MLB Expansion - The 2010 Las Vegas Aces

[SoxCards09]

Long story short, I crashed the season by accident, so I'm restarting from scratch. Only played 9 games, but here we go..take 2..


This is a continuation of my thread: MLB 2009 and beyond.

I finally was able to restore this league that started in 2008. Here is what's happening, MLB has decided to expand and I am taking control of the new Las Vegas Aces franchise, who will be playing in the NL West. The other new team is the San Antonio Wranglers, who are in the AL Central. Here's how the 2010 re-alignment of the divisions looks:

ALE: BAL, BOS, NYY, TBD, TOR
ALC: CHW, CLE, DET, KCR, MIN, SAT
ALW: COL, LAA, OAK, SEA, TEX

NLE: ATL, FLA, NYM, PHL, WAS
NLC: CHC, CIN, HOU, MIL, PIT, STL
NLW: ARZ, LAS, LAD, SDP, SFG

I am controlling the Aces franchise, the AI is controlling everything else. I have trades turned off for now, but will probably turn them on for a few weeks around the deadline.

[SoxCards09]

As announced in my previous post, MLB has expanded to Las Vegas. Bob Brenly, who led the 4 year old Arizona Diamondbacks to the World Series championship in 2001, has been named manager of the Las Vegas Aces. Travis Lee is our hitting coach. Former Cy Young Award Winner Jack McDowell is our pitching coach and Lou Piniella has accepted a position as bench coach.

The Aces are owned by Steve Wynn and play their home games at Wynn Resorts Field, which was designed by the same people that did Chase Field. The field itself is very similar to Chase Field -- pool in the outfield, seats 43,000, retractable roof (who the heck wants to play baseball outside in the middle of the desert on a 118 degree July day??) Wynn Resorts Field is located just south of the South Point Hotel and Casino, about 6 miles south of Mandalay Bay.

Starting Rotation
Mark Prior
Jon Garland
Noah Lowry
Ryan Fierabend
Bartolo Colon

Bullpen
Bill Bray
Neal Cotts
Jeremey Sowers
Mike MacDougal
Billy Wagner (closer)
Jeremy Sowers

Lineup
C-Jason Varitek
C-John Jaso
1B-Richie Sexson
2B-Ramon Martinez
2B-Eugenio Velez
3B-Ramiro Pena
3B-Josh Fields
SS-Matt Kata
SS-Juan Castro
OF-TJ Bohn
OF-Manny Ramirez
OF-Eric Patterson
OF-Chip Ambres
OF-Kevin Mench


Mark Prior had an outstanding comeback in '09 after not pitching for two years, but was left unprotected by San Diego, so I snatched him up. He will be the #1 starter, followed by Jon Garland, Noah Lowry (who missed all of '09 with injuries), Ryan Fierabend and Bartolo Colon.

Our bullpen is nothing to write home about and my Spidey sense is telling me this will be a big problem area. I have Billy Wagnerin line to be the closer, but I'm guessing it will probably be closer by committe soon enough. Wagner missed all of 2009 with an injury and was released by the New York Mets after the season.

Jason Varitek A nice veteran addition to a young club.

Richie Sexson at 34 years old had a tremendous season for the Brewers in 2009. He was signed off the scrap heap in May when Prince Fielder went down with a season ending injury and cracked 35 HR's and hit .301. We will probably be platooning Eugenio Velez and Ramon Martinez at 2B. Shortstop could be a problem, Juan Castro isn't the best hitter in the world and his defense is average at best. I think we're solid at 3B with Josh Fields, who was left unprotected by Chicago due to the emergence of Gordon Beckham. Fields, who was an All Star in 2009, had 38 Home Runs for the White Sox in '09. Ramiro Pena and Matt Kata round out my infield.

We needed a big name player to draw, so who better to get than Mr. Drama, Manny Ramirez. We've got Manny signed for 2 years @ $20 million a year. Manny put up very Manny-like numbers for Arizona in '09 (41 HR, 113 RBI, .298 BA.) He would probably have won the NL MVP if Albert Pujols didn't do something like, oh I don't know become the 1st player since 1967 to win the Triple Crown.

The rest of my outfield - not so hot. I have speed in Eric Patterson, but that's about it. I can't see Chip Ambres, Kevin Mench or TJ Bohn being much of contributors, but we'll see.

As for our Minor League system, Baseball Prospectus has us ranked 9th. Our top prospect is a CF named Evan Frey and a SP named Sean O'Sullivan.

This could be a long year, so sit back, relax, enjoy the ride and welcome the Las Vegas Aces to MLB!

[SoxCards09]

Instead of posting after every series, I'm going to post after every Sunday game. I'll do a post of the Aces game and then do one with league leaders, standings, etc. Enjoy! Right now we are 2-3.

4/5/10 Opening Day!
Arizona 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 --- 1 3 0
Las Vegas 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 --- 2 7 0 <

WP: Prior (1-0), LP: Webb (0-1), SV: Wagner (1)
HR: Montero (1), Mench (1)

The Aces did not disappoint 42,728 fans in their first ever regular season game Monday night at Wynn Resorts Field. Kevin Mench's 2 run HR in the 4th inning was all the offense the Aces needed as Mark Prior pitched 7 2/3 solid innings, allowing only one run on 3 hits while striking out 11 with no walks. Billy Wagner came on to pitch 1 1/3 scoreless innings to pick up the save.

4/6/10
Arizona 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 5 --- 7 13 0 <
Las Vegas 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 --- 1 5 1

WP: Haren (1-0), LP: Garland (0-1)
HR: Montero (2), Upton (1)

This one was close -- until the Diamondbacks jumped all over Bobby Seay in the 9th inning, sending 8 men to the plate while scoring 5 runs in the process. Danny Haren and Chad Qualls held the Aces bats to only 5 hits while Juston Upton led the D-Back's offensive surge with a HR and 3 RBI.


