Virtual Baseball League FAQ

1. What is the VBL?
The VBL stands for Virtual Baseball League. The VBL started in 1995 as a fledgling idea of VBL Commissioners John Boardman and Dennis Grishey. Since it's inception in 1995, the VBL1 completed 11 seasons! The VBL3 was created in 2002 by Mike Branda. July 3, 2008 The VBL1 and VBL2 closed it's doors shortly after 2003. Since then, the VBL3 has been the longest lasting VBL. Currently, the VBL3 is in it's 11th season! VBL3 uses FPS 98. In early 2006, the VBL4 was created by Brandon Simpson. The VBL4 uses OOTP 6.5 as it's sim, and the rosters are based on players beginning in 1980. Currently, they are in their 8th season! In late 2006, the VBL5 opened it's doors and was created by Dan Branda. The league uses rosters from the early 1960's. Currently, they are re-formatting the league and will be using OOTP 8. They have finished 3 seasons. Using both of these stat-intensive game the commissioners simulate league games on their local computers while team "owners" from around the country act as General Manager of their own VBL Franchise. In each of the leagues owned by the respective commissioner, they do not own any teams.

1. What is the VBL?

The VBL stands for Virtual Baseball League. The VBL started in 1995 as a fledgling idea of VBL Commissioners John Boardman and Dennis Grishey. Since it's inception in 1995, the VBL1 completed 11 seasons! The VBL3 was created in 2002 by Mike Branda.

July 3, 2008
The VBL1 and VBL2 closed it's doors shortly after 2003. Since then, the VBL3 has been the longest lasting VBL. Currently, the VBL3 is in it's 11th season! VBL3 uses FPS 98.
In early 2006, the VBL4 was created by Brandon Simpson. The VBL4 uses OOTP 6.5 as it's sim, and the rosters are based on players beginning in 1980. Currently, they are in their 8th season!
In late 2006, the VBL5 opened it's doors and was created by Dan Branda. The league uses rosters from the early 1960's. Currently, they are re-formatting the league and will be using OOTP 8. They have finished 3 seasons.

Using both of these stat-intensive game the commissioners simulate league games on their local computers while team "owners" from around the country act as General Manager of their own VBL Franchise. In each of the leagues owned by the respective commissioner, they do not own any teams.

2. How do I get new players?
Players are acquired in the VBL in four ways: (a) The Amateur Draft The Amateur Draft is held every season in the middle of June. This draft consists of new players who are created by the game and the Commissioner, and reflect new talent coming into the league as either high school or college players. This draft is only 3 rounds and draft order is determined by team records from the previous season. (b) The Free Agent Draft The Free Agent Draft is held before Spring Training every year, and includes all players that were previously on waivers, unselected amateur players, and players who were eligible for free agency in accordance with the "4 year plan" (see the Constitution). This draft goes until the owners stop making selections. The Commissioner will announce deadlines for draft lists and roster cut-downs. (c) Waivers The Waiver pool (or free agent pool) is where all players that are not on any teams current roster reside. These players can be added during the season, as long as the 50-man limit is not exceeded. (d) Trades Trading is facilitated entirely by the owners, and can include any combination of players and draft picks. Owners are allowed to make any trades they like as long as all parties agree with it. The trade will be checked by the Commissioner to be sure that it conforms with the spirit of the league, but the Commissioner will not overturn any trade unless it is grossly unfair, and will not do so without an explanation.

2. How do I get new players?

Players are acquired in the VBL in four ways:

(a) The Amateur Draft
The Amateur Draft is held every season in the middle of June. This draft consists of new players who are created by the game and the Commissioner, and reflect new talent coming into the league as either high school or college players. This draft is only 3 rounds and draft order is determined by team records from the previous season.
(b) The Free Agent Draft
The Free Agent Draft is held before Spring Training every year, and includes all players that were previously on waivers, unselected amateur players, and players who were eligible for free agency in accordance with the "4 year plan" (see the Constitution). This draft goes until the owners stop making selections. The Commissioner will announce deadlines for draft lists and roster cut-downs.
(c) Waivers
The Waiver pool (or free agent pool) is where all players that are not on any teams current roster reside. These players can be added during the season, as long as the 50-man limit is not exceeded.
(d) Trades
Trading is facilitated entirely by the owners, and can include any combination of players and draft picks. Owners are allowed to make any trades they like as long as all parties agree with it. The trade will be checked by the Commissioner to be sure that it conforms with the spirit of the league, but the Commissioner will not overturn any trade unless it is grossly unfair, and will not do so without an explanation.

3. What are "pitching roles"?
Pitching Staff Roles are the "lineups" of how you want your pitchers to be used by the game. Players are only allowed to occupy one pitching role at a time. The possible assignments (and number of players that can be assigned to that role) are: Starting pitchers: (4-5) The first pitcher used in a game. Each pitcher will be used in turn. You may use a four- or five-man starting rotation. Long Relief/Spot Starter: (0-2) This is the guy who will be brought in if the starter is knocked out of the box early. He is also used as an emergency starter, and he may be called in if the game goes to extra innings. Middle reliever: (0-2) These are the guys brought in to pitch the sixth or seventh innings, or to finish off games that are not close. Set-up men: (0-2) These are the guys who close things down in the seventh and eighth, so you can bring in the closer. Closer: (0-2) This is the man you bring in to get the last three outs, to nail down the victory. All pitchers on the ACT roster who are not in a starting pitcher role may be called upon to come into a game for relief even though they may not be assigned to a particular role.

