MLB Into The Future

[ddrap14]

With the lockout and a general lack of things to do in my life aside from university, I thought it might be fun to run a OOTP simulation. This sim is something of a 'what if' for two reasons: firstly, it is played from the start of 2020 as if COVID did not exist (this may be due to me only having OOTP21), and secondly, it's also assuming there is no lockout at the end of the 2021 season.

Without further ado, I present: MLB Into The Future!

[ddrap14]

March 2020
The two signings that happen in 99.99% of OOTP21 saves - Dietrich to the Angels and Yasiel Puig to the Padres - happened in the save, I won't go into detail.

Two other events happened in this month, both involving pitchers. Firstly, a rare Opening Day shutout from Gerrit Cole. (the image is broken I'll try and fix later

And secondly, a major blow for the Toronto Blue Jays as their ace Hyun-Jin Ryu is ruled out for the rest of the season on opening day due to bone chips in the elbow. Trent Thornton takes his spot in the rotation, which now looks extremely wobbly.

[ddrap14]

April 2020
Apparently I can't add images. That's a bit of trouble.

31/3: Gerrit Cole secures his second consecutive shutout, conceding just one hit (a Willy Adames single) as the Yankees beat the Rays 2-0.
1/4: Jack Flaherty (STL), Zack Greinke (HOU) and Yordan Alvarez (HOU) are all added to the 10-day IL and will be out for multiple weeks. Greg Allen (CLE) has a huge day, going 5 for 5 and hitting for the cycle as well as Cleveland beat the White Sox on Allen's 9th innings homer.
4/4: Max Scherzer to the IL for a month with a forearm issue.
6/4: Miguel Sano (MIN, 4HR 7RBI AVG .450) and Corey Seager (LAD, 5RBI AVG .556) are elected Players of the Week.
7/4: Alex Wood signs a 3Y 15M extension with the Dodgers. A second Indian has 5 hits in a game - this time Jose Ramirez against the Twins - while Max Muncy helps those Dodgers beat STL in extra innings with 3HR. Patrick Corbin goes on the 60-day IL with a torn tendon and his regular season is over.
8/4: Stephen Strasburg picks up the slack with two Washington batterymates on IL (forcing Austin Voth into the rotation) and fans 15 Marlins to get Washington the win.
9/4: KC SP Jakob Junis undergoes elbow reconstruction surgery, bringing an early end to his season.
10/4: Two more major players go on IL - Freddie Freeman (ATL) breaks a thumb while Walker Buehler (LAD) reports discomfort in his shoulder. Both go on the 10-day, although are expected to stay for longer.
11/4: Hunter Renfroe (TBR, 3HR 14RBI .345 AVG) and Nolan Arenado (COL, 1HR 6RBI .550 AVG) are named Players of the Week. Tyler Mahle's season is ended due to Tommy John surgery - Anthony deSclafani, who hasn't given up a run as a reliever this year, joins the rotation.
14/4: Avisail Garcia dinks three home runs (off three different pitchers) including a grand slam to spark the Brewers to a win over Philly.
19/4: Trevor May (MIN) out for the season with elbow ligament damage. Nick Burdi (PIT) and Max Muncy (LAD) both also to the IL.
20/4: Nelson Cruz (MIN, 3HR 6RBI .478 avg) and Avisail Garcia (MIL, three more HR after that big game) named Players of the Week.
22/4: Toronto's Wilmer Font out for 4 months with elbow problems.
24/4: NYM closer Edwin Diaz partially tears his rotator cuff and is out for 4 months. Cleveland are on the receiving end of a 5-hit game this time as Mike Tauchman hits five singles in a Yankees win.
25/4: Miami catcher Francesco Cervelli requests a trade.
26/4: Miami catcher Francesco Cervelli is traded to Colorado for Mike Gerber (career minor league LF) and Julian Fernandez (RP, age 24, OV 1 star, POT 5 stars).
27/4: Victor Reyes (DET, 1HR 3RBI .440 avg) and Nolan Arenado (COL, 5HR 13RBI .500 avg) named Players of the Week. Two trades occur: the Nationals fix their starting pitching issue by trading Starlin Castro and a prospect to Texas for Mike Minor, while Seattle swap Kendall Graveman for KC's Kyle Isbel.
28/4: Cole Sulser's breakout season won't happen, as he tears his elbow ligament and undergoes Tommy John surgery. He's out for the season, and for much of next year's.
Standings as of 30/4: TBR lead the league at 24-9. ATL, MIL, ARI, MIN and TEX are the other division leaders, while Seattle are the worst team in the league at 10-23 (Baltimore are 10-21 and CWS 11-20).

