Yeah, the more I think about it, the more it makes sense that we may want to raise it to $160 mil.
I forgot how expensive some of those early pitcher are. And with all the hitters in the League, I don't want to limit people's budget too much.

I'm just trying to put a cap in there somewhere so that teams are on somewhat of an equal footing. Do you guys think that $160 is fair?

i vote yah

I'd much prefer $140M to start. That helps ensure that the first few picks don't give a few teams a big advantage. Especially with the ability to choose players' starting seasons, $140 would put more emphasis on strategy than on draft position.

Fellas, feel free to discuss the $140 mil vs. $160 mil topic.

I Do want to clarify the Player's Beginning Season once again, because there still seems to be a bit of misunderstanding.
You can't simply pick ANY season of the player you draft and start there.
You are allowed to "Fast Forward" their career to their first $5 million + season for Starting Pitchers & Hitters.
$3 million + for relievers. The only choice is to take a lesser salaried season.

For example--> Say you draft Greg Maddux.
You can't say, "I Draft Greg Maddux and I want to start with his 1994 season"
You are only allowed to fast-forward his career and begin with his first $ 5 million + season which in Maddux's case would be 1988.

Season 1- 1988 would be Greg Maddux's Inaugural season in the League.
Then Maddux would progress normally from season to season. Season 2- 1989, Season 3- 1990, ect.

Maddux, Greg
1986 Chicago Cubs R 32 2 4 0 5.52 1.77 .336 5.81 57 75 90 0.87 3.19 $255,662 B/B+
1987 Chicago Cubs R 157 6 14 0 5.61 1.64 .294 5.84 74 89 96 0.98 4.28 $2,453,356 C+/A+
1988 Chicago Cubs R 249 18 8 0 3.18 1.25 .244 5.06 106 102 140 0.47 2.93 $6,086,138 B/A+

Koufax is another good example.
A lot of mediocre seasons to start with.
His 1st Seson would be 1961 unless for some reason you wanted to start him in a less than $5 mil season such as 1960 for whatever reason.


Koufax, Sandy
1955 Brooklyn Dodgers L 45 2 2 0 3.02 1.46 .216 6.48 112 120 239 0.43 6.05 $980,911 B/D+
1956 Brooklyn Dodgers L 62 2 4 0 4.91 1.62 .286 4.60 66 90 65 1.53 4.45 $743,739 B/D
1957 Brooklyn Dodgers L 110 5 4 0 3.88 1.28 .216 10.52 109 121 78 1.21 4.40 $2,553,669 D/D-
1958 Los Angeles Dodgers L 167 11 11 1 4.48 1.49 .220 7.43 97 119 90 1.08 5.96 $3,567,147 B+/C
1959 Los Angeles Dodgers L 160 8 6 2 4.05 1.49 .235 10.15 88 111 70 1.35 5.40 $3,145,128 B/D-
1960 Los Angeles Dodgers L 185 8 13 1 3.91 1.33 .207 10.13 107 123 82 1.03 5.14 $4,474,358 B/D-
1961 Los Angeles Dodgers L 269 18 13 1 3.52 1.20 .222 9.47 131 118 103 0.95 3.38 $7,309,340 C+/D

Terry Shumpert never has a $5 mil season.
He falls into the category where a lot of Pinch-Hitters and 1 year wonders fall under. Even if he did have a $ 5 mil season, (let's pretend in 2004) you could still opt to Draft him and start him in 1999. Presumedly you'd cut him after his 1999 season and he'd become a free agent, for season 2 in his 200 season, progressing 1 season every year like all the stars, most likely never drafted again.

Shumpert, Terry
1990 Kansas City Royals R 97 0 .275 92 .292 .363 18.68 80 $516,938 -- -- C/C- -- -- --
1991 Kansas City Royals R 417 5 .217 369 .283 .322 20.33 87 $1,796,614 -- -- C/D- -- -- --
1992 Kansas City Royals R 99 1 .149 94 .175 .255 18.09 84 $295,701 -- -- C-/D- -- D/D- --
1994 Kansas City Royals R 285 8 .240 258 .289 .426 21.31 84 $1,387,841 -- -- D+/D- C/D- D/D- --
1999 Colorado Rockies R 304 10 .347 262 .413 .584 15.65 78 $3,188,558 -- -- A-/D B/D D+/D- A-/C-
2000 Colorado Rockies R 300 9 .259 263 .340 .456 15.21 81 $1,689,813 -- D-/D- A+/D- D/D- D-/D- D+/D-
2001 Colorado Rockies R 265 4 .289 242 .337 .438 18.18 85 $1,537,100 -- -- C-/D- C-/D- D/D- C/D-
2002 Colorado Rockies R 268 6 .235 234 .304 .372 17.52 68 $1,150,824 -- -- C/D- C/D- D/D- C/D-
2003 Tampa Bay Devil Rays R 99 2 .190 84 .289 .369 20.24 65 $400,772 -- -- C/D- C/C D/D- C/C+

Relief Pitchers have a lot of wiggle room as far as the starting season as many relievers will have seasons below $3 mil.
Take the first $3 mil+ season, or pick an earlier season & start from there.

