The Gulf League - Fun in the Sun, South of the Border

[luckymann]

I had been planning on doing a "play-out" version of my beloved Eclipse League for quite some time now and have finally got around to doing so.

Inspired by the fantastic work in this and this thread (thanks guys!), I have located it in Mexico, with a AAA level based in Venezuela, Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.

This won't be a full-blown recap like I usually do but I felt it was too good to at least not share some of the goings-on along the way.

League logos by 20range.

[luckymann]

So, for those of you unfamiliar with this concept, here are the broad stokes:

• Only non-white players as designated by the game (IE "African", "Asian", "Hispanic" and "East Indian" players) are eligible to participate
• Random debut, imported manually
• 2x2x5 structure for 20 teams

This version has a few fundamental differences from the original, in that it begins in 2001 and the Negro League players that feature in LansdowneSt and Garlon's superb InterGREATed mod have the MLE versions of them applied. Also, obviously, the change in location.

I am using dev only, no recalc, with TCR way up at 180 to throw a few spanners about. A Custom set of LTMs that will stay constant throughout the life of this save.

[jasg224]

Definitely following!

[luckymann]

Here is the alignment for the main league and AAA.

Players came in via the GL Inaugural Draft. Rickey Henderson had the honour of being the first overall pick, taken by Oaxaca, ahead of the Robinsons Frank (Leon) and Jackie (Monclova) .

Other interesting guys entering the league at this point include A-Rod (Campeche), both Ken Griffeys (Junior is at Tabasco and the "old man" at Quintana Roo), Aaron Judge (Tijuana) and current IRL teammate Giancarlo Stanton (Puebla), along with a host more you might meet along the way.

From the NeL ranks, Willard Brown, Biz Mackey and Turkey Stearnes are at a stacked Quintana Roo with Ken sr, while Jose Mendez, Cool Papa Bell and Dick Lundy are all at Jalisco.

I am running the Querétaro Cospiradores in the Zona Sur, with the club based in Huimilpan. Our AAA club is the mighty Havana Sugar Kings.

We took personal favourites Juan Soto in R1 and Elly de la Cruz after that. We have put together a squad that is much stronger at the plate than on the mound, especially to begin with. I've also managed to procure another of the few current day players I like in Kiké Hernandez, along with NeLers Walter "Rev" Cannady and William "Campanita" Bell

One of the quirks of doing this kind of player populating is that everyone (except guys like "El Duque") comes in as a young and raw rookie, so there can tend to be some early wildness.

Anyway, here's our Opening Day group.

I won't lie to you, the first half of this inaugural season has been rough for us. Not far off the All-Star Break, we sit dead last at 30-47, 27 games out of first.

As we expected, the offence has been good but nowhere near good enough to cover the shoddy pitching (6.23 ERA to this point).

I'm trying something different by having the Rookie Draft each year in July rather than December as I usually do. So hopefully we can pick up a decent arm or two at that point. There is a certain Japanese superstar you may have heard of that has our name written all over him...

Until then, it is seatbelts fastened and no smoking in the cabin.

[luckymann]

Originally Posted by jasg224

Definitely following!

You get to sit in the VIP section...

Here's your boys in this universe.

[jasg224]

Originally Posted by luckymann

You get to sit in the VIP section...
Here's your boys in this universe.

Gleyber and José Mendez are definitely players to build around. Hopefully Charros are competing sooner rather than later since it doesn't look like Grupo Desierto have any super strong teams. Can't wait to see who they get in the draft.


It will be most interesting to me seeing where players who played in the LMB in real life turn out. Like Leonys Martin hitting close to what he did with Querétaro last year, or Cheslor Cuthbert (who played in the MexPac for Obregón) being a stud for Charros here. Also, is Cool Papa Bell a 2 way player or will he evolve like he did irl? When he entered the LMB back in 1938 he wasn't much of a pitcher anymore.


