Review: Out Of The Park Baseball 13

I like recommending baseball products to people and I am lucky enough to get the chance to before anyone else tonight.  I am a big MLB gamer, PlayStation or PC.  I love MVP Baseball 2004 and 2005, best video games ever.  On the computer I like to do what I hope to do in my future…be the GM of an MLB team.  I have played many games, Baseball Mogul is good but the best game is easily Out of The Park Baseball.  I have played it for the last three years now and this year I was able to sim the season before anyone else thanks to a promotion with Out of The Park Developments and the Baseball Bloggers Alliance.  I got to sim the 2012 season right before my eyes on my computer.  Before I go to the results of my game, I would like to stay this is not a sponsored post, and if you think you may want the game go to http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/out-of-the-park-baseball/ and click on the top where it shows OOTP 13 and read about the awesome features and pre-order it for $39.99.  It’s the most in-depth baseball sim out there, no doubt.  Now to my results.

Winners
AL West: Angels
AL Central: Tigers
AL East: Yankees
AL Wild Cards: Red Sox over Rays
NL West: Giants
NL Central: Brewers
NL East: Braves
NL Wild Card: Marlins over Reds
ALCS: Angels over Tigers
NLCS: Giants over Brewers
World Series: Angels over Giants in 7 (Just like in 2002)

Team Preview- Toronto Blue Jays

LINE-UP

1. CF Rajai Davis- Will have another decent season
2. SS Yunel Escobar- He could finally start living up to his potential
3. RF Jose Bautista-  Will still hit for more power
4. 1B Adam Lind- Has a shot for another big season
5. DH Juan Rivera- Starting to decline but will still do okay
6. 3B Edwin Encarnacion- 30 Homers could happen this year
7. LF Travis Snider- Starting to get a lot better
8. C JP Arenciba- Will breakout big this season
9. 2B Aaron Hill- Hitting?, eh.  Power?, Huge.

STARTING ROTATION

1. RHP Brandon Morrow- My Prediction- 200 K, 15 W, 3.20 ERA, if he returns quick enough…
2. LHP Ricky Romero- Decent number 2 guy
3. LHP Brett Cecil- Could follow-up on last year and will do decent
4. RHP Kyle Drabek- Top ROY contender, big season ahead
5. LHP Jo-Jo Reyes- Not a big believer in him
6. RHP Jesse Litcsh- Can do good and bad but will be a good 5 guy

Marc Rzepczynski needs a shot he could capitalize, he isn’t a bullpen guy.

Bullpen
CL: Frank Francisco
SU: Jon Rauch
7: Octavio Dotel
S: Jason Frasor
M: Casey Janseen
L: Shawn Camp
U: Marc Rzepczynski
Bench
C Jose Molina
UT Mike McCoy
IF John McDonald
OF Corey Patterson
ANALYSIS
Line-up: It looks okay but too many of the guys hit for a low average so it could have some outbursts and terrible games.  They will have an okay season with tons of homers but it’s nowhere near good enough to compete
Rotation: Even without Marcum they have plenty of good, young arms which will have their struggles but they will have more good games and they could have one of the best rotations in the league for a while
Bench: McDonald supplies defense, McCoy is a great utility player and Molina will be an awesome back-up but Patterson will struggle and not be worth it even though he has speed.  It’s an okay bench that’s pretty much average
Bullpen: It fits right with in with the rotation and won’t be a concern at all.  They should have a great 2011 and with Dotel-Rauch-Francisco in the seventh through ninth they will succeed not to mention they still have Jason Frasor.
IMPACT ROOKIES
Kyle Drabek- Will be awesome all season for these guys
JP Arenciba- His hitting could slump at times but he will do great at times
Brett Lawrie- He will do just as good as he did in the spring when he gets the call
Anthony Gose- His speed will come around and if gets the call he should do good
OFFSEASON GRADE: C
QUESTIONS
Will Jose Bauista Repeat?- He has a great shot to especially with his new swing, that he got before 2010.  He can hit around 40 homers again.  He will have a small decline of course but everything should go good this season and I expect him to get some MVP votes to go along with his numbers.  He will do better in the second half just like last season even though.  Expect a lower batting average.
Can Morrow be an ace?- After he returns he can take a step to being one.  I feel he will breakout big this season and he might not be elite yet but he will show that he can be this season and he could be one of the best pitchers in the MLB for a while after that.
Can Francisco hold down the closer’s job?- For now I think he has just enough stuff and he  will get a lot least 30 saves without blowing a ton.  I think he’s a great option and he will never be elite but he could be a the top of the mid-tier and always do really good.
Can Rajai Davis hit 15 HR? Yes, but I think he will fall a bit short this year.  He will be very productive though and will be a great lead-off hitter.  he will also play some very good defense at the Rogers Centre.
How good can Arenciba do?- If you can deal with some ups and downs throughout the year and a lower batting average for right now but he will seriously have some big power and do an awesome job for most of the season.
AWARD PREDICTIONS
MVP: Jose Bautista
CY Young: Brandon Morrow
ROY: Kyle Drabek
WIN RANGE: 73-80

