Game Date: 1/15/2024
Signings:
Atlanta signed MR Arnold Pough (London) to a 2 yr/$1.3m contract.
Next sim: Thursday night
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Seattle and Shackamaxon trade
Seattle GM Mack Shultz has had a quiet offseason, with just a trade and a minor league free agent signing under his belt. Rival owner Michael Weintraub of Shackamaxon has been comparably busy, signing several free agents, including superstar John Hukill away from Seattle. Still, the two owners have found the time for their annual offseason trade.
Seattle sends MR Luis Gonzales to Shackamaxon in return for AAA SS Alberto Andres and a 4th round pick in the 2025 draft.
Shultz estimates that this was the 29th trade the two owners have completed in 24 SDMB league seasons. And, surely, this won't be the largest between the two, or the last.
Seattle sends MR Luis Gonzales to Shackamaxon in return for AAA SS Alberto Andres and a 4th round pick in the 2025 draft.
Shultz estimates that this was the 29th trade the two owners have completed in 24 SDMB league seasons. And, surely, this won't be the largest between the two, or the last.
Monday, December 30, 2013
Sim's Done
Game Date: 1/8/2013
Signings:
Atlanta: MR John Kautz (Shackamaxon), 4 yrs/$49.5
Atlanta: All time home run leader, 1B Luis Jeon (New York), 2 yrs/$20m
Hickory: SP Danny Andrews (Atlanta), 1yr/$850k
Seattle: RF Carlos Ruiz (no prev team), minor league contract
Houston: 3B Daniel Burdine (Ohio), 2 yrs/$4.5m
Maui: 2B Ronald Quijada (Antelope Valley), 2 yrs/$19m
Next sim: Tuesday night
Signings:
Atlanta: MR John Kautz (Shackamaxon), 4 yrs/$49.5
Atlanta: All time home run leader, 1B Luis Jeon (New York), 2 yrs/$20m
Hickory: SP Danny Andrews (Atlanta), 1yr/$850k
Seattle: RF Carlos Ruiz (no prev team), minor league contract
Houston: 3B Daniel Burdine (Ohio), 2 yrs/$4.5m
Maui: 2B Ronald Quijada (Antelope Valley), 2 yrs/$19m
Next sim: Tuesday night
Sunday, December 29, 2013
Hall of Fame Standards - Pitchers
The recent retirement of John Okane (and the fact that he missed automatic enshrinement by 0.01 ERA) got me to thinking about how our players stack up as Hall of Famers. I decided to look at all of our retired pitchers (limited to those with 10+ seasons in the majors) and see how they stack up.
As a metric, I used Bill James's Hall of Fame Standards. The formula is as follows:
1 point for every:
I made two small changes to this formula. In our league, no one retired is even close to 200 CG (the record among retired players is 53) and no one has 30 SHO (the record is 27).
As such, I tweaked the last two conditions to:
The test is designed so that the average Hall of Famer should score a 50. Of course that means that there will be legitimate Hall of Famers with scores above this and with scores below this. How far away from 50 we want to stray on the negative side is something we can decide upon in times to come.
So, how did our pitchers do?
There are 72 pitchers who have ten or more seasons in the major leagues. When limited to starting pitchers (since the test really isn't designed to evaluate relievers), that leaves 38 pitchers.
The range of HOFS runs from 72 all the way down to 2. The average HOFS score for the 38 pitchers is 21.2 and the median is 17.
The dozen pitchers with scores over 25 are:
Ramirez and Nelligan are already enshrined. It would seem, based on this test (whose validity we can debate) that Placencia and Okane should also be enshrined.
Now, what about the active pitchers? Well, I took a look that the active starting pitchers with 10 major league seasons. There are nineteen qualifying active pitchers. Of those, Juan Villatoro is on top with a HOFS score of 75. The complete list of starting pitchers on the active list with a score of 25 or better are:
So, where does this leave us? Let's talk standard deviations. The standard deviation for all qualifying pitchers (active and retired) is 18.48 and the median of all qualifying pitchers is 18.
There is only one pitcher who is three standard deviations above the median -- Juan Villatoro who is at 3.08. The rest of the pitchers who are at least one standard deviation above the median are:
Lastly, who is at the bottom? Well, considering the fact that all of these pitchers managed to stay in the league for 10 years, I can't say that any of them are failures. However, limiting ourselves to the retired players (since the active ones can still improve themselves), the bottom pitcher is Pedro Marez, who has a lifetime record of 50-51.
The full data set can be seen here. (Yellow highlights are arefor enshrined playes, blue highlights indicates an active player).
As a metric, I used Bill James's Hall of Fame Standards. The formula is as follows:
1 point for every:
- 10 W over 100, limit 25
- 20 games over .500, limit 10
- .013 WPct over .500, limit 15 (min 500 IP)
- .20 ERA under 4.00, limit 10 (min 500 IP)
- 200K over 1000, limit 10 (min 500 IP)
- .3 BB/9IP under 4.00, limit 10 (min 500 IP)
- .3 H/9IP under 10.00, limit 10 (min 500 IP)
- 1000 IP over 1000, limit 5
- 100 CG over 200, limit 5
- 30 SHO, limit 5
I made two small changes to this formula. In our league, no one retired is even close to 200 CG (the record among retired players is 53) and no one has 30 SHO (the record is 27).
As such, I tweaked the last two conditions to:
- 4 CG over 30, limit 5
- 7 SHO, limit 5
The test is designed so that the average Hall of Famer should score a 50. Of course that means that there will be legitimate Hall of Famers with scores above this and with scores below this. How far away from 50 we want to stray on the negative side is something we can decide upon in times to come.
So, how did our pitchers do?
There are 72 pitchers who have ten or more seasons in the major leagues. When limited to starting pitchers (since the test really isn't designed to evaluate relievers), that leaves 38 pitchers.
The range of HOFS runs from 72 all the way down to 2. The average HOFS score for the 38 pitchers is 21.2 and the median is 17.
The dozen pitchers with scores over 25 are:
- 72 Ronald Placencia
- 67 Demarcus Ramirez
- 54 John Okane
- 53 Chad Nelligan
- 41 Albert Garcia
- 39 Richard Pimental
- 34 Bill Siple
- 34 Thomas Cohen
- 33 Wendell Sorg
- 28 Isaac Diehl
- 27 Sherman Wheeler
- 26 Frank Osborne (who, amazingly, makes the top 12 in a heavily win-weighted list while being 50 games under .500 lifetime)
Ramirez and Nelligan are already enshrined. It would seem, based on this test (whose validity we can debate) that Placencia and Okane should also be enshrined.
Now, what about the active pitchers? Well, I took a look that the active starting pitchers with 10 major league seasons. There are nineteen qualifying active pitchers. Of those, Juan Villatoro is on top with a HOFS score of 75. The complete list of starting pitchers on the active list with a score of 25 or better are:
- 75 Villatoro
- 68 Christopher Hester
- 40 Fernando Estrada
- 34 Joseph Macaluso
- 32 Kyle Fyke
So, where does this leave us? Let's talk standard deviations. The standard deviation for all qualifying pitchers (active and retired) is 18.48 and the median of all qualifying pitchers is 18.
There is only one pitcher who is three standard deviations above the median -- Juan Villatoro who is at 3.08. The rest of the pitchers who are at least one standard deviation above the median are:
- 2.92 Placencia
- 2.70 Hester
- 2.65 Ramirez
- 1.95 Okane
- 1.89 Nelligan
- 1.24 Garcia
- 1.19 Estrada
- 1.14 Pimental
Lastly, who is at the bottom? Well, considering the fact that all of these pitchers managed to stay in the league for 10 years, I can't say that any of them are failures. However, limiting ourselves to the retired players (since the active ones can still improve themselves), the bottom pitcher is Pedro Marez, who has a lifetime record of 50-51.
The full data set can be seen here. (Yellow highlights are arefor enshrined playes, blue highlights indicates an active player).
Sim's Done! Welcome to 2024!
The sim is done and the calendar has turned. The game date is 1/1/2024.
With the passing of another year, we have the annual wave of retirements. Some notable names to hang 'em up for good are:
I believe (and Mack, please correct me if I'm wrong) that Okane was the last active player from our initial 50-round draft in 2002. Based on the automatic enshirnement criteria of the game, Okane misses the Hall of Fame by just a smidgen (the ERA of 3.51 is just outside the criteria 3.50 or less).
Hmmmm.....
Signings:
Shackamaxon signed P Bill Dewall (Brooklyn) to a 2 yr/ $5m contract.
Next sim: Monday night.
With the passing of another year, we have the annual wave of retirements. Some notable names to hang 'em up for good are:
- P Marcus Santoro - 43-55, 5.15
- P Pedro Ramos - 1107G, 310 SV, 3.74 ERA
- P John Okane - 277-170, 3.51, 3419K, 137 ERA+
- P Robert Brown - 472G, 3.89 ERA
I believe (and Mack, please correct me if I'm wrong) that Okane was the last active player from our initial 50-round draft in 2002. Based on the automatic enshirnement criteria of the game, Okane misses the Hall of Fame by just a smidgen (the ERA of 3.51 is just outside the criteria 3.50 or less).
