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FANALYTICS: Quint-Inning, The Official Rules
Ron Shandler -- August 19
For about two years, I've been grappling with the challenges presented by the changing personality of fantasy baseball.
Ten years ago, prior to the internet explosion, we played a thoughtful, patient game. We waited for our league's stats to be mailed or faxed to us once per week. We approached Rotisserie as a 6-month chess match. Today, we are driven by our reflexes. We can't help but be pushed to micro-manage. At the same time, more and more of us crave contests that don't require us to know the second string catcher on the Seattle Mariners.
These are not all bad things, necessarily. However, they are symptomatic of a larger problem that I've had difficulty getting my arms around. Two years ago, I thought the Rotisserie7 concept might address some of the issues. But the more I pondered the signs, the more I realized that Roto7 was not nearly enough to sate our changing appetite. The answer to the question would have to be something dramatic.
Finally, a light bulb went off when I was watching a game on TV not long ago.
But it wasn't a baseball game.
It was poker.
The sudden rise in interest in poker makes sense to me now. What we want are games that provide more immediate gratification. But with baseball, and fantasy baseball, it's tough to find immediate gratification when the season drags on for six months. We just don't have the patience to wait that long.
Back in my 20s, I had a regular Sunday night poker game with a bunch of my buddies. It lasted for several years because we all thrived on the regular interaction, the competition and the camaraderie. But what if we were able to do the same thing with a fantasy baseball competition drawn off of the Sunday evening baseball telecast? Or any baseball game? What if we had a way to play a single-game fantasy contest around the TV with a 6-pack of beer and nachos? Or in an online chat room with a bunch of college buddies stretched across the country? Or even while we were physically out at the ballpark?
And so began the quest to design a fantasy contest that could become a weekly poker game for a bunch of guys. Or girls. Or, by removing the gambling element, for kids.
I call the game, Quint-Inning, because the number 5 plays a large role in the rules, and each inning -- especially the 5th inning -- provides a key decision point for the participants. Read this over and feel free to take it out for a test run.
Official Rules of QUINT-INNING
Copyright 2005, Shandler Enterprises LLC
OBJECT
To assemble a group of players that will amass the most points during the course of a single baseball game.
TEAMS
Quint-Inning is designed for five participants ("owners"). It is workable with as few as three. If 6 owners want to participate, each roster size would have to be reduced to accommodate. For more than 6 owners, it is recommended that multiple concurrent contests be played.
ROSTER
An owner's roster, or "hand," begins with 5 players. This roster structure -– both size and composition -– will be fluid during the course of the game. There are no positional requirements for the 5 players other than one must always be a pitcher.
AUCTION DRAFT
A player auction is conducted before the major league ballgame and must be completed prior to the first pitch being thrown. It is recommended to begin the auction about 45-60 minutes prior to the beginning of the game.
In the format of a standard Rotisserie auction, each owner must acquire 5 players from the current 25-man rosters of the two major league teams playing in that game, at a cost not to exceed $55. It is preferable that the auction be conducted prior to the announcement of each team's starting lineup. Each owner should be supplied with, at minimum, the 25-man rosters of both teams (which can be printed from mlb.com, or other sources).
All five roster spots must be filled.
No owner can bid for a player it cannot afford.
An owner need not spend his entire auction dollar allotment. Any unspent dollars may be added to an owner's Free Agent Acquisition Budget (FAAB).
The "salaries" paid for the five players have no further relevance once the draft is over. They are essentially acquisition costs only.
POINTS and STANDINGS
Team standings are calculated based on a ranking of points accumulated by players at the time they are on an owner's roster.
BATTERS accumulate points for bases gained or lost:
Single = +1
BB = +1
HBP = +1
SB = +1
CS = -1
Double = +2
Triple = +3
HR = +4
Error = -2
Batting stats accumulated by pitchers in the National League do count, however, the pitcher must be drafted or acquired separately as a batter. A pitcher may appear as both a batter and a pitcher in a given game, accumulate points separately, and appear on two different rosters.
PITCHERS accumulate points for innings pitched minus earned runs allowed:
IP = +1
Earned Run allowed = -1
The pitcher who is on the mound at the completion of the inning is the one who gets credit for that IP point. So, if a starting pitcher is pulled in the middle of an inning, the point goes to the reliever who registers the third out.
Win = +5
Save = +3
These are separate points awarded to the owner who has the pitcher of record on his team at the end of the game, even if the owner did not draft that pitcher. If an unrostered pitcher wins or saves the game, these points are not awarded.
"The Quint:" At the beginning of the 5th inning, any owner has the option of doubling the points for one player on his roster. Both positive and negative points are then doubled for that player for the remainder of the game. Should that player be traded to another owner, or dropped and then re-acquired, his "Quint" status will remain for the entire game.
Ninth Inning: In the 9th inning, all batting points (positive and negative) are doubled.
FAAB points: Unused FAAB units can be converted to scoring points at the end of the game. The conversion rate is 10 FAAB = 1 point.
