How to
Determine Card Patterns
By Bruce Bundy
In the proud and honorable history of
gamemaking, numerous sports simulations have come and gone. But Strat-O-Matic
players can take heart knowing SOM will keep improving the cards without
radical change.
For those who think radical change has
been nearly constant in SOM baseball, be assured: There are many traditions
left. One is the technique dictating card designs, regardless of apparent
significant changes that began last year.
The hits may be placed in different
patterns now, but the technique has not changed since the origin of the game.
Essentially, this is a technique, not a
formula. To determine a batter's card design, use the three unripped sheets of
an SOM team. (NOTE: Hit placement changed last year. To analyze cards prior to
1990, use teams prior to 1990 to dictate hit placement). If unripped team sheets are not available,
use a ripped team and read on.
Each sheet has nine players in a 3 x 3
pattern. Starting with hitters, the player in the upper left of the first sheet
is given hitter's pattern #1. The ensuing patterns are read in columns: The
card directly below pattern #1 is hitter's pattern #2 and the card in the upper
right is hitter's pattern #7. The first sheet is all hitters. Note that they
are in order of batting average.
Now examine the second SOM sheet. This
sheet will probably have at least one pitcher on it. Disregard the pitcher(s)
for now. The card in the upper left is hitter's pattern #10. Below are #11 and
#12. Examine #13 for NL teams and #14 for AL teams. These will still be called
#13 and #14, but note that their batting averages are higher than previous
cards. This is due to SOM originally issuing 20-card teams, with 12 hitters and
8 pitchers.
Let's
Formulate It! This is one in a series of articles on forecasting
Strat-O-Matic baseball cards. Bruce Bundy has been at it since 1968 and says
he achieves up to 95 percent accuracy. But keep in mind that only the game
company has the correct formulas, that many of them rely on statistics not
readily available and that some ratings are subjective. Comments should be directed to: Let's Formulate
It!, do Bruce Bundy, 4474 Outlook Dr., Brooklyn, OH. 44144 |
AL teams went to 13 hitters and 7 pitchers when the AL
adopted the designated hitter. SOM carded the 12 or 13 hitters who received the
most plate appearances, unless it needed a second catcher, shortstop, etc.
Until last year, the additional hitter
was issued the same card pattern as another player: the one with the batting
average immediately below the additional hitter. For example, if an AL team's
top five regulars hit .300. .290, .280, .270and .260, a No. l4 hitter with a
.265 average would receive card pattern No.5.
Now additional players have been issued
new, original card patterns. Dutifully note them as hitter's card patterns
#13-#17.
These players may have higher batting averages than
other carded teammates, but lacked the plate appearances to qualify in the
original 12 or 13. Additional players after #17 revert to the traditional
method, claiming already-used patterns based on their batting averages.
[Pitchers follow the same procedures,
based on best-to-worst ERAs, rather than batting averages.]
To reconstruct the card patterns with
ripped teams is trickier; you may need to process several teams to feel
comfortable with the results. Write all the hitters' names in a column. Look at
each card and write each player's plate appearances (at bats + walks) to
Correction The formula included with the
Advanced Notes under Formula #3:Batter's Hit in last month's STRAT FAN was
stated incorrectly. Here is the correct formulae (((BA -.271) + BA) *
(108 -(somHBP + (somW-IW)))) |
FORMULA RECAP
Here is a recap of
Bundy's formula. for hitters' success chances. Detailed explanations are in the
past two issues of STRAT FAN.
FORMULA #1:
WALKS
WALK
=
(((W-IW)*216)l(AB+(W-IW)))-9
FORMULA #2: HIT BY PITCH HBP=((HBP*216)/(AB+HBP+(W-IW)))
FORMULA #3:
BATTER'S HIT
HIT = (((BA
-.265) + BA) * ( 108-somW))
FORMULA #4:
BATTER’S DOUBLE
Double =
((4320 * Double)/ (AB + (W-IW))) - 90
FORMULA #5:
BATTER'S TRIPLE
Triple =
((4320 * Triple) ~ (AB + (W-IW))) - 15
FORMULA #6:
BATTER'S HOMERUN
Homerun =
((4320* HR) I (AB + (W-IW))) - 50
the right of his name. Then review your list and put
a check next to the 13 highest PA in the AL, 12 highest for the NL. Take these
13 or 12 cards in order of batting average, highest to lowest. The remaining
cards should then be sorted by batting average, highest to lowest, and then be
placed below the original 13 or 12.
To better understand card patterns,
many comparisons need to be made. Look
at other unripped sets, or repeat the previous exercise on other teams. Compare
the different card patterns. There may be a hit out of place here and there -
this is done intentionally to enhance every card's uniqueness. Hits maintain
their patterns well. Walks wind up filling voids; their placement is very
erratic. After enough study, even the outs will start to show patterns.
Next month, we will show you how to
take the formulated chances and subchances for hits, walks and hit-by-pitches,
and predict where they will appear on the cards.
About the Cards in This Issue
A delay in production of the 1991
two-team players means that we continue with the 1984 extra players, this time
from the National League West.
Now you can supplement SOM's 24-man
rosters for 1984 with extra hitters, extra pitchers and STRAT FAN's exclusive
pitchers' hitting cards.
Computer players will find that the
extra pitchers make it much easier to replay 1984, especially with autoplay
and the computer manager, which require at least 9 pitchers per team.
The statistics for creating these cards
were compiled by Luke Kraemer of Beaverton, OR.