What's the best position to convert a 1B to?

andjbock · 08-15-2003, 10:45 AM

in my fic league i have 2 1B who are both 10+ in HRs, 1 of them is out for the season, which is why the other got a chance to play. Next year i want them both to start since i dont have much power in my lineup. so i would need to convert 1 to another position (no DH). problem is these guys are both big tubs and i doubt they have any athleticism. what would u reccomend?

what is the probability that i could convert 1 to a cathcer? should i just try RF?

I have 3 real good players (1 in minors) at 3B so i wouldnt consider trying them there.

andjbock · 08-15-2003, 10:45 AM

sorry wrong forum

Gastric ReFlux · 08-15-2003, 12:46 PM

Shortstop if you feel daring.

Spirus · 08-15-2003, 03:05 PM

Don't bother with any position other than corner outfield, even that will likely take them forever.

Cuss16 · 08-15-2003, 04:35 PM

i thought they all have equal amounts of difficulty to learn new positions...

dbacks · 08-15-2003, 07:18 PM

Nah. Each position requires different skills, and depending on the skills you have, some can be more/less difficult to learn than others.

Cuss16 · 08-15-2003, 08:57 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by dbacks
Nah. Each position requires different skills, and depending on the skills you have, some can be more/less difficult to learn than others.

wow i never knew that....that explains a lot of things....

dbacks · 08-15-2003, 10:12 PM

Yeah, I'll go into a little bit of detail for each position. Not a lot, but just to give you an idea of what it takes to play different positions.

THE CORNERS

The First Baseman.

Keith Hernandez is a good example. He wasn't the first great first baseman, but he opened a lot of eyes about the position. He showed that if a first baseman has both baseball intelligence and fielding skills (taking away hits, saving throwing errors), he could turn first base into the anchor of the infield.

He also confirmed that first is a left-handers position. More balls are hit to a first baseman's right side than his left (about 5 to 1), and with their glove on their right hand, first baseman's will generally have an easier time fielding ground balls.

But whatever hand the glove is on, they must have soft hands to absorb wild throws and to take away hits on hard hit balls.

Footwork is also very important at first. Watch how first baseman will sometimes have to switch their feet from the inside of the bag to the foul side to catch some throws. It requires quick feet, and converted outfielders often have a difficult time with his footwork and timing.

The Third Baseman

In general, third base is where you put strong-armed players. The hot corner is where you need great reflexes and reactions, the nerve to charge the plate when a batter may be swinging away, a strong arm, and in some cases, a strong chest (some guys that don't have a very good glove, but have a good arm, like to knock the ball down and throw them out.

dbacks · 08-15-2003, 10:21 PM

THE MIDDLE INFIELDERS

The second baseman and shortstop.

When people praise second baseman, they tend to use the term "steady," while the words "sensational," and "spectacular" are more commonly used for shortstops. I think the difference in the adjectives has to do with the nature of their jobs. Other than being quick and unflinching on the pivot, the second baseman's most important play is the routine ground ball, while anything more is a plus. Range, and a strong arm, a combonation that lends itself to exciting plays, are more characteristic of the shortstop. When a second baseman makes a difficult play, it's not usually too far from his left or rifht, and unless he's throwing to home or third, his throw is short. Meanwhile, his partner covers considerable more ground and makes longer throws, including the one from the hole, constantly revealing his athleticism and strong arm. In fact, second baseman must resist the temptation of copying their fancy-fielding partners or they'll blow the routine plays and wind up in too many blooper films.

dbacks · 08-15-2003, 10:30 PM

THE OUTFIELD

The Center Fielder

The center fielder is the outfielder with the most speed because he covers the most territory. His position is the only one on the defense that absolutely requires good speed, and the slower the left and right fielders, the faster the center fielder needs to be.

The Right and Left Fielders

Speed doesn't determine which players play left and right. It's the arm. The guy with the stronger throwing arm goes to right field because he has two long throws to make, home and third, while the left fielder's only long throw is to home. You just hope they can hit well enough to compensate for their arms. How do you play right and left field? In this case, swing the bat. And hope the center fielder has a lot of range.

[WWBL]Batboy · 08-16-2003, 04:21 AM

Thanks for the info.

But, and I guess this is a stupid question, are you saying the game considers all this info when you want to change a player's position?

dbacks · 08-16-2003, 09:05 AM

No, I don't think so. I was talking real life there. I don't think the game goes into that much detail. To the game, outfield is outfield, and infield is infield. There is no difference between 2B, SS, and 3B, or LF, CF, or RF. I could be wrong, though. But I doubt it.

cuss, when you said you thought they all have equal amounts of difficulty to learn new positions, were you talking about real life or the game? Because when I first saw that, I thought you were talking about real life, but now that I think about it, I think you were talking about the game.

kq76 · 08-16-2003, 12:57 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by dbacks
No, I don't think so. I was talking real life there. I don't think the game goes into that much detail. To the game, outfield is outfield, and infield is infield. There is no difference between 2B, SS, and 3B, or LF, CF, or RF. I could be wrong, though. But I doubt it.

cuss, when you said you thought they all have equal amounts of difficulty to learn new positions, were you talking about real life or the game? Because when I first saw that, I thought you were talking about real life, but now that I think about it, I think you were talking about the game.

Yes, I know I'm not cuss, and I may be just imagining this, but I believe the game does make certain positions more difficult to learn, same as in real life.

EDIT: Maybe a moderator could move this thread..

