PP Reward: Relief Pitcher Specialization

[recte44]

Relief Pitcher Specialization:

Permanently turn a pitcher into a relief pitcher by spending PP's.

What it Costs:
1) A GM will spend 20 PP to use this reward, and can only use this reward on one player per season.

Who is Eligible:
1) Any starting pitcher who currently has three or more pitches, and an Stamina of 5 or higher.
2) This player must not have had any specialization previously in his career.

How it Works:
1) Stamina on the internal 1-250 scale will be divided by three, and rounded DOWN to create the pitchers new Endurance rating.
2) The two highest rated pitches will be the only ones that remain, however, if pitcher has a rated fastball that pitch will remain regardless of whether or not it is one of the two highest rated pitches.
3) Add together the totals (on the internal 1-250 scale) of the pitches that will be dropped. Divide the total by three (round down). The remaining result will be divided by three (round down). That number will be added to each remaining pitch, and velocity will be bumped by two levels.

Example:
1) "Joe Hurler" is a current SP.
2) His current ratings are: 11 EN, 12 FB, 14 CB, 16 SI, 90-92 Velocity.
3) His team chooses to use the "Relief Pitcher Specialization" Reward to permanently turn him into a relief pitcher.
4) Stamina on the internal 1-250 scale is divided by three, and rounded down to the closest round number to create the new Stamina rating.
5) Two highest rated pitchers are Sinker and Curveball, but since he has a Fastball he must keep that. So he will keep Sinker and Fastball. Curveball gets dropped.
6) Curveball rating on the internal 1-250 scale is divided by three, then divided by three again, and rounded down to the closest round number.
7) The resulting round number is added to the two pitches that remain on the internal 1-250 scale.
8) Velocity is bumped by two levels (becomes 92-94).

[recte44]

As the math doesn't always translate exactly from what I need to do on the internal 1-250 scale to the 1-10/1-20 scales, I've edited the top post to more accurately reflect what I do to make these adjustments.

[jiminyhopkins]

Thank you for the clarification.

[cheekimonk]

For you new(er) guys, I've taken advantage of this twice. To me it's the most valuable PP reward available without question (far more valuable than SP conversion). Why? Well, that would give away some secrets. Let's just say the key is in the math and then looking for a certain profile of the kind of pitcher this would benefit. It's not going to turn a solid reliever into a superstar, but if it's used correctly it can turn a borderline, stuck-in-long-relief-because-he's-average-but-is-out-of-minor-league-options guy into a positive piece of your bullpen.

[udlb58]

Question. I see it says the pitcher has to have at least 5 endurance, and in the example you guys were clearly using the 1-20 scale for those secondary ratings (endurance, pitches, etc). So is that 5 on the 1-10 scale, or 5 on the 1-20 scale?

[recte44]

5 on the 1-10 scale

[BaseClogger]

The rules above require the player this reward is used on to be a starting pitcher--what does that mean? I see a post above referencing using this reward on a reliever, and Sacramento recently used this reward on a reliever.

Thanks

[Dington]

The rules above require the player this reward is used on to be a starting pitcher--what does that mean? I see a post above referencing using this reward on a reliever, and Sacramento recently used this reward on a reliever.

Thanks

You can change a RP to SP in-game and vice versa. If you use this reward, your pitcher can still start games, he just won't be as effective with only two pitches.

[shoeless.db]

The rules above require the player this reward is used on to be a starting pitcher--what does that mean? I see a post above referencing using this reward on a reliever, and Sacramento recently used this reward on a reliever.

Thanks

This is a good question. According to the reward, a starting pitcher is defined as a pitcher with five stamina or more. I'm not sure if there's a better way to define them. I've found that implementing the reward on just the right kind of pitcher can really make a mediocre guy into an incredible guy.

One thing I look for is someone with a fastball that is secondary to another pitch (i.e. curve or change are best IMO). When the player gets the bump in velocity, his fastball will bump. When a secondary pitch is better than a fastball, the subsequent bump in stuff is much more drastic. (I could not find the right guy in FA or my minors to do this this offseason... which is why I used it on the guy I did). I really don't care about the pitches I'm losing, and, as such, it's only a minimal bonus if he has more than three pitches.

I find this reward the most useful, and it's truly a sin it is not utilized more throughout the league.

[datom25]

One thing I've been wonder is someone like...

Dave Chappell
https://statspl.us/brewster/reports/new ... 58295.html

Two pitch pitcher with high stamina and a terrible 3rd pitch, he's technically an SP right? Is the velo bump is worth it even if the 3rd pitch is garbage?

[jiminyhopkins]

One thing I've been wonder is someone like...

Dave Chappell
https://statspl.us/brewster/reports/new ... 58295.html

Two pitch pitcher with high stamina and a terrible 3rd pitch, he's technically an SP right? Is the velo bump is worth it even if the 3rd pitch is garbage?

This is sort of a decent guy to convert, the velo bump would help the fastball and you'd lose the garbage changeup. Would not help his platoon splits however. You might see OVR rating go from 45->50. I'd look for a guy thats more effective vs. opposite handed batters. Ideally this specialization is most valuable if you can get a guy who would not likely make it to the major leagues into the 55-60 OVR range, where he can be useful. Maybe a guy with good movement and control that can really use a stuff upgrade.

Source: I do this every year lol

[Dington]

One thing I've been wonder is someone like...

Dave Chappell
https://statspl.us/brewster/reports/new ... 58295.html

Two pitch pitcher with high stamina and a terrible 3rd pitch, he's technically an SP right? Is the velo bump is worth it even if the 3rd pitch is garbage?

This is sort of a decent guy to convert, the velo bump would help the fastball and you'd lose the garbage changeup. Would not help his platoon splits however. You might see OVR rating go from 45->50. I'd look for a guy thats more effective vs. opposite handed batters. Ideally this specialization is most valuable if you can get a guy who would not likely make it to the major leagues into the 55-60 OVR range, where he can be useful. Maybe a guy with good movement and control that can really use a stuff upgrade.

Source: I do this every year lol

I hope you have a Ron chart that tracks these guys' performances.