More observation and analysis
Posted 07-13-2017 at 12:45 AM by bjohn13
As I pass the All Star break in the 1892 season, I couldn't help but notice how contrarian this team is compared to what I usually try to field. The reason for this is quite likely due to the fact that I have never played a simulation from before 1901 before. I never really considered any professional baseball prior to 1901 to be a "true" Major League. I consider the advent of the official World Series to be the official beginning of "Modern Day Baseball" in much the same way that I consider the birth of the Super Bowl to be the official beginning of "Modern Day Football".
Typically, my teams revolve around a strong starting rotation. Even when I'm fielding a five man rotation, I rarely have a hole in that rotation. In fact, I usually have at least a couple of guys in the bullpen who serve as effective back up starters if needed. I find that to be a crucial part of my teams because I tend to be terrible at finding good relievers.
The opposite is the case here. I started with four man rotations in a time period where one and two man rotations were the norm because I felt that having a shortage of pitching in the dead ball era would be an interesting dynamic. I haven't seen anyone hit .400 yet, and that kind of surprises me. I am having a lot of trouble with my rotation, though, and that's something I'm not used to. I gave up quite a bit to get Amos Rusie and Cy Young, and neither one is contributing. My rotation is supposed to be Young and Rusie along with Charlie Buffington and Ed Beatin, but half of those players aren't even on the active roster. I'm being saved, though, because the massive amounts of depth that I am consistently having in my pitching staff from trying (and failing) to fill roster spots is creating some solid relievers.
My teams also typically don't have a power house offense, either. I pretty much play strict money ball with my starting lineup. I'm looking for guys that can either get on base or prevent other people from getting on base. I keep talking about how one star defensive gurus are so valuable because I truly believe that. My goal isn't to necessarily have a spectacular defense on the field at all times. My goal is to ensure that I never have to put someone in the field who is capable of having 2+ error games on a regular basis, and that's an extremely inexpensive thing to do. I typically don't go after big SLG guys unless they are home grown simply because they are expensive. It's all about value, bang for buck, and the best way to do that is with OBP and defensive ability.
That leads me to a few conundrums that I'm currently contemplating. First of all, my shortstop, Dave Drew, was drafted in the inaugural draft because he was one of the best defensive shortstops available who wasn't a liability on offense. After 8 years, his defense has decline immensely, but his offense has stayed good enough to keep his WAR respectable. I'm not sure what to do with him. He doesn't fit my mold, but it's hard to get rid of a player who is being productive and has had so much history with the team.
Another conundrum is what to do about the outfield. I have pretty much come to the conclusion that the success of this team depends on whether or not Mike Slattery and Tommy McCarthy are injured. My ideal outfield right now would be, from left to right, Duke Farrell, Billy Hamilton, and Willie Keeler. Slattery and McCarthy keep playing too well to lose their jobs, though.
When I traded for Slattery, I was looking for a stop gap for maybe a season or two to provide good defense. I kept him around, and he kept winning the starting job in center field.
McCarthy, on the other hand, is capable of putting up some potent offensive numbers if he can stay in the lineup. He's probably the most likely person to be traded, though, because his defense is so poor. I look at it, though, like I looked at the Oyster Burns trade. Burns went on to win an MVP award after I traded him away, but I got Charlie Buffington in return. Buffington has been my most valuable player. I keep thinking that I could work something like that out with McCarthy. But as long as I keep winning, it's hard to trade him.
At any rate, Joseph Herr is having a really bad year for me at third base. He is still an asset on defense, but he was never expected to be a full time starter. WIth his average around .210, I have called up Willie Keeler for the first time. While I would ultimately like to have Keeler in my outfield, it looks like his first taste of big league ball is going to be in a platoon situation at third base.
A final interesting thing of note, I really had a hard time finding a decent pitching coach at any level, and that might explain my rotation struggles. I signed some dude named Ed Underwood at the end of last year who is rated at "Excellent", and I might be seeing an effect of that this season. While Young and Rusie are on the DL, I am seeing some successful outings from Nat Hudson, Jack Stivetts, and Mike Smith. I really have a lot of confidence in my pitching staff right now all around.
