AFBL Rules

Updated: December 10, 2020

American Federation Baseball League

Overview

· OOTP20

· Fictional players

· No finances, scouting, or coaching system

· Franchises are built through the Amateur Draft, Trading, and Free Agent claims of undrafted or released players

· 1-10 ratings scale, normal accuracy, stars for overall and potential rating

· 20 franchises that have 4 levels of minors plus an international complex

· COL & HS feeder leagues plus International Free Agents for combined Amateur Draft Pool

· 162-game schedule, interleague, slightly favors divisional play

· DH enabled everywhere

· Slack and StatsPlus

· Sim schedule: Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday, exports due by 7am CST, sims ran sometime between 7-11am CST, normally in-game sims of Monday through Sunday

Commissioner

· Duties include:

o Setting league schedule

o Running league sims

o Following GM’s posted sim instructions

o Updating and maintaining league website, Slack, and other AFBL systems (WordPress and StatsLab)

o Providing league news/info and sim status updates on Slack in #commish_news channel

o Running Award Voting and Amateur Draft in StatsPlus and Slack

o Holding Winter Meetings discussions for any league rule changes/adaptions on Slack in #winter_meetings channel

o Posting the Offseason sim schedule on Slack in #offseason_sim_schedule channel

o Resolving all disputes and questions

o Improving the league

o Filling any vacancies

· The Commissioner may change any rule in the best interests of the league but will always look to the league first for their thoughts and opinions

· The Commissioner has final say in all matters

Owners

· Owners must show they are an active member of the league by:

o Submitting team exports (Commish begins to check in on GMs missing 3 or more exports)

o Communicating with the Commissioner (GMs must notify the Commish or league via email or Slack direct message or in #vacation_timeoff channel of any absences)

o Logging into and using Slack & StatsPlus on an adequate basis

o Participating in the annual Amateur Draft in a timely manner

o Responding to trade offers in a timely manner

o Participating in league wide votes and discussions on Slack

· Owners must play fair and try to win (no intentional tanking)

· Owners must follow all rules

Slack Channels

· #commish_news – League news/info and sim status updates

· #afbl_talk – General AFBL related talk

· #free_agent_claims – Claims on available players

· #confirmed_trades – Agreed upon trades

· #trade_lobby – Teams trade block, needs, wants

· #traded_picks – Listing of traded Amateur Draft picks

· #sim_instructions – Instructions for post-trades, injured player rehab/activations, etc.

· #vacation_timeoff – Let the Commish know about any planned time away

· #winter_meetings – Discussion for league rule changes/adaptions

· #park_factor_changes – Announce updates to our team’s ballpark factors

· #franchise_changes – Announce any updates of uniforms, logos, minor league affiliates, stadium updates, or a new stadium for your franchise

· #highlights, #scores, #injuries, and #your-team-abbrevation_results are for StatsPlus sim Slack posts

· There are other available channels for specific topics related to AFBL or other non-AFBL topics

· Some teams have created their own dedicated team channel for posting updates (see Slack Channel directory to look at available channels)

AFBL Franchises

· Represents US States, not cities (Canadian provinces allowed with Commish approval)

· 20 total major league franchises (expanded to 20 from 16 in 2017)

· Minor League Affiliates

o Must be located within major league home state or a neighboring state without an AFBL franchise

o Rookie League franchises will be located within the state of Florida

o Minor League Levels:

§ AAA – Explorer League (EL)

§ AA – Union League (UL)

§ A – Confederation League (CL)

§ RL – Liberty League (LL)

§ IC – International Complex (IC)

Roster Settings

· Roster Size Limits:

o AFBL: 26

o AAA: 35

o AA: 35

o A: 35

o RL: 35

o IC: 50

· Roster Age Limits:

o AFBL: none

o AAA: none

o AA: 30 years old

o A: 27 years old

o RL: 24 years old

Free Agents

· Players only become free agents if their team releases them from within the game or if the player goes undrafted

· Free Agents may be claimed on a first come, first serve basis. Claims are made on Slack in the #free_agent_claims channel, and not in-game.

o Owners may only claim one free agent every real-life calendar day.

o For instance, you can claim a player at 11:59 PM Monday and then a second player 12:01 AM Tuesday. AFBL is set in the Central Time Zone and is the factor in any decisions.

· Undrafted Free Agents

o Following the amateur draft, any leftover players from the draft pool become free agents which can be immediately claimed by a team following normal AFBL FA rules

Trades

· The commissioner may cancel a deal if it harms team or league integrity.

· Agreed upon trades are posted on Slack in the #confirmed_trades channel

· Both parties must agree to the deal before it is processed.

· Trades are processed pre-sim

· Any post trade roster instructions can be included in posted trade in #confirmed_trades or in the designated #sim_instructions Slack channel

· Teams can post about their trading needs/wants on Slack in #trade_lobby

· Only draft picks from the current year draft and the year following draft may be traded. Draft picks from beyond the next year’s draft will no longer be allowed (clarified in 2021).

