Archive of SportingNews.com's old SOM Baseball forum

I made some edits.

Rules about having a winning team
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1. Don't overspend on your bench. Carry 23-25 players and have 6 of them cost less than .75

2. The stadium.

Some prefered to use a neutral park 1st time out, one which is evenly balanced between pitching and hitting. In this case, don't have to many one-sided batters...try to keep an even lineup of lefties and righties...and a switch htter or two, to keep the oposition from stacking up all righty or lefty pitchers against you.

Some prefered to use a stadium that favours one-side, like Shea. Even in this case, you put yourself at danger if you go with 7 or 8 lefties.


3) Many players like try to spend about $50 million of salary on hitters, the other $30 million on pitchers;

Of the $50 million on hitters, concentrate as much of that on your 9 starters as possible (about 90-95%).
Seldom do you want to spend more than $500,000 on a reserve. The only possible exception being if one of your starters is more injury prone than normal.

4) Injury duration is as follows: for players with 600 or more Plate Appearances the max is 3 games. Less than 600 PA, max is 15 games. Players with injury rolls on 2 or 12 are much less succesptible to injuries than others.

5) As mentioned above, try to keep an even balance between lefties and righties in your lineup. Also, pay attention to how hitters fare against either left or right handed pitching. Generally you will see a bit more right handed than lefthanded pitching, so you may want to weigh slightly more against righties. Check the pitching on the other teams in your division however, as you will play these teams the most. This may lead you to alter this approach some.

6) Most important rule of all, do not "dump" players during the season. You can exchange players on your roster for players in the "Free Agent" pool during the season, but every time you do, it cost you 20% of the salary of the player you are dropping. Many "rookies" (myself included) start out slowly, then begin to drop players in an effort to improve, only to find that quickly they are playing with a $50 or $60 million payroll instead of $80 million. These $50 million teams are destined for last place.

7) As mentioned in another thread, get a guy with a high, over .400 if possible, OBP to lead off.

8- One big mistake you made was to mix up *SP and non -*SP. *SP like Morris can pitch every 4 games, and their price tag are ajusted in the prevision that they will pitch 40 games. (Same is true for Odadis Perez---I can't figure out from your e-mail if you took this Perez and the other Perez). Non *SP like Pedro can only start 33 games. So you mix them, you get into trouble: either you don't skip Pedro, and Morris will only start 32 games while you're paying him for 40 games, or else you don't skip Morris, but you have Pedro and Schimdt and Miller lose 2-3 games apiece. An interesting alternative is to go with one or two outstanding *SP, giving 80 solid starts, and give the rest to scrappy pitchers.

Conclusion: you better not mix. If you mix, then spend a lot on *SP, and concentrate on cheapy non *SPs for the rest of the pitching squad.

9- this game is not too much realistic about relievers: they can easily go for 200 innings without getting penalized...(however, I pretty sure that a pitcher like Dotel who gets 300 innings has pitched many games with some penalties on the fatigue rule...so you might try to avoid this. But 200 innings is often reached by relievers).

Addendum...For one-inning reliever, 140 innings per season seems close to the limit before reaching the penalty overusage.

10: THe golden rule of Strat: spend for the relievers you need. What I mean is that, before the season start, you have to figure out how many innings you'd like to have from your relievers, and spend the money that is appropriate for what you expect. You know that you will need about 1500 innings from your pitching staff. How much will your relief have???

Example: in one league, you play in Safeco--a pitcher's stadium, and you opted for the best *SP rotation available, all over 7M. You can expect to have close to or above 300 innings from each. So you have about 300 innings left to redistribute. You can assume that your closer will get 100, maybe 150. So in this scenario, I would spend for a very good closer, put him at set-up and closer situation, and get myself some 0.5M rp to complete the staff.

However, with the same SP starting rotation, but this time playing in Coors, the rule is not the same. Because you're playing in Coors, your pitchers won't be able to last as long in the games. (In case you don't know, the computer relieves any starter (save exceptions) that gives 5 runs in one inning, or gives 3 hits/walks after the pitcher reached his limit that is indicated at the right of S, like S7 means the pitcher will be relieved if he gives 3 hits/walks once the 7th inning is reached. And I should make the precision that this is minimal...quite often, the computer relieved the SP for less than that). So, in Coors, with the same SP starting rotation, you need more innings from your relief, and hence you might want to need a better set-up than one that is valued 0.5M to get this extra load.

Take note however that, in this scenario, because you're playing in Coors, you need to have a very good offense too!!! So if you're to have four stellar pitchers AND a very good set-up man, you might not have enough to spend in order to have the offense you need to have to perform...

That's why many coaches (myself included) that go with a Coors-like stadium prefer to have a very cheap SP rotation. If I start the season in Coors with a very cheap SP rotation---meaning not very good, and if in addition, I go with a relief setting that is aggressive for relief, than I can expect that I will 700-800 innnings from my relef . So in this scenario, either you go with 3 outstanding relievers, or 2 outstanding (5-6 millions), 1 very good (3-4 millions), and 1 cheap (0.5-1M) that will hopefully only mop-up. Because outstanding relievers costs less than outstanding SP, I will still have enough money to spend for an explosive offensive squad.





Other comments:

1) OBP before SLG

#2 Strat rule- WHIP before ERA.

#3 strat rule-Strengthen your middle defense.

#4 strat rule- Bring your bullpen stopper when the game is tight---(especially when the game is tied, contrary to unwritten baseball rule #24).

#5 strat rule- Avoid mixing *SP and non *SP, especially when you have at least 2 *SP.

#6 strat rule- Favor a leadoff a)with on-base b) with a stealing star---but 3 - OBP before speed at leadoff.

#7 strat rule- Avoid a second hitter with lots of gbA.

#8 strat rule- Avoid a fifth hitter with a high negative clutch.

#9 strat rule- Steal when expected success is higher than 70%.

#10 strat rule- Never bunt in the first seven innings (except for pitchers with 1w-3w batting ability).

#11 - Zero BP homers on pitcher's card in hitter's park

#12 - No more than one 4 in the OF.

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Coffeeholic
Veteran
Posted September 23, 2004 06:24 AM
Harold, Lucky, Sandy,
Thanks for chiming in!

I think we've got enough volunteers to proceed.

Ideally what I'd like to see is some sort of link that would pop up when you "Create a Team" which says something like: First team? Click here for some advice!
That way, before a new player even begins to look at players, he'd have a few ideas on how to proceed. Not sure if TSN would work with us on that? I guess that if we can do that, then any advice will have to be generic to ATG, Back to the '80's and 2003, etc.

I actually penned the maxims #1-6 which lucky quoted above, and I still like them, although I think that they need a litle tweaking. I'm certainly open to any ideas/changes.

Your other ideas, Lucky, of course are all excellent. Certainly they make sense to all of us. I'm wonderring, however, if some of them might be a bit too advanced or complicated for a brand "newbie" getting ready to draft his first team. I do not want to overwhelm somebody with too much stuff. Any chance you might be able to condense and simplyfy some of this (also leaving out any specific player references)?

Fuzzy: Perhaps you could put together a brief synopsis of how an autodraft and waivers work?

Anybody want to volunteer a brief synopsis of how to read a card, die roll probabilities/counting hits type stuff?

Another volunteer to give a brief view a how Player and Manager controls can influence the game and the players one might draft?

Perhaps one other volunteer to explain Ballpark effects and how it relates to player and park selection?

Any other ideas?

