LansdowneSt's Facegen Checklist

[actionjackson]

That Ed Seward is a massssssive upgrade. Quite a few others in here. Great stuff as ever. Did you get my note about Omar Beltre, or am I misremembering things, and that's already been addressed?

[actionjackson]

In fact, you've reformed quite a few undead zombies lately.

[actionjackson]

Originally Posted by actionjackson

Did you get my note about Omar Beltre, or am I misremembering things, and that's already been addressed?

Well...That was a senile moment. Thanks dood!

[LansdowneSt]

Esteban Loaiza and how to blow $44 million by David Hill, Fansided:

Former Oakland A’s pitcher Esteban Loaiza blew $44 million after retirement, leading to his current residence in a prison in Washington State. Roughly a decade after his playing career had come to an end, Esteban Loaiza was relatively forgotten. He had a decent career, making two All Star appearances, winning 126 games over his 14 years in the majors, and finishing second in the 2003 AL Cy Yound Award voting - but he had faded into anonymity.

Then, in February 2018, the well traveled pitcher was suddenly in the headlines. He was arrested on charges of felony drug possession with the intent to distribute after police found 44 pounds of cocaine in his townhouse. Loaiza pled guilty, receiving a three-year sentence.

This was not his first brush with controversy. During his time with the A’s, he was arrested for DUI and speeding when he was driving his Ferrari over 120 MPH on an Oakland freeway. He had married pop star Jenni Rivera and was in the midst of a divorce when she passed in a plane crash which was rumored to be tied to a Mexican drug cartel. His first wife divorced him after he had an affair with Ivan Rodriguez‘s babysitter. And former Rangers teammate Juan Gonzalez had accused Loaiza of stealing a $3000 leather coat.

Redid the facegen.

[LansdowneSt]

Trevor Hildenberger plans to buy John Riley an adult beverage if the two ever run into one another in San Jose. If it hadn’t been for Riley, a catcher in the San Francisco Giants farm system, Hildenberger’s baseball career as we know it never would have happened.

An over-the-top hurler at Berkley, he had struggled in the PAC-12 and was contemplating a career as a film critic. He had a year of eligibility remaining at the University of California, but he was close to graduating and no longer had a scholarship. Then John Riley made a fateful decision to sign with the Giants as a 31st round selection and give up his scholarship. Hildenberger still nearly gave-up on the game. At a recent intra-squad game, he took over in the ninth inning with an eight-run lead and the end result was Hildenberger being struck with two hard-hit balls and allowing nine runs, including a walk-off, three-run homer to a teammate "with no pop." He decided to play and to concentrate on changing his delivery.

He had tinkered with a sidearm approach but in his final year at Cal, he perfected it. He struck out 48 batters in 47 2/3 innings and posted a 2.83 ERA in 2014. He tied a school-record with 10 saves. And more important, the pitcher who used to surrender 2-to-3 homers a weekend in intrasquad games only yielded one. Part of it was the odd angle and part was the improved velocity. Hildenberger went from throwing low-to-mid 80s to touching 92 from the side. Intrigued, the Twins selected Hildenberger with the 650th overall pick of the draft, taking him in the 22nd round. He received a $1,000 signing bonus, which came out to $571 after taxes. He made his major league debut in 2017. - paraphrased from an article by Dan Hayes, The Athletic

Redid the facegen. Never use the smiling picture to make an fg if you can avoid it, say I

[LansdowneSt]

In his final five seasons, Martin Prado played well for the Miami Marlins but at the end of 2019 he retired. Prado’s best season probably came in 2010 when he was an All-Star for the Braves, hitting .307/.350/.459/.809 with 15 home runs, all while playing about every position on the diamond. He even finished 9th in MVP voting.

His journey to the majors was pretty unique. He taught himself English after being signed by the Braves in 2001, and it took him six years to reach the majors. He showed a lot of promise in his rookie season, hitting .262, but it was his attitude and versatility that made him a fan favorite. Many Braves who came and went through this clubhouse saw Martin as one of the most influential baseball players they ever encountered. His dedication to helping the team has seen him man every position except for center field, pitcher, and catcher (but probably because he wasn't asked). His last season was in Atlanta in 2012; he was the same old Martin: .301, 42 doubles, 10 HR. Unfortunately, he was a casualty of the Justin Upton trade and sent to Arizona as compensation. He bounced around from Arizona to the Yankees, then down to Miami, but he never lost a step until the injury bug bit him. His career .287 average speaks to that, and he finished with an even 100 career home runs. - sportstalkatl.com

Redid the facegen.

