Seems common on shifts to keep the SS at his position and move 3B to the left of him at 2B. So if it is hit to the 3b man standing at second is it still a 5-3? Same if hut to the SS who is closest to 3rd base being a 6-3 still?

Correct. The #'s correspond to the players, not where they are located at on the field.

So who determines that? The lineup card? If the SS and 3B swapped every batter for some reason would they not change the scoring to reflect. Not a big deal for any reason, just seems should be based on where in the field.

Not sure if serious...but yes, the lineup card. If it were based on the area on the field (instead of players), there would need to be about 15-18 numbers. And I don't get your hypothetical...

Just to substantiate what has been said so far, the comment to Rule 10.03(a) states:

quote:

---

When a player does not exchange positions with another fielder
but is merely placed in a different spot for a particular batter (for example, if a second baseman goes to the outfield to form a four-man outfield, or if a third baseman moves to a position between the shortstop
and second baseman), the official scorer should not list this as a new position.

---

Only if the players officially switch positions would the scorer change the designation for recordkeeping purposes. So in your follow up, I think they might designate the postion players as switching between positions, but only if officially announced.