PROFESSIONAL
GAMERS’ LEAGUE – WINTER BASEBALL (PGL-WB)
RULES AND
REGULATIONS
Overview.
The PGL-WB is a Fall / Winter league
using Strat-O-Matic's (SOM) most recent version of the computer baseball game and
the most recent set of SOM player cards / ratings.
The league shall play a schedule
comprised of 162 games. The regular season schedule will run approximately from
October through March. Each manager will play his 81 road
games. Each season will use the most
recent set of SOM player cards / ratings.
For example, the PGL-WB season beginning in October 2019 will use the
SOM player cards / ratings from the 2018 Major League Baseball (MLB) season.
Section 1.
COMMISSIONER
A.
The Commissioner shall serve until he resigns or is voted out of office
by two-thirds of the PGL-WB Managers. Such a vote may be called at any time by
one-third of the Managers and must include a separate voting for a replacement.
The Commissioner shall have the authority to implement any changes in the
PGL-WB he deems necessary for the well being of the League.
B.
Responsibilities of the Commissioner
·
Appoint new Managers to open teams.
·
Maintain team rosters, accounting for drafts, roster cuts, and trades.
·
Compile league standings and statistics.
·
Maintain the PGL-WB Web Site, as the primary means of communication
·
Create schedules for all PGL-WB activities.
Section 2.
TEAMS AND MANAGERS
The League shall consist of 24 teams;
each owned by a separate manager, divided into two leagues of 12 teams each.
The Leagues will be named “Freedom” and “Independence.” There will be three divisions in each
league - Blue, Red and White, with each division having four teams.
Once every five years (in years ending
with a 0 or 5), managers may move their team to an open major league ballpark –
or to another division league within their current league or to the other
league if they can match up with another manager from the other division /
league who wants to switch divisions / leagues also. Such requests shall be submitted to the commissioner beginning on
May 1st of the applicable years, and shall be handled on a
"first-come, first-served” basis.
Managers may rename their teams when they join the PGL-WL or once every
five years (in years ending with a 0 or 5).
Team names proposed by managers are subject to approval by the
Commissioner.
Section 3. MANDATORY SOM GAME SETTINGS AND RULE SETTINGS
A.
Rules
|
Main Rules - Maximum
Level |
Weather Effects - Off |
B.
Lineups and Usage
|
Visiting Lineup – Draft
League Mode No Rest |
Home Lineup – Draft League
Mode No Rest |
C.
Autoplay / Box Score
|
Output-What - Boxscore,
PAC & Scoresheet |
Display Game Story on Box
Scores - On |
D.
Maximum Rule Settings
|
Improve Statistical
Accuracy - Off Starting Pitcher Clutch -
Off |
Robbing HR Rule - Off |
If SOM introduces new options / rules /
settings into the computer game for future seasons, the Commissioner will determine
if and how such features will be used in the PGL-WB.
Section 4. ROSTERS AND PLAYERS
A.
Player
Eligibility: Players eligible to play
in a PGL-WB season shall have received a printed SOM card from the applicable
MLB season. Players with a Computer-Only
card or no card are not eligible to play in that PGL-WB season, but may be
retained on a team’s roster and will be counted against that team’s roster
limit. For players that were issued two
or more printed cards by SOM, the card using the combined statistics for that
player in both leagues will be used during the season and in the post-season.
B.
Roster
Size: Prior to the annual draft, each
team must cut its roster to no more than 24 players. During the draft, each team will select players until its roster
totals 36 players. For the remainder of
the year, there will be no maximum or minimum roster size.
C.
Active
Roster: For the first six segments of
the regular season, active rosters shall not exceed 26 players. For the last two segments of the regular
season, there will be no limit the size of active rosters. Active rosters may change each segment
D.
Fielding
Positions: Players may only start games at position for which they received a
fielding rating for the applicable MLB season. Outfielders may play in
any outfield position with the standard “out of position” adjustments imposed
by SOM. Active rosters must include
sufficient players rated at each position such that after the first injury in a
game, that team’s lineup retains players rated at each position. Managers may not choose to play a player out
of position unless there is no rated player available. Position players may only be used as
pitchers when a team’s bullpen has been exhausted. Pitchers may only be used as pinch-hitters, pinch runners, or
defensive replacements when a team’s bench has been exhausted.
