2081: Desperation in Denver - Page 16

jamus23 · 05-07-2008, 08:33 PM

ALCS Game Four:

Are the Nashville Predators a team of destiny? After easily dispatching the Denver Broncos in the first round, they have the defending champion Dolphins on the ropes after routing them in Game Four. Miami drew first blood, when Jake Foss scored on a wild pitch by Mose Urick in the first inning, but Nashville quickly took control. Carlo Romero led off the second inning with a homerun, and Jerry Hise gave the Predators the lead with an RBI single in the same inning. In the fourth inning, Douglas Vogl hit an RBI single. He was followed by a 2-run homerun from David Rosier, making it 5-1 Nashville. Hise drove in another 2 runs with a single in the fifth inning, and Romero hit a 2-run double in the sixth to make it 9-1. Miami got its second run in the seventh inning when Albert Chichester scored on a Jason Mather wild pitch. Angelo Vazquez completed the scoring with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh inning to make it 10-2.

Nashville leads the series, 3 games to 1.

NLCS Game Four:

It was a wild see-saw battle in Game Four of the NLCS as Pittsburgh tried push San Jose to the brink of elimination and San Jose tried to even the series. In the first inning, Javier Rael and Robert Able hit back to back solo homeruns with two outs to give the Pirates an early 2-0 lead. San Jose pitcher James Myatt tied the game in the second inning with a 2-run double. Matias Santos gave the Pirates the lead again with an RBI single in the sixth inning. But once again, Myatt came through for the Sharks, hitting an RBI double in the bottom of the sixth. Still in the sixth inning, William Natali and Ugo Momoru hit RBI singles, giving San Jose a 5-3 lead. That lead lasted until the eighth inning, when Rael hit an RBI double, Santos hit an RBI single, and Ralph Triado hit an RBI double. That gave Pittsburgh a 6-5 lead. The Pirates added to the lead when James Sequeira hit a pinch-hit, leadoff homerun in the ninth inning. In the bottom of the ninth, however, James Lumsden and Victor Zurcher each hit RBI singles, tying the game up at 7. The game remained tied through the tenth and eleventh innings. In the 12th inning, Matias Santos hit a solo homerun to the Pirates on top once more. This time, San Jose was out of magic. The 8-7 lead held up and the Pirates were winners. Momoru had 5 hits and Myatt struck out 10 for San Jose.

Pittsburgh leads the series, 3 games to 1.

jamus23 · 05-08-2008, 08:18 PM

ALCS Game Five:

Facing elimination, Miami turned to ace Christian Hokusai. He and Rene Romero locked horns in yet another pitcher's duel. For five innings, both pitchers put up zeros. Nashville was the first to score, getting a 2 out solo homerun from David Rosier in the bottom of the sixth inning. The lead did not last. In the top of the seventh, Edmond McGurk crushed a 2 out, 3 run homerun to give the Dolphins the lead. The Predators got within a run when Angelo Vazquez hit an RBI single in the eighth inning, but they could get no closer. Miami staved off elimination with a 3-2 victory.

Nashville leads the series, 3 games to 2.

NLCS Game Five:

Like the Game Five in the ALCS, the NLCS' Game Five turned into a pitcher's duel as both teams turned to their aces: Scott Council for a Pirates team trying to bring the series to an end, and Justo Rubino for a Sharks team trying to keep its season going. For six innings, neither team could score. In the seventh inning, San Jose broke open the game. With two outs, Orlando Escobedo hit an RBI single, Robert Clear hit an RBI double, and Victor Zurcher hit an RBI single. Matias Santos got the Pirates on the board with a pinch hit RBI single in the eighth inning. That was as close as they would get, however, in a 3-1 San Jose victory. Council gave up 5 hits and 3 runs in 7 innings of work, while Rubino held Pittsburgh to 4 hits and 1 run in 8 innings with 10 strikeouts.

Pittsburgh leads the series, 3 games to 2.

jamus23 · 05-09-2008, 07:51 PM

ALCS Game Six:

Once again, Nashville had the chance to reach its first World Series in nearly 40 years. Once again, Miami faced the end of its season. The Predators struck first, when Carlo Romero drove in 2 runs with a two out single in the first inning. The score remained 2-0 through the second, third, fourth, and fifth innings. In the sixth inning, the Dolphins' Dennis Fernandez hit a run-scoring double. Albert Chichester drew a bases-loaded walk in the seventh inning, tying the game at two. In the eighth inning, Miami took the lead on an RBI single by Bill Tovar. 3-2 would be the final score as the Dolphins forced a seventh game.

The series is tied at 3 games apiece.

NLCS Game Six:

Like Miami, the San Jose Sharks entered Game Six on the verge of having their season end. Unlike Miami, the Sharks didn't need a late inning rally to keep it alive. San Jose jumped on Pittsburgh, getting a solo homerun from George Ormiston in the first inning. In the second inning, the Sharks got an RBI double from Roy Isenhour and an RBI single from Simon Martinez, making it 3-0. In the fourth, Robert Clear made it 4-0 with a solo homerun, and a 2-run single from Orlando Escobedo in the fifth inning made it 6-0. The Pirates made it 6-1 when Jose Arruza scored on an error by pitcher Roger Salazar. They wouldn't get any closer, however.

The series is tied at 3 games apiece.

jamus23 · 05-10-2008, 02:31 PM

ALCS Game Seven:

With a World Series appearance at stake, Nashville and Miami went to battle for the last time this season. The Dolphins struck quickly. Roy Springs hit an RBI triple in the first inning and Edmond McGurk followed with a single to knock him in. Miami led, 2-0. In the second inning, Nashville got on the board, getting an RBI single from Robert Perkins. An inning later, the Predators grabbed a 3-2 lead when Daniel Lane blasted a 2 out, 2-run homerun. In the fourth, however, Thomas Fuentes, Jr. hit a leadoff homerun, tying the game at 3 apiece. The game remained tied through the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings. With one out in the bottom of the eighth, Miami's McGurk crushed a solo homerun to put the Dolphins ahead. 4-3 Miami was the final score of the game, and 4-3 Miami was how the American League Championship Series ended up. The defending champion Dolphins will get a chance to defend their title.

Miami wins the series, 4 games to 3.

NLCS Game Seven:

Pittsburgh grabbed control of Game Seven when Matias Santos hit a 2 out, 2 run double in the third inning. In the fourth inning, Javier Rael drew a bases-loaded walk, and Robert Able delivered a 2-run single to give the Pirates a 5-0 lead. San Jose crept back into the game. Victor Zurcher hit an RBI single in the fifth inning to make it 5-1. In the sixth, Orlando Escobedo belted a three run homerun, cutting Pittsburgh's lead to a single run. The Pirates pulled away, however. Rael hit a two run homer in the bottom of the sixth, and Jose Arruza led off the seventh inning with a solo shot. 8-4, Pirates. The Sharks kept hope alive, getting RBI singles from Simon Martinez and Ugo Momoru in the eighth inning, but they were unable to getting any closer. Pittsburgh prevailed, 8-6, to win the series.

Pittsburgh wins the series, 4 games to 3.

jamus23 · 05-13-2008, 10:46 PM

The Miami Dolphins (104-58)

VS.

The Pittsburgh Pirates (100-62)

History:

The year was 2036. The Pittsburgh Pirates had just won their fourth straight World Series, a five game defeat of the Nashville Predators. It was the final championship of what would soon be dubbed "the second Pittsburgh dynasty." At that point in time, the Pittsburgh Pirates were unquestionably the premiere team in baseball. In the 34 seasons that the league had been in operation, the Pirates had won 15 championships. The next most belonged to Grand Rapids, with a total of 5. Clearly, there were no teams that challenged Pittsburgh's supremacy.

Just a few years before, however, the league had decided to expand. Four cities were granted franchises that would begin play in 2038. One of those cities was Miami. While the Dolphins' first forays were rather embarassing- they would post the worst record by any team in league history in their initial season, a few building blocks were installed: A young catcher by the name of Dennis Gillespie would be picked up in a trade and a starting pitcher by the name of Albert Casey was selected in the third round of the amateur draft. Though Casey was not yet ready to contribute at the big league level, he would be in a few years. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh returned to the World Series after an absence of one year, but the Pirates were handled with ease by the Tucson Diamondbacks.

In 2039, Miami continued to add pieces. Gillespie was moved to third base to make room for Axel Perez, who leaped straight into the big leagues after being taken with number one overall pick in the amateur draft. A pair of offseason trades netted Miami an established right-fielder, Genaro Aybar, plus a young left-fielder, William Harrold, who was ready to make his mark in the big leagues, and a first base prospect by the name of Joshua Farr. Miami continued to struggle, however, and lost over 100 games again. The Pirates, on the other hand, rolled to a World Series victory, dismantling Kansas City in four games.

2040 saw the acquisition of another puzzle piece for Miami, when the Dolphins signed a 26 year old starting pitcher named Robert Padgett as a free agent. It also saw a sudden upturn in Miami's fortunes. The Dolphins improved their record by 30 games, and finished in second place in the Southeast with a surprising 91 victories. Pittsburgh was overpowered by the eventual champions, Sacramento, in the NLCS.

There was a strange shift in the balance of power in the American League in 2041. All five Southeast teams, including Miami, produced winning records, with two, Knoxville and Washington, topping 100 victories. At the same time, all five Central Division teams finished under .500, with two, Memphis and Denver, producing 100 defeats. Unfortunately for the Dolphins, the optimism caused by the previous season was tempered, as they finished in last place despite their 83 wins. Pittsburgh, powered by a season for the ages from John Rockwood, reached the World Series and stomped Knoxville in four games.

Entering the 2042 season, then, the Pittsburgh Pirates had won 17 championships. No other team had won more than 5. The American League that year returned to a more competitive state. No team won 100. No team lost 100. Only one team even reached 90 wins, while only one team lost as many as 90 games. The team that reached 90 wins was the Miami Dolphins, who captured the Southeast Division title with a 93-69 record. The Dolphins whipped Kansas City in the ALCS to reach the World Series. They would not be facing Pittsburgh, however. Instead, they would face the Hector Soriano-led Portland Trailblazers. In a tight series, the Dolphins prevailed, winning in six games. It would be the first championship in Miami's quest to unseat Pittsburgh as baseball's king.

In '43, Miami and Portland engaged in a rematch, with Portland emerging victorious. In '44, Portland reached its third straight World Series, but the Trailblazers lost to Nashville. Miami had lost the division by the 3 games to Nashville.

Pittsburgh and Miami would go head to head for the first time in 2045. The Dolphins won. Thus began a series of battles that would rage constantly for about the next 15 years. Though both would sometimes reach the series in years when the other did not, and sometimes neither would reach the series, the multiple clashes between them captured the imagination of a generation of baseball fans.

They met for a second time in 2048. The Dolphins won again. In 2051, both teams swept aside their opponents in the League Championship Series and dueled for a third time. For a third time, the Dolphins were victors. In 2053, Miami made it four for four over the Pirates. It was not until 2054 that Pittsburgh managed to beat Miami in the World Series. Then, in the three year run of championships from 2057 to 2059 that became known as "the third Pittsburgh dynasty", the Pirates picked up two more wins against Miami, in '57 and '59. That run was brought to a halt in 2060 by none other than the Dolphins. In 2063, Miami crushed Pittsburgh in a four game sweep. For awhile, that brought the epic clashes to an end. It would be 11 years before Pittsburgh reached another World Series, while Miami had its own difficulties in reaching the World Series. The Dolphins won the '65 series, but didn't reach again until 2073, when they lost to San Diego.

In 2074, however, both Pittsburgh and Miami returned to the World Series. The Pirates won. They met up again in 2081, and again, the Pirates won.

-Note: Dennis Gillespie, Axel Perez, Joshua Farr, and Robert Padgett were all future Hall of Famers. Albert Casey is possibly a borderline HoF'er. He won 215 games, had a 3.63 ERA, went to 4 All Star games, won 2 Cy Young Awards, threw a perfect game and another no-hitter, and won 3 World Series while with Miami . Genaro Aybar was a solid regular for a few years, with an .863 career OPS, one All Star appearance, 5 20-HR seasons, and won 2 World Series while with Miami. William Harrold was a 3-time All Star, had an .846 career OPS, hit .303 with 331 career homeruns, and won 2 World Series while with Miami.

Fun Facts:

-In the 41 years since Pittsburgh won its 17th championship in 2041, the Pirates have won 9 World Series. The Dolphins have won 12. San Jose has the third most in that time period, with 5.

-In the 38 years since Pittsburgh and Miami first met each other in the World Series, the two have faced each other 11 times. Miami has won 6, Pittsburgh has won 5.

-In those 11 meetings, there has been only one sweep(Miami, 2063) and only one seven game series(Miami, 2051).

-The World Series winners from 2079 to the present have been Miami, Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Miami. This year will obviously not change that trend, regardless of who wins.

-Veteran Miami starting pitcher Jim Miller was a 22 year old for the Dolphins' single A minor league team when the Dolphins last beat Pittsburgh in the World Series(2063).

-18 Pirates remain from the 2081 World Series meeting with Miami, while 17 Dolphins remain.

Postseason Stats:

Pittsburgh:

Strong performers at the plate this postseason include: Reserve outfielder Matias Santos(1.060 OPS in 19 at bats, with 7 RBI), left-fielder Jerry Harmer, Jr.(.842 OPS, 10 runs scored), 1B Jose Arruza(.903 OPS, 2 HR), second-baseman Robert Able(.879 OPS, 3 HR), and catcher Aaron Quijada(.884 OPS, 3 HR). On the mound, Scott Council is 3-1 with a 2.48 ERA and 29 K's in 29 innings pitcher, and Andreas Fajardo is 3-1 with a 2.17 ERA.

So-so performers include: third-baseman Javier Rael(.190 AVG and .707 OPS, but 5 HR and 11 RBI) and right-fielder James Sequeira(.668 OPS, but 2 HR). On the mound, Jay Marrone is 1-0 with a 5.25 ERA in 2 starts.

Poor performers include: short-stop Dean White(.516 OPS) and center-fielder Tony Francois(.427 OPS). On the mound, Douglas Malone is 0-3 with a 7.56 ERA.

Miami:

Those performing well at the plate this postseason include: first-baseman Aaron Shorts(.919 OPS and 10 doubles), catcher Jake Foss(.808 OPS and 4 extra base hits), second-baseman Francisco Alvarez(.814 OPS and 2 HR), and left-fielder Dennis Fernandez(.922 OPS, 5 doubles, and 3 HR). On the mound, Christian Hokusai is 3-1 with a 1.97 ERA, Ramon Baston is 1-1 with a 1.73 ERA, and Jose Caceres is 2-0 with a 2.86 ERA.

So-so performers include: short-stop Bill Tovar(.306 average but only 1 extra base hit and only a .627 OPS), designated hitter Edmond McGurk(3 HR but only a .229 AVG and .726 OPS).

Poor performers include: third-baseman Thomas Fuentes, Jr.(.615 OPS), center-fielder Roy Springs(.526 OPS), and right-fielder Albert Chichester(.456 OPS). On the mound, Mark Prior is 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA

Thoughts:

This is a pretty balanced matchup. Both teams can score runs, both teams have good pitching. Miami's rotation is a little bit deeper, while Pittsburgh has the superior bullpen. Pittsburgh's offense is driven heavily by its ability to draw walks and wear down opposing pitchers, while the Dolphins are little bit more balanced between hitting homeruns and drawing walks.

The first item to consider is the designated hitter. Miami will lose one of its hitters when they come to Pittsburgh. Who will it be? Generally, Edmond McGurk has been used as the DH, though he usually replaces the left-handed hitting Jake Foss at catcher when Miami faces a southpaw. Despite his postseason struggles, McGurk is not a guy you want to take out of the lineup, which means the Dolphins may have to stick him at first base, left field, or right field. Either way, Miami will lose a key contributor from the starting lineup, while probably getting worse defensively.

The second item is the difference in ballparks. Miami plays in a very good pitcher's park, while Pittsburgh plays in a neutral/slightly favorable hitter's park. Miami's park is especially difficult to left-handed hitters, which is bad news for guys like James Sequeira and Tony Francois on Pittsburgh's side. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh's park is a nice place to hit if you are a lefty. That's good news for Jake Foss, and maybe bench guys like Daniel Armas and Troy Alder on the Dolphins.

A third consideration is how well Miami's Jose Caceres matches up against the Pirates. To be honest, he is not a good matchup. The Pirates are the best team in baseball at drawing walks, and if Caceres has any weakness, it is his lack of control.

There is one other thing to think about. I have referred to the "first Pittsburgh dynasty," the "second Pittsburgh dynasty," and the "third Pittsburgh dynasty." If Pittsburgh wins this World Series, it would be their third in the last four seasons, and fifth in the last ten seasons. Are we in the midst of the "fourth Pittsburgh dynasty"?

Prediction:

As I said, the two teams are pretty even. If Pittsburgh's propensity for working counts can get Miami's starters out of the games early, the Pirates should be able to work over the Dolphins' bullpen pretty well. Losing the DH also will hurt Miami quite a bit, I think. Still, the Dolphins rotation looks a lot better than Pittsburgh's.

