Who are your late bloomers?

[fintach]

From a lot of comments I've seen around the boards, I get a sense that the common view is that a prospect who isn't living up to his potential by 25 or so never will.

So I'm curious - has anyone ever seen an exception? Has any of you ever had a late bloomer, maybe someone 28-32 who finally had an epiphany and started playing the way you always hoped he would?

[Who Killed Kenny?]

Well I saw a guy once win AAA Outstanding Batter when he was 24. However when he came up to my major league team he stunk. A couple years later, after I traded him away, he hit 40 homeruns at the age 28. He ended up signing a big free agent deal with a bad team and went down to 30 homeruns that following year. However within a couple years, at the age of 34 he was done. Now I don't know if he was a late bloomer, a PED user, or had a couple fluke years, but it was interesting to follow.

[Daern]

I had an all-star 3rd baseman who blocked a former 'spect at the position for around 5 years. When he finally left via free agency, the prospect was 27 years old with no MLB experience. I called him up, and in his 1st 3 seasons he averaged 60 VORP.

[JJ Boston]

Alex Gordon (26 years) wasn't even good enough to stay in the majors for me in 2010. He got another chance the next year because of an injury and stuck around only because I didn't have any better options. Then he exploded and became a team MVP with amazing power, amazing contact and amazing fielding. Hopefully,this can happen to the real Alex Gordon too.

[MattT516]

Originally Posted by JJ Boston

Alex Gordon (26 years) wasn't even good enough to stay in the majors for me in 2010. He got another chance the next year because of an injury and stuck around only because I didn't have any better options. Then he exploded and became a team MVP with amazing power, amazing contact and amazing fielding. Hopefully,this can happen to the real Alex Gordon too.

For some reason, I think that Gordon would have to be given a chance in the majors in order for this to happen to him. Oh wait, they finally brought him back to the majors after raking in AAA!

[mikestack]

I had a catcher tossing around the low levels of my farm system for years, I remembered him as special because when I drafted him, his name was "John McS", which I changed to "McCoy" since the "McS" just looked odd. College player, 22 years old, took him in the 28th or 29th round.

He spent two years in rookie ball, and a year in short season, followed by 4 years in single A. He seemed to either be on the DL or producing as a solid but unspectacular backup catcher.

So now we're in going into his age 30 season, I'm balancing my farm system and see him listed as "Ready for AA" in the report, so I promote him.

He's listed as "Ready for AAA". No way, I promote him again.

Now he's listed as "Ready for Major Leagues", but I've got a great catcher and a converted reliever serving as my backup (only time I've ever executed a position change successfully), so we're looking pretty good and I leave him in AAA.

Early May, my catcher suffers a two month injury, I bring him up, suddenly he's being scouted as a 4 1/2 star player, I initially platooned him with my backup, but he was remarkable, in 40 games hitting around .250 with a dozen home runs. When my incumbent (under contract for four years and a perennial All-Star) returned, I ended up carrying three catchers until the All-Star break, when I dealt McCoy for a single A catching prospect who flamed out, a relief pitching prospect who turned into my closer a couple years later and a left-handed major league bullpen arm.

McCoy had 4 or 5 years in the 30-40 home run range before he took a hard turn into irrelevance, I ended up signing him as a free agent for league minimum years later where he fell short competing for my backup catcher job and ended up as the backup in my AAA club for a year. Lost track of him after that.

[Left-handed Badger]

Originally Posted by Daern

I had an all-star 3rd baseman who blocked a former 'spect at the position for around 5 years. When he finally left via free agency, the prospect was 27 years old with no MLB experience. I called him up, and in his 1st 3 seasons he averaged 60 VORP.

Well, I just picked up a 26 year old 1B sort of like that. For some reason the team that I got him from (Cin) was reluctant to bring him up. Despite the fact in 3 seasons stuck at AAA his BA was .337, .354, .320. Not many homers but in the 3 seasons it went from 9 to 13 to 16. But the most interesting stat is the second AAA season he had 57 doubles.

