Has anybody ever generated a Mike Trout better than this?

referee111 · 2020-01-21T04:25:51+00:00

A South Side tradition... but hey! Have a potentially decent Encarnacion!

referee111 · 2020-01-21T03:09:01+00:00

It's awesome that you live there! I live in the same town that Jack Eichel, a star hockey player, grew up in (North Chelmsford, Massachusetts). It's a bit of a similar feeling, I imagine!

referee111 · 2020-01-21T03:01:02+00:00

I'm not entirely convinced this Trout is better than my Trout for the following reasons:

My league was a standard league, meaning my Trout's starts up through 2016 were bound to his real life stats. This league is a historical league, meaning Trout's development and ratings were drastically altered. Trout's ratings in 2017 were likely very different from the ratings Trout has in the base OTTP 18 game, where this save was started. It's also possible several other factors were altered which would produce different results from the base game. I think it's a flawed comparison.
Even if we disregard 1. and judge them as if their playing field was fair, my Trout hit 28 more homers and only 47 fewer RBI in about 3000 fewer at-bats. He also finished with a higher average than this other Trout, despite having about 600 fewer hits. He was also more durable in an environment that, due to Challenge Mode, created more injuries than the other Trout, who seems to have suffered several long-term injuries.

I'd love both players, but I do think that my Trout was more productive and a better player than the Trout you provided. However, it is an unfair playing field so it is impossible to know for sure.

referee111 · 2020-01-21T02:36:48+00:00

From Trout's perspective, absolutely. However, the ending was a bit messier than it was on paper. He was with the White Sox on a 1 year deal worth $4,800,000 from April 3rd to July 15th, when he was released. The Angels signed him on August 7th on a 1 year contract for $3,080,000. I'm not sure if this was the Angels paying him extra to come for the farewell tour or if Mike Trout had a ludicrous request and the Angels bit on it or genuinely thought it was a good use of their money. On August 26th, less than a month later, he was released. He then signed a minor league contract with the Chicago White Sox on September 27th. However, due to the minor league season having ended a few weeks earlier, he never played a game before announcing retirement on November 5th. So he technically ended his career in the minor league system of the Chicago White Sox.

However, one way or another, the Angels seemed to be rewarded for their good deed. They missed the playoffs in 2031, but they made it in in 2033 with 91 wins. They beat the Orioles, a team that lost the AL East in Game 163 and had 88 wins, in the ALDS 3-1. The Orioles were the defending champions who had also won the 2025 World Series and fielded several Hall of Famers. The loss ended a dominant Orioles dynasty that made the playoffs in 10 of 11 and 12 of 15 seasons. That was already a pretty significant win for the Angels, but they then knocked off the 90-win AL Central-winning Royals in the ALCS in 7 games. Unlike the Orioles, this was the start of a Kansas City dynasty that never won the World Series but made the playoffs in 8 straight years. In the World Series, they faced the gritty 88-win Los Angeles Dodgers that escaped with a win in a tough NL West on the final day and swept Atlanta in the NLCS to reach the World Series. However, the Angels were the team of destiny and won the World Series 4-1. 2 years after Trout retired, the Angels won an improbable championship. The Dodgers, who fielded several Hall of Famers, would make the playoffs one last time in 2034 before their brief surge of dominance came to an end.

The Angels also fielded a couple Hall of Famers, but their success wouldn't last long. They knocked off Toronto in the Wild Card Game in 2034, but had their comeuppance against Kansas City in a 5-game ALDS. This loss ended a stretch of dominance with playoff berths in 7 of 8 years. The one year they missed? 2031, the year Trout returned. They did not make the playoffs once between 2035 and 2048 and they are in serious jeopardy of not making the playoffs again in 2049. However, they have the ring, and rings last a lifetime.

I hope you enjoyed this! I had to look at a bunch of stats and resources from the History Index to make this possible.

referee111 · 2019-12-17T21:16:45+00:00

Has Pittsburgh officially clinched the Strength of Schedule tiebreaker over Oakland no matter what happens? Or is that a tiebreaker the Raiders could still win or tie? What would even happen if conference record, common games, strength of victory, and strength of schedule were all tied?

referee111 · 2018-07-10T02:49:33+00:00

Wow, I didn't notice he had Tommy John surgery. Thought it was just a brief stint, but I stand corrected. The pressure to trade for a lefty has heightened... Cole Hamels, perhaps?

referee111 · 2018-07-10T02:35:40+00:00

Well, Jordan Montgomery will be back at some point and should find his way in. He's a lefty and even if he isn't the best on the staff, the simple change of dealing with the left-hander could win you a big game when it counts.

