Expandin' your mind, duuuuude......Baseball 1998

[200tang]

Quick Notes

This dynasty will have me taking over the Arizona Diamondbacks and HAC taking over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays during the 1998 expansion draft. For those who remember the other 1998 dynasty I made not to long ago, the reason I've quit that one is because my computer fans weren't strong enough for the summer and my graphics card is broken .

We will be using Miz's Negotiator & Rule V draft apps. We've also changed Fan Loyalty to an A and Farm System to a C. We did this because a new team generally has lots of pumped up fans and a team coming in to the league shouldn't be at any disadvantage in finding an average team of coaches & scouts.

As far as league settings go, the only setting we've done anything to is turning Injury Frequency down to -20% to make it more realistic. With that, let's get this dynasty under way.

Expansion Draft (Ratings +/-1)

Round 1
ARI - Jeff Suppan (SP 70/86)
TBD - Hiroki Kuroda (SP 65/82)
ARI - David Wells (SP 84)
TBD - Mark DeRosa (2B 68/83)
ARI - Mike Stanley (1B 79)
TBD - Andy Ashby (SP 79)
ARI - Bob Tewskbury (SP 81)
TBD - Jimmy Key (SP 84)
ARI - Tony Saunders (SP 75/81)
TBD - Sandy Alomar (C 76)
ARI - Joe Oliver (C 74)
TBD - Jeff D'Amico (SP 69/82)
ARI - Paul Sorrento (1B 75)
TBD - Darryl Hamilton (CF 78)
ARI - Jeff King (1B 74)
TBD - Cecil Fielder (1B 76)
ARI - Bill Spiers (3B 73)
TBD - Dave Magadan (3B 75)
ARI - Jermaine Allensworth (CF 71/72)
TBD - Jeff Shaw (RP 78)
ARI - Todd Stottlemyre (SP 80)
TBD - Bernard Gilkey (LF 77)
ARI - Aaron Sele (SP 75)
TBD - Derrick May (RF 71)
ARI - Mike DeJean (RP 73/76)
TBD - James Baldwin (SP 68/80)
ARI - Jeff Abbott (LF 67/76)
TBD - Jose Nieves (SS 65/77)

Round 2
TBD - Mark Redman (SP 57/83)
ARI - Rodrigo Lopez (SP 57/85)
TBD - Jaret Wright (SP 66/84)
ARI - Tim Raines (LF 78)
TBD - Darrin Fletcher (C 77)
ARI - Darren Lewis (CF 75)
TBD - Luis Alicea (2B 75)
ARI - John Cangelosi (LF 66)
TBD - Damon Mashore (CF 73/74)
ARI - Walt Weiss (SS 72)
TBD - Ozzie Guillen (SS 73)
ARI - Terry Pendleton (3B 73)
TBD - Brett Tomko (SP 71/82)
ARI - Raul Chavez (C 69/74)
TBD - Marco Scutaro (2B 60/78)
ARI - Kirk Rueter (SP 77)
TBD - Dan Smith (RP 52/81)
ARI - Bob Patterson (RP 73)
TBD - Roberto Duran (RP 65/75)
ARI - Juan Castro (SS 67/71)
TBD - Daryle Ward (1B 64/80)
ARI - Jerry Spradlin (RP 69/71)
TBD - Jeff Brantley (RP 73)
ARI - Buddy Groom (RP 68/69)
TBD - Kris Benson (SP 59/81)
ARI - Jaime Navarro (SP 76)
TBD - Mike Munoz (RP 70/71)
ARI - Doug Jones (RP 78)

Round 3
TBD - Jamie Moyer (SP 81)
ARI - Robert Person (SP 74/75)
TBD - Jesse Orosco (RP 75)
ARI - Jarrod Washburn (SP 66/88)
TBD - Dave Maurer (RP 51/76)
ARI - Pete Schourek (SP 73)
TBD - Brandon Berger (RF 59/76)
ARI - Rey Ordonez (SS 71)
TBD - Graeme Lloyd (RP 72/73)
ARI - David Manning (SP 52/82)
TBD - Darren Dreifort (SP 73/80)
ARI - Tony Mounce (SP 52/75)
TBD - Scott Randall (SP 54/80)
ARI - Matt Beech (SP 67/74)

Off-Season News

Trades

January 2nd, 1998
To PHI : Brent Abernathy (20 Y/o) (2B 58/72) & Brandon Backe (19 Y/o) (SP 51/83)
To TBD : Kevin Stocker (28 Y/o) (SS 74)

