Player Payroll:
The amount in this area is used to pay the players salaries. Research is required to help figure out how much is needed. You will need to know how much is needed to resign your ML Free Agents you want to keep, Player Arbitration costs, current payroll and several other costs that are paid from this area. As a rule I use this formula: Current Payroll + Free Agent keepers + Long Term Arbitration keepers/1 year Arbitration keepers + $5M at a minimum. If I plan to dally in the open Free Agent market I add another $10M to $15M depending on how many ML players I may want to go after. The open Free Agent market can be a hit or miss proposition for ML players. You will need to resign minor league Free Agents and open market minor league Free Agents also. One thing to note is some of your minor league Free Agents may want a ML contract, for the most part they aren't worth it.
Prospect Payroll:
This area is used to pay signing bonuses for International Free Agents and Amateur Draft picks. Their salary comes from Player Payroll. Internationals can cost a fortune for a blue chip player and some draft picks also.
Coaches Payroll:
Coaches allow your players to get better at all levels. ML coaches are expensive to replace. You will need to find out which coaches want to return and their cost and how much it might cost to replace others. The Hitting Coach and Pitching Coach are the costliest to replace. Next is a Fielding Instructor. 1B, 3B and Bull Pen Coach are not as costly. Although most Bench Coaches are expensive, there function is minimal at the ML level and as a rule I don't pay a fortune for one unless I have a relatively young team or the previous one wants to stay. Most minor league coaches can be found for about the minimum cost.
Domestic College Scouting Dept:
How much money spent here determines how well and how many college players are scouted in the Amateur Draft.
Domestic High School Scouting Dept:
How much money spent here determines how well and how many High School players are scouted in the Amateur Draft.
International Scouting Dept.:
How much money spent here determines how well and how many International players are scouted.
Advance Scouting Dept.:
How much money spent here determines how well you see any player that is or has been on a roster. All players current ratings are seen by everyone the same. Their projected ratings however are not, the more spent here the truer the projections become. As a note, the difference between $18M and $20M is more fuzzy than one would think.
Training:
Money spent here helps prevent injuries as the guide says. But it is more than that also, think of it as bulking up in the weight room. Being physically prepared helps play on the field. With good training and coaches a players ratings improve. As a rule I increase this area to $20M.
Medical:
If a player gets injured, the more spent in this area lessens the injury and allows him to rehab better and faster. As a rule I spend $14M to $16M here and depends on health ratings and age at the ML level. If you have players who get hurt a lot, you want a lot of money in this area, so they can get back on the field quickly. If your players all have health ratings of 90+, then you can skimp in this area a little bit.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Players 101
Probably the most hair pulling thing is player abilities. Why they don't perform sometimes is the most frustrating thing an owner goes through. All owners must ponder what is best for their team. Many factors are involved in their success, even the ballparks themselves. So I will try and break it down a little and maybe understand how they work together sometimes.
A players abilities are broken into 4 categories for all players. Some work hand in hand with others and some don't. That is probably the most confusing part.
1. Defensive Abilities - Determines the positions a player should be good at. Each position has a HBDML standard. Players can play well at a position if they meet or exceed those standards. But if a player does not fully meet those standards, his error rate increases. I am not saying that a player who meets the standards will not have errors, all players will, I am saying they will have less. The more even one ability goes down, the more likely he will have more errors and minus plays. The opposite can be said when all abilities are over the standard and will have plus plays. Finding players who exceed all defensive requirements is not easy.
The defensive requirements of a position and changing a players position or adding positions is done through the Edit Rosters menu and clicking on the players defensive position.
One big thing to note about defensive positions of a player is one that throws left-handed CANNOT and should not play an infield position other than 1B. Catchers I am not sure about.
