League Rules

Welcome to the league rules page of the NYC Metro Baseball League (Or NYCMBL for short!)!

The following are the ground rules for the league. They may be revised from time to time. Any revisions will be sent in an email to all the team owners and be updated here on the league rules section.

I. TEAM ROSTERS
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1.) Team rosters will be 36 players (26 in majors, 10 in the farm system).
2.) The major league roster of 26 players will consist of 14 positional players (one at each position except pitcher and five utility players and 12 pitchers (must be a minimum of five starting pitchers and five relief pitchers, but can be any combination of the following: 5 SP and 7 RP, 6 SP and 6 RP, or 7 SP and 5 RP).

II. LEAGUE SCHEDULE
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1.) The regular season schedule will be a 106 game season. It breaks down to the following: 42 divisional games (14 against each team in your division), 32 inter-conference games (8 against each team from the other division in your conference), and 32 inter-league games (4 games against teams from the other conference). Each team will also play a doubleheader game during the regular season.
2.) The teams that qualify for the playoffs will be one divisional winner from each division plus two wildcard teams from each conference. So there might be a possibility for example that in one conference there will be two divisional winners and the two wildcard spots from the same division. Wildcard winners are the teams with the two best records after the divisional winners (more to be explained in our playoff rules section).
3.) After the regular season is completed, the playoffs will consist of three rounds: a divisional series (best of 5), a conference championship series (best of 7), and the NYC Metro League World Series (best of 7). Teams with the best regular season record get home field advantage. All-Star Game determines who gets home field advantage for the NYC Metro League World Series.

III. PLAYOFFS
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1.) The playoffs will begin about 3 days (3 day rest period) after the end of the regular season.
2.) Teams that qualify for the playoffs are eight in total, four from each conference. The two division champions plus the two teams that qualify as the wildcards from each conference make the playoffs.
3.) The team with the best record gets home field advantage throughout the playoffs.
4.) In the case of a tie for the best record regarding division champions or wildcards, the following tie breaker formula will be used:
a.) Best record in head to head matchups against team tied with for division or wildcard spot.
b.) Best division record, if still tied then in the conference.
c.) If there is still a tie after going thru option A and B then best differential of the teams that are tied for a playoff spot.
5.) Winning conference all-star team in the annual NYC Metro Baseball League All-Star Game will secure home field advantage for their conference champion in the NYC Metro League World Series.

IV. THE DRAFT
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1.) Our inaugural draft will be decided thru a league vote. The options will be a pre-ranked draft, a live draft which may run multiple nights, or a quick draft. There will be a poll up on the league page once all sixteen teams have joined the league.
2.) The inaugural draft will consist of twenty five rounds to fill your major league roster. Your roster must consist of the following:
a.) One position player at each position (C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, LF, CF, RF).
b.) Six starting pitchers (one used for long relief) and five relief pitchers or six relief pitchers (one used for long relief) and five starters.
c.) Five utility players which can be either for the infield or outfield.
2.) Starting with the fourth season, the regular draft will be conducted in a 8 round format in the live draft room as a slow draft. Draft order will be a one way format with the team with the worst record from last season picking first and the team with the best regular season record picking last in each round.
3.) After the first season, any unsigned players will be put back into the free agents pool. The new class of rookies (starting in the second season with rookies from the 1992 MLB season) will be added to that free agent pool and tagged as "rookies".
4.) Every few seasons there will be a "legends" draft held. It will be a three round draft held via the league chat box on the home page. Draft order will be random for each round. Each owner will be allotted 12 hrs. to make their pick unless their turn comes late in the day where they will have till 10 AM (EST) the next morning to make a selection.

V. PLAYER PROGRESSIONS
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1.) As decided by league vote, we will be doing simulated player progressions. After each season, the players will be progressed by a year.
2.) Players will peak at age 32 for progression and start to regress at age 33.
3.) Retirement age range is 38 - 42, depending on the player's regression.

