The Baseball Life of Tom Haley (OOTP11)

[Big Six]

USA Today Sports Weekly, June 28, 2017


After a horrid April, the Atlanta Braves have steadily shown more and more signs of life. Although their 38-36 record and third-place standing in the NL East aren't what most would expect from the six-time defending division champions, the Braves went 16-11 in June and look like a team on the move.

The Braves' offense is once again as good as any in the league, among the leaders in average, OBP, OPS, runs scored, and home runs. And the pitching staff, which took its lumps in the early weeks of the season, is coming around.

Righthander Daniel Tuttle went 5-0 in June, posting a 2.87 ERA and striking out nearly a batter per inning. And, after a rough May, closer Tom Haley bounced back strong in June. He struck out 18 batters and walked only two in 12 innings, winning three games and saving four more...

[Big Six]

USA Today, July 15, 2017


Stars prepare to come out in Milwaukee
Miller Park hosts Midsummer Classic

...The National League All-Stars will be managed by Brent Mayne of the St. Louis Cardinals. He will have the following players at his disposal:

SP Madison Bumgarner (SFN) - 9-2, 2.90 ERA
SP Aroldis Chapman (CIN) - 7-3, 2.19 ERA
SP Brian Matusz (LAN) - 9-6, 2.81 ERA
SP Deck McGuire: (NYN) - 8-4, 2.91 ERA
SP Drew Storen: (WAS) - 10-3, 2.90 ERA
SP Jameson Taillon (PIT) - 7-3, 2.72 ERA
SP Colin White (PIT) - 8-3, 2.92 ERA
CL Arthur Cumberbat (SDN) - 2-3, 20 SV, 1.22 ERA
CL Jose Escamilla (CIN) - 3-3, 21 SV, 3.38 ERA
CL Tom Haley (ATL) - 3-3, 18 SV, 2.53 ERA
CL Joe Nicholas (WAS) - 2-0, 24 SV, 0.96 ERA
CL Jason Stoffel (SFN) - 3-4, 17 SV, 2.25 ERA
C Edward Shaw (SDN) - .301/.391/.458, 7 HR, 35 RBI
C Bryce Harper (WAS) - .279/.401/.491, 14 HR, 42 RBI
1B Lars Anderson (MIL) - .330/.425/.528, 12 HR, 52 RBI
1B Albert Pujols (SLN) - .277/.404/.488, 17 HR, 38 RBI
1B Clark Murphy (COL) - .332/.432/.553, 14 HR, 66 RBI
2B Ryan Zimmerman (WAS) - .297/.402/.475, 10 HR, 60 RBI
2B Dee Gordon (LAN) - .305/.347/.475, 10 HR, 50 RBI
3B Mat Gamel (ATL) - .311/.381/.604, 20 HR, 55 RBI
SS Reynaldo Navarro (WAS) - .297/.352/.459, 9 HR, 38 RBI
LF César Pérez (MIL) - .351/.386/.553, 9 HR, 57 RBI
LF Jaff Decker (ARI) - .315/.429/.618, 18 HR, 53 RBI
LF Kyle Blanks (SDN) - .266/.414/.521, 12 HR, 41 RBI
CF José Torres (FLO) - .293/.341/.540, 15 HR, 49 RBI
CF Desmond Jennings (SFN) - .285/.358/.424, 5 HR, 29 RBI
CF Jason Heyward (ATL) - .362/.466/.593, 11 HR, 46 RBI
RF Isaias Asencio (ARI) - .263/.313/.544, 27 HR, 63 RBI

[Big Six]

To: Chris Haley (chrishaley@jetmail.ca)
From: Tom Haley (thaley120791@jetmail.ca)

July 19, 2017

Hey cuz!

Since you didn't get to come to Milwaukee for the All-Star game, I wanted to make sure I emailed you as soon as I could to tell you about it.

As I'm sure you know, I didn't pitch in the game, but the entire experience was just as cool as you might think it is.

I traveled to Milwaukee with the other All-Stars from the Braves, Jason Heyward and Mat Gamel. They are both really good guys. I've known Jason since I visited Atlanta the week I signed my pro contract seven years ago. Mat had been traded to the Braves about a month before I came up in 2015, so we've been with the team about the same length of time.

