Two Pitch SP

[bwyant32]

Anyone ever see one? I'm looking to draft one, he is listed as a closer but with sick ratings and 8 stamina. Only has 2 pitches though.

[Charlie Hough]

He's probably going to stay a closer or reliever. You could try to develop him and see if he picks up a third pitch, but if you really want to draft a good starter, I'd try to select one that already has multiple pitches. Otherwise you're taking a serious risk on the mere hope that you can convert a guy into a starter.

[mgoetze]

Once you actually have them you can check how big the penalty is by using set position to SP/MR. As an example, my closer has Stuff 20, Movement 17, Control 14 as a reliever which gives him an overall rating of 79 (on the 20-80 scale). As a starter, his stuff would drop to 15, and his overall rating therefore to 76. Makes me wonder why I'm not using him as a starter, really.

Also, beware of large platoon splits which can make your pitcher exploitable as a starter. For instance, if his two pitches are a sinker and a curveball, you might want not want him to be a starter (I have a RHP with a sinker and a curveball, his stuff is 21 against RHB but only 17 against LHB, and that would drop to 15/12 as a starter!).

[Déjà Bru]

Honestly, I have not yet seen a successful SP with only two pitches. Moreover, I have seen some pitchers assigned as SP's by the game because they do have two good pitches and a third weak pitch. They generally don't do well as SP's either. You need three quality pitches to be a decent SP in this game, IMO.

[kevrock]

I've seen one successful 2 pitch starting pitcher in OOTP. Before him I thought it wasn't possible.

On the 80 point scale, his ratings are 80-70-80, his two pitch ratings are 80 and 75. Stamina 65. He's currently 11-3, 2.32 ERA, .88 WHIP.

Career 50-25, 2.98 ERA, 1.07 WHIP

After seeing him, I tried a really good closer with high stamina and failed miserably.

[ihatenames]

I've started a couple two pitch guys in the past with mixed results. I'd run a 2 pitch guy out there to fill in for an injured starter if no better options are available, but I don't think I'd pencil one in there permanently.

[RchW]

Schultz is a prime example. I think my efforts to start him have not made him better.

[joefromchicago]

In OOTP, a starter can have two pitches, but one of those pitches has to be a knuckleball. Otherwise, a starter must have at least three pitches.

[Xpert7777]

I have seen 2-pitch starters succeed in OOTP, but usually it's hit or miss and they are very inconsistent. They ones I have seen actually put up decent stats are ones with very high ratings and 2 very good pitches and decent stamina.

I am usually not for using them, but in a pinch or as a spot starter, it's not too bad.

Just as an example:

http://usfleagues.net/abl/reports/ht...layer_218.html

[checkyoursixx]

Two pitch starters have worked real well in our online league. Some of the best pitchers to date (6 years in) are in fact 2 pitch starters.

Dana Howard may very well be the best pitcher GUBA has ever seen. He has a career 1.15 WHIP and 61 Complete Games.

You can argue "Crazy" Park is 1a while Howard is 1b. Both of these guys have been the most dominant pitchers in GUBA. Park has nowhere near the amount of Complete Games as Howard, but has a nice career WHIP of 1.06.

It definately helps if that two pitch starter has a Knuckleball, as you can see Dana Howard's "Stuff" rating is quite low for a 2 pitch stater. Park on the other hand does it by sheer dominant ratings. Ratings wise, he is the best pitcher in the league.

It looks like you could have some success if your 2 pitch starter has 2 "20" rated pitches (1-20 scale), as well as good stamina.

[sc_superstar]

The rare pitcher that succeeds as a two pitch starter is the exception and not the rule.

For every one that does will you will probably see a dozen or more fail

[Leo_The_Lip]

Originally Posted by bwyant32

Anyone ever see one? I'm looking to draft one, he is listed as a closer but with sick ratings and 8 stamina. Only has 2 pitches though.

If he is sick, you should put him on the DL.

[Xpert7777]

Originally Posted by Leo_The_Lip

If he is sick, you should put him on the DL.

Let's see him! Curious to see his other ratings.

[mgoetze]

Originally Posted by checkyoursixx

Dana Howard may very well be the best pitcher GUBA has ever seen. He has a career 1.15 WHIP and 61 Complete Games.

That's not a 2 pitch starter, that's a knuckleballer.

[Westheim]

I think this is an interesting point and there definitely is no 100% answer on this. There can be successful 2-pitch starters. The following is from OOTP 12, but that doesn't make it any less true. Below are two pitchers I drafted with my Raccoons franchise, both are 2-pitch pitchers, and one panned out very well and one absolutely didn't.

I tried hard to make Gary Simmons, a 2nd round pick at age 18, a starter, and it really didn't work out. In the two full seasons he spent with the Raccoons, he went 9-12 with a 3.52 ERA (for a very bad team), but then the next year a whopping 3-21 with a 4.60 ERA (still for a bad team). Then I traded him and he became a very good reliever and has a ring (his team mates don't).

Scott Wade is the feel good story in here. A 1st round pick at age 21, he has never had any trouble as a starter, at any level, while racing through the system and debuting two years after the draft. He has never had a losing record in his (admittedly, young) career. He's posting consistent numbers which lead me to think that I will have fun with him for a long time. He *does* struggle with left-handed hitters from time to time. Also note that the game refuses to give him more than a single star.

Can this be dependent about what breaking pitch one has?

[sc_superstar]

The game generally does not let 2 pitch pitchers above 1 star while they are listed as SP (with the exception of the knuckleballer) they often show potential the same as when they are an MR, but with the current ratings reflected as a starter.

I dont know if it is true, but i've often wondered if OOTP takes a minimum three pitches into account when it shows the overall ratings for a starter, so its almost as if the guy has a 0 for his third pitch, which limits his overall rating

[TPinrose]

Originally Posted by joefromchicago

In OOTP, a starter can have two pitches, but one of those pitches has to be a knuckleball. Otherwise, a starter must have at least three pitches.

True.

[Westheim]

It is obviously not true. Look at the first guy I posted. A starter with nicer stats you won't find.

(Plus he's cheap, he's basically asking for middle reliever money in contract negotiations, at least in OOTP 12)

It may be true for 99 of 100 2-pitch pitchers. But there are exceptions.

[sc_superstar]

Originally Posted by Westheim

It is obviously not true. Look at the first guy I posted. A starter with nicer stats you won't find.

(Plus he's cheap, he's basically asking for middle reliever money in contract negotiations, at least in OOTP 12)

It may be true for 99 of 100 2-pitch pitchers. But there are exceptions.

Not to be nit picky, but while his stats arent bad they are a bit telling. He has a low BABIP for a starter, so its apparant he has a high end defense behind him, his WHIP is also acceptable but not elite by any means, His K numbers are also below average.

The combination of that shows that he gets hit pretty hard, but he has some great D to make sure those numbers stay down, he also has alot of losses and not that many wins despite the good ERA. So depending on the team he is either a) losing alot of tight games because the team has a terrible offense despite good defense or b) is prone to blow up games and the good games average out the numbers

If you had a test save and simmed out this same pitcher with the same team in the same year, but added a worthwhile third pitch in one of the saves, the numbers wouldnt even be close.

[AD44]

I've had some success.

Player Report for #8 Anastasio 'Hammerhand' Guzmán