The Lineup Depth Chart interface is the standard way to set your team's default lineups in Strat-O-Matic Baseball 365. It allows you to set up to 2 backups for each fielding position who would be used in the starting lineup in case of injuries, as well as 1 Platoon PH for each fielding position who would pinch-hit during a game when the starter is due to face a reliever who throws with the opposite hand as the pitcher who started the game.
The backup system works exactly the way as it does in the Windows game.
You can set one lineup that is used whenever your team faces a left-handed starting pitcher, and one versus right-handed starters. These lineups will be used exactly as you set them unless one or more your players is injured, in which case our game engine will either use the backups you've set, or it will improvise using its own lineup logic. If you don't set a lineup, or leave blank spaces in it, it will do its best to create a reasonable lineup.
To set your default starting lineups
First, choose the 8 players that should start at each fielding position, plus the DH if appropriate, by selecting their names in the each of the pulldown menus. Then, arrange your lineup into your desired order by dragging and dropping each slot into its correct position.
To set backups
You may optionally assign up to 2 backups for each fielding position in each of your default lineups. Click on the "edit >" link next to a position to bring up a popup window in which you can set these backups, as well as a Platoon PH (see below).
How backups are used
The first thing to note is that the backups system only comes into play at the start of a game, when starting lineups are being determined. It does not affect in-game substitutions. By contrast, the reverse is true for Platoon PHs (below), which affect in-game pinch-hitting, and do not affect starting lineups.
In the case of an injury to a starting player, the computer manager will attempt to substitute one of the backups (in priority order) for him at the start of a game. If the first backup happens to be in the lineup already, it will attempt to shift that backup to the injured starter's position and play the backup's backup. To illustrate:
Sample depth chart
2B: Chase Utley (backup: Freddy Sanchez)
SS: Freddy Sanchez (backup: Bill Hall)
At the start of a game, if Utley were unavailable to play, the computer manager would try to insert his first backup, Sanchez, into the starting lineup at 2B. Since Sanchez is normally the starting SS, the computer would play his backup, Hall, at SS, so that Sanchez can slide over to play 2B.
At present, although the system is able to perform multiple, separate shifts in the same lineup, it can only handle one level of a given shift. In other words, using the above example, if Hall happened to also be in the starting lineup already (e.g. in CF), instead of moving Hall to SS, it would pull someone from the bench to replace Sanchez.
To set Platoon PHs
Click on the "edit >" link next to a position in a starting lineup to bring up a popup window in which you can set up to 2 backups (above), as well as a Platoon PH.
How Platoon PHs are used
For each starting position player in a given starting lineup, you may also optionally assign 1 Platoon PH, who will always come in to pinch hit for the starter when:
- the starter is due to face an opposing pitcher who throws with the opposite hand from the pitcher who started the game, and
- the starter is playing the position he started the game at
For example, your opponent's starting pitcher this given game is Roger Clemens (R). Your default lineup vs. RHSP is used, in which you've set Jim Thome (L) as your starting 1B, and Julio Franco (R) as his Platoon PH at 1B. In the 7th inning, Thome (who is still playing 1B) is due up to face Jesse Orosco (L) who had previously entered the game to relieve Clemens. Julio Franco, your Platoon PH at 1B, would pinch hit for Thome.
In the above example, Franco would not come in to pinch hit if Thome were no longer playing 1B (e.g. he had moved to 3B at one point during the game).