Any tips for improving pitching?

kborsuk · 03-27-2024, 11:55 AM

Hi there, I play the game all the time and my biggest issue is ALWAYS a lack of good pitching.
I love to play late 70's-early 80's seasons over and it seems to matter who I get, I'm typically giving up five to eight runs a game. Steve Carlton. Rollie Fingers, Nolan Ryan. Steve Rogers, Neil Allen. Ron Davis. Geoff Zahn, Those are just some of the players who are getting blasted when they pitch for "my" teams.

Am I doing something wrong? They should be pitching conceivably like aces and let my ERAs are always through the roof.
What the heck am I missing here? Are there any tips I should be utilizing that I am missing out on? It seems all my games are either 8-7 wins or 8-7 losses hah.

thanks

Pelican · 03-27-2024, 12:03 PM

Hmmm lots of questions here. First question, as always, is sample size. How far into your season are you? It's possible these guys could underperform in the first fifty games or so. Less likely - you would expect "regression to the mean" - over a full season. Second, how do you play? Do you have player development on, and do you use a high (more than default 100 setting) for Talent Change Randomness, or TCR? Third, what kind of rotation do you have set up, and (related) what is your strategy setting for starters? It's possible (though unlikely, given the durability of SP in that era) that your pitchers are fatigued from overuse. Make sure you are using the late Seventies SP settings, and not the pansy-ass current day five IP and then the bullpen approach. Fourth, what are your overall stats, league-wide, for ERA, and for hitting? You could have a league-wide imbalance in favor of hitters over pitchers. In which case there are others who could help you probe "under the hood" for needed changes.

Syd Thrift · 03-27-2024, 01:44 PM

So, pitchers in this game and in real life are basically in control of 3 things:

1. Strikeouts
2. Walks
3. Homeruns

How does your team stack up in those 3 categories? I know Ryan was notoriously high in strikeouts but also in walks and if I’m being honest to me he’s really not so much an ATG but an extreme strikeout artist who was above average for a very long time.

Add FIP to the stats you track. That should give you a good idea of how your pitchers are really doing.

The other side of the equation is defense. OOTP puts a real premium on D, especially the further you go back in history to times when the K rates were half what they are now (I’m doing a fictional league that’s currently in 1973 and yes, league wide K rates are 5.3/9). If your FIPs are low, defense is the problem. You want to try to have plus fielders at short and center first and foremost, but also second and catcher (at least a strong arm there). Third and right are also important and usually you can get away with dumping bad defense in left and first but even there you can totally benefit from having good fielders at both positions.

If memory serves the testing on CF and SS defense found that the difference between a Gold Glove, top of the line defender and a bad defender at those positions was on the order of 6 wins a season.

kborsuk · 03-27-2024, 02:23 PM

My strikeouts were WAY too low and obviously balls put in play can lead to more runs.
This seems to be a common thread through whole seasons though. Pitchers who should (based on the reality of their performance during these eras) pitching way below what they should be doing.
I just can't seem to keep giving up hits, which is the center problem.

snepp · 10-22-2025, 05:43 PM

That's a bit of a loaded question, and a lot of the answer depends on the context of your team.

All of them are always good, but, that context thing.

Do you have a really bad fielding team? Low strikeout guys that have the ball in play a lot will really suffer. A high-k guy won't feel it (as much). Same in reverse, a great defense is always good, but the low-k guys will benefit from it more.

Do you play in a home ballpark that gives up a ton of home runs? You really don't want a bunch of low movement flyball pitchers. High movement groundballers won't get hurt by the stadium near as much, but then you better have yourself a good defensive infield.

Generally if I have to sacrifice anything in a pitcher, I'll sacrifice stuff on a starter, and be more willing to sacrifice control on a reliever. I rarely keep a low movement guy around, they just give up too many homers. High movement is awesome to have, but as long as it's decent I'm usually fine with them.

03-27-2024, 11:55 AM	#1
kborsuk Minors (Single A) Join Date: Dec 2021 Posts: 96	Any tips for improving pitching? Hi there, I play the game all the time and my biggest issue is ALWAYS a lack of good pitching. I love to play late 70's-early 80's seasons over and it seems to matter who I get, I'm typically giving up five to eight runs a game. Steve Carlton. Rollie Fingers, Nolan Ryan. Steve Rogers, Neil Allen. Ron Davis. Geoff Zahn, Those are just some of the players who are getting blasted when they pitch for "my" teams. Am I doing something wrong? They should be pitching conceivably like aces and let my ERAs are always through the roof. What the heck am I missing here? Are there any tips I should be utilizing that I am missing out on? It seems all my games are either 8-7 wins or 8-7 losses hah. thanks

03-27-2024, 12:03 PM	#2
Pelican Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2021 Location: Wilmington, Delaware Posts: 2,939	Hmmm lots of questions here. First question, as always, is sample size. How far into your season are you? It's possible these guys could underperform in the first fifty games or so. Less likely - you would expect "regression to the mean" - over a full season. Second, how do you play? Do you have player development on, and do you use a high (more than default 100 setting) for Talent Change Randomness, or TCR? Third, what kind of rotation do you have set up, and (related) what is your strategy setting for starters? It's possible (though unlikely, given the durability of SP in that era) that your pitchers are fatigued from overuse. Make sure you are using the late Seventies SP settings, and not the pansy-ass current day five IP and then the bullpen approach. Fourth, what are your overall stats, league-wide, for ERA, and for hitting? You could have a league-wide imbalance in favor of hitters over pitchers. In which case there are others who could help you probe "under the hood" for needed changes. __________________ Pelican OOTP 2020-? ”Hard to believe, Harry.” Last edited by Pelican; 03-27-2024 at 12:04 PM.

10-22-2025, 05:43 PM	#5
snepp All Star Starter Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 1,479	That's a bit of a loaded question, and a lot of the answer depends on the context of your team. All of them are always good, but, that context thing. Do you have a really bad fielding team? Low strikeout guys that have the ball in play a lot will really suffer. A high-k guy won't feel it (as much). Same in reverse, a great defense is always good, but the low-k guys will benefit from it more. Do you play in a home ballpark that gives up a ton of home runs? You really don't want a bunch of low movement flyball pitchers. High movement groundballers won't get hurt by the stadium near as much, but then you better have yourself a good defensive infield. Generally if I have to sacrifice anything in a pitcher, I'll sacrifice stuff on a starter, and be more willing to sacrifice control on a reliever. I rarely keep a low movement guy around, they just give up too many homers. High movement is awesome to have, but as long as it's decent I'm usually fine with them. Last edited by snepp; 10-22-2025 at 05:44 PM.

03-27-2024, 02:23 PM	#4
kborsuk Minors (Single A) Join Date: Dec 2021 Posts: 96	My strikeouts were WAY too low and obviously balls put in play can lead to more runs. This seems to be a common thread through whole seasons though. Pitchers who should (based on the reality of their performance during these eras) pitching way below what they should be doing. I just can't seem to keep giving up hits, which is the center problem.