Position Eligiblity

Before each season begins ESPN will determine the primary position of every MLB player available in the game. The criteria will primarily be the past year's playing time. Additional positional eligibility will be determined as outlined below in the Batter and Pitcher sections. This includes rookies as well as veterans. The listed primary positions are fixed and will not change for the duration of the season.

NOTE: In custom leagues the League Manager CANNOT change the listed position of any player in the game.

Positional Eligibility for Batters
Additional positional eligibility for Batters occurs when one of the following conditions is met:

• Games played at a position during last season: 20
• Games played at a position during current season: 10 (The eligibility will take place on the 11th day, even if no game is played that day)

NOTE: For a batter to be considered eligible for Outfield (OF) he must play at least ten games in any outfield position (RF, CF, LF or any combo of the three, totaling 10). For example, at one point in 2009, Gary Sheffield (DH) played four games in Left Field and six games in Right Field. The total was ten, so he would be OF eligible.
 

Positional Eligibility for Pitchers
Additional positional eligibility for Pitchers occurs when one of the following conditions is met:

• Pitching appearances last season: 5 starts / 8 relief
• Pitching appearances during current season: 3 starts / 5 relief

Note: From time to time, ESPN may make the decision to assign SP or RP eligibility to a pitcher prior to their meeting the conditions stated above but whose value is dramatically affected by an anticipated role change. Unlike with hitters, who still accrue the same statistics no matter what their position, the nature of starting pitching versus relief pitching increases the impact of a role change. However, ESPN will not remove eligibility from a player who has achieved one of the above-stated milestones. Please also note that SP and RP are custom positions only; the ESPN standard game uses the generic "P" position