Are you a strat expert? Chime in:

[jeffdoh]

I'm now ranked 3-star "Junior College Batting Champ" player and there's STILL things I have yet to figure out definitely about this great game of ours. I'm curious to hear if you've discovered the answers and how you "proved" it to yourself by playing on here:

1. Do stolen bases help a team's offense? I've been debating this with myself forever and I'm still undecided. I know that Bill James once sade that to break-even, a base-stealer would need to be successful at least 2/3 of the time and I often wonder whether a guy who goes 60 SB and 20 CS actually does help his team in strat.

2. What's the better strategy-- 4 or 5-man rotation? Or, does it ever make sense to go with one or two SP* and then 3 other guys?

3. Does it EVER make sense to click "steal more"? I would think that all this means is that a basestealer will take more risks and lower his SB% to below the 2/3 succes break-even rate. What'd your experience?

4. Can you win with a power-hitting team in an extreme SP ballpark? I would think that despite that no one does it that this is very possibie because neither team playing will hit a ton of HRs so maybe the team with a ton of HR guys will have the edge by hitting on the non-ballpark effect HR rolls.

5. Does anyone have any clue how strat's home field advantage works?it's clearly a VERY real thing, but how is it implemented? no one seems to know.

6. can you win with a season-long "4" at ss?has anyone tried this?

7. Which teams tend to do better-- the team with the great bullpen or the team with the better SP.

8. How many GOOD RPs is ideal? it seems a waste to spend alot of money on a 4th great RP, as they wont picth much....or will they? no telling when hal will decide to use your 4th RP more than your 2nd in a season.

9. Does batting order matter at all?

10. on that note, does it ever make sense to lead off a guy like Ruth? more ABs--maybe 50-60 a season, high OBP, maybe contribute to knocking out a SP early with a HR, etc.....

I have more, but let's leave it at these 10 thoughts for now. :-)

Please do chime in!!!!

Jeff

[coyote303]

I'll take a shot at #2 since that's the one I have a strong opinion about:

> 2. What's the better strategy-- 4 or 5-man rotation? Or, does
> it ever make sense to go with one or two SP* and then 3 other guys?

All things being equal, I like a 4-man rotation. However, in 2006 season I switched to a 5-man rotation simply because it was easier to get high-quality starters. (I generally like pitching teams.)

I mixed an SP* with 4 non-SP pitchers one season and it worked out pretty well. I tried doing it again since but the SP* pitcher I try for always gets taken by another team.

[geekor]

[quote:17b4f70a36]1. Do stolen bases help a team's offense? I've been debating this with myself forever and I'm still undecided. I know that Bill James once sade that to break-even, a base-stealer would need to be successful at least 2/3 of the time and I often wonder whether a guy who goes 60 SB and 20 CS actually does help his team in strat.[/quote:17b4f70a36]

It all depends on the setting, in a big time hitters park probably not as much. But me and others have had success when getting many * stealers, it helps cut down on the DP's. Having good stealers I still put my managerial settings to conservative at least, in not extra conservative.

[quote:17b4f70a36]2. What's the better strategy-- 4 or 5-man rotation? Or, does it ever make sense to go with one or two SP* and then 3 other guys?[/quote:17b4f70a36]

Well it usually ends up being cheaper with 4 *, but that doesn't mean success. In the earlier games a lot of the better cards were non * so I went with a LOT of 5 man rotations no problem. But in the new 07 game, I'm finding much more success the other way. Either way works as long as the pitchers fit you park. I have also done the 2 high priced * with 3 cheaper guys, that works as well. You basically don't want that * as your 3rd, with a non * above him, because then you are paying for less starts then he will get.

[quote:17b4f70a36]3. Does it EVER make sense to click "steal more"? I would think that all this means is that a basestealer will take more risks and lower his SB% to below the 2/3 succes break-even rate. What'd your experience?[/quote:17b4f70a36]

The really good AA or A stealers with no caught and high success rates I do, but none of the others.

[quote:17b4f70a36]4. Can you win with a power-hitting team in an extreme SP ballpark? I would think that despite that no one does it that this is very possibie because neither team playing will hit a ton of HRs so maybe the team with a ton of HR guys will have the edge by hitting on the non-ballpark effect HR rolls.[/quote:17b4f70a36]

I've done it before, so have others, it's a strategy that does work, but like all, not always.

[quote:17b4f70a36]5. Does anyone have any clue how strat's home field advantage works?it's clearly a VERY real thing, but how is it implemented? no one seems to know.[/quote:17b4f70a36]

no idea

[quote:17b4f70a36]6. can you win with a season-long "4" at ss?has anyone tried this?[/quote:17b4f70a36]

I believe dneedle did this on the 02 games a lot to show you didn't need great offense all the time. Of course this was in Coors, where the hitting card made up for the bad def. a very cheap 4 that give little offense, NO. A very very good hitter in a hitters park, MIGHT be able to make up the difference.

[quote:17b4f70a36]7. Which teams tend to do better-- the team with the great bullpen or the team with the better SP.[/quote:17b4f70a36]

too many ways to choke a chicken

[quote:17b4f70a36]8. How many GOOD RPs is ideal? it seems a waste to spend alot of money on a 4th great RP, as they wont picth much....or will they? no telling when hal will decide to use your 4th RP more than your 2nd in a season.[/quote:17b4f70a36]

once again, it's all in how you build you teams. Say you used 5 really really cheap SP in a hitters park, your 4th RP would end up with lots of innings.

[quote:17b4f70a36]9. Does batting order matter at all?[/quote:17b4f70a36]

Of course it does.

[quote:17b4f70a36]10. on that note, does it ever make sense to lead off a guy like Ruth? more ABs--maybe 50-60 a season, high OBP, maybe contribute to knocking out a SP early with a HR, etc..... [/quote:17b4f70a36]

Not to me but I wouldn't hesistate to use him #2. I used to use Bonds in the 2 hole a lot. But solo Hr's are great either.

[durantjerry]

I will take a shot at all of them.
[b:e0a241616c]1. Do stolen bases help a team's offense?[/b:e0a241616c]
I think Geekor's point is a very good one. The question should really be "does speed help a team's offense", and I would say the answer is yes. It affects the defensive ratings of opposing players and makes your hitters better when you have a fast runner that must be held on. If you can also manage to steal a good quanity of bases at about 70%, I would say you are helping yourself. But as was also pointed out, IMO it is more likely to be of a help in a pitching to moderate hitting parks.
[b:e0a241616c]2. What's the better strategy-- 4 or 5-man rotation?[/b:e0a241616c]
As was pointed out, availability is an important factor. I don't think it matters a whole lot as long as you have the one good "*" guy so you don't end up facing Jake Peavey with John Lieber in game five of the semi's.
[b:e0a241616c]3. Does it EVER make sense to click "steal more"?[/b:e0a241616c]
Definietly yes to #3. I have clicked this option(for five or six players) when using aggressive base running and stole 500 bases at a good %. It is also very effective when using a less aggressive rating but you have one or two guys that can really run who you want to steal more. The one caveat is that I have really only used it with "19" stealing guys except for Figgins in this years cards.
500 SB's on aggressive with six " steal more" guys[url]http://fantasygames.sportingnews.com/stratomatic/team/team_other.html?user_id=73386[/url]
Here is a team set to "normal" with Crawford & Ichiro on "steal more"
[url]http://fantasygames.sportingnews.com/stratomatic/team/team_other.html?user_id=78634[/url]
[b:e0a241616c]4. Can you win with a power-hitting team in an extreme SP ballpark? [/b:e0a241616c] I have tried it more than a few times this year alone, mostly with little or no SP's. I would have to say the answer is mostly no, but of course you could. I just don't really think it's a good idea. If you take out the word "power" from the question, then the answer is yes. Many use hitting teams in pitching parks. Of course you need some power, but if it is a real "power hitting" team, it is more of an uphill struggle. Here is a 2007 team where I tried it for kicks in an extreme pitching league overall. Looking back, it wasn't that bad, but I still think you are better of with more of a hitting team than a power hitting team. Also, I didn't do any planning, which would have helped. Just a spur of the moment move to try it when all the good power hitters were still available.
[url]http://fantasygames.sportingnews.com/stratomatic/team/team_other.html?user_id=76636[/url]
[b:e0a241616c]5. Does anyone have any clue how strat's home field advantage works?it's clearly a VERY real thing, but how is it implemented? no one seems to know. [/b:e0a241616c]No idea, but I played in a league where we all used the same park and the home teams were +27.
[b:e0a241616c]6. can you win with a season-long "4" at ss?has anyone tried this? [/b:e0a241616c]
I will try sometime this year with H Ramirez. If it can be done, I would think it would require excellent defense at the other positions as well as a good overall team in the right park.
[b:e0a241616c]7. Which teams tend to do better-- the team with the great bullpen or the team with the better SP[/b:e0a241616c] I think the previous answers were correct, it just depends on your team. However, I would say in general that good SP's are put to better use in a pitching park, while lesser SP should be in hitting parks. Of course, you can win differently, but that is the way most approach it and I think it is correct.
[b:e0a241616c]8. How many GOOD RPs is ideal? it seems a waste to spend alot of money on a 4th great RP, as they wont picth much....or will they? no telling when hal will decide to use your 4th RP more than your 2nd in a season.[/b:e0a241616c] I think this is the mistake that most players make, having too many RP's, wasting $$ that can be spent elsewhere. Of course, I have lost more than a few series by not having enough relief if the game goes to long or my pen gets overextended. I believe Luckyman posted a method for computing this(projected RP innings) in the "Newbie Advice" thread.
[b:e0a241616c]9. Does batting order matter at all?[/b:e0a241616c]
I would also say Yes also.
[b:e0a241616c]10. on that note, does it ever make sense to lead off a guy like Ruth? more ABs--maybe 50-60 a season, high OBP, maybe contribute to knocking out a SP early with a HR, etc.....[/b:e0a241616c]
I have batted Ted Williams second in ATG as well as leading off guys like Dunn and Chipper in earlier 200x games. Last year I led off Cabrera and Holiday at times as they were "*" stealers(who I didn't want to steal). I think it is best done in a hitting park with a deep order and a good ninth batter so they still get their RBI opportunities. IMO, there is something to be said for having speed at the top of the order, even in hitting parks. The fast guys seem to score a lot more runs if they are even close to the slower guys in OBP. The times I have done something like this, I got stuck not really having a typical lead off type guy. Also, I stink at bprobability, but isn't more likely Ruth would end up with closer to 20 or so extra AB's(rather than 50-60) batting first than if he batted ninth?

