This is the way I play a few times every version. I've had a lot of ideas on how to simulate it over the years going back to OOTP X/11. I think the best way for Markus to throw a bone to the five or six of us who play this way would be to have an option for AI teams to purchase players contracts based on current ability or something along those lines. That way the problem OmahaReynolds described (and I encountered it in my own tests) would largely solve itself.
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Originally Posted by Questdog
What I have done is create my major league and give them an affiliated AAA league but turn off all player creation. I give the major leagues AAA affiliates because otherwise extra players sit on a reserve roster and do not play and you can't go without a reserve roster or a minor league affiliate.
Then I create a AA league that is independent and let it draft players from HS and college (Sabermetric PCMs must be reset to 1 from their defaults). Each off season (before FA's file, if you are using free agency), I release 8 players per major league team from AA. I proportion the ratio of pitchers to hitters by the same ratio as is carried on the major league rosters and then I divide the batters by 8 and release that many from each position. For pitchers, I use VORP to establish who will be released (highest performers get let go). For batters, I use WAR.
Then I schedule an 8-round free agent draft in the major league on the same day I release all the players. Voila!.
This way the majors are getting players who are ready (or close) to playing in the majors.
I don't use any leagues lower than AA, so newly drafted players usually sit on their reserve rosters until they can play in AA. Make sure the AA league's reserve rosters are set to unlimited. You could add lower leagues affiliated to the AA league, if you wanted, or even have them independent and do this process between each level every year (only the lowest level would be able to drat HS and college players). However, that would force every player to play at every level (except AAA) before reaching the majors, so you'd want some guidelines for who can skip a level. Seems like a lot of work, so I just stick to the AA level.
For the affiliated minor league era, before the amateur draft is established, what I find works pretty well is to go ahead and run a draft, but reverse the usual order and let the team with the best record pick first. I really like this and usually stick with it even after 1965. Parity is for the dullards! You could also have a set draft order based on market size or whoever you think should be the dominate teams of the era. I like changing it every year to allow for some surprises. Bad teams CAN become elite teams and vice versa with the best team picks first method, especially with FA active (but even with in the Reserve Era).
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This sounds like a fun workaround. I'll probably steal it if that's okay
