Playing out of Position
When a player plays out of their "natural" position, their defensive skills will be diminished.
- Their Range (RN) and Glove (GL) ratings are adjusted based on the difficulty of the "other" position.
- Their Arm (AR) rating remains constant regardless of position changes.
- Note that a non-Catcher playing as a Catcher is handled differently.
Positions are ranked in order of difficulty from left to right:
SS -> 2B -> CF -> 3B -> LF/RF -> 1B
- Playing out of position has a greater impact on current range and glove ratings as you move towards the left of the difficulty chart.
(Harder Position)
- 1 step left: -10%
- 2 steps left: -19%
- 3 steps left: -27%
- 4 steps left: -34%
- 5 steps left: -40%
(Easier Position)
- 1 step right: -8%
- 2 steps right: -6%
- 3 steps right: -4%
- 4 steps right: -2%
- 5 steps right: 0%
Example:
- If a Center Fielder (CF) moves two spaces left on the chart to Shortstop (SS), their Range and Glove skills will be reduced by 19%.
- That same Center Fielder moving two spaces right on the chart to Left Field (LF) would result in a 6% reduction.
Permanent Position Changes
- Making a permanent position change has the same impact on actuals as above, but also has an impact on potential ratings.
- When a player's position changes permanently, their actual and potential ratings in Range and Glove will reflect the new position.
- Moving to an easier position will increase potential ratings, depending on the relative difficulty. This allows young players who switch from skill positions (like SS or 2B) to non-skill positions (such as LF/RF) to recover some of the lost skills over time.
- If a player will be playing out of position extensively, it might be wise to permanently change their position.
(Harder Position)
- 1 step left: -8%
- 2 steps left: -14%
- 3 steps left: -20%
- 4 steps left: -26%
- 5 steps left: -30%
(Easier Position)
- 1 step right: +8%
- 2 steps right: +14%
- 3 steps right: +20%
- 4 steps right: +26%
- 5 steps right: +30%
There are some exceptions to permanent position changes:
- Left-handed players cannot change to 2B, 3B, or SS.
- No player can change to Catcher.
- When a player's position changes permanently, their actual and potential ratings in Range and Glove will reflect the new position.
- Moving to a more difficult position results in smaller reductions in potential ratings compared to actual ratings, indicating the player's ability to learn the new position over time.
- Moving to an easier position may increase potential ratings, depending on the relative difficulty. This allows young players who switch from skill positions (like SS or 2B) to non-skill positions (such as LF/RF) to recover some of the lost skills over time.
- Note: Players no longer automatically switch positions after a certain number of games played. Position changes can only be made using the "Change Position" tool on the player card, which takes immediate effect.
Left-handed players in specific positions
In professional baseball, it is uncommon to see a left-handed player at 2B, 3B, SS, or C.
- BaseHit does not allow left-handed throwing players to permanently switch to these positions.
- You can still put a left-handed player in the lineup at one of these positions, but they will experience defensive penalties to their Range (-20%), Glove (-10%), and Arm (-40%).
What about catchers?
- Non-Catchers cannot change positions to become a Catcher.
- You can place non-Catchers in the lineup as Catchers if you choose to do so, but they will always be considered non-Catchers playing as Catchers.
- Non-Catchers who play as Catchers will experience significant penalties to their Range (RN), Glove (GL), and even higher penalties to their Arm (AR) ratings.
- Catchers moving to other positions are considered one step to the right of 1B on the difficulty chart.
Related Links
Fielding Ratings