League Chat Box

Lead Story - 5/2/2020

OPENING DAY AND GETTING YOUR ROSTER FINALIZED

Opening Day for the Rainier Beer League will be be Sunday, May 3rd, around 6pm PST. At that time the Commissioner will simulate the first 3 games on your schedule, and within a few minutes the results will be posted. The Commissioner plans to simulate 3 games every day around that same time, so every day you should be able to see three new game results for your team. You can make strategic decisions for your team knowing that roughly three games will take place each day, with occasional days off for when the Commissioner is out of Commission.

All lineups and rotations should be set up before then or your team might have an unpleasant first series when a shortstop starts at catcher and a reliever is your Opening Day starter. Please talk to the Commissioner if you have any questions about how to set up your batting order, pitching lineup, or managerial strategies. There are quite intricate choices you can make on the Edit Strategy page, so you should check that out.

Our league uses injuries, so some guys might sit out a few games at times. We also will use endurance ratings, so guys get tired and will need to be rotated. If not, they will be injured more often. You can read all about these options, and make managerial decisions, on the Edit Strategy page.

You can decide whether some guys will never be substituted out or pinch-hit for, but my sense of this site is that the computer will quite liberally use defensive replacements if you ask it to. That could be smart to do better defensively and to avoid injuries by subbing in guys more often, but it is up to you how you will make those decisions.

You can also design your Ballpark to be hitter or pitcher friendly at your whim. That option will be gone after a few days, so please decide soon if you want a park that is great for lefty hitters or great for pitchers or whatever. You can find that option right next to the name of your stadium on your team page. You can also name your stadium; for example, Jon Kubu's Astros are playing at Wazzu Field until he makes a change.

5/2/2020

SETTING UP YOUR LINEUPS

Everyone has their draftees so now you should have 26 guys on your MLB roster. If not, please tell the Commissioner ASAP. A few things to have in mind:

(1) You need to set up your starting lineup, batting lineup and pitching rotations in the next 24 hours. If they are not set up the computer will random generate starters for you.

(2) You can use the "Manage Farm Team" button to move guys between your MLB roster and Minor League roster. Some people have stars on their roster who are listed as in the Minors, so they will not play until you move them up.

(3) You need to have at least 5 starting pitchers or you will have problems.

(4) You should have some backups at most positions, so your position players should have at least 2 guys who can play catcher. Guys that say IF as their position can play anywhere in the infield, but they will play better defensively if they play their first position listed. So if it says 2B/IF that guy can play shortstop for you, but he will not be as good defensively at shortstop as he will at 2B. So build your MLB roster accordingly. A 45 ranked player at SS is likely more valuable to you than a 6th outfielder who has a ranking of 80 since he will not play and you need a SS.

Let me know if you have any other strategy questions, and please get your lineups set up ASAP. Thanks!

5/2/2020

DRAFT DAY FAQ

DRAFT RESULTS:

1 - Mariners: Barry Bonds, Johan Santana
2 - Phillies: Ted Williams, Blake Snell
3 - Braves: Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron
4 - Reds: Walter Johnson, Mickey Mantle
5 - A's: Jake Arietta, Willie Mays
6 -Cardinals: Mike Piazza, Dwight Gooden
7 - Dodgers: Lou Gehrig, Pete Alexander
8 - Red Sox: Rogers Hornsby, Ed Walsh
9 - Nats-Expos: Ivan Rodriguez, Christy Mathewson
10 - Astros: Yogi Berra, Mariano Rivera
11 - Indians: Luis Tiant, Hack Wilson
12 - Tigers: Honus Wagner, George Brett

DRAFT FOLLOW-UP (1) - After you get your two new draft picks assigned to your team, you will need to set up your pitching rotation for starters and bullpen, and your batting lineup against left-handed and right-handed starters. If you do not set up your lineup within 24 hours of the draft you might have the computer start playing games for your team with guys at random positions.

DRAFT FOLLOW-UP (2) Unless you tell me the year you want for the guy while drafting (ie, "I Draft 1990 Mickey Hatcher") I will choose what I think to be his best season and put him on your roster for that year. If within a few days you decide that you would prefer to use a different year for that player, let me know and I can change which year for him is allocated to you. The year you choose for a player has NOTHING to do with the years from which your original franchise players were picked.

DRAFT FOLLOW-UP (3) - It is wise to have a backup catcher. If you do not, and your starting catcher gets injured or gets pinch-hit for, the computer will put in another position player at catcher, potentially leading to lots of errors. It would be wise to have a second catcher rather than a useless 7th outfielder who will get very little playing time. You will need to carry 5 SP on your MLB roster or the computer will assign one of your RP to start, which could be disastrous. You should also consider having at least 5 relievers.