA. I think he has gone 2 for 10 so far this year. His average rating is still around 6 or 7, however all his other ratings are in the 0/1 category except walks, which is 3 or 4....this year appears to be the end for Joey.

fantom1979 · 08-05-2002, 04:34 PM

Kezzek · 08-05-2002, 06:44 PM

*salutes Joey Mac*

joshuaaaaaa · 08-06-2002, 06:05 PM

The Rangers released Joey on June 29, 2026...it remains to be seen if someone else will give him a final shot...

fantom1979 · 08-07-2002, 05:14 AM

RIP Joey.. its been fun

joshuaaaaaa · 08-07-2002, 10:47 AM

BTW, I never posted an image of Joey, so here he is. I use Killebrew's fictional player facepacks in my league.

Kezzek · 08-07-2002, 11:29 AM

Clearly it was the sideburns.

07-11-2002, 11:24 AM	#22
joshuaaaaaa All Star Reserve Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Las Vegas, NV Posts: 633	WOW! What an amazing 2021 Joey had. It started off slow, with Joey hitting only .313 with 5 HR and 12 RBI in April. However, as soon as the calender turned to May, Joey started to explode. In May, he hit .452 with 12 HR and 24 RBI. He surpassed that in June, hitting .479 with 11 HR and 28 RBI! By comparison, July, with a .337 average, 5 HR and 18 RBI was a bad month. However, Joey rebounded in August to .402/4/17. Then, in September (and 3 games in October), Joey put together one of the greatest months ever. He hit an amazing .460 with 6 HR and 27 RBI, and an OPS of 1.233. This allowed him to be the first player ever in my sims to finish above .400, with an unbelievable season of .409/44/126! His OBP for the year was .516 and his OPS was 1.198. All this in the year he turned 35! The only down note on the season was the post-season, where Joey's Rangers lost in the ALCS, 4 games to 1. Joey only hit .289 in the post-season. Ironically, his post-season OBP, a respectable .400, was less than his regular season average. Not surprisingly, Joey was the MVP of the American League, his eighth MVP award. He stole 24 bases this year, a career high. Ricardo Casella sometimes seems like an afterthought to Joey's accomplishments, but his .294/61/153 year was nothing to be sneezed at. And he did it in 147 games due to a back injury in June. He did crack his 400th homerun of his career. He also passed 1,000 runs and RBIs. Casella's eye is still amazing, as he's struck out less than 300 times in his career (basically, about once every five games). The Devil Rays finished at 80-82, very disappointing. Budget considerations prevented me from getting much in the way of free agents, and some of the returning players did not perform well. Many veterans were traded away at the deadline, and 2022 will be a new year. The team still seems a year or two from being really good, though. Now, here's Joey from 2021 and his career numbers, and Casella's 2021 and his career numbers. 2021 Career Casella Career G 159 2,226 147 1,470 AB 591 8,174 541 5,247 H 242 2,858 159 1,629 2B 17 262 7 176 3B 6 67 0 0 HR 44 596 61 408 RBI 126 1,692 153 1,116 R 136 1,804 119 1,068 K 132 1,921 33 293 BB 124 1,587 91 861 SB 24 191 7 54 CS 17 95 0 23 AVG .409 .350 .294 .310 OBP .516 .455 .408 .408 SLG .682 .617 .645 .577 McKinley is 35 now, turning 36 in July, 2022 and was resigned by Texas to four more years at $11,173,100. So, that will keep him with the Rangers until he's 39. Its getting close to the time when OOTP puts in the aging curve. It will be interesting to see when this starts to affect Joey. Projecting 2 more productive seasons, Joey would end his career with about 3,250 hits and 670 HR. If he makes it to age 40 being productive, figure 3,800 hits and 725 HR. Casella is 32, turning 33 in the off season, and at this point figures to have about 625 HR and 2,500 hits if he plays until 37 and 750 HR and 3,000 hits if he plays until 40. His $8,550,000 contract is up after 2022 and it will be interesting to see if the Yankees resign him or let him go in free agency. I know I'd open the pocketbooks if I could afford it. I was looking back at the original Joey McKinley thread, Triple Crown Winner, where I gave Joey's ratings as of 2014, which were B/F/A/B/B/A and 8/3/4/11/8/4 overall, 7/3/4/10/8/5 vs. LHP and 9/3/4/11/9/3 vs. RHP. His defense was B/.967 at 3B and his offensive ratings were D/C/E/E/Normal. This was back when Joey was 28 years old. Now, at the ripe old age of 35, his ratings are still B/F/A/B/B/A, however numerically they are 9/2/4/11/8/4, with 8/2/4/11/8/5 vs. LHP and 10/3/4/11/9/3 vs. RHP. His defense is now A/.967 and his offensive ratings are C/B/E/E/Normal. So, he's improved his hitting from 8 to 9 (7 to 8 vs. LHP, 9 to 10 vs. RHP), hits less doubles, dropping from 3 to 2 (although still a 3 vs. RHP) and hits more homeruns vs. lefties (10 to 11). He's an even better defender (B to A), and a better baserunner (D/C to C/B). What an amazing player....and, most importantly, generated by the CPU! __________________ Baltimore Monarchs-GUBA Baltimore Orioles-ORB2 "One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his great surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn't do." ~Henry Ford ~

