Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Powers of the Commissioner
- Owner Responsibilities
- General
- Exporting
- Roster Management
- Lineup Management
- Disabled List Management
- Designated For Assignment List Management
- Personnel Management
- Participation in Slack and Whaleheads.com
- Participation during the Winter Meetings
- Game Settings
- Team Market Values
- WLB Ownership System
- Incentive Point System (IP$)
- Player Pool
- Rule 4 – Amateur Draft
- Minor Leaguer Draft
- Minor League Roster Rules
- Waivers and DFA
- Moving to a New City
- Options and Service Time Tips
- Trading Money
- Trades with AI Teams
- Minor League Schedules
- Expansion
- 2019 Expansion Rules
- 2022-2023 Expansion Rules
Economics Outside the Game
- Team Market Values
- Incentive Point System (IP$)
- Player Pool
- Rule 4 – Amateur Draft
- Minor League Roster Rules
- Waivers and DFA
- Moving to a New City
- Options and Service Time Tips
- Trading Money
- Trades with AI Teams
- Minor League Schedules
- 2019 Playoff Format
- 2019 Expansion Rules
Introduction
The Whalehead League was founded in 1990 as a seven-team, face-to-face league playing Pursue the Pennant.
Powers of the Commissioner
The Commissioner can act in the best interests of the league at any time, with any means at his disposal.
Owner Responsibilities
There are seven base responsibilities involved with participation in the Whalehead League:
- Exporting
- Roster Management
- Lineup and Rotation Management
- Disabled List Management
- DFA Management
- Personnel Management
- Participation in Slack and Whaleheads.com
The Commissioner will contact GMs neglecting any of these responsibilities, but Incentive Point (IP$) penalties will be immediately assessed to GMs who neglect Exporting, Roster Management, and DFA Management responsibilities. Continued neglect could result in additional IP$ penalty. Repeated violations can result in forfeiture of your league membership.
Details of these seven responsibilities are found below:
Exporting
It is mandatory for every GM to export at least once every week (seven days) of the regular season sim regardless of whether or not they have moves to make. Members are also expected to export in advance of any playoff sims in which their team is participating. Exporting in advance of off-season sims is optional but highly encouraged.
An online export tracker is available to assist members. The Commissioner will provide notification, in Slack in the #wlb_schedule channel, of the league’s upcoming schedule and when a new league file is ready for download.
Exports may be submitted at any time during a sim cycle. To avoid last-second hang-ups that may prevent you from exporting, all members are advised to send a “safety export” immediately upon importing a new league file. A more thorough export may be submitted later in the cycle. (Getting into the habit of sending a “safety export” is good practice.)
Members agree to contact the Commissioner if they will be unable to export each week. WLB members should recognize that timely exporting is the most basic and essential requisite of a smoothly running league. In turn, the Commissioner recognizes that life responsibilities/emergencies can and do occasionally conflict with the exporting process. Unexcused and excused missed exports will be handled thusly:
Unexcused: If you fail to export two consecutive weeks without explanation, you should expect a message from the Commissioner checking on your status.
Excused: To gain excused status (and still earn Incentive Points) you must contact the Commissioner at least week sim in advance (unless it is a true emergency). Briefly explain why you will be unavailable for one or more weeks. Assuming the reason is valid (and most reasons will be accepted as valid), you will be excused from your exporting responsibilities. Members who will be absent for one or two weeks should also set the in-game AI their teams’ affairs.
Excused absences are meant to be temporary in nature. Members who need to miss an extended period should contact the Commissioner directly.
Roster Management
Each sim, every GM will ensure the rosters of all teams of all levels meet player limits listed below:
2022 Rules
- AAA – 28 players – 0-50 years old – No service limits
- AA – 28 players – No service limits
- A+ – High A – 30 players – 5 years service max
- A – Low A – 30 players – 4 years service max
- R – Rookie/Short Season – 35 players – 3 years service max
Counting the 15 40-Man players optioned to the minor leagues, we’ll have 141 minor leaguers.
Minor league roster limits are enforced during both the in- and off-season.
As the WLB is meant to mimic real life baseball conditions, teams are expected to have service time appropriate rosters. Failure to meet these requirements will result in auto-assignment by the Commissioner (which may not be to your liking). Illegal players on rosters will result in loss of IP$ as outlined in that section of the league rules.
Roster Expansion: On September 1 of each year, the 40-Man Roster expands to 28 players.
Playoff Rosters: Playoff roster eligibility is determined by OOTP. To be eligible for the playoff roster, a player must be on the 26-man major league roster or DL by the day prior to a league’s roster expansion. If less than 26 players are on a team’s active roster on the listed dates, the vacant roster spot(s) must also remain vacant during the playoffs. Roster moves cannot be made while a playoff series is in progress. Ineligible players on a playoff roster will be removed by the Commissioner. Their vacated roster spot may not be filled for the duration of the current playoff series.
Playoff injury replacement rules:
- If a playoff-eligible player is injured between league roster expansion and the start of the playoffs, he may be replaced on the playoff roster by any playoff-eligible player.
- A player who is injured during the course of the playoffs may be replaced between series by any player who was on a roster in your organization prior to your league’s roster expansion.
Lineup Management
GMs are expected to have all applicable lineups, rotations and depth charts fully set up for each team within their organization while that team’s league is in season. Minimum requirements include:
- Appropriate batting orders completely filled out
- Depth charts that are reasonably set up to utilize all hitters on the roster
- At least 4 pitchers slotted as SP
- At least 5 pitchers slotted as RP
As leaving injured players on a roster increases the risk of injury to other players on the roster via overuse, GMs are expected to adjust for injuries (use the Disabled Lists as appropriate) and take other roster movement as needed.
If GMs choose to manage their line-ups, it’s important they keep up on the task between sims. If a GM is too busy or unavailable, turn the task over to your Bench Coach.
Disabled List Management
Players must be removed from your DL within one sim of returning to full health and serving their minimum DL stint. Note that the number associated with each DL (15 or 60-day) represents the minimum time the player must remain there, not the maximum.
Designated For Assignment List Management
Players will be placed on a team’s Designated For Assignment (DFA) list for one of three reasons:
- Demotions of a player from the 25-Man who has no option years remaining and has not previously cleared waivers.
- Attempts to remove a player from 40-Man who has not previously cleared waivers.
- All newly acquired players with major league contracts who have not been assigned are automatically placed on the DFA list.
Players who are designated for assignment may stay on the DFA list for up 8 days during the regular season and off-season. GM’s must assign, trade or release a player before his allotted time on the list expires. Failure to do so will result in the player getting released by the Commissioner.
Personnel Management
GMs are expected to keep all teams in their organizations fully staffed while in season. Any organization which is not fully staffed at the beginning of the season will be given a warning. Failure to have your organization fully staffed within 2 weekly sim cycles following the warning will result in a $500k fine per open staff slot. The Assistant GM slot is the only slot that is not required to be filled.
Participation
Members are required to participate in several league events and functions. These include:
- Participating in the Amateur Draft
- Voting on End-of-Year Awards
- Providing opinions or votes on Commissioner posted rules questions
- Participating on Slack and Whaleheads.com
The league also has several special events. Most special events are considered optional (the Amateur Draft being one exception). The Commissioner will spell out any participation requirements in advance of these events.
The league rewards GM participation using its Incentive Point System (IP$).
Some of this section taken from PEBA
Team Market Values
Below you will find the estimated value of each market. Please keep in mind the values are in 2019 dollars. Also keep in mind the information is based on my own (possibly flawed) game research. As I learn more about the game I will revisit the topic. For now consider them very broad estimates.
Market Values is an estimate of how much extra money you can earn based on the market. Keep in mind this revenue will be watered down due to Revenue Sharing.