Catchers deserve special note in this category. A catchers pitch calling ability helps pitchers. Seldom do you find a catcher that can hit and have great defensive skills and the trade off is hitting. But the minimum pitch calling standard of a catcher is 50. When this ability goes up, the pitches of a pitcher get added bonuses. They have said that the difference between 50 and 100 is about .010 in a pitchers OAV. I haven't seen a catcher with a 100 PC, but I would say that it is possible that .010 is a little understated and that is for about a 80 PC catcher. Those in the 90's could see .020 or near it depending on the pitcher. It doesn't sound like much but those numbers are for every pitcher. That equates to more outs and fewer hits by the other team overall. Over a course of the season that could be a lot. 162 games, that would be at least 162 less hits per season.
2. Physical Abilities - Durability is how long a player can play before he goes into fatigue status or the ability to recover for a pitcher. Every player needs a rest during the season. Few players play all 162 games. I have a complex formula based on plate appearances a player should be able to have depending on his durability. Notice I said Plate Appearances, not AB's. A 100 durability is about 730 PA's, so if you turn the durability into a percentage and multiply you get the number of PA's during the season a player can effectively manage at 100%.
Health is basically the ability to resist injury. The higher the better and below 65 is not that desirable. That doesn't mean a player with high health is not going to be injured even with a high training budget. It also doesn't mean a player with low health will get injured either but is highly more likely.
Speed is used in conjunction with base running. Though a player under 70 is not going to very effective stealing bases.
Patience is used in many facets of the game and the higher the better.
Temper is not used very much far as we know at this time though those with a low temper tends to get hit by a pitch more often.
Makeup is used in many cases. One is if a player is injured, it determines how well he recovers his abilities after the injury. Also a players makeup determines how fast he will approach his projections and how close he gets to them. The higher the better.
3. Hitting Abilities - I wish there was a cut a dried method to explain these. They have a tendency to work hand in hand with one another along with patience even and maybe makeup also (makeup is a guess). What I can say are players with a high contact will put the ball in play for good or bad. High Power will hit home runs. High splits will garner more walks. High Eye finds more mistake pitches. Some do not pay much attention to the push/pull tendency and should a little. The higher all these stats the better he should hit, but that isn't always guaranteed either.
4. Pitching Abilities - Like hitting abilities, not exactly cut and dried. What I can say is the higher the better..roflmao.
Stamina is how many pitches he can safely throw in an outing. Well, that only depends also. If it is a starting pitcher in a 5-man rotation then use the stamina to set the Total Pitch Count or TPC and Maximum Pitch Count or MPC like so: Stamina +10 or 15 = TPC, TPC + 10 or 15 = MPC. So a 70 stamina SP would have either a 80 or 85 TPC and a 95 or 100 MPC. Whether to use 10 or 15 depends on his other pitching abilities. In a 4-man rotation you do not want him to throw as many pitches in an outing. Rarely do you see a 4-man rotation as you would need all four pitchers with a stamina in the mid 80's and 90's with durability in the 30's. Durability is used in a pitchers fatigue recovery after an outing.
Control is how well a pitcher has command of his pitches. The higher the better.
L and R or vsR and vsL or commonly called splits. The higher the better and in the recent dev chat an effective pitcher will have a vsR of 70 or better whether he be left-handed or right-handed. That doesn't mean a pitcher with lesser splits won't be just as good.
Velocity is how hard a pitcher throws. High velocity is known as a strikeout pitcher and a low velocity is a movement pitcher. Either one is good.
GB/FB is the pitchers to keep the ball on the ground or in the air. The higher means hitters are more apt to hit the ball on the ground.
Pitches is how well the pitcher throws the pitches in question. The usual answer of the higher the better fits here also. But a good pitcher will have one in the 90's, one in the 80's and one in the 70's or 60's. Pitch one is a pitchers out pitch which was garnered from a dev chat. Also a pitcher with a really low 5th pitch will rarely if ever be thrown according to the recent dev chat.
Relief Pitchers are treated about the same as starters with a few exceptions. You will want the TPC and MPC not to go over their stamina and you will want them under in most situations as you will only want them pitching an inning. Durability is the real key for short relievers. Long relievers is best handled by not quite starters.
Hope This helps.
A players abilities are broken into 4 categories for all players. Some work hand in hand with others and some don't. That is probably the most confusing part.