To CHW : Joe Kennedy (18 Y/o) (SP 53/84) & Travis Phelps (20 Y/o) (RP 62/81)
To TBD : Robin Ventura (30 Y/o) (3B 82)

To MIN : Aaron Sele (27 Y/o) (SP 75) & Matt Beech (26 Y/o) (SP 67/74)
To ARI : Orlando Merced (31 Y/o) (RF 78)

January 9th, 1998
To ATL : Rondell White (26 Y/o) (CF 84)
To MON : Odalis Perez (20 Y/o) (SP 68/87) & Damian Moss (21 Y/o) (SP 59/80)
Thoughts - I like this trade for both sides. Montreal is obviously in no position to win anything in the next few years so trading Rondell White for 2 pitching prospects is always smart. Especially when one has the upside of a good #2 starter. Over in Atlanta they're already celebrating their division title. This team was already super talented and with the addition of Rondell White they just got even better.

January 15th, 1998
To CHC : Damion Easley (28 Y/o) (2B 80)
To DET : Ryan Theriot (18 Y/o) (SS 59/81), Rodney Myers (28 Y/o) (RP 64/67) and Scott Servais (30 Y/o) (C 73)
Thoughts - To be honest I'm not a huge fan of this trade. Neither team is going to be winning anything this year so while it's nice to see Detroit go out and get a SS for the possible future and trade away an old vet not needed, I have to wonder why the Cubs would make this deal. Besides Sammy Sosa & Mark Grace this team isn't that great and it isn't time to be looking at making a run for the playoffs. I'll let this trade stand because nobody lost anything of real value, but it's not a great trade.

January 21st, 1998
To ATL : Mark Grudzielanek (27 Y/o) (SS 82/84)
To MON : Rafael Furcal (20 Y/o) (SS 65/81) and Cory Aldridge (18 Y/o) (CF 61/80)
Thoughts - Again, just like with the last trade these 2 teams made, I like it. Montreal is in no position to win and Atlanta is, so trading prospects for vets works out well here, not to mention that Montreal also gets back a young SS to replace the one they just traded plus an interesting CF prospect.



Notable Injuries

March 24th, 1998 - Jose Valverde [ARI] (Stretched Ankle Ligament - Two Weeks)

It was a quiet off-season when it came to the injuries. No big name players were hurt and of the few starters that were hurt they were all minor and have either completely healed or will be back within the week.


Other News

January 2nd, 1998

Damian Rolls [TBD] - Converted from 3B to 2B
Akinori Iwamura [TBD] - Converted from 2B to SS

[200tang]

Depth Chart/Lineup/Rotation/Bullpen

Depth Chart

Catcher
Starter : Joe Oliver (75)
Bench : Raul Chavez (69/74)
AA : Rod Barajas (60/80)
Summary - As far as the ML talent goes, both Oliver & Chavez are your typical average defenders/strong arm/crappy offense catchers. Barajas, on the other hand, is an injury prone 22 year old without any strengths but with no offense to speak of. This is going to be an area that needs improving in the future.

First Base
Starter : Paul Sorrento (75) & Mike Stanley (79) [Platoon]
Bench : NONE
A : Travis Lee (66/77)
Summary - Sorrento & Stanley are both no field decent hitting first basemen, but neither is so much better than the other that one will win the job over the other. Hopefully matching them up against L/R I'll get the most from each of them. In the future we have Travis Lee to look forward to. He'll end up being a guy who stays healthy, can field his position with the best of them and get on base at a decent rate. Unfortunately his power for the position is very weak and his ceiling is a decent bench player.

Second Base
Starter : Jeff King (1B 74)
Bench : Rey Ordonez (SS 71)
A : Junior Spivey (58/70)
R : Matt Kata (63/78)
Summary - Jeff King is a phenomenal fielding first basemen and he'll get a chance to prove himself at second base where his aging bat should age much better. Between Spivey and Kata, the latter has the much higher potential, but still shouldn't be viewed as a realistic future. My guess is that Kata will have a decent chance at holding down a bench job in the future as an average fielding switch hitting IF who can play 2B/3B.

