Wed Oct 31, 2012 9:04 am
I adjust this setting from series to series.
If I think that the difference in the game could be one run scored from 3rd on a groundball A with one out in the first inning, then I will set the infield in to be available from the first inning onward.
On the other hand, where the game is being played in a home run park and is likely to be a high scoring game, I will usually leave the infield in at the 3rd inning setting. I could even adjust it to the 5th inning setting in this kind of situation, but I rarely do that. (I tend to prefer small ball, pitchers parks, instead of homerun parks).
The downside to playing infield in is that it can dramatically increase the chances of a single off of an X chart reading for an infield X chart roll. On the X chart, all # readings become SI** results instead of outs. This increases the chance of a base hit by 4 X chart readings out of 20, or 20%. Since there are 18 die rolls to infielder X chart readings on the pitcher's card (out of 216 die roll results- 6 time 6 times 6), this means that the chance of a base hit increases overall by 1.667%, or 17 batting average points (i.e. 18/216*.2). Also, with infield in and a runner on first base as well as third base, you will lose the potential for a double play - another big disadvantage for the infield being in. You also cannot hold runners while the infield is in.
The advantage is of course to stop a runner from scoring from third base with no outs or 1 out, on a GB result, or a GB out on the infield X chart result.
The strategy setting determines what the earliest inning is that infield in MIGHT be called as a defensive strategy by HAL. It doesn't mean that HAL will ALWAYS call infield in if he can. It just means that he MIGHT call infield in. I have seen many occasions where HAL (i.e. the computer manager) could have called infield in, but didn't. HAL's decisions usually make sense to me in the context of the game situation. But if you set the strategy setting to 3rd inning (default), then this guarantees that HAL will not use infield in for either the first or second inning. It also seems to me that the setting may influence HAL's use of infield in during the portion of the game where the strategy is permitted. I.e., if you set it to first inning, then not only can HAL use it in the first or second inning, but it seems to me that HAL uses infield in more often during the rest of the game than he would maybe if the strategy setting was set to third inning or later.
Hope that helps!
