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Player Development

~~There~~All players do not necessarily reach their full potential in all ratings. But players are more likely to reach their potential if they have more development points. Each season, there are three sources of player development points:

0-10 points from a player's HIDDEN internal development ratings (you can't see these)
0-10 points from a team's annual investment in player development (500K per point)
1-3 points from the Low Minors or AAA development bonuses

How Development Works

There are a few components to development and decline.

Each rating has a peak and decline age...the age at which it is usually fully developed, and the age at which it usually declines.

Each player has a "peak" modifier, which influences the peak/decline age for all his ratings equally

Each player has a "development" and "decline" modifier which affects how quickly (or slowly) he develops and declines.

Each team invests money in development and drills, which influences how quickly (or slowly) all their players develop or decline each season.

And on top of that are the Gods of Randomization.

Some players, especially those who are slow developers on a team that doesn't invest a lot in development, will never reach their potential. Some players, quick learners on a high-investment team, may peak quickly. Some players may see peaks at different times, for example a PO/SY pitcher may see his PO peak in his mid-20's, only to see it decline in his 30s when his SY peaks..kind of like learning a new pitch.

It's a quite varied system. Many players do reach, or come very close to their potential, but there are definitely no guarantees.

Minor League Development Bonus

Players develop faster in the minor leagues thanks to a development bonus. The bonus applies to players who are in the minor leagues when a season "flips" on November 2nd to the next season.

For players in Low Minors, the bonus is determined by age

Players aged 17-19 receive +3 points of development in low minors
Players aged 20-22 receive +2 points of development in low minors
Players aged 23-25 receive +1 points of development in low minors
Players aged 26+ receive no development bonus in low minors

For players in AAA, the bonus is determined by their major league usage over the course of the season.

ANY player of ANY age can receive a +1 bonus in AAA, if, over the course of the season, the player had fewer than:

6 games played/ 21 IP (for pitchers)
35 plate appearances (for hitters)

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Helpful Tips

Once a player turns 23, there is no longer any advantage for that player to be in Low Minors...they can earn a +1 bonus regardless of whether they are in LM or AAA.

Once a player turns 26, they no longer receive a bonus in LM, but can still receive a bonus in AAA. In other words, don't keep anyone in Low Minors who is 26 or older. @@