[LansdowneSt]

In terms of the baseball players who have been dinged for PED use, Antonio Bastardo may or may not have registered as a player people actually cared about. Sure, he is a useful left-handed relief pitcher with career left in front of him, but I’m not sure if people would have noticed if he addressed his suspension or not. Nevertheless, Bastardo discussed the issue at Philadelphia Phillies camp in 2015 (quotes from CSN Philly):

"I made a mistake…I met this guy one day in 2012. I was thinking I needed some help. I did it just once and I ended up on the list. It was a bad situation. I’m mad at myself. It was a mistake I made and I paid the price. I never did it again, just that one spring training, never in the regular season or in 2013.”

You know things are going to end badly when a story starts, “I met this guy one day in 2012…” - fansided.com

Redid the facegen.

[LansdowneSt]

MLB’s highest-paid player in 2020 was not who you think it was...

The coronavirus pandemic has had its economic effects on the 2020 MLB season, but the most bizarre aspect has to be the league-leading salary of one vastly overpaid pitcher. Wei-Yin Chen, who didn't even step onto the field, was the highest-paid baseball player in 2020 to the tune of $22 million. After pitching well for the Orioles, Chen became a free agent prior to the 2016 season. He then signed an $80 million contract over five years with the Miami Marlins. However, over the first four years of his deal, Wei-Yin went 13-19 with an abysmal 5.10 ERA. He also had the worst ERA-Plus (78) of any National League pitcher who pitched as many innings as he did (358). So, the Marlins officially released Chen last November after the team went 1-23 in the 24 games the Taiwanese pitcher threw. The Mariners then signed him to a minor-league free-agent deal that winter before ultimately releasing him as well.

Therefore, his release meant the Marlins were responsible for paying all $22 million he was owed for the 2020 season - none of it pro-rated. - NY Post

Redid the facegen.

[LansdowneSt]

Mike Smith is one of three major league pitchers born Michael Anthony Smith to have played in the major leagues since the mid-1980s. He and Mike Smith were teammates in the Cincinnati Reds organization in the 1980s, and both went to spring training with the Baltimore Orioles in 1989. To distinguish between the two, he was dubbed "Mike Smith from Texas", while his teammate was "Mike Smith from Mississippi". - bRef Bullpen wiki

Columnist Tom Boswell was not enthused by the prospect of the O's having Mike Smith. Either one. The Mike Smith facegen below is the Texas one. He made it into 13 games in 1989 and put up a 7.65 ERA...

HOW DO YOU ENJOY A BAD BASEBALL TEAM? No, that isn't quite it. Let's try again. How do you enjoy a very bad baseball team? Okay, okay, so that's not exactly the problem either. Let's give it one more go. How do you enjoy one of the worst baseball teams in history? There, that's more like it. Once more, it's time to say, "Goooood moooourning, Baltimore Orioles." Say, can we keep that rotation of Jay Tibbs (4-15), Mark Thurmond (1-8) and Jose Bautista (6-15) intact? Yes, THEY'RE BACK. The team for whom every day is Friday the 13th. The team that makes you wonder, "If Joe Orsulak is the answer, what could the question possibly be?" (Unfortunately, the question is, "Who had the Orioles' highest average last year?") The team that began last season with 21 consecutive losses -- a new record for this solar system. The team that responded to the ignominy of its 107-loss year by trading a Hall of Famer -- Eddie Murray -- for nothing. Okay, for George Bell's minor-league brother, Juan, plus spare change. The team that, with enough ill luck, could break every major league record for futility this season... [Come to the park!] ... Find out if fireballing Pete Harnisch can overcome his goofy little windup and his stubby legs. Maybe, by September, you'll even get to see the American League debut of the one and only Texas Mike Smith. Or is that the one and only Mississippi Mike Smith? If all teams were competent, baseball would be poorer by half. Or, at least for the Orioles' sake, let's tell ourselves it's so. - Washington Post, March 1989

Redid the facgen.

