Fantasy Baseball Begins - Play Ball!

[Berzerker]

Hmm... Forgot about CG and SHO. Those would help offset the reliever strategy to a degree although we can only count on ~1 per week at best

Lets see:

wins > SP
losses > RP
ERA > RP
saves > RP
CG > SP
SHO > SP
whip > RP
Ks > SP
BB > RP

I just dont see how we can get away from the reliever strategy. I even dropped holds and total bases and the RPs still have the advantage. We could add IP and have a minimum IP per week high enough to scare people into starting pitchers. I think we've had 12-14 IP in the past but that doesn't really do the trick. That can be reached easily by two decent SPs going 5-6 innings with relievers getting the rest easily. I suggest a 16 IP minimum or maybe even up to 18. That would put a damper on using relievers and allow us to to avoid over loading the pitching categories with less desirable stats like IP.

How high are you willing to go on the minimum IP per week, Imran?

[Berzerker]

I just had a thought, for those of us whom want to play a daily league in addition to the weekly we can create a custom daily league and after we all sign up we can leave it open for others to join.

What do you guys think?

[The Emperor Fabulous]

So...where do we go to sign up?

[Imran Siddiqui]

You PM or email me your email address... I just set up the league.

And yes, pressure is overrated. It's a old baseball 'truism' which had little evidence behind it except that they think that's the problem.

I suspect Gagne was already an ace reliever in college

Gagne was never a reliever until the Dodgers put him in the role. And he was a mediocre SP.

[Berzerker]

and gagne handles the pressure, if he didnt he wouldnt be the closer.

as for pressure, is it meaningless? have you ever faced a guy throwing 95 mph? I mean, you must have experience to base that conclusion on. ever hear of the yips? it has ruined pro golfers careers and it is pressure related.

[Imran Siddiqui]

and gagne handles the pressure, if he didnt he wouldnt be the closer.

There was no evidence he was from his starting role.

as for pressure, is it meaningless? have you ever faced a guy throwing 95 mph? I mean, you must have experience to base that conclusion on.

No, but plenty of those players have. Why do some of them hit better when it is late in games, when the pressure should be higher? It's an overrated factor, like the whole 'clutch' thing which has been shown not to exist. It's a nice little theory that the purists like to advance, but those designated 'clutch' players don't show high stats in postseason, close/late game situations. And a lot is based on small sample sizes, like Barry Bonds is a choaker in the postseason... then in 2002, he hits the crap out of the ball... if he's such a choaker, how does that happen?

You wouldn't be in the major leagues if you crumpled and started going weak when faced with a 95 mile per hour fastball or someone that could hit a ton. You wouldn't even be in the minors.

[Berzerker]

There was no evidence he was from his starting role.

Is there evidence now? You seem to think citing exceptions to the rule disproves the rule... You even cited Rivera and he was eased into the job of closer by first seeing how he reacted to the pressure of setting up a closer. Lidge went thru the same process, virtually all closers served in other capacities to see if they could handle increasing pressure unless a manager simply lacked the luxury of waiting. Throwing a young unproven guy into the closer role is not the rule, its the exception.

No, but plenty of those players have. Why do some of them hit better when it is late in games, when the pressure should be higher? It's an overrated factor, like the whole 'clutch' thing which has been shown not to exist. It's a nice little theory that the purists like to advance, but those designated 'clutch' players don't show high stats in postseason, close/late game situations. And a lot is based on small sample sizes, like Barry Bonds is a choaker in the postseason... then in 2002, he hits the crap out of the ball... if he's such a choaker, how does that happen?

Steroids? You're arguing that pressure is over rated (compared to whose notion?), not that it is meaningless. Remember, you said holds are meaningless, not over rated.

You wouldn't be in the major leagues if you crumpled and started going weak when faced with a 95 mile per hour fastball or someone that could hit a ton. You wouldn't even be in the minors.

But even veterans feel pressure when facing a tough pitcher in win-lose situations. Increase the stakes and you increase the pressure.

Is pressure meaningless? You didn't answer.

If it isn't, is there more pressure on a pitcher who is trying to hold a small lead late in the game than a pitcher who is finishing a game in a blow out?

If you say there is more pressure, then that pressure means there is more value in setting up closers than mopping up blow outs. Managers agree... They don't think holds are meaningless...

[Imran Siddiqui]

Remember, you said holds are meaningless, not over rated.

Yeah, and I stand by that (as are saves). They are meaningless, even if pressure isn't. The pitcher who is trying to keep a small lead has to deal with better hitters, as the manager will try to pinch hit and run and do all sorts of stuff than the pitcher who is mopping up. The pressure doesn't change things. It doesn't make pitchers worse as 'conventional wisdom' says it does. The clutch player (ie, players who get better under 'pressure') has already been shown to be false, and I imagine so will the whole idea that there are players who wilt under pressure. Players who wilt under pressure don't get to play professional sports because most plays have pressure behind them. A little more pressure makes little difference. The examples used to show players falling to pressure fails to take into account the opposition most of the time (ie, it's the pitcher wilting instead of playing a great offensive team).

If pressure has any meaning, it is so small as to be close to meaningless. Apparently Bonds wilted to the pressure of the playoffs when he was in Pittsburgh. Though all talk of that stopped in 2002 with the Giants. I don't think it was because he learned to 'deal' with the pressure.

Another example... people use Byung-Yun Kim of the D-Backs to say pressure gets to pitchers. It couldn't have been that he was facing the Yankees, and their powerful lineup, could it? Add that to the fact that Yankees have always battered him, World Series or not.

Managers agree... They don't think holds are meaningless...

Of course they do, and you've proved it, if a manager has more than 1 pitcher with good K/BB and K/9 numbers, he'll use them mostly evenly. He isn't going to look at who has the most holds to decide who gets to pitch that day.

[Stuie]

PM sent to Imran.

Berz - If you set up a daily league, count me in.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Sent one to ya, Stu.

I don't have to PM the lot of 'em that couldn't be arsed to read this thread, do I?

[Imran Siddiqui]

Ok, we got ME, Ramsey, Berzerker, vlad anterkov, TEF, Stuie. Where are the rest of you?!

Yeah, that's right... I'm pointing at Guy, Apoc, LoA, Tubs, jdd, and asleep!

Send me your emails! I'll be sending out PMs by Friday, and you'll have by Monday to be fully signed up. Draft will start next week at some time (since the season starts in April, starting in the first week of March sounds good).

[Berzerker]

I don't have to PM the lot of 'em that couldn't be arsed to read this thread, do I?

doesn't bode well, does it... I'll PM Guy, Apoc and LoA

[Imran Siddiqui]

Lazy ****ers!

[Berzerker]

Stuie, we got only 6 people for the daily league, but I was planning on creating a league at yahhoo open to the public so I'll post the league info here for anyone still wanting in.

Unfortunately it will be auto draft. Are you familiar with that feature?

PM sent to LoA...

HEY GUYS, JOIN THE LEAGUE. Imran has set it up and we still need to settle on stat categories (I think).

[Imran Siddiqui]

Hey... British curse words are now edited? Son of a...