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

[mattynokes]

Game: MLB The Show 22

Platform: PS5

Rosters: CPU Generated (Simmed Until 2047)


For the past few iterations of MLB The Show I sim 25 seasons, so that all of the players are CPU generated. This helps cure rosteritis and allows the game’s player progression/regression system to truly to effect. I know that system has come under some scrutiny, but I feel once I’ve looked past many players not being MLB ready until 26-28, I’ve grown to like it. The game seems to reward properly progressing players through the system and if you callup a player too soon, his development seems to stagnate. However, if you’re right and the player can perform, you’ll see large jumps in his attributes.

With that said, I am currently in 2053. This is a co-op dynasty with friend. I’m not sure how I will update on the happenings of this franchise. It certainly will not be game-by-game recaps with the nature of how games will be played. Still, I feel compelled to post something of this franchise and hopefully some will find it an enjoyable read.

So, how are we on our seventh season? We don’t play every pitch, every game, or even every season. We play two seasons with quick counts on. We play the first game of every series and then quick manage the remaining games, so that we at least have control over player usage. In the playoffs, we play more of the games and certainly play any potential elimination game. Then, after playing out two seasons, we strictly quick manage one season (though if we make the playoffs, we play them as we normally would). This gives us a great balance of savoring the flavor of a long baseball season as well as progressing the story along and allowing us to build our own stars of the universe.

[mattynokes]

Sliders and Settings

I strive to get the best simulation experience possible. I want the player attributes to shine through (or muddy up the situation). I’ll try to explain why I’ve chosen these sliders and settings.

Hitting: I feel that timing doesn’t allow me to make up for lesser contact or vision in my batters. I’m reliant on the player doing some of the work. I can (and have) make great timing on a pitch (in the zone) and I’ll still miss. It’s also heavily felt when being able to (or not able to) foul off a tough pitch.

Slider wise, I’ve left it pretty much at default.

Baserunning: This is one area where I’ll take over an influence some steals or players taking extra bases. I feel it’s still within the simulation realm, because a base coach can be aggressive in sending a runner that may have normally held up.

Out-of-the-box, I feel it’s way too easy to steal bases. This reels it in and makes me think if a truly want to send the runner or not.

Pitching: I LOVE Classic Pitching! The pitcher’s pitches and skills matter. I can’t master one of the other pitching mechanisms and spot the corners with a poorly rated pitch. I have to learn my pitchers and be aware of the skills (or lack thereof) of each pitch. The CPU will certainly take advantage of a poorly executed, hanging changeup!

I’ve bumped control and consistency, because of Classic Pitching. Normally, I would leave these at 5. I do give myself an edge in Stamina vs the CPU, because the CPU will throw a guy until his arm falls off. I feel SPs are made to go about +20-25% of the Stamina attribute, so this allows a standard 80-85 Stamina SP go ~100-105 pitches.

Defense: This is maybe the most “extreme” changes that I make. At default, I feel it’s way too tough to get infield hits and way too easy to turn double plays. This allows for players to reach on some slow choppers and double plays aren’t a gimme. Lowering fielder reaction, speed, and the arm strength helps make the elite defenders stand out and the defensive liabilities can cost you the game.
----- -----

I also do 30 Team Control, but basically only control my team.

• I make a second profile "CPU" and make those 29 teams all Auto.
• At some point during September, I go through the Sign Draft Picks and sign any remaining unsigned draftees. At times the CPU will leave quality players unsigned.
• Before the final day of the Regular Season, I cut all CPU teams down to 90 players. Teams can only carry a max of 98 players into the start of the Off-Season, so some signed draftees would otherwise be Free Agents.
• In the Playoffs, I turn my CPU profile to Manual for Lineups/Rotations so that teams use a 4-man rotation.

Rarely do I intervene with what the CPU is doing, but these few measures make a long-haul Franchise much more enjoyable and keeps the CPU teams more competitive.