This was Mat's fourth All-Star Game, and it was Jason's seventh. They were really great about making sure I knew where to go and what to do, so I didn't look like a clueless dork.

The Home Run Derby was a lot of fun to watch. Jason didn't participate this year, since he's coming off a hamstring injury, but Mat did. He did fairly well--he hit a couple of LONG shots. Jharmidy DeJesus from the Twins was locked in, though, and won the Derby with a great final round. I'm glad I don't have to face that dude.

It was a real honor to be in the same dugout with Albert Pujols. He's one of the greatest players of all time, and he could not be a nicer guy. I also really enjoyed talking baseball with Ryan Zimmerman, who also played at the University of Virginia like I did.

Naturally, I hung out most with the National League pitchers. Drew Storen, Joe Nicholas, and Brian Matusz were especially fun to hang with.

The game wasn't close, and I feel badly for Aroldis Chapman, who got hit so hard in the first and second innings. Jason started for us in the outfield, as usual, and he got one of our six hits. Mat pinch hit and flied out.

I know there are guys who don't want to play in the All-Star Game for one reason or another. They get upset because they weren't voted in as a starter, and are too proud to be a reserve. They're banged up and don't want to risk getting hurt worse in an exhibition game. They'd rather spend the All-Star break with their families. I won't judge those guys, but I can't imagine ever NOT going to the game if I'm lucky enough to be chosen.

Because I'm a pitcher, I'll always be chosen by the manager of the pennant-winning team in my league. I made sure to thank Brent Mayne for choosing me for the honor. I hope it's the first of many for me.

I have something for you the next time I see you, too.

Enjoy the rest of your summer, and I'll see you sometime this fall.

Tom


Chris is Tom's first cousin. He's eleven years old, and he lives in Toronto with his family. Tom got his NL All-Star teammates to sign a ball for Chris.

[muted79]

good to see Tom has inherited in future great great grandfather-in-laws respect for the all-star game. Not that OOTP really gives him a choice

[Big Six]

Atlanta Journal-Constitution, August 27, 2017

Vizcaino, Braves win again
Rookie pitches 6 shutout innings over Cubs, moves to 5-0

Arodys Vizcaino waited a long time to establish himself as a major league pitcher. Now in his tenth professional season, Vizcaino is taking full advantage of his first real opportunity to show his stuff at the big league level.

Last night, the 27-year-old rookie threw six shutout innings and led the Atlanta Braves to a 7-0 victory over the Chicago Cubs. The Braves remain a game behind the Washington Nationals in the NL East standings, as the Nats beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 4-3, yesterday afternoon.

Matt LaPorta provided the offensive thunder, hammering his 26th and 27th home runs of the year and driving in four runs. The versatile LaPorta, who has started games at all three outfield positions, has been holding down the fort at first base while Freddie Freeman's torn quadriceps heals...


Haley on a roll

The Braves' rise in the standings has coincided with a stretch of nearly flawless work from All-Star closer Tom Haley. The Canadian righthander hasn't allowed a run all month and has converted 20 of 20 save opportunities since he last blew one on May 12. He now has 28 saves, and his ERA is at 2.36 and dropping.

"Tom gives us all a lot of confidence," says manager Bobby Thigpen. "If we take a lead into the ninth inning, we hand him the ball and relax."

[Big Six]

Baseball Beat blog, September 1, 2017

...The National League's Player of the Month was Matt LaPorta of the Atlanta Braves. LaPorta slammed 10 home runs during the month and drove in 28 runs, both totals best in the major leagues. He batted .347, with a .452 OBP, a .726 SLG, and a nasty 1.178 OPS. The next home run LaPorta hits will be the 200th of his major league career, which has included stops in Cleveland, Minnesota, and now Atlanta.

LaPorta, 33, is one of the best values in the game; he's currently in the second year of a three-year deal that pays him about $4.7 million a year.

[Big Six]

Atlanta Journal-Constitution, September 25, 2017


Braves beat Brewers, take first place in NL East

John Maine was good, but Daniel Tuttle was that much better.

Both the Milwaukee Brewers' veteran righthander and his younger counterpart from the Atlanta Braves pitched tough, gritty games, but Tuttle's teammates broke through for three early runs that gave him the winning margin in a 3-1 victory.

