A Journal Of MLB 2K10

With Madden NFL 10 selecting this year's Super Bowl winner (this simulation has chosen correctly five out of six times), the football season is officially over. Seriously people, there's no point in watching the Super Bowl unless you want to see a performance by The Geriatric Who. Since no one watches hockey, and organized basketball died in 2000, it's time to focus all of our attention on the forthcoming baseball season.

As a Cubs fan, I don't have much to look forward to. Yes, my team will no longer be held hostage by Milton Bradley, but if Carlos Silva secures a spot in the starting rotation, they won't finish any higher than third in the standings. Silva is THAT bad. Cubs General Manager Jim Hendry has developed a knack for signing players who can ruin an entire season. Silva looks to be this year's cancer.

If I had it my way, the only balls Silva would throw would be during batting practice. Since I have no pull in the Cubs' organization, the only way I'll be able to make this a reality is through a video game. With final code of Major League Baseball 2K10 arriving on my desk today, I figured I would see how the Cubs would fare without Silva in the rotation. 

In this year's newest mode, My Player, Silva's rotation spot will be replaced by me, a 34-year-old phenom with an 85 mph fastball and a curveball that only bends in my mind. For those of you who haven't been following the developments of this year's game, My Player is 2K's response to my favorite mode in baseball game history, MLB: The Show's Road to the Show.

In this mode, my task is simple: work my way up through the Minor Leagues to the Majors. If I perform well on the mound, I'll receive experience points that I can distribute to different pitching categories. In addition to improving my hurler's stats, I'll have to keep an eye on his standing in Cubs' organization.

Rather than just giving you a recap on my baseball career, I figured I would pull you into the game with a live blog that charts my players development.

Player Creation
It turns out  that I'm far too old to be a rookie in baseball. My Player's birthday doesn't go below 1982. Looks like I'm going to be a 28-year-old. In terms of muscle definition, "none" is not an option. In addition to being younger than I really am, I will also have "normal" muscles.

The facial creation system is quite deep. Despite my best efforts, however, I somehow transformed my player into Wade Boggs' son. I can live with that. As much as I enjoy playing as a sidearmer in baseball games, I'm going to pick a pitching style most similar to the one I used when I played high school and American Legion ball. After going through all of the pitching deliveries in the game, it looks like Mark Buehrle's delivery (the straight leg kick) is the closest to mine.

Out of the gate, I can select three pitch types for Reiner Boggs. Here's my selection:

Pitch 1 – 2-Seam Fastball 88 MPH (Movement 50/Control 50)
Pitch 2 – Curveball 80 MPH (Movement 50/Control 50)
Pitch 3 – Palmball 75 MPH (Movement 50/Control 50)

I should note that I could have selected Eephus as a pitch type. I have no idea what this is, but it's max speed is 50 mph. Is that thrown left-handed?

The pitching abilities are charted in six categories: Clutch, Composure, Stamina, Pickoff, Against Left Batters, Against Right Batters.

After wrapping up player creation (a process that lands you 5 Achievement points), you'll be asked to select a team. If you enjoy MLB: The Show's random team selection, you can press the Y button to have the game select a team for you. I like having both options available. For whatever reason, The Show has placed me on the Orioles for the last three seasons. Rather than chancing this here, I'm going to sign with the Cubs.

The Cubs apparently think highly of me. They are placing me on their double A team, the Smokies..

Game Day
My first appearance comes with the tag "clutch moment." It's the bottom of the ninth, a baserunner stands on third, and there are two outs. If I  can close this game out, I'll receive three times the skill points. No pressure.

The catcher calls heat high and tight. I screw up my throwing gesture, but the batter doesn't get much on it. He dribbles it to first. Thankfully, the first baseman doesn't need my assistance. Confused by the camera switch, I was apparently on my way into left field. Game over.

For my one pitch, here's what I earned.

After leaving the game, I noticed my first game wasn't at the beginning of the season. My Smokies are 31-25, and are in first with a two game lead.

In the skill point menu, new sections have been added for my pitch types. For instance, I can now spend points on my curveball's speed, control, and movement. One nice really touch is having individual skill points rewarded for pitching, fielding, baserunning, and batting. Unlike MLB: The Show, you won't have to needlessly spend pitching points on drag bunting. It looks like I'll earn bunting points for laying down bunts, and fielding points for actually playing my position. Nice.

I'm on my way to the big leagues, and I dig how the game helpfully displays an MLB Call Up ETA on the top of the player development screen. I'm now going to spend a good amount of time spending all of these points.

My first official start is against the Huntsville Stars. In the first inning, I give up two hits, but get out of the inning without giving up any runs. I should note my pitcher became rattled with two runners on. The vibration in the controller was going nuts!

