Park strategy: Oakland

[Larryrickenbacker]

Howdy,

I've got a 70s team and use Oakland's Alameda County Coluseum as our home. We're a couple of games under .500 and do better at home.
My question is this: What type of pitching and hitters should I draft?
Being a grass field with alot of foul territory, I reasoned that power hitters were more important than high-average guys, generally speaking.
As for pitching, I simply tried to get the best available. Again, what type of players would you SOM veterans seek for an extreme pitcher's park like Oakland?

Larry

[durantjerry]

Oakland is what we call a pitching park. I believe the HR factors are 1-4 for LH and RH. I think the singles factor is low also. You want any good p0itcher obviously, but pitchers with a lot of # HR's on their card can succeed in your park, where they may struggle in a bomber park. Examples of such guys are Catfish on the high side, Cuellar in the middle and Juan Marichal/Steve Stone on the cheap end. They can still stink in their bad years, but your park affords you the opportunity of taking a shot with them and still winning while finding out if they are good or bad. Cuellar is typical, as he can be very good in more than one year and is relatively inexpensive. Hittingwise, you need some power, but much of it will be wasted due to the size of your park. You want more average, double, OBO with some power mixed in. Easier said than done.

[Larryrickenbacker]

Howdy,

Thanks, durandtjerry. I've decided to bring back Jim Hunter and my Mules are doing better lately, although we're having difficulty staying healthy.
I've got a mix of power vs. contact hitters and things seem to be looking up. This SOM is new to me, but fun!

Larry