GWJ OOTP League Thread

Prederick wrote:

Memphis Blues - 80-82

Memphis has probably made the most consistent, strong improvements of any expansion team. From 54 wins to 60 to 74, and now, flirting with .500. The league's second-best minor league system isn't quite ready to produce right-now impact talent, but the future is looking bright for fans in River City. Certainly, neutrals will be marking Memphis games as the ones to watch. No team will score more runs than Memphis, but the team's pitching will surrender a truckload of runs as well. Expect a lot of 9-7 finishes.

What a Rival Scout Says:

It's a small miracle that Woody Wallace was a 20-game winner last year....Harlan Spencer had better strap on his big-boy pants this year, a 5.88 ERA from a guy who started nearly 30 games is unacceptable, even if a huge part of that is down to awful defense....There is no closer here. None. They may end up letting their pitchers throw a lot of complete games, it'd be a better option....Did I mention the awful defense?....If Logan Shelton improves his plate discipline, he may become one of the league's most feared hitters....They've got to find a way to get Steve Davis more time at the plate....This season is all about luck with injuries. Two or three guys go down, and this team wins 65 games.

Eek - reading through that I thought 'who the hell is Steve Davis'. Turns out I had inadvertently DFA'd him this morning when setting my 25-man roster. Good thing there was still time for me to fix my mistake and re-export the team.

So I'm a bit confused after going back through the past few weeks of posts. I'm certainly interested in playing, but is everyone hopping on the new version coming out soon or will you keep the existing version as the official version for awhile? I don't wanna have to buy two versions right after each other, so I'm kinda inclined to get the new version.

I think the word was that we'd be sticking with 13 until the All-Star break, but I don't know if that's been cast in stone or anything.

I'm ready to roll with 14 in 2 weeks!

Southern League - Western Division

Last year, Dallas surprised everyone, winning the division by a clear margin over a heavily-favored San Diego team most had putting together a potentially historic season. Now, the champions return to find themselves going up against rivals who have re-tooled and prepared for another drawn-out slugfest of a season. There's no doubt this is the best division in baseball, and while we'll make our predictions, it's anyone's guess who will finish the season in the #1 spot.

Team Name - Projected Record

Los Angeles Millionaires - 99-63

Fans in LA have never seen a season with a losing record, and this year, they'll see a return to the playoffs after a two-year absence. The team consolidated talent and ability in the offseason, and made one of the riskiest trades of the year, bringing in injury-prone Charlotte star David Calderon for Jack Graves and a boatload of talented prospects. It's a "win now" move from a organization that clearly understands that, sometimes, to win, you've gotta make big, bold moves. This is a team on the cusp of something big, but no-one's ever won just by being on the cusp.

What a Rival Scout Says:

If their pitchers stay healthy, this is the best rotation in baseball, bar none....I'm still mixed on the David Calderon trade, he's coming off a major elbow injury, but if anyone can come back strong after that, it's a 21-year old....Alan Carroll is not the answer at closer. Mark my words, he will be a liability in close games....Moving Felix Ortiz to first base will probably work out in the long run. He'll get by....The top 3 members of LA's lineup had 200+ hits last year. That's insane to put out there every day....Michihiro Higashi is getting thrown into the deep end, he may not be the cleanup hitter the team wants until midway through the season....Benny Sewell is a terrible hitter, but their lineup is so strong it won't matter where he bats.

San Diego Surfers - 98-64

Over the last two years, San Diego's won over 200 games, but didn't manage to advance out of the first round of the playoffs. Those disappointments will drive this year's squad, who most have as a near-lock for the playoffs. No team will be better at the plate than San Diego, and no team will be better on the basepaths (we expect them to steal 200+ bases), but only Charlotte will have more expectation heaped upon them. In Brian Burke, however, San Diego has what every other team wishes it did. As Burke goes, so goes San Diego.

