Hope everyone is enjoying the MLB Playoffs!

Next week, we'll be releasing an update with a few small bug fixes and two new Assistant GM features:

• Suggested Promotions
• Suggested Trades

We also wanted to provide an overview of the upcoming Coaching V2 that is currently in testing and slated for later this month.

The goals with Coaching V2 are three-fold:

1. Make the Coach Hiring process simpler, less time consuming and more enjoyable
2. Modernize coaching to resemble baseball in 2026
3. Introduce information to see the impact coaches have on player development

• Minor league coaches are being eliminated
• Fielding Instructor is being eliminated
• We are introducing the following new coaching roles:
  • Hitting Coordinator - focus on minor league hitting
  • Pitching Coordinator - focus on minor league pitching
  • Infield Coordinator - focus on infield defense across the minor leagues
  • Outfield/BR Coordinator - focus on outfield defense and baserunning across the minor leagues
  • Catching Coordinator - focus on catching defense at major league and minor league levels
  • Strength & Conditioning Coordinator - contribute to raw physical skills across the org
  • Mental Skills Coordinator - focus on makeup and contribute to baseball IQ related ratings
• In sum, that's a reduction from 22 coaches to 14 coaches
• We are introducing a few new coach ratings:
  • Infield IQ
  • Outfield IQ
  • Catching IQ
  • Strategy rating will be the Mental Skills & Coordinator's specialty
  • Discipline rating will be the Strength & Conditioning Coordinator's specialty
• With the elimination of minor league level coaches, we'll be simplifying things and removing the ability to offer a coach a position at a different level or a different role
• Players will still become coaches (using even smarter logic) and spend a few hidden years toiling in the minors (that we won't see), then graduate to a minor league coordinator role
• Coaches may eventually look for a promotion (i.e. Pitching Coordinator to Bullpen Coach or OF/BR Coordinator to 3B Coach)
• There will always be at least X coaches available in each role so an owner never gets stuck with a coach outside their specialty; that said, there will remain a disparity in skill level from the best coach to the worst coach. And this remains meaningful for player development across the org. The better the coach, the better the player development.
• Speaking of, we'll begin tracking player development impact by each coach and expose in the Coach Profile. In aggregate, you'll be able to compare and see the value of great vs average vs subpar coaches
• We'll roll out the update to a small number of worlds first to verify all is good, then expand until we reach a point worlds are automatically upgraded during rollover

FWIW, we considered eliminating coaches and instead relying on a single budget value but felt it was a step in the wrong direction as it'd eliminate a great deal of decision making that makes HBD so realistic. With fewer coaching roles, we believe the hunt to fill 3-5 coaches each season will feel less daunting and more enjoyable.

Please fire away with questions, make suggestions, etc.

Please make all budgets 0 to 20 like with prospects. That's the ONE fix I've wanted for years. I don't need an assistant GM. I know when to promote guys. I know which players I want to trade for. I appreciate the recent updates and commitment to improving the game -- and eliminating minor league coaches is awesome -- but if I want to draft college guys one year and high school guys next year, or take a year off from pursuing IFAs, why can't I?