Travis7401's North Dakota riggers Thread

[Travis7401]

2048 north dakota riggers Season Preview - Season Goals

The goal for this season is to meet or exceed last year's win total (66) and standings (7th in South) while reducing the player payroll by 25% in order to attempt to reverse the steady downward trend in my budgets over the years. Basically to win at least the same number of games on a more efficient salary. No major moves were made in the off season other than shedding bad contracts and replacing them with cheaper players who should contribute about the same. That gives me a year to watch/learn/observe before making larger moves.

Long term goal is to be able to make the playoffs by 2054 season as my crop of younger good potential players matures.

 

[Mr. Radpants]

Man, wish my owner gave me specific, reasonable goals like that.

 

[Travis7401]

Man, wish my owner gave me specific, reasonable goals like that.

Those weren't my owner goals, fwiw. He wanted .500 ball, upgrade in left field, increased attendance, top 4 youth program, and playoffs by 2053. Fairly similar, but I'm less ambitious.

 

[Mr. Radpants]

I know.

 

[Travis7401]

2048 north dakota riggers Season Preview - Financial Snapshot

As you can see in the financial snapshot below, the riggers have been on a steady budgetary decline since at least 2040. Even in years where the revenue slightly exceeds expenses, there is still typically a budget cut in the year following. In years where expenses actually exceed revenue (like in 2042 and 2043) there is a pronounced drop in budgets the following year. This can have lasting effects that propagate through even if the budgets are balanced in the future (lots of excess revenue in 2044 still a small drop in budget in 2045). Only when the team was able to string together a winning season and a couple of very good fiscal years (2044 and 2045) was the budget increased.

So in order to reverse the steady downward trend in my budget, so that I'll eventually have enough money to pay my young players, I had to find a way to either increase revenue or reduce expenses by a pretty large margin. I'm not comfortable enough with the game mechanics yet to be confident in increasing my revenue through winning, so I figured I could at least slash expenses and match expectations. If I play as expected this season, I should have a higher projected budget in 2050.

 

[OU11]

How much did you end up bumping fan interest?

 

[Mr. Radpants]

Sharing financial scouting, bant.

 

[Mr. Radpants]

Wow, never seen XTREME fan loyalty, nice.

 

[OU11]

Wow, never seen XTREME fan loyalty, nice.

I have no idea how that hasnt dropped given their history, maybe from that move from the hustle and bustle of Melbourne to the middle of nowhere did it. Not a lot to do there, a world baseball league would be a pretty fascinating thing for them to crawl out of their dives to go see

 

[ZackMills]

Don't hate on the brown and yellow.

I'm not, I like that color scheme.

 

[Travis7401]

How much did you end up bumping fan interest?

Can't completely recall where it was last season, but it has definitely improved, thus the increased ticket sales with no change in prices.

 

[Travis7401]

I have no idea how that hasnt dropped given their history, maybe from that move from the hustle and bustle of Melbourne to the middle of nowhere did it. Not a lot to do there, a world baseball league would be a pretty fascinating thing for them to crawl out of their dives to go see

Chuck Klosterman just left Grantland to be my main beat writer

 

[Travis7401]

2048 north dakota riggers Season Preview - Starting Pitching (Might as well start with the messiest position)

Well, this was a major problem area for the CPU riggers last season due to injuries and huge salaries on ineffective players. Brad Weeks was the only pitcher who performed close to league average while also being on a decent salary. Imagine my excitement when I find out a 35 year old pitcher with 45 control is my "ace"? HMMMMMMMM The decision to get rid of "Dr. Sad" and his $15/Million dollar a year salary coupled with poor performance was easy. Tom "Ugly" Zhong was actually a pretty decent pitcher last season for the riggers, but he was really old and set to make $5Million/year and only had 35 stamina, so I thought I could do better for cheaper moving forward. He's now retired... Nabi Ulmalhamah Dawud had good looking ratings, but had a pretty horrible year in the WBL last season and was also injury prone and had low stamina so Mr. Manager made the decision to let him walk as well (He was picked up by @Gooksta with Key west). Two major injuries to Verner "The Mole" Hartlieb and Helepontico Cicio rounded out the Charlie Foxtrot. I also thought that Hartlieb and Cicio were recovered from their injuries when an offseason report let me know that they had "0 days remaining on the DL." That really just meant that the DL ended for the season, but they were still injured so they will be out for 2 and 3 months respectively to start this season. The only propsect coming up in the next few seasons is a dude by the name of Fransisco Garcia, who honestly looks like he might be more of a reliever since he only has 2 good pitches.

