CAPITOL FANTASY BASEBALL LEAGUE
2024 Rules
OWNERSHIP FEES: Each team will pay $300 for the regular season, which will be paid by the Draft. From this, each team will be allowed $200 in transaction "credits" during the regular season; there will be no refund for using less than $200. Teams may buy up to $75 in extra credits during the post-season, but only if needed.
SCHEDULE: There will be eight teams in a single league. The regular season will be 16 games in length; each team will play every other team every week (each team playing 105 games). Each week (Monday through Sunday, except for the first week and all-star week) each team will play each of the other seven teams. There will be a five-week playoff. Final game results posted must be protested by 7:30 p.m. the following Wednesday night.
OBJECTIVE: To win as many head-to-head games during the regular season in order to enjoy a higher seed for the playoffs. All eight teams make the playoffs, but there is a distinct advantage for having a higher finish during the regular season. The tiebreaker for all regular season games will be lowest team ERA.
POST SEASON: After the 16-week regular season, each team will be seeded one through eight. (Seeding tiebreakers: overall points; coin flip.) The top two teams will receive a bye into the playoff finals. The other six teams will vie in a two-week playoff that will feature a head-to-head-to-head-etc. fashion. If either the #3, #4 or #5 team finishes in the top three after one week, they automatically move to the finals; if either the #6, #7 or #8 team finishes in the bottom three after the first week, they are eliminated. All other teams play one more week, with the top half moving on to the finals. The final round of the playoffs will feature the top two seeds plus the three winners from the first round of the playoffs: The Final 5. The five finalists will engage in a three-week playoff in which each team plays each other team each week (each team playing 12 games). If two or more teams tie after the three weeks, the winner will be the highest seeded team. For any post-season games that end in a tie, the win goes to the higher-seeded team. If the Final 5 is determined after the first playoff week, the Final 5 will start immediately (no bye week for all 5 teams).
TOILET BOWL: By unanimous consent, the Toilet Bowl was discontinued after one year.
DRAFT: The draft will be held Wednesday, March 27, starting at 6:30 p.m. PDT. Each team will select 22 players in the regular draft and maintain that many players on its roster. No team may carry less than four starting pitchers or four outfielders; each team must carry exactly two relief pitchers (closers); each team must have at least one player at all other positions. [Exception: See Injured List]
Draft Order: Owners will select slots to draft based on their standing in the previous year’s regular season: 8th place gets to choose which draft slot they’d prefer, then the 7th place team, etc. The exception is that the previous year’s overall winner will select last. If any team is replaced, the replacement team will assume the same order in the selection process as the team they replaced.
Selection Process: The draft will be 22 rounds and proceed in a serpentine manner to its conclusion. A 90-second time limit will be given for each draft selection.
PLAYER POSITIONS: When players are drafted (or picked from the player pool during the season), they may be slotted at any and all position(s) at which they are eligible to play as noted by CBS (based on 20 games at a position the previous season or 20 games in the current season and 5 games for a starting or relief pitcher); CBS may choose to pick a prominent position if a player did not play 20 games at a position at the MLB level the previous season). Credit will be given for all of a player's offensive statistics regardless of where he plays for his major league team.
During the season, offensive players may be picked up at whatever position they are listed at our site at CBSsports.com. Players may expand their eligible positions as the season progresses. Any player may be used as a designated hitter (referred to at CBS as a U, for utility player).
Pitchers score points at whichever position -- starter or reliever -- the CFBL team starts them (if a starter makes an occasional appearance in relief, their stats will count along with their starter stats; however if they get a relief win or save, they will score those points as if they were a reliever); they do not score offensive points. If a team starts a reliever one week (this has never happened) - or vice versa - they must be sure that their roster has no more than the maximum of two relievers/closers (owners may not hide a closer on their starting staff OR a starter on their relief staff); if a MLB team changes their role, the CFBL team must make the change, too).
STARTING LINE-UPS: Teams will start 17 players each week: one at each infield position and catcher; FOUR outfielders; TWO designated hitters (anyone can play DH); four starting pitchers; and two relief pitchers (closers).
