Roster Construction Poll

[ldsjayhawk]

I think this issue is something that needs to be put before the whole league regardless of the vote on the Rules Committee.   Please include comment.

[Brent]

The active roster size should not be changed on a league this size.  The appeal of ARB is the roster size and uniform salary cap.  What’s the point of having 218 minor leaguers to develop if you only the normal active roster spots to use them?  MLB teams use their rosters, they use more than 1 catcher throughout the season and they normally use a rotation of 4 outfielders and 6 infielders.  ARB accounting for that and offering those roster spots is appealing as it is a challenge, but that is why managers join a league like ARB. 
Parity will always be off in leagues due to different managers’ ability to run their respective teams and talent development in a league with a uniform cap.

[kidd5jersey]

You can still utilize your players.  It makes you use strategy as well to compare matchups, hot and cold streaks, spot in the lineup, etc. to fill out your lineup as well.  For example, teams don't play two catchers.  They play one.  That makes 'quantity' more important than 'quality'.  Are Omar Narvaez and Mitch Garver more valuable than Posey and Curt Casali?  No.  But in this current format they would be.  Narvaez and Garver would be cheaper as well.  I feel we should have to set a lineup no different than a manager does.  Additionally, rebuilding teams in the past format would go winless.  This at least allows them to be more competitive on a week to week basis even within a rebuild.  We all will have holes when it is changed.  We have four months to trade and free agency to fill those holes so I believe that every team could fill out a MLB roster at that point.  The current format does not allow some teams to do that.  Don't believe me?  Take a look at the Mariners.  With a standard lineup, they could win a few.  In this format, they won't win anything.  This allows for some parity. 

[Brent]

You can still utilize your players.  It makes you use strategy as well to compare matchups, hot and cold streaks, spot in the lineup, etc. to fill out your lineup as well.  For example, teams don't play two catchers.  They play one.  That makes 'quantity' more important than 'quality'.  Are Omar Narvaez and Mitch Garver more valuable than Posey and Curt Casali?  No.  But in this current format they would be.  Narvaez and Garver would be cheaper as well.  I feel we should have to set a lineup no different than a manager does.  Additionally, rebuilding teams in the past format would go winless.  This at least allows them to be more competitive on a week to week basis even within a rebuild.  We all will have holes when it is changed.  We have four months to trade and free agency to fill those holes so I believe that every team could fill out a MLB roster at that point.  The current format does not allow some teams to do that.  Don't believe me?  Take a look at the Mariners.  With a standard lineup, they could win a few.  In this format, they won't win anything.  This allows for some parity.

I'm not for insterting an "Easy" button.

[kidd5jersey]

there's a big difference between easy button and this. look at the league historical records.  Also, it's easier just setting your lineup for the season vs daily lineups. I personally like realism as well so a 9 man batting order seems more realistic.

[Brent]

there's a big difference between easy button and this. look at the league historical records.  Also, it's easier just setting your lineup for the season vs daily lineups. I personally like realism as well so a 9 man batting order seems more realistic.

Going down active roster spots is the easy button.  It takes away the complexity of the league.  There aren't many box scores in MLB where only 9 position players played for a team and only 1 pitcher pitched.  A normal game involves catchers being pinch hit or pinch ran for an outfielder subbed out for a defensive sub, etc.  Last season only 21 catchers played 100 games or more with only 3 playing more than 130 games while 80 played more than 20 games. 

[rotodojo]

I believe this format suggestion adds up to 41. If an RP is removed to make it 40 then I'd vote for that.

[Maydab23]

Thinking on this further, one potential issue is devaluing hitters. It only reduces the number of hitter active spots. I’m worried it would place a disproportionate value on pitching depth 12 pitchers vs 9 hitters accruing points on any given day. Certainly a pitching staff doesn’t use their entire staff any given day but hitters are limited to 9 active and the rest don’t count? Doesn’t add up.

Under the new rules, pitchers (even marginal ones) would be of increased value and marginal hitters of decreased value since you could still start and accrue points through marginal pitchers but no longer could start marginal hitters (typically CI/MI/2nd catcher/4thOF)

I’m open to reducing but it has to be equal so as to not throw the balance of the league off. Under the proposed active lineup I’d be inclined to only sign the occasional hitter yet “overpay” for mediocre pitchers since they have more points accruing opportunities.

[Vik]

Thought about this for a while and read feedback so far and my vote is to keep roster as is.

Given I have enough guys to field a average or above average guy starting at every active bat postion, and a little bench depth, I know I am little biased. I also see strong reason to allow a little more pariaty but same time, with league still in somewhat of a flux and FA around corner I think it's best to maintain as is and evaluate again come next season.

Overall it's been a great job so far keeping this league going and ensuring we have guys ready and excited for FA and next year, so I say once all the new teams get a feel for things it'll be better to discuss these type changes next offseason

Just my 2 cents and after a couple brews 

[RyanJames5]

I completely understand the argument about devaluing hitters.  However, we're not devaluing hitters when at least 1/3 of the league can't fill active roster spots.  I have been attempting to rebuild for 4 years in this league.  Last year was the first year I started the season with a full lineup and within a month, I had Matt Hague at 1B, Brandon Snyder at 3B, Mike Aviles at SS and nobody to fill my utility spot, so I had an injured Ben Gamel there. 

Due to the massive minor league rosters, (which I love) it's so hard to acquire any talent at all, let alone impact talent at a reasonable price, that it's almost impossible to devalue hitters.  I mean when you go back and look at last off-season, Ben Revere got 24M, Yunel Escobar got 18M, Derek Norris got 4M.  None of these guys even set foot on a major league field last year.  Hitting is so scarce and impossible to acquire in this league that we're giving 4 year contracts to a 30 year old outfielder that was released in July and wasn't picked up for the rest of the year.