Growing Pains

[the54effect]

After breezing through the bronze and silver leagues in my first two weeks, my team is facing adversity for the first time in the Gold League. It's still, I think, a strong team for its division, but am trying to decide between making continued incremental upgrades, or building up the PP account and making a big splash.

My instinct is to either invest in multiple reliever upgrades (Looking at Treinen and Mariano 93 right now) or platoon partners at 3B and/or RF or an elite RF option like Mookie Betts for the top of the order.

My roster currently looks like this:

C Mejia 81
1B Foxx 92
2B J. Ramirez 97
3B Machado 89
SS Lindor 97
LF Yelich 96
CF Trout 100
RF Harper 86 & Acuna 83 (platoon)
DH JD Martinez 86

Bench:
C Posey 83 (Defensive Sub at C, Starts vs LHP)
1B Teixeira 79 (Defensive Sub at 1B, Spells vs RHP)
IF Baez 86 (Defensive Sub at 2B, Spells SS & 3B vs LHP)
PH Ohtani 81 (Long Reliever & Pinch Hits vs RHP)

Rotation:
LHP Sale 100
RHP Scherzer 96
LHP Kershaw 99
RHP Syndergaard 98
RHP Severino 93

Bullpen:
CL Doolittle 89
SU Kern 86
MR Chapman 84
MR Ottavino 84
MR Hader 80
LR Corbin 89
LR Ohtani 81 (low leverage mop up duty)

Occasionally I drop a reliever for a pure speed guy (Gordon, Hamilton, Turner, Gore, Wade) and when I am paying attention I'll rotate in fresh reliever 78/79 reliever for a game or two (Robertson, Stock, Maton, Miller) or spot start Lance McCullers (or plug him in as a long reliever if my bullpen is toast) but otherwise I feel pretty good about it!

First base has been a blackhole for me- Teix has been good since I picked him up, outperforming Matt Carpenter, Don Mattingly, and Jimmie Foxx in successive seasons. I haven't turned it over to him full time (and assume doing so would initiate regression) but hope Foxx can turn it on this season!

ANYWAY. YES! I WAS HOPING SOME VETERANS WOULD MAKE SUGGESTIONS- do you think I'd be better off upgrading the bullpen (which has mostly been fine, even through the early months of gold) or getting some part time batters at my weaker positions, OR getting a more permanent piece like Mookie Betts or whatever in the 20-30k range.

[Dunzie]

Your offense is strong enough to compete at diamond and not be embarassed at perfect IMHO.

Where the higher level teams have it on you is pitching, particularly in the bullpen. You have starters with high ratings, but some of them that I've used at higher levels tended to get thumped pretty regularly. Don't be so swayed by overall ratings or even stuff. Scherzer is hit or miss at diamond and perfect, same with Syndergaard, and Severino never did well for me. Kershaw was a regular beating in the time I had him. Sale is fairly capable at perfect, but even he was prone to the occasional game where he got lit up like Vegas. But a guy like Treinen would help in the closer role and let you get rid of Ohtani. Not sure how you're finding Hader but I got tired of his outings of 2 K's and 2 HR's in an inning. Again, wicked stuff but the straight movement meant he got a good case of whiplash when I had him early on.

It seems you have money to spend at the AH with this kind of lineup coming out of silver, so if you want to spend some smart money, I'd invest in a top closer (look for a good combination of stuff, movement AND control... higher Eckersley or even a Treinen or Rivera... but careful there's some Riveras that have lower movement and control and aren't guaranteed stoppers).

I've always found first base a tough one too. It's a spot where defence counts if you want your pitchers to do well, but there isn't a lot of top offensive guys that have good gloves too. Some compromises are guys like Bagwell or Mattingly or Helton or Kluszewski but I never found they quite hit to the level you want them too. Foxx will hit homers but you have to accept you're giving up something in the field.

[the54effect]

Originally Posted by Dunzie

Your offense is strong enough to compete at diamond and not be embarassed at perfect IMHO.

Where the higher level teams have it on you is pitching, particularly in the bullpen. You have starters with high ratings, but some of them that I've used at higher levels tended to get thumped pretty regularly. Don't be so swayed by overall ratings or even stuff. Scherzer is hit or miss at diamond and perfect, same with Syndergaard, and Severino never did well for me. Kershaw was a regular beating in the time I had him. Sale is fairly capable at perfect, but even he was prone to the occasional game where he got lit up like Vegas. But a guy like Treinen would help in the closer role and let you get rid of Ohtani. Not sure how you're finding Hader but I got tired of his outings of 2 K's and 2 HR's in an inning. Again, wicked stuff but the straight movement meant he got a good case of whiplash when I had him early on.

It seems you have money to spend at the AH with this kind of lineup coming out of silver, so if you want to spend some smart money, I'd invest in a top closer (look for a good combination of stuff, movement AND control... higher Eckersley or even a Treinen or Rivera... but careful there's some Riveras that have lower movement and control and aren't guaranteed stoppers).

I've always found first base a tough one too. It's a spot where defence counts if you want your pitchers to do well, but there isn't a lot of top offensive guys that have good gloves too. Some compromises are guys like Bagwell or Mattingly or Helton or Kluszewski but I never found they quite hit to the level you want them too. Foxx will hit homers but you have to accept you're giving up something in the field.

First of all, thank you!

I put $50 in early and just meted out the PP tactfully on the Auction House, and tried to buy when I saw a good deal. Also have received a good number of big bonuses (perfect games and what not) since my early investment- not trying to put much more cash into the game.

I'm gonna take your advice and put my PP into relievers. Hader has, except for one cold streak midway through my silver season, been lights out for me- 161 innings, 39 ER on 15 homers. Chapman was my closer until he melted down late in my silver season and I bought Doolittle to replace him. Ottavino has been pretty dependable, Kern is very new I pulled him, my only useful pull since Kershaw on my starter pack. Corbin was such a good starter for me through a season and a half that I am reluctant to bounce him from the team- I plug him in for starts when one of my starters (usually Severino) goes cold.

I actually really like Ohtani as the 25th guy on my roster, he's been more of a difference maker than any pinch runner has been over the course of a season. Long reliever in low leverage situations he actually has put up great numbers mopping up innings and saving the better arms in my bullpen- 1.7 WAR in 95 innings to date. He's also delivered a few clutch at-bats here and there- 0 WAR in 99 plate appearances, but he was the Player of the Game with two bombs once!! Until he starts getting bombarded I think he's a good regular season grind option who gets pulled off the roster for a pinch runner in the playoffs.

[Kushiel]

You are on a really good start. Dunzie gave you great advice. Work on your pitching, A low movement pitcher under about 70 MOV must have very, very good stuff and very good control to be somewhat effective.