Finally sprung for OOTP21...Random Number Generator says...

[actionjackson]

1901-1920 AL and NL Brooks Robinson (GG) Awards:

[actionjackson]

1901-1920 AL and NL Ted Williams (SS) Awards:

[actionjackson]

If you're reading this and you want me to throw up single season or career leader lists of leaders, just give me the category you want, and I'll post it when I can. I'm thrilled to have made this much progress so far. I was a bit slow in starting, but it's really picking up speed now. Since my OOTP16 1901-1963 RD game, I've been able to complete this many seasons in the four previous versions:

OOTP17: 0
OOTP18: 0
OOTP19: 7
OOTPXX: 2

so it's great to be so close to getting a HoF off the ground. Having trouble getting guys that I think should be HoFers in so far (from 1918-1920), but I have a feeling SS Rico Petrocelli's gonna break through soon, and SP Mike F McCormick won't be far behind. Jackie Robinson and Stan Javier will be a lot tougher because they're pretty much at the lowest level of player quality that I would go. I think they're HoFers, but the AI and I are having a difference of opinion so far. I prefer players with an all round game, while the AI seems to be fixated on offensive numbers and Black/Gray Ink, and HoF Standards/Monitor. If I have to put them in myself I will, but I'd rather see the AI come around to my way of thinking.

To my way of thinking, Javier had 8 All-Star level seasons, and 7 GG level seasons at a premium position (CF) to go with a career 113 wRC+. Not my fault he only went to 4 All-Star games, and won 5 GG, and 2 SS. He played 13 seasons in all, so some of the traditional counting stats are low, but we're talking about a guy who was a full season 5.0 WAR player on average. That's a great player in my eyes. To me there are different levels to the HoF, and while both of these guys are on the lower level, I think they belong.

Robinson had 5 ASG, 4 GG, and 7 SS, and was in the discussion for best player in the league over the first eight seasons of its existence. He played at an all-star level in each of those seasons. He finished 2nd in MVP voting in 1904, and 3rd in 1903. I'm sure he had other top ten finishes, but I can't find out because I only keep two years worth of transactions. He was excellent. On a average, he was a 4.8 WAR player, and he also played 13 seasons. Not every HoFer has to be a Bench, Gehrig, Hornsby, Schmidt, Wagner, Bonds, Mays, or Ruth. There's also room for the "floor" HoFers.

[OzzyOz23]

Originally Posted by actionjackson

Thanks for reading, and for the response. I'm actually trying not to put too much into the posting, which should free me up to move more quickly through the years, but I'm glad to see some interest. I'm through 1914 so far, and the really fun part is doing each draft for every team using the Hall of Stats website (it's more of a dispersal really - best to worst career players, which kind of takes the best on the board strategy to a whole new level, but also ensures that the teams that are hurting get the best players they can get). Thankfully, I downloaded the career numbers for every MLB player through 2019 while they were up, because 2019 is the year that the stats run through for OOTP 21.

I did some back of the napkin calculations, and there are enough players in the database (nearing 20,000 through 2019) to have a five round draft through 2058, with expansion to Montreal and Portland after 2019, and all the other expansions that have happened through the years. That's extremely ambitious for me. My personal best in that area is 63 seasons in OOTP16. In OOTP17 and 18, I had a grand total of zero, with 7 in OOTP19, and 2 in OOTPXX, so 14 seasons is a major accomplishment for me.

I've had to let go of some things to speed up the process. I don't pick All-Stars, or vote on awards any more. I leave that up to the AI, which I'm constantly cursing out for not picking the guys I would pick, but I really want to keep this thing chugging along. I reserve the right to have the final say on who goes into the HoF though, and it looks like there will be guys with many awards who miss, and guys with few awards who get there. I also try not to check out who's up to what too much, but that's hard to do as I have my favourites.

You're not happy with the settings you say? I can help. Just ask, either here or by PM if I'm around. I have a ton of starting and stopping experience (mostly with OOTPX), which led me to getting the ones that I prefer. Trial and error's really the way to go. Frustrating, but well worth it when you figure out what works for you.

I might also be able to upload the draft values database, but it would have to be in chunks. Looks like it would take 3 separate uploads, and possibly 4, which you could take and turn into one big one if you wanted. S'up to you. I also use Spritze draft values for the guys I bring in from there. I rank every player in the draft by their Spritze draft values, single out the few Spritze guys in each draft, and keep their rankings, and then rank the rest by the Hall of Stats rankings. One drawback is that the cup of coffee players wind up in the middle of the draft, ahead of players who played a lot, but weren't too good. Some of those that weren't too good IRL wind up being decent players, and the cup of coffee guys can wind up anywhere from HoFers to complete duds. I rationalize it by saying that there are surprises in every draft IRL too.

