Complete Universe Facegen Pack 2.0 (New)

[Amazin69]

Thanks for the Better Bass. (I think my actual problem is that I accidentally put a space after "Bass " in the search, so none of the properly-coded Basses showed, but I'm glad of the improvement.)

The highlight of John David Lackey's 5-year pro career was his 16-8 for AA Glens Falls in 1982, so perhaps it is a bit premature for the Detroit AI to already have him in camp, when he's fresh from the Florida Southern campus. I'm more concerned that the game wants to use the facegen of John Derran Lackey, the Angels star of a generation later, so if you could make a proper pic for John David Lackey, that would be great.



The Lackeys look not unalike, but I couldn't uncover a family connection, even if they are both John D. Lackey. John Derran Lackey was born to Derran Lackey in 1978 (while John David was still in college) so perhaps a nephew? That is no better than a guess, though.

[LansdowneSt]

Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 60 | Run: 65 | Arm: 65 | Field: 60 | Overall: 55

For the second time in the last six Drafts, Jackson Prep (Flowood, Miss.) features one of the most tooled-up prospects in the high school class. While Jerrion Ealy opted to pursue a football career, Griffin is a full-time baseball player and could be the first prepster drafted in July. He reclassified from the 2025 Draft to 2024 after leading Jackson Prep to a Midsouth Association of Independent Schools 6-A championship as a freshman, then contributed to the Patriots' sixth straight title last spring.

Griffin has a big-league frame at 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds and he possesses five-tool potential. His size does add some length to his right-handed stroke and he has some timing issues he's ironing out at the plate, but he controls the strike zone well and makes regular contact. His combination of electric bat speed, strength and leverage could translate into 30-homer power as he learns to drive the ball in the air more consistently.

Griffin also has well-above-average speed, giving him 30-30 upside. His quickness and instincts make him a possible Gold Glover in center field, where he covers plenty of ground with long strides. The Louisiana State commit also offers a strong arm that has been clocked up to 94 mph off the mound and scouts say his makeup is as impressive as his physical ability. -mlb.com

Once he gets drafted and has an .fg file, I will probably convert the file to the proper naming convention but that's like a year away.

[LansdowneSt]

“This is my first big league Spring Training, so I was pretty nervous coming in,” said Bliss, Seattle’s No. 13 prospect. “New org, didn’t know anybody. But it’s been a great experience, everybody is great.”

Bliss’ 5-foot-6 frame has been described as deceptive, and his 23 homers last season -- including 10 in 47 games with Triple-A Tacoma -- suggest as much. While he doesn’t have the most raw power, he’s found a way to tap into it without selling out, something he did in his first full season with a big leg kick. He’s since closed off his stance more and stayed shorter to the ball, which led to more consistent hard contact. Scouts have suggested that Bliss’ lack of arm strength and general defensive qualities profile him at second base. And according to MLB Pipeline scouting reports, at worst, Bliss is poised to be a super-utility man who can impact the game offensively in a number of ways.

“My speed is up there,” Bliss said. “Just being able to wreak havoc on the bases. Get on base, for one, and then when you're on base, create some havoc and for the opposing pitchers and the other team. I think that's a big part of my game.” - mlb.com

Very happy to replace that facegen.

[LansdowneSt]

Any John_Lackey.fg file must be really old, because I replaced the one in the pck with a proper one tied to his Historical Minors ID. When I get to the "J"'s, I'll see it as a duplicate as I continue the audit and it will be removed. I'm in the "G"'s now. I restored the pic, colorized and remedied the smile.

I'm calling it close enough

[karlstyner]

LansdowneSt, Thank you for everything!

[Ilove_Telin54]

here some other request is 3:
Kasumba Dennis
Chris Scinta
Caleb Nix

[Amazin69]

Thanks for the OG Lackey.

(So many Lackeys and no Dr. Doom? Odd.)

Do you have a Luis Gomez hiding anywhere? I can't seem to find gomez-001lui or similar.

(Of course, I have missed things before.)

[CBLCardinals]

For the Royals Cayden Wallace and Will Klein both have these weird half smiles going on. Can we update them? Thanks!

[AESP_pres]

The rookie FGs for 1963 are completed... 117 players total. As usual if someone isn't there it's because Lans did the player already in the pack (this is why I have no rookie for the Reds since a great Pete Rose was already made by him).

Temporary Link

[LansdowneSt]

One of the standout features of this shirt is its unique design. The front of the shirt features a bold graphic of Chris Scinta in his iconic #53 jersey, striking a classic baseball pose. The vibrant colors and detailed design make this shirt a standout piece in any fan’s wardrobe. And with the Miami Hurricanes logo proudly displayed on the back, there’s no mistaking which team you’re rooting for. But this shirt isn’t just about style — it’s also about showing your support for your favorite player, Chris Scinta. As a standout player on the Miami Hurricanes baseball team, Scinta has captured the hearts of fans with his impressive skills and dedication to the game. This shirt is the perfect way to show your appreciation for all that he brings to the team.

Dude has a hoodie of himself...

https://medium.com/@sunfrogtshirtllc...t-ae14b8fd7f1f

[LansdowneSt]

Scouting grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 50 | Run: 50 | Arm: 65 | Field: 55 | Overall: 50

Wallace made an immediate impact at Arkansas when he tied the school's freshman home run record (14) for his home state Razorbacks. He led Arkansas to the College World Series as a Draft-eligible sophomore, and then the Royals took him in the second round of the 2022 Draft while giving him a $1.7 million signing bonus. In his first full pro season, the 22-year-old had a strong start in High-A before a late-season bump to Double-A. His performance dipped slightly at the higher level, but he slashed .254/.331/.414 over 130 games total in 2023, with 27 doubles, seven triples, 13 homers and 84 RBIs.

Wallace goes to the plate with a calm demeanor and simple mechanics, in addition to a compact and efficient right-handed swing. He has a true feel for the barrel and has power potential to all fields, although he struggled with breaking balls in 2023 and could have gotten pull-happy in an attempt to create more power. He projects as more of a gap-to-gap hitter than a home run hitter, but as he adds strength, he might tap into that above-average raw power.

More than anything in 2023, Wallace showed he could handle the hot corner. He’s a natural third baseman with a strong, plus arm. His throws are accurate with good carry -- even the balls he fielded close to the line made it across the diamond with plenty of zip. Wallace has solid baserunning skills to help his average speed, which will lead to more stolen bases. By the end of ‘24, Wallace could be in Triple-A and a step away from the Majors. If he taps into his power, he could be the power-hitting everyday third baseman the Royals have been seeking for years.

If he's currently shaved (pic is from college), give him time, he'll get scruffy again soon.

[LansdowneSt]

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- The Royals added several pieces to a revamped bullpen this past offseason, bolstering the back end with a quartet of high-leverage veteran arms while maintaining a promising group of depth options. One such depth reliever won't be breaking camp with Kansas City -- but don't count out intriguing homegrown prospect Will Klein from catching on with the big league club at some point this season.

Klein, the Royals' No. 19 prospect in MLB Pipeline's updated rankings for 2024, was optioned to Triple-A Omaha following Friday's 4-2 win against the Rangers at Surprise Stadium, but he has impressed with both his demeanor and his stuff in his first big league camp. Added to the 40-man roster last November in order to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft, the 24-year-old Klein has risen through Kansas City's farm system since he was selected in the fifth round of the abridged 2020 MLB Draft. He earned a selection to last year's All-Star Futures Game in Seattle and will have the chance to perform on another big stage in the inaugural Spring Breakout on March 17.

"It's an honor," Klein said. "I'm honestly tired of being a prospect at this point, though. It just means you haven't done anything yet. I'm ready to actually help the team win." - mlb.com 3/8/24

[LansdowneSt]

Frank Alfred Linzy was a major league star for a decade, yet he has retained a folksy friendliness and unassuming air.

Linzy, now living the life of a semi-retired coalminer, on a baseball pension of "over $1,500 a month," was one of baseball's best relief pitchers from 1965 through '74. He was the National League Rookie Pitcher of the Year in '65, with a 9-3 record, 21 saves (second in the NL) and a league-leading 1.43 earned run average for the San Francisco Giants. All for the minimum major league salary of $7,200.