My reaction to my starting pitcher situation:

So during the offseason my #1 priority was to sign or trade for at least 3 stop gap starting pitchers, with a focus on stamina and injury avoidance since a couple of my guys are already limited in those ares. I brought in Ralf Weinstein and Wijnald Leenderts, two journeymen WBL pitchers with good stamina and fairly good ratings for free agents, but sordid histories with Dublin. Oh well, they should hopefully fit the role as stop gap guys with good stamina. Fuck. The third pitcher was a 26 year old regen type free agent with no history named duarte. Weird that he had no history at all other than some college ball at age 26. Anyway, he's rated 50 in every pitching stat and has 5 50 rated pitches, which actually made him one of the better FA pitchers available for a reasonable salary. HMMMMM. A couple of my relief pitchers have 3 pitches at least and could be borderline Starters if necessary, according to my scout.

So anyway, here is my current starting pitching lineup and I also included Hartlieb and Cicio available in 2 and 3 months respectively. OSA ratings only so @Mr. Radpants won't get mad.

1. Brad Weeks

2. Ralf Weinstein (Downtown is an unnerving nickname for your #2 pitcher, lol)

3. Wijnald Leenderts

4. Manny Duarte

5. Francisco Garcia and Hoyt Easton - Both bullpen guys and emergency starters until Mole returns from injury

Currently Injured, but will bump Duarte down to AAA and Easton/Garcia back to bullpen when they return in glory like the Phoenix from the ashes:

Verner Hartlieb

Helepontico Cicio

 

[Travis7401]

2048 north dakota riggers Season Preview - Starting Pitching (continued)

I updated the above post with Screenshots of my players. This post will contain info about my starting pitcher prospects, which I arrived to find arguably more barren than any other position on my team. HMMMMMM. Going to have to rely on trades or free agents in the future in order to get players for my 5 year goal timeline and then focus on drafting and IFA to add additional younger players for the next crop. I've included a snapshot of my pitching prospects across the age range, but this is certainly not intended to be an exhaustive review.

Anyway, here is a 23 year old guy who played a little reliever last year in the WBL, but upon realizing he had 3 solid pitches and a 4th shitty pitch, I converted him to a SP and decided to see if he'd make it so he'll play AAA this year but he's also on the 40 man roster in case I need him. I expect him to do well in AAA and hopefully be able to replace one of the stop gap pitchers soon enough

Miklas Pellenaars

This guy is Julian, of from Trailer Park Boys fame's, younger brother. I acquired him from @Schauwn who apparently has been collecting pitching prospects like Pokemon and didn't need him. I gave up one of my 4 20-21 year old catching prospects to get him, so this is probably a move where both of us got rid of an excess guy in return for a prospect at a position of need. My only trade of the offseason, but I'm pleased with it. Since he's only 20 I'm gonna start him in AA this season, even though he played a little AAA last year

Bill "Julian's younger brother" Tremblay (I reserve the right to change the spelling of any man's name @Brick)

Then finally,my youngest pitching prospect who was drafted in the 3rd Round by the CPU. He's got a grown ass man bandito mustache at 19, which I gave him +10 for on his BTT ratings.

Bill Kimes

 

[Schauwn]

Personally, I'd go with Easton in the #5 spot since he has an established 3rd pitch and let Garcia come out of the pen with that fire.

As for the trade, you hit it on the head. He would've been my #5 guy if all pans out with the other 3 + Rat, and when Rat leaves he would've been a solid #4 for me. But I felt like I could find that in FA/IFA/Draft before the time is needed, and I didnt have any AAA level catching prospects, so it was the epitome of a deal that was a + for both sides.

