*** VD 13 Commentary Thread ***

[johnnya24]

One thing I don't like about straight decades drafts is the end-game, where you know exactly how the remaining hitters and pitchers are going to be allocated. It reduces the strategy.

Yeah, makes protections pretty basic though ... Which makes me wonder why I haven't done any 🤔

[johnnya24]

I like letters better than decades but history shows that I am a LOT better at decades than letters.

How do you feel about franchises, cause that's where we're going next.

We've been there before, but it still feels like Uncharted territory.

[Ken]

One thing I don't like about straight decades drafts is the end-game, where you know exactly how the remaining hitters and pitchers are going to be allocated. It reduces the strategy.

Wait, feels like I'm missing something.

Don't you know more about who someone is going to pick when they are forced to pick both a specific letter and decade, than just decade?

Maybe I'm misunderstanding what you are comparing against when you say straight decade.

[Kevin Seitzer]

Wait, feels like I'm missing something.

Don't you know more about who someone is going to pick when they are forced to pick both a specific letter and decade, than just decade?

Maybe I'm misunderstanding what you are comparing against when you say straight decade.

I was comparing letters to decades. With letters, there is the mystery of whether a drafter will choose to allocate a letter to a pitcher or a hitter.

[Kevin Seitzer]

Also, there's always an element in the end-game where the two competing forces of (1) wanting to pick first to get the best player and (2) wanting to pick last to have the most information about who other teams have picked, start to balance out. But in decades it almost feels like force #2 becomes so dominant at the end of the draft that I'd rather just have you guys finish up the draft at this point, and I'd have an advantage even picking from the leftovers.

[Kevin Seitzer]

And also my team is starting to look like a large #2, so there's that.

[johnnya24]

And also my team is starting to look like a large #2, so there's that.

Other factors that matter here are leaving yourself enough flexibility at the end to make #2 relevant, and multi scoring, which being more volatile, can mean bigger swings.

[revo]

I recall seeing a couple of people in this boat ... Lee Smith?

When did you give up on it?

Lee Smith. I think it started to not work after I took Scherzer, who looked better after Chapman was taken, and had already locked myself out of the other big save decades. The initial plan was to take Smith + Percival and then whatever other reliever worked, but I waited far too long on Percival, and then all other options just didn't get me anywhere.

[johnnya24]

Other factors that matter here are leaving yourself enough flexibility at the end to make #2 relevant, and multi scoring, which being more volatile, can mean bigger swings.

The only choice I had to make was Giambi or Vlad, and I won't find the answer to that until after everyone has picked. And it was a forced decision. Forced decisions suck.

[johnnya24]

Lee Smith. I think it started to not work after I took Scherzer, who looked better after Chapman was taken, and had already locked myself out of the other big save decades.

I guess that's a general problem with those juicy modern pitchers, you have to way their value against having to lose value by making forced picks for the smaller pool of closers in the earlier decades. Then if you don't make those forced picks, or miss out, you lose any value spent in that category.

I am usually suspect about modern SPs, especially if they come with a premium.

[Kevin Seitzer]

I guess that's a general problem with those juicy modern pitchers, you have to way their value against having to lose value by making forced picks for the smaller pool of closers in the earlier decades. Then if you don't make those forced picks, or miss out, you lose any value spent in that category.

I am usually suspect about modern SPs, especially if they come with a premium.

Yeah, this is a big part of how I screwed up my draft. Those modern pitchers like Maddux and Randy Johnson are always there what feels like way too long at the beginning, and I usually tell myself that I can get my saves from the 1950s, 60s, 70s, and 80s late in the draft. Getting the saves that way is fine. But I hurt my ratios in the process, and I needed to really load up on hitting at the beginning if I wanted to do that. So I executed one part out of three on what needed to be my strategy, and here I am.

[johnnya24]

Now that I think about it, I rarely pick modern starting pitchers, but I always seem to desire them. And when I do I often regret it.

The 2010s should have changed that though ... though maybe it just raised the bar on saves? 🤔

[johnnya24]

Steve 2.0 is very different to the first generation

[The Feral Slasher]

Where is Heyelander 1.0 ?

[johnnya24]

Where is Heyelander 1.0 ?

Still waiting for his upgrade. Hope it comes with Ray Tracing.