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Expanding Westward: The Fresno Outlaws
House Rules
FA'cy Rules
- OFG FA Revised House Rules.
- I can sign a maximum of 7 FA's, but its unlikely I would ever sign that many.
- I can sign a maximum of one 93+ FA, 2 90-92, and 3 85-89.
- I may institute a sort of pay scale based on players ratings.
Trades
- The only way I can make trades is through the trade block and by accepting computer offers.
- I cannot alter trade offers except to balance cash, when offered trades by the CPU.
- I can only make six trades a year, three during the season and three in the offseason.
Other
- Some league settings are changed, ask if you really want to know.
- No equalized cities.
- I reserve the right to make/reverse trades, sign FA's, and do whatever else I deem necessary in order to keep the competitive balance and keep the league from going out of whack.
Team Firsts:
- First strikeout: Wandy Rodriguez of Jayson Werth, top of the 5th inning, 4/1/08
- First Hit: Kevin Cash off Tim Wakefield, bottom of the 3rd inning, 4/1/08
- First RBI: RBI single by Jody Gerut, bottom of the 6th, 4/1/08
- First Run: John McDonald, bottom of the 6th inning, 4/1/08
- First HR: Marcus Thames off Mark Redman, bottom of the 2nd inning, 4/4/08
- First SB: Norris Hopper off Kevin Correia - Damian Miller, bottom of the 1st inning, 4/2/08
- First Win: Wandy Rodriguez over the Brooklyn Outlaws, 8IP ER 3H 3K 0BB, 4/1/08
- First Save: Geoff Jones, IP 0H 0BB K, 4/1/08
All-time Team Leaders:
- Hits: To be updated at end of season
- Home runs: To be updated at end of season
- Steals: To be updated at end of season
- RBI's: To be updated at end of season
- Runs: To be updated at end of season
- Wins: To be updated at end of season
- Strikeouts: To be updated at end of season
- Saves: To be updated at end of season
- ERA: To be updated at end of season
All-Stars:
N/A
Award Winners (MVP, RoY, CYA):
N/A
Gold Gloves:
N/A
Playoff Appearances and Results:
N/A
First Round Draft Picks:
2008: SS Brandon Crawford, #6 Overall
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Re: Expanding Westward: The Fresno Outlaws
There are a litany of changes raining down from the MLB Winter Meetings this season.
Most notable of these changes is the league’s decision to expand for the 2008 season. The league will add two teams to the AL, one to the west and one to the east. The AL East will be welcoming the Brooklyn Crusaders to their ranks. This will mark the second time a Major League Baseball team will inhabit the Brooklyn borough of New York City, and the first time since Walter O’Malley made the fateful decision (a decision that caused pangs of both anger and anguish for fans) to move the Dodgers from Brooklyn to The City of Angels on October 8, 1957. The second team added will be the Fresno Outlaws, adding yet another team to the California mix. Fresno will however be the first Central California team, as opposed to the Dodgers, Angels, and Padres of SoCal, and the Giants and A‘s of Northern California. Fresno and Brooklyn were chosen over the other reported top choices of Pasadena (CA), Oklahoma City, New Orleans, San Mateo, and Newark (NJ). Commissioner Selig cited ever increasing attendance, increased parity, and the potential overall gain from another round of expansion as reasons for the decision. “Plus,” Selig began “its been, what, 10 years since our last round of expansion? That’s way too long to go without adding a team or two.” he finished. The Outlaws are in the process of being sold to a group of investors headed by Mark Cuban, and the Crusaders are expected to be sold to a group headed by Brooklyn native and Rap/Hip-Hop maverick Jay-Z.
The second change is the league’s decision to eradicate interleague play from the regular season schedule, meaning teams AL and NL teams will only play each other in Spring Training and the World Series. When reached for comment about the decision Selig said the following: “We feel as though most mainstream fans don’t care about interleague play one way or the other, and there aren’t many, if any, fans that are true fans of interleague play in and of itself. Whereas there are hundreds of baseball purists that are repulsed by interleague play and refuse to go to games for exactly that reason. In short, we believe we have more to gain than lose by ridding ourselves of interleague play.”
The third and final change isn’t nearly as major and could almost go without acknowledgement. The league decided to get rid of the “unbalanced schedule”, where teams in the same division play each other more than they do teams from other divisions. So expect more eastern teams against western teams, in short.
NOTE #1: Originally I had selected San Mateo as the AL West city to be added to the league, however I didn’t realize how close it was to San Francisco and Oakland at first and I didn’t like the idea of splitting an already relatively average market 3 ways. There weren’t really any other Western cities that appealed to me and I really liked the sound of the Fresno Outlaws, so despite their inability to feasibly support a team I put the Outlaws there anyways and played with the city data to the point where they can support a payroll of ~60 million.
NOTE #2: I don’t really have a problem with interleague play and/or unbalanced schedules, but I had to turn them off in order for the schedule to work properly.
NOTE #3: For the sake of realism, lets pretend that this article was written during the winter meetings of '05 or '06, since neither team would've had a stadium built in 4 months, and it would also take longer than that to sell the team.
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Re: Expanding Westward: The Fresno Outlaws
Quote:
Originally Posted by
YEAH DAAAAWG
This will mark the second time a Major League Baseball team will inhabit the Brooklyn borough of New York City, and the first time since Walter O’Malley made the fateful decision (a decision that caused pangs of both anger and anguish for fans) to move the Dodgers from Brooklyn to The City of Angels on October 8, 1957.
Sounds like there is some inside feelings you need to let out.
