The 2010 Washington Nationals

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2024 Quick season recap (Commish mode):

'Twas the year of a new generation of Amazin' Mets. The Mets, a wild card team in the NL, upset the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-0 in the NLDS, then defeated the Washington Nationals 4-1 in the NLCS (the Nats' bad luck in the playoffs continues, even without Homer in charge), and rallied from 3-1 down to defeat Warren Godwin and the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2024 World Series.

Godwin is again, the best player in the AL and the entire major leagues. No .400+ BA or 150 SB, but he hit 42 home runs (with 37 doubles and 10 triples), 146 RBI, stole 96 bases and hit for a .379 BA. Stephen Strasburg has another great season for the Nationals, going 19-6 with a 2.44 ERA and 217 K in 224 innings. Old School is now with the Seattle Mariners, so that leaves 36-year-old James S. Jones of the Mets as the surprise NL Best Batter.

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REVISITING THE CLASS OF 2015

1. NYY - Cameron Davis (SP, HS) - 121-68, 3.20 ERA, 394 BB, 1730 K, .250 OAVG (1674.2 IP) - 10 seasons, 274 GP, 256 GS *+
2. LAA - Seymour Umwambetumba (SP, college) - 147-57, 2.88 ERA< 720 BB, 1992 K, .213 OAVG (1845.1 IP) - 10 seasons, 282 GP, 268 GS *+
3. HOU - Leon Jackson (CF, college) - 120 HR, 502 RBI, 83 SB, .255 BA - 11 seasons, 971 GP (now with DET)
4. ARI - Hiroya Imai (SP, college) - 94-91, 1 SV, 4.47 ERA, 542 BB, 1454 K (1620.1 IP) - 11 seasons, 318 GP, 250 GS *
5. SD - Domingo De Leon (SP, HS) - 61-59, 1 SV, 3.91 ERA, 392 BB, 823 K, .254 OAVG (1040.2 IP) - 7 seasons, 188 GP, 169 GS
6. LAA - Sherman Henry (SP, HS) - 94-75, 1 SV, 4.08 ERA, 398 BB, 823 K (1426.2 IP) - 9 seasons, 258 GP, 225 GS (now with MIL)
7. CHS - Carlos Chavez (SP, college) - 22-30, 3 SV, 5.63 ERA, 248 BB, 328 K (481.1 IP) - 8 seasons, 296 GP, 45 GS (unsigned FA)
8. LAD - Lorenzo Mendoza (LF, college) - 76 HR, 321 RBI, 43 SB, .275 BA - 6 seasons, 691 GP (unsigned FA) *
9. PHI - Ismael Gonzalez (C, HS) - 40 HR, 164 RBI, .253 BA - 5 seasons, 367 GP
10. CHC - Emilio Bermudez (SP, college) - 16-22, 4 SV, 4.48 ERA, 222 BB, 282 K (399.2 IP) - 7 seasons, 261 GP, 33 GS (now with CIN)
11. FLA - Neil Schoenfield (MR, college) - 23-24, 5.34 ERA, 176 BB, 194 K (436.2 IP) - 9 seasons, 171 GP, 58 GS (now with STL)
12. MIL - Jake Roberts (RF, HS) - 142 HR, 449 RBI, .255 BA - 7 seasons, 687 GP *
13. CHC - Ray Knight (SP, college) - 36-37, 4 SV, 4.39 ERA, 263 BB, 398 K (581.2 IP) - 6 seasons, 245 GP, 71 GS
14. TPB - Tom Bland (SP, HS) - 43-64, 5.30 ERA, 424 BB, 870 K (848 IP) - 7 seasons, 177 GP, 148 GS
15. DET - Jin-Song Qin (SP, college) - 3-2, 1 SV, 4.12 ERA, 24 BB, 28 K (39.1 IP) - 2 seasons, 16 GP, 5 GS (unsigned FA)
16. TOR - Trevor Teague (SP, college) - 0-0, 1 SV, 4 BB, 3 K (6 IP) - 1 season, 5 GP, 0 GS (retired)
17. CLE - Pancho Gutierrez (LF, HS) - 36 HR, 141 RBI, .253 BA - 5 seasons, 372 GP (now with PIT)
18. BAL - Ramon Costello (1B, college) - 129 HR, 585 RBI, 81 SB, .277 BA - 7 seasons, 922 GP (now with TOR) *
19. MIN - Pedro Hernandez (SP, college) - did not play in majors
20. OAK - Wing-fung See-to (1B, HS) - 66 HR, 301 RBI, .277 BA - 6 seasons, 609 GP (now with DET)
21. CLE - Gene Richards (2B, HS) - did not play in majors
22. BAL - Vic Toope (CF, college) - 8 HR, 66 RBI, .286 BA - 7 seasons, 256 GP
23. LAA - Xavier Jones (SP, HS) - 4-4, 6.71 ERA, 31 BB, 38 K (63 IP) - 2 seasons, 18 GP, 13 GS (now with AAA Gwinnett)
24. TPB - Juan Contreras (CF, college) - did not play in majors
25. PIT - Jorge Hernandez (MR, college) - did not play in majors
26. MIN - Edgardo Alba (2B, college) - 7 HR, 237 RBI, 127 SB, .279 BA - 6 seasons, 733 GP
27. CHC - Rafael Gonzalez (C, college) - 12 HR, 34 RBI, .255 BA - 5 seasons, 123 GP /
28. TPB - Todd Tytler (CF, college) - 63 HR, 249 RBI, .238 BA - 8 seasons, 717 GP
29. LAA - Milton Sterling (3B, college) - 49 HR, 290 RBI, .251 BA - 8 seasons, 603 GP
30. HOU - William Downey (2B, college) - did not play in majors
31. LAD - Andres Maestas (RF, college) - 1 HR, 9 RBI, 8 SB, .274 BA - 5 seasons, 63 GP (now with AAA Albuquerque)
32. WAS - Dave Lawrence (MR, college) - 26-26, 14 SV, 236 BB, 294 K (430.2 IP) - 8 seasons, 425 GP, 0 GS (now with PHI)
33. BOS - Greg Lyons (SP, HS) - 8-13, 68 BB, 170 K (151 IP) - 4 seasons, 55 GP, 23 GS (now with SD)

Number of players who played in majors - 28
Number of successes in majors - 19
Number of All-Stars - 6
The best - Cameron Davis (#1), Seymour Umwambetumba (#2, see 2014), Hiroya Imai (#4), Jake Roberts (#12), Tom Bland (#14)
The bust - Carlos Chavez (#7), Jin-Song Qin (#15, see 2014), Trevor Teague (#16), Pedro Hernandez (#19), Gene Richards (#21)

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First round of the 2025 Amateur Draft:

