OOTP 7 Dynasty: Cubby Blue & Wrigley Field

[DawnBTVS]

Remember how I said the team had potential offensively? Well, this is why potential is just a buzzword while reality comes in and kicks its butt.

Right now the Chicago Cubs are sporting the worst record in the Majors and I suddenly feel like I've been directing Major League: Back To the Minors only I don't have Scott Bakula as my manager.

Current NL Central Standings
The New Evil Empire: 31-24 (35-20... how can a team this good be underachieving?)
St. Louis: 28-26 (27-27)
Cincinnati: 27-26 (25-28)
Pittsburgh: 26-28 (29-25)
Chicago: 17-37 (19-35). We're already 13.5 GB.

Our few bright spots on offense are: Miguel Cairo (.297/.342/.423 in 222 AB with 39 runs, 17 doubles, 13 BB vs. 16 K, and 7 SB in 9 chances), Tony Batista (.265/.319/.460 with 9 HR and 34 RBI), Brooks Kieschnick (.269/.357/.416 with 7 HR and 25 RBI), Dave Hansen (.289/.403/.489 with 7 HR, 25 RBI, and 34 BB vs. 34 K), and Doug Glanville (.281/.339/.456 with 2 HR as a backup OF).

Noodle Arm has gone the way of the dodo hitting .239/.244/.340 with 2 BB vs. 51 K. Hero has underperformed hitting .227/.277/.348 with 4 HR and 21 RBI but only 9 BB vs. 55 K). Kevin Orie is also off to a slow start, hitting only .211 on the year but does have 20 BB vs. 33 K for a .291 OBP.

Pitching wise... I'll just say that our whole team has imploded (nobody beneath an ERA of 4.50) except... freakin' Doug Bochtler who has an ERA of 1.93 in 28.0 IP despite a ratio of 29 K to 19 BB. Rick Helling has completely lost any semblance of control that he once had. In only 7 starts his ERA has ballooned to an insane 9.18 with 26 BB vs. 14 K. His BABIP is currently .336 and I kinda feared that my pitching staff got wicked lucky last season but this is just surreal to witness.

My best starter is Steve Traschel at 4-6 with a 4.94 ERA. Frank Castillo hasn't even won a game... he's 0-6 in 11 starts.

Luckily there is some light down in AAA. Gio Gonzalez has a pinpoint 1.97 ERA in 91.1 IP and is 7-3 in his 13 starts. The only concern is his somewhat low 6.12 K/9 but otherwise, he's been sterling and will get a shot before the All-Star break at this rate.

Amaury Telemaco is improving, currently sitting at an ERA of 2.51 in 14.1 IP with a K/9 of 8.94.

Mike Figga could get a shot if Noodle Arm continues to struggle. Figga is hitting .275/.339/.425 in 167 AB with 5 HR but more key is his 16 BB vs. 27 K (16.1%).

There's no room for him right now in the outfield but Pedro Valdes is hitting .308/.397/.489 in 182 AB with 21 doubles and 24 BB vs. 29 K.

A few players are starting to come around at Double A.
MR Jeremy Fish: 21 years old and with a 2.91 ERA in 21.2 IP with 19 K vs. 12 BB. The BB aren't pleasing but the 8.07 K/9 is.

Jason Mullins: Showing good power in his line of .318/.344/.455 in 198 AB with 13 doubles but only has 6 BB vs. 27 K. One positive is his 28 SB (82.4%).

Jonathan Myers: .315/.332/.403 but like Mullins, struggling with walks as he has 5 BB vs. 42 K in 181 AB. Doesn't have as much power (6 doubles, 2 triples, and 2 HR) nor ability on the bases (9 SB with a success rate of 56.3%).

I finally bring up the 4 second year players from A to AA because the AI was being dumb and had them combine for almost 18 IP.

I scout the waiver wire but there are no real standouts being dangled and nobody on the free agent list wants a minor league contract (none of them are really worth signing for the major league roster because almost none of my pitchers have option years left).

Well, maybe the MLB draft will give me something slightly better next month.

[DawnBTVS]

Bad news hits on 6/7 as Brooks Kieschnick goes down for 1-2 weeks with back spasms. The one bit of good luck out of this is that it allows us to get a chance to call up Pedro Valdes to help man the position with Alex Diaz.

On 6/14 Tony Batista goes down for 2 weeks thanks to a concussion. Not good news. I'm forced to call up Rey Sanchez, he of the .656 OPS at AAA. At least he has a glove.

We start off the MLB Draft with the 11th pick. Since we have college and high school feeder leagues, I can actually look at stats to make my selections which is a really nice thing to do.

1.11 (C): LF Bill Archer. He hit .333/.435/.533 in only 90 AB but had 4 HR and 16 BB (17.8%) vs. 21 K.
1.16 (C): CF Rudy King. He hit .281/.395/.596 in 146 AB with 12 HR and 25 BB vs. 21 K.
2.09 (C): 1B Daniel Markham. He hit .396/.503/.806 in 134 AB with 16 HR and 25 BB vs. 21 K.
2.11 (C): 1B Michael von Meyer. He hit .360/.452/.710 in 186 AB with 14 HR and 26 BB vs. 24 K.
3.11 (HS): C Roberto Enriquez. He hit .384/.475/.646 in 99 AB with 20 BB vs. 13 K.
4.11 (HS): SS Colin Long. He hit .402/.487/.515 in 132 AB with 20 BB vs. 4 K.
5.11 (HS): SS Miguel Enriquez. He hit .319/.422/.442 in 113 AB with 17 BB vs. 7 K.
6.11 (HS): MR Brian Walker. 3.82 ERA with 46 K vs. 14 BB in 35.2 IP.
7.11 (HS): CL Francisco Espinoza. 5.06 ERA with 23 K vs. 3 BB in 26.2 IP.
8.11 (HS): MR Don Strawn. 6.14 ERA with 32 K vs. 3 BB in 29.1 IP.
9.11 (C): 1B Patrick Terry. He hit .345/.438/.613 in 168 AB with 12 HR and 24 BB vs. 39 K.
10.11 (HS): MR Ruben Estrada. 8.31 ERA with 27 K vs. 7 BB in 21.2 IP.
11.11 (C): MR Ben Powers. 2.57 ERA with 29 K vs. 10 BB in 28.0 IP.
12.11 (HS): MR Menno Oolbekkink. 5.91 ERA with 35 K vs. 13 BB in 32.0 IP.
13.11 (HS): 2B Aaron Smith. He hit .325/.359/.423 in 123 AB with 7 BB vs. 12 K.
14.11 (C): MR Juan Padilla. 6.21 ERA with 37 K vs. 15 BB in 37.2 IP.
15.11 (HS): MR Mike Irwin. 9.82 ERA with 27 K vs. 7 BB in 22.0 IP.
16.11 (C): MR Yuki Hirata. 6.00 ERA with 24 K vs. 6 BB in 24.0 IP.
17.11 (HS): MR Manuel Romin. 4.58 ERA with 25 K vs. 25 BB in 35.1 IP.

And thus ends the inaugural draft of the College/HS Feeder Leagues. Surprised at the ERA stats but meh...

I make my first trade of the season with the Baltimore Orioles as well.

I traded SP Frank Castillo for C Mel Rosario who is 25 but has hit .271/.392/.453 at AAA in 258 AB with 9 HR and 51 BB vs. 40 K. Castillo is 0-9 with a 6.29 ERA and a 1.65 WHIP.

