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LEAGUE
RULES
General
Overview
- The
United League is an online baseball simulation
league using Out
of the Park Baseball 5. Owning the game is
not required, but is recommended in order to have
maximum control of your team.
- The
United League is an ‘alternative history’ league,
the premise of which is that the major leagues went
bankrupt in 1950 and a new league emerged to take
their place. See
league background.
- The
first season was 1951, which was preceded by
an initial draft of all eligible major league
players who were active in 1951.
- The
United League began as an eight-team circuit,
with expansion expected in later years.
- Coaches
and scouts are off.
- The
designated hitter rule will not be used.
- The
league will use the ‘Reduced’ ratings system.
- Finances
will be on, but player salaries will be determined
by a league salary scale.
- There
is no salary cap; there may be one eventually.
- The
reserve clause was alive and well throughout the
1950s, so there will no free agency.
However, at the end of each season, a team
may only renew half of its expiring contracts.
Players whose contracts lapse will be entered into
the Reentry Draft pool.
- The
league will conduct two drafts each year: a Reentry
Draft of players who were not renewed, and a Rookie
Draft of eligible historical rookies for that season
- To
simulate the effect of the Korean War on major
league baseball, a small number of players did military service and miss one or two seasons.
Duties
of the Commissioner
- The
Commissioner is responsible for:
- Simulating
games, maintaining rosters, completing
transactions, and updating the league website
- Keeping
all owners informed of general league news
- Clarifying
and enforcing league rules
- Ensuring
all trades are in the interest of league fairness
- Acting
as final arbiter in all disputes and rule
interpretations
Owner
Responsibilities
- Each
owner is responsible for the management of his team
- No
owner may own more than one team at a time
- Owners should regularly visit the UL website for
league information
- Owners
must submit lineups and rosters in a
timely manner via FTP or email
- Owners
who miss several sims with no prior notification
will be considered inactive and may be replaced.
League
Management
- The
league will generally simulate a half a month at a
time, to the 1st and 16th of
each month, with the exception of the first two and
last two sims of the season, which will be one-week
sims.
- Any
postseason games will be simmed one game at a time.
- Owners
are encouraged to suggest new rules or rule changes
at any time. Any major changes will be subject to the approval of the
majority of owners.
The
Season
- Each
team will play 154 games. The schedule will be
created by the OOTP schedule generator, and then
manually edited to ensure a roughly balanced
schedule.
- There
will be a three-day midsummer break around early
July.
- There
will be no playoffs. With only eight teams playing
each other 20-22 times each, the team with the best
record after 154 games will be the league champion.
- In
lieu of a postseason series, the regular season's
final week will pit the top teams against each
other, giving contending teams a chance to overtake
the first place team in head-to-head competition.
The final six games will somewhat resemble a playoff
series (6 games, 3 at each team), only it is part of
the regular season and it's importance is determined
by the margin between the teams coming into the last
week.
- Here's
how the 'quasi-playoff' will work...
- If,
after 148 games, the third place team is more than
six games behind, then the second place team will
play its final six games vs. the first place team
(1@2, then 2@1). The 2nd place team gets the home
series first, to increase the chance of closing the
gap and making the final three-game series be for
the pennant. If the pennant is already decided, it
gives the 2nd place team the chance to close the
margin and play for pride.
[other six teams' final week games (three-game
series): 3@4, 5@7,
8@6, then 4@3,
6@5, 7@8]
- If
the third place team is six or less games of first
place after 148 games, it (and 4th place) will get
thrown into the mix as well, according to the
following schedule:
Games 1-2: 2@4, 1@3
Games 3-4: 3@2, 4@1
Games 5: 1@2, 4@3
Game 6: 2@1, 3@4
[other four teams' final week games (three-game
series): 5@7, 8@6,
then 6@5, 7@8]
- The
lower division teams will be paired up by place in
the standings as well (so 8th place has a chance to
overtake 7th, for example). I think this
system allows us to play a traditional 154-game
regular season, but with an added twist that the top
two teams are guaranteed to meet in the final week.
Team
Management
- Active
Roster is limited to 25 players, expanding to 40 in
September, and returning to 25 in the postseason.
Each owner must be able to field a 9 man team at all
times.
- The
Disabled List may be used for any injured players.
Any player placed on the disabled list must remain
on the DL for a minimum of 15 days (hence 15 and 16
day sims to better accommodate moves to and from the
DL).
- Lineups
for left-handed and right-handed pitching shall be
completed by the owner before each sim. The
two DH lineups do not need to be complete since the
DH rule is not in effect.
- Depth
charts shall be completed for each team, to instruct
the game how to handle substitutions during the
course of the sims.
