chazmaniandevil
Son of Hades
I broke down all the scouts comments and figured out exactly what they meant by comparing their comments to players already in the MLB. I can predict with great accuracy which prospects will have A potential or B potential, what type of control they will have, etc based on the scouts comments. I compiled a list of prospects and saved it on my wordpad.
So I go to draft day and discover that only a tiny portion of the players in the scout pool are available to be drafted, and the game tells you the attributes for each player in the draft regardless of whether you scouted them or not.
I didn't bother scouting 16 or 17 year olds because I figured they would not be in the draft, but I figured 22 year olds would all be in the draft. There were 50 starting pitchers who were 22 years old in the scout pool but only 3 22 year old starting pitchers were in the draft pool on draft day. What happens to all the other 22 year olds? Are they still available next year when they are 23, do they quit baseball and take up golf or what? Is this just a first year thing or does it happen this way every year?
My new revised scouting strategy is to only scout a player until I find his potential, add him to my list of players and their potential, and then move on to the next player. Since the game gives you their attributes and only a small portion of the players are in the draft it doesn't make sense to spend a lot of time scouting a player beyong his potential.
By the way, in case anybody cares, here is a breakdown of scouts comments and what it means in terms of player potential. Many are obvious but not all. Note that some of the players in the second tier of the scouting list will have A potential, just a lower starting point than those on the top tier.
A potential position players
Future star - McClouth, Napoli, Geovany Soto
Should excel in the majors - Ludwick, Billy Butler, Milledge, Votto
Has the talent, all he needs is the chance - Yadier Molina, Hawpe, Alexei Ramirez, Alex Gordon, Kendrick
Will challenge for the MVP before long - Upton, Ellsbury, Victorino
The potential is there for stardom - Tutlowitzki, Brandon Phillips, Corey Hart
Future star, possible superstar - Kemp, Youkilis, Josh Hamilton, McCann
As close to being a sure thing as you can get - Adrian Gonzalez, Pedroia, Longoria, Upton, Sizemore, David Wright, Ryan Howard, Braun, Fielder
Huge upside, should make a big splash at the shoe - Markakis, Granderson, Willy Taveras, Pence
Does nearly everything well. A stud - Rios, Uggla
All around talent makes his future a bright one - Quentin, Arnold Girard (computer generated guy)
At minimum should be an all star - Kinsler, Zimmerman
Has the tools, has the makeup, a future superstar - Hanley Ramirez
Nobody has more talent - Jay Bruce
__________
Pitchers A potential
_________
Solid arm, very useful relief pitcher - Capps.
Loads of potential, if harnessed he'll be a star - Wainwright, Chris Young P, Wang, Ervin Santana, Jarvis Looper (computer generated guy), Morrow, Ting (computer generated guy), Volquez
The talent is there, should get a chance to do setup work - Qualls, Zumaya
Should make more than a few all star teams - Chris Young CF, Russell Martin, Ethier, Adam Jones, Cavazos (computer generated guy), Jose Lopez, Chris Davis
Should anchor the setup corps in the bullpen - Street, Jenks, Joey Devine
An elite reliever in any situation - Broxton, Papelbon, Saito
Could be an ace for years to come - Billingsly, Cain
Has a chance to be a minor ace - Kuroda, McGowan, Slowey
Should be a top starter for his team - Kershaw
Should be #2 starter at worst - Dobson (computer generated player) this guy is terrible control, hard thrower on all pitches, Anibal Sanchez, Josh Johnson
Has the tools to be a superstar - Lincecum, Hamels
He has a very high ceiling - Matsuzaka, Hughes, Verlander, Liriano
Outstanding stuff, terrific makeup, future star - Lester, Kazmir, Price, Carmona, Greinke, Jurrens
An asset out of the pen - Okajima
Ought to contend for a few Cy Young awards before he's done - Chamberlain
Only a matter of time before he's an all star - Garza, Danks
The talent is there for him to be an all star - Shields, Jered Weaver, Nolasco, Cueto, Gallardo
Very good reliever, should excel in setup work - Rafael Perez, Arredondo
Closer in waiting, top notch setup man - Soria
Should blossom into an all star and staff ace - Felix Hernandez
_____________
B potential position players
Loaded with potential, could be a star - Doumit, Cano, Chris Snyder, Stephen Drew, Connor Jackson, Mark Reynolds, Garrett Atkins, Barmes, Spilborghs, Gerut, E Burriss, Aaron Hill, Church, Coste, Theriot, K Matsui
Gobs of talent, should make a terrific regular - L Scott, Swisher, Iwamora, D Navarro, Inglett, Lind, J Fields, J Owens, Willingham, Dukes, Tiner
Will be a productive player abeit with limited upside - Schumaker, Ian Stewart, Blake Dewitt, Dobbs