Meanwhile, I've had a hitting coach named Jeff Armstrong who is rated as "LEGENDARY" for quite a few years now, and I have a feeling that is why my offense has been so much better than I'm used to.
Typically, my teams revolve around a strong starting rotation. Even when I'm fielding a five man rotation, I rarely have a hole in that rotation. In fact, I usually have at least a couple of guys in the bullpen who serve as effective back up starters if needed. I find that to be a crucial part of my teams because I tend to be terrible at finding good relievers.
The opposite is the case here. I started with four man rotations in a time period where one and two man rotations were the norm because I felt that having a shortage of pitching in the dead ball era would be an interesting dynamic. I haven't seen anyone hit .400 yet, and that kind of surprises me. I am having a lot of trouble with my rotation, though, and that's something I'm not used to. I gave up quite a bit to get Amos Rusie and Cy Young, and neither one is contributing. My rotation is supposed to be Young and Rusie along with Charlie Buffington and Ed Beatin, but half of those players aren't even on the active roster. I'm being saved, though, because the massive amounts of depth that I am consistently having in my pitching staff from trying (and failing) to fill roster spots is creating some solid relievers.
My teams also typically don't have a power house offense, either. I pretty much play strict money ball with my starting lineup. I'm looking for guys that can either get on base or prevent other people from getting on base. I keep talking about how one star defensive gurus are so valuable because I truly believe that. My goal isn't to necessarily have a spectacular defense on the field at all times. My goal is to ensure that I never have to put someone in the field who is capable of having 2+ error games on a regular basis, and that's an extremely inexpensive thing to do. I typically don't go after big SLG guys unless they are home grown simply because they are expensive. It's all about value, bang for buck, and the best way to do that is with OBP and defensive ability.
That leads me to a few conundrums that I'm currently contemplating. First of all, my shortstop, Dave Drew, was drafted in the inaugural draft because he was one of the best defensive shortstops available who wasn't a liability on offense. After 8 years, his defense has decline immensely, but his offense has stayed good enough to keep his WAR respectable. I'm not sure what to do with him. He doesn't fit my mold, but it's hard to get rid of a player who is being productive and has had so much history with the team.
Another conundrum is what to do about the outfield. I have pretty much come to the conclusion that the success of this team depends on whether or not Mike Slattery and Tommy McCarthy are injured. My ideal outfield right now would be, from left to right, Duke Farrell, Billy Hamilton, and Willie Keeler. Slattery and McCarthy keep playing too well to lose their jobs, though.
When I traded for Slattery, I was looking for a stop gap for maybe a season or two to provide good defense. I kept him around, and he kept winning the starting job in center field.
McCarthy, on the other hand, is capable of putting up some potent offensive numbers if he can stay in the lineup. He's probably the most likely person to be traded, though, because his defense is so poor. I look at it, though, like I looked at the Oyster Burns trade. Burns went on to win an MVP award after I traded him away, but I got Charlie Buffington in return. Buffington has been my most valuable player. I keep thinking that I could work something like that out with McCarthy. But as long as I keep winning, it's hard to trade him.
At any rate, Joseph Herr is having a really bad year for me at third base. He is still an asset on defense, but he was never expected to be a full time starter. WIth his average around .210, I have called up Willie Keeler for the first time. While I would ultimately like to have Keeler in my outfield, it looks like his first taste of big league ball is going to be in a platoon situation at third base.
A final interesting thing of note, I really had a hard time finding a decent pitching coach at any level, and that might explain my rotation struggles. I signed some dude named Ed Underwood at the end of last year who is rated at "Excellent", and I might be seeing an effect of that this season. While Young and Rusie are on the DL, I am seeing some successful outings from Nat Hudson, Jack Stivetts, and Mike Smith. I really have a lot of confidence in my pitching staff right now all around.
Meanwhile, I've had a hitting coach named Jeff Armstrong who is rated as "LEGENDARY" for quite a few years now, and I have a feeling that is why my offense has been so much better than I'm used to.
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