[DotDash]

Even after all these years, I still have no idea what influences player performance on a season-to-season basis (besides park factors, and level of opposition.) I am only in Iron league, but all of my supposed difference-makers (at this level) are performing much worse than their counterparts on other teams.
My Kluber? Joint worst in the league with almost two runs of FIP difference with the best.
My Righetti? More than 1.6 runs worse than the best (owned by the same team that has the best Kluber.)

On the hitting side, my Utley is OPSing .750, compared to 1.129 in Stone last season. The other three Utleys in the league are performing similarly or even better than in Stone, and will end up with 4+ more WAR than mine over the season, if this keeps up.

I get the feeling there are just 'cursed' and 'blessed' seasons, assigned at league generation. My other team is also in Iron, and is in first place despite having much worse players.
Also, 'having the best record in the league = postseason implosion' seems to have been a thing for years now.

Edit: I also have the worst out of 8 (!) Al Kaline's in the league. His OPS is .615 (!!!), and the second-worst is at .755. The best performing Kaline is owned by the same team that has the two 'good' versions of my best pitchers (naturally), and has an OPS of 1.149. My guy: .037 ISO and .236 BABIP. Theirs: .290 ISO and .329 BABIP. This no longer has anything to do with simulation - players, or entire teams are being nerfed or boosted from one season to the next. Why make BABIP a no longer hidden stat when it's meaningless - the same rating on the same card, vastly different outcomes. Ugh.