1B: 3e8 2B: 4e10 LF: 3(-1)e3 or 1B: 4e7 2B: 3e6 LF: 4(-1)e7

Have a 2018 team and I need to fill 1B, 2B, and LF vs. lefties with these players:

Enrique Hernandez
Ian Desmond
Ryan McMahon

Option A: Desmond (3e8) at 1B, McMahon (4e10) at 2B, and Hernandez 3(-1)e3 in LF
Option B: McMahon (4e7) at 1B, Hernandez (3e6) at 2B, and Desmond 4(-1)e7 in LF.

Outfield arm is -1 either way. Option A the errors add to 21; Option B the errors add to 20, although four more of them are in the outfield where they could go for more than one base.

With regard to range, Option A provides a 3 range instead of a 4 range at 1B and LF, but means having a 4 range instead of a 3 range at 2B. There are six GB(2B)X rolls on pitchers' cards, but only two GB(1B)X rolls and two FB(LF)X rolls, but again fielding plays that become hits in the outfield could go for more than one base, so those two LF rolls have somewhat more impact than two 2B rolls.

Any thoughts?

(It is, by the way, a league using only N.L. players, so there are no better options on the free agent list, so no need to suggest getting better fielders.)

Years ago I came across this article. Maybe it was mentioned on the boards at some point. There is a section on defensive runs allowed.

http://www.mfooz.com/bblog/wp-content/u ... efense.pdf

Just eyeballing it, I would have guessed option B was better (a 3 vs 4 at 2B), however that is not the case here according to the defensive chart in the article (although it is close).

Play E Hernandez at 2b for sure if you keep those players. But I would avoid the 4 OF if possible--surely there is a better combo than Desmond-McMahon---maybe find a 2 or 3 2B and play Hernandez in LF--Castro maybe is a little too much $, but Torreyes, Urena, Villar and Kiner-Falefa all could be swapped for Desmond--even a platoon combo like Sanchez and Panik, may give you more flexibility.

Also you can use this fielding page for comparisons.

http://www.baseballthinkfactory.org/btf ... atfldg.htm

Thanks, guys, for pointing me to the resources!

It does look like Desmond at 1B, McMahon at 2B, and Hernandez in LF is the somewhat better defensive lineup.

Thanks, Milleram, also for the player suggestions, but it is an NL-only league, so Villar, Urena, Kiner-Falefa and Torreyes are not eligible and Castro is taken by another team already, as are Panik and Sanchez.

Just thought I would add an update to this discussion: I actually am starting Hernandez in RF and Matt Kemp in LF, but HAL sometimes does a four-man position swap mid-game, moving McMahon to 1B, Desmond to LF, Kemp to RF, and Hernandez to 2B.