Monday, August 14, 2017
Nashville offseason PR
Nashville Team President Adam Brisske addressed the media after the season, hoping to quell fan expectations for the offseason.
"We will stay vigilant and explore all avenues to make our team better for next season. However, do not expect us to make any big splashes in free agency or the trade market. When we feel like it is the right time for our organization to do that, you will all know."
When asked about Bob Ware, whom the team made a concerted effort to sign last season and opted out of his deal with St. Louis, the GM was dismissive with his answer.
The team has been busy however. They acquired German Perez from Irvine for a prospect and Miguel Riviera from Boston for a prospect. They also signed international relief pitcher Noriyuki Matsui.
Adam Brisske later did an interview with local reporter Jason Bernstein, where he revealed a little more about the offseason so far.
"We have made offers to a few more free agents, I'm not going to say who out of respect for them, but their agents have told us they have more appealing offers elsewhere."
(on the process) "... We just hope fans can be patient and understand the process. I know they're excited to have a new ball team here and they want to see success, and that's great, but we have a plan and we are sticking to it, and I think the results, winning 11 more games than the previous season, shows that we're going in the right direction."
(on prospects) "...You will definitely see some of our prospects start to graduate in the next season or two. We feel that some of them are ready to come to the big league team and make an impact. Our minor league affiliates all had excellent results last season and we hope they can take that winning attitude and bring it with them when they get to Nashville."
(VIS Offseason PR) - I’m a enjoy these Benji’s playyaaaaaa
The offseason is here and the Panthers are still riding the high of their first playoff appearance since 2021.
While the team is bringing back core players such as Dave Jackson, David Simpson, Dante Owens, Bob Cunningham and Cisco Gatan, there have been a few big changes and a couple of more to come.
The first big deal took place when the Panthers sent top pitching prospect Roberto Cabrillo along with Major Leaguers Dale Reese and Juan Cortes to the Boston Rebels for Bill Wilson.
Dumping Reese gave the Panthers much needed cap flexibility. Reese was just no longer the same pitcher that he was at the time he signed the contract. Juan Cortes took quite the haul to acquire last season but he had incredible difficulty hitting left handed pitching while playing for the Panthers.
GM Jordan Calhoun hopes that Wilson can help bring up the Panthers 13th ranked batting average and use the cap space from Reese’s departure to fill out the holes in the rotation.
With the new money available, the Panthers looked to see if they could get an SP through trade before FA began so they wouldn’t have to rely on the bloated FA contracts so much.
The Panthers were able to acquire Jung Chwa from Irvine. Chwa should fit right in in Vista, who is only an hour or so south of Irvine and has a very similar style of play and ballpark.
Chwa either had a down year or declined slightly last season, but even with a performance like last year he should be a good addition to a Vista staff where he will not be relied on as ace.
The Panthers still have some money to play with but find themselves shocked to be in a bidding war for the services of Antonio Rijo with the Austin Riversharks of all teams.
Calhoun was anticipating competition with the Beavers and the Bruins but Austin sort of came out of nowhere.
When asked to comment on the situation Calhoun just said “Rijo can enjoy winning 10 of his teams 50 games instead of 20 of our 100.”
Rijo clapped back with “I’ma enjoy these Benji’s playyaaaaaa” on his twitter account 3am that evening.
The Panthers have been tight lipped about who they plan to pursue as a back up, but let’s be real, it doesn’t take much for someone to a good pitcher in Vista and with the plethora of above average pitchers available in FA, the Panthers should be able to fill this void easily.
Baffin Island Postseason PR
The Beavers had a relatively successful year just by pure win-loss record, 97-65, sadly that was only good enough for the 2nd wild card.
The hitting MVP for the team was clearly not Chris Bates who shit the fucking bed since coming here, the batting MVP was:
Dave Motherfucking Craig
The guy was Baffin's cornerstone with a slash line of .273/.394/.464 with 21 HR and 91 RBI. Sure doesn't seem like DD or DD or Felipe numbers, but on Baffin, thats as good as it gets hitting a frozen seal turd.
The star pitcher would have been Robert Reeves if not for an injury that will derail the sexy Reeves until September of 2029, so it falls onto Jesse Little
Little tossed 220 innings of 3.19 ERA ball with a WHIP of 0.98 whilst striking out 231 dudes and only 32 BB. That's ace material right there!
The no doubt about it close out man was Brent Miller, not quite the sub 1
stud I had predicted, but he was close, he went with a 1.30 ERA and 10.7K/9 with a league leading 51 saves. Sadly Miller opted out of his contract after this year but luckily Beaver brass was able to persuade Flinch to stick around.
