BABS Game Plan – Update No. 4

It’s the question on everyone’s mind — WHAT NOW? (Click through for a message from Ron Shandler.)

This is the final planned BABS Game Plan update for the 2020 pre-season, but we all know about “the best laid plans…” so who knows? This update’s focus is on adjusting to our new reality, spring training developments, a deep dive into the speculative player pool and a review of some experts league results. These are discussed in the Analysis section. Plus a few final asset group analyses, and our regular features. The BABS Database and Master Spreadsheet have ben updated as well. (* Asterisked links are for members only.)

ANALYSIS

*How to navigate BABS in these changing times
*Spring training developments that may or may not matter by the time games resume
*High-skilled part/no-timers
*The BABS 2020 Longshot Caucus
*BABS in the experts leagues

Asset Group Analyses
How the marketplace is ranking players:
*March 18 Report: Extreme single-asset hitters
Where to find holds and future saves
*March 4: (PW,a), (PW), (AV), (ER,k), (e,KK)
*February 19: (PW,AV), (p,AV), (p,a), (SB,AV), (e,k), (ER,K+,SV)
SAMPLE  (ER,KK)

Player History Scans
Trend analyses of key players:
*March 4 Report
*February 19 Report
SAMPLE (Jose Ramirez)

Game Strategies
*Snake drafting, Pocket Aces and BABS
*Sample auction strategy
*Points league strategies and BABS
*Salary cap contest strategy

Spotlight players
Say YES!
*
Best BABS Targets
*Triple Asset Players
Say NO!
*Players to Pass On
*High Risk Players Going Far Too High

Positional analyses of the talent pool
*Overview | *CA | *1B | *3B | *2B | *SS | *OF | *SP | *RP

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

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

INTERACTION

Mailbag
*March 18 | *March 4 | *Feb 19 | *Feb 5
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  
Once the season resumes, we will publish an update to the database and spreadsheet, and additional analysis if necessary. Beyond that, we’ll likely revert to our original in-season plan. BABS is primarily a draft-prep program because it relies on long-view analysis. However, we will still publish in-season updates of the database only. The schedule would typically call for updates in mid-May, mid-June, at the All-Star Break and mid-August, but we’ll have to adjust based on when the season resumes. The reports generated by those updates have to be used judiciously as they are driven by sample sizes often too small to be reliable. This may be even more cautionary with a shortened season. Stay safe and healthy, all.

2 Comments

  1. Richard McCormick on June 27, 2020 at 4:10 am

    Now that MLB has finally come to a decision on a 60 game season will there be a new update for the database that takes into account the shortened season ,and if so when will that updatre be available?



  2. David Leonard on June 29, 2020 at 9:04 am

    I have an idea for season long redraft leagues that decide to give it a go. After the draft of regular rostered players, (perhaps) before subs, hold a special “Covid-19 Reserve Pool (RP)” draft.

    This would consist of 3 rounds drafted by the league, but the players are to be available to any team who suffers an active player coming down with Covid-19. They would not be otherwise available as free agents.

    There would be positional mandates (so for example the RP would have 3 players at each position, #s adjusted for outfield and pitcher), and rules regarding how or if you could keep the RP player when your guy returned from Covid.

    Wondering what you think of the idea – trying to take some of the risk of Covid out of the fantasy equation.