While I am working on the review, the Out of the Park Baseball content won’t stop there this year. Oh no, not at all. Instead, for the first time, we’ll have a running OOTP feature this year on the Continuum… and here is what it will be:

What if there was a true international baseball competition? Now, the WBC and the various other international baseball competitions are great, but they are all far from perfect. They all have drop-outs or people who don’t take part, for example, or have odd rules like pitch-counts, weird extra-inning rules where men start on base if the game goes beyond the 10th or 11th, and, yes, mercy-rules. And, of course, there is the problem that all of them are based on small sample size, by necessity. And when you just have one game, weird things can happen, especially in baseball, where one good pitcher can change everything.

But, in the virtual world of Out of the Park Baseball, none of these are problems. The teams can filled to the gills with as many players as you want, they will give 100%, and they can go far longer than just a short tournament. In fact, they can have a full season.

So I am going to. It’s time for the Out Of The Park Baseball International Baseball Competition, a full season (plus playoffs) of international competition, made up of 15 “National” teams and one team that is made up of the leftovers from the Rest of the World:

It’s a 162-game schedule, each team has 28 active players (that’s the number of players on a WBC squad), as well as a “reserve roster” of players to fill in for any injuries and for “September Call-Ups”, this is so that the simulation rewards depth. The top 8 teams will advance to the playoffs, which will work similar to MLB postseason. In general, only players who either were born in those countries or have very big ties there (such as growing up there, which is true, for example, with Adrian Gonzalez and Mexico) are on each team- there aren’t many (if any) cases of players being on a team because their grandmother was half-Italian.This isn’t quite as true with the coaching staffs (which are to a certain extent just aesthetic), but it is true for the players.

All players and managers are from OOTP 2016, hence why some more obscure players might not be in there or why some would-be managers (such as Jon Deeble for Australia and Victor Mesa for Cuba) are not there.

So, about once a week through the coming season, I’ll be updating you on how this league of nations is doing.

But first… what types of teams are in this? Go below the jump to meet them:

Australia

Home Field: Blacktown Baseball Stadium

Manager: Michael Collins (Manager of Lake Elsinore Storm and Canberra Cavalry)

Position Overview (note that this is computer-generated):

OOTP’s in-game preseason prediction: 53-109, 13th Place

Notes: Peter Moylan begins season on DL, just like in real life. Justin Huber is retired now, but he just retired and this is a video game so he’s in.

Canada

Home Field: Rogers Centre

Manager: Ernie Whitt (long-time manager of Canadian National Team)

Position Overview (note that this is computer-generated):

OOTP’s in-game preseason prediction: 86-76, T-8th Place

Notes: Jim Henderson and Michael Saunders begin on DL, as in Real Life.

Colombia

Home Field: Estadio Once De Noviembre

Manager: Luis Urueta (Manager in Diamondbacks system, part of coaching staff for Colombia in WBC qualifiers in 2012)

Position Overview (note that this is computer-generated):

OOTP’s in-game preseason prediction: 36-126, 14th place

Notes: Only team in competition (w/exception of the “Rest-Of-The-World” team) to never play in a main WBC

Cuba (featuring both Communists and Capitalists!)

Home Field: Estadio Latinoamericano

Manager: Fredi Gonzalez (Holguin-born Braves manager)

Position Overview (note that this is computer-generated):

OOTP’s in-game preseason prediction: 111-51, 3rd place

Notes: Jose Fernandez and Rusney Castillo start on disabled list.

Dominican Republic

Home Field: Estadio Quisqueya

Manager: Tony Pena Sr. (1B coach for Yankees, manager of 2013 Dominican WBC team)

Position Overview (note that this is computer-generated):

OOTP’s in-game preseason prediction: 109-53, T-4th place

Notes: As of now, the lineup has Edwin Encarnacion starting at 1st against righties, while Albert Pujols starts at 1st against lefties.

Italy

Home Field: Stadio Steno Borghese

Manager: Marco Nanni (manager of Bologna in Italian Baseball League)

Position Overview (note that this is computer-generated):

OOTP’s in-game preseason prediction: 33-129, 16th place

Notes: Chris Colabello spent a good chunk of his childhood in Italy, where his father played baseball and met his mother

Japan

Home Field: Tokyo Dome

Manager: Tatsunori Hara (Manager of Yomiuri Giants, Manager of 2009 WBC team)

Position Overview (note that this is computer-generated):

OOTP’s in-game preseason prediction: 119-43, 2nd place

Notes: Yu Darvish is just symbolically on there because I hit the wrong button. He’s on the DL for the whole season. Masahiro Tanaka is the ace of the Japanese.

