Sandlot Baseball League (SBL)
Rules and Regulations
Franchise Ownership & Replacement: The league shall consist of twelve (12) franchises. If a franchise owner drops out, or is kicked out due to lack of consistent competitive participation, a new franchise owner will adopt the previous owner's franchise. This includes all existing players, draft picks (order in draft as well as added or lost picks due to previous trades), roster size. If two or more franchises are replaced in a given year, new owners can be assigned players and all draft picks (with corresponding roster size) in one of two ways: 1) coin flip or drawing to determine which owner is assigned to which franchise, or 2) via a supplement draft. Draft order and roster size linked to previous team. Players from disbanded teams are available for selection. The latter option is to provide new owners maximal equity, flexibility and control without disrupting draft order, roster sizes, or acquired/lost draft picks of continuing franchises. Which of these options is selected is determine by the League Commissioner.
League Communication & Announcements: All regular league communication (i.e., weekly statistics, announcement of trades, rule changes, submission of weekly line-ups, owners-to-owners trash talking, etc.) will be conducted via email.
Software: APBA/Miller Associates' Baseball For Windows version 6.0 will be used with player fatigue, home ballparks, and pitcher maximum batter faced options all turned on.
Roster Size: Each team will consist of 32 players. Roster sizes may vary as the result of trades.
Post-Draft Roster Check: Once post-draft rosters have been posted on the website, team owners will have 3 days to check player names, total number of players on their rosters and then notify the Commissioner that their rosters are correct. Discrepancies must be brought immediately to the attention of the Commissioner for resolution. Failure to perform a roster check will mean that teams with incorrect players or too few/too many players will forfeit consideration. The Commissioner will choose which player(s) to drop/add from a team's roster.
Schedule: Each team will play 22 games (11 home and 11 away) versus teams within its division and 12 games (6 home and 6 away) versus teams outside its division for a 162 game Regular Season schedule. The schedule (as determined by the software) will be distributed by the League Commissioner on Draft Day.
Rule Changes: For a rule to be changed or added it must be approved by simple majority owners who cast a vote. Rule changes can only be voted-on and adopted during the off-season (end of Championship Series until Cut Date). Suggested rule changes/additions are to be sent by the League Commissioner to all franchise owners via email. Each owner's response (vote) will be due to the Commissioner's Office within one (1) week. If team owners do not respond, the Commissioner may implement the rule at his discretion. The Commissioner will notify the owners.
Team Names: Each team needs a name. Team names may only be changed during the off-season.
Home Ballpark: Each franchise may/must choose a home ballpark from the currently available MLB ballparks. A franchise may change their home ballpark only during the off-season. Ballparks are assigned on a first come first receive basis. Franchises may retain their chosen ballpark as long as it remains active in MLB. A field may be selected and used by only one team (Coors).
Regular Season
Participation/Lineup submission: It is requires that each team owner participate on a weekly basis. Each team owner must submit to the Commissioner, a lineup or an email message indicating instructions for that team's lineup for that week and that week only. Teams missing more than 4 weeks per season will be dropped from the League, no exceptions. Send in your lineups. (The Commissioner will not allow any team to be run by the software.)
Commissioner's Rule: Any team that does not supply a line up or communicate with the Commissioner for any week will not receive files (Injury/Stats) for that week or subsequent weeks. If no change in rotation/line up for that week, the Commissioner must be notified.
Divisions: Teams will be placed into a division based on the previous year's Win-Loss records.
Anti-Tanking-It Rule (Determination of Draft Order): Following the draft, 10 simulated seasons will be run which will determine the Draft Order. Draft Order picks will be arranged by winning percentage from lowest (1st pick) to highest (12th pick). Any ties are broken by the average head-to-head record, then record within their common division (if applicable), then differential of runs scored to those allowed, then a coin toss.
Team Composition and To Be Competitive Rules: Team owners are strongly encouraged to select teams that replicate a major league team. Players must be chosen based upon the position(s) played in real life and as designated by the software. Starting pitchers are prohibited from being selected as for use as Relief Pitchers unless they were in real life and are designated as such (split rating) by the software; the same applies to Relief Pitchers.
Position Player At Bats (ABs)
The required minimum ABs for each Team is 5750. From that number the required minimum ABs will be applied to the following positions:
Catcher – 650
1st Basemen - 630
2nd Basemen - 650
3rd Basemen - 630
Shortstop - 650
Outfield - 1,890
ABs for the DH are included within the team minimums.
Position players rated for multiple positions can apply their ABs to any or all of that players rated defensive positions. For example, a player with 400 ABs and defensive ratings for 1st, 3rd, and OF can have all 400 ABs applied to one position or split between all or some of the rated positions and cannot exceed the player’s total ABs. Distribution of multi-positional players’ ABs is at the discretion of the Owner
Starting & Relief Pitcher Innings Pitched (IP)
The required minimum IP for each Team is 1450.
Within the minimum 1450 Team IP, each team must carry a minimum of four (4) Relief Rated pitchers with the combined minimum total of 250 innings.