[Terry101]

I played H. Ramirez every inning at short in a 100 mil league. Had a 1 at 2B and a 2 at 1B and 3B. He made 24 errors and probalby let a ton of hits go thru. Hard to say. Went 80-82 at Wrigley.

[Palmtana]

I lost the finals to a team with Hanley at short.
But he also had 3-1's and 4-2's on the rest of his team.

[Free Radicals]

1) The stolen base is a very useful tool , USED properly . I hardly ever put my managerial settings on aggressive to steal , but with even slow teams I do set my baserunning on aggressive and they seem to score a lot of runs . I put stealers on steal more if they are an AA , A or B (depending on what their leadoff numbers are ).

2) Both have worked for many and visa versa. I think your team , ballpark, and opponents have a determination in that .

3) Yes, if you have a bonified stealer let him try to steal as much as possible.
If you can keep your team SB% above 70% your doing well .

4) Yes , you can win. You need the right chemistry of speed and power to score runs . In a pitchers park , everyone pitches better , so you need good hitting to win .

5) NO, TSN tell us what is going on about anything ? 99% nope !

6) No , Sure it has happened before but the odds are against you .

7) I think teams with both, stand a much better chance .

8) This is where truly learning the cards comes into play . There are quality RP for under 1M , you just need to find them .

9) You betcha . I try for table setters 1 & 2 then boopers to drive them in .

10) Lead off man , in my book , should be someone who gets on , can steal if needed and have a decent OBP . Would I put Boggs 1st ? No , but 2nd isn't a bad spot depending on who else you have . Everything is relative to the game in other words .

11) As far as " Stars " go . You can earn stars by posting , adding friends to your profile, playing the free or pay fantasy games and , of course, spending more money on more teams in SOM. :wink:

Though stars really mean nothing ! 8-) 8-)

[teamnasty]

1. Stolen bases "help" an offense; caught stealings hurt more than they help. No champion has ever built an offense around sb's in simulation or in real life. It does NOT happen. High sb's are always a secondary, even tertiary factor, far behind slugging and obp.

2. If you believe that strat's pricing system appropriately accounts for the * rating, then in theory there is basically no advantage to a 4 vs. 5 man rotation. Most people would say 4 is better, but strat rules require you to draft a minimum of 5 starters, so the extra money spent on your garbage starter is money wasted, so if anything a 5 man is slightly more efficient from a price perspective. Again, we're assuming strat prices the * rating accurately. A mixed rotation is disfavored by many vets precisely because of the pricing inefficiency, but if managed well to play matchups I believe it can be as good or even better at times. There is no clear rotation arrangement that is preferable than the others.

3. Yes it can make sense to check off "steal more" for certain excellent basestealers entering into a series with favorable conditions like a pitcher's park and lousy opposing battery. Dont think it makes a lot of difference though. Stolen bases in general dont, as fun as they are to watch and as important as they can be in limited situations.

4. You can certainly win with power in a pitcher's park, but you're going against the odds and shouldn't try unless its a fun/experimental league. The money you spend on the power hitters will be wasted when your diamond chances miss. Better to draft a high obp offense and a flyball pitching staff to max your money's impact.

