Introducing Your Hawaii Islanders! - Page 9

Bub13 · 07-16-2018, 06:46 PM

September Roster Expansion and Et Cetera...
With 30 games left, we're at 76-56, 3.5 games behind Oakland, and 8 games ahead of Milwaukee in the wild card standings. Of our remaining games, 19 are at home, where we're 41-25. We finish the season on the road at Seattle, but the series everyone is eyeing already is the penultimate one: 3 games at home versus Oakland.

For the September call-ups, I summon OF Jim Klein, IF Bobby Layne, and pitchers Aldo Gouweleeuw and Ramon Archila. Klein will get a long look, especially whenever Carrillo is hurt, as I expect him to figure more prominently next season. Layne is a fill-in. Gouweleeuw has been decent (sometimes) in relief, and gets one more shot to see if he's worth re-signing for next year. Ditto Archila, who's ratings look way better than his results. Giving another coming bullpen rebuild, it's important to see what these guys have. I also move the struggling Eric Plummer out of the rotation, and give a shot to Pete Morrow, who's been pretty damn good in a setup role, but looks to have some chops as a starter.

(Btw, DH/1B Justin Wright is named August player of the month, with a .401/18/32 slash.)

September 1-2 vs SEATTLE
Currently 65-67, 14.5 games out of first. A terrible June killed their early-season momentum, and they've been treading water ever since. Hitting has been decent--sixth overall--despite superstar Mike Wapner missing over a month this summer, with 2B Alex Cruz the slugging star (32 HR) and catcher Ben Moore batting over .300 all season. Pitching, once a strength, has underwhelmed, and is 15th in the league. Five pitchers are on the DL, and three of their top prospects have already been pressed into service, with mixed results. The best of these--Steve Maki--looks like a future #1 or #2 starter, but is up maybe a year too early for his own good.

HAW pitchers: Eric Jones (9-8, 5.29) / Pete Morrow (7-1, 3.41)
SEA pitchers: Jaden Graham (6-9, 6.30) / Dave Conner (MLB debut)

#133: WIN 3-2 ... two Seattle solo shots in the 9th and 10th put us in danger, but Klein's RBI single in the bottom half wins it...Jones is solid, the bullpen (again) less so
#134: WIN 7-4 ... 3 hits for Klein, and a 2B and HR for Wright...strong 6 IP (6 H, 1 ER, 7 K, 0 BB) for Morrow

We keep winning, good, but Oakland does too, bad. Still four games behind.... Carrillo's dtd injury has been listed as "unknown return date," which is worrying, and morbidly typical for him.... Wright went from being named player of the month, to going 0-for-5 with 5 strikeouts, to knocking in 3 RBI the next game. Moody cuss.... ELSEWHERE: Tampa's William Antonio hit .488 in August (and .500 so far in Sept.) to move to the top of the AL batting list, at .382. He's just one point ahead of Vinny Vargas, so nothing's decided.... Oakland is just the second team to guarantee themselves a winning record, at 82-52. Five other teams have won 78 games.... San Fran is quietly having an awful 52-82 season, with catcher Adam Behling the only batter who's bothered to show up for the NL's 2nd-worst offense. He's at .328/20/82, whereas second "best" is hitting .245, and only three other players have reached double figures in HR. Somehow, they've got the 13th best system in baseball, but to my eyes only a couple of players that look like more than barely-adequate supporting cast.

September 4-6 vs TEXAS
Another team derailed by a poor June (and a poor April, but why quibble), 11th in offense and 13th in defense. So, not terrible, but nothing remarkable either. The Rangers have about 1/3 of a good team: LF Ricky Chavez is money (.288/41/107), and 3B Corey Turner (.298/19/74), 1B Pat Salter (.267/15/62), and 2B Gabriel Gallegos (.345 and GG defense) are the only quality bats; most of the pitchers look promising on paper but can't produce on the field. At 23, promising SS Alvin Phillips was 3 the last time the Rangers made the playoffs.

HAW pitchers: BJ Nault (4-5, 4.71) / Rob Hart (10-5, 4.11) / Jonathan Murray (11-6, 4.21)
TEX pitchers: Thomas Cannaday (2-3, 5.19) / Luis Otero (2-4, 6.40) / Joe Ingram (3-7, 4.42)

#135: LOSS 3-8 ... meh...Klein keeps hitting, and Wright parked another one, but starter Nault and closer Yaung toss a lot of softballs today
#136: WIN 5-3 ... Hart fans 8, and the pen shows up, allowing no runners in three innings
#137: WIN 9-3 ... Mercedes stays hot, hitting his 3rd HR of the month, and Murray whiffs 10 over 8 innings

Oakland's won six straight now, so we actually lost a game to them, and are now 5 back.... MLB gives us a 100% chance to make the playoffs. Even if we don't catch the A's, we're 10 games up on the next-best team in the wild card standings. Both Oakland and us have 25 games remaining; our opponents winning pct is .504, theirs is .496. Edge to Oakland.... ELSEWHERE: Winning streaks for Boston and Miami have moved them closer to the division-leading Rays. Toss in Baltimore, and four teams are within 3.5 games of each other.... Minnesota still has the largest divisional lead, 11 games over Milwaukee. New Orleans is next, 8.5 over the Cards, while Philly is 6.5 up on Brooklyn.

September 7-9 vs CHICAGO WHITE SOX
Fourth in the Central, 62-73, 13th in offense, 11th pitching. Manny Cervantes has 33 HR, and leadoff man Jeremy Black has a nice looking .304/19/78 line, but there's not much else after that. CF Jason Feeney is a proven .300 hitter, but has only been healthy for two weeks so his .393 average can be given some side eye. They have an astounding eight pitchers on the DL, including their first two attempts at a closer and nominal ace Jake Atkinson. I don't see much brewing on the farm, either, and only one minor league team--rookie ball Great Falls--has a winning record. The clubhouse is openly feuding, with Cervantes--on an expiring contract--leading the way, mad at everybody and not talking to the press.

HAW pitchers: Eric Jones (9-8, 5.03) / Pete Morrow (8-1, 3.14) / BJ Nault (4-6, 4.85)
CHW pitchers: Jarrod Kearns (6-6, 5.24) / Roman Berndt (9-9, 5.01) / Chris Wead (3-8, 4.30)

#138: LOSS 5-8 ... Jones is back on the down roller coaster...13 hits and 5 walks aren't enough smdh
#139: LOSS 6-11 ... more tremendous pitching: Morrow 13 H, 8 R in 5 IP, and Yaung walks 5 in one inning...who's managing these guys?
#140: WIN 11-8 ... don't be fooled: we were down 7-1 in the bottom of the 7th until Wright powers TWO GRAND SLAMS to snatch victory from the jaws

Wow, some pitching we had there. The jury is still obviously out on Morrow, but Nault may have seen his last game for us, tbh.... With that crazy last game, Wright topped 100 RBI for the fourth time. And our pitching has dropped to 10th in the AL, down from 6th just over a week ago.... ELSEWHERE: Surprise, the Giants and then the Nats are the first teams eliminated from the playoffs..... It'll be a fun decision for NL rookie of the year, between Atlanta's John Arrington (.350/21/66) and Portland's Morgan Akers (.314/33/120). Akers leads all the power stats (and the NL in RBI), but Arrington is close to the NL batting crown and is 4th in OBP. He also has the lead in WAR, 5.2 to 4.2, despite missing over a month this summer.

September 11-13 @ MILWAUKEE
Probably too far out (11 games) to catch the Twins, but one of a handful of teams racing for the second wild card spot. MLB gives them a 30.3% chance to make it. Sixth in runs--despite near-bottom AVG and OBP--thanks largely to a league-leading 243 home runs, led by RF Coby Sandu with 45 and SS Austin Reinwald with 33. Pitching is 5th best, and defense 4th, for a run diff of +33. You get the feeling that if this team could get some hits they'd win 100 games. Closer Bill Brunson is gunning for his second Wilhelm award, with a 2.00 ERA and 0.97 WHIP.

HAW pitchers: Rob Hart (11-5, 4.08) / Jonathan Murray (12-6, 4.17) / Eric Jones (9-9, 5.32)
MIL pitchers: Brandon Jarmon (11-9, 4.99) / Tim Pinksen (9-10, 4.50) / Steve Hash (0-4, 9.28)

#141: LOSS 2-4 ... Hart yields just 4 hits and fans 12, but Yaung delivers a gopher ball to Sandu in the 9th that closes it out askdfkldalkfskl
#142: WIN 9-6 ... we finally outhit our terrible pitching...no HR for anyone today, shocking...5 hits for Robertson, tying the team record
#143: WIN 5-4 ... look at Hash's stats above: and yet, he went 9 IP, 5 H today, sigh...The.Bullpen.Stinks.Again...Hart's 20th of the season in the 13th proves the difference

Somehow we managed to win 2 out of 3 there, and gained a game and a half on the A's; now just 4 games out.... Wright snags player of the week, going 10-for-25 with 3 HR and 13 RBI. And back-to-back grand slams against CHW, in case you'd forgotten.... ELSEWHERE: PIT, ATL, SD, and POR are all eliminated. Oddly, no AL teams are officially out yet.... Miami is a game out of first in the East, and leading the non-Hawaii contenders for the second AL wild card, but they'll be without ace Levi Brady for the rest of the season. Brady leads the AL in ERA (2.74), K (233), and WAR (5.6), making him a top candidate in a blah race for AL Cy Young.

September 14-16 @ MINNESOTA
At 82-58, and with an 11 game lead, your likely AL Central division champs, marking their first division title since 2035. They've only had one losing season in the last seven, but have only made the playoffs once in that span. Fourth in runs, 7th in pitching. The first four batters in the lineup are hitting a combined .288 with 111 HR. Six pitchers are on the DL, including four starters, and yet they keep rolling along, with only Armando Rivera struggling right now. 3B Paul Foster reached 30 HR for the 7th time, and at 33 is playing well enough to vie for his 8th career gold glove.

HAW pitchers: Pete Morrow (8-2, 4.13) / Aldo Gouweleeuw (0-1, 4.00) / Rob Hart (11-5, 4.00)
MIN pitchers: Andy Goeser (12-5, 4.29) / Armando Rivera (3-8, 7.49) / Bob Knapp (11-7, 4.67)

#144: WIN 5-3 ... 2-run HR for Masuda, and McArthur goes 4-for-4 with 2 RBI...not a great start for Morrow, but the pen shows up tonight, shutting things down for 4 innings
#145: WIN 7-6 ... somehow Nault sneaks in for the start, gives up 11 hits, but gets the win. Charmed life...
#146: WIN 5-4 ... we overcome 4 solo HR from the Twins...four players played 2b for us tonight, why? Plus, Robertson gets hurt on the bases

That was unexpected, and most welcome. Plus, we gain a bit of ground on Oakland, now just 3 games behind them.... Robertson's diagnosis is pending, hopefully he's not out for long, as he's been a steady leadoff man for us all year.... ELSEWHERE: St Louis has won 8 straight, is now just 2.5 behind New Orleans. Neither has clinched, but both are shoo-ins for the playoffs. Two games separates LA and Austin in the West; both teams are also favored to make the post-season.... Milwaukee's Coby Sandu is closing in on 50 HR, with 48. NYY's Tony Flores is coming on late, now with 44, but certainly won't reach 60 this season.

......

TL;DR Version: A 10-4 start to the month has kept us in the race for the division, although we're still 3 games behind the A's, so making up ground very slowly. Coming up, we have ten games against the bottom-dwellers in our division, and then a critical series against Oakland. Hopefully we'll still be close enough to make it matter.

Bub13 · 07-17-2018, 06:15 PM

September 18-20 @ LA ANGELS
Ten games over .500 since July 1, so maybe there's light coming? Anyway, 70-75, third in the division. The star of the show has been SS Juan Rodriquez, .357/38/116 and probably on the short list for AL MVP. However, 3/5 of their rotation is 34 or older, so don't plan the parade just yet.

HAW pitchers: Jonathan Murray (13-6, 4.31) / Eric Jones (9-9, 5.21) / Pete Morrow (9-2, 4.25)
LAA pitchers: Greg Langworthy (10-13, 5.94) / Jeff Caraway (10-8, 3.84) / Alex Diaz (4-2, 3.22)

#147: WIN 6-3 ... 2 HR for Hart, and 4-for-4 for recent callup Dave White...good start for Murray, but he walks more than he whiffs
#148: WIN 6-3 ... 3 H and 2 RBI for Wright, and a 2-run double for Hunter, now batting leadoff for Robertson
#149: WIN 8-3 ... 16 hits, including 3 each for Hunter and Hart...Morrow looks good, but wild (4 BB in 5 IP)

Nice little sweep, and needed, since Oakland keeps winning and maintains a two-game lead.... Bad news re Robertson: broken elbow, out for six months. I call up Aaron Little, acquired from Miami in May. He was .285/13/63 in 88 games in AAA. Little looks like a decent hitter, with some gap and home run power, but little discipline and not the best contact. Slow in the field, but with a strong arm, pretty much limiting him to third. So he'll get a few games to show off a bit.... ELSEWHERE: Oakland becomes the first team to clinch a playoff spot; probably soon to be joined by New Orleans (91 wins), and likely Minnesota (9 game lead).... Washington has lost 10 in a row, and is close to clinching the worst record in the game.... Colby Sandu (MIL) has reached 50 HR, so hosanna to him.

September 21-23 @ TEXAS
Another also-ran season in the Lone Star State, at 69-80 and bringing up the rear in the division. The single highlight has been LF Ricky Chavez and his huge season, .282/42/114. Pitching has been near-bottom, but they get a lot of hits (6th), while not being able to score (14th). It's now been 21 years without any playoffs for the Rangers.

HAW pitchers: Aldo Gouweleeuw (0-1, 4.00) / Rob Hart (11-5, 4.01) / Jonathan Murray (14-6, 4.32)
TEX pitchers: Thomas Cannaday (3-4, 5.12) / Lorenzo Rangel (1-3, 3.86) / Luis Otero (2-6, 6.75)

#150: LOSS 3-5 ... Masuda reaches 120 RBI, now 9th on the Islander single-season list...nice start for Gouweleeuw, 2 ER in 7 IP
#151: WIN 4-2 ... Dave White's nice September call-up continues with a 2-run HR in the 10th to seal the deal...win clinches a playoff spot!
#152: LOSS 3-4 ... Murray yields all 4 runs on 3 HR early on...30 HR now for Mercedes

Not games we can drop if we want to catch Oakland. We're now 3 games behind.... 240 K for Rob Hart, leading the AL.... ELSEWHERE: closest division race is the AL West, at 3 games. The NL Central (NO and STL) is 3.5 games, and AL Central (MIN and KC) has the biggest margin, at 8 games.... While HAW (or OAK) is a shoo-in for the first AL wildcard, three teams are tied for the second, at 77 wins: KC, BAL, MIA. St Loo is 3.5 up for the first NL wildcard.

September 24-27 vs HOUSTON
Didn't we just play these guys? At 70-81, one of the four at the bottom of the division all vying for that crucial 3rd place spot. (All within 2 games of each other.) Interesting note: they have nine farm teams, and the bottom five are all over .500 (combined +79), while the top four are all under .500 (combined -51).

HAW pitchers: Eric Jones (10-9, 5.19) / Pete Morrow (10-2, 4.03) / Aldo Gouweleeuw (0-2, 3.60) / Rob Hart (11-5, 3.91)
HOU pitchers: Jonathan Caldera (9-11, 5.34) / Luis Munoz (2-6, 5.12) / Tony Arballo (5-3, 3.77) / Ryan Crawley (13-10, 5.36)

#153: WIN 7-6 ... Gooding's 8th inning blast is the winner, while Aaron Little goes 3-for-5 and hits his 1st big league HR in the 4th
#154: LOSS 2-3 ... Morrow has a good start (7 IP, 5 H, 6 K), but we can't muster any support for him...two players injured too
#155: LOSS 0-3 ... only two hits, and the division title is slipping away
#156: WIN 4-3 ... 3-hitter for Hart, and 2 HR for Carrillo, another for rookie Aaron Little

Up to four games behind Oakland, so ground was lost.... Injuries are piling up too: Gooding tore his elbow, done for the season; Wright and McArthur have dtd injuries through the end of the regular season, hopefully they'll be healthy, or healthy enough, come playoff time.... ELSEWHERE: New Orleans and LA clinch NL playoff spots.... LA and Minnesota have Magic # of 1 for their respective divisions.... Dodgers starter Jackson Suttie reached 20 wins, not quite the 25 he was on pace for back in August.

September 28-30 vs OAKLAND
It all comes to this, for the division: at four games back, I think we need a sweep to get close enough to take the crown in the next series. Although we're first in AVG and OBP, these guys have scored the most runs (882). Pitching is 5th, with the 2nd best rotation (4.24 ERA). Pitchers in general aren't what they used to be, but the rotation features two 15-game and one 14-game winner. Vinny Vargas (.381/41/106) leads the league in batting, OPS, and WAR. Two teammates--Bobby Trujillo and Jordan Coronado--have more RBI than him tho.

HAW pitchers: Jonathan Murray (14-7, 4.39) / Eric Jones (10-9, 5.27) / Pete Morrow (10-3, 4.02)
OAK pitchers: Jaysen Moss (11-9, 4.37) / Miguel Valencia (1-3, 4.97) / Mike Wiater (15-9, 2.98)

#157: WIN 7-3 ... strong (7 IP, 6 H, 8 K) outing for Murray...2 2b, 2 RBI for Carrillo, healthy for the moment...all but one starter gets a hit
#158: LOSS 5-6 ... bad start for Jones...equal hits for both sides, but we toss in 7 walks for good measure...4 games out, 4 games left
#159: LOSS 1-2 ... and with that, our 7-year run of division titles comes to an end...Carillo drives in our one run, but also grounds into a late rally-killing DP

Well, not too surprised. Despite our 34-21 record since August 1, we couldn't keep up with Oakland's 37-18 mark.... With two players already nursing dtd injuries, and the season coming down to the one-off wildcard game in about a week's time, we'll shut down some of the regulars for the final series. We also called up three more players, with AAA Santa Barbara losing in the PCL finals: OF Roberto Mendez (all defense, no offense), SS JJ Simmons (started the season in AA and possibly the SS of the future?), and CL Rick Ramirez. Ramirez had 9 IP earlier this season, and will get a brief look as closer this final stretch.... ELSEWHERE: Five of the division winners are set: Tampa, Minnesota, and Oakland in the AL; New Orleans and LA in the NL. Philly is 3 up (with 3 to go) on Brooklyn in the NL East. For the wildcard, Hawaii and STL have clinched. In the AL, Miami (82 wins), KC (81), Milwaukee (80), and Baltimore (79) are still in it; while in the NL, it's Austin (89) and Brooklyn (88).... Tampa is working on a 10-game winning streak.... At the other end of the wedge, Washington spent big (+13 WAR) in the off-season, but has only 59 wins to show for it. The newbies earned a combined 3 WAR this season.

October 2-4 @ SEATTLE
Seven games over .500 on June 1, 18 games under since. They are 4th in HR in the AL, but terrible pitching doomed them all summer long. Still, they've got a decent-looking lineup, so if they can find or develop one more starting pitcher, and rebuild a truly awful bullpen, they'll contend next year.

HAW pitchers: Rob Hart (12-5, 3.84) / Aldo Gouweleeuw (0-3, 3.55) / Eric Jones (10-10, 5.39)
SEA pitchers: Sean Easter (10-7, 4.40) / Dave Conner (0-5, 7.40) / Danny Powers (7-10, 4.85)

#160: WIN 11-6 ... Hart is chased in the 5th, but a 5-run 6th puts us back on top...everyone gets a hit...2 errors in his debut game for SS Simmons
#161: LOSS 5-6 ... Gouweleeuw gets bombed early and often, nothing else to report here
#162: WIN 7-2 ... HR for Masuda (33) and J.Hart (25), and Jones throws a solid 6 innings for the win...Yaung fans 5 in two innings of middle relief

Two more wins, although meaningless, giving us a final record of 95-67, four games behind Oakland. If not for that 8-15 April, what might have been.... We finished first in team AVG and OBP, third in runs (880); sixth in pitching (784 runs against), and the 2nd best bullpen (surprising). No batters really stood out any individual stats, except that Justin Wright was 2nd in XBH, 4th in ISO, and 6th in OPS+. Joseph Hart led the AL with 14 sacrifices, but also with 15 times caught stealing. Pitching, Jonathan Murray tied for 2nd with 15 wins, likewise did YT Yaung tie for 2nd with 39 saves. Rob Hart led the AL with 255 K, was 3rd in opponent's avg (.210), and tied for 5th in quality starts (19). In the field, Ashton Gooding made 98 starts at third, leading the AL with a .996 fielding pct, and finishing 2nd in ZR and EFF. No other fielders stood out.... We finished 2nd in baseball in attendance, with 3.675M. The Dodgers led with 3.884M, and New Orleans was third with 3.658M.... ELSEWHERE: Philly won the NL East and Austin edged Brooklyn by a game to take the final wildcard spot. In the AL, Miami, KC, and Milwaukee entered the final day of the season tied with 82 wins, but only the Marlins won, giving them the #2 wildcard spot and a date against us.... Austin is in the playoffs for the first time since 2021, and Tampa Bay the first since 2034. The Mets 6-year playoff run ended, as did the Tigers 3-year stretch.

......

TL;DR Version: A 9-7 finish wasn't nearly good enough to catch the A's, and we are not division champs for the first time since 2035, our second season of existence. We've got two of our top players -- Justin Wright and Travis McArthur -- nursing dtd injuries, but they'll have to play in the wildcard game: we need them. Our opponent? Last year's AL champs, Miami.

Bub13 · 07-21-2018, 10:46 AM

PLAYOFFS 2043

For the first time in our ten-year history, we open MLB's playoff season with the endearing fun of the Wildcard Game. We're hosting last season's AL champs, Miami, in the winner take all funfest. Wild Card Bragging Rights! Woo! Anyway... The Marlins finished 83-79, down 9 games from last year's division-winning mark. They were a good all-around team, finishing 6th in offense and 7th in pitching. 3B Sergio Torres had a torrid season, going .274/47/133, while Ricky Beard and Trey Joslin each contributed over 30 HR. They are missing 2B Dan Callender, who hit .354 before going out for the season in early June. Fill-in Antonio Espinoza did quite well, slashing .290/.381/.370 and adding 20 steals from the leadoff position. More important, ace starter Levi Brady is out for this game, so they'll go with #3 starter Pete Burke instead. (Mr. #2 Starter pitched the final game of the season, winning it and putting them into the playoffs, fyi.)

AL Wildcard: 10/6, Miami @ Hawaii. Pete Burke (13-9, 4.74) vs Jonathan Murray (15-7 4.27). Down 1-0 in the 2nd, a walk to Mercedes and a double by Bowman put Islanders on 2nd and 3rd. Canning's grounder to first brought home Mercedes and tied it. Miami loaded the bases with one out in the third, and brought one run home on a sac fly, but a soft grounder to the pitcher ended the threat. We scored again in the bottom of the inning, when Hart singled, stole 2nd, and went to third on a fly out to right. Masuda singled him home, then Wright capped the inning with a 2-run shot into the LF bleachers. 4-2 good guys after three. We got two more runners on in the 5th but couldn't score them, and things tightened up in the next frame with a Javier Cuellar solo HR off Murray. Both teams got runners to 2nd in the next couple of frames, and we went to the 9th up by a run. YT Yaung ended the affair with an 8-pitch, 2 strikeout inning, and we're off to the next round! Hawaii WINS series, 1-0

NL Wildcard: 10/7, Austin @ St Louis. Geoff Olsson (13-8, 3.96) vs Ken Clark (10-8, 3.09). Tied at 4 through five innings, the Cards added one in the sixth, then blew the game open with four in the 7th, and ended all uncertainty by adding insurance in the 8th. Cards 3B Bernie Belcher had a HR and 4 RBI, and closer Curt Nichols pitched two solid innings to close it out. St Louis WINS series, 1-0

......

In the AL divisional round our opponent is...Oakland. Of course it is. We went 5-10 against the A's this year, more than accounting for the four games we lost the division by. We hit just .261 (vs .285 overall) with 9 HR against them. So it's time to step it up. I'm sure you're quite familiar with these guys by now: best offense, 4th in pitching, and led by likely AL MVP Vinny Vargas, who won his 2nd AL batting crown and led all of baseball with a 10.3 WAR. In addition, they're the only team in the AL with four qualified starters with ERA below the league average (which was an ugly-looking 4.77). The A's took 2 out of 3 from us in late September, to clinch the division. Let's get ours back.

Game One: HAW @ OAK, 10/8: Rob Hart (12-5, 3.89) vs Ricky Hose (14-8, 4.48). We scored three in the 2nd, and took a 3-2 lead into the top of the 7th. Things got crazy after that. We chased reliever Kyle Labate with two quick baserunners, then with one out, we went 3-run-HR/single/walk/wild pitch/single/sac fly to add five runs in all and extend the lead to 8-2. Oakland got two back in the bottom half, but we added one more in the 8th to push the score to 9-4. The A's then added their own 3-run HR (and another run to boot), and suddenly it's a one-run game, 9-8. Mike Hunter, tho, came up huge in the 9th with a 2-run double, and then scored on J.Hart's single. Final score: 12-8. Hawaii 1, Oakland 0

Game Two: HAW @ OAK, 10/9: Eric Jones (11-10, 5.31) vs Mike Wiater (16-9, 3.02). Surprise, surprise! This one ended early, as we went up 6-1 after four and coasted the rest of the way to a 7-1 win. J.Hart homered, and McArthur hit two two-run singles. Jones allowed six hits and fanned 5 through six innings, and Stanley whiffed five in three innings of relief. Stunning start to this series. Hawaii 2, Oakland 0

Game Three: OAK @ HAW, 10/11: Francisco Pantaleon (0-0, 0.00) vs Jonathan Murray (1-0, 4.50). This one got away from us, as Murray isn't up to snuff today and is pulled in the fourth already down 6-3. We did add three in the bottom half, thanks to a couple of walks and singles. But Jordan Coronado doubled home a run in the 7th, while we couldn't get anyone past 2nd base over the last five innings. Ten hits for each team, and we had more baserunners, but not at the right times, especially late. Final score: 7-6. Hawaii 2, Oakland 1

Game Four: OAK @ HAW, 10/12: Rick Hose (0-1, 8.10) vs Pete Morrow (0-0, 0.00). Tied at three in the bottom of the sixth, Wright and Mercedes hit back-to-back solo shots, and a Bowman triple brings home McArthur for a 6-3 lead and ecstasy in the stands. Four hits in the 7th plates two more, and we add another in the 8th. Two strikeouts and a fielder's choice in the ninth end it, and Oakland is going home losers. HA! COUNT IT! Final score: 10-3. Hawaii WINS series, 3-1

Elsewhere, Minnesota topped the Rays in four, and the Dodgers swept the Cardinals away. New Orleans took a tight five-game series from Philadelphia, thanks to a 7th-inning game five sac fly, leading to a 3-2 victory.

......

Our AL championship opponents are Minnesota, against whom we went 5-1. The Twins had a very similar--but slightly less good on paper--season compared to us, finishing 91-71, while being fourth in offense and 10th in pitching. With seven pitchers on the DL, it's a wonder the staff hasn't fallen apart, so props to them, I guess. SS Dave Holbrook led the team with a .308 average, but they also hit a ton of home runs: Paul Foster (39), Brendan Glenn (35), Danny Baca (27), and two others over 20. The Twins last took the AL pennant in 2019, so they're motivated to end that drought.

Game One: HAW @ MIN, 10/16: Rob Hart (1-0, 5.40) vs Milt Schott (0-0, 0.00). Every inning but one had at least one run scored. We scored two right off the bat thanks to two hits, then the Twins got one back in the bottom of the 2nd. We left two on in the third without scoring, and Minny took advantage by adding one to tie it up in the bottom half. No one scored in the 4th, but the quiet ended there. Carrillo singled home Hunter in the 5th: 3-2 us. Three hits in the bottom of the 6th plated two for the Twins: 4-3 Minny. Wright's 3-run HR and four more hits brought home FIVE in the 7th for the good guys: 8-4 Hawaii. Peanuts Carter managed a two-run HR in the 8th to tighten butts across the Islands: 8-6 Hawaii. With two outs in the ninth, RJ Hernandez hit a solo shot, and singles by Baca and Holbrook put runners on the corners: now a one-run game. Blessedly, Brendan Glenn grounded out weakly to second, and we survived game one, 8-7. Hawaii 1, Minnesota 0

Game Two: HAW @ MIN, 10/17: Eric Jones (1-0, 1.50) vs Armando Rivera (0-0, 2.45). Take away the sixth inning, and this is a one-run game. Unfortunately, three Islander pitchers gave up nine runs that inning, making this one a 14-4 laugher. Glenn made up for his 9th inning failure in game one by smacking five hits. At least we won one on the road. Series tied, 1-1

Game Three: MIN @ HAW, 10/19: Bob Knapp (1-0, 2.57) vs Jonathan Murray (1-0, 8.38). Glenn hits another HR for Minny, but that's their only highlight. Carrillo's 3-run shot in the 2nd sparks a six run inning, and Mercedes 3-run blast in turn in the 4th leads to five more. Three hits apiece for Carrillo and Wright, and Murray rebounds with a 4-hit, 6-inning effort. Final score: 11-2. Hawaii 2, Minnesota 1

Game Four: MIN @ HAW, 10/20: Dale Brooks (0-0, 0.00) vs Pete Morrow (0-0, 7.26). We spot the Twins an early one run lead, after Paul Foster's solo HR in the 2nd. McArthur counters with a 3-run blast in the bottom of the 2nd; we add another run in the 5th, and two each in the 6th and 7th. A few more meaningless runs cross both plates in the final innings, but we come out of this with an easy 9-4 win. Four hits for Carrillo, three for Bowman, and two hits with 4 RBI for McArthur. Morrow was pulled with one out in the 9th, but looked better than his previous playoff start, allowing 7 hits and fanning 6. Hawaii 3, Minnesota 1

Game Five: MIN @ HAW, 10/21: Milt Schott (0-0, 1.93) vs Rob Hart (1-0, 6.00). After Rob Hart allowed two runners in the 1st but let no Twins score, Joseph Hart smacks a deep HR to center-right, bringing two runs home and giving us an early lead. In the second, four straight singles bring home two more Islander runners, and after two we're up 4-0. Paul Foster gets one back with a solo HR in the 5th, but Rob Hart is money tonight and shuts the door after that, allowing just three hits and one run (with 9 K) in 8 innings...and WHAT DO YOU KNOW we're going back to the World Series! Final score: 4-1. Hawaii WINS 4-1!

In the NL...New Orleans shot out to a 3-0 series lead, but the Dodgers clawed back by winning games 4 and 5. Game six was a quiet 2-1 affair until the 8th, when the Zephs blew things open with 2 runs in the 8th and 4 more in the 9th. LA got back 3 in the bottom of the ninth, but it wasn't enough, and the Zephs take game six 7-5 and the series 4 games to 2. This will be their second Series trip in the last four seasons.

......

2043 WORLD SERIES

How fitting, that in each franchise's tenth year of existence, Hawaii and New Orleans face each other in the World Series. Each team has claimed one championship already, Hawaii in 2039 and New Orleans the following year. The Zephs had a decent offense, 7th in the NL, and 5th in HR. CF Pat Barnes hit .302 with 13 HR from the leadoff spot, and Jose Rodriguez and Dan Martin combined for 74 HR and 124 HR in the 3 and 4 spots. RF Jonathan Emilien (.282/29/75) got hurt in the LA series and will miss the finals. The real team strength, however, is pitching: NL best (595 runs allowed), with the 2nd best rotation and top bullpen. Ace Sam Kennedy went 12-2 (over 20 starts) with a 2.90 ERA, and Sam Thompson kicked in for 13-9, 2.98. Chad Akers won 17 games, and tossed a one-hitter against the Dodgers in the NL championship series. Closer Justin Huggins saved 43, with a 1.95 ERA and 0.93 WHIP. Top defense in the NL too. This is a tough, well-balanced team. Better than us, I think...

Game One: NOZ @ HAW, 10/26: Sam Kennedy (0-1, 2.70) vs Rob Hart (2-0, 4.05). Another quick start for us, with Masuda knocking a 2-run shot in the 1st, and a Bowman triple leading to two more in the 2nd. New Orleans got two back in the third, but a couple of singles brings another Islander home in the third. We add one more meaningless run in the 8th, and game one is over: 6-2 final score. A complete game 9-hit, 11-K effort from Hart. Hawaii 1, New Orleans 0

Game Two: NOZ @ HAW, 10/27: Sam Thompson (2-1, 2.37) vs Jonathan Murray (2-0, 6.32). Drama! Despite us outhitting the Zephs, they scratch out single runs in the 2nd, 3rd, and 6th, building a 3-1 lead. Our starter, Murray, goes out with an injury in the 6th, and it's a pensive time in Kamehameha Park. Mercedes singles in the 8th, but doesn't advance. Kieffer allows a hit in the top of the ninth, but shuts things down and we head to the bottom of the inning down 3-1. Last chance. With premier closer Justin Huggins on the mound: Bowman singles, PH Joel Jacoby walks, Mike Hunter pops out, and (why?) Huggins is replaced by former ace-SP-turned-RP Drew Falconbury. He promptly strikes out Joseph Hart. Two outs, tying runs on. Carrillo's up: he walks! Masuda comes to the plate, fouls off his first pitch. Then...blasts a 420-foot GRAND SLAM to bring 'em all home and WIN THE GAME. Wow. Final score: 5-3. Hawaii 2, New Orleans 0

(After the game, we get Murray's diagnosis: bone chips in his elbow, out for 5-6 months. Hoo boy. Somebody scrubby is gonna get a start in the World Series. NFG.)

Game Three: HAW @ NOZ, 10/29: Eric Jones (1-1, 2.70) vs Chad Akers (2-1, 2.84). Akers is pulled in the fourth with a blister, but we can only manage six hits against five Zephs pitchers...and no runs, alas. Jones gives up 11 hits, but only one run. Quite a pitcher's duel, and the series is tight again. Final score: 2-1. Hawaii 2, New Orleans 1

Game Four: HAW @ NOZ, 10/30: Pete Morrow (1-0, 5.25) vs Jimmy Porreca (1-1, 6.75). Another pitcher's duel...With a runner on 2nd, in the 2nd, McArthur doubles him home and we're up 1-0. Next inning, bases empty, and Mike Hunter lines a shot into the left field stands: 2-0 Islanders! Morrow, meanwhile, is cruising along, and allows no one past second until the 7th. A triple and single cuts our lead to one, but we escape with no further damage. Morrow walks the leadoff batter in the 8th, but a K and two groundouts ends the inning. In the ninth, closer Yaung comes in for Morrow and strikes out the first two batters. With catcher Manny Vigil batting, and a 2-2 count, Vigil fouls off a pitch. And another. And another. And then...hits a soft, sinking fly ball into left that Carrillo just manages to...catch! He's out! Game over, and we win! Final score: 2-1. One game away from glory! Hawaii 3, New Orleans 1

Game Five: HAW @ NOZ, 10/31: Rob Hart (3-0, 3.41) vs Sam Kennedy (0-2, 4.20). Hart goes on short rest, and is nearly magic through seven: 4 H, 1 R, 10 K. But he tires, and is pulled with a 2-1 lead. Kieffer gets us through the 8th, allowing no runners. We go quietly in the 9th, setting up another date for closer YT Yaung to close the door. And he...doesn't. With one out, Dan Martin singles, then Matt Powell cracks the first pitch he sees into the left field stands, and we come oh, so close... Final score: 3-2 Zephs. Hawaii 3, New Orleans 2

Game Six: NOZ @ HAW, 11/2: Sam Thompson (2-1, 2.16) vs Eric Plummer (0-0, 0.00). Plummer is the emergency starter, sigh. He does okay, though, allowing 5 hits through six innings, but he does walk 6. Six! He leaves with us down 2-1, replaced by Pat Stanley. Sadly, with two outs and the bases loaded, former Islander Nate Hullinger doubles home two runs, making it a 4-1 game. We manage four hits in the bottom of the inning, but can only plate one, and are hurt by having a runner thrown out at third. We get another runner in the 8th, and one in the 9th, but no one advances to second base, and just like that, it all comes down to one last game. Final score: 4-2 Zephs. Series tied, 3-3

(Mike Hunter gets hurt, and while his diagnosis is only pending, he'll miss game seven. Crap.)

Game Seven: NOZ @ HAW, 11/3: Justin Ross (0-0, 0.00) vs Eric Jones (1-2, 2.12). This is it. Game seven, what everyone imagines they want to see, unless you're a nervous GM who would prefer to have four solid blowouts instead... With Hunter out, Carrillo moves into the leadoff spot, and Bobby Layne--with just 10 PA for us this season--plays short and bats last. Oddly, the Zephs seem forced (?) to start Justin Ross, who made six appearances in the bigs this year. (Thompson and Kennedy are tired, Akers is out, and Porreca stinks. Ok, then.) Let's get started... Jones sets down the side to open the festivities. In our half, Carrillo opens things with a double. J.Hart comes up, and fouls off five straight pitches before he gets around on one and puts it into the right field seats. 2-0 good guys! Jones walks one in the 2nd, but no one scores. Our turn again, and Mercedes leads off with a single and goes to second on an error by the third baseman. Bowman bunts the runners over, and then Layne's fly ball to right brings Mercedes home. 3-0! Carrillo walks, and J.Hart singles to left, bringing Canning home from second base. 4-0! New Orleans claws one back in the third, while leaving one runner on. We go 1-2-3 in the bottom half. It's 4-1 Islanders a third of the way through. Two more hits for the Zephs in the fourth...but no runs. Phew. Bottom of the 4th, Canning doubles, scores on a Layne (!) double, then Layne scores in turn on a throwing error. 6-1! Carrillo clocks a solo HR, and it's now 7-1. Top of the fifth, and the Zephs leave two more runners on. Maybe it's our day! Sixth inning, and shaky MR JS Yee comes in. He walks the leadoff batter, but a whiff and a fly ball later, it's two outs and I'm feeling okay. Then, after a single, up comes Nate Hullinger (him again!). Two pitches later, there's a souvenir ball in the left field seats, and the score is 7-4. Sigh. Visions of Bullpen Meltdowns Past flash before my fevered vision. Thankfully, there's no more damage done. Cut to our half of the 6th, and with a man on second, Bobby Layne comes up and clouts another double, bringing the runner home. 8-4! Joseph Hart singles again, which scores Layne, and we're back to a 5-run lead. That's enough craziness for one game, right? Wrong. Top of the 7th, Pat Stanley on the mound. One out. A walk. Another walk. Former #1 overall pick Josh Suprenant comes to the plate and...lines the first pitch over the left field fence. WTF PEOPLE, a 9-7 game now. We get out of the inning, but everyone is stunned. Each team can only put a runner on first in their next frame: our 7th, their 8th. We go meekly in the bottom of the 8th. So. Top of the ninth, and we once again go to closer YT Yaung, he of the Game Five anti-heroics. Two-run lead. The whole season is on the line. First batter, Dan Martin: he swings at a 3-0 pitch and...grounds out to first. Suprenant--a .239-hitting part-time player this year--lines a single to center. LF Matt Powell--batting .450 this series--comes up: he smacks a liner to center...but it hangs up just enough and is caught by Hart for out #2. Runner holds at first. Two outs, 2B Jared Russell comes up, and takes a first pitch strike. He swings at the second pitch, runner moving...and hits a grounder right at second baseman Bowman, who fires to first AND IT'S OVER. THE HAWAII ISLANDERS ARE ONCE AGAIN WORLD CHAMPIONS! Final score: 9-7. Hawaii WIN series 4-3!

Sen Masuda is named World Series MVP, for going .444 with 2 HR and 6 RBI. I would've made the case for Rob Hart, who went 16 innings, with a 1.69 ERA and 21 K in his two starts. Joseph Hart also hit .357, with a HR and 6 RBI. And major props to Bobby Layne, who had 3 PA in the playoffs until game six, then went 4-for-6 with 2 doubles and 4 RBI, filling in for Hunter. Sometimes a career .265 hitter with 0.4 lifetime WAR becomes a hero, right?

......

Crazy. What a crazy season. It was hard not to despair after an 8-15 April, and again after losing Adam Groff for the season back in May. And after ace SP Mike Messinger went out in July. But once we beat Oakland in the divisional round, I thought we had a very real chance to take it all. Of course, I've had better teams in the past that didn't even make the Series, so what does it matter what I think?

Looking ahead to the off-season, there may be some major--MAJOR--changes afoot. We've got 140.8M in salaries committed for 2044, which we just can't afford. That's assuming our arbitration estimes are correct (they won't be) and we don't offer contracts to our six pending free agents. But in the meantime, plan the parade route and stock up on champagne. It's time to party!

Bub13 · 07-21-2018, 10:52 AM

Oh yeah, and this, for your enjoyment:

Bub13 · 07-24-2018, 07:36 PM

2043 Season Review and Sort-of Look-Ahead

This entire review should just be "We won the World Series. The End." But I get paid by the word, and I gotta eat, so here goes.

......

The Hawaii Islanders have been in existence for ten years. In that time, we've gone to three World Series and won two of them. The franchise won-loss record is 926-694, with four seasons of 100+ wins. Seven division titles. And best of all--according to owner Alexis Pagan--we turned a profit for the first time since 2039. Which was, probably not coincidentally, our last title-winning year. (Love that playoff cash.)

As you know by now, the season did not start well: 8-15 in April. But we rebounded nicely, gaining ground every month, and finished at 95-67, good for the fifth-best record in baseball. We did not win our division--for the first time in eight seasons--but getting to the post-season after that trying start was a success in itself. Team success did not breed individual success, at least not on any stats leaderboards--only Rob Hart's 255 K season led any category (unless you want to count Joseph Hart leading the AL with 15 times caught stealing). And yet...it is a team game, yes? Anyway, the team offense once again paced our efforts, finishing 3rd in runs (880), 1st in AVG and OBP (.285 & .349), and 7th in HR (215). We also led the AL in doubles (337), struck out the fewest times (1078), but were next-to-last in triples (20) and steals (43).

Pitching slumped down the stretch, falling from a top-three perch it held much of the early summer. Still, we finished sixth in runs against (784), with the ninth-best starter's ERA (4.85) and second-best bullpen (4.08). Our 59 saves led the AL, and for all my b*tching about the long ball, only four teams gave up fewer HR (197) than we did. We were ninth in walks (as in ninth-most, with 541), but second in strikeouts (1378). While not the most erratic staff, we did hit the most batters (76) and tied for second in most wild pitches (78). Our team defensive efficiency was 11th, and there were only eight teams with a lower combined Zone Rating than ours (-15.8). (Much of that was due to the combined efforts of our CF and RF, who totaled up for a lovely -14.2.) We did commit the second fewest errors (70) in the AL, however, for what that's worth.

For a closer look, here's the positional breakdown:

Catcher Two years removed from his AL MVP season, Alexis Mercedes continued to underperform. He did rebound with 15 HR from August 1 on, to end up with a nice round 30, but for too much of the season was just lost at the plate. Behind the plate, he wasn't much better: last in ZR, and subpar in CS% (25.0), while leading the AL in passed balls. Still, I'd have him back if he didn't want a tripled raise from the 8.3M he made this season. No one's going to pay him 25M, but he should get enough to garner me a supplemental 1st round pick; so for that, I thank you for your service, Alexis. Backup Cory Vannoy started hot, batting .310 through May. But he tailed off as the summer wore on and saw his playing time decrease. He also had the worst arm in baseball (2 of 24 runners caught stealing), and needs to step up to keep his spot on the team for 2044. With Mercedes not coming back, prospect Rob Rich will get the longest look in camp, along with any other guys I dredge up in free agency.

First Base Senichi Masuda had another big year with the bat, finishing .276/33/127, earning 3.2 WAR. He hasn't made anyone forget Jeremy Dunklee, but his power and ability to get on base (.350 OBP), plus a decent glove, make him no slouch either. Justin Wright, obtained in June from Toronto, is the ostensible backup, but saw only four games at first while playing 77 games at DH. His amazing stats--.321/29/69--in just half a season for us made him the unsung MVP down the stretch. (Combined he went .304/42/108 in 550 AB.) Wright won't match those stats again, most likely, but if he matches Masuda's '43 numbers in '44, this is a potent middle-order combo. Both will be back next year, but keep an eye on solid prospect Jonathan Klump, who hit 15 HR in AAA and projects to more than match both Masuda's and Wright's numbers once he's fully developed.

Second Base Josh Robertson had another fine year, batting .313, walking 65 times, and fanning just 30. He also managed 10 HR from the leadoff spot, and scored 87 runs. His range has slipped a bit, and his defensive numbers, while still decent, were the worst of his career. He also got hurt in September and missed the playoff run. He's signed through 2048, but has an opt-out after 2044, so it'll be interesting to see what he does (I'm guessing he exercises his option and stays). He's earning 12.1M, which is fine if he keeps up his 4-5 WAR pace, but a bit objectionable if he starts to decline.

Third Base When all-everything star Adam Groff broke his elbow in May, you couldn't blame me for despairing. He was batting .385 with 9 HR and 34 RBI in 30 games when he got hurt, and seemed likely to contend for his third AL MVP award. After rotating several guys through the position for a couple weeks, I eventually settled on supersub Ashton Gooding. Gooding made 97 starts at third, and posted the best fielding numbers of any infielder this year, while making just one error in 240 chances. His batting (.237/23/83), while not so stellar, was often timely enough to help keep him in the lineup. He is allergic to walks, however, with just 17 in 555 PA, and a .273 OBP doesn't bode well for his future as a regular. Still, he can play any infield and outfield position with aplomb, and hits with enough power to keep himself useful. He'll be back. One note for the future: Groff's new contract balloons after 2044, so it's very possible that...next year will be his last with us. Shhh.

Shortstop Mike Hunter battled through injuries this year, only playing in 117 games. Like Robertson, he posted the worst fielding numbers of his career. But also like Robertson, he continued to hit: .323/.357/.481 with 8 HR and 44 doubles. Hunter is also due for a contract renewal, and wants to get paid in excess of 16M. I'm not sure I want to keep both Robertson and Hunter--two excellent, but not oustanding, hitters--around for a combined 30M. With top prospect JJ Simmons pushing up from the farm, one of them could become expendable, and soon. (Simmons saw 13 AB at the end of the season, and fared poorly at the plate and in the field. But he's just 21, and still filling out, so don't worry about it.)

Infield Reserves John Canning topped this list for the fourth straight season, appearing in 72 games, making 59 starts (inluding 15 at second, 6 at third, and 28 at short), while batting .297 in 222 AB. His hitting is too erratic (and he has no power) to be a full-time starter, but his glove keeps him paid. He also played some outfield, and looked fine there too. Jim Bowman spent most of the season in Hawaii, after Groff's injury, making 5 starts at second, 17 at third, and 11 at short. I consider him a step below Canning, which may come to bear when I decide which, if any, of these two I'll keep around. Andy Bridges saw a handful of games at all four positions, but only hit .156 in 64 AB. No power and a low OBP limit his possibilities, but he'll (probably) be around as insurance again next year. Bobby Layne spent most of the season in AAA, but got a few AB in the middle of the summer, which turned out to be a good thing when he ended up on the playoff roster due to Robertson's (and then Hunter's) injury. You've already read about his game seven heroics... He's a good fielder who can't really hit, but at 23 is still young enough to be back (in AAA most likely) next year. We took a September look at two futures: 3B Aaron Little and SS JJ Simmons. Both struggled in the field, but Little hit well enough (.316, 2 HR, in 38 AB) to get a sniff next spring. Simmons likely needs a bit more seasoning in AAA, but does look like our shortstop of the future. Jake Kane saw a few games at first (and more at DH), enough for 72 AB and a .292 average. He has a slick bat but no power and no range at all in the field. I'm not sure what his future is with us, to be honest.

Outfield Injuries and some subpar play had me cycling through guys all season, trying to find workable combos. Travis McArthur saw the most games, making 149 starts in right, but got hurt late and came back just in time for the playoffs. His basic numbers looked solid--.295/15/77--but his WAR keeps slipping and his SLG has dropped each of the last six seasons. He's a steady-as-you-go player, but at 31 he's lost much of his range in the field, and so could become trade bait while he still has some value. Joseph Hart, in his rookie season, started 62 games in left and 76 in center. He was much, much better in left, which means I will once again be looking for a competent CF this off-season. Hart's average was nothing special--.258--but he added 25 HR and walked enough times to have a .360 OBP. These are probably his baseline stats, so a good season for him will look very good indeed. Mel Carrillo battled his way through eight injuries, but still made 100 starts (56 in LF, 44 at DH), appearing in 121 games with 475 PA--all career highs. When healthy, he was very, very good: .358/17/67, with a .425 OBP. But he can't stay healthy. He played decent defense in left for the first time ever, but is so slow that his range will probably start to fall soon, especially given his fragile body. If I could ever get 150--heck, even just 140--games out of him, he'd be a perennial all-star. Also, it's his contract year, so he'll be my biggest decision this off-season, to be sure. (Wants a significant raise from his current 7M.) The backups were a mixed bag: Gooding added 36 starts in center, and did not play well there. Joel Jacoby came over from Montreal at the deadline, seeing action in 21 games and not really impressing anywhere. He likely won't be back. Ian McGowan played well in center for 43 starts, but didn't hit and went away in the Jacoby trade. Dave White and Jim Klein saw extensive action in September, and both played well: White is a corner guy with some power, while Klein is a natural center fielder with no power but better contact. In fact, Klein will get the longest look in camp at center, barring any new acquisitions this winter. Infielders Canning and Bowman saw action in 11 and 2 games, respectively, and didn't look out of place. Such is the premium placed on versatility when over half your lineup is pitchers.

Starting Pitching Overall, not bad, but it was another struggle to ever get at least three guys going in the right direction at any one time. Rob Hart threw well all season, and was our staff MVP, finishing with 4.3 WAR, and 171 H in 210.2 IP, with a league-best 255 K. His 3.89 ERA was by far the best among the starters. Mike Messinger was slow out of the gate, but picked things up before his season ended in June. He finished with 18 starts and a 4.07 ERA, and we'll need him back at 100% next year. Jonathan Murray was a real boon, often restoring my faith in starting pitchers after seeing too many others faltering around him. His 4.27 ERA was a full half-run better than league average, and his 15-7 record looked snappy. Eric Jones underperformed, frankly, but had a couple of big starts in the playoffs and remains a useful cog, for now. After those four, however, it was a hot mess. Eric Plummer came over from Toronto and never got going. Likewise, BJ Nault, acquired from Montreal, gave up too many hits to be effective. Jim Kieffer made 15 starts and probably will never do so again for me. Aldo Gouweleeuw and Steve Ashjian are best forgotten. Pete Morrow made six starts late, and was impressive enough to earn a longer look in camp. Expect to see some new blood get hard looks (or even guaranteed spots) in camp.

