Advice for a rookie?

Hi

I'm trying to improve my performance with Baseball teams and I need some advises about a specific point: SP

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

I have selected 3 very good SP (from my point of view) even if Hamels has a bad "Hold", I'm aware of that.

Bumgarner is 9-9 and when I look his card I assume I'm doing wrong with Pitcher prefs.
Tanaka has been 7-0, and now he is 8-6.

So, my question is: with such good SP what kind of settings you would select?

My team results are globally bad, and I guess my very poor Batting potential plays against me but I was really hoping for better results due to my SP.

thanks in advance for your feedback

That link doesn't work. You need to copy the link from your team stat page, or even the league standings page. The front office link just takes each person back to THEIR OWN front office page.

I found the league he is in.

http://365.strat-o-matic.com/league/435582

with 24 team leagues--it is a lot harder to put a team together with the players you want (especially 80M 24 team leagues)--Those three starters are doing OK--two are pitching better than the team W/L and the other is right there.

At a Quick glance though Melancon is not getting enough innings for the money spent, he should have at least as many innings as games played--if he is set as your closer using Max closer rules he will not get many innings---change to regular closer rules, use him as setup even middleman (as well as closer) and get as many innings from him as possible.

Melancon is good enough to set F7, F6 (I generally don't use F setting except for pitchers with great cards.)

Even if a lesser closer has to finish the game for Melancon after he came in earlier in the game--you will be better off in the long run.

This is over simplifying, but you pitch better against lefties and you hit better against lefties. the problem is, you're facing way more righties.

Thanks guys for your replies.

Milleram I will adapt Melancon preferences as suggested.

Steve, I did notice that point and sent a message to other teams in order to make some trades at season beginning but without successes, unfortunately.

And you know what? Today I did 3-0!! ok just lucky^^

And what do you think about De la Rosa usage?
Am I doing wrong?

When I realized it was a 24 team 80M league I was hesitant to suggest any changes, I doubt there are many better players left in the FA pool--and it costs drop penalties too. (24 team leagues are rough if you miss a lot of picks)

Steve F is right--the team leans left to much (even though the W/L vs LH doesn't show it)

De La Rosa is a good pitcher in your park--but since all of your starters tend to be better vs LH I would prefer a RH leaning reliever following my starters to have generally better matchups vs RH heavy lineups that most teams will throw at you (especially in other parks)--In your low HR park De La Rosa is better vs RH than the 4L would suggest, so I think he's OK at home.

Some managers won't agree with me on Melancon, but if you can get 2 or 3 inning stints out of him every time he pitches--a lot of times, if he comes in the 7th inning, he will still finish a game you are leading. If he has clean (or nearly clean) innings--he won't start tiring till after 3 innings pitched. I just think it best to get more innings out of your best pitchers in the long run. Using Melancon as a setup may hurt in extra inning games, but how many extras games do you really play???--setting him as hard closer he only gets the 2 or 3 inning stints in extra inning games, because he won't come in until the 9th inning.

To me, in 20XX, the most important player on the team usually is the middleman/setup pitcher. I drafted Devenski 1st all season and it paid off almost every time (except when I missed him)

At +32 runs your team is probably better than its record indicates--unless you won some 15-20 run blowouts.

R Miller knows I agree with him on how to use Melancon. The goal is to get as many innings out of him as possible.
I also agree that at that cap, with 24 teams, there is probably nothing in the free agent pool that would help. Most likely chalk this one up to experience and take away some valuable lessons.

24 team leagues have unbalanced scheduling. You have played 15 more away games than home games as of today. So to be close to .500 is decent.