Force start at position not working
 

Hey guys,

I'm in spring training and would like Whit Merrifield to learn the 1B position. I went in "set game strategy" and forced him at 1B.. But it's not working. Well, it's working but only for the non DH line ups..

Here's a screen shot of my line ups :

https://i.imgur.com/aubTabz.jpg

Could it be because my coach has a yellow dot beside the line up selection setting in his profile ? But then why does he let me force start players in the non DH line ups ? Doesn't make much sense.

Edit : Alright I did some more tests and came to the conclusion that it doesn't work only for the 1B position. If I force start Merrifield at another position like LF or SS then it works. Also, there's a few other players that I can't force start at 1B as well, and some I can I'm not sure why. I've also noticed that if I force start Merrifield at 1B while I also force start another player at another position then it will work for both.. Is this a bug ?

Thanks.

it might be due to spring training. the ai kinda does it's own thing during that time period, even with your teams.

e.g. pitch counts are 100% ignored. they have ST pitch counts in effect (~60-ish pitches, 4IP for SP etc)

Although, what you descrive seem wrong. it'd make it difficult to cross-train positions in ST, which is elevated learning speed during this time... i just don't pay attention much in ST. it could be normal too.

make sure depth charts are set for both. look into any other potential causes, then post in bugs... this may be unintentional.

i think a red dot would be a problem from a manager, but could be wrong. you can change his personality and see if that is the cause before posting in bugs. (just to test... if not challenge mode, of course)

also, if used as a ph or replacement mid-game might not adhere to a 'forced' role?

I edited the OP but yeah it's weird is has to be a bug I think.

I've found a way around it for now, which is to force start Lopez at 2B where he usually play anyway. Not sure why but doing that has "fixed" the problem and Merrifield is now starting at 1B.

Thank you for your answer !!

One thing to look at is that in the game strategy, your coach may not actually let you "force" the start, but instead only takes "suggestions" at positions. It's possible that may be happening here.

The time of year shouldn't be a problem, ie spring training. Force start has always worked as it's supposed to for me, regardless of time of year.

Sounds like management control. Do you have GM, Asst GM, and manager? Who is in charge of lineups on your manager page?

Which only began in the last version or two, and is really irritating.

Uh oh - I gotta start watching ST closer. Hadn't heard of this bug.

it's mostly a good thing... for those of us that don't want to put much effort into ST.
:p

the only thing i actively do is ensure my RP get ~20ip. on occasion i do force start players, but i usually have them cross-trained during MiL years.

i try to have my bench covering 2 positions each (~4-5 players). maybe 1-2 extra pitchers. ~30players or so. i often have to send down a relief pitcher or 2 to get the innings in near end of camp. if i have some high-end prospects i try to have them backing up ~3 positions, if they can do it. just about anyone can do 1b/dh, for example. a lot easier when it's a ss or cf, of course.

i find i don't have to micromanage much except for shifting roles of RP a bit to even out IP.

FYI there shouldn't be any different in spring training. If the player strategy screen says "force start at position X", then they should start at that position. But as mentioned, new this year is that if your coach's reputation is high enough, they'll still let you set a strategy, but they may not always follow it.

Or there may be a bug in there somewhere. But let's check the non-bug cases first, and if we still can't figure it out, please do send in your league files to us and we can check. There may be some rare case at the bottom of our depth chart logic where we forget to check for the force position before doing a swap.

I had noticed something similar in my game but it was in the minors. Had a guy set to "force start" at first but he was getting games at DH instead. When I did release the old veteran 1B who was getting the playing time, the AI did revert to putting my guy at first but its possible that may have happened without the force start once the other option was released.

Like I said, I found a way around it by force starting another player at 2B, where he was already playing anyway. Not sure why but doing that let Merrifield start at 1B like I want to.

Something else I've noticed is that I have J. Junis listed in my starting pitchers with a (fo) beside his name. I assume this is because he'll be used in a role of follower. The problem is that's he simply doesn't enter the game. For the second time when it's turn in the rotation, an opener is starting the game and then the bullpen take care of the rest without Junis seeing any action. Not really ideal when you want to take the rust off during spring training as he will finish without a single IP..

Thank you.

twax, you may have told them something they want to "fix" :p

may have ruined your workaround in future, lol.

Damn you're right maybe I shouldn't have told them about that hahah.

I'll just this part of my last post so it doesn't get lost :

Still not working
 

Have had several people report to me in my league that force start any any position is still not working.

I'm also noticing this in the minors in my save.

yup. they don't play many games anyways so it shouldn't hinder training much if at all

Click on the manager for the team you are having trouble. Look under managing attributes, Lineup and Pitching Staff. Some managers will say they maintain full control, in which case you can't force start a player or pitcher.

The thing about spring training is, if memory serves you get a much larger chance to have your "knowledge" ratings to go up at a position when a guy appears in a game there in Spring Training compared to the regular season. Also, of course, the games don't matter so you can live with that 1B with a fielding average of .950 in March if it means he'll be normal-ish by April.

Not sure what they're talking about. I have no issues with spring training. Any settings regarding lineups I make always work.

EDIT: On second thought, I use 7-day lineups, so that may "override" the bug they're talking about since force start wouldn't matter.

One other thing that wasn't mentioned to keep an eye on is if another player is also forced to start at that position. I will force my better prospects to start at a certain position in the minors, but as they progress through the system, sometimes two guys at the same position wind up on the same team or in the majors together, and the AI won't handle that well for obvious reasons.