Irvine Offseason PR: A Farewell to Chwa
The Irvine organization made a tough decision to finally cut ties with one of their longest tenured veterans in the offseason due to needing to create space for some younger pitchers as well as an effort to reduce payroll. Chwa was a beloved figure in Irvine and fans were up in arms upon learning of his trade – and most fans weren’t impressed he was traded for two international guys since everyone knows they almost never pan out. However, Chwa did stay in the same general location and Chwa’s many fans will still be able to watch him pitch with Vista.
Chwa appeared quite choked up when he spoke with the media about the trade, “I’ve had a good run here in Irvine and the fans are the best; I’ll miss them. The World Series playoff run was a postseason to remember – particularly the 10 inning no hitter against Baffin Island!”
“Unlike outfielder Jorge Campos who left in free agency after demanding 20 mil a year and then signing with bitter division rival SoCal, Chwa will always be welcome to return to Irvine and we expect that we’ll retire his number when he chooses to hang up his cleats,” stated GM Rice.
Highlights of Chwa’s decade of brilliance for Irvine:
- Selected third overall in the 2013 draft by Irvine.
- Pitched a perfect game against SF in 2021.
- Was selected as an allstar for the first time in 2021 – and was named an all star 5 seasons in that decade – probably would have been a sixth year if not for Plymouth’s wailing and gnashing of teeth…
- Won 22 games in 2026 – the year of the World Series
- Including the postseason, Chwa won over 150 games for Irvine and was an innings eater out there on the mound.
- Career average of 3.18 ERA, 6.6 K/9, 1.05 WHIP, and 71% quality start.
- Pitched a 10 inning no hitter against Baffin Island in 2026 with only 101 pitches winning the MVP of the Series in the process.
- Remarkably, despite his workhorse tendencies, he was hurt only once in his 10 years with Irvine and was minor back stiffness which caused him to be out for 1 day.
- Chwa ranks fourth among qualified Irvine pitchers in franchise history in ERA behind notables Scott Hill and Masutaro Koyama, second in wins for Irvine in his career behind only Koyama, second in WAR, currently second in games started for the franchise, second in complete games with 32, is the leader in BB/9 over even Koyama, and is second in strikeouts with 1700. (FYI, Scott Hill was only with the franchise during the pre-sim days and was not really part of the team when human managers were in charge but his stats still stand in the team history).
Houston Off-Season PR: Marshals Release CF MacDulothe, Outfield Gets Younger
The Houston Marshals have finally found it financially feasible to part ways with CF Kent MacDulothe. The struggling CF will still make $25M this season from the likes of Houston, however, he will only collect the $1M buyout for 2030.
The move not only gave the Marshals more flexibility with extensions in 2030, but will also make room for CF Guy Moss, a top 100 prospect that Houston acquired from Orlando back in April of 2026. "I had only been in Toronto for 2 months when I made the deal for Moss", said GM Carroll, "But I liked him then and I still like him now...let's hope he's ready".
Also getting his first ever opening day start, will be 23 year old RF Javier Renteria. The young OF was called into duty last season due to a rash of injuries in the OF. He was playing very well in AAA at the time, and Carroll really didn't want to call him up, but options were limited. "The plan was to let guys like Moss and Renteria continue to develop a bit longer. We've got some good coaches at that level, that work well with young players. However, with the amount of injuries we had, some players were forced to mature a bit early".
The move not only gave the Marshals more flexibility with extensions in 2030, but will also make room for CF Guy Moss, a top 100 prospect that Houston acquired from Orlando back in April of 2026. "I had only been in Toronto for 2 months when I made the deal for Moss", said GM Carroll, "But I liked him then and I still like him now...let's hope he's ready".
Both players will be very good for Houston pitching, and hopefully they can be somewhat helpful with the bats as they gain big league experience.
Jersey Shore Post-Season PR; 2028 HOF Candidates
This will be the 6th year of having Hall of Fame voting
The returning players, in order by vote percentage from last year and their write-ups I gave last year. We have a potential class of 31 players, which is the largest we have seen so far. There are 19 returning players and 12 newcomers on the 31 player ballot. The players back from last year are listed here, with their percentage vote from last year.