1. Defensive Abilities - Determines the positions a player should be good at. Each position has a HBDML standard. Players can play well at a position if they meet or exceed those standards. But if a player does not fully meet those standards, his error rate increases. I am not saying that a player who meets the standards will not have errors, all players will, I am saying they will have less. The more even one ability goes down, the more likely he will have more errors and minus plays. The opposite can be said when all abilities are over the standard and will have plus plays. Finding players who exceed all defensive requirements is not easy.
The defensive requirements of a position and changing a players position or adding positions is done through the Edit Rosters menu and clicking on the players defensive position.
One big thing to note about defensive positions of a player is one that throws left-handed CANNOT and should not play an infield position other than 1B. Catchers I am not sure about.
Catchers deserve special note in this category. A catchers pitch calling ability helps pitchers. Seldom do you find a catcher that can hit and have great defensive skills and the trade off is hitting. But the minimum pitch calling standard of a catcher is 50. When this ability goes up, the pitches of a pitcher get added bonuses. They have said that the difference between 50 and 100 is about .010 in a pitchers OAV. I haven't seen a catcher with a 100 PC, but I would say that it is possible that .010 is a little understated and that is for about a 80 PC catcher. Those in the 90's could see .020 or near it depending on the pitcher. It doesn't sound like much but those numbers are for every pitcher. That equates to more outs and fewer hits by the other team overall. Over a course of the season that could be a lot. 162 games, that would be at least 162 less hits per season.
2. Physical Abilities - Durability is how long a player can play before he goes into fatigue status or the ability to recover for a pitcher. Every player needs a rest during the season. Few players play all 162 games. I have a complex formula based on plate appearances a player should be able to have depending on his durability. Notice I said Plate Appearances, not AB's. A 100 durability is about 730 PA's, so if you turn the durability into a percentage and multiply you get the number of PA's during the season a player can effectively manage at 100%.
Health is basically the ability to resist injury. The higher the better and below 65 is not that desirable. That doesn't mean a player with high health is not going to be injured even with a high training budget. It also doesn't mean a player with low health will get injured either but is highly more likely.
Speed is used in conjunction with base running. Though a player under 70 is not going to very effective stealing bases.
Patience is used in many facets of the game and the higher the better.
Temper is not used very much far as we know at this time though those with a low temper tends to get hit by a pitch more often.
Makeup is used in many cases. One is if a player is injured, it determines how well he recovers his abilities after the injury. Also a players makeup determines how fast he will approach his projections and how close he gets to them. The higher the better.
3. Hitting Abilities - I wish there was a cut a dried method to explain these. They have a tendency to work hand in hand with one another along with patience even and maybe makeup also (makeup is a guess). What I can say are players with a high contact will put the ball in play for good or bad. High Power will hit home runs. High splits will garner more walks. High Eye finds more mistake pitches. Some do not pay much attention to the push/pull tendency and should a little. The higher all these stats the better he should hit, but that isn't always guaranteed either.
4. Pitching Abilities - Like hitting abilities, not exactly cut and dried. What I can say is the higher the better..roflmao.
Stamina is how many pitches he can safely throw in an outing. Well, that only depends also. If it is a starting pitcher in a 5-man rotation then use the stamina to set the Total Pitch Count or TPC and Maximum Pitch Count or MPC like so: Stamina +10 or 15 = TPC, TPC + 10 or 15 = MPC. So a 70 stamina SP would have either a 80 or 85 TPC and a 95 or 100 MPC. Whether to use 10 or 15 depends on his other pitching abilities. In a 4-man rotation you do not want him to throw as many pitches in an outing. Rarely do you see a 4-man rotation as you would need all four pitchers with a stamina in the mid 80's and 90's with durability in the 30's. Durability is used in a pitchers fatigue recovery after an outing.
Control is how well a pitcher has command of his pitches. The higher the better.
L and R or vsR and vsL or commonly called splits. The higher the better and in the recent dev chat an effective pitcher will have a vsR of 70 or better whether he be left-handed or right-handed. That doesn't mean a pitcher with lesser splits won't be just as good.
Velocity is how hard a pitcher throws. High velocity is known as a strikeout pitcher and a low velocity is a movement pitcher. Either one is good.
