Teams Releasing Newly Drafted Players

[ALB123]

I've been following this thread with great interest. For everyone who has been contributing, thank you...I'm learning and that's awesome.

My eyes are really opened up to instituting roster limits - a combination of Service Time and number of players. I was using firm limits the first few seasons of my 1st saved game. I don't know why, but somehow I was led to believe that while using them was totally fine, but following the actual MLB & MiLB rules isn't the way to go. So, I need to get that straightened out ASAP. I'm getting an over-flow of 1.5 to 2.5 star players up into my Class A Adv. (I don't have regular A, but I do have a Short Season A, my 2nd level squad after Rookie). I now have two Class A Advanced teams this season and if I didn't hold onto the 1.5 star players I wouldn't be able to field two teams. And then, I'm stuck with lifer AAA & AA players because only about one-third, maybe even less, of my AA guys aren't going to ever make it past AAA at best, but there are AAA players in the same playing positions that are good enough to play in the bigs, except for the fact that I already have really, really good players in those playing positions. I've got work ahead of me, for sure...but I think things are going to be a lot easier to manage now.

I've read several posts from jimmysthebestcop, in fact, he's counseled me on this subject before, but I didn't follow through. jimmysthebestcop is a big proponent of running additional foreign leagues, but I've never been able to find a good answer to a question I have. When did we start seeing a noticeable size of Japanese or Latino League players become a part of the MLB? I ask this because I am playing a historical sim - started with the 1981 Yankees...now up to May of the 1987 season - and I don't want to see dozens and dozens of Japanese League or Latin League players each season until it became truthful in history. Then I'll go full bore. Does anyone have recommendations on this subject?

[1991Twins]

I would say that the start of Japanese players to MLB would be traced to the success of Nomomania in 1995 when Hideo Nomo's starts were broadcast in the middle of the night in Japan. You have a few more in the late 90's with Hideki Irabu and Yoshii. Then, Ichiro hit the scene in 2001 and the floodgates opened.

My best guess for Latin America would be the Alou brothers (Felipe debuted in 1958). I don't think that really helps though because I would say it became more common and started to pick up in the 1980s with Tony Pena and Tony Fernandez. The revolution of talent from Latin America exploded in the 1990s (Sosa, Manny, Vlad, Big Papi, Tejada, Alfonso Soriano, Adrian Beltre).

My best guess: Latin America would be a trickle in the early 1980s and a spike in the 1990s. Japan trickle after 1995 and spike after 2001.

[jimmysthebestcop]

Originally Posted by itsmb8

Indep. might not be a bad option. There's three teams close to where i live and close family live in the Schaumburg Boomers, Chicago Dogs, and Milwaukee Milkmen that could be fun.

I havent started anything yet so everything is on the table.

Chicago Dogs is my vote. Classic team name and jerseys are pretty cool

[jimmysthebestcop]

Originally Posted by 1991Twins

I would say that the start of Japanese players to MLB would be traced to the success of Nomomania in 1995 when Hideo Nomo's starts were broadcast in the middle of the night in Japan. You have a few more in the late 90's with Hideki Irabu and Yoshii. Then, Ichiro hit the scene in 2001 and the floodgates opened.

My best guess for Latin America would be the Alou brothers (Felipe debuted in 1958). I don't think that really helps though because I would say it became more common and started to pick up in the 1980s with Tony Pena and Tony Fernandez. The revolution of talent from Latin America exploded in the 1990s (Sosa, Manny, Vlad, Big Papi, Tejada, Alfonso Soriano, Adrian Beltre).

My best guess: Latin America would be a trickle in the early 1980s and a spike in the 1990s. Japan trickle in the 1990s and spike after 2001.

Originally Posted by ALB123

I've been following this thread with great interest. For everyone who has been contributing, thank you...I'm learning and that's awesome.

My eyes are really opened up to instituting roster limits - a combination of Service Time and number of players. I was using firm limits the first few seasons of my 1st saved game. I don't know why, but somehow I was led to believe that while using them was totally fine, but following the actual MLB & MiLB rules isn't the way to go. So, I need to get that straightened out ASAP. I'm getting an over-flow of 1.5 to 2.5 star players up into my Class A Adv. (I don't have regular A, but I do have a Short Season A, my 2nd level squad after Rookie). I now have two Class A Advanced teams this season and if I didn't hold onto the 1.5 star players I wouldn't be able to field two teams. And then, I'm stuck with lifer AAA & AA players because only about one-third, maybe even less, of my AA guys aren't going to ever make it past AAA at best, but there are AAA players in the same playing positions that are good enough to play in the bigs, except for the fact that I already have really, really good players in those playing positions. I've got work ahead of me, for sure...but I think things are going to be a lot easier to manage now.

I've read several posts from jimmysthebestcop, in fact, he's counseled me on this subject before, but I didn't follow through. jimmysthebestcop is a big proponent of running additional foreign leagues, but I've never been able to find a good answer to a question I have. When did we start seeing a noticeable size of Japanese or Latino League players become a part of the MLB? I ask this because I am playing a historical sim - started with the 1981 Yankees...now up to May of the 1987 season - and I don't want to see dozens and dozens of Japanese League or Latin League players each season until it became truthful in history. Then I'll go full bore. Does anyone have recommendations on this subject?

