I'm going to start this off by saying that this season is a grossly small sample size. I understand that, and I realize that it could definitely be all in my head.

With that out of the way, here we go.

First of all, I play in Austin, which is a 2-2-2-0-1 stadium. Not a grossly offensive stadium, but certainly geared toward offense

Second of all, I consider that I have a more than serviceable defense, and am above average at most positions.

Third, the PCs of my catchers last season was 70/52. The 70 PC put a 4.277 CERA last season, the 52 put up a 4.355 CERA last season. This season, I have the same 52 PC catcher, and added a 71 PC catcher this season. My catchers aren't horrible, but nor are they above average, either.

Now, the relievers in question:

Reliever 1: Wilkin Pizarro

Certainly not a world beater by any means, but he looks to me to be a very solid reliever. Brought up at the beginning of Season 12, and proceeded to throw up a 4.84 in 122 IP with a 1.42 WHIP. In 3 apperances this year he's thrown 4 innings of 6.75 ERA ball. This seems high to me.

Reliever 2: Bartolo Bournigal

Again, perhaps not the best reliever out there, but he looks more than good enough to be serviceable. Signed in Season 112 and threw up a 4.15 ERA/1.37 WHIP in 52 innings (53 appearances). So far this year he's 33.75 ERA in 1.1 IP. Again, small sample---I know, but it's not just this year.

Reliever 3: Shane Martin

Again, very good ratings, a career 3.48 ERA/1.19 WHIP guy in a career spent mostly in a park just like mine. In 6 appearances this season, he's 8.1 IP, 8.64 ERA/2.16 WHIP. Just getting obliterated.



So, with all of this out of the way---anybody have any idea why they're so bad? They're all having significantly worse performances than I ever would've guessed, especially considering that my defense is, by and large, above average at just about every position.

Any ideas would be appreciated.

Since I can only look at the PC this season, I'd venture that PC is too high and the pull rating too low.  That's usually the "problem".

Tiny tiny tiny sample size...that's the usual problem with "oh no the sky is falling"

wow

Posted by cdc80uf on 1/26/2011 5:03:00 PM (view original):
Tiny tiny tiny sample size...that's the usual problem with "oh no the sky is falling"

+1

Dude, with RP sometimes 2-3 seasons could be a small sample size, your talking less then 9 ip, chill out

Posted by MikeT23 on 1/26/2011 4:42:00 PM (view original):
Since I can only look at the PC this season, I'd venture that PC is too high and the pull rating too low.  That's usually the "problem".

Good insight. I'll toy with both settings and see what happens. Thanks for a moderately useful post.

Posted by cdc80uf on 1/26/2011 5:03:00 PM (view original):
Tiny tiny tiny sample size...that's the usual problem with "oh no the sky is falling"

If you read a little bit closer, I provided an entire season for 2 of the guys in question, not just this season. I also noted that it was a tiny sample size for Martin, but he's had 6 appearances already and has sucked horribly in 3 of them.

Posted by orrdc on 1/26/2011 5:32:00 PM (view original):
Dude, with RP sometimes 2-3 seasons could be a small sample size, your talking less then 9 ip, chill out

+1

RPs are all over the map in this game. Look at Bill Walker. With his ratings I'd expect a relatively lights-out reliever who can last an inning or so. Yet his career ERA is 4.10. Sometimes, like season 14, he's great. Other times, like most other seasons, he craps the bed. I think you just have to temper your expectations with relievers in this game. Even the best ones seem to be wildly inconsistent much of the time.

I only see one really poor year for Walker in the last 5

The thing with relievers, the way we use them and the way the game is set up, is that you can't look at the entire season stats.  You have to look at individual games.   Because, in all likelihood, your reliever, no matter how good, will get blown up 3-5 times.   And by blown up, I mean 2/3 inning, 5 runs.    5 runs for a 70 inning pitcher is .64 added to an ERA.   If he does that three times, you're 2.20 ERA guy thru 67 innings is over 4 for the season.    And we're part of the problem.  Everyone wants their stud RP to pitch himself out of a jam, after all he's our best pitcher, so we set his pull at 1.    He gives up a walk and a homer.  Not pulled.  Then he gets an out, gives up a hit and walk, gets another out and finally another homer.   Pulled.   2/3, 5 runs allowed. 

So, with me, I look at his WHIP and OAV.  And I look at his individual games.   I don't worry with RP ERA. 

That was my problem with Darby Dodd.  I had his pull rating at 1, but his stamina of 11 didn't allow him much slack to pitch out of anything.  He'd go 10 games without giving up a run, then allow 4 or 5 in .1 innings.  A higher pull rating would maintain the 10 scoreless outings, but shorten the rough ones.

Hardball Dynasty – Fantasy Baseball Sim Games - Player Profile: Pinky Hubbard gave up 14 of his 20 runs in 6 games.   He appeared in 40.   A 4.22 ERA isn't very good.  But, in 34 outings, he only gave up 6 runs.   Assuming 1 inning for each outing, he had an ERA of about 1.58 in those 34 games.  That's pretty damn good.

Yeah, Darby Dodd had a 1.44 ERA in 25 innings for 36 of his 43 outings.  He had an ERA of 72.00 in 2 innings for the other 7 outings.

I could have lowered that had I not mismanaged him.