Biggest Busts

Mr. Baseball · 12-28-2013, 08:10 PM

I've had my share of busts in recent seasons.

This is Gerald Humphrey. I do stats only so my selection is 100% based off this and the scouting report. Reports called him a future hall of famer and as you can see he dominated in college. Selected him 2nd overall in 1985 and now he's with my Triple-A team. He was supposed to be a once in a generation pitcher.

What are your biggest busts ?

RchW · 12-28-2013, 08:19 PM

I was going to congratulate you then I saw the list of players.

Fyrestorm3 · 12-30-2013, 12:47 AM

Don't have a screenshot, but my personal favorite bust (if there is such a thing) was Mike Nichols, an outfielder I drafted in the first round (12th or 13th overall, somewhere around there). Blazing speed, good defense, projected to be a prominent leadoff hitter for years to come. About two years after drafting him, I was trying to swing a trade to get myself an ace pitcher, and the guy the AI was asking for was Nichols. I weighed my options and decided the pitcher had more value, and pulled the trigger.

Fast forward six years or so, and Nichols was back in AAA with a sub-.200 MLB batting average, while the pitcher I acquired ended up winning the Best Pitcher award twice in his tenure with us. I loved that bust.

'94 EXPOS · 12-31-2013, 11:53 AM

While bringing the Expos back to life via exapnsion draft I had the luxury of having the 1st overall pick in the inaugral amateur draft.

I selected an 18 year old high school phenom SP named Julian Cunningham. His potential ratings (scouting on) were off the charts with both my scout and the OSA. His current ratings were well ahead of the norm. Stardom appeared a mere formaility. It was just a question of where he would fit with the best of the best.

I did not rush him and moved at my scouts suggested pace. In his AA season it was clear that something had gone terribly wrong! His stats were crap (not a big deal) but his ratings were capping off alarmingly fast.

In the short window where the rest of the league has not yet discovered that your Ferarri 308 is actually a Kit Kar I dumped him for some high level talent in return. (To the Jays for Brett Lawrie I believe)

Julian eventually made the Show and pitched limited innings for two years as a MR. His ERA was over 9.00. He is currently languishing in AAA in some other organization.

Does anyone feel that by extracting a good return for a prospect that seemingly only my scout is aware is no longer worthy of such lofty status is an exploit on my part?

I have seen this happen a couple of times where the prospect is fading but you can still get a good return in line with his former higher status. I have found that my scout usually has this pegged pretty accurately.

actionjackson · 12-31-2013, 01:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by '94 EXPOS

While bringing the Expos back to life via exapnsion draft I had the luxury of having the 1st overall pick in the inaugral amateur draft.

I selected an 18 year old high school phenom SP named Julian Cunningham. His potential ratings (scouting on) were off the charts with both my scout and the OSA. His current ratings were well ahead of the norm. Stardom appeared a mere formaility. It was just a question of where he would fit with the best of the best.

I did not rush him and moved at my scouts suggested pace. In his AA season it was clear that something had gone terribly wrong! His stats were crap (not a big deal) but his ratings were capping off alarmingly fast.

In the short window where the rest of the league has not yet discovered that your Ferarri 308 is actually a Kit Kar I dumped him for some high level talent in return. (To the Jays for Brett Lawrie I believe)

Julian eventually made the Show and pitched limited innings for two years as a MR. His ERA was over 9.00. He is currently languishing in AAA in some other organization.

Does anyone feel that by extracting a good return for a prospect that seemingly only my scout is aware is no longer worthy of such lofty status is an exploit on my part?

I have seen this happen a couple of times where the prospect is fading but you can still get a good return in line with his former higher status. I have found that my scout usually has this pegged pretty accurately.

No, I don't think it's an exploit because in real baseball every other team thinks they can fix whatever ails your flameout player. You see it all the time. Besides, Mr. Lawrie ain't exactly setting the world on fire IRL.

'94 EXPOS · 12-31-2013, 03:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by actionjackson

No, I don't think it's an exploit because in real baseball every other team thinks they can fix whatever ails your flameout player. You see it all the time. Besides, Mr. Lawrie ain't exactly setting the world on fire IRL.

And he didn't do much for me in OOTP either! I turned him over 2 years later.