1. SEA - Dillon "Pongo" Davies (SP), Florida Christian HS (FL)
2. MIL - Jaime Rivera (SP), Santa Ana
3. OAK - Carl "Critter" Jackson (CF), California
4. PHI - Daniel Santellano (SP), Texas
5. SF - Juan Lopez (SP), Rice
6. TEX - Julio Franco (CF), Hawthorne Valley HS (NY)
7. SD - Orlando Pina (SP), Tennessee
8. NYY - Chris Meadows (SP), Manual Arts HS (CA)
9. BOS - Jose Aguila (CF), Henderson County HS (KY)
10. ATL - David Garza (RF), San Diego State
11. CHC - Jean-Francois Larouche (SS), George Brown
12. ARI - Manny Reyes (3B), Florida
13. IND - Nobuhisa Takahashi (1B), Woodmore HS (OH)
14. TEX - Modesto Roncon (SS), Coleville HS (CA)
15. CHS - Gustavo Arvajo (CF), SC-Upstate
16. TPB - Rick Lamb (C), Stark County HS (IL)
17. STL - Roger Underdown (SP), Fairfield
18. LAD - Lou Holder (LF), "college" (failed to sign)
19. TOR - Mike Kelley (1B), Colorado State-Pueblo
20. ARI - Roger Kokawa (SP), "high school" (created player)
21. MIN - Juan Luis Soto (1B), LSU
22. CHS - Troy Alston (SP), Coppin State
23. COL - Ricardo Lopez (SP), Michigan
24. STL - Alfredo Vallejo (SS), Michigan
25. MIN - Jason Thomas (CF), Ridgeway HS (TN)
26. BAL - Matthew Scoma (SP), Atkinson County HS (GA)
27. HOU - Neil Peterson (SP), Telecommunication Arts Tech (NY)
28. COL - Chris Lee (SP), Union HS (OK)
29. NYY - Tsurayaki Kobayashi (SP), Alhambra HS (CA)
30. PIT - Doug Watkins (LF), Central HS (KY)
31. WAS - Christian Walker (3B), Brooks HS (MA)

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2025 Quick season recap (Commish mode):

In Year 2 without Homer, the Washington Nationals became an even more geezer-oriented team than Homer had initially imagined when he was just starting out. SP Conner Casey was traded for aging 1B Brandon Snyder, while 38-year-old IF Greg Miclat and 34-year-old OF Keun-ho Park (FA) are still playing big roles. There are now three Georges in the starting lineup - LF White and 2B Rivers from the last Homer lineup, and 1B George Bouwens returning as a free agent, and playing quite well after a mid-season call-up! RF Antonio Jimenez is also back with the Nats, ditto MR Cristo Moreno. The pitching rotation is Stephen Strasburg, Miguel Arteaga and assorted journeymen. Perhaps thinking of him as too much trouble and costing too much, Washington declined to re-sign Perfesser Kondo. Big mistake - he's frontrunner for the AL Cy Young with the San Francisco Giants. Still, the Nats finished over .500 at 84-78. Prognosis not too good for 2026...it looks like Homer will be inheriting a mess when he returns as GM around 2028.

As far as the rest of the majors go, the Cincinnati Reds upset Doug Huffman and the rest of the Chicago White Sox in the 2026 World Series. Huffman was on fire for the first half of the season, going way over Barry Bonds' pace and seemingly on track to break his HR record despite missing 16 games. Unfortunately, he was possessed by the bat of post-injury Don Mattingly and started hitting for average rather than power. He ended up with "only" 68 homers, after hitting 44 before the All-Star Break. Warren Godwin, whose Toronto Blue Jays lost the ALCS to Chicago, hit an amazing .446, breaking a century-plus-old record. (Need to neutralize those stats a bit! He became even better than I had designed him to be.)

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REVISITING THE CLASS OF 2016

1. MIL - Allen "Pop" Cummings (SP, college) - 138-103, 3.79 ERA, 513 BB, 1605 K (1999.2 IP) - 11 seasons, 335 GP, 310 GS (now with DET) *
2. DET - Ryoichi Oike (SP, college) - 78-97, 1 SV, 4.05 ERA, 286 BB, 895 K (1499 IP) - 9 seasons, 246 GP, 234 GS (now with KC) *
3. SD - Billy "Old School" Holoway (SS, college) - 65 HR, 560 RBI, 796 SB, .336 BA - 11 seasons, 1221 GP (now with SEA) *+
4. PIT - Cam Magness (SP, college) - 6-11, 5 SV, 159 BB, 154 K (299.2 IP) - 6 seasons, 260 GP, 0 GS (now with CHC)
5. ARI - Jeff "Cheese" Wamboldt (1B, college) - 138 HR, 589 RBI, .278 BA - 10 seasons, 995 GP (now with MIL) *
6. LAA - Myung-gu Kang (SP, college) - 2-2, 41 BB, 42 K (71 IP) - 4 seasons, 62 GP, 0 GS (retired)
7. MIN - Conner Casey (SP, HS) - 65-42, 3 SV, 3.73 ERA, 416 BB, 662 K (876 IP) - 8 seasons, 233 GP, 124 GS (now with CIN) *
8. NYY - Norberto Prieto (C, college) - 68 HR, 418 RBI, .277 BA - 9 seasons, 989 GP (now with CHC)
9. TPB - Michael "Bucky" Brown (CF, college) - 170 HR, 606 RBI, 139 SB, .293 BA - 9 seasons, 927 GP (now with HOU) *
10. FLA - Alonso Serrano (LF, college) - 56 HR, 342 RBI, 207 SB, .251 BA - 8 seasons, 961 GP (now with A Casper)
11. PHI - Dave Kavanagh (RF, HS) - 107 HR, 332 RBI, .269 BA - 6 seasons, 572 GP
12. CHS - Cheng-gong Yo (SP, college) - 24-15, 8 SV, 3.83 ERA, 162 BB, 298 K (458.2 IP) - 7 seasons, 451 GP, 0 GS (now with TPB)
13. SF - Jing-song Qin (SP, college) - 3-2, 1 SV, 4.12 ERA, 24 BB, 28 K (39.1 IP) - 2 seasons, 16 GP, 5 GS (retired)
14. CHC - Andres Ortega (3B, college) - 95 HR, 417 RBI, .257 BA - 9 seasons, 981 GP (now with PHI) /
15. DET - Juan Jose Roman (SP, college) - 0-1, 2.61 ERA, 2 BB, 7 K (10.1 IP) - 2 seasons, 4 GP, 1 GS (retired)
16. PIT - Andy Waller (SP, college) - did not play in majors /
17. HOU - Alonso Chavez (SP, college) - 38-25, 4.44 ERA, 135 BB, 280 K (505 IP) - 6 seasons, 133 GP, 76 GS
18. DET - Robert Wilson (SP, college) - 8-14, 4.26 ERA, 97 BB, 144 K, .253 OAVG (167 IP) - 5 seasons, 39 GP, 26 GS
19. DET - Roberto Fuentes (2B, college) - 0 HR, 1 RBI, .125 BA - 3 seasons, 15 GP (now with AAA Nashville)
20. TPB - Dave Cote (CF, college) - 35 HR, 194 RBI, 75 SB, .291 BA - 7 seasons, 621 GP (now with LAA)
21. ARI - Ethan Morris (SP, college) - did not play in majors
22. CIN - Don Thexton (3B, college) - did not play in majors
23. BOS - Jesus Valentin (SP, HS) - 12-10, 4.71 ERA, 65 BB, 120 K (164.1 IP) - 5 seasons, 35 GP, 28 GS
24. SD - Jimmy Richard (SP, HS) - did not play in majors
25. KC - Dan Puckett (RF, HS) - 53 HR, 184 RBI, .255 BA - 5 seasons, 410 GP
26. ATL - Alonzo Prieto (RF, college) - 23 HR, 256 RBI, 109 SB, .332 BA - 10 seasons, 958 GP (now with IND)
27. CHC - Tyler "Shadow" Davis (MR, college) - 48-47, 266 SV, 181 BB, 751 K, .237 OAVG (636 IP) - 11 seasons, 607 GP, 0 GS (now with PIT) *
28. COL - Curt Chappell (SP, college) - 41-43, 134 SV, 187 BB, 854 K, .247 OAVG (733 IP) - 11 seasons, 663 GP, 0 GS (now with OAK)
29. CIN - Mike Brewer (C, college) - 1 HR, 18 RBI, .179 BA - 1 season, 45 GP (now with AA Carolina)
30. MIL - Rafael Gonzalez (C, college) - 12 HR, 34 RBI, .241 BA - 5 seasons, 127 GP
31. HOU - Iyasu Amiri (CF, HS) - 0 HR, 3 RBI, 13 SB, .164 BA - 2 seasons, 34 GP (unsigned FA)
32. ATL - Jason Hurren (LF, HS) - 21 HR, 160 RBI, 29 SB, .292 BA - 7 seasons, 422 GP (now with COL)

Number of players who played in majors - 28
Number of successes in majors - 19
Number of All-Stars - 7
The best - Allen Cummings (#1), Old School (#3), Michael Brown (#9), Tyler Davis (#27), Curt Chappell (#28)
The bust - Myung-gu Kang (#6), Jin-Song Qin (#13, see '13/14), Juan Jose Roman (#15), Andy Waller (#16), Roberto Fuentes (#19), Jimmy Richard (#24)

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First round of the 2026 Amateur Draft: (to be edited later?)