[ddrap14]

May 20
1/5: Jose Abreu (CHW, who suck) and Nolan Arenado (COL) are named Players of the Month for April. E-Rod and the newly minted Alex Wood are Pitchers of the Month, while Casey Mize and Gavin Lux get the rookie awards. The first real hitting streak of the season ends at 26 when the Yankees blank Toronto's Bo Bichette.
2/5: Francisco Lindor's own hit streak ends at 23, while in a more comical or serious scene (depends on if you ask me or my mother), Julio Teheran (LAA) biffs Max Kepler (MIN) in the face during a fight. Both are suspended.
4/5: Brett Phillips (.444 avg) and Ketel Marte (.435 avg) take home Player of the Week, while in news that broke this Aussie's heart, Liam Hendriks is out for the rest of the season with bone chips.
5/5: Draft pool revealed. Apparently Tork is only 2.5 star potential...
6/5: Matt Olson joins Freddie Freeman in being a first baseman who breaks a finger.
8/5: The last thing that Washington needed was the injury-prone Stephen Strasburg to break down. Welp. Torn labrum in the shoulder. Six of their top nine SPs are now out (a hand contusion having Mike Minor on the 10-day), leaving the rotation with Joe Ross, Anibal Sanchez and a variety of minor league/bullpen arms. Christian Yelich also fractures a hand.
9/5: The Padres and Astros trade relievers, with Houston getting Pierce Johnson and San Diego receiving Brandon Bielak (and a prospect).
11/5: Austin Meadows (.478 avg) and Ronald Acuna Jr (12 RBI, .455 avg) win Players of the Week. Yordan Alvarez injures himself yet again.
13/5: Brandon Morrow signs a contract for the rest of the season with the Yankees.
15/5: A second Twins reliever goes down for the year as Sean Poppen suffers shoulder discomfort.
18/5: Anthony Santander (.591 avg) and Ketel Marte (.480 avg) win Player of the Week. Dinelson Lamet partially tears his rotator cuff and is out for almost the rest of the season.
20/5: Carson Smith signs for the rest of the season for the Twins, with 6 SP's on the IL across MLB and AAA as well as May and Poppen out for the year.
22/5: Charlie Morton (TBR) undergoes Tommy John surgery and will miss most of the next season as well as this one. Houston outfielder Stephen Wrenn (only playing due to George Springer being on the IL with hip soreness) goes 5-for-6 against the Red Sox.
23/5: Jeff McNeil smacks five hits too including two homers to lead the Mets to a win over the Braves. Jason Castro, on the other hand, smacks the plate umpire.
24/5: Early figures suggest that Miguel Sano is the second most popular player in the AL in All-Star voting. Also, 105000 people have voted for Stephen Strasburg despite his shoulder tear.
25/5: Alex Bregman (9 RBI, .455 avg) and Ronald Acuna Jr (8 RBI, .444 average and second award in three weeks) win Player of the Week.
26/5: Zach Plesac fractures his elbow and is off to the IL for four months. San Diego trade Tommy Pham to the Angels for three prospects. This comes with Justin Upton hitting on the Mendoza line (with that said, one of those hits was home run number 300 for him).
27/5: Nathan Eovaldi (BOS) shuts out the Royals with just one hit, the second time this season a pitcher has come one hit away from a no-hitter.
28/5: Joe Smith (HOU) undergoes Tommy John surgery, ending his season.
30/5: Nick Burdi, who already had one major injury, now has another - a torn elbow tendon. Having already lost the closer job to Keone Kela in his first absence, now his season is over. Anthony Rizzo and Luis Castillo fight and are suspended.
31/5: Nolan Arenado leads fan voting for the All-Star game, while Sano is within 1000 votes of Mike Trout (wut). Boston reliever Colten Brewer tears his shoulder and is out for the year, while Marcus Semien (cycle against, ironically, the Rangers) and Arenado (5-for-5 including two homers) have big games.
Standings as of 31/5: Three AL teams - the Twins (with Miguel Sano on Barry Bonds pace for homers), A's (with Luzardo, Bassitt and Montas on fire on the mound) and Rays (they're the Rays) - are all convincingly over .600, with nobody else even close. The Mets lead the NL on .576 (34-25). Baltimore held worst status for a long time, but have just surpassed the Tigers (20-39) who have about three good players.

[ddrap14]

