Overwhelmed managing the minor leaguers

aaronhelman · 10-30-2014, 08:33 PM

After a few seasons after starting a new league, I usually wind up totally overwhelmed with way too many minor leaguers - sometimes 40-50 players on Rookie League rosters. I know that OOTP treats those as "free" contracts and that I'm not losing money by keeping so many extra players, but if they're all stepping over each other's playing time, it's harder for everyone to develop, right?

So, how do you keep your minor league rosters in line? When do you cut a player who's not hacking it in Rookie or Short Season leagues?

What's a standard practice in real life? Two years? Longer?

TomVeal · 10-30-2014, 09:04 PM

While I can't pose as an expert, I suggest disciplining oneself to limit each minor league team's active roster to 25 players, with a little leeway (30 to 35 players) in the rookie leagues. That makes it mandatory to cut guys who perform poorly or who obviously lack the tools to reach the big time. Of course, it can still be brain-wracking to decide which ones to release or demote.

Carlton · 10-31-2014, 08:41 AM

Hard decisions are part of the process.

I know it's hard to cut that guy you thought was a steal in round 14, but if he can't hack it, he can't hack it.

As for rookie league and Short A, I have 40 man roster for rookie and 35 man for Short A, then I have 2 single A affiliates with a 30 man roster, then a 30 man AA and AAA roster (but I only keep 28 in each, two of those slots are for rehab assignments)

One thing to do is force start your higher picks in R and Short A in their position or one you want them to learn and SHORTLIST them. That way it's easier for you to think "I put value in him, I will be patient and will keep him in the lineup despite his struggles."

Honorable_Pawn · 10-31-2014, 08:58 AM

To add to what Carlton said, it is a good idea to force start your prospects and bench from time to time to prevent the AI from injuring them out. If you don't want to micro-manage as much try to hire coaches/managers at your lower levels that strongly favor tools.

SteveP · 10-31-2014, 01:01 PM

Age. It's up or out for me. I will let older guys play longer if they can get to AAA, but you have to make room for the younger guys coming up.

BIG17EASY · 10-31-2014, 01:07 PM

I do a mass cut of usually about 30 guys at the lower levels after the season, plus a few guys who are around 30 years old at Double-A and Triple-A.

I also have roster limits set for the minors, although the consensus around here is that roster limits can cause some issues with AI roster moves (which I've never personally seen). This forces me to make roster cuts to meet the roster limits.

My one other "rule" I have is that if a guy is about to spend his third year at the same level and hasn't proven he can handle the next level up, he gets cut unless he's at Triple-A.

yoyoma · 10-31-2014, 01:42 PM

I usually "clean house" after every season. Guys that are too old for their level or haven't done anything get cut. I like to have around 30 so I can keep extra pitchers so I can limit the pitch count for starters.

Curve Ball Dave · 10-31-2014, 08:35 PM

To add to what others have said regarding cleaning house, I do a purge the day before the Spring amateur draft to make room for incoming players.

You can't be sentimental about players. If they won't contribute to the big league club one day you have to cut 'em loose. That's how it works in the real world. We don't read about it or hear about in the news, but MLB organizations cut guys in droves every year. The number of minor leaguers who spend a day in the Majors is in the single percentage point range. Just making it to AA is an accomplishment considering how many teams below filter in.

jpeters1734 · 10-31-2014, 09:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Honorable_Pawn

To add to what Carlton said, it is a good idea to force start your prospects and bench from time to time to prevent the AI from injuring them out. If you don't want to micro-manage as much try to hire coaches/managers at your lower levels that strongly favor tools.

This is a new one for me. Why do you you want coaches that favor tools? I thought that was only a scout rating.

Honorable_Pawn · 10-31-2014, 09:57 PM

I was thinking that it would impact line-up selection.

Carlton · 11-03-2014, 10:45 AM

There is also an option in league settings where the lower levels you can choose "Base lineup on potential or current ability"

I do potential for all except AAA

As for the roster limits being buggy...like I stated get 2 or 3 open slots in AA and AAA (manually managing your minors) so rehab assignments don't cause the AI to cut anyone at those levels.

RchW · 11-03-2014, 10:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Carlton

There is also an option in league settings where the lower levels you can choose "Base lineup on potential or current ability"

I do potential for all except AAA

As for the roster limits being buggy...like I stated get 2 or 3 open slots in AA and AAA (manually managing your minors) so rehab assignments don't cause the AI to cut anyone at those levels.

This is excellent advice.

TomVeal · 11-03-2014, 01:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Carlton

There is also an option in league settings where the lower levels you can choose "Base lineup on potential or current ability"

I do potential for all except AAA

As for the roster limits being buggy...like I stated get 2 or 3 open slots in AA and AAA (manually managing your minors) so rehab assignments don't cause the AI to cut anyone at those levels.

