Worst to First - The Sequel

[NYY #23]

With an 8-16 record the Gators are again off to a great start. I was hoping to see some real improvements this year, but I'm starting to lose hope in New Orleans.

Oliver Osborne of the Blue Jays hit the 300th home runs of his career this month.

[NYY #23]

Roberto Torres has been more than we could have asked for since signing with the Gators going 0-2 with 7 saves and a 1.93 ERA for 0.4 WAR. I don't necessarily want to trade him, but given our team a closer isn't exactly what we needed. So we packed Torres along with Will Carter (2-2, 3.82 ERA) and bullpen prospect Tom Law and sent them to Oakland. Coming back to New Orleans is second baseman Eric Ross, hitting .257 with a home run and 2 RBI and pitching prospects Ercole Stefaneschi and Fred Lloyd. That gives us two top 100 pitching prospects to hopefully build around for a couple of cheap free agents.

[NYY #23]

The Gators again lost 2 of 3 games going 9-18 for the month as we again sit in last place, 18 games back.

Around the league Edward Widgery hit the 300th home run of his career for the Rays.

[NYY #23]

Ercole Stefaneschi is just 20 years old and went 3-2 with a 3.00 ERA in 6 starts. So when the trade proposal came from the White Sox my heart sank. Coming back to New Orleans was 34 year old Roy Thomas and his $13 million salary and $3.9 in cash. Not only did we give up Stefaneschi, but we also gave up RF Jack Richmond (.316, 2 HR, 16 RBI).

There is no other way to put this, this is a terrible deal for us.

[NYY #23]

Things can't get much worse in New Orleans. We were hit with another bad trade today. Gone is second baseman Dalton Morton and Fred Lloyd, the #35 prospect in baseball. The Cubs sent back 26 year old first baseman Johnny Cameron. Cameron hit .277 with 3 home runs and 13 RBI before being sent down to AAA this year.

[NYY #23]

The Gators were picking second overall and we selected 21 year old starting pitcher Zach 'Looney' Davis. In the second round we selected another starting pitcher, 22 year old Cade Robinson. In the third round we selected third baseman John Daniels, with starting pitcher John Palmer and centerfielder Uki Akamu rounding out our top five picks.

They can get to New Orleans soon enough, as we started June with a 3-9 record.

[NYY #23]

The Gators went 9-17 in June, our best month of the season. That's not a great sign.

Jose Mendoza of the A's hit the 400th home run of his career.

[NYY #23]

Just when you think things can't get any worse they do. The Gators went 5-19 for the month, our worst month of the year. We are now 31-70 on the season and just barely staying over .300.

Our owner is not happy, with our record, with our attendance, with our payroll, with our budget, with me. I can't say I really blame him though, anyone who has made trades like me should be fired.

Ivan Ruiz of the Giants hit the 300th home run of his career this month, as did Edgardo Diaz of the Astros.

[NYY #23]

The Gators had our best month of the season going 13-14, and improved our season record to 44-84.

Tony Hodge of the Cardinals saved the 400th game of his career. Pedro Martinez of the Cardinals hit his 300th career home run, with John Halpenny of the Angels hitting his 300th career home run, and Jason Park of the A's picking up his 2000th career hit.

[NYY #23]

September trades are pretty rare, but the Rangers made an offer that we couldn't refuse, and that deal cleared waivers today. Coming to New Orleans is 32 year old Claudio Gonzalez, and minor league prospects 3B Manny Trejo and LF Francis Hawkins went to Texas.

[NYY #23]

The Gators finished up our fourth straight 100 loss season. I'd love to say things are getting better, but they really haven't yet, and we don't feel close to getting better.

Neil Davis of the Red Sox hit his 300th home run this month, while Richie Bennett of the Cardinals hit his 400th career home run. Michael Gibbs of the Reds also hit his 300th home run this month. Carlos Robles of the Red Sox also picked up the 300th hit of his career.

[NYY #23]

After going 0-11 with a 8.27 ERA and -1.8 WAR it was time to cut ties with Sean Huff. We also non-tendered Duane
Smith (4-7, 5.38 ERA).

A trade offer from Mexico City reminded me we needed to protect a player, and we chose our first round pick from this year, Zach Davis.

We welcomed catcher Ned Gonzalez from the Conquistadors (.259, 7 HR, 33 RBI) and only had to give up pitching prospect Cade Robinson and Brent Jones, who saved 27 games last season and is capable of starting as well.

New Orleans Gators - 67-95 (.414) 20 1/2 GB
2064 - New Orleans Gators - 61-101 (.377) 50 GB (Season Score - 43)
2065 - New Orleans Gators - 96-66 (.593) - GB, Lost Division Series 4-1 to Cleveland Indians (Season Score - 703)
2066 - New Orleans Gators - 55-107 (.340) 40 GB (Season Score - 1)
2067 - New Orleans Gators - 59-103 (.364) 38 GB (Season Score - 10)
2068 - New Orleans Gators - 51-111 (.315) 48 GB (Season Score - 1)
2069 - New Orleans Gators - 58-104 (.358) 42 GB (Season Score - 1)

[mirrf]

Originally Posted by NYY #23

After going 0-11 with a 8.27 ERA and -1.8 WAR it was time to cut ties with Sean Huff.

It sounds like it was time to get rid of him this time last year.

