Worst to First - The Sequel - Page 113

NYY #23 · 06-12-2015, 11:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by illeracula

Those seem like pretty legit cities that would get teams... Unless you wanted to go Canada and get a Vancouver Thunderbirds, Quebec Somethings or something like that. Or even bring in a team from Hawaii the Warriors or Rainbows... I am always a fan of the Rainbows. I had a Rainbows team in Hardball II (I think, it was 20 years go) go off on a unprobable 52-2 start, lol. We finished the season with 29 losses (I think), but the start was pretty amazing and memorable...

Also, my other suggestion is rename Paul Swisher Jr. to Nick Swisher Jr.

I did have Vancouver on my short list, although not Quebec. I believe I had Vancouver, Mexico City, and Havana down as candidates.

I think like the Hawaii Rainbows would be a good addition to the short list. I had a couple others I was considering - San Juan, Austin/San Antonio, Nashville, and probably a couple I can't recall.

I believe I'll go to three divisons of six, so I'll see how things line up too.

That's funny, but in my head I call him Nick Paul Swisher, Jr. I should just drop the Paul.

NYY #23 · 06-12-2015, 09:16 PM

I had already committed to not offering 3B Domingo Salazar arbitration, but we opened up trade discussions with the Braves just a few days before arbitration hearings, and have been working on a deal for 33 year old catcher Robinson Velasquez. He was an All-Star back in 2027 with the Mets, and while he's not the same player that he was he's still strong defensively and hit .257 with 9 home runs last year.

Initially we were going to send minor league catcher Gary Adams and minor league centerfielder Gary Clotworthy to the Braves for Velasquez, but the Braves have a young 24 year old reliever Sergio Orozco that is intriguing. He's had good success in the minors, but struggled in the majors in just 10 innings. In order to add Orozco the Braves wanted us to include Salazar, which was a no brainer.

This trade won't preclude me from doing anything else, but I'd be comfortable with a combination of Velasquez and Nestro behind the plate if nothing better comes along. Orozco is too young to guarantee a role too, but if he pitches well in spring training he could start the year with the team.

NYY #23 · 06-12-2015, 10:58 PM

Just a couple days into free agency and I already started to panic. That feeling that you get when the top free agents either -

a) Don't play a position you need
b) Are old and fragile
c) Want too much money
d) Don't like your manager
e) All of the above

There really were no good options in center field, so I went the trade route and tried to find overpriced center fielders, younger center fielders, and then any decent centerfielder. The price to acquire a center fielder wasn't cheap, and while it is tempting to add a top centerfielder, I'm not willing to pay the price of Jose Ruiz, Ferri Boere, and taking on $25 million in salary.

They both are off limits, unless I'd only lose one of them and I could sign a top pitcher, but that was not ideal. My top three trade chips for prospects are CF John Bradshaw, SP Juan Perez, and SP Miguel Vazquez. I even was willing to include both Perez and Vazquez in a deal, but I couldn't find a deal I liked. In my mind Bradshaw was untouchable, our fourth overall pick in 2032 and a top ten prospect. He was going to begin the season in AA, and hit .288 with 21 homers in A ball. He's got superstar potential, with just one fault, his defense. He won't stick in centerfield, and he'll be average at best in a corner spot.

Then I ran across 22 year old Justin Lewis of the Rays. He reached the majors last year and hit .232 with 10 home runs, 30 stolen bases, and 3 WAR. If Bradshaw's bat was a 10, Lewis would probably rate an 8, but he's further along, and is much better defensively, and much faster.

I'll fully admit that this trade turned out much larger than it needed to be, but I have a tendency to ask for a little more, give a little more, etc. So going to Tampa along with Bradshaw is:

SP Tim Rogers - last year he was 8-5 with a 3.49 ERA in 136 2/3 innings, and made 17 starts. I think it's fair to say he's a solid back of the rotation starter

SP Jose Martinez - he's just a notch below Perez and Vazquez on my pitching prospect list. He was an international amateur signing and has had good success at every level and earned a late season promotion to AA at 22 where he didn't allow a run in 13 1/3 innings. I think he could be a solid three starter in the majors.

SP Keung Choe - the 35 year old made his debut in 2026 and went 5-1 with a 2.33 ERA and pitched well above his talent level. He's always been no more than an emergency starter though, and he'll end his Carolina career with a 13-7 record and 4.02 ERA spread over five years and 194 2/3 innings.

