An Un-Official Guide to Minor League Management for OOTP 21

[jpeters1734]

This post got a lot of views in the ootp 20 forum, so I'm posting it here since it also applies to 21. This was written with the intent of being in an online league, but it applies to solo games too. When I refer to exporting, know that it's an online function.

An Un-Official Guide to Minor League Management

Intro

Before I start with my guide to minor league management, I have to state the obvious. This is not a science and just because I do it this way, does not mean that it’s the best way. It’s just the philosophy that I use and is my opinion only. The easiest way to win at the ML level, is to ensure you’re winning at the minor league level. Winning breeds winning, so if your minor league players have success, they will have success when they get to the major league level. This doesn’t mean to place your players at a level that they will dominate in, but it’s really just having a systematic approach to your minor league management. To follow this approach, you must have all aspects controlled by you and you alone. Even lineups should be controlled by you. It seems overwhelming at first, and it can be, but this guide will help you manage that.

Chapter 1: Principles of Minor League Management

There are a few quick rules that I stand by, but of course there are exceptions. First, draftees will always start at the lowest age-appropriate level after they sign. I’ll get into this later, but it may be tempting to starting the high school kid in A+ but he’s got to get his feet wet first so be patient.

Next, don’t promote too soon. Players should, for the most part, spend an entire season at the level they were assigned to. Let them experience the high and lows of the long season. If you’re doing things right, players are not going to dominate their league anyway. If they are, they were likely not placed in the right league to begin the season. Also remember this, if you promote a 2B from A+ to AA in May, there is a cascading effect where you have to move up a 2B in every level below, many of which may not be ready. Patience is key, but of course, if a player is simply dominating to the effect that he’s not being challenged, it’s probably best to move him up. Also don’t promote just because of ratings. Ratings can be flawed and sometimes misinterpreted so you have to look at stats. Even if you're playing without scouts, ratings are still going to have some variance. Let the stats be your guide with ratings only serving as a tiebreaker.

Players should never be demoted, skip levels, and very rarely should repeat levels. If you promote a player and he is struggling so hard that you think you should demote him, you might want to reevaluate the criteria in which it caused you to promote him in the first place. Players sometimes struggle. Most players will not be ML regulars. If a player was promoted on merit and is legitimately struggling at the next level, accept that he just doesn’t have what it takes. Don’t panic and send him back down after a few bad weeks. Let him ride out the season as minor league fodder and then reevaluate the next spring to see if he’s going to repeat the level or get cut. Remember though, if a player has to repeat a level, you are preventing a player down the line from being promoted, which will then prevent another player the next level down from getting promoted. For the most part, use an up or out philosophy. Also, avoid holding a player back just to limit service time. You risk ruining his development as he will not be challenged. The stunt in development can be more damaging to your organization than simply a year of control. You can always resign him in that case.

Don’t be afraid to cut players. I’ve seen it too often where GMs don’t want to release players for the fear that the player will magically turn good. Yes, there’s a small chance that can happen but it’s very unlikely. What ends up happening is that the GM is left with an unmanageable, bloated system that then becomes too much so the GM will have to set it to auto. KEEP TIDY ROSTERS! Your system will benefit as a whole.

Don’t overreact to injuries. It can be an instinct to want to promote a player to replace an injured guy, but unless you have 3 or 4 batters injured at once, let the backups start. They got to that level for a reason so let them play. The team will not suffer if they don’t have a backup 3B for a week, or better yet, assign the backup 3B to some other player on the bench. The goal is consistency. You don’t want to be moving your players up, just to move him down two weeks later when the player recovers. Remember that “don’t demote” rule? Another method is to keep a few “taxi” players on hand. These are guys that will not ever help at the major league level but are around AA quality. What I do is keep them on my DFA list until I need them to fill in for an injury. Since I’m not concerned with their development, they will bounce around and fill in as backups on the depth chart when there’s various injuries throughout the system. When they are no longer needed, they go back on the DFA list. Be careful that you don’t let their DFA time expire.

Finally, players will need to follow a linear development path. It’s important to keep players in an age appropriate level. Younger players can go up, but older players should never go down. The next chapter will hopefully explain that linear path.

