Fantasy Baseball Player Notes

2021 Fantasy Baseball Draft Notes

Position

Team

J.T. Realmuto Note
	1. J.T. Realmuto PHI Realmuto fractured the thumb on his throwing hand in mid-February, and is iffy for Opening Day. He is in a tier to himself among catchers when healthy, putting up consistently excellent numbers in what is the thinnest of positions. He had the highest barrel rate and hard hit percentage of his career in 2020, and also walked at a career-best pace. Realmuto is in his age-30 season, so that's getting near the point where catchers begin to decline. But given that he's shown no real slippage in his skills to this point, his numbers shouldn't fall off much in 2021, assuming he has no setbacks and returns on or around Opening Day. Back with Philadelphia now and for several years after signing a five-year contract, Realmuto is the only catcher worth drafting before the sixth or seventh round. 1 day ago

Salvador Perez Note
	2. Salvador Perez KC Perez returned from missing all of the 2019 season to put up monstrous numbers. He batted .333 with 11 home runs in just 37 games. Sure, his meager walk rate became even worst and he struck out more than ever, but his strong numbers were absolutely earned. He had an expected batting average of .325, an expected slugging percentage of .624, and barreled baseballs at a significantly higher rate than he ever had before. Perez will be 31 years old this year this year but considering that he's had just 156 plate appearances combined over the past two years (after having one of the heaviest workloads for a catcher over the previous six seasons), he should have some gas left in the tank. Draft him as a top-three catcher without hesitation. 1 day ago

Will Smith Note
	3. Will Smith LAD Smith had an outstanding 2020 season, walking a ton, striking out little, and getting on base at higher than a .400 clip. The power he showed in his 54-game stretch in 2019 remained, and he ranked in the top 10% of the league in wOBA, expected wOBA, and expected slugging percentage. Given how the Dodgers play the entire season with an eye toward the playoffs, as well as the presence of Keibert Ruiz, it's possible that Smith may get more rest than other catchers this year. But that's a minor point against someone who should be one of the top options at his position. He's no worse than a top-five catcher, and there's a good argument that he should be the second player selected at his position. 1 day ago

Willson Contreras Note
	4. Willson Contreras CHC Contreras has established a pretty decent baseline for what fantasy managers can expect over the course of a full season. He'll likely give you a floor of 15 home runs and 110 combined runs and RBI, with upside for more. Those numbers don't sound impressive, but they're enough to make Contreras a top-five catcher easily. Given his safety, there's an argument to be made to take him as high as second overall at the position. But, even so, there's no need to select him before the eighth round or so, as there's not an appreciable difference in the production of the next seven or eight catchers beyond J.T. Realmuto. 1 day ago

Yasmani Grandal Note
	5. Yasmani Grandal CWS Grandal is getting up there in age for a catcher, and there were a few warning signs for the veteran. He struck out nearly 30% of the time last season, well above his typical rate, and his expected batting average, slugging percentage, and wOBA were some of the worst of his career. At the same time, he continued to walk at a near-elite clip, and again provided plenty of power from a position where pop is hard to find. The good news for Grandal is that both his large contract and his elite pitch framing skills should keep him in the lineup as often as possible, which will help to pad his counting stats. He's just a tad outside of the elite range at the position, but he's a locked in fantasy starter. 1 day ago

Travis d'Arnaud Note
	6. Travis d'Arnaud ATL It took a long time but d'Arnaud has finally developed into one of the best hitting catchers in the game, as he was projected to be. It's difficult to quite buy what we saw last year, considering d'Arnaud's batting average (.321) and slugging percentage (.533) were miles ahead of his career marks, and even the numbers that he had put up in recent seasons. With that said, he'll bat in the middle of a strong Braves lineup and be presented with plenty of RBI opportunities, so 15 home runs with 55 RBI should be considered the floor for a healthy d'Arnaud. Those numbers aren't just passable, they're extremely strong for a catcher in fantasy, and he should be drafted as a relatively strong first catcher in mixed leagues. 1 day ago

Christian Vazquez Note
	7. Christian Vazquez BOS Vazquez was a late bloomer, but he's developed into one of the more reliable catchers in the game. Not only does he provide 20-homer power, but he's one of the best assets at catcher in both batting average and stolen bases. Entering his age-31 season, there's certainly the possibility for a major decline in his numbers, but there is little in his underlying metrics to suggest it is imminent. Draft Vazquez as a strong starter in single-catcher formats, and you won't need to do so before the double-digit rounds. 1 day ago

