Version 7.1

Changes and Additions for Version 7.1

General

This update carries forward our commitment to bring negro league player sim performances closer to the level of nuance possible for other players in MLB history. Be aware that CAR and seasonal totals and salaries for Negro League Players have changed somewhat since the release of V7.0!

1. Stat splits for Negro League Players 1937-1948. Home/Road stats are complete. Left/Right stats are partial, but we can use previously-developed NSB algorithms to model/project these partials to realistic full-season scenarios. Home/road stats for the Negro Leagues introduce a new challenge to our game because so many games were of the "barnstorming" type, i.e., games played at parks across the country where one side would be arbitrarily selected as the "home" team. For this reason, we have researched the primary site for a player's "home" games and the percentage of play at that venue. This allows us to make realistic park adjustments to player stats. This data is shown on the splits tabs in the database. Behind this seemingly small enhancement lies an ambitious set of new coding initiatives to determine ball park factors for the many, many parks where Negro League games were played. These factors will also be shown on the home split side of the database displays (see image below). As research unfolds, we will be able to further refine park factors and player stats for the years 1920 - 1936. The work is ongoing.
2. Home/Road displays have been reversed in the reports to display the addition of the primary home site in an appealing manner.
3. More stat totals for Negro League Players. Thanks to Retrosheet's work, we are able to add exhibition games, all-star games, and playoff games to the regular season games to produce a more rounded picture of performances. This now means that, unlike all other leagues, Negro League Players are not in "sealed" league universes. While this presents simulation challenges, we have decided that more data is better data for Negro League players since the data is sparse to begin with.
4. Added CAR lines for Split Stats.
5. Improved G/F projections, SB/CS data for Negro League players.
6. Where play by play data is available, we have added partial stats for IBB, PK, LOHR, SB3, CS3, GIDP, Pinch Hitting appearances, and more. For example, we now know of 31 intentional walks given to Josh Gibson. There are more, naturally, but we will show whatever stats we know.
7. Improved code for CS modeling when CS stats are missing resulting in what should be higher stolen base percentages for many old-time players.
8. More accurate debut dates for Negro League players resulting in debuts before 1920. This means that a considerable number of players have been moved back into the 1910-1919 pool, e.g. Oscar Charleston, even though their first available season dates from 1920. In a league like Dead Ball Classic, this requires drafting them in CAR mode (similar to Babe Ruth). The rationale for this change is that we want dead ball black players to play alongside dead ball white players. After all, these players DID in fact play against one another in exhibition games--games that were often spectacles for fans.
9. A "walk tax" for pitchers used in the earliest years of MLB (e.g. Tommy Bond) whose walk percentages fall beneath a reasonable threshold. After monitoring the performances of pitchers in those early years, we decided on this slight change in order to compensate for the fact that walks at that time were considered undesirable outcomes for batters, and "errors" of a sort for pitchers. Pitchers were expected to throw the ball such that batters could hit it. This philosophy gradually changed as the game matured. It's good to keep in mind also that prior to 1893 the mound was 55' from home plate, also affecting walks.
10. Improved player bios.
11. When trading with League Owned teams, it will no longer be possible to offer an OEB for a position player unless the OEB is in CAR mode.
12. Various other minor improvements, including a few upgraded ballpark images.