Arm Rating Page 1 of 1

Arm Rating [Arm]

An APBA rating measuring the throwing ability of a player. Range is from 20 to 40, higher being better. Affects the ability of a player, especially an , to obtain assists in throwing advancing base runners. Runners attempting to advance extra bases against fielders with high arm ratings do so at their peril.

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Batting Characteristic [Plat]

An APBA rating of a batter's hitting tendency. There are four types:

SA Straight Away PL Pulls Left PR Pulls Right PB Pulls Both (a switch hitting )

The Platoon rating (Plat) will tend to effect the direction the ball will take when it is by the batter. For example, a PL batter may have a higher play frequency, because he rarely hits balls into the hole between first and second base, and because he bats right, he has farther to go to reach first base and his momentum is not in that direction, as it is for a left-handed batter.

See also Platoon Rating.

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Batting Side [Bats or B]

An APBA rating indicating how the player bats:

L Left R Right B Both (a )

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Catcher's Passed Ball Rating [PB]

An APBA rating measuring the propensity of a catcher to commit a passed ball. Ranges from zero (0), which is very good, to three (3), which is poor. Appears in print thus: PB1.

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Catcher's Throw Rating [Th]

An APBA rating measuring a catcher's ability to throw out base stealers. Range is from -4 (worst) to +6 (best). Note that positive values carry no sign. Appears in print thus: Th+2, or Th-4.

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Durability [SDur and RDur]

Also known as Fatigue Rating, or Q-rating in the APBA Master Game (but bears only a limited relationship to A.I.M.). May appear in print as: e.g. Q2 or Q3*.

An APBA rating measuring the ability of a to sustain a level of performance over time. The lower the value, the longer the pitcher will last. Note that durability, or fatigue, is quite different for a starter than it is for a reliever. Starters tend to experience no effects of fatigue until they have pitched at least six . Relievers may experience a reduction in ability after just two innings of work.

Fatigue Rating as Starter SDur: ranges from 0 to 4. Fatigue Rating as Reliever RDur: ranges from 1* to 3*.

Relief ratings are designated by the addition of an asterisk *.

Bigs: Only rarely do starting receive ratings of 0 or 1. Such pitchers have in excess of 250 in a season, and a relatively high total of complete games. The typical 7-8 innings-per-start pitcher will receive a 2. Spot starters typically are assigned a rating of 4. Relievers who less than 1.5 innings per appearance will usually receive a 3 rating; however, total innings pitched in relief has a marked effect on rating; a season of over 90 innings pitched in relief will earn a 2, while 100 or more innings will gain a 1.

Note that many pitchers who appeared in both a starting and a relieving capacity will receive dual durability ratings.

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Fielding Ratings [D]

An APBA rating measuring the ability of a defensive player to field at his position. The rating is often combined with the rated Position, such as "SS-8." Different positions have differing ranges of fielding ability.

Position Range Pitcher 1-2 Catcher 5-9 Firstbase 2-5 Secondbase 5-9 Thirdbase 3-6 6-10 1-3

Higher is always better. Note that outfield positions are not differentiated. A player rated as an outfielder will perform the same in left, center, or right field (however, see Arm Ratings).

The fielding rating affects both the tendency to commit errors as well as the ability of the fielder to "turn a play" such as a force out or .

When NR appears in place of a fielding rating, it means that the player is not rated at that position. If a player is assigned a position at which he is not rated, his fielding ability will be exceptionally bad. However, players rated at either one of 2B or SS but not the other can play the other at a reduced, but not disastrous, level of ability.

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Hit & Run Ability [H&R]

An APBA rating indicating the relative ability of a batter to perform his role properly when the calls for the hit & run play. Range is from 1 to 5, or sometimes blank (0). A higher rating is better. Average rating is 2; a few players each season rate a 3. Higher than 3 is very rare.

Performing the role properly is considered to be a matter of making contact, and ideally hitting the ball through a vacated defensive position. When the batter fails to make contact, a attempt results.

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Injury Rating [Inj]

Sometimes referred to as the "J-rating."

