Change the 25 IP minimum to a Game Started minimum (5 was suggested by Brad Burgdorff).

Why? An exclusive RP strategy is a bit unrealistic while giving a significant edge in 3 pitching categories. I think a GS minimum would require a more balanced pitching staff and add some realism without adding complexity.

This change would be subject to amendment voting and would be implemented in 2018.

Discussion & revisions?

By the way, if I recall, this is the same reason we went to the 25 IP minimum in the first place.

25 IP seems like a good number. I'm in favor of allowing teams to use whatever strategy they want. A heavy RP strategy has pros and cons. I don't think it's an exploit that breaks the system. Teams with a balanced approach have had much more success historically, so it's hardly broken.

Ryan & Brad Sweet also brought up the possibility of having SP/RP specific slots.

Nick, I'm not saying anything is necessarily broken. I looked back through some of the discussion and the focus seemed to be the problem of teams getting early leads in the ratios and then sitting players, both on offense and pitching. Honestly, I forgot we had min PA's of 100 (it's not automated so we don't really see it).

Rolling out a 3-man ace rotation with 8 RP just doesn't jibe as realistic. Yes, it's allowed within the construct of the fantasy game but our goal is to find some kind of balance between playability and realism. Having a GS minimum would bring more realism with virtually no cost to playability. Sure, it would disrupt some strategies but those only exist as a result of the system we create. Having an RP heavy strategy is not a baseball strategy, it's a game strategy.

I guess...it's not like teams are allowed to trot out four outfielders and two extra infielders, so why be a stickler for the pitching side?

Ooooh.... snarkiness from Nick.

Taking that as a legitimate complaint, we could correct that too. Let's expand to 30 teams in the RBL and only allow traditional positions. Actually... that sounds kind of fun.

I like that idea!

I mean, I would be into that, but we have trouble just finding 16 active managers, so I don't think we could handle 30.

I could see going to 35 innings pitched, or 5 games started. You could still likely only carry four starters in that scenario, streaming occasionally.

Meh. If we do this, five starts is too high. Three would mean a guy would have to carry at least two starters and that's enough. 25 innings and three starts would be the max I'd be willing to go. That said, I'm not sure it needs fixing now.

I don't think it needs fixing because no one has ever been able to successfully pull off a RP strategy. You give up two categories...and you're never sure to win the ratios. I'm more concerned about dealing with the volume strategy (e.g.) than the minimum one. That one bothers me because you can get mediocre pitching, give yourself a good chance of winning Ks and Ws and you're not giving up ratios.

One of the reasons George has been able to compete with trying to go (almost) keeperless in a keeper league is that he goes volume with his pitchers. George is #1 in ws and #2 in Ks. That strategy is the reason he is in the play-offs. It's the same strategy he uses every year. I don't see there is a reason to reward having more starting pitchers than other teams.

How could it be addressed? One way is to mandate that you cannot have more than 3 pitchers on the bench. I would say cap the number of starters but not I'm not sure how guys who start who are also rated as RP.

We shouldn't bother guarding against strategies that don't work. George's strategy works--he has 9 sps--and I don't think it is realistic.

Nothing to see here. Move along.

We addressed the streaming by putting in an FA cap for the season. George still does it but he faces trade-offs: Fewer dollars spent at the auction and/or trading away players for FA dollars.

Besides, once in the playoffs, it's no longer effective at all given the severe limitation on adds.

His record of 300+ adds from the pre-cap era will never be broken!

freeman3 wrote: George is #1 in wins.

That's because I fill the Bombers up winners, guys who never get tired of winning.