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Re: Expanding Westward: The Fresno Outlaws
Fresno’s new ballpark will be located just outside the city. The stadium will seat approximately sixty thousand fans. It will be an open air stadium and the field material will be made of natural grass. The ballpark will be somewhat of a pitchers haven as the dimensions measure 338 feet straight down the left field line, 379 to the gap in left-center, 403 to straight away centerfield, 388 to the right-center gap, and 346 down the left field line. Don’t expect to see a ton of homers hit in this ballpark, but because of the deep dimensions there should be a good share of triples, doubles, and perhaps even an inside the park homerun or two. The playing field will have about an average amount of foul territory and the visibility for players is expected to be very good with a high quality infield. Currently the name of the ballpark is simply “The Fresno Ballpark”, however there is a pending sale of the naming rights to Subway and the name is expected to be changed to Subway Field once the sale goes through.
http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/k...noBallpark.jpg
Brooklyn’s new ballpark is going to be located directly in the heart of Brooklyn. The ballpark will be considerably smaller than its sister team’s ballpark, only seating approximately fifty-two thousand fans, but will also be an open air stadium with natural grass. The playing field itself, however, is considerable in size, going 349 feet to left, 389 to the left-center gap, 396 to dead center, 383 to right center, and 350 to left. The sheer size of the ballpark is going to cause an enormous cut in the number of homeruns in the ballpark, you should, however, see plenty of doubles and triples. The playing field is of a much lesser quality than soon-to-be Subway Field as well. The infield quality is fair at best, and will likely lead to an increase in errors, and there is almost no foul ground. The name of the field is currently Brooklyn Coliseum, but it is unclear whether or not the new owners or MLB will decide to sell the naming rights of the stadium.
http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/k...ynColiseum.jpg
The league is pulling out all the stops to have these stadiums ready for opening day.
NOTE: To "build" these stadiums I just kept hitting "Generate Random Ballpark" on the stadium editor window.
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Re: Expanding Westward: The Fresno Outlaws
Quote:
Originally Posted by
rockiesfan4ever
Sounds like there is some inside feelings you need to let out.
I don't care, I'm not a Dodgers fan. I just know how badly it pissed the fans off. My english teacher last year, my junior year, was this really cool, old fashioned guy who'd been around when the Dodgers and Giants used to play in New York and he still considers, and calls, them the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants.
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Re: Expanding Westward: The Fresno Outlaws
Embattled home run king Barry Bonds signed on the dotted line with the Outlaws late last night. The signing comes as a relative surprise in that it came completely out of the blue with no prior indications of interest or intent to sign. However, although it was still unexpected, it is a move that makes sense and understandable on both sides. Bonds was highly unlikely to get touched by any contending team, regardless of how team X needed a bat, because of all the baggage, but a new team like the Outlaws can deal with the baggage because they stand almost no chance to contend and a superstar presence like Bonds’ will help get fans to the ballparks and spending money. Plus, as the saying goes, all publicity is good publicity, especially when you’re a brand new team. The deal is worth 7 million dollars for one year.
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Re: Expanding Westward: The Fresno Outlaws
The Expansion Draft has come and gone for the Outlaws and Crusaders, now lets take a look at the Outlaws roster.
Lineup:
http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/k...tingLineup.jpg
The lineup doesn’t look particularly strong, and is probably every bit what you’d expect of a first-year expansion team. The lineup doesn’t have a single hitter that’s expected to hit higher than .300, and only one even comes close with Gload expected to hit .288. Most of the lineup is relatively old, containing only two players younger than 29, Dallas McPherson (27) and Willy Aybar (25). However it is a powerful lineup, capable of grinding out some at-bat’s. Gload, Bonds, Thames, and McPherson are all capable of popping one over the fence at any given time, and Bonds, Gerut, and Aybar all have an above average eye and plate discipline to match, while Gload, Thames, and Hopper all have an average eye and plate discipline.
Lineup Grade: D+
Defense:
http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/k...awsDefense.jpg
The defense does appear to be a real strength, however. Johnny Mac’, as he was known in Toronto, is arguably the best defensive shortstop in the league, while Kevin Cash is one of the top defensive catchers in baseball, and Hopper, Gerut, and Thames make up a strong defensive outfield. The team possesses top-of-the-line defenders at the two most important defensive positions on the field, catcher and shortstop, which is always a good thing.
Defense Grade: B
Bench:
http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/k...tlawsBench.jpg
The bench, while not particularly strong, is well balanced and should be fairly good this season. The bench looks like what every bench should look like. It has a left handed, or in this case switch-hitter, power bat off the bench for the late innings in Brooks Conrad, who can even run a little with a speed rating of 80. It has a well balanced left-handed, veteran hitter in Mark Sweeney, who is also a decent fielder. It has a decent defensive utility man in Angel Sanchez, that can play all over the infield, a defensive minded back-up catcher in Gary Bennett, and lastly, but certainly not least, a good defensive outfielder with a little speed and a little pop in Jason Repko. So while this bench is particularly talented in the pure sense of the word, it is well-balanced and has everything a bench should have.
Bench Grade: B-
Starting Rotation and Bullpen next
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Re: Expanding Westward: The Fresno Outlaws
You have to do it manually
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Re: Expanding Westward: The Fresno Outlaws
Starting Rotation:
http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/k...ngRotation.jpg
The starting pitching, much like the starting lineup, isn’t particularly talented and, also much like the starting lineup, is every bit what you’d expect an expansion team’s starting rotation to look like in its first season. Wandy is the only even league average starter and the only with any semblance of a hope of posting a sub-4.00 ERA. Marshall is still young with some upside, and has a very good groundball percent of 46.1 and his best pitch is his sinker, both of which bode well with a good defensive infield and the high quality of the infield surface. Throw in the fact that he’s lefthanded and he has some value. Rasner has excellent control and also has a good sinker, both of which should bode well and are things to like about. Rasner won’t strike many guys out, but his good control and knack for getting groundballs are both very good and should make up for the strikeouts, or lack thereof, to some extent. Baek has very good control and a good fastball, that’s all he really has going for him, however. Hes not going to strike many guys out and he has to pitch to contact, which isn’t a particularly good thing since his stuff isn’t that impressive. Lastly, Hong-Chih Kuo is a strikeout artist. Kuo has a good fastball, clocked at 94-96 and a decent slurve and can strike guys out with the best of them. However, he has very poor control and movement, leading to a lot of walks and a lot of hard hit balls. He is left-handed, however, and the strikeouts are a plus.
