Broken Bat - Help: Playing a lefty thrower in the field?

Forum >> Help >> Playing a lefty thrower in the field?

Post ID	Date & Time	Game Date

#79063	12/01/2020 3:28:15 pm	Mar 27th, 2048
jetsrock48 Joined: 11/25/2013 Posts: 150 Davenport Cobras IV.3	I just drafted http://brokenbat.org/player/272946 14 pot, who as a righty would be a great looking SS. But as a lefty what position should I train him at? 1B would be a waste with that 20 arm. Is the penalty of being a lefty that bad? Should I train him at SS/3B/C?

#79064	12/01/2020 3:38:46 pm	Mar 27th, 2048
hardhat Joined: 05/26/2013 Posts: 200 Oceanview Woods Grizzlies Legends	I'd put him at OF (CF, or a completely overpowered RF). His fielding will be way too good either way. But his range would be wasted at C, and playing a lefty at 2B/SS is killer. You won't be happy with the results

#79065	12/01/2020 3:50:32 pm	Mar 27th, 2048
Geech Joined: 01/12/2014 Posts: 545 San Luis Obispo Turtles IV.8	I would train the 20 arm at C, and maybe use him to back up OF, too. He's got so much SI in his defense that I don't like his odds of being a great offensive player, but he could still be useful as a backup or stopgap.

#79068	12/01/2020 4:37:50 pm	Mar 28th, 2048
Rock777 Joined: 09/21/2014 Posts: 9592 Haverhill Halflings III.1	If he has 19/20 range I would put him at SS. 16 is fine for a SS, but not fantastic. For a righty, a 16 a SS is perfectly fine. For a lefty... Not sure its worth the fielding penalty trade-off. That said. I think the penalty is only applied to fielding. So he would probably be fine at SS once he develops. Certainly better than your typical righty SS with "solid fielding."

#79088	12/02/2020 12:17:00 pm	Mar 30th, 2048
Seca Joined: 05/05/2014 Posts: 5198 Waterloo Dinosaurs Legends	I think the penalty is only applied to fielding. There is a marked drop in DPs turned by LHT middle infielders. Like some of the other posters I would put him in CF or RF and enjoy having an elite defensive player. But then again I used Anderson and Youngblood as 2/3 of my OF for years.

#79096	12/02/2020 6:22:55 pm	Apr 3rd, 2048
timothy Joined: 03/18/2020 Posts: 202 West Fargo Turtles II.1	Just to give my own anecdote here: I have a left-handed 2B who platoons. Last year, he was involved in 30 double plays while compiling 334 at-bats as a second baseman. My other 2B, who is right-handed, was involved in only 22 double plays while compiling probably 290-ish at-bats as a second baseman.

#79102	12/03/2020 6:56:23 am	Apr 3rd, 2048
Seca Joined: 05/05/2014 Posts: 5198 Waterloo Dinosaurs Legends	in only 22 double plays I'm not sure why: - you focus on a single season when you have career stats - you use ABs instead of fielding attempts If you look at FA for last season - LHT guy: 30 DPs from 414 FA. A DP every 13.8 FA. RHT guy: 22 DPs from 287 FA. A DP every 13.0 FA. Surprisingly close. (Note the RHT guy put up the better number). Defensive stats can be pretty noisy. Looking at career numbers: LHT guy: 77 DPs from 1122 FA. A DP every 14.6 FA. RHT guy: 71 DPs from 902 FA. A DP every 12.7 FA. Doesn't look like much, but that's 15% better for RHT. And there are possible biases built in here (ie., platooning selects the opponent; the RHT guy may have preferentially faced more FB hitting teams, etc.). FWIW my RHT 2B has 212 DPs over 2033 FA. A DP every 9.6 FA. Clearly harder to compare with different opposition, managers, and so on. I personally feel there is no question RHT middle infielders have a significantly higher ceiling.

#79105	12/03/2020 7:26:47 am	Apr 3rd, 2048
lostraven Joined: 07/02/2016 Posts: 1269 Corvallis Ravens II.1	@jetsrock: I'm half-heartedly committed to my left-handed 2B this season, after only giving him some trials in the past. Doesn't mean the early hook still isn't in play, but it may very well be possible an elite-fielding lefty 2B, 3B, or SS could find at least replacement-level defense success. But it's still a risk.

#79110	12/03/2020 2:25:07 pm	Apr 3rd, 2048
Rock777 Joined: 09/21/2014 Posts: 9592 Haverhill Halflings III.1	Worth noting, jetsrock's guy has a 20 Arm. So even if he loses a couple points to a lefty penalty, he still has a very strong arm. I would be surprised if DPs suffered. My belief is that the penalty(s) are just applied straight to the ratings. Like fielding is reduced by X (and maybe arm is reduced by Y). Where X and Y are unknown (except by Steve), but probably not greater than 3 or 4. Updated Thursday, December 3 2020 @ 2:26:13 pm PST

#79111	12/03/2020 3:50:39 pm	Apr 5th, 2048
timothy Joined: 03/18/2020 Posts: 202 West Fargo Turtles II.1	If you look at FA for last season - LHT guy: 30 DPs from 414 FA. A DP every 13.8 FA. RHT guy: 22 DPs from 287 FA. A DP every 13.0 FA. LOL, I didn't even know that FA number is available. Where is it??? I was comparing last year but could have used two years' stats - I feel like the last two seasons have given him the opportunity to become a real second baseman because he's played there so much. Updated Thursday, December 3 2020 @ 3:55:21 pm PST