Bullpen Despite the usual spate of late-inning blowups, this unit was actually quite good, and was seriously good very late in the year. YT Yaung did taper off late, but was outstanding for much of the season, earning 39 saves and a few votes for the Wilhelm trophy. Lefty Pat Stanley just keeps chugging along, once again topping 100 IP and pitching well in his usual, overlooked way. Jeff Tanner was in a setup role all season, and yet only made 21 appearances. He was very good, but wants a bigger raise than I'm willing to give. I'll have to find a replacement for him as captain. Morrow was effective in middle and setup roles, but may find his niche in the rotation. Still, he'll be back and has a promising future. JS Yee and Zack Randolph were too often ineffective. If either comes back, however, it'll likely be Randolph, as he's cheaper (1.7M vs 3.5M) and younger (30 vs 36). Nobody else ended the season with the team, except for promising rookie Rick Ramirez. His control has improved in AAA enough that he's already penciled into (penciled in, not penned) the lineup for 2044. He could be a good one. As usual, expect to see some new faces in this group next year.

......

So what does the off-season bring?

Our budget dropped this season by 10M, and salaries went down accordingly. My mole in accounting tells me to expect a slight bump in the budget, but I'm not sure what that will mean for salaries, especially as I really want more money for player development. With a number of players either going UFA or wanting big raises--Mercedes, Hunter, Carrillo, Tanner, et al--there may be some big changes for next season. I just can't afford to pay everybody and still make any money. That also means I will not be a player for any big free agent acquisitions. Any changes we make will be via trade, and through picking up any undervalued players through cheap free agent contracts. With all that in mind, I expect to have a combined payroll about 5M higher than in 2043.

Putting all that in more concrete terms: Will one of Hunter/Robertson get moved? Will the fragile Carrillo be shipped off (in bubble wrap)? Will I make a move (or two) to settle the outfield situation? Will I acquire a more established #5 starting pitcher? Can I fill an expected 2 or 3 bullpen slots from within, or from beyond? That's all.

Finally, the coaching staff at the top level remains largely unchanged. The exception being that hitting coach Danny Esposito was not renewed. Adam Engel, who's been in our system for nine seasons, gets the call up to replace him. Manager Pat Wilson once again enters a contract year. Bench coach Clarence Whitney and pitching coach Matt Sargent both look like excellent candidates to replace him, should we decide his expensive ($1.38M) self isn't worth renewing. Trainer Jordan Villalobos and Scouting Director Moises Patino have been with us since 2036 and 2034, respectively, and have more than earned their places. Owner Alexis Pagan is happy, for the moment, and I wait with bated breath for his next set of commandments to roll down the mountain.

Time for the off-season. So long, 2043: It Was Fun!

Bub13 · 07-27-2018, 07:05 PM

2043/44 Off-Season Report, Part One

Even as the victory parade winds its way through Honolulu and rolls up to our stadium, I'm thinking about next season. A GM's work is never done... With our combined salaries approaching $150M, and likely little or no bump in the budget, not everyone who played a role in this year's championship will be back, sadly. I've already been in talks with several other GMs, so expect anything coming down the pike to get here quickly, well before the Winter Meetings in December--when, frankly, it's harder to make big trades because everyone's already committed so much budget space to chasing free agents.

First things first: some contract updates to report. I've been busy, and not reporting, a number of contracts offered/signed since the late summer. I extended Mike Hunter in September, for ten years at an average of around $18M per season, with a player opt-out after '47 and some team options after that. Despite my grumblings about pricey bullpens, I also re-signed lefty RP Pat Stanley; he'll make $2.5M through '46, with a raise for '47 but a team option, just in case. The final budget-buster was inking OF Mel Carrillo for 10 years, also at an average around $18. He'll start at 11M next year, then escalate until he hits 20M in '47. I also re-sign minor leaguers OF Roberto Mendez and P Gastone Sarretti (more about them later), while picking up the option on RP JS Yee. "But Jim," you say, "that's a LOT of cash to be handing out for next year. I thought you wanted to cut salaries?" Yes, I reply, just be patient and all will be revealed...

In the interim, some staff news: as I said before, hitting coach Danny Espinosa priced himself out of a job (wanting a raise from 83K t0 450K). Funny thing is, a few days after his release he signs with Yakult in Japan for the equivalent of 147K US. Several minor league staff across our system also leave, the only notable one being AAA manager Jose Jimenez, who also wanted more dough than I wanted to pony up. He'd been a farm manager for me the entire history of the franchise, starting in AA and earning a promotion to AAA in 2041. He must be worth something, as the Yankees quickly snapped him up to be their new manager, paying him over a million per for the next five seasons. Good luck, Jose! But...not too good.

Owner Alexis Pagan makes his bi-yearly drop-in, calling from what sounds like a cave in Thailand. He says he's happy we won the title, but he's not that happy since he didn't make as much money as he needed to make, for...reasons. Anyway, he tells me for next year he wants more fans in the seats, more stolen bases (always with the stolen bases), and a top-end prospect in the system. The better news is that he raises my budget by $10M, back up to $160M (where it was in 2042), and figures we can spend $150M on salaries. So...just $10M for everything but big league salaries? How is this guy a successful businessman? Never mind--I don't want to know.

And now it's...ARBITRATION TIME! Nine players go to arbitration, and I decide to make offers to all of them. Additionally, two players are eligible for free agency: C Alexis Mercedes and RP Jeff Tanner. Tanner was making 2.8M, and was excellent in limited use--1.98 ERA over 27 IP--last year, but wants nearly 5M for several years as his next deal. As he'll be 32 next season, and I'm allergic to long-term contracts for pitchers over 30, thanks but no thanks. But he was our team captain, so that's a void that will need filling. Mercedes, on the other hand, has been a solid contributor for several seasons, and hit .253/30/87 last year, pretty good after an awful April-May start. But he's asking to triple his salary, up from 8.3M, which I just will not do. So we tender him the standard 13M qualifying offer, which I'm sure he'll turn down. And there's the usual minor league exodus of no-hopers and never-weres. Except for the above-mentioned Mendez and Sarretti. Mendez is as average a batter as you'll ever find, but he's an excellent fielder--infield and outfield--and maybe the fastest guy across the franchise. I sign him for the standard 750K minimum and he'll eat a spot on the 40-man roster, but I figure the insurance he offers is worth it. Sarretti gets the same offer, and is an interesting case: signed during the summer after his Italian league team finished its season, his ratings kept going up every time my scouts reported back to me. He fancies himself a starting pitcher, but doesn't have the stamina for it; however, his excellent control and groundball slant make him an attractive candiate for the bullpen next spring.

......

Around the league...
...four teams can their managers: NY Yankees, Portland, San Francisco, and San Diego. Three of them quickly sign new skippers, all of whom are MLB rookies. As of this writing, only the Giants remain unhelmed.
...the vaccine is working: no owners die or get replaced this off-season.
...for the second year running Baltimore trades its starting catcher. This time it's power-hitting Omar Ramirez (but just a career .230 hitter) going to Texas for excellent-on-paper-but-pretty-bad-in-real-life pitcher Jonathan Bell. Everyone deserves a second chance, I guess.
...KC, for some odd reason, trades 2B Thumbs Ebert--who hit .266 with 17 HR in a solid rookie campaign--to Portland for middling soft-tossing SP John Stuart.
...one more early, and head-shaking, trade: Minnesota sends OF Steve Wilkins to Richmond for OF Aaron Riches and prospect SS Victor Provencio. I don't get it. Wilkins is solid: no weaknesses at the plate, with career season averages of .279 and 32 HR. His only drawback is his sluggishness in the outfield, but he makes up for that with a great glove and arm. Riches, also a power-hitting OF, has too many holes to be a straight-up replacement for the departed Wilkins. His lifetime batting average is .201, and while he hits over 30 HR a year he also strikes out around 220 times. He's speedy, and a good-enough fielder, but that average leaves a big donut hole in the middle of the Twins lineup. Provencio looks promising, but is no sure thing.
...Austin made the playoffs this year for the first time in a couple decades, but they're already making decisions that could make it another 20 years before they go back. To wit, letting 27-year-old all-everything SS Victor Sanchez (.336/43/140) walk, while re-signing 37-year-old 3B Andrew Crisp (.252/27/64) to a 2-year deal, for $8M per. Guys: break the bank for your star, and fill in around him with non-geriatric players. If I can do it, so can you.

......

Ok, back to us.

Arbitration decisions come in, and as usual we'll owe more than I want to. The big winner is SP Mike Messinger (5.2M to 9.3M). Other results are: RP YT Yaung (2.6M to 3.75M), SP Pete Morrow (1.2M to 1.9M), RP Zack Randolph (1.5M to 1.7M), OF Joel Jacoby (1.3M to same), OF Steve Hopkins (1.1M to 1.5M), IF John Canning (750K to 950K), P Frank Soto (750K to 850K), and IF/OF Ashton Gooding (500K to 750K). Don't let it surprise you when I say that not all of these guys will be around in, oh, another week or so.

......

Back to the league. (Stick around tho: some big Hawaii news is coming!) Awards season rolls around, and the deal we made with the devil was to forgo any individual hardware for that lovely World Series trophy. Seems fair to me.
...No Islanders win an AL Gold Glove. Among the repeat winners were Oakland P Mike Wiater (his 3rd in a row) and KC CF Eli Immordino (his 6th, and first in center). In the NL, Cubs SS Alex Castillo wins his 2nd consecutive GG, after previously winning two at third. New Orleans CF Pat Barnes wins his third straight.
...We're shut out of the Silver Sluggers too, but Oakland's Vinny Vargas wins his fifth (at catcher), and KC 3B Juan Garcia takes advantage of Adam Groff's injury to break his four-year stranglehold on the award. In the NL, Montreal 3B Matt Anderson wins his 6th, and the aforementioned Austin SS Victor Sanchez his third.
...Milwaukee closer Bill Brunson wins his second Hoyt Wilhelm trophy (and promptly declares free agency: "I'm gonna get PAID! Probably by the Dodgers."), while New Orleans' star Justin Huggins wins his first. Maybe that will take some of the sting out of blowing game 7 in the World Series, Justin. I joke.
...AL Rookie of the Year goes to Oakland RF Jordan Coronado (.281/29/113, with 41 doubles), while the NL nod goes to Portland LF Morgan Akers (.317/41/141).
...Our own Pat Wilson wins his fourth manager of the year trophy (second in a row, too), and New Orleans skipper Jerry Elder earns his first.
...Miami's Levi Brady took 2/3 of the first place ballots in the AL Cy Young voting, to collect his first trophy. At 35, it's probably his last, too. (Rob Hart came in 6th place.) Dodger ace Jackson Suttie received 30 of 36 first place votes to easily win the NL version, also his first win. Suttie was the only 20-game winner in baseball this season. Of note: STL's Ken Clark came in 6th. I only bring him up because I'm still galled that I'm on the hook for $6M of his salary for the next five seasons. He last pitched for us in 2038. Sigh. Don't retain long-term salary in trades, kids.)
...League MVP voting comes as no surprise, really: Vinny Vargas (.386/43/113, 10.3 WAR) sweeps to the AL trophy, while Austin SS Victor Sanchez (him again) garners 29 votes and romps home easily. It's the first MVP trophy for each player.

But enough about everyone else, let's go back to us now.

......

I said there would be some player movement, and I will not disappoint you! Trader Jim is in the house, and he got busy with five--count 'em, FIVE--trades in a two week span. Not all were biggies, so we'll recount them in order of importance.

TRADE! We send OF Mel Carrillo, OF Travis McArthur, P Aldo Gouweleeuw, P Ronnie Corgan, and our 5th and 9th round picks to Austin for OF John Cannon and P Perry Walker. What We Gave Up: Carrillo (.358/17/67) had a career-o year-o at the plate, and yet still only made 100 starts. I'll miss his useful bat, and he was popular (and my first big international signing), but I won't miss his eight injuries per year (not a joke). He'll have to become a superstar in someone else's training room now; McArthur was our first ever draft pick, #1 overall back in 2034. While he was good--.285/28/94 career 162-game averages--he was never a star, and at 30, his overall value was beginning to slip. Still, he's got quite a bit left in the tank, and in some ways I'll miss him most of all; Gouweleeuw and Corgan never really found their footing on the pitching staff for us, but they'll get solid looks from soon-to-be pitching-starved Austin; the picks were must-have throw-ins. What We Get Back: Cannon is a guy Austin sort-of offered us back at the deadline in July. He is a big-time power bat, averaging 40 HR a year (although he slipped to 29 last year). He's a decent-ish fielder, has some speed (steals! Pagan is happy!) and should hit better than the .262 he hit last season. He's well worth giving up 2/3 of our 2043 starting outfield for; Walker is a 24-year-old lefty, solid across the board, and with an odd slider/knuckle curve combo. He has yet to pitch in the bigs, and looks like at least a solid MR/SU pitcher.

Not done yet...

TRADE! We send SS Mike Hunter, P Jim Kieffer, RP JS Yee, IF Jim Bowman, 1B Jake Kane, and three picks to Portland in exchange for SS Rich Stoneback, P Dan Brown, and a pick. What We Gave Up: The doubles machine that is Mike Hunter (avg 54 per 162 games), a career .316 hitter, and a solid fielder. But his salary was getting to be too much, escalating to 16M next season, and 20M after that. I'll miss his great hitting, but at 20M per season, you'd better lead the league in something, my man; Kieffer now gets a chance to work out his demons for Portland, who needs quality pitching. He had to solid seasons as a closer for us, and half a good season in the rotation. In between and around all that, he ranged from solid to gaseous, sometimes from appearance to appearance. I don't know what he'll bring to the Pioneers next year, but he looks great on paper and was a key guy they wanted; Yee, now 36, had three solid-to-okay seasons in the pen for us, and his ratings suggest he's got at least a couple more left in him; Bowman has been a solid utility guy for two seasons now, more than capably filling in at third, short, second, and the outfield. If he would tak a walk or two, he'd be even more useful, to be honest; Kane, 24, got 72 AB during the summer, hitting .292. He's got excellent contact and gap power, and won't strike out. Given a chance, he could easily hit .320 year-in, year-out. Not many HR, tho, and not much in the field. What We Get Back: Stoneback was the key for us, by far. Very similar to Hunter, only minus the doubles, but with power to hit 20 HR. His average may be lower than Hunter's (.290 to .310), but he'll walk more, and get more steals (Owner Goal met!). Quality fielder, and makes less money (12.8M) too, so I'm happy; Brown is 23, a hard-throwing righty coming off a tough season (7.00 ERA in 36 IP), but who looks like he'll rebound nicely. Control can get better, and if he develops his third pitch (a curveball, which he probably won't, tbh), he could figure in the rotation one day.

More...

TRADE! OF Steve Hopkins and P Frank Soto to Tampa Bay for a 9th round pick. Hopkins hit .322 and .305 over 303 AB the last two seasons, as an injury fill-in. A good fielder with a big arm, and won't kill you on the bases either. Good hitter, but little power and plate discipline, although he won't strike out any; Soto was up and down for us during his three years in the system, but due to injuries appeared in just 11 games over the last two seasons. To me, he looks more like a AAAA pitcher than a big leaguer, but he'll get a shot with the up-and-coming Rays. What We Get Back: A useful pick, in return for shedding over $2M in unwanted contracts and two spots on the 40-man roster. Small potatoes, to be sure, but potatoes are good. Mmm...potatoes.

Nearly there...

TRADE! P Eric Plummer is off to Washington for P Ryan Ratliff. What We Gave Up: Plummer will earn nearly 6M for each of the next two seasons, which is just too much for a tweener pitcher to make, in my opinion. He came over from Toronto in mid-season, and while he was not-so-hot (5.07, 72 IP, 36 K) for the Jays, he was worse (5.35, 72 IP, 35 K, 35 BB) for us. He's been a useful starter before, hitting double figures in wins for New Orleans three years in a row, and god knows the awful Nationals can use any live bodies on the mound. So maybe he can find himself again. What We Get Back: Ratliff, a 23-year-old righty who was pretty decent in AA last year, when healthy. Solid ratings, some room to grow, and three developed pitches. Enough stamina to start, as well. Nice intangibles. His drawback is an injury history: 9 starts last year, 24 the year before. Still, adding another arm to the mix can't hurt...can't hurt me, at least. His arm might fall off, but mine won't.

Last one, promise...

TRADE! OF Joel Jacoby is packed off to Toronto for P Malik Chaney. What We Gave Up: Jacoby is a solid fielder and a nifty baserunner. He also has a cool moustache, and walks a lot (or would, if he batted a lot). But he makes over $1M (1.3, to be precise), and was likely looking at starting the season in AAA. Too much dough for a minor leaguer, and I'm trying to pare where I can. He's at worst a useful backup and injury fill-in. What We Get Back: In Chaney, another arm to experiment with. Or more insurance, if you will. He's 28, a lefty, and hasn't produced much in 128 big league innings. But he's got good stuff, an elite changeup, and keeps the ball down. Once again, another arm that will probably start in AAA but be on the short list for promotion depending on need.

All combined, that's a lot of player movement, which is what I promised. From our playoff roster, we've moved our SS, 2/3 of our OF, a backup IF and an OF, and three pitchers. We also ship out three other pitchers and a promising 1B/DH prospect. In return, we get two potential all-star starters--at short and at an OF corner position--and four pitchers. Only one of those pitchers looks big league ready, but that's okay. Of the moved picks, we're down a 5th and 9th, but regained an 8th. That washes for me.

I'm likely done trading, unless training camp brings some major injuries. I'll also make a final sweep through our minor league system soon, culling out the chaff and moving guys up and down. It's possible once that's done I could swing some minor deals--AA guy for AA guy, that sort of thing--but it's more likely I'll go the minor league free agent route instead. There's also the just-released list of international free agents, and there are a couple of pitchers worth looking at there as well. So, while the big news has already been delivered, the 2044 roster is not fully set, not just yet.

......

...One week into the UFA season, and there's only been one signing of note: Boston re-signed SS Pablo Delgado (.222/20/77) for four years at $14.6M per. Ehhh...Pablo can still get on base (.352 OBP) and wields a fine glove, but that's a lot of cash for a .220 hitter who's a long way removed from his prime.
...Boston makes the second splash as well, landing C Lance Powell for 5 years and $131M combined. Powell (.323/35/102) is a consistent 6-to-7 WAR guy, and well worth it.
...St Loo inks 2B Tim Ost (.291/21/80) for nearly $15M per over four years. Ost is a career .290 hitter over his five big league seasons, but I think he's peaked, and will struggle to live up to that contract for the Birds.
...If it's free agent season, it must be time for: LOS ANGELES DODGERS CRAZY-ASS PAYROLL WATCH! Yes, once again, in their mad quest to sign every closer that's ever been, the Dodgers have reached deep into their wallets and come up with fat wads of cash for another star reliever. This time, it's former Brewer Bill Brunson (WHAT DID I TELL YOU, PEOPLE), who'll make $11M this coming season in LA. That makes him the 12th highest paid player on the Dodgers, and 6th highest pitcher. The Dodgers have committed $234.9M as of right now in 2044 salaries. Fun fact: that number will surely go up, by quite a bit, over the next two months. Count on it. And while I know it's still early in free agency, you should know that the team with the #2 payroll is the New York Mets, coming in at a paltry $153M. That's $81M lower than the Dodgers. Currently there are eleven teams under $81M in payroll, just for some perspective.
...Tampa Bay shows it could be for real next year by inking former Cincy ace Robbie Collier to a four-year, $61M deal. Collier was just 8-6 with a 3.77 ERA in 32 starts last year, but did fan 197 in 157 IP. He has no stamina (averaging just over 5 IP a start in his six-year career) but is fun to watch while he's out there.

...

Part 2 forthcoming.

Bub13 · 08-04-2018, 11:12 AM

2043/44 Off-Season Report, Part Two

...Woo! Things really heated up at the Winter Meetings in Craptown Beach, Florida. DODGER PAYROLL WATCH '44 continued with the signing of two more relief pitchers for a combined 9.46M. Minnesota, having just traded away a 30-HR RF for another 30-HR RF went and signed...a 30-HR RF, Jason McColl for 11M per for four years. Montreal signed the first good international free agent, 3B Toshi Hasegawa, for 7 years, 75M. And Richmond made the biggest splash so far by inking former Marlins 3B Sergio Torres for 21M per season for the next six years. Gotta say he's probably worth it, tho.
...Eight trades were made at the meetings, but none were really groundbreaking or even reportable.
...San Francisco finally signed a manager, yoking David Baker to that awful franchise for the next two years. Baker comes from four seasons helming the Yakult Swallows in Japan. He'll wish he was back there soon enough. How bad have the Giants been? Three straight years of sub-70-wins; last division title in 2025, although they did make the playoffs as a wildcard in '28 and '34. And to be completely honest, they won a shock World Series in '35, after beating the nearly-invincible Pirates to get there. Last year, they were dead last in NL batting, and only a quality bullpen kept the pitching from the bottom as well. Bad team, with a small budget, and still losing money. Not many quality prospects, either.

......

...MLB (and OOTP) hates a vacuum. Case in point: having rated my catchers as 31st best (in a 36-team league), I have been subject to an onslaught of trade offers featuring catchers. Bad ones, naturally. And apparently my starting pitching is lacking as well, so I've been getting offers for overpaid and sore-armed veterans like it's a 2-for-1 Black Friday Sale at Target. None of them--none, zero, bupkis--are any good. Which is why it was surprising when...
...Boston came along and offered me two prospect relievers for AAA 3B Ryan Hein. Hein was a 3rd round pick back in '39, and was slowly making his way through the system when--BLAMMO--Detroit took him in the Rule 5 draft in December '42. After hitting .178 in 73 AB, they released him in July and he was back in AAA Santa Barbara, where he finished the year batting .333 with 9 HR in 141 AB. Still, he's an okay prospect: a slightly above average contact/gap hitter, but with good fielding and a rocket arm. His profile says he likes to golf, so maybe that's why he's so popular. In return we get two 23-year-old pitchers: LHP Brad Hake and RHP Ben "Rat" Willard. Hake is further along (Willard was just drafted last summer), and it wouldn't surprise me if he made the team as the #2 LH reliever, especially if Morrow finds a slot in the rotation. Willard was just acquired by Boston from Richmond, so it's odd to see him being offered again so soon. He'll likely be in AA, but does grade out slightly higher than Hake, should he fully develop. Neither is star-level, but both look solid, and you can't have enough arms these days.

......

...Just before Christmas, two star SS went off the market on the same day. The Phillies signed Alex Castillo (.273/33/84 last year, plus 4 career GG) away from the Cubs, for 22.2M per over five years, while Brooklyn brought reigning NL MVP Victor "PEDs? Me?" Sanchez back home, after one season in Austin. He'll make 15.2M per over seven years. BNN initially had Sanchez' asking price at 32M per season, so that's quite a surprising comedown for the little fella.
...Tampa signs their second starting pitcher, this time getting 36-year-old Jeff Caraway, late of seven seasons with the Angels. Caraway made 17M last season, and wanted nearly that much from me when I talked with him earlier this winter. He signed for 4.8M.
...More SP sign for smallish bucks, a trend I did not foresee this year: Khalil Palmer (5.8M with Cincinnati), Travis Ryan (4.1M with Washington), Erik Presley (5.8M with Minnesota), and Toichi Kaneko (6.8M with KC). All of these pitchers had ERA well below league average last year, and all pitched injury-free. There are two SP (and two CL, and a Japanese import SP) all sitting in free agency, demanding north of 10M per season, with no apparent bites so far. Interesting...
...I speak, and things happen: Detroit signed one of those closers, Lance Hansen, for the bargain basement price of 5.8M. Austin then swept in and stole away premier SP Sam Thompson (from New Orleans) for 121M over 7 seasons.
...And then, Austin grabs a closer of their own, inking Josh Inman for 18.3M over 3 years, while New Orleans makes up (a little) for losing Thompson by signing Joe Ingram (huge stuff but throws it wicked straight) to a 6.8M deal.

......

...The Rule 5 draft rolls around, and of the 431 players taken, we lose one: IF Bobby Layne, picked by Richmond. Despite his playoff heroics, I had left him off the 40 man roster and unprotected in the draft because I have a plethora of middle infielders, and he was on the outside looking in. Thanks for the memories, Bobby, and good luck with the Eagles.
...We add an international free agent: RP Hisami Masuda (no relation to Senichi), a 29-year-old left hander. Good stuff, decent movement, and excellent control. Fastball is his best pitch, backed with a pretty good circle change. He'll make 3.2M for the next three years, so he's got incentive to perform well.
...After losing Layne in the Rule 5 draft, I signed free agent 2B Ryan Hannon to a minor league deal. He's pure AAA stuff, but could fill in in the bigs for a week or so if absolutely necessary. Looking at his history, I see why he seemed familiar to me for some reason: drafted as a pitcher in '31 by Brooklyn, he got as high as a couple of games in AA in '37 before being released. Then I signed him in early '38 and moved him to the infield. He played in AA for me, then got released again. After a year in the Austin org, I signed him *again* in '40, where he spent a year in AAA. Three years and two organizations later, he's getting his third crack in my system, and will start 2044 in AAA. Travelin' Man indeed. At this rate he'll be an MLB regular by 2050.

......

...Hall of Fame voting is in, and there are two new members: 1B Colin Moran and OF Dylan Cozens. Moran, in his third year, received 84% of the vote. In his 20-year career, he hit .296 with 246 HR and 1096 RBI. He racked up 3074 hits and earned 64.9 WAR, with 3 Gold Gloves, and was also a part of three championship teams. I had him in Richmond, and he was steady and never got hurt. Cozens, one of the premier power hitters of the '20s, made it in his second year of eligibility. A career .276 hitter, he totaled 530 HR and 62.7 WAR in his career. He was also a 12-time all-star. He never won an MVP, but finished in the top three vote-getters four times. Unfortunately, Giancarlo Stanton, in his 10th year, appeared on only 62% of the ballots, and will be dropped from eligible list. He's an outside shot to get in via the Veteran vote. Also, Cisco Videira, in his first year, received just 15% of the votes; interesting because he finished his career with over 3000 hits, and could become the first player to not be elected to the Hall with that career total. Also landing in the Hall was manager Peng-Fei Tu, who managed in the majors for 15 years, winning two championships and three Manager of the Year awards.
...Dodgers sign another relief pitcher, but I'm disappointed to report that it's for just 1.4M per season. Still plenty of talent left on the board, so I'm holding out that they'll blow some more big cash on 5 or 8 more relievers.
...Let's check in with the league's highest paid player, White Sox catcher Dan Starr. Starr was AL Rookie of the Year back in 2033, and has had a solid 11-year career, but is he worth 37M a year? Well, his .264/24/64 season earned him 3.5 WAR. So if you're doing the math at home, that's a little over 10M per 1 point of WAR. Just for fun, baseball's other 30M man, Baltimore's Cesar Alvarenga, has earned more than 6 WAR three years running, so he's at least earning his 35M.
...4-time Cy Young winner Dave Henderson signs with Philadelphia. The 36-year-old made only 17 starts last year with Toronto (with a 5.20 ERA), but the Phils saw fit to sign him for three years at 7.8M per. I'm sure it will all work out.

......

And with that, pitchers and catchers report, and the 2044 pre-season is under way. Spring Training formally gets under way at the end of February, and Opening Day is April 4. Baseball Fever. Catch It!

Bub13 · 08-06-2018, 07:41 PM

2044 Spring Training and Season Preview

First things first: catcher Alexis Mercedes signed with the Cardinals, one year for 11.4M. (Remember he wanted at least 18M from me.) Meaning: angry Twits take to their phones to tell me that I don't know what I'm doing. And MLB gifts us a supplemental first round pick for the June draft. We've had two supplemental picks in our draft history: in 2039 we took pitcher Jamie Berisford, and in 2042 OF Dillon Ritter. Berisford, while still in our system, has been a sad case. Three major elbow injuries have made for seasons of 8, 3, 0, 1, 17, and 9 starts, and he's still out for 2 to 3 more months from his latest injury. At some point, he'll be in AAA this year, and maybe has a future in middle relief. Ritter, at 21, has made steady progress through our system, and will also be in AAA Santa Barbara this season. He looks like a lot of players in our system: solid contact and gap power, little deep power, no plate discipline, but won't strike out. He's rangy enough for CF, but his mediocre arm might keep him in left. Still, he's a solid prospect, and might even see some time on the big squad come September.

As we slog through the last couple weeks before camp opens, the system is getting rounded out, with some high-minors signings, and one more addition to the big club. Observe:
...RP Cam Vitali and C Mario Burgueno sign minor league contracts. Both players have been here before. Vitali was a 4th round pick way back in my first draft with the Islanders, ultimately spending a couple seasons in AAA. For the past two seasons he's been shuttling back and forth between A and AA for the Rays and Cubs systems, but is really too good to be that low. I've got him penciled into AA for now, but as a decent-looking LHP, he'll probably wind up in AAA. Burgueno was signed as a free agent in '40, but claimed off waivers by Oakland in '42. He hit .203 in 64 AB for the A's over two seasons before his release last fall. He's got enough of a bat to challenge Cory Vannoy for the backup position, as well as being a decent backstop. If he had any plate discipline, he could challenge for some quality playing time, but as it is he'll either be our backup or be the first choice in AAA. Can play a decent 1B too, always a bonus.
...Needing to make some moves to the 40-man roster (and, frankly, needing more pitching depth at AAA and AA), I make several minor, but hopefully helpful, trades. First, we send 3B Andy Bridges, 26, to Houston for OF Ryan Linder. Bridges hit .389 in AAA, but just .156 in 63 AB for me. A good contact hitter and fielder, but little power and no plate discipline. Linder, also 26, went .224/12/49 with Houston, and is a low-strikeout (and low walk) hitter and a good-enough fielder. He's purely a corner OF. Two days later, I tell Linder not to unpack, and he's sent off to Richmond for prospect OF Glenn Heath, 21. A slighty better fielder than Linder, Heath's big drawback is his low contact ceiling. He has hit well in three seasons in the Eagles system, and could still develop beyond what his scouting report currently says. Finally, we trade former 2nd round pick RP Ian Albring to Austin for P Mike Pearson. Despite good ratings, Albring never could stick with us, getting just 19 IP across 3 seasons, with a 6.63 ERA. He's 31, so really no longer a prospect, but hopefully can find himself with the up-and-coming Outlaws. In Pearson, 23, we get a mid-ceiling SP who will start in AA. He's got some room to grow still, but is at least a year away (despite his own inflated sense of self-worth), and with the proper amount of seasoning could figure in the rotation by, say, 2046. All in all, three deals, moving three players from the 40-man roster, and making room for a couple of others who might make the big club this spring, and also for the next guy...
...I finally decided I wasn't ready to go into camp without adding any starting pitching. Problem is, being close to our budget limit, there just weren't any decent, affordable options in free agency (sure-thing SP are, in February, are still going for $6M-$8M), and the few guys I looked at via trade were also just too expensive, prospect-wise. But there was one guy out there, from Japan, still sitting on the market after declaring his availability two months ago. So I bit: we signed SP Ryuma Sato to a one-year, $4.41M deal. He's got excellent stuff, and good-enough movement and control. Curve/fastball/change combo, and keeps the ball down. He does have some drawbacks: he's 32, and his best years are probably behind him. He's coming off a down year, where his ERA was a full point higher than his career average. His stamina is not...ideal...for a starter. And he's a low LE and low LOY guy, so could become a clubhouse headache if we/he struggle. Still, it's just a one year deal, so he'll either be a genius signing, or completely forgotten about by this time next year. Given that I have just four healthy SP at the moment--with one, Pete Morrow, still an unknown moving up from the bullpen--I felt this was a necessary move. Especially as #3 starter Jonathan Murray is still out for two more weeks and likely will need some rehab time in AAA through April (at least), and #1 prospect Taylor Barnett is out through May. Fingers crossed.

......

A few more big signings of note...
...DET grabs 2042 NL MVP Sean West for 16.2M, a one-year deal. He hit 169 HR in his five seasons in STL, including 56 in that magical '42 season. He dropped to 36 last year, which is his career average. He's a terrible fielder, but walks a ton and is just what the slugging Tigers need: another giant power bat.
...MIN added another perennial 30-HR bat to their lineup: 1B Joel Rogers, late of ATL, for 10.1M.
...2042 AL Cy Young winner Miguel Moreno signs with WSH, for 8.3M and one year. Washington has added a ton of WAR again this year, but the've never been able to do anything with it. Maybe this is the year they approach .500.
...Austin makes a bargain-basement signing, getting 2B Cory Hopkins for just 3.8M. Hopkins has a career .328 average, adding 17 HR a year with 30 SB. He's topped 200 hits twice, led the AL in doubles twice, and is just 27.
...AHAHAHAHA. The Jordan Cruz Strikeout Train has entered a new station: Montreal, for one year at 2.28M. If you've read a word of this dynasty, you're aware of my never-ending respect for his offense-killing abilities: 6374 career AB, a .199 lifetime average, and 2613 K, having led his league in whiffs nine times. Montreal is having the worst off-season in the league so far. More about that later...

......

...Spring Training ends, and it was disturbingly good for us: 22-8, with good hitting and good pitching all around. Of course I have no idea how any of this will translate into the regular season, so maybe I'll choose...optimism? The only negatives were a few fairly minor injuries. IF J.J. Simmons will miss the first two weeks of the season with a strained oblique, and RP Rick Ramirez will be out for a month with an arm injury. Rob Hart missed a week late, but will be fine by opening day. And Jonathan Murray comes off the DL just before the season, but will spend April on rehab in AAA.

Owner Alexis Pagan thinks we should "at least make the playoffs." MLB agrees, picking us to win the AL West with 100 wins. Detroit is tabbed for the Central, while Boston (with just 86 wins) gets the East nod. Oakland is the clear pick for the first wildcard spot, while Tampa, Milwaukee, and Minnesota are the only other over-.500 teams. MLB adds that we'll have the 2nd best offense (behind Detroit) and the best pitching. Hmm... In the NL, Atanta, Cincinnati, and Austin will be the division winners, with Philly, LA, Richmond, St Louis, Chicago, Brooklyn, and the Mets getting decent nods as well. (FYI, Atlanta hasn't had a winning season since they won the Series in 2037.) The Yankees, Giants, and Rangers look to be the worst teams in the league.

...Personnel-wise, around the league, despite there being a number of high-quality free agents still available, I will proceed to be totally judgemental about the off-season efforts of everyone else. Brooklyn "wins" the off-season, gaining 9.7 WAR, even if 8.6 of that comes from one player: SS Victor Sanchez. Still, they gained an MVP, a starting pitcher, and nearly 5 WAR worth of quality relief pitching. Expect them to be good this year. The next three teams on the list are also NL East teams: Richmond (+4.7), Washington (+4.4), and Philadelphia (+3.2). In our division, only Oakland gained (+2.6), but mostly because six players they let go combined for a -2.9 WAR. All but Washington are predicted to finish over .500 and vie for playoff spots -- MLB sees the Nationals winning just 73 games.

On the other hand, the NL Central lost big time. Notice: MTL (league-worst -18.6), New Orleans (third worst -8.8), Chicago (-8.3), St Louis (-7.0), Cincinnati (-3.4), and Pittsburgh (-2.1). Montreal picked up 11 players, including a decent catcher, a third-rate SP, and a couple of iffy relievers. But they lost their 3B, two outfielders, and four regular pitchers (two of them pretty good). The five "worst" off-seasons belonged to NL teams, and the city of Chicago lost over 15 WAR alone. Based on this extremely reliable predictive analysis, the NL Central will be awful this season, and Washington will finally break through and become a respectable team. Sure.

......

Finally, a few notes before the season starts...

...So we traded Mel Carrillo to Austin, in part because he can't stay healthy. (His 422 AB last season were by far his career highest.) Well...he tore up his knee in the first week of camp, and will miss the season. Surprised/not surprised. Sorry, Austin.
...KC, Philly, and Oakland have the top prospect systems. Oakland! They are constantly a top ten--top five sometimes--team, and yet here they are. Amazing. The top prospect in the game currently is Philly OF George Livezey: big power, the best plate discipline I've ever seen, won't strike out, good fielder, decent runner. And yet, not a superstar, as he'll most likely struggle to hit better than say, .260 year-in, year-out. Still, HR + OBP + Gold Gloves = Winner. The best pitching prospect is KC's Ryan Phillips, who figures to be pretty good one day, but will give up more than his share of home runs, unfortunately. Our system ranks 20th, with three players in the top 100. (More about us during my June draft write-up.) Richmond ranks dead last, with zero players in the top 100. I have to agree: they look really, really bad, although future CL Jay Debus (currently in AA) looks pretty good. They certainly have a knack currently for developing low-contact utility players.
...As expected, the Dodgers have the league's highest payroll, coming in at over $246M. Second-place Richmond is doling out a mere $168M, and last-place Cleveland a truly scanty $61M. Our player payroll of $133M comes in at 13th, while our budget of $160M is tied for 11th. White Sox C Dan Starr is once again the league's highest-paid player, at $37M, trailed slightly by Baltimore slugger Cesar Alvarenga at $36M. Of the other 22 players topping $20M per season, our own Adam Groff sits at #10, making $25M. (Although his wallet will fatten to the tune of $31.5M next year, and $37.5M after that. Oy.)

Next up: Season Preview, then...PLAY BALL!

Bub13 · 08-11-2018, 08:49 AM

2044 HAWAII ISLANDERS Roster

Lots of new faces this year: seven! (Nine, adding the two guys who've seen some year-end games in past seasons.) Too many new moving parts? Or just the right blend of old and new to repeat as champions? Repeating will be tough, but I think we've got the talent to do it. We've added some more power to the lineup, but did we sacrifice too much average and OBP in return? And nearly half the pitching staff is new (or new-ish). Again: too much change or just right? We'll see. One other thing to note is that I'm starting the year with just 11 pitchers, not 12. I'll have to monitor the bullpens health closely, but I wanted that extra bat on the roster, rather than a middle reliever who'll throw 30 innings a season.

Without further ado, here are your 2044 Islanders:

(Players listed with position, age, handedness, salary (year through), and last year's stats (slash line, HR/RBI, other relevant stats). Starters are underlined.)

C Rob Rich, 23, L, minor league contract, .311/1/41 and 35 doubles in AAA. First round pick from 2042 getting a chance at the big-time. Nice contact and gap already, with some room to grow in his plate judgement and discipline. Won't hit nearly the HR that Alexis Mercedes did, however. Excellent defensive catcher, probably the best we've ever had. Not yet that capable against LH pitching, so will start the year platooning with...

C Mario Burgueno, 27, R, minor league contract, .163/0/1 in 43 AB with Oakland (also .306/10/43 in AAA). Beat out last year's backup, Cory Vannoy, by hitting .400 in the spring. Fair contact, decent power, won't take a walk. Much better receiver and arm than Vannoy. Can also play a decent 1B.

1B Senichi Masuda, 29, R, $6.0M (2046, TO for 2045), .276/33/127 in 631 AB. A little streaky, but has had a solid two years at first for us. Strikes out a bit much (160/season), but walks enough for a .350 OBP. Added 43 doubles. Not much of a glove, but doesn't destroy my will to live, either.

DH/1B Justin Wright, 31, S, $3.46M (2044), combined .304/42/108 with HAW and TOR. June acquisition, hit .321/29/69 in 83 games for us, and was a steal at his salary. Hoping but not expecting him to match those batting numbers from last year, but he's a career .275 hitter with 30-35 HR a season, which would do as well. One of him or Masuda may not be back after this year, given the number of 1B/DH prospects bumping up from below.

2B Josh Robertson, 29, L, $12.1M (2048, player opt out after 2044), .313/10/56 in 579 AB. My second-ever draft pick (from 2034), and entering his 8th year as my starting 2B. A career .316 hitter who strikes out 25-30 times a year, and has surprising pop for a 5'9" guy. We'll see if he picks up his option after this year.

3B Adam Groff, 30, L, $25M (2053), .385/9/34 in 104 AB. Missed much of last year, but somehow we won without him. Two-time MVP, six-time all-star. The only thing he appears to have lost so far is a step on defense: he's gone from a plus 3B to decidedly average, but still has a strong arm. He'll stay at third until he falls apart, however. Every year he's healthy he's an MVP candidate. Expecting the same this year.

3B/1B Aaron Little, 25, R, $500K (2044), .265/15/68 in AAA (plus .316/2/5 in 38 AB for Hawaii). Above average batter who's here mostly for his leadership abilities. Like Groff, not a Gold Glove at third, but with a big arm.

IF John Canning, 27, R, $950K (2044), .297/0/26 in 222 AB. Starting his fifth season as our top utility infielder. Injuries give him 40-60 starts a season, and although he's not a consistent or productive hitter, his glove and arm keep him on the team. Good enough to play some outfield too.

SS Rich Stoneback, 26, R, $12.8M (2046), .291/22/87 with Portland. Traded for the popular Mike Hunter, and brings a lot of the same capabilities: solid contact, few strikeouts, solid fielder. Excellent range and glove, and a good enough arm make him a GG candidate. Won't hit the 45-50 doubles that Hunter did, but should hit 20-25 HR. Popular guy, too, so the fans haven't complained much...yet.

LF Joseph Hart, 24, L, $500K (2044), .258/25/78 in 531 AB, 13 SB and 76 walks. Hit for power, got on base (.360 OBP), and played a solid corner outfield. But also got caught stealing 15 times, played an awful center field, and probably hit for what will be his career average. Still, contact is his lowest ability, and if I can keep him out of CF, he'll be just fine in the field. Needs to hit better against lefties, however.

CF Jim Klein, 24, R, $500K (2044), .377/6/46 in AAA (plus .250/1/7 in 80 AB with Hawaii). Our first round pick in 2040, now tabbed as the present and future in center. We haven't had a plus fielder in CF since Josh Drayton in 2038, so Klein has a pretty low bar to surpass. There's a lot to like here: good looking contact and gap hitter, won't strike out, speedy on the bases, and a solid fielder. No power, and probably won't walk enough to have a high OBP.

RF John Cannon, 27, L, $11.3M (2047, player opt out after 2044), .262/29/81 with Austin. Last year was his first where he didn't reach 40 HR, so I'm hopeful he'll get back there again. Doesn't match Mel Carrillo's average, but more than matches his power, is a better fielder and runner, and so far at least isn't made of glass. May only stick around one season, but I'll play wait-and-see depending on how he does this year.

OF Dave White, 28, L, $500K (2044), .277/13/57 in AAA (plus .262/1/6 in 61 AB for Hawaii). Up for now as an injury replacement. Doesn't hit lefties well enough to ever be more than a platoon player, and has no range in the OF. Tremendous arm, tho, and has some power and intangibles to be a plus when he sticks around.

OF/IF Ashton Gooding, S, $750K (2044), .237/23/83 in 519 AB. Produced zero WAR last year, so don't be fooled by those power numbers. He's here mainly for his versatility in the field: played everywhere but catcher and first last year, making 97 starts at third. Only walked 17 times, so between that and his low contact, he won't get on base often. Hopefully won't be needed for 500 AB again this year.

......

SP Rob Hart, 27, R, $14.5M (2048), 12-5, 3.89, 211 IP, 255 K, 4.3 WAR. Led the AL in strikeouts, and established himself (finally) as our #1 starter. We'll definitely need another year like the last one from him. At 27, he should be entering his prime. We'll see...

SP Mike Messinger, 27, R, $9.375M (2044), 8-6, 4.07, 104 IP, 125 K, 2.2 WAR. The 2041 AL Cy Young winner had a terrible start to last year, but was throwing well before he went out for the year in July. Has a substantial arbitration raise after this season, so his future with us is up in the air right now.

SP Eric Jones, 27, L, $9.35M (2046), 11-10, 5.31, 185 IP, 139 K, 2.1 WAR. Had the worst of his six big league seasons. Walks and hits went up, and IP have trended downward the last few seasons. Has never had the greatest stuff, but his movement and control have usually been good enough to make him a reliable #3 starter. If he can't get it done again this year, he'll be shunted off to a nice field upstate.

SP Pete Morrow, 27, L, $1.875M (2044), 10-4, 3.99, 6 starts, 70 IP, 76 K, 1.1 WAR. Was money in the bullpen when I put him in the rotation in late August. Did well enough to get the nod there for this season. Groundballer, with a solid fastball/slider/change combo. Will have a short leash, but only has to be not-horrible, to be honest.

SP Ryuma Sato, 32, R, $4.41M (2044), 8-15, 4.33, 158 IP, 2.2 WAR in Japan. Had his first bad season in Japan last year, but nevertheless earned a look from me and hopefully still has something in the tank. Groundballer, solid stuff, good control. Looks good on paper; proof will be on the mound tho.

CL YT Yaung, 29, R, $3.75M (2044), 4-5, 39 SV, 4.25, 72 GP, 72 IP, 87 K, 1.7 WAR. Was a top-of-the-charts closer for half of last season, but got worse after that. Control suffered, walking 4.5 per 9 IP. Oddly, led the league in games, with just 72.

MR Pat Stanley, 30, L, $2.5M (2047), 4-0, 5 SV, 3.56, 52 GP, 114 IP, 108 K, 1.6 WAR. I was ready to move on from him last spring, but he once again was the iron man in the pen, topping 100 IP for the second season. Rewarded him with a 3-year extension, but who knows really how he'll do. With Yaung, he's the only returnee from last year's pen.

MR Ramon Archila, 32, R, $500K (2044), 2-3, 4 SV, 4.47, 48 IP, 45 K, in AAA. An excellent spring saved his big league career, for the moment. Has thrown just 36 IP over five seasons, and this will mark the first time he's started a season in the majors. Has excellent stuff, average movement, and decent control. Fastball/change combo needs to stay down to work. Part of a lot of unknowns in the pen this year.

MR Dan Brown, 23, R, $1.0M (2044), 1-3, 4 SV, 7.00, 36 IP, 47 K, 0.4 WAR with Portland. If his third pitch ever develops (probably won't), he could figure in the rotation. Truly excellent stuff, with above average control and movement, and a near-elite fastball that can top 100. Keeps the ball down too. Had a really bad season in Portland last year, his second in the bigs. Let's hope that was just an aberration tho.

MR Jose Esquivel, 26, R, minor league contract, 4-2, 2 SV, 2.74, 34 GP, 66 IP, 49 K, 1.0 WAR in AAA. There were six guys in the spring who threw well enough to make the team, but Jose will get the first crack at it. Drafted by Montreal in 2038, and also pitched in the Miami organization. Signed with us last February, and jumped from A to AAA, not looking out of place. I have no idea how he'll do, and no expectations, really.

MR Hisami Masuda, 29, L, $3.2M (2046), no available stats from Japan. Our annual international free agent signee. A bit of a mystery, and adds to that by keeping to himself. Excellent stuff and control, quality fastball. Equally good against righties and lefties. No relation to Senichi, at least not that anyone's said.

Disabled list, and on the team when healthy:
IF J.J. Simmons, 21, R, $500K (2044), .347/4/66, 30 doubles, 15 steals in AA (plus 5 AB in AAA and 13 in Hawaii). Future starter. Defense across the board is solid enough to be a GG candidate at short for years, but will play where he needs to this year, and get a look at second, short, or third next year, depending on who stays around. Plate discipline needs to advance to be a truly solid big league hitter, and will never have any HR power (probably good for an annual dinger eventually). Solid runner, equally good against LH and RH. Out for two weeks.

MR Rick Ramirez, 24, R, $500K (2044), 5-2, 34 SV, 3.02, 49 GP, 51 IP 64 K, 2.0 WAR in AAA (plus 10 IP in Hawaii). Still has room to develop, but his control appears to finally be along enough to reach the bigs. Had an excellent spring, but is out for April. Future closer-type. Was our first rounder in 2041.

Others of note:
SP Jonathan Murray starts the year on rehab in AAA. He'll be in the rotation once the rust is off. Morrow is the likeliest candidate to return to the pen...I mentioned other relievers having a solid camp. All of the following looked good, could have made the club instead, and will be on the short list should anyone falter: Brad Hake, Alex Salazar, Efrain Solis, Rogelio Castellano, Danny Fernandez. All have zero big league experience, however...SP Gastone Sarretti and Malik Chaney were less than stellar in March, but are the first--after Murray--to get the call if a replacement starter is needed...1B Jonathan Klump hit well in camp, but there's nowhere for him right now, behind Masuda and Wright.

......

Next up: 2044 OPENING DAY

Bub13 · 08-14-2018, 07:10 PM

April 4-6 vs DETROIT
These guys are picked to win the AL Central, making this a possible preview of the AL Championship this fall. But I get ahead of myself...MLB also says they'll score the most runs in baseball but have mediocre pitching. I hope they fall flat. Additions: 3B Sean West (STL, .288/36/94), OF Jeff Linder (HOU, .231/12/50), SP Alex Lopez, RP Drew Yaeger and Lance Hansen. Subtractions: 2B Cory Hopkins (AUS, .346/16/77), SP Matt Bienvenu, six players via Rule 5 draft.

HAW pitchers: Rob Hart (12-5, 3.89) / Mike Messinger (8-6, 4.07) / Eric Jones (11-10, 5.31)
DET pitchers: Raul Bravo (13-11, 4.41) / Travis Heumann (2-7, 5.63) / Jay Lamb (11-13, 6.56)

#1: WIN 7-6 ... Hart gets shelled early, but we claw back from a 6-3 deficit and win it on Klein's walk-off walk in the 12th...23 Tigers strike out
#2: WIN 10-6 ... another 6-3 deficit is erased, with 7 runs in the 7th and 8th...GRAND SLAM for Masuda, and 10 runs on just 9 hits...14 more Tiger Ks
#3: LOSS 4-6 ... this time we don't come back...a 3-run 9th makes this one look closer than it seemed...Jones gets roughed up early

Two wins, but not exactly a sharp start: starting pitching is getting roughed up, and team defense is not looking sharp either. Still, wins are wins.... Rob Rich gets his first MLB home run in game one; Stoneback goes 0-for-12 however.... All games were sell-outs.... ELSEWHERE: The Yankees and Nationals, two teams picked for the bottom of the league, start off 3-0. NY slugger Tony Flores knocks 3 HR and 7 RBI.... three one-hitters were tossed in the first two days of the season.... Oakland's Vinny Vargas extends his hitting streak from last season, now up to 22 games.

April 8-10 vs KANSAS CITY
Off to an 0-3 start, thanks to Oakland. Last year's team couldn't hit, but had top-five pitching; MLB says this year is more of the same, with league-worst hitting and 6th best pitching. Won 82 games last year, MLB expects 76 this year. Additions: C Stuart Collier (CLE, .213/11/37), 1B Adam Woods (MIL, .263/20/57), SP Toichi Kaneko (ARI, 4-2, 4.62), rookies SS Kevin Lutz, 1B Josh Wade, OF Micah Friedman, SP Ricky Garcia.

