DRAFT PROCEDURES

NOTE: Final draft procedures are finalized just before each draft begins. What follows are the procedures used in 2006.

Every team gets 460 "draft dollars" to create their team, an average of $20 per position.

It was decided that existing teams in the league could keep three players from their rosters at the end of the previous season. (This has been a long tradition.) Each team announced their three keepers prior to draft day. The players they kept did not come free though! The value of the held players were determined by the The Fantasy Baseball Guide magazine. Albert Pujols, for example, was retained by Randy’s MayDay Malones. His value was $45, leaving Steve with $415 to fill his other 22 roster spots.

In 2006, when new owners were added to the league, the new clubs to the league were then allowed to select three players in the same manner. They chose from the final 2005 rosters for teams that had dropped out of the league and those players left from the existing team's previous roster. The other restriction was that, besides the final rosters of teams that left the league (where all players were available), only one player could be selected from each of the returning owner’s final ’05 rosters.

NOTE FOR 2007: We are moving to the possibility of each team keeping four players. However, the total value of any keepers cannot exceed $100 in book value (which will insure some premier players will be available for the auction). There will also be a restriction that no more than 2 hitters or 2 pitchers may be carried over.

Selecting players that are not eligible for the open draft is a way to cut down on draft time and to provide continuity from season to season.

The rest of the rosters are filled by AUCTION DRAFT. The champion from last season gets to nominate the first player to be drafted. He names the player, his current Major league team, the position(s) he qualifies for, and his opening bid. The minimum starting bid is $1. Bidding increments must be in whole dollars. Bidding then goes around the table clockwise, with the next owner deciding to raise the bid or to pass. ONCE YOU PASS ON A PLAYER, you are not allowed back into the bidding for that player. Once the top bid is finally reached on the first player, the owner next to the previous champion nominates the next player to be drafted.

When it comes time to nominate a player, the owner has one minute in which to do so. This rule must be maintained to keep the draft on schedule. An owner may pass on his turn to nominate a player, but after an owner passes for the third time, he is out of the draft! (This often comes into play late in the draft when an owner has filled all 23 positions but may have some money left to draft players.)

THE FINER POINTS - OK, these are the more detailed draft procedures. See if you can follow:

- Once the draft is declared "Officially" over, the rosters are set. The 23-man roster at the end of the draft will be your scoring players for Week 1. Any transactions occurring after the draft is officially over will take effect beginning with Week 2. (So if your star player breaks his leg in an exhibition game the day after the draft, he will not be eligible for your disabled list until Week 2! The same also goes if your "hot rookie" gets sent back to the Minor Leagues.)

- Trades are legal and encouraged during the draft. They are also FREE. (We had one during the 1998 draft!) You may trade players and/or draft dollars. Any roster moves because of trades before the draft is "Officially" ended will take effect with Week 1. Remember though that the Salary Cap value of players acquired by trade is determined by the book value, not the draft value.

- Any player drafted may be dropped prior to the end of the draft. HOWEVER, you cannot recover the draft dollars used to bid on that player. This often happens near the end of the draft when an owner has extra draft dollars. They may be able to improve themselves at a particular position. (Or maybe they accidentally drafted a tenth pitcher by accident!) In any case, no other owner can pick up that dropped player except via trade or paid transaction after the draft.

A "tote board" will be kept up-to-date throughout the draft showing the remaining draft dollars for each owner.