In real life, as I understand it, players on rehab assignments don't count against the minor league team's roster limit. Therefore, it's not "cheating" to add extra slots to AAA rosters to overcome the fact that OOTP doesn't know that rule.

Another reason for extra slots is to make it less cumbersome to move players between levels. It would be a nuisance to have to put the guy going down on DFA, promote the guy going up, then assign the DFA to his new team - especially if one is making several moves at the same time (as often happens in the minors).

Having said that, what I do in practice is leave the minor league rosters unlimited, then enforce them rigorously against myself. The AI has enough handicaps without having to worry about roster juggling.

10-30-2014, 08:33 PM	#1
aaronhelman Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 28	Overwhelmed managing the minor leaguers After a few seasons after starting a new league, I usually wind up totally overwhelmed with way too many minor leaguers - sometimes 40-50 players on Rookie League rosters. I know that OOTP treats those as "free" contracts and that I'm not losing money by keeping so many extra players, but if they're all stepping over each other's playing time, it's harder for everyone to develop, right? So, how do you keep your minor league rosters in line? When do you cut a player who's not hacking it in Rookie or Short Season leagues? What's a standard practice in real life? Two years? Longer?

10-31-2014, 08:35 PM	#8
Curve Ball Dave Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Chicago Posts: 2,271	To add to what others have said regarding cleaning house, I do a purge the day before the Spring amateur draft to make room for incoming players. You can't be sentimental about players. If they won't contribute to the big league club one day you have to cut 'em loose. That's how it works in the real world. We don't read about it or hear about in the news, but MLB organizations cut guys in droves every year. The number of minor leaguers who spend a day in the Majors is in the single percentage point range. Just making it to AA is an accomplishment considering how many teams below filter in. __________________ "Hitting is timing. Pitching is upsetting timing"-Warren Spahn.

10-30-2014, 09:04 PM	#2
TomVeal All Star Starter Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Spanaway, Washington Posts: 1,181	While I can't pose as an expert, I suggest disciplining oneself to limit each minor league team's active roster to 25 players, with a little leeway (30 to 35 players) in the rookie leagues. That makes it mandatory to cut guys who perform poorly or who obviously lack the tools to reach the big time. Of course, it can still be brain-wracking to decide which ones to release or demote.

10-31-2014, 08:41 AM	#3
Carlton Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 3,765	Hard decisions are part of the process. I know it's hard to cut that guy you thought was a steal in round 14, but if he can't hack it, he can't hack it. As for rookie league and Short A, I have 40 man roster for rookie and 35 man for Short A, then I have 2 single A affiliates with a 30 man roster, then a 30 man AA and AAA roster (but I only keep 28 in each, two of those slots are for rehab assignments) One thing to do is force start your higher picks in R and Short A in their position or one you want them to learn and SHORTLIST them. That way it's easier for you to think "I put value in him, I will be patient and will keep him in the lineup despite his struggles."

10-31-2014, 08:58 AM	#4
Honorable_Pawn Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Tampa Bay Posts: 6,407	To add to what Carlton said, it is a good idea to force start your prospects and bench from time to time to prevent the AI from injuring them out. If you don't want to micro-manage as much try to hire coaches/managers at your lower levels that strongly favor tools.

10-31-2014, 01:01 PM	#5
SteveP Moderator Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 3,109	Age. It's up or out for me. I will let older guys play longer if they can get to AAA, but you have to make room for the younger guys coming up.

10-31-2014, 01:07 PM	#6
BIG17EASY Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 3,291	I do a mass cut of usually about 30 guys at the lower levels after the season, plus a few guys who are around 30 years old at Double-A and Triple-A. I also have roster limits set for the minors, although the consensus around here is that roster limits can cause some issues with AI roster moves (which I've never personally seen). This forces me to make roster cuts to meet the roster limits. My one other "rule" I have is that if a guy is about to spend his third year at the same level and hasn't proven he can handle the next level up, he gets cut unless he's at Triple-A.

10-31-2014, 01:42 PM	#7
yoyoma Minors (Double A) Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 107	I usually "clean house" after every season. Guys that are too old for their level or haven't done anything get cut. I like to have around 30 so I can keep extra pitchers so I can limit the pitch count for starters.

10-31-2014, 09:57 PM	#10
Honorable_Pawn Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Tampa Bay Posts: 6,407	I was thinking that it would impact line-up selection.

11-03-2014, 10:45 AM	#11
Carlton Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 3,765	There is also an option in league settings where the lower levels you can choose "Base lineup on potential or current ability" I do potential for all except AAA As for the roster limits being buggy...like I stated get 2 or 3 open slots in AA and AAA (manually managing your minors) so rehab assignments don't cause the AI to cut anyone at those levels.