Zen and the Art of Fantasy Baseball: Michael Harris II, My Own Personal Dukkha

The Zen moment:

This week I will discuss a central Buddhist concept called dukkha (also spelled duhkka). Although the translation of the word is more complex than our general Western understanding of the word reflects, it usually is dukkha is used to identify a form of suffering – especially dissatisfaction or dissatisfaction with life or with what reality actually looks like. Those who suffer the most dukkha are the ones who tend to think that things are better somewhere else than here. Another time is better than now. Dukkha also applies to the “if only” people among us. You’ve heard some version of it: “If only” x had happened instead of y, things would be better. Dukkha.

If we’re honest, we all allow ourselves to get caught up in cycles of depression dukkha. It’s very tempting to think about greener grass elsewhere when something we want doesn’t meet expectations or our current situation seems worse than what we want. could are. The problem, from a Buddhist perspective, with falling into the cycle of wishing things were better than they are and regretting the current state is simple: nothing works quite the way we want it to. There is always a way our current situation could be better. By focusing on moments from an “if only” or “I wish” perspective, we will continually long for something more instead of appreciating and experiencing the moment we are in.

Sure, sometimes the moment we are in is objectively terrible, but if we wish even those terrible times away, we are not fully available to experience and learn from what is happening in that moment. It also prevents us from being available to others around us who need our support during life’s trials.

But honestly, our worst-case reality is usually pretty good. After all, we can spend a ridiculous amount of time playing fantasy baseball, so life can’t be all bad. But part of the human condition is that we want more. This constant search teaches us that only extreme moments of pleasure or joy are acceptable, which is a difficult – that is, essentially impossible – barrier to overcome. The Buddhist approach would be to connect to the moment, not wish the situation away – to simply be in the moment, understand it for what it is, and – dare I say – appreciate and feel gratitude for its joys, sorrows, complexities and challenges. This more refined approach gives us a fuller life experience and allows us to receive life as it is instead of running around it.

You may be thinking, “So, should you just be happy with your situation in life no matter what?”

The Buddhist answer is probably ‘of course not’. If we want things to improve, we keep moving forward – the key is not to wish things were better now but instead to participate in the moment in the process of improving what we can actively influence, not wishing for change but instead creating change little by little. If we do that over and over again, we will inevitably end up in a better situation than we were originally in.

How the heck does this apply to fantasy baseball?

In this game we spend a lot of time wishing we had made different decisions:

Why did I play him instead of this other guy who ended up having a great week?

Why did I draft that pitcher who gets blown up week after week or has torn his elbow?

What an idiot I must be…

Playing the game as described above makes the already difficult experience of fantasy even more difficult, perhaps even more miserable. But I suspect we all have one or two players (or ten) who make us feel that kind of dissatisfaction on a regular basis. But it’s not the player’s fault that we feel this way; it’s ours.

My personal dukkha comes in the form of one Michael Harris II. I’m sure Harris is a nice person. I love watching him play, especially on the field. And I’ve found his hitting tool enticing for years, so in 2025 I would have been the one in your draft who picked him in the third round. The projections said the pick wasn’t unreasonable, he smokes the ball (HH% above 45% for his career) and he has a surprisingly good Z-Contact% (upper 80% range) for such a free swinger. Harris’ 30 HR/30 SB advantage is undeniable and easy to chase. Many of us in the fantasy community have also been guilty of expecting Harris’ impressive hitting tool to continue to develop to the point where he would be close to being a superstar. I still believe that player is there.

But Harris swings at almost everything. He swings into the strike zone (67.8% Z-Swing% for his career) and he swings outside the zone (an absurd 40% O-Swing% for his career). That kind of discipline – or lack thereof – means that long periods of mediocre play, perhaps even virtually unscheduled play, are essentially guaranteed. And this makes Harris infuriating to have on a fantasy team.

Looking at Harris’ area stats for each of his four years, it’s easy to dream of his upside:

But one thing you might notice about these statistics is a maddening level of inconsistency. Besides HRs, each of his other stat lines has a wide range of possible outcomes:

– 48 points in BA

– a range of 21 R

– a difference of 38 RBI

– apparent stability at 20 SB, except there is also the 10 SB season.

Michael Harris can be the best player in the game for weeks, and for other long periods of time he might as well be the worst player in the game. Let last season’s splits tell you a story:

Those first-half numbers are unplayable – Harris was routinely dropped by frustrated managers.

But in the second half he was on pace for 32-35 HR, 80ish R, 100+ RBI and 20+ SB.

Maddening. The man can be an absolute difference maker, and he can be a disaster to select.

Dukkha. Why does Harris qualify as mine? Because when I see the numbers from the second half of last year, I see the player who lives in his body, and I love that player. And when I see the player I love, I keep forgetting the other player who also lives in his body.

So I set it up. Again. And again. And again. But after the 2025 season, I don’t want anything to do with him anymore; I want to let someone else draft it, so I won’t. I don’t know if my health can last another half season like the first half of last year, so my first inclination is to protect myself – to avoid the suffering.

But if I allow my emotional response to dictate my position, I risk missing out on an extremely helpful player. His projections for 2026 explain why:

Our own site’s projections are the least optimistic of the four I mentioned, yet Harris still ranks as the 74th player on the Razzball Preseason Player Rater. Since his current ADP is around 100, the potential upside on a Michael Harris pick is hard to ignore.

The decision becomes even more difficult when I do my SGP calculations. Depending on the type of league I might play him in, Harris goes from questionable upside (he ranks slightly below ADP based on my SGP for OCs) to potentially significant upside (he comes out with 30 picks worth of upside in draft and hold formats).

The simple fact is that, based on projections and his annual season stats, Harris is largely a good guess in most leagues relative to his ADP. That’s all well and good, but can I handle the stress of scheduling him?

I suppose I should see it as an opportunity to exercise my tendency to fall into the pit dukkha. So for now, I’ve decided that I’ll draft him and then close my eyes for the season so I don’t suffer from his inconsistency — or, more precisely, my own desire for Harris to be someone Harris isn’t. If I stick with him for a full season, ignore the inevitable setbacks and don’t get too high during his hot streaks, his career numbers and his hitting tool both suggest I will benefit. Remind me of that in June when he has 3 HRs and is hitting .175.

Good luck with your own creators dukkhaand may we maintain the perspective to know when probability should outweigh our emotional responses.

See you next week. –A.D.Hamley