This allows me to call up Geremi "Gio" Gonzalez and his 2.33 ERA too. He'll fit into the rotation in the #4 slot.

On 6/22, Brooks is healthy and I send down Pedro Valdes who hit a paltry .208/.278/.292 in 48 AB for us.

On 6/29 The Phenom is healthy but I actually have a dilemma! Rey Sanchez in 42 AB is hitting .310/.383/.357. Imagine that! I send Brant Brown down because he was literally bench fodder.

NL Central Standings
The New Evil Empire: 47-25
Pittsburgh: 43-38
St. Louis: 41-41
Cincinnati: 38-43
Chicago: 25-57. Yeah... and remember Wrigley Field? We're 8-30 at home but 17-27 on the road.

I unfortunately realize that Hero can't make any contact whatsoever as his .213/.267/.322 line tells me and I'm stuck shaking my head in misery. The guy has decent power and a batting eye but just can't make contact worth spit.

I decide to try an experiment and send Hero down to AAA while calling up Pedro Valdes to man 1B. The guy's never played 1B but what the hell... he can hit pretty well with more at bats.

In 2 starts, Gio Gonzalez has a 2.30 ERA in 15.2 IP. He's already the best starter on this dreadful squad now. He's also a perfect 2-0.

I demote Kevin Foster and his 10.40 ERA and call up Tim Kubinski who had an ERA of 2.30 in 15.2 IP at AAA with 14 K vs. 3 BB. I also send down Rodney Myers and his 5.63 ERA to be replaced by Amaury Telemaco and his 3.80 ERA with 25 K vs. 9 BB in 23.2 IP.

[DawnBTVS]

July started off slowly but on 7/15 we kinda get a lucky break as Rick Helling is injured for 2 weeks with the flu. He was 2-10 with a 7.96 ERA but had managed to get his K/BB to 53 vs. 46 in the 78.0 IP he has thrown so that was some brief optimism.

I also noticed that my ballpark has suddenly jumped up to 1.020... which might explain the sudden derailment of my not so stellar pitching staff. I call back up Kevin Foster to see if he can make a few starts as the #5 starter.

On 7/30 with Helling healthy I send Foster back down. He really wasn't very good.

There are no real moves I want to make at the trading deadline so I decide to keep my roster intact for the time being.

We finished the month out at 9-18 but our pitching ERA has been going down by a lot, which is very good to witness. We're still 6th in opponent BA and BABIP.

Our Record: 34-75 and 29.0 GB of the New Evil Empire.

The bright spots of the team...
2B Miguel Cairo: 465 AB with 36 doubles and 82 R. 13 SB (76.5%) and is hitting .297/.339/.439 for a .777 OPS.
3B Kevin Orie: Has bounced back. 420 AB with a team leading 65 RBI and 44 BB vs. 65 K. Hitting .236/.320/.402 for a .722 OPS with 33 doubles.
3B Dave Hansen: 372 AB with 13 HR and 60 RBI. Also has 73 BB vs. 81 K and is hitting .274/.394/.465 for a team best .859 OPS.
SS "The Phenom" Tony Batista: 364 AB with a team best 18 HR. Is hitting .253/.316/.467 for a .783 OPS.
CF Brian McRae: 324 AB with a line of .235/.327/.377 for a .704 OPS but has 45 BB vs. 52 K.
1B Pedro Valdes: He's hitting! Much, much improvement over Hero. In 139 AB he has 5 HR and 21 RBI with 20 BB vs. 35 K. Hitting .273/.358/.482 for a second on the team .840 OPS.
Tim Kubinski and Doug Bochtler have combined for an ERA of 3.25 in 62 IP with 57 K vs. 42 BB.
Gio Gonzalez: 3-3 record in 7 starts with an ERA of 4.18 in 47.1 IP. Only has 21 K but that's against 17 BB (3.25 BB/9).

We now have 7 pitchers, including 3 starters underneath the 5.00 ERA mark which is a sight for sore eyes to see.

As for in house moves...

Noodle Arm is pissing me off with his dismal .562 OPS in 418 AB (I know I should've pulled the trigger much sooner but I'm one of those "Let it ride out and eventually it'll turn around" managers/GMs). Needless to say, I have 3 guys at AAA who have combined for 38 HR at the C spot.

The options are...
Mel Rosario: Good power and patience (6 HR in 134 AB with 30 BB vs. 27 K) but his issue is contact (.231 BA) and I can't afford to have a repeat of Stahoviak. Acquired by trading SP Frank Castillo.

Mitch Hubbard: Is hitting well with a .782 OPS in 401 AB and has a .294 BA but the 33 BB vs. 93 K concerns me.

Mike Figga: The most league ready. Hitting .303/.355/.481 (.837 OPS) in 320 AB with 12 HR. Slight fear at his 26 BB vs. 54 K but he can make contact, has power, and has a decent enough eye.

I call up Mike Figga to start off August at Catcher for us. I send Tyler down to get some of his confidence back.

Around the minor leagues... Note to Self: Remember to change control of minor league depth charts/lineups to somebody not yourself! That would explain the low numbers... whoopsie.

AAA
CL Roland de la Maza: May get a shot in September. Currently has a 1.83 ERA in 19.2 IP with 19 K (8.91 K/9) with 8 BB and 1 HRA.
MR Allen McDill: Just about league ready. Could challenge for a bullpen spot next season. Has a 2.70 ERA in 20 IP but only 13 K vs. 9 BB.
SP Jeremy Fish: Converted to SP upon seeing his 41 endurance rating (I like converting guys with a 40+ endurance to starters for depth purposes. At worst, they become #5 guys in the rotation). Has great stuff but no control at all. He's only 21 and a guy to keep an eye on.

AA
RF Jonathan Myers: Not much future potential but was hitting .331/.350/.418 with little power (18 XBH in 359 AB) and 11 BB vs. 64 K but I'll see how he handles AAA.

A
MR Juan Padilla: The only rookie impressing right now. Round 14 pick, in 13.2 IP he has an ERA of 3.95 with 12 K vs. 4 BB and 1 HRA.

Here is a list of the current minor league starters...
Mike Irwin: Single A with 41 endurance. Marginal prospect who could be worth something if he learns how to avoid getting hit.
Ben Powers: Single A with 47 endurance. Same issues as Mike Irwin.
Manuel Roman: Single A with 48 endurance. Pretty much a future as minor league depth.
Brian Walker: Single A with 40 endurance. Interesting case, has the future of a #5 rotation pitcher but could do well with some strong seasons.
Nate Dyer: Released. Absolutely no future as a major leaguer.
Cesar Franco: Released. Absolutely no future as a major leaguer.
Fernando Pina: Double A with 74 endurance. Could make a case if he can develop the ability to strike hitters out. Looks like minor league depth.
Kevin Foster: Triple A with 58 endurance. Is 29 years old and has potential but needs to learn how to not get hit.
Jeremy Fish: Triple A at 21 with 41 endurance. The most potential and the only true "top of the rotation" pitching prospect we have.

Feel free to comment on the moves I'm making or the inability for me to manage the franchise properly (i.e. minor leagues). The one good thing is that I have a strong track record at calling up young players and having them be productive for me almost immediately... outside of Hero: Kevin Orie, Tony Batista, Miguel Cairo, Pedro Valdes, Gio Gonzalez, and hopefully Mike Figga.

What's your over/under on 105 Losses? Right now if I keep up my current pace, I'm projected for a 51-111 record.

[DawnBTVS]

A few players are up for free agency next season and so I decide to make one contract extension for the betterment of the squad.

