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1. The League Format
1.1. This is a 12 team rotisserie
style league where players are selected from the National League Only
1.2. Each team consists of 23
players at the following positions:
First base – 1 Second base - 1
Third base – 1 Shortstop
- 1
First/Third (Corner) – 1 Second/Short
(Middle) - 1
Outfield – 5 Utility
(Any offensive player) - 1
Catcher – 2 Pitcher
- 9
1.3. Categories
Hitting: Pitching:
Batting Average Wins
Home Runs Saves
RBI's ERA
Stolen Bases Hits+Walks\Innings
Pitched (Ratio)
Runs Scored Strikeouts
1.4.1. MLB NL Players (no minor leaguers) are
purchased at an open auction.
1.4.2. The maximum total amount spent for an entire
team is $260. Teams
may spend less. The 6th place team from the previous season can go as high as
$264, the 7th place $263 and the 8th place team $262.
1.4.3. A player goes to the highest bidder. The
minimum bid is $1 and all bids must be in whole number amounts (no change).
1.4.4. The draft fee must be paid at the time of the
draft. In addition to the draft fee, a stat service fee is also due at the
draft (the amount is usually about $30 but can vary from year to year).
1.4.5. A player must be on an NL MLB roster at the
time of the auction in order to be eligible for bidding. Unsigned MLB free
agents cannot be bid on.
1.5.1.
At
the date/time specified prior to the auction each year, teams must submit a
“protected players” list containing from 0-15 players.
1.5.2.
These
protected players will maintain the same salary and contract except where
values change as a direct result of other rules.
1.5.3.
The salaries of the protected players will be
subtracted from the team’s $260 auction value.
1.5.4.
Protected
players must be on a National League major league or minor league roster at the
submission deadline or they cannot be protected, with the exception of rule
1.5.5 below.
1.5.5. Any NL player traded to the
1.5.6.
DL’d
players can be protected as long they are on the MLB DL.
1.5.7. Players put on the DL after the 15 man
protected rosters have been submitted up the auction can be thrown back in at
the digression of the team owner. If thrown back in you get the money and slot
back. You cannot protect another player in his place.
1.5.8. Players in the rookie system must released as
defined in section 1.5.1 or they cannot be released until the season starts.
This is to give owners the opportunity to review all available players in the
rookie draft.
Due at the auction:
$250 -For returning team owners
$ 30 - For the stat service. This is approximate and may vary from year to year
Note:
There are no fees other than the above, zip, zero, zilch, nada.
1.7.
Prize Pool:
1st - 45%, 2nd - 25%, 3rd - 15%, 4th - 10%, 5th - 5%
1.8.1. Should two or more VLFB teams be tied at the
end of the regular season then the first tie breaker is a head-to-head
comparison to see if one team finished higher than the other(s) in more
categories.
1.8.2.
Should
teams remain tied after the above then the second tie breaker is a comparison
of the involved teams, each in their best category and the winner is the team
that has the highest finish. If they remain tied then the comparison is made
with their next best categories and so on until a winner is determined.
1.8.3.
In
the unlikely event that teams are tied after 1.8.2 then those teams end the
season tied and will split any prize winnings. For the sake of the minor league
draft the involved teams will participate in a coin flip to determine who gets
the higher pick.
For
example, teams A & B are tied for third at the end of the season and the
head-to-head comparison in 1.8.1 results in a 5-5 tie. Under 1.8.2, team A’s
best category is HR’s where he was second and Team B’s best category was K’s
where he was third so team A would finish third and team B would finish fourth.
1.9.
Minimum Innings Pitched and At Bats
Minimum Innings Pitched: 900 - Needed to earn your ERA & Ratio points.
Otherwise you get moved to the bottom in each category (1 point for each)
Minimum At Bats: 4250 - Needed to
earn your Batting Average points. Otherwise you get moved to the bottom of BA
and get only 1 point.
Should
two or more teams not make the minimums then the team with the least innings or
at bats will move to the bottom, the next team with the least will be second
from the bottom and so on.
1.10.
Player Position Eligibility
1.10.1. At
the auction, a player is eligible to be drafted at any position at which he
appeared in 20 or more games the preceding year.
1.10.2. If he did not appear in 20 games at any one
position, he is only eligible at the position he appeared the most times. If
the most is tied by 2 or more positions then he is eligible at those positions.
1.10.3. Once
the season starts, a player qualifies for a position by playing it once.
1.10.4. Multiple
position eligibility is allowed.
1.10.5. When
a player is eligible and placed in a position at the auction but does not play
that position during the new season, that player can be placed back at that
same position when returning from the DL.
1.10.6. If
the player in 1.10.5 is moved to another position during the season then they
cannot return to their original position unless they play it that season.