Meanwhile, in Washington, D.C., the New York Mets defeated the Nationals, 10-8, despite a two-homer, six-RBI performance from Nats' slugger Kyle Conley. The Braves' victory and the Nationals' defeat put the Braves into sole possession of first place in the National League East for the first time all season...

Tom Haley worked a perfect ninth inning for the Braves. He got Jose Lopez to fly to deep center and coaxed a shallow fly ball to right from William Lewis. Then, with nearly 50,000 fans on their feet screaming, Haley blew two triple-digit fastballs past Dylan Abrams before pulling the string on a wicked changeup that Abrams cut at and missed badly.

Haley thus earned his 40th save of the season and extended his scoreless streak to 25 appearances and 24 innings...

[Big Six]

To: Mark and Kelly Williams (mdwklw@speedmail.com)
From: Ty Williams (knuckler_ty49@speedmail.com)

October 4, 2017

I am officially a major league baseball player!

It might have been nice to come in to a tie game, pitch three hitless innings, and drive in the winning run myself, but that's not what happened.

I'll never forget that the first stadium I ever pitched in was Citi Field, and that the first batter I ever faced was Fernando Vallejo, and that he hit the first pitch I ever threw for a double. Then Jefry Marte beat out an infield grounder. I'll tell my kids one day that I set that up so I would have a runner on first, because I got Wilfred Nealon to hit it right back to me. I somehow managed to hold Vallejo, throw to second, and start a double play.

The next guy up was Pablo Sandoval. I hit him, but since it was a knuckler it probably didn't hurt a bit. Then I hit Irwah Nabil with another knuckleball. Now the bases were loaded for Lonnie Chisenhall. He hit a grounder right at our second baseman, Jordan Pacheco, and he stepped on second to end the inning.

If you're not counting, I let four guys get on base, but I didn't let any of them score. How's that for clutch pitching?

If there's a bright side, that's it, and the fact that my knuckler was floating all over the place. If it doesn't move, a major leaguer will hit it a long, long way.

And I learned that if you can't keep a sense of humor, you'll never make it as a ballplayer. The fact that we've clinched the division makes it a little easier for all of us to smile at my less-than-smooth debut.

Love,
Ty

The Braves clinched the NL East title on October 3, when they beat the Mets, 5-2.

[Big Six]

Atlanta Braves Radio Network
Atlanta Braves at Cincinnati Reds
October 15, 2017

Play-by-Play Man: Buckner delivers, and Gallegos swings and misses! The Braves are one strike away from advancing to the NLCS.

McCann flashes the sign, and Buckner deals. Swung on and hit deep to right center field! Heyward is racing back...but it's gone! Roberto Gallegos hits a two-run homer, and the Braves' lead has been cut to 9-7!

Color Man: The Braves' bullpen has not done the job here tonight. Papelbon and Bell had problems in the eighth, and now Billy Buckner has run into even worse trouble in the ninth.

PBPM: Bobby Thigpen is heading out to the mound. He does not want this game to slip away, and he's signaling for the righthander...that means Tom Haley will come in to try to get the last out here in the bottom of the ninth.

CM: Haley will have his work cut out for him, too. He'll have to face Miguel Cabrera, who hit a homer off Dan Tuttle back in the fourth.

PBPM: This is only the second time we've seen Haley in the NLDS; the Braves haven't faced a save situation...until now. And what a classic confrontation...one of the best closers in the game will face a veteran slugger, one of the best hitters of his era...

Haley working from the full windup, and here it comes. Cabrera swings and misses at a 100 MPH fastball from Haley for strike one!

CM: Tom hasn't worked in three nights, and he's coming after Cabrera with all he's got.

PBPM: Haley gets the sign quickly and delivers. Another high fastball for a called strike! Cabrera just watched that one go by!

No balls; two strikes; two out in the bottom of the ninth. Here we go...

Here's the pitch...hit on the ground to third! Gamel up...throws to first...and the Atlanta Braves will advance to the National League Championship Series!

CM: Bring on the Nationals!!


The Braves won the NLDS over the Reds, three games to one. Mat Gamel hit a two-run homer and a grand slam in Game One, and finished the series with 3 homers and 10 RBI. Needless to say, he was named the MVP.

