CLASSROOM
What do LockedGM ratings mean?
Plain-English LockedGM grades for Shadow GMs — baseball first, with multi-sport grade books to follow. Every number here is a LockedGM product grade for league play.
Also see Classic Matchup and Scouting.
LockedGM 1–20 · SHADOW GM CLASSROOM
How LockedGM grades work
Every talent rating you see in LockedGM is a LockedGM Shadow GM grade — a proprietary product scale built for league play, Classic Matchup, and classroom teaching.
These are not Strat-O-Matic card charts, not copied public consensus lists, and not third-party trademarked ratings. When you say “he’s an 18 LockedGM power,” you are speaking LockedGM language.
Baseball Classic Matchup uses a LockedGM 1–20 scale for hitters, defense, and pitchers. Platoon splits are small bumps (−3…+3 typical) layered on top of the main grades.
Multi-sport LockedGM grade books (football, basketball, and more) will reuse this classroom pattern — same LockedGM naming, sport-specific skills — in later releases.
LockedGM ratings · LockedGM grades · LockedGM Shadow GM grades only. Do not label in-product numbers as Strat-O-Matic or any other third-party chart brand.
SCALE BANDS
What the numbers mean
1–5
Fringe / liability
Well below league average. Managers avoid exposing this skill when they can.
6–9
Below average
Playable in a role, but a weakness opponents can attack or exploit.
10–12
League average
Solid everyday competence — the classroom “middle of the pack.”
13–15
Above average / plus
A real strength. Build lineups and matchups around this edge.
16–18
Plus-plus / star
Elite in Classic Matchup. Forces opposing managers to adjust.
19–20
Historic peak
Rare ceiling grades — reserved for legendary packs and once-a-generation talent.
HITTER GRADES
Hitter grades
Offense on the LockedGM batter chart — contact through speed.
LockedGM Contact
How often the batter puts the ball in play with authority on their chart — the skill of avoiding empty swings and finding hits.
- High grade
- More singles and productive contact outcomes; fewer punchouts when the at-bat leans batter-controlled.
- Low grade
- More whiffs and weak results; the pitcher chart takes over more often.
- Manager use
- Bat high contact near the top of the order and in two-strike or small-ball spots. Pair with speed for table-setters.
Classroom band note: Everyday bats often sit 10–14; stars push 15+.
LockedGM Power
Extra-base thump — the grade that turns fair contact into doubles and home runs on the LockedGM batter chart.
- High grade
- More XBH and HR when the batter owns the roll; changes scoreboard math fast.
- Low grade
- Contact stays on the ground or in the gaps as singles; fewer crooked numbers.
- Manager use
- Protect power in the heart of the order (3–5). Don’t bury a high-power bat eighth unless platoon or glove forces it.
Classroom band note: Middle-of-order threats usually 12+; elite sluggers 16–20.
LockedGM Eye
Plate discipline and walk skill — patience that draws free passes and punishes pitchers who miss the zone.
- High grade
- More walks and favorable counts; pitchers with shaky control bleed baserunners.
- Low grade
- Chases expand the strike zone for the pitcher; fewer baserunners without contact.
- Manager use
- Lead off or bat second with high eye + contact. Use high-eye bats to grind deep into starter pitch budgets.
Classroom band note: On-base catalysts often 12–16 eye.
LockedGM Speed
Baserunning and infield pressure — first-to-third range, infield hits, and the threat that stretches singles.
- High grade
- More pressure on the defense; better chance to take the extra base and beat out soft contact.
- Low grade
- Station-to-station baserunning; easy outs on grounders and force plays.
- Manager use
- Stack speed at the top; use as a pinch-runner. Avoid asking low-speed bats to bunt-and-run into outs.
Classroom band note: Burners 14+; corner sluggers often 6–10.
DEFENSE GRADES
Defense grades
Glove and arm — how balls in play become outs (or don’t).
LockedGM Defense (glove)
Fielding reliability at the assigned position — converting soft hits into outs and suppressing errors on the LockedGM chart. A player is only eligible at positions listed on their LockedGM card (playing-time / rating threshold). No listing = unrated = not eligible.
