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Travis7401's North Dakota riggers Thread

Travis7401

Douglass Tagg
Community Liaison
I recorded an organizational review for my minor league/interantional system last night. I spotlighted one pitcher and one batter from each level that intrigues me (not neccesarily the best players at each level.



AAA Batter - Wesley Fonkert - Originally purchased for $8.5M in the 2054 IFA class, I just promoted Fonkert to AAA this week and I'm hoping he's ready for a cup of coffee by the end of the 2059 season. He's already a 70 or 75 rated CF positional player and he's got solid ratings at LF and RF as well, so I'm hoping he'll be the starting CF by 2060. He struggled the first 2 seasons in A ball, but played well in A and AA in 2057 and then played well again in AA to start this season so I moved him up.

AAA Pitcher - Joey Julian - Part of the same 2054 IFA class, he was a $1.4M signing. He struggled a bit his first year in A ball in 2055, but he's been steadily improving and playing well at each level. His OSA potential projections have been a bit up and down, but his latest development update was great, taking him all the way up to 60/60/50 on his current and potential ratings. He's pitching well in AAA too, so I think I"ll give him a cup of coffee at the end of this season. I'll have at least one SP leaving via FA next season, but I'm not sure whether I'll throw him into a starting roll next year or give him a year in the bullpen to earn his keep first.

AA Pitcher - Fettuccine Alfredo Rodriguez - A late 1st round pick in the 2053 draft class, I envisioned Fettuccine Alfredo as a high stamina/high stuff relief pitcher. He was originally projected to have a control potential of 65 and that's dropped to 55 now which is a bit of a bummer, but he's still got good WBL potential with a current ratings of 65/50/45 and projected ratings of 75/55/55. He hasn't played really well in either A ball or AA, but he is having his best season yet. I'll be bringing him up to AAA next season and he should be available for the WBL by the end of 2059 or 2060. I've been playing him as a starter to get innings, but will likely transition him to AAA closer next season.

AA Batter - Carlos FISHERMAN Aguirre - A 3rd Round pick SPREADSHEET WARRIOR in 2055, I think this guy has the potential to be the outfield version of Douglass Tagg. He's got a loathsome looking bat, great base running, solid intangibles, he'll be a +defender at 4 positions (gonna get him some 1B time next year as well), and his personality is that he likes fishing in the off season! Mr. Manager loves fishermen! I don't want to put too much pressure on him, but I feel Talisman powers exude from Mr. Aguirre. He's had great success in both A and AA and will join Turkey Mountain next season, hopefully ready for that cup of coffee by the end of the year. I'd love to have him as 4th OF by 2060.

A Pitcher - George LARGEMOUTH Bass - Mr. Manager's fish name drafting technique and love of high movement pitchers is well known in the WBL so it was an utter shock when a guy with the last name BASS and 70 potential movement dropped into the late 3rd round of the 2056 draft class. He originally was listed as a SP and had 30/35 stuff, but Mr. Manager saw 2 50 rated pitches and changed him to a reliever. Now he's got 50/70/55 potential ratings that will make him a veritable GOD in the Dyson Sphere, given how pitchers with 65 movement have fared. 70 movement is extremely rare in the league for some reason, so Mr. Manager is absolutely ecstatic to have him on the team. He has struggled for Waco so far, but we have faith that LARGEMOUTH will become a delightful relief pitcher with his BABIP cheat codes on lock.

A Batter - Brian Kreuze - Signed for $7.5M in the 2056 IFA class, Kreuze has been chilling in the international complex for the last couple of years, but now he's got his shot with Waco. The extra dev time did him some good and he's already got a 50 current contact rating and has hit pretty decently for Waco. His power is coming in a bit better than his 25 current rating would suggest as well, because he's already got 6 home runs. He should be able to play 2B and 1B by the time he reaches the WBL and he's got a solid bat that should hit for high average and have enough eye and extra base potential to make him a solid high OPS guy from the middle infield.

International Pitcher - Jean Francois Adam - A SP with 70/55/60 potential for a mere $2.4M in IFA? WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE. It was a really good IFA class for starting pitchers in general, so I was really excited to get this guy locked down early before the bidding got costly. According to OSA he'd be a #1 or #2 type SP for the riggers. My scout isn't as high on him, but still thinks he should be a solid back of the rotation pitcher at least.