HAW pitchers: Pete Morrow (10-4, 3.99) / Ryuma Sato (no stats) / Rob Hart (0-0, 7.94)
KCR pitchers: Dale Tessman (4-11, 4.57) / John Stuart (5-6, 4.17) / Eddy Llamas (0-1, 2.25)

#4: LOSS 2-5 ... first hit for Stoneback, first HR for Cannon, but only six hits total...14 more strikeouts for the pitchers, but another bad outing from the rotation
#5: WIN 4-3 ... another extra inning win, thanks to Wright's 10th inning single...finally a good outing by a starter, as Sato gives up 5 H and 1 R over 7 IP
#6: WIN 1-0 ... 7-hit complete game shutout for Hart, with 10 K...only five hits for the good guys

Three tight games, what you'd expect with a their pitching. We're not hitting, however: only two players over .250, and two under .100. Early days, however.... Only one win for the rotation, three wins for relievers.... ELSEWHERE: The Mets are 6-0, the only undefeated team left. Seven teas are 1-5. Three teams in the AL West are 5-1, two are 4-2.... Vinny Vargas' hit streak ended at 24 games.... Tampa Bay starter Robbie Collier has given up 6 HR in his two starts, 5 IP total.

April 11-13 @ CHICAGO WHITE SOX
Predicted to win 77, and off to a 2-4 start. Working on a -12 run differential already, with some rough pitching and bad defense so far. Additions: OF Roberto Saldana (WAS, .176/27/72), OF Justin Herde (MIL, .311/0/16), SP Bryan Melstrom (NYY, 8-11, 6.29), rookie RP Luis Andino and Jeff Alford. Their #2 prospect is an 18-year-old SS named Chris Rock.

HAW pitchers: Mike Messinger (0-0, 7.20) / Eric Jones (0-1, 6.75) / Pete Morrow (0-1, 5.40)
CHW pitchers: Chris Wead (1-0, 3.00) / Alex Arrieta (0-1, 9.53) / Bryan Melstrom (0-1, 19.64)

#7: WIN 15-4 ... 2 HR apiece for Wright and Masuda...21 hits for us, with 3 walks and 3 Sox errors, plus four steals...10 K for Messinger over 6 IP
#8: WIN 9-4 ... 4 HR again, including Burgueno's first...3 doubles for Robertson, tying the team record...7 IP for Jones, gives up 4 R
#9: LOSS 3-6 ... another rough start for Morrow, now 0-2...take away their 5-run first, and it's a pretty good game otherwise

Still no sweep, but 6-3 works for me. Fourth in runs, but just 10th in AVG and 12th in OBP. Leading the league in HR, however.... Sixth in runs against, and we're +15 in runs. Defense is 15th, so not doing much for us yet.... Groff leads us with 5 HR, Masuda with 13 RBI.... ELSEWHERE: Mets, Oakland, and Houston (!) are all 7-2, while KC is struggling at 1-8.... Two more big free agents sign on, much later than I thought they would: SF inks 3B Matt Anderson, who at 35 led the NL in batting at .357 last year, while the White Sox nab 2B Danny Baca, who hit 27 HR with the Twins last year. Both sign one-year deals. There are still some good players available--mostly power bats--so expect to see a few more guys snapped up over the next few weeks.

April 14-17 @ HOUSTON
Having bolted out to a surprising 7-2 start, the Astros are feeling pretty good about life right now. They're scoring runs (3rd) and pitching well (1st), having plated double the runs they've allowed. Last year's #1 MLB prospect, 22-year-old Alejandro Gonzales, is now the #2 starter in the rotation. He has future Cy Young winner written all over him. Additions: 3B Kevin Schuster (WAS, .244/9/34), RP Santiago Solis, rookie OF Brad Huff.

HAW pitchers: Ryuma Sato (0-0, 1.29) / Rob Hart (1-0, 3.07) / Mike Messinger (1-0, 4.91) / Eric Jones (1-1, 5.84)
HOU pitchers: Will Grasser (1-0, 2.00) / Jay Russo (2-0, 2.30) / Alejandro Gonzales (1-0, 1.69) / Ryan Crawley (2-0, 3.00)

#10: WIN 7-1 ... 8-hit complete game for Sato...2 H, 3 RBI for Klein, and HR #5 for Masuda
#11: LOSS 3-14 ... Hart is off again, giving up 9 R in 3.2 IP...Stanley is no better, tho...2 doubles for Klein
#12: WIN 7-3 ... Rich's 3-run double in the 9th breaks open a tie game, and Yaung fans the side to end things...7 IP, 8 K for Messinger...Stoneback hurt
#13: WIN 2-1 ... pitcher's duel! Jones goes 6, giving up 4 H and a run...Groff's solo shot in the 8th ties it, and a bases loaded walk in the 10th wins it

That was a nice turn of events. With that series, we vault into a first place tie with Oakland, at 9-4.... Stoneback hurts his arm, and is dtd for a week. He won't go on the DL, but I'll sit him most of the week and put Canning at short.... ELSEWHERE: KC is still hurting with a 2-11 start. The Yankees are 9-3, with three other teams at 9-4.... Portland's Morgan Akers is the last player still batting over .500 (at .531), while Minnesota's Erik Presley is the last holdout with an ERA below one (0.82).... our own newbie John Cannon is doing his best to make us forget doubles machine Mike Hunter, with 8 already.

......

TL;DR Version: Solid start, tied for first place. Some way-too-early-to-tell trends: AVG is down (10th), HR are up (2nd); starters ERA not so hot (7th), bullpen solid (4th); revamped OF defense hasn't yet paid off (14th). And a rough adjustment for Rich Stoneback into the AL: batting just .146 with no HR. Early days, tho. Early days.

Bub13 · 08-17-2018, 06:14 PM

April 18-20 @ SEATTLE
Last season's almost-division-champs ("Late Swoon Kills Early Promise") are off to a hopeful 8-5 start. Hitting has been big so far, 1st in AVG and 2nd in runs. Pitching, however, is a hot mess, near the bottom, although closer Adam Kosik hasn't been scored on in six appearances. This is the middle of a 13-game road swing for us.

HAW pitchers: Pete Morrow (0-2, 8.00) / Ryuma Sato (1-0, 1.13) / Rob Hart (1-1, 5.40)
SEA pitchers: Leo Zamorano (0-1, 15.00) / Carlos Zenon (2-0, 3.18) / Sean Easter (2-0, 2.35)

#14: WIN 6-3 ... four XBH on seven hits overcomes 12 Mariners hits. Five walks helps too...Morrow gives up 10 H in 6 IP, but fans 7, walks none
#15: WIN 1-0 ... well well well...Sato walks John Fry in the 2nd, but allows no further runners, for our second franchise NO HITTER...two good guys injured tho
#16: LOSS 1-2 ... nice line for Hart: 8.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 13 K...why he was still out there (120 pitches) in the 9th is an open question

Lots of good stuff in this series. Sato's no-no was the first in MLB since August, 2042. Ken Clark threw our first no-hitter back in 2037, a 13 K win over Tampa Bay. They guy who signed him this spring deserves a fat raise.... Offense is down to 8th in runs, 12th in AVG, but pitching is up to 3rd.... Stoneback's rough start continues, as he suffers a second dtd (both moderate) injury, this one for three weeks. I think it's best to shut him down and so he's placed on the 11-day DL. JJ Simmons will come up from his rehab stint in AAA. CF Jim Klein tweaks his knee, but it's minor--and less than a week long--so he'll keep playing.... ELSEWHERE: Texas has won 5 straight, moving them to 10-5. Cleveland--our next opponent--has also won 5 in a row, and leads the Central.... Milwaukee (3-12) and KC (4-12) are dragging down on the bottom.... Portland's Morgan Akers is hitting a league-best .547, and was the most recent NL player of the week.

April 22-24 @ CLEVELAND
Predicted to win just 75 games, the Indians are off to a stellar-ish 9-6 start, good for first place in the Central. Good times on the Lake. Fourth in runs (although 8th in AVG), but first in pitching, for a very nice +28 run differential already. 1B Eddie Hummel (.321/2/18) is hitting a full 100 points over his career average (after just two seasons, but still...).

HAW pitchers: Mike Messinger (1-0, 4.50) / Eric Jones (1-1, 4.42) / Pete Morrow (1-2, 6.60)
CLE pitchers: Mike Koslowsky (1-1, 4.72) / Roberto Maldonado (2-0, 2.08) / Bryan Altier (0-2, 7.71)

#17: WIN 11-4 ... Masuda's 3-run shot in the 5th pretty much ends things, making it 8-0...19 Islander hits, at least one from every starter
#18: LOSS 5-6 ... Cortez Gamez wins it in the 10th, the first run given up by closer Yaung this year...3 more RBI for Masuda, up to 24 on the season
#19: game rained out, rescheduled for 8/12, making a doubleheader

Six regulars are now hitting over .300 (including JJ Simmons at 5-for-10), yet team AVG is 10th overall.... Pitching is now 1st in the AL, starters 2nd, ditto bullpen.... Masuda leads the AL in RBI, Groff tied for first in HR.... ELSEWHERE: Expos starter--and former closer--John De Jong rides his oddball sidearm delivery to the league's second no-hitter this season, whiffing 12 and walking just 2.... Yankees OF and injury machine Daizo Yonamine has suffered his first dtd injury (after getting 2 in spring training). He had 8 last season. Still, NY is 12-5, best record in baseball by half a game.

April 25-27 vs MILWAUKEE
Slow start for the Brewers, 6-12, but still 2.5 games ahead of the Royals. Struggling offense (16th) paired with a slightly worse (17th) pitching staff, for a wild -42 run differential. CF Jesus Esparsa (.352/7/19) hasn't gotten the memo, however. Two top pitchers are on the DL. One-time 1B of the future Marcos Mora hasn't played a game since 2042, but is just 6 days away from giving his brand new knee a go. Good luck, M.

HAW pitchers: Pete Morrow (1-2, 6.60) / Ryuma Sato (2-0, 0.72) / Rob Hart (1-2, 4.33)
MIL pitchers: Travis Calhoun (0-1, 5.12) / Dan Tuff (0-3, 9.78) / Greg Sipes (1-1, 6.35)

#19: LOSS 4-5 ... a Groff HR in the 9th ties it, but Yaung blows up in the 10th...Morrow looked good, but did walk 5 in 6 IP
#20: WIN 5-3 ... Sato gives up 7 H this time, but fans 7, and the pen whiffs 5 over the final 3 IP...Groff's HR sparks a 5-run 8th, and Klein's 2 run single is the GW
#21: WIN 6-4 ... J.Hart's 2-run pinch HR in the 8th puts us up for good, and R.Hart fans 12 in 8.1 IP to pick up the win

Now up to 14-7, a game up on Texas. Hitting is still average (8th in runs), while pitching is 2nd overall (best bullpen tho). It worries me that this is putting too much pressure on our pitching. But that always worries me.... RP Rick Ramirez is just five days away from returning, but Rich Stoneback suffers a setback and won't be 100% for another two weeks.... ELSEWHERE: KC is now 5-17, but a tough stretch from Baltimore has them at 6-15.... My favorite pitcher, Padres star Gary Florence, is back, and has just a lovely K:BB ratio of 44:4 through 36 innings. His career ratio (per 9 IP) is 9.1 to 1.3. He's a free agent after next year, and if he's got anything left in the tank by then, I may take a run at him. I can't help it.... Cleveland's Zach Gioeli has 5 of the team's 11 wins, while Arizona's Brad Schmitt has saved 7 of their 10 wins.

April 29-30 vs MINNESOTA
At 11-10, and in second place in the largely moribund Central Division. Not surprising, since two of their best hitters (3B Paul Foster and LF Brendan Glenn) and two starting pitchers (Milt Schott and Chris McMichael) are out. When healthy, they'll be a force. First in AL home runs with 39, and 6th in runs (vs 8th in pitching), for a +15 run differential, so they're doing a lot of things right anyway. Starting pitching (15th) and team defense (15th) are the big letdowns. 1B Joel Rogers is hitting .398, and C Peanuts Carter .361.

HAW pitchers: Mike Messinger (2-0, 4.44) / Eric Jones (1-1, 4.44)
MIN pitchers: Chris Christopher (0-0, 5.27) / Paul Cole (2-0, 5.56)

#22: WIN 9-1 ... we jump out early, led by Masuda's four hits and a Cannon 2nd inning HR...throw in four doubles and a five-hitter for Messinger, with 9 Ks
#23: WIN 8-7 ... 5 more doubles, 14 hits overall, and 4 key RBI from Groff...Jones puts on 11 runners in his 5 IP, but is saved by some big bats

Two more wins ends the month with us at 16-7, best in baseball by a few pct points, and two games ahead of the Rangers.... Groff is tied for first with Oakland's Vinny Vargas at 10 HR, and Ryuma Sato leads baseball with a 1.45 ERA.... ELSEWHERE: Six straight wins and Brooklyn has surged to the top of the NL East, at 15-8.... Portland's Morgan Akers is still rolling along with a .463 average, and is 2nd in the NL with 21 RBI.... Mets OF Greg Tackett is out for six weeks. Tackett, 33, is in his 12th season but has only topped 120 games in five of those years. He's reached 300 HR this season, and has earned 50 WAR in his career, but all those injuries have probably ruined his chances at the Hall of Fame. He reminds me a lot of Bryce Harper. In his first nine years (2012-2020), Harper had earned 43.8 WAR, with 173 HR and 1000 hits. Knowing that his career would last until 2030, you'd think those next ten seasons would combine with the first nine to get Harper into the Hall. Sadly, Harper was already a physical wreck, and those ten seasons would see him only gather 8 more WAR, 53 HR, and 600 hits. He did top his career off with a World Series ring with Atlanta in 2030, a season where he hit 4-for-47 as a little-used reserve.

......

TL;DR version: Few games in this update, but we did go 7-3 and are continuing to pitch well while our bats slowly catch up. Groff, Masuda, and Joseph Hart (.324/3/10) pace the offense, and newbie JJ Simmons has started his filling-in for Stoneback by going 12-for-26. And what a treat that my afterthought free agent signing or Ryuma Sato brought us our second franchise no-hitter. Good times. For now...

Bub13 · 08-19-2018, 11:45 AM

May 1 vs MINNESOTA
Final game of the homestand, then we're off on a one-series roadie to LA.

HAW pitcher: Pete Morrow (1-2, 6.00)
MIN pitcher: Andy Goeser (2-0, 3.12)

#24: WIN 11-3 ... Morrow keeps trying to win his way back into my good graces with a 5 H, 7 IP effort...14 hits, 9 for extras (6 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR), and everyone contributes

Sweep! And probably much needed, as we're entering our first extended tough stretch of games. Eleven coming up against divisional opponents, including four each against the Rangers and A's, and then off to the first round of interleague games. Only two days off this month, so our 11-man bullpen will be kept under close watch. AAA Santa Barbara is running with a superabundance (15!) of pitchers right now, and with RP Rick Ramirez about to join them on rehab I might expand the Islanders staff for a bit regardless. We'll see.... ELSEWHERE: A's star Vinny Vargas (who else) bags April player of the month, while Portland hotshot youngster Morgan Akers gets the NL nod. Cleveland's Zach Gioeli (5-0, 2.72) is the month's best pitcher, and Arizona closer Brad Schmitt (7 saves, no runs in 13 innings) is the NL winner.

May 2-4 @ LA ANGELS
One of four teams in our division separated by one game. At 12-13, they're ostensibly in last, but just a couple of wins out of third. Statistically, they're no great shakes anywhere: 15th in runs, 8th in runs against (but starters are 11th, bullpen 14th), for a -17 run diff. Injuries have taken away a few pitchers, their 2B, and CF. SS Juan Rodriquez finally lived up to his hype in his fourth season last year, by going .348/42/120. He's batting .361 this season.

HAW pitchers: Ryuma Sato (2-0, 1.45) / Rob Hart (2-2, 3.82) / Mike Messinger (3-0, 3.90)
LAA pitchers: Greg Langworthy (4-1, 1.88) / Adam Pereira (1-3, 6.41) / Khalil Smith (2-1, 6.00)

#25: WIN 9-2 ... 4-hit, 10-K complete game for Sato...once again, everyone gets a hit...3 hits and a 2-run HR for Klein, now batting .326
#26: LOSS 2-5 ... 3 hits for Groff, but they spark nothing...Hart gives up all 5 runs before being removed in the 7th, yet another odd handling of the pitching staff
#27: WIN 5-0 ... another CG, this one a 4-hitter (with 12 K) for Mess...bases-clearing double for Klein caps the offense, and Groff adds two more hits

Jonathan Murray completes his rehab stint in AAA (1-0, 3.71 ERA in 3 starts) and will get the call in our next series. Morrow is shuffled to the pen, and OF Dave White (just 9 AB) is sent to AAA. RP Rick Ramirez begins his AAA rehab, and will likely get a call-up when done. Not sure who will go down then, but something will work out. It always seems to.... We're up by four on Texas, with the Rangers coming to town for a four-spot starting tomorrow.... ELSEWHERE: Oakland's Francisco Pantaleon tosses this dynasty's sixth perfect game, fanning 7 in a 4-0 win over Houston. This is the first no-hit game for the A's since Dylan Cease and Juan Robles each tossed one back in 2028. Oddly, Pantaleon is only named the third star of the day by MLB.... Improbable starts to the season are abounding: the Yankees are 17-9 for the first time since the '20s, Cleveland is 15-11, and the two most recent perennial NL doormats--Washington and San Francisco--are at .500. Wonders never cease.... Let's check in on some former Islanders from last season. Austin has a ton, with RP Ronnie Corgan (7.71 ERA in 5 apps) and Aldo Gouweleeuw (4.82 in 11), not exactly lighting things up. OF Travis McArthur is batting just .212 in 37 AB. And RP Ian Albring and OF Mel Carrillo were both lost for the season in March. Sad. In Portland, SP Jim Kieffer is 1-2 with a 3.93 ERA, while Jim Bowman somehow landed the starting 3B job and is hitting .279 (0 HR tho) so far. IF Mike Hunter also got hurt in camp, and is wrapping up a AAA rehab stint, batting .407 for Henderson. Finally, RP Jeff Tanner--who wanted $4M from me but signed with Brooklyn for 920K--hasn't been scored on in 8 relief appearances. Whatever.

May 5-8 vs TEXAS
In second place at 15-12, four games behind us, but a team of glaring contrasts. League-best batting (1st in runs, AVG, and OBP) is offset by league-worst pitching, giving them just a +4 run differential. Four regulars are batting .300, with a fifth (3B Corey Turner at .367) on the DL. Two starting pitchers from 2043--Alex Mares and Thomas Cannaday--haven't thrown an inning yet this year, and are likely out for another one and two months. Their top prospects are all decent-looking pitchers, but none are close to ready for the bigs yet. With baseball's 31st ranked budget, and 33rd ranked payroll, they probably won't go out and try for one of the billion pitchers on the trade block currently, so they're gonna be stuck with what they got right now. It's good to see former Islander prospect 1B David Rivera starting, and hitting .265/3/14. Rivera, you may remember was part of the package that went to Pittsburgh in '42 for slugger Jordan Shields at the deadline. We didn't bring home a title, Shields left via free agency that fall, and the Pirates sent Rivera to Texas (along with P Pedro Cabrera) for 2B Wayne Fowler (currently hitting waaaay over his head at .352). Not great asset management for anyone there.

HAW pitchers: Eric Jones (1-1, 4.91) / Jonathan Murray (season debut) / Ryuma Sato (3-0, 1.35) / Rob Hart (2-3, 4.29)
TEX pitchers: Emmett Hayden (3-1, 7.52) / Mark Metz (2-1, 6.48) / Luis Otero (1-1, 7.63) / John Fox (3-1, 3.15)

#28: WIN 13-5 ... 18 hits, and again everyone gets in on the party...four for Klein, including 2 doubles...Jones is terrible, btw, yielding 9 hits in 5 IP, giving up all 5 runs
#29: LOSS 3-8 ... Stanley is quite nice in his 5 relief innings, after Murray's awful debut: 4 IP, 8 H, 7 R/ER, 4 BB, 5 K, 1 HBP, 108 pitches
#30: WIN 6-4 ... 4 his for Simmons, and 3 each for Robertson, Klein, and Hart: 18 total, 15 singles...Sato wins again, and Morrow looks decent in his first relief outing
#31: LOSS 3-7 ... another rough outing for R.Hart, giving up 8 H and 7 R (5 ER) in 5 IP...two solo HR for Wright, giving him 8 on the season

Eh, I guess we were due for a mediocre series. Oakland, however, has moved into 2nd now with a 3-game winning streak.... Rob Hart has been all or nothing in his 7 starts this year; unfortunately, he's been mostly nothing his last few starts, although he's still fanning nearly 12 batters per 9 innings.... Our top three minor league teams are a combined 6 games below .500, with AAA Santa Barbara at a surprising 8-9. I say surprising, since they're usually a playoff contender, and my AAA teams haven't had a losing record since our first year as a franchise, back in 2034 (going 68-76).... ELSEWHERE: Brooklyn sits atop the game-wide standings at 21-9, having gone 9-1 in their last ten. Cleveland has slipped a bit (16-14) and fallen out of first, but Zach Gioeli just pitched a shutout to raise his record to 6-1.... Oakland's Vinny Vargas continues to mash, batting .410/13/30, and leading everyone with 2.7 WAR already.... The 2044 draft pool was announced, and the likely first overall pick will be OF Kris Warner, whose only weakness appears to be a noodle arm. I would love to get my hands on SP Shamar "Flat Tire" Jackson, a knuckleballer with great intangibles. He'll be long gone by my pick, however. No superstars are apparent. Best name: SP Burton Dick, who actually looks pretty good and could be around when I'm due up.

May 9-12 vs OAKLAND
Our first series against the perennial arch-nemeses. Now on a 3-game winning streak that's brought them to 18-14, 3.5 games behind us. Vinny Vargas (see above) has been dynamite (again), pitcher Fran Pantaleon recently tossed a perfect game, and Ricky Hose just threw a 2-hit shutout. Four-fifths of their rotation has ERA at least 1.5 runs better than the league average. The bullpen ranks just 16th, and the defense is subpar. Maybe we can take advantage there...

HAW pitchers: Mike Messinger (4-0, 3.05) / Eric Jones (1-1, 5.24) / Jonathan Murray (0-1, 15.75) / Ryuma Sato (4-0, 1.57)
OAK pitchers: Francisco Pantaleon (4-1, 2.82) / Mike Wiater (3-3, 2.95) / Kyle Labate (2-0, 2.70) / Jaysen Moss (0-2, 8.59)

#32: WIN 7-2 ... 2 hits for Groff and Klein, and 2 RBI for Masuda in a 7-run 7th...3rd win in relief for Dan "Conspiracy" Brown
#33: LOSS 2-4 ... Jones (6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 7 K) pitches well, but this one is on the pen, as this time Brown can't get anyone out
#34: WIN 9-3 ... Murray bounces back with a solid 7 IP, Klein raises his average to .370, and Stoneback comes off the DL to hit his first Isles HR
#35: LOSS 3-6 ... Sato's first poor start, and he leaves in the 4th with a minor elbow twinge...3 singles for Groff, now batting .371

Well, poop. 2-2 here, 2-2 against the Rangers, and we put no ground between us and our divisional contenders. Oakland is still 3.5 back, Seattle now 4.5, and Texas 5.... Sato's elbow injury is just some soreness, and he's out for three games. Won't miss his next start.... Otherwise, we're healthy now, as Stoneback comes off the DL and RP Pete Morrow heads to AAA. Stoneback is our nominal starter, but with JJ Simmons batting .393 (and Stoneback just .151), the rookie is getting the call right now. Stoner will play at least a couple games a week, however, and hopefully he can get back into the groove, as he's a better overall option for the offense when he's hitting well.... ELSEWHERE: It's shutouts galore, as there have been 35 thrown so far this season. There were 57 last year, 41 the year before. Cubs righty Scott Kopetsky is the only guy with 2 so far....

May 13-15 vs MONTREAL
Interleague play is here! Yes, contain yourself. Montreal is 16-20, not hitting, and not pitching particularly well either. Dead last in runs, AVG, and OBP, while dragging in at 12th in runs against. Their three biggest off-season acquisitions--SP Phil Maxwell, SP Luca Simons, and 3B Toshi Hasegawa--are all on the DL, and their other notable signing was the offense-killing black hole known as Jordan Cruz (always an open question as to whether his strikeouts or his average will be a higher "200" number). Still, one good thing they have going is their starter's ERA, coming in at 7th in the NL. Former Isles CF-of-the-future Ian McGowan has finally decided to hit some, slashing .273/.342/.424 in 35 starts.

HAW pitchers: Rob Hart (2-4, 4.79) / Mike Messinger (4-0, 3.04) / Eric Jones (1-2, 4.91)
MTL pitchers: John De Jong (2-3, 3.11) / Adam Kraemer (1-1, 2.57) / Richard Trinidad (3-1, 2.57)

#36: WIN 9-4 ... a J.Hart HR opens the scoring in the 2nd, and Wright and Groff HR in the 3rd pretty much end things...R.Hart is just good enough, fanning 9 in 5.2 IP
#37: WIN 1-0 ... Mess fans 9 in 8 IP, Yaung adds 2 more in the 9th to save it...a J.Hart double in the 2nd is all the scoring we need
#38: WIN 11-1 ... 2 HR each for Robertson and Wright, and a solid 8.2 innings for Jones, finally bringing his ERA below 5...Groff hurt

Yesssss, make those arrogant NLers pay; we gained no ground since Oakland stays hot.... Bad news is that Groff breaks his foot being struck by a pitch, and will miss 2-3 weeks. We'll obviously miss his .381 average.... There's a shortage of IF in our system right now, so for now I'll call up RP Rick Ramirez and go back to 12 pitchers.... Scout Moises Patino brought back from Mexico 1B Luis Ward, whose second nationality is the Cook Islands--which I'm pretty sure is not a country. Maybe FIFA says it is?.... ELSEWHERE: Patience is not a virtue in Richmond where, off to a 16-21 start, they have fired GM Andres Edwards Perez (in his 5th year), and manager Lew Ford (3rd). No replacements have been announced.... New Orleans has slumped to last in the NL Central, at 15-23. The Yankees are 1-9 of late, falling back to .500.... Portland OF Morgan Akers (.408) is the last batter hitting .400.

......

TL;DR Version: We stay hot with a 10-5 stretch, and hold a 4.5 game lead over Oakland. We're 2nd now in runs scored (224) and first in runs against (148). Our HR power has slipped, back to 9th, but I'll take the wins. Groff's injury will likely hurt, but it allows me to put Stoneback into the lineup and hopefully get his bat sorted. He'll play short, while JJ Simmons will move over to third thanks to his stronger arm. Two more NL series remain--Cincinnati and New Orleans--and then we're off to play the AL East.

Bub13 · 08-23-2018, 06:56 PM

May 16-18 vs CINCINNATI
A game out of first in the Central, at 21-17, just behind St Louis. Third in runs scored, and sixth against, for a +27 advantage. Eight players are on the DL--including three top relievers--and they're still humming along. Former Isle Jack Shewmake was the closer until his arm exploded a week ago; now it's up to Former Islander Steve Miller. Manager Dan Remenowsky is now in year 15 with the team; he took them to a game away from the World Series in 2042, where they haven't been since 1990.

HAW pitchers: Jonathan Murray (1-1, 5.73) / Ryuma Sato (4-1, 1.81) / Rob Hart (3-4, 4.78)
CIN pitchers: Brandon Jarmon (1-2, 5.52) / Jon Carlsen (1-4, 4.53) / Juan Valdez (6-0, 2.52)

#39: WIN 6-4 ... trailing 3-2 in the 3rd, J.Hart parks a GRAND SLAM to give us the lead and the win...Murray goes 8, Yaung gets his 7th save
#40: WIN 3-2 ... Masuda homers and singles home another, and J.Hart doubles home one...2 more hits for Simmons, now batting .377...Sato fans 8 in 8.2 IP
#41: WIN 10-3 ... 6 H, 8 K complete game for Hart...18 hits for us, everyone gets in on the act...3 RBI for Masuda, up to 43 on the season

Only one sour note out of this sweet series, and that's another injury (pending) to Stoneback. What a nightmare his first season in Hawaii has been: batting .145 in 20 games, with one HR, an injury in spring training, and now this.... Joseph Hart has gone nuts and is currently batting .366; Jim Klein .345.... Minor league middle infielders are dropping like flies, so I sign free agent Danny Boss and send him to AAA. He's a former Portland prospect who saw 22 games with the Pioneers back in 2039, but spent the last few seasons in Japan and Mexico. If our season goes well, you'll never hear about him again.... ELSEWHERE: White Sox RF Justin Haynes has had a hot month and is batting .400, the last of his kind this season. He's riding a 15-game hitting streak too.... The top four teams in the AL West are on win streaks of 6, 5, 5, and 4 games. The bottom two have lost 6 and 5 games straight.... Richmond's new manager is former Yankees (et al) pitcher Phil Hughes, last seen during a 5-year stint leading the A ball Lake Elsinore Storm to a total of zero playoff appearances. Oh, and he's been unemployed for two years. This will work out just fine.

May 20-22 @ NEW ORLEANS
It's been a tough go of things this season for the defending NL champs, currently bringing the absolute rear in baseball at 15-26. It shouldn't be a surprise, I suppose, given that 4/5 of their league-best rotation left via free agency, and their two free agent additions from the off-season are injured. Batting is limping along in 15th place, while the pitchers have gamely soldiered on and sport the 5th best runs against in the NL. They have a +10 run differential, so something's going right.

HAW pitchers: Mike Messinger (5-0, 2.60) / Eric Jones (2-2, 4.22) / Jonathan Murray (2-1, 5.21)
NOZ pitchers: Justin Ross (2-3, 2.16) / Danny Ruiz (1-1, 5.12) / Steve Jenson (0-4, 4.05)

#42: WIN 4-2 ... pitchers duel, as both starters go 8 innings...3 H, R, RBI for Robertson, and a 2-run pinch-HR for Wright
#43: WIN 5-3 ... 2-run HR for Klein is the key hit...Jones goes 7 IP and adds an RBI double for good measure
#44: WIN 5-4 ... another pinch HR for Wright, and a pair of doubles for Simmons...a 4-run 7th turns the game around

Now a 9-game winning streak, but as Oakland's gone 8-2 recently, we've gained just one game (a 5.5 lead).... Stoneback is diagnosed with a broken hand, and will miss 5-6 weeks. We call up 27-year-old IF/OF Roberto Mendez to fill his spot. Mendez can't hit, but he's fast and an excellent fielder across the board.... At 32-12, we're the first team to reach 30 wins, and are now first in offense and pitching, with a +91 run diff.... ELSEWHERE: Texas has lost 9 straight, blowing a nice start to the season; New Orleans is up to 8 straight losses.... Justin Haynes is now batting .411, with an 18-game hit streak.

May 23-25 vs BALTIMORE
Kind of spinning their tires at 20-24, but just 5.5 games out in a tight division. Decent hitting, 6th in offense, with three batters hitting between .365 and .329...but a bunch of guys who aren't pulling their weight are bringing them down. That includes a league-worst bullpen, crimping the style of the 6th-best rotation. Just a +1 run diff, so they have been truly middling. I'm still hoping my favorite O's prospect, pitcher Kyle Hoots, will make the big time one day: he's in AAA right now.

HAW pitchers: Ryuma Sato (5-1, 1.85) / Rob Hart (4-4, 4.52) / Mike Messinger (6-0, 2.42)
BAL pitchers: Mario Valdez (4-2, 5.51) / Jonathan Bell (2-3, 3.74) / Hugo Tirado (2-3, 4.60)

#45: LOSS 3-8 ... first bad outing for Sato, as he's hammered late, giving up 3 HR...2 doubles and a HR for Cannon, but his output was pretty much it
#46: WIN 6-5 ... Small ball! A single, two sac bunts, a walk, and a sac fly score the winning run in the 10th...Dan "Code" Brown throws a strong 3.1 IP in relief
#47: WIN 10-5 ... two 1st inning 2-run HR get us started, and it's 10-0 before the O's score in the 7th...2 HR for Cannon, and six players get 2+ hits

The win streak comes to an end, but we're still 9-1 in our last ten. But so is Oakland, and they've gained a game on us, now just 4.5 back.... Infielders are endangered in our system: AAA, four injured; AA, two; A, two more. At least four guys who played in short A or rookie ball are in AA or AAA now, and we've added two minor league free agents to boot. It's just not safe anywhere.... ELSEWHERE: Eleven losses in a row for New Orleans now, as depression sets in. And 12 for Texas, ugh.... Strikeout King extraordinaire SS Jordan Cruz is third in the NL with 64 whiffs in 166 AB, but at least he's hitting .229 (20 points higher than his career average) with some power. His partner at 2B, however, is Jonathan Salas, who is suffering through the horror of fanning 70 times in his 143 AB, while batting a puny .133. If you're keeping track at home, that's a middle infield with 134 K through 48 games. Outstanding!

May 27-29 @ TAMPA BAY
Last year's 91-win season is starting to look like an aberration: 21-25 this season, and 7 losing seasons broken up only by last season's party. Although...they're 10th in runs, and 6th in pitching, with a +14 differential and a solid defense, so perhaps a turnaround is only a matter of time. 1B Toby Difazio is having a nice season, .318/13/39, and has been an under-the-radar star for several seasons now, averaring 30 HR and 90+ RBI. They also made quite a splash signing three quality SP in the off-season, but lost star Robbie Collier--signed from Cincinnati--last week, for the season. C'est la vie.

HAW pitchers: Eric Jones (3-2, 4.18) / Jonathan Murray (3-1, 5.00) / Ryuma Sato (5-2, 2.34)
TBR pitchers: Bill Casas (4-4, 4.61) / Jeff Caraway (1-5, 6.31) / Gabe Ray (2-5, 3.07)

#48: WIN 9-3 ... 4 hits each for Robertson and Wright, and 4 RBI for Cannon...win for Jones (6 IP, 2 ER) and a 3-inning stint for Archila in relief...1B Masuda hurt
#49: WIN 4-1 ... 11 K in 6.2 IP for Murray, and a double and HR for Cannon, with two more RBI
#50: WIN 11-8 ... tied 4-4 after 9, then 6-6 after 10, then 5 in the top of the 16th countered by just 2 for the Rays...Klump makes 2 errors, hits a HR in his debut

Sweep! Very nice.... Masuda sprains his ankle in the first game, will miss 5-6 weeks. Jonathan Klump, hitting .400 in AAA, takes his place on the roster. He's a lefty but will only bat against right handers for now. Gooding will play first against southpaws.... In better news, Groff will come off the DL in three days.... AAA Santa Barbara has turned things around after a 3-8 April, going 18-6 so far in May.... ELSEWHERE: The Rangers were feeling pretty good after a 10-5 start to the season. Since then, everything's gone wrong, and their current record of 18-31 has resulted in the not-unexpected firing of manager Drew Saylor. In his 14th season with the Rangers, 12th as manager, Saylor had never guided the club to a winning record, but was still popular with his players. No word yet on his replacement.... ChiSox' Justin Haynes (.403) and Seattle's Alex Cruz (.400) are battling for the AL batting lead. Cruz is also leading in HR, OPS, and WAR.... New Orleans is still suffering, at the bottom of the league standings at 17-33.

May 30-31 @ MIAMI
At 28-23, and atop the East by one over Boston and another half over the Yankees. Offense and defense are both 10th, with an equal number of runs for and against. Defending AL Cy Young winner Levi Brady is having a down year, and stud 3B Sergio Torres is batting .303/19/40, but for Richmond in the NL. The offense is noticing the loss.

HAW pitchers: Rob Hart (4-4, 4.72) / Mike Messinger (7-0, 2.71)
MIM pitchers: Jake Marker (3-3, 4.96) / Pete Burke (3-4, 4.77)

#51: LOSS 5-9 ... booooo...Hart, Stanley, and Masuda all pitch poorly, but it's a close game until Miami scores 3 in the 8th
#52: WIN 8-5 ... a 3-run 13th, sparked by Little's 2-run HR, pushes us over the top...4 hits for Robertson, 2 doubles (15 on the season) for Simmons

At least we close out the month with a thrilling win, after that disgusting loss.... We end May first in offense (313 runs), and first in pitching (210 runs against, 1st in starter's and bullpen ERA). Team defense is even up, currently placing 4th.... Personal stats-wise, Sato is 2nd in AL ERA, while Messinger leads in strikeouts and wins. Hart is second in Ks. Groff has dropped off the batting list due to his injury, but his .381 average would place him third. He's back and healthy tomorrow.... ELSEWHERE: AL batters Haynes and Cruz had their 24- and 21-game hitting streaks ended, and have dropped below .400.... Pittsburgh (8 losses in a row) and Boston (7) are the current cold squads, while Hawaii (8-2), Oakland (7-3), and Baltimore (7-3) are hot.... Richmond's Sergio Torres is the first batter to 20 HR, and Baltimore's Cesar Alvarenga leads baseball with 52 RBI.... Texas has named T.J. Chism its new manager. Chism has just a few minor league seasons under his belt, and after just a few games at the helm, most of his players are less than thrilled with him already. Good stuff.

......

TL;DR Version: A nice little 12-2 blitz over the last half of the month, vaulting us to the top of the league standings. For the whole month, we went 22-7. A couple of injuries--Stoneback and Masuda--have marred the picture a bit, but so far their replacements have been more than adequate. Groff, however, comes back at the first of the month. And former top prospect pitcher Taylor Barnett will begin his latest rehab stint later in the week, and hopefully can regain something that made him a 1st round draft pick and find a place on our staff eventually. I'm not sanguine.

Bub13 · 08-27-2018, 11:25 AM

A new month brings 28 games over 30 days, including 18 in the division, and the last round of interleague play. Plus, the draft in less than a week. We have our first, plus a supplemental pick, and there are a pile of good-looking pitching prospects I'd love to get my hands on, but who will probably be gone by the time we pick at #23. All that and a system review coming after this post.

June 1 @ MIAMI
Finishing up the Marlins series...

HAW pitcher: Eric Jones (4-2, 4.06)
MIM pitcher: Corey Downes (4-5, 5.37)

#53: LOSS 5-6 ... we're up 5-0 heading into the bottom of the 2nd and give up 6 (5 unearned, fyi), and the rest is boring...Jones' ERA goes down thanks to 2 errors

Disappointing to drop 2 out of 3 here, but Miami is a first place team, so whatever.... Oakland now 5.5 games in back of us.... Groff comes off the DL, and Roberto Mendez (1-for-5) heads back to AAA.... Jim Klein is named AL Rookie of the Month, while Mike Messinger is named the month's best pitcher.... ELSEWHERE: 8 losses in a row for the Red Sox, and they're back at .500.... No clubhouses are currently feuding, and only one is ecstatic: Brooklyn, leading the NL East at 34-18.... Cubs ace Jon Baldwin is the first pitcher to reach 100 K on the season. He's just 5-5 for the 24-31 Cubs, but has 100 K (and just 24 BB) in 81 IP. The 2042 NL Rookie of the Year is also, oddly, Japanese. Go figure.

June 2-5 vs LA ANGELS
After a 12-12 April, May brought disappointment and heartache and a 9-20 record. Last year's solid hitting has devolved to a team ranked 16th in offense, while their pitching is next-to-last, 17th. And a -53 differential. SS Juan Rodriquez (.336/10/37) is having another solid year, but nothing else has gone right. I'm still hopeful that Mongolian-American P Greg Sang will join the big club one day, but he's currently struggling in A ball.

HAW pitchers: Jonathan Murray (4-1, 4.28) / Ryuma Sato (5-2, 2.61) / Rob Hart (4-4, 5.05) / Mike Messinger (7-0, 2.85)
LAA pitchers: Greg Langworthy (4-6, 5.01) / Adam Pereira (4-6, 5.63) / Khalil Smith (4-3, 5.74) / Alex Diaz (2-0, 2.78)

#54: WIN 3-2 ... after giving up 2 in the 8th, we counter with 2 in the 9th, led by Klein's RBI double, for the win...10 K in 8 IP for Murray
#55: WIN 6-3 ... Wright's 1st inning GRAND SLAM paces a 5-run frame, and all the scoring is over after two innings...all LA runs are unearned
#56: WIN 3-2 ... 4 H and 12 K through 8 for Hart, but this one is only decided by Rich's RBI double scores Simmons (now batting .380) in the 9th
#57: LOSS 1-6 ... Messinger's first loss on the season, but only one run is earned (again), as we are trying out some new iron gloves apparently

A couple of close games and one ugly loss, but I'll take it. Oakland gets tripped up by Houston and is now 7.5 games back.... Still first in offense, but now second in pitching (to Cleveland, but they've played 2 fewer games than us). And despite a rash of errors recently, team defense is still 4th.... The team is hitting well, but we have no leaders on any statistical boards, except for Josh Robertson's AL-leading 250 AB.... With pitcher Tyler Barnett starting his latest rehab stint, I need to free up a roster spot. So I send pitcher Chet King to Detroit for IF Matt Estey. King was throwing well in AAA, but at 30 was not going anywhere fast in my system. Estey, 23, is a solid fielder and a mediocre hitter, and was brought in largely because of the massacre of middle infielders this season has wrought on our minor leagues. Of note: these two were traded for each other (with two other players) back in 2041. Welcome back, Matt.... ELSEWHERE: 4 and 3 consecutive wins have put Seattle and Houston solidly over .500, and have brought both to within a couple games of the 2nd-place A's.... Texas has dropped 6 straight, and are 5-29 since May 1. Starter Emmett Hayden has given up 3 HR/9 (22 in 68 IP), and is working on his third straight season of 40+ HR allowed. Oh, and is ERA is a nice and round 8.00 through 11 starts.

June 6-8 vs SEATTLE
The 32-26 Mariners sit in third place, 9.5 behind us and 2 behind Oakland. Once one of the stoutest pitching franchises, of late they've turned themselves into quite a band of hitters: currently 3rd in runs and average, 5th in OBP and HR. Pitching has been mediocre, 10th in runs against, with a bullpen ranked 15th. Former MVP OF Mike Wapner is working on a 47-HR pace, 2B Alex Cruz for 50. Three pitchers in the rotation have ERA over 6.

HAW pitchers: Eric Jones (4-3, 3.78) / Jonathan Murray (4-1, 3.89) / Ryuma Sato (6-2, 2.35)
SEA pitchers: Steve Maki (4-4, 4.70) / Leo Zamorano (2-4, 6.60) / Greg Sowa (2-0, 6.60)

#58: LOSS 2-9 ... take out an 8-run 5th, and we win. Simple...Hart goes 4-for-5...Jones gives up all 8 in the 5th, then takes a seat
#59: WIN 8-3 ... three 1st inning doubles plate 4 runs, and add 3 more in the 8th to make the final tally...13 K for Murray, HR and 3 RBI for Groff
#60: WIN 15-10 ... a 6-0 lead becomes a 7-6 deficit becomes an 11-7 lead, then 15-7, then the final...5 hits for Robertson, 36 combined for both teams

Winds must've been blowing out this weekend. The ERAs take a hit, but the wins still count.... Two more minor league middle IF go out, so we sign a couple of beer vendors to fill in.... ELSEWHERE: Texas just won their 20th game, the last team to do so.... 90 shutouts have now been tossed this season. Amazing.

June 9-12 vs HOUSTON
No one under the age of 40 can remember the last time the Astros were 34-27, as they are now. No one is hitting--14th in runs and 17th in HR--but 3rd in runs against, and 2nd in team defense. 1B Bruce Calhoon is the one hitter who didn't get the take-it-easy orders: .346/13/33 in just 32 games.

HAW pitchers: Rob Hart (4-4, 4.76) / Mike Messinger (7-1, 2.76) / Eric Jones (4-4, 4.50) / Jonathan Murray (5-1, 3.78)
HOU pitchers: Alejandro Gonzales (4-2, 3.05) / Tony Arballo (3-6, 6.02) / Ryan Crawley (6-5, 4.47) / Jay Russo (8-2, 3.47)

#61: WIN 2-1 ... Gonzales 2-hits us through 8, but Klump's single in the 9th brings home Groff for the win...Hart fans 9 in his 8 IP
#62: WIN 6-3 ... 5 runs in the 5th--paced by three doubles--is the difference...Groff with 2 RBI, Simmons with 3 more hits, now batting .390...Klein hurt dtd
#63: LOSS 3-5 ... Klein is on, 3 hits and a HR, but Jones is off, giving up all the runs and 12 hits over six IP
#64: WIN 4-1 ... Wright's 2-run HR (18th on the season) is the difference...nice effort for Murray: 8 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 4 K

Nice, solid series against a rising team. Pleasantly surprised by the pitching this season. (Shh...don't curse it.).... Groff is hitting .352, sixth in the AL; Klein is right behind him at .341. Simmons, at .380, would be leading the league but for too few PA. Messinger is 1st in ERA, K, and WAR, tied for 2nd in wins.... 1st round pick Ryan Bayko signs and is sent to rookie ball. Really, really good-looking prospect, although he's got "career DH" written all over him, as he's an outfielder with no range and no arm. He looks even worse as a potential 1B, tbh.... ELSEWHERE: Good weeks from the Yankees and Indians have them on top of their divisions. Miami has lost 5 straight, but is still tied with NY.... Cleveland's Zach Gioeli is the first pitcher to 10 wins. The 26-year-old suffered through two 5+ ERA seasons but found himself last year (12-10, 3.65), and is 10-1 with a 2.81 ERA this year.... New Orleans (24-40) is suffering through a nightmare season, but their pitchers are still 5th in the NL. Nevertheless, they'll miss first-year starter Steve Jenson (3.61 ERA, 51:9 K:BB ratio), as he's done for the year. He becomes their fifth pitcher on the DL.

June 14-16 @ PITTSBURGH
The dynastic greatness that brought two titles to western Pennsylvania is long gone. They last won 90 games in 2040, but it looks like the next time will be a long way off. Trouble is, their system ranks just 28th and their top two prospects are already on the big team. At 12th in offense and 17th in pitching, and a -66 run differential, they're probably where they should be: 27-37, 9.5 games behind St Louis. Team MVP is probably closer Brent Rainville (2.12, 17 saves, 50 K in 34 IP). The 29-year-old free-agent-to-be is picking a heck of a time to have a career year, and will look great in a Dodgers uniform next season.

HAW pitchers: Ryuma Sato (6-2, 2.96) / Rob Hart (4-4, 4.43) / Mike Messinger (8-1, 2.61)
PIT pitchers: George Sanger (4-7, 4.47) / Brett McGee (4-7, 4.60) / Robert Montoya (4-6, 5.33)

#65: WIN 5-3 ... HR and two other hits for Groff, and 20th double for Simmons...Sato returns to early-season form with a stout 7 IP...Robertson hurt tho
#66: LOSS 2-3 ... Hart whiffs 12, but we manage just 3 hits...three walks too, but just not enough runners
#67: WIN 9-0 ... Mess mows 'em down: 4 H, 13 K, 8 IP, no complete game wtf...everyone gets a hit and we knock three HR, two in a 6-run 4th

Rollin rollin rollin.... 48 wins, and only one other team (Brooklyn) even has 40. So far, so good (fingers crossed).... And then Robertson gets hurt, suffering a debilitating thumb ligament tear that should totally heal (?) in one to two weeks. Roberto Mendoza gets his second call-up of the season, and will see some time as a defense sub and get some AB versus lefties. That's now 3/4 of my opening day infield currently on the DL.... ELSEWHERE: The Angels become the third team this season to shed their GM/Manager combo, dumping 5th-year GM Jesse Juday and 5th-year manager Andy Raaff. This was Juday's first gig, but Raaff had spent seven years in Philly and two in Austin before his LA gig. The Grounded Dutchman has a career 1013-1011 record. LA started 12-12 in April, but has gone 12-31 since. Their replacements are rookie Yi-hao "Yeehaw" Lin at GM, and manager Miguel Rodriguez, last seen having one winning season in eight years with the Yankees.... It's bad news all around, as one of my favorite non-Isles players goes on the season-ending DL: Padres pitcher Gary Florence tears a back muscle now gets to have an early autumn. When healthy, he's the best pitcher in the game, but has made just 24, 11, and now 14 starts over the last three seasons. At 31, it's too early to say these injuries have derailed his hopes for the Hall, but time is running out for him to build some quality career numbers. (Fun stat: his K/BB ratio this year is an astounding 111/6, in 96 IP. WOW.)

......

TL;DR Version: I will take 10-5 for every sim this year, thank you. Robertson's injury puts a hole at the top of the lineup, as he's an excellent leadoff man (high contact, no strikeouts). Jim Klein will be moved up into that spot until he proves he can't handle it. In prospect news, P Taylor Barnett is rehabbing in AAA, and is all rust right now: 2 starts, 4 IP, one new injury (5 day sore shoulder). Sigh.

Bub13 · 08-29-2018, 11:18 AM

2044 DRAFT and SYSTEM OVERVIEW

It's draft time! Washington has the first overall pick (Again! They also went first in 2041), and is drafting in the top ten for the seventh year in a row. San Francisco, Atlanta, San Diego, and Cleveland round out the top five. (It's interesting to note that three of those teams are currently over .500, and SD and CLE lead their divisions.) OSA has two players ranked with the max 80 potential: P Ryan Schneider and OF Kris Warner. My scout Moises Patino says Schneider is good, possibly closer material, but has him rated a bit lower than the OSA; and while he shares OSA's take on Warner, to my eye he looks like a decent hitter, an occasional all-star, and a good fielder but with a spaghetti arm. And I'll repeat my desire that P Shamar Jackson, a fancy knuckleballer, must fall to me at #23; but he'll probably go in the top five. At #23--where we'll pick--on Patino's board is 2B Chris Ristaino, who I'd be more than happy with, but I feel is underrated and will probably go higher than Patino has him.

......

The results are in. Washington, to no one's surprise, takes Kris Warner. They'll be happy with him, assuming they're willing to pay his $4.4M demand. San Fran breaks my heart by taking Shamar Jackson, alas. Atlanta takes pitcher Daniel Hampton, who at 22 looks like he's only a year away from the bigs. Solid pick. San Diego grabs pitcher Tim Chandler, while Cleveland selects 3B David Pettaway. Chandler is a good pick, Pettaway is a reach, a bit lazy and probably no better than a career .250 hitter, albeit with nice power. The White Sox take the wonderfully named Burton Dick, who isn't, and the Astros take Ryan Schneider, the other possible 80-potential draftee.

As for us, I like the top of our draft. The first five picks look to have good potential; after that, it's the usual crapshoot, and most of them will probably never make it past A or AA.

Round 1, 23rd overall: OF Ryan Bayko, 18, high school. I couldn't resist taking Bayko: he's a local boy, from Honolulu! I couldn't go home if I passed him up. He's got a nice power bat, a decent eye, and won't strke out a ton. He's slow, and has the major drawback in that he has no position in the field: no range, average glove, terrible arm. Thank goodness for the DH. (Ristaino was available, but I passed on him for the local talent.) We now have a ton of quality 1B/DH prospects in the system. Too many, really.

Supplemental pick, 35th overall: P Shaun Gates, 20, Fordham. Huge (6'7", 230) and packs a 97 MPH fastball. Right handed, groundballer, and has great intangibles. He'll be a useful back end starter if he develops to his potential; if he overdevelops, he'll be much more.

