Kansas City Blues: Year 2 (2003) Hope? [Archive]

sterlingice

02-22-2003, 05:00 AM

Introduction
This is the second season of a league I play in called "Double Play Baseball". I am GM of the Royals and am competing against 27 other human GMs. Our first season was quite a downer, but can be found here:
http://dynamic2.gamespy.com/~fof/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=55657
But things are starting to look up and with some luck, we could be playoff bound this year.

Hope Springs Eternal
A little history lesson in KC baseball

Fans of large market teams don't get it. Medium markets, either. However, fans of most small markets teams can lose all hope for a new season. It's like that in KC right now and has been that way for nearly 3 years and more accurately, it extends back nearly 10 years. Without hope, a team will wither and die. But such is the state of the game right now.

Fans in other towns just cannot comprehend what goes on here. Everyone points to the lightning-in-a-bottle teams like the Twins and A's and shouts "See! It can be done!" This is true, but we here know all too well that the window (which will be closing on the Twins after this year) is small and you have to take advantage of it. Only a couple of short years ago, in 2000, was the Royals chance. Sweeney, Randa, Quinn, Dye, and Damon all hit over .290 with 15 homers but their pitching was decimated as All Star Jose Rosado got hurt, Ricky Botallico proved to be highly ineffective as a closer, and that wave of young Royals pitchers crashed on the rocks (Durbin, Witasick, Stein, Suzuki, Fussell).

Unfortunately, after that year, everyone's favorite agent, Scott Boras, forced the Royals hand and they had to trade Johnny Damon and risk getting nothing in return. They got Roberto Hernandez, who they hoped would fill the gaping hole at the end of the bullpen. However, in 2001, the hitting struggled and the next wave of pitching (Wilson, Reichert, George) also failed. Another demoralizing trade later and Royals fans knew that the four years of building prior to 2000-2001 was a complete waste and it was time to begin the process again.

This is what life is like for a small market team. We cannot buy our talent- we must grow it, but if we are unlucky with the harvest, then we have not just lost a year or two but five and six. That is the core difference between you and I, Yankee fan or Red Sox fan or Dodger fan and that is why you will never understand why the Royals cast such a dark pall over Kansas City. Even the Cubs fan in me can fool myself into thinking that Danny Jackson might stay healthy or that George Bell is not washed up or that Sammy Sosa will make all the mediocre hitters around him better; every year, at least at this time of year, there is some hope for the Cubs. Here, our decades have become like a long winter day: we suffer through many more hours of darkness just to see the precious few of light.

In real life, the Royals this year have decided to go 100% with a youth movement. They have drafted young pitchers with almost all of their high picks in recent years in an attempt to capitalize on the same success the A's and Twins were able to capture. We have 6 young pitchers and 2 veterans competing for 5 wide open rotation spots. The bullpen has Jason Grimsley and three young fireballers who all throw 95 or above including Mike McDougal, who has tickled 103 on the gun but his best pitch is his 95 mph sinker. A 95 mph sinker?!? Are you kidding me?

Camp is filled with "Russian optimists" as things just can't get any worse. Even the spectre of Carlos Beltran's soon-to-be departure, doesn't cast too great of a shadow as rumors are flying that we might get someone good in return like Hank Blalock from the Rangers who share a training facility with the Royals. Still, we realize this are the roots of a team which will not bear fruit until at least 2005 or 2006 so we wait.

Life is a Game
Thankfully, the miniature Royals fans inside the simulation computer don't have to wait until 2006 as their team is suddenly good now. A completely revamped pitching staff and much improved lineup will, barring injury, keep us in the playoff hunt ths year. The Royals 2003 Preview is coming soon as well as a league preview.

SI

sterlingice

03-07-2003, 04:05 AM

TRAINING REPORTS
Each year, between seasons, two types of training take place: the first is training based on age while the second is training based on spring training, which is much greater. For each player below, I have listed two statistical lines: old and new. Also, there are a couple of player moves occurring right now, which are noted where applicable.

Procedure and Minimums
Basically, you must assign 100% training to your players in groups of 5%. However, there are minimums for all skill- if you seect below the minimum, it is likely your player will drop in the skill you shorted. Consequently, if you just go with the minimums, very little gain is experienced. Three pitch pitchers and one position players add up to 85% so you have 3 sets of 5% to play around with and assign on attributes you wanted to grow quickly.

