Rulebook:

All game settings must be applied by you prior to playing your games. Failure to do so will result in removal. It is required that you BROADCAST your game whenever possible. We understand connectivity issues with broadcasting and will allow games to be played without it, however, you must comply with ANY request (opponent or admin) to view a live stream of your game, or to verify settings. Failure to do so will result in immediate removal from LBL.

GAME PLAY SETTING

BATTING & BASERUNNING:

Hitting Difficulty: HOF or Above
Hitting Interface: Zone (NO ANALOG OR DIRECTIONAL)
PCI: Off
Hitting View: Any Camera
Guess Pitch: Off
Decisions: Assist
Sliding: Assist
Runner Windows: On

PITCHING:
Difficulty: HOF or Above
Pitching Interface: Meter, Pure Analog, Pulse
View: Any Cam
Ball Marker: Any
Confidence: On
Pitch Callout: Any
Pitch Delay: Faster
API: Any

FIELDING:
Throwing Interface: Any
Throwing Meter: On or No Feedback
Difficulty: ALL STAR or Above
Throw Canceling: At your own risk
One Button Dive/Jump: Off
Fielding Decision: Assist
Throwing Decision: Off
Catch Position Indicator: On
Shift: Any

GENERAL:
Strike Zone: Off
Hot Zones: Off
Warm-Up: On
Tips: Any
Auto Save: Any
Balks: On
Umpire Balls/Strikes: Variable
Close Plays: On
Check Appeals: On
Injuries: On
Ejections: On
Quick Counts: Off

TEAM SETTINGS:
It is important that you immediately go into your team settings and designate trade block management/trades to manual.

Roster Management: Any
Lineups/Rotations: Manual
Staff Management: Any
Scouting: Any
Trade Block Management: Manual
Trades: Manual

GAMEPLAY:

Broadcasting will be required upon any request to do so for every game played in LBL. Verification of Settings will take place through the broadcast at the discretion of the users. Any request for 'settings check' must be acknowledged and fulfilled. You may participate in other leagues while involved with this one, however inactivity is easy to spot and swiftly responded to. MIX UP YOUR PITCHES! (ie. No constant dirtballs or high fbs.) "Sim" in LBL is being a disciplined hitter. Take advantage of a pitcher who cant hit the strike zone. Players who show no ability to consistently hit the strike zone throughout a game, for multiple games at a time, will simply be dealt with on a case by case basis. If you cant throw a balanced attack you will be removed. You may throw as outside of the zone as you want during at-bats, but if your goal is not to throw strikes throughout a game and somewhat consistently you are not playing sim, and will be removed. That said, a hitter needs to have a disciplined approach, and if a pitcher is struggling to hit the zone, take the walks, and pick your spots wisely.  ****UPDATE:  Both teams need to broadcast.  If lags becomes unplayable, please notify an admin before turning off cast.

PITCHING:

Pitcher-batter duels in baseball are one of the most exciting aspects of any pro sport. Patience at the plate, reading and reacting to opponent tendencies, and making the appropriate adjustments are key to gaining the upper hand vs. an opponent.

Staying true to Sim baseball, we will not be placing any restrictions on how a pitcher chooses to throw the ball. We have attempted to regulate things in the past by forcing pitchers to pitch certain ways and we have learned that this tends to create more issues than it resolves.

When guys are expecting opponents to pitch a certain way and don’t get the pitches they want, frustration builds and arguments arise, causing conflict between players. I’m sure we can all admit to getting frustrated by an opponent who is frequently throwing high heat or fooling you over and over on that curve ball that dips to the ground right before arriving at the plate."HOWEVER: ( YOU ARE REQURIED TO MIX UP UR PITCHING LOCATIONS!)

1. No Quick Pitching
The pitcher MUST come set prior to throwing every pitch.

Balks will be on assuming the freeze glitch is fixed, however it is still possible to quick pitch before being completely set even with balks on so keep that in mind and make sure you give adequate time for the batter between pitches.

2.    5 Man Pitching Rotation and Designated Closer

Every team will be required to post their rotation and their designated Closer prior to playing their first game. Rotation order must be followed at all times!

Once your Rotation is assigned you must follow it. We will allow only 1 rotation change before the halfway point of the season but you must first post a request in the rotation thread and need an admin to sign off before making any changes!!! Exception would be if there is an injury to one of your starters, which you would then fix from within by calling someone up. In this case, you need to let an admin know and post your updated rotation prior to playing any more games.

