Home Leagues

[DOUGHBOYS]

Everybody should have a home league. And, if you're reading this, you're probably the leader or commish of that home league.
I like to keep our league ever changing. One year we used stop clocks for our 30 minutes of time between each pick. If only taking a few seconds early, you can spend more time on difficult decisions later. I t worked flawlessly. Not only making the draft fun, but in between picks, the drama got amusing with drafters actually begging others to 'take their time'

One year, we had a paperless draft where the only pen and pencil belonged to the person at the draft board. Tough and left a lot of good players in faab.
Another year, we jumbled up draft numbers after each round. It sounded like fun, but logistically doing that 30 times was not good.
We've also drafted for the worst teams. Teams at the bottom of the standings won. They would have to meet criteria in innings pitched and at bats and the Jack Wilson's and Brendan Ryan's of the world become stars.

This year, a little bit less of a monkey wrench or change.
We will have a 30 round draft followed by a one round drafters bid for players untaken in the draft.
Here's how it'll work.
Lets say that Mike Adams is undrafted and he is coveted by the number 15 drafter who gets first choice after the draft.
He'll make a 'pre-bid' of $20 of his faab money.
Then number 14 does the same with another player, etc., etc.
Then, each pre-bid will be deducted from each drafters faab.
Well use the Mike Adams example for what happens once the season begins.
In week 2, Adams becomes a closer and team 3 pays $300 for him. Like Yu Darvish in real baseball, team 3 would have to pay team 15 an extra $20 for the rights to Adams. Additionally, team 15 would also get their original $20 pre-bid back for being right about Adams. Giving him, in effect, $1020 of faab for the season.

One would have to be careful in bidding too high on a player. Say team 15 had a $100 pre-bid on Adams and Adams got hurt. The $100 in non-recoverable and a loss of faab.
Just a little wrinkle and maybe an idea if looking to spice up a home league.
I am always on the lookout for odd ideas or other things that have worked in other drafts.
Let us know if you've got one.

[Captain Hook]

I like the FAAB prebid on undrafted players (although I doubt my guys would go for giving up their "sleepers"

We do the regular auction with keepers already declared, teams have to make decisions before the auction about players sent to the minors or put on the DL (they can keep them or release them to the appropriate pool) and minor leaguers who have made the Opening Day rosters (they have to promote them to their roster or release them to the auction pool)

After the auction is time for five rounds of minor leaguers to be drafted (actually once Opening Day defines most players this can be started by email and we might get a round done). If it is not completely finished we do the last round or two by email.

We do ours at the same restaurant each year, trying to be as central as we can in SoCal, but the owner is a friend and was a former client in the wine business so he gives us the room and the league buys whatever the guys and gals want for drinks and/or dinner - some before the draft, for those who just get there in time, they can eat during the draft (or after).

ALWAYS a great evening with long time friends and baseball