June 20
1/6: Batter of the month (sorry for not noticing that in May) goes to Gleyber Torres (NYY) and Mike Moustakas (CIN) respectively. The pitching award goes to two pitchers I think are quite underrated, Jesus Luzardo (OAK) and Antonio Senzatela (COL). Luzardo also gets ROTM along with Gavin Lux (LAD), and finally, POTW also falls on the 1st of this month, with Jorge Soler (4 HR, .458 avg) and Nolan Arenado (6 HR, 10 RBI, .500 avg) claiming it. Not to be outdone, Mike Trout hits his 300th home run against the Rangers.
2/6: Yadier Molina brings up his own milestone - his 2000th hit. It's a single off Toronto reliever Trent Thornton.
3/6: Zack Greinke ruptures his UCL and undergoes TJ surgery, ending his season. Elsewhere, San Diego's Drew Pomeranz requests a trade, Miami and Atlanta have one (Atlanta sending three ordinary prospects in exchange for reliever Brandon Kintzler), and Mookie Betts shows why this is necessary by hammering three homers off the Braves.
4/6: It's draft day, but before the draft, three big trades occur. First, Richard Rodriguez is traded from Pittsburgh to St Louis in exchange for a pair of prospects. Then Milwaukee sends Keon Broxton to Baltimore for Wade leBlanc and a prospect. And finally, Kirby Yates and a prospect are sent from San Diego to the Yankees in exchange for Clint Frazier.
In the draft, Detroit take SP Asa Lacy first overall, with Baltimore selecting 1B Spencer Torkelson second and Miami taking CF Heston Kjerstad third.
7/6: Eric Sogard (Brewers) gets five hits against Boston.
8/6: Lourdes Gurriel Jr (3 HR, 11 RBI, .407 avg) and Adam Eaton (.571 avg, setting a new mark for weekly average in this season) are named Players of the Week.
9/6: Miami sheds another asset with Jonathan Villar heading to Boston in exchange for three prospects.
10/6: Jesus Luzardo ruptures his UCL. A shame given he was having such a great season, and he may not even be back until 2022 if he suffers a setback. JP Feyereisen (Milwaukee) also suffers an injury to his shoulder and will be out until playoffs.
11/6: Jose Quintana tears his meniscus and, again, won't be back until the postseason if Chicago make it. Jonathan Villar embeds himself well into the Boston lineup, hitting 5-for-6 against the Rays. Oakland lose their second pitcher in three days when Chris Bassitt fights with Niko Goodrum.
12/6: Bryan Abreu (Houston) is out for the season with damaged elbow ligaments.
14/6: Cool, another fight! This time between Tim Anderson (CHW) and Lance McCullers Jr (HOU). Again, suspensions all round
15/6: Jonathan Villar (BOS, .591 avg, breaking Eaton's mark last week) and Raimel Tapia (COL, .480 avg) are named players of the week.
16/6: An inflammed shoulder ends Logan Webb (SFG)'s season. Hard to think that when this game starts, just two years ago, he was a reliever...
17/6: Matt Magill (SEA) tears his rotator cuff and is also out for the year.
19/6: Marcus Semien decides to stick with Oakland in this timeline, signing a 4Y 79M extension that seems like a bit of an underpay to me...
21/6: Miguel Sano actually passes Trout in All-Star voting. Meanwhile, Shane Bieber is out for a month with an 'unspecified off-field injury'... suspicious. Derek Dietrich's broken knee is easier to trace, as is it's effect: he won't be playing baseball until 2021.
22/6: Shed Long Jr. (SEA, .500 avg) and Mike Moustakas (CIN, 3 HR 8 RBI .526 avg) are named Players of the Week.
25/6: Second broken kneecap in four days. THis time, it's Milwaukee's Orlando Arcia. The Brew Crew have better news for their fans later, with two minor leaguers departing in exchange for Garrett Richards from San Diego. This gives them a three headed monster of Woodruff, Richards and (when off IL) Burnes. Freddy peralta is still in their bullpen
26/6: The Midseason Top 100 Prospect list is published. Wander Franco remains at #1, with Adley Rutschman moving past Nate Pearson to #2.
28/6: A LOT of news. Wade Davis (COL) apparently requests a trade. Whit Merrifield (KC) goes 5-for-5 against Cleveland, while Oakland's Chad Pinder hits a trio of homers against the White Sox. There were also two fights: Willy Adames (TBR)-Nick Margevicius (SEA) and Jackie Bradley Jr (BOS)-Giovanny Gallegos (STL). Evan Longoria (SFG) hits his 300th home run, against the Dodgers. And finally, Oakland's hopes take a body blow as they lose a second ace for the season - this time Frankie Montas who ruptures a disc in his back.
29/6: Austin Hays (BAL, 3 HR 8 RBI .591 avg) and Juan Soto (WSH, 5 HR 10 RBI .426 avg) are named Players of the Week. Yu Darvish tears a tendon in his elbow and is out for the season, while the Orioles trade closer Mychal Givens to Chicago for a prospect.
30/6: After Ryu went down on opening day and with Trent Thornton suffering from shoulder issues, Toronto have recently had Luiz Gohara in their rotation. It's been passable from him. Luis Robert, however, decided that that should not occur, and swatted him for three homers in four innings. He added one in the ninth to have the first four-homer game of 2020.
Standings at June 30: Oakland and Minnesota are both at 55-31, while Tampa Bay have regressed with the Dodgers taking over third at 51-35. Atlanta and Milwaukee also lead their divisions, with HOU, BOS, ARI and STL fairly secure in the wildcard spots. The worst team in baseball is now Texas (31-56), thanks partially to low form from their aces, partially to rubbish team hitting, and partially to their 4 and 5 starters (Jordan lyles and Kolby Allard) being disastrous all year.

[ddrap14]

