JoshC1977's "Maximize Player Ratings" MLB 21 Sliders

[Rmiok222]

Re: JoshC1977's "Maximize Player Ratings" MLB 21 Sliders

I've basically narrowed things down to 4 teams (in no particular order) with the following top plus and minus to their candidacy:

Cubs
+ intriguing roster situation with several key players up for free agency
+ a slew of "fun" role players (I love Marisnick and Heyward)
- Boring uniforms with minimal combos (I know...I know...but it's how I feel)
- relatively weak division

Brewers
+ Terrific uniform combos and lots of varying retros
+ Shallow, older roster that can accommodate building on the fly
- Weak division

Giants
+ Effective, but not flashy roster.
+ Plays in a VERY tough division
- too much of a 'blank slate'? Team lacks some personality

Rockies
+ Fairly interesting team build with a key decision point upcoming (Story's deal)
+ Very tough division as they're probably the bottom-feeder long-term
- Do I really want to play 81 games in that ballpark?
- Do I really want to play 81 games in that ballpark? (yes, I purposely typed that twice, lol)

You’re crazy I think coors is beautiful. I vote brew crew. I hate how OLD the giants are.


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[Ren The Conqueror]

Re: JoshC1977's "Maximize Player Ratings" MLB 21 Sliders

Morning Confession Time.

Confession 1: I've come to accept that I just suck at hitting on AS+ (on simulation). I thought it was pitch speed; but it's really my discipline and pitch recognition. It's one thing to feel uncomfortable vs a top pitcher; quite another to be flailing like a newb when facing Trevor Cahill. Even when I get a hit; it feels more like luck than any degree of skill. Buoyed by Douyoueven85's results on AS, I am going to try dropping back down to AS. I know this runs contrary to what I said yesterday (I should know better than opening my mouth, lol) but I hit my tipping point last night. Briefly played on AS and it worked better for me. Someone will ask, yes, I am going to drop both pitching and hitting to AS (I'm kinda curious how pitching will go on straight AS). If you're doing well on AS+, please stay there. I DO fundamentally believe that I'll be back on AS+ at some point; but I'm also not afraid to admit I'm currently overmatched and I'm not going to spend the entire cycle constantly tweaking camera/pitch speed settings.

Confession 2: This is the one that pains me to admit. I really hate the Reds' current roster (for franchise purposes). It's just the total opposite of how I'd build a team and I really don't want to do a franchise where I want turn over 3/4 of the roster right off-the-bat. Really considering starting over with someone else.

FWIW, I did a fantasy draft with the Reds, and I love how the team came out. Going to run that along with my IRL franchise(s). I know you have to use your imagination with fantasy play, but that's to be expected. This one is about having some pure simple fun with this game.

[damnlefty07]

Re: JoshC1977's "Maximize Player Ratings" MLB 21 Sliders

I just wanted to say I've been following your slider testing and commentary since release day and waiting for ridin to do his thing with the rosters. After finally being able to get a franchise going this game is amazing.

I've only played 1 game (terrible sample size I know) but as an Xbox lifer yet a huge baseball fan, I feel like I just had an epiphany in my gaming. The game played outstanding with your settings. I took my hometown Twins and Kenta Maeda went 7 scoreless with 10 k's but the bullpen blew it in the bottom of the 8th with back to back HR's and we lost 2-1. I took a chance with the lefty-lefty matchups and paid the price as I would expect with a high 50's OVR Devin Smeltzer.

But I couldn't be happier with how the game played and I just wanted to say thank you Josh and everyone that comments on here with suggestions and ideas. I may never go back to anything else sports related again.

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[tc020791]

Re: JoshC1977's "Maximize Player Ratings" MLB 21 Sliders

I was having a lot of the same issues as you at the plate Josh. I’ve found that being patient is by far the best recipe for me at the plate. I stay back and look to take everything the other way. This way I see the ball a lot longer and am able to lay off way more pitches. I wait for a nice pitch right over the middle until I get to two strikes. I’m sure you know all this but sometimes just relaxing and taking a third strike looking is the best thing you can do. I personally think you should stick it out on AS+. You’re only gonna get better at the game and the pitching is so much better on AS+.