Our only extension goes to 3B Dave Hansen. I decide to offer a 3 year deal at a rather modest $4.155 Million per year. A good deal for a guy who's had an OPS of .719 last year and .851 so far this year.

The contract extension is signed on 8/27. The other players who are worth anything are either getting automatic minimum salary or they are up for arbitration.

We finish the month of August at 41-96 and are now a miserable 39.0 GB of The New Evil Empire who are 79-56.

Mike Figga had 102 AB and hit a very solid .255/.325/.471 with 4 HR and 11 BB vs. 14 K. Yet again, another solid contribution from a young player called up from AAA.

At AAA Jonathan Myers has been surprising in his 77 AB. He's hitting .351/.390/.545 with 4 HR and 5 BB vs. 12 K. Maybe he's starting to turn the corner, which is a good sight to see because he's only 20 and should improve.

Pedro Valdes has been a great call up, currently hitting .287/.355/.481 in 258 AB with 24 doubles, 8 HR, and 32 RBI.

Outside of our hitting, there isn't really much of note to be talking about. Pitching will definitely be explored during free agency as I'm letting SP Steve Traschel (4.78 and 5.61 ERA last year and this year) and SP Kevin Tapani (5.32 ERA and 34 years old) walk. I'm also letting MR Tim Worrell go as he's 31 years old and has a 9.07 ERA.

On the hitting side, both Rey Sanchez and Alex Diaz will be heading off into the sunset. Both players have largely played back up roles with Sanchez doing well (.271/.348/.305 in 59 AB) but Diaz has been disappointing. He has a .267 BA and .635 OPS in 101 AB.

The following pitchers will be called up to help the staff and prepare for possible roles next season when September arrives.
Billy Brewer: Is 30 but has a 2.70 ERA in 36.2 IP with 30 K (7.46 K/9) vs. 20 BB (4.97 BB/9) and 0 HRA.
Allen McDill: 27 with an ERA of 2.77 in 26.0 IP with 17 K (5.88 K/9) vs. 13 BB (4.50 BB/9) and 1 HRA.
Roland de la Maza: 26 and has a 3.80 ERA in 21.1 IP with 22 K (9.38 K/9) vs. 10 BB (4.27 BB/9) and 1 HRA.

I make an early pre-emptive strike to help with the pitching staff for next season by signing MR Gabe White to a 1 year deal for $370K with plans to extend him for the next couple seasons. He's only 26 years old and had a 5.18 ERA last year but also had 38 K in 41.1 IP (8.32 K/9) against 14 BB (3.07 BB/9).

I also sign SP Greg Keagle to a 1 year deal at $355K with the same idea in mind. Last year between Cleveland and San Francisco he combined for a 2.87 ERA in 44.2 IP with 34 K (6.92 K/9) vs. 8 BB (1.63 BB/9) with only 1 HRA. Extrapolated over even 100 IP = 77 K vs. 18 BB with 2 HRA. It's worth taking a flyer on. The good news is he's also only 27 years old.

[DawnBTVS]

Both Greg Keagle and Gabe White sign their contracts on 9/2. Both players will also get their contracts automatically renewed at the end of the year for a combined $725,000.

I send down Mel Rojas who despite 16 S also had a 7.74 ERA and allowed 14 HR in only 50 IP (2.52/9). Also sent down is Amaury Telemaco who yet again struggled at the MLB level (7.20 ERA in 25 IP despite a .274 BABIP).

Keagle will take over the #5 spot in the rotation and Rick Helling will become a spot starter at 2%. Gabe White takes up the 4th spot in the bullpen at middle reliever and Roland de la Maza will take over the duties of closer to help prepare for his probably role next season.

I also set the strategies of AAA, AA, and Single A to match the team strategy at the MLB level to help the transition become easier from level to level and help me see which players are really standing out.

While the Chicago Cubs may be struggling, the same can't be said for the minor league squads. Our AAA affiliate, the Reno Artillery sweeped Chula Vista (Oakland) to take home the AAA title after a season where they finished at 72-58.

At Single A, the Haverstraw Gappers finished at 69-51 but lost to South Greensburg (St. Louis) 4-1 in the A World Series.

Needless to say, we underachieved the projections and finished the year at an astonishing 49-113. Note to other dynasty writers: Be aware of your ballpark too. A massively disappointing season on all levels after last year's 78 victories. Expect smarter tinkering in free agency during the off-season.

Final NL Central Standings
New Evil Empire: 98-64
Pittsburgh: 86-76
St. Louis: 83-79
Cincinnati: 74-88

Final Batting Stats (PRO+ = comparison to league OBP and SLG with correction for ballpark. 98 is league average at Wrigley Field.)
2B Miguel Cairo: 674 AB with 105 R, 45 doubles, 9 HR, 68 RBI, 19 SB (76%). .270/.311/.392 with a PRO+ of 76.
3B Kevin Orie: 613 AB with 84 R, 47 doubles, 14 HR, 97 RBI, 64 BB vs. 101 K. .248/.332/.413 with a PRO+ of 86.
3B Dave Hansen: 587 AB with 94 R, 21 HR, 79 RBI, 107 BB vs. 111 K. .278/.391/.458 with a PRO+ of 113.
SS Tony Batista: 564 AB with 71 R, 23 HR, 67 RBI, 43 BB vs. 96 K. .252/.317/.429 with a PRO+ of 86.
RF Brooks Kieschnick: 509 AB with 69 R, 20 HR, 84 RBI, 63 BB vs. 102 K. .250/.337/.413 with a PRO+ of 88.
CF Brian McRae: 465 AB with 70 R, 13 HR, 63 RBI, 72 BB vs. 68 K. .237/.339/.396 with an PRO+ of 84.
1B Pedro Valdes: 346 AB with 48 R, 29 doubles, 9 HR, 37 RBI, 47 BB vs. 72 K. .269/.357/.436 with a PRO+ of 98.
LF Jason McDonald: 331 AB with 39 R, 13 doubles, 4 HR, 39 RBI, 38 BB vs. 74 K. .230/.307/.317 with a PRO+ of 58.
LF Robin Jennings: 262 AB with 17 R, 15 doubles, 27 RBI. .244/.296/.340 with a PRO+ of 60.
CF Doug Glanville: 202 AB with 18 R, 4 HR, 14 RBI, 15 BB vs. 24 K. .267/.317/.381 with a PRO+ of 75.
C Mike Figga: 190 AB with 18 R, 17 doubles, 4 HR, 32 RBI, 17 BB vs. 42 K. .247/.302/.432 with a PRO+ of 82.

Final Pitching Stats
MR Gabe White: 2.16 ERA in 8.1 IP with 7 K and 0 HRA.
MR Tim Kubinski: 3.56 ERA in 43 IP with 29 K and 4 HRA.
CL Roland de la Maza: 4.05 ERA in 6.2 IP with 5 S and 2 HRA.
MR Terry Adams: 4.12 ERA in 115.2 IP with 87 K vs. 50 BB and 5 HRA.
SP Miguel Batista: 9-14 with a 5.12 ERA in 184.2 IP. 117 K with 15 HRA.
MR Kent Bottenfield: 5.15 ERA in 87.1 IP with 66 K vs. 52 BB.
SP Kevin Tapani: 8-15 with a 5.27 ERA in 210 IP with 130 K vs. 64 BB.
MR Doug Bochtler: 5.31 ERA in 62.2 IP with 50 K and 8 HRA.
SP Steve Traschel: 9-19 with an ERA of 5.36 in 206.2 IP with 125 K vs. 84 BB. He also allowed 40 HR(!)
MR Rodney Myers: 5.63 ERA in 48 IP with 7 HRA.
SP Gio Gonzalez: 5-10 with a 5.77 ERA in 96.2 IP. 14 HRA.
SP Greg Keagle: 1-3 with a 10.70 ERA in 17.2 IP with 15 K and 3 HRA.

