Well, I want MY 23rd-round picks to be stars. But if yours are, that would hardly be fair.

Weird. I just want your first round picks to suck until they realize they're trash collectors while mine win multiple MVPs.

Quote: Originally Posted By jahu43 on 2/05/2010

For a SP add-up a pitchers ratings for control, splits, 1st, 2nd.

Us 50 control and splits as an absolute minimum.

Then a pitcher who's ratings end up being 340 or higher will be a servicable ML pitcher.

Around 380 you start getting a consistent All-star

Around 410 you are talking consistent Cy Young threat.

There are obviously exceptions and some categories are worth more than others but this gives a generic baseline

IMO I rate the pitching cats in the following order Control, RH, 1st pitch, LH, 2nd, 3rd. I am also a proponent of GB/FB of 60 or greater.

Nice Post, I will refer to this. I have a question though. You say add up 1st and 2nd pitch. Correct me if I am wrong but I remember reading somewhere that all the pitches are equal in use. Therefore if your 3rd or 4th pitch is actually higher than your second pitch could you replace that pitch number in the math for a higher overall number? Would this be ok, or is the 3rd, 4th pitch less meaningfull than 1st or 2nd?

Quote: Originally Posted By traceysemmel on 2/06/2010

Quote: Originally Posted By jahu43 on 2/05/2010

For a SP add-up a pitchers ratings for control, splits, 1st, 2nd.

Us 50 control and splits as an absolute minimum.

Then a pitcher who's ratings end up being 340 or higher will be a servicable ML pitcher.

Around 380 you start getting a consistent All-star

Around 410 you are talking consistent Cy Young threat.

There are obviously exceptions and some categories are worth more than others but this gives a generic baseline

IMO I rate the pitching cats in the following order Control, RH, 1st pitch, LH, 2nd, 3rd. I am also a proponent of GB/FB of 60 or greater.

Nice Post, I will refer to this. I have a question though. You say add up 1st and 2nd pitch. Correct me if I am wrong but I remember reading somewhere that all the pitches are equal in use. Therefore if your 3rd or 4th pitch is actually higher than your second pitch could you replace that pitch number in the math for a higher overall number? Would this be ok, or is the 3rd, 4th pitch less meaningfull than 1st or 2nd?

I would use the two highest pitches. Once again, this is just a rough formula to put someone on the right track. The more pitchers you see the better you will get at identifying quality pitchers.

In all honesty, if you're just starting, look for control/splits over 60 and 2 pitches over 70. Those types are attainable and, once you learn a little, you'll discover what sort of combinations will override a "bad" rating.

As far as ratings go, I'd like to see more guys maintain decent ratings as they get older. In MLB nowadays there are many players still playing at a high level into their late 30's and sometimes 40's. You almost never see that in HBD. Most guys show a serious decline in skills by the time they reach their mid 30's and almost all are useless by their late 30's. I'm sure there are a few exceptions, but not many in my experience.