Round 1
Round 1, Pick 1 - San Diego Padres: C Chris Glenn
Round 1, Pick 2 - Tampa Bay Rays: SP Arturo Santana
Round 1, Pick 3 - Kansas City Royals: SP Javier Garza
Round 1, Pick 4 - Detroit Tigers: CF Felipe Núñes
Round 1, Pick 5 - New York Yankees: 3B Abel Price
Round 1, Pick 6 - Philadelphia Phillies: CL José López
Round 1, Pick 7 - Los Angeles Dodgers: SP Juan Herrera
Round 1, Pick 8 - Pittsburgh Pirates: CF Jorge Cardona
Round 1, Pick 9 - Seattle Mariners: RF David Garza
Round 1, Pick 10 - Atlanta Braves: SP Evan Johnson
Round 1, Pick 11 - St. Louis Cardinals: CF Rafael Ruíz
Round 1, Pick 12 - Indianapolis Cosmos: CF Juan Pérez
Round 1, Pick 13 - Chicago Cubs: SP Kingo Hayagawa
Round 1, Pick 14 - Baltimore Orioles: SP Donny Zuijdam
Round 1, Pick 15 - San Francisco Giants: SP Renato Simes
Round 1, Pick 16 - Cleveland Indians: SP Lowell Roach
Round 1, Pick 17 - Arizona Sinks: SS Alonso Rodríguez
Round 1, Pick 18 - Detroit Tigers: SP Bernard Rijerkerk
Round 1, Pick 19 - Washington Nationals: SP Mario Zúñiga
Round 1, Pick 20 - Atlanta Braves: SP Dani Pérez
Round 1, Pick 21 - Los Angeles Dodgers: LF António Ramírez
Round 1, Pick 22 - Atlanta Braves: SP Jorge Ortíz
Round 1, Pick 23 - Milwaukee Brewers: LF Melvin Alexander
Round 1, Pick 24 - Cincinnati Reds: SP Maxim Charbonneau
Round 1, Pick 25 - Cincinnati Reds: 2B Doug Bryan
Round 1, Pick 26 - Los Angeles Angels: RF Tom Sheffield
Round 1, Pick 27 - St. Louis Cardinals: C Colm Fontenot
Round 1, Pick 28 - Chicago White Sox: C Pedro Ramos
Round 1, Pick 29 - Chicago Cubs: CF Arthur Graves
Round 1, Pick 30 - Toronto Blue Jays: CF Domingo Flores
Round 1, Pick 31 - New York Mets: SP Masami Ohayashi

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2026 Quick season recap (Commish mode):

Finally, the Washington Nationals dip below .500 as irate fans clamor for Homer Singson's return. However, he is still shuttling between his hometown of Manila and Kansas City, where his son Homer Jr. is one of the AL's best home run hitters. The Nats' lineup is cluttered with Joe Nobodies, but George White, Julio Montero and Bryce Harper are still around, delivering much-needed power, speed and defense. The pitching staff is also filled with a dime-a-dozen journeymen, with the exception of 38-year-old staff ace Stephen Strasburg, who is as close as you can get to being Mr. National, in his 18th year in the organization. Still, Strasburg suffered with the rest of the team, posting a career-low 7-15 record. The Nats finished with a 74-88 record, and manager Pedro Maldonado seems to be due for a sacking.

Meanwhile, the Cincinnati Reds won a second straight World Series as underdogs, and much can be attributed to their dependable catcher Tsuyoshi Chikafuji, known to fans as "Chika Ferdy Parasol", i.e. a gibberish line from the Beatles' "Sun King". They do have a great pitching staff led by 17-year vet Martin Perez and 31-year-old late-bloomer Alfonso Sanchez. Power continues to be in short supply in the NL, as Ronald Marshall (HOU) and Tiberio Minghetti (STL) tie for the home run lead with just 37. All the power is over at the AL, where Doug Huffman blasted 58, and Homer Singson Jr. 49. Warren Godwin (yes, him again) of the Toronto Blue Jays broke his own record by hitting .450, but may have cost himself a sixth straight MVP by moving to pitcher for the last month of the season. He moved back to the outfield during the playoffs, but that apparently wasn't enough to help the Blue Jays beat the Boston Red Sox in the ALCS. Best Hitter favorites are Doug Huffman (CHS) in the AL and Bartolo Medine (STL) in the NL, while Winston Moore (BOS) and Martin Perez are AL and NL faves respectively for the 2026 Cy Young.

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REVISITING THE CLASS OF 2017

