What are the major differences you have seen in developing the different prospects? IFA vs. Drafted and 18 year olds vs 22 year olds? What level of minors do you like to start them?

I have this same question. I usually stick with high school guys and IFAs. If the IFA is signed before rookie ball starts and he is age 19 or under, I start him in LowA. If he is 18 and he is signed after rookie ball starts, I will put him in rookie ball. IFA's 20+, I usually start in HiA+. As for college guys, I am not sure.

18-20 year olds always start in low A, 21-22 is in High A, depends on the ratings as well but that is usually my rule. Then they go up a level a year until they are ready for the majors. I never put my prospects in rookie ball, partially due to coaching, partially to get them more playing time.

i rarely do IFA’s but I would probably go with the same levels.

One thing I think not enough owners know is that older IFAs don't develop like domestic players.
The best way I've seen it explained is that IFAs are at the same stage of their development at the age they come out, as if they'd have been drafted at age 18 and been playing in the minors since.
So if you're signing an IFA at age 21 or over he's already pretty much done cooking.

Posted by damag on 8/9/2021 8:47:00 AM (view original):
One thing I think not enough owners know is that older IFAs don't develop like domestic players.
The best way I've seen it explained is that IFAs are at the same stage of their development at the age they come out, as if they'd have been drafted at age 18 and been playing in the minors since.
So if you're signing an IFA at age 21 or over he's already pretty much done cooking.

I find it goes even further then that. I’m not expecting the massive 15-20 point gains for IFA’s if they are 18 (obviously over their career, not in a single season)

I find if I get a good 18 year old IFA and they gain 10-12 points in major categories that is a good gain.

I stopped paying too close attention to differences in developmental patterns since I know the player, regardless of HS/COL/IFA, will get within +/-10 points of their projections as long as I've got $20M in scouting. 22 y/o's usually get sub 10 in ratings gains, up to 15 seems the ceiling. HS Draft 18 y/o's can get up to 35 points from what I remember but I've had a few 18 y/o IFA's ready to play in the majors from day one. Get a stud 18y/o IFA with high patience and it's like you're playing on easy mode:18-20 years of ML level, cost controlled, value. Guys like Thomas Del Rosario

For the guys that need seasoning, stick them in a minors level with decent coaching, get them in as many games as possible, use them primarily as rest replacements (if you're paranoid about injuries like me), and try to keep your minor teams competitive to get extra playoff development (which can be challenging if you're using your studs as rest replacements haha).

Posted by brianplath on 8/9/2021 12:25:00 PM (view original):
I stopped paying too close attention to differences in developmental patterns since I know the player, regardless of HS/COL/IFA, will get within +/-10 points of their projections as long as I've got $20M in scouting. 22 y/o's usually get sub 10 in ratings gains, up to 15 seems the ceiling. HS Draft 18 y/o's can get up to 35 points from what I remember but I've had a few 18 y/o IFA's ready to play in the majors from day one. Get a stud 18y/o IFA with high patience and it's like you're playing on easy mode:18-20 years of ML level, cost controlled, value. Guys like Thomas Del Rosario

For the guys that need seasoning, stick them in a minors level with decent coaching, get them in as many games as possible, use them primarily as rest replacements (if you're paranoid about injuries like me), and try to keep your minor teams competitive to get extra playoff development (which can be challenging if you're using your studs as rest replacements haha).

Gonna piggy back off of this and expand on what I was talking about earlier.

Along the lines of getting them more games / at bats / innings. If you draft a player in the HS / Coll draft and they sign right off the bat, if you put them in the rookie league they will be sitting there for however many days doing nothing (I don't remember the exact amount) hence why even if they are 18 I'll put them in Low A. The second you assign them, the next inning they will be getting game time.

I had a stud bat in Weaver that I slow cooked. I put him in Loa right out of the draft as an 18 year old. He gained more in R split during year 3 than he did in R split in year 2. I was curious why this was the case. One argument is that the coaching in AA in year three was significantly better than the coaching in HiA during year 2. The coaching was significantly better in year 3 vs. year 2. However, in year 2, the HiA team did not make the playoffs and the player missed his year end promotion bump. Whereas, in year 3, the AA team won the AA World Series from the Wildcard spot so all of those playoff games and the year end bump is likely what made a significant difference.

Posted by hockey1984 on 8/9/2021 1:14:00 PM (view original):

Posted by brianplath on 8/9/2021 12:25:00 PM (view original):
I stopped paying too close attention to differences in developmental patterns since I know the player, regardless of HS/COL/IFA, will get within +/-10 points of their projections as long as I've got $20M in scouting. 22 y/o's usually get sub 10 in ratings gains, up to 15 seems the ceiling. HS Draft 18 y/o's can get up to 35 points from what I remember but I've had a few 18 y/o IFA's ready to play in the majors from day one. Get a stud 18y/o IFA with high patience and it's like you're playing on easy mode:18-20 years of ML level, cost controlled, value. Guys like Thomas Del Rosario

For the guys that need seasoning, stick them in a minors level with decent coaching, get them in as many games as possible, use them primarily as rest replacements (if you're paranoid about injuries like me), and try to keep your minor teams competitive to get extra playoff development (which can be challenging if you're using your studs as rest replacements haha).

Gonna piggy back off of this and expand on what I was talking about earlier.

Along the lines of getting them more games / at bats / innings. If you draft a player in the HS / Coll draft and they sign right off the bat, if you put them in the rookie league they will be sitting there for however many days doing nothing (I don't remember the exact amount) hence why even if they are 18 I'll put them in Low A. The second you assign them, the next inning they will be getting game time.

This is a good point. Especially if the coaching intelligence that you have coaching in Rookie Ball is lower than the split of the player you're trying to develop. If you draft a stud 1b and his splits are already 55+, but your Rookie Ball hitting Coach has hitting intelligence of 50, I'd bet the player is better off starting in lowA.