New OOTP6 Dynasty - The Republican League

[gordyhulten]

Originally Posted by Vris

That all depends. Are you bored of Oklahoma? I don't think you should be fired. Give yourself another season. Not everything is your fault (though a vast majority could be attributed to you...no offense, I'm looking through the eyes of an owner). Winning at least one or two of those games against Missouri would've been nice, but that's the way the cookie crumbles.

Bored? No, but very frustrated, especially at the lack of development on the pitching staff.

I realize that from a traditional owner's point of view, I'd be gone:
Huge expectations + "Mismanaged" pitching staff + declining fan interest (97 --> 83) = fired manager

However, consider:
$70 million payroll + 3.44 million tickets sold (4th most ever) + $10.9 million profit = manager on the hot seat, but not fired yet

I think I'll stick around, but I might be forced to fire my Pitching Coach. :-)

End-of-season update coming later tonight, along with CatoBase 6.1.4 in the morning!

[cknox0723]

Gordy...as you said in my thread oh so long ago...I sense some frustration. Buck up, my friend. :-)

No, I don't think you should be fired, even if you lose every game for the rest of the year. It's an off year -- it's bound to happen. Remember where you started from with this team.

Actually liked the update a lot this time -- probably cause it's been so long, but...nah, this one was really good, from the quote to the pathetic state of the Ports. Or the Ambassadors. Now that is mismanagement.

[gordyhulten]

Originally Posted by cknox0723

Gordy...as you said in my thread oh so long ago...I sense some frustration. Buck up, my friend. :-)

No, I don't think you should be fired, even if you lose every game for the rest of the year. It's an off year -- it's bound to happen. Remember where you started from with this team.

Actually liked the update a lot this time -- probably cause it's been so long, but...nah, this one was really good, from the quote to the pathetic state of the Ports. Or the Ambassadors. Now that is mismanagement.

Thanks, Craig. Season's over, I finished right at .500, and I'm doing end-of-season stuff while writing the next article. I'm not fired, but officially on the "hot seat." I've been told that the owner expects to see "significant improvement" next year. Yikes!

[gordyhulten]

SEPTEMBER 2015

I’ve uploaded an updated League report here. The Catobase (current through 2014) is here.

We made it interesting, but in the end, my Oklahoma Wranglers finished at exactly .500. In other words, we were:
-- 19 games behind Louisiana for first place
-- just two games behind Missouri and a postseason berth
-- just one game behind Texas and third place
-- 16 games worse than last season
-- closer to the worst record in the league than to first place

In a season of suffocating disappointment, there’s lots to re-hash. I wish I could pinpoint one factor or a single turning point for why this Wrangler team struggled so much, but I think it was an unfortunate combination of unrealistic expectations (caused by last year’s run and career years by almost everyone) and regression to the mean (by most of the lineup and pitching staff). Unfortunately, this means that I don’t really know what to do this offseason. Changes need to be made obviously, but it’s unclear where and how and what. Just a few of the questions in my mind:
-- Which “Bubba” Lugo is the real one?
-- Which Ian Warford is the real one?
-- Are Bill Roberts and Todd Winchester good enough?
-- Why can’t I ever develop a young starter? Should I just use them as trade bait for established starters?
-- Will the real Jim Brown please stand up?

To make things more complicated, any further decline next year in the on-field product will probably cost me my job, despite having restored much of Oklahoma’s lost luster. In six years, I’ve won a Manager of the Year award, made three consecutive playoff appearances, and turned a profit each year.

And, as a further poke in the eye with a sharp stick, former Wranglers around baseball all seemed to thrive this year, giving me the definite sense that I’m doing something wrong. We’ll return to this in the “Tidbits” section below.

I’ll do a monthly wrapup now, with the full-season postmortem to come tomorrow or the day after…

THIS MONTH’S RECORD: 13-14
OVERALL RECORD AT MONTH-END: 81-81
CURRENT STANDING: 4th place, one game behind Texas, two behind Missouri and 20 behind Louisiana

SEASON-TO-DATE TEAM STATISTICAL LEADERS:
AVG: CF Cannon – .336 (third in FL)
HR: CF Cannon - 20
RBI: RF Lugo - 86
RUNS: SS DeSilva - 87
SB: CF Cannon – 20
OPS: CF Cannon – .901
SP ERA: Glancy – 3.69
RP ERA: Moffet and Serrano – 2.69
SAVES: Catoe – 38 (third in FL)
Ks: Warford - 180

MAJOR INJURIES:
Winchester strained a back muscle on 9/17, and Moffet stepped in to take his turns in the rotation.

TRADES/TRANSACTIONS:
None.

COMMENTS/LINEUP OR ROTATION CHANGES:
None.

TEAM NEWS OF NOTE THIS MONTH:
None.

PLAYER DEVELOPMENT:
Wednesday 9/4/2015:
Sergio Velazquez's control seems to have taken a bump...
Friday 9/6/2015:
Brian Procopio plate discipline seems to have faded...
Monday 9/9/2015:
Jim Brown positions himself better now, his range at 2B increases to 4 ...
Jim Brown positions himself better now, his range at 3B increases to 5 ...
Saturday 9/14/2015:
Mark Cannon positions himself better now, his range at LF increases to 5 ...
Mark Cannon positions himself better now, his range at CF increases to 5 ...
Abe Catoe's pitches have more bite now, the movement has improved!
Wednesday 10/2/2015:
David Seigner has lost some power...
Sunday 10/13/2015:
Ricardo Desilva has lost some momentum, his range at SS drops to 4 ...
Wednesday 10/16/2015:
Gary Brune has lost some movement on his pitches...
OVERALL THOUGHTS:
Now remember, I only include the “notable” ones here. I think the whole team took the last two months off, went to Dunkin’ Donuts and got fat. Nice bumps for Brown, Cannon and Catoe. Reductions for Procopio and Seigner, but nothing that affected their visible talent. Hmmm.

AAA NOTES:
None.

AA NOTES:
None.

A NOTES:
None.

MONTHLY AWARDS:
Frontier League-Pitcher of the Month:
Don Lawyer (LA)!
He had a record of 2-0 in 4 games started, with an ERA of 1.19.
Frontier League-Batter of the Month:
Luis Plascencia (COL)!
He batted .395 in 86 AB, with 4 homers and 24 RBI.
Metropolitan League-Pitcher of the Month:
Takehiko Ieyasu (GEO)!
He had a record of 3-1 in 6 games started, with an ERA of 0.88.
Metropolitan League-Batter of the Month:
Eliot Horne (PA)! - Hey, remember him?
He batted .374 in 107 AB, with 8 homers and 25 RBI.

OTHER IMPORTANT LEAGUE NEWS:
None.

