Bullpens

ajgodson · 05-23-2011, 02:34 PM

I need help with my bullpen and I'm hoping someone can help me figure it out. I'm in my third season and it seems that my bullpen is a perrenial weakness, but that every move I make blows up on me. After this last trade, I decided I had to reach out for help and see if anyone has ideas on what the problem might be.

I keep trading for the best relief pitchers, but as soon as I do, they become terrible. My current batch of relievers is terrible (though the rest of my team is excellent) so I end up losing extra innings and late games all the time and struggle to stay about .500.

Andrew Bailey:

Before Me:
2010: 1.47 ERA, 25 saves
2011: (partial) 2.38 ERA, 3 Saves

With Me:
2011: 7.98 ERA in 33 innings
2012: 9.15 ERA in 20.2 innings

Daniel Schlereth: (rated 100 stuff, 80 Mov, 82 Con on 1-100)

Before Me:
2010: 2.98 ERA
2011 (partial): 3.88 ERA in 85 innings

With Me:
2012: 5.24 ERA in 48 innings
2013: 6.39 ERA in 43.2 innings

Craig Kimbrel

Before Me:
3 seasons of 25+ saves with an ERA under 3

With Me:
2013 (partial): 14.29 ERA in 17 innings, with 6 saves and 9 blown saves

I'm using guys in appropriate roles and they're happy (but not with their own performance). The rest of my bullpen is similarly terrible:

Axford: 4 stars, 6.21 ERA
Kinzler: 4 stars, 5.95 ERA
Braddock: 4 stars, 9.77 ERA
Fictional: 5 stars, 8.12 ERA
Fictional: 4.5 stars, 7.34 ERA
Fictional: 4.5 stars, 13.04 ERA

So, suffice to say, I'm frustrated with my 'pen and nothing in my 3 seasons of play/sim has helped so I come to you with suggestions.

Walsh06 · 05-23-2011, 02:38 PM

better fielders maybe. If your defence is weak they could be causing it. Do they have a lot of errors racked up??

How are your starters doing?? its very weird that all your relievers are doing poorly. Youd think one would be doing ok.

OakDragon · 05-23-2011, 02:40 PM

Only things I can think of (and you probably have already, too... just making sure) are make sure they're not used too often or kept in too long.

ajgodson · 05-23-2011, 03:27 PM

Thanks for the suggestions. I've upgraded my defense because it was driving me crazy. It's still not great (Prince Fielder), but I've got 100 (1-100 scale) at SS and CF and over 50 everywhere but first base.

My starters are excellent, which is why my bullpen drives me insane. My rotation this year (I have 5 games to go this season)

Grienke: 9-12, 2.58 ERA, .222 BAA, 1.00 WHIP
Gallardo: 9-12, 3.40 ERA, .225 BAA, 1.29 WHIP
Porcello: 12-12, 3.47 ERA, .246 BAA, 1.14 WHIP
Bumgarner: 15-6, 2.62 ERA, .250 BAA, 1.18 WHIP
Fictional: 6-4, 3.25 ERA, .260 BAA, 1.30 WHIP

They were even better last year, as Grienke and Gallardo were 1, 2 or 3 in just about every category (except wins, of course).

phillupi · 05-23-2011, 03:48 PM

I too would check fielding and the use of relievers. Are you playing the game or just simulating? If dimming check sliders and make sure they are set the wY you want. Also see if they are older and ratings are dropping. The fact that they all are about 1-2 ERA points higher tells me the sim is correct and your team just isn't supporting them.

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chort · 05-23-2011, 06:04 PM

Maybe under strategy for pitching set Left/Righty matchup farther towards "prefer" and under substitutions set Hook Starter father towards "slow." Basically try to get more innings from your starters and play more left/right matchups with the bullpen. Oh, and also set the slider for Pinch Hit for Pitcher more towards the "rare" side.

ajgodson · 05-23-2011, 06:11 PM

Good call on the settings. I usually have my settings like that, actually, especially the slower hook and the bullpen matchups (although I manage a fair amount myself.) I had 4 starters log 200+ innings, so I'm surprised their arms didn't fall off. Good suggestions, though!

Miker G · 05-24-2011, 03:33 AM

I'm playing all games and experienced something, that could fit into bad stats.

My relievers have decent stats, from 0,50 to 3,50 ERA. But almost everytime I sub out my starter with a runner on base, it´s an automatic score... It does not matter, who is relieving, they are racking hits, hbp´s, walks as soon as they are in the game. And if this is not enough, there will be an error too. It doesn't matter if I get good R/L matchups, my MR's can't stop the bleeding and my lead is gone. So I prefer to play on with the Pitcher and sub him out, when there is no one on base. Then my MR's are far better on the mound; this gives me a better record, even if I give up a big inning occasionally with the pitcher being out too long...

ajgodson · 05-24-2011, 09:47 AM

Awesome advice, Miker. I've noticed that, too, that when I bring in someone in the middle of an inning it's usually a disaster. I'll try the full-inning method and see how it goes.

Thanks for all the advice, gents.

My third season just ended and I missed the playoffs due to my horrible 'pen. I traded all of them for new relievers, so we'll see if there's any improvement.

jayaresea · 05-27-2011, 03:37 PM

Ha, you're the guy who replied to my prior thread about my crappy Milwaukee pen. Though they've leveled off a bit (i'm now at the 80 game mark of the 2011 season), they're still terrible and I also have no idea what to do.

My first question is...you mentioned getting a bunch of good relievers who then become terrible for you. How do their K/BB and BB/9 ratios carry over once on your team? Mine all stink. It's like if they're playing for me, they lose the ability to throw strikes. Latroy Hawkins is the Greg Maddux of the pen, with 4.20 BB/9 and 1.71 K/BB ratios. These are both tops among my MR, but would (easily) be worst among the five starters. A couple guys are barely below 9.00 BB/9 and Kameron Loe sports a robust 0.61 K/BB ratio. The point is...if your new (formerly good) relievers are also walking guys all over the place, that places less blame on your defense. Unfortunately it also makes this more of a mystery.

For fun, here's a comparison between what they're doing for me and what they've done in real life to this point.

Code:

             MY LEAGUE   |    REAL LIFE 
           BB/9    K/BB  |   BB/9   K/BB
Hawkins    4.20    1.71  |   3.00   2.01
Loe        8.63    0.61  |   3.10   1.68
Stetter    8.71    1.07  |   5.44   1.71
Axford     5.77    1.45  |   4.30   2.74
Lebron     5.40    1.43  |   7.12   1.88 (minors)
Parra      6.91    1.09  |   4.50   1.84
Green      6.66    1.16  |   4.44   1.53
Braddock   8.59    0.79  |   5.19   2.00
Saito      6.35    1.00  |   2.81   3.93

Other people have mentioned usage...Axford leads all my relievers in IP and is on pace for just 70. Three other guys are on pace for 60-70. I try really hard to keep them fresh and spread the IP around. Luckily my starters have been doing well, going relatively deep into games.

phillupi · 05-27-2011, 06:09 PM

Maybe your catchers are bad.

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05-23-2011, 02:34 PM	#1
ajgodson Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 24	Bullpens I need help with my bullpen and I'm hoping someone can help me figure it out. I'm in my third season and it seems that my bullpen is a perrenial weakness, but that every move I make blows up on me. After this last trade, I decided I had to reach out for help and see if anyone has ideas on what the problem might be. I keep trading for the best relief pitchers, but as soon as I do, they become terrible. My current batch of relievers is terrible (though the rest of my team is excellent) so I end up losing extra innings and late games all the time and struggle to stay about .500. Andrew Bailey: Before Me: 2010: 1.47 ERA, 25 saves 2011: (partial) 2.38 ERA, 3 Saves With Me: 2011: 7.98 ERA in 33 innings 2012: 9.15 ERA in 20.2 innings Daniel Schlereth: (rated 100 stuff, 80 Mov, 82 Con on 1-100) Before Me: 2010: 2.98 ERA 2011 (partial): 3.88 ERA in 85 innings With Me: 2012: 5.24 ERA in 48 innings 2013: 6.39 ERA in 43.2 innings Craig Kimbrel Before Me: 3 seasons of 25+ saves with an ERA under 3 With Me: 2013 (partial): 14.29 ERA in 17 innings, with 6 saves and 9 blown saves I'm using guys in appropriate roles and they're happy (but not with their own performance). The rest of my bullpen is similarly terrible: Axford: 4 stars, 6.21 ERA Kinzler: 4 stars, 5.95 ERA Braddock: 4 stars, 9.77 ERA Fictional: 5 stars, 8.12 ERA Fictional: 4.5 stars, 7.34 ERA Fictional: 4.5 stars, 13.04 ERA So, suffice to say, I'm frustrated with my 'pen and nothing in my 3 seasons of play/sim has helped so I come to you with suggestions.

05-24-2011, 03:33 AM	#8
Miker G Moderator Join Date: May 2003 Location: Hamburg, Germany Posts: 444	I'm playing all games and experienced something, that could fit into bad stats. My relievers have decent stats, from 0,50 to 3,50 ERA. But almost everytime I sub out my starter with a runner on base, it´s an automatic score... It does not matter, who is relieving, they are racking hits, hbp´s, walks as soon as they are in the game. And if this is not enough, there will be an error too. It doesn't matter if I get good R/L matchups, my MR's can't stop the bleeding and my lead is gone. So I prefer to play on with the Pitcher and sub him out, when there is no one on base. Then my MR's are far better on the mound; this gives me a better record, even if I give up a big inning occasionally with the pitcher being out too long... Last edited by Miker G; 05-24-2011 at 04:31 AM.