Thank you for the reply. I'm well into my RDL now and loving it. I went a bit overboard with micro managing the set up, including a ton of time on rosters - and after years of playing OOTP, finally learned my lesson and did some test runs to make sure the league played the way I hoped. I wasn't sure I'd enjoy RDL as much because, as time consuming as it can be at times, I do enjoy running the minor leagues and the inevitable nuisance it is shuffling players due to a DL stint. However, I've found that it's a bit of a relief to just focus on the ballgames and not having to concern myself with the GM aspect. Posting about the league is also adding to my immersion, as it gives me more reason to analyze teams and players that I might otherwise overlook.

I'm very interested in the draft values database. Thank you for offering it, I appreciate the gesture. Eventually, I want to make a league with non MLB franchises to remove my mental association of what team players "should" play for. And again, many thanks for your contributions to the boards, as this league that I am so very into, was built upon the suggestions you've so graciously shared over the years.

[actionjackson]

Originally Posted by OzzyOz23

Thank you for the reply. I'm well into my RDL now and loving it. I went a bit overboard with micro managing the set up, including a ton of time on rosters - and after years of playing OOTP, finally learned my lesson and did some test runs to make sure the league played the way I hoped. I wasn't sure I'd enjoy RDL as much because, as time consuming as it can be at times, I do enjoy running the minor leagues and the inevitable nuisance it is shuffling players due to a DL stint. However, I've found that it's a bit of a relief to just focus on the ballgames and not having to concern myself with the GM aspect. Posting about the league is also adding to my immersion, as it gives me more reason to analyze teams and players that I might otherwise overlook.

I'm very interested in the draft values database. Thank you for offering it, I appreciate the gesture. Eventually, I want to make a league with non MLB franchises to remove my mental association of what team players "should" play for. And again, many thanks for your contributions to the boards, as this league that I am so very into, was built upon the suggestions you've so graciously shared over the years.

My PM box is always open. I may not check it for a while sometimes, but I'll get back to you when I can. I'd probably need to upload the draft values database in 3 or perhaps four chunks. I'll have to convert it from .ods to .xls, and then you could open them with whatever spreadsheet program you use, and cut/paste it into one big one.

My two specialties are settings, and what they do, and Random Debut. If there's something you don't like about the way your game is playing out, there's probably a setting behind it to either fix the problem, or make it a little better.

There are limitations with the draft database. The cup of coffee guys will get bunched towards the middle of the draft because they didn't have time to flourish or flop IRL. If you play with recalc and the development engine on simultaneously though, they can become studs, or remain duds, or something in the middle.

Of guys that got a decent amount of playing time, it'll go more in the order that the Hall of Stats has at hallofstats dot com. I was really lucky to snag a copy of the spreadsheet data that carries through 2019, which is how far OOTP21 goes with it's historical stats. He's updated the site through 2020, but has yet to post the spreadsheet links (crossing my fingers for them because it makes dispersing players so much easier).

Remember too that OOTP has its own ideas about player comparisons, and they don't always line up the way you think they should. I believe Adam Darowski was mentioned somewhere above in this thread, and he's the guy responsible for the Hall of Stats. He's also a member here, but he hasn't posted in ages. You would have to disperse the players yourself I would think because the game will use the in game draft values or do it's own thing if you haven't checked that box on the Rules page. Just use commish mode to do that.

Basically, I take the "best on board" philosophy to an extreme. I completely ignore each team's needs, and try to get each team the most talented player available. Then, it's up to them to make trades to clear any logjams that result from this. I crank the trade frequency to Very High in order to encourage them to do so. It's not for everybody, but it's how I roll. Any more questions, fire away, or ask David Watts, Beirnej1, JaBurns (Haven't seen him much, then again I haven't been around much, so...), and any other members of the Random Debut Cult that I've forgotten to mention.

[actionjackson]

With the settings, I've pretty much gotten it down to where I can set up a game with all the settings I want in about five minutes. Have to take some time to figure out the new ones that crop up each year, but they haven't been too tough so far.

[italyprof]

Josh Gibson and Barry Bonds competing for the career home run lead ! That alone makes this a great league, with Ted Williams hitting .343 career to boot. I can't find the old "thanks" button to push for your posts, not sure why, but thanks !