07-17-2002, 01:16 AM	#25
joshuaaaaaa All Star Reserve Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Las Vegas, NV Posts: 633	What do you do to top off a season where you hit .409? Well, if you're Joey McKinley, you win your 9th MVP award, and 4th consecutive award even though you missed the last week and a half of the season with an injury. Oh yeah, and you steal 30 bases for the first time in your career, at age 36! Next year will be interesting for Joey, as he turns 37 on July 20, and OOTP may begin declining his stats. Of course, with a 9 in batting and 11 in homeruns, he will probably stay effective for a few years. Ricardo Casella suffered through an injury plagued year, only appearing in 133 games, however he still posted an impressive .306/46/114 in those games (which projects to .306/55/137 in 160 games). He was resigned by the Yankees to a 4 year, $10 million/year deal. The Devil Rays improved slightly to 82-80, still a bit disappointing. However, I've got about $6 million to spend on free agents and keep within budget, so hopefully 2023 will bring a better season. Fan loyalty has slipped from a high of 80 to a current 56, so a ticket price decrease is in order. With a payroll in the $50 million range, and broadcast revenue of $29.5 million, ticket revenue is not my top concern. Now, here's Joey from 2022 and his career numbers, and Casella's 2022 and his career numbers. 2022 Career Casella Career G 151 2,377 133 1,603 AB 582 8,756 496 5,743 H 218 3,076 152 1,781 2B 21 283 16 192 3B 6 73 0 0 HR 43 639 46 454 RBI 128 1,820 114 1,230 R 119 1,923 109 1,177 K 166 2,087 34 327 BB 100 1,687 87 948 SB 32 223 5 59 CS 12 107 2 25 AVG .375 .351 .306 .310 OBP .474 .456 .421 .408 SLG .653 .619 .617 .581 Joey got his 600th homerun and 3,000th hit this year, also his 2,000th strikeout. In 2023, he'll be looking forward to his 300th double, 650th homerun, 2000th run, and maybe even his 250th stolen base. I now expect him to be able to play effectively until at least age 39, which would put him at about 3,600 hits, 725 homeruns, and 2,150 RBIs. Unless his decline is total, he may last until about 41, with about 3,800 hits, 775 homeruns and 2,400 RBIs. He should also pass 2,000 walks. What an amazing player! Casella is 33 now and will turn 34 in the off season, and at this point figures to have about 650 HR and 2,500 hits if he plays until 37 and 775 HR and 3,000 hits if he plays until 40. So, overall McKinley's career will be well superior to Casella's, although both are certain hall-of-famers. One thing in which Casella will be clearly superior to McKinley is his eye. McKinley has roughly 1.25 K/BB, while Casella has almost 3 BB/K. __________________ Baltimore Monarchs-GUBA Baltimore Orioles-ORB2 "One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his great surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn't do." ~Henry Ford ~

07-17-2002, 03:10 PM	#26
NYJuggalo45 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 2,045	awesome job man Dude, I must saw, this is one of the most interesting posts i've read in awhile. Just fun to follow the career of this guy, who isn't even in my own league. Great job

07-19-2002, 01:13 AM	#27
joshuaaaaaa All Star Reserve Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Las Vegas, NV Posts: 633	2023 was an interesting year for Joey. By anyone's standards but his own, it was an amazing year, as Joey went .343/36/134. The .343 was Joey's lowest average since 2018, and the 36 homeruns was the lowest since 2010, when he hit 26. Yet the 134 RBIs was his highest since 2015 when he had 135. In fact, Joey has exceeded 134 RBIs only 3 times in his career. Somewhere along the line, Joey became a speed demon, stealing an amazing 51 bases at ages 36 and 37. He was a 30/30 man for the second time in his career. And, Joey led the league in majors in runs scored with 148, a total he has exceeded only once (151 in 2020). Joey turned 37 late in the year, and his ratings have begun their slow, inevitable decline. By the end of the year, he was a 9/2/2/10/8/3. My guess is Joey has only 2-3 more solid seasons left before he's basically done. Ricardo Casella was healthy this year, and posted one of his best seasons ever at .343/46/131. His 46th homerun of the season put him at 500 for his career and ensured his hall of fame induction. The Devil Rays finished at 82-80 again, somewhat disappointing, however moves to continue to reduce payroll and bring in young talent have continued, and I think the team is on the verge of a breakout. I should have close to $10 million available for free agents in 2024 and am looking to add a true #1 starter, even if I have to shell out $8 million or so. Fan interest has slipped all the way back to 50, so putting together a solid season is becoming critical. Now, here's Joey from 2023 and his career numbers, and Casella's 2023 and his career numbers. 2023 Career Casella Career G 160 2,537 161 1,764 AB 606 9,362 581 6,324 H 208 3,284 199 1,980 2B 14 297 23 215 3B 2 75 0 0 HR 36 675 46 500 RBI 134 1,954 131 1,361 R 148 2,071 126 1,303 K 158 2,245 28 355 BB 112 1,799 101 1,049 SB 51 274 8 67 CS 10 117 4 29 AVG .343 .351 .343 .313 OBP .456 .455 .449 .411 SLG .551 .615 .620 .584 Joey should reach 700 homeruns in 2024, and also collect his 2000th RBI and possibly his 3,500th hit. Since his decline has begun, I'm not going to project any career totals. We'll see where it goes over the next several seasons. Casella is 34 now and will turn 35 in the off season, and as with Joey, I'm not going to project career totals anymore, I'm just going to watch and see. One prediction I think I can safely make without going out on a limb is that he'll get to 2,000 hits in 2024. __________________ Baltimore Monarchs-GUBA Baltimore Orioles-ORB2 "One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his great surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn't do." ~Henry Ford ~

08-01-2002, 12:13 AM	#28
joshuaaaaaa All Star Reserve Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Las Vegas, NV Posts: 633	For fans of Joey McKinley, 2024 was an interesting year. He won the AL batting crown with a .351 mark, however the decline in his skills was obvious and significant. Joey hit .352 in April and .459 in May, and he looked like the Joey of old. He dipped to .280 in June, and the murmurs that he was fading fast began. Yet he rebounded with a .448 July average and suddenly, everyone was back on his bandwagon. Alas, it seemed that June was more accurate of Joey than July. In August he slumped to .300, and in September to a mere .278. At 38, Joey's skills are definitely declining, and next year he'll merely be a good player, and by the end of the year, he'll probably be through. At the end of 2023, he was a 9/2/2/10/8/3. By the end of 2024, this had dropped to 8/1/0/7/7/2. Still very good, just not the Joey we remember. Ricardo Casella had an amazing year that earned him an MVP award. He was 2nd in average, 1st in HR and 3rd in RBI with a .349/57/136 year. The Devil Rays signed an ace starter, and paced the American League with a 103-59 record. They had a tough division series against McKinley's 80-82 Rangers, blew by the Twins in five in the ALCS, and lost a tough 7 game World Series to the 104 win Marlins in the 13th inning. This season is going to close out my tenure with the D-Rays, who are now one of the better franchises in the American League. I'm going to go into the National League next, taking over the Mets, who won a mere 46 games last year, and who have not had a winning season since 2010 (they were 81-81 in 2013). Now, here's Joey from 2024 and his career numbers, and Casella's 2024 and his career numbers. 2024 Career Casella Career G 158 2,695 160 1,924 AB 593 9,955 561 6,885 H 208 3,492 196 2,176 2B 16 313 17 232 3B 0 75 0 0 HR 27 702 57 557 RBI 97 2,051 136 1,497 R 109 2,180 118 1,421 K 202 2,447 43 398 BB 92 1,891 128 1,177 SB 33 307 15 82 CS 10 127 7 36 AVG .351 .351 .349 .316 OBP .441 .454 .482 .416 SLG .514 .609 .684 .592 So, now it looks like Joey won't be the all-time HR leader, and depending on how fast he continues to decline, may not even beat out the Babe. He's still the greatest player I've seen in my league. Casella is 35 now and will turn 36 in the off season, and while I'll never have the affection for him I developed for Joey, I'm enjoying watching his hall of fame career. After Joey retires, I'll follow Casella's career to the end, and then pick some youngster to keep you updated on the league, although I'm sure it will be in a new thread. __________________ Baltimore Monarchs-GUBA Baltimore Orioles-ORB2 "One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his great surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn't do." ~Henry Ford ~

