X League of

L G Extraordinary Gentlemen

League Improvement Project

Office of the Commissioners, February 16, 2019
Overview X
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This presentation will update the League on the League

Improvement Project (LIP) plan including a summary of the
proposals and next steps for all stakeholders. The Commissioners
welcome feedback on this update and any of the proposals
contained within.
• Provide an overview of the LIP proposals
– Short-term proposals
– Long-term proposals
• Review of recent changes
• Highlight analyses of plan elements
• Review key next steps, including decisions, comment and
review process, implementation processes, and timelines
Summary of Proposals X
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The League Improvement Project plan includes multiple

proposed changes:

• Short-term proposals
– Consolation winner awarded first pick in each round
– SV+H Replacing Saves
• Long-term proposals
– OBPA added as additional category
– Expansion
LIP Process Map X
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Proposed Multi-Year
Discussion &
LIP Creation Near-Term Improvement
Review
Changes Strategy

Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3 Phase 4

✓ Informal • Stakeholder • All near-term • Mar 10 to May 31:
discussions with outreach changes only Formal comment
managers • Formal review implemented if period for long-term
✓ Internal review process they are adequately changes
and discussion of • Feb 16 to Feb 27: well received • 2020: Expansion
proposed changes Formal comment during the review • 2020: Addition of
✓ Review of period for near-term process OBPA
recent changes changes • 2019: SV+H • 2021+: QS replacing IP,
✓ Feb 16: Release • Mar 1 to Mar 10: replacing Saves possibly as a pilot*
League Release League • Fall ‘19: Winner of
*Not proposed, but
Improvement Improvement consolation round
included as a topic of
Project, Part 1 Project, Part 2 awarded first pick discussion
in each round
Review Process X
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• Formal comment period for every proposal.

• Informal discussion can take place anywhere at any time
– LXG GroupMe
– LXG GroupMe polling
– Message boards
– etc.
• Formal comments are handled privately to prevent comments
from being lost in a thread and to prevent excessive arguing
• Formal comments are delivered by:
– Texting Eric or Shane, together or individually.
– GroupMe Private Messaging Eric or Shane, together or individually.
• Eric and Shane will reach out to every manager individually
during the comment period.
Consolation Draft Picks: History X
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History
• Prior to 2016, the Consolation Bracket played no role in LXG’s
draft order.
• In 2016, the Consolation Champion was awarded the first
overall pick in the first round of the (2017) draft for the first
time.
• This change has proven to be very popular, with very little
resistance. This change has combated tanking and given
consolation teams something to play for.
• The biggest downside to this change, to date, is the added
difficulty in the yearly re-launch of LXG. Yahoo! does not like
having different default draft orders for different rounds.
Therefore, this annual process has become much more manual
than it needs to be.
Consolation Draft Picks: Current X
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Current Situation
• The winner of the Consolation Bracket receives the first
overall pick in the first round of the following year’s annual draft.
• The first round has a different default draft order than the
other rounds:
First Round: Remaining Rounds:
1. Consolation Champion (CC) 1. Worst Regular Season Record
2. Worst Regular Season Record for Non CC 2. 2nd Worst Regular Season Record
3. 2nd Worst Regular Season Record for Non CC 3. 3rd Worst Regular Season Record
4. 3rd Worst Regular Season Record for Non CC 4. 4th Worst Regular Season Record
5. 4th Worst Regular Season Record for Non CC 5. 5th Worst Regular Season Record
6. 5th Worst Regular Season Record for Non CC 6. 6th Worst Regular Season Record
7-12. Playoff Teams 7-12. Playoff Teams
Consolation Draft Picks: Proposal X
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Our Proposal
• The Consolation Draft Picks Proposal is a proposed near-term
change, to apply to the 2019 consolation round and 2020 draft
• Award the winner of the Consolation Bracket the first pick in
every round of the following year’s draft.
• All draft rounds will have the same default draft order:

1. Consolation Champion (CC)

2. Worst Regular Season Record for Non CC
3. 2nd Worst Regular Season Record for Non CC
4. 3rd Worst Regular Season Record for Non CC
5. 4th Worst Regular Season Record for Non CC
6. 5th Worst Regular Season Record for Non CC
7-12. Playoff Teams
Consolation Draft Picks: Proposal X
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Why We Believe in This Change

• The success of our previous consolation draft pick change has
encouraged us to pursue an expansion of that idea:
– Further preventing tanking
– Further giving non-playoff teams something to play for
• The Consolation Draft Picks Proposal will make life easier for:
– All managers who will be able to more easily track draft picks when every
round has the same default draft order.
– Commissioners who will no longer have to manually input as many draft
pick’s, as the “default draft order” will apply to every round of the draft.
• With how often draft picks are traded, this change becomes
especially logical. When many teams are no longer holding their
first round pick, the consolation championship loses its
importance to the participants.
Consolation Draft Picks: Proposal X
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Why We Believe in This Change for This Year

