Fantasy Baseball Player Notes

2021 Fantasy Baseball Draft Notes

Position

Team

Ronald Acuna Jr. Note
	1. Ronald Acuna Jr. ATL Acuna missed some time last year and batted a mere .250. And thus ends the negative things you can say about him. He walked at an absurd 18.8% clip, which led him to a .406 OBP despite the poor average. He was one of the league leaders in quality of contact, wOBA, and xWOBA, and we now know after the last two years that he will run often on the bases so long as he continues to bat leadoff, which he should. In other words, from a fantasy perspective, Acuna is an absolute monster. He's a top-three pick and will (deservedly) go first overall in many leagues, and there's still upside given that he just turned 23 years old. 4 days ago

Mookie Betts Note
	2. Mookie Betts LAD Betts's first year with the Dodgers was basically exactly what fantasy managers expected - that is to say it was pretty much in line with what he did with the Red Sox. If you want to quibble, his walk rate dropped a few percentage points and he struck out at a career-worst 15.4% clip. But at this point, there are few safer players than Betts - you know he'll give you strong production in all five categories and he bats atop one of the best lineups in all of baseball. Betts should be a top-three pick and there's every reason to consider him number one overall. The downside is borderline non-existent. 4 days ago

Mike Trout Note
	3. Mike Trout LAA For one of the first times since he took the league by storm, Trout is not the consensus top pick this year. It's hardly his fault, though it's fair to point out some of the negatives with his 2020 season. He batted a career-low .281, and posted his worst walk- and strikeout-rates since 2015. He also stole only one base. But Trout's move down the overall baseball rankings is due more to his competition for the top spot, rather than his numbers. He was still among the league leaders in quality of contact and every expected statcast metric, and was on pace to hit 50 home runs over the course of a full season. Trout is entering his age-30 season, so although we've seen him rebound from poor stolen base years before, it now seems unlikely that he'll ever get back to much past low-double digits. That keeps him out of the top spot in rotisserie rankings, but his incredibly high floor makes him a top-five overall draft pick. 4 days ago

Juan Soto Note
	4. Juan Soto WSH There aren't enough superlatives in the English language to describe what Soto has done in his career given his young age. Had he merely repeated his incredible 2019 numbers last season, fantasy managers would have been ecstatic. Instead, he upped his walk rate from an elite 16.4% to a truly remarkable 20.9%, cut his strikeout rate down to just 14.3%, and batted .351. Soto does not have the speed or baserunning chops to steal 30 bases in a season, which is the only thing keeping him from being considered worthy of drafting first overall. But given what he's accomplished through his age-21 season, it's truly scary to think of how high his ceiling may be. Draft him as a top-five pick and enjoy the ridiculous production. 4 days ago

Christian Yelich Note
	5. Christian Yelich MIL

Cody Bellinger Note
	6. Cody Bellinger LAD

Bryce Harper Note
	7. Bryce Harper PHI

Whit Merrifield Note
	8. Whit Merrifield KC

Kyle Tucker Note
	9. Kyle Tucker HOU

Luis Robert Note
	10. Luis Robert CWS

Eloy Jimenez Note
	11. Eloy Jimenez CWS

Starling Marte Note
	12. Starling Marte MIA

Marcell Ozuna Note
	13. Marcell Ozuna FA

George Springer Note
	14. George Springer TOR Springer's batting average fell off a tad last year, but once he was past his wrist injury, he was explosive, batting .316 with a 1.033 OPS over the final month of the season. His expected statistics were excellent, as he ranked in the top eight percent of the league in xBA, xSLG, and xWOBA. Now with the Blue Jays and an extreme hitter's park (wherever the Blue Jay play this year), he should once again be in line for a stellar year. Home runs and runs scored should again be plentiful, making Springer a rock solid second outfielder in mixed leagues. 2 days ago

Aaron Judge Note
	15. Aaron Judge NYY

Charlie Blackmon Note
	16. Charlie Blackmon COL

Michael Conforto Note
	17. Michael Conforto NYM

Cavan Biggio Note
	18. Cavan Biggio TOR

Trent Grisham Note
	19. Trent Grisham SD

Nick Castellanos Note
	20. Nick Castellanos CIN Castellanos hit for plenty of power last season with the Reds, but it was far from the full breakout season many expected. His strikeout rate jumped to 28.5%, his batting average cratered to a career-low .225, and his wOBA was his worst mark since 2015. But Castellanos was also the victim of some pretty terrible luck, given that he had an expected batting average of .273 and a strong 46.7% hard-hit rate. With a full year in Great American Ballpark, Castellanos should fully live up to the hype he had coming into the 2020 season if he can just have even normal luck. Draft him with confidence as a likely strong four-category contributor. 4 days ago

