Beginner Questions

[bly08]

Hi I'm a long time FM player playing my first OOTP game. I have some general gameplay questions to ask the forum. Also, should I ask management questions specific to ballclubs here or in the dynasty thread? Thank you for your help.

For gameplay:

1.) What's the order of importance in rating for SP? Is it generally control > movement > stuff? Does it change when looking for an ace rather than a middle of the rotation guy? I've noticed a lot of the aces in the game have great stuff but not necessarily great control.

2.) Do most people set all of their team strategy? I find there are too many pages to set individually and I'm not sure which manager's strategy to import. Any advice on the defense and pitching sliders?

3.) How many bench/utility players and relievers should you generally have on a 25 man roster? I try to have a backup C, IF, OF, 5 SP and rest relievers. Does it vary for DH vs no DH leagues?

4.) Any general tips for discerning whether a low rated player can have a good season? I use 30/40/20/10 and try to go by a lot of stats.

5.) Why is it that for some position players who have great ratings for range/positional ability, their scouting reports say they are not great defenders, but also vice versa? How important is arm relative to error?

6.) When building a strong defense, is it important to have a great fielding 1B and C? I've found that a lot of Cs with great defensive ratings end up with -ZR and < 1 eff, could that be sample size or is catcher defense evaluated differently?

7.) When building a lineup with contact hitters and high OBP, how important is avoiding Ks compared to contact and eye?

8.) When free agents try to shake you down for more money and say they're talking to other teams, do you always lose them if you don't offer them another deal or are they sometimes lying about having other bidders?

[mgoetze]

(1) I like to have balanced pitchers as starters with regard to stuff/control/movement, but that's not really the key. To be an effective starter, a pitcher needs: (a) At least 3 different decently-rated pitches, else his stuff will drop off too much as a starter - you can see how big this effect is by using Set Position to MR/SP and checking the stuff rating; (b) a minimum amount of stamina, I prefer not to go below 8 out of 20 if I can avoid it; (c) a minimal platoon split, you don't want a starter to be exploitable by stacking the lineup with lefties/righties (and conversely platoon splits are more useful to relievers because you can control which batters they face).

(2) I don't, the only thing I did was ban intentional walks entirely in all situations. In my experience, the AI will do stupid things regardless of the settings (e.g. steal from 2nd to 3rd when you need 2 runs to tie the game anyway), so the only safe thing to do is play out your games yourself entirely. Personally that's too slow a pace for me so I just live with it, the opponents do the same after all.

(3) Standard modern-day usage is something like 5 SP, 7 relievers, 2 catchers, 6 infielders, 5 outfielders. Personally I prefer an additional position player and only 6 relievers. This is a fun area to experiment with.

(4) It kind of depends on your scouting accuracy setting, but even at high accuracy there will be some overrated/underrated guys.

(5) I can't speak to what the text of the scouting report says, but here are some words on what you need at various positions:
C: Catcher Arm and Catcher Ability, obviously. I don't know whether some of the infield ratings might get involved on rare occassions.
1B: Most important is height, followed by Range and Error. Everything else basically worthless.
2B: This is the position where Turn DP counts most. Range and Error are also very important, Arm secondary.
SS: Toughest infield position, Range and Error are somewhat more important than Turn DP and Arm but everything counts.
3B: Arm is most important here, with Range and Error secondary. Turn DP not necessary.
RF: Here's where you can make Outfield Arm really count. Range and Error help too, of course.
CF: Toughest outfield position. Everything is important, but Range especially so.
LF: Easiest outfield position, put the guys not good enough for RF or CF here.

(6) No, the most important positions for a great defense are up the middle: 2B, SS and CF.

(7) Avoid K is merely fluff. Contact is most important, HR power and Eye about equal and Gap Power least important (of the 4 meaningful stats). For your high-OBP leadoff man you want high Contact and Eye.

(8) In my experience you will lose them if you do not up your offer.

[goalieump413]

1.) What's the order of importance in rating for SP? Is it generally control > movement > stuff? Does it change when looking for an ace rather than a middle of the rotation guy? I've noticed a lot of the aces in the game have great stuff but not necessarily great control.

A: I look at Stuff first, as it's a good rating for strikeouts. Control comes next, since I don't want my SP falling behind and throwing a lot of pitches, walking guys.

2.) Do most people set all of their team strategy? I find there are too many pages to set individually and I'm not sure which manager's strategy to import. Any advice on the defense and pitching sliders?

A: I don't worry too much about the team strategy. If I don't like results, I will fiddle with it, like when the team runs too much... The only thing I really pay attention to is hook ratings for certain pitchers. I look at the pitcher game logs to see how deep he went game after game, and if it's too short or long, I'll make an adjustment.