• No 2020 draft picks have officially changed hands
• The 2020 draft has the most keepers of any year, so this is the
least consequential year to test such a change
Consolation Draft Picks: Proposal X
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Trade-Offs
• The worst team may not get the best draft pick
Comment Period
• Formal Comment Period: Feb 16 to Feb 27
Implementation
• Proposed to be implemented Fall 2019 for the 2020 draft.
Pitching Categories: History X
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History
• Prior to 2013, there was a different pitching category and positional
arrangement:
– 7 starting positions: 5 SPs, 2 RPs
– 7 categories: IP, W, SV, K, ERA, WHIP, K/BB
• In 2013 and 2014, pitching was overhauled.
• In 2013, an 8th pitching category (QS) was added to combat the
extreme relative lack of importance of pitchers at the time. This
change proved to be controversial.
• In 2014, QS was replaced with ERs, remaining at 8 pitching
categories. The starting positions were overhauled to add flexibility
and strategy to managing pitching staffs. This change was well received
and has been our settings ever since:
– 7 starting positions: 4 SPs, 1 RP, 2 Ps
– 8 categories: IP, W, SV, ER, K, ERA, WHIP, K/BB
Pitching Categories: Current X
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Current Situation
• 8 pitching categories: IP, W, SV, ER, K, ERA, WHIP, K/BB
– 9 offensive categories
• Pitchers have relatively less importance in LXG than in MLB
and other fantasy baseball leagues
– In 2018, 36 of the 120 players kept were pitchers
– 2 of the 120 players kept were primarily relievers (both by Toms Rivers)
– Dynasty won the championship employing the “quantity over quality”
strategy, which has proven very successful in recent years
• MLB has seen major changes in the way pitching staffs are
used in recent years:
– Bullpening
– Openers
– Very valuable, inning-eating relievers who do not close
SV+H: Proposal X
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Our Proposal
• The SV+H Proposal is a proposed near-term change, to apply
to the 2019 season
• Replace Saves with SV+H
– Save: credited to a pitcher who finished a game for the winning team
under certain prescribed circumstances
• He is the finishing pitcher in a game won by his team
• He is not the winning pitcher
• He is credited with at least 1/3 of an inning pitcher
• He satisfies one of the following conditions:
– He enters the game with a lead of no more than three runs and pitches for at least one inning
– He enters the game, regardless of the count, with the potential tying run either on base, at bat, or on deck
– He pitches for at least three innings

– Hold: credited to a pitcher who satisfies all of the criteria for a save,
except he does not finish the game
SV+H: Proposal X
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Why We Believe in This Change

• This change is a popular one across fantasy baseball formats
in the late 2010s
• It reflects changes in MLB, which has seen a rise in valuable
non-closing relievers, from the Andrew Miller mold:
– Jeremy Jeffress, Jared Hughes, Jesse Chavez, Adam Ottavino, Jose Leclerc,
Scott Oberg, Seunghwan Oh, Steve Cishek, Chad Green, Seth Lugo, and others
all had a lot of MLB value in 2018, yet little-to-no LXG value.
• Bad closers have more value in LXG than far better, non-
closing relievers:
– Brad Boxberger, Shane Greene, Ken Giles, Cody Allen, Bud Norris, Corey
Knebel, and Sergio Romo were all significantly less effective in 2018 than
the above relievers, yet were significantly more valuable in LXG.
SV+H: Proposal X
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Why We Believe in This Change for This Year

• Very few relievers are kept every year:
– No team other than Toms River kept a pitcher who was primarily a reliever last year.

• The top closers do not lose value, and the most valuable
relievers will still be closers:
– 6 closers were able to secure 35+ saves last year, while nobody had 35+
holds
• The most valuable non-closers surpass the worst closers in
value, but none of those players are keepers or a part of any
team’s long-term plans.
– This change reflects the changing value and usage of MLB relievers
SV+H: Proposal X
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Trade-Offs
• Ranking websites often rank as if leagues are using Saves
• A need to reassess some strategy
Comment Period
• Formal Comment Period: Feb 16 to Feb 27
Implementation
• Proposed to be implemented for the 2019 season
OBPA: Proposal X
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Our Proposal
• The OBPA Proposal is a proposed long-term change, to apply
to the 2020 season
• Add OBPA (On-Base Percentage Against) as a ninth pitching
category
– Eight 2018 categories: IP, W, SV, ER, K, ERA, WHIP, K/BB
– Eight proposed 2019 categories: IP, W, SV+H, ER, K, ERA, WHIP, K/BB
– Nine proposed 2020 categories: IP, W, SV+H, ER, K, ERA, WHIP, K/BB, OBPA
– Complements the nine offensive categories, to balance offense and
pitching
• BAA (Batting Average Against) and SLGA (Slugging Percentage
Against) were considered, but ultimately are not offered by
Yahoo!
OBPA: Proposal X
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Why We Believe in This Change