SP Taylor Whaley - 25 year old went 7-2 with a 2.63 ERA in AA. Either my scout is missing something, or he's likely a career minor league

While Lewis was the big piece coming back we also added:

CL Miguel Pena - 23 years old and went 5-4 with 22 saves and a 3.03 ERA in AAA. He's yet to make his major league debut, but I think he could be a valuable member of the bullpen as soon as this year.

SP Dave Beck - my scout really likes the 25 year old, more so than the outgoing Martinez. Was 11-8 with a 3.40 ERA in AA last year

P's Gerald Tucker/Michael Baldwin - they are both pretty similar pitchers, 20 and 21 years old, and if all goes well could pitch out of the bullpen. If I'm in Carolina when either make their debut then something went really wrong.

I have some offers out to some free agents, but I don't expect more than minor moves the rest of the offseason.

mirrf · 06-19-2015, 01:52 PM

I won't allow this thread to make it to page 2.

NYY #23 · 06-24-2015, 10:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mirrf

I won't allow this thread to make it to page 2.

Ha. Thank you.

Sorry, I did mention things were going to be busier than normal for the next couple weeks, but I didn't think they would be this busy. I'm heading back out of town today, but I hope to pick this back up over the weekend when I get back in town again.

I'm anxious to see how things turn out next season in Carolina, and to get through this offseason.

NYY #23 · 06-29-2015, 07:24 PM

First I should apologize for the lack of updates, but sometimes life just gets in the way. Things should be mostly back to normal now though, and I'm anxious to see how the Knights do in 2034 after coming so close this.

We entered the offseason with a pretty solid team, not needing a lot, and the major move of the offseason was bringing aboard new 23 year old centerfielder Justin Lewis. Everything else that came after was really just searching for depth. Excluding the couple minor league contracts we handed out we ended up adding:

RP Don Cornett - 2-2 with a 3.56 ERA last year with the Orioles, and a 30 year old veteran.

RP Kevin Plank - 30 year old lost the closer job for the Padres after going 3-6 with 18 saves and a 3.61 ERA one year after saving 45 games. He signed a one year $984,000 deal.

SS Ron Drusse - at 28 years old he's never played in the majors, but can play each infield position. He was signed to a major league contract and went to Spring Training to compete for the utility infield role, but was sent down to AAA after hitting .200

SP Douglas Piper - signed a one year $10 million contract after going 14-7 with a 3.04 ERA for the Diamondbacks. He'll begin the season as our number five starter.

RF Ron Barker - at 32 years old Barker is on the down side of his career but came to Carolina on a one year $1.3 million contract. He's a low average, high power player hitting a career high 43 home runs in 2029. Just two years ago Barker hit .271 with 23 home runs, and he's looking for a rebound year after hitting just .193 with 15 home runs last year.

We made it through Spring Training virtually injury free, losing only 3B Ramon Galindo, but he'll be back at some point in late April and on the field we went 18-10. Our owner expects us to win it all this year, and so do I.

In news around the league it looks like old friend Vicente Cano's career may be virtually over. At 41 years old and in the final year of his contract he'll miss the next 4-5 months with a shoulder injury. I wouldn't be surprised if this is his last year.

3B Will Middlebrooks was the only player inducted into the Hall of Fame this year after hitting .280 with 463 career home runs for the Blue Jays. Rich Harden keeps getting closer and closer, finishing in second place with 72.7%.

NYY #23 · 06-29-2015, 08:22 PM

I had such high hopes for Alan Davis, who we selected first overall in the 2030 amateur draft. He moved through the system quickly and made his debut in the majors in 2032 and although he made just 9 starts that year pitched a no-hitter in one of those nine starts. His future was bright, although just a week after pitching a no-hitter he hit the disabled list with a strained oblique.