TIDBITS AND FACTOIDS
Let’s do a look around the league at former Wranglers and how they’re doing:
-- LF Stephen Miller: let go after 2011 because I didn’t want to pay him $5 million per year as he declined. This year, wth DC, he hit 318/392/471 with 21 HR, 121 RBI and 24 SB as a 39yo. Inexplicably, he was the Metropolitan League MVP.
-- LF Eliot Horne left last winter for an $18 million per year deal with Pennsylvania. Horne hit 316/393/499 with 29 HR, 106 RBI and 104 R and made the All-Star team as a 34yo.
-- C Braulio Maya left in the Great Shakeup of 2013. He finished that season with Colorado, won a Gold Glove, then signed with Pennsylvania (Where Wranglers Go To Thrive) for $17 million per year. 318/416/386 as a 35yo, with another Gold Glove.
-- 2B Eddie Marzano was chaff included in the Maya-Warford trade in 2013. Now, he’s 27yo, winning a Gold Glove with Mississippi and hitting 273/370/339, while stealing 141 bases over two years.
-- CF Luis Tedesco is now 31yo and plays for Tennessee, making $14 million per year. 290/419/418 with 43 swipes.
-- SP Frank Lemus will be a free agent this fall after getting paid $28 million by Mississippi for 9-12 and 4.07. (Ed. This one makes me feel a little better.)
-- 1B Steven “Mr. Outside” Grimes was shipped to NY int eh Great Shakeup of 2013. Since then, he’s signed a four-year, $50 million contract with Colorado last year. The Bombers waived him this spring, and Nebraska was dumb enough to claim him before releasing him and eating almost $25 milllion in August. This year, he hit 265/346/390 with the Bombers and Bisons.
-- 1B Jard Nazario was the waiver claim pickup that allowed me to trade Grimes. Following him around the league, Nazario went to Nebraska this July in the Glancy trade, and hit well enough that the Bisons outrighted Grimes the next month. He’s 29yo, hit 309/409/514 with 25 HR and won’t be a free agent until after 2017.
-- Craig’s old favorite, LH MR German Torres, signed with Texas for $8 million through 2018, and is now 36yo and in 81 IP had a 2.10 ERA.

Oh, and Pennsylvania? They fell short again, by one game to Connecticut. :-)

STANDINGS:
Linked here.

[cknox0723]

Heh...I'm half-awake here, driven on by a wild game that you might just hear about in some other place, but let me see what I can manage in response. (Lots of action on these boards tonight, by the way. I love it...)

Uh...I got nuttin'. Kidding, actually - a few thoughts:

I do think that trading young pitchers is the way to go, just by virtue of TINSTAAPP. Roberts, a former number one pick, is a nice example - ridiculous talent levels, but lousy minor league numbers and lousy major league numbers, for the most part. How can you specifically be at fault for not developing that kind of guy? Just another Brien Taylor/David Clyde, methinks.

Could Brown and Lugo's declines be real? Sure, but Brown's would be awfully random in a Jeff Cirillo-sense, and Lugo...well, maybe he was over his head last year.

Warford...well, he's the first guy I can really make a guess on. And honestly, I'd say this is the real Ian Warford. When he was a stud two years ago down the stretch...look at the hits allowed. Ridiculously low. They've been low the last two years, too. If DIPS ever strikes...considering how many Warford walks, it could get worse. I'd abandon ship ASAP...but then where would you find another pitcher?

I'm afraid I have more questions than answers, but you've produced a lot of results. Rather like Billy Beane, if you would. Just 'cause you fell a bit short this year (and make no mistake, by a bit short, I do mean quite a bit...sadly enough), that doesn't mean your system is broke. And don't measure yourself by the Jason Giambis and...uh...Jason Isringhausens and Keith Foulkes and Johnny Damons.

Measure yourself instead by that lousy Pennsylvania team. Then you'll always come out ahead. Should be a neat little offseason to follow...

Wow, did German Torres really get $8 million? That's a lot of freakin' money for a middle reliever...well, for any reliever...but if there's any guy to give it to...

[gordyhulten]

Originally Posted by cknox0723

I do think that trading young pitchers is the way to go, just by virtue of TINSTAAPP. Roberts, a former number one pick, is a nice example - ridiculous talent levels, but lousy minor league numbers and lousy major league numbers, for the most part. How can you specifically be at fault for not developing that kind of guy? Just another Brien Taylor/David Clyde, methinks.

I'd agree, except in my online league I've had such luck collecting pitching prospects and then letting them develop. I've even got a 20yo in my rotation right now, and he's doing well. Maybe I've been rushing guys like Roberts and Winchester too much because of all the injuries I've had over the past five years?

I still want to meet all the people on these boards who complain this game is too easy...

Originally Posted by cknox0723

Could Brown and Lugo's declines be real? Sure, but Brown's would be awfully random in a Jeff Cirillo-sense, and Lugo...well, maybe he was over his head last year.

Warford...well, he's the first guy I can really make a guess on. And honestly, I'd say this is the real Ian Warford. When he was a stud two years ago down the stretch...look at the hits allowed. Ridiculously low. They've been low the last two years, too. If DIPS ever strikes...considering how many Warford walks, it could get worse. I'd abandon ship ASAP...but then where would you find another pitcher?

I agree about Brown and Lugo. Brown should be in that 800-850 OPS range every year, I think. And Lugo should be 850-900, but I don't really expect him to consistently perform like he did in 2014. It'd be nice, but...

Boy, it's hard to get used to the fact that Warford's just not as good as I thought. If I can get an ace in FA (where have we heard that before?), then maybe I get rid of Roberts and go Ace, Ruggeri, Glancy, Winchester and Warford, and that wouldn't be too bad.

Originally Posted by cknox0723

I'm afraid I have more questions than answers, but you've produced a lot of results. Rather like Billy Beane, if you would. Just 'cause you fell a bit short this year (and make no mistake, by a bit short, I do mean quite a bit...sadly enough), that doesn't mean your system is broke. And don't measure yourself by the Jason Giambis and...uh...Jason Isringhausens and Keith Foulkes and Johnny Damons.

Measure yourself instead by that lousy Pennsylvania team. Then you'll always come out ahead. Should be a neat little offseason to follow...

Thanks for the kind words. That's the answer to my frustrations: lower expectations!!!

Originally Posted by cknox0723

Wow, did German Torres really get $8 million? That's a lot of freakin' money for a middle reliever...well, for any reliever...but if there's any guy to give it to...

Yep. Now you know why I let him go.

Thanks, Craig, for the thoughts.

[gordyhulten]

2015 POST-SEASON REPORT

Housekeeping:
-- Updated league export after the National Series is here.
-- Updated CatoBase 6.1.4 is here!!! There’s some cool new stuff here, including progressive leaderboards and tracking of championships won and All-Star selections.
-- I’m changing the miscellaneous ratings from 1-5 to 1-10 to match up more closely to my online league, Dogs Days Baseball.

POTENTIAL OKLAHOMA FREE AGENTS
Name (POS): Salary – MLB Years: Comments
LH Richie Perry (MR): $4.37 million – 8 years: Perry is 38, and I’m hoping to find someone younger and better this offseason. Goodbye.
RH Abe Catoe (CL): $3.9 million – 6 years: Catoe is a decent closer who isn’t too expensive. Extension signed for three more years at $4 million per year.
RH Carlton Moffet (MR): $1.78 million – 6 years: Moffet is by far my best reliever and sometimes is my best starter, too. Extension signed for four more years at $4 million.
Robbie McElvain (3B): $1 million – 9 years: Spare part had a .550 OPS in 149 PA. Goodbye.
Tom O’Hare (1B): $268,000 – 6 years: Backup firstbaseman is easily replaced. Goodbye.

