Zen And The Art Of Fantasy Baseball: “Is That So?” – Taking Advantage Of Early-Season Overreactions

The Moment of Zen:

Zen koans are anecdotes, often paradoxical in nature, that were traditionally used by Zen monks as a way to get practitioners to abandon the reasoning they rely on – and protect themselves with – in favor of a complete openness to any given moment (or teaching). Koans are difficult and confusing – by design, I would assume. For many in the world of Zen, meditating upon koans is a significant part of practice. 

One of my favorite koans is called “Is That So?”:

The ZEN MASTER Hakuin was praised by his neighbors as one living a pure life.

A beautiful Japanese girl whose parents owned a food store lived near him. Suddenly, without any warning, her parents discovered she was with child. This made her parents angry. She would not confess who the man was, but after much harassment at last named Hakuin.

In great anger the parent went to the master. “Is that so?” was all he would say.

After the child was born it was brought to Hakuin. By this time he had lost his reputation, which did not trouble him, but he took very good care of the child. He obtained milk from his neighbors and everything else the little one needed.

A year later the girl-mother could stand it no longer. She told her parents the truth – the real father of the child was a young man who worked in the fishmarket.

The mother and father of the girl at once went to Hakuin to ask his forgiveness, to apologize at length, and to get the child back again.

Hakuin was willing. In yielding the child, all he said was: “Is that so?” (Zen Flesh, Zen Bones 26-7)

What does this koan mean? Well, as far as I can discern in the practice of Zen or any other lineage of Buddhism, accepting someone else’s understanding of the koan defeats the entire purpose of meditating over its meaning. In other words, I don’t know what it means and definitely shouldn’t be depended upon as the one who can answer it. 

In my own study, what I think it means (at least as I understand it today, in this moment) relates to how so much is outside our control. But since we cannot actually understand the ultimate karmic outcome of any given event, one thing within our control is reacting with equanimity, no matter how good or bad we perceive any moment to be. 

Easy enough, right? Right.

How in the world does this apply to fantasy baseball?

‘Tis the season of overreactions. As I write this, we are a full eleven days into the 2026 season. For most teams, that means they’ve played eight games, while a handful have played nine – so, approximately 5% of the season. That means we’ve had enough time to learn basically nothing.

But we are so desperate for baseball by the time opening day rolls around that we can convince ourselves that this minute sample is meaningful, so you’ll see plenty of fantasy managers overreacting to player starts. Sometimes, the best response we can have to a fellow manager’s meltdown over a player is, “Is that so?” If we can maintain equanimity in these first few weeks while others around us panic, maybe there is value to be had through trades or, in some situations where managers have really gone on tilt, through the waiver wire.

Here are two players I have my eye on, just in case manager anxiety leads them to making unwise decisions:

Julio Rodriguez

Here are a few numbers to consider:

And here are a few other numbers to consider:

** On IL for significant portions of July & August 2024

What do you see above? 

I see a notoriously slow starter who finds a way in the second half of seasons to go on massive hot streaks. So, his .147 BA and 0 HR, 3 R, 1 RBI, and 0 SB nine games into 2026 doesn’t bother me one little bit. Even his low 34.8 HH% and low maxEV (107.9 mph) don’t give me the slightest doubt in a player we all know to be an absolute beast.

But basically every year, I see fantasy managers freaking out after J-Rod puts together an April with a well-below .250 BA and fewer than 5 HR – as he does every single year. If you hear someone in your league cursing Rodriguez and frustrated at his lack of production, just remember: 

“Is that so?” 

And then you might want to follow up with, “How about this offer for Rodriguez?” Obviously, I’m not suggesting a ridiculous low-ball offer, but if there’s a discount to be had, take advantage. 

Brenton Doyle

In the preseason, I wrote about my love for Doyle, and I talked more about it when I was on Cards & Categories with Mike Couillard. You may have noticed Doyle’s terrible start this season: .148 BA, 34.5% K%, 0 HR, 3 R, 0 RBI, and 1 SB in eight games. Not great.

I’m honestly having trouble being too concerned about his slow start, though: He clearly appears to be pressing. When he hits the ball, he’s hitting it hard, but he is swinging at practically anything. His Contact% is a woeful 62.2%, which is way out of line with his career numbers (just under 9% below his career mark). He also has an O-Swing% of 37.5%, nearly 8% above his last two years and 7.1% higher than his career mark. And since he’s swinging out of the zone so often, how much contact is he making when he does? Not much – 22.2%, which is seemingly significant 21% below his career mark!

He had a tough year last year, and it’s understandable he wants to get things going quickly this season. It won’t take him long to realize he can’t hit 8-run homers each at bat, and when he does, I think he’s going to be fine. His Z-Contact% is just under 90%, showing he is still capable of hitting the ball. His 41.2% HH% and, more importantly, his bat speed increase of 1.2 mph make it clear that when he starts hitting the ball, the ball will go far. Right now, Colorado’s brass doesn’t know where to hit him in the lineup – he’s mostly batted in the 7-hole or 8-hole, but Saturday, April 4th, he hit in the 2-hole. They know he’s searching. I suspect they also know he’ll find his game soon enough.

This guy is a good player, and he’ll pull it together. But in fantasy leagues, expect to see him on your waiver wire soon, especially in 12-teamers. In leagues smaller than that, he’s probably already on the wire. If I see him dropped in a 10-team or below, I’ll watch him closely until he’s moving in the right direction enough for me to sacrifice another roster spot (since a 10-team league is going to have All-Star level rosters everywhere you look). But if he’s dropped in a 12- or 15-team league, my response will be simple:

“Is that so?”

And then I’ll swoop him up and reap the rewards. In all likelihood, most fantasy managers will resist overreacting with J-Rod, but Doyle is another story. If you see him available, I’d go get him.

Now is the time of year to take advantage of other managers’ impatience – but we can only do so if we maintain our own patience and equanimity. As good players struggle, chances are that they haven’t all of a sudden forgotten how to play baseball. Neither should we forget how to play our game. Accept the gift with a little “Is that so?,” and enjoy.

Until next week. –ADHamley