On Wednesday, pitchers and catchers will report for Spring Training with positional players joining a few days later. That means we're getting closer to kicking off the inaugural season of the Sagebrush Cactus Fantasy Baseball League.
With the start of our season just over 30 days away, I'm sure you're all deep into the throws of your research. So, I thought it would be a good idea to touch base and go over a few items.
DRAFT
First things first, a long and embarrassing season for you guys will begin with the draft. Our draft is scheduled for Sunday, March 19th at 18:00 MST (17:00 PST/20:00 EST), but you already knew that. The draft will be auction format - because that's the only correct way to draft - with a $260 budget for each team. Try not to blow it all before the 3rd round.
SCHEDULE
Because the playoff seeding tie-breaker in our league is head-to-head matchups, it's important that we finish with a good sample size to evaluate. I've adjusted the schedule so each team will play their divisional rivals three times in addition to five inter-league contests. If numbers are hard for you, that means every team will have one inter-league opponent that they will not face during the regular season. Perhaps you'll see them in the SCL Series.
Also, don't forget, each week teams will receive an additional win or loss against the average score for the league. That means each team will have a total of 40 wins & losses - mostly losses, I'm sure - at the end of the regular season.
SCORING SYSTEM
Whether or not you've played fantasy baseball before, I always recommend taking a close look at our league's scoring system. While our system probably isn't very unique, it's a good idea to know what you'll receive points for - it will help you understand why your top draft pick finishes the season with a PRK of 187.
SHOHEI OHTANI
You'd have to be a pretty good player for fantasy leagues to make a special rule to individually address your superior talents. And that's the case with Shohei Ohtani.
Since several of you have already asked about how Ohtani's points will accrue, I thought I'd take a minute to address it before one of you knuckleheads spends $242 to draft him. In our league, and most others, Ohtani will only accrue points for the statistical categories at the position you start him at. So, if you start him as your UTIL you'll receive points for his hitting, not his pitching. And, vice versa, if you start him at SP or P, you will only receive points for his pitching statistics, not his hitting. No double-dipping.
ALL-STAR LINEUP CHALLENGE
In addition to preparing for the draft, you'll also want to assemble your team for the All-Star Lineup Challenge. Remember, your lineup can only consist of players from either the AL or the NL, not both, and you can only choose one player from each team.
That's all I have for now. If you have any questions please feel free to reach out to someone who cares. Or, if you must, you can contact me and I'll reluctantly help you.
Best,
-- Commish
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