Rules: remove Fantrax default positions

[Rangers GM (Stephen)]

Preamble:
mlbbaseballleague.proboards.com/post/53576/thread


Possible area for improvement:

Removal of use of Fantrax default positions in addition to any position(s) a player qualifies for based on our normal positional qualification criteria (10 games in the current or previous season as a hitter, 5 starts or non-starts as a pitcher).


Why this could be considered an area for improvement:

This was voted on in 2019, with the electorate deciding to keep Fantrax default positions:
mlbbaseballleague.proboards.com/thread/4480/remove-fantraxs-default-position

Without being able to substantiate it in any concrete fashion, it feels to me that this offseason Fantrax's default positions are the least accurate they have ever been - to the extent where the current landscape could be considered different enough from that in 2019 to warrant another vote.
On my own roster alone, I have 4 players who played substantially at the MLB level in 2023 with eligibilities for the 2024 season that are unearned (and, in my opinion, have a noticeable impact on their immediate value).

In what is already a reasonably lenient format for positional qualification, it could be questioned whether the additional flexibility/lenience is worth the confusion, uncertainty, and seeming randomness of the luck of a Fantrax default position which differs from what actually happened on the field during the previous season.



Possible solution:

Removal of use of Fantrax default positions in addition to any position(s) a player qualifies for based on our normal positional qualification criteria.

Note: If a player does not qualify for any positions based on the above selections (10 games for a hitter, 5 games for a pitcher), he will qualify at the position(s) played most in the previous MLB season. If he did not play at all last season, then the default position(s) will be used.

Edit: My understanding is that a player will be DH/UTIL-eligible only if they appear in MLB games in the previous season, have less than 10 games at any fielding position AND they play DH more than any other single position they appear at.



Pros of solution:

- Consistency with year-to-year eligibility qualification criteria
- Positional certainty during the offseason, aiding in roster construction and accurate player valuation
- Removal of unexpected player value changes that could arise from unexpected changes to Fantrax default positions (former catchers and former SP who are now exclusive RP whose defaults haven't changed spring to mind)


Cons of solution:

- Loss of some positional flexibility on a player-by-player basis
- Potentially more DH-only eligible players in the player pool



Notice period for adoption if solution voted in:
Immediate

[Astros GM (Adam)]

Thanks for the clear explanation of this choice.

Regarding the following pro:
- Positional certainty during the offseason, aiding in roster construction and accurate player valuation

It could be reasoned that we already have positional certainty. In both outcomes, all earned positions are guaranteed. The only uncertainty is if we are relying on the Fantrax defaults rather than viewing them as a bonus.

[Rangers GM (Stephen)]

Edited to reintroduce a clarification around when a player might be DH/UTIL-only which had been stripped by formatting weirdness.

[Red Sox GM (Nick)]

Personally I struggle to see supportable downside to removing the Fantrax defaults, as long as it is effective after 2024 season in fairness to anyone relying on FT to be “right”. I know not everyone in this league is confirming EARNED positional eligibility - nor am I saying each of us should have to. But we have a set of well defined rules, and I frankly think allowing Fantrax default as an option is wishy washy at best.

Full disclosure: I see guys on my FT roster where I might benefit from the unearned defaults this year (ie Yoshida RF - have you read anything about this guy defensively and then tried to imagine him roaming Fenway’s RF?). I don’t want to benefit from it. I do not include those defaults on my Proboards page. Despite what Nathan, Brandon, or any other FT support person might say (clearly I write tickets too often for my other league), I don’t trust that the FT defaults will stick for duration of the season.