Post by Spencer on Jul 23, 2013 15:22:24 GMT -5
Here is a nice little NL West Roundtable. The best division, with the coolest GMs.
1. How has this year gone for you? Surprises? Disappointments? Good PDs? Bad PDs? One re-do?
Shale - It has gone very poorly as expected, but I'm rebuilding, so I'm just trying to get that top pick in the 02 draft. No significant PD's in particular, except for David Wright getting decreases at speed and defensive range, but I can live with that.
Happy to see Alfonzo and Gibson both hitting well, while the rest of the Rockies are struggling, generally speaking.
Darrell - Its gone ok, I mean as well as it can go for someone whos patiently waiting for expansion. Getting enough board cash to TIA Anibal Sanchez was nice, I was really hoping Dan Haren would drop down to me in the draft, Anibal is nice but that 4 velocity is kind of a turnoff. Hopefully it goes up to atleast a 5 in the future but he could be a pretty good #2 or #3 starter for me. Nothing too great or too bad in the PD department, so id say ive been lucky in that regard.
Aaron - Mixed results. We weren't as good as we should've been because I couldn't afford to fill out the roster, and I've had to dump talented players. The financial situation, for that matter, has been a disaster. But I've added Sizemore, Calixto, and Morneau. I got a ridiculous PD out of Gess, who I'd say is now my best piece. Can't really say enough about how good I think my future is, and I transitioned pretty early this season to focusing on that, so overall I'd say I've had a good year.
Me - Im not surprised by the teams around me. Rockies were supposed to suck. Dodgers are completely mismanaged. Padres were overrated coming in. Way too many holes on the Pads, way too much salary added. He recovered well enough but Im skeptical of his ability to manage all aspects of a club. Time will tell.
2. If you could run one other team in the division besides your own, which would it be? Why? What players do you like the most on this team?
Shale - Giants because they got a great balance of pitching and offense. If Giants hitters can hit as well as they do at Candlestick Park (or is it AT&T now?). Either way, both stadiums were and are considered notorious pitcher's parks.
Darrell - The Padres for sure, I mean the Giants have a rich history and all but the Padres are set up pretty nicely. Everyone who talks about how small his market is or how low his fan interest is should consider that the easiest way to get that up is by winning. Hes got the best farm system in the league and hes slowly bringing his studs up and not only that but he has five, count them five, 5* SP prospects. If he develops them, he could have one helluva rotation, and you have to consider that he plays in a pitchers park. Habes knows what hes doing and im excited to see how his team does in the next 2-3 years. Sizemore looks really nice, he could be an OBP machine with decent pop and he plays a premier position like CF. Hitting is hard to find so if you can develop your own studs like Sizemore you dont have to overpay via a trade.
Aaron - I'd go Colorado, but mostly because of the park. Think it'd be a blast to load up on power hitters there. And Shale has Wright, so. I can't say San Fran because my god, that payroll is gross, and the roster isn't the most appealing, even if it's very good. And Arizona doesn't really have a roster to speak of yet, so.
Me - I think the Padrs need to be the answer here. They hav a great young nucleus. Fun team. Secondly Id go DBacks just because its a expansion team. Then probably the Rockies to be abl to put up some fun offensive stats.
3. Please rank the GMs in this division. Consider wins and ability to develop talent.
Shale - 1. Spencer - Has won the division every single season, 2 championships and has simply dominated the NL West. He makes the most of the talent he has and has made timely trades that have usually worked in his favor.
2. SNB - I'll put myself 2nd because I've been the 2nd most successful GM here thus far. From 1996-1999, the Rockies never won less than 88 games, they made the Wild Card in 1998 and produced a 3 time MVP in Larry Walker. Say what you want about Coors Field, but the board cash I had made him into an even better hitter.
Did I sell off my veteran studs a little too late? Probably. But after making the postseason finally in 1998, I really thought they had another year left in them. It obviously didn't work out, but you can't fault me for trying to be competitive.
Overall, I've spent quite a lot of board cash on my good players to make them awesome. My minor leagues were a non factor until recently, but I've always money to spend and I feel I've made the most of all the board cash I've spent. Spencer has been good with this too, but Habes and the long list of Dodgers GM's all have not really put much board cash into their players. As a result, we haven't really been able to see what the actual full potentials of those two teams could have been over the years.
