Finally took the plunge

Genner31 · 02-14-2013, 08:48 PM

After getting my hands on a old copy and reading the book "The Universal Baseball Association, Inc., J. Henry Waugh, Prop." I decided to take a gamble and purchase OOTP 2013 and pre-order 2014.

I have a basic understanding of the game and know what the common acronyms stand for, though what exactly ops measures and how precisely it's useful - i'm still a bit in the dark about. Immediately prior to purchase the idea of having a fictional league running the length of the Rocky Mountains took hold and so that's what I'm going to do.

I was wondering what the crafty vets of the game thought about a two division league - north and south - of 8 teams in each division. Is that too many or too few to get a good feel for the game? Is three divisions of minor leagues with each team having one team at AAA, AA, and A enough of a feeder to give a good sense of the trials and tribulations of being a GM and having responsibility for promotions, demotions, and the agony of the draft and contract negotiations?

I want to start out just as a GM, so I don't overwhelm myself as what I've read suggests the depth of this game is enormous. Would it be better to start out as a GM on one of the minor leagues and work up to sort of wade in to all the simulation's intricacies?

Finally, are there any other tips out there that you could share that you wish you would have known when you first started playing?

Thanks for any advice and tips. I"m off to try and set up my league.

ps. If anyone hasn't read the book I would highly recommend it. It has a few odd moments, but it's a good, quick read.

Peregrine · 02-15-2013, 12:01 AM

Welcome to OOTP! I hope you enjoy it and learn a bit more about Major League Baseball as well. One thing, on OPS - it's a bit confusing for people new to the game because it's actually a combination of two statistics, On Base Percentage (OBP) and Slugging Average. Both of these are listed separately on every hitter's page in OOTP, but for convenience and comparison purposes people add them together to get a third stat - On Base Plus Slugging - OPS. Now keep in mind that OOTP almost certainly calculates these slightly differently than real baseball, so I wouldn't worry about what exactly go into it for now. The basics are that OBP is how often a player gets on base for all reasons, and slugging is used as a measure of power. So people add the two and get an easy measure of OPS.

So here is a stats line I copied from a very good power hitter in one of my leagues - at the end you see AVG - batting average, then OBP, then SLG, and the OPS. OPS+ I personally would ignore as a new player. Just to give you an idea, he led my league in Slugging (lots of home runs and extra base hits,) and was 16th in OBP.

Also, I think your idea of a two division small league of 16 teams is a great idea to start out - start small and you can always add more teams and divisions later if you want. I often run just A, AA, and AAA myself for small leagues, so that's fine too. If 16 teams proves too many feel free to change to an 8 team league - really nice for getting to know all the teams and players.

I suggest starting as a GM of the highest level team - the minors can be frustrating and even if your team loses, hey you're learning the game.

shawa666 · 02-15-2013, 07:49 AM

What Peregrine said.

And a tip, in manager options, tick the can't be fired box.

Atleast until you think you have a good idea of what's going on.

Genner31 · 02-15-2013, 10:27 AM

Thanks very much gentlemen for the reply. I started off last night at the A level for the team I wanted to coach knowing full well I might end up somewhere else. I played a few games and the BBN screens and play by play in game is pretty interesting. However, since I'm on the low end of the totem pole there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of decisions to be made. Is this the general experience with being GM of a farm team?

Do scouts and coaches get better with more experience. Right now i'm in the inaugural season of my fictional league and information on players and coaches is non-existent.

When you gentlemen play do you play each game or do you sim? If you simulate how much time do you simulate; a week, two weeks, a month?

Thanks again for the replies. Right now I'm overwhelmed by all the information available to me, but I'm sure I'll figure it out in time.

fhomess · 02-15-2013, 12:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Genner31

Thanks very much gentlemen for the reply. I started off last night at the A level for the team I wanted to coach knowing full well I might end up somewhere else. I played a few games and the BBN screens and play by play in game is pretty interesting. However, since I'm on the low end of the totem pole there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of decisions to be made. Is this the general experience with being GM of a farm team?

Yes, there's not much control you have in the lower minors.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Genner31

When you gentlemen play do you play each game or do you sim? If you simulate how much time do you simulate; a week, two weeks, a month?

Everyone has their own preference, and you should play around a bit and see what you like. Playing out each game gives you the most control over what happens and allows you time to develop strong storylines and opinions on individual players.

Simming out longer periods of time allows you to feel like the game is progressing faster, and if you're with a lousy team, helps you feel like the next phase of improvement is coming.

I've actually tried all of the above options, and find that simming 1-2 weeks at a time is what I like best. If I play out my games, I get frustrated at how slow the season progresses. If I sim any more than 2 weeks, I feel like I'm losing sight of individual storylines and connection with my team.

D-BacksJosh · 02-15-2013, 07:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Genner31

When you gentlemen play do you play each game or do you sim? If you simulate how much time do you simulate; a week, two weeks, a month?

I play out every game, that way I can see my players production one AB at a time. When one of your players hits for the cycle, or hits 3 home runs in one game, or pitches a shutout or no-hitter etc. its really cool to watch it unfold as it happens! Yeah, it takes a long time to complete a season when you play out each game, but I like the daily activities. I am sure Jeff Luhnow would have loved to push a real-life 'sim to the off-season' button last year.

Genner31 · 02-15-2013, 07:25 PM

I'm doing a mix right now. I restarted and made myself GM of a parent club so i'd have more to do.

I think I'm starting to get the "beauty" and the "agony" of this game. I decided to take my team young rather than a mix. My second round pic my scout was really high on this Canadian lefty. He was big as an ox and threw for power and movement according to the scout. Only problem was his health was listed as fragile.

