Vol. III, Issue #2 - July 2015

** Commissioner's Corner - Part XIII **
(by Marc Wasserman, Commissioner of the Cyber Baseball Association {CBA} )

(Note from the Wolfman: - Here is the thirteen part of this column written by Marc Wasserman, discussing his experiences and insights about being a commissioner of a Strat-o-matic baseball league. For each issue as we continue this column, Marc will share with us different aspects of the job of being a commissioner and what is necessary to run a successful league. After a brief absence from our last issue, Marc returns as we are in the midst of the MLB season along with many leagues that started in the spring as the pennant races are shaping up which involve their own team's strategems.  So in this article, Marc discusses what teams have to do to make it to their league playoffs.  We hope this column is helpful to enhance your own leagues or what you should be prepared to do if you decide to form a new league and act as its commissioner.)

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Hot Pursuit to Reach the Playoffs in Your League?

It has been a little while since my last reach out to you all. Now, as this current year rolls on the playoff picture in many leagues is coming a bit more into focus. Trades start to flurry and the teams at the top start to look around the non-contenders for expendable pieces to help pave their way to the promised land, a Championship.

Generally the trade off a contender is willing to make is looking for pieces to fit into their team's playoff puzzle but are willing to sacrifice their youthful commodities for those veteran cards that will help them get over and gain an edge over their other competitors. The astute GM's spend hours designing their teams and having communication with other GM's to put this puzzle together. For most its the fun part of being in a league. Communication between the league members has often been related to me as the best part of a successful league. After all the friendships we form are probably the most important reason why many of us play. Competition does bring many into friendship as well. So what pieces of the puzzle do the successful teams need to get over? Lets take a look at some of the hottest commodities in many leagues.

Probably the single most requested and inquired player that teams seek during a pennant drive deals with acquiring a balanced solid right handed starting pitcher or to add such to their staff. Obviously the young righty starters are at a premium in most leagues because truly to have such good cards that have a low on base and slugging for an entire season means so much for a team. Generally teams over pay on these type of players though. Huge packages were sent to acquire top shelf pitchers cards in our league like King Felix, Jose Fernandez, Chris Tillman, Justin Verlander, etc. As rare as these type of pitchers are however, I ask, does it makes for a very good value when you're heading to win your league's pennant?

Considering the high prices asked for such starting pitchers around the leagues that I talk to and play within, my answer is not really. The owners of these type of pitchers often ask for a package of youth, draft picks, and replacement players which is huge. I have seen many teams over-pay themselves right out of the playoff picture after cashing in these chips. These deals can have far more reaching and long term effects on the franchise especially, in many cases when injuries take place to these starters, they have poor seasons, and the general expectations for future card performances do not pan out as expected.

Consider now where a #1 draft pick gives a team a chance to draft a really key player. Often these top picks do pan out and the players become key components for their team at some level; quite often at a higher level than any other later draft picks would. Consider that dealing other players from a position of strength can often deplete teams in the future what are their needs of a versatile and strong bench especially in larger league with 24 teams +.  Multiple players who are included in such trades, are generally never scrub types but the GMs do their homework and make sure they receive a bunch of (potentially) gifted type players. These players are usually well researched by the GM's and the sum of their parts could add up to more advantage than the drop of say 10 on base units (or split card units) given in the trade.

For example, in this type of trade I am discussing here is what can hurt your team later. The loss of defense replacements who fill a unique role, or what abut the loss of reserve bench offense? What about a young reliever with a world of upside who can get you outs against a lefty, the seemingly declining veteran thrown in who a year or two before hit 35 HR's?  Sometime these players you might trade away can be the difference between you winning or trading away your wins in an attempt to get a named player or make what appears to be a big trade which includes a huge bat or Ace pitcher. You must ask yourself before making these type of trades will they come at what deteriment and price? What am I losing, not just gaining? Could cheaper acquired cards fill the void better and make me stronger? Yes indeed they could at that.

Doing your homework means really looking at your team and analyzing what you really need to get past your main opponents. Look at your rival matchups as well which are the teams you will face and that you need to beat. Identify their weaknesses, and make note. Look at all the teams you will need to be concerned with. Look at their ballparks, and look at their weather conditions if you use that feature. Identify the places you will need to target when you face them. Remember, specialty cards are cheaper to get and having a few specialty piece players on the bench could be more valuable than that 1 big card. These are all questions you should and must ask yourself.

Here are some more important questions to ask before making these type of trades.  My rivals ballparks ratings at end of the season will look like what? What type of player cards are needed for us to have a maximum performance on the road? What pitching can slow the best OPS players on my rivals rosters? Do I need any reverse cards such as Reverse righties relievers (and starters can be so important to keep rivals honest, and freeze their benches)?

Consider also that many managers will stack lefties against Righty starters and vice versa. Can you put out a couple of pitchers who can eat up these bats? Consider that reverse cards should be looked at carefully too. Not all are the same. I tend to want a reverser who can get the lowest OBA, Slugging, and ball park diamonds against the same sided batter, so when a batter steps in who hits from the same side, the out chances are still pretty good. The reverser who is clean vs. the reverse side, but dirty against the same side leaves a manager quite vunerable as to who to pinch hit. With Superhal now, and GM's having ample access to ratings, expect switching and pinch hitting becoming more frequent, its best to stay away from the players who give up nothing vs. 1 side of the card, but have 8 diamonds and a ridiculous OB/SLG the other side of the card. Don't be tempted to draft or trade for the heavy 1 sided player no matter how the numbers look. Good teams can counter those cards quite easily. In my opinion it is not worth trading or drafting a pitcher to get just 1 out. Its a waste of roster space.

I tend to believe that a team should have the following aspects to their successful pitching staff: Four balanced righty starters. Lowest OBA/SLG you can get, of course, but be careful how you set this up. A lack of HR's or diamonds can also entice GM's to think some low ERA cards with few HR chances are all good. However, the high OB chances on a pitcher's card is a killer my stratpals. Base-runners and the abundance of movement options and various situations for runners make these type of pitcher's cards a liability. Think Henderson Alvarez last season. Low MLB ERA right? Low HR totals right? But, he had a high OBA on his card. A worse card than he should have, but the hits to IP total killed his card. So many potential runners with so much Strat ball techniques and matchups to face this type of pitchers including X rating advancements; Ground ball advancements, hit and runs, sacrice flies and errors of the pitcher's card plus high on base kills.

Then again, maybe this situation is more destructive than a pitcher having diamonds (ball park homers) on his card. Remember diamonds can be beneficial in certain parks where they become outs such as in the larger sized parks. More important I feel teams should have keep cheaper valued spot starters to be used in key locations (ball parks). Such as have a high diamond card that can be used in the LA Dodger stadium or NY Citi field where the ball park homers are very low. These pitcher cards could come at a much cheaper price and be just as effective. Even better if this spot starter has potential to develop in the future. Why trade him to get the ace? Use that rookie to spot in these type of situations linked where ball park home run factors.

Now let's look at "The Big Bats." These players cost alot don't they? What about the 250 AB players who are platooned? You know the big part time cards had by lesser known ballplayers? Aren't they cheaper? Many of them could be quite young and have tremdnous potential. It is a good idea to keep such cards if they can be matched against key teams or certain type of stadiums that would benefit your team as such player would definitely be a cheaper alternative to Le Grand Batsman. The specialty in their cards could be used at key times and key series. The big cards may require a deal that trades away these types of valuable pieces and much more.

Then again if any of your platoon players should develop this would be a huge bonus. Having great versatility and the ability to have players who can deal with many different situations and challenges is a huge strength in the playoffs especially when you may have to play three series to get into the league championship round. One big card may help, but perhaps offer less flexibility and ways to beat the other teams you may face. Here is a vote for a balanced team to create as opposed to the superstar team. But do traders need to target the big players to achieve their goals? Well if the purpose is to win, than I would say "NO".