Power Pros Forum

MLB is shaking things up in way that's never been seen before! The linchpin of the changes is the rule that there are no more trades allowed! Oddly, this change was agreed to almost unanimously.

Small market teams liked the idea of forcing the big markets to stick with the players they give long-term, exorbitant contracts to while on the downside of their careers. This is something they think will stem overspending more than the luxury tax has.
Large market teams liked the idea because they think the small-market teams will not issue long-term contracts, making that a way for large-market teams to get the players they want.
The union supported this change, too, saying it will force teams to invest in player-development while creating more competition during free-agency. Since teams cannot wait to see whether they should be "buyers" or "sellers" towards mid-season, there are likely to be more "buyers" during the off-season, potentially driving up the price of free agents.

MLB could not implement this rule without some sort of a "warning," so there will be an open "dream draft" in which all players are up for grabs!!!

The League will also be expanding by 2 this year, those teams being the Mohave Bobcats [THIS IS MY TEAM], who will play at Panpaka Park in Las Vegas (Las Vegas is located in the Mohave Desert - the largest desert in the US), and the Louisville Muskrats, who will play in Golden Apples Stadium.

The bobcat, one of the many animal species that are native to the Mohave Desert, is considered to be one of the most adaptable predators, able to thrive in wooded areas, semidesert, urban edges, and swampland environments. Apparently the name was chosen because the Mohave Bobcats expect to assemble a team that can win in any environment. The team is owned by a conglomerate of Las Vegas casino-owners who wanted to bring baseball to Sin City for the gambling aspect and to also promote family values. Rumor has it that many tickets will be given away as "comps" or packaged within prepaid vacations and even time-share arrangements. Stadium-naming rights was purchased by the Panpaka Gaming Company in Japan.

The Bobcat team colors will be orange and aqua, with the main home-away uniform differences being that home cap is white with an orange brim while the away cap is aqua with an orange brim. The home uni has orange sleeves and a light aqua shirt while the away uniforms sport light aqua sleeves with a darker aqua uniform.



Both teams will be added to the American League, giving the American League the same number of teams as the National League, with the Bobcats being the fifth Western Division team and the Muskrats being the sixth Central Division team.

MY RULES ON...

The Draft

1. For the 1st 8 rounds, I may only draft from the expansion teams
2. Until I get bored, I can draft from any team
3. After that, I let the computer pick for me

Free Agency: I may not sign any player during the 1st two weeks of free agency

Trading: No trades allowed. Didn't you read the above?!?

Practice:

1. Non-graybar players (position players and pitchers) can only practice in the automatic training modes
2. Graybar position players with 3 or more years in the bigs cannot train on anything that they already have a C or higher ranking in, unless they do it through an automatic training mode
3. Graybar pitchers can train on anything

Spring training

1. Only graybar position players may learn new positions
2. Only graybar pitchers can learn new pitches

This looks interesting, obviously, but does this mean you're quitting the Hickories log?

i love how creative and outside the box your team name is. i dont think ive ever heard a panpaka based team without las vegas being mentioned as the name

Oh, I forgot to say, I really like the bright and laid-back unis.

Thank you (for this and the uniform comment). I'm not deleting my Hickories file, but this was just an idea I really wanted to explore. I won't go back to the Hickories unless this gets dull.


Thanks. I thought referencing the Mohave sounded cooler!

Yeah this sounds really interesting!

I'll follow. Sure this'll be good from you, ERISA.

BOBCAT DREAM DRAFT ANALYSIS

DRAFT GRADE FOR 2008: D
DRAFT GRADE FOR FUTURE YEARS: B

From the looks of things, the Bobcats looked to draft some potential future building blocks while fielding an entertaining, if not competitive, 2008 team. They are likely to regret not going after stronger outfielders, as their OF, who top out at level D speed and defense are likely to give up a lot of extra base hits in their spacious outfield.