4/9/10
Los Angeles 1 0 1 0 2 1 2 0 0 --- 7 9 0 <
Las Vegas 0 2 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 --- 5 13 0

WP: Kershaw (1-0), LP: MacDougal (0-1), SV: Broxton (1)
HR: Loney (1), Ramirez (1), Fields (1)

The bullpen implodes again -- tonight's recipient of a bad outing -- Mike MacDougal who gave up 3 hits and 2 runs while walking 2 in 1 inning of work. Aces starter Noah Lowry kept them in the game, allowing only 5 hits through 6 innings. It was Lowry's 1st major league start since 2007. Josh Fields led the Aces offense with 3 hits and 3 RBI, while Kevin Mench collected 3 hits.

4/10/10
Los Angeles 0 0 0 2 0 0 2 0 1 --- 5 12 0
Las Vegas 2 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 1 --- 6 9 0 <

WP: Wagner (1-0), LP: Kuo (0-1)
HR: Sexson (1)

Boy was this one ugly. So the Aces have a 5-4 lead with a runner on 3rd in the top of the 9th with 2 outs!!! Billy Wagner has a 1-2 count on Rafael Furcal. What does he do??? Throws a #!@$! wild pitch to allow the tying run to score! But Richie Sexson served as our hero hitting a walk off sacrifice fly off Mike Gonzalez in the bottom of the 9th to bring us home a victory. Ryan Feirabend, our starter, didn't look very good. He gave up 11 hits in 6 1/3 innings. I didn't want to pull him because I really didn't feel safe putting any of my relievers in. Plus, I've got Bartolo Colon on the hill tomorrow. If he makes it out of the 4th, I'll be happy.

4/11/10
Los Angeles 0 0 3 0 0 2 3 0 1 --- 9 17 1 <
Las Vegas 3 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 --- 7 9 0

WP: Weaver (1-0), LP: Cotts (0-1), SV: Broxton (2)
HR: Ramirez (2), Sexson (2)

It's official. My bullpen freaking sucks. So Manny hits a 3 run bomb in the first, we're up 3-0. The Dodgers tie it in the 3rd, but we retake the lead on a 2 run jack from Richie Sexson in the bottom of the inning. We get two more runs in 4th and have a comfortable 7-3 lead. But, my wonderful bullpen implodes again. Today's culprit -- Bill Bray -- 1/3 innings pitched, 4 hits, 3 runs, 1 walk. Yuck. Thank god Monday is an off-day.

Next week's schedule
4/13, 4/14, 4/15 -- home vs. the Giants
4/16, 4/17, 4/18 -- away vs. the Mets

[SoxCards09]

Standings Report
American Standings

Eastern Division
Team W L PCT GB
New York Yankees 4 1 .800 -
Tampa Bay Rays 4 3 .571
Toronto Blue Jays 4 3 .571 1.0
Baltimore Orioles 3 4 .429 2.0
Boston Red Sox 2 3 .400 2.0

Central Division
Team W L PCT GB
Cleveland Indians 7 0 1.000 -
Kansas City Royals 3 3 .500 3.5
Chicago White Sox 3 4 .429 4.0
Minnesota Twins 2 3 .400 4.0
Detroit Tigers 1 5 .167 5.5
San Antonio Wranglers 1 6 .143 6.0

Western Division
Team W L PCT GB
Oakland Athletics 5 0 1.000 -
Colorado Rockies 4 3 .571 2.0
Seattle Mariners 3 3 .500 2.5
Texas Rangers 2 4 .333 3.5
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 1 4 .200 4.0

National Standings
Eastern Division
Team W L PCT GB
Philadelphia Phillies 6 1 .857 -
New York Mets 4 1 .800 1.0
Atlanta Braves 4 3 .571 2.0
Florida Marlins 1 4 .200 4.0
Washington Nationals 0 7 .000 6.0

Central Division
Team W L PCT GB
St. Louis Cardinals 5 2 .714 -
Pittsburgh Pirates 3 2 .600 1.0
Cincinnati Reds 3 3 .500 1.5
Houston Astros 3 3 .500 1.5
Milwaukee Brewers 3 3 .500
Chicago Cubs 1 5 .167 3.5

Western Division
Team W L PCT GB
San Francisco Giants 5 1 .833 -
Los Angeles Dodgers 4 1 .800 .5
Las Vegas Aces 2 3 .400 2.5
San Diego Padres 2 4 .333 3.0
Arizona Diamondbacks 2 5 .286 3.5

League Leaders

AMERICAN LEAGUE BATTING

R. Cano	NYY	.579
C. Delgado	BOS	.563
T. Buck	OAK	.538
J. Lowrie	BOS	.500
O. Cabrera	DET	.480
	
On-Base PCT
C. Delgado	BOS	.680
J. Lowrie	BOS	.632
T. Buck	OAK	.625
R. Cano	NYY	.600
K. Youkilis	BOS	.579
	
Slugging PCT
C. Delgado	BOS	1.250
A. Rodriguez	NYY	1.125
T. Buck	OAK	1.077
M. Wieters	BAL	.889
M. LaPorta	CLE	.867
	
On-Base + Slugging
C. Delgado	BOS	1.930
T. Buck	OAK	1.702
A. Rodriguez	NYY	1.696
K. Youkilis	BOS	1.436
M. LaPorta	CLE	1.367
VORP
C. Delgado	BOS	12.7
M. LaPorta	CLE	8.4
A. Rodriguez	NYY	7.4
M. Wieters	BAL	6.7
A. Rios	CWS	6.5
	
Runs Created
C. Delgado	BOS	16.0
M. LaPorta	CLE	10.5
M. Wieters	BAL	10.4
A. Rodriguez	NYY	10.1
L. Overbay	TOR	9.8
	
