Out of the Park Baseball 24 - Baseball in Buffalo (Ep 1) - An Expansion Adventure!

We're going off in a different direction for our long-term OOTP 24 playthrough! Instead of taking over an existing team, we're going to start off with an expansion franchise in Buffalo, New York. But we're not ready to play major league baseball just yet... we've got three years to try to build a respectable farm system before the Buffalo Wings will begin play in 2026!
For those looking for the post from ZenMasta61 in the OOTP subreddit that inspired this series, the link follows: / how_to_create_a_more_r...

[@Noglegz]

I was hoping you'd mention Ahn's moustache. It was the first thing I noticed when you pulled up the profile. Epic.

[@benmearig]

Ahn should be hired to coach

[@abcdefghijkl5408]

Jake Gelof has a special place in my heart. In my long term rockies save, he ended up hitting close to 700 hr and was elected to the hall of fame!

[@oldschoolsports]

Interesting, I may have to try to track him down in a trade if he looks good in this world!

[@markntexas8265]

Buffalo is also next door to possibly the best small mouth bass fishing in the world

[@oldschoolsports]

I had looked up some other facts about Buffalo that I was going to include in the episode, but got distracted and forgot to... but I did not know that one!

[@torvar1972]

@@oldschoolsports Buffalo as the Bisons and they are quite popular as well

[@yungchris6044]

YES! I love expansion teams! And you going for a realistic one is awesome, I’ve tried it myself but always failed to recreate that with the guide I found. I’ll be watching this closely!

[@oldschoolsports]

Hope it's useful to see some of how it's it done onscreen!

[@senomore_5608]

I know you have have made videos before about how you manage your minor league rosters, I would really enjoy a full demonstration how you do it from beginning to end. I can understand how that might be boring for some but that’s my favourite part of Ootp.

[@sporer_]

Ohhhh snap, here we goooo!!! I loooove that we're going expansion team -- Buffalo is a great choice

[@oldschoolsports]

Thanks, hopefully it will be something different, at the very least!

[@bravejaf]

I have been pretty fortunate with high school pitchers in my OOTP 24 franchises. In past games, I mostly drafted bats or college pitchers.

[@MrMpwood12]

Love the idea of gradually building up the farm system first. To be honest though I’ve found expansions to be easier in previous games you’re basically starting the game with a clean slate in terms of payroll, plus you can usually build an elite bullpen through the expansion draft since teams don’t prioritize protecting them.

[@oldschoolsports]

Yeah, that is a good point, there is definitely lots of value in not having any bad contracts to deal with!

[@benmearig]

So excited for this. I’ve binged the Yankees and Reds play throughs and was hoping for something new. Can’t wait.

[@oldschoolsports]

Thank you, I’m looking forward to it also, will definitely be something different!

[@alpaul2166]

Very excited for this new series. Finally the long term franchise 😁😁

[@Pep8691]

I have been waiting for the start of the long term play through. I couldn't keep up to the the Reds one as much as I enjoyed it.

[@oldschoolsports]

I has a pretty good cadence there going with the Reds for a while, with the weather being better now probably won’t be pumping out as much Buffalo content, so hopefully it won’t get overwhelming… thanks for whatever you can watch!

[@notmy4ply]

Didn’t see this coming! And 2 episodes?! Heck yes

[@oldschoolsports]

More to come very soon!

[@jrrd4069]

Love this idea. Gonna steal it for my own playthrough; hopefully the franchise issues OOTP had earlier have been patched.

[@oldschoolsports]

Thanks, crossing my fingers that nothing gets out of control and the latest version is stable!

[@crackerjackrappr]

Buffalo Braves or Wings are usually my go tos for my hometown expansions.

[@oldschoolsports]

I thought about Buffalo Roast Beef on Wecks, but that one just didn't work for me...

[@crackerjackrappr]

@@oldschoolsports Doesn't exactly roll off the tongue.

[@oldschoolsports]

@@crackerjackrappr Unfortunately not...

[@andrewgratton4750]

Buffalo...what a great idea. Can't wait to see how this goes

[@oldschoolsports]

Thank you, I’m looking forward to seeing where this goes as well!

[@Ballerguy1492]

Glad I stayed up this late!

[@oldschoolsports]

Thanks, glad I've finally got all the kinks worked out with the league, and I think we're ready to roll!

[@aroundtheworldsports3063]

Love it! Let's go Buffalo!

[@oldschoolsports]

Thanks, hope all is well! We're shuffling off to Buffalo here!

