Archive of SportingNews.com's old SOM Baseball forum

Carlos Marmol was a perfect 48 for 48 in save opportunities.

http://fantasygames.sportingnews.com/stratomatic/team/team_other.html?user_id=297066

Anyone else see anything like that?

That definately deserves a WOW.

Amazing, I would love a statistic like that.

I was in a league where Mike Gonzalez saved 51 with only 1 blown save and just assumed that was the best ever for an online league. Amazing, especially for someone as marginal as Marmol.

I don't think Marmol is "marginal". He's one of the few closers that has 0 bpSI AND 0 bpHRs, making him the perfect fit in hitters' stadiums like Camden. I just set the closer role to maximize, and with two higher-priced relievers soaking up most of the important innings, he was able to come in for 3 quick outs, generally with not too much pressure.

Obviously, quite a bit of luck was involved, too, as he gave up only 2 HRs in over 70 IP. His card's biggest weakness, walks, was ameliorated as he walked significantly fewer batters than expected. My defense helped out quite a bit, too, with just 66 errors and generally good range all around. The biggest boon, though, had to be his road ERA: a minuscule 0.52!!

Well, "marginal" might be a little unfair, but at $1.34M, nobody would consider him one of the elite closers in the set. I've seen that card put up some pretty terrible numbers.

It's rather funny how you say "higher-priced relievers soaking up most of the important innings". Completely true. It's interesting how strat players completely understand that a tightly defined closing "role" is something you generally don't need your best reliever pitching in. Those 5th through 9th innings when the game is still tied or you are up or down by 1 are much more important. The almighty "save" is, in my opinion, the most overrated statistic in all of sports.

I agree about the save being overrated.

In real life, many closers are converted starting pitchers that didn't have enough stuff and/or stamina to make it through the better part of a game (5 innings or more). Why not just find a couple of those guys to base your bullpen around and let them go two or three innings at a time (as needed)? If they truly are world-class athletes, let them go out there and throw two innings one day, two or three the next, and then maybe take a day off before doing it all over again. You can get two or three bullpen guys to log 100-150 innings, just like Strat. Hopefully you get a starting pitcher or two that can go 7-9 innings consistently and give the bullpen a rest (e.g. Halladay).

Just hoping for that philosophical shift to start happening. Wonder what team will start doing it first?

That is very amazing.

The closest thing I've seen to that is when Soriano saved 28 of 29 for me at Coors.

[quote:a6e26d2395="AeroDave10"]I agree about the save being overrated.

In real life, many closers are converted starting pitchers that didn't have enough stuff and/or stamina to make it through the better part of a game (5 innings or more). Why not just find a couple of those guys to base your bullpen around and let them go two or three innings at a time (as needed)? If they truly are world-class athletes, let them go out there and throw two innings one day, two or three the next, and then maybe take a day off before doing it all over again. You can get two or three bullpen guys to log 100-150 innings, just like Strat. Hopefully you get a starting pitcher or two that can go 7-9 innings consistently and give the bullpen a rest (e.g. Halladay).

Just hoping for that philosophical shift to start happening. Wonder what team will start doing it first?[/quote:a6e26d2395]


The Red Sox kinda tried it a few years back (before Papelbon came around), with a closer by committee philosophy...failed miserably. While I think the "save" is an overrated stat, I don't think a "closer" is overrated, as the mentality is a necessity. Although, with that said, that need for a certain mental toughness is probably a product of "saves" being so highly overrated....kind of a chicken and egg thing...

Marmol is one of my favorite closers in this set.
I too have used him mainly in hitting parks and set to maximize.

In my experience the more he pitches, the more those BB's come.

I'm using him in Land Shark right now, and not having much luck yet...
http://fantasygames.sportingnews.com/stratomatic/team/team_other.html?user_id=301971

He's been OK before (Cut Throat Theme League):
http://fantasygames.sportingnews.com/stratomatic/team/team_other.html?user_id=293106