In this inning, I was mostly tasked with getting an out, but my manager did call on me to get ahead in the count as well. Rather than just jumping back on the mound, I was treated to a simulation of my team's at bats. Very cool. Since we put up four runs, I also got the opportunity to bat in the first inning. After looking horrible on the first pitch, I slapped a slider into right field for a base hit. Two runners scored. MVP, here I come!

With a six run cushion to work with, I flew through the second inning, but struggled with my breaking ball command. Part of it was my gestures. Part of it was my pitcher's terrible control stats. I started to come into my own in the third, punching out the Stars one-two-three. I also rocketed my second base hit into center field. I may be the greatest hitting pitcher ever. For the sake of experiment, I danced around on first base like Vince Coleman used to. With a huge lead, I was able to read the pitcher's movement, and retreat upon his throw. The base leading controls feel nice. In my steal attempt, the batter flew out. I totally would have been safe.

To much surprise, my first game ended up being a complete game. I love that I wasn't pulled when I was doing well. Here's my line for the day.

IP   H   ER   HR   BB   K   PC   B   S
9.0  9    2       0      0     6    92  22  70

That's a fairly realistic line for a starter. The fielders behind me also exhibited a high level of realism. For instance, a second basemen neglected to throw to second for a double play because he had momentum heading toward the bag. He instead stepped on the bag, then tossed a bullet to first.

Back in the My Player menus, the meter that charts progress toward the Majors hasn't moved much. It's going to take at least a full season to get a shot at the show.

Since I just threw a complete game, I'm going to save my experience points (all 1,240 of them) for a new pitch (the first costing 2,000).

On to game two.

Once again, I'm pitching at home, this time against the West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx. Resembling a young (should be old) Cy Young, I'm mowing 'em down with little effort. The Jaxx apparently like to swing at pitches outside of the zone, and don't care much for botched pitches down the heart of the plate. I'm hoping the competitiveness of the computer batters changes once I hit triple A.

While holding them to one run through seven so far, this game has turned into a nail-biter. My Smokies can't find a way on base, and I'm starting to give up hits. Fatigue is setting in.

The bottom of the seventh ended up being the deciding inning. The Smokies threw up a four spot, and in the following innnings, the Jaxx continued to be baffled by my filthy (really erratic) pitching. Another complete game! The line:

IP   H   ER   HR   BB   K   PC   B   S
9.0  7    1       0      0     9    83  10  73

As you can see, I'm dominating at this level. My fielders are making amazing plays when I need them to, and the opposing hitters are doing nothing but building my confidence (and stats). I've only given up three hits that have reached the outfield.

I woke up this morning and decided to up the game's difficulty from Pro to All Star. Why these naming conventions remain a part of sports games is beyond me. I honestly don't understand what Pro or All Star means. Why not use "Skilled" or "Challenging" or  something that reflects what the gameplay will be like?

Anyway, before I could test the new difficulty level, my created player was confronted by his first training drill. For pitchers, at least, it looks like you'll run into the drills once a month (as noted on the game day schedule).

My drill of choice today will be Composure & Stamina. You may think I chose this from the challenge it brings, but I actually selected it because it's a role Carlos Silva could never fulfill. Success here instantly makes my pitcher better than Silva.

As you would expect, the drill begins with runners on base and my pitcher rattled. Placing a curveball on the corner with the cursor bouncing around and the controller vibrating is proving to be incredibly difficult. These guys are teeing off on me. Line drive after line drive. Despite giving up a few runs I did get enough outs to secure a bronze medal and a paltry 75 skill points. And before you say anything, Silva wouldn't have gotten any outs. I'm still better than he is.

Let's see how this new difficulty level affects my pitching style. I'm finally on the road, facing the Mobile Baybears. From their lineup, these guys appear to be struggling. Only one player is having a decent year. Everyone else is hitting below .250.

My gestures are improving, but the new difficulty level is working against me. Two consecutive base hits followed by a gift caught stealing at third. The next batter dribbled out to second. I can't seem to get anything by these guys. Any pitch close to the zone is getting hammered. The next batter cracked a two run dinger. Maybe this new difficulty level is too much. Maybe I suck. It'll be interesting to see how the coach reacts to this performance.

After getting out of the first, the second inning begins with two singles. I managed to get two double play balls hit to short, but one only resulted in one out (the second baseman was slow in getting to the bag), and the second was foolishly thrown home opposed to second to start an inning ending double play. Three more runs touched the plate this inning. My pitcher is rattled beyond belief, and rightfully so.

