WHRBL Rule Book
Last Updated: January,
2008
Section 1:
Object
Article 1: To draft a team composed of players
from the active rosters of Major League Baseball’s National League to compete
with other teams through defined statistical categories.
Section 2: Teams
Article 1: Teams are made up of National League
Baseball players who are acquired via auction. Each team will have no more than
23 men on their active roster and no more than four on their reserve roster. An
active roster shall consist of five outfielders, two catchers, one second
baseman, one shortstop, one middle infielder (either
2B or SS), one first baseman, one third baseman, one corner-man (either 1B or
3B) one utility man, and nine pitchers. There are no position requirements for
the reserve roster.
Section 3: Auction
Article 1: A National League player auction is
conducted for the league prior to Opening Day of the baseball season unless
otherwise agreed to by the teams. Each team must acquire 23 players (14 hitters
and 9 pitchers) for its active roster at a total cost not to exceed $26.00.
Teams need not spend the maximum. The order of the previous season's finish
determines the order in which teams may nominate players for bidding. (i.e. first place team nominates the first player for bidding, second place the
next player, and so on.) Unprotected Players who commence the season under the
roster control of any National League team at any level are eligible to be
nominated. The team bidding first can open with a minimum bid of 10 cents for
any eligible player. The bidding then continues among the owners at minimum
increments of 10 cents. The highest bidder acquires the player for that amount
and announces the roster position the player will fill. The process is
repeated, with successive league members nominating players to be bid on, until
every team has a squad of 23 players, by requisite position. In cases
where an owner has topper rights over a nominated player, the owner must state
his rights immediately after the player is nominated. This owner
has the option to top the final bid by 10 cents and reacquire the player.
(Note: see Topper Rights Section for additional information and rules
pertaining to topper rights). No team may bid for a player who qualifies
only at a position that the team has already filled. Players eligible for
more than one position may be shifted to another position he is eligible for at
any time and multiple times during the draft. No team may make a bid for any
player it cannot afford.
Section 4: Reserve Draft
Article 1: A no-cost reserve draft takes place
immediately following the auction. The drafting starts with the previous year’s
last place team picking a player from the left over talent. The selection
process continues with the second last team picking next etc. until each team
has a total or four reserves. There are no positional requirements
pertaining to the reserve roster.
Section 5: Position Eligibility
Article 1: A player is eligible to be drafted
for any position at which he appeared in 20 or more games the preceding year.
If he did not appear in 20 games at any one position, he is eligible for the
position he appeared most times. A player
who appeared at two positions an equal number of times, but at each less than
twenty games, is eligible to play at either position. Once the season begins, a
player qualifies for eligibility at another position by playing there once. If
a player played in 20+ games at a position the preceding year but does not play
in that position the current year, he is eligible to stay there based on the
above qualifications however there is a stipulation on that eligibility. Once
the player is moved to another position he is eligible for, he may not be moved
back to his original position until he plays there at least once.
Article 2: A rookie with no Major League
experience will be eligible for assignment to the position at which he is
expected to play during the upcoming season. The guiding philosophy shall be to
examine the positions played in spring training, their planned usage in the
majors and the position they played the previous season in the minors to
determine their position eligibility.
Article 3: If a minor league player with no
games played during the current season at the major league level is added to a
National League team’s major league roster, his position eligibility shall be
set by the commissioner based on the position(s) he played in the minors and /
or his planned usage in the majors. A
common sense approach shall be used. For
example, if a MLB team announces or is quoted that a player is being called up
to play catcher but played 1B in the minors, we shall
allow this player to appear at either C or 1B.
Article 4:The guiding philosophy to determine
position eligibility for incoming foreign players shall be to examine the
positions played in spring training and / or their planned usage in the Majors.
Article 5: Final
Position Eligibility determination:
Any player whose position eligibility is in question shall have his position
determined by the commissioner.
Section 6: Roster Protection
Article 1: Prior to a new season’s auction,
teams may protect up to 14 of its players from its active and reserve rosters
for the next season’s auction.