 

[Travis7401]

2048 north dakota riggers Season Preview - Bullpen

Well, I made a few trades and secured new #4 and #5 starting pitchers to play until Mole/Cicio return, which slides Hoyt Easton and Francisco Garcia back into the middle relief area bullpen where I think they belong and Duarte into AAA. I actually really like my Bullpen at the WBL level and I've got some decent prospects in the minors as well. \


Middle Relievers:
Francisco Garcia

Hoyt Easton

Leon Gonzalez

Left Hand Specialist (with Middle Relief as secondary) Daniel Saldana:

Setup Relief (If you combined them into one player, they'd be so awesome, ha ha)

Nicholas Uridge: (also secondary closer)

Tyrone Massey:

And the Closer Patrick Rauch:

Also considering swapping Massey/Garcia based on @Orlando suggestion.

 

[Yankee151]

I remember when Saldana and Rauch were younglings in my system. Saldana never hit his starter potential but both turned out really well

 

[Travis7401]

So I fucked up with my season Preview and didn't get it all posted. Gonna do a 3/4 season review tonight since I have the time. Am drunk, so we'll see how far I get!

 

[Travis7401]

Starting Pitching

As you can see in the season preview, this was an area of turmoil for the riggers heading into the season. We were only returning one healthy player (Brad Weeks) and two injured players (Mole, Cicio). To supplement that group, I gathered some castoffs form @Radpants and accepted a generous trade from @Orlando for players I though would fit my ballpark and strategy. So far I think it has honestly gone better than expected. The only surprise is that the one returning player, Brad Weeks, hasn't performed well at all.

Here are the most recent stats:

Here is an individual recap of how I think the season has gone so far for each pitcher and the order in which I value them:


Jesse Wiseman - This was the trade gift from @Orlando. Interesting ratings that fit my park well I think. He started off a little slow but has really become one of the most trustworthy pitchers on the staff. He's pitched a couple of complete games including complete game shutout. He's regularly stayed at around 3.5-4.0 ERA all season long, which I find great for a player on minimum salary who is pitching this many innings. I don't think he's ever going to be a true ace, because of his lack of stuff, but he's going to hopefully be a very nice player who contributes in my ballpark and with my strategy. My scout also likes him, so maybe he'll turn out better than expected.

Wijnald Leendarts - An @Mr. Radpants castoff who is similar to Wiseman in that he lacks stuff, but makes up for it with good ratings in the other categories that seem a little undervalued in the WBL. It works well enough in my park and with my strategy and team. Leenderts has been a little hit or miss at times but he's also pitched a lot of complete games and some complete game shutouts. He isn't on minimum salary, but it is reasonable enough for what he provides. He's not part of the long term plan, but I think he can provide cost-effective pitching in 2050 and possibly beyond.

Ralph "Downtown" Weinstein - Another @Mr. Radpants castoff. Was probably my best pitcher until he hit a cold streak and went off the rails in 3/4 of his most recent starts. Prior to that he had an ERA of <3.5. I'm confident that he'll lock it up down the stretch and prove to be a decent pitcher. He's basically filling the same role as Leenderts on the team. He isn't part of the future, but he's providing cost effective pitching right now and I expect him to do the same in 2050.

Helespontico Cicio - Was injured for the majority of the season and got absolutely destroyed at the hands of the Tanners @ZackMills in his first start back from rehab. Since that start, he's been great, giving up only 3 total earned runs in 3 games. I like his potential to develop into the type of pitcher who fits my system. He's on minimum salary and my scout likes him, so he has potential to help the team in the future as a role player! I just hope he doesn't repeat his injury history.

Kadidou Idogbe - A complete mongoloid with extremely low intelligence that I got from @Lloyd Carr in a trade. He hasn't had the greatest year so far, but he's had some nice outings. He's a decently young dude on minimum salary and again my scout likes him. Possible role player for the future as long as he doesn't burn his hand on a hot iron or something.

Brad Weeks - Was really hoping to get a solid year out of him. He started off alright, but he's progressively gotten worse. I think he's reached that age where his ratings look a lot nicer than the stats he's generating. When Cicio came back from injury I moved Weeks to the bullpen as long relief because I was tired of losing. Better at getting strikeouts than any of my other SPs really, but his lack of control just doesn't fit the style/park. He will not be with the team in 2050.

