X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Player Comparisons
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

2020 Hindsight? What This Season Can Teach Fantasy Owners

What will this baseball season mean?

Questions abound with regard to the extraordinary circumstances in which we find ourselves, not least of which is whether or not MLB can even manage to complete its planned 60-game season. Coronavirus rages on without an end in sight, and the league's apparent inability or unwillingness to develop and enforce effective protocols does not inspire much hope.

Let's suppose, for the sake of both argument and the premise of this article, that we do get through the next two months. Is there anything of value to be gleaned from the chaos by fantasy owners?

Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball lineup tools and weekly lineup resources:

 

What Is This? I Don't Even...

To be blunt, you're not going to get a whole lot of useful or actionable data this year. 60 games is barely a third of a normal campaign, and it's difficult enough to draw meaningful conclusions from a full season. That would be true even if games were being played in normal circumstances, which they are decidedly not. Players may be impacted by the lack of fans in attendance, concern about their health or that of their loved ones, their routines being blown to smithereens, or a thousand other factors that are impossible to quantify.

Judging by how the first week of action has gone, a bunch of players are going to contract the virus, while many others suffer injuries that are likely at least partly attributable to the unusual schedule caused by the pandemic. All that aside, slumps are inevitable for the vast majority of players, and even a brief lull could have a concerted impact on overall production. Analysis will have to be on a case-by-case basis as always, but it's gonna be tough to ding anyone too much for lackluster results.

Conversely, and perversely, it'll be hard to give a guy too much credit for success. We've seen any number of players put together a great couple of weeks or months that proved little, other than the fact that even the worst player in MLB is a world-class athlete capable of staggering feats. Nobody is going to crack 300 plate appearances or 100 innings this year. Those aren't exactly large enough samples to confidently proclaim that a breakout has occurred. We miss often enough on those in normal times.

So what can you learn from whatever rough approximation of a season we receive in 2020?

 

Lessons to Learn

The importance of diligence: At various points in my years writing about this game, I've underlined how crucial it is to stay on top of in-season management. Knowing your league settings inside and out, checking your lineups closely, and regularly reviewing the waiver wire are winning habits anytime, but even more so in the current environment. With such a short runway, you can't afford to leave at-bats or innings on the bench or to miss out on a waiver wire add.

The value of ruthlessness: Patience is usually a virtue, but even in a 162-game slate, sitting on your hands for too long can cost you dearly. With a 60-game schedule, almost every player's leash gets shorter. You're obviously not cutting Mike Trout after a couple of hitless games in a row, but the guys at the end of the roster might be a different story. Honestly, this will be a personal struggle, as I tend toward a stoic management style, but these are simply different times that require a different approach.

The merits of flexibility: In addition to being thorough and unsentimental, the ability to adapt is going to be pivotal in a season where seemingly anything could happen and everything could change from one day to the next. Being rigid in your thinking simply won't serve you well.

The fun of risk-taking: If ever there were a season to just cut loose and throw crap at the wall to see what sticks, it's this one. That wild or off-the-wall strategy you've toyed with for years but never had the guts to implement? Now's the time, because really...

The freedom of nihilism: ...if you have a bad season, who cares? Assuming you weren't crazy enough to put a bunch of money on the wacky game show that is the 2020 season, anyway. In the end, as he so often has, Carl Brutananadilewski said it best.

The Friday Meta is Kyle Bishop's attempt to go beyond the fantasy box score or simple strategic pointers and get at the philosophical and/or behavioral side of the game. It is hopefully not as absurd, pretentious, or absurdly pretentious as that sounds.



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy baseball app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, sleepers, prospects & more. All free!



More Fantasy Baseball Analysis




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Player Comparisons
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

D'Andre Swift15 mins ago

Upgrades To Limited Participant On Thursday
Luka Doncic19 mins ago

Expected To Miss At Least A Week
CeeDee Lamb25 mins ago

Sidelined During Thursday's Practice
Ladd McConkey32 mins ago

Does Not Practice On Thursday
Mike Evans41 mins ago

Logs Full Practice On Thursday
DeVonta Smith2 hours ago

Misses Another Practice
Cody Bellinger3 hours ago

Cubs Looking To Trade Cody Bellinger?
Brandin Cooks3 hours ago

Preparing To Play In Week 12
CeeDee Lamb3 hours ago

Not Seen At Thursday's Practice
3 hours ago

Blake Snell Has Met With Red Sox, Dodgers
Aaron Rodgers3 hours ago

Jets Owner Suggested Benching Aaron Rodgers
Mike Evans5 hours ago

Practicing Again On Thursday
Chandler Stephenson6 hours ago

Registers Three Assists Versus Predators
Jason Robertson6 hours ago

Totals Three Points In Wednesday's Win
Nils Lundkvist6 hours ago

Exits Early With A Lower-Body Injury
Matthew Knies6 hours ago

Sustains An Upper-Body Injury
Mikael Granlund6 hours ago

Exits Late With Injury Wednesday
Patrik Laine7 hours ago

Returns To Practice
Ausar Thompson7 hours ago

Listed As Doubtful For Thursday
Walker Kessler7 hours ago

Still Missing For Jazz
Jordan Clarkson7 hours ago

Questionable To Face Spurs
Devin Vassell7 hours ago

To Miss Third Consecutive Game
Chris Paul7 hours ago

Considered Probable For Thursday's Game
Khris Middleton7 hours ago

Medically Cleared To Play
Chris Sale18 hours ago

Wins National League Cy Young Award
Tarik Skubal18 hours ago

Wins 2024 American League Cy Young Award
Paul George18 hours ago

Exits Game On Wednesday, Hyperextends Left Knee Again
Scoot Henderson19 hours ago

