N.L. Batting and Bench Lineup Card Explanations
Player:
List your starting lineups and bench players against both Right-Handed Pitchers (RHP) and Left-Handed Pitchers (LHP). Please list players by player number and last name. Those players not starting against a RHP go on the Bench vs. RHP side. Those players not starting against a LHP go on the Bench vs. LHP side. (Any player listed against RHP must also be listed against LHP, and vice versa.) Remember you can only have 30 players listed on a lineup card. (Players not listed on your lineup card form your 'taxi squad', and will play if needed.) Which column (Bunt and PH) is used depends on the pitcher that the batter currently faces. If the other team replaces a RHP with a LHP, the batter's bunting and PH strategies switch to the vs. LHP columns. (Note: there is only one steal column, which is used against either a RHP or a LHP.) List your players on the bench in the order you want them to appear in case a starter does not have enough major league at-bats to start every game that week. (The pinch hit rank has nothing to do with who comes in as a starter, it is the first listed player at that position who will come in.) We will automatically juggle your batting order slightly when a starter can't play. Basically, we will put players with the best Rank or PH for numbers in the third and fourth slots, while players with a good Rank or PH For number and a yes in their Steal? column will bat leadoff and second. Players listed as starters are never moved down in the order, and those listed in the 3rd through 6th spots will never bat 1st or 2nd. (This all becomes clearer when you get your first few scoresheets.) Once again, please list players by name and player number.
Position:
Next to each player, list the position(s) you want him to play. We will automatically move him to other positions if disaster strikes. (For example, if all your second basemen are out we will automatically move a backup SS to play second.) Each starting lineup must have a player at every position, including 3 outfielders. You can either designate outfielders as LF, RF, CF; or you can just put OF next to their names, meaning we'll automatically assign the best OFer then playing to play CF for you. You can list both starters and bench players at more than one position. However, since we will automatically juggle positions for you, we recommend you only list players at the positions they are qualified to play! Also, only qualified catchers can play catcher, and only players who qualify at one of 2B, SS or 3B can play any of those 3 positions.
Steal?:
Stealing 2nd base may be attempted if you are behind by 2 runs or less through the 6th inning, and if you are behind by one run starting with the 7th inning. Your player can steal in any inning if you are tied or ahead. If you want your player to have the option to steal, put a Y in his column. An N means he will never attempt to steal. A Y just means the player has a chance to go, not that he will necessarily try to steal - he is basically limited by how many steals he has in real life. A player's chances of getting thrown out vary according to how successful he is that week in the majors, and also depend on the catcher he is facing.