[Big Six]

BravesNation blog, October 26, 2017

It's over, and it hurts

First of all, congratulations to the Washington Nationals. They are deserving National League champions, and they will represent our league well in the World Series.

Once again, we Braves fans watched our favorite team win the division championship; this time they started slowly, gathered their strength, and roared from the back of the pack. We watched the Braves overcome injuries; key players like Jason Heyward, Freddie Freeman, and Matt LaPorta all missed considerable amounts of time. We watched our pitching staff transform itself from shaky to sterling, led down the stretch by a rookie (Arodys Vizcaino) who caught lightning in a bottle and a closer (Tom Haley) who simply didn't let anyone score against him.

And, once again, we Braves fans will watch someone else take on the AL champion in the World Series.

The fact that each of the last three games of the NLCS were decided by a single run made the series seem more thrilling than usual.

It also makes losing the series hurt more than usual.

I was at Turner Field, along with almost 50,000 other people, last night. I watched Arodys, who went 9-3 during the regular season and 2-0 in the postseason, pitch six very solid innings.

Then I watched Bobby Thigpen send Dexter Fowler in to hit for him in the bottom of the sixth, with two out and nobody on base.

AV had only thrown 86 pitches! I must admit; I wondered what Thigpen was thinking. He trusted the lead, and the series, to Luis Valdez, who had been roughed up in each of his last two appearances.

You probably know the rest. Single. Balk. Fly out. Single. Double. Double. When J.P. Ramirez came off the bench and hit that second two-bagger for the Nats, two runs scored and Washington took the lead.

I don't think I've ever seen a player look more distraught than Luis Valdez did last night. Thigpen got him out of there, and Sean Burnett ended the inning.

I hope people don't think of Luis Valdez as a goat, because he doesn't deserve it. He shouldn't have been in the game. Arodys should have hit for himself and pitched the seventh. Heath Bell, Papelbon, or K-Rod, all of whom were fresh, could have worked the eighth. If Arodys puts a man on in the seventh, use one of the aforementioned veteran relievers a little early. After all, each of them have faced hundreds of pressure situations in their careers.

The three of them have appeared in 2636 major league games between them. Yeah, they've seen a little bit of pressure.


Then, it's Haley time. I'll take my chances with a dude who hasn't allowed an earned run since July 29, won't you?

Bobby Thigpen won't lose his job over this. His team won 97 games this year. That doesn't mean his decisions last night didn't stink, and it's going to be tough to remember all the good times for a while.

[Big Six]

The season didn't end well for Tom Haley and his Atlanta Braves, but hopefully one day Tom will look back at 2017 and remember it as a successful year. Here are his stats for the '17 season:

TEAM        LEVEL  G  GS  W  L SV   ERA    IP   H   ER HR  BB   SO  WHIP
Atlanta     MLB   73   0  4  3 45  1.79  80.2  65   16  1  13   93  0.97

Tom led the National League in saves. Chad Smith of the Red Sox led the majors with 48, and Oakland's Merrill Foster matched Tom's total.

Tom only blew two saves all year long, and will take into the 2018 season a string of 33 consecutive appearances without allowing an earned run, counting his four scoreless stints during the postseason.

He also placed second in the NL in games finished with 62.

[TheKenoshaKid]

I have a small question,

Are you using any mods/templates/databases, etc? Or did you just do a plain "MLB 2010 dynasty" game?

[Big Six]

Originally Posted by TheKenoshaKid

I have a small question,

Are you using any mods/templates/databases, etc? Or did you just do a plain "MLB 2010 dynasty" game?

This one is a plain, out-of-the-box MLB 2010 setup. I downloaded Captain Walrus's circular MLB logos from this link,, but otherwise I'm going with the "default" setup.

[Big Six]

To: Kate Haley (cmhaley01@toronto.edu)
From: Tom Haley (thaley120791@jetmail.ca)

November 24, 2017

Hi Sis,

I have a "surprise" for all of you for Christmas, but I needed to make sure you would be available.

My arbitration hearing was yesterday, and let's just say I'm in a considerably better financial situation than I was. I want to take the whole family on a trip to British Columbia in January, right before you go back to school. Trish and I will be there on our honeymoon, and we want you, Megan, Mom, and Dad to join us.