I'll go with Miami in seven games.

jamus23 · 05-14-2008, 07:28 PM

World Series Game One:

Those expecting a pitcher's duel between aces Christian Hokusai and Scott Council in Game One were disappointed. The Dolphins got to Council early with three first inning runs. Albert Chichester hit a 2 out, 2-run double and Thomas Fuentes, Jr. followed with an RBI single. Pittsburgh responded in the bottom of the second inning, getting a 2 out, 2-run homerun from Tony Francois. In the third inning, however, Edmond McGurk and Chichester hit back to back homeruns- McGurk's was a two run blast- to give the Dolphins a 6-2 lead. In the bottom of the third, Aaron Quijada got a run back by hitting a 2 out solo homerun. The Pirates wouldn't get any closer. In the fifth inning, McGurk completed the scoring with a 2-run double. Miami cruised to an 8-3 victory. McGurk drove in 4 runs and Chichester drove in 3.

Miami leads, 1 game to none.

jamus23 · 05-15-2008, 09:25 PM

World Series Game Two

Having emerged victorious from Game One, the Miami Dolphins looked to take control of the series with a Game Two win. An error in the second inning by Pittsburgh short-stop Dean White allowed Edmond McGurk to score a run. Bill Tovar and starting pitcher Jose Caceres followed with RBI singles, giving Miami a 3-0 lead. Thomas Fuentes, Jr. made it 4-0 with a solo homerun in the fourth inning.

Pittsburgh got on the board in the sixth inning. Aaron Quijada hit a 2-run double, and a couple of batters later, James Sequeira hit an RBI single, cutting Miami's lead to one run. With one out in the eighth inning, Jose Arruza drew a bases-loaded walk to tie the game. One out later, Matias Santos also drew a bases-loaded walk, giving the Pirates a 5-4 lead. In the top of the ninth, Miami loaded the bases with one out, but came away with nothing, allowing Pittsburgh to win.

The series is tied at one game apiece.

jamus23 · 05-15-2008, 09:36 PM

Mounts remains busy, Asbel Fuentez signs extension
October 31, 2083
Al Vincent
Staff Writer

Eleven days after agreeing to a contract extension with catcher Lee Chappel, Denver general manager John Mounts announced that the Broncos and right-fielder Asbel Fuentez have come to terms on a new contract. The speedy 35-year old has signed a 2 year deal that will pay him $6 million per year. Fuentez ranked 3rd in OPS among all right-fielders this season, posting a .921 mark. He also led the American League with 54 stolen bases. For his career, Fuentez has hit .318/.388/.473/.860. He is a three time All-Star with 2,417 career hits, 571 doubles, 142 homeruns, 1,377 runs scored, and 708 stolen bases. The stolen bases rank seventh in league history.

jamus23 · 05-16-2008, 06:40 PM

World Series Game Three:

With the series tied at one game apiece, the games shifted to Miami. Pittsburgh jumped out to a quick lead. An error by Miami short-stop Bill Tovar with two outs in the first inning allowed Aaron Quijada to score a run. A couple batters later, Tony Francois ripped a three-run double to give the Pirates a 4-0 lead. Edmond McGurk crushed a three-run homerun in the bottom of the first, cutting the Pirates' lead to a single run. That was as close as the Dolphins would get. Quijada drove in a run in the second inning with a base hit to make it 5-3. Jose Arruza drew a bases-loaded walk in the seventh inning, and Francois followed with a sacrifice fly, giving Pittsburgh a 7-3 lead. In the eighth inning, Miami reliever Christopher Lain suffered a complete meltdown. James Sequeira ripped a one out, three-run homer off of him to make it 10-3. A few batters later, still with only one out, Francois blasted a three run homerun as well. That completed the scoring in a 13-3 Pittsburgh rout. Francois collected 7 runs batted in.

Pittsburgh leads the series, 2 games to 1.

Powderguy · 05-16-2008, 07:17 PM

Wow, that's a tough way to go out in the playoffs after a stellar season.

jamus23 · 05-17-2008, 04:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Powderguy

Wow, that's a tough way to go out in the playoffs after a stellar season.

Yeah. I haven't yet decided which of the three seasons chronicled in this thread has been the most disappointing. In the first season(2081), Denver had to overcome some early season struggles and a heated, three way playoff race. After emerging on top, I was pretty excited for the playoffs to begin- at which point they got knocked out five games, and barely seemed to show up. That was a huge let down.

In the second year, Denver cruised to the division title after a brief fight with Tucson early on. I felt the team was strong enough to go all the way. But after some unexpected trouble in the first round, they then blew a lead against Miami in the ALCS and lost in six games. That was disappointing, but it's not like Miami was a bad team.

This year.... this year was like getting sucker punched. I have no doubt that Denver was the best team in the league. Sure, they had a few weaknesses, but their strengths more than made up for them. Nashville was a decent team, but not that great. Aside from losing a game or two to Mose Urick, the Broncos shouldn't have had any difficulty. But to not even win a single game? The worst part was that by the fourth game, I had this sense of inevitability. Even after getting the early lead, I was sure that they were going to blow it. And they did. What is also frustrating is that, normally, you can look at your team and say, "Okay, here's where we need to upgrade. Here is our main area of weakness. If we upgrade there, that will put us over the top." But looking at Denver this year, where the heck do you upgrade? Sure, we could probably do better than Booker Romero at SS, and the bullpen is still kind of shaky. But even with those areas of concern, the Broncos scored the most runs and gave up the fewest. Clearly, those weak spots didn't hurt too much during the regular season. Why do they suddenly loom so large in the playoffs?

jamus23 · 05-17-2008, 04:37 PM

World Series Game Four:

Most people expected the pitcher's duel to come in Game One, when Scott Council and Christian Hokusai took the mound for their teams. Even one in Games Two or Three wouldn't have been a complete surprise. Probably no one, however, expected it to come in the fourth game, when Jay Marrone took the mound for Pittsburgh, and Mark Prior took the mound for Miami. That, however, is precisely what happened. Both pitchers put up goose eggs inning after inning, for seven innings. Pittsburgh came close to scoring in the fourth inning when Jerry Harmer, Jr. was gunned down at the plate. Finally, in the eighth inning, the Dolphins' Roy Springs hit a run-scoring double to break the scoreless tie. That's all Miami would need in a 1-0 victory. Prior tossed a complete game shutout, scattering 7 hits, all singles, and 2 walks over nine innings, while blowing away 8 batters. Marrone gave up 9 hits, 2 walks, and the lone run in 7 innings of work. He struck out 4 batters.

The series is tied at 2 games apiece.

jamus23 · 05-17-2008, 04:45 PM

World Series Game Five:

The second duel between Council and Hokusai was more what people expected. Scoreless through one inning. Scoreless through two. Scoreless through three. Scoreless through four. In the fifth inning, Miami got on the board, getting a two out RBI double from Dennis Fernandez. The lead didn't last long. In the sixth, Aaron Quijada put the Pirates on top with a 2-run homerun. Pittsburgh pushed the lead to 3-1 when Jose Arruza hit an RBI single in the eighth inning. Miami made a brief rally attempt in the bottom of the ninth, getting an RBI single from Albert Chichester, but that was all the Dolphins could manage in a 3-2 defeat. Council gave up just 3 hits, a walk, and 1 run in 8 innings, while striking out 8 batters. Hokusai gave up 5 hits, 3 walks, and 2 runs in 7 innings of work. He struck out 4 batters.

Pittsburgh leads the series, 3 games to 2.

jamus23 · 05-17-2008, 05:04 PM

World Series Game Six:

Standing on the brink of their third championship in the last three seasons, the Pirates looked to take control of Game Six early .With two outs in the first inning, Javier Rael blasted a solo homerun. The 1-0 lead lasted until the fourth inning, when Miami's Edmond McGurk belted a 2-run homer. The Dolphins lead, 2-1. In the fifth inning, however, James Sequeira delivered a 2-run single, and Robert Able followed with a 2-run double. The Pirates led, 5-2. McGurk hammered another two run homerun in the sixth inning, cutting the lead to 5-4. The Dolphins would not get any closer, however. With runners on first and second in the ninth inning, Aaron Shorts hit into a game, and series, ending double play.

The Pittsburgh Pirates win the World Series, 4 games to 2.

World Series MVP:

Call it a split decision between Pittsburgh's Aaron Quijada and Miami's Edmond McGurk, with an honorable mention to Pittsburgh's James Sequeira. Quijada was 9 for 18, with 2 HR, 6 RBI, and 5 runs scored. McGurk was 6 for 23, with 4 HR, 11 RBI, and 5 runs scored. Sequeira was 10 for 26, with 1 HR, 6 RBI, and 5 runs scored.

Playoffs MVP:

Take your pick. Quijada hit .308/.407/.564/.971, with 3 doubles, 1 triple, 5 homeruns, 15 RBI, 14 runs scored, and 11 walks.

Jerry Harmer, Jr. batted .329/.391/.415/.806, with 27 hits, 8 walks, 14 runs scored, and he reached base at least once in every one of Pittsburgh's playoff games.

Andreas Fajardo went 4-1 with a 2.50 ERA in 5 starts. He threw one complete game shutout.

Miami's Christian Hokusai went 4-2 with a 1.96 ERA in 6 starts. He tossed two complete games, one of them a shutout.

jamus23 · 05-17-2008, 06:13 PM

American League Silver Slugger Award:

Well this is a bit of a surprise. I figured a Denver hitter might win it, but I was thinking of Lee Chappel. Instead, Broncos' left-fielder, Alexis Vazquez wins his second straight Silver Slugger. Vazquez batted .325/.372/.571/.943 this year. He collected 200 hits, 26 doubles, 42 homeruns, 141 runs batted in, and 110 runs scored. He also went 13 of 14 stealing bases. The batting average ranked 5th in the American League, the slugging percentage ranked 10th, the hits ranked 2nd, the homeruns tied for 3rd, and the RBI ranked 3rd.

American League Cy Young Award:

No surprise here. Nashville's Mose Urick wins his second straight Cy Young Award. He went 23-5 with a 2.64 ERA in 36 starts. He struck out 223 batters and walked 54 in 252 innings pitched. He tossed 4 complete games and 2 shutouts. He also went 4-0 with a 1.69 ERA in 5 playoff starts, including a 1-hit shutout against Miami in the ALCS. He led the American League in both wins and ERA. He was 2nd in innings pitched, 5th in strikeouts, and allowed the fewest hits per nine innings.

American League Rookie of the Year Award:

This was not an especially strong year for rookies, for either league. The winners this year is Grand Rapids' starting pitcher Henry Carillo. The 23 year old Carillo went 12-16 in 36 starts, posting an ERA of 6.25. He struck out 118 and walked 105 in 198 2/3 innings pitched. He threw one complete game shutout.

American League Gold Glove Awards:

Pitcher: Memphis' Roy Kelemen. His third Gold Glove.
Catcher: Grand Rapids' Lucien Lum. His third Gold Glove.
First Base: Denver's Ellis Bolling. His first Gold Glove.
Second Base: Knoxville's Jack Forrester. His second Gold Glove.
Third Base: Grand Rapids Andres Garcia. His second Gold Glove.
Shortstop: Atlanta's Roger Attaway. His fourth Gold Glove.
Left Field: Washington's Leon Pino. His third Gold Glove.
Center Field: Charlotte's Keith O' Berry. His first Gold Glove.
Right Field: Nashville's Hugh Marzano. His second Gold Glove.

National League Silver Slugger Award:

There were a few solid candidates for this award, but in the end, it went to the hot starter. Phoenix's first-baseman Emil Cuestas roared out of the gate this season, hitting .424 with 11 homeruns in April, and .430 with 8 homeruns May. He cooled down after that, but his final numbers were still quite impressive. He finished with a batting line of .365/.399/.585/.985, collected 233 hits, hit 48 doubles and 31 homeruns, drove in 131 runs, and scored 105 runs. It was a stunning resurgence for the 32-year old, who had seen his numbers drop off the last couple of seasons and missed virtually all of the 2081 season with an injury. Cuestas won the NL batting title, finished 10th in OBP, 5th in slugging percentage, 5th in OPS, 1st in hits, tied for 5th in doubles, and 3rd in RBI.

National League Cy Young Award:

This was pretty much a no-brainer. Once Scott Council went down with an injury in July that knocked him out until late August, there simply weren't any realistic competitors for San Diego's Carlos Lozoya. Lozoya went 24-4 with a 1.77 ERA in 36 starts, struck out 222 in 265 innings pitched, and tossed 3 complete games and 1 shutout. He led the NL in wins, ERA, and innings pitched. He was 4th in strikeouts. 33 of his 36 starts were "quality starts," which led all of baseball. He's the first San Diego pitcher to win the Cy Young Award in 22 years.

National League Rookie of the Year Award:

This year's winner is Hartford catcher William Carter. The 26 year old Carter hit .246/.321/.439/.760 this season, with 22 doubles, 3 triples, and 18 homeruns. He drove in 76 runs and scored 58. He's the first Hartford player to win the ROTY in 34 years.

Pitcher: Pittsburgh's Douglas Malone. His first Gold Glove.
Catcher: San Jose's Charles Seaver. His fifth Gold Glove.
First Base: Portland's Edward Schuh. His fourth Gold Glove.
Second Base: Los Angeles' Lewis Lagunas. His third Gold Glove.
Third Base: Buffalo's Thomas Herbert. His first Gold Glove.
Shortstop: Sacramento's Alberto O' Campo. His second Gold Glove.
Left Field: Hartford's John Gans. His second Gold Glove.
Center Field: Pittsburgh's Augustine Oatman. His fifth Gold Glove.
Right Field: Rochester's Gustavo Manrique. His first Gold Glove.

jamus23 · 05-17-2008, 07:38 PM

How about a look at the best and worst players at each position this season. For these lists, I'll use RC/27 for position players and ERA for pitchers. Only players who qualified for the batting and ERA titles will be considered.

American League All-Pros:

Code:

 C: Lee Chappel(11.3)       Denver
1B: Sabas Laureano(9.2)     Grand Rapids 
    Arthur Taylor(9.2)      Knoxville
2B: Eddie Lauzon(5.7)       Grand Rapids* 
    Eric Phillips(5.7)      Memphis*
3B: Andres Garcia(9.8)      Grand Rapids
SS: Roger Attaway(8.7)      Atlanta
LF: Joshua Kier(8.1)        Knoxville 
    Alexis Vazquez(8.1)     Denver
CF: Carlo Romero(9.8)       Nashville
RF: Burl Wyatt(11.1)        Knoxville
SP: Mose Urick(2.64)        Nashville
SP: Marcos Rocha(2.78)      Knoxville
SP: Aaron Williams(2.98)    Grand Rapids
SP: Christian Hokusai(3.05) Miami
SP: Kenny Pillsbury(3.09)   Denver

*Technically, Denver's Ruben Diaz, with 6.5 RC/27, is first among second-baseman. However, he played almost exclusively at DH this season, with only 7 starts at 2B. Thus it's not really fair to consider him a 2B.

American League All-Schmoes:

Code:

 C: Man Merino(3.9)        Washington
1B: Manuel Madrid(4.4)     Washington
2B: Francisco Alvarez(3.2) Miami
3B: Randall Bowen(3.9)     Charlotte
SS: Bill Tovar(4.0)        Miami
LF: Juan Ibarra(4.2)       Charlotte
CF: Ernie Willis(4.8)      Green Bay
RF: Bruce Reed(3.2)        Grand Rapids
SP: Michael Grear(8.21)    Green Bay
SP: Eduardo Ruiz(7.55)     Kansas City
SP: Corey Long(7.41)       Kansas City
SP: Andrew Barnes(6.50)    Atlanta
SP: Marco Nunez(6.29)      Nashville

Michael Grear is actually an almost guaranteed future Hall of Famer. He was an absolutely terrific pitcher from 2069 to 2080, with an ERA under 3.00 in all but two of those seasons. He has seven seasons with 20 or more wins, was a nine-time All-Star, and won the 2076 AL Cy Young Award. For his career, he has 277 wins and a 3.35 ERA. He was a threat to win 300 games until 2081, at which point, he pretty much fell apart. The last three seasons, he's gone 19-58. In the last two seasons, he's gone a combined 10-42. At 37 years of age, he really doesn't have much of a chance to get to 300 anymore.

National League All-Pros:

Code:

 C: Aaron Quijada(7.6)       Pittsburgh
1B: John Rachal(9.6)         Hartford
2B: Andrew Burdick(10.0)     San Diego
3B: Javier Rael(8.9)         Pittsburgh
SS: Coy Drews(8.4)           Harrisburg
LF: Jerry Harmer, Jr.(9.6)   Pittsburgh
CF: Gaby Matos(8.0)          San Diego*
RF: Richard Herb(7.6)        Hartford 
    James Lumsden(7.6)       San Jose
SP: Carlos Lozoya(1.77)      San Diego
SP: Segundo Narbaiza(2.81)   Rochester
SP: Scott Council(3.12)      Pittsburgh
SP: Christopher Cooper(3.13) Buffalo
SP: Carl Strothers(3.14)     Sacramento

*San Jose's Simon Martinez actually led NL centerfielder's with 9.0 RC/27. However, while Martinez did make 45 starts in center, he also made 65 in left field and 8 in right field. Given that, he should probably be considered a left-fielder, not a center-fielder.

