Rebuilding A Champion

[Chappy]

My first experience in an online league was as GM of the Raleigh Renegades of the start-up BPLA. The league was fun, but only about half of the owners took their teams very seriously. The league folded after 2 seasons, which made me upset because by the end of the second season I had quite a team built (2nd place but very competitive). I began searching for another league.

In August of 2003 (sim date, and real life too, by coincidence), I took over control of the Pennsylvania Locos of the NPBL. This league is old-school, using no finances. The only way to build a team is through trades and drafting. It seems like rebuilding this team will be quite a challege since, as you will see, I have no minor league depth and not much to use as trade bait.

The Locos were the inaugural champions of the NPBL. The following year, 2001, they fell to 3rd place. They finished third again in 2002 and 2003. Because the team is so old and, um, void of talent, I've decided to begin an extensive rebuilding process.

I've decided to do a cross-thread experiment and share my accounts of the rebuilding of the Locos in this thread. I hope that if you are reading this thread and have never tried an online league, I can spark your interest enough to give it a try. I also hope to give some positive props for the NPBL.

[Chappy]

Right now, it is May 25th 2004. The Locos are in their usual 3rd place, 17-27, and 10 games behind the New York Barons.

For me, the first step in re-building is admitting that I need to re-build. After a hot start, I thought that the Locos could contend and had even considered trying to pick up some bats. However, after a few more sims, I've realized that this team is not good enough to compete, and in fact probably couldn't compete at AAA.

And now, it's time for a breakdown:

Catchers - Easily my deepest position

Jose Espino - 29 - .242 in 33 career at bats - I like to carry 3 catchers, and Espino is my #3 catcher. Average Range, Average Arm, 3-5-5-4 (hits, hr, bb, k). Espino is an average Joe, but he's rated 'Great' in clutch situations, so he makes a good pinch hitter.

Matthew Finck - 30 - .270 in 1286 career at bats - On this team, Finck is starting catcher material. Average Range, Average Arm, 5-2-2-4. Finck is batting .392 this season. Not bad.

Anthony Pooler - 28 - .275 in 892 career at bats - Great Range, Great Arm, 5-1-3-2. Pooler is like Matthew Finck with better defense.

Because of his stellar defense, Pooler gets the nod at C. Finck is a more than capable backup for him, and may be one of the first bats off the bench.

First Base - This is where things start going downhill...

Sydney Sedgwick - 30 - .266 in 2225 career at bats - Above Average Range, 5-5-11-4. Sedgewick is a patient hitter who doesn't ever seem to put up the numbers he should. He is good defensively, and...

...since he's the only 1B on the roster, he gets the starting nod.

Second Base - Uh Oh.

Armand Manning - 28 - .245 in 1139 career at bats - Above Average Range, Above Average Speed, 5-2-3-3.

Maxwell Pearson - 27 - .096 in 52 career at bats - Above Average Range, Above Average Speed, Excellent Stealing Ability, 1-5-3-7.

If Pearson could get on base, he'd be a threat to score every time. But he can't get on, so Manning gets the call at 2B.

[Chappy]

Shortstop - Not so good, Al

Clinton Lewis - 28 - .290 in 31 career at bats - Above Average Range, 1-3-4-2. Lewis was picked up purely for his defensive abilities.

Garry Piccirillo - 36 - .241 in 2390 career at bats- Terrible Range, Terrible Speed, 4-5-4-4. It's sad when 4-5-4-4 looks good, but next to Lewis, it does. Garry is a liablity when he's in the field or on the basepaths, and so Lewis will see a lot of innings.

Hmmm. Despite the 1 in getting hits, I've got to go with Lewis. I can't justify an E defender at SS.

Third Base - And my team captain.

Darius Mosqueda - 31 - .243 in 2284 career at bats - Above Average Range, 4-6-5-5. Mosqueda may be my best bat, which also makes him trade bait. Don't get too attatched to him.

Mosqueda plays 3B, and Clinton Lewis is Mosqueda's backup.

[Chappy]

Outfielders

Jeffrey Clow - 32 - .212 in 788 career at bats - 3-5-4-4 - CF (A), RF (B), Below Average Arm.

Miguel Cortes - 36 - .250 in 1898 career at bats - 4-5-4-3 - CF (E), RF (D), Average Arm. Cortes is historically our best hitter. However, he is past his prime.

Brenton Handel - 30 - .229 in 175 career at bats - 4-3-4-8 - CF (C), RF (B), Average Arm.

Brandon Hollingshead - 35 - .281 in 1626 career at bats - 4-4-3-4 - LF (A), CF (B), Average Arm. Another past-his-prime player.

