Muddy Harris & Muddy Harris II - 1950's Manager Muddy Harris is designed to handle the conservative but competitive early half of the 1950s (*see below), Muddy Harris is an AIM manager with strategies that take advantage of some of the unique qualities of that decade. This includes: the heavy use of quality pitchers in dual capacities, i.e., as starters and relievers; a willingness to bring in "ace" long relievers in critical situations often quite early (6th inning on); a conservative "little ball" style where teams often were more likely to play for big innings instead of using more aggressive baserunning strategies that eeked out runs. Among the more important aspects of Harris to note are: 1) "Saving" a starting pitching from being used in relief. While Harris does not set aside a rotation and therefore will use starters in relief, he does prevent a team from using its last potential starter. Therefore, it's not necessary to bench starting pitchers unless you wish to use a specific pitcher for the next game. 2) "Saving" bullpens in lopsided games. Harris relief decisions in blowout games are directly related to the strength of a team's bullpen. If the bullpen is shaky, you might see Harris permitting a mop up reliever "take one for the team" and permit double figure runs. 3) PinchHitting, PinchRunning and subbing defensively for star players in routs. He prefers, to permit players (especially "itchy" players) to get into these one-sided contests. 4) Many of Harris' pitching decisions are based on the "type" of bullpen he is handling. Teams that used the pen extensively during the season will (generally) lead to a quicker hook than teams that were less bullpen-dependent. This is measured by total relief appearances for the team, although a number of other factors are considered as well (QS or QR, score, inning et cetera). 5) Harris is reluctant to use resting star players in games unless in emergencies or the game is on the line. In the latter case, he will use those players as pinchhitters in potential game-tying or game-winning situations late.
* While designed for the early part of the 1950s, Harris can adequately handle the latter half of the decade as well. However, it's recommended that you used Harris' "cousin", Muddy Harris II for replays of those seasons. Using both managers can be done and can also lead to a greater variety for your replays. This edition is better suited for those teams that generally had high total CGs for their staff and generally were more conservative with relievers. Additionally, this edition tends to play more for the big inning, eschewing "small ball" tactics, and is more conservative on the basepaths.
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Uses some of bench for a few games, for pinch running and subs. |