National League All-Schmoes:

Code:

 C: Daniel Moise(3.3)     Los Angeles
1B: Timothy Wegener(5.4)  Los Angeles
2B: Nicholas Keough(4.4)  Portland
3B: Samuel Mack(5.6)      Harrisburg
SS: Lloyd Sizer(3.6)      Portland
LF: Gabriel Rius(4.5)     Harrisburg
CF: Carlos Ruano(5.0)     Portland
RF: James Sequeira(4.6)   Pittsburgh
SP: Norman Dale(7.06)     Harrisburg
SP: Josue Gorman(6.68)    Harrisburg
SP: Micheal Schmalz(6.51) Los Angeles
SP: Geronimo Otero(6.45)  Pittsburgh
SP: Tony Rivera(6.32)     Harrisburg

Like Grear, Geronimo Otero is a once great pitcher on his last legs. In the mid-70's Otero was one of the most dominant pitchers in league history. He posted back to back sub-2.00 ERA seasons in 2073(1.45) and 2074(1.88). The 1.45 mark is the second best of all time. His K/BB rates were absolutely unreal(214/12 in '73 and 223/10 in '74). He managed to squeeze in a Cy Young Award in 2073 right around the time that Segundo Narbaiza was beginning to dominate. Otero came back to earth a little bit, and also missed a big chunk of the 2076 season due to injury. For his career, Otero has 227 wins and a 3.27 ERA. He's a six time All-Star and a 5-time 20-game winner. He's also been an amazing 18-9 in 38 postseason starts, with an ERA of 2.67.

jamus23 · 05-18-2008, 07:51 PM

As we prepare to head into the offseason, now seems like a good time to resume the Hall of Fame bios....

Earl Quon:

As has been mentioned before, Scott Border is the all time leader in Silver Slugger Awards, having won six in total. Two players came close to Border's record, with five apiece. The first of those players is Earl Quon. Additionally, Border holds the record for most consecutive Silver Sluggers, with five in a row from 2003 to 2007. Quon came the closest to matching that record, with four consecutive Silver Sluggers from 2038 to 2041.

After a long stretch of success from the very beginning of the league into the mid-2020's- a period that included three World Series appearances and two World Series victories- the Atlanta Braves began to struggle in the late 20's and into the early 30's. After posting 13 winning seasons from 2011 to 2026, the Braves lost 100 games in 2027 and 2029, and entered the 2034 season with just one winning season in the last five years. By virtue of the league's third worst record in 2033, Atlanta had the third pick in the '34 amateur draft. With it, the Braves selected 19 year old first-baseman, Earl Quon.

Quon initially began the 2034 season on the Braves' major league roster, as the backup to starter Clifford Stangl. Just a few days into the season, however, Atlanta traded for veteran first-baseman, Elias Neal, and Quon was sent to AAA. He had collected just one at bat in his short stay, but with it, he delivered a run-scoring double. In early May of that year, Neal suffered a minor injury, and Quon would get another chance to prove his worth on the big stage. In this short stint, Quon went 4 for 13, with 4 runs batted in. Over the next couple months, Quon would get a few more opportunities in the big leagues, collecting a handful of plate appearances in June and July. In late July, Stangl was traded, and Quon found himself on the major league roster for good. Not much of a fielder, Quon was used mostly as a DH by the Braves, but his playing time increased as the season came to a close. In August, he hit .306 in 36 at bats, and in September, he had a .760 OPS in 60 at bats. He finished his first professional season with a .738 OPS in 181 at bats at AAA, and a .755 OPS in 114 major league at bats. The Braves saw little change in their fortunes, finishing in last place in the Southeast Division, with a 72-90 record.

In 2035, Quon played regularly, usually at DH, but against left-handed pitchers, he replaced the lefty-hitting Neal at first base. He held his own for most of the year, though was not spectacular. Atlanta added another first-baseman at the trade deadline, veteran Anthony Fix, but both he and Neal wound up getting injured in September, leaving the job solely in the hands of Quon. Quon finished the season with a .754 OPS, 15 homeruns, and 90 runs batted in. Those numbers were deemed good enough to win him the Rookie of the Year award. Despite Quon's growing abilities, the Braves continued to flounder near the bottom of the league. They finished in last place in the Southeast, with a 65-97 record.

The now crowded first base situation was cleared up a bit in the offseason before the 2036 season. Anthony Fix was traded away, and Quon was handed the full time job. Neal remained on the roster, but strictly as a backup. Quon got off to a slow start, but heated up enough in May and June to be named to his first All Star team. He finished the year with a .313 batting average, 40 doubles, 21 homers, 100 RBI, and an .847 OPS. In a weak Southeast Division, the Braves managed to compete despite finishing with a 71-91 record. They wound up finishing just 5 games out of first place. If not for a woeful pitching staff, the Braves might very well have won the division.

In 2037, Quon took a step backward, while the Braves took a step forward. Despite ripping 55 doubles, Quon mustered just a .737 OPS. Though his first half was good enough to get him named to the All Star team, he completely disappeared in July and August, with an OPS under .600 in both months. He did catch fire in the final month of the season to help push the Braves into the playoffs. Atlanta outlasted Washington to win the Southeast by two games and earn a playoff matchup against Grand Rapids. Quon, however, contributed very little in the postseason, and the Braves fell in six games to the Tigers.

Quon exploded in 2038, hitting .347 with 64 doubles, 46 homeruns, a league-leading 165 runs batted in, 123 runs scored, and a 1.061 OPS. For his efforts, he won the American League Silver Slugger Award. Because of his efforts, Atlanta survived a three-way battle with Nashville and Washington to capture its second straight division crown. The Braves held off the Predators and Senators by 2 games, finishing with a record of 94-68. In the playoffs, they would face off against Tucson. Although the series went to seven games, little of that can be attributed to Quon. Atlanta blew a 3 games to 2 lead, and Quon was 0 for 8 in the final two games of the series.

In 2039, Quon continued his excellent play, posting a 1.027 OPS while hitting 41 homeruns and collecting 146 RBI. He won his second straight Silver Slugger Award. Atlanta, however, missed the playoffs by 2 games. Though the Braves won 97 games, that was not enough to overtake Knoxville.

Quon posted his third consecutive season with an OPS greater than 1.000, coming in at 1.038 in 2040. He also belted 52 doubles and 45 homeruns, while knocking in 155 runs and scoring 124. He was honored with his third straight Silver Slugger Award. Atlanta, meanwhile, cruised to the Southeast Division title, winning 99 games. That put them 8 games ahead of the surprising Miami Dolphins, who were in just their third year of existence. Like in 2038, the Braves would face the Tucson Diamondbacks in the ALCS. And also like in 2038, Atlanta would fall in seven games to Tucson. After winning Game Six by a score of 9-5, the Braves quickly fell behind in Game Seven. Through three innings, they trailed 4-0. In the middle innings, they began to get back into the game, eventually getting as close as 4-3 in the top of sixth inning. Tucson recovered, and led 6-3 through seven innings. Quon would deliver one last bit of hope for the Braves, hitting a solo homerun in the top of the eighth, but the Diamondbacks pulled away once more, by scoring three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning. Tucson hung on to that 9-4 lead to reach the World Series. Quon, who had struggled in his two previous postseason chances, performed well this time, putting up an OPS of .900, but it was not enough.

In 2041, Quon won his fourth straight Silver Slugger Award, compiling an OPS of .994, while hitting 52 doubles and 40 homeruns. He drove in 151 runs, as well. Although Atlanta remained a good team, the American League suffered from an imbalance that year that caused all of the Southeast Division teams to finish above .500 and all of the Central Division teams to finish under .500. Thus, Atlanta's 90 wins were only good enough for third place, behind Knoxville and Washington, who both won over 100 games.

Quon's string of Silver Sluggers came to an end in 2042, although he still had a fine season. He put up a .936 OPS and hit 46 doubles and 42 homeruns. He also made his seventh consecutive All Star team. The Braves slumped to 77-85, and finished in fourth place in the Southeast. That snapped a streak of five consecutive winning seasons for Atlanta.

Following the 2042 season, Quon left Atlanta as a free agent. He signed with Grand Rapids, a team that had largely been mediocre since the mid-20's, although the Tigers had reached the World Series in 2037, which they lost. Quon had a typical season, with an OPS of .958, 58 doubles, 41 homeruns, and 160 runs batted in. Grand Rapids had a fairly well-balanced team, finishing in the top 10 in both runs scored and runs allowed, but nonetheless finished with a mediocre record of 81-81, tying for third place in the Central Division.

In 2044, Quon slumped a little bit. Though he blasted 56 doubles and 32 homeruns, his OPS dipped under .900 for the first time since 2037. The Tigers remained a strong offensive ballclub, but their pitching struggled. Once again, Grand Rapids finished in third place, just barely squeaking over .500 at 82-80.

In '45, Quon's OPS remained about the same as the year before, but both his batting average and on base percentage suffered. His .267 batting average was a career low at the time. He did, however, crank out 40 doubles and 45 homeruns. Meanwhile, Grand Rapids' offense collapsed, and combined with a still weak pitching staff, the Tigers stumbled their way to a 75-87, fourth place finish.

Earl Quon found new life in 2046. He blasted 62 doubles and hit a career high 50 homeruns. His 1.014 OPS marked the fourth time he had put up an OPS over 1.000, and his 178 runs batted in broke the American League single season record of 175, which had been set just two years before by Christopher Bohanon(a player who will be discussed very soon). Quon was named the American League Silver Slugger Award winner, making him only the second player to win the award five times in a career. Despite his efforts, Grand Rapids finished just 80-82 and wound up in second place, 10 games behind Memphis.

Quon's contract with Grand Rapids came to an end, and in the offseason, he signed with San Jose, a team about to begin its tenth year of existence. Like the others of the 2038 expansion group, the Sharks had begun their existence as a very poor team. And while the Miami Dolphins would be the quickest to find success, the others were not far behind. In fact, within five years, all four expansion teams- Miami, Denver, Buffalo, and San Jose- had achieved a winning season. By 2047, the Sharks had established themselves as a consistent competitor, having been above .500 in each of the previous five seasons. However, they had not yet reached the playoffs. The closest that San Jose had come to postseason play was in 2045, when it had won 101 games and tied for first place with Portland. The Sharks had been defeated in a one game playoff, and thus could only watch the playoffs at home. It is no surprise, then, that a player of Quon's ability would be very attractive to San Jose. Perhaps the addition of such a player would be just the piece to push them over the top. Likewise for Quon, who despite many accolades, still lacked a championship, the Sharks were an attractive destination: a competitive team that had an opening at first base and for whom a big bat might push them over the top.

For Quon's part, he earned his money, putting up a .935 OPS while hammering 50 doubles and 44 homeruns. The addition of Quon proved fruitful, and San Jose rolled to the West Division title. The Sharks finished with a record of 96-66 and won the division by 13 games. Matched against Pittsburgh in the NLCS, however, the Sharks didn't stand a chance. The Pirates whipped them in five games, and Quon vanished. He was held to just 2 hits in 16 at bats.

In 2048, Quon made his 11th, and final, All Star team. He put up a .948 OPS and clubbed 50 doubles and 32 homeruns. In early August of that year, he hit the 500th homerun of his career. San Jose remained good, winning 92 games, but the Sharks finished in second place, nine games behind Sacramento.

Quon his just .259 in 2049 and his OPS of .791 was his first under .800 since 2037. He still hit 50 doubles and 29 homeruns, but his streak of 100 RBI seasons came to an end at 13. The Sharks slumped to 71-91, and finished in third place.

In May of 2050, Quon was traded to Denver, a team that after a brief flare of success in the late 40's, had quickly sunk back to the bottom of the league. Quon rebounded somewhat from the previous year, managing an OPS of .874 while hitting 43 doubles and 40 homeruns, but the Broncos had to fight to avoid last place, finishing 67-95, only three games ahead of Kansas City.

In one last shot at a World Series, Quon signed with Hartford before the 2051 season. The Whalers had reached the World Series in 2050 but lost. Quon put up a .791 OPS and hit 53 doubles and 21 homeruns, but it was not enough for Hartford to reach the postseason again. The Whalers won 96 games, but finished in second place, eight games behind Pittsburgh in the Northeast Division. Quon did achieve some very important career milestones, however. In a year when two pitchers reached 300 career wins(Robert Padgett and Robert McComas), and two other players reached 3,000 career hits(Steven Piche and Jasper Pugh), Quon delivered both the 3,000th hit of his career and the 600th homerun of his career. He was the fourteenth player to reach 3,000 hits(the 15th, Pugh, would reach 3,000 about a month later) and the sixth to reach 600 homeruns.

Quon would hang around for one more season, but it was a trying one. In late April, he injured his ACL and missed over a month of action. He didn't return until early June, but before the month was over, Hartford had released him. In early July, he signed with Memphis, but a month later, he reinjured his ACL and missed another month. Memphis, who had finished with the worst record in baseball at 61-101, released Quon after the season had completed. He finished the year with an abysmal .597 OPS in 206 at bats. Quon retired after the 2052 season.

At the end of Quon's career, he ranked 13th in hits, 7th in homeruns, 2nd in runs batted in, 2nd in doubles, and 25th in runs scored. Today, Quon ranks 13th in homeruns, 4th in runs batted in, and 2nd in doubles.

Career Batting Stats:

Code:

Year     G    AB    H  2B 3B  HR  RBI    R  BB    K SB CS  AVG  OBP  SLG   OPS Teams 
2034    38   114   32   6  0   4   19   17   6   35  0  0 .281 .317 .439  .755 ATL 
2035   136   502  145  32  0  15   90   62  17  126  0  0 .289 .312 .442  .754 ATL 
2036   149   595  186  40  4  21  100   87  32  119  0  0 .313 .348 .499  .847 ATL,AL 
2037   156   634  167  55  1  14  115  106  50  104  0  0 .263 .317 .420  .737 ATL,AL 
2038   157   632  219  64  1  46  165  123  47  134  0  0 .347 .392 .669 1.061 ATL,AL 
2039   156   609  208  46  3  41  146  110  57  146  0  0 .342 .398 .629 1.027 ATL,AL 
2040   157   599  198  52  1  45  155  124  60  100  0  0 .331 .392 .646 1.038 ATL,AL 
2041   154   592  188  52  2  40  151  117  59   91  5  0 .318 .379 .615  .994 ATL,AL 
2042   157   611  181  46  3  42  118  116  49   98  1  0 .296 .348 .588  .936 ATL,AL 
2043   154   620  185  58  1  41  160  108  64   79  1  0 .298 .364 .594  .958 GR 
2044   155   621  180  56  0  32  132   96  51   94  0  0 .290 .344 .535  .878 GR,AL 
2045   155   604  161  40  0  45  126  102  52   93  1  0 .267 .325 .556  .881 GR 
2046   156   633  198  62  1  50  178  112  50  104  1  1 .313 .363 .651 1.014 GR,AL 
2047   155   608  175  50  2  44  126   98  49  100  0  0 .288 .341 .594  .935 SJ,NL 
2048   151   579  184  50  2  32  133  114  49   76  0  0 .318 .371 .577  .948 SJ,NL 
2049   155   615  159  50  0  29   86   85  46  128  0  0 .259 .310 .481  .791 SJ 
2050   148   534  139  43  0  40  114   88  37  137  0  0 .260 .308 .566  .874 SJ DEN 
2051   150   509  125  53  3  21   78   74  44  123  0  0 .246 .306 .485  .791 HFD 
2052    68   206   36  18  0   6   22   18  20   58  0  0 .175 .248 .350  .597 HFD MEM 
Total 2707 10417 3066 873 24 608 2214 1757 839 1945  9  1 .294 .347 .558  .905   
 
Career Minor League Batting Stats:
 
 
Year       G  AB  H 2B 3B HR RBI  R BB  K SB CS  AVG  OBP  SLG  OPS 
2034, AAA 43 181 47  6  1  9  27 25  8 45  0  0 .260 .285 .453 .738 
 
Career Postseason Batting Stats:
 
 
Year   G AB  H 2B 3B HR RBI R BB  K SB CS  AVG  OBP  SLG  OPS 
2037   6 23  4  2  0  1   2 4  3  2  0  0 .174 .269 .391 .661 
2038   7 28  6  3  0  1   2 2  1  7  1  0 .214 .241 .429 .670 
2040   7 27  8  4  0  1   2 2  2  5  0  0 .296 .345 .556 .900 
2047   5 16  2  0  0  0   2 0  3  7  0  0 .125 .263 .125 .388 
Total 25 94 20  9  0  3   8 8  9 21  1  0 .213 .282 .404 .686 
 
 
Player History:
 
