Where do I improve?

[LandiHero]

I have put a decent amount of effort into creating the team that I currently have, but for some reason I can't get it above Silver leagues (outside of one gold season in the early wave). A lot of my team seems to be made up of top of the line type of guys, so I'm not sure where I'm struggling. My defense is a little bit lacking, but aside from that I'm in the top 10 in all categories. I'm currently sitting on about 10,000 PP, so I can make a few improvements. This is my roster right now:

SP1: Chris Sale (100), 4.09 ERA, 7-7, 25 starts
SP2: Cliff Lee (91), 3.75 ERA, 13-8, 25 starts
SP3: Larry Dierker (83), 4.79 ERA, 9-9, 25 starts
SP4: Dennis Martinez (72), 3.77 ERA, 9-8, 22 starts
SP5: Ross Stripling (68), 4.45 ERA, 7-4, 16 starts

CL: Sean Doolittle (89), 45.1 IP, 4.17 ERA, 25 SV
RP: Kenley Jansen (87), 34.1 IP, 3.15 ERA, 7 SV
RP: A.J. Minter (85), 40.1 IP, 1.79 ERA
RP: Craig Stammen (83), 65.1 IP, 2.20 ERA
RP: Hector Rondon (79), 24.0 IP, 4.13 ERA
RP: Roberto Osuna (79), 35.1 IP, 5.09 ERA
RP: Dellin Betances (80), 28.0 IP, 6.75 ERA

C: JT Realmuto (80), 205 PA, OPS+ 37, wRAA -15.6
C: John Wockenfuss (63), 263 PA, OPS+ 87, wRAA -3.2
1B: Dan T. Murphy (79), 495 PA, OPS+ 122, wRAA 9.5
2B: George Kell (76), 414 PA, OPS+ 109, wRAA 3.9
3B: Anthony Rendon (97), 453 PA, OPS+ 133, wRAA 17.8
SS: Xander Bogaerts (83), 478 PA, OPS+ 90, wRAA -4.9
LF: Enos Slaughter (79), 415 PA, OPS+ 125, wRAA 11.5
CF: Lenny Dykstra (84), 471 PA, OPS+ 122, wRAA 13.0
RF: Socks Seybold (88), 430 PA, OPS+ 136, wRAA 17.1
DH: Rod Carew (82), 437 PA, OPS+ 105, wRAA .8
Bench: Yasiel Puig (80), 97 PA, OPS+ 82, wRAA -2.1
Bench: Aaron Hicks (79), 29 PA, OPS+ 167, wRAA 2.4
Bench: Jose Altuve (89), 110 PA, OPS+ 119, wRAA 2.6

I've been trying to mix it up recently when I added both Cliff Lee and Dan T. Murphy who has been solid so far, but I'm still in the chase for the second wild card spot with my 62-51 record. Any recommendations for improvement? Sorry for the long post, if you want to see any more stats just say it.
Thank you so much!

[zrog2000]

That looks like a team which will dominate silver. I'd say a Simmons is a decent upgrade over Xander. I'm not familiar with some of the cards, specifically the outfield defense.

[Matt Arnold]

Definitely seems like a team that should be higher. My gut takes:
-Could obviously use an upgrade on Stripling. Doesn't have to be a big arm, since you already have a great 1-2 in the rotation, and Dierker/Martinez are solid arms too.
-Realmuto isn't rated that great. You could probably afford an upgrade to at least Ramos, Grandal, or Posey, although I would assume that Realmuto will bounce back as his offense isn't that bad. Grandal or Posey would have the added edge of being a bit better defensively.
-SS I would definitely look beyond Bogaerts. His defense is pretty bad at SS, and doesn't have the bat to make up for that.

Those three alone would be a big upgrade, and not cost a lot of coin. Corbin (2k) + Posey (2k) + Simmons (1k) is only half your available cash, and would make you a better team. I don't know the ratings off-hand, but it also feels like you could use another power bat in the lineup, so I'd definitely consider grabbing a corner OF bat to either platoon with or get in ahead of Slaughter in the lineup.