Leaves Game On Wednesday, Won't Return
Jalen Johnson19 hours ago

Active On Wednesday Night
Zach Collins20 hours ago

Uncertain To Play On Thursday
Austin Eckroat20 hours ago

Heads To The RSM Classic After Win
Harris English20 hours ago

Finding Form Heading To The RSM Classic
Ben Griffin20 hours ago

Continues Playing Well Heading To The RSM Classic
Denny McCarthy20 hours ago

Returns to The RSM Classic
Patrick Williams20 hours ago

Likely To Miss At Least One Week
Kyle Anderson20 hours ago

Available For Matchup With Hawks
Victor Wembanyama20 hours ago

Out Again On Thursday
Jusuf Nurkic20 hours ago

Available On Wednesday
Stephen Curry20 hours ago

Will Play Against Atlanta
De'Anthony Melton20 hours ago

To Undergo Season-Ending ACL Surgery
Tre Mann20 hours ago

Probable For Thursday Night Matchup Against Detroit
Mike Conley20 hours ago

Appears On Injury Report For Thursday With Toe Injury
Donte DiVincenzo21 hours ago

Questionable Heading Into Thursday
Josh Jacobs21 hours ago

Limited With Multiple Injuries
DeVonta Smith21 hours ago

Misses Practice On Wednesday
Isaiah Hartenstein21 hours ago

To Make Season Debut On Wednesday
Seth Jones23 hours ago

Expected To Miss Four Weeks
Sam Darnold23 hours ago

Limited With Foot Injury
Max Domi23 hours ago

Placed On Injured Reserve
Jalen Hurts23 hours ago

Limited On Wednesday
Connor Ingram23 hours ago

Out Day-To-Day With An Upper-Body Injury
Jake Ferguson23 hours ago

Picks Up A DNP On Wednesday
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen23 hours ago

Returns To Action Versus Kings
CeeDee Lamb23 hours ago

Listed As Limited, Dealing With Two Injuries
Alex Tuch23 hours ago

Available Wednesday
Tage Thompson23 hours ago

Remains Out On Wednesday
Sam LaPorta24 hours ago

Practicing In Full
Jordan Eberle24 hours ago

To Remain Out On Wednesday
George Kittle24 hours ago

Will Play In Week 12
Ludvig Aberg24 hours ago

Looks To Defend RSM Classic Title
Ladd McConkey24 hours ago

Does Not Practice On Wednesday
Si Woo Kim24 hours ago

An Intriguing Option At RSM Classic
Maverick McNealy24 hours ago

In Solid Form Ahead Of RSM Classic
Eric Cole24 hours ago

Chasing First Tour Victory At RSM Classic
San Francisco 49ers1 day ago

Nick Bosa Does Not Practice On Wednesday
Christian McCaffrey1 day ago

Does Not Practice On Wednesday
George Kittle1 day ago

Limited During Wednesday's Practice
Connor Bedard1 day ago

Ends Drought With Two Assists
Sam Reinhart1 day ago

Pushes Point Streak To 11 Games
Mark Scheifele1 day ago

Celebrates Ninth Career Hat Trick
Evan Bouchard1 day ago

Rocks Senators With Three-Point Period
Connor McDavid1 day ago

Nets Two Goals During Three-Point Night
TB1 day ago

Nicholas Paul Exits Early With Injury Tuesday
Zach Hyman1 day ago

Sits Out Third Period Versus Senators
2 days ago

Guardians' Stephen Vogt Named AL Manager Of The Year
Milwaukee Brewers2 days ago

Pat Murphy Named NL Manager Of The Year
Jonas Brodin2 days ago

Returns To Action
2 days ago

Nick Pivetta Declines Boston's Qualifying Offer
Jose Siri2 days ago

Mets Acquire Jose Siri From The Rays
2 days ago

Phillies To Meet With Juan Soto
2 days ago

Luis Severino Rejects Qualifying Offer From Mets
2 days ago

Willy Adames Declines Brewers Qualifying Offer
2 days ago

Teoscar Hernandez Declines Qualifying Offer From Dodgers
2 days ago

Juan Soto Declines Yankees' Qualifying Offer
Luis Gil3 days ago

Wins AL Rookie Of The Year Award
Paul Skenes3 days ago

Named 2024 NL Rookie Of The Year
Brady Singer3 days ago

Reds, Royals Discussing Jonathan India, Brady Singer
3 days ago

Sean Manaea To Reject Mets' Qualifying Offer
3 days ago

Braves Have Interest In Walker Buehler
3 days ago

Astros Interested In Willy Adames
Charles Oliveira3 days ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Michael Chandler3 days ago

Gets Dominated At UFC 309
Karine Silva3 days ago

Suffers Her First UFC Loss
Viviane Araujo3 days ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Mauricio Ruffy3 days ago

Extends His Win Streak To Six
Nick Martinez4 days ago

Signs Qualifying Offer With Reds
4 days ago

Luis Severino Likely To Decline Qualifying Offer From Mets
James Llontop4 days ago

Loses Clear-Cut Decision In Thrilling Fight At UFC 309
Paul Craig4 days ago

Loses Decision At UFC 309
Bo Nickal4 days ago

Remains Undefeated With Lackluster Performance At UFC 309
Stipe Miocic4 days ago

Retires After UFC 309 Loss
Jon Jones4 days ago

Gets TKO Win At UFC 309 To Defend Heavyweight Title

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP