Description: The Statistics & Vitals screen is the main screen of the locker room. Also known as the locker room screen, the statistics and vitals screen displays key statistics for each player from the last game and for the season. Player vitals may also be viewed.
Topics
Viewing Vitals/Statistics
Current Salary Total
Salary Cap
Roster Requirements
Lineup vs. Righties
Lineup vs. Lefties
Starting Rotation
Bullpen
Subs
Demote-Minors
Re-Index Team
Swap
15 Day DL
60 Day DL
Training
Negotiate
Player Sorting
Nickname
Number
Release
Trade Block
Related Topics
Viewing Vitals/Statistics: There are two ways to view all the players on your team. Method one is with the season statistics showing. Method two is with the vitals for each player showing (colored baseballs that tell you what their skill scores are in each of the 9 skill categories plus age and contract information). By default, the Statistics view is displayed when you enter the clubhouse (remember to scroll down, all of your active players are listed, but, you may not be able to see them all at once). The position players are grouped at the top of the screen and the pitching staff is at the bottom. To view the vitals for your players, choose "Vitals" from the "Clubhouse View" drop down list and click "Go". If you would like to view the Statistics breakdown, select "Statistics" and click "Go". The vitals view also offers some important contract information such as a players current salary and the number of years (after this one) remaining in their contract.
Current Salary Total: Your team's current salary total is displayed (in both views) at the top of the screen. It is labeled "Current Salary Total" and is in green. Next to it (in red) is the current league salary cap. A team should be under that cap in order not to incur any salary cap penalties. Players currently on the Disabled List do not count against your salary total, but everyone else on your roster does. In addition, any salary liability that your team has (the result of releasing players with more than 1 year remaining on their contract) will also be included in the current salary total and count against your teams cap space.
Roster Requirements: Each team is held to a minimum and maximum number of players total. This is so that each team has enough players to compete and cannot reduce their team roster to save on salary cap room. The minimum number of position players on a team is typically 11. The minimum number of pitchers is 10. The maximum number of players that may be on your roster (not including the Disabled List) is usually 25. All of these numbers are league specific. There may be instances where a team is over that number.
Lineup vs. Righties: Roster management in Franchise Baseball is often challenging. Players need rest. In addition, some players perform better versus certain handed pitchers. In either case, you can use your lineups to remedy the situation. Teams may designate a lineup versus both left and right handed pitching. These lineups may have different players, different positions and different slots in the order for certain players.
To set your lineup vs. Right Handed Pitchers, click on "Lineup vs. Righties". A popup window will appear with 9 slots and 9 positions for those slots (By default you will have some - if not all slots read "None Selected" with a position of "DH" - all slots that are not selected appear as playing the DH position). You must always select one DH, even if you are in a league or conference that doesn't have the DH rule, you still select it in case you play against a DH team on the road.
There are a number of things that you need to keep in mind as you are setting your lineup. First, you must have someone to play all positions (C,1B,2B,3B,SS,LF,CF,RF and DH). The pitcher will be taken from your Rotation so there is no need to place him in the batting lineup. Also, you must specify 9 unique players. You can't have a DH that is also playing 1B in your lineup (thus making him appear in the lineup twice). Players MAY play out of position. They will suffer penalties for doing so, however. The severity of the penalty depends on what positions the player does know how to play and what position he is trying to play in your lineup. Moving outfielders to other outfield positions will incur a minor penalty. Moving middle infielders (2B and SS) to the other middle infield positions or 3B will also incur a minor penalty as will moving the 3B to SS, 2B or 1B. Moving a catcher to 1B will incur a minor penalty as well. All other moves will see major penalties for playing out of position. The penalties vary depending on who is moving where, for example, there may be a more serious penalty for a third baseman playing shortstop than there would be for a right fielder playing left field. As you manage your roster (demote players, release players, trade players) gaps will develop in your lineup that will need fixing. Any position or batting order slot that is unfilled will be filled by the manager at game time. It is best, however, to exercise your ability to pick your lineup.
