Hey Ethersport fam, we are back!
And this month you get yourself a 2-for-1, nay, a 3-for1, article.
First, I wanted to share my list of learnings from this last season.
Then, a shortlist of players I’ve got my eye on during the offseason. I wrapped up my first rankings update and want to drop some early targets to you.
And finally, what to expect from me for 2024!
Giddy up!
Learnings from the Value Road of ‘23
The first full season of Sorare MLB is in the books. With it comes a host of rewards won, including a number of high-caliber ones, as well as many missed opportunities and gosh-darn-its.
I don’t say any of this to brag, more because I know winning serves as a decent proxy for I know (at least a little) of what I type.
So having 3 first-place ribbons, a handful of additional podiums, and a few score more top-20 finishes to my name in ‘23 at least helps put some weight behind my words.
I’m just a guy behind a keyboard after all.
A guy who learned, and changed his mind about, many things along the way this season.
Here are a few:
Stacks are good, provided you are budget-minded.
Sub-note: the less you spend on a decent stack, the easier it is for that to return value for you over time.
Matchups matter a bit
Volume matters even more
Strategy changes with your budget
Strategy changes with your rarity
SP flex remains a floor play
RP flex is shockingly viable for low-budget teams as both a floor and ceiling play
Good players play good - break ties in favor of your studs when uncertain
Overthinking often hurts. This is otherwise known as “don’t get cute” with your lineups
Some things I am left hoping for in ‘24:
More competitions
Different playstyles would be great - underdog, pitchers only, cap style, etc.
Auto training lineups
More card market liquidity
In my opinion, players should be able to burn down and rebuild their entire roster in the span of a week or two
That’s the list - heck it might be a good starting point for some more off-season content since I feel like I could fill some pages on each of them.
But for now, you will have to settle for fortune cookie style.
So what’s it all mean for the offseason?
I’ve gotten this question a few times already.
What am I doing in the offseason?
Acquiring cards?
Doing it now?
Waiting?
Trading a lot?
Or Listing for ETH/USD?
The answer currently is nothing. I am doing nothing. And have done nothing thus far in the offseason.
The season was long and I wound up pretty happy with my squad. And the offseason is longer.
Or at least it feels longer.
It drags, but there will come a time when it feels like it will never end.
That, dear friends, is when I plan to hop in and address any gaps that my team might have.
And I’ve started to feel just that way of late, leading to my first rankings update of the new year.
It’s still early, but at this stage I am starting to hunt for difference-makers who have a higher rank in Dynasty (long-term) formats than they do in Redraft (single season). From there, I begin looking for players who still rank out as values compared to their peers when using my model.
Doing this allows me to focus in on players that are, based on expert consensus, expected to not only be good this year, but progress in their careers in the future, while still being comparatively “cheap” on the open card market.
Sounds impossible right?
Here are 5 batters and 5 pitchers that immediately stood out:
Juan Soto - OF - NYY
Bryan Reynolds - OF - PIT
Dansby Swanson - SS - CHC
Riley Greene - OF - DET
Spencer Torkelson - 1B - DET
Hunter Greene - SP - CIN
Joe Musgrove - SP - SD
Logan Webb - SP - SF
Corbin Burnes - SP - MIL
Zach Gallen - SP - ARI
The list can, and does, go on, but you get the idea. There is a lot of post-hype sleeper action here, or studs that for whatever reason underperformed a bit last season - whether due to injury or otherwise.
It goes to show that elite talents like Juan Soto and Corbin Burnes can still be had at a fantastic discount, that can easily bolster your teams for years to come. And up-and-comers on middling teams with the talent to turn those teams around, well, they can be forgotten about too.
Looking ahead to ‘24
And finally, we wrap back around to the season ahead.
Not the players, or the game, but me and my thoughts on it.
Admittedly, weekly rankings last year were a heck of a drain. And while there were often still shifts that could be exploited on a week-to-week basis, I felt like I was repeating the same things each week.
This season, I want to stay more limber.
While I intend to put out ranks still, it might take more of a monthly cadence.
In between, I am targeting shorter, more strategic pieces on how to continue to improve at playing the game itself. That is the part that still fascinates me. And as more people come into this wonderful game, the strategies, tactics, and market will of course change in response.
I plan to be ready for that, and to help you get ready too.
As always, thank you for taking this ride with me, it is a joy to write things that help you play, win, and strategize.
You can still find me in all the same places, namely here on substack and over on Twitter/X - I’d love to field your questions over there, so drop me a follow and hit me up!