Neat Stuff, Post-Sim Thread: 2031, Season 25

[ehortness]

Neat Things:
*** 8-5 record to get the season started off. Gives everybody a bit of pep in their steps around the organization
*** 27 Year Old LHP Ishii off to a 3-0 start. 21 IP, 0 walks, 0.86 ERA
*** 34 Year Old LHP Martinez off to a 2-0 start. 14 IP, 20 K, and only 6 BB. Trying to catch lightning in a bottle with him this year. I fully expect him to blow up in his next start since I'm bragging him up. $750,000 contract, signed as a Free Agent on February 13th.
*** Set up men and closer have combined for 8.2 IP with no earned runs
*** 3B Roberto Diaz off to a .348 start in 46 at bats
*** OF Vaclav Verlaan with 18 walks in 54 PAs
*** OF Carlos Ryan with a .395 Avg and 6 homers in 43 ABs
*** Team is tied for 1st in homers and is 12-13 in SB attempts
*** AAA and AA teams are each off to 11-3 starts

NOT So Neat Things:
*** Rookie SP Suzuki has a 10.38 ERA through first 2 PEBA starts--hopefully he can figure things out
*** Leadoff Hitter, 2B Landry, and 2-hole hitter, 1B/2B Chell, are off to very slow starts. Hitting .193 and .190 respectively. Need to pick it up if we have any hope of staying above .500
*** Also need some production from the shortstop position

Overall happy with the small sample size. Hoping to stay in the wildcard hunt for as long as we can. Not sure we have a shot at the Evas this year.

[Fishermen]

*** OF Vaclav Verlaan with 18 walks in 54 PAs
*** OF Carlos Ryan with a .395 Avg and 6 homers in 43 ABs

Happy to see two former Harpooners killing it for you.

[Borealis]

It was a mixed week for the Borealis - losing 2 of 3 to NT, but splitting 4 games at Palm Springs, leaving the Desert Hills with a tight threesome at the top of the early leaderboard. Despite trailing Reno by just a half game, the Borealis continue to not hit very well early on - not too much of a surprise, April traditionally has been a challenge, but amongst the Neat and Not So...

- 'Litterbug' with a 9-24 week, but he was thrown out three times on the bases - so clearly he didn't learn anything over the offseason... Harry Hutchins was 7-24, with 4-2B... Teddy Loetzsch was 7-21... All Neat, at least...
- Not So Neat, much easier, starting with Mike Barton (0-14) and Roy Duke (1-16)... Domingo Gutierrez (2-16) - with Domingo hitting just over the Mendoza Line, Manny Castro is licking his chops... Torres 3-20, Johnson 3-18... So the offensive has been mostly Not Neat At All...
- Pitching-wise, 'Tugboat' got lit up by NT and Esquivel by PS, so both their early numbers look maybe a bit worse than they should... Lando Lagerveld has had a horrid start to the season (3 IP, 7 ER for the week, 4.1 IP and 8 ER - 10 RA, for the season)...
- Burns has managed (somehow) 7 saves already... and young Rafael Benitez had 4 IP, 2 H, a walk and 8 K - his downfall will be walks, so as long as he throws strikes, he's certain to be Neat... as has been Richard Neely, who has had 2 GS and allowed just 2 runs...

Down on the Farm
- The biggest story early on is Gabriel Rodriguez, last years Supplemental pick, who is hitting .469 at AA - after playing all of 2030 at Short A. He has 8-2B and 2 HR thus far Very Neat... his draft partner, #1 pick Raul Munoz is hitting .275, but he also has 8-2B and a homer... Aurora scouts view both as being very close, so they might find their way to AAA by mid-season if this keeps up...
- Also off to a good start at AA is the enigmatic Ryan Tate, who perhaps really needed that change of scenery - after being jettisoned by Florida and ending up with Aurora, he had a 2.03 ERA in 14 GS for SLRC, and thus far with Gatineau he's posted a 1.53 ERA in 3 GS, with 15 K and just 4 BB in 17.2 IP... after a pair of bad starts to begin the year, Henry Cluett looked better in start #3 - 7 IP, 2 R - though his third straight start with a HRA... 2028 33rd overall selection Armando Batista is looking pretty sharp, he has a 2.12 ERA in three starts, though his 7 BB in 17 IP don't compare favorable to the 50 he had in 166 IP last year...
- Overall, Thornton continues to be a disaster - and it's at an all-time worse 2-12, so as you can imagine, the guys at AA are in no hurry to get moved up...

What's on Tap
A short week, game-wise, with just two at Fargo and then back to The Front Range for another three with the Codgers...Neely and Sim v. the Dinos and the top of the rotation (Esquivel, 'Tugboat' and Diaz) v. Palm Springs...

