playing 2014 MLB season?

clwalcott · 02-24-2014, 10:00 PM

Which team?

I like to play through every single game, so picking a truly horrific team is just too much a test of patience. At the same time, picking the Dodgers or Cardinals feels like a cop out and I want a challenge, so I usually pick a team from the middle area.

Right now, my choices...

1) Cincy - Billy Hamilton on the brain! Seems like a ton of fun to play with him, I prefer teams that lean pitching over hitting and seem like a team most are counting out but still have plenty of talent - just the kind of team I look to target (I want to feel I achieve something)

2) San Diego - my big sleeper pick. Plenty of depth, speed, lots of upside players

I like to run an AL team concurrently but no one appeals to me really. Baltimore is interesting, especially if they get Santana, but the defections of Weiters and Davis in a couple of years and utter lack of any teeth to their pitching staff worries me. Toronto could be a bounce back, but their pitching looks gawdawful. Texas is an appealing team but perhaps are a little too obviously good for me to consider it any kind of challenge etc etc.

Anyway, enough from me, who are you looking forward to playing with and why?

moneyball · 02-25-2014, 12:35 PM

I'm going to take on the challenge of the Phillies, mostly because of Grant Brisbee's must-read "Baseball Teams and the Windows that Define Them". His article is a great guideline for this discussion.

le receveur · 02-25-2014, 12:44 PM

actually i wasn't going to pick anything and go fictional, but you have convinced me to try and run the Twins or the Astros

(by the way, not sure how Stroman, Hutchison, Buehrle, Dickey and Morrow with back ups of Happ, McGowan, Drabek, Rogers, Redmond and a solid bullpen qualifies as god-awful)

rpriske · 02-25-2014, 02:29 PM

Always the Blue Jays... but boy, is it going to be tough.

Aceshigh24 · 02-25-2014, 03:28 PM

Will always go with my Mariners. Nothing like seeing what Cano can do in Seattle. Fantastic young pitching is always a plus too.

clwalcott · 02-25-2014, 11:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by le receveur

actually i wasn't going to pick anything and go fictional, but you have convinced me to try and run the Twins or the Astros

(by the way, not sure how Stroman, Hutchison, Buehrle, Dickey and Morrow with back ups of Happ, McGowan, Drabek, Rogers, Redmond and a solid bullpen qualifies as god-awful)

Dickey is 40 years old with two good seasons, both in arguably the worst offensive division in baseball, and certainly no AL East.

Buehrle is a league average innings eater - not bad, but no ones idea of an ideal #2 surely

Morrow...lol, sure, this is the year...he's had an ERA over 4.30 in four of the last five years, and last year was the worst at 5.63. He's even stopped striking guys out (down to 7.0 and 7.8 in 2012). Also an injury risk.

Happ, McGowan, Drabek, Rogers all perhaps a little better than replacement, but only a little. Stroman and Hutchison are complete ?

Just my opinion, and you may end up being right, but looks pretty weak to me, and I'd suggest this is more or less the conventional opinion of most (again, not saying couldn't be proven wrong)

clwalcott · 02-25-2014, 11:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moneyball

I'm going to take on the challenge of the Phillies, mostly because of Grant Brisbee's must-read "Baseball Teams and the Windows that Define Them". His article is a great guideline for this discussion.

Phillies actually are getting a bit hard done by I think. Any team with Lee, Hamels and Burnett (was seriously great last year!) has to be some kind of chance. I think the Nats will be tough but do not trust the Braves at all. Is it THAT ridiculous to think a Howard/Ruf platoon might actually be kind of great? Utley is still a very good second baseman when he plays and it's not ridiculous to expect the next step from Brown.

Contracts are just a bridge too far for me to take the wheel but I absolutely do think they fit into my general frame of teams I like to try.

clwalcott · 02-25-2014, 11:55 PM

I actually am seriously thinking about CWS, I am huge on Abreu, Avisail Garcia looks awesome and Konerko/Dunn platoon could be really very good (maybe). Chris Sale to carry the pitching staff? Would be counting a lot on the luck of the bullpen dice mind you...

The Wolf · 02-26-2014, 01:03 AM

Houston! Nowhere to go but up!

The Game · 02-26-2014, 01:08 AM

Gonna take my Sox. Right now I have them predicted to win 88 games and be the 2nd Wildcard. They need to get off to a really good start and hope they dont fade again in September. Abreu might be a beast. I like Davidson and Eaton a lot. Still have a solid pen but the starters are really weak compared to last year.

clwalcott · 02-26-2014, 01:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Wolf

Houston! Nowhere to go but up!

Seriously? Better man than me

tejdog1 · 02-26-2014, 05:05 AM

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Pronkytonk · 02-26-2014, 06:13 AM

It'll be Indians as usual for me - never managed to match their RL success in v14, hopefully the quality of their key players in the game is closer to what it turned out to be in reality last year. I might also consider giving the Cubs another shot, I really like their farm system and look forward to some pretty good players coming up in the future though 2014 will most likely be another 'maybe next year' type of season.

The Wolf · 02-26-2014, 11:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by clwalcott

Seriously? Better man than me

Taking Houston and rebuilding the team has got to be a fun challenge.

Lukas Berger · 02-26-2014, 12:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Wolf

Taking Houston and rebuilding the team has got to be a fun challenge.

Absolutely. They'll be my choice at least after my obligatory Mets game.

clwalcott · 02-27-2014, 01:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tejdog1

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Another team I like as a sleeper...although I sort of formulated that opinion when I assumed they'd OBVIOUSLY sign Drew...I still have no idea why not? Theories?

clwalcott · 02-27-2014, 01:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Wolf

Taking Houston and rebuilding the team has got to be a fun challenge.

