Spring Training - Page 2

RchW · 12-07-2021, 04:40 PM

I use a lot of players in ST, over 50 including some minor league FA and most every year I get 1 or 2 players that spend time in MLB. I use 7-day lineups and bench player to limit use of expected regulars in groups throughout ST. Batters don't need more than 30 AB to be ready; pitchers can get by with 10 innings but may need more.

Sweed · 12-07-2021, 04:52 PM

I'm usually somewhere around 50 players on the ST squad.

I go with ~50 PA for regular position players. 20 innings for SP, 5-4inning starts, ~10 innings for bullpen (8 may be enough?). I play 28 games so that leaves 3 games at the end for prospects to make a start.

Prospect pitchers get the bulk of the remainder along with fillers getting some time as needed. Nobody is pitching that isn't at 100% rest. Prospect batters, extra C, etc. the same treatment. Prospects grouped with the MLB starter to split games and spot start at times. Then a few up and comers getting my first look in live games.

Usually the last 4-5 games starters have worked off the rust and games are filled out totally with prospects and fillers.

Syd Thrift · 12-07-2021, 05:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Greymantle

Sure there is then I have to figure out who goes where in the minors. I guess if your letting the AI run the minors yea no problem. If you don't then that is a lot of players to sort back to your minors every year trying to remember who was where. I got tired of it and stopped using Spring Training.

I don’t think this is the case either… I have the AI control my minor leagues and basically once I send players back down before Opening Day, it’s one more click (I guess technically two more since it’s a dropdown) to select “tell the AI to set up your entire minor leagues” and boom, everyone’s where my minor league managers and assistant GM thinks they should be.

Play the game however you want to, of course - spring training can be annoying for a host of other reasons - but I’m not sure this argument exactly holds water.

NoOne · 12-07-2021, 07:14 PM

I don't like a huge team in ST... think the AI does funky things and some of my best batters don't get enough playing time. RP get too few innings, etc etc... if you bring up a 6th starter, you end up with tired #1 SP on opening day.

i bring up 4-5 batters and 2-3 pitchers.. .more if injuries occur, but i send ppl back down if needed too. I may sure by bench players aren't backing up more than 2 position. i put the rest days staggered, although 1-2 times it'll be a common multiple over 28 games? not even sure if these settings matter in ST, but teh depth chart should at least.

SP - switch to strict rotation. this prevents the top 1 or 2? pitchers from stealing 4ip from 4th/5th? and also potentially makes them slightly "tired" on opening day - unless that's been adjusted to avoid it lately. This results in 24ip for the SP. if you do a 6man rotation, you end up with your top 1 or 2 SP tired on opening day, again. You don't want your ace pitching last game or 2 of ST.

RP - play around with roles. e.g. i use one mil call-up as a 2nd closer. i monitor innings and remove them from that role if my primary closer is not getting enough innings. Otherwise, my closer often pitches WAY too much. i'm looking for 18-20ip for all my keep relievers. I will use Long Relieve role for any that are lagging. if you watch how the innings pile up, you can see where the problem areas will be. make sure to adjust roles.. maybe, flip existing etc... have SU come in 6th+.

SU are some of the hardest to get enough innings. to start, i'll use them both as "long releiver" secondary roels, with no one in a primary role for LR. Take the option away from the AI. Force a pecking order you want based on observations. how it works is what matters, not our perception of what 'should be'. if oyu see 1 rp getting way too many innings, look at why that is happening.. a finite amount of factors impact it. reproduce it for the RP getting the shaft in IP.

Last week of ST, i will send all mil players back down. I'll adjust this if any pitchers are overworked or whatever.

** I make sure to have 3 catchers. and again, any injuries just requires a callup and maybe sending someone down.

The guys at bottom of lineup simply get fewer AB regardless of quality of the player.. wish they would change this. after years of buying and selling, i have all star quality 1-9 (maybe 1-7 some years) consistently. They shouldn't get less playing time in ST due to lineup spot, but it sure seems like that is a factor.. as if it has some causal link instead of purely correlative, which it is..

Sending guys down... could shortlist them as you bring them up, then you can mass select in shortlist and send them to AAA. ai will take care of rest on opening day. or, if you micromanage that, still easier to work with shortlist than your roster with tons of extra names clogging view. i move so few, i typically just select them from roster/transaction screen and drag them down. Sort by position or overall etc... can get them clustered or easily to stand out where spare players are.

Special interests -- learningn new positons and such just layer on top of that base standard operating procedure for ST. adjust as needed for context.

---- side note

that "tell ai to setup minors" isn't perfect... avoid repeatedly pressing it if you can. e.g. in a day or two after you send them down the to minor leagues from ST, it will reshuffle on its own before their seasons start. opening day MLB should cause that function to happen on its own.

i find players being moved with that function - either us pushing it or the game doing it at certain points or caused by certain actions that arise while simulating - get lost if it is used multiple times on same day or same short time period...

it tends to suck players from below and push them up.. i pushed it 2 or 3 times one day while working on something and noticed i had decimated the numbers at my lowest level... i wasn't even going to be able to draft enough players to fill the league, and that was of no concern whatsoever before i started pushing that button, LoL.. SoB!

So, if you push it more than once per X time period, it will potentially cause problems with lower levels at the least

Greymantle · 12-08-2021, 05:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Syd Thrift

I don’t think this is the case either… I have the AI control my minor leagues and basically once I send players back down before Opening Day, it’s one more click (I guess technically two more since it’s a dropdown) to select “tell the AI to set up your entire minor leagues” and boom, everyone’s where my minor league managers and assistant GM thinks they should be.

Play the game however you want to, of course - spring training can be annoying for a host of other reasons - but I’m not sure this argument exactly holds water.

The argument you are making is it works for me. When my roster jumps from 25 to 38 because of spring training and I have to figure out where those 13 players were in the minors that I micromanage it becomes a pain for me. My argument is it doesn't work for me. I'm sure there are others out there that play like me and the reason for my post.

Brad K · 12-08-2021, 10:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Greymantle

The argument you are making is it works for me. When my roster jumps from 25 to 38 because of spring training and I have to figure out where those 13 players were in the minors that I micromanage it becomes a pain for me. My argument is it doesn't work for me. I'm sure there are others out there that play like me and the reason for my post.

Seems a screen shot or two at the right time would solve your problem.

Greymantle · 12-09-2021, 07:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brad K

Seems a screen shot or two at the right time would solve your problem.

haha...I don't think so. It's much easier to turn off spring training that adds nothing to the game for me except more work that I don't want. If I could click a button and everyone returned to the minors that they belong I still wouldn't use it. One reason the AI using my best pitchers right before the season starts for one. Yet another thing I had to micro-manage. It's just easier to turn it off for it adds nothing for me in my replays. Am I starting to sense a love for Spring Training in this thread? Here is one for you I turn off the All-Star game because of the email spam.

andyhdz · 12-09-2021, 04:50 PM

Let me give you the other side. I let the AI handle ST and it does a great job moving people in and out of the roster as needed as the roster is drawn down to 40 at the end of ST. It works very well when you need a player to learn a new position as well. The only thing that I would like to see is more emphasis on analytics of ST. I don't care who leads the league in homers during ST. The stats screen should be geared towards your team without you having to fish around and setup a filter. Yes you can see ST stats for your team but it takes a few clicks. Get rid of the generic ST league stats and set it up like you are a GM that needs to analyze how your players did. It's such an easy fix to do and would really help the overall flow of the game.

Pelican · 12-10-2021, 11:40 AM

I like to play through an entire ST schedule, perhaps because I love ST and try to get to Florida (or Arizona) each year to see some games. Plus I like the idea of real competition for jobs and that phenom who is lights out (until April) and all the hard decisions on cuts.

It's labor intensive, but you can not only set different starters for each day in seven-day lineups, but you can also create a rotation system for subs with the individual RHP and LHP lineups, so that everybody should get at-bats (or at least starts). Other than playing the games through, I don't know how to insure that the stars get their one AB and then head to the clubhouse. One thing I suggest, in imitation of IRL, is to bench the starters for ST road games. Stars don't ride busses.

One caution on seven-day lineups during the regular season is to take care in settings. In the settings to the right, I usually toggle to deny use of alternative lineups, in favor of "no, stick to daily lineups". That prevents the AI manager from substituting its own lineups - and thus defeating the whole purpose of the seven-day lineups you have established. But, as to the next setting down, "allow use of depth chart", I toggle to "Yes", unless I am managing every game for that team. If you instead deny use of the depth chart, the AI is forced to keep playing guys who are worn out or at risk of injury (day-to-day), and their performance will eventually suffer. In other words, you want to lock in your lineups, except when one or more of your starters is fatigued or unable to play. The AI manager needs to have that discretion.

RchW · 12-10-2021, 02:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pelican

One caution on seven-day lineups during the regular season is to take care in settings. In the settings to the right, I usually toggle to deny use of alternative lineups, in favor of "no, stick to daily lineups". That prevents the AI manager from substituting its own lineups - and thus defeating the whole purpose of the seven-day lineups you have established. But, as to the next setting down, "allow use of depth chart", I toggle to "Yes", unless I am managing every game for that team. If you instead deny use of the depth chart, the AI is forced to keep playing guys who are worn out or at risk of injury (day-to-day), and their performance will eventually suffer. In other words, you want to lock in your lineups, except when one or more of your starters is fatigued or unable to play. The AI manager needs to have that discretion.

Great explanation of 7-day lineup functionality.

Pelican · 12-11-2021, 06:49 PM

Hmmm posted here yesterday and I don’t see the post. [?]. The gist was that I love ST IRL, hope to get down to Florida (and/or Arizona) this year to see a few games. So of course I want a full ST in OOTP. Would love it if the game facilitated morning B games. (I know I can schedule additional games.) I have used seven day lineups to give rookies a chance to play, and of course veterans don’t always have to travel to Spring away games. When setting your individual RHP and LHP lineups, you can indicate subs and how often (e.g. every third game starts); but no way to say the vet starter only get one AB and then out. Also, no way I know of to end a tie game in extra innings, as teams would in ST IRL. I had a sixteen inning game between the Phils and Braves, position guys pitching, the last ST game, and these teams were facing each other the next day to start the season. Yes the roster is huge to start ST, but you can set to forty or whatever, and then periodically make cuts. I love giving guys who are raking or lights out pitchers more of a chance to make the show, as the rosters dwindle and the vets start playing more (so it gets harder). Cuts are agony, and OOTP forces tough decisions where guys are out of options, under an MLB contract, whatever. I can understand why trades happen on the eve of Opening Day.

Sweed · 12-11-2021, 11:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pelican

Hmmm posted here yesterday and I don’t see the post. [?]. The gist was that I love ST IRL, hope to get down to Florida (and/or Arizona) this year to see a few games. So of course I want a full ST in OOTP. Would love it if the game facilitated morning B games. (I know I can schedule additional games.) I have used seven day lineups to give rookies a chance to play, and of course veterans don’t always have to travel to Spring away games. When setting your individual RHP and LHP lineups, you can indicate subs and how often (e.g. every third game starts); but no way to say the vet starter only get one AB and then out. Also, no way I know of to end a tie game in extra innings, as teams would in ST IRL. I had a sixteen inning game between the Phils and Braves, position guys pitching, the last ST game, and these teams were facing each other the next day to start the season. Yes the roster is huge to start ST, but you can set to forty or whatever, and then periodically make cuts. I love giving guys who are raking or lights out pitchers more of a chance to make the show, as the rosters dwindle and the vets start playing more (so it gets harder). Cuts are agony, and OOTP forces tough decisions where guys are out of options, under an MLB contract, whatever. I can understand why trades happen on the eve of Opening Day.

