Fantasy Baseball 2025: League-Benders — A New Era of Legendary Performances

(It’s fantasy baseball draft season! The FTN Fantasy team and a host of helpful guests present our Ultimate 2025 Fantasy Baseball Guide. Check it out and prepare for the 2025 MLB season.)

Is there such a thing as “the guy you need?”

Most fantasy baseball players — especially ones who play in deeper formats — will tell you no. They’ll say that any manager can win any league from any draft slot despite a catastrophic injury to your first-round pick.

They would be correct. Still, we should try to pick the best players.

This is especially true during an era where we see a higher frequency of league-bending fantasy campaigns.

Studying these “legendary” seasons can also inform us about the types of players to go after in specific league-wide environments. The macro state of baseball has evolved drastically over the past decade and multiple times. Consider the following changes that have defined the landscape in recent years:

• • 2019: Super juiced ball

• • 2020: Shortened season, no minor leagues

• • 2021: Sticky stuff banned midseason

• • 2022: Lockout offseason, sudden deadened ball

• • 2023: New rules, including pickoff limits, larger bases and a pitch clock

MLB also permanently removed the designated hitter and introduced a ghost runner at second base for extra innings. These are significant shifts that will define the future of the sport, including our beloved fantasy game.