Jul 20
1/7: It's monthly awards time again! George Springer (HOU) and Juan Soto (WSH) are named Batters of the Month, while the pitching awards go to Shane Bieber (CLE) and Walker Buehler (LAD). Luis Robert (CHW) probably clinched his Rookie of the Month award by hitting four homers in a game on June 30, and alongside him is a bit of a bolter - RP Kevin Ginkel of Arizona. Elsewhere, Pittsburgh are forced onto closer number three of the year when Keone Kela is found to have bone chips in his elbow, while a blockbuster trade occurs. The Angels trade Andrelton Simmons to the White Sox, getting Codi Heuer and Edwin Encarnacion in return.
2/7: Jack Flaherty strains his forearm and will be out until just before playoffs. Three trades happen on this day, too: both Chicago teams make acquisitions for minor leaguers (the Cubs add Jarrod Dyson from Pittsburgh, while the White Sox get Jonathan Schoop from Detroit), while San Diego and LAA swap pitchers about to break through in Cal Quantrill (to the Angels) and Jaime Barria (to the Padres).
3/7: A sixth Houston pitcher ends up on the 60-day - this one being Roberto Osuna, who has an elbow problem. James McCann (CHW) and Jose Leclerc (TEX) have a fight, while even more trades occur than the prior day. Texas ship Lance Lynn to the Yankees for Mike Ford and a prospect; Ivan Nova heads from Detroit to Chicago like Schoop (but to the Cubs instead); Anthony Bass is traded to Arizona with some prospects returning to Toronto; and Atlanta send four prospects (including WS contributor Tucker Davidson) into Canada, getting superstar closer Ken Giles in return.
4/7: Much quieter today, both in trade news and in Ramon Laureano's (OAK) hitting streak which stops at 21.
6/7: Hunter Renfroe (TBR, 6 HR 15 RBI .407 avg and one name too similar to a Las Vegas Raider) and Max Muncy (LAD, 5 HR 10 RBI .346 avg) are named Players of the Week. Miguel Sano is still on track for 70 HR, by the way
8/7: Taijaun Walker had an interesting year here. Cut by Seattle on 27 June, signed by Washington to fix their starting issue on 29 June, and out for the year (like most Washington starters) on 8 July. Two more trades occur too - Houston lose another bullpen piece by trading Ryan Pressly for prospects, while Tampa trade Manuel Margot, a prospect and cash to the Cubs for catcher Victor Caratini.
9/7: Johnny Cueto tears his labrum and is out for the rest of the season.
10/7: Trade season continues as Baltimore ship SS Jose Iglesias and a prospect to LAA for two prospects.
11/7: Philadelphia and Washington make a mutual benefit trade: Philly acquires Howie Kendrick who is hitting .329, while Washington gets more emergency starter help with Vince Velasquez, plus a prospect.
12/7: All-Star Rosters are announced:
https://gyazo.com/ddf7d0da36fabeb38b1a01f7e683f8ba
https://gyazo.com/274168dafd2a428a46b2564616dfe835
https://gyazo.com/973e9198e8716830ca082167e0f55586
https://gyazo.com/8e02b75fa378525736bdefc13e5ba20a
Isaac Paredes (Detroit AAA) is named MVP of the Prospects Game. Meanwhile, Kansas makes two trades - sending reliever Ian Kennedy to the Angels for a prospect, and closer Trevor Rosenthal to the Cubs for three prospects.
13/7: Ehire Adrianza (MIN, .524 avg) and Didi Gregorius (PHI, .557 avg) win Players of the Week. Philly trade Enyel de los Santos and Ronald Torreyes to Detroit for Spencer Turnbull. Giancarlo Stanton wins the Home Run Derby
14/7: AL win the All-Star game. Luis Robert is the MVP with a home run.
15/7: Ken Giles extends with the Braves - 2Y 22M.
16/7: RP Nick Vincent is traded from Miami to Houston for some prospects.
17/7: Patrick Corbin re-tore his elbow and was ruled out until 2022. It looks like his career might be over, or close to. Meanwhile, Luis Urias gets a 5-for-5 and cycle against San Diego, Rhys Hoskins hits three homers against LAA, and Kevin Pillar is traded to Texas from Boston for Ronald Guzman.
18/7: Nick Margevicius again gets into a fight, this time with Jeff McNeil of NYM.
19/7: Another 5-for-5, this one from Jose Altuve against Oakland.
20/7: Adley Rutschmann made his first mark on the league, hitting .700 to win Player of the Week. Christian Walker, his NL counterpart, was even better with .778 (of course, this was a half week due to the ASG). Philadelphia trade Jay Bruce to Detroit for Michael Fulmer and a prospect.
21/7: George Springer signs a 4Y 102M extension for Houston. Sean Doolittle put in a trade request for Washington, obviously trying to get out before a season ending injury.
22/7: Gio Gallegos gets into his second fight of the year, this one being with Evan Longoria.
24/7: David Price spun a 1-hit shutout for LAD over Miami, leading to a 10-0 win. San Diego and Baltimore made a trade - Trey Mancini to the Padres, and Joey Lucchesi to the Orioles.
26/7: Todd Frazier's season is over - the Texas 3B tears a hip muscle. Brandon Nimmo ruptures his MCL and is also out for the season. Hunter Pence announced his retirement at the end of the season.
27/7: Yoan Moncada (CWS, .476 avg) and Jason Heyward (CHC, .522) are named players of the week. 3 trades occur: Seranthony Dominguez and a prospect are traded by Philly to Tampa for Randy Arozarena; Aaron Bummer crosses the Chicago line, joining the Cubs for some prospects; and finally Sean Doolittle gets his trade, packaged with a prospect and sent to Tampa Bay for Yandy Diaz.
28/7: A rotator cuff injury ends Kolby Allard's miserable season, while Nicky Lopez (KC)'s hitting streak ends at 21 and three more trades happen. Jesus Aguilar and a prospect from Miami to Kansas for a pair of prospects; Danny Santana and a prospect from Texas to Colorado for Antonio Senzatela; and Addison Reed from CHW to St Louis for two prospects.
30/7: The trade deadline is heating up. Baltimore and Detroit swap minor leaguers, which wouldn't be notable if one wasn't Cedric Mullins, while the Orioles also trade Richard Bleier to Kansas. Matt Shoemaker is also on the move, from Toronto to Philly for two prospects. The biggest deal of the day is Jurickson Profar going to Washington - San Diego receive a prospect.
31/7: Trade deadline day is quiet with only one trade - Baltimore and the White Sox swapping more minor league players. The biggest news is Rich Hill announcing his retirement.
Standings on 31 July: Minnesota continued to be the best team in the league but had come back down a bit (68-43). Arizona and Atlanta had been on tears and both were 66-44, and second place overall. Tampa, Oakland and St Louis all led their divisions. Cleveland and LAD had space in the wildcard chase, while Milwaukee were two games ahead of the Mets. The closest battle was for the second AL WC spot, with Boston 0.5 GB Houston, and the Yankees 1.5 further behind. Detroit was once again the worst team in baseball, thanks to Kyle Gibson and Joey Gallo deciding to be good again.