An APBA rating denoting the propensity for injury of a player. Higher ratings tend to result in longer duration injuries. The ratings are:

0 steel 1 durable 2 average 3 injury prone 4 fragile

The ratings are broadly based upon game appearances during the course of a season. Of course, many factors besides injury account for games not played. For example, miss games because they are given time off due to the rigors of their position, not so much due to injury. Yet most catchers will receive at best a J-2 rating.

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Platoon Rating [Platoon]

An APBA rating, this is a component of the Batting Characteristic (which see). The rating ranges from zero (no effect) to 5 (significant effect). The value is the amount by which the pitcher's grade is increased when facing a batter hitting from the same side as the pitcher throws. When the batter and pitcher do not match up (right vs. left or left vs. right) then the platoon rating has no effect.

The effect of the platoon penalty on a batter is generally assumed to be about 4% of his batting average per penalty point. Thus a right-handed, .300 batter with an SA-1 rating facing a RHP would lose about 0.012 from his batting average. A .280 hitter with a platoon penalty of 3 would hit about .245. Also see Platoon Factor Effect in the context of the Pankin Optimizer.

The batting characteristics are usually combined in print, such as SA-3 or PB-0. Note that switch hitters are always assigned platoon ratings of 0.

The assignment of platoon ratings by APBA has been a source of considerable controversy, because the rating can only confer a disadvantage on the batter, never an advantage. Furthermore, switch hitters do often perform differently depending on which side of the plate they are hitting from, yet they all receive a 0 rating. In the past, the higher ratings were assigned to players who tended to be platooned by their managers. More recently, many full-time players have received platoon penalties as high as the maximum 5 if they tended to hit noticeably less well against pitchers who matched up positively against them.

Beginning with the 1993 season, Master Game symbols for platoon factors began to reflect adjustments for both pitching sides. The ratings conferred both penalties and advantages, and were not limited to the 5 point maximum still in effect in the computer version of APBA. The computer versions of APBA Baseball have not yet implemented these new platoon factors.

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Positions [Pos]

Those positions which defensive players take on the field, as well as the designation of the . Fielding positions can also be identified by number.

P 1 Pitcher C 2 Catcher 1B 3 Firstbaseman 2B 4 Secondbaseman 3B 5 Thirdbaseman SS 6 Shortstop OF 7 Outfielder DH Designated Hitter

Note that Baseball does not differentiate outfield positions for fielding ratings, although StatMaster tracks outfield defensive performance by specific field, thus:

LF 7 CF 8 RF 9

In assigning players to lineups, must be assigned specific field locations.

Players may be rated at more than one position. If so, they will have a "primary position" which is the position they will be normally identified as playing, with their other positions also indicated on the Player Report and the team Roster Report. On a player report, the primary position is indicated by an asterisk "*".

Positions are often combined in print with fielding ratings, thus: 3B-5, or 2B-7.

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Speed [Sp]

An APBA rating denoting the relative running ability of a player when running the bases. The range is between 1 (sludge) and 20 (hare). Speed bears no relationship to base stealing; it comes into play only in base advancement and fielding plays. Players with Sp rating of 15 or more are considered Fast; 6 or less is Slow; the rest are Average.

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Steal Success Rating [StS or SSN]

An APBA rating that is a component of the Steal rating, and which partially determines the likelihood of a player successfully stealing a base. In effect, it is a measure of his ability to successfully steal bases. The rating ranges from 0 (failed every attempt) to 36 (was never caught). Players who frequently attempt to steal bases typically fall somewhere between 24 and 31. Note that it is quite possible to be given a high allowance letter in combination with a low success rating (e.g. A14).

When stealing second base, the factors that affect success include the StS, the catcher's throw rating, the pitcher's move to first rating, and the choice to or not hold the runner on first. The steal of third base is affected only by the StS and the catcher's throw rating. Steals of home are governed exclusively by the StS. Note, however, that steals of third and home have certain other built in penalties. For example, stealing third is slightly harder when the batter is left-handed. Also, double steals have special effects built in to the process.

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Balk Rating [BK]

An APBA rating of a pitcher's propensity to commit a balk. Zero (0) means he will generally not balk; blank is average. Appears in print thus: BK0.

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Control Rating [Ctrl]

An APBA rating, or more accurately a pair of ratings, that measure a pitcher's control (ability to find the plate consistently) and ability (ability to throw strikes without allowing hits).