I also traded away THE MOLE because I felt like even if he developed perfectly and avoided injury he'd hit his prime before I was ready to compete and then subsequently be too expensive. I also hated his injury history. I traded him to @Orlando and he instantly got hurt. What a dick. I owe Orlando some trade favor in the future for giving me THE WISEMAN and getting fucked on Mole.

 

[Travis7401]

Relief Pitchers

As much as I've been pleased with my starting pitching, I love my relievers even more. They've really been very solid for me this season. There are also a couple of pitchers in this group that could play as starting pitchers if necessary. I'm not sure how many of them figure into my long term plans, so if any of you elitist fuckers with good teams need a good relief pitcher, I'm ur Huckleberry.

Francisco Garcia- He's starting pitcher material other than the fact that he only has two good pitches. Still, he is a young player with phenomenal potential to become even better. My scouts and OSA both love him. I'm currently using him as middle relief and "use more often." While he's only 26 he's been with the club long enough that he's no longer on minimum salary. He'll be an important part of my team for the next few seasons, but not sure how he'll fit in long term yet.

Daniel Saldana - He's my LOOGY and is also set as a relief pitcher. Still on minimum salary and he's producing super well. Another guy who could potentially be a starter but is limited by the fact that he's only got 2 good pitches. My scout is in love with him, so we'll see what happens! If you want this guy for ur playoff run you can have him at great cost!

Tyrone Massey - This guy is a true rigger. Just look at dat control! Still relatively cheap for what he's providing to the team, but at age 29 I'm not sure how he'll fit into the 5 year plan. For now he's a really nice player to have.

Nicholas Uridge - OMG look at that 80/80 stuff rating. Someone needs this dude to get Ks in the playoffs. PAY ME NOW! Another guy who is playing pretty awesome for me now, but I'm just not sure where he fits in my future since he's 28 and I don't want to pay a relief pitcher much more than I'm already paying him. He's definitely a nice player for now!

Patrick Rauch - My BTT Closer, he was always going to be a key player for my season. He's definitely played well enough so far, but his salary is a little more than I'd like to pay for the position. He's been overshadowed by some of the other relief pitchers, and I think a couple of the other guys might actually do better as closer. I'm not sure what role he will play in the next few years, but he probably isn't part of the long term plan.

Hoyt Easton - Serviceable player on a minimum salary is always nice. My scouts don't really like him and he's up for arbitration. I won't be paying through the nose to keep him, but if his price tag is reasonable he'll be with the team for another season at least. I've got a couple young players who look like they could take his spot in the next few seasons too.

 

[Travis7401]

Catchers/Infield

As a group they are good at fielding and not as good at hitting. Even the player who are good at hitting (ROUGH RIDHA) have very pronounced strengths and weaknesses. Being one of the Have Nots, I feel like I've cobbled together a decent starting lineup that helps my groundball pitchers. I have some players who produce well for their salaries and some stop gap players. With the exception of one (maybe two?) positions, the future is in my minor league system

Miguel Rodriguez (Starting Catcher) - He's honestly been a pretty pleasant surprise this season for me. So far he's on pace for by far his best season yet in the WBL. He's played a little better than his rating I think (despite a recent cold spell) and has provided good defense from the catcher spot. He's up for arbitration, so I'm not sure what my long term plan will be with him yet, but if his price isn't unreasonable I'll probably keep him through my transition period.

Scott Grant - This dude is just a body so that I could keep my more talented young player in AAA to get reps. He'll be gone next season

Tamham ROUGH Ridha - Currently having his best season in the WBL and batting in the #4 spot for the riggers. 2049 ALL STAR He's played the part with 31 HRs and 96 RBIs through 3/4 of the season which place him near the top of the leaderboards for both in the WBL. He's also got a good glove. 1/4 of his hits are HRs! Unfortunately when he's not hitting HRs he's a fucking disaster at the plate... His batting average isn't great and he doesn't have a good eye to get on base either. He's signed through 2050, but after that I imagine he and the riggers will part ways if he wants much more than his current salary. He probably won't do better than he has this year, and that means he probably won't be part of the FUTURE.

