SIM COMPLETE - 1996 - SIM 7

[Clay]

NEXT SIM: Friday AM

***

SIM STATS

No Export:
Cali
Dallas
N.O.

Roster Issues:
None (2 in a row!)

[BradZ]

Hate to lose Chet Walton for the rest of the season. He was off to a nice start after a bad sophomore year. Between his injury and the Pete Lawson injury we're getting really thin in the OF.

[Jistic]

As usual Washington defies all logic and is leading the wildcard race while trying to dismantle the team at the same time.

[Carlos]

Another bad week. Nice.

But at least we'll be getting our below average middle infielders back next SIM.

Joy.

[funclown]

Pawtucker 4-2 again. Road trips are just scary. Trying to stay stable as we enter yet another 9 game road trip against the ALE.

Nice to see my top 2 starters pitch like.......the #1, #2 starters.

Sticking with "water finds its level" for least a little bit.

[Clay]

The slide to retirement begins?

Woodbury drops to #2 on the Top Players list.

[BradZ]

The slide to retirement begins?

Woodbury drops to #2 on the Top Players list.

Probably has more to do with the fact that Hector Chavez is from another planet at this point..

[Delandis]

Baltimore Bulldogs Sim 7 Review: 2-4
20-24 overall, 2 GB in Wildcard Race

1-2 vs Carolina
1-2 vs Washington

Hadn't done one of these in a while and funny that I start it once we start losing again.

The Good

-We played reasonably well against both squads. Recently promoted catcher, Wes Foster, went 6/19 with one double and seven strikeouts. Nothing amazing, but surprisingly better than expected. Foster was promoted to platoon against left-handed pitchers, as Kyoden Kubota has been struggling against in the 1996 season.

-Rex Knight continues to take the IL by storm, with another .300+ week that included 8 RBI and 2 HR. He also leads the BLB in doubles with 20. He's been the main reason we've been able to play better during the month of May and with a little tinkering here and there, we may be compete for the IL Wildcard which looks completely up for grabs this year.

-Our pitching has also been surprisingly more consistent these past few weeks. Closer, Danny Rodriquez has yet to give up an earned run this year, while rookies, Willie O'Reilly (SP), Fabrizio Sbarro (MR), and newly acquired starter, Danny Morales, have all had promising starts to their careers in a park that is known for eating pitchers alive.

The Bad

-First of all we lost 4 of 6 this past week. One loss we had a 5-run lead that veteran pitcher, Jerry Kraft pissed away with one terrible inning. I can't blame much on him since I forgot to put his leash on before the sim.

-Former Top 20 prospect, Antonio Trujillo had one of the worst weeks I've ever seen going 0-24. He has immediately been recalled to Annapolis (AAA) and replaced with former first round draft pick, Dantel Castaneda. Castaneda isn't expected to do wonders but he's got to be able to play better than 0-24.

-Lonnie Grady and recent waiver pickup Clint Pruett, have been notified that they have been placed on waivers. Lonnie Grady is still an OK pitcher, but you cannot be just be OK as a right handed pitcher and expect to survive Phillips Field. Pruett had his uses, but didn't hit consistently or do enough defensively (he only plays first base and doesn't do that too well) to take a roster spot. Japanese outfielder, Fumisato Yoshida has been recalled to the active roster.

Up Next

-We continue a run that will end in 20 straight games. First we head to Los Alamos to face the Bandits and then begin a run of inter-divisional games, starting with four at home against California.

[Clay]

Probably has more to do with the fact that Hector Chavez is from another planet at this point..

Probably right. He just messaged me wanting a new 3 year deal, so my dream of him not ending up tarnishing his legacy in the DL the next couple seasons is probably out.

[Carlos]

Heh...

I put Borkholder on waivers prior to the season and he told me he will test free agency (Not that I had an interest in resigning his inconsistent ass).

But suddenly, he just messaged me saying he wants a new deal. Actually, he asked me how I'm doing and if I had some time to talk to him.

My plan is to start the conversation on a high note and then fall asleep during the meeting. When I wake up, I'll ask him if that pattern reminds him of anyone's career.


Actually, considering my limitations at 1B, if he handles the position well (he's playing there now), I might consider resigning him to be my 1B for three years. There's a chance.

[Jake]

4-2 sim and since starting 1-11, we're .500 at least, 16-16.

The pitching is finding it's level - which isn't good - but it's not as bad as the first two weeks.

Our hitters are completely underachieving, and the defense is bad. But, only 2 games out and I still feel like we're the best team in the Pilsner. Cue the jokes.

[liquidcrash]

Carolina Tobs- 5-1 this week (28-16 overall, 1st in Bock)

3-0 vs Wilmington
2-1 at Baltimore

Good week for us. We opened up a bit of a lead in the Bock race, though there's still a ton of games to play. Outside of one miserable inning, we played well.

The Good

-Welcome to the 1996 season, Al Hamilton. He's been off to a slow start, but picked it up this week, going 13 for 27 (.481) with 3 HRs, 7 RBI and 7 runs scored. Now keep it up.

-Eron Deleon continues to look like a star. He matched Hamilton almost step for step this week, as he went 7-15 (.467) with 3 HRs and 6 RBI. His 1.667 OPS led the team this week.

-Kip Higgins has been a real surprise for me so far. He's taken over starting duties at SS since Adrian Romero went down (Joe Reyes moved to 2B) and he's been better than I could have hoped. So far he's got a .790 OPS and is playing well in the field. He's done enough to keep his starting job once Romero comes back. He won't keep this up, so I figured I'd point it out now.

-New guys Ivan Vazquez and Manny Mendez are pitching well. Both got a win this week, as Vazquez threw 8 shutout innings against Wilmington while Mendez went 6.2 scoreless in Baltimore. Mendez has handled the move back to the rotation pretty well so far. We're still 1st in the IL in runs allowed, something I never would have predicted and I doubt keeps up.

The Bad

-One terrible inning against Baltimore in which we gave up 9 runs kept us from sweeping the week. Val Aparicio just can't seem to figure it out this year and might be heading down to AAA or at least to the bullpen for a bit. I still like him, but I'm not sure what's up with his pitching so far.

-Joe Reyes transition back to the starting lineup has been pretty ugly. He's hitting just .161 and is heading for the bench once Romero comes back. At least his glove is helping us at 2B for the moment.

Up Next

No days off this week for the Tobs. We head to Washington for 3 games against a solid Bats team before welcoming 2nd place Los Alamos to Raleigh for a 4 game series, beginning a stretch of 10 in a row against our Bock rivals.

[Delandis]

4-2 sim and since starting 1-11, we're .500 at least, 16-16.

The pitching is finding it's level - which isn't good - but it's not as bad as the first two weeks.

Our hitters are completely underachieving, and the defense is bad. But, only 2 games out and I still feel like we're the best team in the Pilsner. Cue the jokes.

My bad. I thought the Pilsner was the joke.

[Carlos]

My bad. I thought the Pilsner was the joke.

The Pilsner is the punch line.


Sort of like: "So he says to me, 'I finished in first place!' and I asked, which division? He responds, 'The Pilsner!"

Cue audience laughing.

[Pat]

As usual Washington defies all logic and is leading the wildcard race while trying to dismantle the team at the same time.

I had a pretty easy week.