1. CLE - Kazuhiko "Bomber" Higuchi (2B, HS) - 37 HR, 176 RBI, 22 SB, .268 BA - 6 seasons, 375 GP (now with AA Binghamton) /
2. SD - Angelo Munoz (SP, college) - 13-12, 7 SV, 4.30 ERA, 120 BB, 143 K (249.1 IP) - 7 seasons, 239 GP, 0 GS (unsigned FA)
3. FLA - Jose "Patsy" Gonzalez (SP, college) - 27-39, 4 SV, 4.94 ERA, 190 BB, 397 K (532.1 IP) - 7 seasons, 166 GP, 89 GS (now with MIL)
4. NYM - Carlos "Jurassic Carl" Vasquez (SP, HS) - 43-35, 4.30 ERA, 278 BB, 512 K (661.1 IP) - 5 seasons, 181 GP, 99 GS (now with HOU)
5. CHC - Barney Johnson (1B, college) - 9 HR, 31 RBI, .216 BA - 4 seasons, 73 GP (now with AAA Scranton)
6. BOS - Luke Smith (SP, HS) - 53-48, 1 SV, 3.88 ERA, 217 BB, 456 K (871.2 IP) - 5 seasons, 138 GP, 137 GS (now with LAD) /
7. DET - Andres Ortega (3B, college) - 95 HR, 430 RBI, .253 BA - 9 seasons, 1063 GP (now with AAA Colorado Springs)
8. MIL - Butch Kealey (1B, college) - 122 HR, 406 RBI, .278 BA - 9 seasons, 821 GP (now with OAK)
9. CLE - Jeff Ray (CF, college) - did not play in majors
10. PHI - Jorge Garcia (SP, college) - 73-79, 4.68 ERA, 669 BB, 855 K (1336 IP) - 8 seasons, 231 GP, 210 GS (now with ARI)
11. PIT - Alonso Navarro (SP, HS) - 71-60, 2 SV, 3.90 ERA, 399 BB, 1207 K (1215 IP) - 7 seasons, 269 GP, 178 GS *
12. ARI - Rafael De Jesus (RF, college) - 166 HR, 716 RBI, 120 SB, .278 BA - 9 seasons, 1221 GP
13. NYY - Andy Waller (SP, college) - did not play in majors
14. CHC - Dave Eggert (2B, HS) - 41 HR, 236 RBI, .284 BA - 5 seasons, 459 GP (now with AAA Round Rock)
15. LAA - Bob Cammack (SP, HS) - 17-25, 1 SV, 5.04 ERA, 226 BB, 229 K (396.1 IP) - 5 seasons, 159 GP, 50 GS
16. PIT - Noah Scammell (SP, HS) - 9-7, 2 SV, 5.86 ERA, 116 BB, 111 K (218 IP) - 6 seasons, 198 GP, 0 GS (now with SEA)
17. BAL - Darrell Newsome (CF, college) - 7 HR, 24 RBI, 15 SB, .195 BA - 6 seasons, 179 GP (now with AAA Norfolk)
18. OAK - Jose Gutierrez (SS, college) - 63 HR, 368 RBI, 52 SB, .264 BA - 7 seasons, 861 GP (now with TOR)
19. OAK - Roberto Moreno (3B, college) - 110 HR, 449 RBI, .299 BA - 7 seasons, 886 GP (now with BAL) *
20. LAA - Edison Polk (SP, college) - 1-4, 0 SV, 44 BB, 58 K (109.2 IP) - 4 seasons, 98 GP, 1 GS (now with AAA Toledo)
21. DET - Felipe Estrada (SP, HS) - 26-26, 1 SV, 4.33 ERA, 162 BB, 292 K (430.2 IP) - 4 seasons, 79 GP, 67 GS (now with HOU)
22. NYY - Jose Olivarez (2B, college) - 74 HR, 277 RBI, .277 BA - 5 seasons, 456 GP (now with AAA Trenton) *
23. HOU - Esteban Rocha (RF, HS) - did not play in majors
24. CLE - Beau Asadoor (3B, HS) - 111 HR, 422 RBI, .303 BA - 6 seasons, 719 GP (now with CHS) *
25. LAD - Martin Kuhn (SP, HS) - 1-9, 0 SV, 5.73 ERA, 32 BB, 66 K (88 IP) - 2 seasons, 47 GP, 8 GS (now with MIL)
26. SEA - Hyo-jun Chong (SP, college) - 12-14, 3 SV, 3.73 ERA, 90 BB, 195 K, .225 OAVG (231.2 IP) - 6 seasons, 180 GP, 10 GS (now with DET)
27. TEX - Leonardo Gonzales (SP, college) - did not play in majors
28. ATL - Jose Montoya (SP, college) - 2-5, 5.48 ERA, 33 BB, 35 K (47.2 IP) - 2 seasons, 14 GP, 8 GS (retired)
29. LAA - Kosami Koyama (LF, college) - 61 HR, 258 RBI, 17 SB, .252 BA - 7 seasons, 737 GP (unsigned FA)
30. PHI - Gerardo Ramos (C, college) - 6 HR, 13 RBI, .236 BA - 5 seasons, 44 GP (now with AAA Lehigh Valley)
31. CHC - Michael Myers (3B, HS) - did not play in majors
32. NYM - Arnold Glisson (CF/P, HS) - did not play in majors
33. CHC - Dave Richardson (RF, college) - 84 HR, 434 RBI, 70 SB, .269 BA - 8 seasons, 952 GP (now with PHI)

Number of players who played in majors - 27
Number of successes in majors - 18
Number of All-Stars - 4
The best - Luke Smith (#6), Alonso Navarro (#11), Rafael De Jesus (#12), Roberto Moreno (#19), Beau Asadoor (#24)
The bust - Barney Johnson (#5), Jeff Ray (#8), Andy Waller (#13, see '16), Edison Polk (#20), Esteban Rocha (#23)

First round of the 2027 Amateur Draft:

Round 1, Pick 1 - Milwaukee Brewers: SP Santiago García
Round 1, Pick 2 - Philadelphia Phillies: SP Chaim Bal
Round 1, Pick 3 - San Francisco Giants: SP Ken Bryan
Round 1, Pick 4 - Cleveland Indians: SP Kingo Hayagawa
Round 1, Pick 5 - Baltimore Orioles: SP Freddy López
Round 1, Pick 6 - Washington Nationals: RF Yataro Ono
Round 1, Pick 7 - Minnesota Twins: CF Jorge Barrón
Round 1, Pick 8 - New York Yankees: C António Banks
Round 1, Pick 9 - Kansas City Royals: SP Riley Bascombe
Round 1, Pick 10 - Detroit Tigers: SS Adam Powell
Round 1, Pick 11 - Tampa Bay Rays: SP Ramón Santos
Round 1, Pick 12 - Atlanta Braves: C José Flores
Round 1, Pick 13 - Chicago Cubs: RF Alex Humphrey
Round 1, Pick 14 - Indianapolis Cosmos: SS Daniel Houg
Round 1, Pick 15 - Seattle Mariners: SS José Martínez
Round 1, Pick 16 - San Diego Padres: SP Alexis Ruíz
Round 1, Pick 17 - San Diego Padres: CF Hyung-jin Kim
Round 1, Pick 18 - New York Mets: SP Víctor Martínez
Round 1, Pick 19 - Chicago Cubs: CF Raúl Hernández
Round 1, Pick 20 - Minnesota Twins: CF William Féliz
Round 1, Pick 21 - Arizona Sinks: SP Hunter Lacenaire
Round 1, Pick 22 - Cleveland Indians: 2B Calvin Miller
Round 1, Pick 23 - Indianapolis Cosmos: RF Shelby Dadswell
Round 1, Pick 24 - New York Mets: SP Pedro Zarate
Round 1, Pick 25 - Chicago White Sox: LF Scott Brooks
Round 1, Pick 26 - Pittsburgh Pirates: LF Artie Stear
Round 1, Pick 27 - Chicago White Sox: 3B Arthur Edwards
Round 1, Pick 28 - Texas Rangers: SS Chad Stark
Round 1, Pick 29 - Washington Nationals: LF Xing-fu Chuang
Round 1, Pick 30 - Pittsburgh Pirates: 2B Jerry Evans
Round 1, Pick 31 - Texas Rangers: CF Joe Cook

[MrEndshiftresign]

GM Log - 11/2/2027

MANILA, PHILIPPINES

So here I was, playing OOTP 28 on my PC and mentally planning my course of action for the coming week when the phone rung. Long distance call? My first guess was that it was HoJu - Homer Junior - my home run-hitting eldest son currently with the LA Dodgers. It turned out to be someone whom I wasn't expecting at all.

"Hello, Homer?," said the man on the other end of the line.

"May I know whom I'm speaking to?"

"Check your email. I just booked you a first-class flight from MNL to DCA."

"Ken Torres? What is it now, Kenny...why are you sending me to DC when I'm enjoying private life here in the Philippines with my family?"

"Don't be silly, Homer. Don't you want your old job back?"

"After you called my choice of lineups and trades questionable? After you nearly run me out of town before I could resign on my own? After I broke DC's collective heart with four World Series losses?" I couldn't believe Kenny was on the phone, and practically handing me the Washington Nationals' GM job on a silver platter.

"Look, Homer. The guy who came after you, he's ruining the Nationals. He's doing the same thing you did the first few years you were in charge, only it's been four years now and he's still doing the same thing. If you don't take over, we're going to be fielding a Social Security lineup in 2028. People will think we're sandbagging. So please accept my apology. On behalf of my dad and Ted Lerner who came before me, please accept our apology."

"I'm gonna need to give it some thought."

"Don't think about it, Homer, just take the damn flight and lead the Nats back to glory. I already booked you the tickets. Flight leaves on Friday the 5th, so you have four days to prepare."

A bad job of running the Nationals, eh? Turning the Nats into a retirement home? That used to be my strategy, but I gave it up as soon as Manny Ramirez decided he was going to stop cheating the aging process. It's back to being Doc Ock in the GM's office, with pressure, pressure, pressure from Kenny, the fans, the players and even the players' families, and a ton of work to do on so many ends. But in my fifteen years as Nationals GM, I had grown to love the team and the city.

