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10 Burning Questions: Fernando Tatis Jr., Kevin Gausman, Max Scherzer (2021 Fantasy Baseball)

10 Burning Questions: Fernando Tatis Jr., Kevin Gausman, Max Scherzer (2021 Fantasy Baseball)

Another week of the 2021 MLB season has concluded, and yes, we had fun. As I alluded to last week, I don’t think this season could have started any better in overall entertainment. From a fantasy perspective, this season has provided tons of fireworks, as well. Many big-name players are living up to their respective hype, and plenty of players are having breakout seasons.

Now, let’s dive into 10 burning questions that I had as we head into May.

These rankings and statistics are up to date as of April 25th via Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR) and average draft position (ADP) from FantasyPros.

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1. Is Fernando Tatis Jr. the most exciting player in all of baseball?

Holy. Smokes. It’s only right we begin this segment by discussing a player in the wildly entertaining rivalry between the Dodgers and Padres. Tatis reminded people of who he was this past week. The All-Star shortstop has five home runs in his last three games. He was launching home runs all weekend long in Dodger Stadium, and his offensive firepower shouldn’t slow down any time soon. I’m sure Tatis won many fantasy baseball managers their weeks because he definitely helped me win a few. He may be the most exciting player in baseball when he has it all going his way.

2. Do the Reds have the best offense in baseball?

As of April 25th, the Cincinnati Reds are second in the majors in runs at 117 (behind the Boston Red Sox) and have the most home runs in all of baseball with 32. Nicholas Castellanos will rightfully garner a lot of the attention on this offense, but Jesse Winker has been their most consistent hitter so far this season. Winker leads the team with a 1.101 OPS and has been marvelous at the top of the order for the Reds. The team has even dealt with some injuries, but they have found a way to produce at a high offensive level. Even players such as Joey Votto and Eugenio Suarez have started cold, but they should find their groove soon. Pat yourself on the back if you have a piece of this offense.

3. Do the Brewers have the best starting pitching trio in the majors?

Brandon Woodruff, Corbin Burnes, and Freddy Peralta have all been nothing short of spectacular this season. All three pitchers have at least 34 strikeouts while looking dominant throughout the young season. There is a strong argument to be made that these three have the best stuff of any pitching staff in the league. If you’ve been reading these segments each week, then you know how much I have talked about Corbin Burnes, and there’s a strong argument to be made that he’s the second-best pitcher in all of baseball. In any case, if you have one of these pitchers, hold on to them tightly because I don’t see them slowing down soon.

4. Will Kevin Gausman remain consistent?

The San Francisco Giants’ de facto ace had an ADP of 137 coming into the season, which felt about right. However, he has shattered expectations thus far and has looked very strong in nearly every game to date. Gausman has registered at least five strikeouts and six innings pitched in every one of his starts. His most recent performance was an eight-inning masterpiece in which he only surrendered one run and struck out 11 Marlins. We’ve seen flashes of greatness from Gausman in the past, so it should be interesting to see if he can remain consistent throughout the year. There’s also a good chance he gets traded to a contender and could rack up more wins in the process.

5. Can Max Scherzer put together another marvelous season?

Coming into the season, it felt as though Mad Max was a bit undervalued for the first time in his career. His ADP hovered right around the end of the second round, but usually, Scherzer goes earlier. Many fantasy managers went with younger options, such as Aaron Nola, Walker Buehler, or Lucas Giolito. But Scherzer has pitched better than all of them. He continues to display an incredible ability to make hitters miss and has looked like his younger self at times. Scherzer has a ridiculous 8.25 K/BB rate so far this season. It’s looking like Scherzer will be in for another stellar season, and fantasy baseball managers would love to see him do it again in 2021.

6. Can fantasy baseball managers ever shop Jacob deGrom?

To answer this plain and simple, the answer is no. Do not even entertain offers for deGrom. The Mets’ ace once again looked as dominant as any pitcher we have ever witnessed in our lifetime. In fact, deGrom has been so good that 50 of the 87 batters he’s retired struck out. deGrom is putting up otherworldly numbers. Continue riding the hot hand and press the auto decline button if you ever get an offer in your inbox that includes his name.

7. Did Yadier Molina find the fountain of youth?

Who saw this coming? Yadier Molina is arguably putting together the best offensive season of his career. The 38-year-old catcher is slugging well over .600 and already has five home runs in just 62 at-bats. Molina’s ADP was in the 250s, so there is a strong possibility he was a free agent pickup in your league. Unfortunately, Molina recently came down with an injury, but it doesn’t appear to be too much of an issue. There’s a good chance that he cools off in the not-so-distant future, so feel free to explore trade options for managers who need help at a weaker position.

8. When will we begin to see some top prospects at the major league level?

We are almost at that point in the year when teams begin to call up some of their top young talent. Hitters such as Wander Franco, Adley Rutschman, Jarred Kelenic should be joining their big league clubs soon and provide an offensive boost to the team. Luis Patino made his debut today for the Rays, and other top pitching prospects such as Sixto Sanchez and Logan Gilbert should also be up in no time. Keep an eye on all these young prospects, and make sure to pick them up quickly if they are available in your leagues.

9. Has Matthew Boyd finally panned out?

Boyd is typically seen as a sleeper in most fantasy formats. However, Boyd was among baseball’s worst pitchers last season. He was so terrible that many fantasy baseball managers avoided him altogether this season — giving him an ADP of 278. So far, Boyd appears to be putting his atrocious 2020 season in the rearview mirror. Boyd has shifted from a strikeout pitcher to more of a weak contact pitcher. Although he’s averaging a career-low 5.7 K/9, his FIP sits at a respectable 2.98, which makes his strong start less of a fluke than it may appear. Boyd’s knock was always his inability to limit the long ball, but he has only given up one home run all season so far. There may be a few bumps in the road, but Boyd could be a great piece to round out any fantasy baseball team’s rotation.

10. Can we get 162 games of Dodgers vs. Padres?

It would be disrespectful not to touch more upon the best rivalry in all of sports right now. The Dodgers and Padres continue to provide instant classics every time they go against one another — not to mention the star power on both sides of the field and the fantasy implications both rosters have. From Mookie Betts to Ryan Weathers, it feels like there are at least 30 players who are worth rostering in all fantasy baseball formats right now. If you’re thinking of parting ways with certain players, then make sure you try and get some players on these teams because they will provide strong fantasy value all year long.

All statistics were taken from FanGraphsMLB.com, and Baseball-Reference.

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Travis Cain is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Travis, check out his archive and follow him @TravisCain_.

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