My team is based out of Iowa City which is -2 across the board. Would it make sense that my best strategy would be to aim to build a very strong offensive team with average pitching and defense? Obviously I want to have the best I can in all areas however I am asking should offense be my focus?

My thought is that if I make pitching and defense my focus I may not allow a lot of runs but I also my not score many either so I am not using my park for much of an advantage. However, if I focus on a big offense and let the park make my average defense and pitching a little bit better than average and I can still score runs then I should be pretty competetive.

It's nice to have a plan but the market will help you determine the route you'll take.    In the end, you build the best team you can under those conditions.    I'd build a strong defense up the middle and, in order to bulk up the offense, take my chances on the corners with D.   The fact that you're in a pitcher's park with a strong up the middle D will lessen the damage an Iron Glove can do at the corners.   And I wouldn't settle on "average" pitching because you will have 81 games in other parks.

I agree with all of MikeT's points but would add that walks are independent of park factors - therefore in a park where all hitting is suppressed, you might want to consider emphasizing control in pitchers (give up fewer walks) and batting eye (earn more on offense) in hitters more than you would otherwise.

For similar reasons I think defense is especially important in a park like that.

I actually take a little different stance wrt control/eye.   Because hits are harder to come by, walks seem less important to me.   A walk will only advance a runner one base.   A single has the possibility of a two base advance.   And, if you're strong up the middle, you're increasing your chances of a double play.   I certainly wouldn't build a staff with 44 control pitchers or 38 eye batters, I wouldn't be adverse to using a few of them if their other numbers matched up well.   And, in all likelihood, they'll be easier to acquire because teams in neutral/hitting parks won't want them.

I thought the same thing about control/eye, but an HBD decade in Dodger Stadium has taught me otherwise.

I always contradict Mike on this one.

Walks are killers. I can walk out pitchers in Wichita (somewhat similar park) with velocity that wouldn't break a pain of glass and L/R in the 50s, and as long as the control is there and 1 through 4 pitches are half decent, you'll do ok as long as you don't have fielders with the iron glove or the iron feet. You can even have a mediocre FB/GB (50-60). But the free pass just wastes all of that.

Further...you can get the 70-80/15-20 dur pitchers fairly cheap and they'll rock the house for you, AS LONG as they get the batter to put the ball in play. Your 15 pitches should = 1 inning.

Sorry, can't help you with batters.

Quite the job you're doing there with those mediocre pitchers.

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In my LA experience, you need awesome hitters just to achieve mediocrity.

Instead of getting those 87 control pitchers with 50 splits, maybe you should try some 48 control pitchers with splits in the 70s. 

Posted by MikeT23 on 6/23/2010 4:46:00 PM (view original):
Quite the job you're doing there with those mediocre pitchers.

Hardball Dynasty

Full Seasons: 17

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Quit twisting my abandoned team takeover filled record, you fat bastard!

You know the Whiny ******* are gawdamned legendary!

Batting eye for hitters and control/GB for pitchers are more important in a park that suppresses that much, IMO.  I ran a team built like that to 10 or 11 straight division titles and a few WS titles playing in Seattle.     

For the record, I won both of my WS in Las Vegas.   I think it was -2 for 1B/2B/3B and 0 for HR.    I didn't load either team up with low control pitchers but I had a few.   We were around league average for walks allowed but top 5-8 in ERA.