Let's take Billy Wagner for example. First $3 mil+ season is 1999.
You can start his career in the League there, or choose to start it in 1996, 1997, or 1998 as they are all under $3 mil.

Regardless come 2000, you've got a decision to make. Do you carry his crappy 2000 season on your roster or cut him? If you cut him he is a Cut Free Agent and can be drafted by anyone for that 2000 season. Most likely someone would scoop him up for his future value and eat the 2000 season. BUT if everyone passed on him, come the NEXT season, he would be an eligible Free Agent for the 2001 season.


Wagner, Billy
1996 Houston Astros L 52 2 2 9 2.44 1.12 .165 11.67 5.23 $1,569,665 A+/D-
1997 Houston Astros L 67 7 8 23 2.85 1.19 .204 14.38 4.07 $1,985,758 D/D
1998 Houston Astros L 60 4 3 30 2.70 1.18 .211 14.55 3.75 $1,719,218 D-/D-
1999 Houston Astros L 75 4 1 39 1.57 0.78 .135 14.95 2.77 $4,314,571 A+/D-
2000 Houston Astros L 28 2 4 6 6.18 1.66 .255 9.11 5.86 $294,805 A+/D
2001 Houston Astros L 63 2 5 39 2.73 1.02 .198 11.35 2.87 $2,063,177 D/D
2002 Houston Astros L 75 4 2 35 2.52 0.97 .196 10.56 2.64 $2,596,953 A+/C-
2003 Houston Astros L 86 1 4 44 1.78 0.87 .169 10.99 2.41 $3,708,768 A+/B-

This post could not be converted. To view the original post's thread, click here.

Another example- One of my favorite Pinch-Hitters, Elmer Valo.
HIS first $5 mil + season is 1949. If you Draft Elmer & want to start there moving forward, that's your choice. Or you can opt to start his career with the 1941 season.

** EDIT ** WWII Seasons-- We can vote before we Draft on if Players that served in the war can skip their missing WWII service seasons. Dimagio, Teddy, ect... we can either IR them for the 1-4 years guys missed serving in the war or we can give them a "WW II Exemption" and let them Progress directly from the the season before they for the war and go right into the season they returned to Baseball.


Elmer Valo
1941 Philadelphia Athletics L 57 2 .420 53 .463 .580 4.00 69 $939,309 -- -- -- -- -- C/C
1942 Philadelphia Athletics L 571 2 .251 483 .355 .336 4.58 77 $3,041,637 -- -- -- -- -- D+/C+
31943 Philadelphia Athletics L 302 3 .221 262 .319 .297 5.22 72 $1,491,053 -- -- -- -- -- B/C-
1944- IR -- WW II
1945- IR -- WW II
1946 Philadelphia Athletics L 433 1 .307 367 .411 .411 5.17 75 $3,154,651 -- -- -- -- -- C/C-
51947 Philadelphia Athletics L 474 5 .300 390 .406 .405 5.68 71 $3,269,714 -- -- -- -- -- C/C-
1948 Philadelphia Athletics L 500 3 .305 403 .432 .394 3.39 71 $3,665,681 -- -- -- -- -- B/C-
1949 Philadelphia Athletics L 716 5 .283 576 .413 .404 5.85 78 $5,861,943 -- -- -- -- -- B-/A-

Hopefully this clears up any confusion about starting seasons.
If anyone has any other questions about starting seasons or ANYTHING else, please let me know.
I want everyone to have a clear understanding of the League before we start Drafting.

Thanks again, fellas for playing ! Hope you all enjoy the League

I vote 140 mil.

I does clear it up ..however I think we were confused or at least I was becasue the verbage ""Take the first $3 mil+ season, or pick an earlier season & start from there"" is really unnessasary.....You can take any season you want right??/

i agree with maybe starting season 1 as 140 (what guys signed up for) and raising it to 160 for season 2 as the players and salaries progress.

I would prefer to keep it at $140M for each season. With the new salary structure $140M is a pretty high cap. Keeps it a bit more competetive and appealing to new owners if they need to grab a team from a departed owner.

140 seems the way to go to me, too.