Has anyone ever...

T-Ray · 08-09-2002, 10:10 AM

...taken a lowly team (with "real" rosters) like Tampa Bay, Detroit, etc., etc. and gone to the playoffs with them? Even maybe come close?

How 'bout this? Has anyone ever seen an "unknown" prospect actually go from A or AA to a superstar in the bigs?

I just started playing as Tampa Bay, and I would like to know if I even have a 1% chance at something! Thanks!

fluharty · 08-09-2002, 11:52 AM

not sure how 'lowly' you consider the pirates, but it wasn't that tough to make them into a perrennial contender in OOTP.

Diehard Cubs Fan · 08-09-2002, 12:40 PM

I took KC and with about 70% of the talent on the roster still with the team I won a World Series in 2005. The free agents I did sign were mid level players that I could trade at the deadline to contenders and get a solid prospect back at least. My house rule is the same as I have seen here before. I will offer a trade to a CONTENDER if it is a good trade for both teams.
Of course right after that Mark Prior and Hank Blaylock both hit the free agent market and I now have 16mill commited to the two for the next six years. Blaylock has played every day while Prior has made 5 starts all year, the rest of the time he has been on the DL

Frank7350 · 08-09-2002, 01:00 PM

I won the WS with Detroit, with Rolens rosters within 2-3 years. Its really not that tough if you don't use house rules, which I didn't. Turned out that I had a 110 mil. roster, and everybody else was down around 70 mil. Didn't even realize it. To bad payrolls aren't that low in real life, huh?

It wasn't all via FA though. Lotsa trades, I thought they were fair for both teams at the time. Some draft picks as well.

joshuaaaaaa · 08-09-2002, 06:19 PM

In my current league, I took over the 46-116 Mets in 2025. In 2025 I 'improved' them by about 7 or 8 wins (its in the Joey McKinley thread and I'm too lazy to look right now). In 2026 they were 18 games over .500 in August before totally collapsing. They finished 2nd in the division at 82-80. With the huge amount of young talent I've acquired by trading away overpriced stars (what does a team that won 46 games need with an ace making $9 million per season), I should have a good chance at winning the division in 2027.

The basic house rules I use are:

1. Keep maximum payroll around $50 million (sometimes it creeps up towards $55 million, never over that).
2. At the end of each season, any player in the minor leagues with a non $100,000 contract that doesn't expire in the current year is moved to A ball. This encourages retirement of aging veterans.
3. At the beginning of preseason, Any player with a minor league contract who is 28 or older in AA or 25 or older in A ball is released. The only exception is if the guy has a green arrow and is only in a lower level of ball because his upward progress is blocked. This keeps only the best prospects active. I don't fill the minor leagues with fictional players.
4. League totals recalculated at the beginning of each season.
5. Computer manager run on all teams on the 1st of each month (although I've been known to forget).
6. I will initiate trades, and will trade 2 or 3 for 1 or vice versa, however I do my best to make sure I feel both teams are getting good deals.
7. The draft is five rounds each year. I choose for my team in the 1st 2 rounds, the computer picks in the last 3. This prevents me from stocking up on great MR prospects that the computer undervalues.
8. Financials are on, coaches and scouts are off.
9. I had been going through and setting coaching tendencies for each team based on their personnel. I got away from that and plan to pick it up with their next season.
10. I use the StickWare schedule generator, 18 interleague games per season, unbalanced schedule.

I think that's all of them.

JAttractive · 08-09-2002, 08:44 PM

What does recalculating the stats do exactly Joshuaaaa?

Just curious if I should add that as a house rule for myself....

Recte44 · 08-09-2002, 08:45 PM

I've managed to turn the Brewers into the Yankees.

Guess I should start imposing some house rules.

It did help, though, to actualyl SPEND their money. Signing Pedro Martinez was certainly a good start.

WS Champs in 2006 and 2008.

DHS23 · 08-10-2002, 02:04 AM

I actually took the D'Rays to a WS championship with a salary of just under $45M in OOTP3. I believe it took me all of 17 years to do it though.

I did get them to the WS in 2013, or somewhere around there, after trading for an aging Jason Giambi.

joshuaaaaaa · 08-14-2002, 12:15 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by JAttractive
What does recalculating the stats do exactly Joshuaaaa?

Just curious if I should add that as a house rule for myself....

Here's a thread that gives a good overview of what it does. However, I disagree with Jason Moyer to the extent that having a 70 HR hitter in one year and recalculating would cause the leader next year to have 20-30 HR. It would definitely dampen the leader next year, however not to that extreme.

Its not something that has to be done, I do it just so that neither pitching nor hitting ever totally dominates the league. There are years I've forgotten to reset, and that didn't cause huge abberations.

