Newbie Help

The White Elephants & Typical Types of HBD Players

This is to help newbies to navigate and understand some of the types of players we see in HBD. Some of them are what you might call White Elephants; while others are gems in disguise. One of the biggest keys to success in HBD is how to evaluate talent. What makes for a great pitcher (Starter or Bullpen) etc etc. The thing is, ONE rating can cause a player that looks GREAT to be totally useless or close there to. In some case it's a matter of changing their role within the team. The titles are my names for them.

First: Viagra Needed (Pitcher)- Low Durability
These guys can have fantastic pitching ratings: Stamina, Control, Splits, Pitch Quality etc etc etc. They’ve got one MAJOR flaw that sometimes gets missed – LOW DURABILITY. Basically, durability determines how fast a pitcher gets backs to 100%. Well these boys take FOREVER!!!! They’ve got a Durability Rating under 10!!!!???? Sure their Stamina may say they could throw 80-90 pitches in an appearance BUT don’t expect them ready to go again any time soon. It can take them up to 15 or more games to get back to 100% (the lower the durability the longer it takes). Now this can be some what helped by lowering pitch count. Even if you use them with a Set Up like pitch count…. it could take him 5 games or more to be at 100% again. My advice… steer clear of these guys, they need help getting up.

Second: Premature Boys (Pitcher) – Low Stamina
Like the Low Durability guys, these guys can have absolutely fantastic ratings! The type owners will drool over!!! BUT again it’s one rating that pulls this group down – very low stamina (equal to or lower than 10). Basically put, these pitchers can AT MOST face 2 batters; then time to get them out of there!!! Now, you’d think; well why not the LH or RH Specialist. Well, not a bad thought; but the thing is for some reason, HBD does seem to use them correctly!! Though I know WIS has tried to fix this but to this date no success. Now these guys can be somewhat useful but their performance seems very up & down. One season unhittable, the next… fruit stand is open. So if you do decide to use one, don’t be surprised with the inconsistency.

Third: M*A*S*H GUYS (Pitcher or Positional) – Low Health
The health rating of a player can be something a new owner to HBD over looks. That is until they get hit with a rash of injuries. Now admittedly, a high health rating doesn’t mean a guy can’t be injured seriously or if he has a low health rating he WILL get injured. Low Health guys (under 55) come with a higher risk of injury. So, it’s important to notice it and be aware. It’s not to say you shouldn’t go get these guys, heck I’ve had 90+ guys go down for the season while a guy with a health rating of 45 play 155 games??!! Just know the risk and decide is it worth it. Hard to turn away a guy with great ratings just because of his health but…… remember he gets paid that salary whether on the roster or on the DL!!!

Fourth: Pseudo-Catcher (Positional) Low PC
This is a type of player you’ll see a fair bit of in HBD. They show up in the IFA or Draft etc as Catchers with great to fantastic hitting ratings, BUT their PC is low (below 50). Yes, this is still better than other positions will have, but it’s very marginal for the Catching position in HBD. So what do you do with them… simple DH or 1B!!!!!! I’ve seen a lot batting champs (highest BA) come from this group. So take catcher’s glove from them and give them a bat. The only draw backs for this type are some typical “catcher” weaknesses – low durability (under 75) and marginal health. Still, so what if he can only play in 120 games or so, he can HIT!!!

Fifth: Barry Bonds (Positional) Low defensive rated OF
These are the mostly RFers (but can be LF) with low defensive ratings. Glove in the 40s, marginal arm strength etc.; BUT they’ve got great ratings for hitting. Now if you’ve got the room, they’d make a perfect 1b. Cause their range & arm are better than most 1b. But you may have 1b and DH (if in the AL) bombers already. So you’re stuck putting them in the outfield. Admittedly they’ll hurt your OF defense but if their hitting skills are good enough; they can more than make up for the defensive weaknesses. This is a good reason while Ground Ball pitchers do better in HBD… there are lot of Barry Bonds in HBD.