AWARDS
Frontier League Rookie of the Year:
Charles Hansell (NEB)!
He had a record of 10-13 with an ERA of 5.03.
In 28 games started, he pitched 179 innings, fanning 85 and walking 115 batters.
Metropolitan League Rookie of the Year:
Marcelino Resendiz (NJ)!
He had a record of 11-8 with an ERA of 3.13.
In 29 games started, he pitched 178 innings, fanning 98 and walking 81 batters.
Frontier League Most Outstanding Pitcher:
Egan Orr (OH)!
He had a record of 17-7 with an ERA of 2.31 and 1 shutouts.
In 36 games started, he pitched 242 innings, fanning 244 and walking 118 batters.
Frontier League Most Valuable Player:
Marcos Egea (MN)!
He batted .333 in 505 AB, with 43 homers and 114 RBI.
Metropolitan League Most Outstanding Pitcher:
Alonzo Barragan (MAS)!
He had a record of 19-6 with an ERA of 1.99 and 8 shutouts.
In 33 games started, he pitched 248.1 innings, fanning 188 and walking 36 batters.
Metropolitan League Most Valuable Player:
Stephen Miller (DC)!
He batted .318 in 611 AB, with 21 homers and 121 RBI.
Frontier League Gold Glove Winners:
Pitcher: Rob Malik (MS)
Catcher: Alfred Antoine (TX)
First Base: John Card (MS)
Second Base: Eddie Marzano (MS)
Third Base: Charlie Doll (IA)
Shortstop: Tomihiko Yoichibei (NEB)
Leftfield: Jewel Spurrier (MN)
Centerfield: John McInerney (COL)
Rightfield: Jim Saucedo (LA)
Metropolitan League Gold Glove Winners:
Pitcher: Mason Fridley (TN)
Catcher: Braulio Maya (PA)
First Base: Henry Joseph (GEO)
Second Base: Gerald White (PA)
Third Base: Shawn Alves (GEO)
Shortstop: George Kral (GEO)
Leftfield: Roque Aguilar (NC)
Centerfield: Pascual Torres (NY)
Rightfield: Placido Machado (NJ)

MANAGERIAL CHANGES
Jose Sanchez was fired by the Iowa Legends after just two seasons and two last-place finishes. He’s replaced by first-time manager Albert Chieff.

Legendary Massachusetts Emeralds’ field boss Harry Fichtner has retired after a disappointing season in which the Ems fell into last place for the first time ever. Fichtner is the only manager the Ems have ever had, leading them since our inaugural season in 1985. His all-time record is 2767-2257 with National Series championships in 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2007, 2009 and 2012. He was the Metropolitan League Manager of the Year in 1993, 1995 and 2009. He currently ranks first in career managerial wins and wins over .500, and second in winning percentage. His replacement is Raymond Gayle, who formerly managed the Pennsylvania Ports and Alabama Aqua Sox and was the Ems bench coach for the past four seasons.

Mississippi Wizards skipper Raul Dunleavy, who was forced to resign after publicly flirting with the Ems about their managerial vacancy. Dunleavy has a career record of 203-283. The Wizards hired Sal Mullinax for his first dugout gig.

PLAYOFF RESULTS
The Louisiana Sounds won their third National Series and first under manager Rafael Zamora in six games over the New Jersey Curve. The National Series MVP was Sounds’ 1B Lex Neth, who hit three homers against the Curve.

OVERALL THOUGHTS
TINSTAAPP and “regression to the mean” are the two ways to best summarize this season for us. My inability to develop a front-line starter means I’ve got to go buy one this offseason, as well as fill holes at 2B, and in the bullpen. First base is a question mark, but I feel pretty good about David Russo. I also need to think about the future of 3B Jim Brown, OF Pablo Conejo, OF Paul “Spike” Korn, RH Bill Roberts (likely traded or demoted to AAA), LH Ian Warford, RH Todd Winchester and injured innings-eater RH Derek May.

For the league, there were some notable items:
-- Minnesota’s LF Marcos Egea set a new single-season record with 52.8 Win Shares. He also won his sixth FL MVP. Egea is 34yo, and needs 145 more HR to tie the career record.
-- This year’s fifth overall pick, 22yo RH Bill “Bats” Izu made just two minor-league starts before jumping into a pennant race. He went 12-5 with a 2.96 ERA in 19 starts, but lost his two postseason starts to NJ.
-- The Mississippi Wizards hit just 57 HRs, the fewest total in FL history. They were led by 3B Tim Fluker’s nine dingers. The Wizards also had the lowest SLG in FL history.
-- Missouri’s LF Gideon Fargo set a new single-season record for triples with 18.
-- Some amazing Pythagorean record discrepancies this year. We’ve talked a lot about the DC Ambassadors, who finished 11 games below their projection and “should” have won their division. But in the Union Divison, Connecticut snuck into the postseason by exceeding their projection by nine games while their closest competitors, Pennsylvania and New York were both ten games worse than their projections. Strange.
-- The ML MVP, DC’s CF Stephen Miller had just 18.4 offensive Win Shares and 20.3 total Win Shares, the 32nd highest total in the league. The gap between his Win Shares and FL MVP Marcos Egea’s is 32.5, which would be high enough to win the MVP most years. I would have chosen Georgia’s C Wilson Carnahan as ML MVP, but nobody asked me.
-- Missouri LF Amaury Echeveste retired and was inducted into the Hall-of-Fame, with a .306 lifetime average, 2661 hits and 2051 walks.
-- Perhaps the second greatest pitcher ever, Lucien Mascarenas has retired at age 43. Mascasrenas won three MOP Awards, and was a nine-time All-Star. His career stats are 2.89 ERA (6th all-time), 291 wins (2nd), 3413 strikeouts (3rd), 1.11 WhiP (4th). Mascarenas’ 2006 campaign (27-3, 1.19, 248 K, 24 BB, 4 SHO) is unquestionably the best pitching performance ever.

[gordyhulten]

2016 - HIRING COACHES & SCOUTS

My AA Manager Craig Schrom retired, so I hired John Davis (LEGENDARY/LEGENDARY) for four years at $1.25 million.