Another sidenote in case it wasn’t on your radar: Durango has been owned by Grupo Caliente since last year irl, which is why they have that name. Caliente’s the biggest betting brand in México, owned by the pretty shady Hank family (another rabbit hole right there). They’ve definitely got the money to build a competitive team (they already own 3 professional football clubs), but maybe they're using their casino influence to win the division, if you know what I mean

[luckymann]

Originally Posted by jasg224

Gleyber and José Mendez are definitely players to build around. Hopefully Charros are competing sooner rather than later since it doesn't look like Grupo Desierto have any super strong teams. Can't wait to see who they get in the draft.


It will be most interesting to me seeing where players who played in the LMB in real life turn out. Like Leonys Martin hitting close to what he did with Querétaro last year, or Cheslor Cuthbert (who played in the MexPac for Obregón) being a stud for Charros here. Also, is Cool Papa Bell a 2 way player or will he evolve like he did irl? When he entered the LMB back in 1938 he wasn't much of a pitcher anymore.


Another sidenote in case it wasn’t on your radar: Durango has been owned by Grupo Caliente since last year irl, which is why they have that name. Caliente’s the biggest betting brand in México, owned by the pretty shady Hank family (another rabbit hole right there). They’ve definitely got the money to build a competitive team (they already own 3 professional football clubs), but maybe they're using their casino influence to win the division, if you know what I mean

Feel free to add any flavour whenever the mood grabs as I know absolutely nothing about the league and would love to learn more. About my Conspiradores, in particular.

Are there many players who played in both the LMB and MBL? Would you have a list of them handy? If so, I'll make notes on the player pool spreadsheet and alert you when they are coming in.

CPB has come in as a pitcher only but I am pretty sure he'll become either a pos player or 2WP when his hitting develops.

[luckymann]

One often frustrating but occasionally fun quirk of using dev only is the variance you can get with players upon import.

When good players come in weak, it is as annoying as all get-up but, on the flipside, you will get the opposite effect from time to time and the unexpected emergence of footnote players from history.

Sam Bowens of Quintana Roo looks like he might be one such player in this universe. Owning a career WAR total of exactly 0 over his 7 MLB seasons IRL, Sam has come into this save as a bit of a beast and I will be very keen to see whether he can live up to that lofty assessment or ends up washing out.

[luckymann]

As I mentioned earlier, I am trying something different in having the Rookie Draft in midseason; I usually have it in December.

With my Conspiradores travelling so poorly, it may prove a blessing in disguise.

150 new players coming in, with six rounds for clubs to take 120 of them via this means.

Some big names among them and here's how the dominoes fall in the first two circuits and our new recruits to try help turn things around:

Scouting is set to low here and I'm hopeful Sho Time's pitching ratings will climb to closer approximations of his IRL self. His hitting ratings look there already and we'll have to figure out the plan with him and Juanjo because we can only use one DH in our lineup. Stoopid rules. Whatever the case, this is meant to be fun and I had made my mind up to take him if nobody before us had, and here we are.

So dire has our pitching been that we use all six picks on arms. I was hopeful Mo Rivera was going to be still available for our R2 pick but Veracruz beat us to it.

Turned out nicely for us as we instead used that pick on Framber Valdez, whose clubhouse presence in this timeline will be very useful as ours is in disarray right now.

All of those that need to eventually sign on without complication.

There's no need to start Shohei's clock yet so he'll bide his time at AAA Havana. Framber, on the other hand, will come straight in and hopefully get everything back to one giant love-in.


Here's the official news wire:

The Class of 2001: Names to Know from the Gulf League Rookie Draft

By Ángel Serrano, El Béisbol Independiente

The Gulf League's 2001 Rookie Draft brought together a remarkable spread of talent, past and present, across borders and eras. From modern dual-threat phenoms to pioneers of the Negro Leagues, the six-round draft pool brimmed with storylines. As clubs set the foundation for future glory, a few names from this class already shine a little brighter — not just for their potential, but for the paths they’ve walked to get here.

