Frustrated at my lineup

uharchmajor · 11-12-2008, 11:14 AM

I've played OOTP previously (and couldn't wait until 10, so I recently got 9) and did not have these issues, so I'm curious what I'm doing wrong or what changed. I struggled a bit with the lineups at first, so to get use to the system I decided to start a historical league in 1998 with the White Sox. The ratings are based on the remainder of their peak seasons.

The anchor of the White Sox in '98 was Belle and Thomas. From 1990 to 2000 Frank Thomas hit under .300 once. 3 months into the season and he's hitting .122 with 1 HR. From a few posts I've read, others are struggling with this as well. My pitching usually ranks in the top 5-8 in my league but my bats always rank last or second to last with my 3rd best hitter barely hitting .200. This is a common occurance so there has to be something I'm doing wrong.

I have the core of the White Sox lineup from their original 1998 roster. They hit .271 that year but my guys are batting a nice .189 after 3 months.

A follow up Q as well. K.Foulke was rated something like 4 stars with 5 star potential at the beginning of the season, but 3 months in (I left him in triple A) he's down to 2 stars with 3 star potential. Why the sudden drop so soon? If it's based on actual MLB stats and his peak, shouldn't he still have some quality years left (2000-2004) as a closer. Even in 98 an 99 he was a solid MR guy.

Thanks for the help! I'm sure I'll enjoy the game better once I get a better understanding of things.

1998 Yankees · 11-12-2008, 09:45 PM

If that roster was created accurately for those player ratings (a big "if") and you played out several dozen identical seasons, I bet they would average .271 overall. However, the game contains some randomness and does not necessarily reproduce exact historical stats in a single simulation.

uharchmajor · 11-13-2008, 09:45 AM

That seems to make sense but why would a guy with 4.5stars and 5star potential be batting .122 for the first three months? I can understand it might take a while to get started or making an adjustment, look at Cabrera's splits this season. Even if the rosters are not exactly the same for the sim league, you'd think a guy who batted .300 all but once for 10 seasons would be at least batting above that mark.

sayheykid · 11-13-2008, 01:50 PM

I've had a similar problem. I began my OOTP career with my fave Blue Jays. Some of the players are very capable in real life (e.g. Alex Rios, Vernon Wells, etc) but in OOTP they are bums. Once a realized that and stopped offering them big contracts for what I perceived as their worth, a began making progress.

Kelric · 11-13-2008, 05:31 PM

Also, simply reading posts here doesn't mean there is a problem across the board. Everyone is going to complain when Frank Thomas hits .122 but nobody is going to come post and complain when he's hitting .410 for the first three months.

11-12-2008, 11:14 AM	#1
uharchmajor Bat Boy Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 2	Frustrated at my lineup I've played OOTP previously (and couldn't wait until 10, so I recently got 9) and did not have these issues, so I'm curious what I'm doing wrong or what changed. I struggled a bit with the lineups at first, so to get use to the system I decided to start a historical league in 1998 with the White Sox. The ratings are based on the remainder of their peak seasons. The anchor of the White Sox in '98 was Belle and Thomas. From 1990 to 2000 Frank Thomas hit under .300 once. 3 months into the season and he's hitting .122 with 1 HR. From a few posts I've read, others are struggling with this as well. My pitching usually ranks in the top 5-8 in my league but my bats always rank last or second to last with my 3rd best hitter barely hitting .200. This is a common occurance so there has to be something I'm doing wrong. I have the core of the White Sox lineup from their original 1998 roster. They hit .271 that year but my guys are batting a nice .189 after 3 months. A follow up Q as well. K.Foulke was rated something like 4 stars with 5 star potential at the beginning of the season, but 3 months in (I left him in triple A) he's down to 2 stars with 3 star potential. Why the sudden drop so soon? If it's based on actual MLB stats and his peak, shouldn't he still have some quality years left (2000-2004) as a closer. Even in 98 an 99 he was a solid MR guy. Thanks for the help! I'm sure I'll enjoy the game better once I get a better understanding of things.

11-12-2008, 09:45 PM	#2
1998 Yankees Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Yankee Stadium, back in 1998. Posts: 8,645	If that roster was created accurately for those player ratings (a big "if") and you played out several dozen identical seasons, I bet they would average .271 overall. However, the game contains some randomness and does not necessarily reproduce exact historical stats in a single simulation.

11-13-2008, 09:45 AM	#3
uharchmajor Bat Boy Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 2	That seems to make sense but why would a guy with 4.5stars and 5star potential be batting .122 for the first three months? I can understand it might take a while to get started or making an adjustment, look at Cabrera's splits this season. Even if the rosters are not exactly the same for the sim league, you'd think a guy who batted .300 all but once for 10 seasons would be at least batting above that mark.

11-13-2008, 01:50 PM	#4
sayheykid Minors (Single A) Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Vancouver Posts: 79	I've had a similar problem. I began my OOTP career with my fave Blue Jays. Some of the players are very capable in real life (e.g. Alex Rios, Vernon Wells, etc) but in OOTP they are bums. Once a realized that and stopped offering them big contracts for what I perceived as their worth, a began making progress.

11-13-2008, 05:31 PM	#5
Kelric Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Greater Boston Area Posts: 3,992	Also, simply reading posts here doesn't mean there is a problem across the board. Everyone is going to complain when Frank Thomas hits .122 but nobody is going to come post and complain when he's hitting .410 for the first three months.