[ayaghmour2]

Originally Posted by ddrap14

April 2020
Apparently I can't add images. That's a bit of trouble.

Did you try using the paperclip (attached)? It should allow you to attach images below your text.

[ddrap14]

Originally Posted by ayaghmour2

Did you try using the paperclip (attached)? It should allow you to attach images below your text.

Thanks! I don't know if I even had those perms yesterday but I do now.

[ddrap14]

Aug 20
1/8: Joey Gallo and Didi Gregorius are named Hitters of the Month for July. Mike Clevinger and Brandon Woodruff win Pitcher of the Month, while the rookie awards go to Brady Singer and (predictably) Gavin Lux. Marcus Stroman tears a rotator cuff and is out until the new year.
2/8: A broken elbow ends Ketel Marte's season - with the D-Backs half a game ahead of the Dodgers at the start of the day, it's a particularly unfortunate blow. Robbie Ray takes some Arizona fans' minds off it by shutting out the Dodgers to make that 15 games.
3/8: Joey Gallo (TEX) and Nick Castellanos (CIN) are named Players of the Week. Draft pick signing deadline - every notable pick signs though.
6/8: Texas' chances of the #1 overall pick are given a boost as Kyle Gibson is diagnosed with radial decompression in the elbow. I don't know what that is but I do know it's ended their best pitcher's season.
8/8: Miguel Rojas, having earlier in the season had three setbacks recovering from the same minor injury, now gets into the books for a good reason, going 5-for-6 against the Braves.

9/8: Mark Canha (OAK) and Chad Green (NYY) get into a scrap. Green throws a punch and is suspended for 8 games.
10/8: Rio Ruiz (BAL) and Justin Turner (LAD) are named players of the week. It's good timing for a great week for Ruiz, who was trending towards the Mendoza Line.
11/8: Colorado reliever Wade Davis undergoes TJ surgery. The Rockies also lose Yency Almonte for the season, albeit with a less serious bone spur.
12/8: Brett Anderson (SEA vs HOU) and Rick Porcello (NYM vs ATL) blank division rivals on two hits each. Porcello's performance is particularly impressive given his prior record of 3-12.
17/8: Willians Astudillo (MIN) and Kyle Schwarber (WSH) are named Players of the Week.
18/8: Billy Hamilton (SFG) has his hit streak end at 20.
19/8: I wouldn't normally put a 4-hit shutout here, but today's win over SFG was by far the best performance out of young MacKenzie Gore's 13 starts in MLB so far. Bright talent!

20/8: Toronto closer Rafael Dolis tears his labrum, leaving him racing to be fit for 2021. This means that Tucker Davidson is moved to closer. Odd move, if you ask me
21/8: Two more shutouts today - Gerrit Cole's third of the season, and also the third one-hit shutout, from Madison Bumgarner (ARI).
22/8: Tampa beat the Angels 17-7, including three homers from Mike Zunino.

23/8: Cristian Pache (ATL) has a wild game against the Phillies, going 5-for-6 including a grand slam.
24/8: Eloy Jimenez (CWS) and Corey Seager (LAD) are named Players of the Week.
25/8: Jackie Bradley Jr extends with the Red Sox for four more years and $61M.
26/8: Richard Lovelady is one player whose real experience and game experience is similar - a torn elbow ligament ends the KC reliever's 2020 season.
27/8: Arizona loses another SP as Mike Leake is diagnosed with bone chips.
28/8: Copy and paste the above. Change Mike Leake to 'Zac Gallen' and bone chips to 'ruptured disc in back'. Poor D-Backs - they've suffered a ton of pitching injuries just as LAD have heated up.
31/8: Corey Seager goes back-to-back as NL Player of the Week, while Niko Goodrum wins the award for the AL surprisingly.
Standings as of 31 August: the Dodgers lead the league fairly comfortably, with the Braves in second. St Louis, Oakland, Minnesota and Tampa continue to lead their divisions as they have done for much of the season, while all four wildcard spots look relatively secure at this stage - the NL looks almost certain to be Arizona and Milwaukee, while the AL would need Boston or the Yankees to go on a run to depose Houston and Cleveland.

[ddrap14]

Sep 20
1/9: Corey Seager predictably wins the batting award for August, and is joined by Randal Grichuk. Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw take both pitching awards back to LA, while Luis Robert and Devin Williams win the rookie awards. Meanwhile, Yusniel Diaz trips over his coffee table.
2/9: Matt Olson (OAK) and Gabe Speier (KC) get into a fight. Oakland have now had five fights this season I think
4/9: Washington, already tailspinning at 63-81, now lose their third ace for the rest of the year and some of next as Max Scherzer tears his rotator cuff. Francisco Lindor goes 5-for-5 against Colorado, while CHC, Miami and Detroit are officially eliminated from postseason contention.
7/9: Francisco Lindor (CLE) and Kolten Wong (STL) are named Players of the Week. Trevor Story hits home runs from the first three at-bats he has.

