AGBA Baseball: League's Setup of Play

The APBA Galaxy Baseball Association (AGBA, pronounced AG-BAH!) is a league of 36 teams, which consists of MLB players from three different eras. The inaugural season will involve players from the 1968, 1993 & 2018 MLB Seasons, with the next season following suit with 1969, 1994 & 2019 players and so on...

• Each team will consist of 10 players from each era at all times, no more or no less. 

• The league will consist of three individual leagues: The Western, Central & Eastern Leagues, in which each league consists of 12 teams separated into two divisions of 6 teams each.

• In AGBA's entirety: 36 teams, 3 leagues, 6 divisions.

• Each team will play a total of 76 games -- 6 games against each team in opposite division, and 8 games each against their division rivals. Teams don't play teams outside of their individual leagues, until the 2nd round of the AGBA Playoffs.

• Each team has a soft salary cap of $100 million.

• Players salaries are from a simulation baseball site, which the salaries are based on their actual MLB performance, endurance & fielding for that individual season. Their salaries will flux from season to season, which will create interesting player cuts, trades & pickups from season to season as well.

• Universal DH rule is in effect, due to there being many star hitters. 

• Stamina charts and stamina ratings will be used for starting pitchers each game. Each pitcher gets a pregame dice roll to see if their stamina went up or down prior to the game (think Max Scherzer during 2019 MLB Playoffs, who woke up with a stiff neck).

• Steals charts and battery mates' grades will be in effect. There will be the normal, result 15-11 basic game element to it, plus strategy to steal whenever a manager feels like it. Using the Master Game speed ratings for base runners, while they will want to steal against easier battery mates. Catcher's throwing arm & pitcher's move to first will be combined, meaning if you have a catcher with a TH+3, and a pitcher with MF+3, you have a +6, to go against the baserunner with a speed of 26 minus the +6 = speed of 20, meaning more margin of error for the base runner.

• I will be using the 2011 PAAL Boards, which has results depending on the HR Allowance grades to pitchers such as H, G, M & L.

• Also by using the PAAL Boards, also means that I am using the numeric pitching grades that are used in Master Game or Baseball for Windows.

• I will also be using the APBA Baseball Error Card and Unusual Play Card (from the APBA Journal)

• APBA Brawl Chart.

• J-4 Batters can only start 6 times during a season (which all players starts will be tracked), while the games that they don't start won't see those players appear until the 6th inning or later.

• J-4 Starting Pitchers will be held to innings limits and game starts, equivalent to a 76-game season.

• J-1 or J-0 Starting Pitchers can pitch every 5th day (3 games off between each start). 

• Relievers will be using Usage Fatigue charts, and may be forced to rest from time to time, depending on their usage. 

• Non J-4 Starting Pitchers will not have innings limits, since those innings will have a lot to do with the stamina they are given from start to start, pitchers hitting their stamina max will suffer fatigue & possible grade reductions considering the scenario.

• Reliever innings limits depend on the grade... ( A Relievers = 100% of innings pitched, B Relievers = 112% of innings pitched, C Relievers = 125% of innings pitched, D Relievers= no limits.) Once relievers pass their season total marker, they are downgraded a grade, then another grade for every 12% over.

• In-Inning relief changes, relievers up 1 letter grade (or +5 numerically) -- only for LH vs LH & RH vs RH.

• All Injury charts will be in effect (using J-Chart), with result of dice roll result will be split in half, due to the season practically being half of what Major League Baseball plays. For example, if a J-4 rolls a 34, and the result is 27 games, split in half (13.5 rounded up) to 14 games.

• J-1, J-2 & J-3 Hitters can start as many games, but there is always the risk factor, especially for J-3 players.

• Each Regular Season game will consist of 9 innings, plus a potential of 3 maximum extra innings, meaning teams can end up in a tie (after the end of the 12th inning). Teams will record 2 points for wins, 1 point for ties in the standings. I know, I know... it's Baseball blasphemy to have ties, but I have 1,368 games a season to roll, and I would be helping myself in the long run. Plus through exhibitions, I have already seen teams come back from 5 runs to 8 runs down late in games, teams can score in bunches.

This should pretty much cover the in-game setup, and season setup. 

Next I will go over the genesis of the league setup, where teams are located, how I decided on what, and how things will be done from season to season, including the playoff setup, etc etc.