.50 SP strategy

OK, so in last year's set I toyed with using 5 SP who were all under $1 mil. I tried it in Citizens Bank and I tried it in Marlins park. Both teams ended up right around .500 and missed the playoffs. I just couldnt score more than I gave up.

I am trying it again this year in Great American.

https://365.strat-o-matic.com/team/1603546

I plan on using K Yates as setup and closer. 1. Do you think 3 R2's are enough of a bullpen? (My starters are set on quick hook which usually gets them out by the 4th or 5th inning) My defense isnt terrible but also not the best = 1b (3) 2b(2) SS (2) 3B(3) LF (3) CF (3) RF (3). I have Almora to come in for late defense as a 1 in CF shifting Tauchman to LF as a 2. I feel as if I have plenty of OB and Power (especially vs RH) but I feel as if this team is flawed (which maybe you cant help in an autoleague. I had the first waiver pick so I had to patch the team together.

I’ve done a bunch of teams like this for this season, with varying degrees of success.

What I’ve learned:

A. It’s WAY better to protect your pitchers in the strongest pitchers park you can get (AT&T).

https://365.strat-o-matic.com/team/1583844

Unless you ignore defense completely and try to ramp up SLG instead:

https://365.strat-o-matic.com/team/1589646 (400 doubles and .472 SLG in AT&T )

B. In a hitters park, your offensive surplus likely won’t overcome your pitching deficits no matter their output, whether it be HRs or hits.

https://365.strat-o-matic.com/team/1591376 (900 runs and 450 HRs in a super competitive vet league)

https://365.strat-o-matic.com/team/1586130 (930 runs and 1700 hits)

C. If you even make it that far, you’re really vulnerable to a short series in the playoffs.

https://365.strat-o-matic.com/team/1589140 (despite nearly 1000 runs scored and 400+ HRs).

To answer your questions, I found four R2’s maxed out to the hilt to be necessary. Your defense is solid behind $5 mil SPs, but it will likely hurt your low budget staff, where your ballpark is already stretching them out too far. No catcher’s arm also hurts more than you know. Matchup pitching doesn’t work well without favorable matchups. Most teams won’t lean with more RH bats, so I’m not sure how well you will do there.

Not a lot you can do from here except observe and draw your own conclusions.

Get more relievers than you think you need. I would get another cheap R2 that doesnt give up power costing 2-2.5. When I have done these teams it's usually been in Citizens/Great American. But I did several of these teams recently in different parks. For some reason I also used it in a veterans 90 million unleashed league and it has done ok. Ill just list the teams and maybe you can glean something.

https://365.strat-o-matic.com/team/1596076
https://365.strat-o-matic.com/team/1597991
https://365.strat-o-matic.com/team/1598179
https://365.strat-o-matic.com/team/1597111
https://365.strat-o-matic.com/team/1598658

Youll note that the Great American team didnt work. But thats my Kryptonite park. Win in Citizens, lose in Great American. Not just this year by the way.

If I was going to have a terrible starting staff I would always be very good up the middle defence. Maybe a lefty in the bullpen too. And some really good platoons of course. Also u have no arms in the outfield. Cheap starters look better when runners are not always taking the extra base and the fielders make plays.

Thanks everyone for your input. I will keep what you have told me in mind as I try this again. My season just started (swept the first series on the road in Camden Yards, outscoring my opponent 40-14) so I will have to make due for now with what I have. My first series will be no indication of my team's performance but it was fun to see. I initially had better defense along with some good arms in the outfield but I got skunked in the autodraft. I got four of my five starters and got my preferred four relievers but didnt get much of my offense and had to scramble to patch together a team creating a weaker defense than I wanted.

I was not that extreme but I did once limit my starting staff to $12M cap and loaded my lineup with power in the Polo grounds. I won 91 games doing that and led the league in home runs.

I always wondered how somebody would do if you had 3 Babe Ruth's in your starting lineup and a bunch of $1M players and pitchers in support. I think I will try that next time.

Still early, but so far so good. Tied for best record and have best run differential. Offense is First in runs scored and Pitching is 9th in both era and whip.

I have never really seen this strategy work, at least not against me.

It looks like your fast starting team has faltered. Some modicum of balance is the best way to be competitive.

You can go cheaper at SP, but .50 SPs are just too awful to make it work.

This game is all about maximizing your money and getting value. There is no value in .50 starting pitchers.

So while one or two of you may have had successful teams built this way, I can promise you it won't work against good teams, tough divisions or managers who know what they are doing.

I suspect that you may be right. I keep trying because I like the challenge but havent found the right combo yet and maybe never will.

Actually, the strategy has worked many times. And you can find value in pitchers under a million, particularly backwards lefties. Moreover, most of the "value" comes in bringing in good relievers that will pitch most of the innings. As for it not working against good managers, I used that strategy in an extremely competitive league and I'm in the finals in that league. There are downsides to the strategy and it is not quite as good it was last year but it's a viable strategy to do occasionally. In 20XX you need some out of the box thinking to create top teams. Anyone can select players that are a good fit to a park or pick a great starting staff. But thats not enough. You have to find ways where run production/limitation is not linear (for example, get a pitcher's park, elite pitchers and get all defensive 1s. The theory is by doing that you are constricting run production in a way that is superior to imvesting the same resources into offense.)

Yes, you find value in individual players and their fit to a park. But there is also value created by players in total ( another example: in a park like Citizens you need a balance of on-base and power. You want a lot of hrs to separate yourself from other teams, but if you dont have on-base you get a lot of solo hrs. Thats one of the attraction of the 5 million (in total) staff: you can get some high on-base power guys and a decent defense with the 55 million you can spend on offense.)

There are all kinds of strategies, thats what makes it fun.