No-name scrub breakouts

vigilante225 · 08-29-2017, 11:20 PM

I love when unknown players break out in OOTP - it adds excitement and randomness to the game.

In my current save, Marco Hernandez - who in real life is a light-hitting 24 year old infielder in the Red Sox organization - turned into a infielder version of Mike Trout seemingly overnight, putting up 22 WAR in his first 2 full ML seasons with a 204 OPS+ in the 2nd season. Unfortunately he's not on my team, but it's still fun to see things like that happen around the league.

Anyone else have crazy random breakout stories?

Curve Ball Dave · 08-29-2017, 11:32 PM

Not quite the same, but I signed a young minor league free agent starting pitcher who might have been a star and half potential guy. It's not like he cost anything. He started in SS A and I didn't pay much attention. He slowly worked his way up the chain putting up ok, but not not great numbers. Eventually he made his way to my major league club as a reliever and he did well. An injury gave him a shot at being the #5 five starter and he put up a sub 4.00 ERA. Long story short, he's now my solid #4 starter now and could be a #3 or a #2 on another team but my starters are pretty good (a good thing because my bullpen is thin).

DFyvie · 08-30-2017, 02:43 AM

A few OOTP versions ago (11 I think), Mat Gamel passed through waivers and was picked up by the Rockies. He ended up winning the Triple Crown with that team the following season and was basically the best hitter in the national league for years after. Even with the park effects in Colorado, he was still a legitimate stud. I was kicking myself for not picking him up as I was a little thin at 3rd base when hit the waiver wire.

ohiodevil · 08-30-2017, 09:31 AM

I purchased Charles Brewer from the Bridgeport Bluefish because I needed some starting pitching depth at Triple-A and ended up calling him up a couple weeks later due to an injury. He ended up going 6-1 with a 2.21 ERA in 15 starts and the following year he became my #3 starter, going 16-8 with a 3.04 ERA in 32 starts. I moved him to the bullpen after I got Danny Salazar back from injury and traded for Gerrit Cole, and he has a 1.14 ERA in 41 appearances and a 12.3 K/9 rating.

In an older version, I started an expansion team and signed Mike Jacobs to a minor league contract and he ended up winning a spot as the starting 1b/DH. He ended up playing 7 seasons with me retiring as my team's home run leader (272) and RBIs (801)....averaging 38 homers and 114 RBIs a season and never played less than 151 games. I converted him into a coach and hired him and he eventually became my teams hitting coach and I finally made him my manager a few years later.

NoOne · 08-30-2017, 10:42 AM

for fictional - a bit different:

I recently reduced scouting as low as possible and also reduced TCR a bit. when i make changes like this i peek under the hood and see what the effet is.

i see numerous "21-22" out of 80 potential players that are actually quite well-rated players. around ~A-ball or AA-ball their ratings start to surface more accurately, but it definitely isn't overnight and not always incredibly obvious even at AA in some rare cases.

you can also find gems in teh 2nd-3rd round that don't require TCR bumps to be decent.

i have found this helps produce that effect of "where did that guy come from" without some random change occuring... more like real life. human error is the reason prospects make or break significantly more than any other reason.

even when they are drug fueled crack-heads they have some good years when supremeley talented

proof is in the pudding.

The Yurpman · 08-30-2017, 03:26 PM

The Orioles claimed Wilmer Difo off waivers in my league right after spring training and he ended up making the All-Star team and became a solid infielder.

TomVeal · 08-30-2017, 04:06 PM

In the real world, Jordan Steranka played three seasons of professional baseball, finishing in 2015 at High-A, where he batted .236. In an OOTP game, he was .313/.404/.410 in A and High-A that year, then shot up through AA and AAA in 2016, reaching the Pirates roster in the second half of the season. For the next nine and a fraction years, he was the team's starting first baseman, until he declined sharply at age 35 and retired.

He wasn't a Hall of Fame candidate, but his MLB slash line was a more than respectable .284/.380/.457, and he accumulated a total of 34.7 WAR.

wallewalls · 08-31-2017, 11:20 AM

I have two.

In the Rule V draft once, I picked up an OF named Eli Vance. I had no intention of playing him as a starter, just as a reserve and then see where it goes from there. But injuries and underperformance put him into the lineup at around the All-Star break. The guy goes off on a tear, it was quite a while back so I dont remember the numbers offhand but he hit in the .300's and put up 20 home runs or so in about half a season. He placed second in ROY voting. He flamed out after that and never re-discovered his form during that one half season, but for a brief period of time, he was one of the best in the game.

More recently, there is a pitcher i traded for in an August trade with the expansion Las Vegas Aces named Juan Castro. My team was already stacked and had the division locked up so I was just looking for a SP who could make some spot starts as I rest my SP down the stretch when we have a commanding lead in the division. Anyways, he makes some spot starts and pitches out of the bullpen during the playoffs and does quite well. I like his ratings and decide to give him a rotation spot the next season. He ends up winning the Cy Young with a sub 2.30 ERA and becomes the ace of the staff in our eventual championship run. The next year he regresses slightly, but in my current season he has bounced back to an ERA ~2.50. This guy is a complete boss and I picked him up for absolutely nothing.