Originally Posted by NYY #23

We welcomed catcher Ned Gonzalez from the Conquistadors (.259, 7 HR, 33 RBI) and only had to give up pitching prospect Cade Robinson and Brent Jones, who saved 27 games last season and is capable of starting as well.

Yikes. Forced into trades like that, you'll never win more than 60 games.

[illeracula]

Originally Posted by NYY #23

Year 1 I could mark one player as untouchable, and each year I could mark one additional player untouchable.

You are heading into Season 7 with the Gators, so based on what you wrote up when you first started this venture you could make one player untouchable per season. So heading into season you should have 7 "untouchable" players correct?

Who are they?

This has been a fun ride, I can only imagine how tough this has been to play through. Some of those trades are quite insane!

Good luck.

[NYY #23]

Originally Posted by mirrf

It sounds like it was time to get rid of him this time last year.

You are right. He probably never should have been on our roster, but we definitely have trouble filling out our roster, which makes guys like Huff necessary, until they get expensive.

Originally Posted by mirrf

Yikes. Forced into trades like that, you'll never win more than 60 games.

There really isn't a lot of room for error with trades like that. Until we can protect enough prospects to prevent trades like this it's going to be a long road.

[NYY #23]

Originally Posted by illeracula

You are heading into Season 7 with the Gators, so based on what you wrote up when you first started this venture you could make one player untouchable per season. So heading into season you should have 7 "untouchable" players correct?

Who are they?

This has been a fun ride, I can only imagine how tough this has been to play through. Some of those trades are quite insane!

Good luck.

Thanks! This has definitely been challenging, and some of these trades have been quite insane. I should have started a new thread - "Worst to First: The AI Strikes Back"

Here is a look at the seven players we've protected so far:
2063: Jyotirbhaga Sourabh - traded and went 3-7 with a 5.44 ERA this year (-0.2 WAR)
2064: Russell Fraser - .305, 21 HR, 56 RBI, 4.0 WAR, but has trouble staying healthy
2065: Melvin Page - 4-5, 4.32 ERA, 0.2 WAR out of pen at 22
2066: Duane Smith - 4-7, 5.38 ERA, -1.2 WAR at age of 26 and was non-tendered
2067: Ben Morgan - .253, 11 HR, 40 RBI, 0.7 WAR as 22 year old
2068: Keith Hudson - on track, but ETA is likely 2070 or 2071
2069: Zach Davis - the jury is out, but his ETA is likely 2072 or 2073

Looking at the list like that doesn't encourage me too much. We've developed one productive player so far, and he's injury prone.

It could just be a skewed perspective, but I do feel pretty good about our last three first rounders, and better than I have in the past outside of Frasier. I feel like they could form a solid core four if things go right.

[NYY #23]

This year saw three players elected to the Hall of Fame.







1B Greg Ryan 98.1 (1st year) Inducted HOF
1B Pascal Sisto 97.7 (1st year) Inducted HOF
CL Pancho Ruíz 79.0 (1st year) Inducted HOF
CF José Álvarez 68.5 (5th year)
SP Hal Ramey 58.4 (6th year)
C Ed Long 46.7 (3rd year)
CL Sergio González 40.1 (1st year)
SP Mike Riddle 37.0 (2nd year)
RF Ánibal Vallejo 21.8 (2nd year)
SP Ipe Bekema 19.5 (9th year)
C Eugene Catron 13.2 (2nd year)
C Miguel Sánchez 12.8 (1st year)
RP Davey Gibson 12.1 (5th year)
SP Dan Hendricks 10.5 (2nd year)
CL Arthur Harrington 10.5 (4th year)
CL Tynan Velásquez 9.3 (9th year)
SP Wilbert Cashman 9.3 (2nd year)
RP Luis Carrillo 7.0 (1st year)
CL José Rincón 6.2 (5th year)
SP Claudio Castellanos 6.2 (6th year)
RP Lionnel Martin 6.2 (3rd year)
C Wayne Mathews 6.2 (9th year)

[NYY #23]

A couple of notes from the offseason. Carlos Hernandez was a casualty of waivers, claimed by the Nationals. Hernandez is a solid pitcher, but is out for the next 9 months because of elbow surgery.

The next move of the offseason was a trade as we sent Roy Thomas to the Rays in exchange for SP Antonio Plachia. Plachia was 3-4 with a 3.58 ERA last season in an injury shortened year.

Nick Fillmore signed a three year $5.5 million contract to pitch for the Gators. He was 13-12 with a 4.44 ERA last year in 212 2/3 innings. We also added SP Salvador Guzman (0-1, 4.50 ERA) on a minor league contract. We signed Brendan Griffin to a one year $3.4 million contract after he went 10-10 with a 4.71 ERA last year.

Then finally we signed a pair of relievers, Harold de San Miguel (6-6, 2 SV, 4.01) and Tony Gallegos (2-3, 5.44).

[NYY #23]

The Mets offered a trade today, sending 20 year old pitcher Romeo Contreras and getting back 34 year old second baseman Bill Cochran. I can't really say this trade helps us too much, or hurts us too much either. I suppose we can put this in the win column as we got the young bad player and lost an old bad player?

[NYY #23]

The Gators made two trades today, with the Monks offering centerfielder Albert Soliz in exchange for 23 year old third baseman John Daniels, one of our top prospects.

The second trade was less significant with the Kodiaks sending minor league 1B Carlos Marcillas in exchange for minor league right fielder Jeff Holbrook.