Starting Rotation Grade: C-
Bullpen:
http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/k...awsBullpen.jpg
The bullpen isn’t that strong, but it also isn’t bad, and plenty of teams could come calling to the Outlaws, offering up some good prospects, at the trade deadline trying to get some relief help. Closer Jesse Carlson isn’t suited to the closer role, but he’s the best the Outlaws have got. He has good control and power, along with three solid pitches, a fastball, a change, and a knuckle curve. He also has a groundball percent of around 55%, on the high/elite end of the spectrum for that stat. If he pitches well the Outlaws should get plenty of tantalizing offers for him from teams looking for relief help at or before the deadline. The set-up man, Chris Schroeder, can strike hitters out like nobody’s business, but that’s about all he can do. He has almost no control or movement, and his only pitches are his fastball and an average-at-best hard curve. The rest of the guys in the ‘pen, Geoff Jones, Randor Bierd, Brandon League, and David Aardsma, are all basically strikeout guys with either a very good GB% or a very poor GB% and very little else.
Bullpen Grade: B
NOTE #1: I didn’t really perform a fantast draft, per se. I just tried to assemble a team that I think of players that would realistically make up an expansion team.
NOTE #2: I don’t feel like doing a long drawn out roster analysis for the Crusaders like I did the Outlaws, since I intend to run the Outlaws and not the Crusaders, so I’ll just make a quick post of what their roster is without any analysis, etc., later.
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Re: Expanding Westward: The Fresno Outlaws
Quote:
Originally Posted by
howardryan6
I can't find an expansion draft option anywhere.
Yeah, you have to do it manually. I basically just looked around all the teams and selected players for each team that I thought either would've been unprotected in an expansion draft, or was a player that realistically would've been on an expansion team, or both.
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Re: Expanding Westward: The Fresno Outlaws
an ok expansion team, could use a better lineup, but still, good job drafting.
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Re: Expanding Westward: The Fresno Outlaws
Quote:
Originally Posted by
howardryan6
So, If I were to do it, it is quite time consuming?
It shouldn't take more than an hour to do two teams. I'm a little more deliberate and analytical than most people probably are so it probably took me a bit longer than it might take someone else. The time consuming part is going through and trading for the players you "drafted". Beerchaser has some method of coming up with a draft pool posted somewhere on the forums, I'm not sure where though.
Crusaders Roster:
HTML Code:
Player Name Team P Overall Peak Age Injured Salary Years
Johnson, Randy BRO SP 86 86 44 14 $10,000,000 1
Spilborghs, Ryan BRO CF 79 79 28 0 $380,000 Arb '09
Walker, Tyler BRO RP 79 79 31 0 $750,000 1
Ward, Daryle BRO 1B 78 78 32 0 $1,200,000 1
Werth, Jayson BRO RF 78 78 28 0 $1,700,000 1
Bruntlett, Eric BRO SS 77 77 30 0 $600,000 1
Correia, Kevin BRO SP 77 77 27 0 $1,075,000 1
Cotts, Neal BRO RP 77 77 28 0 $800,000 1
Wakefield, Tim BRO SP 77 77 41 0 $4,000,000 1
Lewis, Fred BRO LF 76 76 27 0 $380,000 Arb '10
Izturis, Cesar BRO SS 76 76 28 0 $2,850,000 1
Byrd, Paul BRO SP 76 76 37 0 $8,000,000 1
Blanco, Henry BRO C 75 75 36 0 $2,800,000 1
Phillips, Andy BRO 1B 75 75 30 0 $30,000 1
Escobar, Alex BRO CF 75 75 29 0 $30,000 Arb '08
Marte, Andy BRO 3B 75 79 24 0 $20,000 Arb '09
Watson, Brandon BRO CF 74 74 26 0 $380,000 Arb '10
Smith, Matt BRO RP 74 74 28 0 $380,000 Arb '10
Majewski, Gary BRO RP 74 74 28 0 $30,000 Arb '08
Cairo, Miguel BRO 2B 73 73 33 0 $850,000 1
Redman, Mark BRO SP 73 73 34 0 $1,000,000 1
Lara, Juan BRO RP 73 73 27 0 $59,000 Arb '10
Peguero, Jailen BRO RP 73 73 27 0 $72,000 Arb '10
Bako, Paul BRO C 70 70 35 0 $30,000 1
Griffin, Tim BRO RP 67 89 21 0 $380,000 Arb '10
Keeter, Jeff BRO SS 66 72 16 0 $380,000 Arb '10
Gerstman, Wheeler BRO SP 66 96 16 0 $380,000 Arb '10
Yunis, Americo BRO C 64 71 20 0 $380,000 Arb '10
Harris, Jason BRO RF 63 68 21 0 $380,000 Arb '10
Brodsky, Terry BRO 3B 60 64 21 0 $380,000 Arb '10
Emerson, George BRO RF 55 94 17 0 $380,000 Arb '10
Montayes, José BRO RF 54 68 17 0 $380,000 Arb '10
Hoefer, Matt BRO RP 52 95 17 0 $380,000 Arb '10
Scorsone, Dan BRO SP 49 92 17 0 $380,000 Arb '10
Maddali, Garrett BRO SP 48 87 19 0 $380,000 Arb '10
Moon, John BRO RP 48 87 19 0 $380,000 Arb '10
Syme, Dave BRO RP 46 85 18 0 $380,000 Arb '10
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Re: Expanding Westward: The Fresno Outlaws
Quote:
Originally Posted by
howardryan6
Also, I assume you went into commish mode, and made the computer drop the player. Right?
When I do drafts, I just go into commish mode and use the force trade to make the expansion teams. It does not take too long in my opinion
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Re: Expanding Westward: The Fresno Outlaws
Quote:
Originally Posted by
RedsoxRockies
When I do drafts, I just go into commish mode and use the force trade to make the expansion teams. It does not take too long in my opinion
Yeah, thats what I did.
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Re: Expanding Westward: The Fresno Outlaws
GO CRUSADERS!!!!!!
sorry dawg.
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Re: Expanding Westward: The Fresno Outlaws
Talk about a storybook opening to the season. The two newest teams to Major League Baseball will open the season against each other in a four game set in Fresno.
Expected Pitching Matchups:
Tim Wakefield @ Wandy Rodriguez
Kevin Correia @ Sean Marshall
Paul Byrd @ Darrell Rasner
Mark Redman @ Cha Seung Baek
Neither team is particularly good, as you would expect from expansion teams, but it looks as if the Crusaders have the superior team in just about every way.
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Re: Expanding Westward: The Fresno Outlaws
A fantastically pitched game got the Outlaws their first win in franchise history, at the hands of their sister team the, Brooklyn Crusaders. Wandy Rodriguez went 8 innings and allowed only one run and three hits to earn the first W.
HTML Code:
Brooklyn Crusaders at Fresno Outlaws
April 1, 2008
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 + R H E
Crusaders (BRO) 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 3 2
Outlaws (FRE) 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 x 3 9 1
BROOKLYN ab h bb r hr bi k sb avg
K. Lofton (CF) 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
F. Lewis (LF) 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .250
A. Phillips (DH) 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000
D. Ward (1B) 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000
A. Marte (3B) 3 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 .333
J. Werth (RF) 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000
T. Graffanino (2B) 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
D. Miller (C) 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .333
E. Bruntlett (SS) 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000
TOTALS 31 3 0 1 1 1 4 1
2B: F. Lewis (1)
HR: A. Marte (1)
BROOKLYN ip h bb hr r er k pit ERA
T. Wakefield 5.1 7 1 0 3 3 7 81 5.06
C. Fossum 2.2 2 1 0 0 0 1 44 0.00
TOTALS 8.0 9 2 0 3 3 8 125
FRESNO ab h bb r hr bi k sb avg
N. Hopper (CF) 3 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 .333
J. Gerut (LF) 4 2 0 1 0 1 1 0 .500
R. Gload (1B) 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .250
B. Bonds (DH) 4 1 0 0 0 2 2 0 .250
M. Thames (RF) 4 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 .250
D. McPherson (3B) 3 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 .000
W. Aybar (2B) 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .250
K. Cash (C) 3 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 .333
J. McDonald (SS) 3 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .333
TOTALS 32 9 2 3 0 3 8 0
2B: M. Thames (1)
GIDP: W. Aybar
CS: K. Cash
FRESNO ip h bb hr r er k pit ERA
W. Rodriguez 8.0 3 0 1 1 1 3 120 1.13
G. Jones 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 1 11 0.00
TOTALS 9.0 3 0 1 1 1 4 131
WP: W. Rodriguez (1-0)
LP: T. Wakefield (0-1)
SV: G. Jones (1)
Temperature: 56F
Wind: 3 MPH (right to left)
Attendance: 9,586
Time: 2:24
HTML Code:
Brooklyn Crusaders at Fresno Outlaws
April 1, 2008
TOP OF THE FIRST
Wandy Rodriguez takes the mound for the Outlaws.
Kenny Lofton lined out to left. <--->
Fred Lewis doubled down the first base line. <-2->
Andy Phillips grounded to second. <3-->
Daryle Ward grounded to second. <3-->
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, and 1 left on base.
In the middle of the first, the game is tied at 0.
BOTTOM OF THE FIRST
Tim Wakefield takes the mound for the Crusaders.
Norris Hopper lined out to short. <--->
Jody Gerut struck out. <--->
Ross Gload grounded to third. <--->
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, and 0 left on base.
At the end of the first, the game is tied at 0.
TOP OF THE SECOND
Andy Marte grounded to second. <--->
Jayson Werth grounded to second. <--->
Tony Graffanino popped up to the shortstop. <--->
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, and 0 left on base.
In the middle of the second, the game is tied at 0.
BOTTOM OF THE SECOND
Barry Bonds struck out. <--->
Marcus Thames grounded to third. <--->
Dallas McPherson grounded to short. <--->
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, and 0 left on base.
At the end of the second, the game is tied at 0.
TOP OF THE THIRD
Damian Miller grounded to first base. <--->
Eric Bruntlett grounded to first. <--->
Kenny Lofton flied out to center. <--->
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, and 0 left on base.
In the middle of the third, the game is tied at 0.
BOTTOM OF THE THIRD
Willy Aybar grounded to second. <--->
Kevin Cash singled to left field. <--1>
John McDonald flied out to center. <--1>
Kevin Cash was caught stealing second. <--->
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, and 0 left on base.
At the end of the third, the game is tied at 0.
TOP OF THE FOURTH
Fred Lewis reached first on a fielding error by the third baseman. <--1>
Andy Phillips popped up to short. <--1>
Fred Lewis stole second. <-2->
Daryle Ward popped up to second. <-2->
Andy Marte grounded to first. <-2->
0 runs, 0 hits, 1 error, and 1 left on base.
