How the sim works

FTG Baseball plays every game one plate appearance at a time. This page covers what the sim looks at, what you can change, and how the computer-run clubs make their choices. There are no formulas here. You get cause and effect: pull this lever, expect that result.

How one game is played

Each plate appearance is a matchup between one hitter and one pitcher. The sim weighs what the hitter does well against what the pitcher does well, then draws a result: strikeout, walk, hit by pitch, single, double, triple, home run, or an out on a ball in play. A good matchup tilts the odds. It never guarantees a result, so the same two teams can play very different games on different days.

A few things shift the odds before the result is drawn:

• Handedness. Some hitters are weaker against one hand. The pitcher's hand is part of every matchup, and it changes when a new pitcher comes in.
• Defense. A strong defensive lineup turns some would-be singles into outs. A weak one lets them through. Any fielder can also boot a ball for an error.
• Mood and chemistry. A very happy or very unhappy player can nudge a plate appearance, and so can a clubhouse in great or bad shape. Most players sit in the middle, where it changes nothing. See Chemistry.
• The park. Some home parks favour hitters or pitchers.

Before a plate appearance, a runner on first with second base open may try to steal. Faster runners try more often and get thrown out less.

A game runs nine innings. If the home team leads after the top of the ninth, the bottom half is skipped. In the bottom of the ninth or later, any run that puts the home team ahead ends the game on the spot.

Which ratings matter

A player's grades come from the player's real career line, and the sim plays the player to that shape. Overall ability sets how good the line is, and your scouts' OVR is their estimate of it. The other grades set what kind of line it is. A better player does more of everything good. A hitter with high Power and low Contact hits home runs and strikes out a lot.

Hitters:

• Power: home runs.
• Contact: putting the bat on the ball. A high grade means fewer strikeouts and a better batting average.
• Discipline: plate judgment. A high grade means more walks.
• Speed: stolen-base attempts and how often they work.
• Fielding: the glove at one spot. Each hitter has a separate grade for each position, and the sim reads the grade for the spot the player plays that day. A shortstop in left field is judged on the left-field grade, not the shortstop grade.

Pitchers:

• Stuff: strikeouts. A high-Stuff pitcher strikes out more hitters.
• Control: walks. A high-Control pitcher walks fewer.
• Stamina: how deep a pitcher goes into a game. Relievers by trade have low Stamina and don't start.

Hot and cold streaks aren't ratings. A hot month changes how your scouts grade a player, not how the player plays. The sim draws results from true ability, so a streak doesn't make the player better or worse. The Glossary defines OVR, POT and Tools.

What you control

The Depth chart is where you steer the sim.

• Who starts at each position. The sim uses your order. If a slot is empty or the player is hurt, it fills the spot with the best glove left on the roster, and the best remaining bat takes DH.
• Playing time. Give a backup a share of starts, or have a prospect start a few times a week so the prospect develops. Both override the normal order.
• Platoon. A rule can sit a hitter against left-handed or right-handed starters. Switch hitters are never platooned. If a rule would leave you with fewer than nine hitters, the sim ignores it that day.
• Lineup philosophy. Balanced puts hitters who get on base at the top of the order. Sabermetric also leads off with a hitter who gets on base, then bats the best overall hitter second. Traditional puts contact hitters at the top. All three bat power hitters fourth and fifth, and fill the bottom four spots from best overall grade to worst. Now and then the manager swaps two neighbors in the order for a day.
• Rotation. Your starters pitch in turn. If too few healthy starters are available, some games open with a reliever.
• Bullpen roles. Closer pitches late in a close lead. Setup pitches the eighth when you lead. Long relief comes in when the starter is knocked out early. Middle relievers share the rest. If the arm for a role isn't available, another reliever covers.
• Pitching hook. Quick hook pulls a tiring starter sooner, and Slow hook leaves the starter in longer. Even a slow hook has a ceiling, so no starter throws forever.

Beyond the depth chart, you shape the roster through Roster, Minors, Free agency and Trade. The Glossary defines Platoon, Lineup philosophy and Pitching hook.

Injuries and fatigue

Injuries. Any player can get hurt on any game day, in the majors or the minors. Most injuries are short and put a player DTD. Longer ones put the player on the IL. A rare injury costs a player some ability for good, and a rarer one ends the career. A hurt player doesn't play. If injuries leave a team short of hitters or pitchers, the sim promotes the best available player from the minors.

Rest. Healthy regulars still sit out now and then, catchers more often than the rest. A regular with no backup at that spot stays in.

Starters. Stamina sets how long a starter lasts. Once the starter is past that limit the starter gets worse, and the manager pulls the starter soon after. The starter also comes out early if the starter gives up too many runs. A reliever you move into the rotation builds Stamina with each start, though some arms never get there.

Relievers. Relievers tire faster than starters, and a long reliever lasts longer than the rest. A reliever who pitched on each of the last two days sits. The sim spreads middle-relief work across the bullpen, so the top arm doesn't pitch every day.

How AI teams decide

A club with no human GM is run by an AI front office.

Depth charts. After each day's roster moves, the sim rebuilds every AI club's depth chart from its active roster. The rotation is the club's five best starters. The game assigns the bullpen roles itself: closer, setup, long and middle. If you set bullpen roles on your own depth chart, the sim uses them. Roles you leave unset, the game fills for you.

Style. A club's style follows its front-office personality, which you see on the Trade screen. A club that is "going for it" uses the Sabermetric lineup and a Quick hook. A "rebuilder" uses the Traditional lineup and a Slow hook. A "cap-conscious" club is Traditional with a Balanced hook, a "big spender" is Sabermetric with a Balanced hook, and a "balanced shop" uses Balanced for both.

Free agency. In the offseason, AI clubs bid to fill needs. During the season, a club with a hole signs the best free agent who fits: too few pitchers, too few catchers, an empty position or a thin bench. It pays the asking price and stays inside the cap and the roster limit.

Trades. AI clubs trade with each other a few times a season. Each club matches its weakest position against another club's surplus, and both must say yes by their own standard. A rebuilder asks for more in return for its stars and puts more weight on youth. A contender pays up for players who help now.

What they know. AI clubs judge players by their own scouts' grades, never the true ratings. Their grades can differ from the market's Consensus. Where they do, you may find value.