[gordyhulten]

2016 OKLAHOMA WRANGLERS PRE-FREE AGENCY

HOUSEKEEPING
End-of-2015 league export
Updated CatoBase, including 2015

My monthly player evaluation adjustments:
January 1 – April 31: 50% ratings / 0% for 2013 stats / 30% for 2012 stats / 20% for 2011 stats
May 1 – May 31: 50 / 5 / 30 / 15
June 1 – June 30: 50 / 15 / 25 / 10
July 1 – July 31: 50 / 25 / 25 / 0
August 1 – December 31: 50 / 35 / 15 / 0

PRE-FREE AGENCY TRANSACTIONS
Minors Manager Craig Schrom retires.
Mark Cannon gets a new one-year contract worth $5,500,000 through salary arbitration.
Pablo Conejo gets a new one-year contract worth $3,664,286 through salary arbitration.
Todd Winchester gets a new one-year contract worth $2,964,286 through salary arbitration.
Derek May gets a new one-year contract worth $1,450,000 through salary arbitration.
Jewell Beus gets a new one-year contract worth $992,857 through salary arbitration.
Bill Roberts gets a new one-year contract worth $435,000 through salary arbitration.
Robby McElvain becomes a free agent.
Richie Perry becomes a free agent.
Tom O’Hare becomes a free agent.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
Well-deserved raise for Cannon, and some suspect awards for Conejo, Winchester, May and Beus.

POSITION REPORT: Catchers
Brian Procopio (Tal 8/7/7/10/8) made his first All-Star appearance yesterday, hitting 300/374/391. I’m optimistic that his power is just developing, and he won’t be a free agent until after 2019. My backup is Ruben Brown (Tal 5/4/5/6/6). My only catching prospect is a good one, Valeriano Cobas (Tal 9/7/6/10/6) is 23yo and hit 293/388/435 at AAA last year and is a good defender. OVERALL THOUGHTS: I’m hoping Procopio takes a giant step forward, hitting about 325/450/500. Cobas could eventually replace Procopio behind the plate by pushing him to 1B.

POSITION REPORT: First Basemen
I think that David Russo (Tal 7/6/8/7/8), is a 26yo switch-hitter who got the job after I traded Nazario. He’s probably not ready to start full-time, but he mashes lefties, so I might platoon him this year if I can find a decent partner. Conejo (see Outfielders) will be the primary backup if I don’t platoon, and the minor league system is devoid of promising first basemen. OVERALL THOUGHTS: Even if Russo plays full-time, it won’t hurt too bad. My team’s biggest weakness is that my lineup is too left-handed, so his ability to hit southpaws is valuable just on its own.

POSITION REPORT: Second Basemen
Second base was, by far, my weakest position last year and it’s in need of an upgrade. Axel Campos (Tal 6/7/8/5/6) started last year, but I’d prefer he be the backup this year. Another potential backup middle-infielder is Jose Machuca (Tal 8/8/4/4/7), who can also play short and third. Down on the farm, uber-prospect 2B David Seigner (Tal 7/10/7/10/7) is 25 and repeating AAA after a 256/378/405 season. Richard Logston (Tal 6/7/4/6/5) is 24yo but hasn’t escaped AA yet. OVERALL THOUGHTS: After finding a stud SP, this is my highest priority for upgrade this offseason. I wish I could just promote Seigner, but his presence will allow me to take a risk on a short contract for an older stop-gap.

POSITION REPORT: Third Basemen
My own personal oddity, LH 3B Jim Brown (Tal 7/7/8/9/7) had a terrible 2015 (253/356/351) and continues to underperform. He’s now 30yo, and I need him to return at least to his career line (302/387/401). Backups include Campos, Machuca and 3B Joseph Stricker (Tal 3/7/3/9/5). Youngster Tobias Garza (Tal 8/6/4/6/6) is 23 and hit just 258/348/320. OVERALL THOUGHTS: I’m not going to replace Brown, but another year of 700-ish OPS and I’ll try to do something in July. Garza looks like a lost cause.

POSITION REPORT: Shortstops
Ricardo DeSilva (Tal 8/7/10/5/7) is 27yo and has been a starter for five years. It looks like he’s going to settle in at around 300/370/400 with good defense, which is fine with me. Campos and Machuca can provide relief. OVERALL THOUGHTS: At $3.5 million per year, DeSilva is a nice bargain, and any improvement would be gravy.

POSITION REPORT: Outfielders
Center field was a very successful platoon, featuring Mark Cannon (Tal 8/8/9/2/7) and Silas Carstensen (Tal 7/6/8/4/8). LF was an abyss last year, with a platoon between young Paul “Spike” Korn (Tal 9/8/7/6/7) (190/242/259) and veteran Pablo Conejo (Tal 6/5/8/10/6) (204/342/417). I’ve got to give Korn another year, and I think Conejo will rebound, but he’s getting expensive ($3.6 million) and old (32). I wonder if I can get something for him in a trade? If not, I’ll either repeat the platoon or shift Cannon to left. Right field is manned by Domingo “Bubba” Lugo (Tal 8/7/10/8/6), who dropped 200 points of OPS last year, which is very troubling. OVERALL THOUGHTS: I’m reluctant to give Korn and Conejo too many ABs, and I’m leaning towards Cannon, Carstensen and Lugo as my full-time OF. Lugo’s gotta return to form.

POSITION REPORT: Starting Pitchers
I need an ace. I’ve got some solid middle-of-the-rotation guys with RH Graeme Ruggeri (Tal 6 Stuff / 7 Movement / 8 Control), LH Ken Glancy (Tal 10/2/10), and LH Ian Warford (Tal 10/9/1). RH Todd Winchester (Tal 10/6/10) still hasn’t lived up to his potential, but might be OK as a #5. Oft-injured RH Derek May (Tal 8/3/8) and oft-hammered RH Bill Roberts (Tal 9/5/4) will either be traded or moved to AAA as emergency depth. Down on the farm, my frustration in developing SPs continues, as 24yo SP Andrew Northrup (Tal 8/9/5) has suffered numerous talent decreases, and walked more batters than he struck out in AAA last year.
OVERALL THOUGHTS: Ruggeri won’t win 18 games again, but he and Warford and Glancy and Winchester are each capable of a 3.50 ERA with 12-15 wins. What we need is an anchor, someone who can take the ball every fifth day and make us the favorite every time. The farm is getting kind of thin – maybe I can get something for May and/or Roberts?

POSITION REPORT: Relief Pitchers
I extended the contract of RH Abe Catoe (Tal 9/9/6) and he’ll resume duties, now as a Proven Closer (TM)! From the right side, RH Carlton Moffet (Tal 8/3/7), RH Eric Finnell (Tal 9/6/6) and RH Eddie Cardenas (Tal 4/2/9) should be just fine. RH Sergio Velazquez (Tal 7/6/6) is an option as a mopup guy. Lefties are LH Hector Serrano (Tal 7/10/8) (who is outstanding) and LH Jewell Beus (Tal 4/3/10) (who isn’t, and might be released). Prospects include RH Jeffery Harmon (Tal 10/7/7), RH Filiberto Lopez (Tal 6/8/9), MR Xavier Belmonte (Tal 4/6/8) and MR Kyle Ricker (Tal 8/8/8). OVERALL THOUGHTS: I don’t know. I think they’ll be OK. I could use another lefty, but it’s not an emergency. Relievers are just so inconsistent.

[gordyhulten]

2016 FREE AGENCY PERIOD REPORT

FINANCIAL/FRONT OFFICE SITUATION
Fan Interest: 83 (5th highest in league)
Team Market: Tiny
Fan Loyalty: Very Good
Cash on Hand: $36,642,879
Total Payroll: $73,316,429 (8th highest in league)
Last Year Income: $82,668,772
Available Money: $41,745,222

My income dropped by about $3 million last year, due to the lack of postseason revenue.

I think I found my platoon partner at 1B by claiming Wilfredo Melo (Tal 6/4/7/4/5) off waivers from Nebraska. He’s signed for this year only at $3 million, but his lifetime numbers vs. lefties are 326/390/462, so I think he’ll pair up nicely with Russo.

There are some interesting Free Agents available this year, led by two stud SPs, RH Yoritoki Seiesnsui and LH Mike Smith. Unfortunately, neither one of them will negotiate with me, as they hate my organization.

At second base, I like Bill Merkel and Andrew Clouser. Of course, the feel the same way. The same way as Seiesnsui and Smith that is – “I don’t like your organization (go pound sand).”

Why is it that almost every year, every single FA that I’m interested in refuses to negotiate with me? What’s wrong with my organization, anyway? Do we have an unusually high occurrence of smallpox or something?

In addition, there are the usual litany of very good MRs and CLs on the marketplace as well, but I’m not interested in any of them. Thus, I’m going to have to try and improve my team via trade.

I need a frontline starter very badly, and I am definitely going to shop OF Pablo Conejo, starters RH Derek May, Bill Roberts and Ian Warford (I really don’t want to trade him, but want to see what I can maybe get), and LH MR Jewell Beus.

I’m not going to shop OF Paul “Spike” Korn, even though he’s been disappointing. If I need to move him to get the guy I really want, then adios. But I hope he’ll spend this year as a backup with me, as he’s still only 24yo and has great potential.

DESIRES
A dominant SP (again, but the two guys I want won’t talk to me)
A second baseman (but the two guys I want won’t talk to me)
Left-handed MR (tentatively)
A backup, LH 1B (nevermind - picked up Melo off waivers during Coaches & Scouts)

TRADES
Trade #1: Since I need a stud SP so badly, I decided to go after the best guy under 30 who was even remotely available, and just find out what the price might be. There are some very attractive players out there (evidently everybody else knows how to develop pitchers…):
-- New York’s 28yo RH Norris Curd (12-9, 3.56 last year)
-- Georgia’s 28yo RH Takehiko Ieyasu (14-6, 2.80)
-- Connecticut’s 28yo RH Albert Dueño 19-10, 2.79)
-- Connecticut’s 23yo wunderkind RH Bill “Bats” Izu (12-5, 2.96)

I really wanted to talk about Izu, but I couldn’t make him my first priority, as he’s so young and if he has a sophomore slump, then this whole exercise was for naught. Curd walks too many (he’s like a right-handed Warford), and Dueño looks like a fluke. So Ieyasu is the prize I’m after, and I start bombarding the poor Georgia front office with phone calls, not to be denied. Every conceivable package that I throw at them is batted back in my face. All winter long I badger them. “Ieyasu is a Rock Hound, and will remain one,” is the persistent response.

But then I whipped out the Secret Weapon(TM): CF Mark Cannon. Suddenly Georgia started returning my phone calls, answering my emails.

“How about Cannon and 3B Jim Brown,” they asked.

I countered with Cannon and Conejo. They hesitated. I throw in $5 million. They hesitated. They assented. RH Takehiko Ieyasu (Tal 6/10/8), welcome to Oklahoma. I dub thee, “Asian Wrangler.” Strangely enough, he’s from Vancouver.

Trade #2:OK, but what to do about that hemorrhaging wound in the outfield? For damn sure I’m not going to start Korn full-time, but Carstensen should be able to take over in CF. Hmmm. I wonder if anybody out there is dumb enough to trade me an OF for Bill Roberts? Yep. Specifically, Illinois, Mississippi, Texas and North Carolina are all, inexplicably, very interested. North Carolina’s GM, however, practically wrote me a blank check. For Roberts (career 18-28, 4.75, 1.6 WhiP)? Yep, they’re not confused, just ignorant. I hit the mother lode by getting last year’s #1 overall pick, 23yo CF Jeffrey Merlet (Tal 6/9/10/10/7), along with solid 33yo RH CF Alvin Bergmann (Tal 6/6/3/6/5), stopgap 29yo 2B Antonio Vidro (Tal 5/9/3/4/7) and $7.9 million in cash. Yes, all that for Bill Roberts. And no, I didn’t cheat. Of course, knowing my luck, Roberts will win the next 11 ML Most Outstanding Pitcher Awards. Heck, even if he does, I still think I’m coming out ahead.

Trade #3: Craig planted that seed of thought in my mind, that maybe Warford isn’t really that good, and that I should trade him now while he still has some value. I discreetly inquired about Connecticut’s wunderkind, the previously mentioned Izu. No dice, but at least we’re talking. Evidently, the Snappers feel like they’re on the brink of something special, and they want Warford fairly badly. But not badly enough for Izu, straight up. I offered to pair Warford with SP Andrew Northrup, the 25yo poster child for TINSTAAPP, but I’d need something else back.

OK, they said. Suppressing a gleeful shout, I start rummaging through their prospects list. For Warford and Northrup, I received 21yo OF Augustin Rozgo (Tal 8/7/6/3/6) and 23yo budding superstar RH Bill “Bats” Izu (Tal 9/8/6) and $650,000. Unbelievable.

Now, before Free Agency really began, I’ve upgraded (I think, with fingers crossed) my rotation and my outfield, and picked up a platoon option at first base and another second baseman. Here we are, on the first of February, and my roster is pretty much set, with no free agent bidding necessary.

SIGNINGS
None. Absolutely none.

POST FREE-AGENCY THOUGHTS
Last year, given the runaway spending by the AI on Free Agents, I noted that I might have to re-evaluate my team-building “strategeries” a little bit. I guess I already have, focusing more on trades than paying $28-million-for-six-years for that shiny 34yo starter with the lifetime 84-70 record. This offseason, I think I’ve adequately addressed all my needs without overpaying in the marketplace and without destroying my farm system. I’m actually kind of optimistic about 2016 right now.

OTHER NOTABLE TRANSACTIONS
Illinois: Free agent CF Stephen Miller has been signed to a contract of $10,530,900 per year, for 1 years.

Massachusetts: Free agent 2B Andrew Clouser has been signed to a contract of $12,377,600 per year, for 3 years.

New Jersey: Free agent C Guy Johnson has been signed to a contract of $11,702,000 per year, for 4 years.

Tennessee: Free agent P Yoritoki Seiesnsui has been signed to a contract of $27,450,000 per year, for 3 years.

RULE V DRAFT
I skipped my first pick, then hit “Computer Finish Draft.” Somehow, the stupid AI picked SP Parker Marcellus for me. I thought that once a pick had been skipped, the team was skipped in the second round, too. I didn’t want the guy, and I certainly didn’t want to keep him on my 25-man for the rest of the year, so I released him (costing me $200k), turned Massachusetts to Human control, signed him to a MLC, and then turned them back to AI control. Won’t make that mistake again.

