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Rex Dart · 11-06-2013, 08:41 AM

I just started playing the game, and am starting to think I don't understand player development as well as I thought I did. I think I understand the basics of how players can change with time, but not what all the practical implications are.

A couple scenarios in particular have me puzzled:
1. Let's say I have a 20 year old SP with a one-star or 1/2 star "Current" rating, but a 5-star "potential" rating. What's the best way to get his current performance up to its potential level? Is it best to put him in the minors and hope he develops, or to throw him into the starting rotation and hope for the best? The minor league solution "feels" right in real-life terms, but I haven't had awful results (though not great results either) with the "throw him to the wolves" solution, even though the pitcher's "current" rating never moves.

And how do the pitcher ratings (Stuff, etc.) enter in? I'm starting to get the feeling that I'm underestimating the value of 1/1 star-rated players who have good ratings, given that "potential" is something that can go up and down too.

2. On the other side of things, I was playing a historical league as the 1985 Toronto Blue Jays. Both my veteran ace, Dave Stieb, and acquisition Bud (still known as "Buddy" in the 1985 database) Black had serious (2-4 month) injuries during the season.

Both had current/potential ratings in the 4-5 star range, but with each of them, when they came back, the star ratings were basically cut in half.

This represents, I think, "permanent" damage, and since both pitchers are over 27, that the possibility of them "getting back to their old selves" is essentially zero? (At first I thought the reduction might just be some sort of "they need some rehab/recovery time, then they'll be fine," but after a little more experience with the game, I think not.)

I seem to get a ton of injuries in general - is there something I'm not doing, but should be doing to mitigate injury risk? Is it wise to put pitch counts on all pitchers, or maybe to give "scheduled" days off to position players instead of just going with "use the backup when he's tired" lineup option?

11-06-2013, 08:41 AM	#1
Rex Dart Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: Nov 2013 Posts: 36	Player Development I just started playing the game, and am starting to think I don't understand player development as well as I thought I did. I think I understand the basics of how players can change with time, but not what all the practical implications are. A couple scenarios in particular have me puzzled: 1. Let's say I have a 20 year old SP with a one-star or 1/2 star "Current" rating, but a 5-star "potential" rating. What's the best way to get his current performance up to its potential level? Is it best to put him in the minors and hope he develops, or to throw him into the starting rotation and hope for the best? The minor league solution "feels" right in real-life terms, but I haven't had awful results (though not great results either) with the "throw him to the wolves" solution, even though the pitcher's "current" rating never moves. And how do the pitcher ratings (Stuff, etc.) enter in? I'm starting to get the feeling that I'm underestimating the value of 1/1 star-rated players who have good ratings, given that "potential" is something that can go up and down too. 2. On the other side of things, I was playing a historical league as the 1985 Toronto Blue Jays. Both my veteran ace, Dave Stieb, and acquisition Bud (still known as "Buddy" in the 1985 database) Black had serious (2-4 month) injuries during the season. Both had current/potential ratings in the 4-5 star range, but with each of them, when they came back, the star ratings were basically cut in half. This represents, I think, "permanent" damage, and since both pitchers are over 27, that the possibility of them "getting back to their old selves" is essentially zero? (At first I thought the reduction might just be some sort of "they need some rehab/recovery time, then they'll be fine," but after a little more experience with the game, I think not.) I seem to get a ton of injuries in general - is there something I'm not doing, but should be doing to mitigate injury risk? Is it wise to put pitch counts on all pitchers, or maybe to give "scheduled" days off to position players instead of just going with "use the backup when he's tired" lineup option?