El Paso Sand Walkers 3 vs Charleston Apologists 4 - El Paso had this game in hand until the closer melted in the 9th. Though I question Q.Diaz ground ball single to RCF in the 9th, but that is the breaks of the game.
Kansas City Cattle Herders 2 vs Toledo Mud Hens 6 - Ruben James pitched 6 shutout innings and Samuel Scarsone added the offensive fire power.
Tacoma TIE Fighters 1 vs Oakland Surenos 8 - Kyle Bradshaw goes 5 innings for the tandem win as Ramon Kim and Chris Fontenot go yard.
Madison BUTCHERS 3 vs Chicago Cosmos 6 - Eddie Strickland picked up the win with 4 innings of relief while Derek Foster opened the scoring with a 2 run blast and closed with a 3 run blast. The BUTCHERS had 4 doubles in the game but unfortunately only one was timely.
San Diego Surf Babies 3 vs Boise Posse 7 - James Jensen pitched 7 good innings and Bucky Gordon hits two solo shots. San Diego scored 3 runs on 5 hits with Bubba Daly hitting a long dinger.
New York Moguls 7 vs Syracuse Orange Crush 1 - Jacque Butler picks up the win throwing a lot of pitches in his 6 innings of work. Long balls by Matthew Ryan and Felix Chang led the offense. However the highlight of the game came from Syracuse as Rico Nunez hit an inside-the-park HR and has been running on JB-ESPN all afternoon.
Washington D.C. Revenge 1 vs Cleveland Katanas 2 - Norm Barkley looked nervous early giving up 2 runs a lead that DC could not overcome as Vic Benitez (winner) and pen kept DC at bay. Although closer Roger Lawson looked unsure at first as the coach asked him to go two innings but settled down for the save.
Little Rock Pebbles 4 vs Charlotte Gooners 5 - Herm Carasone picks up the win in relief as Willie Magadan second solo HR in the 8th breaks a tied game. Bruce Post also hit a 3 run blast for Charlotte.
Opening Day Games Still On Tap:
Scranton Schrutes 8 vs Sioux Falls Stoned Presidents 9 - Adam Hundley picks up the 10th inning win as Torey Almanza drives in game-winning run. Scranton held the lead most of the night with two shots from Brad Hart and one from Daniel McDowell. Sioux Falls kept coming back with helpful solo shots from Billy Nelson and Jung Cho.
Burlington Lake Monsters 2 vs Philadelphia Phillies 4 - The 20 million dollar arm of Rusty Glynn picks up the win in relief as timely hitting score two in the 8th. Orel Gardner hit a solo HR in the 7th.
Austin City Limits 1 vs Nashville Kool Kats 3 - Cory Mitchell picks up the win going 7 innings, striking out 9 and giving up two hits, one a blast from Al Pulido on the games opening pitch. Losing pitcher Christopher Bere gave up a 3-run shot from Pedro Guerrero.
San Jose Bad News Bees II 5 vs Las Vegas 69ers 1 - Turner Cromer picks up the win as
Jesus Vazquez solo shot and 2 run HRs from Nash Gray and Kevin Sparks provided the offense.
Cincinnati Waste Managers 12 vs Columbus Criminals 11 - Wilton Ashley picked up the win in a wild slug fest affair as both teams opened with 5 runs in the first and both had 4 run innings later in the contest. Alex Hull and Alfonso Diaz accounted for 5 runs with their towering shots for the Managers while Tomas Gonzales cracked one for the Criminals.
Trenton Tunnel Rats 9 vs Wichita Wingmen 10 - Buddy Miller picked up the win in relief in another slug fest. Earl Buhner, Dan Ashley and Ralph Bryant homered for the Rats but it was Heath Tate's 2-run homer in the 8th that sealed the come from behind win.
Jackson Holes and Richmond Poor Men - Billy Ray Hernandez, Wilson Costello and Wes Phillips each homerd for the Holes but Darrell Schoendienst's 2-run blast powered the Poor Men to victory in the bottom of the 8th. Johnnie Hernandez picked up the win in relief and Elroy Gant also had a home run.
Portland Opossums 3 vs San Francisco Super Sonics 1 - Frank Huff pitches 3 hit complete game victory on opening day. He looked shaky at first, giving up a walk, two hits and a run in the first, but settled down and became virtually unhittable the rest of the way. Portland mustered 3 runs on cheap singles and a couple timely doubles.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Player Improvement
The improvement of players happens at different times during a season, known as bumps. When these changes happen depends on the player and how much depends on the coaches, playing time, training budget (maybe) and the players themselves. There are generally 5 playing bumps during the season, that does not include the bump from Spring Training. So that equates to about every 30 or so games, but also depends on playing time and the player. From watchful examination, those with a higher Overall rating and playing time get bumps first in the sequence. If a player saw considerable playing time in Spring Training and did not see a bump, he will normally receive a bigger bump when the first one happens, so don't despair.
For those that are wondering, a promotion bump doesn't mean an extra bump during the season either, it appears that is a compilation effect. Could a player see a bigger increase in a promotion bump if executed at the right time is actually unknown. At the end of the season a player could get a promotion bump if he hasn't had his 5th bump, but that doesn't mean he will either. Players that don't get a 5th playing time bump will probably see the increase during rollover or promotion during Spring Training next season. A player could get the 5th bump if playing during the playoffs also.
Not all ratings are bumped during the season and only occurs at rollover and is affected by the training budget, playing time and the player(maybe medical also). These include: Arm Strength, Durability, Health, Speed, Patience, Temper, Makeup, Power, Stamina, and Velocity.
If a player doesn't receive a playing time bump he could in fact be stalled, meaning he is above the playing status of available coaching at the level and needs a promotion. This is rarely seen actually with players that have 3 or less years of pro experience. However other factors could be involved, such as playing time and players playing injured that you don't know about.
Do players get frustrated because they know they are not good enough for a ML career? Do they play for the love of the game? Do they feel unloved due to the lack of promotion? Do some feel they are better than they actually are? These questions and others probably go through a players mind in real life also.
Why do players slow down in their 4th year has mystified me somewhat. I can understand the first three could be classified as formative years to pro life. Does the pressure build once AA and AAA is attained? Is it because they should be close to their projections with little to improve on? Does monotony set in? Why do they slow down so much once they reach the majors? Don't they want to be the best? My answer to this seems to lie in the players physical abilities. They tend to be almost maxed out at this point, once that happens they tend to slow down in the other areas. The only way to battle this is with coaching and playing time.
Observations: Good young players will generally see a 4 to 7 point overall boost at rollover. 4th year players and above will see 1 to 4 point overall boost most generally at rollover. Young players with a low patience will see the highest boost at rollover especially in their formative years and could see an increase up to 10. Is that because they are more motivated to get promoted?
For those that are wondering, a promotion bump doesn't mean an extra bump during the season either, it appears that is a compilation effect. Could a player see a bigger increase in a promotion bump if executed at the right time is actually unknown. At the end of the season a player could get a promotion bump if he hasn't had his 5th bump, but that doesn't mean he will either. Players that don't get a 5th playing time bump will probably see the increase during rollover or promotion during Spring Training next season. A player could get the 5th bump if playing during the playoffs also.
Not all ratings are bumped during the season and only occurs at rollover and is affected by the training budget, playing time and the player(maybe medical also). These include: Arm Strength, Durability, Health, Speed, Patience, Temper, Makeup, Power, Stamina, and Velocity.
If a player doesn't receive a playing time bump he could in fact be stalled, meaning he is above the playing status of available coaching at the level and needs a promotion. This is rarely seen actually with players that have 3 or less years of pro experience. However other factors could be involved, such as playing time and players playing injured that you don't know about.
Do players get frustrated because they know they are not good enough for a ML career? Do they play for the love of the game? Do they feel unloved due to the lack of promotion? Do some feel they are better than they actually are? These questions and others probably go through a players mind in real life also.
Why do players slow down in their 4th year has mystified me somewhat. I can understand the first three could be classified as formative years to pro life. Does the pressure build once AA and AAA is attained? Is it because they should be close to their projections with little to improve on? Does monotony set in? Why do they slow down so much once they reach the majors? Don't they want to be the best? My answer to this seems to lie in the players physical abilities. They tend to be almost maxed out at this point, once that happens they tend to slow down in the other areas. The only way to battle this is with coaching and playing time.
Observations: Good young players will generally see a 4 to 7 point overall boost at rollover. 4th year players and above will see 1 to 4 point overall boost most generally at rollover. Young players with a low patience will see the highest boost at rollover especially in their formative years and could see an increase up to 10. Is that because they are more motivated to get promoted?
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Preseason Guess
A new season awaits everyone, barring last minute changes, Foxy Phil (the prognosticators of prognosticators) has chosen to say if he sees their shadow or not. Last years wins = (xx). Several things can and occur during that could turn every thing topsy turvy, so hold onto your caps because here we go. The division order is what the numbers say, don't ask because I won't tell.
AL North
Cincinnati Waste Managers (77)
Columbus Criminals (86)
Syracuse Orange Crush (85)
New York Moguls (83)
This division was brutal last year and it looks the same this year. Columbus is not going to give up the crown easily and the others will have a big say also.
Al East
Cleveland Katanas (117)
Trenton Tunnel Rats (73)
Wichita Wingmen (58)
Washington D.C. Revenge (58)
Cleveland has it all but you never know when and where the injury bug will hit.
AL South
Jackson Holes (102)
Little Rock Pebbles (99)
Charlotte Gooners (75)
Richmond Poor Men (86)
Jackson looks real good, so do the others. It could get very interesting before seasons end.
AL West
San Diego Surf Babies (68)
Boise Posse (79)
San Francisco Super Sonics (72)
Portland Opossums (85)
San Diego looks good, just not sure they are cut out for the stadium. That could leave the door open for any one of the other three.
Offensive Power
1. Cleveland Katanas
2. Charlotte Gooners
3. Columbus Criminals
4. Jackson Holes
Pitching Power
1. Jackson Holes
2. Cleveland Katanas
3. Richmond Poor Men
4. Little Rock Pebbles
The Playoffs could be like so:
#1 Cleveland Katanas
#2 Jackson Holes
#3 Cincinnati Waste Managers
#4 San Diego Surf Babies - Phil really likes Boise here
#5 Columbus Criminals - Phil likes Charlotte here also
#6 Little Rock Pebbles
#7 Charlotte Gooners
NL North
Sioux Falls Stoned Presidents (69)
Chicago Cosmos (100)
Scranton Schrutes (71)
Madison BUTCHERS (88)
Phil thinks the Cosmos will take the division with everyone else tied for second regardless of what the numbers say.
NL East
Philadelphia Phillies (86)
Burlington Lake Monsters (91)
Kansas City Cattle Herders (73)
Toledo Mud Hens (77)
A four way fight for the division crown, that is the way it is suppose to be.
NL South
Charleston Apologists (96)
Nashville Kool Kats (100)
El Paso Sand Walkers (61)
Austin City Limits (64)
Phil says either or as the rebuilds have a ways to go yet.
NL West
San Jose Bad News Bees II (78)
Las Vegas 69ers (99)
Oakland Surenos (82)
Tacoma TIE Fighters (64)
This one is tough to say, Phil still likes the 69ers but the numbers however odd it may be favor the Bees, but lets not forget Oakland. Tacoma will enter the fray also after a long talk with the seamstress paid off.
Offensive Power
1. Chicago Cosmos
2. Toledo Mud Hens
3. Charleston Apologists
4. Las Vegas 69ers
Pitching Power
1. Nashville Kool Kats
2. Kansas City Cattle Herders
3. Charleston Apologists
4. Las Vegas 69ers
The Playoffs could be like so (more like up in the air, Phil says flip a coin and you might get closer).