Round 2, 73rd overall: P Phil Lasky, 22, Long Island U. Like Gates, a New Yorker. His potential is slightly lower than Gates, but he's further along in his development. He's also got a lot of upside at the plate, and can run and play some solid outfield. So, maybe he's my first true two-way player. I'm really not sure where he's going to play once he's signed. He's probably good enough to start in A ball already.

Round 3, 114th overall: P Eric Finnigan, 21, Central Florida. Good stuff, decent control, needs to develop better movement. Fastball/slider/change combo, can hit 98 on the radar gun. High work ethic should help him along, too.

Round 4, 150th overall: P Daniel Newell, 22, Louisiana-Lafayette. Like Lasky, has some nice hitting chops too. In fact, he's a better hitter than Lasky, but unfortunately has an iron glove. Not sure where he'll end up, but I'm betting that not having any top-end pitches is going to put him in the field somewhere. Far enough along to start in A or AA.

Best of the rest: Terry Howard (7th round), 1B with decent potential across the board; RP Nate Carroll (9th), whether or not he develops any control will the test; Blake Cherry (15th), 1B much like Howard, above, but with less power. Beyond these few, there's not much. Despite going for a number of high-intangible players, most have ceilings so low that even with boosts they'll likely never get beyond, say, AA.

......

MLB has our system ranked 20th, up from last year's 35th place. Still no superstarts-in-the-making, but plenty of solid future contributors. Three players are ranked in the top 100, and eleven more in the top 200. Like I said, lots of depth.

SS J.J. Simmons, 22: MLB 36 G, .379/.409/.514. Started the season on the DL, and moved into the lineup with Stoneback's and Groff's injuries. Has no power and still needs to develop his eye, but already looks like a solid contact hitter, with speed and a great glove. Also has 17 doubles already, and is on course for a 5 WAR season. Is definitely forcing his way into the lineup full-time. 4th round pick in 2041.

3B Dante Padilla, 20: A ball, 14 G, .115/.193/.135. Sent back for more seasoning to short A ball this week, but still looks to have a bright future. Nice power, decent contact, is above or slightly above average everywhere. His only drawback is a bad glove, but has range and arm enough to still get a look at third. Scouting discovery in 2041 from Mexico.

P Alex Paredes, 16: no stats, international complex. A recent find who's come out of nowhere to be a top prospect. Potential has him as a mid-range starting pitcher, but (so far) with little mustard on his pitches. Took a bit of a hit with the latest scouting report on June 1, but I'm hopeful that he'll rebound, especially as he's got intangibles to burn. Still just 16, so quite the wildcard. Scouting discovery from last December.

P Rick Ramirez, 24: MLB 4 GP, 8.2 IP, 14 K, 4.15 ERA. Still looks like my closer of the future, with big-time stuff. Control finally developed to make him a shoo-in for the big-league pen. Still has a bit of room to grow, and hasn't dominated in his brief stints in the bigs. 1st round pick in 2041.

P Jayden Grant, 21: A ball, 6 GP, 30 IP, 26 K, 4.50 ERA. Also made four terrible starts in AA. Better movement and control than stuff, and hasn't developed his third pitch yet. Works hard, keeps the ball down, and is still just 21, so nothing to worry about yet. But hasn't developed any over the past year. Trade with Richmond in 2042.

P Taylor Barnett, 25: AAA 1 GP, 0.2 IP. Only beginning his rehab stint, after 11 months on the injured list. Patino tells me he's got the best rating of all our pitching prospects, and if he can just stay healthy he could still make it to our rotation. He's a lefty with five tasty pitches, so my fingers are crossed that he'll still pay off. 1st round pick in 2039.

Others to watch: 2B/SS Edward Ospina, 1B Eric Griffin, 1B Chris Sanborn, RP Ben Willard, OF Dillon Ritter, SP Sergio Gil, 2B Jorge Canales, OF Glenn Heath.

......

We're doling out $138.6M in salaries this year, on a $160M budget. Next year, we're already slated to spend $156.2M on salaries, with very little increase in the overall budget. Most of the jump is due to Groff's $6.5M bump, and Messinger's $4.3M arbitration estimate raise. Two players--Josh Robertson and John Cannon--have player options coming up this fall. If they choose not to exercise them, we'll be off the hook for $23.4M, but we'll have two large holes in the lineup. We'll also have to decide if we're keeping both Senichi Masuda (due $6M) and Justin Wright (all of his $3.6M is being paid by Toronto), with at least two other 1B/DH prospects coming up from the farm. I'm guessing we won't keep them both. And finally, there's SP Eric Jones, 27, making $9.3M this year and next. He's having a bit of a rebound year but paying out more than 9 million for a 2 WAR player is not a good investment.

Bub13 · 09-02-2018, 06:32 PM

June 17-19 @ ST LOUIS
Home of Ex-Isles Who Still Got It. Namely, 1B Jeremy Dunklee (.300/12/38 and 1st in NL all-star voting) and SP Ken Clark (still on MY payroll through 2047, dangit). Oh, and there's former AL MVP Alexis Mercedes, hitting in the .240s with 10 HR, and clearly no longer MVP material, even if he's still useful. Anyway, these guys are 4th in offense and pitching, and sport a solid +42 run differential. Despite fans of Baseball The Right Way (TM), OF and Missouri native Steve Rutledge has not become the next Stan the Man (too many K, not enough BB and H), but still has a nice power stroke (41 HR per 162 G) and a decent-enough .261 career average. I kid here, but they DID put him on the opening montage of OOTP 46, ffs.

HAW pitchers: Eric Jones (4-5, 4.72) / Jonathan Murray (6-1, 3.41) / Ryuma Sato (7-2, 2.93)
STL pitchers: Ken Clark (6-2, 4.15) / D.C. Weltman (3-3, 4.31) / Tommy Dahlen (3-6, 3.63)

#68: WIN 4-2 ... hey, a solid game from Jones: 7 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 7 K...a 2-run HR from Rich, and J.Hart was a single away from hitting for the cycle
#69: WIN 6-5 ... the big guns--Wright, Cannon, and Groff--all hit HR, and Simmons raps out 3 more hits...Murray gets the annual hit for an Isles pitcher
#70: LOSS 5-6 ... rarity for us this year: extra innings loss...without a bases clearing double from Little in the 9th, this would've been over earlier anyway

Tough loss in that last game: Sato threw poorly, but the bullpen combined for six scoreless innings until a walk-off HR ended it. Wright got hurt too: diagnosis pending. Gulp.... We're now 50-20, the first to reach the demi-(semi? hemi?)century mark.... Hart came close to hitting for the cycle, and would have been the first Islander to do it. We've been cycled three times by others: Brendan Glenn (PIT), Callum Hewitt (TEX), and David Holpp (BOS). John Cannon did it once playing for Austin, but that doesn't count. Glenn and retired journeyman IF Ernesto Valdes are the only players with two career cycles.... ELSEWHERE: Austin pitcher Pat Teer tied the (this dynasty) NL record for strikeouts by fanning 17 Yankees. He also went 3-for-4 with an RBI. Stephen Strasburg (who else) fanned 17 for Cincy back in 2027, and current Dodgers stud Jackson Suttie equaled that in '41. No one has whiffed 20, but HoF great Jon Talley killed 19 for Tampa Bay in '26, and Dave Gonzalez (now also with the Dodgers) did it for Cleveland in '38.

June 20-22 vs CHICAGO CUBS
The Cubbies! are another largely-faceless part of a down year for the NL Central: they're in third place, but at 33-38 aren't exactly wowing anyone. Sixth in offense despite being 13th in AVG and 11th in OBP and HR. That's more than offset by league-worst pitching and and next-to-last place defense. I'm not sure what to make of this team, as a quick glance of their individual stats doesn't look half bad. They did get off to a terrible start, 9-16 in April, and have been 2 games over .500 since. Still, a -71 run differential doesn't exactly point to a lot of good happening here. They do feature the 5th best prospect system in baseball, but that's skewed somewhat by the bizarrely high rating for a 26-year-old non-prospect 1B named Marcos Ramos (currently not producing in A ball), who has somehow conned MLB's scouts into making him the #2 overall prospect in baseball.

HAW pitchers: Rob Hart (4-5, 4.44) / Mike Messinger (9-1, 2.40) / Eric Jones (5-5, 4.55)
CHC pitchers: Aaron Maloy (2-1, 3.68) / John Baldwin (6-6, 3.25) / Danny Zarate (6-5, 3.68)

#71: WIN 5-2 ... Klump fills in for Wright and hits a HR, and Simmons adds 3 hits...Hart tosses a 10-K complete game, gives up just 1 HR with the wind blowing out too
#72: LOSS 3-5 ... Baldwin dominates until we pop a couple of HR in the 9th, too little too late...rare rough start for Messinger (5 IP)...lineup is patchwork right now
#73: rained out and rescheduled for 7/7, a few days before the All-Star break

Disappointing loss in the second game, but Baldwin has been their best pitcher this season.... Wright's diagnosis is an intercostal strain, and he's out for 1-2 weeks. OF Dave White gets the call-up. The lineup looks a bit patchy right now, with four backups in starting roles, and juggling back and forth to try to take advantage of some glaring platoon shifts.... All four injured players should be back before the Break, so hopefully we'll get to have some games with a fully healthy squad. We've been winning, but you know how it is: you always expect things to go completely pear-shaped at any moment, so I'll still exercise my perogative to fret and complain.... ELSEWHERE: Just 8 games separates top from bottom in the AL East, with the Yankees losing 7 of 10 to drop from first to fourth in the division. Ten games is the difference in the NL East, with three teams--Brooklyn, Philly, and NY--having top ten records across all of baseball. No surprise tho that the perenially awful Nationals are in last.... Atlanta OF John Arrington is following up his should-have-been-ROY campaign (.327/23/79) with a .381/13/49 start to this year. The 25-year-old is leading the youth movement for the Braves: 6 of 8 regulars are under 27, and only old man Jared Grose (41) and not-so-old Brad Phipps (29) are close to earning their AARP cards.

June 23-26 vs SEATTLE
Back to divisional play, with the solid-looking Mariners coming to town. First (!) in runs scored, but just 10th in pitching, and a solid +52 run differential. RF Mike Wapner (.333/21/57) and 2B Alex Cruz (.374/20/42) are the usual studs, and former 1st rounder Steve "Mahi" Maki--who does look like a fish btw--has been their best pitcher. So of course we'll face him, yes? They're 10 games behind us in the standings, and I'd like to keep it that way, m'kay?

HAW pitchers: Jonathan Murray (6-1, 3.55) / Ryuma Sato (7-2, 3.21) / Eric Jones (5-5, 4.55) / Rob Hart (5-5, 4.22)
SEA pitchers: Leo Zamorano (3-5, 6.00) / Greg Sowa (3-2, 7.23) / Sean Easter (9-2, 3.82) / Rob Sczesny (5-7, 5.68)

#73: WIN 5-4 ... adversity is overcome thanks to Hart's 10th-inning walk-off HR...Cannon plates three with a HR and a sac fly, and the pen tosses four scoreless innings
#74: WIN 4-2 ... Sato delivers six good innings, but it's Little's 2-run shot in the 8th that wins it...Dan Brown is now 6-0 in relief
#75: WIN 12-6 ... Cannon and Groff needed only triples to reach the cycle, but Cannon does GRAND SLAM in the 2nd...two Isles get plunked, bad blood simmers
#76: LOSS 0-9 ... oof...Wapner cranks 2, and we manage just 3 hits...Hart gives up 4 R in 5 IP, but does fan 10

Ugly loss notwithstanding, this was a solid series. Three wins pushes Seattle to 11.5 games behind us, with Oakland 13 out, Houston 14.... Robertson and Stoneback come off the DL. Robby will go back into the lineup, Stoney will get a rehab stint to shake off the rust and try to get his swing back in order.... Hotshot prospect 3B Dante Padilla is having a rough go of things in his first pro season: injuries had me send him to A ball Eureka for a couple of weeks, where he hit just .115. Now he's in Short A and tearing it up to the tune of .069.... ELSEWHERE: Humble Mets pitcher Mike "Humble Mike" Garfield tossed a 3-hit, 12-K shutout over the Nats and then offered that he didn't have his best stuff and was just lucky and humble and proud to be here. "F**k that guy," replied Nats catcher Kevin Haines. All true.... Oakland's Vinny "VINNYYYYYY" Vargas is having his usual hot year (.352/36/65, 1st in OPS, 3rd in WAR) and is the leading vote-getter in AL all-star voting.... KC (28 wins), and LAA (29) are the last two teams without 30 wins on the season. I'm surprised that fourth-year KC manager and red-ass Dom "Argh I Hate You All" Duggan is still around.

June 28-30 @ TEXAS
After a 5-24 May, and a 1-8 start to June, they're 10-5 over the last couple of weeks. The team is still unhappy, but new manager T.J. Chism seems to have righted the ship somewhat. The hitting is there (7th), but pitching is not: dead last overall, with the worst rotation ERA in the game. 2B Gabriel Gallegos is having his usual .330 season, and the Callum Hewitt/Corey Turner/Omar Ramirez middle-of-the-order triumvirate is a nice power combo. There are still a lot of holes, however, and having four regulars on the DL hasn't helped.

HAW pitchers: Mike Messinger (9-2, 2.63) / Jonathan Murray (6-1, 3.63) / Ryuma Sato (7-2, 3.20)
TEX pitchers: John Fox (8-4, 3.43) / Emmett Hayden (5-6, 6.89) / Mark Metz (3-9, 9.52)

#77: WIN 8-0 ... 14 H, 3 HR, and a 9K outing from Messinger tell the tale...why Mess was pulled after 8 with a 9-0 lead I'll never know
#78: WIN 8-4 ... Groff smacks a 3-run shot, but Klump is the player of the night, going 2-for-4 with a HR and 2 RBI...5 K in 3 IP for Dan Brown
#79: WIN 8-6 ... an early 7-0 lead becomes a bit nail-bitey late...2 HR for Cannon, with 5 RBI and another GRAND SLAM...2 more H and RBI for Groff

Boom. Back to last place for you, Texas.... Messinger reaches 10 wins, still tied for 2nd in baseball.... Masuda and Wright come off the DL during the next series, so some roster decisions will be forthcoming.... ELSEWHERE: Three players have reached 5 WAR: RIC P Rafael Maldonado (5.4), Seattle OF Mike Wapner (5.1), Hawaii P Mike Messinger (5.0).... Cleveland has 47 wins, and four teams have 46: Brooklyn, NY Mets, St Louis, and San Diego.... Cubs pitcher Tim Shellhammer is getting both shelled and hammered: 14 starts, 76 IP, 99 H, 30 HR, and an 8.88 ERA. At the opposite end of the dinger spectrum is the Dodgers' Gabe Delfin, offering up just 3 HR over 104 IP (our own Messinger has given up 4 in 110 IP).... Austin's Phil Imel wins his 2nd rookie of the month nod, and also gets the player of the month award. He's hitting. 369/23/72 on the season.

......

TL;DR Version: 9-3 over this stretch, and a 19-8 month. Our 57-22 record has to be unsustainable; but even if we go just 42-41 over our last 83 games, we'll finish with 99 wins. We're now in 2nd in offense, but only by one run to Seattle, with three fewer games played. July will bring 26 games, 14 at home. We play three series against East teams, three against Central squads, and finish up with eight games against the A's and Astros. And finally, closer YT Yaung is named June pitcher of the month, with 14 appearances, a 4-0 record, and 8 saves. He gave up just one run over 14.1 innings of work.

Bub13 · 09-06-2018, 07:55 PM

Historical Interlude to Remember Some Guys
Time was when getting to 3000 strikeouts (clarify: as a pitcher!) was a sure sign of greatness. Much like a batter reaching 3000 hits, it signaled a consistent level of high play over a prolonged period of time. Now, however, with this era's all-or-nothing fixation, it means much, much less than it used to. The signaled longevity is still there, but the mark of an all-time talent? Not quite.

As of this writing, there are 26 pitchers with 3000+ career strikeouts. Ten of these players had careers that fell completely or substantially within the framework of this dynasty (begun in 2014). And five of those--Stephen Strasburg, Justin Verlander, Clayton Kershaw, Felix Hernandez, and Zack Wheeler--had careers that started before 2014, even if the majority of their innings pitched fell after that date. So, in sum: 16 (of the 26 in question) predate 2014, 5 straddle that date, and 5 had careers begin after that date. Of those 16 "early" pitchers, every one is in the Hall of Fame. (Yes, Clemens got in. Schilling too, although his bust has a clown nose on it.) Of the five "straddlers" listed above, only the last two--Hernandez and Wheeler--aren't in. And of the 5 "post-2014" pitchers, two are in the Hall: Cobi Johnson (255 wins, 78 WAR, didn't miss a start over 15 consecutive seasons), and Andy Wilson (ace of my great Richmond teams in the '10s and '20s). So let's talk about the guys who aren't in, and why they may never be...

First is Orlando Ramos. Ramos is 5th all-time, with 4278 strikeouts. That's a tremenous number. He led the league in Ks seven times, and in K/9 ten times. But if you take away the strikeouts, what else do you have? Over 500 career starts, and only 52 WAR, one of the lowest among the 26 pitchers on the all-time K list. A Cy Young trophy (2022 AL), but only one other appearance in the voting. 197 wins, yes, but playing for very good teams that won a lot of games. Just two seasons with a WAR over 5, and never over 6. An excellent pitcher, to be sure, but a one-note player who, frankly, was never truly regarded as an ace. Is he Hall worthy? The Hall doesn't seem to think so.

Next we go way down the list to #22, where we find Felix Hernandez, the Mariners great. To me, he has a much more compelling Hall argument than anyone else here: 77 WAR, 210 wins in a pitching-wins-scarce world, 16 out of 17 complete seasons with an ERA+ over 100, and a consistently low ERA in a high-run enviroment. That he rarely appeared atop any leaderboards (one BABIP win, one WHIP, one IP) in no way impedes his greatness. He just wasn't a flashy, high-K pitcher, in a time when pitchers are largely judged by strikeouts. Assessing careers like this is kind of what I'm looking at now. I'd compare him to Tom Glavine and Rick Reuschel--one in the Hall, one not--as the kind of pitcher who just got guys out. Hall worthy? Gotta be a Veteran's Committee nod one day.

At #24 we have Zach Setaro, the only active pitcher on this list. (Barely, tho: he's in AAA, and only just hanging on there.) A solid pitcher with a largely unremarkable career (no trophies or championships), he is here really because of a nice run of 12 healthy seasons where he put up numbers a shade or two below Hernandez' marks, and usually on mediocre to poor teams. Like Felix, he kept his hits and walks low, but gave up a lot more home runs. I'd call him a poor man's Jim Kaat, only with the inflated K totals of this era. Kaat, however, is in the Hall; Setaro won't be.

Tied for 25th are Garrett Gooden and Zach Wheeler. Gooden accumulated a decent bit of WAR, 67.1 worth, and appeared in 7 all-star games. He fanned 3029 and won 200 games. He could have won a couple of Cy Youngs (2027 with SF, and 7.2 WAR; 2030 with KC, 20-5 and a 2.77 ERA), but didn't. Wheeler is similar: 206 wins and 57 WAR, two very nice 6+ WAR seasons, with a lot of quality #2-type seasons. Neither ever had a dominant season, and neither was ever considered the ace of their respecive staffs. Very nice careers, but ones that, in the words of Bill James, built up a lot of "hanging around" stats by, well, hanging around for nearly 20 years. Not Hall candidates.

Finally, are there any active pitchers who could reach 3000 K and either add to or counter the recent narrative of high-K pitchers not reaching the Hall? Erik Presley has 2767, but is 37, injured, and clearly in the decline phase of his career. He may have another year or two, but is probably done. His career looks much like Gooden's and Wheeler's: good, not great.

Next is Drew Falconbury, who is a much more interesting case. At 37, the end is near, and he's currently mopping up in the bullpen for the suddenly-awful Zephyrs. Injuries took away nearly three full starting seasons during his prime, but he's still accumulated some nice stats: 193 wins (against just 96 losses), a 2.76 career ERA, and 78 WAR. He was a dominant pitcher for several years, and has two Cy Youngs on his mantel, and nine all-star appearances. I think he's a Hall candidate, even without the juicier career stats that an injury-free career would have piled up.

Bailey McFarland, currently with the Giants, is probably the example par excellence of the modern pitcher. A career 106-152 record, 12.6 career WAR, but 2501 strikeouts, and still going strong even at age 36. Just your routine, journeyman pitcher. I hope he reaches 3000 K, just to spite us all.

No one else is close, although two pitchers, Eddy Llamas (32 with 2407 K) and Gabe Delfin (33 with 2366), have outside shots, and may even be Hall worthy, if they can manage 5 or so more solid, healthy seasons. Stay tuned...

......

Now, back to your regularly scheduled Dynasty...

It's July 1, and you know what that means: INTERNATIONAL AMATEUR FREE AGENTS ARE HERE! Prices for these guys are going up, up, up, and yet the spending ceiling hasn't advanced past $4M. There are 35 guys available this year, and all but 10 of them have initial asks north of $1M. The highest is Dominican OF Ed Aguilar, a LHB who wants $6M. Is he worth it? He has high contact, good gap and HR power, some speed and some OF range. But he's selfish and lazy, doesn't seem to like walks, and has a tin glove. So, no, he's not worth it.

Having played it pretty safe and quiet in recent years, I've decided to open up the purse this year and make offers to two of the higher-priced guys. First is Brazilian pitcher Olimpio Le Coq. Even if he wasn't talented, there is no way in hell I can resist that name. The 6'3" RHP has an elite curve/change combo, a plus fastball, and a forkball that could develop. Excellent stuff, good stamina and hold, and a hard worker. What's not to like? He wants $4.4M to start, and that will definitely go up. But he's mine, make no mistake.

The next is Dominican 1B Tony Nieto. Another big (6'3") guy, a hard worker, good in the clubhouse. My scouts are a little higher on him than are the MLB scouts (the reverse is the case for Le Coq), but what my guys say is all good: quality contact and gap, won't strike out much, and power to burn. So what if he can't run and can't field; that's what the DH is for, right? If he comes close to hitting his power ceiling, he'll be completely worth it. We start him at $3.6M.

That's a combined $8M to start. Which is already so far over the ceiling that I might as well try to sign everyone, right? Well...no. I'm not saying I won't try to nab someone else as well, but we'll see how high the bidding gets for these two, and let the initial wave of other big money signings pass before seeing if there's anyone under the radar we can scoop up later in the process.

But for now, place your orders for your very own "Le Coq" jersey now.

Bub13 · 09-08-2018, 02:12 PM

We now resume regular programming.

July 1-3 vs BOSTON
Boston! Second in the East at 41-38, and yet they're unhappy, as always. Three players like manager Kris Harvey; the rest do not. Most of the unhappy players are also mad at backup IF Erik Moretti, called "disruptive and outspoken." Of course Moretti is one of the happy few in the clubhouse. On the field, they're 4th in runs (but 10th in AVG) and just 16th in pitching (a sorry rotation but a solid bullpen). The defense is league worst. Still, they hit HR and steal bases and their stars are delivering. So who cares if they're just as pissy and clique-ridden as all those other Sox teams in history, right? Oh, and 3B Chris Beyer brings a 26-game hitting streak into the series.

HAW pitchers: Eric Jones (6-5, 4.65) / Rob Hart (5-6, 4.36) / Mike Messinger (10-2, 2.44)
BOS pitchers: Joe Koval (3-3, 4.52) / Fernando Alameda (4-6, 6.39) / Robby Liantonio (8-4, 3.90)

#80: LOSS 6-7 ... Jones struggles through 6, but it's Yaung yielding 2 solo HR in the 9th that dooms us...3 hits for Robertson in his return to the lineup
#81: WIN 10-6 ... 4 H and a HR for Groff, 2 H each for six others...Wright and Masuda back in the lineup...10 K over 6.1 for Hart
#82: WIN 3-2 ... pitcher's duel, with Boston only scoring in the 9th, and Robertson ending it with a HR in the 10th...10 hits combined, and 14 K for Messinger

Who wouldn't love winning 2 out of 3 from here on out? Pitching looked a little leaky this series, outside of Messinger's ace performance in game three.... Masuda and Wright came off the DL and went right into the lineup. Roberto Mendez (.222/0/3, 18 AB) and Jonathan Klump (.263/7/17, 99 AB) went back to Santa Barbara. Klump will be back for good sooner than later. Also, Taylor Barnett's rehab stint ended, so I called him up and sent down struggling RP Jose Esquivel. Might as well get another pitcher or two some innings this summer, so we have bodies available for the playoffs should injuries strike.... We're rolling in 1B prospects now, as Patino brings home a hot little number from Panama: Roberto Navarette, who, if he hits his currently projected highs, will hit .300 and 35 HR every year. That's a long, long way off tho.... ELSEWHERE: Beyer's hit streak is now 29 games, longest this season.... Austin catcher Juan Jimenez and Boston C Lance Powell each hit their 300th career HR last series; there are now 27 active players with 300 HR, and three over 400. Cleveland 1B Nate Rogers leads all active players with 482, putting him 37th all-time.... The Cubs are 17 wins away from 13000, and would become the second team to reach that mark, after the Giants.

July 4-6 vs TORONTO
Currently last in the East at 36-45, but still just 6.5 behind first place Miami. Next-to-last in offense, but fourth in pitching, with a decent rotation but struggling bullpen. Their closer is Original Islander (TM) Raleigh Vance, although with a 5.73 ERA and 1.67 WHIP, he's not exactly a house afire right now.

HAW pitchers: Malik Chaney (debut) / Ryuma Sato (7-2, 3.33) / Eric Jones (6-5, 4.82)
TOR pitchers: Luke Weaver (3-5, 4.74) / Daniel Becker (8-2, 3.12) / Ricky Lovato (4-6, 5.12)

#83: LOSS 3-4 ... Chaney called up due to dtd injury to Murray, but gets hurt himself...we outhit them 12-9 but strand way too many guys all game long
#84: WIN 5-4 ... the big three all homer, giving them all 20+ on the season...it's Wright's 2-run shot in the 8th that makes the difference
#85: LOSS 3-4 ... a triple in the 10th loses the game...HR for Groff, but only six other hits for us

First bad series in a while, mostly due to light hitting and a cranky bullpen.... Murray gets the flu and is out for several days, and Sato wasn't ready to go on short rest, so Malik Chaney made his 2044 debut in game one: he lasted 2 outs and 3 earned runs before leaving with a strained hamstring. He'll be back in September, but until then will have to live with a 54.00 ERA. And with the pen leaking oil all over the place, when Chaney goes down, RP Danny Fernandez gets the call, and will make his MLB debut at some point soon. Taylor Barnett also heads back to AAA to work off more rust.... ELSEWHERE: Cleveland and St Louis become the 2nd and 3rd teams to reach 50 wins this season. With us, these three teams are the only division leaders with larger than 2 game leads.... Cleveland pitcher Zach Gioeli is still having a terrific year: 13-1 and a 2.54 ERA.

July 7 vs CHICAGO CUBS
Make-up game of a rainout from last month. We hit the road to New York after this game, then it's All-Star break time.

HAW pitcher: Rob Hart (6-6, 4.35)
CHC pitcher: John Baldwin (9-6, 2.97)

#86: LOSS 0-7 ... yuck

Our first rough stretch of the year, as Cubs pitcher Baldwin beats us up again.... Moving on.

July 8-10 @ NY YANKEES
Just 40-45, but only 4 games out of first. Hitting has struggled, only 14th in runs, but 9th in home runs. Pitching is a little better, at 9th, making for a -14 run differential. Slugger Tony Flores has 19 HR, on pace for 36, which would be his lowest total by far in his four years as a Yank. OF Daizo Yonamine is healthy for now, but has already had six dtd injuries this season, missing 23 games.

HAW pitchers: Mike Messinger (10-2, 2.34) / Jonathan Murray (7-1, 3.73) / Ryuma Sato (7-2, 3.24)
NYY pitchers: Michael Bartlow (6-3, 3.64) / Adrian Hammerbeck (2-5, 5.21) / Jimmy Porreca (8-5, 4.49)

#87: WIN 7-1 ... a 5-run 1st, thanks to HR by Hart and Cannon...4-hit complete game for Messinger...4-for-4 night for Hart, 3 RBI
#88: WIN 12-6 ... 16 hits, and everyone contributes...3 more HR, and 3 RBI for Cannon, 2 for Groff...both over 60 on the year now
#89: LOSS 2-8 ... rough outing for Sato, giving up 3 HR...3 hits for Rich, 2 for Robertson...Yanks OF Yonamine hurt again

Two out of three puts us back at .500 for the month.... Dare I say it--we're completely healthy. And Stoneback will finish his rehab stint soon, so another roster move will need to be made, and then some roster decisions. Stoneback is too good to sit, really, but Simmons is hitting .357 at short, Groff is a fixture at third, and Wright has 22 HR at DH..... ELSEWHERE: Yanks have now dropped 8 of 10, and are 10 games under .500 since being tied for the division lead in early June.... Detroit's C.J. Lee is the first to reach 30 HR, the 7th straight year he's reached that mark.... Boston's Chris Beyer had his hit streak ended at 31 games.... Hawaii's 12.5 game division lead is the game's largest. St Louis has an 8-game advantage over the Cubs, and Cleveland is four up on the Twins.

......

TL;DR Version: A 5-5 start to the month: not so great, but could be worse. You just can't maintain a .700 winning percentage over a full season, but I'm not worried. Not yet. We still have a big lead, we're healthy, and not playing poorly by any stretch. Let's get through the month and see where we sit. With the trade deadline now just two weeks off, I'll keep an eye on who's available, but right now my thinking is to go with what we have. If we do suffer any major injuries, let them happen in the next two weeks, rather than on August 1.

Bub13 · 09-10-2018, 11:01 AM

July 15-17 vs CHICAGO WHITE SOX
The Sox are 45-44, 6.5 games behind Cleveland, and would be right in the race if not for a subpar June. Having a good year at the plate--5th in runs, 3rd in AVG, but bottom five in pitching. RF Justin Haynes (.346/10/55) is having a strong year, as is the idiotically overpaid C Dan Starr ($1B, .303/21/73). Injuries have bitten hard: three outfielders, including two probable starters, and two pitchers, including two definite starters, are done long-term; three are out for the year.

HAW pitchers: Mike Messinger (11-2, 2.25) / Rob Hart (6-7, 4.55) / Jonathan Murray (8-1, 4.00)
CHW pitchers: Mike Head (8-7, 4.09) / Alex Arrieta (4-10, 8.17) / Bryan Crider (2-3, 5.37)

#90: WIN 5-4 ... HR and 3 RBI for Rich, sparking a 3-run 4th when down 4-1...then his RBI single wins it in the 8th...Yaung Ks the side in the 9th for his 22nd save
#91: WIN 9-3 ... a 4-hit night for Robertson, 2 HR (and 4 RBI) for Groff, and 3 2B for Masuda...3 H over 7 IP for Hart, plus 8 K
#92: LOSS 1-7 ... rough outing for Murray, giving up all the runs...3 hits for Simmons is our only high point

Murray's up-and-down season is trending downward atm, hopefully not for long.... Stoneback comes off his rehab stint, where he hit .397. Hopefully he can get back on track; for now, I'm not making him a regular, but he'll get a couple of starts a week until we see if his bat is truly back. Simmons doesn't have Stoney's power (0 HR in 263 AB), but he's hitting .361 and playing good defense. Can't take him out just now.... ELSEWHERE: A few trades over the last couple of days. Nothing earth-shattering, but one oddity: division-leading St Loo trades their #3 starter--Wes Lipinski, who at 35 is still pretty good--for a light-hitting 3B and a so-so prospect. I guess since the Cards' regular 3B is hitting .201, they want to upgrade to a guy hitting .240.... Oakland's on a 9-1 roll, now 11.5 games behind us. Stop this.... Still only six games separating first from last in the AL East. Tampa and Miami lead, while New York has slowly slid away after a strong April/early May.

July 18-20 @ KANSAS CITY
The Royals are alternating decent months with horrible ones: -19 in April and June, just -1 in May and July. Their 35-55 record is just points ahead of the miserable Angels for worst in the AL, and they're 17.5 games out of first. Dead last in batting--runs, AVG, OBP, HR, you name it. But 7th in pitching, with the 2nd best bullpen, for what that's worth. Seven players are injured, including four starting pitchers. Everyone's unhappy: players, manager, owner, batboys, peanut vendors, etc.

HAW pitchers: Ryuma Sato (7-3, 3.56) / Eric Jones (6-5, 4.75) / Mike Messinger (11-2, 2.44)
KCR pitchers: Danny Chavez (1-1, 3.38) / Jorge Ramirez (debut) / Eddy Llamas (5-10, 4.10)

#93: WIN 11-6 ... 4 HR out of 15 hits...2B, HR, 2 RBI for Robertson, 4 RBI for Masuda...Stoneback's first start: 0-for-4, 2 K
#94: WIN 5-0 ... no complaints tonight, as the first three batters get 3 hits apiece...but Jones, with a shutout, is removed with 2 outs in the 9th. ?
#95: WIN 5-1 ... 2 HR, 4 RBI for Masuda...5 H and 1 ER over 7 IP for Messinger

Solid sweep against a team we needed to dominate.... New Orleans offered us pitcher Joe Ingram for a couple of prospects. Ingram is 3/4 of a good pitcher: excellent stuff, great control, and the best changeup in the game. But he's a flyball pitcher with no movement. No thanks.... ELSEWHERE: Toronto has come out of nowhere, with an 8-game winning streak, to level at .500 and just three games out of first in the East. They can't hit a lick, and half the team is injured, but in that division everyone's got a chance.... Cleveland's Zach Gioeli is still red hot: 15-1 with a 2.45 ERA, but oddly is only tied for 6th in WAR.... 12.5 game lead for Hawaii, 9.5 for St Louis (over Cincinnati). Everyone else is close: 2 game leads in the AL East, NL East, and NL West, and a half game in the AL Central.

July 22-24 @ DETROIT
It's been a disappointing season for the Tigers, predicted to win 93 games by MLB, currently they're in fifth place at 44-49. Hitting has been okay, but not great: 9th in runs and 14th in AVG, but they still hit a lot of bombs (1st, with 169). Pitching has been the bugaboo, at 16th overall, and has combined with a league-worst defense. They've been pretty healthy, but just haven't put it all together this season. They do have two players already with 30 HR--CJ Lee and John Sheets--and two others with over 20.

HAW pitchers: Rob Hart (7-7, 4.51) / Jonathan Murray (8-2, 4.40) / Ryuma Sato (8-3, 3.74)
DET pitchers: T.J. Carroll (2-6, 4.81) / Alex Gomez (5-4, 3.97) / Jay Lamb (5-10, 6.21)

#96: LOSS 1-3 ... unexpected pitcher's duel, with just 7 hits combined...Hart walks six, tho, and two of those guys scored. Ballgame.
#97: LOSS 3-4 ... another low-hit game, all runs score via HR: two 2-run shots for Detroit are the difference...Murray leaves early with an injury, so this one's on the pen
#98: WIN 9-5 ... Groff nearly wins it himself with 2 HR and 4 RBI...poor game from Sato, better game from the pen, with Brown now 7-0

Disappointed with this one, as we've got a tough series against Oakland coming up, and I also don't want to see Detroit start to get on a roll.... First two injuries in a while: Murray's diagnosis is pending, which is worrisome; and Rob Rich bruises a knee and is dtd for 6 days. No DL for him, but he'll slide to the bench for a bit, and give Burgueno a chance to get a few starts in.... ELSEWHERE: Eleven wins in a row for the Blue Jays now, into a tie for second place.... Cincinnati has now traded for two low-contact high-power catchers in the past week. First it was getting pudgy Churros Chamorro (.243 with 8 HR in 103 AB) from Miami, and yesterday it was Jimmy Stang (.219/19/41) from Montreal. They'll take over from the .174-hitting Ronnie O'Keefe (sure, of course) and the .319-hitting Julio Rivera (wha...).... Richmond's Sergio Torres is the first NL batter to reach 30 HR. He's having an MVP-type season in his first NL campaign, for the 51-45 Eagles, who nevertheless find themselves 5th in the NL East.

July 25-27 @ OAKLAND
Having their usual solid season, and on pace for for their sixth 90-win season in the last eight. No overwhelmingly good stats, but they do everything well: 6th in offense, 8th in pitching, and a +46 run differential. Also as usual, the key to the whole thing has been superstar 1B Vinny Vargas: .351/33/82 already, vying for a triple crown (currently 3rd, 1st, and 3rd in the relevant categories), and second in WAR (5.8). I will be shocked if this is not a playoff team come October.

HAW pitchers: Eric Jones (7-5, 4.40) / Mike Messinger (12-2, 2.38) / Rob Hart (7-8, 4.46)
OAK pitchers: Brent Stofferan (3-1, 3.89) / Mike Wiater (11-5, 3.29) / Francisco Pantaleon (11-6, 3.84)

#99: WIN 3-1 ... Wright's 3-run 8th inning blast makes the difference...solid 8 IP for Jones, 7 K, 1 BB, 1 ER
#100: LOSS 5-9 ... rare rough start for Mess, leaving after 4.1...2-run HR for Cannon is our only highlight...4 HR for the bad guys
#101: LOSS 1-3 ... we outhit them 8 to 6, but whatever

Forgettable series, dropping two games and getting the diagnosis on Murray: radial nerve compression, done for the year. See you in camp, Jonathan.... With that, I call up the frequently-rebuilt left elbow of one-time first round pick Taylor Barnett. I'll look around at the trade block as well, but I'm leaning away from making any deals unless I can steal someone.... ELSEWHERE: And now it's FOURTEEN games in a row for Toronto, and they're one in back of Tampa Bay. Sure, it's still early(ish), but this is quite a turnaround for the Jays, and they're right in the thick of things now.... I talk up Cleveland Zach Gioeli and he goes and drops two straight decisions, and the Indians are 1-9 in their last ten.... No trades this past series, but I expect that will pick up these next few days.

July 28-31 vs HOUSTON
Normally 54-48 would earn only mild kudos. However, when you're the usually terrible Astros, 6 games over .500 in late July is a cause for rejoicing. Could things be turning around? Maybe? Pitching has been the team strength, 2nd in the AL; team defense is 2nd as well. Hitting, well...16th in runs, despite the 10th best AVG. They should be better, on paper at least. And they're young: only replacement-level 2B Danny Argueta has hit age 30. The test will come in the off-season, when long-time ace Jay Russo becomes a free agent. Will they re-sign him?

HAW pitchers: Taylor Barnett (debut) / Ryuma Sato (8-3, 3.91) / Eric Jones (8-5, 4.18) / Mike Messinger (12-3, 2.74)
HOU pitchers: Jason Ray (5-8, 5.07) / Jay Russo (8-5, 3.88) / Tony Arballo (8-8, 4.56) / Alejandro Gonzales (8-5, 2.90)

#102: WIN 6-2 ... a 4-1 advantage in HR was tonight's difference: Robertson reached double figures, and Wright hit 2...solid 8 IP debut for Barnett: 3 H, 1 R/ER, 5 K, 4 BB
#103: LOSS 2-4 ... Sato gives up just 3 hits (and 4 BB) but is left in too long and pays for it in the 8th...more terrible pitcher management from the coaches
#104: WIN 7-4 ... back-and-forth game goes into the 10th, when Masuda whacks a 3-run blast that ends it...good start by Jones, and 2 strong inning from Yaung
#105: WIN 5-4 ... Mess is the 2nd star with 10 K through 7, but again it's Masuda with the GW, this time a single in the 9th after the pen nearly lost it in the 8th

I'll take it, even though it wasn't pretty. The offense is sputtering just a bit right now, despite some good overall numbers. Probably just reverting to the mean, but we can't take our foot off the gas.... Barnett sparkled in his debut, but I can't help feeling a little shorthanded on the mound right now. There's depth on the farm, however, should we lose a second starter: untested depth, but on paper it looks pretty decent. I'm mulling a couple of pitchers on struggling teams atm, but they may, in the end, just want more than I'm willing to pay for a rental.... ELSEWHERE: Toronto has come back to earth, dropping 3 out of 4, but is still hanging on in second place.... The Mets have gone cold--8 straight losses--and have dropped out of the division lead for the first time since April.... The Dodgers, sitting at 54-51 and a game out of first, have the biggest payroll in MLB, by far, at nearly $250M. Their bullpen alone is costing them $33M, and currently sits 18th--dead last in the NL--in ERA. Two of those salaries are out for the year, and one is earning $4M in AAA. SUCKERS.

......

TL;DR Version: 10-6 to round out July, and 15-11 overall for the month. The offense has dipped a bit, to 3rd in runs, while still leading all the slash numbers. Pitching is still cranking along, first in starter's and bullpen ERA, but it'll be interesting to see how we weather losing #3 starter Murray for the season. News flash: I decided against making a trade for a starting pitcher. Chicago dangled #2 Scott Kopetsky, while Washington was willing to discuss their #2, Miguel Moreno. Both are lefties, and both are over-30 vets who haven't yet lost a step and are going free agent this fall. But the asking prices were just too much. Since I'm not willing to part with any offense when we're (generally) hitting this well, and I (obviously) am not looking to trade any pitching, there was no satisfactory combination of prospects that satisfied my short-term wants versus possible long-term pain. So Barnett's fragile elbow gets the nod for now.

Oh, and I forgot to mention: the Olimpio Le Coq era BEGINS! When was the last time someone was this excited about an 18-year-old Brazilian? You know what: don't answer that. And we also signed afterthought 1B Tony Nieto, meaning right now we can probably field an entire batting order of high-potential 1B/DH types. And Patino snuck off to Europe for an early Oktoberfest and still managed to bring home another talent: this time German catcher Hänsel Keller. [insert your own joke here]

Bub13 · 09-13-2018, 07:09 PM

August 1-4 @ LA ANGELS
If we could forget May and June, the Angels would be a game over .500. Problem is, they were 18 under those other two months. Neither hitting (17th) or pitching (15th) has been anything worth discussing. SS Juan Rodriquez (.346/26/83) is still outstanding, and 3B Tony Mendoza (.284/22/67) pretty good. After that...le déluge.

HAW pitchers: Rob Hart (7-9, 4.43) / Taylor Barnett (1-0, 2.25) / Ryuma Sato (8-4, 3.96) / Eric Jones (8-5, 4.13)
LAA pitchers: Leonardo Vigil (2-3, 4.13) / Khalil Smith (9-6, 5.96) / Alex Diaz (5-0, 3.03) / Joe Payne (3-3, 5.98)

#106: WIN 7-2 ... 5-hitter for Hart, but he did walk 4...four hits, two doubles, for Robertson
#107: WIN 6-2 ... another solid outing for Barnett: 7 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 6 K...we score all our runs from the 7th on, thanks to 3 doubles and 2 HR...1000 FRANCHISE WINS!
#108: LOSS 10-11 ... cruising along with an 8-1 lead until we surrender 8 in the 7th...every starter gets a hit, so there's that at least
#109: WIN 2-0 ... Jones rolls again, this time with an 8-hit complete game...Masuda's 2-run double in the 6th plate the only runs of the game

Nearly a sweep, oh well. And we earn our 1000th win as a franchise, so that's fun.... Barnett looks good in his second start; fingers still crossed.... Stoneback still isn't hitting, and he gets hurt again in that 4th game, diagnosis pending. RP Dan Brown also tweaks his back, and is sitting for a week.... ELSEWHERE: That STL/AUS trade I made fun of last month is paying off for both teams. St Louis is 12-4--and has stretched their lead over Cincy to 15 games--with new 3B Andrew Crisp in the lineup, and he's hitting .300/3/18 in 60 AB. Meanwhile, Austin hasn't been quite that good, but starter Wes Lipinski has won all four of his outings, tossing 32 innings with a 2.25 ERA. They're a half game out of first, just behind the Padres.... Baltimore's Cesar Alvarenga is the first to reach 100 RBI. At .353/31/101, he's also leading the AL in batting. He's had 120 and 128 RBI the last two seasons, and is signed to a huge contract, making $36M per through 2049.

August 5-7 @ MINNESOTA
It's a battle of division leaders as we head to the Twin Cities to take on the Twins. At 58-50, they're deadlocked with the Indians, and both are ahead of the White Sox by three games. Good hitting--7th--and so-so pitching--13th--combine for a tiny +3 run differential. The rotation ERA is 16th, and not a one of them has a number below 5.30. Top starter Erik Presley, signed away from New Orleans this winter, is done for the year, and two 3B are out for another month.

HAW pitchers: Mike Messinger (12-3, 2.74) / Rob Hart (8-9, 4.28) / Taylor Barnett (2-0, 2.40)
MIN pitchers: Chris McMichael (5-5, 5.72) / Andy Goeser (7-5, 5.53) / Paul Cole (8-8, 5.56)

#110: WIN 8-3 ... we rally with 5 in the 7th, led by a rare HR for Gooding this year, just his 2nd...3 H, 3 RBI for Cannon...Mess hurt, will miss his next start
#111: WIN 12-3 ... 4 H and RBI for Robertson, who then gets hurt...30th HR for Cannon...3 H for Simmons, now batting .351
#112: WIN 9-2 ... third straight quality start for Barnett, going another 7 IP...12 hits, including 5 doubles and 2 HR

Did not see this one coming. Offense is back in first overall, and even team defense is now top six; first time in a while for that.... Stoneback's horrible season continues, as he's out for six weeks with a hamstring strain. IF Edward Ospina gets his first big league summons. He might go back down for a day, since Messinger hurts his back and will likely miss his next start. We're off on the 11th (after our next series), and have a double header on the 12th, so I'm not sure if he'll pitch or not, or who will get the nod if he can't go.... ELSEWHERE: Austin lost stud rookie OF Phil Imel (.337/31/93, contending for a triple crown) for three weeks, but some hot play has them currently in first in the NL West.... Minnesota's lost six in a row, still clinging to 2nd place.... Yankees made-of-glass CF Daizo Yonamine just suffered his TENTH dtd injury of the season.... Philly 1B Yuhei Adachi (.272/22/65) has a 22-game hit streak, but is going to have to step up if he wants to top 40 HR for the 4th time in his 5-year career.

August 8-10 @ MILWAUKEE
MLB had the Brewers winning 85, but they're limping along at 54-58. Still, they're only 5.5 out of first, so I'm saying there's hope. Hitting is 10th, but they've cracked 182 home runs, good for 3rd in the AL. Pitching is 12th, with a bad rotation but the 3rd best bullpen. That last number is especially good considering that they've got five relievers on long-term DL right now. RF Colby Sandu is 2nd in the AL with 36 HR, on pace to surpass 50 for the second year running.

HAW pitchers: Ryuma Sato (8-4, 4.09) / Eric Jones (9-5, 3.87) / tbd
MIL pitchers: Nick Shockley (5-5, 4.88) / Oscar Maldonado (7-3, 5.11) / Travis Calhoun (4-5, 4.20)

#113: WIN 5-4 ... tempers rise when Sato beans Tom Risberg, but nothing flares up...4 doubles and a HR pace our attack, with Rich driving in two for the GW
#114: WIN 4-2 ... Cannon's 2B in the 6th and Wright's HR in the 7th plate runs and give us the win...Jones is solid through 7 and two RP combine for 4 K (and 3 H) for the save
#115: LOSS 7-9 ... 4 hits each for Cannon and Simmons...Malik Chaney gets the late call-up and is ineffective again (2nd start this year)

Ugly loss there, but still an alright series. We're the first team to 80 wins, and we've opened up a 14 game lead over the A's.... Chaney gets the late call-up to replace Messinger, and is beaten soundly. He goes back down, and Ospina comes back up as an extra infielder.... ELSEWHERE: Atlanta's Jose Gutierrez gave up just one hit (and one walk) through 11 innings against New Orleans, but left in a scoreless game. The Braves lost, but take a long rest, Jose.... St Louis is the only other team with 70 wins, and they have the largest divisional lead, now 16 games over the Reds.... Richmond's Rafael Maldonado has reached 200 K for the 9th consecutive season, and leads all pitchers with 7.5 WAR.

August 12-14 vs CLEVELAND
Four games over three days, with a make-up game added for a double header on day one. Picked to finish last, the Indians have been at or near the top of the Central all season long. They're 61-53, 2 games up on Minnesota, 3 over Chicago. Hitting has been a trial, at 14th in runs and 16th in HR. Pitching is the real strength, 2nd in runs and starter's ERA. Zach Gioeli has been the unquestioned ace, and is in line for Cy Young consideration. The prospect system is top 10 right now, so if they can get some hitters in here, they could be a force for the next few years. (They've made the playoffs just twice in this dynasty: in '35 and '37, and haven't seen a World Series in 47 years.)

HAW pitchers: Mike Messinger (13-3, 2.80) / Rob Hart (9-9, 4.25) / Taylor Barnett (3-0, 2.45) / Ryuma Sato (9-4, 4.17)
CLE pitchers: Bryan Altier (9-8, 4.40) / Zach Gioeli (16-4, 2.49) / Mike Koslowsky (1-2, 7.85) / Roberto Maldonado (10-5, 3.37)

#116: WIN 6-1 ... Mess tosses 7 IP of 4-hit ball, all singles...8 hits, 6 are doubles
#117: WIN 8-3 ... 14 hits, and we chase Gioeli in the 5th...Hart gives up 2 HR in his 5 IP, but fans 10...Brown comes back healthy with 4 IP, no runners and 6 K
#118: WIN 11-6 ... 14 hits again, 7 of them doubles...Barnett is not sharp, but our attack is enough...Cannon hurt, diagnosis pending
#119: WIN 4-3 ... Hart's triple and Klein's single put up a 3-run 7th for a comeback win...Sato is just fair, but again Brown takes the win, now 8-0

Another surprising sweep against the top of the Central.... Cannon's injury is just a 3-day minimal tweak, so phew.... Robertson's solid hitting now has him with 1046 career hits, tied for 4th on the all-time Islanders list, with former triples machine Chris Wiggins.... ELSEWHERE: Richmond's Rafael Maldonado racks up another shutout (3rd on the season) and reaches 8 WAR, most in MLB.... Vinny Vargas (you know who he is) reaches 100 RBI, and is the first to top 40 HR.... Some nice division races going on: five teams are four games apart in the AL Central, 4 teams are a game apart in the NL East, and 4 teams are 2 games apart in the NL West.... former Islander Jim Kieffer (now with Portland) has given up just 3 ER in his last three starts (26 IP), and has won his last four starts.

......

TL;DR Version: That's how you make up for a brief period of doldrums: a 12-2 run. We now have a crazy 84-35 record, 15.5 games up on Oakland, 20 on the Mariners. Unsustainable? Maybe, but why not for the whole season? It would be great to set a new wins record for the regular season, only to join all the other teams to have won 110+ games and flame out in the playoffs. It's inevitable, you know.