Mexico

Home Field: Estadio Monterrey

Manager: Mario Mendoza (of Mendoza line fame, has been manager and, ironically, a hitting coach in Mexico since retirement, including with some national teams)

Position Overview (note that this is computer-generated):

OOTP’s in-game preseason prediction: 88-74, 7th place

Notes: Luis Ayala, now in the Mexican League, starts on the DL.

Kingdom of the Netherlands (includes Caribbean players)

Home Field: Pim Mulier Stadium

Manager: Hensley “Sir Bam-Bam” Meulens (Giants hitting coach, manager of 2013 WBC team)

Position Overview (note that this is computer-generated);

OOTP’s in-game preseason prediction: 69-93, 11th place

Notes: Kenley Jansen begins season on DL.

Panama

Home Field: Estadio Nacional Rod Carew

Manager: Roberto Kelly (3rd-base coach for Giants, manager of 2012 WBC Qualifier team)

Position Overview (note that this is computer-generated):

OOTP’s in-game preseason prediction: 34-128, 15th place

Notes: One of two teams (not counting “Rest-Of-The-World”) to not take part in 2013 WBC

Puerto Rico

Home Field: Hiram Bithorn Stadium

Manager: Edwin Rodriguez (Manager of Akron Aeros, manager of 2013 WBC team)

Position Overview (note that this is computer-generated):

OOTP’s in-game preseason prediction: 86-76, T-8th Place

Notes: If the preseason prediction turns out to be correct, Puerto Rico and Canada would play a one-game playoff for a playoff spot

“Team Rest-Of-World”

Home Field: Estadio Dennis Martinez (Managua, Nicaragua)

Manager: Dennis Martinez (Nicaraguan baseball legend, manager of Team Nicaragua in 2012 WBC qualifier)

Position Overview (note that this is computer-generated):

OOTP’s in-game preseason predictions: 55-107, 12th place

Notes: Opening day roster includes players from Nicaragua, Brazil, the Bahamas, France, Germany, Haiti, Honduras, Lithuania, South Africa and the Virgin Islands. Additional nationalities from the reserve roster include Belgium, Burkina Faso, China, the Czech Republic, El Salvador, Guam, India, Myanmar, New Zealand, Spain and Ukraine.

South Korea

Home Field: Jamsil Stadium

Manager: Sung-Keun Kim (71-year-old manager of Hanwha Eagles, called Korea’s “God of Baseball”)

Position Overview (note that this is computer-generated):

OOTP’s in-game preseason predictions: 94-68, 6th place

Notes: 1st baseman Ji-Man Choi (who would normally be Dae-Ho Lee’s backup) begins season on DL.

Taiwan/Chinese Taipei

Home Field: Sinjhuang Stadium

Manager: Chang-Heng Hsieh (manager of Brother Elephants, longtime mainstay of national team coaching staffs)

Position overview (note that this is computer generated):

OOTP’s in-game preseason prediction: 80-82, 10th place

Notes: Dai-Kang Yang is a star player in Japan.

USA

Home Field: Fenway Park (I figured it’s historic place in baseball history and location in the Birthplace of the American Revolution make it work)

Manager: Joe Maddon (Cubs manager, mad genius)

Position overview (note that this is computer generated):

OOTP’s in-game preseason prediction: 138-24, 1st place

Notes: Matt Wieters and Sean Doolittle start season on DL, although whether Wieters would make active roster is up for debate. Also, on the opening day roster Jon Lester and Madison Bumgarner are listed as long relievers. Last year’s AL Cy Young winner, Corey Kluber, is on the reserve roster.

Venezuela

Home Field: Estadio Universitario de Caracas

Manager: Ozzie Guillen (the one and only)

Position Overview (note that this is computer generated):

OOTP’s in-game preseason prediction: 109-53, T-4th Place

Notes: I love the fact that the game thinks that the Dominican and Venezuela are about equal.

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So, there you have it. Next time, I cover what opening day in the International Baseball Competition is. Here’s a look at the scheduled games and probable starters:

So… see you next time!