Macomb Area Fantasy Baseball Keeper Organization League rules and policies

The policies here within are as decided on by votes of the attending league members at meetings held on October 4^th, 2003 and February 29^th, 2004.

Section 1: The initial draft

1.1       Each of the twelve teams will select 50 players.

1.2       A team will permanently retain the rights to every player that is selected that has played in at least one major league baseball game.  Teams will lose the right to players selected who have no major league experience if they have not played in a major league game by the date of the next draft (mid-season or pre-season).  In the case of the mid-season draft, a player must play a game by August 31^st for the owner to retain that player permanently.  If that player does not play by August 31^st, the owner can still use that player for the remainder of the season, but loses the rights to that player when the fantasy play-offs are over.

1.3       There are no player limits based on position in this draft.

1.4       The order of picks in this draft was determined randomly.

1.5       This draft will be done in the “snake” format where the player who selects 12^th will also select 13^th, and so on.

Section 2: League play

2.1       There will be no divisions in this league.

2.2       A head-to-head/rotisserie yahoo league will be formed each season.  This league will have the categories of HR’s, RBI, Runs, BA, SB, Batter K’s, Wins, Saves, ERA, WHIP, and pitcher K’s.  Each weekly head-to-head match-up will have 11 points that will be awarded. So, if Team A wins 6 catagories and Team B wins 5, it will not be simply a win for Team A, but rather 6 points for Team A and 5 points for Team B.

2.3       The positions each team will be able to start are C(1), 1B(1), 2B(1), 3B(1), SS(1), Utility Infield(1), OF(4), Utility Offense(1), SP(5), RP(3).

• Utility Offense is a new position. You may start any offense player in this spot, including a DH

2.4       There is no limit on the number of starts by a position player either in the regular season or the post-season.     

2.5       Each team will be allowed 140 pitching starts and 125 reliever starts for the regular season. For post-season pitching starts, see article 3.4

2.6*     The minimum innings per week that teams must have pitchers pitch for the pitching categories to count will be 23.

Section 3: The Play-offs

3.1       Yahoo’s playoff system calls for a 4-week   

3.2*     Yahoo’s playoff system calls for 6 of the 12 teams to make the play-offs and the play-offs to last 4 weeks with the first two rounds being one week and the championship lasting two weeks.  In our league, however, there will be four play-off teams, so the #5 and #6 seed will forfeit their first-round yahoo match-up against #3 and #4 to ensure that #3 and #4 advance to play #1 and #2. 

3.3       The playoffs will be the last 3 week of the MLB regular season.  The first round will be one week and the championship will be the final 2 weeks.  There will be no fantasy activity the 4^th week from the end of the season.

3.4*     In the playoffs, each team will be allowed 10 starting pitching starts in the first round and 20 in the second round.  Each team will be limited in reliever starts only by the rule that they must only start them in the 3 RP positions.

3.5       The only exception to rule 3.4 is that if someone who is relieving only counts as a starter; they may start that player in the SP spot, but must leave one RP spot vacant.

3.6       On 9/21/22 the following clarification was given by the Commish about rules 3.4 and 3.5: I want to clarify that no relief appearance from someone in a starting spot will count unless there is a RP (or P) spot left vacant to start them as a reliever.

• So, if have 3 relievers in, and Adam Wainwright in as a starter, and he comes in in the 15th inning, his stats will not count toward the play-off scores, no matter what his results.
• If a RP (or P) spot is left vacant, it will be assumed that the pitcher in the SP spot who has a recent history as a RP is the one you are reserving the spot for.
• If you are starting someone who serves as an opener and may pitch in relief other days, please only have that pitcher in your line-up in the SP spot on the day they are scheduled to open.

Section 4: Player additions, trades, and drafts

4.1*     Each March, on a date set by the commissioner, there will be a seven-round draft.

• Rule 1.2 applies to this draft.  Only players not in a league member’s organization may be drafted.  The eight teams that did not make the play-offs the previous season will be randomly assigned the first 8 draft positions.  The remaining four teams will be assigned spots 9-12 in order based on the playoff seeds. (The #1 seed gets the 12^th spot and so forth).  In this draft the person with the 12^th pick also gets the 13^th and it will proceed in that kind of “snake” order.

4.2       Each all-star break there will be a three-round draft.  This draft order will be the inverted order of the current standings, based on winning percentage.  In this draft the person who gets the first pick will also get the first pick of the second round.

• Rule 1.2 applies to this draft.  Only players not in a league member’s organization may be drafted.

4.3       Trades will be allowed any time during the year except between the trade deadline and the end of the MLB regular season.  The trade deadline each year will be on August 10^th.  No trades will be allowed in our league after Aug. 10^th until the end of the fantasy post-season.

4.4       The exception to rule 4.3 is that teams out of the play-offs when the regular season is over may trade with each other, but not with teams in the play-offs.   

4.5       Trades in which one team gets more players than the other are allowed even though the size of teams’ organizations will grow and shrink when this happens.

4.6       All trades will ultimately be subject to the power of the commissioner.  However, the commissioner will seek league counsel on all trade vetoing decisions and may call for a league vote when necessary.  Six votes and a commissioner approval to overturn a trade will automatically overturn it. The commissioner has the right to veto a trade if he thinks it is done in an unsportsmanlike manner. All deals in which both teams truly think their teams will be improved after the trade will be allowed unless the judgment of one of the parties involved in the trade is clearly flawed.  An understanding that some teams will be playing for the present and others will be building for the future will be considered.

4.7       There is no way for a player to be added to an organization outside of the draft and trades.

4.8       Once a player is drafted into a team’s organization, that team retains the rights to that player forever unless they trade those rights or that team loses the rights to that player through clause 1.2.

4.9       Winning Percentage (Wins/Wins + Loses) in our league will be the final    determination of record.  This will override Yahoo’s determination of standings in all cases (play-off position and draft order).

4.10     Exact mathematical ties in the standings will be broken, for all reasons, in the following ways:

1. Head-to-Head Record in all games in the current season.
2. Head-to-Head Record against the best team not involved in the tie.
3. Continue to the second best team not involved in the tie using the same principle as #2.
4. Use the principle on #2 and #3 to continue down the list of player in order of record.
5. Coin toss.

Section 5: Entry fees and prize money

5.1       The entry fee will remain $10.00 per year.

5.2       Each play-off team will receive $10, the team with the best regular season record will get $40, and the team that wins the World Series will receive $40.

Section 6: Tanking and Negligence

• If a fantasy player is determined to be intentionally trying to lose a game or games, “tanking” will be declared. If it appears that tanking is happening, the situation will be reviewed by the commissioner and presented to the league for a vote.  Six votes from league members are needed to “declare tanking.”  If a tanking is declared on a player, that player will automatically be moved to the #12 pick of the next draft (no matter if it is the mid-season or start of season draft).  That player may also be subject to expulsion from the league if the disorderly conduct is severe enough.
• It is understood that this league isn’t anyone’s most important priority in life, but it is a significant level of entertainment for us all.  People will leave on trips and difficult circumstances will prevent each of us from the perfect managing job.  With this being said, it will be understood when line-ups aren’t set right for a week here or there. The problems come, however, when line-ups are not set or changed intentionally to try to lose games or to let someone else win; that is when it becomes illegal.
• Because this is a head-to-head league, your place in the standings is never an excuse for tanking or negligence.
• Extreme negligence (not changing starters for several weeks at a time) is grounds for penalties of loss of draft-picks, dropping in the draft order, and/or expulsion from the league based on the discretion of the commissioner.

Section 7: Disbanding the League

7.1       If after any year seven or more of the twelve teams wish to disband the league and go back to the year-by-year draft format, the league will be disbanded.

Section 8: Pitching starts

8.1       Any start past the 140 and 125 limits will for no reason count in our league. (we’ll do our best to re-calculate anything like whip or era that gets screwed up by such an act.)

8.2       Anyone starting a 141th or more starting pitcher will lose the last pick they have in the next pre-season draft.

8.3       Anyone who goes over 125 reliever starts when they started the day with 125 already used will lose the last pick they have in the next pre-season draft.

