Minor League forced roles

[md40022]

Re: minor league systems.....

I'm curious how much forcing/locking of positions and roles everyone does.

I play out all of my MLB games, but for the most part I let the computer handle setting my minor league lineups, pitching rotations and promotions/demotions within my minor league system. I would occasionally force or lock (not sure what the specific term is) a player into a specific role, but for the most part I let the computer handle the manager duties within the minor leagues.

Lately though, with players that I have drafted, I have been getting a little more aggressive as far as locking or forcing specific roles and/or positions for players.

I'm curious how aggressive or passive everyone else is with this. What percentage of players in your minor league system do you have some sort of forced role or forced position assigned to?

[Sweed]

I use the setting where the AI sets lineups based on potential not current skills. This seems to work well and the result is I almost never have to force start players. In my current game I'm not overriding any of my minor league manager's lineups.

Locking "start at position x" is another matter. This is done on a case by case basis, as needed to teach players positions I think they'll need to enhance their chance at being successful. At most I probably have one or two players I do this with on occasion.

In the end it's something I do rarely. Not because I'm not watching over my minors, I am. It's because I rarely see the need.

[md40022]

Originally Posted by Sweed

I use the setting where the AI sets lineups based on potential not current skills. This seems to work well and the result is I almost never have to force start players. In my current game I'm not overriding any of my minor league manager's lineups.

Locking "start at position x" is another matter. This is done on a case by case basis, as needed to teach players positions I think they'll need to enhance their chance at being successful. At most I probably have one or two players I do this with on occasion.

In the end it's something I do rarely. Not because I'm not watching over my minors, I am. It's because I rarely see the need.

This has always been exactly how I operate. Just recently I've started locking some of my drafted players into specific positions for development, which I've only very rarely done before. That's what got me curious with how others handle it.

[Jasper70]

Originally Posted by md40022

Re: minor league systems.....

I'm curious how much forcing/locking of positions and roles everyone does.

I play out all of my MLB games, but for the most part I let the computer handle setting my minor league lineups, pitching rotations and promotions/demotions within my minor league system. I would occasionally force or lock (not sure what the specific term is) a player into a specific role, but for the most part I let the computer handle the manager duties within the minor leagues.

Lately though, with players that I have drafted, I have been getting a little more aggressive as far as locking or forcing specific roles and/or positions for players.

I'm curious how aggressive or passive everyone else is with this. What percentage of players in your minor league system do you have some sort of forced role or forced position assigned to?

Where is this setting located?

[md40022]

Originally Posted by Jasper70

Where is this setting located?

When you click into a specific player profile, somewhere within the player profile there is a section to set the strategy / position / usage for the player and "lock" or "force" that setting upon a team being managed by the computer..... If you click into a player profile and then start clicking around within the profile, you will find it.



Someone who has the menu layouts better memorized than I do might be able to be more precise, but if you click around within a player profile you'll find it.

[garry1221]

Originally Posted by md40022

Lately though, with players that I have drafted, I have been getting a little more aggressive as far as locking or forcing specific roles and/or positions for players.

I'm curious how aggressive or passive everyone else is with this. What percentage of players in your minor league system do you have some sort of forced role or forced position assigned to?

My minor league starters will play 1 or 2 other positions. If they don't have the attributes to play a 2nd position, I'll give em time at dh, only if their bat's halfway decent. I'll typically play my starters at 1 other position every 7 games. My bench players play 1 or 2 positions every 5 games. My starters play 85-ish percent of games per season. I like versatility. My set-up gives players 18ish games/at least 50 AB's at a second position. My bench players get about 100 AB's. I guess I don't force positions so much as use the depth chart, but if bottlenecks happen due to promotions/devotions, I won't hesitate to force position til defensive ratings make me feel OK switching their primary.

[MikeS21]

I like versatility among my minor league "stars" because I never know how my major league lineup will shake out. An injury or a trade could open up a position for the minor leaguer even if it's not his "regular" position. Just pay attention to their fielding ratings for infield and outfield.

[Daniel_09]

Unless a player in the minors has limited defensive skills in terms of potential, such as a player with no position above 40/80, or can only play 1B or C, I try to make sure that all players have versatility and can play many positions, from time to time I block their positions so they can play a specific position, then I block the same player in another position and once he has reached the maximum potential in all the positions he can really play (which for me is 50/80 or more) then I give him the freedom to play wherever the coaches of the minors want him to play.

[Daniel_09]

For me personally and what I try to do all the time with my prospects and AAAA players is that during their stay in the minors they arrive with the maximum defensive rating (equal to the potential) in all positions that the player is capable of playing, so that they can have a better performance once they go up to the big leagues.

[Pdubya64]

I tend to lean with the method that Sweed uses.

Getting more granular requires much more homework and routine monitoring on your part IMO. It's not too difficult, you comb the rosters and identify target players; change their positions and observe their new potential, then decide on a course of action. Checking back at certain intervals to see how it is working is important. Oh, as Sweed says - typically it really only applies to a select few high potential players you have in the minors. YMMV.
If you are playing with coaches, they can make a substantial difference in development too.

It can get rather tedious when you run a team with a full minor league system though!

[Curve Ball Dave]

Originally Posted by Sweed

Locking "start at position x" is another matter. This is done on a case by case basis, as needed to teach players positions I think they'll need to enhance their chance at being successful. At most I probably have one or two players I do this with on occasion.

Exactly.