Baseball is a complex sport where strategy can play a big part. A baseball team's strategy can vary from game to game depending on the pitcher and the opposing team. The strategy can change during a game from situation to situation depending on the number of outs and the count on the batter. The strategy also changes from batter to batter depending on the strengths and weaknesses of both the batter and the pitcher.
Although the newspapers every morning are plastered with stories of towering long balls and overpowering pitching, defense is a crucial part of the game of baseball.
1. Ensure every player has the appropriate skills for his position. If you have two first baseman with good offense on your roster, it is tempting to put one at another position to get them both in the lineup. But if it's not one of the positions he can play (shown under 'P' in the Defense Dialog), his performance will most likely be horrible.
2. Strong defense at the key middle positions is important. Your shortstop, second baseman and center fielder should have good range while your catcher needs a strong arm to throw out baserunners (and keep them from trying in the first place). Good offense can sometimes make up for mediocre defense, but these are the positions where outstanding defensive talent will really affect your winning percentage.
3. Round out your defense with the appropriate skills. Range is important in left and right field as is fielding percentage (because the batter will often get to 2nd or 3rd on an error). Excellent outfield arms will throw out 10 or more extra runners each year. A strong arm and good fielding average (above .960) means your third baseman can get in front of and convert a lot of hard hit balls into outs. Your first baseman should be a consistent fielder with a high fielding percentage (above .990 is good).
4. Make intelligent position substitutions. Sometimes you won't have strong players listed for all eight starting defensive positions, and you may wish to start a player out of position. If you do, be sure to use a player with related experience and skills. Outfielders are generally interchangeable, although a right or left fielder may not have the range to player center field competently. Infielders can also be moved around, with shortstops usually being the most flexible becaue they have the range of a second basemen and an arm sometimes strong enough to play third base. Choosing anyone except a catcher as your starting catcher position is just asking for trouble (in the form of many passed balls and stolen bases allowed).
5. Change player positions judiciously. If you have two good players at the same position, it is possible to switch one of the players to another position using the Change Position feature. This works best when moving a player from a more challenging defensive position to a less challenging one (e.g SS to 3B). Because changing a player's position can have a negative impact on his fielding ability, you are often better off trading your excess talent for players at positions where you are weak. |
