Help! How to make HAL stop replacing Bonds

Just finished my season-opening series with the 11.25 Bonds in LF (he’s a 4(+2)e5). Despite not having anyone checked to be removed, and listing no defensive replacements on the strategy page, HAL twice replaced Bonds with 0.50 Charles Gipson (2(-3)e2) — once in the seventh, robbing Bonds of a critical at-bat in a game I lost.

Any veteran managers know how to short circuit HAL so he never does this again? Or is the fielding disparity between the two so great that HAL can’t help himself?

I might try setting Bonds as his own defensive replacement in left. (I had my backup lineups set versus lefties and righties, as I always do, and I listed Gipson as the backup for all three outfield slots — could that have been the culprit?)

Team link: https://365.strat-o-matic.com/team/1542227

how bout a game link?

This is the most egregious of the two examples:

https://365.strat-o-matic.com/game/playbyplay/443288/11

hmmmm

I'm wondering if it has to do with Oliva platoon pinch-hitting the previous inning. HAL figured, as he was bringing Oliva in to play right field, he might as well bring in Gipson to improve the outfield defense all around? Either way, I did not authorize this move.

All I know is that it seems the more players on one's roster eligible to play a particular position, the greater the probability will be that a starting player in that position will be replaced in late innings for a valid or invalid reason.

I would force HAL's hand by setting Gipson as a defense replacement in cf for Coombs. He's probably better than Combs, considering the arm

Thanks, Marc. That’s a better solution, although I’d rather keep Combs’ bat. Better yet would be a do not remove for defensive replacement checkbox. I might have to waive Gipson; HAL has removed Bonds for him in 3 of 6 games.

I generally don't play 4s anywhere except 1st base. Except for some limited platoon situations, I don't program defensive replacements in the ATG game at caps of $140 mil and less, as I believe the chances that another team will have a late inning rally requiring my sub $0.60 mil defensive replacement to bat are greater than the chances of the defensive replacement making a difference in the outcome of the game.

I have noticed, however, that over the last year or so, HAL is making defensive replacements without my authorization and it irks me to no end, along with the "double switch" in no DH leagues. I've been meaning to write to SOM "help" about the problem but I just haven't gotten around to it.

If my team is using platoons, occasionally I'll program the use of the better defensive player of the platoon as a late inning defensive replacement, especially if the defensive replacement is a lefty bat, as it seems that there are far more righties used as closers than lefties.

Several years ago, when I was experimenting with my team's settings, I noticed that HAL will use the programmed defensive replacement even if he is worse defensively than the player he is replacing. I haven't tried that lately though, so I don't know if HAL would still do that. However, based on that long ago experience with HAL, I'd program Bonds to be a defensive replacement in LF and see what happens. Perhaps HAL would leave him in the game.

EZ put Garr at LF and Bonds at DH