SCORESHEET FANTASY BASEBALL LEAGUES

Welcome to Scoresheet Fantasy Baseball

Play the ultimate fantasy baseball simulation game! Instead of just accumulating 'points', Scoresheet fantasy baseball teams play real head-to-head, inning-by-inning baseball. And unlike other simulations that use statistics from past seasons, Scoresheet Fantasy Baseball games are played each week of the upcoming major league baseball season, using each player's stats from the current week.

Like other fantasy baseball games, in Scoresheet you will draft players before the baseball season starts, and then your team wins or loses based on how your players do throughout the major league baseball season. But, rather than just adding up stats, with Scoresheet Baseball your fantasy team will play actual games, at bat by at bat, using a computer simulation we've developed over the past 25+ years. Each week of the upcoming 2013 major league season, using a lineup card filled out by you, your Scoresheet team will play 6 or 7 real ballgames on our computer, using the statistics your players put up that week in the majors. You can even see every one of your team's games in a text based play by play format on your league's web page. It is like watching a real game played by 'your guys', and is something no stat adding game can offer.

Each weekly report will include complete scoresheets for every game your team plays. League standings, trade reports, player and team stats, league leaders, top undrafted players, team vs. team records — they are all included. Each league also has its own web pages full of information. You can even use our Score-it feature to watch each baseball game being played through from beginning to end. A complete 162 game schedule is played, yet it takes no more of your time to play Scoresheet than any other fantasy baseball game. But the realism of Scoresheet Fantasy Baseball makes for a much better game. Want a full rundown of all the features? Check out our FANTASY BASEBALL INTRODUCTORY BROCHURE (PDF) for more details.

Your fantasy team, your decisions

Because your Scoresheet Fantasy Baseball team plays complete ballgames, there is more to winning than just drafting and trading. The manager who makes the best use of his players will win the crucial close games.

Is it worth an out to sacrifice a runner along?

Is it a good gamble to try to steal second?

Those are the types of decisions you will make as a Scoresheet Fantasy Baseball manager. In addition, our sample lineup cards show that you set your batting order and pitching rotation, and you decide when to:

platoon steal bunt pinch hit

remove a tiring pitcher use each reliever bring in a closer make a defensive replacement

As with any fantasy system, how your team does depends on how your players do in real life each week of the major league season. But with a Scoresheet Fantasy Baseball team, you will get the added fun of knowing that your managerial decisions, and virtually everything your players do on the field, are playing a key role in your team's success.

OUR FANTASY BASEBALL SIM MEANS THE MOST REALISM & FUN!

Do you think that middle relievers, good defense, and a manager's strategies all play an important part in real baseball? Well, so do we, and that is why we designed Scoresheet Fantasy Baseball so that your fantasy team plays complete games, one at-bat at a time.

Point adding games just don't compare

The problem with other fantasy baseball games that just add up 'points' is that the better baseball team often doesn't win. In those stat-adding games a few categories, like stolen bases, are overemphasized while entire areas of baseball, such as creating batting orders, sacrificing, pinch hitting, platooning, fielding, setup men, etc., are ignored. At Scoresheet we don't decide that a home run is worth 4 'points', and pitcher win is worth 2 'points'. Instead, your Scoresheet Fantasy Baseball team will play complete games based on that current week's major league box scores, and using your managerial strategies. The results are so realistic that Baseball Weekly asked us to simulate an entire major league season for one of their feature articles. The San Francisco Chronicle said "Comparing Scoresheet Baseball to other fantasy games is like comparing chess to checkers." For the last 25+ years, we have constantly upgraded and fine-tuned our game program to produce the most realistic fantasy baseball simulation available anywhere. We are proud to say that our team owners continue to tell us (and their friends) how fun and realistic our game is.

Each Scoresheet at-bat, our sim engine calculates the chances of a base hit, home run, out, error, etc., based on the actual performances of your game's batter, pitcher, and fielders that week in the majors. For example, the better a batter hits that week in the majors, or the more hits per 9 innings that pitcher gave up that week, the higher the probability of a hit in that Scoresheet at-bat. Based on those probabilities, our computer then determines the outcome of each at-bat. Similar formulas apply for extra base hits, walks, strikeouts, etc. - virtually every official baseball statistic is used in a Scoresheet game to produce a baseball sim game that is second to none.

We are avid baseball fans ourselves and have tried to include all of the subtleties that make baseball such a great game. But the computer handles all the details - your managing is actually quite simple. For instance, since fielding range numbers are generally hard to find, we include them for every player in the draft packet online (or mailed to you if you need). Some of the finer points that make our game the most realistic baseball sim are listed below.