John Pucci - 34 - .237 in 1460 career at bats - 4-3-11-5 - LF (C), RF (E), Average Arm. Another guy who walks a lot but has little else to offer.

I think I'll go with Hollingshead in left, Clow in center, and Cortes in right.

[JAttractive]

Wow you have some real stars on your hands there Good luck!

[Chappy]

Since there really are no good hitters on my squad, the top of the lineup will be set by OBP and the rest by OPS.

So, here is my lineup (with season to date stats):

1. Hollingshead (LF) .215-2-8 (.354 OBP)
2. Clow (CF) .256-0-6 (.345 OBP)
3. Sedgewick (1B) .229-4-18 (.672 OPS)
4. Pooler (C) .275-0-10 (.661 OPS)
5. Lewis (SS) .259-0-3 (656 OPS)
6. Mosqueda (3B) .236-1-12 (.581 OPS)
7. Cortes (RF) .224-2-4 (.569 OPS)
8. Manning (2B) .186-2-15 (.476 OPS)

Pitching analysis coming soon...

[Chappy]

Originally posted by JAttractive
Wow you have some real stars on your hands there Good luck!

Yes, this is perhaps the worst team I've ever seen in 4 years of playing OOTP...

Luckily, the pitchers aren't so bad.

[Chappy]

Starters

Sauron Evil - 29 - 63-56, 3.51 in 146 career starts - 8-8-7-5 (R,H,HR,W) - Badass name, Badass pitcher. Evil was the backbone of the old regime, going 20-9 in 2001. Since then his ERA has gone up and his wins have gone down, but that may just be a lack of motivation. The ratings are still there. But don't get too attatched to Evil, his days here are numbered since he's the best trade bait we have.

Gerald Johnson - 37 - 25-43, 4.14 in 76 career starts - 5-5-5-6 - Johnson doesn't make good trade bait because of his age, but he's been our best pitcher in this young season. He was April's pitcher of the month going 4-1, 1.32.

Robert Jones - 28 - 5-6, 2.97 in 14 career starts - 5-6-6-4 - Jones was acquired in a trade early in the season, and has gone 0-3 with a 5.74 ERA for the Locos. He should be better, but not good enough to bring much in a trade.

Christopher Kearns - 30 - 42-55, 3.74 in 140 career starts - 6-6-8-6 - Kearns is in his prime and would make a fine trade candidate.

Tracey Northrup - 25 - 2-2, 3.28 in 7 career starts - 6-5-6-8 - Northrup is a true rookie, and perhaps the best young player in the organization. While he would have nearly Evil's value in trade, his youth makes me want to keep him to anchor the rebuilt Locos staff.

Blaine Titsworth - 33 - 37-34, 3.64 in 107 career starts - 8-6-8-8 - Titsworth would be a great guy to trade, but he tore a back muscle on opening day and is out for the season. He might be dealt early next year or on draft day.

Jose Valvodinos - 35 - 50-57, 3.46 in 174 career starts - 3-5-6-4 - Jose may be hard to deal, not only because of his age, but because his ratings are much lower than his stats would indicate. I'm afraid he'll retire a Loco.

[Chappy]

Relievers

David Aquilar - 26 - 2-1-0, 2.49 in 18 career appearances - 6-6-6-4 - Aquilar is a true rookie, and has pitched well so far.

Michael Garrard - 27- 0-1-0, 6.11 in 24 career appearances - 6-6-4-8 - Garrard, another rookie, should do better with more experience.

Ralph Harden - 34 - 10-10-3, 3.83 in 138 career appearances - 5-5-6-6 - Harden has valuable experience, but relievers generally don't bring much in trades.

Vincent Marguez - 37 - 24-18-4, 2.86 in 376 appearances - 5-6-5-6 - Marguez is on the way out, but he is still moderately effective.

Frank Scull - 32 - 21-27-151, 3.28 in 278 career appearances - 8-7-8-7 - Scull was team MVP last year, going 4-0 with 40 saves and a 0.62 ERA. If he's repeating those numbers, he may be of some trade value, but he's already given up 6 runs this year (just 4 last year).

[Chappy]

SP Evil 4-4, 3.92
SP Northrup 2-2, 3.28
SP Jones 0-5, 5.74
SP Johnson 4-5, 2.90
SP Valdovinos 0-3, 4.13

MR Garrard 0-0, 5.32
MR Harden 2-1, 5.51
SU Aquilar 2-1, 2.49
SU Marquez 0-1, 3.97

CL Scull 10 saves, 3.31

Kearns is hurt, and will be brought up in place of either Jones or Valdovinos after the next sim.