Gary Sanchez Note
	8. Gary Sanchez NYY

Austin Nola Note
	9. Austin Nola SD

Sean Murphy Note
	10. Sean Murphy OAK

James McCann Note
	11. James McCann NYM McCann will be the everyday catcher for the Mets after putting up his second consecutive successful season for the White Sox. After putting up a .789 OPS in 2019, he jumped up to an .896 mark in 2020, setting a career-high in walk rate. McCann was a part-timer last year, so his rate stats will likely dip as he takes over a heavy workload with the Mets (Wilson Ramos ranked fourth among catchers in plate appearances the last two seasons). But counting stats should be there in spades in a strong Mets lineup. He should be drafted as a starting catcher in 12-team formats. 1 day ago

Daulton Varsho Note
	12. Daulton Varsho ARI Varsho saw plenty of action between catcher and the outfield last year for the Diamondbacks, and although he batted just .188, he hit three home runs and stole three bases. That may not sound like much but for a catcher-eligible player in 37 games, it's plenty. The problem for Varsho is that the Diamondbacks' roster looks pretty full, especially with the signing of Asdrubal Cabrera, and there's a good chance he begins the year in the minors. There's a ton of potential for Varsho, given that he was a high-average hitter during his minor-league career, but it seems increasingly likely that fantasy managers will need to wait a bit longer for him to become someone to start in fantasy leagues. 1 day ago

Mitch Garver Note
	13. Mitch Garver MIN

Buster Posey Note
	14. Buster Posey SF

Yadier Molina Note
	15. Yadier Molina STL

Carson Kelly Note
	16. Carson Kelly ARI

Jorge Alfaro Note
	17. Jorge Alfaro MIA

Wilson Ramos Note
	18. Wilson Ramos DET

Danny Jansen Note
	19. Danny Jansen TOR Jansen's playing time is uncertain this year with the presence of both Reese McGuire and Alejandro Kirk, but his defense is likely to keep him in the mix as a starter most games. He hasn't developed into the offensive force most thought he would become, and his average has been downright dreadful. But he's put up 19 home runs and 59 RBI over 150 games in the last two seasons, and the Toronto lineup is incredibly strong. If he wins the job outright out of spring training, he should be considered a fairly strong second catcher. 1 day ago

Alejandro Kirk Note
	20. Alejandro Kirk TOR Kirk has the bat to to be a fantasy asset if he can stay in the lineup, particularly with catcher eligibility. He is a career .315 hitter with a .918 OPS in the minors, and had a strong, albeit short, stint in the majors last year during when he had a .983 OPS in nine games. The biggest obstacle for Kirk is that the Blue Jays have two solid defensive catchers in Danny Jansen and Reese McGuire, and although they could put Kirk at DH, they have plenty of other options for that position. In other words, Kirk needs to hit and hit early to cement a lineup spot. If he does, he's got top-10 catcher potential pretty easily. 1 day ago