[@cedarpark4052]

This sounds super fun

[@oldschoolsports]

Thanks, it has been so far, hope you enjoy it!

[@darnellriley6708]

Haven’t watched a video due to being busy and stuff. But, I’m definitely going to watch this man !! Also I was wondering if you ever were going to do a college save again in FHM ?

[@oldschoolsports]

Thanks, hope you enjoy it! No plans to go back to FHM college right now, I just didn't find the recruiting aspect enjoyable, and that to me should be a big part of the fun of the college game...

[@slothkng]

oh this will be cool

[@oldschoolsports]

Thank you, I'm looking forward to it too!

[@patrickdebonis6493]

I love the name. I love Buffalo Wings. The hotter, the better. I remember when I could get them for 25 cents each. Now they are as expensive as hell. Many people don't know this, but there has been a chicken wing shortage going on for a long time now. The mainstream media has been curiously silent about it. Now, with this bird flu going around, it has gotten completely out of hand. Those of us who enjoy this fine cuisine are being squeezed out economically. Our grievances are not being redressed. The government remains ambilivant. Violence appears to be inevitable. However, nothing I say should be construed as condoning it

[@oldschoolsports]

25 cent wing night was the greatest!!!!!!!!!!!

[@JasonCleghorn1975]

IRL Drayk Bowen is a ND football recruit, a linebacker. Dual sport athlete in HS.

[@oldschoolsports]

Nice!!!

[@Writeous0ne]

going to binge watch this, i remember you in some of pholds videos iirc you're brothers?

[@oldschoolsports]

Thanks for watching! Brothers in our love for OOTP only!

[@stanleyrosella7042]

Interrested in how the AI controlled Nashville doing. Never tested expansion in all my 12-15 years with this game, but as I understood when the game itself automatic makes an expansion this is not the process. This looks more realistic with building from the bottom in a 2-3 years spann with MILB teams entering and actually playing during those years. But can the AI handle this for Nashville. The auto-expansion as a selection I thought was just an immediate happening with all minor teams popping up the same year the big club enters. Then a slugfest for them to sign less talented FAs that floats around, after the big expansion draft been concluded. Looking forward to this, but do check out Nashville and how they are doing before both them and your Buffalo dips your feet in the big pond.

[@oldschoolsports]

The AI has been managing everything for Nashville as I have been building in Buffalo. Will make sure to check in on what they look like for you in Episode 5. Thanks for watching!

[@user-eu7sh7gv8l]

Hi there love your channel. One question when players are unhappy with role on team, how do you go about improving that ? As well if their unhappy with transactions and performance ? Thanks

[@BaldSherlock]

A great idea for a series, wonder how long it'll take you to reach the playoffs! I'd guess 2028 if I was being conservative

[@oldschoolsports]

That's a good question... since I'm not going to be playing in MLB until 2026, I think I'd be satisfied if we got Buffalo into the playoffs in three seasons!

[@timboslice54]

Sick channel my man, I’m an avid ootp player as well. Any hopes of an online league? Looking for other good creative players

[@oldschoolsports]

Thanks for watching, I have never tried an online league before.

[@benmearig]

What will the attributes of your park be? To think about as you’re selecting players?

[@thomasmorganjr4451]

Trying same project. Bet your A team was 12 GB to the A team of Sim lead Class A team of the other Future Expansion team. In my project, Sim signed every possible roster spot with MLB ready talent and where I tried to keep it real, Sim Stacked the deck. Signed full MLB Roster, and both the A and Dev League stocked. DSL team lost 5 games and the Carolina League A team only lost 17, all with MLB talent. not sure how to avoid this problem even in Commisioner mode. Although I did release a bunch back to FA at the All Star Break off the MLB Roster of the New Montreal Expos. Did not seam fair they were stockpiling all the FA Talent and not playing MLB games. Did you notice that? I will watch more episodes and see what you found.

[@oldschoolsports]

That's a good point, I did notice that but did not really comment on it anywhere. If I did this again, I might actually fill the minor league teams for the other expansion team myself as well so their composition was a little more realistic.

[@thomasmorganjr4451]

@@oldschoolsports Your project sparked my project, and that will not work because I tried that. Sim is too intuitive. Kept churning those guys and polluting the FA pool with awful fictional guys several seasons before I wanted. The method I used was watching the rosters of Montreal and "abusing commish?" by releasing those who were MLB guys. I did not consider this abuse of power, only a kindly dictatorship. Season two is much more normal with me releasing the Single A MLB Talent.