As far as your team selection dilemma. I think would go with the Brewers. They have a great bullpen and great outfield, you also have Hernan Perez for can play virtually every position.

[Friar Fanatic]

Re: JoshC1977's "Maximize Player Ratings" MLB 21 Sliders

Josh,

Just finished my first season with the Padres (pitching only) and I am very happy with the results. I'm hoping to start the playoffs tonight or sometime tomorrow. Unfortunately for me, Darvish went down the last week of the season and will miss the playoffs, and will be missing Wil Myers too with a broken hand.

1 game WC with Snell on the mound versus Aaron Nola and the Phillies (who traded for Ketel Marte and Trevor Story). Should be fun. Anyways, your sliders worked perfect over a long season, so thanks again for the hard work

[bryanm1982]

Re: JoshC1977's "Maximize Player Ratings" MLB 21 Sliders

I've basically narrowed things down to 4 teams (in no particular order) with the following top plus and minus to their candidacy:

Cubs
+ intriguing roster situation with several key players up for free agency
+ a slew of "fun" role players (I love Marisnick and Heyward)
- Boring uniforms with minimal combos (I know...I know...but it's how I feel)
- relatively weak division

Brewers
+ Terrific uniform combos and lots of varying retros
+ Shallow, older roster that can accommodate building on the fly
- Weak division

Giants
+ Effective, but not flashy roster.
+ Plays in a VERY tough division
- too much of a 'blank slate'? Team lacks some personality

Rockies
+ Fairly interesting team build with a key decision point upcoming (Story's deal)
+ Very tough division as they're probably the bottom-feeder long-term
- Do I really want to play 81 games in that ballpark?
- Do I really want to play 81 games in that ballpark? (yes, I purposely typed that twice, lol)

The NL Central being weak might be a good thing. If you are the Cubs, being .500 might keep you in it. You could do a total rebuild and give up Bryant, Rizzo, and Baez for prospects or you can do a soft rebuild and get rid of one of them for MLB talent and be able to compete. Or you can keep them all for one last run and try to resign 1 or 2 of them. The NL West is going to be a tough division and you’ll probably end up doing a rebuild if you are the Giants. I don’t see the Giants keeping pace. I don’t know how good they are in the game.

But the Giants probably have the best ballpark of them all. But the NL Central has beautiful parks that you’ll see a lot.

The Rockies would have been fun if they would have been able to get some exciting prospects for Arenado.

[krobber818]

Re: JoshC1977's "Maximize Player Ratings" MLB 21 Sliders

I was having a lot of the same issues as you at the plate Josh. I’ve found that being patient is by far the best recipe for me at the plate. I stay back and look to take everything the other way. This way I see the ball a lot longer and am able to lay off way more pitches. I wait for a nice pitch right over the middle until I get to two strikes. I’m sure you know all this but sometimes just relaxing and taking a third strike looking is the best thing you can do. I personally think you should stick it out on AS+. You’re only gonna get better at the game and the pitching is so much better on AS+.

As far as your team selection dilemma. I think would go with the Brewers. They have a great bullpen and great outfield, you also have Hernan Perez for can play virtually every position.

100% Agree with this. Classic Pitching is so much more balanced on AS+. Hitting can be frustrating but I got used to it. Gotta work the counts. Try to get into hitter counts and look for the ball in the middle. Don't be afraid to take strikes. AS+ default is playing AWESOME for me right now.

[bryanm1982]

Re: JoshC1977's "Maximize Player Ratings" MLB 21 Sliders

100% Agree with this. Classic Pitching is so much more balanced on AS+. Hitting can be frustrating but I got used to it. Gotta work the counts. Try to get into hitter counts and look for the ball in the middle. Don't be afraid to take strikes. AS+ default is playing AWESOME for me right now.

I use quick counts so I can get through games faster since I don’t have a lot of time. I’m wondering if that is making hitting harder for me. But I didn’t struggle with hitting on 20 with quick counts. But using quick counts, you can’t really work the count and look for your pitches a lot. Most batters start at 1-1 but some starts at 1-2 and 2-2. So you start those AB already protecting.