 
Drafted in 1st round, 3rd overall pick, by Atlanta in 2034...
Had first career hit (double) on 4/5/2034, off Tyler Marcellus (KNO)...
Hit first career homerun on 9/5/2034, off Leon Ruelas (WAS)...
Won Rookie of the Year Award in 2035, hitting .289 with 15 HR, 90 RBI...
Won Player of the Week award on 5/26/2036, hitting .625 with 2 HR, 10 RBI...
Drove in 6 runs against Tucson on 6/9/2036...
Was selected to the 2036 Allstar game...
Was selected to the 2037 Allstar game...
Drove in 7 runs against Grand Rapids on 6/23/2038...
Drove in 6 runs against Grand Rapids on 6/25/2038...
Hit 3 homeruns against Tucson, driving in 5 runs on 6/28/2038...
Won Player of the Week award on 6/30/2038, hitting .607 with 5 HR, 20 RBI...
Won Batter of the Month award on 7/1/2038, hitting .449 with 11 HR, 41 RBI...
Was selected to the 2038 Allstar game...
Had 5 hits with 8 RBI against Denver on 9/19/2038...
Won Player of the Week award on 9/22/2038, hitting .567 with 5 HR, 15 RBI...
Won Batter of the Month award on 10/1/2038, hitting .438 with 8 HR, 31 RBI...
Won Silver Slugger Award in 2038, hitting .347 with 46 HR, 165 RBI...
Won Player of the Week award on 5/12/2039, hitting .500 with 1 HR, 9 RBI...
Was selected to the 2039 Allstar game...
Won Silver Slugger Award in 2039, hitting .342 with 41 HR, 146 RBI...
Won Batter of the Month award on 5/1/2040, hitting .358 with 10 HR, 36 RBI...
Won Player of the Week award on 5/19/2040, hitting .667 with 2 HR, 8 RBI...
Had 5 hits with 3 RBI against Memphis on 5/21/2040...
Won Player of the Week award on 5/26/2040, hitting .536 with 4 HR, 13 RBI...
Won Batter of the Month award on 6/1/2040, hitting .418 with 7 HR, 33 RBI...
Was selected to the 2040 Allstar game...
Drove in 6 runs against Knoxville on 8/13/2040...
Won Silver Slugger Award in 2040, hitting .331 with 45 HR, 155 RBI...
Drove in 6 runs against Tucson on 5/19/2041...
Won Player of the Week award on 6/23/2041, hitting .640 with 3 HR, 6 RBI...
Won Batter of the Month award on 7/1/2041, hitting .389 with 7 HR, 22 RBI...
Was selected to the 2041 Allstar game...
Drove in 6 runs against Washington on 7/29/2041...
Won Player of the Week award on 8/4/2041, hitting .455 with 4 HR, 12 RBI...
Won Silver Slugger Award in 2041, hitting .318 with 40 HR, 151 RBI...
Drove in 7 runs against Denver on 4/2/2042...
Drove in 6 runs against Grand Rapids on 6/11/2042...
Was selected to the 2042 Allstar game...
Won Player of the Week award on 7/14/2042, hitting .462 with 3 HR, 8 RBI...
Signed as a free agent by Grand Rapids on 2/3/2043 to a 4-year deal worth $8,465,600 per year...
Won Player of the Week award on 9/22/2043, hitting .480 with 4 HR, 15 RBI...
Was selected to the 2044 Allstar game...
Won Player of the Week award on 4/7/2045, hitting .448 with 3 HR, 6 RBI...
Won Player of the Week award on 4/21/2045, hitting .438 with 4 HR, 11 RBI...
Had 2000th career hit on 8/1/2045, off Vo-gan Namboku (MEM)...
Drove in 6 runs against Miami on 9/13/2045...
Won Batter of the Month award on 7/1/2046, hitting .364 with 13 HR, 35 RBI...
Was selected to the 2046 Allstar game...
Won Player of the Week award on 7/14/2046, hitting .423 with 2 HR, 11 RBI...
Sets a new season AL-Record for RBI with 175 on 9/30/2046...
Won Silver Slugger Award in 2046, hitting .313 with 50 HR, 178 RBI...
Signed as a free agent by San Jose on 2/2/2047 to a 4-year deal worth $11,484,500 per year...
Had 5 hits with 3 RBI against Buffalo on 5/24/2047...
Hit 3 homeruns against Rochester, driving in 7 runs on 6/4/2047...
Won Player of the Week award on 6/9/2047, hitting .393 with 6 HR, 11 RBI...
Was selected to the 2047 Allstar game...
Drove in 6 runs against Rochester on 9/16/2047...
Had 5 hits with 4 RBI against Hartford on 9/28/2047...
Had 5 hits with 3 RBI against Hartford on 6/23/2048...
Was selected to the 2048 Allstar game...
Had 500th career homerun on 8/6/2048, off Timothy Dunton (SAC)...
Had 25-game hitting streak snapped on 8/9/2048...
Traded from San Jose to Denver on 5/27/2050 (Going to DEN: 1B E. Quon. Going to SJ: P B. Molina, P F. Vidal, LF G. Llanos)...
Won Player of the Week award on 8/25/2050, hitting .429 with 5 HR, 9 RBI...
Signed as a free agent by Hartford on 2/2/2051 to a 4-year deal worth $2,152,800 per year...
Had 3000th career hit on 8/28/2051, off Keith Reed (LA)...
Had 600th career homerun on 9/7/2051, off Thomas Mcgonigal (SD)...
Injured on 4/24/2052 with a Strained Anterior Cruciate Ligament, out for 6 weeks...
Released by Hartford on 6/20/2052, refused assignment to minors...
Signed as a free agent by Memphis on 7/7/2052 to a 1-year deal worth $300,000 per year...
Injured on 8/1/2052 with a Strained Anterior Cruciate Ligament, out for 5 weeks...
Released by Memphis on 10/3/2052, refused assignment to minors...
Retired and inducted to the Hall of Fame in 2053.
 
 
Batting Leader Boards Appearances: 
 
AVG
2038 - .347 - 6th
2039 - .342 - 4th
 
SLG
2038 - .669 - 3rd
2039 - .629 - 2nd
2040 - .646 - 2nd
2041 - .615 - 1st
2042 - .588 - 7th
2045 - .556 - 10th
2046 - .651 - 3rd
2047 - .594 - 2nd
2048 - .577 - 5th
 
OPS
2038 - 1.061 - 4th
2039 - 1.027 - 2nd
2040 - 1.038 - 3rd
2041 -  .994 - 2nd
2046 - 1.014 - 8th
2047 -  .935 - 6th
2048 -  .948 - 6th
 
Hits
2038 - 219 - 2nd
2039 - 208 - 4th
2040 - 198 - 8th
2048 - 184 - 10th
 
Doubles
2036 - 40 - 9th
2037 - 55 - 2nd
2038 - 64 - 2nd
2039 - 46 - 5th
2040 - 52 - 2nd
2041 - 52 - 1st
2042 - 46 - 4th
2043 - 58 - 2nd
2044 - 56 - 1st
2046 - 62 - 1st
2047 - 50 - 6th
2048 - 50 - 3rd
2049 - 50 - 7th
2050 - 43 - 10th
2051 - 53 - 6th
 
Homeruns
2038 - 46 - 3rd
2039 - 41 - 3rd
2040 - 45 - 1st
2041 - 40 - 1st
2042 - 42 - 4th
2043 - 41 - 5th
2045 - 45 - 2nd
2046 - 50 - 1st
2047 - 44 - 2nd
2048 - 32 - 7th
2050 - 40 - 6th
 
RBI
2037 - 115 - 7th
2038 - 165 - 1st
2039 - 146 - 1st
2040 - 155 - 1st
2041 - 151 - 1st
2042 - 118 - 9th
2043 - 160 - 1st
2044 - 132 - 8th
2045 - 126 - 6th
2046 - 178 - 1st
2047 - 126 - 4th
2048 - 133 - 4th
 
Runs
2038 - 123 - 8th
2040 - 124 - 5th
2041 - 117 - 4th
2042 - 116 - 8th
2048 - 114 - 8th

jamus23 · 05-21-2008, 10:13 PM

James Paras:

Few today would argue with the claim that James Paras was the greatest catcher of all time. But prior to the 2037 season, you would have been hard pressed to find someone who believed such a thing was possible. Before that year, Paras had seen major league action in the previous five seasons and been a regular for the previous three. In those years, he had absolutely stunk. His best OPS in any season was .667. Excluding his first cup of coffee in 2032, in which he hit .245 in 53 at bats, his .228 batting average in 2036 was the best of his career prior to 2037. He had been benched and relegated to the backup role. But in '37, that light clicked on for Paras, and he proceeded to terrorize the league for the next fifteen years.

After some initial success, the Portland Trailblazers spent most of early part of their history wallowing near the bottom of the league. From 2006 to 2018, Portland's highest win total was 77. Twice the Trailblazers lost 100 games. In the early '20s, however, Portland emerged from the darkness. From 2020 to 2025, Portland won at least 91 games every year. The Trailblazers reached the World Series in 2020, but lost, and then reached it again in 2024, emerging victorious on that occasion. But that run of success came to an end, and Portland collapsed. The Trailblazers lost 215 games combined between 2030 and 2031. In 2031, both Portland and Kansas City lost 106 games. Kansas City won the coin toss to determine the number one pick in the 2032 amateur draft. The Royals drafted third-baseman Walter Mara, and would be rewarded with an all time great. The Trailblazers selected a 19 year old catcher named James Paras. Would they be similarly rewarded?

Paras began his professional career at AA. After tearing up the league for a few weeks to the tune of a 1.044 OPS, he was promoted to AAA, where he continued to thrive. For over three months, Paras tormented AAA pitchers, hitting .327 with 28 extra base hits and a 62/56 BB/K ratio. In early August, he was finally rewarded with a big league call-up. Initially, he seemed overmatched, collecting just 4 hits in his first 22 at bats. In September, however, he seemed to adjust, hitting .290 with a .744 OPS in 31 at bats. He hadn't found his power stroke yet, slugging just .302 in 53 total at bats with no homeruns, but his batting eye already seemed major league ready. He posted a .365 OBP and walked as often as he struck out. Portland rebounded from those truly awful seasons to post 75 wins. Surprisingly, that was nearly enough to win the West division, as Sacramento, the team that did win the division, mustered only 79 wins.

Paras began the 2033 season as the backup to veteran Merlin Wehmeyer, one of the better catchers in the league at the time. It would be a miserable season for the young Paras. After getting off to a slow start, he was injured in late May and missed a few weeks. Immediately upon returning, he got injured again and missed a few more weeks. Despite hitting his first career homerun in July of that year, it was awful month for Paras, as he managed just 3 hits total in 36 at bats. Not until August did he begin to resemble a major league hitter, when he put up a .932 OPS in 41 at bats. Down the stretch he managed serviceable numbers, as well, with a .744 OPS in 33 September at bats. All in all, though, it was a very disappointing season for Paras, as he hit just .202 in 183 at bats, with just a .590 OPS. Portland managed an 80-82 record and finished in second place in the West, 11 games behind San Diego.

Despite the struggles of the previous season, Paras became Portland's starting catcher in 2034, as Wehmeyer had left as a free agent. It was a disaster for all involved. As Portland spiraled into last place, losing a league-worst 106 games, Paras spent most of the season struggling. He got off to a poor start in April, putting up just a .644 OPS. It would get worse. In May, his OPS was .620. In June, his OPS was .520. In July, he managed an OPS of just .519. In August, he rebounded slightly, mustering an OPS of .623. In September, he finally managed to look like he belong in the major leagues, putting up an OPS of .798. For the year, however, his OPS was a pathetic .617, and he hit just 7 homeruns.

In 2035, Paras' struggles finally began to catch up to him. Back in 2032, the Trailblazers had acquired another catching prospect, Kisaburou Bakin, in a trade. Bakin had worked his way up the minors, gradually developing into one of the best prospects in the game. In 2034, he had been Paras' backup. In 2035, things would change. The 22 year old Paras began the year as the starter, but like the year before, he got off to a terrible start, mustering just a .622 OPS in April. The 25 year old Bakin was only a little better, at .632 in 34 at bats. Both of them hit better in May; Paras had an OPS of .720 and Bakin an OPS of .784 in 33 at bats. In June, Paras was benched. Now the starter, Bakin put up a respectable .717 OPS, while Paras managed just a .579 OPS in 30 at bats. July would see a change in fortune. Bakin remained the starter, but put up a pathetic .649 OPS, while Paras put up a ridiculous 1.339 OPS in 23 at bats. He hit .391 with 4 extra base hits, and walked 11 times, giving him an absurd .600 on base percentage. Paras regained the starting job in August, but immediately began struggling again. In 79 at bats, he had an OPS of just .693. Meanwhile, Bakin rebounded to post a solid .761 OPS in 42 at bats. In September, both hitters completely collapsed. Paras managed an abysmal .476 OPS, while Bakin's .533 OPS wasn't a lot better. By the end of the year, Paras had just a .667 OPS, while Bakin had a .685 OPS. Reflecting the struggles of the two young catchers, Portland finished in last place again with a 64-98 record.

The battle for the starting catching job continued into the 2036 season, but it was a battle that James Paras appeared to have lost. He began the year as the backup to Bakin, and after one month, neither had done anything to change that setup. Bakin had torn through the month of April with a .932 OPS, while Paras had slogged his way to a .657 OPS in 45 at bats. Bakin cooled off in May, but Paras completely imploded. He managed an embarrassing .443 OPS in 38 at bats. In June, Bakin got red hot again, and Paras stumbled his way to a .589 OPS. Paras briefly showed signs of life in July, hitting .353 with a .905 OPS in 34 at bats. Despite the fact that Bakin had outplayed Paras to that point in the season, the playing time shifted back in Paras' favor in August. Once again, with more playing time, Paras struggled. While he had a 20 at bat advantage over Bakin in August, his OPS was over 200 points lower. He retained the starting role in September, but continued to struggle, managing only a .671 OPS. Although Bakin also struggled in the final month, his end-of-year OPS of .859 was significantly better than Paras' .653. Portland finished in last place once again, with a mediocre record of 76-86.

Entering the 2037 season, Bakin appeared to have a firm grip on the starting catching job. Paras had been given ample opportunity to secure the job for himself, and had failed every time. But in the blink of an eye, everything would change. Bakin got off to a disastrous start, and by the time the month of April was complete, the balance had shifted. Bakin went just 5 for 35 in April, while Paras put up an .847 OPS in 90 at bats. Paras cooled off in May, but Bakin continued to struggle. That allowed Paras to keep the starting job. Both of them hit well in June, but in July, another slump by Bakin, combined with a red hot Paras, seemed to end the debate. Paras blasted 18 homeruns in the final two months of the season to secure his hold on the job. At the end of the year, Paras had smashed 33 homeruns, driven in 90 runs, scored 103, and drawn 103 walks. He finished with a .935 OPS, and won the National League Gold Glove award for catchers. Bakin, meanwhile, finished with a serviceable .717 OPS. More importantly, the emergence of Paras and his late season surge had lifted Portland from the bottom of the league and into the playoffs. The Trailblazers won 91 games to win the West division by a single game over San Diego. For the first time since 2025, Portland would not be sitting at home in October.

Of course, now the real test would begin. Portland would have the honor of facing the Pittsburgh Pirates in the NLCS. The same Pirates who had won the previous four World Series. The same Pirates that, backed by the best pitching in baseball, had rolled over the rest of the National League to the tune of 118 wins in 2037. The same Pirates whose roster held five future Hall of Famers(Gerald Lipscomb, John Rockwood, Eduardo Rodas, Manuel Reno, and Luis Velasco). But the Trailblazers didn't back down. Despite being seemingly overmatched, Portland led the series 3 games to 2 entering Game Six. Taking the mound for Portland in the sixth game was Roscoe Harmon, a 28 year old right-hander who had posted an unimpressive 5.47 ERA in the regular season. For Pittsburgh, it was veteran right-hander Jorge Caballero. The 36 year old had gone 21-5 with a 2.75 ERA in the regular season.

Paras helped Portland draw first blood, by doubling and then scoring in the top of the second inning. The lead did not last for long, as Pittsburgh tied it up in the bottom of the second. In the third inning, the Pirates took a 4-1 lead on second-baseman Porfirio Cano's three run homerun. Portland chipped away at the lead with a run in the top of the fifth inning, but Pittsburgh got it back on a solo homerun by center-fielder Eduardo Rodas. The Trailblazers again cut into the lead, scoring a run in the top of the seventh. In the eighth inning, left-fielder Marc Coleman belted a game-tying two run homerun. The game remained tied through nine innings. In the tenth inning, the most unlikely of heroes emerged. On the mound was Pittsburgh closer Luis Velasco, who had posted a sparkling 0.97 ERA in 51 regular season games during the regular season. Leading off the inning was reserve outfielder Andrew Jones, who had entered the game to replace right-fielder Hernando Romero, who had been pinch-ran for. Jones had hit just .258 with a .742 OPS in the regular season, but here, with the season on the line, he ripped a double. Third-baseman Marvin Manske followed with a walk. Second-baseman Samuel Reeser struck out. Up to the plate stepped pinch-hitter Anthony White. The 30 year old White was a career minor leaguer, who had spent virtually the entire season at AAA. But in Game Six of the NLCS, with a chance to send his team to the World Series, against the greatest relief pitcher of his day, White lashed a two run double to put Portland ahead, 7-5. Now it was up to relief pitcher Robert Heinsohn and Portland's fielders. Heinsohn made quick work of the Pirates in the bottom of the tenth, striking out two batters in a 1-2-3 inning. For the first time since 2024, the Portland Trailblazers were headed to the World Series.

