Signed a 2-way intl amateur, help deciding whether to develop him as a SP or 1B

[MrDov]

As the title says. He was listed as a SP in amateur free agency, but also has a really solid bat so I'm not sure which side of the ball to develop him at. Biggest downside of potentially developing him as a bat is defensively he's stuck at 1B/DH so he really has to hit his offensive potential to make sense, but if he does that's an impressive bat.

[cmaug]

I'd see how it goes for the first couple years in the complex, but if I had to choose now I'd go 1B.

I like his bat better than his arm.

[Number4]

Both, both, both! Set him to pitcher, see if his bat develops. SP without DH 1 day, DH 4 days.

[Lukas Berger]

Originally Posted by cmaug

I'd see how it goes for the first couple years in the complex, but if I had to choose now I'd go 1B.

I like his bat better than his arm.

Agreed!

[boggs26]

I agree as well, bat looks both higher ceiling and higher floor. Unfortunate that he doesn't have any particularly good fielding ratings but given that he's only 16, I'd be tempted to at least toss him in a corner OF spot to see if he develops. That would raise his floor considerably I think. As for his pitching, I'd be concerned that the curveball won't develop and you'll be left with a mediocre reliever. If he can pick up any sort of OF rating along with 1B he's no worse than a good 4th OF/backup 1B/DH

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[BIG17EASY]

If his work ethic and intelligence are good, I'd put him at pitcher and give him two years to see if that stuff potential increases. If it doesn't, he goes to 1B.

[TheMaus2]

I like the bat better than the arm.

[Déjà Bru]

I would go with the bat over the arm as well, IF he had better fielding potential.

I have a player like this that I just drafted (and nicknamed him accordingly). This guy could play the OF and that may make me favor him as a batter over a pitcher.

But Number4 raises a good point. Is it possible in this game (not IRL, I'm sure) to have him play OF and be in the lineup four days out of five, and start on the fifth day? How would I set this up?

This is going to be tough, because I love his combined potential for Stuff, Movement, and Control.

Well, maybe not so tough. Anytime in this game when you can lay your hands on a good starting pitcher, you do so. OF's are a dime a dozen but SP's are worth their weight in gold.

[TheMaus2]

His arm seems better than his bat. I won't be surprised if he becomes the next Bartolo Colon or Madison Bumgarner.

[MrDov]

Alright I'll let him start out as a 1B (or maybe LF and see if he develops into a passable defender there) and monitor his development to see if either his bat or arm pull ahead from the other.

[MrDov]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

But Number4 raises a good point. Is it possible in this game (not IRL, I'm sure) to have him play OF and be in the lineup four days out of five, and start on the fifth day? How would I set this up?

When I've seen threads about two way players it seems like you have to personally manage switching his position back and forth. And energy becomes a legit issue. You can test yourself but IIRC it has to be something like start | off day | DH | DH | off day | start

[BIG17EASY]

Originally Posted by MrDov

When I've seen threads about two way players it seems like you have to personally manage switching his position back and forth. And energy becomes a legit issue. You can test yourself but IIRC it has to be something like start | off day | DH | DH | off day | start

I don't know if anything has changed the way dual players work in 17 since I haven't purchased yet, but in 16 I was able to use a dual player in a six-man rotation like this -- starting pitcher, off day, CF, CF, CF, CF, starting pitcher. I had no fatigue issues, although I set his pitch limit at 100, so he was going six innings mostly unless he threw a gem and might go seven or eight.

[udbacker58]

I don't agree at all. I don't know your overall league ratings, but if you just go by the typical 20-80 scale, he's basically well above average contact, great doubles power, league average power, league average eye, below average avoid K. That doesn't scream starting 1B/DH to me, especially as a righty. That sounds like .280/.330/.430 MAXIMUM. And in most leagues I've seen, 55 is definitely not league average; so it's possible he has below average power/eye/avK.

I'd leave him as a pitcher and hope the stuff improves (teenagers often do improve their stuff). If he isn't developing the way you like by 19-20, you can always make the switch.

Average starting pitcher >>>>>> average 1B in my mind. And it looks like the best he will be is average at either, unless he gets lucky in development

[NoOne]

if his velocity spikes, and his 3rd pitch doesn't stagnate in the single digits, then he could very well be as good or better pitcher than a hitter.

either way a little development may make this decision easier for you. in my experience, switching within 1-2 years has not been a problem for development.

edit:

he's a bit low on movement in addition to the third pitch issue, noted above... most likely a better batter, but thngs can change.

and who knows about scouting accuracy....

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by MrDov

When I've seen threads about two way players it seems like you have to personally manage switching his position back and forth. And energy becomes a legit issue. You can test yourself but IIRC it has to be something like start | off day | DH | DH | off day | start

Originally Posted by BIG17EASY

I don't know if anything has changed the way dual players work in 17 since I haven't purchased yet, but in 16 I was able to use a dual player in a six-man rotation like this -- starting pitcher, off day, CF, CF, CF, CF, starting pitcher. I had no fatigue issues, although I set his pitch limit at 100, so he was going six innings mostly unless he threw a gem and might go seven or eight.

But what you are saying is, you need to change his position every few days from SP to CF/DH, and you need to take him out of the rotation and put him into the lineup? Then back again when his turn to pitch comes around again?

I just checked - you can insert a pitcher into the depth chart and lineup, but what happens if he is also in the pitching rotation and his turn comes up?

[conception]

In this day and age, it's important to just let a two-way player be the position of his choice.

[BIG17EASY]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

But what you are saying is, you need to change his position every few days from SP to CF/DH, and you need to take him out of the rotation and put him into the lineup? Then back again when his turn to pitch comes around again?

I just checked - you can insert a pitcher into the depth chart and lineup, but what happens if he is also in the pitching rotation and his turn comes up?

I did not change his position back and forth. I believe I kept him listed as a pitcher, but I'm not positive since I haven't played that game in months. I do remember that the fatigue levels changed based on whether he was listed as SP or CF. I always thought that might have been an exploit. It was something like if he pitched two days prior and his position was SP, his fatigue would be around 40%, but if I switched his position to CF, it went up to 80-90%.

The key was that I had to do all of this through 7-day lineups. This way I was able to put a different CF in when his turn in the rotation came around. I'm not sure there's any way to do this without using 7-day lineups.

[Number4]

I wouldn't play a 2 way player in CF, unless really good. Don't want to risk an injury killing both his pitching and batting.

Anyway, I don't think switching between (position) and (pitcher) is an exploit. Remember that every position tracks fatigue in another way. A reliever throwing 10 pitches is fine, a starter throwing 10 pitches is exhausted the day afterwards. A SP will be the day afterwards totally exhausted for SP purposes, but I don't know whether this is correct for batting purposes.

[Déjà Bru]

Thanks, guys. I'm going to take a crack at it.