Strategy I STILL can't figure out! EXPERTS, please chime in!

[GR8YEAR68]

I'd like to chime in on the stolen base. If you are going to be an active mgr, having a Vince Coleman is great. I like 60 mil league's, and his 1.51 price tag is great. He's bullet proof, his def won't kill you, and in pitchers parks, where every run counts, he is great. I presently have him leading off, Bowa, a great bunter,next, then Mantle and Maris. He leads the league in RS, because of 34 steals, 1 CS. But when I face a team with a Bench or Carter, I dial him back, and help keep that % up. He doesn't kill rallies by getting caught, and that 17 speed still gets him from 1st to 3rd, or scores easily from second. He's not going to be the run producer that Mantle is, but thats not why you have him. 2 examples: in a squeeker he went hitless, but he drove in 2 very important runs with 2 sac flies, final score 3-2.
Then he steals 6, scores 4, one being the final run, in the 9th, in a 5-4 win. There are other examples, but you get the point, with this guy, speed DOES kill. I don't mention Cobb, who is every bit as good, better for his much higher OBA, because his price, and I go with more pitching instead.

[Chazbot]

I agree that it is a good idea to change the settings from day to day based on the catcher's ability to throw out runners. Baserunning based on OF arms and likewise can all have a small effect in the end....

[robert.kosky]

I've had success when I look at the Catcher arm rating. If the catcher is a 0 or worse (+1 or +2), set the stealing to aggressive. Of course, your opponent may have two catchers who platoon, where one is decent and the other way below average (in the basic game). Then I look to see which one will play more in a three game series. If the solid catcher is better against my two righty starters, then I'll scale back to average with basestealing. If the below average catcher is playing two of the three games, I'll go with aggressive. I did go very aggressive a couple of times and even with good basestealers and a below average catcher, and got thrown out too often for my liking. Also, in a game where I had Lou Brock (AA) set for aggressive, he got thrown out twice going to second with a catcher with a +1 rating and a pitcher who had a +1 hold rating!!!! HAL got me that time!

[LARRYLANG]

[quote:3c19e8b135="Bob Kosky"]I've had success when I look at the Catcher arm rating. If the catcher is a 0 or worse (+1 or +2), set the stealing to aggressive. Of course, your opponent may have two catchers who platoon, where one is decent and the other way below average (in the basic game). Then I look to see which one will play more in a three game series. If the solid catcher is better against my two righty starters, then I'll scale back to average with basestealing. If the below average catcher is playing two of the three games, I'll go with aggressive. I did go very aggressive a couple of times and even with good basestealers and a below average catcher, and got thrown out too often for my liking. Also, in a game where I had Lou Brock (AA) set for aggressive, he got thrown out twice going to second with a catcher with a +1 rating and a pitcher who had a +1 hold rating!!!! HAL got me that time![/quote:3c19e8b135]


This makes me wonder if strat on-line is like the board game in that you get an extra -2 if you are in fact holing the runner?? Example# If your pitcher is a -3 hold and catcher is a +1 is it a -2 total or is it a -4 as it would be in the board game if runner is being held?

[voovits]

[quote:982d896cf6="rmilter"]I have read that several players say they do not draft for stolen bases, and that TSN might not even consider them(stolen bases) when setting players salaries. If this is the case this makes it all the more reason to draft guys who can steal bases, because if you are not paying extra for it, you are getting the speed for free. I do not believe this is the case. Would Tony Gwynn really be about 8.25 million(in the 1986 game) if he was not capable of stealing 40 bases or more? Or in other words I think if you took two players with almost identical stats and one was a AA and one was a D the player with the AA steal rating would cost more money. If I am wrong on this ,PLEASE LET ME KNOW![/quote:982d896cf6]

From the TSN FAQ taken from the 80's mystery card game:

"- How were the players' salaries determined?

The players' salaries were determined by a complex formula that considered all aspects of performance, including offense, defense, speed, clutch hitting and endurance."

[SteadyEddie33]

[quote:8c70cb09b4="Pelzer"]
This makes me wonder if strat on-line is like the board game in that you get an extra -2 if you are in fact holing the runner?? Example# If your pitcher is a -3 hold and catcher is a +1 is it a -2 total or is it a -4 as it would be in the board game if runner is being held?[/quote:8c70cb09b4]

I'm pretty sure this is the case. Also keep the 'gb(ss)A+' type of result in play for the single through the hole, right?

[coyote303]

[quote:d52744ee3b="SteadyEddie33"][quote:d52744ee3b="Pelzer"]
This makes me wonder if strat on-line is like the board game in that you get an extra -2 if you are in fact holing the runner?? Example# If your pitcher is a -3 hold and catcher is a +1 is it a -2 total or is it a -4 as it would be in the board game if runner is being held?[/quote:d52744ee3b]

I'm pretty sure this is the case. Also keep the 'gb(ss)A+' type of result in play for the single through the hole, right?[/quote:d52744ee3b]

gbA+ is only a single with the infield in.

If a runner is held the 1B and either 2B or SS (depending on R/L of batter) have their fielding rating increased by one and there are some additional chances to get a hit on groundball Xs to those positions.

[LACEYBURNETTE]

I think three good relief pitchers is enough. I have experimented a little with this with the 2007 season. Capps, Hoffman, Wilson did well and blew only 16 saves. Another team I had had these three with Janssen and did about the same. I think you want two closers and a strong setup guy. You should be able to do this for between $8 million and $9 million. I used Capps as my closer. I think HAL is less likely to pinch-hit a lefty against Hoffman as a set-up man, which makes him a little more effective.
On a side note, I don't see the fatigue factor playing in much. In every league, there seems to be a reliever (such as Franklin or Timlin) who throws more than 162 innings and does so well enough to make it worthwhile.