Traveling Across the Hope Memorial Bridge | Cleveland Guardians (MLB The Show)

[mattynokes]

Cleveland Guardians 2053 Team: Position Players

Let's continue the meet-and-great and get to some big thumpers.


CATCHERS

Bernie Doss
Rating: 83/B, Age: 25, Service Time: 1+, Acquired: Draft 2048

After a 1.4 WAR rookie season, he turned in a 2.9 WAR performance in his sophomore campaign. He’s equally as solid in the batter’s box as he is behind home plate.

Juan Feliz
Rating: 78/C, Age: 27, Service Time: 5+, Acquired: Draft 2045

He was our first ever draft pick and while we had hoped that he would become our catcher of the future, he has become a stalwart behind the dish. He might not hit for much, but he’s a pitcher’s best friend and base stealers beware.

Juan Chacin
Rating: 71/C, Age: 31, Service Time: Under 1, Acquired: Free Agency (MiLB) 2047

He’s been our #3 option over the past few seasons and is entering his final option year.


INFIELDERS

1B Robert Francis
Rating: 69/D, Age: 29, Service Time: 4+, Acquired: Free Agency (MiLB) 2047

We call him “Dr. Single”, because he’s great at throwing lawn darts into the outfield for base hits. He’s got just 26 career home runs in 423 games, but does sport a career .306 AVG.

1B Lee Charles
Rating: 78/B, Age: 20, Service Time: None, Acquired: Draft 2052

We gave Bob Francis the benefit of the doubt, but Lee Charles will certainly push for a callup if Francis falters. He’s not the greatest in the field, but man can he hit. We’ve lacked a complete hitter at first base for awhile and sooner rather than later, he could be our guy.

1B Dennis Morrison
Rating: 69/B, Age: 29, Service Time: Under 1, Acquired: Free Agency (KCR) 2053

He shows a competent bat vs RHPs and we were surprised to see him sitting in free agency. With the players in front of him, It might be tough for him to break into the majors without the injury bug hitting of hard.

2B/3B Estevan Andino
Rating: 92/A, Age: 26, Team Control: 2 ($87.0M/3 – PO), Acquired: Free Agency (WSH) 2053

We wanted some offensive firepower and Andino was the easy choice. He’s young and he’s sported an .800+ OPS the past three seasons. We decided to go bold and offer him an opt-out after two years when other teams wanted him for 5+ years. Here’s the hoping he’s stays for a third year and provides us with a big time middle of the order bomber bat.

INF Oscar Perez
Rating: 75/C, Age: 26, Service Time: None, Acquired: Free Agent (MiLB) 2052

There’s nothing overly special about him, but there’s also nothing noticeably bad about him either. He’s skilled enough with the bat for a bench role and he could fill in at three infield positions, if needed.

3B/1B William David
Rating: 80/B, Age: 25, Service Time: 1+, Acquired: Draft 2047

This smooth swinger had a rough rookie season in 2051, but he come on strong to be one of our reliable middle of the order bats. In the long-term, he’ll slide back to first base, but for now we’re hoping he can at least be serviceable at the hot corner.

3B/1B Tyler Dell
Rating: 74/B, Age: 34, Service Time: 2+, Acquired: Free Agent (MiLB) 2047

His final year of pre-arbitration is probably his last, but he’s been a welcomed addition, backing up the corner infield spots and getting a little pinch hitting duties as well.

3B Benny Chavez
Rating: 78/A, Age: 23, Service Time: Under 1, Acquired: Draft 2051

Injuries prompted a call-up last year and it did not go well (22 G, .207 AVG, .537 OPS). Here’s to hoping that didn’t stunt his growth and he can get back on track to being our third baseman of the future.

3B/1B Duane McGregor
Rating: 71/C, Age: 27, Service Time: Under 1, Acquired: Draft 2047

He’s easily our best fielding third baseman in the entire system. The problem is that he might also be our worst hitting third baseman in the entire system. All said though, he should get a chance to earn a bench role next season.

SS Cal Blake
Rating: 83/B, Age: 24, Service Time: 2+, Acquired: Draft 2047

After bursting onto the scene over his first two years, he struggled in 2052 (.236 AVG, .616 OPS, 0.2 WAR). He still has the talent to be a premier SS and there’s no one pushing him for playing time, so he has time to get focused and return to his .300+ AVG and upper .700s OPS form.

INF Roberto Romero
Rating: 74/C, Age: 27, Service Time: Under 1, Acquired: Trade (WSH) 2048

After being our injury replacement call-up the past two years, Romero gets a chance at being our bench infielder this season. While he’s just decent enough offensively, he really shines defensively (all 75+ attributes).

OUTFIELDERS

LF/RF Mike Owens
Rating: 89/B, Age: 29, Service Time: 4, Acquired: Trade (BAL) 2052

He was everything we had hoped for last season and he’s expected to blast another 30+ homers and hit for a fine average as well.