International Batter - Ross CHEWBACCA Wookey - @OU11 bid me up and really made me pay for this dude.... $11M which means he'll likely get a downgrade to 40 contact and 40 power next offseason. BUT FOR NOW HE LOOKS GREAT. Should have a high average and lots of extra base potential out of this dude. His OF ratings are good enough to give him a little positional value at LF, but I'm guessing he'll end up at DH in the long run, which is fine given his combination of high average and extra base potential! In 2061 you'll find him on @Yankee151 's A roster, after being cut by Mr. Manager in a fit of rage.
 
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Travis7401

Douglass Tagg
Community Liaison
How did they become riggers? A breakdown of the current 25 man roster origins:

Drafted by NDR - 7
IFA by NDR - 2
Scouting Discovery by NDR - 2
Trade - 9
Free Agent Signing - 5

Most of those trades were with @Orlando, as he treated me as his little sister of the poor minor league team for the first half of the decade :laughing: Based on my system right now, I expect draft picks and IFA to make up a larger share of the teams moving forward. 16 year old IFA dudes seem to take quite a while to move through the system, a solid 6 years or so before they are fully WBL ready. The first of my IFA signings from 2052 are just trickling into the starting lineup now and a few of them were traded away or didn't pan out. Due to drafting late for the last several seasons, I think the draft picks are mostly going to be role players, while the star players will come from IFA. Trade and FA are inherently less cost efficient, so I will use those to fill in the holes.
 

Travis7401

Douglass Tagg
Community Liaison
SEASON PREVIEW - 2059
The riggers look to close the decade out on a solid note, with a few luxury additions since it is a non IFA season for them.

STARTING PITCHERS
Paul Lee - For the 5th season in a row, Paul lee will lead the riggers into battle as one of the top SPs. He had another good season last year and I expect more good solid performances from him going forward. He's signed with the riggers through the 2062 season and he's been durable and avoided injury so far in his career.

Eulogio Xavier - This was a true luxury splash in the free agent market, but with 65 movement and 65 control I think Eulogio could be a very nice rigger this season and possibly next season as well. He's coming off an injury and I'm going to rehab him in AAA so I don't expect to see him join the WBL roster until late April.

Terry Morgan - Morgan pitched amazingly in a contract year last season, winning the SL Pitching wizard title with an ERA of 1.91 and a WHIP of 0.86. I believe in stats as much as I do ratings, and that performance earned him an extension through the 2061 season. I don't expect him to lead the SL in pitching again, but at $7M a season on a second contract, I think I'm paying a good price for him!

Dave Meyer - Diamond Dave showed his good side last year with a fine season for the riggers. He's always been hit or miss performance wise and you always need to worry about an untimely injury with him, but at $2.5M per season he's a great deal! If Diamond Dave can have another good season, I'll be very confident in this team.

Joey Julian - Got his cup of coffee last year and pitched very well in his limited opportunity. He got shelled in the playoffs, but with 60/60/50 ratings and 3 50+ pitches I think he can be a nice starting pitcher in the back end of the rotation. If he doesn't work out as a SP he projects well as an RP where his stuff would get a bump due to that 70 rated fastball. For now he's a cost control pitcher but he'll have every opportunity in the 2059 season to make a case for hisself. Could be moved to SWINGMAN when Eulogio returns from injury.

Xavier Wood - I like running 6 SPs and Xavier put up serviceable numbers in his rookie campaign last year so he's back this season as a cost controlled back of the rotation SP. Based on his minor league statistical trends, I predict he'll be better than last season and grow into a solid SP for the riggers. These are the type of players that I think help me come up with good regular season records. They aren't flashy or anything but they don't get me killed often either.
Could be moved to SWINGMAN when Eulogio returns from injury.

Edward Trembath - He struggled in his rookie campaign last season in the bullpen and his 50 movement isn't ideal for my team build, but he'll get a chance to start in the first month of the season while Eulogio is recovering from injury. His skillset with a ton of good pitches should be a better fit for the SP role than the RP role, so I'm hoping he takes advantage of his opportunity. Could be moved to SWINGMAN when Eulogio returns from injury, or potentially dropped to AAA if I make another bullpen signing before the season starts.
 
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Travis7401

Douglass Tagg
Community Liaison
SEASON PREVIEW - 2059

RELIEF PITCHERS
I'd still like to add another great reliever in Free Agency, and it is possible one of the SPs could end up in the bullpen in a SWINGMAN roll as well.

