Greatest Franchise Ever Replay

George_Bell · 06-16-2017, 04:38 PM

I am ready to start a new dynasty. The last one fizzled out very quickly. I wanted to do a complete random debut historical league, but I wasn’t happy with the way the game was importing rookies, and I had to edit a bunch of ages. It started to feel like work very fast, and I just stopped, very early.

Today, I am beginning, and I don’t even really know what to call this, a new single season, greatest organization ever replay.

The goal is to crown the best FRANCHISE in baseball history. I guess I will call it GREATEST FRANCHISE EVER replay.

I will import players throughout history who played for their team. I will choose that player’s best season with the team as the season to import. To qualify, all each player has to have is one game with that team. Mike Piazza is eligible for the Marlins. Each team can only have one version of a player, but there can be multiple players in the league. Mike Piazza can play for the Dodgers, Mets and Marlins.

The teams won’t be perfect, that’s impossible. I will overlook players, forget players, or just plain make choices that may not be correct, but I will do my best to give each team the best possible players.

Injuries will be on. Injuries are fact of life in baseball. Each team will have one minor league team, and an organizational total of 50ish players to choose from. The CPU will manage their rosters as they see fit.

So, that’s the plan. I’m currently done 11 teams, and get done 1 team a day. I will start posting rosters. When that’s done, I guess I’ll sim a week at a time. Focus on a game of the week, and talk about whatever catches my eye.

Oh, no trading, no player development, no scouting. 4 divisions, 4 teams from each division will qualify for the playoffs. The only thing I haven’t decided on yet, is whether to do a Negro League team and a Japanese league team. Not sure on those…..

Thanks for reading, and I hope this will be fun!

George_Bell · 06-16-2017, 04:47 PM

The Arizona Diamondbacks are the first team revealed. They are a young team, and don't have much of a player pool compared to the rest of the league. I can't see them making the playoffs.

There is still alot of talent here. I'll be saying that alot. Randy Johnson is the ace, and looks to be rated like one. Pitching will be a strength in Arizona, one that needs to come through. The hitting is weak. In this world, they will struggle. Luis Gonzalez is the teams top hitter, and im not sure that's a good thing.

The Phoenix Diamondbacks will be the AAA affiliate. There isn't alot of depth here. If Arizona wants to make the playoffs, they need some injury luck. Im kinda surprised the CPU decided Troy Glaus over Matt Williams at third. The Dbacks could use Williams power!

George_Bell · 06-17-2017, 10:05 AM

Next up are the Atlanta Braves. A franchise that's been around for a very long time since the beginning.

Pitching will be a strength for Atlanta, with Greg Maddux as the ace. Im surprised at the way Javier Vazquez imported, as he looks great and will start in the rotation while Tom Glavine begins in the bullpen. The offense has alot of high contact players, led by Rogers Hornsby, who will probably be a top 10 player in the league. The Braves will challenge for a title

AAA affiliate, the Milwaukee Braves, are a strong team on their own. They will provide good depth to the major league team. Warren Spahn, and Cecil Upshaw are immediate call up candidates, while Joe Adcock is wondering why he isn't in the bigs. Me too! Atlanta had decided to start with 5 infielders and 6 outfielders.

George_Bell · 06-18-2017, 09:39 AM

The Baltimore Orioles franchise has been around for over a century. They have a huge talent pool to field a team from, and just based n that, should be pretty good. Here's how things look.

For a team with as much history as these guys, the pitching looks weak. Jim Palmer and Rube Waddell, guys i expected to lead the rotation, didn't import like i expected, and look like back of the rotation guys. Mike Mussina is the staff ace, but it will be a bottom tier staff in the league. Rube Waddell is a surprise member of this team. I didn't realize he played for the Browns, but finished his career in St. Louis. George Sisler and Frank Robinson highlight the offense, that even with a few holes, looks good. Sisler has the highest contact rating so far. I predict Baltimore will be in a battle for the 4th place playoff spot in their division.

The AAA St. Louis Browns have some nice talent waiting int he wings. SP Urban Shocker will start some games in Baltimore. Miguel Tejeda looks better then Machado, but must wait his turn. George Stone is a MVP candidate at the AAA level.

George_Bell · 06-19-2017, 10:13 AM

The Boston Red Sox will come in as one of the leagues favorites. They have such a huge pool of talent to choose from. I don't see many way they won't be in the playoffs.