3. What are "pitching roles"?

Pitching Staff Roles are the "lineups" of how you want your pitchers to be used by the game. Players are only allowed to occupy one pitching role at a time. The possible assignments (and number of players that can be assigned to that role) are:

Starting pitchers: (4-5)
The first pitcher used in a game. Each pitcher will be used in turn. You may use a four- or five-man starting rotation.

Long Relief/Spot Starter: (0-2)
This is the guy who will be brought in if the starter is knocked out of the box early. He is also used as an emergency starter, and he may be called in if the game goes to extra innings.

Middle reliever: (0-2)
These are the guys brought in to pitch the sixth or seventh innings, or to finish off games that are not close.

Set-up men: (0-2)
These are the guys who close things down in the seventh and eighth, so you can bring in the closer.

Closer: (0-2)
This is the man you bring in to get the last three outs, to nail down the victory.

All pitchers on the ACT roster who are not in a starting pitcher role may be called upon to come into a game for relief even though they may not be assigned to a particular role.

4. What is the VPSG?
VPSG stands for Virtual Player Scouting Group. It was formed jointly by the Offices of the Virtual Baseball League Commissioners. The mission of the VPSG is be the most accurate player ranking group in existence today. Think of the VPSG as your top scout. Not always right, but you should always pay attention to it. The VPSG rankings are determined by complex formulas using players ratings. There are different formulas for batters, starters, and relievers. For a batters Overall Ranking, his position is taken into account to determine how much importance should be placed on his defensive abilities. For starting pitchers, they gain extra points for having more pitches available whereas relievers do not. Relievers also have a small percentage of their ranking based on the Close & Late and Scoring Position ratings. The Future Rankings formulas are the same as the Present Rankings, except they use a player's potential ratings to get the result. In order to include all players in the Future Rankings we did the following. If a player is 29 years old or more, we used his Present Ranking in the Future Ranking table. This is because players 29 and over usually do not see any more increases in ratings regardless of potential. If a player is between the ages of 26 and 28 we took his Present Ranking plus his Future Ranking and divided by two. This is done because players can still make strides in ratings during these years. Finally, for players 25 years old and younger, we used the pure result of the Future Ranking formula. These players have the greatest chance of reaching their full potential. There is no guarantee that a player will max out his potential ratings, however, the higher the potential the greater the chance that he will be very good.

4. What is the VPSG?

VPSG stands for Virtual Player Scouting Group. It was formed jointly by the Offices of the Virtual Baseball League Commissioners. The mission of the VPSG is be the most accurate player ranking group in existence today. Think of the VPSG as your top scout. Not always right, but you should always pay attention to it.

The VPSG rankings are determined by complex formulas using players ratings. There are different formulas for batters, starters, and relievers. For a batters Overall Ranking, his position is taken into account to determine how much importance should be placed on his defensive abilities. For starting pitchers, they gain extra points for having more pitches available whereas relievers do not. Relievers also have a small percentage of their ranking based on the Close & Late and Scoring Position ratings.

The Future Rankings formulas are the same as the Present Rankings, except they use a player's potential ratings to get the result. In order to include all players in the Future Rankings we did the following. If a player is 29 years old or more, we used his Present Ranking in the Future Ranking table. This is because players 29 and over usually do not see any more increases in ratings regardless of potential. If a player is between the ages of 26 and 28 we took his Present Ranking plus his Future Ranking and divided by two. This is done because players can still make strides in ratings during these years. Finally, for players 25 years old and younger, we used the pure result of the Future Ranking formula. These players have the greatest chance of reaching their full potential. There is no guarantee that a player will max out his potential ratings, however, the higher the potential the greater the chance that he will be very good.

5. What are the "Rosters & Lineups" pages? - IGNORE FOR NOW 7.3.08
The Rosters & Lineups pages were created by VBL2 Commissioner John Boardman to standardize lineup submissions and make the commissioners' jobs easier. The pages can be found at http://www.virtualbaseball.org/lineup, and individual teams are accessed by using a (case-sensitive) password that the Commissioner has provided to you. After they are completed, the pages will display the lineups that you have submitted, and will send confirmation to both the league office and to your team's e-mail address. All roster moves other than draft choices and trades should be documented using these pages. Trades for the VBL1 should be sent to vbl1trades@virtualbaseball.org and VBL2 trades should be sent to nddst@mediaone.net with the word "Trade" and the abbreviations of the teams involved in the subject line. Instructions for the free agent and amateur drafts will be issued by the Commissioners as they arise.

5. What are the "Rosters & Lineups" pages? - IGNORE FOR NOW 7.3.08

The Rosters & Lineups pages were created by VBL2 Commissioner John Boardman to standardize lineup submissions and make the commissioners' jobs easier. The pages can be found at http://www.virtualbaseball.org/lineup, and individual teams are accessed by using a (case-sensitive) password that the Commissioner has provided to you. After they are completed, the pages will display the lineups that you have submitted, and will send confirmation to both the league office and to your team's e-mail address.

