Bullpen roles

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.

R2, C0, etc. ... those are just endurance ratings. A pitcher who is rated R1 will get tired faster than an R2, and will probably pitch fewer innings over the course of a season. So for example, I wouldn't want an R1 to be my middle man, because I need him to be able to pitch a few innings when he comes in. A pitcher with endurance of R5 would be preferable. (I'm not totally sure how the C rating works, but I believe it kicks in when there's a save situation. I usually play with the ATG cards, and the C rating is ignored.)
As for the ideal bullpen, there's no single answer. But I have noticed that some new players make the mistake of spending a lot on their bullpen. The problem is that they end up with some pricey relievers who just won't pitch enough innings to justify the price tag. In an $80M league, I like to spend between 10M and 12.5M on the bullpen (usually four guys.) However, they just changed the rules to curb the overuse of good relievers, and in the new ATG9 set, they also made the best relievers more expensive. So I suspect that I will now have to spend more than I'd like (or take my chances with cheaper 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?

1. I assume so, but I'm still not certain. Hopefully someone else can weigh in on that subject.
2. No idea! They literally just made this rule, and I haven't started a new team yet.