Can Pirates be good this year?

I see them strating to break out of being not so good but they will still need to develop they should breakout soon.  This year they will do good in large part to Andrew McCutchen at times there might not be a thing he can’t do.  The biggest concern is the starting pitching but Zach Duke and Paul Maholm sould have decent seasons and Daniel MCcutchen is to good not do something great at this level.  The bullpen needs a little time to get good too, look for Joel Hanrahan to improve a lot.  Octavio Dotel should be a good short term closer.  Lastings Milledge and Garrett Jones to have big years.  Ryan Doumit and Jeff Clement should start to get better.  Ronny Cedeno I like too he will hit for power and with his defense he won’t be much worse than Jack Wilson.  The one guy to watch is Andy LaRoche, he can easily come into his own and he might this year and when he does he will hit homers and knock in tons of runs.  Pedro Alvarez should also make his debut, it should be right around average and go up from there.  The young talent will bring some wins here but with all the growing it could take a while.

White Sox Preview

Hitting: They have a good offense.  Gordon Beckham is really going to hit this year, he might be an all-star and he will hit well the whole year.  AJ Pierzynski should hit really well and if he does they should be close to contending all year.  Alexei Ramirez might not follow-up on his 2008 season but he should come close or do good and Paul Konerko will still be useful for a few years.  The guys they might have a problem with are Alex Rios, who will ooze talent but he just won’t hit and Mark Teahen isn’t real good he should be a poor hitter.  Carlos Quentin is decent but not as good as 2008.  Juan Pierre should just do his job and steal bases.  The team has a great order and can compete with it but Rios needs to hit, without him they won’t be that good. The middle of the order should do the best and for the longest.  If Rios doesn’t step up they will need Jones to and he might.  They will score quite a few runs a game bu they should be easier to shut down against aces.
Starting Pitching: Jake Peavy is a Cy Young award winner and I just don’t see where he can go wrong, he’s till got all his great stuff, command and control and the park won’t stop him, he’s a great pitcher no matter what.  Mark Buehrle should shut down teams but go through his struggles.  John Danks is great and will be really good for these guys this year, he has great control and location and should use all of it this year.  Gavin Floyd isn’t really good he should be a decent middle of the rotation guy but don’t expect much, he should get beat up too.  Freddy Garcia is older and doesn’t have the same stuff anymore, he could get the job done but they would pay the price once and a while, Dan Hudson ready and he could plow down hitters, he can be stopped but it will take a while.  This is a great rotation, I think everybody will contribute and with Peavy to hold it down it will be hard for it to have a bad year.
Bench:  Great bench.  Mark Kotsay isn’t really good but he should get some stuff done and hit okay in the clutch.  Omar Vizquel should hit high this year and his defense shouldn’t take any hit.  Jayson Nix has big power and they will need it and Ramon Castro will be a borderline starter at times.  It will fit right in to this line-up.
Bullpen: Bobby Jenks will just continue to get hit but Matt Thornton will be unstoppable this year and should easily get saves and JJ Putz will thrive late in games rarely giving a bad performance.  Tony Pena speed is need too and he should have a decent year.  Scott Linebrink should be okay but he is wearing down.  Sergio Santos isn’t real good but should patch things up for a while and Randy Williams could get beat up but do okay in his role mostly.  It is a bit above average and should just do very good almost every game.
Overall:  This team could compete for the AL Central but there a little old and Rios and the bottom of the order might not show up, they’re pitching should be good the whole year and there bullpen too, but they should take some knocks and their offense just isn’t good enough, some slumps by Rios, Teahen, Floyd, and Jenks could hurt them too.
MVP: 2B Gordon Beckham
Line-up Forecast
LF Jaun Pierre- 1 HR 29 RBI .281 AVG 39 SB 93 R
CF Alex Rios- 9 HR 67 RBI .239 AVG 18 SB 55 R
2B Gordon Beckham- 23 HR 84 RBI .283 AVG 10 SB 73 R
1B Paul Konerko- 26 HR 81 RBI .274 AVG 0 SB 72 R
RF Carlos Quentin- 27 HR 86 RBI .256 AVG 1 SB 62 R
C AJ Pierzynski- 10 HR 51 RBI .294 AVG 0 SB 55 R
SS Alexei Ramirez- 19 HR 73 RBI .286 AVG 16 SB 74 R
DH Andruw Jones- 19 HR 64 RBI .224 AVG 4 SB 51 R
3B Mark Teahen- 14 HR 59 RBI .274 AVG 6 SB 61 R