There are no minimum requirements. The names of the protected players must be
recorded with the league prior to the auction. The cumulative salaries of
players protected are deducted from each team’s $26.00 budget for the auction.
A list of all unprotected players will be issued prior to the auction. Only under the following scenarios can an owner delete
a player from one of the 14 protected:
The player is
on the disabled list as of the Auction / Draft Day, released by his MLB team
and not claimed by draft day or retires/Career ending injury. In all
cases, the owner must provide documentations with the league indicating one of
the above.
Section
7: Player Salaries, Contracts and Topper Rights
Article
1 - Salaries: The
salary of a player is determined by the time and means of his acquisition. This
does not change unless the player becomes a free agent or is signed to a
long-term contract. The salary of a player acquired in the auction is his
auction price. The salary of a player signed as a free agent is $1.00. The
salary of a players picked in the reserve draft are set as follows: 1st
pick = 40 cents, 2nd pick = 30 cents, 3rd pick = 20
cents, 4th pick = 10 cents.
Article
2 - Injury Rule: In
all cases, a players salary follows him throughout the season even of the
player is released.
Article
3 - Contracts: All
player contracts shall last 1 year with an option year. The contract is 100% transferable
regardless of whether he was traded, signed, purchased, or drafted. At the
beginning of the second year the owner executes the players option year by
protecting the player prior to the auction. The player’s salary for an option
year remains his original auction price.
Article
4 - Third Year Players:
After two seasons of a player being owned by any WHRBL team without having been
released to the free agent pool, the player must be signed to a long-term
contract or released. In some cases, these players may be eligible for
topper rights.
Article
5 - Topper Rights:
After the option year of a player’s contract, the owner has exclusive topper
rights over all other owners in the third year’s auction draft. For example, say Team A drafted and retained a player for
two seasons and releases him into the free agent pool prior to the
auction/draft as required for the third season. Upon first mention of the
player in the draft, Team A must give notice of its topper rights upon the
first bid for the player. If Team B bids 30 cents for the player and the
bidding is closed, Team A has the right to top the bid by 10 cents to 40 cents
and the player is again owned by Team A. No more bids would be accepted for the
player. At this point the player starts a new 1 year contract with an option
year available. Topper rights do not apply to players picked up as
free agents. This rule only applies to players acquired via the auction
or reserve draft and have never been released by any team.
Article
6 - Long Term Contracts:
After an option year, a player may be signed to a long term contract. The
player’s salary becomes his current salary plus 50 cents for each year the
contract lasts. For example, say Team A owns a player at 30 cents and wishes to
keep the player longer than two years. Team A could sign him to a four year
contract and the player’s new yearly salary would be $2.30 (50 cents x 4 + his
original salary of 30 cents) but the player would loose his Topper Rights. If
the player is traded to the American League then the rules for inter league
trading apply. If the player leaves the MLB for other reasons, the contract is
null and void. A team may sign a player to only one long contract after which he
becomes a free agent.
Article
7 - The Ron Gant Broken Leg Rule:
In spring of 1994, Ron Gant suffered a broken leg. Jay Bell owned Gant and had
signed him to a long term contract the season before. There was some question
as to whether Gant would be able to return if at all. The league allowed Jay
the following option: Either Keep Gant on his roster and hope for a return to
the National League or release Gant, pay Gant’s salary each year he had him
signed for, and not have Gant’s salary deducted from Jay’s $26.00 budget. This
precedent shall be used in the future regarding serious injury situations.
Article
8 - 30 / 50 / 80 Rule:
Prior to submitting their protected roster to the league for the league
auction, owners may change the salary of three players signed as free agents
during the previous season. One player shall be made 30 cents, one 50
cents and one 80 cents. Players originally signed as free agents by team
A and then acquired via trade by team B are eligible for this option. These
players are not eligible for topper
rights. Notice of this change shall be given to the league with the
protected roster for the auction / draft.
Section 8: Free Agent Acquisition
Budget (FAAB)
Article 1 - During the season:
Any player entering the National league based on the following
circumstances shall be subject to a league wide
bidding process:
- Signed as a free agent by a national
league team anytime after the WHRBL Draft unless player was in the national
league in current season already.