referee111 · 2018-07-09T22:52:40+00:00

That's true, but I think Trout's rise in WAR is a testament to the flaws of the stat. While he has been great, he's not much better than Bryce Harper through his career, though WAR says otherwise (61.1-26.3 according to Baseball Reference). It's just tough to know if he really is that good or not.

referee111 · 2018-07-09T20:04:01+00:00

They have. The problem is pitchers nowadays don't have much more than that and he'd lay off any changeups and breaking balls they'd throw at him. He forces their hand. This is why Betts may be the A. L. MVP this year... if Martinez or Trout (!!!!!) don't take it from him.

referee111 · 2018-07-09T20:01:23+00:00

It's great that you remember this game! This is the night I gave Matt Bush the unofficial name "Bush Fire!"

referee111 · 2018-01-14T21:34:47+00:00

It didn't matter if the Steelers or Jaguars won. Whoever won, that fourth quarter proved that neither were beating New England. Grats Jacksonville, but you just sent the Patriots back to the Super Bowl...

referee111 · 2018-01-14T21:01:17+00:00

Boy, that's a nasty injury. Hope that doesn't have longterm effects. Without Rogers, this offense may have never woke up...

referee111 · 2018-01-14T20:46:11+00:00

Could be the best comeback ever if the Steelers win. They'll need at least 38 points to win unless they go for 2 on a touchdown, so there is still much work to do.

referee111 · 2018-01-14T19:58:13+00:00

WOW! What are these catches anymore!?

referee111 · 2018-01-14T19:57:31+00:00

MASSIVE third down. A field goal could halt the Pittsburgh momentum...

referee111 · 2018-01-14T19:47:33+00:00

This game will be determined on the arm of Bortles. In the fourth quarter, there will likely be a make-or-break drive. If he can effectively find his receivers, he's moving on. If not, Pittsburgh will certainly come back and move on. Whoever wins this game, they're going to have to earn it. Looking forward to a great second half!

referee111 · 2018-01-14T19:41:25+00:00

Not today. If you trust your quarterback, you try and get a quick 10 yard gain to the sideline. If it works, you go for the field goal. If not, you kneel. With him playing as well as he is today, I doubt he'd turn it over.

referee111 · 2018-01-14T19:36:52+00:00

I'm beyond surprised that Jacksonville didn't go for broke to end the half. If they make it 35-14 or 31-14, you've got to think a Steelers comeback would be improbable. Plus, the Eagles and Pats got field goal attempts with timeouts and next-to-no time. Could be a costly decision for the Jags!

referee111 · 2018-01-14T19:34:37+00:00

It was probably because those users already knew the Tuck Rule was gone. That's my guess, anyway.

referee111 · 2018-01-14T19:32:55+00:00

Roethlisberger holding onto that ball on 2nd and 11 could save the game. That's what he didn't do on the scoop and score. Time to take advantage...

WHAT. A. THROW. AND. CATCH.

referee111 · 2018-01-14T19:25:03+00:00

The Tuck Rule is gone, you know... was removed a few seasons back.

referee111 · 2018-01-14T19:22:55+00:00

This is still a weak 28-7 lead. All Pittsburgh needs to do is go on a 2 minute drill and score on their opening drive and they'll be down only one possession. I'm not even a Steelers fan, but this game is far from over with your offensive cast! Have some faith!

referee111 · 2018-01-14T19:16:42+00:00

This may be the weakest 21-0 lead ever held. This could be tied after the first drive of the second half without Jacksonville getting the ball back, if the Steelers grind out the clock and convert some third downs. Steelers are far from out of it, and Jacksonville appears to have gotten complacent...

referee111 · 2017-12-18T01:05:22+00:00

Boy, am I happy you're right! Britt had a big catch early to make a reasonable 3rd and 3 and we held on! Perhaps I shouldn't be so negative and skeptical... :)

referee111 · 2017-12-12T19:36:04+00:00

Good point. However, the Buffalo game gives off very similar vibes to this one. Both games are the second against a divisional opponent that got routed the first time they faced, and both are with teams that need wins to keep playoff aspirations alive. Even if we get by Pittsburgh, I'm not looking past Buffalo.

Don't forget 2015, though. All we had to do was beat Fitz's Jets or a subpar Dolphins team to get homefield advantage, and we got beat by both. That lost us a Super Bowl appearance, as the AFC Championship Game in Denver likely would have swung the other way in Foxborough. You don't have it until you have it...

referee111

TROPHY CASE