Tough Outlaws: Heaters S2 Review
Boy howdy this did not start the way I expected. First off, the main offseason moves:
I wrote about lucky PDOs in S1; this time, it was the free agent market which went my way. I expected to pick up Whopper Batsman in the offseason, but was elated to see yet another Tough Out available in Helen Maddox, creating a bit of a logjam at 3B, but that's a great problem to have. Also, because Seb Swolson struggled a bit early (more on that below), I would periodically move Trisha Lee to 1B and start Maddox at 3B.
Losing Jacob Marshmallow hurt, as he's one of my favorite project pitchers, but picking up two Workhorse SP/RP's in the offseason was too good of an opportunity to pass up for my build. I know the Digger is a meme, but he was actually plays a really important role on my roster: he's a perfect late-game defensive sub for Seb Swolson or Helen Maddox, and costs a pittance to keep on the roster.
Anyway, with three Workhorses, six Tough Outs, and two Cannon Arms (including one at catcher) and a $35M payroll surplus, this season should have been a cakewalk, right? Well... by the end it was, but the season started with my worst nemesis: rust. I finished S1 shortly before Christmas, then didn't pick up the game for almost three weeks. I started the season striking out like crazy. I was back to my previous skill by season's end, but it took a while, as evidenced by power numbers being down across the board, while strikeouts were way up.
Both walks and strikeouts went up, but power was way down.
Pitching was good enough that I was tempted to increase Ego, but at the same time, I found it every bit as random and frustrating as usual. I know the numbers say I'm outperforming my ratings, but I never feel in control of a game even when I win. The outcomes still feel mostly RNG-driven despite the stats.
This was my first time using the SMB Explorer program, and I quite like it. Besides getting OPS+ and ERA+, I got to see how things looked leaguewide. I was quite surprised to discover the leaguewide average ERA was 4.80. I expected my offense to be great, but the entire starting rotation and bullpen was way above average.
Despite early-season woes, the entire roster is just as ridiculous according to the advanced stats.
Once again, Ansel Carouse wins MVP on account of his pitching 105 out of 108 innings in 12 starts, but the rest of the rotation made a pretty good showing. Trey Mondo was actually on the leaderboard for a few games before getting shelled at the end of the season (and then being cut from the playoff roster).
I swapped Trey Mondo for Rhiannon Cannon for the postseason, and that might have made the difference. The Mega conference was pitching heavy, while the Super conference was batting heavy - I came very close to losing in the first round, and just barely squeaked past a loaded Buzzards rotation & bullpen. Their roster was a hard counter to my attrition strategies: sheer velocity. Five of their nine pitchers would routinely throw over 100 mph, and the rest threw in the high 90s. It's a lot harder to wear down a pitching staff when you're striking out on four pitches. Things could easily have gone the other way but for a few lucky breaks late. By contrast, the Sand Cats never had a chance; none of their starters lasted three full innings, and their entire bullpen was winded by the end of the first game. They had position players pitching in each of the last three games of their sweep.
All in all, the team was so optimized, I ended up re-signing the entire roster
Kache Baskette re-signed for a modest pay raise; Trey Mondo rejoined the regular season roster.
