Infield in strategy problem
 

This issue has carried over from the previous version. Unless something has changed in the past few seasons, it has always been pretty standard to only play the infield in if up by one run, tied or behind. Maybe with a pitcher batting you can make the argument but otherwise MLB managers are happy to trade an out for a run in this situation.

Bumping this in the hopes that it finally gets addressed this year.

great part is that it always works. You could have 0 outs and bases loaded and the next 2 hitters up if they hit a ground ball they will always ground out. I have yet to see one go through for a hit.

Agree it needs adjusting. Have not seen it this year yet. I have seen a base hit a couple times. (Maybe not on ground balls though).

Early in the beta process I would have agreed with you. It was so bad I was tracking how often it happened so i could give Markus hard data but with the last 3 patches it seems to have changed. I have had several balls either go for hits or sac flies in the past week or so.

Going back all the way back to 17 I have seen grounders get through in these spots. Wish I had your luck though, because this usually happens against me lol.

But yeah the AI defensive strategy is still a little wonky and I do wonder how often moves like this cost me games when I’m simming them out instead of playing them


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This is still a problem. Just watched the AI play infield in during the bottom of the 6th with the score 9-7 and a guy on third with no outs. Not sure about anyone else but other than maybe for a pitcher hitting, I never see MLB managers use this strategy in this spot. Not sure why the AI has so much trouble recognizing that infield in is almost never used by a team that is up by more than one run.

Still seeing problems with the AI utilizing this strategy.

Anyone know why there’s not an option to play the infield halfway in?

Still happening...

This is still a problem. Why is this so hard for the AI to use correctly?

I will say that up 2 runs or more it's usually best to take a relatively sure out rather than play the infield in and greatly increase the chance of a hit (which is how it is especially in this year's ootp) that could lead to falling behind that inning.

But some managers in real life will do it up 2-3 runs, so it should sometimes happen that a manager whose infield in tendency is above average to decide to pull it in up 2 or 3 runs (a manager who'd pull his infield in up 4 or more runs doesn't deserve the job, but 2 or 3 is reasonable enough).

I've never seen the infield in used when up by more than one run for anyone other than a pitcher batting. I've been watching baseball for over 40 years. I'm sure it has happened. It is extremely rare. What I've been posting in this thread happens all the time in OOTP.

Still a problem.

After new update, my problem with it is that I get the groundball I'm looking for but the SS or 2B holds the ball and doesn't throw it. Alright, I know this happens...…..sometimes. But I've seen it 4 or 5 times in as many games played. Not seen one play where they even throw the ball home OR to first. They stand there and hold it. Infield hit, run scores. And stealing bases is a joke, now. I can't even get my runners to go. But the team I'm playing against can run at will.

For me, it seems like 70% of the time when the infield plays in, the ball goes through for a hit.

I would say that I have seemed to see a lot of infield hits when bases are loaded and infield is played in. Not sure though if it is significantly off in terms of how often it happens in MLB though.

For me it doesn't have to go through to be a hit. I can bring my infield in, and when they hit a hard ground ball right at the shortstop, he fields it cleanly -- for an infield single. No play at the plate. No play at third. Doesn't matter how fast or slow the runners are.

Seriously frustrating.

If you are judging whether it was fielded cleanly or not from the animation then you are working with faulty data. "Canon" is the PbP text. The animations can be characterized as an "artistic representation of what happened on the field, not to be taken literally". Given that caveat, even in the PbP you will often see text such as "soandso fields a hard groundball but hangs on to it as he had no play" with the bases loaded and the infield in. And it seems to happen at a much higher rate than what one would see in MLB.

Nope. I've learned not to attach any importance to the animation. I judge strictly by the PbP.