question about injuries

Jessese · 12-07-2022, 03:44 AM

Hey guys. After pondering getting the game for a long time, I finally jumped in about a month ago. I've enjoyed it for the most part, and have figured out a lot of the nuances. However, there's one thing I still can't get past.

I have probably simulated through 20 to 30 seasons now in different franchise restarts. And weirdly, the same thing keeps happening in nearly every season. During the year, I suffer what I would consider to be a normal amount of injuries. Most of them for a week or so, some maybe longer. However, once I get to the middle of September, my pitchers start dropping like flies. I would say in at least 80% of the seasons I sim, I lose at least three important pitchers for the year once I get to the final two weeks of the regular season, meaning I don't have them in the playoffs and get rocked because of it.

In my most recent one, it was outrageous. My #1, #2, and #3 starters, my closer and my setup man were all lost for between two months and twelve months within the span of a week. So despite sitting there with one of the best records in MLB and my division title locked up, I was toast.

Is there a way to combat this? I already hire the best doctor/trainer possible at the start of each franchise. I set common injuries for about a week. Anyone else deal with this?

Rain King · 12-07-2022, 04:35 AM

Is it possible you are over-working your pitchers?

What kind of pitch counts do you usually see with your starters? How often do you have your relievers pitch multiple days in a row?

Pelican · 12-08-2022, 09:51 AM

Pitcher durability varies greatly depending upon the era. In recent times, young hurlers are on pitch counts from Little League onward. [Side note that pitcher injuries have increased, not decreased, since pitch counts became common….] I think that means that overall limits on pitches and innings are essentially baked into the game, at least through default settings for the era or year.

You could change this, in contemporary sims, by toggling back to 1950’s durability, when teams usually had only four starters in the rotation, and 250 IP (or more) in a year was not unusual.

If you’re using modern-day pitcher durability, I agree with the advice to limit pitch count. Even with guys who have high durability, you might want to limit them to 125 or even 100 pitches. (Of course, you need a solid and deep bullpen.) And, if you have a typical schedule, a five-man rotation is essential. OOTP is only trying to mirror the limited durability of today’s pitchers, and the (unfortunate, in my view) tendency to expect only five or six good innings, even from stars (except those named Alcantara).

As you probably have found, these pitcher management approaches can be found under team or individual player “Strategy” tabs. Also, if you use daily pre-set lineups, there are boxes to check to prevent SP being used in relief, heaven forbid, and to rest a SP who is tired. For that latter one to work right, good to go into your Pitching tab and designate one or two “Emergency SP”, so the AI chooses the right guy.

Charlie Hough · 12-08-2022, 02:20 PM

You can always tune the injury setting to reduce the overall frequency, but, as others have suggested, the key is to manage your pitchers carefully. In a modern-era game, be wary that there could be cumulative effects and injury risks of having starters consistently throw 100+ pitches or relievers throw 30+ pitches too many times.

However, another strategy you can use to minimize risk is to use the September roster expansion and callups to bring up a couple of solid minor league pitchers to help take on some of the burden, especially in your bullpen. I'll use two or three pitchers like that and bring them into blowout games or use them as specialists when the matchups and situation make sense. That helps keep some of the other arms rested and fresh.

Another thing to keep in mind is the possibility that not using your pitchers for a long stretch might create injury risks. I can't say for sure that this is a feature by design in OOTP, but I've seen a number of cases where a pitcher hasn't pitched in a while, and suddenly he picks up an injury in his very next outing, especially if he goes long. If any of your injuries have occurred in similar circumstances, you might want to avoid longer stretches where someone doesn't get used.

12-07-2022, 03:44 AM	#1
Jessese Bat Boy Join Date: Dec 2022 Posts: 1	question about injuries Hey guys. After pondering getting the game for a long time, I finally jumped in about a month ago. I've enjoyed it for the most part, and have figured out a lot of the nuances. However, there's one thing I still can't get past. I have probably simulated through 20 to 30 seasons now in different franchise restarts. And weirdly, the same thing keeps happening in nearly every season. During the year, I suffer what I would consider to be a normal amount of injuries. Most of them for a week or so, some maybe longer. However, once I get to the middle of September, my pitchers start dropping like flies. I would say in at least 80% of the seasons I sim, I lose at least three important pitchers for the year once I get to the final two weeks of the regular season, meaning I don't have them in the playoffs and get rocked because of it. In my most recent one, it was outrageous. My #1, #2, and #3 starters, my closer and my setup man were all lost for between two months and twelve months within the span of a week. So despite sitting there with one of the best records in MLB and my division title locked up, I was toast. Is there a way to combat this? I already hire the best doctor/trainer possible at the start of each franchise. I set common injuries for about a week. Anyone else deal with this?

12-07-2022, 04:35 AM	#2
Rain King Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 3,072 Infractions: 1/1 (1)	Is it possible you are over-working your pitchers? What kind of pitch counts do you usually see with your starters? How often do you have your relievers pitch multiple days in a row?

12-08-2022, 09:51 AM	#3
Pelican Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2021 Location: Wilmington, Delaware Posts: 2,901	Pitcher durability varies greatly depending upon the era. In recent times, young hurlers are on pitch counts from Little League onward. [Side note that pitcher injuries have increased, not decreased, since pitch counts became common….] I think that means that overall limits on pitches and innings are essentially baked into the game, at least through default settings for the era or year. You could change this, in contemporary sims, by toggling back to 1950’s durability, when teams usually had only four starters in the rotation, and 250 IP (or more) in a year was not unusual. If you’re using modern-day pitcher durability, I agree with the advice to limit pitch count. Even with guys who have high durability, you might want to limit them to 125 or even 100 pitches. (Of course, you need a solid and deep bullpen.) And, if you have a typical schedule, a five-man rotation is essential. OOTP is only trying to mirror the limited durability of today’s pitchers, and the (unfortunate, in my view) tendency to expect only five or six good innings, even from stars (except those named Alcantara). As you probably have found, these pitcher management approaches can be found under team or individual player “Strategy” tabs. Also, if you use daily pre-set lineups, there are boxes to check to prevent SP being used in relief, heaven forbid, and to rest a SP who is tired. For that latter one to work right, good to go into your Pitching tab and designate one or two “Emergency SP”, so the AI chooses the right guy. __________________ Pelican OOTP 2020-? ”Hard to believe, Harry.”

12-08-2022, 02:20 PM	#4
Charlie Hough Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 3,640	You can always tune the injury setting to reduce the overall frequency, but, as others have suggested, the key is to manage your pitchers carefully. In a modern-era game, be wary that there could be cumulative effects and injury risks of having starters consistently throw 100+ pitches or relievers throw 30+ pitches too many times. However, another strategy you can use to minimize risk is to use the September roster expansion and callups to bring up a couple of solid minor league pitchers to help take on some of the burden, especially in your bullpen. I'll use two or three pitchers like that and bring them into blowout games or use them as specialists when the matchups and situation make sense. That helps keep some of the other arms rested and fresh. Another thing to keep in mind is the possibility that not using your pitchers for a long stretch might create injury risks. I can't say for sure that this is a feature by design in OOTP, but I've seen a number of cases where a pitcher hasn't pitched in a while, and suddenly he picks up an injury in his very next outing, especially if he goes long. If any of your injuries have occurred in similar circumstances, you might want to avoid longer stretches where someone doesn't get used.