Any team found in violation of these minimums will face sanctions as the Commissioner deems appropriate. This may include substitution of players of lesser value; loss of draft picks in the mid-season and following season drafts. A second violation will result in the Franchise owner being kicked out of the league.
Line-ups: Line-ups are due to the Commissioner's Office (preferably by email) by 8:00 p.m. EST each FRIDAY night. Line-ups consist of: a) batting order plus defensive position (or DH) and benched players versus right-hand pitchers, b) ditto versus left-hand pitchers, c) starting pitching rotation for the games that week, and d) the manager for the games that week. Position players can only be assigned a defensive position they played in the past MLB season (outfielders may play any OF position) and as designated by the software. Pitchers can only start if they did so in the past MLB season and as designated by the software. Pitchers can not be assigned as designated hitter (DH), and position players with less than 60 at-bats in the past MLB season can not start a playoff game.
Midseason Call-Up: On the third Saturday in July, a one round supplemental draft ("Midseason Call-up") will take place. Each team, in the order determined as described above, can select one previously undrafted player in exchange for cutting one player. Only players available on the software (those that played in the previous MLB season) can be called-up. An owner may choose not to participate in this draft. Midseason call-up picks (meaning, the option to pick) cannot be traded; hence, no team can cut or add more than one player. Trading a player immediately after his/her call-up is however allowed. The Midseason Call-up pick cannot be used to fulfill Draft Day ABs or IP requirements described above.
Trades: A team may trade player(s) and/or draft pick(s) (current year and 1 year beyond only) to another team any time from the end of the Championship Series through July 31st (9:00 p.m. EST Trading Deadline) of the next season. Midseason Call-Up options cannot be traded. Traded player(s) and draft picks may not be re-acquired by their original team within the same season or the following season. Draft picks: Teams must use the same number of draft picks equal to the number traded; Picks are drafted beginning with the round following the last pick traded. Any owner may protest a trade made within the league. Protests must be file with the Commissioner's Office within one week of the announcement of a trade. If a protest occurs, a panel of three team owners not involved in the trade (at least one from each of the Divisions of the trading teams) will review the trade and determine by majority vote if it should be allowed. This decision is final. For any trade to be announced, all team owners involved must contact the Commissioner. If of near equal value in the Commissioner's opinion, the trade then becomes valid until protested.
Manager of the Year: Actual team strength as determined via the ten computer simulated seasons (see Anti-Tanking-It Rule above) allows for an unbiased determination of the "Manager of the Year." This award is given to the manager (franchise owner) whose team exceeds by the largest margin in the SSBA Regular Season the average winning percentage predicted by the ten computer simulated seasons. If two or more teams tie based on winning percentage, the largest margin of actual vs. predicted run differential (runs scored - runs allowed) will be used to determine Manager of the Year. Team Owners who do not submit weekly line-ups on a regular basis will NOT be eligible for the MOY award consideration. Owner weekly participation records will be posted on the web site every six (6) weeks.
Post-Season
Playoffs: The three Division Winners and the winner of a One-Game Wild Card Play-In make the playoffs. The Wild Card Play-In shall be played between the two non-Division Winners with the best records. Any ties are broken as done in Major League Baseball (MLB). That is, ties are broken by a one game tiebreaker on the day after the end of the Regular Season, if needed to eliminate a team from the playoffs. Ties that do not eliminate a team from the playoffs are decided by head-to-head record, then record within their common division (if applicable), then differential of runs scored to those allowed, then a coin toss. If three or more teams tie for a playoff spot(s), the team(s) with the advantage in the above mentioned tie-breakers await(s) the winner of tie breaking/eliminating game(s) between the remaining teams. The Wild-Card Play-In Game shall be played one day after the end of the Regular Season. Fatigue Factors for position players and pitchers shall apply as a continuation of the end of the Regular Season.
No team will be allowed to request that the software manage its lineup during the Playoffs or World Series. Each team owner is responsible for submitting lineup information.
Semi-Finals
Semi-Final Playoff Series begin two days after the end of the Regular Season.
Division Winner (best record) v. Playoff team (worst record, not in its division)
Semi-Final Playoff Series (5 Games) begins in the home park of the Division Champion with the better Regular Season record using the standard format of 2 home games, day off, 2 away games, day off, 1 home games.
Championship
Semi-Final Playoff Series winners then play in the Championship Series with the Division Champion with the best Regular Season record beginning at home first. The Championship Series (7 Games) begins two days after the end of the last Semi-Final Series using the standard format of 2 home games, day off, 3 away games, day off, 2 home games.
League Dates
Cut Date: March 8, 2025 9pm EST.
Draft Day: March 22, 2025 3:pm EST.
Opening Day: March 28, 2025 7pm EST.
Mid-Season Draft: July 26, 2025 8pm EST
Trading Deadline: July 31, 2025, 9pm EST.
Awards: The Championship Series winner, League Champion, receives an Autographed Baseball of a Hall of Fame Player. The Manager of the Year receives an Autographed Baseball of a Major League Baseball Manager.
League Dues: Annual league dues are $35 per franchise and are due to the Commissioner's Office by March 22, 2025. These dues cover software and awards. No dues, no participation in the Draft.
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