International League/Random Debut League

[David Watts]

Take a look at the strikeout totals for Tony Gwynn. Was kind of worried during the 1st season, as Gwynn spent a lot of the season in the .260-.270 range. No need to worry though as the real Tony showed up in 47.

[Highlander]

Tony was special.

[David Watts]

Late August 1949. Gwynn has whiffed grand total of 1 time all season. He's once again in the batting race, but he just might not take home the crown this season, unless Reese Mcgwire goes in the tank for the month of September. McGwire is hitting in the .370 range and so far has shown no signs of slowing down.

Juan Gonzalez is having an incredible 1949 season. With a month to play, he has 42 home runs. Will be interesting to see if he can reach 50. Gonzalez bats 3rd for the Toledo Mud Hens and is followed in the lineup by Eugenio Suarez. Suarez is on pace for 30+ bombs. The two sluggers have a chance to combine for 250+ RBI's on the season. Right now the Toledo Mud Hens are playing the role of pests in the Northern Division. They aren't out of the race, but need to get hot to be considered contenders. That being said, they continue to make things tough for Dayton and Fort Wayne, the two top teams in the division. At the moment, Dayton sits 1 1/2 games ahead of the Fort Wayne TinCaps.

The San Antonio Missions sit atop the Southern Division by 6 games over the Memphis Redbirds. You can never count the Redbirds out due to their strong pitching staff that includes Tom Seaver, Don Drysdale and Brandon Webb. Oscar Charleston leads the charge for the Missions offensively, while 1948's Cy Young winner Dave Brown is their ace. Brown is well on his way to another 20+ win season and if it wasn't for Dayton's Pedro Martinez a second Cy Young would be a sure thing. Pedro Martinez is currently 24-4 for the Dragons. I'm starting to wonder if 30 wins is a possibility.

[David Watts]

I'm really enjoying playing random debut with the game progressing on a yearly basis according to history. It's a nice alternative to using the same year for the entire history of the league. Kind of neat to see guys like Mariano Rivera and Bruce Sutter find their roles in the late 40's, early 50's. It will also be fun seeing the strikeout pitcher evolve over time as strikeouts become a bigger part of the game. Stolen bases will another stat that it wil be fun to watch become a bigger part of the game.

[David Watts]

About to close out the month of July 1951 and once again the Dayton Dragons and Memphis Redbirds sit atop their divisions. Looking like a rematch of the 1950 League Championship Series may be in works. The Toledo Mud Hens have clawed their way to within 6 games of the Dragons, but unless they can get that lead down to 3 or 4, I'm not going to get all that excited. Memphis leads the Birmingham Barons by 9 games in the Southern Division. The Barons once again are crushing the ball, leading the league in home runs by more than 50. Newly acquired Hank Aaron leads the league with 38 home runs and Mel Ott has 30. Ott has already driven in 100 runs on the season and Aaron should reach the century mark himself in the not to distant future. Meanwhile, the Redbirds are the leagues best pitching team. The Redbirds top 4 starters are Corbin Burnes, Tom Seaver, Pedro Martinez and Mark Prior. The Redbirds actually lost Don Drysdale to free agency, but when you can replace him with a Pedro Martinez, that loss is a lot easier to stomach.

It's early but Bob Watson, who came on strong at the end of 1950 to win the batting title, is once again leading the league with a .350 average,

[David Watts]

In my last post, I said I wouldn't start getting excited about the race in the Northern Division unless Dayton's lead shrunk to 3 or 4 games. Well, it's done that and then some. The once invincible Dayton Dragons lost their final game in the month of July and have lost all 13 of their games played so far in the month of August. 14 straight losses and their lead is now just a 1/2 game over the Toledo Mud Hens.

Meanwhile the Birmingham Barons have pulled to within 6 games of the Memphis Redbirds in the Southern division. Hank Aaron and Mel Ott continue to knock the cover off the ball. Ott has been on fire and now sits only a home run shy of catching his his teammate for Aaron for leagues home run lead(42). Ott leads the league with 120 RBI, while Aaron just passed the century mark. The Barons have an amazing 154 home runs as a team. Jay Buhner has 20+, Al Oliver is approaching 20 and Bobby Doerr is approaching 15. They are leading the pack in runs scored by a huge margin. Aaron is 39 years old, but so far has shown no signs of slowing his roll. Memphis of course, just keeps pitching. They did suffer a scare this past week when Mark Prior had to leave a start due to an injury. Luckily it was minor and it doesn't look like he will miss any starts.

[defelop]

Great guy.


______________________
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[David Watts]

Just curious. The league milestones default to 1000 for both RBI and Runs. Do y'all edit these or just stick with the defaults? 1000 is a cool number, but I wonder if 1500 would be better, seeing that it would be a much more significant accomplishment.

