Strat-O-Matic Baseball 365

I've been slumming around ATzg for a few years NW. Played a lot of teams, and feel I'm fairly competent.

I've never played a 20xx league. I was considering jumping in, mostly because I'm intrigued by the possibility of playing in a keeper league at some point and they seem to work much better here than in ATG.

So, what are the differences? Similarities? What advice can you guys give a ATG shmuck?

Never played the older leagues but I am in my first keeper league and well it is better than every other game I have played . I play in many theme leagues and I love them all. The keeper league is by far the best as you draft and trade for now and then. I sign up for regular seasons about 10% of the time. I have found a keeper league that doesn't have prospects as I don't follow Baseball enough to keep up with them. You can't beat the keeper leagues!

As far as the new leagues you have to find the cheap players that will get it done for you. Most play in the $80 Mil range and every year those players change. Jump in and take a chance. Try out the theme leagues also as they are really fun and i think they even the playing field for all.

Mike

I've played 20xx for many years and have just recently started to play ATG. Keeper leagues are great. I'm in 6 or 7. You can build for the future, trade for the future if you are out of it one year; trade some future prospects for a run at a title, but some of the differences from the point of view of 20xx( some factual, some opinions- others may have a different take)

The parks aren't as skewed, so the parks are not usually the primary concern. You could win with a neutral park.
Players change every year- (great for keepers)
Great pitchers in 20xx will have realistic ERA's- most of the time
There are very few R3's or higher. The super reliever strategy is not as prominent
Outfield arms are more valuable in 20xx (everyone doesn't have a great arm )
Speed is more difficult to come by in 20xx
More pitchers who are reversed and more pitchers who are skewed in 20xx as compared to ATG
The waivers are very important as compared to ATG. In ATG you get most of the players and if you don't you can then get a very similar player- not so in 20xx, if you miss a few key players, you might have to change your strategy
It's obvious, but the total pool is so much more limited, so the implications are huge for strategy.
Not so many "freak" cards; less instances with players having 70,80-90 HR, etc.
In 20xx you do not have the ability to completely customize your team
In ATG there are certain players who cards are a little out of whack pricewise. it happens less in 20xx and when it does it's only for one year.
The attraction for me in ATG is the range of the player pool, the nostalgia and history and the ability to draft the exact team you want
In 20xx there are not multiple same-players.
Theme leagues are great
These are just some thoughts off the top of my head.

Good luck

Thanks for the responses, guys. I guess the best thing to do will be to jump in and create a few teams.

I'm the commish in several keeper leagues and I love 'em. You can build for today, build for the future, and (if it interests you) study the prospects coming down the road.

That said, I recently started both AL Round-Robin and NL Round-Robin leagues in ATG, with 12 seasons planned for each, to take a look at the span of MLB history. Both types of games can be fun and it keeps you on your toes as you switch from one to the other.

Speed is more difficult to come by in 20xx

But if you are able to get the speed guys it can be more effective strategy because not every team will have a -3 or better catcher to shut you down. There are so many great catchers in ATG that there is no reason to settle for a catcher who cannot throw runners out. Fewer catchers in 20xx mean several teams will go with good bat weak arm catchers allowing your speed based team to be more effective.

The other thing about playing 20xx is to jump in with multiple teams soon after the new game is released. In any player set there are value guys who get underpriced if used properly in the right parks. Or cards that simply over or under perform from what you would expect just looking at or counting the card. In ATG where the pool is static these are well known to everyone. In 20xx where the entire set changes each year those jumping in early learn these value cards more quickly than the person who just plays a team at a time or waits until mid-summer to field a 20xx team.

Also, in ATG you probably have the set memorized. If I call out a name you can probably tell me if that guy is a platoon guy, prefers LH or RH pitching, if he needs platooning, etc. In 200x with all new cards Teixeira might be 4L one year and 4R the next. That does not come in to play so much in filling out your draft card. But when reacting to a frenzy situation the difference between knowing by memory who is probably available and best for any situation and having to examine the FA list and cards could be the difference in getting the right fit or being left out in the cold. Remember the pool is smaller and more limited which magnifies this effect. Miss on your first choice, be indecisive on selecting your alternative so someone else gets it and there may not be anything worth having left at that position who fits your need.

Another thing about the pool changing every year. One year there may be a lot of choices for a bomber team while another might have limited choices. Ditto for basestealers. One year they may be plentiful and the next pickings may be slim. So more flexibility is needed on your part to adjust your strategy to fit the pool. The larger pool in ATG means whatever strategy you want to pursue you have many options. In 20xx the pool may to some extent dictate or limit your strategy choices. My own stubbornness on team building worked against me in some 20xx years.