2021 BABS Game Plan 2 – Spotlight Players

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Spring training camps have opened and we’re days away from the first games. As much as that sounds like a normal statement, we are still a good ways from normality. Ian Desmond has opted out of 2021, which could open the door for others to consider risk/benefit ratios, of all types. If you feel safe enough to attend a game in early March (and can get a ticket), you might get to see five innings, some of which may be ended before there are three outs. (That will cost you $30 in Port St. Lucie.)

With this update, we focus on interesting players that BABS likes, hates and is ambivalent about. Will there be a universal DH? Most of us touts are still hedging because it makes too much sense not to happen. But BABS says, “Here are Dominic Smith’s skills; his playing time will be too variable to nail down regardless. It’s nice that I’ve shown you how to separate things out.” Her database and spreadsheet have been updated, and the FISH List has been as well.

Remember that FISH is just another tool, and like everything else on this website, there is nothing precise about it. We’re just trying to figure out what 1,000 human beings are going to do over six months. That’s like predicting the exact number of inches of snowfall in Buffalo next winter. You do your research, you’ll come up with an estimate, you’ll be off by some amount – perhaps a lot – but you’ll be close enough to tell BABS what to wear when she goes out. And now you know where she lives. Maybe.

(* Asterisked links are for members only.)

ANALYSIS

*Best BABS Targets

*Players to Pass On

*Unmatched Twins

*High Risk Players Going Too High

*Playing Time and the inefficient marketplace

*Deeeep Sleepers

*Mock Draft Solitaire

Asset Group Analyses
How the marketplace is ranking players:
February 24 Update – (*PW,AV), (*ER,KK), (*P+), (*PW,a)
SAMPLE  (A+)

Player History Scans
Trend analyses of key players: *February 24 Update (Bassitt, Bell, Cruz, Gonzales, Keuchel, Meadows, Myers, Nola, Sanchez, Tucker)
SAMPLE (Ketel Marte)

Positional analyses of the talent pool
*Overview
*Catcher
*First base
*Second base
*Third base
*Shortstop
*Outfield
*Starting pitcher
*Relief pitcher

REPORTS

*Report Tutorial | Variables Cheat Sheet (PDF)

BABS Database 
Complete Major League BABS ratings, current and historical, with sorts and filters
*DatabaseReport Key

BABS Draft Suite
Your draft aids — cheat sheets, software support
*Master Spreadsheet | *RotoLab | ADPs from NFBCBlank roster grid

The FISH List
A new tool that integrates BABS ratings into the marketplace
*Current FISH List | *The FISH List, Take 2  | FISH List Reveals Effective Strategy | *Introducing the FISH List

Minor League BABS Scouting
*Major league equivalent BABS ratings for 2019 minor leaguers (Class AA and AAA players).

INTERACTION

BABS Baseball Leagues (BABL)
A fantasy competition based on BABS philosophies. 10-team leagues, 50-man rosters
The BABL Concept* | Details and Signup Info
(Signup deadline March 12.)

Mailbag
*February 24 | *February 10
Do you have a question that would be best answered by one of our experts and benefit everyone? Submit it on our Contact Page and put MAILBAG in the Subject Line. We’ll select the best ones to respond to in each of the four Game Plan installments.

Reader forums
It’s your community of really smart BABSians. Ask questions, offer insights, vent – it’s your neighborhood. *Enter here

REFERENCE

The BABS Project 3.0 (FREE PDF files)
Book 1 – Why we need a new system
Book 2 – The Broad Assessment Balance Sheet
Book 3 – BABS in practice

Looking ahead  

In the March 10 update, we switch gears a bit to focus on specific BABS-related strategies for the new season. Along with Doug and Pat’s standard format fare — snake drafts, auctions, points, etc. — I will be writing a piece – exclusive to BABSbaseball.com – that could overturn your entire approach to building a pitching staff this year. All this, plus our regular report updates, more asset group analyses and player history scans, and more!