For MLB 21...Devs and Players

Sony San Diego, I’ve been playing the Show since it came out and it would just mean a lot if y’all could read this once, if it’s not something you guys are interested in, that’s cool but I’m excited about it and wanted to share it.
I’ll preface this though, I put for MLB 21 in the topic bar because this will take a while to get done if even possible, and it would be much better equipped once the PS5 comes out with new software.

I had an idea tonight about RTTS, I’ve only ever retired two of my RTTS characters in previous games because tbh when I do, it seems kind of a dull ending; flat screen with career stats, my character, and Hall of Fame written on it after playing countless seasons. No small cutscene congratulating me for my accomplishments, no HOF induction, just a screen with my name on it, but it could be better.

And once I do it, that’s it, it’s over. But something hit me that came from Madden a few years back; what if after the player retires from runnin and gunnin, they begin their road to the owners office?

All the way from the bottom like a development scout, base coach or position-specific coach, up through a hitting/pitching/fielding coach, then onto a managerial spot on a club, then taking the GM reigns, then onto owning the club?

Each role would have their own respective duties in the club, and mini games as such for training and upgrading specific players/positions, building team morale, developing traits and skills within players, etc, there would also be cutscenes built in like the current RTTS call ups and trades for when you talk to players, train them, practice, build skills, etc.

Each coach’s starting abilities would be based off his player ratings when he retired (I.e. if he retired with 90 Contact and 75 Power, he could be a hitting coach right off the bat; or 95 stamina, 85 control with 90 H/9 could be a pitching coach whereas lower ratings at retirement offer lower jobs like the scouting or single position coach jobs).

Each role would give you control of a specific set of the team during games should you want to play during the process through the club ranks. For example, say your RTTS character was a shortstop that played 1B, 2B, and 3B as well in his career. He may start as an infield coach somewhere. When he begins, his job is to build the players at those positions into better versions of themselves. Which he does by upgrading them through mini games and daily practices, or challenges as I’ll call them where he assigns tasks for players to complete during season games that boost performance and player ratings. Then he can see results by simming season games or feel the results by playing the games as those 1B’men 2B’men 3B’men or shortstops.

Assuming you start at a lower role..eventually, the coach completes his role, and is offered a more important job like a hitting coach, fielding coach, or a pitching coach for the entire ball club. At which point there will be more mini games, practices, and season game challenges to complete, while also being offered to take control of playing as the entire batting lineup, as the entire defense, or as the entire pitching staff in ballgames as opposed to just a few specific positions.

Once that role is completed successfully, he gets the offer to be a manager, and then this is where things get tricky. With control of the whole ballclub, including lineups, pitching rotations, bench players, bullpen etc, it may be smart to have this be the final stage, then once he gets the job as the GM, send it to franchise mode to handle the rest because once you get the GM spot it basically is franchise mode.

But as for the manager job, this is going to be the best of all of the RTTS material. As a manager you will have access to everything short of what the GM and owner handles. Lineups; pitching rotations; bullpen movement; defensive positions; assigning series goals based off scouting reports from your scouts; press conferences and interviews with media; as well as all of the jobs that could be done in other roles if you so choose like upgrading abilities in specific positions or whole groups like outfielders, catchers, pitchers; building morale by substituting players in key moments; implementing new skills through practices and challenges. Everything you wanted to do but couldn’t on the road to this point you can now do as the manager. And if you lead your team where your contract goal says, eventually after an appropriate amount of years managing and coaching through the clubs, you get that call to go be a GM, at which point it transfers over to a franchise mode like March to October did in MLB 19.

Just for the record, I think this would be the levels of coaching positions;
Level 1: Individual position coaches C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, LF, CF, RF, SP, RP, CP; or Team Development Scout
Level 2: Group position coaches C, IF, OF, Pitchers; or 1B Coach (hitting only), or 3B Coach (hitting only)
Level 3: Hitting Coach, or Pitching Coach, or Fielding Coach
Level 4: Manager
Level 5: GM in Franchise
Level 6: Owner in Franchise (rebranding teams here, haha I saw that on the stream schedule page)

I’d love to hear everyone’s feedback on this! Do you think it’s a good idea, bad idea, too complicated, not enough detail, not enough opportunity, too much opportunity, too tough to build, not long enough to play through?

Give me all the feedback because I think this would be pretty cool to see in MLB The Show 21 on the PS5.

Devs please give me your feedback too! It would be really cool to hear what you guys think of the idea. Thanks for all the hard work in bringing us the best sports title year after year. Keep it up!

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