Friday, April 7, 2017
Here's what it looks like:
WCW/NJPW
Ace Brooks (heel)
Adam Cole (heel)
Akam (heel) IWGP Tag Team Champion
Alberto Del Rio (heel)
Arn Anderson (heel)
Bad Luck Fale (heel)
Bam Bam Bigelow (heel)
Baron Corbin (heel)
Big Show (heel) Grand Champion
Brian Pillman (heel)
Brother Nero (heel)
Bruiser Brody (heel)
C.M. Punk (face)
Cody Hall (heel)
Cody Rhodes (heel) Television Champion
Conor McGregor (heel)
Curtis Axel (heel)
Damien Sandow (heel) European Champion
Dash Wilder (heel)
David Finlay Jr. (face)
D.D.P. (face)
Diesel (heel)
Dolph Ziggler (heel) United States Champion
Drew McIntyre (heel)
Dusty Rhodes (face)
Edge (heel)
Eli Drake (heel)
Erick Rowan (heel)
Flash (face)
Hiroshi Tanahashi (face)
Jack Swagger (heel)
Jacob Cass (face) IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion
Jay White (face)
Jimmy & Jey Uso (heel)
Jushin Liger (face)
Kalisto (face)
Karl Anderson (heel)
Katusyori Shibata (face)
Kazuchika Okada (face) IWGP World Heavyweight Champion
Kenny Omega (heel) IWGP Intercontinental Champion
Konnor (heel)
La Sombra (face)
Larry Zbysko (heel)
Lionheart (face)
Lio Rush (face)
Luke Gallows (heel)
Magnum T.A. (heel)
Mankind (heel)
Mark Henry (heel)
Matanza (heel)
Matt & Nick Jackson (heel) WCW Tag Team Champions
Matthew Riddle (heel)
Myzteziz (face)
Prince Puma (face)
The Prototype (heel)
Razor Ramon (heel)
Ric Flair (heel) WCW World Heavyweight Champion
Rick Rude (heel)
Ricky Steamboat (face)
Rezar (heel) IWGP Tag Team Champion
The Rock (heel) Young Lion Champion
Ryback (heel)
Scott Dawson (heel)
Shark Boy (face)
Shawn Michaels (face)
Sheamus (heel)
Stardust (heel)
Stunning Steve Williams (heel)
Tatsumi Fujinami (face)
Taz (heel)
Tiger Mask W (face)
Tiger the Dark (heel)
Tyler Breeze (heel)
Tyson Kidd (heel) WCW Cruiserweight Champion
Ultimate Warrior (face)
The Phenom (heel)
Vader (heel)
Wade Barrett (heel)
Zack Ryder (face)
Zack Sabre Jr. (face)
Teams & Stables:
The Ascension (Stardust, Baron Corbin, and Konnor)
The Bullet Club / The Elite (Kenny Omega, Adam Cole, Cody Rhodes, The Young Bucks, Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows, Bad Luck Fale, Cody Hall, and Wade Barrett)
The Four Horsemen (Damien Sandow, Drew McIntyre, Dolph Ziggler, Magnum TA, Ric Flair)
Dangerous Alliance (Stunning Steve Williams, Rick Rude, Sheamus, Razor Ramon, Ace Brooks, Eli Drake)
Authors of Pain (Akam and Rezar)
Lucha Dragons (Myzteziz and Kalisto)
The Usos
Dragon Dragon (Ricky Steamboat and Tatsumi Fujinami)
Young Lions (David Finlay Jr. and Jay White)
The Revival (Arn Anderson, Scott Dawson, and Dash Wilder)
RAW (WWE)
Andre the Giant (heel)
Austin Aries (face)
Austin Idol (heel)
Batista (heel)
Big Boss Man (heel)
Big Cass (face)
Billy Gunn (heel)
Bobby Roode (heel)
Braun Strowman (heel)
Bray Wyatt (heel)
Brock Lesnar (heel) World Heavyweight Champion
Bubba Ray Dudley (heel)
Cactus Jack (face)
Chris Jericho (heel) Intercontinental Champion
Daniel Bryan (face)
Dean Ambrose (heel)
Dustin Rhodes (face)
D'Von Dudley (heel)
Earthquake (heel)
Enzo Amore (face)
Fandango (face)
Goldberg (heel)
Goldust (heel)
Haku (heel)
Hideo Itami (face)
Hulk Hogan (face)
I.R.S (heel)
Jack Gallagher (face)
Jake Roberts (heel)
Jay Lethal (face)
J.B.L (heel)
Jean Paul Levesque (heel)
Jesse Ventura (heel)
Jun Akiyama (heel)
Kane (heel)
Kevin Owens (heel) Universal Champion
Killian Dane (heel)
Kofi Kingston (face) World Tag Team Champion
Lex Luger (heel)
Low-Ki (heel)
The Miz (heel)
Noam Dar (face)
Owen Hart (face)
Rick Rude (heel)
Rob Van Dam (heel) ECW Champion
Roman Reigns (heel)
Ryusuke Taguchi (face)
Sami Zayn (face)
Samoa Joe (heel)
Scott Steiner (heel)
Shinsuke Nakamura (face)
Steve Austin (heel)
Sycho Sid Vicious (heel)
