What is Normal IBB?

[ergie63]

A manager strategy setting of Normal for IBB produced the following result...

Score: TOP 1 BOT 0
Situation: 2 out, runner at 2nd
Pitching: C.S. Baek R - S6/R3 - 2R

Hal choose to...
IBB to: Mauer L - 2L
To pitch to: Bradley S - 3L


*** TOP OF INNING 3 ***
0 R.Winn 3-11 Ground Out (P) b-0 bpSI 1-7 F9
1 L.Rodriguez 2-7 Fly Out (CF) b-0 F9
2 B.Giles 1-5 Double (LF) b-2 F9
2 2 J.Mauer Int Walk b-1 F9
2 12 M.Bradley 1-9 Walk 2-3 1-2 b-1 F9
2 123 M.Fontenot 5-5 Single (CF) 3-H 2-H 1-3 b-2 F9
2 23 D.Lee 1-9 Strike Out b-0 F9


Since I've never played any strat-o game other than the online games, can anybody shed some light? I'm certainly not the greatest baseball mind, but I would not think that an IBB in this situation is normal.

[MARCPELLETIER]

Yeah, you better put that IBB to extra-conservative.

The logic of the computer is to prevent at all costs the 1-run single, even to the risk of a 3-run homerun. Mauer has a good clutch, lots of single**, Bradley has a real bad clutch, and there were two outs.

[wavygravy2k]

I agree setting IBB to extra-conservative is the way to go but intentional walks will still occur from time to time. I have mine set to extra-conservative and also the IBB less individual setting turned on but my pitcher still gave an intentional pass. Steve Lake has a clutch rating of 13 and was intentionally walked and Doran has a clutch rating of -11 and ended up hitting an RBI single.

[gorshar]

I do not trust HAL with the IBB, actually there isn't much I do trust HAL with, but we don't have a lot of choices... Anyway, I have the managerial settings at extra-conservative and all my pitchers set to IBB less. Most of my teams will go through a year with at most two IBBs, often zero.

[apolivka]

I agree with gorshar, go conservative or extra conservative. For whatever reason HAL seems to take clutch into account more than anything else when it comes to IBBs and pinch hitters.

The only exception to this would be to highly slanted one way pitchers. If I have a 6R cheap righty reliever, I will usually do NOT check the "IBB Less" box hoping HAL will walk super strong lefty hitters gain the advantage, and it actually works like that sometimes!

As a general drafting guideline, 50 cent bench players with positive clutch are sometimes risky. I've seen HAL pinch hit for really good hitters hoping for that clutch single!

[MARCPELLETIER]

apolivka,

I noticed in the manager records that you seem to have had a team with 110 wins or so. Could you please post the link of that team? I'd be curious to see your success.

[apolivka]

Ahh, the Versailles Cake Eaters:

http://fantasygames.sportingnews.com/stratomatic/team/team_other.html?user_id=196940

I think I posted it before. They won 110 games and got bounced in the 1st round to an 87 win team. The wild card in my division won the title. Truly heart breaking.

[MARCPELLETIER]

Very solid team, that's for sure.

Roberts-Markakis-Berkman is perhaps the best efficient 2-3-4, dollar for dollar, for PNC. Sandoval is a true bargain for any stadium. The mix of injury-prone players with a solid bench gave your team a solid return of your investment.

You seem to have made some nice adjustments over the course of the season. At first, I was struck by the limitation you seem to have imposed on your relatively good SPs, as they appear to have pitched on average only 6 innings per game. But looking at the game logs, you seem to have relaxed this limitation as the season went forward. At least it looks like so.

I don't want to rub salt into the wound, but Oswalt, who arguably can benefit the most from pitching in your stadium, was pitching game 162 and was therefore not available to pitch at home for the series.

[apolivka]

I got some awesome doubles production out of just about everyone on that team. Granderson is a great PNC value, too. I had Sandovol batting 1st most of the season since he is a gbA machine and I had a real high OBP team. I was dead last in team HRs but 2nd in runs scored, and only missed first by about 2 runs.

I didn't start the season with Oswalt. I had a much weaker starter with Jimmy Johnson in the pen, so I wanted to funnel him a lot of innings. When I picked up Oswalt, I had to give my starters more innings due to, essentially, a one man bullpen.

I actually rested Sheets prior to the playoffs in order to avoid injury on him and thought he was just about equal to Oswalt for game 1 and would pitch two games. Oswalt did pitch game 2 at home, my only victory in the semis. Of course, it never got to game 5 anyway, so the whole point was moot! :)

[MARCPELLETIER]

Ok, right. I was erring with Oswalt having to start on the road. So you don't have any blame to give to yourself. :wink: