Lost in the shuffle of the start of the 2020 Season was a series of Rule Changes to the Roger Dorn Baseball League that will now take effect for the 2021 Season.
Here's a recap of those rule changes.
ALAMO, CA -- The Roger Dorn Baseball League Commissioner's Office officially approved five new rule changes which will go into effect immediately for the 2021 season. Each of the five rule changes were critiqued extensively this off-season with a goal of adapting to the changing landscape of how Major League Baseball teams operate which providing RDBL Front Offices with increased flexibility.
Increase in League Dues from $200 to $225
The League has officially announced the increase in League Dues from RDBL Ownership Groups from $200 to $225 effective in 2021. The additional $25 League Dues per team will infuse $375 in new cash winnings into the RDBL System which will be distributed into Regular Season and Playoff Winners.
Continuing to place an emphasis on the Regular Season, each club to earn a spot in the Playoffs will now receive a $25 increase in their Playoff Bonus while each of the teams finishing in the Top 3 of the Regular Season will receive substantial jumps in their earnings. Only $15 of the new $375 will be put towards the RDBL Playoffs with the continued goal to reward the success over the first 22 Periods of the season.
Here's a full breakdown of the new payouts compared against the 2019 summary (click to expand image).
Replacement of an Additional SP Slot with Flex
With the increased use of "Openers" across baseball and the line becoming more blurred between starters and relievers, the Roger Dorn Baseball League has announced the replacement of an additional SP slot for a Flex spot, effective starting in 2021. This follows the 2019 rule change of the first Flex position.
The structure of a full pitching staff now stands at four starting pitchers, three relievers and two Flex.
Tatis, Jr. Rule
The "Tatis, Jr. Rule" allows RDBL clubs owning prospects promoted after Draft Day but before Period 6 the option to activate the player within a 24 hour window of their promotion. Currently, prospects can be activated on Draft Day OR at/following Period 6 of the season which left players like Fernando Tatis, Jr. penalized with the inability to be activated until Period 6 due to the timing of his promotion to San Diego.
This change helps sidestep the ridiculous MLB incentives to keep top prospects in the Minors until mid-April, allowing RDBL Front Offices access to their prospects as soon as they are available.
Prospects who are on the MLB Club's Active Roster on Draft Day would still be forced into the original two options - Draft Day or Period 6 (or later) for activations.
"Ohtani Rule"
CBS made the decision to make Shohei Ohtani one player in the league system which works for daily leagues but substantially limits his value (and future players like him) under our Weekly Scoring System.
The "Ohtani Rule" will allow a player with dual hitting and pitching eligibility to be slotted into both spots in a given period. For example, a current Ohtani GM could slot him into U for Monday-Saturday, then move him to a designated vacant pitching slot for his outing on Sunday.
Division Alignment Changes
As previously announced, the addition of the Idaho Taters to the Roger Dorn Baseball League sparked a realignment of Divisions which was set to go into effect for 2020 but will now finally debut in 2021.
"The health of the Roger Dorn Baseball League has never been better" RDBL Commissioner Greg Shelley commented Tuesday. "We are thrilled to add an Owner/General Manager in Mike Friedrich who brings such a storied background in Fantasy Baseball and will add another element of engagement for the rest of the league. As evidence by the Burlingame Blue Ducks 2019 Title, parity continues to be our calling card with six different champions in seven seasons. We view the realignment of the Divisions as a positive to spark even more competition and banter off the field as well as on it."
As part of the restructuring, the Taters will join the remade Masters Division along with the Mission Viejo Maulers, Danville Aristocrats and newly relocated Spokane Fightin' Fish.
The East Bay Division will also take on two clubs as the Asti Grape Stompers and newly relocated Alamo Short Stacks come over from the Masters Division. With the Grapes and Stacks in, the East Bay Division is now comprised of all five members of Shelley/Watson family connection.
The newly named Honolulu Hammerheads mark the final adjustment in the Divisions as they move from the Masters Division over to the Peninsula Division, replacing the Maulers.
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