I'm going into a new season with the #3 overall pick. I've been bad for a while (my first few HBD seasons, so just trying to learn the ropes), so I have some minor league talent and I'm hoping to pivot to contention soon, though I don't think my team is quite ready to make the leap.

My HS and College draft budgets were both at 20 last season. Should I keep them there this season in order to ensure I hit a home run at #3, or start lowering one if I'm trying to get to 20/0 as I start contending? How many fewer players will I see with 18 or 16 in either of those categories as opposed to 20? How much less reliable will the ratings be?

Not a fan of 20/20 unless you have a ton of type A/B picks. Seems wasteful. That said, if your payroll is low you have plenty of time before all those prospects get into arbitration in the big leagues. I've seen decent prospect counts and fairly accurate ratings from $16 million up. Anything below that isn't great.

With the 3rd pick, there is no reason to reduce it this year. Get your pick then start the reduction of one.

Yeah, when you’ve got top3 no need to reduce your odds of missing a potential HoFer, or at least perennial all star. You already miss ~10% of players even with a 20/20 budget

I think 18/18 would work really well. Use the $4 million for payroll or get better coaches. Assuming everyone could always use better coaches.

Coaches are overrated IMO and in most of the world's I'm in there are great ones available at a 50% discount right before coach signing ends.

Posted by MikeT23 on 2/25/2018 5:38:00 AM (view original):
With the 3rd pick, there is no reason to reduce it this year. Get your pick then start the reduction of one.

Agreed.

Also from what I have seen/from my research keep the College scouting drop the HS. Every since fuzzy ratings came into effect HS is just too much of a gamble. Even with 20 million scouting.

Posted by hockey1984 on 2/26/2018 8:12:00 AM (view original):

Posted by MikeT23 on 2/25/2018 5:38:00 AM (view original):
With the 3rd pick, there is no reason to reduce it this year. Get your pick then start the reduction of one.

Agreed.

Also from what I have seen/from my research keep the College scouting drop the HS. Every since fuzzy ratings came into effect HS is just too much of a gamble. Even with 20 million scouting.

I think you have to look at the league and who has college versus who doesn't. You can usually do that by looking team by team in draft history and seeing where they are drafting (HS Or Col). In one world I'd say it's almost A 1 to 3 split between high school and college. I had college at 20 million. When I was researching something I realized another owner that had high school was absolutely killing it over the previous 4 seasons because most of the active drafters had College.

Before fuzzy ratings I'd agree 100%. But since then I have had times when I have ranked my draft board, gotten my #3 overall pick and had a total dud.


Danny Tucker

I had ranked 9th overall. He is a fringe player at best. I mean, I have him in the majors but I had him ranked at least 12 points in range and glove. Bat is about right but those fielding stats really killed him for me.

Andrew Jefferies

I had ranked 3rd overall. The scouting promised he would be a 90+ VsR but now it looks like he will be lucky to hit 70. (Don't mind the injury. He was trash even before that).

The biggest thing I found with College scouting is I was still taking the risks in the first round and was getting my 12th to 20th pick on my draft board, but my sandwich and 2nd to 4th round picks were actually money. It offset the sting of the first round bust.

In HS drafting I don't know that I have gotten anything close to decent after round 2.

Yeah, I've come to agree. With 20 mil HS you just see SO fewer projections, it's like there's no middle ground. Two weeks ago I had my 20 mil College draft and took my usual three or four sessions setting up my board. The prospects for my 20 mil HS draft just came out this morning and I can probably be done my draft prep in one hour.

You're always playing the odds that fewer owners will be playing HS and you get to cherry pick one of your top five, but the rest of the drafts are really unsatisfying.