An amazing looking rotation, headlined by Pedro Martinez. Roger Clemens and Smokey Joe Wood are also ace like. Surprised Curt Schilling made the cut. He's excellent, but there are a few names i thought they would take over him. Ted Williams is obviously the hitting star. Tris Speaker, Jimmie Foxx, Wade Boggs. What a lineup. I'm looking forward to seeing how they do!

Boston's AAA affiliate, the Americans, have some big big names. Babe Ruth, who i imported as a start, and Luis Tiant, are guys I expected to be on the main team. 1B Billy Goodman has over 100 contact, and sits in the minors. This squad is better then the Dbacks major league team!

George_Bell · 06-20-2017, 10:26 AM

The California Angels(I like that name much better then their current identity.) have a history, of taking past their prime players. Lets see how that helped shape their roster.

Nolan Ryan is a in their prime ACE. Will he be able to match his record setting K total? Bert Blyleven, Rod Carew and Vladamir Guerrero, all still good players, but all past their primes!

It's a star filled minor league squad. Reggie Jackson, Lee Smith, Albert Pujols, Frank Robinson and Bobby Bonds. These are all guys that will have starring roles elsewhere, but probably won't reach the majors with the Angels. Past their prime players.

George_Bell · 06-21-2017, 10:20 AM

The Chicago White Sox, are team whose talent level will disappoint, when you compare them to their peers. I think depth will really hurt them over the coming season.

Luke Appling, and Shoeless Joe Jackson are elite. Frank Thomas is pretty damn good. Everything else in the batting order is average going by this leagues lofty standards. Scoring runs may be a problem in Chicago. Not sure they could survive an injury to any of those big three. The rotation is ok, just ok. Chris Sale and Wilbur Wood lead the group, but the talent isn't overwhelming.

The White Stockings aren't gonna offer the Sox alot of help. Harold Baines can hit, as can Al Simmons, but the outfield up in Chicago is the deepest part of the team. That depth could have been better served elsewhere.

skyballer455 · 06-21-2017, 10:34 PM

Wow! I just noticed this and it already looks fantastic! It's also nice to see you posting again. I'm curious as to how you go about importing historical players, as I've never really done that myself.

George_Bell · 06-22-2017, 09:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by skyballer455

Wow! I just noticed this and it already looks fantastic! It's also nice to see you posting again. I'm curious as to how you go about importing historical players, as I've never really done that myself.

Thank you sir! I haven't even started games yet, but im enjoying putting the teams together.

The import is done on the free agent screen. You select import historical player option, click the proper database, and used the baseball-reference code for each player you import. It's not as time consuming as it sounds. Takes me about half an hour per team.

George_Bell · 06-22-2017, 10:02 AM

The Chicago Cubs, a team with a long history, but poor results. They are still fielding a surprisingly strong team, that can challenge for a title if things go their way!

Jake Arrieta and Greg Maddux lead the rotation. I'm surprised that 22 year old Mark Prior made the team. The bullpen looks nasty. Lee Smith will probably appear 7-8 times in this league! Cap Anson, Rogers Hornsby, Ernie Banks, and Hack Wilson are legit stars, in a star filled league. No weakness in this lineup.

Th Cubbies have good depth in the rotation. 3 Fingers Brown, and Pete Alexander should be able to step into the big club with no problem. Frank Chance, Ron Santo, Billy Herman, Andre Dawson, are all guys who could be excellent hitters in the bigs, but are stuck waiting for a team. Great depth here.

George_Bell · 06-23-2017, 10:36 AM

Another team with a century old player pool to choose from. The Cincinnati Reds had some of baseball's best teams in the 70's. Alot of their success will probably come from that era!

Jose Rijo is the team ace. That's not a great thing. He's a very good pitcher, but there aren't any dominant hurlers in the rotation. It's thin at best. The offense looks strong though, and will need to carry them. Johnny Bench is elite. Barry Larkin, Tony Perez, Joey Votto and Joe Morgan make up one of baseball's best infields!

The depth for a original franchise is fairly bad. Any injuries to the top 25 will be a problem. Pete Rose, surprisingly left off the big roster is a guy should be call up #1. Vada Pinson is also ready to help.

pgd44 · 06-23-2017, 03:29 PM

This looks really good so far . Can you post this as a template or a QuickStart?
Looking forward to following it.

