SIM COMPLETE - 1985 - Regular Season 11

[Riverman]

I was only half serious about going after Theodore though I would think that Jistic now has a lot of incentive to move him. But there must be a dozen starters out there that could help you that could be obtained without mortgaging the future. Or would parting with a couple of draft picks ruin your plan?

With regard to the lack of incentives you keep mentioning, I don't understand what incentive there is to even play in this league if you don't see a shot at winning an incentive to try to do just that. Surely you can't be holding onto all of your prospects and picks waiting for a few guys to stick 5 bucks in a pool to then give you the incentive to go for it.

[Riverman]

Yeah, thats a good point.

I usually just use the "if starter is tired" option for my backups and I've never had any trouble with that. I don't like the 7-day lineups so much because you never know who will actually be pitching. If you use the option to use the regular lineups if a guy who pitches from the other side goes, then you aren't resting guys you thought you were resting. And if you don't use that option, you'll get platoon players starting against the wrong pitchers.

[Clay]

I was only half serious about going after Theodore though I would think that Jistic now has a lot of incentive to move him. But there must be a dozen starters out there that could help you that could be obtained without mortgaging the future. Or would parting with a couple of draft picks ruin your plan?

And I was only half serious about being out of it. But, my plan for the immediate future involve guys that I would have to move. Plus, and perhaps most importantly, I have to watch my money. I finished in the red last season and can not finish in the red again this year without penalty.

With regard to the lack of incentives you keep mentioning, I don't understand what incentive there is to even play in this league if you don't see a shot at winning an incentive to try to do just that. Surely you can't be holding onto all of your prospects and picks waiting for a few guys to stick 5 bucks in a pool to then give you the incentive to go for it.

No... nor was that implied... but I know who I need going forward based on who I plan on resigning this off-season and who I do not. And with no clear in-game incentive to change that plan, I have to stay the course. If I got $5.0 on my budget next season for making the playoffs... or $20.0 for winning it all... sure... there's incentive because it allows me to sign/keep contracts that I might now otherwise.

[Riverman]

All right then good luck with all of that.

I'm glad I don't play in that division with three solid and experienced GMs who have good teams and good minor-league systems and another who's either really lucky or really good, if not both, I am expecting some great races over the next few seasons.

[Ryan]

I usually just use the "if starter is tired" option for my backups and I've never had any trouble with that. I don't like the 7-day lineups so much because you never know who will actually be pitching. If you use the option to use the regular lineups if a guy who pitches from the other side goes, then you aren't resting guys you thought you were resting. And if you don't use that option, you'll get platoon players starting against the wrong pitchers.

It usually works for me as well, but for whatever reason these last couple of sims has been pretty bad for getting the right guys in there.

[Lintyfresh85]

I usually just use the "if starter is tired" option for my backups and I've never had any trouble with that. I don't like the 7-day lineups so much because you never know who will actually be pitching. If you use the option to use the regular lineups if a guy who pitches from the other side goes, then you aren't resting guys you thought you were resting. And if you don't use that option, you'll get platoon players starting against the wrong pitchers.

There's an option in the 7-day lineup screen to use your 'other' lineup if the pitcher is opposite handed of what is listed.

So say, you have your line-up set for a RHP. But the opponent switches things up and puts a LHP in, instead. There's a option on the top right of the screen that is default listed as 'OFF', that you can switch on that will automatically place your LHP batting order in against the LHP, and will always place the RHP line-up against a RHP, regardless of what your 7-day line-ups say. Of course if the pitcher listed is RHP, and the opponent throws a different RHP, you get the 7-day lineup for the first RHP, but platoon players should be able to hit all RHP, or LHP, and really won't have a problem facing another RHP.

[Carlos]

My outfield sucks.

My pitching depth is attrocious.

I'm really missing Sanchez.

Chet Reed is not even a good enough backup.

Orlin Montero is not a 5 in contact. Lies, it's all lies.

Each of my starters (exception Perez) have respectable enough ERAs but can't win games. I don't know whose fault is that. The bullpen isn't horrible, so what's the problem?

It's the hitting. Outside of Seagarra, Zamarida, Tesina, and Harbison, my team is full of terrible players. I desperately need Murcott back (will play next sim) and Sanchez. My goodness, the production by the backups has been so bad I might as well not evne let them bat.

