Imagine 2 scenarios, if you would. Which is better for player development...

Scenario A: LoA hitting coach is head-and-shoulders better than the hitting coaches of the other teams at that level. Let's say the coach is a 79, where next best is 75 and avg hitting coach is 65.

Scenario B: HiA hitting coach is 81, which is just average among the HiA hitting coaches in the league, but he's 2 points better than your LoA hitting coach.

Would your prospect develop better with the middling HiA hitting coach (Scenario B), who is 2 points better than your LoA? Or would your prospect develop better with the rock star LoA coach (Scenario A)?

(forgetting all the other variables for now)

Other coaches at a level don't matter. They don't coach your players, so the comparison to other coaches at that level is irrelevant. Better coaches help progression. To me, it would depend on the age of the prospect you are trying to develop. 18-19 even 20, might keep at Low A for part of the season. I would definitely promote to High A during the season. 21, 22, I would start at High A and possibly promote to Double-A during the season. Also depends on player's ratings.

The question we've been debating in one of my leagues is whether it's better to have the prospect at the level where the coach is "great for that level" or whether it's simply which coach is higher rated, regardless of level. The reference to other teams' coaches, who, of course, aren't coaching this prospect, is to describe the scenario.

What possible effect should other teams' coaches have on your player?
If this game were programmed that way, it would be at best, unnecessarily confusing; at worst, malpractice.

This projection is such overthinking that I'd be willing to accuse anyone promoting it of sowing misinformation. It's imagining a dynamic which has no reason to be there.

Posted by ScottInChica on 1/12/2025 12:04:00 PM (view original):
The question we've been debating in one of my leagues is whether it's better to have the prospect at the level where the coach is "great for that level" or whether it's simply which coach is higher rated, regardless of level. The reference to other teams' coaches, who, of course, aren't coaching this prospect, is to describe the scenario.

I have never looked at a coach for another franchise to see whether mine compared favorably or not. Maybe that is my bad, but I am focused on hiring the best possible coaches at each level. Sometimes I succeed, sometimes I don't. Decisions on where to place a player entering the season, which is where I am guessing you are in your season, depends on where the player is in his development. It has been debated, but it seems like promoting from one level to the next is the better mode of development rather than put the prospect at Triple-A and let him be tutored by the best coaches in your minors for a couple seasons.

I actually tested this scenario once. I drafted an SP with a top 10 pick. My best minor league pitching coach was at AAA and I need to add a P to my AAA squad due to injury. I placed my stud SP prospect at AAA . He stayed there for that half season and 2 more full seasons under my best Mil pitching coach all that time. After that I compared his development to players I had started out at Rookie or Low A and promoted each season. His development at AAA was very similar in the rate and amount of ratings increases to the other Ps I had started out in the low minors. Didn't seem to make much difference at all that he was under a better pitching coach than the other Ps were.

This is only a sample size of 1 so do with it what you will.

Sample size of one is better than none, I guess...thanks for the info