We have made many changes to our fantasy baseball product here at Baseball Prospectus recently, adding new content, new authors, and a fantasy-specific blog to go along with the tools and projections we have always offered. Next up we want to offer you something that many have clamored for: a fantasy baseball game of our own.
I'm going to be deliberately coy with details for now, but just know that we are hard at work building a game that should be able to satisfy a wide range of fantasy owners. What I want from you, in the comments section in this post (or via e-mail or through Twitter @Marc_Normandin, I'm basically connected to both all day long) is to let us know how you feel about this and what would make this a fantasy game you would want to play.
We have a lot of ideas we are implementing, but this is a game for you, so we want to know what it is that you want from it as well. We look forward to your feedback, and at some point I promise I'll let a little more slip than "there's a fantasy game coming!"
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Points-based (forumula for hitting similar to Runs Created, formula for pitching somewhat like Game Score [5 points is really good for a start, Kerry Wood's 20 K game was about 13 points]). You fill position slots every two weeks (all 8 fielding positions + DH, 4 Starting Pitchers, 1 Reliever (no saves), 1 Closer (saves included)) from a 25 man roster, position eligibility is pretty tough: 27+ games from last year, 1/6th of games played this year.
Here's the kicker: You fill the lineup slots retroactively, so your entire roster is in play every two week period. This encourages depth, but still makes positional surplus/scarcity meaningful. It's worked really well for us, and allows for a casual experience (no scouring for two start starters or matchups) that still has a good level of involvement (you have to look every two weeks to see how all your players have done).
I don't think you can out-Scoresheet Scoresheet.
What I'd really like is a market with payoffs. That is: Each action done by a player earns money/points/whatever, or reduces earnings. At the end of the year, it pays off. That's sort of like PROTRADE, but PROTRADE didn't have a system where trades were balanced by the market, so you end up with injury runs and vast point gains through gaming the system.
I want to compare my projections to the markets. And at the end, when I'm right, I want the others' cash in my pocket. (Please note: I express no opinion on the legality of this setup in all jurisdictions. You could probably ask the guy who wrote "Fantasy Baseball and the Long Arm of the Law," but I'm guessing he's no more help than I am.)
--JRM
I've played in several keeper leagues that assign players a salary and a contract length. Those two things have always had to be dealt with outside of the league page via message board or email. I'd love to see a customizable system that can deal with assigning and extending contracts and bidding on free agents en masse during the off season.