2012 and Beyond - Pittsburgh Pirates

Pacoheadley · 05-31-2012, 12:23 AM

I am starting a Major League quick-start game with the Pittsburgh Pirates. My computer is in terrible condition, and both of my previous save files got corrupted. After this beginning post, there won't be anything for a little while until after it comes back from getting the hard drive replaced, but I am going to start this up in the meantime.

I am choosing the Pirates because I like playing with teams who are in a bad situation, and rebuilding them (my last 2 games were the Padres and Twins). I probably won't be making my posts in a legitimate news style format like some people, because my narrative skills are not the best. I will most likely be doing a bi-weekly update on my team, and notable things that happen to the rest of the league. I will start it off with an overview of my 40 man roster though.

The settings I will be using are a 1-20 scale in all ratings, normal scouting accuracy, injuries on high, aging and development will be on default, the talent change randomness will be 110, the AI player evaluation is at 37/40/16/7, and trading preferences are Average/Hard/Neutral. I will also account for slight inflation every year, probably between 1-5%, the day before the off-season begins.

I'll use a custom award, and let you guys choose what the award is. It can be either Comeback Player of the Year (comeback from injury, or poor season), Breakout Player of the Year (player has 1st star year, after not doing a lot beforehand), or Most Popular Player Award (highest national popularity + winning team, big market, and longtime with one team help), or another idea someone thinks of.

My updates will be on the 1st and 15th of each month, and if something huge happens, or there is a big event like the draft or the All-Star game, I will post about those too.

Pacoheadley · 05-31-2012, 01:11 AM

Looks like I am stuck with the lowest budget in the league, at just 83.9 M to work with. My payroll is about 53.9 M, and I have 6.9 M for extensions. My national scouting budget is 4.5 M, and my international is at 3.6 M. My development budget is also kind of high, at 9 M.

40 Man Roster

Starting Pitchers

(Note, when displaying age, I show what age-season they are in, which is not their actual opening day age in some cases. Your age-season is whatever your age is on June 30th. MLB, DL, 40 Man MiLB)

Erik Bedard - 33
Bedard has ratings of 16/13/11. He has always had good stats when healthy, but being healthy is a problem. He will be a free agent at the end of the year, I could maybe use him for trade bait near the deadline. #1 Starter.

Jeff Karstens - 29
Karstens has ratings of 10/13/14. Looks like a solid pitcher. He has bounced around quite a bit from the rotation to the bullpen, but I will keep him in the rotation for the season unless his performance is bad enough for a demotion. May need to make sure I play a good defense when he pitches. #2 Starter.

James McDonald - 27
McDonald has ratings of 13/12/11. He has had decent strikeout numbers in his couple years in the league, which is nice to have. Nothing too special however, he will be one of 5 fighting for the last 3 spots in the rotation once Burnett and Morton come back. #3 Starter for now.

Kevin Correia - 31
Correia (How in the hell is that pronounced?) has ratings of 9/13/12. Not much in the way of stuff, he is a classic back of the rotation innings eater, and he'll be a free agent at the end of the year. Could be brought back for cheap depth, and has minor league options. #4 Starter for now.

Brad Lincoln - 27
Lincoln has ratings of 9/10/11, and has a control potential of 12. Minor league skills in this player, he is here for organization depth, and that is pretty much it. He has the #5 job, but will almost certainly lose it when Burnett and Morton are back.

Charlie Morton - 28
Morton has ratings of 9/14/10, and is sitting on the DL. Not great stuff or control, but looks like he will keep the ball in the park. If he manages to do so, he will probably be able to squeeze his way into the rotation when he comes back after about 3 weeks.

A.J. Burnett -35
Burnett has ratings of 15/12/10, and is sitting on the DL. Why did my old GM trade for this guy? Paying him 13 M over the next two years is kind of pointless for a rebuilding team. Hopefully my scout is right on his bullish expectations, because a 5 ERA is not what I want. He will get a rotation sport when he is back, at #3 or #4 most likely.

Jared Hughes - 26
Hughes has ratings of 7/11/11. Nothing to see here, unless my scout is too low on his stuff, then he should be staying in AAA all year. Also has little stamina.

Jeff Locke - 24
Locke has ratings of 8/12/11, and a control potential of 13. If there are some struggles in my rotation, he could get a call. Not much stuff, so a low ceiling of a #4 of #5 starter I think.

Rudy Owens - 24
Owens has ratings of 8/9/12, and potential of 9/9/15. Probably won't be in my organization in a year or two. I can deal with the low stuff, but home runs will be blasted off him if I bring him up, way too many fly balls.

Justin Wilson - 24
Wilson has ratings of 9/9/6. That is pretty much all you need to know.

Gerrit Cole - 21 - AAA

Cole has ratings of 14/11/8, and potential ratings of 16/12/13. He is rated as the 9th best prospect in baseball, and he was our #1 pick last year. He looks like he has the ceiling of a borderline #1 starter to me. He has a small chance at making the 40 Man by September, but most likely I will have him up at mid-season next year.