After overcoming the team with the best pitching in the league, Portland now got a chance to face the highest powered offense in the league- Grand Rapids. The Tigers had tied with the Atlanta Braves for the most runs scored, but Grand Rapids also led all of baseball in batting average, on base percentage, and walks. The Tigers were second in doubles and OPS. Game One ended in disaster for Portland. Leading 4-3 with two outs in the ninth inning, closer Carlos Urquiola coughed up a three run homerun to Grand Rapids' Billy Stoltzfus. Portland was unable to rally in the bottom of the ninth. The Trailblazers narrowly avoided another crushing defeat in Game Two. Portland led 7-3 through six innings, but saw that lead evaporate in a hurry. Through eight innings, the game was tied at 8. In the top of the ninth inning, Grand Rapids took a 9-8 lead. This time, however, the Trailblazers rallied. Portland scored twice in the bottom of the ninth to escape with a 10-9 victory.

In Game Three, Portland blew an early 2-0 lead, and trailed Grand Rapids 4-2 heading into the fifth inning. James Paras led off the fifth inning with a solo homerun, however, and that triggered a 4 run outburst to give Portland the lead again. A five run explosion in the seventh inning put the game out of reach, and though Grand Rapids mustered a slight rally, the Trailblazers hung on for an 11-7 victory. Portland took control of the series in Game Four, blowing out Grand Rapids 10-4. Paras contributed with 2 hits and an RBI.

Though Paras had 2 hits and 2 RBI in Game Five, the Tigers returned the favor by blasting Portland 10-4 to force a sixth game. Grand Rapids got on the board first in Game Six, scoring a run in the third inning. It remained a 1-0 game until the seventh inning, when Tigers' left-fielder Michael Woosley hit a solo homerun to make it 2-0. In the bottom of the seventh, Portland finally got on the board, when Marc Coleman hit a solo homerun. In the bottom of eighth inning, the seemingly forgotten Kisaburou Bakin delivered a pinch-hit, run-scoring triple to tie the game up at two apiece. The score remained 2-2 through nine innings. And then, like so often in the playoffs it seems, another unheralded player stepped up to be the hero. First, however, two familiar faces from the NLCS had to play their parts. Andrew Jones led off the inning with a single. He was then followed by pinch-hitter Anthony White, who also singled. With two aboard and nobody out in the bottom of the tenth inning in Game Six of the World Series with a chance to win it all, reserve infielder John Jorgensen stepped to the plate. The 25 year old second-baseman had mustered a pitiful .492 OPS in 90 regular season at bats. In four previous postseason plate appearances, Jorgensen was 0 for 3 with a walk and two strikeouts. Jorgensen came through, delivering a run-scoring single to win the game and the World Series for Portland. Paras had a fine postseason run, hitting .300 with a .944 OPS, 4 homeruns, 12 runs batten in, and 8 runs scored.

After his breakout year, Paras was determined not to lose his hold on Portland's starting catcher job. He burst out of the gate in April of 2038 by putting up an OPS of 1.259, and crushed 12 homeruns. His position was secure. Paras went on to hit .327 with 50 homeruns, 130 runs batted in, and a 1.105 OPS in 2038. He was named to his first All-Star team, and at the end of the year, he won his second straight Gold Glove award. Though Portland would win 97 games in '38, the Trailblazers would not get to defend their championship. The Trailblazers finished in second place in the West, seven games behind San Diego.

In 2039, Paras hit 50 homeruns for a second straight season, and posted 1.073 OPS. Portland won 89 games but finished in third place, ten games behind San Diego. 2040 was another strong season for Paras and another frustrating season for Portland. Paras belted 40 homeruns, posted a .911 OPS, and made his third straight All-Star team, but Portland stumbled to a 78-84 record, finishing in fourth place, 30 games behind Sacramento.

Portland returned to the postseason in 2041, outlasting the defending champion Sacramento Kings by two games, with a 95-67 record. Paras made his fourth straight All-Star team, as he posted a .936 OPS and slugged 41 homeruns. He also won his third Gold Glove award. In the postseason, Portland would face a Pittsburgh team that had just witnessed possibly the greatest batting season in history: John Rockwood's 1.296 OPS, 69 homerun, 176 RBI campaign. With their powerful offense and dominating pitching, Pittsburgh seemed to be a far superior team than Portland, which had pretty good pitching but a relatively mediocre offense. Despite the supposed mismatch, when Portland ace Herman Sydow tossed a 6-hit shutout in a 1-0 Game Four victory, the Trailblazers held a commanding 3 games to 1 lead. Could they pull off the upset?

In Game Five, Portland was held to just 3 hits and the Trailblazers were blanked 4-0. In Game Six, Portland trailed 6-0 through five innings, rallied to within a run in the sixth and seventh innings, but fell 7-5. In the deciding Game Seven, the Trailblazers fell behind 5-0 in the first inning, trailed 7-0 through four innings, and eventually lost by a score of 8-3. After his fantastic postseason in 2037, James Paras' efforts in 2041 were quite disappointing. Paras posted an embarassing .368 OPS and failed to drive in any runs.

Following the 2041 season, Paras elected to head east. He entered the free agent market and signed with the still fledgling Buffalo Bills. After three disastrous seasons, Buffalo had made a not insignificant jump to 76 wins in 2041. An addition like Paras might be just the thing to push the Bills into respectability and beyond. For his part, Paras was about to join a rather select company. Scott Border had produced five 60 homerun campaigns from 2004 to 2010. In that same time period, Anselmo Maldonado had also produced a 60 homerun season. After a lengthy drought, a flurry in the late '20s and early '30s had seen Antwan Leanos, Greg Dos Santos, and Emanuel Maxon achieve the feat, with Maxon setting the single season mark of 70. In 2034, both Tod Tsukasa and Donald Murillo reached 60, with Tsukasa threatening Maxon's record, falling a little short with 69. In 2041, John Rockwood made his own bid for Maxon's mark, but like Tsukasa, he finished with 69. Now James Paras, who had already established himself as an elite power hitter, would join this group of sluggers.

In April, Paras delivered 9 homeruns. A sizable number, certainly, but not so great an amount that would draw significant attention. In May, however, Paras blasted 15 round-trippers. That was followed by 9 more in June, giving him 33 at the midway point of the season. In July, Paras produced 11 homeruns to give him 44 as the season reached the dog days of summer. Did Paras wear down in the August heat? Not a chance. Paras belted 10 more four-baggers, giving him 54 heading into the home stretch. In the final month of the year, Paras came through with 7 homeruns, giving him a final total of 61. Along with the impressive homerun total, Paras delivered a 1.172 OPS, 140 runs batted in, 134 runs scored, and 105 walks. Not surprisingly, he won his first career Silver Slugger Award. His tremendous effort lifted Buffalo above .500 and the Bills finished in second place in the Northeast with an 83-79 record.

In 2043, Paras made his sixth consecutive All-Star team, as he produced a 1.039 OPS and 48 homeruns. Buffalo again finished in second place, but mustered only 75 wins. Paras' old team, Portland, reached and won the World Series. In '44, Paras' string of All-Stars came to an end, though he still had a fine season. He posted a .940 OPS and smacked 38 homeruns. Buffalo rebounded to 86 wins and again finished in second place. In 2045, Paras had a 1.066 OPS and hit 45 homeruns. He made his seventh All-Star team. Buffalo, meanwhile, won 90 games, but, yet again, finished in second place.

In 2046, Paras entered the free agent market again. This time, he headed to Tucson to play for the Diamondbacks, who had just won the Central Division. Paras had a slight down year, managing an OPS of "only" .911 while hitting "only" 36 homeruns. Tucson, meanwhile, collapsed to third place in the division, and won only 78 games. Not quite what he was expecting, I imagine.

In '47, Paras bounced back, crushing 44 homeruns with a 1.005 OPS. Tucson did not bounce back. The Diamondbacks won 79 games and again finished in third place. In 2048, Paras made his ninth All-Star team, and produced the seventh season of his career with an OPS greater than 1.000, managing 1.016 mark. He also poked out 38 homeruns. Tucson, however, continued to struggle. The Diamondbacks slipped to 72 wins and a fourth place finish. Although Tucson improved to 82 wins in 2049 and finished in second place, albeit a distant second(12 games behind Kansas City), Paras suffered through his worst season in more than a decade. Not since 2036, when he had still battling for the starting job in Portland, had he posted an OPS under .900. Not since that same year had he failed to hit at least 33 homeruns in a season. But in '49, he mustered a somewhat disappointing .866 OPS and only 25 homeruns.

Paras bounced back a bit in 2050, delivering 34 homeruns and a .913 OPS, while Tucson returned to the playoffs, capturing the Central Division title with 91-71 record. Paras also belted the 600th homerun of his career in mid-August. He was the fifth player to reach such a milestone. In the ALCS, the Diamondbacks would face the powerful Miami Dolphins, a team that was graced with the presences of no less than six future Hall of Famers. In the past eight seasons, Miami had reached four World Series, winning three of them.

After three games, Tucson trailed 2 games to 1. Game Four began as a low-scoring nail-biter. Tucson scored first, with a run in the second inning. Miami tied it in the third, but the Diamondbacks went ahead again, scoring in the bottom of the fourth inning. And then it all unraveled for Tucson. The Dolphins plated 8 runs in the fifth inning to take a 9-2 lead. The Diamondbacks didn't wave the white flag; they struck for four runs in the bottom half of the inning. Another run in the sixth cut Miami's lead to 9-7. But runs in the seventh and ninth innings secured an 11-7 Dolphins' victory, putting Tucson on the verge of elimination. The Diamondbacks were no match for that great southpaw, Robert Padgett. The Miami ace twirled a 5-hit shutout, and the Dolphins nipped Tucson, 2-0, to reach the World Series. Paras had little impact in this series, collecting only 3 hits in 18 at bats, while failing to drive in or score any runs.

Tucson made it two straight division titles in 2051, winning a weak Central with an 85-77 record. Paras, then 38 years old, saw his numbers drop off again, as he hit only .238 with an .830 OPS. Once again, Tucson was pitted against the Miami juggernaut, and once again, they offered little resistance. The Dolphins swept the Diamondbacks in four games, and Paras was not a factor, going 1 for 11 with no RBI and no runs scored.

In 2052, Tucson would win the division for a third year in a row and prevail against Miami in seven games in the ALCS, only to fall to Sacramento in five games in the World Series. James Paras, however, would not be around anymore. The 39 year old catcher labored through the first half of the season, posting just a .705 OPS, and the writing on the wall quickly became apparent when Tucson acquired catcher Bill Pereda in a trade at the end of May. At the trade deadline, Tucson traded for another catcher, David Larimore, and then released Paras to make room for him. Paras retired at the end of the year.

At the time of Paras' retirement, he ranked second all time in homeruns, behind only Donald Murillo. He ranked 15th in RBI, 20th in runs scored, and 5th in walks. Currently, Paras ranks fourth in homeruns and sixth in walks.

And here is some food for thought. Paras left Portland following the 2041 season. The Trailblazers would reach the World Series in each of the next three seasons, but came away victorious only once. Would the presence of Paras have made a difference?

Paras' stats:

Code:

Year     G   AB    H  2B 3B  HR  RBI    R   BB    K SB CS  AVG  OBP  SLG   OPS Teams 
2032    36   53   13   3  0   0    5    4   10   10  0  0 .245 .365 .302  .667 POR 
2033   110  183   37   2  0   4   18   17   29   53  0  0 .202 .311 .279  .590 POR 
2034   144  479  107  15  0   7   54   53   67  132  0  0 .223 .319 .299  .617 POR 
2035   132  368   80  13  1  10   54   54   60  111  0  0 .217 .327 .340  .667 POR 
2036   143  325   74   9  1   8   39   38   43   82  1  0 .228 .318 .335  .653 POR 
2037   150  513  151  16  1  33   90  103  103  126  1  0 .294 .412 .522  .935 POR 
2038   149  502  164  22  0  50  130  121   97   72  0  1 .327 .436 .669 1.105 POR,NL 
2039   147  496  156  15  1  50  135  114   92   40  3  0 .315 .422 .651 1.073 POR,NL 
2040   147  514  136  21  0  40  106  102   88   31  2  0 .265 .372 .539  .911 POR,NL 
2041   153  526  146  18  1  41  123  112   93   23  1  0 .278 .386 .549  .936 POR,NL 
2042   150  503  164  18  1  61  140  134  105   37  1  0 .326 .442 .730 1.172 BUF,NL 
2043   150  516  157  19  1  48  122  110   98   40  1  1 .304 .415 .624 1.039 BUF,NL 
2044   149  522  147  17  0  38   97  117  111   30  2  0 .282 .408 .533  .940 BUF 
2045   145  477  143  17  1  45  110  106  123   31  1  0 .300 .443 .623 1.066 BUF,NL 
2046   145  499  125  21  1  36  123  101  122   41  3  0 .251 .398 .513  .911 TUC 
2047   142  489  142  23  2  44  126   93   79   61  1  1 .290 .389 .616 1.005 TUC,AL 
2048   145  486  142  32  1  38  120  105  106   79  2  0 .292 .419 .597 1.016 TUC,AL 
2049   145  484  123  28  4  25   98   92  101   86  0  1 .254 .383 .483  .866 TUC 
2050   145  473  122  21  3  34  106  103   95   78  1  1 .258 .382 .531  .913 TUC 
2051   135  437  104  13  0  29   85   79   86  110  0  0 .238 .363 .467  .830 TUC 
2052    57  188   46  11  1   4   29   32   23   46  0  0 .245 .327 .378  .705 TUC 
Total 2819 9033 2479 354 20 645 1910 1790 1731 1319 20  5 .274 .391 .532  .923   
 
Career Minor League Batting Stats
 
 
Year       G  AB   H 2B 3B HR RBI  R BB  K SB CS  AVG  OBP  SLG   OPS 
2032,  AA 18  68  23  4  0  4  12 18 17 18  0  0 .338 .471 .574 1.044 
2032, AAA 91 339 111 16  0 12  53 67 62 56  1  1 .327 .423 .481  .904 
 
Career Postseason Batting Stats
 
 
Year   G  AB  H 2B 3B HR RBI  R BB  K SB CS  AVG  OBP  SLG  OPS 
2037  12  50 15  2  0  4  12  8  5 13  0  0 .300 .364 .580 .944 
2041   7  26  4  0  0  0   0  2  2  5  0  0 .154 .214 .154 .368 
2050   5  18  3  0  0  0   0  0  4  5  0  0 .167 .318 .167 .485 
2051   4  11  1  0  0  0   0  0  1  6  0  0 .091 .167 .091 .258 
Total 28 105 23  2  0  4  12 10 12 29  0  0 .219 .299 .352 .652 
 
 
Player History
 
 
Drafted in 1st round, 2nd overall pick, by Portland in 2032...
Had first career hit on 8/12/2032, off James Daub (ROC)...
Injured on 5/21/2033 with a Bruised Cheekbone, out for 2-3 weeks...
Injured on 6/12/2033 with a Bruised Ribs, out for 2 weeks...
Hit first career homerun on 7/10/2033, off Eric Laplant (HBG)...
Had 5 hits with 4 RBI against San Diego on 4/4/2035...
Hit 3 homeruns against Los Angeles, driving in 6 runs on 8/18/2037...
Won World Series with Portland in 2037...
Won Gold Glove Award at Catcher in 2037...
Won Player of the Week award on 4/21/2038, hitting .364 with 5 HR, 12 RBI...
Had 5 hits with 5 RBI against Hartford on 5/7/2038...
Had 5 hits with 3 RBI against San Jose on 5/25/2038...
Won Player of the Week award on 5/26/2038, hitting .478 with 3 HR, 5 RBI...
Was selected to the 2038 Allstar game...
Won Player of the Week award on 9/22/2038, hitting .563 with 2 HR, 8 RBI...
Won Player of the Week award on 9/29/2038, hitting .400 with 4 HR, 10 RBI...
Won Batter of the Month award on 10/1/2038, hitting .438 with 10 HR, 28 RBI...
Won Gold Glove Award at Catcher in 2038...
Was selected to the 2039 Allstar game...
Won Player of the Week award on 8/4/2039, hitting .450 with 4 HR, 11 RBI...
Won Player of the Week award on 9/29/2039, hitting .400 with 6 HR, 6 RBI...
Was selected to the 2040 Allstar game...
Was selected to the 2041 Allstar game...
Won Gold Glove Award at Catcher in 2041...
Signed as a free agent by Buffalo on 2/25/2042 to a 4-year deal worth $16,622,900 per year...
Was selected to the 2042 Allstar game...
Won Player of the Week award on 7/21/2042, hitting .588 with 3 HR, 12 RBI...
Had 5 hits with 6 RBI against Hartford on 7/31/2042...
Won Batter of the Month award on 8/1/2042, hitting .376 with 11 HR, 34 RBI...
Won Player of the Week award on 8/4/2042, hitting .609 with 4 HR, 12 RBI...
Won Player of the Week award on 8/11/2042, hitting .458 with 7 HR, 17 RBI...
Won Silver Slugger Award in 2042, hitting .326 with 61 HR, 140 RBI...
Won Player of the Week award on 6/9/2043, hitting .480 with 5 HR, 7 RBI...
Won Player of the Week award on 6/16/2043, hitting .476 with 3 HR, 9 RBI...
Drove in 7 runs against Los Angeles on 6/30/2043...
Was selected to the 2043 Allstar game...
Drove in 6 runs against Sacramento on 8/16/2043...
Was selected to the 2045 Allstar game...
Won Player of the Week award on 8/25/2045, hitting .421 with 4 HR, 7 RBI...
Won Batter of the Month award on 9/1/2045, hitting .346 with 14 HR, 29 RBI...
Signed as a free agent by Tucson on 2/14/2046 to a 6-year deal worth $20,000,000 per year...
Won Player of the Week award on 4/14/2047, hitting .667 with 4 HR, 11 RBI...
Won Batter of the Month award on 5/1/2047, hitting .434 with 13 HR, 35 RBI...
Was selected to the 2047 Allstar game...
Had 500th career homerun on 8/2/2047, off Jacobo Urias (GR)...
Won Player of the Week award on 8/4/2047, hitting .563 with 2 HR, 6 RBI...
Drove in 6 runs against Memphis on 8/20/2047...
Had 2000th career hit on 6/16/2048, off Carlos Fernandes (NAS)...
Drove in 7 runs against Atlanta on 6/20/2048...
Won Player of the Week award on 6/23/2048, hitting .444 with 3 HR, 10 RBI...
Was selected to the 2048 Allstar game...
Had 600th career homerun on 8/17/2050, off Dave Breton (MEM)...
Drove in 8 runs against Washington on 9/12/2050...
Released by Tucson on 7/30/2052, refused assignment to minors...
Retired and inducted to the Hall of Fame in 2053.
 
