Season 3 (2021) Discussion: 4/8 - 4/14

[waittilnextyear]

These Fighting Frogs can't seem to figure out what they want to be in S290.

First a pedestrian 12-11 April, then a scorching mad 22-6 May, before another .500 month in June, and a losing month in July (11-14). The bullpen has been leaky with all of Tuivailala, Bedrosian, Chafin, Betances, and Edwin Diaz giving up their share of leads it seems.

The squad is 59-45, 3 games out of the division and 3.5 games up for the 2nd wild card. Hopefully the August/September version of this team will be more of a force.

The in-season acquisitions have been gold Derek Jeter (training to play 1B and mashing: .356/.414/.627 13 HR 37 RBI in 49 games), gold Rick Reuschel (3-3 4.30 ERA in 10 starts), and silver Frank Howard (.269/.296/.418 3 HR 5 RBI in 16 games as platoon DH).

[Germaniac]

Nice achievement in an otherwise boring season

[Izz]

B'sin'Glou are 58-46, 8 games back in the NC West Division in 3rd place, but with a 1 1/2 game buffer in the 2nd wildcard. We're only 2nd in OBP and homers so far, division rivals the Jacksonville Bear Cats with the best OBP and the Spirited 76ers, leaders of the NC Central, with the most four-baggers.

[old timer]

K's galore for the Raccoons this year. My team struck out 20 batters in a 9 inning game (team effort, not individual) and a few days later got 21 Ks in 9 innings. It makes me wonder how many other games had high K totals like that. I wish the game kept track of such things.

Also, we got an achievement I'd not had before. Even though we've got a nice 11.4 K/9 rate for the team, we've never had anyone get 15Ks or more. But Lefty Gomez pitched a SHO with 17Ks which gave a nice PP bonus.

[Warhawk]

Black Panthers record by month:

April: 12-12
May: 14-14
June: 13-13
July: 21-5
August: 8-11

Can we go back to July please?

[Magus978]

In an entry pool season where our pitching has been some of the worst in the league, this happened. My John Maine outduels Chris Sale. This takes the New York Patriots to 49-45 on the season in spite of a bottom half pitching staff and a bottom 10 defense.

Genuinely hope my pitching can improve once in Iron. Otherwise, I may be there for many, many years.

[ScudDawg]

Originally Posted by Izz

So you're annoyed because you're only winning at 60% instead of 78%?

Just wondering how my team got so much worse so quickly. They are hitting a little better recently. My pitching stats are similar to the previous season, or at least a lot closer than my hitting numbers have been.

[Izz]

Originally Posted by ScudDawg

Just wondering how my team got so much worse so quickly. They are hitting a little better recently. My pitching stats are similar to the previous season, or at least a lot closer than my hitting numbers have been.

Just noticed my comment sounded more combative than I meant it to, sorry. I should've put a at the end of it.

Yeah, competition improves as you go up and sometimes a whole ton of really good hitters can get hit by random number nastiness at once. Probably means they'll have a storming finish to the season!

[mrbucket]

Originally Posted by ScudDawg

Just wondering how my team got so much worse so quickly. They are hitting a little better recently. My pitching stats are similar to the previous season, or at least a lot closer than my hitting numbers have been.

You did get promoted up a level and the general talent level does tend to improve as you advance. Your hitters and pitchers could be playing at the same level but their stats will drop as they face better hitters and pitchers on a more consistent basis.

[ScudDawg]

Originally Posted by Izz

Just noticed my comment sounded more combative than I meant it to, sorry. I should've put a at the end of it.

Yeah, competition improves as you go up and sometimes a whole ton of really good hitters can get hit by random number nastiness at once. Probably means they'll have a storming finish to the season!

Nah I got what you were saying no worries, just seeing such a drastic drop made me wonder what the heck was happening, losing to lots of bronze pitchers this season. If my stats stabilize by the end, I would be super happy.

[Sashindor]

Originally Posted by Izz

B'sin'Glou are 58-46, 8 games back in the NC West Division in 3rd place, but with a 1 1/2 game buffer in the 2nd wildcard. We're only 2nd in OBP and homers so far, division rivals the Jacksonville Bear Cats with the best OBP and the Spirited 76ers, leaders of the NC Central, with the most four-baggers.

I think we were in the same division last season Was the Los Angeles Vice.

[old timer]

I decided to change my Raccoons from a power based team to a speed based team and the results have been interesting. We're doing just as well with this lineup, but the games are even crazier since our pitching went south for some reason.

For example, we just won a game where the other team got 23 hits off us (11 innings). We won 14-13 and stole 11 bases while getting caught 2 times. Several days before this we stole 16 bases in 2 games. [The catcher arm rating in each game was a 65 and 74, so not great, but not too bad.]

My current lineup has guys like Mondesi, Henderson, Brock, Sliding Billy, Raines, etc. This lineup wouldn't do so well at higher levels [especially Mondesi], like diamond, but it's working just fine for now. And it's been so much fun to play around with different lineups and different settings. I keep being surprised at how well the team does with players and settings that I'd never normally use, like maxed out stealing, base-running, etc.