The playoff teams are as follows: Baltimore Orioles (90-72), Chicago White Sox (84-79), Seattle Mariners (88-74), Evil Empire (88-74), Atlanta Braves (98-64), Florida Marlins (96-66), New Evil Empire (98-64), and the San Diego Padres (90-72 and the 1997 World Series Champions).

[DawnBTVS]

Currently sitting here sipping hazelnut coffee (with 5 packets of sugar... but sugar rush aside) and here are the results of the 1998 playoffs.

The Atlanta Braves defeated the 1997 World Series Champion Seattle Mariners 4-2. Hats off to the Mariners GM for making it to the World Series in back to back seasons.

Speaking of GMs... I will have a budget of $50.92 Million to spend on players this offseason.

Award Winners
AL Rookie of the Year: Ryan Long hitting .250/.329/.403 with 15 HR and 73 RBI. He did have 128 AB last year so it seems kinda cheap that he'd get to win the ROY this year.
NL Rookie of the Year: Aaron "Bleepin'" Boone hitting .292/.340/.491 with 29 HR and 118 RBI. Same case as Long as he had 114 AB last year.
AL Cy Young: Jeff Fassero going 21-6 with a 3.30 ERA for the World Series losing Seattle Mariners.
NL Cy Young: Livan Hernandez with a 19-6 record and 3.34 ERA for Florida.
AL Silver Slugger: Manny Being Manny hitting .331/.430/.625 with 45 HR, 120 RBI, and 89 BB.
NL Silver Slugger: Jeff Bagwell of the New Evil Empire hitting .318/.456/.629 with 46 HR and 166 RBI. Also had 133 BB and threw in 32 SB (86.4%).

Arbitration Hearings
MR Terry Adams: $1.88 Million. I'll take it for a guy throwing 115.2 IP and hearkening back to the relievers of yore in the 70's.
SP Miguel Batista: $261K. Disappointing season out of him (101 BB in 184 IP) but he'll be 27 and should bounce back.
MR Doug Bochtler: $284K. I'll take it although he faded back to a 5.12 ERA with a 1:1 ratio in BB to K.
2B Tony Batista: A steal at $756K. Had 23 HR and a .746 OPS.
CF Doug Glanville: $397K is a bit much for a backup outfielder but he did have a modest .698 OPS last year in 202 AB.
MR Billy Brewer: $261K. Struggled but only threw 3.2 IP. Should get more time in the bullpen this year.
SP/MR Kevin Foster: $261K. Also struggled (19 HR in 44 IP). May stay in AAA.

Free Agency
I have several immediate goals in mind and they are as follows.
1: Find a solid LF upgrade over McDonald and Jennings if possible.
2: SP depth (majors and especially minors)
3: Begin to aim for players who make good contact and walk a lot. A guy with a high walk, low strikeout ability is good too (i.e. a Dave Hansen type).

My first contract offer goes to SP Bobby Jones a 2 year deal at $1.105 Million per year. He doesn't have a high K/9 rate but has had a modest BB/9 at 4.06 and 2.99 the past 2 seasons and he's only 28.

I also made an offer to SP Darren Oliver at 2 years for $965K per year. He had 26 HRA in 187.2 IP with 97 K vs. 76 BB between Texas and Florida last season. He too is only 28.

I offer SP Mike Hampton a 2 year deal at $410K per year. He's only 26 but was converted to MR by the New Evil Empire after a 1997 where he went 12-3 with a 3.03 ERA.

I make a deal to CF Rich Becker with plans to convert him to LF. The offer is a 3 year deal at $1.95 Million per season. He had a .743 OPS last year but more importantly he had 74 BB vs. 101 K in 453 AB.

On 12/1 we sign SP Mike Hampton, IMO a major coupe signing.

On 12/7 we also sign SP Bobby Jones and get compensation for Kevin Tapani which is a 2nd round pick from the New York Mets. He signed a 3 year deal at $4.05 Million per year with a team option for 2001.

On 12/8 SP Darren Oliver signs while Rich Becker continues to be dissatisfied with my offers. I decide to make a 1 year deal at $660K for 39 year old Rickey Henderson. Last season he still had 94 BB vs. 70 K and had an OPS of .832 so it's worth a shot.

Rick Becker signed with Minnesota at $2.19 Million per year for 3 years.

I make an offer of 1 year at $435K to Cecil Fielder to help backup Pedro Valdes at first base. He's 35 but still can hit and get on base at a decent clip.

On 12/20 Rickey Henderson signs and on 12/22 I get a 2nd round pick from the Chicago White Sox after they sign Steve Traschel to a 2 year deal at $4.79 Million. With Henderson signed, I send down Jason McDonald to AAA as he was the only one with a minor league option year left.

I don't like my options in CF much and throw a contract to Ellis Burks. It's a 1 year deal at $495K and he'll be 34 but he had 34 HR and a .772 OPS last year with Colorado although he only had a .658 OPS on the road. He still had 49 BB and should be a decent option over Glanville and can platoon with McRae.

On 12/29 Cecil Fielder signs and my resurrection of old players who can still hit for power and/or take a walk is continued. Ellis Burks signs on 1/16 and I opt to send Doug Glanville down to AAA.

My final offer goes to Mickey Morandini to back up Miguel Cairo at 2B. He can hit RHP well (.757 OPS in 402 AB) and will platoon with Cairo (.839 OPS vs. LHP in 163 AB). On 1/27 he signs the 1 year deal worth $495K. I feel like I'm Earl Weaver with that move.

Other Free Agent Signings (of note)
Cincinnati signed 1B Dave Magadan to a 1 year deal at $1.56 Million.
Toronto signed SP Brian Bohanon to a 1 year deal at $1.265 Million.
Anaheim signed CL Butch Henry to a 3 year deal at $4.51 Million per year.
Los Angeles Dodgers signed 3B Todd Zeile to a 3 year deal at $2.15 Million per year.
New York Mets signed 3B Cal Ripken Jr. to a 1 year deal at $1.55 Million.
Texas Rangers signed MR Dan Plesac to a 2 year deal at $4.445 Million per year.
St. Louis Cardinals signed C Tom Lampkin to a 2 year deal at $6.185 Million per year.
Texas Rangers signed CL John Wetteland to a 3 year deal at $6.57 Million per year.
Montreal Expos signed MR Robb Nen to a 2 year deal at $6.56 Million per year.
New York Mets signed SS Bill Spiers (Formerly of the New Evil Empire) to a 4 year deal at $16.36 Million per year. He had an .863 OPS last year.

Your 1999 Chicago Cubs Opening Day Roster!
Starting Rotation
SP Miguel Batista
SP Mike Hampton
SP Bobby Jones
SP Darren Oliver
SP Greg Keagle

Bullpen
Terry Adams
Kent Bottenfield
Gio Gonzalez (His movement and control should be more beneficial in the bullpen)
Tim Kubinski
Rick Helling (His stuff and lack of control won't be as harmful as a mop up reliever)
Gabe White
Closer: Roland de la Maza

The Infield
C Mike Figga
1B Pedro Valdes
1B Cecil "Big Daddy" Fielder
2B Miguel Cairo
2B Mickey Morandini
3B Dave Hansen
3B Kevin Orie
SS Tony "The Phenom" Batista

The Outfield
LF Rickey "Man of Steal" Henderson
LF Robin Jennings
CF Ellis Burks
CF Brian McRae
RF Brooks Kieschnick

I also put the ever maddening Doug Bochtler on waivers and designated him for assignment. If he doesn't get claimed and refuses AAA, I have no problem eating the $284K it would cost to cut him.