In the middle of the fourth, the game is tied at 0.
BOTTOM OF THE FOURTH
Norris Hopper walked. <--1>
Jody Gerut singled to center. <-21>
Norris Hopper advanced on the error by Kenny Lofton. <3-1>
Ross Gload popped up to short. <3-1>
Barry Bonds struck out. <3-1>
Marcus Thames struck out. <3-1>
0 runs, 1 hit, 1 error, and 2 left on base.
At the end of the fourth, the game is tied at 0.
TOP OF THE FIFTH
Jayson Werth struck out. <--->
Tony Graffanino grounded back to the pitcher. <--->
Damian Miller flied out to center. <--->
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, and 0 left on base.
In the middle of the fifth, the game is tied at 0.
BOTTOM OF THE FIFTH
Dallas McPherson struck out. <--->
Willy Aybar flied out to right. <--->
Kevin Cash struck out. <--->
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, and 0 left on base.
At the end of the fifth, the game is tied at 0.
TOP OF THE SIXTH
Eric Bruntlett struck out. <--->
Kenny Lofton grounded to third. <--->
Fred Lewis grounded to short. <--->
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, and 0 left on base.
In the middle of the sixth, the game is tied at 0.
BOTTOM OF THE SIXTH
John McDonald singled to center. <--1>
Norris Hopper singled to left field. <-21>
Jody Gerut singled to short right-center, scoring a run. <-21>
Ross Gload singled through the left side. <321>
Barry Bonds singled to short left-center for two RBIs. <-21>
Marcus Thames struck out. <-21>
Casey Fossum came in to pitch for the Crusaders. <-21>
Dallas McPherson flied out to left. <-21>
Willy Aybar singled through the hole. <321>
Kevin Cash struck out. <321>
3 runs, 6 hits, 0 errors, and 3 left on base.
At the end of the sixth, Fresno leads 3 to 0.
TOP OF THE SEVENTH
Andy Phillips struck out. <--->
Daryle Ward lined out to center. <--->
Andy Marte homered to left-center. <--->
Jayson Werth grounded to short. <--->
1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, and 0 left on base.
In the middle of the seventh, Brooklyn trails 3 to 1.
BOTTOM OF THE SEVENTH
John McDonald grounded to the second baseman. <--->
Norris Hopper reached first on a fielding error by the first baseman. <--1>
Jody Gerut grounded to third. <-2->
Casey Fossum threw a wild pitch. <3-->
Ross Gload grounded to second. <3-->
0 runs, 0 hits, 1 error, and 1 left on base.
At the end of the seventh, Fresno leads 3 to 1.
TOP OF THE EIGHTH
Tony Graffanino grounded to the third baseman. <--->
Damian Miller singled up the middle. <--1>
Eric Bruntlett grounded to the pitcher, forcing the runner at second. <--1>
Kenny Lofton popped up to short. <--1>
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, and 1 left on base.
In the middle of the eighth, Brooklyn trails 3 to 1.
BOTTOM OF THE EIGHTH
Barry Bonds grounded to first. <--->
Marcus Thames doubled in the right field gap. <-2->
Dallas McPherson walked. <-21>
Willy Aybar grounded to the shortstop for a double play (6-4-3). <-2->
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, and 1 left on base.
At the end of the eighth, Fresno leads 3 to 1.
TOP OF THE NINTH
Geoff Jones came in to pitch for the Outlaws. <--->
Fred Lewis grounded to second. <--->
Andy Phillips grounded to third. <--->
Daryle Ward struck out. <--->
OUTLAWS WIN: 3-1
NOTE: Check the first post for some team firsts in a couple minutes.
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Re: Expanding Westward: The Fresno Outlaws
After the season opening win against the Crusaders not much has gone the Outlaws way this season.
We managed to split the series against the Crusaders, despite playing incredibly inconsistently. When we pitched, we didn't hit; when we hit, we didn't pitch.
We won the aforementioned first game on a strong outing by Wandy Rodriguez and RBI's from Bonds and Gerut. However the second game didn't go nearly as smoothly. We lost by a score of 7-6 and Sean Marshall failed to make it out of the 5th inning and allowed six of the seven runs the Crusaders scored. Norris Hopper had a nice game, going 3-4 with two RBI's, but it wasn't enough to help us earn the win. In the third game, trying to at least guarantee a split, we lost a squeaker, 3-2, in 11 innings. Rasner and Byrd pitched well against one another, Rasner going 7 1/3 innings allowing only two earned runs and Byrd going an astounding 10 innings allowing two runs and sending seven down on strikes. The game winning run came on an Andy Phillips homerun to lead off the 11th. We managed to earn the split in game four, in a fantastically pitched game on both sides, again going to extras. Mark Redman went the distance, 9 2/3 innings in this case, but got the loss when Barry Bonds hit an RBI single in the bottom of the tenth. Baek went 6 2/3 innings allowing one run, eight hits, and four walks. Thames hit the franchise's first home run, a shot to centerfield in the top of the second off Mike Redman.
The Rays managed to knock us around pretty good as well. We got a win to open the series, but lost the series two games to one.