I agonized over whether to take him so high or take a similar, if not quite as good pitcher instead. Ended up taking the Canadian with the glass arm and now I'm on pins and needles waiting to see if this blows up in my face or not.

Déjà Bru · 02-15-2013, 07:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Genner31

I'm doing a mix right now. I restarted and made myself GM of a parent club so i'd have more to do.

I think I'm starting to get the "beauty" and the "agony" of this game. I decided to take my team young rather than a mix. My second round pic my scout was really high on this Canadian lefty. He was big as an ox and threw for power and movement according to the scout. Only problem was his health was listed as fragile.

I agonized over whether to take him so high or take a similar, if not quite as good pitcher instead. Ended up taking the Canadian with the glass arm and now I'm on pins and needles waiting to see if this blows up in my face or not.

Beware the three evils in this game:

Fragile
Lazy (low work ethic)
Dumb (low intelligence)

RchW · 02-15-2013, 07:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Genner31

Is this the general experience with being GM of a farm team?

You're not really a GM with a farm team.

02-14-2013, 08:48 PM	#1
Genner31 Bat Boy Join Date: Feb 2013 Posts: 6	Finally took the plunge After getting my hands on a old copy and reading the book "The Universal Baseball Association, Inc., J. Henry Waugh, Prop." I decided to take a gamble and purchase OOTP 2013 and pre-order 2014. I have a basic understanding of the game and know what the common acronyms stand for, though what exactly ops measures and how precisely it's useful - i'm still a bit in the dark about. Immediately prior to purchase the idea of having a fictional league running the length of the Rocky Mountains took hold and so that's what I'm going to do. I was wondering what the crafty vets of the game thought about a two division league - north and south - of 8 teams in each division. Is that too many or too few to get a good feel for the game? Is three divisions of minor leagues with each team having one team at AAA, AA, and A enough of a feeder to give a good sense of the trials and tribulations of being a GM and having responsibility for promotions, demotions, and the agony of the draft and contract negotiations? I want to start out just as a GM, so I don't overwhelm myself as what I've read suggests the depth of this game is enormous. Would it be better to start out as a GM on one of the minor leagues and work up to sort of wade in to all the simulation's intricacies? Finally, are there any other tips out there that you could share that you wish you would have known when you first started playing? Thanks for any advice and tips. I"m off to try and set up my league. ps. If anyone hasn't read the book I would highly recommend it. It has a few odd moments, but it's a good, quick read.

02-15-2013, 12:01 AM	#2
Peregrine All Star Reserve Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Cary, North Carolina Posts: 635	Welcome to OOTP! I hope you enjoy it and learn a bit more about Major League Baseball as well. One thing, on OPS - it's a bit confusing for people new to the game because it's actually a combination of two statistics, On Base Percentage (OBP) and Slugging Average. Both of these are listed separately on every hitter's page in OOTP, but for convenience and comparison purposes people add them together to get a third stat - On Base Plus Slugging - OPS. Now keep in mind that OOTP almost certainly calculates these slightly differently than real baseball, so I wouldn't worry about what exactly go into it for now. The basics are that OBP is how often a player gets on base for all reasons, and slugging is used as a measure of power. So people add the two and get an easy measure of OPS. So here is a stats line I copied from a very good power hitter in one of my leagues - at the end you see AVG - batting average, then OBP, then SLG, and the OPS. OPS+ I personally would ignore as a new player. Just to give you an idea, he led my league in Slugging (lots of home runs and extra base hits,) and was 16th in OBP. Also, I think your idea of a two division small league of 16 teams is a great idea to start out - start small and you can always add more teams and divisions later if you want. I often run just A, AA, and AAA myself for small leagues, so that's fine too. If 16 teams proves too many feel free to change to an 8 team league - really nice for getting to know all the teams and players. I suggest starting as a GM of the highest level team - the minors can be frustrating and even if your team loses, hey you're learning the game. Last edited by Peregrine; 02-15-2013 at 12:05 AM.

02-15-2013, 10:27 AM	#4
Genner31 Bat Boy Join Date: Feb 2013 Posts: 6	Thanks Thanks very much gentlemen for the reply. I started off last night at the A level for the team I wanted to coach knowing full well I might end up somewhere else. I played a few games and the BBN screens and play by play in game is pretty interesting. However, since I'm on the low end of the totem pole there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of decisions to be made. Is this the general experience with being GM of a farm team? Do scouts and coaches get better with more experience. Right now i'm in the inaugural season of my fictional league and information on players and coaches is non-existent. When you gentlemen play do you play each game or do you sim? If you simulate how much time do you simulate; a week, two weeks, a month? Thanks again for the replies. Right now I'm overwhelmed by all the information available to me, but I'm sure I'll figure it out in time.

02-15-2013, 07:25 PM	#7
Genner31 Bat Boy Join Date: Feb 2013 Posts: 6	I'm doing I'm doing a mix right now. I restarted and made myself GM of a parent club so i'd have more to do. I think I'm starting to get the "beauty" and the "agony" of this game. I decided to take my team young rather than a mix. My second round pic my scout was really high on this Canadian lefty. He was big as an ox and threw for power and movement according to the scout. Only problem was his health was listed as fragile. I agonized over whether to take him so high or take a similar, if not quite as good pitcher instead. Ended up taking the Canadian with the glass arm and now I'm on pins and needles waiting to see if this blows up in my face or not.

02-15-2013, 07:49 AM	#3
shawa666 All Star Reserve Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 601 Infractions: 0/1 (1)	What Peregrine said. And a tip, in manager options, tick the can't be fired box. Atleast until you think you have a good idea of what's going on.