help for a first timer

[smitty13]

I've been playing at ESPN CFB for 3+ years and decided to try out ATG II.
Please be so kind as to evaluate my roster. Playing in the Stick with Riverfront, Ebbets and Polo in division. Thanks

Smitty

Pitchers (10)
Name T End. W L S IP H ER BB SO ERA WHIP BAL Salary
Koufax, S. L S9*/R3 26 8 2 335.2 216 76 71 382 2.04 .85 1L 10.73M
Hooton, B. R S8* 12 7 1 223.1 184 65 60 153 2.62 1.09 3R 6.67M
Drysdale, D. R S8*/R3 23 12 1 308.1 270 95 66 210 2.77 1.09 2R 4.12M
Roberts, R. R S9* 20 11 1 304.1 282 102 77 146 3.02 1.18 2L 3.89M
Grant, M. R S8*/R3 21 7 0 270.1 252 99 61 142 3.30 1.16 6R 2.58M
Pierce, B. L S7/R3 16 6 1 162.1 147 63 35 76 3.49 1.12 4R 1.94M
Smith, D. R R2 4 7 33 56.0 39 17 22 46 2.73 1.09 6L 2.87M
Dayley, K. L R2 9 5 4 61.0 52 18 33 63 2.66 1.39 1R 1.31M
Stewart, S. R R4 9 4 7 144.1 138 58 67 95 3.62 1.42 2R .94M
Stanley, B. R R2 6 6 16 82.1 109 40 22 54 4.37 1.59 1L .50M


Hitters (15)
Name B P Def. AB R 2B HR RBI BB SB BA SLG OBP BAL Salary
Hegan, J. R C 1(-2)e2 423 56 12 11 40 34 0 .234 .374 .289 1R .80M
Steinbach, T. R C 3(0)e1 379 32 15 9 57 19 0 .251 .372 .286 2L .56M
Oates, J. L C 3(+1)e7 156 18 4 3 11 11 1 .269 .353 .317 2R .50M
Garvey, S. R 1B 1e8 646 91 25 33 115 38 9 .297 .498 .336 3R 3.46M
Dahlgren, B. R 1B 1e14 531 71 18 15 89 57 2 .235 .377 .310 E .50M
Whitaker, L. L 2B 1e18 558 90 25 13 56 62 6 .289 .407 .360 4R 4.10M
Adair, J. R 2B 3e18 414 47 17 3 35 17 1 .271 .338 .302 1L .57M
Mulliniks, R. L 3B 3e12 366 55 26 10 57 55 2 .295 .454 .383 3R 2.56M
McDougald, G. R SS 2e25 438 79 13 13 56 68 3 .311 .443 .403 1R 5.33M
Oyler, R. R SS 2e19 215 13 6 1 12 20 0 .135 .186 .209 1L .50M
Yastrzemski, C. L LF 1(-3)e8 579 112 31 44 121 91 10 .326 .622 .418 2R 9.61M
Bumbry, A. L LF 3(+2)e6 378 63 14 3 31 31 12 .275 .357 .330 5R .50M
Dawson, A. R CF 1(-2)e7 577 96 41 17 87 44 34 .308 .492 .358 4L 6.34M
Moore, T. R CF 1(0)e8 278 32 14 3 28 18 0 .263 .353 .307 1L .50M
Clemente, R. R RF 1(-5)e3 522 82 29 13 86 26 1 .341 .502 .372 3L 4.29M

[JUMA]

You will only need 4 * SPs. The ones you chose are not that bad. Pierce should be cut along with 1 other. Your bullpen needs some help. I don't see Dave Smith used much; there's probably a reason.
You will only need 2 catchers.
Garvey is not the best fit for your park. Your team in general lacks OBP & that's a key in your park.

If you could post a link to your team, we could offer specific suggestions for you. Welcome to the insanity & best of luck!

Randy

[PJ Axelsson]

Hi Smitty, I'm in your division in that league, and I'm sorry to report that you've jumped into a tough division with TKL and Frank Bailey and myself, all veterans who know the secrets here.

That being said, you can still do well here. Use these message boards to find threads that detail the better value players, best players period, how to win in small ball parks, etc. You can also use the search thread to find specific topics. There is a wealth of information on the boards if you spend the time to find it.

Also, post your questions here, the community will help and everyone wants to see you whip Nev, Frank, and myself! :D


Regarding your team, Koufax is your ace, don't let him go. Hooton, Drysdale, and Roberts are all okay, but you can do better. Don't be afraid to drop any of them.

Dayley is a keeper as a lefty setup man. The rest of your pen can be dropped. Don't bother with Dave Smith, you can do better. After the waivers process, better closers will be available.

Like you posted in the league, defense and OBP are the key. Speed in terms of baserunning is also very important. Defense up the middle and in RF are my staples, I won't skimp there. Whitaker is good, although he won't hit much in small ball parks. His price is right, though. I like him. Yaz is a great player, but not such a value for your park. Dawson and Clemente are fantastic for your park, although you'll want a reasonable backup in RF (1m or less) that can spell Clemente when he gets hurt. He'll miss 20 games for sure over the course of the season. For the price, though, he's a great player.