I got yanked in the third inning after another run scored. It was an awful outing for me. Here's the line:

IP   H   ER   HR   BB   K   PC   B   S
2.2 10   6      1      0     1   62   19  43

Amazingly, I didn't get the loss. I'm still 2-0 for the season.

Rather than messing around with the gameplay sliders this early into my impressions, I decided to drop the difficulty back down to Pro. And no, I do not have a bruised ego. So far, the Carolina Mudcats are putting good wood on the ball. They have a one run lead in the third. Here's hoping this proves my Cy Young-like first two outings were just luck.

I surrendered another run in the fifth, but my team came to my defense and put up one of their own, so it remains a one run game. Intense! I'm loving how the gesture system works. If you look at the image above, you can see how, even after a pitch is selected, what motion and timing you have to use. Even after throwing 100 curveballs, I can't seem to remember which side the motion starts on.

Another nice touch to My Player specifically is the presentation. Since I'm in the minor leagues, the broadcast doesn't have a commentary team or flashy replays. It feels like small ball.

After giving up two runs up through the eight, coach pulled me for a pinch hitter. The Mudcats hammered our relief in the bottom half of the inning for another two runs. My first loss. I'm thinking about demanding a trade. I need run support. Here's the line for the game:

IP   H   ER   HR   BB   K   PC    B   S
8.0  9    2      0      0     5   70     7   63

And would you look at that. I can demand a trade to a team of my choice. Deep down inside, I know I'm supposed to be an Oriole, but I'm going to hang tight with the Cubs for now.

My Smokies got off to a hot start in my next home start against the Huntsville Stars. I did manage to give up two quick singles in the top half of the inning, but three fly ball outs got me out of the jam with no damage.

I do feel I will have to create a custom difficulty level that splits the difference between Pro and All Star. I'll do that after I finish this game off.

It's the third inning and I'm cruising along like Mark Prior used to before Dusty Baker broke him (see comments for more on this story). Most hitters are falling behind quickly, but I'm having problems putting them down. It's not my pitching, per se. Many of them are battling back into the count with the new defensive swing. This swing type joins the power and contact swings. To use it during gameplay, you simply have to hit right or left on the analog stick. If your timing is on, your batter will most likely send the pitch into foul territory. The purpose of this swing is to fight back into a hitter's count, or battle long enough to see the pitch you are looking for. Great if you are batting. A pain in the ass if you are pitching.

My gestures for curveballs all end up looking like Pac-Man (see image below).

The Stars managed to get three runs off of me, but my coach once again left me in for all nine innings (Dusty?). I hope this aspect of My Player gets tweaked before the game's launch. I should have been yanked in the seventh after I gave up the runs. My line for the game:

IP   H   ER   HR   BB   K   PC    B   S
9.0 14   3      0      0     9    89    14 75

After that game, my progress on the MLB Call Up ETA meter skyrocketed. I'll be in the show in no time if I keep this up!

The boost comes from the completion of these stat goals:

Make 5 Starts (check)
Earned Run Average < 4.50 (check, 3.32)
Walks + Hits Per Inning Pitched < 1.45 (check, 1.34)
Opposing Batting Average < .325 (check, .314 - which is horrible)

I still have to complete these ratings goals:

Vs. Right Handed Batter at 60+ (currently 51)
Vs. Left Handed Batter at 60+ (currently 51)
2 pitches rated at 60+ (currently 1)
Stamina at 65+ (currently 64)
Composure at 60+ (currently 51)

Unlike MLB: The Show, I don't have new goals every few weeks. No bunting drills, either. :)

Today's update is going to begin with a couple of "coming clean" comments. I've been reading the posts relating to this story in 2K's forums and across the internet. Yes, I am taking these screenshots with a cell phone. Our capture software is being used for other projects this week, but I didn't have the time to delay this blog so I had to resort to other options. Personally, I was surprised how nice the shots ended up looking (phone tech is off the hook these days). The game doesn't have as much bloom lighting as you see in the shots, and the menus aren't tilted (I don't take the straightest shots, sorry. Just be thankful you don't see my thumb in any shot).

I'd also like to address the way I pitch. I haven't walked any batters yet, but that doesn't mean I'm throwing just strikes. On the Pro difficulty, the batters are aggressive, swinging at most pitches close to the plate. A lot of my strike outs come on curveballs in the dirt, or fastballs inside. On the All Star difficulty, my pitcher became so rattled that I felt like I was throwing batting practice. I couldn't place a ball on the corner to save my life, and in my panic, just threw 'em over the plate. I spent most of the game in the showers.

And feel free to ask questions in the comments below. I've only played My Player so far, so please keep the questions to this mode specifically.

On to creating a custom difficulty and continuing the live blog...

With the new difficulty in place, my game started off with one run surrendered in the first. I also gave up my first walk. Batters are appearing to be selective in their swings. Very nice.

Two points of concern have come up during this game. I noticed that base runners are not recognizing easily readable line drive singles. They wait until the ball lands before moving to the next base, even if it will land 20 feet in front of a fielder.

As fluid as the fielders are, they don't always make the best decisions to turn double plays. As I mentioned in a previous game, one fielder threw home instead of going for the inning ending double play. Just this game, I had a fielder run to second opposed to tossing it to the shortstop already on the bag. The base runner was safe at first. Dunce plays like these shouldn't happen, but at this point in my playing, I can't rule out if it is just double A vs. MLB skill level balancing, or if it's an AI problem for the entire game.

A minor irritation for pitching: I don't like how the ball icon shakes when I move the ball out of the strike zone. It becomes harder to throw an intentional ball than a strike. Sure, this makes sense for multiplayer (since you want to know where the strike zone is when the icon is hidden), but why have it shake in My Player?

Anyway, back to the game. This one is a nail-biter. It's the top of the eighth and we're tied up at two.

And then there's this...

We're knotted up at two...bottom of the ninth...a runner on second...one out...and they are sending up a pitcher with a contact and power rating of 25 against right-handed pitchers... MANAGER FIRED. STADIUM BURNED TO THE GROUND BY FANS.

I grounded out to first on the first pitch I saw, moving the base runner to third. The next batter struck out. I'm now pitching in the tenth. My gestures are moving at light speed. How many pitches have I thrown? Two base runners on. No outs. Not good. Here comes the stress.

The opposing manager calls for a bunt. Smart move. One out. Runners on second and third. Why can't my manager be smart, too?

The tenth inning brought plenty of fireworks, most targeted at me and my ERA. I surrendered a run and three hits before being yanked. My relief got shelled. Four runs came in. Three of which were from my base runners.

My line for the game:

IP      H    ER   HR   BB   K   PC    B   S
10.0  10    5      0      3     2   107   41 66

if you want to ask me questions on twitter, you can. www.twitter.com/andrew_reiner

During lunch I spent roughly 15 minutes leveling up my pitches and skills. The Major League progress meter is now green. I'm guessing I'll be called up to AAA soon.

I'm now going into my second training drill: Control & Velocity. The description reads: Hit the correct location in the strikezone while throwing high velocity pitches. You need to successfully throw each of your pitches in the desired location three times to earn gold in this drill. You will earn bonus points for each successful pitch you throw."

Outside of the Eephus pitch (the fourth pitch I purchased for 2,000 skill points), I rocked this drill.

Moving on to the next game.

My opponent is the Jacksonville Suns. I should point out that I listen to my catcher 95 percent of the time. As you would expect, he calls for specific pitch (which you can see by the fingers he puts down, or the flashing pitch type on the side of the screen). He also calls for location. The logic behind his calls has been solid so far. With a hitter in the hole with two strikes, he's had me throw high heat, and balls in the dirt.

The sixth inning of this game has been a disaster. I gave up two bases to walks, and the other team pounded out four singles. I'm down 4 to 1.

Rather than pulling me, I got to bat in the seventh. A single!

And...I'm back out to pitch the seventh. After getting the first batter on two pitches and a ground ball to first, I was yanked. Another loss. My line for the game:

IP    H   ER   HR   BB   K   PC    B   S
6.1   8    4      0      2     4    79   31 48

I'm not giving up any homers. Time to go back in to the difficulty sliders to tweak the CPU's batting power. I'm also raising pitching fatigue from 55 to 65.

My next game is against the Montgomery Biscuits, who have one of the best names in all of sports. On the first pitch of the game, I forgot which direction my curveball broke. This lead to my first hit batter of the year. Plunked him in the right knee (he's a lefty). After a single and a force out, he moved up to third. On the next pitch, my catcher tossed the ball to third. He dove back safe, but it was still cool to see. I can't remember the last time I saw that in a game, if ever.

The Biscuits jumped on me early, scoring one in the first and another in the second. I managed to cool them off in the innings that followed. I once again pitched a complete game, but since my team didn't show up at the plate, got the loss. I'm now 3 and 4 on the season. Here's the game line:

IP      H    ER   HR   BB   K   PC    B   S
9.0     9     2      0      1     5   90    25 65

For those of you asking, this journal is primarily to explore My Player. If I get the blessing from 2K, I'll dive into the other modes, and hopefully record an HD video of gameplay.

And with that said, I'm guessing you all have a good idea of what My Player offers. From here on in, I'm going to stop updating every game, and will come back once I graduate to the next level.