· PTBNL or Future Considerations are allowed but it will be on the teams involved to agree on the future considerations when it can be made official on the forums. The Commish will include any PTBNL/Future Considerations in the #traded_picks Slack channel but teams will need to be sure to remember to complete any future considerations.

· Trade Deadline is last Sunday of July (to keep our Sun-Sat sim schedule).

· No trades allowed post trade deadline until end of the regular season.

· Non-playoff teams may trade during the postseason, at their own risk.

Amateur Draft

· The AFBL Amateur Draft is held on June 1st in the game each year.

· Draft Pool is revealed at the start of Preseason / Spring Training in the game each year.

· AFBL Amateur Draft begins at the start of Preseason / Spring Training and runs alongside Spring Training games and April and May in the game. The league needs to complete the draft before June 1^st (flexible if needed until July 1^st or All-Star Game break)

· AFBL will generate 20 International Amateurs (Default setting) on September 1st that will be added to the Amateur Draft Pool (unavailable to claim as FAs until after the draft) beginning in 2021.

· The draft pool is made up of graduates of the AFBL High School and College feeder leagues plus generated on September 1st International Free Agents (~20 each year).

· AFBL Amateur Draft will consist of 8 rounds

· Any undrafted players will enter the AFBL free agent pool following the draft but beware of players deciding to return to school if they are undrafted and still are eligible to return between the end of the draft and the day after the draft (Commish has no control of this).

· Draft Order

o The non-playoff teams will draft in inverse order of winning percentage. Ties will be broken based on head-to-head record (better record drafts first). Second tiebreaker is currently run differential (most positive RDiff drafts first).

o The playoff teams that do not reach the Federation Championship Series will draft in inverse order of winning percentage in order of playoff round eliminated.

o The Federation Championship Series loser picks 19th.

o The Federation Championship Series champion picks 20th.

· The league conducts its Amateur Draft using StatsPlus

o Slack channel – #draft

o Schedule Type – rolling slots

o Hours per pick:

§ 1st Round – 24 hours

§ 2nd Round – 12 hours

§ 3rd Round – 8 hours

§ 4th Round – 4 hours

§ 5th Round – 2 hours

§ 6th Round – 2 hours

§ 7th Round – 1 hour

§ 8th Round – 1 hour

All-Star Game

· Voting is conducted in StatsPlus with about 30 players selected to the ASG roster per league vote

· The leading vote-getter for each position is the ASG starter. Ties decided by Commish.

· The 2nd leading vote-getter for each positing is selected as an ASG reserve.

· If there isn’t a clear 2nd leading vote-getter, the Commish will make the selection

· For SP, there is 1 starter and 5 additional reserves for a total of 6 SPs selected as ASG reserves.

· For RP, there are 6 total reserves selected as ASG reserves.

· For any player selected that is injured, the next highest vote-getter or Commish selection will be selected as a replacement ASG reserve.

· For any position that has a unanimous ASG starter selected, the Commish will make an ASG reserve selection using his best judgment and opinion.

Season Awards

· Voting is conducted in StatsPlus after the conclusion of the Regular Season

· Winners will be announced on Slack in #season_awards channel

Hall of Fame

· Voting is conducted in StatsPlus after the conclusion of the Regular Season

· StatsPlus HOF Options:

o Years since Retirement – 3

o Max Years on Ballot – 15

o Max Votes per Ballot – 10

o Perfect Required to Elect – 75

o Perfect Required to Remain – 10

· HOF discussion can be found on Slack in #hall_of_fame channel

Franchise Updates

Relocation

· GMs that wish to relocate their AFBL franchise will work with the Commish to finalize every detail for the move.

· Final details needed:

o AFBL major league franchise’s host state and mascot

o Minor league affiliates cities and mascots

o Logos, Jerseys, Caps (AFBL has resources for assistance if needed)

o Stadium (Major League at the minimum, AFBL can help generate minor league stadiums if needed)

§ Name

§ Capacity

§ Type (Open Ballpark, Retractable Roof, Dome)

§ Surface (Grass or Astroturf)

§ Ballpark Factors

§ Ballpark Dimensions

· Major league franchise relocation process:

o Complete the AFBL Relocation Request Form of necessary information needed

o Get approval from the Commissioner's Office (Slack @afbl_commish or Email commish@afblbaseball.com)

o Make an announcement to the league on Slack in the #franchise_changes channel with all of the changes

o Wait 2 offseasons after completing the process with the Commish before relocating

· Minor league affiliate relocation process:

o Get approval from the Commissioner's Office via Slack DM or Email (allows Commish to confirm the move and that it doesn't break any rules of where teams can play)

o Make an announcement to the league on Slack in the #franchise_changes with the change(s)

o Change gets applied by the Commish during the offseason following the announcement to become official the next season

Mascots, Ballcaps, Jerseys, Stadium adjustments

· Get approval from the Commissioner's Office via Slack DM or Email (allows Commish to confirm the move and that it doesn't break any rules of where teams can play)

· Make an announcement to the league on Slack in the #franchise_changes with the change(s)

· Change gets applied by the Commish during the offseason following the announcement to become official the next season