I'd also make sure you have one of your bullpen arms as a converted starter. They're a lot more useful to eat those low leverage innings, so would let you keep your top arms more fresh.

[Blazinghalo]

Joe Medwick would be a good inexpensive left fielder to platoon with Slaughter. Medwick is great vs LHP. I've used him with good results in Diamond League.

[CrazyWR]

What sort of ballpark do you have?

[Izz]

Upgrade your middle defense.
Use LH/RH platoons.
Use late inning defensive subs.

[LandiHero]

Originally Posted by Matt Arnold

Definitely seems like a team that should be higher. My gut takes:
-Could obviously use an upgrade on Stripling. Doesn't have to be a big arm, since you already have a great 1-2 in the rotation, and Dierker/Martinez are solid arms too.
-Realmuto isn't rated that great. You could probably afford an upgrade to at least Ramos, Grandal, or Posey, although I would assume that Realmuto will bounce back as his offense isn't that bad. Grandal or Posey would have the added edge of being a bit better defensively.
-SS I would definitely look beyond Bogaerts. His defense is pretty bad at SS, and doesn't have the bat to make up for that.

Those three alone would be a big upgrade, and not cost a lot of coin. Corbin (2k) + Posey (2k) + Simmons (1k) is only half your available cash, and would make you a better team. I don't know the ratings off-hand, but it also feels like you could use another power bat in the lineup, so I'd definitely consider grabbing a corner OF bat to either platoon with or get in ahead of Slaughter in the lineup.

I'd also make sure you have one of your bullpen arms as a converted starter. They're a lot more useful to eat those low leverage innings, so would let you keep your top arms more fresh.

Thanks for the advice! I have picked up both Posey and Corbin for a little bit under market value and I'll pick up the next Simmons I see. Right now, most of my power is from Seybold, but I'm looking at another guy like him out in left field as well. Something along the lines of a Hack Wilson type, I'm keeping an eye on the market for a good deal that comes along.

Originally Posted by Blazinghalo

Joe Medwick would be a good inexpensive left fielder to platoon with Slaughter. Medwick is great vs LHP. I've used him with good results in Diamond League.

I'll keep an eye out for him too, haven't seen him in the market today. Do you know what price he usually goes for?

Originally Posted by CrazyWR

What sort of ballpark do you have?

I've never modified my ballpark, I always forget about it until it's too late to change it. What would you recommend I change about it?

[Joshrapley]

Originally Posted by LandiHero

C: JT Realmuto (80), 205 PA, OPS+ 37, wRAA -15.6
C: John Wockenfuss (63), 263 PA, OPS+ 87, wRAA -3.2
1B: Dan T. Murphy (79), 495 PA, OPS+ 122, wRAA 9.5
2B: George Kell (76), 414 PA, OPS+ 109, wRAA 3.9
3B: Anthony Rendon (97), 453 PA, OPS+ 133, wRAA 17.8
SS: Xander Bogaerts (83), 478 PA, OPS+ 90, wRAA -4.9
LF: Enos Slaughter (79), 415 PA, OPS+ 125, wRAA 11.5
CF: Lenny Dykstra (84), 471 PA, OPS+ 122, wRAA 13.0
RF: Socks Seybold (88), 430 PA, OPS+ 136, wRAA 17.1
DH: Rod Carew (82), 437 PA, OPS+ 105, wRAA .8
Bench: Yasiel Puig (80), 97 PA, OPS+ 82, wRAA -2.1
Bench: Aaron Hicks (79), 29 PA, OPS+ 167, wRAA 2.4
Bench: Jose Altuve (89), 110 PA, OPS+ 119, wRAA 2.6

I've been trying to mix it up recently when I added both Cliff Lee and Dan T. Murphy who has been solid so far, but I'm still in the chase for the second wild card spot with my 62-51 record. Any recommendations for improvement? Sorry for the long post, if you want to see any more stats just say it.
Thank you so much!

I have Lenny Dykstra and has been good so far for me @ LF. Definitely not good enough defensively for CF so would look at moving him out but you already have good outfielders. Mike Cameron has been superb defensively for me @ CF and can be decent with the bat at times.