The bottom line is I have made efforts in just about every way to be successful. It hasn't always worked out, but my effort has been an A+ without question. Unlike others, I will never have any regrets on wasted efforts here.
3. Habes - Habes is finally starting to get somewhere. That offseason free agent spending spree crippled the Padres financially, but he sure as hell does have a lot of talent waiting in the wings. Habes though also made another critical mistake last season by losing over 120 games. I'm not gonna blame him for either of those things happening because he said he didn't realize some of this stuff. I mean, shit happens and hopefully Habes has a few lessons from all this.
The Padres were rebuilding from the start, so they obviously don't have any real success of any kind at this point. Habes' trades overall have been good, although I still think he should have kept one of Miguel Cabrera or Derrek Lee as that right-handed first base slugger he could build a lineup around. But it seems like he believes his hitters will do fine, and we will have to see about that.
I know I've been knocking Habes a bit and all that. The truth is that for a while, Habes barely made any efforts to do things here, like earn more board cash and just be particularly active in general. But now, he really stepped his game up. He's posting a lot, writing articles, making board cash and I'm really happy to see that from him. If it ever looked like I was trying to make fun of him, that's not true at all. I was just trying to motivate him to do more here. Nothing is better than a fully competitive division and that's what I want the NL West to be one day.
I am very interested to see how successful the Padres can be, despite a small market and very little financial flexibility. Habes has a shit ton of minor league talent, but when the contract negotiations come around, will he be able to afford to keep all those players locked up? That will go a long way into determining how successful the Padres could be 6-7 seasons from now.
4. Darell - My main man Darell obviously hasn't been able to do much because expansion has yet to occur, but he's been active for a while now on the forum. He's made some great draft picks, has been participating in articles and discussions, has a shit ton of board cash for when he's ready and I think the Diamondbacks will have a lot of potential because Darell is smart and knows what he's doing. 5 seasons from now, he will definitely be higher on this list.
5. The 4 Dodgers GM's (Who's counting?) - Not much to say here. Just been a revolving door in LA. At least 4 GM's that really haven't contributed much at all. That team had quite a bit of potential at first, but this has to be the biggest laughingstock in the entire league. I'd say the Dodgers are even in worse shape than the Reds because they just have absolutely nothing going for them. Maybe Dale can actually put in some work here and spend some time and money improving his players. That would be great to see. But if the Dodgers have gone through another 10 GM's in the next 10 seasons, I won't be surprised one bit. Just fuckin pathetic overall for the Dodgers.
Darrell - Sorry Shale you arent going to like this.
1. Spencer-I know I said Habes has the brightest future but Spencer has run that division for quite some time and has a pair of rings to show for it. He has a decent shot at being a serious contender this year and he should run away with that division.
2.Habes-He has the brightest future out of anyone currently in the NL west and these next few years are going to decide if he ends up taking over Spencer. Having a filthy farm system is nice and all but what you do with them is what matters. He can either be patient or get closer to competing by selling some of his prospects. Spencer's hitters are a little bit older so if his pitching cant carry him than that division will be Habes's for the taking.
3.Shale-I dont know the level of success Shale has had in this league so he was three by default for me. He started his rebuild and how good Wright becomes will be interesting to see, although he gets a huge advantage by playing in Coors. Wright is his only good prospect and he doesnt have any "studs", so he has some work ahead of him. I know Wright is your man but he isnt anything special, think of him as the Daniel Murphy of prospects.
4.Me-I havent done anything yet but I cant put myself below the dodgers because they dont have an owner but hopefully once I get a team I can to atleast #3 on this list.
5.Dodgers-^^see above.
Aaron - 1. Spence
2. Habes
3. Shale/Darrell
4. The Dodgers don't have a GM as far as I'm concerned.
I can't really distinguish the bottom two yet -- we'll see what happens when Darrell gets going. Spence has two titles.
Me - Agree with the consensus. 1. Me. 2. Habs. 3. Shale. 4 Darrell. 5. Dodgers. Dodgers need to do something or GTFO tbh.
4. A little pat on the back for me, are you surprised at the dominance the Giants have shown in this division? 5 straight 100 win seasons, soon to be 6 straight division titles.