Closers and relievers can be anyone other than starting pitchers (Closers cannot pitch more than 2 innings per game)

NO STARTING PITCHERS ARE PERMITTED IN THE BILLPEN. That is what LRP are for. This rule will be changed during the playoffs to reflect real life, but for the regular season this rule stands. If you believe you have a good argument for a SP to be in your pen, I.E. you have a young player in your farm system that has stamina BELOW 70 and you would like him to be a LRP, you would have to get approval from an admin beforehand. In the event that you do have an approved SP in the pen, these pitchers aren’t expected to be brought in to face one batter then replaced.  LRP are only allowed to come in if an injury to you SP happened early in the game (between 1-5 innings), SP gets hammered and needs to be pulled early in the game and you don't want to burn through your bullpen on a lost cause, blowout lead of over 7 runs, or if the game has gone to extra innings.  Any LRP that has been brought into the game beside these circumstances will result in a strike, player suspension, and a possible game reset.

It is the Owners responsibility to keep track of their rotations’ number of games started and that they remain equal throughout the season. In the rare instance that a simmed game involved a pitcher that has already had his turn through the rotation, The owner can fix this by skipping that person on the next go-through of the rotation by using a spot starter in his place or just skipping that start overall as long as the rest of your rotations stamina permits it.

Admins will be checking team rotation stats on a frequent basis so be sure you are compliant with the rule. Any owner found to be in violation of this rule would face player suspensions. If you notice a sim messed up your rotation and need help fixing it, be proactive and PM an admin so that we can assist you so you can avoid any possible player suspensions.

3. PICK OFFS:
You may hold a runner, but be mindful of pace and dont abuse it. Do it when appropriate. We are a sim league after all4. No pitcher stamina rule but keep in mind that injuries are ON so you must use your pitchers wisely in order to avoid injuries. Overexerting them will make them more susceptible to injuries.5. You cannot throw the same pitch more than 3 times in a row6. No pitching substitutions can be made in the middle of a count unless there's an injury. If this happens the pitcher is required to walk the batter at the plate.

BATTING:

1. This is a Zone Classic LEAGUE!!! (no Analog or Timing/Directional allowed)

2. Only 4 successful Bunts allowed per game!!!!! (This includes only 1 squeeze per game)

3. Suicide squeeze: Only ONE attempted allowed per game.  You are NOT allowed to attempt it to take the lead or win the game.  It is to be used to Tie a game.  NO EXCEPTIONS

Again, in appropriate bunting situations. Here are rules for those of you who require some: No bunting with 2 strikes. No bunting to break up a no-hitter. You may sacrifice bunt sporadically with appropriate players in close games. Dont abuse it. Typically you wouldnt see more than 3 in a game. Only squeeze once per game. No more than 1 base advanced on a bunt per baserunner. ***UPDATE: Pitchers may bunt at anytime

NOTE:  If a player happens to bunt on 2 strikes and reaches base successfully, that person must pull their player off the bag and allow the opponent to tag you for the out.

4. Only 3 successful Hit n Runs allowed per

Just want to clarify the hit and run rule. 3 successful hit and runs a game is the limit. By successful we mean you either get a hit, put the ball in play or swing and miss but in all cases the stolen base attempt or advancement or the baserunner(s) is successful. If the ball doesn't leave the infield then you can only advance one base but if it does leave the infield then you may advance more than one base Unlimited stolen base attempts of 2nd base only applies if you don't swing. Also some are attempting steals while the pitcher is still holding the ball so please refrain from doing this.

5. Only 1 Base on a bunt (Ex-When runner is on 1st and a bunt is laid down, the runner MUST STOP at 2nd)

6. Only 1 Base on a Sac Fly unless there's a fielding error

7. Only 1 Base on a ball hit in the infield unless there is an error

8. No hitting substitutions can be made in the middle of a count unless there's an injury. NOTE: If this occurs the batter at the plate must purposely strike out.....NO QUESTIONS

9. Don't overuse the practice swing animation. Doing it after every other pitch slows down the game. Use it in moderation

10. Bluff Bunting: There are times where a fake bunt is acceptable. If you are doing it almost every batter or in situations where you have no intention of bunting, it's not acceptable. It's also not acceptable to do this with runners on base and a power hitter up.

BASE RUNNING:

1. If you attempt to steal a base you must run it through. You may not run back to the previous base. HOWEVER: If a pitcher tries to pick off or Steps off and you get caught out there going to 2nd base you are allowed to retreat.

2. *****Rules update:  You are allowed 3 successful steals a game but ONLY one successful steal of third.   
   NOTE:  2 steals of 2ndd w/ 1 steal of third is acceptable.  3 steals of second, you cannot steal 3rd because that would be your 4th steal of the game.

