International Prospects Question

[greenOak]

Does anyone know if overall talent levels will be affected if I turn off international prospects (or reduce the number generated / discovered?)

[dankrzyz]

I hate to bump a year old thread, but I have the same question. My online league has turned off a number of the international FA options. Ideally, we want to focus on the amateur draft and player development. We are currently debating if turning off these international options has reduced the overall talent entering the league.

[old fat bald guy]

That's interesting. I see the July 1 dump of international FAs as basically another draft, by different means. They're mostly YOUNGER than the players in the amateur draft, so I don't see it making development less important.

[dankrzyz]

Originally Posted by old fat bald guy

That's interesting. I see the July 1 dump of international FAs as basically another draft, by different means. They're mostly YOUNGER than the players in the amateur draft, so I don't see it making development less important.

What we wanted to achieve was a focus on the draft, ordered from worst to first, instead of favoring those teams with financial strength through the International FAs system.

I just haven't been able to find much of anything about how turning off everything except for the amateur draft and international scouting discoveries might affect overall league talent. (Only those in bold below are active.)

From the little I've found, it sounds like the draft pool does NOT adjust talent in reaction to removal of other international player injections. How much talent is the league missing by turning these off?

Completely Recoded Player Origin System
We have completely recoded player origin to make your league's development much more realistic. There are now 5 different ways new players enter the league, and each one can be customized for the number of created players and their nationalities:

The First-Year Player Draft: By default, players in the draft pool are now from the USA, Canada or Puerto Rico. However, the nationality can be tweaked in great detail and can also include a set percentage of random nationalities. That also applies to the following optional player entry methods.
International Amateur Top Prospects (optional): These players are typically 16-to-17-years-old who have a reputation of being top talents. They appear as free agents in a new special international section of the league transaction screen and most likely will demand contracts with high signing bonuses (another new feature). You can customize the number of these players who will be created each year.
Established International Free Agents (optional): These players are typically from Japan, South Korea, Cuba, Taiwan and Mexico and are between 22 and 32 years old. They typically have slightly below average major league talent, but there will be the occasional star player, like Yu Darvish, Ichiro, or Aroldis Chapman.
International Scouting Discoveries (optional): Your team's scouts constantly evaluate the international leagues as they seek young, raw, and unknown talent. The success of your head scout is determined by the scouting budget, the quality of your scout, and his assigned regions. When your head scout discovers a player who he feels may have a shot at becoming a pro, that player is automatically assigned to your team's new international complex. Players in the international complex may remain there until their 20th birthdays, after which they will have to be assigned to a minor league team or released.
Players from Independent Leagues (optional): You may also have your head scout look for talent in hidden independent leagues. These players are typically from the league home nation, but once in a while an international talent may be discovered here too. Independent league players are typically in their early-to-mid-20s and usually only have an outside shot at becoming borderline major league players. However, there may be the occasional feel-good success story.

[endgame]

International Amateur Top Prospects (optional):

Simple answer is no, it won't affect development. But that's, perhaps, a different question than whether it affects league talent. Have you had these, specifically the one above, options on previously? There's league history with International Amateurs? Historically, and you may find dissenting opinion, acquiring the top International Amateurs quite often result in a relatively good chance they become top performers in the league, raising its talent. Personally, I think the regular first-year player draft producing less long-term potential than these amateurs, but their prevalence in an existing league will probably make the transition into a league without them barely noticeable as they fade into history and your new draftees aspire toward stardom.