Do you tend to sim or play the games? Because looking down the barrel of 324 games with no hope of even .500 play is just brutal putting in that time.

SirMichaelJordan · 02-27-2014, 06:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moneyball

I'm going to take on the challenge of the Phillies, mostly because of Grant Brisbee's must-read "Baseball Teams and the Windows that Define Them". His article is a great guideline for this discussion.

I'm debating between NYY (My childhood team) or The Phillies (My Hometown team) however Houston is sounding nice.

le receveur · 02-27-2014, 10:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by clwalcott

Do you tend to sim or play the games? Because looking down the barrel of 324 games with no hope of even .500 play is just brutal putting in that time.

the franchise probably has a shot at 3 or 4 championship this year if managed properly. to me that sounds like a great challenge.

The Wolf · 02-27-2014, 10:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by clwalcott

Do you tend to sim or play the games? Because looking down the barrel of 324 games with no hope of even .500 play is just brutal putting in that time.

I do a mix these days, depending on the situation.

There is always a hope of .500 play!

02-24-2014, 10:00 PM	#1
clwalcott Minors (Triple A) Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 263	playing 2014 MLB season? Which team? I like to play through every single game, so picking a truly horrific team is just too much a test of patience. At the same time, picking the Dodgers or Cardinals feels like a cop out and I want a challenge, so I usually pick a team from the middle area. Right now, my choices... 1) Cincy - Billy Hamilton on the brain! Seems like a ton of fun to play with him, I prefer teams that lean pitching over hitting and seem like a team most are counting out but still have plenty of talent - just the kind of team I look to target (I want to feel I achieve something) 2) San Diego - my big sleeper pick. Plenty of depth, speed, lots of upside players I like to run an AL team concurrently but no one appeals to me really. Baltimore is interesting, especially if they get Santana, but the defections of Weiters and Davis in a couple of years and utter lack of any teeth to their pitching staff worries me. Toronto could be a bounce back, but their pitching looks gawdawful. Texas is an appealing team but perhaps are a little too obviously good for me to consider it any kind of challenge etc etc. Anyway, enough from me, who are you looking forward to playing with and why?

02-25-2014, 02:29 PM	#4
rpriske Hall Of Famer Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Spencerville, ON, Canada Posts: 23,972 Blog Entries: 1	Always the Blue Jays... but boy, is it going to be tough. __________________ Rusty Priske Poet, Canadian, Baseball Fan ````````````````````````````````````````

02-26-2014, 01:08 AM	#10
The Game Hall Of Famer Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Inside The Game Posts: 30,803	Gonna take my Sox. Right now I have them predicted to win 88 games and be the 2nd Wildcard. They need to get off to a really good start and hope they dont fade again in September. Abreu might be a beast. I like Davidson and Eaton a lot. Still have a solid pen but the starters are really weak compared to last year. __________________ Go today don't wait for tomorrow It isn't promised, all the time you get borrowed Don't live your life for other people Don't bottle your emotions till they crack and fill a couple just sorrows Take your mind and refocus go get a paper write your goals out Throw your middle fingers to all your haters "Stay Strong"

02-26-2014, 05:05 AM	#12
tejdog1 All Star Starter Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Danbury, CT Posts: 1,618	. . . . . <----------------------------------------- __________________ It's amazing How you make your face just like a wall How you take your heart and turn it off How I turn my head and lose it all And it's unnerving How just one move puts me by myself There you go just trusting someone else Now I know I put us both through hell ~Matchbox 20, "Leave" Everyone knows it's spelled "TRAID", not trade

02-26-2014, 06:13 AM	#13
Pronkytonk Minors (Double A) Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Germany Posts: 168	It'll be Indians as usual for me - never managed to match their RL success in v14, hopefully the quality of their key players in the game is closer to what it turned out to be in reality last year. I might also consider giving the Cubs another shot, I really like their farm system and look forward to some pretty good players coming up in the future though 2014 will most likely be another 'maybe next year' type of season. Last edited by Pronkytonk; 02-26-2014 at 06:15 AM.

02-25-2014, 12:35 PM	#2
moneyball Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Rhode Island Posts: 40	I'm going to take on the challenge of the Phillies, mostly because of Grant Brisbee's must-read "Baseball Teams and the Windows that Define Them". His article is a great guideline for this discussion. __________________ "It's about getting things down to one number. Using the stats the way we read them, we'll find value in players that no one else can see. People are overlooked for a variety of biased reasons and perceived flaws. Age, appearance, personality. Bill James and mathematics cut straight through that. Billy, of the 20,000 notable players for us to consider, I believe that there is a championship team of twenty-five people that we can afford, because everyone else in baseball undervalues them."

02-25-2014, 12:44 PM	#3
le receveur All Star Starter Join Date: Oct 2013 Location: canada Posts: 1,736	actually i wasn't going to pick anything and go fictional, but you have convinced me to try and run the Twins or the Astros (by the way, not sure how Stroman, Hutchison, Buehrle, Dickey and Morrow with back ups of Happ, McGowan, Drabek, Rogers, Redmond and a solid bullpen qualifies as god-awful)

02-25-2014, 03:28 PM	#5
Aceshigh24 All Star Reserve Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Brea, CA Posts: 636	Will always go with my Mariners. Nothing like seeing what Cano can do in Seattle. Fantastic young pitching is always a plus too.

02-25-2014, 11:55 PM	#8
clwalcott Minors (Triple A) Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 263	I actually am seriously thinking about CWS, I am huge on Abreu, Avisail Garcia looks awesome and Konerko/Dunn platoon could be really very good (maybe). Chris Sale to carry the pitching staff? Would be counting a lot on the luck of the bullpen dice mind you...