The Zen and Art of Fantasy Football: Getting Out of My Way – Or, Why I Pick Up Matt Shaw Everywhere
Zen Time:
One of the aspects of Buddhist practice that I find most appealing is the limited, impartial examination of the human condition that the practice promotes. The Second Noble Truth tells us that suffering, which according to the First Noble Truth is something that all people experience, especially. it comes from us, from our own minds. We suffer because, yes, bad things happen to usbut mostly real suffering comes from our unwillingness to accept life as it is and work with it from there. Instead of relying on our struggles and learning from them, we tend to wish for them – we yearn for change, or based on the first Pali word. take itWe “represent” something different. In this way, people seem to be man’s biggest obstacle to happiness.
However, while acknowledging human greed as the source of much of our suffering, Buddhism recognizes that humans are intelligent. In fact, of the three teachers we must all learn from (the Root Teacher, the Inner Teacher, and the Great, or Secret Teacher), the Inner Teacher comes from within each of us. In other words, we all have innate wisdom, insight and awareness. Although we must be shaped by external teachers (Buddha, wise friends and mentors, etc.), the teachings we receive do not matter much unless we use our own innate wisdom and learn from them. In this way, people are an important part of human processes to overcome suffering.
Thus, according to Buddhist practice, humans are so deeply flawed that our own suffering comes from us. However, humans are also so wise that in order to end our suffering, we must learn from ourselves how not to desire but to understand. In the end, no one or nothing outside is going to fix what’s wrong with us – we have to. But first, we must learn to stop being sick.
How in the world does this work in fantasy baseball?
Last week, I talked about Xavier Edwards, who many of you may have – and rightfully so – noticed that he wasn’t exactly an unknown player who needed someone to introduce him to the wider fantasy community. As I said in last week’s article, the point I was making was not that I was trying to get it my students to see something see I couldn’t see – my point was to find out me to see something I should have understood earlier but he was too stubborn to do so. I hope that Nick Gonzales’ interview was at least helpful for those of you who are deep into competition in introducing someone you may not have known much about.
In contrast, this week, the player I’m going to talk about is probably worth it to my deep league friends out there. In fact, as I went through the FAB last night, the player was available everywhere, and I picked him up without facing any competition from the backup bid so much wherever I wanted him. But shallow leaguers, don’t worry – I actually think this week’s player would be useful in deeper leagues like 10 teams.
Matt Shaw
My Xavier Edwards interview last week was about how I wouldn’t allow myself to see what was in front of me just because certain aspects of his game don’t fit the types of stats I usually like to chase. Shaw gives me different challenges. In both cases (with Edward and Shaw), I have to learn to get out of my own way. Let me explain…
Shaw, suited at both OF and 3B, has the kind of profile I tend to like to program, yet I find myself happily ignoring him. Not so much because of his lack of playing time (which would be a valid reason to ignore him so far), but instead because I don’t particularly care for Shaw’s inability to understand why some of his personal decisions (and his very public appearances) tend to alienate a large portion of Cubs fans. The decisions he rightly views as his own to make – he is human; he gets to believe what he believes – they have a significant number of Cubs fans who think Shaw doesn’t like them and he clearly thinks Cubs fans are bad people. I struggle with players like that, who put themselves in the position of being the moral arbiter of the whole community. Well, frankly, I have a problem people so, not just players. And, yes, I can admit the pot calling the kettle black here – if I don’t agree with his tendency to judge others, obviously, I’m putting myself in the position of judge. All the more reason to feel uncomfortable when it comes to Shaw: I find myself turned off by what I perceive to be his lack of awareness, so I put myself in the position of doing the very things I criticize him for. I can assure you that the puzzle is not over for me.
As a baseball legend, however, my personal feelings about a player – and any shortcomings those feelings may present to me – should not matter when it comes to making roster decisions. I have to understand that my desire for someone else to change their behavior is irrational and (at least usually) unwise. If I listen closely enough to my inner teacher, I know that I have no control over what another person does, and I am in no position to say that my view of the world is correct (I suspect that view is almost infinitely flawed) while others’ view of the world is not.
What should matter, at least in this case, is: As a fantasy boss, can I see that there is value in his profile, and can I use that value to make my team better? And right now, the answers to those questions are simply “yes” and “yes.” While for most of the season, he wasn’t particularly useful in the context of the fantasy, now, he will likely be useful. On June 9, Shaw was reinstated to his position at IL, at which point he became part of the Cubs’ roster plans. But more importantly, on June 18, Moises Ballesteros was optioned to AAA Iowa primarily to give Shaw an open chance to be on the everyday roster. Shaw’s playing time had begun to increase even before Ballesteros’ promotion: since June 13, Shaw has played in all seven of the Cubs’ games, and has now started the team’s last five games. The first question any fantasy manager should ask when considering a FAB shoot is, “Is the guy kidding?” The answer here is clearly “yes.”
The second question a fantasy manager should ask: “Does the player have a profile that would be useful?” And, again, the answer is “yes.” Shaw hasn’t been great this year, but that’s not because he isn’t a good player. While his current season line, in 131 PA, includes an ok .252 BA, the average is supported by numbers that don’t pop off the screen: 4 HR, 16 R, 19 RBI, 3 SB, a slow 6.1% BB%, and a disappointing .308 OBP. Under the hood, the results look mixed: his 36.1 HH% is definitely lower than I’d like to see, and his extremely disappointing 5.2% Barrel% (those two power metrics combine to explain his less-than-desirable .242 xBA). At AAA Iowa just last season, Shaw managed to put together a 43.8% HH% and 10% Barrel% – those are the kinds of numbers I’d like to see him reach in the majors to prove he belongs here.
But even with the disappointing numbers, he actually puts the ball up effectively – 28.7% of the time in fact, which if he had enough plate appearances to qualify would put him in the 77th percentile of all players. His LA Sweet-Spot% is also pretty good – 36.1%, which again if he had enough plate appearances to qualify would put him in the 70th percentile (and he’s even dead on a guy named Jose Ramirez). What does this mean? Although he doesn’t fire the ball, he hits the ball with the kind of efficiency that creates good results (especially, at home). And if we’re right about his current season pace, if translated to 650 PA, he’ll be on pace to hit 20 HR, 79 R, 94 RBI, and 15 SB. Suddenly, his first results look so amazing! And while more season lines are speculative, his current pace looks promising based on his major league numbers (especially in 2024 where, across AA and AAA, he hit .284 with 21 HR, 78 R, 71 RBI, and 31 SB). All in all, Shaw is clearly a player with the kind of profile that could be useful in a fantasy.
A third reasonable question would be, “Is the player currently playing?” Baseball is a game of streaks, so it shouldn’t be a big deal if a player isn’t doing well right now, but the fact is that Shaw is doing exactly the kinds of things we’d like FAB to do. In six games (including five starts) in which he has appeared since June 13th, Shaw has 25 PA and is 7 for 22 (.318 BA) with 2 doubles, 1 HR, 6 R, 7 RBI, 2 BB, and 1 HBP while maintaining an 8% BB% with only 20% K. Obviously, the sample is small, but in a dream, quick decisions have to be made, which leads us as dream managers to need to react to small samples.
If I can get out of my own way as a fantasy boss and examine Shaw’s game without so much influence from my personal blinders, he looks like a no-brainer to plan and play right now. And considering his low percentage on all fantasy league lists (CBS 21%, ESPN 3.1%, Fantrax 56%, Yahoo 9%), he’s available to whoever decides to take a flier on him. I certainly will be doing so.
Thanks for checking in this week – good luck as you start putting your teams in place for the long term of the summer. Until next week. – Hamley