08-29-2017, 11:20 PM	#1
vigilante225 Minors (Double A) Join Date: Feb 2015 Posts: 127	No-name scrub breakouts I love when unknown players break out in OOTP - it adds excitement and randomness to the game. In my current save, Marco Hernandez - who in real life is a light-hitting 24 year old infielder in the Red Sox organization - turned into a infielder version of Mike Trout seemingly overnight, putting up 22 WAR in his first 2 full ML seasons with a 204 OPS+ in the 2nd season. Unfortunately he's not on my team, but it's still fun to see things like that happen around the league. Anyone else have crazy random breakout stories? Attached Images __________________ My OOTP 15 Padres Rebuild Dynasty My OOTP 17 Tigers Rebuild Dynasty My OOTP 20 Reds Rebuild Dynasty

08-29-2017, 11:32 PM	#2
Curve Ball Dave Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Chicago Posts: 2,393	Not quite the same, but I signed a young minor league free agent starting pitcher who might have been a star and half potential guy. It's not like he cost anything. He started in SS A and I didn't pay much attention. He slowly worked his way up the chain putting up ok, but not not great numbers. Eventually he made his way to my major league club as a reliever and he did well. An injury gave him a shot at being the #5 five starter and he put up a sub 4.00 ERA. Long story short, he's now my solid #4 starter now and could be a #3 or a #2 on another team but my starters are pretty good (a good thing because my bullpen is thin). __________________ "Hitting is timing. Pitching is upsetting timing"-Warren Spahn.

08-30-2017, 02:43 AM	#3
DFyvie Major Leagues Join Date: May 2014 Location: Cambridge, UK Posts: 389	A few OOTP versions ago (11 I think), Mat Gamel passed through waivers and was picked up by the Rockies. He ended up winning the Triple Crown with that team the following season and was basically the best hitter in the national league for years after. Even with the park effects in Colorado, he was still a legitimate stud. I was kicking myself for not picking him up as I was a little thin at 3rd base when hit the waiver wire.

08-30-2017, 09:31 AM	#4
ohiodevil OOTP Roster Team Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Rocky River, Ohio Posts: 2,443	I purchased Charles Brewer from the Bridgeport Bluefish because I needed some starting pitching depth at Triple-A and ended up calling him up a couple weeks later due to an injury. He ended up going 6-1 with a 2.21 ERA in 15 starts and the following year he became my #3 starter, going 16-8 with a 3.04 ERA in 32 starts. I moved him to the bullpen after I got Danny Salazar back from injury and traded for Gerrit Cole, and he has a 1.14 ERA in 41 appearances and a 12.3 K/9 rating. In an older version, I started an expansion team and signed Mike Jacobs to a minor league contract and he ended up winning a spot as the starting 1b/DH. He ended up playing 7 seasons with me retiring as my team's home run leader (272) and RBIs (801)....averaging 38 homers and 114 RBIs a season and never played less than 151 games. I converted him into a coach and hired him and he eventually became my teams hitting coach and I finally made him my manager a few years later.

08-30-2017, 10:42 AM	#5
NoOne Banned Join Date: Apr 2015 Posts: 7,273 Infractions: 0/1 (3)	for fictional - a bit different: I recently reduced scouting as low as possible and also reduced TCR a bit. when i make changes like this i peek under the hood and see what the effet is. i see numerous "21-22" out of 80 potential players that are actually quite well-rated players. around ~A-ball or AA-ball their ratings start to surface more accurately, but it definitely isn't overnight and not always incredibly obvious even at AA in some rare cases. you can also find gems in teh 2nd-3rd round that don't require TCR bumps to be decent. i have found this helps produce that effect of "where did that guy come from" without some random change occuring... more like real life. human error is the reason prospects make or break significantly more than any other reason. even when they are drug fueled crack-heads they have some good years when supremeley talented proof is in the pudding.

08-30-2017, 03:26 PM	#6
The Yurpman Major Leagues Join Date: Jul 2012 Posts: 320	The Orioles claimed Wilmer Difo off waivers in my league right after spring training and he ended up making the All-Star team and became a solid infielder.

08-30-2017, 04:06 PM	#7
TomVeal All Star Starter Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Spanaway, Washington Posts: 1,258	In the real world, Jordan Steranka played three seasons of professional baseball, finishing in 2015 at High-A, where he batted .236. In an OOTP game, he was .313/.404/.410 in A and High-A that year, then shot up through AA and AAA in 2016, reaching the Pirates roster in the second half of the season. For the next nine and a fraction years, he was the team's starting first baseman, until he declined sharply at age 35 and retired. He wasn't a Hall of Fame candidate, but his MLB slash line was a more than respectable .284/.380/.457, and he accumulated a total of 34.7 WAR.

08-31-2017, 11:20 AM	#8
wallewalls All Star Reserve Join Date: Apr 2016 Posts: 774 Infractions: 0/1 (1)	I have two. In the Rule V draft once, I picked up an OF named Eli Vance. I had no intention of playing him as a starter, just as a reserve and then see where it goes from there. But injuries and underperformance put him into the lineup at around the All-Star break. The guy goes off on a tear, it was quite a while back so I dont remember the numbers offhand but he hit in the .300's and put up 20 home runs or so in about half a season. He placed second in ROY voting. He flamed out after that and never re-discovered his form during that one half season, but for a brief period of time, he was one of the best in the game. More recently, there is a pitcher i traded for in an August trade with the expansion Las Vegas Aces named Juan Castro. My team was already stacked and had the division locked up so I was just looking for a SP who could make some spot starts as I rest my SP down the stretch when we have a commanding lead in the division. Anyways, he makes some spot starts and pitches out of the bullpen during the playoffs and does quite well. I like his ratings and decide to give him a rotation spot the next season. He ends up winning the Cy Young with a sub 2.30 ERA and becomes the ace of the staff in our eventual championship run. The next year he regresses slightly, but in my current season he has bounced back to an ERA ~2.50. This guy is a complete boss and I picked him up for absolutely nothing.