Player Ratings Crashing

[ovccsteve]

I haven't been on the board for a while, so I'm sorry if this has been addressed. I'm noticing an alarming number of players who go from All-Star to washed up in one or two seasons. One was Pitcher of the Year in 2023 at age 24, and by opening Day 2026 he was DFI. No injuries occurred, he just crashed. He's far from alone. All-Star batters drop out of sight, both older (possibly to be expected) and guys who should only be approaching their primes. I just updated to 9.1.6 so I'm hoping it was addressed there, but I wanted to check. Thanks.

[SittingDuck]

How about some feedback on what your Talent Change Modifier is set at?

[ovccsteve]

Originally Posted by SittingDuck

How about some feedback on what your Talent Change Modifier is set at?

I think it's just the default. Aging and Development speeds are 1.000 and Talent Change Randomness is at 100 (average).

[ovccsteve]

Originally Posted by SittingDuck

How about some feedback on what your Talent Change Modifier is set at?

I think it's just the default. Aging and Development speeds are 1.000 and Talent Change Randomness is at 100 (average).

[Antonin]

I was wondering about this as well.

[Bobble]

There are several thread around about how player development "is not right". It's kind of a hot button around here. If you look at it league-wide, the development of players over time is close to MLB. However, many feel (as do I) that many players are individually treated too harshly to make that average work out.

I just had my star 1st baseman, humming along at the ripe young age of 33, take a serious ratings dump and now is a mediocre player at best. I'm all for experiencing the bittersweet decline of a favorite player's career but when he goes from rock star to rock pile in a couple of days, that's not cool.

[Markus Heinsohn]

Originally Posted by Bobble

but when he goes from rock star to rock pile in a couple of days, that's not cool.

This does not happen in OOTP 9, it takes a while until the ratings change... also, the number of unexpected drops (without injury) have been significantly reduced in OOTP 9 compared to previous versions. It is totally realistic now when I look at my research and tests

[Markus Heinsohn]

Originally Posted by ovccsteve

One was Pitcher of the Year in 2023 at age 24, and by opening Day 2026 he was DFI. No injuries occurred, he just crashed.

Zito?

[ovccsteve]

Originally Posted by Bobble

There are several thread around about how player development "is not right". It's kind of a hot button around here. If you look at it league-wide, the development of players over time is close to MLB. However, many feel (as do I) that many players are individually treated too harshly to make that average work out.

I just had my star 1st baseman, humming along at the ripe young age of 33, take a serious ratings dump and now is a mediocre player at best. I'm all for experiencing the bittersweet decline of a favorite player's career but when he goes from rock star to rock pile in a couple of days, that's not cool.

It's causing me serious guilt issues. Every time I trade away a very good, young player (70+ on an 80 scale), it seems two years after having an all-star season for me he's hitting .214 for somebody else. During a recent semi-dynasty (I get bored and move to a bad team before establishing true dynasties) I had a young, dream OF with potential stars on the bench fighting for playing time and more guys in the pipeline. Almost all of them had all-star seasons. Over half were washed up by their 26th birthdays.

It's happening to pitchers, too. I mean, a 24-year-old Most Valuable Pitcher two years ago is now the fifth starter on his AAA club with no injuries, no arm overwork, nothing. Teams are stuck with 30-year-old pitchers, signed to long-term contracts, who can't even hold their own in AAA.

In the real world, Claudell Washington (who had his best year at age 20) is an extreme fluke. One-year-wonders like Joe Charboneau (showing my age here) happen. But when a guy is on the radar for years, follows a normal development track, spends a year or two as a star, then rapidly falls off the table, well, I'm having trouble coming up with fictional narrative excuses to explain it away.

Okay, love the game. Been playing since 6.5 (maybe before). But this is driving me crazy and taking a lot of enjoyment out of the game.

[ovccsteve]

Originally Posted by Markus Heinsohn

Zito?

I know you're kidding, but Zito pitched 200+ innings for six straight years, then crashed on schedule at ages 29-30. An almost predictable career path. (Too bad for Giants fans their management hasn't learned that trick.)

I think I'm going to send in six or seven of the players I'm talking about, all same team, all same timeframe. Here is the Pitcher of the Year, followed by another member of the rotation...

[ovccsteve]

Okay, pitchers fall off the table. What about these four outfielders. Same organization, same time frame. (And this doesn't count the ones who just had one good season and dropped to just below average.) The first guy was consistently ranked a top 5 prospect, often #1. The other two were never far behind...

Okay, vent over. Still a great game. Still a fan.

[Bobble]

Originally Posted by Markus Heinsohn

This does not happen in OOTP 9, it takes a while until the ratings change... also, the number of unexpected drops (without injury) have been significantly reduced in OOTP 9 compared to previous versions. It is totally realistic now when I look at my research and tests

In "a couple of days"? No, it doesn't happen that fast but it feels like it. I'm not checking the guy's rating often. He's good, he's young(ish), he's uninjured, he should be fine. But he's not. His ratings just crashed.

[Bobble]

Originally Posted by ovccsteve

It's causing me serious guilt issues. Every time I trade away a very good, young player (70+ on an 80 scale), it seems two years after having an all-star season for me he's hitting .214 for somebody else. During a recent semi-dynasty (I get bored and move to a bad team before establishing true dynasties) I had a young, dream OF with potential stars on the bench fighting for playing time and more guys in the pipeline. Almost all of them had all-star seasons. Over half were washed up by their 26th birthdays.

It's happening to pitchers, too. I mean, a 24-year-old Most Valuable Pitcher two years ago is now the fifth starter on his AAA club with no injuries, no arm overwork, nothing. Teams are stuck with 30-year-old pitchers, signed to long-term contracts, who can't even hold their own in AAA.

In the real world, Claudell Washington (who had his best year at age 20) is an extreme fluke. One-year-wonders like Joe Charboneau (showing my age here) happen. But when a guy is on the radar for years, follows a normal development track, spends a year or two as a star, then rapidly falls off the table, well, I'm having trouble coming up with fictional narrative excuses to explain it away.

Okay, love the game. Been playing since 6.5 (maybe before). But this is driving me crazy and taking a lot of enjoyment out of the game.

This is about where I am as well. Love the game, having a hard time rationalizing away so many young stars tanking.

[SittingDuck]

OK, I would really just suggest dropping the Talent Change Modifier down to about 50 or so. That makes a talent change (good or bad) a 25% probability as opposed to a 50% one. Try that and see if it is better for you.