Quote:
Originally Posted by Bears5122
I've always been a fan of players like Ben Zobrist who you can use all throughout the diamond. I foresee someone like Javy Baez coming up for the Cubs as a similar type player.
My question is, what is the best strategy to develop utility guys? Is it just about forcing them to play new positions in the minors till they build up a rating (will that negatively impact their primary position)? Maybe playing them at that new position during a blowout? Are there certain positions where it's a lost hope (like teaching a Catcher to play OF)?
Just curious if anyone has any strategies that have worked. I have guys who are good enough to be called up but their lack of positional flexibility has me keeping them in the minors. In the future I'd like to be able to take that into account when developing them.
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I have never had luck teaching someone Catcher, and really the only spot I have been able to move a catcher is to 1b. But I seem to have good luck creating utility guys from middle infielders, especially if they have a decent range rating in the OF. I was able to turn Cesar Hernandez into a really good utility guy in one of my long term saves....picked him up off waivers from Philly and needed him to play some 3b and noticed that he started to gain ratings there, so I started playing him in LF, CF and SS and by his 3rd season with me, he was rated ( on a 1-10 scale) at 7 (2b), 6 (SS), 7 (3b), 6 (LF) and 4 (CF) and he had a 1 or 2 rating in RF and 1b. I had to let him go in free agency because he wanted $7 mil per season to stay, and he was 34 years old.