Hmmmm.....
Signings:
Shackamaxon signed P Bill Dewall (Brooklyn) to a 2 yr/ $5m contract.
Next sim: Monday night.
Friday, December 27, 2013
Favorite Toy - Wins
The 2024 season will be the 23rd season of the SDMB OOTP league. Up until now, no pitcher has accumulated 300 victories -- although one is very close and, barring collapse or injury, should break the 300 mark by mid-season.
Using my SQL and Excel skills (by day I'm a database developer), I went through all the active pitchers to see who has a chance to hit major milestones in pitching victories.
200 victories:
Three active pitchers (Juan Villatoro (289 wins), John Okane (277) and Christopher Hester (277)) have already passed the mark.
After that, only two active pitchers have a better than even shot of reaching 200:
The rest of the players with a better than 10% shot
Moving up to 250 victories, there are only four pitchers (aside from the three who have already passed it) that have a better than 0% shot:
Just in case the grouping of Hernandez, Talamantez and O'Herlihy sound familiar, it's because that's 60% of the Monarchs' rotation.
When pushed up to 300 victories the odds look like this:
Of course, we can even project further. What are the odds any of those pitchers will reach 350 victories?
Hernandez has a miniscule shot (2%) at 360.
Villatoro's chances, when extended out, look like this:
Finally, the Favorite Toy tool predicts the career totals for pitchers. For the pitchers we've discussed here, the projected final career totals are:
Of course, it should be kept in mind that the Favorite Toy is a tool that gives great weight to the previous season's totals. So, if any of these players go into a slump (or get injured and miss significant time) or suddenly have great seasons, these numbers will change.
The FULL DATASET (with percentages for win totals starting at 125) can be found by clicking here.
Is there some other form of data analysis you'd like to see done? Let me know and I'll see if it's possible with the data I have.
Zev
Using my SQL and Excel skills (by day I'm a database developer), I went through all the active pitchers to see who has a chance to hit major milestones in pitching victories.
200 victories:
Three active pitchers (Juan Villatoro (289 wins), John Okane (277) and Christopher Hester (277)) have already passed the mark.
After that, only two active pitchers have a better than even shot of reaching 200:
- Enrico Hernandez (29 years, 108 wins) 93%
- Bruno Talamantez (27 y, 110 w) 87%
The rest of the players with a better than 10% shot
- Fernando Estrada (39, 184) 45%
- Teddy O'Herlihy (24, 42) 41%
- Donald Hunnicutt (35, 155) 29%
- Joseph Macaluso (35, 163) 23%
- Jim Walton (25, 33) 17%
- Dennis Durand (36, 144) 15%
Moving up to 250 victories, there are only four pitchers (aside from the three who have already passed it) that have a better than 0% shot:
- Hernandez 29%
- Talamantez 25%
- O'Herlihy 12%
- Walton 2%
Just in case the grouping of Hernandez, Talamantez and O'Herlihy sound familiar, it's because that's 60% of the Monarchs' rotation.
When pushed up to 300 victories the odds look like this:
- Villatoro, 97% (the highest odds in the system)
- Hester, 59%
- Hernandez, 19%
- Talamantez, 15%
- O'Herlihy, 6%
- Okane, 0%
Of course, we can even project further. What are the odds any of those pitchers will reach 350 victories?
- Villatoro, 41%
- Hernandez, 5%
- Talamantez, 1%
Hernandez has a miniscule shot (2%) at 360.
Villatoro's chances, when extended out, look like this:
- 360 victories: 28%
- 370 victories: 19%
- 380 victories: 11%
- 390 victories: 5%
- 400 victories: 0%
Finally, the Favorite Toy tool predicts the career totals for pitchers. For the pitchers we've discussed here, the projected final career totals are:
- Villatoro: 345
- Hester: 302
- Okane: 280
- Hernandez: 240
- Talamentez: 234
- Estrada: 199
- Hunnicutt: 191
- Macaluso: 190
- O'Herlihy 186
- Durand: 180
Of course, it should be kept in mind that the Favorite Toy is a tool that gives great weight to the previous season's totals. So, if any of these players go into a slump (or get injured and miss significant time) or suddenly have great seasons, these numbers will change.
The FULL DATASET (with percentages for win totals starting at 125) can be found by clicking here.
Is there some other form of data analysis you'd like to see done? Let me know and I'll see if it's possible with the data I have.
Zev
Thursday, December 26, 2013
Sim's Done!
Game Date: 12/25/2023
Signings:
Antelope Valley signed SP Sergio Mendoza (Hickory) to a 1 yr/$700k contract.
Atlanta signed P Jose Espinosa (no prev team) to a minor league contract.
Next sim: Saturday night.
Signings:
Antelope Valley signed SP Sergio Mendoza (Hickory) to a 1 yr/$700k contract.
Atlanta signed P Jose Espinosa (no prev team) to a minor league contract.
Next sim: Saturday night.
Antelope Valley - Seattle Swap Prospects
The Raptors shipped prized prospect 3B Sung Heun Hwa off to Seattle for OF prospect Dan Fisher and Single A RP Luis Quinones. Hwa was drafted in the 1st round last year (#6 overall) and played at Springfield (A) for the Raptors organization. Fisher was drafted in 2021 (2nd round, 23rd overall) by Seattle and played last year at Olympia (AA) demonstrating power, speed and defensive prowess. When asked for comment, Raptor GM Sauerwald stated: "We wanted to get someone a little closer to being ML ready, and little better defensively with better base running ability. Fisher has won the minor league Glove Wizard award twice, at two different levels and 2 different positions and has stolen over 80 bases in just over 2 ML seasons. He'll slot into Debois (AAA) this year, where we'll work on his batting eye. He should be ready to step into a ML role next year. We think Quinones has a bright future ahead of him and will add some left handed pitching depth to our org".
The Raptors have had a busy off season, signing SP Clarence Craig, MRs Eden Torres and Sergio Mendoza, AAA OFs Dustin Overgaag and Antonio Cabrera, Rule 5 OF Takayuki Inoue and waiver claim for AAA 2B Yee Qiu, while saying goodbye to longtime Raptors SPs Joseph Sterner and Alan Blessing.
Rumors swirl that the Raptors are still actively shopping veteran 3B Bruce Parker in an attempt to get younger across the infield. The Raptors still need some bullpen help and prospects to shore up their depleted minor leagues.
The Raptors have had a busy off season, signing SP Clarence Craig, MRs Eden Torres and Sergio Mendoza, AAA OFs Dustin Overgaag and Antonio Cabrera, Rule 5 OF Takayuki Inoue and waiver claim for AAA 2B Yee Qiu, while saying goodbye to longtime Raptors SPs Joseph Sterner and Alan Blessing.
Rumors swirl that the Raptors are still actively shopping veteran 3B Bruce Parker in an attempt to get younger across the infield. The Raptors still need some bullpen help and prospects to shore up their depleted minor leagues.
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
Sim's Done
Game Date: 12/18/2023
Signings:
Antelope Valley signed LF Antonio Cabrera (Houston) to a minor league deal.
Shackamaxon signed SP Jermaine Earp (Ohio) to a 2 yr/$7m contract.
Next sim: Thursday evening
Signings:
Antelope Valley signed LF Antonio Cabrera (Houston) to a minor league deal.
Shackamaxon signed SP Jermaine Earp (Ohio) to a 2 yr/$7m contract.
Next sim: Thursday evening
Sunday, December 22, 2013
Sim's Done, Kuhn, Ch'on Sign Extensions
Game Date: 12/11/2023
Signings:
Antelope Valley signs MR Eden Torres (London) to a 1 yr/$640k contract.
Shackamaxon signs 3B John "Sabertooth" Hukill to a 2 yr/ $46m contract.
Seattle signed 2B Norman Kuhn ( 7 yrs/$50m) and MR Bong-ok C'hon (5 yrs/$18m) to contract extensions.
Next sim: Monday evening.
Signings:
Antelope Valley signs MR Eden Torres (London) to a 1 yr/$640k contract.
Shackamaxon signs 3B John "Sabertooth" Hukill to a 2 yr/ $46m contract.
Seattle signed 2B Norman Kuhn ( 7 yrs/$50m) and MR Bong-ok C'hon (5 yrs/$18m) to contract extensions.
Next sim: Monday evening.
