Minor League free agency

[pilight]

I'm using the Reserve Clause rules for a fictional league, with the expanded roster and secondary roster disabled. Is there a way to change the length of time it takes for a player who hasn't reached the majors to become a minor league free agent?

[Jordan]

Yes. under the League Setup menu, there is an option literally called "Minimum Service Years for Minor League FA under the Financial & Free Agency Settings. You will also see that you can only change these options underneath this tab during the preseason

[pilight]

Originally Posted by Jordan

Yes. under the League Setup menu, there is an option literally called "Minimum Service Years for Minor League FA under the Financial & Free Agency Settings. You will also see that you can only change these options underneath this tab during the preseason

I finally found it. It is not available when using Reserve Clause Era rules.

[Jordan]

Yeah I hadn't thought about that but it makes sense. Why let their be minor league FA's if there aren't any major league FA's.

[pilight]

Originally Posted by Jordan

Yeah I hadn't thought about that but it makes sense. Why let their be minor league FA's if there aren't any major league FA's.

It does allow minor league FAs after seven years, which was the impetus for my question. I wanted to change it so that there were only minor league FAs if teams released players.

Ordinarily, if a player didn't make it to the majors after seven years I would assume he never would. However, I had a kid found in Paraguay by my scouting staff. He was a 16 year old catcher named Enrique Ezquivel, a one * player with one * potential. I signed him because he enjoyed boating in the offseason, which struck me as funny for a player from a landlocked country. He did OK in rookie ball that first year, but nothing that made it look like he was a real prospect. The next season, as a 17 year old, he started hitting. No power, but he got his BA up to .280 and his OBP up to .355 so I moved him up to A ball in September as a reward. He struggled, but didn't embarrass himself so I let him stay there for the next year. As an 18 year old he was solid, but forgettable at A. The next year as a 19 year old he started hitting again. Still no power, but again with the .357 OBP. An injury in early July left me needing a AA catcher so I moved him up. He struggled at first but settled in as a serviceable backup. As a 20 year old at AA he had a decent season, and I figured he had topped out. The next year, as a 21 year old at AA he really started hitting. He had a .340 BA and a .408 OBP, still with no power to speak of, and basically forced me to bring him up to AAA midseason. He was still ranked as a one * with one * potential, mind you. He finished the season as the AAA backup. The next season, as a 22 year old at AAA he won the starting job and was OK, but not good enough to bring up. Given his pattern, you would think he started hitting again the next season and made the majors. He did, but for another team's AAA affiliate. He had been in my system for seven years and became a minor league FA. Fast forward four years and I am facing his new team in the world series. Game seven and I lead by one in the 9th inning. My closer gets two outs then hits a batter and gives up a double, making it 2nd and 3rd with two outs. The computer manager (I just GM) intentionally walks the next batter to bring up the backup catcher....Enrique Ezquivel. The other team can't pinch hit for him because the other catcher was already out of the game. Of course he raps a single to right center, bringing in two runs to win the game and the series.

So yeah, I'd kinda like to change the rules about minor league free agents.

[Jordan]

Yup, that would make me want to do it too

[Tullius]

In a test league i used this procedure: In the offseason enable the Free Agent system, then you can adjust the Minor League FA and then turn FA off. In that league i had Minor Free Agency after 10 or 12 to avoid that old player block prospects.

[awick]

I loved your history of the career of Enrique Ezquivel...

[pilight]

Originally Posted by awick

I loved your history of the career of Enrique Ezquivel...

To the extent that it is possible to feel such an emotion for a computer generated person, I admire Ezquivel. Here's a guy who came to a strange country as a teenager from a place with not much baseball tradition, who never got a bit of respect from the supposed expert scouts, who earned his way to the majors despite a lack of physical skills, and became a World Series hero. I imagine him spending his WS bonus on a huge boat and spending his offseasons back home sailing Ypacarai Lake in the warm southern hemisphere summer.

I just wish he had done it for my team

[dawg_gone]

Originally Posted by pilight

Ordinarily, if a player didn't make it to the majors after seven years I would assume he never would. However, I had a kid found in Paraguay by my scouting staff. He was a 16 year old catcher named Enrique Ezquivel, a one * player with one * potential. I signed him because he enjoyed boating in the offseason, which struck me as funny for a player from a landlocked country. He did OK in rookie ball that first year, but nothing that made it look like he was a real prospect. The next season, as a 17 year old, he started hitting. No power, but he got his BA up to .280 and his OBP up to .355 so I moved him up to A ball in September as a reward. He struggled, but didn't embarrass himself so I let him stay there for the next year. As an 18 year old he was solid, but forgettable at A. The next year as a 19 year old he started hitting again. Still no power, but again with the .357 OBP. An injury in early July left me needing a AA catcher so I moved him up. He struggled at first but settled in as a serviceable backup. As a 20 year old at AA he had a decent season, and I figured he had topped out. The next year, as a 21 year old at AA he really started hitting. He had a .340 BA and a .408 OBP, still with no power to speak of, and basically forced me to bring him up to AAA midseason. He was still ranked as a one * with one * potential, mind you. He finished the season as the AAA backup. The next season, as a 22 year old at AAA he won the starting job and was OK, but not good enough to bring up. Given his pattern, you would think he started hitting again the next season and made the majors. He did, but for another team's AAA affiliate. He had been in my system for seven years and became a minor league FA. Fast forward four years and I am facing his new team in the world series. Game seven and I lead by one in the 9th inning. My closer gets two outs then hits a batter and gives up a double, making it 2nd and 3rd with two outs. The computer manager (I just GM) intentionally walks the next batter to bring up the backup catcher....Enrique Ezquivel. The other team can't pinch hit for him because the other catcher was already out of the game. Of course he raps a single to right center, bringing in two runs to win the game and the series.

That's a great story. Thanks for sharing it.