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1.01 | The Real Baseball League (RBBL) will consist of two leagues, the American and National Leagues. Each league will consist of 12 teams, broken down into 3 divisions of 4 teams each. |
1.02 | The franchise names will mirror the actual Major League Baseball franchise names, and teams will belong to their actual MLB leagues and divisions. |
1.03 | The season will be 162 games, from April through September. |
1.04 | Season play will be pure; the American League teams will only play other American League teams, the National League teams will play only other National League teams. Teams will play more games against their division opponents than they will against opponents in the other 2 division in their league. |
1.05 | Joining and playing in the league is free; there are no dues or other charges. |
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2.01 | RBBL is a 100% APBA Baseball for Windows (BBWin) 5.75 computer league, using League Manager (LM) and AIM. |
2.02 | The use of the Designated Hitter will mirror MLB rules; all leagues will use the DH. |
2.03 | MicroManagers are required for all road series where the visiting manager is not personally (in person, via internet, or otherwise) managing his team. Any micromanager may be used and must also be provided by the visiting manager if not commonly available to the league. |
2.04 | Owners are responsible for declaring their team's MicroManager and providing a copy to League Management to be posted on the league website so all can access. In the event that a team fails to designate a MicroManager, Buck Miller III will be used. |
2.05 | Owners are encouraged to play live if and whenever possible; however it is not a requirement and both managers must agree. Otherwise the visiting manager will have their team managed by their designated MicroManager. |
2.06 | Ballpark effects will not be used. |
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3.01 | Major League rosters will be limited to 45 players during the season. It is each team's responsibility to keep enough carded players on the 45 man roster to provide full seasonal coverage at all offensive positions as well as pitching. |
3.02 | A 27-man roster is used for each series and may be changed from series to series. It may not be changed in the middle of a series. |
3.03 | Active rosters may be expanded to the full 45-man limit after game #132 of the season has been played. |
3.04 | Players who did not play in the current season (previously carded players) may be retained. These players will be designated with DNP". They may not be used in games under any circumstances. DNP players count against the 45 man roster limit. |
3.05 | Teams are allowed to carry fewer than 45 players on the Major League roster at any time. During the season teams are not allowed to go over 45 players. In the off-season teams may exceed the 45 man limit but will be forced to cut down to 45 by March 1st. |
3.06 | Any player that makes their Major League Baseball debut immediately becomes the property of the associated RBBL team of that franchise. They will be added to that franchise's roster the following season as a carded player. At that point the owning franchise is free to keep/trade/cut the player just as any other. |
3.07 | Once a player makes the MLB debut, the team that owns their rights relinquishes those exclusive rights whenever they cut or trade the player. Only players who gain their initial APBA card are eligible for these exclusive rights; players who debuted in a prior season then reappear in the Majors (whether with the same team, or a different MLB franchise) are NOT eligible for exclusive franchise rights. |
3.08 | Each team is allowed one "franchise tag" that they may place on any prospect in their associated MLB franchise's minor league system. The purpose of the franchise tag is to protect a team's rights of the tagged player in the event he is traded to another MLB team before making his debut in the Majors. Eligible players must be under contract with the MLB team and be uncarded. Once a player gains their APBA card they are ineligible for the franchise tag forever. The franchise tag may be assigned once per year, on March 1st when roster cuts are due. The franchise tag will remain on the designated player indefinitely, until the player either makes an appearance at the MLB level and gains their APBA card, or the team designates a different player the following year. |
3.09 | If a team has severe fatigue or injury issues, they may claim players who are unowned to help with coverage. For each player picked up, a player must be released. At the end of the year, all "in-season waiver claims" must also be released. |
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4.01 | AIM will be used to manage all batting limits. |
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5.01 | (Deleted) |
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6.01 | A player may play at a non-rated position only when the starting and all rated backup players for that position have been injured, ejected, or substituted. Pinch-hitting or pinch running for the last available rated player at a position is allowed only from the 9th inning on. |
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7.01 | AIM will be used to manage all pitching limits. |
7.02 | Pitchers without a starting grade cannot start unless absolutely required due to injury. Any pitcher may be used in relief. |
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8.01 | AIM will be used to manage all injuries. |
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9.01 | All games will be played in Domed stadiums to prevent rainouts. |
9.02 | Any results submitted with rainouts will be ignored and the series will be simmed. |
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10.01 | Each manager must provide an f-file at the beginning of the season, designating team pitching rotation, roster, and lineups to be use for road games. This file may be changed after each series. |
10.02 | The 27-man active roster for each series must include a minimum of 2 rated players for each defensive position and a minimum of 5 rated players for the outfield. Each roster and lineup must have a minimum of 4 pitchers (may be rated relievers or starters with available relief appearances and innings) available for relief, and 4 starting pitchers, 3 of which are ineligible to pitch (resting). |
10.03 | Managers must upload their f-files to the league Groups.io Files section or email them to the Groups.io email account in a timely fashion upon the conclusion of each series. No series is official until the league statistician has validated the f-file. |
10.04 | It is each manager's responsibility to notify league management in advance if they will not be able to play their current series. |
10.05 | Due to the depth of the league and high degree of competition desired and expected, it is each owner's responsibility to actively manage their roster and play their games. Teams will accrue progressive penalties for delinquency and/or negligence in turning in their game results. The penalties are as follows:
1st two violations - no penalty
3rd violation - lose 3rd round pick
4th violation - lose 2nd round pick
5th violation -
6th violation - dismissal from the leaguelose 1st round pick
If a team is dismissed for such a reason, all previously forfeited picks will be reinstated for the incoming owner.
Owners are able to request a sim in advance without penalty. |
10.06 | Any manager who becomes AWOL after thirty (30) days, without having made prior arrangements with the commissioner, may be immediately terminated at the discretion of the commissioner. |
10.07 | Pitching rotations are to be scheduled for a minimum of the upcoming series. Managers are responsible to manage their rotation so that starters will be available (Rested or Ready status) for their scheduled starts. |
10.08 | No team may begin play until their season-opening f-file (with pitching rotation, roster, and lineups) is on file with the league statistician. |
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11.01 | The 3 division champions and the team remaining with the next best won-loss record ("Wildcard") will advance to the post-season in each league. The division winner with the best won-loss record will play the playoff team with the worst won-loss record in the first round; the 2 playoff teams with the 2nd and 3rd best records also play. The Division Playoff, League Championship Series, and World Series will be best-of-seven (7) games, played in a 2-2-1-1-1 format. |
11.02 | Wildcard and/or divisional ties will be broken by a one-game playoff, at the home of the team with the better record in head-to-head play. In the event of a head-to-head tie, the next tie-breaker used will be divisional record. If still tied, a coin flip by the commissioner will determine the home field. |
11.03 | Division winners have home field advantage over wildcard teams throughout the playoffs. |
11.04 | The World Series home team will be the team with the best regular season record. In the event of a tie, the following criteria will be used to break the tie: 1) Best road record 2) Most runs scored 3) Fewest sims 4) Coin flip. |
11.05 | Injuries from the season will NOT carry over into the playoffs. Any injuries sustained in the playoffs will carry through the rest of the playoffs. |
11.06 | Player fatigue from the regular season will carry over into the playoffs. |
11.07 | Playoff rosters will be 27 players and must be declared before the start of the playoffs. |
11.08 | Playoff rosters may be changed between series (i.e., between LDS/LCS or LCS/WS); changes to the roster during an actively played series are not allowed. |
11.09 | Only starting pitchers with 50 or more innings pitched, and relievers with 25 or more innings pitched are eligible for post-season play. A starter or split-grade pitcher with at least 25 but less than 50 innings may be used in the post-season, but only in relief. |
11.10 | Innocuous batters (OPS < .600) and pitchers (Grade 1-4, MBF 1000) are eligible for the post-season regardless of their actual MLB at-bat and innings totals. |
11.11 | A DH will be used for all post-season games. |
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12.01 | MVP, "CY Young", "Rookie of the Year", and "Fireman of the Year" votes, for each league, will be taken at the end of the season and acknowledged. |
12.02 | A voluntary Awards Committee will be formed at the end of the season to vote on league All-Stars, Gold Gloves, and Silver Sluggers. Any owner that wishes to participate may join the Awards Committee. |
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13.01 | An annual draft of available players (unowned carded players) will be conducted each year on a date determined by the commissioner (approximately early January). The draft will be held via the league Draft Website and will be 10 rounds in duration. |
13.02 | All unaffiliated players on the new APBA data disk are eligible for the draft. |
13.03 | The draft order will be set in the inverse order of the final standings. The 17-24 positions of the rookie draft are set based on playoff finish. The World Series winner will be assigned position 24, the World Series loser will be assigned position 23. The LCS losers will be assigned positions 21 and 22, with the team with the worse regular season record getting the 21st position. Positions 17 through 20 will be filled by the four playoff teams that lost in the divisional round, slotted by regular season record, from worst (position 17) to best (position 20). In the event of ties for any position, the previous year's standings will be used to determine those teams position in the first round and they will alternate in subsequent rounds. |
13.04 | Draft picks may be traded at any time that trading is open, including during the actual draft. |
13.05 | Instructions, draft order, and a list of eligible players will be distributed prior to the draft. |
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14.01 | Trades can take place at any time during the season, with the exception of short roster freeze periods that will be announced by league management. |
14.02 | No trades are official until reported by both managers to the League Management for confirmation. Trades will be reported to the league in a timely manner via the website and mailing list. |
14.03 | The in-season trade deadline is at the series that contains Game #133. No trades may take place between Game #133 and the end of the playoffs. The commissioner will announce when trading is reopened at the conclusion of the World Series. |
14.04 | Draft picks for the next upcoming (or current, if in progress) annual draft are the only draft picks permitted in trades. |
14.05 | In the event that collusion or other unfair/unethical is suspected, League Management will form a Trade Committee of 5 owners (picked at random) to review the trade in question. If a majority of the Trade Committee feels that there is a breach of ethics and fair play the trade will be overturned. The Trade Committee will be instructed to only consider foul play and an obvious attempt to cheat; the trade being subjectively uneven is not grounds in and of itself to nullify the trade. |
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15.01 | Prior to the season, the commissioner (or his delegate) will perform adjustments to various AIM player ratings. |
15.02 | Innocuous batters (OPS < .600) with an injury rating of J-3 or J-4 will have it adjusted to J-2. |
15.03 | Any batters with a Season Factor (SF) less than 100 will have it normalized to 100. This will reduce the player's PR as a result (e.g. a 1000/60 player will become a 600/100 player). With SF=100, the player will no longer be "games-limited" in their usage. |
15.04 | Pitchers with a grade of 1, 2, 3, or 4 will have their Maximum Batters Faced (MBF) set to 1000. |
15.05 | Grade 1-4 starting pitchers will have their injury rating set to J-2 and their Durability rating set to 2. This will result in their MRR being calculated to 35 and RF to 9. |
15.06 | Grade 1-4 relievers will have their injury rating set to J-0 and their Durability rating set to 1. This will result in their MRR being calculated to 18 and RF to 7. |
15.07 | Split grade pitchers with both grades 4 or under will have their injury rating set to J-1 and their Durability rating set to 2 as a starter and 1 as a reliever. |
15.08 | IIf a split grade pitcher has either grade greater than 4, they will not receive any AIM adjustments. |
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16.01 | All rule changes to the RBBL Constitution must be approved by a two-thirds majority of the voting managers. |
16.02 | New additions to the constitution must receive majority approval. |
16.03 | Any league manager may submit rule proposals. |
16.04 | Voting on rule proposals/charter modifications for the following season will take place within 30 days after the playoffs are completed. No in-season modifications to the charter will be permitted. |
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17.01 | Shohei Ohtani will be "cloned" to create two "cards" -- OHTANI-P (pitcher only, 17 XY, 28 GS, 735 MBF) and OHTANI-H (OF-1/31, 971/100). They will count as one player for roster purposes. |
17.02 | OHTANI-P may be used as a starting pitcher only (not in relief) and may NEVER bat. He must always be BENCHED to prevent him from being used in relief or as an offensive player. |
17.03 | OHTANI-H may be used as DH in any game, whether or not OHTANI-P is starting. He may not start in the field. For any game in which OHTANI-P is starting, OHTANI-H must either be in the lineup as DH or be BENCHED. |
17.04 | If either Ohtani is injured, his ability to perform in the other role will not be affected. Since Ohtani is rated J-0, injuries should be rare if at all, and limited to the duration of the current game. |