I knew I read some where that MLB is 20%+ foreign and someone posted a follow up confirming it and it was basically almost 30%. So a good deal of the league is foreign and this is at the MLB level. Not the minor league level. I'm not sure if those numbers exist.

When I have service time and roster limits turned ON most of my time is spent managing my minor leagues. My mlb level the team is either good or not good. It doesn't take that many man hours to run the mlb team. There are only so many changes you can do right.

But the minors?? You have to constantly check in on them. See who had a hot month, a cold month, who is hurt, etc. Promotions/Demotions sometimes for injury reasons and sometimes because the guy has enough at bats where he was good to move up.

I also have to scour the universe looking for minor league players. The vast majority will never reach the MLB level or even an INT level. But constantly looking. Those other leagues cut someone they are free agents. You might find an <19 Japanese player or even Cuban player who was cut. If my guys think they are 2 to 2.5 stars I am signing them to minor league contracts. I review all of the Indy leagues looking to buy players with less then 4 years service.

Default settings are fine it takes less human man hours. Once you add service time and roster limits expect the human man hours that you spend on your minor league system to grow exponentially unless you want to roll with AI doing a good job for you.

[ALB123]

Originally Posted by 1991Twins

My best guess: Latin America would be a trickle in the early 1980s and a spike in the 1990s. Japan trickle after 1995 and spike after 2001.

Thanks 1991Twins. Those are pretty much exactly what I remember too.
Nomo-Mania was pretty incredible. Ok, I think I'll hold off for another 4-5 years then, to have it more in line with how it went down in real life.

Originally Posted by jimmysthebestcop

I knew I read some where that MLB is 20%+ foreign and someone posted a follow up confirming it and it was basically almost 30%. So a good deal of the league is foreign and this is at the MLB level. Not the minor league level. I'm not sure if those numbers exist.

When I have service time and roster limits turned ON most of my time is spent managing my minor leagues. My mlb level the team is either good or not good. It doesn't take that many man hours to run the mlb team. There are only so many changes you can do right.

But the minors?? You have to constantly check in on them. See who had a hot month, a cold month, who is hurt, etc. Promotions/Demotions sometimes for injury reasons and sometimes because the guy has enough at bats where he was good to move up.

I also have to scour the universe looking for minor league players. The vast majority will never reach the MLB level or even an INT level. But constantly looking. Those other leagues cut someone they are free agents. You might find an <19 Japanese player or even Cuban player who was cut. If my guys think they are 2 to 2.5 stars I am signing them to minor league contracts. I review all of the Indy leagues looking to buy players with less then 4 years service.

Default settings are fine it takes less human man hours. Once you add service time and roster limits expect the human man hours that you spend on your minor league system to grow exponentially unless you want to roll with AI doing a good job for you.

Oh, I easily believe 30% of MLB is foreign. Easily. Unfortunately, African-American numbers are way down and the league needs to figure something out or those numbers will continue to nose-dive.

I'm not concerned with man hours at all. I already spend an ungodly amount of time on my minor leagues because I'm always making little adjustments to lineups and depth charts to make sure the right people are getting the right amount of playing time, while not ignoring the 2nd string guys. I'm often on ootp 21 for hours and hours and after two days I still haven't advanced my sim by a single day. I've just been scouring rosters - absorbing the statistics I have on other team's players to shortlist or try to pull off a trade very soon. Due to health issues, my life is pretty much just like the current "Shelter in place" guidelines, but for me it's 24/7/365. I might be wrong, but I think that if I at least put in roster limits of 50-60 for Rookie League, 35-40 Short-Season A, 35-37 Advanced A, 35 for AA and 30-35 AAA I'll probably save myself some time with the lineup/rotation obsession I have, but I'm sure my total hours in ootp each day won't change. There is just so much that can be done to stay on top of an organization.

I'm sure I've asked you this before, so please forgive me, but when I decide to activate the Japanese & Latino systems do I set those up as "Feeder Leagues"? And are there options to control the relationship with those new leagues and MLB? Like, can I limit the numbers of Japanese League players that can be imported to our MLB/MiLB each season? Like 1991Twins mentioned, it took a while before MLB was really sold on the idea of taking players from the Asian Leagues. I wonder if I should activate the Independent Leagues right now (1987). It will never be completely like it was in real life, but I try to keep things as close as I can. A few people have told me not to use HS & College feeder systems, although I must confess I don't remember why they suggested I avoid them.

[CBL-Commish]

I don't know why this would be at all surprising. Your low minors are 50 or 100 largely indistinguishable Grade C- prospects. Throw in some scouting uncertainty, throw in 30 or 40 rounds of draft picks who are mostly indistinguishable Grade C- prospects. Stir. Sort by quality, draw a line that's the number of spots in the org... and many of the random guys you just drafted will be below that line.