Prospects. Scouting, and Building a Farm System

DMan77 · 03-28-2019, 06:26 AM

Hello all... I'm sorry if there is a thread about this somewhere else, but I was wondering if someone could offer some tips or things to look for when it comes to prospects, scouting reports, personalities, and identifying players to go after...

The last version I played was OOTP15... I think I remember people saying way back then that you wanted to look for Intelligence and Work Ethic and their corresponding scouting terms as an indication of the odds a guy might develop?

So a player with a "Leads by example, and works as hard as anyone to improve" is probably a safer bet than one with "His decisions aren't always sound. Always invests the minimum."?

Is there anything else I should be keeping a look out for? Or is a lot of it luck/RNG based?

Thank you! I appreciate your time.

BirdWatcher · 03-28-2019, 09:51 AM

Well, just like anywhere in life, high intelligence and a good work ethic is certainly pretty well aligned with success.
I know there are different ideas here about whether one is more likely to affect development of prospects and some seem to believe that intelligence is a stronger indicator of development while work ethic is more likely to predict a stable and longer big league career (if they make it.)
Then you will also hear others say that character traits are over-rated. Get players with great skills and don't worry about character. (I tend to think that has more merit as an approach to already developed players and less merit in terms of developing prospects.)

And now, in OOTP20, you will also see indications about a player's adaptability (was a trait that was more behind-the-curtain in the past.) I have to believe that high adaptability is a good trait in a prospect if you wish to train him for multiple positions, especially.

Also, yes, to a lesser or greater extend depending upon the settings you use, there will just be that random luck element (for better or worse.)
And there are effects on players development from coaches, so when you can having your best prospects align well with a coach is a good thing (say you have a groundball type pitching prospect, you should see him develop better under the tutelage of a pitching coach who specializes in working with groundball pitchers rather than say a coach who specializes in finesse pitchers.)

I've had very poor luck with decent talent, low motivation (low work ethic) guys in my minor league system. I try to get high work ethic, high intelligence, and when possible, high leader guys. Certainly when it comes to picking those later rounds guys who likely won't make the bigs I look for good leaders, good teammates, hard workers, guys with strong specialized skills, particularly strong defense at key positions, good speed, etc. I figure the more they can help their teams have success the happier my top prospects will be and the better they will develop.

jimmysthebestcop · 03-28-2019, 12:11 PM

Work ethic usually makes the player stay at their potent longer. Think long time all start.

Of course they have to develop.

But as prospects go you I look at them as assets. I'll take the player I think is best. Even if he has all the worst traits. If he pops and develops then he can bring me in more prospects. If he doesn't develop then he can be cut once his 6 year Milb runs out.

Your never sure who will develop

DMan77 · 03-29-2019, 06:34 AM

Thank you for the replies guys! That helps... Still trying to get the hang of things, especially when it comes to drafting and trading... I do like the element of chance involved, but it's also nice to take educated guesses too.

03-28-2019, 06:26 AM	#1
DMan77 Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: Nov 2011 Posts: 45	Prospects. Scouting, and Building a Farm System Hello all... I'm sorry if there is a thread about this somewhere else, but I was wondering if someone could offer some tips or things to look for when it comes to prospects, scouting reports, personalities, and identifying players to go after... The last version I played was OOTP15... I think I remember people saying way back then that you wanted to look for Intelligence and Work Ethic and their corresponding scouting terms as an indication of the odds a guy might develop? So a player with a "Leads by example, and works as hard as anyone to improve" is probably a safer bet than one with "His decisions aren't always sound. Always invests the minimum."? Is there anything else I should be keeping a look out for? Or is a lot of it luck/RNG based? Thank you! I appreciate your time.

03-28-2019, 09:51 AM	#2
BirdWatcher Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Location: Denver, Colorado Posts: 4,262	Well, just like anywhere in life, high intelligence and a good work ethic is certainly pretty well aligned with success. I know there are different ideas here about whether one is more likely to affect development of prospects and some seem to believe that intelligence is a stronger indicator of development while work ethic is more likely to predict a stable and longer big league career (if they make it.) Then you will also hear others say that character traits are over-rated. Get players with great skills and don't worry about character. (I tend to think that has more merit as an approach to already developed players and less merit in terms of developing prospects.) And now, in OOTP20, you will also see indications about a player's adaptability (was a trait that was more behind-the-curtain in the past.) I have to believe that high adaptability is a good trait in a prospect if you wish to train him for multiple positions, especially. Also, yes, to a lesser or greater extend depending upon the settings you use, there will just be that random luck element (for better or worse.) And there are effects on players development from coaches, so when you can having your best prospects align well with a coach is a good thing (say you have a groundball type pitching prospect, you should see him develop better under the tutelage of a pitching coach who specializes in working with groundball pitchers rather than say a coach who specializes in finesse pitchers.) I've had very poor luck with decent talent, low motivation (low work ethic) guys in my minor league system. I try to get high work ethic, high intelligence, and when possible, high leader guys. Certainly when it comes to picking those later rounds guys who likely won't make the bigs I look for good leaders, good teammates, hard workers, guys with strong specialized skills, particularly strong defense at key positions, good speed, etc. I figure the more they can help their teams have success the happier my top prospects will be and the better they will develop.

03-28-2019, 12:11 PM	#3
jimmysthebestcop Banned Join Date: Jun 2018 Posts: 1,728 Infractions: 0/2 (5)	Work ethic usually makes the player stay at their potent longer. Think long time all start. Of course they have to develop. But as prospects go you I look at them as assets. I'll take the player I think is best. Even if he has all the worst traits. If he pops and develops then he can bring me in more prospects. If he doesn't develop then he can be cut once his 6 year Milb runs out. Your never sure who will develop

03-29-2019, 06:34 AM	#4
DMan77 Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: Nov 2011 Posts: 45	Thank you for the replies guys! That helps... Still trying to get the hang of things, especially when it comes to drafting and trading... I do like the element of chance involved, but it's also nice to take educated guesses too.