Eneas Cezimbra - My scout really loves this dude a lot more than the OSA does. Probably the biggest disparity in ratings I've seen yet. Given the fact that he's only 22 and is contributing in a relatively positive way in the WBL means I hope my scouts are right. I'm not sure what he's going to develop into, but for the time being he's giving me decent value for the money as a leadoff type hitter. Unfortunately I have several other dudes who are better in that role, so he ends up batting either 6th or 9th. His defense has been very solid at 2b. I will try to develop him at other positions to see if he can at least become a utility player if he never amounts to a starter.

Clement Launay - Here is one of the few players who I can almost guarantee will be part of my long term plans. He's had a good season so far and my scouts like him a lot more than the OSA ratings indicate. He can play almost any position on the field, which means his utility value at least gives him a great future even if he doesn't pan out as a starter. His batting average has been a little lower than I'd like to see from a leadoff guy this season, but I think that will improve as he grows up. The nice part is even though he's not hitting super well, he's still getting on base! Then when he gets on base he's a threat to steal. His defense has been good at SS but eventually I'll probably play him elsewhere. He could really be a star player in this league if he developes well. If he doesn't develop well, he's still going to be a player I want on my team due to his versatility!

Marco Eirosa - The replacement for the GREAT ANDY BOBANDY DARRACH. He's not playing quite as well as Bobandy, but he's only being paid 490k as poopsed ot over $6 Million per year. If the OSA ratings are correct, he's a stop gap player for a few years until my more promising prospects develop. If my scout's ratings are correct, I think he'll be a really nice leadoff/#2 type hitter because of his eye and propensity to earn walks. I will try to help him develop more versatility next spring training, as I'd like him to at least become a utility player if he doesn't pan out as a starter. I'm a little worried about his stats dropping pretty drastically since he became a Rigger, but I'm hoping it was just the change that messed up his rhythm.

Steve Green - I kept him as a utility player and defensive substitute. His hitting statistics have been even worse than his hitting ratings would suggest. He's up for arbitration, so I'm not sure I'll keep him going forward. I'd like to have a utility player who has a slightly better bat or at least gets on base.

 

[Travis7401]

Outfielders

Going into the season, I thought I had a lot of depth at the corner outfield spot and was a bit worried about the CF area where my primary starter wasn't great at fielding and I didn't really have a backup. I had a lot of borderline WBL/AAA guys and I wans't sure who would succeed. I also had a couple of players who looked like they might be more suited to DH position than OF. When it comes to performance, I've been impressed with about half of the players and horribly disappointed with the rest. The Outfielders account for the best and worst performances on the team for me. One of my promising prospects (Dave Kramer) played so poorly that I had to demote and replace him and then he continued to suck in AAA as well, lol. The good news is I have a couple of dudes who are really doing well in AAA so next year should be better!

Mike Harris - Started the year as my starting left fielder. When Dave Kramer's DH play went to fuckshit, I called up Lares, which meant it made the most sense to move Harris to DH. Harris has played really well throughout the year. My scout likes him more than the OSA does and I think he can be a really nice player for me in the future. I wish his fielding and hitting against lefties was better, but at the very least I can play him as DH against RHPs

George Miller - His fielding stats are really pretty poor this season, which is keeping his overall performance down. Still, he's been one of my most consistent bats, which I'm lacking in general as a team. He's having a nice season. He's also one of my highest paid players and he's 29, so I'm not sure what the future entails. I'd like to keep him for a bit since I don't have a WBL ready CF prospect waiting, but do have some young players with promise.

Solano Lares - I called him up from AAA when I dropped Dave Kramer down. Lares has been a pleasant surprise. He's hit well and played decent defense in limited action. My scout likes him more than the OSA does, and his stats this year seem to corroborate the scout's opinion. I'm hoping he'll turn into a nice substitute/role player going forward. The fact that I have him starting right now is a bit distressing. A role player at best moving forward, so I'll keep him as long as the salary is right.

Brandon Marsh - He has played really phenomenal defense this year, but his hitting has not been up to what I'd expect given his ratings. He started extremely slowly this season and has been improving, so I'm hoping he ends the season with something to build on. A role player at best heading forward, so I'll keep him as long as the salary is right.