Runs Created / 27 outs
C. Delgado	BOS	54.03
T. Buck	OAK	41.57
A. Rodriguez	NYY	27.30
R. Cano	NYY	25.34
J. Lowrie	BOS	23.94
	
Isolated Power
C. Delgado	BOS	.688
A. Rodriguez	NYY	.688
T. Buck	OAK	.538
A. Beltre	CLE	.480
L. Overbay	TOR	.458

Games
M. Alou	SAT	7
G. Anderson	SAT	7
G. Atkins	COL	7
J. Bartlett	TBD	7
G. Beckham	CWS	7
	
At-Bats
T. Tulowitzki	COL	34
D. Fowler	COL	32
A. Hill	TOR	32
A. Rios	CWS	32
C. Quentin	CWS	31
	
Runs
V. Wells	TOR	9
T. Hafner	CLE	8
M. LaPorta	CLE	8
A. Beltre	CLE	7
C. Delgado	BOS	7
	
Hits
A. Rios	CWS	15
M. LaPorta	CLE	14
O. Cabrera	DET	12
D. Fowler	COL	12
C. Quentin	CWS	12
Total Bases
M. LaPorta	CLE	26
M. Wieters	BAL	24
A. Beltre	CLE	21
O. Cabrera	DET	21
C. Delgado	BOS	20
	
Singles
A. Rios	CWS	14
D. Fowler	COL	10
J. Owens	TOR	10
C. Quentin	CWS	9
O. Cabrera	DET	8
	
Doubles
T. Helton	COL	5
M. Barrett	TOR	3
G. Beckham	CWS	3
M. Cabrera	DET	3
R. Cano	NYY	3
	
Triples
A. Casilla	MIN	2
N. Cruz	TEX	2
B. Lillibridge	SAT	2
J. Bartlett	TBD	1
J. Bautista	TOR	1
Home Runs
A. Beltre	CLE	4
C. Delgado	BOS	3
J. Dye	TBD	3
M. LaPorta	CLE	3
L. Overbay	TOR	3
	
Runs Batted In
O. Cabrera	DET	10
M. Wieters	BAL	10
M. Barrett	TOR	9
A. Beltre	CLE	9
K. Griffey Jr.	CLE	9
	
Stolen Bases
S. Podsednik	CWS	9
A. Rios	CWS	7
J. Bartlett	TBD	4
G. Beckham	CWS	4
C. Guillen	DET	2
	
Bases-On-Balls
C. Delgado	BOS	8
C. Duncan	BOS	7
C. Granderson	DET	7
G. Beckham	CWS	6
A. Cabrera	CLE	6

NATIONAL LEAGUE BATTING

Batting AVG
A. Pujols	SLN	.654
J. Upton	ARI	.545
L. Castillo	NYN	.529
R. Doumit	PIT	.500
W. Taveras	CIN	.500
	
On-Base PCT
A. Pujols	SLN	.719
J. Upton	ARI	.615
A. Gonzalez	SDN	.609
L. Berkman	HOU	.556
L. Castillo	NYN	.556
	
Slugging PCT
A. Pujols	SLN	1.462
J. Upton	ARI	1.136
L. Berkman	HOU	1.000
A. Dunn	PHI	1.000
R. Ludwick	SLN	.958
	
On-Base + Slugging
A. Pujols	SLN	2.180
J. Upton	ARI	1.752
L. Berkman	HOU	1.556
R. Ludwick	SLN	1.490
A. Dunn	PHI	1.452
VORP
A. Pujols	SLN	21.7
J. Upton	ARI	11.4
A. Dunn	PHI	8.9
R. Ludwick	SLN	8.7
L. Berkman	HOU	8.6
	
Runs Created
A. Pujols	SLN	28.1
J. Upton	ARI	13.5
A. Dunn	PHI	12.4
R. Ludwick	SLN	12.1
L. Berkman	HOU	10.9
	
Runs Created / 27 outs
A. Pujols	SLN	84.18
J. Upton	ARI	30.47
L. Berkman	HOU	20.95
O. Hudson	LAN	20.30
R. Ludwick	SLN	19.27
	
Isolated Power
A. Pujols	SLN	.808
J. Upton	ARI	.591
A. Dunn	PHI	.586
L. Berkman	HOU	.571
R. Ludwick	SLN	.542
Games
B. Abreu	SLN	7
E. Byrnes	ARI	7
J. Carroll	ARI	7
E. Chavez	WAS	7
R. Church	ATL	7
	
At-Bats
N. McLouth	ATL	31
J. Rollins	PHI	31
E. Byrnes	ARI	29
A. Dunn	PHI	29
Y. Molina	SLN	29
	
Runs
A. Pujols	SLN	14
A. LaRoche	NYN	9
J. Payton	PHI	9
L. Berkman	HOU	8
R. Church	ATL	8
	
Hits
A. Pujols	SLN	17
A. Dunn	PHI	12
P. Sandoval	SFN	12
W. Taveras	CIN	12
J. Upton	ARI	12
Total Bases
A. Pujols	SLN	38
A. Dunn	PHI	29
J. Upton	ARI	25
R. Howard	PHI	24
R. Ludwick	SLN	23
	
Singles
A. Pujols	SLN	10
P. Sandoval	SFN	9
L. Castillo	NYN	8
R. Doumit	PIT	8
A. Ethier	LAN	8
	
Doubles
R. Church	ATL	4
E. Renteria	SFN	4
J. Rollins	PHI	4
F. Sanchez	SFN	4
L. Berkman	HOU	3
	
Triples
W. Taveras	CIN	2
G. Blanco	ATL	1
E. Bonifacio	FLA	1
E. Chavez	WAS	1
S. Drew	ARI	1
Home Runs
A. Pujols	SLN	7
A. Dunn	PHI	4
R. Howard	PHI	4
J. Upton	ARI	4
L. Berkman	HOU	3
	
Runs Batted In
L. Berkman	HOU	11
R. Howard	PHI	11
R. Ludwick	SLN	10
Y. Molina	SLN	10
M. Diaz	ATL	9
	
Stolen Bases
J. Bruce	CIN	3
F. Lewis	SFN	3
S. Schumaker	SLN	3
S. Victorino	PHI	3
B. Abreu	SLN	2
	
Bases-On-Balls
A. Gonzalez	SDN	7
R. Ludwick	SLN	7
L. Berkman	HOU	6
A. LaRoche	NYN	6
R. Church	ATL	5

League Pitching Leaderboards

AMERICAN LEAGUE PITCHING

ERA
E. Santana	LAA	0.00
R. Porcello	DET	0.00
P. Neshek	MIN	0.00
F. Liriano	MIN	0.00
J. Cruz	KCA	0.00
	
Wins
P. Hughes	NYY	2
J. Masterson	CLE	2
S. Baker	MIN	1
E. Bedard	SEA	1
D. Braden	OAK	1
	
Losses
R. Madson	SAT	2
J. Verlander	DET	2
B. Backe	LAA	1
J. Bonderman	DET	1
C. Buchholz	BOS	1
	
Winning PCT
S. Baker	MIN	1.000
E. Bedard	SEA	1.000
D. Braden	OAK	1.000
M. Buehrle	CWS	1.000
T. Cahill	OAK	1.000
Saves
D. Aardsma	SEA	3
A. Bailey	OAK	3
H. Street	COL	3
K. Wood	CLE	3
J. Howell	TBD	2
	
Games Pitched
D. Wheeler	TBD	5
M. Corpas	COL	4
J. Cruz	KCA	4
J. Grilli	TEX	4
P. Hughes	NYY	4
	
Games Started
M. Buehrle	CWS	2
A. Cook	COL	2
D. Davis	SAT	2
J. Francis	COL	2
M. Garza	TBD	2
	
Complete Games
J. Peavy	CWS	1
R. Porcello	DET	1
J. Weaver	LAA	1
D. Aardsma	SEA	0
J. Accardo	TOR	0
Shutouts
R. Porcello	DET	1
D. Aardsma	SEA	0
J. Accardo	TOR	0
M. Albers	BAL	0
B. Anderson	OAK	0
	
Innings Pitched
J. Peavy	CWS	16.2
D. Price	TBD	15.2
C. Janssen	TOR	15.1
A. Cook	COL	14.1
M. Buehrle	CWS	14.0
	
Hits Allowed
J. Verlander	DET	18
C. Janssen	TOR	17
Z. Greinke	KCA	14
F. Hernandez	SEA	13
K. Kendrick	TOR	13
	
Home Runs Allowed
J. Guthrie	BAL	5
C. Janssen	TOR	4
J. Verlander	DET	4
N. Blackburn	MIN	3
D. Davis	SAT	3
Walks Allowed
D. Davis	SAT	10
J. Johnson	BAL	8
M. Corpas	COL	7
J. Lester	BOS	7
J. Marquis	NYY	7
	
Walks per 9 IP
D. Matsuzaka	BOS	0.0
K. Loe	TEX	0.0
P. Hughes	NYY	0.0
M. Hendrickson	BAL	0.0
D. Price	TBD	0.6
	
Strikeouts
J. Peavy	CWS	24
D. Price	TBD	18
M. Buehrle	CWS	17
C. Lee	CLE	16
M. Garza	TBD	12
	
Strikeouts per 9 IP
G. Gonzalez	OAK	15.2
T. Wellemeyer	BAL	14.9
A. Galarraga	DET	13.5
J. Peavy	CWS	13.0
S. Loux	LAA	12.0
K/BB
D. Price	TBD	18.00
M. Buehrle	CWS	17.00
D. Braden	OAK	7.00
F. De los Santos	OAK	7.00
F. Liriano	MIN	7.00
	
WHIP
K. Loe	TEX	0.50
P. Hughes	NYY	0.55
P. Neshek	MIN	0.60
D. Price	TBD	0.64
E. Santana	LAA	0.75
	
Hits per 9 IP
R. Porcello	DET	3.0
A. Burnett	NYY	3.9
P. Neshek	MIN	4.1
A. Loewen	TOR	4.3
E. Santana	LAA	4.5
	
Opponents AVG
R. Porcello	DET	.100
A. Burnett	NYY	.125
P. Neshek	MIN	.136
E. Santana	LAA	.143
K. Loe		TEX	.148


NATIONAL LEAGUE PITCHING

ERA
E. Stults	LAN	0.00
L. Hernandez	HOU	0.00
M. Batista	NYN	0.00
C. Carpenter	SLN	0.60
J. Suppan	MIL	1.13
	
Wins
J. Blanton	PHI	2
M. Cain	SFN	2
C. Carpenter	SLN	2
C. Hamels	PHI	2
M. Adams	SDN	1
	
Losses
C. Bradford	ATL	2
J. Hanrahan	WAS	2
B. Webb	ARI	2
C. Young	SDN	2
B. Arroyo	CIN	1
	
Winning PCT
M. Adams	SDN	1.000
M. Batista	NYN	1.000
J. Blanton	PHI	1.000
M. Cain	SFN	1.000
C. Carpenter	SLN	1.000
Saves
F. Rodriguez	NYN	3
J. Broxton	LAN	2
M. Capps	PIT	2
F. Cordero	CIN	2
B. Wilson	SFN	2
	
Games Pitched
J. Isringhausen	CHC	5
J. Lannan	WAS	5
S. Rivera	WAS	5
M. Adams	SDN	4
J. Bennett	ATL	4
	
Games Started
B. Arroyo	CIN	2
J. Blanton	PHI	2
M. Cain	SFN	2
C. Carpenter	SLN	2
Y. Gallardo	MIL	2
	