Ted DiBiase (heel) Million $ Champion
Tino Sabatelli (heel)
Triple H (heel)
William Regal (heel)
Xavier Woods (face) World Tag Team Champion
Teams & Stables:
JeriKO (Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens)
Raw Finest (Austin Idol and Jesse Ventura)
The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray & D'Von Dudley)
The Greatest Team that Ever Lived (Austin Aries and Bobby Roode)
The New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods)
Realest Guys (Enzo Amore and Big Cass)
The Wyatt Family (Bray Wyatt, Luke Harper, Randy Orton, and Braun Strowman)
(to be continued..)
Saturday, July 18, 2015
Devin Mesoraco has hit like an All-Star - .294, 8 HR, 27 RBI.
Power is there for Christian Walker (10 HR) but the average is lacking (.245). Josh Bell is hot on his trail in Double-A (.335/7/34).
The aforementioned infield trifecta of Joe Panik, Maikel Franco, and J.P. Crawford continue to slouch their way through the year. Demotions may be necessary so they can get their strokes back on track. I like the 8 jacks from Franco and 13 stolen bags by Crawford, but they're having a hard time getting on base altogether.
Brian Goodwin does three things - hit, hit, and also hit. He's put up a .333 avg and 8 jonrons, plus 22 runs driven in. His balanced skillset rivals Ben Revere at this point but at a lower price tag. I feel he'll push Revere out the door this July.
Hunter Renfroe is heating up (.293/8/29) at Lehigh Valley and trying to get a role in the outfield. I can see him on the bench if Revere is moved, and platoon with Souza or Parker in the corners.
Jason Hursh is unreliable thus far in the long relief position (1-1, 7.84) so Ben Lively (6-2, 3.13, 85 K) jumps in his place. It'd be a waste of talent to not start him after that showing, but he might hop in the rotation when Hamels or Garcia are traded.
No one in the bullpen have been outwardly impressive, with the exception of flamethrower Lisalverto Bonilla (3-2, 1.75, 25.2 IP) at AAA. This is a very fluid situation as I've stated previously.
1st round: LF Victor Mendoza 64 ovr/83 pot.
2nd round: 1B Samuel Banning 59 ovr/79 pot.
3rd round: SP Joe Cullen 55 ovr/95 pot.
4th round: SP Ken Templeton 60 ovr/72 pot.
Mendoza and Cullen could be eventual core pieces to the Phillies. Banning has nice contact ability (75/80 vs LHP/RHP) but he's limited. Templeton will be Single-A fodder. Mendoza brings contact and arm strength to the table but will need to develop quickly at 23.
In retrospect, Cullen should have been my first selection because we scouted him in particular. The lefty has stamina and movement to boot, but not much control or velocity to speak of. He's got a fastball, change, and slider in the arsenal.
Friday, July 10, 2015
It's May now in 2016, and I thought we'd take the next step after going above .500 last season. That is not the case, to be blunt. We've fallen into the depths at 9-20, conceivably because of the formation of a younger, less-experienced roster. The mid-20 year-olds are having a arduous time as an ensemble. The tumble back down to obscurity should set into motion the final tread of the rebuild - only Cole Hamels, Ben Revere, and Jaime Garcia strike me as unlikely to be in our plans going forward. Devin Mesoraco is a free agent-to-be but I'm not entertaining that thought until he slows down (.292/4/14) at the plate.
True enough, the experiment to run with first and second-year players like Christian Walker (.206/6/15), Joe Panik (.212/2/12), Maikel Franco (.228/6/17), J.P. Crawford (.244/1/7), and Steven Souza (.250/2/9) has fired against the club. It's a work in progress, naturally, so I aim to let it ride for the whole season if possible.
