Field position and handedness

alphington · 11-12-2022, 06:28 AM

I have limited experience with OOTP. For those of you who are veterans, does handedness play a part in fielding position ability? Can lefties play 2b, 3b, SS in the game? are lefties better suited to 1B and can catchers be lefties in OOTP? Thanks!

MathBandit · 11-12-2022, 07:41 AM

Lefties cannot gain any positional rating at 2B/SS/3B. They can be put there, but will never gain experience or get a fielding rating.

Handedness doesn't matter at 1B (though more lefties end up there or in the OF by process of elimination). It doesn't matter for Catchers at the granular/player level, but it's possible the game doesn't tend to create any (or many) leftie Catchers; I've never noticed one way or the other.

alphington · 11-12-2022, 05:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MathBandit

Lefties cannot gain any positional rating at 2B/SS/3B. They can be put there, but will never gain experience or get a fielding rating.

Handedness doesn't matter at 1B (though more lefties end up there or in the OF by process of elimination). It doesn't matter for Catchers at the granular/player level, but it's possible the game doesn't tend to create any (or many) leftie Catchers; I've never noticed one way or the other.

Thank you!

Syd Thrift · 11-12-2022, 07:05 PM

The game doesn’t create left handed throwing catchers. It’s harder to track than infielders since 1B receive infield “tools” ratings that could theoretically be applied to other positions, but it wouldn’t surprise me if you gave a lefty throwing catcher 200s in arm and range in the editor along with 200 experience, that player would still be unrated.

That said, the game doesn’t actually have to make that distinction; it can instead just give any lefty 0s there since they don’t work with any other position, and I guess you can treat Benny DiStefano (the last lefty to catch; 3 games for Pittsburg in 1989) as one-offs.

alphington · 11-12-2022, 08:43 PM

Thanks, now I know I don't need to worry about catchers handedness as I won't find any lefties! I had been trying to play OF lefties at LF rather than RF but it seems I dont need to do this. This is good as it may help ease some logjams for OF positions in the minors!

Brad K · 11-13-2022, 08:41 AM

Last lefthanded catcher

Benny Distefano

https://baseballhall.org/discover/le...0the%20dish%3F

11-12-2022, 06:28 AM	#1
alphington Minors (Single A) Join Date: Jul 2013 Posts: 71	Field position and handedness I have limited experience with OOTP. For those of you who are veterans, does handedness play a part in fielding position ability? Can lefties play 2b, 3b, SS in the game? are lefties better suited to 1B and can catchers be lefties in OOTP? Thanks!

11-12-2022, 08:43 PM	#5
alphington Minors (Single A) Join Date: Jul 2013 Posts: 71	Thanks, now I know I don't need to worry about catchers handedness as I won't find any lefties! I had been trying to play OF lefties at LF rather than RF but it seems I dont need to do this. This is good as it may help ease some logjams for OF positions in the minors! Last edited by alphington; 11-12-2022 at 08:46 PM.

11-13-2022, 08:41 AM	#6
Brad K Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2016 Location: St Petersburg Florida USA Posts: 6,507 Infractions: 0/1 (1)	Last lefthanded catcher Benny Distefano https://baseballhall.org/discover/le...0the%20dish%3F __________________ "What do you mean, I have to share my HRs?" - Babe Ruth. Experience reality in your what-if league. Use pre-calc. Yellow and red is good!

11-12-2022, 07:41 AM	#2
MathBandit All Star Starter Join Date: Feb 2021 Posts: 1,445	Lefties cannot gain any positional rating at 2B/SS/3B. They can be put there, but will never gain experience or get a fielding rating. Handedness doesn't matter at 1B (though more lefties end up there or in the OF by process of elimination). It doesn't matter for Catchers at the granular/player level, but it's possible the game doesn't tend to create any (or many) leftie Catchers; I've never noticed one way or the other.