07-21-2018, 10:46 AM	#163
Bub13 All Star Reserve Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Maine Posts: 748	PLAYOFFS 2043 For the first time in our ten-year history, we open MLB's playoff season with the endearing fun of the Wildcard Game. We're hosting last season's AL champs, Miami, in the winner take all funfest. Wild Card Bragging Rights! Woo! Anyway... The Marlins finished 83-79, down 9 games from last year's division-winning mark. They were a good all-around team, finishing 6th in offense and 7th in pitching. 3B Sergio Torres had a torrid season, going .274/47/133, while Ricky Beard and Trey Joslin each contributed over 30 HR. They are missing 2B Dan Callender, who hit .354 before going out for the season in early June. Fill-in Antonio Espinoza did quite well, slashing .290/.381/.370 and adding 20 steals from the leadoff position. More important, ace starter Levi Brady is out for this game, so they'll go with #3 starter Pete Burke instead. (Mr. #2 Starter pitched the final game of the season, winning it and putting them into the playoffs, fyi.) AL Wildcard: 10/6, Miami @ Hawaii. Pete Burke (13-9, 4.74) vs Jonathan Murray (15-7 4.27). Down 1-0 in the 2nd, a walk to Mercedes and a double by Bowman put Islanders on 2nd and 3rd. Canning's grounder to first brought home Mercedes and tied it. Miami loaded the bases with one out in the third, and brought one run home on a sac fly, but a soft grounder to the pitcher ended the threat. We scored again in the bottom of the inning, when Hart singled, stole 2nd, and went to third on a fly out to right. Masuda singled him home, then Wright capped the inning with a 2-run shot into the LF bleachers. 4-2 good guys after three. We got two more runners on in the 5th but couldn't score them, and things tightened up in the next frame with a Javier Cuellar solo HR off Murray. Both teams got runners to 2nd in the next couple of frames, and we went to the 9th up by a run. YT Yaung ended the affair with an 8-pitch, 2 strikeout inning, and we're off to the next round! Hawaii WINS series, 1-0 NL Wildcard: 10/7, Austin @ St Louis. Geoff Olsson (13-8, 3.96) vs Ken Clark (10-8, 3.09). Tied at 4 through five innings, the Cards added one in the sixth, then blew the game open with four in the 7th, and ended all uncertainty by adding insurance in the 8th. Cards 3B Bernie Belcher had a HR and 4 RBI, and closer Curt Nichols pitched two solid innings to close it out. St Louis WINS series, 1-0 ...... In the AL divisional round our opponent is...Oakland. Of course it is. We went 5-10 against the A's this year, more than accounting for the four games we lost the division by. We hit just .261 (vs .285 overall) with 9 HR against them. So it's time to step it up. I'm sure you're quite familiar with these guys by now: best offense, 4th in pitching, and led by likely AL MVP Vinny Vargas, who won his 2nd AL batting crown and led all of baseball with a 10.3 WAR. In addition, they're the only team in the AL with four qualified starters with ERA below the league average (which was an ugly-looking 4.77). The A's took 2 out of 3 from us in late September, to clinch the division. Let's get ours back. Game One: HAW @ OAK, 10/8: Rob Hart (12-5, 3.89) vs Ricky Hose (14-8, 4.48). We scored three in the 2nd, and took a 3-2 lead into the top of the 7th. Things got crazy after that. We chased reliever Kyle Labate with two quick baserunners, then with one out, we went 3-run-HR/single/walk/wild pitch/single/sac fly to add five runs in all and extend the lead to 8-2. Oakland got two back in the bottom half, but we added one more in the 8th to push the score to 9-4. The A's then added their own 3-run HR (and another run to boot), and suddenly it's a one-run game, 9-8. Mike Hunter, tho, came up huge in the 9th with a 2-run double, and then scored on J.Hart's single. Final score: 12-8. Hawaii 1, Oakland 0 Game Two: HAW @ OAK, 10/9: Eric Jones (11-10, 5.31) vs Mike Wiater (16-9, 3.02). Surprise, surprise! This one ended early, as we went up 6-1 after four and coasted the rest of the way to a 7-1 win. J.Hart homered, and McArthur hit two two-run singles. Jones allowed six hits and fanned 5 through six innings, and Stanley whiffed five in three innings of relief. Stunning start to this series. Hawaii 2, Oakland 0 Game Three: OAK @ HAW, 10/11: Francisco Pantaleon (0-0, 0.00) vs Jonathan Murray (1-0, 4.50). This one got away from us, as Murray isn't up to snuff today and is pulled in the fourth already down 6-3. We did add three in the bottom half, thanks to a couple of walks and singles. But Jordan Coronado doubled home a run in the 7th, while we couldn't get anyone past 2nd base over the last five innings. Ten hits for each team, and we had more baserunners, but not at the right times, especially late. Final score: 7-6. Hawaii 2, Oakland 1 Game Four: OAK @ HAW, 10/12: Rick Hose (0-1, 8.10) vs Pete Morrow (0-0, 0.00). Tied at three in the bottom of the sixth, Wright and Mercedes hit back-to-back solo shots, and a Bowman triple brings home McArthur for a 6-3 lead and ecstasy in the stands. Four hits in the 7th plates two more, and we add another in the 8th. Two strikeouts and a fielder's choice in the ninth end it, and Oakland is going home losers. HA! COUNT IT! Final score: 10-3. Hawaii WINS series, 3-1 Elsewhere, Minnesota topped the Rays in four, and the Dodgers swept the Cardinals away. New Orleans took a tight five-game series from Philadelphia, thanks to a 7th-inning game five sac fly, leading to a 3-2 victory. ...... Our AL championship opponents are Minnesota, against whom we went 5-1. The Twins had a very similar--but slightly less good on paper--season compared to us, finishing 91-71, while being fourth in offense and 10th in pitching. With seven pitchers on the DL, it's a wonder the staff hasn't fallen apart, so props to them, I guess. SS Dave Holbrook led the team with a .308 average, but they also hit a ton of home runs: Paul Foster (39), Brendan Glenn (35), Danny Baca (27), and two others over 20. The Twins last took the AL pennant in 2019, so they're motivated to end that drought. Game One: HAW @ MIN, 10/16: Rob Hart (1-0, 5.40) vs Milt Schott (0-0, 0.00). Every inning but one had at least one run scored. We scored two right off the bat thanks to two hits, then the Twins got one back in the bottom of the 2nd. We left two on in the third without scoring, and Minny took advantage by adding one to tie it up in the bottom half. No one scored in the 4th, but the quiet ended there. Carrillo singled home Hunter in the 5th: 3-2 us. Three hits in the bottom of the 6th plated two for the Twins: 4-3 Minny. Wright's 3-run HR and four more hits brought home FIVE in the 7th for the good guys: 8-4 Hawaii. Peanuts Carter managed a two-run HR in the 8th to tighten butts across the Islands: 8-6 Hawaii. With two outs in the ninth, RJ Hernandez hit a solo shot, and singles by Baca and Holbrook put runners on the corners: now a one-run game. Blessedly, Brendan Glenn grounded out weakly to second, and we survived game one, 8-7. Hawaii 1, Minnesota 0 Game Two: HAW @ MIN, 10/17: Eric Jones (1-0, 1.50) vs Armando Rivera (0-0, 2.45). Take away the sixth inning, and this is a one-run game. Unfortunately, three Islander pitchers gave up nine runs that inning, making this one a 14-4 laugher. Glenn made up for his 9th inning failure in game one by smacking five hits. At least we won one on the road. Series tied, 1-1 Game Three: MIN @ HAW, 10/19: Bob Knapp (1-0, 2.57) vs Jonathan Murray (1-0, 8.38). Glenn hits another HR for Minny, but that's their only highlight. Carrillo's 3-run shot in the 2nd sparks a six run inning, and Mercedes 3-run blast in turn in the 4th leads to five more. Three hits apiece for Carrillo and Wright, and Murray rebounds with a 4-hit, 6-inning effort. Final score: 11-2. Hawaii 2, Minnesota 1 Game Four: MIN @ HAW, 10/20: Dale Brooks (0-0, 0.00) vs Pete Morrow (0-0, 7.26). We spot the Twins an early one run lead, after Paul Foster's solo HR in the 2nd. McArthur counters with a 3-run blast in the bottom of the 2nd; we add another run in the 5th, and two each in the 6th and 7th. A few more meaningless runs cross both plates in the final innings, but we come out of this with an easy 9-4 win. Four hits for Carrillo, three for Bowman, and two hits with 4 RBI for McArthur. Morrow was pulled with one out in the 9th, but looked better than his previous playoff start, allowing 7 hits and fanning 6. Hawaii 3, Minnesota 1 Game Five: MIN @ HAW, 10/21: Milt Schott (0-0, 1.93) vs Rob Hart (1-0, 6.00). After Rob Hart allowed two runners in the 1st but let no Twins score, Joseph Hart smacks a deep HR to center-right, bringing two runs home and giving us an early lead. In the second, four straight singles bring home two more Islander runners, and after two we're up 4-0. Paul Foster gets one back with a solo HR in the 5th, but Rob Hart is money tonight and shuts the door after that, allowing just three hits and one run (with 9 K) in 8 innings...and WHAT DO YOU KNOW we're going back to the World Series! Final score: 4-1. Hawaii WINS 4-1! In the NL...New Orleans shot out to a 3-0 series lead, but the Dodgers clawed back by winning games 4 and 5. Game six was a quiet 2-1 affair until the 8th, when the Zephs blew things open with 2 runs in the 8th and 4 more in the 9th. LA got back 3 in the bottom of the ninth, but it wasn't enough, and the Zephs take game six 7-5 and the series 4 games to 2. This will be their second Series trip in the last four seasons. ...... 2043 WORLD SERIES How fitting, that in each franchise's tenth year of existence, Hawaii and New Orleans face each other in the World Series. Each team has claimed one championship already, Hawaii in 2039 and New Orleans the following year. The Zephs had a decent offense, 7th in the NL, and 5th in HR. CF Pat Barnes hit .302 with 13 HR from the leadoff spot, and Jose Rodriguez and Dan Martin combined for 74 HR and 124 HR in the 3 and 4 spots. RF Jonathan Emilien (.282/29/75) got hurt in the LA series and will miss the finals. The real team strength, however, is pitching: NL best (595 runs allowed), with the 2nd best rotation and top bullpen. Ace Sam Kennedy went 12-2 (over 20 starts) with a 2.90 ERA, and Sam Thompson kicked in for 13-9, 2.98. Chad Akers won 17 games, and tossed a one-hitter against the Dodgers in the NL championship series. Closer Justin Huggins saved 43, with a 1.95 ERA and 0.93 WHIP. Top defense in the NL too. This is a tough, well-balanced team. Better than us, I think... Game One: NOZ @ HAW, 10/26: Sam Kennedy (0-1, 2.70) vs Rob Hart (2-0, 4.05). Another quick start for us, with Masuda knocking a 2-run shot in the 1st, and a Bowman triple leading to two more in the 2nd. New Orleans got two back in the third, but a couple of singles brings another Islander home in the third. We add one more meaningless run in the 8th, and game one is over: 6-2 final score. A complete game 9-hit, 11-K effort from Hart. Hawaii 1, New Orleans 0 Game Two: NOZ @ HAW, 10/27: Sam Thompson (2-1, 2.37) vs Jonathan Murray (2-0, 6.32). Drama! Despite us outhitting the Zephs, they scratch out single runs in the 2nd, 3rd, and 6th, building a 3-1 lead. Our starter, Murray, goes out with an injury in the 6th, and it's a pensive time in Kamehameha Park. Mercedes singles in the 8th, but doesn't advance. Kieffer allows a hit in the top of the ninth, but shuts things down and we head to the bottom of the inning down 3-1. Last chance. With premier closer Justin Huggins on the mound: Bowman singles, PH Joel Jacoby walks, Mike Hunter pops out, and (why?) Huggins is replaced by former ace-SP-turned-RP Drew Falconbury. He promptly strikes out Joseph Hart. Two outs, tying runs on. Carrillo's up: he walks! Masuda comes to the plate, fouls off his first pitch. Then...blasts a 420-foot GRAND SLAM to bring 'em all home and WIN THE GAME. Wow. Final score: 5-3. Hawaii 2, New Orleans 0 (After the game, we get Murray's diagnosis: bone chips in his elbow, out for 5-6 months. Hoo boy. Somebody scrubby is gonna get a start in the World Series. NFG.) Game Three: HAW @ NOZ, 10/29: Eric Jones (1-1, 2.70) vs Chad Akers (2-1, 2.84). Akers is pulled in the fourth with a blister, but we can only manage six hits against five Zephs pitchers...and no runs, alas. Jones gives up 11 hits, but only one run. Quite a pitcher's duel, and the series is tight again. Final score: 2-1. Hawaii 2, New Orleans 1 Game Four: HAW @ NOZ, 10/30: Pete Morrow (1-0, 5.25) vs Jimmy Porreca (1-1, 6.75). Another pitcher's duel...With a runner on 2nd, in the 2nd, McArthur doubles him home and we're up 1-0. Next inning, bases empty, and Mike Hunter lines a shot into the left field stands: 2-0 Islanders! Morrow, meanwhile, is cruising along, and allows no one past second until the 7th. A triple and single cuts our lead to one, but we escape with no further damage. Morrow walks the leadoff batter in the 8th, but a K and two groundouts ends the inning. In the ninth, closer Yaung comes in for Morrow and strikes out the first two batters. With catcher Manny Vigil batting, and a 2-2 count, Vigil fouls off a pitch. And another. And another. And then...hits a soft, sinking fly ball into left that Carrillo just manages to...catch! He's out! Game over, and we win! Final score: 2-1. One game away from glory! Hawaii 3, New Orleans 1 Game Five: HAW @ NOZ, 10/31: Rob Hart (3-0, 3.41) vs Sam Kennedy (0-2, 4.20). Hart goes on short rest, and is nearly magic through seven: 4 H, 1 R, 10 K. But he tires, and is pulled with a 2-1 lead. Kieffer gets us through the 8th, allowing no runners. We go quietly in the 9th, setting up another date for closer YT Yaung to close the door. And he...doesn't. With one out, Dan Martin singles, then Matt Powell cracks the first pitch he sees into the left field stands, and we come oh, so close... Final score: 3-2 Zephs. Hawaii 3, New Orleans 2 Game Six: NOZ @ HAW, 11/2: Sam Thompson (2-1, 2.16) vs Eric Plummer (0-0, 0.00). Plummer is the emergency starter, sigh. He does okay, though, allowing 5 hits through six innings, but he does walk 6. Six! He leaves with us down 2-1, replaced by Pat Stanley. Sadly, with two outs and the bases loaded, former Islander Nate Hullinger doubles home two runs, making it a 4-1 game. We manage four hits in the bottom of the inning, but can only plate one, and are hurt by having a runner thrown out at third. We get another runner in the 8th, and one in the 9th, but no one advances to second base, and just like that, it all comes down to one last game. Final score: 4-2 Zephs. Series tied, 3-3 (Mike Hunter gets hurt, and while his diagnosis is only pending, he'll miss game seven. Crap.) Game Seven: NOZ @ HAW, 11/3: Justin Ross (0-0, 0.00) vs Eric Jones (1-2, 2.12). This is it. Game seven, what everyone imagines they want to see, unless you're a nervous GM who would prefer to have four solid blowouts instead... With Hunter out, Carrillo moves into the leadoff spot, and Bobby Layne--with just 10 PA for us this season--plays short and bats last. Oddly, the Zephs seem forced (?) to start Justin Ross, who made six appearances in the bigs this year. (Thompson and Kennedy are tired, Akers is out, and Porreca stinks. Ok, then.) Let's get started... Jones sets down the side to open the festivities. In our half, Carrillo opens things with a double. J.Hart comes up, and fouls off five straight pitches before he gets around on one and puts it into the right field seats. 2-0 good guys! Jones walks one in the 2nd, but no one scores. Our turn again, and Mercedes leads off with a single and goes to second on an error by the third baseman. Bowman bunts the runners over, and then Layne's fly ball to right brings Mercedes home. 3-0! Carrillo walks, and J.Hart singles to left, bringing Canning home from second base. 4-0! New Orleans claws one back in the third, while leaving one runner on. We go 1-2-3 in the bottom half. It's 4-1 Islanders a third of the way through. Two more hits for the Zephs in the fourth...but no runs. Phew. Bottom of the 4th, Canning doubles, scores on a Layne (!) double, then Layne scores in turn on a throwing error. 6-1! Carrillo clocks a solo HR, and it's now 7-1. Top of the fifth, and the Zephs leave two more runners on. Maybe it's our day! Sixth inning, and shaky MR JS Yee comes in. He walks the leadoff batter, but a whiff and a fly ball later, it's two outs and I'm feeling okay. Then, after a single, up comes Nate Hullinger (him again!). Two pitches later, there's a souvenir ball in the left field seats, and the score is 7-4. Sigh. Visions of Bullpen Meltdowns Past flash before my fevered vision. Thankfully, there's no more damage done. Cut to our half of the 6th, and with a man on second, Bobby Layne comes up and clouts another double, bringing the runner home. 8-4! Joseph Hart singles again, which scores Layne, and we're back to a 5-run lead. That's enough craziness for one game, right? Wrong. Top of the 7th, Pat Stanley on the mound. One out. A walk. Another walk. Former #1 overall pick Josh Suprenant comes to the plate and...lines the first pitch over the left field fence. WTF PEOPLE, a 9-7 game now. We get out of the inning, but everyone is stunned. Each team can only put a runner on first in their next frame: our 7th, their 8th. We go meekly in the bottom of the 8th. So. Top of the ninth, and we once again go to closer YT Yaung, he of the Game Five anti-heroics. Two-run lead. The whole season is on the line. First batter, Dan Martin: he swings at a 3-0 pitch and...grounds out to first. Suprenant--a .239-hitting part-time player this year--lines a single to center. LF Matt Powell--batting .450 this series--comes up: he smacks a liner to center...but it hangs up just enough and is caught by Hart for out #2. Runner holds at first. Two outs, 2B Jared Russell comes up, and takes a first pitch strike. He swings at the second pitch, runner moving...and hits a grounder right at second baseman Bowman, who fires to first AND IT'S OVER. THE HAWAII ISLANDERS ARE ONCE AGAIN WORLD CHAMPIONS! Final score: 9-7. Hawaii WIN series 4-3! Sen Masuda is named World Series MVP, for going .444 with 2 HR and 6 RBI. I would've made the case for Rob Hart, who went 16 innings, with a 1.69 ERA and 21 K in his two starts. Joseph Hart also hit .357, with a HR and 6 RBI. And major props to Bobby Layne, who had 3 PA in the playoffs until game six, then went 4-for-6 with 2 doubles and 4 RBI, filling in for Hunter. Sometimes a career .265 hitter with 0.4 lifetime WAR becomes a hero, right? ...... Crazy. What a crazy season. It was hard not to despair after an 8-15 April, and again after losing Adam Groff for the season back in May. And after ace SP Mike Messinger went out in July. But once we beat Oakland in the divisional round, I thought we had a very real chance to take it all. Of course, I've had better teams in the past that didn't even make the Series, so what does it matter what I think? Looking ahead to the off-season, there may be some major--MAJOR--changes afoot. We've got 140.8M in salaries committed for 2044, which we just can't afford. That's assuming our arbitration estimes are correct (they won't be) and we don't offer contracts to our six pending free agents. But in the meantime, plan the parade route and stock up on champagne. It's time to party! __________________ Introducing Your Hawaii Islanders!

07-21-2018, 10:52 AM	#164
Bub13 All Star Reserve Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Maine Posts: 748	Oh yeah, and this, for your enjoyment: Attached Images __________________ Introducing Your Hawaii Islanders!

07-24-2018, 07:36 PM	#165
Bub13 All Star Reserve Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Maine Posts: 748	2043 Season Review and Sort-of Look-Ahead This entire review should just be "We won the World Series. The End." But I get paid by the word, and I gotta eat, so here goes. ...... The Hawaii Islanders have been in existence for ten years. In that time, we've gone to three World Series and won two of them. The franchise won-loss record is 926-694, with four seasons of 100+ wins. Seven division titles. And best of all--according to owner Alexis Pagan--we turned a profit for the first time since 2039. Which was, probably not coincidentally, our last title-winning year. (Love that playoff cash.) As you know by now, the season did not start well: 8-15 in April. But we rebounded nicely, gaining ground every month, and finished at 95-67, good for the fifth-best record in baseball. We did not win our division--for the first time in eight seasons--but getting to the post-season after that trying start was a success in itself. Team success did not breed individual success, at least not on any stats leaderboards--only Rob Hart's 255 K season led any category (unless you want to count Joseph Hart leading the AL with 15 times caught stealing). And yet...it is a team game, yes? Anyway, the team offense once again paced our efforts, finishing 3rd in runs (880), 1st in AVG and OBP (.285 & .349), and 7th in HR (215). We also led the AL in doubles (337), struck out the fewest times (1078), but were next-to-last in triples (20) and steals (43). Pitching slumped down the stretch, falling from a top-three perch it held much of the early summer. Still, we finished sixth in runs against (784), with the ninth-best starter's ERA (4.85) and second-best bullpen (4.08). Our 59 saves led the AL, and for all my btching about the long ball, only four teams gave up fewer HR (197) than we did. We were ninth in walks (as in ninth-most, with 541), but second in strikeouts (1378). While not the most erratic staff, we did hit the most batters (76) and tied for second in most wild pitches (78). Our team defensive efficiency was 11th, and there were only eight teams with a lower combined Zone Rating than ours (-15.8). (Much of that was due to the combined efforts of our CF and RF, who totaled up for a lovely -14.2.) We did commit the second fewest errors (70) in the AL, however, for what that's worth. For a closer look, here's the positional breakdown: Catcher* Two years removed from his AL MVP season, Alexis Mercedes continued to underperform. He did rebound with 15 HR from August 1 on, to end up with a nice round 30, but for too much of the season was just lost at the plate. Behind the plate, he wasn't much better: last in ZR, and subpar in CS% (25.0), while leading the AL in passed balls. Still, I'd have him back if he didn't want a tripled raise from the 8.3M he made this season. No one's going to pay him 25M, but he should get enough to garner me a supplemental 1st round pick; so for that, I thank you for your service, Alexis. Backup Cory Vannoy started hot, batting .310 through May. But he tailed off as the summer wore on and saw his playing time decrease. He also had the worst arm in baseball (2 of 24 runners caught stealing), and needs to step up to keep his spot on the team for 2044. With Mercedes not coming back, prospect Rob Rich will get the longest look in camp, along with any other guys I dredge up in free agency. First Base Senichi Masuda had another big year with the bat, finishing .276/33/127, earning 3.2 WAR. He hasn't made anyone forget Jeremy Dunklee, but his power and ability to get on base (.350 OBP), plus a decent glove, make him no slouch either. Justin Wright, obtained in June from Toronto, is the ostensible backup, but saw only four games at first while playing 77 games at DH. His amazing stats--.321/29/69--in just half a season for us made him the unsung MVP down the stretch. (Combined he went .304/42/108 in 550 AB.) Wright won't match those stats again, most likely, but if he matches Masuda's '43 numbers in '44, this is a potent middle-order combo. Both will be back next year, but keep an eye on solid prospect Jonathan Klump, who hit 15 HR in AAA and projects to more than match both Masuda's and Wright's numbers once he's fully developed. Second Base Josh Robertson had another fine year, batting .313, walking 65 times, and fanning just 30. He also managed 10 HR from the leadoff spot, and scored 87 runs. His range has slipped a bit, and his defensive numbers, while still decent, were the worst of his career. He also got hurt in September and missed the playoff run. He's signed through 2048, but has an opt-out after 2044, so it'll be interesting to see what he does (I'm guessing he exercises his option and stays). He's earning 12.1M, which is fine if he keeps up his 4-5 WAR pace, but a bit objectionable if he starts to decline. Third Base When all-everything star Adam Groff broke his elbow in May, you couldn't blame me for despairing. He was batting .385 with 9 HR and 34 RBI in 30 games when he got hurt, and seemed likely to contend for his third AL MVP award. After rotating several guys through the position for a couple weeks, I eventually settled on supersub Ashton Gooding. Gooding made 97 starts at third, and posted the best fielding numbers of any infielder this year, while making just one error in 240 chances. His batting (.237/23/83), while not so stellar, was often timely enough to help keep him in the lineup. He is allergic to walks, however, with just 17 in 555 PA, and a .273 OBP doesn't bode well for his future as a regular. Still, he can play any infield and outfield position with aplomb, and hits with enough power to keep himself useful. He'll be back. One note for the future: Groff's new contract balloons after 2044, so it's very possible that...next year will be his last with us. Shhh. Shortstop Mike Hunter battled through injuries this year, only playing in 117 games. Like Robertson, he posted the worst fielding numbers of his career. But also like Robertson, he continued to hit: .323/.357/.481 with 8 HR and 44 doubles. Hunter is also due for a contract renewal, and wants to get paid in excess of 16M. I'm not sure I want to keep both Robertson and Hunter--two excellent, but not oustanding, hitters--around for a combined 30M. With top prospect JJ Simmons pushing up from the farm, one of them could become expendable, and soon. (Simmons saw 13 AB at the end of the season, and fared poorly at the plate and in the field. But he's just 21, and still filling out, so don't worry about it.) Infield Reserves John Canning topped this list for the fourth straight season, appearing in 72 games, making 59 starts (inluding 15 at second, 6 at third, and 28 at short), while batting .297 in 222 AB. His hitting is too erratic (and he has no power) to be a full-time starter, but his glove keeps him paid. He also played some outfield, and looked fine there too. Jim Bowman spent most of the season in Hawaii, after Groff's injury, making 5 starts at second, 17 at third, and 11 at short. I consider him a step below Canning, which may come to bear when I decide which, if any, of these two I'll keep around. Andy Bridges saw a handful of games at all four positions, but only hit .156 in 64 AB. No power and a low OBP limit his possibilities, but he'll (probably) be around as insurance again next year. Bobby Layne spent most of the season in AAA, but got a few AB in the middle of the summer, which turned out to be a good thing when he ended up on the playoff roster due to Robertson's (and then Hunter's) injury. You've already read about his game seven heroics... He's a good fielder who can't really hit, but at 23 is still young enough to be back (in AAA most likely) next year. We took a September look at two futures: 3B Aaron Little and SS JJ Simmons. Both struggled in the field, but Little hit well enough (.316, 2 HR, in 38 AB) to get a sniff next spring. Simmons likely needs a bit more seasoning in AAA, but does look like our shortstop of the future. Jake Kane saw a few games at first (and more at DH), enough for 72 AB and a .292 average. He has a slick bat but no power and no range at all in the field. I'm not sure what his future is with us, to be honest. Outfield Injuries and some subpar play had me cycling through guys all season, trying to find workable combos. Travis McArthur saw the most games, making 149 starts in right, but got hurt late and came back just in time for the playoffs. His basic numbers looked solid--.295/15/77--but his WAR keeps slipping and his SLG has dropped each of the last six seasons. He's a steady-as-you-go player, but at 31 he's lost much of his range in the field, and so could become trade bait while he still has some value. Joseph Hart, in his rookie season, started 62 games in left and 76 in center. He was much, much better in left, which means I will once again be looking for a competent CF this off-season. Hart's average was nothing special--.258--but he added 25 HR and walked enough times to have a .360 OBP. These are probably his baseline stats, so a good season for him will look very good indeed. Mel Carrillo battled his way through eight injuries, but still made 100 starts (56 in LF, 44 at DH), appearing in 121 games with 475 PA--all career highs. When healthy, he was very, very good: .358/17/67, with a .425 OBP. But he can't stay healthy. He played decent defense in left for the first time ever, but is so slow that his range will probably start to fall soon, especially given his fragile body. If I could ever get 150--heck, even just 140--games out of him, he'd be a perennial all-star. Also, it's his contract year, so he'll be my biggest decision this off-season, to be sure. (Wants a significant raise from his current 7M.) The backups were a mixed bag: Gooding added 36 starts in center, and did not play well there. Joel Jacoby came over from Montreal at the deadline, seeing action in 21 games and not really impressing anywhere. He likely won't be back. Ian McGowan played well in center for 43 starts, but didn't hit and went away in the Jacoby trade. Dave White and Jim Klein saw extensive action in September, and both played well: White is a corner guy with some power, while Klein is a natural center fielder with no power but better contact. In fact, Klein will get the longest look in camp at center, barring any new acquisitions this winter. Infielders Canning and Bowman saw action in 11 and 2 games, respectively, and didn't look out of place. Such is the premium placed on versatility when over half your lineup is pitchers. Starting Pitching Overall, not bad, but it was another struggle to ever get at least three guys going in the right direction at any one time. Rob Hart threw well all season, and was our staff MVP, finishing with 4.3 WAR, and 171 H in 210.2 IP, with a league-best 255 K. His 3.89 ERA was by far the best among the starters. Mike Messinger was slow out of the gate, but picked things up before his season ended in June. He finished with 18 starts and a 4.07 ERA, and we'll need him back at 100% next year. Jonathan Murray was a real boon, often restoring my faith in starting pitchers after seeing too many others faltering around him. His 4.27 ERA was a full half-run better than league average, and his 15-7 record looked snappy. Eric Jones underperformed, frankly, but had a couple of big starts in the playoffs and remains a useful cog, for now. After those four, however, it was a hot mess. Eric Plummer came over from Toronto and never got going. Likewise, BJ Nault, acquired from Montreal, gave up too many hits to be effective. Jim Kieffer made 15 starts and probably will never do so again for me. Aldo Gouweleeuw and Steve Ashjian are best forgotten. Pete Morrow made six starts late, and was impressive enough to earn a longer look in camp. Expect to see some new blood get hard looks (or even guaranteed spots) in camp. Bullpen Despite the usual spate of late-inning blowups, this unit was actually quite good, and was seriously good very late in the year. YT Yaung did taper off late, but was outstanding for much of the season, earning 39 saves and a few votes for the Wilhelm trophy. Lefty Pat Stanley just keeps chugging along, once again topping 100 IP and pitching well in his usual, overlooked way. Jeff Tanner was in a setup role all season, and yet only made 21 appearances. He was very good, but wants a bigger raise than I'm willing to give. I'll have to find a replacement for him as captain. Morrow was effective in middle and setup roles, but may find his niche in the rotation. Still, he'll be back and has a promising future. JS Yee and Zack Randolph were too often ineffective. If either comes back, however, it'll likely be Randolph, as he's cheaper (1.7M vs 3.5M) and younger (30 vs 36). Nobody else ended the season with the team, except for promising rookie Rick Ramirez. His control has improved in AAA enough that he's already penciled into (penciled in, not penned) the lineup for 2044. He could be a good one. As usual, expect to see some new faces in this group next year. ...... So what does the off-season bring? Our budget dropped this season by 10M, and salaries went down accordingly. My mole in accounting tells me to expect a slight bump in the budget, but I'm not sure what that will mean for salaries, especially as I really want more money for player development. With a number of players either going UFA or wanting big raises--Mercedes, Hunter, Carrillo, Tanner, et al--there may be some big changes for next season. I just can't afford to pay everybody and still make any money. That also means I will not be a player for any big free agent acquisitions. Any changes we make will be via trade, and through picking up any undervalued players through cheap free agent contracts. With all that in mind, I expect to have a combined payroll about 5M higher than in 2043. Putting all that in more concrete terms: Will one of Hunter/Robertson get moved? Will the fragile Carrillo be shipped off (in bubble wrap)? Will I make a move (or two) to settle the outfield situation? Will I acquire a more established #5 starting pitcher? Can I fill an expected 2 or 3 bullpen slots from within, or from beyond? That's all. Finally, the coaching staff at the top level remains largely unchanged. The exception being that hitting coach Danny Esposito was not renewed. Adam Engel, who's been in our system for nine seasons, gets the call up to replace him. Manager Pat Wilson once again enters a contract year. Bench coach Clarence Whitney and pitching coach Matt Sargent both look like excellent candidates to replace him, should we decide his expensive ($1.38M) self isn't worth renewing. Trainer Jordan Villalobos and Scouting Director Moises Patino have been with us since 2036 and 2034, respectively, and have more than earned their places. Owner Alexis Pagan is happy, for the moment, and I wait with bated breath for his next set of commandments to roll down the mountain. Time for the off-season. So long, 2043: It Was Fun! Attached Images __________________ Introducing Your Hawaii Islanders!

07-27-2018, 07:05 PM	#166
Bub13 All Star Reserve Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Maine Posts: 748	2043/44 Off-Season Report, Part One Even as the victory parade winds its way through Honolulu and rolls up to our stadium, I'm thinking about next season. A GM's work is never done... With our combined salaries approaching $150M, and likely little or no bump in the budget, not everyone who played a role in this year's championship will be back, sadly. I've already been in talks with several other GMs, so expect anything coming down the pike to get here quickly, well before the Winter Meetings in December--when, frankly, it's harder to make big trades because everyone's already committed so much budget space to chasing free agents. First things first: some contract updates to report. I've been busy, and not reporting, a number of contracts offered/signed since the late summer. I extended Mike Hunter in September, for ten years at an average of around $18M per season, with a player opt-out after '47 and some team options after that. Despite my grumblings about pricey bullpens, I also re-signed lefty RP Pat Stanley; he'll make $2.5M through '46, with a raise for '47 but a team option, just in case. The final budget-buster was inking OF Mel Carrillo for 10 years, also at an average around $18. He'll start at 11M next year, then escalate until he hits 20M in '47. I also re-sign minor leaguers OF Roberto Mendez and P Gastone Sarretti (more about them later), while picking up the option on RP JS Yee. "But Jim," you say, "that's a LOT of cash to be handing out for next year. I thought you wanted to cut salaries?" Yes, I reply, just be patient and all will be revealed... In the interim, some staff news: as I said before, hitting coach Danny Espinosa priced himself out of a job (wanting a raise from 83K t0 450K). Funny thing is, a few days after his release he signs with Yakult in Japan for the equivalent of 147K US. Several minor league staff across our system also leave, the only notable one being AAA manager Jose Jimenez, who also wanted more dough than I wanted to pony up. He'd been a farm manager for me the entire history of the franchise, starting in AA and earning a promotion to AAA in 2041. He must be worth something, as the Yankees quickly snapped him up to be their new manager, paying him over a million per for the next five seasons. Good luck, Jose! But...not too good. Owner Alexis Pagan makes his bi-yearly drop-in, calling from what sounds like a cave in Thailand. He says he's happy we won the title, but he's not that happy since he didn't make as much money as he needed to make, for...reasons. Anyway, he tells me for next year he wants more fans in the seats, more stolen bases (always with the stolen bases), and a top-end prospect in the system. The better news is that he raises my budget by $10M, back up to $160M (where it was in 2042), and figures we can spend $150M on salaries. So...just $10M for everything but big league salaries? How is this guy a successful businessman? Never mind--I don't want to know. And now it's...ARBITRATION TIME! Nine players go to arbitration, and I decide to make offers to all of them. Additionally, two players are eligible for free agency: C Alexis Mercedes and RP Jeff Tanner. Tanner was making 2.8M, and was excellent in limited use--1.98 ERA over 27 IP--last year, but wants nearly 5M for several years as his next deal. As he'll be 32 next season, and I'm allergic to long-term contracts for pitchers over 30, thanks but no thanks. But he was our team captain, so that's a void that will need filling. Mercedes, on the other hand, has been a solid contributor for several seasons, and hit .253/30/87 last year, pretty good after an awful April-May start. But he's asking to triple his salary, up from 8.3M, which I just will not do. So we tender him the standard 13M qualifying offer, which I'm sure he'll turn down. And there's the usual minor league exodus of no-hopers and never-weres. Except for the above-mentioned Mendez and Sarretti. Mendez is as average a batter as you'll ever find, but he's an excellent fielder--infield and outfield--and maybe the fastest guy across the franchise. I sign him for the standard 750K minimum and he'll eat a spot on the 40-man roster, but I figure the insurance he offers is worth it. Sarretti gets the same offer, and is an interesting case: signed during the summer after his Italian league team finished its season, his ratings kept going up every time my scouts reported back to me. He fancies himself a starting pitcher, but doesn't have the stamina for it; however, his excellent control and groundball slant make him an attractive candiate for the bullpen next spring. ...... Around the league... ...four teams can their managers: NY Yankees, Portland, San Francisco, and San Diego. Three of them quickly sign new skippers, all of whom are MLB rookies. As of this writing, only the Giants remain unhelmed. ...the vaccine is working: no owners die or get replaced this off-season. ...for the second year running Baltimore trades its starting catcher. This time it's power-hitting Omar Ramirez (but just a career .230 hitter) going to Texas for excellent-on-paper-but-pretty-bad-in-real-life pitcher Jonathan Bell. Everyone deserves a second chance, I guess. ...KC, for some odd reason, trades 2B Thumbs Ebert--who hit .266 with 17 HR in a solid rookie campaign--to Portland for middling soft-tossing SP John Stuart. ...one more early, and head-shaking, trade: Minnesota sends OF Steve Wilkins to Richmond for OF Aaron Riches and prospect SS Victor Provencio. I don't get it. Wilkins is solid: no weaknesses at the plate, with career season averages of .279 and 32 HR. His only drawback is his sluggishness in the outfield, but he makes up for that with a great glove and arm. Riches, also a power-hitting OF, has too many holes to be a straight-up replacement for the departed Wilkins. His lifetime batting average is .201, and while he hits over 30 HR a year he also strikes out around 220 times. He's speedy, and a good-enough fielder, but that average leaves a big donut hole in the middle of the Twins lineup. Provencio looks promising, but is no sure thing. ...Austin made the playoffs this year for the first time in a couple decades, but they're already making decisions that could make it another 20 years before they go back. To wit, letting 27-year-old all-everything SS Victor Sanchez (.336/43/140) walk, while re-signing 37-year-old 3B Andrew Crisp (.252/27/64) to a 2-year deal, for $8M per. Guys: break the bank for your star, and fill in around him with non-geriatric players. If I can do it, so can you. ...... Ok, back to us. Arbitration decisions come in, and as usual we'll owe more than I want to. The big winner is SP Mike Messinger (5.2M to 9.3M). Other results are: RP YT Yaung (2.6M to 3.75M), SP Pete Morrow (1.2M to 1.9M), RP Zack Randolph (1.5M to 1.7M), OF Joel Jacoby (1.3M to same), OF Steve Hopkins (1.1M to 1.5M), IF John Canning (750K to 950K), P Frank Soto (750K to 850K), and IF/OF Ashton Gooding (500K to 750K). Don't let it surprise you when I say that not all of these guys will be around in, oh, another week or so. ...... Back to the league. (Stick around tho: some big Hawaii news is coming!) Awards season rolls around, and the deal we made with the devil was to forgo any individual hardware for that lovely World Series trophy. Seems fair to me. ...No Islanders win an AL Gold Glove. Among the repeat winners were Oakland P Mike Wiater (his 3rd in a row) and KC CF Eli Immordino (his 6th, and first in center). In the NL, Cubs SS Alex Castillo wins his 2nd consecutive GG, after previously winning two at third. New Orleans CF Pat Barnes wins his third straight. ...We're shut out of the Silver Sluggers too, but Oakland's Vinny Vargas wins his fifth (at catcher), and KC 3B Juan Garcia takes advantage of Adam Groff's injury to break his four-year stranglehold on the award. In the NL, Montreal 3B Matt Anderson wins his 6th, and the aforementioned Austin SS Victor Sanchez his third. ...Milwaukee closer Bill Brunson wins his second Hoyt Wilhelm trophy (and promptly declares free agency: "I'm gonna get PAID! Probably by the Dodgers."), while New Orleans' star Justin Huggins wins his first. Maybe that will take some of the sting out of blowing game 7 in the World Series, Justin. I joke. ...AL Rookie of the Year goes to Oakland RF Jordan Coronado (.281/29/113, with 41 doubles), while the NL nod goes to Portland LF Morgan Akers (.317/41/141). ...Our own Pat Wilson wins his fourth manager of the year trophy (second in a row, too), and New Orleans skipper Jerry Elder earns his first. ...Miami's Levi Brady took 2/3 of the first place ballots in the AL Cy Young voting, to collect his first trophy. At 35, it's probably his last, too. (Rob Hart came in 6th place.) Dodger ace Jackson Suttie received 30 of 36 first place votes to easily win the NL version, also his first win. Suttie was the only 20-game winner in baseball this season. Of note: STL's Ken Clark came in 6th. I only bring him up because I'm still galled that I'm on the hook for $6M of his salary for the next five seasons. He last pitched for us in 2038. Sigh. Don't retain long-term salary in trades, kids.) ...League MVP voting comes as no surprise, really: Vinny Vargas (.386/43/113, 10.3 WAR) sweeps to the AL trophy, while Austin SS Victor Sanchez (him again) garners 29 votes and romps home easily. It's the first MVP trophy for each player. But enough about everyone else, let's go back to us now. ...... I said there would be some player movement, and I will not disappoint you! Trader Jim is in the house, and he got busy with five--count 'em, FIVE--trades in a two week span. Not all were biggies, so we'll recount them in order of importance. TRADE! We send OF Mel Carrillo, OF Travis McArthur, P Aldo Gouweleeuw, P Ronnie Corgan, and our 5th and 9th round picks to Austin for OF John Cannon and P Perry Walker. What We Gave Up: Carrillo (.358/17/67) had a career-o year-o at the plate, and yet still only made 100 starts. I'll miss his useful bat, and he was popular (and my first big international signing), but I won't miss his eight injuries per year (not a joke). He'll have to become a superstar in someone else's training room now; McArthur was our first ever draft pick, #1 overall back in 2034. While he was good--.285/28/94 career 162-game averages--he was never a star, and at 30, his overall value was beginning to slip. Still, he's got quite a bit left in the tank, and in some ways I'll miss him most of all; Gouweleeuw and Corgan never really found their footing on the pitching staff for us, but they'll get solid looks from soon-to-be pitching-starved Austin; the picks were must-have throw-ins. What We Get Back: Cannon is a guy Austin sort-of offered us back at the deadline in July. He is a big-time power bat, averaging 40 HR a year (although he slipped to 29 last year). He's a decent-ish fielder, has some speed (steals! Pagan is happy!) and should hit better than the .262 he hit last season. He's well worth giving up 2/3 of our 2043 starting outfield for; Walker is a 24-year-old lefty, solid across the board, and with an odd slider/knuckle curve combo. He has yet to pitch in the bigs, and looks like at least a solid MR/SU pitcher. Not done yet... TRADE! We send SS Mike Hunter, P Jim Kieffer, RP JS Yee, IF Jim Bowman, 1B Jake Kane, and three picks to Portland in exchange for SS Rich Stoneback, P Dan Brown, and a pick. What We Gave Up: The doubles machine that is Mike Hunter (avg 54 per 162 games), a career .316 hitter, and a solid fielder. But his salary was getting to be too much, escalating to 16M next season, and 20M after that. I'll miss his great hitting, but at 20M per season, you'd better lead the league in something, my man; Kieffer now gets a chance to work out his demons for Portland, who needs quality pitching. He had to solid seasons as a closer for us, and half a good season in the rotation. In between and around all that, he ranged from solid to gaseous, sometimes from appearance to appearance. I don't know what he'll bring to the Pioneers next year, but he looks great on paper and was a key guy they wanted; Yee, now 36, had three solid-to-okay seasons in the pen for us, and his ratings suggest he's got at least a couple more left in him; Bowman has been a solid utility guy for two seasons now, more than capably filling in at third, short, second, and the outfield. If he would tak a walk or two, he'd be even more useful, to be honest; Kane, 24, got 72 AB during the summer, hitting .292. He's got excellent contact and gap power, and won't strike out. Given a chance, he could easily hit .320 year-in, year-out. Not many HR, tho, and not much in the field. What We Get Back: Stoneback was the key for us, by far. Very similar to Hunter, only minus the doubles, but with power to hit 20 HR. His average may be lower than Hunter's (.290 to .310), but he'll walk more, and get more steals (Owner Goal met!). Quality fielder, and makes less money (12.8M) too, so I'm happy; Brown is 23, a hard-throwing righty coming off a tough season (7.00 ERA in 36 IP), but who looks like he'll rebound nicely. Control can get better, and if he develops his third pitch (a curveball, which he probably won't, tbh), he could figure in the rotation one day. More... TRADE! OF Steve Hopkins and P Frank Soto to Tampa Bay for a 9th round pick. Hopkins hit .322 and .305 over 303 AB the last two seasons, as an injury fill-in. A good fielder with a big arm, and won't kill you on the bases either. Good hitter, but little power and plate discipline, although he won't strike out any; Soto was up and down for us during his three years in the system, but due to injuries appeared in just 11 games over the last two seasons. To me, he looks more like a AAAA pitcher than a big leaguer, but he'll get a shot with the up-and-coming Rays. What We Get Back: A useful pick, in return for shedding over $2M in unwanted contracts and two spots on the 40-man roster. Small potatoes, to be sure, but potatoes are good. Mmm...potatoes. Nearly there... TRADE! P Eric Plummer is off to Washington for P Ryan Ratliff. What We Gave Up: Plummer will earn nearly 6M for each of the next two seasons, which is just too much for a tweener pitcher to make, in my opinion. He came over from Toronto in mid-season, and while he was not-so-hot (5.07, 72 IP, 36 K) for the Jays, he was worse (5.35, 72 IP, 35 K, 35 BB) for us. He's been a useful starter before, hitting double figures in wins for New Orleans three years in a row, and god knows the awful Nationals can use any live bodies on the mound. So maybe he can find himself again. What We Get Back: Ratliff, a 23-year-old righty who was pretty decent in AA last year, when healthy. Solid ratings, some room to grow, and three developed pitches. Enough stamina to start, as well. Nice intangibles. His drawback is an injury history: 9 starts last year, 24 the year before. Still, adding another arm to the mix can't hurt...can't hurt me, at least. His arm might fall off, but mine won't. Last one, promise... TRADE! OF Joel Jacoby is packed off to Toronto for P Malik Chaney. What We Gave Up: Jacoby is a solid fielder and a nifty baserunner. He also has a cool moustache, and walks a lot (or would, if he batted a lot). But he makes over $1M (1.3, to be precise), and was likely looking at starting the season in AAA. Too much dough for a minor leaguer, and I'm trying to pare where I can. He's at worst a useful backup and injury fill-in. What We Get Back: In Chaney, another arm to experiment with. Or more insurance, if you will. He's 28, a lefty, and hasn't produced much in 128 big league innings. But he's got good stuff, an elite changeup, and keeps the ball down. Once again, another arm that will probably start in AAA but be on the short list for promotion depending on need. All combined, that's a lot of player movement, which is what I promised. From our playoff roster, we've moved our SS, 2/3 of our OF, a backup IF and an OF, and three pitchers. We also ship out three other pitchers and a promising 1B/DH prospect. In return, we get two potential all-star starters--at short and at an OF corner position--and four pitchers. Only one of those pitchers looks big league ready, but that's okay. Of the moved picks, we're down a 5th and 9th, but regained an 8th. That washes for me. I'm likely done trading, unless training camp brings some major injuries. I'll also make a final sweep through our minor league system soon, culling out the chaff and moving guys up and down. It's possible once that's done I could swing some minor deals--AA guy for AA guy, that sort of thing--but it's more likely I'll go the minor league free agent route instead. There's also the just-released list of international free agents, and there are a couple of pitchers worth looking at there as well. So, while the big news has already been delivered, the 2044 roster is not fully set, not just yet. ...... ...One week into the UFA season, and there's only been one signing of note: Boston re-signed SS Pablo Delgado (.222/20/77) for four years at $14.6M per. Ehhh...Pablo can still get on base (.352 OBP) and wields a fine glove, but that's a lot of cash for a .220 hitter who's a long way removed from his prime. ...Boston makes the second splash as well, landing C Lance Powell for 5 years and $131M combined. Powell (.323/35/102) is a consistent 6-to-7 WAR guy, and well worth it. ...St Loo inks 2B Tim Ost (.291/21/80) for nearly $15M per over four years. Ost is a career .290 hitter over his five big league seasons, but I think he's peaked, and will struggle to live up to that contract for the Birds. ...If it's free agent season, it must be time for: LOS ANGELES DODGERS CRAZY-ASS PAYROLL WATCH! Yes, once again, in their mad quest to sign every closer that's ever been, the Dodgers have reached deep into their wallets and come up with fat wads of cash for another star reliever. This time, it's former Brewer Bill Brunson (WHAT DID I TELL YOU, PEOPLE), who'll make $11M this coming season in LA. That makes him the 12th highest paid player on the Dodgers, and 6th highest pitcher. The Dodgers have committed $234.9M as of right now in 2044 salaries. Fun fact: that number will surely go up, by quite a bit, over the next two months. Count on it. And while I know it's still early in free agency, you should know that the team with the #2 payroll is the New York Mets, coming in at a paltry $153M. That's $81M lower than the Dodgers. Currently there are eleven teams under $81M in payroll, just for some perspective. ...Tampa Bay shows it could be for real next year by inking former Cincy ace Robbie Collier to a four-year, $61M deal. Collier was just 8-6 with a 3.77 ERA in 32 starts last year, but did fan 197 in 157 IP. He has no stamina (averaging just over 5 IP a start in his six-year career) but is fun to watch while he's out there. ... Part 2 forthcoming. Attached Images __________________ Introducing Your Hawaii Islanders!

