In what order do you rank the following when deciding how good a pitcher is?
1. Splits 2. Pitches 3. Control 4. Amount of innings you will get out of a pitcher during the season 5. Velocity 6. Ground Ball/Fly Ball

The above is not in any order...

For me it's:
1. Splits
2. Amount of innings you will get out of a pitcher during the season
3. Pitches
4. Control
5. Velocity
6. Ground Ball/Fly Ball
(How I rank "amount of pitches" could change according to my teams needs, and GB/FB according to my park)

Pitching is a little more complicated than that IMO.

The two things I don't think that can be overcome is low VR, low control. 60 seems to be about the bottom for VR and 40 for control. That said, I've have 52 VR be more than servicable because control, P1 and P2 were awesome. As a general rule, I'd like 60+ control, VR/VL over 70 and 2 pitches over 70 in a BL pitcher. I know, with that, I've got a guy who can pitch.

I don't worry about IP until I have my best 8 pitchers. If I'm short, then how many innings I can get from 9-12 is a factor.

The one thing I might like to say is that I've seen poor pitches undo very good splits. Usually when I'm looking at prospects I look at the vsR, P1 and P2.

My approach, for what it's worth:
1) Control and VsR are the most important, followed by P1 and VsL.
2) P2-5 are not as important, in my opinion, as most people think they are; P3-5 especially are pretty low importance
3) I value GB/FB more than most people, almost as much as VsL and P1
4) Velocity seems to me to be almost totally worthless

Having weighted the ratings that way, the next step is to understand that 70 is a marginal major league rating, and 75 is just about average. So if your pitcher has any ratings below those levels, they have to be balanced (weighted as above) by other ratings that are higher than those thresholds.

Finally, I don't want a pitcher with either split under 50, or control under 40, regardless; performance seems to kind of fall off the edge there.

What I'm really trying to decide guy's, is a shutdown closer more valuable overall to a franchise than a solid #2 SP? The closer will give you between 40-50 great innings in crucial times. The SP will give you 180-200 solid innings throughout the season. If you had to decide between the two which is more valuable?

I don't use closers because you leave too many innings on the table.

But, to answer your question, there is no clear cut answer. It really depends on your team. Who would be your #1 RP if you didn't take that guy? Who would be your 2-5 SP if you didn't take the other guy?

That said, there's zero chance I'd value a 32/12 DUR/STM guy over a SP2.

I understand control is more than just walks, but I'm really starting to think Control is overrated. I have a pitcher with 91 control that had almost 4 walks/9 innings. 4 out of my 5 starters has control over 90 and they will all go games walking 5 plus and walking in runs. It seems to me control around 70-75 does just as well as 90+

I think in many ways, coming up with a 'blueprint' limits you. The ratings all work together. I believe that just about any pitcher that is of BL quality can be used - somewhere - effectively. You just need to find what it is.

I have Pedro Rodriguez (R) on my Hunter team. Great pitcher, but his low stamina doesn't allow him to go too many innings. The previous owner used him as a closer. During the season, I made him my LRA with inning available set to 'any'. If my hairy SPs get to the 5th then he'll put in an inning or two. If the SP falls apart early, he usually stops the threat. I also use him as a spot starter. In the playoffs I moved Rodriguez to starter because short term results become WAY more important in the playoffs. But that strategy allowed me to win a title last year and get back to the playoffs this season.

Donn Clark (P) got me 28 wins as a SP in two seasons in season 23 and 24 of Gleemanworld2 despite splits of 51/46. He just happened to be very good in almost every other rating. And his success wasn't just because of SWB. He killed it on the road too. Peter Vanguri - P is a similar pitcher, but I have him in LR. His splits suck too, but he's (IMO) overpitched those ratings and won 26 games the last two seasons. These types of pitchers for other owners seem to almost always get hammered.

So I don't think there is an easily defined answer to any of it. You just have to be willing to move pitchers around, try them in different roles. Increase/reduce pitch counts and increase/reduce pull ratings. Give them innings. read the play by play in those box scores. You'd be surprised what you can get out of them.

For me its:

1) VsR
2) Control
3) P1
4) P2
5) VsL

Whichever after that. Being in San Diego with one of my teams and St. Louis for another lets me get away with a lot of abnormalities. I have a guy with 0 FB/GB because the park is so huge.

Everyone has mentioned previously but good ratings can make up for other poor ones. I've had guys with 70/70 splits with pitches in the 60's that have done well. I currently have a guy with 50/50 splits with GB/VEL/P1/P2 all over 80 that does well. https://www.whatifsports.com/HBD/Pages/Popups/PlayerRatings.aspx?pid=6819835

The only pitcher I'm really surprised wasn't able to overcome 1 bad rating was this guy. https://www.whatifsports.com/HBD/Pages/Popups/PlayerRatings.aspx?pid=6858813. To anyone who believes control is overrated.

I get control that low. I ignored control my first few seasons in favor of splits and had guys in the 30's never be effective so I understand the importance of it then. But I don't see much difference in 60-90

https://www.whatifsports.com/HBD/Pages/Popups/PlayerRatings.aspx?pid=8078864

57 control: 2.23 walks/9 innings

https://www.whatifsports.com/HBD/Pages/Popups/PlayerRatings.aspx?pid=7884805

60 control: 2.54 walks/9 innings

https://www.whatifsports.com/HBD/Pages/Popups/PlayerRatings.aspx?pid=7627876

91 control: 3.59 walks/ 9 innings

https://www.whatifsports.com/HBD/Pages/Popups/PlayerRatings.aspx?pid=7003744

91 control: 3.83 walks/9 innings