1. Shohei Ohtani – R1, Pick 9 – Querétaro Conspiradores

Queretaro may have struck gold at No. 9. Shohei Ohtani, the 24-year-old Japanese superstar, arrives in the Gulf League already bearing a two-way legacy that’s reshaped baseball’s possibilities. A Most Valuable Player in both Japan and the United States, Ohtani’s fusion of velocity and slugging power is as breathtaking as it is rare. Now under the desert skies of Querétaro, the Conspiradores hope his next masterpiece unfolds in green and gold.

2. Dennis Martínez – R1, Pick 16 – Unión Laguna Algodoneros

Before Félix Hernández or Johan Santana, there was “El Presidente.” The Nicaraguan right-hander, drafted by Unión Laguna, was the first from his country to pitch in the majors and the first Latin American to throw a perfect game. Known for his guile and impeccable control, Martínez won 245 big-league games across three decades. If his presence rubs off on Laguna’s young staff, expect the Algodoneros to contend sooner than later.

3. Wild Bill Wright – R1, Pick 11 – Mexico City Diablos Rojos

Drafting Wright is a nod to history from the capital club. “Wild Bill,” an imposing 6’4” outfielder, was a switch-hitting terror in both the Negro Leagues and the Mexican League. Known for his speed and power, Wright earned MVP honours in Mexico in 1943 and later made the country his home, beloved as much for his character as his play. His selection by Mexico City rekindles a love affair more than 70 years old.

4. Ronald Acuña Jr. – R1, Pick 2 – Quintana Roo Tigres

No surprise here. The Tigres snapped up Ronald Acuña Jr. early, and rightly so. The Venezuelan outfielder is one of the defining figures of the modern game — dynamic, flashy and devastating at the plate. Still just 20 in draft age, Acuña boasts a rare 40-40 season and elite bat speed. In the sun-drenched ballparks of the Yucatán Peninsula, his flair will feel right at home.

5. Heavy Johnson – R1, Pick 1 – Yucatán Leones

With the first overall pick, Yucatán made a statement of historical reverence. Heavy Johnson, one of the most feared hitters of the 1920s, won the 1923 Negro National League batting title with a .406 average. A powerful, barrel-chested catcher-outfielder hybrid, Johnson was also a military veteran and a respected leader. In anchoring the Leones’ rebuild, he brings thunder in the bat and gravitas in the clubhouse.

6. Pascual Pérez – R1, Pick 15 – Chihuahua Dorados

Flamboyant, fearless and always entertaining, Pascual Pérez brought flair to the mound like few others. The late Dominican righty, drafted by Chihuahua, once famously got lost on the way to a game and arrived mid-inning — but still dominated. With a blazing fastball and a penchant for deception, he was an All-Star and a showman. In Chihuahua, fans should expect both strikeouts and swagger in equal measure.

7. Jhonny Peralta – R1, Pick 8 – Campeche Piratas

A steady force through the 2000s, Dominican shortstop Jhonny Peralta built a career on quiet consistency. With over 200 career home runs and multiple All-Star nods, he was dependable both with the glove and at the plate. Campeche’s pick reflects a preference for stability over flash — but make no mistake, Peralta’s value could anchor the infield for a decade.

8. Mariano Rivera – R2, Pick 2 – Veracruz El Águila

Could there be a better match of player and place? The greatest closer in baseball history, drafted to pitch on the Gulf coast. Rivera’s legacy is well known: 652 saves, five rings, and a cut fastball that haunted batters for two decades. Born in Panama and deeply spiritual, his calm under pressure became legend. Veracruz has landed not just a reliever, but a spiritual compass for their bullpen and beyond.

9. Bill Monroe – R2, Pick 13 – Oaxaca Guerreros

Drafting Monroe is like tapping into the game’s jazz era — unpredictable, gifted and utterly magnetic. A Negro Leagues infielder in the early 1900s, Monroe was famed for his glove, his wit and his powerful stick. He could dazzle defensively or drop bombs from the left side. For Oaxaca, his showmanship might pair beautifully with the city’s artistic soul.

10. Masyn Winn – R3, Pick 19 – Durango Caliente

One of the youngest and most exciting modern talents in the pool, Masyn Winn brings double-barrelled potential to Durango: a cannon arm at shortstop and top-tier speed on the basepaths. The Texan was already turning heads with elite athleticism, and at 21 he has room to blossom into a superstar. For Caliente, his arrival adds spice to an already combustible roster.

---

The Gulf League may still be in its infancy, but certain names already carry weight beyond their selection slot. Whether drawn from the archives or tomorrow’s highlight reels, these picks embody the league’s mission: to honour the game’s full tapestry while forging its next great era.

[luckymann]

Griffey the Elder was just four in this timeline when he fathered Junior. Nice to see they still get to hang out and play the occasional game of catch...

[20_range]

I didn't realize Jose Mendez would actually play in the league when I drew him for the logo!

[luckymann]

Originally Posted by 20_range

I didn't realize Jose Mendez would actually play in the league when I drew him for the logo!

He is our official poster child!

[luckymann]

Young Gun Smaulding Fires No-Hitter as Caliente Blank Dorados

By Ángel Serrano, El Béisbol Independiente

DURANGO — At just 22 years old, Owen Smaulding announced his arrival as one of the Gulf League’s brightest young arms with a performance for the ages.

Pitching before a raucous Saturday night crowd at Estadio Francisco Villa, the rookie right-hander delivered the first no-hitter in Gulf League history, slicing through the Chihuahua Dorados lineup in a dominant 5–0 win that underscored Durango’s championship ambitions and Smaulding’s rapid rise.

Drafted just this January in the 13th round, Smaulding worked with the poise of a seasoned ace, striking out six and walking three across 100 pitches. He faced just 28 batters — one over the minimum — and relied on pinpoint control, a deceptive changeup and a defence that turned two key double plays behind him.

“I started thinking about it in the fifth,” Smaulding admitted after the game, flashing a smile that belied the steely resolve he showed on the mound. “You try to block it out, but man, those scoreboards don’t let you forget.”

Born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Smaulding has been one of the revelations of the 2001 campaign. Saturday’s gem improved his record to 12–5 with a 2.86 ERA over 21 starts. It was already his third complete game and third shutout of the year — a staggering feat for a pitcher not even a full season into his professional career.

“This kid has ice in his veins,” said Caliente skipper Carlos Jasso. “He’s got a veteran’s rhythm and a rookie’s hunger. That’s a dangerous combination.”

The Caliente backed their young phenom with a steady offensive showing. Oswald Peraza opened the scoring in the fourth with a solo blast — his 17th of the season — before a sac fly from Placido Polanco made it 2–0. In the seventh, Alex Arias drove in a run with a double, then Nap Reyes launched a two-run homer to left to put the game out of reach.

All told, Durango tagged Chihuahua starter Roberto Vargas for five runs on nine hits over 6.1 innings. The Dorados managed just three walks and no hits in return, grounding into two double plays and failing to reach second base after the fourth inning.

Smaulding’s no-no goes straight into the books — the first of its kind in Gulf League play. It also marks his second shutout this month, having blanked Saltillo on one hit just four weeks earlier.

“This league is no joke,” said Smaulding, drenched in Gatorade and cheers. “Every start teaches you something new. Tonight I learned what it feels like when everything clicks.”

With the win, Durango improves to 62–36 and tightens its grip atop the Zona Sierra standings. Chihuahua, meanwhile, falls to 48–50 and faces an uphill battle in the crowded wildcard race.

But Saturday belonged to Smaulding — the rookie with the quiet eyes and the wicked changeup, who just etched his name into Gulf League lore before his 23rd birthday.

[jasg224]

Originally Posted by luckymann

Feel free to add any flavour whenever the mood grabs as I know absolutely nothing about the league and would love to learn more. About my Conspiradores, in particular.

Are there many players who played in both the LMB and MBL? Would you have a list of them handy? If so, I'll make notes on the player pool spreadsheet and alert you when they are coming in.