Yes, I am still alive. And yes, I am still playing Major League Baseball 2K10. I took a three day break from it to play God of War III, and to record Game Informer's latest podcast. Rather than jumping forward to the next year of My Player like I said I would, I figure I'll walk you through the entire first year, and end this blog there. For those asking, I still do not have permission from 2K to cover other aspects of the game. Sorry.

And away we go.

Today's first game is against the Mississippi Braves. The first two hitters in their lineup are hitting machines with averages of .321 and .328. I say this mostly to make myself feel better about giving up a one-pitch single to open up the game.

I should note that the image above shows off the new Pitch Analyzer. If you want to take a good hard look at how your gesture affected the placement of the pitch, or how it broke, the Analyzer lets you view it from multiple angles and at different speeds.

After giving up two singles to start the first, the next batter hit a double play ball to first. The first baseman shuffled to his right to snag it, then on the run tossed it to second. Alert as always, I bolted to first. The second baseman threw the ball well in advance of me getting to the bag, but with a lunge, I snagged it and stepped on the bag a split-second before the runner.

One of the main reasons I play modes like My Player or Road to the Show is to see how much I can develop a pitch. Think of them as spells in an RPG. After leveling up my curveball's break a few times prior to this game,  it's starting to cut more. It took me a few pitches to get it under control again, but you can definitely see it is a more effective pitch now. My catcher seems to think so too, as he is calling for it more often.

And if you are reading this blog with a white background, you are missing out. See that light switch in the upper right hand corner of your screen? Click it. Lights out! Sorry, I love this feature. We updated our site with it yesterday, and I thought I would share the news with you. Back to baseball.

It's the fourth inning. After recording a one pitch lazy fly to right, the next batter hit a screamer back my way. My pitcher stuck is glove out, but didn't get the leather on it. I'd imagine he would have snagged it, or at least deflected it if he had higher fielding stats. My guy is horrible in the fielding categories right now.

The next batter singled as well. Not looking good here.

The next hitter put up a good fight with four consecutive foul balls, and got good wood on the next pitch, but flew out harmlessly to center. On this play, since I am seeing the out be recorded from my pitcher's perspective on the mound, I noticed the base runner on second didn't watch the play. He sat on the bag (as he should have been if he was going to tag up), and fussed with the laces on his shoes. A minor detail, but a detail nonetheless.

My pitcher doesn't step to the plate much, but I do love batting in this game. The camera positioning does a nice job of framing the strike zone (you can really read if a pitch is low or high), and the sense of speed has a bit of zip to it, but not too much to make the pitches unreadable.

The rival pitcher just whiffed on a bunt. Nice.

And that was a blow out. I just pitched my best game. Here's the line.

IP    H   ER   HR   BB   K   PC  B   S
9.0  5     0      0      0     4   91   26 65

Another complete game. As much as I love dominating double A ball, I'd really like to see my manager step up and save my arm, or at least come visit me on the mound.

And just as I finished this game, 2K's PR got in touch with me. I am cleared to dive into Franchise mode! So, with that said, I'm going to end My Player here, and the updates for today, and prepare for Franchise tomorrow. It should be a full day of updates tomorrow.

Before I leave, I am giving away six copies of Major League Baseball 2K10. The first six people who can name the worst pitcher in baseball (hint: it's mentioned many times in this blog) win the copies.

UPDATE: Hey gang, I won't be updating the blog today. Two reasons: I'm waiting on Franchise related assets  from 2K, and also, on a much worse note, I have to leave the office due to a death in the family. Sorry I couldn't get anything together today.

First off, thanks again for all of your kind words this weekend. As an avid web surfer, I know how hard it is to find communities that are considerate and intelligent. You guys have been both. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. You have no idea how much fun I am having putting this blog. Your feedback has been instrumental in shaping the content. Hopefully we can keep this going up through launch, and then you guys can weigh in with your own reviews and stories.

Over the weekend, I didn't sleep much. Major League Baseball 2K10's Franchise mode consumed most of these sleepless hours. I'm already 30 games into my season, and I have to say, I'm impressed.

Home run totals are once again high (why is it that every baseball game struggles with this?), and the fielding AI isn't the brightest bulb in the dugout, but both pitching and batting are amazingly fun so far, and the Major League level presentation is out of this world.

So instead of walking you through every second of my Franchise career, I'll walk you through the mode itself. Feel free to fire away with questions about anything.

The first menu you run into is the general setup with...

