Some Random observations from Random Debut land

[David Watts]

I'm currently watching the final month play out in season 4 of my random debut league. I've been simming till August and then watching a game per day from that point on. If the pennant race is a close one I sometimes watch multiple games down the stretch.

After being kind of pissed when the game first came out due to not knowing the whole adjust/weaken system changed somewhere around OOTP23, I've move on and I have to say, so far, I'm very pleased with the results I'm getting.

One thing I'm liking a lot is, you can now look at the players on the field and tell which players are supposed to be the top fielders. In the past, it was all too common to see Brooks Robinson rated a 55 or 60 out of 80. Roberto Clemente a 60 etc. Now, more often than not, these guys are 70 and above. This to me makes the game so much better. Maybe this change is all in my head, but I really do think something has changed to improve defensive ratings.

Another thing I'm seeing that I really like is again something I hope is not a product of my imagination. One thing that used to bug me when playing random debut in the past, was the number of closers that would close one season then pitch relief the next 2 or 3 seasons, then close again. In my opinion it was way too common for closers to get moved around from role to role. This year, I'm not seeing that happen as much. I'm seeing guys settle into the closer role and stay there for more than one season.

I'm using 5 year recalc, Double Weight 1000/500 Batters, 162/81 pitchers. Everything seems to working great with these settings. I have things locked to 1992. I'm currently playing 1995.

[Thundercrack]

What kind of league leaders are you getting with the 92 settings

[David Watts]

High for batting average is .367. by Joe DiMaggio. Stuffy Mcinnes is hitting .374 with 14 games left in 1995.

Hank Aaron hit 48 home runs in 1993 and currently has 48 home runs in 1995 with 14 games left to play.

High for Doubles is 56
High for Triples is 15
Stolen bases is 94
WAR 12.74 Joe DiMaggio

Wins high is 23 by Dolf Luque
Saves is 47 Steve Olin
Strikeouts is 237 Josh Beckett
WAR 8.49 Josh Beckett

[Thundercrack]

Good, solid numbers

[Pdubya64]

I have not gotten around to random but it sure sounds encouraging DW!

[Reed]

Originally Posted by David Watts

I'm using 5 year recalc, Double Weight 1000/500 Batters, 162/81 pitchers. Everything seems to working great with these settings. I have things locked to 1992. I'm currently playing 1995.

We are so close in our adjust/weaken setting we must be doing something right.
I am using 5 yr double weight recalc and my adjust/weaken settings are 1000/500 and 120/60.

[David Watts]

Originally Posted by Reed

We are so close in our adjust/weaken setting we must be doing something right.
I am using 5 yr double weight recalc and my adjust/weaken settings are 1000/500 and 120/60.

Are you seeing the closer thing like me too. Hoping I'm not imagining it.

[FantasyDrafter]

Saw this - just sharing save info from my recent random debut with development and recalc both on. Top 11single season save guys - if not otherwise mentioned, all other seasons had single digit save totals.

Camilo Pascual, 50sv 2002 - only year as a relief pitcher
Jim Beckman, 49sv 2012 - over 6 saves only twice
Bill Wilkinson, 48sv 1985 (age 22) - was a closer from age 20-23, then had only 1 more season with over 2 saves (retired at age 34)
Art Evans, 46sv 1995 - only season with more than 5 (career reliever)
Clyde Goodwin, 46sv 2004 - only 1 other season with more than 7
Don Nottebart, 46sv 2010 - never more than 3
Tommy Layne, 46sv 1982 - had 3 other seasons with 28+ 9 year career
Hector Carrasco, 46sv 1998 - 2 other 30 save seasons 17 year career
Ramon Hernandez, 46sv 1984 - 2 other 35 save seasons 11 year career
Bill Smith, 46sv 2003 - followed up with 41 and 19 at age 25. Then not a closer
Nick Anderson 46sv 1993 - 2nd to last season. Career closer. At least 29 saves in 7/9 seasons.

[FantasyDrafter]

Just clicking through the rest of the list - still looks like in my sim roles change constantly.

That said, when I click on guys who I know were/are closers like Todd Worrell and Josh Hader they were used as closers for most of their careers. 1st in career saves is Steve Howe with 433. 10th is Taylor Rogers with 330, 20th is Nick Anderson with 266 (only guy I said was a career closer on the single season list).

[David Watts]

Originally Posted by FantasyDrafter

Just clicking through the rest of the list - still looks like in my sim roles change constantly.

That said, when I click on guys who I know were/are closers like Todd Worrell and Josh Hader they were used as closers for most of their careers. 1st in career saves is Steve Howe with 433. 10th is Taylor Rogers with 330, 20th is Nick Anderson with 266 (only guy I said was a career closer on the single season list).

In the past, a lot of those guys would get shuffled in and out of the role as well. I don't expect the game to keep guys that weren't really closers in the role, as I figure that's just the AI filling a hole. I have a rookie Lefty Gomez in my league right now. He worked as his teams closer for the season, before going down with a late season injury. I fully expect him to be a startng pitcher next year. Gil Heredia had a couple strong seasons closing in my league. This year he had a very nice season starting for the Tigers.

[David Watts]

I never use minor league when playing random debut. Are post season roster rules not available when one isn't using minor leagues? I got to the post season and a team was using a pitcher that hadn't pitched all season. When I checked the option for post season rules was disabled.

[David Watts]

Originally Posted by Reed

We are so close in our adjust/weaken setting we must be doing something right.
I am using 5 yr double weight recalc and my adjust/weaken settings are 1000/500 and 120/60.

I have DiMaggio in my league. He absolutely killed it over the first two seasons of league play. Back to back MVP seasons. His third season was pretty darn great as well. Now he is up to the war years part of his career. Using the adjust/weaken settings I spoke of earlier has not crushed Joe at all in terms of ratings, nor has his performance went into the tank(at least not so far). What has happened is he is getting hurt a lot. Last season he put together great numbers and even received a vote or two for MVP, but he missed a lot of the season. At work, but I would bet he sat out 50+ games. The current season that is up to August 15th, has seen DiMaggio play in less than 30 games so far.

I really like the fact that he is still producing when he plays. In the past it was all to common to see some of the war studs turn into bench players during the war years.

[italyprof]

Originally Posted by FantasyDrafter

Saw this - just sharing save info from my recent random debut with development and recalc both on. Top 11single season save guys - if not otherwise mentioned, all other seasons had single digit save totals.

Camilo Pascual, 50sv 2002 - only year as a relief pitcher
Jim Beckman, 49sv 2012 - over 6 saves only twice
Bill Wilkinson, 48sv 1985 (age 22) - was a closer from age 20-23, then had only 1 more season with over 2 saves (retired at age 34)
Art Evans, 46sv 1995 - only season with more than 5 (career reliever)
Clyde Goodwin, 46sv 2004 - only 1 other season with more than 7
Don Nottebart, 46sv 2010 - never more than 3
Tommy Layne, 46sv 1982 - had 3 other seasons with 28+ 9 year career
Hector Carrasco, 46sv 1998 - 2 other 30 save seasons 17 year career
Ramon Hernandez, 46sv 1984 - 2 other 35 save seasons 11 year career
Bill Smith, 46sv 2003 - followed up with 41 and 19 at age 25. Then not a closer
Nick Anderson 46sv 1993 - 2nd to last season. Career closer. At least 29 saves in 7/9 seasons.

I have also noticed a lot of saves playing random debut. I use the 1983 stat context, though I understand David Watts' preference for 1992. But I set "use closers" on "rarely" - so the saves totals seem high to me. Not a very big deal, but I kind of like when several relievers in a bullpen get used. I also have "stopper" but not closer as the role setting. But still ending up with a lot of saves.

[David Watts]

Originally Posted by italyprof

I have also noticed a lot of saves playing random debut. I use the 1983 stat context, though I understand David Watts' preference for 1992. But I set "use closers" on "rarely" - so the saves totals seem high to me. Not a very big deal, but I kind of like when several relievers in a bullpen get used. I also have "stopper" but not closer as the role setting. But still ending up with a lot of saves.

I have no special love for 1992. I tend to just pick a year when I start a league and let it fly. I really wish the game had an option to list a series of years, such as 1984-1992 and have the game randomly choose a season in that range each year to use for the modifiers. I know, I know, just use a random number generator and do it manually, but I'm lazy.

