The Secret Formula: Theory in Action: Update - CHAMPS!

Thx Edge -

The TSF team is in the home stretch in a very tight playoff race. In the meantime, here's my second completed team using the no autodraft, no waivers, no picking until everyone else is done strategery:

http://onlinegames.strat-o-matic.com/team/1115849

I missed the playoffs by losing Game 161 in extra innings. Close, but no cigar.

I have a couple more of these going, and basically they just look and perform like all the rest of my teams. I don't think there's any kind of edge to doing this, but the point of the whole thing was to demonstrate that all is not necessarily lost just because you didn't get the guys from the original autodraft that you wanted.

IMO, the easiest guys to replace have always been the most expensive guys. It's much harder to replace that buck-fitty 7L player. Another experiment might be to use a hybrid of the no draft plan, and select all sub-$3.00 platoon and role players in the draft, then pick the high dollar guys from the FA pool, discarding the least productive platoons as you fill the positions.

Geez, the options never end with this game.

I'm always skeptical when it comes to conspiracy theories, as they are usually 10% fact and 90% coincidence and subconscious tinkering with the facts. But people on here seem resolute about it. And I have noticed that exciting things seem to happen within seasons, such as comebacks and weird occurrences, on a much more frequent basis than regular baseball. Is it possible that SOM tinkers with the game engine to make it a more interesting product and keep people hooked? It seems far fetched to me, but why else would HAL be omniscient?

I agree that most events are coincidences. Only tendency that seems suspicious to me is 9th inning HRs. Maybe there's a simple explanation. I find myself on both sides of these dramatic 9th inning events.

Maybe it's confirmation bias where I only notice when it happens.

Or, maybe it's just that when you have an offense basically consisting of nine all-stars, it's the pitching that more visibly suffers.

Nobody seems to notice when Marmol comes in and strikes out Braun, Ortiz and Trout, which is probably more unlikely than when they go walk, walk, homer against Balfour.

TSF Update:

Managed to sweep the last six games of the season and secure a playoff spot with the second best record in the league. Finished third in offense and third in pitching, despite 788 runs against (+103 run diff). Four Progressives, three Coors and a US Cell will do that to your pitching stats.

The playoffs will start with the two Progressives battling it out for the right to play the winner of the two Coors teams.

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My third "no autodraft, no waivers" team was a tour league filler that was swept in the last series of the season to miss the playoffs by one game. Again.

http://onlinegames.strat-o-matic.com/team/1116275

Nothing particularly special about it except it came from the scrap pile after the other eleven teams made their choices. I have to say, though, these were the most funs teams of my 2012 season (although it was almost unbearable to watch the FA pool and not start grabbing people).

I have one more of these left, a Progressive team currently fourth in offense and second in pitching with 131 net runs to the positive. Hopefully I can make another run at a ring with this one...

I am enjoying this immensely! thanks!

The "Secret Formula" also works great for the live draft function! I've tried it several ways. Starting with the highest salaries and working down, or starting by "cherry picking" the bargain players then filling in the higher salaried players with what the draft leaves.

That is really interesting to know that you can make the playoffs just by taking what everyone else leaves as fodder. How do you do no autodraft? I thought you had to choose 25 players. I am clearly misunderstanding how you went about this.

League formed on Monday September 9th. I drafted all fifty cent players (worst hitters by OPS, worst pitchers by WHIP). I sat out waivers on Wednesday September 11th. On Sunday September 15th I drafted my team entirely from the picked over FA pool. League started on Monday September 16th.

that is impressive and something that I would love to try out. There would have to be quite a bit of satisfaction winning that way. Good for you.

Merry Christmas!*

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