Austin Meadows Note
	21. Austin Meadows TB

Teoscar Hernandez Note
	22. Teoscar Hernandez TOR

Randy Arozarena Note
	23. Randy Arozarena TB

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. Note
	24. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. TOR

Eddie Rosario Note
	25. Eddie Rosario FA

Jeff McNeil Note
	26. Jeff McNeil NYM Much of McNeil's 2020 season looked similar to his year in 2019. He hit over .300, rarely struck out, and got on base plenty. But the power gains that we saw in 2019 vanished, as he hit just four home runs over 52 games. His barrel rate (2.5%) and hard-hit percentage (26.5%) were some of the worst in the league, and he didn't even offer the token stolen base that he had chipped in during previous seasons. This is a scenario where McNeil's value to any particular fantasy manager will depend on the weight he or she gives to the shortened 2020 season. Given that McNeil never hit the ball particularly hard anyway, though, a good bet is to assume he at least returns to the high teens in home runs, slightly below his 2019 pace. With his strong average and multi-position eligibility, that makes McNeil an asset in the middle rounds. 21 hours ago

Tommy Pham Note
	27. Tommy Pham SD

Wil Myers Note
	28. Wil Myers SD

Dominic Smith Note
	29. Dominic Smith NYM

Yordan Alvarez Note
	30. Yordan Alvarez HOU

J.D. Martinez Note
	31. J.D. Martinez BOS

Ramon Laureano Note
	32. Ramon Laureano OAK

Victor Robles Note
	33. Victor Robles WSH There were plenty of warning signs with Robles' batted-ball data heading into 2020, and they're only greater now after an abysmal season during which he slashed .220/.293/.315. The MLB average in barrel rate and average exit velocity are 6.4% and 88.3 MPH, respectively. Robles clocked in at 4.8% and 83.3 MPH in 2019, and then fell to a ridiculous 1.7% and 82.2 MPH in 2020. His continously poor contact limits any upside, but it's worth noting that he still hit 17 homers and stole 28 bases in 2019 despite it all. Robles is still just entering his age-24 season, so massive long-term growth is still certainly on the table. But for now, it's impossible to justify drafting him as anything more than a fifth outfielder in mixed leagues. 4 days ago

Alex Verdugo Note
	34. Alex Verdugo BOS

Mike Yastrzemski Note
	35. Mike Yastrzemski SF

Jorge Soler Note
	36. Jorge Soler KC

Joey Gallo Note
	37. Joey Gallo TEX

Byron Buxton Note
	38. Byron Buxton MIN

Max Kepler Note
	39. Max Kepler MIN

Michael Brantley Note
	40. Michael Brantley HOU After a few hours where it looked like Brantley was heading to the Blue Jays, he'll instead return to the Astros on a two-year contract. Despite his advancing age, Brantley remains one of the safest players in all of fantasy, batting at least .299 in each of the last six seasons in which he played at least 11 games. He both walked and struck out more than usual last season, but given that he played in just 46 games, there's little reason to draw any firm conclusions from that data. The bigger issue is that Brantley excels in only batting average, and although he'll offer something in each of the other four rotisserie categories, he won't be a difference-maker. Draft Brantley in the middle-to-later rounds if you need an average boost, but there's little upside. 2 days ago

