Implementing a Better Spring Training in MLB: The Show

[aukevin]

Good article. Knowing the ratings of my players lets me have a good idea who is best and who I should have on my MLB roster, which is why I never play Spring Training games. I just sim them. I could see playing some Spring Training games if I was trying to feel out a couple similar rated, borderline pitchers, because I may control a certain one better due to their delivery, but position players all control the same basically. So I'm fine fielding a team based on ratings and get right to the regular season. So for me to use Spring Training, ratings would have to be significantly altered based on the player's play prior to Opening Day, or some other incentive to keep from going right into the season.

Do many people play Spring Training games?

[T_O_p12]

Great suggestions. It is very true that spring training (all sports preseasons) are stale and boring. I don’t really see a benefit in playing the games so I sim them almost 100% of the time. Even if I hit crazy with the worst rated person on the team, I’d probably still cut him just based on the player attributes and not preseason performance.

[seafoamgreen]

Big thumbs up on more realistic subs and non-roster invitees.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I feel like I remember players accumulating service time during ST games (which would be inaccurate). Also correct me on this, but doesn't demoting a guy during ST also use an option when it shouldn't? I remember the first year I played The Show, I let the CPU auto-select my roster at the end of ST and half my players ended up lost to the waiver wire. And more recently, I remember getting out of options warning when trying to demote my AAAA guys who weren't on the 25-man. I didn't get a chance to play franchise in '14 much so maybe these are moot points or I'm misremembering!

[rudoffs]

I think MLB should figure out a better way to implement Spring Training before The Show tries to tackle it.....

[Jimmydm90]

I feel like there's a lot of potential drama to be mined in RTTS spring training at least when you're first trying to break through to the bigs.

Maybe during spring training new players' ratings could be a range (of potential?) Ex. 63-76. The more you use that player in spring training the more the rating zeroes in. Ex. goes from 63-76 to 69-74. Until you finally get the player's true rating.

They can set it up so you only have enough time to get the true rating of a few players so you have to be smart and not waste time on lost causes. Some players could be high risk, high reward while others have smaller potential ranges so they're less risky but also less rewarding. There'd likely need to be rewards or punishments to incentivize unlocking true ratings like any still locked player automatically gets their lowest potential or a +2 bonus to unlocked players or something.

[NAFBUC]

Would be nice if SCEA could once again have an early March release. I like to replicate the Cub and Yankee roster moves as Spring Training unfolds.

[BA2929]

I 100% agree with everything on the list outside of #1.

There'd have to be some sort of limit on MLB service time for the rating vagueness to settle down. 5+ years? Or do it by age so ratings stay basically the same from 28-32? I know what I'm getting with Alex Gordon as his ratings are basically what they are going to be for the rest of his career. Even if he hits .120 in the Spring that most likely won't affect his regular season.

There are just so many variables that happen in the spring that having everyone's ratings go up or down solely due to their ST stats would probably cause more issues than anything, imo.

I mean, Mike Moustakas would be a Hall of Famer by now if Spring actually meant that much to the regular season. Guy hits like .450 every year in spring then can't hit his way out of a sock most of the regular season.

Gems and busts sounds like a nice idea, but I'd personally only want it to affect guys not on my 40 man roster. That'd be cool. Having to make a tough 40 man roster decision due to a guy having a massive spring. But they'd first have to expand ST rosters for that to happen.

Anyway, nice bullet point list!

[Ghost Of The Year]

Quote: Originally Posted by rudoffs

I think MLB should figure out a better way to implement Spring Training before The Show tries to tackle it.....

Attachment 93886
I don't want MLB to do anything to change ST. I'm afraid they'll want to make it ''meaningful'' like they've tried with the All-Star Game. Of course, it could be worse, MLB could have the NFL model of Pre-Season Exhibition games & Pro-Bowl.