Section 5. PLAYING RULES
A.
Designated Hitter: Both the Freedom League and Independence
League will use Designated Hitters. The
Designated Hitter will be used in all playoff games.
B.
Starting Pitchers and
Relief Pitchers: Starting pitchers must
have at least four calendar days rest between starts. A pitcher may not be used in relief in any series in which he
starts a game, or in either the series before or after the series in which he starts
a game. Both teams shall be given five
days off before each series in order that bullpens are fully rested at the
start of each series.
C.
Computer Managers: Each manager will play their team’s ROAD
GAMES. Therefore, managers will prepare
computer managers for their home games in each segment and submit these to the
Commissioner by the date and time established in the Regular Season
schedule. Computer managers shall
contain the following information:
·
Active rosters (26
players for Segments 1 through 6; no limit for Segments 7 and 8)
·
Starting pitchers shall
be programmed into the computer manager (recommend that scheduled starting
pitchers be de-activated in the computer manager – the SOM game will
automatically activate and de-activate scheduled starting pitchers as needed)
·
Starting lineups (as
many as desired using SOM’s DLM tool)
·
All Super Hal features
programmed (substitutes, bullpen, pinch hitter, pinch runners, base running)
·
In Manager Preferences,
the settings “Deadball Style” and “Extra Conservative” may not be used for
Relief Pitcher Usage.
Section 6.
USAGE LIMITS AND PENALTIES FOR OVERUSE
A. Usage Limits: Players are limited to 105% of their actual
at-bats (hitters) and innings pitched (pitchers) from the applicable MLB
season. Player usage is cumulative for
the season, and all appearances for all teams count against his usage limit.
B. Penalties for
Overuse: At the end of the regular
season, the Commisisoner shall identify teams with players used in excess of
their usage limits. A team’s total
overuse, if any, shall be converted to “Overuse Points” using the following
formula: AB Overuse + (IP Overuse x 3)
= Overuse Points. Penalties, in the
form of draft picks for next draft being moved down, will be assessed according
to the following chart:
|
Overuse Points |
Draft Position Adjustment |
||||
|
1st
Round |
2nd
Round |
3rd
Round |
4th
Round |
5th
Round |
|
|
0 to 10 |
|
|
|
|
No
Penalty |
|
21 to 25 |
|
|
Down
1 |
Down
1 |
Down
1 |
|
31 |
Down
1 |
Down
1 |
Down
1 |
Down
1 |
Down
2 |
|
36 |
Down
2 |
Down
2 |
Down
2 |
Down
2 |
Down
3 |
|
41 |
Down
3 |
Down
3 |
Down
3 |
Down
3 |
Down
4 |
|
46 |
Down
4 |
Down
4 |
Down
4 |
Down
4 |
Down
5 |
C. If a team has traded a draft
pick that is subject to the above penalties, the applicable penalty shall be
applied to that team’s next higher draft pick (plus any penalties that pick is
already subject to). If that team does
not have any higher draft picks, the applicable penalty shall be doubled and
then applied to that team’s next lower draft pick (plus any penalties that pick
is already subject to).
D. Teams with 51 or more
Overuse Points will be ineligible for post season play. The Commissioner may reduce or waive
penalties if he believes imposing such penalties would not be in the best
interests of the PGL-WB as a whole.
Section 7. FREE AGENTS
A.
At the conclusion of the annual draft, all draft-eligible players not
selected shall be placed in the Free Agent Pool.
B.
Prior to the beginning of the next regular season segment, a team may
acquire a player from the Free Agent Pool by submitting its request for such
player to the Commissioner. Such
request must include the player from that team’s current roster that will be
released to the Free Agent Pool as part of this transaction. Requests for Free Agents will be handled on
a “first-come, first-served” basis.
