2014 #18 Sim 19

[bschr682]

Pitcher of the sim:
SP Robbie Sargent
1-0 with a 3.24 ERA in 8.1 IP with 4 K's to go against 3 walks. Sargent's best days are far, far behind him but he actually is still a competent big leaguer. That might not be the case when next season rolls around though.

Batter of the sim:
DH Douglas Newhouse
.250 avg in 8 AB's with 1 homerun and 1 RBI. Were these the last AB's for Newhouse? Maybe.

1-2 sim to finish the season. Bring on the offseason!

[trmmilwwi]

Newhouse has almost 10,000 AB's with Vancouver. He has not played for another MBBA team. Unreal!!

[bschr682]

Yup and that's why I refuse to get rid of him until he actually retires. Him, Egan, and Sargent. Hell of a lifelong trio.

[trmmilwwi]

That's the thing I most admired about Joe when he ran the team... he was steadfast in his treatment of players. Yes... they are a great set of players, but many other GM's would have gotten an itchy trigger finger on trades. I like that you are sticking to his vision... it'll be worth it when people review the history of the Vancouver franchise!!

[aaronweiner]

I wish I had that luxury. Who exactly would I have kept?

[trmmilwwi]

I wish I had that luxury. Who exactly would I have kept?

LOL... you asked for it...

Manny Aguilar. Look at those ratings as a 37 year old hanging out on a ski hill somewhere. Man he would have had one hell of a career!!

Or Mash.

Or Larry.

[bschr682]

I think if I traded away these guys and got a decent return Joe would have been fine with that. But if you can get anything back you might as well go for broke which I did. Now its all downhill until the farm recovers. Or somehow some younger players hit FA which ain't happenin'.

[trmmilwwi]

welcome aboard the bandwagon! Aaron and I will make you feel right at home... lol.

[aaronweiner]

You mean all the guys I had no chance at all to keep? Yeah, I would have kept them.

[trmmilwwi]

You mean all the guys I had no chance at all to keep? Yeah, I would have kept them.

I am thinking there are some 1st round picks you have either recently made or will be making that you should probably hold onto for life. Chip and Frank fit the role..

[aaronweiner]

Dear life, more like it. You realize our farm was ranked 24th when I took over the team?

[scottsdale_joe]

I think if I traded away these guys and got a decent return Joe would have been fine with that. But if you can get anything back you might as well go for broke which I did. Now its all downhill until the farm recovers. Or somehow some younger players hit FA which ain't happenin'.

I would have been OK if you traded them, but I'm very glad you didn't. I always liked the old days in sports where players played their whole career with one team. I think Egan, Sargent, and Newhouse deserve now to end their careers as Mounties. Thanks for keeping them there, Brett.

Sargent has been brilliant since his rookie year. #3 all-time in wins in MBWBA.
Newhouse has been great too. Nice move switching him to 1B. #7 all-time in SB (900+), #1 all-time in walks (by more than 100), 421 HRs. Love him.

Egan is something else. He demanded (and got) a major league contract (3 years at $800K) to sign after the draft, but he spent 1.5 years in the minors before coming up. 671 saves!! Amazing. Owned the Gunga award.

One my favorite ever Mountie accomplishments: Arturo Gutiérrez hitting four home runs in a game (getting eight RBIs) vs Washington. His career numbers aren't what they could have been because he could not break into to Brock Lee/Newhouse/Matt Brunson/Nick Mannerden infield. He played all four infield positions. I tried to make him a RF but that experiment failed miserably.

[bschr682]

Ah yes Brock Lee. I always felt like Lee was underrated.

[scottsdale_joe]

Ah yes Brock Lee. I always felt like Lee was underrated.

Yup, he was.
He was a run producing machine for 7-8 years for the Mounties.
We paid him a TON (5 years for $115.8 million and then 5 more years for $84.1 million - just $100K short of $200 million), but we wouldn't have won those titles in 1999 and 2000 without him. That 10th year was an option year and we declined it as he chose then to tank in the ratings. Good timing.

Brunson was underrated too. I gave you (at CAL) two good pitchers for him (Taub ended up winning 167 games). Brunson's glove was the vacuum and critical defensive link of the infield. Offensively he struck out way too much, but he was a lifetime .283 hitter and he was the starter at SS for 12 years, at 2B for 2 years, and at 3B for 1 year for the Mounties. He won a Hoover at SS and at 3B. VAN got its moneys worth from him.

My biggest disappointment with the Mounties was Jimmie Joe Janero. He had 877 hits by age 24 when he suffered a CEI during the 2000 championship year. He got his ring for that year, giving him two.

[bschr682]

I recall a lot of team news regarding Janero. It really was quite the punch when he went out. Id do that trade to get Taub again in a heartbeat. That guy was a machine for awhile.