Scouting Strategy

[sawilson1]

Still new to the game, what are yall using to scout? Is auto any good?

[sccavs64]

Re: Scouting Strategy

I'd be really, really interested to see everyone else's thoughts here, especially since it seems like scouting is actually needed in 16. Last year, each player's overall and potential was 100% accurate during the draft (even if you didn't scout the player at all) so you didn't need to scout.

I normally find that decent pitchers are a dime a dozen in the game. Usually pretty easy to acquire in trades/FA/draft with little scouting. So, I focus primarily on positional players.

I open the flood gates right at the beginning with discovery - Having my scouts discover all catchers, infielders, and outfielders before scouting and finding their ratings/potential. Only downside is this usually only leaves you with a month or so to scout, as discovering each player in all 4 regions takes about 7 days for catchers, and 14-21 days for both outfielders and infielders.

In past years, it was much easier to find good talent after the discovery period. After a player was discovered, their current overall was 100% correct, so I only chose to scout players with 60+ overalls in hopes to find someone in that group with a high potential. This year however seems to be a lot different. The overalls are not accurate, and the ratings scales before the draft are on a scale from 30-80 instead of 30-100. So someone with a potential of 80 in this game before the draft could have a real potential of anywhere between 80 and 99. Seems like it's more of a crap-shoot (which I really like).

Again, I'd be really interested in hearing some other people's thoughts and their strategies before I start my franchise for real this weekend. I know a lot of people auto scout, but I like having full control.

[sink4ever]

Re: Scouting Strategy

The rating scale is the 20-80 scale this year (http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/scout...couting-scale/), not their OVR rating.

[sccavs64]

Re: Scouting Strategy

The rating scale is the 20-80 scale this year (http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/scout...couting-scale/), not their OVR rating.

Oh wow, thank you for that link! super helpful

[sawilson1]

Re: Scouting Strategy

Thanks for the info, Ive been lucky but I had no method to my madness...

on the later rounds, I do take a chance on high potential guy who were not scouted. Early on depending where Im picking, I trust players who are scouted, and with a soon ETA to majors.

But during the scouting process, I spent a lot of time identifying players, and I dont think I spent enough time scouting.

[KBLover]

Re: Scouting Strategy

I usually discover in April and focus on scouting in the next two months.

Probably need good efficiency scouts, but that's always an attribute I try to focus on. Makes it easier to run through a lot of kids.

I always try to have a pair of good pitcher and position player scouts. That way I'm scouting 2 pitchers and 2 hitters in each cycle. Combined with efficiency, I find that can really help me burn through the (hopefully) long list of discovered players.

Discovery seems quicker this year, or maybe I never fully noticed it before. I ran through the catchers in a region in about 3 or 4 days and pitchers in another in about 6 days.

Still not sure what impact region has in terms of, say, I send a scout that prefers International players to scout a Central player. What, if anything, is the impact? Likewise if I use him to discover Central players.

I pay a lot in scouting as you might guess trying to get good Discovery and Efficiency with at least decent in either pitcher or position player.

[Benz87]

Re: Scouting Strategy

I simmed two full seasons before actually playing games for my Brewers in an attempt to bring them to contention, which has been succesful as they are they are the 8th ranked team. Both season I followed the same process and was satisfied with results.

Starting at the beginning of the year I would set one scout to each region with allowing them to discover on a position basis for two day. Pitchers - Righties, Pitchers - Lefties, Catchers, Infield, and Outfield. In total the process consumes 10 days(5 position types). From there I would set my scouts to an individual player for a total of three days, and then move them on to a new set of players from there and continue this cycle until the draft.

There are many players that are left unscouted for the draft, but definitely enough high potential players that are reliably scouted to choose from. Both Drafts my top pick was an A potential player with a decent Overall. My first year it was an A potential catcher(thinking about a future without Lucroy) that is starting his rookie year in the majors as a 76 Overall in my current 3rd season, and in my 2nd season my top pick was an A potential RF who is starting in AAA at an 68 OVR in my 3rd season. Beyond these highlights i've also drafted many B potential players that will definitely they their way to the major league club in time.

I find that not all players I scout actually enter the draft that season, so going into the following year I will have many players in the potential draftee pool as already scouted which is helpful with volume.

[sccavs64]

Re: Scouting Strategy

I usually discover in April and focus on scouting in the next two months.

Probably need good efficiency scouts, but that's always an attribute I try to focus on. Makes it easier to run through a lot of kids.

I always try to have a pair of good pitcher and position player scouts. That way I'm scouting 2 pitchers and 2 hitters in each cycle. Combined with efficiency, I find that can really help me burn through the (hopefully) long list of discovered players.

Discovery seems quicker this year, or maybe I never fully noticed it before. I ran through the catchers in a region in about 3 or 4 days and pitchers in another in about 6 days.

Still not sure what impact region has in terms of, say, I send a scout that prefers International players to scout a Central player. What, if anything, is the impact? Likewise if I use him to discover Central players.

I pay a lot in scouting as you might guess trying to get good Discovery and Efficiency with at least decent in either pitcher or position player.

Really 6 days? That's crazy, I think in '15 it took almost 30 days to scout all pitchers. Good to know!

Really wish SCEA gave us more direction with this because I agree, what do the region specialties matter if you're telling them where to go? I would think if anything, the only effect of sending a scout to a region that's outside their specialty would maybe be a small inaccuracy in ratings and/or a slight increase in the time it takes to scout the player fully. But who knows.

[sccavs64]

Re: Scouting Strategy

Have you guys also noticed how accurate the scouting report is for a player after 2 days? Ideally I want to scout every player I choose until the accuracy wheel is fully green, but we simply don't have enough time on the calendar to do that.

So if you scout someone for 2 days let's say, and the accuracy wheel is half-green and they have a 60 overall rating with C potential, do you just move on to the next player, or is there a chance that he could have B or A potential after the report is fully completed? Just trying to figure out how to best use my time and calendar days.

[Benz87]

Re: Scouting Strategy

Have you guys also noticed how accurate the scouting report is for a player after 2 days? Ideally I want to scout every player I choose until the accuracy wheel is fully green, but we simply don't have enough time on the calendar to do that.

So if you scout someone for 2 days let's say, and the accuracy wheel is half-green and they have a 60 overall rating with C potential, do you just move on to the next player, or is there a chance that he could have B or A potential after the report is fully completed? Just trying to figure out how to best use my time and calendar days.

I think the purpose of the color wheel transitioning from Red, to yellow, to green is to signify the confidence you should have in accuracy. If they are any level of green, I assume the report to be fairly accurate.

[sccavs64]

Re: Scouting Strategy

I think the purpose of the color wheel transitioning from Red, to yellow, to green is to signify the confidence you should have in accuracy. If they are any level of green, I assume the report to be fairly accurate.

Yeah you're right, I suppose it is possible that the report after 2 days could look completely different from the final report after 4 days, just wondering what the likelihood would be of a fundamental difference. I'll have a lot of downtime this weekend house sitting for a friend so I'll do some testing

[KBLover]

Re: Scouting Strategy

Really 6 days? That's crazy, I think in '15 it took almost 30 days to scout all pitchers. Good to know!

Sorry, it wasn't pitchers. It was infielders. I've tapped out the West of infielders. I'm probably close to running pitchers out of one region but I've switched half to scouting some of the players I have like all those infielders and some of the pitchers.

So if you scout someone for 2 days let's say, and the accuracy wheel is half-green and they have a 60 overall rating with C potential, do you just move on to the next player, or is there a chance that he could have B or A potential after the report is fully completed? Just trying to figure out how to best use my time and calendar days.

With the old bar indicators, I went with 2/3 or greater full. Then I'd move on to another prospect unless he looked really compelling.

I'll probably do the same this year.

[Unlucky 13]

Re: Scouting Strategy

For me, in my limited experience playing through two months of my first season, everything seems slower this year. My scouts seem pretty good, with several having max ratings in at least one catagory, but it seems to take about a few days longer to discover all of the players in a region compared to past years, and while I used to be able to fully scout almost all players in around 3 days before, it now takes upwards of a week on almost all of them.

I do like that the prospects can go way up or down from their original number after you scout them, sometimes quickly. I had one drop from a 70 to a 50 while the circle was still yellow. Overall though, I expect to have a lot fewer players scouted to pick through when the draft happens, and I'll be flying blind after the first few rounds.