- High grade
- More soft contact becomes outs; fewer errors that extend innings.
- Low grade
- Balls find grass that average gloves would catch; error risk rises. Forced out-of-position (OOP) injury fill-ins use the floor grade and score real bad for the team.
- Manager use
- Glove your best defenders up the middle (C/SS/2B/CF). Only start players at eligible spots — OOP fill-ins crush run prevention.
Classroom band note: Everyday up-the-middle gloves target 12+; stars 15–18. OOP effective grade = 1.
LockedGM Arm
Throwing strength and accuracy — cutting down runners, holding extras, and punishing aggressive baserunners from the outfield or catcher.
- High grade
- Fewer advances; stronger deterrent on tags and first-to-third attempts.
- Low grade
- Runners take liberties; weak throws turn singles into doubles more often in the long run.
- Manager use
- Prefer strong arms in RF/C when baserunners are on. Don’t hide a hose in left if you need OF help elsewhere — match position need first.
Classroom band note: Catcher and RF arms often matter most in classroom matchups.
PITCHER GRADES
Pitcher grades
Stuff, control, grounders, and stamina on the LockedGM pitcher chart.
LockedGM Stuff
Miss-bat quality — velocity, movement, and wipeout pitches that produce strikeouts when the pitcher chart is in control.
- High grade
- Higher K rates; fewer balls in play; tougher for contact hitters to square up.
- Low grade
- Batters put more balls in play; soft contact and hits leak through more often.
- Manager use
- Start or close with high stuff against power lineups. High stuff + low stamina = short-burst bullpen weapon.
Classroom band note: Aces and closers often 14–19 stuff.
LockedGM Control
Strike-throwing and walk prevention — keeping free passes down and staying ahead in counts.
- High grade
- Fewer walks; more outs recorded without draining the pitch budget on traffic.
- Low grade
- Walks pile up; high-eye lineups feast and force early hooks.
- Manager use
- Trust high-control arms to work deeper. Pair wild stuff with a short leash and a fresh pen.
Classroom band note: Workhorse starters often 12–16 control.
LockedGM GB tendency
Ground-ball rate on the pitcher chart — how often balls in play stay on the dirt instead of in the air.
- High grade
- More ground outs; friendlier for infield gloves and double-play turns; suppresses some fly-ball damage.
- Low grade
- More air balls and fly outs — dangerous with low OF defense or power-heavy lineups.
- Manager use
- Match high-GB pitchers with strong infield gloves. Avoid extreme fly-ball arms in bandboxes against 16+ power.
Classroom band note: Extreme ground-ballers 15–18; fly-ball profiles can sit under 8.
LockedGM Stamina
Pitch-budget endurance — how deep into a game the arm can work before the manager must go to the pen.
- High grade
- Larger pitch budget; starters can finish deeper innings before relief is required.
- Low grade
- Short outings; plan early bullpen waves or use strictly as a reliever.
- Manager use
- Build rotations around stamina for Classic Matchup length. Low-stamina stars belong in RP roles or opportunistic SP spot starts.
Classroom band note: Classic SP stamina often 11–18; RP typically lower.
PLATOON SPLITS
Platoon splits
Small LockedGM handedness bumps layered on the main 1–20 grades.
LockedGM Platoon vs L
Handedness edge against left-handed opponents — a small LockedGM bump (typically −3 to +3) applied to the matchup.
- High grade
- Positive bump: the player performs better vs LHP (hitters) or LHB (pitchers).
- Low grade
- Negative bump: a real weakness vs lefties — expect managers to sit or pull.
- Manager use
- Build L/R platoon lineups. Sit big negative-vs-L bats against lefty starters; use positive-vs-L bats as pinch-hit weapons.
Classroom band note: Typical range −3…+3 on top of the 1–20 grades.
LockedGM Platoon vs R
Handedness edge against right-handed opponents — the mirror bump for the more common RHP/RHB matchups.