Over 11 major league seasons, in which he never made more than $32,000 a year, Linzy had a 62-57 record, 111 saves and 2.85 ERA. If you had a dollar for every major league pitcher with an ERA better than 3.00 after 10 seasons you still wouldn't have enough for the mortgage company next month.

But ask Linzy about his major league career or anything else, for that matter and you get an aw, shucks answer and it's sincere. He is humorous in the grand Will Rogers tradition, too.

Ask him about his career ERA and he says, "That's because I threw crooked. When the ball hit the outfield it would hit the ground and die. It wouldn't jump. I had a different spin on the ball, like a dry spitter was what it was. It was just natural. I don't really know how I did it."

Ask him how he learned to throw a sinkerball and he says, "I found that by accident in '62. I was warming up in the bullpen and I saw the ball sink about six inches and I thought, "How in the world did I do that?' I finally figured out that you just hold the slick part of the ball, not on the seams."

Ask him about his first three pro seasons (1960-62), when he was a pitcher and an outfielder, and he says, "I couldn't hit the curveball.
I could swing at it, but I couldn't hit it. I kept swinging at it, too."

Ask him about his duties as a coalminer and he says, "I ran a drag line. I'd just sit there and dig dirt and throw it over yonder. To me, it's easier than playing ball. You don't have to run anywhere or dodge line drives or none of that stuff."

Ask him about his activities now and he says, "I've got a great big garden, cattle and pecan trees. I mow my yard, my mother-in-law's yard and my mother's yard and between that and hunting and fishing I don't know how I'd find time to work."

Ask Linzy about baseball today and he says he watches games on television "nearly every night." He adds: "I think once you like it, you can't keep from liking it." - The Oklahoman from July 19, 1988

I enjoyed the whole article. Tried to capture the glasses as best I could.

i'll get the others I owe folks tomorrow. Been a busy week at the real job.

[AESP_pres]

Thanks!

[LansdowneSt]

The fun, absurd and surprising history of the Blue Jays worst position players

4. Luis Gómez, SS, 1978-1979, -1.1 WAR/150

Remember Alfredo Griffin? Well, Gómez was his predecessor as the Blue Jays’ everyday shortstop, and when you look at the difference between his 1978 numbers, and the ones Griffin put up in 1979, you start to understand why Griffin meant so much to the fledgling expansion franchise. Though Griffin would ultimately have an uneven career, his AL Rookie of the Year campaign in ’79 saw him hit .287 and play the best defense of his career, leading to a 2.2 WAR as a 21-year-old. That’s genuinely exciting stuff — especially back then. Gómez in ’78, however, was already in his age-26 season, played worse defense, and managed to slash just .223/.280/.254.

Blue Jays manager Roy Hartsfield ran Gómez out there 153 times in 1978 alone. Such was the reality for expansion teams back then. But his poor performance at the plate couldn’t have exactly been unexpected. Per his Wikipedia page, “no non-pitcher since Bill Bergen retired in 1911 has had as many plate appearances as Gómez with an OPS of .500 or less. (Gómez’s lifetime OPS is exactly .500.)”

Wikipedia also points out that Gómez played 89 games for the Twins in 1975 and failed to collect a single extra-base hit, “breaking a record held since 1916 by Mike McNally, and which still stands.” He also “appeared in 609 major league games, the most among non-pitchers who never hit a home run.” Gomez, in fact, didn’t hit a single home run at any level of pro ball.

I must give him credit for something, though. Making me feel ashamed for not realizing the Blue Jays had this kind of connection to such historical offensive ineptitude. Incredible! - The Athletic

Here ya go, Amazin'

[LansdowneSt]

Dennis Kasumba dreams of reaching the major leagues.

For now, this past month was close enough — when the 5-foot-6 catcher from Uganda had a chance to play for the Frederick Keys of the MLB Draft League.

“When I’m here, I get a lot of experience,” the 19-year-old Kasumba said this week. “I play the game with good pitchers, I get good coaches. When I go (back) to Uganda, I think I’ll get a team to play in the U.S. again next season.”

That’s the hope for Kasumba — that step by step, he’ll be able to stay on this journey wherever it leads. His past few weeks with Frederick showed how daunting the goal of reaching the majors really is, but just making it this far is a testament to his perseverance. It also exemplifies how social media can open doors for people who might otherwise go unnoticed — a teenaged baseball player in Africa, for example.

“I think social media is different right now. We not only see it in baseball, I think we saw it in people singing, artists, actors from another country that, say 15 years ago, we didn’t know anything about them, and social media helped them to expose themselves, helped people see them,” said René Rivera, a former big-league catcher who was Kasumba’s manager at Frederick. “I like that you can be yourself and share your history on social media, so people recognize you and give you opportunity.”

That’s how Joshua Williams, an Atlanta-based attorney, first came across Kasumba. “About two years ago, I saw he had made a post on social media,” Williams said. “He was hitting a ball off of a coke can that was attached to a tire.” Kasumba’s Twitter account is full of posts like that, showing him using all sorts of creative training methods. In one, he pops out of his catcher’s crouch again and again, throwing blocks instead of baseballs. In another, he’s weightlifting, using a bar with two tires on it. The videos show Kasumba putting quite a bit of work in — often in wet, muddy conditions — and refusing to let a lack of equipment stop him. “I don’t want to give excuse,” Kasumba said. “That’s why I said, ’Oh, I need to use tires as weights,’ to get muscle, to build my muscles.”

I recommend reading the whole article and googling up some of the social media posts. I put him on the O's for the screenshot as the Frederick Keys were a Baltimore affiliate at one time. Remember with these very young players that you may need to add the BBR Historical ID to the player if OOTP doesn't yet have it in there.

[LansdowneSt]

As requested, here is Caleb Nix. He was one of the top high school players in the state of Georgia 2022. The 280lbs makes a tough facegen to shape... I think that clears the queue of requested fgs. I borrowed the LSU uni for the proper colors.

[Amazin69]

Thanks for Gomez! I knew he was a stinker at the bat, but I never knew it was of such historic proportions. (Ironic when I am running a game where Mario Mendoza is trying to make the team.)

Also trying to make the 1979 Mariners is Frankie George, who would later be voted the greatest athlete in the history of San Diego's St. Augustine High School. (Frankie garnered 10 varsity letters in baseball/football/basketball, including the year he played both ways and led the football team to a 13-0 season and a CIF championship.)

After high school, Frankie was the Angels' 7th-round pick in 1971 and posted some fine seasons climbing their minor-league tree. Until 1977, when he went from the Salt Lake Gulls (Angels AAA) to the Indianapolis Indians (Reds AAA) at mid-season, with no transaction noted. (This was right around the time when Cincinnati traded Gary Nolan to Anaheim for Craig Hendrickson, but I can't find any record of Frankie being part of that trade.)

Frankie was successful as an Indianapolisian, but the next year he was in the Seattle chain. (This was when the two teams made the Shane Rawley-for-Dave Collins deal, but again there's no record of Frankie's inclusion. Perhaps he was simply a MiLB free agent at this point.) He struggled in his first season in the Mariners' chain (even being sent back to single-A for a brief stint), but he's hoping for better things in '79!



In our reality, Frankie showed that he could master AAA Spokane for a month, then decamped for Coahuilla in the Mexican League. We don't have his stats there, but he was back in the USA in 1980, tearing it up for the Amarillo Gold Sox. But that is only AA Texas League, and Frankie was at the magic 27 age by then, so that was it for his career in OB, unless he went to the Nameless League or something.

[LansdowneSt]

Here's my go at Frankie George based on the B&W photo. Hope it works for ya, Amazin'.

[Amazin69]

Great! Would you like to take a shot at Steve Wilkins, who never got past AA in his four minor-league seasons, but was over .900 in three of those? He's hit 5 dingers in spring training for the Giants, so perhaps the AI won't send him out to Shreveport this time.

I could find neither hide nor hair of his face online, however. Perhaps something from his days at Oregon State or The Dalles (OR) High School?

(Legally "Steve Harold Wilkins" so looking for "Stephen" won't help. Not the cricketer nor the gay-rights activist, albeit I found good pics of them. Steve died in December at age 70, but no pics in the death notices that I could find.)