From the FPS:BBPro 98 manual
"Each spring, teams in Career Associations hold training camps to prepare their players for the new season. As the manager, you can allocate percentages of training time to each of the individual skill ratings. (See Player Ratings for details.) If sufficient training time is allocated to a particular skill, a player’s actual ratings for that skill will increase. The amount of increase in actual ratings depends on the amount of training time allocated and the percentage of his potential ratings the player has reached. If a player has an actual rating that is very close to his potential, very little increase will be gained even by a large amount of training.

One of the cool features of FPS: Baseball is that you can actually help players improve over the course of their career. This is done by allocating Spring Training time to different ratings.

At the end of a season, players will undergo aging. Aging will tend to raise or lower a player's ratings, depending on the rating and the player's age. During Spring Training, the player must apply a certain amount of time to his ratings in order to maintain their current level (after aging effects). If the player puts the minimum required amount of time into their ratings, they will likely see no change to the ratings, they will simply be maintained. If the player puts additional time into a rating, may see an increase in that rating. If a player puts less than the minimum amount of time into a rating, he will see a significant decrease in that rating.

You can allocate training time for each player in increments of 5%, dividing it among the various skills. You cannot exceed a total of 100%. The minimum amount of time that a player will need is based on the rating. CH, PH, and SP all require a 20% allocation to maintain their current levels. CO and non-pitcher FA ratings require 15%. AS, EN, HR, pitcher-FA, and all pitch ratings require a minimum of 10% training time to maintain their level.

Players in the LOW minors will benefit from additional training and will get a slight edge in ratings development."

Starting Infield

Pos Name CH PH SP GF PL vL Hm Sc CL Age Exp B FA AS
C Hall, Toby 68 60 45 56 56 52 48 49 53 26 1 R 55 50
C Hall, Toby 68 68 45 56 56 52 48 49 53 27 2 R 55 49
1B Sweeney, Mike 71 66 53 56 56 52 48 49 53 29 6 R 45 50 C-30
1B Sweeney, Mike 71 68 53 56 56 52 48 49 53 29 7 R 45 45 C-30
2B Soriano, Alfonso 52 60 74 56 56 52 48 49 53 24 1 R 50 50
2B Soriano, Alfonso 55 68 76 56 56 52 48 49 53 25 2 R 55 51
3B *Crede, Joe 49 62 47 56 56 52 48 49 53 24 0 R 60 50
3B Crede, Joe 52 69 48 56 56 52 48 49 53 25 1 R 65 45
SS Tejada, Miguel 53 77 59 56 56 52 48 49 53 26 4 R 50 50
SS Tejada, Miguel 54 86 59 56 56 52 48 49 53 27 5 R 50 45

Everybody bulked up this winter and Joe added some significant contact, too. Soriano and Crede added some FA but I lost AS on some players. Hall, Soriano, Crede, and Tejada added an average of 8 points on their CH. Our lineup should be hugely improved this year. Except for Soriano, we are lacking in speed.

Starting Outfield

Pos Name CH PH SP GF PL vL Hm Sc CL Age Exp B FA AS
LF *Berger, Brandon 53 96 63 56 56 52 48 49 53 27 0 R 45 50
LF Berger, Brandon 53 99 63 56 56 52 48 49 53 28 1 R 45 49
CF Bautista, Danny 61 53 63 56 56 52 48 49 53 30 7 R 75 50 LF-75
CF Bautista, Danny 61 54 64 56 56 52 48 49 53 31 8 R 75 50 LF-75
CF *Michaels, Jason 48 66 60 56 56 52 48 49 53 26 0 R 55 50 LF-55
CF Michaels, Jason 48 77 60 56 56 52 48 49 53 27 1 R 55 45 LF-55
RF Canseco, Jose 48 85 46 56 56 52 48 49 53 38 16 R 20 50 LF-20
RF Canseco, Jose 50 91 42 56 56 52 48 49 53 38 17 R 19 43 LF-19
RF Quinn, Mark 57 69 59 56 56 52 48 49 53 28 2 R 45 50 LF-45
RF Quinn, Mark 57 74 59 56 56 52 48 49 53 29 3 R 50 50 LF-50

NOTE: Canseco is in AA but is being called to up to MLB as a result of his spring training.
Technically, this is our starting OF, Berger, Michaels, and Quinn, as well as our DH in Canseco and defensive replacement and utility outfielder in Bautista. Berger topped out his power while Michaels and Quinn added lots of CH. However, the biggest suprise was Canseco. He regained a bunch of his lost form during the spring and will now be our starting DH. Bautista is our amazing fielder with 64 speed and 75 fielding.