 
Batting Leader Boards Appearances 
 
AVG
2038 - .327 - 8th
 
OBP
2037 - .412 - 3rd
2038 - .436 - 4th
2039 - .422 - 5th
2042 - .442 - 3rd
2045 - .443 - 4th
2048 - .419 - 6th
 
SLG
2037 - .522 - 9th
2038 - .669 - 2nd
2039 - .651 - 1st
2040 - .539 - 9th
2041 - .549 - 6th
2042 - .730 - 1st
2043 - .624 - 5th
2044 - .533 - 10th
2045 - .623 - 3rd
2047 - .616 - 7th
2048 - .597 - 7th
 
OPS
2037 -  .935 - 4th
2038 - 1.105 - 1st
2039 - 1.073 - 2nd
2040 -  .911 - 10th
2041 -  .936 - 7th
2042 - 1.172 - 1st
2043 - 1.039 - 5th
2044 -  .940 - 10th
2045 - 1.066 - 3rd
2047 - 1.005 - 8th
2048 - 1.016 - 6th
 
Homeruns
2037 - 33 - 7th
2038 - 50 - 3rd
2039 - 50 - 1st
2040 - 40 - 4th
2041 - 41 - 3rd
2042 - 61 - 1st
2043 - 48 - 1st
2044 - 38 - 4th
2045 - 45 - 3rd
2047 - 44 - 3rd
2048 - 38 - 9th
 
RBI
2038 - 130 - 6th
2039 - 135 - 2nd
2041 - 123 - 3rd
2042 - 140 - 1st
2043 - 122 - 10th
2047 - 126 - 7th
2048 - 120 - 9th
 
Runs
2037 - 103 - 6th
2038 - 121 - 4th
2039 - 114 - 8th
2041 - 112 - 5th
2042 - 134 - 1st
2044 - 117 - 3rd
 
BB
2037 - 103 - 2nd
2038 -  97 - 7th
2042 - 105 - 5th
2044 - 111 - 3rd
2045 - 123 - 1st
2046 - 122 - 1st
2048 - 106 - 1st
2049 - 101 - 5th
2050 -  95 - 3rd
2051 -  86 - 9th

jamus23 · 07-10-2008, 07:30 PM

2084 Offseason Preview- Free Agents, Part One: Catchers
1/30/2084
Al Vincent
Staff Writer

With baseball's free agent signing period about to get started, it's time to look at who is on the market this year, and who, if anyone, the Broncos might be interested. The main target for Denver is likely to be a backup catcher. The Broncos allowed last year's backup, Greg Lauritsen, to become a free agent, and serious doubts emerged about the capability of the anticipated successor, John Landon. After a solid campaign at AA in 2082, and a torrid start at the same level last year that earned Landon a promotion to AAA, the 24 year old catching prospect seemed a likely bet to make the jump to the big leagues this season to fill the role of Lee Chappel's backup. But Landon's promotion to AAA did not go smoothly, and he managed only a .634 OPS in 425 at bats at that level last year. Given his struggles at AAA, it is likely that Broncos' GM John Mounts would prefer a major league backup who is more reliable. Free agency may be the best avenue for acquiring such a player.

For teams looking for a starting catcher this offseason, there are three main choices. Larry Seishisai, formerly of Memphis, posted a .797 OPS last season and hit 21 homeruns, while drawing 77 walks. The 34 year old isn't known for his arm behind the plate, but for his career, he has an .840 OPS and 358 homeruns. Ex-Harrisburg catcher Errol McCullough is a bit of a poor man's Seishisai. Also 34, McCullough posted a .765 OPS last season with 38 doubles, 16 homeruns, and 81 walks. McCullough has a slightly better arm than Seishisai. For those who prefer a strong defensive catcher, Christopher Diemer is the answer. The 36 year old cannon-armed Diemer hit .339 with an .826 OPS last season, while collecting 24 doubles and 4 homeruns. For his career, Diemer has a .709 OPS.

None of these players are likely going to be on the Broncos' radar, as all will be looking to be starters. From the next group, however, may come the next backup catcher for Denver. The Broncos could, of course, bring back Lauritsen, who posted a .744 OPS in 124 at bats last season. It should be noted, however, that those numbers were the best that the 35 year old Lauritsen has produced in his career. His career OPS is a much less impressive .641. 36 year old Stephen Skiba is another possibility, though one who is not much better than Lauritsen, and possibly worse. Playing for Charlotte last season, Skiba mustered only a .678 OPS in 189 at bats. For his career, he has only a .657 OPS. Former Pittsburgh backup Raul Chapa may be a better option, despite coming off of a mediocre season. The 32 year old Chapa managed just a .675 OPS in 131 at bats last season, but did have a .385 OBP. Chapa has always had good plate discipline, and has usually hit better than last season's numbers. For his career, he has a .718 OPS. He also has a strong arm. Jerome Seldon didn't play much for Grand Rapids last season, collecting only 26 at bats, but the 34 year old has generally been a pretty solid backup in his career, with a .723 OPS in 867 at bats. He also has a pretty good arm.

jamus23 · 07-10-2008, 07:59 PM

2084 Offseason Preview-Free Agents, Part Two: First-basemen and Third-basemen
1/30/2084
Al Vincent
Staff Writer

Neither first base nor third base are areas of interest for the Broncos, with veteran Ellis Bolling entrenched at first and Michael Phillips having emerged as a solid, if unspectacular, third-sacker. Frankly, this is a good thing, as the corner infielders available this offseason are somewhat suspect.

At first, there are several players who would make very good platoon options, but it is unclear if any are fit for everyday action. Raymon Bricker has been a well-established minor league star for many years, but has generally only gotten brief cups of coffee in the big leagues. In the last couple years, however, New Jersey has seen fit to utilize him as a utility man, bouncing him from first base to both corner outfield spots. That led to last year's astounding season, in which he slugged .726 and posted an OPS of 1.084 in 213 at bats. Despite the relatively small number of at bats, Bricker smashed 24 doubles and 27 homeruns, and collected 74 runs batted in. In 759 career at bats, Bricker has posted an .864 OPS, almost all of it coming from his .559 career slugging percentage. John Henriques is a bit of an enigma. In 2078, Henriques was the NL Rookie of the Year, while playing for Phoenix. He posted an .846 OPS that year and hit 22 homeruns. Since then, he has had to fight for playing time, as Phoenix shuttled him back and forth between AAA and the big leagues. Last year, the 25 year old was traded to Green Bay, and wound up collecting his most at bats since his rookie season. In 257 AB, he posted a .753 OPS, hitting 10 homeruns. In a little over a 1,000 career at bats, he has an .852 OPS. Left-handed hitting Troy Alder hit .333 with an .840 OPS in 207 at bats for Miami last season. For his career, he has a .774 OPS. 37 year old Jose Arruza is more of a supersub than a true 1B, able to play anywhere in the infield. However, his fielding is so poor, that first base is probably his best fit. Arruza had a .773 OPS last season for Pittsburgh, hitting 25 doubles and 11 homeruns, while drawing 64 walks. For his career, Arruza has an .826 OPS, 140 homeruns, and a 683/662 BB/K ratio.

The third base crop is even worse than the first base one. Essentially, the only third-baseman of any distinction on the market is Thomas Herbert. The 31 year old Herbert hit .323 with an .844 OPS, and 12 homeruns for Buffalo last season. For his career, however, he has only a .763 OPS. He is a top-notch defender at the hot corner, though.

05-07-2008, 08:33 PM	#301 (permalink)
jamus23 All Star Reserve Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 897 Thanks: 2 Thanked 4x in 4 posts	2083 League Championship Series: Game Four ALCS Game Four: Are the Nashville Predators a team of destiny? After easily dispatching the Denver Broncos in the first round, they have the defending champion Dolphins on the ropes after routing them in Game Four. Miami drew first blood, when Jake Foss scored on a wild pitch by Mose Urick in the first inning, but Nashville quickly took control. Carlo Romero led off the second inning with a homerun, and Jerry Hise gave the Predators the lead with an RBI single in the same inning. In the fourth inning, Douglas Vogl hit an RBI single. He was followed by a 2-run homerun from David Rosier, making it 5-1 Nashville. Hise drove in another 2 runs with a single in the fifth inning, and Romero hit a 2-run double in the sixth to make it 9-1. Miami got its second run in the seventh inning when Albert Chichester scored on a Jason Mather wild pitch. Angelo Vazquez completed the scoring with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh inning to make it 10-2. Nashville leads the series, 3 games to 1. NLCS Game Four: It was a wild see-saw battle in Game Four of the NLCS as Pittsburgh tried push San Jose to the brink of elimination and San Jose tried to even the series. In the first inning, Javier Rael and Robert Able hit back to back solo homeruns with two outs to give the Pirates an early 2-0 lead. San Jose pitcher James Myatt tied the game in the second inning with a 2-run double. Matias Santos gave the Pirates the lead again with an RBI single in the sixth inning. But once again, Myatt came through for the Sharks, hitting an RBI double in the bottom of the sixth. Still in the sixth inning, William Natali and Ugo Momoru hit RBI singles, giving San Jose a 5-3 lead. That lead lasted until the eighth inning, when Rael hit an RBI double, Santos hit an RBI single, and Ralph Triado hit an RBI double. That gave Pittsburgh a 6-5 lead. The Pirates added to the lead when James Sequeira hit a pinch-hit, leadoff homerun in the ninth inning. In the bottom of the ninth, however, James Lumsden and Victor Zurcher each hit RBI singles, tying the game up at 7. The game remained tied through the tenth and eleventh innings. In the 12th inning, Matias Santos hit a solo homerun to the Pirates on top once more. This time, San Jose was out of magic. The 8-7 lead held up and the Pirates were winners. Momoru had 5 hits and Myatt struck out 10 for San Jose. Pittsburgh leads the series, 3 games to 1. __________________ 2081: Desperation in Denver

05-08-2008, 08:18 PM	#302 (permalink)
jamus23 All Star Reserve Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 897 Thanks: 2 Thanked 4x in 4 posts	2083 League Championship Series: Game Five ALCS Game Five: Facing elimination, Miami turned to ace Christian Hokusai. He and Rene Romero locked horns in yet another pitcher's duel. For five innings, both pitchers put up zeros. Nashville was the first to score, getting a 2 out solo homerun from David Rosier in the bottom of the sixth inning. The lead did not last. In the top of the seventh, Edmond McGurk crushed a 2 out, 3 run homerun to give the Dolphins the lead. The Predators got within a run when Angelo Vazquez hit an RBI single in the eighth inning, but they could get no closer. Miami staved off elimination with a 3-2 victory. Nashville leads the series, 3 games to 2. NLCS Game Five: Like the Game Five in the ALCS, the NLCS' Game Five turned into a pitcher's duel as both teams turned to their aces: Scott Council for a Pirates team trying to bring the series to an end, and Justo Rubino for a Sharks team trying to keep its season going. For six innings, neither team could score. In the seventh inning, San Jose broke open the game. With two outs, Orlando Escobedo hit an RBI single, Robert Clear hit an RBI double, and Victor Zurcher hit an RBI single. Matias Santos got the Pirates on the board with a pinch hit RBI single in the eighth inning. That was as close as they would get, however, in a 3-1 San Jose victory. Council gave up 5 hits and 3 runs in 7 innings of work, while Rubino held Pittsburgh to 4 hits and 1 run in 8 innings with 10 strikeouts. Pittsburgh leads the series, 3 games to 2. __________________ 2081: Desperation in Denver

05-09-2008, 07:51 PM	#303 (permalink)
jamus23 All Star Reserve Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 897 Thanks: 2 Thanked 4x in 4 posts	2083 League Championship Series: Game Six ALCS Game Six: Once again, Nashville had the chance to reach its first World Series in nearly 40 years. Once again, Miami faced the end of its season. The Predators struck first, when Carlo Romero drove in 2 runs with a two out single in the first inning. The score remained 2-0 through the second, third, fourth, and fifth innings. In the sixth inning, the Dolphins' Dennis Fernandez hit a run-scoring double. Albert Chichester drew a bases-loaded walk in the seventh inning, tying the game at two. In the eighth inning, Miami took the lead on an RBI single by Bill Tovar. 3-2 would be the final score as the Dolphins forced a seventh game. The series is tied at 3 games apiece. NLCS Game Six: Like Miami, the San Jose Sharks entered Game Six on the verge of having their season end. Unlike Miami, the Sharks didn't need a late inning rally to keep it alive. San Jose jumped on Pittsburgh, getting a solo homerun from George Ormiston in the first inning. In the second inning, the Sharks got an RBI double from Roy Isenhour and an RBI single from Simon Martinez, making it 3-0. In the fourth, Robert Clear made it 4-0 with a solo homerun, and a 2-run single from Orlando Escobedo in the fifth inning made it 6-0. The Pirates made it 6-1 when Jose Arruza scored on an error by pitcher Roger Salazar. They wouldn't get any closer, however. The series is tied at 3 games apiece. __________________ 2081: Desperation in Denver

05-10-2008, 02:31 PM	#304 (permalink)
jamus23 All Star Reserve Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 897 Thanks: 2 Thanked 4x in 4 posts	2083 League Championship Series: Game Seven ALCS Game Seven: With a World Series appearance at stake, Nashville and Miami went to battle for the last time this season. The Dolphins struck quickly. Roy Springs hit an RBI triple in the first inning and Edmond McGurk followed with a single to knock him in. Miami led, 2-0. In the second inning, Nashville got on the board, getting an RBI single from Robert Perkins. An inning later, the Predators grabbed a 3-2 lead when Daniel Lane blasted a 2 out, 2-run homerun. In the fourth, however, Thomas Fuentes, Jr. hit a leadoff homerun, tying the game at 3 apiece. The game remained tied through the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings. With one out in the bottom of the eighth, Miami's McGurk crushed a solo homerun to put the Dolphins ahead. 4-3 Miami was the final score of the game, and 4-3 Miami was how the American League Championship Series ended up. The defending champion Dolphins will get a chance to defend their title. Miami wins the series, 4 games to 3. NLCS Game Seven: Pittsburgh grabbed control of Game Seven when Matias Santos hit a 2 out, 2 run double in the third inning. In the fourth inning, Javier Rael drew a bases-loaded walk, and Robert Able delivered a 2-run single to give the Pirates a 5-0 lead. San Jose crept back into the game. Victor Zurcher hit an RBI single in the fifth inning to make it 5-1. In the sixth, Orlando Escobedo belted a three run homerun, cutting Pittsburgh's lead to a single run. The Pirates pulled away, however. Rael hit a two run homer in the bottom of the sixth, and Jose Arruza led off the seventh inning with a solo shot. 8-4, Pirates. The Sharks kept hope alive, getting RBI singles from Simon Martinez and Ugo Momoru in the eighth inning, but they were unable to getting any closer. Pittsburgh prevailed, 8-6, to win the series. Pittsburgh wins the series, 4 games to 3. __________________ 2081: Desperation in Denver