When you click the drop down list of players you should get a listing of all players on your major league roster who are eligible to play. Pick one of them for each batting order spot (remember the same player can't be in the order twice). Then, in the position drop down for that lineup spot, choose the position you want the player to play. Remember, you must have one player at each of the 8 fielding positions and a DH when the lineup is done. After you have all of the players and positions set the way you want, select, the "Set Lineup" button. This will save the lineup and display a message indicating that it has been saved. If there was an error, that will be displayed.
Lineup vs. Lefties: To set your lineup vs. Left Handed Pitchers, click on "Lineup vs. Lefties". A popup window will appear with 9 slots and 9 positions for those slots (By default you will have some - if not all slots read "None Selected" with a position of "DH" - all slots that are not selected appear as playing the DH position). You must always select a DH, even if you are in a league or conference that doesn't have the DH rule, you still select it in case you play against a DH team.
There are a number of things that you need to keep in mind as you are setting your lineup. First, you must have someone to play all positions (C,1B,2B,3B,SS,LF,CF,RF and DH). The pitcher will be taken from your Rotation. Also, you must specify 9 unique players. You can't have a DH that is also playing 1B in your lineup. Players MAY play out of position. They will suffer penalties for doing so, however. The severity of the penalty depends on what positions the player does know how to play and what position he is trying to play in your lineup. Moving outfielders to other outfield positions will incur a minor penalty. Moving middle infielders (2B and SS) to the other middle infield positions or 3B will also incur a minor penalty as will moving the 3B to SS, 2B or 1B. Moving a catcher to 1B will incur a minor penalty as well. All other moves will see major penalties for playing out of position. The penalties vary depending on who is moving where, for example, there may be a more serious penalty for a third baseman playing shortstop than there would be for a right fielder playing left field. As you manage your roster (demote players, release players, trade players) gaps will develop in your lineup that will need fixing. Any position or batting order slot that is unfilled will be filled by the manager at game time. It is best, however, to exercise your ability to pick your lineup.
When you click the drop down list of players you should get a listing of all players on your major league roster who are eligible to play. Pick one of them for each batting order spot (remember the same player can't be in the order twice). Then, in the position drop down for that lineup spot, choose the position you want the player to play. Remember, you must have one player at each of the 8 fielding positions and a DH when the lineup is done. After you have all of the players and positions set the way you want, select, the "Set Lineup" button. This will save the lineup and display a message indicating that it has been saved. If there was an error, that will be displayed.
Starting Rotation: One of the most important clubhouse options to choose is your starting rotation of pitchers. To do so, select the "Starting Rotation" button in the clubhouse. This will display a popup window that has 5 drop down boxes (one for each of the starting rotation slots). You may select pitchers to fill all five slots, or optionally, you may only select 4 pitchers (leaving the 5th slot blank) to go with a four man rotation. Please note that there is a field after one of the pitchers that states "(Next Starter)". This is the next rotation spot that will start. Whomever is in that position will be the starting pitcher. Please note, fatigue plays a large role in pitching (as it does elsewhere in the game). A pitcher who has a blue circle with a white dot in the middle is at full rest and will start. Any other circle following the pitchers name may result in that pitcher being too fatigued to start (including a blue circle without a white dot). It is rather risky to shuffle your rotation as the pitcher you intend to start may not be rested enough. We suggest going with a 5 man rotation and if successful (everyone starts all the time) stick with that rotation. Please note that often times, if a player has a green or even in rare cases a yellow circle after their names, but is going to pitch game 2 or 3 of a series they will often rest enough by the time their start arrives. If the next starter slot is blank, the next pitcher in the rotation who is defined will be used (the same is true if the 'next starter' is too fatigued). To save the changes to the rotation, click "Starting Rotation" in the Rotation window. Also note that only available pitchers display in the drop down lists. If you have pitchers defined for bullpen roles, they will not appear in the starter drop downs. Likewise, starters will not appear in the bullpen drop downs. You must first remove a pitcher from his role in either the starting rotation or the bullpen and then reclassify him in a new role.
