MLB The Show 24 Franchise Mode Discussion Thread

[countryboy]

Cardinals sweep Mariners over the weekend

The Cardinals (79-64) swept the Mariners in a 3 game series over the weekend in St.Louis. The Cardinals now lead the Reds by 3 games and the Brewers and Cubs by 4.

Sonny Gray started Friday night and was brilliant thru 7 innings of work. Gray earned his 12th win of the year (12-2) and now has an ERA slightly above 3. He allowed 1 run on 4 scattered hits and fanned 8. Andre Pallante pitched the final two innings as the Cards won easily 9-1.

Dakota Hudson made another start for the Cardinals on Saturday and got thru 5 innings, but wasn't at his best. Hudson allowed 4 runs on 8 hits with 2 strikeouts and 4 walks. Timely double plays helped his stat line from getting ugly. Thankfully the bats were on display as the Cardinals won 8-6.

Sunday was Milies Mikolas and he continues to pitch well. Mikolas got thru 7 innings (102 pitches) giving up no runs on just 3 hits. Long at-bats kept Mikolas from trying for a complete game. Alex Reyes would pitch the final two innings as the Cards cruised to a 8-1 win.

The Cardinals will be off Monday before they welcome the Reds to town for a 3 game series. This will be the start of a 13 day stretch of games for the Redbirds as the season winds down.

Dodgers and Phillies clinch playoff berths

The Dodgers (won NL west) and Phillies have clinched playoff berths after the weekend games. The Dodgers dominated the NL West as they have a 20 game lead over the Diamondbacks and have won 18 straight games. The Phillies have clinched at least a playoff spot, although their one time 13 game lead over the Braves has dwindled down to just 5 heading into the final 3 weeks of the season.

[bigjdotcom01]

Quote: Originally Posted by countryboy

Dodgers and Phillies clinch playoff berths The Dodgers (won NL west) and Phillies have clinched playoff berths after the weekend games. The Dodgers dominated the NL West as they have a 20 game lead over the Diamondbacks and have won 18 straight games. The Phillies have clinched at least a playoff spot, although their one time 13 game lead over the Braves has dwindled down to just 5 heading into the final 3 weeks of the season.

I hate the Dodgers......even in a video game.....

[bigjdotcom01]

August 23-25, 2024: FLAGSTAFF (61-71) @ GLENDALE (63-69)
Stadium: Camelback Ranch (Capacity: 9,572)

August 23: Desert Dogs 4, Hops 2
August 24: Desert Dogs 5, Hops 4 (10)
August 25: Desert Dogs 2, Hops 1 (10)

Glendale, AZ (AP) - Welp, the Flagstaff Hops playoff hopes likely came to an end this weekend as they started a big nine game roadtrip with their first ever trip to Glendale and left with three losses as the Desert Dogs swept the Hops to drop them ten games below .500 with just 30 games left in the 2024 season. Three close losses were all games that the Hops could have won, but Glendale's pitching and clutch hitting was the difference in the series, winning 2 of three in walkoff fashion in extra innings. The Hops were tied or ahead in every game in the eighth inning.

In the opener, the Desert Dogs scored twice in the bottom of the eighth, then tightroped out of a ninth inning jam to pull out a 4-2 victory. Daniel Tanana hit a home run and drove in three to pace the Glendale offense to the win.

Glendale would take a 2-0 lead in the third on a Tanana two-run home run, his 12th on the year.

The Hops would tie it up in the fifth with a couple of runs. David Benitez lined an RBI single that scored Forrest Owen and Donnie Roland tripled to right, scoring Benitez.

It would remain tied into the eighth as the Hops brought on setup man Oliver Benedict. Brad Romero led off with a double to right and advanced as Wade Rowell bunted for a base hit. Daniel Tanana then hit a sacrifice fly to center to score Romero and put the Desert Dogs ahead. Munoz then doubled home Rowell to make it 4-2.

The Desert Dogs brought in closer Roberto Francisco and he made things interesting. He hit Ryan Kelly and then walked Emmitt Hampton. Roberto Geronimo struck out and Robbie Westbrook hit a bloop single to center to load the bases. Forrest Owen flew out to center, but the Wade Rowell threw behind the runner and got pinch runner Grant Mitchell out at third to end the ballgame. Francisco picked up his 25th save.

Oliver Benedict (0-3) took the loss, allowing two runs on three hits in the eighth. Geraldo Rodriguez pitched five innings, allowing two runs on five hits, striking out four.

On Saturday afternoon, the Desert Dogs pulled out some late game heroics to rally for a 5-4 extra innings victory. Edward Hampton hit the first pitch that he saw in the 10th over the wall in left to win it for Glendale to send Flagstaff to a third consecutive defeat.

Flagstaff would take a 1-0 lead in the second on a Roberto Geronimo solo home run, his 26th on the season. Glendale would tie it up in the bottom half as Adrian Beltran hit a solo home run, his ninth.

The Desert Dogs would take a 2-1 lead in the third on an Edward Hamton ground out that scored Wade Rowell.

The Hops would tie it up in the fifth on a Bradley York RBI single. But Glendale immediately went back in front on a Clint Ryan solo home run, his fourth.

Flagstaff would then take the lead in the seventh on solo home runs from Robbie Westbrook (16) and David Benitez (17).

That meant that Vic Miller had a chance to close this one out in the ninth. He gave up a one-out single to Hank Harmond, but struck out Clint Ryan. Wade Rowell then tripled to right center to tie the game. It was Miller's eighth blown save.

In the tenth, Aldo Osuna (4-6) came on and threw one pitch that Edward Hampton hit over the wall in left to win it for the Desert Dogs.

Ryan Pressley pitched eight innings, allowing three runs on eight hits. He struck out four and walked one, but did not figure in the decision.

In Sunday's finale, the Hops lost 2-1 on Hank Harmond's walk-off home run in the bottom of the tenth to secure the three game sweep. This time it was Pedro Macias delivering the meatball in the tenth dropping him to (1-4) on the year.

Both teams would get on the board in the first inning as this looked like it might be a fun Sunday afternoon, but it quickly turned into an excellent pitcher's duel. Oscar Aleman hit a bases loaded, two-out RBI single, scoring Thomas Sanders in the first. Glendale got that run back with a two-out RBI double from Jordan Munoz to tie it up at 1-1.

It would remain that way until the tenth. In the top half, the Hops would load the bases with two outs, but Forrest Owen, riding an 11 game hitting streak, came up and was currently 0 for 3. Diego Coronado would hang a slider on the first pitch, but he got Owen to pop out to end the threat.

In the bottom half, Pedro Macias struck out Mike McCormick, but then Hank Harmond blasted a fastball over the wall in left to win it for the Desert Dogs to secure the sweep. It was Harmond's 20th on the season and sent the Hops to a fourth consecutive loss.

Alex Farmer, seeking his 19th win, pitched six innings, allowing one run on three hits, striking out four. Samuel Espinoza and Oliver Benedict got the Hops to the tenth with three scoreless innings. Cristobal Gonzalez started for the Desert Dogs and pitched five innings, allowing one run on four hits, walking four and not recording a strikeout.

The Hops drew a season high eight walks in the loss, with only Thomas Sanders first inning walk resulting in a run.

Flagstaff (61-71) will head to Colorado Springs for a three game series with the Snow Sox (57-74) beginning tomorrow evening.

Around the League: Surprise won a wild one in Las Vegas edging the Nuggets 14-12 on Thursday evening in the opener of a four-game weekend series. The Nuggets pitchers issues ten walks in the game. Jaime Hernandez led the Saguaros, going 1 for 3 with an eighth inning grand slam, three walks and two runs scored.

Chandler's Carl Lentzkow continues to make his MVP case. On Saturday afternoon, he went 2 for 6 with a home run (25) and four RBIs as the Chiefs beat Tucson 10-3. Lentzkow's batting average is now up to .343.