05-13-2008, 10:46 PM	#305 (permalink)
jamus23 All Star Reserve Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 897 Thanks: 2 Thanked 4x in 4 posts	2083 World Series Preview The Miami Dolphins (104-58) VS. The Pittsburgh Pirates (100-62) History: The year was 2036. The Pittsburgh Pirates had just won their fourth straight World Series, a five game defeat of the Nashville Predators. It was the final championship of what would soon be dubbed "the second Pittsburgh dynasty." At that point in time, the Pittsburgh Pirates were unquestionably the premiere team in baseball. In the 34 seasons that the league had been in operation, the Pirates had won 15 championships. The next most belonged to Grand Rapids, with a total of 5. Clearly, there were no teams that challenged Pittsburgh's supremacy. Just a few years before, however, the league had decided to expand. Four cities were granted franchises that would begin play in 2038. One of those cities was Miami. While the Dolphins' first forays were rather embarassing- they would post the worst record by any team in league history in their initial season, a few building blocks were installed: A young catcher by the name of Dennis Gillespie would be picked up in a trade and a starting pitcher by the name of Albert Casey was selected in the third round of the amateur draft. Though Casey was not yet ready to contribute at the big league level, he would be in a few years. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh returned to the World Series after an absence of one year, but the Pirates were handled with ease by the Tucson Diamondbacks. In 2039, Miami continued to add pieces. Gillespie was moved to third base to make room for Axel Perez, who leaped straight into the big leagues after being taken with number one overall pick in the amateur draft. A pair of offseason trades netted Miami an established right-fielder, Genaro Aybar, plus a young left-fielder, William Harrold, who was ready to make his mark in the big leagues, and a first base prospect by the name of Joshua Farr. Miami continued to struggle, however, and lost over 100 games again. The Pirates, on the other hand, rolled to a World Series victory, dismantling Kansas City in four games. 2040 saw the acquisition of another puzzle piece for Miami, when the Dolphins signed a 26 year old starting pitcher named Robert Padgett as a free agent. It also saw a sudden upturn in Miami's fortunes. The Dolphins improved their record by 30 games, and finished in second place in the Southeast with a surprising 91 victories. Pittsburgh was overpowered by the eventual champions, Sacramento, in the NLCS. There was a strange shift in the balance of power in the American League in 2041. All five Southeast teams, including Miami, produced winning records, with two, Knoxville and Washington, topping 100 victories. At the same time, all five Central Division teams finished under .500, with two, Memphis and Denver, producing 100 defeats. Unfortunately for the Dolphins, the optimism caused by the previous season was tempered, as they finished in last place despite their 83 wins. Pittsburgh, powered by a season for the ages from John Rockwood, reached the World Series and stomped Knoxville in four games. Entering the 2042 season, then, the Pittsburgh Pirates had won 17 championships. No other team had won more than 5. The American League that year returned to a more competitive state. No team won 100. No team lost 100. Only one team even reached 90 wins, while only one team lost as many as 90 games. The team that reached 90 wins was the Miami Dolphins, who captured the Southeast Division title with a 93-69 record. The Dolphins whipped Kansas City in the ALCS to reach the World Series. They would not be facing Pittsburgh, however. Instead, they would face the Hector Soriano-led Portland Trailblazers. In a tight series, the Dolphins prevailed, winning in six games. It would be the first championship in Miami's quest to unseat Pittsburgh as baseball's king. In '43, Miami and Portland engaged in a rematch, with Portland emerging victorious. In '44, Portland reached its third straight World Series, but the Trailblazers lost to Nashville. Miami had lost the division by the 3 games to Nashville. Pittsburgh and Miami would go head to head for the first time in 2045. The Dolphins won. Thus began a series of battles that would rage constantly for about the next 15 years. Though both would sometimes reach the series in years when the other did not, and sometimes neither would reach the series, the multiple clashes between them captured the imagination of a generation of baseball fans. They met for a second time in 2048. The Dolphins won again. In 2051, both teams swept aside their opponents in the League Championship Series and dueled for a third time. For a third time, the Dolphins were victors. In 2053, Miami made it four for four over the Pirates. It was not until 2054 that Pittsburgh managed to beat Miami in the World Series. Then, in the three year run of championships from 2057 to 2059 that became known as "the third Pittsburgh dynasty", the Pirates picked up two more wins against Miami, in '57 and '59. That run was brought to a halt in 2060 by none other than the Dolphins. In 2063, Miami crushed Pittsburgh in a four game sweep. For awhile, that brought the epic clashes to an end. It would be 11 years before Pittsburgh reached another World Series, while Miami had its own difficulties in reaching the World Series. The Dolphins won the '65 series, but didn't reach again until 2073, when they lost to San Diego. In 2074, however, both Pittsburgh and Miami returned to the World Series. The Pirates won. They met up again in 2081, and again, the Pirates won. -Note: Dennis Gillespie, Axel Perez, Joshua Farr, and Robert Padgett were all future Hall of Famers. Albert Casey is possibly a borderline HoF'er. He won 215 games, had a 3.63 ERA, went to 4 All Star games, won 2 Cy Young Awards, threw a perfect game and another no-hitter, and won 3 World Series while with Miami . Genaro Aybar was a solid regular for a few years, with an .863 career OPS, one All Star appearance, 5 20-HR seasons, and won 2 World Series while with Miami. William Harrold was a 3-time All Star, had an .846 career OPS, hit .303 with 331 career homeruns, and won 2 World Series while with Miami. Fun Facts: -In the 41 years since Pittsburgh won its 17th championship in 2041, the Pirates have won 9 World Series. The Dolphins have won 12. San Jose has the third most in that time period, with 5. -In the 38 years since Pittsburgh and Miami first met each other in the World Series, the two have faced each other 11 times. Miami has won 6, Pittsburgh has won 5. -In those 11 meetings, there has been only one sweep(Miami, 2063) and only one seven game series(Miami, 2051). -The World Series winners from 2079 to the present have been Miami, Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Miami. This year will obviously not change that trend, regardless of who wins. -Veteran Miami starting pitcher Jim Miller was a 22 year old for the Dolphins' single A minor league team when the Dolphins last beat Pittsburgh in the World Series(2063). -18 Pirates remain from the 2081 World Series meeting with Miami, while 17 Dolphins remain. Postseason Stats: Pittsburgh: Strong performers at the plate this postseason include: Reserve outfielder Matias Santos(1.060 OPS in 19 at bats, with 7 RBI), left-fielder Jerry Harmer, Jr.(.842 OPS, 10 runs scored), 1B Jose Arruza(.903 OPS, 2 HR), second-baseman Robert Able(.879 OPS, 3 HR), and catcher Aaron Quijada(.884 OPS, 3 HR). On the mound, Scott Council is 3-1 with a 2.48 ERA and 29 K's in 29 innings pitcher, and Andreas Fajardo is 3-1 with a 2.17 ERA. So-so performers include: third-baseman Javier Rael(.190 AVG and .707 OPS, but 5 HR and 11 RBI) and right-fielder James Sequeira(.668 OPS, but 2 HR). On the mound, Jay Marrone is 1-0 with a 5.25 ERA in 2 starts. Poor performers include: short-stop Dean White(.516 OPS) and center-fielder Tony Francois(.427 OPS). On the mound, Douglas Malone is 0-3 with a 7.56 ERA. Miami: Those performing well at the plate this postseason include: first-baseman Aaron Shorts(.919 OPS and 10 doubles), catcher Jake Foss(.808 OPS and 4 extra base hits), second-baseman Francisco Alvarez(.814 OPS and 2 HR), and left-fielder Dennis Fernandez(.922 OPS, 5 doubles, and 3 HR). On the mound, Christian Hokusai is 3-1 with a 1.97 ERA, Ramon Baston is 1-1 with a 1.73 ERA, and Jose Caceres is 2-0 with a 2.86 ERA. So-so performers include: short-stop Bill Tovar(.306 average but only 1 extra base hit and only a .627 OPS), designated hitter Edmond McGurk(3 HR but only a .229 AVG and .726 OPS). Poor performers include: third-baseman Thomas Fuentes, Jr.(.615 OPS), center-fielder Roy Springs(.526 OPS), and right-fielder Albert Chichester(.456 OPS). On the mound, Mark Prior is 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA Thoughts: This is a pretty balanced matchup. Both teams can score runs, both teams have good pitching. Miami's rotation is a little bit deeper, while Pittsburgh has the superior bullpen. Pittsburgh's offense is driven heavily by its ability to draw walks and wear down opposing pitchers, while the Dolphins are little bit more balanced between hitting homeruns and drawing walks. The first item to consider is the designated hitter. Miami will lose one of its hitters when they come to Pittsburgh. Who will it be? Generally, Edmond McGurk has been used as the DH, though he usually replaces the left-handed hitting Jake Foss at catcher when Miami faces a southpaw. Despite his postseason struggles, McGurk is not a guy you want to take out of the lineup, which means the Dolphins may have to stick him at first base, left field, or right field. Either way, Miami will lose a key contributor from the starting lineup, while probably getting worse defensively. The second item is the difference in ballparks. Miami plays in a very good pitcher's park, while Pittsburgh plays in a neutral/slightly favorable hitter's park. Miami's park is especially difficult to left-handed hitters, which is bad news for guys like James Sequeira and Tony Francois on Pittsburgh's side. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh's park is a nice place to hit if you are a lefty. That's good news for Jake Foss, and maybe bench guys like Daniel Armas and Troy Alder on the Dolphins. A third consideration is how well Miami's Jose Caceres matches up against the Pirates. To be honest, he is not a good matchup. The Pirates are the best team in baseball at drawing walks, and if Caceres has any weakness, it is his lack of control. There is one other thing to think about. I have referred to the "first Pittsburgh dynasty," the "second Pittsburgh dynasty," and the "third Pittsburgh dynasty." If Pittsburgh wins this World Series, it would be their third in the last four seasons, and fifth in the last ten seasons. Are we in the midst of the "fourth Pittsburgh dynasty"? Prediction: As I said, the two teams are pretty even. If Pittsburgh's propensity for working counts can get Miami's starters out of the games early, the Pirates should be able to work over the Dolphins' bullpen pretty well. Losing the DH also will hurt Miami quite a bit, I think. Still, the Dolphins rotation looks a lot better than Pittsburgh's. I'll go with Miami in seven games. __________________ 2081: Desperation in Denver Last edited by jamus23; 05-13-2008 at 10:54 PM.

05-14-2008, 07:28 PM	#306 (permalink)
jamus23 All Star Reserve Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 897 Thanks: 2 Thanked 4x in 4 posts	2083 World Series Game One World Series Game One: Those expecting a pitcher's duel between aces Christian Hokusai and Scott Council in Game One were disappointed. The Dolphins got to Council early with three first inning runs. Albert Chichester hit a 2 out, 2-run double and Thomas Fuentes, Jr. followed with an RBI single. Pittsburgh responded in the bottom of the second inning, getting a 2 out, 2-run homerun from Tony Francois. In the third inning, however, Edmond McGurk and Chichester hit back to back homeruns- McGurk's was a two run blast- to give the Dolphins a 6-2 lead. In the bottom of the third, Aaron Quijada got a run back by hitting a 2 out solo homerun. The Pirates wouldn't get any closer. In the fifth inning, McGurk completed the scoring with a 2-run double. Miami cruised to an 8-3 victory. McGurk drove in 4 runs and Chichester drove in 3. Miami leads, 1 game to none. __________________ 2081: Desperation in Denver

05-15-2008, 09:25 PM	#307 (permalink)
jamus23 All Star Reserve Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 897 Thanks: 2 Thanked 4x in 4 posts	2083 World Series Game Two World Series Game Two Having emerged victorious from Game One, the Miami Dolphins looked to take control of the series with a Game Two win. An error in the second inning by Pittsburgh short-stop Dean White allowed Edmond McGurk to score a run. Bill Tovar and starting pitcher Jose Caceres followed with RBI singles, giving Miami a 3-0 lead. Thomas Fuentes, Jr. made it 4-0 with a solo homerun in the fourth inning. Pittsburgh got on the board in the sixth inning. Aaron Quijada hit a 2-run double, and a couple of batters later, James Sequeira hit an RBI single, cutting Miami's lead to one run. With one out in the eighth inning, Jose Arruza drew a bases-loaded walk to tie the game. One out later, Matias Santos also drew a bases-loaded walk, giving the Pirates a 5-4 lead. In the top of the ninth, Miami loaded the bases with one out, but came away with nothing, allowing Pittsburgh to win. The series is tied at one game apiece. __________________ 2081: Desperation in Denver

05-15-2008, 09:36 PM	#308 (permalink)
jamus23 All Star Reserve Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 897 Thanks: 2 Thanked 4x in 4 posts	Mounts remains busy, Asbel Fuentez signs extension October 31, 2083 Al Vincent Staff Writer Eleven days after agreeing to a contract extension with catcher Lee Chappel, Denver general manager John Mounts announced that the Broncos and right-fielder Asbel Fuentez have come to terms on a new contract. The speedy 35-year old has signed a 2 year deal that will pay him $6 million per year. Fuentez ranked 3rd in OPS among all right-fielders this season, posting a .921 mark. He also led the American League with 54 stolen bases. For his career, Fuentez has hit .318/.388/.473/.860. He is a three time All-Star with 2,417 career hits, 571 doubles, 142 homeruns, 1,377 runs scored, and 708 stolen bases. The stolen bases rank seventh in league history. __________________ 2081: Desperation in Denver

05-16-2008, 06:40 PM	#309 (permalink)
jamus23 All Star Reserve Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 897 Thanks: 2 Thanked 4x in 4 posts	2083 World Series Game Three World Series Game Three: With the series tied at one game apiece, the games shifted to Miami. Pittsburgh jumped out to a quick lead. An error by Miami short-stop Bill Tovar with two outs in the first inning allowed Aaron Quijada to score a run. A couple batters later, Tony Francois ripped a three-run double to give the Pirates a 4-0 lead. Edmond McGurk crushed a three-run homerun in the bottom of the first, cutting the Pirates' lead to a single run. That was as close as the Dolphins would get. Quijada drove in a run in the second inning with a base hit to make it 5-3. Jose Arruza drew a bases-loaded walk in the seventh inning, and Francois followed with a sacrifice fly, giving Pittsburgh a 7-3 lead. In the eighth inning, Miami reliever Christopher Lain suffered a complete meltdown. James Sequeira ripped a one out, three-run homer off of him to make it 10-3. A few batters later, still with only one out, Francois blasted a three run homerun as well. That completed the scoring in a 13-3 Pittsburgh rout. Francois collected 7 runs batted in. Pittsburgh leads the series, 2 games to 1. __________________ 2081: Desperation in Denver

05-16-2008, 07:17 PM	#310 (permalink)
Powderguy All Star Reserve Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Harrisburg, PA Posts: 700 Thanks: 0 Thanked 4x in 4 posts	Wow, that's a tough way to go out in the playoffs after a stellar season. __________________ GREEN BAY PACKERS AND FLORIDA GATORS!! Road Through Baseball History (1871- Relive Baseball History From The Start (1871-1892) Hustling in the World Baseball Federation *Tampa Bay Rays: Destined for Greatness

05-17-2008, 04:37 PM	#312 (permalink)
jamus23 All Star Reserve Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 897 Thanks: 2 Thanked 4x in 4 posts	2083 World Series Game Four World Series Game Four: Most people expected the pitcher's duel to come in Game One, when Scott Council and Christian Hokusai took the mound for their teams. Even one in Games Two or Three wouldn't have been a complete surprise. Probably no one, however, expected it to come in the fourth game, when Jay Marrone took the mound for Pittsburgh, and Mark Prior took the mound for Miami. That, however, is precisely what happened. Both pitchers put up goose eggs inning after inning, for seven innings. Pittsburgh came close to scoring in the fourth inning when Jerry Harmer, Jr. was gunned down at the plate. Finally, in the eighth inning, the Dolphins' Roy Springs hit a run-scoring double to break the scoreless tie. That's all Miami would need in a 1-0 victory. Prior tossed a complete game shutout, scattering 7 hits, all singles, and 2 walks over nine innings, while blowing away 8 batters. Marrone gave up 9 hits, 2 walks, and the lone run in 7 innings of work. He struck out 4 batters. The series is tied at 2 games apiece. __________________ 2081: Desperation in Denver

05-17-2008, 04:45 PM	#313 (permalink)
jamus23 All Star Reserve Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 897 Thanks: 2 Thanked 4x in 4 posts	2083 World Series Game Five World Series Game Five: The second duel between Council and Hokusai was more what people expected. Scoreless through one inning. Scoreless through two. Scoreless through three. Scoreless through four. In the fifth inning, Miami got on the board, getting a two out RBI double from Dennis Fernandez. The lead didn't last long. In the sixth, Aaron Quijada put the Pirates on top with a 2-run homerun. Pittsburgh pushed the lead to 3-1 when Jose Arruza hit an RBI single in the eighth inning. Miami made a brief rally attempt in the bottom of the ninth, getting an RBI single from Albert Chichester, but that was all the Dolphins could manage in a 3-2 defeat. Council gave up just 3 hits, a walk, and 1 run in 8 innings, while striking out 8 batters. Hokusai gave up 5 hits, 3 walks, and 2 runs in 7 innings of work. He struck out 4 batters. Pittsburgh leads the series, 3 games to 2. __________________ 2081: Desperation in Denver

