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Murrican Mania - A Blog

john_buffalo

Came, saw, conquered, left. Enjoyed it. Bye.
Muttering About the Murricans
19877
An Exercise in Futility

A Blog by the Buffalo News
February 14, 2092

Team Analysis 101

So there’s a new management team in town. Will it help the hapless Murricans? A league powerhouse back in early 2070’s, the team is more a bottom feeder right now. Last time in the playoffs – 2085. Last time with a winning record – 2085. Loser of 103 games just two years back. Sad.

Anyway, lets analysis the upcoming 2092 version of the ‘Cans. We’ll use the 40-Man Roster as a starting point for our analysis.

THE ROTATION
  • Héctor López – 29-year-old left-hander is the ace. 9-8, 3.20 last season. Won 14 for Berlin two years back. Signed through 2094 at $23 million per year. He could opt out after 2093. He has a long list of minor injuries, but last year would have missed three months with bone chips had the season not mercifully ended. The trainer considers him at high risk for more injuries sooner rather than later.
  • Ger Asseldonk – At age 26 the southpaw already missed almost the entire season in 2081 (torn rotator cuff), three months in 2089 (elbow strain), and five months last year (elbow surgery). When healthy, he pitched well in 2090 (3.76 ERA) and 2091 (3.24 ERA). Looks like another Injury List risk.
  • Tores Heleno – Another left hander, he was 11-13 last year at age 22. He’s durable enough and will do well if he can keep his ERA down.
  • Hud Numair – 19-24 over the past two seasons with an ERA around 3.10, a pretty good record for a horrible team like the Murricans. Age 27.
  • Veniamin Albanov – 27-year-old was decent enough in relief last season (4-7, 3.23, 9 saves). Who knows how well he will transition into the rotation. (Aside: the Shadow Knows!)
These next two are not on the 40-man and will not be in Murrican uniforms this coming season.
  • Hatay Ilker – The number two prospect in the WBL, he will most likely spend all of 2092 at AAA Philadelphia. He’s had three years in double-A, improving each season. The hope is to see him in a Murrican suit in 2093.
  • Francisco López – Number 17 overall prospect was great in A ball last season and terrible in AA. Hopefully he develops enough over the winter to pitch well at AA Washington this season.Maybe he’ll be ready in 2094.
THE BULLPEN
  • Alfonso Muñóz – the best of a bad lot, he’ll likely be the closer. He pitched well enough the past two seasons and yet still posted negative WARs. Missed two months last year with a herniated disc.
  • Caesar Hammer – 4.75 ERA and -1.6 WAR are not strong signs. He has pitched over 100 innings in each of the last two years, so he can eat some innings.
  • Dong-Choon Namgung – has over 250 combined innings in relief over the past two years. His effectiveness improved last season but not enough to produce a positive WAR.
  • Valerik Sanaev – ERA over 4.50 last year and the year before. Meh.
  • Filipe Martin – He’s loyal, adaptable, and a hard worker. He wants to be in the rotation. Given his skill set, just making the roster will be an accomplishment
  • Bill Palmer – Huh? 31-year-old started for AAA Philly last year. Won 3, lost 21 with an 11.73 ERA. Not sure why we bothered even listing his name. Well, somehow he made the 40-man roster.
CATCHER
  • Sze Jen –Hard-working 26-year-old does a professional job behind the plate. His average slumped to .231 last year. We’d love to see him get up to .260. He still has two more years of arbitration.
  • Okot Adipo – Pushing age 28, he has really never proved himself capable of hitting even AA pitching. A team has to have a backup catcher and he fell into the assignment this off season when Jorge Castillo opted for free agency. Replacing Adipo with a competent backup will be a primary assignment for the new management team.
  • Tommaso Sanguinacco – Maybe he’s the replacement. He was just signed to a minor league deal. He has major league experience and can catch respectably.
FIRST BASE
  • Sergio Guzmán – Team captain hit a resounding .145 last year and .207 the year before. At least he is OK defensively. But Fu-tang Tao, last year’s first baseman, is penciled in at third base, and someone has to play here. Watkins (see designated hitter below) could fill in, but his glove is made of cement. Help!
  • Luka Braber – He’s a .240 AAA hitter who plays a fine defense. There’s nothing to suggest he would improve if promoted.
SECOND BASE
  • Paco Díaz – 27-year-old had a -24 zone rating at second base last year while hitting .246. He needs to be replaced, but the choices in the organization are limited
  • Stefan Galloway – He just signed a minor league deal with Buffalo that will give him a major league salary of $600,000 if he is promoted in the first month of the season. While he has never played above AA, he can play all four infield positions very well.
THIRD BASE
  • Fu-Kang Tao – Only 23, he played first base as a rookie last year. He struggled defensively, but he did hit 35 home runs and knock in 96. There’s nothing to indicate he would be better defensively at third base, but with the loss of Rafael Muñóz to free agency, someone has to play here. There’s no one else around.
SHORTSTOP
  • Miguel Ramírez – He has trouble in the field - -8.8 zone rating. And he can’t hit - .182 batting average. Anyone got any suggestions?
OUTFIELD
  • Luis Quiñones – A hard worker and speed demon, he’s at his best defensively in left field. Four-time gold glove winner and one-time all star, he’ll be a free agent next year if not signed to an extension. That extension is an owner priority. He can hit with power as well.
  • Alexander Somerville – He had a plus zone rating in center field last year and he hit .292. Those are nice numbers for a Murrican. The center field job is his to lose.
  • Félix Córdova – He’s 34, struggles defensively, and won’t hit higher than .250. Still, right now he’s the right fielder because Ronald Beers left for free agency.
  • Dong-Hoon Ho – A sparkling defender in center field for AAA Philly last year where he hit .346. He’s a candidate to replace Somerville in center, but he’ll probably see significant time in right field during spring training.
  • Félix Galindo – 30-year-old has zero defensive upside and hasn’t proven he can hit major league pitching. He’ll be lucky to make the team.
DESIGNATED HITTER
  • Bill Watkins – We put Bill here by default. Listed as a first baseman, he’s a horror show defensively. Unfortunately he hasn’t shown he can hit either - .235 two years back and .214 last year. He will produce 20 odd home runs a year. If could replicate his 2089 season (.277 with 35 dingers), he’d be perfect for the DH job.
That’s a wrap for now.
 