[Teleo]

Re: JoshC1977's "Maximize Player Ratings" MLB 21 Sliders

Josh - thank you for your response to me asking about what team I plan on using - I went back and forth trying to decide what team to use for this year and I went outside of my own list & chose the: Detroit Tigers.

Reasons:

1. I grew up a Yankee fan - due to my Dad - but he also liked the Detroit Tigers. One of the reasons is my Dad looks liked Tom Selleck when he was younger and he wore a hat on Magnum P.I. with which my Dad would also wear when he was in modeling contests. So there’s that facet.

2. I love the old school uniforms and that they have done little over the years to change them & is absolutely one thing I REALLY enjoy about my Yankees.

3. I ABSOLUTELY love Comerica Park. I know it’s not the flashiest of stadiums but I am in love with any downtown in any city and the background is breathtaking to me. Also - I love the tigers up top by the scoreboard - super cool!

4. A.J. Hinch is their new manager (even though the Yankee in me wants to bang a trash can) & AJ Avila is most likely on his way out as GM so needless to say - they would be looking to hire. It puts the team in a potential realistic rebuild & one they have been doing for quite some time.

5. The team STINKS!!!! 😂

As far as your selections go out the teams you would choose - I would select either Cubs or Giants. Both have long histories - Cubs have MAJOR decisions ahead with their upcoming free agents and contract extensions. The Giants have an ABSOLUTELY beautiful stadium (which is VERY important to me if I’m going to play 81 games there).

Whatever you choose - I wish you the best - I’m thinking about creating a dynasty in the forum but I’ll drop in here and let you know how things go.

THANK YOU so much for all that you do & the sliders that you create. One thing that I ALWAYS appreciated about you is your detailed responses to questions that are asked. Take care bro! 👍🏻

[Sportsfan28]

Re: JoshC1977's "Maximize Player Ratings" MLB 21 Sliders

100% Agree with this. Classic Pitching is so much more balanced on AS+. Hitting can be frustrating but I got used to it. Gotta work the counts. Try to get into hitter counts and look for the ball in the middle. Don't be afraid to take strikes. AS+ default is playing AWESOME for me right now.

I agree! Allstar+ is playing fantastic. I will
Not be changing. I’m also keeping it on default, I had enough changing lol.


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[kamackeris76]

Re: JoshC1977's "Maximize Player Ratings" MLB 21 Sliders

I just can't get to bloody all star plus lol

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[Sportsfan28]

Re: JoshC1977's "Maximize Player Ratings" MLB 21 Sliders

I just can't get to bloody all star plus lol

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Go play an exhibition game and pick a legends team vs a minor league team and tilt all the sliders your way and should be at Allstar+ in no time.


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[Doyoueven85]

Re: JoshC1977's "Maximize Player Ratings" MLB 21 Sliders

I’ll start out by saying that no I’m not a distinguished member of the Operation Sports community. However I have played this game since the day it was released 16 years ago. So I know what works for ME and I know what I’M looking for.

Josh, I’m happy that some of my results helped influence your decision. If I could influence my wife as easily I’d be really happy. What you saw was a nine game sample. What you didn’t see was the nearly 30 games I played for “testing” on default. Resulting in ridiculously low scoring games.I’m playing with two franchise’s as well. There seems to be a lot of flip flopping with the sliders this year with this particular set. Including ME stating going to default would be supported. But the reason I started using the “Maximizing player ratings “ slider set and have been for nearly three years is that they were “very close to default “ however in the test games and what the final scores don’t show is the actual in game scenarios. Such as...

Solid hits at default cause for ME and the cpu to have persistent rockets for outs, deep fly balls, and hard hit ground balls. Which results in lack of hit variety which we all know.

Pitcher control at default causes pitches to drift over the hart of the plate or on the corners cutting down dramatically on walks and pitch counts.

I think everyone has been saying how much more difficult this year’s game is compared to last year’s and previous versions. For ME it’s not that dramatic of a increase in difficulty. It’s actually welcomed. And it’s not so much of a challenge that I’m willing to give up on what’s been working for me for a few years. It might very well be that going from all star + to all star is enough to return to the standard sliders that have been used for nearly three years by this sets community. Or it just might mean you don’t hit, pitch or win/lose as much as usual. But count me out.

I’m going back to the set that was used in 19 and 20 and was described in this thread just a few weeks ago. If that’s not what this community is going to lean towards that’s perfectly fine with me. I can say for ME that I’ve been way to quick to make changes looking for permanent results. I’m not willing to drift away from what I’ve learned from my experiences while using this set.

[jcar0725]

Re: JoshC1977's "Maximize Player Ratings" MLB 21 Sliders

I've basically narrowed things down to 4 teams (in no particular order) with the following top plus and minus to their candidacy:

Cubs
+ intriguing roster situation with several key players up for free agency
+ a slew of "fun" role players (I love Marisnick and Heyward)
- Boring uniforms with minimal combos (I know...I know...but it's how I feel)
- relatively weak division

Brewers
+ Terrific uniform combos and lots of varying retros
+ Shallow, older roster that can accommodate building on the fly
- Weak division

Giants
+ Effective, but not flashy roster.
+ Plays in a VERY tough division
- too much of a 'blank slate'? Team lacks some personality

Rockies
+ Fairly interesting team build with a key decision point upcoming (Story's deal)
+ Very tough division as they're probably the bottom-feeder long-term
- Do I really want to play 81 games in that ballpark?
- Do I really want to play 81 games in that ballpark? (yes, I purposely typed that twice, lol)

I did a giants rebuild in '20. It was a blast.

Sent from my thoughts

[JoshC1977]

Re: JoshC1977's "Maximize Player Ratings" MLB 21 Sliders

I’ll start out by saying that no I’m not a distinguished member of the Operation Sports community. However I have played this game since the day it was released 16 years ago. So I know what works for ME and I know what I’M looking for.

Josh, I’m happy that some of my results helped influence your decision. If I could influence my wife as easily I’d be really happy. What you saw was a nine game sample. What you didn’t see was the nearly 30 games I played for “testing” on default. Resulting in ridiculously low scoring games.I’m playing with two franchise’s as well. There seems to be a lot of flip flopping with the sliders this year with this particular set. Including ME stating going to default would be supported. But the reason I started using the “Maximizing player ratings “ slider set and have been for nearly three years is that they were “very close to default “ however in the test games and what the final scores don’t show is the actual in game scenarios. Such as...

Solid hits at default cause for ME and the cpu to have persistent rockets for outs, deep fly balls, and hard hit ground balls. Which results in lack of hit variety which we all know.

Pitcher control at default causes pitches to drift over the hart of the plate or on the corners cutting down dramatically on walks and pitch counts.

I think everyone has been saying how much more difficult this year’s game is compared to last year’s and previous versions. For ME it’s not that dramatic of a increase in difficulty. It’s actually welcomed. And it’s not so much of a challenge that I’m willing to give up on what’s been working for me for a few years. It might very well be that going from all star + to all star is enough to return to the standard sliders that have been used for nearly three years by this sets community. Or it just might mean you don’t hit, pitch or win/lose as much as usual. But count me out.

I’m going back to the set that was used in 19 and 20 and was described in this thread just a few weeks ago. If that’s not what this community is going to lean towards that’s perfectly fine with me. I can say for ME that I’ve been way to quick to make changes looking for permanent results. I’m not willing to drift away from what I’ve learned from my experiences while using this set.

This is a very well-reasoned post and I appreciate both the words and sentiments.

In a way, I feel like I've not been as strong as supporting all of you with our setup after what has been two relatively straightforward years. Some of that is because this game is so strong overall; some due to my own personal struggles. While I say that, I say this. Whether one uses our past work or run with a default setup, I don't think you can go wrong.

I'm going to take a step back from the game for a few days to 'reset'. The Mass Effect remaster launches Friday and I will be diving into that for sure. I'll be honest, I've been going all-out on MLB (20 before 21 launched too) for the last 3-4 months. Being honest with myself, I think I need a short break. Once I "come back" I should be in a lot better shape to really dive into things.