Shortstop
Starter : Walt Weiss (72)
Bench : Rey Ordonez (71)
AAA : Juan Castro (67/71)
Summary - Walt Weiss is what you think of when you think of a slightly below average SS. The nice thing is that he'll get on base at a decent rate (career .350 OBP), but besides that he's hovering around a 70 rating except power where he's at 62. On the bench we have Rey Ordonez who..is Rey Ordonez...He'll be cheap through 1999 and he's entering his prime years, so he should serve as a decent backup. In the minors we have Juan Castro who's just bad at everything. Staying healthy, hitting, running, fielding. The only nice thing he does is provide depth.

Third Base
Starter : Terry Pendleton (73) & Bill Spiers (73) [Platoon]
Bench : NONE
A : Danny Klassen (66/73)
R : Andy Green (57/74)
Summary - Pendleton is a 37 year old who will stay healthy and perform well in the field and decent offensively. He's signed through just this year, but this is most likely his final year as a big leaguer. Bill Spiers on the other hand is the exact opposite. A guy who can barely be called a third basemen, but hits well enough and runs well enough to be considered average. Spiers will have a short leash to contribute against RHP's, but could very well lose his job to the better fielding Pendleton. In the minors we have Terry Pendleton Jr., aka Dannny Klassen. He'll hit & field decently enough to get a look at holding down a starting job, but don't expect to much from him. And at the bottom of the organization is Andy Green. He looks like he'll become an on base threat who can't field or hit for power. Bench player at best in the future.

Left Field
Starter : Tim Raines (78)
Bench : John Cangelosi (66)
AAA : Jeff Abbott (67/76)
A : Jack Cust (59/80)
R : Doug DeVore (59/84)
Summary - This is easily the strongest position in the system. At the ML level we have Tim Raines who can still get on base, swipe some bags, and hit for a decent number of home runs. Defensively he's showing the age, but he'll still perform adequetly. He's most likely the most skilled position player on the team. On the bench we have John Cangelosi who should probably just leave his glove at home when he comes to work. The only reason we have a 66 overall player is because of his bat. He'll never be a power threat, but he gets on base at a good clip (career .371 OBP in 1827 ABs) and steal some bases (152/58). He'll serve as our PH/R. In the minors we have 2 very interseting players. Cust is definitely more cut out for the AL and will probably be shopped around a bit in the future, but his on base & power abilities are very intriguing. On the other hand DeVore is a much more rounded player who will get on base/field/hit for contact and run the bases decently. The only glaring weakness he has is his power, but if everything else fills out well he should be a valuable ML player.

Center Fielder
Starter : Darren Lewis (75)
Bench : Jermaine Allensworth (71/72)
Summary - Lewis rarely makes mistakes in the field, but his arm & range can best be described as 'average'. Offensively he doesn't have much going for him either besides having enough speed to swipe 25+ bases in a year. On the bench we have Jermaine Allensworth who is basically has the same skills as Lewis without being as good a fielder/base runner/hitter. If Lewis goes down it's going to be an obvious downgrade.

Right Fielder
Starter : Orlando Merced (78)
Bench : NONE
Summary - He cost us some pitchers, but for a position heavy/pitching depleted Minnesota Twins he was expendable. Coming over to us he becomes an instant upgrade over starting Jermaine Allensworth in RF. Merced is a switch hitter who has an understanding of the strike zone and makes a bit of contact while throwing in some power. Defensively he has a cannon for an arm and should be making assist after assist out there. He's signed through 2000 so the 31 year old should be here for awhile.



Lineup (vs Righties)

1 - Tim Raines, 38 Y/o (LF 78) S
2 - Walt Weiss, 34 Y/o (SS 72) S
3 - Orlando Merced, 31 Y/o (RF 78) S
4 - Paul Sorrento, 32 Y/o (1B 75) L
5 - Bill Spiers, 31 Y/o (3B 73) L
6 - Jeff King, 33 Y/o (2B 74) R
7 - Darren Lewis, 30 Y/o (CF 75) R
8 - Joe Oliver, 32 Y/o (C 74) R
9 - [Pitcher Slot]

Lineup (vs Lefties)

1 - Tim Raines, 38 Y/o (LF 78) S
2 - Walt Weiss, 34 Y/o (SS 72) S
3 - Orlando Merced, 31 Y/o (RF 78) S
4 - Mike Stanley, 34 Y/o (1B 79) R
5 - Jeff King, 33 Y/o (2B 74) R
6 - Darren Lewis, 30 Y/o (CF 75) R
7 - Terry Pendleton, 37 Y/o (3B 73) S
8 - Joe Oliver, 32 Y/o (C 74) R
9 - [Pitcher Slot]

Bench
1 - Rey Ordonez, 26 Y/o (SS 71) R
2 - [First Basemen]
3 - Jermaine Allensworth, 26 Y/o (CF 71/72) R
4 - John Cangelosi, 35 Y/o (LF 66) S
5 - [Third Basemen]
6 - Rual Chavez, 25 Y/o (C 69/74) R

The top 4 of my order for both lineups looks good with Raines providing a spark and then having 3 guys right after him with good on base ability and power (excluding Weiss on the power part). Not to mention the top 4 guys will always have the handedness advantage. After that we have some below average hitters with good defense and Joe Oliver. I think this lineup was one of the better lineups I could have put together with the expansion draft, but we'll definitely be struggling this year.