Better tools than most, good future - Iannetta, Melky Cabrera, Jason Bartlett, Hardy, Headley
________
B potential pitchers
______
A #2 or #3 starter with some upside - Snell, Scherzer, Jonathan Sanchez, Guthrie, Sonnastine, Marcum, Litsch, floyd, Olsen, Lannan, Pelfrey, Blanton, R Hill, W Rodriguez, D Bush, Parra
Solid middle reliever with above average stuff - Yates, Craig Hansen, Kyle McClellan, Tony Pena, John Rauch, M Adams, J Hampton, J Miller, C Ray, J Lopez, Veras, Carlson, Feliciano
Very capable pitcher. good #3 guy - Jason Davis, Zach Duke, Gorzelanny, Yusmeiro Petit, Baek, Mitre, Carrasco, D Cabrera
A sold talent, He'll help most teams - Karstens, Edgar Gonzalez, Correia, Waters, Patton, H Sanchez, J Hammel
A nice pitcher to have for middle relief work - Chris Perez, Albers, Sarfate, Littleton, Cormier
The equipment is there, should help out of the pen - T Buchholz, C Wade, Brian Wilson, Sherrill, J Johnson, Ramon Ramirez, J Nelson, Tallet, Frasor, League, Thornton, Geary, Villanueva
A notch below ace starters, but not far below - Jeff Francis, Ubaldo Jimenez, Maine
Superb stuff. Will thrive as a middle reliever or setup man - Hong-Chih Kuo, Heath Bell, Delcarmen, Marmol
_________
C Potential
A nice pitcher to have for middle elief work - D Bautista, B Thompson,
He can eat innings but probably never better than average - Ohlendorf, Burres
Occasionally brilliant but also plagued by inconsistency - A Phillips, Moss, C Duncan, Barton, Montero, A Ojeda, Luna, Scott Hairston, Luis Rodriguez
His stuff is nothing special but still may help out of the pen - S Burnett, Beam, Kinney, T Johnson, Slaten, Medders, Taschner
Your garden variety middle reliever - Bootcheck, Brazoban, Hennessey
Talent is good but frustrates managers with lack of consistency - Andy Laroche, J Salazar, Quintanilla, Delwyn Young, Ransom
Could be a decent regular, nothing more - Paul Phillips, Riggans
He'd be happy with a career as a #4 starter - Stauffer
A solid talent, he'll help most teams - Misch
Not a bad reliever but a dime a dozen
_____________
D potential
Could be a decent regular, nothing more
His stuff isn't great, will occupy a non important bullpen role
Good for mopup duty and that's about it
His future could be as a reserve
Can help out in spots, maybe in a platoon role
Starting regularly probably won't happen
Not a bad reliever but a dime a dozen
So I go to draft day and discover that only a tiny portion of the players in the scout pool are available to be drafted, and the game tells you the attributes for each player in the draft regardless of whether you scouted them or not.
I didn't bother scouting 16 or 17 year olds because I figured they would not be in the draft, but I figured 22 year olds would all be in the draft. There were 50 starting pitchers who were 22 years old in the scout pool but only 3 22 year old starting pitchers were in the draft pool on draft day. What happens to all the other 22 year olds? Are they still available next year when they are 23, do they quit baseball and take up golf or what? Is this just a first year thing or does it happen this way every year?
My new revised scouting strategy is to only scout a player until I find his potential, add him to my list of players and their potential, and then move on to the next player. Since the game gives you their attributes and only a small portion of the players are in the draft it doesn't make sense to spend a lot of time scouting a player beyong his potential.
By the way, in case anybody cares, here is a breakdown of scouts comments and what it means in terms of player potential. Many are obvious but not all. Note that some of the players in the second tier of the scouting list will have A potential, just a lower starting point than those on the top tier.
A potential position players
Future star - McClouth, Napoli, Geovany Soto
Should excel in the majors - Ludwick, Billy Butler, Milledge, Votto
Has the talent, all he needs is the chance - Yadier Molina, Hawpe, Alexei Ramirez, Alex Gordon, Kendrick
Will challenge for the MVP before long - Upton, Ellsbury, Victorino
The potential is there for stardom - Tutlowitzki, Brandon Phillips, Corey Hart
Future star, possible superstar - Kemp, Youkilis, Josh Hamilton, McCann
As close to being a sure thing as you can get - Adrian Gonzalez, Pedroia, Longoria, Upton, Sizemore, David Wright, Ryan Howard, Braun, Fielder
Huge upside, should make a big splash at the shoe - Markakis, Granderson, Willy Taveras, Pence
Does nearly everything well. A stud - Rios, Uggla
All around talent makes his future a bright one - Quentin, Arnold Girard (computer generated guy)
At minimum should be an all star - Kinsler, Zimmerman
Has the tools, has the makeup, a future superstar - Hanley Ramirez
Nobody has more talent - Jay Bruce
__________
Pitchers A potential
_________
Solid arm, very useful relief pitcher - Capps.