Returning Players
- SP Ricky Bolden (45.0%)* 3rd Year
- SP Jules Paradis (35.0%)* 6th Year
- SP Earl Harper (30.0%)* 2nd Year
- SP Dan Macias (25.0%)* 6th Year
- CL Aubrey Colcheeper (25.0%)* 3rd Year
- C Julian Harle (20.0%)* 6th Year
- CL Martin Griffin (20.0%)* 6th Year
- CL Joe Riley (20.0%)* 3rd Year
- SP Alfredo Aicon (15.0%)* 5th Year
- SP Guillermo Mendoza (10.0%)* 2nd Year
- LF Gregg Burkholder (10.0%)* 6th Year
- 3B Louis May (10.0%)* 4th Year
- SS Augusto Pena (10.0%) 2nd Year
- SP Jose Brito (5.0%)* 3rd Year
- RP Alfredo Gonzalez (5.0%)* 4th Year
- CL Ernesto Jijon (5.0%)* 2nd Year
- SP Reginald Krause (5.0%)* 4th Year
- SP Donald Manning (5.0%)* 2nd Year
- 3B David Paquette (5.0%%) 6th Year
1st Timers
SP Carlos Clemente
SP Derek Larkin
RP Dae-hyun Mae
CL Martin Lopes
CL Ross Higgins
CL Jaime Saenz
C Jaime Torres
C Kyuso Fujita
1B Tony Marin
SS Gordon McMahon
LF Cooper Newell
CF Cade Delaney
Elected
- RF Sam Sagar
Fell off the Ballot
- 1B Tommy Green
The Too Old, Pretty Much Too Late (2):
3B David Paquette. Drafted at age 32 by Baffin after putting up 6+ WAR in 2 of the last 3 years. Put up 4 straight solid seasons with OBP over .360 and an OPS around .800 with 4+ WAR before leaving for Indy as a 36 year old. He would play one more year in LA before calling it a career at age 37 in 2016. Finished 5 hits short of 1400, 140 HR and 36.8 WAR.
SP Jules Paradis. Tough decision where to put him. Drafted late but had extreme longevity. 4-time All Star and innings eater who played til age 39. While his 44.1 WAR put him 29th All-time right now, his career would be similar to Mark Collins right now. Good pitcher, but started in 2007 at age 31 was just too late for him, starting at age 23.....we might be talking.
The Were They Good Enough? (6):
SP Reginald Krause. An early time ace who's two best seasons were at 23 and 24. He had a very bright start to his career, and stuck around for 13 seasons, but was really never one of the better players in the league after the age of 25. He finished his career 128-114 with a 4.35 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 4.23 FIP and 31.8 WAR. He won 10+ games 7 times in his career, but he just didn't have a HOF career IMO.
LF Gregg Burkholder. One of the players who beat father time and played until he 40 in 2018. 1 time GG winner and 2 time all star, was a solid player, but never a star. His .290/.390/.490 to go with 215 HR and 1372 hits was good for 37.5 WAR, which leads a lot of early stars, just isn't good enough to sniff the Hall IMO.
3B Louis May. An original player who had a long playing career that spanned 14 years. He finished his career a .270/.389/.440 player with 465 doubles, 213 HR and 1006 RBI. He was a 3-time All Star and 1 Time Gold Glove Winner. He topped 5 WAR on 4 separate occasions, with his best season coming in 2013 with Hadonfield. He was a good player and he does rank 16th in doubles and was an OBP machine, I'm not sure there is enough there to consider him a HOF player.
SP Jose Brito. I would describe Brito as a workhorse. He surpassed 200 innings eight times while winning 10+ games 10 times in his career. His tendency to give up the long ball is probably what held him from being a great pitcher. He finished his career with a 159-112 record to go with a 4.03 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 4.47 FIP and 28.2 WAR. A nice long career, but not HOF worthy.
SP Donald Manning. Manning was a 2-time All Star who split the majority of his career between the Maui and Greenville franchise. He won 15+ games 5 times in his career but was really never in the Top 5 at his position. He finished his career with 123 wins and 23.4 WAR, but didn't have the dominance nor the longevity for me to consider a contender.
SS Augusto Pena. Pena was a career journeyman playing for 7 franchises in parts of 14 BSA seasons. He won the Rookie of the Year of the BSA's 1st official season in 2010 and would later pick up a Gold Glove in 2017. I would say he was an above average overall player for his career. Never an all-star and never great with the stick, most of his value came from his glove, though he does rank 14th in doubles with 471 and 9th in Stolen Bases with 320.
The Relievers (5):
MR/CL Martin Griffin. He was great while he played. Racked up 323 saves with a 2.42 ERA, 2.63 FIP and an ERA+ of 237. He did get started in 2009 at age 29 and in the BSA years at 32. Was one of the best closers of his time, but has already been surpassed by 9 players in terms of saves. Personally I think it's tough to vote in relievers and his late start might cost him, though he was very impressive for an extended amount of time.
RP Alfredo Gonzalez. Often overshadowed being 2nd in line to the great Tommy Smith in Hendersonville. He retired with a sparkling 2.24 ERA, 2.23 FIP, 0.94 WHIP, 10.9 K/9 and 25.0 WAR. For all intents and purposes, he has better stats across the board than Griffin except for the saves. Instead of the beginning of his career cut short, it was the end where he last pitched in the big leagues at age 32. His 185 holds rank 13th in BSA history.