George_Bell · 06-24-2017, 10:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pgd44

This looks really good so far . Can you post this as a template or a QuickStart?
Looking forward to following it.

Sure, i can do that, im not done all the teams though!!

Thanks for reading!

George_Bell · 06-24-2017, 10:20 AM

The Cleveland Indians have a long and generally unsuccessful history, but have produced some great players along the way. Can they challenge for a title?

The offense is legit. Earl Averill, Tris Speaker, Al Rosen, and Nap Lajoie are all-star calibre at this level. Hell, Kenny Lofton and Manny Ramirez imported amazingly. Cleveland will score alot of runs. Pitchers like Bob Feller, Cliff Lee and Luis Tiant should be enough to win alot of games. The Indians will be dangerous.

Miami has some players that will help Cleveland this season. Gaylord Perry is one of the best pitchers Ive seen in AAA so far, and unbelievably, Shoeless Joe Jackson starts in AAA. I don't agree with that Indians decision.

George_Bell · 06-24-2017, 10:27 PM

One of the newest franchise in major league baseball will not have much of a chance. I assume they will be able to hit, but the Rockies are a contender for last place.

This team has no pitching. None. This is a all time greats league, and the Rockies pitching just doesn't belong. Larry Walker has an amazing skillset, but he needs way more help. The lineup is thin. This is a bad group within the context of the league.

There is some talent here. Andres Galarraga and Carlos Gonzalez are guys that should really be on the big club, but other then that, they are playing out the string before any games are actually played.

George_Bell · 06-25-2017, 11:32 AM

The Detroit Tigers have had success in a few different eras, but never really put together a true dynasty. Will they have enough talent to stick with the perennial winners?

The Tigers can hit. The turn of the century outfield of Ty Cobb, Harry Heilman and Sam Crawford can be special. Hank Greenberg will also be in the OF mix. The pitching is decent, but not spectacular. Hal Newhouser is the ace, with Denny Mclain right behind him.

I like the pitching depth the TigerCats have. Mark Fydrich and Jack Morris will get time in the bigs. Surprising to see Al Kaline begin the season here, but he's a victim of a immensely talented Tigers OF.

George_Bell · 06-26-2017, 09:54 AM

Comparing them with their expansion brothers, the Florida Marlins should be better then the Rockies, but the overall depth still isn't on par with most teams here, and I expect them to struggle.

Kevin Brown is the ace of a staff that isn't spectacular, but won't embarrass themselves either. They need to stay healthy though. That could be a problem looking at their injury histories. The offense isn't impressive. Carlos Delgado, Gary Sheffield and Miguel Cabrera will put up good numbers, but they are the only real pieces teams will be worried about.

Any injury is gonna be a problem. There isn't anyone who could step in without a dropoff. Juan Pierre is the teams top player, while Josh Beckett will probably be the top pitching callup.

rjl518 · 06-26-2017, 04:05 PM

its good to see you back George.
this looks like its gonna be a lot of fun to watch.
When you get all those teams and the template made, im downloading it.

George_Bell · 06-27-2017, 04:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rjl518

its good to see you back George.
this looks like its gonna be a lot of fun to watch.
When you get all those teams and the template made, im downloading it.

I will definitely make it available. Thanks for reading!

George_Bell · 06-27-2017, 04:25 PM

The Houston Astros have made a very weird coaching decision right off the bat. This team can't really afford any mistakes, so they are off to a bad start before we get going methinks...

A strong pitching staff will need to be stronger to compete as the offense isn't there. 42 year old Roger Clemens begins as a bullpen piece, while Mike Scott is the staff ace. The hitting is bad. There isn't alot of power. I have no idea how teams will sim and what will be normal, but id guess Jeff Bagwell is the only 20+ home run guy on the squad.

The mistake i referred to above is Nolan Ryan. He begins the season in the minors. Nuts to me. I imported his age 34 season, and feel he should be the #2 starter with the Astros. Who knows, that might get fixed after one game, but it's just puzzling to me.

06-21-2017, 10:20 AM	#7
George_Bell All Star Starter Join Date: Dec 2013 Posts: 1,988	The Chicago White Sox, are team whose talent level will disappoint, when you compare them to their peers. I think depth will really hurt them over the coming season. Luke Appling, and Shoeless Joe Jackson are elite. Frank Thomas is pretty damn good. Everything else in the batting order is average going by this leagues lofty standards. Scoring runs may be a problem in Chicago. Not sure they could survive an injury to any of those big three. The rotation is ok, just ok. Chris Sale and Wilbur Wood lead the group, but the talent isn't overwhelming. The White Stockings aren't gonna offer the Sox alot of help. Harold Baines can hit, as can Al Simmons, but the outfield up in Chicago is the deepest part of the team. That depth could have been better served elsewhere. Last edited by George_Bell; 06-21-2017 at 10:24 AM.