GB/FB is the pitchers to keep the ball on the ground or in the air. The higher means hitters are more apt to hit the ball on the ground.
Pitches is how well the pitcher throws the pitches in question. The usual answer of the higher the better fits here also. But a good pitcher will have one in the 90's, one in the 80's and one in the 70's or 60's. Pitch one is a pitchers out pitch which was garnered from a dev chat. Also a pitcher with a really low 5th pitch will rarely if ever be thrown according to the recent dev chat.
Relief Pitchers are treated about the same as starters with a few exceptions. You will want the TPC and MPC not to go over their stamina and you will want them under in most situations as you will only want them pitching an inning. Durability is the real key for short relievers. Long relievers is best handled by not quite starters.
Hope This helps.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Dream League Around The Horn (News & Notes)
A "Sticky" Situation?
Rumors are running rampant in Vancouver that Mountain Lions starting pitcher Sticky Sadler may make a return to the mound in Game 7 (if the series goes to a deciding game). The Vancouver clubhouse is denying these reports, and it would seem to make sense given how long Sadler has been out for. Prudent thoughts seem to dictate that putting a guy into what would amount to the most critical game in Dream League history, with no starts or game action under his belt in the past few months would be ridiculous--especially after bone chips were removed from his throwing elbow.
Regardless of reality, fans on the Vancouver blogs and radio talk shows are in an absolute buzz.
"It's like Schilling and the bloody sock in 2004," says Vancouver DJ "Spin" McGuffey, "if he does start, or even pitch, and Vancouver wins you're talking about the all time greatest sports story."
Sadler for his part is playing it coy and is not responding to phone calls or interview requests. At this point it's anybody's guess whether or not Sadler will take the mound. Stay tuned.
Coming of Age
Mark Wallace has been absolutely dynamite this postseason for the St. Louis Archies. Sporting a posteason record of 4-0 with a 0.93 WHIP and a 0.30 ERA, he's been the MVP of both the World Series and the St. Louis Archies' playoff run. At only 23 Wallace is just starting to realize his potential, which is a scary thought for opposing AL teams.
"I'm just trying to concentrate on getting every out," Wallace said after his Game 5 win. "I give a lot of credit to my defense, and my catcher Gerald Woodward."
Florida Restructures The Front Office
After a tinkering with the ML lineup that went horribly wrong, General Manager ajf00529 was let go. Speculation is also abound, that offseason antics, such as the Nick Black porn scandal, the locker room fight between Al Leyritz and Corey Purcell (which led to Purcell being traded to Atlanta), and his ongoing feud in the press with Buffalo General Manager stiller609, also played a factor in his dismissal.
"It was just time to put an embarassing chapter behind our franchise," said Florida owner Michael Eisner.
Gone along with ajf00529 is his chief trade strategist (a stuffed Elmo doll), and his pitching staff expert (a box of lincoln logs). Expect the lincoln logs to pick up a job somewhere else in the league--we're not so sure about ajf00529.
I'll Be Back
Proving yet again that you can't trust everything posted on Deadspin.com, General Manager stiller609 will be back next season. This is according to the General Manager himself.
"I'll be back," he said. "We need to rebuild this club, and I'm the guy to do it."
Buffalo had a disasterous showing in Season 4, dropping from 86-76 to 61-101. This included a 20 game losing streak down the home stretch of the year after dismantling the starting lineup at the trade deadline. Buffalo fans showed their disastisfaction by wearing paper bags over their head in mass during the final regular season home game at the Dunn Tire Park.
"I think he's destroyed a good team," says longtime fan Chase Davenport, "I was hoping the reports were true that he was gone."
Other fans preach patience,
"If he gets us younger and builds around Kondeu and some of the other stars I'll be happy," says season ticket holder James Garvin.
I Want Out
Those were the exact words spoken by Tacoma pitcher Chuck Rizzuto at a charity event held in his hometown of Baden, Delaware.
"Tacoma is not a baseball city. Tacoma doesn't have a competent ownership group. I want out," Rizzuto said to a group collegues.
