2014 set sleepers

I didn't block you, Niners, and I certainly don't remember your offending me. I was getting unsettling messages from a member, so (unfortunately) I had to block all personal messages.

As to ratings guides, you know I'm hopelessly old school when it comes to evaluating players. I just enjoy doing the evaluation process on my own too much to use them. The offer, though, is much appreciated.

I didn't block you, Niners, and I certainly don't remember your offending me. I was getting unsettling messages from a member, so (unfortunately) I had to block all personal messages.

As to ratings guides, you know I'm hopelessly old school when it comes to evaluating players. I just enjoy doing the evaluation process on my own too much to use them. The offer, though, is much appreciated.

Ah, ok that explains it. Didn't even know that was something you could do. Anyway, as to the ratings, that's why I offered the past season so it wouldn't interfer with how you judge the current season cards. But I understand, can't blame a guy for trying. Honestly wish I could just send it to you secretly so you wouldn't know what it was until you opened it, because I presumed you be reluctant to try it.

Aw well back to the keeper drafts.

The ratings guide rounds to 52.6 for Figgins, though the exact rating is 52.55--it does not go out to the hundredths.

The cards are fairly easy to count anyway for OB chances--ignore bp singles and bp homeruns and just add----a 7 roll = 6, an 8 or 6 roll = 5, and so on till rolls of 2 or 12 = 1

On Figgins, the split chances on the roll of 1-6 = 3 (5*(12/20)) and on 2-2 = .55 (1*(11/20)).

Slugging (in card chances) is a little more complicated to count as it is total bases, but easy enough if you understand the above.

Personally---the ratings guide is worth every cent to me just to avoid having to add all this up myself even though I know how to add the card chances up--, and every card in the set is in that guide, including the ones not used online.

Correction: Actually I went and looked--the ratings guide rates him at 52.5---First time I have ever noticed any player to be rounded downward.

The ratings guide rounds to 52.6 for Figgins, though the exact rating is 52.55--it does not go out to the hundredths.

I never buy the guide. I routinely add up OB chances in my head by looking at the card -- I can do it in five seconds. The partial ones you just take half the number and multiply it by the chance -- 1-14 on a 4, equals 7 times 3, equals 2.1 chances.

It is a hassle to do H chances and TB chances in my head, so I don't do them anywhere near as routinely -- which means, unfortunately, that I often end up with high OBP teams that can't sustain many rallies and so have good run differentials but bad records (and no, high run differential vs lower wins is NOT about bad relievers, it's about winning on occasional high-scoring sporadic rallies gathered around many more low-scoring games, which you often lose)

The cards are fairly easy to count anyway for OB chances--ignore bp singles and bp homeruns and just add----a 7 roll = 6, an 8 or 6 roll = 5, and so on till rolls of 2 or 12 = 1

Slugging (in card chances) is a little more complicated to count as it is total bases, but easy enough if you understand the above.

Personally---the ratings guide is worth every cent to me just to avoid having to add all this up myself even though I know how to add the card chances up--, and every card in the set is in that guide, including the ones not used online.

I have never counted cards, either. I have to admit, I never took the game very seriously as a kid, so I got used to just analyzing the cards by scanning/reading them to determine which cards were better. It obviously wasn't as exact as counting, but it gave me more time for my true love, skateboarding.

I do have to say, however, that I'm impressed by what the guide does do for players. For those who do usually count cards, I can see the allure.

when i calculate on #hrs and $singles i use the park rating. if i'm in a 17/17 park i count it as an hr. goes for my pitchers cards also. makes it quick and easy. for a 10/10 i go half ,etc. its not exact but with HAL's bullpen management, well you know.

Where the ratings guide excels over counting individual cards yourself is the ability to load it up in Excel and sort so you know who the top whatever is before you even start looking at cards. Not so important after you have done several leagues and are real familiar with a new set but can be a real time saver when a new set comes out and you want to jump out with half a dozen teams day after the new set is available.

Where the ratings guide excels over counting individual cards yourself is the ability to load it up in Excel and sort so you know who the top whatever is before you even start looking at cards. Not so important after you have done several leagues and are real familiar with a new set but can be a real time saver when a new set comes out and you want to jump out with half a dozen teams day after the new set is available.

So, the ratings guides not only tell you the best OBP players at each position, they actually tell you "who the top whatever is before you even look at the cards." That really is a lot of information for $15.

As to Valen saying it's "not so important" once you've played a couple of leagues, of course it isn't. Once you know who the "top whatever" is from the ratings guides, your evaluating cards is pretty much done.

Well that isn't the case unless you only play in a certain type of park. If you know who the top whatever players are for a HR park they are not the top whatever players for a pitcher park so you would need to evaluate all over again. Same is true for other types of extreme parks. Each will have their own set of top whatever players.

Well that isn't the case unless you only play in a certain type of park. If you know who the top whatever players are for a HR park they are not the top whatever players for a pitcher park so you would need to evaluate all over again. Same is true for other types of extreme parks. Each will have their own set of top whatever players.

That isn't what Valen said. He said: " you know who the top whatever is before you even start looking at cards." He didn't say anything about parks, he just said the ratings guide tell you who the "top whatever" are, period.

Even telling managers who the best players are for each park is a lot, since managers are almost always putting their teams together for particular parks. You combine that with telling managers every player's OBP total, and the ratings guides are providing substantial information.