Shale - Not surprised at all. Once I felt my Rockies were no longer able to really keep up with the Giants down the stretch, I knew nothing could stop you in those seasons. And once I began my rebuild, I knew that no other NL West team would even have a chance to compete when you are still on top.
The Rockies from 1996-1999 were by far the best competition the Giants ever had. That just goes to show how dominant the Giants have been.
Darrell - I cant say im suprised, I expected you to runaway with that division because of how mediocre the NL west is right now. I certainly didnt expect you to be this good, right now you have the second best record in the league. You have some stiff competition to win a ring this year but you certainly are a powerhouse in the NL.
Aaron - No. Everyone's rebuilding! Get lost. But I will say that I'm going to win ten division titles in a row. How's that?
Me - Im not surprised at 6 straight titles, but I am surprised at 6 straight 100 win seasons. Very impressive. Unlikely anyone else in this division does that.
5. What are your plans for the expansion draft? Are you gonna concentrate more on protecting youngsters? Older guys? A mix of both? Are you worried about losing any players?
Shale - I don't have many major league pieces to keep at all. I'm just listing everyone I have basically. Not worried about anything because I will have very little to lose. I just want Alfonzo and Gibson for the future and really could care less about anyone else on my major league roster.
Darrell - I cant say im suprised, I expected you to runaway with that division because of how mediocre the NL west is right now. I certainly didnt expect you to be this good, right now you have the second best record in the league. You have some stiff competition to win a ring this year but you certainly are a powerhouse in the NL.
Aaron - I'm keeping my prospects, yeah. Delgado, Floyd, and Everett are the three vets I'll probably keep, though I won't lose sleep if Everett's exposed. I'd prefer to keep the relievers I got from Play, too. It'll be a mix, but prospects are the priority. I'm worried about losing guys, sure, but I'll make sure my least attractive talents are available (e.g. older guys or bad contracts).
Me - I wouldnt mind losing some salary in the expansion draft. Unlikely though. Probably will lose some middling prospects that I dont care about. No biggie tbh.
6. 2002 Draft coming up. Who do you want the most? Why? Give me their ratings? Also pick at least one other player you like and give ratings for them.
Shale - Lucky for me, I actually have Erbes' statting guide at my disposal. So these ratings will very likely be the true actual ratings we will see.
Among hitters, I'd obviously want Votto the most because he could start off better than any other hitter ever. For pitching, I'd take Cain, although him and Greinke will be close in overall talent.
BJ Upton F/G/F/A/A/F, B running speed, B stealing ability, B range at CF, will start with 2B and 3B abilities
Zack Greinke A/G/G/B/A, B duration
Prince Fielder G/G/P/G/G/A, E running speed, E stealing ability, B range at 1B
Nick Swisher A/G/P/G/G/A, D running speed, E stealing ability, A range at 1B, B range at LF, B range at CF, B range at RF
Cole Hamels G/G/A/B/G, A duration
Matt Cain B/B/G/G/A, A duration
Hunter Pence A/G/A/A/F/A, C running speed, D stealing ability, B range at CF, B range at RF
Pablo Sandoval (says he signed with the Giants in 2003 but whatever)
G/G/F/A/F/G, D running speed, E stealing ability, D range at 3B, C range at 1B
Joey Votto B/B/F/G/G/A, C running speed, D stealing ability, A range at 1B (could see Brilliant in walks occurring though; again, just going by the scale)
Curtis Granderson A/A/B/G/A/F, C running speed, B stealing ability, A range at CF
One other player I'm excited to see is Scott Kazmir, whom the Mets drafted that year, but eventually traded to the Rays in the forgettable Victor Zambrano deal.
Scott Kazmir G/G/A/F/G, C duration
Darrell - I would love Fielder, hes had an impressive career thus far and he rarely if ever gets hurt which shows how durable hes been. I would give him an A/B/G/A
Matt Cain would be nice too. I would give him a G/B/G/G with a B in duration
Aaron - Love Votto. B/B/P/G/B/G. Such a complete hitter. He'd probably be the second best hitter in baseball if his power returned.
Second guy is Prince. More conventional stat line from a 1B. G/G/F/B/B/A. Could've gone G on the power, but he's had two seasons over 45.
Me - Im drooling at Cain. Would love him. Ill deal Gissell for him. GIssell plus tbh.
