2059 BBA Draft And The Development Lab

[lordtoffee]

As of this writing, the draft is still going on. We might not know who exactly goes where yet, but for the purposes of this piece it doesn't matter. Going into the offseason, the biggest unknown among the BBA community was what sort of impact the development lab would have. The BBA general managers all come from different perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences in other leagues. But what can't be denied is that the league has general managers who have had success in online leagues, success in the BBA sphere, and experience playing OOTP and are constantly striving to be the best that they can possibly be. But what was a constant to this observer during the offseason is that the unknown of how exactly the development lab was going to go was a major question. Different teams have tried different strategies. We have seen prospects get the lions share of usage, some players in their prime using the lab, experimentation with personality differences, more focus on hitters or position players, newly acquired players, and the list could go on and on.

But with the 2059 draft going on, the next major learning point with the development lab is here. The class of 2059 is the first draft class where the development lab is made available to use for all players who join the BBA/GBC. In the past, selecting a player was based on organizational needs, best player available, who fits the ballpark, is the farm system balanced, use of comp picks, and other questions. Those questions all remain, but what has changed in the consideration of who is going to be drafted has to include how someone might want to use the development lab. Obviously each GM is going to approach the draft their way, but one has to wonder if the development lab doesn't come into play. I would imagine that a prospect who has room to grow might be drafted earlier because the GM wants to use a development lab slot, or the GM might already have a plan for the development lab after seeing what goes on during the season.

All in all, these questions have to be answered. Going forward, the development lab will change the nature of the draft in this league. How much and what effect it will have on the league is anyone's guess.