Are you a strat expert? Chime in:

[doug_tucker10]

[b:6b82aa0515]quoting keyzick:

"5. Strat Home Field advantage- I don't think it's used "[/b:6b82aa0515]


I'm not 100% certain but i think home field advantage is used. I remember Bernie saying something in the past about this (2 alike ballparks facing each other with home team having advantage)

[keyzick]

I guess...but I guess that gets the meat of the question...how DOES it affect the game? Throwing arms stronger? W's become N's? Up is down, in is out, cats sleeping with dogs, it's pandemonium!!

[blue turtle]

My take:

[quote:4859768991="jeffdoh"]I'm now ranked 3-star "Junior College Batting Champ" player and there's STILL things I have yet to figure out definitely about this great game of ours. I'm curious to hear if you've discovered the answers and how you "proved" it to yourself by playing on here:

1. Do stolen bases help a team's offense? I've been debating this with myself forever and I'm still undecided. I know that Bill James once sade that to break-even, a base-stealer would need to be successful at least 2/3 of the time and I often wonder whether a guy who goes 60 SB and 20 CS actually does help his team in strat. [b:4859768991]I'm not a fan of the SB, but if I can get 60/20 performance I am reasonably happy. I make no attempt to seek out A or AA stealers; too often they seem to have really low numbers of walks and singles. Soriano or Jimmy Rollins being an A or AA does little good if they mostly hit extra base hits. A guy with a .300 OBP is similarly value-less as a stealer.[/b:4859768991]

2. What's the better strategy-- 4 or 5-man rotation? Or, does it ever make sense to go with one or two SP* and then 3 other guys? [b:4859768991] I don't think the 4 or 5 makes much difference, except for playoff time. It depends on who the 4 or 5 guys are.[/b:4859768991]

3. Does it EVER make sense to click "steal more"? I would think that all this means is that a basestealer will take more risks and lower his SB% to below the 2/3 succes break-even rate. What'd your experience?

4. Can you win with a power-hitting team in an extreme SP ballpark? I would think that despite that no one does it that this is very possibie because neither team playing will hit a ton of HRs so maybe the team with a ton of HR guys will have the edge by hitting on the non-ballpark effect HR rolls. [b:4859768991]Too hard to leave it to just that factor. So yes, you can win with that setup.
[/b:4859768991]
5. Does anyone have any clue how strat's home field advantage works?it's clearly a VERY real thing, but how is it implemented? no one seems to know.

6. can you win with a season-long "4" at ss?has anyone tried this?

7. Which teams tend to do better-- the team with the great bullpen or the team with the better SP.
[b:4859768991]I prefer better SP, because they pitch more innings than RP. Give me 7 IP of Johan Santana numbers and hopefully I am far enough ahead to coast home on a cheap closer. Years back I won titles with Matt Anderson and (gulp) John Rocker as RP stars.
[/b:4859768991]
8. How many GOOD RPs is ideal? it seems a waste to spend alot of money on a 4th great RP, as they wont picth much....or will they? no telling when hal will decide to use your 4th RP more than your 2nd in a season. [b:4859768991]I try to get a decent closer, a solid setup man, a decent 9L and 9R, and a mop up guy. Depends on if I have good starters, however.
[/b:4859768991]
9. Does batting order matter at all? [b:4859768991]Yes[/b:4859768991]

10. on that note, does it ever make sense to lead off a guy like Ruth? more ABs--maybe 50-60 a season, high OBP, maybe contribute to knocking out a SP early with a HR, etc..... [b:4859768991]I think a Ruth or Bonds is ideal at 3rd in the order. You KNOW they will bat in the 1st inning, and possibly with someone on base. If the guy is a A or AA stealer (ie Rickey Henderson in 1986), I'd be more tempted to put him 1st than with a Babe Ruth.
[/b:4859768991]
I have more, but let's leave it at these 10 thoughts for now. :-)

Please do chime in!!!!

Jeff[/quote:4859768991]

[Phenomenal]

[quote:f7a4acf713="jeffdoh"]9. Fascinating that you all think, hands down, that Batting order absolutely matters. I think its interesting because Bill James disagrees. He says even batting your SP 4th makes only the tiniest of differences. Perhaps its all psychology. We all feel like we do a very important (and fun) thing when we set our lineups. After all, these are our guys. We drafted em, we assembled a park suited just for em, so, sure, the order we set is important. But is it? Again, James says no. And, after the first time around, what difference does it really make? What amazes me somehwat is not that you guys think it makes a difference, but rather how emphatic you are about it. :-)[/quote:f7a4acf713]

Most certainly lineups matter. If Bill James thinks he has proof it doesn't then that causes me to lose respect for any kind of scientific approach he takes. Where you put your best bunters, where do the guys bat that excel at Hit and Run? Where do you want your speed guys to make the defense have to hold the runner. Your best hitters should be at the top to maximize their AB's over the course of a season while you good defense weak hitters may hit near the bottom to reduce the amount of AB's they get. Power goes behind high OBP so HR's can maximize runs.

To say a lineup doesn't matter is complete folly, not even a matter for discussion IMO.

[coyote303]

I think stolen bases matter more than people realize. It's easy to say if you get caught stealing and the next guy homers you lose a run. However, if the next guy instead hits a ground ball, chances are you break even since you avoided a double play.

Also, a good base stealer forces the opposing manager to hold him, thus increasing the average of the next hitter.