How I would build a pitcher

I could create a pitcher. I currently have a shortstop on the Drillers. But honestly, I just don't want the mental task of thinking about updating multiple players each week. In addition, if you're familiar, I have a pitcher in the PBE already, nearly at the end of his career. So creating another pitcher isn't of particular interest to me. Instead, I'm just here to tell you how I would do it. If I did it.

As I mentioned, I have a pitcher in the PBE - who, by the way, threw just the 2nd perfect game in PBE history a few weeks ago - who has had a fairly strong career. A career WAR of 22.4 over 5 seasons as a starter and 6 as a reliever (ftr - PBE seasons were 100 games, now 108). I had one of the top PBE seasons for a reliever. Career strikeout rate over over 10 K/9. This is all a long winded way to say I know a thing or 2 about building a pitcher.

There are 2 archetypes that stand out to me initially. Control Freak and Power. Power can be fun, but damn can that GB% be frustrating. For comparison - a power pitcher with 90 movement on roster page will have 63 movement in sim. You could spend 100 TPE, to go from 85 movement on both sides to 90, and your movement would go from 61 to 63. Or, a control freak with 85 maxed movement would have 68 movement, thanks to the 56% GB%.The nice thing about power is that damn stuff. VERY nice. Especially with the ability to reach 100 stuff with only 3 pitches. A control freak, with the same pitch ratings, but max velocity (for them) would only have 71 stuff. But, different pitch selection can make control freaks very strong.

Some pitches have an inherent advantage with velocity. The more velocity you have, the better some pitches are. Some pitches don't change. Some are effected by movement.

Fastball is your velocity beast. If I was creating a power pitcher, it would be my 2nd pitch. Why? It gets such a boost from velocity that even at the lower cap it's still probably going to be your best pitch. With 100+ velocity, a fastball at 70 on SBL is rated 89 in the sim. A cutter rated 90 in SBL, with the same velocity, is rated 89 in sim. So, for example, you could have a cutter at 90 and a fastball at 70, and both are 89 in the sim. Or, you could have a fastball at 80, and cutter at 90, and then have a 93 fastball and 89 cutter. Fastball will be good with fast velo, regardless of it's rating. A fastball rated 40 with max velo will be rated 77 in the sim. It's a must have for a power pitcher. I would avoid Curves & Changeups.

A control freak on the other hand, you will LOVE your Curves & Changeups. You have to have a fastball variant, which in this case I'm leading off with my sinker. Of the options, it's the most friendly towards the weaker arm. If you still wanted to upgrade your velocity, fastball eventually works it's way to the best. But, you don't necessarily have to work much on velocity as a control freak. Pitch #2 is a circle change, or a regular change up depending on how you're trying to balance your L/R split. 3rd would be a screwball. IRL it's an absolutely brutal pitch, but in OOTP it's a very nice, very versatile pitch. A control freak for sure would want a 4th pitch, for the added stuff bonus. It's at that point where I look to add a Curve, or a slider, or something of the sort.

SBL does a good job at limiting some of the ways control freaks and groundballers can really get our of control. But the control freak is still a really nice archetype.

For me though, if I were to create a pitcher, I would likely go power. My player in PBE was a power pitcher before. It was fun to a point. That extra 2 tiers of velocity add so much to being a power pitcher, most of you have no idea.

Here's what I'd do:

POWER PITCHER
Pitches
Pitch 1: Cutter
Rating: 25 (MAX 90)
Pitch 2: Fastball
Rating: 25 (MAX 80)
Pitch 3: Splitter
Rating: 25 (MAX 70)
Pitch 4: Hardly matters
Arm Slot: Normal (3/4)

The 4th pitch barely matters. For starting pitchers, having more pitches increases your stuff value - the more pitches you have, the less batters can predict about what's coming their way. Simply by having almost any 4th pitch, it increases stuff.

This pitch selection with a normal arm slot is almost perfectly balanced L/R. Pick a 4th pitch like Forkball to keep the most neutral possible. These pitches also work beautifully with velocity, at max velo and max pitch ratings, you'd have 118 stuff.

As far as updating goes, I'd pretty much rush velocity. That has such a massive effect on pitches.

The best players in the SBL right now are just shy of 500 TPE. If I were to have my pitcher at 500 TPE, this is roughly what he'd look like:

Pitching Ratings
Stamina: 50 (MAX: 100)
Holding Runners*: 50
Velocity: 97-99 MPH (MAX: 100+ MPH)
Arm Slot: Normal (3/4)
Movement L: 40 (MAX 90)
Movement R: 40 (MAX 90)
Control L: 40 (MAX 75)
Control R: 40 (MAX 75)
Groundout%*: 48%

Pitches
Pitch 1: Cutter
Rating: 55 (MAX 90)
Pitch 2: Fastball
Rating: 40 (MAX 80)
Pitch 3: Splitter
Rating: 40 (MAX 70)
Pitch 4: N/A
Rating: N/A

In the sim, that translates to 75 stuff, 45 movement, and 40 control. Pitch ratings would be 68 fastball, 65 cutter, and 59 splitter. That's 485 TPE, and I'm pretty sure I'm saving for velocity from that point on. By 685 TPE you'll have velocity maxed out, and even at those low pitch ratings on roster page, you're sitting on 95 stuff, and 77, 71, and 65 ratings in sim.

And so there, how I would build my pitcher.

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