Perhaps the real life Brett grew up in the last half of 2013. We can only hope that Mark DeRosa's influence was not temporary.

actionjackson · 12-31-2013, 03:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by '94 EXPOS

And he didn't do much for me in OOTP either! I turned him over 2 years later.

Perhaps the real life Brett grew up in the last half of 2013. We can only hope that Mark DeRosa's influence was not temporary.

Amen brother. Amen.

Westheim · 12-31-2013, 04:32 PM

Not a bust in the sense of #1-prospect-is-done-at-age-27, but one of the most stunning player demises I have seen, from 2-time MVP to bench player hiding behind his 10/5 rights.

My team (POR-tland Raccoons) got him in a trade from our perennial division rivals. After that trade, he made over 1,000 consecutive starts at first base for us, driving our offense single-handedly for years. His defense never amounted to much, but was good enough to scrape by, an 8 of 20 at best.

After that .355, 35 HR, 140 RBI (35 HR is a ton in my league, the all-time high is 42) season, I inked him to a 6-yr, $6.4M extension, at a point where only three players in the league made $1M or more per year, and he tanked instantly.

At 34, he is done, unable to move on the field, and unable to bat. (No DH in my league, too) I managed to piss him off enough by designating him for assignment so that he waived his 10/5 rights on a trade to the poor Pacifics, who first took him, then never started him after acquiring him on June 16 (the season is over now).

There is only one other case of catastrophic early-30s collapse I have seen in this league in it's 17 seasons, and that one was not a star player and 2-time MVP.

The Wolf · 12-31-2013, 05:12 PM

22 yo SS. Hits .330 in AAA. Promoted. Hits .175, finally rising to .200. Back to AAA, hits .340. Promoted, hits .220. Back to AAA, hits .335. Promoted again, hits .220. Traded. Hits .235 career. Aargh.

le receveur · 12-31-2013, 05:22 PM

bust of a pick: 5 Star HS pitching prospect, future award winner as per scout. Picked 3rd overall... Pitched once in Rookie league, Tommy John, comes back as one star 12 months later... Never made it out of short season.

awick · 12-31-2013, 10:09 PM

Boy, did I misunderstand what this thread was about...

fuzzy_patters · 12-31-2013, 10:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by awick

Boy, did I misunderstand what this thread was about...

Don't be a boob.

Habsfan18 · 02-16-2014, 02:11 PM

I love reading these kind of threads on the development of prospects.

Would like to read more!

Sabres2000 · 02-16-2014, 02:38 PM

this is kind of a off topic but the first or second post mentioned scout and OSA being new to the series whats the diff... is it like hockey wherte u have ur scout and the CSB rankings? like is OSA just the leagues CSB rankings?

jaysdailydose · 02-16-2014, 04:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sabres2000

this is kind of a off topic but the first or second post mentioned scout and OSA being new to the series whats the diff... is it like hockey wherte u have ur scout and the CSB rankings? like is OSA just the leagues CSB rankings?

OSA is like your Baseball America, basically. Every team gets a report on every player from OSA, and then yes, you have your own scout's report, which will be different depending on the skill of your scout and your scouting budget.

It's a little more complex than that, but that is generally how you can look at it. Obviously, OSA doesn't put as much money into scouting players as individual teams do, so they are wrong or off a little more often than a dedicated scout.

CobaltJays · 02-16-2014, 04:18 PM

My biggest bust was an outfielder named Tynan Trainor. It was the first year of the fictional league I started in OOTP13 and I had the first overall pick in the first-year player draft. My head scout rated Trainor's potential in Contact/Power/Eye at 20/18/18 (on a 20-point scale), so I drafted him thinking I had a potential superstar on my hands. In reality, he never made it above AA and I released him after four years in my minor league system. No team picked him up and he retired.

Two guys drafted later in the first round made the Trainor selection particularly painful. The guy selected 4th overall went on to become the best hitter in the league for a number of years. The guy picked 7th overall pitched in the league for 23 years and holds numerous career records.

I also selected first overall in the inaugural draft, and I had some pretty bad luck with that guy as well. He was a young slugging outfielder named Ilaro Goro. He had a great first season in my league, but missed most of the following two seasons due to injury and wasn't the same after that. I kept him around until he had his six years of major league experience and then let him walk as a free agent. Another team picked him up, and he bounced between the majors in minors for a couple years before retiring.

bazeall · 02-20-2014, 01:42 AM

I'm not sure about bust or not, but so far in 8 seasons I've never had an international FA more than one star.