Bench

Pos Name CH PH SP GF PL vL Hm Sc CL Age Exp B FA AS
C Guzman, Edwards 44 54 35 56 52 48 48 49 53 26 1 L 45 50 3B-50, 2B-50
C Guzman, Edwards 44 55 35 56 52 48 48 49 53 26 2 L 45 50 2B-50, 3B-50
1B Stevens, Lee 51 79 45 56 52 52 48 49 53 34 9 L 55 50
1B Stevens, Lee 48 78 42 56 52 52 48 49 53 35 10 L 55 44
3B Davis, Russ 46 75 47 56 56 52 48 49 53 33 6 R 35 50
3B Davis, Russ 46 74 46 56 56 52 48 49 53 33 7 R 35 45
SS Halter, Shane 55 57 59 56 56 52 48 49 53 32 5 R 45 50 2B-55, LF-50, CF-50, 3B-55
SS Halter, Shane 56 57 58 56 56 52 48 49 53 33 6 R 45 49 2B-55, LF-46, 3B-55, CF-47
LF *Grindell, Nate 45 54 56 56 56 52 48 49 53 25 0 R 50 50 3B-35, 1B-50
LF *Grindell, Nate 46 59 57 56 56 52 48 49 53 26 0 R 50 50 3B-35, 1B-47
LF Cordero, Wil 54 61 50 56 56 52 48 49 53 30 10 R 50 50 1B-50, 2B-30, SS-30
LF Cordero, Wil 54 61 49 56 56 52 48 49 53 31 11 R 50 49 1B-49, SS-28, 2B-30

NOTE: Davis and Stevens have been waived to AAA so there is a small chance that one or both will be claimed. Edwards Guzman is in AA, but will be called up should I need him. Grindell is a rule V player so he must remain on my MLB roster this year but after that he's sticking in AAA for his 3 years.
Unfortunately, due to the nature of training, utility guys like Shane Halter and Wil Cordero will be going the way of the dodo. You just can't spend the points to maintain all of their positions. Stevens is the only real lefty bat on the team: it's certainly our big lineup weakness. If Grindell doesn't get over 120 ABs this year, he gets a one way ticket back to AAA so he can mature another couple of years. Guzman is a backup catcher should Hall be injured and I don't want Sweeney to catch. Davis was a nice backup stick that I got for $200K per year in free agency. Never hurts to have a nice bat off the bench.

Infield Prospects

Pos Name CH PH SP GF PL vL Hm Sc CL Age Exp B FA AS
3B *Blanco, Tony 35 63 45 56 56 52 48 49 53 20 0 R 45 50
3B *Blanco, Tony 39 69 46 56 56 52 48 49 53 21 0 R 47 45
SS *Johnson, Kelly 38 59 58 56 52 48 48 49 53 20 0 L 40 50
SS *Johnson, Kelly 43 66 58 56 52 48 48 49 53 21 0 L 40 45
1B *Lysiak, Brian 22 28 39 44 53 48 51 49 52 18 0 L 41 60
1B *Lysiak, Brian 27 36 39 44 53 48 51 49 52 19 0 L 45 53
2B *Nelson, Bryant 34 25 64 48 44 46 50 48 49 20 0 R 43 75
2B *Nelson, Bryant 41 30 66 48 44 46 50 48 49 20 0 R 47 67
SS *Greene, Khalil 29 20 42 43 52 54 47 47 47 19 0 S 26 60
SS *Greene, Khalil 34 23 42 43 52 54 47 47 47 20 0 S 27 53

Johnson and Blanco are key components for the future and players we traded for in the very early days of the league. They are the left side of our infield for the future. We got great stat increases from them and they project out to be about 45/99 and 50/90, which I'll definately take. Nelson was a key cog in the Meluskey trade and advancing nicely. He should be a good hitter for a 2B. It's too early to tell for Lysiak while Greene looks like he might be a bust but I'm not desperate for roster spots so I'm guessing he'll be around at least through next year's spring training. These guys are all very young and probably won't be ready for 3 years (Blanco, Johnson) or more.
NOTE:

Outfield Prospects

Pos Name CH PH SP GF PL vL Hm Sc CL Age Exp B FA AS
CF *Gomez, Alexis 45 32 72 56 52 48 48 49 53 22 0 L 50 50 LF-50
CF *Gomez, Alexis 50 38 73 56 52 48 48 49 53 22 0 L 50 45 LF-50
CF *Victorino, Shane 42 34 77 56 56 52 48 49 53 21 0 R 65 50 LF-65, 2B-40
CF *Victorino, Shane 44 36 79 56 56 52 48 49 53 22 0 R 65 51 LF-65, 2B-40

Berger, Michaels, and Quinn are all up with the big club so there isn't much here right now except a couple of AAA center field leadoff types. Gomez projects out a bit better than Victorino but neither are All-Star type guys. Both project out ot be decent center fielders with Victorino a little more borderline since his hitting increases were lower. Still, both are young and CFs can play all OF positions so they are versatile and great fielders, both with over 70 speed and Victorino with the good FA.