IN-GAME ROSTER MANAGEMENT
The original 5 drafted players must remain on each owner's roster for at least the complete first inning. Following the final play of the bottom of the first, players may be dropped, added or traded. At that point, all roster size and composition restrictions are lifted, with two exceptions:
- Each owner must have at least one player on his roster at all times.
- Each owner must retain at least one pitcher at all times.
Conceivably, an owner's 5-player hand can double in size during the course of a game, or be reduced to only one or two players.
All player moves take effect at the beginning of each subsequent half inning no matter when the move is announced. All player moves must be announced prior to the first pitch of that half inning; otherwise, the move will not take effect until the following half inning.
1. Dropping players
Any player can be cut from an owner's roster at any time after the first inning. Players who are cut may not be re-acquired by the original owner, via FAAB or trade, for the remainder of the game.
2. Adding players and the Free Agent Acquisition Budget
Each owner is allotted a budget of 50 units/points/dollars per game for the purpose of acquiring players. This is the free agent acquisition budget (FAAB). Available for FAABing are...
- players that had not been originally drafted but are on one of the 25-man rosters
- players that had been cut by other owners
- players of those owners who drop out of the game early
A player does not have to be in the game in order to be FAABed. Owners can anticipate pinch-hitters and relievers being brought into a game before they actually are.
An owner can announce that he is placing a bid on a free agent at any time. Should two owners introduce bidding on a free agent at the same time, the owner with the fewest points at that time is granted the bid-opener. If two or more owners are tied for fewest points, the tie-breaker will be fewest pitching points. If a tie still exists, a flip of a coin will determine the bid-opener.
Other owners can announce competing bids until a high bidder is determined. That high bidder adds the player to his roster and deducts the winning bid from his FAAB budget. No other player needs to be dropped.
All players acquired during a game accumulate points from the half inning after which they were acquired. Previous points earned by that player are not available to the acquiring owner.
Each owner is limited to only one player per half inning acquired via FAAB.
3. Trading
A trade can be consummated at any time, between any two or more owners. The only commodities that may be traded are rostered players and FAAB dollars. "Future considerations" or any other non-player or non-FAAB commodity may not be traded.
Uneven trades are allowed and roster sizes do not have to be squared up at any time. However, should a team's only pitcher be traded to another owner, a pitcher must be received in return or a free agent pitcher acquired immediately. If a pitcher is not added to a roster before the first pitch of the next half-inning, the trade is nullified.
As in regular Rotisserie, all stats accumulated prior to the trade stay with each owner. However, in order to get the 5 points for a pitching win or 3 points for a save, an owner must finish the game with that pitcher on his roster. So it is conceivable that a pitcher may accumulate points for one team during the course of the game, get traded, and provide the win or save points to a different team.
STAKES
Similar to poker, there is an additional element of strategy if you add stakes to this game. While I am not an advocate of gambling as it is related to games of pure chance, I can't ignore the fact that fantasy baseball, at its core, is a gambling game. You can play Quint-Inning without the stakes -- and it makes for a nifty game for kids -- but there may be increased interest if all participants have more decision points during the course of the competition.
Quint-Inning can be played as a low stakes, moderate or higher stakes competition. The following description includes all three versions, indicated as (low stakes/moderate stakes/high stakes) in parentheses.
- It costs ($1/$5/$55) to get in the game. That's the price to participate in the pre-game auction.
- It costs (25 cents/$1/$5) per inning to stay in the game for the first four innings.
- Beginning with the 5th inning, the stakes go up to (50 cents/$2/$10) per inning to stay in the game.
- Should the game go into extra innings, the stakes rise to a flat ($1/$5/$25) to stay in the game until its conclusion. (The truly adventurous can go $1/$5/$25 per inning.)
Each owner has to decide whether he is still in the game at the end of each full inning. Owners can drop out at the end of any inning, thus forfeiting any monies they've already contributed to the pot. In fact, an owner can drop out even before the game begins if he thinks he drafted a poor hand, however, it still costs him $1/$5/$55 to play.
The three stakes levels can generate pots of up to approximately $20, $100 and $600, respectively. Most pots will be less as some owners may drop out of the game early.
DETERMINING THE WINNER
The winner of the Quint-Inning contest is the owner who finishes the ballgame with the most points. The motto of Quint-inning is, "Every point is precious."
Tie-breaking procedure: Should there be a tie in the standings, the following hierarchy will be used to break those deadlocks.
- Team with the most number of players contributing positive scoring points.
- Team with the most pitching points.
- Team with the most FAAB units remaining.
SCOREKEEPING
You will need a way to keep score when you play Quint-Inning. We have developed a scoresheet for this purpose. This version can be printed directly from the web. Make sure you print in landscape mode and adjust the margins to 0.25" all around. This version is in MS Excel and is a bit more detailed. Once you've RIGHT-CLICKED and downloaded it to your computer, you can manipulate the print settings however you'd like.
