UFLB Reveals Much Anticipated Rulebook Ahead of Next Month’s Franchise Auction
UFLB Reveals Much Anticipated Rulebook Ahead of Next Month’s Franchise Auction
Even with just a quick glance at Ultimate Fantasy League Baseball, you can tell how deep of a dynasty league it will be. Now you can dive into the official Rulebook like a Pete Rose double and find out all you need to know before bidding on a franchise during the auctions November 5-7. UFLB will mirror just about everything that happens in MLB, featuring 30 franchises and 26-player rosters as well as a 40-man list. Right now, it will act as a combination of a 40-man list and protected list where franchises will be able to keep 14 players as prospects or potential call-ups to the roster. In the future, there will be a full minor league system allowing the 40-man list to mimic what happens in MLB. The full Rulebook can be found here. “I think some fantasy baseball fans, new to UFFS, are going to be blown away by the amount of work it will take to run a franchise in UFLB, and they’re going to love that!” said a very excited Dean Millard, Head of Baseball Operations for Ultimate Franchise Fantasy Sports. “Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t for everyone, this is high stakes, professional fantasy baseball. This isn’t a weekly league where you can always find guys on the waiver wire. If a guy is playing in MLB, he will be on a franchise in UFLB. We want the best of the best when it comes to fantasy baseball as owners and or general managers.”
Potential franchise owners in UFLB who are familiar with UFF Sports from other leagues — like the UFAFL (American Football), UFHL (Ice Hockey), and UFBA (Basketball) — will recognize some similarities that are platform-wide. And hardcore fantasy baseball fans will love the realism and the lengths this league goes to in providing that authentic ownership experience — minus the billion-dollar franchise price tag. “That is what kind of drew me to it, to see how similar the two really are is crazy,” Ian Kinsler, the 4-time MLB All-Star and now a UFLB ambassador, said in an interview last month on UFSN. “I think a lot of players, a lot of ex-players, and a lot of fans that just want to feel and see what it’s like to run a Major League team are going to really enjoy it.” Kinsler won a World Series with the Boston Red Sox in 2018 and was part of two Texas Rangers clubs that lost in the World Series during his 14-year career. He’s now in the San Diego Padres’ front office and recognizes how much UFLB will resemble the real thing.
“It takes a lot of time, and it takes a lot of work, but it puts you closer to the game than I think people are used to, and that would be my recommendation is that it brings you closer to the game than anything else,” Kinsler said. The UFLB Rulebook also details the process of acquiring players through the one and only 26-round draft, the Top Prospects Auction and the Futures Auction, as well as annual Entry Draft Auctions and how International Free Agents will work. “Every sport has it’s unique rules and baseball is no different, so we will follow that and if things change, like they will with the current MLB CBA expiring in December, we will adapt as well,” said Millard, who will also act as Commissioner for UFLB. “I really hope one change that takes place is expanding the post-season, but for now we will follow the format of MLB, with a cool adaptation to keep playoff rosters as full as we can from the Wild Card rounds to the championship final.”