International Scouting - What's the Point?

bazeall · 03-07-2015, 04:52 AM

I tried hiring a scout with high ability in international scouting, but that made no difference.

On every scouting trip my scout brings back some half star rating, half star potential international player who never amounts to anything.

Why bother?

pgjocki · 03-07-2015, 09:40 AM

What is your sample size? How many years as he been with your club? Just like real life there are maybe a half dozen great prospects in the hundreds if not thousands of available players.

smiller · 03-07-2015, 11:04 AM

Bazeall, agree it seems a waste of money as it produces so few prospects, and even those who originally look good usually go down in ratings after a year or two. I allot the smallest amount of my scouting budget to this area.

bazeall · 03-07-2015, 03:42 PM

True it's a small sample size. I've been playing OOTP for five years, and have played or simmed around 100 seasons. Never in that time have I seen an international FA find (not including the international FA draft) over 1 star potential.

endgame · 03-07-2015, 03:51 PM

It's a personal experience, most certainly. I'd offer at least two observations, FWIW. One, great potentials are, and should be uncommon. Potentials grow over time, experience, and observation. One-stars do become three-stars now than then. Secondly, the AI's signing these players, too. Next time you run a couple of long-term sims, examine the top 20-25 players in both pitching and hitting in the league and I'd be surprised if not at least one of them contained a first line note in their history similar to "international signing from Venezuela by the Chicago Sox." Their success can creep up on you, both in the league and in your organization.

03-07-2015, 04:52 AM	#1
bazeall Minors (Double A) Join Date: Jul 2012 Posts: 190	International Scouting - What's the Point? I tried hiring a scout with high ability in international scouting, but that made no difference. On every scouting trip my scout brings back some half star rating, half star potential international player who never amounts to anything. Why bother?

03-07-2015, 09:40 AM	#2
pgjocki All Star Starter Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Maryland - just outside DC Posts: 1,483	What is your sample size? How many years as he been with your club? Just like real life there are maybe a half dozen great prospects in the hundreds if not thousands of available players. __________________ - - - World Series championships: 1926, 1931, 1934, 1942, 1944, 1946, 1964, 1967, 1982, 2006, 2011

03-07-2015, 03:51 PM	#5
endgame Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 16,843	It's a personal experience, most certainly. I'd offer at least two observations, FWIW. One, great potentials are, and should be uncommon. Potentials grow over time, experience, and observation. One-stars do become three-stars now than then. Secondly, the AI's signing these players, too. Next time you run a couple of long-term sims, examine the top 20-25 players in both pitching and hitting in the league and I'd be surprised if not at least one of them contained a first line note in their history similar to "international signing from Venezuela by the Chicago Sox." Their success can creep up on you, both in the league and in your organization. __________________ "Try again. Fail again. Fail better." -- Samuel Beckett _____________________________________________

03-07-2015, 11:04 AM	#3
smiller Major Leagues Join Date: Oct 2013 Location: Pittsboro NC Posts: 424	Bazeall, agree it seems a waste of money as it produces so few prospects, and even those who originally look good usually go down in ratings after a year or two. I allot the smallest amount of my scouting budget to this area.

03-07-2015, 03:42 PM	#4
bazeall Minors (Double A) Join Date: Jul 2012 Posts: 190	True it's a small sample size. I've been playing OOTP for five years, and have played or simmed around 100 seasons. Never in that time have I seen an international FA find (not including the international FA draft) over 1 star potential.