All roster moves other than draft choices and trades should be documented using these pages. Trades for the VBL1 should be sent to vbl1trades@virtualbaseball.org and VBL2 trades should be sent to nddst@mediaone.net with the word "Trade" and the abbreviations of the teams involved in the subject line. Instructions for the free agent and amateur drafts will be issued by the Commissioners as they arise.

6. What about spring training?
The VBL holds a spring training before the start of each season to allow owners to focus on improving certain players above and beyond the normal improvements due to aging and off-season workouts. Here is how it works: A team can redistribute up to 5 ratings points among certain player ratings for as many as 10 players on the roster. A player's rating in a category is not be allowed to go higher than his potential rating in that category. Points taken from one rating to add to another are not put back if the rating being increased cannot use the points. Any points removed or added from a player's FA are done for all qualified positions, not just their primary position. Also, if a pitcher's rating for any pitch falls below 30, that pitch and the potential rating for that pitch will be set to zero. Pitches below 30 are not used in game situations and this is to stop a team from taking 5 points from a pitch that would never be used. For batters the ratings involved are CH, PH, SP, FA, and AS. For pitchers they are AS, EN, CO, FB, CU, SI, SL, CB, SC, and KN. The changes are sent to the commissioner at a time specified by him, and should be in the following format: John Abreu +2 CH (50), +1 SP (64), +2 FA (67) -3 PH (54), -2 AS (43) Where the + # is the adjustment and the (##) is the resultant number.

6. What about spring training?

The VBL holds a spring training before the start of each season to allow owners to focus on improving certain players above and beyond the normal improvements due to aging and off-season workouts.

Here is how it works:

A team can redistribute up to 5 ratings points among certain player ratings for as many as 10 players on the roster. A player's rating in a category is not be allowed to go higher than his potential rating in that category. Points taken from one rating to add to another are not put back if the rating being increased cannot use the points. Any points removed or added from a player's FA are done for all qualified positions, not just their primary position. Also, if a pitcher's rating for any pitch falls below 30, that pitch and the potential rating for that pitch will be set to zero. Pitches below 30 are not used in game situations and this is to stop a team from taking 5 points from a pitch that would never be used.

For batters the ratings involved are CH, PH, SP, FA, and AS.
For pitchers they are AS, EN, CO, FB, CU, SI, SL, CB, SC, and KN.

The changes are sent to the commissioner at a time specified by him, and should be in the following format:

John Abreu
+2 CH (50), +1 SP (64), +2 FA (67)
-3 PH (54), -2 AS (43)

Where the + # is the adjustment and the (##) is the resultant number.

7. How does the DL work?
You can only place players on the disabled list when they have an injury. Day to day injuries can also be put on the DL. However, the minimum stay on the DL is 15 (virtual) days. You should keep track of the time a player spends on the DL, so you know when they can be activated.. Also, players can be left on the DL after they are fully healed (although I don't know why anyone would want to leave them there). Players on the DL count against the 15 player maximum for AAA/DL roster spots.

7. How does the DL work?

You can only place players on the disabled list when they have an injury. Day to day injuries can also be put on the DL. However, the minimum stay on the DL is 15 (virtual) days. You should keep track of the time a player spends on the DL, so you know when they can be activated..

Also, players can be left on the DL after they are fully healed (although I don't know why anyone would want to leave them there). Players on the DL count against the 15 player maximum for AAA/DL roster spots.

8. Should I take advice from other owners?
In the words of VBL2 Commissioner John Boardman, "Don't take advice from anyone who has never had better than a 0.500 record."

9. What city can I use for my team? Can I get a list of the altitudes at each city?
Cities with altitudes of greater than 2000 feet above sea level were banned from use due to the non-realistic affects they had on player statistics. The list of approved cities and their altitudes can be found here. You may NOT use a city in the VBL3 if another team in VBL3 is currently using it.

11. Where can I find the Virtual Baseball League constitution?
The constitution contains a lot of information about being an owner in the VBL and can be found here.

12. What about changing my 5th Starter?
You cannot remove your 5th starter from the game if it is his turn to pitch. Also, if you are adding a 5th starter to the game, he will not pitch if the #4 starter has just completed his turn in the rotation (the game resets the next slot to #1). It is up to each owner to know where they are in the rotation and what the consequences of making those changes are. The Commissioner is not responsible for incorrect changes made to the 5th starter position. If the 5th starter is scheduled to pitch, and, you remove him from the game, your changes will not be processed.

12. What about changing my 5th Starter?

You cannot remove your 5th starter from the game if it is his turn to pitch. Also, if you are adding a 5th starter to the game, he will not pitch if the #4 starter has just completed his turn in the rotation (the game resets the next slot to #1). It is up to each owner to know where they are in the rotation and what the consequences of making those changes are. The Commissioner is not responsible for incorrect changes made to the 5th starter position.

If the 5th starter is scheduled to pitch, and, you remove him from the game, your changes will not be processed.