Control as it affects bases on balls are W (poor or "Wild"), blank (average), Z (good), ZZ (very good), and ZZZ (exceptional). The last two ratings do not appear as APBA ratings for pitchers, but are used in the model.

Control as it affects are blank (fair), Y (good), X (very good), and XY (exceptional).

Although the division lines are not hard and fast, UBB under 3.0/9 innings tend to earn a Z, while above 4.0/9 innings will tend to earn a W. A pitcher who strikes out less than 5 batters per 9 innings will get a blank, 5-7 is a Y, 7-9 is an X, and above 9 is an XY.

Note that while strikeouts measure the ability of a pitcher to "bring the heat," the control ratings on walks are much more relevant to pitching performance than are the strikeout ratings.

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Hit Batsmen Rating [HB]

An APBA rating for pitchers, controlling the propensity to hit batters while pitching. The rating is either zero (rare) or blank (average). Appears in print thus: HB0.

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Home Run Allowance [HR]

An APBA rating for pitchers, controlling the propensity of the pitcher to yield up home runs. There are five ratings, ranging from H (rarely allows an HR), to G (above average control), blank (average), L (suffers more than average rates of HR allowed), and M (well above average in HR allowed frequency).

Bigs: Teams tend to hit between 0.65 and 0.78 home runs per game on average, so the average pitcher will allow about 0.72 home runs per nine innings.

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Move to First [Move]

An APBA rating denoting a pitcher's ability to hold baserunners on first base. The range is from 0 to 3, the higher the better. A higher rating will tend to reduce a base stealer's success rate.

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Pitcher's Grade [SGr and RGr]

An APBA rating of a pitcher's basic ability to control the number of hits allowed per nine innings and thus, indirectly, affect his ERA. Pitching grades range from 1 (worst) to 30 (best). Starters and relievers are assigned grades on an identical scale. Reliever grades are signified by an asterisk (e.g. 12*). Pitchers with only a relieving grade should not generally be used as starters. Some pitchers will be assigned both a starting grade and a relieving grade, which are usually different (e.g. 5/10*). This indicates that the pitcher appeared in both capacities during the course of the season. Note, however, that not all such two-way pitchers receive dual, or "split," grades.

In APBA parlance, pitchers are also known by their assigned letter grade, although Baseball and Draft do not use these letter assignments. They are as follows:

Letter Grade D 1 - 4 C 5 - 9 B 10 - 14 A 15 - 19 A&C 20 - 24 A&B 25 - 30

The assigned grade is the initial grade before modifications Many factors can change a pitcher's grade during the course of a game. Six modifications are reflected by a visible change in the grade value on the field display and four are not.

The six changes that appear on the field are:

l As pitcher's accumulate scoreless innings, they can experience grade increases. A grade D pitcher (see above) will gain a 5 point grade boost after pitching 5 complete innings in which he allows no earned runs. A grade C pitcher gains the 5 point boost after pitching 6 complete innings without giving up an earned run. A B pitcher gains a boost after 7 innings, and an A pitcher after 8. Pitchers will continue to rise in grade by inning as long as no earned runs are scored until they reach grade 20. Note: a grade 5 or lower pitcher who is reduced in grade (see the earned run reduction below) to grade one, will not benefit from this grade advancement for the remainder of the game as long as he remains a grade 1 pitcher.

l A pitcher who surrenders 5 earned runs in 3 consecutive innings or less will suffer a 5 point grade reduction. After an additional 5 earned runs, the grade will decline an additional 5 points. Note: This degradation will not happen to a pitcher who has reached grade 20 and then pitched another scoreless inning (i.e. pitched 8 consecutive scoreless innings) unless he is affected by a batters faced fatigue reduction - see below). This reduction is not related to fatigue or durability, and has no bearing on Readiness Rating or fatigue status.

l A rain delay will generally have an affect on the grade of both pitchers in the game. Most often the effect is negative.

l When using A.I.M., once a pitcher exceeds his Workable Batters, as soon as he surrenders a hit or walk, his grade will decline, usually by 5 points.

l Pitchers who enter a game in Itchy status may display a higher or lower grade than their primary assigned grade.

