Highland, Wilmington Swap Miscellaneous Parts

In a move hailed by many as "nothing special," the Wilmington Atlantics have dispatched infielder Art Whitaker to Highland for a second round draft pick (via Maui) an 8th round pick, plus AA outfield prospect Juan Blanco.

While neither team will save its failing season with this move, fans of both are cautiously optimistic that their teams will play .500 ball sometime in the next 10 seasons.

Seattle Parts with Beloved Veterans and Bolsters Rival

"It's a really, really, really tough day for us here," said a glum-faced Mack Shultz. "It's hard to trade two players who are such an integral part of what we do here in Seattle, what we've done. It's the right thing to do, both for us and for them, but it's just hard."

Seattle traded starting pitcher Enrico "Whistler" Hernandez and shortstop Dewey Wilson to Brick in exchange for three draft picks and three prospects.

Hernandez has been one of the greatest starting pitchers in league history, winning 227 games over 13 years for Seattle. He also may be in the midst of his greatest season ever, going 16-2 with a 3.07 ERA this year. Wilson has been Seattle's starting shortstop for most of the last seven years, before being displaced in a trade earlier this year with Brick.

"I remember trading 13 years ago for a first-round pick in the hopes that we would have a chance to land Whistler," said Shultz. "He was a tremendous pitcher, even then. Luckily he fell to us, moved quickly through the minors, and everyone knows the rest of the story." A quick glance at the league career leaderboards establishes Hernandez's spot in history. He ranks sixth all time in wins, second in winning percentage, fourth in shutouts, and tenth in strikeouts.

Meanwhile, Wilson has hit .300 over his eight-year career while Seattle's infield defense through their recent title runs.

In return for the two stars, Seattle received Brick's first, third, and fourth round picks next year; shortstop Jesus Souza (who was traded from Seattle to Brick earlier this year); A-ball outfielder Michael Erwin; and rookie-league reliever Francisco Flores.

EDITED TO ADD: Seattle also sent $7 million in small unmarked bills to the Brick's owner's Swiss bank account. Seems totally above board.

Highland-Seattle Trade

"I don't like seeing good players sitting in AAA when they could be playing in the majors," said Seattle's owner/GM Mack Shultz when explaining the trade with Highland. "It's not fair to the guys who have worked hard to put themselves in a position to live their dream. If I can't find a spot for them here, then I'll find a spot somewhere else."

And with that, Seattle sent three players to Highland, along with an eighth-round draft pick, for Highland's first-round pick in next year's draft.

The brightest prospect among the three players is third baseman Carter Bailey, 24 years old. Bailey is hitting .371 this year for AAA Tacoma, after hitting .389 last season in AAA, and leads all AAA hitters in WAR. This year, Bailey has been learning to play shortstop, in an effort to increase his versatility.

Highland also added corner outfielder Flint Francis, who came up to the majors after a series of injuries to the Monarchs and hit .346 while making 21 starts. Francis won last year's MVP award in AAA. With the improved health of Seattle's starting outfielders, Francis was likely headed back to AAA, where he's hit over .300 for the last five years.

Finally, reliever Ruben Mota changes addresses. Mota has gone 8-2 with a sparkling 1.86 ERA this year for AAA Tacoma. He's also started in the past, and perhaps could slide between both roles for Highland, especially if he is able to polish off his curveball as an effective third pitch.

All three players are expected to move quickly to Highland's major league roster.

Highland - Maui Trade

Fresh off injuries to two key cogs in the system, the Maui Mashers announced the following trade with the Highland Admirals.

SP Joseph Brown and OF Juan Arroyo will travel across the Pacific to join the Maui squad, while Maui will send to Highland AAA SP Ron Grimes, AA OF Dwight Potts, and Maui's 2nd round pick in next year's amateur draft.

Highlands players for trade

Pitchers

SP J. Brown , willing to play some salary for last year.
MR J. Lopez, young and good
MR K.S. Kim, vet reliever
CL J. Gonzalez, good MR/set up

Fielders
3B Max Price,  great DH/ back up 3B
OF L. Hernandez, good hitter with pop
OF J. Arroyo, good fielder/ good pop

 If not listed just ask cause the worse I can say is NO lol

July I Sim Done

Game Date:  Jul 16 2030

Standings:
Adams:  Brick over Brooklyn by six.
Zotti: Seattle up by twenty.
Signorino: Philadelphia is seven games ahead of Maui
Wild Card: Maui is four games ahead of Appalachian

Awards & Accomplishments:
Appalachian LF Martin Perez named Player of the Week (7/8, 3rd career award)
Highland RF Lorenzo Hernandez named Player of the Week (7/15)
Philadelphia SP Will Hickford, in only his second start after being traded, throws the first no-hitter in the league in almost three seasons vs. Mepkin Abbey (7/10)

Significant Injuries:
Brick SP Bruno Talamantez has a torn labrum and will be collecting his $30m salary while on the bench for 12 months.
Maui CF Jesus Barcelo has an oblique strain that wll cost him 8-9 weeks.
Appalachian SS Martin Costa torn his thumb ligament and will miss four weeks.
Maui SP Sean Henry is done for the year with a torn flexor tendon.  He should be ready in time for spring training.

