League Rules

Cap’n Howdy’s Whiz Bang Rules

1. Basic Pitch: This is a non-contract league beginning in 1969, using real progression. Minimum of 75 AB and 25 IP to qualify.

NOTE: If a player has less than those numbers in a subsequent year (like in the case of Tommy John surgery) that player goes into the retired list. Upon return to the majors, he will go to the last team he PLAYED for: it is the owners’s responsibility to get such important players into games, otherwise you will lose those players.

How many teams per person? I expect 5 to 6 owners, meaning 4 teams per owner. If more than 1, you may not trade players between your teams. This is a boot-able offense.

When you join the league, put the letter of your desired draft slot in the chat box. Should there be a subsequent draft of players after teams are chosen and before the first game, the draft will run in reverse order of the team draft.

When the league is full, we will pick teams. 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? 1969

Minimum AB/IP? 75/25

Duplicate players will be allowed in the initial cohort. After season 1, imported players belong to the team he played for the most, in terms of IP or AB.

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.


3. Updating personnel:

Progressions: type: Real

Imports and Minimums? 75 AB, 25 IP

NOTE: If a player has less than those numbers in a subsequent year (like in the case of Tommy John surgery) that player goes into the retired list. Upon return to the majors, he will go to the last team he PLAYED for: it is the owners’s responsibility to get such important players into games, otherwise you will lose those players.


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.

In the event of a player draft before season 1, the draft window will be 30 minutes. You are invited, and encouraged, to pre-rank. I check to see who has pre-ranked at the beginning of each round. If you have pre-ranked, I will select for you at the beginning of your turn. If you tell me that you will be there to pick in person, I will wait 10 minutes for you to make your presence known (not to pick – to let me know that you are there, and are deliberating.) After 10 minutes, if you are not there, I will pick for you. If you did not pre-rank, and you are not present, after 30 minutes the computer will pick for you. It is not always what seems like a rational choice.

I do this because it has been my experience that when I am present, the draft runs smoothly, and every time I am not, someone declares “shenanigans” and all something breaks loose. I am fine with being present for the whole draft, but I don’t want to spend my whole life doing that. Please be present or pre-rank.

Free agents/waivers? Yes; waivers will begin with Game 1 each season.


4. League set up, number of games, rotation size, injury length, and roster size:

The set up will vary, based on 5 or 6 owners. 162 games, 4 man rotations until 1975, when we will swap to 5 man rotations. 5 games for hitters, and 8 games for pitchers. 26/10 (or 26/36) for rosters.


5. Playoffs:

The 20 teams are divided into 2 10-team conferences. The top 5 teams in each conference make the playoffs, and the top seed in each conference gets a bye until the LCS.

Round 1: 2 hosts 5, 3 hosts 4, in a best-of-3 (all games at the higher seed.)

Round 2: Wild Card championships. Best-of-5

Round 3: LCS: best of 7

World Series: best of 7.


Rules about ties for a playoff spot:

A wild card team never hosts a series against a non-wild card team.

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:

Real progression after world series.

Players with less than the league minimums will be “retired”

Imports: You get all the imports from the next season that are not already in the league (25 IP/75 AB minimum)


Cuts to a certain roster limit: 26/10

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.

League Settings

Year Range of Stats	1969 - 2025
Roster Size (Majors)	26
Roster Size (Minors)	10
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 4 hours)