[LansdowneSt]

Jay Canizaro figures he slept for about an hour Tuesday night, tossing and turning as he tried to recall a conversation with a reporter. The 32-year-old former utility infielder for the Giants & Twins leapt from obscurity to headlines this week when he was quoted in excerpts from an upcoming book about Barry Bonds saying he knew the slugger used steroids and that Bonds’ trainer had offered him the drugs. Yesterday, Canizaro said those comments in the book, “Love Me, Hate Me: Barry Bonds and the Making of an Antihero” by Jeff Pearlman were misconstrued, and he has no idea if Bonds used steroids.

Canizaro, who played 55 games with Bonds in 1996 and ’99, is not accusing Pearlman of completely misquoting him, but said he did not know when the two spoke that it was for a book and his purpose was not to accuse Bonds of anything. “If Jeff writes something, I’m not going to call him a liar,” said Canizaro from his Texas home. “I don’t want to run away from these statements, but this is something I did not think would be put in public view. “This was just in a conversation we had about a lot of things. I didn’t want it made public. These are just opinions of mine. Am I a doctor? No. I can’t say this guy is using steroids. I didn’t want to do anything to make me look like a finger-pointer,” Canizaro said. “I was giving him background information on my opinion of what was happening in the clubhouse.” - NY Post, March 16, 2006

Jay's last stop was a Spring Training invite with the Devil Rays, hence the uniform in the photo. Redid the facegen to straighten some of the features. The old one had the wrong fg ID suffix but I found it for the screenshot.

[actionjackson]

Whoa! You've been busy today.

[LansdowneSt]

Pitcher George “Charmer” Zettlein, a veteran of both the Army and Navy, began his professional career with the Chicago White Stockings in 1871 when his friend, manager Jimmy Wood convinced him to leave the Brooklyn Atlantics. He followed Wood to the Troy Haymakers, Brooklyn Eckfords and Philadelphia Whites, and they returned to Chicago together in 1874. 1875 would be the end of their professional association.

Perhaps it was when the local paper failed to understand what "off-the-record" meant and printed Wood's comments on his players verbatim. A column where Wood referred to his friend “as a poor batter and runner.” That would have seemed harmless as Zettlein was a pitcher who accumulated a record of 129-112 between 1871-76, with his best season in 1873 when he went 36-15 for Philadelphia. He still holds the season record for most innings pitched without giving up a home run. In 1875, he tossed 462 1/3 innings, allowing no homers. He was also reputed to be the hardest-throwing pitcher of his time.

Things with his old friend soon got worse with trade demands, accusations (not proven) of game fixing, and Zettlein's accusations of Wood's “arbitrary and unjust” treatment (like forcing him to play first base all series). For whatever reason, George was out of the game before his 30th birthday. - Baseball History Daily and bRef Bullpen wiki

Redid the facegen. The Historical Minors ID fg code doesn't match bRef but it is what the game uses. I'll make a note in my spreadsheet to recheck it every so often to ensure it is named correctly as new OOTP editions come out.

[LansdowneSt]

Carlos Gonzalez was one of the truly great Rockies in franchise history, and though he’s certainly not the greatest — Todd Helton, Larry Walker, and Nolan Arenado are up on that pedestal — he might very well be the coolest to ever don purple pinstripes. He had an unmatched baseball swag, combining looseness and serious clubhouse leadership with the backward-hat, batting practice demeanor of Ken Griffey Jr. In his prime, “CarGo” was a five-tool player who could make the opposition pay in every possible way. After coming over from the Athletics in the high-profile Matt Holliday trade in 2008, Gonzalez lived up to the hype and quickly made Holliday — an iconic Rockie in his own right who previously donned No. 5 for Colorado — a distant memory. In 2010, Gonzalez won the National League batting title with a .336 average while also earning the first of three Gold Gloves and two Silver Sluggers. It was one sweet swing after another for the three-time all-star, whom Colorado elected not to re-sign in 2019 in favor of talented younger options in the outfield in David Dahl and Raimel Tapia.

As of now, first baseman Todd Helton — who spent his entire 17-year career with Colorado — is the only Rockies player to have his number retired. His No. 17 is posted above the bullpens in right-center. Larry Walker’s No. 33 could (and should) join him eventually.

So, too, should Gonzalez’s No. 5. - Denver Post

Redid the facegen. The current one is fine but I'm anti-Joker smile on fgs.

[actionjackson]

Oh my goodness! That Zettlein is fantastic! For now, I've got two copies - one a 001, and one a 000, so no matter what, I'm good to go. Thank you.

[LansdowneSt]

Just a quick update to those that follow the thread...