Chapter 2: Where should my players play?

To begin, let’s talk about all levels of the minors and the type of player you would typically find there. DISCLAIMER: Not all MLB organizations have teams in every level. Some organizations only have complex rookie teams and short season A teams. Some have multiple complex teams and/or DSL teams. I wrote this with the assumption that my organization has a team at each level.

International Complex (IC): International players younger than 18. Once they turn 18, they need to play in a league. I’m a big believer that players are always better served playing in the minors than being left in the complex. However, a player must play, so if you promote a player younger than 18, make sure he can get playing time in the DSL.

Dominican Summer League (R): All international players should go here for their first league. Consider promoting them to a stateside league when they are 18-19.
Complex Rookie (R) (GCL, AZL): 18-year-old players just drafted and players graduating from the DSL. Some holdovers from the previous draft that didn’t get playing time.
Rookie Advanced (R+) (APP, PIO): 2nd year players drafted out of high school that are not ready for full-season ball(A). Some advanced HS draftees can be placed here as well as 19-year-old JUCO draftees.
Short Season A (A-) (NYP, NWL): College players just drafted and 3rd year high school draftees not ready for full-season ball.
Single A (A) (SAL, MID): College draftees in their first full season and either 2nd or 3rd seasoned high school draftees. Players should not repeat this level since there can be as many as 5 rookie league teams feeding into this league for some organizations.
Single A Advanced (A+) (FSL, CAL, CAR): Players having completed the prior season in Single A and one or two A+ repeats.
Double A (AA) (SL, EL, TEX): Players having completed the prior season in A+ and a handful of AA repeats.
Triple A (AAA) (PCL, IL): A mix of AA promotions and ML 40-man players. A player repeating AAA without being on the 40-man roster should either be used as a taxi squad player or released.

Now let’s identify the 2 main types of players and their typical development path. The 2 most common are the 18-year-old high school draftee and the 21-year-old college draftee.

When a HSer is drafted, the first place he must go is to the rookie complex league. Very rarely will I begin a high school player in R+, unless he’s an advanced high draft pick or one of those annoying 19-year olds. A high school player’s typical development will look like this:

Year 1: (18) Drafted then placed in Rookie
Year 2: (19) Start at R+
Year 3: (20) Start at Single A
Year 4: (21) Start at Single A+
Year 5: (22) Start at Double A
Year 6: (23) Start at Triple A with a cup of coffee
Year 7: (24) Begin year in ML

There are a few things you may have noticed. Where is Short Season A? Well, A- is the year one for college guys. I have moved guys from R+ to A- before because you have to remember that Single A is fed from 2 different levels (R+ and A-), not to mention any repeats. I say two levels because rarely will I move a player from a complex Rookie team to Single A. You may also think that 24 is old to start the first season in the majors, but it’s actually very appropriate if you look at historical numbers.

However, some players do develop quicker and may only need a half season at a level. Those players will then get placed on a mid-season promotion cycle. As long as you keep it linear and don’t promote too fast or based just on ratings, you are doing fine. Here is a development path for a quick learner:

Year 1: (18) Drafted then placed in Rookie, finished at R+
Year 2: (19) Started in Single A, finished in A+
Year 3: (20) Started in A+, finished in AA
Year 4: (21) Started in AA, finished in ML
Year 5: (22) Begin year in ML

Sometimes hot prospects don’t really need AAA to develop in. The talent level in AAA is not so far off from the ML. If a player is ready for AAA, he might also be ready for ML. Don’t think that you have to give them time in AAA before an ML callup. If the stats and the ratings are there, call him up.

