Expecting to be Closer when there aren't any

[SteveP]

Has anyone figured out what to do about the problem of pitchers who expect to be closers, playing in an era when there aren't any closers?

I know what to do on my own team, but the league has a floating pool of constantly unhappy but talented RPs. I suspect this is something that fell thru the cracks while Markus was making mods to the game, but I can't think of a workaround.

[The Game]

Originally Posted by SteveP

Has anyone figured out what to do about the problem of pitchers who expect to be closers, playing in an era when there aren't any closers?

I know what to do on my own team, but the league has a floating pool of constantly unhappy but talented RPs. I suspect this is something that fell thru the cracks while Markus was making mods to the game, but I can't think of a workaround.

Well in my league with 1977 financials and strategy in 2007 I have normal use of Closers. For some of my random debut leagues, I have tried use of relievers to rarely yet use of closers to normal. Seems to work ok. I have also seen a MR with 43 saves while my closer had 13 with use of closers at rarely.

[Spritze]

With the use of closers set to below normal OOTP automagically uses the best available untired relief pitcher as the closer for that day. So it's not that there ain't any, it's just the silly designation that is missing. Anyone whose arm is still attached to their body can be the closer. Which is pretty much how it was historically speaking from a historical point of view historically.

You will notice at year end that the best relief pitchers will have the most Saves. God willing and the creeks don't rise.

[SteveP]

I guess my question wasn't well phrased:

For example, when playing a league in the 50s-60s, the AI does not put anyone in the closer box. There are no closers on any of the teams. However, there are pitchers who have expectations of being a closer and get very upset that they are not in that box. They demand to be traded and end up floating around the league looking for harmony with the universe.

I can fix the problem on my team by putting the guy in the closer box. I can also fix the problem temporarily on any of these guys by using the Editor to make them feel at peace with their situation. But this is hit or miss.

The only other solution is to make the league designate pitchers as closers, even though pitchers weren't designated that way at the time (plus the AI will use them the way modern managers use closers).

I was hoping someone had figured out how to get pitchers to stop thinking of themselves as closers (or perhaps suggest to Markus that this would be a good idea )

[Spritze]

Just looked in my current league.

No one is listed as a closer.

Only 1 of the top 30 relievers is whining about closing. I've had wives that whined more than that!

Other whiner percentages

7 of top 30 first basemen
3 of 30 2b
4 of 30 ss
etc.

In my league Closers are the least whiney of all.

Most likely the difference might be settings. I don't let players leave organizations easily, no free agency, trades on low, can't refuse demotions and anything else I can find to limit movement. Just how I like to play.

[SteveP]

Originally Posted by Spritze

Most likely the difference might be settings. I don't let players leave organizations easily, no free agency, trades on low, can't refuse demotions and anything else I can find to limit movement. Just how I like to play.

You are right that this business with the "closers" is probably not the only anachronistic thing going on. I imagine that whining was generally not a good career move back then (even for Curt Flood). In any event, you convinced me to do something I had been thinking about already: dialing down the trading. Be interesting to see what impact that has on these other issues.

[VanillaGorilla]

Originally Posted by SteveP

I guess my question wasn't well phrased:

For example, when playing a league in the 50s-60s, the AI does not put anyone in the closer box. There are no closers on any of the teams. However, there are pitchers who have expectations of being a closer and get very upset that they are not in that box. They demand to be traded and end up floating around the league looking for harmony with the universe.

I can fix the problem on my team by putting the guy in the closer box. I can also fix the problem temporarily on any of these guys by using the Editor to make them feel at peace with their situation. But this is hit or miss.

The only other solution is to make the league designate pitchers as closers, even though pitchers weren't designated that way at the time (plus the AI will use them the way modern managers use closers).

I was hoping someone had figured out how to get pitchers to stop thinking of themselves as closers (or perhaps suggest to Markus that this would be a good idea )

Let them whine. Cut them. Trade them. If there isn't work for them because of the era settings say that closers are very rarely used, oh well.

If you set up an 1880s league and 2 man rotations are the default, well, a lot of starters won't have work, either.

While letting the AI control all teams, I had Roger Clemens debut in 1879. After his rookie season he couldn't pop the top 2 on his team, got traded, was back up material there with few IP and retired at age 34 with 21 wins in under 4 years of ML service. I imagine there was some whining there, but I wasn't micromanaging or microobserving, if you will, his goings on.

My thought is that you either change the league settings on reliever use, or you accept that they are about as useful, and will find about as much work in your era, as Visual Basic programmers would.

Cheers