Tips for newbies to reach win floors - Hardball Dynasty

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It seems that one hitch with anti-tanking rules is that a lot of well intentioned newbies fall short of win floors by not fully understanding how easy it is to put together team of scrap heap players that wins 70 games. This is pretty much how I win 90 games every year, so I'll try to as succinctly as possible lay out how to hit your win floors without a hitch.

1) Don't give roster spots to crappy players. Of course, it's not always immediately apparent as to what qualifies as crappy or not, but if you find yourself making multiple rule 5 draft picks and giving ML roster spots to AAA players floating on waivers, you're probably fishing for crappy players. It is amazing how much better some of the FA's available for a 1 yr deal in the $2-3M range are, and if you are unsure of what to make of their ratings, just look at their performance history. Stick to guys who have spent a large portion of time at the ML level, if you can't find a pitcher to throw 180+ IP with an ERA < 5 during the last cycles of FA or ST, you're not looking hard enough. If there really are zero FA's that fill your need, make a post in world chat "I need a pitcher better than this turd who is currently my SP5," somebody will surely offer you a big upgrade for a small price. Now of course, you have to invest some of your payroll and/or some crappy prospects in order to acquire said players, but if you are not willing to do this, this makes you a tanker.

2) Don't trade away a stud making $9M just to clear cap space. Or if you do, at least ask some experienced owners as to whether you're getting a good deal before pulling the trigger.

3) Defense matters. Just because a guy is labeled as a SS does not mean he can adequately play the position. Look at the recommended ratings at each position in the player settings and don't go too far below in any given category. For example, having a SS rated in the high 70's in range/glove/AS/AA is too far below average and should only be used at 2B or 3B.

4) Ask for advice. TC successful owners in your league that are willing to help. Start a thread here. If your team is on pace to lose > 100 games, you are certainly going to have many areas to improve and people will be willing to point these out to you and offer possible solutions.

9/18/2010 3:53 PM (edited)

deanod

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And as always, everyone who knows what they are doing are free to add their input. But the most important point is #1, the most common trend among teams that miss the win floor is that they are chock full of guys who can very easily be upgraded with minimal investments.

9/18/2010 3:49 PM

dedelman

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5) Get a mentor. This game is really hard, and you can damage a franchise pretty badly (and hurt other members of a world) just by making normal rookie mistakes. It's no disgrace to get help from an experienced player. The list of members is on the main HBD Forum Page.

9/18/2010 4:37 PM

travisg

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Bullet point one is the most important by far.

It drives me crazy when quality veterans go unsigned, even when they only want a million or two for one or two years. (This is a persistent problem in every world I've ever played in.) You can offer them mutual options if you don't want to guarantee that second year, and it's still usually a bargain. They're ALWAYS better than the guys available after the first couple of Rule 5 picks.

9/18/2010 5:13 PM

jimmystick

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Posted by travisg on 9/18/2010 5:13:00 PM (view original):
Bullet point one is the most important by far.

It drives me crazy when quality veterans go unsigned, even when they only want a million or two for one or two years. (This is a persistent problem in every world I've ever played in.) You can offer them mutual options if you don't want to guarantee that second year, and it's still usually a bargain. They're ALWAYS better than the guys available after the first couple of Rule 5 picks.

I'm not new to this game and don't need help, but I'm going to play Devil's Advocate here...

What if you're already up against your player budget? How do you replace the CRAPPY players on your roster with halfway decent guys?

I took over a wrecked franchise and I'm trying to turn it around. I have $60 million available to spend on the free agent market and we are in the FA signing period right now. I will be able to sign several of the top 5 or so free agents available, all are Type A or B but that's ok because I have the #1 pick and I can't lose that.

After I spend that $60 million I will still have maybe 2-5 players that are pretty crappy that'd I'd like to replace. A few are semi useful, but I don't like to have more than one one-dimensional player on my roster (example: guy with 99 speed and 85 BR but complete lack of hitting or defensive ability, or a solid defensive OF who can't reach base).

I'm going to try to free up a couple million here and there in trades, but ultimately, I think I'm going to be stuck with these guys. The only other alternative is to NOT sign one of my top free agents, which would free up $10-15 mil I could then disperse to 3 more players. That said, I'm more of a "one super star" kind of guy as opposed to "several good players."

9/18/2010 5:39 PM

joshkvt

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If you're going to have 2-5 crappy players, chances are they will not make or break your team. If one of them is expected to throw 160 innings for you, that's different. But if they're just filling roles (defensive C backup, backup MIF, mop-up) you can usually find somewhat better cheap alternatives either in your farm system or on the FA scrap heap.

This thread assumes there is a wins floor. If you're in a league with one, bottom line is you need to make sure you get to that floor. If that means signing several good players instead of one more superstar, that's what you need to do. If the wins floor is low (this thread was prompted by a world with a 55-win base, which is pretty simple to meet), playing guys where they should be playing and actively managing your team should be plenty regardless of how you divvy up that $60M. Your best bet, though, might be to set $6-7M of that aside so you can fill needs from the waiver wire or through trades in which you take on salary.

9/18/2010 7:31 PM

joshkvt

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Posted by dedelman on 9/18/2010 4:37:00 PM (view original):
5) Get a mentor. This game is really hard, and you can damage a franchise pretty badly (and hurt other members of a world) just by making normal rookie mistakes. It's no disgrace to get help from an experienced player. The list of members is on the main HBD Forum Page.

Excellent advice. When I joined a private world for my second HBD season, several owners suggested I not make any trades without running them by a veteran who was not in the world. I'd suggest the same for anyone new to the game. If you ask two or three mentors and all have the same advice, trust it.

9/18/2010 7:53 PM

deanod

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Posted by jimmystick on 9/18/2010 5:39:00 PM (view original):
Posted by travisg on 9/18/2010 5:13:00 PM (view original):
Bullet point one is the most important by far.

It drives me crazy when quality veterans go unsigned, even when they only want a million or two for one or two years. (This is a persistent problem in every world I've ever played in.) You can offer them mutual options if you don't want to guarantee that second year, and it's still usually a bargain. They're ALWAYS better than the guys available after the first couple of Rule 5 picks.
I'm not new to this game and don't need help, but I'm going to play Devil's Advocate here...

What if you're already up against your player budget? How do you replace the CRAPPY players on your roster with halfway decent guys?

I took over a wrecked franchise and I'm trying to turn it around. I have $60 million available to spend on the free agent market and we are in the FA signing period right now. I will be able to sign several of the top 5 or so free agents available, all are Type A or B but that's ok because I have the #1 pick and I can't lose that.

After I spend that $60 million I will still have maybe 2-5 players that are pretty crappy that'd I'd like to replace. A few are semi useful, but I don't like to have more than one one-dimensional player on my roster (example: guy with 99 speed and 85 BR but complete lack of hitting or defensive ability, or a solid defensive OF who can't reach base).

I'm going to try to free up a couple million here and there in trades, but ultimately, I think I'm going to be stuck with these guys. The only other alternative is to NOT sign one of my top free agents, which would free up $10-15 mil I could then disperse to 3 more players. That said, I'm more of a "one super star" kind of guy as opposed to "several good players."

It really all depends on the makeup of your team.

Again, this is only for reaching win floors. If you are paying up for superstar FAs and still losing 100+ games, something is wrong with your team. A superstar is nice if you are trying to build an elite team and have the resources to surround him with adequate talent, but if you're trying to get out of the gutter, 5 bargain bin FA's are often going to trump 1 superstar and 4 guys who belong in AAA.

9/19/2010 1:02 AM

deanod

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Posted by joshkvt on 9/18/2010 7:31:00 PM (view original):
If you're going to have 2-5 crappy players, chances are they will not make or break your team. If one of them is expected to throw 160 innings for you, that's different. But if they're just filling roles (defensive C backup, backup MIF, mop-up) you can usually find somewhat better cheap alternatives either in your farm system or on the FA scrap heap.

This thread assumes there is a wins floor. If you're in a league with one, bottom line is you need to make sure you get to that floor. If that means signing several good players instead of one more superstar, that's what you need to do. If the wins floor is low (this thread was prompted by a world with a 55-win base, which is pretty simple to meet), playing guys where they should be playing and actively managing your team should be plenty regardless of how you divvy up that $60M. Your best bet, though, might be to set $6-7M of that aside so you can fill needs from the waiver wire or through trades in which you take on salary.

It really depends how crappy we're talking. If you're going to carry a 11th or 12th pitcher who has an ERA in the mid 5's just to take a beating when your staff needs a rest, that's fine. If you have a pitcher who's going to post an ERA of 8 over 80 IP, that's a huge problem. If you are going to give a no-hit defensive catcher 150 PA's to rest your starting catcher, that's fine. If your starting LF has 45/45/45/45 defense and hits .240/.290/.370, that is going to hurt your team.

