Trainers and Recovery

[playball]

Howdy, I'm really enjoying OOTPX even though I feel like I'm stumbling through it.

I've started playing a 2009 MLB game, as GM of Texas Rangers and I've noticed pitchers seem to take ages to recover, perhaps I'm over-using them. But my Trainer, Jamie Read, has a "Fatigue Recovery" rating of 8 out of 20.

Would there be much benefit in sacking him and hiring a trainer with a higher rating - does the trainer have much effect on player health and recovery?

cheers and thanks

[SMFXR01]

There are a lot of things that could be affecting the recovery of your pitchers.
I'm sure that the trainer has an effect (but it might be very small).
Like you say you could be pushing them too hard.
Are you playing with a 5 man rotation?
Do you have it set to Strict Order or Highest rested?
Sometimes early in the season the pitchers may not be able to go full extent of their endurance.

(Do you sim or play-out your games?)

[playball]

Thanks for responding, I'm doing a 5 man rotation, and set for "highest rested".
I do play the games out.

Admittedly sometimes the pitcher shows up after the game as "totally exhausted".

It's hard to know what his state is during a game because his status will show for example "OK, (90 pitches)" and if I visit the mound my pitcher will say "I'm perfectly fine, let me pitch please!" - I've never ever ever seen any other answer. The guy can be getting pounded, and after the game be down to 0% but during the game he is "OK" and wants to keep pitching

So I feel like in reality, they are not "OK" but for some reason the game doesn't show this.

I am getting a feel for some SPs though, one for example seems to be good for 4 innings only, after that he turns to rubbish.

I am mostly curious, if a trainer has a below 10 heal fatigue rating, does that mean my players take longer to recover because they are not being looked after. Perhaps that's unanswerable and all part of the mystery of the game

[jasonn29tn14]

If I were you I'd try and find a better trainer first of all. Also, you might want to keep a close eye on your rotation if you're playing your games out to make sure you're starters are rested enough to start the game. If you're simming multiple days you might want to consider using Strict Order.

[ssstump]

I have found that I just have to get to 'know' each of my pitchers and act before they get tired.

I've never had any tell me anything but 'I'm fine - please let me pitch' either. Then maybe, the very next pitch they throw, their status changes to tired.

I've also found that if you wait until the pitcher is tired, and then start warming up a reliever, it can sometimes be too late.

Thus, get to know em.

I think the 'mound visit' is an area where more varied communication would add to the 'realism' factor.

[SteveP]

With the settings that come with the 2009 MLB game, there are some basic things that happen with SPs:

1. Unless and until the team has a day off, you will quickly find that SPs are starting games at less than 100% rested. So SPs will become tired at lower pitch counts.

2. The game is pretty generous about what it considers to be "Highest rested". Basically, a pitcher at the top of the rotation who has fatigue level anywhere in the green will be considered rested (there are even circumstances where yellow is OK). That makes it easier to keep that pitcher from ever getting fully rested.

3. An SP starts losing effectiveness at a pitch count which is roughly 90% of getting to the pitch count where he is "tired". So if you have an SP who is less than fully rested to begin with, his effectiveness can start to drop at a relatively low pitch count.

4. AFAIK, you never learn anything useful, and perhaps don't accomplish anything useful, by "visiting the mound". However, there are some OOTPers who believe otherwise.

5. One of the tools you have to manage SPs is to set a "maximum pitch count" for each one in his individual strategy window. RL managers do that, of course. One of the benefits is that the SP doesn't get so exhausted, and is going to be more rested for his next start. Or, if you are managing your games yourself, you can replace SPs based on pitch count rather than waiting for him to become "tired".

Hope that helps.

[playball]

Thanks everyone, some very useful info and tips here. And I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who gets "I'm fine" from the pitcher every visit.
cheers

[jasonn29tn14]

I've found that if you use a 6 man rotation you'll never run into a problem with starters being ready. After 5 days pitchers in OOTP are always rested at 100%. I had a guy throw a complete (12 inning) game just to test this theory and the day before his scheduled start he still wasn't ready. But since I was using a 6 man rotation he became 100% rested the day of his start.

[playball]

Interesting Jason, I will try that out... Now if only I had 6 worthy starters - in fact of my 5 starters one of my best is currently injured, leaving one other decent starter, two below averages and one guy who really should go back to AAA.

For some reason I'm not winning many games at the moment

[jasonn29tn14]

Yeah, finding 6 good starters is easily the biggest challenge.

[RchW]

I get the "I'm OK sir, I've got some pitches left in me" and the "I'm exhausted, get me out of here" comments. The OK on the pitchers in-game screen changes 10-20 pitches before they get to the end.

Remember this comment is controlled by the pitch count vs endurance rating. A pitcher could allow 8 runs on 15 hits in 4 innings and tell you he is just fine. It's not an expression of how he feels about his pitching.

[oman19]

I'm getting frustrated with this at well is seems my pitchers are always starting at 83-86 percent rested. I just don't know if I'm getting their pitch count to high as to where they can't recover fully with a strict 5 man rotation or if it is something else. I'm playing out my games as the Manager of the single A Salem Red Sox (God I hate the Red Sox j/k). Unless I go to a 6 man rotation which I don't want to do for to keep it as real as possiable.

From the suggestions I've seen I have a few questions.

1. If you pitcher is at OK and you pull him should you have him fully rested by his next start.

2. I use a 1-100 rating scale. Just on average how many pitches can each stamina level through. 50-60 70-80 80-90 90-100

3. What is the agreed upon opinion of the lowest stam a starter should have?

4. On your player development report is there a place that it tracks your improvement or decrease in your stam rating...same goes for your individual pitch rating etc.

[playball]

Thanks to the advice given by folks here I'm doing better in my games. I got a trainer with a better rating (11 out of 20 for recovery) which while not great is still better than 8.

I played each of my SPs until they were 'tired', then pulled them and noted the pitch count. Same with MRs. Now I tend to pull my SPs before they are tired, and with a 5 man roster I am mostly getting my pitchers to start at 100% rested except for the longer stretches without rest days where they might be 85% rested.

At the moment it looks like the trick is to not let them get "totally exhausted". ie as soon as the pitcher is 'tired', pull him out.

thanks again for everyone's help and input. cheers