Jameson Taillon - 20 - A

Taillon has ratings of 12/11/7, with potential of 14/13/12. He got rated the #14 prospect in baseball. I am liking him as a future #2 starter behind Cole, and depending on how he handles the minors this year, he could make the Major League squad possibly late next season.

Kyle McPherson - 24 - AAA

McPherson has ratings of 12/11/10, and potential ratings of 12/12/13. Although he isn't on the 40 Man Roster to start the season, I will most likely add him to it after waiving whoever I find to be the weakest link. Most likely a back of the rotation starter in the future, although a chance at becoming a decent #3. On the DL for the 1st month and a half.

In conclusion, I would say that out pitching staff is not very good, but we are also not very bad. We will probably do just enough to keep us in games, and that is good enough for the moment.

Pacoheadley · 05-31-2012, 10:30 PM

I will not be using a closer, I never do. I don't believe in how relievers are used that way in real life.

Joel Hanrahan - 30
Hanrahan has ratings of 20/13/9. He closed for us last year, and did very well. He will most likely be my most important bullpen piece, but could be trade bait.

Tony Watson - 27
Watson has ratings of 12/12/10. He is the only lefty in my bullpen at the moment, and will also be in a "set-up" role with Hanrahan, but used mostly against lefties.

Chris Resop - 29
Resop has ratings of 20/13/10. Resop will be my third guy used in a set-up role, and if I need a strikeout, he will be one of the guys I will go to.

Jason Grilli - 35
Grilli has ratings of 16/16/10. Grilli is a solid reliever, although he is getting up there in age. He will be a free agent at the end of the year, not sure on my plans with him.

Juan Cruz - 33
Cruz has ratings of 19/14/8. Cruz is another solid reliever, who will be a free agent at the end of the year

Evan Meek - 29
Meek has ratings of 15/14/9. Meek is nothing special, but he is decent, and will do for depth.

Daniel McCutchen - 29

McCutchen has ratings of 9/12/11. He is not very good, and will most likely be used in a mop-up role, I don't know how long he will stay up on the Major League squad.

Christopher Leroux - 28
Leroux has ratings of 10/14/11. Not a great reliever, but is a slight upgrade over McCutchen, so he could possibly see some time in the majors. He will be on the DL for about 2 months.

Daniel Moskos - 26
Moskos has ratings of 10/12/11, with potential ratings of 11/12/11. He could possibly some major league time this year, as he is left-handed.

Doug Slaten - 32
Slaten has ratings of 10/10/10. Most likely going to stay in the minors, but could be an emergency backup left hander in case of injury.

Bryan Morris - 25
Morris has ratings of 11/11/8. He is a typical minor league reliever, a backup in case of injury, and not much else.

It looks we have a pretty decent bullpen, but not much in the way of minor league depth, or any real good prospects. I will be hoping for little injury, as I don't know how they will handle it.

Pacoheadley · 05-31-2012, 11:52 PM

The rating shown will be Contact/Power/Eye, and the lineups I use may end up being shifted up a lot.

Opening Day Lineups

Vs. Right Handers

Vs. Left Handers

Jose Tabata

Andrew McCutchen

Garrett Jones

Rod Barajas

Neil Walker

Pedro Alvarez

Casey McGehee

Alex Presley

Pitcher

Clint Barmes

Rod Barajas - 36 - C

Barajas has ratings of 10/13/7. He is getting up there in age, and I have a team option for him next year which isn't too expensive. He should give me average offensive production, with a lot of it coming from home runs. Not great defense, but passable enough to start.

Michael McKenry - 27 - C

McKenry has ratings of 10/9/10. He is an ok backup catcher. If Barajas struggles, I could see him starting as a stop-gap, but not much more than that. Solid defense that won't hurt us.

Garrett Jones - 30 - 1B

Jones has ratings of 10/13/12. He isn't the greatest first basemen around, but I am expecting him to give us average offense, which means he isn't terrible. If he gets a little lucky with the BABIP he could end up helping us.

Neil Walker - 26 - 2B

Walker has ratings of 13/10/10, with eye potential of 11. Walker will be a solid player. He should give us above average offensive production at 2B, combine that with below average defense, and he should be a 2-3 win player.

Pedro Alvarez -25 - 3B

Alvarez has ratings of 10/12/11, with eye potential of 12. My scout says that he is a reverse platoon player, being able to hit lefties, but I will still use him as a backup in those situations until I am proven otherwise. He is a former top prospect, so hopefully I can get lucky and see some of those skills. His defense leaves much to be desired.

Clint Barmes - 33 - SS

Barmes has ratings of 10/10/8. Barmes has a history of giving slightly below average offense while playing good defense at short, and that is all I really need for now. Signed for this year and next year at 10.5 M overall.

Casey McGehee - 29 - 1B/3B

McGehee has ratings of 12/13/11. I will let him split time with Alvarez at third base, because his ratings and history show that he can be a solid offensive player while playing passable defense. Hopefully either him or Alvarez can show why they deserve the starting job.