Long_Long_Name · 08-16-2003, 03:59 PM

Have you considered trading one of your two 1st basemen?

metsgeek · 08-17-2003, 01:41 PM

I would make the decision simple....train him at the position in which your team is weakest.

08-15-2003, 10:45 AM	#1
andjbock Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Somerville, MA, USA Bats: Right Throws: Left Posts: 3,640	What's the best position to convert a 1B to? in my fic league i have 2 1B who are both 10+ in HRs, 1 of them is out for the season, which is why the other got a chance to play. Next year i want them both to start since i dont have much power in my lineup. so i would need to convert 1 to another position (no DH). problem is these guys are both big tubs and i doubt they have any athleticism. what would u reccomend? what is the probability that i could convert 1 to a cathcer? should i just try RF? I have 3 real good players (1 in minors) at 3B so i wouldnt consider trying them there.

08-15-2003, 04:35 PM	#5
Cuss16 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: BC, CANADA Posts: 2,994	i thought they all have equal amounts of difficulty to learn new positions... __________________

08-16-2003, 03:59 PM	#14
Long_Long_Name Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Montréal Posts: 7,065	Have you considered trading one of your two 1st basemen? __________________ Beta Baseball. Join it!

08-17-2003, 01:41 PM	#15
metsgeek Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Norwood, MA Posts: 5,450	I would make the decision simple....train him at the position in which your team is weakest. __________________ Commissioner - PBRL - Just finished 2009 109 seasons and still running strong!!!

08-15-2003, 12:46 PM	#3
Gastric ReFlux Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Member #3409 Posts: 8,350	Shortstop if you feel daring.

08-15-2003, 03:05 PM	#4
Spirus Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: Jan 2003 Posts: 24	Don't bother with any position other than corner outfield, even that will likely take them forever.

08-15-2003, 07:18 PM	#6
dbacks Hall Of Famer Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 2,735	Nah. Each position requires different skills, and depending on the skills you have, some can be more/less difficult to learn than others.

08-15-2003, 10:12 PM	#8
dbacks Hall Of Famer Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 2,735	Yeah, I'll go into a little bit of detail for each position. Not a lot, but just to give you an idea of what it takes to play different positions. THE CORNERS The First Baseman. Keith Hernandez is a good example. He wasn't the first great first baseman, but he opened a lot of eyes about the position. He showed that if a first baseman has both baseball intelligence and fielding skills (taking away hits, saving throwing errors), he could turn first base into the anchor of the infield. He also confirmed that first is a left-handers position. More balls are hit to a first baseman's right side than his left (about 5 to 1), and with their glove on their right hand, first baseman's will generally have an easier time fielding ground balls. But whatever hand the glove is on, they must have soft hands to absorb wild throws and to take away hits on hard hit balls. Footwork is also very important at first. Watch how first baseman will sometimes have to switch their feet from the inside of the bag to the foul side to catch some throws. It requires quick feet, and converted outfielders often have a difficult time with his footwork and timing. The Third Baseman In general, third base is where you put strong-armed players. The hot corner is where you need great reflexes and reactions, the nerve to charge the plate when a batter may be swinging away, a strong arm, and in some cases, a strong chest (some guys that don't have a very good glove, but have a good arm, like to knock the ball down and throw them out.

08-15-2003, 10:21 PM	#9
dbacks Hall Of Famer Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 2,735	THE MIDDLE INFIELDERS The second baseman and shortstop. When people praise second baseman, they tend to use the term "steady," while the words "sensational," and "spectacular" are more commonly used for shortstops. I think the difference in the adjectives has to do with the nature of their jobs. Other than being quick and unflinching on the pivot, the second baseman's most important play is the routine ground ball, while anything more is a plus. Range, and a strong arm, a combonation that lends itself to exciting plays, are more characteristic of the shortstop. When a second baseman makes a difficult play, it's not usually too far from his left or rifht, and unless he's throwing to home or third, his throw is short. Meanwhile, his partner covers considerable more ground and makes longer throws, including the one from the hole, constantly revealing his athleticism and strong arm. In fact, second baseman must resist the temptation of copying their fancy-fielding partners or they'll blow the routine plays and wind up in too many blooper films.

08-15-2003, 10:30 PM	#10
dbacks Hall Of Famer Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 2,735	THE OUTFIELD The Center Fielder The center fielder is the outfielder with the most speed because he covers the most territory. His position is the only one on the defense that absolutely requires good speed, and the slower the left and right fielders, the faster the center fielder needs to be. The Right and Left Fielders Speed doesn't determine which players play left and right. It's the arm. The guy with the stronger throwing arm goes to right field because he has two long throws to make, home and third, while the left fielder's only long throw is to home. You just hope they can hit well enough to compensate for their arms. How do you play right and left field? In this case, swing the bat. And hope the center fielder has a lot of range.

08-16-2003, 04:21 AM	#11
[WWBL]Batboy Major Leagues Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Atlanta, Ga Posts: 485	Thanks for the info. But, and I guess this is a stupid question, are you saying the game considers all this info when you want to change a player's position?

08-16-2003, 09:05 AM	#12
dbacks Hall Of Famer Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 2,735	No, I don't think so. I was talking real life there. I don't think the game goes into that much detail. To the game, outfield is outfield, and infield is infield. There is no difference between 2B, SS, and 3B, or LF, CF, or RF. I could be wrong, though. But I doubt it. cuss, when you said you thought they all have equal amounts of difficulty to learn new positions, were you talking about real life or the game? Because when I first saw that, I thought you were talking about real life, but now that I think about it, I think you were talking about the game.