Classic Pitching Questions and Discussion 2012

[ILiveForThis]

Re: Classic Pitching Questions and Discussion 2012

I believe my favorite aspect that changed from 2011 to 2012 was.. that it involved NO slider movement to get a statistically correct outing. Also, I love how one pitch can have 'it' one game and get HAMMERED the next.

[Heroesandvillains]

Re: Classic Pitching Questions and Discussion 2012

I believe my favorite aspect that changed from 2011 to 2012 was.. that it involved NO slider movement to get a statistically correct outing. Also, I love how one pitch can have 'it' one game and get HAMMERED the next.

Well said. The not having to tweak sliders bit is my favorite part too. Just turn it on and play. It's really a wonderful feeling.

[ILiveForThis]

Re: Classic Pitching Questions and Discussion 2012

I agree. My only complaint with Control/Consist at 5/5 is that I still see high strike, low ball outings. And I don't just pound the zone, I pitch high/low/in/out. It could be user based though..

[abcabc]

Re: Classic Pitching Questions and Discussion 2012

And this is exactly why I find the interface so gratifying. It's the ONLY interface where 3-0 actually feels like a threat or a disadvantage. I'm on 3-0 on Analog all the time and I don't even sweat it, because I know odds are I'll paint a couple of change ups on the black and be done with the batter. In Classic your control is so (realistically) bad, that you immediately know: "I can't **** around here"





I noticed this almost immediately too, good to know I wasn't just imagining it. I was having trouble locating a pitch in a jam so I decided I'd just max effort everything, hoping that even if it missed I'd get the chase & strikeout. Sure enough, the pitch was a lot more accurate at max effort.

Great read, and an outstanding post sir.

fascinating, i did not know this thanks!

[JayD]

Re: Classic Pitching Questions and Discussion 2012

So it appears that using max effort on pitches with low confidence is needed being that you are having issues with that particular pitch and a mix effort is needed to correct your struggles. I will now try this being that I was doing the complete opposite thinking that a tap will give me a more accurate pitch when throwing a pitch with low confidence.

[Heroesandvillains]

Re: Classic Pitching Questions and Discussion 2012

So it appears that using max effort on pitches with low confidence is needed being that you are having issues with that particular pitch and a mix effort is needed to correct your struggles. I will now try this being that I was doing the complete opposite thinking that a tap will give me a more accurate pitch when throwing a pitch with low confidence.

My experience says it doesn't have to necessarily be max effort. Just not minimum effort, to the best that I can tell.

[ILiveForThis]

Re: Classic Pitching Questions and Discussion 2012

So, I was playing some Default All-Star today and decided to play another game of my mess-around franchise. I picked the Blue Jays v Rangers, Kyle Drabek was on the mound. As I told H&V, I was worried about my BB's and Strike %.

Well, I shouldn't be.

Kyle Drabek: 4 IP, 3 H, 6 ER, 7 BB, 2 K. 94 Pitches, 57% Strikes.

Yep. I basically shot myself in the foot with all the talking I had been doing about 'being to accurate' and 'Cy Young like'. Glad to know I am a human being.

[derelictojama]

Re: Classic Pitching Questions and Discussion 2012

Using tips from here, not nibbling being the primary one, and using more effort (I was treating it more like the meter, thinking if I got the rumble it was a bad thing... learn something new every day, or minute in my case), I have been finding it much easier to pitch to contact. On meter I painted the black exclusively, not just because I was good at it, but because I felt like if I ever left one in the zone it would get killed, and as a result I was getting skewed K totals--like 9 with Hudson, 10 with Jurrjens, up to 14 with Hanson. But with classic, using it properly, it seems that pitching to contact works much better. Only four actual games played at this point (and one of them was Beachy getting lit up in the first, but he just couldn't locate the fastball--happens, and he calmed down after the 1st and pitched well), but it's really working for me. Thanks, guys! I may still mess with meter sometimes, I've been doing it that way for so long (like in Game 7 of the world series, I might really be tempted...), but classic is fun.

[ravellron]

Re: Classic Pitching Questions and Discussion 2012

im using classic and found it really realistic,
my BB avg is 7-8 nearly. k avg 7.
what i found difficult is let cpu bb on you with realistic results. only 2 if im disciplined. im trying strike frequency sets to 2 and cpu pitcher control 1 with consistency 3.
watching real game both teams sometimes avg 7 bb a game or more.
my statistic is right but cpu don't.

[Heroesandvillains]

Re: Classic Pitching Questions and Discussion 2012

Ravellron,

It took me about 75 actual games to get the hang of drawing walks with regularity. It's almost like muscle memory.

I'm on all-star default and rank in the top 13 in BB's drawn.

Derelict,

I see that you're saying you are getting realistic results! Awesome!

But one question: You're K's are down from meter, as expected. Are you getting your fair share of strikeouts though? You should. Pitching to contact is great and all sometimes but you shouldn't have to sacrafice the strikeout.

It's okay to pitch for the K. I do, probably too much.

[derelictojama]

Re: Classic Pitching Questions and Discussion 2012

Ravellron,

It took me about 75 actual games to get the hang of drawing walks with regularity. It's almost like muscle memory.

I'm on all-star default and rank in the top 13 in BB's drawn.

Derelict,

I see that you're saying you are getting realistic results! Awesome!

But one question: You're K's are down from meter, as expected. Are you getting your fair share of strikeouts though? You should. Pitching to contact is great and all sometimes but you shouldn't have to sacrafice the strikeout.

It's okay to pitch for the K. I do, probably too much.

Yeah, my Ks are down, I'm not pitching for them as much, but they're not drastically down (just pitched again with Hanson, 7 innings 3 runs 7 hits 0 bb 5 K ). I seem to be able to get the K when I need them, but I'm not going for it all the time; keeping pitch counts down, etc. On meter it really seemed like feast or famine, either a K or a hit; now it's more balanced. I'm about to pitch a game with Beachy, who is leading the league in Ks (combining sim and what I've played), so if I'm pitching well with him and don't get at least 6-7 Ks then maybe I'll need to think about adjusting something, but for the moment I'm happy with how things are.

And fyi, nothing's perfect. Had been pitching pretty well and consistently with my whole staff, then got into a tight game with the DBacks with Minor, tied 2-2 in the 7th, runners on 1st and 2nd , 1 out, Aramis Ramirez up (let Milwaukee trade him away when they dropped out of contention). Had Medlen fully warm in the bullpen. Did a mound visit, raised Minor's confidence to like 75%. His energy was good (25% or so), had thrown like 80 pitches. Think to myself, "Medlen's change sure would be nice go get Ramirez to hit into a dp..." but let's just say Minor talked me into it when I got to the mound (I've got tons left, Skip, I can get this guy), and I left him in and... fastball right down peachtree (or whatever the main road in Phoenix is), 3 run hr, minor actually then gets the last 2 guys in the 7th, but I end up losing 5-2. Somebody somewhere, can't remember who () said: don't leave that starting pitcher in too long. Oh well. Can't do everything right!

And as for working walks, I have gotten so much better about it the more I've played, used to always get the "These guys believe in swinging the bat" kinds of commentary, but now I can usually manage to work at least 2-3 walks a game, often with just the right guys--the guys who can't bang it, and really should be trying to get a walk if they can--Bourn, Pastornicky, even pitchers. If you say patience too many times, it makes people impatient, but that's just the simple story, GOT TO BE PATIENT.

[derelictojama]

Re: Classic Pitching Questions and Discussion 2012

Ok, just pitched w Beachy, 7+, 6h, 2r, 4k, 1 bb; no relievers, not even Kimbrel, got any Ks, so that's 4 total for the game.

Looked back over the last few box scores, though, had 8 in 7IP w Beachy last time out, I've been getting plenty of Ks with Kimbrel...

Seeing my K totals drop (and my bb totals are still pretty low) I might toy with knocking my pitcher consistency down 1 tick--that might make me miss the zone by just an inch or two, get a few more swing and misses, and actually walk a few more people. I get REALLY mad when I walk somebody, and as a (fictional) pitching coach, I would make my pitchers run stadiums or something for every non-intentional walk they gave up, but really, it should happen more often. Let me know your thoughts; messing with pitch consistency might not be the right solution.

Main thing I'm loving about classic is that the double play is a realistic possibility. On meter, if the leadoff batter got on first, I immediately started thinking "gotta strike the next two guys out." Now I seem to be able to be able to actually plan for and execute to get the dp. Love it; if it means I get a few less Ks, I can live with that.

Edit: Dropped control and consistency both one notch, Minor went 7, 3h, 2r, 8k, 2bb, Kimbrel saved game with 2ks & 1bb; next game Hanson went 5.1, 6h, 3r, 8k, 2bb; bullpen walked 1 & K'd 3. Not dominating like I was, but I think I can adjust to it; minor's runs were inherited runners allowed to score by Venters and Moylan (rare, but it happens) and Hanson got jobbed by a couple of bleeders, so I'm still not nec. getting hit hard, just getting unlucky, which is cool, you can pitch well and still give up a few runs, of course.

[Heroesandvillains]

Re: Classic Pitching Questions and Discussion 2012

Derelict, this is interesting.

I went though my first 55 games and totaled up the number of games a starter of mine had 8+ K's.

I counted 9. How does that sound? That's essentially once every 6 games.

And just to note, I'm almost last in BB's allowed (meaning I'm walking almost the most hitters per game in the league, at just under 4 per). I was actually considering raising Consistency to 6 for my second season in an attempt to bring my BB's down a TAD.

[Side Effect]

Re: Classic Pitching Questions and Discussion 2012

So is default AS still suggested when using classic?

[Heroesandvillains]

Re: Classic Pitching Questions and Discussion 2012

So is default AS still suggested when using classic?

That's what I'd suggest.

Not sure about everyone else.