Garcia's Blog Part XIV- Roster Construction
Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2013 4:26 pmHey guys,
We have had a couple of e-mails recently asking about the best way to construct your roster. Now everybody has their own style of playing; some go all offense, others prefer speed, pitching, and defense. Others go for a more balanced approach. There is obviously no right or wrong way to build your roster. However there are some tips that you can use to help maximize your roster.
First, spend your money! Sounds simple but every once in a while I see teams that have a couple million dollars left over that they're not using. Spend it! There is no point in having some extra cash left over at the end of the season.
Now spend that money on starting players. While it is nice to have quality backups on your team you do not want them eating up a large chunk of salary. Unless your starter has a high injury rating, chances are these guys aren't getting into too many games. I try to get specialists with my backup guys for under a $1 million. An A stealer, 1-16/17 runner, defensive specialists, etc. I also only use 24 players, it keeps you from spreading your salary between too many players. Even if players 25-28 are only $0.50 million each, thats $2 million more I can use to upgrade somewhere. Of course, this doesn't apply to every cap: if you are in a $200 million cap league you can afford more quality players. However for your standard $80 million, to me this is the best way to go.
Next, avoid dropping too many players during the season. Unless you are in a league that uses variable drop penalties (5%/10%/20%) then dropping too many players can really hurt your overall salary cap and then you're leaving money on the table again when it doesn't need to be. If you want to get rid of a player, try trading them! You can post messages to the league stating Player A is available. If you don't get a response with a league message, maybe a personalized message to someone is the way to go. Look through your opponents rosters and see if anyone could use the player you are looking to cut loose. Chances are they will be an asset for someone else's team.
Another thing to help minimize your expenses is to go with a 4-man rotation. Four *-rated pitchers allows your 5th starter to be a real cheap swingman (SP/RP) that you can use out of the bullpen as a mop-up man. Then use the extra savings to improve the rest of your bullpen or your lineup. If you still want to go with a 5-man rotation then there is no need to have an *-rated pitcher. Chances are you can find a non-*-rated starting pitcher very similar to the *-rated pitcher on your roster for cheaper. Again, it's about maximizing your salary cap. If you can find a player with similar production without the * you are saving yourself money that you can use to upgrade another position.
There are many different ways to play this game and everyone will have their own strategy regarding how to construct your roster. However following these things could help you turn in a couple more wins and improve a mediocre season into a possible playoff appearance and league title.
Other things of note for today: the 2003 old teams are now in your account. This completes 2001-2003 and leaves 2004-2006 and 1969 the four remaining years that need to be added back. Once this is done the manager ratings can be restored. Also, look for the division randomization to be out in the next couple of days. I'll have more on that when is it released.
As always if you have any ideas for the blog please send them to me at onlinegamesupport@strat-o-matic.com. Talk to you all next week!
-John
We have had a couple of e-mails recently asking about the best way to construct your roster. Now everybody has their own style of playing; some go all offense, others prefer speed, pitching, and defense. Others go for a more balanced approach. There is obviously no right or wrong way to build your roster. However there are some tips that you can use to help maximize your roster.
First, spend your money! Sounds simple but every once in a while I see teams that have a couple million dollars left over that they're not using. Spend it! There is no point in having some extra cash left over at the end of the season.
Now spend that money on starting players. While it is nice to have quality backups on your team you do not want them eating up a large chunk of salary. Unless your starter has a high injury rating, chances are these guys aren't getting into too many games. I try to get specialists with my backup guys for under a $1 million. An A stealer, 1-16/17 runner, defensive specialists, etc. I also only use 24 players, it keeps you from spreading your salary between too many players. Even if players 25-28 are only $0.50 million each, thats $2 million more I can use to upgrade somewhere. Of course, this doesn't apply to every cap: if you are in a $200 million cap league you can afford more quality players. However for your standard $80 million, to me this is the best way to go.
Next, avoid dropping too many players during the season. Unless you are in a league that uses variable drop penalties (5%/10%/20%) then dropping too many players can really hurt your overall salary cap and then you're leaving money on the table again when it doesn't need to be. If you want to get rid of a player, try trading them! You can post messages to the league stating Player A is available. If you don't get a response with a league message, maybe a personalized message to someone is the way to go. Look through your opponents rosters and see if anyone could use the player you are looking to cut loose. Chances are they will be an asset for someone else's team.
Another thing to help minimize your expenses is to go with a 4-man rotation. Four *-rated pitchers allows your 5th starter to be a real cheap swingman (SP/RP) that you can use out of the bullpen as a mop-up man. Then use the extra savings to improve the rest of your bullpen or your lineup. If you still want to go with a 5-man rotation then there is no need to have an *-rated pitcher. Chances are you can find a non-*-rated starting pitcher very similar to the *-rated pitcher on your roster for cheaper. Again, it's about maximizing your salary cap. If you can find a player with similar production without the * you are saving yourself money that you can use to upgrade another position.
There are many different ways to play this game and everyone will have their own strategy regarding how to construct your roster. However following these things could help you turn in a couple more wins and improve a mediocre season into a possible playoff appearance and league title.
Other things of note for today: the 2003 old teams are now in your account. This completes 2001-2003 and leaves 2004-2006 and 1969 the four remaining years that need to be added back. Once this is done the manager ratings can be restored. Also, look for the division randomization to be out in the next couple of days. I'll have more on that when is it released.
As always if you have any ideas for the blog please send them to me at onlinegamesupport@strat-o-matic.com. Talk to you all next week!
-John