OOTP 12

[Kelric]

OOTP 12 is on sale for $19.99 now. Is it worth the upgrade from 11, or just carry on with the older version?

Depends what you want to do with it. If you're happy with 11, no point upgrading. There is nothing new I consider a must buy. If there are a few things you think are lacking, check out the official website. I buy OOTP every year to support the creators for the tons of gaming they give me every spring, the enhanced features are just a nice bonus.

[Exodor]

OOTP 12 is on sale for $19.99 now. Is it worth the upgrade from 11, or just carry on with the older version?

Depends what you want to do with it. If you're happy with 11, no point upgrading. There is nothing new I consider a must buy. If there are a few things you think are lacking, check out the official website. I buy OOTP every year to support the creators for the tons of gaming they give me every spring, the enhanced features are just a nice bonus.

I agree with Kelric. If I wasn't a fanboy willing to support the game's creator I would pass and wait until OOTP13.

[Avenger]

OOTP 12 is on sale for $19.99 now. Is it worth the upgrade from 11, or just carry on with the older version?

Depends what you want to do with it. If you're happy with 11, no point upgrading. There is nothing new I consider a must buy. If there are a few things you think are lacking, check out the official website. I buy OOTP every year to support the creators for the tons of gaming they give me every spring, the enhanced features are just a nice bonus.

I bought OOTP 12 at release but I haven't had time to play it.

[baelthazar]

I'll carry on and do an odd-number update then. Thanks guys!

[MindToyGames]

I went ahead and bought it (full price before the sale, d'oh!). I of all people understand how important it is to support the indie cause, and a few of 12's new features did make for a slightly better experience, it turns out (new prospect screens, retroactive DL, smarter trading AI, etc).

I even submitted a tinkered injury file for the game that I think improves the injury balance and adds new detail to the injury system that some members seem to like: http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/board/o ... e-try.html" target="_blank

[dbemont]

If anyone is looking to join an online OOTP 12 league, there are vacancies in two different leagues I commish.

Dog Days Baseball http://www.bemont.net/" target="_blank is getting ready for opening day of yet another season, I think it's something like #39! This is a totally fictional league in a fictional country with a few of our own rules, includes the fact that each city has a built in advantage of some kind. The league uses scouts and a very vague rating scale for current skills (1-5), so it is a league that emphasizes the use of stats. Northhampton and Washburn are vacant, both pretty decent teams.

Pennant Chase Baseball (the PCBL) http://www.bemont.net/pcbl/index.htm" target="_blank is in the midst of season 16. It is also a fictional league, but a very standard rule set, the typical 1-10 player ratings, and no scouts. Seattle, one of the historically weaker teams, is vacant.

If anyone here wants to adopt a team, just let me know. dbemont@rochester.rr.com

[Kelric]

Recently created a new MLB league using Cubbyfan's 2011 rosters. I simmed 2011 and expanded the league to Vancouver and Havana, taking over Havana for myself (currently simmed to August 2012). My plan is to build Havana mostly from within. I kept waivers turned on during the 2011-2012 offseason to let myself plunder the mediocre low minor league prospects that the AI puts on waivers to populate my system (and then turned waivers off for good). During that offseason I signed no Type A or B free agents and I plan on keeping it that way with my club. I have a few players that I expect to be franchise cornerstones for the foreseeable future, but I've already lost my 26 YO second baseman and a starting pitcher I took in the Rule V draft to career ending injuries.

Edit - Just finished the 2012-2013 offseason. Picked up another Mexican free agent starting pitcher. Two of my SPs, a MR who was a SP last year and my big first base prospect are all international free agents that I signed. I plan on continuing trying to do that to role-play as an international franchise. Keep my own draft picks by not signing costly free agents, build from within, draw all the Latin free agents that OOTP produces as much as possible. It'll be interesting to see how this club develops.

[Exodor]

expanded the league to Vancouver

You make Portland baseball fans sad.

Sounds like a fun league, though. It's always fun to build from scratch.

As you can see, I haven't had to do that in awhile:




I had a good run in the 70's. Now Tampa Bay is an unstoppable juggernaut.

[Kelric]

How did the Marlins and Rockies go about getting good? As for not giving Portland a team, my last few expansion leagues have generally been Portland paired with either San Antonio, Charlotte or New Orleans. Going international was to mix things up a bit. I also moved Florida to Miami and bumped up their market size, so we'll see what that does for their cash flow.