What a Rival Scout Says:

Everything that needs to be said about Brian Burke has been said. He makes batting .400 look routine....I think everyone would like to know where they found Yusaf Khel....I understand they wanted to make a splash, but $40M upfront for Juan Ortega may not be the deal they want it to be....picking up Will Bailey from Houston was a very smart move....Jason Huffman is already great, but I don't think Ray Haynes is as good as the hype....Teodoro Garcia is not a major leaguer anymore, his contract is a waste of money....If Pablo Castillo continues to improve, they're set on both phases of the game....Jake Dunn may actually be the key to this team's season. If he's a reliable #2, they can challenge for the division crown.

Dallas Dirigibles - 92-70

The defending champions are probably facing the hardest road back to the top of any of the winners in league history. Their division is stocked with as much talent as is thinkable and they added nothing in the off-season. However, they also didn't lose anything of note. Last year's team is still standing, with a year of playoff experience under their belt. We didn't have them winning the division last year either (we also called the West the weakest division in the game), and look how that turned out. Dallas could ruin the best laid plans of their rivals for yet another season.

What a Rival Scout Says:

I think last season was a perfect storm for Dallas, I can't imagine them repeating....I still have no idea exactly how good Sergio Salas is, he's never shown me a 200 IP season....You show me a pitcher that makes more out of less than Forest Cowan does, and i'll tell you you're a liar....this team's bullpen is among the league's best, being able to throw Miguel Sosa and Sal Heard out there will get you out of a lot of jams....Gerardo Ramirez is great, but he's gotta work on those walks....Dale Tolbert is the best, most overlooked player in the game, because he plays in the same division as Brian Burke....Brian Flint combines defensive and offensive ability as well as any backstop in the game....Raul Rodriguez will really come into his own this season, 40 doubles and 25+ HRs is a reasonable expectation....I think Justin Richter's firmly on the down-slope of his career.

Las Vegas Gamblers - 83-79

They may be from Sin City, but the Gamblers have quietly built a respectable baseball team around strong pitching and timely hitting. They're not going to scare anyone, but this is absolutely a squad that could ruin someone's post-season bid with a three-game sweep. If they can hit .500 on their budget, everyone in Las Vegas will have every right to be very proud.

What a Rival Scout Says:

They're going to pitch well, but that's as much because of their field as it is because of their ability.....That said, Michael Manning is about two years away from being mentioned as a Pitcher of the Year candidate....Chip Peters won't scare anyone, but he'll eat up innings and get enough W's....it's insane that Travis Anderson was a 6th-round pick, he's going to shut the door on a lot of teams in the future....Frank Rush is too risk/reward to be a regular closer, he'll get his K's but his stuff has no movement, if they hit it, it's not coming back....I don't care how many everyday players they got in return, trading Raleigh Brown was stupid....Brendon Nickerson will get his name in the papers a lot this year if his power is as good as the early reports.

Phoenix Henchmen - 66-96

Phoenix has been rebuilding for two seasons now, and this will make it a third. Few prospects, few quality players, and an off-season where the biggest move was bringing in a player through the Rule 5 draft. But fear not Phoenix fans! As long as a season as this may be, you're still not the worst team in the league.

What a Rival Scout Says:

Their lineup is actually better than people think....Stanley Mitchell is a star just waiting to blossom, but if they find a better defensive option he needs to get moved....Carlos Rojas is always going to be a disappointment, he's never going to reach the full extent of his potential....Jorge Perez may take a run at the single season HR and strikeout records....If Armando Silan's the best prospect they've got, that just an indictment of their scouting system....Kumanosuke Sato may have the best curveball in baseball.....If you know why they blew a Rule 5 draft pick on Gabriel Frazo, you're more clued in than I am.

Houston Heat - 56-106

Every totem pole has to have something on the bottom. This year, that something is Houston. Houston isn't just going to be bad, they're going to be terrible. Teams will score 100 more runs against them this season than they will against any other team in the NABL. At some point, some contender's going to try to get Ken Hale out of this Lone Star State purgatory.