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doh

THANK YOU Dermott McHeshi
Franchise threads are back?

source.gif


Looks like I might have snagged the #1 CROOT in the class of OOTP22. Anyone else going to hit the trail?
 

john_buffalo

Came, saw, conquered, left. Enjoyed it. Bye.
Does thee team have a strategic theme?? Or just grab good players and go??
No one ever asked me that before.
Hhmmm.
Defense matters.
Strategy matters.
Finances matter.
Draft choices matter.
Scouting and development budgets matter.
Do your best and don't tank.
 

john_buffalo

Came, saw, conquered, left. Enjoyed it. Bye.
19883
Muttering About the Murricans
An Exercise in Futility

A Blog by the Buffalo News
February 20, 2092

The Rebuild Begins
There’s a lot of work to do in making the Buffalo franchise competitive and profitable. The long and arduous process to accomplish this has begun.

FINANCIAL MATTERS

A scouting director has been hired. Alberto Sanchez takes over that job effective immediately on a three-year contract that will pay him $325,000 per season. He’s only 42 years old and considered to be excellent to outstanding on all aspects of the scouting spectrum.

The scouting budget has been increased from $4.0 million per season to $10.0 million. Likewise, the player development budget has been similarly increased from $4.0 million per season to $10.0 million.

Owner Mike Daecher made it clear he wanted a contract extension for popular outfielder Luis Quiñones to be a priority. Mission accomplished! Quiñones has inked a five year deal for $15 million a year escalating up to $19 million in 2097. The final year is a player option.

FREE AGENCY AND THE FORTY MAN ROSTER

Last week we analyzed the odd strengths and numerous weaknesses of the Buffalo 40-Man roster. With five free agency signings, the analysis has changed significantly:
  • Luis Montalvo – the 38-year-old veteran catcher has been signed to a one-year deal worth $1.8 million. Luis will probably become the backup for Sze Jen. While certainly well past his prime, Montalvo can still hit a little and provide some power. Since his defensive skills are eroding fast, he doesn’t have the job won yet. Clearly a one-year rental.
  • Another free agent catcher, Tommaso Sanguinacco, will get a big look-see during spring training. Sanguinacco is way younger and would be a better defensive performer than Montalvo for sure.
  • Fan favorite Pancho Salazar has signed a four-year deal starting at $4.5 million per year, the salary increasing by $500K per year to a team-option $6.0 million in 2095. The signing has fan interest peaking, and season ticket sales have taken a decided uptick. Salazar hit over 50 home runs in 2087 and 2088. Lately he has been more in low thirty’s in dingers. Hitting home runs at Enquist Park in Buffalo is tough work, so we’ll see how he does as the new starting first baseman.
  • The pathetic bullpen situation has been buoyed by the signings of Knud Sand. Sand was a steady performer for Tijuana for five years and sports a lifetime ERA of 3.18. He might just be the closer.
  • Another bullpen strengthening move was the signing of Pancho González. Gonzalez, age 33, was with Buffalo from 2082 to 2088 before becoming a free agent.. He then signed a one-year deal with Kabul, won a championship ring in 2089, reentered free agency, signed a minor league deal with Dublin where he helped win a AAA crown with Cardiff in 2090. Dublin released him in May 2091 and Kabul signed him up again got released, resigned with Kabul, and earned another ring. He has a lifetime 3.71 ERA.
THE MINOR LEAGUES

