Basestealing

One of my frustrations with the game is (at least in ATG8) the pool of good defensive catchers is so deep, and Hal's base-running strategies so terrible, that trying to build a team based on speed seems like suicide.

Even if I have a decent speed matchup Hal will get me thrown out trying to steal 3rd at the wrong moment. I now know how to keep my guys from trying to steal bases but I also want to have some fun with a team of good base-stealers that actually has some success.

Anyone ever have success with a base-stealing team? (and if so how did you approach it?) -thanks!

I don't play ATG much at all (I have played only 3-4 teams), but with a bunch of -4 and -5 catchers---the idea of speed with ATG is for taking extra bases, not stealing--I would never go aggressive and probably not even normal stealing strategy if I were facing those kind of arms--I would go Conservative with the Cobb types set for steal more--but maybe aggressive with running if I have a bunch of 16 and 17 runners.

For what it's worth, I'm having fun.

http://365.strat-o-matic.com/team/1428804

This is a high cap league, so none of the low-cost good-arm catchers play. That helps. I also play in a 0 BPHR park. I check each opponent and will sometimes reduce to normal or occasionally conservative, otherwise it's BTTW.

I give up on homers, I want to increase the odds of having a base stealer in a base stealing situation. So that means a whole lineup full of 'em.

With no HR, I need to score other ways. I'm good with my current 50% rate stealing 3rd. A guy stranded at second is as bad as a guy thrown out stealing 3rd. Some of them make it and score on FO, GO, wild pitches, passed balls squeeze plays and, love this, catcher throwing errors. Also 3-1 stealing home; that's fun.

Obviously, I'm going to struggle against a team with good-holding pitchers and good throwing catchers (and good-armed outfielders). But to get all that, the other team probably had to compromise on offense, or defense (love scoring without a hit), or WHIP.

I think speed is a viable way to win. I think it's a little more consistent than long ball, so I don't expect to get hot and lead any leagues, but it seems competitive. And if I can just get into the playoffs ...

Thanks sganser it's inspiring to see a team survive on speed. My one attempt has been disastrous so far but you've inspired me to go all in with a BTTW strategy and set my basestealing to super aggressive. Wish me luck...

http://365.strat-o-matic.com/team/1393609

This team made it to finals of the 2014 ATG Barnstormers championship but lost in crushing fashion losing games 5,6,7 after being up 3-1. Dale Murray blowing save when up 6-2 in Game 6 was killer. I had decided I was going to lead off Bush and maximize the values of his walks by stealing as much as possible turning lead off walks into doubles. I had to maximize value as I was using 6 pitchers 3 for lefty teams and 3 for righty teams, I picked Coleman up once I decided to use a stealing strategy and set him as my pinch hitter for lefties and righties and used him as substitute for any injuries in outfield. Since Cobb was a 15 day injury risk and the lower part of my lineup depended on sacrifices and bunting and squeezes and hit and runs I wanted a fast guy as capable as Cobb to replace him. So that is where I had a 1.18 million sub in an 80 million league which is usually a bad use of funds. But it was necessary to pull off the strategy, had I decided not to steal as much I would have probably have changed the shortstop and my first baseman. But Judge had a monster year driving in Cobb and Duffy.

Collins missed 24 games as he was high injury Collins --- but with Mack and Gallego set to bunt and hit and run more the loss of Collins was minimized as much as possible. Hugh Duffy was a beast as I faced a high 40% lefties and he must have only been running when he had a good lead which is where stealing as conservative and not marking steal more even though he is a 19 with a good lead, the 14 with a bad lead would end up with too many throw outs with steal more. Bush, Cobb and Coleman were marked steal more overall team setting was conservative on base stealing and they still swiped 300. Coleman gets a good lead so often it steal more doesn’t hurt as much and Bush I just needed to get the value at the start of an inning if I had him anywhere but leadoff I would not be setting him to steal more. Petway, Lake, Judge, Shirley and Gallego were marked do not steal. Stealing of second was successful 78% of the time 3rd 70% of the time and home 66% of the time (2 of 3).

Everyone was marked do not hit and run except Petway and Gallego who were marked H&R more and Wine and Ghost who were not marked for Hit and Run. Hit and run was set to normal, so the bottom of my lineup was using H&R. I also had 146 sacrifices to lead league as well as 13 out of 21 on suicide squeezes even though bunting just set to normal though the bottom of the lineup was all good bunters and all selected to bunt more as well.

If you are going to try and succeed by the steal it is far more difficult now that ATG has so many great arms at catcher and so many options of pitchers with hold, but still if you form the entire lineup with a goal in mind of optimizing the steals and not just getting a steal because you like a lot of steals it is still an effective strategy. It is easier to implement it at the lower cap levels but not impossible at higher levels. In ATG setting steal to super aggressive is I fear equivalent to setting your team to lose, the value of steals plummets far too fast once it falls beneath 70% success.

http://365.strat-o-matic.com/team/1393764

This was a $60M league with no player over $3M allowed so not a typical league. If I recall correctly Dempsey was the only available catcher better than -1 arm so he was my #1 overall pick and then I filled out as many positions as I could with speed. I was about 75% success rate around 100 games in but ended at 73% with a 90-72 record. Then I lost the first round of the playoffs. Stupid HAL.