Posted by hockey1984 on 12/6/2023 11:00:00 AM (view original):
Posted by damag on 12/6/2023 9:12:00 AM (view original):
Question 1: What do we think coaches DO?
General consensus here, and I'm not sure if it were ever confirmed in a developer chat or whatever, is that coaches' coaching ratings don't affect gameplay. We generally consider higher-rated coaches to help develop prospects more fully, and to help older players maintain their ratings longer.
Question 2: What's the difference between a '75' rated coach and a '90' rated coach?
A 75 Pitching, Hitting, or Strategy rating is when a AAA coach begins to demand a big league position. Also when a bullpen coach begins to demand switching to a pitching coach.
I could take this to mean that 75 is considered by the sim to be adequate level for a big league coach. So then, do we have documented evidence that a 90 coach is worth the extra cash and competition, rather than just promoting your AAA guy for minimum salary? I don't know the answer.
(Yes the highest rated coaching can be a tiebreaker if you are chasing a maximum contract free agent. How often do you need that? Up to you.)
Question 3: Fielding Instructors, depending on your world, can sometimes be in short supply. Due to their role and how they progress, they usually keep getting jobs until they retire (age 68 I believe.) NEW FIs enter the coaching pool around a Fielding rating of 50. How badly would a 50 FI tank my entire system while I home-grew him into an 80+ FI? Does anyone know for sure? Do I want to find out myself?
With these things in mind, my coach hiring style is just to take whatever the path of lease resistance is. Promote from within, or overpay where I need to. Last thing I want to spend my limited brainpower on is a free agent coach.
So one of the things I've wondered for this, general consensus is coach's only improve player ratings except the Bench coach.
So for 1B and 3B coach do you take both of their ratings and divide by 2 for your baserunning and IQ growth?
Same with pitching and bullpen coach?
And for bench, do they determine sometimes the questionable calls that determine when pinch hitters, runners and bullpen calls happen?
I take my cues from the available coach pools, the guys who don't get hired or move up to the major league pools.
Career bullpen coaches are pitching coaches whose Pitching rating doesn't go over 75. 1B coaches are hitting coaches whose Baserunning rating stays around 60 or lower. So I just choose those with nice combinations of the "other ratings", plus Loyalty so I can auto-rehire.
As for the Bench, I promote my own minor league coaches most of the time, which means other teams usually have "better" ones. I'm hard pressed to see what difference it makes. IMO the questionable strategic moves comes down to this sim having no built in advanced strategic logic - it's up to you to set your manager settings how you see fit, and that requires thinking ahead to how game situations may play out. Otherwise when the sim has to choose a player to put into any role, it simply chooses the one with the highest rating to suit that role, which might not be the one who you would prefer.