This is my first Strat-o-matic team and I was wondering if any of the experts would be able to help me out. I have waiver claims down to get a new CF and upgrade Dominguez at this point, but I'm considering having one cheap starter and spending some money on the bullpen. Any help would be very much appreciated.
[url]http://fantasygames.sportingnews.com/baseball/stratomatic/2006/team/team_other.html?user_id=5822[/url]
Help From The Experts Please
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Help From The Experts Please
by Taters37295 » Sat Jun 10, 2006 1:05 am
- Taters37295
- Posts: 55
- Joined: Tue Jul 03, 2012 2:34 pm
by LMBombers » Sat Jun 10, 2006 6:34 am
Hey Tater and welcome to TSN SOM!
Don't expect to win your league on your first try. It takes a season or two to better understand what kind of stuff works and what doesn't.
Here are a few observations/suggestions. Your park is slanted towards LH hitting and LH pitching. The 2005 Shea Stadium was far more tilted that way than it is this year but nonetheless it is still a little tilted towards the LH players. I don't think Radke or Byrd are best suited for your park. Santana and Mulder are a great 1-2 in your rotation for Shea. Notice that they have a * symbol in their position rating. This means that they only need 3 days between starts. At this point you might as well fill out your rotation with 2 more * rated SP to have a 4 man rotation. Since you must have 5 SP on your roster you can get any 50¢ SP and list him in your rotation. He will never start a game except in the remote chance that one of your SP gets an injury over 4 games. This is rare. If you do this it will save you money. Don't go crazy and have an all LH player team because your park is not THAT slanted and you still have to play half your games on the road. I would get one or two *SP to finish your rotation but if they are RH make sure that their balance is no more than 1R. You want them to be good vs LH batters.
I think you need a few upgrades in your RP. Having all sub 1M RP, outside of your closer, could be trouble. The computer manager (HAL) will not take your RP out right when he should. He will leave them in too long and they will get shelled. Therefore you need a couple 1-2M RP at least.
As a general rule it is important to have good defense (a 1 or 2 defense rating) up the middle (SS, 2B & CF). Almost all players go with this strategy. It looks like you have all 3's up the middle right now. If a player hits well enough you might get by with one 3 at those position but not all 3 of them IMO. I would dump Freel for a 1 or 2 rated 2B. Freel should only play LF on a regular basis. Lugo hits great and has over 600 PA (calculated as hits+walks in this game) so you could keep him. Players with 600+ PA can only be injured for a maximum of 3 games at a time. Anyone else could be injured for up to 15 games at a time. Freel also has a higher chance of being injured based on where his injury occurs on his card. The closer it is to the number 7 in a column the better odds that player has of getting an injury.
You don't really have a CF. Bay is good but I think you should downgrade here and get a decent CF with the difference in the money. Jason Michaels or Matsui would be great for LF in Shea. Cory Sullivan is a good cheap CF. You may have enough money to get someone even better. Kotsay or Wilkerson would be ideal.
Abreu, Mauer & Hafner are great choices. I also like Youkilis at 3B. I would keep Lugo and use Castro as a late inning defensive replacement at SS. On Lugo's card check "remove for defensive replacement" and in your manager strategy you can select Castro be the replacement at SS. The better you direct HAL the better his decisions will be. He will still make some bonehead decisions but it won't be as bad if you try to help him by checking some settings on the individual cards and in the manager settings.
All for now. Good Luck and don't be discouraged if you don't win it all in your first league. :D
Don't expect to win your league on your first try. It takes a season or two to better understand what kind of stuff works and what doesn't.
Here are a few observations/suggestions. Your park is slanted towards LH hitting and LH pitching. The 2005 Shea Stadium was far more tilted that way than it is this year but nonetheless it is still a little tilted towards the LH players. I don't think Radke or Byrd are best suited for your park. Santana and Mulder are a great 1-2 in your rotation for Shea. Notice that they have a * symbol in their position rating. This means that they only need 3 days between starts. At this point you might as well fill out your rotation with 2 more * rated SP to have a 4 man rotation. Since you must have 5 SP on your roster you can get any 50¢ SP and list him in your rotation. He will never start a game except in the remote chance that one of your SP gets an injury over 4 games. This is rare. If you do this it will save you money. Don't go crazy and have an all LH player team because your park is not THAT slanted and you still have to play half your games on the road. I would get one or two *SP to finish your rotation but if they are RH make sure that their balance is no more than 1R. You want them to be good vs LH batters.
