HOW TO: More Player Evaluation Tips

DISCLAIMER - This page was written before the June 2022 updates and may not be accurate to current gameplay

Ever wish BaseHit had a cheat sheet? Some place you could go for advice on how to evaluate players or build a winning team? Maybe you’re thinking about making some major changes to your roster and aren’t sure how to go about it. Well you’re in luck, because all of that and more is explained in the new 'How To' pages.

What to look for in players - Advanced Studies


The Importance of Range (RA):
Range is huge in this game, and in real life. You might see a shortstop with 99 range, and he will get balls that only Andrelton Simmons or Ozzie Smith could dream of getting. These guys are extremely rare, and valued like a top three pick. 80 range shortstops are probably about league average, and can get you a good amount of outs. Shortstops with 70 range are seen as more of a stopgap type fielder, or a balanced player. They might field well enough, but you’re missing out on a lot of groundballs and your FI/CO pitchers won’t always be pleased. And then there’s the danger zone at 60 and below, inhabited by players like Hanley Ramirez and Derek Jeter. Both of those guys hit well above average, which is what your guy would need to do to stay in the lineup.

Non-linearity of ratings:
Its critical to remember that changes in performance increase exponentially as you increase the rating of a skill. The way the rating system is setup, the difference between having 99 vs 90 will be much larger than the difference between 79 and 70. A guy with 90+ in one important skill can be extremely useful, even if his other ratings are below average. Players with 99 in PO/FI/SY or DI/BA/SL (or RA up the middle) are must start players, even if everything else is rated in the 50s. It’s much better to have one or two high ratings than all 60s.

Pitching:
Any pitcher with EN over 60 can start and pitch well. If he has high CO (80+), you could get away with as low as 50 EN. You should look for guys with good combos of the big 4 stats. The most popular is FI/SY, but any combo works really. SY is huge, PO and FI are good, and CO is a nice complement to the other three. It’s really hard to give a broad answer, as many types of guys work. Look for 90+ in one of the main stats though, or 85+ with solid stats (70+) in the other 2 or 3.

Other than that, if you have an excellent 40ish EN guy, he should be a closer. You basically just want the bullpen to be ranked closer -> setup -> mid -> long. Usually none of them are better than your starters.

Right/left split:
Don't underestimate the importance of a batter or pitcher's right/left split. A majority of players are right handed. Lefty batters and righty pitchers gain advantages in these situations. Just be sure to platoon all but the best left handed bats, because they really drop off vs southpaws.

More tips::

  • SP: It’s cute but drops anywhere from 23-28 and continues downhill forever.
  • EN: This works more as a penalty for players who don’t have it, rather than a normal “more is better” skill. Position players start to feel the penalty the further they get from 50, while starting pitchers are hurt the further they get from 70. Playing catcher will also require greater EN, so often times you will see catchers being platooned. When a position player drops below 40 EN, It is often recommended that they be used in a platoon or as the DH.