More Tall Tales! Andrew Zarzour and the 2010 Philadelphia Phillies

[AZTarHeel]

This dynasty story will be a compliment to a thread I started a couple of years ago called Tall Tales: The Andrew Zarzour Story.

My attempt here will be to follow pitcher Andrew Zarzour and the 2010 Philadelphia Phillies in "real time" over the coming weeks and months. This is a pivotal year for both player and club, so hopefully it will make for some interesting story lines.

I'm not going to disband the main thread, just slow down and expand upon one season in the life of my main character, his team and his baseball universe. I figured things would work better in a separate thread since the original has already reached 23 pages long. I'll still post to the original thread from time to time and hopefully keep it going beyond the life of this one (more story telling in that thread, more nuts and bolts on team and season here).

I've been wanting to do another "real time" dynasty for awhile (my last one focused on the 2004 Red Sox was pretty fun), and I've been wanting the chance to really dig in and get to know a team by playing out a lot of the games. I figured since the calendar in Zarzour's world has caught up to 2010 -- my story began with him getting drafted by the Dodgers in the late 1990s -- this would be the perfect time to try it again.

I won't promise daily updates but I'm hoping to keep my story on pace with the real-life MLB season. If all goes well, Zarzour and the Phillies will be playing for -- and winning -- a World Championship this October just like the real Phils. Fingers crossed.

But October is still a long ways off. Spring Training, though, has arrived. Zarzour and company have been in camp in Florida for a couple of weeks now.

[AZTarHeel]

Obviously, I'd love for everyone to read the main thread. But you don't have to have read all 23 pages to follow along with this dynasty. Here is a brief Andrew Zarzour primer to bring you up to speed (or a review if you‘ve already read along):

• Zarzour was born and raised in rural North Carolina, in a little town called Bunn, about 45 minutes from Raleigh. (I used to write stories about Bunn sports teams for a nearby newspaper and grew quite fond of the school and community).

• He's a 7-foot-1 left-handed pitcher, who also was pursued heavily by D1 college basketball programs (including his beloved UNC Tar Heels). Though scholarship offers abounded in hoops, he ultimately choose baseball coming out of high school and was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in June 1999. He was the Dodgers' second pick, behind outfielder Josh Hamilton, who is from Raleigh. (I covered him a few times as well as a high school player, including watching him no-hit a team in the playoffs with 90+ mph pitching).

• Zarzour zoomed through the Minors his first season, mostly because my universe was new and not very populated with players. He won his only start in September of that year, beating the Cubs and even striking out Sammy Sosa. Here is what it was like for Zarzour to see his last name on the back of a Dodgers’ jersey for the first time: STAR-STRUCK.

Here is a link detailing his first start: BEATING THE CUBS.

• Zarzour spent most of his second pro season in the Minors, getting called up to the Big Club late in the year. He finished 4-4 with the Dodgers, with a promising 3.98 ERA. He went 17-7 as a full-time starter in 2001, helping LA make the playoffs.

• The Dodgers won a World Series championship in 2002, led by ace Ramon Martinez. LA swept the Red Sox 4-0 (both teams had won 108 games in the regular season). While Zarzour posted a 12-4 record that season, he'll be remembered most for giving up a World Series record FIVE (5!) home runs in Game Four. Somehow the Dodgers still had enough offense to win the game and the Series, though Zarzour had a tough time celebrating that night after his dreadful performance.

• Zarzour spent most of 2003 back in Triple A, trying to refine his skills (his pitches tended to flatten out coming across the plate, then would get parked in the outfield seats soon thereafter). He was the Pacific Coast League's pitcher of the year (17-6 record with a stingy 1.82 ERA and an amazing 312 strikeouts) and joined the Dodgers late in the year. Zarzour was left off the playoff roster in 2003, and while the Dodgers won an whopping 119 games in the regular season, they were dumped in the NLDS by the Cubs.

• In the off-season, Zarzour found himself traded to the Phillies, his childhood favorite team. The trade was bittersweet, because while he loved the Phils, he also was leaving behind the best franchise in the Majors for the worst (Philly won just 57 games in 2003, finishing 40 games behind the division winner).

• Zarzour's time in Philly has been a mixed bag. He's been part of the turnaround in the franchise, but he's never quite achieved his own personal goals of winning 20 games, earning a Cy Young award and giving Philadelphia its first World Championship since 1980 (remember the 2008 title didn't happen in Zarzour's world).

• Zarzour came within one out of a no-hitter against the Giants on May 31, 2005. He walked the first batter of the game, then retired everyone else until an error to start the ninth. Ruben Rivera broke up the no-hit bid with two outs in the top of the ninth. The Phillies won 5-0.