Friday, December 20, 2013
Thursday, December 19, 2013
now that the rule draft is over i am set to make some deals...my main need is a top pitcher...i have available the following...Luis Santiago of major league ready premium talent....Victor Galvan starting pitcher 7-3 4.04 2022/7-8 7.28 2023 obviously off year...Chris Taylor 17-9 3.95 2022/8-9 4.34 2023 both years had good era but poor run support....Ignacio Lopez right fielder well provide 20 hr and 270 average when healthy which he wasn't last year...Claudio Valentin left fielder 10 home runs in only 144 at bats.. well trade some or all even in one package to get top flight starter email me if you have interest
Need a catcher?
My selection of Miguel Angel Ramirez in the Rule 5 draft not only gave me the #1 prospect in the game for the first time (I think), but a glut of young, major-league ready catching.
With that luxury in hand, and other needs on my team, I'm looking to deal George Robinson or Bobby Krieger.
Robinson is a 4-star prospect who excelled in both AAA and on my major league roster last season as a late-season call-up. He hits for average and doesn't strike out much. He figured to be my starting catcher before I acquired Ramirez, and would settle in as a platoon partner with him if I don't deal him.
Krieger is a player I've nurtured since I acquired him nearly eight seasons ago when he was a young prospect. Still only 26, he has the potential to start, but is a very capable backup and a good defensive backstop (35.2% RTO last year).
I suppose I could flip Ramirez in the right deal, but I'm looking to hang on to him. I'm hoping to get pitching and more pitching help in return.
With that luxury in hand, and other needs on my team, I'm looking to deal George Robinson or Bobby Krieger.
Robinson is a 4-star prospect who excelled in both AAA and on my major league roster last season as a late-season call-up. He hits for average and doesn't strike out much. He figured to be my starting catcher before I acquired Ramirez, and would settle in as a platoon partner with him if I don't deal him.
Krieger is a player I've nurtured since I acquired him nearly eight seasons ago when he was a young prospect. Still only 26, he has the potential to start, but is a very capable backup and a good defensive backstop (35.2% RTO last year).
I suppose I could flip Ramirez in the right deal, but I'm looking to hang on to him. I'm hoping to get pitching and more pitching help in return.
Rule 5 Draft Results
Game Date: 12/4/2023
Draft Results:
Round 1:
Antelope Valley selects LF Takayuki Inoue from Atlanta
Shackamaxon selects C Angel Ramirez from New York
Brick selects SP Waldo Solleveld from Seattle
Maui selects RF Jae-chun Kim from Seattle
Round 2:
Brick selects MR Ron Shelton from Brooklyn.
Next Sim: Saturday night
Draft Results:
Round 1:
Antelope Valley selects LF Takayuki Inoue from Atlanta
Shackamaxon selects C Angel Ramirez from New York
Brick selects SP Waldo Solleveld from Seattle
Maui selects RF Jae-chun Kim from Seattle
Round 2:
Brick selects MR Ron Shelton from Brooklyn.
Next Sim: Saturday night
Sunday, December 15, 2013
Sim's Done - Rule 5 Draft Is Next
Game Date: 12/1/2023
Signings:
Shackamaxon signed MR Jesus Garza (no previous team) to a $300k/1yr contract.
Brick signed P Felipe Velasquez (no previous team) to a minor league deal
Atlanta signed 2B Toshinobu Mizutani (Seattle) to a 2 yr/$1.75m contract
Shackamaxon signed RF Santiago Salazar (New York) for 1 yr/$900k
Shackamaxon signed MR Will Stout (Brick), 3 yr/$9m.
Antelope Valley signed LF Dustin Overgaag (Seattle) to a 3 yr/$1.5m contract.
Antelope Valley signed MR Clarence Craig (Maui), 4 yr/$42.5m
Maui signed CF Roberto Florez (no previous team) to a minor league contract.
Hickory signed 3B Angel Padilla (no previous team) to a minor league contract.
The Rule 5 Draft will be held on Tuesday evening (changed from previously announced schedule)
Zev
Signings:
Shackamaxon signed MR Jesus Garza (no previous team) to a $300k/1yr contract.
Brick signed P Felipe Velasquez (no previous team) to a minor league deal
Atlanta signed 2B Toshinobu Mizutani (Seattle) to a 2 yr/$1.75m contract
Shackamaxon signed RF Santiago Salazar (New York) for 1 yr/$900k
Shackamaxon signed MR Will Stout (Brick), 3 yr/$9m.
Antelope Valley signed LF Dustin Overgaag (Seattle) to a 3 yr/$1.5m contract.
Antelope Valley signed MR Clarence Craig (Maui), 4 yr/$42.5m
Maui signed CF Roberto Florez (no previous team) to a minor league contract.
Hickory signed 3B Angel Padilla (no previous team) to a minor league contract.
The Rule 5 Draft will be held on Tuesday evening (changed from previously announced schedule)
Zev
Antelope Valley Shopping Bruce Parker, #23 Prospect Sung Hwa
The Raptors are hoping to improve their outfield and are
dangling 3B Bruce Parker and top 25 prospect Sung Heun Hwa. Hwa was the AV's #1 pick last year, but I'm
hoping to land someone a little closer to being ML ready. I think Parker still has another good year or
two in him, bashing 17 HRs in only 390 ABs last year, but I have some kids that
I feel are ready and would like to see what they can do. I would also consider dealing for a SP for the
right offer. I'm also willing to package
draft picks or other prospects for a blockbuster deal.
Thursday, December 12, 2013
CORRECTION
Mack correctly pointed out that the available draft pool isn't published until the game is simmed to the draft date.
Therefore, on Saturday night, we'll sim to the draft date (12/1/2023) and run the draft on Monday night.
My apologies for the mix up.
Zev
Therefore, on Saturday night, we'll sim to the draft date (12/1/2023) and run the draft on Monday night.
My apologies for the mix up.
Zev
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Sim's Done -- Rule 5 Draft Coming Up
Game Date: 11/27/2023
The Rule 5 Draft is coming up next sim. Please be sure to protect players you want to protect.
You can submit your draft picks through the game OR send them to Michael and myself by email.
The draft will be held on Saturday night. Please keep in mind that players that you select may be protected by the time the draft comes around.
Zev
The Rule 5 Draft is coming up next sim. Please be sure to protect players you want to protect.
You can submit your draft picks through the game OR send them to Michael and myself by email.
The draft will be held on Saturday night. Please keep in mind that players that you select may be protected by the time the draft comes around.
Zev
Monday, December 9, 2013
Sim's Done
Game Date: 11/20/2023
Free Agent Signings:
Atlanta signed SP Wesley Dutton (no previous team) to a minor league contract.
Shackamaxon signed 3B (Houston) to a minor league contract.
Shackamaxon signed 3B Lason Lefebvre (Maui) to a 2 yr/$2m contract.
Antelope Valley signed C Lawrence Richardson to a 3 yr/$21m extension.
Injuries:
Ohio SP Pedro Ramos suffered a setback and chose to retire. He leaves the game with 310 saves, third on the all time list.
Next sim: Tuesday night.
Free Agent Signings:
Atlanta signed SP Wesley Dutton (no previous team) to a minor league contract.
Shackamaxon signed 3B (Houston) to a minor league contract.
Shackamaxon signed 3B Lason Lefebvre (Maui) to a 2 yr/$2m contract.
Antelope Valley signed C Lawrence Richardson to a 3 yr/$21m extension.
Injuries:
Ohio SP Pedro Ramos suffered a setback and chose to retire. He leaves the game with 310 saves, third on the all time list.
Next sim: Tuesday night.
Sunday, December 8, 2013
Friday, December 6, 2013
Sim's Done
Game Date: 11/13/2023
Sorry... I finished the sim late last night but did not have the chance to update the pages on the website.
Next sim: Sunday.
Sorry... I finished the sim late last night but did not have the chance to update the pages on the website.
Next sim: Sunday.
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Revisiting An Old Top Prospects List
While looking around the league blog, I came across a post I wrote in September 2007 (after the 2010 season). It was a list of the Top 20 prospects at the time. I highlighted the fact that, among the league's top 20, seven were in the employ of the Wolves.
Here's a look back on those 20 and where they are today (Brooklyn prospects shaded in blue):
(Yeah, I know the formatting is all messed up...)
Interestingly, of the seven prospects I had in the Top 20, I had two that went on to good, long careers (Wardlaw, Parker), two that went on to become average players with nice careers (Bondy, Jacobs) and three who were marginal at best (Oleson, Chambers and Banks).
So, what would you say? Should I have gotten better out of this crop of prospects, or is that what you might have expected from such a list?