You can have one scorekeeper who tracks the entire game, or each team can track their own players. The latter is probably more advisable as it keeps everyone involved in the game.
The following is some quick detail on how to use this form. Here is a sample of a filled-out form for reference. (This was not a terribly well-drafted or well-played hand, other than making Brian Roberts his Quint.)
Begin at the bottom where it says, DRAFT WORKSHEET. This is where you can keep track of the players you've drafted and keep a running total of your auction dollars remaining.
Next to that section, you can enter the rosters of the other four owners. This is handy reference for orchestrating trades.
Next to that, you can enter each team's starting lineup so you can keep track of who is up at any time and who may be coming up in the next inning.
Once you've drafted, transfer your players to the main part of the form. While you will only be drafting five players, there are extra lines for players you may add during the course of the game. If you need additional space, you can keep score on the same line as players who you dropped or traded.
Each of the columns represents an inning of the game. Within each column you can enter each player positive and negative point totals. At the end of each inning, total all your points to the bottom (BATTING TOTAL and PITCHING TOTAL) and then use the GRAND TOTAL line to keep a running sum of your total accumulated points.
At the bottom right is a section to keep track of your FAAB budget. Remember to add any unused draft dollars here.
At the end of the game, total up all your batting and pitching points. If you have the winning pitcher on your team, add 5 points in the space provided on the right. If you have the pitcher who gets a save on your team, add 3 points in the space provided. If you have FAAB units remaining, divide that total by 10 and add the resulting whole number in the space provided.
BASIC STRATEGIES
Draft Preparation
Situational and match-up statistics are at the core of scouting information for this game. While Chris Carpenter may draw large bids at the draft, the caliber of offense he will be facing – and his track record against that team – will surely shape that final bid.
Similarly, knowing that a speedster will be facing a catcher with a strong arm, or that a slumping power hitter will be playing in a pitchers ballpark is important intelligence that would shape each player's draft value.
Knowing the depth of talent on each team will help an owner decide how to structure his hand. Some middle relievers might have just as much potential value as a weak, bottom-of-the-order hitter, so carrying more than one pitcher might have more upside. On the far end of the spectrum, if an owner has enough confidence in spending deep for a dominant starting pitcher, it might even be advantageous to fill out the rest of his hand with four players who probably won't see any action at all in that game.
In National League games, a pitcher may be drafted separately as a batter, which is different from most fantasy formats. What is the benefit of doing that? Beyond the few hurlers who are also good hitters, a pitcher still represents at least a few guaranteed at bats. Since the only events that generate negative points for batters are errors and caught stealing, there is little downside for rostering a pitcher as a hitter, especially if the alternative is a bench player who may or may not ever see action.
The Auction
The $55 draft budget is designed to closely mirror a typical $260 league. Most players will be drafted at rates close to expected levels at a standard Rotisserie auction.
However, the most valuable player in this game is a good starting pitcher. Ace starters can potentially generate 5-10 points in a game on their own and could go for upwards of $40 or more at the draft. On average, the best starting pitchers will score about 6-7 points per game, but a 9-inning shut-out victory is potentially worth a whopping 19 points (1 point each for the first 4 innings, 2 points each for innings 5-9 should he be designated as a Quint, and 5 points for the win).
By comparison, a batter would have to hit for the cycle to generate 10 points on his own (or hit two homers and a double, etc.). That's why most teams will start the game with 4 batters and one pitcher.
Some data benchmarks... Curt Schilling led all starting pitchers in 2004 with a points per game (PPG) average of 7.58. Eric Gagne led all closers at 3.29 last year. The best batters will average about 2.5 points per game. Barry Bonds led all batters last year with a PPG of 3.62, and was the only one with an average over 3.00.
A minimum of five pitchers will be rostered in each game, one by each owner. They will almost always include the two starting pitchers, the two closers and one high-skilled middle reliever who might be in line for a win or a save.
There are two hidden benefits of Quint-Inning that I've not previously mentioned. First is the fact that it helps to restore a bit of home-team fandom. Since you are only focused on two teams at a time, those who hold tight to their allegiance can stock their hand with their favorite players... so long as they are willing to pay for them.
The second benefit might have more far-reaching impact. ESPN's Outside the Lines this past Monday looked at Major League Baseball's attempt to take ownership of the stats we use to play fantasy baseball (via the licensing of player names). Experts agreed that a win by MLB could triple the costs of playing fantasy sports. Quint-Inning provides an alternative game that doesn't require all the support services that would be affected.
These are the basics for playing the game, but there is much more. Next week, in the subscriber area of Baseball HQ, I'll open up the entire spectrum of in-game strategy, offer up some rules variations and provide more data to look over. In addition, I'll describe the Quint-Inning Tournament that will take place at First Pitch Arizona this fall.
But for now, feel free to take the game out for a test run on your own. All it takes to play is four other friends and a televised ballgame.
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