- Is traded from the American League to
a national league team
- Is traded or purchased from any
foreign or any non MLB league to a national league team
Article 2 – FAAB: Each owner shall have a FAAB of
$5.00. When the league announces a player is available for bidding, each
owner shall notify the league of their interest within 48 hours of the league’s
announcement. Announcements shall be made via e-mail and must come from a
league officer for timing purposes. After the 48 waiting period, a silent
single bid auction will be conducted by a league officer via e-mail. In
cases where all league officers are bidding, a disinterested owner shall
receive the bids and report the results to the commissioner. In the case
where all owners are involved, an outside person shall accept the bids and
report the results to the commissioner. Bidding shall be submitted in 10
cent increments and the final bid shall establish the player in question’s
salary with a contract the same as if the player was just drafted in the annual
auction. This player’s stats shall begin counting on the day they are
acquired by the WHRBL team. No retroactive stats will count. This
player shall NOT be eligible for topper rights. In cases where equal bids
are submitted by two or more owners, the lower owner in the standings shall win
the auction. The standings posted the morning of the day the bids are received
shall be used to break ties. In the event of a tie in the standings, the
league tie breaking rules will be used to break the tie and award the player to
the winning owner. Players not receiving any interest for bidding will
become a free agent after the 48-hour waiting period expires. In cases
where an owner unknowingly or knowingly signs one of these players before or
during the league’s bidding process, the transaction will be reversed by the
league and any stats earned shall not count.
NOTE: In the event the
league does not announce a player, he shall become a free agent 72 hours after
his arrival to the NL based on the MLB.com transaction report with the 72 hour waiting period
beginning at 12:00am of that day. If any owner wishes to bid on a player
and no announcement has been made yet, the owner should notify the league and
the league shall make a league wide announcement as soon as possible and begin
the process.
Section
9: Inter League Trade Rule
Article 1 -
During the Off-season: This
Rule allows for compensation if a player from a WHRBL team is traded to the
American League during the off season. Salaries in most cases will be
decided by the league using a
average of three magazines or websites chosen by the league officers. The
salaries shall be communicated to the owner as soon as possible.
Article 2 -
One For One Trade: The owner of the player traded away
has the option to pick up the player coming in to the league at the salary and
contract of the player traded away.
Article 3 -
One for One and Cash or Minor Leaguers: The owner of the player traded away has the option
to pick up the player coming in to the league at the contract of the player
traded away. The Salary shall be determined by the league
Article
4 - One For Two Trade: The owner of the player traded away
has the option to pick up one of the two players coming in to the league. If
the owner does not wish to pick up the incoming player, the player will become
a free agent.
Article
5 - Two For One Trade:
The Owner of the higher salaried player traded away has the option to pick up
the player coming in the league at a salary based on a player value schedule
determined by consulting three books or magazines from that season. The
contract shall remain the same as the player that went to the AL Under this
scenario, the higher salaried player’s owner forfeits his first round reserve
draft position in the following years reserve draft to the owner of the lower
salaried player and receives the lower salaried owner’s last position. In the
event that there is no difference in salaries of the player’s traded away, the
lower team in the standings has the rights as the higher salaried owner.
In the event the high salaried owner declines the player in question, he shall
NOT have any further rights and the lower salaried owner gets the option to
claim the player at book value salary, same contract status, no draft pick
options.
Article 6 - Salary Considerations:
For the purposes of this rule, players that have not had their salary
determined in league auction shall have a value of 50 cents rather than $1.00.
Article
7 - The Heathcliff Slocumb Rule: In prior off-season, Slocumb was traded along with a
minor leaguer to the Red Sox for Lee Tinsley, Ken Ryan, and a Minor Leaguer. In
this case the league allowed the owner of Slocumb (Bill Stock) to treat this trade as a one
for two trade and threw out
the minor leaguers. This precedent will be followed as long as there are no
additional owners involved in the trade.
Article
8 - More than 2 Owners Involved:
In all cases involving three or more owners, the National League players
in question shall be lost and all incoming American League Players will be available
in the upcoming draft.
