1st Coors Team: Advice Request

[LA Bear]

http://fantasygames.sportingnews.com/baseball/stratomatic/2005/team/team_other.html?user_id=56241

My first Coors team ever. I've seen past teams be successful going cheap on pitching and vice versa. Damn I'm confused! :? I'm ready for a good old fashion thumping, and I'd appreciate any forum coaching that I recieve. :)

[Roscodog]

The best advise I can give would be to trade Pedro Martinez to the Poon Sox for Matt Wise. This is just my opinion, but I really think it's what's best for your team.

[hugedude24]

First, you have a good four man rotation for Coors, so drop either Weaver or Benson and pick up a cheap fifth SP to save yourself a million or two (I have had great success with Weaver and would go with him for a little smaller price tag).

Second, you need somebody in the bullpen. I know you don't want as much money spent on arms, but you need at least one guy to go to because your starters will not complete games all the time, and you would like to win those games. It's good that your current relievers lack BPHRs, but since they are mainly specialists, you will need a bigger bullpen to utilize them well (see the recent topics on bullpen mistakes). So get yourself a stud closer who will throw 2 innings and a decent middle guy (1-3 mill) in my humble opinion and your staff will be set.

Your lineup is solid. You're gonna hit the ball, and you'll do well in the field. Although I understand why you have Thomas to get on base for Bonds and I've seen him do well when he is on the field, I don't like him as an everyday DH with little backup. Perhaps you could replace him with a leftfielder that can field to make Bonds your DH, a guy like Milton Bradley who will get on base, hit a homer or two, steal a base or two, play solid D and turn the lineup over to Bonds more, but be reliably IN the lineup. Burrell would be a cheap option to go the homer hitting, on base going, less defense route as well. This is again, my idea, not the gospel obviously.

To this degree though, besides Bonds, there is not a great deal of OBP in the lineup (Nevin at 360), but a lot of pop. One run homers don't win games as much as three run dingers in real life, but I'm not sure about strat. Can anybody tell me if this is true or not?

Good luck LA Bear! I've always wanted to have a Bonds team and in Coors nonetheless! It will be fun to see those boxscores!

[1crazycanuk]

I'm just wondering why people are so against stocking up on all star pitchers in Petco but then they aren't against stocking up on all star hitters in Coors? If you only need mediocre pitchers in Petco, shouldn't you only need mediocre hitters in Coors?

If I were playing in Coors I'd try to get RJ, Santana, Rivera, and not worry about the hitters so much. What am I missing here? :?

[visick]

Canuk-

When you play @ Coors, your goal is to OUTSLUG your opponents. ie. score alot

When you play @ Petco, your goal is to OUTPITCH (in a sense) your opponent. ie. good pitching, good defense etc...

I'm not saying it can't be done, but if you spend all your $ on the stud SP's, who is going to mash for you? These SP's will have stats that will be above and beyond their cards...

I've never seen a Coors team go with a stud rotation.

[Jerlins]

I happen to agree with Canuck here. Get some stud starters and don't let your opponents outslug you. I've never played Coors as my home park, but I've faced plenty of them in my leagues and my stud pitching/adequate hitting has always had the upper hand when traveling to Coors. Small sample, perhaps, and not sure over the course of a season it would hold true, but I'd build a team with better pitching and get guys like Alou, Branyan, and others not normally high on anyones list and go from there. The teams I've seen built trying to outslug their opponents have failed miserably in the leagues I've been in so maybe the outslugging strategy isn't the way to go.

[1crazycanuk]

"When you play @ Petco, your goal is to OUTPITCH (in a sense) your opponent. ie. good pitching, good defense etc..."

I totally agree. Which is why I don't understand that many people say you don't need all star pitching in Petco. :?

Jerlins, I agree with you too. Most Coors teams I see bash a lot of homeruns but are lucky to make the playoffs, let alone win the championship.

My thinking is this: In pitcher's parks, go for lesser pitchers and spend the money on hitters. In hitter's parks, go for lesser hitters and spend the money on pitchers. Makes sense to me. If anyone can pitch well in Petco, then shouldn't it follow that anyone can hit well in Coors?

[visick]

Canuk:

There is no "only way" to win in Strat. This is the conventional way to play in these parks.

I've lost 2X in the finals (2005) to 2 Coors teams.
I managed to win against a Coors team as well. (I was in Skydome).

There's nothing wrong being unconventional in this game.

Personally, I'd rather have a Coors team with mashers, and a bunch of "decent" quality SP's (ie. Benson, Thomson etc...) than have "anyone" (as you say) pitching in Petco and then getting BOMBED in Coors.

"Anyone can pitch in Petco". This is not necessarily true. Yes you can go with cheaper SP's if you want that have BPHR's on their cards. But if you then play a team in Coors with these SP's, they'll get rocked.

[visick]

LA Bear:

I like your SP. You don't need 5 *SP's though. I would downgrade Lilly to...maybe Mulder or Willis etc...and use some money to reinforce your bullpen. Pavano, Benson and Weaver (vs. a righty team mainly) can be effective here.

This team has got some pop. I'd just like to see a few more $ spent on the pen. Posada "could" be dumped for a cheaper alternative to free up some $. I'm thinking Buck or Barajas are good choices OR a platoon of Cota / Valentin and Blanco.

[rgimbel]

I like your lineup it will produce I also like your starters however in coors you need a good bullpen a lot of games will end up 13-10 and your bullpen will get a lot of innings I think you need two reliable guys in the pen cut benson and figure out a way to add to your pen. the major diff I feel between petco and coors is that your starters no matter how good they are get less innings you can get away with a crappy bullpen in petco not in coors