Playoffs or bust: A 2018 St. Louis Cardinals dynasty

rink23 · 11-16-2016, 02:03 AM

This is a continuation of the thread Battling the Wee Bears: A St. Louis Cardinals dynasty (201 season) and Repairing the Redbirds: A 2017 St. Louis Cardinals dynasty
Battling the Wee Bears: A St. Louis Cardinals dynasty
http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/boar...s-dynasty.html

This dynasty will open on the first day of spring training in Jupiter, Fla.

I will let the computer sim all preseason games -- I may do some pregame lineup tweaking -- and then probably post the boxscores.

Once the regular season begins, the format will essentially be the same.

The 2018 season will be a campaign where the Cardinals will try to build on their 80-82 finish of a year before, a significant upgrade from a 74-66 finish in 2016, and make a run at a playoff berth. A year ago, the Cardinals finished 11 games out of the second NL wild card and in third place in the NL Central, eight games behind the Chicago Cubs.

It was the second straight season St. Louis had missed the playoffs since 2010 and the first time the Cardinals have had back-to-back losing seasons since 1994 and 1995.

I made no major moves in the offseason and still am seaking a second baseman and possibly a center fielder as workouts get under way.

The team's pitching was outstanding in 2017, but the offense was one of the most anemic in all of baseball. That will need to change if the Cardinals are to contend.

I don't know if there is any way for this team to be good enough to hang with the Cubs, who should be one of the top teams in the NL.
But I at least hope to make them work for the division title and at least be in the running for a wild card.

Rules:
I will be GM and Manager. I will set my lineup for every game and sim out the first five innings before taking over from there.
Injury Frequency: Variable by month of the season. (Explained in a later reply.)
Trading Difficulty: Hard and Neutral
Playoffs Structure will be traditional.
Three Division Winners and Two Wildcards.

To kind of spice things up, the AI Trading Frequency will be modified throughout the year.
April: Very Low
May: Low
June: Average
July 1-15: High
July 16-31 (Trade Deadline): Very High
August: Low
September: Low

Injury settings by month will be
April: Low
May: Low
June: Normal
July: Normal
July: Normal
August: High
September: High

rink23 · 11-16-2016, 02:25 AM

Feb. 1 - Player development report

rink23 · 11-16-2016, 02:52 AM

Former Cardinals left-handed pitcher Jaime Garcia has signed with the New York Mets as a free agent.
Garcia went 7-10 with a 3.40 ERA in his final season in St. Louis.
For his career, all spent with the Cardinals, Garcia is 71-55 with a 3.43 ERA.

rink23 · 11-16-2016, 03:02 AM

Game 1: Pirates 10, Cardinals 0, at Bradenton, Fla.

rink23 · 11-16-2016, 03:09 AM

Game 2: Cubs 3, Cardinals 1, at Jupiter, Fla.

rink23 · 11-16-2016, 03:15 AM

Game 3: Rockies 5, Cardinals 3, at Jupiter, Fla.

rink23 · 11-16-2016, 03:19 AM

Game 3: Braves 9, Cardinals 1, at West Palm Beach, Fla.

rink23 · 11-16-2016, 03:22 AM

Cardinals left-handed starting pitcher Scott Kazmir came out of his first spring training start against the Atlanta Braves with a sore shoulder. He is expected to miss two weeks.
Kazmir pitched just 1.1 innings in the 9-1 loss. He allowed four runs on three hits.
Lance Lynn will take his spot in the pitching rotation.

rink23 · 11-16-2016, 03:28 AM

Game 4: Brewers 6, Cardinals 2, at Jupiter, Fla.

rink23 · 11-16-2016, 03:32 AM

Game 5: Nationals 2, Cardinals 0, at Viera, Fla.

rink23 · 11-16-2016, 03:40 AM

Game 7: Cardinals 2, Mets 1, in Jupiter, Fla.

rink23 · 11-16-2016, 03:45 AM

Game 8: Dodgers 7, Cardinals 0, at Camelback Mountain, Ariz.

rink23 · 11-16-2016, 03:51 AM

Game 9: Phillies 2, Cardinals 1, at Jupiter, Fla.

rink23 · 11-16-2016, 04:06 AM

The St. Louis Cardinals have traded outfielder Randall Grichuk to the Miami Marlins in exchange for second baseman Dee Gordon.

Gordon will move into the second baseman's role and the top spot in the batting order. In 2017, when he was limited to 98 games because of injury, Gordon batted .291 with one home run and 34 RBIs. He stole 30 bases. In his career, Gordon is a .292 hitter with 9 homers and 179 RBIs.

