Without a doubt the most work you'll ever do in the ASBL is when it's
time to draft. Over a period of 10 days teams will have completed 22 rounds
of drafting; and a total of approximately 528 players will be picked in
all. Yes, the ASBL draft can be laborious, but at the same time it's one
of the most rewarding and enjoyable experiences one can have in the league.
Below is a draft guide that will hopefully help you with the laborious
part of the draft so you can focus on the rewarding and enjoyable part
of the draft. The draft guide is broken up in two parts called Before
the Draft Begins and The Draft Begins. The first part will cover some
things you should expect prior to the official start of the draft as well
as provide you with great resources to help you prepare for the draft.
The second part, The Draft Begins, is broken up in two sections: the online
draft section Q & A and the email draft section Q & A. Each section
is presented as a question and answer forum which should provide you with
all the information you need to know on how the draft works. Just below
this paragraph is a table of contents which allows you to go directly
to an area within the guide by clicking on a subject. OK, without further
poo-poo, I bring you the ASBL Draft Guide
Around a month prior to the draft, after all teams have cut their rosters
to 13 (+2 on special reserve), a list of all available players will be
released to the league. If you haven't already, it is at this moment you
should start preparing for the draft. Below is information that can help
you prepare for the draft as well as information on what to expect prior
to the draft.
SOME THINGS YOU SHOULD DO TO PREPARE
First, make sure to familiarize yourself with the draft rules. You
can view the draft rules online in the draft
rules section of the ASBL rules
After you are familiar with the draft rules it's time to do your research
on the available players in the draft pool. Below are some resources
I've used in the past to help me in previous drafts. Maybe you too can
find them helpful.
"Stats Inc., The Scouting Notebook."–In this
book national experts give their best analysis of every player who
played the previous season. It even has a section on each team's top
minor league prospects. The book sales for around $20.00 and can be
found at any major book retail store starting around late January
or early February of each year. Note,
the "Minor League Scouting Notebook" is also a good book
to have, but if you have to make a choice between the two I would
go with the major league scouting notebook simply because it's more
relevant to the ASBL.
CBS
Sportsline Fight For Jobs
is a web site that gives you a great idea of who might be starting
for each team prior to the start of the season. The following is what
they say about their site: "The centerpiece of Fight For Jobs
is a depth chart compiled by a team of baseball experts for every
major league team at each position. In addition, we provide the most
up-to-date information and analysis of player movement as teams build
their rosters. From the first swing of spring training through the
heat of the pennant races, and from the last out of the World Series
to every move in the Hot Stove League, we never miss a call. Whether
you're a serious fantasy player, or just a devoted fan, Fight For
Jobs tells you everything you need to know."
Strat Fan Ratings (book or disk): For those who understand
the fundamentals of SOM, nothing beats having the Strat Fan rating's
book or disk to refer to. Most of the data in the book or disk is
expressed in numerical chances that are dice roll combinations. All
players in the card set are included. You can buy the book or the
disk online at strat-o-matic.com
or call them by phone at 1-800-645-3455. Both the book and the disk
costs $14.00 each, or you can buy them both for $25.00. The disks
have the information in spreadsheet form; any spreadsheet should be
able to open the files (I know Excel and Lotus can for sure). Concerning
the disk, Strat Fan will tell you that it is only PC compatible, but
MAC users should have no problems using it as well.
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EARLY DRAFT
PERIOD
The last two years the ASBL has allowed an "early draft period."
During a two week period prior to the official start of the draft GMs
can make picks if they're ready via email. There are no time constraints
on making a pick during this period and, MOST IMPORTANTLY, A GM DOES
NOT HAVE TO MAKE A PICK DURING THIS PERIOD IF HE DOES NOT WANT TO. If
a GM chooses not to make a pick during this early draft period he should
receive no emails from other league members pressuring him to do. The
early draft period is only for those GMs certain of their picks before
the official start of the draft. Thus, if it so happens that a GM whose
turn is up during the early draft period chooses to wait for the official
start of the draft, then the early draft period has come to an end and
there should be no whining or complaining about it. All early draft
picks made are final and cannot be changed. The early draft period officially
comes to an end 3 days prior to the official start of the draft.
NO DRAFT PICK ADJUSTMENT PERIOD
A few days prior to the official start of the draft the draft manager
will announce a "No Draft Pick Adjustment Period." What this
means is that the draft order list won't be adjusted during this period
for trades involving draft picks. It is the responsibility of the GMs
involved in trading draft picks to be aware of the adjusted draft order.
To see more about this view rule 5e
in the ASBL rules web page
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If all goes as plan the official start of the draft will be in a chat
room online on the first Sunday of March. It usually starts around 8:00
PM EST and goes for 6 rounds. After the completion of the first online
draft date the draft resumes on Monday via email for 6 consecutive nights
of turning in draft lists. This ends on a Saturday night and the second
online draft date starts on the next night, once again on a Sunday evening,
probably around 8:00 PM est., and like the first online draft date it'll
last 6 rounds. The draft will then resume on Monday with the second email
draft section, where it'll conclude on Thursday night with the completion
of the last round as well as any compensation rounds. Below is a Q &
A guide covering the online draft section and the email draft section.
ONLINE DRAFT SECTION Q & A
How
long will the online draft be?
The
online sections of the draft on both Sunday evenings will go for 6 rounds
each. Expect each online draft date to be 2 to 2 1/2 hours long.
What if I cannot make
the online draft dates?
If you cannot make the online draft dates you have
the following two choices:
- provide a list that will cover 6 rounds of
drafting to another league member who is willing to take on the task.
If you will be doing this please be aware of rule
9h, the Absent GM
- If the SOM game is available during the draft
tell the draft manager to let the SOM game pick for you.