Bullpen: There are four defined roles in each teams bullpen, Setup, Closer, Special and Long. To change the pitchers (or initially define) that fill these roles, click on "Setup Bullpen". A popup window will appear with four drop down lists, each with the label of the role listed above. The setup man is a pitcher that comes into the game in the 7th and 8th inning of a game you are leading and typically pitches an inning or two. His role is usually to bridge the gap between the starter and the closer. The closer is a pitcher who comes in when your team is leading and it is the 8th inning or later. He will typically only pitch an inning or two. These are the guys who usually rack up the saves by closing the door on opposing teams. The special (or lefty specialist) is a pitcher that comes into the game (in most cases) to face particular hitters... left handers. When a team needs an out or two and the batters are lefties, he is the man. The Long (or long reliever) is the guy who comes in when the starter is ineffective and there are a lot of innings to play. He usually pitches between the 2nd or 3rd inning and the 7th. Everyone else in the bullpen is fair game to bridge gaps, fill in, etc. To accept the changes you have made in the bullpen, click on the "Setup Bullpen" button in the bullpen window. Again, all roles must be filled in, you may not duplicate players, and a message will be displayed when the setup is processed.
Subs: During the course of a game, players will be replaced. It may be pinch hitters, pitchers, defensive subs and more. When a manager replaces a player, often times he is looking for a specific person (a third baseman to replace the third baseman, a left handed batter to face a right handed pitcher, etc.) In all cases, the manager starts from the top of the roster that you provided (or ordered). Goes down the list and looks for players. So, if you have three third basemen, the second would replace the first in the field... if the first was the starter, and the second has not already been used. For that reason, ordering your roster can be important.
Demote-Minors: The minor league system is an important part of player development in Franchise Baseball. You will probably want to send as many players to the minors as possible so they can work on their skills there, especially if you don't plan on using them at the major league level. Each player, however, can only be demoted to the minors a set number of times (3 by default in most leagues). This is while the player is on a given team. When a player is released or traded, his minor league demotions are reset. To demote someone to the minors, check that player (or players) and click on "Demote-Minors". If you have enough space in your minor league system, those players will be moved.
Re-Index Team: Each player on your team has an index number that tells the system where to place him in the list of the players. Owners can't see this index number, but, it is the way the game sorts. Sometimes, after a team makes a few trades, signs some players or removes some players, there can be gaps in these numbers, duplicate numbers and other small problems. One of the problems that crops up is that the Swap button doesn't work. You check the two players to swap, click the button, but, they don't change positions. Clicking the Re-Index button, reorders the index numbers for your team the way you have it set. After a re-index there should be no issue swapping players (at least until you make some additional deals).
Swap: The swap button allows you to switch two players order in the lineup. Check both players then click the swap button. The players should swap positions on your roster. If they do not, you may need to re-index your team.
15 Day DL: When a player is injured, you may place them on the Disabled List (DL). Only injured players may be placed on the DL. There are two designations of disabled list, this one, the 15 day disabled list, requires a player to spend 15 games on it after being designated to it (the length of their injury doesn't matter if a player who is injured for 1 day is put in the 15 day DL, he MUST stay on it 15 days). Players who are designated to the 15 day DL do NOT count against your roster minimum and maximum requirements or the teams salary cap. They do, however, have to be paid and will still be taken out of your active salary expense. To place a player on the 15 day disabled list, check the injured player and click the "15 Day DL" button. The player will disappear from your active roster, but, should be visible if you go to your Disabled List. Please note that your team still must meet all of the minimum roster and position requirements after the player would be moved to the Disabled List, otherwise the computer will not allow you to place that player on the disabled list. For example, if you would only have 9 pitchers, if you were to place an injured pitcher on the DL, the game will not allow you to deactivate that P.
