As a sabermetrics oriented columnist, it’s always tricky to write early season articles. With such a small sample size to draw from, it can often feel like that early season slump is the beginning of the end for an older player, or like a hot streak is a guarantee of an MVP caliber season. The always hot Yankees Twitterverse is emblematic of what most diehard fans are feeling right now, where every win or loss feels like the validation of our grandest dreams or darkest nightmares.
And while I can’t sit here and claim that I’m not slightly panicked after a series loss to the AAA Orioles to begin the year, I do believe there’s a smarter way to watch early season baseball.