Should be a great year!

Pitching

Starters : 1) David Wells(84), 2) Bob Tewksbury(81), 3) Todd Stottlemyre(80), 4) Kirk Rueter(77), 5) Jaime Navarro(76)
Top 5 Depth : Pete Schourek(73), Robert Person(74/75), Tony Saunders(75/81), John Patterson(69/81), Jeff Suppan(70/86)

Relief Pitching : CL) Doug Jones(78), SU) Bob Patterson(73), SR) Jose Valverde(73/80) & Mike DeJean(73/76), MR) Byung-Hyun Kim(61/78), LR) Pete Schourek(73)





What I think of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays - Their lineup is about the best HAC could have put together..except for Dale Corbin..really? The main problem I see with this team is the relief pitching. He has 6 major injury prone pitchers and Jeff Shaw & James Baldwin aren't exactly models of health either. If I had to pick the best player on his team it would probably be Robin Ventura. The worst is easily Dale Corbin.

Unfortunately HAC is going to have his hands full in the AL East and I don't expect him to finish above last place unless he gets off to a lucky start and makes some miraculous trades at the deadline with the talent he has to give up.

My guess is that he'll end up building for the future while putting out somewhat competitive teams; basically the same plan I figure to go with.

[haveacigar]

Depth Chart/Lineup/Rotation/Bullpen

Depth Chart

Catcher
Starter : Darrin Fletcher L (77)
Starter : Sandy Alomar R (76)
AA : Toby Hall R (60/70)
A : Paul Hoover R (58/74)
R : Pete LaForest L (58/68)
Summary - Well, this is an ideal platoon spot. Both Fletcher and Alomar have some ability to hit, and some defensive ability, but neither excel, and are not particularly durable. However, both have shown they can play in the big leagues. They've both been to all-star games, and had quality .800+ OPS seasons last year. I think the production from this position will be very solid all year. The minor league talent is lacking, so I will probably have to bring in more talent outside the system in the future.

First Base
Starter : Cecil Fielder R (76)
A : Daryle Ward L (64/80)
Summary - Big Daddy isn't the guy he used to be, as he's 34 years old and has only played more than 110 games once since 1993. But the power is still there, as is the eye. I think he's the kind of player to which fans will really gravitate, and he's by far the biggest power threat on the team. Daryle Ward has big league potential as a starter down the road, and as a capable backup at worst.

Second Base
Starter : Luis Alicea S (76)
AAA : Mark DeRosa R (68/83)
A : Marco Scutaro R (60/78)
R : Damian Rolls R (57/69)
Summary - Alicea's biggest strength is his batting eye, and he's got a good one. His glove is declining, and he won't hit for a lot of pop, but he's always a tough out and should manage to be a league average hitter. Still, there's a good chance that Mark DeRosa could make his way into the lineup by midseason. DeRosa is only 23, but he's already very good at reading pitches and making contact. By the time he's 25 or 26, he should have improved enough to be a major league starter. Scutaro provides some nice depth as well.

Shortstop
Starter : Ozzie Guillen L (73)
Bench : Kevin Stocker S (74)
AAA : Akinori Iwamura L (62/86)
AA : David Lamb S (52/66)
A : Jose Nieves R (65/77)
R : Felix Escalona R (57/75)
Summary - Deepest position in the organization, by far. Iwamura is the team's best position prospect, and at only 19 years old playing in AAA, he's got a very bright future. He can already recognize pitches, fields pretty decent, and did I mention he's 19? The rest of the players aren't really worth talking about. Guillen just barely beat Stocker for the starting role, but that could change very quickly. Lamb might be out of his element at AA.

