OOTP 26 Pittsburgh Pirates Rebuild — 2028 Q3: Injuries Impact a Historic Season
A battered roster, a busy deadline, and a championship contender trying to keep its historic pace. The Pittsburgh Pirates entered the third quarter of the season chasing history, but for the first time all year, the roster started to show some cracks. Injuries forced Pittsburgh to lean heavily on its depth, while the front office had to decide how aggressive to be with October approaching. The record still says this is one of baseball’s best teams, but the last 41 games may h
IamCogs
Aug 2124 min read
Kerry Wood and Mark Prior career rewinds: 2005 Recap
So before we get into 2005, there's something I need to bring up about MVP Baseball 2004, a game that is turning out to be a problem child. I've noticed a discrepancy in the stats, for example, at the end of the the 2005 season MVP Baseball 2004 has Mark Prior at 831.0 IP. But if we look at the actual numbers it doesn't add up. He had 328.0 IP in his two season previous to 2004. In 2004 he had 217.2 IP and in 2005 he had 228.1 IP. All of which adds up to 774.0 IP, which leave
IamCogs
Aug 118 min read
OOTP 26 Pittsburgh Pirates Rebuild — 2028 Midseason Report: History Meets Adversity
The blistering hot start the the season has seen no slowdown for the 2028 Pittsburgh Pirates. Posting a 66-15 record through their first 81 games, they broke a record previous held by te1885 Chicago White Stockings (now the Chicago Cubs), who opened their campaign with an astounding 64–17 record. Carried by elite pitching in both the starting rotation (2.39 starter ERA) and the bullpen (2.27 ERA) the Pirates also bolster an elite offense, one that ranks 1st in nearly every ca
IamCogs
Aug 911 min read
OOTP 26 Pittsburgh Pirates Rebuild — 2028 Q1: No Championship Hangover
The 1st Quarter of 2028 was the most blisteringly hot start in Pittsburgh Pirates history, and while not the best mark in MLB history (The 1984 Detroit Tigers started 35-6) the 34-7 Pirates made it well known early that there was no early hangover from the 2027 World Series sweep handed to them by the Boston Red Sox. But I can't help but feel...we're still missing a lot. The pitching has been as good as it's ever been, but the offense has been hot and cold up and down the lin
IamCogs
Jul 189 min read
Kerry Wood and Mark Prior career rewinds: 2004 Recap
Very quickly just to explain the structure of this: I will have a write up for each year, and break down the progress of both the team and Wood and Prior on a month-to-month basis. Then, finishing each with a quick recap of the season. It's also worth noting that MVP Baseball 2004 doesn't really have a fatigue system outside the pitchers so in most cases it will be very common to have players playing 162 games a season. It's simulation engine also seems to struggle with balan
IamCogs
Jul 56 min read
OOTP 26 Pittsburgh Pirates Rebuild — 2027–28 Offseason: Reloading for Another Run
Another whirlwind of an off-season has come and gone with a litany of changes to hopefully get the Pirates over the hump once again. As always there's Award Winners American League MVP: SEA CF Julio Rodriguez (73/74) .284/.354/.539, 37 HR, 107 RBI, 144 wRC+, 7.0 WAR Cy Young: (2) BOS LHP Garrett Crochet (77/79) 17-5, 2.91 ERA, 210.2 IP, 278 K, 0.94 WHIP, 8.0 WAR RotY: SEA RF Lazaro Montes (49/53) .291/.365/.508, 21 HR, 81 RBI, 140 wRC+, 2.3 WAR Reliver of the Year: (4) BAL LH
IamCogs
Jun 288 min read
OOTP 26 Pittsburgh Pirates Rebuild — 2027 Postseason: A Second Pennant, a Bitter Ending
The 2027 MLB Postseason has come and gone, with the defending champions the Pittsburgh Pirates hoping to repeat as champions. There's a lot of exciting things to cover, and we will cover each series all the way down to the World Series in the post. AL Wildcard Series - Red Sox vs. Yankees The Boston Red Sox squared off with division rival New York Yankees in one of the two AL Wildcard Matchups. The series went three games. After the Yankees took game 1, 7-5. The Red Sox would
IamCogs
Jun 2012 min read
What If...? Kerry Wood and Mark Prior career rewinds: OOTP 26 vs. MVP 2004
A few weeks back I pondered a simple question: Then a realization dawned on me, I have the means to make this happen! (at least digitally..) The fantastic baseball sim Out of the Park lets you travel back in time and play any historical season from the history of baseball. I've done this in my free time with the 2001 Cubs, rewriting history, getting Steve Bartman rightfully off the hook for game 6 of the NLCS, and winning the World Series in 2001. So why not do the same for t
IamCogs
Jun 162 min read
OOTP 26 Pittsburgh Pirates Rebuild — 2027 Regular Season Recap: The Machine Keeps Rolling
In the blink of an eye, it's the end of the 2027 MLB regular season. The 2027 Pirates continued to be the best team in the major league finishing with a league leading 111 wins, mirroring their 2026 record despite turnover that saw 9 players from the 2026 squad not return to the team. The Pirates did their damage in keeping a World Series core through the combination of shrewd trades and their younger players stepping up. They acquired SP Reid Detmers (59/59), RF Jo Adell (53
IamCogs
Jun 1514 min read
OOTP 26 Pittsburgh Pirates Rebuild — 2027 Q3: October Comes Into Focus
It's been a busy 40 games for the Pirates, and with 3/4ths of the season under wraps they remain the team with the best record in the MLB sitting at 80 wins, just 2 wins away from securing their third winning season a row, a feat they last accomplished between the 2013 and 2015 seasons. The Pirates continue to be a complete ball club, with pitching (1st in team ERA) and offense (1st in runs scored) still leading the way for the Buccos. While the bullpen has seen some bumps in
IamCogs
Jun 911 min read