Edit - Sigh. One week into May, 2013 and two young MRs and my 23 year old SS are on the 60 day DL.

2nd Edit - May 21st, now my backup 2B/SS who was starting at short due to that prior injury is on the DL for 6 weeks. Injuries are set to Low.

3rd Edit - A week away from being healthy, the backup infielder above just had a 4-5 week setback. I'm running out of emoticons here.

[Exodor]

How did the Marlins and Rockies go about getting good?

FLORIDA

Looks like the Marlins did it mostly with home grown talent. This was a MLB historical league and their top position players are all guys who started their MLB careers with Florida and so were placed on the team. They had a very nice run from 1998-2000 and now seem stuck in a boom-bust cycle:



The 1999 team:


Kotsay, Everett and Daubach are all home-grown. Brant Brown (who dominated my league - he hit 41 HR in 1998) was acquired in a trade for Elmer Dessens.



Jimmy Jones was signed as a FA for 3y/$5.6M. A nice bargain considering his performance. He was 35 in 1999 and had an even better year at 36 before completely falling apart.

Livan Hernandez, Mike Relminger and Tony Saunders were home-grown.

It looks like they had a dominant offense (not surprising considering the state of the league in 1999) and just enough pitching to win.


COLORADO

The Rockies put together a great run but never won the championship:



A lot of their success came from riding Todd Helton who was insane in my league:

As for not giving Portland a team, my last few expansion leagues have generally been Portland paired with either San Antonio, Charlotte or New Orleans. Going international was to mix things up a bit. I also moved Florida to Miami and bumped up their market size, so we'll see what that does for their cash flow.

Fair enough. I just feel required to whine whenever I see a team go anywhere but Portland.

I'm playing my league with the "evolving league" options turned on. I'm curious if I'll see any team moves. So far the only change was a switch to a 156 game schedule prior to 2014.

Edit - Sigh. One week into May, 2013 and two young MRs and my 23 year old SS are on the 60 day DL.

OOTP can be so harsh. I trade my mediocre 5th starter and the best MR in the game for a good young starting pitcher. Now he's out for 12 months and that mediocre 5th starter is pitching much better than he did for me.

2nd Edit - May 21st, now my backup 2B/SS who was starting at short due to that prior injury is on the DL for 6 weeks. Injuries are set to Low.

I've left injuries at "high" or realistic. I tend to trade guys or let them move on once they hit their early 30s so I don't get hit as hard as other teams. One thing I notice about the more recent OOTPs is that teams are much less willing to trade for older players. I built my 70s dynasty around Nolan Ryan and trading FAs-to-be for young cost-controlled players.

OOTP12 GMs don't fall for that trick any more. They're more Billy Beanes than Brian Sabeans.




Keep us updated on your league and feel free to ask anything you like about mine. My favorite thing about OOTP is going back and digging through the accumulated history.

[Kelric]

Helton hit over .400 twice? He went all Gronk on the league, I guess.

[Kelric]

Year 3 (2014) of the Havana Conquerors (not the most PC name, but I didn't feel like researching Cuban history at the time) saw us reach .500 for the first time and even go 83-79 after 76-86 last year and a 65-97 inaugural season. Let's meet the pitching staff of the 2014 Conquerors:

SP Pepe Barrios - Signed during the 2012-2013 offseason as an international free agent to a 5 year, $67.5M contract as a 25 year old, he has gone 20-26 with a 94 ERA+ over two seasons.
SP Javier 'Guesses' Villareal - First overall pick of the 2012 draft, which came down to him and another SP that the Pirates took #2. The #2 guy was in the bigs in the Bucs' bullpen right away in 2012 (with a 53 ERA+) but has given them two years in the rotation at a 98 ERA+. I held Villarreal between AA and AAA in 2012 and he was full time in AAA in 2013. Given the #2 spot in the rotation as a rookie this season he went 19-8 over 207 IP with a 100 ERA+. He has a 57% groundball percentage and I have a nice infield defense, so his .330 BABIP is sure to go down next year.
SP Francisco Ibarra - Picked up in the 2011-12 offseason as an IFA for a 5 year, $47.5M contract at age 26, he has a career 37-43 record with a 92+ ERA and has given me no less than 206 innings each season.
SP Rubby De La Rosa - Traded by the Dodgers at the July 1st deadline for Colby Lewis (who gave me 2.5 seasons as a guy who took the ball every time out). Went 4-5 in 17 starts with an 88 ERA+ for me this year but is only 25.
SP Hector Correa - Is rated 9/5/6 with 9/6/9 potential at age 26. Went 3-3 with a 72 ERA+ over 10 starts. I signed him as a free agent last year two a one year, $1.25M contract when he had 7/5/6 potential, he has exploded for me. He replaced John Danks in the rotation after Danks gave me 18 starts with an 83 ERA+ in his only season with my club (signed as an FA). Danks was traded to the Rockies for a 23 YO 6/6/6 potential SP.

