What do these ratings mean?

[HonusWagner]

In settings, I have current ratings OFF and potential ratings ON.

I'm reading these as "current/potential", so:

1B is currently 50 with 65 potential
2B is currently zero ability with 65 potential
SS has maxed out potential at 55.

Is this right?

Thanks!

[md40022]

Yes, you're reading it correctly.

What screen were you pulling this from? Was it the "compare players" screen? That screen has always shown what type of potential a guy would have at every single position on the field, even if it's a position he hasn't developed at at all (2nd base in your example).

[Syd Thrift]

Fielding works a little bit differently than everything else. For one, if you want to turn off fielding/baserunning ratings, there's a third box you'd want to check (personally I play with current/potential ratings off but I leave those on so YMMV). Otherwise, those are kiiiind of "potential" ratings but not in the sense that the game's ginned up actual potential ratings a player strives to reach.

Behind the scenes there's an internal "experience" rating that maxes out at 200. What these ratings are, are the players' current rating based on their current toolset - so for infielders it's some combination of arm, range, hands, and turning DPs (for 1B height is also a factor) with a modifier based on that experience at the position. The "potential" number is what their ratings would be if they had 200 experience at the given position. In your guys' case it looks like he's never played 2B before so he'd be a bit of a disaster but if you gave him a couple months in the minor leagues or set him at 2B and had him play throughout spring training he'd probably be pretty OK there.

You can usually train a player to get a rating at a position if they're good enough and if their handedness allows it (left-handed throwers can never play catcher, 2nd, 3rd, or short, no matter how high their ratings might be) through a single spring training, which is also a good time to retrain an older player to, for instance, play first base if their fielding at another position has gone way down. It takes only around a year or two to get position XP all the way up to 200 so utility players are absolutely a thing. That said, the actual fielding ratings very, very rarely increase, especially as a player gets older than around 23 or so, so if a guy is rated as a 55 shortstop (in your case), that's as good as he'll ever be at that position, even with high TCR.

[HonusWagner]

Originally Posted by md40022

Yes, you're reading it correctly.

What screen were you pulling this from? Was it the "compare players" screen? That screen has always shown what type of potential a guy would have at every single position on the field, even if it's a position he hasn't developed at at all (2nd base in your example).

"Compare" screen. Good to know!

[HonusWagner]

Originally Posted by Syd Thrift

Fielding works a little bit differently than everything else. For one, if you want to turn off fielding/baserunning ratings, there's a third box you'd want to check (personally I play with current/potential ratings off but I leave those on so YMMV). Otherwise, those are kiiiind of "potential" ratings but not in the sense that the game's ginned up actual potential ratings a player strives to reach.

Behind the scenes there's an internal "experience" rating that maxes out at 200. What these ratings are, are the players' current rating based on their current toolset - so for infielders it's some combination of arm, range, hands, and turning DPs (for 1B height is also a factor) with a modifier based on that experience at the position. The "potential" number is what their ratings would be if they had 200 experience at the given position. In your guys' case it looks like he's never played 2B before so he'd be a bit of a disaster but if you gave him a couple months in the minor leagues or set him at 2B and had him play throughout spring training he'd probably be pretty OK there.

You can usually train a player to get a rating at a position if they're good enough and if their handedness allows it (left-handed throwers can never play catcher, 2nd, 3rd, or short, no matter how high their ratings might be) through a single spring training, which is also a good time to retrain an older player to, for instance, play first base if their fielding at another position has gone way down. It takes only around a year or two to get position XP all the way up to 200 so utility players are absolutely a thing. That said, the actual fielding ratings very, very rarely increase, especially as a player gets older than around 23 or so, so if a guy is rated as a 55 shortstop (in your case), that's as good as he'll ever be at that position, even with high TCR.

Thanks! Will try this out. And I guess development leagues/winter leagues would accelerate development? Do you know if abilities decline through lack of playing time at a position?

[Pelican]

I had kind of intuited how the fielding ratings work, but it helps to have Syd confirm it. I use these split ratings a lot with lower minor leaguers, where players will frequently have low-ish ratings at several positions. (It’s like he hasn’t decided, or the organization hasn’t figure out, where to use him.). So, what I do is take, for example, the guy who is 25/45 at 2B and 25/70 at SS and 35/60 at 3B and make him the starting shortstop. (I change his primary position to SS, I lock SS as his position under the player strategy tab, and I put him in the lineup at SS, and post the daily lineups. That way, instead of trying to become the ultimate utility player, “Jack of all trades master of none”, he should, as Syd suggests, begin to improve his SS defensive rating. None of this, of course, will make him hit, LOL.