Please don't tell anyone else about the plan, unless you find out people are planning other things for the first week and a half of January!

My contract says I'm not supposed to ski or snowboard, but I will have a blast hanging out with all of you anyway.

Good luck on your exams, and I'll see you when I'm back home in mid-December, right before the wedding.

Love,
Tom


Not surprisingly, Tom received a nice raise when he went to salary arbitration for the first time. He'll be paid $3,020,000 to pitch for the Braves in 2018--just over seven times as much as he was paid the year before.

[Big Six]

Richmond Times-Dispatch, December 31, 2017

Miss O'Farrell Weds Mr. Haley

Miss Patricia Malloy O'Farrell became the bride of Mr. Thomas Victor Haley on December 23. The ceremony was performed by Rev. S. Mark Clark at Trinity United Methodist Church in Richmond.

Dr. Ronald T. Haley of Lindsay, Ontario, Canada served as his son's best man. Groomsmen included Mr. Christopher Haley of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, cousin of the groom; Mr. Jason Heyward of Atlanta, Georgia; Mr. Tyson Williams of Atlanta, Georgia; Mr. Christopher Mason of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; Mr. Kyle Rose of Huntsville, Alabama; and Mr. Diarmuid Sutherland of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...

The maid of honor was Miss Megan Elizabeth Haley of Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, sister of the groom. Bridesmaids included Miss Catherine Haley of Lindsay, Ontario, Canada, sister of the groom; Miss Mary Elizabeth O'Farrell; cousin of the bride; Mrs. Rebecca Forster of Atlanta, Georgia; Mrs. Caroline Finnell of Atlanta, Georgia; Miss Allison Wylie of Richmond, and Miss Virginia Broadwater of Richmond...

After a honeymoon trip to British Columbia, Mr. and Mrs. Haley will be at home in Atlanta. Mr. Haley is employed as a professional baseball player with the Atlanta Braves, and Mrs. Haley is a teacher at The Lovett School in Atlanta.

[Tyke]

Congratulations to the happy couple!

[Big Six]

Here are the basic statistics for the key players on the 2017 Atlanta Braves:

PLAYER                AVG  HR  RBI  SB
C   Brian McCann     .267  20   69   1
1B  Freddie Freeman  .283  17   68   1
2B  Ben Zobrist      .249  23   90   6
3B  Mat Gamel        .300  30   91   0
SS  Manny Contrera   .263  21   96  16
OF  Matt LaPorta     .292  32  110   1
OF  Jason Heyward    .342  30   96  10
OF  Dexter Fowler    .272  10   35  19

OF  Jacoby Ellsbury  .259   4   28  11
C*  Jordan Pacheco   .238   4   34   2
OF  Seika Ine        .256  16   46   6
OF  Chris Carter     .305   8   26   1

PITCHER                 W-L   SV   ERA
SP  Julio Teheran       12-11  0  3.95
SP  Kris Medlen         12-11  0  3.93
SP  Daniel Tuttle       17-9   0  4.11
SP  Scott Kazmir        12-5   0  3.61
SP  Arodys Vizcaino     9-3    0  3.47

S/R Billy Buckner       6-4    0  5.50
RP  Heath Bell          8-1    3  3.45
RP  Sean Burnett        4-3    1  4.54
RP  Tom Haley           4-3   45  1.79
RP  Luis Valdez         6-4    0  5.07
RP  Jonathan Papelbon   3-7    4  4.13
RP  Francisco Rodriguez 2-1    1  2.68

The Braves led the league in OBP (.348) and were second in OPS (.798). Their 222 home runs placed them second, as did their 854 runs scored.

The team's ERA of 3.89 was sixth best in the NL, but they finished fourth in runs allowed (713). They finished three games better than their Pythagorean prediction, and drew over 3.8 million fans to Turner Field--the best attendance in major league baseball.

The Braves' payroll--just over $142 million--was second only to the New York Yankees'.

[Big Six]

BravesNation blog, March 28, 2018
Season Preview: Pitching



ROTATION

Julio Teheran will be looking to rebound from a 2017 season that was, for him, subpar. His 3.95 ERA was the highest he's posted since his rookie year, largely due to the fact that he allowed 25 home runs.