Prospects

1. CF Jared Mitchell- Needs to develop but is going to be great in almost every part of the game
2. SP Dan Hudson- Will be dominant with good stuff
3. 3B Brent Morel-  Should at least always hit well and could be an all-star
4. 3B Dayan Viciedo- Has more talent than Morel but might not use it all
5. C Tyler Flowers- Good hitter and decent defender should have a good career
6. CF Jordan Danks-  Should be a good hitter in the middle of the order
7. SP Carlos Torres- Is decent to have at the end of the rotation
8. C Miguel Gonzalez- Is a really good hitter and could fill up all his upside and have a great average
9. C Josh Phegley- His offense should carry him a long way and he could have tons of good season ahead of him
10. CF Trayce Thompson-  Good tools and he has power and speed, could make it okay

NOTE: When Alex Rios does good he should get tons of RBIs and go all out

Can Indians be good?

They will ned quite a few things to happen.  Justin Masterson will have to breakout and be unhittable at times, he might breakout a bit this year but not be unhittable he should do pretty good though and do his job exceptionally well.  They will need Carlos Santana to come up too and if he does he will be a RBI machine because Lou Marson will not hit well  and they need some production from him.  Peralta will also have to gain his power back which should happen easily.  They need a little more from Luis Valbuena too, if he can’t hit they should sit him.  Grady Sizemore and Shin-Soo Choo will do very well and these guys will lead them, Michael Brantley should also do the best out of any rookie.  David Huff and Carlos Carrasco should improve drastically and that will help them.  They need vets Westbrook and Carmona to step up and there not that good, I don’t see them helping much at all.  They relievers should also get better, Rafael Perez, will be a good lefty specialist this year and they won’t need to take the closer job out of Chris Perez hands.  The offense should score decent but the pitching should give up a lot of runs, they shouldn’t come close to winning this division because they will develop and have struggles this year but they should win a decent amount of games and do pretty good at times, but no chance to be really good.

30 in 30: Washington Nationals

MANAGEMENT:  Manny Acta is a good manager but hasn’t made a name for himself yet, look for this to be his breakout season.  Last year he used 133 line-ups look for less this year.  He likes to substitute which I personally like.  GRADE: B-

CATCHING: They finally gave the job to Jesus Flores who has some pop and plays defense, this guy will be a nice asset for their young pitchers (the whole staff). Wil Nieves is a textbook back-up catcher, only defense and pitch calling matter.  GRADE: B

FIRST BASE:  Dimitri Young has faded after a nice 2007 season and Nick Johnson is on the block with a crowded outfield this job goes to Adam Dunn who will find the seats at least 40 times, even in this park.  The Nationals will build the franchise around him.  His cons are defense, strikeouts, and batting average. GRADE: A-

