OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post

Charlie Hough · 11-14-2023, 12:09 AM

By the way, based on the earlier discussion about players with very high potential becoming stars, I have been running a test with a new saved game starting in 1950. I will share before-and-after screenshots and more details on player ratings later, but here is the list of players that I am tracking:

Willie Mays
Mickey Mantle
Eddie Mathews
Joe Cunningham
Whitey Ford
Carl Erskine
Ray Herbert
Roy Sievers
Sam Jones

Most of these players are future MLB stars who receive very high potential ratings when they are created in a 1950 historical game using historical minors. Most had only one, two, or three stars of current ability, but they all had 4.5 to 5.0 stars of potential.

Thus far, nearly all of these players have developed into stars or are on track to realize their full potential, and it is only 1953. Mathews, Mantle, Cunningham and Ford made huge leaps in just a couple of years. A couple of players such as Mathews are now even a bit better in certain ratings than their original potential indicated, so they've developed beyond their potential.

Absolutely no one has failed to develop positively toward their potential. Willie Mays has been a bit slower to develop than most of the others, but he was already in MLB in 1951 and has been playing regularly, putting up solid stats for a young player who is now only 21. His recent ratings increase going into 1953 will likely make him a very good player, and he still has potential ahead of him, especially in home run power.

Sam Jones and Roy Sievers have not been as impressive because they had the lowest potential of all of these players, and they were already in their early 20s when the game started. Sievers did not have a great season in 1930, so his initial ratings were considerably lower than they would have been if they were based on 1949. Both Jones and Sievers were players who did not become MLB regulars or did not reach MLB stardom until they were nearly 30.

Now that they are in their mid-20s in OOTP, their potential stars are not as high as they were when they were created. Once you're around 26 or 27 years old in OOTP, that's when the development engine will typically start leveling off your development, so these will probably never become as good as they were in real life. It's just an unfortunate timing issue. The same thing tends to happen with players such as Kent Tekulve, who didn't make his MLB debut until he was 27 and didn't become a top reliever until he was 30. In OOTP, he is unlikely to do the same. He probably won't reach his potential. Then again, cases like those late developers are extremely rare in baseball, so it's realistic.

11-14-2023, 12:09 AM	#21
Charlie Hough Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 3,642	By the way, based on the earlier discussion about players with very high potential becoming stars, I have been running a test with a new saved game starting in 1950. I will share before-and-after screenshots and more details on player ratings later, but here is the list of players that I am tracking: Willie Mays Mickey Mantle Eddie Mathews Joe Cunningham Whitey Ford Carl Erskine Ray Herbert Roy Sievers Sam Jones Most of these players are future MLB stars who receive very high potential ratings when they are created in a 1950 historical game using historical minors. Most had only one, two, or three stars of current ability, but they all had 4.5 to 5.0 stars of potential. Thus far, nearly all of these players have developed into stars or are on track to realize their full potential, and it is only 1953. Mathews, Mantle, Cunningham and Ford made huge leaps in just a couple of years. A couple of players such as Mathews are now even a bit better in certain ratings than their original potential indicated, so they've developed beyond their potential. Absolutely no one has failed to develop positively toward their potential. Willie Mays has been a bit slower to develop than most of the others, but he was already in MLB in 1951 and has been playing regularly, putting up solid stats for a young player who is now only 21. His recent ratings increase going into 1953 will likely make him a very good player, and he still has potential ahead of him, especially in home run power. Sam Jones and Roy Sievers have not been as impressive because they had the lowest potential of all of these players, and they were already in their early 20s when the game started. Sievers did not have a great season in 1930, so his initial ratings were considerably lower than they would have been if they were based on 1949. Both Jones and Sievers were players who did not become MLB regulars or did not reach MLB stardom until they were nearly 30. Now that they are in their mid-20s in OOTP, their potential stars are not as high as they were when they were created. Once you're around 26 or 27 years old in OOTP, that's when the development engine will typically start leveling off your development, so these will probably never become as good as they were in real life. It's just an unfortunate timing issue. The same thing tends to happen with players such as Kent Tekulve, who didn't make his MLB debut until he was 27 and didn't become a top reliever until he was 30. In OOTP, he is unlikely to do the same. He probably won't reach his potential. Then again, cases like those late developers are extremely rare in baseball, so it's realistic. Last edited by Charlie Hough; 11-14-2023 at 12:11 AM.