9/9: Alex Verdugo goes 5-for-5 against the Yankees, but Boston still lose. So do Baltimore and Washington who are eliminated from postseason contention.
10/9: Eduardo Escobar hits for the cycle against San Diego.

11/9: San Diego join the ranks of the eliminated...
14/9: ... as do Toronto. Ramon Laureano (OAK) and David Dahl (COL) are named Players of the Week, while Atlanta are the first team to lock in a division title.
15/6: The Angels (with Trout and Ohtani) are eliminated.
16/9: JD Martinez hits three home runs, but for the second consecutive time with a player feat, Boston lose. Minnesota lock in their postseason status.
17/9: Philadelphia miss the playoffs - ace Aaron Nola's incredible 6-17 record may be a reason why.
18/9: Tampa Bay lock in their division title. There still could be multiple AL East clubs in the postseason this year though...
19/9: The Dodgers are the third team to confirm their division title. Oakland will also be in the postseason.
20/9: Minnesota confirm their division title, while Cincinnati miss out.
21/9: Francisco Lindor (CLE) and Marcell Ozuna (ATL) are named Players of the Week. Cleveland confirm a WC berth in the postseason, while Houston lock in October baseball too. Austin Voth, who's roughly Washington's 10th choice SP, spins a 2-hit shutout against Atlanta.
22/9: Mike Soroka is out for the playoffs with shoulder issues. OP's thoughts on this are legally not allowed to be posted here. Milwaukee secure a WC spot at least.
23/9: The final postseason teams - Arizona and St Louis - are confirmed.
24/9: Edwin Encarnacion (LAA) and Logan Gilbert (SEA) fight, both presumably being frustrated at their seasons.
25/9: Oakland confirm that they will be avoiding the WC game by winning their division.
28/9: A 4-1 win at San Francisco confirms Milwaukee will be winning their division, sending St Louis to the wildcard game. Whit Merrifield (KC) and Nolan Arenado (COL) win the batting titles.



Final Standings for 2020:

[ddrap14]

2020 MLB Playoffs
29/9: Seven strong innings from Mike Clevinger and a 3-run homer from Roberto Perez sends Cleveland past Houston 10-4. They will face Tampa Bay in the first round.
30/9: Jack Flaherty has a meltdown, conceding five runs in 1.2 IP, and insurance homers from Eduardo Escobar and Kole Calhoun send Arizona to face the Dodgers in the next round.
1/10: Francisco Lindor (CLE) and Trevor Story (COL) (batting), James Karinchak (CLE) and Kyle Freeland (COL) (pitching), and Karinchak and Ke'bryan Hayes (PIT) (rookies) take home September awards. Tampa win their first game against Cleveland with a walkoff single from Hunter Renfroe, while a 2-run HR from Ramon Laureano puts the A's one up against the Twins.
2/10: Alex Gordon (KC) announces his immediate retirement from baseball. Cleveland tie it up thanks to a 3-run HR from Tyler Naquin, Minnesota ride a good performance from Kenta Maeda to equalise their own series, LA thump Arizona 10-0 thanks to a shutout from Walker Buehler and two relievers, and Milwaukee squeak past Atlanta 3-2.
3/10: All four DS series are 1-1. Arizona hold the Dodgers scoreless for eight innings and despite Anthony Bass having a meltdown, they hold on to win 7-5. Atlanta win thanks to a grand slam from Johan Camargo.
4/10: Tampa go up 2-1 thanks to another clutch hit from Renfroe (a 3-run HR) and a scoreless 7-innings from Brendan McKay. Oakland also go up 2-1 with a convincing 10-5 win.
5/10: Both AL series are decided; a Ji home run is enough for Tampa to win their game 2-1 and series 3-1 against Cleveland, while Oakland vanquish Minnesota due to a massive fifth innings including three home runs. LA go up against Arizona with an 8-3 win, while Milwaukee hold the advantage over Atlanta after Ken Giles surrendered a grand slam to Tyler Saladino in the eighth.
6/10: Atlanta tie it up in a 13-innings win, with Adeiny Hechavarria providing the tiebreaking HR, while LA's tandem of David Price and Alex Wood blank Arizona and end their year.
8/10: Despite using seven pitchers, Atlanta win their Game 5 and progress to the NLCS against... oh no... oh no...
9/10: A wobbly start from AJ Puk and a strong one from Blake Snell puts Tampa up 1-0 in the ALCS.
10/10: Tampa and LAD both win their games. A walk-off Adames single in the 12th puts Tampa up two, while Will Smith the catcher hits two home runs for the Dodgers (sadly, neither off Will Smith the pitcher).
11/10: The Braves tie up the NLCS thanks to a three-run homer from Ronald Acuna Jr and pitching that leaked just one run all game.
12/10: Tampa continue their march, winning a fifth straight game thanks to two runs in the 12th.
13/10: The Rays sweep is confirmed, demolishing Oakland 13-3 in the final game of their series. Renfroe and Adames continue to mash. The Dodgers, meanwhile, take four unearned runs from Max Fried to beat the Braves 7-5.
14/10: Three Braves arms shut the Dodgers out to equalise the series yet again.
15/10: Adeiny Hechavarria drives home the eventual winning run in the seventh as the Braves go up for the first time in the entire series.
17/10: The World Series is confirmed to be Rays vs Braves, as six strong innings from Mike Foltynewicz and two near-perfect ones from Ken Giles (one walk across them) end the Dodgers' season.
20/10: Blake Snell gets hit for a three-run home run by Johan Camargo as the Braves draw first blood in the World Series, 9-4.
21/10: Both pitching units are on fire in Game 2. Tyler Glasnow and Bryse Wilson both have two hits across six innings, and indeed it's a walk from TB reliever Jose Alvarado that drives in Atlanta catcher Tyler Flowers for the only run of the game. ATL up 2-0.
23/10: The Braves go three up in a 4-2 win in Tampa. Not much notable about this game - a pair of home runs from Freeman and Marcell Ozuna is about all.
24/10: Tampa pull one back, a two-run homer in the eighth from Austin Meadows the difference in a 9-7 win.
25/10: Tampa win again, with Max Fried conceding all 3 runs in a 3-1 loss.
27/10: Everything's tied up! This one's fairly straightforward - a 7-1 win for the Rays, largely thanks to a Bryse Wilson meltdown where five runs were conceded in the first.
28/10: It doesn't matter! The Braves top the Rays in a game where Brendan McKay had a similar meltdown to Wilson. Ozzie Albies loved this, hitting a solo homer in the first and a Grand Slam that sealed the deal in the second, and was named World Series MVP.
Final Bracket:

