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Fantasy Baseball: 3 takeaways from 60-game MLB season

By Sean Millerick

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 25: American League MVP Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels poses for a photo at the 97th annual New York Baseball Writers' Dinner on January 25, 2020 Sheraton New York in New York City. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 25: American League MVP Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels poses for a photo at the 97th annual New York Baseball Writers' Dinner on January 25, 2020 Sheraton New York in New York City. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
(Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /

With fantasy baseball drafts starting back up again, time to look at some key strategy changes needed for a 60-game MLB season.

MLB is back, and right along with it, fantasy baseball drafts.

It is still, of course, entirely possible there won’t actually be baseball in 2020. COVID cases and concerns could easily cause another postponement before the end of July. But fantasy baseball, at least fantasy baseball drafting, is underway already. Fans want to get that much in. Even if the best approach would be to wait until the last week of Spring (Summer?) Training before committing draft picks to players that might get injured in what will easily be the most bizarre camp of their careers.

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So just how much should draft strategy change in a 60-game MLB season?

Plenty.

Yes, still draft Mike Trout first overall. But while a lot of this will be impossible to predict, and a lot of this will depend on how these bizarre re-ramp ups of players go (more reason to wait), there are at least three facts that seem clear as day to this fantasy baseball player already. Let’s get to them.

Fantasy Baseball, take one: You’ve never cared more about multi-eligibility.

Sixty games might not be a lot of MLB, but I would expect it to be a lot to ask of your fantasy baseball players when it comes to games played.

Regular rosters are going to be expanded. Taxi squads are going to heavily utilized. Managers and GMs are going to have extra itchy trigger fingers when it comes to slumps. Injuries are going to be a thing as always, and will quite likely happen with greater than usual frequency. Some teams will go heavy on rest days to stave this off, while others will run players into the ground. Pretenders will give reps to everyone on the 40-man roster. Contenders will leave no stone unturned looking for that missing piece.

Bottom-line, count on needing to be more creative than ever filling out those lineups. Be your league daily or weekly in nature, you’re going to want as many players as possible who are eligible at multiple positions. Players like DJ LeMahieu and Max Muncy should receive healthy bumps, and Cody Bellinger is now a Top 3 overall pick in my eyes.

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