Re: TheWarmWind's Impact Sliders
Ok, so my playtesting so far shows that while my settings are fine for my carry over save from 2014, I'd need to set it to 7-7 solid hits for modern rosters in order to get the effect I intended.
This is due to the inflated attributes in carry over saves. Modern rosters have much lower average ratings. Eventually my carry over will normalize as older players retire and newer games produce prospects, but I am real life years away from that point, so I ain't changing anytime soon. I'll edit the OP to reflect this discovery once I get a little more playtesting in.
I might have to upgrade to legend pitching, but again that is only to compensate for the inflated attributes.
In the meantime, the spoiler below contains my report on spring training so far in my Blue Jays 2014 carry over for those that are interested.
Trades for the Blue Jays
In TheWarmWind's hunt for a DH, and his continual obsession with "trimming the fat" off his 40 man, the Blue Jays have made two trades.
The Blue Jays acquire OF Leon Huff from the Padres for SP Luke Crews and 1B Vaughn Casilla
The Blue Jays acquire 3B Willy Alamanzar, RP Larry Jarrett, and 1B Richard Griffith from the Cardinals for OF Ken Pinckney and 3B Jim Samuals
Willy Alamanzar was a player that the Jays have targeted since his high school years, and they are happy to finally bring this MLB ready prospect into their organization. Defense is a concern, as is his potential upside, but Alamanzar's biggest tool is an ability the club covets: Vision. Capable of playing the entire infield, only time will tell if this player can shine on the big club, though there is no doubt he will provide tough at bats for opposing pitchers.
Leon Huff doesn't provide the same immediate impact as Alamanzar, but he has a higher potential ceiling, and can play all OF positions well. He also brings vision to the table, and will be in the mix for the DH spot this year.
Larry Jarrett and Richard Griffith were both pack ins, players to help even out the deal and provide depth for the holes created in the Jays system. Both are MLB long shots.
Luke Crews was the biggest piece moving out. While his potential is high, his performances within the system have failed to impress the Jays, and the closer look that being on the 40 man provides has only helped solidify the feeling that this player is a dud within the organization. The Jays are flush with quality SP prospects, so this helps relieve the pressure without losing anything, at least as far as the Jays are concerned.
Ken Pinckeny is MLB ready and could flourish on another team. His only real weakness is his glove. After an impressive showing after his call up in mid-2018, Pinckeny struggled, eventually being sent down. Pinckeny's struggles have continued into spring, and the organization thought all parties would be better off if he moved out of town, especially since he had little to no chance of finding work as a starter on the Jays. Moving him will likely be a win for everyone.
Jim Samuals mirrors Pinckeny in his story. A solid defensive player with utility and some upside with his bat, the Jays just didn't see a realistic path where Samuals would become a starter. Another win for all involved moving him out, as the Jays are set as far as utility players go.
Vaughn Castilla is a 1B/DH with a power bat. Has the potential to be a big bat in any lineup, but his progress has stalled in the Jays system, and the encroaching deadline of the rule 5 draft on him made the Jays feel it was time to either get value out of him or let him go. Richard Griffith may be even less likely to make it to MLB quality, but he is younger and a first year pro.
Spring Training movers and shakers
RH SP Jose Lozano - It's strange calling a SP already projected to be in the starting lineup a mover and shaker, but Lozano has spent the last 4 years dominating the minors. He had 5 starts last season in the bigs and was solid, only losing his spot due to the performance of Boone Nunez out of the pen. Nunez went on to prove he deserved the spot, but Lozano is back and looking better than ever this spring. Lozano has the potential to become a generational talent, so there is a lot to be excited about.
LH SP Ron Gilmore - The battle for a spot in the rotation is intense, and Gilmore is dominating the discussion right now, despite being the lowest rated of the candidates. His fastball tops out at 99MPH, and he has a nasty changeup to pair with it. The rest of his repertoire is looking sharper too. There is still a lot of concern surrounding him though. Gilmore was sharp last spring too, and actually won the 5th rotation spot to start the season. He then went on to build himself an ugly 7.71 ERA in 6 starts and got sent down to the minors, where he had an unexceptional season. Unlike some of the other candidates though, Gilmore is not a SP or bust prospect, so a spot in the pen is also up for grabs.