MR Coy Burns - Rated 10/8/7, going to be 26 next year. Drafted in the expansion draft. He's the guy who got hurt last year. 123 ERA+ in 121 IP over three years.
MR Ron Cobb - 9/8/6 w/ 9/8/8 potential, going to be 25. Expansion draftee. 167 ERA+ over 104.2 IP during one season and a week long cup of coffee.
MR Shaun Marcum - Signed to a two year, $20M deal to be a SP. Lasted 22 games in my rotation in 2013 before moving to the pen this year and giving me a 3.52 ERA in 64 games and 79 IP. I'm going to let him walk since he wants a 3 year deal at $6M per.
MR Octavio Rivera - IFA for 3 years, $10.5M during the '11-12 offseason. 32 YO currently, 9-18 record, 50 saves (was the closer his rookie year and half of 2013), 151 ERA+.
MR Blake Wood - Expansion draftee. Three solid if unspectacular years out of the pen.
MR Revolving sixth spot.
CL Matt Stone - Expansion draftee, but was a 2011 23rd overall pick by the Padres who signed him to a big league deal but didn't protect him. 10/8/6 ratings w/ 9/8/7 potential. Took over the closer role from Rivera in 2013. 15-16, 74 saves (55 this year), 123 ERA+ in 275 IP.

[Exodor]

Hey! I'm using Blake Wood in my 2015 bullpen! He's not that great but he's still playing for the MLB minimum. I'll probably non-tender him once he hits his arb years.


Your rotation - only one guy with a league average ERA? Oy. At least you've got some youth so you they have a chance to improve.

I tend to spend a lot on my rotation although I also let go of my starters when they hit their early 30s - the injury risk just becomes too much to justify the huge contracts they usually want. I like to have at least one guy in what I've come to call the "Appier role." For years Kevin Appier stuck with my team as a long reliever/ emergency starter. I always seem to lose at least one SP so I like to have someone ready to step in.

In my current year Aaron Crow was going to fille the Appier role until he got hurt in Spring Training.

[Kelric]

Yeah, my rotation is brutal, but I love how it got put together with international free agents since I wanted my team to be heavily involved with that aspect of acquiring players. I'm holding to not signing any Type A or B free agents, so that hampers my rotation more than my lineup. I'll put the rest of the team up on Sunday as I have a rehearsal dinner and my sister's wedding to attend tonight and Saturday.

[Exodor]

My league is going through this weird evolution from MLB-historical to fictional. We've had 4 drafts now so we're seeing a number of fictional guys make the majors.

I spent a LOT of time manually inputting 2011 rookies by copying the ratings from the included OOTP roster set and then adding them to the league on their appropriate teams.

I had to have Hosmer. Giavotella, Moose and Sal Perez were bonuses.

I plan to add 2012 MLB rookies once the new roster set is out. I'll add them as they make their major league debuts - so this league is going to continue to be a mix of real and fictional players. I keep my drafts small (15 rounds) to keep the league from being overrun with good players.

[Kelric]

