Franchise scouting and training tips

[countryboy]

Personally, I don't pay attention to the regions of my scouts, though I guess I should. I get the best scouts available, at least that I deem the best, and I'll send them to wherever to scout a player. I typically have one guy who is good at discovery and then I'll have a guy that is balanced and then one that is great with pitchers and one with position players.

[MightyMaxxx13]

Id like to see a more immersive scouting experience personally. Like a previous poster said, after the first 2 or 3 rounds most of the guys you have thoroughly scouted who actually declare for the draft are gone and you’re left with total unknowns. I keep meticulous tabs on my scouts, discovering through April and scouting individual players from May 1 through draft day. I hire the best scout in each region and keep them only to their native region when discovering or scouting. My first round pick will always be a future ‘80’ and they usually end up with potential in the 87-93 range. My 2 and 3 picks are usually guys with 70-75 future grades who end up high-70’s low-80’s. Inevitably I snatch a few total unknowns late. In my last draft, two of those guys ended up having B potential. Im almost leaning toward cutting the scouting budget altogether, which would add additional budget room for your MLB roster. As long as you’ve sufficiently scouted your #1 pick it might be better to just take your chances with a few wildcards and have the extra budget room.

[moTIGS]

Quote: Originally Posted by MightyMaxxx13

Like a previous poster said, after the first 2 or 3 rounds most of the guys you have thoroughly scouted who actually declare for the draft are gone and you’re left with total unknowns.

They're not really unknowns, though.

With every player you discover, you already know their current ability level. Those numbers do not change with scouting. All scouting does is reveal potential.

If an unscouted prospect says he has 65/65 power vs. lefties and righties, then he will definitely start with 65 power vs. lefties and righties. What you don't know is if the projected number is accurate. A true 65/65 might be a D potential. But if your scout finds he's actually 65/80, you could be looking at an A potential power hitter.

I don't know if this is common knowledge, but after I realized the current ratings are accurate and do not change with additional scouting, basically every player I draft now is already in the high 60s/low 70s overall. If you focus on scouting only guys who start off with usable skills and ignore players who will inevitably be drafted with an overall in the 50s, you can typically fill your whole draft with guys who will be MLB-ready in a year or two and have solid potential.

My last draft had like five guys with at least 72 overall and at least 77 potential. Several who will be cheap bench options. A couple who will be quality everyday players soon.