River Walkers have gone down the crapper -- just venting

rink23 · 05-12-2021, 06:26 PM

After 14 seasons being one of the best teams in the fictional Midwest Baseball League, the 2033 version of the St. Louis River Walkers have finally descended from the penthouse to the basement.
A two-time MBL champion, five-time National League champion and seven-time NL South Division champion, in a league founded in 2018, the Walkers with a record of 24-34 have plunged to sixth place in their seven team division and the No. 26 ranking in the league.
This coming off a 94-68 season, where they failed to make the playoffs.
What has gone wrong?
* Six-time Gold Glove shortstop Jean Carmona left via free agency.
The 33-year-old took a five-year deal worth $11 million, turning down a three-year deal worth $13 million from the Walkers.
His replacement Kyren Paris, a free-agent signee, has lived up to his fragile billing having missed more than half the team's games due to various ailments.
* The decision to not let ace pitcher Angel Tiburcio leave via free agency turned out to be a disaster.
Tiburcio, 33, did miss the last two months of the 2032 season with bone chips in his elbow. But by the time free agency started, his injury prone listing was listed as normal and his scouting ratings had not changed.
So with him being the only non-fragile pitcher among the top five starters in free agency, it made sense to bring him back on a three-year deal (year three a team option).
The three-time Cy Young winner didn't make it out of the first week of June before suffering a season ending shoulder injury.
And when Tiburcio did pitch, frankly, he stunk, going 2-5 with a 6.84 ERA in 11 starts.
* And that's not all. Only second-year first baseman Nick Shaw seems to performing to his capabilities at the plate.
The 2032 NL Rookie of the Year, is hitting .339 with 11 homers and 39 RBIs.
But big bats Jose Ramirez (.257 with 12 homers and 35 RBIs) and Jose Segura (.201 with eight homers and 25 RBIs) are both well below their previous standards. Along with being virtually useless against left-handed pitchers.
* Catcher Jared Thomas is not only struggling at the plate (.186 with six homers and 16 RBIs), but although his scouting rankings don't exhibit it is only a shell of himself defensively.
*The strength of the Walkers during their long run of success has been their pitching staff.
And it isn't just Tiburcio, who has not performed to standards.
Zack Hunsicker, who had gone 25-15 over the previous two seasons is 1-5 with a 6.00 ERA.
Closer Ernesto Barbosa already has more blown saves (5) than at any other time in his previous four seasons as the team's ninth-inning pitcher.
Gil Meier, who the Walkers signed in the off-season from Fort Wayne to be their No. 2 starter, has stamina issues and has yet to pitch a game in the majors.
Meier had swung between being a starter and reliever for the Mad Men. Based on his 2032 season in Fort Wayne though, he was ready to be a full-time starter.
He's stunk as a starter as well at AAA Memphis, going 1-2 with a 7.13 ERA in 12 starts.
It's just been a bad, bad season.
* Every offseason decision has gone south.
* Players who should be All-Stars are suddenly platoon players.
* Players who should be just starting the downside their careers, have cratered to the point where maybe they should be cut or dealt for prospects.
Or maybe it's just a season the team was due for after a long string of success.
Anyway, the Walkers have never had a season be over before the first day of summer.
(I've played all nine innings of every game since I started the franchise back on OOTP18, so this goes back more than three years).
Maybe, I should fire the manager, but it's tough to play when you've fired yourself.

tonnage · 05-13-2021, 04:53 PM

LOL! Great read. I'm doing the opposite. Year 3 of my fictional league. Year one I finished 5th in my 7 team division, Year two, 3rd, both times out of the playoffs. This year, I'm leading the division with a 40-24 record (6 games up) and 3rd overall in the 28 team league. With a 108 game schedule, I'd really have to tank to miss the playoffs methinks!

05-12-2021, 06:26 PM	#1
rink23 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2013 Posts: 22,450	River Walkers have gone down the crapper -- just venting After 14 seasons being one of the best teams in the fictional Midwest Baseball League, the 2033 version of the St. Louis River Walkers have finally descended from the penthouse to the basement. A two-time MBL champion, five-time National League champion and seven-time NL South Division champion, in a league founded in 2018, the Walkers with a record of 24-34 have plunged to sixth place in their seven team division and the No. 26 ranking in the league. This coming off a 94-68 season, where they failed to make the playoffs. What has gone wrong? * Six-time Gold Glove shortstop Jean Carmona left via free agency. The 33-year-old took a five-year deal worth $11 million, turning down a three-year deal worth $13 million from the Walkers. His replacement Kyren Paris, a free-agent signee, has lived up to his fragile billing having missed more than half the team's games due to various ailments. * The decision to not let ace pitcher Angel Tiburcio leave via free agency turned out to be a disaster. Tiburcio, 33, did miss the last two months of the 2032 season with bone chips in his elbow. But by the time free agency started, his injury prone listing was listed as normal and his scouting ratings had not changed. So with him being the only non-fragile pitcher among the top five starters in free agency, it made sense to bring him back on a three-year deal (year three a team option). The three-time Cy Young winner didn't make it out of the first week of June before suffering a season ending shoulder injury. And when Tiburcio did pitch, frankly, he stunk, going 2-5 with a 6.84 ERA in 11 starts. * And that's not all. Only second-year first baseman Nick Shaw seems to performing to his capabilities at the plate. The 2032 NL Rookie of the Year, is hitting .339 with 11 homers and 39 RBIs. But big bats Jose Ramirez (.257 with 12 homers and 35 RBIs) and Jose Segura (.201 with eight homers and 25 RBIs) are both well below their previous standards. Along with being virtually useless against left-handed pitchers. * Catcher Jared Thomas is not only struggling at the plate (.186 with six homers and 16 RBIs), but although his scouting rankings don't exhibit it is only a shell of himself defensively. The strength of the Walkers during their long run of success has been their pitching staff. And it isn't just Tiburcio, who has not performed to standards. Zack Hunsicker, who had gone 25-15 over the previous two seasons is 1-5 with a 6.00 ERA. Closer Ernesto Barbosa already has more blown saves (5) than at any other time in his previous four seasons as the team's ninth-inning pitcher. Gil Meier, who the Walkers signed in the off-season from Fort Wayne to be their No. 2 starter, has stamina issues and has yet to pitch a game in the majors. Meier had swung between being a starter and reliever for the Mad Men. Based on his 2032 season in Fort Wayne though, he was ready to be a full-time starter. He's stunk as a starter as well at AAA Memphis, going 1-2 with a 7.13 ERA in 12 starts. It's just been a bad, bad season. Every offseason decision has gone south. * Players who should be All-Stars are suddenly platoon players. * Players who should be just starting the downside their careers, have cratered to the point where maybe they should be cut or dealt for prospects. Or maybe it's just a season the team was due for after a long string of success. Anyway, the Walkers have never had a season be over before the first day of summer. (I've played all nine innings of every game since I started the franchise back on OOTP18, so this goes back more than three years). Maybe, I should fire the manager, but it's tough to play when you've fired yourself. Attached Images

05-13-2021, 04:53 PM	#2
tonnage Major Leagues Join Date: Dec 2020 Location: Stony Plain, Alberta Posts: 490	LOL! Great read. I'm doing the opposite. Year 3 of my fictional league. Year one I finished 5th in my 7 team division, Year two, 3rd, both times out of the playoffs. This year, I'm leading the division with a 40-24 record (6 games up) and 3rd overall in the 28 team league. With a 108 game schedule, I'd really have to tank to miss the playoffs methinks!