With the season slated to begin this week, fantasy managers are now doing what they can to shore up their roster ahead of Opening Day. Usually, the best early stashes don’t have a large body of work to draw from, so player evaluation can be a little difficult. It’s simply slightly tougher to find which relatively unrostered players will stand out above the rest, but we’ve got you covered. Our featured analysts are each giving their favorite hitter and starting pitcher stash as we embark on the 2021 MLB season!
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Q1. What one hitter should fantasy managers look into stashing who is rostered in fewer than 25% of leagues and why?
Taylor Trammell (OF – SEA): 8% Rostered
“Trammell won’t be mistaken for the big-time outfield prospects the Mariners have coming through their system (Jarred Kelenic, Julio Rodriguez), but Trammell has had a solid spring and has broken camp with the team. It would serve Seattle well to see what they have in Trammell before turning over the keys to the premium guys. His .392 OBP, three HRs, and two SBs highlight that this young man has the athleticism to be a contributor in many categories. I would add him now before a hot first week or two escalate the price.”
– Joe Pisapia (FantasyPros)
“Don’t hold Seattle’s frustrating service-time manipulation of Jarred Kelenic against Taylor Trammell. Two years ago, the toolsy outfielder was MLB.com’s No. 28-ranked prospect, but his stock faded following a murky 2019. Perhaps the Mariners just aren’t as worried about starting his free-agency timer. The 23-year-old has made their Opening Day roster and is poised to start in the outfield. Although Trammell might struggle to make consistent contact in his first cup of coffee, he could swipe some bags out of the gate.”
– Andrew Gould (FantasyPros)
Myles Straw (SS/OF – HOU): 22% Rostered
“While my excitement level for this answer would have been considerably higher two weeks ago, I’ll still go with Houston outfielder Myles Straw. After speculation early in camp that he might fill the role of leadoff hitter vacated by George Springer, Straw appears set to open the season batting at the bottom of the Astros’ lineup, which dims his fantasy upside considerably. With that said, Straw has had a very nice spring — hitting .310 with three steals in 16 games — and presumed leadoff hitter Jose Altuve has struggled mightily (.212 AVG this spring after hitting .219 last year during the regular season). Straw offers terrific stolen base upside at a cheap price currently (with multi-position eligibility at SS and OF also), and his fantasy value would rise significantly if he were to unseat Altuve as the regular leadoff man in Houston. Straw himself stated earlier this spring that he believes he could steal between 50-60 bases in a season if given regular playing time.”
– Lucas Spence (Pitcher List)
Alex Kirilloff (OF – MIN): 13% Rostered
Kirilloff had an awful spring, so it was no surprise when he was optioned to the Twins’ alternate site. His struggles, along with the fact that the Twins can gain another year of control if they keep him off the major league roster for a few weeks, almost necessitated the move. But Kirilloff slashed .317/.365/.498 in his minor league career and left field in Minnesota is going to be occupied by Jake Cave. In other words, Kirilloff will be up with the Twins and up soon, and fantasy managers should stash him now rather than waiting to try to get into a bidding war when the inevitable happens. He’ll hit right away.”
– Dan Harris (FantasyPros)
Q2. What one starting pitcher should fantasy managers look into stashing who is rostered in fewer than 25% of leagues and why?
Adbert Alzolay (CHC): 7% Rostered
“With news coming this week that Alzolay will begin the season in the Cubs’ starting rotation, he is a player certainly worth consideration in deeper leagues. The 26-year-old registered a 2.95 ERA and 1.17 WHIP with 29 Ks in just 21.1 innings across four starts (six appearances) last season, including pitching five innings of one-run ball with eight strikeouts in his final start of the season against the mighty White Sox lineup. In an admittedly small sample size, he ranked amongst the league-leaders in terms of xBA, xSLG, and, most encouragingly, strikeout percentage (33.3%). Alzolay features a terrific slider as his put-away pitch, which he has been refining since last year, coupled with a mid-90s fastball, in addition to a sinker and changeup. His walk-rate (14.9%) is certainly a cause for concern, as will be a potential innings limit, but if he can limit the free passes, Alzolay possesses the repertoire to emerge as a valuable fantasy starter.”
– Lucas Spence (Pitcher List)
“Adbert Alzolay was a surprising winner of a starting spot in the Cubs’ rotation, so he’s less of a ‘stash’ candidate and more of an ‘add and start’ candidate. Alzolay was far from dominant this spring as he struggled with his mechanics, but he was outstanding against the Dodgers in his final spring start, striking out five and allowing just one hit. With a stellar slider, Alzolay is capable of besting any lineup when he’s right, and although he has a minor league option available and will see an innings cap, he has as much upside as anyone. He should be rostered immediately in any format 12-teams or deeper.”
– Dan Harris (FantasyPros)
Randy Dobnak (MIN): 3% Rostered
“Dobnak has yielded one earned run and no walks this spring, netting 18 strikeouts in 13.2 innings. The Twins liked what they’ve seen from his revamped slider enough to sign him to a five-year extension before Opening Day. He’s starting the year out of the bullpen, but that could be in a piggyback role after an opener. Dobnak has registered a 3.12 ERA through 75 career big-league innings, so more whiffs from that slider could make him a legitimate fantasy option in all mixed leagues. He’s worth stashing in deeper leagues for a brief trial period.”
– Andrew Gould (FantasyPros)
Logan Webb (SF): 11% Rostered
“Webb has locked up a spot in the Giants’ rotation with 17 Ks in 11 spring innings. He has never been a big strikeout guy in the past, so don’t expect that gaudy K rate to hold. However, he has a pitcher-friendly home environment and is still just 24 years old. The good news is Webb also has strong control. He’s a nice matchup starter to start the year and a great sell-high candidate should he get off to a strong first 10 starts.”
– Joe Pisapia (FantasyPros)
Thank you to the experts for giving us their early-season stashes. Be sure to give them a follow on Twitter and subscribe to our podcast below for advice all year round.
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