Carlton · 02-20-2014, 10:03 AM

I am a historical simmer and the biggest bust I've ever seen was SPud Chandler

IRL, Chandler is one of the leaders ALL TIME in Win%

He never won a game in my sim, ending his career with 0-7 record over 4 years of DL replacement duties for the Yankees and Dodgers.

He did make the International League hall of fame though, as he won 210 games there

12-28-2013, 08:19 PM	#2
RchW Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: The big smoke Posts: 15,628	I was going to congratulate you then I saw the list of players. __________________ Cheers RichW If you’re looking for a good cause to donate money to please consider a Donation to Parkinson’s Canada. It may help me have a better future and if not me, someone else. Thanks. “Conservatism consists of exactly one proposition …There must be in-groups whom the law protects but does not bind, alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect.” Frank Wilhoit

12-31-2013, 04:32 PM	#8
Westheim Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Germany Posts: 11,903	Not a bust in the sense of #1-prospect-is-done-at-age-27, but one of the most stunning player demises I have seen, from 2-time MVP to bench player hiding behind his 10/5 rights. My team (POR-tland Raccoons) got him in a trade from our perennial division rivals. After that trade, he made over 1,000 consecutive starts at first base for us, driving our offense single-handedly for years. His defense never amounted to much, but was good enough to scrape by, an 8 of 20 at best. After that .355, 35 HR, 140 RBI (35 HR is a ton in my league, the all-time high is 42) season, I inked him to a 6-yr, $6.4M extension, at a point where only three players in the league made $1M or more per year, and he tanked instantly. At 34, he is done, unable to move on the field, and unable to bat. (No DH in my league, too) I managed to piss him off enough by designating him for assignment so that he waived his 10/5 rights on a trade to the poor Pacifics, who first took him, then never started him after acquiring him on June 16 (the season is over now). There is only one other case of catastrophic early-30s collapse I have seen in this league in it's 17 seasons, and that one was not a star player and 2-time MVP. Attached Images __________________ Portland Raccoons, 83 years of excell-.... of baseball: Furballs here! 1983 * 1989 * 1991 * 1992 * 1993 * 1995 * 1996 * 2010 * 2017 * 2018 * 2019 * 2026 * 2028 * 2035 * 2037 * 2044 * 2045 * 2046 * 2047 * 2048 * 2051 * 2054 * 2055 1 OSANAI : 2 POWELL : 7 NOMURA \| RAMOS : 8 REECE : 10 BROWN : 15 HALL : 27 FERNANDEZ : 28 CASAS : 31 CARMONA : 32 WEST : 39 TONER : 46 SAITO Resident Mets Cynic - The Mets from 1962 onwards, here.

02-16-2014, 02:11 PM	#13
Habsfan18 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Canada Posts: 2,238	I love reading these kind of threads on the development of prospects. Would like to read more! Last edited by Habsfan18; 02-16-2014 at 02:30 PM.

02-20-2014, 10:03 AM	#18
Carlton Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 3,765	I am a historical simmer and the biggest bust I've ever seen was SPud Chandler IRL, Chandler is one of the leaders ALL TIME in Win% He never won a game in my sim, ending his career with 0-7 record over 4 years of DL replacement duties for the Yankees and Dodgers. He did make the International League hall of fame though, as he won 210 games there __________________ "I am at that stage of my life where I keep myself out of arguments. I am 100% self sufficient spiritually, emotionally & financially. Even if you say 1+1=5, you are ABSOLUTELY CORRECT. Enjoy!"

12-28-2013, 08:10 PM	#1
Mr. Baseball All Star Starter Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Mequon, Wisconsin Posts: 1,020	Biggest Busts I've had my share of busts in recent seasons. This is Gerald Humphrey. I do stats only so my selection is 100% based off this and the scouting report. Reports called him a future hall of famer and as you can see he dominated in college. Selected him 2nd overall in 1985 and now he's with my Triple-A team. He was supposed to be a once in a generation pitcher. What are your biggest busts ? __________________ Duluth Danger (HBL) Dynasty Report -- Online League Franchise Duluth - 1985/1989 North League Champions!

