Sim's Done

Game Date:  Jan 27 2031

Commissioner's Note:  We have a new owner for the Atlanta franchise.  I am currently setting up the league file for him and will be sending him an invitation for the league blog soon, where he will introduce himself.

Next sim:  Scheduled for Tuesday night, but I reserve the right to push it back a day or so if the new owner needs additional time to get things up and running.

Zev

Sim's done: Welcome to the Pre-Season!

Game Date: January 26, 2031

Signings:

• Philadelphia signed SP Alejandro Baez to a one-year extension for $3.65m
• Philadelphia signed 1B Manuel Hidalgo to a one-year extension for $6.35m
• Philadelphia signed SP Tian-bai Chen (Mepkin Abbey) - 7 years / $305m
• Atlanta signed SP Felipe Martinez (Highland) - minor league contract

(Yes, I've been busy.)

League News:

• We are now in the Pre-Season. This means you can set your ticket prices, plus your scouting and player development budgets. You have until Spring Training starts to do so.
• I re-renamed the former Rookie League the Low A league.
• I set the AAA, AA, and A league schedules to be 140 games long, starting on April 2nd.
• As Low A is not yet in the pre-season, its schedule has not been updated.

Next Sim: Zev has got the conn on Saturday night as we enter the pre-season. Start making your spring training plans!

Philadelphia and Brick trade

In the waning hours of the offseason, a blockbuster trade between geographic (and family) rivals Brick and Philadelphia helped set the course for both team's plans for 2031 and beyond.

Heading east on I-105 to Brick's spring training site are rehabbing starter Juan Santiago and stud 1B prospect Dave O'Brien. In return for those two, plus a third round draft pick, the Hornets receive four players, including prospects RP Juan Diaz, SP Paul Gilbert, and OF Jim Robertson, as well as 1B Javier Cisneros.

Sim's Done. Offseason is almost over!

Game Date: January 20, 2031.

Signings:

• Mepkin Abbey - 3B Esteban Ordonez (Houston) - 3 years / $9.4 million
• Houston - CF Randy Pope (Appalachian) - 5 years / $16.68 million
• Antelope Valley - C Rory Li (international) - minor league contract
• Seattle - SS Byung-soo Yi (international) - minor league contract
• Appalachian - SP Christian Bedard (international) - minor league contract
• Appalachian - 3B Antoine Gagne (international) - minor league contract

League News:

• Frank, who ran the Atlanta team this season after Jeremy retired, has quit the league.
• I have placed Atlanta under CPU control for now.
• Zev and I may already have a new owner for this franchise. Stay tuned.

Next Sim: 

• Wednesday (11/8) night. 
• This will be a six-day sim taking us to the start of the preseason. 

Sim's Done! Welcome Our Newest Hall of Famers!

Game Date:  Jan 13 2031

Ladies and Gentlemen... your Hall of Fame Class of 2031!

And, of course, you can see these plaques, as well as those of our other thirteen inductees at our Hall of Fame exhibit.

The rest of the Hall of Fame balloting results:

SS John Hukill (1st year) 98.8%
SP Christopher Hester (1st) 97.9

CF Sean Arant (3rd) 47.6
LF Christopher Moss (3rd) 43.1
RF Paul Shunk (2nd) 42.7
RF Patrick Valdez (3rd) 33.6
SP Jefferey Shuttleworth (3rd) 32.9
1B Gregorio Marzano (1st) 24.9
2B Timothy Palacio (3rd) 20.3
SP Kyle Fike (2nd) 15.2
3B Bruce Parker (1st) 14.9
3B Octavio Cabrales (1st) 10.0

Dropped from future ballots:
CF Monte Goss (2nd) 2.8
SP Dennis Durand (1st) 2.3
SP James Turner (1st) 2.1
SP Donald Hunnicutt (1st) 2.1
SS Jeff Wardlaw (1st) 0.9


Signings:

Brooklyn:  RF Luis Santiago (Wilmington) 3 yrs/$10.5m
Mepkin Abbey:  CF Cheung Ying (Atlanta) 4 yrs/$4.8m
Wilmington: SP Carlos Salazar (Houston) 4 yrs/$14.4m
Mepkin Abbey:  SP Qing-hua Tso (Wilmington) 3 yrs/$9.2m

Next sim:  Monday night

Sim's Done

Game Date:  Jan 6 2031

Signings:
Maui: CF Jesus Barcello (re-signed) 2 yrs/$26.4m
Wilmington: RP Lan-quing Shu (Houston) 1 yr/$600k
Antelope Valley: 1B Eobanus Schnabel (Houston) 1 yr/$570k

As we flip the calendar to 2031, we have the customary Jan 1 retirements.  Among those hanging up the spikes are:

CF Steve Keo
13 years, 1644G, .271 AVG, .802 OPS, 28.6 WAR, 110 HR

RF Raul Ortega
15 years, 2078G, .289 AVG, .870 OPS, 38.7 WAR, 431 HR, 1408 RBI.
Outstanding Newcomer 2015, 6x Player of the Week, Batter of the Month (4/2019)

RP Lucas Sweeney
17 years, 857 G, 76-72, 57 SV, 4.74 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 11.7 WAR

SP William Lawrence
17 years, 165-162, 4.62 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 35.8 WAR, 2449K

RP Tony Dominguez
11 years, 681G, 50-46, 76 SV, 4.56 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 6.6 WAR

1B Masahide Ueda
11 years, 1578G, .319 AVG, 908 OPS, 41.9 WAR, 249 HR, 1047 RBI
5x Player of the Week, Batter of the Month (7/2025), 2x Slick Fielder

SP Emilio Romero
11 years, 130-117, 4.46 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 2098K, 26.8 WAR

RP Edgar Trevino
9 years, 293G, 28-33, 5 SV, 4.91 ERA, 1.49 WHIP

RP Edgardo Rodriguez
8 years, 536G, 33-43, 96 SV, 4.60 ERA, 1.40 WHIP

P Bruce Roughly
7 years, 282 G, 44-59, 5 SV, 4.84 ERA, 1.68 WHIP

Next sim:  Saturday night

The Sim Will Come Out... Tomorrow...

... you can bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow
they'll be sim.