By Matt Eddy
Speed never goes into a slump, or so the baseball aphorism posits. The same can be said for defense in Strat-O-Matic baseball, provided that the defender has low enough range and error ratings to convert a high percentage of X-Rolls.
Due to the nature of X-Roll probabilities around the diamond, defenders at certain positions are more consequential than others. Seasoned baseball fans implicitly understand the concept of the defensive spectrum and position value. In SOM terms, the X-Roll probabilities are distributed along these lines:
X-Rolls Per 216 Plate Appearances (108 Rolls Off Hitter Card)
63 | Shortstop
54 | Second Base
27 | Center Field, Third Base
18 | Left Field, Right Field, First Base, Pitcher
The table above illustrates why second base is referred to as the keystone, because the two infielders stationed near the second-base bag are the cornerstones of team defense. Shortstops (.29) and second basemen (.25) process more X-Rolls per plate appearance in the SOM game than (non-catcher) defenders at any other position.
MMDA League Blog
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
Top Eight Rotations You Want To Avoid In The Playoffs
By Matt Eddy
How strong is the link between rotation quality and team success in a 20-team Strat league? In the case of the MMDA: pretty strong.
Prior to the 2015 season, I ranked the top eight MMDA rotations in terms of the quality of each club's top four starters—the quartet most likely to appear in a playoff series. As it turned out, four of the top six teams on that ranking advanced to the league semifinals in 2015. The No. 2 Miami Manatees met the No. 3 Northwest Stars in one bracket, while in the other, the No. 4 Mohawk Valley Lions combated the No. 6 Spokane Hooded Crows.
So let's give it another go. Just like last year, I will rank in this space the eight most fearsome rotations in
the MMDA, at least according to the on-base and total-base units for the top
four starter cards on each team.
The methodology is slightly changed this year. I used the SOM World starting pitcher rankings to remove my subjectivity and personal bias from the exercise. I also weighted the starter cards on a simple 4-3-2-1 scale to reward clubs with top-heavy rotations. After all, a club's top two starters likely will compile the most playoff innings.
Each club's top four starters—again, according to SOM World—are included here, along with their overall rank among starters. An asterisk (*) denotes that a pitcher may come back on short rest in the playoffs.
1. Spokane Hooded Crows (Pacific)
RHP Zack Greinke (2*), LHP Clayton Kershaw (3*), RHP Jesse Hahn (15), LHP Cole Hamels (16*)
Four of the top 20 starters in the 2016 set can be found in the Crows' rotation, so this is the matchup that opposing teams will want to put off as long as possible in the playoffs. Greinke (1.66 ERA) and Kershaw (301 strikeouts) form the best righty-lefty one-two punch in the game, and both of them can pitch on short rest in the playoffs. Gulp.
How strong is the link between rotation quality and team success in a 20-team Strat league? In the case of the MMDA: pretty strong.
Prior to the 2015 season, I ranked the top eight MMDA rotations in terms of the quality of each club's top four starters—the quartet most likely to appear in a playoff series. As it turned out, four of the top six teams on that ranking advanced to the league semifinals in 2015. The No. 2 Miami Manatees met the No. 3 Northwest Stars in one bracket, while in the other, the No. 4 Mohawk Valley Lions combated the No. 6 Spokane Hooded Crows.
The methodology is slightly changed this year. I used the SOM World starting pitcher rankings to remove my subjectivity and personal bias from the exercise. I also weighted the starter cards on a simple 4-3-2-1 scale to reward clubs with top-heavy rotations. After all, a club's top two starters likely will compile the most playoff innings.
Each club's top four starters—again, according to SOM World—are included here, along with their overall rank among starters. An asterisk (*) denotes that a pitcher may come back on short rest in the playoffs.
1. Spokane Hooded Crows (Pacific)
RHP Zack Greinke (2*), LHP Clayton Kershaw (3*), RHP Jesse Hahn (15), LHP Cole Hamels (16*)
Four of the top 20 starters in the 2016 set can be found in the Crows' rotation, so this is the matchup that opposing teams will want to put off as long as possible in the playoffs. Greinke (1.66 ERA) and Kershaw (301 strikeouts) form the best righty-lefty one-two punch in the game, and both of them can pitch on short rest in the playoffs. Gulp.
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