Playing Out Of Position And Position Changes
What are the effects of a player playing out of his "natural" position?
When a player plays out of his natural position, his Range (RN) and Glove (GL) ratings are adjusted depending on how much more difficult the "other" position his. Arm (AR) rating remains constant regardless of position changes.Note - a non-Catcher playing Catcher is handled differently
Positions are ranked in order of difficulty, from left to right (the most difficult being on the left):
SS - 2B - CF - 3B - LF/RF - 1B
Playing out of position will reduce Range and Glove; the farther you move to the left, the greater the reduction.
Move Left on Chart (Harder Position)
1 step left: -10% actuals
2 steps left: -19%
3 steps left: -27%
4 steps left: -34%
5 steps left: -40%
Move Right on Chart (Easier Position)
1 step right: -8%
2 steps right: -6%
3 steps right: -4%
4 steps right: -2%
5 steps right: 0%
Example: A CF moving two spaces left on chart to SS would lose 19% of Range/Glove skill, while moving two spaces right on the chart to LF would lose 6%.
Permanently changing positions
Changing positions permanently has the same immediate impact on a player's actuals, but a reduced impact on potentials, and can pay off in the long-run if they will be playing that position extensively. A player can be permanently moved to a different position, with some exceptions:
- A lefty-throwing player can not change to 2B, 3B, or SS.
- No player can change to Catcher.
When a player's position changes, their actual and potential ratings in Range and Glove will permanently change to reflect the new position they are playing. When moving to a more difficult position, reductions in potential ratings are less than actual ratings, to reflect a player's ability to learn his new position over time. When moving to an easier position, a player's potential ratings may increase depending on how much easier the new position is. As a result, there is flexibility in moving a young player from a skill position (such as SS or 2B) to a non-skill position (such as LF/RF), as they will have some time to recover the skills lost.
Note: Players no longer automatically convert positions after a certain number of games played, and will only change with the Change Position tool on the player card. This tool will move them to different positions immediately.
Lefties playing 2B, SS, 3B, and C
In professional baseball, it is rare to see a player who throws left-handed playing 2B, 3B, SS, or C. As a result, BaseHit will not allow left-handed throwing players to permanently change to these positions. This does not prohibit you from putting a lefty-throwing player in the lineup at one of these positions, but if you do, they will suffer defensive penalties to their Range (-20%), Glove (-10%), and Arm (-40%).
What about catchers?
Non-Catchers can not change positions to Catcher. (You can put non-catchers in the lineup at Catcher, if you so choose, but they'll always be a non-Catcher playing Catcher). Non-Catchers playing Catcher suffer notable penalties to Range (RN) and Glove (GL), and even higher penalties to Arm (AR).
Catchers moving to other positions are considered one step to the right of 1B. So, a C moving to other positions is just slightly more difficult than if he was a 1B.