I think you need a few upgrades in your RP. Having all sub 1M RP, outside of your closer, could be trouble. The computer manager (HAL) will not take your RP out right when he should. He will leave them in too long and they will get shelled. Therefore you need a couple 1-2M RP at least.
As a general rule it is important to have good defense (a 1 or 2 defense rating) up the middle (SS, 2B & CF). Almost all players go with this strategy. It looks like you have all 3's up the middle right now. If a player hits well enough you might get by with one 3 at those position but not all 3 of them IMO. I would dump Freel for a 1 or 2 rated 2B. Freel should only play LF on a regular basis. Lugo hits great and has over 600 PA (calculated as hits+walks in this game) so you could keep him. Players with 600+ PA can only be injured for a maximum of 3 games at a time. Anyone else could be injured for up to 15 games at a time. Freel also has a higher chance of being injured based on where his injury occurs on his card. The closer it is to the number 7 in a column the better odds that player has of getting an injury.
You don't really have a CF. Bay is good but I think you should downgrade here and get a decent CF with the difference in the money. Jason Michaels or Matsui would be great for LF in Shea. Cory Sullivan is a good cheap CF. You may have enough money to get someone even better. Kotsay or Wilkerson would be ideal.
Abreu, Mauer & Hafner are great choices. I also like Youkilis at 3B. I would keep Lugo and use Castro as a late inning defensive replacement at SS. On Lugo's card check "remove for defensive replacement" and in your manager strategy you can select Castro be the replacement at SS. The better you direct HAL the better his decisions will be. He will still make some bonehead decisions but it won't be as bad if you try to help him by checking some settings on the individual cards and in the manager settings.
All for now. Good Luck and don't be discouraged if you don't win it all in your first league. :D
- LMBombers
- Posts: 55
- Joined: Tue Jul 03, 2012 2:34 pm
by Taters37295 » Sat Jun 10, 2006 9:42 am
Thanks!
The only Second Baseman available that would be beneficial to my team are Roberts (11 Mil) and Castillo (7 Mil). I was thinking I'd go with Castillo if anything. Also, in Center I was planning on picking up Beltran, but Sullivan is available and is cheaper and he could save me up some money if you think he would be just as good. I am planning on doing the 4 pitcher rotation and Paul Byrd fits the * profile, do you think I should keep him around? Waivers clear at 4 PM today so I will try to make a few moves and then I'll post a link to my new and improved team. If you'd like to help more then, that would be great.
The only Second Baseman available that would be beneficial to my team are Roberts (11 Mil) and Castillo (7 Mil). I was thinking I'd go with Castillo if anything. Also, in Center I was planning on picking up Beltran, but Sullivan is available and is cheaper and he could save me up some money if you think he would be just as good. I am planning on doing the 4 pitcher rotation and Paul Byrd fits the * profile, do you think I should keep him around? Waivers clear at 4 PM today so I will try to make a few moves and then I'll post a link to my new and improved team. If you'd like to help more then, that would be great.
- Taters37295
- Posts: 55
- Joined: Tue Jul 03, 2012 2:34 pm
by Taters37295 » Sat Jun 10, 2006 4:58 pm
Waivers just cleared and my new and updated team looks like this...
[url]http://fantasygames.sportingnews.com/baseball/stratomatic/2006/team/team_other.html?user_id=5822[/url]
If you'd like to comment on the changes, I'd definitely be interested in making more changes. I didn't get rid of Freel because no one else really was available that was within my budget, but Orlando Hudson is a free agent now so I would consider picking him up.
