A screenshot of the WBSC eBaseball Power Pros team builder application

Friday Starter – An eBaseball Team Creator Website

WBSC eBaseball Team Creator

Thanks to Edon on the Power Pros Discord, who created a web app to let you play around with team building for WBSC eBaseball Power Pros.

Building a team in-game isn’t horrible, but the mouse-driven interface really makes things nice, and the web app has everything you could want. Want to sort all first basemen by power? Done. Curious if it’s possible to build a whole team with S run speed? Now that’s easy to do. It’s not really usable on mobile yet, but still, really cool little site!

Baseball Prospectus talks baseball video games

Baseball Prospectus published several pieces on baseball video games while we’re in the post-All Star Game doldrums. Each article can be read with a free-tier subscription and login. Check ’em out:

Colin Spacetwinks on Pete Rose Pennant Fever – This is one of those games like the 989 Sports MLB series where a fielder can wander around the diamond forever after a play is over, with nothing propelling the game onwards. This article appreciates that particular frozen-in-time, wandering-through-an-empty-museum vibe.

Demetrius Bell on MVP Baseball 2005 – Paean to a generation’s best baseball game

Matt Eitner on Mario Superstar Baseball – Great call-out to the insane ending credits song

Trevor Strunk on No More Heroes – About the role of baseball and baseball bats in Suda51’s stylish action game

Marc Normandin on Kirby’s Toy Box – A case study in a game nearly lost to history

Patrick Dubuque on Immaculate Grid – About baseball’s Wordle-like social media trivia craze

Commentary in The Show

I’m nearing the end of a March to October playthrough of MLB The Show 23. It’s normal to get sick of the commentary in baseball games once you play them enough, but I think the March to October format makes it worse.

In this mode, once you make the playoffs you’re basically playing the last three innings of every game. This creates a worst-case scenario for the game’s commentary system. You’re seeing the same players over and over in a seven-game series, and the commentary clips can repeat every game.

Here are the commentary lines I’m really sick of, summarized:

  • Wow this guy’s got some speed, doesn’t he?
  • I bet the defense sure is glad they got that guy out, so he can’t terrorize them on the basepaths.
  • For a third baseman, this guy is unexpectedly fast.
  • This reliever might have trouble focusing since his team is down so much, but hey, every game counts the same in his stats (this is during the playoffs, bear in mind, where individual stats aren’t exactly top of mind)

Now the Guardians are a fast team, so maybe it’s not surprising they get a lot of generic “fast guy” commentary. But once a game, Jose Ramirez comes to the plate and I get to hear how it’s interesting that he’s so fast at a power position. Fair point, but it’s not exactly his main skill! And please stop saying it every game!

It’s like if your favorite team played nothing but national games on ESPN, and every day you had to hear the same silly background story. Did you know Clayton Kershaw and Matthew Stafford grew up playing together? Yes I do already, cut it out!

Baseball Mogul coupon

It can be a little tricky finding deals on Baseball Mogul games, since with few exceptions they’re only sold directly through the Sports Mogul website. You don’t have a ton of time to take advantage of this but through the weekend, the code ALLSTAR40 gives you 40% off any version of Baseball Mogul or Football Mogul on the site.

I got this coupon through their newsletter, sign up on their website if you’re interested. Coupons come through that newsletter pretty regularly.

Also, all versions of the game between 2007 and 2018 are free on the Sports Mogul website, if you’re a sicko like me who’s gotta catch ’em all.

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