With four quality outfielders, the Cardinals were expected to trade one of them and Grichuk seemed to bring a player to fill the lead-off role it needed. He hit .278 in 2017 with 16 homers and 63 RBIs. He is a lifetime .259 hitter with 68 home runs and 199 RBIs.

rink23 · 11-16-2016, 04:07 AM

Game 10: Cardinals 6, Wildfires 1, in Jupiter, Fla.

rink23 · 11-16-2016, 04:13 AM

Game 11: Padres 3, Cardinals 1, at Peoria, Ariz.

rink23 · 11-16-2016, 04:20 AM

Game 12: Reds 6, Cardinals 3, at Jupiter, Fla.

rink23 · 11-16-2016, 02:26 PM

Game 13: Cardinals 5, Diamondbacks 4, at Talking Stick, Ariz.

rink23 · 11-16-2016, 02:34 PM

Game 14: Cardinals 5, Marlins 4, at Jupiter, Fla.

rink23 · 11-16-2016, 02:43 PM

Game 15: Giants 11, Cardinals 10, 12 innings, in Scottsdale, Ariz.

11-16-2016, 02:03 AM	#1
rink23 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2013 Posts: 17,973	Playoffs or bust: A 2018 St. Louis Cardinals dynasty This is a continuation of the thread Battling the Wee Bears: A St. Louis Cardinals dynasty (201 season) and Repairing the Redbirds: A 2017 St. Louis Cardinals dynasty Battling the Wee Bears: A St. Louis Cardinals dynasty http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/boar...s-dynasty.html This dynasty will open on the first day of spring training in Jupiter, Fla. I will let the computer sim all preseason games -- I may do some pregame lineup tweaking -- and then probably post the boxscores. Once the regular season begins, the format will essentially be the same. The 2018 season will be a campaign where the Cardinals will try to build on their 80-82 finish of a year before, a significant upgrade from a 74-66 finish in 2016, and make a run at a playoff berth. A year ago, the Cardinals finished 11 games out of the second NL wild card and in third place in the NL Central, eight games behind the Chicago Cubs. It was the second straight season St. Louis had missed the playoffs since 2010 and the first time the Cardinals have had back-to-back losing seasons since 1994 and 1995. I made no major moves in the offseason and still am seaking a second baseman and possibly a center fielder as workouts get under way. The team's pitching was outstanding in 2017, but the offense was one of the most anemic in all of baseball. That will need to change if the Cardinals are to contend. I don't know if there is any way for this team to be good enough to hang with the Cubs, who should be one of the top teams in the NL. But I at least hope to make them work for the division title and at least be in the running for a wild card. Rules: I will be GM and Manager. I will set my lineup for every game and sim out the first five innings before taking over from there. Injury Frequency: Variable by month of the season. (Explained in a later reply.) Trading Difficulty: Hard and Neutral Playoffs Structure will be traditional. Three Division Winners and Two Wildcards. To kind of spice things up, the AI Trading Frequency will be modified throughout the year. April: Very Low May: Low June: Average July 1-15: High July 16-31 (Trade Deadline): Very High August: Low September: Low Injury settings by month will be April: Low May: Low June: Normal July: Normal July: Normal August: High September: High Last edited by rink23; 11-16-2016 at 02:16 AM.

11-16-2016, 02:25 AM	#2
rink23 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2013 Posts: 17,973	Feb. 1 - Player development report Feb. 1 - Player development report Attached Images

11-16-2016, 02:52 AM	#3
rink23 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2013 Posts: 17,973	Feb. 13 - Jaime Garcia signs with Mets Former Cardinals left-handed pitcher Jaime Garcia has signed with the New York Mets as a free agent. Garcia went 7-10 with a 3.40 ERA in his final season in St. Louis. For his career, all spent with the Cardinals, Garcia is 71-55 with a 3.43 ERA. Attached Images

11-16-2016, 03:02 AM	#4
rink23 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2013 Posts: 17,973	March 4 - Pirates 10, Cardinals 0 Game 1: Pirates 10, Cardinals 0, at Bradenton, Fla. Attached Images Last edited by rink23; 11-16-2016 at 03:07 AM.