We won game one again on the strength of our pitching, with Kuo going 6 innings allowing two runs. Norris Hopper and Jody Gerut continued their hot starts, going 2-4 and 3-5 respectively, and bringing their batting averages to .524 and .348 respectively. We were tied going into the bottom of the ninth and Norris Hopper singled to start the inning, Gerut then singled him over to third to put men on the corners with no one out. Then, in a bizarre ending, normally sure-handed catcher Dioner Navarro let a pitch slip through the 5 hole and Hopper scored from 3rd on what was scored a passed ball. We lost the second game despite a solid start by Wandy Rodriguez, a 6 inning three run effort. The bullpen got smacked up for two more runs and David Aardsma got the loss. We lost game three in an utter blowout, 9-2. Sean Marshall again failed to make it through 5 innings and allowed four runs in 4 2/3 innings, in addition to allowing three home runs. The bullpen wasn't any better however. Brandon League, Chris Schroeder, David Aardsma, Geoff Jones, and Randor Bierd combined for 4 1/3 innings, allowed five runs, four hits, and two homers. Navarro, Pena, Gomes, Longoria, and Floyd all managed to hit homers off Outlaws pitching.
And to end the team's first week and a half of existence, we got swept by the Minnesota Twins. There wasn't much our pitching could do to stop them in any game, as we got outscored 18-11.
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Re: Expanding Westward: The Fresno Outlaws
In a surprising, and some (most) would say awful, move the Rockies sent All-Star third basemen Garrett Atkins to the division rival San Francisco Giants.
The Giants will get All-Star third basemen, and big stick, Garrett Atkins (84) to the Giants in return for journeyman starting Victor Santos (71), catcher Bengie Molina (79), and lefty reliever Jack Taschner (79).
The move makes plenty of sense for the Giants. They get a relatively young hitter that can be a building block for the future. Atkins immediately becomes the best hitter in the Giants lineup and if he keeps up with his career averages (.300, 22 homers, 106 RBI's) he will easily be the best hitter on the Giants this season. He doesn't have much protection in the lineup so whether or not he can do that is up for debate, but it should still be a great deal for the Giants.
On the other hand, this deal makes absolutely no sense for the Rockies. The Rockies were a team that was expected to contend this season, and trading Atkins is totally counterproductive to a goal of winning. They very little to nothing of value back. Bengie Molina is 33 years old, has seen his defensive value drop considerably, is still a decent hitter but not anything close to what Atkins is, and is making 6 million dollars for the next two years. He does fill a need, but at what cost? Taschner is a solid, cheap lefty out of the 'pen, but hes 29 years old and has a career ERA of 5.72. This deal is simply awful for the Rockies.
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Re: Expanding Westward: The Fresno Outlaws
Just a quick note. Because the game doesn't give added teams a pick in their first year, I'm going to lottery off the top 10-12 picks of this years draft and add the two expansion teams to this lottery so we will both get a pick. I'll control the first X amount of picks, with X being how many picks I lottery, and after just let the CPU take it over. I'm not going to lottery the top 10 picks between all the teams, just the teams that would be picking in the top 10 if I weren't messing with it.
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Re: Expanding Westward: The Fresno Outlaws
Ok, my new draft order. I just wrote the team names down on a slip of paper, folded 'em up a few times, and picked them out of a hat, and the order I drew them in is the order they pick in.
New Order:
- Washington Nationals
- Houston Astros
- Florida Marlins
- Pittsburgh Pirates
- Tampa Bay Rays
- Fresno Outlaws
- Chicago White Sox
- Brooklyn Crusaders
- Cincinatti Reds
- Baltimore Orioles
- San Francisco Giants
- Kansas City Royals
From there on out the draft order is the same, aside from everyone getting bumped down a couple slots to make room for the two teams that are added. Mind you this is just for the first round.
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Re: Expanding Westward: The Fresno Outlaws
Great to have you back, Dawg!
A little uneasy about the Brooklyn club being in the A.L. Brooklyn's always been a N.L. city. Maybe shifting the Brewers again?
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Re: Expanding Westward: The Fresno Outlaws
Quote:
Originally Posted by
PotatoOfCouch13
Great to have you back, Dawg!
A little uneasy about the Brooklyn club being in the A.L. Brooklyn's always been a N.L. city. Maybe shifting the Brewers again?
Not a bad idea. If I do it'd have to wait till next season since I'm already a week and a half into this one.
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Re: Expanding Westward: The Fresno Outlaws
Outlaws GM decided to sell high on Wandy Rodriguez after his latest strong start against the Boston Red Sox, a 7 1/3 inning, three run, no walk, 6 strikeout effort. Wandy Rodriguez had been 1-0 with a 2.95 ERA in 21 1/3 innings with 12 K's and only one walk and a .215 BAA, in three starts against the Red Sox, Rays, and Crusaders. The Dodgers also acquired 17 year old starting pitching prospects Juan Enriquez and Craig Robb and cash considerations. Enriquez is a very advanced pitcher for his age and projects as a #1 starter at the major league level with plus control, plus power, and average movement. He possess a circle change, a fastball, and a slider that project as plus pitches at the major level, and a splitter that could be solid as well. Robb isn't as advanced and doesn't project as well as Enriquez, but is still a very good prospect. Kershaw is an extremely young, talented lefty. He is only 20 years old and already major league ready. His curve ball is second to none and his fastball and change are also solid pitches that can only get better as he gets older and matures. He doesn't possess great control or movement yet, but that should come with age, he does however have the ability to strike guys out, almost at will. Kershaw has made one start this season, and it was not pretty, he went 5 1/3 innings, allowed 12 runs, 13 hits, two homers, three walks, and struck out just four.
However the deal does make sense for both sides.
LA acquires a proven, solid major league quality lefty that will throw strikes, walk few batters, and strike some guys out, at the very least an innings eater. They were a little shallow on starting pitching depth so it really helps there as well. They also acquire an EXTREMELY talented prospect in Enriquez, who could be just as good a prospect as Kershaw in the not-too-distant future, a solid prospect in Robb, and the cash never hurts either.