60 Day DL: When a player is injured, you may place them on the Disabled List (DL). Only injured players may be placed on the DL. There are two designations of disabled list, this one, the 60 day disabled list, requires a player to spend 60 games on it after being designated to it (the length of their injury doesn't matter if a player who is injured for 10 days is put in the 60 day DL, he MUST stay on it 60 days). Players who are designated to the 60 day DL do NOT count against your roster minimum and maximum requirements or the teams salary cap. In addition, they do NOT have to be paid and will not be taken out of your active salary expense. To place a player on the 60 day disabled list, check the injured player and click the "60 Day DL" button. The player will disappear from your active roster, but, should be visible if you go to your Disabled List. Please note that your team still must meet all of the minimum roster and position requirements after the player would be moved to the Disabled List, otherwise the computer will not allow you to place that player on the disabled list. For example, if you would only have 9 pitchers, if you were to place an injured pitcher on the DL, the game will not allow you to deactivate that P.
Negotiate: All players in Franchise Baseball have contracts. This is how long a player will play under those terms for your team. Teams do have to pay player salaries. Salaries also count against the salary cap. The final year of a player's contract is year 0. Players may elect to allow you to negotiate with them before that, but, all players will negotiate in year 0. If you check a player and then click on the negotiate button you are taken to the negotiate screen (provided the player qualifies to be negotiated with). On the negotiate screen, you will be told how much money the player is asking for, how much they currently make, and how many years they have remaining in the contract. You may enter your offer (salary, years and signing bonus) and click "offer". If the deal is to the players liking, he will accept it and sign with your team. If not, he will reject the offer and you may negotiate with him again tomorrow. The number of years in the contract will increase the amount of money a player will want. This takes into consideration training and natural increases that will occur over that period. Unlike in real life, long term contracts don't make less money per year than a short term contract because it is assumed that the team will attempt to improve the player. The signing bonus brings the amount the player will accept down. It is not, however, a one to one relationship, meaning, if the player is asking for $4,000,000 per year, offering him a 1 year deal with a $3,000,000 bonus will not make him sign for $1,000,000. The bigger the bonus gets, the more impact it will have, but, the overall impact decreases as the bonus increases. For example, if a team offers a player a $1M bonus, he may sign for 10% less than he would have, if a team offers a $3M bonus, he might sign for 12% less than he would have, and if a team offers him a $10M bonus, he might sign for 13% less than he would have. You see, the increased bonus is improving the percentage, but, the incremental increase is shrinking. Please note that contracts are guaranteed in Franchise Baseball. Only the last two seasons of a players contract are not guaranteed. Releasing a player with more than year 0 and year 1 left on his contract will incur a salary liability.
Player Sorting: Sorting players orders the players by skill in both your pitching and position player rosters. An owner may change the order by swapping players.
Nickname: Subscribed users have the ability to give their players nicknames. If you are subscribed, click on Nickname. You are taken to the nickname screen where you may enter the players nickname and click okay. Please note that no vulgar or obscene nicknames may be used. Use of such a nickname is grounds for possible deletion of your team. From that point on, your player will be viewed with the nickname (on the view player screen).
Number: Subscribed users have the ability to give their players numbers. If you are subscribed, click on Number. You are taken to the number screen where you may enter the players number and click okay. Please note that a list of the current numbers assigned to players on your team is displayed. You may not duplicate numbers. You must assign a unique number to each player.
Release: Checking a player or players and clicking the Release button will release those players from your team. All but the last two seasons of a contracts are guaranteed, so, teams may have a salary liability after releasing a player. When released, that player will go to the free agent pool and may be signed by other teams. When releasing a player, you must meet the minimum roster and position requirements without the player in order to release them. If you do not, the player will not be released.
