Fantasy Baseball Player Notes
2021 Fantasy Baseball Draft Notes
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49.
Zac Gallen
SP
Gallen built on his excellent 2019 season with an even more impressive 2020 campaign. Not only did he drop his ERA slightly to 2.75, but he cut way down on his walks (10.8% to 8.6%), which led to a much-improved 1.11 WHIP. Gallen has a 28.5% strikeout rate in 152 MLB innings, and an excellent fastball, curveball, and changeup. There's just not much negative you can say about him other than he might again struggle for wins playing for a mediocre team in a good division. But, as always, wins are fickle in fantasy baseball, and he should be drafted as a strong SP2.
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77.
Ketel Marte
2B
Most fantasy managers expected regression from Marte after his breakout 2019 season, but few saw last year coming. Marte hit two homeruns in his 45 games, and contributed minimally elsewhere other than batting average. His walk rate dropped to a miniscule 3.6%, and although he struck out less than ever, the quality of his contact was overwhelmingly poor. Truth be told, both 2019 and 2020 are probably outliers for Marte, and the truth probably lies somewhere between his 2018 (.260/.332/.437) and 2019 (.329/.389/.592) seasons. Those numbers will play at second base, especially given Marte's draft cost, but give up dreams of him hitting 32 home runs ever again.
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168.
Christian Walker
1B
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214.
Kole Calhoun
RF
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216.
Eduardo Escobar
3B
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243.
Daulton Varsho
CF
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.
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245.
David Peralta
LF
Peralta is entering his age-34 season and coming off a season during which he hit just five home runs, but he still makes a fairly reliable late-round selection. His career batting average is .291 (and he hit .300 last year), and his 162-game pace is roughly 20 home runs and 160 combined runs and RBI. Even if his steals are gone, there's still plenty of production left in the bat for someone who will be drafted well beyond the top 200 picks, and who had shoulder surgery prior to the 2020 season which likely affected his production. The upside isn't there anymore, but safe and boring can sometimes be the right move.
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292.
Joakim Soria
RP
The Diamondbacks gave Soria a one-year, $3.5 million deal after his successful stint with the A's. Soria fixed his home run problem from 2019, which was an outlier for his career anyway, and his 2020 numbers looked much more in line with his typical output. Soria hasn't been named the closer, but given that he has totaled at least 16 saves in eight separate seasons, it's a strong bet that he'll begin the year in the ninth inning. The Diamondbacks aren't expected to be competitive, so if you do draft him, bank on him being traded to another team, and into another role, by mid-season.
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293.
Carson Kelly
C
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339.
Stefan Crichton
RP
Crichton filled in admirably for Archie Bradley after Bradley was traded last season. His strikeout numbers weren't particularly impressive, but he had a 2.42 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP, and tallied five saves. He doesn't have prototypical "closer's stuff," but he's more than capable of getting major league hitters out. The Diamondbacks signed Joakim Soria to a one-year deal (and added Tyler Clippard, too), so Crichton seems unlikely to begin the year as the closer, even though it's an open competition at the moment. He's not worth anything other than an extremely late-round pick as a speculative ninth-inning option.
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341.
Madison Bumgarner
SP
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350.
Nick Ahmed
SS
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354.
Caleb Smith
SP
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382.
Luke Weaver
SP
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461.
Merrill Kelly
SP
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524.
Domingo Leyba
2B
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533.
Dominic Miroglio
C
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606.
Tyler Clippard
RP
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645.
Asdrubal Cabrera
1B
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658.
Josh Rojas
2B
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673.
Kevin Ginkel
RP
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682.
Taylor Widener
SP,RP
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717.
Corbin Martin
SP
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726.
Tim Locastro
CF
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739.
Alex Young
SP,RP
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756.
Pavin Smith
1B
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870.
Stephen Vogt
C
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937.
Humberto Mejia
SP
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1023.
Chris Devenski
RP
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1027.
Ben Heller
RP
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1028.
Riley Smith
RP
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1030.
Ryan Buchter
RP
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1031.
J.B. Bukauskas
SP
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1059.
Matt Peacock
RP
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1060.
Taylor Clarke
SP,RP
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1140.
Humberto Castellanos
RP
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1160.
Jeremy Beasley
RP
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1163.
Joe Mantiply
RP
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1202.
Taylor Guilbeau
RP
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1218.
Keury Mella
RP
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1229.
Yoan Lopez
RP
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1270.
Jon Duplantier
RP
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1375.
Wyatt Mathisen
3B
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1391.
Andy Young
2B
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1393.
Seth Beer
1B
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1449.
Stuart Fairchild
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1497.
Trayce Thompson
RF
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