Tommy Edman Note
	41. Tommy Edman STL

Ketel Marte Note
	42. Ketel Marte ARI

Giancarlo Stanton Note
	43. Giancarlo Stanton NYY

Kyle Lewis Note
	44. Kyle Lewis SEA

AJ Pollock Note
	45. AJ Pollock LAD

Kris Bryant Note
	46. Kris Bryant CHC

Randal Grichuk Note
	47. Randal Grichuk TOR

Andrew McCutchen Note
	48. Andrew McCutchen PHI

Ian Happ Note
	49. Ian Happ CHC

Victor Reyes Note
	50. Victor Reyes DET

Dylan Carlson Note
	51. Dylan Carlson STL Carlson caught major buzz heading into the season last year as he looked likely to earn an everyday role in the outfield, but he sputtered for much of the season even when he did play, slashing just .200/.252/.364 with three home runs in 119 plate appearances. But he had a successful, albeit brief, post-season, and now again looks ready to claim a starting outfield spot for the Cardinals. Carlson is just 22 years old and has a strong minor-league track record. If he can hold down his spot, he has 25-15 potential, and should hit for a solid average. Given his age and his poor 2020 season, there's some obvious risk, but the draft capital necessary to get him on your team is not prohibitive, and his upside should make him a target in all formats. 4 days ago

Anthony Santander Note
	52. Anthony Santander BAL

J.D. Davis Note
	53. J.D. Davis NYM

Franmil Reyes Note
	54. Franmil Reyes CLE

Dylan Moore Note
	55. Dylan Moore SEA

Andrew Benintendi Note
	56. Andrew Benintendi BOS

Rhys Hoskins Note
	57. Rhys Hoskins PHI

Clint Frazier Note
	58. Clint Frazier NYY

Jesse Winker Note
	59. Jesse Winker CIN

Trey Mancini Note
	60. Trey Mancini BAL

Austin Riley Note
	61. Austin Riley ATL

Chris Taylor Note
	62. Chris Taylor LAD

Lorenzo Cain Note
	63. Lorenzo Cain MIL

Raimel Tapia Note
	64. Raimel Tapia COL

Kyle Schwarber Note
	65. Kyle Schwarber WSH Schwarber gave back many of his 2019 gains last year, seeing a rise in strikeout rate (29.5%) and his batting average dropping to an abysmal .188. But Schwarber's season was far from linear: over the first half of the season, he slashed .230/.343/.448, but those numbers dropped to .154/.279/.346 over the second half. At the same time, he continued to hit the ball extremely hard, with a 92.8 MPH average exit velocity, which was top 5% in the league. Given his consistently hard contact, the better course of action seems to forgive Schwarber for what amounted to an extremely poor 24-game stretch to close out the season. Now batting in the middle of the Nationals lineup with a fresh start and entering his age-28 season, Schwarber should rebound to somewhere between his 2018 and 2019 numbers. 4 days ago

