This is a good post because you really want to plan ahead for the most part on who you want to come in in relief and even sometimes play Lefty Righty matchups, play fatigue properly, etc. etc, etc. Before a game I like to play the pitching scenarios out in my head and the info you give helps. Thanks!

Thanks for taking the time to lay all this out for n00bs.  I always planned roughly according to this thought process, and it's nice to know that an established owner has confirmed the Sparky thought process.  

One thing I'll add for n00bs: Don't let it get to Part 6, if possible.  Always have a couple of relievers available, and don't leave it to an algorithm that none of us really understand.  If you see that your bullpen is taxed (everyone in the blue or red), you will either have to (a) burn a starter with excess pitches, or (b) use another starter as a reliever.  Neither one of which is good for your team in the long run. 

One thing I'd like to hear from Admin is the distinction between SetupA/SetupB.  I was always under the impression that SetupB comes in first if you're LOSING, and SetupA comes in for ties and when you're WINNING.  For some reason, that's the way I always thought it SHOULD work.

I usually leave my setup A and setup B and Closer A to inning available 8.  That way the closer can come in and pitch to a batter in the 8th if need be.  I leave my Closer B to inning available "any" just in case of an extra inning game.  Is that what you all usually do?

I have tried all kinds of systems to try and get the pitcher I want into games exactly when I want them to. I believe the best way is A) Don't have any pitcher you do not want into the game checked for relief. B) set your available relievers to Set Up A, and specify the inning that you want them entered. I don't care who gets the saves. Sparky will almost always take the reliever with the lowest WHIP who fits the criteria you have set first, then moves down the list as TPCs are reached. That goes for starters who may have to enter a game in relief as well. Even if your lowest WHIP starter is scheduled to start the next game, if Sparky has exhausted all his other options, that starter is coming into the game. Sparky will use relievers set to REST before he uses a starter as a reliiever, unless a starters relief box is checked. I honestly believe what I say here is accurate and truthful, but if anyone can correct me, I welcome your knowledge.

Most of the problems I have with Sparky occur at levels 5 and 6, where he has to choose between a closer and a mop, and neither is actually available according to the rules. Typically Sparky follows the closer rules more strictly than the mop rules, resulting in the mop being brought in. 

pfattkatt, i think you are right. I have had pitchers set to rest come in but I have never had a starter whose box was not checked pitch in relief. I also agree with jfranco that Sparky should get slapped silly for putting in a mop up in a tie game when the closer could be used. If both guys are unavailable due to the boxes we checked, then Sparky should use the closer first in a tie game. Isn't that what ANY real life manager would do? But for some reason, Sparky is set to bring in the mop first. I just want to slap him.

Excellent job of putting all of this info together.  Any owner who didn't have this knowledge, reads this, and applies it, will improve his team. 

I don't have any boxscore links to demonstrate, but I can say with certainty that I've had starters without the [use in relief] box checked come in to games as relievers when there were no other options (such as all of my RPs being below their minimum fatigue or it being before any rested RPs inning availablility, or late in a long extra inning game when all of the RPs (sometimes excepting the closer) have been used).

I don't know how to find boxscores of leagues from my past, so I cannot produce one. But in a league where I was seriously short on IP in SP and RP, I would put pitchers on rest to make sure they would be in the green the following day. I also did not have my SP relief box checked. If the pitcher on rest is 89% and all the starters are even more tired, would Sparky insert the guy on rest? I hope so. In that league, if he had put in one of my starters i would have been upset. I couldn't afford any innings from them.

With regard to Setup A vs B ...

I typically set all of my relievers to Setup A, forgoing a closer and LH/RH specialists. I also use a mop-up. I chart every game and keep track of how many pitches are thrown by every pitcher so I don't go over the allotted maximum until near the very end of the season, if at all. So even if one of the pitchers is still at 100% rest, I try not to throw them more than 2 games in a row, especially if they can be used as a spot starter at the end of the season/playoffs.

So occasionally, I have games where I may only actually have 2 or 3 available relievers. In that situation, I will sometimes set one of the guys I would prefer to not pitch as Setup B, in the hopes that the game will be over before I use the starter and 3 relievers. Most of the time, this works like a charm, and my guy gets a second straight day off. But I have seen on some occasions that the Setup B comes in before the Setup A.

This usually occurs when my team is losing, or in the 8th or 9th inning when my starter has reached his MPC and I am winning by greater than 5 runs. I wish I had boxscores to confirm this, but I don't.

So for the most part, Setup A will come in before Setup B, but I think that Sparky looks at Setup A as a more elite pitcher, and chooses Setup B when the game is not as close and an easier victory is at hand.

Great article.  Thanks contrarian23

I wish there was a setting for low inning studs to only use them with 1-2 run leads.
I would also like to see my Long A guy come in with a 4-5 run lead and give him a shot instead of blowing my good setup guys when the next game could be closer.
This is how I manage live games, I wish sparky would do the same.

What would be awesome is an option to have a completely controlled situation board:

In inning _____, prefer to use the _____(Long A/Long B/Setup A/Setup B/Closer A/Closer B/Mop-Up/Available SP) if _____(trailing/losing/tied) by _____ or more runs.

Endless statements of these would allow for near-total bullpen control. It would probably be a pain to do secondary options (programming-wise), so sim would likely only use this if the exact role had an available pitcher, but it would still give a lot of control.