3.) How many bench/utility players and relievers should you generally have on a 25 man roster? I try to have a backup C, IF, OF, 5 SP and rest relievers. Does it vary for DH vs no DH leagues?

A: Have at least 1 utility OF and IF, and have 7 in the bullpen including the CL. You need 2 C of course, so from there, add the guys that can play more than one position (1B-OF) is great.

4.) Any general tips for discerning whether a low rated player can have a good season? I use 30/40/20/10 and try to go by a lot of stats.

A: A "good season" is hard to define, as there are a broad range of player types that can have "good" seasons, even though their stats may not reflect it. You might keep a veteran utility guy on your roster because he has a high work ethic and high leadership ratings, even though he may never have a high OPS again. Also, you might find one rating (like eye/disc.) that keeps him in the bigs, even though his OPS might suffer.

5.) Why is it that for some position players who have great ratings for range/positional ability, their scouting reports say they are not great defenders, but also vice versa? How important is arm relative to error?

A: Because you have scouting turned on. Sometimes your scout sees a player through rose colored glasses and is not all that accurate. As for arm, I believe it's a strength rating, so it's probably not directly related to avoiding errors.

6.) When building a strong defense, is it important to have a great fielding 1B and C? I've found that a lot of Cs with great defensive ratings end up with -ZR and < 1 eff, could that be sample size or is catcher defense evaluated differently?

A: Well, the better the rating, the better the player, regardless of making a thorough comparison. I should say though that run prevention, in general, can help a middling pitching staff look and perform better.

7.) When building a lineup with contact hitters and high OBP, how important is avoiding Ks compared to contact and eye?

A: Don't get me started Some say that avoid K's is a useless rating, while I contend that a higher avoid K rating means a batter simply puts the ball in play more often, advancing runners, and providing a better chance to drive in runs. Contact is an amalgamated rating, and is the most dominant rating you should focus on.

8.) When free agents try to shake you down for more money and say they're talking to other teams. Do you always lose them if you don't offer them another deal or are they sometimes lying about having other bidders?

A: I've not run across one of my guys lying to me, but it doesn't mean it never happens. The player will sign with another team if you ignore him or fail to pony up the dough, so don't view the negotiation as a bluff on behalf of the player.

[bly08]

Originally Posted by goalieump413

5.) Why is it that for some position players who have great ratings for range/positional ability, their scouting reports say they are not great defenders, but also vice versa? How important is arm relative to error?

A: Because you have scouting turned on. Sometimes your scout sees a player through rose colored glasses and is not all that accurate. As for arm, I believe it's a strength rating, so it's probably not directly related to avoiding errors.

So when a player has good fielding ratings but his scouting report itself says he's average at best, which should I trust?

[RchW]

Originally Posted by bly08

So when a player has good fielding ratings but his scouting report itself says he's average at best, which should I trust?

Your scout is just an adviser. Read what he says but make the call yourself. Balance offensive production vs any defensive shortcomings. It's perfectly acceptable to have a good/great bat start for you. Try not to compromise up the middle C-2B-SS-CF unless you have no choice. Never have poor defensive players on the bench ie in a choice between 2 non-starting bats the defensive player wins every time unless you are a poor hitting team.

Check your pitching staff GB%. Although it is not a certainty if you have FB pitchers make sure the OF can catch the ball and vice versa for GB and infield.

[Charlie Hough]

1.) What's the order of importance in rating for SP? Is it generally control > movement > stuff? Does it change when looking for an ace rather than a middle of the rotation guy? I've noticed a lot of the aces in the game have great stuff but not necessarily great control.

Stuff is most important. Ground ball percentage is also huge. Velocity can really make a pitcher dominant, but high 80s to low 90s can also produce an outstanding pitcher if his other ratings are good. You want the best ratings you can get across the board. You don't want any rating with a glaring weakness. I never use pitchers with control below 5 on a 10-point scale. They will give up a lot of walks, and if you're managing games and want to pitch around some of the best betters, then there will be an even higher likelihood of giving up walks.

2.) Do most people set all of their team strategy? I find there are too many pages to set individually and I'm not sure which manager's strategy to import. Any advice on the defense and pitching sliders?

I manage all of my games or leave it to the AI manager. There have been times that I've set my own strategies, and once you do this, I think you can export the managerial profile for use in future saved games. I have a very distinct managerial approach that is completely removed from how managers handle the game of baseball today. It's heavily influenced by deadball era strategies with an emphasis on hit-and-run, pitching, and defense.