After going 7-11 with a 5.31 ERA in 2033 Davis hit the disabled list, requiring Tommy John surgery. Davis told us today that he'd be retiring from baseball after an unsuccessful recovery. He's the second pitcher we've drafted first overall that retired from baseball with an injury, joining Logan Cameron. Drafting in Carolina has certainly been an adventure, taking a look at our top pick in each year with the career WAR they accumulated so far in their career:

2024: SP Logan Cameron (5.6)
2025: CL Jason Walker (-1.8)
2026: 2B Ken Blake (3.9)
2027: 1B Chris Lynn (-1.1)
2028: RP Ron Bush (1.5) *second round
2029: SP Phil Clark (0.2)
2030: SP Alan Davis (1.2)
2031: CF Steve Walker (0.9)
2032: LF John Bradshaw (0.0) - traded and in AA
2033: SP Jose Hernandez (0.0) - 3-0, 4.91 ERA in Rookie League

Either I've lost my touch in Carolina, or I'm in the midst of a string of bad luck. I went back and looked at my history with my last two teams, and it's a different story. It's not all successes, but at a minimum I was able to draft major leaguers. I also discovered a connection that I didn't know about, not realizing that I was the one who drafted our current ace Bob Kirby when I was with the Mariners.

Twins:

2012 SP Vicente Cano (53.8)
2013 RF Scott Frazier (26.4)
2014 CF Pedro Valles (20.2)
2015 C Juan Carlos Torrez (34.0)
2016 SP Adrian Jackson (34.2)
2017 2B Carlos Gonzalez (-0.6) *second round

Mariners:

2018 1B Gary Lowe (28.7)
2019 SP Felix Romero (22.7) *second round
2020 LF Norm Bryant (25.1)
2021 RP Riley Baker (-0.2)
2022 RP/SP Bob Kirby (20.7)
2023 2B Larry Morgan (0.1) *second round

Despite all of that right now the only numbers that matter right now are 12-6, which is our record this year, which puts us in first place a half game up on the Rangers.

HerbertMcHoover · 06-30-2015, 12:58 PM

You've had an impressive resume with your starters. You might have drafted a few Hall of Famers.

Trebro · 06-30-2015, 10:30 PM

I'm guessing the move to 16 had something to do with the draft. I kinda hate the draft (and am playing with it off for now in my current fictional), but my experience using it in 16 was "Oh Lord, why do these guys suck so much?" --and that's more directed at compared to 13/14/15 than in terms of "is it broken?"

I don't think it is--I just think it's much tougher now to draft.

mirrf · 07-01-2015, 01:43 PM

Welcome back!

NYY #23 · 07-02-2015, 03:37 PM

The goal this year in Carolina is to win it all, and anything less would be a disappointment. It's early, but with a 17-9 record I feel like we're headed in the right direction. We've had our share of injury problems early, losing CF Justin Lewis, 3B Ramon Galindo, and 3B Jose Turcios to injuries, but we've been able to field a suitable replacement.

The season is still young, and right now I'm only mildly worried about what is wrong with Jose Ruiz and Ferri Boere. We'll need both of them to pitch better, and I think that they will.

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NYY #23 · 07-02-2015, 03:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mirrf

Welcome back!

Thank you!

NYY #23 · 07-02-2015, 03:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trebro

I'm guessing the move to 16 had something to do with the draft. I kinda hate the draft (and am playing with it off for now in my current fictional), but my experience using it in 16 was "Oh Lord, why do these guys suck so much?" --and that's more directed at compared to 13/14/15 than in terms of "is it broken?"

I don't think it is--I just think it's much tougher now to draft.

I think you may be on to something. Obviously when you see a string a failures it's frustrating, but I do like the uncertainty. Although to be fair I think two of my biggest failures showed a lot of promise, but were derailed by injuries. That seems pretty realistic to me.

I don't think I technically have any complaints. I guess something to keep an eye on I suppose, but I kind of like the uncertainty.

NYY #23 · 07-02-2015, 03:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HerbertMcHoover

You've had an impressive resume with your starters. You might have drafted a few Hall of Famers.

Thanks. That was a fun little exercise. I'm hoping I'll at least have drafted one Hall of Famer that will make it soon!

NYY #23 · 07-02-2015, 09:32 PM

After going 17-9 in April the Knights had an even better May, going 19-9. The two pitchers I was worried about (expressed minor concern?) combined to go 8-2 for the month with Ferri Boere posting a 2.45 ERA in May, and Jose Ruiz posting a 3.31 ERA.

The Knights have scored the second most runs in the American League, and have allowed the fewest. Our new center fielder Justin Lewis has returned from the disabled list and is hitting .295 with 5 home runs. Things are going well in Carolina this year.

Robinson Velasquez has been playing well behind the plate on a one year contract, and expressed a desire to return. He's already surpassed last year's WAR total, and I like his defense so it was a fairly easy decision to give him a one year $4.4 million extension.

