Strat-O-Matic Baseball 365

My third team disappoints again. Why? Here is the team:

http://onlinegames.strat-o-matic.com/team/1105363

http://onlinegames.strat-o-matic.com/le ... ers/346535

http://onlinegames.strat-o-matic.com/league/freeagents

rotation
Hudlin
Ring
Smithson
Mcquillan


Pen
Hernández
Lahti
DiPino
Linzy

lineup
Carew 2b
Greenberg 1b
Wilson cf
Robinson lf
Williams 3b
Gardner rf
Pagnozzi/Triandos c
Weiss/Washington ss

I'm not familiar with 60M leagues, especially in the Barnstormers league. The competition in Barnstormers is pretty steep, isn't it? Having a 33-30 record isn't bad, so I don't think that you need a lot of help. I have some teams way under .500; those teams need help!

But, my take is drop the SP that has a very poor record (is it Smithson?) and try to get a decent replacement. I've had good luck with Trowbridge as a SP if he is available. If you don't like your closer, check to see if McMahon is available, as he has done well for me as well. Your lineup looks decent, except C, but you can't have good hitters everywhere when you have a couple of studs.

My take with Strato is so much depends on your opponent's teams. I've seen some teams kick butt in one league and basically the same team get mashed in another. Match-ups are everything!

Bob

Well....on a brief look, I would say that you spent too much in a $60 mil league on a 5th starter...although depending on drop penalty, you may want to leave it alone. 33-30 as I look is not so horrible.

Carew at 2b has already let 24 x rolls past him for hits, and Hack Wilson in CF is a real risk/reward prospect too (although I like him).

Not sure where to suggest change, but I'd probably look at a 2b with a glove if there is one that you like.

Your team is hitting but your defense is pretty suspect. Since you don't have any ace type pitchers, it's important to give them some help, particularly with CF and 2nd base/SS-you are giving away a ton of hits. You can get away with Hack in CF, esp in a 60M league, where he's gonna seriously rake and make up for what he gives back on D, but you are not getting your money's worth with him at CF. Carew at 2nd base is killing you, with a 4 rating he is giving away a lot of hits. I would drop Carew for a better glove and get a late inning replacement for Hack.

I like JohnnyBlazers advice; I missed Carew's Def. at 2B. As he points out, 2B and SS are the two most critical defensive positions in our game, so having Def. at those two positions is a must.

Thanks, I'll have to consider dropping Carew. I thought his bat would make up for his D in a 60 mil league.

When I do the no defense team to try to maximize offense with lower priced hitters, I always go for excellent SP for the salary level. At 100M, that means three $10M SPs- at 60M, that probably means $20-25M in good value SP - guys like Kaat, Higbe, and a couple very good pitchers in the 6-7M range. Great defense up the middle isn't a must if you have dominant SP. But, as the SP level declines, the # of x-chances increase. I've won 105 games at 100M with a middle infield of Eddie Joost and Tubby Scales, but to make that work, you can't skimp on SP (set relief to conservative and SPs to almost never come out and you can skimp on RPs) and you have to find great offensive values, since >40% is spent on pitching.

Carew was 24 for 61 in X-fielding rolls. He also has 10 errors. Does anyone know if those 10 errors are part of the 37 X-chances that he did not make? That is - are 10 of those 37 chances errors and 27 of the 37 chances hits or are all 37 hits (with the errors tallied separately)? Just curious.

After an 8 game winning streak, the team which started this thread has righted the ship. (Now 42-33). The Rod Carew fan club can't be happy.

Ground ball and flyball errors count as x-chances but not throwing errors (catchers and outfielders). For a second basemen, all errors would be counted as x-chances.