Boys In Ivy: The Chicago Cubs

[abefrohman]

I would like to begin by saying that I was inspired by Otto Orcin and that this will be the last replay for me on OOTP 14. If there is anyone on this website whom I believe could seriously be successful for a real-life MLB team's front office, it would be Orcin. Many of you write up some amazingly awesome replays and are tremendously talented, but I believe Orcin's are the most realistic and the best-written.


Unlike Orcin, though, I'm not going to play the role of the real-life GM which in this case would be Jed Hoyer. So here I am, 41-year old Abe Frohman, the new GM of the Chicago Cubs. My first decision was to replace our hitting coach, Rob Deer, who was actually the assistant hitting coach last year and replace him with James Rowson who was the actual hitting coach last year. I've set the ratings for this replay as shown below:


40/30/20/10
Low/Hard/Neutral
.5, 1.25, .5, 1.25, 50%


I've also re-named all of the postseason awards so that they match their real-life counterparts ("Gold Glove Award" versus "Great Glove Award") and I've eliminated/deleted managers and coaches who have retired or are deceased.


I've also assembled the 2013 Chicago Cubs MLB roster after the real-life version and had to make a couple of changes:


RP Corey Wade sent to AAA Iowa, RP Hector Rondon sent to Chicago
IF Donnie Murphy DFA'd, placed on waivers, will be sent to AAA Iowa after clearing waivers, C Dioner Navarro sent to Chicago


I'm also in the process of assembling the 2013 Minor League clubs using their real-life Opening Day rosters and trying to fit each one from AAA to Class A so that they equal 25 players.

[abefrohman]

2013 Chicago Cubs Opening Day Roster

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2013 Iowa Cubs Opening Day Roster

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2013 Tennessee Smokies Opening Day Roster

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2013 Daytona Cubs Opening Day Roster

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2013 Kane County Cougars Opening Day Roster

[abefrohman]

April 2013 Report

Cubs Record: 14-14, .500, 2 GB, 3rd
Power Ranking: 14th out of 30
Owner Mood: Good; Fan Interest: 79/100


AL Division Leaders: Red Sox (20-7), Tigers (20-6), Mariners (20-9)
NL Division Leaders: Phillies (20-7), Brewers (15-11), Dodgers (16-10)


Cubs Transactions:
Traded minor-league 2B Ronald Torreyes to the Houston Astros on 4/29/13 (Actual trade that was made on 7/3/13)


Other MLB Transactions:
Tigers CF Austin Jackson out for 4 months with hip strain.
Marlins RP Steve Cishek out for 7 months with partially torn ulnar collateral ligament (elbow).
Phillies SP Cliff Lee out for 3 months with ruptured tendon (finger).
Giants SP Matt Cain out for 2 months with acute elbow soreness.
Mariners SP Joe Saunders out for 3 months with partially torn labrum.
Rays CF Desmond Jennings out for 2 months with broken hand.


Inside the Cubs:
2B Darwin Barney, 3B Ian Stewart and SP Matt Garza were all placed on injury rehab assignments in the minors.
Hitting Grade: C-
Pitching Grade: B
Defense Grade: C
Best Hitter: LF Alfonso Soriano (.333, 6 HR, 21 RBI)
Best Pitcher: SP Scott Feldman (4-0, 3.05 ERA)

[abefrohman]

May 2013 Report

Cubs Record: 13-14, .481, 2.5 GB, 3rd
Power Ranking: 19th out of 30
Owner Mood: Good; Fan Interest: 81/100


AL Division Leaders: Red Sox (42-15), Tigers (36-18), Mariners (36-19)
NL Division Leaders: Nationals & Phillies (33-22), Brewers (29-25), Dodgers (34-19)


Cubs Transactions:
Traded 2B Ronald Torreyes to the New York Yankees on 5/6/13 (Actual trade that was made on 6/21/13)


Other MLB Transactions:
New York Yankees CF Brett Gardner signed to a 1-year contract extension worth $4.6 million.
Baltimore Orioles CL Jim Johnson signed to a 1-year contract extension worth $7.5 million.
San Francisco Giants signed SP Tim Lincecum to a 1-year contract extension worth $24.6 million.
Atlanta Braves signed MR Eric O'Flaherty to a 1-year contract extension worth $4.6 million.
Arizona Diamondbacks traded RF Jason Kubel and $3 million in cash to the Houston Astros, getting minor-league 2B Ryan Dineen, minor-league 3B Rio Ruiz and minor-league 1B Chase Davidson in return.
Cincinnati Reds signed SP Homer Bailey to a 1-year contract extension worth $6 million.
San Francisco Giants signed RF Hunter Pence to a 4-year contract extension worth $40 million.
Atlanta Braves signed MR Johnny Venters to a 1-year contract extension worth $1.8 million.
Miami Marlins traded SP Ricky Nolasco and $3 million in cash to the Cleveland Indians, getting minor-league 2B Jose Ramirez and minor-league SP Kieran Lovegrove in return.
New York Yankees traded MR Joba Chamberlain to the Detroit Tigers, getting minor-league LF Austin Schotts and minor-league RF Brandon Loy in return.