Two posts above, # 29? At least it's visible on my screen

I assume this is it?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pelican

I like to play through an entire ST schedule, perhaps because I love ST and try to get to Florida (or Arizona) each year to see some games. Plus I like the idea of real competition for jobs and that phenom who is lights out (until April) and all the hard decisions on cuts.

It's labor intensive, but you can not only set different starters for each day in seven-day lineups, but you can also create a rotation system for subs with the individual RHP and LHP lineups, so that everybody should get at-bats (or at least starts). Other than playing the games through, I don't know how to insure that the stars get their one AB and then head to the clubhouse. One thing I suggest, in imitation of IRL, is to bench the starters for ST road games. Stars don't ride busses.

One caution on seven-day lineups during the regular season is to take care in settings. In the settings to the right, I usually toggle to deny use of alternative lineups, in favor of "no, stick to daily lineups". That prevents the AI manager from substituting its own lineups - and thus defeating the whole purpose of the seven-day lineups you have established. But, as to the next setting down, "allow use of depth chart", I toggle to "Yes", unless I am managing every game for that team. If you instead deny use of the depth chart, the AI is forced to keep playing guys who are worn out or at risk of injury (day-to-day), and their performance will eventually suffer. In other words, you want to lock in your lineups, except when one or more of your starters is fatigued or unable to play. The AI manager needs to have that discretion.

BirdWatcher · 12-12-2021, 09:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Greymantle

The argument you are making is it works for me. When my roster jumps from 25 to 38 because of spring training and I have to figure out where those 13 players were in the minors that I micromanage it becomes a pain for me. My argument is it doesn't work for me. I'm sure there are others out there that play like me and the reason for my post.

The thought that pops to my mind right off is why there would be players on your 40-man roster scattered across your minor league system? In my experience, if you have players who have reached the point where they merit 40-man roster inclusion and need to be protected that way, they really should be near the top of your minor league system. For me, any minor leaguers on the 40-man roster are almost surely on my AAA club, though perhaps a few are still at AA. I guess I'm wondering about your roster management approach if it is so difficult to figure out what minor league team these players go back to after ST.

Pelican · 12-12-2021, 11:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sweed

Two posts above, # 29? At least it's visible on my screen

I assume this is it?

Yup. Not sure why I was not seeing it. Now everyone has to suffer through two of my posts.

Sweed · 12-13-2021, 09:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pelican

Yup. Not sure why I was not seeing it. Now everyone has to suffer through two of my posts.

No worries, I've done similar things too

billyray1984 · 12-14-2021, 05:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BirdWatcher

The thought that pops to my mind right off is why there would be players on your 40-man roster scattered across your minor league system? In my experience, if you have players who have reached the point where they merit 40-man roster inclusion and need to be protected that way, they really should be near the top of your minor league system. For me, any minor leaguers on the 40-man roster are almost surely on my AAA club, though perhaps a few are still at AA. I guess I'm wondering about your roster management approach if it is so difficult to figure out what minor league team these players go back to after ST.

I second this, but I've had international prospects in high A on the 40 man before. Since these guys can get signed very young, they can become Rule 5 elligible at 21 or 22 and the AI sometimes will pick them if they have a high enough floor. It might not happen enough to warrant a spot on the 40 man, but I'm really cautious about guys not getting drafted.

But yeah, unless you have multiple AA or AAA teams AND manage all the starting lineups and depth charts on ALL these teams, sending guys down shouldn't take more than 5 minutes.

BirdWatcher · 12-14-2021, 05:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by billyray1984

I second this, but I've had international prospects in high A on the 40 man before. Since these guys can get signed very young, they can become Rule 5 elligible at 21 or 22 and the AI sometimes will pick them if they have a high enough floor. It might not happen enough to warrant a spot on the 40 man, but I'm really cautious about guys not getting drafted.

But yeah, unless you have multiple AA or AAA teams AND manage all the starting lineups and depth charts on ALL these teams, sending guys down shouldn't take more than 5 minutes.

Yes, good points, and I sometimes forget that there are setups with far more extensive minor league systems than I use in my fictional league.

majesty95 · 12-16-2021, 01:00 AM

Use "sit for x days" liberally during ST

Greymantle · 12-16-2021, 10:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BirdWatcher

The thought that pops to my mind right off is why there would be players on your 40-man roster scattered across your minor league system? In my experience, if you have players who have reached the point where they merit 40-man roster inclusion and need to be protected that way, they really should be near the top of your minor league system. For me, any minor leaguers on the 40-man roster are almost surely on my AAA club, though perhaps a few are still at AA. I guess I'm wondering about your roster management approach if it is so difficult to figure out what minor league team these players go back to after ST.

I micro-manage my minors down to the scrubs. There is a place for everyone and at times I have 6 plus minor league teams in the 1940s. It's not difficult it's tedious to have to resort the players year after year when spring training offers me nothing in return for that work. I can spend over an hour each year adjusting my minor league teams let alone if I'm using coaches.

You may ask why do I not sort after spring training. The reason is I want to know where everyone is before I draft so I can fill in holes if need be and see my weakness around my leagues. As to your 40-man roster assumption, you would be wrong in my case. I don't only pull players from the minors because they are the best players all around from the higher leagues. I will pull players from the minors that fit a role at the time and they can come from the lower leagues. The role most of the time is to fill in for injuries though there are other reasons too.

billyray1984 · 12-16-2021, 10:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Greymantle

I micro-manage my minors down to the scrubs. There is a place for everyone and at times I have 6 plus minor league teams in the 1940s. It's not difficult it's tedious to have to resort the players year after year when spring training offers me nothing in return for that work. I can spend over an hour each year adjusting my minor league teams let alone if I'm using coaches.

You may ask why do I not sort after spring training. The reason is I want to know where everyone is before I draft so I can fill in holes if need be.

I'm with you on this : the last few saves where I was micromanaging all the minor leagues (including the depth charts and injuries), I dreaded the day after the WS and the day after ST, especially when the real life team had a funky minor league setup for that year (I remember the expos having 2 short season A teams, 2 A teams and 1 AAA team one year). I had to sort all the players who got orphaned before the december draft and then one more time after ST. I wish there was a button to auto-demote guys to the level they were before the beginning of ST.

Now that I will go into commish mode and unaffiliate any extra team the game grants me after the WS, keeping only one team at each level, and that I only manage promotion and demotion of my top 30 prospects, ST is now a breeze. I have not seen any noticeable impact on player development either (altough I feel less of a connection to the guys in the minor leagues and sometimes rosters do get a bit crowded).

12-07-2021, 04:40 PM	#21
RchW Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Toronto ON by way of Glasgow UK Posts: 15,629	I use a lot of players in ST, over 50 including some minor league FA and most every year I get 1 or 2 players that spend time in MLB. I use 7-day lineups and bench player to limit use of expected regulars in groups throughout ST. Batters don't need more than 30 AB to be ready; pitchers can get by with 10 innings but may need more. __________________ Cheers RichW If you’re looking for a good cause to donate money to please consider a Donation to Parkinson’s Canada. It may help me have a better future and if not me, someone else. Thanks. “Conservatism consists of exactly one proposition …There must be in-groups whom the law protects but does not bind, alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect.” Frank Wilhoit

12-07-2021, 07:14 PM	#24
NoOne Banned Join Date: Apr 2015 Posts: 7,273 Infractions: 0/2 (4)	I don't like a huge team in ST... think the AI does funky things and some of my best batters don't get enough playing time. RP get too few innings, etc etc... if you bring up a 6th starter, you end up with tired #1 SP on opening day. i bring up 4-5 batters and 2-3 pitchers.. .more if injuries occur, but i send ppl back down if needed too. I may sure by bench players aren't backing up more than 2 position. i put the rest days staggered, although 1-2 times it'll be a common multiple over 28 games? not even sure if these settings matter in ST, but teh depth chart should at least. SP - switch to strict rotation. this prevents the top 1 or 2? pitchers from stealing 4ip from 4th/5th? and also potentially makes them slightly "tired" on opening day - unless that's been adjusted to avoid it lately. This results in 24ip for the SP. if you do a 6man rotation, you end up with your top 1 or 2 SP tired on opening day, again. You don't want your ace pitching last game or 2 of ST. RP - play around with roles. e.g. i use one mil call-up as a 2nd closer. i monitor innings and remove them from that role if my primary closer is not getting enough innings. Otherwise, my closer often pitches WAY too much. i'm looking for 18-20ip for all my keep relievers. I will use Long Relieve role for any that are lagging. if you watch how the innings pile up, you can see where the problem areas will be. make sure to adjust roles.. maybe, flip existing etc... have SU come in 6th+. SU are some of the hardest to get enough innings. to start, i'll use them both as "long releiver" secondary roels, with no one in a primary role for LR. Take the option away from the AI. Force a pecking order you want based on observations. how it works is what matters, not our perception of what 'should be'. if oyu see 1 rp getting way too many innings, look at why that is happening.. a finite amount of factors impact it. reproduce it for the RP getting the shaft in IP. Last week of ST, i will send all mil players back down. I'll adjust this if any pitchers are overworked or whatever. ** I make sure to have 3 catchers. and again, any injuries just requires a callup and maybe sending someone down. The guys at bottom of lineup simply get fewer AB regardless of quality of the player.. wish they would change this. after years of buying and selling, i have all star quality 1-9 (maybe 1-7 some years) consistently. They shouldn't get less playing time in ST due to lineup spot, but it sure seems like that is a factor.. as if it has some causal link instead of purely correlative, which it is.. Sending guys down... could shortlist them as you bring them up, then you can mass select in shortlist and send them to AAA. ai will take care of rest on opening day. or, if you micromanage that, still easier to work with shortlist than your roster with tons of extra names clogging view. i move so few, i typically just select them from roster/transaction screen and drag them down. Sort by position or overall etc... can get them clustered or easily to stand out where spare players are. Special interests -- learningn new positons and such just layer on top of that base standard operating procedure for ST. adjust as needed for context. ---- side note that "tell ai to setup minors" isn't perfect... avoid repeatedly pressing it if you can. e.g. in a day or two after you send them down the to minor leagues from ST, it will reshuffle on its own before their seasons start. opening day MLB should cause that function to happen on its own. i find players being moved with that function - either us pushing it or the game doing it at certain points or caused by certain actions that arise while simulating - get lost if it is used multiple times on same day or same short time period... it tends to suck players from below and push them up.. i pushed it 2 or 3 times one day while working on something and noticed i had decimated the numbers at my lowest level... i wasn't even going to be able to draft enough players to fill the league, and that was of no concern whatsoever before i started pushing that button, LoL.. SoB! So, if you push it more than once per X time period, it will potentially cause problems with lower levels at the least Last edited by NoOne; 12-07-2021 at 07:16 PM.

12-09-2021, 04:50 PM	#28
andyhdz All Star Starter Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Fresno, CA by way of Texas Posts: 1,754	Let me give you the other side. I let the AI handle ST and it does a great job moving people in and out of the roster as needed as the roster is drawn down to 40 at the end of ST. It works very well when you need a player to learn a new position as well. The only thing that I would like to see is more emphasis on analytics of ST. I don't care who leads the league in homers during ST. The stats screen should be geared towards your team without you having to fish around and setup a filter. Yes you can see ST stats for your team but it takes a few clicks. Get rid of the generic ST league stats and set it up like you are a GM that needs to analyze how your players did. It's such an easy fix to do and would really help the overall flow of the game. __________________ *************************************** It's your game. Play it how you like it. ***************************************

12-11-2021, 06:49 PM	#31
Pelican Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2021 Location: Wilmington, Delaware Posts: 2,940	Hmmm posted here yesterday and I don’t see the post. [?]. The gist was that I love ST IRL, hope to get down to Florida (and/or Arizona) this year to see a few games. So of course I want a full ST in OOTP. Would love it if the game facilitated morning B games. (I know I can schedule additional games.) I have used seven day lineups to give rookies a chance to play, and of course veterans don’t always have to travel to Spring away games. When setting your individual RHP and LHP lineups, you can indicate subs and how often (e.g. every third game starts); but no way to say the vet starter only get one AB and then out. Also, no way I know of to end a tie game in extra innings, as teams would in ST IRL. I had a sixteen inning game between the Phils and Braves, position guys pitching, the last ST game, and these teams were facing each other the next day to start the season. Yes the roster is huge to start ST, but you can set to forty or whatever, and then periodically make cuts. I love giving guys who are raking or lights out pitchers more of a chance to make the show, as the rosters dwindle and the vets start playing more (so it gets harder). Cuts are agony, and OOTP forces tough decisions where guys are out of options, under an MLB contract, whatever. I can understand why trades happen on the eve of Opening Day. Last edited by Pelican; 12-11-2021 at 06:51 PM.

12-16-2021, 01:00 AM	#38
majesty95 All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: San Antonio, TX Posts: 1,789	Use "sit for x days" liberally during ST __________________ College Football Sim League

12-07-2021, 04:52 PM	#22
Sweed Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Iowa Posts: 6,678	I'm usually somewhere around 50 players on the ST squad. I go with ~50 PA for regular position players. 20 innings for SP, 5-4inning starts, ~10 innings for bullpen (8 may be enough?). I play 28 games so that leaves 3 games at the end for prospects to make a start. Prospect pitchers get the bulk of the remainder along with fillers getting some time as needed. Nobody is pitching that isn't at 100% rest. Prospect batters, extra C, etc. the same treatment. Prospects grouped with the MLB starter to split games and spot start at times. Then a few up and comers getting my first look in live games. Usually the last 4-5 games starters have worked off the rust and games are filled out totally with prospects and fillers.

12-10-2021, 11:40 AM	#29
Pelican Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2021 Location: Wilmington, Delaware Posts: 2,940	I like to play through an entire ST schedule, perhaps because I love ST and try to get to Florida (or Arizona) each year to see some games. Plus I like the idea of real competition for jobs and that phenom who is lights out (until April) and all the hard decisions on cuts. It's labor intensive, but you can not only set different starters for each day in seven-day lineups, but you can also create a rotation system for subs with the individual RHP and LHP lineups, so that everybody should get at-bats (or at least starts). Other than playing the games through, I don't know how to insure that the stars get their one AB and then head to the clubhouse. One thing I suggest, in imitation of IRL, is to bench the starters for ST road games. Stars don't ride busses. One caution on seven-day lineups during the regular season is to take care in settings. In the settings to the right, I usually toggle to deny use of alternative lineups, in favor of "no, stick to daily lineups". That prevents the AI manager from substituting its own lineups - and thus defeating the whole purpose of the seven-day lineups you have established. But, as to the next setting down, "allow use of depth chart", I toggle to "Yes", unless I am managing every game for that team. If you instead deny use of the depth chart, the AI is forced to keep playing guys who are worn out or at risk of injury (day-to-day), and their performance will eventually suffer. In other words, you want to lock in your lineups, except when one or more of your starters is fatigued or unable to play. The AI manager needs to have that discretion.