He'll be my left-handed half of 1B platoon for now. And probably bat 5th.

Note: Well, he had 2 career ABs, but I think I can still consider that rookie.

[Left-handed Badger]

Originally Posted by MattT516

For some reason, I think that Gordon would have to be given a chance in the majors in order for this to happen to him. Oh wait, they finally brought him back to the majors after raking in AAA!

Yeah, KC doesnt know what to do with him do they. He was stinking up the place in his rookie season at around .180 for about 2 and half months, and they mysteriously refuse to send him down no matter what.

[Left-handed Badger]

Originally Posted by mikestack

I had a catcher tossing around the low levels of my farm system for years, I remembered him as special because when I drafted him, his name was "John McS", which I changed to "McCoy" since the "McS" just looked odd. College player, 22 years old, took him in the 28th or 29th round.

He spent two years in rookie ball, and a year in short season, followed by 4 years in single A. He seemed to either be on the DL or producing as a solid but unspectacular backup catcher.

So now we're in going into his age 30 season, I'm balancing my farm system and see him listed as "Ready for AA" in the report, so I promote him.

He's listed as "Ready for AAA". No way, I promote him again.

Now he's listed as "Ready for Major Leagues", but I've got a great catcher and a converted reliever serving as my backup (only time I've ever executed a position change successfully), so we're looking pretty good and I leave him in AAA.

Early May, my catcher suffers a two month injury, I bring him up, suddenly he's being scouted as a 4 1/2 star player, I initially platooned him with my backup, but he was remarkable, in 40 games hitting around .250 with a dozen home runs. When my incumbent (under contract for four years and a perennial All-Star) returned, I ended up carrying three catchers until the All-Star break, when I dealt McCoy for a single A catching prospect who flamed out, a relief pitching prospect who turned into my closer a couple years later and a left-handed major league bullpen arm.

McCoy had 4 or 5 years in the 30-40 home run range before he took a hard turn into irrelevance, I ended up signing him as a free agent for league minimum years later where he fell short competing for my backup catcher job and ended up as the backup in my AAA club for a year. Lost track of him after that.

This guy would be perfect as a backup catcher for a fictional team I am in the process of creating. (Provided you dont mind me recreating him) Do you remember some of the biographical stuff (particularly Throws: Bats: Ht: Wt

Just as long as you dont mind me giving him the nickname "Bones".

[wpfossil]

Does anyone know if the star rating for potential ever changes for a player?

[GEP]

Originally Posted by wpfossil

Does anyone know if the star rating for potential ever changes for a player?

Yes.

[mikestack]

Originally Posted by Left-handed Badger

This guy would be perfect as a backup catcher for a fictional team I am in the process of creating. (Provided you dont mind me recreating him) Do you remember some of the biographical stuff (particularly Throws: Bats: Ht: Wt

Just as long as you dont mind me giving him the nickname "Bones".

I looked him up, righty/righty, 6'1", 170, born in Newark, NJ, attended St. John's in New York (though I've never seen a way to force colleges...).

[Malleus Dei]

I had a 30yo backup utility IF get super hot, beat out my starting 2B in Spring Training, go on to lead in the league in BA and win the MVP, and then totally flame out afterward.

[tylertoo]

As a relative newcomer who is still trying to grasp the development of players in OOTP, this is a helpful (and eye-opening) thread.

Just last night I was looking at my draftees in a fictional online league that I'm in now for 4 in-game seasons. So I have three seasons of draftees in my farm, and I was studying how the top three picks from each season -- nine players in all -- are developing. And I realized for six of them, their current talent seems be stagnant (not developing) while potential is dropping. The other three are developing nicely, moving upward in my system (3 levels of minors) each year.

So with regards to those who are not developing, I wonder if promoting more aggressively would have helped their development. Most haven't gone beyond single-A, and these are guys who were high draft picks two and three years out.

In other words, do I need to be pushing them, or waiting for them, perhaps in vain, to develop?