Yamiaco Navarro - 24 - UTIL IF

Navarro has ratings of 10/9/9 with eye potential of 11. He has solid defensive ratings, but needs a bit more experience at 2nd and 3rd to show it in his play. He will probably stick around for awhile as a solid bench piece who can start in a pinch.

Alex Presley - 26 - LF

Presley has ratings of 12/6/7 with eye potential of 8. Presley is starting over Nate McClouth due to his good defense, but if his hitting struggles too much he might not play everyday. If he isn't getting a single, he isn't doing much else, although he has solid speed.

Andrew McCutchen - 25 - CF

McCutchen has ratings of 12/11/14, with potential for 12/12/15. Finally, a star! McCutchen will give me a solid average, solid home run power and a good on-base percentage, a good amount of stolen bases, all while playing above average defense in center. He is locked up through 2018, so I am hoping he will give me plenty of 4-6 win seasons through the years. I may try to teach him LF, as he has a good work ethic, and it would be nice to keep Starling Marte in CF when he is called up.

Jose Tabata - 23 - LF/RF

Tabata has ratings of 15/5/11, with potential for 17/7/14. Wow, I have my leadoff/#2 hitter for the future right here. He is locked up through 2019, with nice team options in the last 2 years. I am hoping he can end up being a player with an OBP consistently around .380-.400, and maybe sneak in about 15 home runs. Good speed and defense too.

Gorkys Hernandez - 24 - CF

Hernandez has ratings of 9/5/8, with potential for 10/5/10. He plays very good defense in center, but can't hit a lick, and can't play the corners. A solid backup piece for now, but I don't envision him ever becoming a starter.

Nate McClouth - 30 - OF

McClouth (I have a lot of Mc players) has ratings of 10/10/13. His offense is pretty solid, but he is not a starter because he doesn't have ratings above 6 at any defensive position. He will be a free agent after this season though, so if we are way out of it, I may sneak him in a bit for possible trade bait.

Gustavo Nunez - 24 - SS

Nunez has ratings of 8/3/5. He is on the DL for 2 months, and he will go straight to AAA when he is out. Doesn't look like he'll ever amount to anything, but maybe my scout could be wrong.

Matt Hague - 26 - 1B

Hague has ratings of 9/9/9. He is a AAA 1B for a reason. Below average hitting skills are not good enough for this position, it would take a miracle for him to see MLB time.

Josh Harrison - 24 - 3B/2B

Harrison has ratings of 11/4/4. His batting average is decent enough, but he can't do much else except for steal. He could get called up from injury, but he isn't a long term starter unless he learns to take a walk.

Chase D'Arnaud - 25 - 3B/SS

D'Arnaud has ratings of 10/4/9, with potential for 10/5/11. He was known as a solid prospect, but he has faded some. If he shows good stuff in AAA, then he could get a call-up, and if he can play at least average SS defense, he could potentially be an average player.

Jordy Mercer - 25 - UTIL IF

Mercer has ratings of 8/8/6, with potential for 9/9/7. He will most likely never make it to the big leagues as a starter, but could be a bench piece if I am desperate.

Brandon Boggs - 29 - LF

Boggs has ratings of 9/10/15, and potential ratings I know he will never meet. He can take a walk, so if I absolutely need him, I could end up calling him up for the bench at some point.

Starling Marte - 23 - CF/LF/RF

Marte has ratings of 13/6/4, with potential for 17/9/6. He looks like he has an All-Star ceiling, especially if he gets more patience, could be a 4-6 win player. He can play great defense at all 3 outfield positions, including center. I would like to keep him at center when he gets called up, so I might move McCutchen to LF. I probably won't call him up until next season, but when I do, we will have a very nice outfield. 73rd rated prospect in baseball.

Charles Cutler - 25 - C - AAA

Cutler has ratings of 9/6/10, with potential of 10/7/12. He isn't on the 40 man, but he could end up being called up to play backup catcher, he has great defense behind the dish, and isn't a terrible hitter.

Tony Sanchez - 24 - C - AA

Sanchez has ratings of 9/8/10, with potential for 10/9/12. He could be our starter at catcher in a year or two, he plays great defense too, so if he becomes a solid hitter, he will definitely see major league time.

Josh E. Bell - 19 - OF - SA

Bell has potential ratings of 10/11/10. My scout doesn't think he is great, but he was rated as the #60 prospect, so I will keep an eye on him.

Overall, I think our offense is kind of poor, but we do have a nice future in the outfield. If we are able to find some help in the infield (maybe afford 1 free agent next season?) than we could be doing alright in a year or two.

Pacoheadley · 06-01-2012, 12:52 AM

Very 1st update of the season, and not too much news yet.