Normally a team rebuilding looks to its minor leagues for immediate help. Alas, Buffalo’s AAA franchise at Philadelphia has nothing to offer from last year’s anemic team that finished at a woeful 19-121 (.136). That’s almost incomprehensible. So, while rebuilding Buffalo, management is also tasked with rebuilding Philadelphia. That process has also begun. The pitching staff from last year was almost totally dispensable. It has a combined ERA of 12.78 and a combined WAR of negative 29.1. Yikes.

For now, that’s a wrap.

 
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john_buffalo

Came, saw, conquered, left. Enjoyed it. Bye.
19902
Muttering About the Murricans
An Exercise in Futility

A Blog by the Buffalo News
February 24, 2092

Rebuild Continues Apace
  • Luis Ruíz was signed as a free agent. He may or may not help the Buffalo pitching staff this season. He inked a minor league deal that will become a $1.0 million major league contract if he is promoted to Buffalo or added to the 40-man roster. If that doesn’t happen within thirty days, Ruiz can return to the free agent pool. In 2089 he pitched pretty well for Tijuana (10-12, 3.52). In 2090 he slumped badly (7-13. 6.05). He spent last year in AAA (11-8, 6.02). He’s a long shot to help Buffalo but could help rebuild the atrocious Philadelphia (AAA) staff.

  • Steve Holmes will join the Murrican bullpen on a one year $1.1 million deal with a team option second year at the same price. Holmes, a right handed relief pitcher, was up and down in effectiveness in four years with False Bay, but he’ll definitely bring improvement to the Buffalo bullpen staff. His addition builds on the previously announced signings of Knud Sand and Pancho González. The bullpen WILL be better.

  • Armando Garza signed a three year deal at $2.6 million per year, the last of which is a team option, to return to Buffalo. Viewed as a team leader, the 31-year-old can play second, short, and third. The longtime Buffalo player entered free agency after the 2089 season and signed a one-year deal with Amsterdam. Amsterdam did not extend him and he sat out the 2091 season. He’s one piece in the rebuild of an infield that was challenged offensively and defensively last year.

  • Oliver Karani will join the Murricans next year as part of an announced but not yet executed trade with Amsterdam that will see Rookie League third baseman Jose Torres move to Amsterdam. Karani is 34 years old, so he’s not part of the long-term rebuild, but for a year or two he brings solid defense at every infield position to the table. Even at age 34 he can still run the bases well. And he’s pretty durable as evidenced by 156 games started last year.

  • Yoshi Yoshida comes to the Murricans via another soon to be completed trade with Las Vegas. The Pac Men get Buffalo’s upcoming third round draft pick in exchange. Yoshida was a first round pick back in 2085. He can play first base or second base effectively and, interestingly, can also pitch. While primarily acquired as a potential second baseman, he indeed may see some action in the Murrican’s bullpen as well.

That’s pretty well it for now, but there was another transaction of note in the league as well. Longtime Buffalo outfielder Ronald Beers signed a three year deal with the Seoul Glow. The controversial Beers was not well liked by his teammates because of his apparent lack of effort on the field. He won’t be missed in the Buffalo clubhouse.

Dat be a wrap.
 

john_buffalo

Came, saw, conquered, left. Enjoyed it. Bye.
19915
Muttering About the Murricans
An Exercise in Futility

A Blog by the Buffalo News
February 27, 2092

TWO MORE BULLPEN ADDITIONS

Just a quick report today. The Murricans have added two more bullpen arms to the roster via free agency. What this essentially means is that there will be only name from last year sitting on the bullpen bench coming Opening Day. The new additions are:
  • Yohannes Twia – A 29-year-old right hander, Cory is well known here, having played for Buffalo from 2085 until 2090 when he became a free agent. Last year he appeared in 54 games for the Las Vegas Pac Men, starting 34 times as an opener. He relies mostly on his fastball and the occasional circle changeup. He has signed a three-year deal.
  • Cory Prince - Cory is 29 years old and joins Buffalo from the Miami organization. He has had an ERA in the mid 3.00’s for the past four seasons alternating between Miami and their AAA affiliate at Kansas City. He throws a fastball and a sinker, and he is well respected in the clubhouse. He has one year guaranteed and a team option for 2093.

Wrap it up.
 

john_buffalo

Came, saw, conquered, left. Enjoyed it. Bye.
19947
Muttering About the Murricans
An Exercise in Futility

A Blog by the Buffalo News

March 3, 2092

The Big Wheels Keep on Turning
Spring Training Starts Now

The announcements from the front office just keep coming! Today it was a big trade:

To Las Vegas
AA outfield prospect Dan Peterson and
The 2092 2nd round draft pick
in exchange for
OF Lowie Van Hoof and
SP Luke Van Tiggelen
Luke Van Tiggelen, while not a world beater, will be near the top of the rotation for the ‘Murricans after having been mainly a reliever for the Las Vegas Pac Men. Luke has an overpowering fast ball and a decent enough cutter as a second pitch. His slider needs some work. He was a seventh draft pick back in 2084, but he is still only 25 years old. He is reportedly very anxious to get a shot as a starter.

Lowie Van Hoof, also age 25, is a solid defensive outfielder with a rifle for an arm. He has little home run power, an asset not missed so much in Buffalo’s stadium, but his gap power should prove very helpful offensively. He usually puts the ball in play and, while not particularly fast, is an excellent base runner. As a part timer over the past three years, he has a .295 batting average.

In yet another deal, the ‘Murricans sent a solitary dollar to North Dakota for AA SS Ragheb Mufid. Mufid is an accomplished fielder around the infield and some scouts say he has the necessary tool set to hit big league pitching. Expect to see him at Spring Training. He’s probably not big league ready, but one never knows.

There was also one interesting although possibly irrelevant free agent signing. Badr bin Duqaq was on the free agent list as a relief pitcher. His pitching ratings are just awful. But he can hit and with some power. As of today He is wearing a Philadelphia (AAA) uniform on a minor league contract and will get a major league salary of $800,000 if he is promoted or added to the 40-man roster. He is now listed as a first baseman.

That's a wrap.
 

john_buffalo

Came, saw, conquered, left. Enjoyed it. Bye.
19979
Muttering About the Murricans
An Exercise in Futility

A Blog by the Buffalo News
April 7, 2092

Spring Training is Done
PLAY BALL!


The ‘Murricans finished up Spring Training with an uninspiring 11-19 mark. Oh, well. As we all know, the major goal in Spring Training is to avoid injuries. Mission accomplished. Bring on the regular season!

In late breaking free agency news, Buffalo announced the signing of Belarusian third baseman Yurochka Zavalin. An accomplished fielder and a .260-ish career hitter, Zavalin will take over the hot corner job for the ‘Murricans. This will allow Fu-Kang Tao to move back to his preferred position, first base. And Pancho Salazar, who had been slated to play first base, will become the designated hitter. That’s all good news. Defense will be better and Salazar looks like an ideal fit for the DH job, one Buffalo was worried about filling with the right kind of player.

19980

Meanwhile, four players who were on minor league contracts in Spring Training will be getting big league paychecks starting tomorrow:
  • Ragheb Mufid came over from North Dakota with nothing but AA experience under his belt. He hit .288 in spring training and dazzled with his glove. He’ll be the starting shortstop tomorrow while earning the major league minimum $490,000.
  • Ubayy bin Haddad signed a free agency minor league deal that included a major league salary of $1.1 million if promoted. A marginal fielder, he will see duty mainly a pinch hitter, as a backup DH, and in right field in an emergency. Ubayy hit .413 in AAA last year and .354 the year before.
  • Santiago Ríos won a spot in the starting rotation, so he’ll activate a $1.2 million salary that was dependent of making the major league roster. Mainly a reliever in the past, the 31-year-old may take turns with our next listee in the rotation.
  • Luis Ruíz will battle Rios for the last rotation spot. He too will activate a major league salary of $1.0 million that was dependent on promotion. The former Tijuana pitcher was in AAA last year. He has better stamina than Ríos and could win the job outright.

PLAY BALL!
 

john_buffalo

Came, saw, conquered, left. Enjoyed it. Bye.
20238
Muttering About the Murricans
An Exercise in Futility


A Blog by the Buffalo News
June 9, 2092

JUNE PROGRESS REPORT

I’m actually pretty happy with the performance of the once hapless Murricans. We started slowly but have rallied to top .500. As I write this, The Murricans have a record of 29 wins and 27 losses. Not bad for a .426 team last year.