C - Tony Cruz - Entering his age 28 season next year, picked him up as a free agent. So far he's given me an 85 OPS+ in 2.5 years as my starter, but last year was a solid 100. He has good ratings and I think he'd improve with more time, but he is going to lose his starting spot to my backup.
1B - Lars Anderson - Expansion draftee. 135 OPS+ in three years split between DH and 1B. He's a stud who has actually outperformed his ratings so far.
2B - Brock Holt - Rule V draftee from the Pirates. Went from an 80 to 100 OPS+ in the last two years. Nice defense, should be solid for me for a while.
3B - Wilfredo Solano - Minor league free agent in 2011, has turned into a 4.5 star prospect with decent defense. 7/6/7/7/5 potential and gave me a .261/.336/.383 line with 16 HRs for a 97 OPS+. Going to be 22 next year, looking forward to a long career I hope.
SS - Ruben Tejada - He is the first player I took in the expansion draft. Has given me great defense but can't live up to his 7/7/2/6/7 ratings. As a three year starter his OPS+ has gone from 84 to 66 to 61.
LF - Nick Weglarz - Was a minor league free agent I signed to a 2 year $7M contract. He was rated far above his potential and has dropped from a 135 OPS+ to a 106 and then an 88 this past season. Will still be my starter for one more season as I have nobody else.
CF - Eury Perez - Gold Glove caliber defender who was an All Star as a rookie. His OPS+ was only 81 but he had a 22.8 VORP. Check this out: 94 steals, 20 CS. Will be 25 next year. Expansion draftee.
RF - Mark Trumbo - A weak defender (no range) whose OPS+ has dropped from 109 to 93 to 75 and splits time between DH and RF (mostly RF these days). Has 7/7/7/5/5 ratings so I don't get it. One more bad year and he's gone, even though I have no replacement available who may be better. Expansion draftee.
DH - Pablo Galvan - IFA I picked up after the 2011 season, he played most of that following season in Triple-A. Given my DH job in 2013 he went for a 122 OPS+ (won Rookie of the Year) and exploded this past year for a 148 OPS+ at age 25 (.323/.388/.527, 30 HRs, 114 RBIs).

My backup C, Michael Thomas, was a minor league free agent. He got some nice potential boosts and should split catching duty with Cruz for a year. If he hits, he'll be the starter in 2016. My utility infielders are all pretty interchangeable and my fourth outfielder is a blazing fast, all-glove and no-hit guy (in 65 ABs he gave me a .185/.206/.185 line). He'll be 33 next year, so I'll be looking for someone new if I can.

Edit - Josh Johnson just won the Cy Young for the Braves. He went 22-1. 22-1!

[Kelric]

Villareal has gone from 10/7/8 potential to 9/7/4.

[Kelric]

I hate when OOTP does this: My shortstop is out for two months with an injury. I slide my second baseman over to short, move my utility infielder to second and call up another infielder from Triple-A. A few days later, my new shortstop is out for five weeks. ARGH!

[Exodor]

I am Billy Beane.

My team absolutely owns the regular season:



But my shit doesn't work in the playoffs:




Curse you Tampa Bay!


This year they knocked me out in the ALCS. Again.

[Kelric]

124 wins? You're just gaming the AI at this point, aren't you?

As I stated in the thread over in the forum games section:

Since interest seems to have died, would anyone be up for a smaller league? I'll be willing to commish if we're laid back enough about sim times that being a day late isn't a big deal. I'd feel more obligated to always be on time with a large group, but a more informal group would probably keep the feeling of obligation away while making it feel more like doing it for fun.

Off the top of my head, this is what I'm thinking: We sim whenever everybody has gotten their files in, or if we have slackers then we still sim a minimum of once a week. I imagine there will be times where we can sim three or four times a week and there will be times when it is once a week.

Anyone want to try and get a smaller league going?

[LordMortis]

124 wins? You're just gaming the AI at this point, aren't you?

I've gotten about that high in OOTP X and that what I did. I raped every one's up and coming talent pool and I'd do it by trading most my high talent away on their free agent contract year and releasing the guys I couldn't shop around. The only guys I'd keep were my tried and true Starting Pitchers. I'd basically end up with 7 Aces because two were always injured and then you'd have to worry if they'd come back after injury and go to shit.

[Exodor]

124 wins? You're just gaming the AI at this point, aren't you?

Not as much as in the past, really. It helped that I added the 2011 rookies to the league - that gave me Hosmer, Moustakas and Giavotella. Hosmer is an absolute beast.

It's much more difficult in OOTP12 to simply trade away older players for comparable young, cost-controlled players. It can be done but it's not as easy.

Besides, even that 2011 124 win team lost in the ALDS to Tampa Bay.

Still, as a Royals fan OOTP is pretty much the only way I can experience the post season.

Anyone want to try and get a smaller league going?

Yes. I'm in for whatever sort of league we can put together.

[Baroquen]

So I was bored and thought I'd start a league in OOTP12 and get some play out of this version before it's outdated. I had played a pretty extensive historical league in OOTP11 starting at about 1915-1920 and getting into the 40s or 50s. (I can't recall the exact details as it's on my old laptop). Anyway, I played with an average difficulty level, and knowing the game, was able to "game" the system (trading draft picks and players) grabbing players I knew and liked and won often... wasn't a challenge, but it entertained me, and that was the point.

