The One Who Got Away

[JMDurron]

No matter how successful your team is, there's always "that guy", the one that you let get away. In my case, I decided to make it a point to have my 2024 Red Sox team being entirely organic - every single player who was in the field for a single play was either drafted or signed originally by my organization. Even a waiver wire prospect pickup doesn't count, so I let several good players I had found as diamonds in the rough through multiple versions of OOTP go.

One such player was one Zach Holmes, who was an excellent RP for me for 2 seasons. He had great stuff, but insufficient stamina to be a SP. Since I had originally acquired him from the Brewers in a prospect-for-prospects trade, I traded him away in the 2023-2024 offseason. He then get a development boost in Stamina, and here's what he's done in the 3 years since then...

2 Cy Young awards, 1 MVP award (2026), and 1 Silver Slugger Award (insult to injury). I have no regrets, as my 2024 team was the culmination of 12 years of roster structuring and game-by-game managing of every game across 4 or 5 versions of OOTP, but MAN this guy is awesome.

[smythejd]

I have one too. He also was a waiver wire pickup from previous versions of OOTP. His name is Juan Carlos Medina,

When I picked him up his potential was --stuff 2(2), movement 3(3), control 1(2)-- out of the 5 scale. Somewhat promising but not all that. My scout was not too high on him but the OOTP scout loved him. I kept him for a year in my lowest minors and included him as a throw in on a trade to the Houston Texans.

Well, he went on to star for the Texans for 15 years. Winning the best pitcher award 7 times (I have a really big league and awards are hard to come by) and making 15 straight all star teams. His potential and actual ratings topped out at --stuff 4(4), movement 5(5), control 5(5)--.

I guess I can say I should not have thrown him into that trade

[NYYANKS98]

I had two stud catching prospects and chose the slightly more developed and supposedly higher ceiling one to keep. He won rookie of the year batting .240 with 20 homers and great defense and won a GG. I was satisfied with great defense and ~3-4 WAR a year for a catcher but then I checked on the guy Id chosen to trade for other prospects and he became an all star putting up 5-6 WAR a season.

My guy had good ratings but always seemed to underperform (.240/.310/.400ish every year with between 18-22 homers in five seasons) to just about average while the other guy had lower ratings but consistently was better than expected.

[rudel.dietrich]

In 2022 he was a fantastic AAA starter. I know why you got rid of him (I have done the same challenges in my game) but what made you think those 22 starts would not translate into the ML?

[rudel.dietrich]

I also want to note that OOTP challenges can be fun. Like being a Canadian team and only having Canadian players or a team in Cuba, the Dominican etc.
Or having a team that is only left handed.
Or one of my favorites called the min/max challenge.
Everyone on your ML roster has to be 23 or under or 37 or older. No one between 24 and 26

[JMDurron]

Originally Posted by rudel.dietrich

In 2022 he was a fantastic AAA starter. I know why you got rid of him (I have done the same challenges in my game) but what made you think those 22 starts would not translate into the ML?

I'd have to review my 2023 SP rotation in my team history, but I think I was just already stacked in the rotation at the time, plus his Stamina was very borderline for a SP. I think his STA rating was fluctuating up and down, but after he left it jumped up and stayed up, PLUS he got a STU/MOV boost after he left for WSH.

[rudel.dietrich]

Originally Posted by JMDurron

I'd have to review my 2023 SP rotation in my team history, but I think I was just already stacked in the rotation at the time, plus his Stamina was very borderline for a SP. I think his STA rating was fluctuating up and down, but after he left it jumped up and stayed up, PLUS he got a STU/MOV boost after he left for WSH.

That is understandable but he had a lot of success at AAA and that usually translates into ML success. And a cost saving move if I was not playing a challenge I probably would of tried to most an existing pitcher.


But after a while its fun with OOTP to mix it up and try odd ways to make your game fun.

[TheMaus2]

Signed an FA SP prospect. I keep him on for a few years until he's about, 25ish? He begins to develop, but I have no space for him in the bigs, so I trade him. He's been consistently good, as a strikeout pitcher. Borderline HoFer, I'd say, but he's a top tier starter, and I'd take one of those any day.

[JMDurron]

Originally Posted by rudel.dietrich

That is understandable but he had a lot of success at AAA and that usually translates into ML success. And a cost saving move if I was not playing a challenge I probably would of tried to most an existing pitcher.


But after a while its fun with OOTP to mix it up and try odd ways to make your game fun.

As it turns out, I had 1 spot open in my rotation heading into 2023, and he was the 2nd best SP prospect available to fill it. He therefore went to the bullpen. The other guy won the AL ERA Title and the 2023 AL Rookie of the Year award, so that one worked out ok. The rest of the rotation needed no reinforcements, and I think I was already skewing towards as much organic as possible - better to have the import as a RP than a SP.