Improved control over spring training

[rink23]

In spring training, where I set the lineups but let the CPU play out the game I like to see more of my young players while making sure my veterans get ample rest.
Unfortunately. the CPU keeps on inserting said vets as pinch-hitters, defensive replacements.
I know you can go into the each individual players strategy and bench them, but it gets tedious having to do it 28 times.

Since maybe you want said player to take part in one game, but not the next.

It would be nice to have an option screen where all the players are listed and you can denote which ones are not available for that particular contest.

[RchW]

Bench player works well here.

[Le Grande Orange]

Originally Posted by rink23

In spring training, where I set the lineups but let the CPU play out the game I like to see more of my young players while making sure my veterans get ample rest.
Unfortunately. the CPU keeps on inserting said vets as pinch-hitters, defensive replacements.

I think OOTP likely needs a dedicated spring training AI to properly recreate what real-life clubs do in spring training in terms of player usage.

I've saved all the box scores from MLB's 2018 spring training, and am in the process of adding 2017's spring training. Together, that will amount to a little over 1,000 box scores. The goal is to use the box scores to analyze position player and pitcher usage in terms of plate appearances and batters faced, respectively, providing hard numbers that can be used as a reference. A cursory examination indicates that substitutions in spring training are very frequent—position players typically had just two or three PAs before another player took their place in the lineup.

[stealofhome]

Originally Posted by Le Grande Orange

A cursory examination indicates that substitutions in spring training are very frequent—position players typically had just two or three PAs before another player took their place in the lineup.

I imagine this also changes as Spring Training goes on, that would alsdo be interesting to see. If I remember correctly, OOTP does do this to some degree already in Spring Training.

[Le Grande Orange]

Originally Posted by stealofhome

I imagine this also changes as Spring Training goes on, that would alsdo be interesting to see.

That's something else I want to pin down. A spot check suggests there wasn't much difference near the end of spring training. Could be just a fluke from the small sample, however.

[eriqjaffe]

I actually miss the way OOTP used to handle Spring Training way back in the pre-SI days where you could allocate percentages of time to specific goals.

[RchW]

Originally Posted by eriqjaffe

I actually miss the way OOTP used to handle Spring Training way back in the pre-SI days where you could allocate percentages of time to specific goals.

That was an exploit that bypassed the development curve, hence unrealistic over the long haul. IIRC it was one of the reasons Markus re-wrote the code after v6.3.