Zev
Here's a look back on those 20 and where they are today (Brooklyn prospects shaded in blue):
Rank
|
Player,
Team
|
2023
Team (ML Years)
|
Notes
|
Significant
Stats
|
1
|
Gregorio Marzanno, RIV
|
Brick
|
2009 G, .309 BA/.888 OPS, 2295 H, 296 HR, 1183 RBI
|
|
2
|
Mohammed Stelly, SEA
|
Retired (2011-17)
|
Three great years and then mysteriously declined.
|
895G, .285 BA/.791 OPS, 960 H, 125 HR
|
3
|
Chester Cohen, NY
|
Retired (2010-19)
|
Had two very good seasons.
|
954 G, .299 BA/.834 OPS, 920 H, 121 HR
|
4
|
George LaBarre, SEA
|
Hickory (2012-23)
|
1713 G, .284 BA/.832 OPS, 1838 H, 279 HR, 334 SB
|
|
5
|
Jeff Wardlaw, BRK
|
Brooklyn (2011-23)
|
1831 G, .245BA/.746 OPS, 1471 H, 250 HR, 870 RBI
|
|
6
|
Paul Guerrero, HIK
|
Retired (2013)
|
Suffered career ending injury in 2015
|
52 G
|
7
|
Jose Guzman, DAN
|
Retired (2011-18)
|
1036 G, .286 BA/.814 OPS, 929 H, 147 HR
|
|
8
|
William Ward, RIV
|
Retired (2012-18, 21)
|
802 G, .208 BA, 408 H
|
|
9
|
Fredrick Thomas, NY
|
Retired (2011-18)
|
Outstanding Pitcher in 2013 (age 27, 25-6), never
had a winning season again.
|
222 GS, 87-86, 4.04 ERA
|
10
|
Alberto Granado, SEA
|
Hickory (2012-22)
|
Played 2023 in AAA
|
1374 G, .285 BA/.798 OPS, 1445 H,
|
11
|
Octavio Cabrales, DEN
|
Brick (2011-23)
|
1437 G, .320 BA/.860 OPS, 191 HR, 780 RBI
|
|
12
|
Cornelius Bondy, BRK
|
Retired (2011-18)
|
823 G, .253 BA, 107 HR
|
|
13
|
Jeffrey Brunton, WAL
|
London (2011-16, 18-23)
|
305 GS, 123-101, 4.10 ERA
|
|
14
|
Bill Oleson, BRK
|
Retired (2011-16)
|
Best season was his first - 11-5, 3.48
|
109 GS, 38-41, 4.89 ERA
|
15
|
Anthony Koepp, SB
|
Retired (2011-19)
|
250 GS, 85-98, 4.56 ERA
|
|
16
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Bruce Parker, BRK
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Antelope Valley (2011-23)
|
.333, 32 HR, 120 RBI, .956 OPS in 2014
|
1690 G, .285 BA/.849 OPS, 1791 H, 283 HR, 933 RBI
|
17
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Ronald Chambers, BRK
|
Retired (2012-18)
|
742 G, .259 BA
|
|
18
|
James Banks, BRK
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Retired (2011-17)
|
Had two good years in 2013-14, then declined.
|
802 G, .270 BA
|
19
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Edward Booth, RIV
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Retired (2011-18)
|
755 G, .224 BA
|
|
20
|
John Jacobs, BRK
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Retired (2012-20)
|
1112 G, .274 BA/.780 OPS, 849 H, 99 HR, 56 SB
|
(Yeah, I know the formatting is all messed up...)
Interestingly, of the seven prospects I had in the Top 20, I had two that went on to good, long careers (Wardlaw, Parker), two that went on to become average players with nice careers (Bondy, Jacobs) and three who were marginal at best (Oleson, Chambers and Banks).
So, what would you say? Should I have gotten better out of this crop of prospects, or is that what you might have expected from such a list?
Zev
Attention K-Mart Shoppers... Your Free Agents Can Be Found On Aisle 7!!
Game Date: 11/6/2013
The sim has been run and the free agents have hit the market. Get 'em while they're still hot!
Next sim: Thursday evening.
Zev
The sim has been run and the free agents have hit the market. Get 'em while they're still hot!
Next sim: Thursday evening.
Zev
Monday, December 2, 2013
Awards Season, Part II
Game Date: 10/30/2023
The rest of the league awards were given out this past week.
The Outstanding Batter award was given to Houston 1B Nigel Bryant who had a monster of a season this year. Bryant finished the season with a .366 batting average, a .690 slugging percentage and an insane 1.173 OPS. He earned five Player of the Week and two Player of the Month awards this year alone. He led the league in many offensive categories. His OBP and OPS set new league records. This is Bryant's second award, having previously won in 2020.
The Outstanding Pitcher this year was Maui's Juan Villatoro, who picks up his second award. His 18-10 record doesn't really reflect the type of season he had. His ERA was a lowly 2.20 and his WHIP was a downright stingy 0.85. 215 batters returned to the dugout after being struck out by Villatoro.
The next sim will be Tuesday night. If I remember correctly, this is your last chance to come to terms with your pending free agents.
Zev
The rest of the league awards were given out this past week.
The Outstanding Batter award was given to Houston 1B Nigel Bryant who had a monster of a season this year. Bryant finished the season with a .366 batting average, a .690 slugging percentage and an insane 1.173 OPS. He earned five Player of the Week and two Player of the Month awards this year alone. He led the league in many offensive categories. His OBP and OPS set new league records. This is Bryant's second award, having previously won in 2020.
The Outstanding Pitcher this year was Maui's Juan Villatoro, who picks up his second award. His 18-10 record doesn't really reflect the type of season he had. His ERA was a lowly 2.20 and his WHIP was a downright stingy 0.85. 215 batters returned to the dugout after being struck out by Villatoro.
The next sim will be Tuesday night. If I remember correctly, this is your last chance to come to terms with your pending free agents.
Zev
Thursday, November 28, 2013
Sim's Done, Awards - Part I
Game Date: 10/23/2023
The Newcomer of the Year and Slick Fielder winners were announced by the league this week.
The Newcomer of the Year is Ohio's Luis Rodrigez. The slugging first baseman was the second round pick for Ohio in 2019. After working his way through the minor leagues, he was named the Buckeyes' starting first baseman for 2023 with no previous major league experience. Rodriguez rewarded the owner's faith in him by hitting .315 with 39 home runs and 119 RBI, winding up with an impressive .955 OPS.
The Seattle Monarchs dominated the Slick Fielder list, as they captured three of the nine available awards. The winners are:
P Ethan Moyer, Ohio
C Brian Walker, Houston
1B Juan Gomez, Seattle (third award)
2B Felipe Mendoza, Brick (third award, second award at 2B, second consecutive award)
3B Luis Figueroa, Brooklyn
LF Alvin Sherman, Ohio (second award)
CF Bas Bijkerk, Seattle (fourth award, third consecutive award)
RF Lucio Muniz, Seattle (third consecutive award)
Tune in next time to see who is named Batter and Pitcher of the Year.
Next sim: Saturday night. Have a great Thanksgiving everyone!
Zev
The Newcomer of the Year and Slick Fielder winners were announced by the league this week.
The Newcomer of the Year is Ohio's Luis Rodrigez. The slugging first baseman was the second round pick for Ohio in 2019. After working his way through the minor leagues, he was named the Buckeyes' starting first baseman for 2023 with no previous major league experience. Rodriguez rewarded the owner's faith in him by hitting .315 with 39 home runs and 119 RBI, winding up with an impressive .955 OPS.
The Seattle Monarchs dominated the Slick Fielder list, as they captured three of the nine available awards. The winners are:
P Ethan Moyer, Ohio
C Brian Walker, Houston
1B Juan Gomez, Seattle (third award)
2B Felipe Mendoza, Brick (third award, second award at 2B, second consecutive award)
3B Luis Figueroa, Brooklyn
LF Alvin Sherman, Ohio (second award)
CF Bas Bijkerk, Seattle (fourth award, third consecutive award)
RF Lucio Muniz, Seattle (third consecutive award)
Tune in next time to see who is named Batter and Pitcher of the Year.
Next sim: Saturday night. Have a great Thanksgiving everyone!
Zev
Monday, November 25, 2013
Sim's Done
I ran the sim last night. The next sim, covering one week, will be done on Wednesday night.
Zev
Zev
Sunday, November 24, 2013
It's A Quarter To Three, There's No One In The Place Except You And Me...
Well, it is a quarter to three and I just finished up with a work project. I'd like to go to sleep, so, I'm going to run the sim tomorrow.
Good night, everyone.
Zev
Good night, everyone.
Zev
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Onward and Upward...
Thank you, all, for a great season and for your congratulations!
For those of you who have players with team/mutual options for next year, you should have a message in your mailbox asking you whether you are going to excersize or decline the option.
The next sim will be on Saturday night.
Zev
For those of you who have players with team/mutual options for next year, you should have a message in your mailbox asking you whether you are going to excersize or decline the option.
The next sim will be on Saturday night.
Zev
Friday, November 15, 2013
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Postseason sim: Cecil Cup game 5
In perhaps the best game of the postseason, the Brooklyn Wolves won their first Cecil Cup, defeating the heavily-favored Seattle Monarchs 6-5, in eleven innings, to win the 2023 championship four games to one.
Jaime Vasquez was the star for the Wolves, hitting a two-run shot in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game, and then a solo shot in the 11th to walk it off, Joe Carter-style.