Starting Pitchers

T Name AS EN CO HR GF vL Hm Sc CL FB CU SI SL CB SC KN Age Exp
R Park, Chan Ho 99 89 45 50 56 46 49 52 47 99 61 0 35 48 0 0 29 6
R Park, Chan Ho 98 88 46 50 56 46 49 52 47 99 64 0 35 48 0 0 29 7
R Lieber, Jon 81 85 82 50 56 46 49 52 47 81 81 47 0 53 0 0 32 8
R Lieber, Jon 81 84 82 45 56 46 49 52 47 85 85 47 0 53 0 0 33 9
L Chen, Bruce 91 70 54 50 56 46 49 52 47 91 51 0 37 65 0 0 25 3
L Chen, Bruce 91 71 64 53 56 46 49 52 47 93 51 0 35 65 0 0 25 4
R Reynolds, Shane 76 79 81 50 56 46 49 52 47 76 78 0 45 57 0 0 34 9
R Reynolds, Shane 76 79 81 45 56 46 49 52 47 80 82 0 45 57 0 0 35 10
L *Parrish, John 81 65 43 50 56 52 49 52 47 81 33 48 0 61 0 0 24 0
L *Parrish, John 82 66 50 52 56 52 49 52 47 85 31 48 0 61 0 0 25 0

Three veterans in the bunch who really didn't move much except to improve a little on pitches. Lieber's pitch increase from 81 to 85 on both pitches is really nice as it Reynolds's pair of 4 point gains. Being young guys, Parrish and Chen got huge control boosts which should really help. This is one finely tuned machine. Parrish is a bit of a weak link but who can run around with 5 bona fide 1s/2s on their rotation.

Middle Relievers

T Name AS EN CO HR GF vL Hm Sc CL FB CU SI SL CB SC KN Age Exp
R Dessens, Elmer 64 73 72 50 56 46 49 52 47 64 42 0 70 59 0 0 30 3
R Dessens, Elmer 64 73 73 50 56 46 49 52 47 64 42 0 70 59 0 0 31 4
R Lidle, Cory 67 69 73 50 56 46 49 52 47 67 47 67 0 58 0 0 30 5
R Lidle, Cory 65 67 74 50 56 46 49 52 47 67 47 67 0 58 0 0 31 6
R Wilson, Kris 61 61 69 50 56 46 49 52 47 61 55 40 0 73 0 0 26 1
R Wilson, Kris 61 61 82 52 56 46 49 52 47 61 55 40 0 73 0 0 26 2
R Woodard, Steve 66 60 76 50 56 46 49 52 47 66 0 0 41 73 0 61 27 4
R Woodard, Steve 65 60 86 52 56 46 49 52 47 66 0 0 41 73 0 61 28 5

NOTE: Being a minor league FA, woodard starts the season in AA
Wilson and Woodard saw huge CO boosts that look like they are a trend with all the pre-draft young pitchers. Cory and Lidle pretty much heald steady. I'm just hoping I don't have to use any of these guys to start games this season. There's a steep dropoff from the big four to parrish but there's an even bigger dropoff down here. All but Wilson will be gone after this year as Woodard is a minor league free agent while Lidle is a major league free agent and it's very likely I will non-tender Dessens.

Deep Bullpen

T Name AS EN CO HR GF vL Hm Sc CL FB CU SI SL CB SC KN Age Exp
R Nen, Robb 99 24 67 50 56 46 49 52 47 99 47 30 0 0 0 0 32 9
R Nen, Robb 97 24 67 50 56 46 49 52 47 99 49 31 0 0 0 0 33 10
L Stanton, Mike 99 30 60 50 56 52 49 52 47 99 43 30 0 0 0 0 35 11
L Stanton, Mike 98 30 60 49 56 52 49 52 47 99 45 31 0 0 0 0 36 12
R *Moreno, Orber 83 37 61 50 56 46 49 52 47 83 0 49 30 0 0 0 25 0
R *Moreno, Orber 84 37 77 53 56 46 49 52 47 87 0 49 30 0 0 0 26 0
R Lee, David 94 41 26 50 56 46 49 52 47 94 0 52 0 0 0 0 29 3
R Lee, David 94 41 27 50 56 46 49 52 47 96 0 55 0 0 0 0 30 4

NOTE:Lee is starting the season in AA but will come up if my MRs don't come through
Nen is the man and, while he lost 2 points on his arm strength, it's likely one of those little quirky stat drops. He and Stanton essentially stayed steady while getting a little work done on a secondary pitch. Orber was a very pleasant suprise, jumping a huge 16 points in control. He will be the second setup guy and also middle reliever with Stanton setting up and Nen closing.