8.4       If a player has less than 125 reliever starts at the start of a day, they will be allowed to start one more reliever than would make them hit the limit, without fear of penalty. (for instance, if a player has 124 starts, they can still start 2 relievers to try to make sure they use their last start).  This is because it is unclear when relievers will play, and players should be able to be allowed to make the most of their 125 without fear of penalty.

8.5       If a player has more relief pitchers pitch than the limit is allowed, but is within their rights as explained by rule #4, the following determination will show which start counts.  If we could demonstrate exact times that pitchers came in after the games, that would be our determinant, but, as we have no league official to determine such, the order of determining which start counts will go as follows.

1. The player that was in the game that started earlier
2. If started at same time, the player who entered the game in the earlier inning.
3. If started at same time, entered in same inning, the player that pitched less.
4. If started at same time, entered in same inning, pitched same amount, the player with the higher total of saves for the year coming into that game.
5. If started at same time, entered in same inning, pitched same amount, and have same amount of saves, a coin flip will determine who counts.

8.6       Any situation where a 140 or 125 limit was violated, an appeal may be made in writing to the Commissioner explaining why the violating player was not at fault in the violation, and should the appeal be upheld, no draft pick would be lost.  (A starting pitching unexpectedly pitching in relief would be an example of a clear situation where the player would not be at fault.)

Amendment 1

By a vote of 5-2, position #1 passed, meaning that Joaquin Benoit’s stats did count in the 2004 World Series, and future postseason starters who relieve will count as long as there is reasonable evidence that demonstrates their owner thought they would be used as a starter instead of out of the bullpen.

Amendment 2

The definition of a “tie in our league was changed.  There are two ways to explain the same concept:

• Any two teams who are the same number of games over or under .500 are considered tied.
• Ties are considered ½ win and ½ loss, so to figure a teams record, one can add ½ the teams ties to the wins side and ½ to the loss side and compare that record with others teams (after the same procedure was used on that team’s record).

The tiebreakers remain as stated in the original constitution.

Amendment 3

By a vote of 8-3, the proposal to shorten the preseason draft passed on August 20, 2008.

The annual preseason draft will now be 5 rounds and will still be a “snake” draft.

Amendment 4

By a vote of 6-5 on March 27, 2009, position #2 was passed we shall start to count week 23 of the season, with the match-ups that yahoo assigns.  The play-offs will remain 2 rounds (1 week of round 1, and 2 weeks of the world series).  The regular season pitching limits will be raised to 146 for SP and 131 for RP.

Amendment 5

On April 3^rd, 2017, an amendment to rule 2.6 was made.

Teams not reaching the minimum innings limit in a given week will be subject to the loss of available pitching starts for that season.  The loss of starts will be at most 6, and for each start, 6 or less, by a SP on that player’s team that week will eliminate one penalty start.  (For example if they started 3 SP’s in the week, they would lose 3 more starts). 

If the violating team is out of contention (definition of “out of contention” below) the starts will be lost in the following season, NOT that season.  Owners may appeal penalties administered due to rule 2.6 violations. They must write an official appeal to the commissioner explaining how their actions did NOT create a competitive imbalance in the league or how their failure to reach the minimum innings was a result of circumstances beyond your control. (Rainout, yahoo glitch, etc.) In this case, the burden of proof lies with the OFFENDER as they will assumed to be guilty unless PROVEN innocent. If it is a clear non-violation, the commissioner will pardon the offending player from the violation. If it is unclear, the commissioner will then distribute the appeal to the rest of the league and the 10 owners NOT involved in the game where the violation occurred will be allowed to vote, with the Commish breaking the potential 5-5 tie. If Stefan is involved, Derry will break the tie.  If Stefan and Derry are involved, Sulli will break the tie. The penalty will be rescinded if a majority of those 10 owners vote to do so.

The “Out of Contention clause” will be defined as following:

Weeks left     –  Games back of the #4 spot

        1                         11

        2                         15

        3                         19

        4                         23

        5                         27

        6                         31

OR if can be proven that a player was mathematically eliminated based on opponents/standings.