I. League Purpose
The league is a fantasy baseball dynasty league established to promote a competitive and enjoyable experience for its members. The league aims to foster sportsmanship, camaraderie, and long-term engagement through the continued management of a team.
The league seeks to combine elements of dynasty leagues (long-term ownership) with elements of best ball leagues (low in-season maintenance). The league does not seek to mimic a GM-like experience, and instead, only allows players to be acquired via drafts (i.e., no waivers or trades).
II. League Platform and Communication
The league will be hosted on Fantrax and all official league communication will take place through Discord (tentatively). Members are expected to maintain active communication and respond to league-related inquiries in a timely manner.
III. League Configuration
The league will consist of 30 teams.
IV. League Fees and Payouts
A. Entry Fee
The annual entry fee for the league will be $50 + Fantrax Premium League Fee (currently $4.33 per team). The entry fee is due by February 1st of each year. Owners who have not paid by the deadline will be subject to replacement unless the commissioner is notified prior to the deadline.
All money will paid into and held by FanTrax Treasurer.
B. Payouts
All money paid into the league will be distributed to participants or used to pay for Fantrax fees. Payouts will occur as follows:
| Prize Criteria | Amount (Year 1) | Amount (Year 2) | Amount (Year 3) | Amount (3-Year Cycle) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st (Single-Season) | $300 | $300 | $300 | |
| 2nd (Single-Season) | $225 | $225 | $225 | |
| 3rd (Single-Season) | $160 | $160 | $160 | |
| 4th (Single-Season) | $110 | $110 | $110 | |
| 5th (Single-Season) | $85 | $85 | $85 | |
| 6th (Single-Season) | $60 | $60 | $60 | |
| 1st place (3-year cycle) | $350 | |||
| 2nd place (3-year cycle) | $275 | |||
| 3rd place (3-year cycle) | $200 | |||
| 4th place (3-year cycle) | $165 | |||
| 5th place (3-year cycle) | $130 | |||
| 6th place (3-year cycle) | $110 | |||
| 7th place (3-year cycle) | $100 | |||
| 8th place (3-year cycle) | $90 | |||
| 9th place (3-year cycle) | $80 | |||
| 10th place (3-year cycle) | $70 | |||
| 11th place (3-year cycle) | $60 | |||
| 12th place (3-year cycle) | $50 |
No tiebreakers will be used. Payouts will be split among all tied teams (e.g. two teams tied for 3rd will share 3rd and 4th place payouts).
3-year cycle winners are determined by adding the total number of points accumulated by each team during the three years. First place is the team with the most points, second place is the team with the second-most points, and so on.
Any money that remains in the pool at the end of the three years will be distributed to the top three places for the 3-year cycle (1st=50%, 2nd=30%, 3rd=20%).
Note: the way payouts are constructed, there should not be any leftover money but just ensuring that all fees are distributed.
C. League Disbanding Policy
If the league disbands during a 3-year cycle, then all money currently held will be distributed to league members based on their contributions to the 3-year pot. In other words, teams receive one share for each of year of league fees paid into the pot. If 15 teams have paid two years and 15 teams have paid 1 year, then there would be 45 shares, and half of the teams would receive 2/45 of the pot while the others would receive 1/45 of the pot.
V. Rosters and Positions
The standard roster size will be 50 players. Teams can carry up to 60 players between the completion of the draft and the start of the major league season which would necessitate cutting up to 10 players (reducing from 60 to 50) to return to the standard 50-player roster.
The only exception to the above will be at the beginning of a new 3-year cycle which includes a player dispersal (described in a later section).
Active positions scored each week:
C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, OF (5), UT (3), P (9)
VI. Keepers
The league is structured in 3-year cycle. For the first three-year cycle, keepers follow this approach:
- Year 1 Season: Draft
- Year 2 Season: All players kept, pending reduction to 50 players following draft
- Year 3 Season: All players kept, pending reduction to 50 players following draft
All 3-year cycles following the initial cycle follow this approach:
- Year 1 Season: The top 120 players from the previous cycle are identified (using total points scored across the previous cycle). Each team is allowed to protect one player, and the remaining top 120 players are dropped. All other players on each roster are kept, pending reduction to 50 players following draft
- Year 2 Season: All players kept, pending reduction to 50 players following draft
- Year 3 Season: All players kept, pending reduction to 50 players following draft
VII. Scoring and Schedule
The leagues scores based on Fantrax’s current Best Ball scoring system:
Hitting
Hits: 1
Home Runs (HR): 3
Runs Batted In (RBI): 1
Runs Scored (R): 1
Stolen Bases (SB): 3
Walks (BB): 1
Pitching
Earned Runs Allowed (ER): -1.5
Innings Pitched (IP): 1.5
Quality Starts (QS): 3
Saves (SV): 6
Strikeouts Pitched (K): 1.5
Wins (W): 3
Hits Allowed + Walks Allowed (H+BB): -0.5
Scoring weeks will run Monday through Sunday. Exceptions may be made to accommodate opening week, All-Star Break, and any other scheduling oddities that may arise. These will be configured prior to the beginning of the season.
The league will depend on Fantrax to determine the optimal lineup for the week based on the positions designated for scoring.
VIII. Drafts
One draft occurs each year and begins on March 1st at 1pm Eastern. A slow draft will be used: each team has 3 hours per pick, and the clock stops between 11pm – 9am eastern. Teams who have concerns with the timing should contact the commissioner at least one week prior to the draft starting to determine best way to incorporate everyone’s requests.
All player’s available through Fantrax at the time of the draft’s start are available to be selected. Each owner is responsible for contacting Fantrax if a player you want to draft is missing, and you want to request Fantrax add the player.
Inaugural Draft
Kentucky Derby Style (KDS) will be used to determine the pick order. Teams will submit rank order of their preferred pick slot to the commissioner by 11:59pm Eastern on February 22nd. The commissioner will use random.org, Microsoft Excel’s random() function, or some other method to randomly determine KDS pick order.
Teams will make selections based on the set draft order following a snake format (e.g., the team with pick 30 will also have pick 31).
Annual Draft (post-inaugural draft)
Kentucky Derby Style (KDS) will be used to determine the pick order. KDS pick order will be reverse order of the previous year’s standings (30th place gets highest priority in KDS). Teams will submit rank order of their preferred pick slot to the commissioner by 11:59pm Eastern on February 22nd.
IX. Transactions
No transactions will occur in this league. The draft is the only method to acquire players.
X. League Calendar
January 15th: League Fees Due
February 22nd: KDS Pick Order Preference Deadline
March 1st – Three Days Before Opening Day: Draft
Day Before Opening Day: Reduce Roster Size to 50 players
Regular Season Conclusion: Proposed Rule Change Submissions
One Week After Regular Season (approx.): Payouts Distributed
November 1st (or before): Proposed Rule Changes Provided to League Members
December 15th: Rule Change Proposal Deadline
January 1st: Rule Changes Announced
XI. Commissioner Authority and Responsibilities
The commissioner has the final say on all rule interpretations.
The commissioner is responsible for ensuring league payments are received, and replacing any team that does not submit payment by the start of the draft.
XII. Amendments and Changes
No rules will be changed during the season without the approval of at least 25 teams. Even then, all efforts will be made to not make changes during the season and will be considered for emergency reasons only.
Otherwise, rules will be proposed by the end of the regular season, and then voted on for immediate adoption for the following season (25 out of 30 teams) or the season after (16 out of 30 teams).
Example: If a rule change is proposed on September 1, 2024, then the rule will be adopted for the 2025 season if at least 25 teams vote yes to the proposal, for the 2026 season if at least 16 teams vote yes, and tabled for at least one year if a majority do not approve.
The commissioner will accept suggested rule changes from all owners. However, the commissioner has no requirement to put any rule suggestion up for a vote. The commissioner will make every effort to be transparent on all decisions regarding rule proposals.