Thanks again everybody for expressing interest in helping with this!


visick
Veteran
Posted September 23, 2004 09:36 AM
Perhaps one other volunteer to explain Ballpark effects and how it relates to player and park selection?

I'll take this one.


Fuzzy Platypus of Death
Professional
Posted September 23, 2004 09:42 AM
Sounds good C-holic, I'm glad to help out. I think I may be a little fuzzy on the TSN approach the draft, but I'll do some research to help peg down suome of the fuzzy (pardon the pun) areas in my head.

One thing that came to me last night while my wife was talking to me (shhh, don't tell her!) was that I had been trying to approach this with a "tell them what they should do" approach. Instead, it came to me that it might be more beneficial to come from a "try to avoid these pitfalls" approach (ie: things to watch out for - too many batters batting one way, too many batters who are better against lefties or righties (as a whole), pitchers with big homer ratings in homer parks, crap fielding up the middle, etc etc) and explain why to avoid these pitfalls.

Having said that, I love some of those rules that you've got there, and the first 6 are definitely rock solid. That's a great foundation to build on!

Peace,
FPoD


Fuzzy Platypus of Death
Professional
Posted September 23, 2004 09:48 AM
Oh yeah, one question... Setting up your team? Ideally we should have a section that tells players that to have some chance of success, they need to have a concept of their team before they even think about starting to draft.

So, do you want me to approach the draft/waiver angle by discussing the process only, or do you want me to begin by instructing players to first consider (on paper or in their mind) what type of team they're going to put together and where they're going to budget money?

It would be easy enough to say 'Before you begin your draft, take a moment to consider what type of team you want to put together. For some advice, take a look down at our "Team Composition" section to give you an idea of what you should be thinking of.'

Peace,
FPoD


sandlotshrink
All-Star
Posted September 23, 2004 11:02 AM
I remember that one of the VERY first things I had to do was LEARN TO READ THE CARDS -- this year of course I have the ratings disk and all that stuff, but what do you do when you are a fresh newbie and want to compete?

Do what I did in the 2002 season?

I actually read the cards. Click on the players name in the section that lists all the available players and start counting all the hit and walk chances on EACH SIDE. Remember that this is a DICE game and based on probablility. If two dice are rolled 100 times the number that will appear the MOST is 7 and and the next numbers will be those closest to 7 -- 6 and 8 and so on ... Keep that in mind when you look at all those chances. By counting all the hits and OB's and charting them according to probability you will be in essence factoring the On Base Percentage of that player. Ther is NO more important stat when it comes to building a good batting order which will be the heart of your team.

REMEMBER: Do it for EACH side -- a LOT of players have significant advantages one way or another and as a result need to hit in different spots in the lineup accordingly (or be platooned).

The next step will be to pay attention to the extra base chances on the card including the outs/hits that have a # in front of them as they will become HR's in the right park (more on THAT later). The Total Base chances on the card will become an important secondary factor in creating your lineup.

When in doubt -- consult with mlb.com and look at the previous year's stats and pay CLOSE attention to the vs. RH and vs. LH section for both hitters and eventually pitchers (as this will be important when you set up your "defense"). Though there are bargains AND busts in SOM the cards WILL generally follow the actual stats they are based on, and there is NO BETTER PLACE to start than here when you are a newbie.

Using NOTHING but THIS information enabled me to win my very first league out of the gate in 2002 and remain competitive throughout the season.

This year, even armed with all ratings disks and such I am faring NO BETTER than I did when I was using MY OWN research -- in fact one of my BEST teams this year was a "pre-card" team which was drafted PRIMARILY on examining LAST YEAR'S (2003) stats off of mlb.com, just as I outlined above.

There are NO mysteries here -- it's simply knowing stats and probablities and then applying them in the best manner.


trap
Rookie
Posted September 24, 2004 11:34 PM
I am in the free trial right now. I am preparing to start my first team and enter a real league. This information is the kind of info that I have been searching for and I appreciate you all taking the time to do this. I'll let you know how it pays off. I'll keep checking in. Thanks again.


Valen
Veteran
Posted September 26, 2004 01:24 AM
luckyman, some excellent guidelines. I would follow almost all in a face to face game. But in an online game I have some questions about these rules.


quote:
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#4 strat rule- Bring your bullpen stopper when the game is tight---(especially when the game is tied, contrary to unwritten baseball rule #24).
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How do you talk HAL in to doing this.


quote:
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#9 strat rule- Steal when expected success is higher than 70%.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

How does this relate to manager settings? conservative, normal?


quote:
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#10 strat rule- Never bunt in the first seven innings (except for pitchers with 1w-3w batting ability).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

How do you tell HAL not to bunt in the first 7 innings?


Coffeeholic
Veteran
Posted October 02, 2004 11:54 PM
Hey guys,
Sorry I've neglected this for the past few days. Had a few things going on personally, was involved in a Tour auction league, and got caught up in one of those "political" threads in the Bullpen.
Anyway, I'm waiting for a team to draft in an autodraft, so I put together a little start for a Newbie Link".

Please, lots of input here...
Too simplictic?
Too detailed?
Bad spelling or punctuation?
Did I miss something important?

Remember this is just a starting point... Here goes:



Greetings and welcome to Strat-O-Matic Online!

Here are a few bits of advice compiled by some "veterans" of numerous Strat-O-Matic Online leagues which might help you in selecting your first team. These are meant to be some simple guidelines, not meant to influence your strategy or individual player selection. Hopefully you'll find them informative and they will help you to avoid many of the pratfalls that many "rookies" encounter their first time out. (BLah, blah, blah!)

1) "Reading" the Cards:

Strat-O-Matic takes a player's past season's performance and transfers this to an individual player's "card". Success in this game depends upon your ability to use the information on the player cards correctly.

To read a player's card, click on the players name in the section that lists all the available players and start counting all the hit and walk chances on EACH SIDE. Remember that this is a DICE game and based on probablility. If two dice are rolled 100 times the number that will appear the MOST is 7 and and the next numbers will be those closest to 7 -- 6 and 8 and so on ... Keep that in mind when you look at all those chances. By counting all the hits, walks, and Hit By Pitch and charting them according to probability you will be in essence factoring the On Base Percentage of that player. Ther is NO more important stat when it comes to building a good batting order which will be the heart of your team.

REMEMBER: Do it for EACH side -- a LOT of players have significant advantages one way or another and as result will have greater chances of success or failure depending upon the situations they are likely to encounter (ie: Will they see lots of right handed pitching, Will they be playing in alot of "pitcher's" parks, etc.).

Here's a breakdown of die roll probabilities:

Die Roll Probability
2 or 12 1:36
3 or 11 2:36
4 or 10 3:36
5 or 9 4:36
6 or 8 5:36
7 6:36

2) Ball Park Effects:

One of the most important factors in the performance of your players and the success of your team is to determine how well your players are suited to the ball parks that you will be playing in. While you can't choose your opponents ballparks, you can choose your own, and this is where you will be playing 81 regular season games (half your games). It is imperative that you select players who will maximize their performance in the type of park you've selected for your team.

There are two types of Ballpark effects indicated on player cards: Results preceeded by ">" indicate that this result may be a Single or an out; Results preceeded by a "#" indicate that this result may be a Home Run or an out. Whether or not the result is a Single or an out, or a Homerun or an out, is determined by the ball park you are playing that particular game in.

Each individual stadium has different chances of successful ballpark effect for both Singles and Homeruns, and for both right handed and left handed batters in each of those two categories (based on the result of the roll of a 20 sided dice).

Basically there are 5 types of stadiums: those favoring left handed batters; those favoring right handed batters; those favoring pitcher's (low Ballpark HR's); those favoring hitters (high ballpark HR's); and neutral stadiums (balanced ballpark effects).

To optimize the performance of your players and team, it is important for you to read the players cards and determine which type of ballpark a player may best be suited for.

For example: A hitter with lot's of #'s on his card would be better suited for a "hitter's" park where those #'s will more likely turn into Homeruns, and less suited to a "Pitcher's" park, where they will more likely turn into outs. The opposite would be true for a pitcher: A pitcher with lots of #'s on his card would be ill suited for a "hitter's" park, because these would result in more HR's for the opposing batters. However, this same pitcher may perform very well in a "pitcher's" park because these #'s will result in more outs for the opposition.


Coffeeholic
Veteran
Posted October 03, 2004 08:19 PM
bump


Homies
Veteran
Posted October 04, 2004 10:01 PM
I'll try to write up something on the player and manager controls soon. I've been negligent, too. Got swept up in my first 80's league and hence didn't read some of the other forums (I know, I know, how could I ignore them).


Coffeeholic
Veteran
Posted October 06, 2004 05:40 AM
bumpity bump


Coffeeholic
Veteran
Posted October 10, 2004 03:09 PM
OK, where'd the volunteers run off to?


DJ Trickster
Veteran
Posted October 11, 2004 10:53 PM
Maybe they didn't realize this was going to be like writing an essay for English 101!

Actually I was thinking about doing something similar a few months ago so I think it's a great idea. I too ended up spending every waking hour on political threads instead so now I NEVER look over there.

I think you're off to a great start, Coffee, Sporting News should seriously consider making this a part of the site since I would think it would increase the rate of newbie retention.

A couple of thoughts to consider and these are just my observations and opinions so take what you agree with and disregard the rest...

People learn in different ways. Some people can learn from simply reading text, others will need to see examples, and others like to learn as they are doing. Also, people come to this game from various backgrounds... some are fantasy league players who have never heard of Strato while others played the card version in their younger years.

I would suggest writing Coffeeholic's "Coffee Table Strato Book for Newbies" as an expansion to SOM's rules/FAQ. Looking over what exists there I can see some serious room for improvement. For example, a key concept for Strato is lefty/righty matchups and that topic is barely discussed, especially in light of how the game is played.

What follows are how I would approach creating a complete guide for newbies:

1) Show a complete team and use that as the basis of all your examples. Start with how a single game is played since that is common knowledge to anyone who knows baseball and would be useful to fantasy league players who have never played SOM. Use your sample team/game throughout the entire "book".

Maybe this is overly simplistic for people who have played the card version of Strato but I bet there those who played "basic rules" Strato or are crossing over from fantasy league who would greatly benefit from starting with the game itself. Besides, it's a lot easier for people to skim through the stuff they know than to leave it out.

2) If it's going to be a text-only "book", at least include links to the cards you are referring to so that visual learners can pick up on what you are talking about. It would be great if this were HTML or Flash, maybe someone can do that after the bulk of it is written...

3) Split up each section in varying degrees of complexity. In other words, if one section is covering how to read the cards, a large section that covers everything about the cards all at once is going to overwhelm a newbie. By simply making section breaks such as: "Basic", "Intermediate", and "Advanced", a newbie can concentrate on learning all of the "Basics" of each section first and then learn the more complex portions at their own speed.

Again, this is just a suggestion/example: Using a sample game, under the "Basic" section, expand on how "dice" are rolled and show a simple outcome and discuss the statistics of rolling 2 six-sided dice. When you do the "Intermediate" section, add BP effects or defense X or other splits. Then in the "Advanced" section tie together the rest of the statistics

4) Discuss building lineups, drafting players to fit ballparks, etc. in the chapters after covering how the actual game is played. Again, split up the chapters in varying degrees of difficulty so that the knowledge can be absorbed in bite sized chunks.

I would use something other than the terms "Basic", "Intermediate", and "Advanced" since there might not be a convenient way to write exactly 3 sections for each chapter, I just used those words as an example. Some of the later chapters might just be essays rather than chapters broken out in increasing sections of complexity.

5) Keep in mind the information that is available to newbie players. SOM provides OBP or WHIP and the Balance rating but the next step would be as Sandy suggested, look at lefty/righty stats for free at mlb.com. Those who want to spend the money can buy the ratings from SOM - put information on how to get those in there.

6) Keep the chapter on the mystery card in the 80's game as the last chapter since only the most brave players dare tread in those waters.


How information is layed out is probably more important than the actual information because 99% of people will see a huge block of text and their eyes will glaze over and their minds will go blank. I think you have great instincts for that concept by looking at your usage of ALL CAPS and BOLD. Anyway, that's just my two cents.... do you see why I have to stay away from the damn political threads now? I just can't stop!




indy
Professional
Posted January 23, 2005 10:40 AM
coffee, you are right on, with your draft. i dont see how you could improve what i read at the top of this thread. one would assume that if some newbie is reading it, he already has access to the card images and can compare your commenets easily.
i think you need to continue on just a bit further and make it a wrap, but you`re on the right track.
a lot of the other stuff ive read is good but it doesnt seem to start at the beginning as yours did. i would end your piece with strong advice to monitor this forum for advanced strategies. these guys know their business for sure.


Dingo
Professional
Posted January 23, 2005 06:54 PM
I have a very similar story. Started about 6 weeks ago with one terrible team. It's 50-73 now. Lots of moves with a 20% hit. Drafted a second, then a third and now I stand at six teams. Only at six because 2004 is close. I love this game and wish like heck I would have found it years ago. Baseball is in the blood. Is there leagues for 2004 season starting that I can join? Not auto leagues but leagues where the teams can stay together and have fun? If the new game comes out on the 28th Jan, does that mean the 2004 online season will start on the 28th as well? Would like to get to know some of the other gamers that are as into this as I am. Tried to communicate with one veteran but he wasn't interested in chatting so here I am. Would be more fun to chat, trash talk, etc. Thanks for the vine.

Jay


indy
Professional
Posted January 23, 2005 07:54 PM
coffee, i think another good "general" fact that newbies would benefit from, is the percentage of pitching money to line up. ive heard alot of guys say they use 50 on their line-ups and 30 mil on their pitching.
also i wonder if it`s a good idea to mention something about the process of changing the "mangerial style", from one opponet to the next. just a couple of basic things i thought of that i hadnt heard mentioned. thx and keep up the good work.


Arryl Tremaine
All-Star
Posted January 24, 2005 10:57 PM
posted originally by luckyman

posted January 23, 2005 01:59 AM
It seems to me that we should distinguish between:
-the basics
-fine-tunning
-getting to the top

The Basics:
-Emphasize on-base.
-Limit your transactions after the season started.
-Don't overspend on your bench players.
-The more you spend on a pitcher, the more innings you should expect out of him (make it clear that relievers can throw upto around 150 innings without major fatigue symptoms).


Fine-tunning:
-lineup considerations:
1-lead-off, great on-base, has a running *.
2-good on-base avoid gbA
3-your best hitter
4-your power hitter
5-another power hitter--emphasize good clutch
6-8 your weaker hitters---> should be good defenders
9- a good on-base.

