Gold 298 League

[Weaseltail]

Originally Posted by Orcin

If you don't have these, you are working toward these or you are playing for fun only.

I think this is generally right. There are some players like Trout, Betts, etc. that are just superior to almost every other available option. I share your wish that this wasn't the case.

But I also think there is still some room to experiment. One of my teams went to the WS (in a pretty tough silver league) with 4 diamond SPs and the rest gold/silver. I had to use a ton of platoons, an extreme stadium design, and a unique BP set-up with lots of specialists (plus a lot of luck), but I was able to be competitive.

I do think this will change as more teams start to overload on superior/meta players, though. My concern is that in a few weeks, all the top-tier teams will look basically the same and there won't be much point for them to experiment or continue to improve.

[Zorro]

Originally Posted by Orcin

I am sad that the best team has to be the same players. I was hoping for a game where I could see Ruth vs. Mantle and Cobb vs. Speaker, but instead we have:

C variety here
1B Goldschmidt/Freeman
2B Altuve/Ramirez
3B Arenado or other MLB2018 diamond
SS variety here
LF Yelich
CF Trout
RF Betts

SP deGrom
SP Sale
SP historical perfect
CL Diaz/Doolittle

If you don't have these, you are working toward these or you are playing for fun only.

I am just a bit cynical this morning, so maybe I am being too narrow in my view. But it does seem to be the same players on every top team, and most of them are MLB2018 players.

Yes, You just have to hope your Trout has a better season then their Trout. That is why I wanted a one player league where each player is only aloud one card in each league. But I did not take into account the moving up and moving down problem that it would cause. I really miss the pride of owning Mays and leading the league in anything for individual cards that we lack with this kind of play since everyone owns him also. I really wish we would have made this a single card league because I really like this much better then the online league but I do get tired of watching his Koufax beating my Koufax in the same game. But it is what it is and it is fun....

[Weaseltail]

Zorro, you may have put together the best starting rotation of any team in PT. When Dizzy Dean is your worst SP, you're doing something very right. Well done!

Now, please go easy on me today. It's way too early in the season to face that meat-grinder of a rotation when I still have naive dreams of being competitive this year.

[Dogberry99]

I would love to see comparisons of floors and variance in addition to ceilings, though those would likely require more data points to get meaningful information.

[Orcin]

After studying all of the teams in the league, I have amended my list as follows:

C Posey/Grandal
1B Goldschmidt/Freeman
2B Altuve/Ramirez
3B Arenado/Rendon
SS Lindor
LF Yelich
CF Trout
RF Betts

SP deGrom
SP Sale
SP Kershaw
SP Syndergaard
SP MLB2018 diamond
CL Treinen/Diaz/Doolittle
RP Minter/MLB2018 diamond starter

[One Post Wonder]

Originally Posted by Orcin

I am sad that the best team has to be the same players. I was hoping for a game where I could see Ruth vs. Mantle and Cobb vs. Speaker, but instead we have:

C variety here
1B Goldschmidt/Freeman
2B Altuve/Ramirez
3B Arenado or other MLB2018 diamond
SS variety here
LF Yelich
CF Trout
RF Betts

SP deGrom
SP Sale
SP historical perfect
CL Diaz/Doolittle

If you don't have these, you are working toward these or you are playing for fun only.

I am just a bit cynical this morning, so maybe I am being too narrow in my view. But it does seem to be the same players on every top team, and most of them are MLB2018 players.

With position changes, that shouldn't be true especially at 1b. I've got Joe Torre there (whose official spot is as an awful 3b) and IIRC he's a better fit for my offense than either of the guys you listed.

I've got Wade Boggs, and I like him better than any other option at 3b. I've got Scoscia and Charles Johnson at C and no-one is getting better defense than that. In fact looking at my regulars, I only have one guy who isn't historical. 4 of my 5 SP's are historical too.

I think what you're seeing is an example of whale teams who are buying the 'obvious' choices. But there are historical players who are a match for most of the 2018 guys - they're just hidden behind average looking OVRs. Also with pitchers, you have guys that are a better match for what you're trying to do than the high OVR types. I wanted high strikeout starters with high endurance, and historical is the way to go for that.