[Arroyos]

It was a rather confusing week for the Arroyos, who won more games than they lost. Such atypical behavior always causes uncertainty in the clubhouse. Some players deal with it through drink or drugs, others kick the dog across the living room when they get home, but a few get seriously depressed. We keep an eye on those lads, invite them to a gentle tea ceremony, and whisper sweet nothings in their ears.

[Lions]

whisper sweet nothings in their ears.

"You are a useless ballplayer."
"You're worth nothing"
"You can't hit worth beans"

[Wind Dancers]

It's been a very slow start in Toyama which hasn't been VERY unexpected. With such a young group of players AND a difficult schedule in April, I'm not panicking yet.

Neat:
- Our fielding is top-notch. 1st in Zone Rating and 1st in Errors in the SL to start the year.
- Fransisco Alejandrez and Armando Gandarilla are leading the way offensively hitting .347 and .313 respectively with a combined 20 RBIs.
- After getting roughed up in his first start, rookie SP Zenko Okada has since thrown 14.2 innings of shutout baseball. His 2.79 ERA currently leads the WinD's

No so Neat:
- The sim reaper reaped himself as RF David Trujillo went down for the season with a Ruptured Achilles Tendon. Luckily, I have good enough depth in that position.
- 5/6 teams we have played so far are over .500 making our early season a gauntlet run to prove ourselves.

[Alleghenies]

WV Report:
Last year I was very lucky to avoid the injury bug, but I have already lost Raul Cruz and Don Mercer for 6 weeks each and Lujan for 5 days. I am happy I have depth, but my problem is most of spare guys on my 40 man are pitchers.

The Good:
My record is 12-7 with a bunch of games played against some tough teams. My starting pitching. Drake (WOW). My ability to steal. That's about it.

The BAD:
Can't hit, went from .296 last year to .250's this year. My bullpen has been very inconsistent. My manager for playing Cruz while getting a DTD and then going out for 6 weeks.

The Ugly:
German Hernandez hasn't started out well, but still plenty of time to turn it on.


Farm: My farm teams are excelling as usual. My AAA SP should all be in PEBA and I am trying to find a way to get that done. Lucador murdering the ball. My AA rotation is angry because they should be in AAA, but other than that the Lobsters are doing what they usually do, win.

Upcoming: Another tough week. 1 more vs KY, then I go to Havana for 2 and Scotland for 3.

[Hitmen]

Much better couple sims..

Neat:
- 7-3 in last 10 games after starting 1-7 in first 8 games
- Jason Baker following up his solid complete game victory, with an 8 inning, 9K performance. Although he avoided the win
- The offense slowly coming to life
- Hi-A Middle Bass Vitners starting off hot at 5-2
- AA Youngstown Thunder Staying competitive at 13-7 (1GB)
- Recently traded #4 pick in the draft for former #2 overall pick LF Pablo Garza with a hot start in AAA Allentown. Don't think he will be ready until late next season but one can hope
- SP Angelo Lopez (AA) off to a 4-0 start with a 0.00 ERA
- Excited that International Prospect and future stud 1B Javier Aguilar getting the call up out of the complex to be ready to start his career at SS-A Akutan

Not so Neat:
- Outside of Baker's performances, the staff has been having a rough go at it
- SP Jose Castillo getting hit with the Bicep Strain and being shelved for 4 weeks
- AAA Allentown's flop of a start at 6-14 despite strong performances by Pablo Garza and Guinn Leith
- Big offseason acquisition Marcos Sanchez off to a decent start, but the fan's hype was much higher
- Seeing projections still put us at potentially a negative balance this year despite our huge strides and 65% increase in attendance and 63% increase in revenue per game, damn contracts were still a bit too much

Overall a solid sim, lots to look forward to going forward. Hoping to continue the trending in the right direction.

[Arroyos]

whisper sweet nothings in their ears.

"You are a useless ballplayer."
"You're worth nothing"
"You can't hit worth beans"

Frank, those comments qualify as sweet SOMETHINGS. You gotta find empty, meaningless but sweet sounding rhetoric. "In the beginning was baseball ... you were born to play the game ... find the sweet spot ... just keep your eye on the ball ... just throw strikes ... you're just unlucky, that's all."

[Arroyos]

Carl Boundy is strutting his stuff in Henderson (AAA), winning both Player of the Week and April's Batter of the Month! There is light at the end of the Yuma wishing well ... or something.

[Borealis]

Ugh! The past few season's have provided an interesting trend - that road trip to The Land of the Rising Sun has become a trip of dread - and this weeks 2-5 venture was a classic case. Enjoy the Not So Neat - maybe with a thin, diet-size slice of Neat...

