FBM Pinch Hit Musings: Optimizing for You
(“Know Thyself”, the dictum inscribed at the Temple of Apollo at Delphi.)
The NFBC and Fantrax are the two main platforms where I play fantasy baseball. I use to play in one Yahoo keeper league with friends, but grew tired of the many nuances and changes that league undertook the past couple of years. As priorities outside fantasy baseball become more time consuming, I would rather be as streamlined as possible with my play.
I am now optimizing for 15 team leagues which to my knowledge are only on Fantrax and NFBC.
Quick summary:
Fantrax - I really love their 15 team Draft and Hold leagues. Two reasons: 1) Lower price point options than the NFBC and 2) You can change lineups for both hitters and pitchers semi-weekly. With NFBC, you are only allowed one lineup change for pitchers. I don’t believe that means one site is easier than the other. I think it’s a different strategy with drafting pitchers, and I tend to draft more high skilled middle relievers on Fantrax to take advantage of additional ratio help, strikeouts, wins and the potential save.
NFBC - The competition is stronger in both Draft and Hold leagues and weekly FAAB leagues. With higher entry fees, the possibility of winning more money is higher. Also, this is where you want to play for FAAB leagues. Fantrax is, well, the software and usage for FAAB sucks, and is an annoyance. I don’t play in any weekly FAAB leagues on Fantrax.
I previously mentioned how I am narrowing my focus and optimizing for specific leagues in 2024. For me, I continually emphasis this reminder so I don’t get distracted, and not overextend myself with too many leagues which helps reduce your risk of ruin. If you have a clear conviction of your mission this fantasy season, you’ll increase the probability of achieving those goals.
In this clip below from the podcast/YouTube show Modern Wisdom, host Chris Williamson and business owner/entrepreneur Alex Hormozi discuss the three common traits of hyper successful people. These people have:
High superiority complex (think they deserved more)
Massive insecurity (whatever they do is not good enough)
Impulse control (focus on their goal and don’t stop action towards achieving it)
Whether the traits above are emotionally and/or mentally healthy is certainly debatable. For me, the most important take away in this video is Alex Hormozi’s comment of asking yourself two things:
What are you optimizing for?
What problem are you solving?
I have incorporated this mindset more regularly into almost everything I do in life. From work, to exercise, to family, to play. The answers don’t have to be overly serious, but they force you to think before acting.
For most folks the answer to the question “why I am playing fantasy baseball?”, can absolutely be I am having fun with my friends. That’s great! Having that answer is good because it will remind you to not play in leagues where you’re not going to have fun. Right? Why play in high stakes leagues with entry fees you’re not comfortable with because a bunch of people on the internet are telling you that’s the best thing. Stop having other people push their priorities on you.
Also, the flip side is true! It’s fine that you play fantasy baseball for competition with the ability to win money because you want to be the “best” fantasy baseball in the world and win giant jackpots. Especially, if that’s how you define fun. Again, stop having other people push their priorities on you.
Going back to my example above about quitting that Yahoo keeper league. I mentioned the reason I stopped was due to being tired of so many league changes the past few years, and wanting to focus my attention on strictly 15 team leagues. These are true. But, honestly, I wasn’t having any fun with those people any more. I was following their version of fun which I didn’t want anymore. And, that’s OK.
As we get older, it’s healthy to become more self-aware. As the above picture translates “Know Thyself”.
Ask the questions of what are you optimizing for, and what problem are you trying to solve. You’ll be a hell of a lot happier, and you’ll be playing in the “leagues and rules” of whatever aspects of life that you deem important and fun.
Simple but not easy.
Thanks for reading.
Take care.