DH/LF Mario Ortiz
Rating: 77/B, Age: 35, Team Control: 1 ($3.9M/1), Acquired: Draft 2040

He was limited to only 46 games last year. He’s in the final year of his contract and with the depth coming up from the minors, I don’t see him being offered a new deal. He’s a career .302 hitter for us, so hopefully he goes out strong for us.

LF/1B Xavier Love
Rating: 67/D, Age: 25, Service Time: None, Acquired: Trade (ATL) (2050)

He comes from the school of Robert Francis Lawn Darts and Doinkage. Love has a nice, contact approach at the plate. He’s nothing much defensively and is more of someone who takes up space for nine innings rather than a true fielder.

CF Albert Pulido
Rating: 84/B, Age: 32, Service Time: 5+, Acquired: Trade (MIA) 2052

We got him at the deadline last year. He’s a great defender and boasts a career .780 OPS.

OF Drew Olson
Rating: 72/C, Age: 26, Service Time: 1+, Acquired: Trade (BOS) 2047

Off-and-on he’s been our #4 outfielder, but trade acquisitions have kept pushing him back to the minors. He’s a perfect bench outfielder with plus speed and defense and a decent contact bat at the plate.

OF Felipe Lantigua
Rating: 70/C, Age: 26, Service Time: Under 1, Acquired: Draft 2046

Much like Olson, Lantigua’s speed and defense are more than major league quality. It’s his bat that’s kept him from being more than an injury call-up.

RF/2B Luis Paniagua
Rating: 80/B, Age: 29, Service Time: 4+, Acquired: Draft 2043

With the acquisition of Estevan Andino, Paniagua moves from 2B to RF. He’s come a long way from the guy we thought would struggle to hit double digit home run totals when he first came up to now going for his third 20+ home run season in a row.

OF Steven Henry
Rating: 76/A, Age: 38, Team Control: 1 ($5.0M/1), Acquired: Free Agency (PHI) 2047

The elder statesman of our team, Henry (for the first time) will have to earn his way into more playing time. As of the start of the season, he’s scheduled to platoon against LHPs and start in right field. He’s not terribly far away from some milestones (currently at 459 2B and 2,163 Hits).

OF Ray Kubek
Rating: 68/C, Age: 26, Service Time: Under 1, Acquired: Draft 2046

He’s fantastic defensively, but only marginally at the plate and has aroundabout average speed. He’s a fine injury fill-in, but not likely ever to be a regular bench piece.

[mattynokes]

Cleveland Guardians 2053 Season Update

Our season started out fighting to get to (and stay above) .500. We then started playing some great baseball, highlighted by a nine-game win streak in June. Still, it seemed no matter what we did, the White Sox were better and kept a stronghold on first place. Then, suddenly in late July the White Sox started losing. They dropped back-to-back series vs the Yankees and Giants before getting swept in a four-game series vs the Rangers! Finally, we took over first place and now (as of August 20) we have a comfortable 7.5 game lead.

We’ve had a few injuries to deal with; Mario Ortiz, Nelson Salas, and Hiroki Kobayashi have all made trips to the IL, however, as of right now our major league roster is fully healthy. Below is a look back and some notable roster moves and season standings/stats update.


TRANSACTIONS

April 29 – Optioned 1B Robert Francis to Triple-A Columbus, Recalled LF Xavier Love

May 5 – Optioned LF Xavier Love to Triple-A Columbus, Selected the Contract of 1B Lee Charles

May 7 – Placed DH Mario Ortiz on the 10-Day IL (Broken Bone in Ankle), Recalled OF Drew Olson

May 20 – Placed RHP Nelson Salas on the 60-Day IL (Fractured Forearm), Selected the Contract of LHP Jordan Perez

June 14 – Designated RHP Bruce Gray for Assignment (and subsequently Outrighted to Triple-A), Recalled RHP Houston Ford

June 15 – Placed LHP Hiroki Kobayashi on the 10-Day IL (Head Contusion), Recalled RHP Russell Matthews

June 21 – Activated DH Mario Ortiz from the 10-Day IL, Optioned OF Drew Olson to Triple-A Columbus

June 30 – Activated LHP Hiroki Kobayashi form the 10-Day IL, Optioned RHP Russell Matthews to Triple-A Columbus

July 14 – Optioned RHP Houston Ford to Triple-A Columbus

July 18 – Recalled OF Felipe Lantigua

July 22 – Activated RHP Nelson Salas from the 60-Day IL, Optioned OF Felipe Lantigua to Triple-A Columbus

July 31 – Optioned RHP Nelson Salas to Triple-A Columbus, Recalled RHP Ron Carson

August 6 – Optioned RHP Ron Carson to Triple-A Columbus, Recalled RHP Elvis Fuentes

