AI Bullpen Management Logic

[cardinalbird5]

I have not played much franchise in a few years but always played it a lot in the past and this still seems to be an ongoing problem in The Show's Franchise mode.

The way the AI handles the bullpen seems very vanilla and honestly just not very smart. They don't ever want to use their best guys in high leverage situations and will seem to only use their relievers in their current roles. I know there is a slider for Manager tendency to pull relievers, but this does not seem to fix the issue. I am in the playoffs and get a decent lead in the 4th/5th and the AI just keeps letting the long relievers/worst relievers take a beating, even in back to back games, instead of going to their better relievers.

This is also a problem if you sim games. Make sure to put your best guys in the higher MRP spots because if you put them at closer they will only be used in save situations.

With the way the game is evolving, I think this needs to be changed. It makes the game a bit easy on franchise mode, gives you flawed simulation stats, and offers no manager variety in how they handle their bullpen. This brings me to my next point....manager variety and profiles.

It'd be cool to see SDS consider this. We have traditional managers in the game and more analytical ones like Maddon and Francona. It'd be cool to see this implemented somehow. Not only would this affect bullpen management, but it would affect lineup management and shifting. This would just add some diversity in the game.

Also if any of you guys are into franchise mode, I highly recommend to manage your games rather than Sim. If you sim they will ruin your lineups and manage the game poorly like the points I brought up before.

Just a few thoughts...I know franchise mode needs some work but this seems like it'd be an easy fix to add to the mode that could go along way.

[Pedro32]

Re: AI Bullpen Management Logic

Fixes:

No RP labeled as "CP".
Worst MRP and 6th SP @ LRP.
Best 3-MRP and LHP-SPC in MRP Slots.
NO SU Men.
Best MRP @ Closer (labeled as "RP".)

Fast-forward every game you do not want to play to 4th, 6th, 8th, and Quick Manage every Inning, Starting in 9th Inning.

Oh, and swap out 2-LRP's during season so no RP goes over 100 + IP. Lowest LRP w/ Stamina @ 20 - Highest @ 50.

[cardinalbird5]

Re: AI Bullpen Management Logic

Fixes:

No RP labeled as "CP".
Worst MRP and 6th SP @ LRP.
Best 3-MRP and LHP-SPC in MRP Slots.
NO SU Men.
Best MRP @ Closer (labeled as "RP".)

Fast-forward every game you do not want to play to 4th, 6th, 8th, and Quick Manage every Inning, Starting in 9th Inning.

Oh, and swap out 2-LRP's during season so no RP goes over 100 + IP. Lowest LRP w/ Stamina @ 20 - Highest @ 50.

Thanks, yes those all should help my team as far as sims go, but I also meant my the AI opponent in game.

I should also say I am not doing 30 team control. I just want to see different managers have different play styles and different ways they manage their teams.

[countryboy]

Re: AI Bullpen Management Logic

I think the problem with the CPU leaving LR in the game too long is two fold:

1) They will not sub in a position player to pitch in a blowout

2) They will not call up a reliever or two to help give the bullpen/pitching staff a rest

If those two things were in the game it would greatly help the situation.

As it stands now, I'll sub a pitcher for them myself. I hate doing it, but its the best "band-aid" fix that I can think of right now.

[Councilmann_Jamm]

Re: AI Bullpen Management Logic

I think the problem with the CPU leaving LR in the game too long is two fold:

1) They will not sub in a position player to pitch in a blowout

2) They will not call up a reliever or two to help give the bullpen/pitching staff a rest

If those two things were in the game it would greatly help the situation.

As it stands now, I'll sub a pitcher for them myself. I hate doing it, but its the best "band-aid" fix that I can think of right now.

I sub in pitchers vs myself in games. Hate seeing RP go 3 innings. I was hesitant at first but it's the only way.

[jeffy777]

Re: AI Bullpen Management Logic

Also, far too often, they miss important lefty/righty matchups and leave a guy in to get hammered when they have a better option already warm in the pen.

It’s definitely one of the weakest spots of The Show and has been for a long time. Even MLB 2K often did a better job of this, sadly, and they haven’t made a game in years.

[cardinalbird5]

Re: AI Bullpen Management Logic

Also, far too often, they miss important lefty/righty matchups and leave a guy in to get hammered when they have a better option already warm in the pen.

It’s definitely one if the weakest spots of The Show and has been for a long time. Even MLB 2K often did a better job of this, sadly, and they haven’t made a game in years.

The lineup construction is pretty bad too. I see alot of teams just stack 5 righties/lefties back to back, making it very easy to pitch to with my bullpen.

[Hellquist]

Re: AI Bullpen Management Logic

This and urgency issues are the worst parts of this game. It boggles my mind the bullpen logic with the AI.

[Unlucky 13]

Re: AI Bullpen Management Logic

I think the problem with the CPU leaving LR in the game too long is two fold:

1) They will not sub in a position player to pitch in a blowout

2) They will not call up a reliever or two to help give the bullpen/pitching staff a rest

If those two things were in the game it would greatly help the situation.

As it stands now, I'll sub a pitcher for them myself. I hate doing it, but its the best "band-aid" fix that I can think of right now.

In my experience of playing over 250 games in 18, the CPU will not put a starting pitcher in as a reliever now either. The logic now seems to be that if they're getting beaten badly, they just leave the long reliever in the game and let him keep pitching, no matter how badly he's doing and how little energy he has. The CPU will only burn through their entire bullpen if the game is very close, especially if you're playing in the NL and they need to pinch hit.

Long term, its an effective strategy for them, because they live to fight for another day, so to speak. Its much, much harder to get them to wear out all of their relievers early in a long series now, no matter how hard I try!

[AUTiger1]

Re: AI Bullpen Management Logic

How do you guys handle the bullpen? I try to make sure to keep all my guys innings balanced. But I also take the approach that I'm gonna use my best pitchers in the most crucial situations and whoever gets the save doesn't matter to me. For example, game I'm playing right now, I'm trailing 4-3 in the 5th inning and the Angels have runners on 1st and 2nd and only 1 out and Mike Trout coming up. The game needs saving right there so who cares that it's only the 5th inning? Here comes Blake Treinen. 2nd pitch I roll up a 5-4-3 double play to end the inning. I wish all MLB managers did that in real life. It's the correct way to manage the game IMO.