If you are looking for one big purchase, potentially Ozzie Smith @ SS. He costs around 12K PP but elite defensively and does a great job of getting on base against both RHP and LHP. He leads off for me at Gold.

[zrog2000]

To pile on the last post, Garry Maddox is also a good not too expensive option in CF.

[daveh2018]

Will second the Simmons recommendation - would be a better bench player than Altuve because of the defense he brings (when trained). If you burn the time training him around the diamond, he’s going to stick as the super-sub for quite a bit.

[daveh2018]

And moving Kell to 2nd is an interesting move - what does his D look like there?

[mcdog512]

Originally Posted by daveh2018

Will second the Simmons recommendation - would be a better bench player than Altuve because of the defense he brings (when trained). If you burn the time training him around the diamond, he’s going to stick as the super-sub for quite a bit.

I have him as a super sub in perfect. At SS, 2B and 3B.

[mess]

Set up some platoons to squeeze out an extra couple wins. I was shocked at how bad some of my best players were against one handedness but crushed the other.

[Blazinghalo]

[QUOTE=LandiHero;4434492]

I'll keep an eye out for him too, haven't seen him in the market today. Do you know what price he usually goes for?

Joe Medwick can normally be found in the AH for 500pp or less.

[CapeCodCranberry]

Originally Posted by LandiHero

I have put a decent amount of effort into creating the team that I currently have, but for some reason I can't get it above Silver leagues (outside of one gold season in the early wave). A lot of my team seems to be made up of top of the line type of guys, so I'm not sure where I'm struggling. My defense is a little bit lacking, but aside from that I'm in the top 10 in all categories. I'm currently sitting on about 10,000 PP, so I can make a few improvements. This is my roster right now:

SP1: Chris Sale (100), 4.09 ERA, 7-7, 25 starts
SP2: Cliff Lee (91), 3.75 ERA, 13-8, 25 starts
SP3: Larry Dierker (83), 4.79 ERA, 9-9, 25 starts
SP4: Dennis Martinez (72), 3.77 ERA, 9-8, 22 starts
SP5: Ross Stripling (68), 4.45 ERA, 7-4, 16 starts

CL: Sean Doolittle (89), 45.1 IP, 4.17 ERA, 25 SV
RP: Kenley Jansen (87), 34.1 IP, 3.15 ERA, 7 SV
RP: A.J. Minter (85), 40.1 IP, 1.79 ERA
RP: Craig Stammen (83), 65.1 IP, 2.20 ERA
RP: Hector Rondon (79), 24.0 IP, 4.13 ERA
RP: Roberto Osuna (79), 35.1 IP, 5.09 ERA
RP: Dellin Betances (80), 28.0 IP, 6.75 ERA

C: JT Realmuto (80), 205 PA, OPS+ 37, wRAA -15.6
C: John Wockenfuss (63), 263 PA, OPS+ 87, wRAA -3.2
1B: Dan T. Murphy (79), 495 PA, OPS+ 122, wRAA 9.5
2B: George Kell (76), 414 PA, OPS+ 109, wRAA 3.9
3B: Anthony Rendon (97), 453 PA, OPS+ 133, wRAA 17.8
SS: Xander Bogaerts (83), 478 PA, OPS+ 90, wRAA -4.9
LF: Enos Slaughter (79), 415 PA, OPS+ 125, wRAA 11.5
CF: Lenny Dykstra (84), 471 PA, OPS+ 122, wRAA 13.0
RF: Socks Seybold (88), 430 PA, OPS+ 136, wRAA 17.1
DH: Rod Carew (82), 437 PA, OPS+ 105, wRAA .8
Bench: Yasiel Puig (80), 97 PA, OPS+ 82, wRAA -2.1
Bench: Aaron Hicks (79), 29 PA, OPS+ 167, wRAA 2.4
Bench: Jose Altuve (89), 110 PA, OPS+ 119, wRAA 2.6

I've been trying to mix it up recently when I added both Cliff Lee and Dan T. Murphy who has been solid so far, but I'm still in the chase for the second wild card spot with my 62-51 record. Any recommendations for improvement? Sorry for the long post, if you want to see any more stats just say it.
Thank you so much!

