Whether the intention was right or wrong it did have some very unwanted effects when the steroid era ended. It left GM's and skippers scrambling to find a more reasonable way to do business. Many probably didn't pay attention to what was happening and left them scratching their head and ass trying to figure out what to do.
What really happened? All those 80 and 90 power guys that didn't have the matching ratings didn't produce the Home Runs they used to. Those big bat marginal power 1B's actually became a hindrance instead of a help. Many of the 40 and 50 Home Run range saw their production cut in half. The focus became one of defense and pitching or should have.
So what now? How do I fix things? That is entirely up to you. Many teams are left with big contract players that are next to useless to some extent. Who was the big beneficiary? The AL that is who. They have they luxury to get some very good DH's if the money is available and sometimes cheap. However, there is a rumor floating around that in real life this could be the last year of the DH. How big a change would that be to HBD? One could only guess.
Ok, what I have seen throughout my Worlds.
1B - A marginal 1B, one that has ratings below the minimums is actually a hindrance to the rest of the infield. It used to be the thinking that a big power bat at this position would override his deficient fielding ratings. Not anymore as his deficiencies are spreading to the rest on the infield. The 40's across the board as the chart shows is bare minimum and is really marginal, I would consider 50's minimum myself these days.
2B/3B/SS - This hasn't really changed much unless you have a weak fielding 1B. Though I would highly recommend one that exceeds the minimum in range. You can fudge a little on glove by a couple points but the range better exceed. Under ranged players won't see errors or even minus plays in most instances but can lead to a slew of hits getting by.
RF - The minimums are ok, but you can't fudge on them anywhere. If you put in a high range/glove, you can get away with a weaker arm without to much consequence. My answer to this is to use a marginal 3B or better at this position. If you think you can hide that marginal 1B here think again. This position has fewer opportunities than before until you try to fudge the position.
CF - This one actually becomes a bit complicated. Under range/glove is ok if you have very over ranged RF/LF with good gloves and arms. I wouldn't go too drastic here with that statement though, I am only talking about 5 points short at the most. If your CF has a 90 range and 75 or better glove that is adequate these days, won't win him any awards. I have seen decent CF play from a 80 range but the RF/LF range needs to be 75 or better.
LF - Definitely can't hide the marginal 1B here anymore either as more opportunities are way up. Matter of fact I recommend 60's across the board in defense to start.
C - Can you hide your deficient 1B here? If you have a good starting pitching staff then it is possible but I wouldn't go below 45 in pitch calling for a starting catcher. A solid hitting starting catcher is not a bad idea. His defense can be a little less than minimal..errr in some cases a lot less, I am not saying horrific btw. Stolen Bases are way up, see what I mean. However, when it becomes late in the game, 7th inning, you better have that defensive PC catcher ready to come in. I really mean ones that don't allow the passed balls, stop the SB's and the PC should be 80+.
Basically the defense has got to be much better to succeed these days, marginal or minimum just won't cut it. The days of his offense will overrule his bad defense is over. You also have to think smarter with the management settings.
The pitching has changed also. Did anyone notice? I doubt it. There should be more emphasis put on control and pitches than splits. This where a a very good defensive PC catcher comes into play. I am not saying the Cy Young pitchers will suffer any harm, but marginal pitchers will enjoy a better life. Pitchers that have an 85 or better control with two pitches in the 80's or 90's/70's with a third decent pitch, can have splits in the low 50's and be successful. Actually a pitcher with 75 plus control and good pitches can be very good if the splits aren't too bad.
As far as hitting goes in general, I find that those marginal and lousy hitters that play good defense have a tendency to get that all important hit to win games.
One last thing, when was the last time you read the HELP screens? There is good info in there but you have to put 2 and 2 together and read between the lines sometimes.
Coaches - I have run into an anomaly dealing with a 1B coach. Had one with good strategy, base running in the 60's with pitching skills in the 50's and 40's hitting skills. Before you ask, he asked to be the Bench coach the next season. What I thought originally was happening was a failed hit and run attempt as runners kept getting thrown out with 75 speed and below. I finally caught on when a 55 speed guy got thrown out with a low contact hitter at the plate. Yes I had SB's set to average with Hit and Run to aggressive. I had to change the SB setting to infrequent and Hit and Run to average and Base Running to aggressive to counter.
Other things I have finally determined about coaches: Major rating at their skill of course and a high loyalty helps if you want to keep them for more than two seasons is a good idea. But discipline and patience is dependent on your team chemistry. A younger team you will want a high patience. A more mature team needs a high discipline. Of course it always helps to get all three or four but seldom is that the case. A high patience works well in the instructional leagues while more discipline needs to be added in the minors. I have heard that one will override the other but I don't see that happening. I still think a bench coach is the most useless thing at the ML level but I could be wrong. I have had good ones and bad ones recently in terms of ratings and in all reality after the season was over you couldn't tell the difference by the way the team played or progressed.
If your wondering, I had 6 teams that pretty much ran on the same schedule. Out of the 6, all were .500 and above, two missed the post season by 1 game, three made the playoffs, two went to the LCS (now I just need to get one over the hump). This time around I only have four teams and three are in ST. Real life will be interfering heavily starting in May and I plan to drop two more because I won't have the time like I do now. This is one I plan on keeping just so I can be a pain to everyone else..lol. But if you see the AI on and I haven't signed in for 10 or more days don't go finding a replacement.
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