Broken Bat - Suggestions: New Draft Pool

Forum >> Suggestions >> New Draft Pool

Post ID	Date & Time	Game Date	Function

#11091	10/25/2014 5:24:09 am
Haselrig Joined: 04/13/2014 Posts: 2790 Novi Doubledays III.4	I had an idea to add a new draft pool populated by veteran free agents. Much like the other draft pools, these would be new players generated at the beginning of the season and entirely separate from the free agents in the free agent pool we have now. They would differ from the other draft pools in that they would be players ages 25 or 26 to 29 or 30 who would play for your major league team immediately. This would benefit teams who are financially restricted from signing free agents by allowing them to pick one new veteran per week that they could plug into their line-up immediately instead of having to develop a player for two or more seasons. It would also benefit owners who need a role player or a relief pitcher for their major league team but have struck out on all of their waiver claims to that point. I envision the majority of players in this pool being 12 potential guys who's SI's range from 80 - 100 with maybe two or three superstars (13 or 14 potential players with SI's from 100 to 120) sprinkled in just to make it interesting. Overall though, players from this pool should generally be less talented than their counterparts from the other draft pools.

#11110	10/26/2014 2:36:12 am
Haselrig Joined: 04/13/2014 Posts: 2790 Novi Doubledays III.4	Bump in case this was overlooked.

#11113	10/26/2014 9:30:37 am
jetsrock48 Joined: 11/25/2013 Posts: 150 Davenport Cobras IV.3	I think one of the main things that Steve is trying to do with this game is to try to get this fantasy game as close to "real" as possible by following what MLB does. With that being said, there are some "veterans" who do come over every year, but this is a very small amount of players that do this. For example, last year there was Masahiro Tanaka and Jose Abreu as the two big guys that came in. I'm guessing these 2 would be the types of player that would appear in your new draft pool. The only issue I see here is that in the case of MLB, there were 2 studs that came over, along with maybe 5-10 average or above average players. With your idea, every team would have a chance to add a Tanaka or Abreu, 10 times per season. This does the opposite of what I claimed Steve's goal was at the beginning of this post: this differs greatly with how MLB works because now every team can get much better throughout the season, just based on pure luck (finding a gem in your new draft pool). I think with the way the system is set up now is fine. This is just a personal opinion obviously. I see the system that is in place now to be very close to how it is done in MLB: The top free agents are claimed and are gone in the beginning of the offseason, and other teams are then forced to fill the remainder of their roster with what is left in the pool. This is exactly how it is done in MLB except players are signed to monster contracts rather than just claimed through waivers.

#11114	10/26/2014 9:47:49 am
Haselrig Joined: 04/13/2014 Posts: 2790 Novi Doubledays III.4	I think you're pretty spot on with your points jetsrock48. Maybe a very small pool populated in a similar ratio to what you've pointed out (one or two good to very good players with the remainder being average players) to better reflect the MLB reality? Keep in mind, you'd be giving up a chance at a prospect to select a veteran. This could replicate, at least the spirit of, the MLB scenario of a contender trading prospects for an impact veteran for a playoff push. For me, those sorts of decisions make for a more satisfying game experience.

#11115	10/26/2014 11:10:14 am
admin Joined: 01/27/2010 Posts: 4985 Administrator	I see what you're trying to address, but if we had this "small" pool of veteran prospects...aren't we just going to get more of the contention that exist with many teams chasing quality free agents? The pool would drain almost immediately and people would be logging in at 2:00 am or something to try to get these guys before all the other teams. Steve

#11118	10/26/2014 11:18:55 am
Spoonerific Joined: 01/17/2013 Posts: 339 Inactive	Maybe this pool can only be pulled from once per team per season and cost a set amount to do so (much like bidding on international free agents). This would drain some of the cash out of the game as well. Still of course with a set number per season, say 100 players with only less than 10 percent being amazing and some quality guys close to or ready for the majors. And of course all these players should start with above minor league contract level salaries (1.0M+) in my opinion.

#11122	10/26/2014 11:28:09 am
Haselrig Joined: 04/13/2014 Posts: 2790 Novi Doubledays III.4	I think that can be mitigated by making the ratio of good/very good players to average players very weighted to the average players. Maybe as little as one "prize" free agent per pool per season. A high percentage of the average players could have their skills tailored to filling specific roles. Position players who are either utility players capable of backing up multiple positions or pure hitters with no defensive skills. Pitchers would have skills suited to be relief pitchers or specialists. This pool would be an insurance policy for teams who miss out on all of their waivers and need a veteran who is cheaper or slightly more talented than the free agents that remain after the offseason feeding frenzy which rarely leaves pitchers of any quality. It would be up to each owner to decide whether a relatively short-term veteran addition would be worth giving up a chance to draft a prospect early in the season when draft picks are more likely to be impact players. If they decide it's worth logging in at 2 A.M. to get an average reliever then that's their decision. At least they had a choice they wouldn't otherwise have. The more choices that are available to a player only serve to enrich the gaming experience for that player.

#11130	10/26/2014 4:53:00 pm
newtman Joined: 11/02/2013 Posts: 3343 Inactive	Please no, right now the game, much like baseball in real life, rewards patience through development, with a little luck thrown in. Also, most of the shortcuts to success in the game have been eliminated. Please don't add any in, it looks good on paper, but will be exploited in practice. Every team has bad draft pulls, even the teams with great minor leagues, it is only a matter of logging in and drafting every week for weeks on end, and paying attention. The people who need to replace an aging roster can find plenty of immediate upgrades on the current market, and need them in bulk. Thus I really don't see the actual point of this.

#11142	10/27/2014 3:28:10 am
Mig2012 Joined: 09/26/2012 Posts: 547 Inactive	I really hope broken bat doesn’t turn into another one of those games where you have to log in at crazy hours to get ahead or to stay competitive. That’s retarded.

#11143	10/27/2014 3:54:38 am
Haselrig Joined: 04/13/2014 Posts: 2790 Novi Doubledays III.4	Considering the response the idea has received, I'm no longer going to advocate for it except to say, if properly set up and populated by players who are merely role players and not superstars, I think it could serve a purpose that is not being offered in Broken Bat as of now. I've been in the position of not being able to field a competent major league squad my first season in Broken Bat with my only recourse being to draft a 22 year old college player and waiting two seasons for him to be ready. I'm beyond that now, so this idea would likely not benefit my team at all now or in the future.