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Cactusguy21
Joined: 07/25/2017
Posts: 815

Presque Isle Vikings
III.4

Broken Bat Baseball
I really don't treat lefties any different from righties, and I've been fine so far.

Cliff Reagan has been a solid back-end starter every year except 2034.
and
Kang Dae On has anchored my bullpen these past two years, throwing 135 IP this past season.

Those are the only two lefties I've given extensive innings to, but I don't ignore lefties.

And while both of them give up a lot of HRs, that's probably more to do with velocity than LHPness.
Bridger
Joined: 08/04/2016
Posts: 264

Muncie Flyers
III.4

Broken Bat Baseball
So Garnash...

...thoughts on Lenny Hudson?
newtman
Joined: 11/02/2013
Posts: 3343

Inactive

Broken Bat Baseball
That may be the worst 15 potential build I've ever seen. You will be lucky if he hit around 18 COS and 18 control, because then he will at least have one out pitch, but given his stamina and defense look like they will be 20, and the velocity and movement will be middling rather than staying low, he may just be a fringe pitcher with 15 potential. I feel really bad for you.

Edit: His last couple of seasons versus left handed hitters have been promising. He may turn into a guy who can dominate lefties, but still a very low bar for a guy with 15 potential.
Updated Monday, May 21 2018 @ 1:42:10 pm PDT


Updated Monday, May 21 2018 @ 1:44:34 pm PDT
Garnash1970
Joined: 08/07/2014
Posts: 199

Inactive

Broken Bat Baseball
First of all, thank you to all who read my post and especially all who have responded.

@Bridger

One of the curious aspects of a pitcher's scouting report is the absence of ANY COS reporting and there is no such things as a positive CON report. I was going to caution you on the build as I tend to avoid pitchers with "he can throw all day" as the only talking point ... then I noticed he is a 15 POT.

Given his development, he could end up with very high COS and CON. However, he IS giving up a ton of HRs ... he may get that under control, he may not. I also noticed that probably because of the big training snafu a couple of seasons ago that his AA time may have been cut short ... I'd probably stick him back in AA for at least half a season.

If he were mine, I would probably try to max his minor league time, as I suggested above. I would probably try to use him as LR or MR depending on how he handles the power bats against him. I'm always loath to cut a 15 pot (I've only ever had one through the draft and he wasn't a pitcher) but his build worries me. His VEL and MOVE will likely not get much higher than 12. However a 18 COS and 20 CON might mean it doesn't matter.

Keep me updated on his growth, it will be very interesting to follow.

Thanks for the question.
Rock777
Joined: 09/21/2014
Posts: 9571

Haverhill Halflings
III.1

Broken Bat Baseball
Of course the engine favors RHPs. As it should if there are more RHBs in your league. If you happen to be in a league with more LH power, then it will favor LHPs. Only natural. But it would be foolish to take a mediocre RHP over an ace LHP. I put claims on good LHPs all the time, but I am going to favor the righty on a close call because I am generally facing more RHBs. Same exact reason I'd take a LHB over a RHB in a close call.

But the advantage is in contact, not HRs. More solid contact will naturally lead to more HRs, but HRs have little to do with handedness. HRs are more about velocity without other tools (especially movement), and high GB/FB rates. If you have an ACE LHP that makes everyone whiff, that's all moot. At the end of the day its all about performance, not ratings and handedness.

Updated Monday, May 21 2018 @ 8:59:03 pm PDT
Rock777
Joined: 09/21/2014
Posts: 9571

Haverhill Halflings
III.1

Broken Bat Baseball
@Bridger

I don't really have any experience with POT 15s, but I can tell you from my experience with similar POT 14s that they seldom fail to disappoint. It's not easy to advise someone to cut a POT 15. Newtman is right, that his vLHB has been really good. He could make a good LHS. Given all the SI he is squandering in stamina and defensive skills, he is likely more equivalent to a POT 12 in a setup role. There will be POT 12s with better reliever builds, but he could still be a good LHS if he keeps those splits. Just remember that because of the way the engine works for this game, your LHS does end up facing almost as many righties as lefties. On the other hand, because of the way the engine works, sometimes the pinch hitter is the worst hitter on the team anyhow ;)
Rock777
Joined: 09/21/2014
Posts: 9571

