batting orders

[Rigged Splits]

I always start the season with HAL making out the lineups. Sometimes you get great early reveals especially with 75 cent players like Bando. Other times you don't have a clue as to what 's going on but I find it fun trying to figure out.

My latest team has Larry Sheets as leadoff hitter vs. righties at home in Kingdome and in Fulton. Even with his best card I wouldn't lead him off. Does this mean I have great players down to the sixth spot and there was nowhere to put Sheets. 7-9 are Puckett, Aguayo (sometimes they are reversed) and Burleson. 2-6 are Fisk (77), Daniels, Sandberg, Strawberry, and Ogilvie. Maybe I do have great cards from all of them and Puckett is a powerless 1989.

I'd would lead that card off and I think even HAL would so it it must be 1985. But Puckett 85 is good vs lefties and HAL has him batting ninth behind Al Newman and Burleson. Does that mean I have the great 87 Newman card and Burleson's 77 card while Puckett is put ninth because he has no power and isn't as good overall. I would lead Puckett in 85 off over the current leadoff hitter Darrell Evans which, following this logic, should be 84 or 86.

HAL has kept the same lineups vs. righties in power parks except for one game in Fulton against Mike Proly where he benched Sheets and led off Ogilvie with Barfield 2nd with Fisk 6th. I can't figure this one out at all but Ogilvie went 5 for 6 with 3 homers!

In Dodger stadium HAL benched Sheets against Clemens for Darrell Evans probably becausehe loses his ball park homers and led off Barfield against Saberhagen the opposite righty with Puckett 2nd. But Barfield leadoff?

[Rigged Splits]

Here's an opening day lineup of HAL's that I thought was excellent. This was a team HAL or myself couldn't screw up.

Raines 87
Murray 84
Gamble 77
Mitchell 90
Thomas 81
A. Davis 87
Yount 85
Ray ?
B. Martinez 79

He even moved Thomas to eighth vs. lefties and put Martinez 3rd. Leon Roberts 83 batted 5th. I'd say these were good lineups but maybe it was too obvious to screw up.

[otma]

So I read this post last night and thought I'd give it a try since I'm only 3 games into the season. I cleared the lineups and here is what happened:

At Arlington Stadium, HAL sat Reggie against Clancy and Guidry but started him against Hershiser. Also batted Carew 9th against righties and 8th against lefties.

vs. righties the order went Harrah, Gwynn, JCruz, Lezcano, Yount, Incaviglia...

vs. lefties Gwynn, Lezcano, Harrah, Yount, Incaviglia, Boone, U.L. (at DH!!!)...both Reggie and JCruz on bench.

So now I'm scratching my head....do I have Carew and Reggie in their worst years, and Cruz in a year he doesn't hit lefties, or is this just further proof that HAL is an idiot?!?

[ggrover15]

The one thing I have noticed with Hal is the Defense comes into play. Not is batting order but if they play or not..

[voovits]

I agree with the notion that HAL likes defense, but HAL also very much overvalues the homerun, overvaluing it to a fault.

Perfect example would be from the HAL experiment I did.

I had noted in the thread where I talked about it that in a 3 game series, Rod Carew was not put in the lineup at all for any of the 3 games (all righties). HAL was using Franklin Stubbs at DH in favor of Carew or Kruk, while using a 4th outfielder, Von Hayes at 1B. (100 mil league, so I have extra players).
Also HAL batter Willie McGee 9th in 2 of the 3 games vrs righties and 8th vrs a lefty starter.

Well I don't know what year Stubbs has yet (he does have 6HRs, 5 doubles and a .283 avg through 53 ABs though), and I dropped Kruk after an early poor performance, but Injuries have revealed Carew to have 1980 (.331 avg) and McGee to have 1990 (.335). Both seasons have low power, but good on base.
Basically, use caution when relying on HAL. Don't use it as your only indication. You definitely have to use the players and get an better indication that way.

[otma]

well I'm definitely going to play the guys the way I would and see what happens. Good to know that Carew batting 9th isn't a necessary indication that he's in his worse year; just a tick in HAL's mind....

[Paul5757]

I emailed TSN way back when re: whether HAL knew the year. They said that HAL does know.

I cleared out the lineups for this team. (It's not going anywhere anyhow, I got dealt bad pitching cards, that's hard to come back from in a pitcher's park.) HAL has plenty of choices as to lineups. Only reveals: Wilson in '79, Herr is '89.

http://fantasygames.sportingnews.com/baseball/stratomatic/80s/team/team.html?user_id=144800

[Paul5757]

I fired myself at 22-32. HAL is 9-6 so far. Ouch.

HAL is now 21-12 with basically the same team. He seems to be making all the right moves.