College players are mostly going to be either 21 or 22 and they will ALWAYS be placed in Short Season A, never lower. There is a perception that players need to be succeeding in order to develop so one might think that it’s appropriate to place a low round college player in rookie level. He will never develop quick enough to be of any use if he needs rookie ball. Place him in A- and see if the Single A team ever needs him. Since college players are more advanced, they can progress a little quicker so here is a typical path:

Year 1: (21) Drafted then placed in A-
Year 2: (22) Start at Single A+
Year 3: (23) Start at Double A
Year 4: (24) Start at AAA with a cup of coffee
Year 5: (25) Begin year in ML

Or

Year 1: (21) Drafted then placed in A-
Year 2: (22) Start at Single A, finish in A+
Year 3: (23) Start at Single A+, finish at Double A
Year 4: (24) Start at Double A, finish at AAA with a cup of coffee
Year 5: (25) Begin year in ML

Again, that is typical. Your team needs and player evals will determine if you’re going to start a 2nd year college draftee at A or A+. Your more advanced college players might be ready much sooner. An accelerated path would go like this:

Year 1: (21) Drafted then placed in A-, finish at A or A+ (Skipping A may be acceptable)
Year 2: (22) Start at Double A, possibly finish at Triple A
Year 3: (23) Start at Triple A, finish at ML
Year 4: (24) Begin year in ML

If they are even more developed, they may skip AAA and reach the majors in year 2, but that is rare and should be reserved for players dominating AA with the ratings to back it up.

Chapter 3: How to Keep it Organized

Now that we have talked about the most basic principles and have a better idea on where players should be playing, we can over how the hell to keep it all organized. The initial set-up can honestly take an hour, but once it’s set up, it begins to work like a well-oiled machine. The easiest way to go about it is to keep a schedule. A basic framework is this:

1. Start of Spring Training: Move all players that you want to call into camp to the ML ST roster and begin promoting the players that you know are moving up. Depending on how you manage your spring training, you can begin the next step early.

2. End of Spring Training: Consider this day a national holiday. It’s the most time consuming, but also the most rewarding aspect of managing your system. It can take you up to an hour or more. SAVE OFTEN and don’t forget to export if you're in an online league(and verify the export uploaded)! Now begin to organize your system from the bottom up. I prefer to do all hitters through the system, then pitchers. I am going to assume that now, we are no longer promoting guys based on age since we already know what levels players should be in based off their age.

a. Start from the Rookie/DSL leagues and begin promoting all the players to R+ that had significant playing time and had average or better production last season. Average meaning things like 1 or more WAR and/or >100 OPS+. Don’t worry if you only have a few players left because the draft will restock the team and games don’t even start until June.
b. Once you’ve moved all those players, go to R+ and identify players that should play in Full-Season Single A and move them. Remember that you now have to filter to show stats from the selected league only. You do this by clicking on scope. Select it by league, not level.
c. Next go to A- and do the same thing that you did with R, but send them to Single A. It’s important to get Single A filled with new players since that’s the first full season level and most of the Single A players from the prior year will be moved on.
d. Go into Single A, promote the average and better performers as stated in step one.
e. Now it is time to cull the roster as it is likely overfilled. Look at players that are repeating and decide if you’d rather keep him and return a promoted player to A- or release him. At Single A, you have the luxury of holding back a player at A- but when you go up levels, there isn’t room anymore in the league below.
f. Once you have your 13-15 batters (12-14 pitchers), identify and place your starters at their position. It’s fine if you want the AI to fill out your BP or the depth chart after you set your starters. I honestly will copy the exact same depth chart and paste it into both RHP and LHP, and then have auto lineups. Batting order really has no effect in the minors, but you do want to pick your starters. Your call if you want to schedule subs.
g. Move up to the next higher level and do the same thing all the way to AAA. Don’t forget that you can always DFA players that you may want to keep on as taxi squad members. I’ll usually keep a C, 2 IF, 2 OF, and 3 SP on the DFA list. Again, ensure their DFA time doesn’t expire.

3. After every 7 days: Click on the “Rosters & Transactions” tab and cycle through every level and check for injuries. Anything for just a couple weeks or less probably doesn’t need a replacement, just a backup. If you do need a replacement, consider how it would affect all players down the chain.

4. After the draft: You should also have most of your draft picks signed so you can now get your short season clubs set up in the same bottom up method as you did for your full-season teams. You will again have to make some cuts. This is also the time you would move guys up that are already on a mid-season promotion path.