Third Base
Starter : Robin Ventura L (82)
Bench : Dale Corbin R (62/65)
AAA : Aubrey Huff L (65/83)
R : Jared Sandberg R (59/77)
Summary - Robin Ventura is by far the best player on the team. Nice pop in the bat with a great eye and a great glove, he'll be a stabilizing presence on this team. Trading for him should ensure that we field a competitive team day-in and day-out. Dale Corbin is only on the team as organizational filler. Aubrey Huff plays 3B in Durham but will most likely be the long-term DH, which will suit his prodigious bat well; he almost became the starting DH this season. Between Ventura and Huff, there's some good talent at this position.

Left Field
Starter : Bernard Gilkey R (77)
R : Matt Diaz R (58/74)
Summary - Gilkey is a little too all-or-nothing for my tastes, with 236 Ks in the last two seasons, but he's a career .283 hitter with pop and he should be a steady contributor in LF. His throwing arm is very underrated and he'll get some outfield assists for sure. He had a monster spring, to the tune of a 1.078 OPS, and we're hoping that carries over to the season. Just 2 years ago, he went 30/117 with a .955 OPS, we'd like to see him get back to that.

Center Fielder
Starter : Damon Mashore R (73/74)
Summary - Mashore is a fabulous defender who is only on the team for his glove. Solid CF defense is extremely important, and he'll track down plenty of balls this season. It should make up for his pedestrian bat, although he does have a better batting eye than he gets credit for. Unfortunately, no one else in the organization has the athleticism to play the position, besides RF Darryl Hamilton

Right Fielder
Starter : Darryl Hamilton L (78)
Bench : Derrick May L (71)
A : Brandon Berger R (59/76)
R : Kenny Kelly R (59/78)
Summary - I like the depth here. Hamilton is a very underrated player, smart with great athleticism. He's not quite as good a fielder as Mashore, but he should be a very good defender in RF. He can hit for average and draw walks well, and his only deficiency is power. He'll fit right in as the lead-off hitter. Derrick May's .274 career average will be useful for a backup player, while either Berger or Kelly should make it to the bigs in some capacity.

Designated Hitter
Starter : Dave Magadan L (75)
A regular grizzled vet, Magadan no longer has the athleticism to play any position defensively, but he has an absolutely fantastic batting eye, as evidenced by his .414 OBP last year and .393 career mark. He can get plenty of base hits too, so there's plenty of use for his old bones. This will probably be Aubrey Huff's spot in the future.

Lineup

1 - Darryl Hamilton
2 - Dave Magadan
3 - Robin Ventura
4 - Cecil Fielder
5 - Darrin Fletcher (Sandy Alomar v. Lefties)
6 - Bernard Gilkey
7 - Ozzie Guillen
8 - Luis Alicea
9 - Damon Mashore

Bench
1 - Derrick May
2 - Kevin Stocker
3 - Sandy Alomar
4 - Dale Corbin

My lineup actually should be above average. Not much power but just about everyone can draw walks and work pitchers, so this is a lineup that should wear down pitchers with regularity. Defensively, it's not quite as good as I would like: the outfield defense is great, but Ventura is the only plus defensive infielder. The minor league hitting strength is pretty sparse as well; Iwamura and DeRosa are the only players that I would consider as potential starters, although Huff might get there as well. It's definitely something I need to draft, and fast.

We'll score runs, but we aren't doing our pitching staff a lot of favors on ground balls.

Pitching

Starters : 1) L Jimmy Key (84), 2) L Jamie Moyer (81), 3) R Andy Ashby (79), 4) R Darren Dreifort (73/80), 5) R Brett Tomko (71/82)
Top 5 Depth : R Jeff D'Amico (69/82), R James Baldwin (68/80), R Hiroki Kuroda (65/82), R Jared Wright (66/84), R Kris Benson (59/81)

Relief Pitching : CL) R Jeff Shaw (R), SU) L Jesse Orosco (75), SR) L Graeme Lloyd (72/73) & R Jeff Brantley (73), MR) R Jeff D'Amico (69/82) & L Mike Munoz (70/71), LR) R James Baldwin (68/80)

I'm not worried about the ability to pitch. These guys have some quality stuff, don't kill anyone with walks, so they should be OK. But the depth is non-existent, and I'll probably be signing tons of minor league FAs as I scramble to replace inevitable injuries. If they stay healthy, though, Key and Ashby pitched 200 IP last year and had ERAs of 3.43 and 4.13, respectfully. Shaw had 42 saves last year, and Orosco pitched 50 innings of 2.32 ERA ball as well. Talent's there. Who knows if it will hold up.

Overall, this team should be competitive. We can't touch the Yankees, but 4th place is not out of the realm of possibility. We need a lot of breaks though, and there needs to be some really shrewd drafting before we can start talking about making real improvement.


What I think of the Arizona Diamondbacks - The lineup is strong defensively up the middle with King, Oliver, and Darren Lewis, and they'll use lots of platooning to maximize their team's hitting advantage. Still, I think they're going to struggle to score some runs because it's a very top-heavy lineup without a lot of bat control. Walks won't be an issue, but base hits might be.

Pitching staff is solid. Lots of depth throughout the system, and Wells, Tewksbury, and Stottlemyre is a pretty good 1-2-3. Doug Jones was a dominant closer last year with 36 saves, a 2.02 ERA and 82 Ks in 80 innings. They might already be the #3 team in the NL West.

[200tang]

1998 Season Preview by Dan Patrick

Predicted Standings

American League

East
New York
Toronto *
Baltimore
Boston
Tampa Bay

Central
Cleveland
Kansas City
Chicago
Minnesota
Detroit

West
Seattle
Anaheim
Oakland
Texas

National League

East
Atlanta
Florida *
Philadelphia
New York
Montreal

Central
Houston
St. Louis
Chicago
Cincinnati
Pittsburgh

West
Los Angeles
San Francisco
San Diego
Colorado
Arizona

* denotes WC winner


World Series Prediction : New York Yankees over the Atlanta Braves



Award Predictions
NL MVP : Barry Bonds
AL MVP : Manny Ramirez
NL Cy Young : Greg Maddux
AL Cy Young : Randy Johnson
NL ROTY : Todd Helton
AL ROTY : Magglio Ordonez




Top 5 Storylines to watch for this year

5 - Will Pedro Martinez continue to dominate in the American League? : Pedro was traded this off-season for young up and comer Carl Pavano. After a sort of break out season last year, will he be able to reproduce the same results? (1.90 ERA in 241.1 IP last year)



4 - Will Barry Bonds have his seventh consecutive year with an OPS north of 1.000? : The guy is simply amazing and you have to wonder if he'll keep going or if this will be the year the streak breaks. My money is on the streak staying alive.



3 - How many runs will the Cleveland Indians' lineup produce? : The lineup is simply stacked. Kenny Lofton/Jim Thome/Manny Ramirez/Brian Giles/David Justice. Any pitcher who goes against them this year, all I can say is, "Good luck".

2 - Will Greg Maddux get his 200th Win? : The guy is simply amazing and is only 16 wins away from #200. With his ability it seems like a shoe in to happen this year.



1 - Will TBD & ARI win more games than PIT? : The good news for Pittsburgh fans is they have Jason Kendall, Aramis Ramirez, Jose Guillen & John Lieber. The bad news is that's all you have. There is a very real possibility that TBD and ARI finish the year with more wins even though they're expansion teams.

[Jim Colyer]

When I think of 1998, I have to think of the New York Yankees. They won 125 games that year.

[FloydtheBarber]

When I think of 1998, I have to think of the New York Yankees. They won 125 games that year.

Uh, what? No....

[Francoeurstein]

When I think of 1998, I have to think of the New York Yankees. They won 125 games that year.

In a dynasty of yours possibly?

[Coach Owens]

Uh, what? No....

If you count playoffs, then yes they did. (114 regular season wins, 3 ALDS wins, 4 ALCS wins and 4 WS wins. That equals 125)

[200tang]

Week 1 & 2 ; 1998 Season

------------------------------------------

League News

Injuries (2+ weeks only & 80+ Overall or Major Player)

April 7th
Hideo Nomo(SP) - [LAD] : Wrist Stress Fracture (Three Weeks)

April 8th
Roberto Hernandez(RP) - [SFG] : Severe Elbow Tendonitis (Two Weeks)
Jay Buhner(RF) - [SEA] : Severed Knee Ligament (Six Months)

April 10th
Bob Tewksbury(SP) - [ARI] : Dislocated Hip (Seven Weeks)
Greg Maddux(SP) - [ATL] : Broken Hand (Two Weeks)
Bernard Gilkey(LF) - [TBD] : Fractured Skull (Two Months)

April 13th
Larry Walker(RF) - [COL] : Dislocated Shoulder (Three Weeks)

April 14th
Darryl Hamilton(CF) - [TBD] : Broken Hip (Three Months)

April 16th
Eric Chavez(3B) - [OAK] : Broken Collar Bone (Four Weeks)

April 17th
Orel Hershiser(SP) - [SFG] : Mild Shoulder Separation (Two Weeks)
Jimmy key(SP) - [TBD] : Severe Elbow Tendonitis (Four Months)

April 18th
Tony Clark(1B) - [DET] : Chipped Knee Cap (Two Weeks)

April 19th
Ken Hill(SP) - [ANA] : Dislocated Shoulder (Three Weeks)
Mariano Rivera(RP) - [NYY] : Chipped Knee Cap (Two Weeks)



Trade News
[note : Ratings are +/- 1]

April 15th
To Tampa Bay Devil Rays : Orlando Palmeiro (29 Y/o) (CF 74/75)
To Anaheim Angels : Marco Scutaro (22 Y/o) (2B 60/78)



Milestones

April 11th
Rod Beck(RP) - Chicago Cubs : 200th Save!

April 13th
Mark McGwire(1B) - St. Louis Cardinals : 1,000th RBI!

------------------------------------------

Weekly Wrap-up



This was a decent 2 weeks for us. Besides the last 2 games against the Padres all of our games were very winnable. The big news for us this week was the first ever sweep, and to make it even sweeter it came against the division rival Rockies and we shut them out twice. Kurk Rueter was very impressive in his CG SHO on the 19th allowing only three hits, walking three and striking out three (yay three!). Tim Raines has yet to show us the great contact abilities that he's known for (.212 AVG), but I think he has captured the hearts of the fans with his 4 stolen bases and I can't wait to see what the lineup will do when he starts getting on base more.

Looking ahead we have the Cubs, Rockies, Dodgers and Giants coming up. If we win 6 or more games against our division rivals we could put ourselves in a good place to be more competitive than people had thought we would be.

Injuries

April 10th
Bob Tewksbury(#2 SP) - Dislocated Hip [Seven Weeks] : This injury really sucks because I was hoping Tewskbury would be able to finish the year with a 3.xx ERA, but luckily enough I planned ahead knowing that pitching is a chaotic thing. Until he gets back Tony Saunders will move up from the AA rotation to take over for Tewskbury. The fans will definitely be able to tell the difference between the strike throwing Tewksbury and the young and chaotic Saunders. Overall I think Saunders will perform reasonably well and it may even help him develop and learning from the more experienced pitchers.

Record 5 - 7 (.417) Fifth Place

Best Player : Orlando Merced(RF) - Offensively he was hitting for contact, took a few walks and hit for a nice amount of power. If he can perform like this for a little while longer and Tim Raines can get on base for him we could jump out to a nice record by the All Star break and possibly make some moves to try and stay in it. For that to happen though this team will have to convince me that it is worth it since I'm not willing to give up my prospects without a reason.

   AVG/OBP/SLG    GP    GS    AB     R     H    2B    3B    HR   RBI    BB     K    SB    CS  wOBA  GIDP RC/27   HBP


.388/.444/.694    12    12    49     8    19     3     0     4    14     4    11     1     0  .481     1  0.55     1

High Hit Streak: 12 games (April 6, 1998 - April 19, 1998)
Most Homers/Game: 2 (April 6, 1998)
Most Hits/Game: 3 (April 16, 1998)
Most RBIs/Game: 3 (April 6, 1998)
High HR Streak: 1 game (April 17, 1998)
Multi-Hit Games: 6

NL WEST STANDINGS

San Diego      8 - 4     0GB
Los Angeles    7 - 5     1GB
Colorado       6 - 6     1.5GB
San Francisco  6 - 6     2GB
Arizona        5 - 7     3GB

[haveacigar]

Week 1 & 2 ; 1998 Season

Bernard Gilkey - Fractured Skull
Darryl Hamilton - Broken Hip
Jimmy Key - Elbow Tendinitis

Un-****ing-believable.

I didn't expect to win games. I didn't expect to be competitive. I just wanted to watch some decent ball-players play hard and develop some talent. Instead, I'm running a goddamn M.A.S.H. unit out there. Broken hip?? Jesus Christ Darryl, I know you're old, but hook up some calcium so you don't get osteoporosis. Naturally, I lose 2 starting outfielders on a team with no outfield depth at all. Losing Jimmy Key hurts, but I can replace a pitcher. Losing Gilkey and Hamilton at the same time is probably the worst thing that could've happened. After 2 weeks, I'm pulling my hair out. This could be a long year.