It's rebuilding time!

[MrEndshiftresign]

3/1/2028

0-0, .000, 0 GB

Baby Let's Clean House

Returning Nats GM Homer Singson "not content with a .500 lineup"

It's safe to say that controversial Washington Nationals general manager Homer Singson thinks it's time for a change. In the four years since Singson dramatically resigned his post after a fourth World Series loss in five years, things have gone south for the Nats, and while they did improve enough to finish second in the NL East last year, they still missed the playoffs for a third straight year.

"I will not be content with a .500 lineup. That's why I made these changes," said Singson.

What changes are these, pray tell? Perhaps looking to get back at San Francisco for poaching Perfesser Kondo in 2025, Singson traded for the Giants' young ace pitcher Bryan Carr, giving up 1B George Bouwens, MR Martin Gonzalez, promising 2B Nick Olsen and two minor leaguers. Singson acquired two more quality free agent pitchers - 36-year-old Jameson Taillon and 31-year-old Kevin Dodd, then traded Dodd to Milwaukee for two young cornermen - 1B Ken'ichi Tanaka and 3B James "Fire And Rain" Taylor. 2B Frank "Home Run" Bailey and RF Cisco Trujillo also joined via free agency, and veteran C Willin Rosario, yet another free agent, replaces Tim O'Connor as Bryce Harper's backup.

"It's not complete, though," said Singson in reference to his rebuilding efforts. "Sooner or later we'll need a young catcher to eventually replace Bryce, but I think he still has a few good years in him before Cooperstown." Speaking of the Hall of Fame, Singson retained Mr. National himself, 39-year-old Stephen Strasburg, who is coming off an elbow injury but apparently very sharp for a pitcher his age.

"I can't wait till Opening Day," continued Singson. "People think the NL is going down the tubes, but at least everybody here is natural. You don't have guys who hit for a .450 BA and are so arrogant they can afford to switch positions and go for a Cy Young. You don't get fat boys hitting 75 homers and denying they're on something just because they're wider than Cecil and Prince Fielder put together. And you don't get speedsters who want to injure basemen with their spikes." Singson's last comment is apparently aimed at outfielders Warren Goodwin (TOR) and Doug Huffman (CHS), and infielder Old School (SEA) respectively, who have all denied use of performance-enhancing substances following their unbelievable records.

From the daring roster moves to the controversial comments, Homer is indeed back in town.

Opening Day Lineups:

RF - Cisco Trujillo (29)
3B - James Taylor (25)
2B - Jesus Pineda (30)
1B - Frank Bailey (28)
C - Bryce Harper (35)
LF - George White (34)
SS - George Rivers (29)
CF - Pao-tzu Fok (29)
Key reserves - 3B Mario Vega (37), LF Julio Hernandez (32), RF Aaron Altherr (37), C Willin Rosario (39)
SP1 - Stephen Strasburg (39)
SP2 - Bryan Carr (26)
SP3 - Miguel Arteaga (26)
SP4 - Jameson Taillon (36)
SP5 - Angel Quinones (30)
Spot starters/MR - Paul Demny (38), Juan Jose Robles (32), Cisco Medina (24)
Setup - Foppe van der Laan (36), Derek O'Connell (30)
Closer - Brent Kennedy (36)

[MrEndshiftresign]

5/16/2028

17-21, .441, 4.5 GB

Has Homer Done It Again? Talent-stocked Nationals in the middle of bad skein

"Homer Singson does not realize that he has created a monster. If he doesn't get this lineup to jell, then I'm afraid Ken Torres has made a mistake in bringing him back."

This was the statement of a Washington Nationals insider who has criticized GM Homer Singson for bringing in too much talent. "It never works," the source continued. "I was a boy when the Portland Trailblazers had this awesome lineup on paper. Steve Smith, Dale Davis, Shawn Kemp, Rod Strickland, Arvydas Sabonis...you know, all those talented players and then some...you know what happened? They became the Jailblazers. Everyone sniping about playing time, kids with bad attitudes, or attitudes turned sour because of a bad clubhouse vibe. We don't need that here in Washington."

Another observer agreed with the above comments. "Homer tried to do too much in his first year back. I think it would've been best if he tried to fix the rotation first, or the corners first, or whatnot. Not everything at the same time. Now we've got a starting lineup that's almost brand new. Some of the players brought in aren't getting the playing time they expected, and some of the veterans are sitting on the bench when they feel they still have something in them."

Still, we believe it is too early to tell if Singson has gone overboard once again. Hopefully the Nats could get things together after losing seven of the last eight.

[MrEndshiftresign]

6/15/2028

30-36, .455, 9 GB

First round of the 2028 Amateur Draft
Round 1, Pick 1 - Atlanta Braves: 2B Camillo Corrazzari
Round 1, Pick 2 - Pittsburgh Pirates: CF Jorge López
Round 1, Pick 3 - Detroit Tigers: SP Ed Hunt
Round 1, Pick 4 - Chicago Cubs: SP José Torres
Round 1, Pick 5 - Indianapolis Cosmos: C Júlio Vásquez
Round 1, Pick 6 - Oakland Athletics: SP Manny Hernández
Round 1, Pick 7 - St. Louis Cardinals: 2B Alfredo López
Round 1, Pick 8 - New York Mets: MR Joey West
Round 1, Pick 9 - Cleveland Indians: LF Noah Wickander
Round 1, Pick 10 - Milwaukee Brewers: CF José Valéncia
Round 1, Pick 11 - Baltimore Orioles: SP Hunter Lacenaire
Round 1, Pick 12 - New York Yankees: LF Sixto Carmona
Round 1, Pick 13 - Kansas City Royals: LF Tatsuzo Yano
Round 1, Pick 14 - Cincinnati Reds: SP Paul Roberts
Round 1, Pick 15 - Texas Rangers: SS Daniel Gagnon
Round 1, Pick 16 - Oakland Athletics: 1B Denny Ward
Round 1, Pick 17 - Cleveland Indians: 1B Ming-yu Xiong
Round 1, Pick 18 - Colorado Rockies: SP Sammy Campbell
Round 1, Pick 19 - Los Angeles Angels: CL Nelson León
Round 1, Pick 20 - Oakland Athletics: 2B Calvin Miller
Round 1, Pick 21 - Arizona Sinks: RF James Butler
Round 1, Pick 22 - New York Yankees: CL Tyler Barnes
Round 1, Pick 23 - Cleveland Indians: MR Ángel González
Round 1, Pick 24 - San Francisco Giants: CF Manuel García
Round 1, Pick 25 - Detroit Tigers: 1B Luc Maltais
Round 1, Pick 26 - Baltimore Orioles: CL Donald Graves
Round 1, Pick 27 - Oakland Athletics: RF Clark Ford
Round 1, Pick 28 - Boston Red Sox: CF José Sánchez
Round 1, Pick 29 - Kansas City Royals: MR Alejandro Martínez
Round 1, Pick 30 - Atlanta Braves: RF Jesse Reid
Round 1, Pick 31 - Arizona Sinks: LF Mo Dimbleby
Round 1, Pick 32 - Los Angeles Dodgers: 3B Tom Wallace

[MrEndshiftresign]