08-04-2018, 11:12 AM	#167
Bub13 All Star Reserve Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Maine Posts: 748	2043/44 Off-Season Report, Part Two ...Woo! Things really heated up at the Winter Meetings in Craptown Beach, Florida. DODGER PAYROLL WATCH '44 continued with the signing of two more relief pitchers for a combined 9.46M. Minnesota, having just traded away a 30-HR RF for another 30-HR RF went and signed...a 30-HR RF, Jason McColl for 11M per for four years. Montreal signed the first good international free agent, 3B Toshi Hasegawa, for 7 years, 75M. And Richmond made the biggest splash so far by inking former Marlins 3B Sergio Torres for 21M per season for the next six years. Gotta say he's probably worth it, tho. ...Eight trades were made at the meetings, but none were really groundbreaking or even reportable. ...San Francisco finally signed a manager, yoking David Baker to that awful franchise for the next two years. Baker comes from four seasons helming the Yakult Swallows in Japan. He'll wish he was back there soon enough. How bad have the Giants been? Three straight years of sub-70-wins; last division title in 2025, although they did make the playoffs as a wildcard in '28 and '34. And to be completely honest, they won a shock World Series in '35, after beating the nearly-invincible Pirates to get there. Last year, they were dead last in NL batting, and only a quality bullpen kept the pitching from the bottom as well. Bad team, with a small budget, and still losing money. Not many quality prospects, either. ...... ...MLB (and OOTP) hates a vacuum. Case in point: having rated my catchers as 31st best (in a 36-team league), I have been subject to an onslaught of trade offers featuring catchers. Bad ones, naturally. And apparently my starting pitching is lacking as well, so I've been getting offers for overpaid and sore-armed veterans like it's a 2-for-1 Black Friday Sale at Target. None of them--none, zero, bupkis--are any good. Which is why it was surprising when... ...Boston came along and offered me two prospect relievers for AAA 3B Ryan Hein. Hein was a 3rd round pick back in '39, and was slowly making his way through the system when--BLAMMO--Detroit took him in the Rule 5 draft in December '42. After hitting .178 in 73 AB, they released him in July and he was back in AAA Santa Barbara, where he finished the year batting .333 with 9 HR in 141 AB. Still, he's an okay prospect: a slightly above average contact/gap hitter, but with good fielding and a rocket arm. His profile says he likes to golf, so maybe that's why he's so popular. In return we get two 23-year-old pitchers: LHP Brad Hake and RHP Ben "Rat" Willard. Hake is further along (Willard was just drafted last summer), and it wouldn't surprise me if he made the team as the #2 LH reliever, especially if Morrow finds a slot in the rotation. Willard was just acquired by Boston from Richmond, so it's odd to see him being offered again so soon. He'll likely be in AA, but does grade out slightly higher than Hake, should he fully develop. Neither is star-level, but both look solid, and you can't have enough arms these days. ...... ...Just before Christmas, two star SS went off the market on the same day. The Phillies signed Alex Castillo (.273/33/84 last year, plus 4 career GG) away from the Cubs, for 22.2M per over five years, while Brooklyn brought reigning NL MVP Victor "PEDs? Me?" Sanchez back home, after one season in Austin. He'll make 15.2M per over seven years. BNN initially had Sanchez' asking price at 32M per season, so that's quite a surprising comedown for the little fella. ...Tampa signs their second starting pitcher, this time getting 36-year-old Jeff Caraway, late of seven seasons with the Angels. Caraway made 17M last season, and wanted nearly that much from me when I talked with him earlier this winter. He signed for 4.8M. ...More SP sign for smallish bucks, a trend I did not foresee this year: Khalil Palmer (5.8M with Cincinnati), Travis Ryan (4.1M with Washington), Erik Presley (5.8M with Minnesota), and Toichi Kaneko (6.8M with KC). All of these pitchers had ERA well below league average last year, and all pitched injury-free. There are two SP (and two CL, and a Japanese import SP) all sitting in free agency, demanding north of 10M per season, with no apparent bites so far. Interesting... ...I speak, and things happen: Detroit signed one of those closers, Lance Hansen, for the bargain basement price of 5.8M. Austin then swept in and stole away premier SP Sam Thompson (from New Orleans) for 121M over 7 seasons. ...And then, Austin grabs a closer of their own, inking Josh Inman for 18.3M over 3 years, while New Orleans makes up (a little) for losing Thompson by signing Joe Ingram (huge stuff but throws it wicked straight) to a 6.8M deal. ...... ...The Rule 5 draft rolls around, and of the 431 players taken, we lose one: IF Bobby Layne, picked by Richmond. Despite his playoff heroics, I had left him off the 40 man roster and unprotected in the draft because I have a plethora of middle infielders, and he was on the outside looking in. Thanks for the memories, Bobby, and good luck with the Eagles. ...We add an international free agent: RP Hisami Masuda (no relation to Senichi), a 29-year-old left hander. Good stuff, decent movement, and excellent control. Fastball is his best pitch, backed with a pretty good circle change. He'll make 3.2M for the next three years, so he's got incentive to perform well. ...After losing Layne in the Rule 5 draft, I signed free agent 2B Ryan Hannon to a minor league deal. He's pure AAA stuff, but could fill in in the bigs for a week or so if absolutely necessary. Looking at his history, I see why he seemed familiar to me for some reason: drafted as a pitcher in '31 by Brooklyn, he got as high as a couple of games in AA in '37 before being released. Then I signed him in early '38 and moved him to the infield. He played in AA for me, then got released again. After a year in the Austin org, I signed him again in '40, where he spent a year in AAA. Three years and two organizations later, he's getting his third crack in my system, and will start 2044 in AAA. Travelin' Man indeed. At this rate he'll be an MLB regular by 2050. ...... ...Hall of Fame voting is in, and there are two new members: 1B Colin Moran and OF Dylan Cozens. Moran, in his third year, received 84% of the vote. In his 20-year career, he hit .296 with 246 HR and 1096 RBI. He racked up 3074 hits and earned 64.9 WAR, with 3 Gold Gloves, and was also a part of three championship teams. I had him in Richmond, and he was steady and never got hurt. Cozens, one of the premier power hitters of the '20s, made it in his second year of eligibility. A career .276 hitter, he totaled 530 HR and 62.7 WAR in his career. He was also a 12-time all-star. He never won an MVP, but finished in the top three vote-getters four times. Unfortunately, Giancarlo Stanton, in his 10th year, appeared on only 62% of the ballots, and will be dropped from eligible list. He's an outside shot to get in via the Veteran vote. Also, Cisco Videira, in his first year, received just 15% of the votes; interesting because he finished his career with over 3000 hits, and could become the first player to not be elected to the Hall with that career total. Also landing in the Hall was manager Peng-Fei Tu, who managed in the majors for 15 years, winning two championships and three Manager of the Year awards. ...Dodgers sign another relief pitcher, but I'm disappointed to report that it's for just 1.4M per season. Still plenty of talent left on the board, so I'm holding out that they'll blow some more big cash on 5 or 8 more relievers. ...Let's check in with the league's highest paid player, White Sox catcher Dan Starr. Starr was AL Rookie of the Year back in 2033, and has had a solid 11-year career, but is he worth 37M a year? Well, his .264/24/64 season earned him 3.5 WAR. So if you're doing the math at home, that's a little over 10M per 1 point of WAR. Just for fun, baseball's other 30M man, Baltimore's Cesar Alvarenga, has earned more than 6 WAR three years running, so he's at least earning his 35M. ...4-time Cy Young winner Dave Henderson signs with Philadelphia. The 36-year-old made only 17 starts last year with Toronto (with a 5.20 ERA), but the Phils saw fit to sign him for three years at 7.8M per. I'm sure it will all work out. ...... And with that, pitchers and catchers report, and the 2044 pre-season is under way. Spring Training formally gets under way at the end of February, and Opening Day is April 4. Baseball Fever. Catch It! Attached Images __________________ Introducing Your Hawaii Islanders!

07-16-2018, 06:46 PM	#161
Bub13 All Star Reserve Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Maine Posts: 748	September Roster Expansion and Et Cetera... With 30 games left, we're at 76-56, 3.5 games behind Oakland, and 8 games ahead of Milwaukee in the wild card standings. Of our remaining games, 19 are at home, where we're 41-25. We finish the season on the road at Seattle, but the series everyone is eyeing already is the penultimate one: 3 games at home versus Oakland. For the September call-ups, I summon OF Jim Klein, IF Bobby Layne, and pitchers Aldo Gouweleeuw and Ramon Archila. Klein will get a long look, especially whenever Carrillo is hurt, as I expect him to figure more prominently next season. Layne is a fill-in. Gouweleeuw has been decent (sometimes) in relief, and gets one more shot to see if he's worth re-signing for next year. Ditto Archila, who's ratings look way better than his results. Giving another coming bullpen rebuild, it's important to see what these guys have. I also move the struggling Eric Plummer out of the rotation, and give a shot to Pete Morrow, who's been pretty damn good in a setup role, but looks to have some chops as a starter. (Btw, DH/1B Justin Wright is named August player of the month, with a .401/18/32 slash.) September 1-2 vs SEATTLE Currently 65-67, 14.5 games out of first. A terrible June killed their early-season momentum, and they've been treading water ever since. Hitting has been decent--sixth overall--despite superstar Mike Wapner missing over a month this summer, with 2B Alex Cruz the slugging star (32 HR) and catcher Ben Moore batting over .300 all season. Pitching, once a strength, has underwhelmed, and is 15th in the league. Five pitchers are on the DL, and three of their top prospects have already been pressed into service, with mixed results. The best of these--Steve Maki--looks like a future #1 or #2 starter, but is up maybe a year too early for his own good. HAW pitchers: Eric Jones (9-8, 5.29) / Pete Morrow (7-1, 3.41) SEA pitchers: Jaden Graham (6-9, 6.30) / Dave Conner (MLB debut) #133: WIN 3-2 ... two Seattle solo shots in the 9th and 10th put us in danger, but Klein's RBI single in the bottom half wins it...Jones is solid, the bullpen (again) less so #134: WIN 7-4 ... 3 hits for Klein, and a 2B and HR for Wright...strong 6 IP (6 H, 1 ER, 7 K, 0 BB) for Morrow We keep winning, good, but Oakland does too, bad. Still four games behind.... Carrillo's dtd injury has been listed as "unknown return date," which is worrying, and morbidly typical for him.... Wright went from being named player of the month, to going 0-for-5 with 5 strikeouts, to knocking in 3 RBI the next game. Moody cuss.... ELSEWHERE: Tampa's William Antonio hit .488 in August (and .500 so far in Sept.) to move to the top of the AL batting list, at .382. He's just one point ahead of Vinny Vargas, so nothing's decided.... Oakland is just the second team to guarantee themselves a winning record, at 82-52. Five other teams have won 78 games.... San Fran is quietly having an awful 52-82 season, with catcher Adam Behling the only batter who's bothered to show up for the NL's 2nd-worst offense. He's at .328/20/82, whereas second "best" is hitting .245, and only three other players have reached double figures in HR. Somehow, they've got the 13th best system in baseball, but to my eyes only a couple of players that look like more than barely-adequate supporting cast. September 4-6 vs TEXAS Another team derailed by a poor June (and a poor April, but why quibble), 11th in offense and 13th in defense. So, not terrible, but nothing remarkable either. The Rangers have about 1/3 of a good team: LF Ricky Chavez is money (.288/41/107), and 3B Corey Turner (.298/19/74), 1B Pat Salter (.267/15/62), and 2B Gabriel Gallegos (.345 and GG defense) are the only quality bats; most of the pitchers look promising on paper but can't produce on the field. At 23, promising SS Alvin Phillips was 3 the last time the Rangers made the playoffs. HAW pitchers: BJ Nault (4-5, 4.71) / Rob Hart (10-5, 4.11) / Jonathan Murray (11-6, 4.21) TEX pitchers: Thomas Cannaday (2-3, 5.19) / Luis Otero (2-4, 6.40) / Joe Ingram (3-7, 4.42) #135: LOSS 3-8 ... meh...Klein keeps hitting, and Wright parked another one, but starter Nault and closer Yaung toss a lot of softballs today #136: WIN 5-3 ... Hart fans 8, and the pen shows up, allowing no runners in three innings #137: WIN 9-3 ... Mercedes stays hot, hitting his 3rd HR of the month, and Murray whiffs 10 over 8 innings Oakland's won six straight now, so we actually lost a game to them, and are now 5 back.... MLB gives us a 100% chance to make the playoffs. Even if we don't catch the A's, we're 10 games up on the next-best team in the wild card standings. Both Oakland and us have 25 games remaining; our opponents winning pct is .504, theirs is .496. Edge to Oakland.... ELSEWHERE: Winning streaks for Boston and Miami have moved them closer to the division-leading Rays. Toss in Baltimore, and four teams are within 3.5 games of each other.... Minnesota still has the largest divisional lead, 11 games over Milwaukee. New Orleans is next, 8.5 over the Cards, while Philly is 6.5 up on Brooklyn. September 7-9 vs CHICAGO WHITE SOX Fourth in the Central, 62-73, 13th in offense, 11th pitching. Manny Cervantes has 33 HR, and leadoff man Jeremy Black has a nice looking .304/19/78 line, but there's not much else after that. CF Jason Feeney is a proven .300 hitter, but has only been healthy for two weeks so his .393 average can be given some side eye. They have an astounding eight pitchers on the DL, including their first two attempts at a closer and nominal ace Jake Atkinson. I don't see much brewing on the farm, either, and only one minor league team--rookie ball Great Falls--has a winning record. The clubhouse is openly feuding, with Cervantes--on an expiring contract--leading the way, mad at everybody and not talking to the press. HAW pitchers: Eric Jones (9-8, 5.03) / Pete Morrow (8-1, 3.14) / BJ Nault (4-6, 4.85) CHW pitchers: Jarrod Kearns (6-6, 5.24) / Roman Berndt (9-9, 5.01) / Chris Wead (3-8, 4.30) #138: LOSS 5-8 ... Jones is back on the down roller coaster...13 hits and 5 walks aren't enough smdh #139: LOSS 6-11 ... more tremendous pitching: Morrow 13 H, 8 R in 5 IP, and Yaung walks 5 in one inning...who's managing these guys? #140: WIN 11-8 ... don't be fooled: we were down 7-1 in the bottom of the 7th until Wright powers TWO GRAND SLAMS to snatch victory from the jaws Wow, some pitching we had there. The jury is still obviously out on Morrow, but Nault may have seen his last game for us, tbh.... With that crazy last game, Wright topped 100 RBI for the fourth time. And our pitching has dropped to 10th in the AL, down from 6th just over a week ago.... ELSEWHERE: Surprise, the Giants and then the Nats are the first teams eliminated from the playoffs..... It'll be a fun decision for NL rookie of the year, between Atlanta's John Arrington (.350/21/66) and Portland's Morgan Akers (.314/33/120). Akers leads all the power stats (and the NL in RBI), but Arrington is close to the NL batting crown and is 4th in OBP. He also has the lead in WAR, 5.2 to 4.2, despite missing over a month this summer. September 11-13 @ MILWAUKEE Probably too far out (11 games) to catch the Twins, but one of a handful of teams racing for the second wild card spot. MLB gives them a 30.3% chance to make it. Sixth in runs--despite near-bottom AVG and OBP--thanks largely to a league-leading 243 home runs, led by RF Coby Sandu with 45 and SS Austin Reinwald with 33. Pitching is 5th best, and defense 4th, for a run diff of +33. You get the feeling that if this team could get some hits they'd win 100 games. Closer Bill Brunson is gunning for his second Wilhelm award, with a 2.00 ERA and 0.97 WHIP. HAW pitchers: Rob Hart (11-5, 4.08) / Jonathan Murray (12-6, 4.17) / Eric Jones (9-9, 5.32) MIL pitchers: Brandon Jarmon (11-9, 4.99) / Tim Pinksen (9-10, 4.50) / Steve Hash (0-4, 9.28) #141: LOSS 2-4 ... Hart yields just 4 hits and fans 12, but Yaung delivers a gopher ball to Sandu in the 9th that closes it out askdfkldalkfskl #142: WIN 9-6 ... we finally outhit our terrible pitching...no HR for anyone today, shocking...5 hits for Robertson, tying the team record #143: WIN 5-4 ... look at Hash's stats above: and yet, he went 9 IP, 5 H today, sigh...The.Bullpen.Stinks.Again...Hart's 20th of the season in the 13th proves the difference Somehow we managed to win 2 out of 3 there, and gained a game and a half on the A's; now just 4 games out.... Wright snags player of the week, going 10-for-25 with 3 HR and 13 RBI. And back-to-back grand slams against CHW, in case you'd forgotten.... ELSEWHERE: PIT, ATL, SD, and POR are all eliminated. Oddly, no AL teams are officially out yet.... Miami is a game out of first in the East, and leading the non-Hawaii contenders for the second AL wild card, but they'll be without ace Levi Brady for the rest of the season. Brady leads the AL in ERA (2.74), K (233), and WAR (5.6), making him a top candidate in a blah race for AL Cy Young. September 14-16 @ MINNESOTA At 82-58, and with an 11 game lead, your likely AL Central division champs, marking their first division title since 2035. They've only had one losing season in the last seven, but have only made the playoffs once in that span. Fourth in runs, 7th in pitching. The first four batters in the lineup are hitting a combined .288 with 111 HR. Six pitchers are on the DL, including four starters, and yet they keep rolling along, with only Armando Rivera struggling right now. 3B Paul Foster reached 30 HR for the 7th time, and at 33 is playing well enough to vie for his 8th career gold glove. HAW pitchers: Pete Morrow (8-2, 4.13) / Aldo Gouweleeuw (0-1, 4.00) / Rob Hart (11-5, 4.00) MIN pitchers: Andy Goeser (12-5, 4.29) / Armando Rivera (3-8, 7.49) / Bob Knapp (11-7, 4.67) #144: WIN 5-3 ... 2-run HR for Masuda, and McArthur goes 4-for-4 with 2 RBI...not a great start for Morrow, but the pen shows up tonight, shutting things down for 4 innings #145: WIN 7-6 ... somehow Nault sneaks in for the start, gives up 11 hits, but gets the win. Charmed life... #146: WIN 5-4 ... we overcome 4 solo HR from the Twins...four players played 2b for us tonight, why? Plus, Robertson gets hurt on the bases That was unexpected, and most welcome. Plus, we gain a bit of ground on Oakland, now just 3 games behind them.... Robertson's diagnosis is pending, hopefully he's not out for long, as he's been a steady leadoff man for us all year.... ELSEWHERE: St Louis has won 8 straight, is now just 2.5 behind New Orleans. Neither has clinched, but both are shoo-ins for the playoffs. Two games separates LA and Austin in the West; both teams are also favored to make the post-season.... Milwaukee's Coby Sandu is closing in on 50 HR, with 48. NYY's Tony Flores is coming on late, now with 44, but certainly won't reach 60 this season. ...... TL;DR Version: A 10-4 start to the month has kept us in the race for the division, although we're still 3 games behind the A's, so making up ground very slowly. Coming up, we have ten games against the bottom-dwellers in our division, and then a critical series against Oakland. Hopefully we'll still be close enough to make it matter. Attached Images __________________ Introducing Your Hawaii Islanders!

07-17-2018, 06:15 PM	#162
Bub13 All Star Reserve Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Maine Posts: 748	September 18-20 @ LA ANGELS Ten games over .500 since July 1, so maybe there's light coming? Anyway, 70-75, third in the division. The star of the show has been SS Juan Rodriquez, .357/38/116 and probably on the short list for AL MVP. However, 3/5 of their rotation is 34 or older, so don't plan the parade just yet. HAW pitchers: Jonathan Murray (13-6, 4.31) / Eric Jones (9-9, 5.21) / Pete Morrow (9-2, 4.25) LAA pitchers: Greg Langworthy (10-13, 5.94) / Jeff Caraway (10-8, 3.84) / Alex Diaz (4-2, 3.22) #147: WIN 6-3 ... 2 HR for Hart, and 4-for-4 for recent callup Dave White...good start for Murray, but he walks more than he whiffs #148: WIN 6-3 ... 3 H and 2 RBI for Wright, and a 2-run double for Hunter, now batting leadoff for Robertson #149: WIN 8-3 ... 16 hits, including 3 each for Hunter and Hart...Morrow looks good, but wild (4 BB in 5 IP) Nice little sweep, and needed, since Oakland keeps winning and maintains a two-game lead.... Bad news re Robertson: broken elbow, out for six months. I call up Aaron Little, acquired from Miami in May. He was .285/13/63 in 88 games in AAA. Little looks like a decent hitter, with some gap and home run power, but little discipline and not the best contact. Slow in the field, but with a strong arm, pretty much limiting him to third. So he'll get a few games to show off a bit.... ELSEWHERE: Oakland becomes the first team to clinch a playoff spot; probably soon to be joined by New Orleans (91 wins), and likely Minnesota (9 game lead).... Washington has lost 10 in a row, and is close to clinching the worst record in the game.... Colby Sandu (MIL) has reached 50 HR, so hosanna to him. September 21-23 @ TEXAS Another also-ran season in the Lone Star State, at 69-80 and bringing up the rear in the division. The single highlight has been LF Ricky Chavez and his huge season, .282/42/114. Pitching has been near-bottom, but they get a lot of hits (6th), while not being able to score (14th). It's now been 21 years without any playoffs for the Rangers. HAW pitchers: Aldo Gouweleeuw (0-1, 4.00) / Rob Hart (11-5, 4.01) / Jonathan Murray (14-6, 4.32) TEX pitchers: Thomas Cannaday (3-4, 5.12) / Lorenzo Rangel (1-3, 3.86) / Luis Otero (2-6, 6.75) #150: LOSS 3-5 ... Masuda reaches 120 RBI, now 9th on the Islander single-season list...nice start for Gouweleeuw, 2 ER in 7 IP #151: WIN 4-2 ... Dave White's nice September call-up continues with a 2-run HR in the 10th to seal the deal...win clinches a playoff spot! #152: LOSS 3-4 ... Murray yields all 4 runs on 3 HR early on...30 HR now for Mercedes Not games we can drop if we want to catch Oakland. We're now 3 games behind.... 240 K for Rob Hart, leading the AL.... ELSEWHERE: closest division race is the AL West, at 3 games. The NL Central (NO and STL) is 3.5 games, and AL Central (MIN and KC) has the biggest margin, at 8 games.... While HAW (or OAK) is a shoo-in for the first AL wildcard, three teams are tied for the second, at 77 wins: KC, BAL, MIA. St Loo is 3.5 up for the first NL wildcard. September 24-27 vs HOUSTON Didn't we just play these guys? At 70-81, one of the four at the bottom of the division all vying for that crucial 3rd place spot. (All within 2 games of each other.) Interesting note: they have nine farm teams, and the bottom five are all over .500 (combined +79), while the top four are all under .500 (combined -51). HAW pitchers: Eric Jones (10-9, 5.19) / Pete Morrow (10-2, 4.03) / Aldo Gouweleeuw (0-2, 3.60) / Rob Hart (11-5, 3.91) HOU pitchers: Jonathan Caldera (9-11, 5.34) / Luis Munoz (2-6, 5.12) / Tony Arballo (5-3, 3.77) / Ryan Crawley (13-10, 5.36) #153: WIN 7-6 ... Gooding's 8th inning blast is the winner, while Aaron Little goes 3-for-5 and hits his 1st big league HR in the 4th #154: LOSS 2-3 ... Morrow has a good start (7 IP, 5 H, 6 K), but we can't muster any support for him...two players injured too #155: LOSS 0-3 ... only two hits, and the division title is slipping away #156: WIN 4-3 ... 3-hitter for Hart, and 2 HR for Carrillo, another for rookie Aaron Little Up to four games behind Oakland, so ground was lost.... Injuries are piling up too: Gooding tore his elbow, done for the season; Wright and McArthur have dtd injuries through the end of the regular season, hopefully they'll be healthy, or healthy enough, come playoff time.... ELSEWHERE: New Orleans and LA clinch NL playoff spots.... LA and Minnesota have Magic # of 1 for their respective divisions.... Dodgers starter Jackson Suttie reached 20 wins, not quite the 25 he was on pace for back in August. September 28-30 vs OAKLAND It all comes to this, for the division: at four games back, I think we need a sweep to get close enough to take the crown in the next series. Although we're first in AVG and OBP, these guys have scored the most runs (882). Pitching is 5th, with the 2nd best rotation (4.24 ERA). Pitchers in general aren't what they used to be, but the rotation features two 15-game and one 14-game winner. Vinny Vargas (.381/41/106) leads the league in batting, OPS, and WAR. Two teammates--Bobby Trujillo and Jordan Coronado--have more RBI than him tho. HAW pitchers: Jonathan Murray (14-7, 4.39) / Eric Jones (10-9, 5.27) / Pete Morrow (10-3, 4.02) OAK pitchers: Jaysen Moss (11-9, 4.37) / Miguel Valencia (1-3, 4.97) / Mike Wiater (15-9, 2.98) #157: WIN 7-3 ... strong (7 IP, 6 H, 8 K) outing for Murray...2 2b, 2 RBI for Carrillo, healthy for the moment...all but one starter gets a hit #158: LOSS 5-6 ... bad start for Jones...equal hits for both sides, but we toss in 7 walks for good measure...4 games out, 4 games left #159: LOSS 1-2 ... and with that, our 7-year run of division titles comes to an end...Carillo drives in our one run, but also grounds into a late rally-killing DP Well, not too surprised. Despite our 34-21 record since August 1, we couldn't keep up with Oakland's 37-18 mark.... With two players already nursing dtd injuries, and the season coming down to the one-off wildcard game in about a week's time, we'll shut down some of the regulars for the final series. We also called up three more players, with AAA Santa Barbara losing in the PCL finals: OF Roberto Mendez (all defense, no offense), SS JJ Simmons (started the season in AA and possibly the SS of the future?), and CL Rick Ramirez. Ramirez had 9 IP earlier this season, and will get a brief look as closer this final stretch.... ELSEWHERE: Five of the division winners are set: Tampa, Minnesota, and Oakland in the AL; New Orleans and LA in the NL. Philly is 3 up (with 3 to go) on Brooklyn in the NL East. For the wildcard, Hawaii and STL have clinched. In the AL, Miami (82 wins), KC (81), Milwaukee (80), and Baltimore (79) are still in it; while in the NL, it's Austin (89) and Brooklyn (88).... Tampa is working on a 10-game winning streak.... At the other end of the wedge, Washington spent big (+13 WAR) in the off-season, but has only 59 wins to show for it. The newbies earned a combined 3 WAR this season. October 2-4 @ SEATTLE Seven games over .500 on June 1, 18 games under since. They are 4th in HR in the AL, but terrible pitching doomed them all summer long. Still, they've got a decent-looking lineup, so if they can find or develop one more starting pitcher, and rebuild a truly awful bullpen, they'll contend next year. HAW pitchers: Rob Hart (12-5, 3.84) / Aldo Gouweleeuw (0-3, 3.55) / Eric Jones (10-10, 5.39) SEA pitchers: Sean Easter (10-7, 4.40) / Dave Conner (0-5, 7.40) / Danny Powers (7-10, 4.85) #160: WIN 11-6 ... Hart is chased in the 5th, but a 5-run 6th puts us back on top...everyone gets a hit...2 errors in his debut game for SS Simmons #161: LOSS 5-6 ... Gouweleeuw gets bombed early and often, nothing else to report here #162: WIN 7-2 ... HR for Masuda (33) and J.Hart (25), and Jones throws a solid 6 innings for the win...Yaung fans 5 in two innings of middle relief Two more wins, although meaningless, giving us a final record of 95-67, four games behind Oakland. If not for that 8-15 April, what might have been.... We finished first in team AVG and OBP, third in runs (880); sixth in pitching (784 runs against), and the 2nd best bullpen (surprising). No batters really stood out any individual stats, except that Justin Wright was 2nd in XBH, 4th in ISO, and 6th in OPS+. Joseph Hart led the AL with 14 sacrifices, but also with 15 times caught stealing. Pitching, Jonathan Murray tied for 2nd with 15 wins, likewise did YT Yaung tie for 2nd with 39 saves. Rob Hart led the AL with 255 K, was 3rd in opponent's avg (.210), and tied for 5th in quality starts (19). In the field, Ashton Gooding made 98 starts at third, leading the AL with a .996 fielding pct, and finishing 2nd in ZR and EFF. No other fielders stood out.... We finished 2nd in baseball in attendance, with 3.675M. The Dodgers led with 3.884M, and New Orleans was third with 3.658M.... ELSEWHERE: Philly won the NL East and Austin edged Brooklyn by a game to take the final wildcard spot. In the AL, Miami, KC, and Milwaukee entered the final day of the season tied with 82 wins, but only the Marlins won, giving them the #2 wildcard spot and a date against us.... Austin is in the playoffs for the first time since 2021, and Tampa Bay the first since 2034. The Mets 6-year playoff run ended, as did the Tigers 3-year stretch. ...... TL;DR Version: A 9-7 finish wasn't nearly good enough to catch the A's, and we are not division champs for the first time since 2035, our second season of existence. We've got two of our top players -- Justin Wright and Travis McArthur -- nursing dtd injuries, but they'll have to play in the wildcard game: we need them. Our opponent? Last year's AL champs, Miami. Attached Images __________________ Introducing Your Hawaii Islanders!

08-06-2018, 07:41 PM	#168
Bub13 All Star Reserve Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Maine Posts: 748	2044 Spring Training and Season Preview First things first: catcher Alexis Mercedes signed with the Cardinals, one year for 11.4M. (Remember he wanted at least 18M from me.) Meaning: angry Twits take to their phones to tell me that I don't know what I'm doing. And MLB gifts us a supplemental first round pick for the June draft. We've had two supplemental picks in our draft history: in 2039 we took pitcher Jamie Berisford, and in 2042 OF Dillon Ritter. Berisford, while still in our system, has been a sad case. Three major elbow injuries have made for seasons of 8, 3, 0, 1, 17, and 9 starts, and he's still out for 2 to 3 more months from his latest injury. At some point, he'll be in AAA this year, and maybe has a future in middle relief. Ritter, at 21, has made steady progress through our system, and will also be in AAA Santa Barbara this season. He looks like a lot of players in our system: solid contact and gap power, little deep power, no plate discipline, but won't strike out. He's rangy enough for CF, but his mediocre arm might keep him in left. Still, he's a solid prospect, and might even see some time on the big squad come September. As we slog through the last couple weeks before camp opens, the system is getting rounded out, with some high-minors signings, and one more addition to the big club. Observe: ...RP Cam Vitali and C Mario Burgueno sign minor league contracts. Both players have been here before. Vitali was a 4th round pick way back in my first draft with the Islanders, ultimately spending a couple seasons in AAA. For the past two seasons he's been shuttling back and forth between A and AA for the Rays and Cubs systems, but is really too good to be that low. I've got him penciled into AA for now, but as a decent-looking LHP, he'll probably wind up in AAA. Burgueno was signed as a free agent in '40, but claimed off waivers by Oakland in '42. He hit .203 in 64 AB for the A's over two seasons before his release last fall. He's got enough of a bat to challenge Cory Vannoy for the backup position, as well as being a decent backstop. If he had any plate discipline, he could challenge for some quality playing time, but as it is he'll either be our backup or be the first choice in AAA. Can play a decent 1B too, always a bonus. ...Needing to make some moves to the 40-man roster (and, frankly, needing more pitching depth at AAA and AA), I make several minor, but hopefully helpful, trades. First, we send 3B Andy Bridges, 26, to Houston for OF Ryan Linder. Bridges hit .389 in AAA, but just .156 in 63 AB for me. A good contact hitter and fielder, but little power and no plate discipline. Linder, also 26, went .224/12/49 with Houston, and is a low-strikeout (and low walk) hitter and a good-enough fielder. He's purely a corner OF. Two days later, I tell Linder not to unpack, and he's sent off to Richmond for prospect OF Glenn Heath, 21. A slighty better fielder than Linder, Heath's big drawback is his low contact ceiling. He has hit well in three seasons in the Eagles system, and could still develop beyond what his scouting report currently says. Finally, we trade former 2nd round pick RP Ian Albring to Austin for P Mike Pearson. Despite good ratings, Albring never could stick with us, getting just 19 IP across 3 seasons, with a 6.63 ERA. He's 31, so really no longer a prospect, but hopefully can find himself with the up-and-coming Outlaws. In Pearson, 23, we get a mid-ceiling SP who will start in AA. He's got some room to grow still, but is at least a year away (despite his own inflated sense of self-worth), and with the proper amount of seasoning could figure in the rotation by, say, 2046. All in all, three deals, moving three players from the 40-man roster, and making room for a couple of others who might make the big club this spring, and also for the next guy... ...I finally decided I wasn't ready to go into camp without adding any starting pitching. Problem is, being close to our budget limit, there just weren't any decent, affordable options in free agency (sure-thing SP are, in February, are still going for $6M-$8M), and the few guys I looked at via trade were also just too expensive, prospect-wise. But there was one guy out there, from Japan, still sitting on the market after declaring his availability two months ago. So I bit: we signed SP Ryuma Sato to a one-year, $4.41M deal. He's got excellent stuff, and good-enough movement and control. Curve/fastball/change combo, and keeps the ball down. He does have some drawbacks: he's 32, and his best years are probably behind him. He's coming off a down year, where his ERA was a full point higher than his career average. His stamina is not...ideal...for a starter. And he's a low LE and low LOY guy, so could become a clubhouse headache if we/he struggle. Still, it's just a one year deal, so he'll either be a genius signing, or completely forgotten about by this time next year. Given that I have just four healthy SP at the moment--with one, Pete Morrow, still an unknown moving up from the bullpen--I felt this was a necessary move. Especially as #3 starter Jonathan Murray is still out for two more weeks and likely will need some rehab time in AAA through April (at least), and #1 prospect Taylor Barnett is out through May. Fingers crossed. ...... A few more big signings of note... ...DET grabs 2042 NL MVP Sean West for 16.2M, a one-year deal. He hit 169 HR in his five seasons in STL, including 56 in that magical '42 season. He dropped to 36 last year, which is his career average. He's a terrible fielder, but walks a ton and is just what the slugging Tigers need: another giant power bat. ...MIN added another perennial 30-HR bat to their lineup: 1B Joel Rogers, late of ATL, for 10.1M. ...2042 AL Cy Young winner Miguel Moreno signs with WSH, for 8.3M and one year. Washington has added a ton of WAR again this year, but the've never been able to do anything with it. Maybe this is the year they approach .500. ...Austin makes a bargain-basement signing, getting 2B Cory Hopkins for just 3.8M. Hopkins has a career .328 average, adding 17 HR a year with 30 SB. He's topped 200 hits twice, led the AL in doubles twice, and is just 27. ...AHAHAHAHA. The Jordan Cruz Strikeout Train has entered a new station: Montreal, for one year at 2.28M. If you've read a word of this dynasty, you're aware of my never-ending respect for his offense-killing abilities: 6374 career AB, a .199 lifetime average, and 2613 K, having led his league in whiffs nine times. Montreal is having the worst off-season in the league so far. More about that later... ...... ...Spring Training ends, and it was disturbingly good for us: 22-8, with good hitting and good pitching all around. Of course I have no idea how any of this will translate into the regular season, so maybe I'll choose...optimism? The only negatives were a few fairly minor injuries. IF J.J. Simmons will miss the first two weeks of the season with a strained oblique, and RP Rick Ramirez will be out for a month with an arm injury. Rob Hart missed a week late, but will be fine by opening day. And Jonathan Murray comes off the DL just before the season, but will spend April on rehab in AAA. Owner Alexis Pagan thinks we should "at least make the playoffs." MLB agrees, picking us to win the AL West with 100 wins. Detroit is tabbed for the Central, while Boston (with just 86 wins) gets the East nod. Oakland is the clear pick for the first wildcard spot, while Tampa, Milwaukee, and Minnesota are the only other over-.500 teams. MLB adds that we'll have the 2nd best offense (behind Detroit) and the best pitching. Hmm... In the NL, Atanta, Cincinnati, and Austin will be the division winners, with Philly, LA, Richmond, St Louis, Chicago, Brooklyn, and the Mets getting decent nods as well. (FYI, Atlanta hasn't had a winning season since they won the Series in 2037.) The Yankees, Giants, and Rangers look to be the worst teams in the league. ...Personnel-wise, around the league, despite there being a number of high-quality free agents still available, I will proceed to be totally judgemental about the off-season efforts of everyone else. Brooklyn "wins" the off-season, gaining 9.7 WAR, even if 8.6 of that comes from one player: SS Victor Sanchez. Still, they gained an MVP, a starting pitcher, and nearly 5 WAR worth of quality relief pitching. Expect them to be good this year. The next three teams on the list are also NL East teams: Richmond (+4.7), Washington (+4.4), and Philadelphia (+3.2). In our division, only Oakland gained (+2.6), but mostly because six players they let go combined for a -2.9 WAR. All but Washington are predicted to finish over .500 and vie for playoff spots -- MLB sees the Nationals winning just 73 games. On the other hand, the NL Central lost big time. Notice: MTL (league-worst -18.6), New Orleans (third worst -8.8), Chicago (-8.3), St Louis (-7.0), Cincinnati (-3.4), and Pittsburgh (-2.1). Montreal picked up 11 players, including a decent catcher, a third-rate SP, and a couple of iffy relievers. But they lost their 3B, two outfielders, and four regular pitchers (two of them pretty good). The five "worst" off-seasons belonged to NL teams, and the city of Chicago lost over 15 WAR alone. Based on this extremely reliable predictive analysis, the NL Central will be awful this season, and Washington will finally break through and become a respectable team. Sure. ...... Finally, a few notes before the season starts... ...So we traded Mel Carrillo to Austin, in part because he can't stay healthy. (His 422 AB last season were by far his career highest.) Well...he tore up his knee in the first week of camp, and will miss the season. Surprised/not surprised. Sorry, Austin. ...KC, Philly, and Oakland have the top prospect systems. Oakland! They are constantly a top ten--top five sometimes--team, and yet here they are. Amazing. The top prospect in the game currently is Philly OF George Livezey: big power, the best plate discipline I've ever seen, won't strike out, good fielder, decent runner. And yet, not a superstar, as he'll most likely struggle to hit better than say, .260 year-in, year-out. Still, HR + OBP + Gold Gloves = Winner. The best pitching prospect is KC's Ryan Phillips, who figures to be pretty good one day, but will give up more than his share of home runs, unfortunately. Our system ranks 20th, with three players in the top 100. (More about us during my June draft write-up.) Richmond ranks dead last, with zero players in the top 100. I have to agree: they look really, really bad, although future CL Jay Debus (currently in AA) looks pretty good. They certainly have a knack currently for developing low-contact utility players. ...As expected, the Dodgers have the league's highest payroll, coming in at over $246M. Second-place Richmond is doling out a mere $168M, and last-place Cleveland a truly scanty $61M. Our player payroll of $133M comes in at 13th, while our budget of $160M is tied for 11th. White Sox C Dan Starr is once again the league's highest-paid player, at $37M, trailed slightly by Baltimore slugger Cesar Alvarenga at $36M. Of the other 22 players topping $20M per season, our own Adam Groff sits at #10, making $25M. (Although his wallet will fatten to the tune of $31.5M next year, and $37.5M after that. Oy.) Next up: Season Preview, then...PLAY BALL! Attached Images __________________ Introducing Your Hawaii Islanders!

08-11-2018, 08:49 AM	#169
Bub13 All Star Reserve Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Maine Posts: 748	2044 HAWAII ISLANDERS Roster Lots of new faces this year: seven! (Nine, adding the two guys who've seen some year-end games in past seasons.) Too many new moving parts? Or just the right blend of old and new to repeat as champions? Repeating will be tough, but I think we've got the talent to do it. We've added some more power to the lineup, but did we sacrifice too much average and OBP in return? And nearly half the pitching staff is new (or new-ish). Again: too much change or just right? We'll see. One other thing to note is that I'm starting the year with just 11 pitchers, not 12. I'll have to monitor the bullpens health closely, but I wanted that extra bat on the roster, rather than a middle reliever who'll throw 30 innings a season. Without further ado, here are your 2044 Islanders: (Players listed with position, age, handedness, salary (year through), and last year's stats (slash line, HR/RBI, other relevant stats). Starters are underlined.) C Rob Rich, 23, L, minor league contract, .311/1/41 and 35 doubles in AAA. First round pick from 2042 getting a chance at the big-time. Nice contact and gap already, with some room to grow in his plate judgement and discipline. Won't hit nearly the HR that Alexis Mercedes did, however. Excellent defensive catcher, probably the best we've ever had. Not yet that capable against LH pitching, so will start the year platooning with... C Mario Burgueno, 27, R, minor league contract, .163/0/1 in 43 AB with Oakland (also .306/10/43 in AAA). Beat out last year's backup, Cory Vannoy, by hitting .400 in the spring. Fair contact, decent power, won't take a walk. Much better receiver and arm than Vannoy. Can also play a decent 1B. 1B Senichi Masuda, 29, R, $6.0M (2046, TO for 2045), .276/33/127 in 631 AB. A little streaky, but has had a solid two years at first for us. Strikes out a bit much (160/season), but walks enough for a .350 OBP. Added 43 doubles. Not much of a glove, but doesn't destroy my will to live, either. DH/1B Justin Wright, 31, S, $3.46M (2044), combined .304/42/108 with HAW and TOR. June acquisition, hit .321/29/69 in 83 games for us, and was a steal at his salary. Hoping but not expecting him to match those batting numbers from last year, but he's a career .275 hitter with 30-35 HR a season, which would do as well. One of him or Masuda may not be back after this year, given the number of 1B/DH prospects bumping up from below. 2B Josh Robertson, 29, L, $12.1M (2048, player opt out after 2044), .313/10/56 in 579 AB. My second-ever draft pick (from 2034), and entering his 8th year as my starting 2B. A career .316 hitter who strikes out 25-30 times a year, and has surprising pop for a 5'9" guy. We'll see if he picks up his option after this year. 3B Adam Groff, 30, L, $25M (2053), .385/9/34 in 104 AB. Missed much of last year, but somehow we won without him. Two-time MVP, six-time all-star. The only thing he appears to have lost so far is a step on defense: he's gone from a plus 3B to decidedly average, but still has a strong arm. He'll stay at third until he falls apart, however. Every year he's healthy he's an MVP candidate. Expecting the same this year. 3B/1B Aaron Little, 25, R, $500K (2044), .265/15/68 in AAA (plus .316/2/5 in 38 AB for Hawaii). Above average batter who's here mostly for his leadership abilities. Like Groff, not a Gold Glove at third, but with a big arm. IF John Canning, 27, R, $950K (2044), .297/0/26 in 222 AB. Starting his fifth season as our top utility infielder. Injuries give him 40-60 starts a season, and although he's not a consistent or productive hitter, his glove and arm keep him on the team. Good enough to play some outfield too. SS Rich Stoneback, 26, R, $12.8M (2046), .291/22/87 with Portland. Traded for the popular Mike Hunter, and brings a lot of the same capabilities: solid contact, few strikeouts, solid fielder. Excellent range and glove, and a good enough arm make him a GG candidate. Won't hit the 45-50 doubles that Hunter did, but should hit 20-25 HR. Popular guy, too, so the fans haven't complained much...yet. LF Joseph Hart, 24, L, $500K (2044), .258/25/78 in 531 AB, 13 SB and 76 walks. Hit for power, got on base (.360 OBP), and played a solid corner outfield. But also got caught stealing 15 times, played an awful center field, and probably hit for what will be his career average. Still, contact is his lowest ability, and if I can keep him out of CF, he'll be just fine in the field. Needs to hit better against lefties, however. CF Jim Klein, 24, R, $500K (2044), .377/6/46 in AAA (plus .250/1/7 in 80 AB with Hawaii). Our first round pick in 2040, now tabbed as the present and future in center. We haven't had a plus fielder in CF since Josh Drayton in 2038, so Klein has a pretty low bar to surpass. There's a lot to like here: good looking contact and gap hitter, won't strike out, speedy on the bases, and a solid fielder. No power, and probably won't walk enough to have a high OBP. RF John Cannon, 27, L, $11.3M (2047, player opt out after 2044), .262/29/81 with Austin. Last year was his first where he didn't reach 40 HR, so I'm hopeful he'll get back there again. Doesn't match Mel Carrillo's average, but more than matches his power, is a better fielder and runner, and so far at least isn't made of glass. May only stick around one season, but I'll play wait-and-see depending on how he does this year. OF Dave White, 28, L, $500K (2044), .277/13/57 in AAA (plus .262/1/6 in 61 AB for Hawaii). Up for now as an injury replacement. Doesn't hit lefties well enough to ever be more than a platoon player, and has no range in the OF. Tremendous arm, tho, and has some power and intangibles to be a plus when he sticks around. OF/IF Ashton Gooding, S, $750K (2044), .237/23/83 in 519 AB. Produced zero WAR last year, so don't be fooled by those power numbers. He's here mainly for his versatility in the field: played everywhere but catcher and first last year, making 97 starts at third. Only walked 17 times, so between that and his low contact, he won't get on base often. Hopefully won't be needed for 500 AB again this year. ...... SP Rob Hart, 27, R, $14.5M (2048), 12-5, 3.89, 211 IP, 255 K, 4.3 WAR. Led the AL in strikeouts, and established himself (finally) as our #1 starter. We'll definitely need another year like the last one from him. At 27, he should be entering his prime. We'll see... SP Mike Messinger, 27, R, $9.375M (2044), 8-6, 4.07, 104 IP, 125 K, 2.2 WAR. The 2041 AL Cy Young winner had a terrible start to last year, but was throwing well before he went out for the year in July. Has a substantial arbitration raise after this season, so his future with us is up in the air right now. SP Eric Jones, 27, L, $9.35M (2046), 11-10, 5.31, 185 IP, 139 K, 2.1 WAR. Had the worst of his six big league seasons. Walks and hits went up, and IP have trended downward the last few seasons. Has never had the greatest stuff, but his movement and control have usually been good enough to make him a reliable #3 starter. If he can't get it done again this year, he'll be shunted off to a nice field upstate. SP Pete Morrow, 27, L, $1.875M (2044), 10-4, 3.99, 6 starts, 70 IP, 76 K, 1.1 WAR. Was money in the bullpen when I put him in the rotation in late August. Did well enough to get the nod there for this season. Groundballer, with a solid fastball/slider/change combo. Will have a short leash, but only has to be not-horrible, to be honest. SP Ryuma Sato, 32, R, $4.41M (2044), 8-15, 4.33, 158 IP, 2.2 WAR in Japan. Had his first bad season in Japan last year, but nevertheless earned a look from me and hopefully still has something in the tank. Groundballer, solid stuff, good control. Looks good on paper; proof will be on the mound tho. CL YT Yaung, 29, R, $3.75M (2044), 4-5, 39 SV, 4.25, 72 GP, 72 IP, 87 K, 1.7 WAR. Was a top-of-the-charts closer for half of last season, but got worse after that. Control suffered, walking 4.5 per 9 IP. Oddly, led the league in games, with just 72. MR Pat Stanley, 30, L, $2.5M (2047), 4-0, 5 SV, 3.56, 52 GP, 114 IP, 108 K, 1.6 WAR. I was ready to move on from him last spring, but he once again was the iron man in the pen, topping 100 IP for the second season. Rewarded him with a 3-year extension, but who knows really how he'll do. With Yaung, he's the only returnee from last year's pen. MR Ramon Archila, 32, R, $500K (2044), 2-3, 4 SV, 4.47, 48 IP, 45 K, in AAA. An excellent spring saved his big league career, for the moment. Has thrown just 36 IP over five seasons, and this will mark the first time he's started a season in the majors. Has excellent stuff, average movement, and decent control. Fastball/change combo needs to stay down to work. Part of a lot of unknowns in the pen this year. MR Dan Brown, 23, R, $1.0M (2044), 1-3, 4 SV, 7.00, 36 IP, 47 K, 0.4 WAR with Portland. If his third pitch ever develops (probably won't), he could figure in the rotation. Truly excellent stuff, with above average control and movement, and a near-elite fastball that can top 100. Keeps the ball down too. Had a really bad season in Portland last year, his second in the bigs. Let's hope that was just an aberration tho. MR Jose Esquivel, 26, R, minor league contract, 4-2, 2 SV, 2.74, 34 GP, 66 IP, 49 K, 1.0 WAR in AAA. There were six guys in the spring who threw well enough to make the team, but Jose will get the first crack at it. Drafted by Montreal in 2038, and also pitched in the Miami organization. Signed with us last February, and jumped from A to AAA, not looking out of place. I have no idea how he'll do, and no expectations, really. MR Hisami Masuda, 29, L, $3.2M (2046), no available stats from Japan. Our annual international free agent signee. A bit of a mystery, and adds to that by keeping to himself. Excellent stuff and control, quality fastball. Equally good against righties and lefties. No relation to Senichi, at least not that anyone's said. Disabled list, and on the team when healthy: IF J.J. Simmons, 21, R, $500K (2044), .347/4/66, 30 doubles, 15 steals in AA (plus 5 AB in AAA and 13 in Hawaii). Future starter. Defense across the board is solid enough to be a GG candidate at short for years, but will play where he needs to this year, and get a look at second, short, or third next year, depending on who stays around. Plate discipline needs to advance to be a truly solid big league hitter, and will never have any HR power (probably good for an annual dinger eventually). Solid runner, equally good against LH and RH. Out for two weeks. MR Rick Ramirez, 24, R, $500K (2044), 5-2, 34 SV, 3.02, 49 GP, 51 IP 64 K, 2.0 WAR in AAA (plus 10 IP in Hawaii). Still has room to develop, but his control appears to finally be along enough to reach the bigs. Had an excellent spring, but is out for April. Future closer-type. Was our first rounder in 2041. Others of note: SP Jonathan Murray starts the year on rehab in AAA. He'll be in the rotation once the rust is off. Morrow is the likeliest candidate to return to the pen...I mentioned other relievers having a solid camp. All of the following looked good, could have made the club instead, and will be on the short list should anyone falter: Brad Hake, Alex Salazar, Efrain Solis, Rogelio Castellano, Danny Fernandez. All have zero big league experience, however...SP Gastone Sarretti and Malik Chaney were less than stellar in March, but are the first--after Murray--to get the call if a replacement starter is needed...1B Jonathan Klump hit well in camp, but there's nowhere for him right now, behind Masuda and Wright. ...... Next up: 2044 OPENING DAY __________________ Introducing Your Hawaii Islanders!

