I will soon be taking over a team whose world is currently in the playoffs. If I take it over before the roll I will inherit great budget numbers except  for this one:
Having put a lot of stock in advance scouting I've never had a team with less than 14 in that category. Unless someone gives me a great reason to keep it a 0--and I know there are advocates--I'll be jumping it up  to 4 and multiples of that in coming seasons.

My question:

1. What pitfalls should I be looking out for?

2. Aside from extra $$$ to spend--any advantages?


Thanks in advance for your help.

Leave it Sermon...Look at all my teams...All at zero or headed that way...
There are loose rules to player development, consistancies...patterns...
Learn them and you shall have no use for Advanced Scouting.  That 20m a year can be put to far better use.
If you have specific questions toss me some TCs

Yep, with the current engine, I think it's a waste.  But you've got 28 seasons under your belt.  Do what you want.  If you like advanced scouting, go for it.

I go with 0 advanced scouting because I don't trade much, and I trust my good draft scouts.

Probably goes without saying - but for now you won't be able to make trades involving players with less than 2-3 yrs of development. Going forward, you might copy to a spreadsheet those prospects your higher paid scouts see so you can consider deals later.

Advantage:  Extra budget money
Disadvantage:  Useless projections

If you're not a big trader of/for prospects, it doesn't matter.   If you've learned the development patterns of players with your team AND your trading partner, it doesn't matter. As Chuck's boy says, if you're trading for a 3rd/4th year player, you don't need his projections.   If you're trading for a 1st full/2nd season player, you're going to have a tough time figuring out where he's headed.    You may know with your player(by trusting your IFA/HS/College scouting when you acquired him) but you won't have a clue with the other team's player.  

For the most part, 0 ADV(which I use) restricts your trading options.   I'm not a big trader for prospects so it's pretty useless to me.  If I liked to deal for prospects, I'd jack it up to 18-20m.   That way I'd know that former 28th pick I'm acquiring was actually worth a first round pick and not some owner's mistake.

Posted by dwoolery on 12/15/2010 8:24:00 AM (view original):
Probably goes without saying - but for now you won't be able to make trades involving players with less than 2-3 yrs of development. Going forward, you might copy to a spreadsheet those prospects your higher paid scouts see so you can consider deals later.

Yes, this will make me sound like Old Father Time--if making obscure references to Old Father Time doesn't beat me to it--but even though I own Excel through the MS Office suite I've never used a spreadsheet. Never had a need or at least never knew I had a need. What will it do? Generally, how does that work to help track the mysteries of player value? Or is that even the right question?

Also, this team is supposedly loaded with top prospects at many levels. How will I track those I've never seen through the eyes of those high paid HS/Col. scouts. Is there another way than guessing by their draft position/bonuses?

Thanks gents. This a huge help. Keep 'em coming please. I'm appreciating and sifting all opinions.

Posted by dwoolery on 12/15/2010 8:24:00 AM (view original):
Probably goes without saying - but for now you won't be able to make trades involving players with less than 2-3 yrs of development. Going forward, you might copy to a spreadsheet those prospects your higher paid scouts see so you can consider deals later.

So woolery your advice would be to cheat the system? Because that is exactly what copying to a spreadsheet is. This response is why Advanced Scouting should do more than just accurately project ratings.

I'm not sure how recording and saving available resources is cheating?  It takes 2 minutes to open Excel, do a Get External Data >> From Web, import 3 draft tables (one for projected pitching, one for projected hitting, and one for projected fielding/general).

Perhaps the function of advanced scouting should be updated, but I don't understand how you can equate it to cheating.

You are using external tools not intended for use within the game to gain a competitive advantage. In other words, cheating.

"external tools not intended for use"

Sez who?

I would argue that Whatif did not intend it's participants to use excel, otherwise it wouldn't give you the option of having spending "money" on Advanced Scouting in the first place.  Or at the very least, they would have added an additional component to it.  At the same time, it's available to you, so use it.  People who put in more work and are more creative in getting more advantages should, more often than not, be rewarded.

The only way ADV scouting can be circumvented with Excel is to save draft scouting ratings.   It seems insane to me to spend that much time/effort in the off chance that you can make a deal for one player in his 1st/2nd full season.   If you have the desire to do that, seek counseling for your OC behavior.   

I save them because I've already got them created and rated for my draft prep.  I actually use the spreadsheets more for referencing projected ratings of players I haven't earmarked as future ML.  If they are future ML, I simply paste their projected ratings into the Notes section of their player card.  But maybe that's cheating too...