Top Tier Pitching Prospects

T Name AS EN CO HR GF vL Hm Sc CL FB CU SI SL CB SC KN Age Exp
L *Affeldt, Jeremy 62 73 60 50 56 52 49 52 47 62 0 36 51 72 0 0 23 0
L *Affeldt, Jeremy 63 74 71 53 56 52 49 52 47 62 0 36 51 72 0 0 23 0
R *Langone, Steve 56 67 79 50 56 46 49 52 47 56 85 51 42 0 0 0 24 0
R *Langone, Steve 57 69 88 54 56 46 49 52 47 56 89 51 42 0 0 0 25 0
L Pettyjohn, Adam 60 76 69 50 56 52 49 52 47 60 71 0 58 39 0 0 25 1
L Pettyjohn, Adam 61 77 81 52 56 52 49 52 47 60 71 0 58 39 0 0 25 2
L *Greinke, Zack 77 61 28 25 49 54 47 48 52 69 49 62 0 0 0 0 18 0
L *Greinke, Zack 87 60 37 28 49 54 47 48 52 69 49 62 0 0 0 0 19 0
L *May, Darrell 65 65 42 48 57 60 53 53 50 49 47 57 0 37 0 0 22 0
L *May, Darrell 72 65 47 52 57 60 53 53 50 49 47 57 0 37 0 0 22 0
L *Saunders, Joe 79 69 24 49 44 53 46 53 54 48 50 36 0 43 0 0 20 0
L *Saunders, Joe 85 69 31 51 44 53 46 53 54 48 50 34 0 43 0 0 21 0

The top three are from the start of the game. They are AAA pitchers and have great control and proportional pitchers to their control but, the Royals didn't have much in the way of prospects so they have low AS. The bottom three are from last year's draft. Greinke and May were my picks while Saunders was from a trade. They have higher AS but a little lower control and pitches. Most pitchers in last years draft had either low control or low pitches. I was fortunate with Greinke as he has decent CO and pretty high pitches for a youngster but Saunders suffers from low pitches. May has decent pitches and decent control but low AS. Still, I cannot complain at all about the growth of my players. I was extremely happy about the AS gains of the '02 draft picks especially Greinke. It just goes to show the value of someone so young with decent stats.

Other Pitching Prospects

T Name AS EN CO HR GF vL Hm Sc CL FB CU SI SL CB SC KN Age Exp
R *Asencio, Miguel 55 83 36 50 56 46 49 52 47 55 45 30 60 0 0 0 22 0
R Asencio, Miguel 57 84 46 53 56 46 49 52 47 55 45 28 60 0 0 0 22 1
R *Andersen, Derek 62 36 80 50 56 46 49 52 47 62 38 0 0 60 0 0 24 0
R *Andersen, Derek 63 36 93 52 56 46 49 52 47 65 38 0 0 63 0 0 25 0
R *Day, Zach 47 74 51 50 56 46 49 52 47 47 32 0 53 65 0 0 24 0
R *Day, Zach 48 74 63 53 56 46 49 52 47 47 30 0 53 68 0 0 24 0
L George, Chris 53 69 53 50 56 52 49 52 47 53 51 35 0 66 0 0 23 1
L George, Chris 55 69 68 54 56 52 49 52 47 53 51 35 0 66 0 0 23 2
L *Good, Eric 43 59 73 50 56 52 49 52 47 43 55 45 72 0 0 0 22 0
L *Good, Eric 45 58 82 54 56 52 49 52 47 43 55 43 72 0 0 0 23 0

Asencio and George are both AAA pitchers with MLB experience so they have options but are starting to accrue MLB years. They aren't very good and will be gone as soon as I need the roster space. Day and Good are also not very good and will also be gone as soon as I need the roster space. Andersen is the only bullpen guy I have in my system but he's a finesse guy and bullpen finesse guys don't do too well. Hopefully he'll defy the odds. The one good thing to say about all of these pitchers (and basically any I had that were young and from the creation of the game) was that their control exploded onto the scene.

