[injury log]

I agree that there are issues with the SP/RP model in OOTP (though it's a lot better now than it was five or six years ago). But I don't think there are any small adjustments that would make things appreciably better, and I don't agree with the OP about most of the issues he's identified.

We've long relied on concrete data to adjust OOTP modelling to make it more like real life. Markus has always been receptive to proposals that have data to back them up, but there is equally going to be reluctance to change things without any assurances that they improve the game.

Taking your points in turn:

Originally Posted by Righty Groove

First, most most MOST relievers are failed starting propects.

If by 'most', you mean 'the majority', then you're correct. But then that's true in OOTP as well; the majority of relievers are pitchers who started out with two good pitches and one bad one, or with decent enough Stamina to start, and who either didn't develop a third pitch, or who lost Stamina over time. They're starters in the low minors, and relievers in the Majors.

If by 'most' you instead mean 'almost all', that simply isn't true. I just scanned rosters in the AL Central, but all of these MLB relievers are pitchers with fewer than 10 starts in their entire minor and Major league careers (and most have 0 starts) :

Addison Reed
Jesse Crain
Ramon Troncoso
Chris Perez
Vinnie Pestano
Joe Smith
Cody Allen
Chen Lee
Bruce Rondon
Jose Valverde
Greg Holland
Tim Collins
Louis Coleman
Caleb Thielbar
Casey Fien
Josh Roenicke

That's just from five teams.

Originally Posted by Righty Groove

When "converting" a starter to reliever, not only should he get a boost in stuff, but also (and most importantly) in control and velocity.

In OOTP, most pitchers do get a boost to Stuff (and thus to their strikeout rate) when pitching in relief. This is partly because they rely on their best pitches in relief, and partly because they get a Velocity boost. That boost doesn't show up on the player profile, but it does show up if you play out games: a pitcher used in relief will throw slightly harder than if he is used as a starter.

There are reasons real life pitchers should exhibit better control when used in relief. For one, relievers more often have the benefit of facing same-handed batters, since relievers can be used situationally. Pitcher platoon splits generally can have quite a large walk rate differential. And if a pitcher converts from SP to RP, part of his control improvement can be accounted for by aging; as pitchers age, their control tends to get better. Finally, if you only study pitchers who convert from SP to RP and who pitch a decent sample of innings in relief, you're more than likely only studying pitchers who were reasonably successful in relief. So you have a sample bias issue: you're probably only looking at guys who, as relievers, have good enough control to pitch for a while.

Originally Posted by Righty Groove

Second, the Stamina rating could improve a lot. Today, it's a "as is" rating, rarely improves and never by a lot. And it's incredibly static inside a season. You can have a guy with high (say, 60s) stamina relieve the entire season. Then, if he is rested, have him start and go 8 innings. That rarely, if ever, happens in real life.

You would not believe the number of pages in the beta forum that have gone to discussing this very issue. If you can make a proposal which:

- does not involve much micromanagement for the user
- does not offer the user any exploits over the AI in developing starting pitchers
- does not seem completely arbitrary (by which I mean is not something like "if a pitcher doesn't start for two weeks, he loses 14 stamina points")
- has some support of real life data
- only allows pitchers to migrate from relief to starting with about the same frequency as occurs in real life
- enhances gameplay enough that it's worth the coding effort

then there is at least a modest chance it would be implemented. We've discussed many such proposals, and none were satisfactory for one reason or another.

To my point of view, coding a 'dynamic' Stamina rating would be a lot of work to model something that just isn't very important ('stretching out' pitchers). But of course what's important to me isn't necessarily what's important to others, so I won't press the point.

Originally Posted by Righty Groove

Stamina is built progressively through the season and the pitchers career. It should improve from the players 18-20yo to peak at mid/late 20s then drop at his mid/late 30s, depending on the player.

Do you have any concrete data to support this claim?

Originally Posted by Righty Groove

Third, SP and RP should be two different positions, i.e. like 2B and SS. So, if a guy has always been a starter, he has the stuff, the control, the pitches to relieve. But he never has, he isn't used to it, he would struggle at first.

Again, do you have any real life data which demonstrates this is actually what happens?