07-09-2002, 10:39 PM	#21
Kelric Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Greater Boston Area Posts: 3,992	Nice, at least he made it. Thanks.

07-11-2002, 06:39 PM	#23
Kelric Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Greater Boston Area Posts: 3,992	That guy is amazing. When he retires you've got to let us know how many career stats he leads in. Hopefully he's got another 5 or 6 years in him.

07-13-2002, 11:16 PM	#24
Fred Minors (Single A) Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 67	okay i have a guy who is better than him in his first 6 years of good production. but don't know how to put up his career stats i don't get the img thing.

08-01-2002, 12:27 AM	#29
gbmoore121 All Star Reserve Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Arizona Posts: 602	I wan wondering where Joey's been. Maybe we'l get one more big year! __________________ WWPF- via DDS Pro Football

08-01-2002, 12:54 AM	#30
joshuaaaaaa All Star Reserve Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Las Vegas, NV Posts: 633	I've been very busy recently, and with TB in the playoffs, I wanted to play out every game, and they played in 17 of a possible 19 post-season games. The Mets will be a HUGE challenge. They have a current fan interest of 15, an Average market and Fair loyalty, and even at $43 million of payroll are likely to lose money. They have an ace pitcher making $9 million plus per year, and since I'm not going to compete this year or next, I'm going to attempt to trade him for prospects and to lower salary. __________________ Baltimore Monarchs-GUBA Baltimore Orioles-ORB2 "One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his great surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn't do." ~Henry Ford ~

08-01-2002, 11:45 AM	#31
joshuaaaaaa All Star Reserve Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Las Vegas, NV Posts: 633	Well, I've found the player I'm going to track. His name is Darren LeFlore, and he was originally the 1st overall pick in 2022 by Oakland. He was traded from Oakland to Boston in July, 2022 and made his major league debut with Boston in 2023, hitting .250 in 24 at bats. He played regularly for the Boson in 2024, hitting .260 with 10 HR and 59 RBI in 450 AB. He was traded to the Mets before the 2025 season along with 2 minor prospects for an excellent catching prospect. The Mets actually had some depth at catcher, so I figured I couldn't afford to pass up a deal for this player. Leflore is a RF/LF, stronger in RF, although currently playing LF because I had just signed a good FA rightfielder. As mentioned in an earlier post, I traded off the Mets ace pitcher and their very good, although older, closer, and have cut the payroll to about 35 million. I expect them to have a better 2025 than 2024, however they aren't going to be a good team for a while. Back to Leflore...He's now 22 years old, turning 23 in April. He is a D/.975 in LF and a C/.996 in RF with a B arm (obviously I'm going to want to move him back to RF at some point). No speed, a D running with E stealing, and not a bunter (E/D). He's not a team leader, has a "sometimes" in "needs winning team", has average loyalty, and is normal in clutch, consistency and injury. His talent ratings are Brilliant/Average/Fair/Brilliant/Brilliant/Average and his current ratings are 8/4/2/5/5/4. His power hasn't totally developed yet, and I expect it to be increasing regularly. The guy I traded to get him was Mark Avila, a 23 year old (turning 24 in May) catching prospect, ready for the majors. Avila was a 2nd overall pick in 2020 by the Mets. He's an A/.982/PB 3/Arm D catcher, with poor speed (D/C) and no bunting (E/E). Average loyalty, plays hard everywhere, not a team leader, normal clutch and injury, inconsistent at times. His talent is Average/Good/Fair/Brilliant/Good/Fair and his ratings are 4/6/2/8/6/3. In 4 years with the Mets (2 cups of coffee, 1 year with 326 AB, one with 488 AB), he has a .250 career average with 35 HR in 811 AB. His career will also be watched. I'll cover these guys in a separate thread. __________________ Baltimore Monarchs-GUBA Baltimore Orioles-ORB2 "One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his great surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn't do." ~Henry Ford ~