5. After the Minor League All-Star games: After the minor league all-star game (will be different times depending on the league) is an outstanding time to re-evaluate your players. See if you have any players that warrant a promotion. Be mindful of the fact that if you promote someone, you have to make playing time at the next level which sometimes means a release has to be made. If you decide to promote someone midseason, consider who would fill in at the lower level. Sometimes the team can take the loss without needing another player from a lower level. Sometimes you can just use a taxi player.

And that’s pretty much it as far as keeping it organized. There’s only 2 main promotion/release days in the whole calendar year. There’s no need to be monitoring every player every day to see if he needs promoted. When you do that, you typically start a bad habit of promoting too soon and then demoting.

Closing

I hope this guide helped you get an idea on how to manage this large task. Was it needed, maybe not, but if every GM took an active role in maintaining their whole organization, your league will have more parity and would be able to compete with any online league out there. GM’s that manage their system themselves typically are able to trade more effectively (since they have a better grasp of their players), they feel more immersed, and their teams perform better. All are great things for the long-term health of your league. Again, I did not write this thinking that I have all the answers. This is just my system that works for me. I hope that it works for you.


Joe Peters


Notes:
If anyone has any suggestions, questions, or comments about this guide, please share them so that we can continue to refine this for new members. It doesn’t have to be just my word for it.

[Bluenoser]

I believe it's time we had a "Tutorials & Guides: forum for things like this. These type write ups are very helpful, especially to new players.

I see videos and other write-ups appear from time to time, but eventually slip into the depths of the Forum. A lot of good info gets lost.

Putting it into one forum and keeping that forum moving forward with each version would help to keep them from disappearing.

[BBGiovanni]

This is excellent, thank you for posting it. I have two general theorems:



1. If a highly-regarded phenom puts up a couple months/half a year of crazy good stats (like .500+ SLG or an ERA below 1 with otherwise good stats) I'll move him up because I probably put him at the wrong level in the first place, especially if he's on the older side for the level where he is.



2. Up or out! I try to thin the ranks and I still end up with way too many players in the rookie complexes. I let minor league managers make the lineups, and use force-start for people I'm really interested in. But the 27 year olds in Low A drive me crazy, or (in real life even) the guys putting in their 3rd or 4th year in High A. I don't mind keeping a few old hands around AAA in case of injury disaster in the big leagues, and I have an irrational love for career minor leaguers getting their first cup of coffee, a la Scott McClain with the Giants a few years ago.



And one more suggestion indirectly about minor management: Troll the free agent wire regularly and sign young players that your scout may like that other teams have given up on, especially at and after midseason. Also, check once in a while using the OSA stats and sign them if you just have filler at the position in the right level for them. It's a great way to fill in systems you have just taken over, like this year's Mets organization and the tumbleweeds blowing through the outfield at every level. I often ditch no bat-no glove catchers for someone that can at least catch and throw. You may not get anything out of it, but they're probably a better bet than the no-talent guy your scout found in Timbuktu and assigned to your international complex.

[jpeters1734]

Originally Posted by Bluenoser

I believe it's time we had a "Tutorials & Guides: forum for things like this. These type write ups are very helpful, especially to new players.

I see videos and other write-ups appear from time to time, but eventually slip into the depths of the Forum. A lot of good info gets lost.

Putting it into one forum and keeping that forum moving forward with each version would help to keep them from disappearing.

Funny you say that, I was actually just thinking that too. Though my idea was to simply have a post that had a collection of guides, similar to the schedule request sticky

[jpeters1734]

Originally Posted by BBGiovanni

This is excellent, thank you for posting it. I have two general theorems:

1. If a highly-regarded phenom puts up a couple months/half a year of crazy good stats (like .500+ SLG or an ERA below 1 with otherwise good stats) I'll move him up because I probably put him at the wrong level in the first place, especially if he's on the older side for the level where he is.

Absolutely! Sometimes player ratings can be misleading

2. Up or out! I try to thin the ranks and I still end up with way too many players in the rookie complexes. I let minor league managers make the lineups, and use force-start for people I'm really interested in. But the 27 year olds in Low A drive me crazy, or (in real life even) the guys putting in their 3rd or 4th year in High A. I don't mind keeping a few old hands around AAA in case of injury disaster in the big leagues, and I have an irrational love for career minor leaguers getting their first cup of coffee, a la Scott McClain with the Giants a few years ago.

