Requesting Spring Training Suggestions

[timlowery]

Getting ready to dabble with Spring Training for the first time. I have a few questions:

Do you play games as they do in real spring training, with starters initially going only a couple of innings? Or do you just play as you would in the regular season?

What type of settings and strategys have worked for all of you in Spring Training?

Thanks in Advance!

[Curtis]

The AI limits the number of innings non-player pitchers will go in one outing. It will do the same for player team pitchers if you sim the games, but if you are acting as your own manager you can leave them in whatever length of time your little heart desires. Be aware that injuries are more common in spring training, so I'd advise you to limit time for EVERYONE as much as possible.

As far as my strategies go —
I invite extra players to camp. I take everyone I expect to be on my primary roster (24, 25 or 28 players depending on universe), plus some extras.

I take six starting pitchers, six middle relievers and two closers. I also take 18-20 postion players, which generally comes to two for each fielding position plus the two best remaing hitters (I use DH during ST, but not during the regular season.). Sometimes I'll add an extra utility infielder, outfielder or both. The extras are the minor league players with the biggest 'upside' (biggest difference between actual and potential ratings).

For my rotation I use the three starters with the biggest potential for growth. I set them to go three innings (on successive days), then follow them for two innings with one of the more established starters. The sixth, seventh and eighth are each covered by one of the MRs, and the ninth by one of the closers. The next day you use the relievers you didn't use the previous day. Sometimes a closer gets shorted by not having to pitch the ninth, but you can make it up by slotting him in for inning ten+ in extended contests. This gives your immature starters roughly 24 innings of work, your mature staers 16 and your relievers 12.

For the batting order I again start the nine guys who need the most work, including people who I'm training to new positions. When they're walking to the plate for the third time, but never before they've spent five half-innings in the field, I rotate them out and rotate the more established players in. If you choose to go with 19 or 20 position players it can require much more finesse to get them playing time. You could just rotate your DH out after every plate appearance, but I'd only do that to knock the rust off some fragile old-timers.

I do try to use realistic baserunning and bunting strategies, but I'm not at all concerned about winning. Spring Training is for learning. I rejoice when lefties get to bat (or pitch) against lefties. I'm hoping they'll be just that much better at it if they need to during the regular season.

The only thing I'd warn you about, which I hope is changed for OotP2007, is that by bringing up minor leaguers for ST you may end up having to put them through waivers before you can reassign them to the minors when the season starts. It won't (or at any rate shouldn't) happen to all of them, but it likely will happen to some. It's annoying, but you can work around it — if neccessary by entering Commissioner mode and putting things right.

[timlowery]

Thank you for these tips! If anyone has additional, don't hesitate to post!