The Straight Dope Message Board Out of the Park baseball league has a couple of openings for new team owners.
What is Out of the Park Baseball?
Out of the Park Baseball is a baseball simulation game where you act in the role of General Manager. As GM, you are in charge of all personnel decisions – you decide who gets promoted to the majors, who gets put in the lineup/rotation, who get demoted to the minors or who gets released. You can trade players with other owners in the league, draft new amateurs every year in the amateur draft and develop your farm system. You set the player development and scouting budgets, hire/fire minor league managers and coaches and direct all aspects of your team.
What is the SDMB OOTP League?
It’s an Out of the Park League that started here on the Straight Dope Message Board back in 2002 (yes, we’ve been playing for over 17 years). Our league is one of the longest running leagues in the world. We were even profiled for our longevity by the creators of the game. We are currently in the middle of our 35th season.
How does it work?
Twice a week (on Saturday and Wednesday nights), we simulate a week’s worth of game. After the commissioner simulates the games, you download the changes to your local copy of the game. You then make whatever changes you want/need to and upload the changes back to the server. When we run the simulation, we download everyone’s changes to the game, simulate the next week or two and then re-upload the results. All this is handled within the game. You don’t have to have any knowledge of FTP or any other technology.
Is this like fantasy baseball?
No. Fantasy baseball uses real players and you earn points based on how your players do in certain statistical categories. In OOTP, the players are all fictional and it’s not just stat-counting - but actual games are played. Your goal is not to accumulate the best stats – it’s to win the most games and take home our version of the World Series Trophy – the Cecil Cup (and yes, there IS a physical cup)!
How much time does this require?
That’s entirely up to you. To download the league file, move some players around (on/off the DL, to/from the minors, etc.) and upload your changes should only take a few minutes. Of course, you could spend more time with your team. You might also spend some time discussing potential trades with other owners. The bottom line is that we don’t require a lot of time, but you can put in as much time as you like.
How much does it cost?
The cost to join the league is free. You do, however, have to own the software. Normally the game costs $39.99. You can download it directly from the developer’s website or purchase it on Steam.
Where on the web is your league located?:
The League Blog
The League Reports
Stats Plus
League communications are handled through Slack.
Which teams are available?
The Houston Armadillos. The Armadillos are currently in second place in the Adams Division with a 24-22 record, three games out of first. The pitching staff is led by veteran Dane Long who has a 6-1 record and a 2.18 ERA and second-year closer Tomas Alacorn, who has 16 saves this year so far. RF Benjamin Anderson (.314/.364/.568) and C Joe Haith (.283/.349/.428) anchor the lineup. Their minor league system is rated 9th (out of 12), but you can improve that with the upcoming amateur draft (to be held within a week, real-time).
The Milwaukee Meerkats. The Meerkats (back when they were in Seattle and known as the Monarchs) were once the powerhouse of the league, winning 13 championships. Since coming under new ownership, they never slipped into second division territory, but they are no longer the juggernaut they once were. They are, however, currently leading the Zotti Division with a 27-19 record. They have a solid core of players including C Tony Cannon (who is having an off-season this year with an OPS+ 86 so far this season, after 158, 158 and 143 the previous three years), RF Mike Minty (.310/.399/.598) and 1B Hector Valera (also a bit of a slump this year – 98 OPS+ after multiple seasons of 125+ the last few years). 27 year old Jorge Reyes leads the staff with a 6-2, 3.23 record. Their farm system, however, is ranked last and may require some work.
You will have the opportunity to relocate/rename your team before the start of the next season (if you so desire).
Anything else?
Yeah. Just for fun, each time I run a sim, I put out a trivia question. The current question is “Who was the last player born in the 19th century to play in a Major League Baseball Game?”
Great! What do I have to do to join?
All you have to do is send me an email (zev.steinhardt@gmail.com), send me a PM or even just comment in this thread. If you have any questions, I will be more than happy to answer them.
Zev Steinhardt