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Playing Out Of Position & Position Changes

What are the effects of a player playing out of his "natural" position?

When a player plays out of his natural position, his Range (RN) and Glove (GL) ratings are adjusted depending on how many steps the player moves to the right or left. His Arm (AR) rating remains constant, (unless you are using a player as a catcher). See below, "What about catchers?".

Position Order

Positions are ranked in order of difficulty:

SS - 2B - CF - 3B - LF/RF - 1B

Playing a harder position (moving left on Position Order)

1 step left: -10%
2 steps left: -19%
3 steps left: -27%
4 steps left: -34%
5 steps left: -40% (maximum)

Examples:

A 1B playing SS (a move of five steps left) would lose 40% of his Range (RN) and Glove (GL) ratings.
A LF playing CF would lose 19% (a move of two steps).

Playing an easier position (moving right on Position Order)

1 step right: -8%
2 steps right: -6%
3 steps right: -4%
4 steps right: -2%
5 steps right: 0% (maximum)

Examples:

A SS playing 1B would see no drop in skill (5 steps to the right).
A 2B playing LF would have a 4% drop in skill (3 steps to the right).

Permanently changing positions

There are two major changes to changing player's positions as of the June 2022 update

  • Players will no longer automatically convert positions after a certain number of games played, and will only change with the Change Position tool on the player card.
  • Players can be moved to a new position immediately with the Change Position tool, and no longer need to wait until the following season

A player can be permanently moved to a different position, with some exceptions.

At this point, a player's actual ratings will permanently change to the position to which he has now converted. If moving to a harder position, a player's potential ratings change in the same fashion - if moving to an easier position, they will increase depending on how much easier the new position is. Thus, a player moving to an easier position has the possibility of becoming a better player at that position over time.

The effect of multiple permanent position changes over the course of a career can hurt a player's overall fielding skill. Players do better when they get to specialize.

Lefties playing 2B, SS, 3B, and C

In professional baseball, it is rare to see a player who throws left-handed playing 2B, 3B, SS, or C. As a result, CSFBL will not allow left-handed throwing players to permanently change to these positions. A player who throws left-handed will only be used at 2B,SS,3B, or C if there are no eligible players on the bench who throw right-handed.

Defensive penalties will be applied to all players who throw left-handed at 2B, 3B, and SS. The penalties are as follows:

  • RANGE -20%
  • GLOVE -10%
  • ARM -40%

What about catchers?

Catchers are special, and players will not be able to permanently move to catcher if they start their career at a different position. Any player playing out of position as a catcher loses 34% of his Range (RN) and Glove (GL). Catchers moving to other positions are considered one step to the right of 1B. So, a C moving to 3B (three steps left) would lose 27% of his defensive skills. In addition, while playing out of position as a catcher, players incur a 75% penalty to the AR rating until the player converts.

A penalty will be applied to a catcher's arm rating with respect to base-stealing, based on the throwing arm of the catcher and the batting hand of the hitter at the plate. The penalties are as follows:

  • RTC = Right-handed throwing catcher
  • LTC = Left-handed throwing catcher
  • RHB = Right-handed batter
  • LHB = Left-handed batter
  • TO2 = Runner trying to steal second base
  • TO3 = Runner trying to steal third base

Stealing Second Base:
RTC + RHB: No penalty
RTC + LHB : -10%
LTC + RHB : -15%
LTC + LHB : -5%

Stealing Third Base:
RTC + RHB: -5%
RTC + LHB: No penalty
LTC + RHB: -40%
LTC + LHB: -40%