pen strategy question

If you have multiple LH and RH relief specialists, do you put them in salary order (best to worst) or reverse salary order (worst to best)? Curious what others do.

thanks,

Jon

To elaborate, I never really thought about it and always put my best relievers first on the specialist list. Maybe I've got this backwards and should put my weakest specialists first and have them get progressively better until they get to my closer. Anyone else ever give this any thought?

I may be wrong, Jon, but I think you should rank them in order of how you'd like them use. If you have two LH specialists, rank the better one first. Same if you have two RH specialists. They won't be used as closers that way. The second ranked specialist will be used, I believe, only if the first ranked is tired, or a second specialist needed in the same game. Your closer will always be used as such as long as he is the only closer listed.

That's what I've always done but my observations of watching the professionals is that the weaker relievers tend to be used earlier and then the better ones as the game goes on. I might try this on one of my team to see if it makes a different in having fewer blown leads?

I try to avoid using weaker relievers at all. I try to maximize 1-2 good relievers and avoid using the others.

The only situation where I might go with a reliever that is not one of my top two is mop-up.

The priority of how you use your two specialists would seem to be influenced by other pitchers on the staff, the opposing lineup, and other scenarios. There's no definite answer to the question. It's sort of like pinch hitters. It might be nice to have your best pinch hitter available in the ninth, but, it might be nice to have your best pinch hitter available in the 7th.

Another thought. HAL seems less likely to pinch hit in the 6th or 7th, so, that might be the time to use your best specialist by ranking him higher in the queue (assuming HAL cooperates). If you rank the "better" specialist lower in the queue you might be less likely to get the R/L-L/R match-up in your favor when he comes into the game.

I'd ask myself the question, "If I don't get the matchup I want due to pinch-hitting in a late inning, who would I be more comfortable with as my specialist?"

You have to understand, this card set does not lend itself to playing LaRussaball. HAL is not Tony, and because of all the offense there are ewer close games. And the S9* guys log innings loads that aren't seen any more.

Use your best guys, and hope for the best when you run through them.

Perhaps it helps to know that the lefty-righty specialist roles only kicks in at the 7th inning or later.

Also, if you have 4 of them, and you like of them to be your closer, it makes sense to have this closer at the dead end of the listing even if he is the better of all four:

lefty specialist (quick hook + avoid rh)
righty specialist (quick hook + avoid lh)
lefty specialist (quick hook + avoid rh)
righty specialist set at F7 and unclick avoid lh
closer (same as last right specialist)