- Teams
with inactive owners may fall temporarily into
Computer Control. Human-controlled teams may not approach Computer-run
teams with trade offers, but may respond to offers
initiated by Computer-run teams. If a team is
Computer-run during the Reentry Draft, the
Commissioner will handle that teams Reentry picks.
During the Amateur Draft, the Computer will
make selections for the vacant team.
Players
- Eligible
players for the Initial Draft are all major league players who
were active in 1951 and had 1,000+ at-bats or 300+
innings pitched in their career.
- Players
are rated for each position at which they played at
least 10% of their career games. Outfielders
are interchangeable, but all other players may not
play in ahistorical positions, except in extreme
circumstances, such as injuries to all players at a
position.
- Initial
Draft: Players drafted in Rounds 1-25 must be
assigned 1 to 5 year contracts, after the draft is
completed. There
must be five 5-years, five 4-years, etc. Players
drafted in Rounds 1-8 must have at least 3-year
contracts. Players drafted after Round 25 will
automatically be assigned Minor League contracts.
- Each
team may designate one player its 'franchise'
player. This player may be signed up to 7 years per
contract, and will remain 'franchised' for the life
of the contract. Each team may have only one
franchise player at a time. Thus franchise
players may not be traded, unless he is
traded: a) for another franchise player, or b) to a
team with no franchise player. (Thus the cost
of locking up a player for 7 years instead of 5 is
less roster flexibility. The benefits are protecting
your best player and long-term salary savings.)
- Each
off-season there will be a Reentry Draft of players
whose contracts were not renewed by their clubs, and
an Amateur Draft of all eligible rookies who
debuted that year.
- The
draft
order for the Rookie Draft will be in reverse order of
finish. The draft order for the Reentry Draft
will be determine by a full-league draft lottery
(40-24-15-9-6-3-2-1).
- Military
Service: from 1951-1953, many major league players served in the armed forces in the Korean conflict.
Based on an analysis of actual historical
military service by big-leaguers, the following
system will be used.
The same players who historically did military
service in 1951 will also miss the UL's inaugural
season. These 19 affected players will enter
the United League via the Reentry Draft of the
season they historically returned to baseball (1952
or 1953). In 1952 and 1953, players will be chosen randomly by dice
rolls, and at the end of each season, dice rolls
will determine whether players will reinlist, return
to the United League, or end their baseball careers.
- 1951:
19 historical players conscripted prior to Initial Draft,
10 will return to baseball in 1952, the rest in
1953, 3% chance
of career-ending injury, 1% chance of killed in
action
- 1952:
25 new draftees (in addition to 9 reinlistees from
1951), 25% chance of reinlisting for second year,
3% chance of career-ending injury, 1% chance of
killed in action
- 1953:
17 new draftees (in addition to reinlistees from
1952), 0% chance of reinlisting for second year,
3% chance of career-ending injury, 1% chance of
killed in action
- Players
who serve two years are automatically discharged.
Players returning from military service will
report back to their team if they are still under
contract, or will enter in the Reentry Draft
if they are out of contract.
- The
19 players who are doing military service in 1951
and thus not listed in the Initial Draft player
pool are: Johnny Antonelli, Del Crandall, Whitey
Ford, Johnny Hetki, Art Houtteman, Ernie Johnson,
Dick Kokos, Jim Lemon, Johnny Lindell, Billy Loes,
Marty Marion, Bobby Morgan, Ron Northey, Danny
O'Connell, Jim Piersall, Steve Ridzik, Carl
Sawatski, Curt Simmons, and Preston Ward.
Player
Salaries
- In the wake of the bankruptcy of the
AL and NL in 1950, the UL founders adopted a league salary
structure to encourage parity and to keep payrolls
in check.
- Initial
salaries will be determined by draft round in the
Initial Draft. Salaries range from $7.5 million per year for first round picks
to $300k for 25th round picks. Players
selected after the 25th round will
automatically be assigned Minor League contracts.
Each team’s payroll will start at around $50 million.
- Pennant
Bonuses: the 12 “core” players on a
championship
team will earn a salary increase of $100k. These players shall be the
eight
batters with
the most plate appearances, and the four pitchers
with the most innings pitched. This rule has two objectives: to financially
reward the league’s top individual performers and to
encourage parity by automatically raising a pennant-winner’s payroll
burden by $1 million.
- Awards
Bonuses: each season’s MVP and Cy Young Award
winner shall earn a $50k salary increase.
The 12 players on the All-League Team (8
players, 4 pitchers) shall
each earn a $100k salary increase. The means of
selecting the All-League Team will be determined.
All Gold Glove winners will earn $50k salary
increases.
- All
salary bonuses are cumulative. For instance, in
1951, St. Louis Maroons' first baseman Stan Musial
won a pennant, All-Star, and Gold Glove bonuses. His
salary increased $250k from $7.50m to $7.75m.