Standings

AL East

NL East

Toronto 0-0

New York 0-0

Tampa Bay 0-0

Philadelphia 0-0

New York 0-0

Miami 0-0

Boston 0-0

Atlanta 0-0

Baltimore 0-0

Washington 0-0

AL Central
NL Central

Detroit 0-0

Cincinnati 0-0

Chicago 0-0

St. Louis 0-0

Kansas City 0-0

Milwaukee 0-0

Cleveland 0-0

Houston 0-0

Minnesota 0-0

Chicago 0-0

Pittsburgh 0-0

AL West

NL West

Oakland 2-0

Colorado 0-0

Texas 0-0

Arizona 0-0

Los Angeles 0-0

San Francisco 0-0

Seattle 0-2

San Diego 0-0

Los Angeles 0-0

League Transactions

None of note.

League News

Chicago White Sox CL Matt Thornton wants a trade.

My Transactions

1B Matt Hague waived and designated for assignment
C Charles Cutler placed on 40-Man Roster.

GM Mark Michaels says, "Catcher is a grueling position, and realistically we know that Barajas and McKenry might get a little banged up. With only them on our 40-Man Roster, we decided it would be best to add another catcher to the roster. Matt Hague plays 1st base, and we have three players on our MLB roster capable of playing the position, so he was the most dispensable. No hard feelings, and we still hope he will be able to make an impact for our team at some point."

Pacoheadley · 06-05-2012, 03:34 PM

I will probably start showing league leaders in June.

Standings

AL East

NL East

Tampa Bay 5-4

Philadelphia 7-2

Boston 5-4

New York 4-5

Toronto 4-5

Atlanta 3-6

New York 4-5

Miami 3-7

Baltimore 4-5

Washington 1-9

AL Central
NL Central

Cleveland 8-1

Cincinnati 8-2

Chicago 4-5

Chicago 7-3

Minnesota 4-5

Milwaukee 6-4

Kansas City 2-7

Houston 5-4

Detroit 2-7

St. Louis 4-6

Pittsburgh 2-7

AL West

NL West

Oakland 7-3

Los Angeles 8-2

Los Angeles 6-3

Colorado 6-3

Texas 5-5

San Francisco 5-4

Seattle 5-6

Arizona 4-5

San Diego 3-7

League Transactions

Apr. 5th - Oakland sings MR Hong-Chih Kuo to one year deal.
Chicago Cubs sign LF Vladimir Guerrero to one year deal.
Texas signs 3B Casey Blake to one year deal.
Apr. 9th - Philadelphia signs SP Roy Oswalt to one year deal.
Chicago White Sox sign 1B Derrek Lee to one year deal.
Apr. 10th - Chicago Cubs sign LF Johnny Damon to one year deal.
Apr. 13th - Oakland signs MR Arthur Rhodes to one year deal.
New York Yankees sign RF Nick Swisher to 5 year extension worth 67.5M.

League News

Apr. 9th - AL Player of the Week is Josh Hamilton of Texas
NL Player of the Week is Mat Gamel of Milwaukee
Apr. 14th - Seattle owner Hiroshi Yamauchi has died, will be replaced by his son, Hiroshi Yamauchi Jr.

Notable League Injuries

Los Angeles Dodgers 2B Jerry Hairston Jr. out 5 weeks with a fractured foot.
Washington MR Tom Gorzelanny out 2-3 months with a herniated disc.
San Diego CF Cameron Maybin out for season with a torn PCL.
Pittsburgh CF Andrew McCutchen out 2-3 weeks with a herniated disc.
Cleveland OF Michael Brantley out for seasons with a concussion.
Philadelphia SP Cliff Lee out 3 weeks with elbow inflammation.
Baltimore SS J.J. Hardy out 5-6 weeks with a sprained elbow.
San Diego RF Jeremy Hermida out 3-4 weeks with a torn meniscus.
Tampa Bay 3B Evan Longoria out 2 months with a fractured finger.
Milwaukee SS Alex Gonzales out 5-6 weeks with torn hamstring.

My Transactions/Injuries

Placed CF Andrew McCutchen on 15 Day DL.
Recalled CF Starling Marte from AAA.
SS Clint Barmes our for one week with back soreness.

Mark Michaels says "With the injury to McCutchen, we were down an outfielder. Although the plan with Starling Marte is to not have him up until late this season, or next season, we have decided to give him a short taste of Major League pitching to see how he responds. He will start in center, and will be sent down when McCutchen is back."

My Team Notes

Jose Tabata has had a slow, BABIP driven start (.229/.263/.286). In 35 ABs only has 4 Ks.
Starling Marte has gone 2-4 in each of his first 5 games, and has had 3 triples already. He is looking great in center field, but his strikeouts need to go down (7 in 20 ABs.)
Brad Lincoln had a very nice 1st start.
Very slow start for Garrett Jones (.147 BA).

JustinM · 07-04-2012, 04:34 PM

I've been using the Pirates so far this year, and good GOD are they awful compared to real life. I just finished the All Star break, and McDonald is struggling to keep his ERA under 6, McCutchen is barely hitting .250, and Neil Walker has the best bat on the team. It's nothing like the team I've been watching on TV lately.

05-31-2012, 12:23 AM	#1
Pacoheadley All Star Reserve Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Kincheloe, MI Posts: 521	2012 and Beyond - Pittsburgh Pirates I am starting a Major League quick-start game with the Pittsburgh Pirates. My computer is in terrible condition, and both of my previous save files got corrupted. After this beginning post, there won't be anything for a little while until after it comes back from getting the hard drive replaced, but I am going to start this up in the meantime. I am choosing the Pirates because I like playing with teams who are in a bad situation, and rebuilding them (my last 2 games were the Padres and Twins). I probably won't be making my posts in a legitimate news style format like some people, because my narrative skills are not the best. I will most likely be doing a bi-weekly update on my team, and notable things that happen to the rest of the league. I will start it off with an overview of my 40 man roster though. The settings I will be using are a 1-20 scale in all ratings, normal scouting accuracy, injuries on high, aging and development will be on default, the talent change randomness will be 110, the AI player evaluation is at 37/40/16/7, and trading preferences are Average/Hard/Neutral. I will also account for slight inflation every year, probably between 1-5%, the day before the off-season begins. I'll use a custom award, and let you guys choose what the award is. It can be either Comeback Player of the Year (comeback from injury, or poor season), Breakout Player of the Year (player has 1st star year, after not doing a lot beforehand), or Most Popular Player Award (highest national popularity + winning team, big market, and longtime with one team help), or another idea someone thinks of. My updates will be on the 1st and 15th of each month, and if something huge happens, or there is a big event like the draft or the All-Star game, I will post about those too. Last edited by Pacoheadley; 06-01-2012 at 12:19 AM.

05-31-2012, 01:11 AM	#2
Pacoheadley All Star Reserve Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Kincheloe, MI Posts: 521	Review of Starting Pitchers, plus financial decisions. Looks like I am stuck with the lowest budget in the league, at just 83.9 M to work with. My payroll is about 53.9 M, and I have 6.9 M for extensions. My national scouting budget is 4.5 M, and my international is at 3.6 M. My development budget is also kind of high, at 9 M. 40 Man Roster Starting Pitchers (Note, when displaying age, I show what age-season they are in, which is not their actual opening day age in some cases. Your age-season is whatever your age is on June 30th. MLB, DL, 40 Man MiLB) Erik Bedard - 33 Bedard has ratings of 16/13/11. He has always had good stats when healthy, but being healthy is a problem. He will be a free agent at the end of the year, I could maybe use him for trade bait near the deadline. #1 Starter. Jeff Karstens - 29 Karstens has ratings of 10/13/14. Looks like a solid pitcher. He has bounced around quite a bit from the rotation to the bullpen, but I will keep him in the rotation for the season unless his performance is bad enough for a demotion. May need to make sure I play a good defense when he pitches. #2 Starter. James McDonald - 27 McDonald has ratings of 13/12/11. He has had decent strikeout numbers in his couple years in the league, which is nice to have. Nothing too special however, he will be one of 5 fighting for the last 3 spots in the rotation once Burnett and Morton come back. #3 Starter for now. Kevin Correia - 31 Correia (How in the hell is that pronounced?) has ratings of 9/13/12. Not much in the way of stuff, he is a classic back of the rotation innings eater, and he'll be a free agent at the end of the year. Could be brought back for cheap depth, and has minor league options. #4 Starter for now. Brad Lincoln - 27 Lincoln has ratings of 9/10/11, and has a control potential of 12. Minor league skills in this player, he is here for organization depth, and that is pretty much it. He has the #5 job, but will almost certainly lose it when Burnett and Morton are back. Charlie Morton - 28 Morton has ratings of 9/14/10, and is sitting on the DL. Not great stuff or control, but looks like he will keep the ball in the park. If he manages to do so, he will probably be able to squeeze his way into the rotation when he comes back after about 3 weeks. A.J. Burnett -35 Burnett has ratings of 15/12/10, and is sitting on the DL. Why did my old GM trade for this guy? Paying him 13 M over the next two years is kind of pointless for a rebuilding team. Hopefully my scout is right on his bullish expectations, because a 5 ERA is not what I want. He will get a rotation sport when he is back, at #3 or #4 most likely. Jared Hughes - 26 Hughes has ratings of 7/11/11. Nothing to see here, unless my scout is too low on his stuff, then he should be staying in AAA all year. Also has little stamina. Jeff Locke - 24 Locke has ratings of 8/12/11, and a control potential of 13. If there are some struggles in my rotation, he could get a call. Not much stuff, so a low ceiling of a #4 of #5 starter I think. Rudy Owens - 24 Owens has ratings of 8/9/12, and potential of 9/9/15. Probably won't be in my organization in a year or two. I can deal with the low stuff, but home runs will be blasted off him if I bring him up, way too many fly balls. Justin Wilson - 24 Wilson has ratings of 9/9/6. That is pretty much all you need to know. Gerrit Cole - 21 - AAA Cole has ratings of 14/11/8, and potential ratings of 16/12/13. He is rated as the 9th best prospect in baseball, and he was our #1 pick last year. He looks like he has the ceiling of a borderline #1 starter to me. He has a small chance at making the 40 Man by September, but most likely I will have him up at mid-season next year. Jameson Taillon - 20 - A Taillon has ratings of 12/11/7, with potential of 14/13/12. He got rated the #14 prospect in baseball. I am liking him as a future #2 starter behind Cole, and depending on how he handles the minors this year, he could make the Major League squad possibly late next season. Kyle McPherson - 24 - AAA McPherson has ratings of 12/11/10, and potential ratings of 12/12/13. Although he isn't on the 40 Man Roster to start the season, I will most likely add him to it after waiving whoever I find to be the weakest link. Most likely a back of the rotation starter in the future, although a chance at becoming a decent #3. On the DL for the 1st month and a half. In conclusion, I would say that out pitching staff is not very good, but we are also not very bad. We will probably do just enough to keep us in games, and that is good enough for the moment.

05-31-2012, 10:30 PM	#3
Pacoheadley All Star Reserve Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Kincheloe, MI Posts: 521	Review of Relief Pitching I will not be using a closer, I never do. I don't believe in how relievers are used that way in real life. Joel Hanrahan - 30 Hanrahan has ratings of 20/13/9. He closed for us last year, and did very well. He will most likely be my most important bullpen piece, but could be trade bait. Tony Watson - 27 Watson has ratings of 12/12/10. He is the only lefty in my bullpen at the moment, and will also be in a "set-up" role with Hanrahan, but used mostly against lefties. Chris Resop - 29 Resop has ratings of 20/13/10. Resop will be my third guy used in a set-up role, and if I need a strikeout, he will be one of the guys I will go to. Jason Grilli - 35 Grilli has ratings of 16/16/10. Grilli is a solid reliever, although he is getting up there in age. He will be a free agent at the end of the year, not sure on my plans with him. Juan Cruz - 33 Cruz has ratings of 19/14/8. Cruz is another solid reliever, who will be a free agent at the end of the year Evan Meek - 29 Meek has ratings of 15/14/9. Meek is nothing special, but he is decent, and will do for depth. Daniel McCutchen - 29 McCutchen has ratings of 9/12/11. He is not very good, and will most likely be used in a mop-up role, I don't know how long he will stay up on the Major League squad. Christopher Leroux - 28 Leroux has ratings of 10/14/11. Not a great reliever, but is a slight upgrade over McCutchen, so he could possibly see some time in the majors. He will be on the DL for about 2 months. Daniel Moskos - 26 Moskos has ratings of 10/12/11, with potential ratings of 11/12/11. He could possibly some major league time this year, as he is left-handed. Doug Slaten - 32 Slaten has ratings of 10/10/10. Most likely going to stay in the minors, but could be an emergency backup left hander in case of injury. Bryan Morris - 25 Morris has ratings of 11/11/8. He is a typical minor league reliever, a backup in case of injury, and not much else. It looks we have a pretty decent bullpen, but not much in the way of minor league depth, or any real good prospects. I will be hoping for little injury, as I don't know how they will handle it.