Congrats to Zev for finally winning the championship. As an original owner and your loyal lieutenant, I couldn't be happier. Congrats to Mack, too, for yet another incredible regular season, and for a valiant comeback in the LCS.
That'll do it for the 2023 season, and for me running your sims. I'm anxious to take over my team and try to return the Lenape to the postseason after a disappointing season for the Philadelphia area.
Zev, after drying off from the champagne shower, will take things over from here. Onward to 2024!
Congrats again, Zev!
Jaime Vasquez was the star for the Wolves, hitting a two-run shot in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game, and then a solo shot in the 11th to walk it off, Joe Carter-style.
Congrats to Zev for finally winning the championship. As an original owner and your loyal lieutenant, I couldn't be happier. Congrats to Mack, too, for yet another incredible regular season, and for a valiant comeback in the LCS.
That'll do it for the 2023 season, and for me running your sims. I'm anxious to take over my team and try to return the Lenape to the postseason after a disappointing season for the Philadelphia area.
Zev, after drying off from the champagne shower, will take things over from here. Onward to 2024!
Congrats again, Zev!
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Postseason sim: Cecil Cup game 4
Quick post for tonight: Brooklyn scored three times in the bottom of the ninth inning (all with two outs) to come back and take game 4 of the Cecil Cup, 8-7.
Brooklyn leads the best of seven series three games to one, and is now one win away from their first ever Cecil Cup championship. Will they win it tomorrow night? Let's find out in twenty four hours!
Brooklyn leads the best of seven series three games to one, and is now one win away from their first ever Cecil Cup championship. Will they win it tomorrow night? Let's find out in twenty four hours!
Monday, November 11, 2013
Postseason sim: Cecil Cup game 3
After splitting the first two games in Seattle, the Monarchs and Wolves brought Cecil Cup baseball to the frenzied fans of Brooklyn tonight. It appears that the nerves of pitching at home got to Nicholas Vargas, as the Wolves starter gave up a single and then a home run to the first two batters of the game. Steve Jones did the damage, giving the Monarchs a quick 2-0 lead. Juan Gomez (remember this name) homered later in the inning to give Monarchs starter Bruno Talamantez a 3-0 lead before he took the mound.
Brooklyn scored a run in the bottom of the first on a RBI single by Katsuhiko Jouda but that was it for the Wolves. In the third, Juan Gomez hit his second homer of the night, a two-run shot, making the score 5-1 and sending Vargas to the showers.
Jouda doubled in a run in the bottom of the third, his second RBI of the game, making it 5-2. Luis Figueroa led off the bottom of the 4th with a solo shot, and suddenly the Monarchs lead was just 5-3, with a lot of baseball left to be played.
In the bottom of the fifth, the game was tied by the Wolves as they scored two runs on three hits (including back-to-back doubles) off Talamantez. Wolves hurler Gregory Wafford, who relieved Vargas in the third, pitched 3.1 shutout innings, keeping the Wolves in the game.
The game remained tied until the bottom of the 8th, when the Wolves scored twice off Seattle lefty Mike Campbell. Brooklyn closer Pino Pontoni let two men reach base in the top of the ninth, but struck out John Hukill to end the Monarchs threat.
Brooklyn wins 7-5, and takes a two games to one lead in the Cecil Cup!
Game four will be on Tuesday night. Will Seattle even the series again, or will they face a familiar 3-to-1 deficit in this round, too?
Brooklyn scored a run in the bottom of the first on a RBI single by Katsuhiko Jouda but that was it for the Wolves. In the third, Juan Gomez hit his second homer of the night, a two-run shot, making the score 5-1 and sending Vargas to the showers.
Jouda doubled in a run in the bottom of the third, his second RBI of the game, making it 5-2. Luis Figueroa led off the bottom of the 4th with a solo shot, and suddenly the Monarchs lead was just 5-3, with a lot of baseball left to be played.
In the bottom of the fifth, the game was tied by the Wolves as they scored two runs on three hits (including back-to-back doubles) off Talamantez. Wolves hurler Gregory Wafford, who relieved Vargas in the third, pitched 3.1 shutout innings, keeping the Wolves in the game.
The game remained tied until the bottom of the 8th, when the Wolves scored twice off Seattle lefty Mike Campbell. Brooklyn closer Pino Pontoni let two men reach base in the top of the ninth, but struck out John Hukill to end the Monarchs threat.
Brooklyn wins 7-5, and takes a two games to one lead in the Cecil Cup!
Game four will be on Tuesday night. Will Seattle even the series again, or will they face a familiar 3-to-1 deficit in this round, too?
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Postseason sim: Cecil Cup game 2
The second game of the Cecil Cup was a lot closer than the first game. Seattle, having dominated visiting Brooklyn in the opener, sent ace Enrico Hernandez to the mound to face William Lawrence.
Seattle opened the scoring in the bottom of the first with a two-run shot by Jonathan Anderson. Two innings later, Anderson hit his second home run in as many at bats to extend the lead to 3-0. Brooklyn scored twice in the top of the 4th, making it a 3-2 game, but Seattle plated a run in the 5th.
It was 4-2 as the sixth inning began. Brooklyn batted around, scoring 4 runs on three hits (and two errors by the sloppy Monarchs), taking a 6-4 lead.
The Wolves held onto that lead through the middle of the 8th. In the bottom of the 8th, John Hukill hit a solo home run to cut the lead to 6-5, but, even though the Monarchs got runners on the corners with just one out in the bottom of the ninth, closer Pino Pontoni got consecutive strike outs to end the game.
The series is tied at 1 as the series, and home field advantage, travels cross country to Brooklyn. Game three will be on Monday night.
Seattle opened the scoring in the bottom of the first with a two-run shot by Jonathan Anderson. Two innings later, Anderson hit his second home run in as many at bats to extend the lead to 3-0. Brooklyn scored twice in the top of the 4th, making it a 3-2 game, but Seattle plated a run in the 5th.
It was 4-2 as the sixth inning began. Brooklyn batted around, scoring 4 runs on three hits (and two errors by the sloppy Monarchs), taking a 6-4 lead.
The Wolves held onto that lead through the middle of the 8th. In the bottom of the 8th, John Hukill hit a solo home run to cut the lead to 6-5, but, even though the Monarchs got runners on the corners with just one out in the bottom of the ninth, closer Pino Pontoni got consecutive strike outs to end the game.
The series is tied at 1 as the series, and home field advantage, travels cross country to Brooklyn. Game three will be on Monday night.
Postseason sim: Cecil Cup game 1
Here we are, folks! It's the end of the 2023 season, and everyone's favorite commissioner faces the (sigh) most illustrious owner in league history. Game one was played at the home of the Seattle Monarchs, good Old League Park. The visiting Brooklyn Wolves were well rested after defeating Maui in five games, while the Monarchs had to win their last three games to defeat Hickory. So, how would game one go?
Unfortunately, it wasn't really close. As feared, the Monarchs steamrolled the Wolves, 11-4, and took the first game of the Cecil Cup. Teddy O'Herlihy pitched seven strong innings, and the Wolves never threatened to make the game close.
Better luck tomorrow, boys from Brooklyn. Game two is Sunday night!
Unfortunately, it wasn't really close. As feared, the Monarchs steamrolled the Wolves, 11-4, and took the first game of the Cecil Cup. Teddy O'Herlihy pitched seven strong innings, and the Wolves never threatened to make the game close.
Better luck tomorrow, boys from Brooklyn. Game two is Sunday night!
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Postseason sim - LCS Game 7
There's nothing like a game 7, is there? The do-or-die attitude fills all players, and amazing performances are sure to come out.
And, if the game 7 involves the Seattle Monarchs, the amazing performance is likely to be by a player on that team. So it was for the Monarchs against the upstart Hickory Huskers, as Bruno Talamantez pitched a 3-hitter as the Monarchs prevailed, coming back from a 3-1 series deficit to win game 7 6-1.
Juan Gomez homered and drove in three runs, while Norman Kuhn drove in a pair with a home run, providing all of the offense the Monarchs needed.
So, here we are: The Monarchs against the Brooklyn Wolves in the Cecil Cup. Congrats to both Mack and Zev for their excellent seasons so far, but we're far from done.
Game 1 is on Saturday night!
And, if the game 7 involves the Seattle Monarchs, the amazing performance is likely to be by a player on that team. So it was for the Monarchs against the upstart Hickory Huskers, as Bruno Talamantez pitched a 3-hitter as the Monarchs prevailed, coming back from a 3-1 series deficit to win game 7 6-1.
Juan Gomez homered and drove in three runs, while Norman Kuhn drove in a pair with a home run, providing all of the offense the Monarchs needed.
So, here we are: The Monarchs against the Brooklyn Wolves in the Cecil Cup. Congrats to both Mack and Zev for their excellent seasons so far, but we're far from done.
