Broken Bat - Help: Importance of SI?

Forum >> Help >> Importance of SI?

Post ID	Date & Time	Game Date	Function

#41745	11/11/2016 10:53:30 pm
newtman Joined: 11/02/2013 Posts: 3343 Inactive	In LL VI you should be building a squad that get you as far as possible. In other words as high potential as you can find that has at least an outside shot of panning out (note: the 27-30 year old free agents with SIs below 60 do not fall in this category due to needing to at least have the possibility of developing). Some younger 12 and 13 potential free agents can be good stepping stones at the very least, and a couple could carry you a long ways with some luck (I had a couple of players fitting this description helping me get all the way to LL II from VI). In other words, current SI is only one metric, and not a good one for a team in the lower leagues.

#41764	11/13/2016 12:45:59 am
Crazy Li Joined: 01/25/2015 Posts: 879 Inactive	More to the point of the question, SI gives you a general sense of the player's overall skill, which is not really weighted towards the most important things to look for at that position. It gives you a starting point and may be useful for newcomers who don't understand individual ratings yet, but to be successful, you need to look deeper than just SI. Let's take some examples... 13/12/13/14/14/11/17/13 (107 SI) OF 17/12/10/15/10/8/15/14 (101 SI) OF Who's better? You may think the 107 SI guy, but in reality, it's the other guy who has a better distribution here. As an OF, speed and fielding aren't important attributes. The range and arm are serviceable enough for OF and the offensive attributes are better. I would expect player #2 to hit for a significantly higher average, more HRs and a higher SLG in general, walk a bit less, but still have a higher OBPS. Understanding distribution is very important in evaluation. If you're looking for offense, make sure the numbers are in the offensive categories properly. You can score some really good lower SI guys if they have all-offense, no defense to be DHs. You may need to sacrifice offense for defense at key defensive positions unless you're lucky enough to get a player who's got everything going for him. When trying to search Free Agents, I never look for a particular SI or care about SI. I look for a minimum level at the attributes I'm targeting for that position.

#41765	11/13/2016 2:57:33 am
MukilteoMike Joined: 08/09/2014 Posts: 3294 Inactive	Ah, see, that's what's fun about this game. I disagree with the assessment given above, but just barely. I think those hypothetical outfielders are basically even. Depending on your ballpark and needs, I may choose the first guy (107 SI), especially if I need a CF. Just as important, though, is history. If they're fully developed, you can see what they've actually done. I consider that as much as skill values. For example, if the 14 speed outfielder above steals bases at a decent clip, his values increases. Updated Sunday, November 13 2016 @ 3:06:50 am PST

#41768	11/13/2016 6:23:37 am
Rock777 Joined: 09/21/2014 Posts: 9588 Haverhill Halflings III.1	Yeah, Mike is right about that. SI basically gives you your scouts and coaches assessment of the players skills. But as they gain experience playing in the majors, you will see that some guys perform better than others. So you need to look at both of these things together. In the minors, stats can be harder to decipher because competition varies wildly. So you will want to give a lot of weight to SI. But in the majors you can give more weight to performance. Also, and guy who its 20 HRs in League Level II is probably better than a guy who hits 20 HRs in LL VI. Its not an absolute, since ball parks, and competition can vary (some LL VI leagues are pretty good). The complexity of this game is what makes it a lot of fun. But for simplicity in starting out I would do the following: For minor leaguers: - focus on POT - avoid guys who seem to be underdeveloped SI wise. - avoid guys who are still in AA at 24 - avoid guys who are still in A at 23 - avoid guys who are still in Rookie at 21 - Only pay attention to the SB stat - Make sure to train guys in optimal positions for their defensive profile For major leaguers with more than 2 years: - Pay attention to stats, but consider how much more growth they need. Players can be really bad up to the point they max out their last stat. For major leaguers who are maxed out in development: - Only pay attention to performance (but remember OBP and SLG are more important than AVG). OPS is a convenience value adds these two values together. EDIT: Also, never pick up a guy who "will never be a decent hitter" or is "just wild". Updated Sunday, November 13 2016 @ 8:31:01 am PST

#41769	11/13/2016 6:33:51 am
newtman Joined: 11/02/2013 Posts: 3343 Inactive	I disagree as well, though more due to the example given. Although offense is important, speed and range are important as well for outfielders. Guys with higher speed are more likely to stretch hits for extra bases, and I personally like having a big range outfield if possible (though I won't completely sacrifice offense to do it). Really this game is a balancing act, people who try to min/max specific skills will find themselves hurting if they get to the upper leagues.

#41770	11/13/2016 10:54:17 am
Seca Joined: 05/05/2014 Posts: 5197 Waterloo Dinosaurs Legends	Agree with the posts above (I would also pick OF #1). You are trying to use SI to influence game outcomes. The more SI you have, the easier this is to do (generally). Think Cochrane is a good example. He's going to be deficient in (arguably) the most important skill for position players (hitting). Takes the shine off of his 14 potential. Many established teams would not be interested. But he is a dream RF (a position that I feel several managers underrate in Importance). He won't hit for much of an average, but should have a decent walk rate, low K rate. Probably more fly balls than grounders (fewer DPs). Might chip in 25-30 HRs. Wouldn't want him leading off, but that sounds like a pretty solid 6 hitter. Don't want a whole line-up of Cochranes, but a nice player for a starting team. Tieing into Rock777's post, I encourage new teams to go through their minor position players looking at range, arm, fielding scouting (and throwing arm) completing "this guy is a ..." for each. Look for duplication and holes. Pencil out a defense. Pencil out a batting order. Then you are in a better position to make decisions.

#41773	11/13/2016 12:45:37 pm
Spoonerific Joined: 01/17/2013 Posts: 339 Inactive	@Seca That guy looks close to my 14 POT weirdo Velez. I think 25 HRs is a pipe dream (but he does have prolific scouting report and maybe his BC gets up over 15). He might end similar to Velez in that he'll have all kinds of PD and just get on base a lot. Which is what you want from a 6 or 7 hitter imho.

#41777	11/13/2016 3:09:12 pm
Rock777 Joined: 09/21/2014 Posts: 9588 Haverhill Halflings III.1	I would take OF #2.

#41789	11/14/2016 2:48:02 am
Crazy Li Joined: 01/25/2015 Posts: 879 Inactive	Don't be so literal guys. I was just trying to show how overall SI isn't everything. Whether you prefer #1 or #2, it's not so cut and dry as "#1 has more SI, therefore, he's better". That was my point. Sure, maybe #1 still works out for you if you needed a CF... but what about RF or better yet LF which isn't as defensively demanding? Some people may want a better offensive player because you don't necessarily need 17 range in corner OF (unless you have a very spacious park, of course). You have to evaluate the situation further to know what the best choice is. #2 should also make a better DH than #1 if that's what you're going for. It's a matter of considering the position this guy is gonna play and what attributes you feel are the most valuable to that position and weighing them. How do you weigh them exactly? What matters most and what balance do you need? These are questions that can only be answered by playing the game and developing your own strategies. You can ask 10 different people and get different answers to the questions and even if you take the most commonly stated opinion, you might see it not work out for you at all. That's why the best way to learn is to do and find your own methods for success. There's no one way to play this game. Many strategies and approaches are viable. Find what works best for you and run with it for as long as it brings you success. I mean, I'm still in LL5 so clearly, I don't have the answers yet xP

#41809	11/14/2016 2:22:01 pm
DodgerBlue42 Joined: 10/20/2015 Posts: 42 Inactive	great discussion guys! thank you guys so much for sharing the insight!