Pros & Cons of Feeders

PSUColonel · 01-21-2017, 10:42 AM

I am considering adding college & HS feeders to my league, however I would first like to get a good list of pros & cons so I can make a more informed decision. I have always used the "generated" players, but am now wondering if feeders would be a much better option.

I would specifically like to know how feeders affect the talent distribution of a league (too many elevated talent players or not enough), and weather having too many HS vs college, or too many college vs. HS players could potentially be an issue also?

Anything else that comes to peoples' minds' would also be very helpful.

EDIT:

I am using a 40 round draft for a standard MLB setup. The default is 35...but a handful of teams do have 8 minor league teams, a couple have 6 and most have 7. I figure 40 rounds is enough to cover the teams with 8 teams, while providing some extra players for free agency, and it is the actual number of rounds in the MLB draft. So that being said, I figure I will likely only need the bear minimum amount of teams in feeders, to accomodate the draft.

Caporegime · 01-21-2017, 11:51 AM

The biggest drawback I encountered when using feeder leagues exclusively to fill draft classes was the performance hit I took. It really slowed down my sim times after a few years. Mind you, it's been at least four or five versions or so since I've used feeders that extensively, so they may have been tweaked since then to make them less resource-intensive.

To the extent that I use them now (and I haven't even done this in a couple of years), I'll use them on a small scale to try and emulate the Dominican or (former) Venezuelan academy systems. However, since Markus added International Scouting Discoveries to the game along with the ability to set their nationalities by percentage, I haven't even done that.

The biggest pro to using feeders IMO is the ability to create and follow individual players throughout their entire careers, even before they turn pro.

Mr. Marlin · 01-21-2017, 01:16 PM

If you are playing stats only feeders are a no brainer. You need them to build a history in draft pool prospects. Without them your draft becomes a guessing game. Well, more that it already is. The trade off is you end up keeping your game small in terms of the number of leagues. Because they do become unwieldy and do impact game performance after a time.

If you are not using stats only I can't think of a single good reason. They are more hassle than they are worth. The one upshot is since every feeder has a full staff you will never want for team personnel to hire.

PSUColonel · 01-21-2017, 03:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Caporegime

The biggest drawback I encountered when using feeder leagues exclusively to fill draft classes was the performance hit I took. It really slowed down my sim times after a few years. Mind you, it's been at least four or five versions or so since I've used feeders that extensively, so they may have been tweaked since then to make them less resource-intensive.

To the extent that I use them now (and I haven't even done this in a couple of years), I'll use them on a small scale to try and emulate the Dominican or (former) Venezuelan academy systems. However, since Markus added International Scouting Discoveries to the game along with the ability to set their nationalities by percentage, I haven't even done that.

The biggest pro to using feeders IMO is the ability to create and follow individual players throughout their entire careers, even before they turn pro.

I am not too concerned with sim speed, as I play out day to day.

Thanks for your response.

PSUColonel · 01-21-2017, 04:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr. Marlin

If you are playing stats only feeders are a no brainer. You need them to build a history in draft pool prospects. Without them your draft becomes a guessing game. Well, more that it already is. The trade off is you end up keeping your game small in terms of the number of leagues. Because they do become unwieldy and do impact game performance after a time.

If you are not using stats only I can't think of a single good reason. They are more hassle than they are worth. The one upshot is since every feeder has a full staff you will never want for team personnel to hire.

Not going stats only, but I am using low scouting accuracy, and 2-8 current & potential scout grades.

01-21-2017, 10:42 AM	#1
PSUColonel Hall Of Famer Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 13,141	Pros & Cons of Feeders I am considering adding college & HS feeders to my league, however I would first like to get a good list of pros & cons so I can make a more informed decision. I have always used the "generated" players, but am now wondering if feeders would be a much better option. I would specifically like to know how feeders affect the talent distribution of a league (too many elevated talent players or not enough), and weather having too many HS vs college, or too many college vs. HS players could potentially be an issue also? Anything else that comes to peoples' minds' would also be very helpful. EDIT: I am using a 40 round draft for a standard MLB setup. The default is 35...but a handful of teams do have 8 minor league teams, a couple have 6 and most have 7. I figure 40 rounds is enough to cover the teams with 8 teams, while providing some extra players for free agency, and it is the actual number of rounds in the MLB draft. So that being said, I figure I will likely only need the bear minimum amount of teams in feeders, to accomodate the draft. Last edited by PSUColonel; 01-21-2017 at 10:50 AM.

01-21-2017, 11:51 AM	#2
Caporegime All Star Starter Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: The Borough of Kings Posts: 1,713	The biggest drawback I encountered when using feeder leagues exclusively to fill draft classes was the performance hit I took. It really slowed down my sim times after a few years. Mind you, it's been at least four or five versions or so since I've used feeders that extensively, so they may have been tweaked since then to make them less resource-intensive. To the extent that I use them now (and I haven't even done this in a couple of years), I'll use them on a small scale to try and emulate the Dominican or (former) Venezuelan academy systems. However, since Markus added International Scouting Discoveries to the game along with the ability to set their nationalities by percentage, I haven't even done that. The biggest pro to using feeders IMO is the ability to create and follow individual players throughout their entire careers, even before they turn pro. __________________ "If you don't know where you are going, you'll wind up someplace else." - Lawrence Peter Berra

01-21-2017, 01:16 PM	#3
Mr. Marlin All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 1,278	If you are playing stats only feeders are a no brainer. You need them to build a history in draft pool prospects. Without them your draft becomes a guessing game. Well, more that it already is. The trade off is you end up keeping your game small in terms of the number of leagues. Because they do become unwieldy and do impact game performance after a time. If you are not using stats only I can't think of a single good reason. They are more hassle than they are worth. The one upshot is since every feeder has a full staff you will never want for team personnel to hire.