Owners will be responsible for posting their own line-ups NO LATER than 5 minutes before the first game of the week. Should an owner fail to submit a starting line-up, the previous week's line-up will be used (minus any players that they dropped).
SCORING POINTS
Players will compete for points based on their statistical accomplishments during the week. Points will be awarded in the following manner:
OFFENSE: Each team will start 11 offensive players. The following statistics will be counted:
walk/hbp: ¼ point
single: ¼ point
double: ½ point
triple: ¾ point
home run: 1 point
stolen base: ¼ point
run: 1 point
run batted in: 1 point
STARTING PITCHERS: Each team will start four starting pitchers; points will be awarded for:
win = 3 points (if a starter gets a relief win, it will count as 1 point)
loss = -1 points
quality start (QS) = 3 points (6 or more innings in a start with 3 earned runs or less)
complete game = 3 points
RELIEF PITCHERS: Each team will start two relief pitchers; points will be awarded for:
save = 4 points (if a starter gets a save, it will count as 4 points)
win = 1 points
loss = -1 points
ERA; STARTING PITCHERS (combined for a pitcher if they pitch more than once during the week; these points are NOT allotted PER start; a SP must throw at least 5.0 innings in a week to score full ERA points and/or WHIP points) (see exceptions below):
0.00 - 0.49 = 10.0 points
0.50 - 0.99 = 9.5 points
1.00 - 1.49 = 9.0 points
1.50 - 1.99 = 8.5 points
2.00 - 2.49 = 8.0 points
2.50 - 2.69 = 7.5 points
2.70 - 2.89 = 7.0 points
2.90 - 3.09 = 6.5 points
3.10 - 3.29 = 6.0 points
3.30 - 3.49 = 5.5 points
3.50 - 3.69 = 5.0 points
3.70 - 3.89 = 4.5 points
3.90 - 4.09 = 4.0 points
4.10 - 4.29 = 3.5 points
4.30 - 4.49 = 3.0 points
4.50 and up = 0.0 points
ERA; RELIEF PITCHERS:
0.00 - 1.49 = 2.0 points
1.50 - 2.49 = 1.5 points
2.50 - 3.49 = 1.0 point
3.50 - 4.49 = 0.5 points
4.50 and up = 0.0 points
STRIKEOUTS/9 INNINGS; STARTING PITCHERS:
11.00 and up = 3.0 points
10.00 - 10.99 = 2.5 points
9.00 - 9.99 = 2.0 points
8.00 - 8.99 = 1.5 points
7.00 - 7.99 = 1.0 point
6.50 - 6.99 = 0.5 points
6.49 and less = 0.0 points
STRIKEOUTS/9 INNINGS; RELIEF PITCHERS:
11.00 and up = 1.0 point
8.00 - 10.99 = 0.5 points
7.99 and lower = 0.0 points
WHIP (walks + hits/inning); STARTING PITCHERS (must pitch 5 innings for the week):
0.00 - 0.50 = 6.0 points
0.51 - 0.60 = 5.5 points
0.61 - 0.70 = 5.0 points
0.71 - 0.80 = 4.5 points
0.81 - 0.90 = 4.0 points
0.91 - 1.00 = 3.5 points
1.01 - 1.10 = 3.0 points
1.11 - 1.20 = 2.0 points
1.21 - 1.30 = 1.0 point
1.31 and higher = 0.0 points
STARTING PITCHERS EXCEPTIONS: If an SP pitches less than 4 innings (in a week), the only points he may score is a loss; if an SP pitches 4.0, 4.1 or 4.2 innings, he will score HALF of his ERA & WHIP & K/9 points (and a loss, if applicable).
LEAGUE STATISTICS: League statistics will be provided by CBSsports.com.
TRANSACTIONS
During the course of the regular season, owners may make as many transactions as they like, provided they stay within the $200 cap. Teams must maintain 20 players on their active roster. Transactions may be made in several ways:
Player Pool: The player pool consists of all players not on a team roster. Any player in the pool may be picked up for the minimum $2 transaction fee and must be kept on the team’s roster for at least one week. The commissioner must be notified of pick-ups prior to 7:00 p.m. on Sunday nights (exception: the all-star week pick-up night is on Wednesday; later pick-up times also may have to be used during the playoffs).
Should more than one owner claim any player, an oral "sealed" bid will be held for that player at the close of the transaction period. The player will be awarded to the owner submitting the highest bid. An owner who loses a bid will be allowed to select another unclaimed player from the pool. Unless a team loses a bid, no players may be picked up after 7:30 p.m. Owners must be available immediately after the deadline to bid on players they have claimed.
Trades: Trades between teams or among teams may be made during the regular season only; the commissioner must be notified of all trades by 9:00 p.m. on pick-up night in order for the trade to go into effect the following week. The final trade deadline is Thursday, July 25, 2004, 7:00 p.m. No "credits" may be part of any trades.
Auctions: If a team wants to "sell" a player, the owner must notify the commissioner by the pick-up night at 7:30 p.m. That player is put on the auction block in an e-mail, and owners may make a silent bid on that player that week. If the player’s owner accepts the high bid, the highest bidder gets the player, and the credits accrue to the team that put the player on the auction block. If no team bids on the player, the player may be retained or dropped. Any player put up for sale may play for his team during the week of the auction.
Injured List: A team may place one or more players on a CFBL team's IL, provided they are NOT on a Major League team’s 26-man roster (e.g., suspension list, bereavement list, paternity list, injured list, COVID, minor leagues, etc.). Players may be added or removed on pick-up nights. There will be a $2 charge per player per week while on the IL. If a player is required to come off of the CFBL-IL, and the team does not make a roster change to make room for that player, the player on the IL will be dropped back into the pool. All efforts will be made to prevent teams having to unwittingly drop a player from the IL back into the pool. If a player is on their MLB team’s IL when its game is played on Sunday - and taken off of the IL after the game - they may stay on the CBFL team’s IL the following week (owner’s choice).
If a player on a CFBL roster is placed on the IL by its MLB team on Sunday (provided it is unknown to the commissioner and team owner) or on Monday morning, a CFBL team may replace that player on Monday morning simply by sending an e-mail to the entire league. A team may not do this if they have another player on their roster who can play the same position as the person who has gone on the IL. This transaction must occur prior to the deadline for line-ups (which is usually at 4:00 p.m. but may be in the morning if an early game is played). If more than one team tries to pick up the same player, the owner who e-mails first will get priority.
Mid-week Injured List: If after the week starts (i.e., after start of the first Monday game), a team wants to replace an injured player (must be on the IL or COVID list or sent to minors or on leave), they may do so with the following caveats:
1) Any stats already accumulated by the injured player AND by the replacement player are lost (starting pitchers cannot be replaced if they've already made a start; no starting or relief pitcher may be picked up if they have already pitched during the week);
2) The first source for replacing a player is a player already on your roster; note: you may NOT do this on your own (if you try, you will be doing it for the wrong week) ($3 charge);
3) If no player on your team is eligible to replace an injured player, a team may dip into the players' pool ($5 pick-up charge) by giving the commissioner and all other owners notice; (note: if you need to change a starting pitcher and none of your SP has a start left, you may pick up another SP);
4) Any change takes effect on the day following notice (i.e., you notify everyone on Tuesday morning, the change becomes effective on Wednesday);
5) The last day to make a mid-week IL move is Thursday (effective Friday). For long weeks (first week and post-all-star week) the deadline is Wednesday (effective Thursday).
PRIZE FUNDS
After $34.38 is deducted from each team for league operating expenses (CBS, website, trophies, etc.), the remaining funds will be distributed as follows (note: no tie-breaker will be used to determine any regular season money payoffs; post-season exception: 1st place money will be awarded to the 1st place finisher, even if by using the higher-seed tie-breaker):
Regular Season
1st place: $500
2nd place: $300
3rd place: $175
4th place: $100
Post Season
1st place: $500 (+50% of extra post-season money)
2nd place: $300 (+30%)
3rd place: $100 (+20%)
4th & 5th place: $75