7. How much longer do you plan to rebuild? What is your estimated date of contention? What do you need to add to get there?
Shale - As I've said, I wanted my Rockies to be ready to compete by 2003, but I no longer think that will occur. I have a very young group of prospects and I'm in no rush to develop them. 2004-2005 would be a more ideal goal right now.
The #1 thing I need is a future ace. I have a solid future 2-5 rotation in the minors already, but I'm missing that ace and I think the 2002 draft could possibly solve that issue. Other than that, a few more legit relievers and a good outfield is what I really need at this point for the future.
Darrell - Im leaning towards a rebuild once I get my team just until Spencer's window closes because once he starts a rebuild the Padres are really the only threat right now and they arent competing just yet. I could see 2004 being my target date, I really need to fill out my roster quite a bit and I would love some depth as far as pitching goes. You can never have too much pitching.
Aaron - I plan to contend next year. I expect Doumit and Morneau to be ready. Possibly Gess - that'd be huge. Zito has to make strides against righties. I don't know if I can count on Bedard or Webb, but I have Harikkala, Gaspar, and Groom. Bullpen has four nice pieces even if I don't keep Hermanson. I'll TIA Floyd's hits up to G and IRI his power. Delgado/Everett/Floyd is a nice offensive foundation. Donnells still eats righties.
Two other big things: I can always deal my prospects for talents, and I don't think SF can maintain their current payroll.
Me - I want to win forever. I dont think any of these can take my next year, or the year after. Im elite. They arent.
8. Name the core of your team. Five players who you envision being the backbone of your team.
Shale - David Wright, Edgardo Alfonzo, Derrick Gibson, Dustin McGowan and Chris Reitsma at this point. This will probably look different after the 2002 draft is done.
Darrell - Im leaning towards a rebuild once I get my team just until Spencer's window closes because once he starts a rebuild the Padres are really the only threat right now and they arent competing just yet. I could see 2004 being my target date, I really need to fill out my roster quite a bit and I would love some depth as far as pitching goes. You can never have too much pitching.
Aaron - Calixto, Gess, Sizemore, Delgado, Doumit. Loaded with SP, and I value them, but hitters are rarer, and I think we can be loaded offensively with this core.
Me - I love my SP. I have 4 stud SPs that sim well. All are signed for the next 3 years. My pen is solid. Older, but solid. Need to make some moves there. My offense is awesome now. It was rough until my last couple trades but I just added 3 pretty big bats after getting Greer. I have like 6 or 7 800 OPS guys. Nasty.
9. Ideally, best case scenario what can your team be? Are you thinking WS contender. Yearly playoff team.
Shale - Once the Rockies are ready to go, they should be a consistent division winner. Maybe once every few years, the Padres will barely getting a division title, but I really do think that once the Giants actually rebuild, the Rockies will have the brightest future. You all can say what you want, but you all have yet to see a lot of things I will be doing here. There will be players to draft, and the next generation will be more successful than the Blake Street Bomber era.
Hopefully, I can win at least one championship within the next 10 seasons. Failing to do that would be a disaster.
Darrell - Its hard to say, I really want to be realistic and say yearly playoff team because I think the playoffs are such a crapshoot that anyone who gets into the playoffs are WS contenders.
Aaron - Yeah, I think our future stacks up with anyone's. WS contender will depend on how good Gess and Sizemore become.
Me - Ill probably contend for 2 or 3 more years then finally rebuild. Id love 8 straight 100 win seasons.
10. Who out of the NL West will have the most success over the next decade? Most WS wins. Most playoff wins. Most regular season success.
Shale - Rockies all the way. That is, as long as the Giants are rebuilding. Once the Giants are retooled, they'll probably dominate the division all over again.
Haters are gonna hate, but I'll have the last laugh when it's all said and done.
Darrell - The Padres will have the most success overall but I think the Giants will find a way to win another ring. Pitching can really carry you far in the playoffs so if Habes get some young bats that can score him enough runs than he could potentially become a yearly powerhouse team averaging 90+ wins a season.
Aaron - Damn. You just keep asking me to toot my own horn TBVQH. It's me! The division sucks and the Giants are old!
Me - This is tricky. Im not sure how quick I can rebuild, but Im gonna try a 3 year window. SO If I can win for 3, lose for 3 then bounce back for the last 4 I think I can still be the best team over the next decade. Might be tough to beat SD though.