08-14-2018, 07:10 PM	#170
Bub13 All Star Reserve Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Maine Posts: 748	April 4-6 vs DETROIT These guys are picked to win the AL Central, making this a possible preview of the AL Championship this fall. But I get ahead of myself...MLB also says they'll score the most runs in baseball but have mediocre pitching. I hope they fall flat. Additions: 3B Sean West (STL, .288/36/94), OF Jeff Linder (HOU, .231/12/50), SP Alex Lopez, RP Drew Yaeger and Lance Hansen. Subtractions: 2B Cory Hopkins (AUS, .346/16/77), SP Matt Bienvenu, six players via Rule 5 draft. HAW pitchers: Rob Hart (12-5, 3.89) / Mike Messinger (8-6, 4.07) / Eric Jones (11-10, 5.31) DET pitchers: Raul Bravo (13-11, 4.41) / Travis Heumann (2-7, 5.63) / Jay Lamb (11-13, 6.56) #1: WIN 7-6 ... Hart gets shelled early, but we claw back from a 6-3 deficit and win it on Klein's walk-off walk in the 12th...23 Tigers strike out #2: WIN 10-6 ... another 6-3 deficit is erased, with 7 runs in the 7th and 8th...GRAND SLAM for Masuda, and 10 runs on just 9 hits...14 more Tiger Ks #3: LOSS 4-6 ... this time we don't come back...a 3-run 9th makes this one look closer than it seemed...Jones gets roughed up early Two wins, but not exactly a sharp start: starting pitching is getting roughed up, and team defense is not looking sharp either. Still, wins are wins.... Rob Rich gets his first MLB home run in game one; Stoneback goes 0-for-12 however.... All games were sell-outs.... ELSEWHERE: The Yankees and Nationals, two teams picked for the bottom of the league, start off 3-0. NY slugger Tony Flores knocks 3 HR and 7 RBI.... three one-hitters were tossed in the first two days of the season.... Oakland's Vinny Vargas extends his hitting streak from last season, now up to 22 games. April 8-10 vs KANSAS CITY Off to an 0-3 start, thanks to Oakland. Last year's team couldn't hit, but had top-five pitching; MLB says this year is more of the same, with league-worst hitting and 6th best pitching. Won 82 games last year, MLB expects 76 this year. Additions: C Stuart Collier (CLE, .213/11/37), 1B Adam Woods (MIL, .263/20/57), SP Toichi Kaneko (ARI, 4-2, 4.62), rookies SS Kevin Lutz, 1B Josh Wade, OF Micah Friedman, SP Ricky Garcia. HAW pitchers: Pete Morrow (10-4, 3.99) / Ryuma Sato (no stats) / Rob Hart (0-0, 7.94) KCR pitchers: Dale Tessman (4-11, 4.57) / John Stuart (5-6, 4.17) / Eddy Llamas (0-1, 2.25) #4: LOSS 2-5 ... first hit for Stoneback, first HR for Cannon, but only six hits total...14 more strikeouts for the pitchers, but another bad outing from the rotation #5: WIN 4-3 ... another extra inning win, thanks to Wright's 10th inning single...finally a good outing by a starter, as Sato gives up 5 H and 1 R over 7 IP #6: WIN 1-0 ... 7-hit complete game shutout for Hart, with 10 K...only five hits for the good guys Three tight games, what you'd expect with a their pitching. We're not hitting, however: only two players over .250, and two under .100. Early days, however.... Only one win for the rotation, three wins for relievers.... ELSEWHERE: The Mets are 6-0, the only undefeated team left. Seven teas are 1-5. Three teams in the AL West are 5-1, two are 4-2.... Vinny Vargas' hit streak ended at 24 games.... Tampa Bay starter Robbie Collier has given up 6 HR in his two starts, 5 IP total. April 11-13 @ CHICAGO WHITE SOX Predicted to win 77, and off to a 2-4 start. Working on a -12 run differential already, with some rough pitching and bad defense so far. Additions: OF Roberto Saldana (WAS, .176/27/72), OF Justin Herde (MIL, .311/0/16), SP Bryan Melstrom (NYY, 8-11, 6.29), rookie RP Luis Andino and Jeff Alford. Their #2 prospect is an 18-year-old SS named Chris Rock. HAW pitchers: Mike Messinger (0-0, 7.20) / Eric Jones (0-1, 6.75) / Pete Morrow (0-1, 5.40) CHW pitchers: Chris Wead (1-0, 3.00) / Alex Arrieta (0-1, 9.53) / Bryan Melstrom (0-1, 19.64) #7: WIN 15-4 ... 2 HR apiece for Wright and Masuda...21 hits for us, with 3 walks and 3 Sox errors, plus four steals...10 K for Messinger over 6 IP #8: WIN 9-4 ... 4 HR again, including Burgueno's first...3 doubles for Robertson, tying the team record...7 IP for Jones, gives up 4 R #9: LOSS 3-6 ... another rough start for Morrow, now 0-2...take away their 5-run first, and it's a pretty good game otherwise Still no sweep, but 6-3 works for me. Fourth in runs, but just 10th in AVG and 12th in OBP. Leading the league in HR, however.... Sixth in runs against, and we're +15 in runs. Defense is 15th, so not doing much for us yet.... Groff leads us with 5 HR, Masuda with 13 RBI.... ELSEWHERE: Mets, Oakland, and Houston (!) are all 7-2, while KC is struggling at 1-8.... Two more big free agents sign on, much later than I thought they would: SF inks 3B Matt Anderson, who at 35 led the NL in batting at .357 last year, while the White Sox nab 2B Danny Baca, who hit 27 HR with the Twins last year. Both sign one-year deals. There are still some good players available--mostly power bats--so expect to see a few more guys snapped up over the next few weeks. April 14-17 @ HOUSTON Having bolted out to a surprising 7-2 start, the Astros are feeling pretty good about life right now. They're scoring runs (3rd) and pitching well (1st), having plated double the runs they've allowed. Last year's #1 MLB prospect, 22-year-old Alejandro Gonzales, is now the #2 starter in the rotation. He has future Cy Young winner written all over him. Additions: 3B Kevin Schuster (WAS, .244/9/34), RP Santiago Solis, rookie OF Brad Huff. HAW pitchers: Ryuma Sato (0-0, 1.29) / Rob Hart (1-0, 3.07) / Mike Messinger (1-0, 4.91) / Eric Jones (1-1, 5.84) HOU pitchers: Will Grasser (1-0, 2.00) / Jay Russo (2-0, 2.30) / Alejandro Gonzales (1-0, 1.69) / Ryan Crawley (2-0, 3.00) #10: WIN 7-1 ... 8-hit complete game for Sato...2 H, 3 RBI for Klein, and HR #5 for Masuda #11: LOSS 3-14 ... Hart is off again, giving up 9 R in 3.2 IP...Stanley is no better, tho...2 doubles for Klein #12: WIN 7-3 ... Rich's 3-run double in the 9th breaks open a tie game, and Yaung fans the side to end things...7 IP, 8 K for Messinger...Stoneback hurt #13: WIN 2-1 ... pitcher's duel! Jones goes 6, giving up 4 H and a run...Groff's solo shot in the 8th ties it, and a bases loaded walk in the 10th wins it That was a nice turn of events. With that series, we vault into a first place tie with Oakland, at 9-4.... Stoneback hurts his arm, and is dtd for a week. He won't go on the DL, but I'll sit him most of the week and put Canning at short.... ELSEWHERE: KC is still hurting with a 2-11 start. The Yankees are 9-3, with three other teams at 9-4.... Portland's Morgan Akers is the last player still batting over .500 (at .531), while Minnesota's Erik Presley is the last holdout with an ERA below one (0.82).... our own newbie John Cannon is doing his best to make us forget doubles machine Mike Hunter, with 8 already. ...... TL;DR Version: Solid start, tied for first place. Some way-too-early-to-tell trends: AVG is down (10th), HR are up (2nd); starters ERA not so hot (7th), bullpen solid (4th); revamped OF defense hasn't yet paid off (14th). And a rough adjustment for Rich Stoneback into the AL: batting just .146 with no HR. Early days, tho. Early days. __________________ Introducing Your Hawaii Islanders!

08-17-2018, 06:14 PM	#171
Bub13 All Star Reserve Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Maine Posts: 748	April 18-20 @ SEATTLE Last season's almost-division-champs ("Late Swoon Kills Early Promise") are off to a hopeful 8-5 start. Hitting has been big so far, 1st in AVG and 2nd in runs. Pitching, however, is a hot mess, near the bottom, although closer Adam Kosik hasn't been scored on in six appearances. This is the middle of a 13-game road swing for us. HAW pitchers: Pete Morrow (0-2, 8.00) / Ryuma Sato (1-0, 1.13) / Rob Hart (1-1, 5.40) SEA pitchers: Leo Zamorano (0-1, 15.00) / Carlos Zenon (2-0, 3.18) / Sean Easter (2-0, 2.35) #14: WIN 6-3 ... four XBH on seven hits overcomes 12 Mariners hits. Five walks helps too...Morrow gives up 10 H in 6 IP, but fans 7, walks none #15: WIN 1-0 ... well well well...Sato walks John Fry in the 2nd, but allows no further runners, for our second franchise NO HITTER...two good guys injured tho #16: LOSS 1-2 ... nice line for Hart: 8.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 13 K...why he was still out there (120 pitches) in the 9th is an open question Lots of good stuff in this series. Sato's no-no was the first in MLB since August, 2042. Ken Clark threw our first no-hitter back in 2037, a 13 K win over Tampa Bay. They guy who signed him this spring deserves a fat raise.... Offense is down to 8th in runs, 12th in AVG, but pitching is up to 3rd.... Stoneback's rough start continues, as he suffers a second dtd (both moderate) injury, this one for three weeks. I think it's best to shut him down and so he's placed on the 11-day DL. JJ Simmons will come up from his rehab stint in AAA. CF Jim Klein tweaks his knee, but it's minor--and less than a week long--so he'll keep playing.... ELSEWHERE: Texas has won 5 straight, moving them to 10-5. Cleveland--our next opponent--has also won 5 in a row, and leads the Central.... Milwaukee (3-12) and KC (4-12) are dragging down on the bottom.... Portland's Morgan Akers is hitting a league-best .547, and was the most recent NL player of the week. April 22-24 @ CLEVELAND Predicted to win just 75 games, the Indians are off to a stellar-ish 9-6 start, good for first place in the Central. Good times on the Lake. Fourth in runs (although 8th in AVG), but first in pitching, for a very nice +28 run differential already. 1B Eddie Hummel (.321/2/18) is hitting a full 100 points over his career average (after just two seasons, but still...). HAW pitchers: Mike Messinger (1-0, 4.50) / Eric Jones (1-1, 4.42) / Pete Morrow (1-2, 6.60) CLE pitchers: Mike Koslowsky (1-1, 4.72) / Roberto Maldonado (2-0, 2.08) / Bryan Altier (0-2, 7.71) #17: WIN 11-4 ... Masuda's 3-run shot in the 5th pretty much ends things, making it 8-0...19 Islander hits, at least one from every starter #18: LOSS 5-6 ... Cortez Gamez wins it in the 10th, the first run given up by closer Yaung this year...3 more RBI for Masuda, up to 24 on the season #19: game rained out, rescheduled for 8/12, making a doubleheader Six regulars are now hitting over .300 (including JJ Simmons at 5-for-10), yet team AVG is 10th overall.... Pitching is now 1st in the AL, starters 2nd, ditto bullpen.... Masuda leads the AL in RBI, Groff tied for first in HR.... ELSEWHERE: Expos starter--and former closer--John De Jong rides his oddball sidearm delivery to the league's second no-hitter this season, whiffing 12 and walking just 2.... Yankees OF and injury machine Daizo Yonamine has suffered his first dtd injury (after getting 2 in spring training). He had 8 last season. Still, NY is 12-5, best record in baseball by half a game. April 25-27 vs MILWAUKEE Slow start for the Brewers, 6-12, but still 2.5 games ahead of the Royals. Struggling offense (16th) paired with a slightly worse (17th) pitching staff, for a wild -42 run differential. CF Jesus Esparsa (.352/7/19) hasn't gotten the memo, however. Two top pitchers are on the DL. One-time 1B of the future Marcos Mora hasn't played a game since 2042, but is just 6 days away from giving his brand new knee a go. Good luck, M. HAW pitchers: Pete Morrow (1-2, 6.60) / Ryuma Sato (2-0, 0.72) / Rob Hart (1-2, 4.33) MIL pitchers: Travis Calhoun (0-1, 5.12) / Dan Tuff (0-3, 9.78) / Greg Sipes (1-1, 6.35) #19: LOSS 4-5 ... a Groff HR in the 9th ties it, but Yaung blows up in the 10th...Morrow looked good, but did walk 5 in 6 IP #20: WIN 5-3 ... Sato gives up 7 H this time, but fans 7, and the pen whiffs 5 over the final 3 IP...Groff's HR sparks a 5-run 8th, and Klein's 2 run single is the GW #21: WIN 6-4 ... J.Hart's 2-run pinch HR in the 8th puts us up for good, and R.Hart fans 12 in 8.1 IP to pick up the win Now up to 14-7, a game up on Texas. Hitting is still average (8th in runs), while pitching is 2nd overall (best bullpen tho). It worries me that this is putting too much pressure on our pitching. But that always worries me.... RP Rick Ramirez is just five days away from returning, but Rich Stoneback suffers a setback and won't be 100% for another two weeks.... ELSEWHERE: KC is now 5-17, but a tough stretch from Baltimore has them at 6-15.... My favorite pitcher, Padres star Gary Florence, is back, and has just a lovely K:BB ratio of 44:4 through 36 innings. His career ratio (per 9 IP) is 9.1 to 1.3. He's a free agent after next year, and if he's got anything left in the tank by then, I may take a run at him. I can't help it.... Cleveland's Zach Gioeli has 5 of the team's 11 wins, while Arizona's Brad Schmitt has saved 7 of their 10 wins. April 29-30 vs MINNESOTA At 11-10, and in second place in the largely moribund Central Division. Not surprising, since two of their best hitters (3B Paul Foster and LF Brendan Glenn) and two starting pitchers (Milt Schott and Chris McMichael) are out. When healthy, they'll be a force. First in AL home runs with 39, and 6th in runs (vs 8th in pitching), for a +15 run differential, so they're doing a lot of things right anyway. Starting pitching (15th) and team defense (15th) are the big letdowns. 1B Joel Rogers is hitting .398, and C Peanuts Carter .361. HAW pitchers: Mike Messinger (2-0, 4.44) / Eric Jones (1-1, 4.44) MIN pitchers: Chris Christopher (0-0, 5.27) / Paul Cole (2-0, 5.56) #22: WIN 9-1 ... we jump out early, led by Masuda's four hits and a Cannon 2nd inning HR...throw in four doubles and a five-hitter for Messinger, with 9 Ks #23: WIN 8-7 ... 5 more doubles, 14 hits overall, and 4 key RBI from Groff...Jones puts on 11 runners in his 5 IP, but is saved by some big bats Two more wins ends the month with us at 16-7, best in baseball by a few pct points, and two games ahead of the Rangers.... Groff is tied for first with Oakland's Vinny Vargas at 10 HR, and Ryuma Sato leads baseball with a 1.45 ERA.... ELSEWHERE: Six straight wins and Brooklyn has surged to the top of the NL East, at 15-8.... Portland's Morgan Akers is still rolling along with a .463 average, and is 2nd in the NL with 21 RBI.... Mets OF Greg Tackett is out for six weeks. Tackett, 33, is in his 12th season but has only topped 120 games in five of those years. He's reached 300 HR this season, and has earned 50 WAR in his career, but all those injuries have probably ruined his chances at the Hall of Fame. He reminds me a lot of Bryce Harper. In his first nine years (2012-2020), Harper had earned 43.8 WAR, with 173 HR and 1000 hits. Knowing that his career would last until 2030, you'd think those next ten seasons would combine with the first nine to get Harper into the Hall. Sadly, Harper was already a physical wreck, and those ten seasons would see him only gather 8 more WAR, 53 HR, and 600 hits. He did top his career off with a World Series ring with Atlanta in 2030, a season where he hit 4-for-47 as a little-used reserve. ...... TL;DR version: Few games in this update, but we did go 7-3 and are continuing to pitch well while our bats slowly catch up. Groff, Masuda, and Joseph Hart (.324/3/10) pace the offense, and newbie JJ Simmons has started his filling-in for Stoneback by going 12-for-26. And what a treat that my afterthought free agent signing or Ryuma Sato brought us our second franchise no-hitter. Good times. For now... Attached Images __________________ Introducing Your Hawaii Islanders!

08-19-2018, 11:45 AM	#172
Bub13 All Star Reserve Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Maine Posts: 748	May 1 vs MINNESOTA Final game of the homestand, then we're off on a one-series roadie to LA. HAW pitcher: Pete Morrow (1-2, 6.00) MIN pitcher: Andy Goeser (2-0, 3.12) #24: WIN 11-3 ... Morrow keeps trying to win his way back into my good graces with a 5 H, 7 IP effort...14 hits, 9 for extras (6 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR), and everyone contributes Sweep! And probably much needed, as we're entering our first extended tough stretch of games. Eleven coming up against divisional opponents, including four each against the Rangers and A's, and then off to the first round of interleague games. Only two days off this month, so our 11-man bullpen will be kept under close watch. AAA Santa Barbara is running with a superabundance (15!) of pitchers right now, and with RP Rick Ramirez about to join them on rehab I might expand the Islanders staff for a bit regardless. We'll see.... ELSEWHERE: A's star Vinny Vargas (who else) bags April player of the month, while Portland hotshot youngster Morgan Akers gets the NL nod. Cleveland's Zach Gioeli (5-0, 2.72) is the month's best pitcher, and Arizona closer Brad Schmitt (7 saves, no runs in 13 innings) is the NL winner. May 2-4 @ LA ANGELS One of four teams in our division separated by one game. At 12-13, they're ostensibly in last, but just a couple of wins out of third. Statistically, they're no great shakes anywhere: 15th in runs, 8th in runs against (but starters are 11th, bullpen 14th), for a -17 run diff. Injuries have taken away a few pitchers, their 2B, and CF. SS Juan Rodriquez finally lived up to his hype in his fourth season last year, by going .348/42/120. He's batting .361 this season. HAW pitchers: Ryuma Sato (2-0, 1.45) / Rob Hart (2-2, 3.82) / Mike Messinger (3-0, 3.90) LAA pitchers: Greg Langworthy (4-1, 1.88) / Adam Pereira (1-3, 6.41) / Khalil Smith (2-1, 6.00) #25: WIN 9-2 ... 4-hit, 10-K complete game for Sato...once again, everyone gets a hit...3 hits and a 2-run HR for Klein, now batting .326 #26: LOSS 2-5 ... 3 hits for Groff, but they spark nothing...Hart gives up all 5 runs before being removed in the 7th, yet another odd handling of the pitching staff #27: WIN 5-0 ... another CG, this one a 4-hitter (with 12 K) for Mess...bases-clearing double for Klein caps the offense, and Groff adds two more hits Jonathan Murray completes his rehab stint in AAA (1-0, 3.71 ERA in 3 starts) and will get the call in our next series. Morrow is shuffled to the pen, and OF Dave White (just 9 AB) is sent to AAA. RP Rick Ramirez begins his AAA rehab, and will likely get a call-up when done. Not sure who will go down then, but something will work out. It always seems to.... We're up by four on Texas, with the Rangers coming to town for a four-spot starting tomorrow.... ELSEWHERE: Oakland's Francisco Pantaleon tosses this dynasty's sixth perfect game, fanning 7 in a 4-0 win over Houston. This is the first no-hit game for the A's since Dylan Cease and Juan Robles each tossed one back in 2028. Oddly, Pantaleon is only named the third star of the day by MLB.... Improbable starts to the season are abounding: the Yankees are 17-9 for the first time since the '20s, Cleveland is 15-11, and the two most recent perennial NL doormats--Washington and San Francisco--are at .500. Wonders never cease.... Let's check in on some former Islanders from last season. Austin has a ton, with RP Ronnie Corgan (7.71 ERA in 5 apps) and Aldo Gouweleeuw (4.82 in 11), not exactly lighting things up. OF Travis McArthur is batting just .212 in 37 AB. And RP Ian Albring and OF Mel Carrillo were both lost for the season in March. Sad. In Portland, SP Jim Kieffer is 1-2 with a 3.93 ERA, while Jim Bowman somehow landed the starting 3B job and is hitting .279 (0 HR tho) so far. IF Mike Hunter also got hurt in camp, and is wrapping up a AAA rehab stint, batting .407 for Henderson. Finally, RP Jeff Tanner--who wanted $4M from me but signed with Brooklyn for 920K--hasn't been scored on in 8 relief appearances. Whatever. May 5-8 vs TEXAS In second place at 15-12, four games behind us, but a team of glaring contrasts. League-best batting (1st in runs, AVG, and OBP) is offset by league-worst pitching, giving them just a +4 run differential. Four regulars are batting .300, with a fifth (3B Corey Turner at .367) on the DL. Two starting pitchers from 2043--Alex Mares and Thomas Cannaday--haven't thrown an inning yet this year, and are likely out for another one and two months. Their top prospects are all decent-looking pitchers, but none are close to ready for the bigs yet. With baseball's 31st ranked budget, and 33rd ranked payroll, they probably won't go out and try for one of the billion pitchers on the trade block currently, so they're gonna be stuck with what they got right now. It's good to see former Islander prospect 1B David Rivera starting, and hitting .265/3/14. Rivera, you may remember was part of the package that went to Pittsburgh in '42 for slugger Jordan Shields at the deadline. We didn't bring home a title, Shields left via free agency that fall, and the Pirates sent Rivera to Texas (along with P Pedro Cabrera) for 2B Wayne Fowler (currently hitting waaaay over his head at .352). Not great asset management for anyone there. HAW pitchers: Eric Jones (1-1, 4.91) / Jonathan Murray (season debut) / Ryuma Sato (3-0, 1.35) / Rob Hart (2-3, 4.29) TEX pitchers: Emmett Hayden (3-1, 7.52) / Mark Metz (2-1, 6.48) / Luis Otero (1-1, 7.63) / John Fox (3-1, 3.15) #28: WIN 13-5 ... 18 hits, and again everyone gets in on the party...four for Klein, including 2 doubles...Jones is terrible, btw, yielding 9 hits in 5 IP, giving up all 5 runs #29: LOSS 3-8 ... Stanley is quite nice in his 5 relief innings, after Murray's awful debut: 4 IP, 8 H, 7 R/ER, 4 BB, 5 K, 1 HBP, 108 pitches #30: WIN 6-4 ... 4 his for Simmons, and 3 each for Robertson, Klein, and Hart: 18 total, 15 singles...Sato wins again, and Morrow looks decent in his first relief outing #31: LOSS 3-7 ... another rough outing for R.Hart, giving up 8 H and 7 R (5 ER) in 5 IP...two solo HR for Wright, giving him 8 on the season Eh, I guess we were due for a mediocre series. Oakland, however, has moved into 2nd now with a 3-game winning streak.... Rob Hart has been all or nothing in his 7 starts this year; unfortunately, he's been mostly nothing his last few starts, although he's still fanning nearly 12 batters per 9 innings.... Our top three minor league teams are a combined 6 games below .500, with AAA Santa Barbara at a surprising 8-9. I say surprising, since they're usually a playoff contender, and my AAA teams haven't had a losing record since our first year as a franchise, back in 2034 (going 68-76).... ELSEWHERE: Brooklyn sits atop the game-wide standings at 21-9, having gone 9-1 in their last ten. Cleveland has slipped a bit (16-14) and fallen out of first, but Zach Gioeli just pitched a shutout to raise his record to 6-1.... Oakland's Vinny Vargas continues to mash, batting .410/13/30, and leading everyone with 2.7 WAR already.... The 2044 draft pool was announced, and the likely first overall pick will be OF Kris Warner, whose only weakness appears to be a noodle arm. I would love to get my hands on SP Shamar "Flat Tire" Jackson, a knuckleballer with great intangibles. He'll be long gone by my pick, however. No superstars are apparent. Best name: SP Burton Dick, who actually looks pretty good and could be around when I'm due up. May 9-12 vs OAKLAND Our first series against the perennial arch-nemeses. Now on a 3-game winning streak that's brought them to 18-14, 3.5 games behind us. Vinny Vargas (see above) has been dynamite (again), pitcher Fran Pantaleon recently tossed a perfect game, and Ricky Hose just threw a 2-hit shutout. Four-fifths of their rotation has ERA at least 1.5 runs better than the league average. The bullpen ranks just 16th, and the defense is subpar. Maybe we can take advantage there... HAW pitchers: Mike Messinger (4-0, 3.05) / Eric Jones (1-1, 5.24) / Jonathan Murray (0-1, 15.75) / Ryuma Sato (4-0, 1.57) OAK pitchers: Francisco Pantaleon (4-1, 2.82) / Mike Wiater (3-3, 2.95) / Kyle Labate (2-0, 2.70) / Jaysen Moss (0-2, 8.59) #32: WIN 7-2 ... 2 hits for Groff and Klein, and 2 RBI for Masuda in a 7-run 7th...3rd win in relief for Dan "Conspiracy" Brown #33: LOSS 2-4 ... Jones (6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 7 K) pitches well, but this one is on the pen, as this time Brown can't get anyone out #34: WIN 9-3 ... Murray bounces back with a solid 7 IP, Klein raises his average to .370, and Stoneback comes off the DL to hit his first Isles HR #35: LOSS 3-6 ... Sato's first poor start, and he leaves in the 4th with a minor elbow twinge...3 singles for Groff, now batting .371 Well, poop. 2-2 here, 2-2 against the Rangers, and we put no ground between us and our divisional contenders. Oakland is still 3.5 back, Seattle now 4.5, and Texas 5.... Sato's elbow injury is just some soreness, and he's out for three games. Won't miss his next start.... Otherwise, we're healthy now, as Stoneback comes off the DL and RP Pete Morrow heads to AAA. Stoneback is our nominal starter, but with JJ Simmons batting .393 (and Stoneback just .151), the rookie is getting the call right now. Stoner will play at least a couple games a week, however, and hopefully he can get back into the groove, as he's a better overall option for the offense when he's hitting well.... ELSEWHERE: It's shutouts galore, as there have been 35 thrown so far this season. There were 57 last year, 41 the year before. Cubs righty Scott Kopetsky is the only guy with 2 so far.... May 13-15 vs MONTREAL Interleague play is here! Yes, contain yourself. Montreal is 16-20, not hitting, and not pitching particularly well either. Dead last in runs, AVG, and OBP, while dragging in at 12th in runs against. Their three biggest off-season acquisitions--SP Phil Maxwell, SP Luca Simons, and 3B Toshi Hasegawa--are all on the DL, and their other notable signing was the offense-killing black hole known as Jordan Cruz (always an open question as to whether his strikeouts or his average will be a higher "200" number). Still, one good thing they have going is their starter's ERA, coming in at 7th in the NL. Former Isles CF-of-the-future Ian McGowan has finally decided to hit some, slashing .273/.342/.424 in 35 starts. HAW pitchers: Rob Hart (2-4, 4.79) / Mike Messinger (4-0, 3.04) / Eric Jones (1-2, 4.91) MTL pitchers: John De Jong (2-3, 3.11) / Adam Kraemer (1-1, 2.57) / Richard Trinidad (3-1, 2.57) #36: WIN 9-4 ... a J.Hart HR opens the scoring in the 2nd, and Wright and Groff HR in the 3rd pretty much end things...R.Hart is just good enough, fanning 9 in 5.2 IP #37: WIN 1-0 ... Mess fans 9 in 8 IP, Yaung adds 2 more in the 9th to save it...a J.Hart double in the 2nd is all the scoring we need #38: WIN 11-1 ... 2 HR each for Robertson and Wright, and a solid 8.2 innings for Jones, finally bringing his ERA below 5...Groff hurt Yesssss, make those arrogant NLers pay; we gained no ground since Oakland stays hot.... Bad news is that Groff breaks his foot being struck by a pitch, and will miss 2-3 weeks. We'll obviously miss his .381 average.... There's a shortage of IF in our system right now, so for now I'll call up RP Rick Ramirez and go back to 12 pitchers.... Scout Moises Patino brought back from Mexico 1B Luis Ward, whose second nationality is the Cook Islands--which I'm pretty sure is not a country. Maybe FIFA says it is?.... ELSEWHERE: Patience is not a virtue in Richmond where, off to a 16-21 start, they have fired GM Andres Edwards Perez (in his 5th year), and manager Lew Ford (3rd). No replacements have been announced.... New Orleans has slumped to last in the NL Central, at 15-23. The Yankees are 1-9 of late, falling back to .500.... Portland OF Morgan Akers (.408) is the last batter hitting .400. ...... TL;DR Version: We stay hot with a 10-5 stretch, and hold a 4.5 game lead over Oakland. We're 2nd now in runs scored (224) and first in runs against (148). Our HR power has slipped, back to 9th, but I'll take the wins. Groff's injury will likely hurt, but it allows me to put Stoneback into the lineup and hopefully get his bat sorted. He'll play short, while JJ Simmons will move over to third thanks to his stronger arm. Two more NL series remain--Cincinnati and New Orleans--and then we're off to play the AL East. __________________ Introducing Your Hawaii Islanders!

08-23-2018, 06:56 PM	#173
Bub13 All Star Reserve Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Maine Posts: 748	May 16-18 vs CINCINNATI A game out of first in the Central, at 21-17, just behind St Louis. Third in runs scored, and sixth against, for a +27 advantage. Eight players are on the DL--including three top relievers--and they're still humming along. Former Isle Jack Shewmake was the closer until his arm exploded a week ago; now it's up to Former Islander Steve Miller. Manager Dan Remenowsky is now in year 15 with the team; he took them to a game away from the World Series in 2042, where they haven't been since 1990. HAW pitchers: Jonathan Murray (1-1, 5.73) / Ryuma Sato (4-1, 1.81) / Rob Hart (3-4, 4.78) CIN pitchers: Brandon Jarmon (1-2, 5.52) / Jon Carlsen (1-4, 4.53) / Juan Valdez (6-0, 2.52) #39: WIN 6-4 ... trailing 3-2 in the 3rd, J.Hart parks a GRAND SLAM to give us the lead and the win...Murray goes 8, Yaung gets his 7th save #40: WIN 3-2 ... Masuda homers and singles home another, and J.Hart doubles home one...2 more hits for Simmons, now batting .377...Sato fans 8 in 8.2 IP #41: WIN 10-3 ... 6 H, 8 K complete game for Hart...18 hits for us, everyone gets in on the act...3 RBI for Masuda, up to 43 on the season Only one sour note out of this sweet series, and that's another injury (pending) to Stoneback. What a nightmare his first season in Hawaii has been: batting .145 in 20 games, with one HR, an injury in spring training, and now this.... Joseph Hart has gone nuts and is currently batting .366; Jim Klein .345.... Minor league middle infielders are dropping like flies, so I sign free agent Danny Boss and send him to AAA. He's a former Portland prospect who saw 22 games with the Pioneers back in 2039, but spent the last few seasons in Japan and Mexico. If our season goes well, you'll never hear about him again.... ELSEWHERE: White Sox RF Justin Haynes has had a hot month and is batting .400, the last of his kind this season. He's riding a 15-game hitting streak too.... The top four teams in the AL West are on win streaks of 6, 5, 5, and 4 games. The bottom two have lost 6 and 5 games straight.... Richmond's new manager is former Yankees (et al) pitcher Phil Hughes, last seen during a 5-year stint leading the A ball Lake Elsinore Storm to a total of zero playoff appearances. Oh, and he's been unemployed for two years. This will work out just fine. May 20-22 @ NEW ORLEANS It's been a tough go of things this season for the defending NL champs, currently bringing the absolute rear in baseball at 15-26. It shouldn't be a surprise, I suppose, given that 4/5 of their league-best rotation left via free agency, and their two free agent additions from the off-season are injured. Batting is limping along in 15th place, while the pitchers have gamely soldiered on and sport the 5th best runs against in the NL. They have a +10 run differential, so something's going right. HAW pitchers: Mike Messinger (5-0, 2.60) / Eric Jones (2-2, 4.22) / Jonathan Murray (2-1, 5.21) NOZ pitchers: Justin Ross (2-3, 2.16) / Danny Ruiz (1-1, 5.12) / Steve Jenson (0-4, 4.05) #42: WIN 4-2 ... pitchers duel, as both starters go 8 innings...3 H, R, RBI for Robertson, and a 2-run pinch-HR for Wright #43: WIN 5-3 ... 2-run HR for Klein is the key hit...Jones goes 7 IP and adds an RBI double for good measure #44: WIN 5-4 ... another pinch HR for Wright, and a pair of doubles for Simmons...a 4-run 7th turns the game around Now a 9-game winning streak, but as Oakland's gone 8-2 recently, we've gained just one game (a 5.5 lead).... Stoneback is diagnosed with a broken hand, and will miss 5-6 weeks. We call up 27-year-old IF/OF Roberto Mendez to fill his spot. Mendez can't hit, but he's fast and an excellent fielder across the board.... At 32-12, we're the first team to reach 30 wins, and are now first in offense and pitching, with a +91 run diff.... ELSEWHERE: Texas has lost 9 straight, blowing a nice start to the season; New Orleans is up to 8 straight losses.... Justin Haynes is now batting .411, with an 18-game hit streak. May 23-25 vs BALTIMORE Kind of spinning their tires at 20-24, but just 5.5 games out in a tight division. Decent hitting, 6th in offense, with three batters hitting between .365 and .329...but a bunch of guys who aren't pulling their weight are bringing them down. That includes a league-worst bullpen, crimping the style of the 6th-best rotation. Just a +1 run diff, so they have been truly middling. I'm still hoping my favorite O's prospect, pitcher Kyle Hoots, will make the big time one day: he's in AAA right now. HAW pitchers: Ryuma Sato (5-1, 1.85) / Rob Hart (4-4, 4.52) / Mike Messinger (6-0, 2.42) BAL pitchers: Mario Valdez (4-2, 5.51) / Jonathan Bell (2-3, 3.74) / Hugo Tirado (2-3, 4.60) #45: LOSS 3-8 ... first bad outing for Sato, as he's hammered late, giving up 3 HR...2 doubles and a HR for Cannon, but his output was pretty much it #46: WIN 6-5 ... Small ball! A single, two sac bunts, a walk, and a sac fly score the winning run in the 10th...Dan "Code" Brown throws a strong 3.1 IP in relief #47: WIN 10-5 ... two 1st inning 2-run HR get us started, and it's 10-0 before the O's score in the 7th...2 HR for Cannon, and six players get 2+ hits The win streak comes to an end, but we're still 9-1 in our last ten. But so is Oakland, and they've gained a game on us, now just 4.5 back.... Infielders are endangered in our system: AAA, four injured; AA, two; A, two more. At least four guys who played in short A or rookie ball are in AA or AAA now, and we've added two minor league free agents to boot. It's just not safe anywhere.... ELSEWHERE: Eleven losses in a row for New Orleans now, as depression sets in. And 12 for Texas, ugh.... Strikeout King extraordinaire SS Jordan Cruz is third in the NL with 64 whiffs in 166 AB, but at least he's hitting .229 (20 points higher than his career average) with some power. His partner at 2B, however, is Jonathan Salas, who is suffering through the horror of fanning 70 times in his 143 AB, while batting a puny .133. If you're keeping track at home, that's a middle infield with 134 K through 48 games. Outstanding! May 27-29 @ TAMPA BAY Last year's 91-win season is starting to look like an aberration: 21-25 this season, and 7 losing seasons broken up only by last season's party. Although...they're 10th in runs, and 6th in pitching, with a +14 differential and a solid defense, so perhaps a turnaround is only a matter of time. 1B Toby Difazio is having a nice season, .318/13/39, and has been an under-the-radar star for several seasons now, averaring 30 HR and 90+ RBI. They also made quite a splash signing three quality SP in the off-season, but lost star Robbie Collier--signed from Cincinnati--last week, for the season. C'est la vie. HAW pitchers: Eric Jones (3-2, 4.18) / Jonathan Murray (3-1, 5.00) / Ryuma Sato (5-2, 2.34) TBR pitchers: Bill Casas (4-4, 4.61) / Jeff Caraway (1-5, 6.31) / Gabe Ray (2-5, 3.07) #48: WIN 9-3 ... 4 hits each for Robertson and Wright, and 4 RBI for Cannon...win for Jones (6 IP, 2 ER) and a 3-inning stint for Archila in relief...1B Masuda hurt #49: WIN 4-1 ... 11 K in 6.2 IP for Murray, and a double and HR for Cannon, with two more RBI #50: WIN 11-8 ... tied 4-4 after 9, then 6-6 after 10, then 5 in the top of the 16th countered by just 2 for the Rays...Klump makes 2 errors, hits a HR in his debut Sweep! Very nice.... Masuda sprains his ankle in the first game, will miss 5-6 weeks. Jonathan Klump, hitting .400 in AAA, takes his place on the roster. He's a lefty but will only bat against right handers for now. Gooding will play first against southpaws.... In better news, Groff will come off the DL in three days.... AAA Santa Barbara has turned things around after a 3-8 April, going 18-6 so far in May.... ELSEWHERE: The Rangers were feeling pretty good after a 10-5 start to the season. Since then, everything's gone wrong, and their current record of 18-31 has resulted in the not-unexpected firing of manager Drew Saylor. In his 14th season with the Rangers, 12th as manager, Saylor had never guided the club to a winning record, but was still popular with his players. No word yet on his replacement.... ChiSox' Justin Haynes (.403) and Seattle's Alex Cruz (.400) are battling for the AL batting lead. Cruz is also leading in HR, OPS, and WAR.... New Orleans is still suffering, at the bottom of the league standings at 17-33. May 30-31 @ MIAMI At 28-23, and atop the East by one over Boston and another half over the Yankees. Offense and defense are both 10th, with an equal number of runs for and against. Defending AL Cy Young winner Levi Brady is having a down year, and stud 3B Sergio Torres is batting .303/19/40, but for Richmond in the NL. The offense is noticing the loss. HAW pitchers: Rob Hart (4-4, 4.72) / Mike Messinger (7-0, 2.71) MIM pitchers: Jake Marker (3-3, 4.96) / Pete Burke (3-4, 4.77) #51: LOSS 5-9 ... booooo...Hart, Stanley, and Masuda all pitch poorly, but it's a close game until Miami scores 3 in the 8th #52: WIN 8-5 ... a 3-run 13th, sparked by Little's 2-run HR, pushes us over the top...4 hits for Robertson, 2 doubles (15 on the season) for Simmons At least we close out the month with a thrilling win, after that disgusting loss.... We end May first in offense (313 runs), and first in pitching (210 runs against, 1st in starter's and bullpen ERA). Team defense is even up, currently placing 4th.... Personal stats-wise, Sato is 2nd in AL ERA, while Messinger leads in strikeouts and wins. Hart is second in Ks. Groff has dropped off the batting list due to his injury, but his .381 average would place him third. He's back and healthy tomorrow.... ELSEWHERE: AL batters Haynes and Cruz had their 24- and 21-game hitting streaks ended, and have dropped below .400.... Pittsburgh (8 losses in a row) and Boston (7) are the current cold squads, while Hawaii (8-2), Oakland (7-3), and Baltimore (7-3) are hot.... Richmond's Sergio Torres is the first batter to 20 HR, and Baltimore's Cesar Alvarenga leads baseball with 52 RBI.... Texas has named T.J. Chism its new manager. Chism has just a few minor league seasons under his belt, and after just a few games at the helm, most of his players are less than thrilled with him already. Good stuff. ...... TL;DR Version: A nice little 12-2 blitz over the last half of the month, vaulting us to the top of the league standings. For the whole month, we went 22-7. A couple of injuries--Stoneback and Masuda--have marred the picture a bit, but so far their replacements have been more than adequate. Groff, however, comes back at the first of the month. And former top prospect pitcher Taylor Barnett will begin his latest rehab stint later in the week, and hopefully can regain something that made him a 1st round draft pick and find a place on our staff eventually. I'm not sanguine. Attached Images __________________ Introducing Your Hawaii Islanders!

08-27-2018, 11:25 AM	#174
Bub13 All Star Reserve Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Maine Posts: 748	A new month brings 28 games over 30 days, including 18 in the division, and the last round of interleague play. Plus, the draft in less than a week. We have our first, plus a supplemental pick, and there are a pile of good-looking pitching prospects I'd love to get my hands on, but who will probably be gone by the time we pick at #23. All that and a system review coming after this post. June 1 @ MIAMI Finishing up the Marlins series... HAW pitcher: Eric Jones (4-2, 4.06) MIM pitcher: Corey Downes (4-5, 5.37) #53: LOSS 5-6 ... we're up 5-0 heading into the bottom of the 2nd and give up 6 (5 unearned, fyi), and the rest is boring...Jones' ERA goes down thanks to 2 errors Disappointing to drop 2 out of 3 here, but Miami is a first place team, so whatever.... Oakland now 5.5 games in back of us.... Groff comes off the DL, and Roberto Mendez (1-for-5) heads back to AAA.... Jim Klein is named AL Rookie of the Month, while Mike Messinger is named the month's best pitcher.... ELSEWHERE: 8 losses in a row for the Red Sox, and they're back at .500.... No clubhouses are currently feuding, and only one is ecstatic: Brooklyn, leading the NL East at 34-18.... Cubs ace Jon Baldwin is the first pitcher to reach 100 K on the season. He's just 5-5 for the 24-31 Cubs, but has 100 K (and just 24 BB) in 81 IP. The 2042 NL Rookie of the Year is also, oddly, Japanese. Go figure. June 2-5 vs LA ANGELS After a 12-12 April, May brought disappointment and heartache and a 9-20 record. Last year's solid hitting has devolved to a team ranked 16th in offense, while their pitching is next-to-last, 17th. And a -53 differential. SS Juan Rodriquez (.336/10/37) is having another solid year, but nothing else has gone right. I'm still hopeful that Mongolian-American P Greg Sang will join the big club one day, but he's currently struggling in A ball. HAW pitchers: Jonathan Murray (4-1, 4.28) / Ryuma Sato (5-2, 2.61) / Rob Hart (4-4, 5.05) / Mike Messinger (7-0, 2.85) LAA pitchers: Greg Langworthy (4-6, 5.01) / Adam Pereira (4-6, 5.63) / Khalil Smith (4-3, 5.74) / Alex Diaz (2-0, 2.78) #54: WIN 3-2 ... after giving up 2 in the 8th, we counter with 2 in the 9th, led by Klein's RBI double, for the win...10 K in 8 IP for Murray #55: WIN 6-3 ... Wright's 1st inning GRAND SLAM paces a 5-run frame, and all the scoring is over after two innings...all LA runs are unearned #56: WIN 3-2 ... 4 H and 12 K through 8 for Hart, but this one is only decided by Rich's RBI double scores Simmons (now batting .380) in the 9th #57: LOSS 1-6 ... Messinger's first loss on the season, but only one run is earned (again), as we are trying out some new iron gloves apparently A couple of close games and one ugly loss, but I'll take it. Oakland gets tripped up by Houston and is now 7.5 games back.... Still first in offense, but now second in pitching (to Cleveland, but they've played 2 fewer games than us). And despite a rash of errors recently, team defense is still 4th.... The team is hitting well, but we have no leaders on any statistical boards, except for Josh Robertson's AL-leading 250 AB.... With pitcher Tyler Barnett starting his latest rehab stint, I need to free up a roster spot. So I send pitcher Chet King to Detroit for IF Matt Estey. King was throwing well in AAA, but at 30 was not going anywhere fast in my system. Estey, 23, is a solid fielder and a mediocre hitter, and was brought in largely because of the massacre of middle infielders this season has wrought on our minor leagues. Of note: these two were traded for each other (with two other players) back in 2041. Welcome back, Matt.... ELSEWHERE: 4 and 3 consecutive wins have put Seattle and Houston solidly over .500, and have brought both to within a couple games of the 2nd-place A's.... Texas has dropped 6 straight, and are 5-29 since May 1. Starter Emmett Hayden has given up 3 HR/9 (22 in 68 IP), and is working on his third straight season of 40+ HR allowed. Oh, and is ERA is a nice and round 8.00 through 11 starts. June 6-8 vs SEATTLE The 32-26 Mariners sit in third place, 9.5 behind us and 2 behind Oakland. Once one of the stoutest pitching franchises, of late they've turned themselves into quite a band of hitters: currently 3rd in runs and average, 5th in OBP and HR. Pitching has been mediocre, 10th in runs against, with a bullpen ranked 15th. Former MVP OF Mike Wapner is working on a 47-HR pace, 2B Alex Cruz for 50. Three pitchers in the rotation have ERA over 6. HAW pitchers: Eric Jones (4-3, 3.78) / Jonathan Murray (4-1, 3.89) / Ryuma Sato (6-2, 2.35) SEA pitchers: Steve Maki (4-4, 4.70) / Leo Zamorano (2-4, 6.60) / Greg Sowa (2-0, 6.60) #58: LOSS 2-9 ... take out an 8-run 5th, and we win. Simple...Hart goes 4-for-5...Jones gives up all 8 in the 5th, then takes a seat #59: WIN 8-3 ... three 1st inning doubles plate 4 runs, and add 3 more in the 8th to make the final tally...13 K for Murray, HR and 3 RBI for Groff #60: WIN 15-10 ... a 6-0 lead becomes a 7-6 deficit becomes an 11-7 lead, then 15-7, then the final...5 hits for Robertson, 36 combined for both teams Winds must've been blowing out this weekend. The ERAs take a hit, but the wins still count.... Two more minor league middle IF go out, so we sign a couple of beer vendors to fill in.... ELSEWHERE: Texas just won their 20th game, the last team to do so.... 90 shutouts have now been tossed this season. Amazing. June 9-12 vs HOUSTON No one under the age of 40 can remember the last time the Astros were 34-27, as they are now. No one is hitting--14th in runs and 17th in HR--but 3rd in runs against, and 2nd in team defense. 1B Bruce Calhoon is the one hitter who didn't get the take-it-easy orders: .346/13/33 in just 32 games. HAW pitchers: Rob Hart (4-4, 4.76) / Mike Messinger (7-1, 2.76) / Eric Jones (4-4, 4.50) / Jonathan Murray (5-1, 3.78) HOU pitchers: Alejandro Gonzales (4-2, 3.05) / Tony Arballo (3-6, 6.02) / Ryan Crawley (6-5, 4.47) / Jay Russo (8-2, 3.47) #61: WIN 2-1 ... Gonzales 2-hits us through 8, but Klump's single in the 9th brings home Groff for the win...Hart fans 9 in his 8 IP #62: WIN 6-3 ... 5 runs in the 5th--paced by three doubles--is the difference...Groff with 2 RBI, Simmons with 3 more hits, now batting .390...Klein hurt dtd #63: LOSS 3-5 ... Klein is on, 3 hits and a HR, but Jones is off, giving up all the runs and 12 hits over six IP #64: WIN 4-1 ... Wright's 2-run HR (18th on the season) is the difference...nice effort for Murray: 8 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 4 K Nice, solid series against a rising team. Pleasantly surprised by the pitching this season. (Shh...don't curse it.).... Groff is hitting .352, sixth in the AL; Klein is right behind him at .341. Simmons, at .380, would be leading the league but for too few PA. Messinger is 1st in ERA, K, and WAR, tied for 2nd in wins.... 1st round pick Ryan Bayko signs and is sent to rookie ball. Really, really good-looking prospect, although he's got "career DH" written all over him, as he's an outfielder with no range and no arm. He looks even worse as a potential 1B, tbh.... ELSEWHERE: Good weeks from the Yankees and Indians have them on top of their divisions. Miami has lost 5 straight, but is still tied with NY.... Cleveland's Zach Gioeli is the first pitcher to 10 wins. The 26-year-old suffered through two 5+ ERA seasons but found himself last year (12-10, 3.65), and is 10-1 with a 2.81 ERA this year.... New Orleans (24-40) is suffering through a nightmare season, but their pitchers are still 5th in the NL. Nevertheless, they'll miss first-year starter Steve Jenson (3.61 ERA, 51:9 K:BB ratio), as he's done for the year. He becomes their fifth pitcher on the DL. June 14-16 @ PITTSBURGH The dynastic greatness that brought two titles to western Pennsylvania is long gone. They last won 90 games in 2040, but it looks like the next time will be a long way off. Trouble is, their system ranks just 28th and their top two prospects are already on the big team. At 12th in offense and 17th in pitching, and a -66 run differential, they're probably where they should be: 27-37, 9.5 games behind St Louis. Team MVP is probably closer Brent Rainville (2.12, 17 saves, 50 K in 34 IP). The 29-year-old free-agent-to-be is picking a heck of a time to have a career year, and will look great in a Dodgers uniform next season. HAW pitchers: Ryuma Sato (6-2, 2.96) / Rob Hart (4-4, 4.43) / Mike Messinger (8-1, 2.61) PIT pitchers: George Sanger (4-7, 4.47) / Brett McGee (4-7, 4.60) / Robert Montoya (4-6, 5.33) #65: WIN 5-3 ... HR and two other hits for Groff, and 20th double for Simmons...Sato returns to early-season form with a stout 7 IP...Robertson hurt tho #66: LOSS 2-3 ... Hart whiffs 12, but we manage just 3 hits...three walks too, but just not enough runners #67: WIN 9-0 ... Mess mows 'em down: 4 H, 13 K, 8 IP, no complete game wtf...everyone gets a hit and we knock three HR, two in a 6-run 4th Rollin rollin rollin.... 48 wins, and only one other team (Brooklyn) even has 40. So far, so good (fingers crossed).... And then Robertson gets hurt, suffering a debilitating thumb ligament tear that should totally heal (?) in one to two weeks. Roberto Mendoza gets his second call-up of the season, and will see some time as a defense sub and get some AB versus lefties. That's now 3/4 of my opening day infield currently on the DL.... ELSEWHERE: The Angels become the third team this season to shed their GM/Manager combo, dumping 5th-year GM Jesse Juday and 5th-year manager Andy Raaff. This was Juday's first gig, but Raaff had spent seven years in Philly and two in Austin before his LA gig. The Grounded Dutchman has a career 1013-1011 record. LA started 12-12 in April, but has gone 12-31 since. Their replacements are rookie Yi-hao "Yeehaw" Lin at GM, and manager Miguel Rodriguez, last seen having one winning season in eight years with the Yankees.... It's bad news all around, as one of my favorite non-Isles players goes on the season-ending DL: Padres pitcher Gary Florence tears a back muscle now gets to have an early autumn. When healthy, he's the best pitcher in the game, but has made just 24, 11, and now 14 starts over the last three seasons. At 31, it's too early to say these injuries have derailed his hopes for the Hall, but time is running out for him to build some quality career numbers. (Fun stat: his K/BB ratio this year is an astounding 111/6, in 96 IP. WOW.) ...... TL;DR Version: I will take 10-5 for every sim this year, thank you. Robertson's injury puts a hole at the top of the lineup, as he's an excellent leadoff man (high contact, no strikeouts). Jim Klein will be moved up into that spot until he proves he can't handle it. In prospect news, P Taylor Barnett is rehabbing in AAA, and is all rust right now: 2 starts, 4 IP, one new injury (5 day sore shoulder). Sigh. Attached Images __________________ Introducing Your Hawaii Islanders!

