Putting Together a Dream Team Front Office

BuenoWaino · 06-17-2015, 03:30 PM

So I'm halfway through my first season in OOTP and loving it. I'm doing a semi-rebuild, buying low off waivers and pairing them with outperforming vets to sell high for prospects and picks (yeah, yeah, it's cheating. Sue me.) while shedding some long term salary obligations and trying to sign my young studs to team friendly deals (the only part of my plan that's been a bit of a fail). And somehow I'm managing to remain fairly competitive this season despite all that.

But with the first three months in the rearview mirror, I'm starting to really look ahead toward next year, namely my front office and coaching staff. I don't know what I'm looking for to be honest. Is Reputation the most important? Experience? The little bio & history (which we don't get for available personnel)? Are there certain personalities I should go for at certain levels (Low A vs. MLB) but not others, or some to be avoided at all? I've read elsewhere that style really doesn't matter much. Is that true? Does it matter if the official isn't American? Basically, what should I be looking for to know who to keep around and who I should be picking up?

Relatedly, is there any real dis/advantage to replacing staff mid-season as opposed to the offseason? Should I try and upgrade now when there's less competition for candidates from other organizations, or will there be a lot more options available come the offseason? If I hire better coaches in July, will they facilitate better/quicker player development than if I wait until Nov/Dec?

Now we come to scouting. My current scout has only 6 years experience and is either Poor or Inexperienced in every category save MiLB scouting where he's Legendary. Meanwhile, I found two available scouts, with twice and four times the experience respectively, and all Excellent or Outstanding ratings in every category. Is this just a "duh" moment and I should upgrade to one of them immediately, or is there more to it?

And finally, how do Scout ratings and my scouting budget interact? Is one more important, more efficient or has a bigger impact than the other? Can I get similar results with a great scout but smaller scouting budget to save money overall? Is it better to put more money into the areas where your scout is most highly rated, or is it better to cover up your scout's lower ratings with bigger budgets for those categories?

Sorry for all the questions. Just wanted to get as much as I could think of out there in case anyone had advice.

Déjà Bru · 06-17-2015, 08:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BuenoWaino

So I'm halfway through my first season in OOTP and loving it. I'm doing a semi-rebuild, buying low off waivers and pairing them with outperforming vets to sell high for prospects and picks (yeah, yeah, it's cheating. Sue me.) while shedding some long term salary obligations and trying to sign my young studs to team friendly deals (the only part of my plan that's been a bit of a fail). And somehow I'm managing to remain fairly competitive this season despite all that.

But with the first three months in the rearview mirror, I'm starting to really look ahead toward next year, namely my front office and coaching staff. I don't know what I'm looking for to be honest. Is Reputation the most important? Experience? The little bio & history (which we don't get for available personnel)? Are there certain personalities I should go for at certain levels (Low A vs. MLB) but not others, or some to be avoided at all? I've read elsewhere that style really doesn't matter much. Is that true? Does it matter if the official isn't American? Basically, what should I be looking for to know who to keep around and who I should be picking up?

Relatedly, is there any real dis/advantage to replacing staff mid-season as opposed to the offseason? Should I try and upgrade now when there's less competition for candidates from other organizations, or will there be a lot more options available come the offseason? If I hire better coaches in July, will they facilitate better/quicker player development than if I wait until Nov/Dec?

Now we come to scouting. My current scout has only 6 years experience and is either Poor or Inexperienced in every category save MiLB scouting where he's Legendary. Meanwhile, I found two available scouts, with twice and four times the experience respectively, and all Excellent or Outstanding ratings in every category. Is this just a "duh" moment and I should upgrade to one of them immediately, or is there more to it?

And finally, how do Scout ratings and my scouting budget interact? Is one more important, more efficient or has a bigger impact than the other? Can I get similar results with a great scout but smaller scouting budget to save money overall? Is it better to put more money into the areas where your scout is most highly rated, or is it better to cover up your scout's lower ratings with bigger budgets for those categories?

Sorry for all the questions. Just wanted to get as much as I could think of out there in case anyone had advice.

I'll give you a few quick tips:

For coaches, Reputation is a great indicator, but that only comes with Experience. If you can land a coach with high marks in both, then fine. If not, you need to go with a guy who has lower marks but who fits the bill in other ways, like personality and style. Avoid hotheads and guys with unconventional styles. For the minor leagues, look for coaches who are good with younger players. Those bio bits say a lot in very few words. Style does matter; you don't want a laid-back fellow if there are few leaders on your team to deal with the bad actors. Being American should not matter, though.