[jmm8356]

I haven't done a lot of free agent negotations yet... but I suspect "I don't like your organization" is code for "Quit lowballing me." Of course, that probably just means that you're being reasonable and AI teams with cash to burn are not...

The "Asian Wrangler" being from Vancouver might not be as odd as you might think... I forget where I read it, but somebody made a bicycle trip through Canada and was amazed that every po-dunk town with a traffic light had a Chinese restaurant. Just as in America, Chinese immigrants were brought over to build the Canadians a trans-continential railroad too, so now they're scattered all across the country.

At least your Rule 5 mistake was easy to fix. After a postseason injury, I was playing around to see what my roster options were (even though I kinda knew the answer was "none") and demoted someone before realizing that I couldn't un-demote, i.e. promote, them back. Thank God for Pierre and his utilities!

[gordyhulten]

Originally Posted by jmm8356

I haven't done a lot of free agent negotations yet... but I suspect "I don't like your organization" is code for "Quit lowballing me." Of course, that probably just means that you're being reasonable and AI teams with cash to burn are not...

Nah, it happens before I can even make an offer. Essentially, there are a handful of guys ever year who won't even listen to an initial offer from me - and they're always the guys I want!

Thanks,

[gordyhulten]

2016 SPRING TRAINING
Saturday 3/2/2016:
SPRING TRAINING NEWS:
Valeriano Cobas showed good strike zone judgement!
Paul Korn displays more power in batting practice!
David Seigner has good batting practice sessions!
David Seigner displays more power in batting practice!
Rafael Aviles has increased his throwing velocity!
Rafael Paz displays more power in batting practice!
Agustin Rozgo showed good strike zone judgement!
Xavier Belmonte has good pitching sessions!
Xavier Belmonte has improved his control!
Jeffrey Merlet has good batting practice sessions!
Richard Logston has good batting practice sessions!
Richard Logston displays more power in batting practice!
Tobias Garza has good batting practice sessions!
Tobias Garza showed good strike zone judgement!
Barney Jimenez has increased his throwing velocity!
Jefferey Lipsky has good batting practice sessions!
Jefferey Lipsky displays more power in batting practice!
Max Suarez displays more power in batting practice!
Teo Hernandez showed good strike zone judgement!
Austin Bullock has good batting practice sessions!
Austin Bullock showed good strike zone judgement!
Vicente Orellana has good batting practice sessions!
Vicente Orellana displays more power in batting practice!
Jamel Coleman has good pitching sessions!
Calvy Curty has good pitching sessions!
Calvy Curty has increased his throwing velocity!
Gene Judge has good batting practice sessions!
Gene Judge showed good strike zone judgement!
Bill Fields has good batting practice sessions!
Bill Fields displays more power in batting practice!
Alan Spiegel has good batting practice sessions!
Alan Spiegel displays more power in batting practice!
Travis Jones has increased his throwing velocity!
Travis Jones has improved his control!
Joseph Straw has good pitching sessions!
Joseph Straw has increased his throwing velocity!
Angelo Castro has increased his throwing velocity!
Angelo Castro has improved his control!
OVERALL THOUGHTS
Beats me. How does one judge a good Spring Training from a bad one?

[gordyhulten]

2016 LINEUPS AND ROTATION
LINEUP vs. RHP
1. RH – LF – Alvin Bergmann
2. LH – 3B – Jim Brown
3. RH – C – Brian Procopio
4. LH – RF – Domingo “Bubba” Lugo
5. SH – SS – Ricardo “Bad Company” DeSilva
6. RH – CF – Silas Carstensen
7. SH – 1B – David Russo
8. SH – 2B – Axel Campos

LINEUP vs. LHP
1. RH – LF – Alvin Bergmann
2. RH – 3B – Jose Machuca
3. RH – C – Brian Procopio
4. LH – RF – Domingo “Bubba” Lugo
5. RH – CF – Silas Carstensen
6. RH – 1B – Wilfredo Melo
7. SH – SS – Ricardo “Bad Company” DeSilva
8. RH – 2B – Antonio Vidro

ROTATION
1. RH Takehiko Ieyasu
2. LH Ken Glancy
3. RH Graeme Ruggeri
4. RH Todd Winchester
5. RH Bill “Bats” Izu

MIDDLE RELIEF:
Moffet, Serrano, Finnell, Cardenas and Velazquez mopping up.

CLOSER:
Catoe

OVERALL THOUGHTS: I like this year’s rotation a lot – hopefully that’s not just blind optimism. I had some interesting decisions to make with the lineup, and I ended up going with platoons at first, second and third. I’m not sure I need to platoon Brown and Russo, but I wanted to try it. And I’m not sure that Vidro/Campos makes a difference, as neither can hit, but why not?

[gordyhulten]

APRIL 2016

I’ve uploaded an updated League report here. The Catobase (current through 2015) is here.

April was a bit of an encore of 2015, with some minor differences. We started out great (6-0), collapsed (3-11), pretended to revive (4 game winning streak) before finally succumbing completely (three game losing streak to close out the month). Last year, I started out great (19-7 in April), collapsed (35-47 in May, June & July), pretended to revive (.500 in August) before finally succumbing completely (five game losing streak to fall out of the postseason race).

One important difference is that last year, Louisiana ran away with the division, and dominated me completely (I went 5-13 vs. LA). This year, as Missouri was racing out to a 17-9 record, but they went just 2-5 versus the lowly Wranglers.

Another important difference: This year I can hit for average (.265) and power (30 HR), but I’m not scoring all that many runs (11th). My pitching staff is still a concern, too, because even though we’re issuing very few walks (71 – fewest in baseball), we’re also giving up lots of dingers (31 – next to last).

I thought I had addressed the inherent weakness with the starting rotation this offseason, but it’s not showing yet. My pitching staff, especially the starting rotation, makes me feel like I have the Midas touch in reverse. Every time I touch anything, it turns to sh*t. (I love these little tables, even though they take forever):

               Pre-2016  2016
Player           ERA      ERA   DIFF
T. Ieyasu       3.05     4.42   +45%
K. Glancy       3.18     5.09   +60%
G. Ruggeri      4.33     4.95   +14%
T. Winchester   4.94     3.46   -30%
B. Izu          2.96     3.00    +1%
S. Velazquez    5.95    11.57   +95%
C. Moffet       3.44     9.00  +160%
E. Finnell      4.44     3.86   -13%
E. Cardenas     3.88     2.25   -42%
H. Serrano      3.86     0.69   -82%
A. Catoe        4.17     1.88   -55%

Yeah, yeah, sample size and all that. The bullpen’s actually not as bad I thought it was, but the problems that Moffet’s having are magnified by prominence. The young pitchers have actually been steadier than the vets, and I need Ieyasu, Glancy and Ruggeri to pick up the slack if this season is going to be salvaged.

Again, I don’t know what changes to make because I don’t really think these guys are that bad? Who should I replace? Has anyone ever tried replacing a pitching coach, to see if that makes a difference?

THIS MONTH’S RECORD: 13-14
OVERALL RECORD AT MONTH-END: 13-14
CURRENT STANDING: 4th place, 0.5 game behind Texas, 2.5 games behind Alabama (Ed: ???) and 4.5 games behind Missouri.

SEASON-TO-DATE TEAM STATISTICAL LEADERS:
AVG: CF Carstensen - .310
HR: 3B Brown - 6
RBI: CF Carstensen - 16
RUNS: CF Carstensen & 3B Brown - 16
SB: LF Bergmann - 11
OPS: 3B Brown - .929
SP ERA: Winchester – 3.46
RP ERA: Serrano – 0.69
SAVES: Catoe – 8
Ks: Glancy - 23

MAJOR INJURIES:
None. I think this is about 24 consecutive months of relatively injury-free baseball. I’m sure the Apocalypse is just around the corner.

TRADES/TRANSACTIONS:
None.

COMMENTS/LINEUP OR ROTATION CHANGES:
None.

TEAM NEWS OF NOTE THIS MONTH:
None.

PLAYER DEVELOPMENT:
Saturday 4/13/2016:
Abe Catoe is hitting his spots better, his command improved!
Sunday 4/14/2016:
Derek May has lost some lower body strength, his duration drops.
Thursday 4/18/2016:
Eric Finnell's control seems to have taken a bump...
Sunday 4/28/2016:
Derek May has lost some movement on his pitches...
OVERALL THOUGHTS:
Not a good month for May, but I don’t really care, because I’m paying him $1.4 million to pitch at AAA.

AAA NOTES:
On the MR front, Beus, Belmonte, Herrera and Kicker have all pitched fairly well, but they’re also too old to be considered prospects. CL Harmon is lone bright-spot amongst the Under-25 crowd. The starters aren’t worth mentioning. The hitters, however, have been quite impressive. C Cobas (394/500/635) and CF Merlet (414/400/535) are both aching for promotions, but I don’t have anywhere to put them. Cobas could take over at catcher, and push Procopio to 1B, but what do to with Russo? And Merlet is pushing to join an outfield with Lugo, Carstensen and Bergmann entrenched, and Korn hitting .375 as a backup. All-in-all, it’s a nice problem to have. I was hoping 2B Seigner (196/386/299) would be ready by July. Ain’t gonna happen.

AA NOTES:
2B Logston (388/492/524) is promoted. CF Rozgo (236/288/309) isn’t.

A NOTES:
2B Speigel and 1B Lipsky promoted.

MONTHLY AWARDS:
Frontier League-Pitcher of the Month:
Samuel Leon (TX)!
He had a record of 3-0 in 4 games started, with an ERA of 0.40.
Frontier League-Batter of the Month:
Luis Plascencia (COL)!
He batted .404 in 104 AB, with 4 homers and 19 RBI.
Metropolitan League-Pitcher of the Month:
Alberto Menendez (DC)!
He had a record of 2-0 in 4 games started, with an ERA of 1.19.
Metropolitan League-Batter of the Month:
Marion Bielecki (NY)!
He batted .404 in 89 AB, with 6 homers and 18 RBI.

OTHER IMPORTANT LEAGUE NEWS:
Friday 4/12/2016:
MN: John Black pitches a NO-HITTER against Iowa!!
Saturday 4/20/2016:
NJ: Deangelo Almendarez gets his 2500th career hit!!

TIDBITS AND FACTOIDS
-- This winter’s $27-million-man, Yoritoka Seiesnsui of Tennessee, is 2-3 with a 3.086. Maybe it’s not just me.
-- Last year’s big free agent winner, Ohio 1B Martin Gholson has returned to form by hitting 347/462/558 in April. Ohio still has the league’s highest payroll, at just over $110 million. Missouri is second at $101 million. Mississippi is last, at just over $38 million, or about $5 million more than Ohio is paying Gholson.
-- Alabama’s 15-11 record is their best one-month record since the Aqua Sox went 16-9 in July 2013. The Aqua Sox haven’t been to the postseason since 2011, their last winning season.

STANDINGS:
Linked here.

[cknox0723]

You know, if I made a comment about how you should have fired your pitching coach right after you hired a new AA manager, I would have looked awfully prescient right about now. Instead, I could just be making this up. Oh well.

The defense, at least based on the ratings, doesn't look to be your problem. According to the Cato, neither does your park (with regards to hitting a bunch of home runs and also allowing a bunch).

At least Todd Winchester's pitching well. And Carstensen hasn't been a drop off from Cannon's production. An odd way to look at it, maybe, but it could be worse.

Hmmm...just got a thought as I was about to hit the reply button. Your pitching strikeout leader is Glancy, with 23. Seems low -- not seems, it is low. And your five starters all seem to have K rates around five per nine (this year, at least)...save for Izu. And yet...a check of the league pitching, and the Wranglers aren't particularly low in the strikeouts column.

Worth a shot to check, though.

[gordyhulten]

Originally Posted by cknox0723

You know, if I made a comment about how you should have fired your pitching coach right after you hired a new AA manager, I would have looked awfully prescient right about now. Instead, I could just be making this up. Oh well.

The defense, at least based on the ratings, doesn't look to be your problem. According to the Cato, neither does your park (with regards to hitting a bunch of home runs and also allowing a bunch).

At least Todd Winchester's pitching well. And Carstensen hasn't been a drop off from Cannon's production. An odd way to look at it, maybe, but it could be worse.

Hmmm...just got a thought as I was about to hit the reply button. Your pitching strikeout leader is Glancy, with 23. Seems low -- not seems, it is low. And your five starters all seem to have K rates around five per nine (this year, at least)...save for Izu. And yet...a check of the league pitching, and the Wranglers aren't particularly low in the strikeouts column.

Worth a shot to check, though.

Thanks. It's actually might be the Ks. Halfway through May, Glancy's up to 9.3, Izu is 6.7, Winchester is 6.2. Ruggeri and Ieyasu are below 5.0, which explains why they're stinking so much. Ruggeri in particular has just been awful, allowing 57 baserunners in 40 IP with just 19 Ks.

I'll keep searching, but May has seen me hover right around the .500 mark, about 3-5 games back.

[gordyhulten]

MAY 2016

I’ve uploaded an updated League report here. The Catobase (current through 2015) is here.

May is in the books, and despite my confounding inconsistency and maddening inefficiency, I’m tied for second. During the month, I won 5 of 6 from Alabama, 5 of 7 from Louisiana, but just 2 of 6 from Texas. This battle between my Wranglers and the rest of the Rivers Division could be epic. Really, our whole division is very competitive. At one point this month, each team was over .500. In the Prairie, the only strong-looking team so far is Minnesota. As a team, we had our first winning month since last April, largely due to an improvement in our pitching, but I’m unsure of exactly were and how the improvenet occurred. Let’s take a look at some month-by-month team pitching numbers:



I still think I’m getting DIPS-ed; that we’ve been generally unlucky so far this year. So far this year, we’re first in strikeouts and walks, but dead last in HRs allowed (a symptom of young pitching staff?). Encouraging is the fact that I improved almost almost every category from April to May, except for opponents’ average.

However, I would think, if my pitchers are leading baseball in Ks and BBs, our opponents’ average should generally be lower than the league average, right? From what I see here, I should be able to expect an improvement in my pitching over the rest of the year, right? Let’s hope so, and if any of you Faithful Readers have DIPS-related insights that can help me better understand any of this, I’d love to get your thoughts.

THIS MONTH’S RECORD: 16-12
OVERALL RECORD AT MONTH-END: 29-26
CURRENT STANDING: Tied for second place with Alabama and Louisiana, 2.0 games behind Texas Drillers.

SEASON-TO-DATE TEAM STATISTICAL LEADERS:
AVG: 1B Russo - .309
HR: 3B Brown & SS DeSilva - 9
RBI: SS DeSilva - 37
RUNS: RF Lugo - 33
SB: LF Bergmann - 15
OPS: 3B Brown - .870
SP ERA: Ieyasu – 3.13
RP ERA: Serrano– 0.64
SAVES: Catoe – 17 [I](tied for RL lead)
Ks: Glancy – 75 [I](leads RL)

MAJOR INJURIES:
Tuesday 5/21/2016:
Bill Izu was injured while pitching.
Diagnosis: Tight Shoulder.
He is day-to-day, but full recovery will take 6 days.

TRADES/TRANSACTIONS:
I demoted MR Sergio Velazquez to see if I can find someone more effective. I promoted youngster RH Isaias Herrera to be my mopup guy, but he’s gotten knocked around quite a bit. I bringing up RH Jeffery Harmon now to give him a try. How hard can it be find a mopup guy with an ERA less than 6.00?

I snuck 2B Antonio Vidro through waivers in case I need to call up an extra reliever or OF later.

COMMENTS/LINEUP OR ROTATION CHANGES:
OF Paul “Spike” Korn has been hitting very well, and Bergmann hasn’t, so I’m platooning them to try and kick-start Bergmann. If he keeps struggling, I’ll bench/trade him LF Jeffrey Merlet (who’s been killing the ball at AAA) will get called up to take his place.

I also tweaked the rotation, dropping RH Graeme Ruggeri to the fifth spot due to ineffectiveness.

TEAM NEWS OF NOTE THIS MONTH:
None, really. LH Ken Glancy struck out 11 three different times in May, which is kinda cool.

PLAYER DEVELOPMENT:
Wednesday 5/1/2016:
Sergio Velazquez seems to have lost some of his feel for his stuff...
Wednesday 5/8/2016:
Agustin Rozgo has lost some power...
Thursday 5/23/2016:
Graeme Ruggeri seems to have lost some of his feel for his stuff...
Friday 5/31/2016:
Tobias Garza develops a habit for striking out more...
Tobias Garza positions himself better now, his range at 2B increases to 7 ...
Tobias Garza positions himself better now, his range at 3B increases to 6 ...
Tobias Garza positions himself better now, his range at SS increases to 5 ...
OVERALL THOUGHTS:
Velazquez and Ruggeri take Stuff hits, which might explain why they’ve both been so ineffective.

AAA NOTES:
Harmon is promoted, Herrera is back down here after a cup of coffee. Cobas had a bad May and is down to 340/439/521, but he’s going to make me make a decision by this offseason, at the latest. Merlet is mashing, but we’ve talked about him already. 2B Seigner has dropped 200 points of OPS since last year, both at AAA. I’m shuffling him back to AA for a while.

AA NOTES:
CF Anthony Young (346/485/724) is promoted. He might be a nice spare part or trade bait.

A NOTES:
None.

MONTHLY AWARDS:
Frontier League-Pitcher of the Month:
Raul Frese (OH)!
He had a record of 5-0 in 5 games started, with an ERA of 1.41.
Frontier League-Batter of the Month:
Luis Plascencia (COL)!
He batted .398 in 103 AB, with 6 homers and 17 RBI.
Metropolitan League-Pitcher of the Month:
Dave Alexander (GEO)!
He had a record of 4-0 in 6 games started, with an ERA of 1.31 and 1 shutouts.
Metropolitan League-Batter of the Month:
Eliot Horne (PA)!
He batted .441 in 102 AB, with 4 homers and 20 RBI.

OTHER IMPORTANT LEAGUE NEWS:
Wednesday 5/29/2016:
NEB: Roger Cross gets his 2000th career hit!!

TIDBITS AND FACTOIDS
-- The Connecticut Snappers, so convinced that they were ready to take the next step to a Championship, are the worst team in baseball, at 18-37. SP Ian Warford, acquired from me in the offseason trade for Bats Izu, blew out a shoulder and is out for the rest of the season. Albert Dueno, for whom I thought about trading instead of Ieyasu, is 6-5, 4.68 and opponents are hitting .310 off him.
-- Other former Wranglers include RF Pablo Conejo (GEO, 157/306/286), CF Mark Cannon (GEO, 318/394/448), 1B Jared Nazario (322/423/535), CF Luis Tedesco (TEN, 308/455/500). Pitchers include Warford (out for season) and SP Bill Roberts (NC, 2-3, 6.00). Nothing too unexpected.
-- Fantastic pennant races shaping up, with the biggest lead being two games, and only four or five teams out of contention at this point.

STANDINGS:
Linked here.

[jmm8356]

Actually, to me, it looks more like you were very lucky the past couple years (or more), rather then being unlucky this year... The league's average staff has a few more hits than innings pitched, but your staffs have consistently given up less hits than that, until this year... You're just "returning to normalcy", IMO...

Looking at the individuals, the only guy I see that's greatly underperforming expectations is Ruggeri. He is being DIPS-ed a little, but in a very specific way... he's giving up astronomical numbers against lefties, such as a OPS v/s LHB of .996 !!! If you look at his Catobase splits, he's given up almost identical numbers of hits against RHB, but it's his performance against LHB that determines whether he's having a good year or an off year (his last off year in '13, his OPS v/s LHB was .836). If he were a reliever, you could do something about this... but he's not, so you're stuck crossing your fingers.

Glad to have something to look at while waiting to start a new Confederate season until the new patch is out... I thought playoff baseball would occupy me, but I'm just not that interested. I'll probably take the opportunity to check out PureSim's new version, after the weekend.

[gordyhulten]

Originally Posted by jmm8356

Actually, to me, it looks more like you were very lucky the past couple years (or more), rather then being unlucky this year... The league's average staff has a few more hits than innings pitched, but your staffs have consistently given up less hits than that, until this year... You're just "returning to normalcy", IMO...

Well, that's discouraging. But what makes you say that? If I'm striking out more guys than anyone else, I should be giving up fewer hits, right?

Originally Posted by jmm8356

Glad to have something to look at while waiting to start a new Confederate season until the new patch is out... I thought playoff baseball would occupy me, but I'm just not that interested. I'll probably take the opportunity to check out PureSim's new version, after the weekend.

I'm curious to hear your opinion on the new PureSim. I love the pitch-by-pitch control, and the crude graphical representation. If OOTP were to add that, it'd be damn near perfect.