What I do about minor league lineups is that I will fill every starting position with the best player and then will click on the "have AI set up depth charts based on this lineup" option. That way I can pick out my best 9 without having to manage the depth at each level. I find that this works out pretty well and I'm not even spending too much time at each level. I also find that by choosing my best 9, it can help me zero in on a player I might have overlooked.

I also share your irrational love of 30-year old AAA players, lol. They are the most painful to cut.

And one more suggestion indirectly about minor management: Troll the free agent wire regularly and sign young players that your scout may like that other teams have given up on, especially at and after midseason. Also, check once in a while using the OSA stats and sign them if you just have filler at the position in the right level for them. It's a great way to fill in systems you have just taken over, like this year's Mets organization and the tumbleweeds blowing through the outfield at every level. I often ditch no bat-no glove catchers for someone that can at least catch and throw. You may not get anything out of it, but they're probably a better bet than the no-talent guy your scout found in Timbuktu and assigned to your international complex.

Exactly! Especially in online leagues where there's typically more minor league restrictions. people may have the AI making cuts and we all know the AI doesn't handle minor league restrictions well so it can lead to signing a decent prospect midway through the season

[BIG17EASY]

Originally Posted by jpeters1734

... we all know the AI doesn't handle minor league restrictions well so it can lead to signing a decent prospect midway through the season

I must have a different version of the game from everyone else because I've had age and roster size limits in place since OOTP 18 and have never once seen the AI cut a top prospect or even a good one who looks like a lock to make the majors. Maybe once a season I will sign a 20-year-old because my scout says his ratings potentials are in the 40-45 range and he has good work ethic, so I'll take a flyer on him. But I don't ever see the AI cutting good prospects or the constant sign-and-release bug that people talk about.

(Side note: Good tips in your original post. I do a few things differently, but there's more than one way to skin a cat. Hopefully a lot of new users see this thread.)

[BBGiovanni]

Originally Posted by BIG17EASY

I must have a different version of the game from everyone else because I've had age and roster size limits in place since OOTP 18 and have never once seen the AI cut a top prospect or even a good one who looks like a lock to make the majors. Maybe once a season I will sign a 20-year-old because my scout says his ratings potentials are in the 40-45 range and he has good work ethic, so I'll take a flyer on him. But I don't ever see the AI cutting good prospects or the constant sign-and-release bug that people talk about.

Yeah, I know about that and have experienced it but that's not what I was referring to. I've always just assumed the AI scouts each have their own foibles, and with minor leaguers I'll trust my scout if he says a guy has some (slight) potential. I've watched real teams have to trade prospects just to have adequate bench depth, and these kinds of guys often end up as AAAA replacement-level guys with options. There's a lot of luck involved too because those guys don't sit on the FA list for long.

[jpeters1734]

Originally Posted by BIG17EASY

I must have a different version of the game from everyone else because I've had age and roster size limits in place since OOTP 18 and have never once seen the AI cut a top prospect or even a good one who looks like a lock to make the majors. Maybe once a season I will sign a 20-year-old because my scout says his ratings potentials are in the 40-45 range and he has good work ethic, so I'll take a flyer on him. But I don't ever see the AI cutting good prospects or the constant sign-and-release bug that people talk about.

(Side note: Good tips in your original post. I do a few things differently, but there's more than one way to skin a cat. Hopefully a lot of new users see this thread.)

the severity of it does depend on how restrictive settings you place on the minors. with 25-man limits on each minor team, the ai has be known to release players the a human GM would not have. Our definitions of a decent prospect are probably different since I wasn't talking about players that are a lock for the ML. That would be a great prospect in my book!

Thanks for the comments!

[Bobbyraz49]

THANKS to each of you that posted regarding this subject.
I bought OOTPBB21 on STEAM and worked fine. Until...STEAM did an upgrade and when I pressed LEAVE GAME and my PC froze. I was playing as Mets GM/manager for 2020 and this issue happened in early 2022 season.
The developers we of no assistance to me .They sent me a "ticket", I responded and no reply.
I purchased OOTPBB21 again , but without using STEAM. I am still in the 2020 season as the Indian's GM/manager.