CL Aubrey Colcheeper. Colcheeper was a very good closer for a very long time. He played parts of 15 BSA seasons, retiring at age 40. He was a 4-time All star and currently ranks 12th in saves with 321. He led the league in saves once and finished his career with a 2.30 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 2.44 FIP. He falls into that category of very good relievers.
CL Joe Riley. One of the BSA's best closers and currently sits 4th all time with 425 saves. He led the league in saves 3 times. He finished with a 2.76 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 12.1 K/9 and and 2.98 FIP. He was voted to the AS game 4 times and was dependable for a long time. Besides saves his career marks fall short of Colcheeper's though. He also falls into the very good reliever category
CL Ernesto Jijon. Playing part of 15 seasons, Jijon had a good career which saw put up 13.2 WAR over his career which included 346 saves, most of which came with the San Francisco franchise. He was a very good closer, but was never dominant and was only voted into the AS game twice. That being said, there are relievers on the ballot right now who are much more deserving than him.
Fringe Contenders (6):
C Julian Harle. He was a beast in pre-BSA years winning the MVP in 2008 before being drafted as a 25 year old by LAB. He could never could replicate his early years but did go on to win 2 battling titles and finished as 4 time All Star. His 1559 hits to go with a solid .300 average and 41.9 WAR are impressive but have already been surpassed by 7 catchers (Madrid, Fujita, Antelo, Gomez, Moore, Molina, Torres). Nice career, but not quite HOF worthy in my book.
SP Dan Macias. I will say he has the best resume of pitchers who have retired at this point next to Garrett who has already been inducted. Finished with 167 wins, 4 time All-Star selections and led the league in WAR in 2014. His 55.8 WAR is the highest by players eligible and is 11th all-time for pitching WAR at the moment. One of only 18 pitchers with 2K strikeouts. Good enough to get in? IMO he would be the closest, but still a fringe contender
SP Alfredo Aicon. Aicon was a 7 time All-Star playing his entire post-2010 career with the current Los Cabos franchise. His 165 wins rank him 17th all time, 2 wins behind Macias who is also on the ballot. He and Macias are both similiar in wins and innings pitched. Aicon finished his career with 47.3 WAR, a 3.36 ERA and 3.86 FIP. I would rank Aicon and Macias in the same tier and would hard to vote for one and not the other.
SP Ricky Bolden. Ricky was a 5 time all-star who pitched for 7 teams in his career. He was a strikeout machine, racking up 2536 K's which currently ranks 6th all time. He won 191 games and led the league in 2011 with 21, the only time he reached the 20 win plateau. He was a very good pitcher and ace for a long time. He finished with a 3.94 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 4.04 FIP and 51.1 WAR. IMO he wasn't as good as Garrett who was voted in last year, but would be a fringe contender in my book.
SP Earl Harper. The knuckleball throwing Harper was a strikeout machine who played in 16 different seasons in the BSA and was one of the last players who played in all 3 pre-BSA seasons. He amassed 181 wins and his 2731 career strikeouts trails only Scott Hill and Albert Lebel for 3rd all time. He was a 2-time all star, but his real achilles heel was giving up the long ball, which he gave up 366 in 433 starts. While he was dominant at times and had several very good years, I just can't say that I would vote him in and would fall into the fringe category.
SP Guillermo Mendoza. For us old timers Mendoza will probably always be known as the 1st move Goldi made when he came into the league, fleecing the then Haddonfield franchise out of the reigning Cy Young Award winner. That would be the only Cy Young Award that Mendoza would win and he would elected to the AS Game 4 times in his career. He left Toronto at age 31, and put up a 5.1 WAR season with Chicago at age 32 and was looking like he might have a HOF career....but quickly fell off the table and in his final 3 seasons he put up 0.9 WAR combined, for a career total of 42.7 to go with a career record of 143-93 with a 3.75 ERA. Hall of very good?
The Newcomers (12):
SP Carlos Clemente. Clemente is part of the old class, starting his career in 2009 and playing in parts of 14 different seasons, retiring at age 39. Clemente was a 2 time Cy Young winner and 6-time All Star, playing for 7 different franchises. His 191 wins tie him for 6th All-time, while his WAR of 53.9 ranks him 15th just ahead of Ricky Bolden. Long career and he has some hardware, but career wise is very similiar to a few pitchers on the ballot.
SP Derek Larkin. The long time Pike made a very nice 1-2 punch with Steve Haynes in his glory days. He pitched in parts of 11 different seasons, but never posted an over 4 WAR season, even though he did win 18+ games 3 different times. The 3-time All Star finished his career with a 127-86 record amassing 19.2 WAR which just doesn't cut it in my book.