5. Strat does not and cannot quantify any home field intangible advantage, such as the comfort that comes from being at home and the resulting benefits in performance. So that depresses home field advantage somewhat. However, strat managers can do a better job of drafting a team that suits their park than real life general managers because strat managers knows the "cards" in advance. I suspect this more than outweighs the loss of intangible home field advantage but I havent seen any studies done on here on the issue.

6.Yes you can win a strat championship with a 4 at SS. Particularly as strat's pricing system gains in accuracy. Hardly anyone tries however because most managers prefer the aesthetic of low team era's to big offensive numbers.

7. I prefer the great bullpens. A reasonably good manager is able to "leverage" his best relievers into critical situations and come out with a better record in close games, all things being equal, than a team built around a strong rotation.

8. This cuts against the conventional wisdom on here but I think you need 3 good relievers. Any more than that starts to become inefficient because their arent enough innings to go around, and any less than that and you start losing the close games due to lousy middle relief. Maybe 3.5 is a better average in a league of hitters parks.

9. Batting order matters yes. Makes a difference of up to a 4-game swing over a full season. So a minor factor but often a decisive one.

10. Leading off Ruth is a brilliant idea that should be tried more often. As is batting him or Bonds 2nd. The RBI's lost are more than made up for by the extra at bats given to your best hitter and the runs scored.

7

[jeffdoh]

Thanks to everyone who's been chiming in on all this, I've really enjoyed reading your thoughts and hope they continue to come in.

My favorite, so far, has been TeamNasty's. Excellent observations, man!
Let me just follow up some of your points with some comments and/or questions to ponder:

1. Agree COMPLETELY with your point that SBs "help" somehwat but that CS really hurt. Now the Q is, what's the threshold (% and/or cummulative) SBs you'd need in comparison to CSs, to make it help your team. And, how much would it help. AND, do you (and everyone else)believe that STRAT properly quantifies SBs (AAs, As, etc) into salary? I wonder whether strat overcharges for Steals and Speed (ie. running). I mean, doing this properly would take some pretty sophisticated Algorithms.

5. Home field advantage-- completely disagree. I think strat DEFINITELY makes some "in-game" changes to make home teams have an additional advantage. In other words, if both teams stepping onto the field were EXACTLY the same in every way, I'm certain that the Home team would win more under Strat's system. What I don't know, and would like to, is HOW? Are away pitchers fatigued easier/quicker? Are ballpark effects boosted for home team? who knows. no one seems to, but most seem to feel that strat does something.

7 & 8. I also prefer a great pen and agree that the 3 good guys is most efficient. Teamnasty makes some excellent points about how a competenet manager has more control over his pen's use and can maxamize them more so than with SP. I've recently tried something interesting. I have a 5 man rotation and have Red Ames set as my #2 starter. He is also set as my closer. HAL has already gotten him 4 saves over the first half of the season (I have a very poor bullpen, so Ames is better than anyone else i could have close). Fun stuff, and every bit helps.
HAL seems to only pitch Ames in relief the day AFTER his starts. Interestingly, i tried to set Chief Bender to do the same thing at certain points, but for some reason HAL never used him, but will use Ames. They both have SP/RP availability, so no idea why HAL will use Ames but not Bender, but I guess HAL's always been our cuddly little enigma.

9. Fascinating that you all think, hands down, that Batting order absolutely matters. I think its interesting because Bill James disagrees. He says even batting your SP 4th makes only the tiniest of differences. Perhaps its all psychology. We all feel like we do a very important (and fun) thing when we set our lineups. After all, these are our guys. We drafted em, we assembled a park suited just for em, so, sure, the order we set is important. But is it? Again, James says no. And, after the first time around, what difference does it really make? What amazes me somehwat is not that you guys think it makes a difference, but rather how emphatic you are about it. :-)

9. Ruth, Bonds, etc leading off. Another fascinating one. Loved TeamNasty's comments here. Now, I am going to contradict my last comment in #9 above. I am dying to bat Ruth leadoff all season and see what happens. As teamnasty points out, sure, it SEEMS like it wastes some RBI potential, but I dunno... if your leadoff guys gets 50-60 more ABS than anyone else in your lineup, the argument certainly can be made that you want it to be your best hitter. That's another 8 or 9 HRs for Ruth. Maybe it would depend on the lineup below him and also who comes up 8 and 9 (maybe pick a guy with lots of walks?). Really interesting stuff.

[Free Radicals]

1) If steals are a big deal in the pricing then players like Coleman , Scott, Wiggens ,Hatcher, etc would be more $ than what they are . :wink: :wink: