How do You Guys Handle Secondary Positions?

[phrasius]

I'm playing a franchise as the Tigers and I acquired a really good 1B prospect, but Cabrera is locked down there on the big club for a while.

It'd be great if there was some was for this guy to "learn" another position, but since there isn't, what would you do? Just play him at another position? Edit his player card? (That feels like cheating.) Or am I forced to either DH or trade him? I've got some house rules for realism as far as trades go, and I'm trying to decide what's the most realistic thing to do in this situation. (which was probably not to sign the get the prospect in the first place.)

[PsychoBulk]

Re: How do You Guys Handle Secondary Positions?

You could move Miggy to 3rd and play this guy at 1st, moving Inge to the bench, however Inge is superb for me so i wouldnt do that, also putting Inge at DH would lose his superb defensive ability and arm.

Tough one.

I think i would either DH him (play Guillen LF) or trade him.

[masterkembo]

Re: How do You Guys Handle Secondary Positions?

Having prospects learn a new position would be a nice addition. They could add that to RTTS too - coach asks you to learn a new position and you have the choice of doing it or not...

As for your situation, does the prospect have a second position? You could just switch is 2nd position and his primary which is probably the most reasonable I think...

Could you move Cabrera back to 3B? What was the reason he changed to 1B anyway?? (IRL) Positions like 2b/ss or OF I don't mind changing because there's not a huge difference for a SS to move to 2B, but moving a 1B is a tough call...

[N51_rob]

Re: How do You Guys Handle Secondary Positions?

A few questions.
How old is the kid? I ask because if he is young there is time to devolope him with while not forcing him into the MLB.

Are you still in the division/wildcard hunt? If you are another bat never hurts, if you are not and this kid is the future, you could try to move Cabrera's contract and get some imediate help and a porspect or two at a position.

What about a position change for the kid? You could just put him at an OF spot in AA or AAA and play a few games with that team and see for yourself if he can play that position when you finally get him up to the bigs.

[Mike3207]

Re: How do You Guys Handle Secondary Positions?

Either edit your player's primary or secondary position. With a first baseman, a move to the outfield is in order. It's the same problem the Rangers have; they have an established first baseman and Justin Smoak waiting in the wings.

[Infinite202]

Re: How do You Guys Handle Secondary Positions?

In your situation, I'd probably move Cabrera to 3rd. . .only if you REALLY want to play this kid.

[livnlegn]

Re: How do You Guys Handle Secondary Positions?

I don't see a position switch as unrealistic. Now if you edit his fielding attributes to accommodate the switch, that's cheating. I move guys first thing when I sign them. I move them to whatever their attributes and fielding skills dictate-- i.e. a fast good fielding guy with not much power and an o.k arm can only play CF or 2b. Of course, there are other factors that play a role (size, age, need, etc.) If you want to send him down to AAA and let him "learn" the position, do that.

[duke776]

Re: How do You Guys Handle Secondary Positions?

I could see LF or RF as a good position for a 1b prospect to play while Miggy is still there. Joey Votto played a little left field for the reds when they had Conine and Hatteberg playing 1b during the 2007 season.

[Scott]

Re: How do You Guys Handle Secondary Positions?

except Davis is a former 3B, Blalock is nearing his end in Texas and Michael Young could DH after this season with our lineup looking line this....

C Salty/Teagarden
1B Smoak
2B Kinsler
3B Davis/Young
SS Andrus
LF Byrd/Murphy
CF Hamilton
RF Cruz
DH Young/Davis

2B Kinsler
3B Young
CF Hamilton
RF Cruz
LF Byrd
DH Davis
1B Smoak
C Salty
SS Andrus

[phrasius]

Re: How do You Guys Handle Secondary Positions?

Appreciate the input guys. I guess I'm just trying to balance the fact that position changes happen in real life, but they don't always work, whereas I don't see anything to prevent it working in the game.

I like the idea of playing him at another position in a AAA game to see if it works.

[Infinite202]

Re: How do You Guys Handle Secondary Positions?

Note: I'm pretty sure that if you play that first basemen at any outfield position, without having those positions as secondary, his attributes will take a hit. I've noticed this when moving a guy into a position they don't have listed in their player card at all.

[Rod_Carew29]

Re: How do You Guys Handle Secondary Positions?

What SCEA NEEDS to do is give us the options do that we 'can cover the bases' for lack of a better term.

working in conjunction....

For primary positions, they SHOULD add the option: OF or UTILITY

and then...

For secondary positions, we can then choose from: 3B, C/OF, 3B/IF or UTILITY in addition to what we have already. The present options are not inclusive enough as it turns out for a number of players, so most times we have to compromise by using an available option that does NOT fully address the positions a player really plays.

[duke776]

Re: How do You Guys Handle Secondary Positions?

What SCEA NEEDS to do is give us the options do that we 'can cover the bases' for lack of a better term.

working in conjunction....

For primary positions, they SHOULD add the option: OF or UTILITY

and then...

For secondary positions, we can then choose from: 3B, C/OF, 3B/IF or UTILITY in addition to what we have already. The present options are not inclusive enough as it turns out for a number of players, so most times we have to compromise by using an available option that does NOT fully address the positions a player really plays.

Agreed, I've always wondered why we couldn't have utility as a position selection...or at least give us IF and OF as options for primary position and still keep them as secondary positions also so we can make them a utility player.

[Rod_Carew29]

The Cubs' Jake Fox is the PERFECT Example

Jake Fox is the perfect example to my point...

in the minors...before he was called up by the Cubs...

he played:

RF, LF, 1B, 3B and C

so...do you show him as:

LF/1B-3B, LF/C-3B, RF/1B-3B, C/1B-3B, 1B/OF....

ya'll get my point.....

[phrasius]

Re: The Cubs' Jake Fox is the PERFECT Example

I agree, but I understand that it could complicate other things. For example, I haven't played Carlos Guillen at LF all season. He's been my SS. But, he almost made the All-Star game as a Left Fielder.

So, how would they handle a guy with utility as his position?

Another thing: Yesterday, the Royals used Coco Crisp as a catcher against me for three innings. It was kinda annoying. Maybe we'll eventually get positional fielding abilities instead of a generic fielding attribute, and then a player will be a useful utility player if he has the proper skills, and we won't have to worry about labels.