Batting

• Each batter's actual number of singles, doubles, triples, home runs, walks, strikeouts and at-bats that week in the majors is used - not just his batting average and number of home runs
• Batters hit differently against left-handed and right-handed pitchers
• Team-dependent stats, such as the number of RBIs and runs scored a player has in the majors, matter much less than individual stats such as slugging average or on-base percentage
• Sacrifice bunts and pinch hitting only happen for batters you specify, and only if the game situation warrants it

Pitching

• Each pitcher's complete stats are used, including the number of strikeouts, walks, hits, earned runs and innings pitched he recorded that week in the majors - even wild pitches!
• Pitchers "pitch carefully" when first base is open and a runner is in scoring position, giving up more walks but fewer big hits
• Team-dependent stats such as wins and saves matter less than individual stats such as ERA
• Your closer will only pitch in save situations

Fielding

• Errors and passed balls are based on the fielder's actual stats that week
• Better fielders get to more balls. Each player's fielding range is included in the draft packet.
• Better catchers throw out more runners, and are run on less often
• Players who play more than one position in the majors can also switch positions in Scoresheet

Base Running

• Runners can only steal as often, and with as much chance of success, as they did in the majors that week
• Fast runners score more often from second on a single
• Slow batters ground into more double plays
• Runners sometimes advance farther on a hit with 2 outs, since they run with the crack of the bat

Once you play Scoresheet Fantasy Baseball we think you will agree: it's simply the best fantasy baseball sim game anywhere - and the most fun to play!

 

THE DRAFT IS A BLAST

Join alone or with just a few friends and we will put you in a league with other individual owners. Because we feel part of the fun of managing and trading is having realistic teams, the regular single-season leagues we form are 10-team leagues (you choose whether you want to play in an AL or NL league). Leagues are split into divisions. At the end of the season we hold playoffs involving the division winners, along with one wild card team.

We also offer single season leagues with a 'root team' flavor. Again, leagues will have 10 teams and you will be in either an AL or NL league. Teams will each be based on a major league team, with team owners choosing before they join which major league team they want to be associated with. During the draft each team owner will pick a player from their root team's organization in the first three rounds; plus at least five more players from their root team by round 16; plus all their picks in rounds 17 through 29 will come from their root team. The draft order in other rounds (4 through 16, and 30 through 35) would be in reverse order of the 2012 major league standings. Thus about half your starters and almost all of your backups and bullpen would be from your root team. This should make the root leagues a lot of fun, while drafting will be greatly simplified compared to a regular draft since rounds 17 thru 29 will just consist of players from your root team. Please note that we have done our best to design the leagues so that teams based on the best major league teams will *not* necessarily have an advantage. For one thing, more of the players from those better real teams will get picked by other owners in the open rounds. Also, since these root leagues are a simpler version of the normal game, teams in the root leagues will be just $59, or just $29 if you are playing Scoresheet for the first time. Root leagues will all draft using the web draft. You can read more about the root leagues at: root league drafting rules.

Got a group? Form a fantasy baseball league of your own

You can also join with a larger group of friends and form your own complete league. With your own complete league, you can have any number of teams, and can choose to draft just AL or NL players, or can draft from both leagues if you like. With your own league, you can also choose to either hold your own draft, or you can use our web draft system, or you can send in player ranking lists and we will run your draft for you.

If you join alone or with a couple of friends you will start the draft process by ranking players in whatever order you value them. In each round of the draft, as your turn comes up, you will get the highest-ranked available (undrafted) player on your list, subject to our roster balancing rules which have you pick all your starters before any backups, ensuring you will receive a balanced team. Unlike pools, this is a real draft. For instance, Miguel Cabrera can only be on one team in each league. The picking order in the first round will be determined randomly, and the last to pick in round one will pick first in round two.

Complete control of your fantasy baseball draft

Scoresheet's offer a web-based draft system lets you change your ranking list between every round of the draft, giving you the same control as if you were doing a live in-person draft. A full explanation of our drafting system is included in the drafting packet that we send you, and you can read more about our it on our page covering web drafting.

As soon as we receive your order form we will send complete drafting information including player lists and the full drafting rules. The drafting packet includes almost everyone on the AL or NL 40 man major league rosters, along with many top prospects. Players are grouped by position, and we print each player's major league team, which side he bats or pitches from, and his fielding range. We even include players' ages.

The draft is your opportunity to put together the kind of team you want to manage. Would you rather have a top pitcher such as Roy Halladay, or the power of a slugger like Evan Longoria? Will you spend a top pick on a dominant closer, or settle for a bullpen by committee? These are the kind of tough decisions you'll be making as you put together your winning team.

Because your Scoresheet team plays actual ballgames, there is an element of realism that is lost in other fantasy systems. Having a fast leadoff guy to score from second on a single, solid middle relievers to get to your closer, and speedy fielders to close off the gaps - all are important in real baseball, and are just as important in Scoresheet Baseball. There is more to a Scoresheet draft than just picking the guys who will have the most home runs or stolen bases!

Many other draft systems make you rank the positions first, and then you rank the players within each position. In our drafts, your ranking list can mix individual players from different positions, giving you the greatest possible choice of who you want on your team. We have also found that our customers greatly prefer our draft to the complicated auction systems used by some other companies, as our draft emphasizes baseball knowledge rather than salary management. We also run perpetual (continuing) leagues that allow owners to keep players from year to year. But we do suggest that you play Scoresheet for at least one season before committing.