Sean Hollingsworth - Called up to help out with the RF spot. Hit pretty well in the middle of the season but has struggled of late. His defense isn't great either, so I'm left with sub par defense AND hitting. HMMMMMM. Still he's playing better than any of the other RF options. Probably won't be with the team next year. I have better looking role players in Lares and Marsh.

Caden Traill - Coming into the season, this dude was supposed to be one of my more solid players. He has a nice solid history in the WBL as a player who isn't a liability at least. His salary isn't terrible, and he's been with the team for a while now. Unfortunately, he's had the worst season imaginable. I keep trying to work him in at the RF spot because Hollingsworth isn't lighting the world on fire either, but Trail just keeps blowing donkey dick every time he gets a chance to start. Literally almost every sim I open up OOTP and find that Trail is on another cold streak. He's a team option next year, and I won't be extending him. "Caden Traill" is a douche name anyway, so fuck him. He should play lacrosse.

 

[Travis7401]

Here are my owner's goals and how I'm doing. I think they are pretty reasonable. I was a little upset with the "upgrade left field" goal because my owner was pissed at me all year about it, even though left field started as one of my more solid positions and ended as my very best position. I completly accomplished the attendance goal, am doing pretty well on the "play close to .500 ball" goal, and have made good progress on the long term building my farm goal. I also think I'm well on the way to having a nice playoff team in 2053. If you look at my farm system, you'll see I have pretty good young players (top 10) at every position other than 2nd base, where my young prospect is already in the WBL (Launay who is playing SS for me now). I like where the riggers are heading. A few more seasons of money efficient winning are required, but by about 2052 or 2053 I should be ready to make a nice push.

 

[Travis7401]

Here is the more detailed financial snapshot of my team: Green is Good production to pay ratio. No shading means the player performed to expectations. Yellow indicates their production was a little lower than I'd hoped for the pay, but still okay. Red means poor production at a high salary.

 

[Mr. Radpants]

Only one of my pitchers was good in the end.

 

[Travis7401]

Only one of my pitchers was good in the end.

Lets go "Lol Pitcher WAR" on this one to see the whole picture.

Weinstein actually played pretty well for a most of the season. He just had an absolutely disastrous month of August (like 15 ERA in 5 starts). I probably should have benched him during that stretch, or at least looked to see if he had some other issues going on, but that was when I was out of town on vacation, so he just had to ride it out. If you take that one month out, he would have had an ERA in the low 4.0 range and an ERA+ over 100 (and therefore +WAR).

For the money, I think he did a decent job this season.

 

[ZackMills]

What are some good ticket prices to try for The Tanners? Currently set at $35.

 

[Mr. Radpants]

Wow what a rip off

 

[ZackMills]

Wow what a rip off

I assume @Reel had to raise the prices to sign Kim and Niklasson.

 

[Wolfman21]

I assume @Reel had to raise the prices to sign Kim and Niklasson.

Charging prices that high is losing money though. I was charging $28 the last few years. This year I knocked it down to $27 and raised my revenue/gm by 5% and my attendance went up by about 4k per game.

 

[ZackMills]

This is the first chance I've had to change the price. I assume I should charge less than you since you don't blow?

 

[OU11]

This is the first chance I've had to change the price. I assume I should charge less than you since you don't blow?

Move it down slightly, if you go from 35 to 24 and don't sell a ton more tickets you're going to lose a lot of money. Just go down to 32 or something and see where you're at. Schauwn went down $2 and lost a lot because his ticket sales didn't go up so he just lost $2 on every ticket instead of making more due to more demand.

You can calculate the break-even point for any price compared to your 35 number

 

[Schauwn]

Move it down slightly, if you go from 35 to 24 and don't sell a ton more tickets you're going to lose a lot of money. Just go down to 32 or something and see where you're at. Schauwn went down $2 and lost a lot because his ticket sales didn't go up so he just lost $2 on every ticket instead of making more due to more demand.

You can calculate the break-even point for any price compared to your 35 number

I'm confused how I lost a lot, my revenue went up...