-Stadium consideration
Select a team according to the attributes of your stadium:
--Coors-like : powerful offensive--great on-base and great power, great emphasis on deep relief
--PacBell-like: Strong SPs+defense--emphasis on *SP. Sufficient pop in offense to win close ball games.
--Wrigley-like: emphasize line-up with right-handed power; avoid lefty pitching.(and the opposite suggestions for opposite stadium design).


And than for getting to the top, we could include the rest...


Homies
Veteran
Posted January 25, 2005 09:57 AM
One aspect that new players either ignore or don't utilize correctly are the various options and controls included in this game.

The two main places where you have extra controls are in the manager strategy menu accessed by a link on the left side (below the heading Your Team) and in individual player control on each card at the bottom of the card.

In the manager strategy option, you can control general tendencies that the computer AI (commonly refered to as HAL) will use to govern your team. HAL won't always completely obey what you say because there may be other factors at play that you don't know about, but HAL will try to follow your commands for the most part.

The first thing in the manager strategy are the base running, base stealing, bunting, and hit and run settings. In general, small ball with a lot of bunting, base stealing, and hit and run doesn't work as well in the SOM world unless you build a team specifically tailored to do that in a pitchers park (one with low ball park homer ratings - see ballpark effects in a post above). Since the recommendation is to start out in a neutral park, the team you build shouldn't be strictly a small ball style team. It's probably best to keep these options conservative and not "give away" outs on your first team. You can experiment with small ball on subsequent teams. It can be a very effective strategy and done well, but you need the right personnel.

The next group of settings deal with your pitching tendencies. Tailor your closer usage and relief usage settings to the type of players you have. If you have a lot of good SP, set relief usage to conservative or vice versa. If you have a stud closer who's much better than the rest of your bullpen, maximize the closer usage. Otherwise, the regular setting is best. If you maximize your closer usage, that reliever may not get used in other non-save situations, even if he's your best guy.

For setup man and closer, remember that the setup man probably will be used in more innings and closers must have a closer rating. If you list the same guy for both setup and closer versus one side (or both), you may confuse HAL and the guy will not be used for sure in both roles. The rules/FAQ link on the left explains this a little more. Definitely read through the rules/FAQ info. In general, you want two good relief pitchers, so this shouldn't be a problem to choose one for setup and one for closer. You can also get cheaper heavily one-sided closers (9R or 9L balance) and set them in the two closer fields. That is one way to save money and HAL, in general, does an OK job with this setup.

Some other general strategy options include the intentional walk. I don't know about others, but I always play with this on conservative. For the infield in, you can choose what inning that you start trying to play more aggressive to prevent runs, but potentially give up more runs. I usually put this at conservative, too. If you are in a pitchers park where every run counts more, you might consider something more aggressive for these options.

The next section is devoted to pinch hitters and runners. If you are in a DH league (the most common in 200X), you don't have to worry about HAL pinch hitting for your pitcher. You should pick your best bench hitter versus each side for these slots. Remember that if you have a platoon, one of them will be on the bench as well and typically would be needed to pinch hit for the other side of the platoon. I typically set my platoon guy in the pinch hitting slot. Hence, if my platoon player for facing LHP is to face a RHP reliever, HAL knows to use my other platoon guy.

For pinch runner, select the fastest true bench player that you have. There are two things to consider here. Not only is it the stealing ability/numbers, but also the running 1-X number. The higher the X, the better the runner. Don't undervalue the running ability (as opposed to the stealing ability) since that is what determines if the runner can take the extra base or not, precisely when you need it.

The last section is for defensive replacements. HAL does not understand a triple switch. Don't try it. Stick with direct replacements or double switches. If you do a double switch, you must use slots 1 and 2 OR slots 3 and 4.

You also have individual player settings that you can control. They are listed at the bottom of a players card. For hitters, you can select whether or not to avoid certain pitchers (important to use for platoon players), whether they are good enough you don't want them pinch hit for, or whether you want them removed for a defensive sub (this works in conjuncture with the manager strategy setting - and both seem to accomplish the same task - though in the manager strategy you get to specify who to replace them with). The other settings are for whether you want that particular player to bunt, hit and run, or steal. In general, if their hit and run or bunting rating are below a B, you want to avoid them bunting or doing a hit and run. If their steal success number is less than 17 (or they don't have a good chance for a good lead) , I always set them to don't steal. Unless you have one of the good base stealers, the general good of when someone steals a base is usually balanced out by the bad of the times that they get thrown out. As for hit and run, if you have a bad batter who is a B on hit and run, you may consider having him hit and run more often since it gives a different chances than their base card does (and potentially might be better - but remember that this is ONLY true for BAD hitters). Even an ok hitter is better than the hit and run chances for a B player.

Pitchers have a whole different set of options on their cards. You can choose whether they should avoid hitters from one side (if they're hard righty or lefty pitchers), whether you want them to stay in longer (slow hook) or get pulled at the first sign of trouble (quick hook). If you have a good pitcher, it's usually best to set him for slow hook. If you have a weaker pitcher, set him for quick hook, and (if he's bad enough) limit his innings with the Max 6/7 IP for start or Max of 1/3 IP in relief. You can only have one pitcher set for avoid using before 9th inning (same is true for the others as well). If you have a weaker reliever that you want to limit his innings, select avoid before 9th, and max 1 to 2 IP. In general, you want to funnel as many innings as possible to your reliever studs and you usually want at least two good relievers.


zippy
All-Star
Posted January 25, 2005 04:29 PM
Coffeholic -- Let me know if you need help compiling/editing this thing into a bona fide FAQ. It's what I do for a living.


Dingo
Professional
Posted January 25, 2005 07:02 PM
Thanks Homies

I think that relief pitcher thing is going to be a big help to me. I was trying to do it like a real team and not use my closer till the 9th and setup till the 7th. That explains a lot. Does this make sense; I like a good closer (RH)5-6 mil, good (LH) set up 3-4 mil, and a descent (RH) setup 2-3 mil with some .5mil guys also 1 RH and 1 LH. So if I put my RH closer to RH closer and Setup and my good LH setup to LH closer and setup, is this the correct way to use the settings? Thanks for all the help and PLEASE keep it coming.

Jay


Homies
Veteran
Posted January 25, 2005 08:32 PM
I think one of the big misunderstandings in TSN SOM is people putting a specific player down for both setup and closer. HAL will only recognize one in any given game, so if your guy comes in for setup, HAL *may* look for someone else to close that game (though HAL may not). If I have a true stud I want to get as many innings as possible, I put him as setup both ways and leave closer blank. And I limit some of my other bullpen guys by using the options like "not before 9th" and max 1 to 2 IP, avoid lefty, etc. I personally live by the non-modern theory of wanting my best guy pitching as much as possible and when it's most critical, even if that's in the 7th inning. Don't ever put a guy for both avoid lefty and avoid righty. You'll confuse the crap out of HAL and he'll use the guy at times you don't want.

As for how much RP, it really depends on your SP. If you have good SP, you can probably get away with two good relievers and a few specialists (9R/9L). If your SP is not great, three solid relievers like you mentioned are a sound investment. Another sound investment is two solid relief pitchers and two highly slanted closers to split duties (one righty specialist with a good C rating and one lefty specialist with a good C rating).


Homies
Veteran
Posted January 25, 2005 08:55 PM
Don't overlook defense. It was mentioned before to strengthen the middle defense and that is primarily where it is most important. Defense comes into play in various ways, but primarily fielders range and errors are checked when an X chance gets rolled from the pitcher's card. The number of X chances are set so that every pitcher's card has the same number of chances for SS as any other pitcher.