#1 Charleston Apologists - Phil says that Nashville and Charleston could swap places.
#2 Burlington Lake Monsters
#3 Sioux Falls Stoned Presidents - Phil likes Chicago here
#4 San Jose Bad News Bees II - Phil really likes Las Vegas here
#5 Nashville Kool Kats
#6 Las Vegas 69ers - Phil thinks Oakland here
#7 Philadelphia Phillies / Chicago Cosmos / Kansas City
AL North
Cincinnati Waste Managers (77)
Columbus Criminals (86)
Syracuse Orange Crush (85)
New York Moguls (83)
This division was brutal last year and it looks the same this year. Columbus is not going to give up the crown easily and the others will have a big say also.
Al East
Cleveland Katanas (117)
Trenton Tunnel Rats (73)
Wichita Wingmen (58)
Washington D.C. Revenge (58)
Cleveland has it all but you never know when and where the injury bug will hit.
AL South
Jackson Holes (102)
Little Rock Pebbles (99)
Charlotte Gooners (75)
Richmond Poor Men (86)
Jackson looks real good, so do the others. It could get very interesting before seasons end.
AL West
San Diego Surf Babies (68)
Boise Posse (79)
San Francisco Super Sonics (72)
Portland Opossums (85)
San Diego looks good, just not sure they are cut out for the stadium. That could leave the door open for any one of the other three.
Offensive Power
1. Cleveland Katanas
2. Charlotte Gooners
3. Columbus Criminals
4. Jackson Holes
Pitching Power
1. Jackson Holes
2. Cleveland Katanas
3. Richmond Poor Men
4. Little Rock Pebbles
The Playoffs could be like so:
#1 Cleveland Katanas
#2 Jackson Holes
#3 Cincinnati Waste Managers
#4 San Diego Surf Babies - Phil really likes Boise here
#5 Columbus Criminals - Phil likes Charlotte here also
#6 Little Rock Pebbles
#7 Charlotte Gooners
NL North
Sioux Falls Stoned Presidents (69)
Chicago Cosmos (100)
Scranton Schrutes (71)
Madison BUTCHERS (88)
Phil thinks the Cosmos will take the division with everyone else tied for second regardless of what the numbers say.
NL East
Philadelphia Phillies (86)
Burlington Lake Monsters (91)
Kansas City Cattle Herders (73)
Toledo Mud Hens (77)
A four way fight for the division crown, that is the way it is suppose to be.
NL South
Charleston Apologists (96)
Nashville Kool Kats (100)
El Paso Sand Walkers (61)
Austin City Limits (64)
Phil says either or as the rebuilds have a ways to go yet.
NL West
San Jose Bad News Bees II (78)
Las Vegas 69ers (99)
Oakland Surenos (82)
Tacoma TIE Fighters (64)
This one is tough to say, Phil still likes the 69ers but the numbers however odd it may be favor the Bees, but lets not forget Oakland. Tacoma will enter the fray also after a long talk with the seamstress paid off.
Offensive Power
1. Chicago Cosmos
2. Toledo Mud Hens
3. Charleston Apologists
4. Las Vegas 69ers
Pitching Power
1. Nashville Kool Kats
2. Kansas City Cattle Herders
3. Charleston Apologists
4. Las Vegas 69ers
The Playoffs could be like so (more like up in the air, Phil says flip a coin and you might get closer).
#1 Charleston Apologists - Phil says that Nashville and Charleston could swap places.
#2 Burlington Lake Monsters
#3 Sioux Falls Stoned Presidents - Phil likes Chicago here
#4 San Jose Bad News Bees II - Phil really likes Las Vegas here
#5 Nashville Kool Kats
#6 Las Vegas 69ers - Phil thinks Oakland here
#7 Philadelphia Phillies / Chicago Cosmos / Kansas City
Monday, February 23, 2009
Before the First Pitch
It is time to prepare for the first pitch. This is a check list to make sure you don't forget the most important items. It seems every season someone forgets one of these.
1. Make final roster moves.
2. Check management console and make sure that no AI settings are on and you can click the RECS buttons at all levels if you want.
3. Check Lineup to ensure proper lineups are the way you want them.
4. Check Pitching Staff to make sure rotation and bull pen are set the way you like.
5. Check Player Rest, Defensive Replacement and Pinch Hitting hierarchies.
6. Check pitcher settings (TPC, MPC, inning available, call pen)
7. Check manager settings, especially innings/runs for replacements and rest.
8. Yell "Play Ball!!!!" just for the fun of it and get stares from anyone around you.
1. Make final roster moves.
2. Check management console and make sure that no AI settings are on and you can click the RECS buttons at all levels if you want.
3. Check Lineup to ensure proper lineups are the way you want them.
4. Check Pitching Staff to make sure rotation and bull pen are set the way you like.
5. Check Player Rest, Defensive Replacement and Pinch Hitting hierarchies.
6. Check pitcher settings (TPC, MPC, inning available, call pen)
7. Check manager settings, especially innings/runs for replacements and rest.
8. Yell "Play Ball!!!!" just for the fun of it and get stares from anyone around you.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
The First IFA of the Season Goes To
The Syracuse Orange Crush by signing Pedro Sierra for $8M. Pedro is listed as a CF and very well could become a defensive standout at the position. Scouts tell me he may have the capability to hit the long ball with some regularity and be tough on pitching. Though the scouts aren't so sure that he will reach his full potential but is definitely one to keep your eyes on.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Spring Training Awareness
We are fast approaching the last 6 games of the Spring Training season. It is time to look at your players to determine if they have enough playing time. You don't want to over play them before opening day though because they don't get to rest by the way. So starters should be very close to their AB's and IP's so they can rest a couple days before that opening pitch.
Some things to be aware of at this point. Young position players on the ML roster may have the AB's but do they have the actual field work? What you can do is call up their player card, click on Statistics and change it to Spring Training and Fielding. This will tell you how many innings a position player has had in the field. I check to see if they have had 50 to 60 innings of playing time in the field. If they are short, I will give them another start. Could help on an opening day improvement bump, even with minor league invitees that have the AB's.
With pitchers, you don't want them pitching in the last Spring Training game. Also you don't really want a blue chip pitcher starting on the last day either, wouldn't you rather save him for opening day?. Careful analysis should be used for that last Spring Training game.
Some things to be aware of at this point. Young position players on the ML roster may have the AB's but do they have the actual field work? What you can do is call up their player card, click on Statistics and change it to Spring Training and Fielding. This will tell you how many innings a position player has had in the field. I check to see if they have had 50 to 60 innings of playing time in the field. If they are short, I will give them another start. Could help on an opening day improvement bump, even with minor league invitees that have the AB's.
With pitchers, you don't want them pitching in the last Spring Training game. Also you don't really want a blue chip pitcher starting on the last day either, wouldn't you rather save him for opening day?. Careful analysis should be used for that last Spring Training game.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Rule 5 Draft Results
I was expecting a bigger draft class even with slim pickings . Did people forget to set the target count? Several teams protected the max of 40 players which rules them out of selecting with the catch-22. Only 17 players drafted which is the least I have ever seen and the fewest pitchers also. Looks like most went for specialty players with specific attributes. So here is the first round draftees.
1. Felix Embree, LF, El Paso Sand Walkers wanted a speedy lead-off hitter and will give him a chance.
2. Ernie Romero 1B, Tacoma TIE Figherts wanted a hitting 1B and has the possibility to shine.
3. Valerio Cerveza, P, San Diego Surf Babies could do well at home.
4. Mateo Pulido, C, Sioux Falls Stoned Presidents took the best catcher in the draft, weak defense, good PC, decent hitting.
5. Humberto Navarro, SS, Charlotte Gooners could become a good defensive utility bench player.
6. Ozzie Kim, LF, Oakland Surenos could become a good for average hitter.
7. Ralph Young, P, Portland Opossums were surprised and got probably the best starting pitcher available but pitches are weak.
8. Jed Dunham, 2B, Columbus Criminals picked the best defensive 2B available but could turn out to be a project.
9. Raul Hernandez, 2B, Madison BUTCHERS wanted a speedy lead-off hitter also but 2B is a big stretch.
10. Juan Estrada, RF, Charleston Apologists wanted a speedy lead-off hitter also and this kid could fill the bill.
11. Brandon Stone, 2B, Las Vegas 69ers selected a speedy defensive utility outfielder and 2B.
1. Felix Embree, LF, El Paso Sand Walkers wanted a speedy lead-off hitter and will give him a chance.
2. Ernie Romero 1B, Tacoma TIE Figherts wanted a hitting 1B and has the possibility to shine.
3. Valerio Cerveza, P, San Diego Surf Babies could do well at home.
4. Mateo Pulido, C, Sioux Falls Stoned Presidents took the best catcher in the draft, weak defense, good PC, decent hitting.
5. Humberto Navarro, SS, Charlotte Gooners could become a good defensive utility bench player.
6. Ozzie Kim, LF, Oakland Surenos could become a good for average hitter.
7. Ralph Young, P, Portland Opossums were surprised and got probably the best starting pitcher available but pitches are weak.
8. Jed Dunham, 2B, Columbus Criminals picked the best defensive 2B available but could turn out to be a project.
9. Raul Hernandez, 2B, Madison BUTCHERS wanted a speedy lead-off hitter also but 2B is a big stretch.
10. Juan Estrada, RF, Charleston Apologists wanted a speedy lead-off hitter also and this kid could fill the bill.
11. Brandon Stone, 2B, Las Vegas 69ers selected a speedy defensive utility outfielder and 2B.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Top 100 Preview - Who's #1?
Haven't done much analysis yet, but on first cut it looks like our #1 will come from the following 6:
Rob Workman (SP, Washington D.C.): last year's #6 pick sports a wicked sinking fastball, a fall-off-the-table curve and precise control. He dominated the rookies last season and moves up to HiA this year. Barring injury, it looks like he could arrive in The Show by late next season.
Clarence Marte (SS, Charlotte): top pick last year makes great contact, has a good eye, runs like a deer and catches everything. His only-average power is hardly a complaint; range and arm might be for a SS, but his offense will more than make up for them.
Juan Gomez (RP, Las Vegas): He's got the best stuff of any pitching prospect - devastating splits, great control and 2 superb pitches that sink like bricks. The only question is, can he be considered a better prospect than a fulltime player or starting pitcher?
Carlos Escuela (SS, San Francisco): How did this guy slip to #7 (last year)? Big power, great splits, good glove. Similar to Marte defensively - not the ideal shortstop but his bat will keep him there for a dozen years.
Charlie Cosby (SP, Richmond): Projects to be a workhorse, 250-innings ace. Features an explosive knuckle-curve that unfortunately (and inexplicably) rises - the only flaw in the repertoire of Season 9's 3rd pick.
Bailey Johnson (SS, Sioux Falls): Doesn't have the glove or speed of the other 2 top SS
s, but has better power than Marte, better contact than Escuela, and a better arm than both. Season 7's #1 pick got a 10-day cup of coffee last year and takes over at SS for the Presidents for a long time.
Carlos Escuela
Rob Workman (SP, Washington D.C.): last year's #6 pick sports a wicked sinking fastball, a fall-off-the-table curve and precise control. He dominated the rookies last season and moves up to HiA this year. Barring injury, it looks like he could arrive in The Show by late next season.
Clarence Marte (SS, Charlotte): top pick last year makes great contact, has a good eye, runs like a deer and catches everything. His only-average power is hardly a complaint; range and arm might be for a SS, but his offense will more than make up for them.
Juan Gomez (RP, Las Vegas): He's got the best stuff of any pitching prospect - devastating splits, great control and 2 superb pitches that sink like bricks. The only question is, can he be considered a better prospect than a fulltime player or starting pitcher?
Carlos Escuela (SS, San Francisco): How did this guy slip to #7 (last year)? Big power, great splits, good glove. Similar to Marte defensively - not the ideal shortstop but his bat will keep him there for a dozen years.
Charlie Cosby (SP, Richmond): Projects to be a workhorse, 250-innings ace. Features an explosive knuckle-curve that unfortunately (and inexplicably) rises - the only flaw in the repertoire of Season 9's 3rd pick.
Bailey Johnson (SS, Sioux Falls): Doesn't have the glove or speed of the other 2 top SS
s, but has better power than Marte, better contact than Escuela, and a better arm than both. Season 7's #1 pick got a 10-day cup of coffee last year and takes over at SS for the Presidents for a long time.
Carlos Escuela
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Pitcher Setup Commentary
I was reading the Help section in the Manager's Office - Player Settings - Edit Player Settings this morning. It has been a while since I have read that particular section and it reads quite a bit different now, mostly understandable even. I would advise everyone read that Help section over. The article I did on Spring Training still applies though. There are still some things they don't mention that can be worth knowing.
For one the hierarchy of pitcher selection of the bull pen is Long A/Long B, Setup A/Setup B then Closer A/Closer B. Which one the AI uses depends on the situation. For instance it wouldn't bring in a Long A in the 8th inning with a 100% Setup A/B available. I have seen it bring in a Setup A/B to finish an inning then pinch hit for him in the next inning or leave the Setup A in for the next inning if he can't be pinch hit for. Specialty pitchers rarely pitch also. It will bring in a Closer in the 8th inning if you don't have it set to 9th inning only. Every now and then the AI makes some rather strange calls in this area, nothing can be perfect I guess. One thing I have noticed is that it will try to hold onto a Long A/B pitcher forever in an extra inning game and may even bring in a starter before using him.
Pitcher Fatigue and recovery is tied to more than just durability and stamina as it alludes in the instructions. What it doesn't tell you about TPC and MPC may take a couple times through the rotation to actually understand and get set right. What you are trying to do is get those settings so the fatigue of a starting pitcher is recoverable one day before his next scheduled start so he can rest 1 day at 100%. That is how I try to do it anyway and not send his fatigue to a point where he becomes ineffective. Their answer is that a pitcher at 100% performs like any pitcher at 100%. Well I would say that is true, but is he really at 100%? That is the question they duck and cover on and never actually answer.
Bull Pen Pitchers can be a little more trickier in this regard. You don't want your Bull Pen to be pitching fatigued either. That is why I recommend setting the TPC and MPC so low. Besides, for the most part they only need to get through one inning+ most of the time unless something unfortunate happens to a starter.
Call Bull Pen setting is also very important. Most pitchers you don't want a setting of 1 and should only be used for the "Elite Starters" and Closers if at all. I normally use 3 for almost everybody at the ML level, minors is a different story. It is strong enough that the AI will not pull a pitcher at the first sign of trouble but will if it continues. I use 4 and 5 rarely but will for pitchers I don't fully trust and definitely in playoff games where it is a must win situation.
My team is really bad when it comes to pitching and it is something I have to correct somehow in the off-season but will use them as some Examples:
Dicky Woo is not the greatest starting pitcher on two feet and might make a Long A on most teams. He does have a great Stamina and makeup, health is decent and patience is average. With his durability I can set his TPC equal to 90 and MPC to 105 easily enough and will recover 25 percentage points of fatigue per day after a start and should be rested enough for his next start also. I would set his Call to 3 also. The drawback is that he might need all 90 pitches to get to the 5th inning...yikes...lol
Blade Thompson is a pen pitcher of dubious quality and I use him as a Setup B. If it wasn't for his control and pitches I would relegate him to AA or AAA. His Durability and Stamina limits him to a TPC and MPC of 15. With his low makeup he will fatigue more quickly and recovery could be slowed also. Even at 15 pitches he may be only able to pitch every other day and that might be a big maybe.
I have never noticed, but I wonder if makeup of position players plays a more important role in on field performance than we are led to believe after reading this.
For one the hierarchy of pitcher selection of the bull pen is Long A/Long B, Setup A/Setup B then Closer A/Closer B. Which one the AI uses depends on the situation. For instance it wouldn't bring in a Long A in the 8th inning with a 100% Setup A/B available. I have seen it bring in a Setup A/B to finish an inning then pinch hit for him in the next inning or leave the Setup A in for the next inning if he can't be pinch hit for. Specialty pitchers rarely pitch also. It will bring in a Closer in the 8th inning if you don't have it set to 9th inning only. Every now and then the AI makes some rather strange calls in this area, nothing can be perfect I guess. One thing I have noticed is that it will try to hold onto a Long A/B pitcher forever in an extra inning game and may even bring in a starter before using him.
Pitcher Fatigue and recovery is tied to more than just durability and stamina as it alludes in the instructions. What it doesn't tell you about TPC and MPC may take a couple times through the rotation to actually understand and get set right. What you are trying to do is get those settings so the fatigue of a starting pitcher is recoverable one day before his next scheduled start so he can rest 1 day at 100%. That is how I try to do it anyway and not send his fatigue to a point where he becomes ineffective. Their answer is that a pitcher at 100% performs like any pitcher at 100%. Well I would say that is true, but is he really at 100%? That is the question they duck and cover on and never actually answer.
Bull Pen Pitchers can be a little more trickier in this regard. You don't want your Bull Pen to be pitching fatigued either. That is why I recommend setting the TPC and MPC so low. Besides, for the most part they only need to get through one inning+ most of the time unless something unfortunate happens to a starter.
Call Bull Pen setting is also very important. Most pitchers you don't want a setting of 1 and should only be used for the "Elite Starters" and Closers if at all. I normally use 3 for almost everybody at the ML level, minors is a different story. It is strong enough that the AI will not pull a pitcher at the first sign of trouble but will if it continues. I use 4 and 5 rarely but will for pitchers I don't fully trust and definitely in playoff games where it is a must win situation.
My team is really bad when it comes to pitching and it is something I have to correct somehow in the off-season but will use them as some Examples:
Dicky Woo is not the greatest starting pitcher on two feet and might make a Long A on most teams. He does have a great Stamina and makeup, health is decent and patience is average. With his durability I can set his TPC equal to 90 and MPC to 105 easily enough and will recover 25 percentage points of fatigue per day after a start and should be rested enough for his next start also. I would set his Call to 3 also. The drawback is that he might need all 90 pitches to get to the 5th inning...yikes...lol
Blade Thompson is a pen pitcher of dubious quality and I use him as a Setup B. If it wasn't for his control and pitches I would relegate him to AA or AAA. His Durability and Stamina limits him to a TPC and MPC of 15. With his low makeup he will fatigue more quickly and recovery could be slowed also. Even at 15 pitches he may be only able to pitch every other day and that might be a big maybe.
I have never noticed, but I wonder if makeup of position players plays a more important role in on field performance than we are led to believe after reading this.
Players With Options
If you have player(s) with Options in their contract that have come due for decision, you would have gotten a message about them. To check on players with options and take action, go to GM's Office - Contracts - Option Report. It will list the players that have options for that season listing their salary and buy out cost. It also has two options of exercise/decline. To keep the player click on EXERCISE, to release the player and buy out his contract click DECLINE.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Combating Minor League Pitching Fatigue
This could be a little early in the season to discuss, but some owners do get concerned during the season when it happens. It is also the toughest thing to overcome when it does happen. So to help owners out and keep it in the back of your minds at least. It can also happen at the ML level and can be rather frustrating to overcome.
Some of the sudden fatigue problems at any level can be caused by an injury to a pitcher early in the game, extra inning games (I had three in a row once, destroyed my pen for a week), a bad outing by a starting pitcher.
The worst problem is an owner not caring for his minor league teams and that happens quite often. The biggest reason to care for your minor league teams is to keep them healthy and improve their ratings. Playing players with fatigue hampers their chances of improvement and makes them injury prone.
There is probably more than one way to do it. But this is how I do it. For one, I could care less if a minor league team actually wins or losses. It is more how they play the game. I do prefer them to win by the way. I either run 12 or 13 pitchers active depending except rookie where I run 17. I normally have 2 to 3 pitchers or more inactive at each level. Unlike some, if a pen pitcher fatigue level isn't at 100%, I rest him. If his recovery doesn't restore him to 100% the next day then I deactivate him and activate another that is rested. It doesn't matter if a pitcher stays active the entire season as some would say they must. I haven't seen any progression difference whether they are active or inactive. The entire key is getting them innings pitched. So I shuttle the pen in and out after every game where needed, yeah it may take a couple minutes but it is worth the time.
The biggest thing is the starting pitchers. Put their TPC at no more than plus 10 of their stamina, then add 15 for their MPC. The catch at doing this is to set the bull pen call to 1 or 2. I usually use 2. If you have health risk pitchers, do not use 1 on the call pen, use 2 or 3 for them (I use 3). This ensures that the rotation is not overly burdened and I don't have to change it unless I want to use a different pitcher or one gets injured. They also usually pitch around 6 innings per outing or more. If the rotation is not getting overly fatigued then increase the TPC by 5 after awhile and see if fatigue holds acceptable levels on the rotation.
The pen is also tough. You don't want no more than three actual relief pitchers and one should be the closer. Sometimes I don't even run a closer, but if you have one that is to be a closer, it is always real nice to put him there and set it so he only pitches the 9th inning. You can run with two setup types and the rest should be starting pitchers that you really could care less about as starters or middle relievers. The setup guys run their TPC and MPC to equal their stamina without going over. The other starting pitchers..errr..long relievers, set their TPC and MPC to half their stamina plus 5. I don't really make any distinction as to Long Relievers and Setup A in the minors, I call them all Setup A. That way I don't have to look as to what they are. The simmy will bring in the right one when needed. I may run a Mop Up pitcher if I am really mad at one of them for not being able to pitch well. The actual Setup guys I shuttle back and forth from active to inactive when needed and rest the others when needed. Another thing to set is the inning available to ANY except for the closer which would be 9.
One thing about a closer is that I rarely take him out of the closers role and rest him unless his fatigue level goes below 50 or recovery is more than 2 days, he is the only exception as they are seldom called on two days in a row.
I rarely have minor league fatigue problems using this formula, but it does take about 5 minutes to make sure things are all set and nobody is fatigued. My fatigue problems usually occur when one gets injured in an early inning and then I have to fight to right the ship for a day or two.
If you are not able to make changes to the pitching staff after each game, then another strategy is necessary. Run a 6 man rotation so you can put more burden on the starting staff. This will allow TPC to go up to 15 pitches over his stamina and 15 to MPC easily. Run an 11 man position staff making sure at least one backup can play all positions (whether he can or not) in case of injury then change position players out when needed. Making sure you change the Rest, Defense and Pinch Hit hierarchies is a must. Then use 14 pitchers with 8 in the pen and set the TPC and MPC where MPC is half their stamina. Four of the 8 should be SP types at least.
One thing I do in HI and Low A is make sure the SP's and Long relievers ...errr.. pseudo Setup A guys have a stamina greater than 65 and control in the 65 and up range. I do not care how ugly their splits are but do try to get ones with a pitch or two above 50.
Where do I get these guys? Usually I grab some from minor FA signings, Rookie League left overs that weren't worth promoting the season before and Try Out Camp.
Some of the sudden fatigue problems at any level can be caused by an injury to a pitcher early in the game, extra inning games (I had three in a row once, destroyed my pen for a week), a bad outing by a starting pitcher.