[Curve Ball Dave]

Originally Posted by wpfossil

Does anyone know if the star rating for potential ever changes for a player?

You bet it does. A guy who I drafted in the 14th round was a one star player for his first few seasons in the low minors. When he got to AA he became a 5 star prospect and he's lived up to his billing as an excellent hitter (his power is not fully developed but that's ok) and one of the best defensive left fielders in the game.

[Malleus Dei]

Back before I went stats-only I threw in a one-star ordinary-looking prospect on a trade who then proceeded to become a consistent All-Star. That left a mark.

[Left-handed Badger]

Originally Posted by mikestack

I looked him up, righty/righty, 6'1", 170, born in Newark, NJ, attended St. John's in New York (though I've never seen a way to force colleges...).

Thanks, 6"1 170? Yeah, "Bones" would be a proper nickname in more ways than one. (Didnt think about college, I usually dont pay much attention to colleges in the game anyway).

[Left-handed Badger]

Originally Posted by tylertoo

As a relative newcomer who is still trying to grasp the development of players in OOTP, this is a helpful (and eye-opening) thread.

Just last night I was looking at my draftees in a fictional online league that I'm in now for 4 in-game seasons. So I have three seasons of draftees in my farm, and I was studying how the top three picks from each season -- nine players in all -- are developing. And I realized for six of them, their current talent seems be stagnant (not developing) while potential is dropping. The other three are developing nicely, moving upward in my system (3 levels of minors) each year.

So with regards to those who are not developing, I wonder if promoting more aggressively would have helped their development. Most haven't gone beyond single-A, and these are guys who were high draft picks two and three years out.

In other words, do I need to be pushing them, or waiting for them, perhaps in vain, to develop?

Been playing for years and I'd still like to know about that with pitchers. I've gotten better, but I still have the habit of labeling most of my top pitching prospects as great trade bait with an eye of doing it before they go south. I do alright with aquiring young pitchers who are ready for AAA or majors from other teams in trades. But, building a pitcher from scratch is near impossible. In the old OOTPs it seemed I needed 8-10 years to develop a pitcher to major league ready. (2 years at every level essentially, though maybe since I just go with AAA,AA,A, and Rookie, maybe I screw things up)

[fspikec]

Originally Posted by Left-handed Badger

Been playing for years and I'd still like to know about that with pitchers. I've gotten better, but I still have the habit of labeling most of my top pitching prospects as great trade bait with an eye of doing it before they go south. I do alright with aquiring young pitchers who are ready for AAA or majors from other teams in trades. But, building a pitcher from scratch is near impossible. In the old OOTPs it seemed I needed 8-10 years to develop a pitcher to major league ready. (2 years at every level essentially, though maybe since I just go with AAA,AA,A, and Rookie, maybe I screw things up)

I believe there is something off in the process. For instance, I had a bad season in my stats only fictional league, I didn't do so well and ended up with 4th pick in the draft. With that, I selected a promising 18 year old starter.

He had kind of rocky start in the minors and minor league report kept saying he wasn't ready for level he was playing at. After a couple years, I got impatient as most of my starters at the time were aging and asking for A-Rod size contracts.

So I started forcing the issue and bumping him up, regardless of what the minor league managers were saying. Best decision I ever made.



So far, it seems like I can't trust the minor league managers to do anything. I currently only let them setup line ups, depth charts, and rotations, but I'm revoking that soon.

[Left-handed Badger]

Yeah, those stats look similar the 2 year thing was he'd have his first year at about 5.00+ than have a good year. Then move him up and continue.

It always frustrated me because I would do what you would normally think is the proper real life way of doing it. While the top prospects on computer teams would bounce around like ping pong balls and somehow develop. (I saw one in a single season go from AA to majors to AAA to majors to AAA to AA to majors)

I have had my guys do better in this version. Though, from past experience I generally wont draft a pitcher in the first round unless I think he will at least be ready for AA.