Just a question

imalanh63 · 10-02-2020, 05:38 PM

So, is there a determining factor as to why the same pitchers (ex. Walter Johnson 1912) on different Diamond League teams, have completely different type seasons, one with an ERA in the 3's, the other, mine, struggling with an over 5 ERA? I consider my pitching staff being fairly good, but last 10 seasons, my pitching has been horrible. My question though, does the "ballpark factor" play a big difference, or is it just the overall settings of your team? Or is the simulation just a crap shoot?

Thanks to any replies with thoughts.

chazzycat · 10-02-2020, 06:16 PM

Defense, park factors, luck of division draws, and plain old random fluctuation are the 4 main factors.

Defense has a huge impact on pitching, especially if you are looking at ERAs instead of FIPs. If your pitchers FIPs are good, that indicates defense may be part of the problem. This game uses a FIP model for pitching where the pitcher only controls strikeouts, homers and walks. The rest is up to defense.

Park factors definitely matter, a lot. In diamond most teams are platooned so your pitchers will be facing mostly the opposite handed batters. This means you want to be throwing lefty SP if your park favors lefty hitters.

You play the teams in your division more often than other teams, so the luck of the division draw is another thing that can have a pretty noticeable impact on stats across the board.

Lastly there is just luck. Random fluctuation is a huge part of baseball, there's no way around it. The important thing is being able to identify when "it's just random luck" vs. the other explanations I mentioned above. That comes from understanding the stats like FIP vs ERA, ZR vs DEF EFF, etc.

imalanh63 · 10-03-2020, 05:29 PM

Thank you, chazzycat, for the insightful response. I'm constantly looking for the logic in all of this. Constantly experimenting with set ups to find something successful to stick with. After using different ball park dimensions every year to try and match my roster personnel to get an advantage at least for 81 games at home, this season I went back to more of a "default", symmetrical set up. Some people say the dimensions are purely "cosmetic", but why do the ball park factors adjust to the changes in dimensions? I have so much to say on this simulation game, but will end up babbling and writing a novel, lol.

A couple things I do want to mention, I find it weird that my pitchers seem to alternate having a good year, then a bad year.

Also confusing me, my team will often win 6-9 games in a row, then abruptly lose 6 or 7 in a row. Why is that? There's no injuries in the game, doesn't seem to matter if the games are at home or on the road or even strength of the opposition, it's just weird.

I have put a decent amount of money into this, but not evidently as much as others, my team is ok in my opinion, just like everyone else trying to build that "Perfect Team" that wins at least 100 games a year, lol. My hitters are usually average or better statistically, it's my pitchers that I find are very erratic year to year that I'm trying to get to be more consistent. It's not my intention to complain, the game is fun, just trying to figure out WHY I'm not doing better, lol. Why some teams are consistently great, why I'm still Average. Even though it's a simulation, that's the fun of sports and statistics, right? Thanks again.

10-02-2020, 05:38 PM	#1
imalanh63 Bat Boy Join Date: Mar 2020 Location: CA Posts: 13	Just a question So, is there a determining factor as to why the same pitchers (ex. Walter Johnson 1912) on different Diamond League teams, have completely different type seasons, one with an ERA in the 3's, the other, mine, struggling with an over 5 ERA? I consider my pitching staff being fairly good, but last 10 seasons, my pitching has been horrible. My question though, does the "ballpark factor" play a big difference, or is it just the overall settings of your team? Or is the simulation just a crap shoot? Thanks to any replies with thoughts.

10-02-2020, 06:16 PM	#2
chazzycat All Star Starter Join Date: Dec 2014 Posts: 1,685	Defense, park factors, luck of division draws, and plain old random fluctuation are the 4 main factors. Defense has a huge impact on pitching, especially if you are looking at ERAs instead of FIPs. If your pitchers FIPs are good, that indicates defense may be part of the problem. This game uses a FIP model for pitching where the pitcher only controls strikeouts, homers and walks. The rest is up to defense. Park factors definitely matter, a lot. In diamond most teams are platooned so your pitchers will be facing mostly the opposite handed batters. This means you want to be throwing lefty SP if your park favors lefty hitters. You play the teams in your division more often than other teams, so the luck of the division draw is another thing that can have a pretty noticeable impact on stats across the board. Lastly there is just luck. Random fluctuation is a huge part of baseball, there's no way around it. The important thing is being able to identify when "it's just random luck" vs. the other explanations I mentioned above. That comes from understanding the stats like FIP vs ERA, ZR vs DEF EFF, etc.

10-03-2020, 05:29 PM	#3
imalanh63 Bat Boy Join Date: Mar 2020 Location: CA Posts: 13	Thank you, chazzycat, for the insightful response. I'm constantly looking for the logic in all of this. Constantly experimenting with set ups to find something successful to stick with. After using different ball park dimensions every year to try and match my roster personnel to get an advantage at least for 81 games at home, this season I went back to more of a "default", symmetrical set up. Some people say the dimensions are purely "cosmetic", but why do the ball park factors adjust to the changes in dimensions? I have so much to say on this simulation game, but will end up babbling and writing a novel, lol. A couple things I do want to mention, I find it weird that my pitchers seem to alternate having a good year, then a bad year. Also confusing me, my team will often win 6-9 games in a row, then abruptly lose 6 or 7 in a row. Why is that? There's no injuries in the game, doesn't seem to matter if the games are at home or on the road or even strength of the opposition, it's just weird. I have put a decent amount of money into this, but not evidently as much as others, my team is ok in my opinion, just like everyone else trying to build that "Perfect Team" that wins at least 100 games a year, lol. My hitters are usually average or better statistically, it's my pitchers that I find are very erratic year to year that I'm trying to get to be more consistent. It's not my intention to complain, the game is fun, just trying to figure out WHY I'm not doing better, lol. Why some teams are consistently great, why I'm still Average. Even though it's a simulation, that's the fun of sports and statistics, right? Thanks again.