2026 RULE CHANGES IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE LEAGUE
NEW RULES ADOPTED
IN THE BEST INTEREST
OF THE LEAGUE
League Pitching Grade Update – Use APBA ratings going forward
For nearly 30 years, our league has used the APBA official disk along with BBW Wizard to adjust pitching grades toward league averages. When we adopted this process, we intended it to help adapt pitcher grades for a draft league environment rather than a replay league.
However, the Wizard program has not been updated since the late 1990s, and questions remain about whether it still optimizes pitching grades as intended. Just as importantly, many owners have asked why we continue to use a third-party adjustment process instead of the official APBA grades that come with the season disk.
With that in mind, we believe this is a good time to simplify the process. Beginning with the 2027 MWBL season, we will use the official APBA pitching grades as issued. This does not affect any of the other changes made in accordance with VIII. PLAYER CHANGES, RESTRICTIONS & USAGE
This change makes our league easier to understand, more transparent for all owners, and eliminates the need to rely on software that has not been maintained in decades. While the Wizard adjustments served a purpose for many years, we believe using the official APBA grades is now the clearest and most straightforward approach for the league going forward.
Ghost Win Playoff Format Update
After reviewing our playoff structure, we’re making two changes beginning with the 2027 MWBL season.
First, only the #1 and #2 seeds in each league will receive the ghost win in the Wild Card round. Our intent has always been to reward the top regular season teams. In a format without players turning “itchy”, those teams would likely receive first-round byes similar to MLB’s playoff structure (eliminating a #7 & #8 seed in the playoffs). Since our format requires 8 teams in each league to participate in the opening round, we feel a ghost win is an appropriate way to give the top two seeds that advantage.
Second, we’re adjusting home field allocation for teams receiving the ghost win. In previous seasons, division winners received both the ghost win and home field for Games 1 and 2, creating a double advantage. Going forward, the schedule for the #1 and #2 seeds will be:
- Game 1: Ghost win (no game played)
- Game 2: Higher seed home
- Games 3-5: Lower seed home
- Games 6-7: Higher seed home
This format treats the series as if the higher seed had already won Game 1, while distributing home-field advantage more fairly throughout the series.
We believe these changes better balance rewarding regular season success while maintaining a competitive postseason format.
Disabled List Elimination
Beginning with the upcoming season, the MWBL will no longer use the Disabled List for regular season roster management.
Going forward, if a player is injured, owners will have two options:
- Keep the player on their active roster.
- Move the player to their farm roster until they are ready to return.
No replacement roster spot will be granted for injured players. A 29-man roster is a 29-man roster, whether a player is healthy or injured.
The reasoning behind this change is straightforward. There is little value in requiring owners to submit DL moves and having the Commissioner’s Office process them when the same result can be achieved by allowing owners to move injured players to the farm. This simplifies roster management, reduces weekly administrative work, and puts the decision entirely in each owner’s hands.
Owners who prefer to keep an injured player on their active roster are free to do so, but there is no additional roster benefit for making that choice.
The only remaining use of the Disabled List will be for EWC purposes.
We believe this common-sense change simplifies league operations without affecting competitive balance. It removes unnecessary administration, reduces weekly work for the Commissioner’s Office, and gives owners a more straightforward way to manage their rosters. This change benefits the league.
Active Roster Expansion
Beginning with the 2027 MWBL season, active roster size for the regular season ONLY will increase from 27 players to a maximum of 29 players.
MLB clubs now operate with 26-man rosters and can move players between the active roster and minors daily. In the MWBL, roster moves occur only through the weekly files, and teams are limited in the number of roster transactions they can make throughout the season. As the season progresses, injuries, fatigue, and usage limitations can make it difficult for clubs to field a fully functional roster from week to week.
Expanding the active roster gives teams more flexibility and reduces situations where clubs must play with bushed, worn-out, or tired players because of roster constraints.
Under the new rule:
- Maximum active roster size for the regular season ONLY will increase from 27 to 29 players.
- The minimum roster size remains 27 players.
- If your team has three healthy catchers, you must carry a third catcher on the active roster.
- If, however, you have only two healthy catchers, you may carry only two until the third catcher is healthy again.
This change is intended to improve roster flexibility, reduce unnecessary roster hardships, and better reflect the realities of managing a team over a long season. It provides clubs with additional depth without significantly altering competitive balance.
We believe this practical adjustment improves the league’s day-to-day operations and benefits the MWBL.
NOTE: The post-season roster size remains a 27-man roster, with no required third catcher.
Micro-Manager Standardization
Beginning with the upcoming season, teams may only use an approved stock Micro-Manager. Custom Micro-Managers will no longer be permitted.
This change ensures all owners compete on the same playing field. While custom Micro-Managers can be effective, creating and maintaining them requires technical knowledge, programming ability, and a time commitment that many owners either don’t have or don’t want to invest in. Over time, this has created an environment where a small number of owners have gained a meaningful advantage through custom programming rather than roster construction and on-field management.
Just as importantly, custom Micro-Managers have created administrative challenges throughout the years. We’ve had multiple instances where an owner couldn’t locate the correct custom file and used a stock Micro-Manager by mistake, resulting in disputes, forfeits, or replayed series that could have been avoided.
This change is not meant to take anything away from owners who have invested time developing custom Micro-Managers. In many cases, those owners have simply used tools available within the game. Instead, the goal is to create a more consistent, level playing field for everyone, regardless of technical expertise.
Going forward, teams may only use a stock Micro-Manager from the league’s approved list, which will be provided this winter for the league’s review.
If an owner wants to use a stock Micro-Manager not currently on the list, they must submit it to the League Office for review and approval, along with documentation showing its source and confirming it is a standard, publicly available Micro-Manager.
This change promotes competitive balance, reduces administrative issues, eliminates confusion surrounding custom files, and helps ensure that games are decided by roster management, strategy, and league participation rather than access to specialized programming skills. We believe this is a positive step for the long-term health and fairness of the MWBL.