August 11 – Optioned RHP Jim Hewitt to Triple-A Columbus, Recalled RHP Houston Ford


Standings as of August 20, 2053



Stats as of August 20, 2053

[mattynokes]

Cleveland Guardians 2053 Top Prospects

August 20, 2053


#1 3B Benny Chavez (#3 in MLB)
Acquired: Draft (1st Round) 2051, ETA: 2054, FV: 60



Granted, he debuted already in 2052 (and will probably get a look in September of 2053), we’re projecting him to be in the majors full-time in 2054. He took some lumps when he was in the majors last season, but is back to hitting a respectable .286 with a .774 OPS in Triple-A. He should be a plus-plus, if not elite, defender at third. The question is, offensively, will he add power or be a pure contact hitter?


#2 RHP Freddie Hernandez
Acquired: Draft (5th Round) 2050, ETA: 2055, FV: 50



Being more of a control pitcher, he fell to the late rounds. Drafted as just a 55 overall, he’s made great strides and out of the many intriguing pitchers that we have, he has the brightest future. He features a nice four-pitch mix that he can throw in any count. While he won’t rack up impressive strikeout numbers, he’ll keep hitters off balance and move the ball around to induce easy outs.


#3 RHP Edgar Gutierrez
Acquired: Draft (5th Round) 2052, ETA: 2054, FV: 50



We normally don’t take players as old as Gutierrez in the draft unless they appear to be a sure thing, but we took a late round chance on him and it looks like it’ll pay off. Despite his ordinary velocity, he’s a strikeout fiend. He throws a good slider and a nice feel for his (vulcan) change. He could be in the bullpen mix as early as next year, while one day becoming our Closer may well be within his sights.


#4 C Kevin Guzman
Acquired: Draft (CB Round A) 2050, ETA: 2055, FV: 50



Hitting is not his thing. However, defense is. His near-elite skills as a backstop will easily earn him a roster spot in the majors. Being a switch hitter has some appeal as well and if he can progress to even a slightly below average hitter, he’ll wind up as starter material. With Bernie Doss in place, it might be difficult to envision him as a starter in Cleveland, so he’ll either give the team a top notch backup option or a fancy trade chip down the road.


#5 OF Sonny Henderson
Acquired: Draft (5th Round) 2048, ETA: 2054, FV: 50



Personally, I may like him as our #2 prospect. While it’d be nice if his health and fielding were better, he has a great bat (currently .289 AVG, 25 2B, 14 HR, .832 OPS in Triple-A). If we move on from either Mario Ortiz or Steve Henry, he’ll have a shot at being our everyday Right Fielder. Even if both veterans are retained, Henderson should see some time in the majors in 2054 and be in line to start in 2055.

[mattynokes]

Cleveland Guardians 2053 Top Prospects

August 20, 2053


#6 2B Lou Mantle
Acquired: Draft (1st Round) 2049, ETA: 2055, FV: 50



Once Estevan Andino and Luis Paniagua reach free agency, Mantle is our second baseman of the future. While we’d love for his defense to be better, he’s not far off of where Paniagua was as a rookie. Then factoring in Mantle’s speed and he should be fine at the keystone. His contact has been getting better vs lefties, so it’s possible that he’ll develop into an everyday player, rather than just a platoon bat vs righties.


#7 RHP James Conley
Acquired: Draft (CB Round B) 2051, ETA: 2056, FV: 45



Besides the nice flowing locks, you’ve got to like that he’s advanced beyond his years. He could be ready by 2055, but the depth above him probably pushes his debut back a year. He’s got a nice three-pitch mix and once he gains better command of his slurve, it could be a plus pitch for him.


#8 RHP Ron Carson
Acquired: Draft (3rd Round) 2048, ETA: 2054, FV: 45



He’s already made his debut and his well-balanced repertoire combined with his multi-inning relief ability might earn him a permanent spot as early as next season. If it wasn’t for his debut lasting three innings, he might still be on the major league roster. He should end up as a very good strikeout artist with his ceiling being in a setup role.


#9 RHP Elvis Fuentes
Acquired: Draft (2nd Round) 2048, ETA: 2053, FV: 45



He’s up now as our long reliever and there’s no plans of sending him back down anytime soon. He has a superb slider and a good feel for his changeup. Oh, and he also throws in the mid-90’s. He’s probably limited to a long reliever (maybe a #5 starter), but he has the skills and pitches to be very successful in that long man role.


#10 RHP Jose Jimenez
Acquired: Draft (CB Round A) 2052, ETA: 2057, FV: 45



It may be years before we see him in the majors, but he was a nice project to find in last year’s draft. Once he figures out his curveball, it could be a devastating pitch. The same could be said for both of his fastballs as well. He shows a lot of potential, but the organization will just have to remain patient with him.