Is it just me or am I generally the one defending PT these days? What kind of Topsy Turvy world is this where I'm sounding like an OOTP fanboy?

[Zorro]

Originally Posted by Weaseltail

Zorro, you may have put together the best starting rotation of any team in PT. When Dizzy Dean is your worst SP, you're doing something very right. Well done!

Now, please go easy on me today. It's way too early in the season to face that meat-grinder of a rotation when I still have naive dreams of being competitive this year.

Thank you my friend but you certainly don’t need anyone to let up on you. You have been one of the top teams in my league for the last three years. (If not the top) You were always on my mind when I was going for that elusive Ring and here you are again.😁

[Zorro]

Originally Posted by Orcin

After studying all of the teams in the league, I have amended my list as follows:

C Posey/Grandal
1B Goldschmidt/Freeman
2B Altuve/Ramirez
3B Arenado/Rendon
SS Lindor
LF Yelich
CF Trout
RF Betts

SP deGrom
SP Sale
SP Kershaw
SP Syndergaard
SP MLB2018 diamond
CL Treinen/Diaz/Doolittle
RP Minter/MLB2018 diamond starter

Guess I will not do well this season since Betts is the only batter I have on that list.😁

[Orcin]

Originally Posted by One Post Wonder

With position changes, that shouldn't be true especially at 1b. I've got Joe Torre there (whose official spot is as an awful 3b) and IIRC he's a better fit for my offense than either of the guys you listed.

I've got Wade Boggs, and I like him better than any other option at 3b. I've got Scoscia and Charles Johnson at C and no-one is getting better defense than that. In fact looking at my regulars, I only have one guy who isn't historical. 4 of my 5 SP's are historical too.

I think what you're seeing is an example of whale teams who are buying the 'obvious' choices. But there are historical players who are a match for most of the 2018 guys - they're just hidden behind average looking OVRs. Also with pitchers, you have guys that are a better match for what you're trying to do than the high OVR types. I wanted high strikeout starters with high endurance, and historical is the way to go for that.

Is it just me or am I generally the one defending PT these days? What kind of Topsy Turvy world is this where I'm sounding like an OOTP fanboy?

I am pointing out the common arrangement among the top teams. There are around 100 teams in gold level that have .700 winning pct. and two playoff appearances. Those are the teams that I am looking at.

They are WAY more top teams with Freeman/Goldie than teams with all other 1B and converted 1B combined. Same with Arenado/Rendon vs.all other 3B.

Sure, you can think outside the box. When you get to perfect level with your team of Torre and Boggs and Ichiro, let me know. I will applaud. It will be an outlier though. The cookie cutter teams will dominate the perfect level in two weeks.

[One Post Wonder]

Originally Posted by Zorro

Guess I will not do well this season since Betts is the only batter I have on that list.😁

This guy gets it. This is the person who is going to save PT by showing you all that money can be beaten with strategy.

Zorro, I really hope to cross swords with you before I lose interest in the game (which is starting to happen). If so I'll show you the same respect that you show to the other owners - by looking at your weaknesses and making a special, customized effort to beat you!

[Orcin]

Originally Posted by One Post Wonder

Zorro, I really hope to cross swords with you before I lose interest in the game (which is starting to happen).

Why are you losing interest in the game?

[One Post Wonder]

Originally Posted by Orcin

Sure, you can think outside the box. When you get to perfect level with your team of Torre and Boggs and Ichiro, let me know.

I'm in gold currently. That's 2 more promotions, right? If I'm not there in 2 weeks I'll admit defeat to the generic robot teams. If I AM there in two weeks, then that doesn't look good for the future of these whale teams, since all of their advantage is going to be in the early game. Time isn't on their side.

In 6 weeks we'll know for sure. I mean, what you've listed is a great team. I think there will be a lot of these teams in Diamond and Perfect, but I believe that in time, the top 10-20 teams in the game will look a lot different from that.

[Orcin]

Originally Posted by One Post Wonder

In 6 weeks we'll know for sure. I mean, what you've listed is a great team. I think there will be a lot of these teams in Diamond and Perfect, but I believe that in time, the top 10-20 teams in the game will look a lot different from that.