Haverhill Halflings
III.1

Broken Bat Baseball
@Garnash

BTW, not intended as a slight, but I did find its somewhat giggle worthy, to see a team with such dominant vLHP statistics espousing the virtues of LHP... I always scout out my opponents vLHP, and in my experience the majority do better against LHP. Which is especially telling given the preferential selection of righties over lefties.
Garnash1970
Joined: 08/07/2014
Posts: 199

Inactive

Broken Bat Baseball
@Rock777

"Of course the engine favors RHPs" that is exactly the sort of lazy thinking I am critical of. I would rather state: since there are more RH Batters in BB, it may be harder to find effective LHP. That would be a true statement amplified by the fact that there are far more RH players period.

"BTW, not intended as a slight, but I did find its somewhat giggle worthy, to see a team with such dominant vLHP statistics espousing the virtues of LHP". If it wasn't intended as a slight, you wouldn't have used the phrase "giggle worthy". One of the things I noticed very early on was that for every ONE AB against LHP, my team will have have 5-7 AB against RHP. Because of that fact, for quite a few seasons now, I have made every effort to build my offense specifically to beat RHP. Any success I may have against LHP is almost accidental. Go back more than three seasons, and you will see the truth of that statement. I build my vRHP lineup each spring and then copy it to vLHP. I will usually tweek both lineups as the season goes to fine tune things.

Looking at your own staff, two lefties, makes it easy to game plan against ... and in any event, my post wasn't especially directed at you. You have already demonstrated a perfect knowledge of all things BB and I would never presume to suggest there is anything I might suggest to return the Halflings to glory and an upward trajectory.

When I look at matchups, I look at vs handedness closely. Sometimes, a pitcher will have a counter-intuitive relationship with the batters. Ask Horse, manager of Bloomfield. We have a nice rivalry over the seasons and once a season, when it matters most, I will play the match-up game. I've swept series using all RHP against him and I've also done the same with LHP. It all depends on how our collective teams are doing ...

Frankly, I don't care who pitches for you OR what hand they use. I was pointing out that ignoring LHPs because of a perceived game bias is lazy managing. Dig just a tad deeper. I find far more LHP with talent abandoned on waivers than the percentages should dictate, ergo, folks dismiss them because of their handedness.

I recall one owner gripping about how he couldn't believe how his pitcher of 6 or 7 seasons was walking so many batters ... until I looked and saw the CON was like 8 or 9. Really?!? When did critical thinking vanish?

Please, please, I beg of thee, please cut every LHP you find. You can only succeed with RHP. The game is made that way. (BTW - that is irony and not a statement of what I really want you to do.)

Thank you for your input.
Rock777
Joined: 09/21/2014
Posts: 9571

Haverhill Halflings
III.1

Broken Bat Baseball
If was intended as a slight, I wouldn't have used the phrase "giggle worthy".

You really aren't helping your case. Not only are teams presumably (according to you) displaying selection bais against lefties, so the remaining lefties should be higher talent. But even your team (like many teams) that is explicitly has built around beating right handed hitting is preforming better against lefties. Makes it hard to see a case for lefties.

I don't disagree that lefties can't be useful, never have. But you present a team full of hitters designed to beat RHPs who are accidently destroying lefties, versus a handful of aces you've collected. Not really compelling. End of the day, all things equal, a RHP is more valuable then a LHP, and a LHB is more valuable than a RHB.

And having a team full of left handed pitchers is no harder to plan against than a team full of right handed pitchers, LOL. I wish I had a couple more lefties (especially starters), I haven't had as much luck as you on waivers.
Bridger
Joined: 08/04/2016
Posts: 264

Muncie Flyers
III.4

Broken Bat Baseball
For what it's worth, I enjoyed reading Garnash's initial post and I tweaked the pitcher rating formula in my spreadsheet based on some of his insights about Vel, CoS, Mov, & Con.

@All: Thanks for the feedback on Hudson!

Current projections look like he is going to end up with roughly the following build if he hits his potential:

12/16/13/19/20/15/13/18

That's a pretty sad 15-pot...

Given that I'm currently in DV, I am absolutely going to give him a shot as a starter for a few seasons once he hits the big leagues just to see what happens.


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