- High grade
- Positive bump vs righties; everyday bats and starters want this stable.
- Low grade
- Struggles vs the majority handedness — niche or strict platoon only.
- Manager use
- Stack positive-vs-R hitters against righty aces. For pitchers, watch platoon vs R when facing stacked RHB lineups.
Classroom band note: Typical range −3…+3 on top of the 1–20 grades.
ROSTER ECONOMICS
Career-point cap (design)
A league-wide point pool that limits how much guaranteed career commitment teams can stack on athletes — separate from the annual salary hard cap in Classic Matchup.
- Pool: CONFIRMED: career-point pool = average MLB career length (years) × active roster size (30 for baseball). Multi-sport: sport avg career length × that sport’s active roster. NFL: 2.5 × 50 = 125; must draft every position (hard roster-construction rule — no skill-only stacks).
- Playoff YoY (±4%): CONFIRMED: make playoffs → +4% to career-point pool / salary room the following year; miss playoffs → −4% the following year. Start from sport base pool, then apply the playoff modifier for next season.
- Contracts stick: Contracts and dead money stick — injury or decline do not erase committed career points (mimic bad-contract pressure).
- Max one athlete: Soft/hard teaching max ≈ 5 years (points) guaranteed to any one athlete.
- Declining schedule (example): 5 → 4 → 3 → 2 → 1 across successive seasons of a max deal (illustrative).
- Cuts: CONFIRMED default — 85% of remaining career points hit as dead money in the cut year. League-constitution option only — 75% prorated hangover over the remaining contract life. Managers do not pick per cut.
- FA: Competing offers allowed in free agency; the originating team holds a match right on the winning offer.
- 50-man farm: CONFIRMED 50-man minors / organizational pool beside the 30-man active roster — signed amateurs sit there at 0 MLB career points until graduation.
- Draft + intl: CONFIRMED Acquisition Pool: 10 points each offseason for amateur draft + international only. Zero rollover — unused points vanish when the signing period closes.
- Service time: Promotion to the 30-man starts a 3-year service clock. Guaranteed FA years cost career points; farm time does not.
- MiLB pressure: CONFIRMED hard rule: after 4 years of MiLB without a 30-man foothold, the player is forced onto the active roster and starts the service clock.
Open design questions
- Is the declining 5→4→3→2→1 schedule mandatory for all max deals, or only an example amortization?
- Does a “point” always equal one roster-year, or can contracts fractionalize (e.g. 2.5)?
- Does the match right require identical years/points, or may the originator match salary only?
- How do career points interact with the Classic Matchup annual salary hard cap?
- Arbitration year-by-year point schedule after the 3-year service clock?
Full write-up: docs/lockgm-career-point-cap.md
TWO ECONOMIES
Acquisition Pool
Annual use-it-or-lose-it budget for the amateur draft and international signings — firewalled from the MLB 30-man career-point cap.
- Annual refresh: Every offseason each club receives a fresh 10-point Acquisition Pool for the amateur draft and international signings only.
- Zero rollover: Unused acquisition points vanish when the signing period closes. Spend 8, and 2 points of prospect capital expire — no stashing, no three-year monopolies.
- Firewall: Acquisition points never mix with the MLB 30-man career-point cap. A signed amateur sits on the 50-man minor-league system at 0 MLB career points.
- Graduation: The player touches the MLB career-point cap only when promoted to the 30-man (starting the 3-year service clock) or when the 4-year minor-league limit forces them onto the active roster.
- Cuts: CONFIRMED default: 85% of remaining career points hit as dead money in the cut year. The 75% prorated hangover is a league-constitution option only — managers do not pick per cut.
LEDGER · USE-IT-OR-LOSE-IT
Run a signing period
Spend the 10-point pool, close the period, then graduate or cut. The 30-man career-point cap does not move until a farm body is forced or promoted.
- Acquisition left
- 10
- Vanished
- 0
- MLB points on farm
- 0
- Career + dead
- 0
- Offseason refresh: 10 acquisition points. Farm is empty. MLB career cap is untouched.