Best team you've seen the AI assemble

[Sven Draconian]

After running a fairly long 2013 sim, I made some adjustments for my 2014 league.

- Disable Rule V draft
- Disable wiavers
- Disable minor league FA
- Disable right to refuse minors

Those have always been places that I gained a net advantage in the past. Sure, I would lose a few guys to waivers now and then, but I effectively built entire bullpens and a bench off waivers guys. I don't think I ever lost anyone in Rule V I cared about, but I probably drafted a multi-year contributor every other season. Then there are the quality minor leaguers the AI cut lose because they couldn't manage option years properly.

Heading into the 2019 seaosn I have a pair of AI powerhouse teams. (I now use 4 divisions of 8 teams each).

The Phillies have 4 legit superstar batters (all under 27) and another pair of potential all-stars. They have the best SP in the league and 2 other good SP. The best closer and great setup man. Heading into the pre-season they should/could have 8 all-stars. They won the division the year before and added the two best players in the league during FA.

The Dodgers: Already have won 5 straight divisions (101 games last year)
Picked up an International FA and signed a stud catcher and developed 3 really good young bats. Overall they have 6 all-star caliber batters, a true ace SP (Kershaw still) and 4 starters that were atleast 3 WAR pitchers last year (aging, but quality). Not quite as strong as Philly , but runaway favorites for a 6th straight division title.

I can't recall ever seeing the AI create dominant teams over the long-term (both teams have their key player locked up for years still) in a league that I'm playing in that uses modern(ish) financials.

What have you seen the AI do?

[JMDurron]

In my historical league (1974-present), the Detroit Tigers put together by far the best AI team for almost a decade. During their peak from 1976-1982, they won 99, 93, 107, 97, 99, 93, and 91 games. They sank to 84 games in 1983, and are struggling in 1984 (currently in late June). Their success is particularly notable because they ended in 2nd place in every single one of those seasons, due to my Red Sox being particularly dominant. 1976 and 1978 ended in 1-game playoff wins by the Red Sox.

Key additions made by the Tigers during this run of excellence included Thurman Munson in 1977, Mike Schmidt in 1978, Gary Carter in 1980 (just as I was ready to gloat over Munson's demise...), Frank Tanana in 1980, and Ron Guidry in 1981. My low injury settings aided Mark Fidrych significantly, along with Ben Oglivie and Jason Thompson. This led to an IF of Schmidt-Trammel-Whitaker-Thompson, with Munson or Carter at C and a decent OF involving combinations of Oglivie, Steve Kemp, and Kirk Gibson at various times.

Luckily for my Red Sox, re-calc eventually made Dave Goltz suck, Munson and Fidrych retire according to history, and Carter and Gibson eventually left to make their money elsewhere. The Tigers never put together a bullpen worth talking about, so my in-game tendency to take tons of pitches usually led to some late inning comeback wins and the occasional bullpen-tiring blowout. That IF/C set, though...that was scary. I was impressed, given that the AI couldn't know who was going to eventually vanish due to historical retirements.

[tayloraj]

In my current historical league, started 1903 currently in 1983, the Minnesota Twins put together an awesome run from 1970-1980, winning the division every year except 1979, when they won 104 but finished six games behind Oakland. They won over 100 in '70 and then again from '77 to '79, won three straight World Series from 1972 to 1974 and then another in 1980, and lost in the World Series in 1971 and 1975. Steve Carlton and Andy Messersmith were the two staff mainstays, with Lefty winning Cys in 1974 and 1977. Bill Slayback (who?) was the team's very capable closer (three straight sub-2 ERA season from 1972-1974) before giving way to Goose Gossage in 1975, who dominated for the rest of the decade. Offensively, the team lacked a single dominating superstar (no MVPs) but a collection of high-quality longtime regulars such as Dale Murphy, Rico Petrocelli, Bobby Grich, Darrell Evans, Mike Epstein, Johnny Callison and Jeff Burroughs. My Red Sox battled them in the postseason regularly, in '70 and then every year from '75-'78 and again in 1980; though I may have won the majority of those, it sure wasn't easy against a team like that.

[Honorable_Pawn]

I turn off options years too. Hopefully this will get more attention than 3-D stadiums.

I haven't tried turning off waivers. I may try that out to assist the AI a little.

[hfield007]

One season

1910 Chicago Cubs in a fictional I had. They had an eventual HoF starter, a 200 win starter, two relievers who were top 5 in the league, a 3000 hit C, 3000 hit 1B, 3000 hit 2B, 3000 hit 3B, 3000 hit SS, 600 HR RF who all made HoF.

Team was stacked.


Long term.

The Montreal Expos current run in my league. They have 7 starters that could legitimately be in the top 3 of any rotation in the league, the best bullpen year in and out, hitting is on and off but they have 3 legitimate star producers and 2 of the top 5 prospects in the league right now that fill two of their fielding holes.

[Righty Groove]

I have also found that the AI doesn't handle waiver/rule 5/option years very well, and disabling them makes for better AI teams. It's a good way to improve the competition.

House rules also, but that makes your team less-improved, not the AI better, of course.

[le receveur]

Originally Posted by Righty Groove

I have also found that the AI doesn't handle waiver/rule 5/option years very well, and disabling them makes for better AI teams. It's a good way to improve the competition.

House rules also, but that makes your team less-improved, not the AI better, of course.

what is the impact of these changes if you never claim in rule 5 or on waiver? see I have left them on to have talent spread between IA team.

I find that I have lost valuable players in Rule 5, with AA guys I didn't feel great about, and some bottom team were willing to take a gamble on...

[Papa3]

In a fictional-historical sim beginning in 1901, the computer put together a nice 9 year run for the Phillies. It was quite an interesting turnaround after a 5 year exercise in futility.

From 1946-1950, they lost between 96 and 109 games a season including three 100+ loss seasons. After one year transitioning from awful to awesome, they won between 93 and 113 from 1952-1960 including three 100+ win seasons. These win/loss totals were all done during 154-game seasons, making their record the more remarkable.



Their run was propelled by their first overall picks at the end of the 1949 and 1950 seasons. In '49 they picked Adrian Lopez who won the MVP in '54, '55, '58, and '60.



The next year they drafted Adam Fleener, the Cy Young winner in '52, '53, '55, '56, '57, '60, and '61. Fleener's 1957 season, with an ERA more than a full run lower than the 2nd place guy, is the best single season in this league's history.