Loads of potential, if harnessed he'll be a star - Wainwright, Chris Young P, Wang, Ervin Santana, Jarvis Looper (computer generated guy), Morrow, Ting (computer generated guy), Volquez
The talent is there, should get a chance to do setup work - Qualls, Zumaya
Should make more than a few all star teams - Chris Young CF, Russell Martin, Ethier, Adam Jones, Cavazos (computer generated guy), Jose Lopez, Chris Davis
Should anchor the setup corps in the bullpen - Street, Jenks, Joey Devine
An elite reliever in any situation - Broxton, Papelbon, Saito
Could be an ace for years to come - Billingsly, Cain
Has a chance to be a minor ace - Kuroda, McGowan, Slowey
Should be a top starter for his team - Kershaw
Should be #2 starter at worst - Dobson (computer generated player) this guy is terrible control, hard thrower on all pitches, Anibal Sanchez, Josh Johnson
Has the tools to be a superstar - Lincecum, Hamels
He has a very high ceiling - Matsuzaka, Hughes, Verlander, Liriano
Outstanding stuff, terrific makeup, future star - Lester, Kazmir, Price, Carmona, Greinke, Jurrens
An asset out of the pen - Okajima
Ought to contend for a few Cy Young awards before he's done - Chamberlain
Only a matter of time before he's an all star - Garza, Danks
The talent is there for him to be an all star - Shields, Jered Weaver, Nolasco, Cueto, Gallardo
Very good reliever, should excel in setup work - Rafael Perez, Arredondo
Closer in waiting, top notch setup man - Soria
Should blossom into an all star and staff ace - Felix Hernandez
_____________
B potential position players
Loaded with potential, could be a star - Doumit, Cano, Chris Snyder, Stephen Drew, Connor Jackson, Mark Reynolds, Garrett Atkins, Barmes, Spilborghs, Gerut, E Burriss, Aaron Hill, Church, Coste, Theriot, K Matsui
Gobs of talent, should make a terrific regular - L Scott, Swisher, Iwamora, D Navarro, Inglett, Lind, J Fields, J Owens, Willingham, Dukes, Tiner
Will be a productive player abeit with limited upside - Schumaker, Ian Stewart, Blake Dewitt, Dobbs
Better tools than most, good future - Iannetta, Melky Cabrera, Jason Bartlett, Hardy, Headley
________
B potential pitchers
______
A #2 or #3 starter with some upside - Snell, Scherzer, Jonathan Sanchez, Guthrie, Sonnastine, Marcum, Litsch, floyd, Olsen, Lannan, Pelfrey, Blanton, R Hill, W Rodriguez, D Bush, Parra
Solid middle reliever with above average stuff - Yates, Craig Hansen, Kyle McClellan, Tony Pena, John Rauch, M Adams, J Hampton, J Miller, C Ray, J Lopez, Veras, Carlson, Feliciano
Very capable pitcher. good #3 guy - Jason Davis, Zach Duke, Gorzelanny, Yusmeiro Petit, Baek, Mitre, Carrasco, D Cabrera
A sold talent, He'll help most teams - Karstens, Edgar Gonzalez, Correia, Waters, Patton, H Sanchez, J Hammel
A nice pitcher to have for middle relief work - Chris Perez, Albers, Sarfate, Littleton, Cormier
The equipment is there, should help out of the pen - T Buchholz, C Wade, Brian Wilson, Sherrill, J Johnson, Ramon Ramirez, J Nelson, Tallet, Frasor, League, Thornton, Geary, Villanueva
A notch below ace starters, but not far below - Jeff Francis, Ubaldo Jimenez, Maine
Superb stuff. Will thrive as a middle reliever or setup man - Hong-Chih Kuo, Heath Bell, Delcarmen, Marmol
_________
C Potential
A nice pitcher to have for middle elief work - D Bautista, B Thompson,
He can eat innings but probably never better than average - Ohlendorf, Burres
Occasionally brilliant but also plagued by inconsistency - A Phillips, Moss, C Duncan, Barton, Montero, A Ojeda, Luna, Scott Hairston, Luis Rodriguez
His stuff is nothing special but still may help out of the pen - S Burnett, Beam, Kinney, T Johnson, Slaten, Medders, Taschner
Your garden variety middle reliever - Bootcheck, Brazoban, Hennessey
Talent is good but frustrates managers with lack of consistency - Andy Laroche, J Salazar, Quintanilla, Delwyn Young, Ransom
Could be a decent regular, nothing more - Paul Phillips, Riggans
He'd be happy with a career as a #4 starter - Stauffer
A solid talent, he'll help most teams - Misch
Not a bad reliever but a dime a dozen
_____________
D potential
Could be a decent regular, nothing more
His stuff isn't great, will occupy a non important bullpen role
Good for mopup duty and that's about it
His future could be as a reserve
Can help out in spots, maybe in a platoon role
Starting regularly probably won't happen
Not a bad reliever but a dime a dozen