[mattynokes]

Cleveland Guardians Team History

To reiterate, we did not play before 2047. Those seasons are merely there to show how the team performed before we started playing. 2022 through 2046 were simmed on full CPU control (minus 2045 and 2046 drafting).

[mattynokes]

Cleveland Guardians Draft History

2045 and 2046


2047 and 2048


2049 and 2050


2051 and 2052


Players grayed out are no longer with the organization

[mattynokes]

Cleveland Guardians 2047 – 2052

2047
Looking back, I'm not sure whether this team was real good or if our record was good because the AL Central was terrible. The offense was led by new star free agent signing CF Steven Henry (.320 AVG, 52 2B, 49 SB, and .843 OPS) and stud bomber 3B Akinori Matsui (36 2B, 39 HR, 122 RBI, and .899 OPS). , OF Emerson Tyler (.315 AVG, 41 2B, 29 HR, and .911 OPS) was no slouch either.

The pitching was led by Cy Young Award winner, Jimmie Stokes (16-11, 253 K, 3.06 ERA). Fernando Chacin (13-7, 149 K, and 3.30 ERA) gave us his best season and won the Rookie of the Year. The bullpen was full of nasty, shutdown stoppers. Chang-Ho Bong (52 K, 1.08 WHIP, and 2.66 ERA) and Derek Byrd (66 K, 1.12 WHIP, and 1.93 ERA) led the way.

Ultimately, it was a quick trip home in the playoffs as we lost to the A's in the Division Series. Oakland would go on to win the World Series.


2048
Once again, we were bounced from the playoffs by the Oakland A's. This time we met in the ALCS and went the full seven games. The game was an epic 17-inning battle, in which we used nine pitchers!

As for the regular season, Matsui put up another big home run season (31), but missed some time as he only logged 120 games. Emerson Tyler had another rock steady season (.289 AVG, 39 2B, and .822 OPS). Steven Henry once again stole 49 bases (and logged a .298 AVG). After an injury-plagued 2047, Mario Ortiz (.328 AVG, 47 2B, 112 R, and .875 OPS) emerged as a threat atop the batting order. We also saw the debut of 2B/OF Luis Paniagua (54 G, .323 AVG, 10 SB, and .778 OPS). He was a bit of a liability defensively, but his good contact-hitting approach paid off for our lineup.

Jimmie Stokes (17-7, 239 K, and 2.31 ERA) turned in another Cy Young season. Veteran Buck Frederick proved that he can be a reliable starter (13-8, 181 K, 3.15 ERA). It was more of the same with our bullpen; Chang-Ho Bong (46 K, 1.26 WHIP, and 2.09 ERA), Junior Rivera (66 K, 1.06 WHIP, and 1.88 ERA), and Sam Newsome (65 K, 1.30 WHIP, and 2.58 ERA) all proved to lockdown the end of ball games for us.


2049
This was our first quick manage season, but it was more of the same; good regular season, followed by a quick (1-3) exit from the Division Series. Honestly, there wasn't anything real special about this season. There were some fine performances out of many of the names previously listed, but there wasn't anything exceptional. It was actually odd to see that Lionel Moore (16-7, 186 K, and 3.41 ERA) won the Cy Young Award. That's not a bad season by any means, but it's surprising that it was deemed the "best" pitching performance of the season.


2050
After a few years of lying in the weeds, the Tigers and White Sox both won over 90 games (with Detroit winning the division). Akinori Matsui, while already showing the signs of aging, still managed to put up his fourth consecutive 30+ home run season. Rookie UT Cal Blake emerged as a plug-and-play threat in 125 games (.318 AVG, 32 2B, 19 SB, and .783 OPS). Fellow rookie, OF Justin McCall, got his first extensive playing time and showed off to an .833 OPS in 52 games. Steven Henry decided that he's a power hitter now, mashing a career high 29 home runs to go along with 47 steals and a .307 AVG.