Mark Canha Note
	66. Mark Canha OAK

Austin Hays Note
	67. Austin Hays BAL

Jo Adell Note
	68. Jo Adell LAA

David Peralta Note
	69. David Peralta ARI

Jarred Kelenic Note
	70. Jarred Kelenic SEA

Brandon Nimmo Note
	71. Brandon Nimmo NYM

Mitch Haniger Note
	72. Mitch Haniger SEA

Brian Anderson Note
	73. Brian Anderson MIA

Kole Calhoun Note
	74. Kole Calhoun ARI

Jurickson Profar Note
	75. Jurickson Profar FA

Hunter Dozier Note
	76. Hunter Dozier KC

Nick Senzel Note
	77. Nick Senzel CIN

David Fletcher Note
	78. David Fletcher LAA

Aaron Hicks Note
	79. Aaron Hicks NYY

Garrett Hampson Note
	80. Garrett Hampson COL

Leody Taveras Note
	81. Leody Taveras TEX

Manuel Margot Note
	82. Manuel Margot TB

Yasiel Puig Note
	83. Yasiel Puig FA

Jon Berti Note
	84. Jon Berti MIA

Alex Dickerson Note
	85. Alex Dickerson SF

Adam Eaton Note
	86. Adam Eaton CWS

David Dahl Note
	87. David Dahl TEX

Bryan Reynolds Note
	88. Bryan Reynolds PIT

Alex Kirilloff Note
	89. Alex Kirilloff MIN

Adam Duvall Note
	90. Adam Duvall FA

Willie Calhoun Note
	91. Willie Calhoun TEX

Myles Straw Note
	92. Myles Straw HOU

Kevin Pillar Note
	93. Kevin Pillar FA

Avisail Garcia Note
	94. Avisail Garcia MIL

Stephen Piscotty Note
	95. Stephen Piscotty OAK

Brandon Belt Note
	96. Brandon Belt SF

Corey Dickerson Note
	97. Corey Dickerson MIA

Joc Pederson Note
	98. Joc Pederson FA

Scott Kingery Note
	99. Scott Kingery PHI

Jackie Bradley Jr. Note
	100. Jackie Bradley Jr. FA

Jason Heyward Note
	101. Jason Heyward CHC

Danny Santana Note
	102. Danny Santana FA

Austin Slater Note
	103. Austin Slater SF

Garrett Cooper Note
	104. Garrett Cooper MIA

Oscar Mercado Note
	105. Oscar Mercado CLE

Josh Naylor Note
	106. Josh Naylor CLE

Luis Arraez Note
	107. Luis Arraez MIN

Cristian Pache Note
	108. Cristian Pache ATL

Shogo Akiyama Note
	109. Shogo Akiyama CIN

Tim Lopes Note
	110. Tim Lopes MIL

Ryan Braun Note
	111. Ryan Braun FA

Harrison Bader Note
	112. Harrison Bader STL

Niko Goodrum Note
	113. Niko Goodrum DET

Josh Reddick Note
	114. Josh Reddick FA

Sam Hilliard Note
	115. Sam Hilliard COL

Kevin Kiermaier Note
	116. Kevin Kiermaier TB

Tyler O'Neill Note
	117. Tyler O'Neill STL

Robbie Grossman Note
	118. Robbie Grossman DET

Justin Upton Note
	119. Justin Upton LAA

Hunter Renfroe Note
	120. Hunter Renfroe BOS

Shin-Soo Choo Note
	121. Shin-Soo Choo FA

Monte Harrison Note
	122. Monte Harrison MIA

Josh Lowe Note
	123. Josh Lowe TB

Andrew Stevenson Note
	124. Andrew Stevenson WSH

Gregory Polanco Note
	125. Gregory Polanco PIT

Franchy Cordero Note
	126. Franchy Cordero KC

Julio Rodriguez Note
	127. Julio Rodriguez SEA

Roman Quinn Note
	128. Roman Quinn PHI

JaCoby Jones Note
	129. JaCoby Jones DET

Nomar Mazara Note
	130. Nomar Mazara FA

Cedric Mullins II Note
	131. Cedric Mullins II BAL

Aristides Aquino Note
	132. Aristides Aquino CIN

Yoshi Tsutsugo Note
	133. Yoshi Tsutsugo TB

Mallex Smith Note
	134. Mallex Smith NYM

Brett Gardner Note
	135. Brett Gardner FA

Shed Long Jr. Note
	136. Shed Long Jr. SEA

Domingo Santana Note
	137. Domingo Santana FA

Yoenis Cespedes Note
	138. Yoenis Cespedes FA

Adam Haseley Note
	139. Adam Haseley PHI

Ender Inciarte Note
	140. Ender Inciarte ATL

Jesus Sanchez Note
	141. Jesus Sanchez MIA

Tyler Wade Note
	142. Tyler Wade NYY

Jose Martinez Note
	143. Jose Martinez NYM

Eric Thames Note
	144. Eric Thames FA

Kike Hernandez Note
	145. Kike Hernandez FA

Edward Olivares Note
	146. Edward Olivares KC

Mike Tauchman Note
	147. Mike Tauchman NYY

Marwin Gonzalez Note
	148. Marwin Gonzalez FA

Jose Peraza Note
	149. Jose Peraza NYM

Lewis Brinson Note
	150. Lewis Brinson MIA

Leury Garcia Note
	151. Leury Garcia CWS

Jay Bruce Note
	152. Jay Bruce FA

Ian Desmond Note
	153. Ian Desmond COL

Derek Fisher Note
	154. Derek Fisher TOR

DJ Stewart Note
	155. DJ Stewart BAL

Chad Pinder Note
	156. Chad Pinder OAK

Delino DeShields Note
	157. Delino DeShields CLE

Yusniel Diaz Note
	158. Yusniel Diaz BAL

Brad Miller Note
	159. Brad Miller FA

Jared Oliva Note
	160. Jared Oliva PIT

Josh Rojas Note
	161. Josh Rojas ARI

Sam Haggerty Note
	162. Sam Haggerty SEA

Seth Brown Note
	163. Seth Brown OAK

JJ Bleday Note
	164. JJ Bleday MIA

Brandon Marsh Note
	165. Brandon Marsh LAA

Jahmai Jones Note
	166. Jahmai Jones LAA

Ryan McBroom Note
	167. Ryan McBroom KC