Inside the Cubs:
SP Scott Baker placed on injury rehab assignment and sent to minors.
Hitting Grade: B
Pitching Grade: D
Defense Grade: D
Best Hitter: SS Starlin Castro (.356, 9 HR, 33 RBI)
Best Pitcher: SP Edwin Jackson (4-5, 3.34 ERA)

[abefrohman]

2013 First-Year Player Draft

I attempted to replicate the real-life draft of the Chicago Cubs and got their first-round draft pick 3B Kris Bryant. Most of the draft picks that I selected were the ones chosen in real-life by Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer, but some of the real-life players were not in the draft pool so I went with mostly alternative choices after the 14th round.


As of June 6th 2013, the Cubs minor-league system is ranked 14th out of 30 and I'm optimistic that it's only going to get better after this draft. Bryant looks like a stud and he'll probably be playing in the big-leagues by 2015.

[abefrohman]

June 2013 Report

Cubs Record: 13-14, .481, 7.5 GB, 5th
Power Ranking: 16th out of 30
Owner Mood: Good; Fan Interest: 78/100


AL Division Leaders: Red Sox (60-24), Tigers (49-32), Mariners (50-32)
NL Division Leaders: Nationals (48-34), Brewers (47-34), Dodgers (49-32)


Cubs Transactions:
(Note: All of these were actual transactions in real-life).
Traded minor-league reliever Andrew Carpenter to the Colorado Rockies.
Traded reliever Hisanori Takahashi to the Colorado Rockies.
Traded minor-league reliever Ian Dickson to the Washington Nationals in exchange for reliever Henry Rodriguez.
Traded reliever Carlos Marmol and cash to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for reliever Matt Guerrier.
Traded starting pitcher Scott Feldman and minor-league catcher Steven Clevenger to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for starting pitcher Jake Arrieta, reliever Pedro Strop and cash.


Other MLB Transactions:
New York Mets traded MR Bobby Parnell and $1.7 million in cash to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for minor-league RF Josh E. Bell.
Texas Rangers placed 1B Mitch Moreland on the 60-day DL.
Kansas City Royals placed SP Jeremy Guthrie on the 60-day DL.
New York Yankees traded 3B Kevin Youkilis and 18-year old minor-league third baseman Miguel Andujar to the Detroit Tigers in exchange for CF Torii Hunter.
New York Yankees traded SP Ivan Nova to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for minor-league SS Tzu-Wei Lin and minor-league 1B David Renfroe.
Atlanta Braves placed SP Mike Minor on the 60-day DL.



Inside the Cubs:
MR Arodys Vizcaino on injury rehab assignment and sent to minors.
All draft picks have been signed.
Hitting Grade: B+
Pitching Grade: C-
Defense Grade: C
Best Hitter: SS Starlin Castro (.344, 11 HR, 42 RBI)
Best Pitcher: SP Travis Wood (7-6, 3.63 ERA)

[abefrohman]

MLB Standings as of 2013 All-Star Break

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Meet The 2013 Chicago Cubs All-Stars

1B Anthony Rizzo-.297/.357/.544, 23 HR, 69 RBI
SS Starlin Castro-.337/.367/.524, 13 HR, 48 RBI

[abefrohman]

July 2013 Report

Cubs Record: 11-14, .440, 8.5 GB, 5th
Power Ranking: 20th out of 30
Owner Mood: Good; Fan Interest: 72/100


AL Division Leaders: Red Sox (72-37), Tigers (65-42), Mariners (66-41)
NL Division Leaders: Nationals (66-42), Brewers (60-48), Padres (63-46)


Cubs Transactions:
(Note: All of these were actual transactions in real-life).
Traded RF Scott Hairston and cash to the Washington Nationals (both Chicago and Washington are to receive a player to be named later.)
Traded SP Matt Garza to the Texas Rangers, getting 1B Mike Olt, SP Justin Grimm, minor-league SP CJ Edwards and minor-league SP Neil Ramirez in return.
Traded LF Alfonso Soriano and cash to the New York Yankees, getting minor-league SP Corey Black in return.