Sure, you can still win 90+ games if 1 or 2 of those guys are surrounded by a bunch of other talent (although why not aim for 100+?), but if you don't have any really good players, a handful of those types will make the difference between 50 and 65 wins, which is huge for any league with a win floor.

9/19/2010 1:11 AM

MikeT23

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Can non-n00bs use this advice?

9/19/2010 7:34 AM

travisg

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The "defense matters" point should be expanded to include 2B and CF. A player whose range/glove ratings fall below about 72 or so is not a 2B, no matter how much he can hit. You're going to give away way too many outs with a guy like that. And a CF really needs both of those ratings to be 80 or above to be successful.

Also, a left hander cannot play 2B.

9/19/2010 8:48 AM

jtrinsey

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Posted by travisg on 9/19/2010 8:48:00 AM (view original):
The "defense matters" point should be expanded to include 2B and CF. A player whose range/glove ratings fall below about 72 or so is not a 2B, no matter how much he can hit. You're going to give away way too many outs with a guy like that. And a CF really needs both of those ratings to be 80 or above to be successful.

Also, a left hander cannot play 2B.

I see where you are going with this, but I just think you are a bit off base. Runs are runs.

[URL=http://www.whatifsports.com/hbd/Pages/Popups/PlayerProfile.aspx?pid=1660140]Augie Oliver[/URL] is 84/72 and I played him in CF with 12 errors and 2 (-) plays. Considering he had a .955 OPS, I would say that, even with below-average (but really... not THAT bad) fielding, he was still more valuable than most centerfielders.

9/19/2010 10:01 AM

deanod

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I personally don't do it, but you can afford to compromise a bit more at 2B/CF than you can at SS. And I did mean that defense matters across the board, but SS is the one that people mess up most often- playing a 73/72 2B isn't going to kill you.

9/19/2010 10:24 AM

jimmystick

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Posted by jimmystick on 9/18/2010 5:39:00 PM (view original):
Posted by travisg on 9/18/2010 5:13:00 PM (view original):
Bullet point one is the most important by far.

It drives me crazy when quality veterans go unsigned, even when they only want a million or two for one or two years. (This is a persistent problem in every world I've ever played in.) You can offer them mutual options if you don't want to guarantee that second year, and it's still usually a bargain. They're ALWAYS better than the guys available after the first couple of Rule 5 picks.
I'm not new to this game and don't need help, but I'm going to play Devil's Advocate here...

What if you're already up against your player budget? How do you replace the CRAPPY players on your roster with halfway decent guys?

I took over a wrecked franchise and I'm trying to turn it around. I have $60 million available to spend on the free agent market and we are in the FA signing period right now. I will be able to sign several of the top 5 or so free agents available, all are Type A or B but that's ok because I have the #1 pick and I can't lose that.

After I spend that $60 million I will still have maybe 2-5 players that are pretty crappy that'd I'd like to replace. A few are semi useful, but I don't like to have more than one one-dimensional player on my roster (example: guy with 99 speed and 85 BR but complete lack of hitting or defensive ability, or a solid defensive OF who can't reach base).

I'm going to try to free up a couple million here and there in trades, but ultimately, I think I'm going to be stuck with these guys. The only other alternative is to NOT sign one of my top free agents, which would free up $10-15 mil I could then disperse to 3 more players. That said, I'm more of a "one super star" kind of guy as opposed to "several good players."

The bidding for the best pitcher in FA got out of control. A 37 year old with 90+ for both splits but only 50 stamina. 3 years, $44 mil wasn't enough, so I dropped out of the running. Ended up picking up a very good defensive CF with good speed and contact but no power for $4.2m, a decent 3B with 80+ power and 70's for both splits for $5.6M, and 2 SPs with 60's and 70's for splits, both very high control and G/B and a good pitches for $4.2m and $4.8m. After winning 50 games last year, I think I have a good chance to win 85 this season.

9/19/2010 12:54 PM

iain

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I think that playing guys who meet the defensive recs is the biggest area to improve on bad teams.

You never see BAD teams at the top of the defensive standings. Which means that owners who are trying to win field good defensive teams.

Good D will improve your pitchers' performance, as you will not be giving away outs, and it will allow your starters to go deeper into games, thereby getting to your better RPs.

If you have defenders at SS, 2B, CF, and C (i.e.: "up the middle") who meet or exceed the defensive recs, you will almost certainly be able to hang in almost every game.

9/20/2010 3:34 PM

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