Prospect Player Defined

[JakesSnakes]

According to MLB: “A player shall be considered a rookie unless, during a previous season or seasons, he has (a) exceeded 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched in the Major Leagues; ..."

Since we have had difficulties defining what a prospect is and who is eligible, that definition is the simplest one to use. If at the beginning of a year (any year, including 2009) a player has totalled 130 AB or 50 IP, he is NOT eligible for the farm team at any time. Thus, if Justin Upton (who has had over 130 ABs) was to be sent down to his team's AAA team, he is NOT eligible. MLB no longer considers him a rookie, so we should not either. Under our old definition we would be allowing some guys to be on the farm team with more MLB experience and banning others with less simply because of their opening day 2009 roster status. Since MLB treats them equally (whether they meet the 130/50 threshold), so should we. If Rookie A made his opening day team but rode the pine all season, he was not eligible under our old definition to be on the farm team even though he is still a rookie (per the MLB definition). If Rookie B were sent down for the first month and then called up and pulled a Ryan Braun, he would still have been eligible for the farm team. That would have been an unintended result. They BOTH would be eligible for the farm team because they began the season under 130/50.

THEREFORE, if you have ANY player who has under a total of 130 ABs or 50 IP in MLB at the beginning of a season, he is eligible to be moved down to your farm team regardless of his status with his MLB team. If a player accumulates 130/50 MLB experience, he is still eligible for THAT SEASON ONLY, and then cannot be on the farm team in any subsequent year. If a player begins 2011 with 125 MLB AB's, he can spend any part of 2011 on your farm team (even if he is pulling a Ryan Braun type rookie year). However, once he goes over 130/50 total MLB experience, the following year after that number is met he is NO LONGER ELIGIBLE for the farm team.


Does this make sense? Please ask any questions.

[JakesSnakes]

This website can be used to determine whether a player qualifies: www.baseball-reference.com/


If you want to promote a player from your farm team to your MLB team during the season, simply add him (if Yahoo has him available) and either drop/demote a player who is eligible (ie had less than 130/50 at the BEGINNING of THAT season) or drop a player from your roster to make space. You can then add any player who qualifies under our definition to your farm team so long as he is not on any one else's team. I will make the necessary changes to reflect your changes in the official farm team page.


Also, you CAN trade farm team prospects in deals if you so desire. Trading is encouraged so please feel free to do so.


Just a reminder (as discussed before the draft on the proboard and even during the draft), you cannot claim a player on waivers or from free agents who qualifies as a prospect until AFTER the prospect draft is complete. If you do so, he will be REMOVED from your team. If you do get him in the prospect draft later, you can then add him back.

This is so every player not originally drafted is available in the prospect draft. It is to prevent streaming of top prospects into your farm team. Ie, you are limited to those you drafted and will have to wait until after the prospect draft. Don't worry, there are 100 top prospects on the 100 top prospect list. Everyone should get 6 of them. If, after the prospect draft, you want to add another guy not drafted to your team, feel free to do so. Also, if you draft a player in the prospect draft and you want to add him to your team (he was not originally on your team), you CAN add him then. But, he must be drafted in the prospect draft to do so (or originally drafted in the Yahoo draft, demoted to your farm team, and then called up).

This was discussed on the proboard before the draft.

As per the set definition on the proboard, a player is a prospect if he has less than 130 ABs or 50 IP to start the season. If you have already placed a claim on a guy who falls in this category, you need to cancel that claim and draft him in the prospect draft. Otherwise he will be removed from your team until you draft him in the prospect draft (IF you do get him).

[steveb3]

While I agree with everything you are saying.. This was not clearly defined when we drafted.. That is the reason I drafted Phil Hughes because originally you stated any player who was sent down to AAA. While I completely agree with the requirements now I do not think it is fair that I should be punished for not being told the complete rules and am now stuck with someone who I originally thought would be considered a prospect for the sake of this league.

[JakesSnakes]

if anyone does not have a problem with making an exception for players DRAFTED who were demoted to the minor leagues this spring and who are above the 130/50 limit, that is fine. if anyone else feels they have a player that falls into this exception, let me know. just remember, hughes won't qualify after this year (he is no longer an MLB rookie or a "prospect" by MLB definitions either). i would imagine there are few players who fit this category, but please let me know.

i don't have a problem with allowing you to send hughes down this year. although i don't consider him to be a prospect, he was under the original definition. therefore players in that category will be allowed down this year only. (i don't think you would have planned on keeping him in the minors beyond this year anyways; i'm guessing you probably assumed he would be on the yankees by next year anyways)...

[Regal Homer]

There was mention of the limits in the constitution draft but since we haven't finalized the constitution, I don't have a problem letting Hughes down for this year (or anyone else that is in the same category).

[thecloser]

I agree hughes should be able to be a farm team guy,,,,,,,