Surprisingly, Buck Frederick (19-7, 155 K, and 2.92 ERA) did not win the Cy Young. Not to be out-done in the youth infusion, Byron Meier (22 GS, 8-6, 3.52 ERA) and Ricky Holmes (11 GS, 6-3, 3.16 ERA) got in on the action. And where would we be without our strong bullpen play; highlighted by Derek Byrd (59 K, 0.99 WHIP, 1.67 ERA)?

Yes, this was the year that we finally played well in the playoffs and took home the World Series trophy! After winning the Wild Card game against the White Sox, we handled Detroit (3-1) in the Division round before sweeping the Angels in the ALCS! The Colorado Rockies gave us all they could. After trading wins back and forth in the first four games, we pounded the Rockies 15-7 in Game 5. We then headed back home to close it out, only to lose Game 6 in 10 innings 4-5. We noticed that our RHPs were having too much trouble keeping Colorado off the board, so we made the bold choice to go with rookie LHP Rob Irizarry (15-9, 121 K, 4.41 ERA). He spun a gem, going 8.2 IP and allowing just three hits while fanning nine to win Cleveland it's first World Series since 1948.


2051
I wish I could say that 2051 was a World Series hangover, but it wasn't. We sometimes played very well and could string together four or five game win streaks. The other times, it felt like we had never played baseball before and were fighting for our lives not to get swept in a series. It was a season that was very nice to get to the end of September and move on to 2052.


2052
If you've been counting along, then you know that this was a quick manage season. Newcomer OF Mike Owens (from Baltimore for Justin McCall and prospects) stepped up and into a bashing role (.319 AVG, 34 HR, 12 SB, and .943 OPS). After a disasterous taste of the majors last year (.617 OPS in 57 G), 1B/3B William David figured it out in 2052 (.311 AVG, 39 2B, 23 HR, .867 OPS).

After stringing together a solid 2051, Rob Irizarry improved even more in 2052 (16-9, 143 K, 2.86 ERA). Rookies Nelson Salas (30 GS, 139 K, 3.75 ERA) and Bob O'Neil (11 GS, 75 K, 3.58 ERA) also had solid looks. After our bullpen struggled last year, we added a pair of shutdown relievers in free agency; CL Isaac McCormick (50 SV, 44 K, 2.01 ERA) from the Astros and SU Justin McCoy (48 K, 1.12 WHIP, 176 ERA) from the Cubs.

The Angels avenged 2050's sweep by taking topping us in the Wild Card game. That's it, it's over. Time for 2053!

[mattynokes]

[mattynokes]

Cleveland Guardians 2053 Draft

[mattynokes]

Cleveland Guardians 2053 Team: Pitching

Let’s have a meet-and-greet, shall we?


STARTING PITCHERS

RHP Byron Meier
Rating: 90/A, Age: 27, Service Time: 3+, Acquired: Drafted 2045

He’s shown some flashes, but has still yet to pitch up to his attributes or overall. Still, we have faith in him and because of his pedigree, he’s our Ace.

LHP Rob Irizarry
Rating: 85/B, Age: 29, Service Time: 3+, Acquired: Drafted 2044

Despite turning in a stellar 2.86 ERA a year ago, we’re slotting him as our #2. Regardless of title as #1 or #2, both he and Meier will be heavily relied up this season.

RHP Ricky Holmes
Rating: 82/B, Age: 23, Service Time: 1+, Acquired: Drafted 2048

At times, Holmes can dominate. He has a nice blend of control, velocity, and a nice curve to keep hitters off balance.

RHP Bob O’Neil
Rating: 82/B, Age: 25, Service Time: Under 1, Acquired: Drafted 2046

O’Neil has an excellent slider, gets a good number of strikeouts and can be a mid-rotation value in the #4 slot.

RHP Nelson Salas
Rating: 81/B, Age: 27, Service Time: 1+, Acquired: Drafted 2046

It’s taken him awhile to get to the majors, but he showed well last year with a 3.75 ERA. He’ll have a shot to round out our rotation and will slide to the bullpen when off days allow us to skip him.