After signing Douglas Piper to a one year $10 million contract in the offseason he's pitched well with a 2.59 FIP, and is looking to cash in on one last deal at the age of 32. As much as I'd like to see him stick around in Carolina his ask of four years and $50 million is too pricy for a number four/five starter. Replacing him will be a problem for another day, and hopefully I won't be around to worry about that.

In former player news, 23 year old Matt Moore won the Pitcher of the Month in the National League after going 4-0 with an 0.00 ERA and 5 saves in 14 innings. I traded him almost four years ago in a trade to acquire Brad Peet. I had to take a look back, but at the time I said -

"Matt*Moore *is currently the #3 prospect in baseball, and is 3-2 with a 4.35 ERA for our rookie team. There is a lot to like about Moore, but he's not without risk. Of course, all prospects carry risk, but Moore*is currently primarily a two pitch pitcher, injury prone, and currently projects to be a borderline starter. If he develops that changeup he has front of the rotation potential. At worst he could be a good bullpen arm."

Looks like he floundered in the rotation for a couple of years before being traded to the Diamondbacks where they put him in the pen, and he went from A to the majors in a year and a half. While Peet never worked out as well as I expected, it's always nice to see a former draftee panning out and having success in the majors.

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NYY #23 · 07-03-2015, 03:10 PM

The Carolina Knights were picking 24th in the first round and we were just looking for the best available player. Our scouting director wanted us to pick SP Elroy Fowler, but he was starting pitcher in name only. The top ten pitchers looked like relievers at best to me, so our debate was between shortstop Jeff Anderson and starting pitcher Harold Grimes.

We decided to go with Harold Grimes because he was a college player, would be easier to sign, and was looking for a slot bonus. In the second round we went with closer Tom Cooper and rounded out the top five with SP Mark Hart, 1B Frank Hamilton, and CF Albert McNee.

On the field the Knights are off to a rough 7-6 start for the month, although our lead is still 7 1/2 games over the Rangers.

rjl518 · 07-03-2015, 04:06 PM

Lets go knights!!!

NYY #23 · 07-03-2015, 05:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rjl518

Lets go knights!!!

I'm hoping this is the year!

NYY #23 · 07-03-2015, 07:01 PM

While I don't want to take anything for granted, this season is really about getting back to, and winning the World Series. After years of struggling in Carolina it's time to finally cross the finish line. With a 7 1/2 game lead I'm still comfortable, despite having our worst month of the season (15-12).

That's not to say we are a perfect team. Our bullpen has a couple of key pieces that I'm concerned about - closer Don Webb, Mark Carver, and Don Cornett have all struggled at times. While our offense has scored the second most runs in the league we do seem to go in long stretches where we can't hit. Scoring five runs in five days is a good way to go 0-5.

As we enter July and head towards August I'd like to find another dependable reliever, and solid bat, even if it's a fourth outfielder. Anything that will help us in October, and help us guarantee we'll reach October.

While there are a couple of intriguing international amateurs I've decided that we are going to sit out this round, and keep focusing on the big league team. We have some money to work with, but I want to make sure we spend it in the right place and finally get out of Carolina. We did come to terms with all of our draftees, so at least that's one box we can check off.

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NYY #23 · 07-04-2015, 05:56 PM

Despite the 4-3 win yesterday against the Royals the game was much closer than it should have been. After a dominant six inning start by Ferri Boere we got inconsistent performances from both Don Cornett and Don Webb and barely held on for the victory. I've been surveying the landscape and targeting 33 year old free agent to be Miguel Hernandez from the last place Brewers.

He's pitched well (3-2, 18 SV, 2.40 ERA) and the Brewers are in rebuilding mode. I stepped up my pursuit of Hernandez and was able to quickly find a deal that I liked once I agreed to give up CF prospect Sergio Munoz.

Munoz was one of three prospects that we signed as international amateurs that we moved in the deal with 21 year old starting pitcher Juan Perez and 18 year old 3B Leon Martinez going to Milwaukee in the deal along with reliever Don Corbett and starting pitcher Douglas Piper.

In addition to Hernandez we acquired 27 year old All Star LF Eric Wolf who is under team control for one more year. After having two straight 5 WAR seasons Wolf is having a down year this year hitting just .162 in 275 at-bats. I don't see a good reason to not bet against him having a second half rebound, and I think he'll be happier playing for a contender.