08-04-2002, 02:48 PM	#32
joshuaaaaaa All Star Reserve Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Las Vegas, NV Posts: 633	For a guy who is 39 years old, 2025 was not a bad year for Joey, as he went 289/14/71. For those who have followed his career, the only question now is "When will he retire?" Joey was too careful at age 39, running many counts to 3-2. 71 times he worked walks out of those counts, however in many more cases he watched strike 3 go by, or would swing at a marginal pitch. In all, he struck out 221 times. The highlight of the year for Joey was the playoffs, where he picked up another World Series ring, leading the 84-78 Rangers to victory with a .365 average, 3 HR and 11 RBI in 15 games. At the end of 2023, he was a 9/2/2/10/8/3. By the end of 2024, this had dropped to 8/1/0/7/7/2. Now, at the end of 2025, he has declined to 6/1/0/2/4/1. At the end of his career, Joey is becoming a free-swinging singles hitter. However, the Rangers still believed in him enough to sign him to a 2 year, $2,234,400 per year extension. Ricardo Casella suffered through an injury plagued year, appearing in only 124 games. He still managed 31 HR and 82 RBI, however these were his lowest output numbers since his first full-time year in 2013. Next year is a contract year for Ricardo, so we'll see if he steps it up. While his 53 strikeouts in the year is by no means a high total, it is the most strikeouts he's had in a year in his entire career. This was my first year managing the Mets, and my first experience with a truly bad team. I dumped a lot of salary, although with no cash, the team was very limited on free agent signings, and could not have promotion days. By the end of the year, fan interest had slipped from 15/100 to 12/100. However, I did post a $6.3 million profit, and with several contracts expiring this year, I will be able to help improve the team through both the draft and free agency. I led the team to a wonderful 51-111 record, which was 5 games better than the year before, an it earned me a season score of "3", by far the lowest I've seen. As mentioned in an earlier post, I'm going to now also follow the career of rising superstar Darren LeFlore. 2025 was a breakout year for LeFlore, as he led the National League with a .360 average. He also posted career highs in homeruns and RBIs, despite missing 15 games with injuries. At the end of 2025, LeFlore was a B/A/F/B/B/A with ratings of 8/4/2/6/6/4. Now, here's Joey from 2025 and his career numbers, and Casella's 2025 and his career numbers, and new addition Darren LeFlore. 2025 Career Casella Career LeFlore Career G 158 2,853 124 2,048 147 284 AB 616 10,571 454 7,339 564 1,038 H 178 3,670 135 2,311 203 326 2B 9 322 16 248 32 57 3B 0 75 0 0 1 3 HR 14 716 31 588 17 27 RBI 71 2,122 82 1,579 78 138 R 107 2,287 80 1,501 79 134 K 221 2,668 53 451 122 237 BB 71 1,962 67 1,244 53 98 SB 7 314 6 88 3 5 CS 5 132 4 40 1 1 AVG .289 .347 .297 .315 .360 .314 OBP .369 .449 .387 .414 .415 .373 SLG .372 .595 .537 .589 .511 .453 Joey has caught and passed the Babe in homeruns, however he's looking up at teammate Andrew Flores (with 720) and past him Juan Gonzalez with 740, and it seems unlikely he'll catch either. He's only 25 RBI behind A-Rod for 2nd all-time, so he may take over that spot. He did take over 1st in career runs, passing Rickey Henderson who is in 2nd with 2248. Casella is 36 now and will turn 37 in the off season, so we'll see if his decline starts. Even if he goes into serious decline, he should hit homerun number 600 next year, and get his 2,500th hit in 2027. My review of 2025 would not be complete without mentioning Andrew Flores, who surged past Joey in homeruns, and Cordell Joubert, Boston's amazing ageless first baseman. Flores is 37, not turning 38 until September, 2026, and has caught for Texas for the last 7 years of his so-far 17 year career. He has not been mentioned before because he has been overshadowed by Joey, and because he's only a .265 career hitter, who had never hit more than 56 HR in a season. However, at 37 his ratings remain 6/6/4/14/1/2, so I'd guess he has at least one more slugging season in him. With 720 HR now, he seems poised to move past Gonzalez at 740 and to threaten Aaron's 755 and A-Rod's 764. Whether he can catch Sosa at 784 will depend on how long he plays. He should also pick up his 2,500th hit and 2,000th RBI in 2026. Joubert turned 40 in July, which did not stop him from having an amazing season. Joubert was hitting over .400 until September 22, and finished the season leading the American League at .387 (hitting .318 in August and .320 in September/October doomed him). Joubert made himself a hall-of-famer in 2025. While he had 2,500 hits, his career average was only in the .290 range. However, his amazing season raised his career average to .301, ensuring his induction. Plus, at age 40 his ratings are still 8/4/2/10/6/6, so there's no guarantee he almost certainly has another couple of solid years in him. He's got 2,811 hits now, so should pass 3,000, and 482 homeruns, so 500 is easily in reach. The New Challenge League continues to be a lot of fun, and I'm ready to head for a new season of improvement with the Mets. Edit: Joey's OBP in 2025 was .369, not .469 __________________ Baltimore Monarchs-GUBA Baltimore Orioles-ORB2 "One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his great surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn't do." ~Henry Ford ~ Last edited by joshuaaaaaa; 08-05-2002 at 04:34 PM.

