FORTY games below .500 after 96G; Any HELP? UPDATE...

[GFDWARF07]

http://fantasygames.sportingnews.com/stratomatic/team/team_other.html?user_id=373744

This is by far the worst performing team I have ever assembled. They have almost 4X as many AB against RHP than LHP. They play in Wrigley '63 and have what I thought was a decent LH power line-up (Blanchard, Howard, Snider, Klein). Klein and Snider are having stellar seasons, Howard is pretty good and Blanchard is doing what he does (though at a lower BA/OBP than I have seen him in the past). I picked up the '30 Goslin 8R card becasue I had never used it and was facing so many RHP. But all these guys do is LOSE!

Now I admit that I have done a little too much add/dropping and at just over 68M my lowered payroll is now paying a price. [b:32aaaab676]And my pitching stinks.[/b:32aaaab676] I also traded away Nomar for Oquendo (after similar OBP and more positional flexibility) and Jim Perry (sentimental value and pitched well for me in the past). Bad moves, I admit.

Are there any moves that could be justified NOW despite the 80% hit? At this point I can't do too much worse and would love to go .500 the rest of the way, just to put a plug in the bottom of the tub on my overall winning percentage? :P . Or in the immortal words of Richard Prior (channeling Jim Brown) is this "a butt whuppin I just might have to take".

Thanks much!

Dan

P.S. I am home recovering from a spinal fusion L3 through L5 about a week agao so have WAY too much time on my hands.... And 11 more weeks to go :shock: ! So I admit this is also the hardest I have ever thought about a truly bad team.

[Casey89]

Lost cause = try out some of the new cards. Give 'em a test drive before buying.

That's what I'd do.

Get well soon!

[LoopsandRolls]

Blame it on the cursed Cubs - Wrigley '63 has a very bad winning percentage - both right handed and small ball teams do not suffer a whole bunch when they visit.

I wish you a swift recovery from a very tough surgery.

[mamiller_53]

If you want to try something, I would lose Snider in CF (too expensive) and find cheaper catchers to free up $$. You're hitting okay but have given up 200 more run scored. Your problem is you pitching. I'd keep my 2 best starters and bring in two more with the $$ you free up.

I'm not sure I understand the 2nd base platoon - Oquendo doesn't help - you might as well look for a 2B that hits LHP and use that for upgrading a stopper that actually stops. Find one GOOD setup man and turn the others into strong RH or LH slanted pitchers (like Clear).

My thought is that you drafted for a hitters park, chose a kind-of-hitters park but didn't choose really strong hitters other than Snider and Howard (Klein never produces what his stats were - I really don't think it is correctly priced but Mighty Moose disagrees with me).

One last thing - people with argue that dropping players and taking a 20% hit is stupid - sticking with what you have is too. Drop/add will give you experience with other players. Good luck going forward!

Mark

[GFDWARF07]

Thanks all for your responses.

Mark, I will look into what your suggested. One clarification is Oquendo is starting at SS and Doyle at 2B - no platoons there. I thought about trying to go with better fielding at SS and 2B and sacrificing the hitting.

Snider isn't my first choice to spearhead a lefty power team, but his numbers project pretty well (65HR; 160+RBI). He is my biggest value chip. Maybe I will look for some trades that might accomplish what you suggested while keeping my payroll somewhere north of 65M.

Thanks much!

[danielz]

For your next team, remember this.

Defense does matter.

Playing too many guys with 3 or 4 rating leads to a lot more hits and lost double plays. The only quality fielder you have is Snider.

[docdave]

I concur that Wrigley '63 is a terrible choice of park for a lefty power team. There's a reason people use Shea '71 so much...

Beyond that, Snider delivers mediocre value at $80 mil compared to Turkey or Ott. I like Turkey in center on a lefty team, cheap power in left and right. Brett or Mathews at 3rd. Blanchard was actually a spectacular run producer (R+RBI/AB=133/327!). I hate Selkirk; he gives you walks but underachieves everywhere else.

My main comment is on the pen. With a starters that cheap, your relief ace is holding the staff together, and Hiller can't cut it. Mellie Wolfgang maybe, but I'd be happier with John Miljus or R4 Wilhelm.

Best of luck next time.

[GFDWARF07]

Well, thank you all for the advice. Here is what I did and we shall see how it works as an experiment over the remaining 63 games. The only goal being to go .500 the rest of the way. It is always a challenge trying to add value under the 80% penalty. Even if I dropped Snider for a 5M caliber CF I still would only net a 3M surplus and he has produced the most runs by far for this team. He is not my first choice but I have him and will keep him.

I chose to keep my 3 biggest guns - Snider (40HR/99RBI), Howard (36/84), and Klein (I have had good performance from him in the past).

I sacked my middle infield in favor of 1's on D (Richardson/Miranda - basically throw aways at the plate); I got rid of too oft injured Blanchard for Dickey; I added some cheap slanted bats for platoon DHing or 3B in Phillips' case (Covington/Phillips).

I also canned Goslin in LF and picked up Ty Gainey as a cheap replacement vs. RHP and whose card read .673 slugging at Wrigley '63 (even though he strikes out 51% of the time he has a zero gbA. But the main motive was to add Mellie Wolfgang as my all around do everything bullpen guy. I have also set him as the go to man for most bullpen settings. With the leftover cash I canned Zahn and his 2.00 WHIP and added Jim McAndrew for a little Miracle Mets karma.

So that's it! I will post the results for fun. Thanks all who responded.

Dan

[GFDWARF07]

New roster starts 0-3! Team is now 15-57 for March. Not sure I could do that is I was trying to lose! Klein may have to go as well.

[Maxie Minoso]

[quote:a0e414fb0f]I am home recovering from a spinal fusion L3 through L5 about a week ago so have WAY too much time on my hands.... [/quote:a0e414fb0f]
I had similar surgery a year ago so welcome to the Titanium Age when we have more value in the metal in our body than in our IRA.

Maxie