SP1: Chris Sale (100), 4.09 ERA, 7-7, 25 starts
SP2: Cliff Lee (91), 3.75 ERA, 13-8, 25 starts
SP3: Corbin
SP4: Larry Dierker (83), 4.79 ERA, 9-9, 25 starts
SP5: Dennis Martinez (72), 3.77 ERA, 9-8, 22 starts

CL: Sean Doolittle (89), 45.1 IP, 4.17 ERA, 25 SV
RP: Kenley Jansen (87), 34.1 IP, 3.15 ERA, 7 SV
RP: A.J. Minter (85), 40.1 IP, 1.79 ERA
RP: Craig Stammen (83), 65.1 IP, 2.20 ERA
RP: Hector Rondon (79), 24.0 IP, 4.13 ERA
RP: Roberto Osuna (79), 35.1 IP, 5.09 ERA
RP: Dellin Betances (80), 28.0 IP, 6.75 ERA

C: JT Realmuto (80), 205 PA, OPS+ 37, wRAA -15.6
C: Posey (63)
1B: Dan T. Murphy (79), 495 PA, OPS+ 122, wRAA 9.5
2B: George Kell (76), 414 PA, OPS+ 109, wRAA 3.9
3B: Anthony Rendon (97), 453 PA, OPS+ 133, wRAA 17.8
SS: Xander Bogaerts (83), 478 PA, OPS+ 90, wRAA -4.9
LF: Enos Slaughter (79), 415 PA, OPS+ 125, wRAA 11.5
CF: Lenny Dykstra (84), 471 PA, OPS+ 122, wRAA 13.0
RF: Socks Seybold (88), 430 PA, OPS+ 136, wRAA 17.1
DH: Rod Carew (82), 437 PA, OPS+ 105, wRAA .8
Bench: Yasiel Puig (80), 97 PA, OPS+ 82, wRAA -2.1
Bench: Aaron Hicks (79), 29 PA, OPS+ 167, wRAA 2.4
Bench: Jose Altuve (89), 110 PA, OPS+ 119, wRAA 2.6

Here's my 2 cents on what I would do with this team:

Your Sps (now) look good through Diamond. Id leave them as is, and would look to add another big arm as you save and move up through the ranks.

RPs are WAAAY overrated. If you want to keep one GOLD closer, so be it, but Id sell all the others, and try out as many different SILVERS as possible - since it appears theres no rhyme or reason as to the success of one or the other with the year to year variance. Keep one or two on your Reserve Roster to offset this. Add TWO Silver SPs to your pen as long relievers. Again, try out different guys until you find what works for you.

Lineup:
Youve got a lot of $ invested at C. This is not really neccessary, again, until you get to Diamond/Perfect. Sell them, and be satisfied with Bronze level Cs with 90+ Catcher ratings. Jody Davis and Wockenfuss are a great 1-2 for this.
That Murphy card is great, but youre missing alot of power at 1B - which is what you should use it for. Id move him to 2B and add a Power bat/Platoon here.
Kell, Im not familiar with, and I dont see him in my Universe or currently in the AH. Do as you please.
Sell Rendon. Spend at 3rd. Pendleton, Caminiti, Hojo, Chipper, Pujols, Donaldson (historic), Sandoval.
Save the extra couple hundred PP, and get the Silver Rookie Tulo at SS instead of Simmons. Go get the Silver SS Rollins, and use him as your B/U SS/2b/3b/PRunner. Youll save a bunch of PP, be great defensively, have a decent bad and decent speed.
Blow up your OF. Get two corner OFs with power. Too many great options here to list - all under 3000 (although there are some better ones if you move that up to 5000). Look for 65+ contact and 75+ power. Dont sweat Defense too much here. CF, Maddox is a 2B/WAR god. Good speed, good defense. Itd be tough to do better with 2000PP.
Id sell everyone on your bench. Put Rollins in here, at least one big bat, and Marte (LIVE), Stanton, Rose (the cheaper one), or any of the other guys you replaced.
Anyways, thats what Id do. Like I said, just my two cents. Best of luck to ya! Hope this helped!