05-27-2011, 03:37 PM	#10
jayaresea Bat Boy Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 6	Ha, you're the guy who replied to my prior thread about my crappy Milwaukee pen. Though they've leveled off a bit (i'm now at the 80 game mark of the 2011 season), they're still terrible and I also have no idea what to do. My first question is...you mentioned getting a bunch of good relievers who then become terrible for you. How do their K/BB and BB/9 ratios carry over once on your team? Mine all stink. It's like if they're playing for me, they lose the ability to throw strikes. Latroy Hawkins is the Greg Maddux of the pen, with 4.20 BB/9 and 1.71 K/BB ratios. These are both tops among my MR, but would (easily) be worst among the five starters. A couple guys are barely below 9.00 BB/9 and Kameron Loe sports a robust 0.61 K/BB ratio. The point is...if your new (formerly good) relievers are also walking guys all over the place, that places less blame on your defense. Unfortunately it also makes this more of a mystery. For fun, here's a comparison between what they're doing for me and what they've done in real life to this point. Code: MY LEAGUE \| REAL LIFE BB/9 K/BB \| BB/9 K/BB Hawkins 4.20 1.71 \| 3.00 2.01 Loe 8.63 0.61 \| 3.10 1.68 Stetter 8.71 1.07 \| 5.44 1.71 Axford 5.77 1.45 \| 4.30 2.74 Lebron 5.40 1.43 \| 7.12 1.88 (minors) Parra 6.91 1.09 \| 4.50 1.84 Green 6.66 1.16 \| 4.44 1.53 Braddock 8.59 0.79 \| 5.19 2.00 Saito 6.35 1.00 \| 2.81 3.93 Other people have mentioned usage...Axford leads all my relievers in IP and is on pace for just 70. Three other guys are on pace for 60-70. I try really hard to keep them fresh and spread the IP around. Luckily my starters have been doing well, going relatively deep into games.

05-23-2011, 02:38 PM	#2
Walsh06 All Star Reserve Join Date: May 2011 Posts: 545	better fielders maybe. If your defence is weak they could be causing it. Do they have a lot of errors racked up?? How are your starters doing?? its very weird that all your relievers are doing poorly. Youd think one would be doing ok.

05-23-2011, 02:40 PM	#3
OakDragon Hall Of Famer Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: San Jose, CA USA Posts: 3,495	Only things I can think of (and you probably have already, too... just making sure) are make sure they're not used too often or kept in too long.

05-23-2011, 03:27 PM	#4
ajgodson Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 24	Thanks for the suggestions. I've upgraded my defense because it was driving me crazy. It's still not great (Prince Fielder), but I've got 100 (1-100 scale) at SS and CF and over 50 everywhere but first base. My starters are excellent, which is why my bullpen drives me insane. My rotation this year (I have 5 games to go this season) Grienke: 9-12, 2.58 ERA, .222 BAA, 1.00 WHIP Gallardo: 9-12, 3.40 ERA, .225 BAA, 1.29 WHIP Porcello: 12-12, 3.47 ERA, .246 BAA, 1.14 WHIP Bumgarner: 15-6, 2.62 ERA, .250 BAA, 1.18 WHIP Fictional: 6-4, 3.25 ERA, .260 BAA, 1.30 WHIP They were even better last year, as Grienke and Gallardo were 1, 2 or 3 in just about every category (except wins, of course).

05-23-2011, 03:48 PM	#5
phillupi All Star Reserve Join Date: May 2011 Posts: 814	I too would check fielding and the use of relievers. Are you playing the game or just simulating? If dimming check sliders and make sure they are set the wY you want. Also see if they are older and ratings are dropping. The fact that they all are about 1-2 ERA points higher tells me the sim is correct and your team just isn't supporting them. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

05-23-2011, 06:04 PM	#6
chort Minors (Single A) Join Date: May 2011 Posts: 91	Maybe under strategy for pitching set Left/Righty matchup farther towards "prefer" and under substitutions set Hook Starter father towards "slow." Basically try to get more innings from your starters and play more left/right matchups with the bullpen. Oh, and also set the slider for Pinch Hit for Pitcher more towards the "rare" side.

05-23-2011, 06:11 PM	#7
ajgodson Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 24	Good call on the settings. I usually have my settings like that, actually, especially the slower hook and the bullpen matchups (although I manage a fair amount myself.) I had 4 starters log 200+ innings, so I'm surprised their arms didn't fall off. Good suggestions, though!

05-24-2011, 09:47 AM	#9
ajgodson Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 24	Awesome advice, Miker. I've noticed that, too, that when I bring in someone in the middle of an inning it's usually a disaster. I'll try the full-inning method and see how it goes. Thanks for all the advice, gents. My third season just ended and I missed the playoffs due to my horrible 'pen. I traded all of them for new relievers, so we'll see if there's any improvement.

05-27-2011, 06:09 PM	#11
phillupi All Star Reserve Join Date: May 2011 Posts: 814	Maybe your catchers are bad. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk