I'm trying to decide to throw more money at a FI that has a 90 rating or save that money to get some pitching needs filled. Does the FI only factor into development or will it affect the number of errors my team makes if I get one in the 70s or low 80s?

Development only. Throughout your organization.

FI is the most important coaching position in the game.

technically you don't NEED a top FI ... if you already have established guys at ML SS/CF/3B/2B and if you haven't recently drafted / IFA-signed any SS's or CF's then there's really no reason to spend $5M on a guy you're not going to actually use. If you have recently drafted a top SS etc then a top FI is imperative to their minor league development so that they do actually qualify at SS in the bigs as opposed to RF or whatever

Also there's an oddity in situations where you acquire a player from a team with a FI ~50 IQ, or if you inherit a franchise that has had FI ~50 for 1+ seasons, and you put those players into an environment with FI 90+ then the players will regain normal development regardless of how their past trended. You can have players who were completely stagnant for 2+ seasons begin improving again every cycle. Thus it can be profitable to target some those teams for trade, because there is some "hidden" value in their under-developed fielders

See, I disagree with the first point. Better defence makes your lineup better in every way. If you have prospects, you should have a top FI. It can turn a DH into a 1B, a 1B into a LF and so on and so fourth allowing you to cram more offence into your lineup.

pjfoster has a history of offering bad advice in the forums.

That's the thing too, in however many seasons I've always had draft picks and prospects. Usually because I'm picking up defensive replacement CF or SS guys in the 3rd to 6th round.

I've said it before. I can't conceive that a 95 rated Fielding instructor is going to give you any kind of discernible advantage over an 85 rated fielding instructor unless it's over a long period of time. I think you're better off spending the money elsewhere and just settling for the mid-80s Fielding instructor.

3 division titles, 42 seasons, .479 winning percentage. Might be time to question what you can conceive.

Not saying I'd spend 4m on a 95 when I could get a 85 for 1m but..........I'm just sayin'.

Remember to consider what's available come hiring time. I've been in a world with no available FIs over 90. If they're all under contract elsewhere, you can't just pull one out of your ***. I've seen owners fighting over sub-80 FIs, because the next best available ones are in the 50s and 60s. To me that's the big question, what do you have to do to make sure you're not stuck hiring a coach who's going to hurt your team.

Posted by MikeT23 on 8/30/2017 6:18:00 PM (view original):
3 division titles, 42 seasons, .479 winning percentage. Might be time to question what you can conceive.

Not saying I'd spend 4m on a 95 when I could get a 85 for 1m but..........I'm just sayin'.

I'm not saying I'm an ace. Just saying that paying $7 million for a 95 vs $3 million for a 85 seems illogical given no one has illustrated thay the 10 pt difference means anything drastic.

I've had a solid defense not great with a POOR FI like 65 OVR and our defense felt like I didn't have anyone coaching there, to me it makes a difference ALWAYS even if you have a great defense

Posted by damag on 8/30/2017 6:53:00 PM (view original):
Remember to consider what's available come hiring time. I've been in a world with no available FIs over 90. If they're all under contract elsewhere, you can't just pull one out of your ***. I've seen owners fighting over sub-80 FIs, because the next best available ones are in the 50s and 60s. To me that's the big question, what do you have to do to make sure you're not stuck hiring a coach who's going to hurt your team.

Nailed it.

also, I feel like you can cut corners everywhere else and still make a good team. Can't hit? Steal bases. Can't steal? Pitch. Can't pitch? Play small ball. Lots of ways to make a team that can win games. But every game for 9 innings someone has to play SS, 2B and CF. I'd rather have those guys be decent at it and constantly having a good FI to keep churning out those guys and bench replacements.