• Combats “quantity over quality” by adding a quality category
– OBPA does not disincentive quantity (like ER for example), but rather is
neutral on quantity while further incentivizing quality
– Currently, of our 8 pitching categories, only 3 categories purely emphasis
quality without being gameable by quantity
• ERA, WHIP, K/BB
– This proposal is for 4 of the 9 pitching categories to purely emphasize
quality without being gameable by quantity
• ERA, WHIP, K/BB, OBPA

• Restores some balance between pitching and offense

– Proposed to go from 9 offense, 8 pitching to 9 of each
– Many leagues have a 5x5 or 6x6 format with an even number of
categories between pitching and offense
OBPA: Proposal X
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Trade-Offs
• OBPA mostly duplicates WHIP
• Does it add too much value to pitching?
Comment Period
• Formal Comment Period: Mar 10 to May 31
Implementation
• Proposed to be implemented for the 2020 season
Expansion: History X
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History
• Prior to 2010, there were 8 teams in LXG.
• In 2011, LXG expanded to 10 teams with those teams ultimately
being held by Josh Beloff and Frankie Chan
• In 2014, LXG expanded to 12 teams, replacing two managers and
adding two more. We welcomed to the league:
– Andrew Bauer, Sam Farkas, Griffin Gammill, and Allan Neskie
• In 2018, Adam Lee Purvis joined the league as a replacement
manager.
• The system works!
– The consensus is that these seven managers have been a HUGE net positive
to LXG.
– The vetting and selection process works.
• The most recent seven additions to the league are all still here and each have added their
own personal, positive stamp on LXG.
– The expansion process works.
• Teams were competitive immediately, and the process was considered a success in both 2010 and
2014.
Expansion: Current
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X
Current Situation
• 12 teams
• Very active league
– GroupMe and trades are considered highly active and engaging by the
vast majority of human beings’ standards.
• A good group of candidates vying to be a part of the magic
that is LXG
Expansion: Proposal X
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Our Proposal
• Expand LXG to 14 teams for the 2020 season
• Follow established expansion protocols for adding these new
teams
1. Pre-expansion drafts
2. Expansion draft
3. Annual draft
Expansion: Procedure X
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Procedure
1. 12 pre-expansion drafts
1. The pre-expansion drafts determine which players enter the expansion draft
pool
2. Each expansion manager takes part in six of the pre-expansion drafts
3. Each existing manager takes part in one pre-expansion draft
4. Each existing manager and one expansion manager drafts from the existing
team’s roster
5. Each existing manager decides which of the following sets of picks they have in
their teams pre-expansion draft; 7th and 8th pick, 6th and 10th pick, 5th and 12th
pick, or 4th and 14th pick
2. 1 expansion draft
1. 12-round snake draft with the two expansion managers
2. The pool is the (24) players taken in the pre-expansion draft
3. 1 annual draft
1. Conducted as usual
2. New managers have the last pick in each round
3. Existing managers keep 12 players, after 2 were taken from each roster in
the pre-expansion draft
Expansion: Aftermath X
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Keepers
• 12 keepers in 2020
– Including the pre-expansion draft, this is an unchanged 14 players
from each roster
• New keeper rotation: 6, 8, 10, 12
– 6 keepers in 2021
– 8 keepers in 2022
– 10 keepers in 2023
– 12 keepers in 2024
– Closely mimics the 8, 10, 12, 14 current keeper rotation with
respect to player pool:
• 12 keepers in a 14-team league is the same number of total keepers as
14 keepers in a 12-team league.
• Slightly fewer keepers overall in the lower-keeper years will lead to
increased parody.
Expansion: Proposal X
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Trade-Offs
• Less talent per team
• Less likely to win in a given year
Comment Period
• Formal Comment Period: Mar 10 to May 31
Implementation
• Proposed to be implemented for the 2020 season
League Improvement Project, Part 2 X
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• To be released in March
– Mar 1 – Mar 10
• Short-term proposals will be finalized before LIP, Part 2 is
released
• Long-term proposals contained within LIP, Part 2:
– Expansion
– Pitching Categories
• OPBA
• QS*
• Separate comment period for long-term changes in LIP, Part 2:
– Mar 10 – May 31

*Possibly