[waittilnextyear]

Originally Posted by waittilnextyear

The squad is 59-45, 3 games out of the division and 3.5 games up for the 2nd wild card. Hopefully the August/September version of this team will be more of a force.

Ask and I shall receive. The Frogs hopped out of the All-Star break spitting poisonous venom at all foes. August was another 22-win month for the team after a very lackluster 11-14 July. In going 22-5 in August, the team has flipped a 3 game deficit into what is currently a 9.5 game division lead. Squad is 82-50 at present (with an 80-52 Pythag).

The latest addition includes a 1500 PP investment in switch-hitting Devon White to patrol center field, thus shifting Reggie Sanders into a true LF platoon with Lefty O'Doul. The outfield defense should improve somewhat with DeVo out there covering the gaps now.

The bullpen is also getting some attention after some really brutal games. Out are Cam Bedrosian, Sam Tuivailala, and Andrew Chafin. In are Diego Castillo, Adam Cimber, and Scott Alexander. Hoping for a Felipe Vazquez to show up in the auction house, but no dice in the past day or so. Besides, I just blew my last wad of PP on 3 very crappy packs. lol

[old timer]

...

[Izz]

Originally Posted by Sashindor

I think we were in the same division last season Was the Los Angeles Vice.

I remember you! Hopefully we get to joust again one day

Currently, B'sin'Glou are 74-58. We're still 8 1/2 games back in the division but we've got a 4 1/2 game buffer in the wild card. We've walked 604 times, which is good enough for 2nd in the conference. Our 710 runs is top of the conference. Our bullpen continues to be poop

[Sashindor]

Originally Posted by izz

i remember you! Hopefully we get to joust again one day

currently, b'sin'glou are 74-58. We're still 8 1/2 games back in the division but we've got a 4 1/2 game buffer in the wild card. We've walked 604 times, which is good enough for 2nd in the conference. Our 710 runs is top of the conference. Our bullpen continues to be poop :d

<3

[Westheim]

Walter "deGrom" Johnson is now 16-7 with a 1.72 ERA while the offense continues to suck the cover off the baseballs for my Raccoons team that languishes eight games under .500 … Juan Soto drove in 26 for them to become Batter of the Month, so I must assume the rest of them didn't manage much more than eight or nine RBI between them in August...

Yeah, too afraid to actually count…

Little hope for Chattanooga. They are just two games away from a safe spot, but they just keep on losing… no chance to get enough PP for another pack. You know, unless one of those weird-ass games falls from the sky, which goes 19 innings and one of your guys goes 5-for-6 with 8 RBI … in a loss.

Well, Gold level is obviously too tough on a free/packs-only team with only modest luck of the draw.

[mrbucket]

Originally Posted by Westheim

Walter "deGrom" Johnson is now 16-7 with a 1.72 ERA while the offense continues to suck the cover off the baseballs for my Raccoons team that languishes eight games under .500 … Juan Soto drove in 26 for them to become Batter of the Month, so I must assume the rest of them didn't manage much more than eight or nine RBI between them in August...

Yeah, too afraid to actually count…

Little hope for Chattanooga. They are just two games away from a safe spot, but they just keep on losing… no chance to get enough PP for another pack. You know, unless one of those weird-ass games falls from the sky, which goes 19 innings and one of your guys goes 5-for-6 with 8 RBI … in a loss.

Well, Gold level is obviously too tough on a free/packs-only team with only modest luck of the draw.

Your Walter Johnson is an absolute beast this season. He's got 10.2 WAR already. Next highest in the conference has 5.8! Must be a lock for the MVP, the best batter is my Ty Cobb who has 7.2 WAR.



My Angels are 2 games away from clinching the NC East in my Gold league. Got another excellent season from Ty Cobb though he did trade away some power for base stealing this season. Not sure if I particularly like the trade. Early in the season he was on track for a 130-steal season but he's calmed down and has 78 so far. Projected to get 88.

[Warhawk]

A week and a half before the all star break, the Las Vegas Golden Lions were 38-49. 12 games ago we were 65-70, around 7 games back in the wild card with less than a 5% chance of making the playoffs. We are now 75-72, 1 1/2 games out of the second wild card spot (currently held by a team we just took 3 of 4 from) with a 40% chance of making the playoffs. Hitting was poor all season but suddenly we've caught fire, Tatis in his last 7 games is hitting .480 with 3 HRs, 7 runs, and 8 RBIs; Rizzo in his last 8 is hitting .407 with 4 HRs, 7 runs, and 9 RBIs; Roy White in his last 11 is hitting .456 with 3 HRs, 11 runs, and 13 RBIs; Tony Perez is hitting .422 over his last 11.

[Westheim]

Originally Posted by mrbucket

Your Walter Johnson is an absolute beast this season. He's got 10.2 WAR already. Next highest in the conference has 5.8! Must be a lock for the MVP, the best batter is my Ty Cobb who has 7.2 WAR.

Well, OOTP can be weird. (is still grumpy about the Rich Hereford / Shane Sanks scandal in his dynasty) I also had an eye on that triple crown, but the offense has to keep him wins.

...and he just lost a game, so that's that...