Tacoma signed Rizzuto to a long term contract worth $50.5 million over five years, and Rizzuto "rewarded" his new club with 7-19 record and a 5.86 ERA. There's little doubt that Tacoma would like to ship Rizzuto out as well, but moving his contract will prove to be difficult.
Rumors are running rampant in Vancouver that Mountain Lions starting pitcher Sticky Sadler may make a return to the mound in Game 7 (if the series goes to a deciding game). The Vancouver clubhouse is denying these reports, and it would seem to make sense given how long Sadler has been out for. Prudent thoughts seem to dictate that putting a guy into what would amount to the most critical game in Dream League history, with no starts or game action under his belt in the past few months would be ridiculous--especially after bone chips were removed from his throwing elbow.
 |
| ||||||||||||||
Regardless of reality, fans on the Vancouver blogs and radio talk shows are in an absolute buzz.
"It's like Schilling and the bloody sock in 2004," says Vancouver DJ "Spin" McGuffey, "if he does start, or even pitch, and Vancouver wins you're talking about the all time greatest sports story."
Sadler for his part is playing it coy and is not responding to phone calls or interview requests. At this point it's anybody's guess whether or not Sadler will take the mound. Stay tuned.
Coming of Age
 |
| ||||||||||||||
Mark Wallace has been absolutely dynamite this postseason for the St. Louis Archies. Sporting a posteason record of 4-0 with a 0.93 WHIP and a 0.30 ERA, he's been the MVP of both the World Series and the St. Louis Archies' playoff run. At only 23 Wallace is just starting to realize his potential, which is a scary thought for opposing AL teams.
"I'm just trying to concentrate on getting every out," Wallace said after his Game 5 win. "I give a lot of credit to my defense, and my catcher Gerald Woodward."
Florida Restructures The Front Office
 |
| ||||||
After a tinkering with the ML lineup that went horribly wrong, General Manager ajf00529 was let go. Speculation is also abound, that offseason antics, such as the Nick Black porn scandal, the locker room fight between Al Leyritz and Corey Purcell (which led to Purcell being traded to Atlanta), and his ongoing feud in the press with Buffalo General Manager stiller609, also played a factor in his dismissal.
"It was just time to put an embarassing chapter behind our franchise," said Florida owner Michael Eisner.
Gone along with ajf00529 is his chief trade strategist (a stuffed Elmo doll), and his pitching staff expert (a box of lincoln logs). Expect the lincoln logs to pick up a job somewhere else in the league--we're not so sure about ajf00529.
I'll Be Back
 |
| ||||||
Proving yet again that you can't trust everything posted on Deadspin.com, General Manager stiller609 will be back next season. This is according to the General Manager himself.
"I'll be back," he said. "We need to rebuild this club, and I'm the guy to do it."
Buffalo had a disasterous showing in Season 4, dropping from 86-76 to 61-101. This included a 20 game losing streak down the home stretch of the year after dismantling the starting lineup at the trade deadline. Buffalo fans showed their disastisfaction by wearing paper bags over their head in mass during the final regular season home game at the Dunn Tire Park.
"I think he's destroyed a good team," says longtime fan Chase Davenport, "I was hoping the reports were true that he was gone."
Other fans preach patience,
"If he gets us younger and builds around Kondeu and some of the other stars I'll be happy," says season ticket holder James Garvin.
I Want Out
Those were the exact words spoken by Tacoma pitcher Chuck Rizzuto at a charity event held in his hometown of Baden, Delaware.
 |
| ||||||||||||||
"Tacoma is not a baseball city. Tacoma doesn't have a competent ownership group. I want out," Rizzuto said to a group collegues.
Tacoma signed Rizzuto to a long term contract worth $50.5 million over five years, and Rizzuto "rewarded" his new club with 7-19 record and a 5.86 ERA. There's little doubt that Tacoma would like to ship Rizzuto out as well, but moving his contract will prove to be difficult.
