Power Pros Forum

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********************************************************************************************************************************************Kauffman Stadium is a beautiful ballpark, but it's the home of a God-awful baseball team...



As you can see, they have a terrible win-loss record and an even worse attendance record. Everyone in Major League Baseball, even their own staff and players, are surprised people come out and support the terrible, terrible Royals. In fact, after Dayton Moore, former General Manager of the Royals, went out to a local bar and said some pretty slanderous comments about the team and the owner, he was fired. As soon as the comments were made public by a local journalist who happened to be at the bar.


There is some hope for the Royals though. Since Dayton is gone, they can now improve. Taking his place? Joshua Farley, the thirty-one year old assistant of Moore. He's promised to take the team into a new-age of baseball and value stats like OPS, SLG, TAVG, ISO and RC when it comes to judging the offensive value of a player. On the flip-side, he also promises to judge pitchers by their RA/9, K/9, WHIP, and ERC stats. And as for fielding, he'll judge that the old-fashioned way.

To give you a background on Farley, he's an alumni of Amherst. He has a Masters' Degree in Sports Management, Physical Education and Health, and Business Accounting. He has the potential of being the peace to the puzzle which the Royals have been desperately trying to fill.

In the coming days, Farley is expected to appear on MLB Network's Pre-Season show, where he will discuss his plan for the team.

P.S. My cousin gave me his copy of Power Pros 2009, since he got bored of it. I'm also using 2007 MLB Rosters across the board since I put a lot of time and effort into creating them.

You mean 08, right?

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******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************A Live View from the MLB Network Studio

Cal Ripken: I'm here live with the General Manager of the Royals, Josh Farley. Farley recently "stole" the job as General Manager from Dayton Moore, after Moore was fired a week ago.

Joshua Farley: I would not say I "stole" the job from Moore. If anything, Moore got himself fired and someone more suitable replaced him. Anyway, Mr. Ripken, it is an honor to be here and in your presence.

Cal Ripken: You're right, that was a poor choice of words on my part. Anyway, what is your plan for the Royals? Sources say you only have ten years to create a powerhouse. Will that be enough time?

Joshua Farley: It most certainly will be. We have a lot of prime, strong talent on this team. I'm 100% sure of my ability and the ability of this team. I'm not promising a Big Red Machine or anything, but I am promising a contender.

Cal Ripken: That sounds great. How are you going to be judging talent? Will you use sabermetrics? It sounds like you will be doing just that.

Joshua Farley: Yes, yes... I will be using sabermetrics to assess talent.

Cal Ripken: Great. Now, is there one player on the team you plan to build around, or are there multiple players?

Joshua Farley: I plan on basing this franchise around the twenty-three year old, Florida native, Zack Greinke. He will be our ace this season and hopefully many, many more. I've read a lot of things on this kid, mostly positive, and I've even watched him from afar. He has Greg Maddux potential. My own scouts keep raving about his excellent command. If my wish comes true, even the best batters in the game won't even be able to get on base when he's on the mound.

Cal Ripken: That's everybody's wish, I'm sure. Anyway, Mr. Farley, do you really think Greinke will be able to contend for any award this year?

Joshua Farley: I think he will be able to. I think he'll manage well over two hundred innings, 200 strikeouts, 60 walks and a 3.10 ERA. That'll definitely allow him to contend for a Cy Young award. However, with our offense, or lack thereof, it may be impossible for him to win with the current baseball writers.

Cal Ripken: I know how messed up award voting is, trust me. I was robbed of a few awards during my career. With those stats though, it looks like Zack won't only contend for the American League Cy Young Award, but it looks like he'll also be the best pitcher in the MLB. You have high expectations. Now, I've wanted to ask you this, but it's not on the program... do you plan on changing management, at all?

Joshua Farley: Good question. I do plan on firing some of the current staff, sooner than later, but I don't want to be that hands-on right now, especially since the season is approaching within a few days. I can't find a replacement manager, hitting coach, bench coach, and pitching coach in a day, you know.

Cal Ripken: Good point. You have bragged about Greinke now, so he's best pitcher... who's your best offensive player in your opinion?

Joshua Farley: That would be Mark Teahen. He isn't a big home run hitter, nor do I expect him to be, but he will be able to anchor our offense. He'll be in the middle of the lineup, but he will not be batting cleanup.

Cal Ripken: Awesome, awesome. Is there one player in particular who you can realistically acquire that you would like to see on the team?

Joshua Farley: Albert Pujols. I'm kidding. No way the Cardinals let Pujols walk over to us, without something major in return. Because of that, if I could acquire one player, it would be Josh Hamilton. I've read his story. I've watched the tapes and reviewed the scouting reports. He is someone I would like to see on the Royals within the next five years. If I can trade for him, or sign him in free agency, I will do it.

Cal Ripken: You sound pretty determined there. Anyway, we are running out of time. It has been a pleasure Mr. Farley, and we hope to have you on the network again soon.

Joshua Farley: Thanks.

Cal Ripken: Coming up after the break, we'll show you the top draft picks in all of Fantasy Baseball.

Yeah. I do mean 08.

Comments so far? Do you like the start? What needs improving?

EDIT: Do you guys want weekly, monthly, series, or game-by-game updates?

I like the start so far

and whatever suits you. doing game-by-game will take a long time and can be frustrating depending on how much stuff you put into the logs

I think every few games a month is fine, with other updates of course

Thanks for the feedback; since you are probably the only person following (the forum seems dead...), I'll do a few games a month and see how that works out. Forcing myself to put a lot of information in one post 162 times is a little much.

People will be following but like you said, this place is dead. Some active posters haven't been on much this weekend but when they're on then this place seems pretty good

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*****************************************************************************************************************************************************************Trey Hillman Announces 2008 Royals Roster


Every baseball geek and jock is climbing out of their mother's cellar to catch a glimpse of the Royals 2008 Roster today...

Okay, okay, there is a ton of exaggeration there. Nobody in particular is excited to catch a glimpse of the Royals' roster. In fact, if somebody is, they are probably an uneducated, dumb baseball fan. That's the truth. However, Trey Hillman was stuck in a room filled with local and national reporters this afternoon when he announced the Opening Day Roster.

Starting Pitchers

RHP Zack Greinke
RHP Gil Meche
RHP Brian Bannister
LHP Odalis Perez
LHP Jorge de la Rosa
RHP Todd Wellyemeyer

Relievers

RHP Octavio Dotel
RHP Joel Peralta
LHP John Bale
RHP David Riske
RHP Joakim Soria

Catchers

LHB Dan Morgan
RHB Jason LaRue

Infielders

RHB Mike Sweeney
LHB Ross Gload
RHB Mark Grudzielanek
LHB Alex Gordon
LHB Mark Teahen
RHB Esteban German
LHB Brad Deutsch

Outfielders

LHB Shane Costa
LHB David DeJesus
LHB Joey Gathright
RHB Reggie Sanders
RHB Emil Brown

Still trying to create a rotation and lineup I'm comfortable using... it's actually pretty hard when you know nothing about the team or the players.

If I could make a suggestion, try trading Grudzielanek for Brandon Phillips from the Reds. I did that once with the Royals and wound up getting a cheap, young, power-hitting all-star in exchange for an expensive old dude.

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What do all of these players have in common? They've recently been traded. In order from left to right, we have Ross Gload, Brandon Phillips, Tony Pena and Angel Berroa. Three of these four players were recently in the Kansas City Royals Organization, now those three are members of the Cincinnati Reds. What sole player of the Reds was able to anchor such a deal? Brandon Phillips, an athletic, well-built second baseman. He's only twenty-five.

That's not to say the Royals aren't giving up a lot of talent, though. Gload is a career .298 hitter with 12 home runs. In any season he's started or played in over 100 games, he's batted at least .321. He's done it twice though, so his numbers aren't that impressive. Next on the list is Tony Pena, a speedy shortstop with below average fielding. He's pretty streaky with the bat and cannot be relied upon in the clutch; a good guy to trade, considering he is only 26. Finally, Angel Berroa, the most competent fielder in this trade and a starter for the Royals for four years. He put up average offensive numbers for a shortstop; .264 batting average, 605 hits, 234 RBIs, 45 home runs, and a average .691 OPS.

If it wasn't for Brandon's athleticism, this trade would be a terrific deal for the Reds. However, since the trade with the Royals involved one bust, a prospect with little to any future, and a twenty-nine year old player with diminishing skill level, the Royals made out like bandits. Fans everywhere are excited by the new addition. They are praising Farley for his ability to get a deal done in little to no time, and a damn good deal at that.

"Why wasn't this kid the General Manager five years ago? We could have really used him!" Chris Snozzeragen, a fan of the Royals for sixteen years, said when he was interviewed by a local reporter. "We could have probably won a few seasons! I can't wait to see what he pulls off in the draft."

With the pressure on, the Royals are expected to do well this season-- some anonymous sources in the organization are reporting that the team's goal is to play at or above .500.

'Scuse me for up-playing the trade, but that's what biased sources do. They don't like to admit mistakes. In reality, I actually do realize I could have gotten much better with that three-player package.

I am following just to let you know.

Me too. I have a Royals season mode, but can't do a log because of my Cubs log. Who's your starting SS? I actually used Esteban German. He's normally a 2B/3B, but those positions are similar to SS, so I didn't have much trouble with him. He also puts some speed in the lineup.