Game 1 is on Saturday night!
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Postseason sim - LCS Game 6
Just one game tonight: Hickory at Seattle. Gaddy vs Turner. David vs. Goliath.
Most baseball games are about nine innings. This game was just about one, the tenth, as nothing of note happened in the first nine innings. For Seattle, James Turner gave up no runs through nine, while a trio of Huskers (Gordon Gaddy, Colt Allen, and Julio Delvalle) shutout the Monarchs through nine.
In the tenth, this game ended. James Turner pitched a clean inning, his tenth shutout inning of the game, before he was pinch hit for in the bottom of the 10th by Salvador Barrera. Ivan Castillo led off the bottom of the tenth with a single, and Barrera hit a two-run home run to win the game, 2-0. And, more importantly, tie the series at three wins apiece.
Game Seven will be tomorrow night. Game One of the Cecil Cup will be on Saturday night, as the rested Wolves of Brooklyn await the victor of Seattle/Hickory.
Stay tuned, baseball fans!
Most baseball games are about nine innings. This game was just about one, the tenth, as nothing of note happened in the first nine innings. For Seattle, James Turner gave up no runs through nine, while a trio of Huskers (Gordon Gaddy, Colt Allen, and Julio Delvalle) shutout the Monarchs through nine.
In the tenth, this game ended. James Turner pitched a clean inning, his tenth shutout inning of the game, before he was pinch hit for in the bottom of the 10th by Salvador Barrera. Ivan Castillo led off the bottom of the tenth with a single, and Barrera hit a two-run home run to win the game, 2-0. And, more importantly, tie the series at three wins apiece.
Game Seven will be tomorrow night. Game One of the Cecil Cup will be on Saturday night, as the rested Wolves of Brooklyn await the victor of Seattle/Hickory.
Stay tuned, baseball fans!
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Rain delay
Sorry, guys, I had a technical problem that caused me to be unable to run the sim tonight. Game six between Hickory and Seattle will have to wait until tomorrow night.
Monday, November 4, 2013
Postseason sim - LCS Games 5
Two games tonight. Two winners, two losers, and one team goes home.
Yes, the Brooklyn Wolves defeated the defending Cecil Cup champion Maui Mashers for the fourth time in their series. Katsuhiko Jouda singled home the go-ahead run in the 8th inning to give the Wolves a 3-2 victory, and they move on to the Cecil Cup with a four games to one victory in the LCS.
Earlier, the Hickory Huskers defeated the Seattle Monarchs 9-2 to move within a victory of meeting the Brooklyn Wolves in the Cecil Cup. Cale Page hit two homers and drove in 4 in the easy victory.
There will only be one game tomorrow night: Seattle returns home for a must-win game six.
Yes, the Brooklyn Wolves defeated the defending Cecil Cup champion Maui Mashers for the fourth time in their series. Katsuhiko Jouda singled home the go-ahead run in the 8th inning to give the Wolves a 3-2 victory, and they move on to the Cecil Cup with a four games to one victory in the LCS.
Earlier, the Hickory Huskers defeated the Seattle Monarchs 9-2 to move within a victory of meeting the Brooklyn Wolves in the Cecil Cup. Cale Page hit two homers and drove in 4 in the easy victory.
There will only be one game tomorrow night: Seattle returns home for a must-win game six.
Sunday, November 3, 2013
Postseason sim - LCS games 4
Two big games on the docket this evening: Seattle tries to tie their series with Hickory and Brooklyn goes for the sweep. How did it turn out?
In our first game, Seattle starter Teddy O'Herlihy pitched a two-hitter as the Monarchs defeated the Huskers 5-0. Norman Kuhn hit a two-run shot to lead the Monarchs.
The series is now knotted at two as we suddenly have a best of three between the Monarchs and the Huskers.
Out in Maui, the Brooklyn Wolves smelled blood and scored in the third, fourth, and sixth innings to open a 5-0 lead. Four different Wolves hit home runs to open a seemingly-insurmountable lead as Kevin Kepner stepped on the mound for his sixth inning of work.
Maximo Rodriguez led off with a single, and Barney Maxon followed with a HBP. Kepner then walked the next hitter, loading the bases. With the bases full, and nobody out, Santiago Brito singled in a run, and then another scored on a fielding error by short stop Jeff Wardlaw. Juan Salas drove in a run with a single, and then Angel Banuelos singled in two to draw the score even. Richard Bender then walked to reload the bases, but Kepner coaxed a couple of ground ball outs, the first a 4-2-3 double play, to escape the inning with it tied at 5.
In the seventh, Brooklyn went down quietly in order, while Maui took the lead with a single, sacrifice, and then another single by Kondo. In the eighth, Brooklyn threatened, but a rally-killing double play kept it 6-5 Maui. Eric Halliwell pinch hit and led off the ninth with a single before being erased in yet another double play, and Juan Carillo grounded out to second to end the game.
Maui stays alive, but Brooklyn still leads three games to one.
Games 5 will be simmed on Monday night, and we know there will be at least one game 6 on Tuesday. Will Maui force a second? We'll find out tomorrow!
In our first game, Seattle starter Teddy O'Herlihy pitched a two-hitter as the Monarchs defeated the Huskers 5-0. Norman Kuhn hit a two-run shot to lead the Monarchs.
The series is now knotted at two as we suddenly have a best of three between the Monarchs and the Huskers.
Out in Maui, the Brooklyn Wolves smelled blood and scored in the third, fourth, and sixth innings to open a 5-0 lead. Four different Wolves hit home runs to open a seemingly-insurmountable lead as Kevin Kepner stepped on the mound for his sixth inning of work.
Maximo Rodriguez led off with a single, and Barney Maxon followed with a HBP. Kepner then walked the next hitter, loading the bases. With the bases full, and nobody out, Santiago Brito singled in a run, and then another scored on a fielding error by short stop Jeff Wardlaw. Juan Salas drove in a run with a single, and then Angel Banuelos singled in two to draw the score even. Richard Bender then walked to reload the bases, but Kepner coaxed a couple of ground ball outs, the first a 4-2-3 double play, to escape the inning with it tied at 5.
In the seventh, Brooklyn went down quietly in order, while Maui took the lead with a single, sacrifice, and then another single by Kondo. In the eighth, Brooklyn threatened, but a rally-killing double play kept it 6-5 Maui. Eric Halliwell pinch hit and led off the ninth with a single before being erased in yet another double play, and Juan Carillo grounded out to second to end the game.
Maui stays alive, but Brooklyn still leads three games to one.
Games 5 will be simmed on Monday night, and we know there will be at least one game 6 on Tuesday. Will Maui force a second? We'll find out tomorrow!
Saturday, November 2, 2013
Postseason sim - LCS games 3
After an off day for travel, the league championship series travel to the underdog's homes: Hickory and Maui.
In our first game today, the heavily-favored Seattle Monarchs, who lost home field advantage to the Huskers, had Bruno Talamantez on the mound against the veteran Donald Hunnicutt, who shut out the Monarchs in the top of the first. An Aaron Hampton single brought in Cale Page in the bottom of the frame, whipping the hometown fans into a frenzy for their Huskers.
The score remained 1-0 until the 4th, when the Monarchs struck. John Hukill led off with a double, the first of five straight Monarchs to reach base against Hunnicutt. All told, Seattle took a seemingly-commanding 4-1 lead in the inning, and stretched it to 5-1 with a solo homer by Hukill in the fifth.
In the bottom of the sixth, George Labarre hit a two-run shot to cut the lead in half. It remained 5-3 until the next inning, as Talamantez was relieved by Gregg Fiala, a former closer who was converted to a starter this season. However, his late inning success apparently is only good for the 9th, as he got rocked, giving up 4 runs as Hickory completed the comeback and took a 7-5 lead. A two-run double by Cisco Castro was the killer shot by the Huskers.
Seattle fought back against reliever Colt Allen in the 8th, getting first and third with just one out before veteran lefty Patrick Beene got Ivan Castillo to hit into a pretty 6-4-3 doubleplay to kill the rally.
Julie Delvalle took the mound to close it out in the top of the 9th. However, like all good closers, he nearly gave his manager a heart attack after getting two quick outs to start the frame. Third baseman Pedro Campos booted a potential final out ground ball by Bas Bijkerk. That clearly unnerved Delvalle, as two pitches later, he plunked Roberto Perez, and then walked Lucio Muniz to load the bases.
So, Seattle was down by two, down to their final out with the bases loaded in the ninth, and superstar catcher Steve Jones was up. Jones, who was 1-for-5 coming into the ninth, looked at two pitches, a strike and a ball, before finally swinging at the third.
He swung and missed. Then, he swung and missed again to strike out to end the game. Hickory is halfway to the upset, and takes a two games to one lead on Seattle.
Now, for the other team everyone wants to win their series, the Brooklyn Wolves traveled to Maui with a couple of convincing victories at home. Would the sun and surf, not to mention the jetlag from the nine and a half hour flight, slow down the Wolves? Let's find out!