[url]http://fantasygames.sportingnews.com/baseball/stratomatic/2006/team/team_other.html?user_id=5822[/url]
If you'd like to comment on the changes, I'd definitely be interested in making more changes. I didn't get rid of Freel because no one else really was available that was within my budget, but Orlando Hudson is a free agent now so I would consider picking him up.
- Taters37295
- Posts: 55
- Joined: Tue Jul 03, 2012 2:34 pm
by LMBombers » Sat Jun 10, 2006 6:04 pm
I think your team is looking better. Below are some more suggestions.
Do you see those two # symbols in column 1 on Jason Bay's card vs RHP? Those are BPHR symbols. In Shea stadium for a RH batter like Bay that translates into HR 1-4, flyout 5-20. So those are pretty much flyouts. Apparently you are planning to DH him. I still think he costs too much for Shea. Hafner should not be playing in the field either.
Quinlan has poor 3B defense and doesn't hit well. You need a better 3B backup than that.
I would drop Gonzalez, Bay and Quinlan. Pickup a starting 1B moving Hafner to DH. Pickup a better 3B backup. I like Luna, Atkins, Nunez, Cintron, Robles or Luis Rodriguez. Look for a platoon mate at 2B for Hudson. Rey Sanchez is ideal. Vizcaino or Cintron would work. You don't need Gonzalez if you get another 1B. Hafner can play 1B in a pinch.
Anyway, just my 2¢.
Do you see those two # symbols in column 1 on Jason Bay's card vs RHP? Those are BPHR symbols. In Shea stadium for a RH batter like Bay that translates into HR 1-4, flyout 5-20. So those are pretty much flyouts. Apparently you are planning to DH him. I still think he costs too much for Shea. Hafner should not be playing in the field either.
Quinlan has poor 3B defense and doesn't hit well. You need a better 3B backup than that.
I would drop Gonzalez, Bay and Quinlan. Pickup a starting 1B moving Hafner to DH. Pickup a better 3B backup. I like Luna, Atkins, Nunez, Cintron, Robles or Luis Rodriguez. Look for a platoon mate at 2B for Hudson. Rey Sanchez is ideal. Vizcaino or Cintron would work. You don't need Gonzalez if you get another 1B. Hafner can play 1B in a pinch.
Anyway, just my 2¢.
- LMBombers
- Posts: 55
- Joined: Tue Jul 03, 2012 2:34 pm
by cummings2 » Sat Jun 10, 2006 8:01 pm
Hey there taters, just starting to take a look at your team.
First of all, ditto on the welcome to SOM-OL :D
Now, your team, looks good IMO. Personally I'd suggest a BU for Castro in SS. He is an INJ 3 so if, he goes down probably Lugo's 3e25 is a bit steep to ride. Now, if you are planning on going with Lugo in SS and Castro as def. Back up I'd suggest reconsidering. that D in SS might be tough on your pitching. Of what i see available, Cabrera or Vizquel look attractive but I'd try to wiggle Furcal being there. As far as getting money for Furcal...well, tough choice. I'd try to keep Bay, but if you go without him, Maybe Matsui could be a good choice (I think he's also available), maybe a platoon of Jason Tyner & Ryan Freel...there are some options.
I like your pitching though I would probably look move Hoffman. Maybe Chad Cordero, whom I believe is abvailable.
I'd suggest reviewing your matchups vs. the Giants, they are heavy lefty and maybe your hitters could have a hard time vs their pitchers.
Ather suggestion is to get an OK def. Backup for CF, Sullivan doesn't have the 600 PAs so there is a chance that in case of injury he'd go down for 15 games. Abreu in INJ 0 and Bay has over 600 PAs, so your 4th OF I'd suggest you make sure has good D on CF. Steve Finley, Endy Chavez, I think they're available too.
Final suggestion is to look at Brian McCann to platoon with Mauer.
Just some thought, interested in seeing what you go with.
As always, all best of luck.