Dream League Prospects (21-39)
21. Roger James, P, New York
Triple A, 22, L/L
Forever the pitching gem of the NY organization, James has about capped his potential in three seasons at AAA. Next year will determine if he’s going to be the next Andy Pettitte or the next Phillip Hughes. We’ll take Pettitte, minus the steroid “experiment” and the big honker.
ETA: Season 5
Projection: #3 starter
---
22. Harold Obermueller, SS, Pawtucket
High A, 24, R/R
It’s a quandary in the bigs. Do we start a SS who can hit but has a decent glove, or a great glove but hits like Tony Pena Jr at the plate? Obermueller brings the best of both worlds – to High A. Slow advancement through the system is all that’s holding Obermueller back. Recent reports have it ownership is looking to replace the farm instructor if Obermueller doesn’t reach the majors soon.
ETA: Season 5
Projection: Gold Glove SS
---
23. Dante Alexander, OF, Tampa Bay
Triple A, 22, R/R
Remember the public advertising Durham posted about grabbing future All-Star Dante Alexander? Njohnson78 may have been right after all, and TB was right in grabbing the talented OF. Alexander looks to be along the lines of Bobby Abreu.
ETA: Season 5
Projection: #3 hitter, okay, we’ll call him an All-Star too
---
24. Josh Holden, C, Tacoma
Triple A, 23, R/R
Right ahead of Pep McGowan stands Holden. Okay, not literally. But on the rankings, Holden nudges Holden with a little better pitching calling, a comparable bat and incredible durability. Holden caught all of a 2-1, 22-inning marathon in the heat of July last season, then followed with the nightcap of the doubleheader. Afterwards, Holden cleaned the dugout, washed the bleachers and ran back to his apartment.
ETA: Season 5
Projection: Gold glove fixture for the Thunderbirds for the next decade
---
25. Pep McGowan, C, Colorado
High A, 19, R/R
This brotha’ can call a game, gun out runners, blast it deep and pick up the big butted blondies the game. “Lemme put some pep in your step” is his big catch line as he brushes up against the ladies on the dance floor. On the field, McGowan is close to big league ready already, but a few years of seasoning will make him the Charles Johnson who doesn’t hit .216 but .316 instead.
ETA: Season 7
Projection: All-Star Catcher
---
26. Dennys Shin, P, San Diego
Triple A, 25, S/L
Smuggled in from the Far East on a docket of Nintendos, Shin adapted to American life roughly. Shin still gets tongue-tied in post-game interviews and on first dates. Which is why Shin switched to Matchmaker.com and paid the media relations intern to post his profile.
ETA: Season 5
Projection: #2 or #3 Starter
---
27. Jose Acosta, P, San Francisco
Double A, 22, R/R
Acosta quietly was obtained midseason when Vancouver decided to go empty net on prospects in pursuit of the World Series trophy. Everyone oohs and aahs so much at Seguignol and Hughes, that Acosta has flown under the radar. About like being the third singer in Hall & Oates.
ETA: Season 7
Projection: #1 or 2 starter
---
28. Kelvin Sveum, P, Kansas City
Triple A, 23, R/R
Sveum arrived in the Midwest in one of chadrader’s first trades as the club’s GM. Sveum has gradually moved up the ranks and looks to crack the rotation next season. But with a solid rotation ahead, Sveum will have break in as a long reliever or wait for an injury. With Mac Perry on the roster, that may be next week.
ETA: Season 5
Projection: #3 starter
---
29. Johnny Lowe, P, Tucson
Double A, 20, R/R
Despite mediocre splits, Lowe blows scouts away with his health, stamina, patience, control, fastball, knuckleball and palmball. Yes, the famous palmball. The palmball separates Lowe from the rest of the Tucson prospects, which is a good thing because Lowe absolutely blows in handball and pinball.
ETA: Season 7
Projection: #2 starter
---
30. Armando Garces, P, Atlanta
Triple A, 21, L/L
After an appeal from Atlanta owner zedonk, Garces indeed qualified for the list with just 6 MLB appearances. Which begs the question, why did zedonk start Garces' MLB clock towards arbitration over 2 games in Season 3 and 4 games in Season 4? Answer: The Mexican mafia. Threatened by Garces' connections from his native city of Juarez, zedonk folded like a house of cards in Garces desire to get an MLB check, and get mas chicas.