Be safe.

[jimmysthebestcop]

I usually get so jammed up in the minors when my players hit 25-26 I have to move a dozen or so each year. excellent guide

[BBGiovanni]

I don't know if it's always worked this way, but for whatever reason the Mets started the 2020 season in OOTP with the international complex full. Apparently the AI will not/cannot sign players, and after a month or two in the season I got curious and started checking settings until I figured it out. If this happens just move a couple of the oldest kids up to the DSL and your scout can sign some new .5 star relief pitchers for you to cut in a couple of years

[jimmysthebestcop]

Originally Posted by BBGiovanni

I don't know if it's always worked this way, but for whatever reason the Mets started the 2020 season in OOTP with the international complex full. Apparently the AI will not/cannot sign players, and after a month or two in the season I got curious and started checking settings until I figured it out. If this happens just move a couple of the oldest kids up to the DSL and your scout can sign some new .5 star relief pitchers for you to cut in a couple of years

I expand the Int Complex to 100 players and max out scouting discoveries while turning off the July Int Amateur signing. Just started that in my last save. I also sign them all up to play in Int Complex only winter ball. But it's only been 1 season of that.

[jpeters1734]

Originally Posted by jimmysthebestcop

I expand the Int Complex to 100 players and max out scouting discoveries while turning off the July Int Amateur signing. Just started that in my last save. I also sign them all up to play in Int Complex only winter ball. But it's only been 1 season of that.

That’s interesting! Why do you turn off signings?

[Dave Stieb II]

I really appreciate members who take the time to outline in such detail their methods, tactics, etc.
I'm very hands on with my minor league system and when this was first posted last year, I saved it to my notes and review it from time to time. It both reinforced some of the things I was doing and provided plenty of new ideas and food for thought.
Thanks.

[24Rocks]

I love this Post Joe, I do plenty of things differently but alot is very similar (also I only have 5 minor teams each)
Reading this post made me actually think about a few of the things I do and how they might need some tweaking.

One thing worth mentioning is for me Instead of using DFA I use extra C in AAA & 1/2 In single A to cover, keeping around In single A a couple of those multi position IF and OF guys for injury's so I don't early promote, in Rookie league maybe lower A team I use schedule subs sometimes to generate a little more balanced playing time.

Side Note: Who hasn't been playing this game a long time and not come to have a soft spot for Minor League Journeyman

[Tony820]

One thing not really covered is organizational philosophy and coaching staff. I personally believe it’s important to have an idea of the type of players you’re generally looking for (Power Pitchers, good eye/patience hitters for example) and build your coaching staff around those traits. If you keep it consistent at every level, I’ve found it can pay off.

[jimmysthebestcop]

Originally Posted by jpeters1734

That’s interesting! Why do you turn off signings?

Sorry for length it was hard to explain my reasoning lol apologizes.

I just did it in my most recent universe. I find the July Int Amateur signings to be a severely broken mechanic. I loathe house rules but nothing prevents the player from getting a top 3 rated prospect for 5 million every single year. Yes not all of them develop but they all are valuable trade offerings.

But it's actually more like 1-3 teams get a top prospect whoever offers 5 million first. Some AI teams just like the player and always get their man.

And the top July guys are always way higher potential then any draft pick I've ever seen. And they can be instantly traded since you can promote to DSL immediately and basically get any star or prospect you want because that July guy will have off the charts potential.

It even works for players who haven't developed fielding yet they are still 5 star potential. And it is completely random if they develop fielding. I personally avoid those ones they seem broken too. How can a 16 year old SS prospect have 20 for range, arm, error. Probably because there is no listed potential ratings for those categories.

I think there should actually be an international scouting mechanic. Where you have to send scouts and build reports. Maybe starting when players are 12/13 so when its time to make deals at 15/16 you have a list. Each teams list would be slightly different but their would also be overlaps. Then some kind of signing mechanic.

The way it is now is just so simple it's bothersome. Every July, here you guys, take 20/30/40 players with 3 to 5 universal 4/5 Star potential guys.