If you think the top teams in Perfect level will have anything other than this lineup or better, you are delusional. Sure, they might have perfect Ruth, Gehrig, Walter Johnson, and Hornsby for variety. But they won't be populated by teams that have arranged their gold and silver cards like a genius.

[One Post Wonder]

Originally Posted by Orcin

Why are you losing interest in the game?

Because there are nowhere near as many strategic options as there are in the solo game. There's nothing to keep me coming back now that I've largely built my team.

The players are static, so there's no need to think about development and aging.

Scouting is 100%, so there's no need for me to check if Joe Torre, say, is hitting well and if he needs to be replaced. His contact rating is 91 and I'm a contact-based offense. Of course he's hitting well. And if he's not hitting well right now, he will hit well.

The golden era of AH trading has largely passed, so that part of the game is wrapped up for me. I've got my strategy laid out, so no need to tamper with that either

It doesn't mean the game is bad - if I looked for things to do, I could find them. Nothing is stopping me from continuing to work the AH. It's more a reflection of my short attention span. And perhaps that the enjoyment of PT, at least for me, has diminishing returns.

[Zorro]

Originally Posted by One Post Wonder

Zorro, I really hope to cross swords with you before I lose interest in the game (which is starting to happen). If so I'll show you the same respect that you show to the other owners - by looking at your weaknesses and making a special, customized effort to beat you!

Thank you very much my friend for the kind words. Don’t lose interest yet . We need positive and kind people on this forum. I to look forward to the day we can cross swords as you say. . I just wish these other great teams would just get out of our way and let us do it. Lol.. A lot of very fine players and teams around here.

[Zorro]

Originally Posted by Orcin

Sure, they might have perfect Ruth

Has anyone seen a perfect Ruth card yet? I have been very disappointed with the Ruth and Gehrig cards I have seen so far. To me Ruth was a God of baseball and anything less then 100 across the board would be insulting to me. Even his fielding was ok and his arm was good but his batting? To me he was to baseball what Vanilla is to ice cream. Perfect. :

[One Post Wonder]

Originally Posted by Orcin

If you think the top teams in Perfect level will have anything other than this lineup or better, you are delusional. Sure, they might have perfect Ruth, Gehrig, Walter Johnson, and Hornsby for variety. But they won't be populated by teams that have arranged their gold and silver cards like a genius.

Oh, they won't be made up of cut-rate teams. IMO they'll be teams that maybe have a couple of great silvers for defensive purposes, 75% gold, a couple of diamonds and a number of perfects.

I believe strongly that other than the various starting pitchers, some rare historical bats, and possibly Lindor, diamonds are way overrated and overpriced. Historical golds are where it's at, then perfects when you can afford them.

[Zorro]

Originally Posted by One Post Wonder

Because there are nowhere near as many strategic options as there are in the solo game. There's nothing to keep me coming back now that I've largely built my team.

The players are static, so there's no need to think about development and aging.

Scouting is 100%, so there's no need for me to check if Joe Torre, say, is hitting well and if he needs to be replaced. His contact rating is 91 and I'm a contact-based offense. Of course he's hitting well. And if he's not hitting well right now, he will hit well.

The golden era of AH trading has largely passed, so that part of the game is wrapped up for me. I've got my strategy laid out, so no need to tamper with that either

It doesn't mean the game is bad - if I looked for things to do, I could find them. Nothing is stopping me from continuing to work the AH. It's more a reflection of my short attention span. And perhaps that the enjoyment of PT, at least for me, has diminishing returns.

Yes, This is a totally different game. It is for people on the run who can stop life for a moment and play Others in a league. I put a lot of time in it because I can. This game offers others a little fun on the run....

[Orcin]

I started a different thread on the cookie cutter builds so as not to derail this thread about our league. Sorry for taking this thread down the rabbit hole.

[Zorro]

Originally Posted by VARoadstter

My Highland Brewers are here, too. We probably aren't a .500 team in this league.

Like I said before, You never know. Great job so far my friend...