Milestones:
Jesus Flores (Atlanta) reached 1000 runs scored.

Batting Line of the Sim:
Appalachian's Ed Weber went 4-5 with 2 HR, 2 runs scored and 5 RBI vs. Houston (7/1)

Pitching Line of the Sim:
Philadelphia's Will Hickford pitched a no-hitter, walking two and striking out twelve vs. Mepkin Abbey (7/10)

Answer to Last Week's Question:
Who are the only pitchers to have thrown more than one no-hitter in the same regular season?

There were five of them, but only four were guessed.
Michael came up with Johnny Vander Meer (the first one to do it, and he did it back-to-back) in 1938.
He also came up with Max Scherzer, who did it in 2015
Thomas came up with Virgil Trucks who did it in 1952, despite going 5-19 on the season.
He also mentioned Nolan Ryan, who tossed a pair in 1973

The one that no one came up with was Allie Reynolds, who did it for the Yankees in 1951.

(And, of course, there is Roy Halladay, who threw two no-hitters [including a perfect game] in 2010, but that does not count because one of them were in the post-season.)

This Week's Question:
Under what circumstances can a pitcher be credited with a shutout but not receive credit for a perfect  complete game, and who was the last pitcher to do it?

(Hint:  I watched that game when it happened.)

Next sim:  Next Wednesday.  The next sim will only go to Jul 30, to give us an additional week before the trading deadline.

Brick, Wilmington Announce Trade

Brick Barracudas have traded their 8^th round selection in the 2031 amateur draft to the Wilmington Atlantics for shortstop Juan Moran, currently with Wilmington's rookie-league affiliate in Glendale.

Moran could not be reached for comment as he hurriedly packed up his cramped apartment.

Brick GM Fred Goldfarb was reportedly ecstatic at having pulled off this trade, calling Moran “our most important acquisition in the past ten years.” The Atlantics arranged a press conference of their own. Speaking in front of a two hundred foot long banner inscribed “Mission Accomplished!!!!”, Kerner touted his many accomplishments since taking over two months ago, such as the time he acquired an 8^th round draft pick in a trade, and announced plans to build a wall completely around the outfield to keep unauthorized relief pitchers from entering the field of play without permission.

Moran's shocked teenaged teammates quickly took to social media to voice their disapproval. Left fielder Victor Samuels tweeted “OMG they tradd Moran ths team sux #traddme #yolo”. Center Fielder Bartolo Rosa, posting a 15 paragraph rant on his official facebook account, called for a boycott of Wilmington's rookie league affiliate and all of its advertisers. As of press time, Rosa's post had garnered 4 “likes”, two “sad faces” and one “angry face.”

Kerner responded by pointing out that the club had arranged to have therapy dogs on hand to console the grieving Glendale players in a special “safe space” hastily set up behind the left field bullpen. Several players were rumored to have contacted nearby college administrators to report having been “triggered” by the event, despite the fact that none of the players actually attends college.

Earlier in the day, Glendale shortstop Walt Cross tweeted “good, more pt for me lol #dontletthedoorhityou” but later deleted the tweet, claiming his account had been hacked and that any suggestions that he was happy to see a fellow shortstop leave town were simply “fake news.”

Philadelphia/Brick trade

With up-and-coming starter Juan Santiago out for a year with an elbow injury, the first place Philadelphia Hornets wasted no time finding his replacement. The team has announced a stunner of a trade with fellow division leader Brick, with the Barracudas receiving a package of five players and an armored truck's worth of cash in return for starter Will Hickford.

Along with $8,000,000 cash, the Hornets are sending 3B Larry McCormick, SP Ron Hill, AAA SP Austin Houston, AAA RP Francisco Flores, and A RP Juan Diaz.

"It was a steep price to pay, but with Maui on our backs and a legitimate chance to win a Cecil Cup on the horizon, it was worth it," said Hornets GM Michael Weintraub.

