Upgrade Paralysis

[professor ape]

Having completed the live missions about two weeks ago, my team won its Silver League last week and slipped into the Wild Card spot for today’s playoffs in my Gold league. Last week I spent about 20K on the 95 Bill Campbell PEAK card to start working on my pen and then about 50K to get the 95 Paul Molitor PEAK card to upgrade 3B and add utility depth to my infield.

I have just over 100K in PP right now and am trying to figure out what is next. With the goal being to build a team that can be competitive at the Diamond level I find myself in a bit of paralysis as I am a F2P player who grinds out points through my team’s achievements and by selling off players I get from packs earned in tournaments. I don’t want to clean out my bank on a stupid purchase.

I have the usual cookie cutter SE lineup with the exceptions of the Campbell and Molitor cards along with a 100 Hughie Jennings PEAK at SS and a 97 Brandon Webb PEAK that I got from lucky pulls. My bullpen needs a long term anchor. Along with the standard Eck and Lee Smith cards, what are suggestions for top tier closers? With Contact, Defense, and good Speed/Baserunning (not Stealing) being priorities to me for my position players; what are some gems that you would recommend?

[Orcin]

Originally Posted by professor ape

With Contact, Defense, and good Speed/Baserunning (not Stealing) being priorities to me for my position players; what are some gems that you would recommend?

I have been studying this type of card because I just converted my SE position players to a roster fit for a "whiteyball" style. I sold most of the SE cards and used the funds to buy the replacement roster, so I spent 7-15K each for almost all of the cards. You might be looking for a higher level card. That said, I will throw out a couple...

The 91 Julio Franco Peak Legend is a perfect card for 1B/DH and can also play 2B/SS (plus 3B with training) at a reasonable level. Contact is 89 vs R and 96 vs L, and he is rated 92 at baserunning (71 speed). He is under 15K.

The 96 Cy Seymour was my big purchase. He is running around 30K. His contact ratings are 107 R, 93 L. His natural position is CF (61 there) but he trains to around 90 in LF and 80 in RF. His baserunning is 89 (66 speed). The Seymour card in PT20 was famous for bad splits but I don't find him to be as bad vs. LHP this time around. His first season for me (in a slight hitter's park), he put up a .902 OPS vs LHP and .936 vs RHP.

[sportsbamer]

The new Peak Mattingly card has done really well for me. He has good contact and defense, just no speed.

J.J. Putz has been really good in my bullpen, he doesn't come up in AH a lot but he usually goes for around only 10k.

I also moved my SE Blyleven to my bullpen and he's been an All Star the last 2 seasons as a middle reliever/set up man.

[professor ape]

Originally Posted by Orcin

I have been studying this type of card because I just converted my SE position players to a roster fit for a "whiteyball" style. I sold most of the SE cards and used the funds to buy the replacement roster, so I spent 7-15K each for almost all of the cards. You might be looking for a higher level card. That said, I will throw out a couple...

The 91 Julio Franco Peak Legend is a perfect card for 1B/DH and can also play 2B/SS (plus 3B with training) at a reasonable level. Contact is 89 vs R and 96 vs L, and he is rated 92 at baserunning (71 speed). He is under 15K.

The 96 Cy Seymour was my big purchase. He is running around 30K. His contact ratings are 107 R, 93 L. His natural position is CF (61 there) but he trains to around 90 in LF and 80 in RF. His baserunning is 89 (66 speed). The Seymour card in PT20 was famous for bad splits but I don't find him to be as bad vs. LHP this time around. His first season for me (in a slight hitter's park), he put up a .902 OPS vs LHP and .936 vs RHP.

Good stuff Orcin. I think I’m getting solidified that the next move needs to be to get my top tier closer. I just see too many blown leads in the 8th and 9th innings so it is time to lock that down. Eck and Smith are the obvious choices but I like the idea of having my team not look so predictable. This is going to be a tough decision.

[Orcin]

Originally Posted by professor ape

Good stuff Orcin. I think I’m getting solidified that the next move needs to be to get my top tier closer. I just see too many blown leads in the 8th and 9th innings so it is time to lock that down. Eck and Smith are the obvious choices but I like the idea of having my team not look so predictable. This is going to be a tough decision.

I have used 96 Greg Holland since I pulled him from a pack very early. He has a save conversion rate of 85% in 169 opportunities at gold level. His 9.8% K rate is pretty good, but the problem is a 4.3% BB rate leading to a FIP of 4.23 in 337 IP. I doubt I could do much better for less than 50K and I am not ready to spend more yet. If I were, I would look at the better Holland, i.e. Peak Al, because so many top teams have LH batters at the top of their order and I like GB pitchers.

[sportsbamer]

I've gotten good value out of Byung-Hyun Kim as my closer. Across 3 seasons in Silver, 1 in Gold, and 1 in Diamond he has .902 save % in 183 opportunities, 9.7 K/9, 3.2 BB/9, and 3.83 FIP in 277 innings.

[moalkha]

Originally Posted by Orcin

The 96 Cy Seymour was my big purchase. He is running around 30K. His contact ratings are 107 R, 93 L. His natural position is CF (61 there) but he trains to around 90 in LF and 80 in RF. His baserunning is 89 (66 speed). The Seymour card in PT20 was famous for bad splits but I don't find him to be as bad vs. LHP this time around. His first season for me (in a slight hitter's park), he put up a .902 OPS vs LHP and .936 vs RHP.

I don't know why he sells for so low as he is a great player IMHO. These are the stats in diamond for my Seymours (one plays only vsR the other always, both play in neutral parks)

[Orcin]

Originally Posted by moalkha

I don't know why he sells for so low as he is a great player IMHO. These are the stats in diamond for my Seymours (one plays only vsR the other always, both play in neutral parks)

By the way, thanks for the tip on Ray Chapman! He has been pretty good at the plate so far, great defender, and a great base stealer.

[professor ape]

I took the plunge. Al Holland became available for 110K PP (slightly above the 7-day average) when I had 110,400 in the bank. I took it as a sign.

[Charlatan]

Originally Posted by moalkha

I don't know why [Seymour] sells for so low as he is a great player IMHO. These are the stats in diamond for my Seymours (one plays only vsR the other always, both play in neutral parks)

Here's my thoughts on it, for what it's worth.

I can see this if you realize you're living in a world where many people have the SE Yastrzemski playing left field. Seymour is a lefty, hits righties really well and lefties fairly well - and while it's true he plays better defense than Yaz in LF (90 vs 78), Yaz is better vs RHP. So in my mind, if someone has a Yaz in left, Seymour would be seen as perhaps a small upgrade on defense and maybe not much of an improvement on offense.

So while I've thought about him now and then, I ultimately decide to purchase other players to shore up more glaring weaknesses.

If you're keeping Yaz and get Seymour, then does he play RF? I don't think he's got the arm for it. So DH? Maybe, but if I put him at DH I'd platoon him. Or maybe he'd play LF and I'd put Yaz in a platoon at DH (and tell the truth, one of my teams platoons Brian Downing, who murderates LHP, and Yaz in LF, so that's where I've gone).

As a FTP player, I have simply prioritized my spending in other areas. Maybe Seymour will show up someday but not for a while! The ease of getting the SE cards from the Live missions has affected the market for other cards that play similar roles.

[professor ape]

Originally Posted by professor ape

I took the plunge. Al Holland became available for 110K PP (slightly above the 7-day average) when I had 110,400 in the bank. I took it as a sign.

Holland took Pitcher Of The Month for May in my Diamond League. He has started the season with a 1.25 ERA in 19 appearances. Small sample, but I’ll take it.

[Orcin]

Originally Posted by Charlatan

Here's my thoughts on it, for what it's worth.

I can see this if you realize you're living in a world where many people have the SE Yastrzemski playing left field. Seymour is a lefty, hits righties really well and lefties fairly well - and while it's true he plays better defense than Yaz in LF (90 vs 78), Yaz is better vs RHP. So in my mind, if someone has a Yaz in left, Seymour would be seen as perhaps a small upgrade on defense and maybe not much of an improvement on offense.

So while I've thought about him now and then, I ultimately decide to purchase other players to shore up more glaring weaknesses.

You were right. Seymour has been good for me, but not enough better than Yaz to justify the change.