The Conspiradores don't have much "lore" to speak of since they are an expansion team from 2024. They do have former MLB OF Leonys Martin as their star player currently though. The only tidbit I can offer is that their nickname comes from Querétaro being a very important city in the early years of the Mexican war for independence. It is the place where key figures like Miguel Hidalgo, Ignacio Allende, Josefa Ortiz and others conspired to revolt against Spanish rule, though originally they wanted more political representation for Mexican-born members of Spanish families rather than independence, but that's a different story. The team itself had a pretty nice season, they came 2nd in the Zona Sur (only behind a stacked Diablos team with Trevor Bauer and Robinson Canó breaking LMB records left and right), and they were swept in the second round by Oaxaca. They were a very offensive team with a core of Leonys Martin, Rusney Castillo, Alen Hanson, Yosmany Guerra and Yurisbel Gracial all hitting with an OPS north of .900.


Yeah, there's a lot of players who've participated in both leagues, just in 2024 there were 88 players who made an MLB debut joining the league. Considering you're only using non-white players: Robinson Canó, Billy Hamilton, Yasiel Puig, Didi Gregorious and Freddy Galvis are some of the top ex-MLB players currently on an LMB roster. The signing of these types of stars is a relatively recent phenomenon. Historically, guys like Cool Papa Bell, Martín Dihigo, Josh Gibson and others found in Mexico the opportunity to play professionally before integration. Also many of the Mexican stars like Fernando Valenzuela, Vicente Romo, Aurelio Rodríguez, Joakim Soria, Bobby Ávila, Vinny Castilla, etc. played in the LMB both before and after their MLB careers. I don't know if they're in your database but you might want to keep an eye out for Héctor Espino and Nelson Barrera. Particularly Espino, as he's considered as the greatest Mexican hitter in history and his number 21 is retired across both leagues. On the pitching side there's no doubt about Valenzuela, though if we're talking only about LMB then guys like Ramón Arano, Jesús Ríos, Francisco Campos and Martín Dihigo hold a lot of the records. If I see any guys I recognize, I'll definitely let you know!

[luckymann]

Originally Posted by jasg224

The Conspiradores don't have much "lore" to speak of since they are an expansion team from 2024. They do have former MLB OF Leonys Martin as their star player currently though. The only tidbit I can offer is that their nickname comes from Querétaro being a very important city in the early years of the Mexican war for independence. It is the place where key figures like Miguel Hidalgo, Ignacio Allende, Josefa Ortiz and others conspired to revolt against Spanish rule, though originally they wanted more political representation for Mexican-born members of Spanish families rather than independence, but that's a different story. The team itself had a pretty nice season, they came 2nd in the Zona Sur (only behind a stacked Diablos team with Trevor Bauer and Robinson Canó breaking LMB records left and right), and they were swept in the second round by Oaxaca. They were a very offensive team with a core of Leonys Martin, Rusney Castillo, Alen Hanson, Yosmany Guerra and Yurisbel Gracial all hitting with an OPS north of .900.


Yeah, there's a lot of players who've participated in both leagues, just in 2024 there were 88 players who made an MLB debut joining the league. Considering you're only using non-white players: Robinson Canó, Billy Hamilton, Yasiel Puig, Didi Gregorious and Freddy Galvis are some of the top ex-MLB players currently on an LMB roster. The signing of these types of stars is a relatively recent phenomenon. Historically, guys like Cool Papa Bell, Martín Dihigo, Josh Gibson and others found in Mexico the opportunity to play professionally before integration. Also many of the Mexican stars like Fernando Valenzuela, Vicente Romo, Aurelio Rodríguez, Joakim Soria, Bobby Ávila, Vinny Castilla, etc. played in the LMB both before and after their MLB careers. I don't know if they're in your database but you might want to keep an eye out for Héctor Espino and Nelson Barrera. Particularly Espino, as he's considered as the greatest Mexican hitter in history and his number 21 is retired across both leagues. On the pitching side there's no doubt about Valenzuela, though if we're talking only about LMB then guys like Ramón Arano, Jesús Ríos, Francisco Campos and Martín Dihigo hold a lot of the records. If I see any guys I recognize, I'll definitely let you know!

