Wildly Unpredictable Pitchers

[KG Erwin]

You guys know the type I'm referring to: they have decent stuff and velocity, but their control is suspect. I have one of those guys on the Dodgers, and apparently he was that way in real life. His name: Rex Barney. I had to start him in a doubleheader game, and after 4 innings he's struck out 4, but has also walked 4, given up 6 hits, and allowed 2 runs to score.

These are the kind of pitchers that drive a manager to drinking (not that I need an excuse [:'(]).

What about youse guys? Have someone like this on your team?

[Wrathchild]

You've just described my whole pitching staff.

[Frozen Stiffer]

KG,

In most of the associations I've been playing, I've seen pitchers begin the decline, and it's been very easy to pinpoint what year their peak was. They go from great, to good, to mediocre, to hot dog vendor in a manner of 2-3 years. I had enjoyed the great fortune of not suffering through a pitcher with such a night-day performance implosion as you described... until I got about 77 games into my Marlins' 2011 season. Chris Vosltad is the hurler in question- see his historical stats and his performance last year (2010) and look above to witness the results of his current outings. This after only 15 games started. I'm hoping he will rebound, but it doesn't look good. I assure you his paultry wins were all due to timely run support. He's worse than your example though- his Control is very impressive, as are his other numbers; on the field though, his performance seems misaligned with his stats:

[KG Erwin]

Here's the weird thing, FS: Barney had one of his best seasons (in real life) in 1948, becoming the Dodgers' leading winner (15-13, 3.10). However, he had 138 Ks as opposed to 122 (!) BBs in 247 IP. So, he's really not that far off from reality in PS terms. Look at these ratings: within a couple of years he should have some decent control.

[Jestre]

Old Rex was an announcer for the Orioles for quite a few years til his death. The O's went without a P.A annoucer for a day to honor him. I grew up in the middle of the Philly/Balt area and remember him well, used to do some commercials etc...

[KG Erwin]

Thanks for relating that, Jestre. Rex was quoted quite a bit in Pete Golenbock's "Bums". Look, I admire all these past players, so my railing about their idiosyncracies isn't meant as disrespect. I hope that's understood.

[Frozen Stiffer]

KG,

I think I get you now. You're looking at "disappointments" of PS players versus their equivalent real-year performances. Though my Volstad's performance from one year to the next has been a horrible implosion, I think that my alternate reality version of Kevin Brown (1997) would serve as a better, more fitting example. Overall, he had a good, not great, season where he went 12-14 with a 3.88 ERA.

As losing seasons go, it's not too bad, 12 wins are nothing to shake a stick at and his 3.88 ERA is very respectable. Where I feel most of my frustration is in the fact that in 1997, the real Kevin Brown logged a 16-8 record and a 2.69 ERA.

My PureSim 1997 Marlins didn't make the World Series, and though I can't put it all on Brown's shoulders, I will not hesitate to say that his not-as-good-as-real-life performance unquestionably contributed to the team's failure to repeat their real-world counterparts' accomplishment.

If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times- PureSim is a simulator, not a replicator. It's for this reason that PureSim really shines; it can give you an idea and a feeling of how history may have been rewritten should that game-winning HR not have happened or if that star pitcher's season may not have been as stellar.

I love this game.

[motnahp]

it can give you an idea and a feeling of how history may have been rewritten should that game-winning HR not have happened

I'll eventually get around to putting Kirk Gibson's leg in a cast for the 1988 World Series, or maybe I'll try to phone Tonya Harding and let her thug(s) take care of things for this Oakland A's fan.[;)]