- Aurora hit .247 for the week - that feels generous after watching the replays; Neo-Tokyo, Shin Seiki and Toyama combined for a .283 - that feels considerably short of actuality. Japan out-homered Aurora - no shock there - 12-4, and mostly thanks to the Evil Evas, Aurora was outscored 43-20... Neat? I think Not...
- Neat would be the foursome of Mike Barton (8-15), Jose Torres (10-25), Domingo Gutierrez (8-20) and Nick Heath (8-25)... Not So Neat: everyone else, who were a combined 30-174 - for those of you capable of high level math, that's a .172...
- Pitching? Nope, Not So Neat - John Gray - one outing, 1/3 on inning, blown save with a homer and 3 RA... Bartolo Esquivel? StatsLab thinks he was great on the week - it calculated his ERA at 0.00 - but that's because what does an ERA of infinity look like? 5 H, 7 R, 3 HRA, 2 BB and no outs recorded - that's what an ERA of Infinity looks like...
- The bottom of the rotation is actually doing pretty well - Richard Neely went 12.2 IP and allowed just 3 ER, despite 15 H and 2 HR allowed... The real shining star was Man-loon 'Just Call Me Man' Sim, who had a complete game shut-out against the Akira - and nearly a no-no, except for that lead-off single by Grier... Man is 4-1 with a 2.32 ERA in 5 GS, 23 K in 31 IP, 8 BB (WHIP of 1.03) with an OAVG of .216 - So for April, he's the Borealis of the Month...

Down on the Farm
At hideous AAA Thornton, while Cluett and Morales struggle - and both may be moved to new locations: Cluett up and Morales back to AA, Brian Clark has shined: he's only 1-0, but with a 1.72 ERA in 5 GS, 20 K, and a 0.93 WHIP - not bad for the 2027 2nd round pick... Ricardo Zamora continues to confuse: .361, though only 1 HR...

AA Gatineau is the antithesis of Thornton, currently in 1st (a game up on Brampton (CL), and it is here where both of last years top picks are toiling away and looking like possible September call-ups. LF Gabriel Rodriguez is hitting .378 (tops in the GNL), with 11-2B, 3 HR and 15 RBI, and 1B Raul Munoz is hitting .286 with 12-2B (tops in the GNL) and a pair of homers, and 9 RBI... Ryan Tate, the enigmatic one, is 0-2, but he's totting a 2.77 ERA, with 29 K in 39 IP and a 0.97 WHIP... Humberto Hernandez, the 2028 5th rounder, is 4-1, with a 1.99 ERA, with 30 K and 6 BB in 31.2 IP and a 0.73 WHIP...

A Ball has recently started and the San Luis Rio Colorado Rapidos Blancos are second to Rosarito (WV) once again (2 GB) and on the offensive side, infielder Ramon Vela is hitting .297 with 4 HR... Last years Supplemental round pick, Lewis Uige is off to a fine start (no matter what the scouts have to say about his recent ability shifts) - he's 2-0, with a 1.21 ERA in 22.1 IP, with 17 K and 5 BB (0.85 WHIP)...

What's on Tap
Finishing up the Japan road trip with a rare wrap-around series finale with Toyama, before heading back to The Front Range and a brief two-games with Crystal Lake and Aurora's first look at the new Malts...

[Zephyrs]

Reno is still in 1st place in the Desert Hills, albeit by 1 game. I am pleased with the pitching so far (5th in runs allowed) but the hitting is not what I had hoped it would be. Veterans like Ryan Lambert and Tony Velazquez should hit better as the season wears on. I also hope Steve Boyer displays a little more power. We have a bit of a revolving door in the 5th spot in the rotation as we try to find the right fit. I am very impressed with SP Toby Ayers - the former #4 overall pick has shined so far this season.

I almost forgot, 3B Adrian Fuentes racked up a 20 game hit streak.

[Alleghenies]

It's nice to see the Trendsetters off to a great start, hopefully this year they can sustain it throughout the year.

I know Vic won't want to hear this, but during SCO 15 game losing streak 90-36. There are currently 3 teams that haven't scored 90 runs all season and 1 team with exactly 90.

[Arroyos]

Gentlemen, take note. The Yuma Arroyos ranked 24th out of 28 teams in the latest power rankings.

This is the highest ranking Yuma has earned in more than 5 years. Wacha!

[Lions]

With 4 games against West Virginia, we were prepared for a pretty rough sim. Particularly since we were heading into it with a 4 game losing streak. We lost the first game, but managed to win out the rest of the series. We did this despite John Turner not getting a start. Surprisingly, none of the 4 games were close. Or rather, it's surprising that was the case and we won 3 of them. Getting blown out was kind of what I was expecting, so game 1 wasn't much of a surprise.

We then took 2 of 3 from Arlington to get back to .500 on the season. In the IL division/wild card races, we're currently behind all the teams I expected to be in the playoff hunt, but we're tied or ahead of all the teams I was unsure on or thought would not be in the picture. Overall, that makes me pretty happy with where we're at.

Individually, 3B Guillermo Justavo hit his 4th triple of the season, matching what he had each of the last two seasons. SS Sang-Min O hit a pair of home runs, which is not at all what he's known for.