I wrote a script that automatically grabs the current roster of every MLB team and saves it as a ROS file. This script runs every day at 12:00 PM. These files are available from the .ROS Files tab at the top of every page.
ROS files are used by Retrosheet’s box.exe, bevent.exe, and bgame.exe programs. They are plain-text, comma-delimited files having the format: ID, Last Name, First Name, Batting Hand, Throwing Hand, Team Abbreviation, Position Abbreviation.
ID can be any unique ID for the player. Retrosheet has a unique ID for each player based on first and last name. For instance, Derek Jeter is jeted001. Other databases use different formats. The files that I generate use the 6 digit unique ID used by mlb.com.
The batting hand value can be either R, L, or B (both – switch hitter).
The throwing hand value can be either R or L.
The team value is a three-digit representation of each team. Retrosheet has established abbreviations for each team. They are:ANA, ARI, ATL, BAL, BOS, CHA (Chicago American – Whit Sox), CHN (Chicago National – Cubs), CIN, CLE, COL, DET, FLO, HOU, KCA, LAN, MIL, MIN, NYA, NYN, OAK, PHI, PIT, SDN, SEA, SFN, SLN, TBA, TEX, TOR, and WAS.
The position value can be either: P, C, IF, OF, or DH.
As an example, here are the first few lines from the current Atlanta Braves’ ROS file.
407924,Acosta,Manny,B,R,ATL,P 430831,Bennett,Jeff,R,R,ATL,P 430641,Boyer,Blaine,R,R,ATL,P 499107,Bueno,Francisley,L,L,ATL,P 435658,Campillo,Jorge,R,R,ATL,P
no comment until now