RP Dae-hyun Mae. Generally a reliever, he did spend 4 different seasons in a starting rotation, including the 2016 season where he posted a 5.4 WAR en route to his only All Star appearance. Though he had extreme longevity he was just never among the best at any position during his career.
CL Martin Lopes. Lopes was a rare breed playing his entire career with the Boston franchise after being drafted 2nd overall in the 2011 season. He closed for Boston for 8 seasons amassing 263 saves which is good for 17th all time. Good player but if you are going to vote relievers there are better candidates on the ballot IMO.
CL Ross Higgins. One of BSA's oldest statesman pitching into age 41 and one of the last players to play in all 3 of the pre-BSA years. One of a small group of players who finished his career with over 100 wins and 200 saves and amassed a 37.9 WAR which for a player who only started 66 games is pretty amazing. Pitching for Los Angeles, he started and relieved and had 3 straight seasons of over 5 WAR. He was elected as an all-star 6 times and one can only wonder if he would have been trusted to start more games in his career if we would be talking about a for sure HOF candidate. I'd list his as a fringe candidate just because his career was truly unique.
CL Jaime Saenz. Dominant reliever and 4 time All-Star who finished with 75 wins and 238 saves. His 49 saves in 2017 still ranks in the Top 10 but there are just too many better candidates from the reliever position for me to consider him a good candidate.
C Jaime Torres. One of the better catchers in BSA history, he was elected to the All-Star team 6 times. He ranks in the Top 10 of most major categories for catchers included 7th in WAR. His career is somewhat similar to Harrell, even though they are different type of catcher. He bounced around the league a lot playing for 9 different teams and finished 21 hits short of 2000 and 1 HR short of 250. I don't see how you could vote for Harrell and not for Torres, but do either of them belong?
C Kyuso Fujita. An offense beast who spent 16+ years in the BSA. At time of retirement he was the career leader at catcher in WAR with 61.7, now only surpassed by Julian Madrid. His 299 of his 306 career HR at the catcher position puts him only behind Madrid and career leader Antelo, who will be eligible after the 2031 season. A view him in a tier about Torres and Harrell and best candidate from the C position that we have had on the ballot yet.
1B Tony Marin. Your prototypical slugger, Marin was an extra base machine finishing his career with 414 doubles, 52 triples, and 278 HR. His best season, and only all-star season came in 2015 where he slugged 46 HR and knocked in 139 runs. Unfortunately for him, it was the only season he had over 30 HR. He was a good player, but just not HOF worthy to me.
SS Gordon McMahon. McMahon played a long career as a glove first, bat 2nd player. He hit a ton of doubles, finishing with 569 for his career. He did end up with 2400 hits but was never elected to an all-star game, only had an OPS+ over 100 in 4 post-2010 seasons and even though he was better with glove, he never won a gold glove. Nice player, but not HOF caliber.
LF Cooper Newell. One of BSA's first superstars, Newell won the ROY in 2008, MVP in 2010 and was named to 4 All Star teams. Over a 16 year career he played for 8 different teams. His 414 career HR rank him 7th all time, and 1st of players who have been eligible for the HOF so far. He added a gold glove in 2011 and did finish his career with 2087 hits. Is his power and above offensive skills enough to get him in the Hall?
CF Cade Delaney. I would describe Delaney as a poor man's Newell. Delaney was selected to 5 AS games and played in 17 different seasons. Newell's HOF chances took the biggest hit after his age 32 season where he put up a 33 HR, 99 RBI season with 3.5 WAR. Injuries and decline after that year saw him play in 3 more seasons, very subpar before retiring. His HR, RBI, AVG, OBP and SLG are all behind Newell as well. Good player, long career but just not enough for me.
There's this year's class. Thoughts? Will we have anyone join our 3 Hall of Fame players? Remember, if you do not wish to vote for anyone, please submit an empty ballot. Also I am counting this as my post-season PR.
Monday, July 31, 2017
#1 Pick Quick Historical Look
I was curious how much success our #1 overall picks have had in the big leagues over the years. Mainly because a team like me is treading water, trying not to tank... focusing more on depth rather than tank for a pick (I don't blame some teams for doing that).
So I wanted to see just how successful those #1 picks have been.
Using StatsPlus data from 2013-Present Day
We have had 10 #1 overall picks make it to the big leagues. 2013-2021 made it.
2022 1st overall did NOT sign: https://baseball-stars.
Shane Hutchinson, 2023's 1st overall pick was the last 1st overall pick to make it to the big leagues.
So who was the most successful #1 overall pick since 2013?
I present to you.... a Chart!
