Today’s site updates are part of one of the bigger batches of updates we’ve had in a long time. We’re introducing new manager settings for the first time in years, as well as an overhaul of how player condition information is displayed, to combine for more team control and clarity in the game. We’re addressing some of the most persistent requests from the community – you can find the summary Release Notes for a list of everything included or read on for a detailed look at the updates.
You can also watch this week’s podcast to hear us break down all the details (skip to 7:52 to get to the game updates)
Better Control of Your Bullpen
New Reliever Preference Settings
A frustration we’ve heard from managers is the unpredictability of bullpen usage. You’d set your pitching positions, but when it came to choosing between your MR1 and MR2, or your SU1 and SU2, the game’s decision-making felt like a black box. The old system factored in player values, fatigue levels, handedness matchups, and random elements—attempting to create realistic variety but making it difficult for managers to implement consistent strategies.
How the New System Works
The core bullpen logic remains the same, but we’ve replaced the black box with simple probability. We’ve added MR1 Preference Rate and SU1 Preference Rate settings to your Manager Settings page. Set your MR1 preference to 70%, and in situations where both middle relievers are available and a decision needs to be made, your manager chooses the MR1 roughly 70% of the time. Same logic applies to setup relievers.
Instead of the game making complex calculations about relative pitcher value and rest needs, you set the odds directly. Want your ace setup guy getting the bulk of high-leverage situations? Set his preference high (maximum 70%). Prefer a more balanced approach because you are managing fatigue? Keep it lower.
Why not 100%? Trying to save money by stashing lousy players in reliever spots is certainly a choice, but you will still face the intended consequences that those players will find their way into games.
Making Player Condition Crystal Clear
The New Stamina Display
Managing player fatigue is a crucial strategic element in the game, and we’ve made it much more intuitive. The old Current EN/Maximum EN/Status system required mental math to understand where players stood—seeing “25/51 – Tired” meant doing calculations to figure out readiness, and understanding that penalties begin at ‘Tired’.
Stamina Replaces the Old System
We’ve simplified this to a single Stamina percentage. A fully rested pitcher shows 100% Stamina. As they pitch and accumulate fatigue, this number drops. The key threshold remains the same: performance penalties begin when Stamina falls below 50%.
This change is purely in display —the underlying fatigue mechanics work the same as before. But now you can see at a glance which pitchers are ready to go and which ones need rest.
Seasonal Fatigue Makes Its Return
Long-time players will remember Seasonal Fatigue (SeaFat) on the lineup pages. SeaFat never left the game, but it hasn’t been visible in recent versions – and now it is!
What Seasonal Fatigue Represents
SeaFat reflects the cumulative toll of a long season. Even with proper rest between appearances, players who appear in a high percentage of their team’s games will gradually see their maximum endurance decrease. A player with 10% SeaFat has their maximum stamina reduced by 10%, and it takes longer for them to recover between appearances.
It can create interesting strategic decisions of how hard to ride your best players or whether to strategically rest key players to keep them fresh. The choice is yours, and now the information is clearly displayed.
Rest Settings Get Specific
We’ve also updated the manager rest settings to show exact percentages instead of status terms like “Tired” or “Exhausted.” Now you can see exactly when your manager is asked to rest players, in relation to when they begin to experience performance penalties.
User Records: Covering Every League Type
Our user records page was installed before we could properly account for the variety of league sizes and playoff formats in the game. The “Order of Finish” chart worked fine for standard leagues, but didn’t work for 8-team leagues, or leagues with different division structures and playoff formats.
Win Percentage Tells the Real Story
We’ve replaced Order of Finish with a Win Percentage chart that works regardless of league size, division format.
Playoff Performance Gets an Overhaul
Similarly, we’ve reorganized the Playoff Performance chart to cover all playoff types. No more missing WS data — every playoff appearance now gets properly tracked and displayed.
New Statistics
We’ve added several new lifetime statistics to add to the picture of your managerial career:
- League #1 finishes: How many times you’ve won your league’s regular season
- Lifetime Run Differential: Your teams’ total runs scored minus runs allowed across all leagues
- RS/Season and RA/Season: Average runs scored and allowed per season
Contest Improvements
Contest players now have access to much more detailed information in the new Entry Stats Snapshot tab on the Contest page. You can find team salary distributions, team depth, and key summary statistics all together in one table.
You can also now track mid-contest point standings on the Season Standings tab, so you don’t have to wait until the end to see how you’re performing relative to other contestants.
Quality of Life Improvements
Streamlined Roster Management
All Managers can now move players with zero career games directly to Low Minors, eliminating an unnecessary step in roster management. It’s a small change, but it removes friction from day-to-day team operations.
Commissioner Tools
We’ve added a new “Hold Sim at Next Flip” setting for commissioners managing end-of-season tasks. This gives commissioners more control over new season timing and helps ensure important end-of-season activities don’t get missed.
Standardized Scrub Players
All minimum salary players (scrubs) are now standardized to be identical right-handed pitchers and batters.
As always, if you run into any issues with these new features, don’t hesitate to reach out through our support channels. Happy managing!