Complete Games
C. Carpenter	SLN	1
C. Hamels	PHI	1
D. Lowe	ATL	1
M. Adams	SDN	0
J. Affeldt	SFN	0
Shutouts
C. Carpenter	SLN	1
D. Lowe	ATL	1
M. Adams	SDN	0
J. Affeldt	SFN	0
B. Arroyo	CIN	0
	
Innings Pitched
D. Lowe	ATL	17.0
C. Hamels	PHI	16.0
M. Cain	SFN	15.0
C. Carpenter	SLN	15.0
D. Haren	ARI	15.0
	
Hits Allowed
C. Young	SDN	20
Y. Gallardo	MIL	16
B. Myers	WAS	16
R. Oswalt	HOU	16
B. Arroyo	CIN	15
	
Home Runs Allowed
M. Adams	SDN	3
J. Lannan	WAS	3
T. Lilly	CHC	3
A. Pettitte	MIL	3
J. Samardzja	CHC	3
Walks Allowed
M. Adams	SDN	6
C. Capuano	HOU	5
T. Gorzelanny	CHC	5
K. Gregg	PHI	5
E. O'Flaherty	ATL	5
	
Walks per 9 IP
M. Prior	LAS	0.0
A. Miller	FLA	0.0
J. Duchscherer	SDN	0.0
R. Dempster	CHC	0.0
D. Lowe	ATL	0.5
	
Strikeouts
C. Carpenter	SLN	16
A. Wainwright	SLN	16
M. Cain	SFN	15
C. Hamels	PHI	14
J. Jurrjens	ATL	14
	
Strikeouts per 9 IP
J. Duchscherer	SDN	14.1
M. Prior	LAS	12.9
A. Wainwright	SLN	11.7
E. Stults	LAN	11.3
J. Happ	PHI	11.0
K/BB
D. Haren	ARI	10.00
J. Happ	PHI	9.00
D. Lowe	ATL	8.00
J. Jurrjens	ATL	7.00
S. Burnett	PIT	6.00
	
WHIP
M. Prior	LAS	0.39
D. Haren	ARI	0.67
J. Zimmerman	WAS	0.68
D. Lowe	ATL	0.71
M. Batista	NYN	0.71
	
Hits per 9 IP
M. Batista	NYN	1.3
E. Stults	LAN	3.4
M. Prior	LAS	3.5
J. Zimmerman	WAS	3.7
L. Hernandez	HOU	3.9
	
Opponents AVG
M. Batista	NYN	.048
E. Stults	LAN	.115
M. Prior	LAS	.115
L. Hernandez	HOU	.125
J. Zimmerman	WAS	.136

Player of the Week winners

AL: Matt LaPorta (CLE) - 13-26, 3 HR, 8 RBI, 8 runs
NL: Albert Pujols (STL) - 15-22, 7 HR, 8 RBI

Injuries

Paul Konerko (CWS) - 3 weeks (back)
Yusimero Petit (ARZ) - 3 weeks (back)
Rafael Perez (CLE) - 2 weeks (neck)
Cody Ross (FLA) - 3 weeks (leg)
Max Scherzer (ARZ) - 4 weeks (shoulder)
Shane Victorino (PHL) - 2 weeks (dislocated finger)

[SoxCards09]

The inaugural 2010 Las Vegas Aces season has come to an end -- prematurely - I mean to sim a week's worth of play and wound up doing the entire season instead!!! Attempts to restore the season were futile, so we're just going to go ahead with the playoffs here.

[bwburke94]

Restarting would be the best option here.

[SoxCards09]

AL East
1. Baltimore Orioles 93-70 .571 --
2. New York Yankees 92-71 .564 1.0
3. Boston Red Sox 86-76 .531 6.5
4. Toronto Blue Jays 85-77 .525 7.5
5. Tampa Bay Rays 84-78 .519 8.5

AL Central
1. Chicago White Sox 108-54 .667 --
2. Cleveland Indians 106-56 .654 2.0
3. Kansas City Royals 81-81 .500 27.0
4. Minnesota Twins 71-91 .438 37.0
5. Detroit Tigers 65-97 .401 43.0
6. San Antonio Wranglers 39-123 .241 69

AL West
1. Texas Rangers 104-58 .642 --
2. Colorado Rockies 84-78 .519 20
3. Oakland Athletics 71-91 .438 33
4. Los Angeles Angels 58-104 .358 46
5. Seattle Mariners 58-106 .346 48

NL East
1. Philadelphia Phillies 112-50 .691 --
2. Atlanta Braves 88-74 .543 24.0
3. Florida Marlins 80-82 .494 34.0
4. New York Mets 78-84 .481 34.0
5. Washington Nationals 52-110 .321

NL Central
1. St. Louis Cardinals 106-56 .654 --
2. Cincinnati Reds 81-81 .500 25.0
3. Chicago Cubs 78-84 .481 28.0
4. Milwaukee Brewers 75-87 .463 31.0
5. Houston Astros 72-90 .444 34.0
6. Pittsburgh Pirates 71-91 .438 35.0

NL West
1. San Francisco Giants 101-61 .623 --
2. San Diego Padres 85-77 .525 16.0
3. Arizona Diamondbacks 85-77 .525 16.0
4. Los Angeles Dodgers 75-84 .481 23.0
5. Las Vegas Aces 68-94 .420 33.0

Post Season Results

Baltimore over New York in a 1 game playoff to win the A.L. East. This was rather exciting because the Orioles were 5 games out of first place going into the final week of the season. They swept the Yankees in a four game set. A victory over the A's followed by a Yankees loss to the Red Sox on the last day of the season set up the one game playoff.

Baltimore over Chicago 3-1
Cleveland over Texas 3-1
Philadelphia over San Francisco 3-2.

Cleveland over Baltimore 4-0
St. Louis over Philadelphia 4-2

World Series

Cleveland over St. Louis 4-2 to win their first World Series since 1948!