30 year old Mark Olsen is 8-6 with a 2.35 ERA this year for the Brewers and is under control for one more year as well. Last year he finished second in Cy Young voting in the NL after going 15-12 with a 2.65 ERA, leading the league with 236 strikeouts 9.9 K/9, and 7.5 WAR.

The final piece coming back to Carolina was AAA reliever Logan Gustafson. He'll be heading to AAA, but he is an option for a call-up.

Our fans are happy acquiring three players who were recent All-Stars, and I think it was worthwhile to go for it this year and give up three good prospects. Olsen will become our ace, pushing everyone back a slot in the rotation, while Wolf will be slotted as our number three hitter, and Hernandez will be our new closer.

While I hate sacrificing the future, the future is now in Carolina, so let's hope this deal works out as planned.

06-12-2015, 09:16 PM	#2242
NYY #23 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Philadelphia Posts: 13,112	12/3/2033 - I had already committed to not offering 3B Domingo Salazar arbitration, but we opened up trade discussions with the Braves just a few days before arbitration hearings, and have been working on a deal for 33 year old catcher Robinson Velasquez. He was an All-Star back in 2027 with the Mets, and while he's not the same player that he was he's still strong defensively and hit .257 with 9 home runs last year. Initially we were going to send minor league catcher Gary Adams and minor league centerfielder Gary Clotworthy to the Braves for Velasquez, but the Braves have a young 24 year old reliever Sergio Orozco that is intriguing. He's had good success in the minors, but struggled in the majors in just 10 innings. In order to add Orozco the Braves wanted us to include Salazar, which was a no brainer. This trade won't preclude me from doing anything else, but I'd be comfortable with a combination of Velasquez and Nestro behind the plate if nothing better comes along. Orozco is too young to guarantee a role too, but if he pitches well in spring training he could start the year with the team.

06-12-2015, 10:58 PM	#2243
NYY #23 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Philadelphia Posts: 13,112	12/6/2033 - Just a couple days into free agency and I already started to panic. That feeling that you get when the top free agents either - a) Don't play a position you need b) Are old and fragile c) Want too much money d) Don't like your manager e) All of the above There really were no good options in center field, so I went the trade route and tried to find overpriced center fielders, younger center fielders, and then any decent centerfielder. The price to acquire a center fielder wasn't cheap, and while it is tempting to add a top centerfielder, I'm not willing to pay the price of Jose Ruiz, Ferri Boere, and taking on $25 million in salary. They both are off limits, unless I'd only lose one of them and I could sign a top pitcher, but that was not ideal. My top three trade chips for prospects are CF John Bradshaw, SP Juan Perez, and SP Miguel Vazquez. I even was willing to include both Perez and Vazquez in a deal, but I couldn't find a deal I liked. In my mind Bradshaw was untouchable, our fourth overall pick in 2032 and a top ten prospect. He was going to begin the season in AA, and hit .288 with 21 homers in A ball. He's got superstar potential, with just one fault, his defense. He won't stick in centerfield, and he'll be average at best in a corner spot. Then I ran across 22 year old Justin Lewis of the Rays. He reached the majors last year and hit .232 with 10 home runs, 30 stolen bases, and 3 WAR. If Bradshaw's bat was a 10, Lewis would probably rate an 8, but he's further along, and is much better defensively, and much faster. I'll fully admit that this trade turned out much larger than it needed to be, but I have a tendency to ask for a little more, give a little more, etc. So going to Tampa along with Bradshaw is: SP Tim Rogers - last year he was 8-5 with a 3.49 ERA in 136 2/3 innings, and made 17 starts. I think it's fair to say he's a solid back of the rotation starter SP Jose Martinez - he's just a notch below Perez and Vazquez on my pitching prospect list. He was an international amateur signing and has had good success at every level and earned a late season promotion to AA at 22 where he didn't allow a run in 13 1/3 innings. I think he could be a solid three starter in the majors. SP Keung Choe - the 35 year old made his debut in 2026 and went 5-1 with a 2.33 ERA and pitched well above his talent level. He's always been no more than an emergency starter though, and he'll end his Carolina career with a 13-7 record and 4.02 ERA spread over five years and 194 2/3 innings. SP Taylor Whaley - 25 year old went 7-2 with a 2.63 ERA in AA. Either my scout is missing something, or he's likely a career minor league While Lewis was the big piece coming back we also added: CL Miguel Pena - 23 years old and went 5-4 with 22 saves and a 3.03 ERA in AAA. He's yet to make his major league debut, but I think he could be a valuable member of the bullpen as soon as this year. SP Dave Beck - my scout really likes the 25 year old, more so than the outgoing Martinez. Was 11-8 with a 3.40 ERA in AA last year P's Gerald Tucker/Michael Baldwin - they are both pretty similar pitchers, 20 and 21 years old, and if all goes well could pitch out of the bullpen. If I'm in Carolina when either make their debut then something went really wrong. I have some offers out to some free agents, but I don't expect more than minor moves the rest of the offseason.

