Can someone help me overcome mediocrity in '06?

[visick]

Maybe it's time to think outside the Coffee box... :?

[Coffeeholic]

[quote:7c33a2950b="socalchiro"]Maybe it's time to think outside the Coffee box... :?[/quote:7c33a2950b]

Yeah, I know Socal... hence my SOS! :cry:

All right, so I'm ready to try something new. Let's assemble the pitching staff.

Hermanson as closer Geekor... where do I have to put him on my draft list to get him? Shields as a set-up will have to be pretty high... probably 5th or 6th?

[geekor]

Shields is just my prefered R2 in ANY park, you can get away with less. I kinda don't like wasing such a high pick in him, but he does do very well, averages for me about 2.63 era and a 1.09 whip in pitchers parks. But yea, 4th or 5th, and you still might miss him.

When picking out your hitting, decide how much speed you wish to go for. I really like to go for speed 1-9, but it's really hard to get a draft that les you do it. Mauer/Olivio, Lee, roberts, Rollins (or Reyes), Figgins (Freel with Luna backup if you miss), Crawford/Pods, Taveras or Sizemore, Ichiro or Abreu. Really ahrd to get that (the one time I did I won 100 games). If you miss out on the speed, get the good BA guys, Casey, Redmond (may want to draft him anyways in case you miss Mauer) F Sanchez, A Sanchez is a GREAT DH, has never failed to hit .300 for me, Crisp has been hit or miss, Duffy (another one you may want to draft in case), M young alwys hits.

Also figure out if you want to go hitting or pitching oriented. I've won both ways. hitting oriented try to get the guys like Lee and Roberts, and cheap value pitching like Oswalt, Maddux, Harang after the one stud. Pitcing oriented I've had good luck getting the 5 day guys, Felix, Halladay, Duke, Beckett and Sheets makes a very studly 1-5.
gotta run will hlep later.

[Coffeeholic]

How about going with the speed/defense line-up like:

Mauer/Kendall
Lee
Counsell
Reyes
Figgins (and Bell?)
Crawford
Taveras (and Ellison?)
Ichiro
Lugo (DH)

This gives me 3 RH'ers, 3 LH'er's, 1 Platoon and 2 SH'ers with the total line-up having a slight balance favoring RH pitching.

After grabbing scrubs this should leave me with $33 mil + for pitching (unless I use Bell in a platoon w/Figgins, in which case I'd have $31 mil +left))?

This would be a line-up featuring about 2/3rd's of players I've never used?

[visick]

Looks good to me...

[Stoney18]

Feel awkward chiming in since I learned so much from Coffee during my rookie season last year and don't feel established enough to give advice.

I agree with Geekor for what has worked well for 06.

Pitchers Park

Closer - like Frod or Hermanson and set for max closer. Seemed to be able to get away with same player as setup & closer in 05 and haven't had great results for 06 doing that.

Good setup - I'm partial to Seanez since I can't get Shields.

Middle of the road SP with low hits.

Spend $30/50 pitching/hitting.

Good OB/BA hitters. Duffy, Ellis, Mauer/Molina.

I like to have balance all the way through the lineup so I usually won't spend over $7M for one hitter.

[MARCPELLETIER]

What I don't like of your "ideal" SP set-up for a pitcher's park is that you don't beneficiate of your home stadium's biggest asset: its ability to prevent homeruns. Why pay 6M on Smoltz when Radke costs 2M and has about the same on-base, with all BP turning into Steve Balboni's flyball?

As for your line-up above....is this a 60M league?

I can't understand the love for Taveras....the guy hits like...like a 1.74M player!!! Defense ain't bad, but I am not too fond of players who can't hit over .700 OPS...

[Coffeeholic]

Hey Stoney, Luckyman!

Stoney, Duffy, Mauer & Seanez have been staples on my Petco teams so far (Polanco & Young also). Ellis always seems to dis-appoint though! For $8 mil I think that you need to get more run production than what he provides?

Luckyman, I guess my thinking is that I need to win in the road also, and that those SP's can be effective in a hitters park as well? Would you say Radke is a must have in a pitcher's park?

No real love here for Traveras... I've yet to use him... he just looked like an in-expensive option on a super speed team like Geekor was suggesting.

[Jerlins]

I've been in 25 plus leagues now and rarely if ever, have I seen the stud pitcher route successful for 06. Unlike 05, where I believe it was essential to have a stud or two, I've found my successful teams to be heavy on the good hit/good field hitters, and mid range SP's. If you look at the 103 and 96 win teams I presented, neither had a staff of over $23. I've also had 4 other 90 plus win teams, the only one with a staff over $23 million included Pettite, who was outperformed ERA, whip, and wins by both Buehrle and Blanton, who together don't even add up to the price of Pettite. And Dolphins Stadium was a place he should have shined. Heck, on the 103 win team Jamie Moyer had 21 wins, same total as Clemens!!!!

I'm of the opinion the 05 set stud pitching was priced well, while the 06 set has overvalued the stud starters. I wouldn't go without Santana or RJ in 05, I'd never take Clemens or Pettite (once was enough) in the 06. The prices of the good hitting are just too high in 06 to afford both hitting and pitching in 06.

[visick]

Last I checked, a sub $2 million CF, that is a 2(-3) on defense with 36.4 hit chances, 39.4 OB chances and 40.8 TB chances ain't too shabby.

And can only go down for 3 games, I might add...

He's a good option to go with, and use the $ somewhere else...