Baseball is by far the most driven across the major sports. The NBA and NFL have caught on to analytics and big data, but baseball utilizes this information more efficiently. This has impacted fantasy baseball in both positive and negative ways.

20 years ago Joc Pederson probably would have played every day, which would have improved his rate statistics (runs and RBI) and (probably) lowered his batting average. Pederson is a better fantasy player because he’s platooned against lefties.

In the last few years teams have been giving players more time off. They do this to keep players fresh throughout the season and to get more output. By that I mean, is it better to have Lorenzo Cain play 155 games at an 80% energy level of 135 at 95% energy level? I’m sure there is data that supports the latter but it just makes intuitive sense that players perform better when they’re more rested.

Strictly platooning, especially for teams like the Tampa Rays, has become standard operating procedure. What’s good about platooning is it gives players days off and improves the ability for the team to score more runs.

The catch is teams can’t platoon everyone. Some players will have to play every day because A) their defense is that good (i.e. Marcus Semien) and/or B) their offense is too good to be on the bench (i.e. Joey Gallo).

Usually guys drafted in the middle rounds of drafts have some sort of perceived deficiency which is some combination of:

1. They already don’t play every
2. They hit in the bottom third of the batting order
3. Their on the field skill set is flawed
4. Their statistical output is perceived to be average-to-less-than-average

Sometimes these players in the middle rounds could vault up the rankings next year like Rafael Devers. Sometimes these players get hurt (i.e. Joey Gallo) and allow players on the bench or in the minors to play every day like Danny Santana and DJ LeMahieu.

A lot of times fantasy owners can make educated guesses as to who play in the event of an injury and/or a benching. It’s important to protect (or hedge) your draft picks and lock in the value you drafted.

Let’s take a step back. Usually I draft the setup relievers for my closers. For example, I used an early pick on Blake Treinen. After the first five weeks of the season I picked up Liam Hendricks and Yusmeiro Petit because I wanted to hedge saves.

In the past fantasy owners didn’t have to apply this strategy to hitters because in the past the hitters on the bench weren’t that good or the team didn’t have a good prospect waiting in the minors. However, with player development being so good rookies hit the ground running when getting called up. Also, a lot of the above average talented players are on the teams that have high hopes for the playoffs. Seriously, compare the bench players for the Athletics, Reds, Brewers, Braves, Yankees, Dodgers versus the Giants, Orioles, Tigers, Royals, Mariners and Marlins.

I play in NFBC leagues and this year I will be applying the handcuff strategy to hitters. A handcuff is someone who doesn’t have a job at the start of the year but figures to play every day if the person ahead of them on the depth chart gets hurt or loses their job. Ideally this handcuff player provides similar statistical numbers as the injured player.

The handcuff strategy should be used players who could provide significant profit if he plays every day according to your league format. Another way to think of the handcuff strategy is to think of it as insurance for your team.

Here’s an example. Suppose you draft Michael Brantley in the 10^th round. I recommend drafting and even reaching for Kyle Tucker. Its possible Tucker plays every day anyway because Josh Reddick isn’t as good as Tucker, but with Dusty Baker being the manager there’s no guarantee he realizes Tucker is a better player. The bottom line is there are many scenarios where I can see Tucker playing every day eventually.

Below are other examples of handcuff’s to draft:

Player Commentary:

• I’ve already about why I’m a believer in Tommy Edman but a lot of very smart analysts have reservations about him. Other than Dylan Carlson I don’t see anyone else getting every day at-bats in left field. If Carlson played a full season, I think he’s a 20/20 candidate.
• Rowdy Tellez hits the ball hard. His hard hit rate is nearly identical to Kyle Schwarber and Gary Sanchez. Tellez is for deeper formats but I think he was unlucky last year. Travis Shaw is currently locked in at first base, but Shaw was awful last year and he could be done.
• Wilmer Flores may be the Giants third best hitter on the roster. He can play any infield spot so there are numerous opportunities for him to play. Also, it makes sense for the Giants to play him because he would be a great trade candidate at the deadline.
• Last year Miguel Andújar was drafted in the 7^th round and now no one wants him. He’s not a good defender at third base, but if Gio Urshela or Luke Voit start off slow I can easily see him taking their spot. Another scenario is if an outfielder gets hurt and Andújar plays every day at DH. Aaron judge is already dealing with shoulder issues and Giancarlo Stanton only played in 18 games last year.
• Kevin Kiermaier has averaged 105 games played the past four seasons. Kiermaier is an excellent defender. If he didn’t have injury concerns the Rays would play him every day. The Rays traded for Manuel Margot and he’s the obvious platoon bat for Kiermaier. Margot doesn’t turn 26 until the end of September so he’s at his physical peak and most importantly, he’s the only true center fielder the Rays have. Therefore, if Margot played a full season he could hit 10 home runs with 25 stolen bases and 70 runs.
• Ryan Mountcastle has to be in the majors sooner rather than later. He could play at first base or DH, but I would bet all my capital Mountcastle would be a better player than Chris Davis if they got the same number of at-bats.
• Its very possible Jake Lamb is released at the end of spring training, but for some reason I can’t quit him.
• I can see a scenario where Oscar Mercado is the right fielder and Delino DeShields is the center fielder. In addition to DeShields, the Indians have Greg Allen, Franmil Reyes, Jake Bauers and the long forgotten Bradley Zimmer vying for an outfield spot and DH. At this point the Indians need more offense than defense so whoever gets hot probably gets the first crack at playing time. If DeShields played a full season he could easily steal 30 bases.
• As of now, the odd man out of the Dodgers lineup is Gavin Lux. If Joc Peterson was traded Lux probably would have played every day at second base. However, with Peterson back Cody Bellinger spends more time at first base and Max Muncy at second base. This past September Keith Law said, “he’s [Lux] a likely All-Star for a long time to come.” If this is true, I have to believe the Dodgers find a way to get him in the lineup 3-4 days a week. Lux probably plays every day only if Muncy, Bellinger or Justin Turner gets hurt.