The All Platoon Team

[honestiago1]

I've used several skewed hitters with some success. Just wondering if I could put together an entirely platooned lineup (excluding the middle of the diamond, outside C). I'm trying to stay at 4-6M per position. I want power at the OF corners.

How's this sound?:

C: Hassey (or Petralli, if I can stand the def [or want to save
money])/Dempsey (Laudner is a cheaper option, but I dig Rick)
VALUE: 6.01M

1B: Thompson/Martinez
VALUE: 4.74M

2B and SS: (exempt)

3B: Mulliniks/Phillips (who can cover a bunch of other positions for me)
VALUE: 4.71M

LF: Gamble/Castillo
VALUE: 4.16M
OR my personal preference:
leadoff combo of Bumbry/Redus (but VALUE: 5.74M)

CF: (exempt)

RF: Lowenstein (a 2 in RF!)/Braggs (a 4, but a -1 arm and speed)
VALUE: 5.57M

DH: Phelps/Zisk (expensive combo)
VALUE: 6.07M
OR, if I don't platoon at C, Wockenfuss, who can DH for me, and fill in
if my C gets injured. Saves me a roster slot, and gives me production
from a slot that is usually just a placeholder.

TOTAL COST: 31.26M, for 12 roster slots. My most glaring weakness is backup defense, where Mulliniks plays backup SS (a 3e47) and Phillips, while good at 2B, is passable at 3B (3e27) and poor at SS (4e36). Martinez is a 3e14 at 1B. I have 4's in LF, unless I let Lowenstein play there (in which case I have 4's in RF). The Bumbry/Redus platoon is actually better overall, as Redus is a passable LF (3e11[+1]), has a 1B rating (4e21), and can serve as a pinch runner. Bumbry is a 3e7(+1) at LF AND CF, giving me a decent option in case my starting CF goes down. It might be worth it to spend the extra money for that flexibility and speed.

On the whole, this is not a great defensive team. But assuming I have some 1's & 2's in the middle, I should score enough runs to cover my miscues. If I go with Redus and Bumbry, I have a very good leadoff option (I'm assuming one of my middle guys is a contact-type, bat handler [maybe I'll have Herr at 2B or something]).

Another useless opus brought to you by iago.

[YountFan]

You cannot say "[b:0bd13602f4]The All Platoon Team[/b:0bd13602f4]" and then have SS, 2B and CF exempt. ALL is ALL. Come of think harder and fill those positions.

SS:
2B:
CF:

[LMBombers]

SS is hard to platoon because there are few really slanted players. Here are some options for the rest of your platoons.

2B- Julio Cruz/Whitaker or on the cheap Cruz/Remy
SS- Schofield/Guillen
CF- G Young/Van Slyke or Young/Thompson

Dernier is great to platoon vs LHP too but costs more.

[YountFan]

SS: Smalley/Washington
CF: Young/Dw Murphy or Petis/Maning

[Outta Leftfield]

LMBs and YFs ideas are all good.

Hassey can platoon more cheaply with B Martinez or Valle at C.

Smalley/Washington can definitely work at SS. Along with YFs and LMBs suggestions in CF, consider Bailor/Van Slyke or even Bailor/Moseby or Felder/Moseby. You could also use Inky or Roberts to get more offense at CF. A dirt cheap CF platoon would be Bailor/Boston and depending on the year, it could actually be productive.

It might be interesting to try a pitching heavy team with cheap platoons all around and see how it did.

As it is, I've been known to platoon at four positions, which gives all 13 players on a minimum roster an active role. Here's a team where I was platooning at DH, C, 1B and 2B.

http://fantasygames.sportingnews.com/baseball/stratomatic/80s/team/team_other.html?user_id=52599

Platooning at more than four or five spots would be a bit of a stunt, though I'm actually trying it on an ATGIII team, so far with less than stellar results.

[The Conndor]

I'm a guy who platoons a lot; all of the ideas so far have been solid. A couple more that haven't been mentioned:

I had great success recently with a Dion James/Felder platoon in the leadoff spot and LF. If you can stand the poor throwing arms you get great OBP and good baserunning. A better arm, but more expensive with less OBP, might be Landreaux.

Oberkfell I have platooned with both Castino and Buechele, and at both 3B and 2B (I have had little success ever with Phillips). Obviously you must have some power bats elsewhere in your lineup. I personally like to give Backman a look as a platoon option at 2B, esp. if my team needs a table setter, but only with a 1 at SS to offset him.

I haven't had nearly as many teams or been as successful as most of you yet but I as a platoon junkie I had to throw in my 2 cents.

[yak1407]

Used to be a big believer in platoons, but the problem is that as soon as they change pitchers, you can end up losing your platoon advantage.
Plus, if makes opposite out pitchers, the lefty who is tougher of RHBs, and vice versa even more impressive.
I do platoon, but only as little as I have and only after enough games have been played to see who is hot against who.

[Yellow_Dog]

I agree with Yak, i'll platoon only if I see a need, but I don't like it because pitching changes mess up the lineup and make it difficult to bring in defensive replacements. That said, I usually have a platoon or two each year, just because I end up with a tilted year from a player that usually isn't tilted. I stay away from guys like Van Slyke, Whitaker and Lowenstein like the plague.

[Paul5757]

Platooning's also harder because the mystery card. Often, you don't know if the pitcher you're facing is a reverse righty (or lefty), and thus can't tilt your lineup the other way when you need to. (If you try this, you'll be doing a lot of stat-checking throughout the year, and even then, you'll make mistakes based on incomplete data.)

Plus, you have to hit on 2x the players. (A poor LH hitter in your platoon can screw up your lineup.)

That said, I'll sometimes platoon a position or two. (There are some cards that are tilted one way a majority of the time--Hassey/Laudner or another $0.75 for CA; Gamble/Zisk or Ready for DH.)

[Outta Leftfield]

[quote:7b13441561="The Conndor"]
I haven't had nearly as many teams or been as successful as most of you yet but I as a platoon junkie I had to throw in my 2 cents.[/quote:7b13441561]

Don't let The Conndor kid you--he is very good! :D

My own tendency is to make us of what Toi San said

[quote:7b13441561]There are some cards that are tilted one way a majority of the time
[/quote:7b13441561]
...and sort of semi-plan to platoon at certain positions, depending on what the cards turn out to be. A good example from a player I use a lot is Alvin Davis. Davis has two years where he doesn't need to platoon (.886 1R and .918 1L). He has two years where he can be very effective in a platoon role (.824 3R and .889 5R) and then he has one useless year. If you have a guy on your roster who can step into the platoon role supporting Davis if he's needed, you can use Davis in four of his five years. Similarly, another player I use a lot is Kal Daniels. He needs a platoon in two years, doesn't in two others, and is dumpable in the fifth. If you have a backup who can step into the platoon role, you've got four usable years--often they're killer years-- from Daniels.

To me, anticipating that your bench players might fill a platoon role--and constructing your draft accordingly— turns those four spots, at least potentially, into a vital part of your offense. Many sub-1M players can be highly effective as part of a platoon. I try to draft backups who have platoon potential and can play more than one position, so that I can use them wherever I find out they're needed. And with a rule requiring one to have 13 players mininum on a roster, with a little planning you can platoon at up to four positions (9+4=13) at no extra charge. Also, early in the year it's very cheap to drop one .75M guy and pick up another if an unanticipated platoon need turns up.