But! All the news is not bad. Yes, this team will be terrible, but they have the most important thing a team in their position can have, which is promising young talent. They don't have a lot, but there's a glimmer here. A glimmer.

What a Rival Scout Says:

I don't even think the league should track their team ERA, it's just going to be embarrassing....They're paying $11M for a closer who had a 4.63 ERA last season and had a career high in walks....Steven Moore is serviceable, but not an anchor to the rotation, but if he's healthy, he'll bust his butt for 180 innings....I think i'll like their lineup in three years....Neil Lindsay should become a borderline All-Star....Bud Howell's probably got a season with .300/20/80 in his future, but not much more than that.....Monty Vogel needs to prove he's a All-Star caliber player and stop hype about what he should be....If they manage to light a fire under Kevin Christopher's butt, he'll be a solid 3B and a 35+ double guy.....they might as well call up Amancio Corvite, let him get some big-time reps.

Coolbeans wrote:

So I'm a bit confused after going back through the past few weeks of posts. I'm certainly interested in playing, but is everyone hopping on the new version coming out soon or will you keep the existing version as the official version for awhile? I don't wanna have to buy two versions right after each other, so I'm kinda inclined to get the new version.

peedmyself wrote:

I think the word was that we'd be sticking with 13 until the All-Star break, but I don't know if that's been cast in stone or anything.

Yeah, I want the new version to get all patched up and perfect, so we're going to wait a bit before moving to the new title. By July, most of the major kinks should have been worked out of the game, and everything will be okay. If you prefer to wait to join, that's perfectly fine, you can grab OOTP 14 at release and really get used to how the game plays, which will hurt no-one. But if you're chomping at the bit, you can always join up.

[size=12]GWJ Sports Network Post-Season Predictions[/size]

2016 should be another exciting season of the North American Baseball League, but who is going to win the whole damn thing? Will Dallas repeat? Will Charlotte finally get their title? Well, here are our predictions for how the post-season will turn out, based on our pre-season predictions.

Northern League

Division Series
Vancouver over Pittsburgh
Buffalo over Boston

Championship Series
Buffalo over Vancouver

Southern League

Division Series
San Diego over Charlotte
Los Angeles over Dallas

Championship Series
San Diego over Los Angeles

NABL Championship
San Diego over Buffalo

Best Bets:

Northern League Batter of the Year:
Loren Gill, Vancouver

Northern League Pitcher of the Year:
Jose Perez, Buffalo

Southern League Batter of the Year:
Brian Burke, San Diego

Southern League Pitcher of the Year:
Thomas George, Charlotte

Whoof. So, I hope you all enjoyed that, and I hope you're all hyped up for tomorrow. Check in on this thread around noon tomorrow, and i'll announce where you can keep up with the day's scores! Baseball starts tomorrow at 1 PM!

Fantastic writeups, Pred. Time to cut down my roster.

Awesome write-ups, Pred.

Our roster is all set and ready to go.
Happy Opening Day from Pittsburgh! Go Pieorgies and go Bucs!

[size=16]Play Ball![/size]

Today raises the curtain on the 2016 NABL season. 24 teams have put millions of dollars on the line, all with the same goal in mind, getting their hands on the NABL Championship. Someone will surprise everyone, someone's going to be a disappointment. It's the beginning of a whole new race.

Today's Highlights:

With the sheer amount of top-level pitching talent heading out to the mound today, fans of good pitching are literally spoilt for choice as far as where to watch today. So call in sick to work, grab a beer, settle in, and see some of the game's best hit the mound.

Northern League:

Baltimore vs. Brooklyn
In a matchup of two teams that have spent years beating up on each other, Edgardo Abreu is taking the mound to face off against John Williams. Abreu is coming off a torn rotator cuff, and will be looking to prove that he's worth the $57M contract extension he signed in the off-season.

Seattle vs. Denver
Stephane Besse hasn't thrown a major-league pitch in nearly a year. But after a positive spring training, fans are hoping he can return to his best form. He'll take on 24-year-old Roland Church, a young up-and-comer who notched his first All-Star selection last season.

