I often debate how bad of a SS I can tolerate with a good bat. What do you consider average in terms of fielding percentage? Ratings? How do you think about the trade offs?

I once subtracted singles from their OPS for errors and minus plays, and added singles for plus plays to try to estimate a sort of all-encompassing OPS. It’s a lot of work though. But I feel like SS is the most pivotal position.

My answer may not be the same as everyone else's because I play in a pretty severe pitcher's park. As a result, I build my team around pitching and defense first. I don't really even look at SS hitting ratings. I just plan on batting him 8th and any offense is a bonus.

My last SS had a career OPS of .537. But, he was 90+ in arm, range, arm strength and arm accuracy. He was 103-3 in plus/minus fielding plays for his career.

My current SS had a .530 OPS his rookie year, but he was 17-1 in plus/minus fielding plays. His ratings in the four defensive categories is 90-85-96-92.

I have a kid coming up that I'm intrigued by. He's never going to hit for average, but he has 81 power, and his fielding ratings are 89-85-99-92. In the minors he's split time between SS and CF and has a 118-1 plus/minus fielding split. He'll play at AAA this year.

I look for a combined range-glove-arm str-arm acc of 360 or better, with at least 85 in each category.

I generally prefer glove over range (no point getting to the ball if you're going to kick it) and arm accuracy over arm strength (Great! He just threw that ball into the second deck behind first base.)

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

I want 85 + in all def ratings for a ss. I do not go below that for a ss.

I, too, am an 85+ guy. Long as he hits over .200 BA I'll live with it.

Keep in mind that Glove and Arm Accuracy largely factor into fielding percentage; Range and Arm Strength factor more into plus or minus plays.

I usually have a few of these players laying around in my minor leagues. I overdraft them because in the middle rounds I'll pick up one of those rather than some nondescript AAA player who can neither hit nor field.

Once, for necessity's sake, I used a SS with 80 Range. He had 90+ everything else so he ended up doing alright.

In agreement with most of the above -- + Defense over + Offense.

Player Profile: Ralph Warner - Hardball Dynasty Baseball | WhatIfSports is probably as low as I go unless he offers 800+ OPS.

I don't usually have the best pitchers, but I usually have one of the best performing pitching staffs in the league due to quality defense. I can't seem to score runs like your Houston team does in Moneyball though so I gather you are doing something right or I am doing something wrong.

To give perspective for me JR Ball : https://www.whatifsports.com/hbd/Pages/Popups/PlayerStats.aspx?pid=9111072

has been a massive disappointment for me this season with 23 errors and he is about as low as I would go in defensive ratings.

Jimmy McMicheal : https://www.whatifsports.com/hbd/Pages/Popups/PlayerRatings.aspx?pid=9117866

is more what I’d expect from my SS. If he doesn’t have defense across the board 90 or higher, he isn’t worth having.

I'll go against the grain and say that I don't have a hard and fast rule and availability vs. cost is the biggest factor but generally I prioritize bat over defence.

For example I'd run this guy out at SS any day:
https://www.whatifsports.com/hbd/Pages/Popups/PlayerRatings.aspx?pid=9364355

A lot of owners would force him to 3B, but by playing him at short I can add another big bat at 3B.

I generally agree with Goevango. Of course, I'd prefer all 4 defensive categories to be over 85. But since I almost always play in severe pitchers parks, I also prioritize offense over defense.

I also prioritize defense, but not to the point where I'd play an absolute black hole of offense—e.g. sub-.600 OPS, give or take some based on park effects. This guy, for example, ticks all the boxes defensively but I can't let a guy with a sub-.200 OBP play every day, even if he's a gold glover who hits 30 bombs. I've had a lot of success playing this guy at short—he's not a Gold Glover and has never put up an OPS over .700, but he makes all the plays and isn't a liability with the bat. I wouldn't trade him for a defensive wizard who can't hit or for a pretty good hitter whose defense is questionable.