From time to time, I see people here talking about how if you fire guys too often, you get a reputation so that good coaches will not want to work for you. I suppose that's true. So, if you fire and hire in July, then see that better folks are available in October (after having been fired from someplace else), then you are firing and hiring again the same year - not good. I would wait, even though the benefits from having good coaches are immediate, especially during the playing season. Sure, your players would be better off developing in July than waiting for the offseason so if you do find good coaches now then pull the trigger but try not to dump them in October; that is, try to be sure now and keep them on for a year or two.

Yeah, I would hire the better scout, NOW. Just stick to him for a year or two, too.

You have the right thoughts about scouting and budgets - I could tell from your questions. Yes, they do interact. Yes, you can use budgeting to offset scouting deficiencies in certain areas. The one thing that I will say is that I would not skimp on the scouting budget. Give him the max to work with - get the best scout available and give him the most money that you can to get the best results. Work the slider buttons according to your tastes and in conjunction with the scouts strengths and weaknesses.

BuenoWaino · 06-19-2015, 10:29 AM

Thanks for the tips. Already putting some into place. Some follow-ups:

If I hire two different minor league pitching coaches, one with a preference for ground ballers and another preferring power pitchers, is it smarter to split my MiLB pitchers accordingly, say between AA and AAA? Generally I go with mostly ground ballers, but I like having guys throwing 96-98 for my bullpen and am afraid they could be hampered by the wrong coach. Same I suppose for the occasional power hitter (focus more on high OBP guys). Or should I strive for consistency throughout the org.?

Is there any way to get good coaches for the minors without overpaying? Seems like any available personnel with decent ratings are asking for major league salaries.

And a third question, though completely unrelated to the thread topic: if I were to do a historical sim, will players' talent and development mirror real life, everything else being equal (injuries, development budget, coaches, etc.). For instance, will 1999's 13th rounder Albert Pujols still be likely to turn into a perennial All Star and MVP candidate? Does the AI know this? If yes to the first and no to the second, how do people avoid exploiting such a system?

TonyJ · 06-19-2015, 02:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BuenoWaino

And a third question, though completely unrelated to the thread topic: if I were to do a historical sim, will players' talent and development mirror real life, everything else being equal (injuries, development budget, coaches, etc.). For instance, will 1999's 13th rounder Albert Pujols still be likely to turn into a perennial All Star and MVP candidate? Does the AI know this? If yes to the first and no to the second, how do people avoid exploiting such a system?

No, it will not mirror real life unless you have historical recalc turned on.

BuenoWaino · 06-21-2015, 05:50 PM

Probably for the best.

Couple more questions (so I don't clutter up the forum with too many threads) if anyone has any answers:

Will coaches "develop"? I'll admit I turned on Commish mode and took a peek at my coaches' stats and they were terrible. Now, I'd feel a bit cheat-y doing this for available personnel and knowing exactly which were the best upgrades, but will coaches improve with time (and presumably reputation)? I get going after MiLB coaches who are good with rookies, with good personalities, and non-unconventional styles, but is that really all I should be aiming for?

How much are you willing to overpay for a good coach, or scout? I went ahead and upgraded my scout ASAP as Deja Bru and I couldn't get him for less than $700k/year for 4 years. Which I'm okay with because he's such a huge upgrade over my old guy. But these minor league coaches...anyone that sounds even remotely promising is asking for a salary in the six figures range, while my current MilB coaches are making only a fraction of that.

Speaking of scouting...I've read on the forum that I'm supposed to receive monthly reports on my farm system from my scout? Or maybe just on my top prospects? I'm not exactly sure, but it sounded like a single report or page that might list the info you'd find on a player's Player Development tab but for multiple guys. Is this a thing, and if so, how do I get it? It's very time consuming trying to check all of their progress individually.

And speaking of Player Development...it seems like every time I check in a guy (my top prospects mostly, or guys I'm eyeing for a callup), he's usually gone up in two categories (Eye Increased from 45 to 50, Gap Power increased from 55 to 60) and down in one (Contact decreased from 40 to 35) and the player loses a star or half star rating. Is this normal development, and how in the world does two increases and one decrease result in a lower overall rating?

06-17-2015, 03:30 PM	#1
BuenoWaino Minors (Single A) Join Date: Jun 2015 Posts: 66	Putting Together a Dream Team Front Office So I'm halfway through my first season in OOTP and loving it. I'm doing a semi-rebuild, buying low off waivers and pairing them with outperforming vets to sell high for prospects and picks (yeah, yeah, it's cheating. Sue me.) while shedding some long term salary obligations and trying to sign my young studs to team friendly deals (the only part of my plan that's been a bit of a fail). And somehow I'm managing to remain fairly competitive this season despite all that. But with the first three months in the rearview mirror, I'm starting to really look ahead toward next year, namely my front office and coaching staff. I don't know what I'm looking for to be honest. Is Reputation the most important? Experience? The little bio & history (which we don't get for available personnel)? Are there certain personalities I should go for at certain levels (Low A vs. MLB) but not others, or some to be avoided at all? I've read elsewhere that style really doesn't matter much. Is that true? Does it matter if the official isn't American? Basically, what should I be looking for to know who to keep around and who I should be picking up? Relatedly, is there any real dis/advantage to replacing staff mid-season as opposed to the offseason? Should I try and upgrade now when there's less competition for candidates from other organizations, or will there be a lot more options available come the offseason? If I hire better coaches in July, will they facilitate better/quicker player development than if I wait until Nov/Dec? Now we come to scouting. My current scout has only 6 years experience and is either Poor or Inexperienced in every category save MiLB scouting where he's Legendary. Meanwhile, I found two available scouts, with twice and four times the experience respectively, and all Excellent or Outstanding ratings in every category. Is this just a "duh" moment and I should upgrade to one of them immediately, or is there more to it? And finally, how do Scout ratings and my scouting budget interact? Is one more important, more efficient or has a bigger impact than the other? Can I get similar results with a great scout but smaller scouting budget to save money overall? Is it better to put more money into the areas where your scout is most highly rated, or is it better to cover up your scout's lower ratings with bigger budgets for those categories? Sorry for all the questions. Just wanted to get as much as I could think of out there in case anyone had advice.

06-19-2015, 10:29 AM	#3
BuenoWaino Minors (Single A) Join Date: Jun 2015 Posts: 66	Thanks for the tips. Already putting some into place. Some follow-ups: If I hire two different minor league pitching coaches, one with a preference for ground ballers and another preferring power pitchers, is it smarter to split my MiLB pitchers accordingly, say between AA and AAA? Generally I go with mostly ground ballers, but I like having guys throwing 96-98 for my bullpen and am afraid they could be hampered by the wrong coach. Same I suppose for the occasional power hitter (focus more on high OBP guys). Or should I strive for consistency throughout the org.? Is there any way to get good coaches for the minors without overpaying? Seems like any available personnel with decent ratings are asking for major league salaries. And a third question, though completely unrelated to the thread topic: if I were to do a historical sim, will players' talent and development mirror real life, everything else being equal (injuries, development budget, coaches, etc.). For instance, will 1999's 13th rounder Albert Pujols still be likely to turn into a perennial All Star and MVP candidate? Does the AI know this? If yes to the first and no to the second, how do people avoid exploiting such a system? Last edited by BuenoWaino; 06-19-2015 at 10:49 AM.

06-21-2015, 05:50 PM	#5
BuenoWaino Minors (Single A) Join Date: Jun 2015 Posts: 66	Probably for the best. Couple more questions (so I don't clutter up the forum with too many threads) if anyone has any answers: Will coaches "develop"? I'll admit I turned on Commish mode and took a peek at my coaches' stats and they were terrible. Now, I'd feel a bit cheat-y doing this for available personnel and knowing exactly which were the best upgrades, but will coaches improve with time (and presumably reputation)? I get going after MiLB coaches who are good with rookies, with good personalities, and non-unconventional styles, but is that really all I should be aiming for? How much are you willing to overpay for a good coach, or scout? I went ahead and upgraded my scout ASAP as Deja Bru and I couldn't get him for less than $700k/year for 4 years. Which I'm okay with because he's such a huge upgrade over my old guy. But these minor league coaches...anyone that sounds even remotely promising is asking for a salary in the six figures range, while my current MilB coaches are making only a fraction of that. Speaking of scouting...I've read on the forum that I'm supposed to receive monthly reports on my farm system from my scout? Or maybe just on my top prospects? I'm not exactly sure, but it sounded like a single report or page that might list the info you'd find on a player's Player Development tab but for multiple guys. Is this a thing, and if so, how do I get it? It's very time consuming trying to check all of their progress individually. And speaking of Player Development...it seems like every time I check in a guy (my top prospects mostly, or guys I'm eyeing for a callup), he's usually gone up in two categories (Eye Increased from 45 to 50, Gap Power increased from 55 to 60) and down in one (Contact decreased from 40 to 35) and the player loses a star or half star rating. Is this normal development, and how in the world does two increases and one decrease result in a lower overall rating?