Broken Bat - Discussion Forum: Possible pitch hitting/running change?

Forum >> Discussions >> Possible pitch hitting/running change?

Post ID	Date & Time	Game Date	Function

#9801	09/02/2014 4:21:05 pm
admin Joined: 01/27/2010 Posts: 4985 Administrator	What specifically prevents you from succeeding with "small ball"? I agree that at many of the lower level, the disparity in teams leads to a lot of lopsided games, but not so much at the higher levels. At these levels, I really don't think it favors the home run. Steve

#9957	09/08/2014 5:51:59 am
Holmes Joined: 11/07/2013 Posts: 1175 Inactive	It's a nice innovation, but having played with it a little bit, the "innings" setting doesn't quite cut it for me. If I want to pinch hit for an offensively limited catcher or shortstop in the ninth will depend strongly on wether it's a home or away game. After all, I don't want to play the bottom of the ninth with Mr. Butterfingers in a key defensive position. Of course we can trust our managers to be smart enough to see that, but I would have more trust in a management setting that goes: "Pinch hit for (after innings)" 4.5 5 5.5 ... 8.5 9

#9969	09/08/2014 5:04:21 pm
admin Joined: 01/27/2010 Posts: 4985 Administrator	So what if you pitch hit/pitch run for this player in the bottom of the 9th (that you wouldn't have in the top of the 9th) and the game goes into extra innings? Don't you have the same problem? I would like to give managers as much flexibility has possible without making the control interface ridiculously complicated. Thanks, Steve

#9975	09/08/2014 5:25:41 pm
Holmes Joined: 11/07/2013 Posts: 1175 Inactive	Sure, extra innings are a problem with pinch hitters, but that's a problem real-life managers face, as well. But real-life managers make their decisions knowing if it's a home or away game. I don't think adjusting the pinch hitting by half innings would be too complicated - at least not as complicated as adjusting the management settings before every series.

#9999	09/09/2014 8:48:57 am
Optics Joined: 06/09/2014 Posts: 73 Santa Monica Carp II.1	I've built my team to play low scoring games. Big field, rangey outfielders, etc. It seems that the simulation favors homeruns heavy, "major league" play though as all the "small ball" strategy don't work or are broken. I did like you. I have bad pitchers and bad hitters. I made my field as big as possible to help the pitchers, and hope to make enough runs to win. I think small ball is hard everywhere. Not just in Brokenbat. You need a lot of hits in a row to score runs. One mistake by your pitcher and you lose. My pitchers will be better next year. I think I will make my field medium again.

#10000	09/09/2014 9:10:59 am
the gizmo Joined: 02/07/2013 Posts: 574 Inactive	Think the Gulls have done well with small ball strategy Only two teams in league have hitter fewer homers and lead all teams with AVG. and OPS A pretty stingy pitching staff helps also

#10009	09/10/2014 1:46:23 am
Holmes Joined: 11/07/2013 Posts: 1175 Inactive	I'm not giving up so easily. Maybe for the other innings, it's nitpicking, but couldn't we at least have a pulldown like the following? 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9u - 9d - x Whoever understands that the numbers in the pulldown are innings should be able understand at least the idea of that, too. The slightly wider pulldown columns can easily be compensated by making the pinch run column narrower, introducing a line break in the header. The point is that, as far as pinch hitting is concerned, being up/tied or down in the ninth are entirely different animals. If you're leading in the top of the ninth, you probably don't want to pinch hit at all. You may well be up by one run and have Mo Rivera warming up in the bullpen - then the last thing you want to do is give him inappropriate defenders to handle fly balls or broken bat grounders, for the theoretical chance of an insurance run. If you're behind in the ninth inning, you have nothing to lose. Even making it to extra innings (or the bottom of the ninth if you're the away team) would mean you've done a lot of things right and every mess you've created for your defense was a risk worth taking. The only reason I can see not to put your best available hitters in the box is that an at bat for the regular player is more important than winning the game. The latter is not wholly unrealistic, so we can't just always pinch hit in those cases (just think of spring training or young talent when you're out of contention, and Derek Jeter won't be pinch hit for in his last game, either). Updated Wednesday, September 10 2014 @ 1:47:29 am PDT Updated Wednesday, September 10 2014 @ 1:48:33 am PDT

#10023	09/10/2014 2:44:23 pm
Holmes Joined: 11/07/2013 Posts: 1175 Inactive	Thinking about it again - we could probably get the same effect with the current settings, as long as the "managers" make sure there is no 9th inning pinch hitting at all unless the team is behind. I can't come up with any sensible reason for new pinch hitters in the 9th at all while you're ahead.

#10028	09/10/2014 3:55:04 pm
admin Joined: 01/27/2010 Posts: 4985 Administrator	I would think if you were up by only a run, you might try to get some insurance runs which could involve a pinch hitter, no? Steve

#10030	09/10/2014 5:26:06 pm
Holmes Joined: 11/07/2013 Posts: 1175 Inactive	You might, I certainly wouldn't. So it should probably be a selection.