Hey gamers, who wins, Strat-o-Matic or Out of the Park Baseball

I admit I am a Strat-o-matic fanatic, have been since 1999 playing their windows version of Major League Baseball, NBA and ABA, NFL and NCAA, and NHL. I am patiently waiting for WNBA. Go Storm! That being said I can not believe what OOTP (Out of the Park) baseball gives you for the dollar. I am safe in saying that for the money you spend on OOTP you get far more than any other sports game. No contest.

Here is why you get more for the money. With OOTP version 16, I received all the baseball seasons since 1871. I also got all minor league teams, plus leagues from Japan, Korea, China, Italy, leagues I never new existed and yes, even the Frontier League. That alone is what no other game gives you for $39.99. So for 40 bucks I can play the entire history of baseball on autoplay should I choose. This would cost me hundreds of dollars with Strat; believe me I know as I have purchased seasons from 1901-1927, plus 1947-1954, plus 1999-2014. But there is more to the game.

The game is designed so that you can design how you want to play it. I set the 1966 baseball season to play with exact lineups and transactions. But you can set up any season, any league, in other ways. I was playing the 2015 Tacoma Rainiers in another style, as both GM and manager, one without the ‘as played’ function. The M’s Jackie Z-or a computer generated Jackie Z-would send me emails to my mangers inbox, such as informing me that Dustin Ackley was being sent down. Then during the first half of the season I ended up with a player who last played for the Oakland A’s in 2008. I was playing in an alternative universe, but it was fun.

You can be commissioner, GM, manager, you can be anything. The game satisfies gamers and role players who love baseball. And for those who wonder about the accuracy of player stats, Sandy Koufax won the triple crown in my 66 replay, going 28-11, 1.63 ERA, and 324 K’s. Willie Stargell won the hitting triple crown .364-44-126. Of course there are anomalies. Tom Haller hit 37 homers, ten more than actual 27, but if every player came out the same as true life, why play the game. Which is why the Dodgers and Orioles who actually played in the 66 World Series did not make it in my replay, it is Pittsburgh and Minnesota. The Pirates had the top three hitters in the league and hit .292 as a team.

The actual play of an individual game plays much like Strat, but OOTP has a K-zone, and when you bat, should you choose, you can elect to take, swing, or just ignore and hit space bar to play faster.

So who wins between Strat and OOTP. I will always play Strat, but like the ABA and NBA, the AFL and the NFL, I can involve myself in two separate entities. OOTP provide me with more options to do things and I can experiment for months, if not years. Did I mention you can create a fictional league, teams, and players, and logos and uniforms.

I must go as the 66 World Series awaits. I see Woodie Fryman 17-6, 2.42 is pitching for the Pirates, while the Twins are going with Dave Boswell, 11-9, 3.52. But the second game has a great matchup with Bob Veale 23-9 and Jim Kaat 20-9, both with 2.48 ERA’s. Can’t wait to see what happens.

And by the way they have a hockey version, but I have no information on that, but here is a link to their game-and, I stress, I have no financial gain, from the company. I am not giving a paid endorsement. I simply love the game.

OOTP