Statis Pro Baseball Review

Statis Pro Baseball brings back many fond memories for me.  It really catapulted my involvement in the table top sports hobby.  I started playing Statis Pro Baseball my Freshman year in college.  My buddy was joining a league and asked me if I'd be interested.  Of course!  Well, little did I know then, that I would still be playing in these leagues almost thirty years later.

So how does Statis Pro hold up in today's world?  Would I still join a Statis Pro league?  What's good about the game and what would I change?  Let's examine these questions.

The first thing I noticed about Statis Pro Baseball upon playing the game again is how cool the mechanics are for pitchers.  Each pitcher is given a PB rating which is used to determine whether the result of each plate appearance will be read off the pitcher's card or the hitter's card.  Additionally, prior to entering the game each pitcher makes a check to see if he's got good stuff, poor stuff or average stuff.  I'm a huge fan of the PB rating as well as the concept that pitcher's sometimes have a little extra and other times are just a bit off.  Score a HR for Statis Pro on this area.

You also immediately notice there are no dice!  The game's engine is a Fast Action deck.  This FAC deck lends itself to a quick resolution of games once you get the hang of the game.  I can knock out a game of Statis Pro quicker than I can with any other tabletop baseball game I've played and I credit the FAC deck with a lot of that.  Not quite a homer as randomizing cards is not as simple as randomizing dice rolls, however I love the speed.  Give them a triple for this innovation.

The other thing I love about this game is it is fun.  The game might not be as statistically accurate as other games and it does feel a bit dated, but the game is still a blast to play.  This would probably be my go-to game if I was trying to introduce someone new to the hobby.  The game is easy to learn and is mostly intuitive.  To me it's much funner to play Statis Pro with someone that playing it solitaire.  Perhaps that is because I cut my teeth on this game and always played it with others.  Fun factor is a solid double.

Now a game of baseball is not complete without some outs.  Statis Pro makes quite a few outs.  As I said before the game feels a bit dated and there are some rules that feel pasted on.

How is the game dated?  Well, there are no lefty/righty splits or ballpark effects.  Both are practically required for a baseball game I'm going to play.  Statis Pro includes a simplistic lefty/righty rule, but it's the same for everyone.  There are no hitters that crush lefties or one out lefty relievers.  I really miss that depth if I'm playing a season or a tournament.  The lack of ballpark effects is also disappointing to me.  I want the Padres to play completely different in Colorado than they do at home.  I don't get that.  For me this is a strikeout.

I'm also not very enthusiastic with how some of the strategies available to managers are implemented in the game.  The base stealing system doesn't include any way to differentiate between how well pitcher's hold runners on base.  It's a minor quibble, but a quibble nonetheless.  Bunting for a hit seemed like it was a bit too good.  Of course, maybe that's because there was a guy in my league in college that abused that and the hit and run.  Oh, the hit and run.  That chart needs some major help.  A great hit and run man is extremely valuable in Statis Pro as the hit and run chart is very kind to him.  I'll give this a groundout since much of this stuff is fixable with a couple tweaks.

Overall, I'd rate Statis Pro as a solid single.  It's a quick, fun game that will always remain in my collection and have a soft spot in my heart.  This game is my game of choice when I'm teaching someone how to play tabletop baseball because it's simple, elegant and quick.  There are some people that still sell Statis Pro cards online so you can continue to play the game with today's players.  Some of those people have even included lefty righty splits which is a huge plus for me.  I haven't tried these out so I can't speak to the quality of the cards.  Regardless, I recommend everyone at least play Statis Pro once and yes I would join a Statis Pro Face to Face league in a heartbeat.  Have you played Statis Pro?  What are your thoughts on the game?