A quick explanation on range and the error number. A lower range means that the player gets to more balls. A "1" gets to every ball hit with an X chance. A "2" gets to most, etc. The errors are checked as well. The higher the number, obviously, the worse the defender is and the more errors that he will make. A rough rule of thumb is that a change of range of one (i.e. from 2 to 1 or perhaps a 3 to 2) will be equivalent to roughly 15 errors. That's a very approximate number and is slightly different for 3 to 2 from 2 to 1, etc., but it's close enough to give you a comparison between a 1e25 and a 2e5 (roughly equivalent but with the 2 probably a little better choice).

The most chances occur at SS. Because of this, it is usually best to get a SS with good defense. By good defense, a "1" is ideal and very important in pitchers parks where limiting the number of runners is more important. A "2" is acceptable. A "3" better hit well to make it worth it.

The next most chances are to 2B. There's only a few chances less for 2B than SS, so it's very important as well. If you use a "1" at one of the positions, you can get by with a weaker fielder like a "3" but it's still not ideal.

The next most important position is CF. The number of chances are the same as 3B and C, but the CF gets more balls since all fly(of) go to the centerfielder as well as fly(cf). With outfield, there is another concern: the arm strength. You may not need excessively strong arms across he outfield, but you don't want a whole outfield of weak "+" arms as well. That would be a free invitation for runners to take the extra base.

Beyond the middle defense (SS, 2B, CF), the next most important positions are 3B and C. With catcher, be careful of the different errors like T or PB ratings. My first team started with a C that had a T of 15. Needless to say, every time someone attempted to steal a base, a good portion of the time, they got third as well because of the error. Don't ignore those errors when comparing catchers. Also, a really weak arm gives away stolen bases.

You will never see the impact of bad defense or good defense (except perhaps in # of double plays). BUT, IT WILL HAVE A LARGE INFLUENCE ON YOUR RESULTS! DON'T OVERLOOK IT! A common theme between teams where pitchers are "outperforming their cards" are due to good defense. And when the pitchers are "underperforming their cards", it's usually bad defense behind them...


Coffeeholic
Veteran
Posted January 26, 2005 06:51 PM
Zippy,

Check your PT's.


Bluenosers
New Member
Posted February 13, 2005 10:16 AM
Could someone please tell me if we are supposed to set the individual card strategies for each player


Chocolates
All-Star
Posted February 13, 2005 11:30 AM
Yes you should Bluenosers.


Kaviksdad
All-Star
Posted February 21, 2005 06:00 PM
Another thing to remember is that individual player controls take precedence of the managerial controls. For example, you may have a team with very slow, plodding base runners with poor steal ratings - except for 1 guy that has the *, has an A steal rating and the numbers to back it up. In your managerial settings you would probably set your basestealing to extra conservative, since most guys are slugs. But the individual controls of your basestealer can be set to "Steal More," and that setting will apply to that player only. He will steal whenever he can, even though your team settings indicate otherwise.

If you are interested in creating a smallball-type team, there are a few other things to keep in mind. It is important to know that on smallball teams, the steal ratings, player speed ratings, the detailed steal numbers, the presence of the * preceding the steal numbers, and the hit & run ratings all are connected.

Players with a * preceding their stolen base numbers must be held on when 2nd base is unoccupied. When this happens, the hit and run rating of the batter automatically increases by one. For example, Luis Castillo is on 1st with 1 out. Since Castillo has *2-8,11,12/9,10 (15-9) as his detailed steal rating, he must be held on. Now Derek Jeter steps up to the plate. His H & R rating of B automatically increases to an A. This accomplishes 2 things: it increases the chances that Jeter will successfully move Castillo into scoring position, and it also increases the chances that Jeter will get a hit, because of the hole between 1st and 2nd basemen.

Small ball type teams must have players with high OBP, good steal ratings, good team speed, the * preceding the steal rating, and players with C or better H & R ratings. Since you will be manufacturing runs, always select players that fit that mold. Make sure you have some run producers to bring these guys home and you should be successful.


luckyman
All-Star
Posted February 23, 2005 07:59 PM
Let me expand on kaviksdad's explanantion on hit-and run. The take-home message is that, in order to better the H-R rating of a given player, you need players in front of him having the * preceeding the stealing rating.

Why one should use H-R? The answer comes by itself when you understand the logic of H-R in Strat. Basically it does two things:

1- When using H-R, one disregards all readings on the offensive card and replaces it by a template card. The better the rating, the better the outcome.
2- When using H-R, walks and Ks are transformed into "ground out, runner advanced to second".

What all this leads to? First, you want to use H-R with weak offensive players, who has a good hit and run rating, limited to situations where the hitter will hit with runners have their stealing *. Second,and you want to maximize this strategy evenmore against stellar pitchers such as Pedro or Prior. Third, because the most frequent result of H-R is, by far, "ground out, runner goes to second", you need clutch hitters to back-up players who have good H-R ability.

That being said, the hit-and-run, on the long run, is not a very good strategy: it creates lots of outs. Furthermore, there is usually HIGHER chances of double-plays with the hit-and-run than in the regular situation (due to the increased chances of having a hitter missing the ball and a runner getting picked off trying to steal).Thus, the way I see it, the hit-and-run strategy should be used scarcely to exceptional situations:
--for very weak offensive players
--against very strong pitching teams
--in pitcher's stadiums

My usual settings:

Managerial settings:
Extra Conservative: when I have at most one or two players with the ideal profile in my line-up
Conservative: when I have a couple of players with the profile and I am playing in PacBell
Average to Aggressive: when I have several players with the profile and that I am facing a very strong pitcher
Extra-aggressive: limited to a "speed concept" team.

Individual settings:
Well, first, it all depends if you have some speed in your team--literally, if you have players with the stealing star. If your line-up concludes with Olerud-Lieberthal and Vizquel, it's not even worth considering H-R with Vizquel. Even if he succeedes in advancing Olerud to second, chances are that he won't score from second on a single!!!

--if hit-and-run is not B, click "don't hit and run" (exception, bench players with C rating and with very limited offensive card--ex.Glanville).
--if hit-and-run is B, but the player has a decent offensive card (ex.Jeter), click "don't hit and run".
--if hit-and-run is B and player is very weak offensive (ex.Izturis), or the player is borderline, but has tons of gbA (ex.Rivas) click "hit-and-run more"

Ideal situation
Izturis (bunt A, hit-and-run B): with Jeter (*4,6, 16-6)and Mackowiack (*4, 20-11) batting in front of him, minimize bunt, maximize hit-and-run (on the individual setting). If only one hitter in front him has a stealing star, then I leave open the bunt option, but still maximize the hit-and-run.


luckyman
All-Star
Posted February 23, 2005 08:50 PM
Things to look for before a playoff series.

1- Is my opponent agressive with intentional walks?

(to find out, look at the seasonal stats).

If so, then think of changing your line-up.

Why's that? Because Hal is highly sensitive to clutch, to the point that, under agressive settings, he will sometimes issue a walk to a clutch hitter in order to face an even better hitter.

Possible change: put your clutch hitters in front of better offensive players.


2- What's the pitcher/catcher hold combination?

Why? To make sure your lead-off is still an efficient lead-off.

To be efficient, a lead-off has, first, to have lots of on-base, and second, to have a star (*) beside the stealing rating. However, a (*) does not necessirally trigger a "hold". There exists a certain threshold under which the computer might choose to not hold the runner.

