Visualization of Statistics & Ratings, Expanded Contract Negotiation Functionality

[torpidbeaver]

1. I've been banging my head against the metaphorical wall of my very limited Excel ability, trying to track and visualize my players' Ratings over time. While the Scouting Reports from previous years is a nice feature, it doesn't give me a granular view of those ratings, and doesn't provide any of a player's defensive or speed related ratings.

I'd very much like an in-game way to see how my players have evolved, both statistically and in a scout's estimation of his ratings, especially if it was done in an interactive graphical sort of way. Like, if you could include toggles for injuries, major transactions, etc, it'd be all the more fun to play with and see what may've caused a player to take off or fall apart. Was it a mistake to call him up to the majors at 17? Did that achilles tendon injury ruin his first step on the bases and in the outfield?

Stuff like this adds yet another layer of depth and realism to my favorite game.

This all came about when:

My Gold Glove-winning, Rookie of the Month, starting All-Star, and previous #3 in the MLB prospect Potential dropped off the face of the earth at some point in June of his 3rd year. He was a 5-star potential, and began the year as a 5-star OVR. He then dropped to a 2-star potential, but has held a 4-star OVR. I don't pay a whole lot of mind to OVR, but when my Head Scout says my 25-year-old stud CF's POT is cratering, and he's basically doomed to a vicious case of entropy? That's got me worried.

Anyway, I wanted to be able to look more closely at how he'd progressed throughout his time with my organization and see what's worrying my Scout. Looking at his Scouting Report history is okay, but I'd hoped to see if he'd lost a step or two in speed, or if his Arm rating had fallen because of a ruptured tendon in his finger.

2. Let's say I'm competing with 5 other teams to sign a free agent to a multi-year deal, and we're all roughly in the same ballpark as far as money goes. Currently, there are some interesting ways to increase or decrease a player's perception of a contract's value, including offering bonuses for various awards, vesting options, Opt-Outs, and No Trade Clauses.

Then, there's the Role on Team drop-down. And while it's great that I can make promises in the positive category - Starter, Top of the Lineup, Closer, etc. - I was disappointed to learn I couldn't tell a player that, were he to sign a contract with me, he'd be destined for a platoon or back-up role.

So back to my hypothetical: if it's between me and four other teams, and I'm the only one offering a starting job, that's worth some (unknown) quantity to the player but also sets up a scenario where his morale could be negatively affected if I don't keep my promises.

On the other hand, if I'm signing a player no one else in the league seems to want, I should be able to tell him that, should he sign with my team, he'll be behind the current starter(s) and won't be getting that "Top of the Order" role he thinks he deserves. Depending on his Expectation (as well as some personality traits, I'm guessing), that would lower the contract's overall value by some amount. But in the event he signs the contract, that should improve any morale problems caused by sitting on the bench, at least for some amount of time.

This would help set expectations for most players - again, I'm thinking this might not be as effective for proud and dumb players, but might be very effective on players with high Greed who'd rather take a paycheck and ride pine than attempt to wait for a starting position.