THE GREAT CHALLENGE OF MINOR LEAGUE PROGRESSION IN A STATS ONLY ENVIRONMENT
I have written a fair bit in this thread about how much more I enjoy stats-only as the format for an online league compared to ratings being visible. Without the ratings and/or stars to guide you it provides a lot of challenges you just don't get in a league with ratings. In the next several paragraphs I will touch on my strategy (and as always welcome any advice or feedback from you) and challenges faced in promoting within the minor league levels.
I think I have a really good problem right now in Brooklyn with a wealth of young prospects putting up some very good numbers at each level. This has created some real log-jams for me at several positions. I am going to touch on one of them here.
Let's start with Third Base in my organization. It has been a problem spot for the Kings since I took over in 1925 when I had a fading veteran by the name of Glenn Mowles playing the position. I made it a priority in the draft as I felt at the time I did not have a future star there. I drafted a great young high school 3B in Dave Bristol but had to deal him to close the deal that brought first overall pick Pitcher Tommy Wilcox to Brooklyn over the winter. Bristol is still young and in the minors with his new club (Washington) but it turns out, although I did not really know it until this season, I had my 3B of the future in the organization all along.
Phil Long was taken in the 24th round of the 1923 draft out of high school just before human GMs took over with the 1925 draft. He took a while to develop but hit well, and played solid defense, between AA and AAA a year ago earning a September call-up to Brooklyn. In 25 games Long acquainted himself well and then followed it up with a great spring. My plan was to convert catcher
Mickey Dowell to third base and use Long as a defensive replacement but Long has been terrific (.300/.348/.504) at the plate and provides slightly above average defense so I think the 24 year old is here to stay.
That does create a problem down the chain for me, beginning with Dowell who I just have nowhere to play despite his .308 career average including .311 this year. The 28 year old was forced out of the catching job because of 23 year old star
Mike Taylor (.336/.396/.546). Another option was to move Taylor or Dowell to 1B but there is a bunchup of talent there with 24 year old
Gus Powell (.263/.332/.498 and 18 homers in 82 games) and others from the OF needing at bats at first. I can't move Powell to the OF because of all the young talent I have there as well. I really have logjams of young talent everywhere except the middle infield positions but let's get back to the third base options. (of course the big challenge in stats only is will that talent continue to perform as it advances thru each level of my system)
Just behind Long at AAA I have 24 year old
Glen Townsend. An 11th round pick out of Whitney College in 1926, Townsend split last season between AA and AAA and as spent all of this year in AAA Rochester where he is slashing .340/.445/.519 but only had a chance to play in 58 games so far. I don't put a ton of weight in my scouts opinion but Scouting Director Rube Carter loves Townsend just as much as he does Long. Townsend has also provided slightly above average defense throughout his brief pro career.
I also just moved 24 year old
Babe Boley from AAA to AAA. The 1926 7th round pick from Frankford State didn't get a lot of opportunity to play in either 1927 or 1928 so he started the year as the number one guy in Class A Omaha. In 20 games he hit 7 homers, batted .403 with an .821 slugging percentage so he was promoted to AA Knoxville where his numbers (.324/.392/.471) were still impressive. A much smaller career sample size but his defense was also more than acceptable.
In AA I have 3 guys with the one I like the best being another 24 year old in
Ray Oldham. He was originally an 18th round pick of Baltimore but did not sign with them and was not taken the following year (1923) so I signed him as a free agent to fill out my minor league depth chart in 1925. He struggled for a couple of years in A ball, but played very good defense so I kept him around. This year I stuck him in AAA just to be a back-up but eventually dropped him to AA to get some at bats and he has been terrific slashing .353/.380/.504 in 42 AA games. With Oldham I also have 27 year old
Rolla Alexander in Knoxville. If you scroll back to the first few pages of this dynasty you will see his name as Alexander came up with Doug Lightbody in 1926 and got off to a great start for the Kings. It was the best month or two of his career and after he tailed off he went to the bench and then spent the past two seasons in the minors. This year he is adequate at AA but has been waived off of my 40 man roster and really has no future with the Kings. The final guy on the AA roster is not worth mentioning. Just a depth filler.
So for AAA and AA I really have 3 guys needing playing time at 3B.
Now down to Class A Omaha where I have one main prospect in
Buck Sargent. I took him in the third round out of high school with the thinking he (along with the now-traded Dave Bristol) would battle to be my third baseman of the future. Sargent is still just 21 years old and struggled at A ball last year. This season I actually started him in Class B Tampa but he hit very well so was moved up to Omaha early. He is slashing .363/.469/.661 for the Cowboys in 74 games. Another nice wrinkle in stats only is the Western League, in which Omaha plays, is a new league and has 5 independent teams just added to it along with 3 FABL affiliated clubs. Omaha is dominating the league so all stats need to be taken with that in mind but still seeing 25 homers in 74 games makes me have some confidence in Sargent's future. His defense is very good as well, plus Rube Carter feels he can be a cornerstone player at third. I want to get him some AA at bats but then what do I do with Oldham?
I have several guys in Class B and C that are struggling right now but could easily be the next guy to breakout like Sargent did this year with the most obvious candidate being 18 year old rookie pro
Milt Butler, who was my 9th round pick in the winter draft. Butler is overmatched at the plate right now but my scout has some hope for him.
Now third base is much less crowded then the depth chart battles I have in the OF, behind the plate and at 1B, but it is a fun challenge to slot all of these guys. I have tried to follow a progression for guys and placing a lot higher value on those who have success at a level above I would expect for their age. Class B and C are primarily 18-20 year old for me, Class A is 20-22, AA the 23-25 year old guys and AAA is just a catch all of top prospects along with vets that just don't quite make my big league team. I also try to amass several options at each position just in case guys happen to be having their peak year and will level off (as Rolla Alexander did in a third of a season in Brooklyn a couple of years back but has done nothing since)
Being forced to look at the stats and follow progression(and regression) of prospects adds so much more to the game then just looking at current and potential ratings. I know every player in my system by name and a good chunk of the recent draft picks on other teams because of it. That is unique for me in the stats-only league FABL provides. I am in one other league with full minors- historical not fictional and with ratings displayed. I have no idea who 90% of my minor leaguers are in that league, nor do I care because I can tell immediately by their ratings they will never contribute to my MLB team. I still enjoy that league for the historical aspect but it does not compare to this one for getting me immersed in the league.
So I might have mentioned it several times in this thread already but if you have enjoyed following this and think a stats only online league would be fun to try, get on the waiting list. It really gets you hooked once you get a chance. Just look at all of the other dynasty threads on the FABL (Figment Universe) if you need proof.
And if you know how I can solve my depth chart challenges without giving away prime talent please let me know.