I'm taking some time and revisiting all the fg's I did in the beginning of the year because, well, I think I'm better at this now. So, I'm going through and redoing the ones that were, in retrospect, not up to my current standard. I'm not going to scroll back through the thread and repost the fg files but I will find a way to move them all to Fancy Skunk for inclusion in the pack so my new ones replace my old ones. I'll also work on a way to make such revisions more available in real time. Here's an example of a redo of a very early fg I did:

George Van Haltren...

[actionjackson]

Originally Posted by LansdowneSt

Just a quick update to those that follow the thread...

I'm taking some time and revisiting all the fg's I did in the beginning of the year because, well, I think I'm better at this now. So, I'm going through and redoing the ones that were, in retrospect, not up to my current standard. I'm not going to scroll back through the thread and repost the fg files but I will find a way to move them all to Fancy Skunk for inclusion in the pack so my new ones replace my old ones. I'll also work on a way to make such revisions more available in real time. Here's an example of a redo of a very early fg I did:

George Van Haltren...

Whatever you've got, I'll hoover it up, and drop it in the ole fg_files folder. You're really making headway on this.

Through working on missing Federal League player stats, I can now safely say that I know more about the Federal League than any sane human should. Every player's stats are missing, except for defensive stats for OF. No pitching, no batting, no infield or catching defensive stats. It's great that the OF stats are there, because they're the hardest to do, but the poor bastards who only played in the FL, will import as basic statues, not being able to do anything, aside from the OF being able to catch the ball as they did IRL. I think somebody started in on it, and then it got set aside, and forgotten about. They are in the Master.csv file, so they're gonna come in anyway. Fed Leaguers are people too!

[Connelly]

can I get a Jack Radtke FG please.....the one I have is older.

[LansdowneSt]

Jack Radtke had a cup of coffee with the 1936 Brooklyn Dodgers and made a number of pinch-running appearances during that time. He scored eight runs even though he collected only three hits; he also stole three bases. He entered the military in 1942, serving with the U.S. 86th Infantry Division, as a medic. He was present at the Battle of the Bulge in Europe and was ultimately transferred to the Pacific Theater. Upon the completion of his military service in 1946, Jack joined the Twin Falls Cowboys. - bRef Bullpen wiki and his obituary.

Redid the facegen.

[LansdowneSt]

In 2014, three retired *** players were admitted to the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame, including former Mariners closer Kazuhiro Sasaki. It marks the first time that three players have been inducted in the same year since 2008, when center fielder Koji Yamamoto and pitchers Tsuneo Horiuchi and Seiichi Shima received nods. In fact, just 16 players have entered the Hall of Fame in the last decade.

Sasaki began his professional baseball career on the fields of the Yokohama Stadium, sporting the colors of the then-named Yokohama Whales. After ten full years of service, he tried his hand at the MLB level, carrying a pristine 1.93 ERA and 19 saves from his last season of play. This was hardly a record for the 31-year-old -- in 1998, he sent batters scurrying with 45 saves and a stunning 0.64 average. As with most *** transplants, Sasaki's MLB numbers nearly doubled his numbers in Japan. Still, with a 3.16 average and a league-leading, record-setting 37 saves, he laid claim to the 2000 Rookie of the Year Award and multiple All-Star and MVP nominations in subsequent seasons. - lookoutlanding.com

Redid the facegen

[LansdowneSt]

"I'm 5-6," Herrera said. "My first year of professional ball, I listed myself as 5-8, but they had me at 5-8, 145 pounds. That made me feel like I was some frail guy, which I'm not. I weigh 165, 170 pounds. I used to lie about my height, but I don't do that anymore. I am 5-foot-6." The Rangers selected him in the 45th round of the 2006 draft. "One of the area scouts made an impassioned plea to take this guy, you know, when we give the area guys a chance to take a flier on a guy, a gut pick," said Buck Showalter, then the Rangers' manager. "He said, 'He has an out pitch, he's left-handed and has the heart of a lion. We asked, 'What's wrong?'" ... "He's 5-6," the scout said. - ESPN article by, of course, Tim Kurkjian

In four seasons, he went 5-8 with a 3.72 ERA (113 ERA+) and eventually, the guard at the players' entrance figured out he should keep sending him over to the concession entrance. To quote Herrera, "Sometimes, it's good to flash your ID card."

Redid the facegen.