Overall, I'm wicked curious to see how this squad does. The starting rotation has been completely overhauled and the bullpen has been upgraded (Gio Gonzalez and hopefully Helling) along with some fresh faces (Gabe White and de la Maza at Closer).

The offense should be much better at getting on base with the addition of Rickey Henderson and will get some additional power from Ellis Burks. I'm also intrigued by the potential of my 2B platoon.

Wrigley Field is still set at 1.020 so the offense should be fine... the pitching on the other hand, we'll just have to wait and see.

My opening day payroll is a commanding $20.55 Million this year, once again dead last and I hope not a harbinger of things to come.

Last season I essentially paid $437K per victory and am hoping to pay even less per win this year.

My squad is also up to 11th in the minor league systems with my top prospect being 23rd ranked LF Bill Archer who hit .203/.234/.253 in 158 AB last year at AA.

[DawnBTVS]

I will predominantly play the year with platoons at some positions based on how the players fared against RHP and LHP last season. The notable platoons are as follows...

2B: Mickey Morandini vs. RHP, Miguel Cairo vs. LHP
3B: Dave Hansen vs. RHP, Kevin Orie vs. LHP
LF: Robin Jennings vs. RHP, Rickey Henderson vs. LHP
CF: Brian McRae vs. RHP, Ellis Burks vs. LHP (Burks will also DH vs. RHP)

Needless to say, it's another disappointing way to start off the season as we finish the month out at 8-19.

NL Central Standings
New Evil Empire: 17-9
Pittsburgh: 13-13
St. Louis: 13-13
Cincinnati: 12-14
Chicago: 8-19

We went 3-9 at home and a dismal 1-6 against LHP.

Offensively, we have 6 hitters with at least 15 RBI on the season already with Mike Figga hitting .288/.339/.462 in 104 AB. Pedro Valdes is also hitting .309/.396/.464 in 97 AB with 9 doubles and 2 HR. The platoons aren't doing that great yet but I'm holding out hope that with more pitchers being seen, the bats will continue to come around.

Best news? We lead the NL in walks with 123 and are 11th in strikeouts at 165.

Pitching wise, we aren't nearly as hot although Rick Helling has been the surprise of the month with a 1.69 ERA in 16 IP with 10 K, 9 BB, and 0 HRA.

Mike Hampton and Greg Keagle have been the biggest busts so far, combining for an ERA of 7.23 in 53.2 IP. Also Gio Gonzalez has an 11.32 ERA thanks mainly to 6 BB in 10.1 IP and 26 HA.

Our best starter at the moment is Miguel Batista at 3-1 with a 3.69 ERA in 31.2 IP with 27 K vs. 20 BB and 1 HRA.

Nothing real notable happening in the minor leagues outside of Hero going bonkers to the tune of 11 HR and a 1.145 OPS in 102 AB at AAA. Unfortunately I've since learned that he can kill righties but sucks against left handers.

One good note: We lead the National League with 71 doubles.

I looked at the pitching staff of the Atlanta Braves and realized that what their pitchers have... is control. My best pitcher is Bobby Jones with a 58 control and he has a 5.73 ERA for us with a 3-3 record but only 4 HRA in 37.2 IP. Something to make note of and keep an eye on, I guess.

I opt to put Gio Gonzalez back into the rotation as my #4 Starter and put Greg Keagle into the bullpen. He'll be in the second mop up role behind Rick Helling.

[DawnBTVS]

We finished out May with an equally dismal 9-19 record and currently are sitting 14 GB with a 17-38 record behind the New Evil Empire.

We have 8 players with a .700 OPS or higher on the year although our LF platoon has been awful (A combined .495 OPS). On the flipside though, two of our other platoons are doing moderately well.

2B: Mickey Morandini and Miguel Cairo have combined for a line of .319/.392/.404 with 37 runs, 19 doubles, and 24 RBI along with 33 BB vs. 23 K. Now that's getting stellar production out of the position.

Elsewhere on the team, Ellis Burks is bringing power with 7 HR and 31 BB vs. 41 K despite his .201 BA. True to form, he's raking lefties to the tune of a 1.024 OPS in 55 AB but struggling against righties to the tune of a .539 OPS.

I decide to put Cecil Fielder at DH and in the 8 spot to see if he can fare a little better.

Brian McRae is having a fine year, hitting .289/.389/.446 with 4 HR and 21 RBI with 28 BB vs. 25 K. He has an .824 OPS against righties in 152 AB.

Pitching wise, the only light has been the combination of Gabe White and Rick Helling who have combined for an ERA of 2.32 in 54.1 IP with 1 HRA and 47 K vs. 21 BB. Gabe White has 24 K vs. 4 BB (6:1) which is astounding.

Since returning to the rotation Gio Gonzalez has an ERA of 3.59 in 7 starts which is really great to see. The rest of the starters aren't doing that great but Bobby Jones has a record of 4-6 with a 5.76 ERA in 75 IP and Darren Oliver has an ERA of 5.33 in 74.1 IP despite a 2-6 record.

Because my bullpen is maddening... I make a 1 year offer of $350K to Tony Castillo, a 36 year old reliever who had a 2.81 ERA in 1997 in 57.2 IP and a 4.46 ERA last year in 78.2 IP. The key was that he had 87 K vs. 47 BB (1.85 K:BB) combined.

I also released a handful of players in the minor leagues who had no real major league future to help prepare for the influx of rookies that will be drafted in next month's draft.

In AAA Jeremy Fish is an uber stud (0.87 ERA in 20.2 IP with 19 K vs. 9 BB and 7 S) but has only an 8 in control. He's 22 years old and I'm this tempted to call him up and put him in a mop up role but I'm not sure how wise that is given his major lack of control.

Since turning into a reliever, Greg Keagle has an ERA of 5.00 in 15.1 IP. The one good news is that he's thrown 4 IP or more 3 times and has 4 ER in those 12.1 IP (2.98 ERA).

[johnnybourbon]

Originally Posted by DawnBTVS

Over 500 views, thanks!

Now, if only you can get over .500!

[DawnBTVS]

Originally Posted by johnnybourbon

Now, if only you can get over .500!

Right now I would happily settle for finishing above .400 at the moment. Although I'm slowly feeling my way along in regards to what makes good pitchers good and bad pitchers... ugly.

[DawnBTVS]

Tony Castillo signed on 6/2. I sent down Tim Kubinski and his 8.40 ERA and also sent down Roland de la Maza and his 11.70 ERA and 7 S. I will be taking the risk and calling up the new Mitch Williams in Jeremy Fish.

We were so miserable that it was a foregone conclusion that we get the 1st pick in the draft.