Number of User Controlled Teams (1 to 30)
Difficulty (Custom, Rookie, Pro, All Star, Legend)
Season Length (52, 104, 162 games)
Roster Type (Current, Default)
Edit CPU Rosters (On/Off)
CPU Trading (On/Off)
Force Trades (On/Off)
Fantasy Draft (Serpentine/Fixed)
Fantasy Draft - Set Order (On/Off)
Fantasy Draft - First 25 Picks (On/Off)
Fantasy Draft - Budget (On/Off)
Player Fatigue (On/Off)
Injuries (On/Off)
Game Length (3-9 Innings)
Division Series Format (1 Game, Best of 3 or 5)
League Championship Series Format (1 Game, Best of 3, 5, or 7)
World Series Format (1 Game, Best of 3, 5, or 7)
Minor League Semi-Finals (1 Game, Best of 3 or 5)
Minor League Finals (1 Game, Best of 3 or 5)
Franchise Ticker (Franchise, Real-Life)

The next screen, as you can probably guess, is the team selection screen. I picked the Cubs. 2K rates them as an 86. I was happy with this until I saw what all other teams were rated.

Arizona Diamondbacks 84
Los Angeles Dodgers 90
San Francisco Giants 87
Cleveland Indians 73
Seattle Mariners 81
Florida Marlins 76
New York Mets 79
Washington Nationals 75
Baltimore Orioles 83
San Diego Padres 72
Philadelphia Phillies 91
Pittsburgh Pirates 73
Texas Rangers 90
Tampa Bay Rays 89
Boston Red Sox 97 (really?)
Cincinnati Reds 75
Colorado Rockies 87
Kansas City Royals 77 (highest rank since the 80s?)
Detroit Tigers 75
Minnesota Twins 89
Chicago White Sox 84
New York Yankees 97
Los Angeles Angels 91
Houston Astros 75
Oakland Athletics 77
Toronto Blue Jays 74
Atlanta Braves 85
Milwaukee Brewers 86
St. Louis Cardinals 90 (WHATEVER)

The Cubs should be rated higher. Higher than the Cards at least. Yes, you can write this off as a fan wanting to see his team on top. But then again, maybe we would be a 91 without Carlos Silva on the roster. Maybe it is accurate after all. Silva. HATE.

The organizational automation options come up next. They are:

40-Man Roster Management (On/Off)
Trade Management (On/Off)

Major League task automation is next up. They read:

Injury Mangement (On/Off)
Roster Management (On/Off)
Lineup Management (On/Off)
Pitching Rotation Management (On/Off)

The same list of options are also available for Minor League task automation. From here, the game unfolds as you would expect, you can check up on the league in the MLB.Com menu, and enter GM or Manage menus to take care of your budgets, trades, rosters, etc. Your Minor League division has its own mini-menu with schedule, standings, stats, league injury report, and manage options. From here, I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. Again, if you have any questions about any of this stuff, feel free to ask. Following the pictures will be the results of a single season simulation.

The simulation went quick, despite it stopping for roughly a dozen trade offers, a few injuries, the All-Star game, roster expansion, and the Minor League playoffs. The CPU trade logic seems decent so far, not allowing me to trade away a dude for any kind of respectable talent. The standings for the year brought up an interesting development. The Twins, Indians, and Tigers all finished the year 83-79. The Tigers and Indians played a one-game tiebreaker playoff with the Indians winning. The Indians then had to play a tiebreaker against the Twins to see how was going to the playoffs.

American League
Red Sox 94-68
Yankees 90-72
Twins 84-79
Indians 84-89
Tigers 83-80
Angels 81-81
White Sox 81-81
Royals 80-82
Rays 79-83
Mariners 78-84
Athletics 75-87
Blue Jays 75-87
Rangers 73-89
Orioles 70-92

National League
Phillies 91-71
Mets 88-74
Cardinals 86-76
Braves 84-78
Astros 83-79
Brewers 83-79
Nationals 82-80
Reds 82-80
Dodgers 82-81
Rockies 81-82
Giants 80-82
Marlins 80-82
Diamondbacks 78-84
Cubs 77-85 (wrong, wrong, WRONG)
Padres 75-87
Pirates 74-88

The World Series winner should come as no surprise. The Yankees took down the horrendous Cardinals 4 games to 2.

Derek Jeter ended up being the World Series MVP, hitting .300 with an OBP of .364, 11 runs scored, and six RBI.

The AL MVP is a surprise. It's Carl Crawford! He hit .305, had an OBP of .376, slugged 28 home runs, drove in 98 runs, and scored 127 times. He also stole 60 bases. He's a real Eric Davis.

The AL Cy Young honors go to Jake Peavy. He won 15 games, lost 4, had an ERA of 3.84, struck out 198 hitters, and walked 108 (youch!).

The AL Reliever of the year is Rafael Betancourt. I don't know how he got this award. His ERA? 4.20. His WHIP? 1.82.