Awesome stuff, thanks so much. I had wondered about the Conspiradores nickname because it sort of has a negative connotation in English to be "conspirators" so it's nice to know they were being so for a good cause!

I am well versed in the NeL - Mexican League connections and how almost all the main NeL guys spent at least some time in Mexico. But the actual league itself is a blind spot for me that I hope to remedy as this save plays out.

I also have a full Americas MLE spreadsheet from the mighty Eric Chalek featuring a number of Mexican players that I am going to investigate further.

Some of the following EG Bobby Avila and Sal Maglie are already in the DB because they played in the NeL or MLB or both. But those that aren't I am going to figure out a way to add versions of using Eric's calculations. I feel it is only fair seeing as I am using their fantastic league to house this exercise.

G

[jasg224]

Originally Posted by luckymann

I also have a full Americas MLE spreadsheet from the mighty Eric Chalek featuring a number of Mexican players that I am going to investigate further.

Some of the following EG Bobby Avila and Sal Maglie are already in the DB because they played in the NeL or MLB or both. But those that aren't I am going to figure out a way to add versions of using Eric's calculations. I feel it is only fair seeing as I am using their fantastic league to house this exercise.

G

Cool! Hopefully Espino lands with my Charros in this universe haha. If you need any further stats or anything, I do own 2 encyclopedias covering 1937-2004 (which is where I'm getting the stuff for my own historical recreation). Some of the earlier stats in particular are hard to find online and 2005-present are easily found either on the official website or BRef.

[luckymann]

Originally Posted by jasg224

Cool! Hopefully Espino lands with my Charros in this universe haha. If you need any further stats or anything, I do own 2 encyclopedias covering 1937-2004 (which is where I'm getting the stuff for my own historical recreation). Some of the earlier stats in particular are hard to find online and 2005-present are easily found either on the official website or BRef.

Yeah, the LMB from that era makes the NeL look comprehensively covered by comparison. I'll just base the GL avatar for these guys on the MLEs and get creative with their secondary ratings / def but base it on the scant stat details we do have so at least they are a decent approximation.

[luckymann]

Well the season played out as expected for my Conspiradores, if anything a few degrees more intensely so, with our pitching nothing short of disastrous but plenty of positives on the hitting side.

19-year-old Juan Soto, our first pick in the ID, was the main story. After a sluggish start to the season that saw him hit just .146 in April, ‘Juanjo’ improved steadily every month thereafter, culminating in a sensational September that earned him the Gulf League’s Hitter of the Month honours. A two-run home run on the final day – his 34th of the season, a team high – gave him 100 RBI on the dot.

Others to impress at the plate included Kike Hernandez (.312 / 24 HR / 94 RBI), Raul Mondesi (lead the team with 5.1 WAR) and Johnny Ray (.293 / 14 / 97), while Elly de la Cruz offered plenty of spark in the leadoff spot, scoring 103 runs (second only to Juanjo's 108) and swiping 61 bases in 71 attempts.

The less said about the pitching the better, where we finished with the worst ERA (5.95) and gave up more than 1000 runs.

We anticipated this facet of our game would be problematic but the extent to which this became reality surprised us all the same and that's where our focus will be during the offseason. No doubt a couple of the hitters we'll not be able to afford for much longer will need to come under consideration for being traded away for some more reliable arms.

We were rooted to the foot of the SUR Sierra pretty much all year, finishing there with a 65-97.

Turning our attention to the rest of the league, players of note included the somewhat surprising Adolfo Phillips (Mexico City), who led all players with 9.1 WAR; Orlando Cepeda (Union Laguna), whose 48 HR were the most for the season; the Robinsons Frank and Jackie, who both look set to dominate the early years of this league; and Marvin Williams (Oaxaca), who topped the RBI chart with 137.