[@oldschoolsports]

@@thomasmorganjr4451 Ha! I think kindly dictatorship is a good way to describe using commish power in a logical and benevolent manner!

[@kevin1153]

In the second and third episode you should try smiling more! Hope you get this before your start recording.

[@three-quartersbadger2929]

I'm hoping that OotP 24's tendency to have shitty drafts the first few years doesn't hurt you too much long-term.

[@benmearig]

Your third round pick didn’t have a fastball?

[@aroundtheworldsports3063]

Hey, I am not a big Reddit guy. Any chance you can throw the link to the Expansion thing here? I am a couple years away from changing things up in the Cubs save and expansion was the way I was thinking about going.

[@oldschoolsports]

www.reddit.com/r/OOTP/comments/pin2kq/how_to_create_a_more_realistic_expansion_team/

[@aroundtheworldsports3063]

@@oldschoolsports You're the best! Thanks buddy!

[@sportsmanz5948]

Is there another expansion coming in the next few years to MLB? I hadn't heard that, I don't think.

[@oldschoolsports]

I think Nashville already has guys like Dave Stewart and Don Mattingly on board for a potential bid down the line, and Manfred has said he'd like to get to 32 teams eventually. To your point, nothing has been announced yet, but if I was a betting man I'd follow the money and assume we'll have a couple more teams in the coming years!

[@patrickdebonis6493]

You're not only a betting man, but you probably shop the books for the most favorable line...lol

[@oldschoolsports]

@@patrickdebonis6493 Yeah, that's fair!

[@thomasmorganjr7267]

I stand corrected. As an oldtimer I had forgotten that fact, and reverted to previous draft rules. Heck, I learned something new today. So all is good. What about that "Sub Redditt" Question?

[@oldschoolsports]

No worries, just wanted to make sure the right info was out there!

[@oldschoolsports]

Just linked to the post on Reddit in the description to this episode...

[@three-quartersbadger2929]

Nice use of the word 'machinations'

[@oldschoolsports]

I struggled with that one, was not 100% sure it was even a word or used in the right context...

[@chrism-sr4kw]

Excited for the series are you going to change the name to something more creative than wings?

[@JackhammerPossessor]

Buffalo Bison. 😆

[@oldschoolsports]

@@JackhammerPossessor Ha! Creativity is not my strong suit, and I love wings, so probably going to keep things as they are... but Buffalo Bison is also something I may have been able to come up with!

[@patrickdebonis6493]

You're wasting your money on player development this year. The only ones that would benefit from it are one minor league level and your amateur draftees, who will only get six weeks of playing time. Here, you would be best served by maxing out your scouting budget. This will help you on draft day and vastly improve the quality of your scouting discoveries. If you already have that maxed out and have a significant overflow in your draft budget, so you can snatch up a couple impossible to sign players if they are real standouts, then go ahead and put as much as you can in player development. You can't take it with you.

[@oldschoolsports]

Scouting is maxed out at $27 million… agree the development budget is not being most efficiently spent, but still had plenty leftover to sign everyone i was able to draft… like you said, I can’t take it with me!

[@thomasmorganjr7267]

Where is this "Sub Reddit?"

[@oldschoolsports]

www.reddit.com/r/OOTP/comments/pin2kq/how_to_create_a_more_realistic_expansion_team/

[@thomasmorganjr7267]

I love doing Expansions too! But I hate to burst your bubble, you are doing this on a "False Truth". MLB Expansion teams DO NOT participate in the Amateur Draft until AFTER they have a MLB Team. In real life they build their Farm Systems through UDFA Players and International Discoveries. But No Drafting of Players. Sorry.

[@oldschoolsports]

That’s not accurate. I have admittedly enhanced what MLB did in the past by building my minor league system through the draft for three years prior to beginning MLB play, but the last two expansion teams in 1998 (Arizona and Tampa Bay) both participated in the 1996 and 1997 drafts. Arizona and Tampa Bay drafted Nick Bierbrodt and Paul Wilder, respectively, in the first round in 1996, followed by Jack Cust and Jason Standridge in the first round in 1997. Other players selected by Arizona and Tampa Bay in those two drafts before they started MLB play included Toby Hall, Alex Cintron, Heath Bell, Willie Harris, Brad Penny, and Dan Wheeler. Perhaps most famously, the Florida Marlins selected future All-Star and Gold Glove C Charles Johnson in the first round in 1992 even though they did not begin MLB play until 1993.