Out of the Park sim to determine best MLB team ever — with ESPN baseball guru in the bullpen

It’s finally time to use math and algorithms to determine if the 1927 Pinstripes are really better than 1976’s Big Red Machine.

Out of the Park Baseball 17 is the latest entry in the long-running baseball general manager simulation for PC, and this year it’s going to use its new Historical Series feature to hold the “16 in ’16: Baseball’s Tournament of Champions.” This is a playoff that will use OOTP’s renowned simulation engine to run through the 16 greatest teams in the history of Major League Baseball until only one is standing. Studio Out of the Park Developments will bring in a panel of experts and analysts to help pick the first 12 seeds in this competition, and then fans will get the chance to vote in the last four teams. Out of the Park 17 launches on March 22, and then the the developer will launch a livestream of the tournament starting on March 24.

For Out of the Park Developments, this is an innovative way to introduce its brand of video baseball to an audience that may want a chance to try out their own simulations. Out of the Park isn’t about swinging and batting — it is for baseball nerds who can’t stop talking about earned runs and “on-base plus slugging” and sabermetrics. Those are also the kinds of fans that waste entire nights out at the sports bar arguing about whether or not the 1976 Cincinnati Reds could beat the 1927 New York Yankees.

Now, those baseball diehards can gather together on Out of the Park’s Twitch channel to watch the 16 in ’16.

Out of the Park’s panel consists of several baseball experts. Highlights include ESPN analyst Tim Kurkjian, U.S. Gamer game journalist and GamesBeat speaker Kat Bailey, and former Sportscenter producer Gus Ramsey.

https://twitter.com/GusRamsey/status/707284112722104321

Now, this isn’t just running a bunch of numbers in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. Out of the Park Developments is taking as many factors into consideration as possible. The company plans to account for player fatigue, intelligent pitching matchups, and more. If a team gets into an elimination scenario — like a Game 7 — the computer-controlled managers will use every player in their roster including starting pitchers as relievers.

Of course, none of this means you have to stop arguing with your friends about history’s best team … even you darkhorse 1970 Baltimore Orioles fans.