What exactly is potential?

librarybobl · 02-02-2019, 12:25 PM

I'm curious about this.

I understand I can play someone out of position and build them up so, as I am trying, to do to make Javier Baez a strong third baseman. So potentially, he can be a better, strong, or elite third baseman? What is his total potential?

Could I do the same thing with Dick Allen, an awful fielder and make him better? Can a player increase range/arm etc.?

If that is true, then why couldn't Allen become a better contact hitter and strikeout less? Is that possible? But then for such to happen, Allen would become unrecognizable to the player he was in real life.

I remember Ted Williams once saying if only he had been smart enough to bunt against the shift he could have added 50 points to his BA. If I spent a season having Williams trying bunting for hits, would that improve his numbers because "potentially" he can bunt for more hits, or is the potential to do better possible only in the field but not with hitting?

I am not sure how all of this works. Thanks for any insight ahead of time.

Threnodas · 02-02-2019, 01:23 PM

The only ratings that change in PT are positional ratings, if a player gains experience at a position he hasn't played much before (in real life or in PT). The underlying ratings like arm, range, etc. don't change, so you can't turn a bad fielder into a good one, you can only teach players to play new positions. Their ability to learn the new position depends on those underlying skill ratings - good fielders will learn faster and reach higher maximum position ratings.

In the core OOTP game, player ratings change over time as young players develop and old players deteriorate. Nothing like that happens in PT. Card ratings are permanently fixed (until we have 2019 MLB Live cards in OOTP 20).

02-02-2019, 12:25 PM	#1
librarybobl Bat Boy Join Date: Nov 2018 Posts: 16	What exactly is potential? I'm curious about this. I understand I can play someone out of position and build them up so, as I am trying, to do to make Javier Baez a strong third baseman. So potentially, he can be a better, strong, or elite third baseman? What is his total potential? Could I do the same thing with Dick Allen, an awful fielder and make him better? Can a player increase range/arm etc.? If that is true, then why couldn't Allen become a better contact hitter and strikeout less? Is that possible? But then for such to happen, Allen would become unrecognizable to the player he was in real life. I remember Ted Williams once saying if only he had been smart enough to bunt against the shift he could have added 50 points to his BA. If I spent a season having Williams trying bunting for hits, would that improve his numbers because "potentially" he can bunt for more hits, or is the potential to do better possible only in the field but not with hitting? I am not sure how all of this works. Thanks for any insight ahead of time.

02-02-2019, 01:23 PM	#2
Threnodas Minors (Triple A) Join Date: Jul 2011 Posts: 256	The only ratings that change in PT are positional ratings, if a player gains experience at a position he hasn't played much before (in real life or in PT). The underlying ratings like arm, range, etc. don't change, so you can't turn a bad fielder into a good one, you can only teach players to play new positions. Their ability to learn the new position depends on those underlying skill ratings - good fielders will learn faster and reach higher maximum position ratings. In the core OOTP game, player ratings change over time as young players develop and old players deteriorate. Nothing like that happens in PT. Card ratings are permanently fixed (until we have 2019 MLB Live cards in OOTP 20).