question how do you get your prospects to reach their ratings target? Any thoughts? Methodologies?

Playing time, good coaches, proper promotions.

What are proper promotions?

You're going to get a lot of different answers to that question. Myself, assuming my coaches get a little bit better at each higher level, I will assign/promote my players to the highest level where they will be in the starting lineup.

Again like BJS said, you'll get a ton of responses on this but here is what I do.

Best fielding instructor I can get.

18, 19 and 20 year olds start in low A, 21 and 22 year olds start in High A. They get promoted at the end of every season. Have them pitch or play as much as possible (I have 20 medical and training so I ignore their health. They can play until their arms fall off for all I care). I won't put bullpen guys as closers just because if the team sucks they won't pitch as much. Invite them to spring training, make sure batters get at least 25 plate appearances and pitchers get into at least 5 games, although I usually try to have them play as much as possible.

* A bit of reasoning behind why I do this.
Guys get drafted and then the rookie league doesn't start for about a week. Considering that players gain ratings based off of playing time I want them in games as soon as possible. Throwing them into Low or high A means they start playing the very next day. In theory your best prospects should be good enough to play at those levels.

Guys usually take big leaps when they play in spring training. 2-3 points vs usually 1 point at other times in the season. Its important to get your prospects in as much as possible.

Promoting at the end of the season ensures they don't leave. I usually end up with a bottleneck at AAA but I really don't mind.

I run it exactly like Hockey. Spend a ton if necessary on fielding coach (they usually re-sign for 750k, sometimes repeatedly), as much playing time as possible with good coaches, spring training is huge (every prospect with even a chance at the bigs plays in Spring for me--I don't play my vets at all), promote after each season.

I am glad someone asked this because this is my first season to go through everything. I was told that I needed to play my vets some or they would slump to start the season. I was always wondering about the chance of them getting injured. I also was told on the fielding coach hiring . They actually help out the entire system and not just the ML like the other coaches do. I appreciate reading all the vets weighing in on this. Thanks for helping a newbie out as well.

Posted by LoneStar23 on 5/9/2023 2:45:00 PM (view original):
I am glad someone asked this because this is my first season to go through everything. I was told that I needed to play my vets some or they would slump to start the season. I was always wondering about the chance of them getting injured. I also was told on the fielding coach hiring . They actually help out the entire system and not just the ML like the other coaches do. I appreciate reading all the vets weighing in on this. Thanks for helping a newbie out as well.

General thinking was that OLDER vets needed some ST time to stem off their rate of decline.

not sure how valid that is but thats something I was told when I was a newbie

Maybe it’s just me but I have noticed since about five seasons ago I the one world I play in, prospects have almost completely stopped developing at age 21. Used to be you’d see development up to age 25-26, albeit less after age 24. Now I see a prospect hit age 21 and it just stops other than the odd point here and there. I have a couple players that haven’t gained a point in anything after age 22.