Wish list: round robin with first round bye; catch up with MLB awards
#1 - round-robin with first round bye.
I'd like to have the option of a setup like this:
6 teams qualify for the playoffs, top 2 skip the RR ->
teams #3-6 play RR -> 2 teams advance from the RR
That leaves 4 teams in this league/subleague.
#2 - catch up with MLB awards.
MLB's had a number of awards that I like to award by hand, and it would improve immersion if OOTP caught up:
All-MLB team
Here, it might be a good idea to include options for:
- "awarded per subleague" (i.e. separate All-AL and All-NL?) vs "awarded for entire league" (i.e. just All-MLB)
- number of tiers: one or two? (i.e. do you just have All-MLB, or All-MLB First team and All-MLB Second team)
This addresses a major oversight in the awards currently included in OOTP: you could have as many as 18 awards for the top players at their position, in the form of the Silver Slugger, but only 2-4 pitchers get recognized as the top player at their position. (2 Cy Young, 2 more if there's a reliever award).
So if you have an MLB-style league, about the top ~7% of everyday starting hitters will get end-of-season award recognition, but only ~2% of pitchers (5 starters plus biggest-inning reliever, often closer).
Platinum Glove
This one's been around for about a decade now, and a fun way to single out that one player who's uniquely impactful as a fielder.
All-Rookie Team
MLB formally adopted this award in 2023, but it has historical roots going as far back as 1959 with the Topps All-Star Rookie Team cards.