2020 Imagined – Two Ratings Sets Coming from Strat-O-Matic to Relive Historic Baseball Season

By Glenn Guzzo

“Strat-O-Matic will capture the unique 2020 Major League Baseball season with a special presentation – two separate ratings sets, available each for both the board game and the Windows game”, Strat-O-Matic creator Hal Richman announced.

In early 2021, gamers will be able to choose a traditional ratings set based on the shortened, 60-game Major League season or a different set that expands upon the player statistics from the 60-game season by adding projected stats for the missing 102 games.

The set that includes projected stats will be called “Strat-O-Matic Baseball 2020 Imagined.”

The unprecedented double offering is the product of the Strat-O-Matic community’s robust response to the game company’s recent customer survey.

“Thousands participated in the survey,” Richman said, “reflecting the passion our customers have for playing baseball the Strat-O-Matic way.”

Many wanted the continuity and realism of the 2020 season rated by traditional methods. But Strat-O-Matic is the original fantasy sports game and many others said they preferred a projection set, both for the familiarity of a full season and for the “what-if” potential such a set offers. As Richman noted, many Major Leaguers had uncharacteristically good or bad stats in the abbreviated season. The “Imagined” set’s extra layer of projected stats will bring such players closer to their statistical norms.

“The player cards were created to reflect the most realistic expectation of a player’s performance if the full season were played,” Richman explained. Player projections are NOT simply pro-rated statistics from the 60-game season. The cards may, in some cases, be dramatically different for players who had extreme performances in a limited sample of at bats or innings pitched.

The Imagined set will be comprised of the same players as the regular 2020 season set. The “top-of-the-card” ratings, such as defense, baserunning and pitcher endurance, will be the same, too. The bodies of the cards will differ because the statistics they are based on will differ.

“By offering our customers this unique choice, Strat-O-Matic believes we are giving everyone the opportunity to play our board and computer games to their satisfaction,” Richman said. “Both are going to be fun to play and the survey tells us that some customers will want both sets to capture and experiment with the historic nature of the 2020 season.”

Player Example Stat Lines

Kris Bryant, CHN

Traditional Set- .206/.293/.351, 131 AB, 5 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 12 BB, 40 K

Imagined Set- .240/.332/.434, 346 AB, 17 2B, 1 3B, 16 HR, 38 BB, 102 K

Luke Voit, NYA

Traditional Set- .277/.338/.610, 213 AB, 5 2B, 0 3B, 22 HR, 17 BB, 54 K

Imagined Set- .263/.339/.530, 562 AB, 18 2B, 0 3B, 44 HR, 57 BB, 157 K

J.T. Realmuto, PHN

Traditional Set- .266/.349/.491, 173 AB, 6 2B, 0 3B, 11 HR, 16 BB, 48 K

Imagined Set- .264/.338/.498, 474 AB, 23 2B, 2 3B, 28 HR, 42 BB, 122 K