For example: Garciaparra played SS last season and that is
his only eligible position. During the current season he has only played 1B. He
goes on the DL and the VLFB replaces him in his active roster. When Nomar comes
back he can be placed back at SS. As soon as the VLFB owner moves him to 1B
during the season then Nomar is no longer eligible at SS and can only be placed
at 1B.
2.1. Each
VLFB team has a farm system that can have a maximum of 4 players at any one
time.
2.2. If
a VLFB team has 4 farm system players at the draft then the owner must either
forfeit his selection or release a current farm system player to open up a spot
upon submitting his 15 man protected list.
2.3. Players
are selected in a 2 round draft format after the completion of the auction.
2.4. The
order of selection for each round is based on the previous years final
standings in the following order: 6th -12th then 5th
– 1st
2.5. In
order for a player to be eligible for the farm system the player must qualify
for rookie of the year as defined by MLB (130 or
less at bats and 50 innings pitched). The VLFB league ignores time
of service when classifying players as rookies.
2.6. Once
the farm system player has been called up by his MLB team, the VLFB owner has 2
weeks from the activation date to either place the player on your active roster
or your bench otherwise he will become part of the standard free agent pool.
2.7. Once
a player has been activated from his VLFB farm system to his parent team he cannot
be placed back into the farm system.
2.8. When
activating your farm system player, you may make a move on any player (active
or inactive) that the farm system player is eligible at.
2.9. If
a farm system player is called up September 1st or later then the
VLFB team owner does not have to activate him. The owner can
choose to keep the player in his farm system for the remainder of the year.
2.10. Farm
system players traded to the
3.1. A
maximum of 15 players may be kept from one season to another. There is no
minimum
3.2. The
salary of a player acquired in the auction is his auction price.
3.3. The
salary of a player acquired from the free agent pool is $10
3.3.1. If
the player acquired from the free agent pool was traded from the
3.4. The
salary of a farm system player that has been activated is $2 the activation
season, $6 the second season & $10 the third season.
3.5. If
you sign a farm system player to a long term contract in the spring of his
third season his base salary is $10.
3.6. If
a player with a salary of $12 or less is traded during the season then $4 will
be added to his existing contract. Note that a $1 player can have his
salary become $9 the following season if he is traded twice during the season.
Players with contracts of $13 or more never have their contracts changed.
3.7. Players
traded during the off season never have their salary changed regardless
of their current salary.
4.1. This
only comes into play in the spring of a player’s third year of eligibility as
the third year is technically player’s option year.
4.2. The
formula for a long term contract is: (Length of new contract * $4) + original
salary
4.3. The
number of years a player is signed for is up to the owner. The minimum is 2
years however as you would not sign a player to a one year contract, you would
just let him play out his option year.
4.4. You
cannot release\waive a player signed to a long term contract. You may buy out
his contract during the off season by forfeiting $4 from your $260
auction pool for each contract you wish to buy out regardless of the length or
value of the contract.
4.5. If
a player signed to a long term contract goes to the
4.6. A
player with a long term contract can be traded. The team that gets him must
honor the contract (or pay the penalty in the off season). If a player has a
long term contract and is traded his salary does not change even if it is $12
or under.
4.7. When
a player completes his long term contract he must then be thrown back in, he
cannot be re-signed.
5.1. There
is no bench until after the completion of the auction.
5.2. Each
VLFB team has a two player bench.
5.3. Instead
on returning a player to the free agent pool you can place him on your bench.
5.4. If
a minor leaguer is called up and you do not want to activate him but you also
do not want to lose him you can place him on your bench.
5.5. To
activate a benched player you must have an open roster spot on your 23 man
roster. You then fill that open roster spot with your bench player instead of
from the free agent pool.
5.6. If
you have 2 players on your bench but would prefer a new player placed on the
bench over one of the existing bench players you can waive one of the bench
players to make room for this new player.
5.7. If
a benched player goes on the MLB DL, is sent to the minors, etc he can be
placed on the VLFB DL to make room on the bench for another player as long as
the VLFB team does not have an open bench spot. As such, the same rules apply
to these players as "normal" DL'd players
6.1. You
can only DL a bench player when he is DL'd, sent down, etc. by his MLB team.
6.2. After
6.1, you can only DL a bench player when you have both bench spots filled and
have a 3rd player you want to bench. If you have an open bench spot then you
cannot DL a bench player.
6.3. You
cannot pickup a player from the FA pool for a bench player.
6.4. When
the DL’d bench player is activated by his MLB team, the VLFB owner must either
put him on his bench or waive him.
6.5. If
your bench is already filled with two players and you want to keep the
returning player then one of the two 'active' bench players must be waived.
6.6. Roster
decisions must be reported within 1 week of the DL'd bench player being
activated by his MLB team or he will be automatically waived.
