Random Debut League

[David Watts]

Originally Posted by pauwoo

Given that zR attempts to show how much better (or worse) a fielder is to the average player, is the error rate in your league high? Did you see a lot of errors overall?

Rizzuto had roughly 30 errors. But, if you go back and look at his real life stats, he made 30 errors in his second big league season. I think I was just expecting fewer errors, due to his 80 rating. Then again, I have very little understanding of OOTP's ratings, as they interest me not a bit. As long as they work, I'm happy.

[David Watts]

The Cincinnati Reds are the 1985 World Series champions. The Reds beat the St. Louis Cardinals in a series that went all 7 games. The Reds had the Cardinals down 3 games to 1, but the Cardinals fought back to even the series. In game 7, the Red's Josh Beckett shut down the Cardinals bats going the distance for the victory. This was the Reds 3rd World Series title.

I was really surprised to see how low Detroit's Ricky Jordan finished in the AL MVP voting. Jordan hit .346 driving in 136 runs. Instead the MVP went to Pittsburgh's Joey Votto, who would have ran away with comeback player of the year as well, if that award was in existence. Jordan wasn't even in the top 5 in regards to MVP voting, so that shows how much I know. He did take home Rookie of the Year honors though in a landslide victory.

[italyprof]

Originally Posted by David Watts

Rizzuto had roughly 30 errors. But, if you go back and look at his real life stats, he made 30 errors in his second big league season. I think I was just expecting fewer errors, due to his 80 rating. Then again, I have very little understanding of OOTP's ratings, as they interest me not a bit. As long as they work, I'm happy.

I also cannot get my head around the ratings. I can set up the exact same league, same year, same recalc, same settings without any change and the same player will in one league be OVR 65 POT 70 and in another be 38-40.

I have no idea what determines these things, or rather, someone has said that it is our settings, but as I just wrote, I find big differences in how that works even with the exact same settings.

I also don't really get something else: If one player has great real life stats but a low rating and another has average real life stats and a low rating, the game always seems to be telling you that you need to draft and play the one with high ratings, not the one that played well in real life.

But as a simulation of real life baseball, shouldn't the two be a little closer? I get that there is that 1-200 scale of talent variation (Lately I set it to 50 or even 25), and that a simulation is NOT real life baseball, but I don't then get what the ratings ARE based on if not the real life stats maybe adjusted and normalized for the era in which they played (lower the HR power ratings of 1999-2000 players, raise them for deadball guys, diminish the performance of deadball pitchers whose 2.00 ERA would be 4.00 today etc.), but allowing for all that sometimes you still see ratings - often from players who played in the same era or the same season, that don't line up much with real life performance.

But, as you say, so long as they work. They mostly do, and the every now and then surprise league leader after all happens in real life too sometimes.

[luckymann]

Originally Posted by Beirnej1

So true about Paul Molitor and Reggie Smith. Seems like every league I have tried creating in 21 has had both of them in the inaugural pool.

The game loves Molitor so much an SP of that name has popped up in my fictional league!!

[David Watts]

Just fast simming now. How in the world does he only get 99% of the vote. Moncada is unbelievable. What an incredible career. I'm seeing some other modern guys, Nick Castellanos, Jorge Polanco, Ronald Acuna, display monster seasons, but Moncada is the best. [ATTACH][/ATTACH]

[David Watts]

Ugh, sorry

[David Watts]

The trend continues

[David Watts]

[David Watts]

33 years of history and there are 13 players with 3000+ hits. Two of them have 3600+ and one with 4000+.

5 of the 13 are modern day players...by that I mean players still playing today. Michael Brantley would be the oldest of the 5

[David Watts]

Nick adds his name to the list.

[David Watts]

This league is using high for fatigue, so imagine the numbers these guys would be putting up if they weren't being rested on a pretty regular basis. Wondering if Very High Fatigue, might be the better setting? Also, just my opinion here, but I really think the injury system is broken when it comes to position players. Position players just don't miss enough games due to injuries over the course of their careers. Position players get minor aches and pains that force them to leave games, probably as much as pitchers do. Thing is, these aches and pains hardly ever force them out of the lineup for more than the game they occur in. The player simply plays on and I don't think they're effected in any way at all. It would be cool if the game made these types of injuries enough to knock a guy out of the lineup for 2,3 or more game, but not require a trip to the IL. Again, this is just my opinion.

I'm going to continue to fast sim this league to see how it plays out.

[David Watts]

With 36 seasons finished, there are currently 4 players with 400+ home runs and the season high sits at 46. Barry Bonds is currently in the league as we speak. I think he's 31 or 32 years old and has 300+ homers. He has the potential to be the leagues first 500 guy.

As of right now the leagues winningest pitcher is Britt Burns with 277. John Smoltz is closing in on Burns, but he's also trying to out run father time as well. Smoltz would more than likely be ahead of Burns, if he didn't have the years as a closer mixed in. This is the second time I've seen Burns have great success in a random debut league. If you remember Burns in real life had his career cut short due to injury. I think it was his back. His final season was a good one, going 18-6 for the White Sox in 1985. Not nowhere as great as Koufax's last season, but I still think it's enough for Burns to parley it into huge random debut success.

[David Watts]

I've always used a minimum year in my random debut leagues, most often being 1901, I don't like the way pre 1900 players perform in my leagues, especially pitchers. So I don't let them participate. Based on the results of this league, I think I will be using a maximum year as well for future leagues. Probably anywhere from 2000-2006. Starting last year or maybe even as early as OOTP19, I've noticed how guys with little to recalc seem to benefit a little too much from not facing the wrath of real life. Guys like Moncada, Acuna, Castellanos are stringing together seasons that rival the best baseball has ever seen. In some ways it's fun. The what-if factor is huge and easy to get caught up in. But, in terms of a level playing field it really leaves a lot to be desired.

This league currently has 15 players with 3000+ hits. 6 of them are modern day(current) players. Josh Bell is approaching 3000 and so is Jorge Polanco.

No recalc combined with a lack of position player injuries is maybe too big an advantage for the current day players. Since I know it will be brought, up, I don't think this has anything to do with me using 1 year recalc for this league. Like I've said, I've been noticing this for a while now and it's been a while since I've run a random using 1 year recalc. I'm sure some of the numbers would be a little softer with 3 or 5 year recalc, but the modern(current day) players still seem to thrive due to lack of real life effects.

In terms of non modern day(current) players, the numbers I'm getting in this league are out of this world perfect. Career totals are coming in so real to life(in regards to the 1978 every year factor) it's sometimes hard to believe. I will say it again, OOTP doesn't get near enough credit for the Historical side of the game. OOTP might not be a REPLAY game in the true sense of the genre, but I think it can hold its own against all of the big boys in the market place. Strat charges $27 for each of its season downloads. Compare that to $39 for every season known to man.

[David Watts]

I've usually ran my leagues using "Always start the highest rested," but I've been using "strict, occasionally start the highest rested" more and more often now. The results are definitely showing that this setting changes things quite a bit. As noted above, Britt Burns tops all pitchers with 277 wins. I think 300 wins is going to be extremely hard to achieve using "strict occasionally." 250 wins might be the new 300.

[quillenl]

Your settings keep inching closer to what I generally use... I think you are only missing Very High Fatigue

I'm off the recalc train for now so living vicariously through your league (so thanks for the updates)!

[David Watts]

Originally Posted by quillenl

Your settings keep inching closer to what I generally use... I think you are only missing Very High Fatigue

I'm off the recalc train for now so living vicariously through your league (so thanks for the updates)!

I'm fast simming this league now just to see results. Going to try and see how long it takes to run out of players.

I have a straight historical I started over the weekend begging in 1915 with real minors. I'm using the setting Garlon posted a ways back for his historical leagues. So, I'm using very high fatigue for this league.

Do you like Very High in your leagues?

[quillenl]

Originally Posted by David Watts

I'm fast simming this league now just to see results. Going to try and see how long it takes to run out of players.

I have a straight historical I started over the weekend begging in 1915 with real minors. I'm using the setting Garlon posted a ways back for his historical leagues. So, I'm using very high fatigue for this league.

Do you like Very High in your leagues?

I do when I am fast simming so that I can leave injuries Very Low and not get stopped every couple of days. On it's own I don't find it enough to ensure that your average all stars are only playing 140-150 games a season but at least everyone's career won't look like Cal Ripken.