| 2019 Revenue Ranges (Projected) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30% Fan Interest | 100% Fan Interest | |||||
| MLB Team | Available | Market | Loyalty | Total Revenue | Total Revenue | Market Value |
| NYY | 10 | 10 | $170,000,000 | $220,000,000 | $34,000,000 | |
| CHC | 8 | 10 | $169,000,000 | $218,000,000 | $33,000,000 | |
| BOS | 7 | 10 | $168,000,000 | $218,000,000 | $32,000,000 | |
| SF | 7 | 10 | $168,000,000 | $218,000,000 | $32,000,000 | |
| LAD | 9 | 9 | $165,000,000 | $214,000,000 | $29,000,000 | |
| PHI | 8 | 9 | $164,000,000 | $214,000,000 | $28,000,000 | |
| TOR | 8 | 9 | $164,000,000 | $214,000,000 | $28,000,000 | |
| STL | 6 | 9 | $162,000,000 | $212,000,000 | $26,000,000 | |
| COL | Yes | 8 | 8 | $160,000,000 | $209,000,000 | $24,000,000 |
| ATL | 7 | 8 | $159,000,000 | $209,000,000 | $23,000,000 | |
| CIN | Yes | 6 | 8 | $158,000,000 | $208,000,000 | $22,000,000 |
| DET | 6 | 8 | $158,000,000 | $208,000,000 | $22,000,000 | |
| TEX | Yes | 7 | 7 | $154,000,000 | $204,000,000 | $18,000,000 |
| ARI | Yes | 6 | 7 | $153,000,000 | $203,000,000 | $17,000,000 |
| MIL | Yes | 6 | 7 | $154,000,000 | $203,000,000 | $18,000,000 |
| SD | 6 | 7 | $154,000,000 | $203,000,000 | $18,000,000 | |
| NYM | 10 | 6 | $153,000,000 | $202,000,000 | $17,000,000 | |
| WSN | 8 | 6 | $151,000,000 | $201,000,000 | $15,000,000 | |
| BAL | Yes | 6 | 6 | $149,000,000 | $199,000,000 | $13,000,000 |
| PIT | Yes | 6 | 6 | $149,000,000 | $199,000,000 | $13,000,000 |
| HOU | 7 | 5 | $146,000,000 | $195,000,000 | $10,000,000 | |
| KC | Yes | 6 | 5 | $145,000,000 | $195,000,000 | $9,000,000 |
| MIN | Yes | 6 | 5 | $145,000,000 | $195,000,000 | $9,000,000 |
| SEA | 6 | 5 | $145,000,000 | $194,000,000 | $9,000,000 | |
| LAA | 9 | 4 | $143,000,000 | $193,000,000 | $7,000,000 | |
| OAK | 7 | 4 | $142,000,000 | $191,000,000 | $6,000,000 | |
| CHW | Yes | 6 | 4 | $141,000,000 | $190,000,000 | $5,000,000 |
| TB | Yes | 6 | 4 | $141,000,000 | $191,000,000 | $5,000,000 |
| MIA | 6 | 3 | $136,000,000 | $186,000,000 | $0 | |
| CLE | Yes | 6 | 3 | $136,000,000 | $186,000,000 | $0 |
| Average | $153,400,000 | $203,066,667 | ||||
| Max | $170,000,000 | $220,000,000 | ||||
| Min | $136,000,000 | $186,000,000 |
| 2019 Revenue Ranges (Projected) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30% Fan Interest | 100% Fan Interest | |||||
| MLB Team | Available | Market | Loyalty | Total Revenue | Total Revenue | Market Value |
| NYY | 10 | 10 | $170,000,000 | $220,000,000 | $34,000,000 | |
| CHC | 8 | 10 | $169,000,000 | $218,000,000 | $33,000,000 | |
| BOS | 7 | 10 | $168,000,000 | $218,000,000 | $32,000,000 | |
| SF | 7 | 10 | $168,000,000 | $218,000,000 | $32,000,000 | |
| LAD | 9 | 9 | $165,000,000 | $214,000,000 | $29,000,000 | |
| PHI | 8 | 9 | $164,000,000 | $214,000,000 | $28,000,000 | |
| TOR | 8 | 9 | $164,000,000 | $214,000,000 | $28,000,000 | |
| STL | 6 | 9 | $162,000,000 | $212,000,000 | $26,000,000 | |
| COL | Yes | 8 | 8 | $160,000,000 | $209,000,000 | $24,000,000 |
| ATL | 7 | 8 | $159,000,000 | $209,000,000 | $23,000,000 | |
| CIN | Yes | 6 | 8 | $158,000,000 | $208,000,000 | $22,000,000 |
| DET | 6 | 8 | $158,000,000 | $208,000,000 | $22,000,000 | |
| TEX | Yes | 7 | 7 | $154,000,000 | $204,000,000 | $18,000,000 |
| ARI | Yes | 6 | 7 | $153,000,000 | $203,000,000 | $17,000,000 |
| MIL | Yes | 6 | 7 | $154,000,000 | $203,000,000 | $18,000,000 |
| SD | 6 | 7 | $154,000,000 | $203,000,000 | $18,000,000 | |
| NYM | 10 | 6 | $153,000,000 | $202,000,000 | $17,000,000 | |
| WSN | 8 | 6 | $151,000,000 | $201,000,000 | $15,000,000 | |
| BAL | Yes | 6 | 6 | $149,000,000 | $199,000,000 | $13,000,000 |
| PIT | Yes | 6 | 6 | $149,000,000 | $199,000,000 | $13,000,000 |
| HOU | 7 | 5 | $146,000,000 | $195,000,000 | $10,000,000 | |
| KC | Yes | 6 | 5 | $145,000,000 | $195,000,000 | $9,000,000 |
| MIN | Yes | 6 | 5 | $145,000,000 | $195,000,000 | $9,000,000 |
| SEA | 6 | 5 | $145,000,000 | $194,000,000 | $9,000,000 | |
| LAA | 9 | 4 | $143,000,000 | $193,000,000 | $7,000,000 | |
| OAK | 7 | 4 | $142,000,000 | $191,000,000 | $6,000,000 | |
| CHW | Yes | 6 | 4 | $141,000,000 | $190,000,000 | $5,000,000 |
| TB | Yes | 6 | 4 | $141,000,000 | $191,000,000 | $5,000,000 |
| MIA | 6 | 3 | $136,000,000 | $186,000,000 | $0 | |
| CLE | Yes | 6 | 3 | $136,000,000 | $186,000,000 | $0 |
| Average | $153,400,000 | $203,066,667 | ||||
| Max | $170,000,000 | $220,000,000 | ||||
| Min | $136,000,000 | $186,000,000 |
WLB Ownership System
In OOTP owners are rated for four factors:
| Patience | Controls how quick an owner is to fire you when your team is performing below the owner’s expectations |
| Fiscal Personality | Controls how your owner behaves regarding the team’s budget |
| Season Expectation | The owner’s expectations for the team in the current season |
| Opinion on Performance | The owner’s thoughts on how the human manager is performing so far |
I have turned off the impact of owners’ control of budgets and their ability to fire you. I have also set all owners to the following settings.
| Patience | Owner Involvement | ||
| 1 | Unmerciful | 1 | Hands Off |
| 2 | Demanding | 2 | Normal |
| 3 | Demanding | 3 | Meddling |
| 4 | Tolerant | 4 | Interfering |
| 5 | Tolerant | ||
| 6 | Lenient | ||
| 7 | Lenient | ||
| 8 | Understanding | ||
| 9 | Understanding | ||
| 10 | Understanding | ||
| Fiscal Personality/Spending | Priority | ||
| 1 | Penny-Pincher | 1 | Extreme Profit |
| 2 | Controlling | 2 | Profit |
| 3 | Controlling | 3 | Balanced |
| 4 | Economizer | 4 | Winning |
| 5 | Economizer | 5 | Extreme Winning |
| 6 | Charitable | ||
| 7 | Charitable | ||
| 8 | Generous | ||
| 9 | Generous | ||
| 10 | Generous |
Although I’m not sure exactly how things will work yet, I plan to allow teams to change owners’ underlying ratings based on their owners’ happiness and profits taken by the owner.
In OOTP you have your Budget and your Cash. Your Budget is based on the previous year’s revenue. Your Cash consists of any money you have left over at the end of a season (after subtracting Expenses from Revenue), adding/subtracting Revenue sharing and Cash from Owner. If you have more than the Max Cash limit ($40 million in 2019, dropping to 20 million for 2021-2022), the owner takes that money as profit. This money will be logged as Owner Profits outside the game.
(If there isn’t a Max Cash limit, the extra money can lead to wild salary inflation as the players know how much money is available and up their salary demands accordingly.)
I will use those profits along with the Owner’s Mood in a system where teams can amend their owners’ ratings. How? I’m not sure yet. I will monitor the league’s revenues and financials over the next couple of years and will implement a realistic way to incorporate the extra money.
Rookie Status
Players lose rookie status with 75 days on WLB roster, 130 PA, or 50 IP.