NSH AUG PR: Rock 'n' Roller Coaster of Emotions: The Short Tale of Edgardo Molina
New then-Madison GM Adam Brisske was ecstatic. Edgardo Molina, one of his top targets in the IFA period of 2027 had signed. For $2.1 million he was getting a premier power hitting teenage outfielder. OSA rated him at 4 stars, but the team scout had him at 4.5 stars. With a 20 POW and a 14 EYE, he was exactly the kind of bat the organization was missing.
Fast forward to before the draft and GMAB was looking around his organization. There stood out Edgardo sitting in the international complex. Those ratings, still fresh on his mind, just sitting there, the potential staring him in the face.
GMAB made the move. He put the 16 year old on the Rookie league team, and sat back waiting to brag about the ballsy move that paid off at the next GM meetings.
.264/.292/.370. only 4 home runs. Where did the power go? 3 walks to 48 strikeouts. He had broken him. He was doomed. The new scouting report was not kind. 1 star from OSA. At least the team scout still saw something. 3 stars. There's still hope. But his eye was gone, The contact was gone. All that remained was that prodigious power.
GMAB had already thrown in the towel, but Molina was the best prospect to start in RF in Rookie league again in 2028.
His 2nd pro season, at age 17, started off with a bang. 2 home runs in season opener. Half of last seasons total. 2 games later, another one. 2 games later...
5 games in he's banged 4 dongers and is batting .368. GMAB tells his fiance all about the hot start and she walks away without saying anything. She's right, he thinks to himself, This could just be a fluke, better to stay quiet. But while GMAB was swinging trades at the major league level, he kept getting daily alerts on his phone to see how Molina did each day. A donger nearly every other day. More walks. Still strikes out a lot, but who cares? He's raking. GMAB can live with the whiffs.
As we enter September, GMAB could no longer hold it in. In a front office meeting discussing the team's future, there was only one name on his lips.
.366/.429/.745, 15 home runs, 38 RBIs. GMAB rubbed the stat sheet in Pedro's face.
"I was the only one that still believed in him!" said Adam (he didn't). "I knew all along he would be great!" (he really didn't)
Watching the young man's short career so far has been a wild ride so far, and no matter where it ends, one thing is for sure, GM Brisske is not ready to get off.
NSH SEP PR: BSA HAIKUS
Aaron is the worst
Makes trades that are one sided
Still can't beat Plymouth
Dave is our stat god
10 game win streak, holy shit
Wild card in his sights
Nashville is still bad
They might be good in 10 years
If not I resign
Dave Dodd for the hall
Swain is a solid commish
But JST tho
Trump is not my prez
Fresno might miss the playoffs
Please make it happen
More people in Slack
Seriously it's the best
Y'all should be in Slack
Dookie is a dog
You're letting a dog beat you
For real, he's a dog
Sorry for no charts
Someone else can make some charts
Let's see them charts. Charts.
I hope you enjoyed
I spent like an hour on this
Give me 5 Colins
VIS SEPT PR - Team Balance
"Something something charts, I'll die if I don't make a comment about it" - Branda.
Now with that out of the way. I thought that some of us might appreciate visually seeing how the teams are balanced in the BSA based on pitcher/batter WAR.
Some teams have found success being heavy in either direction (SEA/NAS)
Others have found success from the balanced approach (VIS/IRV/BAF/NO/KAL) while others have not (STL/HOU/POC.. but barely POC they lean further form balance than this group).. though you wouldn't be able to tell by the chart because they are all producing similar WAR totals.
What I've concluded is that to win in the BSA.. you need to be extremely good at something while being above average at the rest.
Out of the highest WARing balanced teams (IRV/NO/KAL/BAF/STL/VIS/HOU) only Irvine looks like it has a shot at the division. New Orleans, Baffin and Vista have playoff hopes with Baffin's being the most sure thing while St. Louis, Houston and Kalamazoo will likely be missing out.
Niagara Falls Post Season PR
As expected, Year One was a shit show. 57-105 was good for 47 games behind Plymouth, who were abandoned by ownership to pursue other interests in Boston. Speaking of being abandoned, Niagara Falls has seen something this week that they hadn't seen all year... Vehicles in their parking lot. However, it wasn't fans cars, it was moving trucks. After their obligatory one year in Niagara Falls, the Frenzy are moving to a spot that GM Robert Perinka feels more at home...Philadelphia, PA. Being rebranded as the Philadelphia Athletics, partly because Shibe Park was not being used except for a weekend farmer's market, and partly because Perinka managed a somewhat successful franchise in these parts roughly 100 league years ago. The stadium will match the most recent Shibe Park dimensions and the ability to find fans that can get a fine authentic Philly Cheesesteak at a game tend to be more in abundance than the occasional honeymooner that wanted to catch a game in Niagara Falls, NY.
