A ticket from 7/25/07(I don't think they're going to do it):

7/25/2007 4:19 PM

MikeT23

This is just a "wish" item. I stumbled upon the idea in a thread griping about coach hiring when someone sarcastically mentioned "scout hiring". Anyway, I'm not sure if it's practical to program but I think it would be pretty nice and add a handful of options/strategy to scouting(which is pretty much hands off except for budgeting). Thanks in advance for taking the time to read the following. The concept: Each 1m you allot "buys" you one scout. This applies to Int'l, HS and college. Scouts are of equal ability(for the most part). Each country will be a seperate entity for international scouts. The US will be split up into regions(15 is what I'm thinking. Probably by state). The regions will not be equal nor will they produce the same quality/quantity of players. The same applies to countries. The owner assigns a scout to a region(for HS or college) or a country(for internationals). Domestically, a scout in a region will find the top 5 players and 25(or whatever) other players of varying ability. If two scouts are placed in the same region, the numbers will double. Obviously college scouts will only report on college players. Internationally, each scout will find up to 8 players(or whatever # is chosen). These will be random and there will be no guarantee that you see the best 8. You will simply see the first 8 he finds. Doubling up scouting will double the number of prospect found. Regions/Countries: At the beginning of the season, before scouts are assigned, the owners will be sent a report giving the number of colleges in each region, the number of high school seniors playing ball in each region and the number of international prospects in each country. Again, the only constant from season to season would be the number of colleges playing baseball from each region. I'd recommend varying the number of colleges per region during set-up as opposed to making each region the same "size" to add to strategy. During the arbitration process, the owner will assign scouts based upon these reports/personal strategy. If an owner fails to assign scouts, they will default to previous season settings and/or one scout to the most populated region on down until scouting budget runs out. Overall scouting For each 2m spent domestically, the owner will see the top overall player regardless of region. This will not "add" a player to scouted regions but simply ensures he sees the top player(s).

I like the geography idea.
They've implemented something similar to this (but with recruits) in Hoops. I like it. I think it's been well received, but I'm not positive about that.

I agree with both of these concepts. Especially international scouting. Just because you stick $20mil into it you shouldn't see every good international that comes along. You should have to choose between Japan or a couple of countries in Latin America...

"For each 2m spent domestically, the owner will see the top overall player regardless of region. This will not "add" a player to scouted regions but simply ensures he sees the top player(s)."

The problem I have with this is that in real life, scouts are projecting who will be the best MLBers with 16-21 year old players.  In HBD, the top players in the prospect pool are basically the top players in the Big Leagues later on.  In real life it is much much fuzzier.  The reality is that there is 1) great disagreement on who the "best player" which is usually tied to the number of views a team gets on a player and more importantly 2) the best MLB player is often not the hot Baseball America prospect, thus the title of this thread.  There has to be an opportunity to draft an all star in later rounds and an opportunity for a top prospect to be a bust (for reasons beyond injury).

It's all about hope.  Most of us want to win with the team we built, not bounce around from rent a team to rent a team.  Winning with a team that you have turned around is a great reward.  I would suggest that fuzzier draft offers the possibility every season of a dream draft with multiple all stars which can turn a franchise around.  It also would tend to discourage tanking.

There already is the possibility of a dream draft, but you need to luck into a deep draft class and spend more time than usual ranking prospects. It helps to have multiple high-round picks, too.

The lottery ticket scenario can't/shouldn't happen without the risk of first-round busts, but any system that levels the playing field between owners who spend real-life time scouting the draft and owners who don't is not a good system.

Yes, it is about hope.  You're stripped of hope with a run of first run busts. 

Everyone doesn't play the way you(or me) play.    I stick with my teams thru the bad times, which I hope are few, and do enjoy the challenge of turning around a franchise.   But a lot of owners will say "We suck now and, because of these mysterious first round busts, we'll suck in the future.   Screw this, I'm dumping this crap and getting another team."

Not good for HBD.

Still makes it somewhat random rather than based on proper budgeting and administration of a team.

Really, this is the part of HBD that cannot be like MLB.

Same reason why the DITR argument makes me crazy. I'd rather do away with it, but if you're going to get something for free, there better be an opposite and equal action taking away things.

Again, a few bust drafts in the first two rounds cripple a team.   Crippled owner says "F this" and moves on.  Now you need an owner for a bad team with no future . 

Good for HBD?

But under my scenario, said owner might have a bust in the 1st round but a solid major-leaguer in the 4th. And he wouldn't know he had the bust in the first round for probably three seasons. He'd draft a guy with a 53 CUR and an 83 OVR, and expect that after three seasons, the player would be somewhere around 70 CUR. Except the guy would be at 61 and stuck at High-A.

Meanwhile, over three drafts, he might have 18 guys who project as very good major leaguers, of which four are on pace to get there, and maybe 4 others are now looked upon like 4th OFs and long relievers, and the other 10 just aren't panning out.

So the guy wouldn't necessarily leave.

Regarding death's point, a guy who has $20M/$20M for College/HS scouting would still have more accurate pre-draft projections than someone with a $10M/$10M. It's just that there would be a larger pool of guys who on draft day looked like they had potential.

I spend $2M/$2M. I have a chance of getting a MLer in the 8th round.

I'm spending $2M/$2M.

He might not get a good player in 28 seasons because of your bust idea. 

I know, after 1 1/2 seasons, if a player is developing properly.  It won't take long to figure out you got 8 turds in your draft.   After all, despite popular opinion, I'm not the smartest guy playing this game. 

I'll say it again, draft busts do NOT work in the best interests of HBD.   When you do something right, like rank a top player at the top of the draft, you want a top player.   Getting a HiA talent doesn't cut it.   If it can happen in S1, it can happen in S2-S10.   And that leaves an owner without hope.

I really, really you guys would stop with the random draft ideas.   They are not good.