OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post - The United States of Baseball: an online league Battle Royale

atsather · 09-25-2013, 02:48 PM

2012: The first year of USoB baseball is here! After the expansion draft, GM Andrew Sather figured to have a solid squad, led by superstar 1B Mike "Chump" Lemley. Other solid offensive players included RF John Riley and 3B Bob Meatyard. But the pitching staff was lacking in firepower and talent, making a playoff appearance very unlikely. The season started out slowly and the division (AL East) was very tough. A few veterans were dealt mid season for some prospects (a few of which turned out very poorly for Minneapolis) at the trade deadline. The Kodiaks had the #3 pick in the amateur draft in which 3B Alberto Garcia was selected. At the end of the year, the Kodiaks finished with a 56-64 record, which was good for 3rd in the 4 team AL East Division. Offensively the team was very good, but the pitching staff had a 5.70 ERA for the season.

2013: After a very quiet offseason in which the Kodiaks made very few moves, the team was not expecting a very strong season. But this season was a very different one than in 2012. The Lemley - Riley proved to be the most dynamic 3-4 combination in all of USoB. Lemley batted .343/.417/.664 with 46 HRs and 139 RBIs while Riley batted .304/.382/.539 with 31 HRs and 109 RBIs. Lemley was awarded for his oustanding year with the Silver Slugger Award (MVP). A few midseason trades brought in some quality arms in SP Thomas Lewis and SP Bryan Weese. The Kodiaks surged to a 85-59 record, winning the AL East. But the team did little damage in the postseason, losing to the eventual champions Scottsdale Copperheads. The lack of pitching was evident in the playoffs as the the big bats could not carry the load against superior talent.

2014: Big changes were in store for the USoB in 2014, as the league expanded from 16 teams to 20. A few players from the Kodiak's system ended up being drafted by other teams in the expansion draft, but nothing to substantial. The big news of the offseason came when Mike Lemley, impending FA and 2013 Silver Slugger winner, signed a 5 year contract extension worth 6.5M. The Kodiak front office were extremely excited when Lemley inked the deal, since they felt that Lemley was a very good value at 1.3M per year. The season started out well, and the addition of slugger 1B Miguel Cabrera from the New Boston Heroes figured to add even more to a loaded offense. But the team struggled to a 72-64 record, failing to make the playoffs.

2015: The Kodiaks shaked things up a bit after the disappointing 2014 season. CF Carlos Perez (all world speedster) was dealt to New Boston. This move immediately hurt the Kodiaks as Perez went on to post near 300 stolen bases in the next 3 years with the Heroes. The season got off to a great start, as Lemley, Riley, and LF Dave Sanders were a very supurb offensive trio. But again the pitching would hold the team back, even with the midseason trade fror SP Jose Mendoza of the Gettysburg Brothers In Arms. With relaligned divisions (and 4 new teams bringing the total to 24), the Kodiaks won the AL Kennedy division with a 83-51 record, but lost in the 1st round of the playoffs to the Scottsdale Copperheads.

2016: The Kodiaks had high expectations in 2016, and rightly so. With a division that consisted of 2 recent expansion teams, the Kodiaks were easily the division favorites. The team cruised to a 93-51 record, leading the league in almost every offensive category. The pitching staff was improved, but still not good enough to lead a postseason run. The playoff matchup this year was against the New Boston Heroes, but the result was the same.....a first round playoff exit. The silver lining in the year was that Lemley ended up winning the Silver Slugger again, becoming the first and only USoB player to do so.

2017: Minneapolis made a big deal following the 2016 season, adding a big offensive threat to fill a weak catcher spot in the Kodiaks lineup, catcher Antonio Alfonso (Alfonso ended up batting .331 in 2017). The price wasnt cheap though, as the Havana Trogons received several top prospects in return. A few other minor signings in the postseason and the Kodiaks were ready for the 2017 season, a season where they were again the favorite in the Kennedy division. The competition would be tougher this year with the surging St. Louis Crusaders ready to make a postseason push. In the end though the Kodiaks proved too tough to handle, posting a 92-52 record. Pitcher Francis Conner had 17 wins to lead the pitching staff, while Lemley, Riley, Sanders, and former top pick 3B Alberto Garcia led a offense full of firepower. Top prospect LF Joe Hathaway batted .370 in a superb rookie season too. The front office in Minneapolis figured this had to be their year. This would be the best pitching rotation the Kodiaks brought into the playoffs, and the offense remained one of the top 3 in the league. But, the Kodiaks lost again to the New Boston Heroes in the 1st round of the playoffs 3 games to 2. The playoff curse lives on!

09-25-2013, 02:48 PM	#5
atsather Minors (Single A) Join Date: Jun 2011 Posts: 85	Minneapolis Kodiaks 2012: The first year of USoB baseball is here! After the expansion draft, GM Andrew Sather figured to have a solid squad, led by superstar 1B Mike "Chump" Lemley. Other solid offensive players included RF John Riley and 3B Bob Meatyard. But the pitching staff was lacking in firepower and talent, making a playoff appearance very unlikely. The season started out slowly and the division (AL East) was very tough. A few veterans were dealt mid season for some prospects (a few of which turned out very poorly for Minneapolis) at the trade deadline. The Kodiaks had the #3 pick in the amateur draft in which 3B Alberto Garcia was selected. At the end of the year, the Kodiaks finished with a 56-64 record, which was good for 3rd in the 4 team AL East Division. Offensively the team was very good, but the pitching staff had a 5.70 ERA for the season. 2013: After a very quiet offseason in which the Kodiaks made very few moves, the team was not expecting a very strong season. But this season was a very different one than in 2012. The Lemley - Riley proved to be the most dynamic 3-4 combination in all of USoB. Lemley batted .343/.417/.664 with 46 HRs and 139 RBIs while Riley batted .304/.382/.539 with 31 HRs and 109 RBIs. Lemley was awarded for his oustanding year with the Silver Slugger Award (MVP). A few midseason trades brought in some quality arms in SP Thomas Lewis and SP Bryan Weese. The Kodiaks surged to a 85-59 record, winning the AL East. But the team did little damage in the postseason, losing to the eventual champions Scottsdale Copperheads. The lack of pitching was evident in the playoffs as the the big bats could not carry the load against superior talent. 2014: Big changes were in store for the USoB in 2014, as the league expanded from 16 teams to 20. A few players from the Kodiak's system ended up being drafted by other teams in the expansion draft, but nothing to substantial. The big news of the offseason came when Mike Lemley, impending FA and 2013 Silver Slugger winner, signed a 5 year contract extension worth 6.5M. The Kodiak front office were extremely excited when Lemley inked the deal, since they felt that Lemley was a very good value at 1.3M per year. The season started out well, and the addition of slugger 1B Miguel Cabrera from the New Boston Heroes figured to add even more to a loaded offense. But the team struggled to a 72-64 record, failing to make the playoffs. 2015: The Kodiaks shaked things up a bit after the disappointing 2014 season. CF Carlos Perez (all world speedster) was dealt to New Boston. This move immediately hurt the Kodiaks as Perez went on to post near 300 stolen bases in the next 3 years with the Heroes. The season got off to a great start, as Lemley, Riley, and LF Dave Sanders were a very supurb offensive trio. But again the pitching would hold the team back, even with the midseason trade fror SP Jose Mendoza of the Gettysburg Brothers In Arms. With relaligned divisions (and 4 new teams bringing the total to 24), the Kodiaks won the AL Kennedy division with a 83-51 record, but lost in the 1st round of the playoffs to the Scottsdale Copperheads. 2016: The Kodiaks had high expectations in 2016, and rightly so. With a division that consisted of 2 recent expansion teams, the Kodiaks were easily the division favorites. The team cruised to a 93-51 record, leading the league in almost every offensive category. The pitching staff was improved, but still not good enough to lead a postseason run. The playoff matchup this year was against the New Boston Heroes, but the result was the same.....a first round playoff exit. The silver lining in the year was that Lemley ended up winning the Silver Slugger again, becoming the first and only USoB player to do so. 2017: Minneapolis made a big deal following the 2016 season, adding a big offensive threat to fill a weak catcher spot in the Kodiaks lineup, catcher Antonio Alfonso (Alfonso ended up batting .331 in 2017). The price wasnt cheap though, as the Havana Trogons received several top prospects in return. A few other minor signings in the postseason and the Kodiaks were ready for the 2017 season, a season where they were again the favorite in the Kennedy division. The competition would be tougher this year with the surging St. Louis Crusaders ready to make a postseason push. In the end though the Kodiaks proved too tough to handle, posting a 92-52 record. Pitcher Francis Conner had 17 wins to lead the pitching staff, while Lemley, Riley, Sanders, and former top pick 3B Alberto Garcia led a offense full of firepower. Top prospect LF Joe Hathaway batted .370 in a superb rookie season too. The front office in Minneapolis figured this had to be their year. This would be the best pitching rotation the Kodiaks brought into the playoffs, and the offense remained one of the top 3 in the league. But, the Kodiaks lost again to the New Boston Heroes in the 1st round of the playoffs 3 games to 2. The playoff curse lives on!