Starting a league with an expansion team.

kayber · 08-05-2008, 02:41 PM

I tend to do this a lot. I try to run my league as an expansion team. It's quite hard I never seem to make it a full season.

Anyone else do this? Have any tips? I know that when you start the league fresh with expansion, you have to add two teams.

BeachBum · 08-05-2008, 03:10 PM

I play historical leagues and have played various expansion teams in their first years. These can be challenging but definitely not unplayably difficult in the first year or two.

bigMatt · 08-06-2008, 02:43 AM

Yeah, in my limited experience with OOTP, that's all I've done so far. My very first run with the game I took the Pilots in 68 and ran them to 74. Then I took the 68 Nats and didn't make it through season one. This time through, I went to 61 and ran the Angels, then jumped to New York in 62 to run the start up Metropolitans.

The biggest temptation I have is to rely too much on real stats when evaluating talent. I haven't yet gotten the hang of the whole scouting system enough to know when to trust my scout and when he's full of it. And I've been burned more than once when anticipating a career year out of a key player only to have him totally come off the rails.

I have found that if you try and stockpile your talent, you are ultimately doomed, as too many guys want to start, and a bunch of players get angry and your morale goes to hell. I also learned the hard way to avoid drafting guys who will go FA in a couple of months - although if you get the guys that return draft pick compensation, that can be a big plus.

I always try to draft the best players possible in the expansion draft regardless of position then use my surplus to trade for the places I need to fill. So for instance, the best 1b in the expansion draft for NY was shlubby Harry Bright, so rather than relying on a fairly pathetic 1b, I loaded up on quality pitchers, a much deeper pool to choose from in the draft, then shipped out pitchers to get a better 1b.

Bottom line from my experience, you need a bit of luck, the best personnel you can land, and micromanaging of hot and slumping players as well as playing time for everyone to survive season one.

Then if you do your homework in the rookie draft, snag some key FAs to long term contract before they reach their peaks, and lock up your best players with extensions, season 2 begins the real fun.

08-05-2008, 02:41 PM	#1
kayber Bat Boy Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 19	Starting a league with an expansion team. I tend to do this a lot. I try to run my league as an expansion team. It's quite hard I never seem to make it a full season. Anyone else do this? Have any tips? I know that when you start the league fresh with expansion, you have to add two teams.

08-05-2008, 03:10 PM	#2
BeachBum Minors (Double A) Join Date: May 2007 Location: Copalis Beach, WA Posts: 192	I play historical leagues and have played various expansion teams in their first years. These can be challenging but definitely not unplayably difficult in the first year or two.

08-06-2008, 02:43 AM	#3
bigMatt Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Kansas Posts: 2,378	Yeah, in my limited experience with OOTP, that's all I've done so far. My very first run with the game I took the Pilots in 68 and ran them to 74. Then I took the 68 Nats and didn't make it through season one. This time through, I went to 61 and ran the Angels, then jumped to New York in 62 to run the start up Metropolitans. The biggest temptation I have is to rely too much on real stats when evaluating talent. I haven't yet gotten the hang of the whole scouting system enough to know when to trust my scout and when he's full of it. And I've been burned more than once when anticipating a career year out of a key player only to have him totally come off the rails. I have found that if you try and stockpile your talent, you are ultimately doomed, as too many guys want to start, and a bunch of players get angry and your morale goes to hell. I also learned the hard way to avoid drafting guys who will go FA in a couple of months - although if you get the guys that return draft pick compensation, that can be a big plus. I always try to draft the best players possible in the expansion draft regardless of position then use my surplus to trade for the places I need to fill. So for instance, the best 1b in the expansion draft for NY was shlubby Harry Bright, so rather than relying on a fairly pathetic 1b, I loaded up on quality pitchers, a much deeper pool to choose from in the draft, then shipped out pitchers to get a better 1b. Bottom line from my experience, you need a bit of luck, the best personnel you can land, and micromanaging of hot and slumping players as well as playing time for everyone to survive season one. Then if you do your homework in the rookie draft, snag some key FAs to long term contract before they reach their peaks, and lock up your best players with extensions, season 2 begins the real fun.