Statheads Gameplay: Keeper System

Statheads Fantasy Baseball encourages continuity between team rosters by allowing players to be protected in the following two manners:

Franchise Players (FPs): FPs are players that the team "owns" for an unlimited length of time and at no penalty against their seasonal drafts. FPs are drawn from the following formula:

First FP draft: One player drafted in Round 1, or two players whose draft rounds add up to at least 7 (2nd rounder + 5th rounder, or two 4th rounders for instance)

Subsequent drafts: Up to 2 players from current FPs and all players drafted in Rds. 1-3

FPs are not assigned a position in the draft, and therefore owners do not expend draft choices for their FPs. Owners with fewer FPs than the team with the most make up their shortfall in the form of provisional picks (see Draft).

Keepers: Teams may protect up to a total of 7 players from their previous roster. After a team's FPs, players from the remainder of the roster can fill the remaining protection slots. Each protected player can be kept at the cost of 3 rounds in the draft. For example, a protected player drafted in round 15 becomes the next season's 12th round draft selection.

Protected free agent players (FAs): those who were not initially drafted at the start of the season) are valued as 15th round draft picks on the next season's draft day. If more than one player would occupy the same draft position, they will take the next lower draft position available; the owner may choose the ordering of these players. For example, an owner protecting two 10th rounders and 2 free agents will choose which 10th rounder takes each of the 7th and 8th round draft positions, and which free agents will take each of the 15th and 16th round draft positions.

If another protected player qualifies for one of the slots in the process, that player takes his assigned spot, and the "tied" player goes in behind him. For example, an owner protecting Free Agents A & B and 19th rounder C will slot players A & B in rounds 15 and 17, as player C takes round 16 in the next draft.

A player can be protected for the next season's draft even if he is in the minors or on the MLB DL at the time of the draft. In such instances, that player takes his usual spot in the draft (whether FP or in a slot). His owner can assign him to the Reserve List after the draft is over.

Note: keeper rules are managed and enforced by league admins, there is no application management of validating or limiting the number of players a team may have pre-draft. League admins are reponsible for creating their competitive rules for drafts and league continuity.