[Thundercrack]

Originally Posted by David Watts

I have no special love for 1992. I tend to just pick a year when I start a league and let it fly. I really wish the game had an option to list a series of years, such as 1984-1992 and have the game randomly choose a season in that range each year to use for the modifiers. I know, I know, just use a random number generator and do it manually, but I'm lazy.

It’s funny, I used 92 because I thought there was a particular reason you picked it. 7 years in though and I’m liking the numbers, so all good.

[italyprof]

I use 1983 now, because I used to use 1978, I liked the calm pace of play - not too much offense, but realized there was not enough action on bases and that I wanted just a few more homers.

1984-5 are great if you want a balanced offensive context - power, basestealing (am I the only one who misses the 1980s base stealing era?) - but it is not a crazy steroids context.

Still, I find 1983 gives me a middle of the road - more base stealing than nearly any non-1980s season, but less than most of the others, more HRs than the 1960s and 70s, but fewer than the mid-80s and way fewer than the steroid late-90s. I also liked 1990 for the same reason.

[italyprof]

In general, I like having good pitchers with ERAs in the 3.00s and in good years in the 2.00s, having a league leader or two maybe under 2.00. Don't like staffs with a lot of people above 5.00 but can live with 4.00 as sort of normal for average pitchers.

I like league leaders to hit say, .320 - .370 most of the time, and if an outlyer year sees a .390-or even .400+ season great, it's exciting but I don't want it to be common.

Similarly, I want HR leaders to hit in the 40s with 50 happening sometimes, but not too often. I want 20 homers to mean a power hitter who had a decent year. But with 1978 or 1976, I found league leaders had hit 20 something. Too boring on the other end.

And base stealers - I don't want 100 steals a season to be a typical thing. But if it happens in a record or career year great, but it should be a Tim Raines or Rickey or Coleman or Wills or Brock. I don't want Alfonso Soriano to steal 125 bases.

[David Watts]

Originally Posted by italyprof

In general, I like having good pitchers with ERAs in the 3.00s and in good years in the 2.00s, having a league leader or two maybe under 2.00. Don't like staffs with a lot of people above 5.00 but can live with 4.00 as sort of normal for average pitchers.

I like league leaders to hit say, .320 - .370 most of the time, and if an outlyer year sees a .390-or even .400+ season great, it's exciting but I don't want it to be common.

Similarly, I want HR leaders to hit in the 40s with 50 happening sometimes, but not too often. I want 20 homers to mean a power hitter who had a decent year. But with 1978 or 1976, I found league leaders had hit 20 something. Too boring on the other end.

And base stealers - I don't want 100 steals a season to be a typical thing. But if it happens in a record or career year great, but it should be a Tim Raines or Rickey or Coleman or Wills or Brock. I don't want Alfonso Soriano to steal 125 bases.

I think Random Debut plays great from 1947-1992.

5 seasons in and my leader for stolen bases in a season is Larry Lintz with 94. Happened in the inaugural season. Jarrod Dyson also stole 73 during the inaugural season. Since then the high is 76 by Vince Coleman this past season(1996). I'm like you, I don't want someone stealing 100 bases year after year.

[Underlined.i]

Originally Posted by italyprof

In general, I like having good pitchers with ERAs in the 3.00s and in good years in the 2.00s, having a league leader or two maybe under 2.00. Don't like staffs with a lot of people above 5.00 but can live with 4.00 as sort of normal for average pitchers.

I like league leaders to hit say, .320 - .370 most of the time, and if an outlyer year sees a .390-or even .400+ season great, it's exciting but I don't want it to be common.

Similarly, I want HR leaders to hit in the 40s with 50 happening sometimes, but not too often. I want 20 homers to mean a power hitter who had a decent year. But with 1978 or 1976, I found league leaders had hit 20 something. Too boring on the other end.

And base stealers - I don't want 100 steals a season to be a typical thing. But if it happens in a record or career year great, but it should be a Tim Raines or Rickey or Coleman or Wills or Brock. I don't want Alfonso Soriano to steal 125 bases.

These are basically the exact numbers I think of for a baseball season.

[David Watts]

One thing that I'm always amazed by when playing random debut is, how often guys retire at or very near their actual retirement year. I think this is another thing the game does a great job of.