ETA: Season 5
Projection: #3 Starter
---
31. Clay Walker, P, Scranton
Triple A, 24, L/L
Walker may be confused with the country singer, but he doesn’t mind. In fact, his game revolves around it, telling young 20-year-olds that he’ll leave tickets at the upcoming concert. Little did Walker know that the baseball schedule takes you through towns more than once a year until he found out the hard way when a rifle-armed brunette pegged Walker with a can of peas during an 8th inning no-hit bid in August.
ETA: Season 5
Projection: #4 Starter
---
32. Danys Olivares, P, Tacoma
Triple A, 23, R/R
Part of the fallout of the Nick Black scandal (the horrifying “Dirty Sanchez” scene), Olivares was shipped to Tacoma for a bag of balls and a fungo bat to be named later. Olivares may not be extraordinary on the splits, but his control, changeup and curve rank among the best in the game.
ETA: Season 5
Projection: #3 starter
---
33. Torey Lima, 3B, Buffalo
High A, 19, L/L
Yet another in the legendary bloodlines from San Pedro de Macoris, Lima signed as an IFA with Tacoma before being shuffled to Buffalo this past year. Solid all-around with extraordinary power, Buffalo has the farm system to polish off this 19-year-old. Both on and off the field.
ETA: Season 8
Projection: #6 hitter, starting 3B
---
34. Herb Brooks, 2B, Scranton
Low A, 19, L/R
Herb may top father, Hubie, in career totals, since Herb can actually run faster than a dandelion. And Herb can field too. And he can hit. Which doesn’t explain why Brooks was traded last season like a game of hot potato. Perhaps the leak during spring training that he had gonorrhea may have had something to do with it.
ETA: Season 7
Projection: #2 hitter, 2B or CF
---
35. Paul Barber, C, Scranton
High A, 20, R/R
Dubbed “The Barber of Seville” and “The Barber Did It” by Scranton’s own birdbrain Michael Scott, Barber actually can hit. And hit well. If Scranton can swallow average pitch calling, Barber will be the next Mike Piazza. And maybe Michael Scott will get a nickname.
ETA: Midseason, Season 5
Projection: #5 hitter
---
36. Jolbert Johnson, P, New York
Double A, 21, L/L
Like many of the New York’s top prospects, Johnson has taken the slow walk up through the Gridlock system. The lefty could be the best of the four pitchers NY has listed, but still has to shake post traumatic stress disorder of when he was a kid on the street found by a stranger AJF … nevermind.
ETA: Season 6
Projection: #2 or #3 starter
---
37. Quinton Morgan, P, Rochester
Double A, 21, L/L
With more pitches and deliveries than Luis Tiant, Morgan can fool hitters from any angle. The behind-the-back-fake-pitch always throws lefties for a loop, aside from Taylor Dickson blasting it a mammoth 542 feet in a game last season.
ETA: Season 6
Projection: #2 or #3 starter
---
38. Rich Varitek, C, Kansas City
Triple A, 24, S/R
Varitek idolized his step-brother, Jason, and followed suit as a catcher. Except he isn’t even the top catching prospect in his organization. Lodged behind Ronn Webster, Varitek appears to be needing to either settle for a backup role or moving out from the plate much like his predecessor in KC, Neil Clyburn. That won’t stop GM chadrader from throwing a glove on him and sticking him in left field. Rader would stick David Ortiz in left if he could in WIS. After all, its just a sim, right?
ETA: Season 5
Projection: C, 1B or traded
---
39. Howard McGee, P, Montgomery
Double A, 24, S/R
McGee was born overseas in South Korea, as his father was stationed at Camp Casey, an hour north of Seoul. His Korean mother taught him and Byung-Hung Kim the side-armed delivery. Scouts worry that McGee may suffer the same mental instability as Byung-Hung One High, but Hornets GM rootgargle thinks a daily serving of kim chi will keep his head on straight.
ETA: Late Season 5
Projection: #4 starter
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