Digital Diamond Baseball V9 User Guide

This guide is designed to help users take full advantage of the game. It contains tips on how to get started, and videos that cover some of the advanced features of the game. We will also be adding "Quick Tip" videos throughout the year.

Getting Started

In this section we have some videos to help you start playing games! The first video below shows you how to install and organize player libraries:

And this video shows you how to manually play games:

Finally, learn how to customize logos, player pictures, and ballpark images here:

Viewing Players and Reports

The following video shows you how to browse the players in your library viewing their roster status and making roster moves:

Another great way to see how your players are doing is to visit the Reports page. This video shows you how to take full advantage of Digital Diamond Baseball reports:

Understanding Manager Profiles

Enjoy this three part series on Manager Profiles in Digital Diamond Baseball.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

The Postseason

Done replaying a season? Check out these videos to learn how to create the postseason.

Drafting

Want to mix things up a bit? Learn how to take advantage of the draft feature in Digital Diamond Baseball.

Creating Custom Libraries

Digital Diamond Baseball makes it easy for you to create your own player libraries. There are several different options available. Check out these videos to learn more:

Building a Fictional Library

There are several ways to create a player library consisting of fictional players. In this Quick Tip I will provide instructions for the easiest way, which is using existing season based libraries.

Create Your Teams

Let's assume you are creating a library with 12 teams. The first step is to goto the 'Team Editor' and create all 12 teams. Give each team a Year, a Name, and a unique three character 'Tag'.

Configure Your Organization

With your teams created, you are now ready to setup your organization. This can be done using the 'Organization Editor'. In this case let's have just one league with two divisions. Each division should have 6 teams.

Build Your Schedule

The next step is to build your schedule. This can be done using the 'Schedule Editor'. From the 'Schedule Editor' click on the 'Generate' button, enter the 'Start Date', 'Number of Intradivision Series' and 'Number of Interdivision Series'. I specified 17 intradivision series and 10 interdivisional series, creating a 162 game schedule.

Generate Your Fictional Players

Let' assume that you want your teams to have a 40 man roster of fictional players with the following makeup:

• 10 starting pitchers
  
• 10 relievers
  
• 2 catchers
  
• 2 first baseman
  
• 2 second baseman
  
• 2 third baseman
  
• 3 short stops
  
• 3 left fielders
  
• 3 center fielders
  
• 3 right fielders

Given 12 teams, this means you will need at least the following (you may want a few more if you want there to be a few players left as free agents after populating your teams):

• 120 starting pitchers
  
• 120 relievers
  
• 24 catchers
  
• 24 first baseman
  
• 24 second baseman
  
• 24 third baseman
  
• 36 short stops
  
• 36 left fielders
  
• 36 center fielders
  
• 36 right fielders

Using the 'Generate Players From Another Library' feature you can create these fictional players as follows:

• Install the library you want to use as a source for the fictional players you want to generate. For example, if you want the players to be similar to players from the 1980s, install one of the 1980 seasons.
  
• Goto the 'Player Editor; and select 'Import/Generate->Generate Players From Another Library'.
  
• Select the library you installed in step 1 as your 'From Library'.
  
• Select 'Starter' for the 'Position'.
  
• Select 120 for the 'Player Count'.
  
• Select 5 for the 'Min G/GS'.
  
• Select 40 for the 'Max Age'.
  
• Be sure to check the 'Generate Random Names' checkbox.
  
• Click on 'Generate'.

Repeat steps 3-8 for the remaining positions and player counts.

Run a Draft

At this point all of the fictional players have been generated and placed on the Free Agent (FRAGENT) team. The next step is to hold a draft to place the players on your teams. Follow these steps to complete the Draft:

• Goto the 'Draft' tool by clicking on the 'Draft' button on the 'Main Menu'.
  
• Click on the 'New Draft' button and then click on 'OK'.
  
• Set the 'Number of Rounds' to 40 and check the 'Snake Draft Order' checkbox.
  
• Click on OK.
  
• Click on the 'Draft Player(s)' button.
  
• Check the 'Draft until the draft is over' button.
  