 

[OU11]

I'm confused how I lost a lot, my revenue went up...

You lost $5M on ticket sales year over year

 

[Schauwn]

You lost $5M on ticket sales year over year

Where do I find that info?

 

[OU11]

Where do I find that info?

Financial tab, accounting tab. Look at 2048 season ticket sales + gate revenue and compare that to 2049. In-season you'll see it compared on the finance tab home screen on the left side.

 

[Schauwn]

So, do I have any way to directly increase revenue, besides increasing ticket prices and hoping my team is around .500 this year?

 

[Gooksta]

So, do I have any way to directly increase revenue, besides increasing ticket prices and hoping my team is around .500 this year?

Not really..signing popular players can help too

 

[Schauwn]

Not really..signing popular players can help too

That's what I thought. I tried last year, but didnt have a lot of money to spend on the guys that were popular, much less have any space for them on my roster.

 

[Yankee151]

I actually wonder if me signing Ruiz and Hong helped, I mean I know I traded them away but they had to have helped attendance and stuff while they were here

 

[OU11]

So, do I have any way to directly increase revenue, besides increasing ticket prices and hoping my team is around .500 this year?

No, merchandising is based off interest I believe which is based off record. You can project what your revenue will be right now though.

I made a simple break even analysis on googledocs

 

[OU11]

Anybody can use that. Just put your current ticket prices and projected attendance found in the Front Office>Finance tab and then change ticket prices to whatever you want to see what you'd need.

 

[OU11]

Also it will be more realistic once we get into preseason and you can actually project. If you wanted to use what you're budgeted for, here

 

[Orlando]

Your cant change ticket prices in preseason though. They are set at winter meetings.

 

[Travis7401]

SPRING TRAINING SEASON PREVIEW - STARTING PITCHERS

Jesse Wiseman - Had a good season last year for the riggers and I really like how his pitching style fits my team. Was a league leader for the fewest HRs/9 innings last season. I've named him the #1 pitcher heading into the season.

Wijnand Leenderts also had a decent season last year and fits the team play style similar to how Wiseman does. Overlooked by others for his lack of stuff, he's found a home with the riggers!

Helespontico Cicio - Was injured for most of last season, but came on strong for the riggers and helped them during that great run in August.

Kadidou Idogbe - Bound to fall and stab hisself with scissors while running, this troglodyte was the 4th-5th pitcher for the riggers last year and did a serviceable job. He's seen a decent improvement in the off season, so hopefully that translates to the field.

Jose Rivera - A newcomer to the riggers. His ratings aren't phenomenal, but he's got 3 good pitches and he did have a really nice AAA career so I'm banking on him playing a bit above his ratings. I think this is an @OU11 cut? I got rid of Brad Weeks in the offseason and saved some money on this signing, so hopefully he'll be a decent budget option as the #4-5 type pitcher.

As my roster matures for the playoff run in a couple seasons, I'm probably going to have to either make trades or go big in free agency for at least one or two ace quality pitchers because I'm not sure my current crop of prospects will be ready by then, since the CPU had left the cupboards bare.

 

[Yankee151]

This game is lame now come play clubs

 

[Travis7401]

SPRING TRAINING SEASON PREVIEW - RELIEF PITCHERS

Ralph "The Banker" Weinstein - Played pretty well, other than one abysmal month, last season. Of the returning starting pitchers, he's the one I decided would be most useful in the bullpen. He'll be a long reliever and emergency starter should we encounter injuries or have a SP who just isn't playing well.

Esteve Montes - Came over in a trade with Buffalo and @Lloyd Carr last season, was phenomenal for the riggers down the stretch and I'm expecting big things out of him again this season. Relatively unique skill set on the staff. If he plays well again, I'll be signing him long term.

Hoyt Easton - Not my favorite relief pitcher, but he did just enough last season to earn his spot in the lineup again. He'll likely be gone next season with arbitration and some youth moving up.

Daniel Saldana - Was phenomenal last season and I locked him down on a cheap contract through 2054, so he should be around for a few seasons as a LOOGY and setup guy

Tyrone Massey - Also had a nice season last year and I locked him down on a cheap contract through 2055, so he'll be part of our eventual playoff push as well.

