The user settings have been around since at least 2007 when I first got into SLB. They really aren't new. The Expected Usage Patterns for Pitchers are, like it says right there on the screen, used in recommendations. Their only purpose is to give you those default/recommended pitch counts in the pitcher Advanced Settings window.

Posted by skunk206 on 4/20/2017 9:58:00 AM (view original):
The user settings have been around since at least 2007 when I first got into SLB. They really aren't new. The Expected Usage Patterns for Pitchers are, like it says right there on the screen, used in recommendations. Their only purpose is to give you those default/recommended pitch counts in the pitcher Advanced Settings window.

I've been here for much longer than that, but... wow, yeah, I guess time really does fly, lol.

What exactly counts as a 'save situation' to sparky? Say I'm up by 2 or 3 in the 7th, and have three players set as 'Closer A' (and otherwise available) - will it bring them in sequentially, or is this not a save situation?

I'm honestly ****** and confused why sparky took out Marichal here. 115 TPC. 1 pull rating.

https://www.whatifsports.com/slb/Boxscore.aspx?gid=28664393&pid=1&pbp=0&tf=10

Even at a 1 pull setting, if a starting pitcher blows a lead in an inning with relievers available, he will be pulled. This was done in the 7th inning, so you must have had at least one reliever set as available in the 7th or earlier. Marichal only stays in the game if reliever availability is 8th or later.

Posted by skunk206 on 5/30/2017 9:54:00 AM (view original):
Even at a 1 pull setting, if a starting pitcher blows a lead in an inning with relievers available, he will be pulled. This was done in the 7th inning, so you must have had at least one reliever set as available in the 7th or earlier. Marichal only stays in the game if reliever availability is 8th or later.

Well that's annoying considering that was his 3rd hit given up, and now my bullpen is gone. I need a 0 pull rating. Cuz the point of this team is for every pitcher to throw 115-120 pitches, go 8-9 every game.

Well **** me, it happened again to the same team. Should I send in a ticket?

https://www.whatifsports.com/slb/Boxscore.aspx?gid=28668075&pid=1&pbp=0&tf=10

2020 bump...still the most misunderstood facet of the game in my opinion

One thing that I didn't really discuss in the original posts is the use of the LH Specialist and RH specialist settings. For a long time I felt that these were useless, and that any relievers set to LHS/RHS weren't being used often enough.

I no longer believe that is the case, and after reading comments from skunk206 and other owners, I now believe the following is true:

-- LHS/RHS work best if ALL relievers, other than mopup and closer, are set that way
-- If you have a bullpen with LHS/RHS, Setup A/B, Long A/B, then the specialists will usually be the last ones used
-- Setting your entire bullpen to be LHS/RHS can, in fact, be a very effective way of using your pitching staff.

If you are reading this thread for the first time, the TL;DR is: the SIM algorithm never randomly decides to screw you over. If you find that a crappy reliever was used in a critical spot, it is because that is EXACTLY what the sum total of your manager settings led to.

Posted by contrarian23 on 8/4/2015 10:35:00 AM (view original):
bump.... I've seen too many complaints recently about Sparky's use of the mop up.

If your mop up pitcher was brought into the game in a situation that you do not believe warranted it, it is ALWAYS because no other option was available to him at the time.

Specifically, it is very likely that one of the following was true:
-- Your other pitchers were fatigued below their autorest (this is most often the case...and when you look AFTER the game, the pitcher you think should have been used may now be at 100%, but before the game - which of course you can no longer see - he was at 94, and you set his autorest to 95)  
-- Your other rested pitchers were set to come in later in the game (if you set "inning available" = 7 and it's the 6th inning, then you have effectively told Sparky to use the mop up rather than this pitcher)
-- Your other rested pitchers were already used in the game (surprisingly common....user whines "why didn't Sparky use Eckersley" and what do you know, Eckersley was already used earlier in the game)
-- Your pitcher was ejected (yup, it happens)
-- Your pitcher was pinch hit for 
-- Your pitcher reached his pitch count
-- You just brought up the pitcher from AAA or from the waiver wire or via trade and forgot to check his relief box
-- Etc, etc, etc.

The point is, there is always a reason, based on YOUR settings.  It's not a glitch.

I wish that new users in SLB would reread this entire thread - but especially this post - over and over.

Thanks

dannyjoe, I do not agree with your conclusion that the statement "In summary, Sparky will manage according to your instructions EXACTLY as you have provided them to him" is inaccurate. However, I do agree that the closer label needs some clarification. The closer label means "only use this pitcher in high leverage situations," as the customer support instructions clarify.

So unchecking the "use closer in save situations only" box does NOT mean "consider the closer to be available in any situation." Instead, unchecking that box means "use the closer in a close game in the late innings even if it's not technically a save situation."

I have tried to clarify this point in the information on page 1.