The Big Pluses so far:
  • More than decent pitching – 2nd in runs against, 2nd in defense efficiency, 2nd in starter ERA. Not bad when your ace, Héctor López, has been mostly on the Injured List.
  • Starting pitcher Tores Heleno, inserted into the rotation to replace the injured López, is 5-3 with a 2.93 ERA.
  • Starting pitcher Hud Numair is likewise 5-3 with an ERA of 2.81.
  • Closer Knud Sand has been lights out – 16 saves in 17 attempts and an ERA of 0.68.
  • First baseman Fu-Kang Tao has 16 home runs and 42 runs batted in.
  • Designated hitter Pancho Salazar has 14 home runs and is hitting over .300.
The rebuild of the minor leagues progresses apace, way ahead of anything just about anybody expected:
  • AAA Philadelphia, 19-121 (.136) last year, stands at 40-19 (678).
  • AA Washington, 44-96 (.314) last year, stands at 35-23 (.603).
  • A Harrisburg, 84-56 (.600) last year, are doing even better this year at 43-16 (.729)
 

john_buffalo

Came, saw, conquered, left. Enjoyed it. Bye.
20673

Muttering About the Murricans
Competitive Again!


A Blog by the Buffalo News
October 31, 2092

In the League Championship

Back in the spring Owner Mike Daecher set a few goals for 2092 for his newly hired GM. You wouldn’t expect lofty goals for a team that had been in the playoffs exactly once in the prior fourteen years. And they were indeed not lofty: 1) Play .500 ball; 2) Extend outfielder Luis Quiñones; 3) Build up the team for a playoff run in 2094.

Needless to say Daecher is ecstatic! 1) team plays .580 ball; 2) Quiñones signs a five-year extension; 3) team makes the playoffs and sweeps Kabul in round one before losing to powerful Las Vegas in the Leagueship Finals. The Murricans won 94 regular season games – that’s more than any year since 2051, forty-one years ago. It’s more wins in a season than the team managed during the 2067-2078 glory days when the Murricans made the playoffs nine times and won two championships.

How did they accomplish that? Let us count the ways:
  1. Acquiring Pancho Salazar and Yurochka Zavalin via free agency were key moves. It gave the team a legitimate designated hitter (Salazar). Zavalin, despite just a .235 batting average, gave the Murricans a +6.7 zone rating third baseman and allowed young Fu-Kang Tao to play first base rather than switching him to third base as was the initial plan. Salazar and Tao combined for some mighty stats: between them they had 102 home runs, 266 runs batted in, and a WAR totaling 13.2.
  2. The team took a risk by installing a newly acquired rookie fresh out of AA ball as the starting shortstop. Ragheb Mufid hit a respectable .250 and posted a great +10.5 zone rating at a tough position.
  3. The Murricans traded (with Las Vegas) to acquire Lowie Van Hoof to be their right fielder and lead-off guy. He hit .262, stole 36 bases in 45 attempts, and had a zone rating of +10.0 in right field.
  4. Luke Van Tiggelen also came over in the Van Hoof trade. He was 4-11, 4.20 as a reliever with the Pac Men last year. In the Murricans rotation all year he finished with a 13-10 mark and a 3.20 ERA.
  5. Hud Numair pitched OK for a bad Buffalo team last year (10-13, 3.31, 3.7 WAR). He upped his game this year (15-8, 3.22, 5.1 WAR).
  6. Santiago Ríos, a so-so journeyman reliever joined the Murricans and became a reliable swing man (13-8, 3.75, 22 starts in 29 appearances).
  7. Knud Sand signed a big free agent deal ($15.8 million for three years) and just plain excelled as the closer – a league-leading 42 saves and a 2.71 ERA. A 2.9 WAR for a relief pitcher is pretty darn good.
  8. What was a BAD bullpen in 2091 became a good one in 2092 with the addition of new free agent relievers Pancho González (from Kabul), Steve Holmes (from False Bay), Cory Prince (from Kansas City), and Yohannes Twia (from Las Vegas). The pen was second best in the league by most statistical measures.
  9. Then there were the excellent seasons from Buffalo veterans: pitcher Héctor López, pitcher Ger Asseldonk, outfielder Luis Quiñones, outfielder Alexander Somerville, reliever Alfonso Muñóz, swing man Tores Heleno, and all-star catcher Sze Jen.
All those guys should be back for 2093 with the possible exception of injury-prone starting pitcher Héctor López. He has to decide whether or not to execute a player opt out clause.

??? -- MVP MVP MVP MVP - ???

20676
 
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