Francisco Garcia - He's the next player I plan to lock down long term for my relief staff and I'll be pretty confident in having 3 good/great relief pitchers on reasonable salaries for my playoff push.

Patrick Rauch - He's my closer and I might swing him into starting pitcher duty if one of the stop-gap SPs really struggles. I've got him for the next 2 seasons on a higher contract than I'd like for a RP, so I'll just have to see how he performs and where the team is before deciding long term. Either way, he's around for the next two years and I'm happy about that!

 

[Travis7401]

SPRING TRAINING SEASON PREVIEW - CATCHERS

Miguel Rodriguez - was one of the more consistent players for the riggers last season. This might be his last year with the team, depending on arbitration, but I might be able to keep him as a role player going forward, depending on how my youths pan out.

Claudio Montes - Has struggled in the WBL so far, but played well in AAA last season. Saw a huge ratings boost in the last year, but still has room to grow in a lot of areas. I decided to put him on the WBL roster this season as he hits well against LHP which is something my team struggles with in general. At worst, he'll probably play DH against LHP but he might play C against LHP depending on how Rodriguez does. Promising future for this guy, but I expect it might take a couple years for him to really start dominating.

 

[Travis7401]

SPRING TRAINING SEASON PREVIEW - INFIELD

Tamam RUFF Ridha - had a nice season smacking HRs last year. He's in the last year of his contract and I'll probably let him walk if he's expensive. If he's cheap I might keep him around just for the bat! He's very weak against LHP, which I look to help him out with this season.

Dani Rodriguez - My youngster who also has a great bat against LHP, so this should work out nicely! He'll play 1B against LHP to start and get rid of RUFF Ridha's glaring weakness. Platooning Catcher/First Base probably isn't the best plan for team versatility, but this is what I've got for the moment. This will be his first season in the WBL, so I anticipate some early struggles, but at least I've got Ruff Ridha there if needed.

Clement Launay - I'm not entirely sure where I'm going to play him this season yet, as I'm still considering lineup optimization and want to see how spring training goes for some of my utility guys first. I'm leaning toward playing him at 2B this year or possibly splitting his time between SS and 2B depending on pitcher, as my other SS/2B have weaknesses against one side or the other. During Spring training I'll be playing him at CF (should max about 60-65 at that position by my calcs) so that he becomes one of the leagues ultimate utility players!! I'll be signing him long term soon, I'm thinking probably this season as he'll become one of those super arb cases I believe? I think he's ready to become a very solid player for me for a long time. With his utility in the field (65+ in every single Infield/outfield fielding category), I'll probably try to keep him forever. Having a dude who can play a good SS AND hopefully CF is pretty awesome.

Mulia Kusuma - This is a dude I wish I could have kept in the minors longer, but the CPU brought him up as like a 20 year old before I took over. If I move Launay to 2b then he slots in as my Shortstop this season. I'm giving him work at 2B this spring training so that he can become a more versatile piece of my puzzle.

Marco Eirosa - This is an interesting player I got from Orlando in a trade for Bobandy last season. My scout likes him a lot more than OSA, and he's done a decent job in the WBL, so I might have something interesting here as a high OBP guy who can bat in the 1 or 2 slot. At worst, he's a stop gap who will give my 3B prospect a couple years to develop until I'm ready for my playoff push. He's a guy who I'd love to add versatility to in order to make him a utility infielder in the long term if my prospect eventually replaces him at 3B. For right now I've got a couple other players who need 2B reps more in the 2050 spring training

After those 5, I'll have 2 players fighting for my last infield spot through spring training and maybe into the season. I have a couple of players who are heavily one sided with their bats, so it will probably come down to who makes the best platoon and utility option.

Eneas Cezimbra - Basically the same type bat as Eirosa but left handed and not quite as good on defense. He did a decent job last season at 2B but I'd like more versatility/defense if he's going to be a utility option long term. I might drop him to AAA this season and have him play shortstop if I move Launay to 2B.

Raul Martinez - Getting him 2B reps during spring training in hopes of making him my utility guy in favor of Cezimbra

 

[OU11]

Make ruff ryda retire as a rigger