The AL Rookie of the Year goes to Michael Brantley. He hit .270, belted 16 dingers, drove in 77 runs, scored 82 times, and stole 28 bases.

From a trade, Jose Reyes ended up in the American League on the Red Sox. He won the AL Comeback player of the year award with a .293 average, 33 homers (apparently he took steroids), 111 RBI, 115 runs, and 39 stolen bases.

The NL MVP goes to Jimmy Rollins. He hit .279 for the year, slugged 37 homers, drove in 94, and scored 122 times. Like Crawford, he also swipe plenty of bags with 47.

Cole Hamels won the NL Cy Young. His numbers are legit for this. He won 16 games, lost 4, posted a 3.00 ERA, struck out 216, walked 85 (still a bit high), and gave up a low .226 BBA.

The NL Reliever of the Year is Huston Street. Who says walks are never surrendered in baseball sims? Street posted a 3.18 ERA with a WHIP of 1.55.

The NL Rookie of the Year is actually a nightmare for Cubs fans. It's Alcides Escobar. This kid is a stud. He hit .264 with 17 homers, 62 RBI, 76 runs, and 30 stolen bases.

The last award, the NL Comeback Payer of the Year award goes to someone I've never heard of. Drew Stubbs, anyone? He hit .260, smacked 28 homers, drove in 77 RBI, scored 105 times, and stole 42 bases. Apparently catchers can't thrown anyone out any more.

That does it for today's update. I'll be checking in periodically to answer questions in the comments section. Time to read up on how the Cubbies pitchers and catchers are looking so far.

UPDATE: I just spoke with 2K. If we don't run into any connection problems, the video will be going live today. It's a two inning clip showing the Cubs taking on the Mets. Also keep an eye on 2K Sports' website for developer updates throughout the day. In the meantime, here's more My Player!

All right Reiner Boggs has been busy since I last updated this blog. Through simulation, he finished the season in Double A, and despite having completed all of his goals other than needing two pitches ranked 60 or higher, didn't get the chance to move up to Triple A. Here are his stats for the year. Not bad in my opinion.

G  GS     IP      W   L     ERA     WHIP   K   BB   H    HR   R   ER   K/BB   K/9  BAA  CG  SHO  SV SVO
18  17   111.2   8    5      3.30      1.26    70  18  123   8    41  41     3.89   5.64 .276    4      1      1     1

I did well enough last season to earn a Spring Training invite! Guess who's sitting next to Carlos Zambrano on the bench? Guess who's wearing a Cubs uniform?

I'm nervous. My first start of the spring is against the Milwaukee Brewers, you know, that team who wants to be the Cubs' rival, but can't seem to find a true rival of their own. Rather than throwing out a lineup with prospects, I'm taking most of the Brewers' starters. It reads:

1 Carlos Gomez
2 Alcides Escobar
3 Ryan Braun
4 Prince Fielder
5 Casey McGehee
6 Corey Hart
7 Gregg Zaun
8 Craig Counsell
9 Randy Wolf

There I am! That stiff leg kick proved to be too much for Carlos Gomez to handle. He went down on four pitches. Turns out GoGo can't hit in either league.

I'm loving how the Major League broadcast sis following my player so far. The announcers just pointed out that starting your Major League debut with a strike out is a nice way to turn heads in the front office.

Escobar followed up Gomez's embarrassing at bat with a solid single to center. Braun did the same. So far, Soto hasn't called a good game. No wonder the Cubs were terrible last year. And yes, I'm putting this jam on Soto, not my skills.

Fielder just drove a single to right. One run is in.

McGehee goes down looking against the Eephus. Where's the laugh track?

And the inning ends with Hart's pop to short.

The second inning went by quickly. I managed to rack up another strike out with the Eephus. Commentator Gary Thorne seemed to enjoy it too. "I think he just pulled a rabbit out of his hat. Or in this case, the Eeuphus pitch."

At the top of the third, Throne added that Gomez went three for seven against the Cubs last year. And he jinxed me. Gomez just singled to left. Great. I bet he steals.

Escobar got wood on my palm ball (gross?), but managed to hit it directly where Soriano was standing. On the next pitch, GoGo stole second. I knew he was going to do that. I shouldn't have thrown the Eephus.

He might have been out. This replay shot makes it look like it could have been called either way.

The inning ends with GoGo stranded on second. Rather than pulling me out for a shortened Spring Training assignment, I'm getting the chance to bat. Gary Thorne just called me Cougar – the nickname I assigned to my created player.

And Randy Wolf struck me out on three filthy pitches. Better luck next time, Reiner Boggs.

I never realized how strange Craig Counsell looks at the plate. Can he really make contact with the bat held that high?

The answer is no. I didn't strike him out. I walked him.