3.) How many bench/utility players and relievers should you generally have on a 25 man roster? I try to have a backup C, IF, OF, 5 SP and rest relievers. Does it vary for DH vs no DH leagues?

It depends on the era. I always make sure there is a decent backup at every position in the field. So I focus on having good utility infielders and utility outfielders. I always try to draft, trade for, or sign some good reserve players who can play multiple positions and be good offensive contributors if there are injuries. You're going to have to deal with injuries frequently, so having good depth is critical.

4.) Any general tips for discerning whether a low rated player can have a good season? I use 30/40/20/10 and try to go by a lot of stats.

I use 40/40/15/5. And you need to make sure to have the players assessed based on AI evaluations, otherwise those settings aren't used. There are thresholds below which players are unlikely to have good seasons. I try to use contact minimums for batters and stuff minimums for pitchers, along with a balance of their other ratings, to make sure that I don't have any really weak links. Anyone who at least has a 5 contact on a 10-point scale can potentially have a really good batting season. And anyone with stuff of 4 or better can potentially have a really good pitching season. But their other ratings can't have huge weaknesses either.

5.) Why is it that for some position players who have great ratings for range/positional ability, their scouting reports say they are not great defenders, but also vice versa? How important is arm relative to error?

I turn off scouting and rely on my own judgment. Scouting reports are helpful, but if your scouts aren't very good, then they will be misleading. I refuse to accept any players if they major defensive weaknesses. I'd rather have a balanced and average player over a player who has one or two excellent ratings but a terrible arm or bad error tendencies.

6.) When building a strong defense, is it important to have a great fielding 1B and C? I've found that a lot of Cs with great defensive ratings end up with -ZR and < 1 eff, could that be sample size or is catcher defense evaluated differently?

A good defensive catcher is important, especially in terms of arm and catcher ability. The arm will help cut down on stolen bases, and catcher ability will actually help your pitchers perform a bit better.

7.) When building a lineup with contact hitters and high OBP, how important is avoiding Ks compared to contact and eye?

Avoiding Ks is critically important. Batters who are prone to strikeouts will often strikeout in key situations with runners on base. I would much rather have a batter who will put the ball in play. That's where eye can also be important so that he will wait on good pitches and not make bad decisions and simply ground into a double play or line out. Obviously, there are no guarantees, but I avoid high strikeout batters wherever possible.

8.) When free agents try to shake you down for more money and say they're talking to other teams, do you always lose them if you don't offer them another deal or are they sometimes lying about having other bidders?

In my experience, you risk losing out on the free agent if you don't raise your offer. Yes, they're probably lying at times, but if you increase the offers at the end, you will almost always sign them. In fact, I find the AI to be very poor in handling final negotiations, and it's far too easy for the human GM to horde top free agents. But you can always experiment and evaluate the results, but if there is a player that you really want, I wouldn't fool around and risk losing him.

[mgoetze]

Originally Posted by Charlie Hough

Stuff is most important. Ground ball percentage is also huge. Velocity can really make a pitcher dominant, but high 80s to low 90s can also produce an outstanding pitcher if his other ratings are good.

This is redundant, as velocity is already fully accounted for in the stuff rating. Groundball percentage, OTOH, is indeed important. There is some newer research which suggests that pitchers with high flyball rates actually have more ability to control how many of those flyballs become HRs than other pitchers, but it is unclear whether OOTP takes this into account, and in any case high groundball rates are certain to be better than 50%ish ones.

[Charlie Hough]

Originally Posted by mgoetze

This is redundant, as velocity is already fully accounted for in the stuff rating.

No, it's not redundant. Per the OOTP manual ...

Velocity is important for certain pitches that are heavily dependent upon velocity. For example, a fastball relies heavily upon velocity, while a knuckleball does not. Velocity is factored into the overall Stuff rating, as well as the ratings of individual pitches.

Stuff is a measure of the quality of a pitcher's pitch repertoire. Think of it as essentially how a pitcher "puts it all together." Stuff directly affects the number of strikeouts a pitcher throws. Stuff is calculated based on a combination of his individual pitch ratings and the velocity with which he throws.

Just as in real life, pitchers with high velocity should be coveted in OOTP. As prospects, even if their other ratings are suspect, high velocity means that, once those ratings begin to develop, the combination with velocity can potentially make them dominant pitchers. Also, high velocity benefits their individual pitch ratings.

Given that stuff is a combination of all of the ratings along with velocity, having high velocity at least provides a potential foundation to build up the rest and become a better overall strikeout pitcher. When you add that to the impact on individual pitch ratings as well, velocity should always be among the priorities in evaluating players.

