APBA Computer Baseball League Rules    

1. INTRODUCTION
   1. The APBA Computer Baseball League (ACBL) was born out of a desire to play a retro league based on the latest version of APBA Baseball for Windows and League Manager Power Tool. While the league will be full of competition, it's main purpose is to have fun and to promote camaraderie amongst its members.
2. LEAGUE STRUCTURE
1. The ACBL will be composed of two 7 team leagues, the Federal League and the Colonial League.
2. The data disk used for each season will be the one sold by the APBA Game Company and/or Miller Associates. Miller Associates Wizard for Windows program will be used to create a data disk if no disk has been created by either company for that particular season. The ONLY changes to these data disks will be as follows:
   1. Pitchers grades will be adjusted (if needed) so that the Weighted Average Pitching Grade (WAG) for the data disk is within the range of 9.0 to 9.7 with 9.5 being the most desirable, or, at the discretion of the commissioner, adjusted to reflect statistical accuracy using MakoJo's CMBA Grade Calculator Program.
   2. Pitchers Maximum Batters Faced will be changed as described under 9.5.1 through 9.5.7 below.
3. The DH will not be used in either league.
4. This will be a continuous ownership league and all players, once drafted, remain with your team until traded or released.
5. An annual draft of all rookies and free agents will be held at a time determined by the commissioner after completion of the previous season.
3. REGULAR SEASON
1. The regular season will consist of 14 games versus each team in your league (84 games) and 10 games versus each team in the other league (70 games) for a total of 154 games for all seasons from 1876 through 1960.  After 1960, seasons will be 162 games in length and the commissioner will create fair and equitable schedules.
2. The season will start at a time determined by the commissioner upon completion of the draft and will run for a period of 26 weeks for all seasons from 1876 through 1960. Post 1960 the number of weeks of the season may vary.  A team will have either home games or road games during each week, never both.
3. A team will be involved in one series vs. one other team during each week. For all season from 1876 through 1960, all series vs. teams from the same league will be 7 game series and all series vs. teams from the other league will be 5 game series. The only exception to this would be due to rescheduled rainouts.  Series lengths may vary after 1960.
4. The commissioner will send a "commissioner file" (c-file) to all league members prior to the league draft. This c-file will contain all teams' pre-draft rosters and the schedule for the upcoming season. Another c-file will be sent after the league draft that will include all of the post-draft rosters.
5. Each manager shall send a default "Franchise File" (f-file) to the commissioner no later than 4 days prior to the season start date. This default f-file shall include a pitching rotation, a lineup vs. right-handed pitchers and a lineup vs. left-handed pitchers.
6. Each manager will have the opportunity to override the default f-file settings each week by sending the commissioner a new f-file. The most recent sent f-file will be used if no new f-file is received by the commissioner prior to the published deadline during any week of the regular season.
7. In League Manager, before creating an f-file, each manager should do the following:
1. Assign lineups vs. LHP's and RHP's
2. Designate a MicroManager for your road games (the default MicroManager will be Cookie Lopez).
3. Put in a pitching rotation (this can be done for the upcoming series or for any length of games in the future).
8. Prior to playing games, managers are not required to send an f-file to the commissioner if their series for the week is at home butut they do need to install the current Playball c-file sent from the commissioner to insure they have the latest update to the team they are facing.
9. Managers playing home games are required to send an f-file to the commissioner after playing their home series for the week. This f-file shall be received by the commissioner no later than the published deadline or the games will autoplayed by the commissioner in order to keep the season schedule running on time.
4. POST SEASON
1. Prior to the 1969 Season, playoff qualifiers will be the top three finishers in each league.
2. In each league the third place team will face the second place team in best of 5 series in round 1 of the post season. The second place team will host games 1, 2 and 5 (if necessary) of this Wildcard Series (WCS).
3. The winners of the Wildcard Series will then face their respective league pennant winner in a best of 7 series. The pennant winners will host games 1, 2, 6 and 7 (if necessary) of this League Championship Series (LCS).
4. The winners of the League Championship Series will then meet in a best of 7 series. The team with the best regular season record will host games 1, 2, 6 and 7 (if necessary) of this World Series (WS).
5. Any ties in the standings other than a tie for 2nd place in the League standings or a tie between the 3rd and 4th postseason seeds (post 1968) will be broken by a one game playoff, hosted by the team who won the season series. In the event of a tie in the season series, the commissioner will toss a coin.  Ties for 2nd place in the League standings or between the 3rd and 4th postseason seeds will be broken by:
   1. Head to Head records between the teams, or, if still tied,
   2. Redord against League opponents, or, if still tied,
   3. Coin toss
6.   Starting with the 1969 Season, there will be 4 postseason qualifiers in each league and they will be seeded 1-4 as follows:
1. Division winner with best record
2. Other division winner
3. Wildcard team with best record
4. Other Wildcard Team
7. The first round of the postseason will be called the Wildcard Series (WCS), with each league having 2 WCS.  One series will be a best of 5 series with seed 4 playing seed 1.  Games 1 and 2 will be at seed 1.  Games 3 and 4 (if necessary) will be at seed 4.  Game 5 (if necessary) will be at seed 1.  The other WCS will be a best of 5 series with seed 3 playing seed 2.  Games 1 and 2 will be at seed 2.  Games 3 and 4 (if necessary) will be at seed 3.  Game 5 (if necessary) will be at seed 2.

8. The second round of the postseason will be the League Championship Series (LCS) featuring the winners of the WCS.  These series will be a best of 7 series.  The higher seeded team will have home field advantage for the series with home games in games 1, 2 and, if necessary, games 6 and 7.

9. The final round of the postseason will be the World Series featuring the winners of the LCS.  These series will be a best of 7 series..  The higher seeded team will have home field advantage for the series.  If the teams have the same seed number then the team with the better regular season record will have home field advantage for the series.  If they both had the same regular season record then the team with the better head-to-head record in the regular season will have home field advantage for the series.  If there is still a tie then a coin flip will determine home field advantage for the series.
10. There will be one day of rest between the end of the season and the beginning of post season play. There will be one day of rest between games 2 and 3 of the Wildcard Series. There will be one day of rest between games 2 and 3 and between games 5 and 6 of the League Championship Series and the World Series. For rotation purposes, all subsequent post season series start dates will be based on all series going their maximum duration and one day off between each series. So if one or more or all series end early, the pitching staffs will gain maximum rest time.
11. A postseason series may be played with MicroManagers managing the visiting team if both managers agree to this.  Otherwise, all postseason series shall be played head-to-head, either in person or via an internet based screen sharing (ie., Zoom, MicroSoft Teams, TeamViewer) if possible.  If this is not possible then the series shall be played via telephone.  If it is not possible to play head-to-head via any of the aforementioned methods then the manager who is unable to play head-to-head must select another manager from the league to manage his team for the series.  The commissioner will assign a replacement manager if necessary.  There will be no solo-playing and no auto-playing of post season series unless extreme circumstances exist and the commissioner approves it.
5. PRE-SEASON DRAFT
1. The pre-season draft will be held on Stratdraft.com or via e-mail. The start date for each season's draft will be determined by the commissioner.
2. All managers must cut their rosters down to 25 "carded" players prior to the start of the draft with the following exceptions:
   1. In 1921 rosters must be cut to 22
   2. In 1920 through 1916 rosters must be cut to 20
   3. In 1915 and earlier rosters must be cut to 18
3. The draft order will consist of:
1. All 8 rounds will be in reverse order of the teams’ regular season winning percentage from the previous season, with the exception of section 5.3.2 below.
2. The 6 playoff teams will draft in the last 6 positions regardless of record. Their order will be World Series winner (14th), WS loser (13th), LCS loser with better record (12th), other LCS loser (11th), WC Series loser with better record (10th) and other WC Series loser (9th).
3. Any ties will be broken by the teams' AWAY record for the previous season, with the team with the better away record drafting first and then reversing the order each subsequent round.
4. The remaining free agents will then be dealt out to teams, one player at a time, in order of the draft order determined above, using the Draft function within the Advanced Draft program.
6. ROSTER RULES
1. There is no limit on the number of "carded" players a team may have on its roster at any given time after the pre-season draft and before the cuts for the following season are due. Managers must ensure that they have enough coverage at all positions for the entire season.
2. Teams may carry uncarded players on their roster without these players counting towards any roster limits, but are allowed no more than 4 at one time with the following exceptions:
   1. In 1921 teams may carry 3 uncarded players
   2. In 1920 and earlier teams may carry 2 uncarded players
3. Active roster size for league play during the season is as follows (all dates below are season schedule dates, not actual dates):
1. From Opening Day to end of last series in August – 25 players through the 1969 season.  Starting in 1970, roster size will be 26.
2. From end of last series in August to end of season – up to 40 players
3. Postseason roster size is 25 up to 1969 and then 26 thereafter.
4. Roster size must be cut the amount of "carded" players as per section 5.2 above after the post season and before the start of every pre-season draft.
5. Players may be moved between the farm team and the "big league" club during the season, between series. Roster moves during a series is not allowed. 
7. TRADES
1. Off season trading is allowed at the conclusion of the post season.
2. Draft picks for the current season or the next season's draft may be traded, but no draft picks beyond that may be traded.
3. Trading during the season is allowed from Opening Day until end of last series that end in August (schedule dates). No trading can occur from this point on until the end of the post season.
4. Trading is allowed between teams from different leagues, with the following restrictions:
5. There will be no trading restrictions up to the end of the last series in July (League Manager Schedule date)
6. From the end of the last series in July until the end of the last series in August (both LM Schedule dates), trading may only occur between teams in the same league.
7. All trades must be reported to and approved by the commissioner.
8. PLAYING RULES – REGULAR SEASON
1. Starters -- Only pitchers who had at least one start may start a game, unless the automode of League Manager chooses otherwise due to the unavailability of any rested starting pitchers.
2. Only pitchers that were actually used as pinch hitters (ie., their games played is greater that their games pitched) may do so in the ACBL unless all other players have been used.
3. Pitchers can be used as pinch runners.
4. The Bunt for a Base Hit option may only be used if managers are playing face to face.
5. In the event of a rainout, and if the game is not official, the game will stand as not official and the commissioner will reschedule the game for a later date, if necessary. If the rained out game is a tie, it will be replayed at the end of the season if it has a bearing on the pennant race.
6. Players are allowed to play only at positions at which they are rated unless, due to an injury during a game or series, that player is the last player rated at a position. When using a player out of position, the substitute should be a reasonable choice.
9. PLAYER RESTRICTIONS – REGULAR SEASON
1. AIM will handle all maximum restrictions on players and pitchers, except stolen bases. All players are restricted to their actual stolen base attempts plus 25%. This includes all attempts made during Hit & Run plays and squeeze plays. If a player goes beyond 125% of his actual stolen base attempts it is the manager of that team's responsibility to notify the commissioner. Upon notification, the player's stolen base rating will be changed to N00 for the remainder of the regular season only. Failure to notify the commissioner will results in the player's stolen base rating being changed to N00 for the remainder of the regular season and remaining at N00 for post season play.
2. All non-pitchers are required to have at least 1/3 of their actual plate apprearances at the conclusion of the regular season.
3. All pitchers are required to have at least 1/3 of their actual innings pitched (IP) at the conclusion of the regular season.
4. Failure to meet the conditions of 9.2 or 9.3 above will result in the loss of the player to free agency upon completion of the post season.
5. There is already a built in 10% bonus added to pitchers Maximum Batters Faced (MBF). To allow for some leeway, the MBF for pitchers will be adjusted further, as follows:

   1. Starting pitchers graded 6 or above will have no change.

   2. Starting pitchers graded 4 or 5 will be assigned a MBF of 750 unless their actual is higher.

   3. Starting pitchers rated 3 and below will be assigned a MBF of 1000 unless their actual is higher

   4. Relief pitchers graded 6 and above will have no change.

   5. Relief pitchers graded 4 or 5 will be assigned a MBF of 400 unless their actual is higher.

   6. Relief pitchers graded 3 or less will be assigned a MBF of 600 unless their actual is higher.

   7. Split grade pitchers with less than 7 starts will be treated as relief pitchers and adjusted accordingly. If they have 7 or more starts they will be treated as starting pitchers and adjusted accordingly.

6. AIM assigns a PR rating of 930 and a SF rating of 100 to “innocuous” players (i.e., players whose actual OBP + SLG < .600).  The only change to this will be that “innocuous” players whose actual OBP > .350 will have their PR changed to their actual G + PA (Games played + Plate Appearances). 
7. Low grade pitchers (grade 5 or less) whose actual OBP > .350 and actual AB < 25 will have at bats added to their actual batting stats to bring down their OBP to less than .333 and their batting card changed in Wizard to reflect the new stats.
8. Players with a secondary position rating at pitcher with a grade higher than 3 will be allowed to pitch their actual number of innings at the grade assigned on the disk. Once they meet or exceed their actual number of innings their grade will be changed to 1*W(M) for the remainder of the regular and post season.
9. Flagrant violation of player usage will result in draft picks being lost, managerial sanctions or removal if necessary. Depth of violation will determine penalty
10. PLAYER ROSTER/RESTRICTIONS – POSTSEASON
1.  You will be able to adjust the roster between rounds in the playoffs, but not between games of a series, except in the event of an injury that would extend beyond the end of the current series. Player restrictions for the post season are based on AIM allowances. Fatigue is carried forward from the regular season, including injuries.
2. Batters must attain at least 50 plate appearances in the current ACBL regular season in order to be eligible to be on a team's post season roster. "Innocuous" (930 PR) players are exempt from this restriction. 
3. Pitchers must have pitched at least 25 innings in the current ACBL regular season in order to be eligible to be on a team's post season roster.  Pitchers with grade 3 or less are exempt from this restriction.
4. Starting pitchers with a regular season MBF (Maximum Batters Faced) allowance of 150 or less are restricted to 15% of their regular season MBF for each post season series. Starting pitchers are defined as any pitcher with a starting pitcher grade. This rule would not apply to relief only pitchers. These starting pitchers are also not allowed to start a post season game.
5. Batters with less than 50 actual plate appearances cannot start any post season games unless they are "innocuous" (930 PR) players.
6. You will be able to adjust the roster between rounds in the playoffs, but not between games of a series, except in the event of an injury that would extend beyond the end of the current series. Player restrictions for the post season are based on AIM allowances. Fatigue is carried forward from the regular season, including injuries.
11. FILE DUE DATE/SCHEDULE
1. Beginning with week 1 of the regular season and then continuing with each week of the regular season, the commissioner will email all managers a Playball c-file for that week's games.  All managers with home games in week 1 are required to install this Playball c-file in League Manager before playing their home series.   In this email, the commissioner will announcer a due date and time for results f-files to be emailed back to him.  This due date and time will be no less than 3 full days from the time the email is sent.
2. Upon receipt of all results f-files for the current week or as soon as practical after the due date and time set in 10.1 above the commissioner will, after compiling all results for the week, send out a Results c-file to all managers.  If a team's results f-file is not received on or before the due date and time set in 10.1 above, the commissioner will autoplay the series.  When emailing the Results c-file, the commissioner will announce the due date and time for any lineups f-files to be emailed to him.  This due date and time will be no less than 24 hours from the time the Results c-file is emailed.
3. Managers with away games for the upcoming week shall send the commissioner an f-file with any roster changes, lineups and a pitching rotation no later than the due date and time set in 10.2 above. Managers with home games for the upcoming week are not required to send this f-file to the commissioner as they can make changes to their team prior to playing their games in the upcoming week.
4. The commissioner will then email the next Playball c-file as per 10.1 above as soon as practical after the due date and time set in 10.2 above.  This cycle will continue until the regular season is complete.
5. It his highly recommended that all manager install all c-files sent by he commissioner even if they feel they don't need the current changes so that all manmagers have the most up-to-date files as all times throughout the season.
12. COMMISSIONER'S ROLE
1. The commissioner's role is a position to best serve the interests of the APBA Computer Baseball League.
2. The commissioner shall have the authority to mediate disputes on organizational issues and make final decisions when all sides of an issue have been presented and are still unresolved.
3. The commissioner shall have the authority to assess penalties and/or suspend managers and/or players for overuse of players, habitually late f-files and late league correspondence.
4. The commissioner, above all, shall strive to be accessible to the league members and help promote communication and understanding among the members of the APBA Computer Baseball League.