[actionjackson]

Originally Posted by italyprof

Josh Gibson and Barry Bonds competing for the career home run lead ! That alone makes this a great league, with Ted Williams hitting .343 career to boot. I can't find the old "thanks" button to push for your posts, not sure why, but thanks !

Do I hear a request for the career average leaders, and career HR leaders? Comin' up!

[actionjackson]

Spritze players who are starring in my game so far. I'll include players, who came to the big leagues late IRL, which I brought in via Spritze.

[OzzyOz23]

Man, Josh Gibson was a beast in this sim! It is interesting that Matsui's stats seem to fall right in line with what he did for the Yankees. I guess the 50 HR "Godzilla" version of Matsui was never meant for this side of the pond.

I was thinking that i may borrow a method you mentioned previously and add some Spritze players to the draft pool in my league, in conjunction with the draft values database to determine player distribution. haven't successfully imported a player from that DB though, so I'll require some assistance if you are available. I will inbox you to keep from cluttering this thread

[actionjackson]

I took Leonys Martin back to his Cuban League days via Spritze, and while he had an absolute noodle bat, he ran down everything in CF. He was nowhere near a HoFer, but his fielding in CF made him a very valuable player in CF. He probably could've had another GG, and had four All-Star level seasons in my eyes, but in the interests of expediency, I'm no longer picking All-Stars, and handing out awards. Those that excel in other areas than offense suffer for that decision, but I have the final say for the HoF.

Hasegawa was a Japanese leaguer from 1950-1963 IRL, and entered with very poor ratings, but managed to put up a decent career in spite of them. It's fun to give guys, who for the dumbest reason possible, weren't afforded the opportunity to perform at the highest level of their chosen sport, a chance to shine. It's cool to see how they might've done (yes, it's only a baseball sim, but it's all we've got at this point).

[actionjackson]

Originally Posted by OzzyOz23

Man, Josh Gibson was a beast in this sim! It is interesting that Matsui's stats seem to fall right in line with what he did for the Yankees. I guess the 50 HR "Godzilla" version of Matsui was never meant for this side of the pond.

I was thinking that i may borrow a method you mentioned previously and add some Spritze players to the draft pool in my league, in conjunction with the draft values database to determine player distribution. haven't successfully imported a player from that DB though, so I'll require some assistance if you are available. I will inbox you to keep from cluttering this thread

I use both the Hall of Stats draft values and the Spritze draft values. First, I rank the players in the draft pool by their Spritze draft values, and keep the rankings of whoever's coming in from Spritze. Then I re-rank them according to the Hall of Stats draft values, and insert the Spritze guys at their appropriate positions. I also use the Default draft values that come with the game for players that began their careers in 2016 or later, because the Spritze DB doesn't cover those years.

Admittedly, it's a painstaking process, as I do them one at a time using Copy/Paste, but IMHO it works better than both the pre-defined draft values, and the willy nilly random method if that box is not checked on the Rules page.

I did accidentally bring Josh Gibson in one year early. He began playing professionally IRL at age 18, and since every other player has come in to my game one year earlier than their debut year, he should've come in at age 17. It was too late when I discovered the mistake, but that doesn't change the fact that he would've dominated the league, and will give that Johnny Bench fellow a run for his money once he gets into the game. Of course Louis Santop, and Biz Mackey, and others that have slipped my mind, should they get in to my game, may also have something to say about that.

[actionjackson]

Also, HR totals have been quite low in this game. I think they do use a bit of a rabbit ball over in Japan, so perhaps Matsui got hammered a bit for that by the Spritze DB. The high so far for HR is 42, by High Pockets Kelly in 1911. Rogers Hornsby and Vic Saier also went above 40, with 41 each in 1917 and 1914 respectively. So far, only 78 players have hit 30 or more HR in the first 21 seasons, despite the league level looking pretty much in line with the 1984 league wide level of HR (I use 1984 for my stats output). I think that may be because there are too many power hitters among whom to spread out the HR total, but I can't be sure.

[Beirnej1]

Great stuff, enjoying the updates

I usually import Bullet Rogan and Biz Mackey from the Spritze database into my Inaugural drafts. Just did so with a new random I started a few weeks ago.

[actionjackson]

Originally Posted by Beirnej1

Great stuff, enjoying the updates

I usually import Bullet Rogan and Biz Mackey from the Spritze database into my Inaugural drafts. Just did so with a new random I started a few weeks ago.

Thanks sir. I'm totally random with it, and because of that I've been able to see other players that I'd never heard of before. Archie Ware and Chino (Charles at BB-Ref) Smith are two that come to mind. Ware is back in this game, and had a good run in my OOTP16 game.