12-30-2013, 12:47 AM	#3
Fyrestorm3 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Tampa Bay, Massachusetts Posts: 2,928	Don't have a screenshot, but my personal favorite bust (if there is such a thing) was Mike Nichols, an outfielder I drafted in the first round (12th or 13th overall, somewhere around there). Blazing speed, good defense, projected to be a prominent leadoff hitter for years to come. About two years after drafting him, I was trying to swing a trade to get myself an ace pitcher, and the guy the AI was asking for was Nichols. I weighed my options and decided the pitcher had more value, and pulled the trigger. Fast forward six years or so, and Nichols was back in AAA with a sub-.200 MLB batting average, while the pitcher I acquired ended up winning the Best Pitcher award twice in his tenure with us. I loved that bust.

12-31-2013, 11:53 AM	#4
'94 EXPOS Major Leagues Join Date: Jun 2011 Posts: 311	While bringing the Expos back to life via exapnsion draft I had the luxury of having the 1st overall pick in the inaugral amateur draft. I selected an 18 year old high school phenom SP named Julian Cunningham. His potential ratings (scouting on) were off the charts with both my scout and the OSA. His current ratings were well ahead of the norm. Stardom appeared a mere formaility. It was just a question of where he would fit with the best of the best. I did not rush him and moved at my scouts suggested pace. In his AA season it was clear that something had gone terribly wrong! His stats were crap (not a big deal) but his ratings were capping off alarmingly fast. In the short window where the rest of the league has not yet discovered that your Ferarri 308 is actually a Kit Kar I dumped him for some high level talent in return. (To the Jays for Brett Lawrie I believe) Julian eventually made the Show and pitched limited innings for two years as a MR. His ERA was over 9.00. He is currently languishing in AAA in some other organization. Does anyone feel that by extracting a good return for a prospect that seemingly only my scout is aware is no longer worthy of such lofty status is an exploit on my part? I have seen this happen a couple of times where the prospect is fading but you can still get a good return in line with his former higher status. I have found that my scout usually has this pegged pretty accurately.

12-31-2013, 05:22 PM	#10
le receveur All Star Starter Join Date: Oct 2013 Location: canada Posts: 1,736	bust of a pick: 5 Star HS pitching prospect, future award winner as per scout. Picked 3rd overall... Pitched once in Rookie league, Tommy John, comes back as one star 12 months later... Never made it out of short season.

12-31-2013, 10:09 PM	#11
awick Major Leagues Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Lansing, NY Posts: 313	Boy, did I misunderstand what this thread was about...

02-16-2014, 02:38 PM	#14
Sabres2000 All Star Reserve Join Date: Feb 2014 Posts: 965	this is kind of a off topic but the first or second post mentioned scout and OSA being new to the series whats the diff... is it like hockey wherte u have ur scout and the CSB rankings? like is OSA just the leagues CSB rankings?

02-16-2014, 04:18 PM	#16
CobaltJays All Star Reserve Join Date: May 2004 Location: Canada Posts: 698	My biggest bust was an outfielder named Tynan Trainor. It was the first year of the fictional league I started in OOTP13 and I had the first overall pick in the first-year player draft. My head scout rated Trainor's potential in Contact/Power/Eye at 20/18/18 (on a 20-point scale), so I drafted him thinking I had a potential superstar on my hands. In reality, he never made it above AA and I released him after four years in my minor league system. No team picked him up and he retired. Two guys drafted later in the first round made the Trainor selection particularly painful. The guy selected 4th overall went on to become the best hitter in the league for a number of years. The guy picked 7th overall pitched in the league for 23 years and holds numerous career records. I also selected first overall in the inaugural draft, and I had some pretty bad luck with that guy as well. He was a young slugging outfielder named Ilaro Goro. He had a great first season in my league, but missed most of the following two seasons due to injury and wasn't the same after that. I kept him around until he had his six years of major league experience and then let him walk as a free agent. Another team picked him up, and he bounced between the majors in minors for a couple years before retiring.

02-20-2014, 01:42 AM	#17
bazeall Minors (Double A) Join Date: Jul 2012 Posts: 190	I'm not sure about bust or not, but so far in 8 seasons I've never had an international FA more than one star.