Both teams scored twice in the first, but the visiting Wolves added a single run in the fourth before scoring thrice in the fifth for a 6-2 lead. Maui's James Dodd made it a 6-4 game in the seventh with a two-run home run. Brooklyn scored three more times in the ninth to win (again!) decisively (again!), 10-4 (again!).
Brooklyn takes a commanding 3-0 lead in the LCS. Will they complete the sweep? Will Seattle flex its muscles and tie their series with Hickory? Stay tuned, as two very exciting games 4 will be simmed on Sunday night!
In our first game today, the heavily-favored Seattle Monarchs, who lost home field advantage to the Huskers, had Bruno Talamantez on the mound against the veteran Donald Hunnicutt, who shut out the Monarchs in the top of the first. An Aaron Hampton single brought in Cale Page in the bottom of the frame, whipping the hometown fans into a frenzy for their Huskers.
The score remained 1-0 until the 4th, when the Monarchs struck. John Hukill led off with a double, the first of five straight Monarchs to reach base against Hunnicutt. All told, Seattle took a seemingly-commanding 4-1 lead in the inning, and stretched it to 5-1 with a solo homer by Hukill in the fifth.
In the bottom of the sixth, George Labarre hit a two-run shot to cut the lead in half. It remained 5-3 until the next inning, as Talamantez was relieved by Gregg Fiala, a former closer who was converted to a starter this season. However, his late inning success apparently is only good for the 9th, as he got rocked, giving up 4 runs as Hickory completed the comeback and took a 7-5 lead. A two-run double by Cisco Castro was the killer shot by the Huskers.
Seattle fought back against reliever Colt Allen in the 8th, getting first and third with just one out before veteran lefty Patrick Beene got Ivan Castillo to hit into a pretty 6-4-3 doubleplay to kill the rally.
Julie Delvalle took the mound to close it out in the top of the 9th. However, like all good closers, he nearly gave his manager a heart attack after getting two quick outs to start the frame. Third baseman Pedro Campos booted a potential final out ground ball by Bas Bijkerk. That clearly unnerved Delvalle, as two pitches later, he plunked Roberto Perez, and then walked Lucio Muniz to load the bases.
So, Seattle was down by two, down to their final out with the bases loaded in the ninth, and superstar catcher Steve Jones was up. Jones, who was 1-for-5 coming into the ninth, looked at two pitches, a strike and a ball, before finally swinging at the third.
He swung and missed. Then, he swung and missed again to strike out to end the game. Hickory is halfway to the upset, and takes a two games to one lead on Seattle.
Now, for the other team everyone wants to win their series, the Brooklyn Wolves traveled to Maui with a couple of convincing victories at home. Would the sun and surf, not to mention the jetlag from the nine and a half hour flight, slow down the Wolves? Let's find out!
Both teams scored twice in the first, but the visiting Wolves added a single run in the fourth before scoring thrice in the fifth for a 6-2 lead. Maui's James Dodd made it a 6-4 game in the seventh with a two-run home run. Brooklyn scored three more times in the ninth to win (again!) decisively (again!), 10-4 (again!).
Brooklyn takes a commanding 3-0 lead in the LCS. Will they complete the sweep? Will Seattle flex its muscles and tie their series with Hickory? Stay tuned, as two very exciting games 4 will be simmed on Sunday night!
Friday, November 1, 2013
Postseason sim - LCS Games 2
It's late and I'm exhausted, so this will be brief.
Brooklyn put up quite a few crooked numbers in taking game 2 over Maui 10-4, and leads 2-0 as the league shifts to the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
Meanwhile, in Seattle, Hickory defeated the heavily-favorite Monarchs 8-6, to tie their series at 1 win apiece. Games three in Maui and Hickory will be simmed on Saturday night.
Brooklyn put up quite a few crooked numbers in taking game 2 over Maui 10-4, and leads 2-0 as the league shifts to the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
Meanwhile, in Seattle, Hickory defeated the heavily-favorite Monarchs 8-6, to tie their series at 1 win apiece. Games three in Maui and Hickory will be simmed on Saturday night.
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Postseason sim - LCS Games 1
Here we go, folks! It's time for the 2023 postseason, featuring everybody's favorite commissioner, Zev Steinhardt, in the postseason again. That's why I'm running the sims for the first round, so Zev can concentrate on his tall task: defeating the defending Cecil Cup champion Maui Mashers in the League Championship Series.
It was a breezy, cloudy day in Brooklyn as Kevin Kepner took the mound for the hometown Wolves. Kyle Fike opposed him for the boys from Hawai'i. Not much happened in the first few innings, as Brooklyn had runners on the corners with one outs in the bottom of the second, but Fike got out of that jam with a strikeout and a ground out.
In the top of the third, Brooklyn lost its centerfielder, Kevin Works, as he injured his ankle making an amazing catch. He'll miss the rest of the postseason, but, on the plus side, ends with a perfect 1.000 batting average after tripling in the second.
Maui finally opened the scoring in the top of the fourth, scraping two singles together around a walk to take a 1-0 lead. But, the Wolves finally feasted on Fike in the bottom of the fifth, as their second time through the lineup allowed them to score twice, taking a 2-1 lead. A solo home run by Jeff Wardlaw in the 7th extended the lead to 3-1, and a two-run shot by Kathuhiko Jouda in the 8th gave the Wolves a 5-1 lead.
Timothy Mendiola tried to spark a rally by leading off the ninth with a triple off Kepner, and scored on a sacrifice fly two batters later, but Pino Pontoni relieved Kepner and got the final batter to ground out to preserve the 5-2 win for Brooklyn on its owner's birthday. Happy birthday, Zev!
Kevin Kepner got the #2 performance of the day with his 8 and 2/3rds innings of 7 hits, 2 walks, 2 earned runs, and 8 strikeouts in the win. Kyle Fike was the loser.
If Kepner was the #2 performer, who possibly was better than him tonight? Well, if you have been following OOTP baseball the past 15 seasons or so, you probably would have answered "Whoever was pitching for Seattle" and have been absolutely correct. Enrico Hernandez pitched a dazzler, a complete game 2-hitter the Seattle Monarchs cruised to a 9-1 thrashing of the feel-good story, Hickory Huskers. Welcome to reality, Frank.
So, both home teams held serve in the first game of their series. Game 2 for both series will be tomorrow night!
It was a breezy, cloudy day in Brooklyn as Kevin Kepner took the mound for the hometown Wolves. Kyle Fike opposed him for the boys from Hawai'i. Not much happened in the first few innings, as Brooklyn had runners on the corners with one outs in the bottom of the second, but Fike got out of that jam with a strikeout and a ground out.
In the top of the third, Brooklyn lost its centerfielder, Kevin Works, as he injured his ankle making an amazing catch. He'll miss the rest of the postseason, but, on the plus side, ends with a perfect 1.000 batting average after tripling in the second.
Maui finally opened the scoring in the top of the fourth, scraping two singles together around a walk to take a 1-0 lead. But, the Wolves finally feasted on Fike in the bottom of the fifth, as their second time through the lineup allowed them to score twice, taking a 2-1 lead. A solo home run by Jeff Wardlaw in the 7th extended the lead to 3-1, and a two-run shot by Kathuhiko Jouda in the 8th gave the Wolves a 5-1 lead.
Timothy Mendiola tried to spark a rally by leading off the ninth with a triple off Kepner, and scored on a sacrifice fly two batters later, but Pino Pontoni relieved Kepner and got the final batter to ground out to preserve the 5-2 win for Brooklyn on its owner's birthday. Happy birthday, Zev!
Kevin Kepner got the #2 performance of the day with his 8 and 2/3rds innings of 7 hits, 2 walks, 2 earned runs, and 8 strikeouts in the win. Kyle Fike was the loser.
If Kepner was the #2 performer, who possibly was better than him tonight? Well, if you have been following OOTP baseball the past 15 seasons or so, you probably would have answered "Whoever was pitching for Seattle" and have been absolutely correct. Enrico Hernandez pitched a dazzler, a complete game 2-hitter the Seattle Monarchs cruised to a 9-1 thrashing of the feel-good story, Hickory Huskers. Welcome to reality, Frank.
So, both home teams held serve in the first game of their series. Game 2 for both series will be tomorrow night!
Monday, October 28, 2013
Regular Season's In The Books -- Welcome To The Postseason
Game Date: 9/24/2023
Who Uploaded:
Antelope Valley
Brick
Hickory
Maui
Seattle
Shackamaxon
Final Standings:
Adams: Brooklyn wins the division by four games.
Zotti: Seattle's ended up winning the division by162 thirty seven games.
Signorino: Maui ends up fourteen games over New York.
Wild Card: Hickory earns the wild card by finishing eight games ahead of Brick.