Other MLB Transactions:
Colorado Rockies trade 1B Todd Helton to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for minor-league LF Todd Glaesmann.
Oakland Athletics trade minor-league CF Chris Young and $3 million in cash to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for minor-league 2B Justin Sellers and minor-league SS Corey Seager.
Arizona Diamondbacks trade Eric Chavez to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for minor-league 2B Ramon Coronel and minor-league LF Dan Paolini.
St. Louis Cardinals sign 3B David Freese to 4-year contract extension worth $35.7 million.
Detroit Tigers trade 1B Victor Martinez to the Oakland Athletics in exchange for minor-league CF Shane Peterson and minor-league SS Corey Seager.
Texas Rangers trade CL Joe Nathan to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for minor-league 3B Orlando Calixte.
New York Mets place C Travis d'Arnaud on the 60-day DL.
Chicago White Sox trade CL Matt Thornton and $3 million in cash to the San Francisco Giants in exchange for minor-league C Andrew Susac and minor-league 2B Jean Delgado.
Arizona Diamondbacks trade SP Wade Miley to the San Diego Padres in exchange for minor-league CF Reymond Fuentes and minor-league SS Stephen Carmon.
Washington Nationals place SP Gio Gonzalez on the 60-day DL.
San Diego Padres place CF Cameron Maybin on the 60-day DL.
New York Mets place SP Matt Harvey on the 60-day DL.
New York Yankees trade CF Curtis Granderson to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for SP Kyle Kendrick and minor-league RF Jose Pujols.
Boston Red Sox trade LF Johnny Gomes to the Oakland Athletics in exchange for 1B Brandon Moss.
New York Yankees trade SP Phil Hughes and $3 million in cash to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for minor-league 3B Patrick Leonard, minor-league LF Jose Sale, minor-league SP Taylor Guerrieri and minor-league 1B Jeff Malm.
Arizona Diamondbacks trade SP Trevor Cahill and $3 million in cash to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for minor-league SP Tajuan Walker and minor-league RF Guillermo Pimentel.
San Diego Padres signed 3B Chase Headley to a 1-year contract extension worth $9.5 million.
Boston Red Sox trade C David Ross to the New York Yankees (yes, the New York Yankees!) in exchange for LF Ichiro Suzuki.
New York Yankees activated 3B Alex Rodriguez from the DL.


Inside the Cubs:
Purchased the contract of RF Darnell McDonald, CL Arodys Vizcaino and LF Scott Podsednik from AAA Iowa.
3B Luis Valbuena DFA'd and placed on waivers, sent to AAA Iowa.

Hitting Grade: A
Pitching Grade: D
Defense Grade: D
Best Hitter: SS Starlin Castro (.340, 17 HR, 58 RBI)
Best Pitcher: SP Jeff Samardzija (10-8, 3.72 ERA)

[abefrohman]

August 2013 Report

Cubs Record: 64-71, .474, 8 GB, 5th (13-15 in August)
Power Ranking: 21 out of 30
Owner Mood: Undecided; Fan Interest: 69/100


AL Division Leaders: Red Sox (91-46), Tigers (77-59), Mariners (80-55)
NL Division leaders: Nationals (77-58), Cardinals (72-63), Padres (76-59)


Cubs Transactions:
DFA'd MR Kyuji Fujikawa and placed him on waivers (later released)
Traded CF David Dejesus to the Washington Nationals (actual transaction).


Other MLB Transactions:
Atlanta Braves placed LF Justin Upton on the 60-day DL.
Atlanta Braves signed C Brian McCann to 3-year contract extension worth $44.1 million.
Cleveland Indians signed SP Justin Masterson to a 1-year contract extension worth $6.5 million.
Texas Rangers placed SP Matt Garza on the 60-day DL.
Los Angeles Dodgers signed SP Clayton Kershaw to a 1-year contract extension worth $12 million.
Atlanta Braves signed CL Craig Kimbrel to a 5-year contract extension worth $39.8 million.
Tampa Bay Rays signed SP David Price to a 1-year contract extension worth $11.5 million.
Washington Nationals placed LF Bryce Harper on the 60-day DL.
Pittsburgh Pirates placed 3B Pedro Alvarez on the 60-day DL.


Inside the Cubs:
Called up SP Jake Arrieta, SP Casey Coleman, MR Blake Parker, C Ronny Paulino, 3B Luis Valbuena, CF Grady Sizemore and LF Greg Rohan from AAA Iowa.
Hitting Grade: B
Pitching Grade: D
Defense Grade: D
Best Hitter: SS Starlin Castro (.330, 18 HR, 67 RBI)
Best Pitcher: SP Jeff Samardzija (11-11, 3.68 ERA)

[abefrohman]

September 2013 Report

Cubs Record: 76-86, .469, 12 GB, 5th (12-15 in September)
Power Ranking: 21 out of 30
Owner Mood: Upset; Fan Interest: 63/100


AL Division Leaders: Red Sox (102-60), Tigers (94-68), Mariners (94-68)
NL Division leaders: Nationals & Braves (92-70), Brewers (88-74), Dodgers (91-71)


Cubs Transactions:
Put SP Scott Baker on the 60-day DL.
Recalled SP Justin Grimm from AAA Iowa.

Other MLB Transactions:

St. Louis Cardinals placed CF Jon Jay on the 60-day DL.
Atlanta Braves placed SP Brandon Beachy on the 60-day DL.
Texas Rangers placed SP Neftali Feliz on the 60-day DL.
Detroit Tigers placed CF Austin Jackson on the 60-day DL.
Texas Rangers signed RF Nelson Cruz to a 4-year contract extension worth $56 million.
Philadelphia Phillies placed CF Curtis Granderson on the 60-day DL.
Texas Rangers placed 2B Ian Kinsler on the 60-day DL.


Inside the Cubs:
Hitting Grade: B
Pitching Grade: D-
Defense Grade: D-
Best Hitter: SS Starlin Castro (.329, 21 HR, 82 RBI) wins batting title in NL
Best Pitcher: SP Jeff Samardzija (14-13, 3.38 ERA)
Rumors are swirling that manager Dale Sveum will be fired after a disappointing season.

[abefrohman]

Cubs fire manager Dale Sveum

Source: Chicago Tribune

Dale Sveum is out after two seasons as Chicago Cubs manager and the team will seek "a proven leader," president Theo Epstein said Monday.

“Today, we made the very difficult decision to relieve Dale Sveum of his duties as Cubs manager," Epstein said in a statement. "Dale has been a committed leader for this team the last two seasons, and I want to thank him for all of his dedication and hard work."

Sveum's dismissal comes 13 days after Epstein declined to give Sveum, 49, a vote of confidence despite saying there were "no alarm bells to ring" regarding the manager. Epstein said Sveum's future was part of the annual process of evaluations throughout the organization and that the manager wasn’t to be judged on wins and losses.

However, it was apparent that Epstein and his staff were disappointed with other areas in which Sveum was to be evaluated, such as the development of young players, in-game decision-making, use of the 25-man roster, the ability to “create a culture of accountability, hard work and preparation, and the ability to develop a strong trust with his players.”

Those were the categories that Sveum -- who had a year remaining on his contract -- was to be judged on, Epstein said Sept. 17 in Milwaukee.

Epstein met the media Monday and said Cubs management became concerned during the first half of this season about whether Sveum was the right fit for the job. He said they expressed their concerns to Sveum during the All-Star break in a series of meetings and outlined what improvements were needed.

Epstein said he met with Sveum "over a couple of beers" Sunday night and delivered the news of the dismissal.

Epstein said of the firing: "We needed to get it right before (the top prospects) come up."

Sveum’s firing could pave the way for the Cubs to pursue New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi, a former Cubs catcher and Northwestern graduate who remains popular in the Chicago area and could be fired as Yankees manager after a disappointing 77-85 record in 2013, their first losing season since 1992.

Epstein said "we need that spark of a winning culture." He said they would prioritize track record and find "a proven leader. .... We know what we're looking for and I think we're going to find it."

Epstein said they would begin the process of contacting candidates Tuesday and hoped to be finished by the November general managers meetings.

The Cubs also fired bench coach Jamie Quirk, pitching coach Chris Bosio and hitting coach James Rowson.

[abefrohman]

Minor League Managers & Coaches for 2014

Iowa Cubs (AAA)
Manager: Marty Pevey (72-72, 500, 1st in AC North Division, eliminated in playoffs)
Pitching Coach: Mike Mason (signed 1-year contract extension through 2014)
Hitting Coach: Brian Harper


Tennessee Smokies (AA)
Manager: Buddy Bailey (80-60, .571, 1st in North Division, eliminated in playoffs)
Pitching Coach: Jeff Fassero
Hitting Coach: Desi Wilson (signed 3-year contract extension through 2016)


Daytona Cubs (High A)
Manager: Mariano Duncan (moves from hitting coach, replaces Dave Keller)
Pitching Coach: Jamie Navarro (replaces Storm Davis)
Hitting Coach: Lenny Harris (replaces Mariano Duncan)
(Daytona finished with a 64-76 record, .457, 38 GB, 3rd place in FSL North)