3. You are not allowed to steal home ever.

4. Runners should not attempt a steal while the pitcher is still holding ball on mound.

--Advance bases when appropriate, you can be aggressive in sporadic situations on balls hit into the outfield or infied errors. Play realistic baseball. Remember all games are broadcast and abusers can be easily verified.--

FIELDING:

1. Players MUST play their primary or secondary positions!!! NO EXCEPTIONS. Remember this is a SIM STYLE LEAGUE!!! Ex. You have SS Tulowitzki and bring up or acquire another young SS so you and then try to move Tulo to 2nd. This wouldn't be allowed. Don't do anything that you wouldn't see done in real life.

An exception to this would be if there's an injury or late game/extra innings situation.

2. A position change request can be submitted if a player has a good amount of exp in a secondary position. Two Admin approvals are required in order for the change to be valid. Requests are to be submitted in the Positional Change Request We noticed that some players have secondary positions listed where they have never played an MLB game at that position in their life before (i.e. relief pitcher having outfield as a secondary), so for requests for any players to play at a position other than their primary, the player MUST have at least played 10 games last season/this season IRL at that position to be eligible.

3. Outfielders are allowed to be shifted around to other OF positions.

4. Throwing from the outfield to try and get the runner out at 1st base is not allowed!!! No Exceptions.

TRADING:

1.Trades should be of equal value. Don't try to make an outrageous trade request because it will be denied!!! Remember Need>Want

2. 2 trades each season per team with a possible extra trade midseason, and 1 trade per team in the offseason. Owners that remain active in the chat, follow the rules, and meet weekly game requirements will be rewarded with extra trades.

3. Trades offered must be balanced meaning you can’t do a 1 for 3 deal or a 2 for 1 etc. due to each team being required to have a set amount of players on each of their team rosters. (3 for 3 is max)

4. Trade Deadline: 2/3 of the way of the Season

5. Each trade will require two Admin approvals prior to being accepted.

** Admins will be mindful of your cap situation and what logical trades would look like for your team and its future**

6.  You cannot trade a player you already traded for within the season.  You will have to wait until offseason before you can trade him again.

FREE AGENTS:

1. At the beginning of the league, we will host a draft for the bottom tier teams to select a FA that would fill a need on their roster. The exact details of this will be determined following the release of the

2. At no point during the season are you allowed to sign a free agent, any holes created by injuries to your team are expected to be filled through your own roster via bench player or somebody from your farm.

3. In the offseason, all free agents are available for signing by any team BUT PER REQUEST AND ADMIN APPROVAL however remember that any signing must be NEED vs. Want. If you have a stud at a certain position you should not be bidding on any available FA’s at that position.

4. We will not be placing holds on any players that you failed to sign prior to unrestricted FA, so be sure that you make your best offer to any players you don’t want to potentially walk from your team.

DISCONNECTS/GAME DROPS:

6th inning or later - team with a 3 or more run lead wins.

8th inning or later -Team with a 2 run lead wins. We will be watching for tactics to make the game drop. If you are found to be suspect of committing any types of d/c'ing, it will be grounds for removal.

-NOTE: A win will never be awarded on a 1 run lead.

COMPLAINTS:

If you have problems with another player send one of the admins a private message. Don't use the main chat to humiliate people or call them out!

We are implementing a 4 Strike Policy regarding any game, rule or member complaints. 4 Strikes and you are outta here!

1st Strike-Verbal Warning

2nd Strike-Your Top rated position players will be suspended for 5 games.

3rd Strike-Your Top 2 rated position players will be suspended for 10 games.

4th Strike-You are dropped and banned from the league.

**These penalties are not set in stone and may be modified at an admins discretion.

MEMBERSHIP:

Will be revoked solely at the discretion of the commissioner with support from the admins. You will be removed for failure to get your games in, failure to communicate, and failure to abide by all rules outlined above. You are not required to in-game voice chat with your opponent, you may do so at your discretion. You must post a team profile thread in the designated forum area. This page must include your franchise player for current season, PSN handle, preferred contact time, and typical console availability. You may communicate game scheduling on console, on league website, or the Group Me chat. Members are highly encouraged to share media, blog their team, and frequent the league web site. You must accept any friend request from a league member and communicate accordingly with regard to game scheduling

**Please Note, All owners will be required to read and agree to the rules prior to receiving their league invite. We will update this thread once the game is out to reflect any changes made from the previous year and to post the required league and in-game settings to use so be sure to check back

Last edited by BxBrotha730 (1440260043)

Agreed

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I agree

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