1.01: SP Jake St. John - 2.35 ERA in 80.1 IP with 81 K vs. 23 BB
2.01: SP Dave Lees - 6.52 ERA in 58.0 IP with 30 K vs. 17 BB
2.05: SP Ed Forshaw - 6.53 ERA in 51.0 IP with 32 K vs. 11 BB
2.18: MR Jorge Sanchez
3.01: LF Ken Carson - .376/.493/.505 with 24 BB vs. 5 K
4.01: 2B Roman Montalvo - .295/.358/.410 with 6 BB vs. 3 K
5.01: 1B Luis Lopez
6.01: SS J.J. Miller
7.01: 2B Chung Choi - .272/.348/.404 with 14 BB vs. 10 K and 3 HR
8.01: MR Carlos Montoya - 3.54 ERA in 20.1 IP with 16 K vs. 8 BB
9.01: MR Ken Godwin - 6.23 ERA in 34.2 IP with 39 K vs. 9 BB
10.01: MR Bill O'Toole - 6.03 ERA in 37.1 IP with 38 K vs. 7 BB
11.01: MR Terry Moore - 3.63 ERA in 22.1 IP with 21 K vs. 8 BB
12.01: MR Jen-djieh Liu - 3.27 ERA in 33.0 IP with 15 K vs. 8 BB
13.01: 1B Luis Torres
14.01: 3B Ted Richardson - .229/.280/.289 with 6 BB vs. 20 K
15.01: C Gregory Boyd
16.01: LF Manuel Martinez
17.01: MR Joe Hubbard - 11.30 ERA in 32.2 IP with 33 K vs. 17 BB
18.01: MR Jermaine Callahan - 6.82 ERA in 30.1 IP with 25 K vs. 17 BB
19.01: MR Jesus Maldonado - 12.36 ERA in 19.2 IP with 19 K vs. 8 BB

We finished out the month at our yearly worst... 6-21. Oy!

We're now 23-59 and on pace for a worse record than last year, if one can actually believe that.

The platoons are doing somewhat well...
2B: Miguel Cairo vs. LHP (.333/.366/.439 in 66 AB with 7 doubles), Mickey Morandini vs. RHP (.290/.409/.374 in 214 AB with 18 doubles and 24 RBI)
3B: Kevin Orie vs. LHP (.182/.289/.318 in 66 AB), Dave Hansen vs. RHP (.276/.377/.427 in 225 AB with 14 doubles, 4 HR, and 35 RBI)
CF: Ellis Burks vs. LHP (.286/.390/.557 in 70 AB with 5 HR and 18 RBI), Brian McRae vs. RHP (.280/.368/.435 in 239 AB with 17 doubles, 6 HR, and 22 RBI)

2B: OPS of 0.794
3B: OPS of 0.706
CF: OPS of 0.875

The only weak links on offense have been the LF platoon combining for around a .565 OPS and RF Brooks Kieschnick who can't hit LHP (.531 OPS) to save his life. His OPS against RHP (.657) isn't anything to cheer about either though.

Pitching wise... did I mention that Jeremy Fish was an uber stud? Granted he's down with dead arm syndrome at the moment but until then had a 0.90 ERA in 10.0 IP with 14 K (12.6 K/9) vs. 9 BB (8.1 BB/9) and 0 HRA.

Rick Helling has continued to be the savior of the bullpen with his 3.46 ERA in 39.0 IP despite 29 K vs. 24 BB.

Pick up Tony (Who I've now written as Tim and Frank...) Castillo has an 8.85 ERA in 20.1 IP but a moderately decent 12 K vs. 9 BB with 4 HRA.

Mike Hampton is a bust and I'm not even posting his stats, they suck so much. I'd put Helling in but then my whole pitching staff would be worse off and Helling is doing really, really well out of the pen.

In June my top 4 SP combined: 5-15 (Batista went 0-5) with an ERA of 5.87 (Bobby Jones was at 4.93) with 78 K vs. 55 BB (1.42 ratio).

Some guys to keep an eye on...
MR Francisco Espinoza: Between AA and AAA has combined for 18 S with an ERA of 3.23 in 31.1 IP with 24 K vs. 12 BB and 4 HRA. He has a potential line of 60/58/86.

LF Bill Archer: In 286 AB between AA and AAA has combined for a .678 OPS but has 16 doubles and 4 HR. Has a 93 HR potential.

I've decided that rather than having Mike Hampton continue... I'll finish out the year with a 4 man rotation.

[DawnBTVS]

"I don't mean to pick you apart, you see, but I can't help it" - Alanis Morissette All I Really Want

Remember how people say that defense wins championships in football and in baseball, pitching and defense up the middle wins championships?

I'm clearly missing the memo because my defense is... deplorable which explains the sucktacular pitching.

Keys for next year: Get a defensive minded power hitting 1B and shift Pedro Valdes to RF (85 range).

Get a better defensive 2B... and a defensive CF (a guy with pop, unlike Doug Glanville at AAA). Clearly my team will be upgraded during next year's free agency.

You'll be saying goodbye to roughly 10 Chicago Cubs players by the time free agency hits.

But first... we still have a couple months. We went 6-19 in July and currently sport a 29-78 record (0.271 win%). We're now 33.5 GB of the New Evil Empire, ugh.

Our best hitter overall is Mickey Morandini hitting .318/.425/.404 in 314 AB with 24 doubles and 55 BB vs. 45 K. A large part of that (288 AB) has been delivered against right handers.

We have no power at all on this squad with Tony Batista leading everybody with 13 HR in 412 AB. Only one other player, Pedro Valdes has 10 HR in 382 AB. Part of it is platooning players but still, there is no power potential on this squad.

Although Cecil Fielder and Ellis Burks have combined for 13 HR, 53 RBI, and a line of .207/.310/.349 (0.659 OPS) so gotta love cheap & old free agents.

The pitching is woeful although it's not their fault (mine for deciding who cares about defense). Bobby Jones in particular I feel bad for... he had a 2.94 ERA in 7 starts in July but went 1-5.

For the year, Jeremy Fish has a 5.52 ERA in 14.2 IP with 18 K vs. 14 BB and 3 HRA.

Rick Helling has still been solid with a 4.97 ERA in 50.2 IP with 6 HRA and 42 K vs. 30 BB (1.40 K/BB).

Some prospect news...
Daniel Markham: 23 years old and struggling. Has 8 HR and a 0.579 OPS between AA and AAA in 354 AB.

Bill Archer: 23 years old and also struggling. Has 6 HR and a 0.668 OPS between AA and AAA in 379 AB.

Jake St. John: 22 years old at AA. Has a 3.34 ERA in 64.2 IP with 41 K vs. 21 BB (2,94 BB/9).

Michael von Meyer: 23 years old at AA. Has 4 HR and a 0.698 OPS in 385 AB.

Patrick Terry: 23 years old and doing okay. Has 9 HR and a 0.665 OPS between A and AA in 408 AB.

Dave Lees: 22 years old at A. Had a 2.60 ERA in 52.0 IP with 19 K vs. 14 BB before getting injured for 8 months with a ruptured UCL (elbow).

Menno Oolbekkink: 20 years old at A. Has a 3.24 ERA in 25.0 IP with 12 K vs. 10 BB.

I might entertain 1B Scott "Hero" Stahoviak as the RH hitter in a 1B platoon next season as he's decent defensively (60) and has a 0.929 OPS vs. a 0.658 OPS vs. LHP.

[DawnBTVS]

The only contract extension I'm willing to dole out goes to MR Gabe White at 2 years for $550K per year. He currently has an ERA of 5.91 in 67 IP with 58 K (7.79 K/9) vs. 22 BB (2.64) and 11 HRA.

We also finished August at 6-22 and officially reached 100 losses (35-100). We're on pace for 42 victories and since I'm hell bent on that not happening... I have plans for September defensively.