And then I give up a single to Randy Wolf. Terrible.

A timely double play ball followed by a three pitch strike out gets me out of the inning. Time to go sit next to Carlos again.

The fifth inning flew by. I'm really settling in. Unfortunately, my team can't hit today. Wolf has held them in check all game. My boys in blue only have four hits.

And that brings me to the plate again. A runner is on first with one out. The goal presented to me: Get an Extra Base Hit. Um...coming right up?

Apparently, a strike out isn't considered an extra base hit. Who knew?

Randy Wolf's deflector shields were knocked down in the sixth. The Cubbies threw up two runs. I just have to hold them now.

If my career ends here today, I'll forever be known as the player that Randy Wolf struck out three times with a total of nine pitches. Is he throwing hologram balls at me? I can't hit them.

No harm done in the eighth. My team leads by one. Carlos Marmol should be coming in to close the game. Let's see what coach does.

He's leaving me in. Ugh.

Fielder starts the frame with a double.

A hard grounder to short keeps Fielder on second. Two outs to go. I can do this.

What...

...just...

...happened.

Prince Fielder just tried to steal third. He was out by at least five steps.

A weak grounder ends it. Another complete game. My first against big league hitters. I'm the greatest. My line:

IP    H   ER   HR   BB   K   PC  B   S
9.0  6     1      0      1     6   95   25 69

This win should reward me with the experience points I need to level up another pitch to a 60 rating.

True enough, I earned the points needed to reach my last career goal.

Time to simulate the rest of Spring Training.

Dear lord, I'm getting shelled. My ERA is over 8. That's as bad as Carlos Silv...actually, it isn't. He almost had a 9 ERA last year. Ridiculous.

And...

...drum roll please...

I got the call. I'm in the show!

And check this out. My player now has five teirs of career goals to complete.

Tier 1
Gold Win 15 Games
Gold Obtain an overall rating of 75
Gold Improve your overall rating by 3
Gold Win 12 or more games
Silver Finish in the top 10 in ERA for all Rookies
Silver Give up less than 20 home runs
Silver Have a BAA below .260 for the season
Silver Have a WHIP below 1.30 for the season
Bronze Get 10 or more Wins and have an ERA below 4.50
Bronze Get 25 or more strikeouts and have a BAA below .290
Bronze Get 75 or more strikeouts
Bronze Have an ERA below 4.00 and a WHIP below 1.50 for the season

Tier 2
Gold Win 20 Games
Gold Obtain an overall rating of 80
Gold Lead your team in ERA
Gold Rank in your top 15 at your primary position
Silver Have an ERA below 3.75
Silver Finish in the top 20 in ERA
Silver Have a win % above 50%
Silver Have an ERA lower than 3.75 and 150 or more Ks
Bronze Finish in the top 20 in either ERA, Wins, or Ks
Bronze Have K per 9 innings pitched ratio greater than 6
Bronze Improve rating of Stamina or Composure by 5
Bronze Have a BAA below .250

Tier 3
Gold Become an All-Star
Gold Become the #1 ranked player in your organization
Gold Finish in the top 5 in ERA
Silver Win a best fielder award
Silver Improve your overall rating by 5
Silver Finish in the top 10 in wins
Bronze Finish in the top 10 in either ERA, Wins, or Ks
Bronze Win 15 or more games w/150 or more Ks
Bronze Lead your team in WHIP

Tier 4
Gold Win the Cy Young
Gold Lead the league in WHIP
Gold Lead the league in ERA
Silver Lead the league in Wins
Silver Finish in the top 10 in Wins, ERA, and WHIP
Silver Win 25 or more games
Bronze Lead the league in either Ks or ERA
Bronze Have 3 of your pitches rated above 75
Bronze Become ranked in the top 50 players

Tier 5
Gold Lead the league in Wins, ERA, and Ks
Gold Become the number 1 ranked pitcher
Gold Become the highest rated player in the game
Silver Break the single season record for Ks, Wins, or ERA
Silver Have an ERA below 2.50 for the season
Silver Lead the league in shutouts
Bronze Obtain an overall rating of 95
Bronze Win 22 or more games and have an ERA below 3.00
Bronze Get 200 or more Ks in the season

All of these goals come with sizable experience points. Some of them have a Hall of Fame tag next to them.

In addition to these career goals, my player has separate sets of goals for the season and team.

My initial season goal is to earn an overall rating of 75. My team goal is to win the division. Yikes. With Silva on the team, I can already tell you we won't do that. The bonus goal is to win three of my next five starts. Very cool.

THE VIDEO IS LIVE!

[View:http://gameinformer.com/games/mlb_2k10/m/mlb_2k10_media/216786.aspx:610:343]