Article
9 - During the Season: Owners
shall keep their player lost to the American League for the balance of the
season. If the player in question returns to the National League prior to
roster turn in day for the Auction/Draft, the player shall be treated as though
he never left the National League. This player may be traded within the
WHRBL but in all cases, all American League players
will be lost if they are still on an American League roster on the day rosters
are due for the coming year’s draft.
Section 10: Trading
Article 1: From the completion of the reserve
draft until 11:59pm of August 15th, teams are free to make trades of any
kind without limit so long as the active rosters of both teams involved reflect
the required position distribution upon completion of the transaction. Trading
is not allowed from 12:00am of August 16th thru the end of the Major
League Baseball Season. From the end of the season until roster freeze
day in March, teams are free to make trades without any limitations From the
March freeze day until draft day all roster moves are frozen.
Article 2: During the off-season
there are no roster size requirements.
Article 3: During the season, no
owner may control more than 27 players on their roster. Exception: In
cases of trades where an owner acquires more players than he trades, he must
immediately release enough players to get his roster to 27 for the league to
accept the trade as final.
Article 4 - Sign and
Trade:
Teams may not sign a player and then trade him without first releasing a player
in order to maintain the 27 player requirement.
Article 5 - Reserve Pick
Trades:
In all cases a team must receive a reserve pick back when trading one away.
Article 6 - Multi Team
Deals:
In cases of multiple team trades, all teams must make any adjusting moves (sign
or release) to get back to 27 immediately following a multi team trade.
These adjusting moves MUST be included in the trade announcement to the league
for the trade to be approved by the league. Each step of a multi team
deal must include a commodity (players or picks). For accounting
purposes, each step will also count as a roster move.
Article 7 - Position
Requirements: Teams must also make any adjusting moves to maintain
the leagues position requirements immediately following any trade. These
moves must also be submitted to the league with the trade announcement in order
for the trade to be approved by the league.
Article 8 - Trade Back: Any player traded during the regular
season may not be traded directly back to his original team until the following
season (after the Auction / Draft). Also, any player traded during the
off-season may not be traded back to his original team until the following
off-season. The restrictions in this paragraph are cancelled if the
player becomes a free agent.
Article 9 - What can be traded: The only commodities available to be traded
are players, future reserve picks and the cost of the trades itself. Teams may
not trade salary cap dollars. The cash sale of players is also not permitted.
This includes not only currency, but any services performed, anything of
material value, or any other non-league commodity that is received by a league
member in exchange for ownership rights to one or more players or draft
selections.
Article
10: All trades
are final as submitted to the League Office. All trades involving future
considerations or players to be named later are prohibited.
Article
11: All teams involved in a trade must
notify the League to finalize the deal. One participant in trade calling is not
enough, because by himself, he hasn't the right to complete the trade. Once
finalized, the deal or the trade will stand.
Article
12: Stats for players involved in trades
will begin counting based on the league’s roster move deadline rules.
Section 11:
Call-ups and Reserves
Article 1: A team may demote a player from the
Active Roster to the Reserve List, or promote a player in the opposite
direction at anytime. Such promotions will take effect for statistical purposes, however, at no time may
the Active Roster have more than 23 players. There is no minimum number of
players that must be on the Reserve List.
Article 2: Statistics compiled by
players during a period in which they are on the Reserve List do not count for
their Rotisserie League team.
Section 12: Free Agents
Article 1: Any players not on any Rotisserie
League teams active roster or
Reserve List become free agents. During the course of the season, the pool of
free agents may also include, but is not limited to, players traded from one
Major League to the other, and players under the roster control of any National
League team (minor leaguers). Free agents may be signed in order to replace a
player on an Active Roster or to replace a player on a Reserve Roster.
Section 13: Daily Roster Moves
Article 1: Roster moves may be made daily up
until 30 minutes before the start of that day’s first national league
game. This time should be posted daily
on the league’s stat service provider’s website. This is a hard deadline for all roster moves. In the event you are unable to make a roster
move online, you may e-mail or call your move to a league officer and, based on
the time stamp of that e-mail, your move shall be added ASAP. If you cannot a league officer, you may
communicate your move to any owner and then submit the move to the league as
soon as possible with corroboration of the other owner.
