[Syd Thrift]

Just to note: hold runners does not just mean, I don't think, keeping your first baseman on the bag. He will in essence do this in game anyway (and the game iirc accounts for there being a slightly larger than normal gap on the right side of the infield). What that button means is that your pitcher is distracted by this guy, looking him back to the bag before he pitches (and even, if you want to suspend disbelief, using his "B" move to throw to first). Use it primarily against faster players you think are going to steal. The pitchout is properly reserved for when you know with near certainty that the runner will attempt to steal (note, too, that pitchouts are not a panacea; if memory serves they only drop a steal attempt success change about 20 points, from 70 to 50).

Otherwise, my observations are that a. defense can have a really, really large effect on BABIP, especially in a short run of games where a team might "pick on" an individual fielder and force him to make a lot more plays than you might expect, and b. bad pitching can have a knock-on effect if you keep depleting your bullpen, pushing your starters out for longer than they should, forcing everyone on your team to face more batters and throw more pitches than they "should", and so on.

The other thing to watch for is whether or not you're warming up your relievers. I wind up turning this off because frankly I always forget.