Free Agent transaction requests received and accepted by the
Commissioner shall become effective on the first day of the following segment,
if the request is received by the deadline for such requests. Otherwise, the Free Agent transaction shall
become effective on the first day of the second following segment. Note that players with remaining usage
eligibility of ten or fewer at bats or five or fewer innings pitched cannot be
acquired as free agents.
C.
There is no limit to the number of Free Agents a team may acquire during
the regular season. Free Agents may be
traded, provided such trade is in accordance with Section 8 below. Free Agents acquired in accordance with (B)
above may be used in post season play.
D.
All Free Agents acquired prior to the start of the regular season or during
the regular season, even if they were subsequently traded to another team, MUST
be among the players released prior to the annual draft when all teams must cut
their rosters to 24 players.
Section 8. TRADING
A.
All trades
are permanent. No loaning or leasing of
players is permitted. Trades may not
include “Players to be named later”, “Future considerations” or any other
consideration other than players or draft picks. All transactions within a
trade must be completed at the same time – that is, trades that involving
players moving to a new team in one segment and other players moving to a new
team in a different segment are not permitted.
A trade that includes an agreement that the same teams will make a
subsequent trade at a later date will not be permitted.
B.
To ensure
there is no loaning or leasing, a player traded away may not be reacquired via
trade for a period of 18 calendar months.
C.
To reduce
the motivation for teams to adopt a “tanking” strategy and to maintain
competitive balance within a season, only draft picks for the next upcoming
draft may be traded and may only included in trades that become effective in
Segment 5 or later. In addition, teams
must retain at least three picks in the first five rounds at all times, and at
least one of these three picks must be in the first two rounds. Draft picks after Round 12 may not be traded.
D.
Trades may
be made at any time, with the exception that there will be no trading between
the deadline for trades that become effective for Segment 7 through the end of
the Regular Season. (No Trade Period).
All trades made after the end of the Regular Season shall not be
effective for any of the PGL-WB Season’s Playoff Series
E.
Both
managers involved in a trade must report such trade to the Commissioner. Trades shall generally become effective on
the first day of the next Regular Season Segment, subject to detailed Regular
Season schedules and deadlines established in advance by the Commissioner for
each Regular Season.
Section 9.
ANNUAL DRAFT
A.
Each year
the Annual Draft will be held in July or August, with the exact date to be
determined and announced in advance by the Commissioner.
B.
All teams
must make the needed cuts to reduce their rosters to 24 or fewer players by the
date to be determined and announced by the commissioner each season. Managers must report their roster cuts to
the Commissioner.
C.
Prior to
the date of the draft, the Commissioner shall publish a list of players
eligible for the Annual Draft. Players receiving printed cards in the
applicable SOM Card Set for the upcoming PGL-WB season and who are not on a
PGL-WB roster are eligible for the draft. Players receiving just “Computer
Only” cards are not eligible for the Annual Draft.
D.
The Annual
Draft shall be conducted via E-Mail.
The Commissioner will schedule each pick to specific 15 minute time
block, with approximately eight picks scheduled each weekday and 24 picks
scheduled each weekend day. Managers
shall submit their selection for a draft pick no later than the end of the
15-minute time block scheduled for that draft pick. Note managers may provide a draft list for an upcoming pick if
they know they will not be available during the 15-minute time block
established for that draft pick. If a
Manger does not make his selection before the end of the 15-minute time block
for that draft pick, their turn in the draft order will be passed. Managers do not lose that draft pick, but
only their place in line. Managers may
use that draft pick at any time before the end of the draft to select from the
players available at the time that draft pick is used.
E.
During the
Annual Draft, once a team reaches their roster limit by selecting their 36th
player, their draft will be complete and any remaining draft picks they
own for that draft will be forfeited.
F.
The draft
will continue for a minimum of 12 rounds or until every team has 36 players on
their roster. If at the end of 12
rounds, if one or more teams does not have 36 players on their roster, the
draft will continue with additional rounds.
Enough rounds will be added to allow for each team to fill out their
roster with 36 players.
G.