05-31-2012, 11:52 PM	#4
Pacoheadley All Star Reserve Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Kincheloe, MI Posts: 521	Battine Lineups and Overview. The rating shown will be Contact/Power/Eye, and the lineups I use may end up being shifted up a lot. Opening Day Lineups Vs. Right Handers Vs. Left Handers Jose Tabata Jose Tabata Andrew McCutchen Andrew McCutchen Garrett Jones Garrett Jones Rod Barajas Rod Barajas Neil Walker Neil Walker Pedro Alvarez Casey McGehee Alex Presley Alex Presley Pitcher Pitcher Clint Barmes Clint Barmes Rod Barajas - 36 - C Barajas has ratings of 10/13/7. He is getting up there in age, and I have a team option for him next year which isn't too expensive. He should give me average offensive production, with a lot of it coming from home runs. Not great defense, but passable enough to start. Michael McKenry - 27 - C McKenry has ratings of 10/9/10. He is an ok backup catcher. If Barajas struggles, I could see him starting as a stop-gap, but not much more than that. Solid defense that won't hurt us. Garrett Jones - 30 - 1B Jones has ratings of 10/13/12. He isn't the greatest first basemen around, but I am expecting him to give us average offense, which means he isn't terrible. If he gets a little lucky with the BABIP he could end up helping us. Neil Walker - 26 - 2B Walker has ratings of 13/10/10, with eye potential of 11. Walker will be a solid player. He should give us above average offensive production at 2B, combine that with below average defense, and he should be a 2-3 win player. Pedro Alvarez -25 - 3B Alvarez has ratings of 10/12/11, with eye potential of 12. My scout says that he is a reverse platoon player, being able to hit lefties, but I will still use him as a backup in those situations until I am proven otherwise. He is a former top prospect, so hopefully I can get lucky and see some of those skills. His defense leaves much to be desired. Clint Barmes - 33 - SS Barmes has ratings of 10/10/8. Barmes has a history of giving slightly below average offense while playing good defense at short, and that is all I really need for now. Signed for this year and next year at 10.5 M overall. Casey McGehee - 29 - 1B/3B McGehee has ratings of 12/13/11. I will let him split time with Alvarez at third base, because his ratings and history show that he can be a solid offensive player while playing passable defense. Hopefully either him or Alvarez can show why they deserve the starting job. Yamiaco Navarro - 24 - UTIL IF Navarro has ratings of 10/9/9 with eye potential of 11. He has solid defensive ratings, but needs a bit more experience at 2nd and 3rd to show it in his play. He will probably stick around for awhile as a solid bench piece who can start in a pinch. Alex Presley - 26 - LF Presley has ratings of 12/6/7 with eye potential of 8. Presley is starting over Nate McClouth due to his good defense, but if his hitting struggles too much he might not play everyday. If he isn't getting a single, he isn't doing much else, although he has solid speed. Andrew McCutchen - 25 - CF McCutchen has ratings of 12/11/14, with potential for 12/12/15. Finally, a star! McCutchen will give me a solid average, solid home run power and a good on-base percentage, a good amount of stolen bases, all while playing above average defense in center. He is locked up through 2018, so I am hoping he will give me plenty of 4-6 win seasons through the years. I may try to teach him LF, as he has a good work ethic, and it would be nice to keep Starling Marte in CF when he is called up. Jose Tabata - 23 - LF/RF Tabata has ratings of 15/5/11, with potential for 17/7/14. Wow, I have my leadoff/#2 hitter for the future right here. He is locked up through 2019, with nice team options in the last 2 years. I am hoping he can end up being a player with an OBP consistently around .380-.400, and maybe sneak in about 15 home runs. Good speed and defense too. Gorkys Hernandez - 24 - CF Hernandez has ratings of 9/5/8, with potential for 10/5/10. He plays very good defense in center, but can't hit a lick, and can't play the corners. A solid backup piece for now, but I don't envision him ever becoming a starter. Nate McClouth - 30 - OF McClouth (I have a lot of Mc players) has ratings of 10/10/13. His offense is pretty solid, but he is not a starter because he doesn't have ratings above 6 at any defensive position. He will be a free agent after this season though, so if we are way out of it, I may sneak him in a bit for possible trade bait. Gustavo Nunez - 24 - SS Nunez has ratings of 8/3/5. He is on the DL for 2 months, and he will go straight to AAA when he is out. Doesn't look like he'll ever amount to anything, but maybe my scout could be wrong. Matt Hague - 26 - 1B Hague has ratings of 9/9/9. He is a AAA 1B for a reason. Below average hitting skills are not good enough for this position, it would take a miracle for him to see MLB time. Josh Harrison - 24 - 3B/2B Harrison has ratings of 11/4/4. His batting average is decent enough, but he can't do much else except for steal. He could get called up from injury, but he isn't a long term starter unless he learns to take a walk. Chase D'Arnaud - 25 - 3B/SS D'Arnaud has ratings of 10/4/9, with potential for 10/5/11. He was known as a solid prospect, but he has faded some. If he shows good stuff in AAA, then he could get a call-up, and if he can play at least average SS defense, he could potentially be an average player. Jordy Mercer - 25 - UTIL IF Mercer has ratings of 8/8/6, with potential for 9/9/7. He will most likely never make it to the big leagues as a starter, but could be a bench piece if I am desperate. Brandon Boggs - 29 - LF Boggs has ratings of 9/10/15, and potential ratings I know he will never meet. He can take a walk, so if I absolutely need him, I could end up calling him up for the bench at some point. Starling Marte - 23 - CF/LF/RF Marte has ratings of 13/6/4, with potential for 17/9/6. He looks like he has an All-Star ceiling, especially if he gets more patience, could be a 4-6 win player. He can play great defense at all 3 outfield positions, including center. I would like to keep him at center when he gets called up, so I might move McCutchen to LF. I probably won't call him up until next season, but when I do, we will have a very nice outfield. 73rd rated prospect in baseball. Charles Cutler - 25 - C - AAA Cutler has ratings of 9/6/10, with potential of 10/7/12. He isn't on the 40 man, but he could end up being called up to play backup catcher, he has great defense behind the dish, and isn't a terrible hitter. Tony Sanchez - 24 - C - AA Sanchez has ratings of 9/8/10, with potential for 10/9/12. He could be our starter at catcher in a year or two, he plays great defense too, so if he becomes a solid hitter, he will definitely see major league time. Josh E. Bell - 19 - OF - SA Bell has potential ratings of 10/11/10. My scout doesn't think he is great, but he was rated as the #60 prospect, so I will keep an eye on him. Overall, I think our offense is kind of poor, but we do have a nice future in the outfield. If we are able to find some help in the infield (maybe afford 1 free agent next season?) than we could be doing alright in a year or two.

