Defense Ratings...

JAttractive · 05-11-2002, 09:33 AM

How big is the difference between the different ratings (A/B/C/D/E) for range defense?

I tend to steer clear of anyone with a D or E but am I over-valuing the difference? I have a young shortstop who is an amazing hitter but only D for range. I can't bring myself to play him at such a defensive-important position but his actual fielding percent is decent. Does range really add that much?

LAH · 05-11-2002, 09:40 AM

<blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by JAttractive:
How big is the difference between the different ratings (A/B/C/D/E) for range defense?

I tend to steer clear of anyone with a D or E but am I over-valuing the difference? I have a young shortstop who is an amazing hitter but only D for range. I can't bring myself to play him at such a defensive-important position but his actual fielding percent is decent. Does range really add that much?<hr /></blockquote>I don't know for sure, but it seems to me that there is quite the difference in range. For a shortstop, I would even say that the difference between an "A" range SS and a "D" SS would be 2 - 4 base hits a game. And of course, that could make all the difference.

This is just going from my experience with OOTP3 (played every game for two full seasons) and now OOTP4. But it seems to me that this has not changed, and I think the game does very well with modeling the range of different players.

-LAH

JAttractive · 05-11-2002, 09:47 AM

I got the same sense actually based on the following observation:

My first year team, built from a fictional draft, had the lowest payroll by far (52 million, next lowest was 73) as I concentrated on prospects. It was pitcher heavy (best era) but had by far the worst offense. The positional players however all were fast and had great fielding, range and arms.

That team however went on to 82-80 season. I am sure the strong defense made for cheaper players who actually were superior when you calculated in their defense. If I hadn't of put so many high draft picks into prospects I could have done far better.

So now I have this amazing shorstop (number 2 prospect in the game) with a D for range. Probably will convert him to 3b or 1b then.

joshuaaaaaa · 05-11-2002, 06:43 PM

Range is important, and don't forget about fielding percentage. I had Rafael Furcal for several years. Range B, so he got to lots of balls, and with a fielding percentage around .960, he tossed a fair share of them into the dugout (where they were incorrectly scored a hit and an error...but that's a discussion in tech support). So, a D/.990 guy won't get to all the balls, however he'll rarely mess up on the ones he does get to. In some ways, he may be more valuable on defense than a B/.950.

BTW, one of my favorite non-sequiters from the PbP is when it says "A player with better range might have made that play" and the guy I have at that position is an 'A'.

05-11-2002, 09:33 AM	#1
JAttractive All Star Starter Join Date: May 2002 Location: St. Catharines, Ontario Posts: 1,135	Defense Ratings... How big is the difference between the different ratings (A/B/C/D/E) for range defense? I tend to steer clear of anyone with a D or E but am I over-valuing the difference? I have a young shortstop who is an amazing hitter but only D for range. I can't bring myself to play him at such a defensive-important position but his actual fielding percent is decent. Does range really add that much?

05-11-2002, 09:40 AM	#2
LAH Major Leagues Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Field of Screams Posts: 445	</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">Originally posted by JAttractive: <strong>How big is the difference between the different ratings (A/B/C/D/E) for range defense? I tend to steer clear of anyone with a D or E but am I over-valuing the difference? I have a young shortstop who is an amazing hitter but only D for range. I can't bring myself to play him at such a defensive-important position but his actual fielding percent is decent. Does range really add that much?</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">I don't know for sure, but it seems to me that there is quite the difference in range. For a shortstop, I would even say that the difference between an "A" range SS and a "D" SS would be 2 - 4 base hits a game. And of course, that could make all the difference. This is just going from my experience with OOTP3 (played every game for two full seasons) and now OOTP4. But it seems to me that this has not changed, and I think the game does very well with modeling the range of different players. -LAH __________________ The Captain

05-11-2002, 06:43 PM	#4
joshuaaaaaa All Star Reserve Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Las Vegas, NV Posts: 633	Range is important, and don't forget about fielding percentage. I had Rafael Furcal for several years. Range B, so he got to lots of balls, and with a fielding percentage around .960, he tossed a fair share of them into the dugout (where they were incorrectly scored a hit and an error...but that's a discussion in tech support). So, a D/.990 guy won't get to all the balls, however he'll rarely mess up on the ones he does get to. In some ways, he may be more valuable on defense than a B/.950. BTW, one of my favorite non-sequiters from the PbP is when it says "A player with better range might have made that play" and the guy I have at that position is an 'A'. __________________ Baltimore Monarchs-GUBA Baltimore Orioles-ORB2 "One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his great surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn't do." ~Henry Ford ~

05-11-2002, 09:47 AM	#3
JAttractive All Star Starter Join Date: May 2002 Location: St. Catharines, Ontario Posts: 1,135	I got the same sense actually based on the following observation: My first year team, built from a fictional draft, had the lowest payroll by far (52 million, next lowest was 73) as I concentrated on prospects. It was pitcher heavy (best era) but had by far the worst offense. The positional players however all were fast and had great fielding, range and arms. That team however went on to 82-80 season. I am sure the strong defense made for cheaper players who actually were superior when you calculated in their defense. If I hadn't of put so many high draft picks into prospects I could have done far better. So now I have this amazing shorstop (number 2 prospect in the game) with a D for range. Probably will convert him to 3b or 1b then.