Newbie advice needed - Should HAL set the rotation?

[BDWard]

Hello everyone. I've played the board game of SOMBB for many years and recently completed my first online season with the ATG IV post WWII set in the BILL (Baseball Is Life League). My team did fairly well and I really enjoy the game and the camaraderie of the online gaming community. I've just joined my first 80's league and have some questions:

1. Now that my draft list has been submitted, can I amend it? I was able to do that with the ATG IV league I was in, but don't seem to be able to do it here.

2. I've read a lot of very helpful advice about how to discover the year of the mystery card, including the debate over whether it is helpful to let HAL set the lineups. One question that I haven't seen is whether it is helpful to let HAL set the starting rotation. If I let HAL set the rotation, will he set the starting rotation in ERA order, with the best ERA being first and the worst ERA being last? Also, if I have 6 starters and all can start every 4th game, will he use all 6 starters in the rotation if I let him set the rotation or will he go with the best 4? In setting the rotation, does HAL factor in the matchup against the hitters of the other team?

Thanks in advance for all your help. - Bernie W

[hallerose]

On your rotation, Hal just uses your most expensive starters in order of salary. One big key to the mystery card is figuring out which year you have -- almost no player has all 5 years where they are worth their salary. Injury reveals, splits (L/R), rare events (e.g., triples), how Hal uses your players (e.g., pinch hits, line ups), are all clues. You will need to cut a few guys and find some good cards to win consistently. 80s definately has some values -- after a couple seasons you should be able to figure who they are, and also the types of players that generally are overvalued and undervalued.

[voovits]

I can confirm the idea that HAL uses the most expensive pitcher first and goes down the list. However, HAL also likes using as few pitchers as possible, and favors the guys who can start on fewer days rest. For example, if you have a 5 man rotation, all of them * pitchers, the 5th guy, with the lowest salary, will not start a game. Also, based on my experience, if you have a mixed rotation with say 2 * guys and 3 non * guys, HAL will pitch the 2 * guys on 4 days rest, filling in the other 2 games with your non * guys (even if you have them listed in the rotation 1-5). All this is why it is a good idea to always set individual game starters.
To make a long explanation sort (too late!), HAL pays no mind to the matchup or season the player has when determining your pitcher.

To my knowledge your draft card can not be changed once you enter a league. If there is a way, I don't recall how.

[BDWard]

Thanks for all the advice guys. It was a big help! You can see my team at the following link:

http://fantasygames.sportingnews.com/baseball/stratomatic/80s/team/team_other.html?user_id=146400&stats=actual

Any other advice from the online gaming community would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again. - Bernie

[YountFan]

Keep 4 *sp and 1 .75 sp. Saving some cash. O'd drop Rhoden and Vuke to start.

What's the cap in this league?

The hitting is good but get more relievers

[BDWard]

Hey Yount Fan, thanks for the advice. It is post waivers with the season set to begin this Monday, 5-18. I'm playing in Wrigley and the cap is $100 mil.

I'm planning on giving my top 5 starters 5-6 starts each in trying to figure out what I have. The 2 S/Rs will be used in relief for now. I'm considering letting HAL make the relief decisions until I know what I have. There aren't a whole lot of relief options available at this point.

As for the hitters, for now Harrah may platoon with Kemp at DH or may platoon with Cooper, with Schmidt shifting between 1B & 3B. Lynn will platoon with Hendrick while Dawson shifts between CF and RF. Although not a platoon, Kennedy will occasionally spell Parrish at C vs. tough righties.

After 25-30 games, I'll probably have to cut 2 or 3 starting pitchers (I've got 7 who can start), which will generate $10-15 mil that can be put toward hitting, relief and more starting pitching, if necessary. Right now, I'm just trying to throw mud at the wall to see what sticks.

What can be done to tweak this team? Is there any other strategy I can use to get better W-L results while I'm figuring out what I have? Does the team have a shot at the playoffs?

Any advice that you can give me would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your help. - Bernie