How do you handle prospect blocking/oversaturation at a position?

[MrDov]

I recently rebuilt my system, and by following the plan of best player available with every move I made, I ended up with an imbalanced prospect situation. At the ML level, two players who recently lost their rookie eligibility (one a previous top 100 prospect, the other finished 3rd in RoY voting) along with one other solid ML OFer. However the good bad issue I have is I have 4 top 100 OFers that are all ML ready, two of which were good enough to make the opening day lineup but I'm being a greedy GM and manipulating service time. And none of this is mentioning my most recent 2nd overall pick who's also an OF. He'll start in high-A but should be ready to move quick. One of the ML ready guys has the ratings to be a 2B, so that will help a bit, but he'll be lucky to even be an average defensive 2B.

So with my little backstory thing (and sorry if it comes off as a humblebrag), how would you guys handle it? Worth noting I'm probably a season away from trying to make the playoffs so not necessarily in a position yet to cash in prospects for current established MLers just yet. Went from 62-100 -> 72-90 and this season the projection has me at 81-81.

[TuckerDuckson]

To be honest you have a great crop of talent but you kind of rebuilt really poorly you got to have a plan when you move into each season, ask yourself, "what will my biggest need be in 4 years?" "Who was my last 1st round pick(s) and where are they now?" "What will my goals for this season? Will I sell or buy at the deadline?" Questions like these give you an outline of how you can trade/draft talent that you know you will have room for when you get to those years and set yourself up for championships to come.

Drafting makes you think about the future, even though thinking about certain consequences sucks, also I always have my prospects learn other positions in the minors/spring training,so even if your man will be a mediocre defenseman at 2B, pull a Cleveland Indians and demote him to Triple A (like what they did with Lonnie Chisenhall) to get some full time reps at 2B. After doing that his season, have this guy play full time 2B in Spring Training next year.

Another option if you feel like you can compete in the coming year is to trade one of your 4 top 100 OF options and get an elite team need in the offseason like a pitcher or top position player/catcher if you have a super need, trade the player to another rebuilding franchise and take one of their highly paid stars.

Hope this helps

[BBGiovanni]

Well, depending on how you have your talent randomness set, don't count your chickens before they hatch. Those guys in A ball can end up hurt with wasted seasons, or just flame out and never show up. Also, assuming you have multiple minor league levels, just let them advance through the ranks and don't skip them multiple times in a season. In the meantime you can try to get them to develop other positions (as you suggest for the guy with 2B skills).

The good news, also, is that your glut involves 4 outfielders. There are 3 OF positions, and you have 162 (I'll assume here) games. That makes 486 outfielder games to spread around. Rather than going with a straight platoon, mix and match the outfielders so that each one gets playing time. Let's face it, someone will come up hurt now and then, and you will still be playing with a full deck as it were.

The final (obvious) advice is if you have a black hole of a position, you have multiple candidates to swap to fill it. Don't be a prospect hugger!

[Lukas Berger]

Originally Posted by BBGiovanni

Well, depending on how you have your talent randomness set, don't count your chickens before they hatch. Those guys in A ball can end up hurt with wasted seasons, or just flame out and never show up. Also, assuming you have multiple minor league levels, just let them advance through the ranks and don't skip them multiple times in a season. In the meantime you can try to get them to develop other positions (as you suggest for the guy with 2B skills).

The good news, also, is that your glut involves 4 outfielders. There are 3 OF positions, and you have 162 (I'll assume here) games. That makes 486 outfielder games to spread around. Rather than going with a straight platoon, mix and match the outfielders so that each one gets playing time. Let's face it, someone will come up hurt now and then, and you will still be playing with a full deck as it were.

The final (obvious) advice is if you have a black hole of a position, you have multiple candidates to swap to fill it. Don't be a prospect hugger!

Great advice!

Almost exactly what I was just getting ready to type but you're much more succinct and focused than I'd have been

[MrDov]

Originally Posted by TuckerDuckson

To be honest you have a great crop of talent but you kind of rebuilt really poorly you got to have a plan when you move into each season, ask yourself, "what will my biggest need be in 4 years?" "Who was my last 1st round pick(s) and where are they now?" "What will my goals for this season? Will I sell or buy at the deadline?" Questions like these give you an outline of how you can trade/draft talent that you know you will have room for when you get to those years and set yourself up for championships to come.

I honestly built this way because I'm so used to guys flaming out so I just grab best talent I can and see who makes it to the majors. I accumulated so many outfielders expecting a couple to flame out over time, kind of like BBGiovanni mentioned. However that hasn't happened yet which leaves me with this less than ideal situation. Might have to use a couple as trade chips once I'm ready to compete and I figure out my biggest needs.

[MrDov]

Originally Posted by BBGiovanni

Well, depending on how you have your talent randomness set, don't count your chickens before they hatch. Those guys in A ball can end up hurt with wasted seasons, or just flame out and never show up. Also, assuming you have multiple minor league levels, just let them advance through the ranks and don't skip them multiple times in a season. In the meantime you can try to get them to develop other positions (as you suggest for the guy with 2B skills).

The good news, also, is that your glut involves 4 outfielders. There are 3 OF positions, and you have 162 (I'll assume here) games. That makes 486 outfielder games to spread around. Rather than going with a straight platoon, mix and match the outfielders so that each one gets playing time. Let's face it, someone will come up hurt now and then, and you will still be playing with a full deck as it were.

The final (obvious) advice is if you have a black hole of a position, you have multiple candidates to swap to fill it. Don't be a prospect hugger!

I actually am a really bad prospect hugger. I've been burned so many times by guys flaming out that my standard operation procedure is accumulate whatever I can and see who survives a few promotions. This is the first time I haven't been hit by bad luck (yet) which leaves me with too many OFs. TCR is I believe 125ish, and if it's done anything it's actually improved a couple of those guys. But I haven't rushed anyone, but I now find 4 of them at AAA, though one guy is transitioning to 2B so we'll see how that plays out.

[JMDurron]

This is part of why I like to play with Draft Pick trades enabled. If I get a prospect glut at a certain position, and don't have an obvious need at the MLB level to trade for, I can trade off the excess prospects for draft picks to help re-stock the system.

[ThePretender]

Originally Posted by TuckerDuckson

To be honest you have a great crop of talent but you kind of rebuilt really poorly you got to have a plan when you move into each season, ask yourself, "what will my biggest need be in 4 years?" "Who was my last 1st round pick(s) and where are they now?" "What will my goals for this season? Will I sell or buy at the deadline?" Questions like these give you an outline of how you can trade/draft talent that you know you will have room for when you get to those years and set yourself up for championships to come.

Sorry but this is the wrong advice to give. He did the right thing by going BPA, and he'll be thanking himself that he did this down the line. As others have said, prospects decline so it's no guarantee the others fill out, and if they don't, he can use them as trade chips to get the pieces he wants. He can always use an extra OF at 1B or DH if they're not defensive studs, or he can trade them to fill out other needs.

While it's a good idea to think what needs you'll have in 4 needs, going away from BPA will screw you over. If you think "Hey, I need a SS so I'll take this guy in the draft", you're likely doing this at the expense of taking the more talented guy. And the problem with this, is that you're limiting your options. He might have been able to trade the "superior" draftee to a team who had a better SS available, but by settling for a SS in the draft you won't pull the trigger on the trade.

It's much better to have a situation where you have too many good players, then to be locked into lesser players because you needed a SS. You can always find a player when you're ready to compete, rebuilding is about acquiring the best talent and using that talent to either form your core, or as chips to acquire the pieces you need.

Drafting makes you think about the future, even though thinking about certain consequences sucks, also I always have my prospects learn other positions in the minors/spring training,so even if your man will be a mediocre defenseman at 2B, pull a Cleveland Indians and demote him to Triple A (like what they did with Lonnie Chisenhall) to get some full time reps at 2B. After doing that his season, have this guy play full time 2B in Spring Training next year.

If a guy is gonna be a lousy defender then he's not necessarily a better option than trading for someone. And this strategy takes an extra year to do, if you don't start it right from the beginning.

Another option if you feel like you can compete in the coming year is to trade one of your 4 top 100 OF options and get an elite team need in the offseason like a pitcher or top position player/catcher if you have a super need, trade the player to another rebuilding franchise and take one of their highly paid stars.

No, you don't trade your top specs for highly paid stars. You get them in salary dumps. But the other idea in trading his extra OF for a piece he needs is right.

Alternatively, you look around the minors for similarly talented prospects at a position you need, and swap the OF for a bat at another position or a SP. When I find myself having too much of one position, I'll trade one of my prospects for a similar or better talented player at another position.

[TribeFanInNC]

Originally Posted by BBGiovanni

Don't be a prospect hugger!

This is a pretty good lesson for OOTP in general.

[jpeters1734]

Originally Posted by TribeFanInNC

This is a pretty good lesson for OOTP in general.

Agreed

[TuckerDuckson]

Originally Posted by ThePretender

Sorry but this is the wrong advice to give. He did the right thing by going BPA, and he'll be thanking himself that he did this down the line. As others have said, prospects decline so it's no guarantee the others fill out, and if they don't, he can use them as trade chips to get the pieces he wants. He can always use an extra OF at 1B or DH if they're not defensive studs, or he can trade them to fill out other needs.

While it's a good idea to think what needs you'll have in 4 needs, going away from BPA will screw you over. If you think "Hey, I need a SS so I'll take this guy in the draft", you're likely doing this at the expense of taking the more talented guy. And the problem with this, is that you're limiting your options. He might have been able to trade the "superior" draftee to a team who had a better SS available, but by settling for a SS in the draft you won't pull the trigger on the trade.

It's much better to have a situation where you have too many good players, then to be locked into lesser players because you needed a SS. You can always find a player when you're ready to compete, rebuilding is about acquiring the best talent and using that talent to either form your core, or as chips to acquire the pieces you need.



If a guy is gonna be a lousy defender then he's not necessarily a better option than trading for someone. And this strategy takes an extra year to do, if you don't start it right from the beginning.



No, you don't trade your top specs for highly paid stars. You get them in salary dumps. But the other idea in trading his extra OF for a piece he needs is right.

Alternatively, you look around the minors for similarly talented prospects at a position you need, and swap the OF for a bat at another position or a SP. When I find myself having too much of one position, I'll trade one of my prospects for a similar or better talented player at another position.

I think you might be overreaching what I'm saying

Honestly don't know what BPA is, it may be a simple acronym that I'm just missing, but what I'm saying, is you need a plan when your drafting, you should make a plan like many real life baseball teams do, no team goes into a draft blind, they have a plan, and I'm saying if there is a "can't miss" prospect, or a blue chip potential then you take that guy, you don't hand cuff yourself like that.

Also for the player being a poor defender, at least he will have versatility which is always important for a player to have, the more positions a player can play the better, it's a simple fact really.

Also it happens all the time where top prospects are parlayed into highly paid stars, the trade for Chris Sale that was pondered but never got off the ground had a discussion with at least 2 top prospects, yes you can get them cheaper in salary dumps, but at the deadline prospects are dropped for talent, higher paid talent, rarely are high prospects swapped for high prospects unless super talent is going in either way

[JMDurron]

BPA stands for "Best Player Available" in this context.