[md40022]

Originally Posted by Pelican

So, what I do is take, for example, the guy who is 25/45 at 2B and 25/70 at SS and 35/60 at 3B and make him the starting shortstop. (I change his primary position to SS, I lock SS as his position under the player strategy tab, and I put him in the lineup at SS, and post the daily lineups. That way, instead of trying to become the ultimate utility player, “Jack of all trades master of none”, he should, as Syd suggests, begin to improve his SS defensive rating. None of this, of course, will make him hit, LOL.

I know you're only giving an example, but it's definitely rare to see a guy with a higher potential rating at SS than the other IF positions.

When it comes to those type of guys in the minors I look at all of the offensive ratings and potentials first. If it looks like the guy might be able to hit enough to eventually be an MLB starter, then I will try to maximize him at one given position the exact same way that you do. But if it looks like his long term projection with the bat might not be that of an MLB starter then I actually will let him kind of continue to be a utility guy in the minors as that "jack of all trades, master of none" does serve a little bit of purpose as a spot-starter off an MLB bench.

[Pelican]

[QUOTE=md40022;5032743]I know you're only giving an example, but it's definitely rare to see a guy with a higher potential rating at SS than the other IF positions.

Hah! You are so right! I was thinking that as I typed it. Not sure I have ever seen a middle IF rated better [potential] at SS than 2B. I just went with the obvious if hypothetical and unlikely example. You would want that guy to play SS every day in the low minors, and you would expect to see that rating improve as he neared the 200 mark on experience.

What I do see is IF with high potential at 2B and 3B and SS. Again, that guy is likely a SS, because the good defense is just more important there. But the important thing is to pick a position, so he can gain in proficiency. I suppose some guys are born to be utility types, but that is going to be a hard road defensively in OOTP.

[md40022]

Originally Posted by Pelican

Hah! You are so right! I was thinking that as I typed it. Not sure I have ever seen a middle IF rated better [potential] at SS than 2B. I just went with the obvious if hypothetical and unlikely example. You would want that guy to play SS every day in the low minors, and you would expect to see that rating improve as he neared the 200 mark on experience.

What I do see is IF with high potential at 2B and 3B and SS. Again, that guy is likely a SS, because the good defense is just more important there. But the important thing is to pick a position, so he can gain in proficiency. I suppose some guys are born to be utility types, but that is going to be a hard road defensively in OOTP.

Yeah, if the potential at SS is strong you gotta push him at that position since it's such an important position to have a good glove.

If a guy has just decent potential ratings around the IF though, if the bat doesn't look like an MLB bat, I will let him keep being a utility guy just knowing if he does end up on my MLB roster at any point he won't be in the lineup on a daily basis. His playing time will be limited to giving a guy an off-day here and there, subbing in mid-game, or being an injury fill in. Having positional flexibility as a decent 2B, SS, and 3B option might be a little bit more useful in that role than just being a real good 2B with very low SS and 3B ratings. That's assuming that the bat doesn't project to be starting caliber, of course. If it looks like he's a full time big league hitter, then I'm absolutely trying to lock him in to a position.

[MathBandit]

For me I tend to do similar in terms of bringing guys up at the position I think they'll be best at (or in some cases the position that isn't locked up on my team for the next half-decade), but then once they make it to the show almost everyone without exception becomes a utility player for me.

Every single player on my ST roster plays a position they don't have experience in for all of their ST starts every year, with the only exception being Catchers (and mayybe the occasional DH/1B guy like Frank Thomas who can't even pretend to stand in LF). I don't want there to be a single start 'wasted' if I can help it in ST when position growth is amplified.

I also have my sliders set to PH and PR extremely aggressively, so I find the added flexibility from having 10+ guys who can play 2-3 positions satisfactorily helps the AI with their subs.

[Daniel_09]

[QUOTE=Pelican;5032750]

Originally Posted by md40022

I know you're only giving an example, but it's definitely rare to see a guy with a higher potential rating at SS than the other IF positions.

Hah! You are so right! I was thinking that as I typed it. Not sure I have ever seen a middle IF rated better [potential] at SS than 2B. I just went with the obvious if hypothetical and unlikely example. You would want that guy to play SS every day in the low minors, and you would expect to see that rating improve as he neared the 200 mark on experience.

What I do see is IF with high potential at 2B and 3B and SS. Again, that guy is likely a SS, because the good defense is just more important there. But the important thing is to pick a position, so he can gain in proficiency. I suppose some guys are born to be utility types, but that is going to be a hard road defensively in OOTP.

That's right it's each person's decision, there are people who prefer to have many players with mobility for all possible positions (current and potential defensive ratings), personally if it's an IF with high potential in several positions I choose the one with the highest and try to develop that one to the maximum, if the player is more of a depth piece in the minors or possibly in the future MLB, then there if I let him increase the rating in several positions.

In short if a player has decent potential or something at key positions, I let him max out at that position and then develop the others. Those positions being SS and CF.