06-29-2015, 07:24 PM	#2246
NYY #23 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Philadelphia Posts: 13,112	4/1/2034 - First I should apologize for the lack of updates, but sometimes life just gets in the way. Things should be mostly back to normal now though, and I'm anxious to see how the Knights do in 2034 after coming so close this. We entered the offseason with a pretty solid team, not needing a lot, and the major move of the offseason was bringing aboard new 23 year old centerfielder Justin Lewis. Everything else that came after was really just searching for depth. Excluding the couple minor league contracts we handed out we ended up adding: RP Don Cornett - 2-2 with a 3.56 ERA last year with the Orioles, and a 30 year old veteran. RP Kevin Plank - 30 year old lost the closer job for the Padres after going 3-6 with 18 saves and a 3.61 ERA one year after saving 45 games. He signed a one year $984,000 deal. SS Ron Drusse - at 28 years old he's never played in the majors, but can play each infield position. He was signed to a major league contract and went to Spring Training to compete for the utility infield role, but was sent down to AAA after hitting .200 SP Douglas Piper - signed a one year $10 million contract after going 14-7 with a 3.04 ERA for the Diamondbacks. He'll begin the season as our number five starter. RF Ron Barker - at 32 years old Barker is on the down side of his career but came to Carolina on a one year $1.3 million contract. He's a low average, high power player hitting a career high 43 home runs in 2029. Just two years ago Barker hit .271 with 23 home runs, and he's looking for a rebound year after hitting just .193 with 15 home runs last year. We made it through Spring Training virtually injury free, losing only 3B Ramon Galindo, but he'll be back at some point in late April and on the field we went 18-10. Our owner expects us to win it all this year, and so do I. In news around the league it looks like old friend Vicente Cano's career may be virtually over. At 41 years old and in the final year of his contract he'll miss the next 4-5 months with a shoulder injury. I wouldn't be surprised if this is his last year. 3B Will Middlebrooks was the only player inducted into the Hall of Fame this year after hitting .280 with 463 career home runs for the Blue Jays. Rich Harden keeps getting closer and closer, finishing in second place with 72.7%.

06-29-2015, 08:22 PM	#2247
NYY #23 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Philadelphia Posts: 13,112	4/22/2034 - I had such high hopes for Alan Davis, who we selected first overall in the 2030 amateur draft. He moved through the system quickly and made his debut in the majors in 2032 and although he made just 9 starts that year pitched a no-hitter in one of those nine starts. His future was bright, although just a week after pitching a no-hitter he hit the disabled list with a strained oblique. After going 7-11 with a 5.31 ERA in 2033 Davis hit the disabled list, requiring Tommy John surgery. Davis told us today that he'd be retiring from baseball after an unsuccessful recovery. He's the second pitcher we've drafted first overall that retired from baseball with an injury, joining Logan Cameron. Drafting in Carolina has certainly been an adventure, taking a look at our top pick in each year with the career WAR they accumulated so far in their career: 2024: SP Logan Cameron (5.6) 2025: CL Jason Walker (-1.8) 2026: 2B Ken Blake (3.9) 2027: 1B Chris Lynn (-1.1) 2028: RP Ron Bush (1.5) second round 2029: SP Phil Clark (0.2) 2030: SP Alan Davis (1.2) 2031: CF Steve Walker (0.9) 2032: LF John Bradshaw (0.0) - traded and in AA 2033: SP Jose Hernandez (0.0) - 3-0, 4.91 ERA in Rookie League Either I've lost my touch in Carolina, or I'm in the midst of a string of bad luck. I went back and looked at my history with my last two teams, and it's a different story. It's not all successes, but at a minimum I was able to draft major leaguers. I also discovered a connection that I didn't know about, not realizing that I was the one who drafted our current ace Bob Kirby when I was with the Mariners. Twins: 2012 SP Vicente Cano (53.8) 2013 RF Scott Frazier (26.4) 2014 CF Pedro Valles (20.2) 2015 C Juan Carlos Torrez (34.0) 2016 SP Adrian Jackson (34.2) 2017 2B Carlos Gonzalez (-0.6) second round Mariners: 2018 1B Gary Lowe (28.7) 2019 SP Felix Romero (22.7) second round 2020 LF Norm Bryant (25.1) 2021 RP Riley Baker (-0.2) 2022 RP/SP Bob Kirby (20.7) 2023 2B Larry Morgan (0.1) second round Despite all of that right now the only numbers that matter right now are 12-6, which is our record this year, which puts us in first place a half game up on the Rangers.

