To The Strat-O-Matic Community,

Thank you to all Strat-O-Matic players for another incredible year. As we head into our 65th year, I am immensely grateful to the millions of players who have enjoyed Strat and those who continue to bring their passion to this timeless game. Your dedication is what makes Strat-O-Matic so special, and we’re thrilled for what’s in the store for the year ahead.

Baseball MAX Milestones and Updates

Before diving into this year’s classic baseball season reveal and Opening Day product announcements, I want to highlight the excitement surrounding our latest major release: Baseball MAX.

We are thrilled to share that Baseball MAX has already hit the One Million Game milestone, an achievement made possible by your enthusiasm and support. Your feedback has been instrumental in shaping the future of the game, and we’re excited to announce some major updates:

– Game Speed Enhancements: SPEED – and not just from the 2024 players – will soon be the name of the game for Baseball MAX. Significant improvements to game speed are currently in testing and are scheduled for release in mid-January. This new option will allow games to be played in minutes, with no downtime between at-bats.

– New Tournament Mode: Expected by Strat’s Opening Day, Baseball MAX will introduce Tournaments! Players can select historical teams to compete in a 4-, 8-, 16-, or 32-team brackets, either against other users or the computer.

Drumroll, Please… Introducing the 1970 Season!

The latest classic season to be released in Super Advanced format is… 1970! This oft-requested season features the Baltimore Orioles triumphing over the emerging Big Red Machine to secure their lone title amid three consecutive championship appearances. Boog Powell and Johnny Bench were crowned league MVPs, while the season delivered countless memorable performances.

2024 Baseball Season Highlights

February will mark the release of the 2024 season, a year dominated by stars and speed:

– Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani won league MVPs, finishing 1-2 in HRs (58-54), RBI (144-130), and OPS (1.159, 1.036). It was Ohtani who would lead in the most important category, World Series victories.

– Elly De La Cruz lit up the base paths with 67 stolen bases. This mark topped a league which saw the highest number of stolen bases in over a century.

– Rookie sensation Paul Skenes is poised to be the #1 pick in Strat rookie drafts, after an electrifying debut with a 1.96 ERA and 170 strikeouts in 133 innings.

Windows Product Lineup

Both the 2024 and 1970 seasons will be available for the board game, Windows game, and Baseball MAX. Additionally, new to Windows this year are:

– 2025 Hall of Fame

– Latino and Caribbean Stars

– 1940, 1926, and 1910 Negro Leagues seasons

– Updated Career Historical Rosters (through 2024)

– Baseball Daily (2025)

– Updated Cuban Stars

New in Cards: 2000s Diamond Gems

This November, we launched the 2000s Diamond Gems A & B sets, featuring highly sought after teams such as the 2001 Seattle Mariners and 2004 Boston Red Sox. The full roster includes:

2000’s Diamond Gems A

– 2001 Seattle

– 2001 Arizona

– 2002 Anaheim

– 2003 Florida

– 2004 St. Louis

– 2006 Detroit

– 2007 Boston

– 2008 Tampa Bay

2000’s Diamond Gems B

– 2000 New York (NL)

– 2002 Oakland

– 2002 San Francisco

– 2004 Boston

– 2005 Chicago (AL)

– 2007 Colorado

– 2008 Philadelphia

– 2009 New York (AL)

Baseball 365

Be on the lookout for the 2024 season coming to Baseball 365 in early March, followed by Baseball Daily shortly after the season starts. In late November, 1980 was introduced to Baseball 365 as the latest season in the rotation.

As 365 users already know, the 365 platform is undergoing the task of modernizing the tech structure of the game. During this process, we are still continuously working on and releasing new features, both big and small, to the platform. New items to help keeper leagues and a large upgrade breaking down card values are coming.

The team is excited to have begun working on the structural improvement at the same time as these feature updates, pushing the 365 game to its best.

Collectibles Update
This summer be on the lookout for a new addition to Strat-O-Matic’s Collectibles Series. Previous editions have sold out in hours, so stay tuned for announcements!

Important Dates for 2025 Baseball Pre-Order and Release Season:

– Mid-January: Baseball Ratings Guide and Winter Newsletter Released
– February 4th: Pre-Orders begin. Opening Day orders can once again be placed online during pre-orders through February 19th .
– February 21st: Strat-O-Matic Opening Day
– February 24th: New baseball products begin shipping. New Windows Products Released
– Early March: 2024 season launches on Baseball 365

Please note, the Strat-O-Matic headquarters in Glen Head will be closed to the public, without exception, from 2/24/25 to 3/10/25.

My continued gratitude to all those who have played a part in making Strat-O-Matic a beloved tradition.

Strat-On!
Hal Richman
Chairman and Founder