Closer Usage

[billg012260]

I was a long time SOM junkie and I got away from it with the advent of MLB The Show for PS 3. I recently got back into it again and I see all these supposed improvements--re pitching preferences, in particular. It appeared to my very non-expert eye that they had made some changes to give us more control--so I gave it another try.

In my first foray back, I have a team with Rivera as my closer- the most expensive reliever in my bullpen, and a first ballot Hall of Famer--AND HAL REFUSES TO PUT HIM IN THE BLOODY GAME game!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :evil:

I am 6 games from the end of the season and he has pitched a grand total of 36 innings. I have my closer set to maximize, and the other roles very clearly defined but HAL just ignores them.Just yesteday my set up guy goes 4 innings including the 9th in a save situation.

My question is what is the bloody point of these preferences when they are summarily ignored???????????????????????????? :twisted: .

I am a little bit p'd about that. :twisted:

[MARCPELLETIER]

Have you manipulated the F-levels?

Leaving a reliever until he reaches his F-levels supersedes any other instructions you leave to Hal.

In the past, I have used closers up to 150 innings without any difficulty.

[Knerrpool]

I think setting closer to maximize is also part of your problem. I think doing that means he will likely [i:9a220b2f43]only [/i:9a220b2f43]pitch in closer situations. If you use the roles, and set him for a bunch of them at the top of the order, and, as marcus said, use the f-levels, you should get a whole lot more innings out of him.

[billg012260]

I appreciiate it guys thx--I really just wanted him in in save situations which he was not doing. The F level just deals with how long he is left in, not when he comes in, though, correct?

[MARCPELLETIER]

Correct. So if your set-up man is set to F8, he will remain in the game despite your instruction to call in the closer.

To have a closer only in closing situations (not an optimal use of your best reliever, by the way), then you should have him checked to not come before 8th inning, have him as closer among your first instructions lines (specialists vs rhp or lhp could be in before), click on maximize closers, make sure no other pitcher is on F-levels, and have aggressive use of bullpen, and have him at F-6 levels.

With these setups, I would estimate that your closer will get roughly 50-60 innings.

[billg012260]

Thanks alot Dr. Wilby! :)

[apolivka]

Right, but as marcus and others have alluded to, Rivera is almost undoubtedly the best reliever in your pen and a R1C6. By properly utilizing your relief settings you easily get around 150 innings out of him. I would make him my primary setup guy and closer and _not_ "maximize" my closer. Then he would also be my primary pitcher "tied and anything". Then I would put tons of restrictions on my lesser relievers to keep them out of tight games.

This way Rivera pitches in tie games and gets lots of 2 inning saves. Maybe he loses a few along the way, but so what? You want your best pitcher out there as much as possible.

Using your best reliever only in the 9th with a lead is at odds with wanting to win as many games as possible. Strato pitchers don't care that they have some tightly defined "role" that MLB managers seem to think is so vitally important. Frankly, tie games in the 7th and 8th innings are MUCH more important than the 9th inning when you are up by 2 or 3. So, unless you have a dominant middle/setup guy, you want Rivera in those situations as much as possible.

[billg012260]

thanks apolivka--I appreciate your comments. I tend to try to set it up with an eye toward "realism", but what you said makes a lot of sense. Thanks for taking the time to give a thoughtful response.

[apolivka]

NP, welcome back to "old school" strat from the PS3.

Just as a reference, if you want to really maximize relief realism, you might do better with a r1c3 type closer, and then a dominant setup guy or two.

http://fantasygames.sportingnews.com/stratomatic/team/team_other.html?user_id=270083

Not my team, but look what the above guy did with a 3.13 million dollar reliever!