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Post-Playoffs News:
30/10: The Top 100 Prospects list is updated for the 2020 offseason. A number of prospects have gone out due to experience, including past #2 Adley Rutschmann and #3 Nate Pearson. Wander Franco, who the Rays didn't even use on their way to the World Series, remains atop the list, with Jarred Kelenic moving from #4 to #2 and Royce Lewis from #5 to #3. First overall pick Asa Lacy is #9, but the highest ranked 2020 draft pick is actually 63rd overall pick Carson Montgomery at #8 (21st pick Emerson Hancock is #10). Meanwhile, both the Baltimore Orioles and LA Dodgers are bought, and NL institutes the DH rule (one year before I was going to manually change it anyway).

MLB AWARDS:
Delivery Men Of The Year:
AL - James Karinchak (CLE) unanimous (second: Brad Hand (CLE))
NL - Archie Bradley (ARI) unanimous (second: Will Smith (ATL))

Golden Glove teams:
AL - Daulton Jefferies (OAK), Roberto Perez (CLE), Miguel Sano (MIN), Nicky Lopez (KC), Matt Chapman (OAK), Andrelton Simmons (CWS), Mallex Smith (SEA), Byton Buxton (MIN), Victor Reyes (DET).
NL - Sterling Sharp (WSH), JT Realmuto (PHI), Anthony Rizzo (CHC), Kolten Wong (STL), Nolan Arenado (COL), Nick Ahmed (ARI), David Peralta (ARI), Harrison Bader (STL), Mookie Betts (LAD)

Rookie Of The Year:
AL - Austin Hays (BAL) unanimous (second: Luis Robert (CWS))
NL - Gavin Lux (LAD) unanimous (second: Mauricio Dubon (SFG))

Manager Of The Year:
AL - Kevin Cash (TB)
NL - Brian Snitker (ATL)

Cy Young Award:
AL - Shane Bieber (CLE) unanimous (second: Blake Snell (TB), third: Shohei Ohtani (LAA))
NL - Mike Soroka (ATL) 27 first place votes (second: Jacob deGrom (NYM, 1 FPV), third: Robbie Ray (ARI, 2 FPV))

MVP:
AL - Miguel Sano (MIN) 23 first place votes (second: Francisco Lindor (CLE, 6 FPV), third: Jose Ramirez (CLE, 1 FPV))
NL - Nolan Arenado (COL) 17 first place votes (second: Corey Seager (LAD, 13 FPV), third: Ronald Acuna Jr (ATL))