If you are not present for the draft and you don't
do either of the two things mentioned above, you will be skipped (See
below the question "what happens when I'm
skipped?" ). Be aware that if you are not there and you have
not asked the draft manager to have the computer pick for you, the
draft manager will not assume that you want the computer to pick for
you and therefore your picks will be skipped.
How long do I have to make
my pick?
During the online draft when it is your turn to
make a pick you will have 1 minute to do so. If you don't make your
pick before the time is up, the draft manager will continue to the next
pick, but you can make your pick at any time after you've been skipped
(See the next question below "what happens when I'm skipped?").
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So what happens when I'm
skipped?
During the online draft your pick may be skipped
for two reasons. The first reason, which isn't that big of a deal if
it happens, is if the 60-second clock has expired before you make your
choice. If this were to happen you may make your pick at any time after
you've been skipped. The second reason, which IS a big deal if it happens,
is if you are a no-show for the online draft and you didn't provide
a list to another GM or specifically ask the draft manager to use the
computer to pick for you. If this were to happen you can make your skipped
picks up at any time after the online draft. Your skipped pick choices
will have priority over the first pick of whatever current email round
the draft is in. If after two days the league does not hear anything
from you the commissioner will try to contact you by phone. If after
3 days the league still doesn't 'hear anything from you, you'll be replaced.
What is the procedure
in the chat room during the online draft?
The draft manager will announce the round number
and list the team's abbreviation for the team whose turn it is to pick.
As soon as that happens the GM of that team will have one minute to
pick. When he makes his choice he should write down the player's name
and the player's primary position. The draft manager will then check
to make sure that player is available and if he is the draft manager
will then announce whose turn it is next. Below is an example of how
the online draft should proceed (Lawsonboy is the draft manager):
LawsonBoy: 1:17 ANG
BaderJDcpa: Gary Bowa SS
LawsonBoy: 1:18 SDI
Raw Yason: Steve Sax
Can I make trades during
the online draft?
You can make trades during the online draft, but
be aware that any trades made during the draft is during a "No
Draft Pick Adjustment Period" which means you still need to send
your trades to the commissioner to be approved but the draft manager
or anyone else will not be adjusting draft picks during the draft period.
So it is up to you to keep track of what picks you've traded or traded
for.
What is the most
important advice you can give for the online draft?
HAVE FUN, FUN, FUN! Those who aren't having fun
will have their head placed in a wooden pillory where Mark McGwire will
be called upon to take ten full-swing whacks at your head.
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EMAIL DRAFT SECTION Q& A
When is the Email
section of the draft and how long does it last?
There will be a total of 8 days of email drafting.
It starts the Monday after the first Sunday of the online draft. It
will go from Monday to Saturday covering rounds 7-12. The second email
section then starts on the Monday after the second Sunday online draft.
It will last 4 days, Monday through Thursday, and cover rounds 19-22
and any compensations rounds.
How does the email
section of the draft work?
Each night by 11:59 PM. EST a list of players is
due from each GM. That list should contain by priority all players desired
for the current round. The amount of players you have listed should
correspond to the number you pick in the current round . Here's an example
of an email draft list in where New Orleans picks 6th in the 7th round,
hence they need to list 6 players as shown below:
1-Matt Williams 3b
2-Vinny Castilla 3b
3-Bill Spiers 3b
4-Russ Davis 3b
5-Chris Stynes 3b
6-Paquette 3b
Then around midnight, eastern time, of each night
of the email draft the draft manager will go through the email lists
of each GM who sent a list and then send out the results of the current
round as well as an updated available players list and the draft order
for the following round.
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What if I send in a
list of players that doesn't cover all the draft picks in a round?
If for instance you send in a list of 5 players
and you pick 15th in that round, you do run some risk that your list
won't have enough players. If this were to happen you would be skipped
(see the question below"what happens when
I'm skipped?"). But still, sending a short list is better than
no list at all. From my experience as a draft manager I have found that
a short list typically does the job.
What if I don't send in
a list?
Your pick will be skipped
What if I'm skipped?
If you're skipped, then you can make your pick
the next day. Skipped picks will have priority over all teams in the
current round.
Can I ask the computer
game to pick for me?
Yes. If it is available during the draft you may
ask for the computer to pick for you, but you must ask. If you don't
send in a list or ask for the computer to pick for you your pick will
be skipped.
What if I know I'm going
to be gone for a few days, is there something I can do so I'm not skipped?
The best thing to do is send in a list to either
the draft manager or another league member that covers the draft rounds
you'll be missing. Try to make the list so it is easily understood.
If available you may also ask for the computer to pick for you on those
days you'll be gone.
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What if I pick last
in one round and first in the next, can I just send in both my picks
on the night I pick 1st?
Yes, this is perfectly acceptable.
What if after the
last round is completed my team roster is short of 35 players?
After the last round of the draft has been completed,
teams short of 35 players will be involved in compensation rounds. How
many compensation picks a GM will have depends on how short his team
roster is of 35 players. All compensation rounds will be completed on
the same night the last round of the draft is completed To learn more
about compensation picks see rule 7h,
Compensation Rounds, in the ASBL rules web page
What if after the
last round is completed my team roster is over 40 players?
Then immediately following the draft you have to
release players until you're at 40. For more information on going over
40 players see rule 8h, Extra picks,
in the ASBL rules web page.
What is the most important
advice you can give for the email draft?
HAVE FUN, FUN, FUN! Those who aren't having
fun will have their head placed in a wooden pillory where Mark McGwire
will be called upon to take ten full-swing whacks at your head.
....Oh, and one more bit of advice, don't be redundant,
redundant, redundant!
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