Isiah Kiner-Falefa Note
	21. Isiah Kiner-Falefa TEX

Yan Gomes Note
	22. Yan Gomes WSH

Pedro Severino Note
	23. Pedro Severino BAL

Omar Narvaez Note
	24. Omar Narvaez MIL

Ryan Jeffers Note
	25. Ryan Jeffers MIN

Tom Murphy Note
	26. Tom Murphy SEA

Kurt Suzuki Note
	27. Kurt Suzuki LAA

Jacob Stallings Note
	28. Jacob Stallings PIT

Max Stassi Note
	29. Max Stassi LAA

Joey Bart Note
	30. Joey Bart SF

Francisco Mejia Note
	31. Francisco Mejia TB

Tyler Stephenson Note
	32. Tyler Stephenson CIN

Roberto Perez Note
	33. Roberto Perez CLE

Tucker Barnhart Note
	34. Tucker Barnhart CIN

Andrew Knizner Note
	35. Andrew Knizner STL

Elias Diaz Note
	36. Elias Diaz COL

Sam Huff Note
	37. Sam Huff TEX

Victor Caratini Note
	38. Victor Caratini SD

Chance Sisco Note
	39. Chance Sisco BAL

Luis Torrens Note
	40. Luis Torrens SEA

Martin Maldonado Note
	41. Martin Maldonado HOU

Adley Rutschman Note
	42. Adley Rutschman BAL

Jason Castro Note
	43. Jason Castro HOU

Mike Zunino Note
	44. Mike Zunino TB

Austin Barnes Note
	45. Austin Barnes LAD

Andrew Knapp Note
	46. Andrew Knapp PHI

Jose Trevino Note
	47. Jose Trevino TEX

Austin Romine Note
	48. Austin Romine CHC

Robinson Chirinos Note
	49. Robinson Chirinos NYY

Kyle Higashioka Note
	50. Kyle Higashioka NYY

Willians Astudillo Note
	51. Willians Astudillo MIN

Curt Casali Note
	52. Curt Casali SF

Keibert Ruiz Note
	53. Keibert Ruiz LAD

Tony Wolters Note
	54. Tony Wolters PIT

Alex Avila Note
	55. Alex Avila WSH

Tyler Flowers Note
	56. Tyler Flowers FA

Jonah Heim Note
	57. Jonah Heim TEX

Stephen Vogt Note
	58. Stephen Vogt ARI

Chadwick Tromp Note
	59. Chadwick Tromp SF

Austin Hedges Note
	60. Austin Hedges CLE

Jonathan Lucroy Note
	61. Jonathan Lucroy CWS

Dom Nunez Note
	62. Dom Nunez COL

Jeff Mathis Note
	63. Jeff Mathis PHI

Luis Campusano Note
	64. Luis Campusano SD

Ryan Lavarnway Note
	65. Ryan Lavarnway CIN

Eric Haase Note
	66. Eric Haase DET

Kevin Plawecki Note
	67. Kevin Plawecki BOS

Manny Pina Note
	68. Manny Pina MIL

John Hicks Note
	69. John Hicks TEX

Reese McGuire Note
	70. Reese McGuire TOR

Jacob Nottingham Note
	71. Jacob Nottingham MIL

Francisco Cervelli Note
	72. Francisco Cervelli FA

Grayson Greiner Note
	73. Grayson Greiner DET

Bo Naylor Note
	74. Bo Naylor CLE

Austin Allen Note
	75. Austin Allen OAK

Tyler Heineman Note
	76. Tyler Heineman STL

Chad Wallach Note
	77. Chad Wallach MIA

Tomas Nido Note
	78. Tomas Nido NYM

Sandy Leon Note
	79. Sandy Leon FA

William Contreras Note
	80. William Contreras ATL

Zack Collins Note
	81. Zack Collins CWS

Michael Perez Note
	82. Michael Perez PIT

Matt Wieters Note
	83. Matt Wieters FA

Alex Jackson Note
	84. Alex Jackson ATL

Cam Gallagher Note
	85. Cam Gallagher KC

Aramis Garcia Note
	86. Aramis Garcia OAK

Welington Castillo Note
	87. Welington Castillo WSH

Jake Rogers Note
	88. Jake Rogers DET

Garrett Stubbs Note
	89. Garrett Stubbs HOU

Kevan Smith Note
	90. Kevan Smith TB

Drew Butera Note
	91. Drew Butera TEX

Anthony Bemboom Note
	92. Anthony Bemboom LAA

Cal Raleigh Note
	93. Cal Raleigh SEA

Rene Rivera Note
	94. Rene Rivera FA

Luke Maile Note
	95. Luke Maile MIL

Dustin Garneau Note
	96. Dustin Garneau DET

Kyle Farmer Note
	97. Kyle Farmer CIN

Deivy Grullon Note
	98. Deivy Grullon CIN

Chris Herrmann Note
	99. Chris Herrmann BOS

Meibrys Viloria Note
	100. Meibrys Viloria KC

Connor Wong Note
	101. Connor Wong BOS

Jose Briceno Note
	102. Jose Briceno COL

Seby Zavala Note
	103. Seby Zavala CWS

Rafael Marchan Note
	104. Rafael Marchan PHI

Caleb Joseph Note
	105. Caleb Joseph NYM

Bryan Holaday Note
	106. Bryan Holaday FA

Beau Taylor Note
	107. Beau Taylor CLE

Tres Barrera Note
	108. Tres Barrera WSH

P.J. Higgins Note
	109. P.J. Higgins CHC

Andrew Susac Note
	110. Andrew Susac PIT

Ali Sanchez Note
	111. Ali Sanchez STL

Patrick Mazeika Note
	112. Patrick Mazeika NYM

Joseph Odom Note
	113. Joseph Odom TB

Austin Wynns Note
	114. Austin Wynns BAL

Joe Hudson Note
	115. Joe Hudson PIT

David Freitas Note
	116. David Freitas FA

John Ryan Murphy Note
	117. John Ryan Murphy PIT

Raudy Read Note
	118. Raudy Read WSH

Miguel Amaya Note
	119. Miguel Amaya CHC

Nick Ciuffo Note
	120. Nick Ciuffo BAL

Brian Navarreto Note
	121. Brian Navarreto MIA

Tim Federowicz Note
	122. Tim Federowicz LAD

Josh Phegley Note
	123. Josh Phegley FA

Colton Shaver Note
	124. Colton Shaver HOU

Yermin Mercedes Note
	125. Yermin Mercedes CWS