The Mavericks-From the Beginning

[DatCloserKid]

It is Saturday, November 1st, 2014. The ABA just finished its first year with some good, and bad, competition. For such a small league, it had some great finances, because of oil billionaires investing in the league, after they discovered oil under Antarctica. Now, the ABA is some serious competition for the MLB.

Evan Jordan was looking to get into the business as a manager at the ripe age of 32. Just like everyone else, he was looking to start big. Of course, there were no open spots in the MLB, so he turned to the next best thing- the ABA. Only one slot was open for him, and that was the slot of the Detroit Mavericks. After finishing last (by 18 games) with a 77-85 record, Jordan looks to turn them around and make them a championship team.
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Welcome to this dynasty. I may not update this frequently, but please try to stay with me! This is more for me as a way to keep me totally immersed, but feel free to help me out. I'm trying to become better, so please leave any kind of feedback, even if it's something small, because everything helps.

So yeah, let's get started!

*STAY TUNED FOR MORE*

[DatCloserKid]

November 1st, 2014:
First things first, it’s time to analyze the players. There probably won’t be much hope, so just be prepared for a bleak and dreary future.
Let’s start with the pitchers:
SP Pedro Castillo Age: 30|Contract: Expired|2014 Stats: 3-4, 3.73 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, .263 BABIP|
Castillo spent part of last year down in AAA, but he looks decent enough. I’ll probably be signing an extension with him for another couple years and possibly use him as trade bait in the future. For now, he’s not moving anywhere.

SP Lee Doty Age:23|Contract: Expired|2014 Stats: 12-8, 3.91 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, .302 BABIP|
This guy looks like the future of our starting rotation. He may not be posting insane numbers right now, but in a couple years, he will probably be a shut down pitcher. At the moment though, he is just a number 2 or 3 pitcher for us.

SP Nolan Green Age: 37|Contract: Expired|2014 Stats: 9-10, 4.47 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, .293 BABIP|
Green put up decent number last year with an ERA a bit above my liking. At 37 though, he is very old and will start dropping soon. He’s also in free agency and I’m definitely not willing to pay the ridiculous 17.2 million he desires. Expect him to be gone by next season

SP Franklin Holland Age: 29|Contract: Expired|2014 Stats: 11-4, 4.55 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, .262 BABIP|
Holland isn’t looking like the best pitcher on this roster, but we might have to settle with him for a while. I’ll probably resign him for a year or two at the most and then trade him away to someone. Right now, he’s looking like a low end starter for us.

SP Mark Moore Age: 25|Contract: Expired|2014 Stats: 7-12, 4.53 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, .273 BABIP|
Yet another person who is destined for mediocrity. Moore could be decent if he grows, though, because he is only 25. I will resign him and wait to see how he grows before either trading him away or keeping him. Right now, he seems like a middle to low end starter.

MR Gerardo Campos Age: 28|Contract: Expired|2014 Stats: 17.1 IP, 8.59 ERA, 2.18 WHIP, .421 BABIP|
Campos looks like the worst reliever on the team. In the 17 innings he pitched, he played like dog crap. I may or may not keep him, but if I do he’ll probably be on the triple A roster until he proves himself.

MR Enrique Castillo Age: 30|Contract: Expired|2014 Stats: 10.1 IP, 2.61 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, .321 BABIP|
This guy played decent in the few opportunities he got. Castillo definitely won’t be the future of our pen, but he should serve a few solid years with the Mavericks before leaving. He can also start in a pinch, and that adds to his value.

MR Kevin Dodd Age: 30|Contract: Expired|2014 Stats: 56 IP, 4.66 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, .301 BABIP|
Dodd looks decent enough to hold his role down in the pen and hold his own, but he probably won’t be going Craig Kimbrel on everyone. Either way, he should be good enough to hold his place in the pen for a while.

MR Jose Garcia Age: 31|Contract: Expired|2014 Stats: 47 IP, 3.06 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, .231 BABIP|
Garcia looks very good, and he could be one of my setup men if he keeps this up. Hopefully, he doesn’t decline much, as he is 31.

MR Jim Livesey Age: 32|Contract: Expired|2014 Stats: 67.2 IP, 2.13 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, .243 BABIP|
Livesey looks like another great reliever, and his 2014 stats were some of the best on the team. Despite him being 32, I think I’m going to keep him around for a while unless he starts declining like crazy.

MR Alberto Mireles Age: 31|Contract: Expired|2014 Stats: 72 IP, 3.63 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, .329 BABIP|
Mireles looks decent to me, and nothing more. At 31, he will probably only provide a few more decent years. I would re-sign him, but he wants 2.275 million dollars, so I’ll probably let him go to free agency and find another reliever.

MR Andrew Stanley Age: 38|Contract: Expired|2014 Stats: 84.1 IP, 3.84 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, .293 BABIP|
To me, Stanley looks like just another mediocre reliever. Plus, he is 38 and wants 6.1 million to resign, so it looks like I’ll be hitting the market once again for a reliever.

MR Kevin Tiller Age: 34|Contract: Expired|2014 Stats: 3 IP, 12 ERA, 2.33 WHIP, .467 BABIP|
The stats say it all right here. Tiller looks really bad, but his salary is really low and I’ll most likely keep him around for minor league depth, or to bring him up in a pinch. A trad is always an option as well.

MR Chip Valentine Age: 38| Contract: 1 year/4.84 mil|2014 Stats: 68.2 IP, 4.33 ERA, 1.4 WHIP, .329 BABIP
Valentine is yet another old, mediocre player in the bullpen, which means that I’ll just let his contract expire. He does have one more year on it, so it looks like I’ll have to keep building the bullpen through 2015.

MR Jared Watson Age: 32|Contract: Expired|2014 Stats: 2 IP, 18 ERA, 3 WHIP, .375 BABIP|
Watson didn’t exactly play well in the big leagues, but I’ll probably give him another shot just because he only pitched 2 innings and I’ll most likely need the depth.

CL Juan Guzman Age: 35|Contract: Expired|2014 Stats: 1 SV, 86.2 IP, 4.05 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, .266 BABIP|
Great. A closer with only one save. Luckily, all hope is not lost and he did have decent numbers. I probably will resign him, even though he is old and his salary demand is a bit high.
Those are all of the pitchers! Stay tuned for the batters and the minor league prospects.