- Posts: 171
- Joined: Sat Jan 23, 2021 5:42 am
This is only a scratch of the surface, but you have asked the HOLY GRAIL of questions (in my opinion)....How can I use stadium design to IMPROVE my SOM experience and ultimately enjoy above average success?
You might start with these 3 questions first.
1 - Cap?
2 - DH or no DH?
3 - What is your offensive philosophy? (yes, it matters)
** Do you want to go pure masher with high power and batting average to all fields and lead your league in runs scored without concern of how many runs you give up?
*** or do you want to create a home field advantage? ....if yes to 2... then.....
A - Do you want to favor righty power hitters or lefty power hitters?
B - How much do you want to PUNISH small ball speedy teams that are your opposition? (less important for caps above $160)
C - How much do you want to PUNISH power teams that are opposite handed to your stadium?
Questions B and C are serious questions to be considered.
These questions help you to determine how extreme you want to make your stadium.
* Remember the more extreme your stadium, the less flexibility you have post draft to find suitable players in waivers to fill holes for the positions you missed out in the draft.
Typically, the closer your cap is to $100 million (above or below) the more flexibility your have post draft for extreme stadiums.
** For caps below 80 million and above 160 million you may choose to AVOID extreme stadiums until you gain experience as to what philosophies work better for you.
After you pick your stadium philosophy, now you begin to target the 60 or so players to fit best into your stadium philosophy and the basic makeup for your rotation/ lineup / bullpen(this is where dh or no dh makes a huge difference) and of course defense. Lower caps defense is NOT quite as important, however, as your caps climb north of $160 million, defense becomes more and more paramount into stadium design concepts.
Learning to read and take into account Ballpark HRs for both hitters and pitchers' cards is critical for maximizing the value of your power park.
In answer to your question above: For caps between $60 and $160 million you want to spend about 38 to 40% of your cap on pitching and 60 to 62% of your cap on hitting.
And then you are ready to learn how to read and evaluate the cards to determine which are the VALUE cards for your combination of cap with stadium.
Believe it or not a player may have an "A" value card in one power stadium and yet and "C" or "D" value in a differing park....NOT knowing how to determine which cards are the PREMIUM cards for your selected stadium will bring frustration and heart break. Yes, this goes for both hitters and pitchers. Many newbies struggle for a long time trying find the right pitchers for the correct stadium and cap type. Over spending on pitching (more than 38% of your total cap) is another hazard to try and avoid.
This is just the beginning of things to consider, but if you are both sincere and teachable you can begin to experience some success in as little as 20 to 30 leagues.