[mgoetze]

So you just quoted the OOTP Manual as saying

Velocity is factored into the overall Stuff rating

Well, that's exactly what I said. Just look at the stuff rating and it will already account for how good the pitcher's velocity is.

[Charlie Hough]

Originally Posted by mgoetze

So you just quoted the OOTP Manual as saying

Well, that's exactly what I said. Just look at the stuff rating and it will already account for how good the pitcher's velocity is.

No, you posted an oversimplification and suggested that velocity was redundant because it's already included in the stuff rating.

You failed to account for all of the ways that velocity ties into a pitcher's ability, including individual pitches, which the manual points out. High velocity means that a pitcher's fastball pitch rating will be higher, and that's vitally important. It also plays into the forkball and slider, meaning that high velocity can potentially give the pitcher higher ratings in those pitches.

Per posts by Markus in past beta testing and development when the pitching model was revised:

Velocity is calculated first when creating a player, based on the K-rate. Stuff is calculated afterwards, using velocity in the equation.

So, yes, velocity is included in the stuff rating, but it has primacy in player creation. This also means it is very important in pitcher development because of how it can drive individual pitch ratings and ultimately the stuff rating.

As velocity now is one main factor, its development is important.

So, as a young player gains velocity, his pitch ratings and stuff will often improve. As he loses velocity, his pitch ratings and stuff will suffer. So if there is a pitcher who is 30 years old and has a velocity of 89, guess what? His pitch ratings and stuff will likely only get worse from there. Velocity development is a big factor, so it's important to pay attention to velocity when evaluating players at various ages. Older players lose it in OOTP, so you have to hedge your bets accordingly.

[bly08]

So for G/B I always want something like 55+ for everyone? I'm playing as the Red Sox and Fenway is really doubles friendly, does that mean it's even more important for me to have all groundball pitchers? I was also wondering how many left handers are you supposed to have in a standard rotation and bullpen? Thanks.

Also, is this the consensus for analyzing defensive ratings by position?

Originally Posted by mgoetze

(5) I can't speak to what the text of the scouting report says, but here are some words on what you need at various positions:
C: Catcher Arm and Catcher Ability, obviously. I don't know whether some of the infield ratings might get involved on rare occassions.
1B: Most important is height, followed by Range and Error. Everything else basically worthless.
2B: This is the position where Turn DP counts most. Range and Error are also very important, Arm secondary.
SS: Toughest infield position, Range and Error are somewhat more important than Turn DP and Arm but everything counts.
3B: Arm is most important here, with Range and Error secondary. Turn DP not necessary.
RF: Here's where you can make Outfield Arm really count. Range and Error help too, of course.
CF: Toughest outfield position. Everything is important, but Range especially so.
LF: Easiest outfield position, put the guys not good enough for RF or CF here.

[goalieump413]

Originally Posted by bly08

So for G/B I always want something like 55+ for everyone? I'm playing as the Red Sox and Fenway is really doubles friendly, does that mean it's even more important for me to have all groundball pitchers? I was also wondering how many left handers are you supposed to have in a standard rotation and bullpen? Thanks.

Also, is this the consensus for analyzing defensive ratings by position?

You'd be better off with more groundball pitchers on your staff, sure, but there's no set in stone rule. Just make sure that if your staff has good groundball percentage ratings, you have the infield range and error ratings to get outs. It's one thing to roll a ground ball, but it's another for the fielder to do something with it once it's hit his way.

As for RH/LH ratios, again, there's no real good answer. All you need to do is make sure you have some variety. Some people swear by the LOOGY, some don't. It's all up to you. Keep at least 1 LH reliever in your pen, maybe 2 if he's good enough. Most MLB staffs have at least 1 LH starter, but often there's 2 or more. It just depends on talent.

[The Game]

Originally Posted by bly08

Hi I'm a long time FM player playing my first OOTP game. I have some general gameplay questions to ask the forum. Also, should I ask management questions specific to ballclubs here or in the dynasty thread? Thank you for your help.

For gameplay:

1.) What's the order of importance in rating for SP? Is it generally control > movement > stuff? Does it change when looking for an ace rather than a middle of the rotation guy? I've noticed a lot of the aces in the game have great stuff but not necessarily great control.

2.) Do most people set all of their team strategy? I find there are too many pages to set individually and I'm not sure which manager's strategy to import. Any advice on the defense and pitching sliders?

3.) How many bench/utility players and relievers should you generally have on a 25 man roster? I try to have a backup C, IF, OF, 5 SP and rest relievers. Does it vary for DH vs no DH leagues?

4.) Any general tips for discerning whether a low rated player can have a good season? I use 30/40/20/10 and try to go by a lot of stats.

