Is it?

My San Diego franchise is not the best run club in HBD, but I am beginning to wonder if I might have skewered myself with the decision to locate in Petco.  [URL=http://www.whatifsports.com/hbd/Pages/Popups/FranchiseProfile.aspx?fid=4574]Sandpipers[/URL]  The pitching staff enjoys playing here, but my hitting is just atrocious. 

You think that's bad, try Burlington....

It's possible, but takes a particular type of team. I've won a playoff series with SD as a home park before, but never the whole thing. My SD Padres team this season may be a decent test, because it is going to have at least some guys (bats) that I brought in specifically because I think they might do OK here.

The San Diego franchise has won 4 out of 15 WS in Cooperstown.  Three (in a row) by one owner, one (later on) by a different owner.

I personally believe that people overrate park effects. I have built teams towards my ballpark type and found that their home and road records often end up comparable. In a pitcher's park, your pitchers will put up better numbers and your hitters wont hit as well - but your opposition will be the same way in your games. The oppositeis also true for hitter's parks. I am really coming to believe that the only time you should modify your team building strategy based on park is if you play in an extreme hitter's park, in which case you want to make certain you have high groundball rated pitchers. Of course, most players tend to lean towards groundball pitchers anyhow as they tend to be more successful.

You can win in any park as long as your team plays better there than the majority of your opponents teams. Ballparks make a big difference, so if you don't have a good understanding of what type of players fit in each stadium, then you're probably better off in a neutral park.

Posted by csherwood on 10/21/2010 10:46:00 AM (view original):
I personally believe that people overrate park effects. I have built teams towards my ballpark type and found that their home and road records often end up comparable. In a pitcher's park, your pitchers will put up better numbers and your hitters wont hit as well - but your opposition will be the same way in your games. The oppositeis also true for hitter's parks. I am really coming to believe that the only time you should modify your team building strategy based on park is if you play in an extreme hitter's park, in which case you want to make certain you have high groundball rated pitchers. Of course, most players tend to lean towards groundball pitchers anyhow as they tend to be more successful.

Agreed mostly, although I actually think most players underrate GB/FB rating.  I have never built a team around park, and the only times I would do it would be (1) in an extreme hitters park, where I imagine you have to do something to manage the pitching fatigue from all the extra pitches, and (2) in a park like TOR or (opposite) DET that has very different effects on singles compared to HR, where I would upgrade or downgrade power and GB/FB to match the park.

i lean towards neutral parks, it gives me more flexability, when a bargain free agent or   a good trade comes my way i don't have to pass on it because the player doesn't fit my park

This all makes sense.  I haven't done as well as I could maximizing on pitching and defense, and my offense certainly isn't populated with all stars...I guess I just get discouraged with the horrible offense.  Is it possible to approach league average on offense?  Am I just not bringing in the right kind of hitters?   

Your offense isn't great, but .275/.346/.398 on the road with plus base stealing isn't bad.  But average offense + average defense begets an average team.

You could start by not playing a lefty at SS though.

Yeah, I was gone last season and someone else ran the team; the lefty at SS won't happen this season.  The home/road splits are just so ridiculous, I am beginning to feel that Petco is more of a penalty than it should be, either that or I am not playing the right guys on offense.  Hang on, let me get some examples.

Good players will win anywhere.  That's the first thing you should do.  Acquire good players.   Then worry about how they'll fit in your park.   Bypassing a stud because he's a masher and you play in SD is a mistake.

Yes, I could definitely stand to add some better players, but our world is noticeably lacking in absolute mashers with 90+ power, and other than my first couple season in HBD dynasty (when I still didn't know much of anything about offense, or, at least, less than I do now), there haven't been too many studly hitters available in free agency.

Anyway, look at these three players, none are world beaters, sure, but they are decent bats yet two of them can barely hit their weight at home:

[URL=http://www.whatifsports.com/hbd/Pages/Popups/PlayerProfile.aspx?pid=2570343]Miguel Canseco[/URL]

Canseco hit 264/341/363 at Petco, 290/363/359 on the road. 

[URL=http://www.whatifsports.com/hbd/Pages/Popups/PlayerProfile.aspx?pid=2356759]James Martin[/URL]

239/348/330 at home...306/414/489 on the road

[URL=http://www.whatifsports.com/hbd/Pages/Popups/PlayerProfile.aspx?pid=2407893]Bill Weiland[/URL]

243/305/381 at home...280/364/535 on the road

The splits for Martin and Weiland seem too harsh.  Is there something about these two guys that screams "can't hit at Petco", am I just not seeing the warning signs with these players? 

Like I said, I don't get why my offense is so absolutely dreadful at San Diego.  Is it the quality of hitters around Martin and Weiland? 

I won a WS in San Diego, as most here have said, just get quality players and the rest will take care of itself. I had a very good starting pitching staff with about 3 studs, and a stud closer, an excellent defense, and two mashers in the lineup to hit that 3 run HR...

The excellent defense and ballpark helped my starters go deep in the game to get to my stud closer, and I won a lot of low scoring games.

If you want to see how I built the team, check out season 2 in World WIB.

Of course, that was before some big updates so I have no clue if that same team could win now?

Weiland's contact and speed will limit him.  That's really going to show at Petco.     Martin just looks like a random, poor result.    Canseco looks about right.

I don't think the mid-level contact, slow guys will have much success in SD.  Weiland's "thing" it to hit the ball hard and put it over the fence or in a gap.  Petco's "thing" is to stop that from happening.