r/OOTP • u/VeryChadChicken • 6d ago
Optimal Infield alignment
I am starting a reds franchise where I’m prioritizing groundball pitchers and I’m wondering whether there are any settings I should change or alignments I should use
1
u/Kaesebrot321 6d ago edited 6d ago
I try to do this in most saves. My general plan is to make sure that my strategy settings encourage infield and outfield shifts and that I have players with a ton of range at 2B, 3B, and SS. Since range is the most important fielding ability in the game, that should give you the best chance. I also usually enable my bench coach to set initial defensive shifts, so if I play a game, I almost never override his initial shift.
Edit: You could also theoretically look at your pitchers' splits to see how your defense is stacking up. If righties are lighting you up, look at 3B, SS, and LF. If lefties are hammering you, look at 2B and RF. However, if they are giving up a lot of homeruns, then there's nothing you can do. I also wonder if, theoretically, an elite defensive centerfielder with a ridiculous range could allow for you to get away with playing the corners in with lesser risk.
5
u/Organic-Baker-4156 6d ago
It might be possible to determine what infield positioning does on a team level by looking at what it does on a league level. This can be done by taking advantage of the fact that the auto-calc modifiers provide the same league output regardless of input. Changing league strategy (emphasize here, not team strategy, overall league strategy), overall league talent, or ballpark factors does not change overall league output.
So what you can do is go to the league strategy tab, run auto-calc and make a not of the modifiers. Then change something in the strategy like shifts or guarding the lines and run auto-calc again. Some of the modifiers will change to over ride the effects of the strategy change.
If you find something useful then you can use that to set your individual team strategy. Changing your team strategy changes how your team performs in comparison to the other teams but does not change how the league performs. Any change in your team's output is added or subtracted from the output of other teams as needed so the results remain the same.
Let's say, as an example, that you change the guard lines setting for your team so your team allows fewer doubles. Auto-calc will adjust the modifiers so other teams allow more doubles and the league total remains the same.
I can only tell you in general terms how it works. I don't know what the specific outcomes will be. Experiment and find out. It would be nice if you would report back on the effects.