Awards

AL MVP - Nelson Cruz--TEX (.379 BA, 37 HR, 124 RBI, .653 SLG)
AL Cy Young - Cliff Lee-CLE (21-3, 2.09 ERA, 236.2 IP, 277 SO)
AL Rookie of the Year - Gordon Beckham-CWS (.336 BA, 17 HR, 81 RBI, .505 SLG)

NL MVP - Albert Pujols--STL (.402, 74 HR, 177 RBI, .823 SLG) -- Triple Crown Winner 2nd year in a row.
NL Cy Young - Chris Carpenter--STL (22-8, 2.54 ERA, 241.0 IP, 280 SO)
NL Rookie of the Year - Pedro Alvarez - PIT (.384 BA, 26 HR, 93 RBI, .648 SLG)

Honorable Mention-- he didn't win any awards, but Ryan Ludwick-STL -- hit .405 with 48 HR, 134 RBI and a .752 SLG -- missed 30 games with an arm injury and still put up those numbers. It would have been really interesting to see what he could have done if he wasn't hurt.

[MrPerfect]

WHOA, those stats are crazy. 2 batters hitting for .400, Pujols with 74 HRs, 280 and 277 Ks by the Cy Young winners. Pujols must want $50 mill a year now lol.

[SoxCards09]

Yeah, and the sick thing is Pujols has hit .400 two years in a row and won the Triple Crown two years in a row. I think Cole Hamels went something like 22-0 or 23-0 in my 2009 season but he got lit up in the playoffs. So there have been some pretty overblown stats in my two seasons so far.

[SoxCards09]

April 2011 Review

• The Aces had a fairly decent April, going 13-11. We're sitting in 3rd place, four games behind the Padres.

• The Bullpen - Our bullpen was HORRIBLE in 2010. Absolutely horrible. I would leave starting pitchers in as long as I could to avoid putting in relievers. Thankfully that's not the case so far in 2011. Right now, our bullpen has a collective 3.06 ERA, which leads the National League. Former Angels prospect 23-year old Sean O'Sullivan has been great for us in relief, with an ERA of 1.00 and a WHIP of 0.83. He has been the go-to guy in the pen. Dana Eveland and Seth McClung are pitching well, both with ERA's under 2.50.

• Aaron Cook - he was our big free agent pick up this off-season and he's been solid in the #2 role with a 4-1 record and a 3.12 ERA.

• Aaron Heilman took over the closer's role with the departure of Billy Wagner in the offseason. Not so good. He has 4 saves and only has 1 loss and 1 blown saves, but his ERA is HIGH! (7.71) His last two games accounted for the 1 loss and 1 blown save, so I'm thinking of moving O'Sullivan into that role.

• 22-year old Jeff Cantrell - next to Bryce Harper is our 2ndhighest rated hitting prospect going into 2011. He has won the SS job and is not disappointing, hitting .400.

• Manny Ramirez is not having a typical Manny start, but I can imagine his bat should begin to heat up soon

• Speaking of heating up, Manny's former Red Sox mate Jason Varitek is playing like he's 29, not 39. He's hitting a whopping .353 with 6 dingers and 18 RBI.

[SoxCards09]

[SoxCards09]

I am having way too many problems with OOTP 9 crashing..so I'm upgrading! Just converted my league to OOTP 10 and I will be purchasing OOTP 11 shortly and I'll continue in OOTP 11 !!!!

[SoxCards09]

-The biggest news of the 2011 offseason came with the relocation of the San Antonio Wranglers. The Wranglers were suffering from lackluster attendance and the decision was made to move the club to Montreal. The new club in Montreal will be taking back the Expos name and logo. The new Montreal Expos will start play in the 2012 season and will play their home games in their old park, Olympic Stadium. Their new stadium, Molson Field will be completed by the beginning of the 2014 season.

-With relocation comes realignment. Effective with the 2012 season, both leagues will be split into four divisions as follows:

American League North---Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers, Minnesota Twins.
American League South---Colorado Rockies, Kansas City Royals, Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Rangers.
American League East---Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays.
American League West—Las Vegas Aces, Los Angeles Angels, Oakland A’s, Seattle Mariners.
National League North---Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers,Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals
National League South---Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds,Florida Marlins,Houston Astros.
National League East-Montreal Expos, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, Washington Nationals
National League West---Arizona Diamondbacks, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants.

The postseason will work this way. The four divisional winners make the playoffs. No more wild cards. You have to win the division to get in the playoffs. The North Division winner plays the South Division winner and the East Division Winner plays the West Division winner. Next year, the North Division winner plays the East Division Winner and the South Division winner plays the West Division winner and it will alternate.

-The 2011 off-season saw a great deal of free agent movement of many star players. Albert Pujols and J.A. Happ signed with the Las Vegas Aces. Ryan Howard returned home to St. Louis and joined the Cardinals. The National League champion San Diego Padres strengthened their bullpen by signing Joba Chamberlin and closer Jonathan Paplebon. The Tigers signed Ichiro Suzui to a multi-year contract. The newly relocated Montreal Expos signed several big name players including Pedro Martinez, Russell Martin, David Price and Ryan Ludwick. The Chicago White Sox, who have been knocked out of the playoffs in the first round for two straight years strengthened their bullpen (Jon Rauch) and their outfield (Nick Markakis and Jack Cust.) The Chicago Cubs, 104 years removed from their last World Series championship went all out. After a 90-win 2011 season left them short of the playoffs, the Cubs signed Justin Verlander and BJ Upton. The addition of Verlander adds depth to an already strong starting pitching rotation.

- There were a few managerial changes in the offseason as well:

1. Bob Brenly resigned as manager of the Las Vegas Aces to assume their GM job.
2. Tony La Russa was named manager of the Las Vegas Aces.
3. Jim Leyland was named manager of the St. Louis Cardinals.
4. Fredi Gonzalez was fired as manager of the Florida Marlins. Bobby Valentine was named his replacement.
5. Trey Hillman was fired as manager of the Kansas City Royals. He was replaced by Buddy Bell.