1. How has this year gone for you? Surprises? Disappointments? Good PDs? Bad PDs? One re-do?
Shale - It has gone very poorly as expected, but I'm rebuilding, so I'm just trying to get that top pick in the 02 draft. No significant PD's in particular, except for David Wright getting decreases at speed and defensive range, but I can live with that.
Happy to see Alfonzo and Gibson both hitting well, while the rest of the Rockies are struggling, generally speaking.
Darrell - Its gone ok, I mean as well as it can go for someone whos patiently waiting for expansion. Getting enough board cash to TIA Anibal Sanchez was nice, I was really hoping Dan Haren would drop down to me in the draft, Anibal is nice but that 4 velocity is kind of a turnoff. Hopefully it goes up to atleast a 5 in the future but he could be a pretty good #2 or #3 starter for me. Nothing too great or too bad in the PD department, so id say ive been lucky in that regard.
Aaron - Mixed results. We weren't as good as we should've been because I couldn't afford to fill out the roster, and I've had to dump talented players. The financial situation, for that matter, has been a disaster. But I've added Sizemore, Calixto, and Morneau. I got a ridiculous PD out of Gess, who I'd say is now my best piece. Can't really say enough about how good I think my future is, and I transitioned pretty early this season to focusing on that, so overall I'd say I've had a good year.
Me - Im not surprised by the teams around me. Rockies were supposed to suck. Dodgers are completely mismanaged. Padres were overrated coming in. Way too many holes on the Pads, way too much salary added. He recovered well enough but Im skeptical of his ability to manage all aspects of a club. Time will tell.
2. If you could run one other team in the division besides your own, which would it be? Why? What players do you like the most on this team?
Shale - Giants because they got a great balance of pitching and offense. If Giants hitters can hit as well as they do at Candlestick Park (or is it AT&T now?). Either way, both stadiums were and are considered notorious pitcher's parks.
Darrell - The Padres for sure, I mean the Giants have a rich history and all but the Padres are set up pretty nicely. Everyone who talks about how small his market is or how low his fan interest is should consider that the easiest way to get that up is by winning. Hes got the best farm system in the league and hes slowly bringing his studs up and not only that but he has five, count them five, 5* SP prospects. If he develops them, he could have one helluva rotation, and you have to consider that he plays in a pitchers park. Habes knows what hes doing and im excited to see how his team does in the next 2-3 years. Sizemore looks really nice, he could be an OBP machine with decent pop and he plays a premier position like CF. Hitting is hard to find so if you can develop your own studs like Sizemore you dont have to overpay via a trade.
Aaron - I'd go Colorado, but mostly because of the park. Think it'd be a blast to load up on power hitters there. And Shale has Wright, so. I can't say San Fran because my god, that payroll is gross, and the roster isn't the most appealing, even if it's very good. And Arizona doesn't really have a roster to speak of yet, so.
Me - I think the Padrs need to be the answer here. They hav a great young nucleus. Fun team. Secondly Id go DBacks just because its a expansion team. Then probably the Rockies to be abl to put up some fun offensive stats.
3. Please rank the GMs in this division. Consider wins and ability to develop talent.
Shale - 1. Spencer - Has won the division every single season, 2 championships and has simply dominated the NL West. He makes the most of the talent he has and has made timely trades that have usually worked in his favor.
2. SNB - I'll put myself 2nd because I've been the 2nd most successful GM here thus far. From 1996-1999, the Rockies never won less than 88 games, they made the Wild Card in 1998 and produced a 3 time MVP in Larry Walker. Say what you want about Coors Field, but the board cash I had made him into an even better hitter.
Did I sell off my veteran studs a little too late? Probably. But after making the postseason finally in 1998, I really thought they had another year left in them. It obviously didn't work out, but you can't fault me for trying to be competitive.
Overall, I've spent quite a lot of board cash on my good players to make them awesome. My minor leagues were a non factor until recently, but I've always money to spend and I feel I've made the most of all the board cash I've spent. Spencer has been good with this too, but Habes and the long list of Dodgers GM's all have not really put much board cash into their players. As a result, we haven't really been able to see what the actual full potentials of those two teams could have been over the years.
