How to force defensive sub by changing position?

[SeaBear]

How do i force the AI to make a defensive sub by forcing another player to change position?

Example:
I have a glove first player on my bench who is a defensive whiz at 3B. I want him to be my first option at defensive sub at 3B. However, I do NOT want the 3B that he is replacing to be taken out. I want that guy to actually move over to 2B, to replace my weakest defensive player.

Is there such a setting in '18 to force the AI to intelligent do this? It seems like there is only a straight-up defensive substitution at this point.

[ThePretender]

I've been asking for this for years. There's really no way to do it unless you're managing the game. I'd love to have a screen like the depth charts and just have late inning defensive lineups, or to have another lineup screen where you set your late game defenders.

http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/boar...d.php?t=272834
http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/boar...d.php?t=237387
http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/boar...d.php?t=277927

That's all me asking for that. Apparently I asked back in 2013 haha. Still hasn't happened .

[SeaBear]

Originally Posted by ThePretender

I've been asking for this for years. There's really no way to do it unless you're managing the game. I'd love to have a screen like the depth charts and just have late inning defensive lineups, or to have another lineup screen where you set your late game defenders.

http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/boar...d.php?t=272834
http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/boar...d.php?t=237387
http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/boar...d.php?t=277927

That's all me asking for that. Apparently I asked back in 2013 haha. Still hasn't happened .

Wow, thanks! It makes me feel a bit better that there's at least someone else out there who wants the same thing. I hope the in game "AI Logic" can improve to the point where we can have this implemented one day...

[ThePretender]

Yeah that would be good. And beyond that having the AI look at the proper bench players when doing substitutions. A pinch hitter will often stay on to play defence when there are superior options on the bench to play defence late in the game.

[Brad K]

Originally Posted by ThePretender

Yeah that would be good. And beyond that having the AI look at the proper bench players when doing substitutions. A pinch hitter will often stay on to play defence when there are superior options on the bench to play defence late in the game.

If it happened all the time I'll call that a problem. But part of the time, well, maybe AI is saving some bench.

[ThePretender]

Originally Posted by Brad K

If it happened all the time I'll call that a problem. But part of the time, well, maybe AI is saving some bench.

I've been simming a playoff series and it happens the same every time, in the 8th/9th inning, whether I have a 1, 3, or 6 run lead. I changed my lineup for the playoffs since I acquired a guy in late August so I can't check how it worked in the regular season. But for the playoffs, with a full bench (5 players), two of which are backups that can play every position, and several others with multi-position eligibility, it strains belief that this can happen.

And beyond that, it actually really cripples my defence. I go from (1-10 ratings) a 7 RF and an 7 3B to a 7 3B (my RF can play 3B so it shifts him there) and a 4 RF (the PH). Whereas, if the game was smart, it would just leave the RF where he is, and substitute a defensive replacement (either an 8 or 10 3B) to 3B. I'd still have 3 bench players at this point - one who can cover the entire IF, a catcher, and another guy capable of playing all IF positions.

It happens like clockwork every single time. There's no check made to see if there's a superior bench option to replace the PH and there's no need to save bench players at this point with 3 more guys on the bench even after subbing a defensive replacement for the PH. Hell, it's not even like he's a particularly good runner (4-8-7 speed/steal/instincts), so replacing him with the pinch runner then (8-9-10, or 10-9-10) would make sense as well.

Or, because of the way the game is currently set - it'll put my RF at 3B, the PH in RF, and because my "defensive replacement" is set to play 3B, it'll leave the PH who can't play defence in RF, it'll replace the "3B" (the original RF) with my defensive replacement (as I have a defensive replacement set for the 8th inning), thus weakening my team and potential defence. Which also causes problems as well.

So actually the inability to do a proper switch has a couple negative impacts because of the way the game does substitutions. There would be a pretty big positive effect by including an option like the OP and I have suggested.

[subtle]

This does rarely happen but the AI has to be in a position where it is forced to do something drastic. I have seen it move a player currently in the game and bring the bench player into the "correct" position but it usually happens because of an injury or because it already used other bench players so they aren't available.

[ThePretender]

Yeah it should happen more often.