I don't know what is the threshold. But if the threshold is for example 12, and if the pitcher/catcher combo is highly negative, some players might not have a sufficiently high leading number to trigger a hold from the opponent.

For example, if the combo is -5, and if the threshold is put at 12, a player like Koskie (whose leading number is 16) will not trigger a hold from the opponent (16-5 = 11, lower than 12).

Of course, Koskie is still a good on-base player. But if your second hitter is Beltran, you might select to go with 1-Beltran_2-Koskie instead against this specific team.

A couple of things to know:
according to the rules, before holding, the most negative pitcher/catcher hold is -5. Thus, IRod + Rueter still only give a -5 combo. Thus, a *19-13 runner will ALWAYS trigger a hold from the opponent.

3-Pitcher settings. We all know that you put a *SP for game 1 so that he could come back for game 5, if needed. But what to do if you don't have any *SP? Usually, you'll just put your best to worst, in that order.

A strategy often overseen, though, for teams whose rotation mostly relies on RELIEVERS , is to have, other things being equal, your best non *SP for the third game, in case your relievers were used for both game 1 and 2. If such a thing happen, then you'll be able to set your best pitcher appropriately for game 3. Furthermore, he will still be available for games 2 and 7 in the Finals. And even if you don't use your best relievers in the first two games, your best starter might give a very beneficial complete game in game 3, so that your relievers get the call for both game 4 and 5.

4- Homeparks.

Useful in order hide some flyball pitchers in a pitcher's park.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: luckyman, February 23, 2005 09:15 PM


luckyman
All-Star
Posted February 23, 2005 09:10 PM
Things to consider around game 120, particularly when you're still in the hunt for a playoff spot:

In case you don't know, most of your games against your divisional opponents are played after game 120. After game 126, all 36 games are played within your division. As a consequence, you will face the same 12-15 pitchers all the way through the rest of the season. So, first thing to do (if not already done), how many lefties is there in my division? How many righties? Count them all, and if you see an un-balanced number (that is more than 80% of rhp, or more than 40% lhp), then look for trading players to adjust yourself.

But even more importantly, look at the line-ups!!! If you see that the team you try to catch up has, say 6+ right-handed hitters, same advice: Get a stronger pitcher vs right-handed pitcher. IF the team has 7+ or even 8+ right-handed hitters, then DO A TRADE. Trade your best player for the best nasty right-handed pitcher you can get.

(as of a personnal experience, I once traded the player I loved the most in my team to get pitching against a one-sided team in my division--when I was 5-6 games behind-- and I captured the title at the last game with a sweep )

Another thing to consider, if you are several games back of the wildcard spot. Injury. If your best player gets hurt for 15 games, after game 130, I suggest to just drop the player, take the 20% penalty, and get another player. Because otherwise, if you keep the player during the 15 games he will be hurt, while only 32 games are left, you are gonna take a 46% penalty just by keeping him in your roster.

Of course, you will lose the player for the playoffs as well. So don't drop him if you feel you can capture the championship without him.


sandlotshrink
All-Star
Posted February 23, 2005 09:25 PM
quote:
A strategy often overseen, though, for teams whose rotation mostly relies on RELIEVERS , is to have, other things being equal, your best non *SP for the third game, in case your relievers were used for both game 1 and 2. If such a thing happen, then you'll be able to set your best pitcher appropriately for game 3. Furthermore, he will still be available for games 2 and 7 in the Finals. And even if you don't use your best relievers in the first two games, your best starter might give a very beneficial complete game in game 3, so that your relievers get the call for both game 4 and 5.
I can attest that this little strategy has won me a few titles in 2003 ...


BK
All-Star
Posted February 24, 2005 12:23 PM
quote:
Count them all, and if you see an un-balanced number (that is more than 80% of rhp, or more than 40% lhp), then look for trading players to adjust yourself.



Is it enough to count the RHP and LHP? Shouldn't one really ascertain the degree of L-ness and R-ness?

Suppose your opponent has 4 lefties: DuBose, Villone, Tejera and Ford. Well, you wouldn't want more righty hitters against them.

In addition to counting the hitters, it might also be a good idea to look at the other teams' hitters' records v. LHP and RHP, and their pitchers' records v. LHB and RHB. Caution: These totals can be misleading if the team has made a lot of transactions during the year. It's always best to look at who they've got now.


luckyman
All-Star
Posted March 14, 2005 07:08 PM
quote:
Is there a limit to the number of days in a row or innings pitched total over a period of days that a RP can pitch?


The way Hal manages the teams, relievers will USUALLY NOT get the call for a third consecutive game. That being said, I've seen circumstances where a reliever will get the ball for a third consecutive game:

--when a closer situation happens, a designated closer (especially when settings are set at "maximum" for closer usage), will sometimes appear for a third straight game

--non-closers will sometimes come in a third straight game when many relievers in a given bullpen are set at "quick hook; don't use more than 1IP/2IP". Hal will remove these quickly, and never (or very rarely) use them more than 2IP, such that Hal might need to call a reliever for a third straight game.

For the record, I believe that relievers are penalized for coming back for a third straight game, but I don't have the proof for this, and I don't know how this fatigue factor (if it exists) applies.

Thus, because set-up men such as Contreras are not closers and are usually not part of a bullpen of with lots of relievers set at quick hook, they tend to never get used for a third consecutive game.


quote:


I have Jose Contreras in the bullpen setting up for Mariano Rivera, what can I do to maximize his use out there?



My own suggestion would be to have Contreras as a starter!! If you really have to use as a reliever, my suggestion would be to design him as a set-up vs rhp, set on slow hook. I would design Rivera as a set-up vs lhp, set on slow hook, and set at "do not come before the 7th" or perhapas not before the 8th. Other relievers would be set at mop-up.

Also, to make sure that Contreras stays on the mound for several innings, I would choose the setting "conservative" for "how agressive you would like to use your bullpen", on the managerial settings.

This way, for any close game, Contreras should get the call when Hal gets into the bullpen in 6th inning, as well as the start of the 7th.



quote:
Put all the SP on quick hook and 6ip max?



Personally I never use the "max" function, except in the playoffs, the reason being that you don't want to use Contreras and Rivera in games you lead 10-2. If you set your SP at "quick hook", it should be sufficient to give the ball to Contreras in any close game.


Fitch70
Professional
Posted July 16, 2005 10:32 AM
1) Switchhitters will ALWAYS bat L vs RHP and bat R vs LHP.

2) If playing in a hitters park, should have a bullpen with a R rating total of around R9-R10 and a very, very solid top 3-4 arms.


Chief78
Professional
Posted July 16, 2005 02:17 PM
I hope I can add something to this. I have been playing strat for years, and just started playing online.

I like the idea of having the FAQ set up wiht basic, advanced, and super advanced knowledge. That way if a newbie comes in who has played strat, he can go right to super advanced and see how to set HAL to kind of do what he wants.

In the basic version, I think it would be a good idea to have a sample team. Taking the reader through a sample draft would be valuable also. Batting lineups should be left out. I think everyone who would want to play this game has their own theory about batting order. That is why they are looking to play.

I would like to see more formulas in the super advanced section. What I mean are things like: Bill James Runs Created, Expected Runs, VORP, DIPS (although I don't think this works in strato), OPS, WHIP, and what clutch is. Formulas should be presented with examples to show the new player how to use them. This may be a little too much for the neophyte, but in the super advanced section they can take it or leave it.