The worst problem is an owner not caring for his minor league teams and that happens quite often. The biggest reason to care for your minor league teams is to keep them healthy and improve their ratings. Playing players with fatigue hampers their chances of improvement and makes them injury prone.
There is probably more than one way to do it. But this is how I do it. For one, I could care less if a minor league team actually wins or losses. It is more how they play the game. I do prefer them to win by the way. I either run 12 or 13 pitchers active depending except rookie where I run 17. I normally have 2 to 3 pitchers or more inactive at each level. Unlike some, if a pen pitcher fatigue level isn't at 100%, I rest him. If his recovery doesn't restore him to 100% the next day then I deactivate him and activate another that is rested. It doesn't matter if a pitcher stays active the entire season as some would say they must. I haven't seen any progression difference whether they are active or inactive. The entire key is getting them innings pitched. So I shuttle the pen in and out after every game where needed, yeah it may take a couple minutes but it is worth the time.
The biggest thing is the starting pitchers. Put their TPC at no more than plus 10 of their stamina, then add 15 for their MPC. The catch at doing this is to set the bull pen call to 1 or 2. I usually use 2. If you have health risk pitchers, do not use 1 on the call pen, use 2 or 3 for them (I use 3). This ensures that the rotation is not overly burdened and I don't have to change it unless I want to use a different pitcher or one gets injured. They also usually pitch around 6 innings per outing or more. If the rotation is not getting overly fatigued then increase the TPC by 5 after awhile and see if fatigue holds acceptable levels on the rotation.
The pen is also tough. You don't want no more than three actual relief pitchers and one should be the closer. Sometimes I don't even run a closer, but if you have one that is to be a closer, it is always real nice to put him there and set it so he only pitches the 9th inning. You can run with two setup types and the rest should be starting pitchers that you really could care less about as starters or middle relievers. The setup guys run their TPC and MPC to equal their stamina without going over. The other starting pitchers..errr..long relievers, set their TPC and MPC to half their stamina plus 5. I don't really make any distinction as to Long Relievers and Setup A in the minors, I call them all Setup A. That way I don't have to look as to what they are. The simmy will bring in the right one when needed. I may run a Mop Up pitcher if I am really mad at one of them for not being able to pitch well. The actual Setup guys I shuttle back and forth from active to inactive when needed and rest the others when needed. Another thing to set is the inning available to ANY except for the closer which would be 9.
One thing about a closer is that I rarely take him out of the closers role and rest him unless his fatigue level goes below 50 or recovery is more than 2 days, he is the only exception as they are seldom called on two days in a row.
I rarely have minor league fatigue problems using this formula, but it does take about 5 minutes to make sure things are all set and nobody is fatigued. My fatigue problems usually occur when one gets injured in an early inning and then I have to fight to right the ship for a day or two.
If you are not able to make changes to the pitching staff after each game, then another strategy is necessary. Run a 6 man rotation so you can put more burden on the starting staff. This will allow TPC to go up to 15 pitches over his stamina and 15 to MPC easily. Run an 11 man position staff making sure at least one backup can play all positions (whether he can or not) in case of injury then change position players out when needed. Making sure you change the Rest, Defense and Pinch Hit hierarchies is a must. Then use 14 pitchers with 8 in the pen and set the TPC and MPC where MPC is half their stamina. Four of the 8 should be SP types at least.
One thing I do in HI and Low A is make sure the SP's and Long relievers ...errr.. pseudo Setup A guys have a stamina greater than 65 and control in the 65 and up range. I do not care how ugly their splits are but do try to get ones with a pitch or two above 50.
Where do I get these guys? Usually I grab some from minor FA signings, Rookie League left overs that weren't worth promoting the season before and Try Out Camp.
Trade Tips For Newbs
By tomorrow your budgets will be set, you'll see projected ratings for all players, and the trade offers will start rolling in. As a newbie owner, with a new team, there are a couple of "facts of life" about trades you need to understand before you dive in head first:
1) You are at a significant disadvantage versus veterans in judging talent. HBD is a complex simulation and it just takes awhile to metabolize all the ingredients that go into sizing up talent (more than a season nor 2, imo). I'm not suggesting that you not trade. But when you do trade as a rookie, you'll get better results if you go ahead and admit that you're starting at a disadvantage.
2) You've taken over a team, and your advanced scouting is 14. You're rebuilding and looking to trade for prospects. If a potential trade partner has advanced scouting of 18, the projected ratings he sees (for players under age 27) are going to be quite a bit more accurate than yours...particularly for younger prospects. Even worse, the converse (you have a trade partner with a very low advanced scouting budget, like 8) is NOT necessarily true (the projected ratings he's seeing could be from a couple of years ago, when his advanced scouting was higher, or they could be from his international, high school or college scouting).
What's a newb to do? 3 things:
1) "Borrow" some experience - go get a mentor (or a bunch of 'em). Go to the "HBD Mentors" thread in the Hardball Dynasty Forum. There's a list there of a bunch of experienced GM's who are willing to answer questions and mentor newbs. Try out a bunch, then pick maybe 2-3 to bombard with questions all season. This will help...just do it.
2) Ask a bunch of questions on the World Chat (like you've been doing) related to trades..."How does the groundball rating factor into stats?", "How come this guy has good ratings but crummy stats?", and "Does push/pull really matter?" are 3 good ones I admit I haven't figured out yet.
3) Make trades...with the above in mind. It's a game - a great one at that. So enjoy it and view your first season or 2 as a fun education.
1) You are at a significant disadvantage versus veterans in judging talent. HBD is a complex simulation and it just takes awhile to metabolize all the ingredients that go into sizing up talent (more than a season nor 2, imo). I'm not suggesting that you not trade. But when you do trade as a rookie, you'll get better results if you go ahead and admit that you're starting at a disadvantage.
2) You've taken over a team, and your advanced scouting is 14. You're rebuilding and looking to trade for prospects. If a potential trade partner has advanced scouting of 18, the projected ratings he sees (for players under age 27) are going to be quite a bit more accurate than yours...particularly for younger prospects. Even worse, the converse (you have a trade partner with a very low advanced scouting budget, like 8) is NOT necessarily true (the projected ratings he's seeing could be from a couple of years ago, when his advanced scouting was higher, or they could be from his international, high school or college scouting).
What's a newb to do? 3 things:
1) "Borrow" some experience - go get a mentor (or a bunch of 'em). Go to the "HBD Mentors" thread in the Hardball Dynasty Forum. There's a list there of a bunch of experienced GM's who are willing to answer questions and mentor newbs. Try out a bunch, then pick maybe 2-3 to bombard with questions all season. This will help...just do it.
2) Ask a bunch of questions on the World Chat (like you've been doing) related to trades..."How does the groundball rating factor into stats?", "How come this guy has good ratings but crummy stats?", and "Does push/pull really matter?" are 3 good ones I admit I haven't figured out yet.
3) Make trades...with the above in mind. It's a game - a great one at that. So enjoy it and view your first season or 2 as a fun education.
IFA Contracts
The Reason for the IFA and Amateur Draft MLB contract change. It was noted by the MLB Players Union that many blue chip prospect players were being signed to long term MLB minimum deals short-changing their arbitration payoff in years 4 and 5 of their contract. After long labor intensive negotiations it was decided that a player could be offered a minimum MLB contract for 3 years but for a longer contract, it must be initiated by the player or his agent. It was determined that compensation for years 4 and 5 of a long term contract would be commensurate with that of a FA.
In simple terms, year 4 and 5 of a long term contract would be a minimum of $5M and not exceed the $20M cap. In retrospect an error occurred where all 5 years of a long term contract had to meet the $5M minimum without the players consent, though the intent was about as clear as mud. Supposedly this is fixed and now works as planned. I have tested and you can offer a 3 year MLB deal at the ML minimums. I have no way of testing for years 4 and 5 as of yet and whether only years 4 and 5 require the $5M minimum or in fact all 5 years.
After thinking about the change and its intent, someone at the Players Union needs to go back to college IMHO. As it stands, if a blue chip prospect player is signed to a MLB contract and put onto the ML roster immediately and before the 23 game deadline then yes he could be short-changed by two years. In most cases however, he would only be short-changed by possibly 1 year at the most. Currently this change would possibly affect maybe one or two players per year at the most. The chances of seeing a player requesting a long term contract will only be slight if at all.
Although I do see the intent if a blue chip prospect is 22+ years old but there are few of those also as most are 18 to 20. A younger players 5 year MLB contract would expire and he would be Rule 5 eligible but not a 6 year minor league FA and not arbitration eligible either if he doesn't have the ML service time under the old rules. A 22+ year old would be 27 or older and probably have the ML service time before the contract expired, but possibly by only 1 year.
Now a blue chip prospect player would only have a 3 year contract and probably gains nothing or maybe even less. So a wise GM will actually beat them at their own game in the end and the players will still go home empty handed.
Is it possible there are plans that more International prospect players may be older and ML ready? Very few players are currently scouted that are over 20 years old where a 5 year MLB contract could have actually hurt a player. If this is the case then we need to watch and see what happens.
In simple terms, year 4 and 5 of a long term contract would be a minimum of $5M and not exceed the $20M cap. In retrospect an error occurred where all 5 years of a long term contract had to meet the $5M minimum without the players consent, though the intent was about as clear as mud. Supposedly this is fixed and now works as planned. I have tested and you can offer a 3 year MLB deal at the ML minimums. I have no way of testing for years 4 and 5 as of yet and whether only years 4 and 5 require the $5M minimum or in fact all 5 years.
After thinking about the change and its intent, someone at the Players Union needs to go back to college IMHO. As it stands, if a blue chip prospect player is signed to a MLB contract and put onto the ML roster immediately and before the 23 game deadline then yes he could be short-changed by two years. In most cases however, he would only be short-changed by possibly 1 year at the most. Currently this change would possibly affect maybe one or two players per year at the most. The chances of seeing a player requesting a long term contract will only be slight if at all.
Although I do see the intent if a blue chip prospect is 22+ years old but there are few of those also as most are 18 to 20. A younger players 5 year MLB contract would expire and he would be Rule 5 eligible but not a 6 year minor league FA and not arbitration eligible either if he doesn't have the ML service time under the old rules. A 22+ year old would be 27 or older and probably have the ML service time before the contract expired, but possibly by only 1 year.
Now a blue chip prospect player would only have a 3 year contract and probably gains nothing or maybe even less. So a wise GM will actually beat them at their own game in the end and the players will still go home empty handed.
Is it possible there are plans that more International prospect players may be older and ML ready? Very few players are currently scouted that are over 20 years old where a 5 year MLB contract could have actually hurt a player. If this is the case then we need to watch and see what happens.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Trades
Trading players can be hectic, some owners may set up a trade that takes days. This is just some things to watch out for about trades as we don't want new owners to get taken advantage of.
When setting up a trade, be aware of salary caps for current and future seasons, quite a few get nullified because they exceed budgets.
A lot of the problems resulting in bad trades with new owners is the fact the advanced scouting is maxed at $14M. That makes projected ratings pretty fuzzy sometimes especially with prospects.
Also, owners like to dump high salary players with bad contracts. That doesn't mean the player wasn't worth it at the time, but age and injuries can debilitate a player along with a low training budget. Normally a salary dump is sent with a decent prospect.
Sometimes a bad contract results from a previous owner giving more money than what an organization can handle in future years (the win now mindset). They are actually very good players but the contract is debilitating to the rest of the organization.
Some things to look out for:
A veteran player that is regressing in ratings.
A veteran player with low health, for that matter any player.
A veteran player with high salary whose ratings do not match his on field performance.
A pitcher whose control is under 50.
A player with a high overall that is actually over-rated, these can be hard to detect for a new owner. A very high Stamina and other not so great ratings is a clue for a pitcher. A very high Power and other not so great ratings is a clue for hitters.