06-24-2017, 10:20 AM	#14
George_Bell All Star Starter Join Date: Dec 2013 Posts: 1,988	The Cleveland Indians have a long and generally unsuccessful history, but have produced some great players along the way. Can they challenge for a title? The offense is legit. Earl Averill, Tris Speaker, Al Rosen, and Nap Lajoie are all-star calibre at this level. Hell, Kenny Lofton and Manny Ramirez imported amazingly. Cleveland will score alot of runs. Pitchers like Bob Feller, Cliff Lee and Luis Tiant should be enough to win alot of games. The Indians will be dangerous. Miami has some players that will help Cleveland this season. Gaylord Perry is one of the best pitchers Ive seen in AAA so far, and unbelievably, Shoeless Joe Jackson starts in AAA. I don't agree with that Indians decision. Last edited by George_Bell; 06-24-2017 at 10:21 AM.

06-26-2017, 04:05 PM	#18
rjl518 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Born in Shea Stadium, lives in LoanDepot Park. Posts: 6,240	its good to see you back George. this looks like its gonna be a lot of fun to watch. When you get all those teams and the template made, im downloading it. __________________ My Threads: MLB Project 32 by SFGiants58 "Colon looking for his 1st hit of the year and he DRIVES ONE! Deep left field! Back goes Upton! Back near the wall! ITS OUTTA HERE!!! Bartolo has done it!!! THE IMPOSSIBLE HAS HAPPENED!!! This is one of the great moments in the history of baseball! Bartolo Colon has gone deep!" ---Gary Cohen. (May 7, 2016) (Petco Park) NYM 6 @ SD 3

06-16-2017, 04:38 PM	#1
George_Bell All Star Starter Join Date: Dec 2013 Posts: 1,988	Greatest Franchise Ever Replay I am ready to start a new dynasty. The last one fizzled out very quickly. I wanted to do a complete random debut historical league, but I wasn’t happy with the way the game was importing rookies, and I had to edit a bunch of ages. It started to feel like work very fast, and I just stopped, very early. Today, I am beginning, and I don’t even really know what to call this, a new single season, greatest organization ever replay. The goal is to crown the best FRANCHISE in baseball history. I guess I will call it GREATEST FRANCHISE EVER replay. I will import players throughout history who played for their team. I will choose that player’s best season with the team as the season to import. To qualify, all each player has to have is one game with that team. Mike Piazza is eligible for the Marlins. Each team can only have one version of a player, but there can be multiple players in the league. Mike Piazza can play for the Dodgers, Mets and Marlins. The teams won’t be perfect, that’s impossible. I will overlook players, forget players, or just plain make choices that may not be correct, but I will do my best to give each team the best possible players. Injuries will be on. Injuries are fact of life in baseball. Each team will have one minor league team, and an organizational total of 50ish players to choose from. The CPU will manage their rosters as they see fit. So, that’s the plan. I’m currently done 11 teams, and get done 1 team a day. I will start posting rosters. When that’s done, I guess I’ll sim a week at a time. Focus on a game of the week, and talk about whatever catches my eye. Oh, no trading, no player development, no scouting. 4 divisions, 4 teams from each division will qualify for the playoffs. The only thing I haven’t decided on yet, is whether to do a Negro League team and a Japanese league team. Not sure on those….. Thanks for reading, and I hope this will be fun!

06-16-2017, 04:47 PM	#2
George_Bell All Star Starter Join Date: Dec 2013 Posts: 1,988	The Arizona Diamondbacks are the first team revealed. They are a young team, and don't have much of a player pool compared to the rest of the league. I can't see them making the playoffs. There is still alot of talent here. I'll be saying that alot. Randy Johnson is the ace, and looks to be rated like one. Pitching will be a strength in Arizona, one that needs to come through. The hitting is weak. In this world, they will struggle. Luis Gonzalez is the teams top hitter, and im not sure that's a good thing. The Phoenix Diamondbacks will be the AAA affiliate. There isn't alot of depth here. If Arizona wants to make the playoffs, they need some injury luck. Im kinda surprised the CPU decided Troy Glaus over Matt Williams at third. The Dbacks could use Williams power! Last edited by George_Bell; 06-17-2017 at 10:06 AM.

