New Fantasy Baseball League

I'll put out the call once more. We have 10 owners confirmed for 2020. We have one more asking to join, but we have to be at an even number. If somebody else wants that last spot, we could go back up to 12. If not, we will just stick with 10.

I will lock us in by the end of the week, then we need to confirm a draft date and time and a system for keepers. It seems we are in agreement on not keeping anybody from the 2019 rosters. Instead we start fresh with this year's draft and have keepers for 2021.

 

I have only heard from one person interested in joining since we confirmed 10 owners returning from last season. Because we have to have an even number, it looks like we are going to go ahead with 10.

Is there anybody who couldn't make a draft 7:30 p.m. March 15? We had one owner who needed it to be in the evening. I can't do later than that

Regarding keepers, the proposal on the table is drafting from scratch this season, then keeping six players going forward. I want to keep this simple, so I'm suggesting if we put any limit on keepers, it is how long you can hold on to a player. We could make it a max of four seasons. If anybody has thoughts or questions, now would be the time to ask so we can have all this locked in by draft day.

 

Draft date is fine.

Does six seem like a lot? Means 60 players are off the board every year.

If we're going to do that, should there be some sort of penalty for keepers? Like, the round you took your player in is the pick round you lose as long as you keep that player? Keeps one player from owning Mike Trout for the next five years (theoretically).

 

Or, different idea that might be easier to implement, you can't keep anyone on Yahoo's Can't Cut List.

 

The point of a larger number is it helps balance out keeper lists. If we only keep three, the guy with Trout has a much bigger advantage.

 

I'd say having Trout for five seasons is the ultimate advantage here. Whoever lands the top pick this year is locked into the best player in baseball for the next five years.

 

Locking the value into the round the player is picked won't fix that unless we set it so the player's value goes up a round each year. That means nobody gets to keep a first-round pick and the teams at the back end of the draft (the start of the second around) get an advantage.

This is why I prefer auctions, but nobody wants to put in that kind of time on draft day.

 

I would, but I get your point. The issue with an auction is that all it takes is one person to not show up to ruin it for everyone else.

 

I shouldn't say nobody, but the league shot down the idea of an auction last year. Too many of our owners just don't have that kind of time for the draft.

 

Regarding keepers, my other keeper league slots keepers two rounds ahead of where they were drafted the previous year. So a 20th rounder this year would be your 18th pick next year. Players picked up off waivers get slotted 25th the following season. Guys selected in the first two rounds can't be kept.

It works well. It's relatively easy to keep track of since Yahoo shows you where everyone on your roster was drafted the previous season. It also affects the value of players in a fun and interesting way, as a guy drafted in the 22nd round may be more desirable than a stud who was drafted in the third round. It ensures there are studs available for the draft, but you also can control guys for a decent amount of time.

 

I like it.

 

I like that better than one round. As I previously mentioned, I'd really like someone to step up as an assistant commissioner if we're going to do something that becomes more high-maintenance, in part just to make sure there are two sets of eyes making sure everything is done right.

I'd be fine with six keepers and each player is slotted two rounds ahead of where they were drafted the next year. So if you keep a player you took in the third round this season, you would lose your first-round pick next season. It certainly puts an even higher value on the later rounds, but that is a good thing.