Getting Back Into the Game: A Lehigh Valley Ironpigs Dynasty (OOTP)

[philliesfan980]

Coach Philliesfan980 had it all - a great MLB franchise in the Philadelphia Phillies - a loving family, fame, fortune.. you name it. In 1993, he was named rookie manager of the year, after leading the rag tag bunch of veterans to game 6 of the world series. However, after that - all of it unraveled. After many of the veterans on the 93 team broke down, so did coach Philliesfan980. Previous nights of enjoyment were replaced by nights of heavy drinking. Soon, he was broke, fired as the manager of the Phillies, and has been earning a living in the landscaping and construction business after burning several bridges in the MLB.

Then one day out of nowhere, the phone rang. It was an elderly owner of the Phillies who wanted to reconcile after years of parting on bad terms. The owner wanted to do one last redemption project in his life. He mentioned that he had a job for him, one that included managing guys like himself - veterans looking for that last chance in baseball while at the same time grooming some of the hot shots of the organization.

Yes, Coach Philliesfan980 was heading up 476 to manage the Lehigh Valley Ironpigs, the AAA affiliate of the Phillies.

[philliesfan980]

2013 Season Preview - Infield

Catching -
Steve Lerud - a 28 year old minor league veteran who has bounced back and forth between AAA and AA over the last few years.

John Suomi - A 32 year old minor league veteran who has been with the Philadelphia organization for the past few years and has done everything asked of him. He tends to bounce around from A - AAA depending on need.

Bottom line: Both guys are interchangeable in my opinion.

First Base
Darin Ruf - Darin is a guy who put up historic power numbers in Reading (AA) last year. A bit of a late bloomer, Darin is a guy who has had success everywhere he's been, but was not considered on the prospect track until last year. There are questions of where he'll play in the big leagues. With Ryan Howard slumping in the majors, I'm not sure we'll rush to put him out in LF just yet.

Steve Susdorf - Steve can really only play 1B in a backup capacity as he is an OF first. Steve's got a good professional bat, and has hit for average every stop of the way.

Bottom Line: Ruf plays 1B nearly every day.

Second Base

Cesar Hernandez - The best 2B prospect in the Phillies system. Caesar hit well last year in nearly a full season at Reading, earning a late season cup of coffee to LHV. While he doesn't hit HR's, he does have good gap power. Look for Cesar to get a look should anything happen to Utley in Philly.

Pete Orr - The consummate professional with MLB experience. Pete can play all over the diamond, but his first position is 2B. Pete will be used as a pinch hitter and play all over the diamond as people need days off.

Michael Martinez - Technically listed as an OF, Mike can play the IF as well. Originally a rule 5 guy with the Phillies a few years ago, Mike is your typical "jack of all trades/master of none" guy.

Bottom line: Hernandez should play 5-6 games a week, with Orr and Martinez filling in as needed.

Short Stop
Freddy Galvis - Galvis earned significant playing time with the big club last year, but is back to start the season with LHV after a drug suspension towards the end of last year. An absolute wizard with the glove, we hope that Freddy using his time in LHV to improve on his offensive power.

Bottom line: Freddy will play 6 times a week, with Martinez and Orr giving him the occasional day off.

Third Base
Cody Overbeck - Cody, who will turn 27 this year, is quickly falling out of prospect status. Cody enjoyed a big year at Reading in 2011, hitting .275, with 18 HR's. Last year, Cody took a step back, with a slash line of .249/.307/.408, although still showed reasonable power numbers with 18 HR's and 27 2B's.

Bottom line: Cody will play 5-6 days a week, with the super subs Orr and Martinez filling in as needed.

Next up.. OF

[Deuce2223]

Looking forward to seeing another Triple AAA franchise on here.

[philliesfan980]

Quote: Originally Posted by Deuce2223

Looking forward to seeing another Triple AAA franchise on here.

Thanks for the comment - I figure it's something different. Let the GM make all the moves and feel the real pain of losing your key guy in a pennant race, or the excitement of getting a new guy from AA who can help.

[philliesfan980]

2013 Season Preview - Outfield

Left Field
Steve Susdorf - Previewed in the 1B section as a backup, Steve is a professional minor league player who has hit at every stop.

Steve projects to play on most days with Martinez and Jermaine Mitchell filling in as needed.

Center Field
Tyson Gillies - Tyson has been a bit of a head-scratcher since coming over in the Cliff Lee trade. Tyson posses tremendous speed, can hit for gap power, and plays a great CF. The problem with Tyson is his attitude - he's had several scrapes with the Phillies org and quite frankly, the law. Also, he's had a tough time staying on the field. This projects to be a big year for Tyson, and quite frankly probably his last year in the org if things don't turn around for him.

Jermaine Mitchell, a 28 year old career minor leaguer will back him up.

Right Field
Derrick Mitchell - Mitchell is a 26 year old late bloomer (probably too late) in the Phillies system. Mitchell drew some attention in 2010 as a 24 year old in A ball, hitting .264 with 13 HR's and 28 2B's. He followed up that campaign in 2011 with the Reading Phillies, hitting .265 with 19HR's and 79 RBI's. Last year however, he took a step back, batting .218 with 7 hr's. Derrick looks to improve in his second season at LHV.

Next up.. Starting rotation.

[philliesfan980]

2013 preview, starting pitchers -

Starter 1 -
Tyler Cloyd - Tyler is a late bloomer, a guy who started to find his stride over the last 2-3 years. He saw some action with the big club in September of last year with modest success. Without any plus pitches, I'm afraid that Tyler is going to be labeled as a AAAA guy - someone who can get things done at AAA, but just can't get major league hitters out on a consistent basis. I expect to lose Tyler from time to time as guys on the big team get injured, but overall I expect him to be the anchor of the staff.

Starter 2 -
Ethan Martin - Ethan came over to the Phillies in the Shane Victorino trade last summer. He's a guy with a plus fastball, who averages around a strikeout an inning. Unfortunately for Ethan, what's really holding him back right now is his command, walking around 5 per 9 innings. I expect an up and down summer from Ethan, where he has some really great games, and then some games where he can't find the plate.

Starter 3 -
Adam Morgan - Adam is a homegrown talent who has risen steadily from SS ball, skipping A- ball, and ended up in LHV in 2 years. Adam has the ability to be a stud, but we want to hold him back in the rotation given his overall lack of professional experience. By the end of the year, he could very well be the ace.

Starter 4
Jonathan Pettibone - Jonathan is a pitch to contact guy, with excellent command. Even thought he doesn't have great stuff, he's found a way to win at every level he's pitched at. He's one of those guys that might just succeed based on his smarts. He's only 22 years old.

Starter 5 -
JC Ramirez - Quite frankly, I'm not thrilled with this choice. After starting his career in the starting rotation, two years ago he was converted to a bullpen arm based on his overall lack of success as a starter. Hopefully I'll be pleasantly surprised, but I'm not holding my breath.


Next up.. relievers.

[redsrulenc]

As stated, I'm glad to see AAA dynasties beginning to catch on after mine with Louisville. I feel like I laid out the groundwork and opened up the gates for AAA reports. Good luck and gooooo BATS!!