IS HE THE GOAT?

The G.O.A.T. Greatest of all time. It’s an alluring colloquialism which pits the best of any field against each other in a spirited bar room debate. But with Vinson T Mulvey summiting the mountain of the “Three-Peat”, an achievement never before seen in the League of Mediocre Gentle(wo)men, the debate can no longer be ignored.

So, is he the GOAT?

First, what is “All Time” in the context of this league? Let’s run some numbers.

With the completion of the 2025 campaign, the League of Mediocre Gentle(wo)men has been around for 16 seasons, and crowned 15 titles. Of those title holders, there are only three (including Mulvey), who have climbed the mountain to title-town three times: Ian Shaw, Richard Martindell Jr, and now Vinson Mulvey. Uniquely though, Mulvey achieved this feat in only five seasons, where the other two owners needed all sixteen.

Mulvey has only missed the playoffs in one of his five seasons (the first one). In his second season he made the playoffs for the first time, achieving third place. After that, he has been unstoppable. His .586 career winning percentage is the best of any team. What’s more, the other two teams which have matched him in total championships are in the midst of staggering championship droughts. Neither Shaw nor Martindell have won a title since 2016.

But numbers only tell part of the story, and the GOAT is a title bestowed by the heart, rather than the mind. So what do the outspoken members of the league think about the idea that Mulvey is the best to ever do it?

Seven owners were contacted regarding their thoughts on the subject. Four declined to comment.

“Of course he is the GOAT,” says Michael Staron incredulously. “If I’m tracking this right (he wasn’t), he has been in the league for 4 years and has made the playoffs every year. That alone is crazy. Throw on top of that three straight finals appearances and multiple titles. He is the GOAT. All hail Vinson,”

Michael has had a successful tenure in his own seven year tenure in the league. His .520 winning percentage heading into this season and consistent track record of playoff performances, a runner-up appearance, and a title in 2022 are nothing to scoff at. But perhaps the fact that he was the last owner to win it all before this run of Vinson dominance has glazed his eyes somewhat. What does one of the boisterous newcomers think?

“Clearly Vinson is the GOAT,” says Jonathan Sitko without hesitation. “Only one other team has repeated and then only Vinson has three-peated. Some will say he hasn’t won the most total titles (he is tied for most), but GOATS are defined by how they do when they make the scene. He has one of the highest win percentages in the 2 years I have been in the league, he wins with a variety of strategies and acquisition methods, and he drafts quite well,” he gushes.

“He hasn't been able to trade much which does cause problems, but if anything it's a testament one of his more potent skills is neutered and he still is coming home with rings. As long as Vinson is in this league, there is little chance for the dinosaurs of the league to do much…” Sitko mused.

So what about those dinosaurs? Perhaps it is telling that of the four owners questioned who declined to comment for this story, all of them were owners who had been in the league since its inception. But there was one “dinosaur” who did not hold back, and had a definitive take on the question of Mulvey’s GOAT-hood.

“Vinson is the GOAT in our league even if he doesn't win the championship this year,” says founding member Patrick Weaver, when the outcome of this year’s Championship match was still in the balance. “You and I have spent alot of time before talking through why that might be, and the tricky part is that he's won in completely different ways each year. His first chip was when I was convinced he was this big baseball consumer and stat nerd. He was ahead of everyone on everything. He got the news, prospects, free agent pickups, even the vibes... first. The league reacted logically. We, as a whole, became much more forward on everything. I remember rigging up Apollo notifcations on my phone so that Vinson couldn't beat me to prospects anymore. James and other members were all over this too and it quite frankly didn't matter. He wasn't winning because he got guys first, he was winning becauese he got the RIGHT guys,” he said.

“So we fast forward to his second chip season and we're all better prepared to counter Vinson. Except we were all wrong. Vinson wasn't a data geek at all, quite the opposite actually. His team was TERRIBLE. He drafted terribly (ginson), and even the players who were supposed to be good weren't panning out. He reinvented his entire team, dropped most people, and famously ended the year with like 2 or 3 players that he started with. Once again our reactive league took notes. We started the "draft doesn't matter" strategy and realized that agility was the true secret. It's not about crystal balling the right players with data, nor is it about getting to them first, it's about making sure your roster is always productive and shedding dead weight as quickly as possible,” he continued. Notably, in 2024, Mulvey came out of the first month of the season in last place before furiously fighting back to his second straight title.

Patrick’s musings continue…

“Except that isn't true and didn't work either. The only team that worked out with the "draft doesn't matter" strategy was Dan and you could argue that he didn't go along with the strategy anyway. He was just trolling for better picks. Vinson then is on the road to his 3rd chip with his 3rd unique strategy. Being patient with guys on his team and picking up Free Agents from other teams that were trying to recreate his success from last year.”

“So what are we left with? It's easy to chock it up to luck, which there has to be a smidgen of in any fantasy sport, but that isn't it. I wager that Vinson is the GOAT because he's the only person in the league who's played real life baseball at a higher level, and did it for the longest by a wide margin. He knows the real game better than us, so therefore can pick up on the player nuances that we can't. He uses a moderate amount of data, and pairs that with his experience to find the right players at a higher percentage chance than the rest of us. He knows when to cut bait, be patient, be aggressive, who to trade for, because of that previous experience. Vinson isn't infallible and is far from a professional. I would lose 100/100 seasons against Jeff Passan in a fantasy league, in comparison. Vinson isn't that. We can beat him on any given year. We're just rolling with disadvantage.” he concluded, self-satisfied as always.

Sixteen years is not an eternity. Do five years of success and three years of consecutive dominance overrule the dominance that came before? Does a three-peat outweigh a decade of consecutive playoff appearances by one team, or look better than three titles in four years from another? Maybe. The consistent refrain I kept hearing from all of the owners who would talk was the manner of dominance. The surgical nature of the takedown. The fact that Mulvey idles at success where the rest of us just momentarily break through the water to taste its sweet aroma before sinking again below the waves into the doldrums of mediocrity.

I am convinced that fantasy baseball, like real baseball, is comprised of eras. The time where myself and Richard Martindell ran roughshod through the league and swept up titles in their multitudes was a different era where information was scarcer and competition was lighter. This league has become an institution (in more ways than one), and part of its success is the level of play is higher than it’s ever been. There are no easy wins or sleepwalking matchups. You fight for every inch. Every run is bloody. Every inning is a gauntlet. And at the end stands a six foot four mountain of calm, waiting to pat you on the head and wish you well next year.

I am reminded of a conversation that Mulvey and I had before this season started about whether he felt pressure with the three-peat on the line. In standard Vinson fashion, he was, as always, bemused.

“Not really. Whatever happens happens.”

And that’s really the difference at the end of all of this. I, and many other owners, are tightly wound balls of tension and mistakes, desperately trying to bend an unfair game to our will. Ludicrously hungry, craving a title like we crave oxygen. Mulvey doesn’t feel that pressure. He just rides the wave and sees the game as it is, not as how he wants it to be.

Oh, and does he think he’s the GOAT?

He didn’t break into a smile, more like a look of mild amusement.

“Yes”, he said without hesitation.