I made the move to allow Ellis Burks to start against RHP as well and he's now hitting .224/.324/.394 in 277 AB with 11 HR and 38 RBI. He also has 40 BB vs. 58 K.

Overall, the offense has done its job. I have 5 players with an OPS of .700+ on the season including Dave Hansen at .788 and Miguel Cairo is just below at .690.

We're also rather adept in stealing bases as Rickey Henderson, Mickey Morandini, Brian McRae, and Robin Jennings have combined to swipe 27 bases in 30 attempts (90% success rate).

Mike Figga is a decent slugger at Catcher but doesn't do much else to help the team with his .229/.272/.390 line in 502 AB. He does have 9 HR and 57 RBI but also 30 BB and leads the team with 137 K.

Bobby Jones continues to be a quietly strong starter for such a bad defensive team as the past 3 months he has an ERA of 4.16 with 132 IP and 74 K vs. 43 BB.

Rick Helling continues to be a nice surprise despite his 5.02 ERA. He's thrown 62 IP with only 8 HRA and 48 K (6.97 K/9) vs. 38 BB.

Jeremy Fish has struggled some since his hot introduction. He has 31 K vs. 24 BB and 6 HRA in 25 IP with an ERA of 8.64.

Our current closer, Terry Adams has 12 S on the year with a 6.56 ERA and 44 K vs. 27 BB (1.63) with only 1 HRA in 46.2 IP.

Gio Gonzalez and Darren Oliver both have an ERA of 6.01 but their records are different: 4-14 and 8-20. Oliver has been dependable with 203.1 IP and 120 K vs. 91 BB (4.03 BB/9) but has 30 HRA. Gio has thrown 140.2 IP with 87 K vs. 62 BB (1.40) and 17 HRA.

Greg Keagle has been interesting. 6.37 ERA in 77.2 IP with 53 K vs. 40 BB and 13 HRA. He actually had a 4.19 ERA in August in 19.1 IP with 14 K vs. 7 BB.

Tony Castillo has been solid on the road anyway with a 4.50 ERA in 20 IP but at home he has an ERA of 11.35 in 29.1 IP.

One small upside is that we have the fewest caught stealing in the NL and as a team our success rate is 42 SB in 57 SBA (74%).

What to expect in September?
Scott Stahoviak will be called up to face RHP at 1B and to help a bit with his 60 defense. He may platoon with Cecil Fielder who has an .809 OPS in 95 AB vs. LHP with 3 HR and 13 BB vs. 20 K.

Pedro Valdes will replace the suck that has been Brooks Kieschnick in RF where his 85 range will help.

Jason McDonald will be called up to replace Rickey Henderson and help with defense in LF (96 rating).

[DawnBTVS]

Well...

Chicago Cubs: 43-119

That kinda speaks for itself, no? The Anaheim Angels lost 108 games too... slight comfort but not really.

NL Central Standings
New Evil Empire: 94-68
Pirates: 85-77
Cincinnati: 77-85
St. Louis: 70-92
Woeful Cubs: 43-119. We paid $478K per victory.

The Hitters... First, the platoons (numbers are combined. Burks did have 240 AB vs. RHP but that's excluded for the exercise)
2B Mickey Morandini and Miguel Cairo: 566 AB - 84 R - 168 H - 40 2B - 1 HR - 50 RBI - 85 BB vs. 74 K - .297/.377/.381/.758
3B Dave Hansen and Kevin Orie: 570 AB - 68 R - 145 H - 35 2B - 11 HR - 63 RBI - 96 BB vs. 96 K - .254/.363/.396/.759
CF Brian McRae and Ellis Burks: 538 AB - 85 R - 136 H - 29 2B - 14 HR - 57 RBI - 80 BB vs. 77 K - .253/.347/.402/.749
1B Cecil Fielder and Scott Stahoviak: 187 AB - 23 R - 41 H - 11 2B - 8 HR - 23 RBI - 23 BB vs. 42 K - .219/.310/.394/.704
LF Robin Jennings and Rickey Henderson: 521 AB - 62 R - 114 H - 9 HR - 46 RBI - 51 BB vs. 97 K - .219/.313/.288/.601

Not bad production, huh? All the platoons provided either average power production or solid enough OPS if they were a single player. LF was just horrible though and I blame Rickey for that.

As for the other notable hitters...
1B/RF Pedro Valdes: 578 AB - 77 R - 164 H - 33 2B - 16 HR - 93 RBI - 69 BB vs. 99 K - .284/.361/.431/.792
C Mike Figga: 604 AB - 68 R - 139 H - 38 2B - 14 HR - 75 RBI - 39 BB vs. 162 K - .230/.276/.376/.652
SS Tony Batista: 614 AB - 58 R - 127 H - 26 2B - 15 HR - 77 RBI - 36 BB vs. 131 K - .207/.254/.336/.590

The Pitchers
SP Bobby Jones: 6-23 - 5.06 ERA - 240.1 IP - 37 HRA - 95 BB - 148 K
SP Darren Oliver: 10-23 - 5.85 ERA - 238.1 IP - 34 HRA - 103 BB - 142 K
SP Gio Gonzalez: 6-18 - 5.93 ERA - 180.2 IP - 20 HRA - 77 BB - 111 K
SP Miguel Batista: 8-20 - 7.07 ERA - 192.1 IP - 27 HRA - 131 BB - 131 K
SP Mike Hampton: 2-9 - 8.52 ERA - 62.1 IP - 11 HRA - 44 BB - 28 K

CL Terry Adams: 17 S - 5.93 ERA - 54.2 IP - 2 HRA - 27 BB - 52 K

MR Gabe White: 3-2 - 5.36 ERA - 87.1 IP - 13 HRA - 28 BB - 71 K
MR Kent Bottenfield: 2-2 - 5.78 ERA - 62.1 IP - 16 HRA - 31 BB - 52 K
MR Rick Helling: 1-0 - 6.17 ERA - 74.1 IP - 14 HRA - 42 BB - 58 K
MR Greg Keagle: 1-5 - 6.60 ERA - 90.0 IP - 18 HRA - 42 BB - 66 K
MR Tony Castillo: 1-3 - 7.64 ERA - 70.2 IP - 11 HRA - 30 BB - 36 K
MR Jeremy Fish: 1-2 - 10.64 ERA - 33.0 IP - 9 HRA - 34 BB - 42 K

Prospects with good seasons
22 years old SP Jake St. John (A/AA): 4-7 - 3.70 ERA - 85.2 IP - 8 HRA - 26 BB - 52 K
20 years old MR Francisco Espinoza (AA/AAA): 6-2 - 3.17 ERA - 54.0 IP - 7 HRA - 20 BB - 40 K
20 years old MR Ruben Estrada (A/AA): 4-2 - 3.06 ERA - 38.2 IP - 0 HRA - 13 BB - 40 K
19 years old MR Jorge Sanchez (A/AA): 8 S - 2.45 ERA - 11.0 IP - 1 HRA - 0 BB - 10 K

Playoff Teams
San Diego Padres: 103-59
Cleveland Indians: 102-60
Atlanta Braves: 102-60
Oakland Athletics: 98-64
Seattle Mariners: 95-67
The New Evil Empire (Houston): 94-68
San Francisco Giants: 94-68
The Evil Empire: 89-73

Cubs Free Agents (Guys who will hit FA this offseason)
CL Mel Rojas: 32 years old and just walks too many guys (5.40 BB/9 in 1998).
CF Brian McRae: 32 years old and making too much ($2 Million+ for zero pop)
2B Mickey Morandini: 33 years old and poor defensively.
1B Cecil Fielder: 36 years old, poor defensively, and 36 years old.
LF Rickey Henderson: 40 years old and only thing he can be is a pinch runner now.
CF Ellis Burks: 35 years old with no defensive ability at all.
MR Tony Castillo: 36 years old and unspectacular.
MR Kent Bottenfield: 30 years old with league average ability. Basically one of those dime a dozen relievers.