And after reading many posts about the same thing since 21 launched an idea popped to me. Max Int Complex and Max scouting discoveries. And setup a Winter league so the Int Complex guys get playing time and stats.

Now its actually like its own mini game with its own mechanics. There is no automatic 5 star beast. Just a bunch of .5 to 2 star potential guys. But some will develop into all stars and some will be destined for Indy ball.

The winter league idea for int complex was the newest thing. They gain stats without any time served since it's a winter league/tourney. I didn't do any long sims of decades or anything. So I don't know if the stats and playing time help development or if its just a placebo. But it makes me feel better at least lol

I did a 10 team winter league with 3 mlb complexes per winter team. Most teams usually have about 60 players in their complex. And since they are all 16 it doesn't really matter if they pitch/bat/field completely out of position. Its like little league.

[drzaius]

Thank you for this great post. I was reviewing the older version the past several days to guide my (mostly crazy) minor league management. I ran into a couple of issues I'd love your opinion / thoughts on; some related to the guide, others related to the UI of OOTP.

The guide itself:
If your team does not have a R+ league, what is your recommendation - should players repeat in a different rookie league? This specific example is for the Indians, who have 2 Rookie leagues, but then go directly to A- (without a R+ league).

UI issues:

I struggled actually following the guidance of this guide with OOTP. Specifically, reviewing players by level within the tool was something I struggled with. What is the order of operations you use to review players skills?

I kept getting hung up on the split / double split / scope screen within the players panel. If you can describe specifically how you go about evaluating statistics from the previous year I'd greatly appreciate it.

Additionally, does this mean I should really be sorting by age? Anyone over 18/19 shouldn't be in the R league?

[jpeters1734]

Originally Posted by drzaius

Thank you for this great post. I was reviewing the older version the past several days to guide my (mostly crazy) minor league management. I ran into a couple of issues I'd love your opinion / thoughts on; some related to the guide, others related to the UI of OOTP.

The guide itself:
If your team does not have a R+ league, what is your recommendation - should players repeat in a different rookie league? This specific example is for the Indians, who have 2 Rookie leagues, but then go directly to A- (without a R+ league).

I always dislike organizations without a rookie+ team because it does kind of throw my system out of whack. The honest truth is that the difference in level of play between rookie and rookie advanced is small. The players that you would normally promote to R+, you just have to leave them for an extra year in the GCL/AZL. Something I do if I have two rookie teams without an R+ is designate one of them as your "1st year team" and the other as your "2nd year team". That can at least help keep it organized. I'm also slightly more aggressive in promoting 19 year olds to A- and A. a side effect of that is that I'm sometimes forced to keep a few raw college draftees in rookie.

[jpeters1734]

Originally Posted by drzaius

UI issues:

I struggled actually following the guidance of this guide with OOTP. Specifically, reviewing players by level within the tool was something I struggled with. What is the order of operations you use to review players skills?

I kept getting hung up on the split / double split / scope screen within the players panel. If you can describe specifically how you go about evaluating statistics from the previous year I'd greatly appreciate it.

Additionally, does this mean I should really be sorting by age? Anyone over 18/19 shouldn't be in the R league?

first, click on split and set it to last year. Then click on scope and select the league that you want the stats to show for.

You do not need to select a league for the scope in AAA, AA, and A- since there's only one team at that level.

I wouldn't necessarily say that 19 and up should not be in rookie. In fact, many average ages for rookie in real life creep up to 20. When you are missing a R+ team, you're going to have some older guys at R.

Ideally, a player should be moving up every season, but that's not practical for every player since there's a whole host of reasons why he could not move up. Players are going to have to repeat sometimes. I wouldn't take my guide and apply the same rules to every player. However, I do have some hard lines that actually follow MiLB roster rules. A player will not spend more than:

3 seasons in rookie(4 for DSL rookie),
4 seasons in A- and below
5 seasons in A and below
6 seasons in A+ and below

So if I have a player that has been a pro for 6 seasons, he must be able to play AA or he's cut. If he's been in my minors for 4 seasons and is not ready for Single A, he gone.