How do build your team?

[StyxNCa]

Originally Posted by The Wolf

Dusty Baker is living proof that idiocy pays. How can anyone hire that rockhead to manage their team? He knows less about baseball strategy than Joe Morgan does! But they keep on hiring him.

I'm not overly impressed with Piniella either. Saving a pitcher for game 4 of the playoffs when you need to win game 3 to make it possible to reach game 4.

Then allowing his pitcher to hit only to bring in a reliever. And when he said he never considered having the pitcher bunt? Wow.

[The Wolf]

Originally Posted by Jose Cardenal's Afro

That pretty much makes up most of a baseball team.

I left out middle relief and catchers.

[Jose Cardenal's Afro]

Originally Posted by The Wolf

I left out middle relief and catchers.

You can always include middle relief especially if you starters endurance is questionable.

[Metsvir2]

In my legacy i've continued to play since OOTP 2007/8, My keys have been

1. Good luck with inaugural draft
2. Starting pitching and bullpen matchups
3. 2 out runs and getting runs in with less than 2 out. I have been fantastic with that.
4. Homegrown farm, Never signed an outside free agent.
5. Not resigning old free agents when there's a better replacement in the minors.

Those 5 keys have gotten me 7-7 playoffs, 6 division titles, 3 WS titles trying to get to 4.

For my settings I use the 32-32-32-4 to weigh player ratings, average injury, high fatigue.

Trade settings are Average frequency, very hard difficulty, and favors prospects

[AirmenSmith]

I for one have always had a problem when it comes to resigning old free agents when I have better in the minors. I always resign my old guys just because I consider it kind of loyal.

[Left-handed Badger]

I am horrible at developing pitchers in OOTP from my drafts. So, when I want a young pitcher i try to find a near ready young AAA pitcher on a Yankee (or other perennial contender) team. And try to trade a veteran SP or a vet at position they need help at. While I am horrible at developing raw pitchers I do have success at the nearly ready pretty often.


ANyhow, overall.

For pitching. I try to make sure I have at least 3 starters that are very good. 4 and 5th, I dont worry about. If those first 3 are all in the zone. Those last 2, when they come up, the bullpen will likely be rested. So I can give them 5 innings and done, hopefully. For my bullpen I usually go with 6 relievers. I really dont have a set closer usually. Things I like to have:

1) 2 or more lefties
2) A long reliever with starter type endurance. I prefer him to be a righty (unless I already have 2 lefties). I like to have him eat up large amounts of innings at a pop in the event I have a starter blow up early. So, I want have to eat up the pen often. As I really dont want to use a pitcher more than 2 days in a row. He might not get but 40 appearances. But he might pack in 110-120 IP. He might even be better suited to the rotation than the 4 and 5 but he gives more value in this role. If I have injuries, well, I have to adjust.
3) With my closing, it really depends. Not against using only one. But, if I do, I want him to be able to pitch more than one inning. As if I have a jam in the 8th, I might want him to get out one of 2 in the 8th, and not have to depend on a lesser pitcher to get me out of it. Generally I prefer the Henke-Ward model of of 2 headed monster closing. I also like one of my lefties to be closer worthy in a pinch (in case I gotta go against lefty heavy ninth.


Position players.

It might be due to one year in high school being a pitcher on a team that made the Bad News Bears reserves look like Gold Glovers(our teams RF made 1 putout for the SEASON, and he bobbled that around before getting control of it, good hitter though). BUt, I am absolutely obsessed with defense. I want excellent defense, at 2B,SS,CF,3b, and at least one corner OF position. Surprisingly I want offense more ideally at C. (Except for arm D doesnt seem to matter in OOTP there. And unless he is truly horrid defensively I dont worry much about 1B. (Course I go with DH only league structures, so I can hide one horrible fielder.


Offensively, I go for speed and OBP. I have found in OOTP if I dont steal, hit and run and sac bunt, I'll like hit into 300 DPs a season (no joke!). Plus, watching those Herzog teams back in the 80s made me a little bit of a basestealing junkie (The current HR era, is kind of painful for me). I like some power of course. But, I'll sacrifice somewhat on that. Especially if I got some high contact, high eye, high speed guys who play good defense. Lacking some power, might give me the ability to pull out an extra SP.

