Strat-O-Matic Baseball 365

I've got a new team with Yogi Berra's 1956 card at C and Bengie Molina's new .5M card as backup. Bengie doesn't hit at all, but his defense is quite spiffy for the money: c-1(-3)e1,T-1(pb-0)

Trouble is that in my first 9 games, HAL has subbed Molina for Berra defensively four times. The offensive decline with Molina in there is massive, and Yogi's defense is good enough that he doesn't really need a sub: c-2(-2)e7,T-15(pb-2). Aside from the high throwing errors, which don't really bother me, especially since most of my pitchers have minus holds, I like Yogi's defense just fine.

The trouble, of couse, with any defensivie substitution in SOM is that the opposing offenses are so strong (and this is a 175M league) that one's team is much more likely to lose a lead than in actual baseball, and then you're going to miss your starting player's bat.

The only thing I can think of to short-circuit HAL's determination to insert Molina is to list Yogi as the defensive sub at C on my Team Strategy page. Does anyone have any other ideas? Meanwhile, I'll see what happens with my approach and let you know.
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Update [and happy ending]:
So, that team with HAL subbing Bengie Molina defensively for Yogi has just won a ring (on 86 seasonal wins). Although the team wasn't exactly dominant, and we may have lots a couple of games because Bengie subbed on defense, the result wasn't finally all that damaging. Or maybe, as supertyphoon suggested, maybe Bengie served as a bit of a good luck charm. Even so, Berra posted an .872 OPS over the course of the season, while Bengie's OPS was .280. And in the postseason, Yogi hit 5 HR in 11 games and drove in 14 runs. That's a pretty drastic cut in OPS for a marginal improvement in fielding.
Over the whole season, Bengie subbed on defense about 30 times, getting about 20 AB and only two hits or walks. Maybe the most frustrating aspect is the sense of a lack of control. I think I'll write to SOM at this point and hope to get for a favorable response to the idea of adding a Hitter Prefs option of "Don't Remove for Def Replacement." Here's the team, in case you're interested: https://365.strat-o-matic.com/team/1701878

So HAL is subbing Molina for Yogi and you don't have that on your def strategy page?

Are you sure he's not taking him out for a pinch runner?

Do you have remove for defensive sub checked for Yogi? Or Molina set as a defensive sub on the team page?

If no to both of them, then the only explanation is a pinch hitter or a pinch runner or an injury to Yogi.

Barring that, contact support because it would definitely be an issue.

egvrich wrote:Do you have remove for defensive sub checked for Yogi? Or Molina set as a defensive sub on the team page?

If no to both of them, then the only explanation is a pinch hitter or a pinch runner or an injury to Yogi.

Barring that, contact support because it would definitely be an issue.

HAL makes defensive subs even when they're not specified in the settings. It happens quite often and is not a bug.

HAL makes defensive subs even when they're not specified in the settings. It happens quite often and is not a bug.

I think that's what's happening here. I haven't indicated anywhere in the settings that I want Yogi to be removed for a defensive sub. Maybe HAL just becomes intoxicated by Bengie Molina's: c-1(-3)e1,T-1(pb-0). Maybe the moral of the story is not to pick a .5M defensive sub who is such a good fielder that HAL is going to want to jam him in whenever you have a lead.

Anyway, I'll try my plan to designate Yogi as Defensive Sub on the Team Strategy page. Since Yogi is the starter, this might short circuit any attempt by HAL to put in Molina. I'll let you know how it works, though I'm open to other ideas as well.

I feel like I tried that once before with Bonds but he kept getting subbed for in close games. Like it's fine HAL, I can live with a 2 in LF.

Usually when HAL makes these unforced subs I end up agreeing with them but occasionally I feel like they're not worth the offensive downgrade, and I'd feel that way in your situation.

Are you ahead in a close game each time when HAL makes the defensive substitution? I have Molina as a backup to Piazza in a very offense oriented league, Molina is consistently put in for Piazza when the game is on the line. I've resisted the urge to stop this, because Benjie has been sort of a good luck charm, we rarely if ever lose when he goes in as a defensive specialist.

HAL has a thing for Molina. I forgot to set lineups and HAL started Molina over Bassler.

I have a team where HAL often makes a defensive sub at catcher, putting in
King Kelly (3(-2)e13, T20 pb20) for
Javy Lopez (4(+1)e1, T8 pb0).

Kelly is a 3 instead of a 4 and his arm is better. But his high e rating, throwing errors and passed balls makes Lopez better overall defensively.
Apparently HAL keeps seeing the 4 and pulling him out.
Either that or he enjoys watching Kelly (1886) play catcher without a wearing a mask, a cup or a glove.

I would definitely rather have Javy catch than King Kelly, from a defensive standpoint. King K's e13 and pb20 give me the heebie-jeebies. Passed balls are worse than steals in my book, because there's no chance to throw the runner out, and because even a really slow runner will advance on a pb, and because a runner can score from third base. By contrast, with a steal, a fast runner is likely only getting to second. So modern catcher with a +1 arm and low errors & pbs doesn't worry me that much.

Anyway, as indicated, I tried setting Yogi as defensive sub (and starter) last night and my team won one game of three. In my single victory, I headed into the ninth inning up three runs, and HAL left Yogi in. So the kluge worked for one night. We'll see if it holds up.

BTW, with Yogi (-2 arm) as starting C and 4 SPs with holds rated -3, -2, -1, and +1, plus a couple of RPs rated -6 and -3, my opponents haven't made a single steal attempt in my season's first twelve games. So, HAL, please LISTEN: I don't think the defensive upgrade from a -2 to -3 arm is all that critical.

I do like Bengie's card though. A lot of defense for the money.