Best bang for the buck

[Casey89]

I have a "concept" team starting tonight in a standard 140 million ATG6 league, and the concept is to 1) maximize positive clutch hitters and 2) have the best 5-man rotation possible. I think I've achieved those two goals with this team, and I still have a little bit of extra cash available to "fill in the gaps", so as a newbie around here, I'm asking anyone who knows about the ins and outs of this simulation game for advice and recommendations.

My team is:

c Cochrane
1b Connor
2b Collins
3b Baker
ss Appling
lf Delahanty
cf Cobb
rf Waner
dh Heilmann

sp Martinez
sp Adams
sp Jones
sp Reulbach
sp Russo

cl Percival
rp Myers

I have Hall as a sixth sp that I plan to use as my long relief or spot starter but I can drop him and pick up another rp plus a better backup catcher. Chance has the best clutch as a catcher. What would you guys do?

[url=http://fantasygames.sportingnews.com/stratomatic/team/team_other.html?user_id=359455]My Team[/url]

[Valen]

[quote:34eefefaa2]Chance has the best clutch as a catcher[/quote:34eefefaa2]
Maximizing clutch is one thing but putting a catcher behind the plate with those throwing ratings would be suicide unless your third goal is to set the record for most stolen bases allowed.

[JOSEPHKENDALL]

While having a theme is fine, your starting 8 and pitchers (5 SP and a couple of good RP) on your team should look like a $200M team. The rest of your team should look like a $60 or $80M team. You want to maximize the money on your main players in a $140M league.

In my opinion, Hall should be turned into a better 3B or SS if possible. He is not worth the money as a spot starter or potential RP.

[Mr Baseball World]

I would not have that expensive of a 6th sp. I can't see where you would want to use Hall as a Starter. You can get as good a reliever as him for considerably less dough. I would keep Hershberger as the backup catcher but upgrade somewhwere else......

[AeroDave10]

You don't have any real power threats, and I would like to see at least one platoon. For sure you don't need 6 SPs. I'd look for a DH that has a much worse glove (i.e. a much better bat).

I realize some of these things may be difficult considering your "theme".

[hackra]

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I'll go against the grain and say I love Hall and your pitching staff. Sellers has no place on this squad though (use the $ elsewhere), and if you want you could turn Reulbach into some excellent other starter IMO.

Is there any way you could trade for the 7.92 Honus? (I am not a Appling fan, and Honus still has the good clutch factor). Travis Jackson can be a clutch backup/PH vs LHP. (clutch + power SS = Ernie Banks is also a possible tradeoff)

I will agree that some kind of power guy over Heilmann at DH is wise. Gehrig is good clutch and power if you can get him, Hack Wilson, Chuck Klein, Ott, Al Simmons, Brett, Jackie Robinson, and others also have positive clutch ratings.

That said, Heilmann is a very nice player....But you may want power somewhere.

Oh, and Chance at Catcher....very bad idea :roll:

best of luck with your team!

[hackra]

Overall, clutch in Strat does make a measureable difference.

You should expect that 11-12% of all you teams at bats will be in clutch situations.

If your hitters in a DH league have an average clutch rating of 10, that means that 10/216 of the time in those clutch situations you will get a single, over a team with an average clutch rating of zero.

for the season, that means .12*10/216 = 0.0055555555 increase in team batting/slugging/OBP for the season.

Few teams maintain that high a clutch rating across the board.

Is it worth it to raise your team average from .264444 to .270?

Maybe, But having a HR here or there in your lineup may be worth the lost clutch singles in the big scheme of things

8-)

[drfreeze49]

I believe you will win your division...If you could upgrade Appling and swap out Connor for Clutch Bill Terry I would do it....Also might swap hall for Merritt who can be used to be your killer lefty reliever...

Good luck

PS Home run hitter in your line-up can be overrated...If anything maybe slide Delahenty to center...cheaper Cobb to DH and Heilman to left...

[AeroDave10]

[quote:49fa0567e0="hackra"]Is it worth it to raise your team average from .264444 to .270?[/quote:49fa0567e0]

I'm not a big fan of clutch, but the one thing that you are sort of trivializing is that the 5 point swing in BA comes from hits with runners in scoring position, meaning that all of those extra hits are leading to extra runs.

Is this enough runs to offset the runs lost by having singles hitters over HR hitters? Maybe, but probably not.

Still, this is a worthy experiment worth following.

[Casey89]

Thanks for the help -

I decided to dump Baker for Torre, +5 clutch, better power.

I swapped out Russo and Myers for Wilhelm and Radatz.

My gut feeling is a team with high positive clutch ratings will do "better than their cards" and I could even see situations where a batter gets a single in a clutch situation which sets up another clutch situation for the next batter, and so on.

We'll see how it goes, win or lose, I just want to see what happens with a team concept like this.