So far this offseason, the team won all but one arbitration case, but more of that in the upcoming preview PR. So far, we hired a top dollar scout Bill Myers to help with this from the ground up rebuild. Pretty much nobody on the team last year will be back unless they accepted the $12M qualifying offer. Hopefully none accepted.
KCK Off Season PR: Heart Attack: The Game
The Greatest Wildcard Round Ever
Let’s meet our teams:
Vista Panthers (99-63) 2nd in the CL West
After Dante Owens went down for the season, the Panthers were one of the most pitching heavy, and stingy teams in the league, ranking fourth in ERA (3.24) in the league, and second in the CL. Vista’s BSA leading defense was a part of that too, and the Panthers only ended up allowing 586 runs over the season. Twenty Five year old starter Dave “Pep” Jackson earned his first all-star nod in his third season, putting up 5.3 WAR while almost striking out 200 batters. For as good as their starters were (again, second in the CL), their relievers were even better with a 2.97 ERA. Vista was always ready for the long game, going 14-6 in extra-inning games, and 28-19 in one run games.
But they were the wildcard team for a reason- Dante Owens led the team in HRs, despite playing less than 100 games. They were 13th in the CL in batting average, and 10th in OPS. Without Owens, Rivera led the team with a .265 average, and no one made it to 85 RBIs.
Finally, Vista has worked incredibly hard to attain the number one farm system in the league. Superstars in the making like Jake Reeves, Johnny Williams and Roberto Carrillo are either finding their way to the big league squad, or are a year or two away. Vista sported a $84 million payroll for the 2028 season, leading to a +141 run differential.
Kansas City Kings (97-65) 2nd in the CL Central
Led by 2B Chris Chandler and DH Toshimichi Kono, the Kings were bit more balanced, scoring 919 runs- good for 2nd in the CL, while allowing 661 runs, about middle of the pack in the CL. With average pitching and above average hitting, the Kings performed rather, well, averagely in extra inning or one run games. In fact, the Kings were below .500 in one run games, despite mid-season bullpen acquisitions. Kansas City is a three true outcome stadium, with 435 HRs launched there this season, as well as over 2,400 strike outs and almost 1,000 walks.
This obviously played a large role in the 200+ strike outs by SP Ron Young, who also dazzled with a 2.59 ERA. The Kings were also suspiciously healthy this season in contrast to Vista, which really helped the $50 million payroll attain a +258 run differential.
But they were the 2nd wildcard team for a reason- the Kings also play in the same division as Springfield.
Thursday, October 5th, 2028:
The Kings strike first in Vista, scoring 4 runs in the top of the first off All-Star Dave Jackson. Jackson settled down afterwards in his postseason debut, keeping the Kings off the board for the next four innings. Meanwhile, Vista chipped away at Kansas City starter Francisco Morales, tying the game in the 6th. In the eighth inning, Chris Chandler scored on a wild pitch by Antonio Lopez. Manuel Parra and Nick Parks closed out the game, with Johnny Williams striking out looking to end it.
Kings win, 5-4
Saturday, October 7th, 2028:
Paco Canpos happened. Canpos went 7 strong, allowing only 4 hits while striking out 4. Antonio Lopez came in to finish off the game in a combined ‘5-hitter’. The Panthers tied the series with a strong statement in Kansas City- we can pitch a shutout at any damn time.
Panthers win, 6-0
------------------------------
Monday, October 9th, 2028 AND Tuesday, October 10th, 2028:
Back to Vista for the rubber game. The Kings tossed out their star, Ron Young while Vista brought in fan favorite and guy with his eyes wayyyy too close together, Randy Mailman. This was Mailman’s first start off the DL, a huge gamble by GM Calhoun.
Top of the 1st:
Calhoun’s Mailman gambit seemed to go south immediately, as the first three pitches to Chris Chandler were ball, ball, home run. Could this be the start of a blowout?!
No.
Mailman dealt with the mistake, learned and moved on. He immediately settled down and started to deliver. Taylor, Kono and Crawford were sat down in order. Kansas City leads 1-0
Kansas City LOB running count: 0
Bottom of the 1st:
Vista’s Catcher Gatan started the action off with a first pitch single, and second baseman Stephen Wilson worked a walk. First baseman was hit by a pitch, filling the bases with zero outs. Ron Young was rattled, and gave up a long flyball to Alfredo Rivera, and Gatan tagged up from third and scored, tying the game at 1-1. Could this be the start of a blowout?!
No.
Young got Bob Cunningham to ground out, and then struck out Gui-xiu Choi looking.
Vista LOB running count: 2
--
Top of the 2nd:
Clean inning by the Mailman, and Oliver Lugo strikes out for the first time.
Kansas City LOB running count: 0
Lugo Strike Outs: 1
Bottom of the 2nd:
Francisco Marino starts things off with a double, but is stranded by Gatan.
Vista LOB running count: 3
Vista guys in scoring position with < 2 outs: 1
--
Top of the 3rd:
Perfectly clean inning by the Mailman.
Kansas City LOB running count: 0
Lugo Strike Outs: 1
Bottom of the 3rd:
A leadoff triple for Stephen Wilson! Fangraphs puts the expected runs this inning at 1.426, but strikeout artist Ron Young has different ideas, striking out Sangi and Rivera, and inducing Cunningham into a weak grounder to end the inning.
Vista LOB running count: 3
Vista guys in scoring position with < 2 outs: 2
--
Top of the 4th:
Douggie Fresh starts the inning off with a well-earned walk. Kono and Crawford both ground out to move Taylor to third. Catcher De La Cruz singles Douggie home! Kansas City regains the lead, 2-1. Lugo ends the inning with a strike out.
Kansas City LOB running count: 1
Lugo Strike Outs: 2
Bottom of the 4th:
Marino again gets on base with a one out single, then Johnny Williams strikes out while Marino is caught stealing second. Stop trying to steal on De La Cruz you jerks.
Vista LOB running count: 3
Vista guys in scoring position with < 2 outs: 2
--
Top of the 5th:
Another clean inning for Mailman, leaving the score at 2-1 Kansas City.
Kansas City LOB running count: 1
Lugo Strike Outs: 2
Bottom of the 5th:
Lopez and Catan ground out, but not without Gatan putting up a 9 pitch at bat. Neat! The frustration gets to Ron Young who gives up a solo home run to the next batter, Stephen Wilson. Tie game, 2-2
Vista LOB running count: 3
Vista guys in scoring position with < 2 outs: 2
Note to the reader:
Dearest reader,
It’s me, the author, Colin Shelby. We’ve had a great time so far together, going through 5 innings in detail. Unfortunately, to those “in the know”, this game goes 17 fucking innings. And spoiler alert: it ends 3-2. So I can’t go through the next 12 innings in such detail. But my friends, I watched this live. Jordan was right there with me, as were some heroes on slack. So let me just skip to some highlights:
Top of the 7th:
Oliver Lugo strikes out.
Lugo Strike Outs: 3
Bottom of the 7th:
Johnny Williams starts the inning off with a triple. I’m sure you know where this is going- almost a 1.5 run expectancy, blah, blah. The next hitter walks, then a strike out, fly out and fly out.
Vista guys in scoring position with < 2 outs: 3
Top of the 12th:
Lugo strikes out.
Lugo Strike Outs: 4
Top of the 11th:
KCK gets Kono and Chandler to first and second base with 1 out (.9 RE). Obviously, this is followed by two fly outs.
Top of the 12th:
Lugo strikes out.
Lugo Strike Outs: 5
Top of the 14th:
Lugo hits a double! Third baseman Dave Parker flies out to end the inning.
Bottom of the 15th:
Gatan gets to second with one out. Strikeout, ground out. Fun!
Vista guys in scoring position with < 2 outs: 4
Top of the 17th:
Dave Parker starts the inning with a triple and 0 outs! Well, we know how this goes… WAIT! It’s KCK's turn! Eric Fuller (2028 batting average = .198) hits a deep enough foul ball so that Parker can tag up and score! It stands, and Kansas City wins 3-2
Records set:
KCK: Oliver Lugo ties the CL Playoff extra inning game record for strikeouts with 5.
KCK: Douglas Taylor ties the CL Playoff extra inning game record for strikeouts with 5.
VIS: Cisco Gatan sets the Vista playoff extra inning game record for at bats with 8.
Fun Facts:
The game lasted 4:57 minutes.
Player of the game: Randy Mailman
VIS: 14 LOB
VIS: Runners in scoring position with 2 outs: 6
VIS: Runners in scoring position with less than 2 outs: 4
VIS: Total Bases: 22 (7 were Stephen Wilson)
VIS: "Fuck"s uttered: 82
KCK: 8 LOB
KCK: Runners in scoring position with 2 outs: 4
KCK: Total Bases: 16 (7 were Chris Chandler)
KCK: Times making that 
face: 4
This game broke a ton of rules, and I was very very fortunate to win. Preventing a leadoff triple from scoring twice is bonkers. This off-season will see Kono move on, possibly Vista's Canpos too, but I'm hoping we get a rematch. Jordan somehow didn't punch his computer screen or threaten me online, for which I'm grateful.
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