6.7. Under
no circumstances can a bench player that becomes active by his MLB team be
placed in the VLFB active roster except through a normal roster or free move.
Technically the MLB DL’d player never leaves the VLFB bench.
7.1. There
is unrestricted trading until noon of the second Tuesday in August. There is no
trading after this deadline.
7.2. After
every trade, both teams must have eligible players at all 23 positions. You
cannot leave a position “empty”.
7.3. See
3.6 & 3.7
8. Players
Switching Leagues to the
8.1. If
a VLFB player winds up in the American League during the season for any reason
the VLFB owner has the option of keeping him and continuing to accumulate his
stats or releasing him. The VLFB owner has one week from the date the player is
traded to make this decision.
8.2. If
the player is released he is no longer available in our free agent pool and
cannot be picked up unless the player comes back to the National League.
8.3. If
a VLFB player is traded during spring training but after our protected rosters
have been submitted the VLFB owner either gets back the open slot for the
auction, including the contract amount of that player, or he can keep the
player for that season. If the player is kept, he must be thrown back in the
following season if he is still in the
8.4. This
does not apply to players in the farm system.
9.1. If
a MLB player is put on the disabled list, sent to the minors, traded to the
American League or released he may be replaced from the pool of un-owned
National League players (called the free agent pool).
9.2. Replacement
must be adhered to with respect to position eligibility.
9.3. Players
can be moved from other active positions on your roster as long as eligibility
is met.
9.4. The
original player must either be placed on the DL, released or benched.
9.5. When
the DL’d player is activated by his MLB team you have 2 weeks from the players
activation date to activate\bench\waive\trade him.
9.6. Any
player out for the year but not removed from his MLB team active roster cannot
be DL’d or reserved by his VLFB team. (This means you are stuck with him unless
you use your free move)
9.7. The
first roster moves will be on the second Tuesday after the start of the season.
9.8. The
order of moves is based on the stats that come out each Tuesday that the moves
are due.
9.9. All
free agent pick-ups will be on a round by round basis where last place gets only
his first pick-up, then 11th place gets his first pick-up and so on
until 1st place gets his first pick-up. Then the process starts over
again from the bottom until all moves have been completed.
10.1.
Players serving suspensions by MLB (not
the player’s team) for less than 10 days for any reason cannot be replaced.
10.2.
Players serving suspensions by MLB for 10
games or more can be replaced the same as any DL’d player.
10.3.
The suspended player is not eligible to
be DL’d within the VLFB until the Tuesday after player begins serving the
suspension unless they start serving the suspension on a Tuesday.
10.4.
If a player is suspended for 10 or more
games, appeals the suspension and has the number of games suspended reduced to
less than 10 then the VLFB owner cannot DL the player.
10.5.
Once the suspension has been served the
VLFB owner may activate the player as he would any DL’d player.
11.1. Any
player on the VLFB bench or DL that gets thrown back into the free agent pool, and
is not on the MLB DL, sent down, etc., will be waived as opposed to released.
11.2. Teams
can claim a player off waivers and place that player in any position he is
eligible for even if the existing player whose position you are putting him in
is still on a MLB active roster.
11.3. A
claimed player must go into your active roster. He cannot be placed on your
bench or your DL.
11.4. If
you release the active player from your team to make room for the claimed
waived player then that player is in turn waived as well.
11.5. Any
waived player can only be claimed off waivers the week following his waiver. If
the player is not claimed of waivers then he becomes a regular free agent.
11.6. A
player can be picked up as a free agent as opposed to waivers the week after he
is waived assuming no team claims the player off waivers. If a team higher in
the standings claims a player off waivers he goes to that team even if a team
lower in the standings wants to pick the player up as a free agent.
11.7. A
player claimed off waivers maintains his current contract and salary.
12.1.
Once per season each team can make a
transaction on an active player that has not been placed on the DL, sent down,
etc. by his MLB team. This is a way to get rid of a piece of dead weight that
you would not
normally be able to get rid of.
13.
Flexible Roster
Positioning
13.1.
The
Utility player must be a position player for purposes of the auction.
13.2.
Once
the season begins the VLFB owner can DL a position player in the Utility
position and pick up another pitcher.
13.3.
Once
a team has the Utility slot filled by a pitcher the only way to get back that
position player spot is to DL, bench, etc a pitcher and then pick up a hitter
and place him at Utility.
14.1.
Starting
the first Tuesday in September, VLFB rosters can expand to 24 players. This
player can be added during any roster move period in September, it is not
limited to just the first Tuesday in September.
14.2.
This
player can be either a hitter or a pitcher regardless of the status of the
Utility player.
14.3.
Once
the 24th player is added all normal roster moves on the 24th player
can occur in the same manner as the Utility player.