**Architectural Improvement**: Unified player references in GameState
**Changed**: Make all player references consistent
- BEFORE: current_batter/pitcher/catcher were IDs (int)
- AFTER: current_batter/pitcher/catcher are full LineupPlayerState objects
- Matches pattern of on_first/on_second/on_third (already objects)
**Benefits**:
1. Consistent API - all player references use same type
2. Self-contained GameState - everything needed for resolution
3. No lookups needed - direct access to player data
4. Sets foundation for Phase 3E-Main (adding position ratings)
**Files Modified**:
- app/models/game_models.py: Changed current_batter/pitcher/catcher to objects
- app/core/game_engine.py: Updated _prepare_next_play() to populate full objects
- app/core/state_manager.py: Create placeholder batter on game creation
- tests/unit/models/test_game_models.py: Updated all 27 GameState tests
**Database Operations**:
- No schema changes needed
- Play table still stores IDs (for referential integrity)
- IDs extracted from objects when saving: state.current_batter.lineup_id
**Testing**:
- All 27 GameState tests passing
- No regressions in existing functionality
- Type checking passes
**Next**: Phase 3E-Main - Add PositionRating dataclass and load ratings at game start
🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code)
Co-Authored-By: Claude <noreply@anthropic.com>
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