[KurtBevacqua]

Originally Posted by atlbrave1

Suggestion
Change the pitching model

The main issue I am trying to address is how the game creates SP and RP in what seems to be an equal ratio (if not even unequal -- creating more RP).

In real life, a majority of the pitchers who are drafted are SP, it's what happens thereafter that decides if they are a starter or reliever.

1) When creating a draft pool (Not the initial pool -- that should probably stay similar to what it is now in terms of more defined roles) approximately 85% of the pitchers created should have enough endurance to start a game. Without doing a lot of research, I am sure that number is actually low in regards to how many starting pitchers are actually drafted.

2) Tie endurance development to the role the pitcher is in. Pitchers should be created w/ a maximum endurance rating, which could be considered an endurance "potential". The pitchers "current" potential should be very close to his potential endurance at the time of the draft. If a pitcher is drafted and put in the starting rotation, his "potential" endurance should not fluctuate much, although there should be cases in which endurance "potential" increases or decreases significantly. Example: Joe Rookie is drafted w/ endurance "potential" of 70 out of 100 and placed in Rookie league Starting Rotation. Assuming he stays in the rotation, his endurance should remain fairly level -- 65 to 75 w/ the chance of quicker improvement or reduction, perhaps w/ a message from a scout saying "Joe doesn't seem to have the stamina we originally thought, he's tiring earlier than expected" or "Joe's turning out to be a real horse out there, he could throw all day" with a corresponding "Potential" decrease to 55 or increase to 85. If a pitcher is placed in the bullpen, his "Current" endurance should decrease, but "Potential" endurance should should be dependent on the time spent in the bullpen. The 1st year in the bullpen should not effect "potential" endurance that much, but longer stretches should reduce endurance quicker. The longer a pitcher spends in the bullpen the longer it should take to regain the endurance to become a starter.

3) Keep the current Stuff, Movement, Control rating (or a similar rating system) but change the way they are calculated based on pitch types. Instead of having pitchers created w/ 3 ratings, instead have pitchers created w/ specific rating for each pitch they throw. Example: Joe Rookie is in the draft pool and has 3 pitches, a Fastball (w/ 70 Stuff, 60 Movement, 70 Control "Potential"), a Curve (w/ 60 Stuff, 50 Movement, 50 Control) and a Changeup (w/ 30 Stuff, 40 Movement and 30 Control). Pitchers would be created w/ repertoires depending on their experience level...college pitcher would typically be able to throw more types of pitches (3-5) than high school pitchers (2-3). The reason for this type of rating system ties into the next idea.

4) Weight overall Stuff, Movement and Control ratings differently based on a pitchers role. I think a pitcher's rating should be based on a weighted average of his individual pitches and the weights should be different based on whether a pitcher is a SP or RP. Here are the weights for SP:
5 pitches (Best pitch 3, 2nd - 4th Pitches 2, 5th Pitch 1)
4 pitches (Best pitch 3, 2nd - 3rd Pitches 2, 5th Pitch 1)
3 pitches (Best pitch 3, 2nd - 3rd Pitches 2)
2 pitches (Best pitch 3, 2nd Pitch 2)
NOTE: Best Pitch would be the pitch with the highest sum of Stuff, Movement, and Control.
So in the example above Joe Rookie would have the following "potential" attributes.
Stuff: (70*3+60*2+30*2)/7 = 56
Movement: (60*3+50*2+40*2)/7 = 52
Control: (70*3+50*2+30*2)/7 = 53

For Relief pitchers, the weights change:
5 pitches (Best Pitch 3, 2nd - 4th Pitches 1, 5th Pitch not counted)
4 pitches (Best pitch 3, 2nd - 3rd Pitches 1, 4th Pitch not counted)
3 pitches (Best Pitch 3, 2nd Pitch 1, 3rd Pitch 1)
2 pitches (Best Pitch 3, 2nd Pitch 1)
So in the example above Joe Rookie would have the following "potential" attributes.
Stuff: (70*3+60*1+30*1)/5 = 60
Movement: (60*3+50*1+40*1)/5 = 54
Control: (70*3+50*1+30*1)/5 = 58

Also, the ability to throw more than 3 pitches should get a starting pitcher a slight boost (5% per pitch) to simulate the idea that a hitter has a harder time "sitting" on a pitch, and starting pitchers who throw only 2 pitches should get a reduction (20% to stuff and movement) to simulate the idea that a pitcher with a limited repertoire would get hit around more.

5) Pitchers will have the ability to "learn" pitches. At some point in a pitchers development, depending on factors such as intelligence and/or work ethic, a pitcher will learn a new pith (or pitches). This will be more likely w/ pitcher with 2-3 pitches than pitchers with 4 pitches. You would get a message from a scout saying, "Joe has been working hard on a new slider grip and has starting using it in games." The player card would then show the new pitch in his repertoire. On the other hand, a pitcher may not develop any more pitches and you may get a message saying, "Joe has been working on a slider in the bullpen, but he doesn't seem to have the feel for the pitch." As far as role impacts development, I think that a pitcher pitching in the bullpen should have the development of his "worst" pitch develop at a lesser rate than his "better" pitches, while a starter will have more even pitch development (to reflect the idea of a SP using more of his repertoire, while a RP uses only his best pitches).

Reason

Creating a more realistic model of how pitchers develop

Priority
Medium

That's a much more developed, inclusive version of an issue I have been thinking about. Well done. However I'd still like to make my proposal as an addendum to this and possible jumping off point for how to improve pitching endurance.

Suggestion
I think every pitcher should have a sliding ability scale tied to expected endurance based on their assigned role. A starter would have a certain endurance rating with ability ratings tied to it, and those abilities would decline the more pitches the starter throws. A MR would have a different set of abilities tied to a MR endurance and a closer would have different abilities. All these would depend on the role you assign the pitcher. So say you want John Smoltz to go back into the rotation, he would have different stuff, velocity, control, etc as a starter than he would as a closer. Maybe you want to move Pedro Martinez to closer. His stuff, velocity, etc would improve accordingly.

Reason
I think most everyone can see that the less a pitcher is required to throw, the more effective he is. Dave Righetti and Dennis Eckersley are great examples of pitchers who were very good starters, but much better closers. I contend a pitcher throws harder and has better control when they go in to throw just one inning as opposed to a full blown start. I even contend a closer is more effective than even a MR as the closer knows he only has at the most 20 pitchers while the MR still needs to hold something back for multiple innings.

Priority
Medium to high