Managing In The Minors

[ricko]

Can anyone offer any advice and observations about working your way up to the bigs by starting out in the minors? I saw a thread some time ago, which said, "Trust me, don't do it", but no real specifics.

I can see that it might be frustrating, as you don't have control over your personnel, but is there more to it than that? Assuming I pay my dues and prove to be worthy of promotions, will the opportunities come? Or is the game not really strong in this area yet?

Also, if my ultimate goal is to be a GM, will this career path get me there? If not, I'll just take over as GM via the Commish mode when I make it to the majors as a field manager, so it's no biggie.

Thanks for any tips.

[bkotler]

I don't have the personal experience but I have read threads where the GM would completely change the roster (10-15 players) every couple days. In one day, his entire 5-man starting rotation was released (including a league leader). There were more details than this, but it definitely sounds like a no-go to me -- unless it has been fixed in v10.

[ricko]

Thanks. That would definitely drive me nuts.

Does anyone know if it is possible to be the organization's GM and, say, the field manager of the Single-A team at the same time?

Any other thoughts/experiences?

[zekester91]

yes, you can have multiple Managers, have 1 be the GM of the ML team, and a second to be the field manager of the single-A team. I've been thinking of doing this when I activate my next GM profile.

[ricko]

Originally Posted by zekester91

yes, you can have multiple Managers, have 1 be the GM of the ML team, and a second to be the field manager of the single-A team. I've been thinking of doing this when I activate my next GM profile.

[Smacks forehead]

Geez, why didn't I think of that? Thanks!

[Smacks it again for good measure]

[happyharrell]

While the player movement is frustrating, this is very doable. I made it to the bigs in three seasons, starting in rookie league then moving to double A then to triple A.

[BMW]

Does anyone know if this is alleviated somewhat by turning off ghost players?

[zekester91]

Originally Posted by BMW

Does anyone know if this is alleviated somewhat by turning off ghost players?

I've never had ghoash players turned on but I would imagine that managing in the minors with ghost players on would be very hard, becuse doesn't the game make joe nobodies to fill in the roster once the game starts and so you would A, have no clue who your players are till the game starts, B, have a hard time telling them apart.

[unker]

Originally Posted by ricko

Can anyone offer any advice and observations about working your way up to the bigs by starting out in the minors? I saw a thread some time ago, which said, "Trust me, don't do it", but no real specifics.

I can see that it might be frustrating, as you don't have control over your personnel, but is there more to it than that? Assuming I pay my dues and prove to be worthy of promotions, will the opportunities come? Or is the game not really strong in this area yet?

Also, if my ultimate goal is to be a GM, will this career path get me there? If not, I'll just take over as GM via the Commish mode when I make it to the majors as a field manager, so it's no biggie.

Thanks for any tips.

I've been playing as a minor league coach and while its not recommended in OOTP9, I'm still enjoying it.

There are occasional big roster changes, but they are usually either on the 1st of a month, Draft Day (though less so at AAA), or due to injuries at the majors or trades. In general, the AI will give you every position, though not always balanced.

The main issue is one that is being addressed in OOTP10 is with injuries. The AI does not factor injuries into deciding who you need. Therefore if one of your catchers is out for an extended period, it will see that you have two catchers and not send you another.

This is magnified with your pitching staff. You lose a starter, and you will not get a replacement. As the remainder of your starters keep going on short rest, they are more likely to be injured and so on....

Other than that, it seems to be fun. You will see job openings and can also get promoted from within. I'm not sure if the game separates field manager from GM at the major leagues since I have not yet made it, but I think the promotion to the majors will be as a GM.

[wrestlerjrh]

as kind of a follow up question, how does it work managing in feeder leagues? is there a model for recruiting implemented for college feeder leagues or do you just get given players randomly? I only played the demo of OOTP9 and did not get far enough to find out (I have never played OOTPs much I got hooked on ITP and was really hoping that franchise would be developed further)

[zekester91]

Originally Posted by wrestlerjrh

as kind of a follow up question, how does it work managing in feeder leagues? is there a model for recruiting implemented for college feeder leagues or do you just get given players randomly? I only played the demo of OOTP9 and did not get far enough to find out (I have never played OOTPs much I got hooked on ITP and was really hoping that franchise would be developed further)

Random players, it's pretty fun managing feeder leagues becuse you don't have to worry about players leaving (unless your draft is in the middle of the feeder league season or playoffs). at least in mine, i had a 25 man roster, and a small reserve roster so injuries where not a problem. Directly after the draft you get the same number of players you lost back, they are random, but it is still fun. (I didn't play ITP much, it keept chrashing on me and there wasn't much support, but I am one of the ones that would love to see another iteration of it. it had some interesting ways it could have gone.)

[MimesisBTG]

I frequently play by coaching in the minors and enjoy it a lot. Much of the advice offered in this thread has been good, and I am very happy that the minor league DL issue is being addressed in OOTP X.

I would only add that sometimes I prefer not to coach at the lowest level of minors, because it tends to have a larger roster that seems to fluctuate more. This may just be my preference though.

Next week!

[twinsfan143]

With the new disabled list for OOTPX, will it be the minor league managers that put the players on the DL or will it be the GM of the club overall? Any thoughts?

[zekester91]

Originally Posted by twinsfan143

With the new disabled list for OOTPX, will it be the minor league managers that put the players on the DL or will it be the GM of the club overall? Any thoughts?

it would almost have to be the GM of the club overall, while the minor league manage could put a player there, that would not get him a replacement player, nor would he be able to bring that player back (assuming that there are roster limits, most of mine do), hope there is an option to put an AI watcher on this. I am horid of keeping my ml teams stocked.

[BigRed75]

I'm really curious to see how X handles these new minor league changes. The idea of being able to manage in the minors is intriuging, and of course not having input into your roster is very similar to real life (except for the special "quirks" that the AI is known for). Regardless, it's something I've wanted to try for a while and I'll definitely be giving it a go when I get X.