06-01-2012, 12:52 AM	#5
Pacoheadley All Star Reserve Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Kincheloe, MI Posts: 521	April 1st Update. Very 1st update of the season, and not too much news yet. Standings AL East NL East Toronto 0-0 New York 0-0 Tampa Bay 0-0 Philadelphia 0-0 New York 0-0 Miami 0-0 Boston 0-0 Atlanta 0-0 Baltimore 0-0 Washington 0-0 AL Central NL Central Detroit 0-0 Cincinnati 0-0 Chicago 0-0 St. Louis 0-0 Kansas City 0-0 Milwaukee 0-0 Cleveland 0-0 Houston 0-0 Minnesota 0-0 Chicago 0-0 Pittsburgh 0-0 AL West NL West Oakland 2-0 Colorado 0-0 Texas 0-0 Arizona 0-0 Los Angeles 0-0 San Francisco 0-0 Seattle 0-2 San Diego 0-0 Los Angeles 0-0 League Transactions None of note. League News Chicago White Sox CL Matt Thornton wants a trade. My Transactions 1B Matt Hague waived and designated for assignment C Charles Cutler placed on 40-Man Roster. GM Mark Michaels says, "Catcher is a grueling position, and realistically we know that Barajas and McKenry might get a little banged up. With only them on our 40-Man Roster, we decided it would be best to add another catcher to the roster. Matt Hague plays 1st base, and we have three players on our MLB roster capable of playing the position, so he was the most dispensable. No hard feelings, and we still hope he will be able to make an impact for our team at some point."

06-05-2012, 03:34 PM	#6
Pacoheadley All Star Reserve Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Kincheloe, MI Posts: 521	April 15th Report. I will probably start showing league leaders in June. Standings AL East NL East Tampa Bay 5-4 Philadelphia 7-2 Boston 5-4 New York 4-5 Toronto 4-5 Atlanta 3-6 New York 4-5 Miami 3-7 Baltimore 4-5 Washington 1-9 AL Central NL Central Cleveland 8-1 Cincinnati 8-2 Chicago 4-5 Chicago 7-3 Minnesota 4-5 Milwaukee 6-4 Kansas City 2-7 Houston 5-4 Detroit 2-7 St. Louis 4-6 Pittsburgh 2-7 AL West NL West Oakland 7-3 Los Angeles 8-2 Los Angeles 6-3 Colorado 6-3 Texas 5-5 San Francisco 5-4 Seattle 5-6 Arizona 4-5 San Diego 3-7 League Transactions Apr. 5th - Oakland sings MR Hong-Chih Kuo to one year deal. Chicago Cubs sign LF Vladimir Guerrero to one year deal. Texas signs 3B Casey Blake to one year deal. Apr. 9th - Philadelphia signs SP Roy Oswalt to one year deal. Chicago White Sox sign 1B Derrek Lee to one year deal. Apr. 10th - Chicago Cubs sign LF Johnny Damon to one year deal. Apr. 13th - Oakland signs MR Arthur Rhodes to one year deal. New York Yankees sign RF Nick Swisher to 5 year extension worth 67.5M. League News Apr. 9th - AL Player of the Week is Josh Hamilton of Texas NL Player of the Week is Mat Gamel of Milwaukee Apr. 14th - Seattle owner Hiroshi Yamauchi has died, will be replaced by his son, Hiroshi Yamauchi Jr. Notable League Injuries Los Angeles Dodgers 2B Jerry Hairston Jr. out 5 weeks with a fractured foot. Washington MR Tom Gorzelanny out 2-3 months with a herniated disc. San Diego CF Cameron Maybin out for season with a torn PCL. Pittsburgh CF Andrew McCutchen out 2-3 weeks with a herniated disc. Cleveland OF Michael Brantley out for seasons with a concussion. Philadelphia SP Cliff Lee out 3 weeks with elbow inflammation. Baltimore SS J.J. Hardy out 5-6 weeks with a sprained elbow. San Diego RF Jeremy Hermida out 3-4 weeks with a torn meniscus. Tampa Bay 3B Evan Longoria out 2 months with a fractured finger. Milwaukee SS Alex Gonzales out 5-6 weeks with torn hamstring. My Transactions/Injuries Placed CF Andrew McCutchen on 15 Day DL. Recalled CF Starling Marte from AAA. SS Clint Barmes our for one week with back soreness. Mark Michaels says "With the injury to McCutchen, we were down an outfielder. Although the plan with Starling Marte is to not have him up until late this season, or next season, we have decided to give him a short taste of Major League pitching to see how he responds. He will start in center, and will be sent down when McCutchen is back." My Team Notes Jose Tabata has had a slow, BABIP driven start (.229/.263/.286). In 35 ABs only has 4 Ks. Starling Marte has gone 2-4 in each of his first 5 games, and has had 3 triples already. He is looking great in center field, but his strikeouts need to go down (7 in 20 ABs.) Brad Lincoln had a very nice 1st start. Very slow start for Garrett Jones (.147 BA).

07-04-2012, 04:34 PM	#7
JustinM Major Leagues Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Cranberry Twp, PA Posts: 445	I've been using the Pirates so far this year, and good GOD are they awful compared to real life. I just finished the All Star break, and McDonald is struggling to keep his ERA under 6, McCutchen is barely hitting .250, and Neil Walker has the best bat on the team. It's nothing like the team I've been watching on TV lately.