A player with a relatively low overall that is under-rated, these can be hard to detect for a new owner also. These are usually relief pitchers and defensive position players. For relief pitchers check durability. Always check for makeup, patience and health. Low Power for hitters or low hitting abilities period with high defensive ratings.
Other things to know:
A player with a real high overall is not a dime a dozen.
A real good starting pitcher is the hardest to come by.
A good hitting PC catcher can be more valuable than one thinks.
A pen pitcher rated in the 60's can also be a valuable commodity.
A defensive power hitting infielders and CF don't grow on trees except 1B.
A power hitting corner OF does grow on trees unless you don't have one.
A highly defensive SS can make a good bench player whether he can hit well or not.
A big DH is useless to a NL team, but getting good trade value is difficult.
What to look for in trade reviews.
A GM should look at each trade and vote correspondingly. Veto should be used when the trade doesn't look kosher. All trades usually have a winner and a loser one way or the other and is not uncommon. A detailed look at each player should be made in all cases. A high overall player for seemingly low end players should raise a red flag quickly, but doesn't mean the trade is bad. Money being sent should be looked at closely when a high salary player is not involved or money exceeds player salary, I am not saying that buying players is wrong, but should be completely discouraged. There is an allowable exception to this rule to sign draft picks but care should have been taken to not let that happen.
Inevitably every season an argument gets started over a trade that doesn't seem right. I don't mind an owner calling into question what looks like a bad trade in world chat. To start an argument that lasts for days is another story.
When setting up a trade, be aware of salary caps for current and future seasons, quite a few get nullified because they exceed budgets.
A lot of the problems resulting in bad trades with new owners is the fact the advanced scouting is maxed at $14M. That makes projected ratings pretty fuzzy sometimes especially with prospects.
Also, owners like to dump high salary players with bad contracts. That doesn't mean the player wasn't worth it at the time, but age and injuries can debilitate a player along with a low training budget. Normally a salary dump is sent with a decent prospect.
Sometimes a bad contract results from a previous owner giving more money than what an organization can handle in future years (the win now mindset). They are actually very good players but the contract is debilitating to the rest of the organization.
Some things to look out for:
A veteran player that is regressing in ratings.
A veteran player with low health, for that matter any player.
A veteran player with high salary whose ratings do not match his on field performance.
A pitcher whose control is under 50.
A player with a high overall that is actually over-rated, these can be hard to detect for a new owner. A very high Stamina and other not so great ratings is a clue for a pitcher. A very high Power and other not so great ratings is a clue for hitters.
A player with a relatively low overall that is under-rated, these can be hard to detect for a new owner also. These are usually relief pitchers and defensive position players. For relief pitchers check durability. Always check for makeup, patience and health. Low Power for hitters or low hitting abilities period with high defensive ratings.
Other things to know:
A player with a real high overall is not a dime a dozen.
A real good starting pitcher is the hardest to come by.
A good hitting PC catcher can be more valuable than one thinks.
A pen pitcher rated in the 60's can also be a valuable commodity.
A defensive power hitting infielders and CF don't grow on trees except 1B.
A power hitting corner OF does grow on trees unless you don't have one.
A highly defensive SS can make a good bench player whether he can hit well or not.
A big DH is useless to a NL team, but getting good trade value is difficult.
What to look for in trade reviews.
A GM should look at each trade and vote correspondingly. Veto should be used when the trade doesn't look kosher. All trades usually have a winner and a loser one way or the other and is not uncommon. A detailed look at each player should be made in all cases. A high overall player for seemingly low end players should raise a red flag quickly, but doesn't mean the trade is bad. Money being sent should be looked at closely when a high salary player is not involved or money exceeds player salary, I am not saying that buying players is wrong, but should be completely discouraged. There is an allowable exception to this rule to sign draft picks but care should have been taken to not let that happen.
Inevitably every season an argument gets started over a trade that doesn't seem right. I don't mind an owner calling into question what looks like a bad trade in world chat. To start an argument that lasts for days is another story.
Spring Training
1. Players not on the 40-man roster or Spring Training invitee must be added manually using the Spring Training Squads drop down.
2. Pitcher setup can be handled several ways. Some like to use a tandem rotation and some use a six man rotation. I use either, just depends on my mood. The object is to get starting pitchers about 8 to 10 innings worth of work in and relievers 5 or more. The best way to do that is to limit the pitches. For Starting Pitchers, I set TPC to either 35 or 40 and MPC to 40. I don't want them throwing too much. Long Relievers I set TPC to 25 and MPC to 30. Setup A, I set TPC to 15 and MPC to 20. Setup B, I set TPC to 10 or 15 and MPC to 15 or 20 depending on the pitchers stamina.
If I have two or three prospect Starting Pitchers, I use the tandem. When using tandem, you cannot have any regular rotation pitchers set and you must have an A and B tandem for each before it will accept it. I also never use a Mop Up (ok, I rarely use a Mop Up ever) in Spring Training. This will allow more pitchers getting into games.
3. Position players should get 20 to 25 AB's for starters, I set them to Rest once they reach that plateau. I usually rest them for the rest of the games and maybe use them as pinch hitters every now and then. Starters are usually done within the first 8 games to 10 games. If I want to see how a major prospect plays, I will start him in a game or two with the big boys.
4. Set the managerial settings to the 7th inning or less and runs to 1 or two, this will allow more players into each game. It is also a place to set some of the other setting to aggressive also if desired and see how players react.
5. Don't forget to set the Player Rest, Defensive Replacements and Pinch Hitting settings.
6. After Spring training, You will need to change the pitchers TPC and MPC to their regular season settings. Don't forget to set the Player Rest, Defensive Replacement and Pinch Hitting. Or you can click recommendations in the Management Console, then you can go through and change them manually after that. And most importantly don't forget to reset the Manager settings for regular season.
Note: Catchers normally only get about 15 to 20 AB's except for the power hitting ones and I set all extra to rest so they play the entire game. I watch the innings played, which is about 40 to 50. The power hitting catchers I also use as a DH so they get more AB's that way.
2. Pitcher setup can be handled several ways. Some like to use a tandem rotation and some use a six man rotation. I use either, just depends on my mood. The object is to get starting pitchers about 8 to 10 innings worth of work in and relievers 5 or more. The best way to do that is to limit the pitches. For Starting Pitchers, I set TPC to either 35 or 40 and MPC to 40. I don't want them throwing too much. Long Relievers I set TPC to 25 and MPC to 30. Setup A, I set TPC to 15 and MPC to 20. Setup B, I set TPC to 10 or 15 and MPC to 15 or 20 depending on the pitchers stamina.
If I have two or three prospect Starting Pitchers, I use the tandem. When using tandem, you cannot have any regular rotation pitchers set and you must have an A and B tandem for each before it will accept it. I also never use a Mop Up (ok, I rarely use a Mop Up ever) in Spring Training. This will allow more pitchers getting into games.
3. Position players should get 20 to 25 AB's for starters, I set them to Rest once they reach that plateau. I usually rest them for the rest of the games and maybe use them as pinch hitters every now and then. Starters are usually done within the first 8 games to 10 games. If I want to see how a major prospect plays, I will start him in a game or two with the big boys.
4. Set the managerial settings to the 7th inning or less and runs to 1 or two, this will allow more players into each game. It is also a place to set some of the other setting to aggressive also if desired and see how players react.
5. Don't forget to set the Player Rest, Defensive Replacements and Pinch Hitting settings.
6. After Spring training, You will need to change the pitchers TPC and MPC to their regular season settings. Don't forget to set the Player Rest, Defensive Replacement and Pinch Hitting. Or you can click recommendations in the Management Console, then you can go through and change them manually after that. And most importantly don't forget to reset the Manager settings for regular season.
Note: Catchers normally only get about 15 to 20 AB's except for the power hitting ones and I set all extra to rest so they play the entire game. I watch the innings played, which is about 40 to 50. The power hitting catchers I also use as a DH so they get more AB's that way.
Rule 5
Rule 5 draft can be a good way to pick up a player or more for your ML team. A Rule 5 eligible player is denoted on your team with a red diamond with a 5 in it. For a player to be Rule 5 eligible, he must have 4 years of pro experience, is not under contract for more than 1 season currently and not on the 40-man roster.
If you have players that you wish to keep and not expose them to the Rule 5 draft, you must put them on the 40-man roster. Catch 22, if you fill your 40-man roster, you cannot draft a Rule 5 eligible player. All roster moves are frozen on the AM cycle of the Rule 5 draft day and no roster actions are allowed that day. It costs $50K to draft a player and the money goes to the losing club.
The player pool will be generated and you will have until the PM 2 cycle 1 update to set the Rule 5 Draft settings and rank players. The draft will occur at the PM 2 cycle 2 update. At the PM 2 cycle 2 update the roster will be unfrozen and players can be assigned for the upcoming preseason game.
If you draft a Rule 5 player, he must remain on the ML roster for the season. Anything other than a trade of the player, he must clear waivers and offered back to the original club first before any other action can be taken. If a Rule 5 eligible player is picked up off waivers, he must be put on the ML roster also.
The draft settings page can be a bit awkward for first time users. There are more than 500 players in the draft for starters. You will only be able to see 500 at any given time. The function of WEIGHT allows you to see more players of this type and brings them forward in the rankings. A WEIGHT of 0 means you do not wish to see that player type in the rankings or they will be relegated to the bottom of the list depending. Making them all a 10 would be the same as making them all a 5 btw. The TARGET count is the number of players of that type you wish to draft. If you wish to draft the best available player form your board, use the ANY box for target count. BIG NOTE here: if the total target count equals 0 then you will not draft a player. The Player Rank Cutoff allows you to stop drafting players beyond that point on your board. Simply put, if you set it to 10, then no player past the tenth player on your board will be drafted. Max Salary is just what is says, no player will be selected that has a salary above that range. Another BIG NOTE: if you rank your players, then change the draft settings, then you may need to rank the players again as it resets the player pool. It will not draft more players than the open 40-man slots either.
What most GM's do is set the weights to 5 and the target count ANY to the number of players they wish to draft, set the Max Salary to 327K and Rank Cutoff to 10. Next they look at the player pool and rank the top 10 to 15 players they wish to draft. If one of the settings need to be changed after the initial rankings (most generally Cutoff), then they change the settings page then re-rank the players. To tell the truth, I normally only find about 5 or 6 players really worth drafting but on occasion have found up to 10.
Rules to draft by:
1. The player you draft should be better than the one already on the roster if you have no open roster slots.
2. The player you draft should be better than the AAA player that could take the open roster spot.
If you have players that you wish to keep and not expose them to the Rule 5 draft, you must put them on the 40-man roster. Catch 22, if you fill your 40-man roster, you cannot draft a Rule 5 eligible player. All roster moves are frozen on the AM cycle of the Rule 5 draft day and no roster actions are allowed that day. It costs $50K to draft a player and the money goes to the losing club.
The player pool will be generated and you will have until the PM 2 cycle 1 update to set the Rule 5 Draft settings and rank players. The draft will occur at the PM 2 cycle 2 update. At the PM 2 cycle 2 update the roster will be unfrozen and players can be assigned for the upcoming preseason game.
If you draft a Rule 5 player, he must remain on the ML roster for the season. Anything other than a trade of the player, he must clear waivers and offered back to the original club first before any other action can be taken. If a Rule 5 eligible player is picked up off waivers, he must be put on the ML roster also.
