New Strategy beats them all

My 2002 teams show almost everyone as an injury 10, so I know that can’t be right.

Here’s a 2003 team though, from the Good ‘ol Days:

https://365.strat-o-matic.com/team/872815

Thumbs up!

I remember I tried this team because no one was sure what would happen if more than five players were injured at the same time. I thought if HAL would stop the injuries at four, this could be exploited for a cheaper offense. To me, the point of the injury team wasn’t just injuries for injuries sake (ie, extra offense), it was to be able to afford to load up on high dollar pitching (budget offense).

Back then, I discovered that if five position players went down, HAL inserted pitchers into the field, generally the outfield if I’m remembering correctly.

When Wilson Alvarez pitched a shutout in one game and followed up in the next game with a home run playing the outfield, HAL was quite displeased. I don’t know which year Strat changed the algorithm, but it was very shortly after this that HAL switched to the bulletproof fielders method.

8-1 in the playoffs. Easy peasy.

https://365.strat-o-matic.com/team/1616813

This was an homage to hendrix08’s tour semis injury team. It worked out okay, despite an absolutely insane 384 games missed due to injury, including Freese for most of the playoffs. That’s a roster with an average of 2.4 players injured for every single game.

Back then, I discovered that if five position players went down, HAL inserted pitchers into the field, generally the outfield if I’m remembering correctly.

When Wilson Alvarez pitched a shutout in one game and followed up in the next game with a home run playing the outfield, HAL was quite displeased. I don’t know which year Strat changed the algorithm, but it was very shortly after this that HAL switched to the bulletproof fielders method.

Probably if they rolled this back, it would chg the 'all inj' team gaming. The pitchers could go in, or as someone said, a random 'minor leaguer', basically a pitcher hitting card w/e MAx. It's notable that this strategy is utilized by so many of the players who made it into the final rounds of the tournament. These are smart folks who study the patterns -- and use what wins.

8-1 in the playoffs. Easy peasy.

https://365.strat-o-matic.com/team/1616813

This was an homage to hendrix08’s tour semis injury team. It worked out okay, despite an absolutely insane 384 games missed due to injury, including Freese for most of the playoffs. That’s a roster with an average of 2.4 players injured for every single game.

It is not just throw together some high injury guys and you make the playoffs or win the championship, easy peasy. Here is a team of high injury players that had a loosing record.

https://365.strat-o-matic.com/team/1573641

Did some teams win with an injury strategy? Sure. Did many teams win with all sorts of other strategies too? Of course.

8-1 in the playoffs. Easy peasy.

https://365.strat-o-matic.com/team/1616813

This was an homage to hendrix08’s tour semis injury team. It worked out okay, despite an absolutely insane 384 games missed due to injury, including Freese for most of the playoffs. That’s a roster with an average of 2.4 players injured for every single game.

It is not just throw together some high injury guys and you make the playoffs or win the championship, easy peasy. Here is a team of high injury players that had a loosing record.

https://365.strat-o-matic.com/team/1573641

Did some teams win with an injury strategy? Sure. Did many teams win with all sorts of other strategies too? Of course.

2 quick points on this team: you had 3 players who could catch so you lost the benefit of the rule protecting catchers. You had 15 position players instead of 13 so you lose some of the 9/13 rule benefits. While that rule may only come into play in a handful of games it’s part of what gives the team a small edge.
The bigger issue I see is that there is a big drop off when you lose the starter particularly defensively.

8-1 in the playoffs. Easy peasy.

https://365.strat-o-matic.com/team/1616813

This was an homage to hendrix08’s tour semis injury team. It worked out okay, despite an absolutely insane 384 games missed due to injury, including Freese for most of the playoffs. That’s a roster with an average of 2.4 players injured for every single game.

It is not just throw together some high injury guys and you make the playoffs or win the championship, easy peasy. Here is a team of high injury players that had a loosing record.

https://365.strat-o-matic.com/team/1573641

Did some teams win with an injury strategy? Sure. Did many teams win with all sorts of other strategies too? Of course.

it doesn't hurt having Verlander and deGrom.

To me, the point of the injury team wasn’t just injuries for injuries sake (ie, extra offense), it was to be able to afford to load up on high dollar pitching (budget offense).

LMB’s team highlights this point perfectly. He spent $24 mil on pitching, so the injuries bought extra offense, but not enough to overcome the pitching deficit.

So Scumby makes the same observation I did: Having Verlander and Degrom makes a big difference. Probably an even better way would be to use luckyman’s WAR concept, and buy 3-4 big salary guys and surround them with platoons and/or injury guys.

Anyway, the injury team concept does seem to be drawing more attention than years past. It makes me wonder if in going back, the other card sets might have offered the same edge that we seem to have enjoyed this year.

I couldn’t drag this one over the finish line, but this was one of my earlier teams with this card set:

https://365.strat-o-matic.com/team/1566142 345 injury days

This was a league where no one won 90 games, and only one team lost 90 games (he had 13 drops). I was outmaneuvered by a less extreme but better injury team:

https://365.strat-o-matic.com/team/1566113 265 injury days

Verlander and deGrom

Having Verlander and deGrom is a legit move. Loading up with inj guys because there is a limitation to the game itself, that it won't allow beyond a certain # of inj is "gaming the game". I noticed a lot more of this in the tournament than I usually see. I don't know if it gave a true edge, but the prevalence of use among 'elite' players seems to give evidence that it does. It definitely feels like an extreme "gaming the game" move.

If it being perfected and is truly effective and gives an edge, then that may be a problem in the long run because it's not the same thing as building to a park, analyzing other teams slants etc.

There are lots of “edges” in the game, not just with this concept.

With regard to the Tour, you are taking a very real chance of disaster by entrusting HAL with the ability to send your best four players down the tubes during the last week of the season. It’s a somewhat high risk, high reward gamble, and I think LMB is spot on to point out that this method has no additional advantage over some of the other concept teams (400 HR roster, for instance).

Gaming the game is what this is all about. What would be the fun in everyone playing a ratings approved, optimally salary constructed lineup league in and league out? All the entertainment value is out on the ragged edges.

For instance, are you aware that some pitchers have no ball park hits on their card? Is putting five pitchers with no ball park hits in a ballpark with lots of singles “gaming the game”? I certainly hope so!

https://365.strat-o-matic.com/team/1619406

The key piece to this particular effort was In landing Verlander, which I failed to do with him as my number one pick (thx freeman). 300 net hits though, and counting. We shall see...