[I picked rounds 1-26 - this analysis is just on my picks]

ROUND / POSITION / NAME / ABILITIES / COMMENTS

1. 3b Suarez EBEDED-4 the top rookie prospect in the draft, Suarez is the highest touted third baseman since Evan Longoria entered the game
2. C Grindell ECFCCC-2 the top catching prospect is potentially the most advanced catcher coming out of the draft in years
3. SS Dawley DEDDCE – 1 his defense is already major-league ready, but Stephen Drew will push Dawley to the primary backup infielder and pinch-hitter spot
4. RF Rijo FDDEEE-3 the best outfielder in a shallow pool of rookie outfielders
5. 2b Dailey EEDDDE – 1 should be a decent defensive 2b. Time will tell whether he gains enough defensive or offensive abilities to contend for a future starting spot.
6. 3b Condrey ECFDEE – 2 has the making of a decent 3b
7. LF Denham FDEEEE – 2 Probably would not have been drafted if it was a deeper draft for OF
8. 3b Swanson ECEEEF-2 should develop into a hitter who finds his way onto the field as a pinch hitter, 1b, or DH
9. SS Drew ECBCCC-2 the Bobcats first pick of a player with major-league experience was an important one and it shows an interest in all-around players, as Drew should improve the defense around him while also serving as a spark to the offense
10. C Bard DCFEDB – 2 an underrated catcher who prevents passed balls and can be productive at the plate
11. 2b, SS, 3b Harris DBGDDE – 2 a utility player with offense is always valuable. He will likely start at 2b
12. 1b Kotchman CBEDDC – 3 a great value for the 12th round, Kotchman should provide solid defense and potent offense to a team that probably will not generate consistent run support
13. CF Barton DCDEDC – 2 The best CF on the board at this spot, the Bobcats might've been better off giving up some bat in exchange for an OF with better range
14. P Kuroda 95 CA HSL – THREE, 2SF – TWO, SP – FOUR, HSH – THREE a risky pick, considering that this will be Kuroda's his first season in the American League, he will be earning the highest salary on the team and, at three years, has the longest contract term. That explains why this big-armed starter was still on the board in round 14.
15. P Kendrick 90 CB SL – three, CH – three, SFB – three: a weak #2 starter, he was a good pick at this spot
16. P Hill 91 DB CB – three, CH – two, SK – two: good value and a good #3 starter
17. P Bergmann 93 DB SL – three, CB – two, CH – three: a good back-end starter
18. P Hughes 95 EB SL-2, CB - 4, CH - 2: a nice back-end starter who might thrive now that the glaring lights of NY are behind him
19. P Morales 92 EB SCB – five, CH – three: will likely start at the back-end of the rotation, but might move up during the course of the season
20. P Lannan 88 FB SL - 2, CB - 4, CH – 2: Lannan should provide nice pitching depth
21. P Nolasco 95 FC 107 2 SF – one, CB – three, CH – two: a pitcher with Nolasco’s stamina, curveball, and fastball will likely be very valuable
22. P Hart 94 EE SL – four, CB – four, CH – three: Hart should be a solid closer, and he could wind up being the “steel” of this season’s draft
23. C Obradovic EEFDCE – 2 an extra backup catcher is a nice pickup at this point
24. CF Bridges EFEFDE – 2 the Bobcats were short on OF. Now they are just short on "quality OF"
25. 1b Cunnane FDFEFE – 2 shows decent defense compared to 1st basemen that are coming out into the draft these days
26. P Borkowski 95 CE SL – two, CB – one, FO – one: the Bobcats like his fastball, and will wait while his other pitches develop

APRIL GAME SUMMARIES

A's: The Bobcats started the season off against the A's on 4/2/08. The game had five lead changes, but in the end, the Bobcats suffered a loss in their first game ever (7–4, Athletics). Adding injury to insult, it was announced after the game that the Bobcats starting catcher jammed his index finger and will miss the next four games. The Bobcats had game 2 in hand until Kyle Kendrick gives up a three run homerun in the seventh inning to Randi Weeks. An RBI triple by Stephen Drew tied the game in the ninth against the Athletics closer. The Bobcats had a runner thrown out at the plate in the bottom of the 14th inning, but then Casey Kochman hit a walkoff RBI double off of a 3–0 fastball from Aaron Heilman, giving the Bobcats their 1st win, 5–4 (15), with an official game time of four hours, two minutes.

RANGERS

4/4: The Bobcats trail the Rangers after three innings when Texas Jermaine Dye doubles in two runs and then scores on a Dan Johnson single, but the Bobcats score once in the sixth and twice in the eighth to tie the game. In the top of the 10th inning, the Bobcats closer was brought in when the Rangers lead off with a double, but Hart surrendered a two run home run to Dan Johnson – the first homerun hit in Panpaka Park. The Bobcats used four singles (including Stephen Drew's only hit of the night in six at-bats) and aggressive baserunning to tie the game and then Brian Barton used his fifth single of the night to bring in the winning run. Final score: 6–5 (10), Bobcats

4/5: On a rainy day at Panpaka Park, which is unusual considering it is in the desert and receives less than 13" of annual rainfall, the Bobcats scored first when Casey Kotchman and Suarez hit back-to-back doubles before Brandon Harris singled with two outs. Three more two out singles in the bottom of the second brought in another run. The Bobcats lost their lead in the seventh when Garrett Andersen drove in a run right before Jermaine Dye hit a two run homerun. The Bobcats pulled out the win in dramatic fashion with a walk off base hit from Stephen Drew in the bottom of the ninth, making this the 3rd game in a row in which the Bobcats won with a walk off hit. Final score: 4–3, Bobcats. In yesterday's game, Stephen Drew tied the game in the 10th with his only hit of the night, and tonight he made his only two hits of the game count, each one bringing in an RBI, including the game-winner; right fielder, Rijo (FDD) was 4/4 with two runs scored; Bergman (93 DB SL – three, CB – two, CH – three) shut down the Rangers offense through six innings before crumbling in the seventh and losing his chance to get the win.

4/6: Jermaine Dye put Texas up by a run with his third homerun of the series – a solo shot to right field. Freddy Sanchez singled in a run in the third. The Bobcats had a runner thrown out at the plate in the fifth inning. In the eighth, the Bobcats Swanson (EC) hit the first Bobcat homerun ever – a solo shot to right-center field. Swanson is only on the roster while the Bobcats starting catcher recovers from a jammed finger. Rijo followed with a double, but was thrown out on a fielders choice one batter before Stephen Drew put runners at second and third with a double. Brian Barton then singled up the middle to bring in the tying and go ahead runs. Kevin Hart pitched the ninth inning and collected his first save. Final score: 3–2, Bobcats. Swanson's homerun may have saved him from being sent down, as the Bobcats back up first baseman was sent down to make room for their starting catcher, who recovered from his jammed finger, even though the Bobcats have two other players to play third and have no one other than starter Casey Kotchman with experience at first.

4/7: the Bobcats first multi-homer game came at the expense of the Athletics during a four game series in which both teams won twice. Casey Kochman hit two homeruns while Suarez hit his first. Final score: 6–2, Bobcats

late on the draft analysis, but I'm already loving this idea! nice mixing with fresh rookies and I think you grabbed quite a few steals in Kotchman, Harris, Bergmann, Hughes, Morales, Hart (Neal Cotts?), and so on. Excited to see how things play out in the first season.

The team is playing well, and I've been surprised at how well I can pitch with these starters. I have pitch speed on "normal" and even though it is harder for me to drive the ball as a batter, it is a lot easier for me to pitch well than when I use "slow."

I hope the "no draft" rule works for me. It was hard not taking advantage of the computer, and so many CPU-CPU deals were weird, I wanted to try this for awhile.

I just put up a poll about my roster analysis. The plan is to go division by division, and I certainly plan on reviewing the different teams for my own interests. I'm just wondering about typing up reports and would appreciate your voting feedback.