Kane County Cougars (Low A)
Manager: Bobby Mitchell (moves from Rookie League Mesa, replaces Mark Johnson)
Pitching Coach: Rick Tronerud (moves from Rookie League Mesa, replaces Ron Villone)
Hitting Coach: Jimmy Gonzalez (moves from Rookie League Mesa, replaces Tom Beyers)
(Kane County finished with a 52-88 record, .371, 28 GB, 8th place in Western Division last year. Mitchell managed Rookie League Mesa to championship last year with a record of 32-24, .571, 1st place in ARL East Division).


Boise Hawks (Short Season A)
Manager: Matt Walbeck (replaces Gary Van Tol)
Pitching Coach: Calvin Maduro (replaces David Rosario)
Hitting Coach: Leo Gomez (replaces Bill Buckner)
(Boise finished with a 30-46 record, .395, 9 GB, 4th place in East Division)


Mesa Cubs (R)
Manager: Jose Nieves (replaces Bobby Mitchell)
Pitching Coach: Vladimir Nunez (replaces Rick Tronerud)
Hitting Coach: Roosevelt Brown (replaces Jimmy Gonzalez)
(Nieves managed Dayton Dragons in MID League last year, finishing with 66-74 record, .471, 14 GB, 5th place).

[abefrohman]

MLB 2013 Post-Season Results

A.L. Wild Card: Toronto Blue Jays defeated Tampa Bay Rays
N.L. Wild Card: Washington Nationals defeated San Diego Padres

A.L. Divisional Series: Boston Red Sox defeated Toronto Blue Jays 3-2
A.L. Divisional Series: Seattle Mariners defeated Detroit Tigers 3-2
N.L. Divisional Series: Washington Nationals defeated Atlanta Braves 3-1
N.L. Divisional Series: Los Angeles Dodgers defeated Milwaukee Brewers 3-1

A.L. Championship: Boston Red Sox defeated Seattle Mariners 4-2
N.L. Championship: Los Angeles Dodgers defeated Washington Nationals 4-2

2013 World Series: Boston Red Sox defeated Los Angeles Dodgers 4-1
This is the third time in nearly a decade that the Red Sox have won the World Series (2004, 2007, 2013).

[abefrohman]

2013 HALL OF FAME CLASS

Moises Alou
Tom Glavine
Greg Maddux
Mike Mussina
Frank Thomas

PERSONNEL CHANGES

Houston Astros-Fired GM Jeff Luhnow
Los Angeles Angels-Fired Manager Mike Scioscia
New York Mets-Fired GM Sandy Alderson
Seattle Mariners-GM Jack Zduriencik retired.

MLB 2013 POST-SEASON AWARDS

Most Valuable Player:
A.L. – C Carlos Santana, Cleveland Indians (.303/.405/.581, 34 HR, 117 RBI)
N.L. – LF Ryan Braun, Milwaukee Brewers (.322/.378/.592, 40 HR, 111 RBI)

Cy Young:
A.L. – SP Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners (18-11, 3.03 ERA, 255 K’s)
N.L. – SP Stephen Strasburg, Washington Nationals (20-6, 1.99 ERA, 323 K’s)

Rookie of the Year:
A.L. – RF Wil Myers, Tampa Bay Rays (.281/.350/.456 18 HR, 68 RBI)
N.L. – RF Oscar Taveras (.314/.347/.538, 29 HR, 84 RBI)

Manager of the Year:
A.L. – John Farrell, Boston Red Sox (102-60, World Series winner)
N.L. – Bud Black, San Diego Padres (88-74, made playoffs)

[abefrohman]

Cubs announce Torey Lovullo as manager

November 1, 2013 (Chicago Tribune)


The Chicago Cubs have named former Boston Red Sox bench coach Torey Lovullo as their new manager today. Terms of the deal were not revealed but sources say that Lovullo received a 5-year contract at $960,000 per year.

Lovullo previously managed in the Red Sox farm system with Triple-A Pawtucket in 2010. In addition to that, his coaching career also includes: 9 years as a manager in the Cleveland Indians organization from 2002-2009 (1 year in Low-A, 2 years in High-A, 1 year in AA, 5 years in AAA), 2 years as first-base coach for the Toronto Blue Jays under manager John Farrell, and this year as Farrell's bench coach in Boston.

If you'd like to read more on Torey, there is a great interview with him that Fangraphs did at Torey Lovullo, Future Big League Manager | FanGraphs Baseball