League Rules
1997 sMALL mARKET lEAGUE1. Basic Pitch: It’s sometimes fun to have a league without the big teams, where you have a very average team and can fight to make them champions. Welcome!
We will be starting with 1997. When you join, please read the rules, and if you are amenable to the premise, put the letter of your desired draft slot in the CHATBOX.
The DOMINANT teams of this century in each league have been dropped. I expect that we will have 6 owners with 2 teams each. The eligible teams are:
BAL, BOS, CAL, CHC, CHW, CIN, COL, DET, FLA, KC, MIL, MIN, MON, NYM, OAK, PHI, PIT, SDP, SEA, TEX
When the person before you makes his selection, you will have up to 24 hours to make a pick. We hope you will pick a lot sooner, but know that after 24 hours, I will allow the next person on the list to make their selection: you can still select from the available teams after that.
2. How are players acquired?
First season USED? 1997
Minimum AB/IP? 75/25 in the first season, and 100/30 thereafter.
Are duplicate players allowed? Duplicates will be allowed in the initial cohort, but when players are imported, a player should only go to one team, the one where he has the most ABs or IPs.
ANY ISSUE ABOUT WHICH TEAM A PLAYER BELONGS ON MUST BE RAISED PRIOR TO THE FIRST GAME, OR THE RIGHT TO APPEAL IS WAIVED. Once a player “suits up” for a game, he belongs to that team. But once a duplicate player is cut, he is free to be deleted.
3. Updating personnel:
Progressions: type: classic. Plateau range? 29 - 32.
Imports and Minimums? AB/IP: 75/25 in the first season, and 100/30 thereafter.
Stat changing? Yes. No limit, as long as players meet the minimums (100 AB, 30 IP for stat changing). Once games start, if a player is caught stat-switching to a year where the minimums are not met, the player will be removed from the league for the season, and will only return if imported. I make a distinction between an owner turning himself in before games start, and the Commissioner or another owner catching him during the season.
Trades? YES, but no trades, or waivers, after game 140 and before the end of the World Series.
“Anyone can question the fairness of a trade, and forward a review request to the trade review committee. I will select the members of this committee, and majority rules. If for some reason there is a tie (as with an abstention), the Commissioner will break the tie. The Commissioner will oversee the performance of this committee. Requests to have trades reviewed must be made within 1 week or 20 games from the trade, whichever comes first.”
Draft? NO. Waiver claims? YES. Waiver claims will start after Game 5, or as soon thereafter as someone reminds the commissioner to turn them on. Any team not at roster limits when waivers start will be put in compliance by the Commissioner.
4. League set up, number of games, rotation size, injury length, and roster size:
1 12-team leagues, depending on membership. 162 game seasons. 5-man rotations. 5/8 for injuries (player/pitcher) in season 1, and 10/16 thereafter, 26/7 for rosters (or 26/33 if you prefer) in year 1, and 26/10 thereafter.
5. Playoffs: 3 division champions and 3 wild card teams. The teams are seeded by record, with the division winners getting the top 3 seeds.
In round 1, which is best of 3, 3 hosts 6, and 4 hosts 5. All 3 games are in the host city.
Round 2 features the #1 seed hosting the 4/5 winner, and #2 seed hosting the 3/6 winner in a ⅔ best of 5.
The World Series has the highest remaining seed hosting a 2/3/2 best of 7 series.
NOTE: A wild card team never hosts a series against a non-wild card team.
Rules about ties for a playoff spot:
If teams tie for a playoff spot:
⇒ If both teams would be “in”, use head to head record as a tiebreaker. Run differential is the 2nd tie-breaker.
⇒ If one is in, the other is out, 1 game playoff (@ head 2 head winner)
In addition to a Cy Young and a MVP Award, there will also be a Manager of the Year Award given to the owner with the best combined record. In the event that some owners own more teams than some other owners, it will be the best combined winning percentage.
MY BASIC EXPECTATIONS OF EACH OWNER:
⇒ Your commitment is season to season. When you join, you will be expected to actively run your team until the end of the season, which is when the regular season ends for non-playoff teams, or when your playoff team is eliminated. If you quit mid-season without my blessing, I will share this information with other commissioners.
⇒ Actively running your team means that you read messages once per day, meet all deadlines, and communicate any difficulties to the commissioner.
⇒ I will provide a minimum of 48 hours between a posting of a deadline, and the deadline. Ignorance of the deadline will not be an excuse for failing to meet the deadline.
⇒ If you will be away, and unable to get your messages, give the commissioner advance notice. Inactivity for ten (10) days, or repeated failure to meet deadlines, may result in your being booted from the league.
⇒ Every owner is expected to field a team (9 pitchers and 11 fielders) every game. Failure to do so, making the sims not run, results in a forfeit.
⇒ Read and be familiar with the rules immediately upon joining: it may affect your desire to be in the league, or your desire to pick a certain team.
Please keep all conversations clean
Please don't be rude to fellow owners
Please be active, if not active for 14 days you may be removed from the league
We all love baseball and that's why we're here. So Just have fun and enjoy!
General rules:
Each offseason, you can switch a SP to RP, or a RP to a SP, but stamina will remain “as is.”. You can change it back the next offseason if you like, but no changes between first pitch and the last out of the World Series.
You can switch a player’s primary and secondary positions if they played 50% or more games THAT season at their secondary position, or at least 25% of their games for their career at their secondary position.
During an offseason, a player can be switched to the position they played most in their career, regardless of the requirements of General Rule #2.
You can switch a DH to his secondary position, as long as he has a fielding percentage.
Off season duties:
Season 1: double stats.
Classic progression after world series. Plateau range: 29 - 32. 33 begins regression.
Imports: You get all the imports from the next season that are not already in the league: Minimum AB/IP: 75/25 in the first season, and 100/30 thereafter.
Stat changes: unlimited as long as the player meets the minimums (30 IP, 100 AB)
Cuts to a certain roster limit: 26/7 – cut players are eligible for waivers. For season 2, and thereafter, 26/10 will be the roster limit (when injury limits increase.)
Waivers begin with Game 5, or as soon thereafter as someone reminds the Commissioner to turn them on. Order based on record/standings. Any team not in compliance with the roster limits when waivers are to begin, will be put in compliance by the commissioner.
Turn drops and trades on
Opening Day
Elastic Clause: I reserve the right to create new rules as necessary to deal with problems as they arise.
Some leagues use fictional player progression. To learn more about how players progress, check the Player Potential page.
League Settings
| Year Range of Stats | 1998 - 1998 |
| Roster Size (Majors) | 26 |
| Roster Size (Minors) | 7 |
| Keepers | |
| Change Stats Allowed | |
| Free Agency | (waivers) |
| Drops | |
| No-Drop List | |
| Player Fatigue | |
| Batter Injuries | (5 games max) |
| Pitcher Injuries | (8 games max) |
| Use Pitcher's HR Allowed Stats | |
| Allows Max Surprise Bunts | |
| Min Batters Pitcher Must Face | 1 |
| Slump Buster | (1unlimited days) |
| On Fire | Uses WAR |
| User Sims | (every 3 hours) |
