2015 Discussion Thread

[mikezone13]

The biggest decisions for whenever expansion happens...

-how we'll determine which players will be available during the expansion draft
-the expansion draft process (looking at past NPBL history for their expansions as a guide but not the law)
-how to realign the league with the 4 expansion teams (1 sub league no division or 2 divisions per sub league per conference, etc)
-plus whatever I've overlooking typing this

IMO there's only merits in having divisions within a sub-league if you have an unbalanced schedule where you play your division rivals more than others in the sub-league.

Seeing as AFBL is a non-financial league determining who is available during an expansion draft will likely be trickier I imagine.

I suspect you would end up with being able to protect 15-20 players on the 25 man roster plus X number from your minor leagues aged under 23 or something.

One problem with expansion currently though, there are not enough players in the universe to expand by 4 teams - there are only 177 FA's, when 4 new organizations will need a total of 500 players to fill up 25 men on each of their rosters.

I think the player number question is the key one as you can't just create new players, unless they are young ones and add them to the world for the sake of expansion (it would seem unrealistic to all of a sudden see 20+ 3*plus guys enter the league aged 24 or older.

I thought you didn't need to keep your minors filled there are Jim Unknowns pitching and hitting so your minors could technically be empty?

True - but if you can't get some numbers in your minors as an expansion team you are behind in both quality and quantity.

The quantity is needed to give you the best shot at having one or two guys in the minors blossom into stars.

[Chappy]

Here are a couple of things I did during the NPBL's expansion...

1. We extended the draft by a few rounds for a few years to replenish everyone's minors.  So, if say every team loses 10 players, you add 2 rounds to the draft for 5 years.  With expansion a few seasons away, you can even do this before the expansion comes to prepare everyone for the losses, so to speak.

2. Pullbacks; if you get to protect back 2 or 3 more players every time you lose 1, it allows for more strategy and involvement than just having everybody protect X number and that's it.

[mstreeter06]

Everything is updated! We have finished the 2015 regular season. Congrats to the playoff teams!

The 2015 Playoffs will begin on Monday and we'll be simming EVERY day breaking in between travel days (between G2 & G3 and G4 & G5). Be sure to trim your active roster back to 25 before Monday!

[mikezone13]

We had WV's number most of the year, and then lose the final series 1-3 in some really tight games. Sets up an intriguing playoff series against the AFBL defending champs.

[mikezone13]

NJ has exported and is ready to go if we get into 'ready simming' for the playoffs.

[24Rocks]

Really up set that a stupid storm in Canada ruins my chance to export and i have some guy who has never started pitch agaisnt NJ and my #1 starter loses 2 out of the 3 games i lost that sim allowing 11 runs in like 8.2 innigns driving up his era which had been awesome. So Mike you win this year but in other news i swept  OHIO which i think knocked them out of the playoffs which makes me very happy because i havd a great year against them 5-3 to end they yeqar sucks cause i am Tied for 5th pick and i dont know how we wouild do a tie break? My team was 6 game better then they should have been does that mean im 5th pick

[LT]

Iowa owned me this year...6-17 against them.

[mikezone13]

Really up set that a stupid storm in Canada ruins my chance to export and i have some guy who has never started pitch agaisnt NJ and my #1 starter loses 2 out of the 3 games i lost that sim allowing 11 runs in like 8.2 innigns driving up his era which had been awesome. So Mike you win this year but in other news i swept  OHIO which i think knocked them out of the playoffs which makes me very happy because i havd a great year against them 5-3 to end they yeqar sucks cause i am Tied for 5th pick and i dont know how we wouild do a tie break? My team was 6 game better then they should have been does that mean im 5th pick

Yes we needed revenge... and also to put out our best SPs against you guys to have them rested for the playoffs

[claphamsa]

Here are a couple of things I did during the NPBL's expansion...

1. We extended the draft by a few rounds for a few years to replenish everyone's minors.  So, if say every team loses 10 players, you add 2 rounds to the draft for 5 years.  With expansion a few seasons away, you can even do this before the expansion comes to prepare everyone for the losses, so to speak.

2. Pullbacks; if you get to protect back 2 or 3 more players every time you lose 1, it allows for more strategy and involvement than just having everybody protect X number and that's it.

interesting note about minors... it seems i had about 40 guys retire from my minors this year, which i have never seen before.

[mstreeter06]

Glancing over the league as a whole here are some notables on the 2015 season...

Hitting
-Arizona OF Bob Ormiston was the league leader in OPS (.989), VORP (72.2), WAR (8.2), RC/27 (9.25)
-Colorado 1B P.J. Foley broke his own record for RBI in a season with 156, hit 50+ HR (3rd time in AFBL history, 2nd time for him) with 51, led the league in R (113) this season
-West Virginia 2B Juli?n Parra broke the season batting average record hitting .375 this season
-Illinois OF Clarence Thomas led the league in ISO (.307)
-Ontario 1B Ed Sexton Jr. led the league in SLG (.593) and is only 21.
-Ohio SS Derek Maxwell and Pennsylvania OF Rusty Sanders were tied to lead the league in H (207) this season which is 4th all-time.
-New York 2B Steve Lowry led the league in 2B (55) which is 3rd all-time.
-Texas 2B Tim Francis shattered the all-time season SB record with 81 this year and he is only 19!
-New Jersey OF Martik Geboyan broke his own single-season record for BB with 133 this year.

Pitching
-North Carolina SP Joe Haines led the league in ERA (2.32) which is 3rd all-time.
-Oregon SP Ned Haas and North Carolina SP Norberto Le?n tied for the lead with 22 Wins which is tied for 2nd all-time.
-North Carolina CL Daryl Clark led the league in SV (47) which is 2nd all-time.
-Oregon SP Ned Haas broke his own season season for IP (295!)
-New Jersey SP Jorge Sep?lveda broke the single season strikeout record with 294 this season
-Haas and Sep?lveda each has 8 CG which is tied for 3rd all-time in a season

[mukerka]

-Texas 2B Tim Francis shattered the all-time season SB record with 81 this year and he is only 19!

can we put nicknames in our players?? i like "velociraptor"

tim "velociraptor" francis

[mstreeter06]

-Texas 2B Tim Francis shattered the all-time season SB record with 81 this year and he is only 19!

can we put nicknames in our players?? i like "velociraptor"

tim "velociraptor" francis

Haha awesome. Yeah definitely. Remind me again in the Nickname/Number thread in the Sim Instructions thread.

[stevee]

Second overall pick, and we avoid 100 losses in the process. There are a couple of fierce bats near the top of the draft class, even though I'm starved for young arms I can't look past a few of those guys.

We took the first game of the Battle for the Branch from Oregon to give the fans a glimmer of hope, but the Explorers stomped us the rest of the series, including 17-1 in a game where my starter Leo Garland didn't record an out, allowed six runs (five earned) on four hits (three home runs) and a walk! So, congrats to Oregon for taking the branch. But we'll get it one of these years!

[Chappy]

4-4 final sim record is not bad considering we were starting all reserves/backups. 

[mstreeter06]

Second overall pick, and we avoid 100 losses in the process. There are a couple of fierce bats near the top of the draft class, even though I'm starved for young arms I can't look past a few of those guys.

We took the first game of the Battle for the Branch from Oregon to give the fans a glimmer of hope, but the Explorers stomped us the rest of the series, including 17-1 in a game where my starter Leo Garland didn't record an out, allowed six runs (five earned) on four hits (three home runs) and a walk! So, congrats to Oregon for taking the branch. But we'll get it one of these years!

I love the state to state battle!