Broken Bat - Help: 3B quality question

Forum >> Help >> 3B quality question

Post ID	Date & Time	Game Date

#88484	06/22/2022 7:54:33 pm	Jul 16th, 2055
jpnwrt Joined: 06/29/2018 Posts: 47 Logan Pioneers V.6	I have looked at the recent All-Star Game in my league ([#4527233]), and I'm beginning to worry that I am totally off evaluating how good a player is for the rather important, I believe, 3B position. My own knowledge of baseball is still not good enough to follow my own intuition so I follow the advice found on the Help page: "(...) the third baseman needs good fielding and a good arm with some range. Additionally, it is helpful to be right handed." The 3B picked for West, Marcos Soriano [ID #197802] has FRA 12/15/11. Experience 8 yrs. Form Very Hot. The DH picked for West, Martín Zavala [ID #223847], FRA 16/13/14, experience 11 yrs. Form Hot. Both players are batting left, throwing right. Zavala has got 7 pts more in the more important skills, 2 less in the less important. Plus more experience. So why was he overlooked for the more important position by the game engine? My first thought was, the game tries to pick players from all teams in the division. But then I looked at the hitting skills of Soriano, and he looks to me a better hitter than Zavala, so they might be swapped, DH for 3B, if the concern was to pick someone from both teams. I exclude the option of hidden attributes (Steve said not once there are none). So that leaves me with 2 options: 1. The game engine chooses positions for the West-East Star Game somewhat by random, not neccessarily making good choices. That would be explain it, but frankly, I have serious doubts if that's the explanation. For someone who wrote so big a program as BB is, it is unconceivable that Steve would left out a detail like adding F,R,A with some weights and comparing them. Unless it is on purpose, that the West-East game shouldn't be played by the best of the best in both divisions. So unfortunately I am left with: 2. I am missing something important about 3B. Here again I see a few options: a) "very hot" vs "hot" makes up for all the differences in other stats b) regarding experience, what counts is not the number of yrs - it's how many of these yrs were played as 3B. Here both players are "3B", BUT - Zavala also's got "ss". And yes, for some time it was the position I saw him at in my club. Am I right that the answer to my comparison question is - the combination of 2a and 2b makaes Soriano a better 3B than Zavala - despite the attributes? Part of me is sure the answer is "yes". But part of me can't help but wonder - why would someone make Soriano a 3B, if based on his attributes he's much better suited for 2B? Especially, if that player's manager must know something about the game, cause based on the results so far, his team will likely advance to the higher division this season. Thanks in advance for all comments, advice, suggestions.

#88485	06/22/2022 8:54:55 pm	Jul 16th, 2055
electriceel883 Joined: 05/26/2021 Posts: 1505 Irvine Infernos III.3	ASG is more more focused with offensive performance than defense. Left handed, right-throwing players are more common because most starting pitchers are right-handed, but you have to throw right-handed to not get a penalty on all infield positions besides 1B. Many people also put players at 3B who are not only not able to play 2B or SS (Range/Arm), but finding a place for particularly strong hitters in the lineup. So you can see a mess of guys there who you couldnt put in the OF, for example. You will notice there are 6 players selected to an All-Star team per side who dont have a position associated, so the AI may choose one of them to DH regardless of their real position. But Soriano played 42G at 3B, Zavala only 7G, so its hard to see how Zavala would have been selected to play 3B, even though its a position he knows. I am pretty sure the AI looks at all 80 games prior to the ASG to make the selections, regardless of someones performance in their last 50 AB (Hot, Cold, etc).

#88486	06/22/2022 9:52:49 pm	Jul 16th, 2055
Rock777 Joined: 09/21/2014 Posts: 9591 Haverhill Halflings III.1	I wouldn't rely on the AI selection of players in general. I would play Zavala at 3B (assuming the position experience was equal). As electriceel said, the starters are picked for their overall performance (mostly offensive) in the first 80 games. The AI isn't even looking at defensive ability. Soriano won the all-star ballet as the best player who played some minimum number of games at 3B. Zavala got onto the team as a sub. The DH is just the best sub. So the AI does evaluate all the X players to decide who the DH should be. But not the other starters. And position experience is based on defensive inning played at the position, not experience in years. You can see the full position experience information on each player's "Development" screen. Soriano's most optimal position might be 2B, but his arm is strong enough that he could pass at 3B. As electriceel said, sometimes you play a guy at a less optimal position because you already have a better player at the optimal position. Sometimes people just make tactical errors when positioning their players. BTW, I'm not sure I would be comfortable having 12 Fielding at 2B. Soriano isn't an obvious fit in any position. I probably would have put him in the OF myself. Updated Wednesday, June 22 2022 @ 10:08:14 pm PDT

#88487	06/22/2022 11:07:49 pm	Jul 16th, 2055
jpnwrt Joined: 06/29/2018 Posts: 47 Logan Pioneers V.6	You're right (both of you). Thank you. I was just afraid I misunderstood about the arm vs range in the help, or something. And I know myself how sometimes you need to decide who doesn't play where he fits best. If the owner has got a better 2B, the better choice to lose a little is 3B. Besides... I haven't checked where did Soriano start. And even if with the current team, it doesn't neccessarily mean - the same person as the owner. And finally - even with the same person, that doesn't mean 10 or so seasons ago knowledge of the game was already there. Simply put - some ppl may have faster learning curve than myself, who still have doubts after so many seasons of playing here Thanks again, guys.