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l Certain game events (e.g. a key inning-ending bases-loaded strikeout; a rally-keying homerun) may result in a pitcher becoming "pumped" or "rattled," which can have the effect of increasing or decreasing his grade by 1.

The four changes that do not appear on the field are:

l When a enters a game in mid-inning, he receives a 5 point grade bonus, called "first batter effectiveness," when he pitches to the initial batter faced. This bonus cannot increase a pitcher's grade beyond grade 20.

l A batter's platoon rating will increase a pitcher's grade when facing a same-sided pitcher.

l When pitchers reach the limits of their durability, they will begin to experience some reduction in grade, generally 1 or 2 points per inning.

l A certain degree of randomness in pitcher grade is applied from batter to batter simulating the vagaries of performance during the course of a game.

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Steal Allowance [StA or SAL]

An APBA rating, actually a combination of two ratings (see Steal Success Rating). The StA is an indication of how frequently the player attempted to steal a base in comparison to his total opportunities to do so. The StA is a letter assignment, ranging sequentially (that is, A, B, C, etc.) from A (very high frequency) to G (relatively low frequency), plus R (rare) and N (never).

The StA combines with the steal success rating StS to form the Steal Rating, thus: A28, or D14.

In Baseball, the StA letter rating is only meant as a guide to indicate to the manager how often a particular player was given the green light during the actual season to steal a base, generally second base. It has no effect on the actual ability to steal.

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Wild Pitch Rating [WP]

An APBA rating which denotes the tendency of the pitcher to uncork a wild pitch. Ranges from 0 (very rare) to 3 (quite common). Shown in print thus: WP2.

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A.I.M. role [ Role ]

Players are designated for various roles based upon their actual usage during the course of the season being emulated. These roles are designed to help you understand how you can best utilize players over the course of a season. For pitchers, roles affect Readiness Ratings , as well as Fatigue Status related to Readiness Ratings. For non-pitchers, roles affect the computation of Play Rating .

There are five separate roles for pitchers: Starter ; Spot Starter ; ; Short Reliever ; and Stopper .

There are four distinct roles for non-pitchers: Regular ; Utility ; Platoon ; and Part -Time .

Roles are qualitative descriptions of the way a player was used during the season. They do not affect game play or the micromanager's decision making process, as he cannot access the role. Therefore, changing a players role in League Manager has no effect on how he will be used in games, but it will affect how he recovers from fatigue.

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Starter

Pitcher has a starting APBA grade, at least 50% of his game appearances were starts, and he had 19 or more starts. Any pitcher who qualifies statistically for this role but does not have a starting APBA grade is automatically a Long Reliever.

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Spot Starter

Pitcher has a starting APBA grade, at least 50% of his game appearances were starts, and season GS was less than 19 starts. Any pitcher who qualifies statistically for this role but does not have a starting APBA grade is automatically a Long Reliever.

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Long Reliever

Pitcher does not have a starting APBA grade OR less than 50% of his appearances were starts, and he averaged over 1.50 IP per appearance. Any pitcher who qualifies statistically for this role and does not have a relief APBA grade is automatically a Spot Starter.

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Short Reliever

Pitcher does not have a starting APBA grade OR less than 50% of his appearances were starts, and he averaged less than 1.50 IP per appearance, and he had a decision (win, loss or ) in less than 40% of his appearances, or he pitched less than 32 games in relief. Any pitcher who qualifies statistically for this role and does not have a relief APBA grade is automatically a Spot Starter.

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Stopper

Pitcher does not have a starting APBA grade OR less than 50% of his appearances were starts, and he averaged less than 1.50 IP per appearance, and he had a decision (win, loss or save) in 40% of his appearances, and pitched at least 32 games in relief. Any pitcher who qualifies statistically for this role and does not have a relief APBA grade is automatically a Spot Starter.

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Regular

Played a large portion of the regular season as a every day player (i.e a high number of plate appearances per team game).

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Part Time

Player is not a Regular , Utility or Platoon category player.

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Platoon

Player is not a Regular or AND had a below average number of Plate Appearances in 1/3 to 1/2 of the team games.

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Utility

Player was not a Regular and is rated at three or more positions. For this purpose, OF and 1B as one position whether he played either or both (e.g. a player rated at 1B, 3B, and OF is considered to be skilled at only two positions, and is not classed as Utility).

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