Strat-O-Matic Baseball 365

Wondering if anyone has delved into using a 5 defense at 1B, such as Billy Butler? I love his card both for average and full season power, yet just can't bring myself to make the move to a 5 defense??? Thoughts anyone????

I have used Ortiz at 1b ocassionally. He's 1b-5 e16 . I'm not a fan of this, but I've done it.

However, Butler would be worse by a bit, due to his e26 error rating. Basically, that means in a full season he'll make about 10 more errors than Ortiz would playing at 1b every day. That's on top of the 5 range rating. With Butler, you'll get a large number of "single and error" results, when both fielding deficiencies kick in on a 1bX roll.

The last time I looked it up, I think an e26 range rating would result in an error about 40% of the time (much higher than other e ratings that are in the teens). A 5 range rating would result in a single 40% of the time. The odds of getting an out are roughly 36%, a single (only) roughly 24%, an error (only) roughly 24%, and a single an error together roughly 16% of the 1bX rolls. The total bases given up on fielding would be about 8 for every 10 1bX rolls, or .8 per 1bX roll.

If you face 42 opposing batters per game (for easy math), then the odds of rolling a 1bX are about 1 out of 2.5 each game (42 * 2 /216), or roughly 40% per game. (The times 2 is for the number of die rolls per 216 that a 1bx reading appears in on every pitcher card; the 216 is the total die roll chances for a 3 die roll, including batting cards and pitcher cards). On average, the bases given up per game would be about .32 bases per game (.4 times .8). If Butler bats 5 times a game, that's the equivalent of "losing" .064 bases per plate appearance. In batting average terms, that's like losing 64 batting points per plate appearance - like converting a .310 average to a .246 average - just because he's playing 1b and not DH. (actually, it's less than that, since a "normal" 1b would also give up some hits and errors, so let's say that the "loss" of base hits is half that amount, or .032, which reduces a .310 average to a .278 average).

In short - not nearly as good value for money as he is at DH.

stratfanSkip wrote:Wondering if anyone has delved into using a 5 defense at 1B, such as Billy Butler? I love his card both for average and full season power, yet just can't bring myself to make the move to a 5 defense??? Thoughts anyone????

2011 Giambi was worth playing at 1B in non-DH league because he was E7, but that was a special case. He was consistently worth, depending on injury time and BP, 40 to 70 homers.

That high E rating on Butler is exactly the reason I have not taken the plunge! Some good advice guys! Thanks much!!

I've used Ortiz with some success, I probably would not try it with Butler

Anyone use Adam Dunn 5 e6 at first (my home park is progressive and the other parks in my division are progressive, uscellular, and coors)?

I have used all three of them at first. Ortiz and Butler mostly as the LH side of a platoon with G Jones, as the other half of the platoon with Jones is a little weak and I had trouble filling it. I have used Dunn full time on a couple of occasions when I have been forced into it. Butler and Ortiz can be real mashers, so if that's the only way to get one of them and Jones in the lineup I'm willing to do it. I'm sure I have used Butler full time. I will try to post a couple of teams for you.

I have used Ortiz at 1B with several teams--his offense more than makes up for the defense.

Here is a no-DH team where I used Loney as a late defensive sub--more to keep Ortiz rolls down and try to limit injuries than as a defensive sub---Kotchman works too.

http://onlinegames.strat-o-matic.com/team/1110342