08-29-2018, 11:18 AM	#175
Bub13 All Star Reserve Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Maine Posts: 748	2044 DRAFT and SYSTEM OVERVIEW It's draft time! Washington has the first overall pick (Again! They also went first in 2041), and is drafting in the top ten for the seventh year in a row. San Francisco, Atlanta, San Diego, and Cleveland round out the top five. (It's interesting to note that three of those teams are currently over .500, and SD and CLE lead their divisions.) OSA has two players ranked with the max 80 potential: P Ryan Schneider and OF Kris Warner. My scout Moises Patino says Schneider is good, possibly closer material, but has him rated a bit lower than the OSA; and while he shares OSA's take on Warner, to my eye he looks like a decent hitter, an occasional all-star, and a good fielder but with a spaghetti arm. And I'll repeat my desire that P Shamar Jackson, a fancy knuckleballer, must fall to me at #23; but he'll probably go in the top five. At #23--where we'll pick--on Patino's board is 2B Chris Ristaino, who I'd be more than happy with, but I feel is underrated and will probably go higher than Patino has him. ...... The results are in. Washington, to no one's surprise, takes Kris Warner. They'll be happy with him, assuming they're willing to pay his $4.4M demand. San Fran breaks my heart by taking Shamar Jackson, alas. Atlanta takes pitcher Daniel Hampton, who at 22 looks like he's only a year away from the bigs. Solid pick. San Diego grabs pitcher Tim Chandler, while Cleveland selects 3B David Pettaway. Chandler is a good pick, Pettaway is a reach, a bit lazy and probably no better than a career .250 hitter, albeit with nice power. The White Sox take the wonderfully named Burton Dick, who isn't, and the Astros take Ryan Schneider, the other possible 80-potential draftee. As for us, I like the top of our draft. The first five picks look to have good potential; after that, it's the usual crapshoot, and most of them will probably never make it past A or AA. Round 1, 23rd overall: OF Ryan Bayko, 18, high school. I couldn't resist taking Bayko: he's a local boy, from Honolulu! I couldn't go home if I passed him up. He's got a nice power bat, a decent eye, and won't strke out a ton. He's slow, and has the major drawback in that he has no position in the field: no range, average glove, terrible arm. Thank goodness for the DH. (Ristaino was available, but I passed on him for the local talent.) We now have a ton of quality 1B/DH prospects in the system. Too many, really. Supplemental pick, 35th overall: P Shaun Gates, 20, Fordham. Huge (6'7", 230) and packs a 97 MPH fastball. Right handed, groundballer, and has great intangibles. He'll be a useful back end starter if he develops to his potential; if he overdevelops, he'll be much more. Round 2, 73rd overall: P Phil Lasky, 22, Long Island U. Like Gates, a New Yorker. His potential is slightly lower than Gates, but he's further along in his development. He's also got a lot of upside at the plate, and can run and play some solid outfield. So, maybe he's my first true two-way player. I'm really not sure where he's going to play once he's signed. He's probably good enough to start in A ball already. Round 3, 114th overall: P Eric Finnigan, 21, Central Florida. Good stuff, decent control, needs to develop better movement. Fastball/slider/change combo, can hit 98 on the radar gun. High work ethic should help him along, too. Round 4, 150th overall: P Daniel Newell, 22, Louisiana-Lafayette. Like Lasky, has some nice hitting chops too. In fact, he's a better hitter than Lasky, but unfortunately has an iron glove. Not sure where he'll end up, but I'm betting that not having any top-end pitches is going to put him in the field somewhere. Far enough along to start in A or AA. Best of the rest: Terry Howard (7th round), 1B with decent potential across the board; RP Nate Carroll (9th), whether or not he develops any control will the test; Blake Cherry (15th), 1B much like Howard, above, but with less power. Beyond these few, there's not much. Despite going for a number of high-intangible players, most have ceilings so low that even with boosts they'll likely never get beyond, say, AA. ...... MLB has our system ranked 20th, up from last year's 35th place. Still no superstarts-in-the-making, but plenty of solid future contributors. Three players are ranked in the top 100, and eleven more in the top 200. Like I said, lots of depth. SS J.J. Simmons, 22: MLB 36 G, .379/.409/.514. Started the season on the DL, and moved into the lineup with Stoneback's and Groff's injuries. Has no power and still needs to develop his eye, but already looks like a solid contact hitter, with speed and a great glove. Also has 17 doubles already, and is on course for a 5 WAR season. Is definitely forcing his way into the lineup full-time. 4th round pick in 2041. 3B Dante Padilla, 20: A ball, 14 G, .115/.193/.135. Sent back for more seasoning to short A ball this week, but still looks to have a bright future. Nice power, decent contact, is above or slightly above average everywhere. His only drawback is a bad glove, but has range and arm enough to still get a look at third. Scouting discovery in 2041 from Mexico. P Alex Paredes, 16: no stats, international complex. A recent find who's come out of nowhere to be a top prospect. Potential has him as a mid-range starting pitcher, but (so far) with little mustard on his pitches. Took a bit of a hit with the latest scouting report on June 1, but I'm hopeful that he'll rebound, especially as he's got intangibles to burn. Still just 16, so quite the wildcard. Scouting discovery from last December. P Rick Ramirez, 24: MLB 4 GP, 8.2 IP, 14 K, 4.15 ERA. Still looks like my closer of the future, with big-time stuff. Control finally developed to make him a shoo-in for the big-league pen. Still has a bit of room to grow, and hasn't dominated in his brief stints in the bigs. 1st round pick in 2041. P Jayden Grant, 21: A ball, 6 GP, 30 IP, 26 K, 4.50 ERA. Also made four terrible starts in AA. Better movement and control than stuff, and hasn't developed his third pitch yet. Works hard, keeps the ball down, and is still just 21, so nothing to worry about yet. But hasn't developed any over the past year. Trade with Richmond in 2042. P Taylor Barnett, 25: AAA 1 GP, 0.2 IP. Only beginning his rehab stint, after 11 months on the injured list. Patino tells me he's got the best rating of all our pitching prospects, and if he can just stay healthy he could still make it to our rotation. He's a lefty with five tasty pitches, so my fingers are crossed that he'll still pay off. 1st round pick in 2039. Others to watch: 2B/SS Edward Ospina, 1B Eric Griffin, 1B Chris Sanborn, RP Ben Willard, OF Dillon Ritter, SP Sergio Gil, 2B Jorge Canales, OF Glenn Heath. ...... We're doling out $138.6M in salaries this year, on a $160M budget. Next year, we're already slated to spend $156.2M on salaries, with very little increase in the overall budget. Most of the jump is due to Groff's $6.5M bump, and Messinger's $4.3M arbitration estimate raise. Two players--Josh Robertson and John Cannon--have player options coming up this fall. If they choose not to exercise them, we'll be off the hook for $23.4M, but we'll have two large holes in the lineup. We'll also have to decide if we're keeping both Senichi Masuda (due $6M) and Justin Wright (all of his $3.6M is being paid by Toronto), with at least two other 1B/DH prospects coming up from the farm. I'm guessing we won't keep them both. And finally, there's SP Eric Jones, 27, making $9.3M this year and next. He's having a bit of a rebound year but paying out more than 9 million for a 2 WAR player is not a good investment. __________________ Introducing Your Hawaii Islanders!

09-02-2018, 06:32 PM	#176
Bub13 All Star Reserve Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Maine Posts: 748	June 17-19 @ ST LOUIS Home of Ex-Isles Who Still Got It. Namely, 1B Jeremy Dunklee (.300/12/38 and 1st in NL all-star voting) and SP Ken Clark (still on MY payroll through 2047, dangit). Oh, and there's former AL MVP Alexis Mercedes, hitting in the .240s with 10 HR, and clearly no longer MVP material, even if he's still useful. Anyway, these guys are 4th in offense and pitching, and sport a solid +42 run differential. Despite fans of Baseball The Right Way (TM), OF and Missouri native Steve Rutledge has not become the next Stan the Man (too many K, not enough BB and H), but still has a nice power stroke (41 HR per 162 G) and a decent-enough .261 career average. I kid here, but they DID put him on the opening montage of OOTP 46, ffs. HAW pitchers: Eric Jones (4-5, 4.72) / Jonathan Murray (6-1, 3.41) / Ryuma Sato (7-2, 2.93) STL pitchers: Ken Clark (6-2, 4.15) / D.C. Weltman (3-3, 4.31) / Tommy Dahlen (3-6, 3.63) #68: WIN 4-2 ... hey, a solid game from Jones: 7 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 7 K...a 2-run HR from Rich, and J.Hart was a single away from hitting for the cycle #69: WIN 6-5 ... the big guns--Wright, Cannon, and Groff--all hit HR, and Simmons raps out 3 more hits...Murray gets the annual hit for an Isles pitcher #70: LOSS 5-6 ... rarity for us this year: extra innings loss...without a bases clearing double from Little in the 9th, this would've been over earlier anyway Tough loss in that last game: Sato threw poorly, but the bullpen combined for six scoreless innings until a walk-off HR ended it. Wright got hurt too: diagnosis pending. Gulp.... We're now 50-20, the first to reach the demi-(semi? hemi?)century mark.... Hart came close to hitting for the cycle, and would have been the first Islander to do it. We've been cycled three times by others: Brendan Glenn (PIT), Callum Hewitt (TEX), and David Holpp (BOS). John Cannon did it once playing for Austin, but that doesn't count. Glenn and retired journeyman IF Ernesto Valdes are the only players with two career cycles.... ELSEWHERE: Austin pitcher Pat Teer tied the (this dynasty) NL record for strikeouts by fanning 17 Yankees. He also went 3-for-4 with an RBI. Stephen Strasburg (who else) fanned 17 for Cincy back in 2027, and current Dodgers stud Jackson Suttie equaled that in '41. No one has whiffed 20, but HoF great Jon Talley killed 19 for Tampa Bay in '26, and Dave Gonzalez (now also with the Dodgers) did it for Cleveland in '38. June 20-22 vs CHICAGO CUBS The Cubbies! are another largely-faceless part of a down year for the NL Central: they're in third place, but at 33-38 aren't exactly wowing anyone. Sixth in offense despite being 13th in AVG and 11th in OBP and HR. That's more than offset by league-worst pitching and and next-to-last place defense. I'm not sure what to make of this team, as a quick glance of their individual stats doesn't look half bad. They did get off to a terrible start, 9-16 in April, and have been 2 games over .500 since. Still, a -71 run differential doesn't exactly point to a lot of good happening here. They do feature the 5th best prospect system in baseball, but that's skewed somewhat by the bizarrely high rating for a 26-year-old non-prospect 1B named Marcos Ramos (currently not producing in A ball), who has somehow conned MLB's scouts into making him the #2 overall prospect in baseball. HAW pitchers: Rob Hart (4-5, 4.44) / Mike Messinger (9-1, 2.40) / Eric Jones (5-5, 4.55) CHC pitchers: Aaron Maloy (2-1, 3.68) / John Baldwin (6-6, 3.25) / Danny Zarate (6-5, 3.68) #71: WIN 5-2 ... Klump fills in for Wright and hits a HR, and Simmons adds 3 hits...Hart tosses a 10-K complete game, gives up just 1 HR with the wind blowing out too #72: LOSS 3-5 ... Baldwin dominates until we pop a couple of HR in the 9th, too little too late...rare rough start for Messinger (5 IP)...lineup is patchwork right now #73: rained out and rescheduled for 7/7, a few days before the All-Star break Disappointing loss in the second game, but Baldwin has been their best pitcher this season.... Wright's diagnosis is an intercostal strain, and he's out for 1-2 weeks. OF Dave White gets the call-up. The lineup looks a bit patchy right now, with four backups in starting roles, and juggling back and forth to try to take advantage of some glaring platoon shifts.... All four injured players should be back before the Break, so hopefully we'll get to have some games with a fully healthy squad. We've been winning, but you know how it is: you always expect things to go completely pear-shaped at any moment, so I'll still exercise my perogative to fret and complain.... ELSEWHERE: Just 8 games separates top from bottom in the AL East, with the Yankees losing 7 of 10 to drop from first to fourth in the division. Ten games is the difference in the NL East, with three teams--Brooklyn, Philly, and NY--having top ten records across all of baseball. No surprise tho that the perenially awful Nationals are in last.... Atlanta OF John Arrington is following up his should-have-been-ROY campaign (.327/23/79) with a .381/13/49 start to this year. The 25-year-old is leading the youth movement for the Braves: 6 of 8 regulars are under 27, and only old man Jared Grose (41) and not-so-old Brad Phipps (29) are close to earning their AARP cards. June 23-26 vs SEATTLE Back to divisional play, with the solid-looking Mariners coming to town. First (!) in runs scored, but just 10th in pitching, and a solid +52 run differential. RF Mike Wapner (.333/21/57) and 2B Alex Cruz (.374/20/42) are the usual studs, and former 1st rounder Steve "Mahi" Maki--who does look like a fish btw--has been their best pitcher. So of course we'll face him, yes? They're 10 games behind us in the standings, and I'd like to keep it that way, m'kay? HAW pitchers: Jonathan Murray (6-1, 3.55) / Ryuma Sato (7-2, 3.21) / Eric Jones (5-5, 4.55) / Rob Hart (5-5, 4.22) SEA pitchers: Leo Zamorano (3-5, 6.00) / Greg Sowa (3-2, 7.23) / Sean Easter (9-2, 3.82) / Rob Sczesny (5-7, 5.68) #73: WIN 5-4 ... adversity is overcome thanks to Hart's 10th-inning walk-off HR...Cannon plates three with a HR and a sac fly, and the pen tosses four scoreless innings #74: WIN 4-2 ... Sato delivers six good innings, but it's Little's 2-run shot in the 8th that wins it...Dan Brown is now 6-0 in relief #75: WIN 12-6 ... Cannon and Groff needed only triples to reach the cycle, but Cannon does GRAND SLAM in the 2nd...two Isles get plunked, bad blood simmers #76: LOSS 0-9 ... oof...Wapner cranks 2, and we manage just 3 hits...Hart gives up 4 R in 5 IP, but does fan 10 Ugly loss notwithstanding, this was a solid series. Three wins pushes Seattle to 11.5 games behind us, with Oakland 13 out, Houston 14.... Robertson and Stoneback come off the DL. Robby will go back into the lineup, Stoney will get a rehab stint to shake off the rust and try to get his swing back in order.... Hotshot prospect 3B Dante Padilla is having a rough go of things in his first pro season: injuries had me send him to A ball Eureka for a couple of weeks, where he hit just .115. Now he's in Short A and tearing it up to the tune of .069.... ELSEWHERE: Humble Mets pitcher Mike "Humble Mike" Garfield tossed a 3-hit, 12-K shutout over the Nats and then offered that he didn't have his best stuff and was just lucky and humble and proud to be here. "Fk that guy," replied Nats catcher Kevin Haines. All true.... Oakland's Vinny "VINNYYYYYY" Vargas is having his usual hot year (.352/36/65, 1st in OPS, 3rd in WAR) and is the leading vote-getter in AL all-star voting.... KC (28 wins), and LAA (29) are the last two teams without 30 wins on the season. I'm surprised that fourth-year KC manager and red-ass Dom "Argh I Hate You All" Duggan is still around. June 28-30 @ TEXAS After a 5-24 May, and a 1-8 start to June, they're 10-5 over the last couple of weeks. The team is still unhappy, but new manager T.J. Chism seems to have righted the ship somewhat. The hitting is there (7th), but pitching is not: dead last overall, with the worst rotation ERA in the game. 2B Gabriel Gallegos is having his usual .330 season, and the Callum Hewitt/Corey Turner/Omar Ramirez middle-of-the-order triumvirate is a nice power combo. There are still a lot of holes, however, and having four regulars on the DL hasn't helped. HAW pitchers: Mike Messinger (9-2, 2.63) / Jonathan Murray (6-1, 3.63) / Ryuma Sato (7-2, 3.20) TEX pitchers: John Fox (8-4, 3.43) / Emmett Hayden (5-6, 6.89) / Mark Metz (3-9, 9.52) #77: WIN 8-0 ... 14 H, 3 HR, and a 9K outing from Messinger tell the tale...why Mess was pulled after 8 with a 9-0 lead I'll never know #78: WIN 8-4 ... Groff smacks a 3-run shot, but Klump is the player of the night, going 2-for-4 with a HR and 2 RBI...5 K in 3 IP for Dan Brown #79: WIN 8-6 ... an early 7-0 lead becomes a bit nail-bitey late...2 HR for Cannon, with 5 RBI and another GRAND SLAM...2 more H and RBI for Groff Boom. Back to last place for you, Texas.... Messinger reaches 10 wins, still tied for 2nd in baseball.... Masuda and Wright come off the DL during the next series, so some roster decisions will be forthcoming.... ELSEWHERE: Three players have reached 5 WAR: RIC P Rafael Maldonado (5.4), Seattle OF Mike Wapner (5.1), Hawaii P Mike Messinger (5.0).... Cleveland has 47 wins, and four teams have 46: Brooklyn, NY Mets, St Louis, and San Diego.... Cubs pitcher Tim Shellhammer is getting both shelled and hammered: 14 starts, 76 IP, 99 H, 30 HR, and an 8.88 ERA. At the opposite end of the dinger spectrum is the Dodgers' Gabe Delfin, offering up just 3 HR over 104 IP (our own Messinger has given up 4 in 110 IP).... Austin's Phil Imel wins his 2nd rookie of the month nod, and also gets the player of the month award. He's hitting. 369/23/72 on the season. ...... TL;DR Version:** 9-3 over this stretch, and a 19-8 month. Our 57-22 record has to be unsustainable; but even if we go just 42-41 over our last 83 games, we'll finish with 99 wins. We're now in 2nd in offense, but only by one run to Seattle, with three fewer games played. July will bring 26 games, 14 at home. We play three series against East teams, three against Central squads, and finish up with eight games against the A's and Astros. And finally, closer YT Yaung is named June pitcher of the month, with 14 appearances, a 4-0 record, and 8 saves. He gave up just one run over 14.1 innings of work. Attached Images __________________ Introducing Your Hawaii Islanders!

09-06-2018, 07:55 PM	#177
Bub13 All Star Reserve Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Maine Posts: 748	Historical Interlude to Remember Some Guys Time was when getting to 3000 strikeouts (clarify: as a pitcher!) was a sure sign of greatness. Much like a batter reaching 3000 hits, it signaled a consistent level of high play over a prolonged period of time. Now, however, with this era's all-or-nothing fixation, it means much, much less than it used to. The signaled longevity is still there, but the mark of an all-time talent? Not quite. As of this writing, there are 26 pitchers with 3000+ career strikeouts. Ten of these players had careers that fell completely or substantially within the framework of this dynasty (begun in 2014). And five of those--Stephen Strasburg, Justin Verlander, Clayton Kershaw, Felix Hernandez, and Zack Wheeler--had careers that started before 2014, even if the majority of their innings pitched fell after that date. So, in sum: 16 (of the 26 in question) predate 2014, 5 straddle that date, and 5 had careers begin after that date. Of those 16 "early" pitchers, every one is in the Hall of Fame. (Yes, Clemens got in. Schilling too, although his bust has a clown nose on it.) Of the five "straddlers" listed above, only the last two--Hernandez and Wheeler--aren't in. And of the 5 "post-2014" pitchers, two are in the Hall: Cobi Johnson (255 wins, 78 WAR, didn't miss a start over 15 consecutive seasons), and Andy Wilson (ace of my great Richmond teams in the '10s and '20s). So let's talk about the guys who aren't in, and why they may never be... First is Orlando Ramos. Ramos is 5th all-time, with 4278 strikeouts. That's a tremenous number. He led the league in Ks seven times, and in K/9 ten times. But if you take away the strikeouts, what else do you have? Over 500 career starts, and only 52 WAR, one of the lowest among the 26 pitchers on the all-time K list. A Cy Young trophy (2022 AL), but only one other appearance in the voting. 197 wins, yes, but playing for very good teams that won a lot of games. Just two seasons with a WAR over 5, and never over 6. An excellent pitcher, to be sure, but a one-note player who, frankly, was never truly regarded as an ace. Is he Hall worthy? The Hall doesn't seem to think so. Next we go way down the list to #22, where we find Felix Hernandez, the Mariners great. To me, he has a much more compelling Hall argument than anyone else here: 77 WAR, 210 wins in a pitching-wins-scarce world, 16 out of 17 complete seasons with an ERA+ over 100, and a consistently low ERA in a high-run enviroment. That he rarely appeared atop any leaderboards (one BABIP win, one WHIP, one IP) in no way impedes his greatness. He just wasn't a flashy, high-K pitcher, in a time when pitchers are largely judged by strikeouts. Assessing careers like this is kind of what I'm looking at now. I'd compare him to Tom Glavine and Rick Reuschel--one in the Hall, one not--as the kind of pitcher who just got guys out. Hall worthy? Gotta be a Veteran's Committee nod one day. At #24 we have Zach Setaro, the only active pitcher on this list. (Barely, tho: he's in AAA, and only just hanging on there.) A solid pitcher with a largely unremarkable career (no trophies or championships), he is here really because of a nice run of 12 healthy seasons where he put up numbers a shade or two below Hernandez' marks, and usually on mediocre to poor teams. Like Felix, he kept his hits and walks low, but gave up a lot more home runs. I'd call him a poor man's Jim Kaat, only with the inflated K totals of this era. Kaat, however, is in the Hall; Setaro won't be. Tied for 25th are Garrett Gooden and Zach Wheeler. Gooden accumulated a decent bit of WAR, 67.1 worth, and appeared in 7 all-star games. He fanned 3029 and won 200 games. He could have won a couple of Cy Youngs (2027 with SF, and 7.2 WAR; 2030 with KC, 20-5 and a 2.77 ERA), but didn't. Wheeler is similar: 206 wins and 57 WAR, two very nice 6+ WAR seasons, with a lot of quality #2-type seasons. Neither ever had a dominant season, and neither was ever considered the ace of their respecive staffs. Very nice careers, but ones that, in the words of Bill James, built up a lot of "hanging around" stats by, well, hanging around for nearly 20 years. Not Hall candidates. Finally, are there any active pitchers who could reach 3000 K and either add to or counter the recent narrative of high-K pitchers not reaching the Hall? Erik Presley has 2767, but is 37, injured, and clearly in the decline phase of his career. He may have another year or two, but is probably done. His career looks much like Gooden's and Wheeler's: good, not great. Next is Drew Falconbury, who is a much more interesting case. At 37, the end is near, and he's currently mopping up in the bullpen for the suddenly-awful Zephyrs. Injuries took away nearly three full starting seasons during his prime, but he's still accumulated some nice stats: 193 wins (against just 96 losses), a 2.76 career ERA, and 78 WAR. He was a dominant pitcher for several years, and has two Cy Youngs on his mantel, and nine all-star appearances. I think he's a Hall candidate, even without the juicier career stats that an injury-free career would have piled up. Bailey McFarland, currently with the Giants, is probably the example par excellence of the modern pitcher. A career 106-152 record, 12.6 career WAR, but 2501 strikeouts, and still going strong even at age 36. Just your routine, journeyman pitcher. I hope he reaches 3000 K, just to spite us all. No one else is close, although two pitchers, Eddy Llamas (32 with 2407 K) and Gabe Delfin (33 with 2366), have outside shots, and may even be Hall worthy, if they can manage 5 or so more solid, healthy seasons. Stay tuned... ...... Now, back to your regularly scheduled Dynasty... It's July 1, and you know what that means: INTERNATIONAL AMATEUR FREE AGENTS ARE HERE! Prices for these guys are going up, up, up, and yet the spending ceiling hasn't advanced past $4M. There are 35 guys available this year, and all but 10 of them have initial asks north of $1M. The highest is Dominican OF Ed Aguilar, a LHB who wants $6M. Is he worth it? He has high contact, good gap and HR power, some speed and some OF range. But he's selfish and lazy, doesn't seem to like walks, and has a tin glove. So, no, he's not worth it. Having played it pretty safe and quiet in recent years, I've decided to open up the purse this year and make offers to two of the higher-priced guys. First is Brazilian pitcher Olimpio Le Coq. Even if he wasn't talented, there is no way in hell I can resist that name. The 6'3" RHP has an elite curve/change combo, a plus fastball, and a forkball that could develop. Excellent stuff, good stamina and hold, and a hard worker. What's not to like? He wants $4.4M to start, and that will definitely go up. But he's mine, make no mistake. The next is Dominican 1B Tony Nieto. Another big (6'3") guy, a hard worker, good in the clubhouse. My scouts are a little higher on him than are the MLB scouts (the reverse is the case for Le Coq), but what my guys say is all good: quality contact and gap, won't strike out much, and power to burn. So what if he can't run and can't field; that's what the DH is for, right? If he comes close to hitting his power ceiling, he'll be completely worth it. We start him at $3.6M. That's a combined $8M to start. Which is already so far over the ceiling that I might as well try to sign everyone, right? Well...no. I'm not saying I won't try to nab someone else as well, but we'll see how high the bidding gets for these two, and let the initial wave of other big money signings pass before seeing if there's anyone under the radar we can scoop up later in the process. But for now, place your orders for your very own "Le Coq" jersey now. __________________ Introducing Your Hawaii Islanders!

09-08-2018, 02:12 PM	#178
Bub13 All Star Reserve Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Maine Posts: 748	July 2044 We now resume regular programming. July 1-3 vs BOSTON Boston! Second in the East at 41-38, and yet they're unhappy, as always. Three players like manager Kris Harvey; the rest do not. Most of the unhappy players are also mad at backup IF Erik Moretti, called "disruptive and outspoken." Of course Moretti is one of the happy few in the clubhouse. On the field, they're 4th in runs (but 10th in AVG) and just 16th in pitching (a sorry rotation but a solid bullpen). The defense is league worst. Still, they hit HR and steal bases and their stars are delivering. So who cares if they're just as pissy and clique-ridden as all those other Sox teams in history, right? Oh, and 3B Chris Beyer brings a 26-game hitting streak into the series. HAW pitchers: Eric Jones (6-5, 4.65) / Rob Hart (5-6, 4.36) / Mike Messinger (10-2, 2.44) BOS pitchers: Joe Koval (3-3, 4.52) / Fernando Alameda (4-6, 6.39) / Robby Liantonio (8-4, 3.90) #80: LOSS 6-7 ... Jones struggles through 6, but it's Yaung yielding 2 solo HR in the 9th that dooms us...3 hits for Robertson in his return to the lineup #81: WIN 10-6 ... 4 H and a HR for Groff, 2 H each for six others...Wright and Masuda back in the lineup...10 K over 6.1 for Hart #82: WIN 3-2 ... pitcher's duel, with Boston only scoring in the 9th, and Robertson ending it with a HR in the 10th...10 hits combined, and 14 K for Messinger Who wouldn't love winning 2 out of 3 from here on out? Pitching looked a little leaky this series, outside of Messinger's ace performance in game three.... Masuda and Wright came off the DL and went right into the lineup. Roberto Mendez (.222/0/3, 18 AB) and Jonathan Klump (.263/7/17, 99 AB) went back to Santa Barbara. Klump will be back for good sooner than later. Also, Taylor Barnett's rehab stint ended, so I called him up and sent down struggling RP Jose Esquivel. Might as well get another pitcher or two some innings this summer, so we have bodies available for the playoffs should injuries strike.... We're rolling in 1B prospects now, as Patino brings home a hot little number from Panama: Roberto Navarette, who, if he hits his currently projected highs, will hit .300 and 35 HR every year. That's a long, long way off tho.... ELSEWHERE: Beyer's hit streak is now 29 games, longest this season.... Austin catcher Juan Jimenez and Boston C Lance Powell each hit their 300th career HR last series; there are now 27 active players with 300 HR, and three over 400. Cleveland 1B Nate Rogers leads all active players with 482, putting him 37th all-time.... The Cubs are 17 wins away from 13000, and would become the second team to reach that mark, after the Giants. July 4-6 vs TORONTO Currently last in the East at 36-45, but still just 6.5 behind first place Miami. Next-to-last in offense, but fourth in pitching, with a decent rotation but struggling bullpen. Their closer is Original Islander (TM) Raleigh Vance, although with a 5.73 ERA and 1.67 WHIP, he's not exactly a house afire right now. HAW pitchers: Malik Chaney (debut) / Ryuma Sato (7-2, 3.33) / Eric Jones (6-5, 4.82) TOR pitchers: Luke Weaver (3-5, 4.74) / Daniel Becker (8-2, 3.12) / Ricky Lovato (4-6, 5.12) #83: LOSS 3-4 ... Chaney called up due to dtd injury to Murray, but gets hurt himself...we outhit them 12-9 but strand way too many guys all game long #84: WIN 5-4 ... the big three all homer, giving them all 20+ on the season...it's Wright's 2-run shot in the 8th that makes the difference #85: LOSS 3-4 ... a triple in the 10th loses the game...HR for Groff, but only six other hits for us First bad series in a while, mostly due to light hitting and a cranky bullpen.... Murray gets the flu and is out for several days, and Sato wasn't ready to go on short rest, so Malik Chaney made his 2044 debut in game one: he lasted 2 outs and 3 earned runs before leaving with a strained hamstring. He'll be back in September, but until then will have to live with a 54.00 ERA. And with the pen leaking oil all over the place, when Chaney goes down, RP Danny Fernandez gets the call, and will make his MLB debut at some point soon. Taylor Barnett also heads back to AAA to work off more rust.... ELSEWHERE: Cleveland and St Louis become the 2nd and 3rd teams to reach 50 wins this season. With us, these three teams are the only division leaders with larger than 2 game leads.... Cleveland pitcher Zach Gioeli is still having a terrific year: 13-1 and a 2.54 ERA. July 7 vs CHICAGO CUBS Make-up game of a rainout from last month. We hit the road to New York after this game, then it's All-Star break time. HAW pitcher: Rob Hart (6-6, 4.35) CHC pitcher: John Baldwin (9-6, 2.97) #86: LOSS 0-7 ... yuck Our first rough stretch of the year, as Cubs pitcher Baldwin beats us up again.... Moving on. July 8-10 @ NY YANKEES Just 40-45, but only 4 games out of first. Hitting has struggled, only 14th in runs, but 9th in home runs. Pitching is a little better, at 9th, making for a -14 run differential. Slugger Tony Flores has 19 HR, on pace for 36, which would be his lowest total by far in his four years as a Yank. OF Daizo Yonamine is healthy for now, but has already had six dtd injuries this season, missing 23 games. HAW pitchers: Mike Messinger (10-2, 2.34) / Jonathan Murray (7-1, 3.73) / Ryuma Sato (7-2, 3.24) NYY pitchers: Michael Bartlow (6-3, 3.64) / Adrian Hammerbeck (2-5, 5.21) / Jimmy Porreca (8-5, 4.49) #87: WIN 7-1 ... a 5-run 1st, thanks to HR by Hart and Cannon...4-hit complete game for Messinger...4-for-4 night for Hart, 3 RBI #88: WIN 12-6 ... 16 hits, and everyone contributes...3 more HR, and 3 RBI for Cannon, 2 for Groff...both over 60 on the year now #89: LOSS 2-8 ... rough outing for Sato, giving up 3 HR...3 hits for Rich, 2 for Robertson...Yanks OF Yonamine hurt again Two out of three puts us back at .500 for the month.... Dare I say it--we're completely healthy. And Stoneback will finish his rehab stint soon, so another roster move will need to be made, and then some roster decisions. Stoneback is too good to sit, really, but Simmons is hitting .357 at short, Groff is a fixture at third, and Wright has 22 HR at DH..... ELSEWHERE: Yanks have now dropped 8 of 10, and are 10 games under .500 since being tied for the division lead in early June.... Detroit's C.J. Lee is the first to reach 30 HR, the 7th straight year he's reached that mark.... Boston's Chris Beyer had his hit streak ended at 31 games.... Hawaii's 12.5 game division lead is the game's largest. St Louis has an 8-game advantage over the Cubs, and Cleveland is four up on the Twins. ...... TL;DR Version: A 5-5 start to the month: not so great, but could be worse. You just can't maintain a .700 winning percentage over a full season, but I'm not worried. Not yet. We still have a big lead, we're healthy, and not playing poorly by any stretch. Let's get through the month and see where we sit. With the trade deadline now just two weeks off, I'll keep an eye on who's available, but right now my thinking is to go with what we have. If we do suffer any major injuries, let them happen in the next two weeks, rather than on August 1. __________________ Introducing Your Hawaii Islanders!

09-10-2018, 11:01 AM	#179
Bub13 All Star Reserve Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Maine Posts: 748	July 15-17 vs CHICAGO WHITE SOX The Sox are 45-44, 6.5 games behind Cleveland, and would be right in the race if not for a subpar June. Having a good year at the plate--5th in runs, 3rd in AVG, but bottom five in pitching. RF Justin Haynes (.346/10/55) is having a strong year, as is the idiotically overpaid C Dan Starr ($1B, .303/21/73). Injuries have bitten hard: three outfielders, including two probable starters, and two pitchers, including two definite starters, are done long-term; three are out for the year. HAW pitchers: Mike Messinger (11-2, 2.25) / Rob Hart (6-7, 4.55) / Jonathan Murray (8-1, 4.00) CHW pitchers: Mike Head (8-7, 4.09) / Alex Arrieta (4-10, 8.17) / Bryan Crider (2-3, 5.37) #90: WIN 5-4 ... HR and 3 RBI for Rich, sparking a 3-run 4th when down 4-1...then his RBI single wins it in the 8th...Yaung Ks the side in the 9th for his 22nd save #91: WIN 9-3 ... a 4-hit night for Robertson, 2 HR (and 4 RBI) for Groff, and 3 2B for Masuda...3 H over 7 IP for Hart, plus 8 K #92: LOSS 1-7 ... rough outing for Murray, giving up all the runs...3 hits for Simmons is our only high point Murray's up-and-down season is trending downward atm, hopefully not for long.... Stoneback comes off his rehab stint, where he hit .397. Hopefully he can get back on track; for now, I'm not making him a regular, but he'll get a couple of starts a week until we see if his bat is truly back. Simmons doesn't have Stoney's power (0 HR in 263 AB), but he's hitting .361 and playing good defense. Can't take him out just now.... ELSEWHERE: A few trades over the last couple of days. Nothing earth-shattering, but one oddity: division-leading St Loo trades their #3 starter--Wes Lipinski, who at 35 is still pretty good--for a light-hitting 3B and a so-so prospect. I guess since the Cards' regular 3B is hitting .201, they want to upgrade to a guy hitting .240.... Oakland's on a 9-1 roll, now 11.5 games behind us. Stop this.... Still only six games separating first from last in the AL East. Tampa and Miami lead, while New York has slowly slid away after a strong April/early May. July 18-20 @ KANSAS CITY The Royals are alternating decent months with horrible ones: -19 in April and June, just -1 in May and July. Their 35-55 record is just points ahead of the miserable Angels for worst in the AL, and they're 17.5 games out of first. Dead last in batting--runs, AVG, OBP, HR, you name it. But 7th in pitching, with the 2nd best bullpen, for what that's worth. Seven players are injured, including four starting pitchers. Everyone's unhappy: players, manager, owner, batboys, peanut vendors, etc. HAW pitchers: Ryuma Sato (7-3, 3.56) / Eric Jones (6-5, 4.75) / Mike Messinger (11-2, 2.44) KCR pitchers: Danny Chavez (1-1, 3.38) / Jorge Ramirez (debut) / Eddy Llamas (5-10, 4.10) #93: WIN 11-6 ... 4 HR out of 15 hits...2B, HR, 2 RBI for Robertson, 4 RBI for Masuda...Stoneback's first start: 0-for-4, 2 K #94: WIN 5-0 ... no complaints tonight, as the first three batters get 3 hits apiece...but Jones, with a shutout, is removed with 2 outs in the 9th. ? #95: WIN 5-1 ... 2 HR, 4 RBI for Masuda...5 H and 1 ER over 7 IP for Messinger Solid sweep against a team we needed to dominate.... New Orleans offered us pitcher Joe Ingram for a couple of prospects. Ingram is 3/4 of a good pitcher: excellent stuff, great control, and the best changeup in the game. But he's a flyball pitcher with no movement. No thanks.... ELSEWHERE: Toronto has come out of nowhere, with an 8-game winning streak, to level at .500 and just three games out of first in the East. They can't hit a lick, and half the team is injured, but in that division everyone's got a chance.... Cleveland's Zach Gioeli is still red hot: 15-1 with a 2.45 ERA, but oddly is only tied for 6th in WAR.... 12.5 game lead for Hawaii, 9.5 for St Louis (over Cincinnati). Everyone else is close: 2 game leads in the AL East, NL East, and NL West, and a half game in the AL Central. July 22-24 @ DETROIT It's been a disappointing season for the Tigers, predicted to win 93 games by MLB, currently they're in fifth place at 44-49. Hitting has been okay, but not great: 9th in runs and 14th in AVG, but they still hit a lot of bombs (1st, with 169). Pitching has been the bugaboo, at 16th overall, and has combined with a league-worst defense. They've been pretty healthy, but just haven't put it all together this season. They do have two players already with 30 HR--CJ Lee and John Sheets--and two others with over 20. HAW pitchers: Rob Hart (7-7, 4.51) / Jonathan Murray (8-2, 4.40) / Ryuma Sato (8-3, 3.74) DET pitchers: T.J. Carroll (2-6, 4.81) / Alex Gomez (5-4, 3.97) / Jay Lamb (5-10, 6.21) #96: LOSS 1-3 ... unexpected pitcher's duel, with just 7 hits combined...Hart walks six, tho, and two of those guys scored. Ballgame. #97: LOSS 3-4 ... another low-hit game, all runs score via HR: two 2-run shots for Detroit are the difference...Murray leaves early with an injury, so this one's on the pen #98: WIN 9-5 ... Groff nearly wins it himself with 2 HR and 4 RBI...poor game from Sato, better game from the pen, with Brown now 7-0 Disappointed with this one, as we've got a tough series against Oakland coming up, and I also don't want to see Detroit start to get on a roll.... First two injuries in a while: Murray's diagnosis is pending, which is worrisome; and Rob Rich bruises a knee and is dtd for 6 days. No DL for him, but he'll slide to the bench for a bit, and give Burgueno a chance to get a few starts in.... ELSEWHERE: Eleven wins in a row for the Blue Jays now, into a tie for second place.... Cincinnati has now traded for two low-contact high-power catchers in the past week. First it was getting pudgy Churros Chamorro (.243 with 8 HR in 103 AB) from Miami, and yesterday it was Jimmy Stang (.219/19/41) from Montreal. They'll take over from the .174-hitting Ronnie O'Keefe (sure, of course) and the .319-hitting Julio Rivera (wha...).... Richmond's Sergio Torres is the first NL batter to reach 30 HR. He's having an MVP-type season in his first NL campaign, for the 51-45 Eagles, who nevertheless find themselves 5th in the NL East. July 25-27 @ OAKLAND Having their usual solid season, and on pace for for their sixth 90-win season in the last eight. No overwhelmingly good stats, but they do everything well: 6th in offense, 8th in pitching, and a +46 run differential. Also as usual, the key to the whole thing has been superstar 1B Vinny Vargas: .351/33/82 already, vying for a triple crown (currently 3rd, 1st, and 3rd in the relevant categories), and second in WAR (5.8). I will be shocked if this is not a playoff team come October. HAW pitchers: Eric Jones (7-5, 4.40) / Mike Messinger (12-2, 2.38) / Rob Hart (7-8, 4.46) OAK pitchers: Brent Stofferan (3-1, 3.89) / Mike Wiater (11-5, 3.29) / Francisco Pantaleon (11-6, 3.84) #99: WIN 3-1 ... Wright's 3-run 8th inning blast makes the difference...solid 8 IP for Jones, 7 K, 1 BB, 1 ER #100: LOSS 5-9 ... rare rough start for Mess, leaving after 4.1...2-run HR for Cannon is our only highlight...4 HR for the bad guys #101: LOSS 1-3 ... we outhit them 8 to 6, but whatever Forgettable series, dropping two games and getting the diagnosis on Murray: radial nerve compression, done for the year. See you in camp, Jonathan.... With that, I call up the frequently-rebuilt left elbow of one-time first round pick Taylor Barnett. I'll look around at the trade block as well, but I'm leaning away from making any deals unless I can steal someone.... ELSEWHERE: And now it's FOURTEEN games in a row for Toronto, and they're one in back of Tampa Bay. Sure, it's still early(ish), but this is quite a turnaround for the Jays, and they're right in the thick of things now.... I talk up Cleveland Zach Gioeli and he goes and drops two straight decisions, and the Indians are 1-9 in their last ten.... No trades this past series, but I expect that will pick up these next few days. July 28-31 vs HOUSTON Normally 54-48 would earn only mild kudos. However, when you're the usually terrible Astros, 6 games over .500 in late July is a cause for rejoicing. Could things be turning around? Maybe? Pitching has been the team strength, 2nd in the AL; team defense is 2nd as well. Hitting, well...16th in runs, despite the 10th best AVG. They should be better, on paper at least. And they're young: only replacement-level 2B Danny Argueta has hit age 30. The test will come in the off-season, when long-time ace Jay Russo becomes a free agent. Will they re-sign him? HAW pitchers: Taylor Barnett (debut) / Ryuma Sato (8-3, 3.91) / Eric Jones (8-5, 4.18) / Mike Messinger (12-3, 2.74) HOU pitchers: Jason Ray (5-8, 5.07) / Jay Russo (8-5, 3.88) / Tony Arballo (8-8, 4.56) / Alejandro Gonzales (8-5, 2.90) #102: WIN 6-2 ... a 4-1 advantage in HR was tonight's difference: Robertson reached double figures, and Wright hit 2...solid 8 IP debut for Barnett: 3 H, 1 R/ER, 5 K, 4 BB #103: LOSS 2-4 ... Sato gives up just 3 hits (and 4 BB) but is left in too long and pays for it in the 8th...more terrible pitcher management from the coaches #104: WIN 7-4 ... back-and-forth game goes into the 10th, when Masuda whacks a 3-run blast that ends it...good start by Jones, and 2 strong inning from Yaung #105: WIN 5-4 ... Mess is the 2nd star with 10 K through 7, but again it's Masuda with the GW, this time a single in the 9th after the pen nearly lost it in the 8th I'll take it, even though it wasn't pretty. The offense is sputtering just a bit right now, despite some good overall numbers. Probably just reverting to the mean, but we can't take our foot off the gas.... Barnett sparkled in his debut, but I can't help feeling a little shorthanded on the mound right now. There's depth on the farm, however, should we lose a second starter: untested depth, but on paper it looks pretty decent. I'm mulling a couple of pitchers on struggling teams atm, but they may, in the end, just want more than I'm willing to pay for a rental.... ELSEWHERE: Toronto has come back to earth, dropping 3 out of 4, but is still hanging on in second place.... The Mets have gone cold--8 straight losses--and have dropped out of the division lead for the first time since April.... The Dodgers, sitting at 54-51 and a game out of first, have the biggest payroll in MLB, by far, at nearly $250M. Their bullpen alone is costing them $33M, and currently sits 18th--dead last in the NL--in ERA. Two of those salaries are out for the year, and one is earning $4M in AAA. SUCKERS. ...... TL;DR Version: 10-6 to round out July, and 15-11 overall for the month. The offense has dipped a bit, to 3rd in runs, while still leading all the slash numbers. Pitching is still cranking along, first in starter's and bullpen ERA, but it'll be interesting to see how we weather losing #3 starter Murray for the season. News flash: I decided against making a trade for a starting pitcher. Chicago dangled #2 Scott Kopetsky, while Washington was willing to discuss their #2, Miguel Moreno. Both are lefties, and both are over-30 vets who haven't yet lost a step and are going free agent this fall. But the asking prices were just too much. Since I'm not willing to part with any offense when we're (generally) hitting this well, and I (obviously) am not looking to trade any pitching, there was no satisfactory combination of prospects that satisfied my short-term wants versus possible long-term pain. So Barnett's fragile elbow gets the nod for now. Oh, and I forgot to mention: the Olimpio Le Coq era BEGINS! When was the last time someone was this excited about an 18-year-old Brazilian? You know what: don't answer that. And we also signed afterthought 1B Tony Nieto, meaning right now we can probably field an entire batting order of high-potential 1B/DH types. And Patino snuck off to Europe for an early Oktoberfest and still managed to bring home another talent: this time German catcher Hänsel Keller. [insert your own joke here] Attached Images __________________ Introducing Your Hawaii Islanders!

09-13-2018, 07:09 PM	#180
Bub13 All Star Reserve Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Maine Posts: 748	August 1-4 @ LA ANGELS If we could forget May and June, the Angels would be a game over .500. Problem is, they were 18 under those other two months. Neither hitting (17th) or pitching (15th) has been anything worth discussing. SS Juan Rodriquez (.346/26/83) is still outstanding, and 3B Tony Mendoza (.284/22/67) pretty good. After that...le déluge. HAW pitchers: Rob Hart (7-9, 4.43) / Taylor Barnett (1-0, 2.25) / Ryuma Sato (8-4, 3.96) / Eric Jones (8-5, 4.13) LAA pitchers: Leonardo Vigil (2-3, 4.13) / Khalil Smith (9-6, 5.96) / Alex Diaz (5-0, 3.03) / Joe Payne (3-3, 5.98) #106: WIN 7-2 ... 5-hitter for Hart, but he did walk 4...four hits, two doubles, for Robertson #107: WIN 6-2 ... another solid outing for Barnett: 7 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 6 K...we score all our runs from the 7th on, thanks to 3 doubles and 2 HR...1000 FRANCHISE WINS! #108: LOSS 10-11 ... cruising along with an 8-1 lead until we surrender 8 in the 7th...every starter gets a hit, so there's that at least #109: WIN 2-0 ... Jones rolls again, this time with an 8-hit complete game...Masuda's 2-run double in the 6th plate the only runs of the game Nearly a sweep, oh well. And we earn our 1000th win as a franchise, so that's fun.... Barnett looks good in his second start; fingers still crossed.... Stoneback still isn't hitting, and he gets hurt again in that 4th game, diagnosis pending. RP Dan Brown also tweaks his back, and is sitting for a week.... ELSEWHERE: That STL/AUS trade I made fun of last month is paying off for both teams. St Louis is 12-4--and has stretched their lead over Cincy to 15 games--with new 3B Andrew Crisp in the lineup, and he's hitting .300/3/18 in 60 AB. Meanwhile, Austin hasn't been quite that good, but starter Wes Lipinski has won all four of his outings, tossing 32 innings with a 2.25 ERA. They're a half game out of first, just behind the Padres.... Baltimore's Cesar Alvarenga is the first to reach 100 RBI. At .353/31/101, he's also leading the AL in batting. He's had 120 and 128 RBI the last two seasons, and is signed to a huge contract, making $36M per through 2049. August 5-7 @ MINNESOTA It's a battle of division leaders as we head to the Twin Cities to take on the Twins. At 58-50, they're deadlocked with the Indians, and both are ahead of the White Sox by three games. Good hitting--7th--and so-so pitching--13th--combine for a tiny +3 run differential. The rotation ERA is 16th, and not a one of them has a number below 5.30. Top starter Erik Presley, signed away from New Orleans this winter, is done for the year, and two 3B are out for another month. HAW pitchers: Mike Messinger (12-3, 2.74) / Rob Hart (8-9, 4.28) / Taylor Barnett (2-0, 2.40) MIN pitchers: Chris McMichael (5-5, 5.72) / Andy Goeser (7-5, 5.53) / Paul Cole (8-8, 5.56) #110: WIN 8-3 ... we rally with 5 in the 7th, led by a rare HR for Gooding this year, just his 2nd...3 H, 3 RBI for Cannon...Mess hurt, will miss his next start #111: WIN 12-3 ... 4 H and RBI for Robertson, who then gets hurt...30th HR for Cannon...3 H for Simmons, now batting .351 #112: WIN 9-2 ... third straight quality start for Barnett, going another 7 IP...12 hits, including 5 doubles and 2 HR Did not see this one coming. Offense is back in first overall, and even team defense is now top six; first time in a while for that.... Stoneback's horrible season continues, as he's out for six weeks with a hamstring strain. IF Edward Ospina gets his first big league summons. He might go back down for a day, since Messinger hurts his back and will likely miss his next start. We're off on the 11th (after our next series), and have a double header on the 12th, so I'm not sure if he'll pitch or not, or who will get the nod if he can't go.... ELSEWHERE: Austin lost stud rookie OF Phil Imel (.337/31/93, contending for a triple crown) for three weeks, but some hot play has them currently in first in the NL West.... Minnesota's lost six in a row, still clinging to 2nd place.... Yankees made-of-glass CF Daizo Yonamine just suffered his TENTH dtd injury of the season.... Philly 1B Yuhei Adachi (.272/22/65) has a 22-game hit streak, but is going to have to step up if he wants to top 40 HR for the 4th time in his 5-year career. August 8-10 @ MILWAUKEE MLB had the Brewers winning 85, but they're limping along at 54-58. Still, they're only 5.5 out of first, so I'm saying there's hope. Hitting is 10th, but they've cracked 182 home runs, good for 3rd in the AL. Pitching is 12th, with a bad rotation but the 3rd best bullpen. That last number is especially good considering that they've got five relievers on long-term DL right now. RF Colby Sandu is 2nd in the AL with 36 HR, on pace to surpass 50 for the second year running. HAW pitchers: Ryuma Sato (8-4, 4.09) / Eric Jones (9-5, 3.87) / tbd MIL pitchers: Nick Shockley (5-5, 4.88) / Oscar Maldonado (7-3, 5.11) / Travis Calhoun (4-5, 4.20) #113: WIN 5-4 ... tempers rise when Sato beans Tom Risberg, but nothing flares up...4 doubles and a HR pace our attack, with Rich driving in two for the GW #114: WIN 4-2 ... Cannon's 2B in the 6th and Wright's HR in the 7th plate runs and give us the win...Jones is solid through 7 and two RP combine for 4 K (and 3 H) for the save #115: LOSS 7-9 ... 4 hits each for Cannon and Simmons...Malik Chaney gets the late call-up and is ineffective again (2nd start this year) Ugly loss there, but still an alright series. We're the first team to 80 wins, and we've opened up a 14 game lead over the A's.... Chaney gets the late call-up to replace Messinger, and is beaten soundly. He goes back down, and Ospina comes back up as an extra infielder.... ELSEWHERE: Atlanta's Jose Gutierrez gave up just one hit (and one walk) through 11 innings against New Orleans, but left in a scoreless game. The Braves lost, but take a long rest, Jose.... St Louis is the only other team with 70 wins, and they have the largest divisional lead, now 16 games over the Reds.... Richmond's Rafael Maldonado has reached 200 K for the 9th consecutive season, and leads all pitchers with 7.5 WAR. August 12-14 vs CLEVELAND Four games over three days, with a make-up game added for a double header on day one. Picked to finish last, the Indians have been at or near the top of the Central all season long. They're 61-53, 2 games up on Minnesota, 3 over Chicago. Hitting has been a trial, at 14th in runs and 16th in HR. Pitching is the real strength, 2nd in runs and starter's ERA. Zach Gioeli has been the unquestioned ace, and is in line for Cy Young consideration. The prospect system is top 10 right now, so if they can get some hitters in here, they could be a force for the next few years. (They've made the playoffs just twice in this dynasty: in '35 and '37, and haven't seen a World Series in 47 years.) HAW pitchers: Mike Messinger (13-3, 2.80) / Rob Hart (9-9, 4.25) / Taylor Barnett (3-0, 2.45) / Ryuma Sato (9-4, 4.17) CLE pitchers: Bryan Altier (9-8, 4.40) / Zach Gioeli (16-4, 2.49) / Mike Koslowsky (1-2, 7.85) / Roberto Maldonado (10-5, 3.37) #116: WIN 6-1 ... Mess tosses 7 IP of 4-hit ball, all singles...8 hits, 6 are doubles #117: WIN 8-3 ... 14 hits, and we chase Gioeli in the 5th...Hart gives up 2 HR in his 5 IP, but fans 10...Brown comes back healthy with 4 IP, no runners and 6 K #118: WIN 11-6 ... 14 hits again, 7 of them doubles...Barnett is not sharp, but our attack is enough...Cannon hurt, diagnosis pending #119: WIN 4-3 ... Hart's triple and Klein's single put up a 3-run 7th for a comeback win...Sato is just fair, but again Brown takes the win, now 8-0 Another surprising sweep against the top of the Central.... Cannon's injury is just a 3-day minimal tweak, so phew.... Robertson's solid hitting now has him with 1046 career hits, tied for 4th on the all-time Islanders list, with former triples machine Chris Wiggins.... ELSEWHERE: Richmond's Rafael Maldonado racks up another shutout (3rd on the season) and reaches 8 WAR, most in MLB.... Vinny Vargas (you know who he is) reaches 100 RBI, and is the first to top 40 HR.... Some nice division races going on: five teams are four games apart in the AL Central, 4 teams are a game apart in the NL East, and 4 teams are 2 games apart in the NL West.... former Islander Jim Kieffer (now with Portland) has given up just 3 ER in his last three starts (26 IP), and has won his last four starts. ...... TL;DR Version: That's how you make up for a brief period of doldrums: a 12-2 run. We now have a crazy 84-35 record, 15.5 games up on Oakland, 20 on the Mariners. Unsustainable? Maybe, but why not for the whole season? It would be great to set a new wins record for the regular season, only to join all the other teams to have won 110+ games and flame out in the playoffs. It's inevitable, you know. __________________ Introducing Your Hawaii Islanders!