07-02-2015, 03:37 PM	#2251
NYY #23 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Philadelphia Posts: 13,112	5/1/2034 - The goal this year in Carolina is to win it all, and anything less would be a disappointment. It's early, but with a 17-9 record I feel like we're headed in the right direction. We've had our share of injury problems early, losing CF Justin Lewis, 3B Ramon Galindo, and 3B Jose Turcios to injuries, but we've been able to field a suitable replacement. The season is still young, and right now I'm only mildly worried about what is wrong with Jose Ruiz and Ferri Boere. We'll need both of them to pitch better, and I think that they will.

06-30-2015, 12:58 PM	#2248
HerbertMcHoover Minors (Triple A) Join Date: Aug 2014 Posts: 233	You've had an impressive resume with your starters. You might have drafted a few Hall of Famers.

06-30-2015, 10:30 PM	#2249
Trebro All Star Reserve Join Date: Mar 2013 Posts: 756	I'm guessing the move to 16 had something to do with the draft. I kinda hate the draft (and am playing with it off for now in my current fictional), but my experience using it in 16 was "Oh Lord, why do these guys suck so much?" --and that's more directed at compared to 13/14/15 than in terms of "is it broken?" I don't think it is--I just think it's much tougher now to draft.

07-02-2015, 09:32 PM	#2255
NYY #23 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Philadelphia Posts: 13,112	6/1/2034 - After going 17-9 in April the Knights had an even better May, going 19-9. The two pitchers I was worried about (expressed minor concern?) combined to go 8-2 for the month with Ferri Boere posting a 2.45 ERA in May, and Jose Ruiz posting a 3.31 ERA. The Knights have scored the second most runs in the American League, and have allowed the fewest. Our new center fielder Justin Lewis has returned from the disabled list and is hitting .295 with 5 home runs. Things are going well in Carolina this year. Robinson Velasquez has been playing well behind the plate on a one year contract, and expressed a desire to return. He's already surpassed last year's WAR total, and I like his defense so it was a fairly easy decision to give him a one year $4.4 million extension. After signing Douglas Piper to a one year $10 million contract in the offseason he's pitched well with a 2.59 FIP, and is looking to cash in on one last deal at the age of 32. As much as I'd like to see him stick around in Carolina his ask of four years and $50 million is too pricy for a number four/five starter. Replacing him will be a problem for another day, and hopefully I won't be around to worry about that. In former player news, 23 year old Matt Moore won the Pitcher of the Month in the National League after going 4-0 with an 0.00 ERA and 5 saves in 14 innings. I traded him almost four years ago in a trade to acquire Brad Peet. I had to take a look back, but at the time I said - "MattMoore is currently the #3 prospect in baseball, and is 3-2 with a 4.35 ERA for our rookie team. There is a lot to like about Moore, but he's not without risk. Of course, all prospects carry risk, but Moore*is currently primarily a two pitch pitcher, injury prone, and currently projects to be a borderline starter. If he develops that changeup he has front of the rotation potential. At worst he could be a good bullpen arm." Looks like he floundered in the rotation for a couple of years before being traded to the Diamondbacks where they put him in the pen, and he went from A to the majors in a year and a half. While Peet never worked out as well as I expected, it's always nice to see a former draftee panning out and having success in the majors.