Surprise got home runs from Ken Hollinger (23) and Steve Mihelich (24) on Saturday afternoon as they defeated Las Vegas 5-3. Gus Woodson improved to (12-5) as he went seven innings, allowing three runs on six hits, striking out ten and not walking a batter in the Saguaros win.

Fresno's Gerolamo Torrisi (7-8) threw 7.2 shutout innings, scattering six hits and walking one, while striking out ten in a 1-0 victory for the Bears over Gilbert. A Percy Sievers solo home run (24) to lead off the game was the only run on a sunsplashed afternoon in Gilbert.

San Diego scored six runs with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, but left the bases loaded in an 8-7 loss at home to Phoenix. The Seals sent 12 men to the plate in the ninth, but Phoenix closer Justin Santiago came on and after giving up a base hit, he was able to get Dan Rodriguez to pop out to short to end the ball game.

Salt Lake scored twice in the top of the 17th inning to outlast West Texas 4-2 on Sunday afternoon. An RBI triple from Darell McCloud in the 17th put the Chukars ahead. McCloud would score on a Elijah Hedgepath double as Salt Lake took three of four from West Texas in the weekend series.

Rio Rancho's Rollie Flingers improved to (18-5) on Sunday afternoon, throwing eight solid innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on just two hits, while striking out 11 as the Owlz defeated Austin 7-2. The Fire Frogs are currently four games back in the ML Wild Card chase.

Edward Hampton's walk-off home run on Saturday won it for the Desert Dogs as they completed a three-game sweep of the Hops.

[MightyMaxxx13]

MLB 24 Chicago White Sox Rebuild

This is going to be a long journey. The White Sox start with the worst-ranked default roster in the game and are coming off a disastrous 101-loss season in 2023 and an offseason with not much activity to speak of aside from a few trades to stock the farm. Goal is to try to build a competitor by 2027 which is around the time the current core of Vaughn, Robert, and Eloy Jimenez will be hitting the market. Guys like Kopech and Yoan Moncada are likely early trade chips. The rest of this current roster are placeholder guys until actual future stars can make it to the show. I quick manage most games, I like the immersive sim aspect of this game and I like to keep the timeline moving.

2024 Season Recap

The Sox finished 64-98, just a game better than the 5th-place Detroit Tigers. Only the hapless Rockies finished with a worse record. Thanks to the new draft lottery system I did end up with the first overall draft pick for 2025 which is great news for my rebuild. A few notes on key players and transactions:
- Luis Robert and Eloy Jimenez missed over 100 games (combined) thanks to injuries. Not a good omen. They were both pretty good when they were in the lineup but when they weren't we couldn't buy a win.
- Andrew Vaughn led the team in most offensive categories but didn't take the step toward stardom that I was hoping for. In 152 G he slashed .244/.296/.393 with 21 HR and 79 RBI. He is under team control for 2 more years and is meant to be a key figure in this rebuild. Jimenez is signed through '26 and Robert through '27. This core needs to gel or else I'll have to blow it up (again).
- I signed Donovan Solano to fill a bench role and he ended up as my regular second baseman and competing for a batting title, finishing with a .309 AVG which was top 10 in the league.
- My pitching was atrocious but Deivi Garcia showed some promise after winning a job in the rotation during Spring Training. In 32 GS he went 9-14 with a 4.23 ERA, with 104 K and 61 BB in 174.1 IP and 14 QS. He's still only 25 with a considerable ceiling so he has earned a place in my future plans.
- Mike Soroka was also pretty good and by July I was weighing whether to extend him (he's a FA after 2024). I ended up trading him and Moncada to San Diego for their top pitching prospect LHP Robby Snelling and 1B/OF prospect Nathan Martorella. It was too good of a haul to pass up as Snelling was just 20 years old and has huge potential.
- I ended up with the #1 ranked draft prospect with the 5th pick, as he slid due to high bonus demands. 22-year-old Mexican outfielder Ben Cabrera is a future gold glover with elite speed who mashes lefties. His ceiling isn't as high as a guy like Luis Robert but he will make it to the show quickly and should be a perennial all-star candidate.
- The Dodgers won the World Series in 5 games over the repeat-pennant Texas Rangers. Teoscar Hernandez was WS MVP. Freddie Freeman was NLCS MVP (over the Braves of course).
- Juan Soto won AL MVP then signed with the Cubs.
- Shohei Ohtani had a disgusting season - 12.3 WAR! and landslide NL MVP. He tallied 200K on the mound, OPS over 1.000, 44 HR, 50 2B.

