Major Change to Fantasy League Rules & Setup?

[Sharky]

With the Astros moving to the AL for the 2013 season, our "only" leagues (i.e. AL only or NL only) are wondering how to adjust. NL fantasy leagues frequently have 12 or 13 teams, with typical 23 man rosters (14 hitters, 9 pitchers). For redraft leagues, this is somewhat irrelevant. But for keeper leagues it's a big deal. What are your leagues doing to adjust?

Ideally we want to maintain the same "depth". Fantasy leagues can:
1) contract (through attrition or otherwise).
2) change roster composition (add a "utility" slot or a pitcher slot, or remove a slot)
3) insert your best ideas here please!

[Judge Jude]

Yeah, I've posted about this.
We've had the same 12 NL-only owners since 2002, and no one wants anyone to leave, so that's not happening as long as good health prevails.
I think it's reasonable to consider dropping to 13 offensive slots, though I'm sure we won't.

So a different question is, how does one mildly change auction strategy?
I did well for years spending more on INFs and end-gaming a couple of OF slots, because you could always dump a bad OF for a FA with a pulse. In unlimited-move leagues (which we aren't), that made even more sense.

But more and more, the FA pool is dismal.

As bad as the Astros were, they produced in 2001 Altuve, JD Martinez, Paredes, Bourgeois, and other very useful NL-only extra pieces. That opportunity is gone now.

[joncarlos]

It just highlights what has been an unnoticed problem in standard roto setups for a while now. 14 hitters/9 pitchers is way out of whack when MLB teams are playing with 12-13 pitchers. I guess MLB teams used 9-10 pitchers in the 80s when roto was invented? I'm not really sure.

[Judge Jude]

Yes, in the early 1980s, a 15-hitter, 10-pitcher roster was pretty typical, with the short-term adjustments to that of course.

The 1970 Baltimore Orioles used 12 pitchers all season.
Palmer-Cuellar-McNally had a combined 119 starts, and swingmen Hardin and Phoebus started 40 more, plus MLopez got the other 3 starts.

No reliever threw more than 61 IP, nor saved more than 13 G (60 CG), and 12th pitcher Fred Beene pitched in only 4 games.

The Orioles of that era often had 9 pitchers and 16 hitters, as Earl Weaver loved to platoon and pinch-hit for batters.

Simpler times.

[Fresno Bob]

I'd say it makes Stars and Scrubs even more important in NL-only.

[The Dane]

I'd say it makes Stars and Scrubs even more important in NL-only.

Of course, the opposite could also be true. Spread the Risk might be more viable considering there are fewer reasonable scrubs available.

[schlesinj]

We start 27 players (17 H 10 P 10 team NL). Someone brought up reducing an OF from 7 to 6.

[Big Tymer]

If a 12-team NL league contracts to 11 coupled with the fact that the $60+ that Albert used to go for must go somewhere else now, then the NL auctions should be fun this year I'm in the same league as ElDiablo above and while I'd personally prefer to get back to 12 the path of least resistance here might be to contract the open team (which isn't very good anyway).

[Gregg]

If we do nothing we are all in the same boat. It just means that titles can be won with picking the right bench/scrub type players.

On the other side of it maybe two catcher leagues could go to one, and go from 5 to 4 OF. Then add one additional UT spot?

[Erik]

Yes, in the early 1980s, a 15-hitter, 10-pitcher roster was pretty typical, with the short-term adjustments to that of course.

Yep. The other day I found a 1980 Phillies World Series banner that had the names of everyone on the playoff roster. Sure enough, 15 hitters, 10 pitchers. But that was typical of the regular season roster, also. Also remember that before Eckersley's insane year of 1987, after which everyone copied what TLR was doing, it was common for relievers to pitch 2 or 3 innings at a time. (e.g. In 1980 WS Game 5, McGraw and Quisenberry both pitched 2+ innings. Quisenberry blew the lead in the top of the 9th and McGraw loaded the bases in the bottom of the 9th before getting out of it.)

I think that's a very good argument for adjusting the hitter/pitcher ratio in only leagues.

[Don Quixote]

Back in the Mesozoic Era, when I was growing up, the standard major league roster was 15 hitters and 10 pitchers. The Weaver Orioles, with only 9 pitchers, were an exception--but they didn't NEED a sixth reliever with the SPs they had. The move towards 11 pitchers began with the DH rule and accelerated in the 1980s, then gained momentum and went beyond it to 12 with the advent of the one-inning-max reliever, as Erik mentioned.

At least in "only" leagues, my suggestion is to go to 13 hitters and 10 pitchers, eliminating the second catcher in two-C leagues, or the fifth OF, or consolidating MI/CI into one infield spot.