Awards & Accomplishments:
Hickory's Hidekazu Iwasaki named Player of the Week (9/18)
Injuries:
Seattle RF Maximo Rodriguez will miss about a week with a quadraceps strain.
Playoff Schedule:
Michael is going to be taking over the sims for the playoffs. The preliminary schedule is as follows:
Wed 10/30 - Game 1
Thur 10/31 - Game 2
Sat 11/2 - Game 3
Sun 11/3 - Game 4
Mon 11/4 - Game 5 (if necessary)
Tue 11/5 - Game 6 (if necessary)
Wed 11/6 - Game 7 (if necessary)
All four playoff teams should please make sure that their Playoff rosters are set before Wednesday evening.
Zev
Who Uploaded:
Antelope Valley
Brick
Hickory
Maui
Seattle
Shackamaxon
Final Standings:
Adams: Brooklyn wins the division by four games.
Zotti: Seattle's ended up winning the division by
Signorino: Maui ends up fourteen games over New York.
Wild Card: Hickory earns the wild card by finishing eight games ahead of Brick.
Awards & Accomplishments:
Hickory's Hidekazu Iwasaki named Player of the Week (9/18)
Injuries:
Seattle RF Maximo Rodriguez will miss about a week with a quadraceps strain.
Playoff Schedule:
Michael is going to be taking over the sims for the playoffs. The preliminary schedule is as follows:
Wed 10/30 - Game 1
Thur 10/31 - Game 2
Sat 11/2 - Game 3
Sun 11/3 - Game 4
Mon 11/4 - Game 5 (if necessary)
Tue 11/5 - Game 6 (if necessary)
Wed 11/6 - Game 7 (if necessary)
All four playoff teams should please make sure that their Playoff rosters are set before Wednesday evening.
Zev
No Sim Last Night
To All,
I didn't get a chance to run the sim last night. We'll finish off the season tonight.
Zev
I didn't get a chance to run the sim last night. We'll finish off the season tonight.
Zev
Monday, October 21, 2013
Sep I Sim Done
Game Date: 9/15/2023
Who Uploaded?:
Antelope Valley
Brick
Hickory
Houston
Maui
Seattle
Shackamaxon
Standings:
Adams: Brooklyn has taken a three game lead over Hickory.
Zotti: Seattle clinched the division.
Signorino: Maui has clinched the division.
Wild Card: The loser of the Adams division race between Brooklyn and Hickory will be the Wild Card team.
Awards & Accomplishments:
SS Rick Bryant of Antelope Valley named Player of the Week (9/4)
Houston 1B Nigel Bryant named Player of the Week (9/11). This is Bryant's fifth award this year (in addition to the two Batter of the Month awards).
Significant Injuries:
Dario Lopez, New York. Herniated disc, done for the year.
Dennis Durand, Brooklyn, elbow inflammation, done for the year.
Juan Villatoro, Maui, nerve compression, done for the year.
Pedro Ramos, Ohio, torn rotator cuff, done for the year.
Raul Ortega, London, foot contusion, done for the year.
Ignacio Lopez, Brick, strained groin muscle, done for the year.
Antonio Cerda, Brooklyn, elbow inflammation, done for the year.
Milestones:
Brick LF Rufus Murray recorded his 2000th hit.
Next sim: Next Sunday, to finish the regular season.
Who Uploaded?:
Antelope Valley
Brick
Hickory
Houston
Maui
Seattle
Shackamaxon
Standings:
Adams: Brooklyn has taken a three game lead over Hickory.
Zotti: Seattle clinched the division.
Signorino: Maui has clinched the division.
Wild Card: The loser of the Adams division race between Brooklyn and Hickory will be the Wild Card team.
Awards & Accomplishments:
SS Rick Bryant of Antelope Valley named Player of the Week (9/4)
Houston 1B Nigel Bryant named Player of the Week (9/11). This is Bryant's fifth award this year (in addition to the two Batter of the Month awards).
Significant Injuries:
Dario Lopez, New York. Herniated disc, done for the year.
Dennis Durand, Brooklyn, elbow inflammation, done for the year.
Juan Villatoro, Maui, nerve compression, done for the year.
Pedro Ramos, Ohio, torn rotator cuff, done for the year.
Raul Ortega, London, foot contusion, done for the year.
Ignacio Lopez, Brick, strained groin muscle, done for the year.
Antonio Cerda, Brooklyn, elbow inflammation, done for the year.
Milestones:
Brick LF Rufus Murray recorded his 2000th hit.
Next sim: Next Sunday, to finish the regular season.
For Your Reading Pleasure...
I completed the sim, but I won't have a chance to write up a summary tonight.
However, I found an interesting article which asks the question ... if you put superheroes into OOTP, what would the result be?
http://extramustard.si.com/2013/10/17/which-superhero-would-be-best-at-baseball-a-scientific-study-part-1/
Enjoy!
Zev
However, I found an interesting article which asks the question ... if you put superheroes into OOTP, what would the result be?
http://extramustard.si.com/2013/10/17/which-superhero-would-be-best-at-baseball-a-scientific-study-part-1/
Enjoy!
Zev
Monday, October 14, 2013
Aug II Sim Done
Game Date: 9/1/2023 -- time to expand those rosters.
Who Uploaded:
Antelope Valley
Brick
Hickory
Houston
Maui
Seattle
Shackamaxon
Standings:
Adams: Hickory has taken a one game lead over Brooklyn.
Zotti: Seattle has locked up the division.
Signorino: Maui has an eleven game lead over New York
Wild Card: Brooklyn leads Shacakamaxon, Brick and New York by fourteen games.
Awards and Accomplishments:
New York 2B Gene Reynolds named Player of the Week (8/21)
Atlanta 1B Paul Ellis named Player of the Week (8/28)
Seattle 2B Norman Kuhn named Batter of the Month.
Ohio starter Alonso Chlula named Pitcher of the Month
Ohio 1B Luis Rodriguez named Rookie of the Month.
Significant Injuries:
New York's William Connolly has a herniated disk and is done for the year.
London's Tomas Kalakay is out for five weeks with a fractured finger.
Houston's Kyung-hwan Pak strained a hamstring and will miss 4-5 weeks.
Milestones:
Brooklyn's Dennis Durand recorded his 2000th strikeout, making him the 16th pitcher to reach that plateau.
Next sim: Next Sunday.
Who Uploaded:
Antelope Valley
Brick
Hickory
Houston
Maui
Seattle
Shackamaxon
Standings:
Adams: Hickory has taken a one game lead over Brooklyn.
Zotti: Seattle has locked up the division.
Signorino: Maui has an eleven game lead over New York
Wild Card: Brooklyn leads Shacakamaxon, Brick and New York by fourteen games.
Awards and Accomplishments:
New York 2B Gene Reynolds named Player of the Week (8/21)
Atlanta 1B Paul Ellis named Player of the Week (8/28)
Seattle 2B Norman Kuhn named Batter of the Month.
Ohio starter Alonso Chlula named Pitcher of the Month
Ohio 1B Luis Rodriguez named Rookie of the Month.
Significant Injuries:
New York's William Connolly has a herniated disk and is done for the year.
London's Tomas Kalakay is out for five weeks with a fractured finger.
Houston's Kyung-hwan Pak strained a hamstring and will miss 4-5 weeks.
Milestones:
Brooklyn's Dennis Durand recorded his 2000th strikeout, making him the 16th pitcher to reach that plateau.
Next sim: Next Sunday.
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Aug I Sim Done
Game Date: 8/15/2023
Who Uploaded:
Antelope Valley
Brick
Hickory
Houston
Maui
Seattle
Shackamaxon
Who Uploaded:
Antelope Valley
Brick
Hickory
Houston
Maui
Seattle
Shackamaxon
Standings
Adams: Brooklyn & Hickory are tied for the division lead.
Zotti: Seattle by twenty six.
Signorino: Maui is five games ahead of New York
Wild Card: Brooklyn/Hickory are ten games ahead of New York and Brick.
Awards and Accomplishments:
Seattle SS John Hukill named Player of the Week (7/31)
Ohio's Bruno Carmona goes 5-5 and hits for the cycle (7/31)
Ohio's Bruno Carmona goes 5-5 and hits for the cycle (7/31)
Seattle C Steve Jones named Batter of the Month
Maui SP Juan Villatoro named Pitcher of the Month
New York LF Howard Rogers named Rookie of the Month
Brooklyn 1B Andy Robertson hits for the cycle (8/5)
Ohio 1B Luis Rodriguez named Player of the Week (8/7)
Antelope Valley 1B Carlos Fernandez named Player of the Week (8/15)
Significant Injuries:
Brooklyn RF Kevin Works will miss 3-4 weeks with a torn thumb ligament.
Ohio's Jesus Vela fractured his wrist and will miss 5-6 weeks.
London's Jeffrey Brunton tore his rotator cuff and will miss 2 months.
Next sim: Sunday night.
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