Draft
Order: To reduce the incentive for
teams to adopt “tanking” strategies, the draft order for each round will be
determined using the following formula and their 36-man rosters at the
conclusion of the previous draft:
·
For each team
·
Points for Hitters = Plate Appearances from the previous real-life
season X (On-Base Percentage
+ Slugging Percentage from the
previous real-life season - .600).
For each team, Points for Hitters will be calculated using their 4,050
Plate Appearances with the highest OBP + OPS.
·
Points for Pitchers = Innings Pitched from the previous real-life
season X (6.00 - Component Earned Run Average from the
previous real-life season). For each
team, Points for Pitchers will be calculated using their 950 Innings Pitched
with the lowest Component Earned Run Average.
·
Players with fewer than 60 at bats or 25 innings pitched from the
previous real-life season will be excluded, as it is assumed these players will
not receive printed cards in the upcoming SOM printed card set.
·
Component Earned Run Average shall be that as listed for each pitcher in
the annual Bill James Handbook, using the formula identified in that book. Component Earned Run Average estimates what
a pitcher’s Earned Run Average should have been, based upon his pitching performance.
·
Any hitter or pitcher with negative points will have their points
changed to zero points. Hitters and
pitchers receiving “Computer Only” cards in the SOM card set to be used in the
upcoming PGL-WB season will have their points changed to zero.
·
Points for all hitters shall be totaled and points for all pitchers
shall be totaled.
·
Points for all pitchers shall be multiplied by a constant factor such
that the resulting total pitcher points shall equal total hitter points.
·
Total points for each PGL team are then computed.
·
The team with the fewest points shall draft first in each round, the
team with the second fewest points shall draft second in each round, and so on
until the team with the most points drafts 24th in each round.
H.
If two teams have the exact same number of points, the team whose
manager is the more senior PGL-WB Manager will draft before the more junior
PGL-WB member in all rounds.
Section 10. REGULAR SEASON
A.
The Regular Season shall consist of 162 games, with managers playing
their 81 ROAD games. The Regular Season
shall be broken down into eight segments of 21 or 18 games each. Segment #1 will begin approximately October
1st.
B.
Active rosters for Segment 1 through 6 shall consist of no more than 26
players. There is no limit on active
roster size in Segments 7 and 8.
C.
The Commissioner will establish detailed schedules, including trade
deadlines for each segment and schedules for managers to submit their Computer
Managers and report results for each segment.
D.
Managers may submit new Computer Managers for each segment. If a manager does not submit a new Computer
Manager for a segment, the Computer Manager he used in the previous segment
shall continue to be used. In such
cases and if the previous computer manager does not have a starting pitcher
rotation programmed for the upcoming segment, the starting pitchers used in the
last five games of the previous segment shall be used as the starting pitcher
rotation for the upcoming segment.
E.
By the deadline established for each segment, Managers shall report the
results of their road games to BOTH the Commissioner and the Manager of the
Home Team. Such reports shall include
Game Result Files, Box Score Files, and PAC Files.
F.
If a Manager does not submit his results for a Segment by the deadline,
the Commissioner may elect to “Quick Play” that Manager’s road games for that
segment using the Computer Managers applicable to that segment for both teams.
G.
NetPlay is not required for Regular Season games, but may be used if both
managers so desire, provided the Manager of the Road Team submits results by
the established deadline.
Section 11. PLAYOFFS
A.
Each year, at the
conclusion of the regular season, a League Champion shall be determined through
a series of playoff rounds. The
Commissioner shall establish the schedule for the playoffs, including deadlines
by which each series must be completed and results reported to the
Commissioner.
B.
In each league, the
three division winners and the two teams with the best won-lost records not
winning a division (Wild Card teams) shall qualify for the playoffs. All playoff teams shall start the playoffs
with all of their pitchers fully rested.
C.
Wild Card Series: In each league, the two Wild Card teams
shall meet in a Best-of-Three series, with the team with the team with the
better won-lost record at home for games 2 and 3 and the team with the poorer
record at home for game 1. There will
be no off days during this three game series.
D.
Division Series: In each league, there will be two Division
Series. In one Division Series, the
winner of the Wild Card Series will play the division winner with the best
won-lost record. In the other Division
Series, the remaining two division winners will meet.
E.
League Championship
Series: In each league, the winners of
the two Division Series will meet in the League Championship Series.
F. World Series:
The winners of the League Championship Series will meet in the World
Series to determine the Champion of the PGL-WB.
G. All Division Series,
League Championship Series, and World Series shall be “Best-of-Seven”, with the
team with the better won-lost record at home for games 1, 2, 6 and 7 and the
team with the poorer record at home for games 3, 4 and 5. However, a Wild Card team may never be home
for games 1, 2, 6 and 7 in any series, unless it meets another Wild Card in the
World Series.
H.
There will be one scheduled off day between each Playoff Series. In addition, there will be one scheduled off
day between games 2 and 3 and games 5 and 6 in each “Best-of-Seven”
series. Games not needed in any playoff
series will also be considered days off for the team advancing to the next
series.
I.
Tiebreakers: Ties for seeding in the playoffs (including
ties for division championship where one team will be the division champion and
the other team will be a Wild Card team) shall be determined as follows:
1. Best
record head-to-head competition
2. Best home record
3. Largest run differential (runs scored
minus runs allowed)
4. Coin toss
Ties for Wild Card playoff qualifiers will be determined by as many
one-game playoff series as necessary to determine the two Wild Card teams in
each league. There will be no off days
in between these one-game series and the Wild Card Series. For purposes of determining any overuse
penalties, statistics from the one-game series shall be considered post-season
statistics and not regular season statistics.
J.
NetPlay is mandatory
for all playoff games. If a manager cannot play via NetPlay, they must
find replacement manager in the league (or someone from outside the league
approved by the Commissioner) to manage their team so that all games can be
played via NetPlay.
K.
Active rosters for each
playoff series shall consist of 26 players, all of whom must have been on their
team's full roster for Segment 8 (both active and inactive players for Segment
8). Active rosters may not be changed
during a playoff series, but may be changed for the next playoff series if a
team advances. Active rosters must include an eligible back-up at each fielding
position, just as in the regular season.
Any player who was overused by 20 or more at-bats or ten innings or more
pitched during the regular season shall be ineligible for post-season play.
L.
Starting Lineups: All hitters in the starting lineup for any
playoff game must be rated at the position at which they are used. All starting pitchers for any playoff game
must have pitched at least 75 innings in the previous MLB regular season. All starting pitchers must have at least
four calendar days of rest in between starts.
If a pitcher is used as both a starting pitcher and as a relief pitcher,
that pitcher must have three calendar days off before and after each game he is
used as a starting pitcher. Both of
these rest requirements for starting pitchers carry over from one playoff
series to the next playoff series.
M.
Playoff Player Usage
Limits: As in the Regular Season, only
players with printed cards are eligible for the playoffs. Players with just “Computer-Only” cards are
ineligible for the playoffs. During the
playoffs, players shall be limited to number of at-bats / innings pitched for
each series as shown in the chart below and rounded to the nearest at-bat or
whole inning. Any ABs / IPs used in extra
innings will not count against these usage limits.
|
Regular Season Usage Limit = Actual MLB At Bats /
Innings Pitched X 105% |
Wild Card Series (3 Games) |
Division, League Championship and World Series (7 Games) |
|
Hitters |
% of Regular Season Usage Limit |
% of Regular Season Usage Limit |
|
0 – 50 At Bats |
Ineligible |
Ineligible |
|
51 or more At Bats |
5% |
10% |
|
Pitchers |
% of Regular Season Usage Limit |
% of Regular Season Usage Limit |
|
0 – 20 Innings |
Ineligible |
Ineligible |
|
21 or more Innings |
6% |
12% |
N. Any playoff game in which a player is used in excess of the above usage limits shall be forfeited by the team overusing such player. Any player overused in one playoff series shall be ineligible for the next playoff series. If a player is overused in the World Series, that team must immediately declare a second active player who shall be ineligible for the remainder of the World Series.
O.
Results from each playoff series (in the form of game result files and box
scores / PAC files) shall promptly be reported to the Commissioner by one of
the managers involved in that playoff series.