• Click on OK to run the draft.

Watch the Video Guide to Building a Fictional Library

Play Ball!

At this point you are ready to start playing games with your new fictional library! When you try this on your own feel free to change the structure of your organization and create as many teams and players as you like. Just be aware that if you are generating a lot of players you may need to pull from more than one installed source library. In addition, the schedule generator tool requires that all divisions in the organization have an even number of teams, each division in the organization must have the same number of teams, and interleague games cannot be scheduled unless the organization has exactly two leagues.

Quick Tip - Backup Your Files!

It is always a very good idea to backup your player libraries. We all spend many hours customizing our libraries and playing games and it is a big bummer when something happens to a library and we don't have a backup.

Making local backups on your computer's hard drive is important. But technologies like OneDrive, Google Drive, iCloud, and Dropbox make it easy to backup to the cloud. I recommend setting an automatic backup to the cloud of your DigitaDiamondDataFilesV9 folder, and this backup should run at least once a day. This is the best way to product all of your hard work.

Another good practice is to make a copy of the libraries that you install (using a different name) and to do all of your work in the copy. This practice protects you from accidentally having your library overwritten when you reinstall the original library. There is a good video in this guide that shows you a good process to follow when managing your libraries

https://youtu.be/RHrI1nfcuE4

Quick Tip - Fonts and Colors

The User Interface Options Group allows you to adjust the font size and background color used on the game's UI. Specifically, there is an option that allows you to change the base font size used throughout the user interface (except the Play Ball Page), and a similar option allows you to change the base font size used specifically on the Play Ball Page.

Smaller font size values will decrease the font size and larger values will increase the font size. This allows the user to adjust fonts to accommodate their screen's resolution and eyesight. The default values are optimized for a 1440x900 screen resolution. Users with higher resolution will want to enter a larger value and users with lower resolution will want to enter a smaller value.

In addition, there is an option that allows the user to customize the background color used in many of the user interface screens. We recommend that you use a darker toned color when setting this option.

Quick Tip - Hot Keys

Did you know that there are hot keys you can use when playing a game so you don't have to rely on the mouse as much. Specifically, you can use the following hot keys during a game:

• Enter - pressing the enter key is the same as clicking on the Pitch or Swing buttons.
  
• Control+w - pressing the control key and the w key at the same time will intentionally walk the current batter.
  
• Control+p - pressing the control key and the p key at the same time will allow you to make pitching changes or defensive replacements.
  
• Control+h - pressing the control key and the h key at the same time toggles between holding the runner on first or not holding the runner on first. NOTE: You cannot hold the runner if the infield is in.
  
• Control+i - pressing the control key and the i key at the same time will cycle through the different infield/outfield positioning options (corners in, infield in, no doubles, normal infield).
  
• Control+b - pressing the control key and the b key at the same time will bring up the bench coach.
  
• Control+x - pressing the control key and the x key at the same time will bring up the boxscore.
  
• Control+l - pressing the control key and the l key at the same time will toggle the visibility of the lineup pane.
  
• Control+o - pressing the control key and the o key at the same time will bring up the in-game options dialog box.
  
• Control+u - pressing the control key and the u key at the same time will undo the last play.
  
• Control+q - pressing the control key and the q key at the same time will bring up the boxscore.
  
• Control+r - pressing the control key and the r key at the same time will allow you to hit and run.
  
• Control+t - pressing the control key and the t key at the same time will allow you to bunt.
  
• Control+s - pressing the control key and the s key at the same time will allow you to steal.
  
• Shift+h - pressing the shift key and the h key at the same time will allow you to pinch hit.
  
• Shift+r - pressing the shift key and the r key at the same time will allow you to pinch run.
  
• Control+m - pressing the control key and the m key at the same time will bring up the Edit Managers dialog box. Once this box is visible you can cycle through the possible manager options by pressing control-1 through control-5, or q for the quick watch option.
  
• Control+f - pressing the control key and the f key at the same time will bring up the Fast Play dialog box. Once this box is visible you can cycle through the possible fast play options by pressing shift-1 through shift-9.
  