REVISITING THE CLASS OF 2018

1. CHS - Doug "21st Century Babe Ruth" Huffman (CF, college) - 432 HR, 1016 RBI, .360 BA - 9 seasons, 1135 GP *+
2. MIL - Belmiro "Big George" Torquato (SP, HS) - 68-62, 4.10 ERA, 407 BB, 986 K, .249 OAVG (1091 IP) - 11 seasons, 190 GP, 181 GS
3. CHS - Julio "El Tyrus Raymond" Montero (CF, college) - 155 HR, 612 RBI, 506 SB, .308 BA - 11 seasons, 1088 GP *+
4. NYM - Antonio "The Big Bear" Benitez (SP, HS) - 98-58, 474 BB, 1120 K, .253 OAVG (1434.2 IP) - 8 seasons, 214 GP, 214 GS *
5. CHC - Thurman Wilson (CF, college) - 175 HR, 582 RBI, 207 SB, .273 BA - 10 seasons, 1337 GP *
6. FLA - Angelo Lozano (SP, HS) - 54-56, 3.54 ERA, 418 BB, 754 K, .254 OAVG (970.1 IP) - 7 seasons, 181 GP, 155 GS
7. TOR - Kazuhiko "Bomber" Higuchi (2B, college) - 37 HR, 176 RBI, 22 SB, .268 BA - 6 seasons, 375 GP (now with A Savannah)
8. BOS - Frank "Sunny Jim" Pierce (SP, college) - 30-38, 3 SV, 5.43 ERA, 294 BB, 348 K (577 IP) - 8 seasons, 202 GP, 87 GS (unsigned FA)
9. SD - Shoichi "Governor" Fujihara (SP, college) - 11-18, 3 SV, 4.82 ERA, 140 BB, 218 K (276.1 IP) - 5 seasons, 145 GP, 31 GS (now with LAA)
10. PIT - Luke Smith (SP, college) - 68-58, 1 SV, 3.82 ERA, 267 BB, 562 K (1080.1 IP) - 8 seasons, 171 GP, 170 GS (now with CHS) *
11. KC - Saktutaro Takahashi (CF/P, HS) - did not play in majors
12. LAA - Shunen "Knife" Iwata (SP, college) - 79-85, 1 SV, 4.23 ERA, 498 BB, 994 K (1347.2 IP) - 10 seasons, 285 GP, 220 GS (now with ATL)
13. NYY - Jim Higbe (SP, HS) - 16-21, 1 SV, 5.35 ERA, 226 BB, 309 K (397.1 IP) - 5 seasons, 141 GP, 65 GS
14. CHC - Ricardo Diaz (2B, HS) - 0 HR, 7 RBI, .216 BA - 6 seasons, 54 GP (unsigned FA)
15. CHC - Antonio Velez (LF, HS) - 23 HR, 164 RBI, 25 SB, .276 BA - 5 seasons, 562 GP
16. CLE - Mike Carter (2B, college) - 25 HR, 362 RBI, 54 SB, .297 BA - 9 seasons, 1065 GP *
17. NYY - Kenny Phillips (SP, HS) - 54-59, 4.06 ERA, 462 BB, 720 K, .242 OAVG (951.1 IP) - 6 seasons, 194 GP, 152 GS (now with IND)
18. FLA - Jim Norman (SS, college) - 5 HR, 24 RBI, 6 SB, .174 BA - 3 seasons, 137 GP (unsigned FA)
19. TPB - Rickey Jones (1B, college) - 266 HR, 806 RBI, .309 BA - 8 seasons, 1084 GP *
20. CHS - Pepe Carrasco (2B, HS) - 40 HR, 236 RBI, 66 SB, .295 BA - 5 seasons, 518 GP (now with BOS)
21. DET - Brayden Whimster (CF, college) - 111 HR, 482 RBI, .267 BA - 9 seasons, 1044 GP (now with STL)
22. HOU - Dave Eggert (2B, college) - 60 HR, 315 RBI, .290 BA - 6 seasons, 584 GP
23. KC - Adam Rodgers (LF, HS) - 99 HR, 275 RBI, .278 BA - 5 seasons, 518 GP
24. BOS - Juan Zavala (SP, college) - 37-41, 1 SV, 4.15 ERA, 199 BB, 321 K (639 IP) - 11 seasons, 163 GP, 101 GS (now with OAK)
25. OAK - Barry Braddock (3B, college) - did not play in majors
26. CIN - Hector Sepulveda (SP, HS) - did not play in majors
27. CLE - Gus Yeley (RF, HS) - did not play in majors
28. MIL - Sean Thomas (C, college) - 86 HR, 448 RBI, .319 BA - 8 seasons, 878 GP (now with BAL) *
29. BOS - John Boone (RF, college) - 13 HR, 51 RBI, .306 BA - 3 seasons, 129 GP (retired)
30. ARI - Eugene Roberts (CF, HS) - 2 HR, 6 RBI, .241 BA - 4 seasons, 29 GP (now with TEX)
31. ARI - Hayden Gelder (CF, college) - 48 HR, 260 RBI, 60 SB, .294 BA - 6 seasons, 725 GP (retired)
32. WAS - Dan Grounds (2B, college) - 2 HR, 20 RBI, 6 SB, .200 BA - 7 seasons, 72 GP (now with AA Birmingham)
33. COL - Juan Lopez (C, college) - 114 HR, 543 RBI, 49 SB, .287 BA - 9 seasons, 1128 GP *
34. MIN - Fernando Beltran (3B, college) - 1 HR, 5 RBI, .137 BA - 3 seasons, 49 GP (now with AAA Durham)

Number of players who played in majors - 30
Number of successes in majors - 22
Number of All-Stars - 9
The best - Doug Huffman (#1), Julio Montero (#3), Antonio Benitez (#4), Thurman Wilson (#5), Rickey Jones (#19), Juan Lopez (#33)
The bust - Bomber Higuchi (#7), Sakataru Takahashi (#11), Ricardo Diaz (#14), Jim Norman (#18), Barry Braddock (#25)

[MrEndshiftresign]

7/9/2028

45-43, .511, 2.5 GB

Nationals News - Singson optimistic despite three-game skein

"It's very easy. All you gotta do is relax, regroup and revisit. The three R's I used to tell you guys about." Despite losing three of the last four to the New York Mets, general manager Homer Singson of the Washington Nationals seems pleased as punch with the recent developments in the Nationals' camp.

"I'm a bit disappointed that Bryan had to strain his triceps," said Singson, referring to the man who might be the next Nats' ace, Bryan Carr. "It's like, 'Oh, man! Just when we were getting good.' But the All-Star break should allow him and Stephen (Strasburg) to rest their injured arms, and I can guarantee you we'll be firing on all cylinders once we return to action."

Since firing manager Pedro Maldonado, the Nationals have won 19 out of the last 29 games, and have played quite well after reacquiring 1B George Bouwens in exchange for disgruntled RF Aaron Altherr and AAA Syracuse 1B Ken'ichi Tanaka. Both Carr and Strasburg are expected to be back in action after the 2028 All-Star game.

[MrEndshiftresign]

10/1/2028

85-77, .525, 2 GB

Nationals earn NL wild card berth, return to playoffs!

It was a wild and woolly year in Washington with their general manager Homer Singson returning after a four-year absence. But it was nothing Nationals fans aren't used to. And thanks to some wise midseason moves (trading grumbling vet Aaron Altherr and grumbling rookie Ken'ichi Tanaka for 1B George "The Prodigal Nat" Bouwens), the Nats are back in the playoffs after two years away!

"It was a real dogfight," said Nationals pitcher Bryan Carr, one of several preseason additions to the lineup. "(The) Mets, Cosmos, Braves, Phillies and us...we all led the NL East at some point. And I think we held it the shortest. Still, it's great to be part of a playoff team." Injured 2B Frank Bailey, yet another free agent addition, said the Nationals could've clinched the NL East if not for the usual injury bug. "There was this time when James (3B Taylor), Greg (MR McGuaran), Cisco (RF Trujillo), Mario (IF Vega) and myself were all attending games in civvies," said Bailey. "It's a good thing the pitching staff already had their fill of midseason injuries."