07-03-2015, 03:10 PM	#2256
NYY #23 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Philadelphia Posts: 13,112	6/15/2034 - The Carolina Knights were picking 24th in the first round and we were just looking for the best available player. Our scouting director wanted us to pick SP Elroy Fowler, but he was starting pitcher in name only. The top ten pitchers looked like relievers at best to me, so our debate was between shortstop Jeff Anderson and starting pitcher Harold Grimes. We decided to go with Harold Grimes because he was a college player, would be easier to sign, and was looking for a slot bonus. In the second round we went with closer Tom Cooper and rounded out the top five with SP Mark Hart, 1B Frank Hamilton, and CF Albert McNee. On the field the Knights are off to a rough 7-6 start for the month, although our lead is still 7 1/2 games over the Rangers.

07-03-2015, 04:06 PM	#2257
rjl518 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Born in Shea Stadium, lives in LoanDepot Park. Posts: 6,238	Lets go knights!!! __________________ My Threads: MLB Project 32 by SFGiants58 "Colon looking for his 1st hit of the year and he DRIVES ONE! Deep left field! Back goes Upton! Back near the wall! ITS OUTTA HERE!!! Bartolo has done it!!! THE IMPOSSIBLE HAS HAPPENED!!! This is one of the great moments in the history of baseball! Bartolo Colon has gone deep!" ---Gary Cohen. (May 7, 2016) (Petco Park) NYM 6 @ SD 3

07-03-2015, 07:01 PM	#2259
NYY #23 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Philadelphia Posts: 13,112	7/1/2034 - While I don't want to take anything for granted, this season is really about getting back to, and winning the World Series. After years of struggling in Carolina it's time to finally cross the finish line. With a 7 1/2 game lead I'm still comfortable, despite having our worst month of the season (15-12). That's not to say we are a perfect team. Our bullpen has a couple of key pieces that I'm concerned about - closer Don Webb, Mark Carver, and Don Cornett have all struggled at times. While our offense has scored the second most runs in the league we do seem to go in long stretches where we can't hit. Scoring five runs in five days is a good way to go 0-5. As we enter July and head towards August I'd like to find another dependable reliever, and solid bat, even if it's a fourth outfielder. Anything that will help us in October, and help us guarantee we'll reach October. While there are a couple of intriguing international amateurs I've decided that we are going to sit out this round, and keep focusing on the big league team. We have some money to work with, but I want to make sure we spend it in the right place and finally get out of Carolina. We did come to terms with all of our draftees, so at least that's one box we can check off.

07-04-2015, 05:56 PM	#2260
NYY #23 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Philadelphia Posts: 13,112	7/2/2034 - Despite the 4-3 win yesterday against the Royals the game was much closer than it should have been. After a dominant six inning start by Ferri Boere we got inconsistent performances from both Don Cornett and Don Webb and barely held on for the victory. I've been surveying the landscape and targeting 33 year old free agent to be Miguel Hernandez from the last place Brewers. He's pitched well (3-2, 18 SV, 2.40 ERA) and the Brewers are in rebuilding mode. I stepped up my pursuit of Hernandez and was able to quickly find a deal that I liked once I agreed to give up CF prospect Sergio Munoz. Munoz was one of three prospects that we signed as international amateurs that we moved in the deal with 21 year old starting pitcher Juan Perez and 18 year old 3B Leon Martinez going to Milwaukee in the deal along with reliever Don Corbett and starting pitcher Douglas Piper. In addition to Hernandez we acquired 27 year old All Star LF Eric Wolf who is under team control for one more year. After having two straight 5 WAR seasons Wolf is having a down year this year hitting just .162 in 275 at-bats. I don't see a good reason to not bet against him having a second half rebound, and I think he'll be happier playing for a contender. 30 year old Mark Olsen is 8-6 with a 2.35 ERA this year for the Brewers and is under control for one more year as well. Last year he finished second in Cy Young voting in the NL after going 15-12 with a 2.65 ERA, leading the league with 236 strikeouts 9.9 K/9, and 7.5 WAR. The final piece coming back to Carolina was AAA reliever Logan Gustafson. He'll be heading to AAA, but he is an option for a call-up. Our fans are happy acquiring three players who were recent All-Stars, and I think it was worthwhile to go for it this year and give up three good prospects. Olsen will become our ace, pushing everyone back a slot in the rotation, while Wolf will be slotted as our number three hitter, and Hernandez will be our new closer. While I hate sacrificing the future, the future is now in Carolina, so let's hope this deal works out as planned.