Basic pitching strategy?

[ANDYCOCHRANE]

Is there a basic pitching strategy for us managers to heed? I know about hitting and how best to balance a lineup by having a certain amount of LH Hitters etc, but pitching leaves me confused. What should one take into account in a Neutral (Yankee), LH park (Shea) or RH park, (Wrigley, Camden), other than watch out for BPHR? How many hits and OB chances is too much on a pitcher's card? My pitching often doesn't seem to fit my parks and leaves me mad!

[durantjerry]

This startegy more applies to unbalanced parks, where you want to match up starters more than in a neutral park like Yankee. My goal when constructing a staff is to never have a starter starting a game where he will not have an advantage. If I am in Shea, I want a hard lefty starting every home game(Others like to have a reverse LH pitcher, but IMO good players will be prepared for this strategy). There are pitchers like Robertson and WIllis who are cheap LH * pitchers that can help you do this. That being said, I don't want them starting on the road and look for some balanced pitchers who can be effective anywhere. Using the Shea example, this would include O Perez, D Davis, Lilly(to some extent), Madritsch and pthers. One or two or more will probably have to be RH starters, depending on the opposition. The same applies to parks like Wrigley, except in the opposite direction. I think the basic principle is to not have a starter going in a park where his talents won't be maximized. You may not be able to achieve this 100%, especially in a unique park league, but it should be your goal. Carpenter and Maddox would be examples of good Wrigley starters. The same principle applies to relievers. If you are in Petco and there are three or four LH parks in your division/league, it may be a good spot to use Linebrink on your staff, with his low WHIP and bad HR roll vs RH hitters. In Minutemaid or Fenway, look for Calero or Leicester types. These guys will exceed their already good cards in the right setting. If there is some quirk in your league that makes Percival a viable closer, take advantage of it. Before the league starts do a quick evaluation of the # of games in slugging, pitching parks, RH & LH parks just to give you an idea as to what may work and then you find the guys whose values will be maximized in those your particular setting. Some players will have to be the types that are good anywhere, but you increase the value of your staff by mixing in others whose value is maximized by the setting.

[ANDYCOCHRANE]

Wow, what a detailed reply, thanks! I am in Turner so I suppose it can't really be classed as a lop sided park although the advantage does go to LH hitters slightly, so I suppose having good pitchers vs LHH would be an advantage. The only thing that worries me about Hard LHP or RHP is how they could even still be lit up against RHH if the dice rolls do not favour them.

It has certainly given me food for thought. I don't mind mixing and matching pitchers as my last 2 leagues have just had 4* pitchers and I am doing less well than previously when i have only had one or two *SP