[David Watts]

I've had 26 for around a month now. So far, I'm really enjoying this version. Last years Integrated Mod was by far the best addition to the game in years. Absolutely loved it. Having the Negro League players available for my random debuts added so much enjoyment to the game. Still waiting for Josh Gibson to show up in one of my league, but I know that day is coming. I really hope the team continues to work with Garlon and Lansdowne to in an effort to ensure even more Negro League players get added.

Over the years, I think I wasted way too much time being too obsessed with the all mighty adjust/weaken settings. Way too much time. For several versions I was following the belief that lowering the defaults for both hitting and pitching was the way to go. I followed this method for all of 23 and 24. Big mistake. Then with the start of 25, the idea became, raise the adjust/weaken settings. Even bigger mistake. One method pulled all the great players down and the other in a way pumped them up way too much. Starting late in OOTP25, I began to simply use the default settings and I'm loving what I'm seeing.

[David Watts]

I have another question for any of y'all that play random debut. Do you enjoy the fact that players that appear in the inaugural draft import with service time, or would you prefer that they come in as if baseball just started the day you created your league( or do you erase service time prior to starting your league)?

I've often wondered how things would go if I were to erase service time for all inaugural draft players? Would the year following year 6 be total bedlam? In my current save, Hank Aaron imported at or around the age of 34 as part of the inaugural draft. He 39 years old now and thanks to the pre loaded service time, he has a total of 18 years and therefore will be Hall of Fame eligible. A big part of me likes this, while another part of me questions whether it would be better to require 10 actual years played. What are your thoughts?

[Brad K]

Originally Posted by David Watts

Over the years, I think I wasted way too much time being too obsessed with the all mighty adjust/weaken settings. Way too much time. For several versions I was following the belief that lowering the defaults for both hitting and pitching was the way to go. I followed this method for all of 23 and 24. Big mistake. Then with the start of 25, the idea became, raise the adjust/weaken settings. Even bigger mistake. One method pulled all the great players down and the other in a way pumped them up way too much. Starting late in OOTP25, I began to simply use the default settings and I'm loving what I'm seeing.

Notice that the defaults have been lowered from what they once were.

I could never understand the logic between multiplying by the number of years. Its about getting a decent sample size. I don't see how it matters if a player got 300 ABs in one year or took three years to do it.

[Brad K]

Originally Posted by David Watts

Just curious. The league milestones default to 1000 for both RBI and Runs. Do y'all edit these or just stick with the defaults? 1000 is a cool number, but I wonder if 1500 would be better, seeing that it would be a much more significant accomplishment.

Consider that if we were on a base 12 numbering system the cool number would be the equivalent of 1200.

800
900
A00
B00
1000

[David Watts]

Approaching the final week of the 1951 season. Memphis has their magic number down to 2 games in the Southern Division, while Dayton's number sits at 7 or 8. Dayton bounced back from their losing streak to regain control of the division. Toledo's biggest problem is their inability to beat the Dragons head to head. Birmingham faces the very same dilemma in the South, as their record against the Memphis Redbirds is dismal as well.

For the second season in a row, Tom Seaver(Memphis) has notched 20 victories on the mound. Seaver was the first International League pitcher to reach 100 wins and now sits at 110 career wins.

The Birmingham Barons are the first team in International League history to reach the 200 home run mark for a season. They've scored 800 runs as well on the season. Yet, they stand on the brink of elimination. Hank Aaron has hit 50 home runs and Mel Ott is a home run shy of reaching 50 as well. Al Oliver now has 26, followed by Jay Buhner with 24. Mel Ott and Hank Aaron have combined for 250+ RBI as the 3 and 4 hitters in the Barons lineup. The Barons do play in a offense friendly park with above 1.000 ratings for HR's across the board.

[Highlander]

I'd like a fresh start with no history for guys who import mid/late career. I don't take the time to erase it, but it's my preference.

[David Watts]

Originally Posted by Highlander

I'd like a fresh start with no history for guys who import mid/late career. I don't take the time to erase it, but it's my preference.

One day I think I will try a league with everyone starting out with zero service time.

[David Watts]

It's August 5th 1953 and Jimmy Williams is hitting an amazing .407 for the Fort Wayne TinCaps. Williams has 170 hits with 2 months of the season left to go. Question is, can he stay above .400. His Babip is in the .425 range, so I do wonder if he is due for a slump in the near future?

[David Watts]

Nothing like a post season no hitter.

[David Watts]

Started 1954 last night. Trying something for the very first time for the 54 season. I have set injuries to very high for both short term and long term. So, far I'm liking what I'm seeing. I fast sim each season to July 1st and then watch a game a day going forward. I'm just now entering the month of August.

