e-ratings and 3's

[honestiago1]

E-ratings:

In my first 80s league, I got warned away from Templeton because of his high e-rating. I panicked, and jettisoned one of his .300 years for the best DEF at SS that was left (Schofield). Looking back, I thought, "You know, I'd rather have a 2e36 who's hitting .300, rather than a 2e16 who's coming in at .233. After all, the split rating for SS is not that wide (certainly not like 3B or 1B), and 2's get plenty of DP chances." It didn't keep me from winning, dropping Templeton, but it did hurt my run production, and, for that team, run production was important (pitching was so damned spotty).

So, the question: how much does a high E-rating at SS actually hurt you? Isn't a 2e36 better than a 3e11 (or even a 3e6) any day?

On a similar note:
It's pretty much ingrained that you want 1's and 2's at the middle IF positions. There are, however, good teams in real life that have won with 3's in the middle IF, right? My question: what's the worst rated middle IF combo you've ever had on a winning team? Has ANYONE won with a 4 at S or 2B (meaning, has anyone dared to play Molitor there all year, in a NON-THEME league)? Someone told me about winning with Spike Owen at SS, but that's the most daring I've heard.

[Sykes25]

Sax + Smalley = Championship

[url]http://fantasygames.sportingnews.com/baseball/stratomatic/80s/team/team_other.html?user_id=40317[/url]

[YountFan]

defense is just a factor to consider along with all esle. Some think defense is god, I don;t not. It is nice if you can get it. but don't sweat it

[honestiago1]

Wow...I wouldn't have the huevos for that. How about that -- a PAIR of 3's at middle IF. Your set up men did a great job, BTW. Pitching was about average, overall, wasn't it? Nice job.

[albert2b]

[quote:d5e240deb7]Sax + Smalley = Championship[/quote:d5e240deb7]

I hope you're right, Sykes. That's my DP combo for the decade league. :D

[YountFan]

If they hit, you can win!

[Outta Leftfield]

...that Smalley is one of the great bargain players in the 80's game. For a shortstop, he hits really well, he's cheap, he's a switch-hitter, and, with his moderate errors, his fielding isn't really all that bad. I'm currently using him in a platoon with UL Washington in the Over/Under 4M theme league (only one stud hitter over 4M). In this league, unless you picked Trammell, Ripken, or Yount as your stud, you've got to strike a balance between hitting and fielding at SS.

Smalley is putting up a .776 OPS in a platoon with UL Washington (.774 OPS). Neither is an awesome fielder, but together they are helping the team win.

http://fantasygames.sportingnews.com/baseball/stratomatic/80s/team/team_other.html?user_id=55180

[honestiago1]

Most pitcher's cards have that big, fat X-rating for 2B and SS in prominent places (7's, 9's). Guess you'd have to figure out over the course of the season how many times it gets hit in order to determine its value. I think you have to hit A LOT to overcome the benefits of a 1. I would think, though, that the differences between a 2 and 3 aren't quite as big.

[KingLouie]

For what it's worth, I just finished a season in which I thought I had a lot of pitchers in their best (or very good) years. But it turned out not to be true. Their excellent numbers seemed to have been created in no small measure by 1s up the middle (and elsewhere at times) and the big Oakland ballpark.

[honestiago1]

Ballpark is big. I think in the long run it's better to have a ballpark favorable to your pitchers, and live with the adverse effects on hitting. If you have good hitters, they'll produce enough for you to win anywhere.

And yeah, those 1's, there's just no comparison. We'd all take a decent hitting 1 SS over a good hitting 3. I'm thinking, though (again) that, in cases where a 3 middle IF is a MUCH better hitter than a 2-rated one, it might be worth it to get the bat into the lineup. Seems a few people have, no?

That said, I'm a big chicken about trying it. I drafted Johnny Ray for my newest team, to pair with Ozzie Smith. But I just couldn't hang with the 3. Ended up with an Oester-Lind tandem, which probably won't produce much at the plate, but are cheaper, collectively, than Ray, and Lind gives me that late inning '1'. Yeah, I admit it, I'm a wuss.