BUCK MILLER II
Buck Miller II – Modern Draft League Manager
(1) Miller I sets aside either a 4 or 5 man starting rotation. Generally, pitchers with more starts than relief appearances and 15 or more starts are considered. Those pitchers are then ranked by ERA – lowest to highest. The top 4 (or 5 if the fourth best starter had fewer than 15 starts) are then set aside or considered at the team’s rotation. Any pitcher falling outside that rotation can and will be used in relief regardless of whether they had actual relief appearances.
(2) Miller II (like versions I, III and III) is NOT designed for historic or season replays. They are designed solely for draft league games. Use of the Miller managers in a historic season will lead to odd results or stats.
Buck Miller II is designed to handle modern draft league only replays. He is not designed to manage season replays of any type. Although created to guide modern seasons, he may be adequate in handling pre-modern (e.g, 1990) replays depending on your team’s roster.
Several important points to make:
1) Miller II, as noted above, does NOT set aside a starting rotation. He will and does use any pitcher not specifically benched in League Manager or in your lineup/rotation setup. So, you MUST bench your rotation (or choose the “Bench Pitching Rotation” option in LM).
2) Miller II selects closer by grades and not saves. So, relievers with few save totals but high grades will be used over pitchers having the opposite stats. A “regular” closer will have grades of roughly 13+ while a “supercloser” will have a grade of 17+. Note: these are adjusted grades that consider adjustments (homer and/or control grades or ratings). Miller II will, obviously, aggressively use the superclosers more than the “normal” closers (depending on the starter’s grade, QS et cetera).
3) Generally, Miller II follows the LaRussa one inning closer approach. That is, closers (both normal and super) will likely only pitch the ninth in save situations. Set up relievers will be heavily used before then. If a team has more than one closer, the closer with the lower grade will be used as a setup reliever for the superior closer. Miller II will be, however, be willing to pull your top closer for another one if the top reliever is struggling. Generally, superclosers will only be pulled if another closer (or supercloser) is available. And closers will be pulled in save situations only if a high grade is in the bullpen (this includes control adjustments as noted above and first batter effectiveness and platoon advantages, if any).
4) Miller II (like I, III and IV) hates to see relievers hit. You’ll see a very aggressive use of double switches and “rearrangement” of the batting order to try and limit the times a reliever hits. Generally, unless the reliever is a “stud” pitcher or the game is lopsided or a team’s bullpen is thin due to overwork, you’ll likely never see a relief pitcher hit.
5) Miller II has a number of “bells and whistles” some of which may or may not be applicable to your team. For example, he has a couple of pinchrun to steal strategies (second or third) that may not apply to your team if you don’t have a good base stealer on your bench (e.g., steal rating of 28 or higher). Additionally, Miller II has a pinch hit to bunt strategy that requires a “good bunter” be available; a pinch hit for a hit and run situation (that also requires a bench hitter with a good H&R ability that includes a low SO/AB ratio). Miller II, like the other trio, has an aggressive sub strategy in replacing star players in lopsided games. This includes PHing, PRing and subbing defensively for them. Miller II likes to use “itchy” players (and relievers) as replacements first.