Three starting pitchers were clear standouts in 2001: Willie Powell of Veracruz (20-8 / 1.87 ERA / 10.5 rWAR); Jalisco's Jose Mendez (15-9 / 2.36 / 10.1); and Durango's Willie Spearman (11-11 / 2.65 / 8.6).

Takashi Saito also caught the eye, posting a whopping 5.4 rWAR in relief for Monterrey.

While three of the Grupo races were fairly straightforward, the SUR Maya made up for it as Oaxaca stormed home with 11 wins from its final 12 including a thrilling final day 4-3 home victory against Quintana Roo that saw them progress by that solitary game ahead of the Tigres.

The Guerreros kept that good form going by knocking out El Aguila in four but proved no match for the dominant Acereros, who claimed the very first Gulf League Cup by winning the Serie del Rey in five games.

In the Liga Golfo Junior AAA competition, our Havana Kings won their group but were knocked out by eventual winners Ponce. Aside from Sho Time, players who made an excellent case for promotion to the big club in 2002 included Edmundo Sosa, Sergio Alcantara and reliever Alvin Morman, although our surfeit of middle infielders might play its part regarding the future of a couple of these guys.

A fun season and looking forward to plenty of improvement at Querétaro next year, especially with a high Draft pick headed our way.

[luckymann]

I like to get the most out of my OOTP saves and often use them as the basis for trying out different external things along the way to both enhance the experience and see what applications might be available for some of these products.

I have dedicated this save to experimenting with AI. Specifically in this case, ChatGPT (as I already had a work-related paid PRO account for it).

I feel the actual OOTP game itself is just about spot on. The AI still needs work, the Combine bug needs to be fixed and a few other half-baked features should go back in the oven. I'd love to see the Negro League players' improvement continue. Other than that, I have no complaints.

Where I do feel OOTP needs a ton of work is in the area of report generation and stat-keeping. For one not to have the ability to drill down with stats past the top level or two in a baseball sim (you can't even access game scores in bulk, FFS) seems an utter travesty.

And so, with satisfactory success to this point, my AI project with this save has been to create an archivist personality that I now feed various reports to and have them keep track of. It's not perfect and takes a bit of work to build and shape the thing, but now I have much easier access to a bunch of things than the game should offer as default.

(I actually tried to create an AI beat reporter, some of whose reports featured in the 2001 season, but things went off the rails. So I'll mark this one as a failure for now but I am about to revisit it armed with some new info and tactics.)

With or without the latter, much of what these projects generate will form the basis of the reportage for this league.

We'll see where that leads us. Now, on with the show as the 2002 GL season is upon us.

G

EDIT I spoke to soon, the thing had a complete meltdown and is of absolutely no use in any worthwhile capacity. back to the drawing board I go!!

[luckymann]

First, here are the GL awards and All-Stars for 2001:

Obviously, in such a young league there aren't as many transactions as there eventually will be. Still, a number did occur, with Jose Mendez (Jalisco), Frank Robinson (León), Aaron Judge (Tijuana), Ken Griffey Jr. (Tabasco), Eric Davis (Puebla) and Triston Casas (León) among those who signed long-term extensions and Fernando Tatis sr and Telosh Howard (both with Tijuana), Jesse Houston (Puebla) and Bert Hunter (Chihuahua) the notable FA adds.

As at OD 2002, Quintana Roo's Ronald Acuña jr is the GL's top prospect, with Chihuahua's farm system #1.

The top-rated players are C Heavy Johnson of Yucatan and Durango P Willie Spearman.

As far as the upcoming season is concerned, the all-knowing analysts favour the following clubs:

• NOR SIERRA: Monclova 90-72 by 4 from Tijuana and Union Laguna
• NOR DESIERTO: Chihuahua 83-79 by 2 from Jalisco
• SUR CENTRAL: Veracruz 96-66 by 1 from Mexico City
• SUR MAYA: Quintana Roo 89-73 by 2 from Yucatan

Plenty of excitement in store if they are to be believed!