Well, That's Embarrassing...

It turns out the question I asked Michael to post for me last night was incorrect.  So, I posted a new question.

June II Sim Done

Game Date: July 1, 2030

Standings:

• Adams Division - Brick leads Brooklyn by 6 games
• Zotti Division - Seattle leads Appalachian by 14 games
• Signorino Division - Philadelphia leads Maui by 4 games
• Wild Card - Maui is up 3 games on Brooklyn and Appalachian

Awards:

• Brick 1B Martin Cox won player of the week (6/17)
• Philadelphia 1B Manuel Hidalgo won player of the week (6/24)
• Maui 2B Carlos Madrigal won player of the week (7/1)
• Seattle 1B Hector Valera won batter of the month for June
• Seattle SP Enrico Hernandez won pitcher of the month for June 
• Wilmington RF Matt Young won rookie of the month for June

Injuries:

• Seattle RF Hector Pina - 6 weeks (sports hernia)
• Atlanta RF Lucio Muniz - 4 weeks (sprained thumb)
• Philadelphia SP Juan Santiago - 10-11 months (stretched elbow ligament :( )
• Mepkin Abbey RF Jimmy Estes - 4 weeks (shoulder soreness)
• Wilmington RF Maximo Rodriguez - 6-7 weeks (oblique strain)
• Highland 2B Mark Cannon - 4 weeks (sprained ankle)
• Mepkin Abbey LF Jonathan Anderson - 2 weeks (back soreness)
• Highland - 1B Roberto Benitez - 3 weeks (fractured foot)
• Antelope Valley LF Ray McJannett - 5 weeks (torn ligament in thumb)
• Highland 3B Max Price - one week (back soreness)

Answer to last sim's trivia question: I got it right, with the elaborate answer that a player could switch teams during the suspension of a game.

This week's trivia question: One lucky player was the only player to pinch hit for two different Hall of Fame players who were never otherwise pinch hit for in their careers. Who is the player?

Edit by Zev (7/20/2017):  My apologies, everyone.  It turns out that no such person exists.  While there was only one player (Carroll Hardy) to pinch hit for Ted Williams, several sources (including, but not limited to the Wikipedia page I linked to above) indicated that he was also the only player to pinch hit for Carl Yastrzemski.  While he *did* pinch hit for Yaz, I later confirmed that he was not the *only* person to do so.  (I found a game on May 26, 1983 where Reid Nichols pinch hit for Yaz.)  So, I guess I owe you all another question.

This week's replacement trivia question:
Who are the only pitchers to throw more than one no-hitter in the same regular season?

Next sim: Next Wednesday night, July 26th.

Jun I Sim (Finally) Done

Game Date:  Jun 16 2030

Standings:
Adams:  Brick is up by eight games over Brooklyn
Zotti:  Seattle's lead over Appalachian is seven games
Signorino: Philadelphia leads Maui by five

Awards & Accomplishments:
Seattle wrapped up both Player of the Week awards this sim with 1B Hector Valera winning his third award this season and 2B Norman Kuhn winning his 8th career award

Significant Injuries:
Appalachian LF Mike Roberts has a sprained wrist that will cost him 4-5 weeks.
Mepkin Abbey will be without Pedro Munoz for six weeks with a herniated disc.
Seattle's George Hendricks will be sidelined for four weeks with a hamstring injury.
Brick 2B Jesus Alvarez has a strained hamstring.  He'll sit for seven weeks.
Wilmington's Dmitr Radzilowski has chronic back soreness.  He'll be out five weeks.

Milestones:
Houston SP Kevin Kepner reaches 2000 strikeouts.
Seattle's Norman Kuhn batted in his 1000 run
Seattle's Enrico Hernandez reached 2500 strikeouts
Brick's Bruno Talamantez reached 3000 strikeouts

Batting Line of the Sim:
Mepkin Abbey's Carlos Ortega went 2-2 with two walks, two home runs, three runs scored and four RBI (6/12)

Pitching Line of the Sim:
Seattle Enrico Hernandez pitched a two-hit shutout with no walks and 11 Ks against Appalachian (6/12)

Answer to last week's question:
Who were the last two members of the Hall of Fame to play for the St. Louis Browns?

The answer is Satchel Paige, who played with the Browns from 1951-53 and Dizzy Dean.
Dean was long retired and serving as a broadcaster for the Browns.  He announced on air that he could play better than any of the players on the squad and ownership took him up on it. On the final day of the season, Brown suited up and took the mound for the Browns.  He pitched four shutout innings against the White Sox, allowing three hits and a walk.  He also hit a single in his only time at bat.

