Matrix Games Forums

I'm curious about how you guys construct your teams. Seldom can any team "have it all", so I concentrate on four aspects: pitching, defense, speed and making contact. Power-hitting doesn't mean much to me, as it (to my mind) is simply a crowd-pleaser.

I don't do this out of any innate conservatism, but simply as a means of winning games over the long haul. I've discussed this before, and I believe that many of you subscribe to this philosophy.

Personally, having learned from Puresim experience, I had always undervalued defensive capability. KG was kind enough to point this out to me when I realized that my pitchers were very skilled and they had a low ERA but they weren't getting wins. A review of the errors my team had committed was- painful, to say the least. In the first 30 games, they had made over 18 errors. However, I wasn't looking at this- I was looking at the big, flashy HR numbers. Sure their average was in the mid-low 200s (aside from one or two standouts) but they all had big HR numbers (relative to other teams).
 
Well, I fixed this quickly. Now, I focus on good pitching (first and foremost), good defense (second on the list) and then good contact (third, but a close third). I do have one player that is a power hitter, and it's nice to have one of those big guns, but I no longer allow myself to become distracted by shiny objects and big, soaring hits. Right now, getting the ball in play and keeping the other team's runners off the bases is top priority. Small ball is not a bad thing, and though I never thought it was, I was more interested in the long-ball.
 
Since that change, the team has slowly climbed and improved its records, and now my pitchers' numbers are befitting their quality. If I happen to find a good fielder who hits the ball often AND hits it hard, well that's bonus for me. I confess that I still look for that 1 power hitter (maybe a 2nd), but I do not look at the POW rating 1st any more. Now, it's CON and EYE, then fielding skills, then power.

I like small ball.  I tend to look for guys with speed, good defense and high contact numbers.  Yes, I have a couple of power hitters to keep my opponent honest.  I do not always go for strike out pitchers because their pitch counts get high quickly, taxing my bullpen.  I agree with KG and FS, a solid defense makes a good pitcher better knowing that he does not need to strike out 27 batters to win games.

KG,

For my 35 man teams it is pitching, pitching, pitching!!! When I 1st start an association, my 1st 5-6 picks are all pitchers. Then I start looking for fielders with decent fielding & batting ratings. Usually, the pitching will help counterbalance for so-so fielders. After the 1st season I will start to improve my fielders. (I look at the 1st 1-2 years as building blocks for the club). If during an amateur or pro draft, if all of the good to so-so position players are selected, I'll load up on extra pitchers with the plan to trade them off for position players later on. I also don't like to draft or sign old ball players (27 years old +) unless I'm forced to. If I am forced to, then I'll only try to sign them for one year, unless they turn out to be a major asset for my club.