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Rule Changes for 2008

Benchwarmer Baseball Rules Index

As the season and then off season progresses, check here for the latest changes to rules - Last update:  March 11, 2008.

The written version of the rule book for now trumps the online version.  An update to the written rule book should be available "soon".

Here are the 2007 changes also...

League Finances and Entry Fees

Group Pricing

As a point of clarification, League packages do not get an extra free team for the league champion (the package price includes 6 free teams). However, Conference or Division packages will get a small discount for league championship teams. A conference package will receive a $10 discount if the league champion comes from that conference and a division package will receive a $20 discount for any league champs. If any prize winners from the Benchwarmer Bash come from a package, whether it is league, conference, or division, that package will receive a $30 discount for the seasons covered by Bash prizes.

Postseason

Game Selection – Benchwarmer Bash

This was actually instituted for the 2007 Bash and will become official. The standard way to handle game selection and pitching performances during the Bash is to reset the process every two weeks (to mirror the normal BWB postseason). If the Bash format requires an odd number of weeks, the first set of games/pitching performances (or a later round that involves byes) will be reset after 3 weeks instead of two. This will, in a sense, give a slight potential advantage to teams that earn byes.

Game Selection/Scoring – Relief Performances

Relief appearances will use the 6-game span ending with the same game used for hitters. This is actually the written rule, but in a scoring glitch discovered during 2007, it has been done incorrectly for years. This will be fixed for the 2008 playoffs.

Lineups

Note on Switching Positions - Emphasis in 2008

This is not a rule change, but a point of emphasis.
This is just the way things work… In order to account for any holes in your lineup, only players in the DH role or in the bench slots can be considered for multiple positions when attempting to fill all open spots. If you have a player listed as a starter at 3B, but he is also eligible to play 1B, he will NOT be considered to fill in at 1B even if no one else in your lineup can play there and you have an eligible player for 3B on your bench. Thus, one piece of lineup strategy is often to use players who can play multiple positions at DH, unless you have fielding considerations to put another player at DH.

Mapping MLB Games to BWB Games

Correcting Mistakes

Regarding official stat corrections by MLB: BWB will receive a stat correction file each day and will attempt to match that and correct the stats before they are used. However, once a game is scored, it is “official” and a late stat correction will not be considered.

Inactive Owners

BWB will formalize processes for handling missed deadlines so that we don’t delay critical off-season and pre-season activities.

Inactive Owners – Carry Over Decisions

We’ve gone through some winters where the off-season activity is delayed by owners not making roster cut-down decisions in time. In order to keep the league on schedule and get the Redistribution Draft done in a timely manner, there will no longer be any date extensions for carry-overs.


If a team does not meet the roster guidelines due to roster size or salary cap considerations, BWB will take the following approach:

  • As required, all players currently under multiyear contracts will be retained.
  • Any players known by BWB* to be retiring, strongly considering retiring, or otherwise ineligible for BWB rosters next season (foreign leagues, etc.) will be cut.
  • Any players known by BWB* to be on the DL at the beginning of the next season will be cut.
  • Any players known by BWB* to be a free agent with little or questionable expected interest from MLB teams will be cut.
  • Of the remaining players:
    • BWB will automatically keep the position player with the highest salary, the starting pitcher with the highest salary, and the relief pitcher with the highest salary.
    • BWB will automatically cut the position player with the 2nd highest salary, the starting pitcher with the second highest salary, and the relief pitcher with the 2nd highest salary.
    • BWB will keep any players who were first round draft picks in the just-completed season.
    • Random decisions** will be made after that to get the roster into guidelines for roster size and salary cap position.
    • BWB will attempt to leave about $10 million available for the Redistribution Draft and off-season moves.

*”Known by BWB” is a non-scientific phrase. Since a lot of effort is required for running the game, the owner of BWB is often not completely on top of all the MLB player status. The point is – make the decisions yourself, rather than tempting fate.

**”Random decisions” often means pulling out the old Dungeons and Dragons 12-sided or 20-sided dice (RIP Gary Gygax) and picking cuts that way. Again – make the decisions yourself and avoid the grief.

Inactive Owners – Redistribution Draft – Emphasis for 2008

Again, we’re no longer able to put off roster decisions for a few teams while 100+ other teams complete on time. Since the Redistribution Draft is an optional activity, teams that do not submit picks for the draft on time will not participate in it. This is how it’s always been done – and typically 1-3 teams in each league skip this (intentionally or not). There are generally some good players available in the draft – don’t miss out on your chance.

Inactive Owners – Startup Draft

This is essentially how BWB has always done startup drafts for a team that begins as an Orphan so that the league can kick off in a timely manner.

In most cases, teams will have about a week to fill out their initial draft lists after the league is completely full. This deadline may be a bit shorter for drafts started in mid-March or later. As a team joins BWB, it can begin to assemble the draft list immediately – even before choosing a league. So, there should be no excuse – other than perhaps the late-joining teams – to miss a draft deadline.

If a team does not have a draft list – or if it has started but is incomplete - the BWB office will randomly pick or complete* a team’s draft list so that the draft can proceed on time.

*”Randomly complete” is done by picking a mix of players with high and low salaries and to fill all the positions. Some minor leaguers and prospects may be thrown in. No players who are knowingly questionable to make rosters or to be injured at the time of the draft will be chosen. When picking among a group of possible players, the old D&D dice often get a good workout. The moral of the story is to pick your own team.

Salary Calculations

Pitchers Formula

The section of the salary calculation dealing with closers was modified to attempt to keep closer salaries in line with other positions:

From (5 * Sv – (2.5 * BS)) to (4 * Sv – (3 * BS))


In addition, there was a one-time reduction in closer salaries between 2007 and 2008.
 

 
 
 
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