By now, most fantasy baseball players hate their teams.
There’s a commonly cited notion of MLB clubs using Memorial Day as a reflection point. Two bad weeks isn’t enough to panic, but two months represents a more significant sample size. Fantasy managers often think the same way, ditching the “it’s still early” line when the calendar turns to June.
While gamers—especially those in rotisserie leagues—should have a grasp of their team’s strengths and weaknesses, it’s often still too early to write the book on individual players.
Last year, David Ortiz exited May hitting .224 with six home runs. Instead of everyone begging him to keep playing, critics were calling him washed up. From June 1 onward, he batted .296 with 31 homers.
Unable to harness psychic powers, fantasy players instead fixate on the current stats and assume nothing will change. It will. Slumping stars will figure it out, and unexpected phenoms will turn back into pumpkins. Not always, but the law of averages flaunts a strong track record.
Early June is a popular time for fantasy trading. Rather than falling for the flavor of the month, sell those whose value has peaked and target credible contributors at discount prices.