2024 Offseason Recap

- Signed LHP Tanner Scott for 5-years, $97.5M. He was the best available arm on the free agent market and should add some stability to my pen while I build around him. He finished 2024 with his first All-Star nod, plus 44 saves and an ERA under 2.
- Signed 2B Gleyber Torres for 7-years, $104.3M. He had a career year in 2024 with 30 homers, OPS over .850 and an all-star nod. The money made sense and he's still just 28 so I feel good about him as a supporting character to some of my younger stars.
- Signed LHP Max Fried for 4-years, $74M. His durability scares me but I couldn't sign Walker Buehler or Corbin Burnes and I needed a big league starter.
- Acquired RHP Tony Gonsolin from LAD for RHP Sean Burke and 3B Bryan Ramos. The Dodgers were so deep Gonsolin spent all of 2024 in AAA. Burke and Ramos were both C-level prospects so I bit when the Dodgers offered me this trade.
- Acquired RHP Pierce Johnson from ATL for RHP Jesse Scholtens and RHP Michael Kopech. Kopech was awful in 2024 and is a free agent after '25 so it was time for him to go. Scholtens spent all year in the majors and was a decent innings eater but not very good.
- Signed OF Adam Duvall and UT Jon Berti to one-year deals.

It was a busy offseason but this team was devoid of major league talent and I had plenty of budget to work with. This is running long so I'll make a separate post for 2025 outlook.

[MightyMaxxx13]

MLB 24 Chicago White Sox Rebuild

2025 Spring Training Roster

Starters:
LHP Max Fried
RHP Tony Gonsolin
RHP Deivi Garcia
RHP Erick Fedde
RHP Prelander Berroa
RHP Jairo Iriarte
RHP Sean Hjelle

The top 3 are secure and the rest are competing for the 4th and 5th spot. Fedde was terrible in 2025 but is still signed for $7.5M so he's getting one more chance. Berroa and Iriarte were both hot and cold as rookies in 2024, making 10 and 15 starts respectively with ERA's in the mid 4's. Hjelle was a waiver claim in 2024 who is out of options but is still just 27 and has some ceiling left so he's getting a chance.

Bullpen:
LHP Tanner Scott (closer)
RHP Pierce Johnson
LHP Garrett Crochet
RHP Joe Barlow
RHP Steven Wilson
RHP Touki Toussaint
LHP Tanner Banks
LHP Jared Shuster
RHP Jared Kelly

Depth:
RHP Nick Nastrini
LHP Ky Bush
LHP Jake Eder
RHP Will Klein (2024 waiver claim)

Crochet was OK as a starter in 2024 but struggled to go deep into games (only 4 quality starts out of 33 GS last season) so I feel his best role on this team is as a setup man. Barlow still has some potential. Jared Kelly is a new addition to the 40-man and was great as a swingman for the 2024 Southern League champion AA Birmingham Barons last season so he has an outside chance to make his MLB debut at age 23. Eder was on the roster last year but blew out his shoulder after just 3 starts in AA. The other guys were added to protect them from the Rule 5 but will start the season in the minors.

Starting Lineup:
C Travis d'Arnaud / Max Stassi
1B Andrew Vaughn
2B Gleyber Torres
3B Deyvison De Los Santos / Miguel Hiraldo
SS Colson Montgomery / Braden Shewmake
LF Andrew Benintendi
CF Luis Robert Jr.
RF Gavin Sheets / Adam Duvall
DH Eloy Jimenez

Bench:
C Korey Lee
1B/OF Nathan Martorella
UT Jon Berti
UT Brooks Baldwin
OF Yoelqui Cespedes
OF Dominic Fletcher
OF Oscar Colas

Stassi and d'Arnaud are both signed for just 2025 - I have a good looking prospect behind the dish (Edgar Quero) who should make it to the show by '26 and be my catcher of the future.

Third base is interesting. De Los Santos was a waiver claim from Cleveland in 2024, a previous Rule 5 pick who they tried to sneak through waivers. He's still only 21 and has some pop and some speed. Since he finished the season on my active roster I can option him this season if he doesn't look ready. Hiraldo was my own rule 5 pick this season. He's 24 with a similar profile to DDLS and I'll try to keep him on the roster if I can.

Shewmake was my regular shortstop in 2024, he was stellar defensively (only 4 errors in 133 games) but it came with a dismal .550 OPS. Montgomery is my #1 prospect and the best SS in the organization. He was mediocre for about 3 months in AA before he turned it up and finished strong after a promotion to AAA. Doing my best to accelerate his path to the show but he will go back to Charlotte if he doesn't look ready.

Overall this lineup is leagues better than it was in 2024. I have some pop and some actual major league depth. The pitching is definitely not ready and will be heavily dependent on what kind of improvement I get from my young guys in 2025. The good news is the AL Central is a weak division. So there's a chance I can at least hang around in a divisional race. But the goal of competing in 2027 still seems more realistic.

Preseason Top 10 Prospects

#1 - SS Colson Montgomery - Similar profile to Corey Seager, big guy who swings lefty and can handle short. Should make his MLB debut this season.

#2 - RHP Drew Thorpe - Acquired from SD in Dylan Cease trade before 2024 season. He was awesome in AA last year but got pounded in AAA after a promotion. He's not on the 40-man yet so will start the year back in AAA but most likely make it to the show this year.

#3 - OF Ben Cabrera - #5 overall draft pick from 2024. He's advanced enough to debut now but there's no rush and his hitting attributes could use some polish. He's a future gold glover who will steal 30+ bases and put up at least average power numbers.

#4 - 2B/3B Jacob Gonzalez - 15th overall pick from 2023. Already a plus defender with average speed, his bat needs some work. Spent half the season in AA in 2024 and will return there for '25. The Gleyber acquisition muddies his future a bit and may push him to 3B which puts more pressure on his bat. Still only 22 with big upside.

#5 - C Pedro Garcia - 4th round draft pick from 2023. Will need some time in the minors to refine his catching abilities but he has an advanced bat so if he puts it together will be an all-star. He's 22 but will need several years of development to reach his ceiling.

#6 - LHP Robby Snelling - Acquired from SD for Moncada and Soroka in 2024. Big lefty with a nasty curve and still only 21. Should start in AA with a mid-season promotion to AAA if he earns it.

#7 - LHP Ralph Harley - 2nd Round pick in 2024. 4-pitch mix and a fastball that averages 95. He's only 18 but big ceiling and looks like a future workhorse mid-rotation starter.

#8 - LHP Noah Schultz - 6'9" monster with average velo but a nasty slider. First round pick from 2022. He spent most of 2024 in AA and was awesome, should be in AAA for most of 2025 and may even force an MLB debut at the age of 21 this season.

#9 - C Edgar Quero - Extremely well-rounded even offensively. Should spend the year in AAA with the goal of him assuming every day MLB catching duties for 2026 and beyond. Still only 22 this season.

#10 - RHP Sam Johnson - 3rd round pick from 2024. At 5'10" with average velo but nasty break, he draws comps to Marcus Stroman or Sonny Gray. Still 18 so like Harley, will need several years in the minors but will be a great contributor if he puts it together.