Article 2: ALL MOVES AFTER THE
DAILY DEADLINE SHALL NOT COUNT IN THAT DAY’S STATS.
Section 14: September 1 Roster Expansion
Article
1: If it chooses, a
team may expand its roster for the pennant drive by calling up from its
reserves up to four players. The total size of the team’s
roster may not exceed 27. (active
plus reserve)
Section 15: League Fees, Costs and Prize Money
Article
1 - Fees: The league
has a schedule of fees covering all player moves which is shall be published
prior to the start of each season. All fees are payable into the prize pool and
are subsequently distributed to the top teams in the final standings and
winners of various side games. This schedule will be added to this document as
an appendix.
Article
2 - Operation Fee:
Prior to the auction/draft there will be a league fee assessed each team. The
amount will be determined prior to the start of each season. The fee is there
offset the STAT man’s cost of keeping accurate stats such as subscriptions. The
Fee will also cover League Trophies awarded on draft day to the previous years pennant winner. Any excess money from the fees will be
forwarded into the general fund for future prize distribution or expenses.
Article 3 - Prize Money: A Schedule
of prize money distribution should be agreed to prior to each season and added
to this document as an appendix.
Article 4 - No Announcement: In the event no discussion or changes
have been made relative to fees or prize money prior to the start of the
season, the most recent approved prize schedule shall be used.
Section 16: Statistics and Standings
Article
1: Performance
stats of a player shall be assigned to a Rotisserie League team's total only
while that player is on the 23-man Active Roster of that team, and while he is
on the Active Roster of a club in the National League. During any period on
which a player is on a team's Reserve List and not on the Active Roster, any
statistics he might compile do not count for his Rotisserie League Team.
Article 2: Pitchers offensive stats
are not counted, nor are the pitching stats of the occasional positional player
called in to pitch in an emergency. If a player is a regular pitcher as well as
a positional player (i.e. Babe Ruth while with the Red Sox, who would pitch one
game and then play the outfield or first base for the next three days), the
Rotisserie team must choose one or the other. If assigned to a pitching slot,
only pitching stats are counted. If assigned to a batting slot, only batting
stats are counted.
Article 3: Cumulative team performance is
tabulated in five both hitting and five
pitching categories. Teams are ranked from first to last in each of the
categories. For example, in a ten team league, the first place team receives 10
points for leading a specific category, the second 9, on down to 1 point for
tenth. Points are then added up per team and the team with the most points at
the end of the season wins the league championship.
Article 4: The following categories will be
used:
1. Composite
Batting Average
2.
Total Home Runs
3.
Total RBIs
4.
Total Stolen Bases
5.
Composite Run Production Average
6.
Total Wins
7.
Total Saves
8.
Total Strikeouts
9.
Composite ERA
10.
Composite Ratio
Article
5: The formulas for
RPA, BA, ERA, CL%, & Ratio are as follows:
RPA:
((Runs + RBIs)-HRs)/AB
AVG:
Hits/AB
ERA:
(ER*9)/IP
RATIO:
(Hits allowed + walks allowed)/IP
CL%
(ER/hits plus walks allowed)*100 (Used From 1991 Thru 1995)
Article
6 - Stat Minimums:
All teams must compile at least a minimum of 4250 at-bats and 1000 innings
pitched to be eligible for any prize money.
Article
7 - Tie Breaking: The
following steps shall be taken to break any tie in the standings for rule
purposes or to determine the final placement of each team.
1.
Compare each team(s) head to head in all categories.
2.
Compare each team(s) head to head in the cumulative categories only.
3.
Compare each team(s) head to head in the average categories only.
4.
Compare each team(s) total for the following formula: AB + (IPx3).
The team with the highest number wins.
5.
Coin Toss
Note: If two teams remain
tied after third or other clubs are eliminated during any step, tie breaker
reverts to step 1
This process will be used to
break all standings ties including if necessary to complete other rulings
Section 17: League Governance
Article 1: The league is governed by all team
owners which make up the Committee of the Whole. The Committee of the Whole
nominates and votes for league officials holding Executive Committee
positions.