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Free Agency (and the odd other note)
30/11: Robbie Ray is the first free agent off the board, signing with the St Louis Cardinals to partner Jack Flaherty. 6Y, 167M. Meanwhile, Teoscar Hernandez is traded from Toronto to the Angels for relievers Codi Heuer and Noe Ramirez.
3/12: Washington trade a trio of pitching prospects to Seattle to replace Kurt Suzuki by acquiring Austin Nola.
5/12: Minnesota and Kansas swap minor leaguers, with the Twins picking up two younger prospects in exchange for C Ryan Jeffers, who may actually break camp with the Royals.
6/12: Jacob Stallings goes from Pittsburgh to the Angels, who trade away a minor league player in return.
7/12: The free agent deals start in earnest. Charlie Morton (1Y, 6.8M, NYY); Corey Kluber (4Y, 54M, ATL); Collin McHugh (1Y, 15.4M, LAA); Trevor Bauer (7Y, 86M, SFG); and Kevin Pillar (2Y, 12M, TOR) all sign free agent deals, while Justin Turner (3Y, 40M) re-signs with the Dodgers.
8/12: Three more free agents go off the board: the Giants add a second starter in Jake Odorizzi (4Y, 60M), Nick Castellanos becomes the Angels' fourth addition this offseason (3Y, 34M0, and Mookie Betts, having seen the Matzek incident coming, avoids it by signing a 4 year, $110M contract with the Braves.
9/12: Three FAs sign and two trades are completed during the first day of winter meetings. Atlanta continue to add, with Trevor Rosenthal the latest signee (1Y, 6M); Trevor May, after a lost season with the Twins, takes a 2M deal with the D-Backs to try and rebuild value; and St Louis sign Marcus Stroman to a 4 year $81M deal, giving them a scary rotation of Flaherty, Ray, Stroman, Mikolas and Martinez. Atlanta also add a Tyler Flowers replacement, trading Kyle Wright to Oakland for Austin Allen, while Toronto send Tanner Roark to Baltimore for prospects.
10/12: Seattle are highly active today. They sign Dellin Betances (3Y, 17M) and Masahiro Tanaka (4Y, 30M), while they trade away Yoshihisa Hirano to Toronto for prospects.
11/12: Five trades are completed on the final day of winter meetings. Boston ship Kevin Plawecki to Pittsburgh for JT Brubaker, who then make another trade, sending away another RP in Deolis Guerra (to Baltimore for a prospect). Atlanta make the biggest trade of the day, adding Mike Moustakas in exchange for top prospect Drew Waters as well as Felix Hernandez. Philly make the baffling decision to swap Hector Neris for Washington's Jacob Wilson, while the final trade is New York sending Mike Tauchman and Jon Heasley to Kansas for Whit Merrifield and a prospect.
14/12: Just six players are selected in the Rule 5 Draft. The most notable names moving were Pedro Severino and Scott Schebler (both to the Cubs) and Yermin Mercedes (to the Nats).
16/12: Brandon Workman signs a one year, $3M deal with the Twins.
19/12: The Red Sox sign Japanese international free agent Naoki Tajima (3Y, 9M).
21/12: Rex Brothers is sent from Baltimore to St Louis in exchange for a pair of prospects.
22/12: Washington announce the signing of Nelson Cruz for 3 years and $38M. He'll be 42 by the end of the it!
23/12: The Yankees announce they have re-signed DJ LeMahieu (4Y 88M). Meanwhile, Ehire Adrianza signs with the White Sox (4Y, 33M).
24/12: Freddy Galvis returns to the Phillies, signing for 31 million dollars and three years.
25/12: Two pitchers get Christmas presents - Keone Kela signs a one year, $3 million bounceback contract with the Dodgers, while Kevin Gausman becomes the latest big Braves signing (5Y, 97M).
26/12: Boston lock in JD Martinez to a five year, $67M extension. the Braves, meanwhile, continue to add - this time signing Didi Gregorius to a two year, $23M contract.
27/12: Toronto sign their first notable FA in Asdrubal Cabrera (3Y, 34M).
29/12: The Dodgers sign Ian Kennedy (2Y 2.4M), while Alex Cobb goes to San Diego for a prospect.
30/12: Two star relievers sign free agent deals. Brad Hand (3Y, 18M) joins the Twins, while the Dodgers sign their second in two days in Liam Hendriks (1Y, 6M).
2/1: The Yankees land a sixth starter/bullpen upgrade as Anthony deSclafani (2Y, 16M) signs for the club.
3/1: The Dodgers add a fourth bullpen upgrade - joining Kela, Kennedy and Hendriks is Sean Doolittle (2Y, 8M).
5/1: Justin Wilson signs a $3M contract to play for the Giants this year.
6/1: Renato Nunez is traded from Baltimore to Milwaukee, in exchange for two prospects.
9/1: Michael Wacha signs with the Angels for 3 years and $34M after a career season in New York.
10/1: Four pitchers sign today. Matthew Boyd (3Y, 7.5M, Dodgers) and Jose Quintana (2Y, 14M, Braves) will start the year in the bullpen, while Mike Minor (3Y, 30M, Houston), James Paxton (1Y, 10M, Boston) will likely be in the rotation.
17/1: David Robertson signs a 1 year, $3.3M contract with the Astros.
18/1: Tony Watson (2Y, 9M) becomes the sixth bullpen addition for the Dodgers.
20/1: Barry Bonds and Curt Schilling are inducted to the Hall of Fame. Roger Clemens misses out by one vote, with nobody else close.
23/1: Alex Colome signs with the Phillies for one year and $4.5M.
26/1: Andrew Miller (2.8M, Dodgers), Jose Alvarez (3.9M, Giants) and Jeremy Jeffress (3.5M, Mets) all sign one-year contracts.
27/1: Blake Treinen (3Y, 9M) re-signs with the Dodgers.
4/2: The second-to-final star is off the board, with San Diego signing Jonathan Villar (4Y, 58M). Michael Brantley also signs with Detroit (1Y 11M).
11/2: Mark Melancon returns to the Braves for 2 years and $5.5M.
21/2: Adam Eaton signs a 1Y, $3M contract with the Nationals on the first day of Spring Training.
22/2: Liam Hendriks - only with the Dodgers for just over a month - extends his deal for three additional years.

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So I had an idea

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Week 3 of 2021 is here and it's not a good one for Yankees fans...

Good thing for them they signed deSclafani

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Oh yeah it's all coming together

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Shaun Anderson's injury should say 'season', apologies for missing that