The Sandlot Tribune Saturday, February 4th, 2016

Greetings, baseball enthusiasts lurking blobfish Welcome to the inaugural keeper season of the Sandlot Fantasy Baseball League (SFBL). After four competitive and fun seasons in the Sandlot League, the owners have spoken: monetary incentive is desired. And so, from this day henceforth, we shall play not just for love of the game and healthy competition, but for fatter wallets. Because… ‘merica. I prefer to think of this change not as a head-first dive into the world of sports gambling, but instead like adding a generous pinch of cayenne to a homemade marinara sauce; an attempt to add a bit more flavor to an already fulfilling foundation. What follows are the general settings of the league, as established by me, the league dictator commissioner. If you have any gripes or questions about the format or settings, shoot me an email or post on the league discussion board.

League Fees The SFBL is a 12 team keeper league. There is a $50 entry fee per season, but the initial entry fee will be $150, with the purpose of guaranteeing at least three seasons worth of commitments. By paying the $150 entry fee, you commit your managership to the 2016, 2017, and 2018 Major League Baseball seasons. At any point, you may transfer your team ownership to another person (not currently involved in the league). However, the $150 is non-refundable. 100% of the league fees will be allocated to the top three teams from each season. The payout is as follows: League Champion = $350 Championship Runner Up = $200 3rd Place = $50 3rd place will be determined by the winner of the consolation ladder, which is played during the league championship matchup. Settings 12 team keeper (5 keepers per season) 25 man rosters (22 starters; 3 bench; 2 DL) Scoring Format: Head-to-Head Each Category 3 acquisitions per matchup (6 in two-week playoffs) Waiver Period: 1 day Waiver Claim: move to last after claim, never reset order Trade deadline: Friday, July 29th, 12pm ET

Votes required to veto trade: 6 Categories Hitting: Runs, OBP (on base percentage), HR, RBI, stolen bases. Pitching: Wins, ERA, strikeouts, WHIP, saves note: ERA and WHIP require minimum 35 innings pitched per matchup Draft For the first time in our leagues history, the Sandlot will use keepers from this point forward. If you are unfamiliar with the term, a ‘keeper’ is a player that is kept on your roster from one season to the next. After each season concludes, each team may select up to five of their players to be kept on their team for the next season. The unselected players will be cast back into the draft pool. Draft type: Snake draft (1-12 — 12-1) Draft order will be determined through a lottery. The lottery video will be posted online one week prior to the draft. Teams are granted 120 seconds per draft pick. Should the team fail to select a player in the allotted time, the player at the top of the draft board will be drafted to their team. Divisions In keeping with Sandlot tradition, there will be two divisions: Mays Division and Mantle Division. The teams in each division will be determined randomly. Playoffs The winner of each division will be awarded the #1 and #2 playoff seeds. The teams with the remaining two best records— irregardless of division— will be awarded the #3 and #4 seeds. Weeks per playoff matchup: two weeks per round Playoff seeding tie-breakers: intra-division record

Trophies Aside from monetary payouts and bragging rights, numerous (virtual) trophies will handed out during and following the season. You can view the trophy catalogue here. _____________________________ I hope you guys are as excited for this as I am. Even with the season more than a month away, my baseball senses are tingling. The league is awash with talented veterans, peaking superstars, an array of aces, a large crop of exciting young players, and a slew of teams with realistic playoff aspirations. What a time to be alive! In the upcoming weeks, let’s work toward scheduling a draft date and time. It’s challenging to arrange for twelve people to be available at the same time, so the sooner we start discussing the draft, the better. I will start a related thread on our league message board. In the meantime, stay tuned for updates. Divisions will be announced soon, and the draft lottery will be posted to Youtube one week before the season. Lastly, for the majority of us who won’t add any winnings to our pockets, I hope this league proves to be a rewarding experience: a chance to watch, analyze, discuss, enjoy, and learn about the precious, timeless game of baseball. Glad to have you aboard, -Tim