Southern League:

New Orleans vs. Atlanta
Two teams that have spent the last two seasons trying to end Charlotte's hegemony over the division face off again. Felipe Bruno will be looking to improve on last year's performance, while Ray Robinson has won 18 games three years in a row, and will be hoping to make it four seasons straight.

Charlotte vs. Miami
Another rivalry game, Thomas George can expect a hostile reception in his return to Miami, after signing a huge free-agent deal in the off-season. He'll go up against Steve Sweeney, the man who had been his #2 these last few seasons.

I haven't looked at them in a while, but I think that Phoenix could be set to bust out this year or next.

Where's the feed? You expect me to do work?

Prederick wrote:

With the sheer amount of top-level pitching talent heading out to the mound today, fans of good pitching are literally spoilt for choice as far as where to watch today. So call in sick to work, grab a beer, settle in, and see some of the game's best hit the mound.

If you're looking for pitching, remember to avoid Memphis games. We're gonna be brutal on the mound.

/sigh

....the best laid plans of mice and men.

For the life of me, I can't get the real-time sim to broadcast on the league website properly. It's one of those wonderful things where what the manual talks about and what i'm looking at are two entirely different things. Apologies guys, looks like this is a no-go.

Thanks for giving it a try anyway. We'll just have to find some other way to be unproductive.

peedmyself wrote:

Thanks for giving it a try anyway. We'll just have to find some other way to be unproductive.

+1. Like watching real-life baseball.

peedmyself wrote:

I haven't looked at them in a while, but I think that Phoenix could be set to bust out this year or next.

I appreciate the vote of confidence but with my starting pitching I don't think that will happen. I was really hoping I could sign 2 quality starters during the offseason but that didn't happen. I threw every dollar I could at Thomas George but with no luck. Tried for 1 other starter but came up short. Now I have to hope that my offense can keep me in games and my bullpen stays solid.

Awesome write-ups commish! I hope the predictions hold true for LA. Carroll had a great spring but I moved him back into middle relief (At least I hope I did). Rowland was going to start at 1st but got hurt. Hopefully Calderon will pay off for me and my bullpen will be much improved from last year.

Well, in the meantime, the first week has been simmed for your pleasure.

Terrifying realizations: Philly has 3 of the league's top 5 prospects.

Uh oh - one sim, one starting pitcher on IR. Not promising . . .

I hate being 6 games in and already down 2.5 games.

Good grief, week one and my remaining 3B is already injured for the next month or so?! Blech.

Not a bad week to kick off the season for Atlanta otherwise, though.

By the way, feel free to chime in with your own season predictions, arguments with the GWJSN season preview, or whatever.

Here's a question i've been meaning to ask. How often do you guys set your own Team/Player strategy? I usually leave it to the AI, but i've started tweaking more and more after some more SP experience.

Prederick wrote:

By the way, feel free to chime in with your own season predictions, arguments with the GWJSN season preview, or whatever.

Here's a question i've been meaning to ask. How often do you guys set your own Team/Player strategy? I usually leave it to the AI, but i've started tweaking more and more after some more SP experience.

I'll generally tweak the settings for starting pitchers if I see either a) young pitchers throwing 130+ p/gm when there's no reason for that to happen (note, I have no idea if anything is coded into the game to make that matter) or b) pitchers being pulled from games too early after giving up a few runs, thus killing my bullpen.

The only time I'll do so with a position player is if I want a specific guy to be playing a specific position in the minors.

I tweak at the start of the season. I went through yesterday and tweaked all 25 on my big league club as well as the team strategy.

I have only myself to blame for any results.

I tweak the team strategy at the start of the season but do not have the comfort level to do that on a per-player level.

New file!

...Ugh. If these first two sims are any indication, it's going to be a loooooong season for Portland. And a lot of those games aren't even close. It looks like Clint Wood is off to a cold start, hitting only .212 when he's normally an above .300 hitter.

Time for some tweaking!

New file! The standings are starting to make more sense.