- The
maximum amount of cash on hand a team can accumulate
is $25,000,000
Salaries
& Contracts Chart
|
Initial
Draft
Round |
Starting
Salary ('000) |
Minimum
Contract |
|
Amateur
Draft Round |
Starting
Salary ('000) |
Minimum
Contract |
|
1 |
7,500 |
3
years |
|
1 |
500 |
3
years |
|
2 |
6,000 |
3
years |
|
2 |
300 |
3
years |
|
3 |
5,000 |
3
years |
|
3 |
minor |
|
|
4 |
4,000 |
3
years |
|
4 |
minor |
|
|
5 |
3,500 |
3
years |
|
5 |
minor |
|
|
6 |
3,000 |
3
years |
|
|
|
|
|
7 |
2,500 |
3
years |
|
|
|
|
|
8 |
2,000 |
3
years |
|
Contract
Renewals |
|
9 |
1,750 |
|
|
Each
team may renew up to half of its expiring
contracts (rounding up). Each player's
contract may be extended up to five years. A
player whose contract is renewed will receive
an automatic salary increase, according to the
following chart.
Extension length -- raise
1 year = 20%
2 years = 40%
3 years = 60%
4 years = 80%
5 years = 100%
(Maximum salary increase
is $3 million per renewal)
(3-year minimum extension for players 30+
years old)
|
|
10 |
1,750 |
|
|
|
11 |
1,500 |
Performance
Bonuses* |
|
12 |
1,500 |
|
13 |
1,250 |
Pennant |
$100k
each |
|
14 |
1,250 |
(8
players, 4 pitchers) |
|
15 |
1,000 |
All-League |
$50k
each |
|
16 |
1,000 |
(8
players, 4 pitchers) |
|
17 |
750 |
MVP
Award |
$50k |
|
18 |
750 |
Cy
Young |
$50k |
|
19 |
750 |
*automatic
salary increases for individual awards |
|
20 |
500 |
|
21 |
500 |
|
22 |
500 |
|
23 |
300 |
|
|
Reentry
Draft |
|
24 |
300 |
|
|
1st
Round=30% raise
2nd Round=20% raise
3rd Round=10% raise
4th round=no raise
5th round= 10% cut
6th round=20% cut
7th round=30% cut
(contracts=2-5 years) |
|
25 |
300 |
|
|
|
26-48 |
Minor |
|
|
|
|
49,150 |
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Renewing
Contracts
- The
United League will operate under a modified version
of the reserve clause that allows for more player
movement. In lieu of full-blown free agency –
which in 1951 was still a generation away – some
players will be allowed to leave their clubs and
try their luck with other teams.
- After
each season, each club may renew the contracts of
one-half of its players (rounding up).
Clubs are not compelled to renew any
contracts, and may let them all expire if they wish.
- Contracts
may be renewed between 1 and 5 years, but for each
year of contract extension, the player’s salary shall
increase 20%. (1
year=20%, 2 yrs=40%, 3 yrs=60%, 4 yrs=80%, 5
yrs=100%) (Example: a player with a $1 million
salary is renewed for three seasons. His new
salary would be $1.6 million for three seasons)
- Only
players in the final year of their contract will be
eligible for an extension
- Veterans
age 30+ by October 1 must be renewed
for a minimum of three years
- Rather
than becoming free agents, all players whose
contracts are not renewed will go into the Reentry
Draft pool
Trading
- Trade
deadline is July 31.
- Players,
draft picks, and cash are the only tradable
commodities.
- All
trades must include the exchange of at least one
player from each team.
- Teams
must honor the remaining term of a player’s
contract, including both salary and remaining years.
- To
complete a trade both parties must send a
confirmation email to the commissioner.
- All
trades will be processed as soon as possible.
- The
Commissioner reserves the right to disallow any trade
deemed grossly unbalanced.
Reentry
Draft
- Draft
order is determined by reverse order of finish.
- Draft
order will be Straight, 1-8, 1-8, etc.
- The
draft will run for seven rounds. Teams may pass any
round and return in later rounds.
- Players
may be signed for 1-3 years, and will
receive 30%, 20%, and 10% raises for rounds 1-3, no
raise for round 4, and 10%, 20%, and 30% salary
decreases for rounds 5-7.
- Maximum
salary increase is $3 million. League minimum
salary is $300k.
- Players
who are 30 years old by Oct. 1 of that year must be
signed to three-year contracts.
- There
is no restriction barring teams from redrafting
players whose contracts they didn’t renew.
Amateur
Draft
- All
eight picks will be determined by the draft lottery
(40-24-15-9-6-3-2-1).
- Draft
order will be Straight, 1-8, 1-8, etc.
- The
draft will continue until all rookies are selected.
Teams may not pass a round, by may opt for
Auto-picks at any time in the draft, and the
computer will make that team's draft selections.
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