08-05-2002, 04:17 PM	#33
fantom1979 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Detroit, MI Posts: 3,498	Keep up the updates.. this is great Josh.. how great would it be if we could get one more great year out of Joey __________________

08-05-2002, 04:31 PM	#34
joshuaaaaaa All Star Reserve Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Las Vegas, NV Posts: 633	He was relegated to backup and is currently in AAA. I think he has gone 2 for 10 so far this year. His average rating is still around 6 or 7, however all his other ratings are in the 0/1 category except walks, which is 3 or 4....this year appears to be the end for Joey. __________________ Baltimore Monarchs-GUBA Baltimore Orioles-ORB2 "One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his great surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn't do." ~Henry Ford ~

08-05-2002, 04:34 PM	#35
fantom1979 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Detroit, MI Posts: 3,498	__________________

08-05-2002, 06:44 PM	#36
Kezzek All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Keyboard - frantically typing in subtle insults to raise my self-esteem Posts: 973	salutes Joey Mac __________________ - Kez, P.E.

08-06-2002, 06:05 PM	#37
joshuaaaaaa All Star Reserve Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Las Vegas, NV Posts: 633	The Rangers released Joey on June 29, 2026...it remains to be seen if someone else will give him a final shot... __________________ Baltimore Monarchs-GUBA Baltimore Orioles-ORB2 "One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his great surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn't do." ~Henry Ford ~

08-07-2002, 05:14 AM	#38
fantom1979 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Detroit, MI Posts: 3,498	RIP Joey.. its been fun __________________

08-07-2002, 10:47 AM	#39
joshuaaaaaa All Star Reserve Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Las Vegas, NV Posts: 633	BTW, I never posted an image of Joey, so here he is. I use Killebrew's fictional player facepacks in my league. __________________ Baltimore Monarchs-GUBA Baltimore Orioles-ORB2 "One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his great surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn't do." ~Henry Ford ~

08-07-2002, 11:29 AM	#40
Kezzek All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Keyboard - frantically typing in subtle insults to raise my self-esteem Posts: 973	Clearly it was the sideburns. __________________ - Kez, P.E.