5.) Why is it that for some position players who have great ratings for range/positional ability, their scouting reports say they are not great defenders, but also vice versa? How important is arm relative to error?

6.) When building a strong defense, is it important to have a great fielding 1B and C? I've found that a lot of Cs with great defensive ratings end up with -ZR and < 1 eff, could that be sample size or is catcher defense evaluated differently?

7.) When building a lineup with contact hitters and high OBP, how important is avoiding Ks compared to contact and eye?

8.) When free agents try to shake you down for more money and say they're talking to other teams, do you always lose them if you don't offer them another deal or are they sometimes lying about having other bidders?

1. Not really sure my guess is Stuff. I have a guy that throws 82 with a knuck and is a 4 star ace.

2. I set the1st page and then copy to all times & situations I also play 76% of my games for the leagues I sim I let the mgr do the strategy.

3. back up C, and then 2 IF, 2 OF hopefully one of which can play both IF & OF. 5 SP 6 MR 1 CL Also depends on talent and where I am at in the season. Typically the 1st month you wont use your #5 or in my case #4 SP as often so I go with the extra bat and carry 11 pitchers until around May 15th.

4. Crapshoot. I have had 1 star players hit .330 I had had 5 star players hit .250. As a general rule the higher rated players are going to out perform the lower rated players. Also depends on how good your scout is.

5. My SS has a 5 arm, 6 range 3 E (1-10 scale) and committed 6 E in his MVP year with a 10.3 ZR, the scouting report says he will get to the normal plays. Another roll of the dice. (In that league scouting is 100%)

6. Personally I will take a strong arm over ability. 6 or better. I have had 1B with no rating at 1B have less then 10 E and 1B with 5 rating have 35 E.

7. If their Eye is high they shouldn't strike out much, not sure i understand your question on this one.

8. Under Pending Offers you can usually tell if they prefer your offer or is likely to sign elsewhere. If he lives closer to that city then yours offer him more $$.

[The Game]

Originally Posted by bly08

So for G/B I always want something like 55+ for everyone? I'm playing as the Red Sox and Fenway is really doubles friendly, does that mean it's even more important for me to have all groundball pitchers? I was also wondering how many left handers are you supposed to have in a standard rotation and bullpen? Thanks.

Also, is this the consensus for analyzing defensive ratings by position?

55% for everyone? Sounds like you have tons of money to spend. I try to always carry 2 LHP 3 RHP as SP and 2-3 LHP in the pen and the rest RHP. Depends on whether or not my CL is a leftie or righty and other factors like park, division foes, etc. I have won with a starting 5 of all righties and a starting 5 of all lefties, if they get the guys out ultimately it doesn't matter.
My staff from my Chicago Fire which is a mix of real and fictional players:
#1 Me on steroids RHP 60 GB%
#2 a clone of Greg Maddux 56%
#3 a 5 yr vet LHP 12-13 last year 42%
#4 a rookie my top prospect RHP 46 %
#5 a LHP was in the pen last year but is a clone of Billy Pierce 48%
Pen
CL is a LHP a 8 year vet leads mu league in saves LHP 51%
MR a clone of Jon Rauch RHP 45%
MR Clone of Dan Plesac LHP 56%
MR rookie RHP 7 STA good #'s at AAA 44%
MR 6 yr vet paying him 3.2 per sn over 4. Used to be a closer RHP 63%
MR 2nd season RHP was injured last year so only had 12 IP 52%

As far as the 2nd part no not overall. I know 14 changed things so that height does matter and since i am still on 13 it does not matter to me. I have Eddie Gaedel at 1B. Amazingly good player on OOTP .265 4 HR .343 OBP as a rookie last year. I am sure he will suck this year but my other 1B is injured til August. He is 5'8.
Here is what i care about
C arm Charles Johnson
1B who cares Gaedel
2B Turn DP
3B arm Ventura
SS range no arm lower then 4. Banks
LF dont care
CF range Lance Johnson is my CF
RF Prefer arm but my RF is Harold Baines 5 arm 5 range His ZR tends to be negative. But he hits really well.

[goalieump413]

Originally Posted by The Game

...RF Prefer arm but my RF is Harold Baines 5 arm 5 range His ZR tends to be negative. But he hits really well.

Good stuff. That's where I'd rather have run production vs run prevention in the OF. Infielders are another story, but in LF and RF, if my guys are lumbering bums, so long as they drive in runs, I'm okay. Conversely, I want my CF to track everything down, regardless of how he hits.

[mgoetze]

Originally Posted by bly08

Also, is this the consensus for analyzing defensive ratings by position?

I should perhaps mention that I reached these conclusions by playing around with ratings in the editor and seeing the resulting position ratings at max experience.