[Charlatan]

I just started my third team and it’s a team that is not playing any of the SE reward cards (and that is using lefties). This team lives in a world where the SE Yaz is not an option. I thought long and hard about getting Seymour for leftfield (and tell the truth I also was considering the 95 OVR Yastrzemski, who is pretty much a weaker version of the SE card) but I ended up purchasing Edd Roush, who plays much better defense (98) and is a reasonable batter. I just did that this morning so I don’t know how it will work out but he’s a definite upgrade from the guy who was there before so at least that will be an improvement!

[Sipimi]

Originally Posted by Charlatan

I just started my third team and it’s a team that is not playing any of the SE reward cards (and that is using lefties). This team lives in a world where the SE Yaz is not an option. I thought long and hard about getting Seymour for leftfield (and tell the truth I also was considering the 95 OVR Yastrzemski, who is pretty much a weaker version of the SE card) but I ended up purchasing Edd Roush, who plays much better defense (98) and is a reasonable batter. I just did that this morning so I don’t know how it will work out but he’s a definite upgrade from the guy who was there before so at least that will be an improvement!

FYI I've been using Roush for a long time on my lefty team and he has done pretty well. Had to choose between him and Seymour and I haven't looked back since.

[Orcin]

Roush has less contact than Seymour but a much better AvK. He also costs less. I considered him too. It looks like he performs pretty well in diamond.

[Sipimi]

Originally Posted by Orcin

Roush has less contact than Seymour but a much better AvK. He also costs less. I considered him too. It looks like he performs pretty well in diamond.

That AvK rating was the main reason why I decided to sell Seymour - he struck out over 200 times per season and his average wasn't close to what I expected out of his good-looking CON rating.

[bailey]

The hardest thing about upgrading now is that there is 30+ more weeks of "content" and the card you badly need has not been released yet.

[Lemandria]

Originally Posted by bailey

The hardest thing about upgrading now is that there is 30+ more weeks of "content" and the card you badly need has not been released yet.

Nah, Superyount is out already.

Guess maybe a Peak Legendary Julio Franco?

[Bunktown Ballers]

Originally Posted by professor ape

Having completed the live missions about two weeks ago, my team won its Silver League last week and slipped into the Wild Card spot for today’s playoffs in my Gold league. Last week I spent about 20K on the 95 Bill Campbell PEAK card to start working on my pen and then about 50K to get the 95 Paul Molitor PEAK card to upgrade 3B and add utility depth to my infield.

I have just over 100K in PP right now and am trying to figure out what is next. With the goal being to build a team that can be competitive at the Diamond level I find myself in a bit of paralysis as I am a F2P player who grinds out points through my team’s achievements and by selling off players I get from packs earned in tournaments. I don’t want to clean out my bank on a stupid purchase.

I have the usual cookie cutter SE lineup with the exceptions of the Campbell and Molitor cards along with a 100 Hughie Jennings PEAK at SS and a 97 Brandon Webb PEAK that I got from lucky pulls. My bullpen needs a long term anchor. Along with the standard Eck and Lee Smith cards, what are suggestions for top tier closers? With Contact, Defense, and good Speed/Baserunning (not Stealing) being priorities to me for my position players; what are some gems that you would recommend?

MONEY, MONEY, MONEY.....but seriously things are just off this years with ratings & it's nearly impossible to build a consistent winner without spending loads of money....I'm done spending & I just go up & down weekly on the leagues....silver, gold, silver, gold, Diamond, gold..etc

[professor ape]

Originally Posted by Bunktown Ballers

MONEY, MONEY, MONEY.....but seriously things are just off this years with ratings & it's nearly impossible to build a consistent winner without spending loads of money....I'm done spending & I just go up & down weekly on the leagues....silver, gold, silver, gold, Diamond, gold..etc

I’m been competitive enough to stay at the Diamond level for four weeks running now. As a FTP player, I take pride in that. At this point I am looking at my roster one position at a time as I build up points. The x-factor this year is that while working from home I am able to keep myself up on three tournaments at a time. I’ve been getting a pretty good stream of points from the cards I get in those packs. In a post COVID world I will only be able to do that if I could enter tournaments through my phone or iPad.