Notable Former Royal Hitters

Pos Name CH PH SP GF PL vL Hm Sc CL Age Exp B FA AS
CF Beltran, Carlos 58 61 79 56 51 49 48 49 53 25 3 S 75 50 LF-75
CF Beltran, Carlos 60 69 79 56 51 49 48 49 53 26 4 S 80 51 LF-75
SS *Berroa, Angel 53 51 75 56 56 52 48 49 53 22 0 R 50 50
SS Berroa, Angel 56 57 75 56 56 52 48 49 53 23 1 R 54 51
3B Sandberg, Jared 38 65 39 56 56 52 48 49 53 24 1 R 70 50
3B Sandberg, Jared 39 75 39 56 56 52 48 49 53 25 2 R 70 51
2B *Santos, Angel 43 48 61 56 51 49 48 49 53 23 0 S 50 50 SS-45
SS Santos, Angel 44 51 62 56 51 49 48 49 53 23 1 S 49 51 2B-54
C *Tonis, Mike 39 56 46 56 56 52 48 49 53 23 0 R 55 50
C *Tonis, Mike 41 61 47 56 56 52 48 49 53 24 0 R 59 52

Beltran and Tonis left in the Chen/Saunders trade while Sandberg, Santos, and Beroa changed hands during the three way swap with the Tigers and White Sox. Santos and Sandberg both play for Detroit, one backup SS to Jeter, the other starting 3B. Berroa, however, has swapped hands a few times and he is now in San Fransisco. Beltran is turning into the uber star we all knew he would. He's a 5 tool guy in the truest sense of the word as he can do it all. Berroa, one day, wants to be that good but he only went up 3/6 this year so maybe he's a slight bust. Sandberg gained some nice power but it appears he will never be able to do good contact-wise. Santos needed more time in the minors but didn't get it and Tonis is a couple of years off but made nice gains.

Notable Former Royal Pitchers

T Name AS EN CO HR GF vL Hm Sc CL FB CU SI SL CB SC KN Age Exp
R Armas, Jr., Tony 94 77 46 50 56 46 49 52 47 94 63 0 47 0 0 35 24 2
R Armas, Jr., Tony 96 77 56 53 56 46 49 52 47 94 63 0 47 0 0 35 25 3
R *Brownlie, Bobby 81 65 38 40 49 51 48 48 55 70 58 0 62 0 0 0 21 0
R *Brownlie, Bobby 84 64 52 41 49 51 48 48 55 70 58 0 62 0 0 0 22 0
R *Crawford, Paxton 68 64 55 50 56 46 49 52 47 68 34 0 66 54 0 0 25 0
R Crawford, Paxton 69 65 61 52 56 46 49 52 47 68 34 0 69 54 0 0 25 1
L *Gobble, Jimmy 60 68 71 50 56 52 49 52 47 60 43 54 73 0 0 0 21 0
L *Gobble, Jimmy 61 67 78 55 56 52 49 52 47 60 43 54 77 0 0 0 21 0
R *McCarthy, Matt 73 57 35 37 48 46 48 49 49 58 61 0 0 43 0 0 23 0
R *McCarthy, Matt 83 57 44 40 48 46 48 49 49 58 61 0 0 43 0 0 23 0
R *Valdez, Domingo 72 66 21 50 56 46 49 52 47 72 0 0 0 45 75 0 22 0
R *Valdez, Domingo 75 66 27 52 56 46 49 52 47 76 0 0 0 45 75 0 22 0

Armas, Brownlie, and Gobble are all in Cincy from the Tejada and Soriano deal. Crawford was part of the three player deal while McCarthy went to the Dodgers for Parrish and Valdez went to LA along with Meluskey. Like Beltran, everyone knew Armas would be a stud but you have to give up talent to get talent. Brownlie's lack of AS gain was a tad concerning if I were Cincy but his CO almost made up for it. Gobble is coming along and he's still very young. McCarthy was the big suprise in the grounp- that 10 point AS gain at 23 came out of practically nowhere. Parrish had better pay off this trade with some good pitching in the rotation. Crawford and Valdez were somewhat busts with only minor CO and pitch gains to show for their training. Then again, Crawford is 25 but I'm not sure what Valdez's excuse is.

Notes
As you can see, players created when the league was formed by our commish age a lot differently than the game created ones so it's something to look out for in the future. Next up, Royals season preview followed by league preview.

SI