08-09-2002, 10:10 AM	#1
T-Ray Bat Boy Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 16	Has anyone ever... ...taken a lowly team (with "real" rosters) like Tampa Bay, Detroit, etc., etc. and gone to the playoffs with them? Even maybe come close? How 'bout this? Has anyone ever seen an "unknown" prospect actually go from A or AA to a superstar in the bigs? I just started playing as Tampa Bay, and I would like to know if I even have a 1% chance at something! Thanks!

08-09-2002, 12:40 PM	#3
Diehard Cubs Fan Bat Boy Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 6	Sign smart and trade smarter I took KC and with about 70% of the talent on the roster still with the team I won a World Series in 2005. The free agents I did sign were mid level players that I could trade at the deadline to contenders and get a solid prospect back at least. My house rule is the same as I have seen here before. I will offer a trade to a CONTENDER if it is a good trade for both teams. Of course right after that Mark Prior and Hank Blaylock both hit the free agent market and I now have 16mill commited to the two for the next six years. Blaylock has played every day while Prior has made 5 starts all year, the rest of the time he has been on the DL __________________ "If a tie is like kissing your sister, losing is like kissing your grandmother with her teeth out." George Brett "A losing season sucks" Neel Woodal

08-09-2002, 06:19 PM	#5
joshuaaaaaa All Star Reserve Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Las Vegas, NV Posts: 633	In my current league, I took over the 46-116 Mets in 2025. In 2025 I 'improved' them by about 7 or 8 wins (its in the Joey McKinley thread and I'm too lazy to look right now). In 2026 they were 18 games over .500 in August before totally collapsing. They finished 2nd in the division at 82-80. With the huge amount of young talent I've acquired by trading away overpriced stars (what does a team that won 46 games need with an ace making $9 million per season), I should have a good chance at winning the division in 2027. The basic house rules I use are: 1. Keep maximum payroll around $50 million (sometimes it creeps up towards $55 million, never over that). 2. At the end of each season, any player in the minor leagues with a non $100,000 contract that doesn't expire in the current year is moved to A ball. This encourages retirement of aging veterans. 3. At the beginning of preseason, Any player with a minor league contract who is 28 or older in AA or 25 or older in A ball is released. The only exception is if the guy has a green arrow and is only in a lower level of ball because his upward progress is blocked. This keeps only the best prospects active. I don't fill the minor leagues with fictional players. 4. League totals recalculated at the beginning of each season. 5. Computer manager run on all teams on the 1st of each month (although I've been known to forget). 6. I will initiate trades, and will trade 2 or 3 for 1 or vice versa, however I do my best to make sure I feel both teams are getting good deals. 7. The draft is five rounds each year. I choose for my team in the 1st 2 rounds, the computer picks in the last 3. This prevents me from stocking up on great MR prospects that the computer undervalues. 8. Financials are on, coaches and scouts are off. 9. I had been going through and setting coaching tendencies for each team based on their personnel. I got away from that and plan to pick it up with their next season. 10. I use the StickWare schedule generator, 18 interleague games per season, unbalanced schedule. I think that's all of them. __________________ Baltimore Monarchs-GUBA Baltimore Orioles-ORB2 "One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his great surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn't do." ~Henry Ford ~

08-09-2002, 08:45 PM	#7
Recte44 Global Moderator Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Oconomowoc, WI Posts: 2,813	I've managed to turn the Brewers into the Yankees. Guess I should start imposing some house rules. It did help, though, to actualyl SPEND their money. Signing Pedro Martinez was certainly a good start. WS Champs in 2006 and 2008. __________________ Matt Rectenwald Commissioner, GM: Las Vegas Hustlers, The Brewster Baseball Association- fictional league (JOIN NOW)

08-09-2002, 11:52 AM	#2
fluharty All Star Starter Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Morgantown, WV Posts: 1,023	not sure how 'lowly' you consider the pirates, but it wasn't that tough to make them into a perrennial contender in OOTP.

08-09-2002, 01:00 PM	#4
Frank7350 Minors (Double A) Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Jersey Posts: 132	I won the WS with Detroit, with Rolens rosters within 2-3 years. Its really not that tough if you don't use house rules, which I didn't. Turned out that I had a 110 mil. roster, and everybody else was down around 70 mil. Didn't even realize it. To bad payrolls aren't that low in real life, huh? It wasn't all via FA though. Lotsa trades, I thought they were fair for both teams at the time. Some draft picks as well.

08-09-2002, 08:44 PM	#6
JAttractive All Star Starter Join Date: May 2002 Location: St. Catharines, Ontario Posts: 1,135	What does recalculating the stats do exactly Joshuaaaa? Just curious if I should add that as a house rule for myself....

08-10-2002, 02:04 AM	#8
DHS23 All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Modesto, CA Posts: 506	I actually took the D'Rays to a WS championship with a salary of just under $45M in OOTP3. I believe it took me all of 17 years to do it though. I did get them to the WS in 2013, or somewhere around there, after trading for an aging Jason Giambi.