SCORESHEET OLD TIMERS BASEBALL: N.L. DRAFT / RULES PACKET
Roster Balancing
For a Scoresheet web draft, you can turn Roster Balancing on or off using the box at the bottom of your player ranking webpage on your league's website. If you have Roster Balancing turned on, the draft program will follow the procedures described below. If you leave Roster Balancing off (which is the default setting), then when your draft pick is made, you will get your highest listed player that is still available regardless of position needs, and the procedures below will not apply. If you are not going to closely monitor the draft and change your list accordingly, you should consider turning Roster Balancing on to make sure you get a balanced team.
With Roster Balancing turned on, in each round when your turn comes up, the draft system will pick the highest ranked available (undrafted) player on your list, subject to the conditions described below. The purpose of Roster Balancing is to give you a starting player at each position before you start receiving second-string players. For example, if you think a good shortstop is very important, you might rank 4 of them in your top 10 choices. Once you draft one shortstop, Roster Balancing will skip the next shortstops listed and draft your highest ranked non-shortstops in subsequent rounds. Since you need 3 outfielders, and 4 pitchers to fill your rotation, Roster Balancing will not skip over outfielders until you have 3 of them, and will not skip over any regular pitchers until you have drafted 4 of them. At the end of Round 13, or possibly later if you've used the Plus Sign Option under Additional Baseball Rules, you should have one C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, three outfielders, four regular pitchers and one pitcher from our short reliever list.
HINT: It is best NOT to try and outguess how other owners will set up their lists. The best method is just to list players in the order you think they'd help your team! Please note that in the 1965-68 winter game there is NO DH!
After you have a starter at every position (including 3 outfielders and 4 regular pitchers), the draft program goes back to the top of your ranking list, and will begin similar Roster Balancing procedures for your backup players. In Rounds 14-29, you will get at least one reserve at every position, including 3 reserve outfielders, and 8 more pitchers (at least 5 of which are NOT short relievers), before you get your final players. (We give you 8 more pitchers because we feel a team should have at least 13 pitchers to do well in Scoresheet.) We also strongly suggest that on your second stage list you list plenty of catchers, as getting a third catcher will probably help your team! Also, you should list plenty of utility type players (those who qualify at more than one position) and/or extra shortstops, as any SS can play an adequate 2B and 3B in Scoresheet. At the end of Round 29, you should have 2 players at each of C, 1B, 2B, 3B, and SS; along with 6 OF's; and 13 pitchers, at least 9 of which are not listed as short relievers on the draft lists. Since almost anyone can field a competent first base in Scoresheet, we do not force you to draft a backup first baseman. So, we allow you to draft a fourth reserve outfielder instead of a backup 1B if as we go down your list we come to an undrafted 4th backup outfielder before an undrafted first baseman.
Your 30th through 36th picks can be almost anyone. After you get your backups at each position, these last picks can include up to: 4 more pitchers, 3 more outfielders, or up to 2 additional players at each other position. It is possible, if you do not list enough players at each position to ensure getting someone, that players may be assigned to your team by default. (The order players are assigned by default is by playing time. If you need both pitchers and position players, then for default drafting purposes one inning pitched is equivalent to 2 plate appearances.) Because of this, your ranking sheet should include plenty of players from every position. And as noted above, for a web draft you can choose to turn roster balancing on or off as the draft goes on. If roster balancing is off then you will simply get the number 1 player on your list who is still available, regardless of position needs.
