Tips for Developing Prospects

[Soze]

I'm new to the game and trying to figure out some of the nuances of it. Any tips on how to maximize prospects? When should you promote players (when they are playing well at one level, bump them up immediately or wait a few months)? When do they get actual ratings bumps (I've heard in August in the game)? Or any other tips or tricks you guys may have?

[1998 Yankees]

If you are playing with the Coaching System on, the most important thing is to recruit and retain good coaches with high marks for teaching and handling rookies.

The next important thing is timing, knowing when to promote (or demote) players from one minor league level to another. For that, you keep an eye on their development, as measured by current ratings vs. potential, and their stats.

If you see somebody blowing away competition, with one or more yellow/green current ratings, consider moving him up. If you see him struggling (particularly a young guy, but some youngsters move up fast regardless), move him down. He will take a ratings hit if you leave him too long at that level.

The Minor League System Report is helpful in this regard, as it makes some recommendations along these lines. I would not totally depend on it, however.

To answer your question, ratings can move up or down at any time of the season, and sometimes offseason. I think the game takes a fresh look at everybody in preseason as well.

[Soze]

Unfortunately, I'm in a league without coaches or scouts to help me with player development.

An example... I have a player in AA batting .323 with 21 HRs and 60 RBIs, with a 32.1 VORP. If I promote him to AAA, he'll be a bench player behind other players, so should I leave him at AA? I assume sitting on the bench in AAA, a players ratings don't increase? Or am I incorrect, in that just getting a promotion will help a players ratings? (for example... a player getting the bump from AAA to ML in September)

Also, you said one factor is promote based on current ratings vs. potential ratings? Is there a certain % that I should wait for? For example, if a players contact potential is 50, should I wait until his actual is 50, 40, 30? Or does it essentially performance based?

Thanks for all the help, 1998 Yankees.

[1998 Yankees]

Originally Posted by Soze

Unfortunately, I'm in a league without coaches or scouts to help me with player development.

An example... I have a player in AA batting .323 with 21 HRs and 60 RBIs, with a 32.1 VORP. If I promote him to AAA, he'll be a bench player behind other players, so should I leave him at AA? I assume sitting on the bench in AAA, a players ratings don't increase? Or am I incorrect, in that just getting a promotion will help a players ratings? (for example... a player getting the bump from AAA to ML in September)

Also, you said one factor is promote based on current ratings vs. potential ratings? Is there a certain % that I should wait for? For example, if a players contact potential is 50, should I wait until his actual is 50, 40, 30? Or does it essentially performance based?

Thanks for all the help, 1998 Yankees.

You raise a good additional point that I should have mentioned; you don't want to create too much of a backlog at one position in one level. You can force a player to play another position in his player strategy page, however, so if you have to RF's in AA, you could give the better fielding but lesser-armed one the task to learn LF.

So to answer your first question, no, you don't want to promote somebody just to sit on the bench behind somebody better. You might want to think about a position change or trade in that case.

Your second question: No, a player does not get any ratings boost from promotion (or penalty from demotion) itself. Players do develop (current ratings), if they are going to, from playing time given their potential and a certain randomness built into the game as well as the effect of coaching (neutral if coaching system is off).

Your third question is a bit difficult to answer. First of all, you would do just as well to be paying attention to only prospects who have at least 50 potential ratings (scale 1-100) in at least two out of the three major categories of each player's ratings: Stuff, Movement, Control (pitcher) and Contact, Power, Eye (batter). The higher the better, of course. The reason for this is that I have rarely (but I won't say never) seen players who dramatically improve their potential ratings from red to yellow, green, or blue when past a certain age (like 20).

Then what you do is watch whether a player is improving his current ratings up to his potentials. The Player Development Report is ideal for this, by the way. Also, you keep an eye on his stats, of course. With these clues and the recommendations seen on the Minor League System Report, you will usually make the right decisions if you are paying attention.

As far as the current rating numbers themselves, I tend to go by color. All red is usually rookie-town. A couple of oranges and a yellow could be single-A. Two yellows and an orange could be double-A. At least two yellows, and one or more greens usually means triple-A, if not ML level. Of course, any better than that colorwise means bring 'em on up!

