I’ve started with a ‘create custom game’, and then added a fictional league, setting the year to 1980. I’ve imported all of the historical minor league teams and players as well. Minor league teams must be complete (no ghost players), so fictional players may be added. I’m going to let them be promoted to the MLB. We’ll use the OOTP development engine going foward, instead of calculating ratings each season based on real stats. That means we’ll have even more separation from the The Real Timeline, but I’m ok with that, as increasing the odds of surprises makes the game more interesting. League expansions will follow real life, as will financials. I’ll play as manager and GM, but expect to sim a lot.
It turns out I actually needed to start out in 1979; if I start out in 1980 the draft has already occurred, and Strawberry can be found hanging out in the minor leagues. The draft is setup up for the end of the year … I’m not sure if the draft rank will be based on the 1979 season or not. If so, that could be a problem, as we might not end up getting the first pick after all. This isn’t a challenge mode game, so I’ll probably go into commissioner to ensure we get the first pick if needed.