Newbie needs Advice.

[AdamKatz]

I am kind of strapped for cash so, unless I dump some one, I cant afford Pettis or a similar costed player.

I do hve Leflore and could get G.Young off waivers. I think I should wait and see if I need to platoon Dykstra but if I do, is Leflore OK or is his fielding just too bad.

[bjs73]

I know that's what I'd do. He has nice lefty splits. Plays great D and if you hit the jackpot on his A+ year you'll thank your lucky stars.

I think LeFlore is a 4 e13? That is a recipe for some hurting. Most people wouldn't put a 4 in CF. I wouldn't either on a regular basis.

I use G. Young quite a bit. Pretty sure I have his A+ year in one of my current leagues. It's nice.

[rookssa1958]

Remember, the main thing is to try to have fun. Since this is the 80's Strat, you just never know what is going to happen. Don't be scared to have a bunch of lefties (and on one of my recent teams, Dykstra hit LH pitching better that he hit RH pitching.)

Let the games begin and look at the stats and adjust. Don't drop somebody just because you see you do not have their best card, only if you see you have their worst, and their worst is no good. 9 average cards can still win it for you.

One by one, Identify those players you can definitely keep, and then spend your time deciding on the others. Expect that you will have to change several out, and don't be afraid to do it. The more you play, the more comfortable you will be making changes.

[cplake]

I made the mistake of spending the $ on Eck and he was absolutely getting KILLED by lefties. I figured I must have had one of his strong righty years. I thouht that 6 bones was a little too much to spend on a "platoon" reliever, so I threw him back and picked up an upgrade at 2B (a freshly dumped Sweet Lou Whitaker) and a much cheaper Corbett. I'm actually doing better w/o The Eck.

I would highly recommend sacrificing Eck to improve in other areas. Try to trade him first of course. With the btt80s game there are plenty of cheaper relievers that can get the job done. Corbett, Lefferts, Burke, Dawley (I've seen someone get 30 saves from him), et al.....

Good luck!

[bjs73]

[quote:7d58e937fb]Let the games begin and look at the stats and adjust. Don't drop somebody just because you see you do not have their best card, only if you see you have their worst, and their worst is no good. 9 average cards can still win it for you.[/quote:7d58e937fb]

[b:7d58e937fb]Amen[/b:7d58e937fb]

Rooks just described the #1 pitfall (in my opinion) of newbie mystery card jitters. If you know you've got a card that you can live with and you're getting a decent return for the money, don't fling him to the waiver wire. It is better to know your cards than to not know them half the time.

Baseball is a team sport and getting the value that you need from the salaries that you spend on is the entire battle in this game.

I have made a playoff career out of seemingly "studless" teams. The key is making a team without weakness and then exploiting the crap out of your opponents' weaknesses.

You might not win 112 games a year doing it but getting to the fall classic is definitely in the cards for your team - time and again. Once you get to the semi-finals, all bets are off on who is going to take the crown.

I've only won 100 games [u:7d58e937fb]once[/u:7d58e937fb] out of 27 teams so far.

[i:7d58e937fb]But I've been to the playoffs 14 times with 4 World Series championships...[/i:7d58e937fb]

[Outta Leftfield]

bjs makes a good point about the studless team.

Sometimes a team with no overwhelming strengths but no glaring weaknesses can go all the way. Here's an example--a team of mine that got off to a bad start. I had to replace several stars because they weren't hitting at all and evidence suggested they were in their worst years. The replacements I picked up were OK but none of them was great--HoJo hit 35 HR but batted only .218. Lynn hit 23 HR but only .248. After a couple of more expensive catchers bombed out, Buck Martinez became my everyday backstop. Tim Raines struggled early and slowly raised his average to .276. Somehow, though, without signal strengths the team had no glaring weaknesses and everybody made some kind of contribution. Also, after a rocky start, the starting staff gelled. Ultimately, the team trudged to 91 wins and a wildcard berth. Then it beat a team with 100+ wins in the semi's and beat my division champ in the finals. Suddenly, we were world champs!

If I'd kept dumping my replacement players looking for that one great card, I doubt the team would have made it.

[url]http://fantasygames.sportingnews.com/baseball/stratomatic/80s/team/team_other.html?user_id=46501[/url]

This is not to say that studs in their best years are bad. Not at all. If you've got 'em, flaunt 'em. But you can win if all your players are in average years and the team gels as a unit.

[LMBombers]

http://fantasygames.sportingnews.com/baseball/stratomatic/80s/team/team_other.html?user_id=51199

I agree that you don't have to have superstars to do well. Check out what Alex Trevino and Enos Cabell have given me! At catcher I started out with Carlton Fisk who after 100 or so ABs finally divulged through injury that he was in his worst year. Next was Stearns who was hitting about .150. I noticed that in a few ABs Trevino was hitting pretty well. I decided what the heck and started him for a series. He hasn't left the lineup since as he just continues to hit doubles! So I just dropped Stearns, made Trevino my starting catcher and used the extra money elsewhere.

Cabell is also hitting over .300 vs both LHP and RHP. I have been platooning him with Driessen at 1B but am currently using him full-time between 1B & 3B while Molitor is injured.

[honestiago1]

It's easy to see why Outa LF's team won. Ptching and defense. [url]Clemens is going to win at least 18 for just about any team he pitches for. He was backe d up with good defense, and what looks to be only average years from the bullpen. I don't know, however, that you can say it had no "glaring weaknesses." The bullpen wasn't very good, it seems. However, with good starting pitching, who's gonna get to it enough to make a difference, esp. in a short series (the equivalent of the old LCS)?

I still think you need a philosophy and stick to it. For Royals Stadium, you need speed, pitching, defense (obviously). You've chosen hitters with good averages, with fits in well with your park. Try it out. The season's long. Nothing's going to be decided early.[/url]

[Outta Leftfield]

[quote:706356f32f="LMBombers"]http://fantasygames.sportingnews.com/baseball/stratomatic/80s/team/team_other.html?user_id=51199
So I just dropped Stearns, made Trevino my starting catcher and used the extra money elsewhere.
[/quote:706356f32f]
That's exactly how I ended up with B Martinez as my starting catcher. The cash I saved at catcher let me pick up Stieb who went 16-8 / 3.68 and was a key pitcher for me.

honestiago (nice name!) is right that " you need a philosophy and stick to it". A lot of different philosophies can win, but I tend to emphasize starting pitching, defense, and OBP, then get as much SLG as I can afford with the remaining cash. I go for cheap bullpens with relievers with a few good cards, and hope I get lucky with a couple of good years. As h-i suggests, with the starters eating inning, you need less from your RPs.

I try to be guided in my in season moves by my basic philosophy....though sometimes the moment comes when you have to break your own rules to win. For example, facing a complete bullpen breakdown early on with one current team, I did break my rule about cheapo bullpens and picked up a real closer. And it helped! :D Some of the RP's eventually rallyed and proved to be OK, but at that moment I needed a bullpen anchor and spending 3M+ on a closer did the trick.

[richswerb]

Fellas, just wanted to say this thread was a great read. Just drafted my 2nd 80's team, and still trying to become one with some of the differences between it and the ATG2 game. Some great advice and examples in this thread.