VI. TRADES/ WAIVERS
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1.) Each team will be allowed a maximum of seven trades per season.
2.) A team can trade upto a maximum of four players in a trade transaction. With that said, trades will be monitored by myself and the co-commissioners to make sure they are not lopsided and are close to equal value for both teams involved.
3.) You are allowed to add a draft pick (two max per trade) in the trade transaction. notify commissioners when a draft pick is involved for league approval.
4.) Trades will be activated after day 3 of the regular season. The trade deadline will be after day 102 of the regular season.
5.) Waivers will activated after day 1 of the regular season and be deactivated after day 102 of the regular season. One player per waiver transaction per game day. Waiver order will be determined from weakest team to strongest team, with the weakest team getting first priority.
6.) During the off season, trades will be turned on for any off season transactions between two teams. Trades will be turned back/ reset to zero for each team at the end of the playoffs.

VII. PLAYER CONTRACTS/ FA
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1.) Teams will be able to sign/keep up to 18 players via signing them to contracts.
2.) Each team's budget will be $125 million per season.
3.) Contract length is a minimum of one year to a maximum of four years. After said contract expires, the player will be entered into free agency.
4.) Player contracts will be standard, there will be no raises involved year to year.
5.) Starting with the end of the third season, each team owner is allowed to extend the contract of one player on their team that has an expiring contract The contract length can be anywhere from one to four years in length. All other players that were not extended their contracts at the end of the season will be automatically put back in the free agent pool. A player is only eligible once to have their contract extended during their career.

VIII. CODE OF CONDUCT
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1.) First and foremost, we are all here to have fun. Please keep vulgar comments, politics, etc. off of the league chat box. First offense will be a verbal warning. Second time it happens, you get ousted from the league. So please keep it clean and respectful.
2.) There shall be no tanking whatsoever done in this league. I, myself and my co-commissioners will keep an eye out inactivity or any deliberate signs that lead to tanking. I try my best to get everyone involved here. I am always open to suggestions or ideas on how to make the league better.

IX. REGULAR SEASON GAMES
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1.) There will will be a five man pitching rotation used during the regular season. Pitchers will require a rest of four days maximum in between starts.
2.) Injuries are turned on for this league. The maximum amount of time a player can be out could be up to 20 games.
3.) Endurance is also a factor in this league. Keep an eye on your players in case you need to rest them.
4.) the "slump buster" option can be used and is good for up to 10 games.


X. AWARDS/ TROPHIES
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1.) These will be the list of awards handed out at the end of each regular season:
- Cy Young
- MVP
- Rookie of the Year
- Reliever of the Year
- Hank Aaron Award (to be voted by the owners for the best offensive player of the year - starting with the fourth season)
- Gold Glove (at each position for each conference)

XI. OWNER LEAGUE AWARDS/ INCENTIVES
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1.) Throughout the course of the regular season and playoffs we will have league incentives/ awards for owners who achieve certain feats or records with their teams or players. Awards/ incentives can be added or reduced and are subject to change as the league seasons progress. Here is the current list of league incentives/ awards for league owners:
a.) Owner with the most correct responses in the annual league predictions contest: can choose one player on your team to change to "superstar" status
b.) Win the NYC Metro League World Series: option of choosing one player on your team to change to "superstar" status or change dwar rating on one player on your team by 0.15 points
c.) Pitcher on your team pitches a no-hitter: option of changing the pitcher's potential to "superstar" status or bump up "fire" rating by 2 points
d.) Batter hits for the cycle in the game: option of changing player's potential to "superstar" status or bump up "fire" rating by 2 points



LEAGUE RULES UPDATED AS OF: 5/16/2022

League Settings

Year Range of Stats	1900 - 2030
Roster Size (Majors)	26
Roster Size (Minors)	10
Keepers	(18 keepers)
Change Stats Allowed	(not allowed while under contract)
Free Agency
Drops
No-Drop List
Player Fatigue
Batter Injuries	(20 games max)
Pitcher Injuries	(20 games max)
Use Pitcher's HR Allowed Stats
Allows Max Surprise Bunts
Min Batters Pitcher Must Face	3
Slump Buster	(1unlimited days)
On Fire	Classic
User Sims