The Moment of Zen:
If you have been a reader of this column throughout the season, first of all, THANK YOU. Seriously, I know this column is a bit different in its approach to fantasy – it has been a way for me to stop and think about the many patterns and habits I have, both in playing fantasy baseball and in simply living life. And I am grateful to all of you who keep coming back to read my somewhat arbitrary and meandering thoughts.
If you are one of those readers, you know that I like to bring in Zen koans from time to time, and a koan I like will be this week’s focus:
“The Tunnel”
Zenkai, the son of a samurai, journeyed to Edo and there became the retainer of a high official. He fell in love with the official’s wife and was discovered. In self-defense, he slew the official. Then he ran away with the wife.
Both of them later became thieves. But the woman was so greedy that Zenkai grew disgusted. Finally, leaving her, he journeyed far away to the province of Buzen, where he became a wandering mendicant.
To atone for his past, Zenkai resolved to accomplish some good deed in his lifetime. Knowing of a dangerous road over a cliff that had caused the death and injury of many persons, he resolved to cut a tunnel through the mountain there.
Begging food in the daytime, Zenkai worked at night digging his tunnel. When thirty years had gone by, the tunnel was 2,280 feet long, 20 feet high, and 30 feet wide.
Two years before the work was completed, the son of the official he had slain, who was a skillful swordsman, found Zenkai out and came to kill him in revenge.
“I will give you my life willingly,” said Zenkai. “Only let me finish this work. On the day it is completed, then you may kill me.”
So the son awaited the day. Several months passed and Zenkai kept on digging. The son grew tired of doing nothing and began to help with the digging. After he had helped for more than a year, he came to admire Zenkai’s strong will and character.
At last the tunnel was completed and the people could use it and travel in safety.
“Now cut off my head,” said Zenkai. “My work is done.”
“How can I cut off my own teacher’s head?” asked the younger man with tears in his eyes. (Zen Flesh, Zen Bones koan 60)
In order for the high official’s son to see his father’s killer as a teacher, obviously he had to overcome his own anger and (probable) hatred. Plus, the son had to, in a sense, re-teach himself how to see Zenkai – not as a threat and a potentially evil person, but as a teacher. As someone who had guidance to offer and as someone whose mistakes in life likely made that guidance even more impactful.
Zenkai, of course, previously had to make his own changes in order to become someone who could be a teacher. He had to overcome his initial love (or perhaps simply lust) for the high official’s wife, he had to see and acknowledge the ways his actions had been impulsive and harmful, and he had to become the type of person who no longer needed to indulge his own passions to the detriment of others.
Zenkai (and, eventually, the son) dug the physical tunnel to help others pass through the mountain in safety, but in a way he (and, eventually, the son as well) first had to tear down his own previous figurative tunnel of thinking. I find the contrasting metaphor striking – and helpful.
How in the world does this apply to fantasy baseball?
It is easy to make decisions in fantasy (or in life, for that matter) that feel well considered and justified. And, in fact, they may well be thoughtful, rational, and right responses to previous situations. It’s not so easy to let go of those decisions once we have made them. It is less easy to see that situations may change. People may change. Skills may change.
The better we are at going back and reconsidering our own figurative tunnels of thinking, quite likely the better we are at adapting and succeeding in fantasy baseball (or, again, in life, for that matter). Recently, I’ve had the opportunity to reevaluate a couple of players that I had previously soured on. Now, I’m rethinking my assessment of them and thought to put them up for your consideration as well.
Coby Mayo
Coby Mayo is among the long list of Orioles’ prospects who seem to have largely disappointed fantasy managers because our expectations of them had been so high based on their prospect hype. I had actually held Mayo for a couple of years in one of my most important leagues (a dynasty league) but finally decided near the end of last season he wasn’t worth the contract. His 2024 numbers (when he received a 46-PA cup of coffee) certainly weren’t impressive, but that’s easy to overlook. His 2025 numbers, when he received nearly 300 PA and managed to hit just .217 with 11 HR, 30 R, 28 RBI, and 3 SB were ok for managers in deep leagues looking for a CI, but I frankly just ran out of patience with him.
His 2026 surface numbers are a bit mixed: In 358 PA, he’s hitting .217 once again, this time with 18 HR, 51 R, 52 RBI, and 3 SB. The 18 HR and 50+ R & RBI are actually really interesting, but that .217 BA with a 7 BB% to go along with a 32.4 K% frightens me. But recently, I’ve made myself look deeper, and yikes, was I wrong about him. Mayo’s HH% is 49.1% (90th percentile). That is a huge number to still hold 350+ plate appearances into a season. His Barrel% is an impressive 12.7% (84th percentile and up 2.7% from 2025), and his 91.8 mph EV (87th percentile and up 4.5 mph from 2025), 116.5 mph maxEV (99th percentile and up 6.7 mph from 2025), and 75.7 mph bat speed (89th percentile and up a full tick from 2025) all certainly catch my eye as well. This guy is smoking the ball right now, and his roughly 35 HR, 100 R, 100 RBI pace is good enough that I’m willing to put up with a .217 BA.
Oh yeah, I should add this part: lately, Mayo hasn’t been hitting anything close to .217. Since July 1st, he’s hitting a much more interesting .265 (with a .323 OBP contrasted with his career OBP well below .300) with 8 HR, 23 R, 21 RBI, and 2 SB. His 5.5 BB% and 30.7 K% are both still bad, but those run producing numbers are legit. I want this guy on my team, and I’ll accept the BA risk, assuming it once again rears its ugly head.
With just a 32% rostership in NFBC Online Championships and a 49% rostership in Fantrax 12-team leagues, Mayo is widely available even in high stakes leagues. But he’s putting up the types of numbers that mean he shouldn’t even be available in most shallow leagues.
Connor Norby
Apparently, I just can’t quit Rockies players – I’ve highlighted a Colorado hitter each of the last two weeks, and here we go again… Perhaps I’m just trying to show the Rockies have their own “three jewels” (Sorry, couldn’t resist the Buddhist “Dad joke”).
Connor Norby, like Mayo, was expected to make a splash once he got to the majors. And when he hit 9 HR in under 200 plate appearances in 2024, it was easy to think an exciting player was developing right before our eyes. His 2025 numbers were certainly useful: a .251 BA, with 8 HR, 42 R, 34 RBI, and 8 SB in 337 PA. His 26.7 K% was a little worrisome based on him hitting the ball hard under 40% of the time, but still there was promise to hope for in what Norby was showing. But by the time the Miami Marlins finally gave up on him this season (trading him to the Rockies at the trade deadline), the hope had very much begun to fade: he was hitting .205 with 4 HR, 17 R, 16 RBI, and 6 SB in 233 PA. While there might have been desperation CI viability in a few deep leagues, Norby was correctly even more of an afterthought to fantasy managers than he was to the Marlins.
But since debuting with the Rockies on August 11th, he has become Colorado’s everyday second baseman, and for good reason. He has hit .302 (16 of 53) with 2 HR, 5 doubles, 9 R, 9 RBI, and 2 SB. His 9 BB over that period have helped him put together a .403 OBP with the Rockies – not too shabby. His batted ball quality has been improving, and his .295 xBA with Colorado gives some hope for sustainability. As a late-season, deeper league CI or MI option, there are certainly worse gambles to make. My confidence in Norby’s ability to keep up his good play certainly isn’t as high as it is that Mayo’s power is worth tapping into. Still, I’m going out to get Norby while he’s playing well.
In the spirit of “The Tunnel,” may we all find ways to dig tunnels that have benefit to others while avoiding the tunnels of thinking that can keep us from changing and growing. Until next week. –ADHamley