The draft settings page can be a bit awkward for first time users. There are more than 500 players in the draft for starters. You will only be able to see 500 at any given time. The function of WEIGHT allows you to see more players of this type and brings them forward in the rankings. A WEIGHT of 0 means you do not wish to see that player type in the rankings or they will be relegated to the bottom of the list depending. Making them all a 10 would be the same as making them all a 5 btw. The TARGET count is the number of players of that type you wish to draft. If you wish to draft the best available player form your board, use the ANY box for target count. BIG NOTE here: if the total target count equals 0 then you will not draft a player. The Player Rank Cutoff allows you to stop drafting players beyond that point on your board. Simply put, if you set it to 10, then no player past the tenth player on your board will be drafted. Max Salary is just what is says, no player will be selected that has a salary above that range. Another BIG NOTE: if you rank your players, then change the draft settings, then you may need to rank the players again as it resets the player pool. It will not draft more players than the open 40-man slots either.
What most GM's do is set the weights to 5 and the target count ANY to the number of players they wish to draft, set the Max Salary to 327K and Rank Cutoff to 10. Next they look at the player pool and rank the top 10 to 15 players they wish to draft. If one of the settings need to be changed after the initial rankings (most generally Cutoff), then they change the settings page then re-rank the players. To tell the truth, I normally only find about 5 or 6 players really worth drafting but on occasion have found up to 10.
Rules to draft by:
1. The player you draft should be better than the one already on the roster if you have no open roster slots.
2. The player you draft should be better than the AAA player that could take the open roster spot.
Coaching
Coaches help develop players and does not actually affect the outcome of a game, except maybe the bench coach in the minor leagues and occasionally the 3B coach in the ML. Therefore the understanding of the coaches may be a good idea.
One of the first things one does after the Budget is set, is to rehire previous coaches. Not all coaches will want to stay and you may decide which ones of the returning coaches you want to keep and ones you need to let go. Don't count out coaches that do not want to return, you can offer them a contract in the hiring phase, sometimes they will return for less money than a higher bidding team even.
What makes a good coach has a different perspective from various people. Each coach has a primary stat associated with the type of coach he is. For instance a Hitting Coach has high hitting IQ. Some of a coaches other IQ ratings however does help in developing players throughout an organization however. Which coach to try and hire and try to out bid everyone else is your choice. I equate the coach hiring phase as a dog-eat-dog Free Agency quandary.
The coaches you hire at the ML level should equate to your players. IMO, the coaches you want to hire depends on the age of your players. If you have several players still developing at the ML level, then you may want coaches with a higher patience rating than discipline, but you still will want both high if possible. Remember that the highest one in these two areas override the other for the most part. One thing in the Players Guide they mention is that a Hitting Coach is helped by the Base Coaches in developing players at the ML level. I had to scratch my head at this one for a while to understand their meaning behind this. Then it dawned on me that they are right, a players base running ability is a hitting rating.
The Bench Coach at the ML level used to be one of the most sought after positions of any coach and every owner. However we are led to believe that the ML Bench Coach really has very little impact at the ML level unless you get tossed from the game. That in itself is not the easiest thing to do, I think my record for doing that in a season is about 15 and I was trying hard.
The Base Coaches teach base running skills to the players. You would think they could affect the outcome of a game somewhat by sending runners especially at 3B, but they say no. I try to have my best coach at 3B just in case.
Pitching Coaches deal with all pitchers, one for the starters and one for the pen. Here again age could play a factor in what type of coach to hire for each.
Hitting Coaches deal with your hitters of course.
The ML Fielding Instructor plays a major role at each level in the organization. His abilities affect glove development at all levels and all players. A high glove, patience and discipline are optimal here at least to be successful. It is however better for this type of coach to have all attributes as high as possible.
At the Minor League level, coaches work almost the same way but their duties are more encompassing with less pay, hmm that sounds familiar. Most try to develop a stair step approach with coaches, meaning the coaching gets better as you go up the ladder. Some like to set one level, usually AA, with good coaches and put the best young players at that level. Either way works in my books. But what to remember about the coaches is that they need to have a high patience for players to develop. That doesn't mean one with a low patience should be over looked. I have had success with low patience and high discipline also. Another thing is the Bench Coach becomes more important at this level. You will want his abilities higher in all aspects if it can be done.
One of the first things one does after the Budget is set, is to rehire previous coaches. Not all coaches will want to stay and you may decide which ones of the returning coaches you want to keep and ones you need to let go. Don't count out coaches that do not want to return, you can offer them a contract in the hiring phase, sometimes they will return for less money than a higher bidding team even.
What makes a good coach has a different perspective from various people. Each coach has a primary stat associated with the type of coach he is. For instance a Hitting Coach has high hitting IQ. Some of a coaches other IQ ratings however does help in developing players throughout an organization however. Which coach to try and hire and try to out bid everyone else is your choice. I equate the coach hiring phase as a dog-eat-dog Free Agency quandary.
The coaches you hire at the ML level should equate to your players. IMO, the coaches you want to hire depends on the age of your players. If you have several players still developing at the ML level, then you may want coaches with a higher patience rating than discipline, but you still will want both high if possible. Remember that the highest one in these two areas override the other for the most part. One thing in the Players Guide they mention is that a Hitting Coach is helped by the Base Coaches in developing players at the ML level. I had to scratch my head at this one for a while to understand their meaning behind this. Then it dawned on me that they are right, a players base running ability is a hitting rating.
The Bench Coach at the ML level used to be one of the most sought after positions of any coach and every owner. However we are led to believe that the ML Bench Coach really has very little impact at the ML level unless you get tossed from the game. That in itself is not the easiest thing to do, I think my record for doing that in a season is about 15 and I was trying hard.
The Base Coaches teach base running skills to the players. You would think they could affect the outcome of a game somewhat by sending runners especially at 3B, but they say no. I try to have my best coach at 3B just in case.
Pitching Coaches deal with all pitchers, one for the starters and one for the pen. Here again age could play a factor in what type of coach to hire for each.
Hitting Coaches deal with your hitters of course.
The ML Fielding Instructor plays a major role at each level in the organization. His abilities affect glove development at all levels and all players. A high glove, patience and discipline are optimal here at least to be successful. It is however better for this type of coach to have all attributes as high as possible.
At the Minor League level, coaches work almost the same way but their duties are more encompassing with less pay, hmm that sounds familiar. Most try to develop a stair step approach with coaches, meaning the coaching gets better as you go up the ladder. Some like to set one level, usually AA, with good coaches and put the best young players at that level. Either way works in my books. But what to remember about the coaches is that they need to have a high patience for players to develop. That doesn't mean one with a low patience should be over looked. I have had success with low patience and high discipline also. Another thing is the Bench Coach becomes more important at this level. You will want his abilities higher in all aspects if it can be done.
Free Agents
Free Agents are costly, do you sign them or let them go?
Minor league FA's are players that have 6 or more years of experience and not on the 40-man roster. What to do with these players are usually pretty simple when they are asking for the minimum salary, you keep them even if you know they are going to be Rule 5 eligible. When they are asking for a ML salary though, chances are they are not worth keeping and are expendable.
Major League FA's though depends on you and whether you decide if he is worth keeping. There is a myriad or reasons on whether to keep him or not. Do you need him to play a position? Do you have a rookie to take his place? etc etc etc There are three types of ML FA's and their cost depends on their abilities not what they have done on the field.
Most Free Agents are restricted, meaning the previous club has first crack at signing them. That does not mean he will sign even if you meet his demands, the ones that have a message that says I am filing for Free Agency no matter what or I am going to test the FA market first may or may not sign.
All Free Agents fall into one of the following categories:
Type A: Is in the top 20% at his position and costs the most. If you do not sign him during the restricted period he will be open to all clubs at the end of the period. This type of FA will garner compensation picks during the draft. If the signing team has a 1st round pick greater than #16, you will get his pick and a sandwich pick (somewhere from pick #33 and before the first 2nd round pick). Otherwise you will get the sandwich pick and his next available pick.
Type B: Is the top 21% thru 40% at that position. If you do not sign him during the restricted period he will be open to all clubs at the end of the period. This type of FA will garner a sandwich compensation pick only.
None: Just a regular FA and will sign with the highest bidder.
Once the Free Agent market opens, all unsigned FA's will be available to bid on. They will sign with the team that makes the highest offer in most cases. In other words, even if you offer the most, they could sign with another team, though rare. The instructions say there is a $20M cap on salary. As far as it is known at the moment, there is no cap on bonus money even though it says it is $10M. Remember that bonus money comes out of Player Payroll.
You also need to check the note box of the FA you are bidding on to determine his status. You may not want to give up your 1st or 2nd round pick as Type A compensation.
You will also need to pay attention to your in box as agents send messages to you telling you that you need to up your offer or he has signed etc. It is also wise to check the status of the players, sometimes you are no longer his #1 choice and no message is received telling you that.
Minor League FA's work the same way as Major League FA's. You may need to sign a few to fill out your minor league rosters especially pitchers. It is a dog-eat-dog world so be prepared. You can offer them a 1 year contract meeting their demands. You can also be out bid and may need to up your offer. I wouldn't offer no more than a 327K ML contract and a ST invite unless you really want the player. Sometimes they will take another offer because they feel they will get more playing time with another club, position players especially. If they sign with you, you do not need to put them on the roster that equates to their salary as you can put them anywhere in the minors you choose. One big thing to note about minor league FA's is their options, if you offer a ML salary to one out of options, you will need to put him on the ML roster.
If a Free Agent does not sign during the signing period doesn't mean he will walk away in shame and retire or get a job flipping burgers. During Spring Training their demands will ease a bit so keep checking. You have the ability to put them on a target list and check their availability so you don't have to go searching all the time. The cycle after Spring Training is the time to really check on FA's as their Types will disappear and compensation is no longer awarded and their price is usually at rock bottom. Though be wary as these FA's are usually not wanted for a reason other than price. I have found some that are highly useful though, most generally it is because everyone else forgets.
Minor league FA's are players that have 6 or more years of experience and not on the 40-man roster. What to do with these players are usually pretty simple when they are asking for the minimum salary, you keep them even if you know they are going to be Rule 5 eligible. When they are asking for a ML salary though, chances are they are not worth keeping and are expendable.
Major League FA's though depends on you and whether you decide if he is worth keeping. There is a myriad or reasons on whether to keep him or not. Do you need him to play a position? Do you have a rookie to take his place? etc etc etc There are three types of ML FA's and their cost depends on their abilities not what they have done on the field.
Most Free Agents are restricted, meaning the previous club has first crack at signing them. That does not mean he will sign even if you meet his demands, the ones that have a message that says I am filing for Free Agency no matter what or I am going to test the FA market first may or may not sign.
All Free Agents fall into one of the following categories:
Type A: Is in the top 20% at his position and costs the most. If you do not sign him during the restricted period he will be open to all clubs at the end of the period. This type of FA will garner compensation picks during the draft. If the signing team has a 1st round pick greater than #16, you will get his pick and a sandwich pick (somewhere from pick #33 and before the first 2nd round pick). Otherwise you will get the sandwich pick and his next available pick.
Type B: Is the top 21% thru 40% at that position. If you do not sign him during the restricted period he will be open to all clubs at the end of the period. This type of FA will garner a sandwich compensation pick only.
None: Just a regular FA and will sign with the highest bidder.
Once the Free Agent market opens, all unsigned FA's will be available to bid on. They will sign with the team that makes the highest offer in most cases. In other words, even if you offer the most, they could sign with another team, though rare. The instructions say there is a $20M cap on salary. As far as it is known at the moment, there is no cap on bonus money even though it says it is $10M. Remember that bonus money comes out of Player Payroll.
You also need to check the note box of the FA you are bidding on to determine his status. You may not want to give up your 1st or 2nd round pick as Type A compensation.