• Control+f - pressing the control key and the f key at the same time will bring up the Fast Play dialog box. Once this box is visible you can cycle through the possible fast play options by pressing shift-1 through shift-9.

Quick Tip - Data Files

The DigitalDiamondDataFilesV9 folder is the folder that contains all of your libraries, backups, exports, and custom image files. For this reason, it is important to know where this folder is and to give yourself quick access to it.

The location of this folder depends on our operating system. If you are using Windows you will find this folder here:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Digital Diamond Baseball V9\DigitalDiamondDataFilesV9

And on MacOS it can be found here:

Library/Application Support/Steam/SteamApps/common/Digital Diamond Baseball V9/DigitalDiamondDataFilesV9

You can also make it really easy to access your DigitalDiamondDataFilesV9 folder. This can be done on Windows by pinning the folder to the Quick Access section of the File Manager. Visit this link[www.digitalcitizen.life] to learn more.


On MacOS you can add the DigitalDiamondDataFilesV9 folder as a favorite in the Sidebar of Finder. For more detail visit this link[www.digitalcitizen.life] .

Quick Tip - Player Cards

Each player in Digital Diamond Baseball is assigned a combined player card and may also have a player card for performance against left-handed batters/pitchers and against right-handed batters/pitchers. These player cards determine the probability that a player will produce one of the eight possible game outcomes.

The player card contains the dice roll required to produce each of the outcomes and also shows the probability of each event. Finally, in the third column the player cards show the cumulative probability of the out events and on base events. The cumulative probability of outs is shown in red and the cumulative probability of hits is shown in green.

For example, consider Jason Giambi's player card shown here. A roll from 745-889 will produce a single and the probability of this happening is 14.5%. The cumulative probability of a strikeout or any other type of out happening is 56.5% (16.3% + 40.2%). In addition, the cumulative probability that Giambi will get on base (HBP% + BB% + 1B% + 2B% + 3B% + HR%) is 43.5%.

During a game, the pitcher's player card and the batter's player card are combined using either the Morey-Z algorithm (default) or log5 algorithm to produce the matchup player card for that at bat. The matchup player card is shown in the bottom left of the play ball page during a game.

Quick Tip - Custom Ratings

In Digital Diamond Baseball, custom ratings consist of the range rating, the outfield arm rating, catcher arm rating, and the pitcher hold rating.

All ratings are between 1 and 5. A rating of 1 is the best and a rating of 5 is the worst. A rating of 3 represents an average rating.

Ratings only have an impact on game play for players that do not have an average rating (3).

The range rating is based on the Rtz field provided by Baseball Reference This is the number of runs above or below average the player was worth based on the number of plays made. This value is currently only available on or after 1954. Currently, all fielders except for the pitcher and catcher are given a range rating.

The outfield arm rating is based on the Rof field provided by Baseball Reference. This is the number of runs above or below average the outfielder was worth based on baserunner kills and baserunner advance. This value is currently only available on or after 1954.

The catcher's arm rating is based on the Rctch field provided by Baseball Reference. This is the number of runs above or below average the catcher was worth based on baserunner kills and baserunner advances. This value is currently only available on or after 1954.

The pitcher's hold rating is based on the RspP field provided by Baseball Reference. This is the number of runs above or below average the pitcher was worth based on baserunner kills and stolen baserunner advances. This value is currently only available on or after 2003.

All plays that are influenced by the range rating of a fielder are annotated in the PBP window. If the fielder makes a great play because of their range rating the PBP will end with "(+)". If the fielder makes a poor play because of their range rating the PBP will end with "(-)".

If you don't agree with the default player ratings, change them! This is very easy to do. Just go to the "Player Editor" page and edit the player's rating.

If you decide you want to disable any or all of the custom ratings, you can do so in the "Ratings Options". This does not remove the ratings from the library. As a result, you can easily enable them again at any time.

Quick Tip - Pitcher Fatigue

Every pitcher in Digital Diamond Baseball is given a durability rating (DUR). Durability ratings specify how many pitches a pitcher can throw before they are susceptible to fatigue. The performance of a fatigued pitcher will decrease with each additional pitch they face after they are fatigued. The durability rating shown for a pitcher is estimated. The actual durability for a pitcher can fluctuate from game to game, and is not known to the human or computer manager.

Fluctuations in a pitcher's durability is determined by library specific settings such as the durability bonus and certain manager profiles settings. These settings can alter a pitcher's durability at the start of the game. These changes to a pitcher's durability are hidden from both the computer and human manager and represent how many more or fewer pitches a pitcher can throw before becoming susceptible to fatigue

Each time a pitcher throws a pitch their pitch count increases. When the pitch count reaches their actual durability, a pitcher becomes susceptible to fatigue. This does not mean the pitcher is tired; it just means that they may be getting tired soon. Pitchers that are susceptible to fatigue will only become fatigued at the start of an inning or if they allow a base runner. When a pitcher becomes fatigued their icon on the field will turn red and the word "Tired" will appear in red next to their name on the Matchup tab and the Lineup tab.

Let's look at a specific game. Suppose CC Sabathia has an estimated durability rating of 92 and his actual durability for this game is 97 (which is hidden). This means that he will become susceptible to fatigue when he has thrown 98 pitches. However, he will not actually be fatigued until he either allows a base runner, or is on the mound at the start of the next inning.

A pitcher's pitch count carries over from one game to the next. However, the number is reduced based on how much time they rest between appearances. At the end of every game, each pitcher's pitch count is decreased. By default, starting pitchers typically need around four days of rest before their batters faced total is reduced to zero. Relievers, on the other hand, are often fully rested in time for next game. However, if a pitcher pitches two games in a row, they are likely to need an extra day of rest before the are fully rested.

In Digital Diamond Baseball, a pitcher's estimated durability rating and pitch count total are displayed using the following format: durability/pitch total. For example, CC Sabathia's DUR column might look like this 92/18, which indicates that he is estimated to be able to throw up to 92 pitches before being susceptible to fatigue, and that he has thrown a total of 18 pitches.

Pitchers that qualify as both a reliever and starter use a slightly different format that looks like this: starting durability|relief durability/pitch total. For example, Ivan Nova's DUR column might look this: 84|43/12, which indicates that his estimated durability is 84 pitches when starting and 43 pitches in relief. In addition, Nova's total pitches thrown is currently 12.

Quick Tip - Installing Custom Libraries

Follow these steps to install a library backup file that you have downloaded from the Internet:

1) Download the backup file
2) Run Digital Diamond Baseball
3) On the Library Page click on Restore A Backup
4) Click on "Click to select a file" and browse to the file you downloaded

This will install the player library and you will be all set to play ball!

NOTE: One popular place to download custom player libraries for Digital Diamond Baseball is: http://www.digitaldiamondbaseball.com. You can install any of these libraries by following the steps above.

Quick Tip - Changing Managers

Digital Diamond Baseball supports changing team managers during a game. Changing the managers can only take place when the Edit Managers dialog box is visible. A screen shot of the Edit Managers dialog box is shown below:



This dialog can be shown three different ways:

• You can goto the Menu Button and select Edit Managers.
  
• You can click on one of the Manager Buttons displayed next to a team in the linescore.
  
• You can press control+m.

The different options available for changing team managers are:

• Setting both team managers to Human, allowing you to manage both teams. The hot key for this mode is control+1.
  
• Setting one manager to Human and the other to Computer. This allows you to manage one team and the computer manager will manage the other. The hot key for this mode is control+2 if you want to manage the away team and control+3 if you want to mange the home team.
  
• Setting the managers to Watch mode which will set both team managers to Computer and allow you to watch the game in real-time. You can exit watch mode by setting at least one of the team managers back to Human. The hot key for this is control+4.
  
• Setting the managers to Quick Watch mode, which will set both team managers to Computer and allow you to watch just the next plate appearance. After the plate appearance (or when there is a wild pitch, passed ball, or successful steal) both managers will automatically be set to Human. The hot key for this is q.

Finally, keep in mind that the Edit Managers dialog box must be visible in order to change managers during a game.

Quick Tip - Bench Coach

Are you in a close game and contemplating bringing in a pinch hitter or reliever? To help you with the decision you can call on the Bench Coach to get the combined event probability card for any possible batter/pitcher matchup in the game.

You can access the Bench Coach at any time by clicking on Menu->Bench Coach or by pressing Control+B. In the Bench Coach Dialog Box you can choose any pitcher and any batter and the combined card will automatically update with the combined probabilities for the matchup.

Quick Tip - Out Of Town Scoreboard

The Out Of Town Scoreboard feature allows you to manually play a game and keep an eye on the progress of other games being played on the same day. This feature is disabled by default and can be enabled via the In-Game Options Group. If enabled, when you are playing a manual game all other games on that day will be played simultaneously and the Out Of Town Scoreboard will be displayed at the bottom of the Play Ball Page. The out of town games will progress as your game is progressing. When an out of town game has completed you can click on the word 'Final' in the Out Of Town Scoreboard to view that game's boxscore.



This option only works when you are managing/manually playing one game per day. In addition, doubleheader games will not be auto-played on the scoreboard (this would result in teams playing two games at the same time). Instead, you should fast play the doubleheaders or play them manually if they contain the team the you are managing.

Advanced Tutorial - Importing From Baseball Reference

Advanced Tutorial - Import Custom CSV Files

Advanced Tutorial - Importing Minor League Teams

This tutorial describes how to import minor league teams into Digital Diamond Baseball. Please be sure to consult the previous advanced tutorials on importing players before reading this tutorial.

In this tutorial we will be importing the 2021 Reading Fighting Phillies from Baseball Reference. You can access data on Baseball Reference for any minor league year/team here: here[www.baseball-reference.com].

The import process has been simplified because the import format files for minor league data on Baseball Reference have been automatically included with Digital Diamond Baseball V9 and can be found in the DigitalDiamondDataFilesV9\Import folder. This will allow you to select the MinorLeagueFormat when executing the import.

The first step in the import is to create a comma-separated text file containing the batting statistics for the 2021 Fighting Phillies. The batting data on Baseball Reference is shown below:


These statistics can be converted into comma separated text using the Share & Export tools provided by Baseball Reference. This is covered in detail in the previous player importing tutorials in this guide.

The next step is to create the file containing the pitching stats. The pitching data on Baseball Reference is shown below and it can be saved to a text file using the same comma separated data provided by Baseball Reference.


Unfortunately, creating the fielding data files are a bit more work when importing minor league teams. This is because Baseball Reference does not provide the Share & Export tool for fielding data. To get around this, you have to highlight and copy each fielding table and paste it into your text editor. Then, you need to clean up the file by adding commas.

The first base fielding table on Baseball Reference for the 2021 Fighting Phillies is shown below:


And here is the fielding data after it has been copied and pasted into a text editor is show here:


And finally, here is the first base fielding data after the commas have been manually added:


The comma separated data files for the Reading Phills should be saved in a subfolder of the DigitalDiamondDataFilesV9\Import folder. The screenshot below shows this folder, which has been named MILB-REA. NOTE: In this case only the batting, pitching, and first base data has been created. When you are done you should have files for batting, pitching, and all of the nine fielding positions.


Once you have created the batting, pitching, and fielding text files you are ready to do the import. The process for completing this import is similar to the one shown in earlier tutorials for major league data. However, in this case we will be just importing a single team at a time. As a result, the team name must be included in the import dialog (REA in this case). The import tool will automatically create the team for you if it does not exist yet.

The other important difference in the import process is that you must select MinorLeagueFormat for the Format field. Notice that in the screenshot below I have only provided fielding data for first base. When you do the import you should have all of the fielding data files created and selected before doing the import. The completed import dialog box is shown below:


When the import is complete the Fighting Phillies team will be created and the players will be added to the team. Here is a screen shot of Madison Stokes after the import was completed.


You can repeat this process for each team you want to import into your library.

Advanced Tutorial - Playing the 2021 Season As It Unfolds

Advanced Tutorial - Custom Play By Play