 

THE ART OF THE DEAL

For many of you, the opportunity to trade is the best part of owning a fantasy baseball team. And trading is especially fun in Scoresheet Fantasy Baseball, because with realistic teams and complete ballgames, you get to consider every element of baseball. You'll decide what your team needs to put it over the top:

• a leadoff hitter who gets on base a lot
• a left-handed bat
• perhaps a deeper bullpen

It's up to you to decide. Maybe you want to build for the future and get draft picks (in a continuing league) or go for it all now and make a big trade that could put you over the top this season.

Wheel and deal like a real GM

You can make an unlimited number of trades up to the trading deadline, including unbalanced trades, such as three players for two. You can even trade rights to mid-season draft picks. We'll provide contact info of the other owners in your league for trading purposes. We monitor all trades for fairness, and no trades are allowed after the first week of September. This is your chance to talk over real trade ideas with other owners, and to see the results of your deals reflected in actual games.

During the pre-season you'll draft 35 players. You'll also take part in five mid-season drafts of 3 players each, allowing you to acquire players such as surprising rookies that no one drafted in the pre-season. This large roster allows you to substitute for players who are injured or sent to the minors, and gives you flexibility to juggle your lineup or make trades.

E-Mail and the Web

You can receive your weekly reports by e-mail or even postal mail if you'd like. Each league also has its own website showing everything you'd want to know about your league. Your league website includes our popular Score-it feature, which plays out the results of every game with descriptions of the play-by-play action!

You can choose to play in a league where the draft is run on the web. With that web-based draft you can change your ranking list as often as you like, after every round or even every pick if you want.

If you are looking to join a league that holds its own private draft either in person, by phone, or online, check out our message board, where anyone can post notes about forming new leagues.

GET IN ON THE FUN!

Owning a single Scoresheet Baseball team costs just $89. You can pay just $35 with your order form and the balance with your draft lists. Join with a friend, or order two teams for yourself, and the price is only $84 per team. For those of you joining in groups of 5 or more, the price drops to $79 per team. And if you have never played any Scoresheet game before, you qualify for our special introductory offer of just $29 per team! This franchise fee pays for:

• the pre-season draft
• all trades
• all lineup cards submitted from your league website
• play-by-play graphical display of all games using our Score-it feature
• all 27 weekly reports, including complete scoresheets for 162 regular season games plus playoffs
• all mid-season supplemental drafts
• personalized trophies for league winners

Lineup cards that make it easy

We have designed our lineup cards so that you do not have to turn in a new lineup every time an injury strikes. You simply list your backup players in the order you want them to appear, and then your starters are automatically substituted for if they miss games. However, when you do want to make a strategy change, you certainly can. As long as you use our web site's lineup card feature to make changes there is no charge for turning in new lineups. If you want to turn in lineup changes by postal mail or fax or e-mail you can do so, but then there is a charge. Changing your entire lineup card (making as many changes as you like on both the hitting and pitching sides) other than by using the web form costs $5, or you can change just one side for $3. There is *no* charge for trades or for picking up players during the season; the only transaction charge is for making lineup changes by a means other than using our web site's lineup card form.

We have put over 25 years into making our fantasy sports games as much fun as possible. Considering how many hours you spend following baseball each year, you owe it to yourself to play the very best fantasy game you can find. At Scoresheet, we have worked very hard so that you can do just that! Our success over the years has been due to repeat business and word-of-mouth advertising from over 7,500 satisfied team owners.

Running a great fantasy baseball game is our focus

At Scoresheet, we do not offer the cash prizes some 'contests' do. To offer cash prizes we'd have to raise prices, and more importantly, we'd have to change our game completely. We could no longer put teams into leagues since owners would just collude (make unfair trades) to put together a super team in an effort to win the prize. We believe the fun of playing fantasy sports is being in a real league, where a player can only be on one team in each league, where making real trades with other baseball fans is part of the fun, and where you compete directly against the other team owners in your league.

To take part in a league drafting on the web you can join anytime from January through mid-March. However, the earlier you join the more time you will have to enjoy the complete draft, which for many of us is the best part of the whole season. That web-based draft will enable you to change your ranking list in between every round if you like. Complete instructions for web based drafting will be included with the draft packet, and you can also read more about web drafting here.

Don't spend the winter without baseball, simply waiting for Opening Day! Instead, send in your order form now, and start thinking baseball as you get ready for the exciting season ahead.

See how much fun playing fantasy baseball can be. As some of our team owners proclaim: "Scoresheet makes you a total baseball fan", "it just gets better every year", "far superior to rotisserie or stat games". Every year better than 9 out of every 10 Scoresheet Baseball team owners return for another great season. So join the many thousands of satisfied team owners and Play the Best - Play Scoresheet!