· Ballpark factors changes

o Post your request on Slack in the #park_factor_changes

o Can be posted anytime but to be applied in the offseason of the current season

o No more than 0.150 movement per year for any park factor

· Ballpark specifications changes

o Post your request on Slack in the #franchise_changes

o Can be posted anytime but to be applied in the offseason of the current season

o Stadium type and playing surface changes are allowed

o Stadium name changes pending Commish approval

o Wall heights changes pending Commish approval

o Wall distances allowed but no more than 30 feet either direction

o Capacity can be increased by as much as 5,000 seats per offseason

o New stadium requires TWO offseasons after announcement before team can move into the new stadium

OOTP Configuration

Global Settings

· Complete Scouting System: Disabled

· Current and Potential Ratings Scale: 1-10

· Overall and Potential Rating: Stars

· Show Ratings > Max: No, cut off

· Show Potential < Actual: No, adjust

· Overall ratings based on all players: Enabled

· Complete Coaching System: Disabled

Players & Facegen

· Injuries: Enabled

· Injury Frequency: Low

· Delayed Injury Diagnosis: Never

· Position Player Fatigue: Average

· Suspensions: Enabled

· Suspension Frequency: Normal

· Player Personality Ratings: Enabled

· Show & use Player Morale System: Enabled

· Show & user Team Chemistry System: Enabled

· Player Development Settings: all set to 1.000 (default), Talent Change Randomness: 100-Average

League Settings

League & Teams

· League Reputation: 10 – Maximum

· 2 Sub Leagues

o Frontier League (FL)

§ West

· Arizona Vipers

· California Bulldogs

· Idaho Steelheads

· Oregon Explorers

· Washington Resonance

§ East

· Colorado Bears

· Illinois Warhawks

· Minnesota Mallards

· New Mexico Danger

· Texas Spurs

o Patriot League (PL)

§ North

· Maryland Bridegrooms

· New Jersey Athletics

· New York Twin Towers

· Ontario Blue Pirates

· Pennsylvania Railroaders

§ South

· Alabama Yellowhammers

· Georgia Titans

· Kentucky Lions

· North Carolina Aviators

· Ohio Knights

Rules

· Designated Hitter: Enabled

· Active Roster Size: 26 Players

· Secondary Roster Size: Rule Disabled

· Expanded Roster Size: 33 Players

· Roster Expansion Date: September 1

· Post-Season Rule Rules: Disabled

· International Complex Size: 50 Players

· Spring Training Rose Size: 50 Players

· Injured List Length: 7 days

· Minor League Option Years: Disabled

· Right to refuse minor league assignment: Disabled

· Allow incomplete minor league rosters (ghost players): Enabled

· Trading: Enabled

· Trading Deadline Date: last Sunday in July (to keep with our sim schedule)

· Trading of Recently Drafted Players: Immediate

· 10/5 rule (veterans have right to veto trades): Disabled

· Trading of injured (>7 days) players: Allowed

· Draft Pick trading: Allowed

· Amateur Draft Date: November 20

· Amateur Draft Number of Rounds: 8

· Amateur Draft Pool Reveal Date: 80 days prior to draft (September 1)

· Draft Feeding Mode: Feeder League Players only (AFBL includes International Free Agents as available players in the Amateur Draft)

Financials

· Financial System: Disabled

Options

· Automatic evolution of the league: Disabled

· Award Names:

o Most Valuable Hitter

o Most Valuable Pitcher

o Reliever of the Year

o Rookie of the Year

o Manager of the Year

o Platinum Stick Award (CPU picked)

o Best Defender Award (CPU picked)

· Manual Hall of Fame Voting: Enabled (StatsPlus)

· Allow Rainouts: Disabled

· Number of Games per Team: 162

· Schedule Configuration:

o 18 games (9H/9A) against same division opponents – 72 total games

o 12 games (6H/6A) against other division opponents – 60 total games

o 3 games (3H or 3A, alternating annually) against each interleague opponent – 30 total games

· Spring Training: Enabled

· Spring Training Length: 4 weeks (split into 4 sims)

· All-Star Game: Enabled (StatsPlus)

· Break Ties with tiebreaker games: Enabled

· Use Custom Playoffs: Enabled

o 4 Division winners plus 2 wildcards per league

o Seeding by division winners first then wildcards based on winning percentage

o Re-order by seed prior to each round

o Wildcard Series (WCS)

§ Best of Seven

§ 2 home, 2 away, 1 home, 1 away, 1 home

o League Championship Series (LCS)

§ Best of Seven

§ 2 home, 2 away, 1 home, 1 away, 1 home

o Federation Cup Series (FCS)

§ Best of Nine

§ 2 home, 2 away, 2 home, 2 away, 1 home

Players

· Default Player Origin: United States, Canada, 10% from random origin

· Generate International Amateur Free Agents: Default (20 per year)

· International Amateur FA Reveal Date: September 1

· International Scouting Discoveries (per team): Default (7 per year)

· International Origin: 100.0% from random origin

· Generate International Established Free Agents: None

· Generate Free Agents from Independent Leagues: None