In what amounts to an emergency trade, Marco Scutaro got sent to the Angels for Orlando Palmeiro. It's actually not a bad trade; Scutaro isn't going to pass Iwamura or DeRosa on the depth chart, and Palmeiro fits into the team very well--solid on-base and contact hitting, decent range in the OF. Also hits for as much power as Ozzie Guillen, but that's ok. He'll make a decent replacement lead-off hitter.

I also had to sign some dude name Scott Pose. I don't know where the hell all the free agents went, but I'm one more injury away from rounding up some contras to invade Cuba and kidnap an outfielder. Matt Diaz is in A-ball right now, and I think he'd be a better player right now than Scott Pose; the only reason he isn't playing is for development concerns. Scott Pose is really, really bad. I'd issue an order to Mgr. Larry Rothschild not to play him ever, but, he's gotta stay on the team until Gilkey's dome is glued back together, so that might take a while.

Alright, enough complaining, here's what happened:
Series 1 (@ Blue Jays; April 6th, 8th, 9th):
2 - 1, Toronto (W: Myers, L: Shaw)
7 - 5, Tampa Bay (W: Moyer, L: Hentgen, S: Shaw)
5 - 2, Toronto (W. Williams, L: Ashby, S: Myers)

Series 2 (@ Royals; 10th, 11th, 12th)
7 - 4, Kansas City (W: Rusch, L: Dreifort, S: Montgomery)
10 - 8, Tampa Bay (W: D'Amico, L: Pichardo, S: Shaw)
11 - 8, Kansas City (W: Walker, L: Shaw)

Series 3 (@ Yankees; 13th, 14th, 15th)
6 - 1, New York (W: Pettitte, L: Moyer)
8 - 5, New York (W: Webb, L: Ashby, S: Holmes)
9 - 6, Tampa Bay (W: Lloyd, L: Nelson, S: Shaw)

Series 4 (White Sox; 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th)
5 - 1, Chicago (W: Abbott, L: Tomko)
4 - 1, Tampa Bay (W: Key, L: Snyder)
5 - 2, Tampa Bay (W: Duran, L: Castillo, S: Shaw)
10 -2, Chicago (W: Buehrle, L: Ashby)

Standings:
Yankees (10-3)
Blue Jays (6-6, 3.5 GB)
Orioles (7-7, 3.5 GB)
Devil Rays (5-8, 5 GB)
Red Sox (4-8, 5.5 GB)

Team Leaders:
AVG: Guillen, .327
HR: Fielder, 3
RBI: Fielder, 10
R: Magadan, 10

W: 5 tied with 1
IP: Key, 21.2
K: Moyer, 12
S: Shaw, 4
ERA: Key, 1.66

Well, Key was without a doubt our best pitcher. Great 3 starts, Jimmy, see you in August...maybe.

I think the rest of the starters are capable of average production, but I don't expect a lot of consistency from anyone except Moyer.

Jeff Shaw's 8.44 ERA is mainly due to one 4 run outing. 4 saves, 1 blown isn't terrible. I don't plan on demoting him any time soon. Roberto Duran, on the other hand, is on notice: called up to replace Jimmy Key, he's made 2 appearances and has recorded more runs (4) than outs (1). That's a 108.00 ERA if you're scoring at home.

I'm happy with the lineup so far. I've gotten what I expected from most players; quality efforts from Fletcher, Guillen, Ventura, Magadan, Fielder. Just as long as no one else gets hurts, I don't anticipate struggling to score runs.

[filihok]

Dude, Scott Pose

Pose was a member of the inaugural Marlins 1993 franchise and was the first official batter in Marlins history.

I also used to watch him at Dukes Stadium when I was a kid. He played for the Edmonton Trappers, Salt Lake Buzz, and part of a season with the Dukes.

[T 980]

I'm liking this so far. Now I wait until both of you face each other in the world series...

[haveacigar]

Dude, Scott Pose





I also used to watch him at Dukes Stadium when I was a kid. He played for the Edmonton Trappers, Salt Lake Buzz, and part of a season with the Dukes.

He's pretty abysmal in this file. Like 64/65. Interesting factoid though.

[200tang]

I feel bad for you HAC

I just remember you being sick/tired when we started doing the sim and having your entire team blow up at the sight of a baseball field and having to delay the sim until you could think straight.

Any word on how Gilkey fractured his skull?

[filihok]

Any word on how Gilkey fractured his skull?

I'm pretty sure that he started reading this dynasty. His mind expanded, but his skull did not. Boom. Explosion.