-Early predictions for the 2012 season have the Texas Rangers meeting the San Diego Padres again in the World Series. Both teams stayed pretty much in tact in the offseason. The Padres made some major overhauls in their bullpen by signing Joba Chamberlin and Jonathan Paplebon.

In the American League North Division, I can’t see anyone but the White Sox taking it. They are five deep in starting pitching and their bullpen was upgraded in the offseason. They added some much needed pop in the lineup as well in Nick Markakis and Jack Cust. Neither Cleveland, Detroit or Minnesota has the pitching or the lineup to match Chicago. I forecast a third straight trip to the playoffs and a third straight 100+ win season for the Pale Hose.

The American League South Division should be dominated by the World Champion Texas Rangers. They have an extremely dangerous lineup 1 through 9, matched with an outstanding rotation and bullpen – the Rangers should be hoisting the World Series trophy in October again. Tampa lost their #1 pitcher in David Price and one of their best bats in B.J. Upton,

After a few years not qualifying for the postseason, the Boston Red Sox are the favorites to win the American League East. The Red Sox picked up slugger Ryan Braun from Milwaukee. A 1-2-3-4-5 combination of Jacoby Ellsbury, Dustin Pedroia, Victor Martinez, Braun and David Ortiz should strike fear into pitchers. Joakim Soria, a five time All Star picked up from the Royals, will assume the role of closer.

The American Leauge West is anyone’s guess. Oakland has the starting pitching, but is lacking in the hitting department. The newly moved Las Vegas Aces have a great lineup and depth (including the expected debut of #1 draft pick Bryce Harper) but their starting pitching and bullpen are question marks – even after acquiring free agent J.A. Happ from the Phillies.

The Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals should be battling most of the season for the National League North crown. Chicago has a deep rotation and one of the best bullpens in the game; St. Louis still has a potent lineup, even after losing Albert Pujols and Ryan Ludwick and their rotation is deep.

The National League South is probably the weakest division in the league. The Braves and Marlins are lacking in the starting pitching department and the Astros are the Astros. I look for the Reds to come out on top. We could have a sub-.500 division winner.

The National League East is up for grabs between the Phillies and the Mets. The Phillies lost Ryan Howard, but signed a capable replacement in Pablo Sandoval at 1B. Roy Oswalt and Johan Santana anchor the Mets starting rotation, but had down years in ’11. The recently relocated Montreal Expos could make some noise.

The Giants, despite losing starting pitcher Jonathan Sanchez and Pablo Sandoval (and not really replacing them) should be able to squeak by in a weak NL West. The Dodgers added pop to their lineup with Joe Mauer.

Next up, I will preview the 2012 Las Vegas Aces. We have a great team this year. I'm expecting being in a weaker division we can make the playoffs.

On a side note, if you do not have OOTP 11 yet..WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR????? I just did the jump from OOTP 9 and I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!

[SoxCards09]

(2011 stats)

SP - Mark Prior (10-15, 4.35 ERA, 250 K) - Prior will get his third consecutive Opening Day start when we face the Twins on April 1st -- despite a jump in his ERA of over a full run from '10.

SP - Aaron Cook (11-16, 5.07 ERA, 50 K) - Cook followed up a 17-6, 3.12 ERA 2010 season with a rather abysmil 2011 season. He's one guy I'm worried about, especially now with the move to the American League.

SP - J.A. Happ (14-6, 2.90 ERA, 260 K with the Phillies) - Happ was one of our biggest free agent signings in the offseason. Between hm and Prior, these two are going to strike out a lot of batters.

SP - Brian Burres (10-8, 5.49 ERA, 167 K) - Here's another guy that's going to get a lot of strikeouts, but the ERA scares me.

SP - Jeremy Guthrie (7-17, 6.30 ERA, 70 K) - if this guy is the 5th starter by the time June 1st rolls around, I will be surprised.

RP - Ryan Fierabend (DNP in 2011) - Fierabend spent the 2011 season recovering from Tommy John surgery. A starter in the 2010 rotation, we'll see how he does in the bullpen--for now.

RP - Aaron Heilman (5-6, 4.09 ERA, 32 SV) - Heilman will be our closer -- until I get upset with him again like I did last year and benched him for a week. Whether he's our closer by the end of the year -- that remains to be seen. His ERA DID drop almost a run and a half from his 2011 campaign.

RP - Brandon League (5-7, 5.77 ERA in 54 G with the Blue Jays) - not sure why we picked up this guy..

RP - Mike MacDougal (12-5, 4.55 ERA in 80 G) - Former Royals closer MacDougal was a pleasant surprise in '11 after being really really bad in '10. At 35, he loves pitching in his hometown and is one of the leaders in the clubhouse. An all around good guy.

RP - Seth McClung (6-2, 3.82 ERA in 54 G) - signed as a free agent from the Brewers in '10, Seth did a nice job out of the pen for us last season. He will probably rotate 8th inning duties with O'Sullivan.

RP - Evan Meek (6-2, 2.82 ERA in 77 G for the Wranglers) - He should be the 7th inning guy for us.

RP - Sean O'Sullivan (3-1, 3.07 ERA, 4 SV) - him and Fierabend are the only left handed pitchers in the pen. Sean will be used as the set up guy or the closer if Heilman tanks.

C - Bryce Harper (.412, 42 HR, 113 RBI for AAA Chula Vista) - here he is, the kid -- the 19 year old phenom. He starts the '12 season on the major league roster -- after a season and a half in the minors. Harper is versatile, he can play 3B and the outfield as well.