[Itsma806]

2024 Oakland Athletics 07/09-07/11

Overall Record:44-51 (5th AL West/15.0 behind Texas Rangers)

Game Results

Game 1
Red Sox-3
Athletics-0

Game 2
Red Sox-4
Athletics-0

Game 3
Red Sox-1
Athletics-0

Athletics blanked in Boston

The Oakland Athletics entered their series with the Boston Red Sox touted as one of the hottest teams in baseball. After a rough start to the year, they were just four games below .500 and looked poised to get even closer to that goal as they faced Boston who at the time had the worst record in the MLB.

That didn't happen however as Oakland was left scoreless for the entire series. A feat that is likely historical in nature (I can not find any stats on how many teams have been shutout in a full series).

The offense was absolutely abysmal as not only did Oakland fail to manage a single run, they only recorded 12 hits in the entire three game series.

Oakland will now head to Philly where they will take on the Phillies (53-40/2nd NL East) in their last series before the All-Star Break.

[countryboy]

Cardinals drop series to Reds in St.Louis

The Cardinals (79-67) dropped their series against the Reds in St.Louis and now lead the Brewers by 2 games and the Reds by 3. The Cubs have struggled of late and are now 7 back.

The bullpen stunk. No other way to say it, no other fingers need to be pointed. The bullpen blew a 5 run lead in the 9th on Tuesday night, but thankfully the bats bailed them out in a 12-11 win in 11 innings. On Wednesday, Ryan Helsley blew a save in the 9th, giving up 2 runs as the Cardinals lost. On Thursday the Sonny Gray stuggled, but left with a 6-4 lead after 5 innings. Final score, 14-7 as the bullpen gave up 8 runs in the final 4 innings.

If the Cardinals are going to make a run in October, hell if they are going to make October, the bullpen must figure this out. Its not April anymore, the best available arms are here and they are an inefficient as they come.

The Cardinals will now travel to Toronto for a 3 game series with the Blue Jays.

Injuries make significant impact on the roster

As if the bullpen blowing up 3 straight days wasn't bad enough, the Cardinals were dealt huge blows this three game series in the way of injuries. Tommy Edman (season), Willson Contreras (7-10 days) and Branden Donovan (2 weeks) all were lost in the series. All 3 are big blows to the lineup, with Tommy Edman being the most significant. Edman was leading off, hitting .282 with 30 stolen bases on the year and contending for a gold glove at shortstop. Contreras takes a big bat out of the lineup and Donovan was the 9 hole hitter with a .272 average that drove in runs and turned the lineup over more often than not with a runner on base.

Getting to the playoffs was going to be difficult with the inconsistentcy of the bullpen, but these 3 bats/gloves out the lineup for no less than 10 days with only 20 days left in the regular season, and the Cards small 2 game divisional, 3 game wildcard lead, may disappear.

[kdutch98]

TIGERS SWEEP REDS

TIGERS 4 REDS 2 JULY 5, 2024

BOX SCORE

Spencer Torkelson (27) homered, and drove in two, as the Tigers opened their three game series against the Reds with a 4-2 win. Jack Flaherty (9-2) allowed two runs over five and a third innings.

TIGERS 3 REDS 1 JULY 6, 2024

BOX SCORE

Jake Rogers doubled in two in the top of the 6th, leading the Tigers to a 3-1 win over the Reds. Matt Manning (11-2) allowed no runs, and scattered five hits over seven innings, earning the win.

TIGERS 3 REDS 2 JULY 7, 2024

BOX SCORE

The Tigers completed the sweep of the Reds, with a 3-2 win. Riley Greene had a pair of RBI, and Spencer Torkelson also drove in a run. Casey Mize (11-3) pitched 5 and a third scoreless innings, to earn the win.



The Tigers now head back home for a four game series against the Guardians (37-53). They then host the Dodgers for three games, heading into the All-Star Break.

Maeda to have surgery
Pitcher Kenta Maeda will have UCL Reconstruction (Tommy John) surgery. Maeda was placed on the I.L. on Friday (July 5th). Alex Faedo took his spot on the roster. Reese Olson is expected to take Maeda's spot in the Tiger's rotation

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