This time, I decided to start a more recent historical run adopting my hometown Orioles in 1969 to take down those pesky Mets. As expected, Palmer, Cuellar and McNally got off to a hot start and we jumped out to a comfortable lead. Only minor injuries until a bum knee took out Brooks Robinson for 5-6 months. No funny stuff with trades (as I left draft pick trading disabled, and rosters were so thin the first year there wasn't much I could do). Except - I managed to pry a young Reggie Jackson (and Rollie Fingers) away from Oakland for spare parts. Yeah, I felt guilty but again, I'm just trying to amuse myself and besides - I had nothing left to do anything else for the rest of the season.

The 1969 New York Yankees went 80-81 in real life. However, they went on a crazy tear in mid-summer where they won something like 18 out of 20 to knock us out of first place by a couple games. They were 16-12 (.571 Win%) in May, then 20-9 (.690%) in June, followed by an incredible 24-3 (.889%) for July. Don't we get enough of this garage in real life? Do they have to go back and re-write history?

Despite injuries to Jackson (minor: 2 weeks) and Frank Robinson (5-6 weeks) *at the same time*, we manage to hang tough and stay within 5 games of the Yanks. And a hot September got us back in the race. The O's go 21-6 (.778%) and win some key games from NYY to actually take a half game lead going into the final weekend of the season. We only take 1 of three from 3rd place Detroit, but still have a half game lead at the end of our season.

However, the Yanks win their final game to tie things up and force a one game playoff for the division title. Both teams finish 109-53 (Curses - so close, and now, more drama).

The stage is set - 1 game at old Yankees Stadium to get into the playoffs. Lucky for me, Cuellar (25-10 with a 2.50 ERA) is rested so he gets the start over my # four starter Tom Phoebus. We get 2 men on with no outs to start the game but Jackson, Robinson and Boog Powell leave them stranded. Then, in the bottom of the inning, three walks and a single give the Yanks a 1 run lead. This doesn't give me a good feeling, as the last game I actually played out (and only the second of the season) the Yanks beat us pretty soundly. It looks like we're heading down the same road... especially when the O's strand three in the top of the second.

We finally get on the board in the top of the third - Reggie Jackson strikes out for the second time, but Frank Robinson takes a 1-1 pitch out of the park 472ft to tie the game at 1 all. And then, he takes hits a 2 out, two-run HR down the line in the top of the 5th; O's lead 3-1. And after Paul Blair knocks in Mark Belanger in the 7th, Robinson singled in Blair for a 5-1 lead. And despite walking 6, Cuellar pitches eight solid innings.

I turn it over to Orioles closer Dick Hall (8-4, 24 SV; 2.23 ERA) to shut the door. Instead, he opens the door, invites in the Yanks and serves up batting practice giving up four runs to tie the game, and only getting one out. Pete Richert comes in to finish the inning, but its too little, too late. We head to extra innings for the one game playoffs.

Top of the 12th: Belanger and Blair each single. Jackson strikes out for the fourth time. Yankee pitcher Steve Hamilton is so scared of Robinson coming to the plate, he balks in a run. They then intentionally walk Frank, but Powell and Davy Johnson can't add to the lead.

Bottom of the 12th: Frank Fernandez (who batted .223 in RL, and .208 in OOTP) belts a 465ft homer to tie the game, off Jim Hardin (11-9; 3.74 ERA).

Bottom of the 13th: Despite some bullpen shuffling, and pinch hitting desperation, the Yanks score one in the bottom of the 13th (a lead off walk, and a single) to win the game and knock the Orioles out of the playoffs.

I was so wrapped up in this finish, I forgot to sim the rest of the playoffs. The Yankees beat the Royals 3 games to 2 to advance. The Mets take out the Dodgers to force a Subway series. Mets finish the Yanks off 4-2.

I'll try for revenge tomorrow!

[Kelric]

Fucking Yankees.

[Kelric]

I'm away from February 1st through the the afternoon of the 4th. When I get back I'll start working on the new new OOTP league rules and stuff as they stand so far and membership and whatnot.

[Kelric]

Try # 2 for a league.

[Kelric]

I just gave out my first No Trade Clause ever. I had signed Harper to a five year, $35M contract. Prior to the 5th year I just got him to agree to a 7 year, $32.5M per season extension with an 8th year option. And a no trade clause. I think I'm crazy, but he's a BEAST: 29 years old, 9/8/10/7/6 ratings and potentials.