Looking for a stats guide for noobies

[NoxMortem]

I have no idea about baseball and constantly use wikipedia to find out what those terms mean. However, for some stats, especially the gamey stats, it is difficult to judge for what I have to look out.

Has someone written a overview forum post or a guide for beginners? I am looking for a list like

"Contact": Important for position AAA. Pitch-By-Pitch plays BBB. Strategies CCC.

etc.

Currently I make all my decisions solely by "Batting Potential" and "Pitching Potential" and let the AI handle most of the other stuffs. I do not play out any games as I feel I could not make a single well founded decision

[BigRed75]

Look at the two pinned posts at the top of this thread. While I don't agree with all of the tips in it, particularly roster management, it does give a good overview.

Honestly, I would suggest you should be playing out games. It's the best way to learn what the options will do. Honestly, it doesn't really matter if you stuff things up now and then.

[NoxMortem]

I have read both threads and read them from time to time, but most of the stats are not not even listed there. Only a handful are even named (Contact) and one of them referred to "Editor" is a derived stat even only visible in Commisioner mode.

I have also read the OOTP manual, but it does only translate many of the terms and ratings into other baseballs terms.

E.g.

Velocity
Velocity is a measure of how fast a pitcher throws. Velocity is not measured according to the standard rating system, but rather is measured in miles per hour. Velocity can change over time, with younger players typically gaining velocity as they fill out, and losing velocity due to age or injury. 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.

.... and if I have a player with a high velocity, I know he can throw fastballs, but what action would I take in OOTP because that? Do I even care if he can throw fastballs? Which strategy settings would I change if he does not throw fast? How would I alter player strategy?

I have not find any information for beginners. I also played Front Office Football 7 which is a NFL GM sim and there some players had written guides on how to scout, which ratings to look for, which ratings would translate into which strategies. This allowed me to have it way easier to find myself into the game than in OOTP 17, altough I do not know anything really much about both games.

Thank you for the tip with playing games out. Is there any way to see why an action did not turn out good or failed? Should I use the extended play text (the game says I should use the short text). Should I play pitch-by-pitch?

Still, thank you for your answer. One thing I had missed was the recommendation to use the 1-100 scale for better insights on how the stats work. This helps a lot

[BigRed75]

One thing that I see straight away - what you are calling "stats" (contact, velocity, etc.) are actually ratings. Stats would be things such as base hits, batting average, home runs, ERA, etc. that indicate what the players have done throughout the season, whereas ratings are a subjective measurement of a player's skills.

Because ratings are used to simulate scouting reports, which are made by real-life human beings, they are not necessarily 100% accurate. Again, that simulates real life. Sometimes scouts get it wrong. Sometimes highly-regarded prospects don't develop for whatever reason.

My advice is not to get too bogged out in the minutiae of individual player strategy while you are still trying to get your head around the game of baseball. Let the game be your guide. Rely on the manager to set your batting lineups and pitching staffs (through the use of the "ask manager for lineups" option). Start out in play-by-play mode, rather than pitch-by-pitch mode.

As you get more comfortable with the game of baseball, you can gradually take control of more of the options. Some you may never want to mess with. Personally, I never go into the individual player strategy screen, and I've been around the game since I was 5 years old. It's just not the way I like to play; I'm more of a "build a roster and see how it goes" type of player. You'll need to figure out how you wish to play the game, but don't try to do too much too soon.

[NoxMortem]

Oh! Yes. You completly got me right. I am glad you understood what I meant although I completly mixed up the two terms

I am also more of a draft/roster GM-type of player in such games. At least this is how I played FoF7. I like to get through many seasons quickly and see how the team overall performs over many games. This always feels way easier for me to grasp without prior knowledge of the sport.

[TGH-Adfabre]

1) Turn off scouting or set it to 100% accrate, the game is hard to learn when the Ratings are correct.
Quick oversimplified explanations:


Batters
Higher # is better
Contact- Putting the bat on the ball- not sure of the exact formula but it seemed that CON+POW+EYE= Batting average/On Base Percentage- Contact being the most important of the three for Average
Gap- Extra base hits that are not HRs-
Power- Home runs- I cannot remember why I think it is relevant to Bating Average, I may be going off the way older versions worked.
Avoid Ks- Higher is less strike outs- The least important batting rating IMO
Eye- Walks/OBP