[cbbl]

Originally Posted by 1998 Yankees

If you are playing with the Coaching System on, the most important thing is to recruit and retain good coaches with high marks for teaching and handling rookies.

The next important thing is timing, knowing when to promote (or demote) players from one minor league level to another. For that, you keep an eye on their development, as measured by current ratings vs. potential, and their stats.

If you see somebody blowing away competition, with one or more yellow/green current ratings, consider moving him up. If you see him struggling (particularly a young guy, but some youngsters move up fast regardless), move him down. He will take a ratings hit if you leave him too long at that level.

The Minor League System Report is helpful in this regard, as it makes some recommendations along these lines. I would not totally depend on it, however.

To answer your question, ratings can move up or down at any time of the season, and sometimes offseason. I think the game takes a fresh look at everybody in preseason as well.

1998, how often do you do this work during the season? daily? weekly? monthly? occassionally, without a set schedule?

[Jaxxvain]

I read somewhere that players only develop in the minors when they are actually playing, but in the ML players develop whether they play or not.

Also, not sure if you are using the personality settings, but a player's happiness can be affected by promotions/demotions/playing time, and that player's happiness can affect their development.

[1998 Yankees]

Originally Posted by cbbl

1998, how often do you do this work during the season? daily? weekly? monthly? occassionally, without a set schedule?

Early offseason, based on the season just ended; preseason check to see if anything's changed, then end of each month of the regular season.

Originally Posted by Jaxxvain

I read somewhere that players only develop in the minors when they are actually playing, but in the ML players develop whether they play or not.

Also, not sure if you are using the personality settings, but a player's happiness can be affected by promotions/demotions/playing time, and that player's happiness can affect their development.

Good point; the mood from team transactions improves from being promoted, for example, and better moods mean better play and produce better ratings. So while ratings don't go up or down as a direct result of promotions/demotions/playing time, the effect of these things on mood and quality of play will affect ratings eventually.

[Raidergoo]

Originally Posted by Soze

An example... I have a player in AA batting .323 with 21 HRs and 60 RBIs, with a 32.1 VORP. If I promote him to AAA, he'll be a bench player behind other players, so should I leave him at AA?

Here's the trouble with your statline. There's little context, though the VORP helps.

How old is the AA prospect? If he's 19, he's a prospect. If he's 26, he's a cradle robber.

What sort of era are you playing in? If it is based on 1930's baseball, he's not so hot. If it is based on 1960's baseball, he's a god.

I use a sink or swim approach with young players. As soon as a player shows good stats (BB/K ratio is personally important to me for hitters and pitchers), they get advanced. If they swim at the new level, great. If they sink, well, they get demoted until I determine that they have plateaued, that they are a used car salesman, or I trade them.

I evaluate players weekly. I move them up and down as needed. I prefer to evaluate based on at least a month's worth of full time stats, but I will act sooner on players that are obvious stars or flops. I do not like to skip levels, but for elite prospects, I have done so, sometimes with great success and sometimes not.

The key thing is to get them repetitions. They need to play full-time somewhere at the highest level possible. If you have a great prospect sitting on the bench, that is not good.

[Soze]

Originally Posted by Raidergoo

Here's the trouble with your statline. There's little context, though the VORP helps.

How old is the AA prospect? If he's 19, he's a prospect. If he's 26, he's a cradle robber.

What sort of era are you playing in? If it is based on 1930's baseball, he's not so hot. If it is based on 1960's baseball, he's a god.

I use a sink or swim approach with young players. As soon as a player shows good stats (BB/K ratio is personally important to me for hitters and pitchers), they get advanced. If they swim at the new level, great. If they sink, well, they get demoted until I determine that they have plateaued, that they are a used car salesman, or I trade them.

I evaluate players weekly. I move them up and down as needed. I prefer to evaluate based on at least a month's worth of full time stats, but I will act sooner on players that are obvious stars or flops. I do not like to skip levels, but for elite prospects, I have done so, sometimes with great success and sometimes not.