• Zarzour went 17-7 (2.30 ERA) in 2005, helping the Phillies into the playoffs as a wildcard -- where they beat the Dodgers in the NLDS. Zarzour earned one of the Phils' playoff victories. Pretty sweet feeling to beat the team that traded him away. His picture, along with pitching teammates Jason Jennings and Lee Plunkett ended up on the cover of Sports Illustrated. The three "Young Guns" didn't pan out so well over time and both Jennings and Plunkett eventually were traded away.

• In 2007, Zarzour earned the clinching win for Philadelphia in Game Five of the NLDS against Arizona. But the Phillies were ousted by Houston in the NLCS in five games. Zarzour only won 11 games that season but had a great ERA of 2.77, while teammate Josh Johnson earned 20 victories (and a Cy Young).

• Zarzour missed most of 2008 with a serious injury, finishing 2-2. He did get a win for the Phils on Opening Day in Beijing, China, beating his old team, the Dodgers. On the China trip, Zarzour met the woman who would later be his wife, Gretchen.

• Zarzour returned to the mound in late April 2009 (after another injury in Spring Training). He was OK for the season (14-9 record) but he certainly wasn't as sharp as the 2005-07 stretch. His ERA and walks were up, his strikeouts were down and he found himself giving up more and more HR balls again. He went 0-3 in the post-season (17+ ERA), including a loss in the World Series. Yikes. Hence why this year is pivotal in his career.

• As a side note, Andrew Zarzour has a younger brother named Timmy Zarzour, who served in the military following 9/11. Timmy, age 27, also is pursuing a professional baseball career. He played two years in the China Baseball League (2008 and 2009) and is now in Single A with the New York Yankees. We'll keep up with Timmy's progress as well. He's battling for a starting catcher's job with a pair of other prospects.

[AZTarHeel]

Here's a career snapshot of Mr. Zarzour, age 29 ... this does not have his early Minor League numbers, nor his post-season stats from his days with the Dodgers. Those were lost when I converted from OOTP5 (!!!) to OOTP9 (which was quite a chore I might add) ... I'll likely convert to OOTP11 during this season...

As you can see, he hasn't had a bad career, though he's had it pretty rough in the post-season ...

[bubba22plus]

Ouch. 17 runs in the 2009 post season.

[AZTarHeel]

A little more background:

As you can imagine Zarzour's baseball universe is much different than real life after simming for a decade-plus. I don't think I have a single player on my Phillies roster who is on the real life team. I once had Cole Hamels but he was a bust and is now a middle reliever in the A's farm system. C.C. Sabathia also crapped out for me (now pitching in the Minors for the White Sox). Meanwhile, Keith Glauber (who pitched all of 15 innings in the Majors in 1998 and 2000) is considered the top-ranked pitcher in all of baseball heading into 2010. He went 19-5 for the Rangers last season.

I began the dynasty with "real players" in 1998, simmed a season and then created Zarzour (and Josh Hamilton). I imported "real" players every year until the database I was using became out of date (sometime around 2007-08). I did miss one draft class in 2001 accidentally. So there is an intriguing mix of real-life players and fictional dudes. If you don't recognize someone, that's why. If you can't find your favorite player here, that may be why also.

Some interesting notes about Zarzour's MLB universe. Please feel free to ask if you ever want more information about a franchise or player. I'll do my best to track down the information.

• Prince Fielder (ironically playing with the San Francisco Giants) owns the new single-season HR record, bashing 76 out of the park in 2007. At age 25, he already has 237 career homers.

• Barry Bonds had some good years (playing for the Giants, then the Blue Jays, then back to the Giants, then one year with the Nationals and then retiring with the Rangers in 2008). He caught Ruth but did not catch Hank Aaron's 755 on the all-time HR list. He finished with 728 homers. His best single-season year was 2001, where he hit 58 for the Blue Jays. He bashed 57 the following year.

• The New York teams, both of them, have been terrible for many years. I even pumped the Yankees full of extra cash early on but it must have been squandered. They've been in the back of the AL East for several years running. A quick glance reveals they'll probably be weak again this season.

• The NL Central has been pretty strong, especially the Reds and Astros. The Astros played in the World Series in 2005 and won it all in 2007. The Reds played in the 2008 series. Derek Jeter has been starting at short for the Reds for several years. Mariano Rivera was the Cardinals‘ ace starter for most of the 2000s, finally retiring in 2008. That might explain the Yankees' demise.

• The American League has been dominated by the Cleveland Indians (playing in the World Series in 2003, 2004 and 2005 and winning it twice) and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (world champs in 2006 and 2008). Manny Ramirez never left Cleveland for Boston in this world and is still there in 2010. The Kanas City Royals made the playoffs in 2009, and the Oakland A’s won the World Series.

• When I was directing the Dodgers, A-Rod became a free agent. We locked him up for five years, and he was solid. A-Rod eventually left in free agency, joining the Padres. He voided the last year of his deal in San Diego after 2009 and is now back with the Mariners. He’s a career .311 hitter with 521 home runs.

As for Josh Hamilton, he has been a multi-year all-star, moving eventually to the Baltimore Orioles, who have been better than in real life but haven't won any championships. I tried to get him in Philly but he always commanded too much money.

• Here are some of the more notable retirees from 2009: Johnny Damon … Will Cordero … Mike Sweeney … Ichiro Suzuki (played his career with the D-backs, Pirates and Mets) … Jason Varitek … Bubba Trammel …

[AZTarHeel]

Here is a snapshot of the Phillies since 2003. They've won the last three NL East titles but that still hasn't translated into a World Championship. Kind of feels like the real-life Braves of the 1990s - lots of wins but having a hard time winning the big one ...

The team seems to have made a good bit of money ... and the payroll has jumped considerably ...

Let's see what 2010 has in store...

[AZTarHeel]

Originally Posted by bubba22plus

Ouch. 17 runs in the 2009 post season.

yeah, i cringed every time he threw a pitch (I was playing out those games) ... yeesh ... hopefully 2010 will be better...

[bwburke94]

Just 21 more days...

[AZTarHeel]

Originally Posted by bwburke94

Just 21 more days...

hopefully you won't have to wait that long ... another crazy curve ball thrown at me in the work world ... i think i'm just about all caught up now... good grief, life can be crazy at times...

[AZTarHeel]

Brothers will face off in Spring Training game
Phillies Andrew Zarzour will pitch to Yankees Timothy Zarzour

March 12, 2010

Andrew Zarzour is a veteran pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies, a multi-year all-star and multi-millionaire. His younger brother Timothy is just trying to build a professional baseball career after serving in the military, currently slotted to play catcher for the New York Yankees' Single A affiliate this season.

Tomorrow's Spring Training meeting between the Phils and Yanks likely will feature at least one head-to-head meeting between the brothers. Managers from both squads tweaked their lineups a bit this week to make this showdown possible. The game starts at 1 p.m. at the Phils' Spring Training complex.

Both brothers predict each will get the best of the other.

"He never could hit any of my stuff," Andrew said in a press conference today.

"That's because you never were around the plate," Timothy shot back later in the day after hearing about his brother's trash talking.

In reality, the brothers are very close and have talked often during Spring Training.

Andrew says it's the dream of both for the two to be battery mates in a World Series game some day. Andrew has already played in two World Series, though last year's appearance with the Phillies didn't go all that great. Timothy appears a long shot to make a Major League roster, but Andrew believes his little bro has the toughness and resolve to surprise some people.

"I hope he strikes out every time he comes to the plate tomorrow, but for the rest of the season I hope he ends up as the American League MVP," Andrew said.

[HGVoyager]

Alright, some Zarzour action!

[AZTarHeel]

A good day for both Zarzours
Andrew pitches well in start, Timothy gets first hit of spring

CLEARWATER, Fla. -- The battle between the brothers in the Phillies-Yankees Spring Training game yesterday ended up as a draw.

Yankees catcher Timothy Zarzour ended up going 1-for-2 against big brother Andrew Zarzour, yesterday’s starter for the Phillies. It was Timothy Zarzour’s first career hit with the Yankees organization this spring. He went 1-for-4 in the game, scoring a run after getting aboard in the third inning.

“He just got lucky,” Andrew Zarzour said afterwards, a big grin on his face. “Even us pitchers get a hit every once in awhile. Seriously, he was pretty determined and I’ll tip my cap to him on that at-bat.”

Even though Timothy Zarzour will likely begin the regular season in Single A, Yankees managers put the 26-year-old military veteran turned catcher at No. 3 in the batting order. Timothy nearly got a hit in his first at-bat in the opening inning, but a looping liner was caught in left field.

The young Zarzour came up again in the top of the third, with his Yankees trailing by three runs. This time, Timothy wouldn’t be denied. He stroked a single which bolted through the middle of the infield, clapping his hands and looking in his brother’s direction as he arrived at first.

“That felt good,” Timothy said. “Hey, I’ve been catching him since we were little. I’ve learned to track his throws a little bit over that time. I’m just hoping it gets me started. I’d love to be wearing these pinstripes full-time sometime soon.”

Timothy Zarzour moved to second on a ground-out, then came wheeling home after a single from former Phillie Justin Leone to make the game 3-1.

“I didn’t know molasses flowed that fast,” Andrew said. “He surprised me with his burst of speed, but he’ll probably need a few days to recover after that.”

Andrew Zarzour had a solid outing overall, giving up three hits over four innings to get the win. He walked one and struck out four. This spring, Zarzour is 2-0 with a 4.50 ERA. But one of his hits and runs surrendered involved little brother, Timmy, something that is surely to be a source of conversation at the Zarzour family vacation for years.

Philadelphia won the game 8-3.

[AZTarHeel]

Well, I had hoped to spend the past few weeks building up to the 2010 Phillies season opener, but alas life threw me another series of curve balls ... Sorry about that -- still planning to play this one out, though, beginning with the season opener tomorrow ... thanks for standing by ...

[AZTarHeel]

The president's first pitch was high and outside, and as some commentators observed, way to the left.

Phillies win season opener, 3-1

President Obama's ceremonial first pitch was way high and wide. But the seven Philadelphia Phillies hurlers who took the mound Monday on Opening Day were spot on in a 3-1 victory over the Washington Nationals.

The Phils pitching crew gave up just six hits and one earned run, keeping DC hitters feeling like a Republican caught up in the health care debate most of the afternoon.

Pedro Ruiz got the win for the Phils, coming in during the fifth inning after starter Odell Jones suffered an arm injury. Jones had been humming along, giving up just two hits and striking out five. The injury is not believed to be serious, though it may shelve Philly's No. 1 ace for a couple of starts.

Catcher Ramon Orellana homered in the top of the first inning, and Francisco Ramirez added another long ball in the seventh frame. Orellana and Ramirez both went 2-for-4 on the day.

Washington's Brian Sikorski pitched well aside from the two home run balls, striking out seven and walking just one. Philadelphia managed to squeeze across an insurance run in the eighth. New closer Willie Martinez picked up his first save with solid work in the ninth.

The Phils and Nationals are expected to be the top teams in the NL East again this year after duking it out for last year's crown. The teams play again Tuesday.

[AZTarHeel]

Hey folks, I’m actually up to date playing out this dynasty but not even close when it comes to posting things.

So, I’ll try to catch everyone up now. (I’m also have a hard time figuring out which ‘voice’ I want to use with this dynasty story. Maybe first person? Maybe like before with all sorts of letters and news reports? Not sure yet).

Anyways, the Phillies (4-2) are off to a pretty good start. They swept Washington for starters, pounding the Nats in the second and third games:

4/5 - Philadelphia 3, Washington 1: WP -- Pedro Ruiz (1-0); LP: Brian Sikorski (0-1); S: Willie Martinez (1)
4/6 - Philadelphia 10, Washington 1: WP -- Jim Pittsley (1-0); LP: Kyle Farnsworth (0-1)
4/7 - Philadelphia 15, Washington 4: WP -- Jim Gully (1-0); LP: Dan Reichert (0-1)

Highlights: The Phils bashed 21 hits in the second game and held Washington to only three … Hunter Pence, Philly’s starting centerfielder, went 4-for-6 in the third game and bashed three home runs. He finished with 5 RBIs and 4 runs scored … Catcher Ramon Orellana homered twice in the series … Starting pitcher Odell Jones (the No. 1 starter) suffered an injury and will be sidelined a few weeks … The relievers didn’t surrender a single run in any of the games…


Feeling good, the Phillies headed to Florida, only to be humbled in the first two games with the Marlins. Game three brought out the big bats again. Florida, which is LOADED with lefties, could be the toughest competition in the division.

4/9 - Florida 3, Philadelphia 2: WP: Eric Cyr (1-0); LP: Thomas Crawford (0-1)
4/10 - Florida 3, Philadelphia 1: WP: Kyle Lohse (1-1); LP: Joe Beimel (0-1); S: Shane Nance (4)
4/11 - Philadelphia 11, Florida 1: WP: Jim Pittsley (2-0); LP: Matt Kinney (0-1)

Highlights: The opening game was a heartbreaker for Philly. Florida pitcher Luke Prokopec (a former Philly) kept the Philadelphia offense in check all night. The Phils finally rallied from a 2-0 deficit to tie the game 2-2 in the top half of the ninth. In the bottom of the ninth, Florida had runners on second and third with two outs, and reliever Thomas Crawford seemed to have worked out of a jam by striking out Santiago Alvarado. But usually sure-handed catcher Ramon Orellana dropped the third strike! Alvarado made a dash for first, and the throw was late, allowing the winning run to score. Heartbreak!


Andrew Zarzour pitched the 4/9 game, but didn’t get a decision. He allowed five hits and two runs over five innings, striking out three and walking none. The biggest gaffe, surrendering a two-run homer to Keith Luuloa. (On a side note, his ratings seemed to have gone down a little bit with the latest re-scout. He’s listed as a 2.5-star pitcher. He had been as high as 4.5 a few seasons ago. Sigh).

Kyle Lohse was awesome for Florida in game two. The Philly bats finally came alive again in the third game. Francisco Ramirez and Jorge Cantu both homered, while the Phils got seven runs in the fifth and sixth innings combined to pull away.


On Deck: A three-game series with the New York Mets beginning Tuesday. This is the home opening series for the Phils. The Cubbies (2-4) come to town for a weekend series.


NL East Standings as of today (4/12):
Florida 5-2
New York 5-3
Philadelphia 4-2
Atlanta 4-3
Washington 0-6


Other Notes
• The Yankees are off to an 0-8 start… wow… Starting SS Jose Lopez is out for the season with a back injury …

• The Reds lead the NL Central with a 6-1 record … The Diamondbacks are on top in the NL West at 5-3 … In the AL, Baltimore (5-1), Chicago (5-1) and reigning world champion Oakland (5-1) lead their respective divisions after the first week.

• A-Rod has five home runs already for Seattle…

• Timmy Zarzour, Andrew’s little brother, is off to a great start with the Tampa Yankees in Single A. He has batted either leadoff or clean-up, and is playing mostly 1B, even though his primary position is catcher. He has already homered three times already and is batting .267. The scouts don’t see much upside in Zarzour but it’s hard to argue with his beginning line…He’s listed with 2-star potential…

• I imagine in time (probably this summer) I'll upgrade to OOTP11... For now, we're still an OOTP9 dynasty. I'm a little nervous about messing with too much right now...

[AZTarHeel]

Gully, Phillies stymie Mets
Pitcher recovers after rough start for second win

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Things didn't start well for Philadelphia pitcher John Gully. But they ended just fine, resulting in the right-hander's second win of the season.

Gully gave up a two-run homer to catcher Joe Mauer in the top of the first inning today but little else in a 5-3 Phillies victory. Gully struck out eight and walked just one over 7.1 innings to run his early season record to 2-0. Today was the home opener for the defending National League champions.

"I think he just got mad after giving up that home run to Mauer," Philadelphia manager Roberto Kelly said of his pitcher. "He was in a zone after that."

The Phils got home runs from CF Hunter Pence (fourth of the season) and 1B Francisco Ramirez (third of the year) to spark the offense. Youngster Matt Fulkerson, age 20, made his case for the starting left-fielder's job, finishing 3-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a stolen base.

Fulkerson and fellow rookie Cameron Maybin have both held their own thus far in their quest to replace Matt Holliday, who left in free agency in the off-season. Fulkerson is 5-for-9 at the plate, with a double, a triple and an RBI.

Willie Martinez earned his second save of the season.


More headlines from Tuesday, April 13
• Pitcher Joe Smith of Lehigh Valley (the Phillies' Triple A affiliate) was suspended for nine games for his involvement in a bench-clearing brawl against Norfolk. Jose Bautista of the Norfolk Tides, who threw a punch in the contest, also was suspended.

Smith has been solid for Lehigh Valley thus far, recording three saves and a 1.29 ERA. He has nine strikeouts over seven innings. There has been chatter of calling Smith up at some point this spring, but obviously that will be on hold for at least a little while.

• The Yankees' futility continues. New York remains the last winless team in the Majors, falling to 0-9 after an 11-0 spanking at home by Detroit. The Yanks managed just three hits, drawing a chorus of boos as they left the field. Detroit's Jose Vidro went 5-for-5, with two doubles and a homer.


Wednesday match-ups
New York (6-4) at Philadelphia (5-2)
The Mets will go with Tony Aramas Jr. (0-1, 6.00), while Andrew Zarzour (0-0, 3.60 ERA) will get the ball for his second start for the Phillies.


NL East standings
Florida Marlins 6-3
Philadelphia Phillies 5-2
New York Mets 6-4
Atlanta Braves 4-4
Washington Nationals 1-6

[Springbokus]

AZ, I just spent the best part of three days flicking back and forth between Big Z's story and work, and I can tell you now, the back log of work I have to finish as a consequence was totally worth it!!

Just started my own one (off-line so far), have you got any tips in terms of the pragmatics of doing a player dynasty? Like for simming, tracking player progress, draft mechanics, etc? I'm starting my one off on OOTP 11.

Anyway, is this one still going?