RHP Mel Burke
Rating: 79/B, Age: 26, Service Time: Under 1, Acquired: Trade (MIA) 2050

Until now, he’s always been blocked from doing much in the majors. He has 12 appearances (all from the bullpen) and will be our long man and spot starter this year.

RHP Elvis Fuentes
Rating: 76/C, Age: 23, Service Time: None, Acquired: Draft 2048

He has the potential to be a long reliever for us. With our lack of SP depth on the 40-man Roster, I’d expect to see him in the majors and some point.

RHP Russell Matthews
Rating: 71/C, Age: 29, Service Time: Under 1, Acquired: Waivers (OAK) 2053

He has a nice cutter/slider combo and still one option remaining, so he’ll be stashed in Triple-A for injury insurance this season. After that, he’s a likely DFA candidate.


RELIEF PITCHERS

RHP Isaac McCormick
Rating: 91/A, Age: 33, Team Control: 2 ($17M/2), Acquired: Free Agency (HOU) 2052

He had been a staple as the Astros closer the past few years, so we knew him quite well when we signed him the previous off-season. He dominated (50 SV, 1.06 WHIP, 2.01 ERA) in 2052 and we look for the same over the next two seasons.

RHP Justin McCoy
Rating: 84/B, Age: 34, Team Control: 1 ($4M/1), Acquired: Free Agency (CHC) 2052

Despite good attributes, he hadn’t been the most reliable reliever for the Cubs, so we were able to get him cheap. He dazzled to a 1.76 ERA and could be someone that we look to get around even longer, if he repeats this season.

LHP Christopher Young
Rating: 75/C, Age: 29, Team Control: 2 ($12M/2), Acquired: Draft 2042

As he headed to free agency last year, he owned a sub-3.00 ERA. We’re thrilled to have him back for $6M per year and now be our top lefty reliever.

RHP Kyle Oliver
Rating: 76/B, Age: 29, Service Time: Under 1, Acquired: Draft 2046

He’s seen some time in the majors over the past two seasons and now he’ll have a chance to become our top righty middle reliever.

LHP Hiroki Kobayashi
Rating: 75/C, Age: 27, Service Time: Under 1, Acquired: Draft 2047

Drafted as a starter, he now moves to the bullpen and will assume the long relief role. He started Game 162 last season and gave us a fantastic five innings of work, so don’t be surprised if he gets to start a game here and there for us.

LHP Jordan Perez
Rating: 75/C, Age: 26, Service Time: None, Acquired: Draft 2049

He’s got some very good strikeout ability. He throws a 97 MPH heater and a very good slider. As of Opening Day, he’s not on the MLB roster (that spot goes to Bruce Gray), but even with the 3-batter minimum, we still like carrying multiple lefties in the ‘pen, so don’t be surprised if he makes his way to the majors this year.


RHP Jim Hewitt
Rating: 74/C, Age: 27, Service Time: Under 1, Acquired: Trade (MIA) 2050

He’s got a killer 12-6 curve and struck out 16 in 15 innings of work for us last year. The final bullpen spot is his to lose.

RHP Houston Ford
Rating: 74/C, Age: 25, Service Time: Under 1, Acquired: Draft 2047

He saw action in two games last year. He can run it up there to 96 MPH and will be our top call-up option in Triple-A.

RHP Bruce Gray
Rating: 73/C, Age: 26, Service Time: 2+, Acquired: Draft 2045

He amazes with his strikeout ability (over 11 K/9), but then he also frustrates with his walks (4.50 BB/9). He’s out of options, so it’s now or never for him.

RHP Ron Carson
Rating: 71/B, Age: 23, Service Time: None, Acquired: Draft 2048

With his fringe starter stamina, he was never going to be rotation worthy in the majors. However, he’s got fine skills as a pitcher and eventually could be deployed as a multi-inning reliever.