Cohesion was another big issue for the new-look Nationals. Not only did the new players have to adjust, but veteran Nationals like Altherr were complaining openly about playing time and the team's record. Some of the new players (backup catcher Willin Rosario, in particular) were also upset with the playing time they received. "I didn't come to this (profanity) team to be Bryce Harper's backup!", said Rosario (in)famously just this August. Longtime manager Pedro Maldonado was sacked after a 26-33 start, replaced by the inexperienced Tim Palincsar. Fortunately, Palincsar rallied his charges to a winning record, and the new players got to adjust. Now the only question is - can the Nationals rally to take the World Series, and keep the NL's winning streak alive?

"We got the lineup to win it all," said longtime OF George White. "A lot of people predicted us to take the NL pennant, so why not the World Series? That's the only series that matters to us now."

2028 Team Leaders:

BA - Jesus Pineda (.305), George Bouwens (.304), James Taylor (.304), Bryce Harper (.302)
HR - George Bouwens (38), Bryce Harper (30), George White (19)
RBI - Bryce Harper (116), George Bouwens (113), Frank Bailey (78)
SB - Cisco Trujillo (39), Jesus Pineda (21), James Taylor (19)
SLG - George Bouwens (.540), Bryce Harper (.525), Jesus Pineda (.492)
OBP - Jesus Pineda (.407), George White (.384), Pao-tzu Fok (.383)
W - Bryan Carr (16-9), Jameson Taillon (12-8), Stephen Strasburg (10-9)
K - Miguel Arteaga (203), Bryan Carr (194), Jameson Taillon (179)
ERA - Brent Kennedy (2.91), Jameson Taillon (3.01), Hector Torres (3.31)
OAVG - Jameson Taillon (.237), Brent Kennedy (.241), Bryan Carr (.250)
IP - Stephen Strasburg (207.2), Jameson Taillon (206.1), Bryan Carr (198.2)
SV - Brent Kennedy (35)

[MrEndshiftresign]

10/7/2028

White's grand slam sends Dodgers home, Nats on to NLCS!

Outfielder George White may have had a "power outage" in the regular season, hitting just 19 home runs. But once again as he's often done in the playoffs as a younger man, he hit a home run when it counted the most. Batting at the bottom of the 8th, White hit a grand slam home run to give the Washington Nationals a 5-3 lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers and a trip to the National League Championship Series. The Nats blanked the Dodgers 3-0 in the entire series, stealing two games at Los Angeles before ending the series at home.

"It feels great to upset the NL's brightest hope," said White. "My apologies to Julio (Montero) and the boss' son who's watching at home (Homer Singson Jr.), but we're making a statement." Singson suffered a torn labrum last May 15, and after a setback in his treatment, missed the entire regular season. Montero, on the other hand, played six seasons with the Nationals, winning five Gold Gloves and bagging the Rookie of the Year award in 2021 and NL MVP in 2025.

The Nationals now await the winner of the New York Mets-Milwaukee Brewers series, and hope to return to the World Series for the first time since 2023.

[MrEndshiftresign]

GM Log - 10/30/2028

NY Mets defeat Nationals 4-2 to move on to World Series, Mets come from 3-1 behind to defeat Boston Red Sox in 2028 World Series 4-3.

Damn those Amazin' Mets. Again, damn those Amazin' Mets. But I think I did a good job, considering this was our first NLCS since 2024 and a well-fought comeback from Number One Underachievers to Number One Threat To Upset the AL Freaks. But I guess I have to congratulate the Mets, because they are continuing the NL dominance of the World Series. That's five World Series wins in five years for the NL, and there's not a thing those juiced-up freaks Godwin (whom I now may call the Walking "BB" Turtle) and Huffman can do about it. Oh, yeah...I forgot the third and most virulent Freak of all...Old School. He's now past 2000 hits and still trying to maim opponents like Cobb used to do over a century ago.

Kenny gave me a call a few moments ago. He said I did "solid" in my first year back. That's the Torres family's code word for "Singson, you can do better than that." I will certainly need to step things up and fill in the missing pieces (maybe a couple more pitchers) as I continue cleaning up the mess the previous GM made.

[MrEndshiftresign]

5/31/2029

32-22, .593, .5 GB

Lineups as of today:
(NOTE - No new stories as of yet as I'm in a bit of a rush, and nothing really "interesting", i.e. long winning/losing streaks, big trades or significant injuries have happened so far. But here's the usual opening day/early season lineups. I might tack on a story to this post once I get home...)

CF - Cisco Trujillo (30)
3B - James Taylor (26)
LF - Pedro Lara (25 - trade)
1B - George Bouwens (28)
2B - Frank Bailey (29)
SS - Beau Asadoor (30 - FA)
C - Bryce Harper (36)
RF - George White (35)
Key reserves - C Vicente Maez (37 - FA), 1B Blair Sims (32), 3B Pat Jenkins (24 - Rule 5)
SP1 - Bryan Carr (28)
SP2 - Miguel Arteaga (27)
SP3 - Luis Figueroa (32 - FA)
SP4 - Wing Go (25 - trade)
SP5 - Angel Quinones (31)
Spot starters/MR - Norihisa Taniguchi (26), Cisco Medina (25), Hector Torres (29)
Setup - Greg MacGuaran (25)
Closer - Brent Kennedy (37)

Injured list - 2B Jesus Pineda (31), SP Stephen Strasburg (40)
Top prospects - 3B Christian Walker (24 - pot. **), SP Javier Valentin (20 - pot. **), C Michael Jackson (23 - pot. **)[B]

(Yes, that's right - a minor league catcher named Michael Jackson! Can't call him the King of Pop, though...his potential Power rating isn't that high...)

[MrEndshiftresign]