The bottom line is I have made efforts in just about every way to be successful. It hasn't always worked out, but my effort has been an A+ without question. Unlike others, I will never have any regrets on wasted efforts here.
3. Habes - Habes is finally starting to get somewhere. That offseason free agent spending spree crippled the Padres financially, but he sure as hell does have a lot of talent waiting in the wings. Habes though also made another critical mistake last season by losing over 120 games. I'm not gonna blame him for either of those things happening because he said he didn't realize some of this stuff. I mean, shit happens and hopefully Habes has a few lessons from all this.
The Padres were rebuilding from the start, so they obviously don't have any real success of any kind at this point. Habes' trades overall have been good, although I still think he should have kept one of Miguel Cabrera or Derrek Lee as that right-handed first base slugger he could build a lineup around. But it seems like he believes his hitters will do fine, and we will have to see about that.
I know I've been knocking Habes a bit and all that. The truth is that for a while, Habes barely made any efforts to do things here, like earn more board cash and just be particularly active in general. But now, he really stepped his game up. He's posting a lot, writing articles, making board cash and I'm really happy to see that from him. If it ever looked like I was trying to make fun of him, that's not true at all. I was just trying to motivate him to do more here. Nothing is better than a fully competitive division and that's what I want the NL West to be one day.
I am very interested to see how successful the Padres can be, despite a small market and very little financial flexibility. Habes has a shit ton of minor league talent, but when the contract negotiations come around, will he be able to afford to keep all those players locked up? That will go a long way into determining how successful the Padres could be 6-7 seasons from now.
4. Darell - My main man Darell obviously hasn't been able to do much because expansion has yet to occur, but he's been active for a while now on the forum. He's made some great draft picks, has been participating in articles and discussions, has a shit ton of board cash for when he's ready and I think the Diamondbacks will have a lot of potential because Darell is smart and knows what he's doing. 5 seasons from now, he will definitely be higher on this list.
5. The 4 Dodgers GM's (Who's counting?) - Not much to say here. Just been a revolving door in LA. At least 4 GM's that really haven't contributed much at all. That team had quite a bit of potential at first, but this has to be the biggest laughingstock in the entire league. I'd say the Dodgers are even in worse shape than the Reds because they just have absolutely nothing going for them. Maybe Dale can actually put in some work here and spend some time and money improving his players. That would be great to see. But if the Dodgers have gone through another 10 GM's in the next 10 seasons, I won't be surprised one bit. Just fuckin pathetic overall for the Dodgers.
Darrell - Sorry Shale you arent going to like this.
1. Spencer-I know I said Habes has the brightest future but Spencer has run that division for quite some time and has a pair of rings to show for it. He has a decent shot at being a serious contender this year and he should run away with that division.
2.Habes-He has the brightest future out of anyone currently in the NL west and these next few years are going to decide if he ends up taking over Spencer. Having a filthy farm system is nice and all but what you do with them is what matters. He can either be patient or get closer to competing by selling some of his prospects. Spencer's hitters are a little bit older so if his pitching cant carry him than that division will be Habes's for the taking.
3.Shale-I dont know the level of success Shale has had in this league so he was three by default for me. He started his rebuild and how good Wright becomes will be interesting to see, although he gets a huge advantage by playing in Coors. Wright is his only good prospect and he doesnt have any "studs", so he has some work ahead of him. I know Wright is your man but he isnt anything special, think of him as the Daniel Murphy of prospects.
4.Me-I havent done anything yet but I cant put myself below the dodgers because they dont have an owner but hopefully once I get a team I can to atleast #3 on this list.
5.Dodgers-^^see above.
Aaron - 1. Spence
2. Habes
3. Shale/Darrell
4. The Dodgers don't have a GM as far as I'm concerned.
I can't really distinguish the bottom two yet -- we'll see what happens when Darrell gets going. Spence has two titles.
Me - Agree with the consensus. 1. Me. 2. Habs. 3. Shale. 4 Darrell. 5. Dodgers. Dodgers need to do something or GTFO tbh.
4. A little pat on the back for me, are you surprised at the dominance the Giants have shown in this division? 5 straight 100 win seasons, soon to be 6 straight division titles.
Shale - Not surprised at all. Once I felt my Rockies were no longer able to really keep up with the Giants down the stretch, I knew nothing could stop you in those seasons. And once I began my rebuild, I knew that no other NL West team would even have a chance to compete when you are still on top.
The Rockies from 1996-1999 were by far the best competition the Giants ever had. That just goes to show how dominant the Giants have been.
Darrell - I cant say im suprised, I expected you to runaway with that division because of how mediocre the NL west is right now. I certainly didnt expect you to be this good, right now you have the second best record in the league. You have some stiff competition to win a ring this year but you certainly are a powerhouse in the NL.
Aaron - No. Everyone's rebuilding! Get lost. But I will say that I'm going to win ten division titles in a row. How's that?
Me - Im not surprised at 6 straight titles, but I am surprised at 6 straight 100 win seasons. Very impressive. Unlikely anyone else in this division does that.
5. What are your plans for the expansion draft? Are you gonna concentrate more on protecting youngsters? Older guys? A mix of both? Are you worried about losing any players?
Shale - I don't have many major league pieces to keep at all. I'm just listing everyone I have basically. Not worried about anything because I will have very little to lose. I just want Alfonzo and Gibson for the future and really could care less about anyone else on my major league roster.
Darrell - I cant say im suprised, I expected you to runaway with that division because of how mediocre the NL west is right now. I certainly didnt expect you to be this good, right now you have the second best record in the league. You have some stiff competition to win a ring this year but you certainly are a powerhouse in the NL.
Aaron - I'm keeping my prospects, yeah. Delgado, Floyd, and Everett are the three vets I'll probably keep, though I won't lose sleep if Everett's exposed. I'd prefer to keep the relievers I got from Play, too. It'll be a mix, but prospects are the priority. I'm worried about losing guys, sure, but I'll make sure my least attractive talents are available (e.g. older guys or bad contracts).
Me - I wouldnt mind losing some salary in the expansion draft. Unlikely though. Probably will lose some middling prospects that I dont care about. No biggie tbh.
6. 2002 Draft coming up. Who do you want the most? Why? Give me their ratings? Also pick at least one other player you like and give ratings for them.
Shale - Lucky for me, I actually have Erbes' statting guide at my disposal. So these ratings will very likely be the true actual ratings we will see.
Among hitters, I'd obviously want Votto the most because he could start off better than any other hitter ever. For pitching, I'd take Cain, although him and Greinke will be close in overall talent.
BJ Upton F/G/F/A/A/F, B running speed, B stealing ability, B range at CF, will start with 2B and 3B abilities
Zack Greinke A/G/G/B/A, B duration
Prince Fielder G/G/P/G/G/A, E running speed, E stealing ability, B range at 1B
Nick Swisher A/G/P/G/G/A, D running speed, E stealing ability, A range at 1B, B range at LF, B range at CF, B range at RF
Cole Hamels G/G/A/B/G, A duration
Matt Cain B/B/G/G/A, A duration
Hunter Pence A/G/A/A/F/A, C running speed, D stealing ability, B range at CF, B range at RF
Pablo Sandoval (says he signed with the Giants in 2003 but whatever)
G/G/F/A/F/G, D running speed, E stealing ability, D range at 3B, C range at 1B
Joey Votto B/B/F/G/G/A, C running speed, D stealing ability, A range at 1B (could see Brilliant in walks occurring though; again, just going by the scale)
Curtis Granderson A/A/B/G/A/F, C running speed, B stealing ability, A range at CF
One other player I'm excited to see is Scott Kazmir, whom the Mets drafted that year, but eventually traded to the Rays in the forgettable Victor Zambrano deal.
Scott Kazmir G/G/A/F/G, C duration
Darrell - I would love Fielder, hes had an impressive career thus far and he rarely if ever gets hurt which shows how durable hes been. I would give him an A/B/G/A
Matt Cain would be nice too. I would give him a G/B/G/G with a B in duration
Aaron - Love Votto. B/B/P/G/B/G. Such a complete hitter. He'd probably be the second best hitter in baseball if his power returned.
Second guy is Prince. More conventional stat line from a 1B. G/G/F/B/B/A. Could've gone G on the power, but he's had two seasons over 45.
Me - Im drooling at Cain. Would love him. Ill deal Gissell for him. GIssell plus tbh.
7. How much longer do you plan to rebuild? What is your estimated date of contention? What do you need to add to get there?
Shale - As I've said, I wanted my Rockies to be ready to compete by 2003, but I no longer think that will occur. I have a very young group of prospects and I'm in no rush to develop them. 2004-2005 would be a more ideal goal right now.
The #1 thing I need is a future ace. I have a solid future 2-5 rotation in the minors already, but I'm missing that ace and I think the 2002 draft could possibly solve that issue. Other than that, a few more legit relievers and a good outfield is what I really need at this point for the future.
Darrell - Im leaning towards a rebuild once I get my team just until Spencer's window closes because once he starts a rebuild the Padres are really the only threat right now and they arent competing just yet. I could see 2004 being my target date, I really need to fill out my roster quite a bit and I would love some depth as far as pitching goes. You can never have too much pitching.
Aaron - I plan to contend next year. I expect Doumit and Morneau to be ready. Possibly Gess - that'd be huge. Zito has to make strides against righties. I don't know if I can count on Bedard or Webb, but I have Harikkala, Gaspar, and Groom. Bullpen has four nice pieces even if I don't keep Hermanson. I'll TIA Floyd's hits up to G and IRI his power. Delgado/Everett/Floyd is a nice offensive foundation. Donnells still eats righties.
Two other big things: I can always deal my prospects for talents, and I don't think SF can maintain their current payroll.
Me - I want to win forever. I dont think any of these can take my next year, or the year after. Im elite. They arent.
8. Name the core of your team. Five players who you envision being the backbone of your team.
Shale - David Wright, Edgardo Alfonzo, Derrick Gibson, Dustin McGowan and Chris Reitsma at this point. This will probably look different after the 2002 draft is done.
Darrell - Im leaning towards a rebuild once I get my team just until Spencer's window closes because once he starts a rebuild the Padres are really the only threat right now and they arent competing just yet. I could see 2004 being my target date, I really need to fill out my roster quite a bit and I would love some depth as far as pitching goes. You can never have too much pitching.
Aaron - Calixto, Gess, Sizemore, Delgado, Doumit. Loaded with SP, and I value them, but hitters are rarer, and I think we can be loaded offensively with this core.
Me - I love my SP. I have 4 stud SPs that sim well. All are signed for the next 3 years. My pen is solid. Older, but solid. Need to make some moves there. My offense is awesome now. It was rough until my last couple trades but I just added 3 pretty big bats after getting Greer. I have like 6 or 7 800 OPS guys. Nasty.
9. Ideally, best case scenario what can your team be? Are you thinking WS contender. Yearly playoff team.
Shale - Once the Rockies are ready to go, they should be a consistent division winner. Maybe once every few years, the Padres will barely getting a division title, but I really do think that once the Giants actually rebuild, the Rockies will have the brightest future. You all can say what you want, but you all have yet to see a lot of things I will be doing here. There will be players to draft, and the next generation will be more successful than the Blake Street Bomber era.
Hopefully, I can win at least one championship within the next 10 seasons. Failing to do that would be a disaster.
Darrell - Its hard to say, I really want to be realistic and say yearly playoff team because I think the playoffs are such a crapshoot that anyone who gets into the playoffs are WS contenders.
Aaron - Yeah, I think our future stacks up with anyone's. WS contender will depend on how good Gess and Sizemore become.
Me - Ill probably contend for 2 or 3 more years then finally rebuild. Id love 8 straight 100 win seasons.
10. Who out of the NL West will have the most success over the next decade? Most WS wins. Most playoff wins. Most regular season success.
Shale - Rockies all the way. That is, as long as the Giants are rebuilding. Once the Giants are retooled, they'll probably dominate the division all over again.
Haters are gonna hate, but I'll have the last laugh when it's all said and done.
Darrell - The Padres will have the most success overall but I think the Giants will find a way to win another ring. Pitching can really carry you far in the playoffs so if Habes get some young bats that can score him enough runs than he could potentially become a yearly powerhouse team averaging 90+ wins a season.
Aaron - Damn. You just keep asking me to toot my own horn TBVQH. It's me! The division sucks and the Giants are old!
Me - This is tricky. Im not sure how quick I can rebuild, but Im gonna try a 3 year window. SO If I can win for 3, lose for 3 then bounce back for the last 4 I think I can still be the best team over the next decade. Might be tough to beat SD though.