05-17-2008, 05:04 PM	#314 (permalink)
jamus23 All Star Reserve Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 897 Thanks: 2 Thanked 4x in 4 posts	2083 World Series Game Six World Series Game Six: Standing on the brink of their third championship in the last three seasons, the Pirates looked to take control of Game Six early .With two outs in the first inning, Javier Rael blasted a solo homerun. The 1-0 lead lasted until the fourth inning, when Miami's Edmond McGurk belted a 2-run homer. The Dolphins lead, 2-1. In the fifth inning, however, James Sequeira delivered a 2-run single, and Robert Able followed with a 2-run double. The Pirates led, 5-2. McGurk hammered another two run homerun in the sixth inning, cutting the lead to 5-4. The Dolphins would not get any closer, however. With runners on first and second in the ninth inning, Aaron Shorts hit into a game, and series, ending double play. The Pittsburgh Pirates win the World Series, 4 games to 2. World Series MVP: Call it a split decision between Pittsburgh's Aaron Quijada and Miami's Edmond McGurk, with an honorable mention to Pittsburgh's James Sequeira. Quijada was 9 for 18, with 2 HR, 6 RBI, and 5 runs scored. McGurk was 6 for 23, with 4 HR, 11 RBI, and 5 runs scored. Sequeira was 10 for 26, with 1 HR, 6 RBI, and 5 runs scored. Playoffs MVP: Take your pick. Quijada hit .308/.407/.564/.971, with 3 doubles, 1 triple, 5 homeruns, 15 RBI, 14 runs scored, and 11 walks. Jerry Harmer, Jr. batted .329/.391/.415/.806, with 27 hits, 8 walks, 14 runs scored, and he reached base at least once in every one of Pittsburgh's playoff games. Andreas Fajardo went 4-1 with a 2.50 ERA in 5 starts. He threw one complete game shutout. Miami's Christian Hokusai went 4-2 with a 1.96 ERA in 6 starts. He tossed two complete games, one of them a shutout. __________________ 2081: Desperation in Denver

05-17-2008, 06:13 PM	#315 (permalink)
jamus23 All Star Reserve Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 897 Thanks: 2 Thanked 4x in 4 posts	2083 Award Winners American League Silver Slugger Award: Well this is a bit of a surprise. I figured a Denver hitter might win it, but I was thinking of Lee Chappel. Instead, Broncos' left-fielder, Alexis Vazquez wins his second straight Silver Slugger. Vazquez batted .325/.372/.571/.943 this year. He collected 200 hits, 26 doubles, 42 homeruns, 141 runs batted in, and 110 runs scored. He also went 13 of 14 stealing bases. The batting average ranked 5th in the American League, the slugging percentage ranked 10th, the hits ranked 2nd, the homeruns tied for 3rd, and the RBI ranked 3rd. American League Cy Young Award: No surprise here. Nashville's Mose Urick wins his second straight Cy Young Award. He went 23-5 with a 2.64 ERA in 36 starts. He struck out 223 batters and walked 54 in 252 innings pitched. He tossed 4 complete games and 2 shutouts. He also went 4-0 with a 1.69 ERA in 5 playoff starts, including a 1-hit shutout against Miami in the ALCS. He led the American League in both wins and ERA. He was 2nd in innings pitched, 5th in strikeouts, and allowed the fewest hits per nine innings. American League Rookie of the Year Award: This was not an especially strong year for rookies, for either league. The winners this year is Grand Rapids' starting pitcher Henry Carillo. The 23 year old Carillo went 12-16 in 36 starts, posting an ERA of 6.25. He struck out 118 and walked 105 in 198 2/3 innings pitched. He threw one complete game shutout. American League Gold Glove Awards: Pitcher: Memphis' Roy Kelemen. His third Gold Glove. Catcher: Grand Rapids' Lucien Lum. His third Gold Glove. First Base: Denver's Ellis Bolling. His first Gold Glove. Second Base: Knoxville's Jack Forrester. His second Gold Glove. Third Base: Grand Rapids Andres Garcia. His second Gold Glove. Shortstop: Atlanta's Roger Attaway. His fourth Gold Glove. Left Field: Washington's Leon Pino. His third Gold Glove. Center Field: Charlotte's Keith O' Berry. His first Gold Glove. Right Field: Nashville's Hugh Marzano. His second Gold Glove. National League Silver Slugger Award: There were a few solid candidates for this award, but in the end, it went to the hot starter. Phoenix's first-baseman Emil Cuestas roared out of the gate this season, hitting .424 with 11 homeruns in April, and .430 with 8 homeruns May. He cooled down after that, but his final numbers were still quite impressive. He finished with a batting line of .365/.399/.585/.985, collected 233 hits, hit 48 doubles and 31 homeruns, drove in 131 runs, and scored 105 runs. It was a stunning resurgence for the 32-year old, who had seen his numbers drop off the last couple of seasons and missed virtually all of the 2081 season with an injury. Cuestas won the NL batting title, finished 10th in OBP, 5th in slugging percentage, 5th in OPS, 1st in hits, tied for 5th in doubles, and 3rd in RBI. National League Cy Young Award: This was pretty much a no-brainer. Once Scott Council went down with an injury in July that knocked him out until late August, there simply weren't any realistic competitors for San Diego's Carlos Lozoya. Lozoya went 24-4 with a 1.77 ERA in 36 starts, struck out 222 in 265 innings pitched, and tossed 3 complete games and 1 shutout. He led the NL in wins, ERA, and innings pitched. He was 4th in strikeouts. 33 of his 36 starts were "quality starts," which led all of baseball. He's the first San Diego pitcher to win the Cy Young Award in 22 years. National League Rookie of the Year Award: This year's winner is Hartford catcher William Carter. The 26 year old Carter hit .246/.321/.439/.760 this season, with 22 doubles, 3 triples, and 18 homeruns. He drove in 76 runs and scored 58. He's the first Hartford player to win the ROTY in 34 years. Pitcher: Pittsburgh's Douglas Malone. His first Gold Glove. Catcher: San Jose's Charles Seaver. His fifth Gold Glove. First Base: Portland's Edward Schuh. His fourth Gold Glove. Second Base: Los Angeles' Lewis Lagunas. His third Gold Glove. Third Base: Buffalo's Thomas Herbert. His first Gold Glove. Shortstop: Sacramento's Alberto O' Campo. His second Gold Glove. Left Field: Hartford's John Gans. His second Gold Glove. Center Field: Pittsburgh's Augustine Oatman. His fifth Gold Glove. Right Field: Rochester's Gustavo Manrique. His first Gold Glove. __________________ 2081: Desperation in Denver

05-17-2008, 07:38 PM	#316 (permalink)
jamus23 All Star Reserve Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 897 Thanks: 2 Thanked 4x in 4 posts	2083 All-Pros and All-Schmoes How about a look at the best and worst players at each position this season. For these lists, I'll use RC/27 for position players and ERA for pitchers. Only players who qualified for the batting and ERA titles will be considered. American League All-Pros: Code: C: Lee Chappel(11.3) Denver 1B: Sabas Laureano(9.2) Grand Rapids Arthur Taylor(9.2) Knoxville 2B: Eddie Lauzon(5.7) Grand Rapids* Eric Phillips(5.7) Memphis* 3B: Andres Garcia(9.8) Grand Rapids SS: Roger Attaway(8.7) Atlanta LF: Joshua Kier(8.1) Knoxville Alexis Vazquez(8.1) Denver CF: Carlo Romero(9.8) Nashville RF: Burl Wyatt(11.1) Knoxville SP: Mose Urick(2.64) Nashville SP: Marcos Rocha(2.78) Knoxville SP: Aaron Williams(2.98) Grand Rapids SP: Christian Hokusai(3.05) Miami SP: Kenny Pillsbury(3.09) Denver Technically, Denver's Ruben Diaz, with 6.5 RC/27, is first among second-baseman. However, he played almost exclusively at DH this season, with only 7 starts at 2B. Thus it's not really fair to consider him a 2B. American League All-Schmoes: Code: C: Man Merino(3.9) Washington 1B:* Manuel Madrid(4.4) Washington 2B: Francisco Alvarez(3.2) Miami 3B: Randall Bowen(3.9) Charlotte SS: Bill Tovar(4.0) Miami LF: Juan Ibarra(4.2) Charlotte CF: Ernie Willis(4.8) Green Bay RF: Bruce Reed(3.2) Grand Rapids SP: Michael Grear(8.21) Green Bay SP: Eduardo Ruiz(7.55) Kansas City SP: Corey Long(7.41) Kansas City SP: Andrew Barnes(6.50) Atlanta SP: Marco Nunez(6.29) Nashville Michael Grear is actually an almost guaranteed future Hall of Famer. He was an absolutely terrific pitcher from 2069 to 2080, with an ERA under 3.00 in all but two of those seasons. He has seven seasons with 20 or more wins, was a nine-time All-Star, and won the 2076 AL Cy Young Award. For his career, he has 277 wins and a 3.35 ERA. He was a threat to win 300 games until 2081, at which point, he pretty much fell apart. The last three seasons, he's gone 19-58. In the last two seasons, he's gone a combined 10-42. At 37 years of age, he really doesn't have much of a chance to get to 300 anymore. National League All-Pros: Code: C: Aaron Quijada(7.6) Pittsburgh 1B: John Rachal(9.6) Hartford 2B: Andrew Burdick(10.0) San Diego 3B: Javier Rael(8.9) Pittsburgh SS: Coy Drews(8.4) Harrisburg LF: Jerry Harmer, Jr.(9.6) Pittsburgh CF: Gaby Matos(8.0) San Diego* RF: Richard Herb(7.6) Hartford James Lumsden(7.6) San Jose SP: Carlos Lozoya(1.77) San Diego SP: Segundo Narbaiza(2.81) Rochester SP: Scott Council(3.12) Pittsburgh SP: Christopher Cooper(3.13) Buffalo SP: Carl Strothers(3.14) Sacramento San Jose's Simon Martinez* actually led NL centerfielder's with 9.0 RC/27. However, while Martinez did make 45 starts in center, he also made 65 in left field and 8 in right field. Given that, he should probably be considered a left-fielder, not a center-fielder. National League All-Schmoes: Code: C: Daniel Moise(3.3) Los Angeles 1B: Timothy Wegener(5.4) Los Angeles 2B: Nicholas Keough(4.4) Portland 3B: Samuel Mack(5.6) Harrisburg SS: Lloyd Sizer(3.6) Portland LF: Gabriel Rius(4.5) Harrisburg CF: Carlos Ruano(5.0) Portland RF: James Sequeira(4.6) Pittsburgh SP: Norman Dale(7.06) Harrisburg SP: Josue Gorman(6.68) Harrisburg SP: Micheal Schmalz(6.51) Los Angeles SP: Geronimo Otero(6.45) Pittsburgh SP: Tony Rivera(6.32) Harrisburg Like Grear, Geronimo Otero is a once great pitcher on his last legs. In the mid-70's Otero was one of the most dominant pitchers in league history. He posted back to back sub-2.00 ERA seasons in 2073(1.45) and 2074(1.88). The 1.45 mark is the second best of all time. His K/BB rates were absolutely unreal(214/12 in '73 and 223/10 in '74). He managed to squeeze in a Cy Young Award in 2073 right around the time that Segundo Narbaiza was beginning to dominate. Otero came back to earth a little bit, and also missed a big chunk of the 2076 season due to injury. For his career, Otero has 227 wins and a 3.27 ERA. He's a six time All-Star and a 5-time 20-game winner. He's also been an amazing 18-9 in 38 postseason starts, with an ERA of 2.67. __________________ 2081: Desperation in Denver

07-10-2008, 07:30 PM	#319 (permalink)
jamus23 All Star Reserve Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 897 Thanks: 2 Thanked 4x in 4 posts	2084 Offseason Preview- Free Agents, Part One: Catchers 1/30/2084 Al Vincent Staff Writer With baseball's free agent signing period about to get started, it's time to look at who is on the market this year, and who, if anyone, the Broncos might be interested. The main target for Denver is likely to be a backup catcher. The Broncos allowed last year's backup, Greg Lauritsen, to become a free agent, and serious doubts emerged about the capability of the anticipated successor, John Landon. After a solid campaign at AA in 2082, and a torrid start at the same level last year that earned Landon a promotion to AAA, the 24 year old catching prospect seemed a likely bet to make the jump to the big leagues this season to fill the role of Lee Chappel's backup. But Landon's promotion to AAA did not go smoothly, and he managed only a .634 OPS in 425 at bats at that level last year. Given his struggles at AAA, it is likely that Broncos' GM John Mounts would prefer a major league backup who is more reliable. Free agency may be the best avenue for acquiring such a player. For teams looking for a starting catcher this offseason, there are three main choices. Larry Seishisai, formerly of Memphis, posted a .797 OPS last season and hit 21 homeruns, while drawing 77 walks. The 34 year old isn't known for his arm behind the plate, but for his career, he has an .840 OPS and 358 homeruns. Ex-Harrisburg catcher Errol McCullough is a bit of a poor man's Seishisai. Also 34, McCullough posted a .765 OPS last season with 38 doubles, 16 homeruns, and 81 walks. McCullough has a slightly better arm than Seishisai. For those who prefer a strong defensive catcher, Christopher Diemer is the answer. The 36 year old cannon-armed Diemer hit .339 with an .826 OPS last season, while collecting 24 doubles and 4 homeruns. For his career, Diemer has a .709 OPS. None of these players are likely going to be on the Broncos' radar, as all will be looking to be starters. From the next group, however, may come the next backup catcher for Denver. The Broncos could, of course, bring back Lauritsen, who posted a .744 OPS in 124 at bats last season. It should be noted, however, that those numbers were the best that the 35 year old Lauritsen has produced in his career. His career OPS is a much less impressive .641. 36 year old Stephen Skiba is another possibility, though one who is not much better than Lauritsen, and possibly worse. Playing for Charlotte last season, Skiba mustered only a .678 OPS in 189 at bats. For his career, he has only a .657 OPS. Former Pittsburgh backup Raul Chapa may be a better option, despite coming off of a mediocre season. The 32 year old Chapa managed just a .675 OPS in 131 at bats last season, but did have a .385 OBP. Chapa has always had good plate discipline, and has usually hit better than last season's numbers. For his career, he has a .718 OPS. He also has a strong arm. Jerome Seldon didn't play much for Grand Rapids last season, collecting only 26 at bats, but the 34 year old has generally been a pretty solid backup in his career, with a .723 OPS in 867 at bats. He also has a pretty good arm. __________________ 2081: Desperation in Denver

07-10-2008, 07:59 PM	#320 (permalink)
jamus23 All Star Reserve Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 897 Thanks: 2 Thanked 4x in 4 posts	2084 Offseason Preview-Free Agents, Part Two: First-basemen and Third-basemen 1/30/2084 Al Vincent Staff Writer Neither first base nor third base are areas of interest for the Broncos, with veteran Ellis Bolling entrenched at first and Michael Phillips having emerged as a solid, if unspectacular, third-sacker. Frankly, this is a good thing, as the corner infielders available this offseason are somewhat suspect. At first, there are several players who would make very good platoon options, but it is unclear if any are fit for everyday action. Raymon Bricker has been a well-established minor league star for many years, but has generally only gotten brief cups of coffee in the big leagues. In the last couple years, however, New Jersey has seen fit to utilize him as a utility man, bouncing him from first base to both corner outfield spots. That led to last year's astounding season, in which he slugged .726 and posted an OPS of 1.084 in 213 at bats. Despite the relatively small number of at bats, Bricker smashed 24 doubles and 27 homeruns, and collected 74 runs batted in. In 759 career at bats, Bricker has posted an .864 OPS, almost all of it coming from his .559 career slugging percentage. John Henriques is a bit of an enigma. In 2078, Henriques was the NL Rookie of the Year, while playing for Phoenix. He posted an .846 OPS that year and hit 22 homeruns. Since then, he has had to fight for playing time, as Phoenix shuttled him back and forth between AAA and the big leagues. Last year, the 25 year old was traded to Green Bay, and wound up collecting his most at bats since his rookie season. In 257 AB, he posted a .753 OPS, hitting 10 homeruns. In a little over a 1,000 career at bats, he has an .852 OPS. Left-handed hitting Troy Alder hit .333 with an .840 OPS in 207 at bats for Miami last season. For his career, he has a .774 OPS. 37 year old Jose Arruza is more of a supersub than a true 1B, able to play anywhere in the infield. However, his fielding is so poor, that first base is probably his best fit. Arruza had a .773 OPS last season for Pittsburgh, hitting 25 doubles and 11 homeruns, while drawing 64 walks. For his career, Arruza has an .826 OPS, 140 homeruns, and a 683/662 BB/K ratio. The third base crop is even worse than the first base one. Essentially, the only third-baseman of any distinction on the market is Thomas Herbert. The 31 year old Herbert hit .323 with an .844 OPS, and 12 homeruns for Buffalo last season. For his career, however, he has only a .763 OPS. He is a top-notch defender at the hot corner, though. __________________ 2081: Desperation in Denver

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