The Next Five

#11 SS Aldo Trujillo – Rating: 76/C, Age: 22, Acquired: Draft (3rd Round) 2049, ETA: 2055, FV: 45
#12 OF Raleigh Jensen – Rating: 69/C, Age: 21, Acquired: Draft (2nd Round) 2051, ETA: 2056, FV: 45
#13 LHP Neal Gund – Rating: 74/C, Age: 23, Acquired: Draft (CB Round B) 2049, ETA: 2054, FV: 40
#14 1B/3B/OF Bryan Connor – Rating: 67/C, Age: 22, Acquired: Trade (COL) 2052, ETA: 2055, FV: 40
#15 LHP Wyatt Graham – Rating: 69/C, Age: 23, Acquired: Draft (2nd Round) 2050, ETA: 2055, FV: 40

[Funkycorm]

I dig the idea and team choice.

When you simmed, did you just quick sim or did you do some GM stuff along the way to put your stamp on the roster?

[mattynokes]

Quote: Originally Posted by Funkycorm

I dig the idea and team choice. When you simmed, did you just quick sim or did you do some GM stuff along the way to put your stamp on the roster?

Thanks.

When we simmed from 2022 through 2046, we only drafted for 2045 and 2046. Then we took over total user control (minus scouting) starting in the 2046-47 offseason. Part of the appeal was having to endure whatever the CPU has done. We had a star 3B (Matsui) and a Cy Young caliber, but tied down to a crazy large contract SP (Stokes). Then we had a couple of intriguing CPU drafted prospects (SP Irizarry and 2B/RF Paniagua). We also had a couple of solid MLB veterans (like OF Ortiz), but for the most part we were left with a lot of tinkering to do. We mixed and matched, signed OF Henry and thanks to a weak AL Central, got the team marching towards a Division Title.

For our "quick sim" years of 2049 and 2052 (and eventually 2055), we are still in total control of all of the GM activities. Players are still called up/sent down as we see fit, trades made based on our call, and all contracts are still within our control as well (and of course, the draft).

[mattynokes]

Cleveland Guardians August 2053

August 27, 2053


FINALLY! After a two-week hiatus, where our schedules didn’t line up, we were able to get a couple games in. After quick managing Ricky Holmes’ 20th win of the season against the Padres, we swept the division leading Mariners, highlighted by an impressive 22-1 (quick manage) victory to cap off the series. We capped off the short night with a quality 5-3 win over the A’s, holding off a late inning comeback attempt. We’ll have to see what the quick manage games to close out the series holds for us, but we currently hold a seven-game winning streak.

August 2053 Calendar



Game Highlight


We got a gutsy performance out of Bob O’Neil (6.0 IP, 3 ER, 5 K) while William David (grand slam) and Lee Charles supplied the power. It obviously goes without saying, but these are the type of games that are fun! We had a lot of loud contact and it’s great when everyone in the lineup does something to contribute – Bernie Doss being the only player without a hit, but did drive in a run on a sac fly.


Standings as of August 27, 2053

[mattynokes]

Cleveland Guardians August 2053

September 1, 2053


So, I made the executive decision to quick manage through the Detroit series, so that we could get to September baseball and have a couple of different faces up on the MLB club. Well, it came at a cost. SP Rob Irizzary’s season is over with a torn labrun. Estevan Andino also wound up on the IL, but he shouldn’t be out any longer than two weeks.


August 2053 Calendar


Our win streak stopped at eight, but we keep winning series (we won 2-1 against Detroit on 8/31). We trade off away and home weeks in September. It’s nice to end the season for a week at home.


Standings as of September 1, 2053


Unless we experience a complete collapse, we should be winning our first division title in four years. Detroit has completely dropped out of being contenders, they had won an average of 95 games from 2048-51 (winning the ALC in ’50 and ’51). Chicago won the division last year and has averaged 93 wins over the past three seasons. They currently hold the top Wild Card spot and barring a major collapse, their 8.5 game lead for a playoff spot should stand.


TRANSACTIONS

August 30 – Placed LHP Rob Irizzary on 15-Day IL (Torn Rotator Cuff), Placed 2B Estevan Andino on 10-Day IL (Pulled Hamstring), Recalled LF Xavier Love and RHP Ron Carson from Triple-A Columbus

September 1 – Recalled RHP Nelson Salas and INF Oscar Perez from Triple-A Columbus
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We had planned to give a handful of players looks in September, but the injuries to Irizarry and Andino have altered those plans. We didn’t plan on having Carson up for the entire month, but now he will be a nice multi-inning option (and may have a chance at a playoff roster spot). Love will most likely return to Triple-A once Andino is back. At some point, we expect top prospect Benny Chavez to get another cup of coffee, but for now, we’ll give Oscar Perez his first crack at a major league roster.