Positional rating and defense questions

omg_pwnasaurus · 09-02-2023, 11:09 AM

I haven't been able to locate an answer for this, maybe my search skills are bad though. In any case, for outfielders, the average of the 3 defensive components, error, range, arm don't seem to equate to the positional ranking, so my questions are:

- Does the positional defensive number matter at all or just the 3 components of it?

- I'm assuming it somehow does matter though because if the CF positional rating is severely lower than the corner OF defense overall # for a player but the 3 sub ratings (at least visually) remain the same there must be some penalty for moving them out of a corner OF spot?

I suppose I'm confused on what the overall positional rating does compared to the 3 sub ratings for OFers and how/if that gets penalized if you move further up the defensive spectrum in the OF but those 3 sub ratings are not changed visibly regardless of OF position.

Like for example if I have a player who has a 60/40/55 split from LF-CF-RF positional rating but their 3 sub ratings of error, range and arm are not visibly changed if I move them to CF, like what is the actual penalty then, there has to be one?

Rain King · 09-02-2023, 11:19 AM

The overall rating includes the players' experience at the specific position which will factor into how well they play it. So, the overall rating will best tell you how well they are able to play that position right now...but the individual ratings will help you understand whether they might improve at a position as they gain experience.

Also, some positions are definitely more difficult to play than others. So, a fully experienced player will never have as high a score in CF as they will in LF.

MathBandit · 09-02-2023, 11:21 AM

The sub-ratings aren't changed by position since those are the underlying abilities of your player. But the positional ratings will reflect how will the player's abilities hold up to the needs of each position.

For example a player with 60 OF range will be very good in LF, good to fine in RF, and fine to poor in CF. He doesn't get slower if you move him from RF to CF, but the speed that made him above-average in RF will now make him a liability in CF because CFs are expected to cover more ground, and he will also be compared to much higher-range peers in CF than he was in RF.

*Note that IRL the relationship between RF and LF is a lot more complicated in terms of range requirement, but OOTP seems to assume all parks/teams need a better fielder in RF than they do LF.

snepp · 09-02-2023, 11:25 AM

No, the overall doesn't matter, at least in my opinion. It's just a quick reference for rough ability at a position. I'll always look at the components when making positional determinations.

There isn't a "penalty" per-se, it just takes more ability to play a quality center than it does to play a quality corner, and that gets reflected in the positional rating.

09-02-2023, 11:09 AM	#1
omg_pwnasaurus Major Leagues Join Date: Jul 2020 Posts: 420	Positional rating and defense questions I haven't been able to locate an answer for this, maybe my search skills are bad though. In any case, for outfielders, the average of the 3 defensive components, error, range, arm don't seem to equate to the positional ranking, so my questions are: - Does the positional defensive number matter at all or just the 3 components of it? - I'm assuming it somehow does matter though because if the CF positional rating is severely lower than the corner OF defense overall # for a player but the 3 sub ratings (at least visually) remain the same there must be some penalty for moving them out of a corner OF spot? I suppose I'm confused on what the overall positional rating does compared to the 3 sub ratings for OFers and how/if that gets penalized if you move further up the defensive spectrum in the OF but those 3 sub ratings are not changed visibly regardless of OF position. Like for example if I have a player who has a 60/40/55 split from LF-CF-RF positional rating but their 3 sub ratings of error, range and arm are not visibly changed if I move them to CF, like what is the actual penalty then, there has to be one? Last edited by omg_pwnasaurus; 09-02-2023 at 11:12 AM.

09-02-2023, 11:19 AM	#2
Rain King Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 3,323	The overall rating includes the players' experience at the specific position which will factor into how well they play it. So, the overall rating will best tell you how well they are able to play that position right now...but the individual ratings will help you understand whether they might improve at a position as they gain experience. Also, some positions are definitely more difficult to play than others. So, a fully experienced player will never have as high a score in CF as they will in LF. Last edited by Rain King; 09-02-2023 at 11:23 AM.

09-02-2023, 11:21 AM	#3
MathBandit All Star Starter Join Date: Feb 2021 Posts: 1,448	The sub-ratings aren't changed by position since those are the underlying abilities of your player. But the positional ratings will reflect how will the player's abilities hold up to the needs of each position. For example a player with 60 OF range will be very good in LF, good to fine in RF, and fine to poor in CF. He doesn't get slower if you move him from RF to CF, but the speed that made him above-average in RF will now make him a liability in CF because CFs are expected to cover more ground, and he will also be compared to much higher-range peers in CF than he was in RF. *Note that IRL the relationship between RF and LF is a lot more complicated in terms of range requirement, but OOTP seems to assume all parks/teams need a better fielder in RF than they do LF.

09-02-2023, 11:25 AM	#4
snepp All Star Starter Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 1,848	No, the overall doesn't matter, at least in my opinion. It's just a quick reference for rough ability at a position. I'll always look at the components when making positional determinations. There isn't a "penalty" per-se, it just takes more ability to play a quality center than it does to play a quality corner, and that gets reflected in the positional rating.