Gabriel Castillo - Castillo struggled at the beginning of his rookie year, but turned into an ACE closer down the stretch and in the playoffs. Castillo should be a solid closer going forward, which will be awesome because I've had struggles in this area at times in the last few seasons.

Roberto Ramos - Had a very bad season in 2058, but I think he should be a solid relief pitcher going forward. His 50 movement isn't ideal for my defensive/ballpark build, but I'd think his really high stuff should play a little better than it did last year. Hopefully he can find his 2057 form!

Bilgin Dikerdem - Played well for the riggers in 2058 and he's generally been a good relief pitcher since joining the WBL in 2054. He's also the only LHP for me in the bullpen, which is regrettable from a team building perspective on my part. He should be a solid middle reliever again and he's on the right salary.

Shaun Tattershall - Tattershall has been a consistent MR pitcher for the riggers for the past 3 seasons. He's still a 490k player, so he's definitely got some good value going forward for the riggers. He also received a movement bump so he might become

Chris Carriere - Carriere has played as a starter through the minor leagues, but his stamina makes him a better RP for my team build. He struggled a bit in AAA last year but I think he was just mad that he wasn't in the WBL. The right price for a MR for my team build.

Carlos, Luis - WAR LUIS played very well for the riggers last year, despite his 40 control. I'm not sure his ratings will allow him to stick in the league long term, but I still will give him a shot because I think his performance is hilarious.
 

Travis7401

Douglass Tagg
Community Liaison
SEASON PREVIEW - 2059
I feel a lot better about the backups and bench players this season than I have in previous years, given that I spent a lot of luxury money on 1 year deals with that in mind. I think I'll be a little more resilient in case of injuries.


C - Isam Nazih - Nazih had his best season yet last year and I think he's one of the most key young players on the team. He's an ultra premium defensive catcher who I think really helps my overall pitching and defense and he has also been getting it done at the plate as well. 6 WARS last year was more than he projects at, but I'd be happy with him putting up solid 3+ WAR seasons for a lot of years to come.

DH - Gareth Mosterd - MUSTARD TIGER is a huge luxury acquisition this off season. My DH position was abysmal last year, hitting worse than any other position on the team and costing me a ton of value. Mustard Tiger is on a terrible contract for his age thanks to @Yankee151 but I'm hoping I can get at least one great season and hopefully another solid season out of him before he goes to the glue factory. I haven't had a power batter with an eye like his since HAMMER HARRIS and that ability to walk in my park is going to be pretty important to my offense.

1B - Roosevelt González - Had a bit of a breakout season last year with his promised power finally showing! He hit 36 HRs for the riggers and I hope he'll continue to provide that pop this season because we really struggled to hit for power in general last season and he was one of the lone bright spots. Based on his performance, I extended him through the 2062 season.

2B - Yasin bin Nazeeh - It isn't 2050 @bruin228 and @bruin and this trade turned out disastrously for me last season as Turtle really struggled as a rigger. If he can hit around .300 I think he can slot in well in the #2 spot in my lineup and provide me some good baserunning in front of my bigger bats. If he doesn't hit well, he'll drop down to the #6 spot and try to kick start the second half of my lineup as the other leadoff type guy. I've got a great looking 2B prospect in AA so turtle was brought in to bridge the gap until he's ready to be a WBL starter.

SS - Nicky Ansley - His SS rating dropped a bit in the offseason, but 2058 was actually his best defensive season at the position. He should continue to be a great leadoff hitter for the riggers and provide average defense at a premium position. Moving forward, he may have to make a move to 3B, but for now I'll start him at SS again this season.

3B - Craig Decker - DECKERADES is getting pretty long in the tooth at 35 years of age, but he's still a serviceable starter at 3B who also brings his immeasurable leadership and locker room presence to the team. This could possibly be his last year as a starter for the riggers, but don't be surprised if he's still with the team as a utility player and backup 1B/3B going forward. His bat isn't the most efficient but his defense is good and his leadership is great. He could even take on a DERMOTT McHeshi role with one of the minor league teams

RF - José Vigil - Vigil has produced back to back 4.8 WAR seasons thanks to the combination of a solid bat and great defense. He's signed through the 2060 season, but Mr. Manager will be looking to extend him to a second contract because his skill set simply fits the team very well.

CF - Júlio Manuel - In 2058 Julio bounced back from a rough 2057 campaign and won his 5th glove wizard award in LF while hitting pretty darn well for a dude who has seen a slow ratings drop over the years due to MS. Due to a long injury to Prospect/BUM Wesley Fonkert, Julio Manuel will find hisself starting at CF for the riggers in 2059. Wesley may take this CF spot later in the season after some rehab and extra AAA time, in which case JULIO will slide over to LF again for the rest of the season. I'm excited for him to play his natural CF position this year doe, as I think he can add a lot of WARS won with good fieldign.

LF - Ryan Fuller - A $3M 1 year luxury signing, Ryan Fuller has good defense, good intangibles, and is a LHB so I anticipate he'll be a serviceable starter for the riggers this season while Fonkert is away. If he could hit over .700 OPS and play good defense I'll be happy with the signing, especially given the fact that he'll only boost team morale with his intangibles.

Backup C - Sal Lynch - The lynch signing caused some consternation from the little sisters of the poor @Lloyd Carr who accused the riggers of hoarding talent. Mr. Manager things this is one of the most important upgrades he made in the offseason, as backup catcher was a big leak last year. Lynch should provide WBL level backup performances at C and his bat is good enough that he'll also give the riggers some pop off the bench as a pinch hitter, something they were sorely missing last season. For 900k I think he provides great value and should be at least a 1 win improvement over last year's backup.

Utility IF 1B/3B/DH - Naif Na'Il Mu'adh - Naif is another luxury 1 year signing designed to give the riggers another solid bench bat. His range isn't good enough to really start at 3B but it should be good enough that he can prove a solid backup at that position. He also has a good enough defensive rating at 1B to be a backup there as well. Finally, he'll also be the backup DH and give the riggers some more solid pinch hitting against LHP, which was also something they lacked last season.

Utility IF 2B/SS - Douglass Tagg - Well we all know how loathsome Douglass is... he's simply a legend of loathsome. The riggers have never posted a losing season with him on the 25 man roster and he plans on keeping that streak alive with all the LEADERSHIP WARS WON he can possibly muster. His bat continues to be downgraded, his defensive range dropped, and he's now only got 40 running speed so he can barely function in the WBL... and he's signed through the 2067 season! :laughing:

Utility IF 2B/SS - Raúl Lara - by every objective measure, Lara is better than Douglass and he should be on the 25 man roster as a utility infielder, but he might find hisself in AAA depending on how many batters the riggers are able to carry. It would be nice to have a player of his defensive quality on the roster to act as a defensive sub to 2B, SS, and 3B and he's also got some value as a pinch runner as well. Despite his loathsome bat, I could also see him being a starter at SS if/when Mr. Manager decides to move pinky to 3B.

Utility OF - Stuart Binning - Binning was another luxury addition to the riggers, and I'm super excited to have him on the team. 4th OF was a real problem position last year as none of my AAAA BUMS decided they wanted to make the cut. Thanks to @Orlando for running the team this offseason and signing a true dream rigger... A 4th OF with a LHB and ++ defense at 4 positions and WHITE HOT VERY HIGH LEADERSHIP? What a time to be alive.

WILDCARD - Wesley Fonkert - has 6 weeks left on IR and then I will be sending him to AAA for some rehab time as well and he might stay there a little longer to get some confidence back after the injury as well. He's the most promising prospect the riggers have had in years, so I'm really hoping the big time injury didn't derail his career. He should be one of the best defensive CFs in the league this season and his bat is also far enough along that it is WBL ready, though he did suffer a contact rating decrease this off season and an eye decrease last off season. He might not have the bat I once hoped for to make him a true GOAT CF but he should still be an awesome rigger with his defensive skillset! I'm going to be more conservative with him and hope that he's ready for the 2nd half of the season and playoffs as a CF.
 

Travis7401

Douglass Tagg
Community Liaison
The riggers will be honoring Douglass Tagg on opening day at the Sphere, and will be releasing a multi-part biography about his life.

Part 1 - What's in a name?

Douglass Tagg was born on November 10[sup]th[/sup], 2025 in May Pen, Jamaica to a young North Dakota woman named Sally Tagg. Douglass’ Jamaican father, who contributed nothing more than his DNA... not even his surname, to this remarkable story disappeared a week before the birth. This man, of whom we will speak no more, left Sally stranded 2,500 miles from home at this most inopportune time. Her mother was right about the damn freeloader.

Sally named her son after the famed abolitionist Frederick Douglass, whose biography, Life and Times of Frederick Douglass, she read during the pregnancy. She was inspired by Douglass’ pursuit of equality and boundless capacity for empathy, which extended to people beyond his own race and gender. She liked the idea of a former slave not hanging up his hat after the emancipation work was done, but continuing to fight for women’s suffrage, native rights, and many other liberal causes.

