Bullpen roles

It also depends on what kind of starting staff you have. For instance, the team I was referencing had pretty good starters and only 6 out of 36 times the starter did not pitch into the 7th. And of those six a number of them were because the starting pitcher got blown out, so it was rare that a reliever was being used to protect a lead in the middle relief spot .

If you got an S4 or relief quickly settings you are going to have more middle relief chances. I am definitely going to have a very good reliever coming in the middle innings if I got SPs I want out of the game as quickly as possible.

But if I got decent SPs than I am probably more worried that an inferior reliever could let the game get out of hand if used in the behind and late spot in 7th-9th. And not as much worried about the middle relief spot.

I don't think there is a right answer here for every team--just a weighing of different things based on your team, your SPs, and your setting for the sps--quick relief, slow, or let Hal decide.

By the way, I looked back at some of my teams and I noticed that I wasnt seeing the middle relief guy come in the middle relief role (not talking about S4s) in the 3rd or 4th unless I had quick relief. S4s cannot pitch more than 5 innings no matter what and your middle relief guy can come in early for them too. In fact, you put an S4 on quick relief I think your middle relief guy will usually start the 4th.

It also depends on what kind of starting staff you have. For instance, the team I was referencing had pretty good starters and only 6 out of 36 times the starter did not pitch into the 7th..........

I'm sold. Setup/Behind and Late for me. Thanks for the evidence. I love to look stuff up and am impressed when others do so also. So if your best RP is set to Setup/Middle, when he's not Setting Up he's out in the bullpen playing "Name that Tune" with the rest of his mates for 6 games out of 7. Instead, he could enter the game in the later innings and play a pivotal role in the outcome.

I've been PM'ing with a manager I respect. He uses Setup/Middle for his best 2 RP's, as Steve suggested. My take on those settings is if you're behind and it's late there may be a chance you could rally and your best RP's could keep you in the game. That needs to be weighed against your best RP's keeping you in the game in the middle innings.

But if your starters, as Freeman showed, are regularly pitching into the 6th and 7th the best RP won't be needed in the middle innings most games. Now I'm talking in circles. Maybe I'll just set the closer and let HAL do the rest lol.

I'm new to this and I found this thread interesting and helpful. However, when drafting/setting up your bullpen what numbers are you looking for? I don't understand all the different number. I looked at the pitcher card and it doesn't seem to cover all the different relievers. I'm wondering what numbers you look at for a good setup reliever and behind and late? Are your R1s more of your lefty or righty specialists? Any help I can get would be much appreciated.

I'm new to this and I found this thread interesting and helpful. However, when drafting/setting up your bullpen what numbers are you looking for? I don't understand all the different number. I looked at the pitcher card and it doesn't seem to cover all the different relievers. I'm wondering what numbers you look at for a good setup reliever and behind and late? Are your R1s more of your lefty or righty specialists? Any help I can get would be much appreciated.

R1 just means that he 's likely to get tired quickly, so he might not pitch as many innings as you would like. If as you say, he's a lefty or righty specialist, then you might just need him for one batter per game, so his endurance won't be as important. For setup relievers, behind and late, etc., it's probably better to have at least an R2.
When you say you looked at the pitcher card and it didn't cover all the different relievers, I'm not sure what you mean. Each reliever has his own pitcher card.

I'm new to this and I found this thread interesting and helpful. However, when drafting/setting up your bullpen what numbers are you looking for? I don't understand all the different number. I looked at the pitcher card and it doesn't seem to cover all the different relievers. I'm wondering what numbers you look at for a good setup reliever and behind and late? Are your R1s more of your lefty or righty specialists? Any help I can get would be much appreciated.

R1 just means that he 's likely to get tired quickly, so he might not pitch as many innings as you would like. If as you say, he's a lefty or righty specialist, then you might just need him for one batter per game, so his endurance won't be as important. For setup relievers, behind and late, etc., it's probably better to have at least an R2.
When you say you looked at the pitcher card and it didn't cover all the different relievers, I'm not sure what you mean. Each reliever has his own pitcher card.

Thanks for the response. I went to the info/rules tab. There was link how to read the pitchers card. It only covered a couple of the relievers. I noticed there is so many different relievers. R2/C0, R2/C2 etc. Then there is like R1 and R1/C1 etc. Another was R3. Hoping someone with experience playing could explain the difference and what an ideal bullpen would look like. Like I mentioned I'm new so looking for any assistance.

I'm very new to this and find this interesting. So do some teams in ATG just load up on 2 or 3 really good R3 or R4 relievers along with a staff of mediocre starters and set up preferences so all starters have a fast hook? Does that strategy work very well?

I'm very new to this and find this interesting. So do some teams in ATG just load up on 2 or 3 really good R3 or R4 relievers along with a staff of mediocre starters and set up preferences so all starters have a fast hook? Does that strategy work very well?

Yes, but it's even more extreme (and unrealistic) than that... It's more economical to draft one great R3 or R4 reliever, put him in every bullpen role, and let him pitch 300 innings! It works very well, and I confess I've done it that way myself. It's a strategy that's been much discussed here on the forum over the years, and now Strat has changed the rules in order to deter it... Now a reliever can be put into only two roles. (And, in the ATG9 set which was just released, they also raised the salaries of the better relievers.)

I'm very new to this and find this interesting. So do some teams in ATG just load up on 2 or 3 really good R3 or R4 relievers along with a staff of mediocre starters and set up preferences so all starters have a fast hook? Does that strategy work very well?

Yes, but it's even more extreme (and unrealistic) than that... It's more economical to draft one great R3 or R4 reliever, put him in every bullpen role, and let him pitch 300 innings! It works very well, and I confess I've done it that way myself. It's a strategy that's been much discussed here on the forum over the years, and now Strat has changed the rules in order to deter it... Now a reliever can be put into only two roles. (And, in the ATG9 set which was just released, they also raised the salaries of the better relievers.)

Does the rules change that only allows relievers to pitch in 2 roles also apply to ATG 8 leagues?
How many season innings can you expect to get out of an R3 or R4 reliever just using 2 roles?