Scouting Director Preference: Ability or Tools?

[Situational_Lefty]

I was just wondering what some of you all prefer in regards to your scout preference. I can see plus in minus for both ability and tools.

[Brad K]

There are a few around rated neutral and I try to hire one of those. Partly because I don't understand the difference between tools and ability. From what I can tell an ability guy produces and a tool guy should produce but doesn't.

[Situational_Lefty]

I think with tools it is more focused on raw talent, so you are going to have more busts, but also more chances for phenoms. While ability is more reserved in its evaluations of players.

[CBeisbol]

From the manual

The Scouting Director's preference when it comes to projecting the future potential of players. The projection attribute has five settings: Highly Favor Ability, Favor Ability, Neutral, Favor Tools, and Highly Favor Tools. A Scouting Director that favors ability will base players' potential ratings on what the player can already do and project what he thinks the player will become in the future. The director that favors tools will base the players' potential ratings on the maximum peak the player could achieve. In theory, a scout that favors tools will find more superstars, while a scout that favors ability will find more serviceable major league players

https://manuals.ootpdevelopments.com....team_scouting

[Situational_Lefty]

Originally Posted by CBeisbol

From the manual

https://manuals.ootpdevelopments.com....team_scouting

Yep, I understand the differences. I was just curious what some of you all preferred.

[Juggernt]

Tools. It's harder to trade for superstars than serviceable players.

[ThePride87]

Neutral....but if you forced me to choose, tools....I'd rather take more shots at the superstars rather than focus on a balanced, unspectacular team. It's my belief neutral is best because it removes bias from my scout's ratings....I want his ratings to be as normal as possible.

[Situational_Lefty]

Neutral makes sense if you want to kind of hedge your bets. I can see it also depending on what type of team you are managing. For instance, if you are a rebuilding team with little to no talent, ability might be more likely to get some decent players without as much of a risk as big draft busts. But if you already have a somewhat solid team, you might be more willing to risk looking for toolsy players, hoping to luck into that next phenom.

[ThePretender]

I didn't play scouting leagues much but my teams did a hell of a lot better with tools.

[TNCubsFan]

For building a franchise, its "tools". Yes I may have a wiff or two, but shooting tor the stars and getting the moon still gives you something solid.
Maintaining a franchise its "ability". Fill the pipeline with solid ML prospects and keep the pipeline primed.

[Brad K]

I play with historical rookies to their original team. I guess I should hire a scout who likes ability since the issues are who to play and who to trade for.

[Brad K]

Really, I don't get it. How do you know a guy has the tools to do something if he isn't doing it? Why would you turn down a guy who from a tool basis shouldn't be able to do what he's doing?

So you have some short skinny guy hitting home runs. No tools for him to do it but he does. The tool scout doesn't like him even though he's doing the job. Then you have some tall weight lifter who hits to the warning track. He doesn't do the job but the tool scout likes him. WHAT?!?!?!?

[Brad K]

"You're talking this good body nonsense like we're selling jeans. Like we're looking for Fabio."