Daniel Tuttle is gone, traded to the Nationals for shortstop Chris Owings in a deal that left many scratching their heads. Kris Medlen, who has been solid if unspectacular (with the exception of his magical 24-6 season in 2014), will step into the #2 slot in the rotation.

The other three starters are largely unproven. Arodys Vizcaino must prove that his performance down the stretch last year was no fluke, and that he's ready to deliver on his massive potential.

Knuckleballer Ty Williams has won the fourth starter's job on the basis of his impressive work down in Florida this spring. Like many practictioners of his art, Williams is unpredictable, but he's downright unhittable when he's on.

Look for Brian Nolan, a 25-year-old rookie, to break camp as the fifth starter. Nolan went 8-3 with AAA Gwinnett last year, striking out 106 batters in 106 innings and posting an ERA below 2.00.

If Nolan's not ready, Scott Kazmir or Billy Buckner can fill out the rotation.

GRADE: B-. Too many questions here for a contending team. Will Teheran step back up? Is Vizcaino the real deal? Are Williams and Nolan ready to pitch in the major leagues?

BULLPEN

Tom Haley took a big step forward in his second full season with the Braves, leading the NL in saves and establishing himself as a dominant power closer. Even if Haley isn't as magnificent as he was in '17, he'll still give Bobby Thigpen a lot of confidence in save situations.

Jonathan Papelbon, who never really accepted the fact that he wasn't the team's closer, signed with Baltimore in the offseason. His role as the team's primary setup man will go to Jonathan Broxton, who arrived in the deal that sent Freddie Freeman to the Phillies. Broxton hasn't been a closer for a couple of years now, but he still dials up 100 MPH heat. Watching him and Haley fry radar guns will be a lot of fun.

Francisco Rodriguez, Luis Valdez, and Huston Street also departed via free agency (K-Rod hasn't signed with anyone else), opening up spots in the bullpen for two more veterans, Chris Perez and Tyler Clippard. They, along with holdovers Heath Bell and Sean Burnett, will fill out the middle relief corps. Kazmir and Buckner will appear as swingmen.

GRADE: A. If Haley isn't the best closer in the league now, I don't know who is. Broxton is 300 pounds of nasty. He, Perez, and Clippard represent an upgrade over last year's setup crew, pouting Papelbon, wobbly Street, and hapless Valdez, in particular.

[muted79]

YAYYYY Congratulations to the happy couple. Here's to many youngnext generation O"Farrell-Haleys!

[Big Six]

2018 wasn't much of a season, so I'll make this quick...


To: Glenn Appleby (glenn_appleby@applebyrealty.ca)
From: Tom Haley (thaley120791@jetmail.ca)

July 22, 2018

Hey Glenn,

It was really good to hear from you. It's been a long time, hasn't it? I'm sorry I haven't done a better job of keeping in touch.

Putting it simply, this season has been frustrating so far. Too many guys have been hurt, for one thing. First Brian McCann breaks his kneecap in March; he won't be back before September at the latest. Julio Teheran got hurt in May and missed about six weeks. Matt LaPorta has been banged up, too. Our lineup and rotation have been pretty much up in the air all year long.

We're finally almost back to .500--44 wins, 45 losses at the All-Star break--but the Mets are running away with the league. We're 24 games behind them, so I don't think we'll be winning the division this year. Furthermore, we'll have to get busy if we're going to get the wild card, since we have to pass seven teams to make it. It's possible, since we're only five and a half back, but nobody else ahead of us can get hot, either.

I made the All-Star team again, and this time I got to pitch. In fact, I pitched the ninth inning and got the save when we won 5-4. It was a thrill facing David Wright, and I got Gordon Beckham to ground into a DP to end the game.

In general, there's not the same kind of vibe surrounding the team this year. Attendance is down from last year, and I get the idea people are playing for their jobs--including the manager and coaches.

Hopefully we'll break out of our funk and finish the season strong.

On the other hand, I'm really enjoying married life. Trish is doing some volunteer work this summer and starting to think about the new school year. We hang out a lot with Ty Williams, one of my teammates, and his wife Leigh.

I hope you, Kristen, and the kids are all doing well. I promise I'll do a better job of staying in touch. I think about all of you guys from high school a lot, even if I don't always call or text or email.

Weldon Pride,
Tom