[BIGSIX]

I am trying to understand why anyone would choose to play a lower rated player over a higher rated player at the same position.

Lets say that, all other intangibles being about even, you have a 2nd baseman who has an overall rating of 65 with a contact rating of 60. He is in a statistical slump and hitting only .220. You have another player who has an overall rating of 50 with a contact rating of 45 and he is hot ( or statistically lucky) and is hitting .300. (Assuming power ratings, defense and speed ratings are equal between the two)

In real life, I as manager would put my hot hitting guy in the lineup and perhaps send my low hitter to the bench or the minors. In the game, however, it seems only logical to keep sending my 65 rated player out there no matter what because statistically it is only a matter of time before the numbers go his way and the lower rated player goes back down to what is normal for him.

I watch the you tube streams, however, and I see veteran OOTP players treat these kinds of differences as “real” life differences in the two players and they make the position switch between them.

QUESTION: Is this because the ratings are not 100 percent accurate? (I set my scouting accuracy to “Normal”) And / Or is it because under the hood of the game there is some influence to the players level of play due to current statistical poor results. In other words if a player is hitting poorly his poor play influences his future play to some degree despite his current high ratings.

Is there some setting in the game that you can turn on to cause more variability to player results in relationship to his ratings? I would love this to be so. I do not like to just be able to look at a player's rating and make all my decisions to play him or another player based upon the ratings. This takes the fun out of managing the team. Makes you feel “dumb” for playing a lesser rated player over a higher rated player.