I might not be as lenient with the hurlers because of the sheer fact that there is an abundance of them from MLB to Single-A. Aaron Nola (30.2 IP, 0-2, 6.46) and Jesse Biddle (30.2 IP, 3-2, 3.82) have Ben Lively, Mike Lorenzen, Zach Lee, Mark Appel, Kyle Freeland, et al. on their trail.
I scanned across the 29 teams and would have inquired into rather many trade targets, had we been anywhere in the vicinity of contention. More explicitly: 2B/SS Josh Rutledge and SP Shelby Miller. Rutledge was left in the cold after Colorado signed Daniel Murphy and he would give Panik a run for his money. Miller is one of copious arms in St. Louis' workforce, who will be deemed of high value in spite of that positional scope. It would appear trades for them are out of the question.
Cole has made himself a tough sell in month one, winning no decisions (0-3) and averaging 5 runs a start over 36 innings pitched. I'm pinning my hopes on the 32 year-old lefty's vindication this summer, so that we may at last get a package from a winning team that can get him another ring.
The bullpen is a weak suit comparable to 2014, in the face of a revamp. I stationed Blake Treinen, Oliver Drake, and Shane Watson as fresh faces in the 'pen but as an entity they have been inefficient. There's further relievers coveting those spots including Pedro Baez, Vinnie Pestano, Nick Wittgren, Nick Burdi, and Lisalverto Bonilla.
Thursday, July 9, 2015
NYM trade SP Noah Syndergaard to CHC for SS Starlin Castro.
LAD trade 1B Viosergy Rosa (67/C) to BOS for C Ryan Hanigan.
MIA trade OF Austin Dean (72/B) to COL for 2B D.J. LeMahieu.
TOR trade OF Frank Smalls (47/B) and 3B Chuck Keene (53/B) to ARI for 2B Aaron Hill.
BOS trade C Dan Butler to MIN for a PTBNL.
ARI trade SS Didi Gregorious to NYY for OF Jake Cave (70/B).
STL trade 1B Billy Butler to SD for 3B Dustin Peterson (69/B), SS Jose Rondon (71/B), and SP Joe Wieland (79/B).
NYY trade C Francisco Cervelli to CHC for OF Justin Ruggiano.
LAD trade OF Alex Rios to TOR for C Wes Dennis (50/A).
WAS trade SP Felipe Rivero (77/B) to STL for 2B Gordon Beckham.
CF Ben Revere
2B Joe Panik
3B Maikel Franco
1B Christian Walker
LF Kyle Parker
RF Steven Souza
C Devin Mesoraco
SS J.P. Crawford
2B Devon Travis
OF Brian Goodwin
SS/3B Hunter Dozier
C Cameron Rupp
OF Wladimir Balentien
------------------------
SP Cole Hamels
SP Mike Leake
SP Jaime Garcia
SP Aaron Nola
SP Jesse Biddle
LR Jason Hursh
MR Oliver Drake
MR Griffin Murphy
MR Shane Watson
SU Blake Treinen
SU Phillipe Aumont
CL Ken Giles
Tuesday, July 7, 2015
Now that most rosters are shaped, I can put the plan into motion.
PHI trades: C Carlos Ruiz
DET trades: OF Hunter Renfroe (76/B)
PHI trades: CL Jonathan Papelbon, RP Justin DeFratus, SP Matt Boyd (78/C), 3B Harold Hernandez (48/B)
SF trades: 2B Joe Panik, RP Josh Osich (67/C), 1B/3B Angel Villalona (58/C)
PHI trades: RP Jake Diekman
HOU trades: RP Scott Guidry (39/C)
PHI trades: OF Dominic Brown
MIN trades: SP Felix Jorge (66/B)
PHI trades: 1B Ryan Howard, 2B/CF Cesar Hernandez, SP Tom Windle (76/B)
MIA trades: OF Kevin Merchant (58/B), RP Arquimedes Caminero, RP Edgar Olmos
PHI trades: OF Colby Rasmus, OF Mac Williamson (72/B), 1B/C Tommy Joseph (69/C)
SEA trades: OF Austin Wilson (72/B), RP Logan Bawcom, RP Ryan Sisk (61/B)
PHI trades: SP Matt Purke (71/B) and SP Ross Stripling (73/B)
COL trades: OF/1B Kyle Parker and C Dom Nunez (68/C)
PHI trades: 3B Brad Kolb (60/B), 1B Eddie Coates (43/B), OF Scottie Dias (41/B), SP Alvaro Carrillo (48/B), SP Victor Arano (68/C)
WAS trades: OF Steven Souza, RP Blake Treinen
PHI trades: SS Christopher Mozer (51/B), SP Matt Imhof (72/B), OF Barry Brenner (45/B)
CIN trades: C Devin Mesoraco
Philly selects... OF/1B Josh Bell from PIT, RP Nick Burdi from MIN, SP Mark Appel from HOU, OF Tyler Austin from NYY, RP Nick Wittgren from MIA, and SP Kyle Freeland from COL.
The first pick was Tampa Bay's choice of C/OF Kyle Schwarber, an extolled piece from the Cubs. He'll battle with Curt Casali in camp.
Monday, July 6, 2015
My main offers went to Mike Leake (13-11, 3.69, 138 K) for $31.86M over 4 years, Trevor Cahill for $3.50M for 1 year, Neftali Feliz for $16.38M over 2 years, and Carlos Contreras for $3.31M over 4 years. I also pursued Danny Hultzen, Billy Burns, Oliver Drake, Eury Perez, Max Muncy, and various minor-league FAs.
Papelbon and Rasmus wrecked my plans to trade both of them before they hit free agency. They accepted my qualifing offers so I could not get draft pick compensation. I then considered trade possibilites for both postions - teams who might need a closer or outfielder.
Matt Wieters ----> CIN
Jose Bautista ----> DET
David Price ----> MIL
Adrian Beltre ----> CIN
Daniel Murphy ----> COL
Dexter Fowler ----> SD
Clay Buchholz ----> DET
Alexei Ramirez ----> MIA
Gerardo Parra ----> CIN
Neftali Feliz ----> SEA
Rick Porcello ----> LAA
Ian Kennedy ----> DET
The Reds and Tigers sweeped the commerce full-force, locking up multiple upgrades across the board. They say the offseason winners don't recreate that success when the real games come, but these teams look like tough contenders.
Last-place Milwaukee pulled off the surprise move of the period, bringing in ace David Price for 6 years at a whopping $167.9 million.
Tentatively, the pitching will look like this:
SP Cole Hamels
SP Cliff Lee
SP Aaron Nola
SP Jaime Garcia
SP Jason Hursh
LR Matt Barnes
MR Justin DeFratus
MR Jake Diekman
MR Griffin Murphy
SU Jonathan Papelbon
SU Phillipe Aumont
CL Ken Giles
...Cliff retires, with Chase and Izturis following suit. We'll never forget their contributions as Phillies but it's one way to ease into the rebuild.
Other notable retirees
Shane Victorino, Mark Buehrle, David Ortiz, David DeJesus, Bartolo Colon, Tim Hudson, Marlon Byrd, Kyle Lohse.
On to free agency! The objectives are to trade veterans in tow & try to find MLB-ready starting pitching and outfielders through trades or on the open market.
Top Available Free Agents
C Matt Wieters
2B Gordon Beckham
SP David Price
2B/3B Daniel Murphy
SP Ian Kennedy
SP Trevor Cahill
OF Dexter Fowler
SP Rick Porcello
RP Neftali Feliz
SP Derek Holland
SS Alexei Ramirez
SS Jimmy Rollins
OF Gerardo Parra
SP Mike Leake
SP Alfredo Simon
3B Adrian Beltre
OF Jose Bautista
OF Will Venable
SP Clay Buchholz
C Carlos Ruiz .258/8/44
C Cameron Rupp .317/10/29
1B Christian Walker .304/13/33
1B Ryan Howard .259/26/90 (142 K)
2B Chase Utley .268/11/48
3B Maikel Franco .214/18/54
3B/SS Hunter Dozier .267/1/4
2B Devon Travis .264/5/10
SS/2B/CF Cesar Hernandez .262/7/60 (14 SB)
OF Ben Revere .266/10/47 (40 SB)
OF Brian Goodwin .205/4/19 (7 SB)
OF Colby Rasmus .233/16/53 (160 K)
OF Dom Brown .246/20/58
SP Cole Hamels 17-9, 3.34, 254 K
SP Cliff Lee 13-8, 3.24, 210 K
SP Jaime Garcia 11-10, 4.50, 155 K
SP Jason Hursh 4-5, 4.01, 21 K (51.2 IP)
SP Chad Billingsley 6-9, 4.05, 107 K
SP Matt Barnes 2-2, 5.70, 32 K (30 IP)
RP Phillipe Aumont 9-4, 2.91, 103 K
RP Justin DeFratus 5-2, 2.64, 101 K
RP Jake Diekman 5-1, 3.00, 55 K
RP Joely Rodriguez 3-2, 4.59, 30 K (51 IP)
SU Ken Giles 1-2, 1.98, 74 K
CL Jonathan Papelbon 0-4, 4.82, 45 SV, 47 K
Ben Revere won a Gold Glove for left field. He placed 4th in doubles (38) and stolen bases (40). Cole Hamels tied for 4th in wins (17) and lead the league in strikeouts (254). Cliff Lee tied for 9th in strikeouts (210). Jonathan Papelbon tied for third in saves (45).
Awards
MVP - Andrew McCutchen (.326/36/125) & Mike Trout (.299/38/127)
Cy Young - Kris Medlen (20-5/3.44/193 K) & Jon Lester (19-9/2.98/208 K)
Delivery Man - Craig Kimbrel (57 SV/2.54/61 K)
ROTY - Kris Bryant (.296/29/88) & Luke Jackson (15-11/2.86/178 K)
Playoffs
The Orioles defeated the Braves, 4-2, to win the 2015 World Series.
Sunday, July 5, 2015
Christian Walker is taking the reigns from Ryan Howard. He's batting for a higher average with half the homers, in 2.82 times less PAs. I'll be glad to shed Big Piece's contract and 116 whiffs this offseason.
Maicer Izturis was up for grabs this entire season and no one bit, so I took him in. He could go for an August waiver claim seeing as he can still get on base at 34 and is versatile.
Phil Gosselin reached his end on the 25-man. Devon Travis doesn't play other positions than 2B but he is my second bench IF due to his hitting prowess. I like his chances to be Chase Utley's heir apparent. Draft pick Miguel Santana (.277, 4 HR, 35 RBI) is next on the totem.
Cesar Hernandez turned the corner, bringing his BA to .279 on 129 hits. He's stolen 10 bases and struck out 100 times but overall I'm happier with him than I was months ago. J.P. Crawford (.211, 14 HR, 51 RBI, 116 SO, 26 SB) has likewise stumbled in the average area, but I am deadset on him being the SS of the future.
CF Roman Quinn is a contender for the Paul Owens Award - he has advanced further than I thought possible. The speed was there but his .277/11/44 slash line cannot be undermined.
I'm proud of the progress made by outfield prospects Dylan Cozens and Cord Sandberg. The duo of 20 year-olds have been admirable for Reading, and the latter was bumped up to AAA.
As GM, I've been super greedy in regards to pitching prospects. It's proper rationale though, you always need some in the pipeline when vets like Cole and Cliff retire, or in case injury strikes. Especially in this age it's crucial, when pitching has been emphasized over hitting. In particular the following are stepping it up: Aaron Nola (10-7, 3.41), Jesse Biddle (10-5, 3.10), Matt Boyd (10-6, 3.13), Ben Lively (7-10, 3.35), and Severino Gonzalez (12-7, 3.03).
Saturday, July 4, 2015
Liriano will replace Brandon Morrow (6-6, 5.46), and Aaron Sanchez will remain in the set-up role. The move should help their push to win the AL East - they are trailing the Orioles by four games and the Red Sox are right behind them. The Cisco Kid and John Lackey (8-4, 3.40) should be considered two worthwhile pitching acquisitions by them so far this season.
Plawecki is the second Toronto catcher we've received in a trade (along with A.J. Jimenez), although he is a former Mets prospect behind Travis D'Arnaud. I hold Plawecki in higher favor and he is a year younger than Jimenez. Davis is a speed demon not unlike Ben Revere, and he's not even 21 so his skills at the plate will have time to grow. He's light on power but we needed the depth in the outfield either way. Boyd is a 24 year-old lefty with no inordinate qualities but he's having a nice year at AA New Hampshire (9-4, 3.09) and everyone loves more pitching.
Matt Barnes (7-5, 4.21, 93 K, 102.2 IP) rejoins the big-league bullpen as Jason Hursh is shifted to the rotation.
Wladimir Balentien will be outrighted off the 40-man roster to make room. In turn, Brian Goodwin has been recalled after his electric showing in Triple-A.
Admittedly, this might not have been the best package I could have gotten, but it is probably the most realistic. It's as suitable a return for a rental as I could have expected.
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