Come on You (Fake) Mariners

[pauwoo]

Normally, when it comes to OOTP, I’m one of those guys that likes to keep my real baseball and my fake baseball separate with my Mariners on in the background while I immerse myself in a fictional world of (mostly) my own creation… With the Majors on hiatus, and saddled with boredom, I decided that it’d be a good time to combine the two and play out the 2020 Major League Season with a bit of a twist…

Basically, after learning how to transfer fictional players into a real-world league using the roster import/export functionality, I figured why not bring over some of my favorite StrangeVerse characters, put them on a contract with the Mariners, and run through the 2020 season. So, using excel, I brought over the following favorites from SV to, hopefully, help my favorite real-world team truck the competition on the way to their very first World Series banner:

Starters



SP Rad Taylor – An all-time favorite of mine who languished in the minors for far too long before suddenly turning the corner in 2079. He was a real find in my fictional universe… cool name, funny fg, great command, and movement, above-average stuff. Your boy has a solid cutter/fastball combo with an improving changeup that he mixes in here and there. I updated his fg file to my Jeff Goldblum fg, with my favorite ‘stache, the Howard Hughes, added for the lulz.

SP Trevor Dotson – I brought this guy up during my time GMing the Lakers before I rebranded them to the Kings… he spent what felt like forever down in Triple-A with the Compton Raisers before finally sticking with the big club in 2077/78. He’s not made his mark in StrangeVerse, but I always had a soft spot for the guy – he’s got the ability, just hasn’t put it all together yet. My manager in Seattle, Matt Riley, likes him as our Ace – I’m not so sure…

SP Cam Murphy – I found this guy in the draft when I was GMing the Phoenix Suns – his potential was off the charts, but, like Rad, he languished in the minors for a stretch before earning a spot on the big club. At 26-years old, Cam has settled into being a borderline all-star, mid-rotation guy. Still one of my faves – when I found him in my college feeder, I promptly made a Kam Chancellor fg for him and hoped for the best – his fastball/slider/change mix is otherworldly, but he needs another pitch or two to really reach the upper echelon of pitching talent.

SP/RP Michael Brisky – Good ‘ol Brisky is looking like a long-reliever for my 2020 Mariners… sure, he’s still got most of what it takes, but we like him in the pen. His claims to fame include a fantastic knuckle-curve, flexing the most fantastic ‘stache in the game, and his lime-green Lambo. Brisky is legend. Had to bring him over… updated his fg to a Tom Selleck I made a while back – it suits him, I think.

Position Players



CF Otto Isaac – Before Otto decided to follow a guru/charlatan’s braindead dietary advice, he was on a trajectory of being an all-time StrangeVerse great. He lost the bulk of two seasons due to injury in that world – here he will have an opportunity to pretend like that never happened. Otto has some pop, has a knack for avoiding Ks, and makes good contact… he can lack discipline and takes himself a bit to seriously at times.

2B Hamza McDonnell – Great name, great game generated fg… a good fielder, with legendary speed and a knack for not striking out. Hamza has bounced around a bit in SV, I’ve had him on my roster a couple of times… he’s one of those guys that seems to net good returns in trade scenarios. Here he’ll an opportunity to cement his legacy with the coolest ballclub in the Majors…

SS Donny Jeter – Ahh… my favorite Jeter Bro – his off the field dalliances have often outweighed what he produces on it. My 2020 M’s need some funk, some controversy, and a pretty good, if slightly over-rated, shortstop. I gave your boy a whispy little mustache – had to Bieber this dude out a bit.

1B Oh Hong – The man, the myth, the legend… OH HONG is, was, and will always be my co-pilot. Hong makes good contact, doesn’t strike out much, plays a ho-hum first base, and trains cardio by performing K-POP dance routines in the clubhouse. He’s super chill, never gets too excited, and is an active member of the Puget Sound community when it comes to charitable contributions. He can’t run well, has below-average power for his position, and can be undisciplined at the plate – in short, he’s the greatest player of all-time.

