Franchise Help!

[Chisoxfan14]

Hello everyone, I've never played the game in the way I plan to this year so I wanted a little assistance with some questions about Franchise mode. Typically, I have played the game two different ways, Road to the Show, and a Franchise mode where I play every game of the current season with real life rosters. I never really go into the future.

This year I have a different agenda. I am a White Sox fan and don't have a lot of interest in playing the 2017 season. My ideal goal this year for my rebuilding fandom is to simulate at least 2017 and possibly 2018 as well while making trades to rebuild the team and then pick up for the 2019 season and start playing games. Of course I will be using the very awesome OS all minors roster (whoever does this here rules!)

I have some questions though for people more experienced with long term simming. I think mainly around my farm system. Do prospects tend to fluctuate in their performance and potential? Example: Do I just always want to go for 'A' potential guys and they will always become great players? Or do they ever bust? Secondly, the flip side, does a 'C' level prospect ever overachieve? Can a potential rating increase or is it set in stone?

I will be controlling everything but scouting and whatever is attached to that. Some additional questions related around this. How important is keeping my AAA and AA lineups how I want them? This becomes kind of a headache every injury etc and I just feel like hitting 'auto fix' on them but then the next thing I know Moncada is playing third or something. Does any of this really matter or is the minors just there to allow you to gauge a guy's performance as a prospect. Example: who cares if your top prospect hits ninth or whatever as long as he starts in the lineup. Finally, do I want to keep guys in the minors for an extended period? Do they increase their potential and skills faster as young prospects down there and get their growth stunted if I call them up early or does is matter? If it doesn't matter, how long in general before you call a guy up? A 70 overall A rated potential Reynaldo Lopez could obviously break my crappy MLB rotation but if he has a better chance to ht his ace ceiling by keeping him in AAA I will do that. Also, do guys in Single A even play any games? Is it just kinda a holding pattern for your lesser prospects until you move them to a league where you have a MILB lineup and season?

Sorry for all this. Been playing the game faithfully since 2008 and feel like I should know more about this stuff. I appreciate any help!

[Chisoxfan14]

Bump? Any help?

[Juve]

I'm subscribed lol would like to know the answers as well

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[Chisoxfan14]

Anyone have any answers?

[jake44np]

Sim a few seasons and see for yourself.
You have a lot of very loaded questions.
You have bumped your thread twice in just a couple hours.
I would try to help but I have never done anything like you are wanting to do.
I only play a whole 162 game season with the Reds using real rosters.

I would run a test franchise with just a random team and sim a few seasons.
And see what happens, it would be quicker than to just keep bumping this thread every couple of hours.

[Chisoxfan14]

Well because there are a lot of experts on these boards at playing the game as a simulation so I was just looking for their advice. I could sim some seasons but it still wouldn't get the sample size I'm sure some people have here. They are questions I've looked everywhere for and can't find the answers too. Sorry for the bump, but I put a lot into this post and it was the next day and off the front page... wouldn't say I was being excessive.

[TheWarmWind]

I don't sim but I've been playing the same franchise since MLB 14, and yeah, I've seen a few busts and overachievers. Have yet to see a complete swing from D to A, but I've seen A potentials absolutely stall. One of my SP was a B prospect and he's now 93 and still rising with an A potential.

[sccavs64]

I do this a lot. Based on my experience, whoever posted above me is right, the ceiling for B potential prospects is much higher than the floor is for A potential prospects. Meaning, with the right combination of production, training, and essentially luck, I've seen B potential prospects turn out to be absolute studs on a few occasions, but for the most part their potential rating doesn't change that much.

Example, last year, OF prospect Nick Williams on the Phillies had I think 87 potential when I started my 'chise, and the last season I played he was a 94 overall. I've never really seen an A prospect be a bust, but the first scenario I've seen happen on a few occasions.

I can't speak to how lineups work and whether or not it matters if they bat 9th or 2nd in AAA/AA. I always have them hit high in the order so they get more AB's, which yields higher production, which normally yields better OVR progression. I've never tried the other way around, I don't mind spending an extra few minutes to get everything right. I call my guys up to AAA once they hit about 66-69 OVR, and once they hit 70 OVR they're usually in the bigs, but when I sim I monitor their progress every couple weeks. If I bring a 73 OVR prospect up to the MLB and he bats .150 in the first 3 weeks, I send him back down. I think not producing at whatever level their playing at really hurts how they progress.