[DawnBTVS]

Ahoy me fang bearing Grizzly bear lovin' lads!

Cecil Fielder retired, ending his career at age 36 with a 13 HR swan song season and a career 394 HR.

In the 1999 World Series, the Evil Empire (NYY) defeated the San Diego Padres 4-0. This is rather eerie as they sweeped Oakland 3-0 and then beat up on Seattle 4-2.

In real life, the 2000 run saw them beat Oakland, Seattle, and that other New York team.

Award Winners (1st year I selected the winners). Note: ROY winners cannot have had more than 50 AB the season before at the MLB level.
AL Silver Slugger: David Ortiz - .327/.404/.612 with 45 HR and 125 RBI. Also had 81 BB.
NL Silver Slugger: Barry Bonds - .347/.503/.702 with 54 HR and 166 RBI. Also had 168 BB and 28 SB (78%).
AL Cy Young: Randy Johnson - 19-8 with a 3.11 ERA in 251.2 IP. Had 308 K.
NL Cy Young: Greg Maddux - 22-9 with a 2.75 ERA in 261.2 IP. Had 186 K vs. 28 BB.
AL Rookie of the Year: Britt Sweeting - .233/.306/.479 with 20 HR and 62 RBI in 326 AB.
NL Rookie of the Year: Pedro Lopez - .361/.379/.391 with 23 RBI and 42 SB (82%) in 274 AB.

Arbitration Results
MR Terry Adams: Will be earning $1.5 Million
SP Miguel Batista: Will be earning $293K
SS Tony Batista: Will be earning $619K
2B Miguel Cairo: Will be earning $276K
LF Robin Jennings: Will be earning $276K
1B Scott Stahoviak: Will be earning $456K
RF Brooks Kieschnick: Will be earning $276K

Free Agency
Goals - 1: Get a 1B who can hit lefties and play defense. 2: Defense in CF! Defense at SS (maybe switch Tony Batista to 2B).

My first offer goes to 1B Eduardo Perez for 1 year at $490K. He only had a .689 OPS last year but can play defense (88 rating) and hit 16 HR in 317 AB (25 HR in 500 AB). He also hit LHP to the tune of a 0.751 OPS in 129 AB.

I'm surprised to see that almost nobody can play a decent defensive Centerfield. I finally sigh and throw an offer at 32 year old Chad Curtis for 1 year at $510K. He's decent (66) and can't hit but had a 0.731 OPS with Milwaukee in 1998.

I also make an offer to SS Alex Gonzalez who is a supreme defensive SS who can also give me 10-15 HR on the year. It's a 3 year offer at $2.14 Million per year. He only had a .662 OPS last year but still had 12 HR and 32 doubles.

Another offensive offer goes to LF Jose Canseco. He's slightly average defensively (55) but still has some pop (71 rating) with 20 HR in 411 AB between 1998 and 1999. He's also 35 but it's a 1 year deal at $700K. Ellis Burks did just fine.

I finally decide to throw a bone to 3B Dean Palmer. He's again slightly above average defensively (59) but had 12 HR in only 151 AB for the Evil Empire last season (40 HR in 500 AB) and it's for 1 year at $670K.

On the pitching side of things... I make a 1 year $410K offer to MR Ryan Karp who had a 3.51 ERA in 25.2 IP last year with 23 K vs. 13 BB.

I also make an offer to MR Russ Springer who's been with San Diego. It's a 1 year deal at $450K but he's combined for an ERA of 3.68 in 127.2 IP between 1998 and 1999. He's also had 124 K vs. 58 BB.

on November 24th, 1B Eduardo Perez is the first free agent to sign with the Chicago Cubs! Unfortunately, SS Alex Gonzalez is being greedy and will likely sign with the Detroit Tigers.

I decide to make a 1 year $450K offer to SS Kevin Stocker. He has Gold Glove potential defense (101) and had a .726 OPS last year but also had 50 BB vs. 76 K.

On November 25th, CF Chad Curtis and 3B Dean Palmer both sign their contracts. 2 days later and MR Russ Springer signs his deal.

Kevin Orie will be sent back down to AAA to make room for Dean.

To close out November, LF Jose Canseco and MR Ryan Karp both sign.

On 12/03, our defense continues to improve along with the slight boost in power as SS Kevin Stocker signs, letting me shift Tony Batista over to 2B where his 112 rating will come in handy.

My final offer goes to C Brian Johnson who's yet another subpar defensive catcher (41) but has some solid pop in his bat with 17 HR in 495 AB between 1998 and 1999. I offer him a 1 year deal for $410K.

On December 15th, C Brian Johnson is the last position playing free agent to sign with the Chicago Cubs.

I decide to waive MR Mike Hampton and designate him for assignment. I still need a SP, preferably one who can strike some hitters out. I make a 1 year, $790K offer to SP Jeff Juden. He's 28 and despite a 5.95 ERA last year, he did have 148 K in 154.1 IP (8.64 K/9) and 86 BB (5.02 BB/9).

Astonishingly... the New York Mets claimed MR Mike Hampton from me. God... what a bust he was.

2 days before Christmas, SP Jeff Juden signs his 1 year deal and I officially have the 25 man roster set.

Other Free Agency News (Big Names or Insane Contracts)
Colorado Rockies signed C Ivan Rodriguez to a 1 year deal at $1.78 Million.
Florida Marlins signed RF Melvin Nieves to a 3 year deal at $19.83 Million per year.
Oakland Athletics signed RF Jeromy Burnitz to a 4 year deal at $13.99 Million per year.
Boston Red Sox signed SP Chan Ho Park to a 7 year deal at $14.22 Million per year. Ah... Dan Duquette.
Baltimore Orioles signed SS Jeff Blauser to a 2 year deal at $6.96 Million per year.
Baltimore Orioles signed LF Henry Rodriguez to a 3 year deal at $15.08 Million.
- Brief Note: Those 2 players alone will likely make more together than my whole 25 man payroll.
New York Mets signed SP Mark Leiter to a 2 year deal at $7.06 Million per year.

....

Your 2000 Chicago Cubs (Payroll of $17.78 Million!!!). Detroit is 2nd lowest at $35.75 Million. Highest is the Evil Empire at $96.18 Million (A difference of $78.4 Million). I feel so proud to be trying to hit .500 with such a cheap squad. How can you not root for a team where the highest paid player is making $4.155 Million on the year?

The Rotation
Miguel Batista
Gio Gonzalez
Bobby Jones
Jeff Juden
Darren Oliver

The Bullpen
Rick Helling
Jeremy Fish
Ryan Karp
Greg Keagle
Russ Springer
Gabe White
Closer: Terry Adams

The Infield
C Mike Figga
C Brian Johnson
1B Eduardo Perez
1B Scott "Hero" Stahoviak
2B Miguel Cairo
2B Tony Batista
3B Dave Hansen
3B Dean Palmer
SS Kevin Stocker

The Outfield
LF Jose Canseco
LF Robin Jennings
CF Chad Curtis
RF Pedro Valdes