Spring Training 60-man roster strategy

[kbracer2002]

I am playing Manager-only mode. I finished my 1st season and have now progressed to year 2 Spring Training with a 60 man roster. Should I just load up my lineups and rotation with the minor leaguers and prevent injury to my veterans during spring training? What is your strategy during this phase of the season?

[byzeil]

Originally Posted by kbracer2002

I am playing Manager-only mode. I finished my 1st season and have now progressed to year 2 Spring Training with a 60 man roster. Should I just load up my lineups and rotation with the minor leaguers and prevent injury to my veterans during spring training? What is your strategy during this phase of the season?

Players accumulate rust over the off-season so if you want them to work off that rust the veterans have to play at least some.

When I set up my ST depth charts I have the subs start every two games and the #2 sub play every 3 games. I often put my starters as #3 in the depth chart also. I generally end up with all my players playing about the same amount of time. Once my starters get 40+ AB's I will 'bench' them some to keep them from playing. I play in online leagues that sim 7-10 games per sim so I will bench the starters, especially non-durable ones, for 4 or 5 (or more) games for the sim, especially once they get about 40 ABs.

The key for me is to just get my starters enough playing time to work off the off-season rust.

[Dyzalot]

Now that we have 60 man ST rosters I wish we had split squad games.

[curt]

Originally Posted by Dyzalot

Now that we have 60 man ST rosters I wish we had split squad games.

Yeah. We want more! More more more!!

[ludosc]

Originally Posted by Dyzalot

Now that we have 60 man ST rosters I wish we had split squad games.

You can do split squads, you just have to schedule it manually. I've done it a couple of times with mine but I also usually use a 75 man ST roster.

My strategy is I play every game in ST. I use a excel spreadsheet on a 2nd monitor to setup my pitching rotation (including relievers) and my lineups for each day.

The first thing I do is decide how many guys I want to get starts. At a minimum its 6 but on occasion I'll go up to 7 or 8 (this is usually when I start adding SS games) if I have that many guys who I think might have a shot of making the team. All of my relief pitchers are put in a random order and i just go through them inning at a time. Each time through the rotation my SP get the following IP:

1st- 3 IP
2nd- 4 IP
3rd- 5 IP
4th- 6 IP
5th- 6 IP (if needed)

As I get further into ST and start losing RP innings, I start cutting RP from camp. I'll usually keep a few extras around just to handle guys who have a really bad outing and need to be taken out.

As far as the lineup goes, I have a set starting lineup and then a list of subs. I have them set on the same schedule as the starting rotation. Starters come out after our at bat in the:

1st- 5th
2nd- 5th
3rd- 6th
4th- 7th
5th- 7th (if needed)

I'll alternate subs in games, for example if i have 3 LF's, my starter goes 5 innings and Sub A comes in. The next Sub B comes in. The first two times through the rotation, I'll have a "subs-only" game every 3 games. Again, as I get further into camp and start losing AB's for the subs, I'll start cutting players.

After each rotation through I also evaluate how the week went and make any starting lineup adjustments I see fit.

This aspect of the game is one of my favorites and it's even better if I have open spots that multiple players are fighting for.


tl;dr I micromanage the hell outta spring training

[ra7c7er]

Originally Posted by Dyzalot

Now that we have 60 man ST rosters I wish we had split squad games.

Originally Posted by curt

Yeah. We want more! More more more!!

I'd venture to guess with the addition of 60 game spring rosters. Split squads are either just around the corner or the devs have been working on if the current schedule generator can do it.

The only way to make 60 man rosters work is to micro manage them to extremes and I'm sure that's not the end result the devs are looking for.

[conception]

I simply can't fathom the need to use 60 players in ST. I always add a couple non-roster invitees that I think could benefit from position training or that I know will be playing a role on my major league squad even though they aren't on the 40 man roster yet, but I don't need every single worthwhile prospect in my system up with the big club. That's what the minors are for.

[tejdog1]

I call up all my top prospects (those with potentials over 50 (20/80 scale)), then, with a 6 week ST length, I let them play until 10 games left in ST, when I swap them all out with the starters and SPs.