SECOND BASE:  It’s a battle between Anderson Hernandez and Ronnie Belliard.  I believe Belliard will win and will hit number seven, he has great power for a second baseman.  Hernandez specializes in defense and will make lot’s and lot’s of ‘WOW’ plays or diving plays.  Lot’s of prospects here with Ian Desmond (might be as good as Kinsler) who hits great and Kory Casto who deserves a chance and is a good ballplayer GRADE C

SHORTSTOP:  Last year’s only Nationals All-Star Christian Guzman who should hit lead off and bat for a good average.  He doesn’t slack at defense either he’s nice at short and makes nice plays. GRADE B+

THIRD BASE: Ryan Zimmerman is a great all-around ballplayer who should hit 20 out of the park and play staler defense.  He can hit over 300. to but isn’t doing it yet.  He also has a little speed so put about 10 stolen bases on him.  GRADE: A-

OUTFIELD: Will it be Milledge, Dukes, and Willingham or Willingham, Milledge, and Kearns.  Regardless it’s a good outfield but here’s what I say LF: Willingham CF: Milledge RF: Dukes 4: Kearns 5: Mo Pena 6: Harris.  Willingham has power and carries RBIs with him too and will play nice defense with his good arm for assists (former Catcher).  I’d give him 8 assists as a projection.  Milledge is the complete package speed, power, hits, average (will develop).  The only con is defense.  Dukes is a 20-20 type player who has lots of speed and raw power, two great things to find in a young player.  In the outfield he will get many assists.  Kearns is a power freak and will be a nice pinch-hitter but can play good in the outfield.  Wily Mo Pena is another power freak who will get 15 doubles a nice outfielder off of the bench.  Willie Harris is a guy who cares about two things, speed and hits and that will come in handy on those times he starts GRADE: A

Rotation:If there’s one weakness on this club it’s here, BUT their young pitcher’s could prove me wrong. Here’s a projection

1. Scott Olsen
2. Daniel Cabrera
3. Collin Balester
4. John Lannan
5. Jordan Zimmermann

Olsen is a lefty who was bad but is now getting it together and being in a pitcher’s park will help him.  I personally like this pitcher and think 15 wins  is going to be his total.  Cabrera is a flame throwing, strikeout machine who needs to keep allow ERA now that he is at Nationals Park (a pitcher’s park).  Balester is a young kid who has tons of potential look for great things from him.  Lannan is going to be a nice middle of the rotation lefty who will put up great numbers.  Jordan Zimmermann is absolutely amazing, he has CY young numbers all across the board and is going to be something special.  The Nationals have tons of young pitchers with potential in this rotation.  GRADE: C

BULLPEN:  This is an important part of the game you have to have good relievers who come in and keep the other team from scoring. The Nationals have an average bullpen.

1. Terrel Young RHP Utility
2. Saul Rivera RHP 7th inning pitcher
3. Matt Chico LHP Lefty Specialist
4. Jason Bergman RHP Long Man
5. Steven Shell RHP Setup Man
6. Joel Hanrahan RHP Closer

Young was a Rule V Draft pick and has to stay with Washington all year.  He is a flame thrower and will come in handy in certain situations.  Saul Rivera is a textbook reliever and can shut down teams in the seventh.  Chico is a decent pitcher and I think he has the best chance to be the lefty specialist he just needs to improve versus lefties he’s out until June but should come back ready.  Bergman can be a nice long man but needs to lower his ERA. Shell put up absolutely amazing numbers last year and except a lot of Holds from him this year.  Hanrahan is not the best closer but can get the job done most of the time and I don’t expect a lot of Blown Saves from him this year.  GRADE: C

OVERALL:  This Nationals are a good team on the rise who I think will raise a few people’s eyes this year.  They have a good all around team and could be contending for the NL East in a few years, I like this team.  PROJECTED RECORD: 76-86  STANDING SPOT: 5th GRADE: C

LINEUP

1. Christian Guzman SS
2. Ronnie Belliard 2B
3. Ryan Zimmerman 3B
4. Adam Dunn 1B
5. Josh Willingham LF
6. Lastings Milledge CF
7. Elijah Dukes RF
8. Jesus Flores C

BENCH

1. Wil Nieves C
2. Willie Harris UTIL
3. Austin Kearns OF
4. Wily Mo Pena OF
5.  Anderson Hernandez INF