[David Watts]

About to wrap up 1957. Really having a lot of fun. The Birmingham Barons have emerged a real force in this league. Led by two Negro League pitchers, Dave Brown and Webster McDonald, the Barons are a tough team to beat. Mel Ott and Bobby Doerr lead the Barons on offense. Late in the 57 season, Ott became the second Independent League batter to reach 300 home runs. Dave Brown is roughly 10 wins shy of 200 wins.

Juan Gonzalez is the leagues top home run hitter with 352 bombs.

Tom Seaver seemed like a sure bet to be first pitcher to 200 victories, but he's kind of hit the wall late in his career. He's become more of an inning eater the last few seasons than the dominant force he was earlier.

Jose Munoz has burst on the scene for the Peoria Chiefs. The Cuban born pitcher won the Cy Young award in 1956 and will surely be in the hunt for the award again in 1957. Munoz is a strikeout machine running away with the strikeout crown by 70+ the past two seasons. He's actually challenged the 300 mark both of the last 2 seasons, just falling short both times. Pretty amazing during this period in baseball. Looking forward to seeing Munoz move into the 1960's when strikeouts increase as a whole.

Oscar Charleston is also a member of this Birmingham Barons this season. He's playing out the string as they say, nearing the end of the line, but he still found moments to shine for the Barons. Charleston ranks near the top of the leagues best in WAR. Will be interesting to see if Oscar gets enough votes for the Hall of Fame when he does call it quits. If not, I may be inclined to induct him with my commissioner vote.

Tony Gwynn retired less than a hundred hits shy of 2000 hits. Would have to double check, but I don't think Mr. Gwynn reached the century mark in career strikeouts.

Al Oliver reached the 2000 hit mark during the 1957 season.

Kind of stunned by the performance of one pitcher in this league. Josh Beckett. Josh has always been someone that's dominated over the years in my random debut leagues. Not so much in this one. Becketts around 30 games under .500 with an era in the 4's, He's been healthy and eats a ton of innings, but has never really been dominant. Just another reason why I love this game.

Hank Aaron retired just shy of 300 home runs. Thinking Aaron has the chance to be the first player elected to the Hall of Fame. His 58 home runs still stands as the most in a single Independent League season.

Trying to decide when I should expand again and where too. Should I expand to 16 teams in 61? Thinking 69 would be better. I already expanded once in I want to say 1952, so maybe it's better to let things settle a little longer. I think 18 teams is as large as I can go, as that's the last setup that OOTP has a schedule for. So, maybe expansion in 61 or 69 and then again in 1977. Maybe expansion in 1968 would be better. Might alleviate the massive pitching year some.

My league is made up of a northern and a southern division.
The North
Toledo Mud Hens
Dayton Dragons
Lansing Lugnuts
Ft Wayne TinCaps
Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
St. Paul Saints
Peoria Chiefs

The South
Arkansas Travelers
Birmingham Barons
Corpus Christi Hooks
San Antonio Missions
Biloxi Shuckers
Louisville Bats
Memphis Redbirds

Possible locations/teams for North expansion
Buffalo Bisons
Omaho Storm Chasers
Cedar Rapids Kernals
Quad Cities River Bandits
Norfolk Tides
Erie SeaWolves. The SeaWolves were an original member of the league, before becoming the Harrisburg Senators. The Senators eventually moved to Wisconsin.
West Michigan Whitecaps

Possible teams for South expansion
Tulsa Drillers
Oklahoma City Comets
Frisco Roughriders
El Paso Chihuahuas
New Orleans Baby Cakes
Chattanooga Lookouts
Nashville Sounds
Pensacola Blue Wahoos
Round Rock Express

Leaning towards one of the two Iowa teams and Omaha in the North. In the South I'm thinking Tulsa, Pensacola or Chattanooga. New Orleans may get the nod if the game still features the Baby Cakes uniforms. Would have to check. Wish the game had the Traverse City Pit Spitters uniforms, as that might be a really cool place to expand to.

[David Watts]

Found a new method of play with this league and so far I really like it. I'm fast simming each season to July 1st. From July 1st onward I watch a random game per day till the end of the season. More often than not I pick the game to watch as part of a series, but if there's a great pitching matchup, I might leave the series to watch the pitchers duel. I'm also Eugene Churching the games I pick to watch. I sim to the start of the 5th inning and begin watching there. This is allowing me to get through seasons faster, but still enjoy some of the little things that make playing out a season so much fun.

My league now features 4 teams making the post season each season. The two division winners, and two wild cards. The first round of the playoff is a best of five and the League Championship Series is a best of 7. Debating making both rounds best of 7's at some point.