Official Ranking the Teams in RBI Thread Thread

[Gantry]

Gantry, have you ever experimented with hitting Spilman 6th or 8th to give Chili more protection? 

What JoeDirt said... Though it is sexy to say so in a ranking, protection isn't super important in str8 pitch, though it is nice to drive in Chili when he gets on base 2/3rds of the time.  In my mind, you cannot take Brenley out because he has just enough power to stay in.  Speier, Youngbloog and Aldrete all suck, but Aldrete has the lefty thing going for him so he usually bats 8th.  The biggest problem isn't protectrion per se, but the fact that 6-7-8 for SF don't get nearly the prodution of Bo/Dt/Ca.   You gotta bat Spilman #1 because he is the only stud on the bench...

Hope that helps!

Stock - I so rarely play with the All-Stars that I don't know where to accurately rank them.  I certainly would rather play with Dt and Ca than NL or AL, even if given the choice.  4/5 sounds right, but maybe 3/4 too...

[OctoFranco]

Looking at your rankings again JD, I have to figure either you don't play with Ca/Bo very often, or you just have insanely good luck with Na.  As far as your between-player comparisons, I think you need to re-evaluate the actual speed/power statistics.

Also I think one thing that really kills your managing of the Na all stars is that you seem to immediately sub in all four bench players.  I always view this as a catastrophic mistake, as it will always come back and bite you in the ass when you are powerless to defend against people walking to your pitcher or other weaker hitters.  I always leave Sullivan on the bench for Bo and Burleson on the bench for Ca, usually for a late inning pitcher sub.  I know these two batters are just barely one notch above just leaving the pitcher to bat for himself, but it can be effectively used as a deterrent to make your opponent come after your bigger bats.

Do you throw a lot of fast/slow pitches, JD?  When I play, it's almost exclusively regular speed pitches, and only a fast/slow one when I need a crucial K or maybe when I know my pitcher's about to come out anyway.  Your pitcher rankings really seem to prioritize speed over movement and even drop.

Also Strassy, there's a great, wide, wonderful RBI world out there.  You should go explore it.

I like your breakdown too, Gantry, I have to say that's more or less how I'd rank it for straight pitch too, especially with Dt's power/leftie combo on top.

Although frankly I'm surprised you mention that Ho's winning percentage against non-St. Louis teams is even approaching 35%.  Maybe I misread...

Do allow intentional walks when you play, Gantry?

I suppose one of the weirder rules we play with is that when we want to walk a guy, we'll ask the other player to crowd the plate and allow the pitcher to just bean him on the first pitch.  I think this is more to save time than pitch count.

[Gantry]

Although frankly I'm surprised you mention that Ho's winning percentage against non-St. Louis teams is even approaching 35%.  Maybe I misread...

Do allow intentional walks when you play, Gantry?

I was thinking Houston against the lower-tiered teams at 35% - their ability to beat the big 3 is  under 10% easily.  Assuming of course there is a disparity in skill between the human players...

We do not allow intentional walks, though it was be an interesting twist to give it a shot.  Many players have a SLG way past 1.0 and it would behoove you to walk them everytime.  Still, it would defintiely be a completely different strategy...

[JoeDirt]

Octo...I do play regularly with Ca and Bo.  In fact, I play regularly with all 10 teams of Tengen League.

Also like you, I rarely throw fastballs (and even more rarely throw drops).  I more rely on movement...that is why I stipulated speed with movement (as opposed to speed without movement) as being superior to no speed with movement.

Maybe that's just my personal preference, but that's how I see it.  That's also why I regard Tudor better than, say, Witt.  Tudor has plus speed and plus movement while Witt has plus movement only (note that I still regard Witt as a good SP).

[TbT]

i have a slight argument with the pitching staff of Cal.  Ocoto makes very good points about em, but theres reason for concern when using them.

Sutton has the stamina, but his movement aint so hot and I love a guy who can throw occasional smoke in a jam which he cannott.  Ive noticed a trend in games with the fort dodge crew that a lot of the time Cal winning in 2-SP really hinges on Suttons performance.  More so than any other pitcher on CAL actually. 

Witt has some better movement and can get it done, but if Sutt dogs it, your stuck with the bull pen for the long haul and its iffy with corbet's best weapon being a serviceable drop ball. 

id prefer the movement of Alexander and Morris.  I aint sayin thier better pitchers, i just feel more comfortable going into battle with those cats.
However if sutt coughs out a solid 4-5 innings, then CAL is usually golden.  This makes me lean towards DET slightly edging out CAL.   

[Attezz]

Doyle Alexander has better movement to the left than Sutton, Sutton has better movement to the right than Morris. Not to mention the all important TEN more stamina than both Alexander and Morris. (Which, if playing with two starters, I don't really think stamina should ever come into play)

[TbT]

the thing with Sutton that gets me...works for or against me i should say  is he can be easier to tee off on due to his lack of speed on the ol radar gun.  Not that the DET crew are fire ballers, but having both CAL starters with regular speed in the 160's is benficial to the batter.

CAL's line-up is stacked though, so realistically they can go blow for blow with DET...making the pitching a moot point in many cases even if Sutt or Witt struggles.

6 of one and a half dozen of the other.

[JoeDirt]

(Which, if playing with two starters, I don't really think stamina should ever come into play)

With all due respect, Kip, I do believe this is more a function of you being a 1 SP for lifer...stamina most certainly still comes into play with 2 SP.

[ultimate7]

Stamina matters more for 1 SP, IMO.

[JoeDirt]

Yeah but you suck at RBI, so how much weight does your O actually have?

[TbT]

Stamina matters more for 1 SP, IMO.  with the ladies

[TempoGL]

every time someone talks about using two starters, i get mad.  it is an absolute travesty, a slap in the face of RBI.

[OctoFranco]

Okay, after spending quite a while extensively updating my original post in this thread, including the addition of batting orders and other strategy points, as well as changing my original order, I'm curious to see how other people's strategy compares to mine.  I was motivated to do this after an IM conversation with JoeDirt a few days back, and would be particularly curious as to his thoughts about the specifics of my strategies.  I also encourage anybody else to post their own rankings/explanations...

[JoeDirt]

Well, Octo, you've really outdone yourself yet again.  Great insight.  I do not agree with everything you've posted, but I cannot dispute the clear logic that you put into your game plan. 

Consider this post merely a teaser to my official analysis of your work in this field.  Like the end of Back To The Future, "too be continued..."

[nomaaa]

one of the things i like about the burks/armas one two, is that armas is generally going to get a homerun or a single, giving you a chance for the only lefty hit in the lineup.

[Clambutt]

one of the things i like about the burks/armas one two, is that armas is generally going to get a homerun or a single, giving you a chance for the only lefty hit in the lineup.

Good point

[Sarc]

Do you throw a lot of fast/slow pitches, JD?  When I play, it's almost exclusively regular speed pitches, and only a fast/slow one when I need a crucial K or maybe when I know my pitcher's about to come out anyway.

Do allow intentional walks when you play, Gantry?

That's pretty much how I play as well. I rarely change speed, but I do throw my fair share of fast balls. I rarely throw a slow ball. If I don't care about pitch count/stamina then I mix it up more often.

When I play we allow intentional walks. We try to make the game as real as possible when we can.

[Darky]

every time someone talks about using two starters, i get mad.  it is an absolute travesty, a slap in the face of RBI.

Whatever guy. I hate the one starter rule. It ends up being a firework show with all the hitting. The pitchers simply cannot last if you play a competent opponent. It makes pitching boring, cause it is not smart to go for the strikeout. I prefer two starters because it makes it more real in the sense of playing the game.

Anyways, awesome thread. Interesting how Octo and some others like to use Spillman in the leadoff. I put him in the 8 hole to protect Chili. I usually go with Speir in the leadoff when a lefty starts, and Aldrete when a righty starts. I save Youngblood for a late inning off the bench bomb. He is money of the bench. Sometimes, I just go with who is hot, and Aldrete can rack up some basehits when he gets in a groove. Anyways, I still think SF is the best team in anything goes with 2 sp's. They are scrappy with just enough power up and down the lineup. Brenly is not that bad, he can get some timely hits. Like I said before, it's not the bow, it's the indian.  Great Hand-eye,intuition and a good keen baseball sense for the game and for the limits of the players of RBI  can make any individual a star with any team. Here is my Frisco lineup:
1. Speir/Aldrete
2. Mitchell
3. Leo
4. Candy
5. The Thrill
6. Brenly
7. Chili
8. Spillman
Subs- Youngblood for the late innings or to break the game wide open in the middle innings.

[Darky]

Octo...I do play regularly with Ca and Bo.  In fact, I play regularly with all 10 teams of Tengen League.

Also like you, I rarely throw fastballs (and even more rarely throw drops).  I more rely on movement...that is why I stipulated speed with movement (as opposed to speed without movement) as being superior to no speed with movement.

Maybe that's just my personal preference, but that's how I see it.  That's also why I regard Tudor better than, say, Witt.  Tudor has plus speed and plus movement while Witt has plus movement only (note that I still regard Witt as a good SP).

Tudor is the best lefty in the game. He has sharp movement and good stamina. Witt is a generic version of Krukow. Witt is solid and has great stamina. Movement is the key in pitching in RBI, changing speeds at the right time should never be neglected. I rarely throw fastballs, just regular speed fastballs with movement in or out or whatever to keep the hitter guessing. I will pump it at times just to keep the hitter guessing or for a punch out pitch if I am in a jam.

[JoeDirt]

Do you throw a lot of fast/slow pitches, JD?  When I play, it's almost exclusively regular speed pitches, and only a fast/slow one when I need a crucial K or maybe when I know my pitcher's about to come out anyway.

Do allow intentional walks when you play, Gantry?

That's pretty much how I play as well. I rarely change speed, but I do throw my fair share of fast balls. I rarely throw a slow ball. If I don't care about pitch count/stamina then I mix it up more often.

When I play we allow intentional walks. We try to make the game as real as possible when we can.

So are you saying you mostly throw fastballs (if you throw "your fair share," AND you "rarely change speeds")?

I don't think that's at all what Octo is saying his style is...