[Chappy]

The first step in the rebuilding process is complete. Pennsylvania has sent Sauron Evil to Mississippi in exchange for their 1st, 3rd and 4th round picks in the next amateur draft. Also going to Penn, starter Felix Woo.

This trade does two things; it gives Mississippi an insanely good rotation, and it gives us three extra picks. Since Mississippi is probably going to be one of the top teams in the league this year, their 1st round pick is going to be closer to a second round pick, but we might be able to trade the pick and a player to move up before the draft. Anyhow, that's a long way off, and we've got more deals in store.

AAA Starter Hector Moreno has been called up to fill in for Evil in the rotation. The 26-year-old has no big league experience, and is currently the 3rd rookie on the staff.

[Chappy]

This is the first sim since I started this dysnasty, so I'll try to give out all the vital information. If I leave anything out, let me know!

Team Record - 21-32, 4th place in Founding Fathers North, 10 GB

GAME HIGHLIGHTS
June 3rd, 2004 - Penn hosted 1st place New York, and managed to win 6-5 in 15 innings. New York took a 1-run lead in the top of the 14th, but Penn tied it up in the bottom of the inning. In the top of the 15th, NY scored another run. In the bottom of the inning, Armand Manning's solo HR tied the score, and pitcher Vincent Marguez, who had walked after Manning's HR, scored when Sidney Sedgwick hit into a fielder's choice to give the Locos a crazy win.

WHO'S HOT
Nobody

WHO'S NOT
C Jose Espino - .095 (1-for-11) in his last 5 games.

TRANSACTION NEWS
Christopher Kearns is now healthy, and in order to make room for him, 37-year-old Jose Valdovinos has been sent down to AAA. Some may wonder why Valdovinos (1-3, 3.66) was sent down while Robert Jones (0-5, 5.27) stays up. "Despite the stats, we feel Jones has more to offer this team right now" coach Chappy said.

UPDATED LINEUP

1 Hollingshead (.375 OBP)
2 Clow (.324 OBP)
3 Pooler (.691 OPS)
4 Lewis (.655 OPS)
5 Sedgwick (.648 OPS)
6 Cortes (.601 OPS)
7 Mosqueda (.587 OPS)
8 Manning (.494 OPS)

Thin Ice: Manning is having a terrible season, and his backup, Pearson, is the only player on the team with a lower OPS. Backup SS Robert Williams, who qualifies at 2B, might see action if Manning doesn't pick it up next sim.

UPDATED ROTATION

1 Kearns 2-2, 2.73
2 Northrup 3-3, 4.05
3 Jones 0-5, 5.27
4 Johnson 5-5, 2.85
5 Moreno 0-0, 3.95

MR Garrard 0-0, 4.61
MR Harden 2-2, 6.75
SU Aquiar 2-1, 2.31
SU Margues 1-2, 4.11
CL Scull - 13 Saves, 2.53 ERA

MINOR LEAGUE REPORT

AAA LF Kevin Knickerbocker may earn a promotion soon. He's batting .306 with 4 HR, and leads the AAA team with an .878 OPS.

Our top 3 offensive prospects (Carmelo Fons, Bick Horizon and Manuel Rodriguez) are all listed as Third Basemen. Manny is going to have to learn 2B, and Bick is going to take a shot at SS.

[chambertrain]

Is this a Pitchers league? What is your leagues average for Batting Average?

Nevermind I had a look at your league and the league batting average is low.

The 1st is .241
The 2nd is .248

So some of your hitters are not that bad as we all thought.

[Chappy]

True, it is a pitchers league. I'd say from looking at the ratings of hitters on the other teams, my team's batters are still pretty bad. Most temas have 3 or 4 guys with 8's and 9's, while my highest rating in getting hits is a 5, and highest rating in HR is a 6 (from a minor leaguer with a 1 in contact, no less).

So, I'd still say my guys are bums...

[YoungEagle]

Chappy,

I don't visit the dynasty threads much, but I got bored at work so I did...
and I found this thread! As I fellow NPBLer I will be reading with interest.

More detail here than in the press releases on the npbl site.

Good luck in your rebuiling process!

[Chappy]

Thanks, YoungEagle...

Of course, I hope I don't give up too much information and wind up losing a key game or two to you...

[Chappy]

Team Record - 27-36, 4th place in FF North, 7.5 GB

Last Sim - 6-4

GAME HIGHLIGHTS
Pennsylvania @ Florida - June 11, 2004 - With Pennsylvania trailing 5-3 in the top of the ninth, 2B Maxwell Pearson hit a one-out triple scoring Darius Mosqueda. With two outs, C Jose Espina hit a ground ball to the pitcher for an easy third out, but the throw sailed over the first baseman's head, allowing Pearson to score the tying run.
In the top of the 12th, Brenton Handel tripled with one out and two on, to give Penn a 7-5 lead. P David Aguilar came in in the bottom of the 12th and retired the side in order, sealing the victory.

