New to HBD, feels like being thrown in the deep end of the pool but I love it.   Reading all the posts here, esp the 44 page one I am about halfway thorugh.

But I have a trade offer I need to make a decision on now, and I need to understand what determines a pitcher's role.    I don't mean how to change it, I mean what makes them suited to start, close, etc.

It appears that stamina is the primary attribute the seperates starters from relievers.   I have a couple guys with stamina like 69, but who are better than other guys with higher stamina.   Can anyone give me some quick guidance?

Note that I really want to have a 5-man rotation I can set up and forget about, not an ever-changing committee.   (I realize there are injuries.)

Lastly, what kind of Stamina would be required for a pitcher to be effective on 3 days rest?   anyone experimented with this?

Durability plays as big a role as stamina. A pitcher with 60 stamina and 30 durability can throw 190 innings. You can find guys with stamina in the 30s who can pitch 5 innings every 5 days because of high durability.

Health is always important to consider.

My advice is to NOT accept any trades this season. Take some time and get familiar with the ratings, and how they work together.

"My advice is to NOT accept any trades this season. Take some time and get familiar with the ratings, and how they work together."

^^^^pretend you're a GM w/ an owner that won't give you permission to make trades for one season.

deroches, was the trade offer something you proposed, or was it offered to you?  And worse, was it offered to you unsolicited, with no trade chat?  If so, there's at least an 83% chance the other owner's trying to bone you.

BTW, he's right, it's the Durability/Stamina combination, and the pitch counts you set based on them, which determine how often a pitcher can deal.

My first piece of advice to new owners is "If you're not sure, don't do it."   That DEFINITELY applies to trades.

Now, to answer your question, I'm not a "Must have this Durability and this Stamina to start" guy and I do OK.   As a rule of thumb, pitchers need about 15 pitches to complete an inning.   I'll dip down into upper 40s/lower 50s stamina or mid teens Dur/low 60s STM for SP if he's good enough.  Examples are:

Player Profile: Will Mahoney - Hardball Dynasty Baseball | WhatIfSports  20/54
Player Profile: Gregg Lewis - Hardball Dynasty Baseball | WhatIfSports  14/61

Both get about 4 IP per start every 5th day with 50/60 PC.   They happen to be two of my better pitchers on those staffs and I want them getting max innings.  Starting is the best way to make that happen.  Basically, if a guy can throw 50 pitches every 5th day, he can start for me.    I just build a staff capable of using the BP for 5 innings every 5th day.

I would say that 60 is usually the minimum stamina for a starter, and 20 is minimum durability for a reliable starter. I've made exceptions on both numbers, but only for guys with stud ratings (80+ or close to it in control, vR, vL, p1, & p2)... But most guys use pitchers who have 50s stamina and durability in the 10s as relievers.

As far as standard relievers go, you typically want 20+ stamina and 60+ (maybe even 70+) durability so he can pitch an inning or more consistently. (But again, I would suggest using these numbers as the "rules," but definitely make exceptions for players with really, really good ratings).

Also, I would consider 60 to be the ML minimum in control, vL, vR, p1, & p2. I personally like to go with at least 70 control, and ideally 80+ because I'm very pro-OBP and therefore anti-walk when it comes to my pitchers.

There's probably an owner in your world who will answer questions you have as you go along (such as would you trade this player for that player), but if you want to ask for help outside your world RedMike and MikeT23 have been very helpful, and I'm sure would help you if you site mail them. You can also site mail me, although the two Mikes have more experience.

Also, you can post the players in the potential trade here for us to look at and give you objective advice.

Alexander world . . .Lyle Marion - https://www.whatifsports.com/HBD/Pages/Popups/PlayerRatings.aspx?pid=6635780

is the guy I traded.  Here are the three I got in return:
Bill Saturria, Vic Matao, and Jerome Leach

it's a done deal, I am afraid, I am still interested in your opinion.    Some other owners who wanted Marion think I got boned.

and thanks for the advice everyone.   I was already looking at the control, the VR, VL.    Durability was not even on my radar.    I had already kind of got in my head that in these ratings a 60 is replacement level, a 70 is major league, and around 80 to stand out as excellent.    Looks like durability is on a different scale though.

Is a guy with only two pitches a relief pitcher only?  I mean, is that something that would hurt him if I used him as a starter?

I just realized if you look at my team the Lyle Marion I traded is the 1B, not the pitcher.    Two Lyle Marions on the same team, what are the chances.

Posted by deroches on 1/7/2016 11:22:00 PM (view original):
Alexander world . . .Lyle Marion - https://www.whatifsports.com/HBD/Pages/Popups/PlayerRatings.aspx?pid=6635780

is the guy I traded.  Here are the three I got in return:
Bill Saturria, Vic Matao, and Jerome Leach

it's a done deal, I am afraid, I am still interested in your opinion.    Some other owners who wanted Marion think I got boned.

The owners look to be correct. If you are are new and are offered the infamous "3 for 1" deal, run away.

deroches -

mm646433 executed what MikeT commonly refers to as "Trade Rape"

The trade was -

You moved -

Lyle Marion https://www.whatifsports.com/HBD/Pages/Popups/PlayerRatings.aspx?pid=6635780, a 1st overall pick with a $327,000 salary and zero ML years - which means he'll get elite production for the next few years at a minimum expense. While his stamina isn't awesome, and he's more of a 1B/DH, he can hit, hit for power, and run.

for -

These guys -

Bill Saturria - P https://www.whatifsports.com/HBD/Pages/Popups/PlayerRatings.aspx?pid=5885425, a useful mid/back-end rotation guy. Unfortunately he's near the end of Arb so you'll have to start paying for him.

Vic Mateo - LF https://www.whatifsports.com/HBD/Pages/Popups/PlayerTransactions.aspx?pid=7524351, a decent IFA signing, but I'm not sure how much more he will improve since he's already 22. When you have an IFA that reaches 22, there is - usually - minimal development after.

Jerome Leach - P https://www.whatifsports.com/HBD/Pages/Popups/PlayerRatings.aspx?pid=6423948, a back-end rotation guy.

WAY unbalanced in my opinion. But don't worry, I did the same thin in one of my first seasons as well. I'm sure a lot of owners have. I'll say this though, if that happened in many of the leagues I was in, there would have been close to 100 chat posts and it would have gotten vetoes. Shame on the other owners for not doing so.

Well, whats done is done. I'd seek out a mentor and see what they say about how to set up Leach and Saturria. I have plenty of guys like this and they've performed well. Get Mateo the best minor league hitting coach you can and get him in the lineup every day. I imagine at some point this season you may want to call him up, but again, seek a mentor and see what they say about it.

And most of all, with future trades, make sure you get someone's advice - someone OUTSIDE your world. Because really, if there was no veto of this trade, who can you really trust there opinion wise right?

God, I hate that ****.

Yeah, you got boned.   

It's not veto-worthy in any world I play in but my worlds are full of experienced owners.   You got three parts for one complete piece.   I call your guys "1-arb" guys because, once they are due to get paid 2m, I cut them loose.   You gave up a guy who's gonna OPS close to .900 for 10 seasons.    Live and learn.

BTW, regardless of DUR/STM, the pitchers you got should be long relievers.    Set them at 40/50 or 50/60 PC and let them do their thing.    They won't be horrible.