Bench:
One backup catcher.
One utility IF
One good defensive backup OF.
A like to have a solid high average backup who makes for a good PH (preferably lefty or switch), maybe not quite starter worthy but valuable role player.
If I got a few slow starters, a PR capable player, maybe the IF or OF.
If I dont have many good bunters, I might keep a guy on the bench solely for the sac bunt. (Could use a pitcher I suppose, but OOTP doesnt ever seem to allow me to use a pitcher as a PH)

Actually my favorite bench player ever in OOTP was this SS. He was hitting like .200 in his 3rd season of A-ball (so he was never going to be worth anything). But, he had great range, and an excellent bunter (good speed, too). I called him up when my SS got hurt (a good hit, no-field SS who I was going let walk, so I get a better def. SS). So, I called this guy
up. Alternated him and my utility guy. As a hitter I treated him strictly like I would a pitcher. Bunt if man on with less than 2 outs. I actually kept him around as a backup when my regular got back. I think for the season in about 150+ ABs he hit like .140 but he had a crazy amount of sacrifice bunts (I think it was 38, 30 something anyway). Saved my relievers' butts multiple times as a D replacement. Even used him 6 or 7 times when I really needed a guy to be moved over. After I got my Def. upgrade at SS in the offseason, he was kind of worthless to me. ANd faded back into the low-minors (if I remember he did manage to put up a full season of AA ball eventually before I had to cut him). But, it kind of is funny what you can get out of player.

[Left-handed Badger]

Originally Posted by bigdgp2

Give Dusty Barry Bonds and it might be a challenge.

But, wait till the Clubhouse Cancer rating gets added.

(sorry, hads to do it )

[Left-handed Badger]

Originally Posted by AirmenSmith

I for one have always had a problem when it comes to resigning old free agents when I have better in the minors. I always resign my old guys just because I consider it kind of loyal.

I do and I dont. If the guy seemed to have done what I ask of him. it is hard to let him go. I have developed some favorites that way. If a player seems to thrive bucking my system then it is easy. Course, that goes by what I see. (I usually play about 1/3 of my games, sim the rest, unless I have a special interest to play out all games for some reason).


Note: the sim/play out thing reminded me. I have had a couple of cases where I started one player at a position during sim games, and another there in played out games. Sim: The good-hit no-field Played out: Good-hit no-field

[0-2, 2 BB]

I want everyone on my team to hit .225 and still get on base at a .400 clip

[Dave1408]

Originally Posted by AirmenSmith

I for one have always had a problem when it comes to resigning old free agents when I have better in the minors. I always resign my old guys just because I consider it kind of loyal.

I love the idea of a player spending his career with my club so i'll overpay for him just to make sure he stays with my team for the last couple years of his career.

[Vinny P.]

left-handed badgers strategies are almost exactly like the ones i use. except i dont pay a whole lotta attention to lefty/righty splits. in fact, i dont those splits make so much of a difference to actually be noticed in a team's won/lost record. i just use whatever players seem to be the most effective overall.

here's an example:

i have a long-relief type guy (i LOVE to keep one of these in my pen for the same reason the lefty guy said). this guy has a very consistent 2.20 ERA for the past 3 season with like 40+ holds each year...so hes a VERY solid pitcher, could even be better than my #4 starter generally is, but i try to keep as many guys with high endurance ratings as possible.

i also have a set-up man whos just as consistent with a slightly higher ERA (ussually between 2.80-3.20 ERA).

Now if my long relief guy has gott through the 6, and 7th innings with like 4 - 6 Ks, im dont wanna pull him in the 8th just to try to get that "split advantage". no no no no, if a guy is pitching (or hitting) really well, but DOES give up a few more hits or walks or whatever to left'ys than righty's i dont like to waste another pitcher's durability in the pen.

now, SOMETIMES (maybe only about 10 or 15 times in an entire season i WILL PH one hitter over another for the split like that, but only if i know there IS a significant difference between both players against either a lefty or righty pitcher)

as for high OBP, bunting and so forth:

ive noticed something about ootp in playing out over 1500 games. i created my manager in ootp 2k6 and started in rookie league. my first season was terrible, because i was thinking in terms of SLG and power pitching, but most hitters down there only bat MAYBE .300 (i belive the highest BA was like .312 in the league), so i was playing the whole OBP, defence, control pitching thing the next season and improved my record from 30-42 to 48-24.

got promoted, upt to Low A for my third season (ootp 2k7 this time) and kept my startegy pretty much intact from the season before and made it to the playoffs for the second time in a row.. played a second season in Low A and pretty much did the same.

High A for my 5th season was pretty much the same as before and got to the playoffs for the 4th time in a row.

Now, however, im in AA for my 6th season and all my players can actually HIT, and i finally have one guy who can be considered a slugger, and so my strategy changed a bit, and its a little more station-to-station so far this season and just let my hitters do all the work. Now thats the challenge being a minors manager. i cant control what players are on my team, so i have to REALLY do a lot more micro management from game to game to make sure my team is successful. I'll employ different strategies at different times...in other words, i wont use the same strat in the same situation. there's a lotta factors that go into "do i steal second with my leadoff guy with less than 2 outs? or do I let this guy with a .450 OBP simply pick up a BB, and HOPEFULLY my number 3 guy with a .235 BA with the league lead in HRs and RBIs can actually get a hit and pick up more RBIs rather than GIDP....)

in that siutation, sometimes i steal, sometimes i dont....seems to work about half the time no matter what i decide to do.

i guess, in other words, you just need to get a feel for the game. Thats the way ive ALWAYS played growing up. never really thought too long and hard about stuff, just kinda went with how i feel at the moment (i was incredibly successful stealing bases all the up through college. and when i would get thrown out at second, is when i didnt feel right about it. but EVERY TIME i stole a base successfuly, i was always like, OH YEAH! I GOT THIS!)

[AirmenSmith]

Originally Posted by Dave1408

I love the idea of a player spending his career with my club so i'll overpay for him just to make sure he stays with my team for the last couple years of his career.

For me i'll be playing the game and get that guy I developed in my minors and is now a star. I'll play the game just to see how good he will do. Before OOTP 9 I would always do about 20 years in a league and then start a new league. But now in OOTP 9 just as my one star,that I developed,retires. I find that there is a new guy that I am wanting to see what happens to him, so I'll keep playing. I so far have done 75 years and I keep thinking i'm going to stop and start fresh but then there is that one guy again.

[Left-handed Badger]

Originally Posted by 0-2, 2 BB

I want everyone on my team to hit .225 and still get on base at a .400 clip

Ha, sounds like my batting stats in high school. (I think one year I had a .222 BA and a .462 OBP, unfortunately this caused me to commit on occasion the one unforgivable sin to my coaches, the Looking K. )

[Vinny P.]

lol thats about the crappiest thing that can happen to a guy in baseball. id rather ground out into a DP than to stand there and watch a pitch go by for strike 3

[jlredsox]

Originally Posted by Dave1408

I love the idea of a player spending his career with my club so i'll overpay for him just to make sure he stays with my team for the last couple years of his career.

Me too, but unfortunatley this has gotten me into some financial problems at times

[rnevel]

Agree with the dump/trade the big dollar players and build with prospects. In the early years I prefer to get the guys in the 23-25 yr old range and get them to the majors soon. Pay top dollar and get the best scout possible as this really seems to payoff. Don't fall in love with the veterans that helped you get to the top if you want to really maintain a dynasty. ( I have to admit I did keep one Cubbie into his forties after winning 10 staight MVP's, shattering every offensive record, being a perennial Gold Glover and being the heart and soul of 15 World Series champs.)
Don't forget to jack up ticket prices as your team improves and really shoot for top dollar for those playoff tickets.
A little luck also helps. My first try at building the Brewers into a challenger hit a snag when injuries devastated my major league roster in season three and the new manager took them to three staight World Series while I was starting over in LA.

[Metsvir2]

I won the Series again in 7. My dynasty just won't stop

[statman]

Want a real challenge join an online league, every team is like AI on steroids. The big reason I don't play solo is it's too easy, but if you just want to keep winning it's the way to go. A solo challenge would be every time you win a World Series, switch to running the worst team until it wins a WS.

[Bears5122]

Back when the game focused on AI, I'd have a challenge building up teams like the Expos or Devil Rays. I probably had the most fun of any game in my life back on 6.5 with the Expos going up against the poor payroll.

I would build my team on OBP and bullpen. With OBP I could always manufacture a few runs a game, and while I wasn't able to put up big numbers, my runs were consistent. Bullpen is so underated and actually one of the areas that can be built up with low payroll teams. I'd draft top MR guys higher (they never went high) and build the best bullpen in the league. It allowed me to only have to rely on a starter for 5-6 innings. It was a blast since it was tough and I remember having one year where I made a run and got the wild card. Felt like a huge accomplishment for the Expos and I had to rely on a lot of luck and career years.

Nowadays, I just build with players I like. The AI is pretty atrocious so it doesn't matter what I do. I usually bring in a few guys near a major milestone that are well past their prime to see if I can get them to that milestone. I like hanging on to homegrown talent too and see what kind of careers I can give them.

[CaptainObvious]

Originally Posted by statman

Want a real challenge join an online league, every team is like AI on steroids.

Yeah, try dumping your high-paid old guys off on a real person and you'll get some interesting responses.