WHO'S HOT
RF Miguel Cortes - Last 6 games: 10-22, .455, 2 HR, 7 RBI
C Jose Espino - Last 5 games: 4-14, .281, 1 HR, 4 RBI
P Tracey Northrup - Last 3 Starts: 2-0, 2.82, 22.1 IP

WHO'S NOT
3B Darius Mosqueda - Last 5 games: 3-18, .167, 0 HR, 0 RBI
P Gerald Johnson - Last 3 games: 0-2, 5.82, 21.2 IP
1B Sidney Sedgwick - Last 8 games: 4-30, .133, 0 HR, 1 RBI
SS Clinton Lewis - Last 5 games:0-14, .000, 0 HR, 0 RBI

TRANSACTION NEWS
LF Brandon Hollingshead (.265-2-10, in 98 at bats) will miss the next 4 weeks with a pulled back muscle. AAA outfielder Allen Stafford (.247-7-25 in 149 at bats in AAA) was promoted to take his place.
34-year-old AAA Pitcher Ernesto Ambriz was released. He was 0-5 with and 8.51 ERA. We didn't see the slightest hint of an upside.

UPDATED ROTATION

1 Christopher Kearns - 2-3, 3.48
2 Tracey Northrup - 4-3, 3.63
3 Robert Jones - 1-5, 4.24
4 Gerald Johnson - 5-7, 3.48
5 Hector Moreno - 2-0, 4.38

MR Michael Garrard - 0-0, 4.94
MR Ralph Harden - 3-2, 5.00
SU David Aquilar - 2-1, 2.51
SU Vincent Marguez - 2-2, 3.20

CL Frank Scull - 14 saves, 2.86

My decision to go with Robert Jones paid off; we won both his starts last sim, and he allowed only 2 runs and 10 hits in 14.2 innings.

UPDATED LINEUP

1 John Pucci - .345 OBP
2 Jeffrey Clow - .333 OBP
3 Miguel Cortes - .707 OPS
4 Anthony Pooler - .684 OPS
5 Darius Mosqueda - .643 OPS
6 Sidney Sedgwick - .611 OPS
7 Clinton Lewis - .520 OPS
8 Armand Manning - .507 OPS

Miguel Cortes's hot hitting has moved him up to the #3 spot, while Lewis fell from 4th to 7th by hitting like crap.

MINOR LEAGUE REPORT
Francisco Soto, a top pitching prospect, has done very well in AAA. The 23-year-old ace is 3-3 with a 2.78 ERA in his first 6 starts there.
Top pitching prospect Gus MacDonald has done poorly in AA, where he is 4-3 with a 5.13 ERA. To his credit, he is itching hurt, and is only about 80% effective.
Bick Horizon, hitting .315 while learning SS in AA, was injured last sim. He will miss 8 weeks with bone chips. Hopefully this won't slow down his development too much, we need help at SS.

[Chappy]

One of the weakest spots on my team is 2B. Armand Manning, my starting 2B, is batting .198, and has managed just 4 walks in 58 games. He may not even reach 10 walks this season!

His backup is Maxwell Pearson. Pearson is 4-40 this year, giving him a .100 average. Pearson is mainly used for defensive play, where he has played error free ball with a 5.12 RF, and as a pinch runner.

The free agent pool has nothing (better) to offer.

My minor league system boasts Pedro Santillo, a 35-year-old with average range but a solid glove. Santillo is batting .269 with 6 HR in AAA, and has a career .283 average at the big league level. It might be time to make a move.


But Manning has excelled in crucial situations. In close/late situations, manning is batting .348 with 2 2B and 2 HR. Although, as they say in mutual fund ads, past results are no garuntee of future perfomance. My mind is not made up yet.

Ratings Comparison:

Batting Hits Doubles Triples Homeruns Walks Strikeouts ------------------------------------------------------
Manning   5     4       2        2      3       3
Santillo  4     4       4        4      3       5

So close.... I think I'll give Manning one more sim to get his avg up some. Otherwise, Santillo will get the call. Luckily, the pennant isn't on the line right now!

[Carlton]

Hey Chappy!

You may have started a trend, not only do you share your team with us, but you, yourself get to know your team alot better by typing it here weekly and breaking it down.

Hmmm, I may have to do that with my Ritchford Redwings

[YoungEagle]

Originally posted by Chappy
Thanks, YoungEagle...

Of course, I hope I don't give up too much information and wind up losing a key game or two to you...

No need to worry, the only way I'll get to play you would be if we meet in the series