You will also need to pay attention to your in box as agents send messages to you telling you that you need to up your offer or he has signed etc. It is also wise to check the status of the players, sometimes you are no longer his #1 choice and no message is received telling you that.
Minor League FA's work the same way as Major League FA's. You may need to sign a few to fill out your minor league rosters especially pitchers. It is a dog-eat-dog world so be prepared. You can offer them a 1 year contract meeting their demands. You can also be out bid and may need to up your offer. I wouldn't offer no more than a 327K ML contract and a ST invite unless you really want the player. Sometimes they will take another offer because they feel they will get more playing time with another club, position players especially. If they sign with you, you do not need to put them on the roster that equates to their salary as you can put them anywhere in the minors you choose. One big thing to note about minor league FA's is their options, if you offer a ML salary to one out of options, you will need to put him on the ML roster.
If a Free Agent does not sign during the signing period doesn't mean he will walk away in shame and retire or get a job flipping burgers. During Spring Training their demands will ease a bit so keep checking. You have the ability to put them on a target list and check their availability so you don't have to go searching all the time. The cycle after Spring Training is the time to really check on FA's as their Types will disappear and compensation is no longer awarded and their price is usually at rock bottom. Though be wary as these FA's are usually not wanted for a reason other than price. I have found some that are highly useful though, most generally it is because everyone else forgets.
Arbitration
If you are new to this it can be hard understanding Arbitration when doing the budget, so it better to have an understanding first. Arbitration can be one of the most costly things with your team. Arb Eligible players have a minimum of 3 years of ML experience and they are ready to cash in on a big payday. Their cost is handled about the same way that FA's are priced, just the percentages are broken down differently. Whether to sign an Arb player is up to you, there can be many reasons to sign or not sign a player. If you do not want to sign an Arb player, then release him and he will become a FA. He will not sign a contract with you once you do that and there will be no compensation picks either. Also you must release the player before the last cycle of arbitration or he will be signed at least 70% of asking price by default.
You can also trade the player, it is best to have that set up in first cycle after budget is set because there is not enough time for the trade to go through before the arbitration cycles end.
You have several options with an Arb player. You can offer a 1 year deal at his asking price. You can sign him long term at his asking price. You can offer a deal and arbitrate.
When you display the arbitration screen, the amount listed there is for a 1 year deal. After you have offered a 1 year twice, he may not accept a third and opt for FA instead, so be careful there. If you click on long term it will show what he desires in a long term contract.
When the arbitration cycle starts you must make up your mind what you are going to do. If you do nothing, the AI will and that could be financially disastrous as it will use up the Player Payroll then start taking money from other areas to make sure they are paid.
Long Term:
If you want to sign the player to his long term contract demands, it is best to do so during the resign FA period. Simply click on long term and submit offer. He will either accept or not. I never had one not accept, well there is an exception to that and it deals with AI and an amount ending in 999 etc. If that happens, just add $1 to $3 to the amount in the first year and it will accept (it can't divide certain amounts evenly and it sees it as not meeting demands).
If you wait until the arb cycles you can still meet his long term demands by clicking on the long term link in the instructions and click arbitrate. But if you are going to do that, you should have already done it in my opinion. Of course there are reasons for doing it that way, like trying for a cheaper price.
If you want to offer a long term contract less than he demands, do so by clicking on the long term link in the instructions. You can then make an offer less than he is demanding but be reasonable. Then you click arbitrate. You will either win or lose the case. If you lose the case, the cost will either be his demands, somewhere between the two or in some instances substantially more than his original demands.
1 Year Deal:
Just click arbitrate and a box will appear for an amount to offer. I usually put in more than he wants (not by much), but either it ignores the amount or it doesn't want the commas or something. Then click submit and it will arbitrate. I have always had a reply of player wins case for the amount he requested.
You can also trade the player, it is best to have that set up in first cycle after budget is set because there is not enough time for the trade to go through before the arbitration cycles end.
You have several options with an Arb player. You can offer a 1 year deal at his asking price. You can sign him long term at his asking price. You can offer a deal and arbitrate.
When you display the arbitration screen, the amount listed there is for a 1 year deal. After you have offered a 1 year twice, he may not accept a third and opt for FA instead, so be careful there. If you click on long term it will show what he desires in a long term contract.
When the arbitration cycle starts you must make up your mind what you are going to do. If you do nothing, the AI will and that could be financially disastrous as it will use up the Player Payroll then start taking money from other areas to make sure they are paid.
Long Term:
If you want to sign the player to his long term contract demands, it is best to do so during the resign FA period. Simply click on long term and submit offer. He will either accept or not. I never had one not accept, well there is an exception to that and it deals with AI and an amount ending in 999 etc. If that happens, just add $1 to $3 to the amount in the first year and it will accept (it can't divide certain amounts evenly and it sees it as not meeting demands).
If you wait until the arb cycles you can still meet his long term demands by clicking on the long term link in the instructions and click arbitrate. But if you are going to do that, you should have already done it in my opinion. Of course there are reasons for doing it that way, like trying for a cheaper price.
If you want to offer a long term contract less than he demands, do so by clicking on the long term link in the instructions. You can then make an offer less than he is demanding but be reasonable. Then you click arbitrate. You will either win or lose the case. If you lose the case, the cost will either be his demands, somewhere between the two or in some instances substantially more than his original demands.
1 Year Deal:
Just click arbitrate and a box will appear for an amount to offer. I usually put in more than he wants (not by much), but either it ignores the amount or it doesn't want the commas or something. Then click submit and it will arbitrate. I have always had a reply of player wins case for the amount he requested.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Players
All Player cards are the same. However the data contained are all different and how those combine and work together are different for each player.
The name area describes the player like age, throwing and bating stance, height and weight, positions played and pitches thrown. We have been told this info is purely cosmetic, though I have learned that is not 100% correct.
The second area is a quick brief history area. One thing to note here, you can mouse over the ML years to get a more accurate ML service time. ML service time is increased by 1 each day of the season, that includes off days.
The next two areas are broken down into two subsets, General & Fielding Ratings and Batting & Pitching Ratings. These two areas determine how the player plays on the field and each one is further broken into two areas.
General & Fielding Ratings
Each is broken down to current and projected and how he has progressed through the years. Current is how he plays today, projected is how he could play in the future according to advance scouting. Everyone sees the current ratings as the same. Accuracy of projected ratings depend on how much one spent on advance scouting, the less spent the more fuzzy these numbers become.
Overall: is a quick overview of how good a player is with all of his stats combined and can be very misleading at times. A pitchers overall can be inflated by a high Stamina while a hitters with high power.
The green markers are defensive ratings: They ultimately identify what position(s) a player can play. Each position has a ML minimum standard, players that equal those standards are adequate at that position, players under will have more errors and minus plays while players above will have less errors and more plus plays. For Example the adequate defensive ratings for a ML SS is:
Range: 80 Glove: 85 Arm Strength: 85 Arm Accuracy: 85 Pitch Calling: 0
To set or change a players primary position, alternates and see the full chart, click on GM Office, Roster Management, Edit Rosters. When the player list is shown you can click on the players position and it will pop up the chart. Most GM's set the players primary position to the optimum projected position then use the check boxes for any alternate position that he can adequately play. Every player can play DH so it should checked unless a DH only. You can click on Show Projected, but not always is that correct. Some GM's only set the primary, but then a player will not be used at an alternate position in a game, unless they manually set the lineup hierarchies.
Note: A left-handed throwing player should only be used at 1B in the infield, unsure about catchers.
The gold markers is the players physical ability.
Durability: For a position player, determines how many games a player can play in a sense. A player that becomes fatigued has a higher risk of being injured, even at 99%. There is a formula I use based on Plate Appearances(PA), 730 * durability% = PA. Durability is also used for pitchers for recovery from an outing. For a Starting Pitcher, the rate of recovery is (fatigue% + durability) - 1 in most cases. For bull pen pitchers the rate of recovery is about the same, however the way fatigue is based is somewhat different.
Health: Determines how healthy a player is. The lower the rating, the more of a chance a player gets injured, especially those below 65 are more prone. Any player can become injured, even those in the 90's.
Speed: How fast a player is, used in conjunction with base running.
Patience: Used in several places where patience is a virtue. Promotions, demotions, waiting on a pitch, and training to name a few.
Temper: Those with a real low rating will get Hit by a Pitch more often, a high rating could ignite a fight on the field when thrown at. This is the only one where higher is not actually better.
Makeup: Determines ratings recovery after being injured, effects of training after rollover, and plays a roll in ratings bumps during the season. A high makeup allows a player to meet his projections and even surpass them in rare occasions.
The Blue markers describe hitting abilities. Several of these work hand in hand with each other.
Contact: How often a player makes contact and puts the ball in play.
Power: How well a player drives the ball. High is extra base hits and home runs.
L and R: More commonly called splits. How a player fares against opposing pitchers. Also plays a factor in getting hits off pitchers and walks.
Eye: How well a player sees pitches and identify mistake pitches.
Baserunning: Used in conjunction with speed in getting infield hits and stealing bases. A player with speed in the 60's and a high baserunning rating can be just as sucessfull as a runner with speed in the 90's with low baserunning rating.
Bunt: How well a player can lay down a bunt and move baserunners along.
Push/Pull: Mostly overlooked, but used to determine where a ball put in play goes. A 0 indicates a dead pull hitter and a 100 would be dead opposite field.
Red markers describes pitching abilities. Like hitting they work hand in hand.
Stamina: Determines how many pitches can be thrown in an outing without becoming overly fatigued. Durability determines recovery rate from pitching fatigue.
Control: Determines how well a pitcher finds the strike zone with a pitch or out of the strike zone when needed.
L and R or splits: How effective a pitcher is against batters. vsR of 70 and above is desired.
Velocity: High velocity is a strike out pitcher while low velocity is a movement pitcher.
GB/FB: A pitchers tendency to have batters hit fly balls or ground balls, high rating of course means more ground balls.
Pitches: Ratings of each pitch and how well they are thrown in conjunction with control of course. First pitch is a pitchers out pitch. They say an anemic pitch rarely or never gets thrown.
One last thing about the player card is the green plus sign (add to clipboard) on the bottom left side. If you wish to link a player to the world chat, click the green plus. When you go to the world chat area, click the up arrow and it will copy the link location in. If you want to link several players at one time, open the player cards individually, then go to the chat window. You will need to click on the Plus sign and the up arrow for each card.
The name area describes the player like age, throwing and bating stance, height and weight, positions played and pitches thrown. We have been told this info is purely cosmetic, though I have learned that is not 100% correct.
The second area is a quick brief history area. One thing to note here, you can mouse over the ML years to get a more accurate ML service time. ML service time is increased by 1 each day of the season, that includes off days.
The next two areas are broken down into two subsets, General & Fielding Ratings and Batting & Pitching Ratings. These two areas determine how the player plays on the field and each one is further broken into two areas.
General & Fielding Ratings
Each is broken down to current and projected and how he has progressed through the years. Current is how he plays today, projected is how he could play in the future according to advance scouting. Everyone sees the current ratings as the same. Accuracy of projected ratings depend on how much one spent on advance scouting, the less spent the more fuzzy these numbers become.
Overall: is a quick overview of how good a player is with all of his stats combined and can be very misleading at times. A pitchers overall can be inflated by a high Stamina while a hitters with high power.
The green markers are defensive ratings: They ultimately identify what position(s) a player can play. Each position has a ML minimum standard, players that equal those standards are adequate at that position, players under will have more errors and minus plays while players above will have less errors and more plus plays. For Example the adequate defensive ratings for a ML SS is:
Range: 80 Glove: 85 Arm Strength: 85 Arm Accuracy: 85 Pitch Calling: 0
To set or change a players primary position, alternates and see the full chart, click on GM Office, Roster Management, Edit Rosters. When the player list is shown you can click on the players position and it will pop up the chart. Most GM's set the players primary position to the optimum projected position then use the check boxes for any alternate position that he can adequately play. Every player can play DH so it should checked unless a DH only. You can click on Show Projected, but not always is that correct. Some GM's only set the primary, but then a player will not be used at an alternate position in a game, unless they manually set the lineup hierarchies.
Note: A left-handed throwing player should only be used at 1B in the infield, unsure about catchers.
The gold markers is the players physical ability.
Durability: For a position player, determines how many games a player can play in a sense. A player that becomes fatigued has a higher risk of being injured, even at 99%. There is a formula I use based on Plate Appearances(PA), 730 * durability% = PA. Durability is also used for pitchers for recovery from an outing. For a Starting Pitcher, the rate of recovery is (fatigue% + durability) - 1 in most cases. For bull pen pitchers the rate of recovery is about the same, however the way fatigue is based is somewhat different.
Health: Determines how healthy a player is. The lower the rating, the more of a chance a player gets injured, especially those below 65 are more prone. Any player can become injured, even those in the 90's.
Speed: How fast a player is, used in conjunction with base running.
Patience: Used in several places where patience is a virtue. Promotions, demotions, waiting on a pitch, and training to name a few.
Temper: Those with a real low rating will get Hit by a Pitch more often, a high rating could ignite a fight on the field when thrown at. This is the only one where higher is not actually better.
Makeup: Determines ratings recovery after being injured, effects of training after rollover, and plays a roll in ratings bumps during the season. A high makeup allows a player to meet his projections and even surpass them in rare occasions.
The Blue markers describe hitting abilities. Several of these work hand in hand with each other.
Contact: How often a player makes contact and puts the ball in play.
Power: How well a player drives the ball. High is extra base hits and home runs.
L and R: More commonly called splits. How a player fares against opposing pitchers. Also plays a factor in getting hits off pitchers and walks.
Eye: How well a player sees pitches and identify mistake pitches.
Baserunning: Used in conjunction with speed in getting infield hits and stealing bases. A player with speed in the 60's and a high baserunning rating can be just as sucessfull as a runner with speed in the 90's with low baserunning rating.
Bunt: How well a player can lay down a bunt and move baserunners along.
Push/Pull: Mostly overlooked, but used to determine where a ball put in play goes. A 0 indicates a dead pull hitter and a 100 would be dead opposite field.
Red markers describes pitching abilities. Like hitting they work hand in hand.
Stamina: Determines how many pitches can be thrown in an outing without becoming overly fatigued. Durability determines recovery rate from pitching fatigue.
Control: Determines how well a pitcher finds the strike zone with a pitch or out of the strike zone when needed.
L and R or splits: How effective a pitcher is against batters. vsR of 70 and above is desired.
Velocity: High velocity is a strike out pitcher while low velocity is a movement pitcher.
GB/FB: A pitchers tendency to have batters hit fly balls or ground balls, high rating of course means more ground balls.
Pitches: Ratings of each pitch and how well they are thrown in conjunction with control of course. First pitch is a pitchers out pitch. They say an anemic pitch rarely or never gets thrown.
One last thing about the player card is the green plus sign (add to clipboard) on the bottom left side. If you wish to link a player to the world chat, click the green plus. When you go to the world chat area, click the up arrow and it will copy the link location in. If you want to link several players at one time, open the player cards individually, then go to the chat window. You will need to click on the Plus sign and the up arrow for each card.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Budgeting
Player Payroll:
The amount in this area is used to pay the players salaries. Research is required to help figure out how much is needed. You will need to know how much is needed to resign your ML Free Agents you want to keep, Player Arbitration costs, current payroll and several other costs that are paid from this area. As a rule I use this formula: Current Payroll + Free Agent keepers + Long Term Arbitration keepers/1 year Arbitration keepers + $5M at a minimum. If I plan to dally in the open Free Agent market I add another $10M to $15M depending on how many ML players I may want to go after. The open Free Agent market can be a hit or miss proposition for ML players. You will need to resign minor league Free Agents and open market minor league Free Agents also though they don't usually cost much. One thing to note is some of your minor league Free Agents may want a ML contract, for the most part they aren't worth it.
Prospect Payroll:
This area is used to pay signing bonuses for International Free Agents and Amateur Draft picks. Their salary comes from Player Payroll. Internationals can cost a fortune for a blue chip player and some draft picks also. You can research costs for draft picks and Internationals under the World Office-Reports and International Signings or Draft History. If you have a top 10 pick in the draft, you will want to budget more than the $6M minimum to be able to sign all picks. If you expect to have more than one first round pick, then a minimum of $8M is suggested.
Coaches Payroll:
Coaches allow your players to get better at all levels. ML coaches are expensive to replace. You will need to find out which coaches want to return and their cost and how much it might cost to replace others. The Hitting Coach and Pitching Coach are the costliest to replace. Next is a Fielding Instructor. 1B, 3B and Bull Pen Coach are not as costly. Although most Bench Coaches are expensive, there function is minimal at the ML level and as a rule I don't pay a fortune for one unless I have a relatively young team or the previous one wants to stay. Most minor league coaches can be found for about the minimum cost. Normally I budget $10M to $14M and is dependent on which and how many ML coaches need to be replaced.
Domestic College Scouting Dept:
How much money spent here determines how well and how many college players are scouted in the Amateur Draft.
Domestic High School Scouting Dept:
How much money spent here determines how well and how many High School players are scouted in the Amateur Draft.
An example: Spending $16M on College and $10M on High School will allow you to see about 400 College players and 100 High School players. You will see the ratings more accurately on the College players of course. In this example a High School player ranked in the top 25 may not be a top 25 pick even though he looks like it.
International Scouting Dept.:
How much money spent here determines how well and how many International players are scouted. $20M spent here doesn't mean you will see every player either though you will probably see 95% of them.
Advance Scouting Dept.:
How much money spent here determines how well you see any player that is or has been on a roster. All players current ratings are seen by everyone the same. Their projected ratings however are not, the more spent here the truer the projections become. As a note, the difference between $18M and $20M is more fuzzy than one would think.
Training:
Money spent here helps prevent injuries as the guide says. But it is more than that also, think of it as bulking up in the weight room. Being physically prepared helps play on the field. With good training and coaches a players ratings improve. As a rule I increase this area to $20M as quickly as possible.
Medical:
If a player gets injured, the more spent in this area lessens the injury and allows him to rehab better and faster. As a rule I spend $14M to $16M here and depends on health ratings and age at the ML level.
The amount in this area is used to pay the players salaries. Research is required to help figure out how much is needed. You will need to know how much is needed to resign your ML Free Agents you want to keep, Player Arbitration costs, current payroll and several other costs that are paid from this area. As a rule I use this formula: Current Payroll + Free Agent keepers + Long Term Arbitration keepers/1 year Arbitration keepers + $5M at a minimum. If I plan to dally in the open Free Agent market I add another $10M to $15M depending on how many ML players I may want to go after. The open Free Agent market can be a hit or miss proposition for ML players. You will need to resign minor league Free Agents and open market minor league Free Agents also though they don't usually cost much. One thing to note is some of your minor league Free Agents may want a ML contract, for the most part they aren't worth it.
Prospect Payroll:
This area is used to pay signing bonuses for International Free Agents and Amateur Draft picks. Their salary comes from Player Payroll. Internationals can cost a fortune for a blue chip player and some draft picks also. You can research costs for draft picks and Internationals under the World Office-Reports and International Signings or Draft History. If you have a top 10 pick in the draft, you will want to budget more than the $6M minimum to be able to sign all picks. If you expect to have more than one first round pick, then a minimum of $8M is suggested.
Coaches Payroll:
Coaches allow your players to get better at all levels. ML coaches are expensive to replace. You will need to find out which coaches want to return and their cost and how much it might cost to replace others. The Hitting Coach and Pitching Coach are the costliest to replace. Next is a Fielding Instructor. 1B, 3B and Bull Pen Coach are not as costly. Although most Bench Coaches are expensive, there function is minimal at the ML level and as a rule I don't pay a fortune for one unless I have a relatively young team or the previous one wants to stay. Most minor league coaches can be found for about the minimum cost. Normally I budget $10M to $14M and is dependent on which and how many ML coaches need to be replaced.
Domestic College Scouting Dept:
How much money spent here determines how well and how many college players are scouted in the Amateur Draft.
Domestic High School Scouting Dept:
How much money spent here determines how well and how many High School players are scouted in the Amateur Draft.
An example: Spending $16M on College and $10M on High School will allow you to see about 400 College players and 100 High School players. You will see the ratings more accurately on the College players of course. In this example a High School player ranked in the top 25 may not be a top 25 pick even though he looks like it.
International Scouting Dept.:
How much money spent here determines how well and how many International players are scouted. $20M spent here doesn't mean you will see every player either though you will probably see 95% of them.
Advance Scouting Dept.:
How much money spent here determines how well you see any player that is or has been on a roster. All players current ratings are seen by everyone the same. Their projected ratings however are not, the more spent here the truer the projections become. As a note, the difference between $18M and $20M is more fuzzy than one would think.
Training:
Money spent here helps prevent injuries as the guide says. But it is more than that also, think of it as bulking up in the weight room. Being physically prepared helps play on the field. With good training and coaches a players ratings improve. As a rule I increase this area to $20M as quickly as possible.
Medical:
If a player gets injured, the more spent in this area lessens the injury and allows him to rehab better and faster. As a rule I spend $14M to $16M here and depends on health ratings and age at the ML level.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Welcome to Season 11 of Joey Belle
Welcome to Season 11 of HBD world Joey Belle!! Several new things have happened this season already. For one, Blanch13 has taken over commissioner duties from Jiml60, this was due to time restraints. Another is this blog, and if you want to contribute please send your commissioner a wonder note. Several new owners have been recruited but we still have 3 to go at press release time. We had 10 to replace at one time, but 1 relented and returned. At rollover it was expected that we only needed 6 but things happen and some had to leave our wonderful world due to other commitments.
At this time we would like to extend the Welcome Mat for the new owners.
emily6802 - Scranton Schrutes
bigdaddysalm - Madison BUTCHERS
specimen - Chicago Cosmos
mlatsko1 - Syracuse Orange Crush
bapu3285 - Wichita Wingmen
kenter16 - San Francisco Super Sonics
cosborn - Charlotte Gooners
chadrader - Kansas City Cattle Herders
reggie988 - Trenton Tunnel Rats
flipdog0 - Portland Opossums - well actually moved team from Seattle in the end
If you are new to HBD and are worried, don't be. It is a quite involved game for sure. However, we have taken the time to provide training classes along the way to help you out. So stay tuned to the blog for these items. If you run into something you do not understand, please feel free to ask questions in the world chat. Answers can also be gathered or asked in the HBD forums.
At this time we would like to extend the Welcome Mat for the new owners.
emily6802 - Scranton Schrutes
bigdaddysalm - Madison BUTCHERS
specimen - Chicago Cosmos
mlatsko1 - Syracuse Orange Crush
bapu3285 - Wichita Wingmen
kenter16 - San Francisco Super Sonics
cosborn - Charlotte Gooners
chadrader - Kansas City Cattle Herders
reggie988 - Trenton Tunnel Rats
flipdog0 - Portland Opossums - well actually moved team from Seattle in the end
If you are new to HBD and are worried, don't be. It is a quite involved game for sure. However, we have taken the time to provide training classes along the way to help you out. So stay tuned to the blog for these items. If you run into something you do not understand, please feel free to ask questions in the world chat. Answers can also be gathered or asked in the HBD forums.
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