Steve McPherson is right. In the old days (and maybe even today), APBA would downgrade a pitcher with few innings pitched. For someone with just a few appearances, the downgrade was severe.
I'd be more impressed with Ruth's performance if he had done it against a half-way decent team, which the 1930 Red Sox were not. They finished last, 50 games behind the Athletics. Offensively they were dead last, scoring 612 runs while the next worse team scored 729 - 117 more. As a team, their average was .263 when the league average was .288, meaning that the rest of the league averaged above .290. It was a hitter's year and these guys were awful at hitting. Their best hitter, Earl Webb, who hit .323 and led the team with 16 homeruns, didn't play that game and Jack Rothrock, with 65 AB, played instead and batted cleanup. It was a lineup that would not have fared well in any of the AAA leagues (or were they still AA in 1930?). But the really bad lineup hit .306 (11/36) against Ruth in that game. I'd say a "D" sounds right, maybe a "C" because the basic game can't take away power.
In addition to - as mentioned below - APBA's annoying tendency to downgrade anybody in a part-time role, it also boosted pitching grades of some pitchers on pennant winning clubs, like Boston's Luis Tiant, Bill Lee, and Rick Wise all getting a "B" in 1975 when the stats for each of them warranted solid C's. When the Master Game came out a year or so later all three received an "11," the lowest number grade possible for a B, but they were still overgraded. But back to 1930 Babe Ruth and the undergrading of part-timers, I didn't like APBA's paternalistic approach. If Ruth, or any other small sample player, received the grade he deserved and a gamer chose to overuse him, that's on the gamer. He then has no credible argument for a lack of realistic results.
I only played APBA a little as a teen with a friend, so I have no answer. But I’m guessing it was all about overusage. I’m a Strat player and there are flaws like this, but it’s incumbent on the player to not overuse a really good player.
I believe Action PC has it either built in or a setting that players with small sample sizes with their splits the game will not follow their actual numbers.
Several PC game will also address these things with setting to penalized player that are overused. So, with the Ruth example, He is fine his first start but use him 3 or 4 times not so much. Not saying one way is better than another, but different ways to sell imersion.
Well, if you really want to pitch him in 1930, a DZ is probably better than about half your rotation. (It certainly would be in the original 1930 set from the 1970s, where they mostly graded the pitchers based on "modern" expectations -- if your ERA was over 4 and you didn't win around 18 games, you're a D -- so there were practically no Bs and Cs.)
@Daniel Evensen I sent you a PM/chat via Substack messaging. I wonder if you received it- re: National Pastime player cards.
Sorry - I haven’t checked my messages for a little while… I’ll take a look and will get back to you.
One of the frustrating aspects of APBA in my day was its tendency to downgrade part time players and pitchers.
Steve McPherson is right. In the old days (and maybe even today), APBA would downgrade a pitcher with few innings pitched. For someone with just a few appearances, the downgrade was severe.
A 3.00 ERA when the league hit .303 that's nuts 🌰. He should be a grade B
I'd be more impressed with Ruth's performance if he had done it against a half-way decent team, which the 1930 Red Sox were not. They finished last, 50 games behind the Athletics. Offensively they were dead last, scoring 612 runs while the next worse team scored 729 - 117 more. As a team, their average was .263 when the league average was .288, meaning that the rest of the league averaged above .290. It was a hitter's year and these guys were awful at hitting. Their best hitter, Earl Webb, who hit .323 and led the team with 16 homeruns, didn't play that game and Jack Rothrock, with 65 AB, played instead and batted cleanup. It was a lineup that would not have fared well in any of the AAA leagues (or were they still AA in 1930?). But the really bad lineup hit .306 (11/36) against Ruth in that game. I'd say a "D" sounds right, maybe a "C" because the basic game can't take away power.
In addition to - as mentioned below - APBA's annoying tendency to downgrade anybody in a part-time role, it also boosted pitching grades of some pitchers on pennant winning clubs, like Boston's Luis Tiant, Bill Lee, and Rick Wise all getting a "B" in 1975 when the stats for each of them warranted solid C's. When the Master Game came out a year or so later all three received an "11," the lowest number grade possible for a B, but they were still overgraded. But back to 1930 Babe Ruth and the undergrading of part-timers, I didn't like APBA's paternalistic approach. If Ruth, or any other small sample player, received the grade he deserved and a gamer chose to overuse him, that's on the gamer. He then has no credible argument for a lack of realistic results.
I only played APBA a little as a teen with a friend, so I have no answer. But I’m guessing it was all about overusage. I’m a Strat player and there are flaws like this, but it’s incumbent on the player to not overuse a really good player.
I believe Action PC has it either built in or a setting that players with small sample sizes with their splits the game will not follow their actual numbers.
Several PC game will also address these things with setting to penalized player that are overused. So, with the Ruth example, He is fine his first start but use him 3 or 4 times not so much. Not saying one way is better than another, but different ways to sell imersion.
Well, if you really want to pitch him in 1930, a DZ is probably better than about half your rotation. (It certainly would be in the original 1930 set from the 1970s, where they mostly graded the pitchers based on "modern" expectations -- if your ERA was over 4 and you didn't win around 18 games, you're a D -- so there were practically no Bs and Cs.)