Article 2 - Executive Committee: The Executive Committee is made up of
a League Commissioner, Secretary / Treasurer. The Executive Committee is
responsible for the normal operations of the League. All decisions, rulings,
and interpretations by the executive committee are subject to veto by the
committee of the whole. There are no term limits to the Executive
Committee positions however prior to any new season
any league member may request an election in order to run for either
position. Notice of such a request shall be made March 1st.
Article 3 - Duties of Commissioner: The league Commissioner is the
executive officer of the league having power to initially rule on
disagreements, establish and enforce league rules and policy, appoint league
officers as deemed necessary, audit statistical records, prepare all
information necessary for the draft, oversee the draft, prepare rosters for
records following the draft, award the League trophy. The Commissioner can be
vetoed by majority vote of the Committee of the Whole
Article 4 - Duties of the Secretary / Treasurer :
The duties of the Secretary / Treasurer is to keep accurate records of
each team’s stats and roster moves. In addition the Secretary /
Treasurer shall manage the leagues finances including collection of all fees
and paying all winnings.
Section
18: Collusion
Article
1: No person exercising any management
authority for one club WHRBL franchise shall be allowed to have such
authority or responsibility over any other franchise. No two or more franchises
are allowed by combined efforts of individual league members to control or to
attempt to control the outcome of standings, statistics, player transactions,
or any other league matters. The penalty for violation will be immediate
expulsion from the league of all offending parties with no refund of any fees.
Article
2: Collusive situations will not be
tolerated. The Commissioner or any three league members
who believe two or more owners are violating the leagues collusive
restrictions, as outlined in these paragraphs, may call for a vote to remove
the league members in question from the league.
Section 19: Ownership Changes
Article 1 - Ownership Expulsion:
The league may expel an owner for any reason provided a vote is taken
and a yea vote by 70% of all league members is cast. In this event, the expelled owner shall have only
his original up-front entry fee, if paid, refunded in full. An expelled owner shall have no claim to any
future or potential winnings.
Article 2 - Owner Retirement: Any
league member who wishes to retire from WHRBL participation, must return that
franchise back to the league. A league member may not sell his franchise, or
give his franchise to another person without 70% league approval. A current
league member may not exchange his current franchise for any vacated franchise.
Article 3: Once a franchise has been
returned to the league, the league may create a search committee to select a
new league member to manage the franchise, or the league will terminate the
franchise.
All
players belonging to a franchise whose managing league members leave the league
(voluntarily or otherwise) shall remain unavailable for the remainder of the
season, unless the league votes to transfer the management rights for the
dispossessed franchise to an outside person or a committee of league members.
This person will enter the league during the season and will assume management authority
over the franchise
Appendix
Effective 2008 Season
Appendix 1 –League Fee Schedule
The up-front entry fee for
participating in WHRBL is $135.00. A breakdown of this fee is as follows:
$30 – League fee
$15 – WHRBL Side Game Participation
$26 – Draft Day Salaries
$64 – Credit towards roster moves
Total: $135
$90 of this money will be deposited in
to the prize money pool.
The up-front entry fee money shall be
paid to the league on or before Draft day.
Appendix 2 - Roster Move Costs and
FAAB Money
In-Season Roster Move Schedule:
Trade:
In-Season: $1.00; Off-Season: Free
Roster Add: $0.50
Roster Cut; $0.50
Player Activation from Reserve: $0.50
Player demotion to Reserve roster:
$0.50
Comment: Changed to accommodate our
current stat service
This money shall be deposited into a
bonus prize money pool.
All FAAB money spent shall be
deposited into the bonus money prize pool.
Appendix 3 – Prize Money Schedule
The league shall pay prize money to
the top 6 finishing teams as follows:
1st - $400.00 + 50% of the
bonus prize money pool
2nd - $230.00 + 30% of the
bonus prize money pool
3rd - $150.00 + 20% of the
bonus prize money pool
4th - $125.00
5th - $100.00
6th - $75.00
Total: $1080.00 + bonus money.