TOUT WARS X 2015 CONSTITUTION
Copyright © 2015, Tout Wars, LLC
These rules were adjusted for technical reasons in a few ways on February 17th. Changes are indicated in Red below.
PREAMBLE
We the people of the Tout Wars Baseball Experts League, in our efforts to promote the game of fantasy baseball, further the growth of the fantasy baseball industry and provide a laboratory for innovative rules and formats, do establish this constitution as the foundation for our first experimental competition, called Tout Wars X.
The rules for Tout Wars X will change each season.
OBJECT, 2015
To assemble six separate rosters of 32 players, drafted monthly, whose average points scored, compiled and measured by the methods described in these rules, exceed those of all other teams in the League.
ROSTERS
The Tout Wars X league will have 10 teams. Each team’s roster will consist of the following 32 players:
• 5 outfielders
• 2 catchers
• 1 second baseman
• 1 shortstop
• 1 middle infielder (either second baseman or shortstop)
• 1 first baseman
• 1 third baseman
• 1 corner infielder (either first or third baseman)
• 1 utility player, defined as a player who may play any non-pitching position
• 9 pitchers (who may be either starters, relievers or both).
• 9 reserve players, who may play at any position.
STATISTICS
The following statistical categories will be used to determine team performance and league standings:
• Composite on-base percentage
• Total home runs
• Total runs produced (runs batted in PLUS runs scored MINUS home runs)
• Total stolen bases
• Composite ERA
• Total wins PLUS quality starts
• Total saves PLUS holds
• Total strikeouts
Performance stats of a player shall be assigned to a team only when he is on the active roster of that team and on the active roster of a major league team.
STANDINGS
Teams are ranked from first to last in each of the eight categories and given points for their respective ranking (e.g. 10 points for 1st place, 9 points for 2nd place, etc.).
In the case of ties in an individual category, the tied teams will share the ranking points of the tied positions in the standings.
In the case of ties in total points, the team that finishes ahead of the other in more categories will be deemed the victor. If both teams are still tied, then the comparison will be made between each team’s (At Bats + (3 x Innings Pitched)). The leader in this calculation will be moved up in the standings. If both teams accumulate the same number of statistics, then the teams will be deemed tied.
Each team’s points will be totaled over the six monthly competitions to produce a final overall score. (So, if someone finished with 52, 66, 41, 59, 58 and 63 points, their final overall score would be 339.) The team with the highest final overall score at the end of the Tout X schedule will be deemed the Tout Wars X victor.
SCHEDULE
This is the schedule for the six one-month Tout X leagues:
MONTH DRAFT START END
The Tout Wars X season will end on September 20, 2015 and a champion crowned at that time.
INITIAL DRAFT DAY
A player draft in the form of a snake draft will be conducted at a designated time during Tout Wars weekend (March 21-22, 2015).
All players eligible to be drafted will be provided on a Player Salary List to owners, one week in advance of the draft. If a player does not appear on the list, he is ineligible to be drafted.
All players will be assigned a predetermined salary, based on previous performance and expected role. The composition of the List and the salaries will not change until the next monthly league.
Each owner must acquire 32 players at a total cost not to exceed 300 salary units.
As players are selected during the draft, their salary will be deducted from the owner’s 300-unit budget. An owner may not draft a player whose salary exceeds the units remaining in his budget.
There will be no distinction made between active (23) and reserve players (9) at the draft. All 32 roster slots must be filled within the 300-unit salary cap.
There will be one or more Facilitators, who run the proceedings. The Facilitator will ensure that time limits between player selections are maintained and proceedings run smoothly.
All decisions of the Facilitator are final.
Players eligible at more than one position may be shifted during the course of the draft.
IN-SEASON DRAFTS
At the conclusion of the April league, all players on all teams will be released and the player acquisition process will start over.
Beginning with the May league, all drafts will be conducted “salary-cap style” with owners assembling their rosters individually and inputting their rosters online.
For each monthly draft, a new Player Salary List will be provided one week prior to the draft date.
Given the individual roster assembly, players will often appear on more than one team in the league.
At the conclusion of each monthly league, all players will once again be released and the redraft process will begin again.
POSTION ELIGIBILITY
On Initial Draft Day: A player may be assigned to any position at which he appeared at least 20 times in the major leagues in the preceding season. If a player did not appear in 20 games at any position, or did not appear the prior season in the majors at all, he qualifies at the one position he played most frequently the prior season in any league(s) he played in. The Player Salary List will provide the positions at which all players can be drafted.
In-season: In addition to Draft Day eligibility, a player becomes eligible at all other positions at which he appears at least 5 times in the major leagues. Any new eligibility will become active at the next transaction period.
On In-Season Drafts: A player may be assigned to any position at which he appeared at least 20 times in the major leagues in the preceding season or at least 5 times in the current season to date.
IN-SEASON PLAY
There are two transaction periods each week – Monday-to-Thursday and Friday-to-Sunday – roughly corresponding to each Major League series.
Prior to the beginning of these periods, teams must lock their active lineup by designating which 23 of their 32 players will compile statistics for that period. The nine reserve players do not accumulate statistics when they are inactive.
All lineups must be submitted via the league website.
DISABLED LIST
There is no disabled list in the 2015 Tout X league. Players placed on the MLB disabled list may be reserved but replacements must come from the existing 9-man reserve list.
FREE AGENCY
There are no free agents permitted in the 2015 Tout X league. The only players are those acquired in each monthly draft.
TRADES
There are no trades permitted in the 2015 Tout X league.
DEADLINES
For each monthly league, in-season:
Set-up of new monthly team: Sunday, 11 PM ET (May 3, May 31, June 28, July 26, Aug 23)
Selection of 32-man roster: Sunday, Midnight Pacific Time
Lineups lock: Mondays & Fridays, first pitch of the first scheduled MLB game
These semi-weekly deadlines are final. The commissioner will make no adjustments or allowances for teams that fail to make roster moves in time to meet these deadlines.
However, teams may make their moves at any time in advance of the deadline.