Scouting in online leagues?

[robster1225]

Just wondering how many leagues use the OOTP 2006 scouting system, and if you don't, why not?

I have plans to start an online league, but not for a while.
So I want to make sure I get things right.

So, scouting or not?

[sporr]

Personally, I don't like scouting the way it is implemented. Take two brilliantly rated scouts and have them look at the amateur draft, for example. They might have wildly different ideas about each player. And if 2 brilliant scouts have such conflicting viewpoints, just think of lesser scouts. If even a brilliant scout can be that far off (they can't both be right), then what is the value of spending the money to hire one?

On top of that, the timeframes for scouting aren't conducive to online league timeframes.

I certainly don't have all of the answers, and I'm sure there will be leagues that will use scouting, maybe even successfully. However, the rewards compared to the time involved and the payoff don't seem to quite line up.

[robster1225]

I tend to lean toward that line of thinking.
Although, if the scouting feature can be perfected, I think it has potential to be good for online leagues. The "human error" factor is something I like, and makes it more realistic.

[robster1225]

Does anyone else have an opinion on this?

[Stu]

Originally Posted by robster1225

Does anyone else have an opinion on this?

I don't have enough experience with scouts to give my opinion, but I have a few thoughts. As you know, we'll be turning them on in the BLB after this season. A few reason why we made this decision:
- Makes the amateur draft, free agent signings and trades a lot more interesting. In our first year, we found that the amateur draft was very boring because it was usually a no brainer who should be picked.
- Forces people to participate more regularly. If you arent putting your scouts to work, you'll be at a disadvantage.

Possible Negatives:
- Lack of a queue could waste a lot of scouts time. If they finish their task in the middle of a sim, they'll be sitting idle until the end of the sim.
- Could lose owners who get overwhelmed.
- Like Sporr said, the difference in opinion between high rated scouts is a concern.

[robster1225]

I think it will definetely make it interesting. And maybe the difference in opinion of high rated scouts is on purpose. Human error and judgement is a hard thing to add to a game, but I think they are close with OOTP.

[Stu]

Originally Posted by robster1225

I think it will definetely make it interesting. And maybe the difference in opinion of high rated scouts is on purpose. Human error and judgement is a hard thing to add to a game, but I think they are close with OOTP.

I agree. Let's remember that scouting in baseball is probably the most inprecise and least successful out of all the major sports.

For our league, I like the idea on relying on a combination of stats and ratings that scouts give me. It makes it way too easy when all your owners see the players actual ratings.