Good luck, and don't hesitate to ask for advice. :D

PJ

[dbrisner]

I hardly ever play in a pitcher's park or do small ball teams, but I know Yaz is not a good investment except in extreme hitter's parks where I've used him.
I'd stick w/ Drysdale whereas his BPHRs# won't hurt u (but his fielding might).
Echo the previous post by PJ in all other respects.

[Moodymets]

A few things to ask yourself when in Candlestick:
a) Consistent OPB throughout the lineup or bludgen the opposition with OBP in the top half? Both work in my opinion, but somewhere between the two will not. I would commit to either one or the other. Your current roster, as is, is best catered toward an overall OBP... Dawson for the money may not be a good fit for the park, and Garvey's offense is substandard for what you'll need out of that position... not a huge fan of his.

b) A truly dominant defense up the middle OR truly dominant starters (front three all in the 8 to 11 mil range)? Your current roster has fine but far from dominant pitching, a great but not dominant defense due to McDoug at SS. A "1" with the same number of errors or fewer there would be a worthy upgrade. Even at a loss offensively, you could combine the money saved with Yaz, Garvey or Dawson and get a monster for the middle of your lineup. This would also allow you to shift your OBP philosophy to the front load position. Bottom line either way: ya ain't gonna score much in Candlestick park so you need to put a premium on run prevention.

c) Got at least one really good closer? Smith isn't one. See who's out there and consider it an investment well spent to pick up a reliable one.

d) Is it possible with the remaining available players to get a slick but cheap platoon somewhere to optimize L/R pitching and to save some valuable bucks simultaneously? As valuable as your defense needs to be up the middle, you can cheat a bit at 3B, LF and often at 1B too IMO. Good spots for a solid platoon!

For me, the learning curve in ATG II was steep. I limited myself to one or two teams max at a time so I could try to analyze and detect trends... across rosters too, not just my own. It is also a RADICALLY different experience from season to season depending on the home ballpark you pick and the strategy you take. It took me 7 seasons just finish above .500, but as a result of those first bumps and bruises, I've now won 4 rings in my last 8 tries. The lesson here (if there is one): don't expect much success right away, be VERY patient, and have fun learning by analyzing the heck out of your boxscores and opponents rosters. :) This is addicting to be sure, and the ATGII community is exceedingly knowledgable, helpful and quite often very, very funny. Have a great time and good luck to you!!! :wink:

[/b]

[smitty13]

Okay, I've worked and reworked this roster several times. If you would be so kind as to look it over to see if I have any glaring oversights, I'd appreciate it. Thanks!

Smitty

http://fantasygames.sportingnews.com/baseball/stratomatic/atg2/team/team_other.html?user_id=80566

[egvrich]

Smitty,

Several things, first off, you don't need to carry 15 hitters. Drop two (Morris & someone else). That'll give you over $3.00 Mill to spend elsewhere.

I'd also like to see a better backup for Dempsey. If he get's hurt, Hassey cannot do the job alone. Fosse, Lake, Hegan are better options.

Get a backup at 2B for Whitaker. Maybe you can find a backup who can cover 2b, SS & 3b for you. Chalk is a good candidate.

I also don't like Foxx as your 1B, you could downgrade him to a Judge, Luderus type and use the money to upgrade your staff. Pierce won't cut it for you, upgrade to a quality * LHP in the $4-$6 Mill range. And the drop off from Hernandez to the rest of your pen is enormous. You most likely won't get the value outta Willie you think you will. I'd rather see you spread it around into 2 or 3 quality relievers in the $2-$3 mill range each.

Unfortunately, IMHO you've got some work to do before tonight. Good luck.

[egvrich]

Both Luderus and Judge ate available at 1B, either would fit your team nicely and free up a ton of cash.

BTW, didn't say it, but I really like your OF.

[PJ Axelsson]

Camnitz is now available... :D


I think you'll be glad to have dropped Yaz, despite the fact that TKL snatched him up. I would consider dropping Brett and picking up Camnitz. Foxx is worth keeping, as your power hitter. Camnitz will play to your strengths more than Brett in this league, in my opinion.

There are lots of quality thirdbasemen for cheap, but Camnitz should pitch 300 innings and win a lot of games. A Koufax Camnitz 1-2 is a wonderful thing in a division with big parks. Take a look at Steinfeldt or Frisch or Jimmy Collins to play third.

[gamiam]

With Dempsey, Brett, Peck, Keller, and Clemente you have a whole lot of injury risk. I agree with PJ...beef up the SP with Camnitz, while cutting Brett and look for someone like Garnder, Pendleton, Werber, or the like that will play D, not get hurt and perform solidly offensively at 3B. I know he's very popular, but I stay away from Clemente due to his huge amount of GBAs. I love Keller and Dawson in that park. Big Foxx fan too, but in the stick you can get better value for your $$. Agree that you need a better back-up at C. When Dempsey goes down, who catches against LHP? Check some of the old threads for settings for your bullpen. Be sure that the bottom three never see any meaningful innings. Good Luck!