C - Jason Varitek (.310, 11 HR, 53 RBI) - 39 year old Varitek returns for a third season with the Aces. He signed a 1-year deal..so the '12 season will probably be his swan song. "I know this team is good," Varitek said. "We have the potential to go a long way." Varitek is a great clubhouse guy and has taken Harper under his wing. With Harper's versatility, Varitek may see 2-3 starts a week.

1B - Albert Pujols (.357, 49 HR 129 RBI for the Cardinals) - the most sought after free agent of the 2011 offseason landed in Las Vegas. Pujols missed hitting .400 for the 3rd straight season, but still won the 2011 NL MVP with another season of monster numbers. He will either be hitting 3rd or 4th in the lineup. With Bryce Hunter following him, I don't see him being intentionally walked too often.

2B - Juan Castro (.208, 4 HR, 54 RBI for the Phillies) - Castro can play 2nd, 3rd and short, but at 39 years old should be nothing more than a reserve.

2B - Eugenio Velez (.299, 3 HR, 35 RBI) - Velez, who is entering his 3rd season as a member of the Aces, has decent speed (24 SB) and is an above average hitter.

SS - Jeff Cantrell (.327, 6 HR, 73 RBI) - Cantrell narrowly missed out on the 2011 N.L. Rookie of the Year (finishing 2nd to Adrian Cardineras of the Phillies) At 23 years of age, he's a solid hitter, great fielder and was named to the 2011 N.L. All Star team.

SS - Cesar Izturis (.227, 1 HR, 24 RBI) - Izturis only played in 63 games last year due to injury. His main asset is his defense. He should be a late inning replacement at 3B with minimal starts.

3B - Josh Fields (.234, 35 HR, 103 RBI) - Fields hit 30+ HR's for the third straight season, but his strikeout numbers continue to grow as his average dropped for the 3rd straight season.

OF/DH - Manny Ramirez (.278, 27 HR, 78 RBI) - Manny managed to stay injury free for the 2011 season. With the move to the American League, Manny will find new life as the Aces everyday DH.

OF - Evan Frey (.250, 3 HR 17 RBI) - Frey was a backup for most of the 2011 season and should probably play the same role in 2012. He has very good speed.

OF - Eric Patterson (.273, 12 HR 73 RBI, 27 SB) - Patterson did just about all we asked of hm as a leadoff hitter in 2011 and will be our starting CF again in 2012.

OF - Chris Carter (.280, 20 HR, 61 RBI) - Carter did a great job as the starting RF in 2011 and will have the same role in 2012. Only 25 years old, his future looks extremely bright.

OF - David Murphy (.288, 2 HR, 16 RBI in 48 G with the Rangers) - Murphy served as a backup OF with the 2011 World Champion Rangers and adds depth to our club. Expect an occasional start now and then.

PLAY BALL!

[SoxCards09]

Test

[SoxCards09]

ROOKIE HARPER'S 1ST HR LIFTS ACES OVER TWINS



April 3, 2012

MINNEAPOLIS, MN --- It did not take long for the impact of phenom Las Vegas Aces catcher Bryce Harper to be felt. Harper went 2-for-4 at the plate and hit his 1st Major League home run at the most opportune time as the Las Vegas Aces defeated the Minnesota Twins 8-5 tonight at the Metrodome.

With the Aces trailing 5-3 going in to the 9th, they quickly tied the score on a single by Eric Patterson. With two out, Joe Nathan (appearing in his first game since 2010) intentionally walked Albert Pujols to face Harper, who hit the first pitch he saw from Nathan into the center field stands at the Metrodome, breaking the 5-all tie. "He gave me a good pitch to hit," Harper said of the 98 MPH fastball from Nathan.

Aaron Heilman survived a shaky 9th to pick up his first save of the season.

[SoxCards09]

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

So here's how things stand after one week of play. The Aces find themselves in 2nd place in the A.L. West, 1 game behind the Angels. The Rangers, Indians, Padres and Pirates are all off to good starts.

The Aces had a promising start by sweeping the Twins at the Metrodome. Game 2 of the Twins series was capped by Bryce Harper's 1st major league home run, which was the game winner for the Aces.

However, things went south in Southern California when we faced the Angels. Brian Burres was absolutely hammered allowing 7 earned runs in only 1/3 rd of an inning in a 10-8 Angels victory. We only managed to win one of our four games vs. the Angels.

Next up on the schedule is our home opener on Monday vs. the undefeated Indians and then 1 game against the Angels (scheduling blunder don't ask LOL) and then a 3 game set vs. the Twins at home.

[bwburke94]

I prefer removing the "of Anaheim" designation from the Angels due to engine limitations... and what's up with their logo? And why is the NL "North" displaying as the Central?

[SoxCards09]

Originally Posted by bwburke94

I prefer removing the "of Anaheim" designation from the Angels due to engine limitations... and what's up with their logo? And why is the NL "North" displaying as the Central?

If I remove the of Anaheim, then it screws my logo up. It puts in the default logo. Can't seem to find a way around it. I change my logos around every now and then..to make things interesting.

Thanks for pointing out the NL Central..I must fix that.

[SoxCards09]

Sorry, I had neglected to report this earlier. Hopefully this will bring a smile to the faces of Cleveland fans. God knows they don't really have that much to smile about after the LeBron James developments tonight.


Thome Smashes 600th career Homer



Friday, April 6th, 2012

Cleveland, OH--The Cleveland Indians defeated the Colorado Rockies 4-3 yesterday in a game that featured Jim Thome's 600th career home run.

In the clubhouse, the Indians designated hitter spoke about the milestone achievement. "To be honest, I don't even remember my first home run," he said. "But this one I don't think I'll forget. Who knows if I'll hit another hundred, or fifty, or even ten?"

On his historic day, Thome banged out 2 hits in 4 at-bats and scored 1 run with 1 run batted in.

Lifetime Thome has played in 2627 games, batted .275 with 600 home runs and 2432 base hits.

Thome signed a 1-year deal with the Indians this past offseason.