To a certain extent I agree with MikeT23 that the difference between a 78 HC and an 85 HC is negligibe (all other characteristics being equal). But I still see prospects not reach their potential even when I do the following things:
- Maintain $20M in advanced scouting
- Have prospoects with 80+ makeup and 60+ patience
- Keep a $20M/$20M training/medical budget
- Promote the prospect one level per year
- Spend money on the best coaches available at each level
- Provide proper playing time at the difficult positions
Looking at all of this, I think that I must be misjudging the effect of other coaching characteristics, namely patience and discipline. I rarely sign coaches with patience under 50, and I probably overvalue guys with patience over 80. Can too much patience be a bad thing? Should a minor-league hitting coach with 70 hitting / 90 patience be valued higher than a 75/50 coach?
With regard to discipline, I prefer the Goldilocks guys: not to hard, not too soft, but rather just right (around 50). Is more discipline needs at lower minor league levels? Is 75 a better discipline rating than 50? How about 25? Do players with lower makeup require higher discipline.
Also, to get those last three or four points out of a player at the major league level, do you need the 90 HC? Is a mediocre (80) ML hitting coach able to maximize the potential of only average hitters, but not elite hitters?