How do you run your franchise?

[bmorebirds_24]

I was curious to see how some play their franchise...


For example, I create myself as a starting pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles and only play on days I pitch. This way I am not playing every game throughout the season and my hitter stats are pretty realistic to real life. I find this to be pretty fun and makes the season more interesting for me. Was just looking to see some other people's ideas I may want to try out.


I do have a question about playoff rosters...I made the playoffs and could not make any changes to my roster. It said in order to put players on my playoff roster they had to be on the roster as of Sept. 1st. Well players I had on my roster they still weren't allowing me to put these guys on my 25 man playoff roster. I had a 2 man bench. It kind of ruined everything for me in my first season.

Has this happened to anyone else or did I just screw something up?

[KBMamba]

Re: How do you run your franchise?

Haven't ran into your roster problem yet, as I haven't made it through my yankees season yet.

As to your first question I play all the games but only hit except for the games that my ace (CC Sabathia of course) and my #5 (Ivan Nova) pitch. It keeps the time played down a lot and still let's me get some pitching in so I don't get rusty.

Also I pitch with my relievers in the late innings if its a close game (1-2 runs either way)

Hope you solve your playoff problem. Also what team are you using just curious.
Peace.

[bmorebirds_24]

Re: How do you run your franchise?

Haven't ran into your roster problem yet, as I haven't made it through my yankees season yet.

As to your first question I play all the games but only hit except for the games that my ace (CC Sabathia of course) and my #5 (Ivan Nova) pitch. It keeps the time played down a lot and still let's me get some pitching in so I don't get rusty.

Also I pitch with my relievers in the late innings if its a close game (1-2 runs either way)

Hope you solve your playoff problem. Also what team are you using just curious.
Peace.

I play with the Orioles.

I recently just tried to download updated rosters and am having a hard time figuring it out. Any advice?

[KBMamba]

Re: How do you run your franchise?

Yeah I might be able to help ya out, what seems to be the problem.

[Marino]

Re: How do you run your franchise?

I play every game.

[VonD]

Re: How do you run your franchise?

I just play every game.

[Armor and Sword]

Re: How do you run your franchise?

Marino and Von...you guys are beasts!!!


Thus far I go about playing my Yankees Chise like this.

1) I play all games involving division rivals
2) I play my entire inter-league schedule
3) I play the first game of all other series and if I win the first game I play the second. If I lose the first game of the series I sim the remainder.
4) I play every game in August and September if I am in a playoff race.

I used this method on my last version of the Show (2009) and played 3 years with the Yankees and Marlins. I got in an average of 100 games a season. More than enough for me.

I still have never won a WS on the Show. I hope to break that with this version.

[Legionnaire]

Re: How do you run your franchise?

I'm in my 4th season of my franchise now.

For the first 3 years, I played every game for the first few weeks. Just to sort of control how my team starts out of the gates. Then I'd sim a couple weeks to let my team's stats normalize a bit (to cool off whatever guy I've been hitting .400 with because I just do great with that guy... or to heat up whatever pitcher or hitter I've been absolutely sucking with because of their stance/delivery... or to let my hitters finally draw a decent numbers of walks, since I don't do much of that). Then I'd start simming every game except the ones against a team who is ahead of me for the division lead when I need to make up ground. Periodically I'd play a road series in a stadium I don't see very often. And periodically I'd play a series against a particularly good team (St. Louis has been challenging to play in recent years because they traded for Jose Reyes and David Wright in separate trades... so their lineup is a murderer's row with Reyes, Wright, Pujols, Holliday, and Rasmus). And periodically I'd play a series against a really awful team just to have fun going out of my way trying to post big stats (sometimes for bench guys to get them involved, and sometimes for starters who need a spark because they're having down years) against wimpy pitching. Then, down the stretch, I play every game if I'm locked in a race for the Wild Card or Division lead. As the season winds down, I play a few games to try and thaw out guys on cold streaks before the playoffs. And play a few games with my September call-ups to get familiar with any youngsters who I'm considering calling up next season. Then I play every playoff game (unless I build up a comfortable series lead, then I sim until/if it gets interesting again).

That involved a lot of simming. More than most, I'm sure. But, then, I'm more interested in building a team in the future, so I know I'm rushing to reach the point where my team features guys I actually drafted (so far, only 1 guy I drafted has made it... and, while he's useful enough now, his ceiling isn't high enough to get me that excited about him long-term). When my team is mostly full of my own pet projects who I handpicked in the draft and oversaw their development, I imagine I'll slow down and savor it more. Especially once I have a handful of homegrown kids who I've decided I'm going to keep around for their whole careers, so I can be apart of it as they accumulate stats over their careers.

In season 4, now, I played opening day. But since then I've only been playing when my #5 starter, who is a rookie, has his turn come around in the rotation. He's not my own hand-picked player, but since I let starters tim Hudson and Jair Jurrjens walk in free agency (Hudson, damn him, went to a team picking too low for me to get their 1st rounder... and Jurrjens signed with division rival Philly), I wanted to control the kid just so I am more in control of my own fate as I infuse the rotation with younger blood. In the early years, I mostly stuck with more established starting pitching, so I'm having fun just controlling the kid, Julio Teheran. And, interestingly, I'm killing with him. Much better than I've done in the past with my typical starting pitching, which has mostly been much better than this kid is right now. I think it's because I'm getting so used to timing his delivery since I'm just controlling 1 guy most of the time. Because now I'm struggling with everybody else I pitch with. I shut them down with Teheran, but then I'm flailing with my relievers. At this rate, I'll play 33-ish games in this season. Which will probably be a tiny bit less than I've usually played, but I'm still pretty engaged in it because I'm becoming so invested in this one pitcher who I'm controlling all the time.

[MinnTwinFan2616]

Re: How do you run your franchise?

For my franchise I always have to trade for atleast one starting pitcher to finalize my rotation. Then i skip srping training and in the regular season, I play the first game of every series. If it is a 4 game series I will play the first and fourth game. I play every playoff game because thats why you play the game, to make the post season.

[stlducks]

Re: How do you run your franchise?

I have two franchises going every year. I always do a realistic one where I control all 30 teams but my main team is the Cardinals. I do all the roster changes and in the offseason I sign whatever free agent fits best with a certain team. Like this year the Cubs will go after a big hitting 1b. I play the division games and all of the interleague games then I play the best matchup games. Like Carpenter vs. Halladay.

My other franchise is a random team, this year the Marlins. That I trade pieces to try winning now. I try to make the trades fair but since I know I am going going to play one or two seasons I dont worry too much about the future.

[nl15]

Re: How do you run your franchise?

In my Nationals franchise I play all interleague and division games other than that I play the 1st game in 2 or 3 game series and i play the first and fourth game in 4 game series.

[ILiveForThis]

Re: How do you run your franchise?

I play all the games in my Brewers franchise and play the games in which Felix and Pineda pitch in my Mariners franchise.

[iamthepro]

Re: How do you run your franchise?

I have a franchise on MLB 09 (still) and two on MLB 11 and I sim games and handle Day to Day aspects of the club. In the MLB 09 franchise I am in 2035, and in MLB 11 I am in 11 and 13.

[Heroesandvillains]

Re: How do you run your franchise?

I play my first roughly 20 games in order to establish hot/cold streaks, along with finalizing any slider tweaks.

After this, I try to play 2 and sim 1 the rest of the way.

Sometimes, I'll skip or play matchups that either bore me or excite me. But, as much as I hate simming, I'll never get through a season (let alone multiple seasons) otherwise.

If I reach a point in which my team is no longer playoff eligable, I'll sim the rest of the way. If I reach a point where I clinch, I'll pitch only with pitchers that need some stat padding (i.e. league leaders and end-of-year awards).

[wisdom less13]

Re: How do you run your franchise?

The way I normally do it is I play every division game. I play the 3rd game of a three game series and the last two of a four. I tend to go against the top pitchers in the league as well. I'm very spotty, but for the most part I do that. I am leaning towards playing every game though because I'm in love with the analog this year. For years, the METS were a bad team, but were good I. This game. That has changed this year since I'd normally do a METS franchise and another one with a rebuilding team, but this year I got the best of both worlds. I also have everything set up how it was Openin Day with the DL an all. I am currently 1-4 with the METS due to the problems with pitching. They're rated 30th right now haha I try to wait at least a month or so before I call someone up, barring any guy just stinking up the joint.