Players' current and potential ratings change over the course of a season or a career, according to OOTP's player development model. As soon as players are created, they begin developing across the spectrum of their ratings. A number of factors can affect a player's development. Some of these can be controlled, and others cannot. Some of the key development factors are described below:
| Factor | Impact |
| Coaching / management | The coaching / managing ratings of the general manager, manager, bench coach, hitting coach, and pitching coach can all affect a player's development. See Personnel Ratings for more information. |
| Playing time | Minor league players who get little playing time might not develop as quickly as others. However, major league players and players on a reserve roster develop normally even without playing time. |
| Potential / individual qualities | Very talented players often (but not always) develop more quickly. In addition, some players simply develop more quickly than others. You might be baffled by the high-potential player who fails to live up to expectations, or be pleasantly surprised by the late-round draft pick who quickly advances. |
| Age | Players in OOTP age as seasons go by. Younger players might mature with age. Older players' skills might begin to diminish. Not all players will lose their skills at the same time-some could remain productive into their 40s, while others might fall apart much sooner than that. All these factors can directly affect a player's current ratings or even his potential ratings. Players age in a model that is relatively consistent with modern-day baseball players. You can adjust this by tweaking the player aging modifier. During game creation, this can be found in the Player Options section of the Game Options page. After game creation, navigate to OOTP Menu >> Game Setup >> Player and Picture Options. |
| Challenge | Players respond differently to challenges. Often, a player who is tearing up Double A hitting might not be developing very quickly, because he isn't being challenged. Similarly, putting an overmatched rookie into your major league starting lineup could actually hurt his development. |
| Injuries | Injuries often cause a player's development to slow, or could even cause his skills to regress. Injuries can immediately affect a player's current ratings and his potential ratings. The more severe an injury is, the more likely that the player's ratings will suffer. See Injuries and Fatigue for more information. |
| Spring Training | Players have an opportunity to play during spring training, and this often gives them an opportunity to improve outside the regular season. See Spring Training for more information. |
| Chance | Chance also plays a hand in rating changes. Sometimes, the light bulb inside a player's head will just go on, and he will jump to a new level of play. Players can experience significant changes in their ratings and potential in a short time. Of course, the same is true in reverse. Some players will never live up to their potential. |
| Player Development Modifiers | The speed with which players develop can also be adjusted by the player development modifiers that can be set during game creation on the Player Options section of the Game Options page. After game creation, navigate to OOTP Menu >> Game Setup >> Player and Picture Options. |
Disabling Player Development
You can also completely disable OOTP's player development model, meaning that players will never increase or decrease in ratings. This is most often desired by historical simmers who don't want to see Lou Gehrig's contact rating drop, for example. You can disable player development on the
Player Options section of the Game Options page. After game creation, navigate to
OOTP Menu >> Game Setup >> Player and Picture Options.