6/15/2029

38-28, .576, 2 GB

REVISITING THE CLASS OF 2019

1. PHI - Rafael Martinez (CF, HS) - 69 HR, 271 RBI, 45 SB, .245 BA - 7 seasons, 773 GP (now with NYM)
2. STL - Bartolo "The Mozambique Clipper" Medine (LF, college) - 158 HR, 575 HR, .360 BA - 7 seasons, 779 GP *+
3. SD - Jorge Chavez (SP, HS) - 50-61, 4.95 ERA, 311 BB, 554 K (883.2 IP) - 6 seasons, 157 GP, 154 GS (now with LAD)
4. KC - Homer Singson Jr. (CF, college) - 330 HR, 811 RBI, .272 BA - 10 seasons, 1065 GP (now with LAD) *
5. FLA - David Woods (CF, HS) - 67 HR, 243 RBI, 177 SB, .258 BA - 6 seasons, 588 GP (now with SD)
6. BOS - Brian Hinkle (3B, HS) - 89 HR, 453 RBI, .285 BA - 6 seasons, 814 GP *
7. CHS - John Plarski (SP, college) - 61-47, 4.32 ERA, 249 BB, 584 K (922.2 IP) - 6 seasons, 175 GP, 150 GS
8. NYM - Jimmy Brown (SP, college) - 76-84, 4.21 ERA, 500 BB, 982 K (1399 IP) - 9 seasons, 237 GP, 222 GS
9. SD - Don Rabon (SP, college) - 54-64, 1 SV, 4.36 ERA, 378 BB, 744 K (1048.1 IP) - 8 seasons, 244 GP, 174 GS (now with TPB) *
10. MIL - Jesus "Salesman" Pineda (2B, college) - 125 HR, 506 RBI, 166 SB, .270 BA - 11 seasons, 1104 GP (now with WAS) *
11. OAK - Derek Jones (3B, college) - 162 HR, 537 RBI, .250 BA - 7 seasons, 902 GP (now with IND)
12. LAA - Shoichi "Governor" Fujihara (SP, college) - 18-25, 5 SV, 4.66 ERA, 208 BB, 310 K (384.2 IP) - 6 seasons, 191 GP, 45 GS
13. CLE - Jo Yokokawa (CF, college) - 113 HR, 480 RBI, .291 BA - 9 seasons, 976 GP (now with A Visalia)
14. DET - Doug Richards (3B, college) - 57 HR, 409 RBI, .299 BA - 10 seasons, 1130 GP (now with CLE)
15. ARI - Jose Gonzalez (LF, HS) - 69 HR, 419 RBI, 76 SB, .258 - 7 seasons, 794 GP /
16. COL - Alfredo Luna (SP, college) - 56-41, 1 SV, 4.12 ERA, 422 BB, 534 K (955.2 IP) - 7 seasons, 182 GP, 162 GS (now with CLE)
17. TEX - Javier Martinez (RF, college) - 94 HR, 457 RBI, 83 SB, .287 BA - 10 seasons, 1153 GP (now with SD) *
18. TOR - Gerald Lehrman (LF, HS) - 10 HR, 26 RBI, 12 SB, .338 BA - 5 seasons, 72 GP (now with IND)
19. SEA - Jorge Ramos (SP, college) - 26-29, 4.88 ERA, 199 BB, 390 K (461.1 IP) - 6 seasons, 153 GP, 59 GS
20. LAA - Lee O'Slattery (SP, college) - did not play in majors
21. CIN - Nick Castellini (2B, HS) - 42 HR, 166 RBI, 44 SB, .308 BA - 7 seasons, 490 GP
22. TPB - Nelson German (SS, college) - 143 HR, 562 RBI, .253 BA - 10 seasons, 1206 GP
23. NYY - Rafael Garza (LF, HS) - 28 HR, 164 RBI, 39 SB, .278 BA - 6 seasons, 565 GP (now with KC)
24. TPB - Stan Johnson (1B, college) - 154 HR, 623 RBI, .298 BA - 8 seasons, 1026 GP (now with NYY) *+
25. LAD - Rafael Vigil (SS, college) - 28 HR, 176 RBI, 25 SB, .242 BA - 8 seasons, 463 GP (retired)
26. PIT - Juan Nunez (SP, HS) - 59-50, 1 SV, 3.83 ERA, 356 BB, 971 K - 7 seasons, 241 GP, 146 GS *
27. NYM - Ricardo Alvarez (SP, HS) - 44-35, 4.85 ERA, 310 BB, 559 K (799.2 IP) - 6 seasons, 154 GP, 140 GS
28. TOR - Hugo Campanella (RF, college) - 4 HR, 16 RBI, .281 BA - 2 seasons, 43 GP (retired due to career-ending injury)
29. SD - Aaron "Guesses" Carter (MR, college) - 44-46, 264 SV, 244 BB, 886 K (736.2 IP) - 11 seasons, 645 GP, 0 GS
30. BAL - Lucio Martinez (2B, college) - did not play in majors
31. WAS - Wayne Swaffer (SS, college) - 0 HR, 34 RBI, 9 SB, .258 BA - 6 seasons, 122 GP (now with AAA Round Rock)

Number of players who played in majors - 29
Number of successes in majors - 26
Number of All-Stars - 8
The best - Bartolo Medine (#2), Homer Singson Jr. (#4), Jesus Pineda (#10), Stan Johnson (#24), Juan Nunez (#26)
The bust - Gerald Lehrman (#18), Lee O'Slattery (#20), Lucio Martinez (#30), Wayne Swaffer (#31)

[MrEndshiftresign]

6/15/2029

Drafting from the collegiate ranks - low risk, low reward?

Ten years ago, Alabama senior Lee O'Slattery, 23, was considered one of the safest, most surefire first-round picks when the Los Angeles Angels drafted him 20th overall. Though he didn't have much to offer in terms of mind-blowing velocity, he had an outstanding changeup and splitter and well above-average control. He quickly moved up the ranks, playing a full season of AA ball in 2020, posting a fantastic 1.53 ERA with 194 strikeouts in 199.2 innings. After another three years in Double A, O'Slattery finally got his shot at AAA ball in 2024, and while he still fanned close to eight batters per nine innings and posted a very decent 3.02 ERA, his control was fading. After a subpar 2025 with AAA Salt Lake City, he was out of baseball in 2026, with a spaghetti arm and dashed major league dreams. Twenty-eight of his first round draft classmates made the majors, and almost all of them had what you would call a successful major league career.

"I was around 24 or 25 when I peaked," said O'Slattery in a recent interview. "The Angels' major league and AAA rotations were simply too crowded. I think I may have had a shot if they let me do some middle relief. When they finally put me in middle relief, it was too late, and I was throwing BB after BB after BB. My arm had had enough by the time I was in my late 20s." This coming from a man who never had any attitude problems in his baseball career.

O'Slattery has good company among college men who failed to make the majors, or succeed in the majors. Fellow 2019 draftee Wayne Swaffer, a defensive genius picked #31 by the Washington Nationals, has been shuttling between the majors and Triple A ball for the past seven seasons. Though he doesn't hit for much power, he hits for a decent average, and still plays great defense. Unfortunately, he has been frequently overshadowed by high school draftees who were left to "incubate" for 3 to 4 seasons before busting out with their true potential. The Class of 2017 is filled with draftees who were 22 or 23 when picked in the first round, but peaked while stuck in the low minors - 1B Barney Johnson and SP Edison Polk have had underwhelming major league careers, while players like CF Jeff Ray and SP Andy Waller retired without having the chance to play in the bigs. A look at the Class of 2025 shows college pitcher Daniel Santellano converted to middle relief in AAA in an attempt to keep his arm ready for a big league call-up, but not exactly distinguishing himself. He was picked fourth overall. Meanwhile, high school pitchers Chris Meadows (#8) and Tsurayaki Kobayashi (#29), both playing for the New York Yankees' Scranton affiliate in Triple A ball, are knocking on the big leagues' door, perhaps ready for the rotation in less than a year, two years max.

Get the idea? Over the past decade or so, the collegiate ranks have increasingly become a dumping ground for high school players deemed not yet ready for a professional baseball career. Sure, there have been players like Allen Cummings and Arturo Santana who were picked really high after outstanding collegiate careers, and needed little to no minor league seasoning before making a major league rotation. But for the most part, a lot of these collegiate players are about three to five years from peaking, and oftentimes when they do, are held back by positional logjams at their minor league team's parent club, or the threat of high school players reaching their potential at a younger age and subsequently taking their minor league starting jobs - and eventually making the bigs. On the other hand, high school "stud" prospects usually enter the draft at 17 or 18 years of age with less refined skills but bigger upside. They spend the next 4 to 5 years (which they could spend playing NCAA baseball, but choose not to) maturing in the low minors, where the level of competition is well above that in the collegiate ranks. By the age of 21 to 23, they are good enough to succeed in Triple A ball and about a year or less away from the majors, where they reach their full potential and start counting home runs, .300 years, 20-win seasons, All-Star appearances, or whatnot.

Today is Amateur Draft day, and again we expect the bulk of the first round to be comprised of college players, while raw high schoolers compose about 30 to 40% of the first round. And ten years from today, it's safe to predict that out of the eight or ten players who failed to succeed in (or failed to reach) the majors, about six or seven, or maybe eight of them would be college-honed players with little to no character issues, with about one or two high schoolers who failed to make the grade due to attitude or injuries. Just ask Lee O'Slattery the next time you see him in his sporting goods/memorabilia store in his native Pearland, Texas. College may have given him a degree and a stable job, but at a relatively young 33, he would much rather be playing major league baseball like twenty-five others who were drafted in that successful first round of 2019 and still playing in the majors.