C2
First of all, ditto on the welcome to SOM-OL :D
Now, your team, looks good IMO. Personally I'd suggest a BU for Castro in SS. He is an INJ 3 so if, he goes down probably Lugo's 3e25 is a bit steep to ride. Now, if you are planning on going with Lugo in SS and Castro as def. Back up I'd suggest reconsidering. that D in SS might be tough on your pitching. Of what i see available, Cabrera or Vizquel look attractive but I'd try to wiggle Furcal being there. As far as getting money for Furcal...well, tough choice. I'd try to keep Bay, but if you go without him, Maybe Matsui could be a good choice (I think he's also available), maybe a platoon of Jason Tyner & Ryan Freel...there are some options.
I like your pitching though I would probably look move Hoffman. Maybe Chad Cordero, whom I believe is abvailable.
I'd suggest reviewing your matchups vs. the Giants, they are heavy lefty and maybe your hitters could have a hard time vs their pitchers.
Ather suggestion is to get an OK def. Backup for CF, Sullivan doesn't have the 600 PAs so there is a chance that in case of injury he'd go down for 15 games. Abreu in INJ 0 and Bay has over 600 PAs, so your 4th OF I'd suggest you make sure has good D on CF. Steve Finley, Endy Chavez, I think they're available too.
Final suggestion is to look at Brian McCann to platoon with Mauer.
Just some thought, interested in seeing what you go with.
As always, all best of luck.
C2
- cummings2
- Posts: 55
- Joined: Tue Jul 03, 2012 2:34 pm
by LMBombers » Sat Jun 10, 2006 9:28 pm
Cummings is right about CF. I like Sullivan there better than Beltran but you do need a backup. I would drop Womack and/or Gonzalez for one of the CF he mentioned.
It is a personal decision about Lugo starting at SS. His defense is not very good but boy can he hit and run like a jack rabbitt! Great lead off guy.
It is a personal decision about Lugo starting at SS. His defense is not very good but boy can he hit and run like a jack rabbitt! Great lead off guy.
- LMBombers
- Posts: 55
- Joined: Tue Jul 03, 2012 2:34 pm
by Taters37295 » Sun Jun 11, 2006 1:41 am
Thanks for all of the help so far!
Couple of quick quesions. First, how do those reserve third baseman help improve my team? Second, do I not need a pinch runner (Womack) or pinch hitters (Quinlin, Gonzalez)? Finally, do you think that if I drop Bay for someone like Matsui that I might have trouble with my team only starting 2-3 right handed hitters?
I'm still hoping to learn more and finalize my team before it starts tomorrow night. I have made some moves and would definitely be interested in hearing more thoughts about what you guys think.
Couple of quick quesions. First, how do those reserve third baseman help improve my team? Second, do I not need a pinch runner (Womack) or pinch hitters (Quinlin, Gonzalez)? Finally, do you think that if I drop Bay for someone like Matsui that I might have trouble with my team only starting 2-3 right handed hitters?
I'm still hoping to learn more and finalize my team before it starts tomorrow night. I have made some moves and would definitely be interested in hearing more thoughts about what you guys think.
- Taters37295
- Posts: 55
- Joined: Tue Jul 03, 2012 2:34 pm
by cummings2 » Sun Jun 11, 2006 4:42 am
As I mentioned before, I'd keep Bay, Just my opinion really.
PR and PH are good to have, I usually have 'em...but they also serve as something else, BU OFers or IFers...to some extent you could ask yourself the question, who in your team would you PH for?
If the answer for one reason or another is noone then the answer is you simple, you don't need a PHer, maybe platoon mates but not a PH. As far as backups, kinda like the same story, what would happen if you loose x player? Could you cover the loss, is the BU OK defensively...
Anyway, don't really have much to add, welcome to SOM-OL once again and all best of luck 8)
PR and PH are good to have, I usually have 'em...but they also serve as something else, BU OFers or IFers...to some extent you could ask yourself the question, who in your team would you PH for?
If the answer for one reason or another is noone then the answer is you simple, you don't need a PHer, maybe platoon mates but not a PH. As far as backups, kinda like the same story, what would happen if you loose x player? Could you cover the loss, is the BU OK defensively...
Anyway, don't really have much to add, welcome to SOM-OL once again and all best of luck 8)
- cummings2
- Posts: 55
- Joined: Tue Jul 03, 2012 2:34 pm
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