06-17-2017, 10:05 AM	#3
George_Bell All Star Starter Join Date: Dec 2013 Posts: 1,988	Next up are the Atlanta Braves. A franchise that's been around for a very long time since the beginning. Pitching will be a strength for Atlanta, with Greg Maddux as the ace. Im surprised at the way Javier Vazquez imported, as he looks great and will start in the rotation while Tom Glavine begins in the bullpen. The offense has alot of high contact players, led by Rogers Hornsby, who will probably be a top 10 player in the league. The Braves will challenge for a title AAA affiliate, the Milwaukee Braves, are a strong team on their own. They will provide good depth to the major league team. Warren Spahn, and Cecil Upshaw are immediate call up candidates, while Joe Adcock is wondering why he isn't in the bigs. Me too! Atlanta had decided to start with 5 infielders and 6 outfielders.

06-18-2017, 09:39 AM	#4
George_Bell All Star Starter Join Date: Dec 2013 Posts: 1,988	The Baltimore Orioles franchise has been around for over a century. They have a huge talent pool to field a team from, and just based n that, should be pretty good. Here's how things look. For a team with as much history as these guys, the pitching looks weak. Jim Palmer and Rube Waddell, guys i expected to lead the rotation, didn't import like i expected, and look like back of the rotation guys. Mike Mussina is the staff ace, but it will be a bottom tier staff in the league. Rube Waddell is a surprise member of this team. I didn't realize he played for the Browns, but finished his career in St. Louis. George Sisler and Frank Robinson highlight the offense, that even with a few holes, looks good. Sisler has the highest contact rating so far. I predict Baltimore will be in a battle for the 4th place playoff spot in their division. The AAA St. Louis Browns have some nice talent waiting int he wings. SP Urban Shocker will start some games in Baltimore. Miguel Tejeda looks better then Machado, but must wait his turn. George Stone is a MVP candidate at the AAA level.

06-19-2017, 10:13 AM	#5
George_Bell All Star Starter Join Date: Dec 2013 Posts: 1,988	The Boston Red Sox will come in as one of the leagues favorites. They have such a huge pool of talent to choose from. I don't see many way they won't be in the playoffs. An amazing looking rotation, headlined by Pedro Martinez. Roger Clemens and Smokey Joe Wood are also ace like. Surprised Curt Schilling made the cut. He's excellent, but there are a few names i thought they would take over him. Ted Williams is obviously the hitting star. Tris Speaker, Jimmie Foxx, Wade Boggs. What a lineup. I'm looking forward to seeing how they do! Boston's AAA affiliate, the Americans, have some big big names. Babe Ruth, who i imported as a start, and Luis Tiant, are guys I expected to be on the main team. 1B Billy Goodman has over 100 contact, and sits in the minors. This squad is better then the Dbacks major league team!

06-20-2017, 10:26 AM	#6
George_Bell All Star Starter Join Date: Dec 2013 Posts: 1,988	The California Angels(I like that name much better then their current identity.) have a history, of taking past their prime players. Lets see how that helped shape their roster. Nolan Ryan is a in their prime ACE. Will he be able to match his record setting K total? Bert Blyleven, Rod Carew and Vladamir Guerrero, all still good players, but all past their primes! It's a star filled minor league squad. Reggie Jackson, Lee Smith, Albert Pujols, Frank Robinson and Bobby Bonds. These are all guys that will have starring roles elsewhere, but probably won't reach the majors with the Angels. Past their prime players.

06-21-2017, 10:34 PM	#8
skyballer455 All Star Reserve Join Date: Jul 2014 Posts: 701	Wow! I just noticed this and it already looks fantastic! It's also nice to see you posting again. I'm curious as to how you go about importing historical players, as I've never really done that myself.

06-22-2017, 10:02 AM	#10
George_Bell All Star Starter Join Date: Dec 2013 Posts: 1,988	The Chicago Cubs, a team with a long history, but poor results. They are still fielding a surprisingly strong team, that can challenge for a title if things go their way! Jake Arrieta and Greg Maddux lead the rotation. I'm surprised that 22 year old Mark Prior made the team. The bullpen looks nasty. Lee Smith will probably appear 7-8 times in this league! Cap Anson, Rogers Hornsby, Ernie Banks, and Hack Wilson are legit stars, in a star filled league. No weakness in this lineup. Th Cubbies have good depth in the rotation. 3 Fingers Brown, and Pete Alexander should be able to step into the big club with no problem. Frank Chance, Ron Santo, Billy Herman, Andre Dawson, are all guys who could be excellent hitters in the bigs, but are stuck waiting for a team. Great depth here.

06-23-2017, 10:36 AM	#11
George_Bell All Star Starter Join Date: Dec 2013 Posts: 1,988	Another team with a century old player pool to choose from. The Cincinnati Reds had some of baseball's best teams in the 70's. Alot of their success will probably come from that era! Jose Rijo is the team ace. That's not a great thing. He's a very good pitcher, but there aren't any dominant hurlers in the rotation. It's thin at best. The offense looks strong though, and will need to carry them. Johnny Bench is elite. Barry Larkin, Tony Perez, Joey Votto and Joe Morgan make up one of baseball's best infields! The depth for a original franchise is fairly bad. Any injuries to the top 25 will be a problem. Pete Rose, surprisingly left off the big roster is a guy should be call up #1. Vada Pinson is also ready to help.

06-23-2017, 03:29 PM	#12
pgd44 Minors (Double A) Join Date: Jan 2011 Posts: 159	This looks really good so far . Can you post this as a template or a QuickStart? Looking forward to following it.

06-24-2017, 10:27 PM	#15
George_Bell All Star Starter Join Date: Dec 2013 Posts: 1,988	One of the newest franchise in major league baseball will not have much of a chance. I assume they will be able to hit, but the Rockies are a contender for last place. This team has no pitching. None. This is a all time greats league, and the Rockies pitching just doesn't belong. Larry Walker has an amazing skillset, but he needs way more help. The lineup is thin. This is a bad group within the context of the league. There is some talent here. Andres Galarraga and Carlos Gonzalez are guys that should really be on the big club, but other then that, they are playing out the string before any games are actually played.

06-25-2017, 11:32 AM	#16
George_Bell All Star Starter Join Date: Dec 2013 Posts: 1,988	The Detroit Tigers have had success in a few different eras, but never really put together a true dynasty. Will they have enough talent to stick with the perennial winners? The Tigers can hit. The turn of the century outfield of Ty Cobb, Harry Heilman and Sam Crawford can be special. Hank Greenberg will also be in the OF mix. The pitching is decent, but not spectacular. Hal Newhouser is the ace, with Denny Mclain right behind him. I like the pitching depth the TigerCats have. Mark Fydrich and Jack Morris will get time in the bigs. Surprising to see Al Kaline begin the season here, but he's a victim of a immensely talented Tigers OF.

06-26-2017, 09:54 AM	#17
George_Bell All Star Starter Join Date: Dec 2013 Posts: 1,988	Comparing them with their expansion brothers, the Florida Marlins should be better then the Rockies, but the overall depth still isn't on par with most teams here, and I expect them to struggle. Kevin Brown is the ace of a staff that isn't spectacular, but won't embarrass themselves either. They need to stay healthy though. That could be a problem looking at their injury histories. The offense isn't impressive. Carlos Delgado, Gary Sheffield and Miguel Cabrera will put up good numbers, but they are the only real pieces teams will be worried about. Any injury is gonna be a problem. There isn't anyone who could step in without a dropoff. Juan Pierre is the teams top player, while Josh Beckett will probably be the top pitching callup.

06-27-2017, 04:25 PM	#20
George_Bell All Star Starter Join Date: Dec 2013 Posts: 1,988	The Houston Astros have made a very weird coaching decision right off the bat. This team can't really afford any mistakes, so they are off to a bad start before we get going methinks... A strong pitching staff will need to be stronger to compete as the offense isn't there. 42 year old Roger Clemens begins as a bullpen piece, while Mike Scott is the staff ace. The hitting is bad. There isn't alot of power. I have no idea how teams will sim and what will be normal, but id guess Jeff Bagwell is the only 20+ home run guy on the squad. The mistake i referred to above is Nolan Ryan. He begins the season in the minors. Nuts to me. I imported his age 34 season, and feel he should be the #2 starter with the Astros. Who knows, that might get fixed after one game, but it's just puzzling to me.