Free MLB pick'em leagues

Baseball plays nearly every day from spring to fall, which gives an MLB pick'em league more games than a group could ever pick. Start a free league with friends, pick from the same real lines, and let the standings settle a six-month argument.

What you can pick

• Spread — in baseball this is the run line, usually 1.5 runs. The favorite has to win by 2 or more; the underdog wins the pick if it wins or loses by just 1.
• Straight Up — just pick the winner. This is the most common baseball pick.
• Total Points — over or under the combined runs scored.
• Player Stats — over or under a batter's hits, home runs, RBIs, total bases, walks or strikeouts, or a pitcher's strikeouts, outs recorded or earned runs allowed.

Why baseball suits pick'em

Even the best teams lose dozens of games every season, so straight-up picks in baseball are rarely safe. Starting pitchers change the picture every day, and a team can look very different from one game to the next. That makes a long baseball season a real test of who picks best.

Setting up your league

• Picks per week. MLB leagues run Monday to Sunday. Many groups pick 5 to 10 games a week.
• Season dates. Set the league to cover the whole regular season, or just a stretch of it, such as the second half.
• Daily survivor. A Pick'em Survivor league with a daily cadence requires one pick for every day with games. One loss and you're out, or two with double elimination.

The league types guide compares every format.

Doubleheaders, rainouts and pitching changes

• Doubleheaders. Each game of a doubleheader is listed separately, and your pick counts only for the game you chose.
• Rainouts. If a game is postponed and never played, picks on it are voided: they don't count as a win, loss or push, and in a Balance league the units come back. Commissioners can also void a pick by hand if a result needs fixing.
• Pitching changes. Lines are built around the scheduled starting pitchers. If a starter is scratched after you pick, your pick still stands at the line you took, so many players wait until starters are confirmed.
• The All-Star break. There are no games for several days in mid-July. A Monday-to-Sunday week that includes the break has a much smaller slate, so a high picks-per-week number can be hard to reach that week.

Standings

Picks are graded automatically after each game. Standings sort by win percentage, with a push counting as half a win; the pick'em rules cover scoring and tiebreakers.

Free, with no money

An MLB league on Covers Only is free, with no entry fee and no prizes. Leagues are private and invite-only unless you open yours to the public.