She also liked that Douglass had the courage of his convictions, not another man full of empty promises. Her favorite example being his response regarding the “True Remedy” to the Fugitive Slave Act; “a good revolver, a steady hand, and the determination to shoot down any man attempting to kidnap.” The stern countenance on the front cover of her e-reader gave her strength to make it through this most difficult time. Like so many hopeful young parents, she prayed that this name would provide strength, guidance, and possibly even a role model for her son, through some sort of mystical onomastic osmosis.

For his part, the young Douglass Tagg was constantly disappointed in souvenir key chains, mugs, license plates, and dull pocket knives that only offered “Douglas” as an option. So close.
 
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Travis7401

Douglass Tagg
Community Liaison
PLAYED WITH MY BTT TOOL SPREADSHEET TONIGHT. Based the games started on what they've already played and then projected the rest of the season as well.

Hypothetical Replacement Team = 45 wins
Position Players = 29 Wins
Pitchers are less precise, but I have a solid staff good for 15-20 wins. My best staffs ever accounted for roughly 25 wins and I'm not quite there because my young SPs didn't perform all that well.
PREDICTED WINS = 89-94 WINS

Currently on pace for 91 WINS! The TOOL is pretty solid at predicting performance, the only things you have to watch out for are young players who are actually more advanced than their rating suggest and old players who have declined more than their ratings suggest (ie performance precedes rating changes on both ends of the curve). I think I'm going to add a park factor adjustment button because my RHB are typically over predicted! I didn't really do any platooning at all this year. As I start paying attention more, I think that can be a benefit.

1565322733021.png
 
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ZackMills

Have mercy
Thought this bump was going to be for the ceremonial handing of the keys over to @Reel. We all get front row seats to see father Travis give a brand new sports car to teenage Reel. Only question is how long before he totals it.
 

Travis7401

Douglass Tagg
Community Liaison
I don't think the riggers have ever developed a HOME GROWN HOG player. Isn't PINKY still the only rigger in the hall, and he was a BORG development.
 

Travis7401

Douglass Tagg
Community Liaison
I'm so immersed that I did a complete ORGANIZATIONAL DEPTH CHART and found that my minor leagues are pretty lacking in depth of quality minor league players, not surprising since I hadn't paid attention passed round 2 of the draft in YEARS. I think the draft this season should pretty much remedy that and I'll basically have an entirely new roster for the WACO SATANIC GOATS! Here is my pre-draft org chart. BLUE = a player with All-star potential (may not be fully developed yet), Green is a player with solid starter potential, Yellow is a marginal starter or a good depth/backup, and red is replacement level or worse. As you can see, most of my best potential players are already in the WBL. I have some decent prospects, but I'm really missing the depth in YELLOW type players that fill out a roster. I need to get my system depth built again, because it is really a lot more effecient to fill out the YELLOW type players with home-grown talent at 490k-750k than it is to go into FA and pick guys up for 1-2M.

All of my OF prospects are CF capable right now, but are also trained to play LF and RF so I put them there as well. The lack of corner OFs with bigger bats (and 1B and DH types with bigger bats) is part of what I focused on correcting in this last draft.

Position Players
1565554260515.png

Here are my pitchers. I've got 2 SPs that are already ELITE in Lowry and Hicks and then I've got 5 more solid young SPs under team control. Tomas Cortes was out for most of the season with an injury, so I'm sure he's dead and Enrique Guzman and Colin Grieves both have great potential, but both of them have kinda stalled in development, so they'll probably more like green/yellow level SPs and might end up in the bullpen. Grieves is still 10 points below his potential control, and that's something that I think he really needs to become an elite SP. Guzman is struggling to add quality to his 3rd pitch, making it look likely that he'll end up being an RP instead of a SP. Ironically, the two other young SPs, Napier and Ashe don't have the same potential top end as Guzman and Grieves, but they are almost fully developed and currently playing better in the WBL. I suffered several injuries to my best pitching prospects this year, making the future look pretty dim when all my currently team controlled guys start asking for more money. I drafted 1 Green potential SP and 1 yellow potential SP, so we'll see.

Owen SLIDER docking is the only player currently listed on both sides. He's pretty marginal as a SP at this point in his career, but can play there in a pinch. He's pitched pretty well out of the bullpen this year, but he's more of a long relief type.

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