This week's trivia question:

How is it possible for a pitcher to receive both the win and the loss in the same game?

Next sim:  Wednesday night.

Trade between Brick and Antelope Valley

GM Fred Goldfarb not sitting idle had completed his fourth trade in a months time...Brick trades the second round pick(received from Seattle) and third round pick ( received from Highland via Philadelphia) plus Soh Hayagawa  2B/SS to Antelope Valley for Paul Gilbert SP AA...GM Bill Sauerwald of AV was looking for additional picks and needed infield help and was willing to part with the 37th overall prospect Paul Gilbert SP ...Fred cannot resist adding more strong arms to the organization

Rain Delay

Apparently, it seems that the game will not allow me to add international complex players to a trade.  As a result, I can't process the Brick-Atlanta trade.

I'm going to hold the sim until Saturday night to give them time to decide what to do.

Zev

Brick and Atlanta trade

 Brick  and Atlanta Trade: the GM'S of the two teams came together and traded the  following players: Brick sends 1.Ray Herbert 1B ML 2. Jesus Hernandez CF AAA 3. Dan Ross SP RL Atlanta sends 1.Logan Francis CF and 2.Sergio Saurez  SS.Both GM'S were happy with the trade                       

May Sim II Done - Amateur Draft

Game Date:  Jun 1 2030

Standings:
Adams:  Brick leads Brooklyn by six.
Zotti:  Seattle's lead over Appalachian is four
Signorino:  Philadelphia is six games up on Maui


Awards & Accomplishments:
Antelope Valley's Petero Hokualohi named Player of the Week (5/27, 4th career award)
Seattle 1B Hector Valera named Player of the Week (5/20, 2nd award this season) AND  Batter of the Month
Mepkin Abbey's Erik Moore named Pitcher of the Month
Highland CF Chris Pace named Rookie of the Month

Significant Injuries:
Philadelphia RP Eric Estrada, elbow ligament, will be out until next April.
Antelope Valley's Carlos Deleon will miss three weeks with an injured tailbone.
Philadelphia LF John Willis strained his hamstring.  He's out 5-6 weeks.
Seattle RF Mike Minty has a latissimus dorsi strain.  He'll miss four weeks.
Brooklyn's Edgardo Collazo strained his hip muscle.  He's done for four months.
Mepkin Abbey's Esteban Vargas will miss six weeks with a strained oblique.
Appalachian's Mike Roberts has a sprained wrist and will ride the pine for 4-5 weeks.

Odd Injury of the Sim:
Appalachian Valley has to do a better job of keeping the water off the playing field in their International Complex.  C Cesar Villereal is out for a week with a bruised thigh after he was attacked by a shark.  I think they also need to beef up their security... apparently they'll let anyone on the field. :)

Milestones: None

Batting Line of the Sim:
Maui's Don Jones went 3-5 with 2 HR, 4 R and 5 RBI  and a walk vs. Wilmington (5/29)

Pitching Line of the Sim:
Philadelphia's Juan Santiago pitched a three hit shutout with 2 BB and 8 K vs. Appalachian (5/31)

Amateur Draft:
The next sim will include the amateur draft.  Please take a moment and double check the Traded Draft Picks List before the draft and make sure that all draft picks that you are supposed to receive are listed there.  I will be working off of that list when I conduct the draft.  Complaints of missing draft picks will not be entertained after the draft.

Answer to Last Week's Trivia Question:
Michael and Fred correctly deduced that the list was the list of switch hitters who won the MVP and that the missing members of the group were Pete Rose and Vida Blue.

This Week's Trivia Question:
Who were the last two members of the Hall of Fame to play in a game for the St. Louis Browns?

Next sim:  Next *Thursday* night (we'll return to Wednesday the following sim)

Brick and Seattle trade

In a frantic hastily thrown together conference with the media Brick and Seattle come together to announce a trade ....Brick sends to Seattle the following players: 1.Chalen SS ML 2. Powell SP AAA 3.Chris Jones SP A#84 prospect for 1. Jose Rodriguez SP AAA #17 prospect 2.Tomas Fernandez OF AA # 10 prospect and 3. Jesus Souza SS ML # 24 prospect and Seattle's second round pick...both GM'S were happy with the deal .....

Brick and Highland trade

Brick sends Joseph Brown and 4 Million to Highland for Micheal Erwin OF and  third round pick owned by Highland but originally the Hornets....John expressed his need to get Major  League pitching..Fred felt compelled to make this trade after Brown refused demotion...with this Melendez moves into the starting rotation