[Highlander]

With all of the different ways I’ve played OOTP, I’ve never done a full history (from 1901) replay using random debut. Well, it’s time for that to end and I thought I’d share the results here along the way. I kept most everything on the default settings, but I did switch over to the development engine for how players progress…..so we should get a few surprises along the way with how different players come out. I kept it to players from 1901 on and I am not controlling any teams….I’m just along for the ride to watch and see what happens.

I’ll start off by introducing each team and which players from throughout history will be joining us for this inaugural season. First up will be the Baltimore Orioles.

Baltimore Orioles

With these team introductions, I’ll start with the pitching staff and then move on to the regular lineup, followed by the bench guys. The numbers in parentheses are their “age of import”.

SP1- Mike Caldwell (22)- Mike was a 4th round pick and imports in his rookie year. His career was in the 70’s and 80’s and his best season came in 1978 at 29 years old, going 22-9 with a 2.36 ERA for Milwaukee. He may struggle as a #1 pitcher.

SP2- Juan Pena (21)- Another really young pitcher, Pena was a 9th round pick and also imports as a rookie. His career amounted to 2 starts and 13 innings for the Red Sox in 1999. He was really good in those starts, though, so anything could happen here. Apparently, he was set to be the 5th starter for the Red Sox in 2000, but took a line drive off of his elbow in Spring Training that tore his MCL and he was never able to make it back to the majors. Here’s hoping he gets a good shot at a second chance here!

SP3- Eric Erickson (24)- A round 5 pick, Erickson is pretty close to his playing days. He pitched from 1914-1922. His later career wasn’t much, but his early seasons showed some promise, so maybe he develops.

SP4- Freddy Peralta (27)- Freddy was picked in the 7th round and is the veteran of this group. A modern day guy who has pitched his whole career for the Brewers and has been pretty successful. We’ll see how he does in 1901.

MR- Ken Rowe (31)- Ken was a 12th rounder who had a pretty limited career in the 1960’s, although he did pitch some on the great 1963 World Champion Dodgers team.

MR- Curt Lyons (21)- Curt was drafted very late in the 30th round. He continues the trend of young pitchers for this Baltimore team. His career amounted to 3 pretty pedestrian starts with the Reds back in 1996.

Reserve- Bill Cristall (25), Anthony Misiewicz (27), Brandon Morrow (29), Pedro Payano (24), Bob Ross (22…word is he has a nasty pitch he calls the “paintball”), Daniel Wright (25)

C- Duane Josephson (27)- An 8th round pick, Duane played from 1965-1972 with both the White and Red Sox. Not a great hitter or catcher at first glance, but could surprise.

1B- Beau Bell (29)- Beau was the 2nd pick for Baltimore and looks like a real star. He played from 1935-1941 and was a bit of a late bloomer. His first two full seasons for the Browns were fantastic and that is what his ratings here are based on it seems. We’ll see if he can keep it up longer than he did his first time around.

2B- Sonny Jackson (23)- A 15th round pick, Sonny played from 1963-1974 and had some success with the Astros and Braves.

3B- Jim Gantner (31)- Jim was a 14th round pick and is generally better at 2B, but the Orioles are moving him to 3rd. He played from 1976-1992, all with the Brewers. Lots of former Brewers on this team!

SS- Johnny Burnett (27)- A 10th round pick who is also playing at his worst position. He could be a better 2B or 3B, but is being used at SS. Weaker pitching and defense doesn’t seem to bode well for this team. Johnny played from 1927-1935, mostly with Cleveland. He only played a couple of seasons with over 400 AB, but they were actually pretty solid.

LF- Corbin Carroll (23)- The 3rd player taken by Baltimore, Corbin is a current player who has good potential. Not sure he is a star in the making the way he was imported, but he’s got a lot of solid tools for sure.

CF- Felix Mantilla (26)- A 6th round pick, Felix’s best position is LF, but he’s pretty solid in CF as well. He can also play multiple IF positions, although not very well. He played from 1956-1966 with a number of teams. He didn’t play consistently through his career, but did have one season where he hit 30 HR, so we’ll see how he develops.

RF- Fred Snodgrass (22)- The #1 pick of the Orioles, Fred imported REALLY well compared to what his numbers look like. He played from 1908-1916, but was no more than just a decent player. We’ll see which Fred Snodgrass we get!

Bench
C/1B- Eliezer Alfonzo (27)...Round 19…. 2006-2011
1B- Randall Simon (28)....Round 16…. 1997-2006
2B/3B- Juan Bonilla (25)....Round 22….1981-1987
IF- Luke Boone (25)....Round 21….1913-1918
2B/3B- Ken Boswell (30)....Round 18….1967-1977
IF/LF- Larry Raines (27)....Round 23….1957-1958
IF/LF- Ildemaro Vargas (25)....Round 17….2017-present
2B/3B- Doug Strange (31)....Round 24….1989-1998
LF- Gene Roof (25)....Round 25….1981-1983
OF- Matt Angle (25)....Round 27….2011
IF/OF- Chick Fewster (22)....Round 20….1917-1927

Reserve- Eury Perez (23), Tommy Irwin (25), Jose Valdivielso (25), Ryan Minor (27), Fred Andrews (24), Walter Barbare (23), Roy Grover (27), Buzzy Wares (27), Steve Korcheck (22),