Up Next: We open the 2020 campaign with a 4-game parlay against the Texas Rangers in Seattle… CoYMs! Side note... we're picked to finish 3rd in the AL West, on the outside looking in on a Wild Card spot... we'll have our work cut out for us.

[pauwoo]

Texas Rangers (0-0, .000, t-1st AL West) @ Seattle Mariners (0-0, .000, t-1st AL West)
Picked to finish last in the AL West, the Texas Rangers are mired in a directionless rebuild, they do, however, have a fun offense with RF Joey Gallo, DH Shin-Soo Choo, former professional wrassler 1B Ronald Guzman, and 2B Rougned Odor in the fold that should hit some bombs and score more than their share of runs this season. The problem, according to the baseball punditry anyway, is their pitching… it’s bad, with a predicted ERA and runs against in the bottom half of the American League, where, outside of Ace SP Corey Kluber, the cupboard is bare with none of the shelf-stable studs required to allow the health of their offense carry them forward. Sure, their #2, SP Lance Lynn, is a stud who has a great curveball and a better changeup, but, after that, the drop-off is fierce, barren, and free of trees to grab onto as you tumble down the incline.

1 of 162: Corey Kluber (0-0, 0.00) @ Trevor Dotson (0-0, 0.00)
Win, 6-2. Dotson carried us through the 8th inning, only allowed two runs, and fanned 12 batters, while Vogelbach trucked two out of the park (a solo shot and a GRAND SLAM) and registered 5 RBIs… Donny went 2 for 4 and scored twice, Otto hit a 1-run two-bagger, OH HONG scored, and your Seattle Mariners get the sweet, sweet opening day victory!

Elsewhere: CF George Springer, of the Houston Astros, went 2 for 3 with 2 jacks, 5 riblets, and 2 runs in his clubs opening day victory over the Los Angeles Angels… CF Mike Trout went 2 for 4 with a 2-run homer in the 6-3 loss. Opening day SP Shohei Ohtani only lasted 3.1 innings after giving up 5 early runs.

2 of 162: Lance Lynn (0-0, 0.00) @ Cam Murphy (0-0, 0.00)
Win, 4-0. Cam Murphy went 5.2 innings, fanned 10, and allowed only 5 hits, Kyle Seager hit a solo homer, and Otto drove in 2 runs on a double… Donny scored (again), OH HONG struck out twice, and Hamza went 0 for 3 (he’s now 0 for 7 in 2020).

Elsewhere: The Miami Marlins defeated the Philadelphia Phillies by a score of 16-2 on the back of LF Corey Dickerson’s 4 for 5 day that included two, two-baggers, 4 RBIs, and a run. Bryce Harper struck out twice during the game. Jean Segura sucked too.

3 of 162: Mike Minor (0-0, 0.00) @ Rad Taylor (0-0, 0,00)
Win, 2-0. Rad gave us 7 strong innings of 5-hit ball, allowed nothing, and fanned 5, Kyle Seager hit a 2-run blast, and Hamza finally secured his first hit of the season (he got caught stealing to erase it, but, hey, beggars can’t be choosers)…Another tough day at the plate for OH HONG – he’s now batting .100 for the year.

4 of 162: Kyle Gibson (0-0, 0.00) @ Marco Gonzales (0-0, 0.00)
Win, 6-4. SWEEP! Nola hit a GRAND SLAM, our second of the series, Donny went 2 for 3 with an RBI and a run, 2-out RBI for Seager, and Hamza went 2 for 3 and scored… Brisky has yet to see any action, I’m going to have to chat with Scott about that…

Notes: The Seattle Mariners are the only undefeated team in the Majors… the Braves, Twins, Red Sox, and Astros are close (3-1, on and all). Oakland’s Khris Davis and Arizona’s David Peralta both have 3 HRs so far… Our own Trevor Dotson is tied for the league lead in Ks with Houston’s Verlander… And, while this is hardly a worthwhile sample size, I think it is clear that we are going to win the World Series. Get your bets laid down...