LH RP Darell Drese - Drese has taken to his move to the pen like a fish to water. His Fastball can touch 101 MPH and he has been dominating the opposition with his 98MPH cutter. A nasty sharp breaking 12-6 curve and a serviceable slider work to round out his repertoire, and he can eat a few innings too. Truly an exciting piece to potentially add to what is already the best bullpen in baseball.
OF Trey Bloom - Bloom's tenure on the Jays has been wrought with frustration. He's constantly bounced between the bigs and the minors for the past 3 years. Out of options and time to prove himself, Bloom is thriving under the pressure, quickly becoming the talk of the town here in spring. The Jays have always wanted Bloom to work out. He's a solid fielder with both speed and power, but he has historically struggled to get contact. TheWarmWind usually doesn't like leaving decisions on prospects to the last possible minute, as flexibility in the roster has always been important to him, but he's been willing to make an exception for Bloom, and that decision seems to be paying off.
Other stories from spring training
The hunt for the DH is hot, with 5 names all being viable options. 2018 rookie of the year Jarome Mauzoul and Trey Bloom are in a dead heat, but trade acquisitions Julian Montano (LH LF/1B acquired in Hutchison trade), Willy Alamanzar, and Leon Huff are all in the mix.
The backup catcher hunt is not so hot. The Jays took a risk adding exciting prospect Ray Rodriguez to the 40 man before they had to, but after dominating AAA they thought it was time. Rodriguez has struggled to do much of anything this spring, and the defensive specialist Kurt Williams will likely claim the spot. Williams has utility, able to man the corner infield positions as well, and has some power to surprise an unsuspecting pitcher on occasion. Not the position battle the Jays were hoping for but a solid option on the bench.
Ok, so my playtesting so far shows that while my settings are fine for my carry over save from 2014, I'd need to set it to 7-7 solid hits for modern rosters in order to get the effect I intended.
This is due to the inflated attributes in carry over saves. Modern rosters have much lower average ratings. Eventually my carry over will normalize as older players retire and newer games produce prospects, but I am real life years away from that point, so I ain't changing anytime soon. I'll edit the OP to reflect this discovery once I get a little more playtesting in.
I might have to upgrade to legend pitching, but again that is only to compensate for the inflated attributes.
In the meantime, the spoiler below contains my report on spring training so far in my Blue Jays 2014 carry over for those that are interested.
Spoiler
Trades for the Blue Jays
In TheWarmWind's hunt for a DH, and his continual obsession with "trimming the fat" off his 40 man, the Blue Jays have made two trades.
The Blue Jays acquire OF Leon Huff from the Padres for SP Luke Crews and 1B Vaughn Casilla
The Blue Jays acquire 3B Willy Alamanzar, RP Larry Jarrett, and 1B Richard Griffith from the Cardinals for OF Ken Pinckney and 3B Jim Samuals
Willy Alamanzar was a player that the Jays have targeted since his high school years, and they are happy to finally bring this MLB ready prospect into their organization. Defense is a concern, as is his potential upside, but Alamanzar's biggest tool is an ability the club covets: Vision. Capable of playing the entire infield, only time will tell if this player can shine on the big club, though there is no doubt he will provide tough at bats for opposing pitchers.
Leon Huff doesn't provide the same immediate impact as Alamanzar, but he has a higher potential ceiling, and can play all OF positions well. He also brings vision to the table, and will be in the mix for the DH spot this year.
Larry Jarrett and Richard Griffith were both pack ins, players to help even out the deal and provide depth for the holes created in the Jays system. Both are MLB long shots.
Luke Crews was the biggest piece moving out. While his potential is high, his performances within the system have failed to impress the Jays, and the closer look that being on the 40 man provides has only helped solidify the feeling that this player is a dud within the organization. The Jays are flush with quality SP prospects, so this helps relieve the pressure without losing anything, at least as far as the Jays are concerned.
Ken Pinckeny is MLB ready and could flourish on another team. His only real weakness is his glove. After an impressive showing after his call up in mid-2018, Pinckeny struggled, eventually being sent down. Pinckeny's struggles have continued into spring, and the organization thought all parties would be better off if he moved out of town, especially since he had little to no chance of finding work as a starter on the Jays. Moving him will likely be a win for everyone.
Jim Samuals mirrors Pinckeny in his story. A solid defensive player with utility and some upside with his bat, the Jays just didn't see a realistic path where Samuals would become a starter. Another win for all involved moving him out, as the Jays are set as far as utility players go.
Vaughn Castilla is a 1B/DH with a power bat. Has the potential to be a big bat in any lineup, but his progress has stalled in the Jays system, and the encroaching deadline of the rule 5 draft on him made the Jays feel it was time to either get value out of him or let him go. Richard Griffith may be even less likely to make it to MLB quality, but he is younger and a first year pro.
Spring Training movers and shakers
RH SP Jose Lozano - It's strange calling a SP already projected to be in the starting lineup a mover and shaker, but Lozano has spent the last 4 years dominating the minors. He had 5 starts last season in the bigs and was solid, only losing his spot due to the performance of Boone Nunez out of the pen. Nunez went on to prove he deserved the spot, but Lozano is back and looking better than ever this spring. Lozano has the potential to become a generational talent, so there is a lot to be excited about.
LH SP Ron Gilmore - The battle for a spot in the rotation is intense, and Gilmore is dominating the discussion right now, despite being the lowest rated of the candidates. His fastball tops out at 99MPH, and he has a nasty changeup to pair with it. The rest of his repertoire is looking sharper too. There is still a lot of concern surrounding him though. Gilmore was sharp last spring too, and actually won the 5th rotation spot to start the season. He then went on to build himself an ugly 7.71 ERA in 6 starts and got sent down to the minors, where he had an unexceptional season. Unlike some of the other candidates though, Gilmore is not a SP or bust prospect, so a spot in the pen is also up for grabs.
LH RP Darell Drese - Drese has taken to his move to the pen like a fish to water. His Fastball can touch 101 MPH and he has been dominating the opposition with his 98MPH cutter. A nasty sharp breaking 12-6 curve and a serviceable slider work to round out his repertoire, and he can eat a few innings too. Truly an exciting piece to potentially add to what is already the best bullpen in baseball.
OF Trey Bloom - Bloom's tenure on the Jays has been wrought with frustration. He's constantly bounced between the bigs and the minors for the past 3 years. Out of options and time to prove himself, Bloom is thriving under the pressure, quickly becoming the talk of the town here in spring. The Jays have always wanted Bloom to work out. He's a solid fielder with both speed and power, but he has historically struggled to get contact. TheWarmWind usually doesn't like leaving decisions on prospects to the last possible minute, as flexibility in the roster has always been important to him, but he's been willing to make an exception for Bloom, and that decision seems to be paying off.
Other stories from spring training
The hunt for the DH is hot, with 5 names all being viable options. 2018 rookie of the year Jarome Mauzoul and Trey Bloom are in a dead heat, but trade acquisitions Julian Montano (LH LF/1B acquired in Hutchison trade), Willy Alamanzar, and Leon Huff are all in the mix.
The backup catcher hunt is not so hot. The Jays took a risk adding exciting prospect Ray Rodriguez to the 40 man before they had to, but after dominating AAA they thought it was time. Rodriguez has struggled to do much of anything this spring, and the defensive specialist Kurt Williams will likely claim the spot. Williams has utility, able to man the corner infield positions as well, and has some power to surprise an unsuspecting pitcher on occasion. Not the position battle the Jays were hoping for but a solid option on the bench.
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