The advanced section should talk about the lefty/righty breakdowns, just like the strato cards. Here you can put your tips about avoiding pitchers and hitters etc. Here you should talk about the pitchers hold, more advanced stealing etc.

I would like to see a "play tips section." This section would have things players do. Before the season, I enter all teams in my division into a spreadsheet that shows their expected runs produced. I don't have the formula to do this for pitchers yet. Then I project each teams wins and losses. The idea is that if you are not in first, you need to make changes. In the 80's game, I log all injuries. This shows me the cards and I can better evaluate trades. This information can also change values in my spreadsheet of league opponents. If you have a bad card that is going to change your expected runs meaning I wont have to make changes. If you have a stud card, I can reflect that in the spreadsheet. From this thread, I gleaned lots of useful information that can go in this section.

In summary, follow the strat rulebook for presenting information. Present examples of drafts, and manager settings. Have a tips section. Also, have links to tables and charts that pop up and can be viewed while still reading the text. That way, the user can get a visual aid if needed. Besure to have links to the official FAQ for reference.

Many of the threads on these boards relate to the seemingly illogical tactical manueverings of HAL. I thought that perhaps if we had a better understanding of the "Settings" we have available to influence HAL's in-game machinizations, we would be able to avoid at least some of the frustrations which continually arise.

Since there are no definitions provided by TSN/SOM concerning managerial settings, I thought it might be very helpful to us all if we could reach some sort of consesus on what the exact parameters are for each of the controls.

A few seem self-evident: Infield In; Pinch Runner; Defensive Replacements.

The rest however, leave varying degrees of doubt.

There are 5 controls (Base running, Base Stealing, Bunting, Hit & Run, Intentional Walks) which are broken into the same 5 degrees of usage: Very Aggressive; Aggressive; Normal; Conservative; Extra Conservative.

Can we define the difference between these 5 "degrees of usage"? Furthermore, can we define the interaction between the "Managerial Setting" and the "Individual Player Setting"? For example: If I have "Conservative" for Base Stealing set at managerial level, but "steal more" set for an individual player player?

The relief settings (Closer Usage, Relief Usage, Closer vs. RHB/LHB, Set-Up vs RHB/LHB) could use some clarification as well.

What's the difference between "Regular" and "Maximize" under "Closer Usage"? The difference between "Agressive", "Normal", and "Conservative" under "Relief Usage"?

What parameters merit the insertions of your Set-Up men and your Closers? And as an extension of this, what determines whether your vs. LHB reliever or vs. RHB reliever enters the game (is it the 1st batter he will face, or the preponderance of the opposing line-up)?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Coffeeholic, May 10, 2005 10:17 AM


Coffeeholic
Veteran
Posted May 10, 2005 10:09 AM
I'll get this discussion started with my thoughts on Pinch Hitting.

The basic usage of these controls in the 200X games seems pretty straight forward.

If I have a platoon, say of DaVanon and Young in '05, I want to use the following settings to maximize this platoon: Set DaVanon to "avoild LHP" and "do not pinch hit vs RHP" under individual player settings and set him as "pinch hitter vs. RHP" in managerial settings; Set Young to "avoid RHP" and "do not pinch hit" vs LHP under individual player settings and as "pinch hitter vs LHP" under managerial settings. These settings will maximize the platton.

However, because you can't identify more than 1 pinch hitter vs LHP/RHP under managerial settings, I find that this makes more than 1 platoon option per team less than optimal.

Also, Hal does not allow you to effectively use a 3 man option. For example: I have Matsui and a Durazo/Bocachica platoon. Ideally, I would have Matsui DH vs LHP and play LF vs. RHP, Durazo DH vs. RHP and Bocachica play LF vs. LHP. However, in this scenario, you couldn't play Bocachica in LF, because Hal will not switch Matsui from DH to LF when/if Durazo pinch hits for Bocachica, nor would HAL move Matsui from LF to DH should Bocachica enter as a pinch hitter for Durazo. Hence your only option is use Matsui in LF vs both RHP and LHP, and to use the Durazo/Bocachica platoon only at DH (thus wasting Bocachica's fine defense).

Another observation on the limitations of the pinch hitter settings in relation to platoons. HAL will not use a LHB to pinch hit vs a LHP or a RHB to pinch hit vs a RHP. Example: In the '03 game some excellent platoon options were Stairs/Durazo in Shea and Lee/Menechino in Wrigley. HAl will pinch hit Stairs for Durazo vs RHP, but will not pinch hit Durazo for Stairs vs LHP. Stairs will either be left in or a secondary pinh hitter (RHB or SH) will be used. Same goes for Lee/Menechino. Hal will bring in Menechino to pinch hit for Lee vs LHP, but will not use Lee to pinch hit for Menechino vs RHP. Either Menechino stays in the game or a secondary pinch hitter (LHB or SH) will be used.

Thus, while these type of platoon options can be great, some of the effectiveness is lost by HAL's inability to use them optimaly.

Final thoughs relate to the use on pinch hitters in a non-DH league. Basically this would revolve around when a pinch hitter is used for your pitcher. Unfortunately, I must confess to not having the experience with a non-DH team to make relevant observations on when HAL will use a pinch hitter for your pitcher in regard to: score, inning, or settings for your pitching (either in managerial or player settings). Hopefully some more experienced ATG players can chime in here?

The one thought I do have on the matter however, is that in a non-DH environment, the effectiveness of a platoon option for a postion player may be somewhat negated. This would be because your pinch hitter settings may cause one of your platoon players to pinch hit for your pitcher, thus making him unavailable to pinch hit for his platoon mate later (or your 1st pinch hit option may already have been used to pinch hit for his platoon mate, thus forcing HAL to decide who will pinch hit for your pitcher).


The Burger
New Member
Posted May 10, 2005 10:54 AM
This may be a dumb question, but ...

I assume "conservative" or "extra conservative" with regard to hit & run, IBB, and bunting, mean "do this less frequently than normal." The reason I ask is that even though I have chosen "conservative" for bunting, in two consecutive games Honus Wagner, hitting second in the lineup, has had sacrifice bunts in the top of the first inning after my lead-off man got on base. Having a hitter like Wagner bunt in the top of the first hardly seems to be a conservative approach to bunting.

I could set Wagner's individual setting to "don't bunt", but I don't want him to never bunt.

Thoughts?


freshmeat
All-Star
Posted May 10, 2005 11:08 AM
quote:
Another observation on the limitations of the pinch hitter settings in relation to platoons. HAL will not use a LHB to pinch hit vs a LHP or a RHB to pinch hit vs a RHP.


this is not absolutely true...

i have seen Giambi ph vs cormier at least a couple of times in 05.