Pitchers
Higher is better
Stuff- Strike outs
Movement- Home runs given up
Control- Walks
Stamina- I think the cutoff for Starters is 35/100- I usually want a higher # like 50/100 as a minimum- This number does not equate to a pitch count
Velocity will commonly equate to a high stuff
3 quality pitches for a Starter- say 4/10as a minimum- If all 3 are 4/10 he will get shelled, that would be the 3rd best pitch
Fielding-
OF
Left- Typically least competent outfielder but they can hit
Center- Most important OF- High Range and Error
Right- High OF Arm, then range and error
IF
1B- Hitter- Fielding is usually dubious quality
2B- Turn double play and IF error important
SS- 2nd most important defense- some argue most important and they have valid points- High error, range, turn DP
3B- High IF arm and error


C- Oddest position- This is a balance between the value of a defensive catcher and the value of offense at a position that historically has not provided much. I tend to lean towards defense, this tends to be a low salary position for me- Others will argue I am insane being cheap at this position-
P- Defense is not a factor I look at


Pitchers

[BleedCubbieBlue12]

Not really an answer for your question, but I'm glad you've gotten into this game. Baseball is an incredible sport that a lot of people don't get or hate. Good luck with whichever team you choose (hopefully the Cubs . ) and may you enjoy your game!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[rj58]

Originally Posted by TGH-Adfabre

1) Turn off scouting or set it to 100% accrate, the game is hard to learn when the Ratings are correct.
Quick oversimplified explanations:


Batters
Higher # is better
Contact- Putting the bat on the ball- not sure of the exact formula but it seemed that CON+POW+EYE= Batting average/On Base Percentage- Contact being the most important of the three for Average
Gap- Extra base hits that are not HRs-
Power- Home runs- I cannot remember why I think it is relevant to Bating Average, I may be going off the way older versions worked.
Avoid Ks- Higher is less strike outs- The least important batting rating IMO
Eye- Walks/OBP

Pitchers
Higher is better
Stuff- Strike outs
Movement- Home runs given up
Control- Walks
Stamina- I think the cutoff for Starters is 35/100- I usually want a higher # like 50/100 as a minimum- This number does not equate to a pitch count
Velocity will commonly equate to a high stuff
3 quality pitches for a Starter- say 4/10as a minimum- If all 3 are 4/10 he will get shelled, that would be the 3rd best pitch
Fielding-
OF
Left- Typically least competent outfielder but they can hit
Center- Most important OF- High Range and Error
Right- High OF Arm, then range and error
IF
1B- Hitter- Fielding is usually dubious quality
2B- Turn double play and IF error important
SS- 2nd most important defense- some argue most important and they have valid points- High error, range, turn DP
3B- High IF arm and error


C- Oddest position- This is a balance between the value of a defensive catcher and the value of offense at a position that historically has not provided much. I tend to lean towards defense, this tends to be a low salary position for me- Others will argue I am insane being cheap at this position-
P- Defense is not a factor I look at


Pitchers

I'm a long time lurker here, and a huge fan of this game. Your posts are always considered and thoughtful, so I wouldn't consider you 'insane' for choosing a low hitting catcher.. I do have a question though.. do your teams regularly make the playoffs doing that? I can only assume yes since you continue doing it, but I'd like to hear your thoughts.

Regards,

rj

[TGH-Adfabre]

They do. Here is the catch.
1) I am from St. Louis, I have watched Yadier since he was a rookie. He has had a few good offensive seasons, a few decent but he is not an offensive player by any stretch. I think Buster Possey? is an excellent catcher but I am fine with a Yadier/Matheny style of catcher.
2) I am not concerned "where" the offense comes from. If I have a 2B who is over producing I can afford the loss elsewhere. Obviously I would rather have both.
3) I really favor up the middle defense- C, SS, CF, 2B can make a pitching staff look really good. I see investment in these positions as an investment in my pitching staff.

[rj58]

Originally Posted by TGH-Adfabre

They do. Here is the catch.
1) I am from St. Louis, I have watched Yadier since he was a rookie. He has had a few good offensive seasons, a few decent but he is not an offensive player by any stretch. I think Buster Possey? is an excellent catcher but I am fine with a Yadier/Matheny style of catcher.
2) I am not concerned "where" the offense comes from. If I have a 2B who is over producing I can afford the loss elsewhere. Obviously I would rather have both.
3) I really favor up the middle defense- C, SS, CF, 2B can make a pitching staff look really good. I see investment in these positions as an investment in my pitching staff.

Thanks a lot for the answer. Much appreciated. Yeah.. Buster Posey is a phenom and breaks the mold regarding catchers. A career .307 Avg.. not exactly typical.

In my current game (fictional) I have a hot-shot catcher and feel like I lucked out.. He is very Posey-like in his stats. But I've had a left fielder that is a poor hitter but good on D.. so it balances out. I just traded him for someone better at hitting in left.. so we'll see how it goes.

I just love this game.. so many ways to think about how to make things work.

[TGH-Adfabre]

Agreed, it is a lot of fun. The balance of trying to build a roster is really fun.