As for the Outlaws, Wandy was of no real value to them, they weren't going to win any more games with or without him. They were a team that lacked a true face of the franchise or a player to build around, and Kershaw gives them both of those things. With Kershaw they can sell the future and it gives them something to look forward to. It hurts them to hurt Enriquez and Robb, but they were much further away then Kershaw and are far from a guarantee. Kershaw isn't a guarantee either, but he stands a much better chance of reaching his potential at this point than either of them do.
It was a solid deal for both teams, but the Outlaws definitely got the better end of the deal here. Kershaw could be the next Sandy Koufax and Wandy is average and both of the prospects still have a long way to go before they sniff a major league diamond.
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Re: Expanding Westward: The Fresno Outlaws
A couple notes about that deal. First off, I made that deal using the trade block, I put the three players I traded on the block along with the cash to see what offers I got, and when I saw that I couldn't pass it up. Second, I have peaks hidden in order to make it a little harder so I'm not entirely sure what their peaks are. Before I turned peaks off I remember Enriquez having a peak of around 94 and I think Robb was mid-80's, Kershaw I have no idea about however.
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Re: Expanding Westward: The Fresno Outlaws
It's not Claton Kershaw is it?
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Re: Expanding Westward: The Fresno Outlaws
Yeah, what other Kershaw is there lol?
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Re: Expanding Westward: The Fresno Outlaws
nvm the pic looks like his pitching
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Re: Expanding Westward: The Fresno Outlaws
Nice deal, Dawg. Hopefully those prospects don't turn around and bite you in the a**.
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Re: Expanding Westward: The Fresno Outlaws
The Outlaws had a solid week, earning their first series win and their first winning streak in franchise history, going .500 for the week.
We won the series against the Red Sox, and if not for some late inning trouble in game three may have swept the defending champs.
The first game was a real thriller, a 4-3 win in 14 innings with plenty of blown opportunities. Wandy Rodriguez went 7+ innings to start the game, and allowed only three runs, no walks, and struck out 6 batters. However the real pitching star was the bullpen. Chris Schroeder, Jesse Carlson, Geoff Jones, and Randor Bierd combined to go six and two thirds innings, allowed merely two hits, and walked four. They did work themselves into a few jams but had the grit to get out of them unscathed. The winning run came on a walkoff homer to left by Marcus Thames. Barry Bonds went 0-4 but walked 3 times and Ross Gload hit a homer as well. Sean Marshall turn in a solid 5 innings of three run ball in game two. Marcus Thames, Jason Repko, and Willy Aybar all hit homers to help power the Outlaws to the 6-3 victory, guaranteeing the series victory. The bullpen was again superb, going 4 innings and allowing only two hits. Game three was just as exciting as the first two, but this one unfortunately did not go our way. Darrell Rasner went 8 strong innings, allowing only two runs and striking out 5. But with the game tied at two in the top of the ninth David Aardsma came on and allowed three hits and a run to let the Red Sox take the lead, and we couldn't recover and lost 3-2.
The bullpen could not duplicate the success it had in the Red Sox series against the Angels, and it ended up costing us the series.
Game one was an utter blowout, as we lost 12-3. Baek wasn't spectacular, only going 3 innings and allowing four runs (two earned), but the bullpen didn't help either. Brandon League, Randor Bierd, Geoff Jones, and Jesse Carlson combined to go four innings, allow 12 hits, and 8 runs. David Aardsma threw in a solid two innings of no run ball in relief however. Game two was a different story. Kuo pitched fantastic and went seven innings, allowed one run, three hits, and struck out nine, and even took a no hitter into the seventh. Kevin Cash was the offensive star, going 2-4 with a double and two RBI's. Game three saw recently acquired Clayton Kershaw make his Outlaw debut. He didn't pitch great, allowing 5 earned runs and giving up three homers in 6 2/3 innings, however if it wasn't for a ninth inning blowout he would have earned the win. Leading by two with two outs in the ninth inning Jesse Carlson allowed two hits in a row, and then Howie Kendrick came up and unloaded one into the seats to give them 9-8 lead, Carlson proceeded to work himself into another jam but managed to get out of it. We loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth, but couldn't push anything across and lost 9-8.
Next week the Outlaws travel to Texas for a three game series against the Rangers and then come home for three against the Orioles.
Team Notes:
- Jody Gerut has been struggling mightily and is expected to be benched in favor of Jason Repko
- Due to Aybar's hot hitting as of late, .297/.381/.649 in his last 10, he may see himself moved up to two in the batting order, with Repko likely moving down to #6 and everyone below that getting bumped down a slot.
- Jesse Carlson has apparently lost his closers job, at least temporarily, and will be lowered to short relief to work out his problems, with Schroeder now closing games and Geoff Jones at set-up.
- If Sean Marshall and/or Clayton Kershaw continue to struggle as badly as they have they could be sent to the minors in favor of recently signed David Wells.
- Barry Bonds struggles this season, a mere .163 batting average in 49 at bats (although he does have 13 walks and a .333 OBP), reportedly has management considering benching him in favor of Mark Sweeney.
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Re: Expanding Westward: The Fresno Outlaws
Quote:
Originally Posted by
PotatoOfCouch13
Nice deal, Dawg. Hopefully those prospects don't turn around and bite you in the a**.
Thanks. Even if they do it'll be a few years down the road, and they're in the NL now anyways, so with no interleague play the only way they could hurt me is in the World Series. Not that important of a series :) :p.
I've been trying to make this sound as journalistic, like you're reading it in the paper or on the internet, as possible. Is it working?
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Re: Expanding Westward: The Fresno Outlaws
Absolutely! The team notes at the end are a nice touch!
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Re: Expanding Westward: The Fresno Outlaws
Quote:
Originally Posted by
PotatoOfCouch13
Absolutely! The team notes at the end are a nice touch!
Thanks. The reason I more or less abandoned the first person/GM type point of view is because that requires some storyline and creative writing, and I'm not very good at creative writing and stuff like that. Journalistic type writing is more my strong suit which was why I switched to a newspaper type format.
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Re: Expanding Westward: The Fresno Outlaws
Please let me know of anything I can do better. Like if you think it would be better if I used a little more detail in regard to individual player performances or anything else.
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Re: Expanding Westward: The Fresno Outlaws
Quote:
Originally Posted by
howardryan6
You are doing pretty much everything that I like in a Dynasty. Articles, but not too many. Good writing, that is grammatically sound, that's a personal fetish though. Pictures, do I sound 5 :confused:? And, to top it all off, transactions! Those really do me in! Keep it up!
I'm a grammar freak too, lol. I've made a nice habit of irritating my friends by constantly correcting their grammar whenever they talk. I've been trying to kind of "capture the moment" or at least convey the correct mood of the article in the pictures I've been using. Like how I used Thames after an apparent K for my first weekly article and Aybar after hitting a homer for the second week. There have actually been quite a few resignings and milestones and stuff already but if I did an article for every one theres been so far I'd be at like 80 posts in this thread by now, and I don't want to bog things down by posting whenever anything happens so I'm gonna nail all that in my monthly update. Thanks though!
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Re: Expanding Westward: The Fresno Outlaws
Quote:
Originally Posted by
YEAH DAAAAWG
Outlaws sell high on Wandy, get Kershaw
ahem...Rodriguez and two prospects for the next Sandy Koufax? Dodger fan will have a hard time continuing to read this dynasty...;)
Though, Barry B*nds sucking might let me stick around long enough for you to redeem yourself.
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Re: Expanding Westward: The Fresno Outlaws
Quote:
Originally Posted by
filihok
ahem...Rodriguez and two prospects for the next Sandy Koufax? Dodger fan will have a hard time continuing to read this dynasty...;)
Though, Barry B*nds sucking might let me stick around long enough for you to redeem yourself.
Hey bro, they offered it to me ;).
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Re: Expanding Westward: The Fresno Outlaws
The Outlaws had another .500 week against the Rangers and Orioles. They took two of three from the Rangers, nearly sweeping them, and narrowly avoided a sweep at the hands of the Orioles.
We won the first two games of the Rangers series, and lost game three by only two runs.
Marshall pitched decent in the first game, going 6 innings and allowing three earned runs. Jesse Carlson pitched very well in relief to earn the save, going the final three innings of the game, striking out three, and allowing no baserunners. The offensive star of the game was Ross Gload, getting four hits in five at bats, including a homer and knocked in five of our six runs. The Rangers could manage only three runs, giving us the 6-3 win. Game two was a lot closer and more exciting than the last one. We put up four in the first, but with this pitching staff no lead is ever safe. We both got a run in the second and sixth innings to keep it a four run game, but in the ninth inning we hit a spot of trouble. Randor Bierd came in to finish out the game, and failed to do so, allowing five hits and two runs in two thirds of an inning. Brandon League came on to get the final out. Barry Bonds also collected his first homer as an Outlaw, a three run shot. Game three was a nail biter. Both pitchers pitched well, Cha Seung Baek went 7 2/3 innings allowed two runs, however none earned, and struck out 5, while Kason Gabbard went eight, allowed no runs, and struck out 6. The game was tied at 0 going into the bottom of the eighth when the Rangers capitalized on a Dallas McPherson error to put up the only two runs of the game and get the 2-0 victory.
We suffered the same fate against the Orioles in our next series as the Rangers had against us in our previous series.
Kuo went only four innings in a somewhat embarrassing game one, allowing four runs (three earned). The bullpen was again an issue, as Bierd allowed two more runs, and League a run as well. We staged a mini three run rally in the bottom of the eighth to pull within three, but couldn't get any closer and lost 7-4. We turned to David Aardsma in game two, as Kershaw needed an extra day off and management didn't want to risk damaging such a valuable arm. Aardsma could make it through only three innings due to stamina issues, but allowed only one run in those three innings. The bullpen crumbled however, with Bierd and Schroeder combining to allow three runs in the final two innings of the game and blowing the lead for us, and giving the Orioles the 4-2 win. We turned to Kershaw in game 3 to try to avoid the sweep, and he did not disappoint. Kershaw went 8 innings, allowed three runs, no walks, five hits, and struck out 8, his best start of his young career. Geoff Jones nearly blew Kershaw's incredible start however, allowing a run in the ninth and putting two more runners off before getting out of it and helping us to a 7-4 victory.
Team Notes:
- Aybar has responded well to being moved up to the #2 spot in the batting order, going 7-17 (.411), with 5 walks, 5 runs, and collecting a hit in every game.
- Geoff Jones has pitched extremely well this season (1.93 ERA) and their rumblings that he may be moved into the closers role, from the set-up role.
- Marcus Thames raised his batting average about 50 points over the past week, from around .220 to .270, and may be moved up in the order.
NOTE: I know this write-up lacked detail, but I had previously simmed every game individually in PBP GM mode like I do with all my games so I know what happened for when I do my write-up, but I forgot to save when I turned my computer off and I didn't feel like watching all the games over again in PBP so I just simmed through the week.
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Re: Expanding Westward: The Fresno Outlaws
Oh, another thing. I decided to turn peaks back on, its simply way too difficult to evaluate talent, especially in the draft, without it on. And I simply can't afford any mistakes of any sort with this team since its an expansion team with little financial wiggle room.
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Re: Expanding Westward: The Fresno Outlaws
Quote:
Originally Posted by
DarthJaker
It's not Claton Kershaw is it?
i was thinking of blake Dewitt becuase i thought Kershaw a 3B
