1994 EXPANSION DRAFT PROCEDURES

With MLB’s expansion in 1993 and 1998, the pool of available players will increase significantly during the next decade. To maintain the current level of competition and parity in the MWWL, we will be instituting an MWWL expansion draft prior to the 1994 season, adding four teams. Below are the procedures we will follow when implementing the expansion. We have developed and are posting these procedures more than five years prior to the planned expansion to ensure each team has ample time to plan accordingly.

See 1994 Expansion Draft Franchises Here:

A. Existing Franchises

1. At the end of the 1993 Season, the Mid-West Winter League (hence forth referred to as MWWL), will expand from 20 teams to 24 teams.

2. After the 1993 season, all players declared Off-Season Free Agents, based on usage requirements, are considered no longer owned by their Existing Franchises and will be Free Agents on the Expansion Draft Eligible List.

3. The Commissioner’s Office will send each Existing Franchise their 1993 Off-Season Final Roster.

4. Typically in the off-season, franchises cut down to 19-22 man roster; however at the end of 1993 there will be no cuts prior to the Expansion Draft.

5. Minus anyone lost via “A-2” each MWWL Existing Franchise will have approximately 35 Carded/Ghosted players on their rosters.

6. Each Existing Franchise will be allowed to protect 8 Players from their 1993 Off-Season Final Roster (8*2=160 protected players).

7. Each Existing Franchise will then rank their remaining unprotected players from 1-24 (1 = most important; 24 = least important).

a.    The rankings are to insure that Existing Franchises most coveted players are pulled back once a player from their team is taken from the Expansion Draft Eligible List.

b.    Roster sizes vary, so your rankings may be 1-18 or 1-24, etc., to reach each team’s maximum number of keepers (e.g., 19-22, pursuant to section IV) B) 2) a) & b) of the League Guide.

8. Existing Franchise owners should respect the Expansion Franchise owners and NOT “pre-strike” any deals. We should allow all Expansion Franchises to form their teams without interference of any kind.

B. Expansion Franchises

1. Each new MWWL Expansion Franchise will start with zero (0) players.

2. A random Expansion Draft Order, as explained in “B-3”, will be used for the 2010 MWWL Expansion Draft.

3. The drafting order will be determined at a later date with a random drawing done by the Commissioner’s Office.

4. Instead of serpentine, the draft order will rotate as such, to prevent an advantage to the “end‟ teams. The draft order allows each team to pick first every 4 rounds, with the longest wait between picks being 5.

a. Rd 1/5/9/13/17: A, B, C, D

b. Rd 2/6/10/14/18: D, A, B, C

c. Rd 3/7/11/15/19: C, D, A, B

d. Rd 4/8/12/16/20: B, C, D, A

 C. Expansion Draft

1. The Expansion Draft will consist of 20 Rounds.

a. Four Picks per Round

I.  One per Franchise

2. The Expansion Draft Eligible List will consist of the Existing Franchise Unprotected Players plus the Off-Season Free Agents mentioned in “A-2”.

3. Each time an Existing Franchise has a player chosen from the Expansion Draft Eligible List, the Existing Franchise will not be available for other Expansion Franchises to select a player from until the end of a 5 Round Segment.  (Rounds 1-5 / 6-10 / 11-15 / 16-20).

a. Each time a player from an Existing Franchise has been chosen from the Expansion Draft Eligible List, the Existing Franchise’s “Top remaining player (1) from their provided list in “A-7”, will be returned to the team’s protected roster and removed from the Expansion Draft Eligible List

I. Once all 20 Existing Franchises have a player Drafted by the Expansion Franchises then each Existing Franchise will be eligible again to lose a player to an Expansion Franchise.

II. Essentially, an Existing Franchise can only lose 1 player once every 20 total players.

a.       All Existing Franchises will lose one (1) player before a second Existing Franchises can lose a second (2) player.

4. Once an Existing Franchise has reached a roster size of 19 -22 consistent with section IV) B) 2) a) & b) of the League Guide, there will be no more “pull backs”. Additionally, all other players will be considered Free Agents available on the Expansion Draft Eligible List.

a.  At the end of the 20 round Expansion Draft, each Existing Franchise will “pull back” any of their players remaining to reach the maximum roster size, according to section IV) B) 2) a) & b) of the League Guide. Once each team is at its maximum roster size, and each expansion team has reached a roster size of 20, all players remaining on the Expansion Draft Eligible will be considered Free Agents and available during the 1994 annual draft.

D. 1994 Annual Draft

1.  For the 1994 Annual Draft, the Expansion Franchises will select at picks 9-12 and will rotate each round similar to how the Expansion Draft order was determined in B-4.

a. The drafting order will be reverse order of the Expansion Draft.

I.  Rd 1/5/9/13/17: B, C, D, A

II. Rd 2/6/10/14/18: C, D, A, B

III. Rd 3/7/11/15/19: D, A, B, C

IV. Rd 4/8/12/16/20: A, B, C, D

2.  At the completion of the 1994 Annual Draft, any team not at (38 Carded/Ghosted) players will continue to draft until they reach 38.

3.  Expansion Franchises will be allowed to draft as many rounds past Round 18 if they have an open roster spot available.

4.  All Franchises will stop Drafting once they have reached (38 Carded/Ghosted) players.

E. Glossary

1. Ghosted Player: A player who has played in a previous MLB season, but does not play in 1994 MLB season, however does play again at some point after 1994. Ghosted players count against all teams 38 man Roster.

2. Pull Back(s): Player(s) returned to their Existing Franchise after one of their players is chosen in the Expansion Draft.

F. Divisional Alignment / Realignment

1. With the 4 new Expansion Teams the MWWL will increase to 3 Divisions in each League instead of 4.

a. Expansion Teams will not be included in the Central Division of both the American & National.

I.    Expansion Teams will not be included in the Central Division of both the American & National.

a.    As of now the American League East will consist of: Flossmor, Janesville, Corktown & & Expansion Franchise A – Montreal Dreamers.

b.    As of now the American League Central will consist of: Chicago, Detroit, Mexico City & Harper Woods (Formerly Stockton).

c.    As of now the American League West will consist of: California, Portland, Fort Worth & Expansion Franchise C – Wausau Timbers.

d.    As of now the National League East will consist of: Germantown, Manhattan, Steel City, & Expansion Franchise B – Hampton Huskies.

e.    As of now the National League Central will consist of: Michigan, Missouri, Sugar Land & Valdosta.

f.    As of now the National League West will consist of: Blarney Drive, Winnipeg, Long Beach & Expansion Franchise D – Tennessee Crackers.

 b. Starting with the 1994 MWWL Season, Three (3) division winners will make playoffs, along with two (2) Wild Card teams (Next two best records).

I.  The top 2 Non Division winning teams would qualify for the Wild Card Round.