How does stat-based scouting really work?

[AlterEgo45]

Is anyone still here?

If so, I like to go dumpster diving as a GM - picking up guys who I think are unappreciated and underused and making them into good MLB players. The problem is that even though their stats improve significantly under my management, their ratings dont reflect that. I'm using stat-based scouting so you'd think that would mean something.

Like look at this guy:

Gene Krug[imgur.com]

His overall rating has done nothing but drop ever since I acquired him 2 seasons ago, even though during his time with me it has been clearly established that he is a decent major league player. I get that he's a DH, but he has some value and with those numbers he should be rated in the high 70's at least (don't forget those numbers are better in 1981 than they are today). Instead he's rated 66, which means he's regarded as a weak AA player and has no value at all.

I've had a number of guys like this; a couple of years ago I picked up a LF off the scrapheap and he hit around .335 with me in over 400 AB with mid-range power. His rating during his tenure with me never got over 76, and he's never played in the majors again since he left my team, even though he's only around 30.

I do see that the ratings change for players, in my case nearly always downward if they're in the major leagues. I know this scouting method does something, I'm just not sure what. Or how. What am I doing wrong here?

I'll add one more question. If I've got a young pitcher rated around 79/90 and the top rated farm system, should I keep him in AAA and max him out before calling him up?

Thanks.

[killerbeeodb]

How do you get people to get their ratings higher

[AlterEgo45]

It depends on the situation. If they're young, it's about keeping them at the right minor league level and not bringing them to the majors too soon. Don't just look at the overall rating for that but also their stats and individual ratings.

It's tough though. If you see a guy who should be performing well at his level but isn't, look and see if his ratings are dropping. If they are, he probably isn't being challenged and sometimes a promotion works great.

Once I've got my team really established I won't promote anyone from AAA who is rated below 85 unless I have injuries or I need a minor role player in the majors.

Push your expenses through the roof. The AI underestimates how important they are. With the number 1 farm system you'll get so many top prospects that not only will they fuel your major league team, but the players you get rid of will recoup the money you spent on player development.

Also the position someone is listed as when you first draft them might not be their best one, and they'll have far more long term value if you move them. Like you'll see someone with a powerful arm playing 2b, or a guy with great range but a weak arm playing right field, or someone with an endurance of 64 (on a 1-100 rating) listed as a SP. So switch them up. Don't worry if their new position rating is poor - it will improve. When someone is playing a position that best suits their abilities, their overall rises once they get used to the new role.

Once a very good player approaches his peak... if you've got someone rated in the high 80's or 90's it's just luck where they go beyond that. I managed to get a pitcher rated 99 for a couple of seasons, but I didn't treat him differently than any other prospect to get him there. And when they do hit a high number, they generally won't stay there too long. It seems rare that a player rated 95+ will stay there for more than a couple of years.

Playing time and the role on your team seems to matter. Relief pitchers who don't close, platoon players, and DH's don't seem to keep their numbers up like full time players and starting pitchers do even if they put up great numbers. They seem to top out in the mid 80's.

With low-ranked players, there are lots of guys where if you look at their abilities and stats, you see that they'd make pretty good platoon players at least. But the AI has them rated in the 60's and low 70's because they've never gotten a chance to play, or they're not utilized properly. I've acquired players like that for nothing, had them hit over .300 in a limited role, and while they never become elite players they will rise to the high 70's/low 80's and have value to the AI.

With stats only, the overall rating mainly matters if you're trying to move a player. The AI won't give you anything for a guy rated below 76. Extreme changes can also be an indicator - if someone drops from 95 to 86 over the off season, it almost certainly means their days of being an elite player are over. Likewise if a AA player suddenly jumps up to a 90, you can stick them right in your lineup or rotation and know they'll usually be pretty good right away.

After all that I haven't really answered the question, have I? What you can take from this is that the BB Mogul player ability system is more complicated than it first seems. I've come to really like it.