With the negro leagues now officially being recognized as major leagues, is there any chance we'll be getting the players here in WIS? If so, it would be awesome!

This has been asked before, with almost no reliable statistics, it wouldn't really be possible to do.

It would be an interesting addition. It like most everything else here hinges on a software rewrite. ETA unknown. It would also depend on the availability of comprehensive statistics. I'm not sure what retrosheet or others have on hand.

As part of this addition to MLB they’re standardizing what stats and records are official. Once that works is done, there should be no reason to keep them out anymore as the only complaint/issue would be the small sample size for data given that league games constituted anywhere from 24-65 per team per season. Now, with 2020 season in already with the same problem, the NLB seasons would have the same proration issues as 2020, but the stats would be official and standardized for those seasons.

MLB and Elias have already stated it would only recognize stats from NLB from 1920-1948 and only league games, so no barnstorming games, international games, scrimmages, etc, which are often included in stats you’d find on sites like BR or seamheads or in individual players records.

Not that I'm chomping at the bit for more 2020-like seasons added because the proration can be a nightmare, as we've seen, but I'd love to have these seasons accessible because there's great history in there, and a bunch of fun seasons and stories and legends... I can only see adding these in as a benefit to the game and growing the user base.

that's encouraging, a large influx of new players to the database would really shake things up, and would make progressives very interesting for some of the star players who were excluded from MLB until the end of their careers

Tracyr used to be at Elias, perhaps someone has kept contact with him over the years...

Even if we could trust the reliability of the stats, the proration issue is really a mess.
I was on the fence on if 2020 players should have even been included, and it certainly created some weird seasons. I understand why they added 2020, but going out of our way for more wacky stats and prorated season doesn't seem all that productive.

I respect your position here, TulsaG, but I don't think the negro league stats and the issues that arise therein are any weirder than what we already have in this game. WIS includes players all the way back to 1885, attempting to make their stats make sense against modern competition. I dominated a league I'm in for almost ten seasons using 1886 Charlie Ferguson, who started for me every other day. Did you know that in 1886 pitchers weren't ALLOWED to throw overhand? It took 7 balls to walk a batter! Batters got to call for a high pitch or a low pitch and the pitcher would take a short run up to the pitching box before throwing. Yet Charlie may be the most valuable player in our league, better even than Babe Ruth, and other deadball pitchers get snapped up in drafts like hotcakes.

Without denying the inconsistencies inherent in some of the negro league stats and the wacky problems they may create, is that really weirder than finding ways to have an 1800's player compete against someone now? I don't mind having 1800's players on this site because hypotheticals like that are literally in the name of this site. Well, what's a bigger baseball "What If" than wondering what would have happened if black players were allowed to play baseball all along?? I'd love to see them added somehow, however possible.

^^^ cosigned

you'd get a lot of new users signing up just so they could play with Josh Gibson, Satchel Paige, etc.

It's a great idea. Would be fun to see their prices. Also wouldn't depend on a software rewrite — just need the data

where the data is spotty read old books and newspapers and throw in some extra die rolls

but hey. not my point

you bring in the Negro Leagues you gotta bring in the Pacific Coast League

up through 1957 or whatever

it will be awesome

No dummkopf, PCL was always minor leagues. A very important and beloved league to many, but not considered on par with Major League ball...

Let’s bring in the Japanese...

all you gotta do is jigger the stats

It is said that Cool Papa Bell was so fast he once was hit by his own batted ball while sliding into 2nd base !