To make matters worse, guys that were good, moving on up in the minor league system, have suddenly crashed. Every single one of them. How do I go from a Top 10 system to one of the worst in the leagues without losing any players on that list?

I'm so frustrated with this team.

[Riverman]

There have been a couple of noteworthy achievments in Davenport this season.

Kenichi Sato won his second consecutive player of the week award after hitting a grand slam off Joe Chavarraga in his first AB of the sim. I don't know if players are rated for streakiness or not but, if so, Sato is probably rated highly for that. He started off the season very hot then didn't hit much at all until the last two sims.

Chet Benton, whom I signed as a 17 year-old undrafted FA after the 1982 minor league season had ended is an interesting case. He never hit less than .336 at any level in around 1,000 minor league ABs. He just turned 20 today and has hit .302 in 212 BLB ABs so far. He doesn't walk much or hit for power and my scout thinks he has already reached his potential so he doesn't figure to be anything great.

I think Benton is an example of a broken player that we were writing about in another thread. He's not the extreme case of a 6-2-2-2-2 that was mentioned there, I think my scout has him at 5-4-3-2-2 both current and potential. There is no way that a guy who strikes out a lot, has no power and swings at a lot of bad pitches is going to be a .300 hitter in the bigs. And what scout would think that a guy who hit .349 at 17 in A ball, .336 at 18 in AA and .389 at 19 in AAA has zero potential to get any better?

[Riverman]

One other thing about Sato. He is mentioned as being a rookie in one of the articles about his player of the week awards but I don't think he is one. He had 273 BLB ABs last season. Isn't the limit on ABs for rookie status in the proceeding season considerably lower than 273?

[Clay]

Kenichi Sato won his second consecutive player of the week award after hitting a grand slam off Joe Chavarraga in his first AB of the sim. I don't know if players are rated for streakiness or not but, if so, Sato is probably rated highly for that. He started off the season very hot then didn't hit much at all until the last two sims.

I have no hard proof... or at least have not taken the time to really put it together... but I feel very strongly that both teams and players have some type of AI for this and the trigger is usually a month. I've seen a lot of cases where a team or player is red hot for one month and then falls completely cold. I know that's not strange because...well... it's baseball... but what is strange is that it almost always happens on the exact turn of the month.

I think there is some type of hidden code that adjusts month-to-month on the 1st. Can't prove it... but I believe it.

[Clay]

One other thing about Sato. He is mentioned as being a rookie in one of the articles about his player of the week awards but I don't think he is one. He had 273 BLB ABs last season. Isn't the limit on ABs for rookie status in the proceeding season considerably lower than 273?

I'm pretty sure it's 125.

[BradleyB]

Riverman, I'm pretty sure you should draft anyone with the last name Sato... First Tananibu, now Kenichi. It's your lucky surname man.

[Riverman]

I have no hard proof... or at least have not taken the time to really put it together... but I feel very strongly that both teams and players have some type of AI for this and the trigger is usually a month. I've seen a lot of cases where a team or player is red hot for one month and then falls completely cold. I know that's not strange because...well... it's baseball... but what is strange is that it almost always happens on the exact turn of the month.

I think there is some type of hidden code that adjusts month-to-month on the 1st. Can't prove it... but I believe it.

Thanks, an interesting insight that could explain a lot of things. I wonder if it happens to whole teams.

My most frustrating season by far was 1980. I was leading the Bock by 3 games, mid June and my only significant weakness appeared to be 1B. I traded for Toby Rochester giving up a lot to get him. Then suddenly the whole team stopped hitting right around July 1. As I recall Dan Hogan went something like 6 for 76 in July. August, the same story no one hit; then right around the first of September, it was like somebody flipped switch and everything was like it was earlier in the year.

[Clay]

Thanks, an interesting insight that could explain a lot of things. I wonder if it happens to whole teams.

I think it does. And a lot of the reason I believe it is because in a small league... you tend to play the same teams every month, so... generally speaking... there shouldn't be a ton of deviation from your mean. But, just this season.... with my team....

April - OK
May - GREAT
June - OK

Just a thought and I certainly haven't spent a ton of time on it.