Gordy Richards - Draft League Manager

Note: The best suggestion is to use Gordy for a draft league team (any era) where you have a strong starting staff but will a poor bullpen. Richards is very conservative for the most part and is probably best suited for "thin" teams with little depth or pitching.

Richards, is an AIM, non-DH micromanager best suited to manage teams from the mid-1950's to the late-1960's. He can manage teams before the approximate 1955 cutoff point; however, because he makes extensive use of the double switch, a strategy that appears not to have been used prior to the late 50's, he may be considered inappropriate for that period. There are several strategies that Richards makes that should be noted:

1) Use of benched star players. Richards will not use benched star players in a "non-winnable" game except for emergencies (e.g., no other player is available to fill a position). This applies both offensively and defensively. However, if the game is on the line and winnable (tying run onbase or at the plate), he will consider using those players offensively.

2) Richards will use pitchers as pinchhitters or pinchrunners if they appeared in that capacity during the season. You might see, for example, a Gary Peters or a Don Larsen, two excellent hitting pitchers, used as PHers in a close game. Similarly, fast running pitchers (e.g., Joe Horlen, Blue Moon Odom, Bob Gibson) may be used a pinchrunners.

3) Blowout or rout substitutions. Richards will replace star players in a lopsided game, whether on the winning or losing side. This includes: pinchhitting for them, pinchrunning for them, of subbing defensively for them at the beginning of an inning. Additionally, he attempts to use "itchy" reserve players first as replacements.

4) Richards will rearrange you outfielders. He attempts to place the best overall defensive rated outfielder in center, the best arm and second best rated outfielder in right, and then fill in left. Depending on the situation, you will see him move a poorer rated rightfielder to left in favor of a better rightfielder.

5) Pitching changes. Richards bases ALL of his relief changes upon the total number of relief appearances by the team's bullpen. This is an "Era Adjustment" quality that is used to adjust pitching changes based upon how extensive a team used its bullpen during that season. Teams with high bullpen usage (approximately 240 or more total apperances) will find a quicker hook being used by Richards than average or low bullpen usage. This characteristic of Richards enhances his ability to manage over a wider range of seasons. As noted above, although he employs the double switch, Richards can manage 1940's teams quite well.