Dean
Strat-O ergo sum
Professional
Posted May 10, 2005 11:19 AM
Try "extra conservative" next, but I suspect you'll end up putting Honus on "don't bunt"

Some info on intentional walks from the CD help:

TEAM IBB ISSUED - SETTING
0-25 - EXTRA CONSERVATIVE
26-39 - CONSERVATIVE
40-64 - NORMAL
65-79 - AGGRESSIVE
80+ - VERY AGGRESSIVE

It has a similar chart to this for relief, but the levels don't quite match up to the TSN settings so I'm not sure what to make of it. It says that "Bunting, hit-and-run, and base-running settings are subjective." I'm sure set-up/closer are subjective as well. There are too many considerations involving who's pitched recently, who's coming up, who's on the bench, etc. for there to be a strict formula to it.
quote:
For example: If I have "Conservative" for Base Stealing set at managerial level, but "steal more" set for an individual player player?
Then your threshold to go in general will be high, but will be relaxed for that player. Personally, this is how I always set it. Basically, I only want my basestealers stealing, and even those only at high success rates.
quote:
What's the difference between "Regular" and "Maximize" under "Closer Usage"?
"Maximize" means the closer will be more strictly saved for closer situations. "Regular" will allow the closer to be used more in other situations, and for people besides the designated closer to close more often. Game help says: "Closer usage should be set to normal unless the team has a closer who gets more than 75% of his team's saves. Then you would set closer usage to maximize."
quote:
However, in this scenario, you couldn't play Bocachica in LF, because Hal will not switch Matsui from DH to LF when/if Durazo pinch hits for Bocachica, nor would HAL move Matsui from LF to DH should Bocachica enter as a pinch hitter for Durazo.
FWIW, I don't think a real manager would do this either.
quote:
HAL will not use a LHB to pinch hit vs a LHP or a RHB to pinch hit vs a RHP.
Not true, in my experience. I have seen it use a guy like this year's Giambi to PH vs. a lefty. And if you set the PH in the settings, it will definitely abide by that.

Anecdotally, the PH logic seems to value clutch hitting relatively highly. And if you specifically name a PH in your settings, it seems to use that guy much more often than if you don't, which of course is as it should be.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Dean, May 10, 2005 11:29 AM

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I'm sorry... the card says "moops."


luckyman
All-Star
Posted May 10, 2005 12:33 PM
Am I right to believe that poor hitters with a perfect fielding (eg. Everett) will never get pinch-hit (okay, let's say at most once per year) , while similar hitters with ordinary gloves are pinch-hit quite often?


Eddie E
Professional
Posted May 13, 2005 08:07 PM
Regarding Base Stealing, I am concerned about playing small ball with good basestealers for the following reason. If I select "Steal more" for a couple of good basestealers I find that they end up stealing second base (which is exactly what I want) but then go on to try and steal third as well (which is exactly what I dont want, as the percentage of success goes down quite a bit). How can you maximize your basestealing without running into outs?


Eddie E
Professional
Posted May 13, 2005 08:09 PM
Luckyman,

I have found that if you dont want someone pinch hit for you just select dont ph vs LH and dont pinch hit vs RH on the individual strategy settings. This is regardless of his glove. I believe HAL will pinch hit for anyone if you allow it to happen.


Dean
Strat-O ergo sum
Professional
Posted May 13, 2005 08:22 PM
Eddie: What is your overall steal rating at? Because that seems like the exact reason why it should be "conservative" or "extra conservative." That way, when I put "steal more" on a player, it should end up meaning "at least steal SOMETIMES with this guy, but never at a terrible rate."

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I'm sorry... the card says "moops."


luckyman
All-Star
Posted May 13, 2005 10:53 PM
Eddie,

I am thinking exactly the opposite. I would LOVE Hal to pinch-hit for Everett, but eventhough I click "avoid rh pitcher", Everett never gets pinch-hit.


Eddie E
Professional
Posted May 14, 2005 03:46 PM
luckyman,

I was playing Pokey Reese at 2B (1e10) in the 05 set and HAL pinch hit for him frequently even though he was not part of a platoon. It seems strange that you cant get Everett ph for but then again, Reese is no Everett.


Eddie E
Professional
Posted May 14, 2005 03:49 PM
Dean,

My overall success now stands at 71%. My team setting is at normal but I have not selected steal more with anyone (even an Ichiro) for fear that he would attempt to steal third as I have seen happen to many teams in the past. Anyone with an *15 or less gets the do not steal setting and those above *15 I leave alone and hope that they attempt to steal second only.


Dean
Strat-O ergo sum
Professional
Posted May 14, 2005 06:58 PM
Eddie: Right. I suggest going from "normal" basestealing to "conservative" or "extra conservative." Then you should be able to steal more with Ichiro, and although that may mean he will steal at lower percentages than the rest of the team, he still won't be stealing at unacceptably low percentages because the default level is quite high.

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I'm sorry... the card says "moops."


Outta Leftfield
Professional
Posted May 19, 2005 09:16 PM
Sometimes you can get HAL to do something, or at least, not do something by combining both "manager strategy" and individual settings.

For example, I'm no fan of the the intentional walk, esp. if HAL is deciding when to issue it, so in one recent season I both set Int. Walks on "Extra Conservative" at the manager level and clicked "IBB less with this pitcher" on all the pitchers' cards. My team issued only 4 intentional walks in the entire season. The next lowest total in this league was 13. Similarly, after I noticed that after a few games my players had attempted 7 hit-and-runs despite my extra conservative setting, I clicked "don't hit and run" in every single players box. And that did it. No more hit and runs for the entire year. Similarly, my team attempted only two bunts all year because I clicked "don't bunt" on player cards as well as setting the manager settings on "extremely conservative." The moral seems to be, if you want to communicate with HAL, be both emphatic and redundant. I think most subtleties are lost on HAL.

Not everyone will agree with these strategies, but it does seem possible to keep HAL from bunts, H&R and IBB.


Mike_J
All-Star
Posted May 19, 2005 10:01 PM
Anyone have any insight into HAL's relief usage in these terms?

I've had many teams that are very heavy in righthanded starters (or the opposite), but then backed by a bullpen with 3 or more lefties (or 3 or more righties, if its reversed). These teams often have pitchers set on quick hook, or individual pitchers set at max 6-7 innings. The obvious idea is to mess up a team's lineup, and force them into something disadvantageous in the latter innings. But I've noticed that HAL doesn't seem to get this idea AT ALL. Way, way too many times I see HAL, when given the option, go from righty starter to righty reliever, or vice versa.

Anyone have any idea why HAL seems to have a problem with this? Anyone have suggestions to avoid HAL doing this?

As stated earlier, avoid dumping players once the season started. It costs just too much, 20%. Besides strange circumstances, a big cut will translate into a poorer team.

However, there are two important dates to remember:

Game 88-90: the cutoff where missing a player for 15 games represents a loss of 20% of his future playing time. If you are trailing another team for making the playoffs, you might consider doing a move if one of your players gets a 15-game injury. Take note, though, that you will enter into the playoffs with a cheaper line-up.

Game 127-129: represents the moment where all the remaining games of the season will be within your division. Cutting someone in order to grab a player that will exploite the weakness of your divisional opponents might be a good strategy then.

This from you luckyman?

Thanks for transferring this to the new forums! :D

What impact, if any, would starting Randy Johnson on 3 day rest in the playoffs? How many consecutive times can a pitcher be worked on 3 day rest? Thank you.

Regards,
Ken :D

Ken,

SOM is a rules based game not real life. Pitchers with an * can always pitch on 3 days rest with no penalty.

What does the number mean after the the mangers name in the league standing? Thank you.

Ken :wink:

How do I find out when new leaques form? Also, what does the number after the manager name is the league standing mean? Thank you.

Regards,
Ken

:lol:

...it's the controversial "manager rating," based on a number of factors but heavily skewed to managers who (do well, but) play a lot of teams. It's not that important but a higher number does assure you that this manager has been here awhile and is less likely to be involved in cheating or make the rookie mistake of dumping a lot of players off his roster.

HOW AND WHERE DO YOU FIND A PLAYERS "CLUTH RATING"""

I READ ALOT ABOUT IT , AND I KNOW IT HAS TO DO WITH THE $$$ ON CARDS....BUT HOW DO YOU "RATE" A PLAYER ON IT?