11-16-2016, 03:09 AM	#5
rink23 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2013 Posts: 17,973	March 5: Cubs 3, Cardinals 1 Game 2: Cubs 3, Cardinals 1, at Jupiter, Fla. Attached Images

11-16-2016, 03:15 AM	#6
rink23 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2013 Posts: 17,973	March 6: Rockies 5, Cardinals 3 Game 3: Rockies 5, Cardinals 3, at Jupiter, Fla. Attached Images

11-16-2016, 03:19 AM	#7
rink23 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2013 Posts: 17,973	March 7: Braves 9, Cardinals 1 Game 3: Braves 9, Cardinals 1, at West Palm Beach, Fla. Attached Images

11-16-2016, 03:22 AM	#8
rink23 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2013 Posts: 17,973	Kazmir sidelined with sore shoulder Cardinals left-handed starting pitcher Scott Kazmir came out of his first spring training start against the Atlanta Braves with a sore shoulder. He is expected to miss two weeks. Kazmir pitched just 1.1 innings in the 9-1 loss. He allowed four runs on three hits. Lance Lynn will take his spot in the pitching rotation. Attached Images

11-16-2016, 03:28 AM	#9
rink23 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2013 Posts: 17,973	March 8: Brewers 6, Cardinals 2 Game 4: Brewers 6, Cardinals 2, at Jupiter, Fla. Attached Images

11-16-2016, 03:32 AM	#10
rink23 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2013 Posts: 17,973	March 9: Nationals 2, Cardinals 0 Game 5: Nationals 2, Cardinals 0, at Viera, Fla. Attached Images

11-16-2016, 03:40 AM	#11
rink23 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2013 Posts: 17,973	March 10, Cardinals 2, Mets 1 Game 7: Cardinals 2, Mets 1, in Jupiter, Fla. Attached Images

11-16-2016, 03:45 AM	#12
rink23 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2013 Posts: 17,973	March 11: Dodgers 7, Cardinals 0 Game 8: Dodgers 7, Cardinals 0, at Camelback Mountain, Ariz. Attached Images

11-16-2016, 03:51 AM	#13
rink23 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2013 Posts: 17,973	March 12: Phillies 2, Cardinals 1 Game 9: Phillies 2, Cardinals 1, at Jupiter, Fla. Attached Images

11-16-2016, 04:06 AM	#14
rink23 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2013 Posts: 17,973	Cardinals make trade with Marlins The St. Louis Cardinals have traded outfielder Randall Grichuk to the Miami Marlins in exchange for second baseman Dee Gordon. Gordon will move into the second baseman's role and the top spot in the batting order. In 2017, when he was limited to 98 games because of injury, Gordon batted .291 with one home run and 34 RBIs. He stole 30 bases. In his career, Gordon is a .292 hitter with 9 homers and 179 RBIs. With four quality outfielders, the Cardinals were expected to trade one of them and Grichuk seemed to bring a player to fill the lead-off role it needed. He hit .278 in 2017 with 16 homers and 63 RBIs. He is a lifetime .259 hitter with 68 home runs and 199 RBIs. Attached Images

11-16-2016, 04:07 AM	#15
rink23 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2013 Posts: 17,973	March 13: Cardinals 6, Wildfires 1 Game 10: Cardinals 6, Wildfires 1, in Jupiter, Fla. Attached Images

11-16-2016, 04:13 AM	#16
rink23 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2013 Posts: 17,973	March 14: Padres 3, Cardinals 1 Game 11: Padres 3, Cardinals 1, at Peoria, Ariz. Attached Images

11-16-2016, 04:20 AM	#17
rink23 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2013 Posts: 17,973	March 15: Reds 6, Cardinals 3 Game 12: Reds 6, Cardinals 3, at Jupiter, Fla. Attached Images

11-16-2016, 02:26 PM	#18
rink23 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2013 Posts: 17,973	March 17: Cardinals 5, Diamondbacks 4 Game 13: Cardinals 5, Diamondbacks 4, at Talking Stick, Ariz. Attached Images Last edited by rink23; 11-16-2016 at 03:01 PM.

11-16-2016, 02:34 PM	#19
rink23 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2013 Posts: 17,973	March 18: Cardinals 5, Marlins 4 Game 14: Cardinals 5, Marlins 4, at Jupiter, Fla. Attached Images Last edited by rink23; 11-16-2016 at 03:01 PM.

11-16-2016, 02:43 PM	#20
rink23 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2013 Posts: 17,973	March 19: Giants 11, Cardinals 10, 12 innings Game 15: Giants 11, Cardinals 10, 12 innings, in Scottsdale, Ariz. Attached Images Last edited by rink23; 11-16-2016 at 03:00 PM.