[joefromchicago]

Originally Posted by Garlon

You could probably go with 2 RP's from 1871-1910. I may update this. I do not suggest going less than that though because of game with extra innings, nor do you want a singe RP having to be used in every game in OOTP as they will perform very poorly.

OOTP handles RP and SP stamina differently, so you're right that, if you use one RP all the time, he'll be tired all the time. But if you allow SPs to relieve and have "start highest rested" as your rotation mode, you should have enough rested starters on the bench to fulfill your ordinary relief needs. Try that instead of using "strict rotation" as your rotation mode. You will probably find that you don't need relievers.

Also, if you're using historical schedules, your starters should have enough off-time to rest up before their next start. For example, if you have two starters on your team in 1877 and you're playing 60 games in 162 days, there's no need to carry any relievers - your starters will almost always be rested. On the other hand, if you're playing 162 games in 1877, you'll need a much bigger staff. My staff recommendations are based on using historical schedules.

Originally Posted by Garlon

As for having rotations beyond what I have recommended you will find that you simply do not have enough SP's in the league to make that work and end up with pitchers with 10 stamina in your rotation. Those guys will throw 4-5 IP per start and perform very poorly.

I've never found that to be true. Just about every pitcher prior to around 1920 should have the qualities required to start. You just need to adjust the league settings to expand rotations league-wide in order to change relievers into starters. To illustrate: OOTP's default settings for 1916 are 4-man rotations and high stamina. So Rube Foster* of the Boston Red Sox is a reliever in the game (as he would be under your settings as well). But Foster started 19 games for the Sox that year, and his ratings in OOTP are clearly good enough to let him start:



He has four pitches - not spectacular, but good enough to be a back-end starter, and he has very high stamina. His current role is even listed as "borderline starter." He is, in other words, perfectly capable of starting. And when we change the league settings to six-man rotations, Foster turns into a starter and the game slots him in the fifth spot in Boston's rotation.



So if you keep the OOTP settings (or use your setting recommendations), you're correct - it will look like there aren't enough starters to give each team a six-man rotation. But if you change the game's rotation setting, the game will automatically convert two relievers on each club into starters. Voila! Problem solved!



*Not the Rube Foster - Negro League legend and Hall-of-Famer - but the other Rube Foster.