The key thing is to get them repetitions. They need to play full-time somewhere at the highest level possible. If you have a great prospect sitting on the bench, that is not good.

Here lies the problem: I am hoping that his good play will warrant a "random" ratings bump. Is this a possibility, or are the rating bumps 100% truly random and come out of nowhere? I realize he's not a top level prospect, but I'm trying to learn more on this game and how to develop guys.

(Thanks to both you guys -- 1998 Yankees & Raidergoo for all the help!)

[Raidergoo]

1) Hope ain't a plan.
2) This guy intrigues me, though, ratings-wise he stinks. Can't say if he's lucky, beating up bad pitching, or what, but he's young and consistent.

[Vinny P.]

He's a keeper in my book! (Just look at those defensive ratings!)

Of course, I am a small-ball-type player. I love a team with awesome defense, and range, with great pitching. On the other side of the plate, I love these guys to be able to run/steal/bunt, with BA around the .260 - .300 mark. I just love the joy of manufacturing runs based off of all hard work, as opposed to get on base, and sit, waiting for that homer or double down the line.

It all depends on your style of baseball.Modern day baseball is my favorite period in the history of baseball, simply because teams can be successful whether they play moneyball, small ball, or long ball. Have a great mix of ideologies.

Here is what I would suggest:

If you play out every single one of your games already, then great. If not, I would suggest you play out at least a month, or maybe just watch you teams' game, form A all the way up through the majors to get a FEEL for your organization, and the way your coaches/scouts are running the team in the background.

For me, my PLAYING style, the teams I have played for IRL is what I determine I want my organization to be. I think that small ball/defensive play is the by far the most fun, the most exhilerating. But that is just my opinion.

I would also suggest to look at your top rookies. The youngest, most raw-talented players you have, with the very best potential rating, and try to build an organization around those guys. If you have mostly sluggers, I would say you may want to trade that particular player. If you have an awesome core of SP, I would say start building defense first, and build your organization around guys like this. It is all up to you.

I like to do what '98 does:

I take a look at my organization at the end of every single month, and demote/promote the best/worst of the players to the next level. (As long as the best do not end up sitting the bench). Play out a month, look at my organization on the first of the next month again, and rinse and repeat.

I find that I can coax the best players that I hand-pick up to the majors within 2 - 3 seasons. Players i don't care a whole lot about, but can tear up the minors without getting moody, I don't care about. I keep them for the sake of helping out my minor league clubs so their records do not suffer, which in turn, can make my favorite players I want to see succeed suffer in their mood, which in turn, will make them suffer in development.

So this guy looks like someone who would be a career minor leaguer you could use to help out a minor league club, or you can use him as a defensive sub on an slugging ML team, or a starter on a small-ball ML team.

[Soze]

I had another issue come up with player development... I had a pitching prospect whom I was just about to call up to the big leagues from AAA. I was honestly just waiting a sim or two to figure out which guy I was going to replace on the major league roster. Apparently, I waited too long, as he tanked this last sim. He still has ratings good enough for the big leagues (just not potential), so should I still call him up and get what I can out of him now? Is there a possibility of this player getting a ratings bump again if I promote or leave in AAA, or did I pretty much screw this guy up?

[Libid21]

I re-configured the staff of personnel on the Atlanta Braves. I still kept Bobby Cox because I think he's one of the best player managers in the game (and in the real world too). I fired my hitting and pitching coach though and hired replacements that had 9 or 10 (from a grade-scale of 1-to-10) in all of the ratings that mattered (for PC's, pitching, handling rookies, veterans, players, etc. and the same for HC's except they specialized in obviously hitting). My team was doing very good, our ERA was Top 3 in the league. But when I looked in the player development log, it looked like many of my relievers were losing attributes. Some of them were injured for the year, but also some of them were performing very well yet they were still not progressing. I have Tom Glavine as one leader (rated as '9') and Chipper Jones as the other (rated as '8'). Is it the leaders? Cause of the coaches? What is it? I'm still not sure, so I'm asking if you guys can clue in on this.