Fictional knuckleballer?

[mikestack]

Hi everyone.

Anyone ever seen a fictional knuckleballer generated by OOTP? I can't recall ever seeing one.

[albatross11]

Originally Posted by mikestack

Hi everyone.

Anyone ever seen a fictional knuckleballer generated by OOTP? I can't recall ever seeing one.

I've seen lots...well, a few of them.

[Afino]

My knuckleballer won the playoff MVP award in 1965 (pitching two shutouts in the finals) and followed that up with the Cy Young in 1966 as the league's first and only 20-game winner. He won the Pitching Triple Crown too.

Also, the best pitcher in the history of the league was a knuckleballer. Won 6 Cy Youngs and put several records likely out of reach (IP, K's, CG's, SO's, also retired as career wins leader).

[lighthousekeeper]

92 mph. ya think that's the knuckleball, the curveball, or the change-up? no wonder the guy was a dominant pitcher.

[Prodigal Son]

Originally Posted by lighthousekeeper

92 mph. ya think that's the knuckleball, the curveball, or the change-up? no wonder the guy was a dominant pitcher.

Wow, good catch!

[Cryomaniac]

Originally Posted by lighthousekeeper

92 mph. ya think that's the knuckleball, the curveball, or the change-up? no wonder the guy was a dominant pitcher.

lol. I always handwave that as being the speed they would throw if they threw a Fastball.

[Tony M]

Originally Posted by Cryomaniac

lol. I always handwave that as being the speed they would throw if they threw a Fastball.

Spot on Cryo... that is what the velocity shows...

[Cryomaniac]

Originally Posted by Tony M

Spot on Cryo... that is what the velocity shows...

Cool, I didn't actually know that, but I did always assume it.

[lighthousekeeper]

Though it still seems a little odd that a guy can throw a 92 mph heater and never does. Someone call his pitching coach.

[statfreak]

Doesn't every pitcher throw a fastball?

Tim Wakefield still sneaks a 70 mph fastball in once and awhile to keep the hitter honest.

[koohead]

I know I'm getting nit-picky, but you can't really throw a "changeup" if you don't throw a "fastball". I mean, technically in a knuckleballer's case, the fastball would be the "change-up". as SF pointed out with Wakefield. guess if it were a circle change or palm ball or something then that would be ok I suppose.

[mrcoach00]

I've never really understood why the game generates players with two pitches and no fastball.
I've had numerous players in the league with the endurance of a starter, two solid pitches, but no fastball. Add in a fastball, which everybody should be capable of throwing, and the middle reliever then becomes a starter in the eyes of the game engine.

It's not like you really have to "learn" how to throw a fastball like you do a slider, knuckleball, or screwball. Granted there are two-seamers, four-seamers, and you can cut the fastball, but everyone should be able to just rear back and bring the heat!

[Peregrine]

The best pitcher in my fictional league, after 65 years, was a knuckleballer - he only thre 83-85 mph but had pinpoint control and threw a knuckleball, curve, and a changeup (again, from what is he changing?) Leads the league career in wins, strikeouts, and WHIP.

[CBL-Commish]

Originally Posted by lighthousekeeper

92 mph. ya think that's the knuckleball, the curveball, or the change-up? no wonder the guy was a dominant pitcher.

My closer, or former closer as he's struggling mightily, is a knuckleballer with a 100-mph fastball. He throws mostly knucklers, then occasionally sneaks in a Ryan Express.

I guess his fastball really, really has no movement.

[mikestack]

So ironically, new draft and no less than three knucklers show up. One of them good enough for me to snag with the #6 overall pick.

I guess I jumped the gun wondering where they were. ;-)

[mike2228]

Originally Posted by koohead

I know I'm getting nit-picky, but you can't really throw a "changeup" if you don't throw a "fastball". I mean, technically in a knuckleballer's case, the fastball would be the "change-up". as SF pointed out with Wakefield. guess if it were a circle change or palm ball or something then that would be ok I suppose.

A fastball is thrown with 2 fingers across or with the seams. A changeup is thrown with the whole hand, a palm or some times even a split fingered grip.

basically what im saying is that its the grip that determines the pitch, not the speed.

[Tram2Whitaker]

So, I went a-looking for a knuckleballer about 7 or 8 years into my MLB game, and the only one who was still playing, was R.A. Dickey. All others had been retired, and the computer wasn't creating anymore.

Fast foward to 2027, Dickey is long gone, and the computer still hasn't created anymore. I'm a little thin at short season Glendale, so I decided to "cheat" a little, and convert one of my shortstops to a pitcher. By "cheat", i mean go into comish mode and modify his ratings. I give him the ability to throw a knuckleball and a 90 mph fastball. He's still given 1/2 star rating and potential.

[Left-handed Badger]

Originally Posted by lighthousekeeper

92 mph. ya think that's the knuckleball, the curveball, or the change-up? no wonder the guy was a dominant pitcher.

That does drive me crazy. I have to edit in a Fastball (or possibly a Sinker) when I catch something like that. Cant take it.

[Dactyl]

Someone who throws a 70 mph fastball could still throw a change-up. It isn't necessarily just about the speed of the pitch that matters. It's the grip, etc., which also results in a different sort of break than a fastball.

As for knuckleball pitchers, my game still produces them. I played a game in which I deliberately went looking for them. However, the AI doesn't really understand that they're a different sort of beast. I usually play with settings that let the minor league managers set lineups and handle promotions/demotions. However, when I do that, they rarely promote the knuckleballer above A ball, and they keep turning them into relievers, even though they are effective starters and have high endurance ratings.

[Tram2Whitaker]

There's no way to select the type of pitch... Even in PbP mode, your only options are pitch to hitter/pitch around hitter/ intentionally hit.....
This brings me to my initial gut reaction to knuckleballers: Don't trust a guy who only throws 65 mph! It is either unrealistic, or ultra-realistic since knuckleballs seem to be a vanishing artform, but every few years one will come to the forefront (e.g. Steve W. Sparks). For all we know, the knuckleballer could become extinct in the MLB in the next 15 years.