How picks work
A pick is one player from one season, such as Babe Ruth in 1927. Teams pick in a snake: round one runs from the first team to the last, round two runs back from the last to the first, and it keeps reversing. Draft positions are random.
The top of the draft screen shows the round and pick number, and whose turn it is. When it reads Your pick, you are on the clock and can take as long as you like. Computer teams pick instantly, so the draft moves on as soon as you choose.
One player, one team
Once any season of a player is drafted, no other season of him is available to anyone in your league. If another team takes Ruth's 1921 season, his 1927 season is gone too.
The rules your roster follows
| Salary cap | $80,000,000 total. The cheapest player costs $500,000. |
|---|---|
| Roster size | 24 to 26 players. |
| Required players | 5 starting pitchers, 5 relievers, and one each at catcher, first base, second base, third base, shortstop, left field, center field and right field. |
| Everyone else | Bench. Any hitters or pitchers you like. |
A hitter who can play several positions can fill whichever slot you need. A starter with no relief rating cannot fill a relief slot. Hitters with no fielding rating, who can only be a designated hitter, can only be drafted in leagues that use the DH.
What the draft checks on each pick
The draft will not let you make a pick that leaves your roster impossible to finish. It rejects a pick when:
- it would put you over the cap, or over 26 players;
- you would no longer have enough roster spots left for the positions still empty; or
- it would leave too little money to fill those spots at the cheapest available price, and to reach 24 players.
The message tells you which of these happened and how many dollars you are short.
The draft screen
- Player list. Browse hitters by position, or starters and relievers. Narrow the list with a minimum and maximum salary in millions, and by which side a hitter bats from. Max = my cap room sets the maximum to what you can still afford, and Reset filters clears everything.
- Player details. Select a player to see his ratings and his season line before you pick.
- My Roster. Opens a panel with your cap room, spots filled out of 26, your pitching staff, and your lineup and bench.
- Recent picks. A ticker along the top shows what just came off the board.
Finishing the draft
- I'm done drafting locks in your roster once it is legal: at least 24 players, under the cap, with every required slot filled. The computer teams then finish their picks.
- Simulate Draft lets the computer complete the whole draft, including any picks you have left.
When the last pick is made, the draft closes, the 162-game schedule is created, and you land on the season hub with your first game.
The computer teams
Each computer team has its own spending style and scouting preference, picked at random. The spending styles are Steinbrenner, which chases stars; Moneyball, which hunts for value; and Balanced, which fills positions evenly. The scouting preferences are small ball, power, defense and analytics.
Drafting well
- Stars cost a lot, and every required slot still needs a player. Leave enough money for the empty ones.
- Players at the minimum salary are enough for the bench, so spend where it matters.
- Check which positions are still empty in My Roster before you take a hitter who can only play one of them.